Pokemon Crystal Draft Series #2: Building your team

Hello again, everyone!  Continuing from where we left off with the last post, it's time to learn how to build your team once you've picked your starter.  This is crucial to the draft, as a well-picked team will cover its own weaknesses and compliment its starter well.  Depending on your position in the draft, your picks will take on slightly different meanings as well.  Lastly, while it is important to have some semblance of a plan going into the draft, it is best to have a flexible team in mind and to be able to adapt quickly when a Pokemon you want is taken.

So without further ado, let's talk about second round picks!  For players drafting in the last 3-5 slots of the draft, second round picks are the partner to their starter, and the only "good" Pokemon they are guaranteed to get for the first three gyms.  For this reason, a lot of thought must be given to the combination of the starter and the second round pick.  For this draft, my second round pick was Lanturn.  This paired well with Dunsparce because Dunsparce can handle the first three gyms by itself but has trouble with gyms 5-7, while Lanturn sweeps those gyms with little trouble.

Spark fish is best fish.

There are several other good combinations to consider.  Crobat and Machoke pair well together, covering each others' weaknesses in the gym fights and speeding through the game in general.  As for standalone picks, Kadabra and Hypno are immensely useful as both have access to the elemental punches.  There are other combinations to be had, but I'll leave that to you to figure out.

For players in the first 3-5 slots of the draft, the second round pick isn't as crucial, as they will be making their third round pick very shortly afterward.  In these cases, it is good to secure important Pokemon that you think may be picked early in the third round by the people who pick before you.  Otherwise, keep in mind what good second round picks remain in the draft, and consider what Pokemon you will be leaving for your opponents depending on which one you pick.  In your first three picks, you definitely want to secure a Whitney-killer and a Water-type if you can.  If you are lucky enough to have Quagsire open when your pick arrives, consider taking it, as it is one of the best Water-types in the game.

Don't let that derpy expression fool you.

Beyond that, there's not a whole lot of specific tips that can be given for drafting a good team outside of figuring out what your team needs, what good Pokemon are left in the draft, and where those two lists overlap.  For instance, having a Pokemon that can use Fly will grant you more flexibility in traveling, but most fliers aren't very good in combat.  For this reason, it is recommended to secure a flier in the 4th or 5th round (depending on your pick) but only if your lineup looks solid.  Also consider denying your opponents certain Pokemon once your lineup is set.  If you have a team of four strong Pokemon, consider hoarding fliers with your remaining picks.  You can also load up with more than one Water-type if the two Pokemon serve different purposes.  I did this with Lanturn (natural Spark) and Lapras (natural Ice Beam), who share certain characteristics but will be most useful in different fights.

So in the end, there's not much to be said about drafting a good team that won't fly out the window after the second round.  The fact of the matter is that the best skills you can have for drafting a solid team are keeping a cool head during the drafting process and being able to adapt your team to what is left.  That is what the draft is about at its core: using Pokemon you wouldn't normally consider and making them work.  I expect many of you will be pleasantly surprised by the picks you made in rounds 4, 5, and 6.