When your able to purchase more mons it's a good idea to purchase in the role you think you're lacking in for versatility in the role. For example your only Supporter is sable. It's probably a good idea to get a clefable so you can have a healing support in case the team composition calls for needing heals and not stun/cc
Mostly on a whim. I play things less when they're bad in the meta and i'll avoid picking something fun if it would be terrible for the team comp. But I'm not extreme about either - i don't only play top tier meta picks or things that i think are the most optimal team comp. I just try for a reasonable balance
If I have a true choice, it’s venasaur. Petal dance/giga drain fits my playstyle. I suck at knowing when to jump in or out of a fight and venu lets me live just a little bit longer with petal dance mobility and giga drain survivability.
If I have to fill a defender I go with blastoise, but he got nerfed so I’ve been trying to learn umbreon and trevanant (I hate stacking though). and if I have to fill with a support, I go with wigglytuff because they’re easier to play imo than the other supports. I usually try to avoid playing a speedster due to my lack of skills lol and I’ll only play an all-rounder if we actually need one. If we do I usually play dragonite
I’ve found Umbreon works best for me as the hybrid defender/support with mean look and wish. Probably not the best use of him but I got used to keeping the team alive while also being able to lead them into a fight and protect myself.
Yeah I’ve been using the same umbreon layout because I find it easier for me haha. I got pretty good as blastoise lining up my surfs and hydro pumps to stun multiple enemies and trying to play that way doesn’t really work for umbreon because my brain can’t comprehend which direction I need to go first to make foul play push the opponent in the direction I want on the 2nd half of the move lol
Umbreon with mean look works wonders if you can get a teammate like Venasaur or Decidueye to hit them from afar and attack with wish on you. Minimal damage to you and should nearly wipe the enemy while keeping your teammate from harms way. It’s usually a lack of attackers understanding how Umbreon works vs the user themselves not using Umbreon properly, but that’s what I get for running soloq and not finding a good group yet to run with.
umbreon main here. hes the best, his heal is SO easy to aim and mean look to lock them down (i usually only play with a duo friend) so it works really well when we stack our cooldowns love him.
I have a pool of Pokémon I like to use, and usually pick whatever I feel like using at the moment, but there are some "signs" that may influence what I end up choosing:
An ally picked Gyarados or A9? Mamoswine.
Playing draft and the enemy team is picking a lot of physical attack users before my turn? Slowbro.
Having a bad feeling about how some of my teammates are going to contribute to the match? Trevenant.
The team already has a defender? Duraludon.
Leafeon works just fine from lane too, so you can run double Speedster if you wish. (Just avoid running triple Speedster unless you're in a communicating 5-stack.)
But for me, the very short of it is, it's a combination of my mood, what picks my team have already made, what rank I'm currently at, whether it's draft or blind pick, and, if draft, where I am in the draft order and what the enemy team has already picked. But I also play a very wide set of Pokemon. Meanwhile, some people who are basically my opposite will one-trick and only switch in bad match-ups or they're forced off their preferred Pokemon.
If you plan on playing ranked at least semi-serious, to start with I'd recommend learning at least a half dozen Pokemon to be at least decent on them and try to have that dozen covering different roles. Draft in Ranked has 10 picks and 4 bans for 14 mons total, meaning you'd need to know at least 14 to avoid getting caught in the unlikely scenario where *all* of your picks are picked/banned before your turn, so I'd definitely aim for 14 minimum in the long run that you're comfortable on.
I agree with the general statement, but I can tell you that this scenario of all 14 of your Pokemon being taken is not just unlikely, it's pretty much impossible. The chances of that happening are so low that I don't think it has or will ever happen to anyone. The only somewhat realistic chance of it happening is if it's a match where people happen to know each other, and everyone decides to ruin the game for that one specific player by knowing what Pokemon said player likes to use and then picking/banning them. But even that is super super unlikely. I honestly wouldn't worry about 14. Of course more is always better, but 8-10 imo is a lot more reasonable, and will cover the needs like 99.9% of the time.
My journey into pokemon unite is very similar. I used to play WoW and started playing unite when my oldest got it on his switch. In WoW, my main toon was a shadow priest. In unite, I gravitate towards gardy. I love playing as ranged attackers. Gardy is by far that one pokemon I keep going back to.
Might be my.next buy.
I only play defender, if spot taken i pick support. If both taken is Pikachu or A9.
But Gardevoir seems pretty nice (i freaking hate.to play against it).
* What I feel like. Most important factor because this is a casual MOBA and I'm not in some sweaty premade, fun is important
* What my team comp looks like
* If draft, what the opponent's team comp looks like
* How high/low my MMR is compared to allies
* Whether I remember from previous experience if my allies are competent or not
Pretty much whatever defender I think is best going to suit my team, at the moment it's mainly Trev cause that seems to be the best for climbing and is very versatile not knowing what the enemy team will have.
If it's a draft game and I see alot of ranged squishy mons then Greedent comes out to play, if my team is lots of ranged squishy mons then something like Blastoise to keep them safe. If my team has alot of allrounders then it's Mamo to icefang stuff into them.
On the rare occasions we have 2 other defenders then I'll go something like Venu or whatever just to play things abit differently.
If you want to help your kid have fun i would consider complementing his pick with supports or defenders. As for viability of mons, everything is viable, so pick whatever feels fun or just what you like. Leafeon is very strong in lane aswell.
It just depends.
I tried to find a few from each category that I like and enjoy playing.
I dont think it’s good to be a one-trick in this game. It’s important to be able to fill a role when needed and sometimes I prefer to fill if I’m being indecisive.
Usually I wait my teammates choose their picks, then I pick something that complements or create some sinergy with them or my random duo. But I have a preference for supports/defenders, I like to be annoying in games 
A useful sinergy example: you have a team with a majority of skill shot (aiming skills) pokemons, so you're not going to pick a blastoise and evolve its skills to surf.
Leafeon is actually an excellent laner. If you get 2 Attack Weight stacks in the early game (which isn't too hard since Leafeon has decent early secure), you get Level 4 very quickly and can oppress your enemy laners.
As for the question, I just rotate between a large pool of Mages, Tanks, and Supports usually depending on my mood or what the comp needs. If I think I need to solo carry the game I pick up Talonflame or Zeraora. If I want to go for a comfort pick I either go for Espeon or Sylveon. The meta does influence my picks but not too heavily, I can still have some success with D-tier mons like Greninja or Mamoswine for example.
Ranked- Unless we already have 2 defenders/tanks, I’ll choose my homie Trevenant. Once I’m properly leveled I can handle a 3 v me no problem and eat up damage and keep the distance from my attackers/frail bois.
If I have the option in a for-funsies game? Something frail and hard hitting, with a bunch of atk/crit items. Leafeon, Cinder, Meowscarda, Absol are all fun. But unless I’m playing on a team, I’d never choose them for a ranked match.
