So basically the jack sparrow approach. "idk how this helps me, but it puts me in a better position and opens some options up." until eventually: "Oh looky, a win condition."
Basically, as a summary, - Preview and Early Game: Note your wincons and their wincons. You're playing to chip right now, not playing to win. If in doubt, just click Knock Off. - Mid Game: Now start to try to figure out winpaths and how to achieve them. Don't overextend unnecessarily and stay flexible with your ideas. - End Game: Here's where you execute your winpath. Keep in mind any potential threats and play around them as safe as possible without allowing them to potentially reverse clean. Or just Kingambit. Why is this still legal, I don't know, I stick mainly to OMs for a reason.
@@theschnozzlerThis actually. Ive won games to lucky flinches and freezes, it shit hits the fan and you're almost sure to lose play for the low % victories
Dang this feels like the video I've needed forever. Even the "how-to analyze during team preview" had me Mind Blown. I never considered "I must keep X as healthy as possible for Y reason, and they need Z to counter my A." The only thing I noticed is: "can they remove my hazard stack" "do they have volcarona/roaring moon" if the 2nd answer is yes, my brain defaults to "ok this is going to be who is lucky enough to get the Dance first" I remember commenting before about how I'd love to see more videos of "unspoken" competitive stuff; this video hits the nail on the head.
I had a friend who revolutionized how I played competitive mons. I had always looked for my best wincon and played to that. And he told me that doing that isn’t bad but that it’s even better to identify all wincons while also identifying what wincons your opponent is playing for and take all of those factors into account when playing.
The video example really adds clarity to the explanation, good stuff. In your "how to beat hyper offense" vid for instance you only showed the teambuilder, while figuring out how to compromise against screens deoxys or hazards glimmora in an actual game still feels hard
I used to never play HO, but this gen it's been the only fun team structure for me and it helped me learn this. With balance especially I was always too focused on how to get my attackers in position from team preview, that I'd sac other things just to get them in safely, and then lose anyway
damn this is video is hella swag man. people always be screaming "whats your game plan bro? how do you win this game?" my brother in christ, i cant even tell you whats going to happen on turn 2
Glad you liked it! I've known so many people (including really solid players) that stress about having a specific path to win WAY too early in the game. It's not necessary and it's just counterproductive.
Honestly I am really happy to see your channel grow. Your work and that of many other channels help bring new players in and help them become better at the game (it's me, I'm new players)
We’re getting rid of the tunnel vision with this one 🗣️ This is great advice but I’m seriously reminded of the time I also psychic noised the Glis with my room service Hoopa and then felt like an idiot afterwards when I saw I got my own win con poisoned 😭💀
This makes complete sense to me! You want to be adaptable and not have rigid win conditions in your mind and just let things unfold and respond accordingly.
In conclusion, no matter how complex is your gameplan, +252 atk choice band Barraskewda liquidation vs 252 hp/+252 def You in rain (140.7% - 165.4%) -- guaranteed OHKO
Personally I just make greedy plays, favour high risk low reward decisions, throw out my best win con turn 1 and purposely sack my other mons for no reason, just so daddy gambit can get supreme overlord boosts and bail me out
REMEMBER to keep your mons that walls threats healthy. Players will be so focused on killing the thing infront of them and predicting that they don’t realize their mon that walls the big threat is dead.
