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Nintendo Pokemon Advanced Generation (Ruby/Sapphire/FireRed/LeafGreen/Emerald)
Competitve battling guide
Written by pokemaniac1342
pokemaniac1342_2k3@yahoo.com
Started on: 3 December 2004
Finished on: Unfinished yet.
Version 1.4
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Copyright 2004 Wong Yin Kwan
-ATTACK OF THE DEADLY LAWLERS:
This FAQ is for private and personal use only.It can only be reproduced
electronically, and may be posted on other web sites as long as this disclaimer
and the above copyright notice appears in full, and the FAQ is not altered in
any way. This FAQ is not to be used for profitable/promotional purposes. This
includes being used by publishers of magazines, guides, books, etc. or being
incorporated into magazines, etc. in any way. This FAQ was created and is owned
by me, pokemaniac1342 (Wong Yin Kwan) . All
copyrights and trademarks that are not specifically mentioned in this FAQ are
acknowledged. If you are to post this on your website, please make sure that:
-This FAQ is not altered in any way.
-The disclaimer above and the above copyright notice appear in full.
-The FAQ is in the original format, not HTML.
-No banners are in the FAQ anywhere.
-I have given you written permission, whether in an email, or otherwise.
Failure to do what is mentioned above can prove detrimental to your health as
my deadly team of lawyers wreck your house and pull faces at you. We may even
decide to throw bricks at your window if we feel the need to.
As if I didn't put my email enough times already, my email, as well as other
interesting info about me (oh yes please) will be in the Contact Information,
which is a ruse to make my FAQ look bigger. Rawr, sue me, my deadly team of
lawyers shall take you on.
-THE LAWYERS RETURN!
All trademarks and copyrights contained in this document are owned by their
respective trademark and copyright holders.
Don't you love them?
==============================================================================
1)Introduction:                                      \   [CBGIntro]          |
\=======================
Uhh, right, introduction. So, you've finished the game, crushed the UnElite
5 like little worms under your iron boots of justice many times, and er, are
getting bored of thrashing your 7-year-old sister at Pokemon. What is perfect
for people like you, oh yes, is competitive battling.
Forget inferior AI, forget stupid movesets. Competitve battling pits you against
other players over the internet! Generally, players TEND to be a lot smarter
then AIs (urgh), so you're sure to have some challenge when you step into
the world of competitive battling! The way to do it is NETBATTLE, basically
a battle
simulator (sorry, no in-game RPG stuff, this is competitive BATTLING, which is
virtual link battles). All you need to do, is to download and set-up the
programs, input your Pokemon (which is to say, create them. There is no need
to have some sort of link between your GBA and your PC, because NB/RSBot allows
you to create your Pokemon, as well as moves on the spot. There is also room
to customize even things like nature, EVs, IVs, items, gender, and whatnot. Of
course, all moves are the actual moves that the Pokemon can learn in the game,
so there's no illegal movesets and BS like Aeroblasting Mewtwo.) The programs
follow a system that is identical to the actual system used in the game, so
don't you worry about Hydro Pump suddenly becoming a Fire move because by this
stage, both simulators are near-perfect in terms of realism, closely following
every aspect of an actual link battle.
To finish the intro, let's just say that competitive battling is a world where
you go online, create and customize your own (legal) teams on-the-spot, and take
on other trainers from around the world over the internet in a battle system
that is nearly identical to an actual link battle. Cool, no?
IMPORTANT NOTE:
Observant people notice that this guide is an exact copy of the FRLG guide I
have. This is because...they are the same thing. Other than a few move tutors
and stuff, there isn't a hell lot of ground breaking change.
