Knowing your Opponent I: General Prediction

To fully understand and compete in any given match, first realize that Pokemon is little more than an over-complicated fauna-filled game of chess. Yup! That game played in grade school, the one you hated, is back to haunt. I remember uttering phrases such as "it just takes too long" and "this is getting boring". But this is Pokemon, remember?! The much more exciting, flashier cousin of its ancient predecessor. Let me explain, chess is certainly a good game by all means but it lacks a certain intrigue for younger audiences, which is what Pokemon was originally designed for. In this sense, they're almost opposites. One major principle however ties the games together.

Prediction is the name of the game here folks. Just like anticipating which piece on the board opponents will choose next, players must anticipate which Pokemon opponents will lead with. Which moves they will choose when and why. Suspecting the opponent has a move to hit your Pokemon super-effectively, a decision must be made whether to switch into another Pokemon to resist the hit, or remain in play risking losing the current Pokemon. Most importantly, players have to predict when and if opponents make a prediction themselves about moves and switches. Switch-ins also place more stress on team building synergy. A team without appropriate switch-ins to brush off the weaknesses of other Pokemon are deemed low in synergy.

A lot of players will claim that when it comes down to it, there are far too many variables to even try to predict, or guess what their opponents are plotting. Pokemon definitely has a huge list of variables. Eighteen different types, dozens of abilities, hundreds of moves and items, and over 700 different species to choose from. Experience shows us however that players, like most humans, do not like to deviate from the 'norm' too often. This means that over time, players will almost know, rather than guess as to what opponents may do. 

There are only so many 'good' combinations of moves, items, and abilities for each species. Knowing what kind of moves and coverage a Pokemon carries is only half the figurative battle however, as players often choose to carry moves to surprise their opponents. Mixed attackers are one of the best examples of this, since mixed walls are extremely rare.

This is where we get the phrase Meta-game. Following current popular move sets and trends is important to stay at a competitive advantage. Doing a little research of each species' popular move choices can greatly assist a novice, even a veteran battler in achieving victory.

Agent RK9

Intro to Battling: Preface II, Terminology and Team Building Basics

I know I stated before that I would go into detail about what all the plethora of terms we as battlers use so loosely, many of which fly over the heads of the newcomers. My last couple posts ran too long to get into detail however, so now I shall! First, we should cover the terms that we use to describe how teams are built and what roles certain Pokemon play in a party. *Note that not every team will use or need all of these to be successful, as there are a few different team 'archetypes'.

First off we have the Sweeper. Most teams will have one or more sweeper, but what does that mean? Any Pokemon whose role is to clean up or sweep away your opponent towards the end of a match. A good sweeper needs to meet a few requirements, the first being speed. Very few sweepers have a base speed below that of 80, ranging all the way up to 130 and beyond. If you can't out-speed your opponents team towards the end of a match, you'll likely lose. It's almost that simple. Many Pokemon on the lower end of the speed race have speed boosting moves like Dragon Dance or Agility(less common), while others utilize a Choice Scarf to spam the same powerful move to close a game. A second very important requirement for a sweeper is their base Attack/Special Attack. Few sweepers have less than 100 in their respective attacking stat. If you can't 1-2 hit KO a target you're likely not going to successfully sweep, as most don't have the ability to take more than one or two hits themselves. Lastly, most sweepers must have complimentary Coverage. Coverage is the term we use to describe moves used to hit the targets that would resist out primary STAB(Same Type Attack Bonus, equivalent to 50% more damage) attacks. For example, Starmie's primary STAB is Surf/Hydro Pump, which means Dragon/Grass/Water all stop Starmie from Sweeping successfully. Thus, Starmie almost always carries Ice Beam to hit Dragon and Grass types, while it would carry Thunderbolt to hit opposing Water types. More examples include Dragon types carrying fire, ground, and poison moves. Fire types carry electric, grass, ice, and fighting type moves. Some Pokemon have good speed and power, but mediocre/bad coverage, thus limiting their sweeping potential.