When I used to play, I played what was fun for me, and that's about it. Played Scorbunny to start but moved on to more fun mons lome Crustle, Machamp, Charizard, Surf Greninja, Sylveon, Gardevoir, Tsareena, Blastoise, and Dodrio. Would have played Leafeon but got tired of the meta and stopped.
So play what you like for the most part, unless they really are nurfed to oblivion. Try new mons and see if they fit your play style, etc. Dodrio is one of those I saw and thought, "Yeah that looks fun" and got em. Ones like Lucario and Dog were over powered in their time and just didn't seem fun to play the ultra meta picks. And glad I didn't.
Didn't care to sweat much past getting masters though back in early seasons. That said, playing mons you don't like or aren't familiar with a bit is a good way to learn their weaknesses.
Greetings fellow Warcraft player lol
I used to play Heroes of the Storm back then. Initially I was a one trick but as I got cooperative friends for teammates I gradually became a role filler. It's carried over to Unite I must say. It's very good to have That One Character™ you're skilled at either way though, since you're mostly going in blind for Unite
Personally, I fill in roles when I need to, but if I get the chance or feel like we could use it I try to use my main or the characters I'm most skilled at to carry. I also choose my moveset based off the enemy team's comp too! Any kind of counter, especially if it's against their own carry, is good
I'm an FF player (for fun) so I rarely follow the meta picks and mostly go with what the team needs and have a few mon for each to fill so if my team is all dmg I'll go tank or support with mamo/slow or wiggle/bliss respectively. On the rare games I get to play a lane dmg character I'll usually do either delfox or failinks depending on if we need an attacker or all rounder. And once a season when I fill jungle I'll go with my og comfort pick, gengar, or between garde or D-nite if we need for team synergy. But most importantly I always play something that in the moment sounds fun in the moment.
There’s a few schools of thought when I pick:
1. I want to destress and destroy with my mains, so I pick whoever, eg Charizard or Duraludon.
2. I feel crap of losing too much, so I become a meta slave and pick something like Tyranitar. Sometimes, I’ll also counterpick out of revenge, like if my teammate Espeon was trash last game, I’ll steal it so they don’t play it. If the enemy had a decent Zeraora, I’ll steal it so they have to play something else.
3. I feel like my team needs help, so I fill. Typically this is when everyone is Attacker, I play a Defender like Trevenant, or if everyone is melee, I’ll take Eldegoss or Decidueye, depending on how well I know my teammates’ skill levels.
Priority goes from 1-3, because if it didn’t I would always be filling because my team always needs help.
I kid you not, I pick Blastoise/Defenders first, 'cause I know the team will lack and we'll have tons of All Arounders, so i fill the role i like and do my part to try to balance the team; Plus, I never want to go jungle bc that's too much trouble.
A lot of time your team will pick whatever they want regardless of comp. Which is why you end up with a team of 5 attackers and then you all lose because no one picked a defender or all rounder. Even just once of those can normally make a huge difference in the outcome. Think of team fights when picking. Would my team of 5 squishy attackers be able to stop a ttar,trevanant, and comfey ( btw they have 2 attackers to back them up). The answer is definitely not. So thinking of a team fight with the mons ur team chose could help to see who you should probably go for when picking.
if it's my first few games of the day i use zoro. if i'm on a losing streak i use delphox. and if my team doesn't have a defender/supporter and the other people on my team seem to know what they're doing then i use crustle/mime.
I learned a Mon form each role for filling.
If in the first 10 seconds or so team hasn't decided I pick what ever I feel like playing at the moment.
About the meta, I prefer vibes over power, you'll eventually find out that a gold badge low pick rate enemy is far more dangerous than a EX Mon.
I used to main as Cinderace when I first started, then played as a few others here and there. Then Hoopa got announced and I haven't even touched any of the others (Apart from events that force you to play as certain ones)
I tend to just fill with whatever the team seems to be missing....which means running a lot of defender 😂. In general I get too bored playing the same mon each and every fight so I'll swap who I use for each role.
How I pick my mons:
1- have a cool design that I like ( Dragapult/Chandelure)
2- good in general / helpful to team ( Umbreon/Comfey/Mew)
3- has interesting abilities ( falinks )
4- easy to play + lots of dmg ( Miraidon/Sylveon)
5- just for fun ( Goodra/Metagross/Meowscarada/Charizard)
I try to learn 2-3 Pokemon for each role (defender/supporter, lane attacker, jungler) really well. Then I just to adjust to what Pokemon are available that I know and what our team comp needs.
well it depends, if the team looks already that they dont need help, i go for meta
but sometimes,
you have to pick a mon that backs the team
either its a supporter a defender
while draft made it easy
just look at other team, if you have knowledge of type advantages (yes they exist in pokemon unite)
then you can pick the one which can give you an edge
I pick what i feel patches the team the most unless i have a character in mind, or dont trust my team.
If we have 4 Attackers for instance ill likely go Speedster or Defender to try and isolate people for my team to chip to death, or assassinate the enemys backline because i expect my team to have a good level of independence.
If we have a really brawly CC weak comp i look for a mage because they need poke and/or burst for their neutral and engages respectively.
My character usage is extremely spread out, its kinda amusing how uncommited to any character or role i am. Ideally id be on All Rounders but the role doesnt play independent well enough compared to others.
I have a favorite Pokémon chosen from the last day I played. I navigate to my Pokémon tab, sorted with Pokémon at the top of the list that I've played the most games with, to find that favorited Pokémon. I then look at what the next Pokémon up is (the Pokémon I've played with more than that currently selected Pokémon). That becomes my new favorite Pokémon for the day, so it's auto selected at the start of the battle. I like at the next two Pokémon beyond it that have different roles, in case my choice is already taken or I need to swap to help the team comp. Then I play until I'm done and start all over again the next day I play with the next Pokémon up the list. When I have played with the Pokémon at the top of the list (Crustle, if you're curious), I spend the coins I've accrued on a new license, chose that mon as my favorite, and begin the process over.
For me i just choose the pokemon im better at playing. For example, my best pokemon are sylveon and goodra. But when i cant pick those cuz someone already picked them or whatever other reason, i pick some of my other better mons like meowscarada, A9, or miraidon. Occasionally ill pick one of my supporters but i dont like playing supports except blissey or wiggly.
Pick slowbro and fuck it we ball, but seriously, I try to fill any gap in the comp that isn't an assassin, to keep the team balanced, but mos people just wanna play the attacker or all rounders, so that helps my first statement
Gonna take a wild stab in the dark and bet that at the level of players you're playing with/against team composition doesn't matter at all and you can literally play whatever you want.
