How to Post a Rate My Team (RMT) Thread

[Wedge]

How to Post a Rate My Team Thread

Having looked through all of the RMTs (Rate My Team) that come through here, I feel that the time is necessary to create something that will help users write their RMTs. Here are my guidelines for constructing an RMT that will actually let users help you solidify your team.
   
First of all, Rate My Team is a misnomer. It should actually be Improve My Team, because that is what should really be happening. Giving five stars out of ten to a team won't do anyone any good, and is probably the least helpful thing you can do. No, RMTs are asking for more than just a simple rate. More often than not, they are asking for help or assistance from other members to build upon their team and streamline it. Below is my advice for posting a successful RMT.
   
    1. What is the point of an RMT?
   
A Rate My Team thread is (or should be) used to ask for help with a Pokemon team from other members of a forum. It should not be used to get help building a team, nor have one built for you. That is not an RMT thread, that is a 'please build me a team' thread, which is most likely to get ignored or ridiculed. When you build an RMT thread, you are asking other members to find ways to improve your already existing team.
   
    2. What should I do before i post an RMT?
   
There are several things you should do before posting your RMT thread. First, you should build a team. When you have finished building it, you should playtest your team. I can guarantee you that within 10 battles, you will find many things wrong with your thing that you can fix yourself, and other users will be free to concentrate on improving your team, rather than fixing things wrong with it. Remember, you should always try and fix your team as best as possible first, then have it improved upon by other members. When people see a RMT with a ****ty team in it, it automatically makes them point out your threats and trying to solve them, often without giving thought to the central strategy of the team, which might help you get a Gyarados counter, but won't help your Crocune sweep. Finding threats and ways to fix them are things you can do on your own. If you really need help with this, then go ahead and put it in your thread, but make sure you very clearly state your team's purpose.
   
    3. How should I post my Pokemon in my RMT?
   
    There is no 'best' way to format your Pokemon, but a concise and informative to arrange this would be:
   
   
    Pokemon (Gender) @ Item
    Ability
    Nature
    EV/EV/EV
    -Move 1
    -Move 2
    -Move 3
    -Move 4
   
   
    If you want something that saves more space, you could try the following:
   
   
    Pokemon (Gender) @ Item
    Nature | Ability
    EV/EV/EV
    Move 1 | Move 2 | Move 3 | Move 4
   
    [description]
   
    4. What should I include in my RMT?
   
There are several key features that all RMT threads should have. First, you should have each of your six Pokemon formatted preferably in one of the ways shown previously. Second, you should include a description of each Pokemon, focusing on its synergy with other members, the purpose for which it is on your team, why it has any moves that are not considered to be standard, what role it fulfills, and how it helps your central strategy. Posting things such as "Zapdos counters Gyarados because my team has a problem with it" will probably make you look pretty stupid to other members. That description does not tell the reader how Zapdos fits in with your team and how it advances your team's purpose. Here are some other examples of what NOT to post. These are made up by me, but are based off of real things I have seen:

Skarmory is my spiker. He sets up Spikes and whirlwinds people to get some damage in and scout the opponent's team.

Standard Mixape. CC is for Blissey, GK is for Vaporeon and Suicune and hurts Gyarados, Fire Blast for steels and HP Ice for Salamence and Dragonite.

Mixmence breaks walls so my Lucario can sweep.

Blissey is my special wall. She sponges things like Draco Meteor and Fire Blast.

*insert Smogon analysis page here*

Ariados is my favorite Pokemon, so it gets a spot here.

Magcargo is an underrated wall.

None of these give the reader enough information to help your team. Any idiot can throw together a team of Salamence/Gengar/Skarmory/Blissey/Gyarados/Electivire, but not everyone can use each member in concert with the others to maximize the efficiency of the team. You should write a Pokemon's description a Pokemon's description so that someone using the team for the first time is able to use every member in its intended way and carry out the central strategy with the information given. Providing details, especially to how your Pokemon works with its teammates and how it will move the game forwards, is crucial to a successful RMT.

Although this is unnecessary, you can also post your thought process when you were building your team. This is usually extraneous and mostly utilized to show novice players how to build a team, and why you chose one Pokemon over another, but it is an option nonetheless.

Many RMTs choose to include a threatlist, which is a list of all threats that the team will face in its tier and how the team is able to deal with each one. Usually, the threatlist is subdivided into categories such as offensive threats and defensive threats. This is also extraneous, but does prove that you've put some thought into your team, and you have most of your bases covered.

5. What else do I need to know?

Always take the time and effort to make your RMT look good. Put in pictures, format it nicely, check your grammar, make sure your descriptions are up to snuff, etc. Not only does it make the thread look flashy, but it also looks inviting to readers. If they can see how your thread is organized, it makes it easier for them to understand your team, and therefore, easier for them to improve upon it.

You should almost never post an RMT without testing your team first. I say this again because it is important and just by doing a few battles with your team, you can find and solve most major problems in it. Your team should be posted once you have done all you can do yourself with it, and need other people's input to improve it. Making it more convenient for the reader will make it more likely for them to help you. Also, even though your description should contain the needed ingredients, a wall of text is unattractive to most people, so keep your descriptions concise and to the point, rather than adding unnecessary or well known details.

6. What if my RMT is not competitive?

If your RMT is not a competitive RMT, then make sure you explicitly state that, preferably in the title. This will cause different users to rate it, and you will get completely different responses than you would if it were a competitive RMT. Make sure to mention if it is just playthrough, Battle Tower, or Battle Frontier, because these also affect the viability of certain Pokemon, moves, and strategies.

[RX-78-2]

This is a great thread. I read everything Wedge. Very good for a newcomer (I'm still kind of one myself). I'll definitely use these guidelines once my "perfect team" is trained and tested. :)

[Wedge]

Thanks. I'm probably going to be writing some more of these when I have time.