Beginner Resources

Welcome!

Congratulations on starting your journey here at Smogon! If you're just hearing about us, check out our About and Philosophy pages, where we talk about our history and our unique approach to competitive battling. In short, we are a large community (hundreds of thousands strong) which strives to be the ultimate online resource for competitive battling. From our comprehensive StrategyDex to our numerous tournaments and metagames, we have the resources and knowledgebase to help competitive battlers reach the next level. More interested in just socializing, trading, or even art? We've got that too! It's safe to say that we have a little bit of something for everyone in our community, and we know you'll soon find a place to call home.

To get the most out of your experience, here are a few reading materials. We've broken down the basic concepts and terms you're likely to encounter as you train to be the very best.

• Introduction to Smogon Metagames
• Tiering FAQ
• A Beginner's Guide to Understanding EVs
• Syngergies and Cores - The Fundamentals of Teambuilding
• A Guide to Common Battle Conditions
• The Pokémon Dictionary
• Risk/Reward
• PKMN 101
• How to Use Pokémon Showdown

Comfortable with the information? Don't worry if you don't have it down 100%; experience is the best teacher, so you're ready to take the next step: joining the discussions! Here are the outlets we recommend:

Discord

If you prefer a real-time chat approach to interact with people, we have discord servers where you can dive straight into the discussions. Our main server is a good place to start, but we also have a wide array of side servers for each of our communities. Stop by and say hi!

Pokémon Showdown!

Looking to put your battling skills to the test? Check out Pokémon Showdown, our online battle simulator. This is the best place to get matched up against fellow trainers who too are looking to hone their skills.

Resources

If guides for in-game tips or competitive information is more your thing, you're already in the right place! We've complied a large collection of competitive and in-game guides the community has put together. If that's still not enough information for you, there's a good chance you can find something on our forums.

Looking to get the edge in your next battle? Check out our StrategyDex, where we break down the strengths and weakness of each Pokémon to give you set ideas. Our damage calculator can then be used to see how the sets will fare in different matchups!

Forums

The forums are the backbone to our community. If you're looking to learn at your own pace, get in-depth information into the tiers, or see how the resources in this hub were put together, this is the place to start.

Not sure which forum is the best for you? Answer these few questions below to help you get matched up with the right place. In each of these subforums you'll find pinned threads which will outline the rules for that subforum. Make sure the read up on them! Once you're familiarized with the inner workings, post away!