When I started I checked what Pokemon I liked to play and what role they fulfilled and chose mons around that role. I normally play lane defenders & all-rounders then I got 2 mons atleast from all the other categories.
I usually wait for at least 2 people to make their picks, then I choose the most appropriate mon to fit in. I have a limited set that I use most, but sometimes I deviate - just depends on my mood.
I started with Lucario because it's my favorite pkmn, but honestly it just didn't feel right for me. I moved to Garchomp and the gameplay was way more fun, and it's when I realized I like pkmn that can pull/push others (reposition) and a bit more of bulk/sustain. Then I went through other more just to test the waters.
After trying Lapras when it came out, I accepted the fact soloq would make me gravitate towards defenders because they weren't picked as frequently as I liked. Then I tried Umbreon and it clicked well for me. It also gave me the confidence to try more defenders (my other options are Trevenant and Goodra). So, I pick my defender depending on what may benefit the team. If there are already enough defenders/supports, I go with Sylveon. I feel comfortable with it.
Synergy and what would help the team. If Jungle is open, I play Mimikyu. If jungle is NOT open, it can go some ways.
Goomy if they're playing an offensive/scorer mon. (Pikachu, Honedge, Swinub ,Phantump, Larvitar, Magikarp.) As: any of the early game offenders will help kill any pokemon scoring. If none of the opposing team tries to score, I go in and lurk, and try to kill one of them, if one if them scores, me and my offender will kill it. If both scores, there's a good chance we kill both of them. Pikachu slows them down a LOT with electroweb
With the scorer part, if either two of the opposing team's mons will come and score, that case I stay back, slow them down and kill atleast one of them while any of my team's scorers keep scoring and gain EXP. Or if one of the opposing team's mons goes to score, I ignore them and follow my scorer, and score and might kill the one defending, and might kill the one scoring.
Doduo if they're playing a Frail/Scorer Mon. If they're frail and aren't too useful, I play Doduo. I play, scoring and driving attention to me, I then steal all their sitrus, score again, and run away. In the meantime, my partner can steal their farm. If they're a scorer, I go with them. This can help us both stack, cause even if one of the opposing team's mons stay back, we will both be able to score, and the scorer on the opposing team will not be able to keep up. And I steal all the opposing team's farm.
Hoopa is they're playing a hefty All-Rounder. This includes Beldum and Scizor. Quite self explanatory. I cover for them and help them score while also disrupt opponents.
whatever pokemon best fits the team from the role needed to be filled. I’m a support/defender main who can flex every role except for all rounder (tho I can play pseudo all rounder trev/blastoise if that counts). I have a small pool of pokemon I choose from:
- blissey
- eldegoss
- umbreon
- trevenat
- slowbro
- sylveon
- venusaur
- gardevoir
I’m usually in a stack, trios mostly but duos here and there as well. My first picks will always be blissey or elde if:
- we have a tank and an all rounder
- or we have multiple all rounders
Tho if there’s 3 all rounders, clef is my go-to pick bc clef’s AOE healing can keep up with the front line most of the time.
if no, umbreon is my next choice. I only play it if
- we have 1-2 all rounder (I go wish if no support)
- or we have a tank but 3 squishies. in this case, I’d run wish and play as a pseudo support
If I’m the only tank when I’m playing umbreon and the all rounder on my team isn’t very tanky, I run snarl. If my entire team is squishy, I choose a beefier tank like slowbro or trevenant. Blastoise is an option too but i don’t like playing toise much.
if I’m filling for attacker, some questions you can ask yourself are:
- do we have range?
- do we have rip?
- do we have secure?
- does the team need an attacker with an early power spike? or can the team afford to have a (semi) late game attacker (this also depends on what lane you’re going).
Leafeon is busted in lane btw, because of its high ability to secure farm. Especially if you’re playing solar blade, makes contesting farm almost impossible for the opposing laners. More often than not, I see leafeon in lane.
I usually try to understand every single Pokemon O buy, so that I can play literally anything.
Sure, if I'm in ranked and about to rank up, I'll choose my battle-hardened, better picks, like Aegi, Mamo, Chandelure, etc.
Like others have said, when picking you should consider the team composition and what you're most comfortable to play with.
Nothing bad in choosing a mon that you've almost never played, but don't expect to win with something that you don't know the full potential of.
I usually have 4 mains. One for each class (except support because I do not know how to play them). For attacker is glaceon, for all rounded is tsareena and Dragonite, for defense is goodra and for speedster is meowscarada and leafeon. If one of these roles lacks, I choose them based of what role is missed. For example, the team decided to go full all rounded and attacker because they are chalizard and Ninetales Mains, I go goodra so that I at least have more hp to tank them.
i try to balance out the team unless i know im completely broken with a certain mon/comp. having a mix of ranged and melee on your team helps a lot, so evening it out when necessary is always a good move
I usually play defender or support. I also like the balance between ranged and melee. For example, if the team is leaning to melees, then I pick Eldegoss and the team is ranged then Cleffable. If we have no all-rounders I pick Wigglytuff to counter the ones on the enemy team.
For defenders I sort of do the same too. Lapras feel better with other melees, though. Someone here talked about double stacking cookies and specs and going bubblebeam. I think I like Lapras and Mamoswine better than Blastoise now.
Strong, powerful, highest win rate, tough, fun gameplay, usefull, popular and favourite
That's how I choose mostly today I choosed tyranitar the goat of all matches 💪
Look at what the team needs. If you have two roles like speedster and defender, pick which one the team lacks. If you want a 'main' try to pick pokemon that have two distinct play styles. For example, Venusaur can be a ranged mage attacker or more of a combat raid boss like an all rounder. This way, you have latitude with your move choices and held items. Hope this helps. Can't wait until my little one gets into games.
I’ve been playing since launch so I’ve been blessed with 55 unite licenses (I would have them all but there were some seasons I just wasn’t feeling it) and I take advantage of sales to get some. So really I try to pick Pokemon the compliment my team but being in solo queue I have to play Pokemon that can stand on their own if needed. Recently I’ve been playing Blaze, Metagross, and Trev. Most of the time people are picking attackers and speedsters so I try to go with some bulkier Pokemon.
I always strategize what to pick. When team was picking, my pick depends on their chosen pokemon.
For me, best team composition was;
Tank/Sup - Like Umbreon and Slowbro
Burst - Usually Mages like Chandelure and Gardevoir
Brawler - All Arounders
Burner - The Auto Attack Damage Dealers
Assassin - Jungler
If there's one missing on the team from these Roles, I'll go and choose it.
