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The PokéCommunity's Introduction to Competitive Battling

Nah

Nah

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    The PokéCommunity's Introduction to Competitive Battling
    Written by Nah, CSS by Zeffy
    Tired of beating the Elite 4 all the time and looking for a challenge? Getting frustrated that the Battle Maison keeps kicking your ass? Heard that Pokémon has a competitive battling scene and want to get into it, but don't know where to begin? The purpose of this thread is to get you started on the road to being the very best, like no one ever was becoming a good battler, if you're kinda new to competitive Pokémon battling. It might seem like there's a lot to learn, maybe too much, but trust me, you'll have it all down quicker than you think.

    Alright, so where do I begin?

    The short version of how to get good in competitive battling, in the wise words of Dark Azelf: "don't use **** mons don't use **** sets don't use **** strategies"

    Ok but really, the first step to take in becoming a competitive battler is to have these game mechanics be second nature to you:

    • Learn what EVs, IVs, and Natures are.
      EVs, IVs, and natures are a crucial part of battles. They're needed to maximize your Pokemons' potential in battle. I'll explain what these things are.

      Whenever a Pokémon defeats another Pokémon in battle and gains Exp., it also gains Effort Values. EVs affect your Pokémon's stats. A Pokémon can have a maximum of 252 EVs in a single stat, and a maximum of 510 overall. The math is that every 4 EVs=+1 to that stat (at level 100). Before Generation V, a Pokémon would get the benefit of it's EVs upon leveling up (so you could get +64 to a stat in a single level up), but after Gen V it was changed to alter the growth rate instead, so more EVs in a stat means the stat grows more with each level up than if there were no or less EVs. Leveling up to gain the benefit of EVs is no longer required, so even level 100 Pokemon can be EV trained.

      IVs, or Individual Values, are another stat modifier for your Pokvmon that are determined at capture or birth and cannot be changed (on cartridges anyway). A Pokémon can have a maximum of 31 IVs in a stat. Unlike EVs, 1 IV=+1 to a stat.

      Natures, introduced in Generation III, raise one stat by 10% and lower another by 10%. Like IVs, the Pokémon's nature cannot be changed once it has been caught or born (cartridges only). Each nature (except for the neutral ones: Serious, Bashful, Quirky, Hardy, and Docile) has a unique stat raise/lower combination, although none of them affect HP.

      Properly distributing EVs, maximizing IVs, and selecting the best nature are key in making the most out of your Pokémon for battles.
    • Know the type chart.
      This may seem terribly basic, but if you have trouble remembering that Water resists Ice or that Bug isn't super-effective against Fighting or that you really should not use a Dragon attack on a Fairy, you're not ready tbh.
    • Be familiar with the types and abilities of all the Pokémon.
      Yes, all 721 of them. Or the majority of them anyway. Not knowing that Gastrodon is Water/Ground and has the ability Storm Drain or that Gengar has Levitate and using the wrong move(s) can be costly in battle. I've seen it happen before.
    Another thing to be aware of is that you'll have to make changes in your battle style.
    Usually in-game you can get away with just spamming attack moves and only switching your Pokemon when the game tells you what Pokemon the opponent is sending out next. In the world of competitive battles, that won't cut it. Non-attack moves like Toxic, Protect, Swords Dance, etc are just as important as damaging moves. Predicting and manually switching your Pokemon in and out of battle is a key component of competitive battling too.



    I've got all that down, so now what?

    The next step is to decide which metagame you want to play in. They're all fun, and have their pros and cons. The three main metagames are:


    1. Smogon Metagame
      A metagame using the rules and tier system of Smogon University, one of the largest dedicated Pokémon battling places on the internet. The primary battle format is 6v6 Singles, and battles are conducted mainly on Pokémon Showdown servers. The tiering system is based mainly on how often Pokémon are used (Pokémon used more often in battles are generally in higher tiers), although sometimes a Pokémon/item/etc may be suspect tested and possibly banned from a tier if it is voted on by the Smogon community to be overpowered/overcentralizing/unhealthy for the metagame/etc in that tier. Pokémon in a higher tier cannot be used in a lower tier, but Pokemon in a lower tier can be used in a higher one. The official Smogon tiers are:

      Ubers
      OU (OverUsed)
      UU (UnderUsed)
      RU (RarelyUsed)
      NU (NeverUsed)

      "BL" stands for borderline, and consists of Pokémon banned from the tier below but aren't used enough to truly be considered part of the tier above. They also have some other metagames/battle formats like Smogon Doubles, Hackmons, Anything Goes, etc.

