Pokémon Diamond & Pearl: Best Team for a Casual Playthrough (Beginner Friendly Guide)
Pokémon Diamond & Pearl are classic Nintendo DS adventures that many players still enjoy today. If you’re replaying the games or trying them for the first time, building a balanced team can make your journey smoother — especially for a casual playthrough where you don’t want to grind or use complicated strategies.
This guide shows you the best, easiest, and most accessible team you can build in Pokémon Diamond & Pearl.
The Best Casual Team for Pokémon Diamond & Pearl
✅ 1. Infernape (Starter — Fire/Fighting)
Why it’s great:
Infernape is one of the most versatile starters in the entire franchise. Fast, powerful, and capable of hitting both physically and specially.
Best Moves:
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Flamethrower / Fire Blast
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Close Combat
-
Mach Punch
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Grass Knot (for Water/Rock types)
What it helps with:
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Roark, Gardenia, and Candice Gym Leader fights
-
The Elite Four (especially Aaron, Byron, and Lucian)
✅ 2. Staraptor (Normal/Flying)
Why it’s great:
Catches early as Starly, evolves quickly, and stays strong until the end of the game. Intimidate helps reduce enemy attack.
Best Moves:
-
Brave Bird
-
Close Combat
-
Fly (utility)
-
Return / U-turn
What it helps with:
-
Fighting Gym
-
Grass types
-
Bugs
-
Many Elite Four Pokémon
✅ 3. Floatzel (Water)
Why it’s great:
Fast, easy to catch (Buizel), and perfect for Surf and Waterfall. Great coverage for Rock, Fire, and Ground types.
Best Moves:
-
Surf
-
Waterfall
-
Ice Fang
-
Crunch
What it helps with:
-
Flint’s Fire-types
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Bertha’s Ground-types
-
Cynthia’s Garchomp with Ice Fang
✅ 4. Roserade (Grass/Poison)
Why it’s great:
A strong Special Attacker with useful status moves. Grass coverage is extremely important in Sinnoh.
Best Moves:
-
Giga Drain / Magical Leaf
-
Sludge Bomb
-
Toxic
-
Shadow Ball
What it helps with:
-
Water Gym
-
Ground types
-
Cynthia’s Milotic and Gastrodon
✅ 5. Luxray (Electric)
Why it’s great:
One of Sinnoh’s most iconic Pokémon. Easy to train and perfect for dealing with Water and Flying Pokémon.
Best Moves:
-
Thunder Fang / Thunderbolt
-
Crunch
-
Spark
-
Charge
What it helps with:
-
Crasher Wake
-
Gyarados
-
Many Team Galactic battles
✅ 6. Garchomp (Dragon/Ground)
Why it’s great:
Even for casual players, Garchomp is extremely strong. Gible can be caught in Wayward Cave — worth the effort.
Best Moves:
-
Dragon Claw
-
Earthquake
-
Crunch
-
Swords Dance
What it helps with:
-
Almost everything
-
Especially Cynthia’s Garchomp (mirrors match)
Why This Team Works Perfectly
This setup gives you ideal type coverage:
| Type | Covered By |
|---|---|
| Fire | Infernape |
| Water | Floatzel |
| Grass | Roserade |
| Electric | Luxray |
| Flying | Staraptor |
| Dragon | Garchomp |
You will never feel under-leveled, and no grinding is required.
Alternative Team Options (Also Casual-Friendly)
If you want replacements:
-
Torterra instead of Infernape (tankier, weaker early-game)
-
Empoleon instead of Floatzel (Steel typing is excellent)
-
Rapidash if you didn’t choose Infernape
-
Houndoom for Special Fire coverage
-
Alakazam for a powerful Psychic type
These alternatives still keep your team balanced.
Final Tips for a Smooth Playthrough
-
Keep a Pokémon with Fly and Defog (Staraptor works great)
-
Teach Surf to Floatzel for exploration and combat
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Use Roserade for tough Water/Ground matchups
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Start leveling Gible early—you’ll thank yourself later
With this team, Pokémon Diamond & Pearl become much easier while still fun and challenging.