These are two basic, but effective, defensive strategies that are commonly used. If you're new to this type of thing, we suggest employing one of these first and playing around with it in the Battle Tower. This will help you get in a defensive mindset and allow you to better use more advanced strategies.
Setting the Table
Many experienced players use defensive Pokemon to set up things up for their team. Since defenders can take multiple hits, they're perfect candidates for laying down layers of Spikes, Toxic Spikes, and Stealth Rocks. These moves inflict damage on incoming Pokemon and can really give you a huge advantage over the course of a lengthy battle. The gameplay tweaks to this generation of Pokemon have made Stealth Rocks particularly deadly (unless of course, you used your Stealth Rock TM76 on your Bidoof).
These table setters can also be used to set up helpful barriers. We've seen players use a defender holding Light Clay to set up Light Screen and/or Reflect. Light Clay prolongs the effect of these helpful moves.
Since baseball season is starting, we're going to equate the Pokemon that use these strategies to setup men - the invaluable (but relatively unheralded) pitchers that get your team through the seventh and eights innings, allowing the closer to come in. These Pokemon can set things up for your favorite sweeper to close out the game.
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