One of the most exhilarating storylines is a comeback. A sports team is behind and scores just enough points at the last second. The heroes in a movie find a way to win against all odds. A VGC match where your opponent has the lead but you claw back victory from the jaws of defeat. We can’t save your favorite sports team but we can help you win those close come from behind VGC matches!
Welcome back to VGC 101! The series is specially designed to take you from beginner to competing with and beating the best of the best! I’m SlowHomie and today we are going to talk about Playing from Behind! No matter how good you are at VGC you will find yourself behind in games! Whether you fall behind due to making a wrong move, bad RNG, or just a difficult matchup you’ve got to make a comeback! Being able to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat is a skill that elevates good players into great players and great players into Champions! So today we will help you understand:
How to Know When You’re Behind
This may sound kind of silly, but it’s important to know when you’re behind! It’s not always super obvious, and even when it is obvious it’s important to identify! Why? The main reason is that you should play a bit differently when you are behind vs when you are ahead. When you are ahead you can afford to make safe plays to close out a win. When you are behind you often need to make risky plays or get lucky in order to win. And that is how I would define “Being Behind” in Pokemon. You are behind if you need to make a risky play or get lucky in order to win. Or in other words you are behind if you do not have a “Safe” way to win.
This could be because you are behind in Pokemon count, or because your opponent has set up an advantageous position, or maybe you lost a key Pokemon early. However you get there, you will find yourself behind. If you can properly identify when you are behind you can make a plan to get back into the game. And that’s what this article is here to teach you how to do! So let's talk about how to win when you are behind.
How to Play from Behind and Come Back to Win
When you are behind you need to gain ground. And more importantly you need to gain more ground than your opponent. You can’t make even trades and come out ahead. So how do we get back into the game? There are 3 main ways:
1. Making Reads
This is the preferred option for getting back into the game. That’s because you have some level of control over it. A “Read” is simply when you predict what your opponent is going to do, and then select a play to punish that.
The two main types of reads are:
For example, if your opponent has their Ghost type Basculegion on the field but they are going to switch in Kingambit you can nail the slot with a Close Combat. This is a read because if your opponent doesn’t switch like you expect you are in big trouble. But if you make that call correctly you can gain a massive advantage! The other type of read is:
So if they double attack into one slot and you Protect that slot you get a massive advantage! Or in other words, if they ignore a slot because they expect you to Switch or Protect to avoid a fake out or a KO, you can call that and attack unexpectedly.
These should be your two main tools for getting back in the game. Both of these reads, if correct, can really catch you up fast. But sometimes, you will need a bit more than just 1 or 2 reads. So let’s talk about those situations.
2. Your Opponent Misplaying:
To quote my friend Aldrich: “VGC is a 2 Player Game. Never underestimate your opponent’s ability to throw!” You would be surprised at how often your opponent can and will make awful plays! Especially in a tournament setting where nerves are high and your opponent may be worn out. They could have a 100% winning play but not identify it. They might make a risky play by trying to read you when they don’t need to. They might even just plain misclick. These have all happened to me in Regional tournaments.
Believe it or not, winning from your opponent misplaying is a skill! How so? Well the 1st part of the skill is not forfeiting too soon! Give your opponent every chance to throw the game if there’s any shot they can! The next skill is identifying what you need to happen.
For example you might say: If my opponent splits their damage they will beat me 100% of the time. But if they think they need to double up the slot on the right, I can Protect it and KO one of their mons with the other slot. So you identify the only way for you to win is if they double target the Pokemon in your right slot. What you need to do is Protect that slot and attack with the other slot. If you double attack, you lose no matter what they click. But if you Protect you are giving yourself a chance to win.
So if you are behind and you can’t get back into the game with just a simple read, look for the ways you can win the game. And if that requires your opponent to misplay, you should identify how they could give you the win, and put yourself in the position to take advantage. You just might be surprised with how many wins you can steal this way.
3. Positive RNG
Welcome to the world of Pokemon! Sometimes, you are in a winning position and your Opponent flinches you with Rock Slide 3 times in a row and you lose the game. But sometimes you are the one doing the flinching!
