I'm playing Pokemon Emerald, although this is generic to any pokemon game. My questions are really about two ways of picking Pokemon: How do I pick Pokemon, at all? I assume I should have some sort of strategy around ability types (eg. fire, electric) and weaknesses, and some sort of balance. How do I go about designing a basic party?
Given that I have already decided on, say, a psychic or stone Pokemon, my next question is: how do I pick between two similar-type Pokemon?
Let's say I have Ralts (psychic type), and now capture an Abra (psychic type). Both have different stats, moves, and evolutions; how do I decide which one to pick over the other? Do I look at moves? Weaknesses? Final evolutions?
Best Answer
As for types, I have found this for Diamond and Pearl, so I don't know how much this has changed. Here is a list of pokemon types with few weaknesses (it does rely on some pokemon having the right abilities).
No Weaknesses
1.Dark & Ghost - Still Vulnerable to the move Foresight and Scrappy ability.
2.Electric with Levitate
3.Dark & Poison with Levitate
4.Bug & Steel with Flash Fire
One Weakness
1.Electric (Ground)
2.Water & Dragon (Dragon)
3.Dark & Poison (Ground)
4.Normal (Fighting)
5.Normal & Ghost (Dark)
6.Bug & Steel (Fire)
7.Water & Ground (Grass)
As for choosing between similar type pokemon, players have different strategies when they do this. Some people choose pokemon with the best moves [which is a very relative term between players], others choose by type, or choose based on stat growth.
Then it depends what events you want to use your pokemon in. Because newer pokemon games have contests, special battle arenas, effort values to grow specific stats, and breeding, you may want to consider different types of strategies.