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I'm really into competitive battling right now, so... I bring you:


With both Akihide's and my League set up, this guide will get you into the wonderful world of competitive Pokémon battles.


1. Introduction (INT1)
2. Mechanics of Pokémon (MEC0)
2.1. Basic Mechanics (MEC1)
2.1.1. Type Efficiency (BME1)
2.1.2. Move Mechanics (BME2)
2.1.3. Base Stats (BME3)
2.1.4. Base Power (BME4)
2.1.5. Same-Type Attack Bonus (BME5)
2.2 Advanced Mechanics (MEC2)
2.2.1. Effort Values (AME1)
2.2.2. Individual Values (AME2)
2.2.3. Natures (AME3)
3. Mastering Your Pokémon (MYP0)
3.1. Abilities (MYP1)
3.2. Status (MYP2)
3.3. Items (MYP3)
4. Into The Battlefield (ITB0)
4.1. Stat Changes (ITB1)
4.2. Priority (ITB2)
4.3. Critical Hit (ITB3)
4.4. Damage (ITB4)
5. Skills of a Trainer (SOT0)
5.1. Prediction (SOT1)
5.2. Lures (SOT2)
5.3. Luck (SOT3)
5.4. Surprise (SOT4)

Note: If you're looking for a specific section, copy the four characters, press Crtl+F, paste it in the bar and press Enter. It should take you to the right chapter.


Have you already caught every Pokémon in the National Dex? Have you beaten the Elite Four so many times that it becomes a chore? Is beating your friends with your hacked Magikarp with 999 Special Attack getting stale?

Then it's time to step up your game! Enter a world where every game is a challenge. A world where careful team building, smart tactics and an understanding of game mechanics are the most important skills.

Welcome to the world of competitive battling in Pokémon.


So, you're interested in this guide, it seems. That's a good thing, because I started playing competitive Pokémon too by reading guides about it. Hopefully this guide will do the same thing to you.

This chapter will cover (as you probably already noticed from the title) the mechanics of Pokémon. This includes the basic mechanics, such as effectiveness, Physical/Special moves and Base Stats. This chapter will also explain Base Power and the main ways to influence them.



We all know what type efficiency is. Type effectiveness is a major factor in the amount of damage you deal or receive. As an example, Electric-Type moves do not affect Ground Pokémon, or Electric-Type attacks are 'super effective' against Water Pokémon.

Whenever a move is 'super effective', the damage dealt is multiplied by 2. Attacks that are neutral when used on the opponent's Pokémon are not multiplied by means of type efficiency. An attack that is 'not very effective' is multiplied by 0.5 (so the move actually decreases in power). And when a move 'doesn't affect' the Pokémon, the power is multiplied by 0. This means there will be no damage done. This is called an immunity.

To make it easier for you, I found this chart on the interwebz (one of many, there are a lot more, but this one is pretty basic and understandable):



As you can see, the column on the right shows the type of the move the attacker uses and the top row is the defending Pokémon's type. So, as an example, using a Steel-Type attack against a Rock-Type Pokémon is super effective.

But we're not there yet. We have covered the type efficiency of Pokémon that have one type. However, Pokémon like Swampert are dual-typed (in this case, Water/Ground type). This doesn't really make it harder to figure out whether a move is effective or not, but it just takes a little more time to figure it out.

We'll use Swampert as an example. Swampert is a Water/Ground type. Assume the opponent uses a Grass type attack and hits Swampert. According to the type chart, Grass is super effective against both Water and Grass, so getting a multiplier of 2 on both types of Swampert. Now its just a matter of fact of multiplying the two factors together. 2*2=4, so the move is four times as powerful! We call this a damage multiplier of 4.

This goes for all kind of attacks on Swampert. Using a Water Attack on Swampert means: 0.5 (Water vs Water)*2 (Water vs Ground)=1. So that means no extra damage. Using an Electric Attack on Swampert results in 2 (Electric vs Water)*0 (Electric vs Ground)=0. So regardless of a second type, Pokémon always keep their immunity.

TEST

Alright, just a little test if you want to be sure that you understood this information. You don't have to do it, just an option for those that want to become the best battler EVAR. I'll put the answers in a spoiler, so that you cannot accidentally look at the answer.

Question 1:
What is the damage multiplier when a Normal-Type move hits a Tyrogue (Fighting type)?

Question 2:
What is the damage multiplier when a Normal-Type move hits a Golem (Rock/Ground type)?

Question 3:
What is the damage multiplier when a Ice-Type move hits a Moltres (Fire/Flying type)?

Question 4:
What is the damage multiplier when a Fire-Type move hits a Heatran (Fire/Steel type)?

Answers:


During the first three Generations of Pokémon every type was either Physical or Special. In the Electric department, Thundershock, Thunder and even ThunderPunch were Special based. Teams weren't as varied as they are in Gen IV.

Gen IV introduced the Physical/Special split. Not anymore were attacks of a certain Type a Phycisal of Special based move. ThunderPunch became a Physical move, while Sludge Bomb became Special based. Pokémon got a lot more diverse and battling became more fun (IMO).

The Physical/Special split in Pokémon is one of, if not the most important thing to understand in Pokémon. Using a move that's Physical while your Pokémon is Special-based could lose you the match. It's important to understand this split if you want to be victorious in battling.

Physical moves use the Attack stat, while Special moves use the Special Attack stat of a Pokémon. When building your Pokémon's moveset, it's important to keep this in mind. Giving an Alakazam the move Psycho Cut might look good on paper, but the stats of Alakazam disagree. Alakazam's Attack stat is horrible and seeing how Psycho Cut is a Physical based move, you're better off using a Special move taking advantage of that gigantic Special Attack stat, such as Psychic.

If you're wondering which attack is Physical and which one is Special, go to the Battle Moves page when looking at your Pokémon (talking about the handheld games here). Choosing an attack will show you a box like one of these:
This means the move is Physical based.
This means the move is Special based.

There are also moves that have this icon: These are moves that do not deal damage directly. We'll get to those moves later on.


Remember this statement in the Physical/Special section:

"Alakazam's Attack stat is horrible and seeing how Psycho Cut is a Physical based move, you're better off using a Special move taking advantage of that gigantic Special Attack stat."

If you're wondering how I know that, you've come to the right place. In this section, I'll go through all the stats a Pokémon has and explain what's so important about them.

Every Pokémon has Base Stats. These are stats that are the same for every single Pokémon of the same species. These Base Stats cover six stats: Hitpoints (HP), Attack (Atk), Defense (Def), Special Attack (SpA), Special Defense (SpD) and Speed (Spe).

Hitpoints
Hitpoints, most of the time called HP, is a stat that's very important to Pokémon that use their Defenses to come out victorious. HP defines the amount of damage you can take before your Pokémon faints. The higher your HP, the more damage you can take.

Attack
Attack, most of the time called Atk, is a stat that determines the damage you deliver with Physical moves. A very important stat when it comes to offensive-based Pokémon teams.

