Love instead of EV's! (A letter to all trainers, especially to competitive ones)

[BartCiao]

Hi to everybody!

I just wanted to share my thoughts with you about competitive play, Ev-training and all that kind of stuff. I've once tried it, but after I bred my perfect nature pokemon I felt sad, because now I just threw away my old pokemon. And it may sound a little weird, and you may think I have a mental disease, but they were some kind of friends of me. After all, I loved some of those.
And what is the message of all the Pokemon games? That love is the most elemental thing for training your pokemon. And not because then your Return becomes stronger... No, because love is what really is important in the world.
Like my signature says: "Strong Pokémon. Weak Pokémon. That is only the selfish perception of people. Truly skilled Trainers should try to win with the Pokémon they love best." And what is happening in the competitive play. They use their pokemon as machines, only training those pokemon who are useful, instead of training those who they love. IF they're training them, because nowadays there is ShoddyBattle, where you can set the level and nature etc. of your pokemon. Even worse...
That trainers are not that truly skilled trainers. They pretend to be skilled trainers, just because they have strong pokemon. But if you want to be a truly skilled trainer, please, use the pokemon you love and form a team with them.
And I know that's hard, but I have a tip: study your team very well and make a strategy based on your Pokémon. Don't make up a strategy and find pokemon to fit in that strategy. Then you have the wrong order.
I hope I will cause a revolution with this, but I think it's not very probable... Anyway, good luck to become a truly skilled trainer.

Bart, a truly skilled trainer.

EDIT:
The most-heard argument is (till now): Pokemon are just pieces of data/battle machines after all. Yes, if you see Pokemon as battle machines, it's not a miracle that you treat them as battle machines. Well, I guess that's the conclusion of the discussion. I personally am very attached to my Pokemon as individuals. But, if you don't have that amount of imagination, you probably see them as pieces of data. And then I can imagine (haha, funny word play :) you use them as pieces of data. Still I can't imagine how you can't imagine pokemon as individuals.
A lot of imagine by the way :P

EDIT:
I was laying in bed yesterday-evening, and I couldn't sleep, so I was thinking about many things. About this thread too. Then I realized that the main argument heard her, Pokemon are just pieces of data/battle machines, is the root of many bad things in the world. Just my thoughts, not a declaration of truth! Because if everybody was treated like an individual person instead of a number/someone people can make money of/or whatever else this would be a better world. A few time ago there was a famous person in The Netherlands who commited suicide because some boss of a big company was pressing him to give money. The boss didn't see the man as an individual person, but as someone he could make money of. Something else: if the people in Pakistan who are hurt by the floods etc. are not seen as *one of the 2000* but as a human who is really sad because his whole family is dead and his house is destroyed, then people would care a lot more about them. Just some thoughts, maybe a bit off-topic, but it's my topic, so I can go off-topic, right?:P
PS: sorry for the sometimes bad english.

 

[rndm.]

This again...

I, for one, don't believe in loving pieces of data and caring for them. For that, there are real people and pets.

 

[Kylie-chan]

I treat my Pokemon well and I still EV train them and battle with them. Battling with your Pokemon doesn't mean you don't love them. In truth I know they are just data but some of the most fun aspects of the game involve raising Pokemon and sticking with them to the end. I also like battling. Love and battling aren't mutually exclusive. Just because I don't always play with my favourites doesn't mean I don't have favourite Pokemon that I often have in my party. I don't use Teddiursa or Pachirisu, but I still like them a lot, use them in contests, and own merchandise of them irl. Honestly, they're just data, and people can play with their data the way they like.

 

[Timbjerr]

I can see where you have a point, but there is one fatal flaw in your argument. Pokemon amount to nothing more than a few lines of coding. They're not like the pet dogs I've owned irl, they're characters in a video game that are encouraged to fight one another. Thus it's only natural for people to become competitive and try to maximize their potential with theirs. XD

 

[Kylie-chan]

Exactly... the plots of the main series games revolve around beating the evil team and the gym league. ><; What's the difference between getting EVs to battle people and just facing off against the leaders?