===============================================================================
2) Table of Contents
[SEARCH SYSTEM: If you see a component in the Table Of Contents which you want
to view immediately, please press Ctrl + F in your browser (or whatever does
find) to bring up the FIND option, and key in the search code which is
highlited in square brackets beside the item]
1)-Introduction  ------------------------------------------->[CBGIntro]
2)-You are currently staring at it. ------------------------> [HERE]
3)-Version History -------------------------------------------->[CBGVH]
4)-How to battle competitively -------------------------------->[CBGHT]
-Netbattle ----------------------------------------------->[CBGNB]
-RSBot --------------------------------------------------->[CBGRS]
5)-The Basic stuff -------------------------------------------->[CBGBS]
5-*: Shortforms, abbreviations, and whatnot -------------->[CBG50]
Pokemon abbreviations ----------------------------->[CBGABR]
5-A: Type advantages/disadvantages, physical/special ----->[CBG5A]
5-B: Natures --------------------------------------------->[CBG5B]
5-C: Stats ----------------------------------------------->[CBG5C]
-5-C-1: IVs ------------------------------->[5C1X]
-5-C-2: EVs ------------------------------->[5C2X]
-5-C-3: Hidden Power ---------------------->[5C3X]
-5-C-4: Base Stats ------------------------>[5C4X]
5-D: Items  ---------------------------------------------->[CBG5D]
5-E: Abilities ------------------------------------------->[CBG5E]
5-F: Status Ailments ------------------------------------->[CBG5F]
6)-Advanced information --------------------------------------->[CBGAD]
6-A: Choice Of Pokemon ----------------------------------->[CBG6A]
6-B: Choice Of Moves ------------------------------------->[CBG6B]
6-C: Speed ----------------------------------------------->[CBG6C]
6-D: Stats In Battle ------------------------------------->[CBG6D]
6-E: Prediction ------------------------------------------>[CBG6E]
7)-Pokemon Analysis - coming in the next update -------------->[CBGPWN]
8)-FAQs  ----------------------------------------------------->[CBGFAQ]
9)-Credits ---------------------------------------------------->[CBGCR]
10)-Contact Information (filler muahaha) -------------------->[CBGCRAP]
================================================================================
3) Version History                                           \   [CBGVH]       |
\=================
Version 1.0 > Following TEH ME fashion, I've done most of the stuff except my
movesets, which will come in a later update.
Version 1.1 > Major thanks to Amazing Ampharos for this update: He proof-read
the guide and gave his own insights on how to do things, and corrected some
of my errors. Big thanks AA, you rock!
Version 1.2 > Minor update, mainly to include several issues on Pokemon abbrevs
which are bugging the boards. Updates can be found by searching for "CBGABR"
Version 1.3 > Minor minor update. This should be posted on the Emerald page,
and I've removed RSBot since everyone uses NB now...Plus a bunch of touchups
everywhere to suit the modern meta.
Version 1.4 > Minor touchups. Hopefully it should be posted on the Emerald
page by now...
Remember, if anyone at all finds any error to correct, or wishes to contribute,
just do it. Include your name you want to be credited by.
================================================================================
4) How to Battle Competitively                               \    [CBGHT]      |
\=================
Right, on to the real stuff. Without any witty and pointless comments, I shall
indicate to you how to battle competitively...
+++++++++++++++++++++ /==================\
|   [CBGNB]        |
\==================/
Battle chip! Airhoc3 U! Slot in!
RIGHT ON POKEMAN!!!
Battle chip! Airhoc3 V! Slot in!
KEEP EM COMIN!
Battle chip! Airhoc3 W! Slot in!
I FEEL THE POWER!!!
Program Advance! PitHockey3!
OH YEAH BABAY!
OK, sorry bout that, not THAT sort of Netbattle. This is the Pokemon one.
The pros about this method of competitive battling is that it is VERY user
friendly, with a pretty powerful in-build Datadex (Pokedex, and vital info),
an easy-to-use Team customizer, easy battle interface, and nice pictures. The
ideal program for people starting out, because it's so simple to learn how to
use it. Also, more newbies frequent NB then RSBot, which allows beginners to
have competition at roughly the same level. Of course, NB doesn't get the nick
nubbattle for nothing, because there are quite a lot of pure idiots who frequent
NB. People who disconnect mid-battle when they are about to lose, and whatnot.
Of course, I prefer this simply because Netbattle is SUCH A COOL PROGRAM.
Seriously, just try it.
Go to http://www.netbattle.net OR http://www.tvsian.com/netbattle
Same thing basically.
Download the program. I don't really need to give instructions, because
there's a nice DOWNLOAD section. Download Netbattle Advance, which is 0.9.4
last time I checked, install it, and voila. (NB advance is the latest version
at the time when I typed this thingy out. For you, you might want to see which
is the latest version before downloading.
*****To start battling with it:
OPEN TEH PROGRAM!!! Bet you never knew how. Just set all the stuff whatever
way you want when that wizard thingies pops up. Select your Language, store
your password to protect your own username, and customizing whether
you want any music, whether the in-battle status is detailed or not, whether
you want the HP bar to be animated or not, and other visual effects. I suggest
disabling auto updates simply because it doesn't work for me X(, and you can
choose whether to show your team to whoever wants to challenge you, or to keep
it hidden until the battle starts. Finally, choose your method of saving battle
records (logs). Finish the silly thing.
You can't start battling yet, because you have to build a team.
