An Intro to ADV Draft - First Picks and their Partners

By Texas Cloverleaf. Released: 2026/06/06.
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Art by Erfder

Art by Erfder.

Draft has seen an explosion in growth and popularity over the last several years. The complex strategy and deep layers of the metagame combined with the joy of handpicking a team to fight with you in the trenches hits upon everything that makes Pokémon fun. A latecomer to the party, Gen 3 (ADV) Draft has an organically-grown community now making its way into the Smogon scene, with a well-developed metagame to stand behind but many nooks and crannies yet to explore. This article serves as an introduction to ADV Draft in the form of an analysis of the most common first picks in a standard 8-man draft pool. Each first pick has its own nuanced strategy behind the structures it supports and the partners that are commonly seen alongside it as a result, and this article will provide you with a strong foundation to stand upon as you dip your toes into the format. Circuit tournaments for the 2026 Hoenn Draft Invitational are ongoing now and there are numerous other ways to get involved!

First Picks and Their Common Partners

As important as it is to understand the ways in which the pick position you have affects your pick strategy, it is equally important to understand how to effectively build around your first pick selection, the cornerstone of your draft. Each first pick embodies a different approach to the game and demands different complementary traits from its early partners as a result. We will explore these trait pairings below.

snorlax Snorlax snorlax

Snorlax is commonly considered the strongest pick in the ADV Draft environment—and for good reason. In a metagame where Sand Stream is limited to one team in eight and Spikes is less ubiquitous with the reduced access to Skarmory, Snorlax’s biggest hindrance in passive damage is significantly lessened in impact, increasing the overall value of its bulk and passive recovery. As a result, Snorlax has much more room to take advantage of its expansive movepool and of the power boost Curse provides to pressure opposing teams. In short, Snorlax is the most self-sufficient Pokémon in ADV Draft, and its early partners will typically seek to mitigate its few weaknesses or double down on its strengths to better leverage the traits it provides.

Snorlax best operates as a resilient progress-maker or late-game win condition, with the ability to function as a powerful trader as the matchup demands. Its most common set is Curse, a STAB move (Return, Body Slam, Double-Edge), coverage, and a utility move such as Rest, Protect, or Substitute among other options. Self-Destruct is also a common feature on these sets, as Snorlax can regularly beat a dedicated answer with coverage such as Fire Blast, Focus Punch, Earthquake, or Shadow Ball, and then Self-Destruct on a second opponent to earn a full Pokémon advantage. Mono-attacking RestTalk sets are also powerful but should be used sparingly. In a vacuum, nothing in the format is more powerful, but opponents will often come prepared with Encore, Leech Seed, Charm, and powerful physical attackers to limit its snowballing ability.

Common Snorlax partners

In aggregate, effective Snorlax partners typically provide some level of complementary defensive ability, checking either Fighting-types or the most dangerous first round physical picks in Tyranitar and Metagross while also offering some form of utility in the form of Rapid Spin, paralysis, or Explosion. Snorlax builds will almost always be defined as bulky offense with a trade-heavy style that favors its ability to win late-game scenarios or clear the path for teammates to do the same. However, Snorlax’s self-sufficiency grants a lot of space to experiment in the draft build, so do not be afraid to deviate from established conventions. As long as you cover your defensive bases, almost any Snorlax team has a good chance to succeed.

zapdos Zapdos zapdos

Zapdos is, in this author’s opinion, the most reliable and consistent value-based Pokémon available to take at the first pick of the draft. When paired with a competent team, Zapdos will always find some role to fill and perform it at a high value—its combination of a strong Thunderbolt, effective coverage, high-impact utility options, and flexibility between offensive and defensive capabilities rewards the insightful builder. Zapdos pairs effectively with a notably large amount of inexpensive draft picks, which allows it to pivot its team build as a draft progresses. A Zapdos draft can comfortably pivot its draft strategy as Pokémon are taken off the board, insulating it from losing core partners, and many of Zapdos's partners have close replacements if the main target is taken. This flexibility allows a drafter to choose from many different approaches and tailor their draft accordingly.

