Battle Basics

The Opponent
Besides who has the better Pokemon or the better strategy (the technical and practical) there is one more aspect- the psychological. The psychological is all about making predictions and calculating risks in the heat of battle. This part of the guide will help you with understanding your opponent and knowing what to do in certain situations.

Now, I do not care how much your opponent says how he is unpredictable, because all battlers follow some kind of logic. This might be logic based upon incomplete knowledge, professional skills, or maybe even the logic of being random. They still follow a base set of rules- like a machine, and like machines, logic is predictable.

To understand your opponent though, you must first thoroughly analyze him/her. Observe their decisions in battle and compare them with what you would do yourself in that situation. If you know yourself, then you can make an understanding of your opponent. (therefore, some experience is required before you can make accurate decisions) After comparing their tactic with what you would do in the situation you can then proceed to guess what your opponent enjoys doing. It is quite simple really.

Dealing with a logical opponent is not anywhere close to how you should deal with an illogical one. Illogical opponents try to make the most different move as possible in order to keep you clueless and nervous about what to do next. These foes actually use the fact that you are trying to predict them and try to use it against you. DonÕt worry though, as there is an easy way to deal with them.

Probably the only way to deal with these opponents is to create a set goal and to not deviate from it no matter what the given circumstances are. Do not even try to predict- simply follow the given plan that you have and stick with it. This plan almost always works, as the number of moves the opponent can do vastly outnumber what your single strategy has in mind, and so your opponent will almost always choose a poor move rather than doing the single, obvious right one.

- Find out your opponents tendencies by comparing their decision with what you would have done in that situation.

- Deal with illogical opponents by sticking to a set plan in battle.

Taking Risks
A key part in battling is predicting your opponent, and logic is the best way to do that. Thinking in a logical manner in this game can take time though, as experience is needed to know what certain things are capable of in certain situations. However, there are some pretty good rules to follow whenever you are battling.

The best and all encompassing rule is to think of the consequences of your action. You have to weigh the pros and cons. Think about what will happen when your move fails and what will happen when your move succeeds, as well as the chances of those things happening. If a wrong move can lead to a devastating situation, it is wise not to do it- no matter what the chances of it succeeding are! This rule will help you in all battles all the time.

In every team that you have, you should have some synergy. Some Pokemon on the team should have contribute to this synergy, but not all. This is because if you make one mistake, and youÕre put in a bad position, you can sacrifice a Pokemon that does not contribute to the synergy of your team instead of a crucial team member. This Pokemon should be a gimmick, designed to trip your opponent up, causing them to lose the game in the long run.