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[Sixfortyfive]

Tournament/League info in 1st post. Competitive guide in 2nd. Feel free to use this thread as a catch-all for all competitive Pokemon battling, not just stuff in the OP. Make sure to let me know if I should clarify, correct, or add anything.

APRIL 2010 TOURNAMENT RESULTS

58-31729-01502 Echoes vs Metroid Killer (Youtube)
32-02800-18109 OMG Aero vs Kyzer (Youtube)
50-16768-83188 Sixfortyfive vs FootNinja (Youtube)

77-63332-24366 OMG Aero vs Katbot (Youtube)
90-96665-58676 Inferno313 vs Hatchet Man (Youtube)
13-19664-92884 El Sloth vs Firestorm (Youtube)
83-06528-41963 Sixfortyfive vs xSL4INx (Youtube)

69-42830-11082 Sixfortyfive vs Anonymous Tipster (Youtube)

61-84306-29193 Sixfortyfive vs Firestorm (Youtube)

Sixfortyfive vs Delio (boring Shoddy Battle log)

FULL BRACKET HERE

(If you have Battle Recorder IDs for any of the other matches, please submit them!)

MONOTYPE CHALLENGE - NEOGAF POKEMON LEAGUE

This is not a tournament, but an ongoing competition. Participants are split into two groups: Leaders and Challengers. Leaders are bound to using Pokemon only of a selected type like the in-game gym leaders (no wildcards permitted). Challengers are not bound to a single type, but they must use the same six Pokemon against each Leader; any changes to their team would reset their record and they would have to start the challenge from the beginning.

CURRENT RULES (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)

Both Leaders and Challengers must adhere to the following rules:

• Battles are conducted at level 100.
  
  
• Up to six Pokemon are allowed per team.
  
  
• Banned Pokemon: For now, all Pokemon classified as Uber by Smogon are banned from play in addition to Castform and Cherrim. Uber status is not static; Smogon occasionally reclassifies Pokemon into different tiers after testing, so some Pokemon that are legal now may be illegal in the future and vice versa. The Dragon gym leader (and ONLY the Dragon gym leader) is permitted to use any non-legendary Dragon regardless of Uber status.
  
  
• Species Clause: You may not use more than one Pokemon of the same species (Pokedex number) in any one battle. The Pokedex number is the only thing that determines whether Species Clause is broken or not. Having a Pikachu + Raichu or Porygon-2 + Porygon-Z combination would be fine, but Wormadam-G + Wormadam-S would be prohibitted.
  
  
• Self KO Clause: This is to resolve ties that occur when the final Pokemon of both teams are KOed at the same time. The user of moves such as Explosion, Perish Song, and Destiny Bond would lose, but any match decided by recoil-inducing moves such as Take Down or Struggle would result in a win for the attacking Pokemon's team.
  
  
• Glitch Policy: If any glitches occur during a match, you must continue playing as if things were normal. Match results will not be thrown out due to glitches unless they completely freeze the game and prevent the match from being completed at all. Be aware of the causes and effects of Acid Weather in particular.
  
  
• Voice Chat should be turned OFF. Attentive players can and will make note of the sounds made by your button presses to determine what actions you may be using in any given turn.
  
  
• Wi-fi communication errors: If you run from battle, either by accident or on purpose, then you forfeit the match. Do your best to ensure that your DS has a reliable connection with your network.
  
  
• Battle Recorder: The recording and sharing of battle replays is encouraged, but both players should make sure to get permission from the other before posting video IDs publicly.
  
  
• Hacking policy: Please do not use external devices to modify your competitive team in any way, even if the end result is legal. If you suspect that your opponent may be hacking, save a video of the battle and attempt to upload it to the GTS. If you receive an error message such as "There was a problem with the recipient's Pokemon," it means that at least one Pokemon in the battle was hacked. The GTS does not catch all types of hacks (particularly those with legal end results), but I have verified that it is capable of detecting illegal EV spreads and at least some other types of hacks. I also have the ability to check for hacks more thoroughly by request but would require the Pokemon in question to be traded to my game cart in order to do so.

Furthermore, each Leader may elect to enforce any number of the following rules. Both he and any Challengers that face him must observe them for their matches:

• Single Battle / Double Battle: Leaders may choose to accept only one of these modes if they wish.
  
  
• Evasion Clause: The use of Double Team and Minimize is banned.
  
  
• OHKO Clause: The use of Guillotine, Horn Drill, Fissure, and Sheer Cold is banned.
  
  
• Sleep Clause: You may not put more than one of your opponent's Pokemon to sleep at the same time. This does not apply to Pokemon using self-induced moves such as Rest. It only partially applies to abilities such as Effect Spore: If your opponent is put to sleep by Effect Spore, you may not use another sleep-inducing move until that Pokemon wakes up, but if a second (or third, or fourth, etc) Pokemon on your opponent's team is put to sleep by Effect Spore it does not break this clause since the player has no control over that.
  
  
• Item Clause: No two Pokemon on the same team may carry the same item.
  
  
• Shoddy Battle: Leaders may allow or prohibit the use of Shoddy Battle to conduct their matches.

Leaders are permitted to change their teams and rules at any time as long as they conform to everything outlined above. Any changes in gym rules must be announced on the forum before they can be enforced.

To become a Leader, claim a type and begin training a team of that type. After you have one team fully trained, you may claim another type. There is no skill requirement to be a Leader, but they should be fairly active on the forum and able to accept challenges regularly. Leader status may be revoked due to inactivity and if another forumer wants to claim their type.