      It is important to note that Smogon rules and tiers only apply on Pokémon Showdown servers or if the two battling parties have agreed to use their rules and tiers beforehand.

    2. VGC (Video Game Championships)
      The metagame officially endorsed by The Pokémon Company. Battle format is Doubles, where you choose 4 of the 6 Pokémon on your team to do battle, and uses a different ruleset and ban list than Smogon. Most official in-person Pokémon tournaments are played in VGC format. You can learn more about VGC at our VGC Guide thread.
    3. Battle Spot
      This is your WiFi cartridge battles. Battle Spot allows you to battle in any of the 5 battle formats (Singles, Doubles, Triples, Rotations, and Multi), and there are both Rated and Unrated sections. Unrated Battle Spot battles have no banned Pokémon, items, or moves, while Rated Battle Spot battles keep score and use a ruleset and ban list very similar to VGC. Occasionally there are battle tournaments/events on Battle Spot, such as The Battle of Hoenn or Generation Showdown.


    And the next step is....?

    Now's the part where you start building your team(s)! Team building is a bit of an art, and is probably one of the hardest parts of competitive battling. This thread will not go into the art of team building; that's for another thread. A good place to start would be by thinking of a Pokémon you wanna use or a general team idea (like a rain team or a mono-type team or something). Some other things for you to think about are:

    Team Archetypes
    Just about every team falls into one of these 5 main archetypes:


    • Hyper Offense: An aggressive playstyle that uses Pokémon with great speed and/or strength to hammer the enemy into submission, with little switching or prediction. The idea is that "the best defense is a good offense". Does not use defensive Pokémon at all, and the teams often use frailer Pokémon.
    • Bulky Offense: Similar to Hyper Offense, but generally uses offensive Pokémon that are less frail, hence "bulky" offense.
    • Balance: A playstyle sporting a mix of offense and defense. The most common playstyle in the current metagame.
    • Semi-Stall: A team that plays much like stall at first, but eventually switches over to a more offensive playstyle once the opposing team has been sufficiently weakened/crippled.
    • Stall: The opposite of HO, the idea here is that "the best offense is a good defense". Stall defeats opponents through indirect methods, such as Stealth Rock damage, status effects, PP stalling, rage quits amongst the impatient, etc. Generally utilizes defensive Pokémon.

    Note that there are variations on these archetypes, like Baton Pass, Weather, Quick Stall, etc.

    Sets:
    "Set" is the term for the moves, EVs, nature, ability, and item that a Pokémon is using. The most common format for writing sets is:

    Pokémon @ Item
    Ability
    EVs
    Nature
    - Move 1
    - Move 2
    - Move 3
    - Move 4

    For example:
    Zekrom @ Life Orb
    Ability: Teravolt
    EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
    Naughty Nature
    - Bolt Strike
    - Draco Meteor
    - Dragon Claw
    - Tailwind

    But any way of giving that information in a concise manner will do.
    Now, you might be wondering "But what would be a good set for my Pokémon, what moves and EVs should I use?" Since you're new, a good place to start would be by looking at Smogon's Strategy Dex for certain Pokémon (just google "[insert pokemon's name here] smogon and click on the link with XY in it). They have many sets for you to look at to get an idea of some things that are known to work and common things to expect while battling, and you can use them too.