Defense
Defense, most of the time called Def, is a stat that reduces the power of Physical-based moves. The higer the Defense stat, the less damage the Pokémon receives.

Special Attack
Special Attack, most of the time called SpA, is the counterpart of the Attack stat. Special Attack defines the damage you do against opponents when using a Special-based move. The higher the stat, the more damage you do with Special moves.

Special Defense
Special Defense, often called SpD, is the Defense stat of Special moves. The higher your SpD, the less damage you take from Special-based moves.

Speed
Speed, often called Spe, is the most important stat in the current metagame. Speed defines which Pokémon attacks first during a turn. Whoever has the highest Speed stat, makes the first move during the turn.

The Atk, SpA and Spe stat are very important for offensive Pokémon, such as Weavile. Defensive Pokémon, such as Bastiodon, rather have high HP, Def and SpD stats to stay alive as long as possible.

Every Pokémon has its own Base Stats. Here are three Pokémon with different Base Stats:

Gyarados
HP: 95
Atk: 125
Def: 79
SpA: 60
SpD: 100
Spe: 81

Bastiodon
HP: 60
Atk: 52
Def: 168
SpA: 47
SpD: 138
Spe: 30

Altaria
HP: 75
Atk: 70
Def: 90
SpA: 70
SpD: 105
Spe: 80

As you can see, the Base Stats can tell you what kind of Pokémon it can be. Gyarados, with a massive base Attack stat of 125, can easily rip through teams. Bastiodon has a great Defense and Special Defense stat, so it functions well as a wall. Altaria has all of its stats spread out over the categories, so it could do a multitude of things.

But where does one venture to find these base stats? There are quite a few sites that list them, but I think Smogon is the best for this purpose. It lists all the Pokémon alphabetically and shows the base stats of every fully evolved Pokémon immediately. Other sites include Serebii and Marriland, to name a few.



Alright, we got a few basic things out of the way. We'll now start to focus on the battles itself and what makes you win these matches. We'll start with Base Power.

Base Power is the power of an attack you use. As a common example, imagine a low-leveled Starly. You're trying to level it up one level so it learns Quick Attack. Tackle isn't doing that much damage, but you manage to level up after a few fights. Starly learns Quick Attack, and using Quick Attack depletes more of the opponent's HP. That means Quick Attack has a higher Base Power than Tackle.

The Base Power of moves can also be found on multiple sites, such as Smogon, Serebii and Marriland.

So, as an example, imagine this:

Sceptile uses Leaf Blade and hits a Quagsire.

What is the Base Power of this attack?

Leaf Blade has a Base Power of 90. Seeing how Quagsire is a Water/Ground Pokémon, the equation of type efficiency is 2(Grass v Water)*2(Grass v Ground)=4. The attack becomes quadrupled in power, which means that the Base Power gets multiplied by 4.

90*4=360 Base Power.


We have seen how basic Base Power really is. However, we are not quite done with it yet. Another factor in battling is the important Same-Type Attack Bonus, also known as STAB.

Like the name implies, it boosts the attack that is of the same type as the Pokémon. It'll boost the moves that are the same type as the user by 1.5.

Example:
You have a Starly that has the moves Aerial Ace, Quick Attack, Growl and Steel Wing? Which move has the highest Base Power?

Without taking into account STAB: Aerial Ace has a Base Power of 60, Quick Attack has a Base Power of 40, and Steel Wing has a Base Power of 70. However, Starly is a Normal/Flying Pokémon, so the moves Aerial Ace and Quick Attack get a boost in power. Aerial Ace gets a Base Power of 90 (60*1.5) and Quick Attack's Base Power becomes 60 (40*1.5). So Aerial Ace has the highest Base Power.

As you can see, dual-typed Pokémon have the advantage of having two STAB-types. Taking advantage of the STAB-moves you have at your disposal is a great way to be a more effective battler.

Let's go back to that example I used in the previous section. A Sceptile used Leaf Blade to hit a Swampert. We ended with a Base Power of 360. However, Leaf Blade is a Grass-type and so is Sceptile. So, the equation needs to include STAB! This means that the Base Power isn't 360, but is 90*4*1.5=540 Base Power.

All in all, this section can be summarized in one formula:

Base Power = Base Power move * damage multiplier * STAB/noSTAB.

So, now that we have covered basically everything there is about Base Power and what influences it, it's time for another...

TEST

Time to test your knowledge on Base Power, STAB and type efficiency!

Question 1:
A Swalot uses Sludge Bomb against a Girafarig. What is the Base Power of this attack?

Question 2:
A Snorlax uses Surf against a Gliscor. What is the Base Power of this attack?

Question 3:
A Golbat uses Leech Life on a Shiftry. What is the Base Power of this attack?

Question 4:
A Staraptor uses Sky Attack on a Paras. What is the Base Power of this attack?

Question 5:
A Pinsir uses Brick Break against a Drapion. What is the Base Power of this attack?

Answers:


A new section of this Chapter, detailing Effort Values, Individual Values and Natures.

However, I won't go into much detail on the EVs, IVs and Natures, because there's already a guide on those subjects. Havok created this guide and it can be found on this forum, or click on this to go to his guide directly.


Effort Values, often called EVs, are a vital part to competitive battling. With EVs, you are able to increase multiple stats to make your Pokémon stronger.

In the Pokémon games, Pokémon have a set amount of EVs to give you when you defeat them. As an example, defeating a Zubat gives you 1 Speed EV. However, some evolved Pokémon give you two or even three EVs in one stat.

EVs are like stat boosts; gain four of them in one stat (like, defeating 4 Zubats, that'll net you 4 Speed EVs) and when you hit Level 100 with that Pokémon, your Speed stat will have gained one additional point in the Speed stat. This is true for every stat, as long they are the same EVs (3 EVs in Speed and 1 EV in Defense will not result in an extra point in Speed/Defense stat.

To not make players train until all their stats to 999, there's a limit of EVs that one Pokémon can earn. After earning 510 EVs, your Pokémon cannot gain anymore EVs. Furthermore, in every stat you can have a total amount 255 EVs. This means you can fill up two stats with 255 EVs until the Pokémon won't accept more EVs.

A few basic examples:
- A Zubat has gained 100 Attack EVs. When it reaches Level 100, its Attack stat will have 100/4=25 more points in its Attack.
-The same Zubat now has 103 Attack EVs. When it reaches Level 100, its Attack stat will have 103/4=25.75 more points in Attack. This gets rounded down to 25 points, so there's no difference in stats.

So, you might be wondering how many points an EV of 255 makes your stat increase? It's simple: 255/4=63,75. However, we just said that it gets rounded down, so there are 3 EV points wasted (252/4=63)! So always train your Pokémon to 252 EVs if you want to maximize one of your stats.

