How to Become a Pokémon Master (In Real Life)

Pokémon Worlds. In a sense, it’s like challenging the Elite Four and Champion at the Pokémon League. The countless hours training are put to the test fighting against the best of the best. There’s no turning back, you can only hope for the best with the team you brought and just keep moving forward. While I didn’t attend this year’s competition, I enjoyed watching the stream and seeing how much the community has evolved since my last foray in 2011. Pokémon Worlds offers the highest level of play, so how does one prepare for the biggest battles and become a Pokémon Master in real life?

The coveted Worlds trophy. They even give you a card!

Know the game. This goes beyond knowing what moves are super effective. It’s about knowing the trends of the metagame and what to expect before the first Pokéball is sent out. Looking at player statistics from Pokémon's Global Link, Charizard ranks as one of the top used Pokémon in doubles. Thanks to its useful Mega Evolutions, Charizard is a force to reckon with. When building your team, ask yourself “what do I have to take down this threat?” If you don’t have a good answer, go back to the drawing board. It’s impossible to deal with every threat, but be prepared for the common ones like Charizard, Kangaskhan, and Garchomp. Plan on using a Charizard of your own? Know ways people tend to counter it and address those issues. Maybe have a Wide Guard user to stop Rock Slide, speed control like Icy Wind or Tailwind so Charizard outspeeds opponents, Pokémon like Marowak who can switch in and redirect Electric moves that threaten Charizard, things like that.

Do you have a plan in case of Charizard?

Once you know the metagame; take past assumptions and turning them upside their head. A great example of this is Germany’s Markus Lie and his Machamp. When one sees a Machamp in Team Preview, they’ll most likely come to the conclusion that:

·       Machamp will abuse No Guard and Dynamicpunch to spread confusion with a strong move

·       Machamp will support his teammates with Quick Guard and/or Wide Guard

·       Machamp will be slow yet bulky and physically strong

Markus’ Machamp went against convention to emphasize speed over power and support. By holding a Choice Scarf, Machamp was able to outspeed threats like Charizard before they could hit first. Many Charizard players, including myself, are familiar with Wide Guard stopping Heat Wave. One way to stop this is to single-target Machamp, letting it waste its turn with Wide Guard while I knock it out. With Machamp out of the way, I can continue to spam Heat Wave for game. So you happily hit the Air Slash or Overheat button only to have Machamp knock you out before you can move.

Look how fast he goes!

But the surprises don’t stop there. Instead of No Guard and Dynamicpunch, Markus’ Machamp uses Guts and Close Combat. While usually an inferior choice, the current metagame makes it a superior option. As I mentioned earlier, Kangaskan is a huge threat. One of the ways to deal with physical hitters is to deliver a burn to half their attack power. For this reason, Rotom is a prominent Pokémon thanks to Will-o-Wisp and other support moves in its arsenal. Naturally, one would burn Machamp to weaken it, and this is true if it was the No Guard variant. However, Guts actually boosts Machamp’s attack when afflicted with a status effect. Players will instinctively burn Machamp, only to make Machamp even stronger. A hindrance for physical attackers becomes an advantage for Machamp, and the choice of Guts over No Guard is a great metagame call from Markus.
 

Competing in live events differs from online competitions due to human interaction. While it might seem weird to have a “strategy” for it, human interaction can prove either helpful or hurtful depending on the way you look at it and should be something to keep in mind before going into battle. For one thing, you don’t want to go blabbing your mouth about how trainers won’t anticipate your “Choice Specs Gyarados” only to have your strategy fall flat on its face.

Quit your blabbing and start battling!

That example seems obvious, but even subtle hints before you fight can be detrimental. During VGC Nationals 2013, one trainer I fought was talking up about one Pokémon on his team no one really expects. During Team Preview, I saw an Electabuzz and thought “he’s probably means that.” Sent out my Landorus first turn and “surprisingly”, he led with Electabuzz who immediately ran tail.

Of course, one could argue that someone could bluff you with prebattle talks, so it’s best to avoid those mind games to begin with. I find it helpful to introduce myself, shake hands, and maybe throw in light banter to help people relax. During battles, it’s all focus. I don’t say much and tend to just look at my screen when making moves. At the end, I’ll extend my hand for another hand shake and compliment my opponent (Good prediction with your Abomasnow’s Safeguard!).  When you’re less nervous, it’ll help you think clearer in battles, so have a plan to go in with a calm mind. Raise your Special Attack and Special Defense by one stage!