    You can also develop your own sets too if you like. However, since you're probably new, there are some things I'd like to point out before you try making your own sets:

    1. Don't use moves all of the same type.
      Giving your Mega Charizard Y 4 Fire type moves is a terrible idea. Just because it's Fire type doesn't mean it should only use fire moves. If a Fire-resistant Pokémon shows up, you're screwed. It also limits what your Pokémon can cover. If you instead give it Solar Beam, Focus Blast, and Roost in addition to a Fire attack, it can now handle a wider variety of Pokémon and possibly take on what it couldn't before.
    2. Have reasons for your sets.
      While deviating from standard sets is perfectly ok, make sure that there's good reason for it. It needs to serve some purpose, and needs to work with your team. People are quick to question when you use a non-standard set, and if you can't come up with a good reason for using this new set of yours, then maybe it's not a viable one.
    3. Ideas that may sound good on paper may not be so good in practice.
      Like theoretical physics, things rarely work in reality exactly as they do in the books, and Pokémon battles are no exception. Sap Sipper Azumarill is a good example of this. Sap Sipper makes it immune to Grass, therefore eliminating a weakness, and boosts its Attack to boot. Sounds great and unexpected, right? Unfortunately, it's not. Azumarill is still weak to 2 other types, Electric and Poison, and without Huge Power, it's attacks are very weak, even with boosts from Sap Sipper, making Azumarill less useful than if you just stuck with Huge Power, even though you have that Grass weakness.
    4. Look at the stats, abilities, and typing of your Pokémon, and then pick moves, natures, and EVs accordingly.
      Another common mistake I see new battlers often make is giving their Pokémon moves/natures/EVs/etc that don't jive with the Pokémon's attributes. A general rule of thumb is to focus on the Pokémon's strengths and boosting its best attributes rather than attempting to patch up weaknesses. For example, Mega Metagross's Attack stat is much higher than its Special Attack and has an ability that boosts mainly physical attacks and not special ones, in addition to a good Speed stat after mega evolving. Therefore it's best to give it primarily physical attacks and invest in Attack and Speed EVs, and not give it special attacks or invest in Special Attack EVs. Do note that there are times when you can go against the general rule of thumb (mixed Tyranitar, Sp.Def Skarmory, etc), but those are exceptions that happen to work well.


    Also, while it is fine to use "**** mons" or lesser used ones or ones generally not favored by the community, there are some things you need to think about before you use one (courtesy of Dark Azelf):

    1. Can you support it and does it actually help your team?
    2. Does it have a viable niche?
    3. Is it outclassed by other Pokemon?
    4. Do you have the skill to use it properly?
    Once you've got some ideas in your head, you should either post in our Team-Building Workshop or create a [Team Help] thread so people can help you out in constructing and perfecting your team(s). And once your team is all worked out on paper, it's time to start breeding and trading (for cartridge players), or creating the team on Showdown's teambuilder.

    The Final Step

    Alright, so you're learning all this info, you got a team all ready to go, so now what? The (obvious) answer is....to start battling! It's pointless to go through all this stuff if you aren't gonna battle, and there are some things that you can only learn through experience on the battlefield. So get onto Battle Spot and/or the PokéCommunity battle server!

    Before you set off to wage war though, I have a little bit more for you.....

    Other tips and ****

    • Don't get discouraged.
      You are probably going to lose a lot when you first start battling. You are going to see other people curb-stomp their opponents with seemingly amazing strategies. Don't let that stop you from continuing to battle. You'll get better eventually.
    • Remember that, at the end of the day, it's still a game.
      ie., don't be an asshole
    • Keep trying to learn.
      Both your defeats and your victories can teach you something. Take part in discussions, show people battle replays and ask what you did right/wrong, watch other people's replays, experiment with new teams, ask questions the Q&A thread, etc.
    • Not all legendaries are overpowered.
      A common misconception amongst Pokémon fans is that all legendary Pokémon are OP/broken and using them is basically cheating. This is not true. Yes, almost the whole ban list of VGC and most of the Pokemon in the Uber tier are legendaries, but that does not mean that all the legendaries are broken. Heatran is a legendary Pokémon commonly seen in OU, and while it is a very good Pokémon, it has some notable flaws that prevent it from being OP, such as its somewhat low base Speed, lack of reliable recovery, and dangerous Ground weakness. An example of a legendary Pokémon that is generally bad (in OU anyway) is Articuno, due to its plethora of weaknesses, including a 4x weakness to Stealth Rock, and mediocre Speed. So do not be averse to using legendaries on your team.
    • Competitive Jargon
      Pokémon, like many things, has a lot of terms and abbreviations used by competitive battlers. Learning the language is another thing that will help you become a better battler, or at least help you understand what people are talking about. The PokéCommunity has an extensive dictionary of competitive Pokémon terms and abbreviations in this thread here.