I can hear you say, but 3 EVs are pointless! Well, if you want to maximize two of your stats with EVs and just spend 252 EVs on these stats:

252*2=504 EVs used
510-504=6 EVs left to spend

That means you're able to spend another 4 EVs on another stat to give it a small boost.

Havok's guide will go more in-depth on EV training on the handheld games, including the easiest ways to do it, so I suggest you check that out for more information.


Individual Values, called IVs most of the time, are the most important value of your Pokémon stat. One Shuckle with 252 EVs in Defense can have a Defense stat of 466, while the other can have one of 542. A point difference of 76 points.

How is this possible, you might ask. Well, it's all because of the IVs (and Natures, but we'll cover that in the next sub-chapter).

See, an IV is actually a number between 0 and 31 that's determined whenever a Pokémon egg is produced. Furthermore, this number is permanent; there's no way to change the IVs of a Pokémon (unless you're hacking, but that's not allowed). Every single stat of a Pokémon has a different IV. So, IVs are what makes every Pokémon unique.

Now, if you would like to check the IVs of your Pokémon, do this on Pokémon that haven't been EV trained yet. Also try to calculate it when the Pokémon is close to Level 50 for the best results. For this reason, you'll need 49 Rare Candies or leave your Pokémon at the Daycare to level your Pokémon to Level 50, so it doesn't gain any EVs.

Now, the IV of a Pokémon can be calculated using this equation (prepare for insane equation):

IV = ((Math.Ceiling(Stat/Personality Value)-5)*100/Level Value)-2*Base Stat

That's insane, I know. That's why I always use an IV calculator. You can find one here.

This calculator works even if you have given your Pokémon EVs.However, you must know the amount of EVs the Pokémon has if you want to get it to work.

More information on IVs in Havok's guide.


Another deciding factor in the stats of your Pokémon is the Nature of it. Natures are another part of Pokémon that can increase (or decrease) your stats drastically.

Natures are something that are decided when a Pokémon egg is made; it cannot be changed. A Nature will increase one stat by 10%and decrease another stat by 10%. However, HP is not affected by Natures.

There are 25 Natures in total. This means there's a combination of every increase/decrease in the game. Let's look at the Natures that increase Attack:

Lonely Nature (+Atk, -Def)
Brave Nature (+Atk, -Spe)
Adamant Nature (+Atk, - SpA)
Naughty Nature (+Atk, -SpD)
Hardy (+Atk, -Atk)

As you can see, there are 5 different Natures to increase Attack, but they all lower a different stat. Hardy is an exception though, the Attack increase and decrease cancel eachother out, so there's no difference in stats.

The other Natures can be found here:


Natures are very important when it comes to creating Pokémon teams. Having an Adamant Nature (which increases Atk, but decreases SpA) on a Porygon-Z only hurts Porygon-Z and makes him perform worse.

Havok's guide goes into more detail, so I suggest you check that one out.

Before we leave this chapter, it's time for a...

TEST

Let me see how much of the last three sub-chapter you've remembered.

Question 1:
A Salamence at Level 100 without Attack EVs has a base Attack stat of 306. What would its Attack stat be if he had 177 Attack EVs?

Question 2:
A Meganium has a Special Defense stat of 288 with a neutral Nature. What is its Special Defense stat when Meganium has a Lax Nature?

Question 3:
The lowest SpA stat a Drifblim at Level 100 can have when it has an SpA IV of 31 is 194. What's the highest SpA this Driflim can get by changing Natures and EVs?

Question 4:
A Level 100 Forretress reaches a Defense stat of 284 without any EV investment and a neutral Nature. What becomes the Defense stat of this Forretress when it has 146 Defense EVs and a Gentle Nature?

Answers:


We finally got through maechanics. If you had never heard of IVs, EVs and such, battling online would be a disaster (speaking of my own experience here).

This Chapter will a way to tip the battle in your favor. Abilities and status are a major part of this. The most important part of battling is giving you Pokémon the right item, which will be covered too. No difficult equations and formulas in this Chapter, just information (most of you will like that).


You've probably seen Abilities before. Every Pokémon out of the 493 Pokémon currently available has one or two Abilities. However, you can only use one.

Abilities are very helpful if you have the right ones available to your Pokémon. Sometimes, there are Abilities that do not affect the flow of battle, such as the Ability Pickup. But, some Pokémon are unlucky enough to have two Abilities that do not affect anything during battles (such as Aipom, who has the Pickup and Run Away Abilities).

However, there are also Pokémon, such as Relicanth and Lanturn, that have two amazing Abilities to choose from. For example, look at Relicanth's Abilities:

Swift Swim:
Speed stat doubles in rain.

Rock Head:
Recoil moves deal no recoil damage.

Swift Swim is a great ability, seeing how Speed is the most important stat in the game, like I said before. But Rock Head is also great, seeing how Relicanth doesn't have to worry about recoil of the moves Double-Edge (Base Power 120) and Head Smash (Base Power 150). You need to be sure to pick the right Ability to have the most success during battles.

Just to show you how important Abilities are, take the Pokémon Porygon2. It has slightly above average defenses, but is one of the best counters to the most hard-hitting Pokémon in the game (Salamence, Gyarados, Heatran). Why? Because of its ability.

Porygon2 has the amazing ability Trace, which copies the foe's ability. So, why is this so great? Well, both Salamence and Gyarados have the ability Intimidate, which lowers the foe's Attack by one stage (we'll get to that later). By copying Intimidate and instantly using it, Gyarados and Salamence don't have the sheer power to One Hit KO (OHKO) certain Pokémon and they are either forced to switch out or risk being by Porygon2's versatile movepool.

Remember the first test I gave you? In one of the questions, I used a Fire attack against a Heatran and said it did no damage? That's because of his Ability, called Flash Fire. It grants immunity to Fire attacks and when hit by one, it increases the power of its own Fire moves by 50%. However, by Tracing Flash Fire from Heatran, Heatran cannot use its Fire attacks anymore, and Earth Power is easily taken by Porygon2.

(Yes, I like Porygon2 a lot :P)


Status: the most annoying thing when you're Pokémon are afflicted. It hampers the ability to deal a lot of damage or it causes a Pokémon to temporarily be unable to fight. Knowing when to use status will help you immensely in the battle.

Status can be put in two different categories. There are 'True Status Effects' and 'Pseudo-Status'. More on those will be explained in their respective sub-chapters.


True Status effects are the effects that show up near your HP bar when fighting on the handheld games. These Statuses cannot be removed by switching out your Pokémon, unlike Pseudo Status effects. In total, there are five True Status Effects.

Sleep

The first of the five True Status effects is Sleep and it's one of the more annoying Status Effects. Whenever a Pokémon is afflicted by Sleep, it will be unable to attack. Exceptions to this are the moves Sleep Talk and Snore.

Sleep lasts two to four turns, indicated by the 'Pokémon is fast asleep!' message. The exception to this is the use of the move 'Rest', which will always put your Pokémon to sleep for two turns. The Ability 'Early Bird' cuts the amount of time it'll take to wake up by 50%.

