Part 1 Intro + Combo's
I guess this is going to be my attempt at a 'tutorial' for VGC. It obviously won't be perfect since everyone plays the game differently but hopefully I can cover a lot of universal mindsets that top players have. I'll also wack in a resource bin, almost like a references page for school work so everything is all in one place to start using and abusing.
If you're reading this I'm assuming you know what VGC is so I'm not gonna write paragraphs about how its 4v4 double battles. I will however go over your 2 main win cons in the format.
1:This is the most obvious and common way to win, knocking out all the opponents Pokemon.
2: The in game timer running out. Whoever has the higher % of HP for remaining Pokemon will win. Regardless of your personal thoughts on the timer, its a very real threat to you and it should be considered when it starts to run down a bit.
Timer:
My personal thoughts on the timer are irrelevant in the game and so are yours sadly. It exists and we have to deal with it. When I personally start a game, I'm not even looking at it till it gets to about 7 minutes (which may be a flaw) at which point I'll consider if playing for it is worth it. Most of the time I've done this it backfires so I need to get a bit better at timer management. If your opp has no win con other than the timer, its perfectly in their right to go for it. Its frustrating for sure but its a competitive game. Playing the clock exists in almost all sports that utilise a timer so its hardly exclusive to Pokemon. While 15 minutes is a tad too low (imo) we have to deal with it and utilise it when we can.
KOing stuff:
This is the real meat and potatoes of Pokemon and the way you'll win the majority of your games. How you choose to KO the other team is completely up to you, as long as you get it done you'll win.
You can choose to set up and blow them away, you can Perish song them, you can Paraflinch them out, you can use a Kangaskhan. The possibility's are endless. Obviously you cant just throw out a kricketune and expect to ko mons left and right. (Niche mons are something I'll cover later on though.)
In regards to the actual game there are things to remember.
Some being: Momentum, Combo's, Risk management , Resource management, 'Prediction', Defensive options, Offensive options, Game and field evaluation, Team Preview etc etc.
This is a tonne of stuff to keep in mind and it may be pretty overwhelming at first but that's what I'm here for and I'll simplify it as best I can to make it easier to digest. All of this will eventually come from experience with the game but it's nice to have a Helping Hand to start with.
First part I'll cover Combo's since it's super important and all that.
Wombo Combo's:
This is a thing that's obvious to most players but never really talked about. This might be down to the fact that knowledge of combo's come from experience playing a meta game and a team for an extended period of time. Never the less! A lot of players still aren't 100% on what one is to begin with so I'll show one.
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/vgc2016-434072429
Skip forward to turn 2 for this one. Notice how my opponents combo of Fire punch + Volt switch failed to KO my Kangaskhan and as a result my own combo of Grass knot + Return was able to take his Groudon. I was fairly certain Raichu was unable to take out my Kangaskhan and was 100% certain that Grass knot + Return would ko the Groudon. Having this knowledge in my arsenal I was able to 'safely' score a huge knockout early in the game and gain a significant advantage.
That was just one scenario, the beauty of Pokemon is that a combo can be pulled off with almost any combination of Pokemon. A M-Gengar's Sludge Bomb combined with a Kyogre Ice beam will ko most Amoonguss.
Now you don't have to go off and learn banded Kricketune calcs in case it can ko Kang with another Pokemon. Its important to learn all the 'big' Pokemon damage calculation. Or at least have a good damage range estimate in your head. Since that's all combo's are really; damage calcs combined. Learn the big mon calcs on your own team especially. Knowing that a Salamence Double-Edge + Groudon Eruption can KO your Kyogre can be the difference between a win and a loss.
While any Pokemon can pull off a damage combo with another, there are some Pokemon much more commonly involved in them. The main culprit in VGC16 is Salamence-M. Both of its stab attacks will put most common Pokemon in range of another's attack. (likely a Primal) This is due to Salamence's ability to spread damage across the board incredibly quickly and also due to its high speed which makes avoiding damage very tricky. Typically other very fast Pokemon can be good for putting Pokemon in range for other slower partners. Crobat can do this with Super fang and is very common. Weavile's stab attacks are hard to resist and are very strong. Even Greninja can fire off strong Stab attacks and help allies.
Its important to remember that combo's don't just exist on any given turn. A lot of top players will intentionally chip opposing Pokemon's HP for seemingly no reason other than DAMAGE. Its incredibly likely that the player is damaging a Pokemon for later in the game when another Pokemon can come in and clean it up with ease. Try to keep this in mind and don't let your bigger Pokemon get chipped for no reason. An example of this can be seen in the replay I posted above. I could of switched into Groudon on turn 3 or 4 relatively safely. The downside to this is that the Groudon would of taken heavy damage from the Kangaskhan, leaving it in range of a +2 Xerneas and no longer being able to effectively combat it. Thinking ahead is key in VGC and planning an endgame is of utmost importance. The burnt -2 Kangaskhan helplessly smacking away at Groudon might not seem like a big deal, but if it were to drop Groudon to around 60%, a late game Xerneas would easily be able to blow past it. Keep other Pokemon your opponent has in mind when choosing to take damage.