    If there are any inaccuracies or things that should be added/changed/removed from this guide, please message me.
     
    Last edited:
    KorpiklaaniVodka

    KorpiklaaniVodka

    KID BUU PAWAA
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    • Zekrom said:
    The PokéCommunity's Introduction to Competitive Battling
    Written by Zekrom
    Tired of beating the Elite 4 all the time and looking for a challenge? Getting frustrated that the Battle Maison keeps kicking your ass? Heard that Pokémon has a competitive battling scene and want to get into it, but don't know where to begin? The purpose of this thread is to get you started on the road to being the very best, like no one ever was becoming a good battler, if you're kinda new to competitive Pokémon battling. It might seem like there's a lot to learn, maybe too much, but trust me, you'll have it all down quicker than you think.

    Alright, so where do I begin?

    The short version of how to get good in competitive battling, in the wise words of Dark Azelf: "don't use shit mons don't use shit sets don't use shit strategies"

    Ok but really, the first step to take in becoming a competitive battler is to have these basics be second nature to you:
    • Learn what EVs, IVs, and Natures are.
      EVs, IVs, and natures are a crucial part of battles. They're needed to maximize your Pokemons' potential in battle. I'll explain what these things are.

      Whenever a Pokémon defeats another Pokémon in battle and gains Exp., it also gains Effort Values. EVs affect your Pokémon's stats. A Pokémon can have a maximum of 252 EVs in a single stat, and a maximum of 510 overall. The math is that every 4 EVs=+1 to that stat (at level 100). Before Generation V, a Pokémon would get the benefit of it's EVs upon leveling up (so you could get +64 to a stat in a single level up), but after Gen V it was changed to alter the growth rate instead, so more EVs in a stat means the stat grows more with each level up than if there were no or less EVs. Leveling up to gain the benefit of EVs is no longer required, so even level 100 Pokemon can be EV trained.

      IVs, or Individual Values, are another stat modifier for your Pokvmon that are determined at capture or birth and cannot be changed (on cartridges anyway). A Pokémon can have a maximum of 31 IVs in a stat. Unlike EVs, 1 IV=+1 to a stat.

      Natures, introduced in Generation III, raise one stat by 10% and lower another by 10%. Like IVs, the Pokémon's nature cannot be changed once it has been caught or born (cartridges only). Each nature (except for the neutral ones: Serious, Bashful, Quirky, Hardy, and Docile) has a unique stat raise/lower combination, although none of them affect HP.

      Properly distributing EVs, maximizing IVs, and selecting the best nature are key in making the most out of your Pokémon for battles.

    • Know the type chart.
      This may seem terribly basic, but if you have trouble remembering that Water resists Ice or that Bug isn't super-effective against Fighting or that you really should not use a Dragon attack on a Fairy, you're not ready tbh.
    • Be familiar with the types and abilities of all the Pokémon.
      Yes, all 721 of them. Or the majority of them anyway. Not knowing that Gastrodon is Water/Ground and has the ability Storm Drain or that Gengar has Levitate and using the wrong move(s) can be costly in battle. I've seen it happen before.

    I've got all that down, so now what?

