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Playstyles
- Thread starter LonelyNess
- Start date
Relying on hax as your only way to win probably isn't a great strategy IMO. Unless you run six Flinchhaxing Togekisses. Do you run six Flinchhaxing Togekisses?
Of course this really is dependent on the battle situation...but a great simplification has already appeared, when Bogmire talked about leaving Gyarados in against a potential Tbolt.
Early on, you really can't afford to have your Gyarados toasted by a random Tbolt because you thought they thought you were going to switch. It all comes down to a basic rock-paper-scissors game, which sounds very confusing described in text:
Imagine you're playing rock-paper-scissors with an opponent you know nothing about. You can extrapolate infinitely, but there are still only three results. If you, for example, assume your opponent will throw Rock, you should throw Paper. However, this can be extended. You can then predict that maybe he knows you think he will throw Rock, and he'll throw an anticipatory Scissors. You take it a step further, assuming he has considered all the above factors, and then throw Rock. He takes it a step further...&c. Regardless of how many out-out-out-predictions occur, there are still only three possible results. You can never really get inside your opponent's head and know what he will throw.
But, once you've played a few rounds (or a few turns in Pokemon), you start to get used to common strategies, and can then begin a true out-prediction war, Tbolting Garchomps &c.
Early on, you really can't afford to have your Gyarados toasted by a random Tbolt because you thought they thought you were going to switch. It all comes down to a basic rock-paper-scissors game, which sounds very confusing described in text:
Imagine you're playing rock-paper-scissors with an opponent you know nothing about. You can extrapolate infinitely, but there are still only three results. If you, for example, assume your opponent will throw Rock, you should throw Paper. However, this can be extended. You can then predict that maybe he knows you think he will throw Rock, and he'll throw an anticipatory Scissors. You take it a step further, assuming he has considered all the above factors, and then throw Rock. He takes it a step further...&c. Regardless of how many out-out-out-predictions occur, there are still only three possible results. You can never really get inside your opponent's head and know what he will throw.
But, once you've played a few rounds (or a few turns in Pokemon), you start to get used to common strategies, and can then begin a true out-prediction war, Tbolting Garchomps &c.
I put myself in situations where I don't need to predict, I win no matter what they do. If I have a 2 DD Tyranitar with EQ and Crunch, and their last Pokemon are Celebi and Magnezone, I'm going to use the move that KOs them, regardless of whether I think they'll switch. I win no matter what my way, but needless 'prediction' could cost me the match. This is essentially what a BP team is (and, to a lesser extent, a stall team). For the stall team example, so what if you know that my Hippowdon is using Stealth Rock? If you have to switch to Specsmence to threaten me, I get that free turn and then I can wall you indefinitely with Blissey (and depending on the move you use, possibly Tentacruel and Celebi). By using Stealth Rock, I'm improving my position, and because I have a perfect wall in Blissey, then as long as you attack me, I set up this improved position with no loss of tempo.
I don't open with anything risky (unless doing otherwise is even riskier), because doing so means that my team isn't prepared for whatever they have out. I have no reason not to Ice Beam that Specsmence with my Starmie early on in the battle, and doing otherwise, before I really know how they play, is stupid. It's essentially me saying that they may have a Pokemon that I lose to with 1 (or less) free turns. If that's the case, then the problem isn't in how I'm playing, but in my team, which means I need to make a better team.
I don't open with anything risky (unless doing otherwise is even riskier), because doing so means that my team isn't prepared for whatever they have out. I have no reason not to Ice Beam that Specsmence with my Starmie early on in the battle, and doing otherwise, before I really know how they play, is stupid. It's essentially me saying that they may have a Pokemon that I lose to with 1 (or less) free turns. If that's the case, then the problem isn't in how I'm playing, but in my team, which means I need to make a better team.
Flinchhax Togekiss, thunder wavers, sniper kingdra, sniper drapion. There's more hax stuff this gen, so it's quite possible to build one.
How I play depends on the situation. With my main team though I tend to play very conservatively at the start especially because it's mainly composed of tanks and walls. However, when I have a sweeper out I tend to make some gutsy decisions, I reckon that if you're playing defensively you'll probably be conservative because you don't want to lose any pokemon (especially true of teams such as Obi's stall team where losing a pokemon can result in a big defensive hole), while, if you're on the offensive gutsy calls will often reap big rewards and you'll need to do more out-prediction because of choice items and such.
Well many things factor in my descisions, I "unlike others" look five plays ahead and see what could muster me into a better possibility and chance for a win. If say im playing my friend, i play full out becuase i know them, if its someone i don't know or have heard their experienced then i shall play conservitively until my chance and oppurtinty arises. With the game flow, i play as if the next move is my prior move, like a flow, my move dictates my next, like a flow. With this i hit over prediction and correct play...sure
This game though is ment for fun, and i will play the funniest i can, i don't like games where there boring. I love games where im down, just to get that feeling of sortlived "comeback"
My play style isn't conservative or all-out really...
