Pokémon Sword and Shield, guide to competitive battles

Page 2: Pokémon Sword and Shield, guide to competitive battles

• Page 1: Pokémon Sword and Shield, the complete guide
• Page 2: Pokémon Sword and Shield, guide to competitive battles
• Page 3: Pokémon Sword and Shield, how to get Lucario
• Page 4: Pokémon Sword and Shield, how to get new camping games
• Page 5: Pokémon Sword and Shield, capture Zacian and Zamazenta
• Page 6: Pokémon Sword and Shield, how the Battle Tower works
• Page 7: Pokémon Sword and Shield, facing the secret final boss
• Page 8: Pokémon Sword and Shield, where to find the different types of Poké Balls
• Page 9: Pokémon Sword and Shield, the solution to Turrfield's riddle
• Page 10: Pokémon Sword and Shield, where to find the evolutionary stones
• Page 11: Pokémon Sword and Shield, the best Pokémon for Dynamax Raids
• Page 12: Pokémon Sword and Shield, where to find Ditto
• Page 13: Pokémon Sword and Shield, where to find Rotom
• Page 14: Pokémon Sword and Shield, get SirFetch'd

The beginning of 2020 for Pokèmon Sword and Shield it means leaving the initial test period and entering the full competitive scenario, which began by greeting the previous year with the list of official rules for the VGC format (which is the one used in The Pokémon Company tournaments). The second competitive season in the Lotte Online of the two new games for Nintendo Switch, the first introducing some of the forms Gigamax in its ecosystem.

There is therefore no better time to start your own path as professional coaches, giving you a small guide aimed at building your dream team with the ability to climb the rankings and, with a bit of luck, also participate in some official events. A goal that doesn't appear that far off, especially when both games provide numerous new tools to speed up the various breeding processes.

Imagine a team

The first thing to do is take some time to research and study which Pokémon will make up the ranks of the 6-member squad, while remembering that format Double (the official one for events) will allow you to select only 4 Pokémon per battle. Of course there are also single competitive fights, but at the moment we will focus only on the economics of pair ones, considering their importance in international tournaments.

Ideally you should have two types of attackers: one special and one physical, that is Pokémon with statistics (innate and built) ideal for moves of one of two types (special attacks are marked by a symbol with circles, while physical attacks by a small "explosion" or "blow" in the icon). It would also not hurt to have at least a Pokémon capable of absorbing blows or in any case that has excellent defensive skills and a good potential in Health Points or HP. Generally this also coincides with gods Pokémon that possess moves capable of annoying the enemy strategy (status changes, stat reduction) or to increase your own (such as Tail Wind, the combination of moves such as Justice or any defensive screens such as Reflection and Screen Light).

At the heart of building a team, having in mind to position these roles is the most important step to outline the shape of the strategy you will want to adopt, then moving on to think about what are called "win conditions", or rather moves or combinations of moves that give you an advantage huge once you are successful. To do this you will need to start from a single Pokémon to consider your ace in the hole. In general, the advice is to experiment and use your preferences, but in case you want to see which are the most popular Pokémon, on the net you will find several tools including Pikalytics, one of the most useful in terms of statistics and VGC.

Once you have chosen your champion, try to find both Pokémon that pair well with its type / moves / role, both others who are able to make up for his weaknesses, also covering any types that are not included in your initial choices. The more attacks you have that can hit the enemy with super effective hits, the more chance you have of victory. Likewise, it's good to understand what your Pokémon's elemental weaknesses are, especially when you find yourself in situations like Gyarados' double weakness in Electro. Generally speaking, in Double battles try never to get into the thorny situation where the two Pokémon you have on the field share an elemental weakness, especially since this would give the opponent a decisive advantage.

Finally, considering that Dynamax and Gigamax represent an essential reality for the new competitive scenario, having one of the Gigamax Pokémon in the team is highly recommended. The list of allowed Pokémon should grow as the seasons progress, but there are some Pokémon like Giga-Snorlax, Giga-Charizard and Giga-Corviknight which have truly exceptional peculiarities, so much that they can be inserted into any team. In case you do not want to find a Gigamax to use, take advantage of the possibility of Dynamax on your team also taking into account the effects of the various elemental attacks. Each of them modifies the opponent's field or stats in certain ways, knowing how to use their effects can really mean the difference between winning and losing. Also, to better deal with them, altered states such as Sleep and Paralysis are a godsend to make your opponent waste the three turns in which the Dynamax is active.

Once you have chosen your team of six Pokémon, it might be a good idea to prepare before proceeding test it in the virtual terrain of Pokémon Showdown, especially when building a team takes a lot of time and resources. From Spada e Scudo you can also try some teams for hire disseminated online by other users simply by entering the associated codes.

Building a competitive Pokémon

What you need to have a good team is basically contained in three factors: a Ditto with at least 5 Stellar stats, Destincomune e Pietrastante. The first, obtainable from the 5-star Raids, is certainly the most difficult part to acquire as new players, so the advice is to keep an eye on the Raids that appear online and to use Desioblocchi on the lairs in which it can appear, among including those near the Pokémon Day Care in the Plain of Bridges.

