@RP: BT and I are trying to make a general point. It doesn't matter what Pokemon they are, what their type is, etc. What matters in this particular situation is the fact that there are Pokemon out there that can easily outspeed and overpower your Pokemon with attacks that can be used against you. You're focusing too much on simple STAB, and not worrying about what REALLY matters. Before STAB, you need to focus on EVs, Natures, IVs, Base Stats (of moves and Pokemon), counter-strategies, supercedent planning, etc. You worry too much about a simple factor in battle that can't play that much of a role in battle. It makes a move 150% percent of its worth, but that only works for one move, maybe two, and that's it. And at any rate, some Pokemon have stats that work in ways that might not even allow them, with all factors considered, to reasonably use a move that gains STAB in the first place! STAB is exactly what it stands for: Same Type Attack Bonus. It's a bonus in combat, and nothing more. When you look at the grand scale of things in their importance, STAB is relatively minimal when everything is put together.
Okay, but I can switch moves on my own team. You keep throwing out examples where you put a different type of attack on a pkmn, and I'm saying that I'm not limited to STAB moves. I can play the same game that you play and attack your team's weak point/points as well.
@RP: STAB can have sway and influence, but again, while it's a factor, it simply gets overshadowed by all of the other factors. You appear to go on and on about it as if it's the most important of all of the factors in power. On the contrary; in my opinion, while it can have an effect, you should worry much more about the above things that I've listed. And besides, while your Pokemon have somewhat respectable Defenses, the simple fact is that the focus for them in Attack. You could perhaps pass Metagross off as a Tank, but that's about it. At any rate, my Pokemon are just as competitive, if not moreso, in those areas, so I don't see the point you're trying to make.
STAB is important, and I've seen it in gameplay. Attacks are much more affective if they have STAB than if they don't. What I'm basically saying is that you can overpower my team without STAB, but you overlook the fact that I can have non STAB moves as well that can counter your pkmn.
See, there you go again, worrying about types. Just, for a second, think about and compare their stats. Rapidash is horrid compared to Infernape stat-wise, and it's stats that truly make the single biggest factor in a battle, not types. A Pokemon's type is certainly important, but if your Pokemon doesn't have well-rounded, perfected stats to build off of, your STAB-focused attacks are rendered useless. You focus too much on simple typing and STAB, and not enough on the true competitive aspects.
Infernape DOES NOT have well rounded stats. I'm starting with Piplup(in fact, I got the game yesterday and already have started with Piplup), so this is not important anymore. And I don't believe that Infernape could withstand much, seeing as how it has horrid defence and it does not have much HP. Empoleon is more well rounded than Infernape, so you can't say that choosing Rapidash over Infernape is a huge mistake, because Empoleon is way more equalized in stats than Infernape could ever be.
Well, Blocker in general could mean taking any kind of attack easily. It isn't clear. And I'm aware that any Pokemon can switch out, I'm just making the point that I can easily evade your Fighting-type in doing so.
I can easily evade attacks as well, then, was my point.
Then why would you ask if it doesn't apply to you? :-\ And competitive battling calls for more than simply "being good". The competitive battlefield calls for nothing less than perfection, and this lack of care for Natures, etc. gives me insight into your keen interest in STAB. It almost appears to me as if it's your only true insight into the competitive playing field, which shouldn't be so. In the grand scale of it all, STAB just isn't everything, plain as that.
I was just interested. If you don't care for STAB your pkmn won't be able to land good hits... You'll never be able to tell which of us is better because I don't have wi-fi and I believe you don't either, so we can't test out which of us has a better team. You would most likely have better stats than my pkmn, but since we'd be using different pkmn I'm not sure what would happen.
As for me in Platinum, I beat Wake(yeah, I'm probably playing too much) and am on my way to Celestial town. I'm gonna have to boot Staravia out of the team because as it is my team's already lagging behind in level compared to what I have to battle. My team stands like this currently:
Prinplup (lv31)
Leafeon (lv34)
Luxray (lv31)
Ponyta (lv32)
Staravia (lv29) -gonna leave it behind
HM Slave(Tropius lv28)