    The next step is to decide which metagame you want to play in. They're all fun, and have their pros and cons. The three main metagames are:

    1. Smogon
      A metagame using the rules and tier system of Smogon University, one of the largest dedicated Pokémon battling place on the internet. The primary battle format is 6v6 Singles, and battles are conducted mainly on Pokémon Showdown servers. The tiering system is based mainly on how often Pokémon are used (Pokémon used more often in battles are generally in higher tiers), although sometimes a Pokémon/item/etc may be suspect tested and possibly banned from a tier if it is voted on by the Smogon community to be overpowered/overcentralizing/unhealthy for the metagame/etc in that tier. Pokémon in a higher tier cannot be used in a lower tier, but Pokemon in a lower tier can be used in a higher one. The official Smogon tiers are:

      Ubers
      OU (OverUsed)
      UU (UnderUsed)
      RU (RarelyUsed)
      NU (NeverUsed)

      "BL" stands for borderline, and consists of Pokémon banned from the tier below but aren't used enough to truly be considered part of the tier above. They also have some other metagames like Smogon Doubles, Hackmons, Anything Goes, etc.

      It is important to note that Smogon rules and tiers only apply on Pokémon Showdown servers or if the two battling parties have agreed to use their rules and tiers beforehand.

    2. VGC (Video Game Championships)
      The metagame officially endorsed by The Pokémon Company. Battle format is Doubles, where you choose 4 of the 6 Pokémon on your team to do battle, and uses a different ruleset and ban list than Smogon. Most official in-person Pokémon tournaments are played in VGC format.
    3. Battle Spot
      This is your WiFi cartridge battles. Battle Spot allows you to battle in any of the 5 battle formats (Singles, Doubles, Triples, Rotations, and Multi), and there are both Rated and Unrated sections. Unrated Battle Spot battles have no banned Pokémon, items, or moves, while Rated Battle Spot battles keep score and use a ruleset and ban list very similar to VGC. Occasionally there are battle tournaments/events on Battle Spot, such as The Battle of Hoenn or Generation Showdown.

    And the next step is....?

    Now's the part where you start building your team(s)! Team building is a bit of an art, and is probably one of the hardest parts of competitive battling. This thread will not go into the art of team building; that's for another thread. A good place to start would be by thinking of a Pokémon you wanna use or a general team idea (like a rain team or a mono-type team or something). Some other things for you to think about are:

    Team Archetypes
    Just about every team falls into one of these 5 main archetypes:

    • Hyper Offense: An aggressive playstyle that uses Pokémon with great speed and/or strength to hammer the enemy into submission, with little switching or prediction. The idea is that "the best defense is a good offense". Does not use defensive Pokémon at all.
    • Offense: Similar to Hyper Offense, but is not quite as aggressive.
    • Balance: A playstyle sporting a mix of offense and defense. The most common playstyle in the current metagame.
    • Semi-Stall: A team that plays much like stall at first, but eventually switches over to a more offensive playstyle once the opposing team has been sufficiently weakened/crippled.
    • Stall: The opposite of HO, the idea here is that "the best offense is a good defense". Stall defeats opponents through indirect methods, such as Stealth Rock damage, status effects, PP stalling, rage quits amongst the impatient, etc. Generally utilizes defensive Pokémon.
    Note that there are variations on these archetypes, like Bulky Offense and Quick Stall.

    Sets:
    "Set" is the term for the moves, EVs, nature, ability, and item that a Pokémon is using. The most common format for writing sets is:

    Pokémon @ Item
    Ability
    EVs
    Nature
    - Move 1
    - Move 2
    - Move 3
    - Move 4

    For example:
    Zekrom @ Life Orb
    Ability: Teravolt
    EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
    Naughty Nature
    - Bolt Strike
    - Draco Meteor
    - Dragon Claw
    - Tailwind

    But any way of giving that information in a concise manner will do.
    Now, you might be wondering "But what would be a good set for my Pokémon, what moves and EVs should I use?" Since you're new, a good place to start would be by looking at Smogon's Strategy Dex for certain Pokémon (just google "[insert pokemon's name here] smogon and click on the link with XY in it). They have many sets for you to look at to get an idea of some things that are known to work and common things to expect while battling, and you can use them too.

    You can also develop your own sets too if you like. However, since you're probably new, there are some things I'd like to point out before you try making your own sets.