Second we have the Core Pokemon, also known as the Walls, Stallers, and Pivots. These Pokemon are typically characterized by their distinct ability to switch into attacks with little consequence, having high HP and either high Defense or Special Defense. Not all have both of these characteristics but the vast majority do. What sets the three apart is typically their move-sets. Walls generally take little damage but often do not have a reliable form of recovery. Tyrannitar for example has no access to a recovery move, but takes little damage from any Special Attacks while Sandstorm is present. Stallers are set apart from this in that they usually have a form of recovery like Soft-Boiled, Recover, or Moonlight, and also have a move like Toxic or Will-o-wisp to whittle down their opponent while either not taking much damage or by healing it back. Pivots are characterized by the ability to switch-in just like the previous two, but they rarely stay in for more than one-two rounds at a time, having access to moves like U-turn, Volt-switch, or Baton Pass. There are offensive pivots as well, but we'll cover that another time.

Lastly, we have our Support/Lead Pokemon. I list this last because it should be the last thing to focus on when building a team. Leads vary the most as some are fast, some are bulky, and some are neither. The main purpose of a lead is to set entry hazards like Spikes, Stealth rocks, and Sticky Web to hinder your opponents entire team early on or to counter opposing leads. Supportive Pokemon typically have high speed but not always, and usually mediocre stats elsewhere. Where they truly shine is their ability to either pass Wish/Buffs to other party members or cripple the opponents team with moves like Encore, Spore, and Thunder Wave. Keep in mind most Support/Lead Pokemon tend to be fragile, even more so than sweepers, so many choose to hold the item Focus Sash to prevent being knocked out in one round.

Before I close, I need to at least touch on one of the subjects I still struggle with at times. Team Synergy should be a priority, always. This means that each of your Pokemon should be able to handle something that your other members cannot. An example of defensive synergy would be the classic Fire/Water/Grass Core, being able to switch in on predicted moves with little damage and threaten them back with a super effective move. Defensive synergy should also compliment the weaknesses of your whole team, not just the other core members. Offensive synergy is important as well, and is a similar concept to 'coverage' but refers to the whole of the team rather than just one move-pool.

These are just the basics for building a team, and although I will retouch on all of these topics the best way to know what to expect is to give it a try, and adjust accordingly. There's simply no such thing as "A perfect team", however 'synergistic'(if that really is a word) it may be.

Agent RK9

Debriefing Statistics: Base, IVs and EVs

On the surface, Pokemon is a game of cute little animals and their adoring trainers. It's a game of hopes and dreams and nostalgia for many. While all of that is fine and dandy, we've all played through the games. We know all of this. What lies beneath however is what we'll be concerned with for this article.

Under the surface, Pokemon is a game of numbers, logic, and wit. Memorizing the type effectiveness chart is what many of us first had to endeavor in figuring out what works and why. Beyond that, each different Pokemon has vastly different Base Statistics from the next, so even two water types or two fire types may be entirely different in how they perform from one to another.

There are six very important values to pay attention to for each individual species, the most important of which is the Speed Stat. Speed determines which Pokemon will act first in a given round. Unknowingly being out-sped by your opponent will often lead to a loss. Now, with that said having a lot of speed isn't always required. You must simply know which Pokemon will act first in order to make the right decision. Often times it can actually be more favorable to have lower speed than your opponent, but we'll dig into that another time. 

The other five base stats almost always determine what kind of role the Pokemon will serve in battle. Depending on whether the Pokemon has higher base (Physical) Attack  or Special Attack will often determine what offensive moves it carries. Sometimes Pokemon may have rather equal offensive values, and you have to make your choice based on what moves it actually learns, or have one or two of each physical and special attacking moves. We refer to these few Pokemon as Mixed Attackers. 

The last three statistics determine what kind of Bulk a Pokemon may have, with the HP(Hit/Health Points) stat usually playing the largest role. The more HP something has, the longer it will survive in battle. (Physical) Defense and Special Defense determine what variety of hit the Pokemon is better at brushing off. Some moves such as Psyshock(special) actually hit the opposite defensive spectrum than you'd expect. These moves can be handy in catching certain Pokemon off guard, as most species are not both physically and specially bulky. 

