Inside The Mind of a Competitive Trainer

[retinaburn]

Hey guys, I've started to become very curious about the process everybody has taken to become competitively viable. I still consider myself a definite novice, but there is so much knowledge and intrigue regarding becoming more experienced!

Each trainer has an interesting story about their first game, or first battle experience. I'd like to hear your story!

Let's see what kind of cool info we can dig up... and share some great practices and techniques of a successful battler. Here are some questions to get you thinking!

What was your first Pokemon game?

When did you start battling competitively?

When did you realize that it just "clicked", or you considered yourself a decent battler?

How much time do you spend researching/studying the metagame, vs. actually battling?

How do you practice or work on improving your game? What challenges you to become better?

What's your favorite battle pokemon, core or general strategy?

I would love to see where this can take us, and modify suggested questions accordingly. Thanks guys!

 

[Nolafus]

What was your first Pokemon game?
That would be Pokemon Black.

When did you start battling competitively?
A couple years ago. I'm not exactly sure when.

When did you realize that it just "clicked", or you considered yourself a decent battler?
When I won my first tournament. It was a 32 man monotype and I was using my grass team. I beat out a flying team for the win in the final round.

How much time do you spend researching/studying the metagame, vs. actually battling?
I spent hours studying almost every ability and move. I don't spend all that much time now because the stuff I can learn is pretty much learned through experience.

How do you practice or work on improving your game? What challenges you to become better?
I just battle constantly. Learn which pokemon are popular, how I can counter said pokemon with my team. I like to participate in tournaments to see how far I can get.

What's your favorite battle pokemon, core or general strategy?
Hyper-offensive is the strategy I use the most. I've been looking for a more defensive style, but right now that's where it lies.

 

[Helios93]

What was your first Pokemon game?
Pokemon Yellow

When did you start battling competitively?
Few months after the release of Pokemon Black

When did you realize that it just "clicked", or you considered yourself a decent battler?
I'm able to beat most of my friend OU team without using OU pokemon.

How much time do you spend researching/studying the metagame, vs. actually battling?
Depends on time and mood.

How do you practice or work on improving your game? What challenges you to become better?
Avoid using OU pokemon if I can and battle constantly until I feel comfortable with my team.

What's your favorite battle pokemon, core or general strategy?
Defensive.

 

[Boilurn]

What was your first Pokemon game?
Pokemon White

When did you start battling competitively?
Around about September of last year or somewhere, when I was on Pokemon Online.

When did you realize that it just "clicked", or you considered yourself a decent battler?
I selected a team of pure Ice-types for the OU tier instead of the monotype metagame (which wasn't recommended but I wanted to try it out anyway) during the Christmas period and found out that there are a wide range of typings. When I managed to win, I thought it was such an honor to win with such a team.

How much time do you spend researching/studying the metagame, vs. actually battling?
Around 30 minutes+ researching. There are so many elements in Pokemon battling that you have to consider, such as abilities, items, EVs etc. All items have some disadvantages in comparison to other items, which is the reason why I take this long.

How do you practice or work on improving your game? What challenges you to become better?
If I keep battling, that is practice. During battle you have to figure out which Pokemon you cannot beat, and adjust accordingly by selecting different Pokemon or moves. That's what I been doing. to improve my team.

What's your favorite battle pokemon, core or general strategy?
Hyper-offensive, since this was the first team I came up with, although during that time I didn't realize that some teams will have Skarmory and Blissey or other Pokemon that specialize in blocking these attacks.

 

[wolf]

What was your first Pokemon game?
Pokemon Yellow was the first Pokemon game I ever played, though I didn't play very much of it. I don't think I ever got past the guy that wanted coffee, lmao. Pokemon Stadium and Ruby & Sapphire were the first Pokemon games I owned and played a significant amount of. I've probably played RSE and DPP more than any other game in my life, haha.

When did you start battling competitively?
Late 2008, a little bit after I joined PC. This (https://www.pokecommunity.com/threads/157289) was my first ever team.

When did you realize that it just "clicked", or you considered yourself a decent battler?
I recall there being a PC tournament in early 2009 where I had to battle Aurafire (ex-mod of the battle forums) on the first round, but I managed to win the match to everyone's dismay. For the most part, I just gradually got better over time.

How much time do you spend researching/studying the metagame, vs. actually battling?
I used to spend a lot of time just randomly looking at Pokemon analyses on Smogon (I still do, but not quite as much). Because of that, I eventually became more knowledgeable. To be honest, I used to spend loads more time crafting teams (especially stall teams) than I did actually using them. I never really battle all that much outside of PC, but I used to ladder some. Speaking of laddering, I'd like to get back into that with gen 6 being out and all.