Its also worth noting that especially bulky Pokemon are more prone to being combo'd that others. Notably Kangaskhan Salamence and most restricted Pokemon. Some Pokemon also commonly hold a Focus sash like Gengar. This forces the opponent to combo or dedicate another turn into breaking the sash and koing later on, potentially hindering a game plan. Keep frail Pokemon in mind when launching attacks. You may need to double up on the slot to get the ko. (Sturdy also works like a sash but nothing really gets Sturdy so its very uncommon'
Sorry for the much more boring piece of writing this time but it's hard to be funny/stupid/entertaining when talking about damage calculations. To make up for it have a funny calc from a mon that doesn't need combos and a random sprite.
252 Atk Choice Band Teravolt Zekrom Bolt Strike vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Mega Kangaskhan: 186-219 (102.7 - 120.9%) -- guaranteed OHKO
Hope this helps?
Edit: I forgot the resource bin! http://pastebin.com/PA0pDjxx
-Matt
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/vgc2016-434072429
Skip forward to turn 2 for this one. Notice how my opponents combo of Fire punch + Volt switch failed to KO my Kangaskhan and as a result my own combo of Grass knot + Return was able to take his Groudon. I was fairly certain Raichu was unable to take out my Kangaskhan and was 100% certain that Grass knot + Return would ko the Groudon. Having this knowledge in my arsenal I was able to 'safely' score a huge knockout early in the game and gain a significant advantage.
That was just one scenario, the beauty of Pokemon is that a combo can be pulled off with almost any combination of Pokemon. A M-Gengar's Sludge Bomb combined with a Kyogre Ice beam will ko most Amoonguss.
Now you don't have to go off and learn banded Kricketune calcs in case it can ko Kang with another Pokemon. Its important to learn all the 'big' Pokemon damage calculation. Or at least have a good damage range estimate in your head. Since that's all combo's are really; damage calcs combined. Learn the big mon calcs on your own team especially. Knowing that a Salamence Double-Edge + Groudon Eruption can KO your Kyogre can be the difference between a win and a loss.
While any Pokemon can pull off a damage combo with another, there are some Pokemon much more commonly involved in them. The main culprit in VGC16 is Salamence-M. Both of its stab attacks will put most common Pokemon in range of another's attack. (likely a Primal) This is due to Salamence's ability to spread damage across the board incredibly quickly and also due to its high speed which makes avoiding damage very tricky. Typically other very fast Pokemon can be good for putting Pokemon in range for other slower partners. Crobat can do this with Super fang and is very common. Weavile's stab attacks are hard to resist and are very strong. Even Greninja can fire off strong Stab attacks and help allies.
Its important to remember that combo's don't just exist on any given turn. A lot of top players will intentionally chip opposing Pokemon's HP for seemingly no reason other than DAMAGE. Its incredibly likely that the player is damaging a Pokemon for later in the game when another Pokemon can come in and clean it up with ease. Try to keep this in mind and don't let your bigger Pokemon get chipped for no reason. An example of this can be seen in the replay I posted above. I could of switched into Groudon on turn 3 or 4 relatively safely. The downside to this is that the Groudon would of taken heavy damage from the Kangaskhan, leaving it in range of a +2 Xerneas and no longer being able to effectively combat it. Thinking ahead is key in VGC and planning an endgame is of utmost importance. The burnt -2 Kangaskhan helplessly smacking away at Groudon might not seem like a big deal, but if it were to drop Groudon to around 60%, a late game Xerneas would easily be able to blow past it. Keep other Pokemon your opponent has in mind when choosing to take damage.
Its also worth noting that especially bulky Pokemon are more prone to being combo'd that others. Notably Kangaskhan Salamence and most restricted Pokemon. Some Pokemon also commonly hold a Focus sash like Gengar. This forces the opponent to combo or dedicate another turn into breaking the sash and koing later on, potentially hindering a game plan. Keep frail Pokemon in mind when launching attacks. You may need to double up on the slot to get the ko. (Sturdy also works like a sash but nothing really gets Sturdy so its very uncommon'
Sorry for the much more boring piece of writing this time but it's hard to be funny/stupid/entertaining when talking about damage calculations. To make up for it have a funny calc from a mon that doesn't need combos and a random sprite.
252 Atk Choice Band Teravolt Zekrom Bolt Strike vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Mega Kangaskhan: 186-219 (102.7 - 120.9%) -- guaranteed OHKO
Hope this helps?
Edit: I forgot the resource bin! http://pastebin.com/PA0pDjxx
-Matt
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