Although I've yet to play this game myself, I already have a team planned out for the base game:
Defense StarRole: Aurora Setup Lead, Dual Screen Support, Slow Scout
Ability: Choleric
Item: Halo SpStone/Flourite
EVs: 64 HP/64 FoDef/2 SpDef
Mark: Blue (+10% FoDef) or White (+10% SpDef)
Moves:
- Field Barrier
- Field Protect
- Confinement
- Changeling
Star Sapphire will most likely see little battle in the late-game, as her role would likely be confined to setting up an Aurora weather condition for Power Luna to benefit from. If she's lucky, then she'll have enough time to also set up her dual screens, provided that her opponent doesn't exploit her 4x weakness to Illusion-type skills. However, since Skill Cards are reusable, and since it's easy to accumulate lots of PP, I could temporarily make her into a bulky HP-absorbing spread attacker with Atomic Energy, Blessing of Mana, Gravity Blast/Unknown Flare, and either Cold Rain, Mist Fog, or Chrome Ray for the purposes of grinding for XP.
Power LunaRole: Bind Trap Setup, Aurora-Assisted Spread Sweeper
Ability: Flash
Item: Blue Earrings
EVs: 64 SpAtk/64 Speed/2 FoDef
Mark: Black (+10% SpAtk)
Moves:
- Bind Trap
- Moonbow
- Macroburst
- Bright Flowers
Under Aurora, I'm certain that Power Luna will be both one of my better sweepers and the fastest user of Bind Trap (and be about 35% faster than a Speed Aya with max EVs in speed and a Green Mark), which will be important for successfully setting them up, since I doubt that Black Chokers will be available until post-game. In the early-mid game, and with either Star Sapphire's help in setting up an Aurora, or Wind God Protection active, she should prove vital in the battles against Remilia's level 40 Power Remilia, and Kanako's level 44 Speed Suwako, even if 10 levels lower than either Puppet.
Speed AyaRole: Wind God Protection Setup, Revenge Killer
Ability: Free Will
Item: Red Ring/Combat Handbook
EVs: 64 FoAtk/64 Speed/2 FoDef
Mark: Green (+10% Speed)
Moves:
- Wind God Protection
- Fiery Foehn Winds
- Break Shot/Changeling
- Spark Javelin/Changeling
When I need an advantage in speed, but my opponent is using Puppets that are immune to Bind Trap, that's where Aya comes in. Since she'll be my team's highest-Cost Puppet, I'll need to ensure that she isn't falling behind in levels. In fact, as my fastest Puppet, I'll probably want to level her up to at least level 36 before battling against Kanako, so that I could have an additional Puppet (other than Luna and Orin) that'll be faster than Kanako's level 48 Power Kanako. I'll also need for her to be at at least level 70 by the time I arrive in Makai, so that she can set up the Wind God Protection that my team would desperately need, even if up against Shinki's level 80 Power Sariel or level 85 Power Shinki.
Assist ChenRole: Brave-Song-Boosted Spread Sweeper, Trapper
Ability: Adverse Winds
Item: Repetitive Arts
EVs: 64 SpAtk/64 Speed/2 FoDef
Mark: Black (+10% SpAtk)
Moves:
- Encourage
- Brave Song
- Waves of Earth
- Godspeed Air Raid
Chen could become one of my better sweepers if I can bait my opponent into using an Earth or Electric Type attack against one of my other Puppets, force the user to use the same move over and over with Encourage, buff with Brave Song, then proceed to sweep from there. Until she learns all of the moves in this set, she'll probably have Chrome Ray and either Mist Fog or Lightning Speed in place of Encourage and Brave Song, and the Niche ability instead of Adverse Winds. She can probably setup on Mai's Power Iku, and sweep through most, if not all, of Mai's team.
Power YoumuRole: Guts-Boosted Focus Sweeper
Ability: Mind's Eye
Item: Burning Stones/Combat Handbook
EVs: 64 FoAtk/64 Speed/2 FoDef
Mark: Red (+10% FoAtk)
Moves:
- Chrysantheum Water
- Grand Liberate
- Grass Javelin
- A Hand in Adversity
One of my top sweepers, Youmu would make for an ideal user of Burning Stones. I'll probably be using her in alot of my grinding battles once Orin grows too tired from grinding. Between her usage of Steel, Earth, and Nature Type attacks, she can hit about 66.7% of all Puppets for super-effective damage. However, given how she grows more powerful when afflicted with a status ailment, and given how A Hand in Adversity's power doubles to 140 when the user is afflicted with a status ailment, she could probably hit most, if not all, of the remaining 33.3% of Puppets hard regardless. If need be, I can have Youmu perform cleanup duty during the battles against Remilia and Kanako by using Overtake Strike.
Speed Rin (Starter)Role: Moxie-Boosted Focus Sweeper
Ability: Morale Booster
Item: Combat Handbook/Straw Dolls/Art of Combat
EVs: 64 SpAtk/64 Speed/2 FoDef
Mark: Red (+10% FoAtk)
Moves:
- Purgatory Flicker
- Killing Bite
- Flower of Hell/Changeling
- Wind Javelin/Changeling
My star sweeper, starter, and personal waifu, Orin will probably be at the forefront of most of my grinding battles, and would probably be my highest-leveled Puppet by the time the game ends. With this moveset, she can hit about 77.3% of all Puppets for super-effective damage. If I replace Wind Javelin for Changeling, then the numbers would rise to about 80.8%, but if I replace Flower of Hell with Changeling instead, then the numbers would rise to about 81.6%. I'll need her at level 42 in order to stand a fighting chance against Kanako's level 48 Power Kanako, since she can learn Killing Bite at that level. By the time that we reach the Elite Four of Makai, she could probably singlehandedly sweep through Yumeko's and Shinki's entire teams, especially when given support from Bind Trap and/or Wind God Protection.
Other Puppets that I'd use (that would be replaced later):
Assist TokikoRole: Wind God Protection Setup
Until Aya is catchable, this is what I'd use for my battles against Mokou and Remilia, since Tokiko can learn Wind God Protection as soon as she changes style. Afterwards, I'll probably not need her anymore, since I'm confident that my team could outspeed both Kanako and Utsuho without support from either Wind God Protection or Bind Trap, and Power Luna would probably learn Bind Trap by the time that I fight Medicine in the Suzuraan Field. Meanwhile, I'm confident that Aya could learn Wind God Protection by the time I arrive in Makai.
Normal Keine, Normal Daiyousei, Normal Sukuna, and Normal KokoroThey will all be swapped out once I have a Tokiko, Luna Child, Star Sapphire, and Youmu in my party, but they should fare well against Team 9 and Reimu (1st encounter).
