My recommendation to new players, if there are any here, is to try making your own team.


(First learn the type-chart and if you still aren't sure always use the commands to look it up).


Play with pokémon that you like, even if they are below OU or UU.


When you use a sample sure as people argue you can see what works, but you never learn why, how, or when those pokémon and
those sets work.


It's blaringly obvious when you make the wrong pivot or switch or prediction.


When you make the team yourself, especially when following the typing defences and using a checklist like the one I provided, you inherently understand exactly what each pokémon is for, exactly what role they serve on your team, and exactly when to use them (or not, for that matter).


You need to understand the weaknesses of your team and who you can sack when or who you need to save in the back.


On this same note, you need to know what the common sets are that pokémon run.


You need to develop a feel for the speed tiers and be able to identify the roles the opposing pokémon likely occupy
(i.e. whether its a scarfer, a sweeper, a wallbreaker, a staller).


It makes it far easier to identify these when you are familiar with why they are used.


You learn this through building your own team and using it, through playing dozens if not hundreds of games, and through researching with Porydex and the "Speed Tier" chart. And if you're thinking of tweaking something, play more games first.


If I was doing something as small as the single point EV change on :Melmetal:, I would play at least a dozen or two games first.


Unless you're an experienced player who can identify good tweaks/replacements on sight, something like changing a mon entirely shouldn't be considered until having played at least 50-100 games.


As for how to EV spread, just consider what sets are common (via Porydex), but don't copy them. Just use as a reference.


Consider their role and what you want their strengths to be, start with Speed EVs, get jump points and magic HP numbers (how-to is detailed in link at the top).


Then if there is a specific common calc that could be fixed with just a few points, do that.