Creativity:
finished!
Recently, there seems to be a small but growing problem among battles, and that is a lack of creativity. Some trainers are simply spamming three different attacks every round, which is incredibly boring to ref and/or play against. Furthermore, matches called speed battles are starting to pop up. Speed battles are bland matches that are played simply to earn tokens. These battles take away creativity from ASB and are not tolerated under any conditions.
So, how exactly can you make your matches more creative? Simple: use your imagination! Players need to remember that battling in ASB is a lot more different from battling in the video games. In fact, you should watch a couple of matches from the anime to get ideas.
Use moves in new and interesting ways! For example, moves like Vine Whip and String Shot can be used as a lasso to get out of sticky situations. A powerful Cross Chop can be used to destroy an incoming Rock Slide. Ice Beam can be used to freeze an opponent's leg so that they are rendered immobile. Gust and Whirlwind could blow away "powder" attacks like Stun Spore and Sleep Powder. Roar can be used to block the noise of moves such as Yawn and Perish Song. The sky is the limit! (Once again, though, do not go overboard.)
Arenas also play a major role in matches, whether they are simple or elaborate. Pokemon can use various objects, like trees or boulders, to hide behind. They can intentionally try to ram or push their foe into hazardous objects. A lake or moat could be hit with an Electric-type attack to fry anything in it, or an Ice-type attack to freeze it over. Grassy arenas can be set on fire to send the whole thing a-blaze.
One final note- if there is any dispute when it comes to creativity, the referee's word is usually law. However, if a battler still vehemently disagrees with the ref, he or she should come to #capasb to settle the dispute.