Ultimately, the decision is entirely up to you. However, we’ve put together a team for each of the three starter Pokemon that you can use regardless of whether you own Sun or Moon. Each team is fit with unique, powerful Pokemon, and we were careful to avoid redundant typings. Feel free to use and modify these teams as you see fit.

Team Rowlet

Decidueye, Araquanid, Salazzle, Metagross, Garchomp, Weavile

Team Rowlet will take awhile for you to set up. At the start of Sun and Moon, I’d recommend grabbing a few temporary Pokemon, such as Growlith, to help you get through Melemele island.

Araquanid has a boosted Water STAB (Same Type Attack Bonus) multiplier thanks to its Water Bubble ability. You get Araquanid by evolving Dewpider at level 22. You find Dewpider in Brooklet Hill during the Day. It has a small chance of appearing in a patch of grass and a relatively high chance of showing up while surfing.

Salazzle is a swift and powerful Sp. Attacker that rips through the competition, though she’s a bit on the frail side. She’s obtained by evolving a female Salandit – a Pokemon that only has a 1/8 chance of being female in the first place. The earliest place you can catch one is in the grass at the base of Wela Volcano Park.

Metagross is a long-time favorite and it’s made its way back for Sun and Moon. It even has a Mega-Evolution later in the game. You obtain Metagross by evolving a Beldum, which are found in the grass around Mount Hokulani.

Garchomp is another fan-favorite, complete with its own Mega-Evolution. You get Garchomp by evolving a Gabite. (You can’t find Gibles in the wild.) To catch it, buy a bunch of Adrenaline Orbs, pop a repel, and head over to the Haina Desert. Start a battle in the sandstorm and use False Swipe on the Pokemon that appears to whittle it’s HP down most of the way. Use an Adrenaline Orb to force it to summon a partner if it hasn’t already. If the summoned Pokemon is not Gabite, knock it out and use another Adrenaline Orb. If it is, catch it. (Mudsdale is a good Ground-type stand-in until you can catch Garchomp.)

Weavile makes a dazzling return in Pokemon Sun and Moon and remains among the best Physical Ice types in the game. You’ll need this to cover the teams Ground and Flying weaknesses, and the extra defense against Psychic and Ghost types doesn’t hurt. You can get a Weavile by leveling up a Sneasel at night while it holds the Razor Claw item. Sneasel are caught in the grass on Mount Lanakila.

Altogether, you have two candidates for Mega Evolution, and a solid team fit with 12 unique typings. Feel free to substitute these Pokemon with your own, but try to be careful not to be redundant in typings – lest your team ends up frail to opposing types.

Team Litten

Incineroar, Raichu, Ribombee, Toxapex, Palossand, Lucario

In contrast to Team Rowlet, most of Team Litten is easy to fill fairly early on – so you needn’t worry about temporary team members as much. Save for Lucario, maybe.

Alolan Raichu is a great first pick to cover Incineroar’s Water and Fighting weaknesses. You can get one by evolving a Pichu or Pikachu. They’re both found rarely in the grass around Hau’oli City, though Pichu is a little more common.

Ribombee is the evolution of Cutiefly – a swift Sp. Attacker with the power to take on Dragons. You can catch Cutiefly as early as Route 2 in the patches of grass surrounding the PokeCenter.

Toxapex is one of the most difficult Pokemon to catch in Sun and Moon, but it is worth all the effort. This is the best toxic staller in the game. You can acquire one by evolving Mareanie. To catch one, buy a stack of Adrenaline Orbs and head to the Melemele Sea or wait until you reach Route 9 for slightly better chances of fishing up a Corsola. Once you encounter a Corsola, False Swipe it to lower its health and use Adrenaline Orbs to encourage it to call help. It has a chance to call Mareanie, which happens to be a predator for Corsola.

Palossand is a powerful Sp. Attacker with a high base Defense. It’s great for wiping the floor with Physical powerhouses. It evolves from Sandygast, which is found in swirling sand around Hano Beach, just East of the Hano Grand Resort.

Lucario is a long-time favorite returning to Sun and Moon, packaged with a strong Mega-Evolution later in the game. To obtain one, evolve a Riolu or catch it from an SOS battle with Riolu. Riolu are found in the grass around Poni Grove.

You can put most of this team together within the first two islands of Alola, granting you access to a strong and versatile group of Pokemon that won’t let you down. Again, there are 12 unique types that make up this team. (Dual types are great, aren’t they?) Be ginger when replacing Pokemon and try to add types that aren’t covered already.

Team Popplio

Primarina, Vikavolt, Dugtrio, Salamence, Marowak, Bewear

Even more so than Team Litten, Team Popplio is fully complete not even halfway through the game. In fact, you can pick up four of the six team members on Melemele island.

Vikavolt is a great Electric and Bug type with high Attack and decent Defenses. It evolves into Vikavolt from Grubbin. You’ll find Grubbin as early as Route 1, in the two patches of grass just in front of Iki Town.

Alolan Dugtrio is a good choice to fend off the Electric, Rock, and Poison types that would threaten Primarina and Vikavolt. Dugtrio evolves from Diglett, which is found as early as Verdant Cavern or Ten Carat Hill.

Salamance is an old favorite Dragon packed with its own Mega-Evolution. It evolves from Bagon, which can be found as soon as you beat your first Trial. Head into Melemele Meadow and walk through the flowers. Continue south through the flowers, passing the path up, and crawl into the hole on the West wall to end up in Kala’e Bay. Head out of the cave and surf south across the water to a lone patch of grass. In the grass here you have a decent chance of encountering Bagon.

Alolan Marowak is a great choice to fill in the gaps on your team and cover your starter’s grass weakness while waiting for Bagon to slowly evolve. You can obtain a Marowak by leveling up a Cubone to 28 or beyond at Night. Cubones are found in the grass at the base of Wela Volcano Park.

Bewear is a physical powerhouse, especially if you pick one up with the Fluffy ability. Bewear evolves from Stufful, which is a rare Pokemon found in the grass as early as Route 8.

Yet again, Team Popplio is outfitted with 12 unique types of Pokemon. This is the beauty of Dual Types, though they are flawed in the sense that they can have more weaknesses than a Pokemon with a single typing.

Feel free to substitute any of these Pokemon out for a strong team member with a single typing. Some great choices include Lycanroc, Mudsdale, Tsareena, and Silvally, to name a few.

All of the Pokemon mentioned here are powerful and more than able to hold their own in battle. Feel free to mix and match these as you choose.

Need some advice on building your perfect team? Discuss the best teams for Pokemon Sun and Moon in the comments below!

If you enjoyed this piece, check out the top 10 underrated Pokemon from Sun and Moon.