Pk1410
Retired
Towns Folk
Intro: I've started playing Pokemon since Pokemon Ruby, and competitively since Pokemon Emerald. I've been playing for so long, so I thought I could help out by giving a few tips to those that are new to the competitive scene or that are having a difficult time learning the game. Keep in mind I can only offer you a X amount of tips, it's up to you to take them into account. The whole purpose of this thread is to give you useful tips about battling not to make you the best battler. With that being said, I hope I am able to help some of you.
1. Team Building:
Tips:
1. Team Building:
- There is no such a thing as perfect team, which means that every team has a weakness whether is a certain type, a Pokemon, or even a move that threatens the whole team. With this in mind, when you build a team make sure you are aware of your weaknesses, and what you are strong against. When being in the process of team building, try to make sure that you are covering your weakness as much as possible; however, always keep in mind that you can't stop everything. It's essential to know these things in order to figure out your win conditions when you are playing against someone.
- It doesn't matter how good you think you are. If you can't you build a balanced team, you are not getting anywhere. The same rule applies to your team. It doesn't matter how good your team is, if you do not know how to use it properly you are not getting anywhere either. When building a team try to make sure you are comfortable with it. Well, what if you don't know how to build a proper team and you feel like you are not very good? Don't get discourage because that means you have plenty of room to improve. I mean, you can't get any worse so you will improve no matter. Experience is the best way to improve, and losing is learning.
- Always ask yourself when you are team building ''What is this team trying to accomplish?''. It's always important to figure out what is the role of each Pokemon. Each Pokemon should have a role whether is to cover a weakness, to set up entry hazards (Stealth Rocks, Spikes, etc), to cause damage as much as possible, to stall, or to support.
- What is your favorite play style? Do you like to play aggressive? Do you like to stall? Do you prefer balanced teams? Do you like weather teams? Trick Room, perhaps? Again, it's important to figure out what your team is trying to accomplish, and it to match your play style. You must feel comfortable when building your team.
- I am not sure how many people actually bothers to google and figure out how to beat stall or how to beat an aggressive team. I do it all the time. I even look up what moves can certain Pokemon learn. It's important to look up these things because when you are in a battle, it will help to figure out what possible moves could a certain Pokemon have and not surprise and cause you to lose a Pokemon because you were not aware of it. Not knowing is not an excuse.
- Sites like Smogon or Serebii provide you this kind of information, and if you are the kind of people that do not enjoy reading a lot or to look up information then there are sites like YouTube where people make reviews about Pokemon and all kind of things.
- Smogon provides a list of every Pokemon with different movesets, ev spread, etc for each Pokemon. I can't emphasize enough how important to spend time looking at it. It's gives you a general idea of what moves and evs spread Pokemon use. Smogon is a great site to look up information. I strongly suggest to take a look at it. You can learn a lot from it.
- I have a Pokemon Shop in this site, and I've seen over and over people using random ev spread. Believe it or not there is a site where you can put the ev spread of your Pokemon and it will calculate the amount of damage it can do to a certain Pokemon and how much damage it receive from attacks of certain Pokemon. It also provides a bunch of extra details. I strongly suggest to use this while having a battle or when building a team. You want to make sure to know if your Pokemon can take a certain attack or if you can KO a certain Pokemon. Link: https://pokemonshowdown.com/damagecalc/
- When you start a battle, you have about 1 minute and 30 seconds to pick your Pokemon. Take your time to think which could be the best Pokemon to start off. It's crucial to start well the battle because it helps set a tone in the battle.
- Take a photo or write down in a piece of paper your opponent's team. With only 1 minute and 30 secs its not enough time to remember all of your opponent's Pokemon. Having it written down can help you with your predictions.
- Think of your win condition. What I mean by win condition is your plan to win the match. Ask yourself what Pokemon are key to win this battle. What Pokemon of yours is threaten by your opponent's Pokemon? What Pokemon is key to beat your opponent's threats?
- Have a plan B. Pokemon is such unpredictable game. If by any chance your plan A doesn't work because of a critical hit, burn, or if your opponent simply out play you. It's crucial to have a back up plan. Don't give up simply because plan A didn't work.
- Acknowledge the ''hax'' (luck) in the game. We all at some point in the game have lost a battle because we missed a move or because of a lucky freeze or a lucky critical-hit. Just as you have lost because of it, you have won plenty of times because of it. Hax is there and its unpredictable. Don't let it bother you.
- Don't rush, you have 100 seconds to make a move. Think carefully what you want to do. Try to predict what your opponent will do. Make sure its the best choice.
- Predicting is key to win the game. Predictions come into play when you become experience. The more experience the better predictions you can make; however, when making a prediction make sure you are not throwing yourself under bus. Don't be me and over predict all the time. Missing a prediction can cost you a Pokemon and the game. Think of it as reward vs risk. What is the reward for predicting this right? What is the risk if things go wrong?
- Don't give up. Even if you know you can't win this game, just don't give up. Pokemon is such a unpredictable game. Things can go right for your opponent, but hax is always there and can change things in one turn.
- If you are uncertain if a move will knock out a Pokemon or if your Pokemon can take a hit, use the damage calculator (link) I provided to you. You have 100 secs to pick a move. Take your time and use it. It will helps you play safe and can make the difference.
