How Powerful is Bluffing in Pokemon?

[Mr.Fuji]

Honestly i think bluffing is the single greatest strategy in pokemon, especially on leads. It can get you an early lead on your opponent if used correctly, and even lategame with things like mix/superachi, it just totally fucks with your opponent's head until it's too late.

 

[thebattleax]

I've seen people randomly Earthquake my Bronzong, hoping it's a heatproof.

I personally use this strategy on my extra bulky ShucaTran. However, when against most opposing Heatran, people just usually hit Earth Power. According to Smogon Shoddy Server Statistics, Choice Scarf is still the most popular item on Heatran, but backfiring doesn't normally happen.

Long story short, bluffing may be a viable strategy on some teams, but I haven't had much luck with it.

 

[Lord Blood]

For some Pokes, Expert Belt could go over Choice Items such as Infernape and Gengar. They still do damage, but the damage change isn't as visible.

 

[Polywrath]

Bluffing works but you should not rely upon it. In the end it is just a way to expand and glorify prediction, which in itself is not always a good strategy.

Againsta good oponent who watches for damage calculations, it will not work at all, infact your opponent will probably use it against you.

Although I must say, Heatproof Bronzong is very useful in certian situations. Although I don think using it is considered bluffing as you are not really doing anything to pretend you have levitate, you are just hoping your opponent assumes that.

 

[Little Green Yoda]

A prime example is Rotom-A. If you send out Rotom-c on a Swampert it will switch to a Grass resist. Using Rotom-c you can force Swampert to switch out without having to carry Leaf Storm because most Rotom-c do. You can keep this bluff going for a while until your opponent gets confident and keeps Swampert in to see through your bluff. Of course, you could get REALLY complicated and play like you DON'T have Leaf Storm and when the Swampert stays in you attack, but I'll try to stay simpler than that (although that is a viable strategy).

My favorite type of bluffing is with Hidden Power - especially with Electrics that have to choose between Ice and Grass. Switching out your HP Grass Electric after Swampert comes in to take a T-bolt can pay huge dividends later in the match (a weakened Swampert later on will not only be more likely to stay in but will be less likely to survive the HP Grass).

 

[Valantaro]

I’ve been running “Bait Tar” (similar to the set posted by twash) and it’s been absolutely outstanding. The amount of surprise kills you can get with this thing is shocking. Crunch / Pursuit / Flamethrower / Suerpower @ Expert Belt catches a lot of people off guard. People expecting Choice Band variants end up suffering pretty badly, for example:

Player A’s Latias used Draco Meteor!
Player B’s Pokemon fainted!
Player B switched in Tyranitar
Player A switched out Latias
Player B’s Tyranitar used Pursuit!

Now, this is a typical scenario that would be pulled off by a Choice Band Tyranitar, and we all know who loves to set up on Choice Band Tyranitar locked into Pursuit, right?

Player A switched in Lucario!
Player A’s Lucario used Swords Dance
Player B’s Tyranitar used Suerpower!

This exact scenario has happened many times from experiance, although other times, it can vary, with sometimes Forretress and Scizor switching in (and getting roasted by Flamethrower). Pursuit + Superpower also is fun to use against Blissey, and can really mess up Stall or defensive teams.

So yeah, sorry for the long rant. Basically, bluffing doesn’t always work, but when it does, it’s absolutely beautiful. Definitely worth the risk in my opinion.

 

[Grimangel]

I’ve been running “Bait Tar” (similar to the set posted by twash) and it’s been absolutely outstanding. The amount of surprise kills you can get with this thing is shocking. Crunch / Pursuit / Flamethrower / Suerpower @ Expert Belt catches a lot of people off guard. People expecting Choice Band variants end up suffering pretty badly, for example:

Player A’s Latias used Draco Meteor!
Player B’s Pokemon fainted!
Player B switched in Tyranitar
Player A switched out Latias
Player B’s Tyranitar used Pursuit!

Now, this is a typical scenario that would be pulled off by a Choice Band Tyranitar, and we all know who loves to set up on Choice Band Tyranitar locked into Pursuit, right?

Player A switched in Lucario!
Player A’s Lucario used Swords Dance
Player B’s Tyranitar used Suerpower!

This exact scenario has happened many times from experiance, although other times, it can vary, with sometimes Forretress and Scizor switching in (and getting roasted by Flamethrower). Pursuit + Superpower also is fun to use against Blissey, and can really mess up Stall or defensive teams.

So yeah, sorry for the long rant. Basically, bluffing doesn’t always work, but when it does, it’s absolutely beautiful. Definitely worth the risk in my opinion.

I actually agree with you on this, i used a latias lead with grass knot. Most people say to me,"since when did latias carry grass knot?" after i used it on swampert. Then they bring in gyara, i use t-bolt.

Bluffing or rather surprising the opponent as how i see it, only works for pokemon with a very diverse movepool. Since most people run standard sets. Deviating from them can score some surprise which in turn will no longer work in the long run once others also use it.