Challengers must announce the six Pokemon they intend to use against the Leaders, and their progress will be tracked for that team. They may change hold items, moves, and EVs between matches. They can even replace team members with completely different Pokemon of the same species, but they must adhere to the same species. If they change the species of a team member, then their record with their first team is frozen and they start the challenge anew.

Although not a requirement, Leaders should have prizes to give out to Challengers who defeat their team. They may set some conditional requirements to earn them as well. (Example: Challengers must defeat X number of the other Leaders before receiving this prize.)

Leaders may create Challenger teams of their own to use against other Leaders if they wish. In this situation, they are bound to the same rules as other Challengers. The only difference is that they cannot challenge their own type.

LEADER PROFILES

= NORMAL GYM =

Leader: Vectorman06

Shoddy Battle Username: victorprime
Availability: PM to arrange a match
Rules: Single Battle only, Evasion Clause, OHKO Clause, Shoddy Battle Only
Prize: N/A​

= FIRE GYM =

Leader: Delio

Shoddy Battle Username: Delio
Availability: Most of the weekdays i am here. PM me for setting up battle times.
Rules: Single Battle only, Species Clause, Sleep Clause, Evasion Clause, OHKO Clause
Prize: Fake Out Chimchar
Prize Condition: Defeat one other Gym leader before me with same team.​

= WATER GYM =

Leader: Wiseblade

Friend Code: 4855-6559-9196 (Platinum)
Availability: I should be revising... PM me.
Rules: Single Battle, Evasion Clause, OHKO Clause, Sleep Clause, Shoddy Battle allowed but discouraged
Prize: Whatever I happen to be breeding at the time. Although for a 6-0 I may take a request...
Record: Sixfortyfive (1*)​

= ICE GYM =

Freezing moves are powerful! Your Pokemon will be at my mercy when they are frozen solid!

Friend Code: 2750-6983-3519 (Platinum)
Availability: Fri-Sun anytime
Rules: Double Battle only, Evasion Clause, OHKO Clause, Sleep Clause, Item Clause, Shoddy Battle prohibited
Prize: Glaceon
Prize Condition: defeat at least one other Gym with the same team
Record: Hatchet Man (0), Echoes (1*), Wiseblade (1*)​

= FIGHTING GYM =

Leader: Mush

Shoddy Battle Username: Mush_nz
Availability: Fri-Sunday (UTC+12) or by prior arrangement. In other words, PM me.
Rules: Single Battle only, Evasion Clause, OHKO Clause, Sleep Clause, Shoddy Battle ONLY
Prize: IOU (Seriously)​

= GROUND GYM =

Friend Code: 4984-7134-0994 (SoulSilver)
Availability: Differs each week because of my job. PM me if you wanna play.
Rules: Evasion Clause, OHKO Clause, Sleep Clause, Item Clause, Shoddy Battle prohibited
Prize: Spiritomb w/any item of your choice
Prize Condition: defeat at least one other Gym with the same team
Grand Prize: Phione
Grand Prize Condition: defeat all the other Gyms with the same team
Record: Sixfortyfive (1*), Hatchet Man (0)​

= FLYING GYM =

My team has conquered gravity! Do you really think you stand a chance?

Friend Code: 0560-9071-3586 (SoulSilver)
Availability: 9 PM to 2 AM Eastern
Rules: Evasion Clause, OHKO Clause, Sleep Clause, Shoddy Battle Prohibited
Prize: Brave Bird + Whirlwind Male Skarmory
Record: Hatchet Man (0), Sixfortyfive (0)​

= PSYCHIC GYM =

Leader: MemoirsofMimi

Friend Code: N/A (I'll have to find this)
Availability: Friday to Saturday is best, but I'm also available on weekdays.
Rules: Double Battle only, Evasion Clause, OHKO Clause, Sleep Clause
Prize: TBD
Record: Hatchet Man (0)​

= DARK GYM =

Friend Code: 5156-4291-4002 (HeartGold)
Availability: Pretty much all the time . Send me a pm and I'll hopefully be there. I live in Europe UTC+2.
Rules: Single Battle, Evasion Clause, OHKO Clause, Sleep Clause, Shoddy Battle Prohibited
Prize: Secret...
Prize Condition: Beat me and 5 other gym leaders, and then face me again in a double battle.
Record: Hatchet Man (0), Sixfortyfive (0)​

= STEEL GYM =

Leader: Razer Reds

Friend Code: 5199-4615-2065 (HeartGold)
Availability: Evenings, but PM me to see if I'm available any sooner in the day.
Rules: Evasion Clause, OHKO Clause, Sleep Clause, Item Clause, Shoddy Battle prohibited
Prize: Lucky Egg
Prize Condition: Just defeat me.
Record: Hatchet Man (0)​

The number in the record stats is the number of wins the Leader earned against the given Challenger before the Challenger earned that gym's badge. An asterisk denotes that the Challenger has yet to defeat that gym.

CLAIMED TYPES

The following types have been claimed by forumers already. Once their teams are trained and ready for competition and their gym rules are decided, they become Leaders. You may not claim an additional type until your first gym team is already completed and battle ready.

Electric: cory
Grass: Jokey665
Ghost: Reticent Rhino
Dragon: Kyzer​

Not yet claimed: Poison, Bug, Rock

CHALLENGER PROFILES

To enter the challenge, post your team and friend code. Inform us if you decide to use a new team partway through the challenge.