great video as always ❤ it would be really cool if you made videos just playing with different playstyles I'd really like to watch you playing with trick room or stall
Very informative, I find myself doing this a lot more since I actually started trying to get good on Monotype. The teambuilding limitations mean that many types run similar strategies and Pokémon with small differences for each team, so just knowing their "usual" gameplan and what each Pokémon can do to your team is very important. Choosing a lead with Ice monotype is very fun, because many people instantly default to thinking I'll lead Ninetales into Aurora Veil, which very often backfires on them. Many Fire Type teams get cocky upon seeing an Ice monotype and limit their gameplan to "I'll just click my Fire Type move 6 times", which most of the time leads to them inmediately getting swept by Baxcalibur, because said teams rarely have a way to kill it once it has set up. (Just need to stop attacking Ceruledge with Earthquake). Fairy Type teams are also a good example, because of Flutter Mane. Chien-Pao OHKOs it with Sucker Punch, and it outspeeds my entire team, easily being capable of sweeping, so it's imperative to keep Chien alive just to deal with it the moment its exposed. Only then I can risk using Chien-Pao for something else. Overall, really like monotype. The restrictions on teambuilding make it feel similar to a card game, where instead of being able to face any combination of Pokémon, you see certain "decks" that follow the same general strategy, with small variations. It's very fun coming up with ways to play around certain threats in certain types (god I hate Kleavor, Bug Type is somehow the hardest to deal with because of it and Scizor). Anyways, nice video! Definitely learnt some more things that can be kept in mind.
@@pinkacross2042 You'd be surprised at how stupid stereotype mindgames can get. One of my favorite things to do versus Water is leading Ninetales, as they usually lead Pelipper. Ninetales is faster, so Snow Warning is removed by Drizzle, which would make most people think I goofed and will switch since I can't set up Aurora Veil... ...and then the Pelipper inmediately gets OHKO'd by Freeze-Dry, because they clicked U-Turn to read said switch. If I get to pull it off, that by itself provides a massive advantage, since it means I've won the weather war and can safely set Snow later with another switch. Already did twice, but one had Sash. Haven't faced many Pelipper lately.
I feel like there's multiple typed of game plans. There's a general gamelan when building a team, then there's the battle gameplan that you have when you first see the opponent's team
Bruh this is literally how I think during my games. I never thought it was anything special and other people always seemed to try overcomplicate it more than it had to be.
i feel like with gen 9 being able to have some type of game plan or "flow chart" on how your team goes about winning a game was completely thrown out the window. The amount of variance thats in the metagame is so crazy high that its just not something you can reliably do
While this is certainly true, it's been true for many generations-- flowchart teams sometimes exist with stall and HO but other than that aren't common.
Idk abt game plan but ALWAYS know your win-cons, and your back up plan. That’s one thing I learned from the shadiest penguin, ShadyP, from his time in comp-went in w opponents revealing their hand (item held, possible moves+ability, dmg calc etc) slowly but he would find his ability to win through maximing (or minimizing) his win con/ace in his sleeve. He could be down 6-2 and still tie the match if his opponent doesn’t get greedy. But is all else fails, I believe he said just CC everything on Heracross w CB bc apparently heracross is great all around.
Clickbait title aside, the info in the video was fine, gen 9 requires you to rethink lines and be dynamic. I do worry people in the comments might misinterpret this as just "think on the fly" though. You do need to have ideas of what mons you need weakened and which of ur mons has the most solid "line" to win (probably gambit) @ 7:45 the "hard plan" of win with ID skarm wasn't wrong and should always of been the plan you tried to execute first. Your opponent had 4 phys attackers + 2 sort of passive mons who give you "free" IDs; ur most forcing/winning line this game would be to get skarm in safely and threaten to ID sweep (which you did). This induced ur opp to tera ghost gambit so it loses to ur gambit in an endgame, now all you have to do is chip hands and you win with tera gambit (literally how most games go) The line of "ill kill hatt + win with hazard stack" is wrong cause its way too slow; if u waste time setting up spikes they are gonna run you over with SD ursaluna, Iron hands, gambit etc... but you really should be able to see that on team preview and write off that plan Your opponent had to realise on team preview that their 4 phys attackers lose to ID skarm and therefore have a gameplan to get past skarm e.g. take lines where hatt can para it and force some chip or trading psychic noise hoopa for more skarm chip/a kill then trying to win with gambit leveraging the fact your dark resist loses to low kick. Imo they didn't really have much room to be "dynamic" in their gameplan
Kingambit is such a ridiculous mon lmfao Good vid though - I think I just have a hard time applying this kinda stuff bc I still don't understand the relationship between team structure (e.g. balance/stall/HO, etc.) and a dynamic wincon. I like HO bc the wincon is always the same (make the enemy team explode) even though obviously it's still key to constantly be dynamically updating your gameplan. (this is to say a more in depth version of ur old vid on that stuff would be greatly appreciated and v helpful lmao, ty pinka)
I think you may be confusing what a win condition is. A win condition is often a pokemon (or sometimes a sequence) that leads directly to a win. HO has MANY win cons. What you may be thinking of is the overall GOAL of a team which is similar but not exactly a win condition.