Click on the "team builder" button, input your choice of a nickname, what
kind of graphics you want the Pokemon to look like, your personal profile
which people will read when they challenge you (so you can put your NO ATTRACT
and other BS rules there), and finally, set the auto-message that will appear
when you win or lose. A rule of thumb is to include "gg" (good game) in both,
to show sportsmanship.
Then, go to each individual Pokemon slot, select your desired Pokemon from the
drop-down list, select what item you want it to hold, select it's 4 moves, and
finally, click on the "Expert" button to customize it's Nature, Ability, as well
as EV distribution (we'll get to that later).
After you make sure all 6 Pokemon as well as your user profile is done, you can
save the team, and start battling in one of the stadiums! Usually, Blue Heaven
or Tafop would be the stadium on top with the most people, so go there.
There'll be a chat window once you connect, as well as a sidebar with all the
trainers that are currently connected to the stadium. Double-click on a user's
name to see his information, from there you can challenge him, or send him a
private message (PM).
There, that should be all you need to start your Netbattle experience. If you
encounter problems with installation, or runtime errors, don't come crying to
me dammit, go to http://www.tvsian.com/netbattle and click on forums. There are
bug reports and troubleshooting sections there.
__________________________SECURITY ALERT DAMMIT_______________________________
Oh, please download NB ONLY from http://www.tvsian.com/netbattle or
http://www.netbattle.net. Downloading from other places might result in virus
infection, which I won't be responsible for because you were too stupid to
read.
______________________________________________________________________________
*******************************************************************************
++++++++++++++++++++++++ /==================\
|   [CBGRS]        |
\==================/
*RSBot section has been killed. By me. Whoah.*
http://www.freewebs.com/synre/rsbottutorial.htm
if you have hopes about it.
*******************************************************************************
++++++++++++++++++
Both methods of competitive battling have a set of rules which you have to
adhere to, in order to enjoy the experience.
Sleep Clause: Standard rule, this means that no more than ONE Pokemon of the
same player can be asleep at any one time. This is to prevent
lucky sleep runs with Hypnosis and whatnot. Self-induced sleep
like Rest does NOT contribute to the clause, so you can have a
resting Pokemon, and still have another Pokemon put to sleep.
If you have already put one of your opponent's Pokemon to sleep,
and try to use a sleep move again, the move will simply fail.
Freeze Clause: Same as above, except for Freeze. This is not standard, because
Freeze is more luck based, and to clause Freeze is to clause
luck.
Self-KO clause: If both players are down to one last Pokemon, the moves PERISH
SONG, EXPLOSION, SELFDESTRUCT, MEMENTO, and DESTONY BOND will
fail. This is to prevent forced draws, which is a cheap way
to not lose.
00ber clause: NO 00bers, simple as that. Legends are usually allowed.
Wobbuffet and Wynaut, although
not 00bers, are usually banned for cheapness.
Species clause: No more than one species of the same Pokemon on one team.
Auto-enforced, imagine having 3 Blisseys. Or Groudons. OR
LUVDISC!
The other clauses will be decided by the player who you want to challenge. They
will usually put their own rules in their profile, like NO 00BERs, NO LEGENDS,
NO BEATING ME, or whatever.
===============================================================================
5) The Basic Stuff                                        \    [CBGBS]        |
\===================
So now, you've got your pretty programs set-up and ready to roll. However, if
you ever hope to become decent and actually win battles online, you need to go
beyond what you learnt in-game. Forget the times when your Level 100 Charizard
one-hit KO a Level 50 Vaporeon: Such BS isn't going to happen competitvely,
where everything is level 100, and type advantages matter. Also, you need to
be savvy about your Pokemon's nature, because different natures will benefit
certain stats and drop certain others. Also, if you haven't learnt about EVs,
you need to know how to spread it so that your Pokemon is well customized to
do what it's supposed to do.
This chapter aims to teach you how.
----> 5-*: SHORTFORMS, ABBREVIATIONS, AND WHATNOT  ATTACK BOOSTERS: Natures that raise
attack
LONELY (+ attack, - defense)
ADAMANT (+ attack, - special attack)
BRAVE (+ attack, - speed)
NAUGHTY (+ attack, - special defense)
Adamant is used on individuals like Charizard and Tyranitar, who need to do
a lot of physical attacking work, but no special attacking, and at the same
time aren't fast enough to make use of Jolly. Brave is for mixed attackers,
who doesn't need speed, like Ampharos. Lonely and Naughty are pretty rare.