Sixfortyfive
Friend Code: 2750-6983-3519 (Platinum)
Team: Absol, Gallade, Jolteon, Milotic, Mismagius, Torterra
Gyms Defeated (3): Normal (1), Water (1*), Ground (1*), Flying (1), Dark (1)​

Hatchet Man
Friend Code: 0216-6673-7623 (Platinum)
Team: Machamp, Tyranitar, Flygon, Scizor, Mamoswine, Rotom
Gyms Defeated (6): Ice (1), Ground (1), Flying (1), Psychic (1), Dark (1), Steel (1)​

Echoes
Friend Code: ?????
Team: Zapdos, Metagross, Aerodactyl, Salamence, Magnezone, Snorlax
Gyms Defeated (0): Ice (1*)​

Wiseblade
Friend Code: 4855-6559-9196 (Platinum)
Team: Jolteon, Heracross, Gengar, Tyranitar, Empoleon, Gliscor
Gyms Defeated (0): Ice (1*)​

The numbers in the record stats represents the number of attempts made before that gym's badge was earned. An asterisk denotes a gym that the Challenger has yet to defeat.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

More info and records will be added to this post as needed. Report the results of all of your league matches to the thread as you complete them, win or lose. I'll try to keep a running tally of match results so that participants can compare their performance to other Leaders or Challengers. There's no reward for coming out on top, but a little friendly competition never hurt anyone.

 

[Sixfortyfive]

COMPETITIVE POKEMON PRIMER

Before starting: Complete the main quest first. Manipulating the finer aspects of breeding is difficult until you've obtained certain items, many of which cannot be obtained until you at least have access to the Battle Frontier. Also, I'd think twice about blindly seeking out and capturing legendaries without any prep work if you actually want to use them to their fullest potential.

NATURES

Each Pokemon can have one of 25 different natures. Twenty of these natures raise a Pokemon's stats by 10% in one category while lowering another stat by 10%. Natures are set in stone after either encountering the Pokemon in the wild or after receiving its egg, and they can't be changed for that Pokemon later. Natures are one of the most important characteristics in competitive battling and also relatively quick and easy to manipulate, so you should make sure to get a beneficial nature for all of your competitive Pokemon.

Generally, you should obtain natures that boost one of your Pokemon's higher (and more important) stats while lowering one of their lower (and less important) stats. I'm not going to say that there are never any exceptions you should make, but that's more or less the rule of thumb. A complete list of natures and their effect can be found here. Sweepers typically need a boost in speed or their main attack stat. Walls want high HP and defenses. Usually, you should lower the attack stat that won't be used for that Pokemon, or one of the defenses if it's a mixed sweeper.

You can manipulate the natures of wild Pokemon encounters by using Pokemon with the Synchronize ability. If a synchronizer is the first member of your party, then most wild Pokemon you encounter will have a 50% chance of having the same nature as your synchronizer. This works even if your synchronizer is fainted and never actually enters the battle with the wild Pokemon itself. This is the best way to influence the nature of legendary Pokemon and other Pokemon that cannot be obtained through breeding. Be aware that while synchronizing works for "stationary" legendaries, it does not work for "roaming" legendaries. Roamers are Pokemon that run away to random areas of the map after you encounter them (Entei, Raikou, etc). Their stats are set in stone the moment they are initially released and are not influenced by synchronizers.

You can manipulate the natures of bred Pokemon by using an Everstone. If the mother (or a Ditto) is holding an Everstone while in the daycare, then its offspring will have a 50% chance of inheriting its nature. Therefore, the easiest way to influence natures while breeding is to catch or trade for an assortment of Dittos with commonly-used natures.

EFFORT VALUES (EVs)

EVs are arguably the most-important aspect of fine-tuning your competitive Pokemon's stats. They are easy to manipulate (no random chance involved), but they take more work to optimize. The very general, overly-simplified idea behind EVs is: If your Pokemon defeats lots of other Pokemon with high base speed (or atk, or def), then its own speed (or atk, or def) stat will grow at a faster rate than normal, eventually reaching a higher level than it would otherwise be able to obtain. If a stat's EVs are maxed out, it results in 63 extra points for that stat at lv100, a significant increase.

Each Pokemon can earn up to a maximum of 510 total EVs, and up to 255 EVs in any one stat. 4 EVs = 1 extra stat point (at lv100). The stat increase from EVs is recalculated each time your Pokemon levels up, so if you catch a wild Pokemon at level 50, fully EV train it, then level it up to 51, you should notice a pretty drastic increase in its stats. It doesn't matter whether you earn all of your EVs at very low levels or very high levels; you won't get any kind of bonus either way.

Vitamins (HP Up, Carbos, etc.) give 10 EVs in their corresponding stat, but they won't do anything after your Pokemon already has 100 EVs in that stat. You have to get the rest of the EVs from battling if you want to go over 100.

Every Pokemon you encounter in the quest, whether in the wild or in NPC trainer battles, gives out a set number of EVs in one or more stats. Every Magikarp you defeat gives out 1 speed EV, every Tentacool gives 1 SpDef EV, every Ghastly gives 1 SpAtk EV, and so forth. Sites like Serebii generally include this sort of information in each species' Pokedex entry.

Your Pokemon will receive these EVs after the battle as long as it receives experience points, which means that it will get the EVs if it either battles the enemy Pokemon itself or if it is simply holding an Exp Share. Unlike exp points, EVs are not divided among multiple party Pokemon. If you have an Exp Share on all 6 of your party members and you defeat a single wild Magikarp, all of your party members will receive 1 speed EV even if they didn't participate in the battle. This is useful when training low-level Pokemon.