    1. Don't use moves all of the same type.
      Giving your Mega Charizard Y 4 Fire type moves is a terrible idea. Just because it's Fire type doesn't mean it should only use fire moves. If a Fire-resistant Pokémon shows up, you're screwed. It also limits what your Pokémon can cover. If you instead give it Solar Beam, Focus Blast, and Roost in addition to a Fire attack, it can now handle a wider variety of Pokémon and possibly take on what it couldn't before.
    2. Have reasons for your sets.
      While deviating from standard sets is perfectly ok, make sure that there's good reason for it. It needs to serve some purpose, and needs to work with your team. People are quick to question when you use a non-standard set, and if you can't come up with a good reason for using this new set of yours, then maybe it's not a viable one.
    3. Ideas that may sound good on paper may not be so good in practice.
      Like theoretical physics, things rarely work in reality exactly as they do in the books, and Pokémon battles are no exception. Sap Sipper Azumarill is a good example of this. Sap Sipper makes it immune to Grass, therefore eliminating a weakness, and boosts it's Attack to boot. Sounds great and unexpected, right? Unfortunately, it's not. Azumarill is still weak to 2 other types, Electric and Poison, and without Huge Power, it's attacks are very weak, even with boosts from Sap Sipper, making Azumarill less useful than if you just stuck with Huge Power, even though you have that Grass weakness.

    Once you've got some ideas in your head, you should either post in our Team-Building Workshop or create a [Team Help] thread so people can help you out in constructing and perfecting your team(s). And once your team is all worked out on paper, it's time to start breeding and trading (for cartridge players), or creating the team on Showdown's teambuilder.

    The Final Step

    Alright, so you're learning all this info, you got a team all ready to go, so now what? The (obvious) answer is....to start battling! It's pointless to go through all this stuff if you aren't gonna battle, and there are some things that you can only learn through experience on the battlefield. So get onto Battle Spot and/or the PokéCommunity battle server!

    Before you set off to wage war though, I have a little bit more for you.....

    Other tips and shit
    • Don't get discouraged.
      You are probably going to lose a lot when you first start battling. You are going to see other people curb-stomp their opponents with seemingly amazing strategies. Don't let that stop you from continuing to battle. You'll get better eventually.
    • Keep trying to learn.
      Both your defeats and your victories can teach you something. Take part in discussions, show people battle replays and ask what you did right/wrong, watch other people's replays, experiment with new teams, ask questions the Q&A thread, etc.
    • Not all legendaries are overpowered.
      A common misconception amongst Pokémon fans is that all legendary Pokémon are OP/broken and using them is basically cheating. This is not true. Yes, almost the whole ban list of VGC and most of the Pokemon in the Uber tier are legendaries, but that does not mean that all the legendaries are broken. Heatran is a legendary Pokémon commonly seen in OU, and while it is a good Pokémon, it has some notable flaws that prevent it from being OP, such as its somewhat low base Speed, lack of reliable recovery, and dangerous Ground weakness. So do not be averse to using legendaries on your team.
    • Competitive Jargon
      Pokémon, like many things, has a lot of terms and abbreviations used by competitive battlers. Learning the language is another thing that will help you become a better battler, or at least help you understand what people are talking about. The PokéCommunity has an extensive dictionary of competitive Pokémon terms and abbreviations in this thread here.

    If there are any inaccuracies or things that should be added/changed/removed from this guide, please message me.
    Click to expand...

    Wow, you sure did a great job... I'd like to add some comments, though.

    The short version of how to get good in competitive battling, in the wise words of Dark Azelf: "don't use shit mons don't use shit sets don't use shit strategies"
    Click to expand...

    This doesn't apply to Ubers. I mean the shit mons. You can peak the ladder with Stunfisk or birdspam. We all need to encourage people to STOP USING NON-MEGA CHARIZARD AND ROAR OF TIME DIALGA. OR ALL-OUT ATTACKING SMEARGLE.