My play style is having a good time.
This game though is ment for fun, and i will play the funniest i can, i don't like games where there boring. I love games where im down, just to get that feeling of sortlived "comeback"
My play style isn't conservative or all-out really...
My play style is having a good time.
If I consider the opponent an excellent battler, I'd Meteor Mash their Gyarados even on just the second turn :]
My current team doesn't rely on a lot of prediction, as I utilize a Scarfraptor to gain the offensive advantage. Still, part of my playstyle is what I'd describe as a high-risk, high-reward kind of offense. I'd Explode my Metagross on this guy's Gliscor or Cresselia, ensuring that one threat to my offensive team is KO'd, but not knowing whether the loss of Metagross will do harm to my team in the endgame.
Whenever needed, I also like to play mind games through switching (hopefully without SR in play), as it helps in prying the opponent into making a misprediction. Timing is everything here, and playing with a switch-based stall team in ADV helped me develop this.
My current team doesn't rely on a lot of prediction, as I utilize a Scarfraptor to gain the offensive advantage. Still, part of my playstyle is what I'd describe as a high-risk, high-reward kind of offense. I'd Explode my Metagross on this guy's Gliscor or Cresselia, ensuring that one threat to my offensive team is KO'd, but not knowing whether the loss of Metagross will do harm to my team in the endgame.
Whenever needed, I also like to play mind games through switching (hopefully without SR in play), as it helps in prying the opponent into making a misprediction. Timing is everything here, and playing with a switch-based stall team in ADV helped me develop this.
I tend to play with a lot of prediction. I almost always have at least one frail powerhouse in my team (atm it's Hitmonlee, but it used to be Sharpedo), and if you can get that kind of Pokemon in, you're gonna cause some damage. Unfortunately, they're a bitch to get in so I've gotta take some big risks.
Some opponents are easy to out-predict because, like Obi alluded to, they don't take enough risks. If I have Scarf Heatran in against Gengar, they just immediately switch to Blissey regardless of whether or not I'm going to Hitmonlee. I find that "catch-all" walls like Blissey make the opponent feel as if they don't need to predict, when it's quite the opposite. If you keep throwing Blissey at everything, you will end up in some uncomfortable situations!
Oh, and I ALWAYS Earth Power first turn with Heatran. Sometimes it shits in my face when they switch in Gyara/Sala, but I've spiked so many opposing Heatran like that.
Some opponents are easy to out-predict because, like Obi alluded to, they don't take enough risks. If I have Scarf Heatran in against Gengar, they just immediately switch to Blissey regardless of whether or not I'm going to Hitmonlee. I find that "catch-all" walls like Blissey make the opponent feel as if they don't need to predict, when it's quite the opposite. If you keep throwing Blissey at everything, you will end up in some uncomfortable situations!
Oh, and I ALWAYS Earth Power first turn with Heatran. Sometimes it shits in my face when they switch in Gyara/Sala, but I've spiked so many opposing Heatran like that.
I've played you on shoddy before, but the battle was cut short as I had to leave. You have pretty good prediction...
Me, I hardly use walls on my teams. I play kinda safe, but usually I avoid stall wars. I play pretty much in between ballsy and safe.
I don't play much anymore but when I was keeping track of a standard team I really liked in Advance (like, recording all my wins and losses in a .txt file) I found that if I could play conservatively and I did so, my amount of wins skyrocketed. Too bad that the number of threatening sets has been quadruppled in D/P and the defenses haven't been improved that much. That and my wish to stray a bit from the topmost overused Pokemon (Blissey in particular) makes that less of a success.
For the record, that team was
- Gengar (bulky EVs and Thunderbolt/Hypnosis/Will-o-Wisp/Ice Punch usually)
- Flygon (bulky EVs and Substitute/Fire Blast/Earthquake/Rock Slide)
- Tyranitar (404 HP Substitute/Focus Punch/Rock Slide/Hidden Power Bug)
- Swampert (Protect/Surf/Ice Beam/Earthquake like everyone)
- Zapdos (Thunderbolt/Rest/Sleep Talk/Hidden Power Grass like everyone)
- Snorlax (Body Slam/Rest/Fire Blast/Earthquake, sometimes I had Selfdestruct)
For the record, that team was
- Gengar (bulky EVs and Thunderbolt/Hypnosis/Will-o-Wisp/Ice Punch usually)
- Flygon (bulky EVs and Substitute/Fire Blast/Earthquake/Rock Slide)
- Tyranitar (404 HP Substitute/Focus Punch/Rock Slide/Hidden Power Bug)
- Swampert (Protect/Surf/Ice Beam/Earthquake like everyone)
- Zapdos (Thunderbolt/Rest/Sleep Talk/Hidden Power Grass like everyone)
- Snorlax (Body Slam/Rest/Fire Blast/Earthquake, sometimes I had Selfdestruct)
I play Aggressively but generally I have V.Good prediction skills. Most of the time I don't think my moves through enough.
