[DISCUSSION] Competitive Battling Tips?

[DankDaTank]

So, um.... The newest Pokemon games are coming out soon, and I want to start getting into the competitive scene when they come out. The thing is, I have no idea how to play competitively. Does anyone have any tips for competitive battling for a noob like me?

[modaltas]

do you want to play by smogon rule or vgc rule??? because both ruleset are really different and an adequate playstyle is required to play a certain one.

[ChaseInfinity]

I'm sure someone more qualified than me will come but there are a lot of tutorials on this site to help you get the feel of competitive: http://pokemonforever.com/Forum-Pokemon-...-Tutorials
Also just for the Start try to use some common teams for the meta and learn what's best.
Most importantly just don't feel bad or ashamed when someone gives your criticism on you're team, they're trying to help you become a better battler

[Shayw1]

A lot of guides just show you how to team build like it is the only thing you need to know but I think knowing what to do,when to switch and what predictions to make is as important .so I would suggest practecing on that,maybe with random battles on showdown or with a generic team so you can get started if you dont have a team yet.

[DankDaTank]

(Oct 21, 2016, 06:55 AM)modaltas Wrote: do you want to play by smogon rule or vgc rule??? because both ruleset are really different and an adequate playstyle is required to play a certain one.

What's the difference between each one?

[Marcusube]

Aside from the tutorials that ChaseInfinity and Naitre posted, one very important thing about competitive battling is dedication. You have to be willing to do work and be able to take losing without getting angry about it and beating yourself up. Also try to familiarize yourself with the base stats and movepools of each Pokemon. Just reading Smogon won't do you much good because there are a lot of hidden gems that aren't necessarily common so when you see that Rage Sharpedo, don't laugh because it's just another strategy (oh yes, don't ever use rage Sharpedo despite what @"Squeab" told you)

[Reed]

Use exclusively Rage Sharpedo. @Marcusube is wrong.