Now, this is where things become a little(sometimes a lot) more complicated. We've talked about the base stats, but we haven't yet discussed stat investment. There are three ways to improve a Pokemon's stats and either of which require a different method. The first and most important value to concern yourself with are the Individual Values, otherwise known as Inherited Values(they can be passed down and eventually perfected via breeding) or IVs for short. These range from 0-31 for each of the six previously mentioned base values, meaning that Pokemon of the same species may have very different stats, even at the same level. Having high or maxed IVs in all stats is desirable, but not always necessary. Like I mentioned before, the speed stat is also the most important IV to worry about. Some Pokemon actually benefit from having 0 speed IVs, but most benefit from it being a perfect 31, as with the rest of their stats. (Although it's difficult to get 6/6 stats to have perfect IVs, 5/6 is also deemed as (almost)"flawless") 

The second form of investment is a little easier to understand and control for those who are new to breeding and training. To put it simply, Effort Values or EVs for short, are points earned through battling (each species yields a different EV value upon defeat) and now also through Super-Training.  Any given stat value may have up to 252 EVs applied to further bolster their stat values, while any given Pokemon may obtain a total of 510 EVs (This doesn't mean the Pokemon now has 510 more base points, because EVs work around a denominator of 4). Because of this, many players choose a simple "EV Spread" of 252/252, maximizing two of the Pokemon's (most important) stats while placing the remaining 6 into the remaining untouched stats. Which EV spread you choose depends entirely on the role of the Pokemon.

The last of which, and often times most important value to consider is the Nature of the Pokemon. Applied to the end result of all the aforementioned stats, natures give a direct 10% bonus to one stat while cutting another stat by 10%. The only stat which cannot be enhanced/enfeebled by a given nature is the HP stat. This may not seem important at first glance, but this often means the different between out-speeding an opponent, or surviving a hit well enough to retaliate.  

This was probably the most challenging aspect to learn when I first got into competitive battling, but we'll dive deeper into this subject many times to come. 

Agent RK9

Intro to Battling: Preface I, Clauses

For a new player, the thought of learning something so massive as the current meta-game may seem like a daunting task. You may have just spent countless hours breeding and training only to find that your team doesn't work well, or that you simply don't know how it works. This can be awfully frustrating and discouraging, which is why a little research and possibly practice outside of the real games is often useful.

What's a 'lead', a 'sweeper', a 'wall', a 'staller'? What does 'synergy' refer to? How do my opponents seem to know what I'm doing before I do? Fret not, trainers! I'm here to answer all of these questions.

Before I get into terminology, I must first explain the often unspoken rules or 'clauses'  that many players choose to follow. We choose to follow these clauses because without them, the game would lose its competitive nature quickly, as there are many functions in the game deemed by many as unbalanced. It's up to the individuals playing in most cases which to follow, so make sure there is some communication between the players before a match begins. Choosing not to may result in an early forfeit or simply put; a noncompetitive style of game. Neither of these are much fun to encounter.

Sleep Clause: Probably the most important rule we choose to follow. You may only put one of your opponents' Pokemon to sleep at a time. Some players feel that this rule should not always be followed, but in most cases should. In most live/online tournaments, putting a second Pokemon to sleep may result in automatic disqualification. Now you may be wondering, "what if I induce my own sleep?" If you use the move Rest to put your own Pokemon to sleep before your opponent manages to do so to your team, they can no longer attempt to put anything else to sleep until after it wakes up or faints. If you choose to Rest after your opponent has put something else on your team to sleep, neither of you are disqualified.

Evasion Clause: No player may use a move, ability, or item that affects the evasion stat. This rule has been debated by many players over the years, and by some it's deemed unnecessary. Another reason why rules should be discussed before each match. In my personal opinion Pokemon is already a highly luck based game, and should be adjusted to remove certain unbalanced mechanics. There is simply not enough risk involved compared to the reward that you get while using an evasion based strategy. Garchomp became an 'Uber' tier Pokemon (Gen5) just because of how well its ability Sand Veil worked with the move Double Team.