 

[Purple Wobbuffet]

Once I used a CB metagross as a lead and a Celebi as my real Stealth Rocker. It worked so well. Everyone thought it was lead Metagross. Meteor Mash Azelf, EQ other Metagross, blow up on Hippo, etc. Rarely did their lead get entry hazards up. Most Azelf used Taunt on me. The problem was that Roserade existed. That was the only flaw.

 

[thedarklord33]

Honestly i think bluffing is the single greatest strategy in pokemon, especially on leads. It can get you an early lead on your opponent if used correctly, and even lategame with things like mix/superachi, it just totally fucks with your opponent's head until it's too late.

i agree with this. battles have been won off of bluffing, and waiting until the right moment. choice items might be a little risky, but by choosing your moveset right, and waiting for the right moment, bluffing can actually be used as a powerful mind game.

 

[mtr]

Whenever you seek to bluff something, do your research. I mean, make sure that whatever you're bluffing can be an effective lure for its targets, because there's no point in using a purportedly suboptimal set for the sake of it. For example, look at the Zapdos set I list below, a personal favorite that I use on my bulky offense teams. The top switch-in to Zapdos is Latias, who abhors Thunder Wave. With Latias crippled, your Salamence/Kingdra/Infernape can proceed to sweep. The downside is that you may have to be aggressive with predicting the Thunder Wave if you think the opponent is packing heat (meaning that he/she has Draco Meteor). But if you're that concerned about it, you can try using a Specially Defensive Zapdos instead.

Zapdos @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP/222 Def/36 Spd
Bold nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Roost
- Thunder Wave / Discharge
- Thunderbolt / Heat Wave
- Heat Wave / Roar
---

Use one of the two sets of options. I personally use the first. Keep in mind that Discharge doesn't guarantee paralysis.

 

[Despotar]

I always use Iron Plate SD Scizor,
fake Choice Band,
then set up when I can.
works perfectly.

 

[Sheshi]

I tried the muscle band on Scizor on one of my teams. The damage done was insignificant compared to the more standard items that Scizor used. This sort of tactic may work in UU or NU, but I have yet to try.

 

[Aether Nexus]

I think the only bluffing that should be factored into your 'strategy' is as an aspect of luring. Anything else should be saved for times of desperation...sure, bluffing can be handy if you find yourself in a tight situation but when designing your team and playing matches you should be doing everything you can to make sure that you don't need to bluff.

The best bluffs are often the most risky ones (a popular one I see mentioned is switching a non-Scarf Flygon into Latias in an attempt to force her out or doing a similar thing with Heatran vs Heatran); if the opponent doesn't fall for your bluff then you've just lost a valuable member of your team. It doesn't seem too sensible to constantly make moves like that unless you absolutely have to and this is especially true on the ladder where consistency is everything.

I agree on what you said completely. It's pretty much what I would say, but it seems you've covered my thoughts on bluffing in a match. Sure, bluffing is a great thing you can use in a Pokemon battle; you can bluff your opponent and KO one or many of his/her Pokemon, but at the same time your opponent can do the same to you if your bluff doesn't work. In this case, that's happened to me so, so many times.

It usually occurs to me when I'm in a tight squeeze but feel like I can pull off a bluff but then my opponent see's to that bluff and calls against it, and I end losing a valuable member to the team or even lose or will proceed to a loss. I'm a terrible Poker player as well, so I can't really bluff for shit, even at the perfect time with the opportunity on my side.

But out of anything that Lee said in his post, I'd pay attention this line the most:

sure, bluffing can be handy if you find yourself in a tight situation but when designing your team and playing matches you should be doing everything you can to make sure that you don't need to bluff.

Before you even try to bluff out your opponent make sure you have no other options left, hence why you have to use a bluff in order gain back your edge on the match and proceed to try to win or w/e you're planning on to do with that bluff.

~ Aether Nexus

 

[Atticus]

I wouldn't say bluffing is powerful in pokemon, in fact I only ever bluff as a last resort so i don't get swept or simply because I need to, the reason being is a lot of better players tend to asses the situation and make according switches that often involve little risk.

 

[iliketurkeybacon]

Expert Belt is another great item to bluff with. I use it on Weavile and always get easy kills on Steel-types (except Scizor lol) that switch in after I use a STAB move. Bluffing to force switches is great as well- I don't know how many people play UU, but a lot of Pokemon with priority attacks like Azumarill (Aqua Jet) and Toxicroak (Sucker Punch) also make great SubPunchers because they usually can force low-HP opponents out for a free sub, whether they actually have the move or not. Bluffing is also useful in situations where you have the advantage in terms of Pokemon alive, but an opponent has something set up that could possibly sweep your team. For example, if you switch Latias or Rotom-A in on a Gyarados that has one DD, they might assume that you have a Scarf and switch out.