The reason it needs to have Stellar stats is to guarantee you Pokémon with that factor as well. Have for example 5 parameters to Stellar, of which the excluded is part of the unused statistic of the Pokémon (such as Attack for a special attacker), is considered as a valid result for a Competitive Pokémon. Net of this consideration, it is good to remember that the use of Silver and Gold Caps allows you to bring any statistic you want to Stellar through it the Pro Workout and with the condition of having the chosen trainer at level 100. The wording obtained with this method is Al Top, necessary to distinguish the innate parameters from the acquired ones, especially since the latter cannot pass to the unborn.

To get a Pokémon 5 IV you will have to start using your Star Ditto and assign it Destincomune, an object that allows the unborn child to inherit random parameters from both parents. The more the two have Stellar stats, the more likely they are to pass them on to their children, this means that from time to time you will have to replace the non-Ditto parent with its more performing variants. The process must clearly be repeated until the final result is achieved.

You will also need to pay attention to the moves you want to assign to your Pokémon before proceeding with the production of Eggs. Some of them can only be learned through mating, which means that before moving on to the useful Ditto you will have to make sure to create a specimen that has the desired Egg moves by coupling with other species of Pokémon (belonging to the same egg group, available in special wikis such as Pokémon Central or Serebii .net). Once this is done you will have two alternatives: either you use that Pokémon directly for breeding with Ditto, or you make it mate with your "base copy" in order to pass the egg moves to it without the need for a third unborn child.

From here on, you just need to keep making eggs until you get the desired Pokémon Nature, that is, that factor that raises and lowers two statistics in predetermined pairs. When you get it right, remember to give the Pokémon with the ideal nature it Pietrastante, in order to pass it on surely to all the unborn children. At the end of this round, you should end up with a Pokémon with at least 5 star stats, the correct nature for its function, and the desired egg moves.

When it comes to using a Gigamax instead, the only way to make them competitive is through Pro Training since the unborn will not be able to inherit this characteristic. For this reason we recommend that you keep your Battle Points exactly in cases like these, where you have no choice but to use Mind for Nature and Caps for statistics.

Once you have Pokémon in their basic form at level 1, use the various experience candies to bring them up to level 100 and subject them to various workouts. Naturally learn the moves you need, both with leveling up and with the Raid / MT Discs, and finally go to the Pokémon center at Goalwick station to buy the supplements that raise the evolutionary stats of Pokémon.

Each statistic can have a maximum of 252 points and you can only optimize 2, with 4 points of waste to be assigned elsewhere. Some of the virtual instruments listed in this guide will already provide you with the assignments for Pokémon, however our advice is to experiment and understand what the specific needs of your team are, finding less homogeneous or more versatile distributions. Assigned Tools and Berries to need, you will finally have finished your breeding race and you will be ready to enter the real fights.

In battle

No matter how much effort has been made near the Pokémon Day Care, the real hard part begins when you hit the arenas of the multiplayer stadiums, full of opponents who - like us - try to climb the rankings and reach the top. There are no definitive tips suitable for any situation and that will guarantee you victory, however we want to leave you with some considerations and tips that could help your stay on the playing field.

Take your time: whether it is your turn or during the selection of Pokémon to deploy, don't be afraid to take a few more seconds to think about your moves. Pokémon battles are all about strategy and counter moves, knowing how to predict the opponent's initiatives and striking in unexpected ways. Part of the result is obtained only by fighting and losing, learning from each match any tactics used by the average coaches. Think and then act, think locally about what those who confront you might do and try to gain an advantage as soon as possible.

The first round is decisive: in many cases, especially for teams with particular combinations, being able to take advantage of the first round is essential. Always try to send Pokémon that you think are safe, or that you think may be difficult for your opponent to counter. Use this opportunity to power up, apply state moves, dynamax or attack with one of the strongest moves at your disposal. Clearly, on the other hand, sending Pokémon with moves like Hypnosis, Strike Strike, and Point blank can be one of the ways to destroy the opponent's entire starting strategy. Starting with a good shot right from the first bars of the match is not only statistically significant, but places a considerable psychological pressure on whoever faces you.

Dynamax yes, but with abundance: one of the most valuable tips for this goal is to use the Dynamax function only when you can derive a good benefit from it. Being a single transformation and with three turns of time, it is good to keep it for the moment when its use will mean gaining a clear advantage or taking it away from the enemy one. Do you have two Pokémon that are very strong in attack? Dynadragone could save your life. Do you notice that your opponent uses a lot of altered states? With Dynasaetta you will put an electric field that will make them ineffective. Do you need to power up your Water attacks to secure a KO? Dynaflusso could help you. In short, always keep in mind that these moves not only have good offensive potential.

Change Pokémon often, keep the best ones: Whenever you find yourself at a disadvantage, don't be afraid to withdraw a squad member to replace him. You lose a shift for the change, but at least you won't risk losing a team member who might come in handy at another time. Moves like Volt Invert and Reverse are also useful for leaving the field with a small farewell gift, especially if the user wears tools like Choice Band or Slow Choice. Finally, as a general rule, it's always best to avoid showing your ace up your sleeve when you don't need it. Keep him safe and send him out in the last few rounds or when you are sure you can get a KO