Species Clause: As you can probably guess, it's not a good idea to have multiple Pokemon of the same species. As hilarious as it may sound to win a battle with six Magikarp, it violates the spirit of competitive play and creativity.

One-Hit-KO Clause: The use of any move that would knock out a Pokemon in one hit due to the nature of the move are restricted. This does not mean that knocking out a grass type with Flamethrower in one go is illegal. The clause refers to moves such as Fissure, Guillotine, and Sheer Cold, all of which have a percentage to instantly knock out anything it comes in contact with. Without this clause, the game would be nothing more than a series of dice-rolls.

There are more clauses that some players choose to follow, but in most cases they are not game-breaking. The 'Moody Clause' is often unnecessary due to the low distribution of the Moody ability. Nintendo has their own 'Item Clause' stating that each Pokemon on your team must hold a different item, but is often not followed because of the sheer utility of items like Leftovers, Life Orb, and Choice Band/Specs/Scarf. That being said, it's not a good idea to have too many of each item on a team.

Remember, we only choose to follow these rules to keep the competitive spirit alive. The aforementioned clauses barring the Item Clause are often referred to as the 'Standard' play-style. Please do not force these rules upon anyone who wishes to play otherwise, and have a discussion about which rules you would like to follow for each match.

Agent RK9

Welcome to my Blog, Pokemon trainers!

Since I was a boy of five I've been completely enthralled with the universe of Pokemon. Never before has there been such a massive entity spanning multiple forms of media, including video games, television series, trading cards, and collectibles.

When I was seven I received possibly the most influential gift of my life; A Gameboy Color loaded with a Pokemon: Gold Version Cartridge. Since then my life was forever changed. I grew obsessed with the series and dug deeper and deeper as I grew older. After completing a play-through, I'd trade everything I had captured to another cartridge and would restart my journey, until the cartridge batteries inevitably died.

By the time I was ten, Pokemon Ruby fell into my possession, and I started a completely new journey from scratch. Proceeding to clear the game's play-through several times I began to feel like I needed more. Around this time is when I started to desire more challenge from the game, and then I found the Battle Tower. This was mine and many others' first taste of what would become an even deeper obsession; Competitive battling! I craved to see that tiny in-game Win/Loss chart filled with victories, and eventually I did just that. Unfortunately this was what seemed like the pinnacle of Pokemon at the time, as few of my friends actually still played. So I gave it a rest. Years went by. Sure, I had played through a little of the following games like Diamond and Pearl but it just wasn't the same. I felt disheartened at what I thought the series had become, but I was naive.

As it turns out, while I was playing mostly solo throughout much of my Pokemon career, many others were having fierce competitions via online simulators. In late 2011, I discovered something that once again changed my life forever; Pokemon Online. By this time it was the early stages of the 5th generation of games, so I had a lot of catching up to do. So many new faces to learn, new abilities, new items, and new moves, all of which seemed at first glance were meant to fit together like a puzzle. A puzzle that felt so deep that I had to dig deeper.

I began testing out various combinations of teams, such as pairing Chlorophyll wielders with Ninetails' Drought. The simple discovery of how well Pokemon could work together, rather than just picking your favorite six for a play-through
, is what hooked me back into the series.

It's been almost three years since I dove head first into the sea of competitive play, and I haven't looked back. With the introduction of the 6th generation I knew my mission before me: I must build an in-game competitive worthy team, and I did like many others. Since these newer tittles have made it so much easier to breed and train your Pokemon, the volume of players battling online has exploded. Many of these new trainers were looked down upon by the competitive community, dismissing them as "casuals", and because of this, many players no longer wish to battle. I think this is wrong, and totally backwards from the Pokemon series itself.

With that said, I'm taking it upon myself to help teach anyone interested in learning the ins-and-outs of battling, prediction, team-building, and the current "meta-game".

Welcome to my blog everyone,
Agent RK9