A few ways to prevent the Sleep status:
- The Abilities 'Insomnia' and 'Vital Spirit' grant an immunity to Sleep. The Ability 'Leaf Guard' does this too, but only during sunlight.
- If one Pokémon uses Uproar, no Pokémon can be put to sleep.

Poison

There are two types of poison: Regular Poison and 'Badly Poisoned'. Regular Poison inflicts 12.5% of the victim's HP each turn. Badly Poisoned's damage is based on a formula:

Toxic Damage = max(floor(max HP / 16), 1) * min(# of turns Pokemon has taken Toxic damage, 15)

So, during Turn 1, the victim takes 6.25% (1/16) damage, Turn 2 inflicts 12.5% (2/16) damage, Turn 3 inflicts 18.75% (3/16) damage, and so on. The damage increases by 6.25% every turn, maxing out at 93.75% (15/16) damage. Switching the Pokémon out will reset the Toxic counter.

A few ways to prevent the Poison Status:
- Poison and Steel types are immune to most Poison-inducing attacks. Twineedle still has a chance to Poison Pokémon of this type.
- The Abilities 'Immunity' and 'Leaf Guard' (in sunlight) give immunity to the Poison status.
- The Ability 'Poison Heal' actually (as the name suggests) heals a Poisoned Pokémon by 12.5% each turn.

Burn

One out of the two Status moves that lower a certain stat. Burn always inflicts 12.5% damage at the end of each turn, just like regular Poison. However, Burn has the added effect of halving the Pokémon’s Attack stat. Because of this, Burn is used a lot to stop Pokémon relying on their attack stat. After being burned, most Pokémon lack the power to kill opposing Pokémon, pretty much taking one Pokémon out of the battle.

A few ways to prevent the Burn Status:
- Fire Pokémon cannot be burned.
- Having the Abilities 'Water Veil' and 'Leaf Guard' (in sunlight) will prevent Pokémon from getting Burned.
- A Pokémon with the Ability 'Magic Guard' can still get burned, but loses no HP when burned. However, the damage of physical attacks still drops.
- The frozen Pokémon can still use the moves Flame Wheel, Sacred Fire and Flare Blitz. This immediately thaws the frozen Pokémon.

Paralysis

The second of the Status effects that lowers a stat. This Status effect lowers the Speed stat to a mere 25%. In addition to that, a Pokémon that is Paralyzed has a 25% chance to be ‘fully paralyzed’, meaning it cannot use a move that turn. A great way to stop fast sweepers.

A few ways to prevent the Paralysis Status:
- Pokémon with the Ability 'Limber' and 'Leaf Guard' (in sunlight) cannot be Paralyzed.
- A Pokémon with the Ability 'Magic Guard' can still get paralyzed, but cannot be ‘fully paralyzed’. However, the Speed stat still drops to 25%.

Freeze

Freeze is easily the most powerful Status move. When a Pokémon is frozen, it cannot attack. During a turn, there’s a 20% chance that a Pokémon will thaw itself out. In addition to that, having the foe use a Fire attack on the frozen Pokémon will defrost it.

A few ways to prevent the Paralysis Status:
- The Ability 'Magma Armor' will prevent the Pokémon from being frozen. In addition to that, the Ability 'Shield Dust' prevents secondary effects, which means the Pokémon cannot be frozen.
- During Sunny Day, no Pokémon can be frozen.

Note: The move Safeguard prevents the user's team from being inflicted for 5 turns.


Pseudo-Status Effects are a lot less troublesome than True Status Effects. Pseudo-Status can be removed by simply switching to another Pokémon. In total, there are 11 effects:

Confusion

The most well-known Pseudo-Status, and easily the most seen in the competitive battling scene. Whenever a Pokémon is Confused, it has a 50% chance to attack itself with a 40 Base Power typeless physical attack.
Confusion lasts two to five turns, indicated by the 'Pokémon is confused!' message. Pokémon with the ability 'Tangled Feet' raise their evasion by 1 stage when they’re confused. Pokémon with the 'Own Tempo' Ability cannot be confused.

Curse

Whenever a Ghost Pokémon uses the move Curse, it loses 50% of its maximum HP. A Curse is then placed on the opposing Pokémon, who will start losing 25% of its maximum HP each turn. Any non-Ghost Pokémon will increase Attack and Defense by one stage and lower its Speed by one stage.

Flinch

Flinching is a one-turn status effect which will prevent the Pokémon from attacking. Flinching only works when the Pokémon attacks first. Pokémon with the 'Inner Focus' Ability cannot be flinched.

Infatuation

A infatuated foe cannot attack its opponent 50% of the time. However, it can only affect Pokémon of the opposite gender. Mew is still able to learn this attack, despite it being genderless. Mew is capable of infatuating genderless Pokémon.
Infatuation will end whenever Pokémon leaves the battlefield. Pokémon with the 'Oblivious' Ability cannot be infatuated.


Now that we’ve covered what Status effects do to your Pokémon, it’s obvious that it’s a helpful tool in battle. Letting the opponent’s Pokémon fall asleep effectively removes 1 Pokémon on their team, while Paralyzing or Burning a sweeper hinders the damage it can do before it goes down. However, there are also Pokémon that can use Status to their advantage. I’ll give you a few examples:

Poison Heal

I mentioned this before with good reason. This is one of the best Abilities in the metagame, but only Breloom can learn it.

The Poison Heal Ability heals a Poisoned Pokémon by 12.5% at the end of each turn. This means Breloom will still heal 6.25% at the end of each turn if Sandstorm or Hail is active on the battlefield. Couple Poison Heal with Substitute and Focus Punch, and you have a force to be reckoned with.

Guts

Whenever a Pokémon is burned, paralyzed, poisoned or is asleep and has the Ability Guts, its Attack stat will increase by 50%. The drop in Attack is also ignored when a Pokémon is burned.

You can make Swellow a fast, deadly sweeper (Base Stat Speed is 125) or make Ursaring a killing machine (Base Stat Attack 130!).

Magic Guard

Pokémon with the Magic Guard Ability (read: Clefable) will not take damage from indirect damage. This includes Stealth Rock, Sandstorm and Burn/Poison. Then why would you want to status your own Pokémon if it doesn’t have any effect?

Well, when you Poison your Clefable, it means that Clefable cannot be frozen, put to sleep or be paralyzed. So Magic Guard is used as a shield against the other Status effects.

However, it’s not only Abilities that benefit from Status. Some moves increase in power if the Pokémon is crippled. Most used attack is Façade, which doubles in power if the user is paralyzed, burned or poisoned, effectively becoming a 140 Base Power attack. Add Guts and STAB to that and Swellow will severely damage anything in its way.

So, how do we Status our own Pokémon? Using the opponent to status is too unreliable, so the use of items is an almost perfect way to cripple your own Pokémon. The items are called Flame Orb and Toxic Orb, and they either burn or Toxic the holder at the end of each turn. So if a Pokémon can survive the first attack (which is usually blocked by Protect and Detect), it can begin sweeping the next turn.