You can give your Pokemon a Power Item to earn more EVs after each battle. If a Pokemon is holding a Power Weight, for example, it will gain an additional 4 EVs in its HP stat for every Pokemon it defeats. A Magikarp would give 1 speed EV and 4 HP EVs in this case. A Bidoof would give 5 HP EVs instead of just 1. These extra EVs from the Power Items cannot be shared among party members though. If your lead Pokemon has a Power Weight and your second Pokemon has an Exp Share, and you defeat a Magikarp with the lead Pokemon, your lead will get 4 HP and 1 speed but your second will only get 1 speed. There are 6 different Power Items, each of them corresponding to a different stat.

Any Pokemon with the Pokerus virus will receive double EVs. Pokerus is a special condition that has a small chance of occurring at any point in the game, and the Pokemon Center attendant will notify you the first time one of your party members is inflicted with it. The Pokerus bonus applies to all EVs earned except for vitamins. If a Pokerus-inflicted Pokemon defeats a Magikarp, it will receive 2 speed EVs instead of 1. If it defeats a Magikarp while holding a Power Weight, it will receive 2 speed EVs and 8 HP EVs. When you check this Pokemon's status, you should notice a purple PKRS mark, which indicates that this Pokemon has Pokerus and is capable of spreading it to other party members. To spread Pokerus to other party members, initiate a few random encounters or trainer battles, and the Pokemon positioned next to it in your party should eventually catch it. Pokemon eventually lose the ability to spread Pokerus to other party members, at which point the PKRS mark will be replaced by a smiley face. These Pokemon will still receive the double EV bonus; they simply can't spread the condition to other Pokemon. To prevent the loss of this ability, keep at least one PKRS-active Pokemon in your PC storage at all times. As long as this Pokemon is in storage when the date rolls over at midnight, it cannot lose this ability.

So then. If you wanted to max out your speed EVs on your newly hatched team member, the simplest course of action would be: give it 10 Carbos (10 speed EVs each), give it Pokerus, make it hold a Power Anklet, and have it fight 16 Magikarp (10 speed EVs each).

If you want to make sure that you encounter Pokemon that give your the EVs in the stats you're looking for, check the list below for areas and NPC trainers of interest.

Diamond / Pearl / Platinum EV Hotspots:

HP: Tuber Jared, Route 213 - Shellos(1)/Gastrodon(2)
Atk: Swimmer Sheltin, Route 213 - Gyarados (2)
Def: Ruin Maniac's Cave - wild Geodude(1)/Hippopotas(1)
SpAtk: Old Chateau - wild Gastly(1)/Haunter(2)/Gengar(3)
SpDef: surf anywhere - wild Tentacool(1)/Tentacruel(2)
Speed: Fisherman Andrew, Route 205 - Magikarp (1)

HeartGold / SoulSilver EV Hotspots:

HP: Surf @ Cliff's Edge Gate -Wooper (1) / Quagsire (2)
Atk: Surf @ Mt. Mortar - Goldeen (1) / Seaking (2)
Def: Route 2 - Tangela* (1)
SpAtk: Surf @ Route 35 - Psyduck (1) / Golduck (2)
SpDef: Surf @ Routes 40 / 41 - Tentacool (1) / Tentacruel (2) / Mantine (2)**
Speed: Surf @ Routes 43 / 45 / Blackthorn City - Magikarp (1)

**Mantine can only be found on Route 41, as a HeartGold exclusive.

If you screw up your EV distribution, lose count, or want to redo your Pokemon's EVs from scratch, you'll have to use special EV-reducing berries. There are 6 berries that reduce your Pokemon's EVs, each of them corresponding to a different stat, sort of like anti-vitamins. These berries will reduce EVs by 10, but if you have more than 110 EVs the first berry will reduce this stat to 100, meaning that it will take 11 total berries to make sure that this stat has been reduced to zero.

Optimal EV spreads can vary a lot from Pokemon to Pokemon and even for two Pokemon of the same species depending on what kind of role yours is supposed to play on its team. If you have absolutely no idea how you should distribute EVs for your Pokemon, check Smogon for suggestions or simply max out what you perceive to be the 2 most important stats for your Pokemon.

INDIVIDUAL VALUES (IVs)

IVs are more straightforward than EVs, and there is no "training" involved. They're static, and they're set in place the moment the Pokemon is caught or bred. They're also really fucking random and by far the hardest stat factor to manipulate. Each Pokemon has an assigned IV for each of its 6 stats, and these IVs range from 0 to 31. A Pokemon with a 31 speed IV will have an extra 31 stat points in speed at level 100 than it would if it had a speed IV of 0.

The only way to influence IVs is through breeding. Pokemon hatchlings tend to inherit about half of their IVs from their parents, so parents with high IVs have a greater chance of producing eggs with high IVs. If a parent is holding a Power Item while it's in the daycare, then it is guaranteed to pass down that specific IV to its offspring. So, if your Pokemon father has a 31 speed IV and is holding a Power Anklet, then its offspring will have a 31 in speed as well. (This only applies to HGSS. This effect of Power Items does not exist in DPPt.)

Since obtaining 31s in every stat is close to impossible via random chance, every Pokemon trainer has their own cutoff point for what they consider to be "good enough." Personally, I'd say anything above 16 in important stats are acceptable except for speed, which should typically be 22 or greater unless that particular Pokemon is slow and doesn't really benefit from attacking first in a turn anyway. (More detail on why 22 is the magic number later.)

The strength and typing of the attack Hidden Power is dependent on that Pokemon's IVs. Do yourself a favor and just ignore any strategy moveset that relies on Hidden Power. It's not worth it.

Check the links below for calculators that can help you determine your IVs.

BREEDING TIPS

I'm just going to link Smogon's breeding tips for more info since I'm running out of space for this post.