How do you practice or work on improving your game? What challenges you to become better?
Stepping outside of my comfort zone, I guess? I've always liked using bulky offensive teams, but occasionally I try something different and see if I can effectively pull it off. Aside from that though, practice makes perfect.

What's your favorite battle pokemon, core or general strategy?
Like I said, bulky offense and balance. Stall is fun until I realize that it's boring, particularly against other stall teams. I don't really have many favorite Pokemon or specific strategies to use yet in gen 6, since I still haven't played very much.

 

[Zeffy]

What was your first Pokemon game?
Pokemon Emerald was the first game I owned but the first one I played was either Red or Blue, I can't really remember exactly :(

When did you start battling competitively?
Uhm, back when PO started I believe. Back then, I tend to just "go by the gut" and use ridiculous sets like Scarf Torterra :D Here's the first RMT I posted here in PC.

When did you realize that it just "clicked", or you considered yourself a decent battler?
There were a lot of PO tourneys back then that I joined and won. I guess I considered myself quite decent around that time.

How much time do you spend researching/studying the metagame, vs. actually battling?
I mostly do my research on the metagame via battling. I also read Smogon analyses for certain Pokemon from time to time.

How do you practice or work on improving your game? What challenges you to become better?
Battling more, I suppose. I tend to push myself more every time I lose so yeah :p

What's your favorite battle pokemon, core or general strategy?
I really like to use bulky offense or stall but sometimes I would challenge myself and use Hyper Offense or even gimmicks. Nothing beats a solid, balanced team though.

 

[halcyonic]

What was your first Pokemon game?
Pokemon Ruby tbh, but never got past the first match against May cause yolo, I did finish Emerald though.

When did you start battling competitively?
Well, I started a year ago iirc. I think I asked Nica to like tutor me or something.

When did you realize that it just "clicked", or you considered yourself a decent battler?
I only did when I thought about the possibilities of competitive battling, plus I had nothing to do cause of school holidays so yea. Before that, I used to slap Hyper Beam on everything -.-

How much time do you spend researching/studying the metagame, vs. actually battling?
I only do before I build a team e.g. hyper offense, balance, etc... But sometimes when I'm bored, I actually study movesets, common counters and such.

How do you practice or work on improving your game? What challenges you to become better?
Simple, battle over and over.

What's your favorite battle pokemon, core or general strategy?
Personally, I prefer hyper offense as it gets straight to dishing out a Pokemon's raw power. But I feel like trying out bulky offense and balance one of these days. Also if weather wasn't nerfed, I would like to try out weather offense e.g. sun, rain, etc...

 

[Zaroas]

What was your first Pokemon game?
The first Pokemon game I owned was Ruby version, though my cousins had Gold version and a Gameboy Color that I played whenever my family went to their house prior to that.

When did you start battling competitively?
I started battling competitively in 2010, during Generation 4. My friends were having a tournament for Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum, and I wanted the upper hand, so I did some researching - I stumbled upon a website we all know called Smogon and became involved with the competitive battling community here on PC. I won the tournament and began frequenting the Shoddy Battle server.

When did you realize that it just "clicked", or you considered yourself a decent battler?
I think it was during Generation 5 suspect testing on PO that I considered myself a decent battler. I was winning a lot more matches than I had prior to that and I realized that I wasn't that bad at this.

How much time do you spend researching/studying the metagame, vs. actually battling?
It depends. Usually I'll try to research by trying out new Pokemon and strategies to see what works, but I'll do traditional researching sometimes. Right now that's usually on Smogon's Uncharted Territory, when I've been going to a lot, but obviously sometimes it's better to learn more about the metagame by playing it.

How do you practice or work on improving your game? What challenges you to become better?
I usually practice by just hopping on Pokemon Showdown and doing a couple random battles, though a couple friends and I do a lot of battling together. One thing that I enjoy doing to improve my game is by trying out as my strategies and Pokemon as possible - One day, for example, I'll make a team centered around a specific core, test it out to see if it works, then try to improve the team from there. From learning what works in my experience I feel that I'm better prepared than someone who sits on Smogon all day.

