Vertical vs. Horizontal Synergies

Two board-building philosophies, and most comps lean one way. Vertical means going deep on one synergy — Fire 8, everything Fire. Horizontal means going wide — Fire 4, Field 4, Psychic 2, spread across types. Neither is better in the abstract; they want different things from the game and fail in different ways.

Vertical: deep on one type

What it looks like: six to eight units of one type, hitting that synergy's top tier, with maybe one small splash.

• Strengths: the top tier of a synergy is usually its most powerful effect — a large team-wide buff, a summon, a mechanic that reshapes the fight. Vertical comps get that. They're also simple to pilot and often have a clear best carry.
• Weaknesses: you're forced to run every playable unit of that type, including the weak ones, so a few of your board slots are always mediocre. You're also very exposed to that type's counter and to being contested — if two others go Fire, none of you get there.
• Wants: to hit the level for the top threshold (often 8), a healthy but not necessarily huge economy, and an open lobby on that type.

Horizontal: wide across types

What it looks like: three or four synergies each at a mid threshold, built from Pokémon that overlap two types each so the counts climb together.

• Strengths: every unit on the board can be individually strong, because you're not forced to run bad units for a type count. Multiple mid-tier bonuses can add up to more total stat value than one top-tier bonus. Hard to counter — an opponent can't itemise against four synergies at once. Rarely contested, because you're not fully committed to any one type.
• Weaknesses: you never get a synergy's game-changing top tier. Requires more game knowledge to build well — you have to know which units double up and which mid bonuses are worth having. Can feel like it lacks a "spike".
• Wants: level 8–9 (you need the board slots to fit multiple synergies), and units with strong two-type overlap so the counts rise for free.

Choosing per game

• Go vertical when you're first to a strong open type, you have the carry for it, and you can reach the top threshold's level. Also when you're behind and need a big spike to stabilise — a top-tier synergy is a bigger swing than several partials.
• Go horizontal when the strong types are all contested, when your units naturally give you overlapping synergies, or when you have a flexible board and want to be robust rather than explosive.

Many comps sit between the two: a "6 + 3 + 2" shape — one near-vertical main synergy, one meaningful second, one cheap team-wide splash. This captures most of a vertical comp's spike while keeping a couple of slots for individually strong units.

Overlap is the key skill

The reason a horizontal comp can be strong rather than a pile of half-synergies is type overlap. When you sketch a board in the Team Builder, look for which synergies rise as a side effect of adding units you wanted anyway. Those are free. A synergy that only climbs when you add dedicated off-plan filler is expensive — and running three of those is how horizontal comps go wrong.