Competitive Battle Guide

**Introduction**

This wiki page serves as a guide for competitive play on the Obscuros Pixelmon server. It aids in understanding the basics of battling, along with team types and roles a Pokémon can fulfill.

## **Getting Into Competitive play**

* Teams are comprised of six different Pokémon. Those are typically a combination of Battle Perfect (BP) Pokémon, which means they have their required stats’ IVs optimized and that they are properly EV trained. To obtain them, you can either obtain them through the GTS (/gts), where breeders list their breeds for a fee, or you can breed them. If you don’t find what you are looking for you can @Breeder with your request in the #trading-post channel on the Discord.

## **IVs**

* The IVs (Individial Values) of a Pokémon are determined when you first encounter a Pokémon, or when you acquire an egg through daycare. IVs range from 0 to 31, with 31 being the maximum. In order to check the IVs of your Pokémon simply do /ivs (slot number). As IVs increase, so does a Pokémon’s stats at a 1:1 ratio.
* A Pokémon has 6 different stats which are HP, Attack, Defense, Special Attack (SpA), Special Defense (SpD), and Speed, and each of these can have different IVs ranging from 0-31, for example 31/5/1/6/7/0.
* BP Pokémon typically have 4-5 IVs as 31 leaving a stat that isn’t needed as random or deliberately low. Example of BP IVs could include: 31/31/31/6/31/31, which would be a physical Pokémon, such as Blaziken.
* IVs can be altered with items you can obtain in game. These are Silver Bottle Caps (which increase a single stat to 31), Gold Bottle Caps (which increase all stats to 31), and IV Modifiers (which raise all the IVs to 31, similar to the Gold Bottle Caps).
* Notably, Bottle Caps only raise the stat to match 31 IVs, rather than actually change the IVs. As such, Bottle Capped stats cannot be passed down through breeding. IV Modifiers, however, change the actual IVs, and can be used to breed even more Pokémon!

## **EVs**

* EVs (Effort Values), unlike the IVs, are determined by the player and can be checked through the /ev (slot number) command. They are gained when the Pokémon in battle defeats an opposing Pokémon, whose species determines the EVs gained. If your Pokémon are affected by Pokérus (PKRUS), every EV point gained is doubled for that specific Pokémon. To EV train you can use the /warp ev, and follow the portals to the corresponding stats you wish to train. You can use "Power" items, such as Power Lens or Power Anklet, to make the EV training process faster as they allow the Pokémon that hold them to gain more points per enemy Pokémon fainted.
* The maximum amount a Pokémon can have normally in total is 508 EVs and the maximum for a stat to have is 252. However, in Pixelmon, the maximum ammount of EVs a Pokémon can have is 510 EVs, but the max for stat is the same. By increasing specific EV’s you increase the stats of your Pokémon according to which stat is being trained. You can check what EVs you have on a Pokémon with /evs (slot number). Every 4 EV points are an 1 stat point bonus of a level 100 Pokémon.
* Example of EVs using the Blaziken mentioned above could include 6/252/0/0/0/252, which would read the stats in order as listed in the IV section (in this case, 6 in HP, and 252 in Attack and Speed).

## **Simplification of BP Pokémon**

A Pokémon is considered Battle Perfect (BP) when all the IVs which it will make use in battle are optimized, as well as having a beneficial Nature for the spot which it will fill. Some examples are:

Garchomp, in order to be considered BP, will generally need to have an IV spread of 31/31/31/x/31/31, along with a nature which will up one of the maxed out stats while hindering the stat x. An example of such a nature is Adamant or Jolly.

Sylveon, in order to be considered BP, will need to have an IV spread of 31/x/31/31/31/31, along with a nature like Bold which helps it tank better by upping its Defense and lowering its Attack.

Kommo-o, if it opts for a Hasty nature, then the preferred IVs would be 31/31/x/31/31/31. While x would preferably be as high as possible, it's the stat that ultimately cannot be controlled through breeding, and therefore is the one which does not need to be maxed.