    Team Archetypes
    Just about every team falls into one of these 5 main archetypes:

    • Hyper Offense: An aggressive playstyle that uses Pokémon with great speed and/or strength to hammer the enemy into submission, with little switching or prediction. The idea is that "the best defense is a good offense". Does not use defensive Pokémon at all.
    • Offense: Similar to Hyper Offense, but is not quite as aggressive.
    • Balance: A playstyle sporting a mix of offense and defense. The most common playstyle in the current metagame.
    • Semi-Stall: A team that plays much like stall at first, but eventually switches over to a more offensive playstyle once the opposing team has been sufficiently weakened/crippled.
    • Stall: The opposite of HO, the idea here is that "the best offense is a good defense". Stall defeats opponents through indirect methods, such as Stealth Rock damage, status effects, PP stalling, rage quits amongst the impatient, etc. Generally utilizes defensive Pokémon.
    Note that there are variations on these archetypes, like Bulky Offense and Quick Stall.
    Click to expand...

    Baton Pass: A team that relies on passing boosts to a great attacker and try to go for a sweep. Needs some decent defensive support.

    Trick Room: A team that uses a fair amount of Trick Room users and very slow Pokemon which hit extremely hard, such as Rhyperior, Mega Camerupt and Exploud.


    [*]Not all legendaries are overpowered.
    A common misconception amongst Pokémon fans is that all legendary Pokémon are OP/broken and using them is basically cheating. This is not true. Yes, almost the whole ban list of VGC and most of the Pokemon in the Uber tier are legendaries, but that does not mean that all the legendaries are broken. Heatran is a legendary Pokémon commonly seen in OU, and while it is a good Pokémon, it has some notable flaws that prevent it from being OP, such as its somewhat low base Speed, lack of reliable recovery, and dangerous Ground weakness. So do not be averse to using legendaries on your team.
    Click to expand...

    Mention that Articuno and Regice are bad in OU.

    And a suggestion:
    Remember that Pokemon is just a game.

    By that, I mean don't be an elitist or a jerk. Don't say that completely viable Pokemon are shit, or rage upon losing because of hax or a misplay.
     

    halcyonic

    1,476
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    • Seen Mar 13, 2023
    well since theres the baton pass clause in ou, there aren't rly any baton pass teams anymore, aside from cheap geopass and idk nastypass celebi? dk about other tiers tho (ag lol)
     
    champagnepapi

    champagnepapi

    exile
    1,796
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    • I really don't think gimmick playstyles are worth going over; they aren't often used and don't serve as good methods of learning the metagame. This is a nice guide anyways. Only criticism is that I'd change 'Offense' to Bulky Offense. I feel like most offensive teams can be categorized as either Hyper Offense or Bulky Offense. Teams with multiple aggressive Pokemon like Serperior, Bisharp, Lopunny, Talonflame [though these Pokemon's roles aren't limited to members of a hyper offense team] are Hyper Offense, while Offensive Teams that fall back on bulkier Pokemon like Rotom-W, Metagross and Latios will likely be bulky offense. Just to reiterate though, it's the overall structure of the teams that defines them. A talonflame could be on a balanced team and a Latios could be found on a hyper offense. The difference mainly lies in whether the offensive player uses pokemon that can take hits if needed, or just stacks his front lines with frail sweepers that can achieve an optimal gamestate quickly.
     
    wolf

    wolf

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    • he/him
    • Seen yesterday
    Weather is pretty common enough to warrant a small mention, especially sand offense and stall. It shouldn't be included as one of the main playstyles though.

    Also, another common mistake by new battlers is that they focus too much on defensive synergy for their offense teams. e.g. Caring too much about type synergy and being able to switch in on each team member's weaknesses, using defensive Pokemon that kill their offensive synergy, and not paying attention to how well their team can break stall and if it gives stall more opportunities to set up. We might have a team synergy guide soon so it could be best save it for that?
     