TEAMBUILDING POINTERS

If you're absolutely clueless when it comes to coming up with team ideas, you can try out these links:
Smogon Pokedex - example movesets and strategies
Shoddy Battle Statistics - info on what Pokemon, moves, items, etc. are currently the most popular in the competitive scene

General tips:

You have 6 party slots, and you should try to specialize each team member to the point where everybody can play to their individual strengths as well as serve a clear purpose on your team (lead, sweeper, wall, status spreader, status absorber, revenge killer, physical/special coverage, type coverage, etc). Some Pokemon are capable of filling multiple roles; others are much less versatile but still useful for niches. Do not spend too much effort in an attempt to compensate for a Pokemon's weak areas. Your Gengar will never be able to take a powerful hit, and it will never be able to deal any respectable physical damage, so don't give it a nature or EV spread that attempts to boost HP/Atk/Def/SpDef (outside of really specialized stuff like, say, Substitute magic numbers or what have you). You will generally reap more benefits by pouring those resources into the areas that make him attractive in the first place: SpAtk/Speed. Just make sure you have one or more teammates that would be able to handle enemy Pokemon that Gengar would have trouble with.

You can throw six strong OU Pokemon together with little thought and probably get decent results, but it would be best to construct your team so that you have some kind of overarching strategy and a few different lines of attack. Try picking out 2 or 3 Pokemon you really like or have some clear plans for, learn what these Pokemon suck against, and use the remaining slots on your team to cover those weaknesses and add needed support. This is how I would probably build my teams if I didn't waste all of my Pokeknowledge on gimmick strategies.

Familiarize yourself with entry hazards (Stealth Rock, Toxic Spikes, Spikes, Rapid Spin). If you really want to maximize your shot at winning, one of your team members should have the move Stealth Rock. It's a broken move that cripples so many cool Pokemon and I hate it, but there you go.

You should have at least a few priority attacks (e.g. ExtremeSpeed, Pursuit, Fake Out, and others) dispersed among your team. They allow slower Pokemon to move first, and they can bypass speed drops. Exhibit A on why you should be familiar with these.

There are really too many other types of important moves to cover here, so I'll just suggest that you check some of the links at the bottom instead.

For you OCD types: If there is any one stat you should be picky about, it's speed. Normally, a difference in stats by 1 or 2 or 10 points isn't that much. The game's damage formula includes a little bit of variance, so attacks will rarely do the same amount of damage every time, and there's not a substantial difference in an attack that does 60% damage versus an attack that does 70% damage; it would take 2 hits to KO the opposing Pokemon with either move anyway. However, if Pokemon A has 300 speed and Pokemon B has 301 speed, then B will move before A on every turn, and there are usually pretty significant advantages in being able to move first. Remember how I was really specific in saying that you should probably want a speed IV of 22 or higher when possible? That's because (and I'm glossing over a lot of details here) a Pokemon with 22 speed can almost always outspeed Pokemon with lower base speed stats, even if their IV is 31. This assumes that natures, EVs, and any stat boosts are the same for both Pokemon involved, and that both Pokemon's base speed stat is a multiple of 5 (often but not always the case). I can explain the math, or you can just check Smogon. None of this really applies a great deal to tanks or slower Pokemon in general; they're supposed to be able to sit around and take some hits anyway.

It can occasionally be worthwhile to aim for really specific HP stats, such as 404 HP for Pokemon with the move Substitute. (Substitutes with 101 HP or more cannot be broken by a single Seismic Toss.) There are also things like Leftovers magic numbers to maximize the health recovered at the end of each turn. This is getting REALLY OCD though. There are only a handful of Pokemon and movesets that significantly benefit from being this anal about it. You can get a lot of mileage out of your 'mons even if you ignore IVs and just pump 255 EVs into the two most important stats.

HOLD ITEMS

Brief descriptions of most of the popular/useful items to use in link battles:

Leftovers - Restores 1/16th of the Pokemon's max HP after each turn. Absolutely vital for defensive Pokemon that need to hang around for several turns and pretty much the first option to consider when no other options stand out. It's hard to go wrong with Leftovers, though frail Pokemon who aren't likely to last more than a few turns probably won't benefit from it as much.

Black Sludge - On a Poison type, this item functions the same as Leftovers does. On any other type, it drains 1/8th HP from the user. This has two advantages. The first is that it's an easy way to get around Item Clause for Leftovers in games that enforce it. The second is that any opponent who steals this item via the move Trick will be damaged instead of healed unless it is also a Poison type.

Focus Sash - If this Pokemon is at full health, then any attack that would normally KO it would leave it with 1 HP instead (one-time use). This acts as insurance for very frail Pokemon when you really want to make sure that they can take at least one powerful hit. It's still possible to be KO'ed in one turn from residual damage, though. If there is a sandstorm in play, then the opponent's attack could drop you down to 1 HP, and then the sandstorm damage would KO you.

Life Orb - All attacking moves do an extra 30% damage, but your Pokemon loses 10% of its HP each time it performs such a move. A no-brainer item for several heavy hitters that need to wreck the opponent right out of the gate, and the boost stacks with other attack increases as well (Dragon Dance, Swords Dance, Nasty Plot, etc). The advantages typically outweigh the 10% recoil damage.

Choice Scarf/Band/Specs - Raises the holder's Speed/Atk/SpAtk, respectively, by one stage (50%). However, the holder will be locked into using the same move until it switches out. These give the greatest immediate stat boost out of any of the hold items, but you really have to be skilled at prediction to utilize them well. If your opponent figures out that you're holding a choice item, then he will have a prime opportunity to switch out to another Pokemon that resists your choiced Pokemon's attack, so you have to make that first attack count.