For a second i thought this would've just been a gambit reverse sweep montage then i realized the poster is pinkacross ...So where's the 17 gambit reverse sweep montage?
Kind of off topic, but the more I play this game, the more parallels I see between Pokemon and fighting games. You take notes of what attacks you and your opponent have and make a general strategy around what you believe to be effective, which varies depending on each of your characters. You evaluate risk-reward and generally take more mid ground options on a moment-to-moment basis until you see a more direct win condition to go for. There's also an similar element of mind games where a generally risky play may be appropriate if you have a good read on your opponent's habits and it can get you a huge reward. I feel like you'd be fantastic at fighting games, too. They have so much in common, outside of the execution.
I consider it closer to card games like Hearthstone. Luck is important, but playing your cards wisely too: you need to keep in mind what strategy your opponent is utilizing, and how to counter their possible plays while also progressing your own goal. Thus, you usually want to focus entirely on keeping your counters ready, and striking hard. Maybe found this semblance because I like those games, but since I started playing Monotype, which is even closer to it because certain types follow certain variations of certain strategies, my mindset has switched into one similar to the one I use when playing those games.
Thank you for clearing this up. Relatedly I've always been confused by the concept of a "win condition," which seems restrictive. I guess your win condition here is when you recognized around turn 28 that glowking outspeeds everything? As opposed to thinking, on turn 0, "I am going to try to reverse sweep with kingambit" or whatever
Yes exactly, ANYTHING can be a wincon. Typically pokemon like Kingambit, but had the Iron Hands gotten a critical hit on Wild Charge for example, then Glowking would be my win con.
Really good vid, I like this perspective a lot. Team looks very solid. But any particular reason you chose Thundurus as ur Knock Off user over other mons? Thanks!
Glad you liked the video! I chose Thundurus because I like Thundurus, no particular reason other than that. As a Knock Off user it is extremely potent due to Volt Switch + Weather Ball, but at the same time there are a lot of potent Knock Off users like Meowscarada and Ival that also could replace Thundurus here.
Interesting video. Question tho, does this still apply when the meta gets more developed/stabilizes (mostly follow old gen through bkc)? Obviously, you should still be adaptable with the in-game situation ofc (bkc also highlights such). But from what i can tell, the situations/sets that people prepare/prepare for in those gens can get very concrete. Could just be my lack of knowledge.
Situational awareness definitely helps knowing what to do to put yourself in a better position, but it rarely directly transitions to a win or makes the rest of the game clear. Definitely though, as the gen progresses people get more familiar with certain situations and often are able to think more turns ahead, leading to earlier concrete game plans.
How would you suggest trapping via magnet pull with this sort of mindset? Or would you rather not at all? I like using air balloon magnezone for skarm/treads, but I feel I get way too focused on that when it’s not entirely necessary.
Magnet Pull is nearly dead this gen (mostly due to Tera) but trapping with magnet pull is a part of a team's structure, and making a play at some point to trap a corv or skarm isn't overplanning, it's just making a solid choice. If it's not necessary to win the game though, or another play would put you in a better position, then yea don't go for the magnet pull trap.
Due to how short VGC games are, I'd imagine they might be somewhat similar to singles endgames and therefore have more specific turns and goals in mind. Based on what I've seen you don't have a specific plan from turn 1, but a more solid plan develops quite quickly in VGC compared to singles.