Other Abilities that start working when statused are Steadfast and Tangled Feet.

PS: An Ursaring Trick Room Guts sweep is a wonder to see, especially when it gets tricked a Choice Band on it.


Say that you got inflicted by a True Status effect. How can you remove them without the use of Full Heals? Well, here’s a list of all the moves that cure status, along with their effect:

Aromatherapy
Removes all true status effects from every Pokémon on the team.

Heal Bell
Removes all true status effects from every Pokémon on the team that does not have the ability Soundproof.

Healing Wish
If the user faints due to a direct attack, cures status of the Pokémon that switches in.

Lunar Dance
Causes the user to faint, cures status of the Pokémon that switches in.

Psycho Shift
Moves all true status effects to the target, assuming they have none.

Refresh
Removes burn, paralysis, or poison from the user.

Rest
Removes all true effects from the user, but induces two-turn Sleep status.

SmellingSalt
Cures the target of paralysis.

Uproar
Awakens all Sleeping Pokémon, and prevents any Pokémon in battle from
falling asleep until the Uproar is over.

Wake-Up Slap
Cures the target of sleep.

Aromatherapy is your best bet on curing status. In fact, in some teams there are Pokémon specifically for the purpose of using Aromatherapy (called Aromatherapists, usually Blissey.)

Luckily, there are also Abilities to cure yourself:

Hydration
Removes any true status effect at the end of the turn if it is raining.

Natural Cure
Removes any true status effect when the Pokémon leaves the field.

Shed Skin
Has a 30% chance to remove true status at the end of each turn.

And lastly, you can remove Status with the use of...


Clever way to start this Chapter, right? That's what I thought too.

This brings us to our final Chapter in this Section, items. An item usually decides what role your Pokémon will have in a team. Let's look at Azelf, and a few common sets it uses:

Azelf @ Focus Sash
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 Atk/252 Spd/252 SAtk
Naive nature (+Spd, -SDef)
- Stealth Rock
- Fire Blast
- Psychic
- Explosion
---
Azelf @ Choice Band
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP/252 Atk/252 Spd
Adamant nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Zen Headbutt
- Ice Punch
- Fire Punch
- Explosion
---
Azelf @ Light Clay
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP/4 Def/252 Spd
Jolly nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Reflect
- Light Screen
- Explosion
- Stealth Rock
---
Azelf @ Choice Specs
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP/252 Spd/252 SAtk
Timid nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Psychic
- Flamethrower
- Grass Knot
- Trick
---
Azelf @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 40 Atk/216 Spd/252 SAtk
Naive nature (+Spd, -SDef)
- Psychic
- Flamethrower
- Grass Knot
- Hidden Power [Ground]

The items are bold. The first set is used as a lead, the second one a physical attacker, the third set a Screener, the fourth a special sweeper and the fifth is another special sweeper, but a different item (which radically changes the Azelf).

Uhh... There isn't really much I can tell you about items, so I'll just give a list of the most commonly used items:

Leftovers
Hands down the most useful item in the game. The rule of thumb is: When in doubt of what item to use, use Leftovers. They restore 1/16th of your total HP each turn, effectively giving you a second life after 16 turns. Alternatively, Poison Pokémon can use Black Sludge to heal 1/16th of their HP each turn.

Focus Sash
The number one item used on leads, Focus Sash will endure the first hit a Pokémon will take. If the attack was enough to OHKO the Pokémon, it will be left at 1HP instead. A great item to ensure an entry hazard goes up (Stealth Rock, (Toxic) Spikes). Also used by Endeavor+priority users, such as Mamoswine.

Choice Items
Oh, the items that radically changed the entire game. There are 3 Choice items: Choice Band (increases Attack by 50%), Choice Specs (increases Special Attack by 50%) and Choice Scarf (increases Speed by 50%). The drawback is that once the Choiced Pokémon used an attack, it stays locked in that move. The items give a huge boost, but are generally used to revenge-kill something. It often has to switch out after a few turns, due to the enemy switching to a Pokémon that resists the locked move.

Life Orb
This item increases damage from attacks by 30%. However, the holder loses 10% HP each time it hits with a move that damages directly. A great way to power up Pokémon that attack with physical and special moves, such as Mixed Salamence (Draco Meteor - Fire Blast - Brick Break - Roost moveset).

Expert Belt
This item increases the damage dealt by super-effective attacks by 20%. A good item without any drawbacks. However, some Pokémon need a better boost in their attack to OHKO or 2HKO certain opposing Pokémon, making Life Orb a better choice. Secondly, Life Orb always gives you a boost, while Expert Belt only does this with super-effective attacks. It's wise to give a Pokémon holding Expert Belt 4 attacks to have the biggest chance for a super effective hit.

Shed Shell
Allows a Pokémon to switch out under any circumstance. Seen on Skarmory and Forretress a lot to escape from Magnezone (who can keep Steel Pokémon in the battle with Magnet Pull) to escape whenever they need. Also used by some Blissey to escape Dugtrio's Arena Trap.

Macho Brace
While not used as much as the other items, Macho Brace has a very specific use; it cuts the holder's Speed in half. This might look very disadvantageous, but it works in Pokémon like Forretress and Bronzong. They both have the move Gyro Ball: A move that gets a higer Base Power the bigger the difference between you and your opponent's Pokémon Speed.

Occa Berry/Shuca Berry
The two Berries that reduce the damage of moves of a certain type. Occa reduces the power of Fire-type moves by 50%, while Shuca Berry reduces the power of Ground moves. Using a Shuca Berry removes the glaring Ground weakness on Heatran, while a Occa Berry is commonly found on leading Metagross.

Salac Berry/Liechi Berry
These are two Berries that activate when a Pokémon is low on HP (25%). Salac increases Speed by one stage, while Liechi Berries increase the Attack stat by one stage. A great way to increase Attack without sacrificing a moveslot for a stat-increasing move. Coupled with Reversal/Flail and Substitute a lot.

Lum Berry
Cures every single Status effect (so that was the item to cure Status!). Commonly found on leads to counter other leads that rely on Sleep Powder/Hypnosis.

There are more items that can help you, but these are the most commonly used ones. However, this doesn't mean you MUST use them. There are other great items (Light Ball Pikachu anyone?) which can benefit you during battles.


Now, we've pretty much covered everything there is outside battling. Now let's take a look at some of the things that can happen during a battle.

This Chapter will go in-depth on stat changes, priority and critical hits. Also, I'll finally shed some light on damage (which is the most insane equation you'll ever see)! This also wraps up all the information I'll give you on how the competitive battling works from the view of the Pokémon.

Note from Cipher: I suggest you also take a spare change of trousers when you are going 'into the battlefield. Trust me, you'll need it.'

So, with those wise words, we'll dive straight in!