Expert Belt - All supereffective attacks deal 20% extra damage. This is useful when you don't want the recoil induced by Life Orb or the attack restrictions induced by the Choice Items and when the Pokemon in question has powerful attacks of several different types to ensure that most of your hits will indeed be supereffective.

Toxic Orb, Flame Orb - Inflicts toxic poison or a burn on the holder, respectively. Some Pokemon actually benefit greatly from these status conditions, such as those with the abilities Poison Heal or Guts. The effect doesn't activate until the end of the first turn that the Pokemon is in play, so you can also Trick it onto the opponent before it activates.

Lum Berry - Cures status problems (one-time use). Don't like the confusion that results from Outrage? Need to REALLY make sure that you aren't paralyzed or put to sleep right off the bat? This one's for you.

White Herb - Restores stat drops (one-time use). Hard to justify over some other items, but if you want to use two full-powered Draco Meteors in a row or whatever, this is how you'd do that.

"Pinch" Berries - Various berries that raise corresponding stats by one stage (50%) once that Pokemon falls under 25% HP (one-time use). Can be a little tricky to utilize (making sure that you drop below 25% HP without being KO'ed), but an unexpected and spontaneous speed boost can be clutch in the right situations.

"Resistance" Berries - Various berries that cut the damage received from supereffective attacks in half (one-time use). If you absolutely need to make sure that your Rock type survives more than 1 Close Combat or that your Dragon type survives more than 1 Ice Beam, these can be useful.

Light Clay - Makes the moves Reflect and Light Screen last 8 turns instead of 5. Great for Pokemon who use these moves as a means of boosting the defenses of their teammates.

Damp Rock, Heat Rock, Icy Rock, Smooth Rock - Makes the corresponding weather effect last 8 turns instead of 5. Marginally useful for Rain Dance / Sunny Day teams. Not very useful for sand/hail teams (just use Tyranitar, Hippowdon, or Abomasnow instead).

Big Root - Increases the amount of HP stolen through HP-draining moves as well as Ingrain and Aqua Ring. Useful for any Pokemon using these moves as a cornerstone of their strategy.

Iron Ball - Cut's the Pokemon's speed in half in addition to removing the resistances associated with Flying types and the ability Levitate. Very useful for Pokemon who actually want slow speed (Gyro Ball, Trick Room), and you can Trick the item onto the opponent if you want.

WHERE TO GO FROM HERE

You need battle experience if you ever expect to improve. There are about 500 Pokemon species, just as many moves, dozens of items, and an endless number of combinations. No amount of prep time and research can prepare you for all of it. If you want to experiment in compeitive battling without going through the grind required to raise your own teams, try out Shoddy Battle for human competition or the in-game Battle Factory for actually decent CPU competition.

Links:

Smogon - The first stop for competitive Pokemon.
* Strategy Pokedex - Example movesets/strategy for every Pokemon.
* Guides and Reference Lists - More detail on competitive game aspects.
* In-Game Training Articles - More detail on EV training, breeding, RNG manipulation, and other things specific to the full game.

MetalKid's IV Calculator - Other useful calculators can be found on his site as well.
Serebii - Comprehensive general fansite. Lots more detail on things not strictly related to the competitive aspect.
Bulbapedia - Pokemon wiki.

645'S TRADING POST

Platinum FC: 2750-6983-3519

I have pretty much every in-game item and utility Pokemon that I could ever need. That means that I'm willing to give away just about anything you can think of for little to nothing in return, including but not limited to:

- Syncronizers of any nature.
- Specialized trapper/catcher Pokemon. Roaming legendaries got you down? I can help.
- High-IV Dittos of any nature. Reduce the frustration onset by breeding tenfold!
- Power Items and Pokerus-infected critters. Don't even attempt to EV train without them.
- A few legendary Pokemon that I'm honestly just willing to throw away to increase available box space. Nothing really rare though.
- Pretty much any item you can think of. Don't nag me for stuff that's easily available, but if you don't feel like grinding for BP at the Frontier for rare stuff then yeah I can help.

 

[Balb]

I'm in. It'll be hard to compete with the people who use AR though.

 

[BurritoBushido]

I'm in. It'll be hard to compete with the people who use AR though.

yeah seriously, I hate that shit, but theres nothing you can really do about it

 

[Sixfortyfive]

If you want to check and see if your opponent is hacking, make sure to save and upload a video of the battle with the game's Battle Recorder. If there's a problem with the opponent's Pokemon, it will say so and the video will not be uploaded.

This doesn't catch all kinds of hacks (not even close), but it does catch illegal EV spreads.

 

[Hex]

Fantastic thread.
I am still really new to the whole thing (Platinum is my first and I am five badges in) I really do want to get to the Tourney level.

 

[Drkirby]

I'll give it a try, while I more or less am going to have to start fresh, since I have nothing worthy of bringing over from Diamond, and never had a Gen 3 game. All my good pokemon are still in Gen 2.

 

[Magni]

I'm in. It'll be hard to compete with the people who use AR though.

Coming from the Halo thread, I read that as people who use the Assault Rifle :lol

I don't think I'll have time to get a team ready for the tourney, I'm really busy right now, but if there's ever a second edition I'll do everything I can to participate

 

[upandaway]

As I thought, can't roll with this one either. Here's another person to have in mind when you consider putting a second tournament in July/August.

 

[Wiseblade]

I'm definitely up for this.

 

[DarthButcher]

In like Flint.

 

[Sixfortyfive]

Just noticed that the OP should probably have some IV/stat calculator links. Will get around to updating that and the participant list later this evening.