Be calm young one.

Probably the most helpful advice I can give is practice. A LOT. Coming up with winning strategies doesn’t happen by only reading articles online or watching a few matches. You can only level up through experience. In a previous blog post, I mentioned how Kangaskhan caused significant problems for my team. So I battled and failed, multiple times, until I could finally secure a strategy to effectively take her down. I might not have a trophy of my own, but I don't plan on giving up anytime soon. It took Se Jun Park, the current World Champion, five years to finally claim his title. Any champion can tell you their success comes from their failures. So never give up! Go out there and battle to become the very best like no one ever was!

Always a joy to see my boy Pikachu

 

Pulling the Iron Curtain over Battles

Getting off of work early, I rushed to my room and turned on my 3DS. Yeah, sounds like any other day. But the 2014 April Friendly, an official Pokémon battle competition, was already underway and my team wasn't ready yet! After a 4-hour grind session, my Pokémon were ready to proceed online. I could only pray that my hastily built team could pull some victories.

My team for April Friendly. I didn't have time to nickname them.

The rules of April Friendly differ from previous VGC rules. Each battle is singles, where trainers choose 3 out of 6 Pokémon per battle. Every Pokémon in the Kalos Pokédex were eligible. Yep, that means legendaries like Xerneas, Yveltal and Mewtwo were permitted to wreck havoc on unsuspecting trainers.

The legendary deer in all its glory

I always say fight fire with fire...just make sure you have coverage against Fire-types. With that, I picked Xerneas as my legendary of choice. The set wasn't anything special, just the usual Power Herb+Geomancy combo. Geomancy is Xerneas's signature move that increases its Special Attack, Speed and Special Defense by 2 stages. It usually requires 2 turns to activate, but consuming a Power Herb changes that to 1. As this set was common, I had to prepare myself for counters like Scizor and Talonflame.



Mega Aggron, the Greatest Wall of Ever

And thus, I give you the star of my team, Mega Aggron. He's more of a "Super Ultra Mega Titan Behemoth" Aggron. Seriously, Close Combat tickles him. The idea was to use this Great Wall of Pure Steel to slowly wear down opponents until Xerneas could come in and proceed to sweep. When Mega Aggron's HP got low, I just used Rest and Sleep Talk. Very few Pokémon can reliably 2HKO him. I mainly paired Mega Aggron with Florges or Rotom-Wash to deal with really strong special attackers.

Besides that, I had a Greninja and Talonflame whose task was to break down walls. While straightforward, they did their job well.

Delirious, I recorded my first set of battles. I look quite pathetic, so feel free to laugh and cringe as I perform my rendition of "New York." First match in, I throw away a 3-1 lead by clicking Psyshock instead of Moonblast! I'll never live that down.

The next day, I managed to maintain a winning record. While most of the teams consisted of the same standard Pokémon, I was impressed by the few creative movesets I ran into. Rest Quagsire, a Greninja with King's Rock, and even a Pikachu! Unfortunately, Pikachu couldn't scratch Aggron, but it's the thought that counts.

Sorry Pikachu, you just don't mess with Mega Aggron.

The number of matches dwindled on the last day of battling. Don't get me wrong, I had fun competing. But after fighting match after match of faceless opponents and recording virtually every match, competing became a chore. With my Pokémon-playing friends out of town and my brother deciding not to play, it got lonely. This competition lacked the atmosphere and excitement of a live competition. There was one brief shining moment when I convinced my mom to commentate a battle with me. I felt bad though; I constantly talked over her and I could tell that half the things I said went over her head.

For throwing my team together at the last minute, I managed to squeeze in a decent record and placed in the top 9%. I earned a final rating of 1647 with 27 wins and 18 losses. The inclusion of legendaries was an interesting twist, but most trainers stuck with standard teams. This battle competition was fun, but maybe it's time I take a small break from Pokémon. My fighting spirit has all but vanished, and the time away might be just what I need to reflect and refresh myself for the next competition. At the very least, April Friendly gave me the opportunity to experience Mega Aggron's girth, and I look forward to using him in future teams.

You can watch more battles on my YouTube channel (youtube.com/user/smiles6857)