There are many moves in VGC that have secondary effects that can bail you out. A flinch from Rock Slide or Iron Head. A freeze from Ice Beam. An accuracy drop from Muddy Water. A random critical hit. These are all things your Pokemon can do to save you from impending defeat.
And your Opponent's moves can always miss! There are many relevant moves in VGC that can miss such as Rock Slide, Heat Wave, Make it Rain, Hyper Beam, and Draco Meteor. Even though some of these moves may only have a 5 or 10% chance of missing that still is better than nothing! If your opponent needs to connect a move to win you should never forfeit! The RNG will give you many games if you are ready to accept them!
Additionally, you can always skew the odds in your favor by selecting moves with secondary effects, moving first, and making sure you don’t have to rely on inaccurate moves! VGC players will often joke that “Luck is a Skill” but putting yourself in positions to get lucky is a skill so make sure to take full advantage!!
How to Close Out Comebacks
What is “Closing Out a Comeback”? That is making sure that you secure victory and don’t fall behind after you’ve gotten the lead. If you come back on the very last turn and win you don’t have to worry. But sometimes you will fall behind in the early game, come back in the middle of the game, and play the endgame from the lead. We will have a whole article on playing from the lead, but right now what you need to know is that sometimes after making some risky reads you will gain the lead. And once you are there you can switch to safer plays!
Many a player has fumbled a comeback because they kept playing risky after they didn’t have to any more! Making a correct read is exhilarating, but don’t get lost in the rush! After you make a good read make sure to reassess to determine if you can go back to safe plays. If you need more reads, keep going for them. But if you can play safe don’t risk it all!
VGC 101 Comeback Video!
To help illustrate how you can learn to come back from behind we have Toronto Regional Champ and Worlds T16 Cary D’Ortona to talk about it! Check out our weekly video to learn from one of the best!
Homework
Today’s homework is to play 3-5 sets. In at least one of those games you should fall behind at some point. So in that game try to:
Review
In conclusion, every VGC player falls behind at some point. The important thing is what you do when you’ve fallen behind! Coming back from behind is a skill that you can practice — and if you do you will win so many more games!
Welcome back to VGC 101! The series is specially designed to take you from beginner to competing with and beating the best of the best! I’m SlowHomie and today we are going to talk about Playing from Behind! No matter how good you are at VGC you will find yourself behind in games! Whether you fall behind due to making a wrong move, bad RNG, or just a difficult matchup you’ve got to make a comeback! Being able to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat is a skill that elevates good players into great players and great players into Champions! So today we will help you understand:
- How to Know When You’re Behind
- How to Play from Behind and Come Back to Win
- How to Close Out Comebacks
How to Know When You’re Behind
This may sound kind of silly, but it’s important to know when you’re behind! It’s not always super obvious, and even when it is obvious it’s important to identify! Why? The main reason is that you should play a bit differently when you are behind vs when you are ahead. When you are ahead you can afford to make safe plays to close out a win. When you are behind you often need to make risky plays or get lucky in order to win. And that is how I would define “Being Behind” in Pokemon. You are behind if you need to make a risky play or get lucky in order to win. Or in other words you are behind if you do not have a “Safe” way to win.
This could be because you are behind in Pokemon count, or because your opponent has set up an advantageous position, or maybe you lost a key Pokemon early. However you get there, you will find yourself behind. If you can properly identify when you are behind you can make a plan to get back into the game. And that’s what this article is here to teach you how to do! So let's talk about how to win when you are behind.
How to Play from Behind and Come Back to Win
When you are behind you need to gain ground. And more importantly you need to gain more ground than your opponent. You can’t make even trades and come out ahead. So how do we get back into the game? There are 3 main ways:
- Making Reads
- Your Opponent Misplaying
- Getting Positive RNG
1. Making Reads
This is the preferred option for getting back into the game. That’s because you have some level of control over it. A “Read” is simply when you predict what your opponent is going to do, and then select a play to punish that.
The two main types of reads are:
- Predicting an Opponent’s Switch and punishing it with an attack or Switch of your own
For example, if your opponent has their Ghost type Basculegion on the field but they are going to switch in Kingambit you can nail the slot with a Close Combat. This is a read because if your opponent doesn’t switch like you expect you are in big trouble. But if you make that call correctly you can gain a massive advantage! The other type of read is:
- Predicting what slots your Opponent is targeting and punishing that
So if they double attack into one slot and you Protect that slot you get a massive advantage! Or in other words, if they ignore a slot because they expect you to Switch or Protect to avoid a fake out or a KO, you can call that and attack unexpectedly.