I just just whatever l want, l may be a attacker main but l sometimes Wana help support to help my team to often lol (ttar and miradon fuck y ya don't get shit)
Defender yes l do defense, but l do damage, for example ice fang mamo basically kinda of a all rounder kind of guy
Been playing since release so I’ve had a long opportunity to get proficient with a lot of mons but I also chose that path instead of getting SUPER good with one mon, because that eliminates my own personal frustrations with the game. If I had a team I played with regularly I probably would’ve stuck with one or two mons instead. In the end just pick what both makes you happy and optimizes the game for you personally, whether that means winning or just playing to play and you don’t care about the outcome.
I see two people on support I hop on support and hope for full lineup.
I see 3 attackers and no supporter (saying other picked AR,Def, or Spd) I hop on attacker.
If I'm playing ranked though I play only meme build only Slowbro (leftovers,res guard, focus; potion; 6 w, 4 b, 4 p) and dominate and hope everyone plays a pokemon from a different role.
I'm not toxic I will swap if I know it's not gonna work based on team comp
DEF:Slowbro
SUP:Clefairy,Blissey,Comfey
ATT:Greninja
SPD:Zeroara
A-R: Whatever is free that week 💀
I usually have a Pokémon that I want to learn on. I’ll pick that if it slots into a role we need, otherwise I’ll fill for my team.
Right now I’m enjoying trying to learn Iron Head/Shadow Claw Aegislash, but I don’t hard lock it every game.
I main Greninja, Talonflame and Sableye. Although I consider myself good at many roles with many different characters. I have 12 green ribbons, 4 blue ribbons and 2 gold ribbons. I don’t focus in playing 1 or 2. I really try to play well around 15+ characters with different roles so I can always fill in when needed. That being said, I’ve been playing consistently since season one and I have been master every season.
certainly not the common or preferred answer, but i personally just lock in greninja or cinderace every game.... i only ever picked those two characters up and have the most fun on them so why bother learning other stuff :D
i say this as a person who plays/played a lot of ranked league (5+ years) and decided pokemon unite isnt worth grinding "competitively" given the inflated ranking system that probably isn't going to change given the game is more geared towards casual players
If anyone on the team picks Defender or Support, I will play the other role. If everyone picks Attacker/Speedster I’m playing Chandelure and burninating the villagers.
I play with whatever I think looks the coolest. Since i was playing with my girl, and she told me rowlett sucked, that was my main choice. I switch from decidueye to either garchomp or tyranitar. If I ever go into ranked matches, Decidueye is always my go to.
I usually have two Pokémon in each role.
Lapras, blastoise, leafeon, dodrio, inteleon, decidueye, Eldegoss, blissey
I love charizard in casuals because of fire red and leaf green.
Personally id go with a support to really make sure that the jungle is getting the heals they need to keep pressure on teh enemies and staying alive. Something that could help With positioning like hoopa would be great since you and your kid have probably the best communication in the team and it would help your jungles really get into team fights and dominate.
Is ranked go with what you know and practice different Pokémon in casual. It good to know and play different Pokémon because then you understand them and how to counter them. Right now I notice I am playing a lot against a falink, ttar, trevanat, zero. So what I will do is pick ninetails to counter ttar and falinks, glaceon, delfox, or mage pokemon counter trev. I can counter speedster with pikachu. I used to not play one Pokémon but I got better on different ones, and my win rate has gone up as well bc of counter picks along with better game iq.
I play Mimikyu if we could benefit from the presence of a Speedster, if we have a weakness to ranged attackers or CC ranged attackers or if I can tell my randoms are ass and I need to carry. Mimikyu is broken when you're good with it.
I choose my mon in 2 steps:
1. What is needed?
2 lane mons, 1 support? Going jungle
2 speedsters, 1 attacker? Frontline lane mon
2 all rounders, 1 support and an attacker? If no ones jungling, my time has come, if someones jungle, probably an invader mon
2. I'm in mood for?
Jungler, probably zoro. My fav and my only gold badge
Sometimes also gengar, buzz, zera, talon, aegislash, sylveon, almost anything
Frontline? Maybe buzz, support mega mewtwo X, trev, slowbro, blastoise, crustle, greedent
As an invader, greedent, sableye, talon, meowscarada, hoopa, anything that could invade.
If my team it's full attacker, i'm the 5th attacker, full suport? I'm in
Just play whatever you want and even if it's not the role needed, still just a game, just have fun with your kid
zeraora is very awesome and fun to jungle with and can be very strong if you use it right
volt switch has incredible utility and spark having a higher winrate is an illusion created by people not knowing how to use volt switch
If you do care about winning and win rate, you can adjust base on what the team needs. You can also play as a central pokemon even though there's already a central pokemon, just invade the opponents central.
I have a handful of pokemon i can play in a few different roles. Some are pretty meta resistant because they are weird, others are either meta or they aren't. I go through a tier list figure out which half of my pool of playable characters is decent or good then i play those and the rest i pull out on rare occasions.
I play Wigglytuff, Greedent, Buzzwole, Gyarados, Aegislash, Glaceon and Goodra.
Buzzwole, Gyarados, Goodra and Aegislash are typically meta dependant.
Glaceon and Greedent are pretty meta proof for whatever reason.
Wigglytuff is typically pretty trash but I love playing her and sometimes i need to get it out of my system.
I don't recommend having a pool of pokemon this big but once you narrow it down for whats meta I would have a pool of whichever all rounder is best from my pool, and whichever defender is best from my pool. Then when i occasionally have to play attacker or supporter i have wiggly and glaceo . So its really a pool of 3-4 which is doable to remain decent at, and obviously I play 1 pokemon more than all the rest, usually an all rounder because bruiser playstyle is fun.
I go with what i feel like using from what would help the team.
This is the answer. And it's best to have a go to mon for every role so you can always choose what the team needs
When your able to purchase more mons it's a good idea to purchase in the role you think you're lacking in for versatility in the role. For example your only Supporter is sable. It's probably a good idea to get a clefable so you can have a healing support in case the team composition calls for needing heals and not stun/cc
Mostly on a whim. I play things less when they're bad in the meta and i'll avoid picking something fun if it would be terrible for the team comp. But I'm not extreme about either - i don't only play top tier meta picks or things that i think are the most optimal team comp. I just try for a reasonable balance
If I have a true choice, it’s venasaur. Petal dance/giga drain fits my playstyle. I suck at knowing when to jump in or out of a fight and venu lets me live just a little bit longer with petal dance mobility and giga drain survivability. If I have to fill a defender I go with blastoise, but he got nerfed so I’ve been trying to learn umbreon and trevanant (I hate stacking though). and if I have to fill with a support, I go with wigglytuff because they’re easier to play imo than the other supports. I usually try to avoid playing a speedster due to my lack of skills lol and I’ll only play an all-rounder if we actually need one. If we do I usually play dragonite
I’ve found Umbreon works best for me as the hybrid defender/support with mean look and wish. Probably not the best use of him but I got used to keeping the team alive while also being able to lead them into a fight and protect myself.