Depends on the situation. If I stat up with infernape, on a pokemon I threaten (tyranatar), I risk a losing my frail sweeper for a chance at a sweep. I stat up if it might win me a game I would otherwise lose or almost guarantees a win (with said glass cannon no longer essential for the back up plan).
I like obi's method, but I think it could also be applied to offence (if I could get over my speed obsession and use bulkier sweepers).
If you can stay in control of the battle, making the safe choices (which is not an easy thing to do), it shouldn't matter what your opponent does (unless they go crazy with nature, evs, item, ability, and moves).
If only I were good enough to play like that...
the end
I like obi's method, but I think it could also be applied to offence (if I could get over my speed obsession and use bulkier sweepers).
If you can stay in control of the battle, making the safe choices (which is not an easy thing to do), it shouldn't matter what your opponent does (unless they go crazy with nature, evs, item, ability, and moves).
If only I were good enough to play like that...
the end
I sometimes use a set up team, but usually I run a standard balance of offense and defense. I guess I do play pretty ballsy because I always run at least 2 Choice Itemers on my team and I can usually predict the switch and use a attack to hit the switch or if I can predict that a surefire counter is coming, I switch... On my set up teams, I just try to get the set up ready but I still can predict and switch when necessary... I am more successful with my standard teams though because I predict just about every move and it pays off...
High risk, High Reward :P
High risk, High Reward :P
I often end up trying to predict my opponents moves. But sometimes I presume they're more clever, and I've had situations where my overestimating of my opponent has caused me to lose a match.
I am one of those people who says screw it and makes a prediction that could make him lose. I don't care about my record so more often than not I make outrageous moves and most of the time it pays off.
look im that guy that puts HP electric and EQ on the same zong and makes a promise saying "if their leading with grayados ima hit with HP and then EQ the possible vire switch in"
i had 1 time where my opponent had his last poke (staraptor) at 20% w/ life orb health left and i had 3 pokemon. so i say "I'M going kill you with LO" so i send in nidoqueen well he uses roost and i EQ taking 84ish% winning me the game ..
needless to say i rather watch him die to LO :(
i had 1 time where my opponent had his last poke (staraptor) at 20% w/ life orb health left and i had 3 pokemon. so i say "I'M going kill you with LO" so i send in nidoqueen well he uses roost and i EQ taking 84ish% winning me the game ..
needless to say i rather watch him die to LO :(
My style is weird(more attack than defense)...my main team has only Breloom as OU.
Registeel as a Stealth Rocker with Counter
Focus Sash Rampardos with Rock Polish
SD Scyther w/Life Orb
CM Raikou with Focus Sash
Breloom(standard one)
Agility Blaziken
No coverage...but WTH,it works
Registeel as a Stealth Rocker with Counter
Focus Sash Rampardos with Rock Polish
SD Scyther w/Life Orb
CM Raikou with Focus Sash
Breloom(standard one)
Agility Blaziken
No coverage...but WTH,it works
At the beginning of the match, I'll always play conservatively; you have no idea what your opponent is like, and it's base to play it safe until you have a general idea on how your opponent plays. For example - if my oponent always switches in a heatran against my heatran, I'll earthpower away, knowing he'll invariably switch to hetran again. If he doesn't switch at all, it'll usually be an easy win for me, so I play conservatively and win easily. The most difficult thing for me, however, is playing a really well thought out team that can counter yours in a variety of ways - predicting in a case such as that becomes more luck than skill.
LOL...posts
Anyways I'm more of a conservative player I tend to make the move with the least amount of risk. Its more of a laid back style its just a reflection of myself really. I find that its usually the best as you generally don't want to predict wrong and give them a chance to win, playing safe is more of making the move that will benefit you the most and not them.
In DP, my thought process is to avoid predicting early unless I know I have an advantage(such as knowing the persons team beforehand). In most matches I play you hardly ever have to predict beside the "oh cresselia has ice beam lets switch to X counter" which is rather common sense than anything else.
>_>;;
Anyways I'm more of a conservative player I tend to make the move with the least amount of risk. Its more of a laid back style its just a reflection of myself really. I find that its usually the best as you generally don't want to predict wrong and give them a chance to win, playing safe is more of making the move that will benefit you the most and not them.
In DP, my thought process is to avoid predicting early unless I know I have an advantage(such as knowing the persons team beforehand). In most matches I play you hardly ever have to predict beside the "oh cresselia has ice beam lets switch to X counter" which is rather common sense than anything else.
>_>;;