A lot of new players ask: 'Why waste a turn increasing my stats when I can attack right away?' Well, my friend, most Pokémon lack the power to sweep through an entire team without setting up. Sweepers lack the power and walls lack the defensive stats to make them durable enough without any boosts to their stats.

The most fearsome sweepers (read: Gyarados and Salamence) both have access to Dragon Dance, arguably the best move that boosts stats. Without this move, they would both lose a lot of versatility, pretty much relying on Choice Band to do a great amount of damage.

There are also moves that lower the opponent's stats, such as Screech. However, this is less effective because the enemy could just switch his/her Pokémon out to negate the stat drop. Unless you can trap other Pokémon, you're better off raising your own stats.

As a final rule: It's best to use a move if it lowers or raises a stat by two stages (not counting secondary effects that raise/lower stats). What do I mean with stages?


Whenever a stat gets lowered or raised, it gets referred as a stage (modifier). The stat modifier goes from +6 to -6, where +6 is the highest multiplier possible. Here's a list showing all the modifiers, as well as how much they multiply the stat:

- +6 = 4x multiplier
- +5 = 3.5x multiplier
- +4 = 3x multiplier
- +3 = 2.5x multiplier
- +2 = 2x multiplier
- +1 = 1.5x multiplier
- +0 = 1x multiplier
- -1 = 0.6667x multiplier
- -2 = 0.5x multiplier
- -3 = 0.4x multiplier
- -4 = 0.3333x multiplier
- -5 = 0.2857x multiplier
- -6 = 0.25x multiplier


Great, we're back at equations. The formula to calculate this is:
Final [Special] Attack Stat = Stat * Stat Modifier * Attack Ability Modifier * Attack Item Modifier

So, now for an example... (prepare for equations)

Say you have an Arcanine with 319 Attack that uses the move Howl, thus raising its Attack one stage. With Arcanine, you are dealing with the Attack stat. In this particular case, Arcanine isn't holding an item that affects its stats, and it does not have an Ability that affects its stats. So these modifiers stay at 1.

319 * 1.5 * 1 * 1 = 478.5

Rounding it down (remember?) gives you a final Attack stat of 478.

Another one: Say that you have a Medicham with 240 Attack. Its Ability is Pure Power, it wears a Choice Band and just got Baton Passed a +6 Attack Boost. The equation looks like this:

240 * 4 * 1.5 * 2 = 2880 Attack (= instawin)


The Def and SpD stats have another equation:
Final [Special] Defense Stat = Stat * Stat Modifier * Defense Ability Modifier * Defense Item Modifier * Sandstorm Modifier * Boom Modifier

The Sandstorm Modifier only applies when a Rock-type is out in a Sandstorm. This only applies to SpD.

The Boom Modifier only takes effect when the opponent uses Explosion or Selfdestruct, effectively halving Defense.

Example time!

A Solrock has a Defense stat of 269 and a Special Defense stat of 251. It uses Cosmic Power once, raising both Def and SpD one stage. This is the equation:

Defense: 269 * 1.5 * 1 * 1 * 1 * 1 = 403.5 = 403
Special Defense: 251 * 1.5 * 1 * 1 * 1 * 1 = 376.5 = 376

Now, let's assume someone used Sandstorm and decides to use Selfdestruct. The equation changes to this (we're still using the same Solrock):

Defense: 269 * 1.5 * 1 * 1 * 1 * 0.5 = 201.75 = 201
Special Defense: 251 * 1.5 * 1 * 1 * 1.5 * 1 = 564.75 = 564


The final equation is the one for the Speed stat:
Final Speed Stat = Current Stat * Stat Modifier * Speed Ability Modifier * Speed Item Modifier * Paralysis Modifier * Tailwind Modifier

Using Tailwind changes the modifier to two. Paralyzed Pokémon have a modifier of 0.25 in the Paralysis Modifier. Other than that, it's basically the (Special) Attack equation.


Like I said before, Speed is a very important stat. However, some Pokémon just don't have the Speed to back up their other stats (like Scizor). Priority is a great way to move before your opponent, even with a lower Speed stat. Here is (another) list, showing all the moves with priority. The one with the highest number moves first:

• +6 Switching
• +5 Helping Hand
• +4 Magic Coat, Snatch
• +3 Detect, Endure, Follow Me, Protect
• +2 Feint
• +1 Aqua Jet, Bide, Bullet Punch, Extremespeed, Fake Out, Ice Shard, Mach Punch, Quick Attack, Shadow Sneak, Sucker Punch, Vacuum Wave
• ±0 Assist, Me First, Metronome, Mirror Move, Sleep Talk, Everything else
• -1 Vital Throw
• -3 Focus Punch
• -4 Avalanche, Revenge
• -5 Counter, Mirror Coat
• -6 Roar, Whirlwind
• -7 Trick Room
  

A faster Pokémon still moves first, as long as both Pokémon use moves from the same speed bracket.

Pursuit has a priority of +6.5, as long as the opponent switches. Focus Punch's charge message has a priority of +7, but the initial attack keeps its -3 priority.


A move will sometimes inflict a critical hit. This doubles the damage done by that move after type effectiveness is calculated. This means that a critical hit Seed Bomb on Quagsire does eight time as much damage as a normal attack.

Critical hit damage calculation is based on unmodified Defense and Attack stats, unless it is benificial to the Pokémon that scored the crit. So, a Armaldo with -6 Attack scoring a critical hit will score the same amount of damage as a Armaldo without stat changes scoring a crit. However, a +2 Attack Armaldo will do more damage with a crit (as it is beneficial to the Pokémon). The same goes for (Special) Defense: Stat changes on the opponent's Pokémon are ignored if they are positive (+2 Defense Cradily), but a -2 Defense Cradily will get hit for more damage.

Critical Hits can be prevented by the Abilities 'Battle Armor' and 'Shell Armor'. The Ability 'Sniper' triples the amount of damage done by an attack.

Like everything in this Section so far, critical hit ratio can also be put in 'stages', like stat changes. However, they are called 'levels' when talking about crits. Here's a graph (credit goes to Bulbapedia):



As you can see, there are multiple ways to increase your critical hit level. The items 'Stick' and 'Lucky Punch' increase Farfetch'd and Chansey's critical hit ratio by two levels.

The move Focus Energy, the Ability 'Super Luck' and the items 'Razor Claw' and 'Focus Lens' increase the crit ratio by one level. Because of this, critical hit ratio can easily be raised and the items raising crit ratio are usually banned.


Alright, this is it. Inflicting damage, whether it be through status or attacking, is the only way to win a match. This Chapter will cover the minimum and maximum amount of damage a Pokémon can cause with an attack of choice. This formula is the most accurate way to calculate damage:

Damage Formula = (((((((Level × 2 ÷ 5) + 2) × BasePower × [Sp]Atk ÷ 50) ÷ [Sp]Def) × Mod1) + 2) × CH × Mod2 × R ÷ 100) × STAB × Type1 × Type2 × Mod3

I know, I know. Let's break it up, explaining every single section in the equation. I'll also break up the section if they consist of another equation. But before we begin, a rule you must abide to if you want to calculate the right amount of damage:

ALWAYS round down after performing an operator (+, -, × or ÷) before proceeding to the next arithmetic operation.