Looking at the team you use in the video, as someone who's tried to build teams that don't care about hazards before, I've always struggled with slotting in immediate power that didn't care about hazards, thinking that specs/band/a damage boosting item was necessary. Do things like a boots Gambit or a boots Thundurus-Therian serve as immediate power? Also thanks for the teambuilding tips, before I started watching you I didn't even think to have a resistance to every type on the teams that I built, and other basic things like that.
Immediate power can sometimes be forgone on hazard stack teams, but generally this makes it even more important that you're not vulnerable to setup and common breakers. On this team for example I don't really have anything super strong right off the bat, which does cause some problems-- but hazard stack is so strong that it can be worth the trade-off. There are SOME creative solutions you could do-- something like Specs Latios I suppose is both very strong and good against hazards? Usually you are correct though, immediate power is difficult to fit and there's no easy way to fit this on an HDB spam hstack. On a non HDB spam Hstack with Great Tusk, you can afford to run immediate power that is somewhat weak to hazards since you have Tusk for removal and you don't need to be as worried about running HDB.
@@pinkacross2042 Thanks for the swift reply, and yeah, most of my HDB teams have resorted to Specs Latios, which has good power, though Luster Purge is obviously vulnerable to dark type switch ins hindering its spammability. Its also interesting just how different Gen 9 OU is compared to Gen 8 OU when it comes to Hazards especially, which Ghold isn't fully responsible for (movepool cuts) but definitely doesn't help with.
Absolutely. Usually hazards are very good though. Hazards become less beneficial the closer the game is to ending though, often in the last few turns it's better to just attack rather than set hazards, but early-on hazards are fantastic to set up.
how does this team beat tera dragon volc besides praying for a sludge bomb poison+crit? also who df is running sub salac NP ghold, i just lost to that weird shit. forget it, how do i beat any volcarona? that guy is too broken with tera. i just got bodied by tera ground cuz i couldn't twave
Hey pink, its trinco, we talked on d smogon chat recently. Don't you think that the team preview can be considered a "game plan" but more dynamic? I at least think this way, since you basically make your game plan by looking at your team and your opponent's team.
I think you’re actually underselling yourself with this video. While I agree with you in theory, in practice you have to have really strong fundamentals in understanding key threats and win conditions for your team and your opponent’s. You’re able to play this way because you intuitively understand key components of the game and can balance them accordingly. Someone with less knowledge/experience/intuition won’t be able to do that and will likely blunder an important threat or defensive check on their team. All of that to say - while I think this strategy is important to talk about (because it is truly under-discussed in the community), I don’t think it’s actually practical for the vast majority of the viewers of this video. I think a lot of people trying to take this style and copying it immediately will actually get worse (in the short term, at least) as a result.
I understand your perspective, but I've tutored many newer players and I've seen this approach yield very positive results quite consistently! This way of playing certainly becomes more effective with strong fundamentals and like any mindset change, will likely lead to worse results temporarily. That being said, the strategy of latching onto a specific win-con or idea prematurely has caused issues in both low-level and higher-level players-- it's quite difficult to unlearn and I think (even with minimal practice) this more dynamic way of thinking absolutely can help newer players. They will, however, need to be vigilant with team preview analysis and reassessing when major factors change-- THIS is something I do intuitively and no longer think about, but I broke down this intuition for the video. That being said if you have any alternative ideas (or perhaps another way of thinking through games as a transition phase to this method) please let me know! :]
You can send the importable as a comment here! Fair warning though, I don't think there's any way to polish up an electric terrain team, I think it's likely an unviable playstyle.
Kingambit is a game plan by being present. I think the title should be about not having a rigid game plan. Throughout the video you yourself adopt various plans and bring up how others failed. Having a plan is good, being unable to change plans is the bad part
That is a fair take, unfortunately nobody will watch a video titled "Do NOT Have a Rigid Game Plan in Competitive Pokemon." Short, snappy, and shocking titles get clicks and I figured the vast majority of people watching would not feel cheated or displeased by the content of the video.
Me, a HO player: ah, they have no counter to (sweeper), I will win on turn 13. (Though, this only really happens when I play any Ubers format, power creep there is 10x worse than in OU)
I was correct Team Preview Analysis is exactly what everyone considers game planning to the exact T. I am planning out how to go about the match up of my team vs their team. Identify threats and potential win cons and making note on who I need to make sure is healthy and who I can win without. Aka…game planning.