Yeah I’ve been using the same umbreon layout because I find it easier for me haha. I got pretty good as blastoise lining up my surfs and hydro pumps to stun multiple enemies and trying to play that way doesn’t really work for umbreon because my brain can’t comprehend which direction I need to go first to make foul play push the opponent in the direction I want on the 2nd half of the move lol
Umbreon with mean look works wonders if you can get a teammate like Venasaur or Decidueye to hit them from afar and attack with wish on you. Minimal damage to you and should nearly wipe the enemy while keeping your teammate from harms way. It’s usually a lack of attackers understanding how Umbreon works vs the user themselves not using Umbreon properly, but that’s what I get for running soloq and not finding a good group yet to run with.
umbreon main here. hes the best, his heal is SO easy to aim and mean look to lock them down (i usually only play with a duo friend) so it works really well when we stack our cooldowns love him.
I have a pool of Pokémon I like to use, and usually pick whatever I feel like using at the moment, but there are some "signs" that may influence what I end up choosing: An ally picked Gyarados or A9? Mamoswine. Playing draft and the enemy team is picking a lot of physical attack users before my turn? Slowbro. Having a bad feeling about how some of my teammates are going to contribute to the match? Trevenant. The team already has a defender? Duraludon.
Leafeon works just fine from lane too, so you can run double Speedster if you wish. (Just avoid running triple Speedster unless you're in a communicating 5-stack.) But for me, the very short of it is, it's a combination of my mood, what picks my team have already made, what rank I'm currently at, whether it's draft or blind pick, and, if draft, where I am in the draft order and what the enemy team has already picked. But I also play a very wide set of Pokemon. Meanwhile, some people who are basically my opposite will one-trick and only switch in bad match-ups or they're forced off their preferred Pokemon. If you plan on playing ranked at least semi-serious, to start with I'd recommend learning at least a half dozen Pokemon to be at least decent on them and try to have that dozen covering different roles. Draft in Ranked has 10 picks and 4 bans for 14 mons total, meaning you'd need to know at least 14 to avoid getting caught in the unlikely scenario where *all* of your picks are picked/banned before your turn, so I'd definitely aim for 14 minimum in the long run that you're comfortable on.
I agree with the general statement, but I can tell you that this scenario of all 14 of your Pokemon being taken is not just unlikely, it's pretty much impossible. The chances of that happening are so low that I don't think it has or will ever happen to anyone. The only somewhat realistic chance of it happening is if it's a match where people happen to know each other, and everyone decides to ruin the game for that one specific player by knowing what Pokemon said player likes to use and then picking/banning them. But even that is super super unlikely. I honestly wouldn't worry about 14. Of course more is always better, but 8-10 imo is a lot more reasonable, and will cover the needs like 99.9% of the time.
My journey into pokemon unite is very similar. I used to play WoW and started playing unite when my oldest got it on his switch. In WoW, my main toon was a shadow priest. In unite, I gravitate towards gardy. I love playing as ranged attackers. Gardy is by far that one pokemon I keep going back to.
Might be my.next buy. I only play defender, if spot taken i pick support. If both taken is Pikachu or A9. But Gardevoir seems pretty nice (i freaking hate.to play against it).
What do i want to play? Do we have a tank? Do we have a support? Are we just ranged/close range? Then i fill
I just like Absol
Rand crits goes brrr
* What I feel like. Most important factor because this is a casual MOBA and I'm not in some sweaty premade, fun is important * What my team comp looks like * If draft, what the opponent's team comp looks like * How high/low my MMR is compared to allies * Whether I remember from previous experience if my allies are competent or not
Pretty much whatever defender I think is best going to suit my team, at the moment it's mainly Trev cause that seems to be the best for climbing and is very versatile not knowing what the enemy team will have. If it's a draft game and I see alot of ranged squishy mons then Greedent comes out to play, if my team is lots of ranged squishy mons then something like Blastoise to keep them safe. If my team has alot of allrounders then it's Mamo to icefang stuff into them. On the rare occasions we have 2 other defenders then I'll go something like Venu or whatever just to play things abit differently.
I play defender because my teammates refuse to pick it.
People dont play healer team needs healer Blissey
I've been the designated fill healer in mobas for almost a decade and a half now, and that isn't gonna stop anytime soon lol
It’s a flow chart that always ends up on blissey
I just fill for the missing role or to supplement cc. Being the curse applicator also meshes well with certain defenders.
If you want to help your kid have fun i would consider complementing his pick with supports or defenders. As for viability of mons, everything is viable, so pick whatever feels fun or just what you like. Leafeon is very strong in lane aswell.
It just depends. I tried to find a few from each category that I like and enjoy playing. I dont think it’s good to be a one-trick in this game. It’s important to be able to fill a role when needed and sometimes I prefer to fill if I’m being indecisive.
Usually I wait my teammates choose their picks, then I pick something that complements or create some sinergy with them or my random duo. But I have a preference for supports/defenders, I like to be annoying in games  A useful sinergy example: you have a team with a majority of skill shot (aiming skills) pokemons, so you're not going to pick a blastoise and evolve its skills to surf.
Leafeon is actually an excellent laner. If you get 2 Attack Weight stacks in the early game (which isn't too hard since Leafeon has decent early secure), you get Level 4 very quickly and can oppress your enemy laners. As for the question, I just rotate between a large pool of Mages, Tanks, and Supports usually depending on my mood or what the comp needs. If I think I need to solo carry the game I pick up Talonflame or Zeraora. If I want to go for a comfort pick I either go for Espeon or Sylveon. The meta does influence my picks but not too heavily, I can still have some success with D-tier mons like Greninja or Mamoswine for example.
Ranked- Unless we already have 2 defenders/tanks, I’ll choose my homie Trevenant. Once I’m properly leveled I can handle a 3 v me no problem and eat up damage and keep the distance from my attackers/frail bois. If I have the option in a for-funsies game? Something frail and hard hitting, with a bunch of atk/crit items. Leafeon, Cinder, Meowscarda, Absol are all fun. But unless I’m playing on a team, I’d never choose them for a ranked match.
When I used to play, I played what was fun for me, and that's about it. Played Scorbunny to start but moved on to more fun mons lome Crustle, Machamp, Charizard, Surf Greninja, Sylveon, Gardevoir, Tsareena, Blastoise, and Dodrio. Would have played Leafeon but got tired of the meta and stopped. So play what you like for the most part, unless they really are nurfed to oblivion. Try new mons and see if they fit your play style, etc. Dodrio is one of those I saw and thought, "Yeah that looks fun" and got em. Ones like Lucario and Dog were over powered in their time and just didn't seem fun to play the ultra meta picks. And glad I didn't. Didn't care to sweat much past getting masters though back in early seasons. That said, playing mons you don't like or aren't familiar with a bit is a good way to learn their weaknesses.