Zapdos most commonly functions as a sustained generalist attacker, using Thunderbolt and coverage to chip away at an opponent’s defenses, but it performs admirably when asked to take on a more supportive role. Defensive sets using a combination of Toxic, Rest, Protect, and Substitute can be very difficult for many teams to break and offer consistent long-term value by checking dangerous threats such as Metagross and Gengar with its bulk and typing, both through direct defensive resilience as well as using Pressure-based PP stall tactics. Most dangerous is its ability to Baton Pass, with both Substitute and Agility offering opportunities to extremely powerful wallbreakers to open a hole in the opponent’s defenses—a common tactic against teams with dedicated special walls. In every matchup, Zapdos will be able to find some angle with which to progress its user towards a win.

Common Zapdos partners

Common Zapdos partners are quite diverse in the roles and functions they perform, and indeed, the hardest task facing a Zapdos drafter is accurately assessing the type of build they want to work towards. In general, a Zapdos drafter should consider partners that can check Snorlax and Metagross, switch into and take advantage of special walls, and offer team-supporting capabilities that enable a strategy of long-term accumulation of positional advantage to convert into a win. Zapdos team styles effectively span the entire range of team structures depending on the direction chosen by the drafter.

tyranitar Tyranitar tyranitar

Tyranitar finds itself in an unusual position in the Draft metagame in that it is objectively one of the most powerful sweepers in the tier, something everyone knows they must prepare for, and yet by virtue of that preparation it finds it very difficult to perform a sweep, historically underperforming in Draft as a result. One of the reasons for this is the tendency of the average Draft player to mimic structures that work in standard OU, namely Toxic + Spikes + Sand (TSS) strategies. Although powerful in OU, these strategies struggle more heavily in Draft, where the focus on defensive structure leaves powerful offensive options on the board, and common defensive partners such as Swampert, Moltres, and Forretress are significantly more susceptible to being broken down by coverage moves when the opponent has the foreknowledge to prepare for them. To date, the only significant tournament result using Tyranitar as a Spikes Balance strategy enabler has been Hclat’s Emerald Open 4 Finals run, with all others falling short.

The key feature missing from these teams is the evaluation of sand as a resource in draft. Unlike in OU, where sand and Tyranitar are ubiquitous, only a handful of teams in any Draft tournament have access to Tyranitar. This effectively increases the bulk of every Pokémon manyfold, as every iteration of Leftovers healing accumulates in full rather than being counteracted by sand. What does this mean? [B][U]Sand is the single most powerful offensive enabler in the ADV Draft environment.[/U][/B] No other feature of a Pokémon, move, or ability is as universally detrimental to sustainability and defensive countermeasures, in a format where teams cannot easily stack defensive counterplay or sand immunities. The downfall of the TSS teams has been the failure to realize that every turn your own team is taking sand damage is leveling the playing field between you and your opponent in the war of attrition, sacrificing incremental advantages in bulk and resilience gained when trading blows back and forth.

Tyranitar teams are strongest when they lean into the offensive edge provided by sand, overwhelming opposing defensive countermeasures and paving the way for one team member to find a path to sweep. Indeed, this can include Tyranitar itself, as very few things can stand up to its Dragon Dance-boosted attacks. Bulky Ground and Water-types such as Donphan, Milotic, and Whiscash and walls such as Regirock are commonplace on opposing teams, as drafters know to prepare for Tyranitar, so common partners seek to enter on these defensive countermeasures or provide wallbreaking opportunities through the same. Tyranitar may often run a mixed coverage set as a result, particularly when facing Ground-types, in which case a well-timed Ice Beam may break the spine of an opposing defensive line. Tyranitar teams also commonly employ what is known as the "Hidden Power Division" strategy, making use of multiple Pokémon with 4x type weaknesses with the rationale that an opponent can only use one coverage type at a time.