 

[BartCiao]

No, battling could be even an expression of love for your Pokemon. But... as said before, you should battle with the pokemon you love and not the strongest pokemon. At least, if you're a truly skilled trainer.

This again...

I, for one, don't believe in loving pieces of data and caring for them. For that, there are real people and pets.

Ok... but I wouldn't have much fun with the game if I wouldn't love my pokemon and care for them. I know better strategy games...
And about 'real' people and pets: I guess I've just more fantasy than you.

 

[xPsychosocial]

How can you love something that isn't real? These things are merely data in a video game. =\ In these games your goals are to capture Pokémon and battle trainers. So I guess creating strong Pokémon is somewhat necessary. =\

 

[Silhouette]

I just wanted to share my thoughts with you about competitive play, Ev-training and all that kind of stuff. I've once tried it, but after I bred my perfect nature pokemon I felt sad, because now I just threw away my old pokemon.

I know what you mean, as I EV and (in a way) value my Pokemon. But, what's making you throw away your old Pokemon. Heck, I get more use out of my in-game team that have crap natures, terrible EV's from going through the storyline, and probably horrid IV's, but rarely do I take my EV'd Pokemon out of their boxes.

Beside, there's Shoddy and Pokemon Online for that. I got fed up with EV'ing for hours on end to just get pwned. XD

 

[King Gumball]

I EV train them with love <3

 

[Ev Trainer X]

I think I speak for the entirety of the pokemon fanbase, competitive or otherwise, when I say that if pokemon were real, then none of us would treat them like machines.

But really, sad as it may be, they're just data. Nothing more.

 

[Aether★]

I do not EV train them - I have an emulator, which means no trading and battling - no sense to make uber strong team, for only myself. I'm only grind them much, for better in-game battling, CPU trainers are so easy when you are over-leveled.

 

[BartCiao]

I know what you mean, as I EV and (in a way) value my Pokemon. But, what's making you throw away your old Pokemon. Heck, I get more use out of my in-game team that have crap natures, terrible EV's from going through the storyline, and probably horrid IV's, but rarely do I take my EV'd Pokemon out of their boxes.

Beside, there's Shoddy and Pokemon Online for that. I got fed up with EV'ing for hours on end to just get pwned. XD

I didn't threw away them, but I put them in the boxes and never played with them. After a while, I felt bad about it so I took them up again.
Shoddy is bad, it's making people use their Pokemon as battle machines...

 

[Sydian]

On Shoddy, you're not even technically using your Pokemon. I admit, once I name them, I'm attached, but not in this kind of way. When it gets down to it, Pokemon are nothing more than pixels.

 

[Blue Oak]

I agree with the above.

However, I can technically say I do "love" them, as all pokemon are my favourites :P

Seriously, there's no point trying to convert people mate.

 

[The Red Chain]

I don't think it's crazy to feel attached to Pokemon, despite how pixely they may be. |3
Afterall, during gameplay you spend hours training your Pokemon and using them to win in-game battles and woop some evil guy butt.
How is it weird to be attached to your hard work?

It's a great dream to want everyone to use Pokemon they love.. but who's to say the competitive battlers don't love the Pokemon they use? Maybe they don't feel the same closeness you feel to your Pokemon Bart, but sadly not everyone will feel the same passion as you do... It's better to have people who have passion about battling and Pokemon as a franchise, then none at all, right? :3

There are still those who love their Pokemon like you do, and use the ones they love.
But others enjoy the rush out of pure battling each other and calculating awesome strategies, like on Shoddy.
It's the best of both worlds in it's own way~
​

 

[Green man]

Shoddy is bad, it's making people use their Pokemon as battle machines...

Pokémon are battle machines.. the whole point of the game is to battle with them

 

[The Corrupt Plague]

Pokemon are really just random data, a bunch a zeros and ones. They were made for battling and I use them for battling because they can't feel pain or die. Heck, I wouldn't even consider them living at all because they can't even "think" and anything resembling it in the game is only the result of pseudo random calculations.