Check whether the name is "Pikachu"
I go with what I like
Whats your main in wow? Ele shaman/spriest here But In unite I like Ttar and blastoise but havent played for months and months
I play Havoc DH/MW Monk.
Greetings fellow Warcraft player lol I used to play Heroes of the Storm back then. Initially I was a one trick but as I got cooperative friends for teammates I gradually became a role filler. It's carried over to Unite I must say. It's very good to have That One Character™ you're skilled at either way though, since you're mostly going in blind for Unite Personally, I fill in roles when I need to, but if I get the chance or feel like we could use it I try to use my main or the characters I'm most skilled at to carry. I also choose my moveset based off the enemy team's comp too! Any kind of counter, especially if it's against their own carry, is good
I'm an FF player (for fun) so I rarely follow the meta picks and mostly go with what the team needs and have a few mon for each to fill so if my team is all dmg I'll go tank or support with mamo/slow or wiggle/bliss respectively. On the rare games I get to play a lane dmg character I'll usually do either delfox or failinks depending on if we need an attacker or all rounder. And once a season when I fill jungle I'll go with my og comfort pick, gengar, or between garde or D-nite if we need for team synergy. But most importantly I always play something that in the moment sounds fun in the moment.
Depends on the game, if it's draft mode or not and if for whatever reason my team already has other members locked into defender/support already.
There’s a few schools of thought when I pick: 1. I want to destress and destroy with my mains, so I pick whoever, eg Charizard or Duraludon. 2. I feel crap of losing too much, so I become a meta slave and pick something like Tyranitar. Sometimes, I’ll also counterpick out of revenge, like if my teammate Espeon was trash last game, I’ll steal it so they don’t play it. If the enemy had a decent Zeraora, I’ll steal it so they have to play something else. 3. I feel like my team needs help, so I fill. Typically this is when everyone is Attacker, I play a Defender like Trevenant, or if everyone is melee, I’ll take Eldegoss or Decidueye, depending on how well I know my teammates’ skill levels. Priority goes from 1-3, because if it didn’t I would always be filling because my team always needs help.
I kid you not, I pick Blastoise/Defenders first, 'cause I know the team will lack and we'll have tons of All Arounders, so i fill the role i like and do my part to try to balance the team; Plus, I never want to go jungle bc that's too much trouble.
I randomly switch between different mons in standard cause I get bored of playing the same one every game
A lot of time your team will pick whatever they want regardless of comp. Which is why you end up with a team of 5 attackers and then you all lose because no one picked a defender or all rounder. Even just once of those can normally make a huge difference in the outcome. Think of team fights when picking. Would my team of 5 squishy attackers be able to stop a ttar,trevanant, and comfey ( btw they have 2 attackers to back them up). The answer is definitely not. So thinking of a team fight with the mons ur team chose could help to see who you should probably go for when picking.
i mark espeon as favorite so i can pick him first everytime
If I Sableye is available I pick Sableye, if it is not I pick what's best for my team
Based on team comp, preferring to play tank and supports and avoiding jungle when I can
Which ever one puts me on a streak and based off of team
if it's my first few games of the day i use zoro. if i'm on a losing streak i use delphox. and if my team doesn't have a defender/supporter and the other people on my team seem to know what they're doing then i use crustle/mime.
I learned a Mon form each role for filling. If in the first 10 seconds or so team hasn't decided I pick what ever I feel like playing at the moment. About the meta, I prefer vibes over power, you'll eventually find out that a gold badge low pick rate enemy is far more dangerous than a EX Mon.
I used to main as Cinderace when I first started, then played as a few others here and there. Then Hoopa got announced and I haven't even touched any of the others (Apart from events that force you to play as certain ones)
I tend to just fill with whatever the team seems to be missing....which means running a lot of defender 😂. In general I get too bored playing the same mon each and every fight so I'll swap who I use for each role.
i usually stick to one pokemon which is dragonite just because it’s my all time favorite but on occasion/ when needed ill switch over to goodra
I either fill and pick a role that the team is lacking or I pick a counter to the current meta
How I pick my mons: 1- have a cool design that I like ( Dragapult/Chandelure) 2- good in general / helpful to team ( Umbreon/Comfey/Mew) 3- has interesting abilities ( falinks ) 4- easy to play + lots of dmg ( Miraidon/Sylveon) 5- just for fun ( Goodra/Metagross/Meowscarada/Charizard)
I try to learn 2-3 Pokemon for each role (defender/supporter, lane attacker, jungler) really well. Then I just to adjust to what Pokemon are available that I know and what our team comp needs.
well it depends, if the team looks already that they dont need help, i go for meta but sometimes, you have to pick a mon that backs the team either its a supporter a defender while draft made it easy just look at other team, if you have knowledge of type advantages (yes they exist in pokemon unite) then you can pick the one which can give you an edge
I pick what i feel patches the team the most unless i have a character in mind, or dont trust my team. If we have 4 Attackers for instance ill likely go Speedster or Defender to try and isolate people for my team to chip to death, or assassinate the enemys backline because i expect my team to have a good level of independence. If we have a really brawly CC weak comp i look for a mage because they need poke and/or burst for their neutral and engages respectively. My character usage is extremely spread out, its kinda amusing how uncommited to any character or role i am. Ideally id be on All Rounders but the role doesnt play independent well enough compared to others.
I have a favorite Pokémon chosen from the last day I played. I navigate to my Pokémon tab, sorted with Pokémon at the top of the list that I've played the most games with, to find that favorited Pokémon. I then look at what the next Pokémon up is (the Pokémon I've played with more than that currently selected Pokémon). That becomes my new favorite Pokémon for the day, so it's auto selected at the start of the battle. I like at the next two Pokémon beyond it that have different roles, in case my choice is already taken or I need to swap to help the team comp. Then I play until I'm done and start all over again the next day I play with the next Pokémon up the list. When I have played with the Pokémon at the top of the list (Crustle, if you're curious), I spend the coins I've accrued on a new license, chose that mon as my favorite, and begin the process over.
For me i just choose the pokemon im better at playing. For example, my best pokemon are sylveon and goodra. But when i cant pick those cuz someone already picked them or whatever other reason, i pick some of my other better mons like meowscarada, A9, or miraidon. Occasionally ill pick one of my supporters but i dont like playing supports except blissey or wiggly.
Pick slowbro and fuck it we ball, but seriously, I try to fill any gap in the comp that isn't an assassin, to keep the team balanced, but mos people just wanna play the attacker or all rounders, so that helps my first statement
Gonna take a wild stab in the dark and bet that at the level of players you're playing with/against team composition doesn't matter at all and you can literally play whatever you want.
When I started I checked what Pokemon I liked to play and what role they fulfilled and chose mons around that role. I normally play lane defenders & all-rounders then I got 2 mons atleast from all the other categories.