Sand balance partners

These partners aim to support a TSS style of gameplay and win a war of attrition.

Offensive wallbreaking partners

These partners aim to support an offensive style of gameplay, progressively breaking down an opponent's defenses with threat after threat after threat.

Complementary defensive partners

these Pokémon naturally synergize with Tyranitar and cover the defensive gaps it leaves as a first pick with many common weaknesses.

Unlike the previous two Pokémon, Tyranitar teams need to be built with focused intent. In drafting a Pokémon with a 4x Fighting weakness and numerous other common type weaknesses, you are accepting the responsibility of covering for these gaps in exchange for the most powerful offensive positioning you can achieve. Understand from the outset whether you are intending to draft a slower TSS-style game pace or a faster offensive pace and draft with priority accordingly—partners such as Gyarados and Gengar will not stay on the board for long.

metagross Metagross metagross

Metagross is what you get if you give an assassin a sledgehammer, at one point considered the top dog in the ADV Draft metagame before teambuilding strategies adjusted to compensate. It is the only unwallable Pokémon in the format—nothing can stand up to repeated Choice Band Meteor Mashes and also compensate for the litany of coverage moves Metagross can bring. In a closed information environment where the Metagross user can curate their moveset and bring mixed sets with minimal penalty, this is a deadly proposition. Metagross can further be used effectively in a defensive role, leveraging its impressive physical bulk. Although the cases where this will be more effective than an offensive set are rare, access to Refresh and Iron Defense, and even simple Rest sets can effectively blank common threats such as Choice Band Normal-type attackers.

Metagross is held back primarily by its relatively low Speed and lack of recovery, and secondly by the natural teambuilding tendencies of Draft structures. Although nothing can truly counter a Metagross, bulky Water-types are capable of holding it at bay for a time and responding with status, coverage, or Surfs aimed at Metagross’s weaker Special Defense. Nearly every Draft team will draft at least one Water-type, so all teams will have some form of protection available to them before considering a more targeted defense. From the offensive side, the best approach to handling Metagross is to trade out its HP with special coverage attacks, as a 30% Metagross no longer presents a threat, even if it took out a Pokémon in the process. However, this underscores the main truth of Metagross, in that it is bar none the most effective trader in the tier. When played correctly, it is guaranteed to get at least one KO, with a second liable to follow on the back of an Explosion. And if the Metagross gets lucky? Meteor Mash Attack boosts can spell doom for even the most well-prepared drafters.

Metagross drafts fall under two general structures, balanced and aggressive offense, but several other styles are still yet to be fully developed. Balanced structures effectively function as five-Pokémon team cores excluding Metagross, where Metagross is free to act as a free agent sniper in the matchup. Such teams aim for overall resilience and use Metagross as their main form of progress-making. Aggressive offense builds have seen the most success and focus around the combination of Metagross alongside a premier Spiker and speedy offensive threats to close the game quickly. A third concept in development is a "Water overload" strategy, using the damage of Choice Band Meteor Mashes to break down bulky waters for partners to break through a weakened defensive response.

Common Metagross Partners

Metagross balance

Metagross Spikes offense

Metagross Water Overload

Metagross drafts are more constrained than they first appear. Although Metagross itself has superb power and flexibility, its Speed limits the roles it can play at any one time, and it relies on its teammates to open space for it to operate. Defensive responses to special attackers are required, and secondary responses to physical sweepers are also appreciated for Metagross to focus on its offenses. When properly supported, however, Metagross is an unequalled powerhouse and is highly rewarding in the right hands.

raikou Raikou raikou

Once upon a time, Raikou was an ADV Draft super threat, the strongest Pokémon in a fledgling metagame pulling off sweeps left and right. While that status has diminished over time, it still remains the most potent setup sweeper available at the top of the draft. Raikou is not a complicated Pokémon, but it does have nuance in its own way. Its bread and butter is its Calm Mind sweeping abilities, supplemented by Crunch and your choice of Hidden Power for coverage, but its natural special bulk and Pressure allow it to perform admirably in a defensive role when the matchup is hostile to its offensive tools.

