Introduction

A great Pokémon team does not happen by accident.

In Pokémon Ultra Sun, you travel through the Alola region, catch Pokémon, complete island trials, battle powerful Totem Pokémon, challenge kahunas, and eventually face some of the hardest story battles in the game (Game Freak, 2017). You can win with many different teams, but the game becomes much easier—and more fun—when your team has a plan.

This book is about building that plan.

You do not need to memorize every Pokémon, every move, or every hidden number in the game before you can build a strong team. You only need to understand a few important ideas and practice using them. By the end of this book, you should be able to look at a Pokémon and ask smart questions:

• What types does it help me beat?
• Is it better with physical attacks or special attacks?
• Is it fast, bulky, powerful, or useful in another way?
• Does it cover a weakness my team already has?
• Are its moves actually helping, or are they just four attacks that look cool?

Those questions are the beginning of good team-building.

What “best team” really means

Many players ask, “What is the best team for Pokémon Ultra Sun?”

That is a good question, but it has a tricky answer: there is no single best team for every player.

A team is the group of up to six Pokémon you carry with you. A good team is not just six strong Pokémon. It is six Pokémon that work well together. For example, a Fire-type Pokémon may be powerful, but if your whole team is weak to Water-type attacks, one strong Water-type opponent can cause trouble. A team becomes better when its members cover each other’s weaknesses.

Think of a team like a sports team. If every player only wants to score, the team may still lose because nobody defends, passes, or supports. Pokémon teams work the same way. Some Pokémon are great attackers. Some are good at taking hits. Some help by using status moves, healing, switching safely, or setting up for a big sweep.

In this book, the “best” team means:

A team that can reliably beat the main story of Pokémon Ultra Sun, handle difficult battles, and teach you strong team-building habits for postgame challenges.

That word reliably is important. A reliable team does not only win when you get lucky. It wins because it has good type matchups, useful moves, enough speed, enough defense, and a clear battle plan.

The game rewards planning

Pokémon Ultra Sun is not exactly the same as older Pokémon adventures. Instead of focusing only on a traditional Gym Leader path, Alola uses island trials, Totem Pokémon, and kahuna battles as major story challenges (Game Freak, 2017). A Totem Pokémon is a stronger-than-normal Pokémon fought during a trial. These battles can be harder than regular wild or trainer battles because Totem Pokémon may have boosted stats and may call ally Pokémon for help.

That means you cannot always win just by using your starter over and over.

For example, suppose you chose Litten, which eventually becomes Incineroar. Incineroar can be very strong, but it will not enjoy fighting every Water-, Ground-, or Fighting-type threat by itself. A smart player gives it teammates that can help with those problems. A Grass-type teammate can threaten Water- and Ground-types. A Flying- or Psychic-type move can help against Fighting-types. Now Incineroar is not alone; it has a team.

This is one of the main lessons of the book:

Your favorite Pokémon can shine brighter when the rest of the team supports it.

What you will learn first

Before we start choosing exact Pokémon, we need a few basic ideas.

The first idea is type matchup. Every Pokémon has one or two types, such as Fire, Water, Grass, Electric, or Dragon. Moves also have types. Some types are strong against others. For example, Water-type moves are super effective against Fire-type Pokémon. Grass-type moves are super effective against Water-type Pokémon. This is why a team with many different useful move types is usually safer than a team that only repeats the same kind of attack.

The second idea is role. A role is the job a Pokémon does for the team. One Pokémon might be a fast attacker. Another might be a bulky defender. Another might use support moves. For example, a speedy Electric-type can quickly defeat many Water- or Flying-type enemies, while a bulky Pokémon may switch into attacks safely when another teammate is in danger.

The third idea is moveset. A moveset is the four moves a Pokémon currently knows. Since each Pokémon can only use four moves at a time, every move slot matters. A Charizard with four Fire-type attacks may look exciting, but it may struggle when Fire is not useful. A better moveset usually includes a main attack, coverage moves, and sometimes a status or setup move.

A coverage move is a move that helps a Pokémon hit types it would otherwise struggle against. For example, a Water-type Pokémon might use an Ice-type move to hit Grass- or Dragon-type opponents. It does not change the Pokémon’s own type, but it gives the Pokémon more answers.

The fourth idea is training wisely. You do not need to grind forever. You need to know when to level up, when to evolve, when to replace a team member, and when your moves are holding you back. A well-planned team often saves time because you are not constantly struggling against the same problem.

This book is not just a list

You will see sample teams later, especially in Chapter 14. Those teams are helpful, but this book is not only a list of “use these six Pokémon.” A list can help you today, but understanding helps you every time you play.

For example, if someone tells you, “Use a strong Electric-type,” that is useful. But if you understand why Electric is helpful—because it can threaten Water- and Flying-type Pokémon—then you can choose from several good options depending on what you catch, what you like, and what your team needs.

That is the goal: not just copying a team, but learning how to build one.

You can still use Pokémon you like

A strong team does not mean you must throw away your favorites.

If you love Decidueye, you can build around it. If you like Lycanroc, you can make room for it. If you want to use an Ultra Beast later, you can learn how to fit it into the team without making your other Pokémon useless.

The key is balance. If your favorite Pokémon has weaknesses, your teammates can cover them. If your favorite Pokémon is slow, you can add faster partners. If your favorite Pokémon mostly uses physical attacks, you can add a special attacker so your team does not get stopped by one physically bulky opponent.

A good team-builder asks:

“How do I help this Pokémon succeed?”

That question is much better than asking only:

“Is this Pokémon good or bad?”

Most Pokémon can be useful in the main story if you understand what they do well and what support they need.

The path ahead

We will begin with the basics: what makes a team good, how Ultra Sun’s adventure is structured, and how type matchups work. Then we will study the starters—Rowlet, Litten, and Popplio—and learn how each one changes your team-building choices. After that, we will look at roles, stats, moves, abilities, natures, and practical team examples.

Later chapters will help you handle harder problems: Totem battles, Ultra Necrozma, held items, Z-Moves, legendary Pokémon, Ultra Beasts, EVs, IVs, the Battle Tree, and Double Battles.

Do not worry if some of those words are new. Each one will be explained when it becomes important.

For now, remember the main idea:

A winning Pokémon Ultra Sun team is not just six strong Pokémon. It is six Pokémon with a shared plan.

Let’s build that plan step by step.

References

Game Freak. (2017). Pokémon Ultra Sun [Nintendo 3DS game]. Nintendo; The Pokémon Company.

The Pokémon Company International. (n.d.). Pokémon Ultra Sun and Pokémon Ultra Moon. Pokémon.com. https://www.pokemon.com/us/pokemon-video-games/pokemon-ultra-sun-and-pokemon-ultra-moon/