----> SPECIAL ATTACK BOOSTERS: Natures that boost SA
MODEST (+ special attack, - attack)
MILD (+ special attack, - defense)
QUIET (+ special attack, - speed)
RASH (+ special attack, - special defense)
Generally, only modest is used, on special sweepers who aren't fast enough,
or doesn't need that much speed, like Milotic and Vaporeon.
----> DEFENSE BOOSTERS: Natures that boost defense
RELAXED (+ defense, - speed)
BOLD (+ defense, - attack)
IMPISH (+ defense, - special attack)
LAX (+ defense, - special defense)
Relaxed is used for defensive Pokemon (tanks), that are darned slow already and
could do hell with that speed, like Snorlax and Weezing. Bold is for tanks who
don't need to attack, like Suicune, and Impish for the opposite of Bold, like
Skarmory. Lax isn't really used.
----> SPECIAL DEFENSE BOOSTERS: Natures that boost SD
CALM (+ special defense, - attack)
CAREFUL (+ special defense, - special attack)
GENTLE (+ special defense, - defense)
SASSY (+ special defense, - speed)
All are used except Gentle. Calm for Pogeys like Suicune, Careful for certain
Snorlaxes, and Sassy also works for Snorlax, as well as thingies like Regice
and Skarmory.
----> FERTILITY BOOSTERS: Nature that raises egg yield
PIMP (+ fertility, - nothing)
All Dittos are PIMP natured.
(Actually, if you couldn't figure it out, Dittos aren't PIMP natured even
though they should be, so don't send your Ditto in an attempt to mesmerize your
opponent's Pokemon because it will likely fail)
END OF OTHER BORING LIST. PHEW. YOU MUST H8 ME NOW.
===========================================================
==============================================================================
\    [CBG5C]      |
\=================
----> 5-C: STATS 5-C-1: IVs (INDIVIDUAL VALUES)
All Pokemon have IVs. IVs, are like genes. They determine your Pokemon's
stats. IVs can range from the lowest 0 to the highest 31. The higher your IVs
are in a particular stat, the higher that stat will be. However, IVs are
hidden in-game, and it's tough to find them unless you go through specific
measures. However, in competitve battling, IVs are ALWAYS preset at 31, which
means your Pokemon will always have their highest non-EV boosted stats. Let's
finish with an example to make it clear. Let's use Vaporeon again.
Here I have a Vaporeon, which I set the HP IV to be 31. It's HP is: 401.
Here I have another, which I set the HP IV to be 17. It's HP is: 387.
Here I have another, which I set the HP IV to be 0. It's HP is: 370.
Because ALL stats are set at IV 31, it doesn't make sense to change it because
you want as high the stats as possible (unless you are a very weird man). There
is no drawback to setting all IVs to 31, and it's default anyway. However,
when you need Hidden Power to come in play, you will need to change your IVs
a little. I'll hit that later.
#################################################              [5C2X]
}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}>5-C-2: EVs (EFFORT VALUES)
If you are familiar with EV training in-game, you can skip this section.
Basically, EVs are a sort of addition to the stat system. Each Pokemon has
a maximum of 510 EVs, which can be split into each stat to give bonuses to
the stats.
Each stat can have a maximum of 255 EVs invested. The idea is that
4 EVs = 1 stat point, so by giving 255 EVs to a stat, you effectively add
63 points to that stat. However, to maximise EV usage, you should always only
put a maximum of 252 EVs into a stat, because 252 and 255 EVs all give the max,
and you want to conserve EVs.
Another rule of thumb is to make sure all your EVs are even numbers. The
smallest amount of EVs that will bring it up a point is always an even number,
so try to have even numbers in each spread of EVs.
Do you see where this is going? By utilising EVs, you can FURTHER customize
your Pokemon! Let's take Tauros as an example. Tauros does NOT need special
attack, special defense, nor defense because it was meant to be a fast sweeper.
Therefore, we will put 252 EVs in ATT, 252 EVs in SPD, and the remaining 6 EVs
into HP. Thus, Tauros is now a specialized Fast Psysical Sweeper!
Let's do the example thing again.
Tauros with perfect IVs, Jolly nature, and no EVs:
HP: 291
ATT: 236
DEF: 226
SPD: 281
SA: 104
SD: 176
Tauros with perfect IVs, Jolly nature, and 252 EVs in attack and speed, 6 in HP.
HP: 292
ATT: 299
DEF: 226
SPD: 350
SA: 104
SD: 176
Just look at that speed and attack boost by focusing EVs into attack and speed.