 

[BartCiao]

I don't think it's crazy to feel attached to Pokemon, despite how pixely they may be. |3
Afterall, during gameplay you spend hours training your Pokemon and using them to win in-game battles and woop some evil guy butt.
How is it weird to be attached to your hard work?

It's a great dream to want everyone to use Pokemon they love.. but who's to say the competitive battlers don't love the Pokemon they use? Maybe they don't feel the same closeness you feel to your Pokemon Bart, but sadly not everyone will feel the same passion as you do... It's better to have people who have passion about battling and Pokemon as a franchise, then none at all, right? :3

There are still those who love their Pokemon like you do, and use the ones they love.
But others enjoy the rush out of pure battling each other and calculating awesome strategies, like on Shoddy.
It's the best of both worlds in it's own way~
​

I agree with you now. I see your point. Some people just don't have enough imagination to see Pokemon in another way than pieces of data. But I don't feel attached to my hard work, but to the Pokemon. If all my save data was deleted for that Pokemon, it'd be the lvl I caught it etc., I'd still love it...

 

[Kylie-chan]

I do, actually, and I still battle. I don't really see the need to use your favourites if you still love and use your non-competitive Pokemon, and I often use them in contests. Of course, others just see them as data to use. They're correct, even if it's prosaic. But we have differing points of view and there's little either side can do to convince the other. That's just how it is. What ultimately matters is that you get enjoyment out of how you play and don't transfer any misbehaviour to real life, so there's little point getting worked up about it.

 

[Kirbychu]

I have similar beliefs as you, but what you say is just ridiculous. You have no right to judge others in such a way. Who's to say that people who EV train don't "love" their Pokemon (I hope you don't mean "love" as a literal term ._.) This happens to almost every video game that has a hint of competitiveness.

People are not going to use "weak" Pokemon with crap natures and IVs just so they can lose every battle they participate in. They want their Pokemon to be the best they can be, which actually is showing a lot more "love" towards them. It's can also be argued that showing more affection to one creature just because of the way it looks is no better than choosing a Pokemon for its power.

"That trainers are not that truly skilled trainers. They pretend to be skilled trainers"
Stupid, just stupid. There is a lot of skill involved when winning using the "best" Pokemon. I fail to see how someone is automatically skillful just because they use their favorites. Maybe some people's favorites are the best Pokemon out there?


Here are my feelings on the matter.

First of all, I have absolutely no problem with competitive battling. I use to enjoy it, I don't really do much competitive battling anymore because of all the cookie-cutter sets and lack of originality now a days. I blame Game Freak, since they aren't really balancing the game to well, they keep making strong Pokemon stronger, like the pseudo-legends, but are practically shunning those like Meganium and Tauros; but that's for a different argument on a different day.

I have to agree with you on one thing, half of the skill involved with Pokemon is involved with actually training the Pokemon yourself. I just hate how Shoddy Battle/Pokemon Online are overshadowing the actual game competitively. I guess it makes sense; It's quicker, you can type, etc., but it's just not for me.

Everything is perfect. Pokemon is not suppose to be perfect. You are not suppose to have perfect IVs, EVs, (Those actually can be argued, since GF is well aware that we know about them, but the average player doesn't.), natures, and movesets. You are only suppose to get one/a few Earthquake TMs. No Pokemon should be completely perfect. I have more fun battling with friends during our playthrough of the games, the lack of perfection, and the fact that you are trying to scrape up a strategy with what you have is fun for me, but I can understand it's not for everyone.

But when it comes down to it, it's just a game, and it's for fun. I don't think GF ever intended Pokemon to become so competitive, but they probably saw this new growing audience and decided to enforce it. There are now more ways for people to enjoy the game, and there's no reason to try to stop people from having fun when it isn't even harming anyone. We are all still Pokemon fans, we just have different tostes.


I think I'll just cut it off here and see if someone decides to challenge me, If that happens, I'll better explain what I'm talking about.