Got that? Alright, let's get detailed.

Level
The Pokémon's level. When playing competitively, this is (almost) always 100.

Base Power
This is, in fact, another formula:

BasePower = HH × BP × IT × CHG × MS × WS × UA × FA

HH
This is 1.5 if the move is boosted by its partner using Helping Hand. Otherwise, this is 1.

BP
This is the Base Power of the move. Most moves have a standard Base Power (Surf, Thunderbolt), but some of the moves have a variable Base Power, which can be found in this graph:

IT
The item multiplier. Normally 1, unless the Pokémon holds an item that increases (Special) Attack. Here is a list of all the items that influence the IT:

CHG
This is 2 if that last move was Charge and uses an Electric-type move, otherwise this is 1.

MS
0.5 if someone used Mud Sport and uses an Electric-type move, otherwise this is 1.

WS
0.5 if someone used Water Sport and uses an Fire-type move, otherwise this is 1.

UA
User Abilities that affect Base Power. Here's a list:

FA
Foe Abilities that affect Base Power. Here's a list:

[Sp]Atk

i h3rd u li3k f0rmulaz lol:

[Sp]Atk = Stat × SM × AM × IM

Stat
Attack or Special Attack stat.

SM
The Stat Modifier multiplier. Another list:

However, a few quick notes about SM:

1. Crits. If the Stat Modifier for Attack or Special Attack is less than zero, SM is made equal to 1 if the attack hits for a critical hit. Also, if the Stat Modifier for Defense or Special Defense is greater than zero, SM is made equal to 1 if the attack hits for a critical hit.
2. The Ability 'Unaware'. If the user has the ability Unaware, SM for Defense or Special Defense of the foe is made equal to 1. If the foe has the ability Unaware, SM for Attack or Special Attack of the user is made equal to 1.
3. The Ability 'Simple'. If any Pokemon has the ability Simple, SM changes to a different chart:
   
   Spoiler:

   

AM
The Ability Modifier multiplier. This time, I'll give you two lists: One with Abilities that change the Attack stat, the other one with Special Attack:

Attack

Special Attack

IM
You guessed it, the Item Modifier multiplier. And another two lists to add!

Attack

Special Attack

[Sp]Def

I smell another formula coming:

[Sp]Def = Stat × SM × Mod × SX

Stat
Defense or Special Defense stat.

SM
The Stat Modifier multiplier. Another list:

Also refer to SM in the [Sp]Atk section for more info.

SX
0.5 if the user uses Selfdestruct or Explosion, otherwise this is 1.

Mod
Influenced by a few factors:

Defense:

Special Defense:

If there are multiple factors in the Mod active, first apply the Ability boost, then the item boost and finally the Sandstorm boost (remember to round down after every operator!).

Mod1

Mod1 = BRN × RL × TVT × SR × FF

BRN
0.5 if the Pokémon is afflicted by the Burn Status, uses a physical move and does not have the Ability 'Guts'. Otherwise, this is 1.

RL
The Reflect/Light Screen modifier:

• 0.5 if the move performed is physical, the foe has setup a Reflect and the game is 1vs1.
• 0.5 if the move performed is special, the foe has setup a Light Screen and the game is 1vs1.
• 2/3 if the move performed is physical, the foe has setup a Reflect and the game is 2v2.
• 2/3 if the move performed is special, the foe has setup a Light Screen and the game is 2v2.
• 1 otherwise.
  

TVT
0.75 if the game is 2v2 and the move used hits more than one Pokemon, and 1 otherwise.

SR
The Sunny Day/Rain Dance modifier:

• 1.5 if Sunny Day is in effect and the move is of Fire type.
• 1.5 if Rain Dance is in effect and the move is of Water type.
• 0.5 if Sunny Day is in effect and the move is of Water type.
• 0.5 if Rain Dance is in effect and the move is of Fire type.
• 1 otherwise.
  

FF
1.5 if the user has the ability Flash Fire, was previously attacked by a move that is of Fire type, and is using a Fire move, 1 otherwise.

CH
3 when the attacker lands a hit and gets a critical with the Ability 'Sniper', 2 when the attacker lands a hit and gets a critical hit, and otherwise 1.

Mod2
Mod2 is:

• 1.3 if the user is holding the item Life Orb.
• 1, 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, ..., 2 if the user is holding the item Metronome and has used the same move once, twice, three times, four times, ... etc. consecutively.
• 1.5 if the user is attacking with the move Me First.
• 1 otherwise.
  

If a Pokémon is holding one of the items and uses Me First, first apply the item boost, then the boost of Me First (x1.5).

R
R is the random number in the formula. It randomly chooses a number between 85 and 100, but not with uniform probability.

• 85, 87, 89, 90, 92, 94, 96 and 98 each have a 7.69% chance of being chosen.
• 86, 88, 91, 93, 95, 97 and 99 each have a 5.13% chance of being chosen.
• 100 has only a 2.56% chance of being chosen.
  

So, there's a 2.56% chance that a move deals maximum damage.

STAB
2 if the user uses a STAB move and also has the Ability 'Adaptibility', 1.5 if a Pokémon uses a STAB move, and 1 otherwise.

Type1
2 if the move is super effective against the first type of the foe, 0.5 if the move is not very effective against the first type of the foe, 0 if the move type does not affect the first type of the foe, and 1 otherwise.

Type2
2 if the move is super effective against the first type of the foe, 0.5 if the move is not very effective against the first type of the foe, 0 if the move type does not affect the first type of the foe, and 1 otherwise (or if the foe only has 1 type).

Mod3

Mod3 = SRF × EB × TL × TRB

SRF
SRF is 0.75 if the foe's ability is 'Solid Rock' or 'Filter' and the move used is super effective against it, and 1 otherwise.

EB
1.2 if the user is holding the item Expert Belt and the move used is super effective against the foe, and 1 otherwise.

TL
2 if the user's ability is Tinted Lens and the move used is not very effective against the foe, and 1 otherwise.

TRB

• 0.5 if the foe is holding one of the type resisting Berries and the move used is super effective and of the same type as the type that the Berry knocks down.
• 0.5 if the foe is holding Chilan Berry and the move used is Normal type.
• 1 otherwise.
  

So... That's it! Easy stuff, right? But since I'm nice, I'll give you an example:

Let's say you have are using this Pokémon:

Metagross @ Choice Band
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP/236 Atk/12 Def/8 Spe
Adamant nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Meteor Mash
- Earthquake
- Bullet Punch
- Explosion

And you're fighting this Pokémon:

Azelf @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 40 Atk/216 Spd/252 SAtk
Naive nature (+Spd, -SDef)
- Psychic
- Flamethrower
- Grass Knot
- Hidden Power [Ground]

You use Meteor Mash on the Azelf. What are the minimum and maximum amount of damage you can do?