 

[Drkirby]

Just noticed that the OP should probably have some IV/stat calculator links. Will get around to updating that and the participant list later this evening.

If you have 2 DSes and a copy of D/P/Pl, could just chalange your self to a Level 100 Wifi battle and compare those stats to base?

Also, any link with more information on how inherting moves works?

 

[Sixfortyfive]

The sites in the OP probably have some pages on how egg moves work. Points of interest that I can recall off the top of my head:

- Only males can pass down moves to their offspring. I try to make most of my competitive Pokemon male for this reason, as it makes do-overs easier and I don't have to spend as much money or BP on rare TMs.
- I think all TM moves can be passed down via breeding as long as the offspring can learn that particular move. This applies even when the father didn't necessarily learn that move from a TM. (I remember being kind of surprised when my male Roselia passed down Toxic to my Blissey, as Roselia learned Toxic from level-up and that move wasn't listed as an Egg Move for Blissey in any Pokedex I was referencing at the time.)
- Smeargle is hella useful for passing down moves. I know there's a page on Smogon in their In-Game section that goes into detail for why this is.

 

[Wiseblade]

The sites in the OP probably have some pages on how egg moves work. Points of interest that I can recall off the top of my head:

- Only males can pass down moves to their offspring. I try to make most of my competitive Pokemon male for this reason, as it makes do-overs easier and I don't have to spend as much money or BP on rare TMs.
- I think all TM moves can be passed down via breeding as long as the offspring can learn that particular move. This applies even when the father didn't necessarily learn that move from a TM. (I remember being kind of surprised when my male Roselia passed down Toxic to my Blissey, as Roselia learned Toxic from level-up and that move wasn't listed as an Egg Move for Blissey in any Pokedex I was referencing at the time.)
- Smeargle is hella useful for passing down moves. I know there's a page on Smogon in their In-Game section that goes into detail for why this is.

Yeah, TMs are generally implied as also being egg moves in most online pokedexes.

 

[EzLink]

Awesome thread. Not sure if I'm in for the tournament yet, I'll have to see how much progress I make within the next month

Regardless, I'm sure this thread will be very useful for any and all competitive discussion which is great

 

[Jokey665]

I'll play, I guess. All my "competitively trained" pokemon are pretty bad and most of them are UU or NU, but we'll see how it goes.

We can change our team between each match? I'll probably be using completely different teams every single game, then.

Would it be possible to get a PM like the day before this happens or something so I don't forget? >_>

 

[Delio]

Totally awesome. I'm in but yeah most of my pokes are UU and the few OUs i have are spread between games heh. But either way i am in.

 

[Little Green Yoda]

I should be able to whip up a team in a month or so. Never battled against GAFers so this should be fun.

 

[Sixfortyfive]

Updated the OP with the list of people who have expressed interest in the tournament so far. Make sure that your name is up there, and that I receive your game version and friend code before the tournament starts.

Would it be possible to get a PM like the day before this happens or something so I don't forget? >_>

Yeah, I'll probably send something out a day or two in advance.

 

[OMG Aero]

Do we have to decide which version we'll be using now? My team on Platinum is good enough to be entered in the tournament but I'd like to see where I'm at on SoulSilver when the tournament gets close.

 

[Sixfortyfive]

Do we have to decide which version we'll be using now? My team on Platinum is good enough to be entered in the tournament but I'd like to see where I'm at on SoulSilver when the tournament gets close.

Nah, and it doesn't matter if you switch versions mid-tournament either. Just make sure the one listed in the OP is up to date and PM me if need be.

The reason why I want to include this information is because some gameplay elements are different depending on what version is used. Hypnosis is more accurate in Diamond/Pearl and there are no weather-related bugs in those two versions either.

 

[Jokey665]

Make sure that I receive your game version and friend code before the tournament starts.

Pearl, 5026-1324-9405

 

[EvilMario]

Although it will be a non-issue, I don't believe the Wormadam forms warrant invoking the species clause any more than using two forms of Eevee would. They have different stat distribution, and different typing.

Rotom on the other hand is a better example. His forms (aside from the original) have the exact same stats and typing, thereby making them essentially the same Pokemon. And of course, using something like two Salamence would break the clause.

I do support Species Clause, just not for poor pathetic Wormadam forms. :lol

 

[Hatchet Man]

This should be fun PM sent.

 

[Jokey665]

- Syncronizers of any nature.
- Specialized trapper/catcher Pokemon. Roaming legendaries got you down? I can help.
- Pretty much any item you can think of. Don't nag me for stuff that's easily available, but if you don't feel like grinding for BP at the Frontier for rare stuff then yeah I can help.

Could I get some synchronizers? I don't want to seem greedy but could I get Timid, Jolly, Adamant, Bold, Impish, and Calm? I figure a nice even 6 makes it easy...

Also I need some Life Orbs if you can spare them... I only have two and I have another bunch of movesets planned out that all need one. Maybe just put one on each synchronizer?

Also, I'm curious what your trapper/catcher pokemon is. Mine's an Adamant Smeargle with False Swipe/Spore/Mean Look/Odor Sleuth.

I can understand if you feel like I'm asking for too much, but anything you can help with would be great, even if it's just one of them!

 

[Sixfortyfive]

Also, I'm curious what your trapper/catcher pokemon is. Mine's an Adamant Smeargle with False Swipe/Spore/Mean Look/Odor Sleuth.