As I state in the first 10 seconds of the video, I'm addressing a common misconception about what gameplanning is and correcting how a gameplan should be more of a fluid strategy rather than a solidified plan.
@@pinkacross2042 I definitely listened to the entire video as I usually learn and enjoy your videos. My point was I knew a battler as good as you know that you need a gameplan so the title was indeed click bait. Idc if you want to call it dynamic, no experience battler is using a static gameplay regardless. Especially not in gen 9. However, controversial title is better than positive title. I also make videos for multiple companies and sometimes my own RUclips. So I understand marketing to the overall masses very well as a paid content creator for around 5 years. I see nothing wrong with clickbait.
This is a game plan hahaha, a strategy worked out in advance. Especially in sports a game plan is made to be flexible and adapt to ever-changing circumstances
You certainly COULD call it a game plan, although many people have an incorrect perception of what a 'game plan' should be. My intention is not to advocate for lack of thinking but rather lack of the detailed procedures that most people think of when they consider a 'plan.'
Win condition typically refers to a role of pokemon, not a set of sequences that could lead to a win. I suppose in theory it could mean both but that is not the typical community understanding (to my knowledge).
@@pinkacross2042 That kinda sounds like the term is just being made less useful in pokemon, lol. Where I'm from, your "win condition" is your answer to "how am I going to win this game from this position?" You used the term "win route" in this vid, which is virtually interchangeable to how my communities use "win condition". On the other hand, a "game plan" simply describes a plan for how you'll approach a game, generally with the intention of putting yourself in advantageous positions. Any game plan that actively includes a specific win condition (or win route, if you prefer) is probably a weak plan.
@@duncathan_salt Very fair. This explanation makes a lot of sense and I actually prefer this thought process to what is popular belief in the pokemon community, but from what I've seen this is not the case. Most players (especially new ones that I've encountered) consider a game plan to be a rough idea of a winning sequence, and most players consider a wincon to be a pokemon that has a high potential to end the game.
Sorry but this just starts with "I don't want to make a gameplan" and you proceed to talk about "crucial things" that you should take note of. This is a gameplan. Thinking about your important mons, what to keep healthy and what might not be useful, what might come in clutch and just what your possibilities are. That's a gameplan.
That is ONE definition of a game plan-- and yes there should be some thinking involved. The difference is that the strategy I'm recommending involves noting certain things and avoiding details. The definition of 'plan' is as follows: "a detailed proposal for doing or achieving something." Avoiding details while noting important factors is not a plan, but rather a strategy. If you consider this to be a plan that is a perfectly fine way of thinking but the information is nonetheless useful and corrects a perception that many players hold about what a "game plan" should be.
As it anyone is like "oh yeah there I have gotten this really big important information that destroys my gameplan I've made but well.. it's a gameplan so I will just continue it." Like no, we aren't dumb brain-dead people and we absolutely adjust in battle. That's just what is inside the word "gameplan"
So the video is saying "Don't plan the whole game in advance. Instead, identify general principles (I need Skarmory healthy or I lose to Kingambit and Ursaluna), pick good lead, and make solid mid ground plays until you secure an advantage"
Yeah I absolutely get the point it makes sense, also it's helpful for many players nonetheless. I just don't like the phrasing "don't make a gameplan".
I offer one-on-one tutoring sessions to help you improve your team-building and/or battling skills! Sign up here: forms.gle/24CVdqtBZoTgRyJd8
So instead of going in with a concrete gameplan, just go for the reverse Kingambit sweep like always. Got it!
lol
@@pinkacross2042 love ur vids bro, keep it up
LMAO
Isn't reverse sweeping with Gambit a gameplan
literally do this all the time sack 5 mons bring out Kingambit and win 😭
The virgin gameplan haver Vs the chad reverse kingambit sweeper
lol
So basically the jack sparrow approach.
