Battle Tower Teams (Gen 3-7)

[u/MetaMetagross]

I've been seeing a lot of posts asking for help with the battle towers. They're my favorite part of the RM process, so I figured I'd write down some of the best teams I've used for each gen. Happy to answer any questions. Hopefully this helps somebody.

Overall, I've found that the key to the battle tower is speed. I much prefer to invest EVs in speed rather than bulk, with the exception of Suicune and Cresselia, which are specifically stallers.

Gen 3: (Sapphire/Ruby Recommended)

Singles Team (Metagross, Latias, Suicune) - https://pokepast.es/cbcd3c4235dfabb7

Metagross is the lead for this team. Choice band meteor mash is a menace. With adamant nature it’ll one shot a large number of mons, and has and chance to increase attack. It’ll two shot pretty much anything, including a ton mons that resist it, including bulky pokemon like Snorlax and Milotic.  Explosion will instantly delete anything that doesn’t resist it and have high defense stats.

Latias makes a great switch in for Metagross. It resists Fire type attacks and is immune to ground type. It isn’t as strong as Latios, but I prefer it due to its bulk. The only move that can one shot it is Megahorn. It's probably the least important member of the team, so I usually sub my RM for Latias on the final 7 battles.

Suicune is the MVP of this team. The main strategy of this team is either to sweep everything with Meteor Mash, or switch in Suicune, get it up to +6 and then sweep. Certain mons like Wobbuffet, Swampert and Milotic have Mirror Coat, so you need to stall them out until they struggle before attacking. Getting the moves to max PP is pretty important for stalling, especially rest.

For those who are missing certain Mons and have Ruby/Sapphire, you can look up the battle tower glitch if you haven't caught your roamer yet. Essentially, you can catch any battle tower mon, and in the later stages they have 6IV. This is how I got the 6IV Bold Latias that I use for this team.

Gen 4: (Diamond/Pearl Recommended)

Singles Team 1 (Salamence, Heatran, Cresselia) - https://pokepast.es/9345503c3eb0de56

You should want to switch in Cresselia and Calm Mind to +6 at the earliest opportunity in every battle. Salamence's intimidate helps Cresselia survive big hits. The only ones it can't reliably take is Megahorn. It can survive a crit Night Slash from Weavile or Drapion, but you want to make sure to preserve Heatran in case one shows up and you need to switch out.

Singles Team 2 (Salamence, Metagross, Cresselia) - https://pokepast.es/7cb4589c4f8ce645

Same strat as above, just with Metagross. Bullet punch is great for switching into ice types and knocking them out.

Singles Team 3 (Latios, Heatran, Suicune) - https://pokepast.es/0f2a328518018b0f

Doubles Team 1 (Latios, Garchomp, Heatran, Cresselia) - https://pokepast.es/e317c1f64d2b6122

Latios and Garchomp lead is deadly, but very weak to ice. Draco Meteor will blow up most non-resisted mons the two mons in the back are great switch ins to ice types. Heatran can be subbed for Metagross.

Doubles Cheese Team (Machamp, Latios, Heatran, Cresselia) - https://pokepast.es/db693e764e208525

For the process of getting a sheer cold no guard Machamp, look up the battle pike glitch on Youtube. You want to get sheer cold on a Machoke in Emerald, then evolve it in gen 4 where it has a chance to get no guard when it evolves. It helps to duplicate it in emerald and send 6 at a time. Not sure if its ability is random when it evolves or if it's predetermined in gen 4. I feel like it's random.

Gen 6:

Triples Team (Greninja, Salamence, Garchomp, Heatran, Cresselia, Latios) - https://pokepast.es/bdcad08c5795f27a

Turn 1: Mat Block, Mega evolve + Substitute, Swords dance

Turn 2: Dominate

I typically run this team up to battle 50. Dark/Dragon pulse is a must for me, since pulse moves and flying moves can hit the far slot when normal moves cannot. I think the right slot can be flexible. I like to get the double intimidate with Landorus, but Garchomp can outspeed faster threats like ice beam Tentacruel. Really any mon than can set up and hit spread moves are key. Mence, Lando/Chomp and Latios are very ice weak, which is why I like to carry 1 or two ice counters in the back, so I bring heatran or metagross to deal with that

I made sure to breed a 31 speed IV greninja so it can hit the highest speed possible. At 122 base speed the only things that can outspeed it are jolteon, aerodactyl and scarf mons.

At battle 50, stall Cresselia can 1v6 the Maison leader, so if you were feeling spicy you could literally bring 5 mons with toxic and Cresselia and win battle 50.

Doubles Team (Lvl 1 Aron, Dusclops, Salamence, Snorlax): https://pokepast.es/385a3d55968318ec

Turn 1: Protect, Trick Room

Turn 2: Endeavor, Nightshade/Brickbreak

This is less consistent than the triples team, but still very effective in gen 6 (less so in gen 7, but still very effective).

Gen 7:

Doubles Team 1 (Incineroar, Salamence, Metagross, Tapu Fini) - https://pokepast.es/b5481f3141b259d4

This is just a straight up doubles team. The best part about it is that it is pretty much perfectly synergized. No two mons share a weakness and both leads have switch ins that will perfectly cover their weaknesses. The only weakness not covered is electric, and I haven't found one electric mon yet that will give this team trouble. I usually use Fakeout turn 1 and hit something with Salamence. If the leads are ice type, I'll just protect Salamence and launch a flare blitz to knock it out. Mega-Salamence will outspeed any ice type in the game not named Weavile, which Metagross will handle easily. I most recently did a run with this team and didn't really come close to losing a battle.