Smeargle
Item: Leftovers
Nature: Jolly
Level: 35 (purposely this low so that repels work when searching for Latios/Latias)
EVs: max Speed, balanced defenses
- Mean Look
- Ingrain
- Double Team
- Baton Pass

Breloom
Item: Toxic Orb
Nature: Adamant
Level: 45
EVs: max Atk + Speed
- Swords Dance
- Seed Bomb
- False Swipe
- Spore

I can be on for trades in a little over half an hour. Just have my FC entered and I'll head online.

 

[Jokey665]

Smeargle

Breloom

I can be on for trades in a little over half an hour. Just have my FC entered and I'll head online.

Ah, nice. I just tried to keep it condensed to one pokemon. Also, Breloom is one of my favourites so bonus points, haha! :lol

I've already got your FC entered, so I'll just be waiting online for you, then. You've got my code, right? Is it okay if I just trade junky pokemon?

 

[n3ss]

I am in! SS

 

[Wiseblade]

Sixfourtyfive, do you have a naive syncronizer I could borrow? And an explosion TM if you have one spare please. The'ye impossible to get in EU Platinum. No prizes for guessing what I'm after though.

 

[EvilMario]

Could I get some synchronizers? I don't want to seem greedy but could I get Timid, Jolly, Adamant, Bold, Impish, and Calm? I figure a nice even 6 makes it easy...

Also I need some Life Orbs if you can spare them... I only have two and I have another bunch of movesets planned out that all need one. Maybe just put one on each synchronizer?

Also, I'm curious what your trapper/catcher pokemon is. Mine's an Adamant Smeargle with False Swipe/Spore/Mean Look/Odor Sleuth.

I can understand if you feel like I'm asking for too much, but anything you can help with would be great, even if it's just one of them!

Wobbuffet is a decent trapping Pokemon that can be found early in HGSS. You can trim some health off of the running Pokemon with Counter/Mirror Coat, because you know what moves they'll have. Obviously anything faster that can use Mean Look, Spore (or other sleep move), etc will be handy. Dugtrio is similar to Wobbufet, but is likely to die against something like a Latios.

Smeargle should probably be Jolly, so it can Mean Look before Latias/Latios moves (both are much faster than him.

Just find a Ralts/Abra/Natu and breed the heck out of it. They have the same hatching time for eggs, and you should be able to compile a bunch of natures within an hour, or two of hatching.

Sixfourtyfive, do you have a naive syncronizer I could borrow? And an explosion TM if you have one spare please. The'ye impossible to get in EU Platinum. No prizes for guessing what I'm after though.

What the azelf are you talking about? :lol

 

[Sixfortyfive]

Going to go buy an Explosion TM, then add FCs and get online.

EDIT: Oh wait. Forgot how this one worked. Looks like this will have to wait until later.

 

[Wiseblade]

What the azelf are you talking about? :lol

Nope. You shouldn't have been so heatran with the puns.

 

[Jokey665]

Speaking of Heatran, I've got a really really bad gimmick Heatran that I'll probably bust out during this tournament. Might get a KO off of surprise value, who knows~

 

[Sixfortyfive]

Getting online.

 

[Drkirby]

You know, I am to indecisive, I am just going to randomly generate 15 numbers between 1 and 493, and decided what pokemon I want to use based on the pool of numbers I get.

 

[Jokey665]

You are awesome! Thank you so much! Time to start working on getting pokemon ready hardcore. I've got two dozen or so sets planned out that I need to get done. Here's to another 100+ hours! :lol

 

[Sixfortyfive]

Wiseblade if you're around, I've got a synchronizer. No TM though.

 

[Wiseblade]

Wiseblade if you're around, I've got a synchronizer. No TM though.

Thanks. I can always ask around GameFAQS.

 

[Sixfortyfive]

Motherfuck.

 

[Wiseblade]

The hell?

 

[Sixfortyfive]

I think we were DC'd that one time we tried to battle, too.

Need to check if I put my DS in my router's DMZ, though I'm not sure that helps much for this game.

 

[EvilMario]

Speaking of Heatran, I've got a really really bad gimmick Heatran that I'll probably bust out during this tournament. Might get a KO off of surprise value, who knows~

I sure hope it's not Torment Tran, because it's so very annoying to face. :lol

Nope. You shouldn't have been so heatran with the puns.

Oops, you gengar 'ed me good.

 

[Wiseblade]

I think we were DC'd that one time we tried to battle, too.

Need to check if I put my DS in my router's DMZ, though I'm not sure that helps much for this game.

You're right. Thanks for the Abra!

 

[Sixfortyfive]

Thought about putting some breeding tips in the 2nd post, buuuuut I've hit the character limit. :lol

Going to see if I can trim that down a bit. If not, I'll just start bumping stuff up to the OP.

 

[Jokey665]

I sure hope it's not Torment Tran, because it's so very annoying to face. :lol

Nope... This set is way too bad to be listed on smogon!

 

[Wiseblade]

Nope... This set is way too bad to be listed on smogon!

Now I'm intruiged.
Also, I'm half tempted to rock FEAR in the first round just to see if it still works.

 

[Jokey665]

Now I'm intruiged.
Also, I'm half tempted to rock FEAR in the first round just to see if it still works.

Hope we play, then!
Haha yeah I was thinking about using FEAR myself. I just don't think it will have the same effect though in an all-100 battle. Being level 1 really rubs it in.

 

[Sixfortyfive]

I once had a team that was 5 Explosion users + a FEAR Starly. It worked beautifully. Once.

 

[EvilMario]

Level 1 Clefable with Endeavor in Hail support is arguably better than FEAR, thanks to never even having to attack after Endeavor. :lol

If I participate in this, I probably won't use gimmicks. I may even go full stall, and make people rip their hair out.