These should be your two main tools for getting back in the game. Both of these reads, if correct, can really catch you up fast. But sometimes, you will need a bit more than just 1 or 2 reads. So let’s talk about those situations.
2. Your Opponent Misplaying:
To quote my friend Aldrich: “VGC is a 2 Player Game. Never underestimate your opponent’s ability to throw!” You would be surprised at how often your opponent can and will make awful plays! Especially in a tournament setting where nerves are high and your opponent may be worn out. They could have a 100% winning play but not identify it. They might make a risky play by trying to read you when they don’t need to. They might even just plain misclick. These have all happened to me in Regional tournaments.
Believe it or not, winning from your opponent misplaying is a skill! How so? Well the 1st part of the skill is not forfeiting too soon! Give your opponent every chance to throw the game if there’s any shot they can! The next skill is identifying what you need to happen.
For example you might say: If my opponent splits their damage they will beat me 100% of the time. But if they think they need to double up the slot on the right, I can Protect it and KO one of their mons with the other slot. So you identify the only way for you to win is if they double target the Pokemon in your right slot. What you need to do is Protect that slot and attack with the other slot. If you double attack, you lose no matter what they click. But if you Protect you are giving yourself a chance to win.
So if you are behind and you can’t get back into the game with just a simple read, look for the ways you can win the game. And if that requires your opponent to misplay, you should identify how they could give you the win, and put yourself in the position to take advantage. You just might be surprised with how many wins you can steal this way.
3. Positive RNG
Welcome to the world of Pokemon! Sometimes, you are in a winning position and your Opponent flinches you with Rock Slide 3 times in a row and you lose the game. But sometimes you are the one doing the flinching!
There are many moves in VGC that have secondary effects that can bail you out. A flinch from Rock Slide or Iron Head. A freeze from Ice Beam. An accuracy drop from Muddy Water. A random critical hit. These are all things your Pokemon can do to save you from impending defeat.
And your Opponent's moves can always miss! There are many relevant moves in VGC that can miss such as Rock Slide, Heat Wave, Make it Rain, Hyper Beam, and Draco Meteor. Even though some of these moves may only have a 5 or 10% chance of missing that still is better than nothing! If your opponent needs to connect a move to win you should never forfeit! The RNG will give you many games if you are ready to accept them!
Additionally, you can always skew the odds in your favor by selecting moves with secondary effects, moving first, and making sure you don’t have to rely on inaccurate moves! VGC players will often joke that “Luck is a Skill” but putting yourself in positions to get lucky is a skill so make sure to take full advantage!!
How to Close Out Comebacks
What is “Closing Out a Comeback”? That is making sure that you secure victory and don’t fall behind after you’ve gotten the lead. If you come back on the very last turn and win you don’t have to worry. But sometimes you will fall behind in the early game, come back in the middle of the game, and play the endgame from the lead. We will have a whole article on playing from the lead, but right now what you need to know is that sometimes after making some risky reads you will gain the lead. And once you are there you can switch to safer plays!
Many a player has fumbled a comeback because they kept playing risky after they didn’t have to any more! Making a correct read is exhilarating, but don’t get lost in the rush! After you make a good read make sure to reassess to determine if you can go back to safe plays. If you need more reads, keep going for them. But if you can play safe don’t risk it all!
VGC 101 Comeback Video!
To help illustrate how you can learn to come back from behind we have Toronto Regional Champ and Worlds T16 Cary D’Ortona to talk about it! Check out our weekly video to learn from one of the best!
Homework
Today’s homework is to play 3-5 sets. In at least one of those games you should fall behind at some point. So in that game try to:
- Recognize when you’ve fallen behind
- Make a read to gain ground
- Evaluate if you made the right read at the end of the game. If not then try and find the play that would’ve won you the game!
Review
In conclusion, every VGC player falls behind at some point. The important thing is what you do when you’ve fallen behind! Coming back from behind is a skill that you can practice — and if you do you will win so many more games!
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