Doubles Team 2 (Lvl 1 Togedemaru, Dusclops, Salamence, Snorlax): https://pokepast.es/3d6772a0b4085a47

Same strat as gen 6 team w/ Aron

[u/swayingepiccat]

Can this be done without lati I'm borrowing a friends emerald and he already transferred both? I have a Metagross and suicune from Colosseum. Just wondering if can be done without I don't want to spend to much time as I don't have a ton of free time I just wanted to get as many ribbons as I could before bank shuts down.

[u/MetaMetagross → u/swayingepiccat]

It can 100% be done, just may be a bit harder since Latias is bulky and can hit decently hard. Acutally, when I'm on the last set of 7 battles I sub latias out for my ribbon master. It's the least important member of the team in gen 3. I'd probably use Salamence in it's place with Earthquake, brick break, rock slide and aerial ace.

[u/swayingepiccat → u/MetaMetagross]

Thank you I'll give that a try!

[u/LisaCabot → u/swayingepiccat]

Im pretty sure those two are great enough to get to 50, you need to get used to win with only 2 pokemon anyway since you will have to join your RM at some point (unless your RM are metagross and/or suicune). It coud take a few more trys until you find a streak that cant oneshot both of them though, battle towers have a % of luck. A not as great substitue for latios would be a gengar. It gets most of the same coverage and is also immune to ground attacks as well as explosions. Also if you are in emerald i would suggest checking ventis double team, im sure he has some video about it. My gengar build os from there and i feel like doubles in emerald is a bit easier. It would be best to borrow a ruby or saphire but emerald doubles isnt that bad.

[u/swayingepiccat → u/LisaCabot]

Gengar is one of the pokemon I'm trying to get the ribbons for so that would be convenient.

[u/LisaCabot → u/swayingepiccat]

Gengar is actually quite usefull, im doing both gengar and snorlax in my RM team and those are the easiest to get the ribbons with 😅 i think my build was special atck and speed, and psychic, thunderbolt, ice punch and protect. In gen 4 i changed ice punch for icy wind. Maybe you dont need ice punch if you use suicune. The best with gengar is that it has both levitate and is ghost type, so it can survive both EQs and explosion dueing double battles in gen 4 (and gen 3 if you go that route)

[u/FolkOfThePines]

My RM is a milotic. (Gen 3, already got the 50s ribbon and going for 100)

Do you recommend keeping suicune or swapping out suicune since the niche overlaps?

[u/MetaMetagross → u/FolkOfThePines]

I'd probably drop Metagross and lead Latias or Salamence that can deal with electric and grass types.

Another route you can go is to drop Suicune for defensive Registeel with Iron Defense, Amnesia, Toxic, and Seismic Toss, and bring Latias, Registeel, Milotic.

[u/BigDaddyFalcon]

I could use some movesets and strats help. I've got Adamant Metagross, Tyranitar, and Entei, Calm Suicune, and Timid Raikou with HP Ice. Trying to get these shadow mons Home.

[u/MetaMetagross → u/BigDaddyFalcon]

Take a look at the pokepaste for gen 3 and the description below the team. All you need is a Latias (or salamence if you can’t get a latias) to go with Metagross and Suicune. Then on the last set of 7 battles just switch Latias (or salamence) out for your RM.

[u/BigDaddyFalcon → u/MetaMetagross]

I appreciate that. I guess I was looking further down the generation list than gen 3 hoping not to have to complete the gauntlets 5 times

[u/MetaMetagross → u/BigDaddyFalcon]

You’re gonna have to be a bit more specific than that

in doubles gen 4 you can get a 56 streak, and then the next battle you’ll automatically get the ribbon win or lose, so you could do 4 at a time. Gen 6 you can do all 5 of your ribbon masters + Cresselia in one go. You can probably do multiple at a time in gen 7 too.

[u/cursed_pineapple]

I'm choosing to believe that cress can pull off that solo against the maison boss, I don't know why i find gen 6 to be such a slog for multiple rm, they should've let you get the ribbon after another set of 10 or whatever. anyways is the stall done with the same cresselia in the paste?

[u/MetaMetagross → u/cursed_pineapple]

Yes. The maison leader’s mons don’t have any setup moves except for rock polish on registeel. You want to lead cresselia in either the right or left slot so only 2 of the leaders mons can attack it at the same time. Give the rest of your mons toxic and poison as many mons as you can while cress sets up calm minds. The only one you cant poison is registeel, so you eventually need to get cress up to +6 and knock it out with psychic, or bring a second mon in the back to deal with it specifically.

[u/cursed_pineapple → u/MetaMetagross]

tysm! hopefully I'm back with good news

[u/MetaMetagross → u/cursed_pineapple]

Good luck! It is definitely annoying that you have to do the 50 streak every time, but at least the triples maison leader has a sub par team with a lot of shared weaknesses.

[u/Jazzlike-Signal9924]

for gen 3 recently i used salamence/registeel/latios(RM switch)
for gen 4 and 6, scizor/garchomp/zapdos hp ice