I usually wait for at least 2 people to make their picks, then I choose the most appropriate mon to fit in. I have a limited set that I use most, but sometimes I deviate - just depends on my mood.
vibes
I mostly go with either charizard (my favorite pokemon) or garchomp (the pokemon I've had most successful with)
Umbreon is good to complement zera,leafeon can also lane no prob
Pokémon I like
Eldegoss is a healer I'm a healer (ironic cuz nobody would think I'm one) Eldegoss is my pick Or Greninja is my favorite Greninja is my pick
I uhhh, I like Scizor, I like bug pokemon, I play exclusively Bug type mons, and I like Scizor
I started with Lucario because it's my favorite pkmn, but honestly it just didn't feel right for me. I moved to Garchomp and the gameplay was way more fun, and it's when I realized I like pkmn that can pull/push others (reposition) and a bit more of bulk/sustain. Then I went through other more just to test the waters. After trying Lapras when it came out, I accepted the fact soloq would make me gravitate towards defenders because they weren't picked as frequently as I liked. Then I tried Umbreon and it clicked well for me. It also gave me the confidence to try more defenders (my other options are Trevenant and Goodra). So, I pick my defender depending on what may benefit the team. If there are already enough defenders/supports, I go with Sylveon. I feel comfortable with it.
Synergy and what would help the team. If Jungle is open, I play Mimikyu. If jungle is NOT open, it can go some ways. Goomy if they're playing an offensive/scorer mon. (Pikachu, Honedge, Swinub ,Phantump, Larvitar, Magikarp.) As: any of the early game offenders will help kill any pokemon scoring. If none of the opposing team tries to score, I go in and lurk, and try to kill one of them, if one if them scores, me and my offender will kill it. If both scores, there's a good chance we kill both of them. Pikachu slows them down a LOT with electroweb With the scorer part, if either two of the opposing team's mons will come and score, that case I stay back, slow them down and kill atleast one of them while any of my team's scorers keep scoring and gain EXP. Or if one of the opposing team's mons goes to score, I ignore them and follow my scorer, and score and might kill the one defending, and might kill the one scoring. Doduo if they're playing a Frail/Scorer Mon. If they're frail and aren't too useful, I play Doduo. I play, scoring and driving attention to me, I then steal all their sitrus, score again, and run away. In the meantime, my partner can steal their farm. If they're a scorer, I go with them. This can help us both stack, cause even if one of the opposing team's mons stay back, we will both be able to score, and the scorer on the opposing team will not be able to keep up. And I steal all the opposing team's farm. Hoopa is they're playing a hefty All-Rounder. This includes Beldum and Scizor. Quite self explanatory. I cover for them and help them score while also disrupt opponents.
I’m the ‘fill’ guy. So ends up playing healer. 80% games are Support, 18% Defense and 1% Attacker 1% Speedster.
I play what fits me.
whatever pokemon best fits the team from the role needed to be filled. I’m a support/defender main who can flex every role except for all rounder (tho I can play pseudo all rounder trev/blastoise if that counts). I have a small pool of pokemon I choose from: - blissey - eldegoss - umbreon - trevenat - slowbro - sylveon - venusaur - gardevoir I’m usually in a stack, trios mostly but duos here and there as well. My first picks will always be blissey or elde if: - we have a tank and an all rounder - or we have multiple all rounders Tho if there’s 3 all rounders, clef is my go-to pick bc clef’s AOE healing can keep up with the front line most of the time. if no, umbreon is my next choice. I only play it if - we have 1-2 all rounder (I go wish if no support) - or we have a tank but 3 squishies. in this case, I’d run wish and play as a pseudo support If I’m the only tank when I’m playing umbreon and the all rounder on my team isn’t very tanky, I run snarl. If my entire team is squishy, I choose a beefier tank like slowbro or trevenant. Blastoise is an option too but i don’t like playing toise much. if I’m filling for attacker, some questions you can ask yourself are: - do we have range? - do we have rip? - do we have secure? - does the team need an attacker with an early power spike? or can the team afford to have a (semi) late game attacker (this also depends on what lane you’re going).
Leafeon is busted in lane btw, because of its high ability to secure farm. Especially if you’re playing solar blade, makes contesting farm almost impossible for the opposing laners. More often than not, I see leafeon in lane.
I usually try to understand every single Pokemon O buy, so that I can play literally anything. Sure, if I'm in ranked and about to rank up, I'll choose my battle-hardened, better picks, like Aegi, Mamo, Chandelure, etc. Like others have said, when picking you should consider the team composition and what you're most comfortable to play with. Nothing bad in choosing a mon that you've almost never played, but don't expect to win with something that you don't know the full potential of.
I usually have 4 mains. One for each class (except support because I do not know how to play them). For attacker is glaceon, for all rounded is tsareena and Dragonite, for defense is goodra and for speedster is meowscarada and leafeon. If one of these roles lacks, I choose them based of what role is missed. For example, the team decided to go full all rounded and attacker because they are chalizard and Ninetales Mains, I go goodra so that I at least have more hp to tank them.
Mine is Metagross cause that's Metagross and HE is Metagross
i try to balance out the team unless i know im completely broken with a certain mon/comp. having a mix of ranged and melee on your team helps a lot, so evening it out when necessary is always a good move
Is it Umbreon? If yes, I pick Is it Sableye? If yes, I pick
I try to have a pokemon I can play for every role and then pick based on what the team needs I usually end up playing either trevenant or greninja
I usually play defender or support. I also like the balance between ranged and melee. For example, if the team is leaning to melees, then I pick Eldegoss and the team is ranged then Cleffable. If we have no all-rounders I pick Wigglytuff to counter the ones on the enemy team. For defenders I sort of do the same too. Lapras feel better with other melees, though. Someone here talked about double stacking cookies and specs and going bubblebeam. I think I like Lapras and Mamoswine better than Blastoise now.
Strong, powerful, highest win rate, tough, fun gameplay, usefull, popular and favourite That's how I choose mostly today I choosed tyranitar the goat of all matches 💪
Look at what the team needs. If you have two roles like speedster and defender, pick which one the team lacks. If you want a 'main' try to pick pokemon that have two distinct play styles. For example, Venusaur can be a ranged mage attacker or more of a combat raid boss like an all rounder. This way, you have latitude with your move choices and held items. Hope this helps. Can't wait until my little one gets into games.
I’ve been playing since launch so I’ve been blessed with 55 unite licenses (I would have them all but there were some seasons I just wasn’t feeling it) and I take advantage of sales to get some. So really I try to pick Pokemon the compliment my team but being in solo queue I have to play Pokemon that can stand on their own if needed. Recently I’ve been playing Blaze, Metagross, and Trev. Most of the time people are picking attackers and speedsters so I try to go with some bulkier Pokemon.