Raikou drafts fall into two main categories: Spikes balance and all-out offense. In the former, a Spiking partner with longevity sets the table for a Raikou team to methodically break down opposing defensive answers to pave the way for a late-game sweep. The latter style stacks Raikou with as many powerful wallbreakers as it can fit while covering its defensive needs, overwhelming the opponent with sheer force. In either case, a Spikes user is mandatory for any Raikou draft; it simply does not function effectively without the residual damage to wear down its checks.

Common Raikou partners

More than any other first-round pick, a Raikou draft is fully focused around supporting its sweeping capabilities. Raikou offers little else in the way of roles it can perform and does not present a defensive response to any of the top threats, so common picks will seek to strike a balance between filling the gaps Raikou leaves as a first pick and loading up on powerhouse threats to open the way. Your second and third picks will determine which build path you take, and this decision must be fully committed for a Raikou draft to succeed.

celebi Celebi celebi

Celebi has the most volatile reputation of any first-round pick; it functions completely differently than other top picks, and drafters have a love-hate relationship with it as a result. When held up against the other top picks, Celebi struggles against all of them, each consistently presenting a greater threat to Celebi than it does to them. In the right hands, however, Celebi is a force multiplier like no other, flexibly filling any role a team may need while boosting its partners’ capabilities. Celebi is the inverse of the other top picks in that its strength comes from the ways in which it turbocharges the strategy of the rest of its team. While it is a capable special attacker in its own right, it lacks the top-end power necessary to feature as a central build focus, and such team structures consistently struggle. In the hands of a skilled pilot maximizing its supporting capabilities, however, a Celebi team is a threat to win any matchup.

Celebi drafts differ in structure based on whether they draft Spikes or not. Celebi Spikes builds should look to draft one of Round 2 Skarmory, Round 3 Aerodactyl, or Round 5 Dugtrio alongside a capable offensive Water-type. These structures leverage the passive damage of Spikes to progressively break down an opposition through a combination of Celebi's Baton Pass, inherent wallbreaking power, and Dugtrio's trapping of enemy threats. AeroBi structures are the most aggressive of this form, as a +2 (+3 with Liechi Berry) Aerodactyl after receiving a Swords Dance pass usually ends the game. These structures will use a combination of fast attackers and bulky pivots to accrue damage on the opposition before going in for a KO. Dugtrio builds focus more around the removal of specially defensive threats preventing a late-game Celebi sweep in connection with Baton Pass. These structures have flexibility in their build direction, both aggressive and balance-oriented, but both require a sturdy Water-type to defend against opposing Dragon Dancers granted setup opportunity by a Choice-locked Dugtrio. Both of these structures must draft a capable Spiker to be effective, with Glalie, Forretress, and Cloyster Explosions helping to patch up tempo gaps. Celebi drafts with Skarmory are significantly more resilient defensively due to the natural type synergy between the two and are very comfortable playing for a lengthy game maintaining Spikes, and this is the main avenue where Celebi Stall can be successful. As with other structures, defensive responses to Fire-types and Dragon Dancers are a must.

Spikeless Celebi, in contrast, embodies the Jack-of-all-Trades playstyle with the associated benefits and costs. Most commonly seen paired with a second-round Milotic, these structures build with a “good stuff” balance mentality, drafting around typing resilience and flexible responses to break down the opponent. Celebi is most typically used as a Calm Mind passer in these structures to strengthen its Water- and Fire-type partners. These drafts suffer from being heavily grounded, necessitating a Rapid Spinner, as well as being somewhat lacking in immediate power. Wallbreakers such as Armaldo and Ursaring are recommended partners as a result, with an overall structural theme reminiscent of mixed offense in standard OU. These structures play at a middling pace and can find it difficult to rebound from hax; as a result, breaking a key defensive piece will usually spell disaster for the Celebi drafter. The key to this structure is role compression and proactivity; these teams cannot win a tournament focused around defensive resilience and must find ways to push their game state forward, leveraging Baton Pass to maximum effect.

