Zeffy
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Moveset Help & Other Questions
posting guidelines
✓ Post questions about moveset help, battling mechanics, competitive jargon, and general questions about PvE and PvP Pokémon battling here. (Hover over the underlined terms to find an example for each.)
✓ If you are building a team and you want to determine which Pokémon you should use, it's best to make use of the Teambuilding Workshop thread rather than posting here.
✓ If you are unsure whether your questions belongs here, then post a thread in the main forum and the staff will look into it.
✓ Avoid asking questions that have already been answered in the FAQ below.
✓ Avoid starting and/or participating in arguments in this thread—doing so may result in the deletion of the post(s) in question as off-topic. Idle chit-chat goes in the Battling & Team Building DCC thread.
✓ If you feel that something should be added to the FAQ below, please private message wolf instead of posting here.
✓ If you are building a team and you want to determine which Pokémon you should use, it's best to make use of the Teambuilding Workshop thread rather than posting here.
✓ If you are unsure whether your questions belongs here, then post a thread in the main forum and the staff will look into it.
✓ Avoid asking questions that have already been answered in the FAQ below.
✓ Avoid starting and/or participating in arguments in this thread—doing so may result in the deletion of the post(s) in question as off-topic. Idle chit-chat goes in the Battling & Team Building DCC thread.
✓ If you feel that something should be added to the FAQ below, please private message wolf instead of posting here.
frequently asked questions
What does OU / UU / RU / etc. mean?
These are Smogon tiers and are aptly named by the amount of usage the Pokémon in the tier have. OU stands for OverUsed, UU stands for UnderUsed, RU stands for RarelyUsed, and NU stands for NeverUsed. There are also other Smogon tiers available, such as Doubles and Little Cup. For more information, visit this link.
What are EVs and IVs?Effort Values (EVs) are points that give bonus stats to an individual Pokemon. They are gained by defeating Pokémon in-game. A Pokémon can only have 510 EVs in total, with a limit of 252 per stat (255 in previous generations). At level 100, each 4 EV points contribute to 1 stat increase. For example, a Pokemon with 252 attack EVs gains 63 attack stats. Individual Values (IVs), on the other hand, are values that determine the actual stat of an individual Pokémon. These provide the variation in between the stats of each Pokémon of the same species, provided they have no EVs. These are predetermined by the game and cannot be changed. Each stat can have a total of 31 IVs. At level 100, 1 IV point corresponds to 1 stat increase.
Playing on a simulator provides easy access to changing the EVs and IVs of a Pokémon, giving each player the capability to tweak their Pokémon's stats to their liking.
What are natures?Playing on a simulator provides easy access to changing the EVs and IVs of a Pokémon, giving each player the capability to tweak their Pokémon's stats to their liking.
Natures are Pokémon mechanics that increase 10% of a certain stat while decreasing 10% of another stat. These are predetermined and cannot be changed. In competitive battles, it's a good practice to give your Pokémon a nature that increases it's most useful stat (such as attack/special attack and speed) and decreases a relatively useless stat (such as defense/special defense for offensive Pokémon). For more information on which nature increases and decreases which stat, read this Bulbapedia article.
What is monotype / doubles / triples / etc and how can I play it?Monotype is a special tier where you can only use a team where all of the 6 Pokémon share a similar type. These are similar to the way Gym Leaders are in-game. Meanwhile, doubles / triples / rotation / etc are special battle variants. More information about them can be found in this Bulbapedia article. You can play monotype, doubles, triples, and inverse battles in the Pokémon Showdown! battling simulator.
Do I have to play by Smogon's rules?By all means, no! However, if you are playing in a tournament that adheres to Smogon rules then you are definitely subjected to play by Smogon's rules. Additionally, PokéCommunity's own Battle Server adheres to Smogon's rules most of the time so please be mindful of them when looking for a battle.
helpful links
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