How to Use the Metamons AI Team Builder: Complete Walkthrough

The Metamons AI team builder is a free, browser-based tool that helps you build competitive Pokémon teams with AI-powered feedback. It covers every Smogon tier from Gen 1 through Gen 9, plus VGC, BSS, and Monotype — all with live type coverage analysis and one-click Showdown export.

This guide walks through every feature panel by panel. Open the team builder in a second tab and follow along.

1. Pick your format

The format selector is the first thing you see at the top of the builder. Your format choice determines two things:

• Legal moves and abilities. The builder cross-references PokéAPI learnsets against your format's generation cap. A Gen 3 OU team only sees moves available in Gen 3 and earlier, and abilities that existed by then.
• Mechanics. Gen 9 formats get Terastallization; doubles formats steer the AI coach toward doubles reasoning, and singles toward singles.

One thing the builder does not do: enforce a tier banlist. The search box covers the full Pokédex, so double-check that each pick is actually legal in your tier on the Smogon dex or the official rules for VGC regulations. The format pages list the key Pokémon of each ruleset as a starting point.

Supported formats include every Smogon tier (OU, UU, RU, NU, PU, Ubers, LC), every generation (Gen 1–9), Monotype, BSS, VGC, and Doubles. Hover over any format name in the dropdown to see its rule set. See the Smogon tiers explained guide if you're unsure which tier to pick.

2. Add Pokémon to your team

Click any of the six empty team slots to open the Pokémon search panel. You can:

• Search by name. Type any Pokémon name (e.g., "Garchomp") and select from the results.
• Filter by type, generation, or format legality. Use the filter bar to narrow results.
• Browse the full format-legal Pokédex. Leave the search empty and scroll.

Each search result shows the Pokémon's sprite, types, and base stats. Click a result to add it to the selected slot.

Pro tip: start with a 2-3 Pokémon core before filling all six slots. The Smogon team building guide explains how to pick a core, and the team roles guide helps you assign jobs to each slot.

3. Configure moves, ability, item, and nature

Click any team member to open its detail panel. You can set:

• Ability. Only format-legal abilities appear in the dropdown. Hidden abilities are marked.
• Item. Every competitive item is available. Common picks (Leftovers, Choice items, Focus Sash) appear at the top.
• Nature. Select from the 25 natures. The boosted and reduced stats highlight in the stat panel.
• Moves. Four move slots. The search filters to format-legal moves, including event-exclusive and egg moves. Type, power, accuracy, and category (physical/special/status) are shown per move.

As you change any of these, the stat panel recalculates in real time. The builder validates that you don't exceed four moves or pick an illegal ability for the selected format.

Not sure which set to run? Check the best Gen 9 OU teams guide for complete sets with EV spreads, or open any Pokémon's Smogon analysis from the sources link in each guide.

4. Set EVs and check stats

The EV panel is below the moves section. Each stat (HP, Atk, Def, SpA, SpD, Spe) has a slider that goes from 0 to 252 EVs. As you drag:

• The final stat value at level 100 updates live.
• The total EV counter tracks your 510-point budget.
• A warning appears if you exceed 510 total EVs.

Common spreads (252/252/4, 252 HP / 252 Def) take seconds. For precise speed tier benchmarks, the speed tiers guide lists every relevant number in Gen 9 OU.

Toggle between level 50 and level 100 to see VGC vs Smogon stat calculations. The builder also supports 0 IV spreads for Trick Room teams — just set the IV slider to 0 for Speed.

5. Read the type coverage heatmap

At the top of the builder, the type coverage panel shows an 18-type grid. Each type is color-coded:

• Green. Your team resists or is immune to this type.
• Yellow. Neutral — one or more team members take normal damage.
• Red. No team member resists this type. Any strong attacker of this type threatens your entire team.

Click any type in the grid to see which of your team members resist it and which are weak to it. The type coverage guide explains how to patch red and yellow squares with moves, items, or team slot changes.

6. Run the AI team coach

The AI coach button generates a full team analysis in seconds. It checks:

• Type coverage gaps. Which attacking types your team can't handle — computed by the 18-type heatmap.
• Speed tier issues. Structural speed problems — a roster stuck below key benchmarks or lacking speed control. Exact EV math is yours to verify with the speed tiers guide.
• Role balance. Whether you have a lead, walls, wallbreaker, sweeper, and pivot.
• Threat matchups. Which common threats of your format look hard for your current six to answer — presented as recommendations to verify, not computed verdicts.
• Tera Type suggestions. Whether your Tera picks help or hurt based on your team's weaknesses.

Each finding includes a direction to fix: swap this slot, adjust these EVs, or change this Tera Type. The AI team rater guide goes deeper on interpreting coach output and the most common problems it catches.

Tip: Run the coach after every major team change. A one-slot swap can open a coverage gap the coach catches before you queue.

7. Export to Pokémon Showdown

Once your team is ready, click the Export button. The builder generates a standard Pokémon Showdown import/export text block:

Gholdengo @ Air Balloon
Ability: Good as Gold
Tera Type: Steel
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Shadow Ball
- Make It Rain
- Nasty Plot
- Recover

Copy this text and paste it directly into Pokémon Showdown's Teambuilder (Import/Export tab). The format matches Showdown's exact syntax — no manual editing required.

You can also import teams: paste a Showdown export into the Import field and the builder parses species, ability, item, moves, EVs, nature, and Tera Type automatically. For a full walkthrough of import/export workflows, see the team import guide.

8. Share your team

The Share button generates a shareable link. Anyone with the link can view your team read-only — they see the six Pokémon, their sets, and the coverage heatmap, but cannot edit. Share links are useful for:

• Getting feedback. Send the link to teammates or on Discord/Reddit for advice.
• Team reports. The AI coach report is included in the share view.
• Team repositories. Bookmark your own share links to revisit past teams.

Quick-start checklist

1. Select your format (OU is the best starting point).
2. Add 2-3 Pokémon as your core. Use the Smogon guide if you need help picking.
3. Configure moves, abilities, items, and natures for each.
4. Set EV spreads. Start with 252/252/4 and refine later.
5. Check the coverage heatmap. Fix any red types.
6. Run the AI coach. Address the top 1-2 findings.
7. Fill the remaining slots and re-run the coach.
8. Export to Showdown and play 10 games.

The builder auto-saves your team to your browser's local storage, so you won't lose progress if you close the tab. Come back anytime and your team is exactly where you left it.

New to competitive entirely? The beginner's guide covers EVs, IVs, tiers, and formats from absolute zero.