    Nah

    Nah

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    • she/her, they/them
    • Seen today
    wolf said:
    Also, another common mistake by new battlers is that they focus too much on defensive synergy for their offense teams. e.g. Caring too much about type synergy and being able to switch in on each team member's weaknesses, using defensive Pokemon that kill their offensive synergy, and not paying attention to how well their team can break stall and if it gives stall more opportunities to set up. We might have a team synergy guide soon so it could be best save it for that?
    Click to expand...
    Yeah, I think that it would be best to leave that kind of info to a team synergy/team building guide.
     
    Dark Azelf

    Dark Azelf

    ☽𖤐☾𓃶𐕣
    7,210
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    • Seen yesterday
    The short version of how to get good in competitive battling, in the wise words of Dark Azelf: "don't use shit mons don't use shit sets don't use shit strategies"
    Click to expand...

    To elaborate on this a bit, i mean you can use "shit mons" but really dont go near them unless your team supports them well and they actually have a VIABLE niche. I actually got to 7th in OU with a team that had Wish Toxic Delphox (checked Zard-Y and is one of the best counters in the game to MGardy and could revenge kill slower shit like MHera, has reliable recovery plus Toxic Flamethrower is really only stopped by tran coverage wise etc) and Mantine (because well it walls nearly every unboosted non electric move common special attacker in OU and can Defog and stops bs Scald etc) but my team supported them well and the team appreciated their niche. On the other hand whether doing well with shit mons speaks more about your skill or the ladders lack of is a different story all together but i digress lol.

    Anyway to expand on shit sets stuff Toxic/Rest/Iron Defense/Amnesia Registeel or Ingrain Ferrothorn would be top of the list and dumb outclassed stuff like Torkoal for spinning.

    Anyway ill stress questions you need to ask yourself before using said ass pokes.

    1. Can you support it and does it actually help your team without becoming a liability due to its downfalls and typing etc?
    2. Does it have a VIABLE niche?
    3. Is it outclassed by other pokemon?
    4. Do you have the skill to use it properly?

    Also id mention to highlight that in competitive you need to get over yourself and using your fav pokemon if they are ass (see: Luvdisc), using them will probably lead to loss after loss and you wont ever get better. Likewise id avoid using outclassed Pokemon. I.e someone using Vileplume over Venusaur or Amoongus.
     
    Last edited:
    Anti

    Anti

    return of the king
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    • really awesome that you did this, thank you! it's also very good, but here are some quick suggestions:

    - the first part seems like it can be summed up as "know game mechanics" so i might say as much and then delve into them as you already have.

    - going off that, mechanics i think are actually more second-nature than strategic changes. in between the mechanics stuff and introducing the metagames i think a section about strategic adjustments (ie not using just attack moves, actually using defensive mons, etc) would be really good. it's covered in the "sets" section somewhat but i think the guide is incomplete without going into some amount of detail about the importance of switching, for example (but the most important example).

    - i would rename "smogon" in the metagames section as "smogon metagames" since smogon isn't a metagame as much as a governing body i guess?

    will eventually add more but nice work!
     

    Pendraflare

    6,266
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    • Well it's good that a guide like this was made, it might be worth reading more so I can actually have a shot at entering competitive myself.
     
    Stormerbuzz35

    Stormerbuzz35

    245
    Posts
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    • Good guide. I myself am a bit of a noob on the competitive scene although I've been playing close to 10 years. I sometimes struggle to remember match ups and what type all the pokemon are. Just today I tried to Thunder Wave a Zyngarde. I still pulled off the win somehow, but that was pure luck. I think that when it comes to move sets, people should really think about trying strategys outside what they'd usualy do, for example using entry hazards and not passing off stat raising moves as risky wastes off time.
     

    srinator

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    i don't know whether this should be in a intro but speed tiers are actually very important to know that mmeta and all are still ou, so u could include that if u want
     
    MechaGladiator

    MechaGladiator

    32
    Posts
    8
    Years
    • I've been wondering about competitive play for a while. Since I'm interested on someday getting involved with the battle server and Clans in the League, this is a useful guide to help me get started.
     

    Pokedra

    Retired
    1,661
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    • Seen Aug 21, 2016
    Best way to improve is just to grind the Smogon ladder to be honest.
     
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