## **Pokémon Smogon Tiers**

The Obscuros Pixelmon server follows the Pokémon tiers as proposed by Smogon. These are Anything Goes (AG), Ubers, Over Used (OU), Under Used (UU), Rarely Used (RU), Never Used (NU), and PU, in this order. The player gyms utilize the Obscuros OU tier and below, meaning that for the most part, challengers are forbidden from using Uber and AG Pokémon. However the Player vs NPC content generally does not have such restrictions. Moreover, the Serenity Gym and some tournaments allow you to utilize Ubers in a PVP competitive environment. Finally there is also the Little Cup (LC) tier which includes Pokémon that have not evolved, but still can, which can be used to fight the special Pokémon Stadium Gym, using the tier's own banlist and metagame options.

Obscuros OU is the most commonly used tier.

## **Pokémon "Roles"**

Each Pokémon has distinctive features in its typing, ability, stats and movepool that allows it to fulfill one or multiple roles in a team. Bear in mind that a Pokémon can fullfull different roles at the same time or change roles depending on the aforementioned features. The Pokémon Roles in a team are:

* **Wallbreaker:** These are strong, hard hitting Pokémon whose job is to come in the field by tanking a move or through the use of momentum moves (such as U-Turn) and hit something really hard. Its job is to soften up or break the opposing walls so your sweeper can capitalize on them.
* **Sweeper:** A fast and hard hitting Pokémon that can clean up weakened teams in the late game through the use of its pure stats, a setup move or a choice item.
* **Wall/Tank:** Bulky Pokémon with good defensive typings that sponge hits protecting the frailer parts of the team.
* **Setter:** The Pokémon whose job is to set up hazards or screens so your team can capitalize on the protection or the chip damage provided to the enemy team.
* **Stallbreaker:** A Pokémon that through the use of moves like Taunt, Substitute, Pain Split etc can safely slowly break down a very strong defensive core by either setting up safely in front of it or by shutting down the moves that it usually utilizes.
* **Cleric:** A Pokémon that can support its teammates by passing them heals with the move "Wish" or healing their status effects with "Heal Bell"
* **Hazard Remover:** A Pokémon that utilizes the move Defog or Rapid spin that can remove the opposing screens on hazards on your side of the field.
* **Revenge Killer:** A Pokémon with high base speed or one that utilizes choice scarf that can come on the field after one of your Pokémon has fainted and immediately threaten the opposing one with a killing blow.
* **Momentum Grabber**: A Pokémon that with the use of moves like U-Turn and Volt Switch can create an advantageous matchup by allowing you to get in a Pokémon safely on the field.

## **Team Types**

Generally team types are divided into 4 categories each varying in their gameplay and winning conditions. Here will be a short summary, as well as some examples of such teams, in order to help you choose the style that may suit you best.

## *Balance*

Probably the most used team type that consists of an offensive and a defensive core. Generally these teams are built around one or two offensive Pokémon that, under certain conditions, can win the match. The rest of the team usually consists of members that help achieve these conditions by removing obstacles that hinder your win condition, or stall enough so your offensive core can break through the enemy’s weakened defenses before their offense can break through your defense.

When building such a team, it is important to have a Pokémon that can remove the causes of residual damage, such as Stealth Rocks and Spikes, with the use of moves like Defog and Rapid Spin. The reasoning behind this is that since you will be switching out Pokémon a fair amount of times while swapping from your offensive and defensive core, the residual damage will start racking up and it will become harder to defend. Another important thing to consider are moves which can keep momentum, like U-Turn and Volt Switch, which can help with quickly adapting to what your opponent throws at you while also being a relatively safe way to bring in your breaker or sweeper to go for the kill.

A Balance team is very versatile with its options and if the user wishes to, it can become more bulky or more offensive depending on the Pokémon used, movepools, and EV spreads.

Example of a Balance Team: Mega Charizard X, Greninja-Ash, Tapu Koko, Toxapex, Tangrowth, Landorus-Therian

## *Hyper Offense*

A team type composed of a Pokémon that acts as a hazard/screen setter followed by five others whose job is to set up and win the game. This team type is a double-edged sword, because with the great strengths of such a strong offense, comes the disadvantage of having no defenses to fall back to if things go south. The leading Pokémon can have one of two roles: being either a hazard setter, or a screen setter. Being a hazard setter means that its job will be to set up Stealth Rocks, Sticky Webs, Spikes, and/or Toxic Spikes before fainting so its allies can capitalize on the chip damage or the reduced speed. In order to make sure this happens, it's suggested that the lead Pokémon holds a Focus Sash so it survives at least one turn to set the hazards. It is also highly suggested that the lead Pokémon can also either remove enemy hazards (with the use of Rapid Spin or Defog) or threaten out the opposing Pokémon that can remove the hazards, or make itself faint so you can act before your opponent catches on and reacts to your strategy, via the use of self-harming moves like Explosion.