What's your favorite battle pokemon, core or general strategy?
I enjoy balanced and bulky offensive teams - I've experimented with hyper offensive and stall, but they're not exactly my style. One example of a balanced team is a FWG core that has great defensive synergy - Two of the Pokemon in it are Special and Physical walls respectively and another is a bulky revenge killer that can scout for threats. From there I add in a support Pokemon for hazards and coverage, a bulky physical sweeper, and a fast special sweeper that can set up on several threats that give my team trouble. It's teams like these that I really like using and creating.

 

[TouretteUnicorn]

What was your first Pokemon game?
Pokemon Gold

When did you start battling competitively?
Pokemon Emerald

When did you realize that it just "clicked", or you considered yourself a decent battler?
Sometime after the release of Pokemon Emerald and my interest in competitive battling started, my middle school held a Emerald Tournament. The rulings were 3 Pokemon only, no legendaries. After spending some time learning about natures, abilities, bon-Attacking Moves, and Egg Moves I signed up for the tournament a week before, and surprisingly managed to win against about 20 other children who were already way ahead in the competitive scene.

How much time do you spend researching/studying the metagame, vs. actually battling?
Probably 1-2 hours a week combined.

How do you practice or work on improving your game? What challenges you to become better?
I use an online simulator mainly to test my teams, especially when given altered move sets. The players mainly challenge me to become better, since I still aim to become an expert in the competitive play.

What's your favorite battle pokemon, core or general strategy?
I generally like using walls to get the jump on my opponent when they're sitting there building up all this power to knock out my Pokemon, and in comes Ditto, Psych Up, Haze, or whatever meets my fancy at the time. It also helps that the walls allow me to stack field hazards to an ensure easier victory. I still try to keep in a sweeper or two though.

 

[Fading Tree]

What was your first Pokemon game?
Pokemon Blue
When did you start battling competitively?
DP - Battle Tower. 2010, Pokemon Showdown 2012
When did you realize that it just "clicked", or you considered yourself a decent battler?
I don't consider myself one yet.
How much time do you spend researching/studying the metagame, vs. actually battling?
1:2 Ratio I look up different mons. For team ideas. It is probally more research than battling, but I do both as much as the other. I like to watch people play too.
How do you practice or work on improving your game? What challenges you to become better?
Lack of knowledge of effective team building. Not using a reliable Stealth Rocker, and not using a spinner or defoger.
Studying Misplays will make you better.
What's your favorite battle pokemon, core or general strategy?
Sand Stall in BW2, T-tar, Fortress, Slowbro, Ammongus, Heatran, Landouros (both normal and T)

Voltturning is also semi reliable. :]

 

[KillerTyphlosion]

What was your first Pokemon game?
Pokemon Yellow.
When did you start battling competitively?
At those times a lot of my friends got all games from gen 1 to 3 so we would link cables and battle. But we were total noobs hahaha. Liked gen 2 the best.
When did you realize that it just "clicked", or you considered yourself a decent battler?
In gen 3(I had ruby). Thats when I learned about ev's and IV's. But i skipped gen 4 and gen 5 because i never got an nintendo ds. Only played on emulators and that was it.
How much time do you spend researching/studying the metagame, vs. actually battling?
I spent more time studying than actuall battling
How do you practice or work on improving your game?
Actual battling and if i lose to the same pokemon look the pokemon up and study it so i know how to counter it next time.
What challenges you to become better?
I want to be the very best,
Like no one ever was.
To catch them is my real test,
To train them is my cause.

I will travel across the land,
Searching far and wide.
Teach Pokemon to understand
The power that's inside
Pokemon!

Gotta catch 'em all!

It's you and me
I know it's my destiny

Pokemon!

Oh you're my best friend,
In a world we must defend.
Pokemon!

Gotta catch 'em all!

A heart so true.
Our courage will pull us through.
You teach me and I'll teach you.
Pokemoooooon!!!

Gotta catch 'em all, Gotta catch 'em all. Pokemon!

Because of that.
What's your favorite battle pokemon, core or general strategy?
Well i like to use my favourite pokémon instead of only using the OU/Uber ones. But mostly of the time it's brute force. But yea trying to make a more balanced team because I lose to Galewing Talonflame if my lucario is beat. I am really sad that i have to wait for my cyndaquil. And my current fav combo is at multi battle( an AI friend) Has Typhlosion with choise scarf + explosion and pretty much walled trough everything with MegaCharizard-Y heatwave plus typhlosion eruption (In the sun). Till the AI screwed up and used focus blast and missed >.>

 

[Hikamaru]

What was your first Pokemon game?
Pokemon Ruby

When did you start battling competitively?
Around very early this year, after I joined PC's Showdown server.