Common Celebi partners

Drafting Celebi is not recommended for the novice drafter. The structures it demands are not intuitive, and mistakes in the process will leave exploitable opportunities for an opponent. This is simply the nature of a Pokémon whose strongest asset is multiplying the value of its teammates; draft effectively and cohesively, and no draft will feel as well-suited to take on any opponent in the hands of a deft pilot.

salamence Salamence salamence

Salamence is unique among first pick options in that it has no truly optimal partners as, much like its flying brethren Zapdos, the main feature that defines Salamence is flexibility. Often drafted late in the first round, Salamence structures are based on developing in the direction borne out by its second pick, but this flexibility offers many possible routes for a draft to take. Salamence structures can have several focuses: they can orient offensively in much the same way as the earlier Metagross Water Overload structure, they can be highly effective orienting around Spikes with a physical Salamence waiting to clean up the wreckage, and defensive builds greatly appreciate the Intimidate and Fighting resistance Salamence offers as long as they take care not to build too passively.

Salamence Common Second Pick Structures

Salamence is in many ways the ideal first pick to take near the end of the first round, as its flexibility ensures a strong and resilient starting position. The Salamence drafter must take care to draft with intention, however, as the consequence of the flexibility it offers brings with it a lack of clarity in optimal build direction. In this way, Salamence rewards the creative drafter. Approach its teambuild with an open mind and a clear direction, and it has the ability to take down a tournament in the right hands.

skarmory Skarmory skarmory

Skarmory is the proverbial box-ticker. By virtue of the roles it fulfills, it is at the same time the most freeing and most constraining of the typical first pick options. As a physical wall with no physical type weaknesses, it invalidates the offensive options of half of the metagame, making it much easier to build a cohesive team without compensating for various defensive flaws. Physical attackers are forced to run janky movesets or else allow Skarmory free rein to set Spikes, and with the limited movepools in ADV this invariably results in severe trade-offs to that Pokémon’s potential. Hidden Power is a common choice of coverage move for special and physical attackers alike, but this enables Skarmory to punish this choice with Counter, already a useful option for Pokémon with the physical strength to push through Skarmory’s defenses.

The corollary of the teambuilding freedom Skarmory brings is the limitation imposed: by drafting Skarmory you are staking your claim as a Spikes-abusing draft. In one sense, this is a blessing, as Spikes are rare and powerful, and claiming the most reliable setter of them is a boon. In another, this brings responsibility, constraining the team options it can take to effectively make use of its Spikes.

Skarmory drafts must be built for flexibility. A Skarmory draft that pigeonholes itself into one teamstyle—stall in particular—is a draft that can be abused. Skarmory drafts should be able to support two of the following sets:

The key strategic implication of drafting Skarmory is that, more than any other Pokémon, it uses its health as a resource. With complete immunity to passive damage and sheer bulk, Skarmory can act in ways no other Pokémon can and recover the damage taken over time, and the teams that build must take this into consideration.

Unlike the other first picks, Skarmory drafts focus more on roles than specific partners. As with Salamence, Skarmory is happy pairing with any of the other first-round picks that may fall to it and can create a coherent draft with nearly any second pick. Instead of common partners, we will instead discuss Skarmory teambuilding from a more strategic lens.

Common Skarmory Build Principles

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Get Out There!

ADV is one of the most beloved generations of all time, both within the competitive scene and without, and ADV Draft stands proudly in line with the other metagames of its age. Give the format a try! It is strategic, creative, and above all fun with a community of growth and support to welcome you into the fold.

ADV Draft events are run on a regular basis. To learn more about the format, contact Scraf, Texas Cloverleaf, goldmason, or Khaz for more information!

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