This will open up a field which will likely take you a long time to get the
hang of: EV spreading. While basic spreads like 252/252/6 and 252/129/129
work, there are usually better spreads that make the best out of each Pokemon's
strengths, while covering it's weaknesses and allowing it to take on opposition
it will normally die to. The concept is impossible to put into a guide, so
that's an aspect you'll have to use experience for: As you play more, you will
get the hang of it!
Take note that Netbattle has EVs set as 85 per stat as the default, so please
take some time to customize it to make your Pokemon more powerful.
#################################################              [5C3X]
}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}>5-C-3: Hidden Power
Throughout movesets, and my guide, and poketalk, you'll hear "HP Ice",
"HP Rock", "HP ghost", and other stuff like that. Do not mistaken HP for
Hit-points: HP in this case means HIDDEN POWER. A major part of competitive
battling.
You see, HP is normally useless in-game. Why? Because HP has a random
base power, and a random element. Well, not random, but it depends on IVs, which
ARE random, in-game, so using Hidden power is a pointless gamble.
But Netbattle/RSBot allows you to customize IVs, which is to say,
-You have control over what type and how powerful your HP is.
While it's obvious you want the power to be the maximum (70), it's not as easy
to decide what element you want it. Most of the time, you want it to cover
a weakness, or kill some other type of Pokemon you can't kill. For example,
Charizard may use HP Grass, as Grass covers both Water and Rock, it's main
weaknesses.
So HP in competitive battling is basically a base-70 move with an element of
your choice. Not bad, heh.
The point it you can just select from a drop-down list what HP element you
want (or in RSBot, input it), but the program's new IV deployment may not
be ideal. The most prominent examples are HP Flying, HP Ghost, and HP Ice.
HP Flying: When you select HP Flying, Netbattle automatically rearranges your
IVs to 31/31/31/30/30/30, which means your speed is one point less than the
max.  However, 30,30,30,31,30,30 is ALSO HP Flying, but it doesn't sacrifice
speed. This is useful for situations when your Pokemon NEEDS to be fast, like
Aerodactyl.
HP Ghost: When you select HP Ghost, you get 31/31/30/31/31/30. Good, that's
what we want.
HP Ice: When you select HP Ice (common on Jolteon), you get 31/31/31/30/31/31.
That means 1 point less in speed, which allows Aerodactyl to pwn you. Not good.
Instead, use 30,31,30,31,31,31, which is still HP Ice, but allows max speed.
That's about it huh.
#################################################              [5C4X]
}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}>5-C-4: BASE STATS
There's another system you would need to know, one less hidden, but equally
important nonetheless, and that is base stats.
You know, some Pokemon are made to do certain things. Their base stat says
so. For example, Alakazam simply can NOT attack physically, and the opposite
can be said for Rhydon. That's because their base stats say so.
Every species of Pokemon has a set of base stats, and these determine just
how high a stat would go. For example, Alakazam's base stats:
HP: 55
ATT: 50
DEF: 45
SPD: 120
SA: 135
SD: 85
Notice the absurdly high base for speed and special attack. This means that
you can pump EVERYTHING to boost Alakazam's attack, but it'll still suck
compared to it's SA because Alakazam's attack just sucks. There is no way you
can change it, just like there is no way to change the fact that Snorlax is
plain slow.
Alakazam, lvl100, with max IVs, ADAMANT (+ att, - SA), and max attack EVs:
Att: 218
SA: 275
See, even with you putting EVERYTHING into attack, it's SA still outshines
attack by a large chunk.
Now let's see a special oriented zam.
Lvl100, max IVs, MILD (+ SA, - def so attack is not lowered), max SA EVs.
Att: 136
SA: 405
Sorry, Alakazam will ALWAYS be a special sweeper.
It's important to understand that base stats play a part in determining what
roles Pokemon play. You might like to see Alakazam using Slash, but that won't
cut it. So, your decisions for Pokemon will always depend on a Pokemon's base
stats.
So, for a overview of what we learnt in this section:
IVs are individual values, they determine how high your stats go. They range
from 0 to 31, but since Netbattle/RSBot always has them set at 31, you shouldn't
care.
EVs are effort values. You can spread them between the stats. You should always
invest EVs in a set the Pokemon needs, and invest wisely.
Hidden Power has base power and type dependant on your IVs. In competitve
battling, you can just select the type, but there are certain IV combinations
that work better.
And lastly, every species of Pokemon has a set of base stats, which determine
how high it's stats can go. You should decide on which Pokemon to use for what
purpose based on the base stats.
Phew, aren't we quick.
==============================================================================
\    [CBG5D]      |
\=================
----> 5-D: ITEMS