When did you realize that it just "clicked", or you considered yourself a decent battler?
When I unexpectedly pulled off wins in Random Battles where I was at a disadvantage and then come out from behind. Best one to date was when I versed Pachy in a Random Battle on a Community Day event and destroyed her team using just a Swanna. It was in fact, a specific one with its hidden ability that abused the rain a lot.

How much time do you spend researching/studying the metagame, vs. actually battling?
I usually like to lurk this section as well as read the latest news on Smogon when studying the metagame so I can hopefully become good at team help in the future.

How do you practice or work on improving your game? What challenges you to become better?
Well, whenever I lose, it helps me want to improve my strategies. Plus, reading advice given in the team help threads can also inspire me to build a better team when the time comes.

What's your favorite battle pokemon, core or general strategy?
I like utilizing all strategies, but my fave strategy is definitely all-out offensive. It suits my aggressive nature.

 

[Frokage]

What was your first Pokemon game?
Pokémon Red - good times!

When did you start battling competitively?
With Pokémon Black, a couple of years ago.

When did you realize that it just "clicked", or you considered yourself a decent battler?

I've always been a huge fan of the Pokémon franchise and I guess that, after spending months on leveling Pokémon, breeding, battling.., you start realizing what you're doing and how it affects your team and so on.
How much time do you spend researching/studying the metagame, vs. actually battling?

How do you practice or work on improving your game? What challenges you to become better?
I just battle constantly, see what Pokémon are commonly used and how they can be quickly countered.

What's your favorite battle pokemon, core or general strategy?
I've always had a knack for psychic type Pokémon, so I usually used those as my main battle Pokémon. Pokémon such as Gardevoir and Alakazam are both powerful and handy to turn the eb and flow of the battle. Recently I've changed all that as I started working with many different types of Pokémon, each with a variety of moves that cover most Pokémon weaknesses.

But lets remember that it's not all about winning! Competitive play with your favorite Pokémon is what it's all about! ^^

 

[Hiatus]

My first game was Pokémon Blue (got it as a Christmas present from my dad), and I got into competitive battling three years ago around 2010. (: I'm good at battling, but not that good. I've got enough skills to carry myself throughout a match, but if the opponent manages outsmart me, I'm doomed. Haha. I spend more time battling than actually researching the metagame. Only time you'll see me studying it is when I'm about to build a new team for myself. What challenges me to become better are new strategies—if the opponent uses some sort of strategy I'm not familiar with, then that'll put me to my limit and have me gain more experience. Don't know if that makes much sense, but… xD" Competitively, my favorite Pokémon would have to be Blissey. Its HP is gargantuan, and can endure countless amount of hits for you. Chansey is my second favorite, and the third's gotta be a tie between Suicune and Skarmory.

 

[Nah]

What was your first Pokemon game?
It was Pokémon Yellow.
When did you start battling competitively?
Didn't start until Black and White.
When did you realize that it just "clicked", or you considered yourself a decent battler?
IDK if there was ever a moment where that happened. Sometimes I'm not sure if I'm decent or not...
How much time do you spend researching/studying the metagame, vs. actually battling?
It was a lot at first, way more than battling. Now its less, since I understand things better.
How do you practice or work on improving your game? What challenges you to become better?
I just battle to get better. Hope something in my head clicks. What makes me wanna become better? I just wanna be really good at something, but something I like.
What's your favorite battle pokemon, core or general strategy?
I must admit, I'm a bit guilty of using sets and Pokémon that have been used a million times by everyone. I'm not all that creative or smart, you see. But I do try to balance between that and stuff I like, and on rare occasions, make my own sets.

And I don't care what Smogon says, Hydreigon is not a mixed attacker.

 

[zygardian harbinger]

My first Pokemon game was FireRed for the GBA. I didn't start battling competitively until the release of Pokemon White (#1). I wasn't much into battles up until that point, partly because I didn't have enough time and partly because I wasn't interested. I used Serebii heavily to study the metagame. I spent more time studying than battling, to be honest. I'm currently working on building my competitive team for Pokemon Y, gathering information and advice. I normally play Doubles, so I usually have a heavy lead Pokemon with an Attacker/Supporter, or I use two Pokemon where their abilities help each other out or balance each other out.

 

[dreyko]

What was your first Pokemon game?

My first game was Blue version

When did you start battling competitively?

I started competitve battling in Black a couple years ago.