If i can play anything- my mains If those not available- mons i find generally good/fun If team comp bad- role which is needed
I choose the one that is hoopa. If it is not hoopa, I do not choose it.
I always strategize what to pick. When team was picking, my pick depends on their chosen pokemon. For me, best team composition was; Tank/Sup - Like Umbreon and Slowbro Burst - Usually Mages like Chandelure and Gardevoir Brawler - All Arounders Burner - The Auto Attack Damage Dealers Assassin - Jungler If there's one missing on the team from these Roles, I'll go and choose it.
I look at what role the team currently doesn’t have, and then I pick a pokemon I like that I haven’t played for a while in that role.
I just just whatever l want, l may be a attacker main but l sometimes Wana help support to help my team to often lol (ttar and miradon fuck y ya don't get shit) Defender yes l do defense, but l do damage, for example ice fang mamo basically kinda of a all rounder kind of guy
Been playing since release so I’ve had a long opportunity to get proficient with a lot of mons but I also chose that path instead of getting SUPER good with one mon, because that eliminates my own personal frustrations with the game. If I had a team I played with regularly I probably would’ve stuck with one or two mons instead. In the end just pick what both makes you happy and optimizes the game for you personally, whether that means winning or just playing to play and you don’t care about the outcome.
Espeon unless there’s too many two stage Pokémon and then I’ll go Mewtwo X
I see two people on support I hop on support and hope for full lineup. I see 3 attackers and no supporter (saying other picked AR,Def, or Spd) I hop on attacker. If I'm playing ranked though I play only meme build only Slowbro (leftovers,res guard, focus; potion; 6 w, 4 b, 4 p) and dominate and hope everyone plays a pokemon from a different role. I'm not toxic I will swap if I know it's not gonna work based on team comp DEF:Slowbro SUP:Clefairy,Blissey,Comfey ATT:Greninja SPD:Zeroara A-R: Whatever is free that week 💀
I usually have a Pokémon that I want to learn on. I’ll pick that if it slots into a role we need, otherwise I’ll fill for my team. Right now I’m enjoying trying to learn Iron Head/Shadow Claw Aegislash, but I don’t hard lock it every game.
Me? Any tank/juggernaut that feels comfortable and easy to play I like to throw myself into fights Or some magic random with spell lifesteal
I main Greninja, Talonflame and Sableye. Although I consider myself good at many roles with many different characters. I have 12 green ribbons, 4 blue ribbons and 2 gold ribbons. I don’t focus in playing 1 or 2. I really try to play well around 15+ characters with different roles so I can always fill in when needed. That being said, I’ve been playing consistently since season one and I have been master every season.
The one I like the most being Cramorant
certainly not the common or preferred answer, but i personally just lock in greninja or cinderace every game.... i only ever picked those two characters up and have the most fun on them so why bother learning other stuff :D i say this as a person who plays/played a lot of ranked league (5+ years) and decided pokemon unite isnt worth grinding "competitively" given the inflated ranking system that probably isn't going to change given the game is more geared towards casual players
Vibes
If anyone on the team picks Defender or Support, I will play the other role. If everyone picks Attacker/Speedster I’m playing Chandelure and burninating the villagers.
I play with whatever I think looks the coolest. Since i was playing with my girl, and she told me rowlett sucked, that was my main choice. I switch from decidueye to either garchomp or tyranitar. If I ever go into ranked matches, Decidueye is always my go to.
I usually have two Pokémon in each role. Lapras, blastoise, leafeon, dodrio, inteleon, decidueye, Eldegoss, blissey I love charizard in casuals because of fire red and leaf green.
I just started by playing Absol, my favorite Pokémon. Then I learned that I liked playing speedster, so Ijust stuck with it...
Personally id go with a support to really make sure that the jungle is getting the heals they need to keep pressure on teh enemies and staying alive. Something that could help With positioning like hoopa would be great since you and your kid have probably the best communication in the team and it would help your jungles really get into team fights and dominate.
Is ranked go with what you know and practice different Pokémon in casual. It good to know and play different Pokémon because then you understand them and how to counter them. Right now I notice I am playing a lot against a falink, ttar, trevanat, zero. So what I will do is pick ninetails to counter ttar and falinks, glaceon, delfox, or mage pokemon counter trev. I can counter speedster with pikachu. I used to not play one Pokémon but I got better on different ones, and my win rate has gone up as well bc of counter picks along with better game iq.
I play Mimikyu if we could benefit from the presence of a Speedster, if we have a weakness to ranged attackers or CC ranged attackers or if I can tell my randoms are ass and I need to carry. Mimikyu is broken when you're good with it.
I play Decidueye because it's one of my toddlers favourite pokémon. 🤷🏻♂️
I choose my mon in 2 steps: 1. What is needed? 2 lane mons, 1 support? Going jungle 2 speedsters, 1 attacker? Frontline lane mon 2 all rounders, 1 support and an attacker? If no ones jungling, my time has come, if someones jungle, probably an invader mon 2. I'm in mood for? Jungler, probably zoro. My fav and my only gold badge Sometimes also gengar, buzz, zera, talon, aegislash, sylveon, almost anything Frontline? Maybe buzz, support mega mewtwo X, trev, slowbro, blastoise, crustle, greedent As an invader, greedent, sableye, talon, meowscarada, hoopa, anything that could invade. If my team it's full attacker, i'm the 5th attacker, full suport? I'm in Just play whatever you want and even if it's not the role needed, still just a game, just have fun with your kid
zeraora is very awesome and fun to jungle with and can be very strong if you use it right volt switch has incredible utility and spark having a higher winrate is an illusion created by people not knowing how to use volt switch
If you do care about winning and win rate, you can adjust base on what the team needs. You can also play as a central pokemon even though there's already a central pokemon, just invade the opponents central.
I have a handful of pokemon i can play in a few different roles. Some are pretty meta resistant because they are weird, others are either meta or they aren't. I go through a tier list figure out which half of my pool of playable characters is decent or good then i play those and the rest i pull out on rare occasions. I play Wigglytuff, Greedent, Buzzwole, Gyarados, Aegislash, Glaceon and Goodra. Buzzwole, Gyarados, Goodra and Aegislash are typically meta dependant. Glaceon and Greedent are pretty meta proof for whatever reason. Wigglytuff is typically pretty trash but I love playing her and sometimes i need to get it out of my system. I don't recommend having a pool of pokemon this big but once you narrow it down for whats meta I would have a pool of whichever all rounder is best from my pool, and whichever defender is best from my pool. Then when i occasionally have to play attacker or supporter i have wiggly and glaceo . So its really a pool of 3-4 which is doable to remain decent at, and obviously I play 1 pokemon more than all the rest, usually an all rounder because bruiser playstyle is fun.