On the other hand, a screen setter will almost always hold Light Clay as an item, which will extend the duration of the screens (Reflect, Light Screen, and Aurora Veil) to 8 turns. Usually these Pokémon are fast so they do not have to be wary of slower Pokémon that can potentially KO them in a single him. When utilizing such a lead, it's also very important to have another Pokémon in your team with a job to set up Stealth Rocks due to how powerful chip damage is.

Lastly, in both cases, the moves Taunt or Encore are always viable since they serve the purpose of not letting the opposing Pokémon remove the hazards/screens or set up for a sweep before you. The rest of the team usually consists of 2 or 3 strong setup sweepers whose job is to exploit the opponent switching out their Pokémon in fear of a super effective strike, and capitalize on the free turn by using a setup move. The last few slots are saved for offensive Pokémon that can provide utility, usually in the forms of momentum grabbing moves or priority attacks, and for a Pokémon that utilizes the Choice Scarf item which can finish up a weakened team in the late game. Lastly it is worth to mention that with different Pokémon moves and EV spreads, a hyper offense team can become tankier which trades immediate power with more survivability. This style works better with the Screens playstyle which boost the defenses even further making setting up safer.

Example of a Hyper Offense: Landorus-T, Kommo-O, Magearna, Tapu Koko, Cinderace, Greninja

## *Stall*

Being the complete opposite of Hyper Offense, this team type abandons the “they can't kill you if they are dead” idea and instead uses more of a “If they can't kill you, they will die sooner or later” approach. By dropping on Pokémon slots for an offensive core and instead investing four to five slots to Pokémon with strong defensive typing, abilities and movepool creating a very hard to break wall. Such teams rely heavily on chip damage with Stealth Rocks and Spikes, as well as status effects like poison, burn, and paralysis to slowly wear down the opponent until their offensive Pokémon can slowly start taking them out one by one.

Such teams require a "cleric," such as Chansey, Blissey, or some Eeveelutions, that can heal status effects, and hazard removal support so its members don't get easily worn down. The important thing to consider is that there are certain Pokémon whose entire job is to break through strong and bulky Pokémon, so a player will need to be careful during team building to patch as many holes as possible. As for the one or two offensive Pokémon in these teams, it is also important for them to have a defensive use because they will also be required to switch in and take hits often in many cases.

Example of a Stall Team: Toxapex, Clefable, Blissey, Rotom-Wash, Heatran, Mega Latios

## **Obscuros Forms**

The Obscuros Form variants (or O-Forms) are by default OU on their release and therefore are allowed in the competitive PVP scene. Exceptions to this are listed on the Obscuros Pokédex page.

## **Tournaments**

Obscuros hosts two tournaments each month, one which suits better the EU timezone and one for NA timezone. For the full schedule and details each month, please check the #events-announcements tab on Discord. The tournament rules vary in order to entertain multiple tiers or induce creativity. Some examples are Type Lock, NatDex AG, O-Form showcase, or simply an all out NatDex OU battle.

## **Tips**

* Certain YouTube channels are great for getting team building ideas and a grasp of how competitive goes, so we encourage you to watch videos if you’re interested in competitive play.
* Pokémon Showdown is the go-to place to test new teams (unless they include O-Forms), as you battle other players on the same skill level without having to obtain the Pokémon you wish to use.
* Don’t be afraid to contact anyone in the competitive channel on the server! We’re all more than happy to help anyone teambuild and grow to enjoy the competitive scene of the server.
* Even if you’re new to competitive, don’t hesitate to challenge gyms and apply for gyms yourself if you get the chance; most of our player base is still learning and we pride ourselves in helping each other improve and grow.