When did you realize that it just "clicked", or you considered yourself a decent battler?
I realized that it clicked when started going online on Random Matchups and battling with friends. I learned what was good and what wasn't from experience.

How much time do you spend researching/studying the metagame, vs. actually battling?

I'd say almost equal time is spent on both. I battle a lot, but when i am unsure on things i do my research. I watch videos of battles on YouTube and read about sets and strategies online.

How do you practice or work on improving your game? What challenges you to become better?

How i try to improve myself/skills is through first hand experience as well as just talking about the meta game/strategies/movesets. I find that the more i talk about it the more i learn as with reading about the game. Talking to others and battling others builds self confidence in your battling skills, which i feel is very important. You wont go very far if you are always second guessing yourself in a match, and even life for that matter. Losing challenges me to become better, not because i always want to win, but because it shows me what i could have done differently and how to avoid certain scenarios in a battle.

What's your favorite battle pokemon, core or general strategy?

Sableye and Mega Mawile are beasts.

I enjoy double battles, primarily 4v4 VGC style. I am a big fan of Trick Room.

 

[TrainerNico]

What was your first Pokemon game?

Pokemon Yellow, the main reason why I prefer Pikachu over Raichu

When did you start battling competitively?

I just started to battle competitively this gen, still new and inexperienced.

When did you realize that it just "clicked", or you considered yourself a decent battler?

Well it just clicked on my very first Wifi battle, I dunno why lol I just felt it.

How much time do you spend researching/studying the metagame, vs. actually battling?

Like an hour or two by lurking in some forums, and trying to think of a different set to ensure unpredictability. I battle for an hour or two as well, it depends on my mood.

How do you practice or work on improving your game? What challenges you to become better?

I practice via mock battles in order to gain info on some Pokemon and find a way to counter that using my current team, saving replays of my losing battle fuels my desire to improve.

What's your favorite battle pokemon, core or general strategy?

Mega Mawile and Florges. Mega Mawile wrecks teams before she faints, and Florges is VERY bulky on the special side and she has won alot of battles for me on the Battle Institute and Random Battles.

My general strategy is to become unpredictable as possible, and try to analyze the current situation if I'm gonna switch into Attack Mode or Stall Mode.

 

[Ooka]

What was your first Pokemon game?
Pokemon Blue :D

When did you start battling competitively?
2008 here at PokeCommunity.

When did you realize that it just "clicked", or you considered yourself a decent battler?
Aragornbird used to have a battle thread here, and if you beat him, he'd give you a choice of a Pokemon from his trade thread. After many attempts, when I finally beat him, I suppose I felt decent. xD

How much time do you spend researching/studying the metagame, vs. actually battling?
Well, battling on a simulator for me counts as researching/studying. But if I didn't count that, I'd say it's 70%/30% studying/battling. Usually I spend a couple days building a team and researching how it can do before I actually give it a shot.

How do you practice or work on improving your game? What challenges you to become better?
Aside from practical experience, which is really the best learning tool, I usually watch Youtube videos and read logs of battles. Seeing how other people play is a great way to expand your own style to something new.

What's your favorite battle pokemon, core or general strategy?
I LOVEEEE semi-stall. Like so much. I could probably blame the DP metagame for that.



Really it's not a hard competitive scene to get into compared to some other games (Think LoL, WoW, CoD). The main learning curve is what to expect from different things, which is best solved by playing a lot. And then there are things like this: https://www.smogon.com/forums/threa...-simulator-statistics-—-october-2013.3491683/ that help quite a lot.

 

[Griffinbane]

What was your first Pokemon game?
Red (I'm pretty sure my mom still resents my cousin for introducing me and my brother to the world of video games.)

When did you start battling competitively?
Late 2008 or early 2009, don't remember when exactly, right here on PC.

When did you realize that it just "clicked", or you considered yourself a decent battler?
Back when the Heart and Soul league was active and I came sooo close to getting the first badge.

How much time do you spend researching/studying the metagame, vs. actually battling?
Uhm, what research?

How do you practice or work on improving your game? What challenges you to become better?
Mostly through experience. I like to look at base stats and movesets to see what each Pokemon are capable of. Then I battle with them to get a feel of what they're like. Then it's moveset or team editing. As for getting better... WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS!

What's your favorite battle pokemon, core or general strategy?
Bulky offense, without a doubt. I like how they can absorb hits and dish a good deal of damage back. I've tried stall (it worked only once) and hyper offense (too easy to die). Wasn't too successful at either. Maybe that's why doubles turned out to be my niche.