 

[BaldWombat]

Bluffing can be very valuable to winning a match but it is also risky. A lot of bluffs deal with making someone think you have a different moveset/item than what you are running and you are predicting/hoping that they will make the standard play. For instance, I had a battle in a tournement on another site where my opponent was using a hail stall team against my bulky offense team. He had out a Tentacruel and I switched in my SpecsMence. I hoped that we would predict the eq as I knew that my DM wouldn't be enough to OHKO this full health Cruel. Luckily for me he switched instead of using Blizzard and I was able to punch a hole in his stall. If the bluff didn't work I would of more than likely lost the match.

 

[cim]

Bluffing in a game of information and probability managment is of course very powerful. Giving your opponent false information can lead to great results in many situations... though of course, like every cool idea in Pokemon, this shouldn't be done at the expense of other, more important things like damage output, resistances, speed, etc. (e.g. running heatproof zong for the "surprise value" when you have no good EQ switches, muscle band on tyranitar when you actually need CB, etc)

 

[Reverb]

A team based on bluffing is unstable since bluffing will only fool the opponent the first time. Thus, if a player wishes to attain a high rank on a ladder, bluffing will not get them there since their team with undoubtedly be over exposed. However, having bluffing available as a bonus function to a team allows a player to perhaps gain an edge during the match. Item bluffing is perhaps the most common form of bluffing. I feel that only Choice Scarf / Exbert Belt bluffs seem to really fool anyone. As it says in the original post, CB does more than muscle band. In order for an item bluff to work, the difference of items has to be indetectable. If damage calcs are irregular, everyone realizes that something is out of the ordinary. Of course, other types of bluffing can be utilized is desperate situations. If Mixmence is sweeping you and you have a choice of going into your own Salamence, or your Heatran, you may choose the latter because the opportunity for a bluff may give you better winning odds in the end. Ultimately, bluffing should not be the foundation of any team, it is an extra tool a player can use, however, it should never be relied on.

 

[EvilMario]

Bluffing to a Substitute is great. ie; Heatran switches in Pokemon X to revenge kill, Bluffing Scarf. Heatran setups Substitute as Pokemon X switches to Pokemon Y, and Heatran has a huge upperhand.

Coming in as a 'revenge' killer, won't so Leftover recovery, or Life Orb damage.. so it's much easier to pull of. Bluffing into a Substitute is a great way to obtain the upper hand in a match.

 

[Class]

My favorite is EB Infernape with Close Combat, Overheat, U-Turn and Grass Knot/HP Ice.. people ALWAYS think you are scarfed and you usually get a free kill.

 

[AccidentalGreed]

You know, I just pretty much LOVE the fact that Blissey's not afraid of anything. 8D Including my swords dance lucario after momento uxie.

In return for it's (Bold)-ness, it recieves certain death from my lucario instead of thunderwaving it. Most players expect me to Swords Dance on a blissey that can't do anything to a lucario except try to freeze-hax or thunder wave it. Quite frankly, I know that the players here are as smart as I am, so a close combat will finish it off, and then I late sweep. :D Uxie + Lucario is awesome. Too many people expect scarf on a moltres too :P. So on a groudon tam, I used an agility Moltres to switch in on Scizor and agility on the switch. Fire blast wreak havok on other groudon and ANYTHING that doesn't resist fire blast. :D

But on the other hand, I pretty much hated that time where some guy kept using hydro pump on a Starmie, and when gyrados tried to set up, it got zapped. GG.

 

[animenagai]

Bluffing's sweet. It's nice to get a psychological advantage on your opponent. What's important though is that your poke should still be a useful member on your team even if the jig is up, and balancing between the 2 often limits your choices.

 

[Engineer Pikachu]

A lot of people have mentioned bluffing ScarfTran, and just asking, how many of you have bluffed a Scarf switching into a Lucario using Swords Dance? It's really fun. ^_^

 

[Xaqwais]

I have this bad habit of bluffing quite a bit lately. Maybe for the thrill of it.

Generally for myself, I only bluff items on pokemon that only use 1 or 2 different items. Flygon can do well with an Expert Belt or CB as most Flygon's are Scarf, or they were when I last used Flygon, hah.

Same goes with Primeape in NU. I run a CS Set with a CB to get some good kills, as he's fast enough to keep the bluff alive.

 

[frogbandit]

Bluffing is a lot like prediction, it involves a great deal of taking risks, and could potentially be worth it, pushing the match in your favor. A bad bluff (if one might call it that) could also cost you the match.

I personally like bluffing and taking chances, it makes battling much more fun and exciting (but I get mad when i predict wrong too -.-). A few examples are Expert Belt Tyranitar/Latias, things like CB Heracross or anything with a berry, because these don't directly reveal the item you're using (like Life Orb and Leftovers do). Of course, it has to be an unusual set, or your opponent will already expect whats coming.

To answer your question about whether it is worth it in OU/UU, I think it is. But like others have said a bluff set on a pokemon has to fulfill some kind of role other than bluff, because it won't be long before your opponent will figure out the item.