[DISCUSSION] Getting Into Competitive

[GingerxPug]

1. The way I was introduced to the Competitive side of Pokemon was through 3 different ways: Finding Poketubers like TheKingNappy, discovering Pokemon Showdown and joining a league. Nappy was pretty much one of the first Poketubers I've watched, and when he started Wifi battles/UCL (Rip), he got me really into league battling, hence why I'm in PFA and watch UCL and GBA. Also, he introduced me to some more poketubers like Pokeaim and aDrive, who also kinda helped me with learning the game competitively. As for Showdown, I found it from Poketubers, and when I first got my laptop, that's one of the first things I did, play on random and see what would happen. I learned some strats and the meta in certain tiers, which made me create some more creative teams. Lastly, joining the PFA made me learn so much about playing a game and EV spreads. I've learned the potential of certain mons like Diggersby and Krookodile, as well as my playstyle. Also made some great frens but that isn't important now is it ::: )))))))

2. The reason I play Pokemon as a competitive game is for a couple of reasons. First off, I just think it's fun, whether you win or lose More of if you win TBH. Winning just makes you feel good, while losing makes you learn new stuff about certain mons, like how to not underestimate a mon, what moves something can get, what misplays you make, how unlucky you are, etc. Secondly, out of all the games I try to play competitively, Pokemon is where I excel in. Making a prediction is always great, especially if you guess correctly, which can turn a game around. That's pretty much it.

3. If we're talking laddering wise, some of my teambuilding can be odd and can sometimes be easily countered by certain cores or synergy. Also, some predictions that are made don't go as planned, and can easily cost a game. As for league formats, Teambuilding isn't as much of a problem because of certain spreads/roles a mon has on my side that can counter the certain amount of mons the opponent has. Risk vs. Reward has also been something that I can slip up with because of certain mons just countering my whole team and predicting whether or not it'll come in to tank a different hit, pretty much doubting myself and thinking hard on what to do (Which can sometimes just cause me a game easily). RNG can be an issue for both subjects, but more severe for League, since a single paralysis can make or break one out of your 11-15 games in the whole season.

4. lol no

5. Honestly, Showdown makes Pokemon very easy for testing out new mons rather than just breeding constantly. You just type in whatever you want into your neat ol' keyboard and test it out. (Pretty much what Elly said)

6. I'm the guy in the "somewhat" category, rather than being insanely hyped about it. Am I really excited to try out some new stuff? Absolutely. Am I really hyped for the really crazy mons (Xurkitree, Pheromosa, Toxapex, other insane UBs)? Not really, since I don't really know which ones would go up to Ubers and which ones will become the meta of OU. I know I shouldn't be worrying about it too much, but after all, this is all up to Smogon to decide, which is quite some way to go when Pokebank opens up. Also concerned for them in league play, since they'll have lots of potential for doing greater than other mons (MVPs, Sweepers, etc.).