Step 1:
First off, when playing competitively, Pokémon are Level 100. So, we'll multiply 100 by 2, getting 200. Then, we divide this by 5, giving us 40.

Step 2:
We now add 2 to the 40 we just calculated, giving 42.

Step 3:
We'll now calculate BasePower:

BasePower = HH × BP × IT × CHG × MS × WS × UA × FA

Which is:

BasePower = 1 x 100 x 1 x 1 x 1 x 1 x 1 x 1 = 100

So, we multiply 42 by 100, giving 4200.

Step 4:
[Sp]Atk = Stat × SM × AM × IM

[Sp]Atk = 401 × 1 × 1 × 1.5 = 601.5 = 601

So, multiplying 4200 with 601 gives us 2524200.

Step 5:
Dividing 2524200 by 50 is 50484.

Step 6:
[Sp]Def = Stat × SM × Mod × SX

[Sp]Def = 176 × 1 × 1 × 1 = 176.

Dividing 50484 by 176 gives 286.840909090909..., which is rounded down to 286.

Step 7:
Mod1 is 1, in this case, so this step can be ommited.

Step 8:
Adding 2 to 286 gives 288.

Step 9:
We didn't get a critical hit, so this can be ommited too.

Step 10:
Now, the lowest number gives the minimum amount of damage, so we'll multiply by 85. 288 x 85 = 24480.

Step 11:
Dividing 24480 by 100 gives 244.8, which gets rounded down to 244.

Step 12:
Now, we multiply it by 1.5 because of STAB, so we end up with 366.

Step 13:
Type1 is neutral, and Type2 is nonexistant, so it gets multiplied by 1.

Step 14:
Mod1 is 1 in this case. So the minimum amount of damage a Choice Band Metagross can do to a Life Orb Azelf with Meteor Mash is 366 HP. The maximum amount is 432 HP (changing the R factor in Step 10 to 100).

Alternatively, use a calculator. :P

---

Most people try to calculate how high their (Special) Attack stat needs to be to counter certain Pokémon. This ultimately saves a few EV points in a certain stat, which can be put in another stat to make your Pokémon a bit more defensive or fast.

I use a Empoleon as a lead with only 20 EVs in Special Attack, because having 252 EVs in SpA doesn't benefit it (most leads carry Focus Sash) and 20 EVs is just enough to 2HKO or OHKO most leads with a combination of Signal Beam/Grass Knot/Surf and Aqua Jet.

Taking time to construct all six of your Pokémon of your team is the best way to win a battle and become, to quote Ash Ketchum, 'a Pokémon Master'!


We've gone into almost everything Pokémon so far. However, we have only looked at the Pokémon itself. You cannot become a good player if you aren't a great player yourself. Most of this comes with experience, but this Section will describe a few skills Trainers must develop if they want to succeed.

The skills are prediction, luring, handling luck and using surprise to your advantage.


Prediction is the only tool a Trainer has when they are presented a bad type matchup. Knowing how to overcome this by using information of the enemy's team is one of the key skills you need to master.

Some people call predicting 'glorified guessing'. While this is true some of the time, it's not accurate enough. With enough information of the other Trainer's team and knowing his playstyle you can make the right guess most of the time. There's still a chance you're wrong after all, but using the information you have to make a guess with more certainty is predicting. An example:

As an example, imagine this: My lead Gliscor is up against a Froslass. I'm in a terrible position, and I'm expecting an Ice Beam. I know I outspeed all Froslass leads (assuming they are using the standard sets), so instead of losing one of my Pokémon, I decide to use U-Turn to get a Ice-resisting Pokémon in. However, after I U-Turned to my Heatran, Froslass actually sets up Spikes!

This opponent predicted me to switch to another Pokémon, so instead of using an attacking move to do a small amount of damage, it sets up Spikes instead. He predicted a prediction of me, so he or she 'out-predicted' me.

Risk vs. Reward

You will need to find a balance of when to predict and when not to. Most players only predict when their chance of predicting incorrectly is low. Another example:

You have a Rotom-H on the field against a Choice Band Metagross (locked into Earthquake). The opponent also has two other Pokémon left: Scizor and Heatran. My team has a lot of trouble with Scizor, while Heatran can easily be killed. I decide to go for a Will-O-Wisp, even though Heatran can come in, absorb the WoW and (attempts to) barge through my team. While it could lose me some Pokémon, I can also predict correctly and sweep the entire opponent's team. Scizor is the most obvious choice (since it can Pursuit Rotom-H), and I take the risk to Burn the Scizor.

Fake Intel

Prediction is important and your opponent (probably) knows that too. If you both have a well constructed team, the player with the best prediction skills will come on top the most. You can also hinder the opponent by giving him false information about your playstyle. This way, his prediction on your play style is not correct and you will be able to surprise your opponent at the end, possibly taking down his entire team.

Imagine, I have an Azelf on the field and I am matched up against a Tentacruel. However, the opponent also has a Choice Scarf Tyranitar. Say that I always use Psychic when I'm up against the Tentacruel, which means the opponent will switch to Tyranitar to counter the obvious attack. During the fourth encounter with that Tentacruel, the opponent will switch to Tyranitar again and I decide to go for a Hidden Power Fighting to OKHO the Tyranitar. I fed my opponent false information to help myself in the long run.


---

C+CC Please, maybe sticky?

Oh it's up. Great guide Hak. Loving the mini tests of each section. Keep up the good work!

Fantastic work here! Hopefully we'll get more enthusiasm for our tourneys and that.

I'd say to go ahead with the sticky btw.

Nice, This is a good thing here. Later you have to explain how stupid smogon is...

... You know, I'd made one of these, but was too lazy to post it. XD

Great work here, this should help people a lot.

Thanks for the comments so far! It's good to hear that you like it!

Added 'Advanced Mechanics' section. This section details EVs, IVs and Natures. Next Chapter: What could influence the battle? (Abilities, status, all that kind of goodness :D)

Let's look at the Natures that increase Nature:
That should be Attack...

Anyway, great job again, I never really understood IVs. XD

Superb guide! I suggest that you say something about why OU Pokemon should be used more often thsn BL's/UU's/NU's.

Thanks for pointing that out, Kudamon. I edited it to Attack :P

And Nyumi, I'll give information on the tier lists soon, so that'll be covered in a few days (that is, if I keep on updating this quickly :P)

Added Chapter 'Mastering your Pokémon' and Section 'Abilities'. Would have continued, but I'm off to work, so I'll continue this in the evening.

(19-04-2010 12:10 AM)Jose Antonio Nyumi Wrote: [ -> ]Superb guide! I suggest that you say something about why OU Pokemon should be used more often thsn BL's/UU's/NU's.

Eh, I'd rather we didn't encourage people to do that.