"idk how this helps me, but it puts me in a better position and opens some options up."
until eventually:
"Oh looky, a win condition."
Precisely!
Basically, as a summary,
- Preview and Early Game: Note your wincons and their wincons. You're playing to chip right now, not playing to win. If in doubt, just click Knock Off.
- Mid Game: Now start to try to figure out winpaths and how to achieve them. Don't overextend unnecessarily and stay flexible with your ideas.
- End Game: Here's where you execute your winpath. Keep in mind any potential threats and play around them as safe as possible without allowing them to potentially reverse clean. Or just Kingambit. Why is this still legal, I don't know, I stick mainly to OMs for a reason.
My Knock Off is a machine that turns annoying walls into guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock
I literally play Natdex with mons that are all gen 9 just because gambit and ghold are banned
natdex W
Crazy because OMs are infintely more unbalanced than OU
Friendly reminder that Kingambit survived a suspect test.
Game plan: click sheer cold 6 times.
Bruh
A perfect plan that works 100% of the time 50% of the time
bro said "nah I'd win"
enemy Ice types:
I had a game plan until I missed t-wave three times in a row
Always play for the wincon! In yourp case your wincon was probably your opponent forfeiting lol
@@theschnozzlerThis actually.
Ive won games to lucky flinches and freezes, it shit hits the fan and you're almost sure to lose play for the low % victories
Me missing 4 Gunk Shot in the same match
just had a game where my opponent got para'd 5 times in row then ended winning due to crit
Dang this feels like the video I've needed forever.
Even the "how-to analyze during team preview" had me Mind Blown. I never considered "I must keep X as healthy as possible for Y reason, and they need Z to counter my A." The only thing I noticed is:
"can they remove my hazard stack"
"do they have volcarona/roaring moon"
if the 2nd answer is yes, my brain defaults to "ok this is going to be who is lucky enough to get the Dance first"
I remember commenting before about how I'd love to see more videos of "unspoken" competitive stuff; this video hits the nail on the head.
So glad you enjoyed the video! I'll be making more like this in the future for sure.
omg mind blown. blacephalon mentioned wooooooo
Awesome comment, especially your insight into the 'unspoken'. I second that as of now--it really helps me understand the flow of things.
I had a friend who revolutionized how I played competitive mons. I had always looked for my best wincon and played to that. And he told me that doing that isn’t bad but that it’s even better to identify all wincons while also identifying what wincons your opponent is playing for and take all of those factors into account when playing.
My gameplan: win and not lose.
I really like your content!
Glad you like it! :D
No game plan? Ash likes this video.
The video example really adds clarity to the explanation, good stuff. In your "how to beat hyper offense" vid for instance you only showed the teambuilder, while figuring out how to compromise against screens deoxys or hazards glimmora in an actual game still feels hard
I'll try to show gameplay examples in more videos, thanks for the feedback! Glad you enjoyed the video!
My gameplan is to force my entire team to explode and then send out Kingambit
10/10
I used to never play HO, but this gen it's been the only fun team structure for me and it helped me learn this. With balance especially I was always too focused on how to get my attackers in position from team preview, that I'd sac other things just to get them in safely, and then lose anyway
damn this is video is hella swag man. people always be screaming "whats your game plan bro? how do you win this game?" my brother in christ, i cant even tell you whats going to happen on turn 2
Glad you liked it! I've known so many people (including really solid players) that stress about having a specific path to win WAY too early in the game. It's not necessary and it's just counterproductive.
Honestly I am really happy to see your channel grow. Your work and that of many other channels help bring new players in and help them become better at the game (it's me, I'm new players)
Thank you for the support and I'm glad you're enjoying the channel! :D
We’re getting rid of the tunnel vision with this one 🗣️
This is great advice but I’m seriously reminded of the time I also psychic noised the Glis with my room service Hoopa and then felt like an idiot afterwards when I saw I got my own win con poisoned 😭💀
Yes indeed, no more tunnel vision! :D
This makes complete sense to me! You want to be adaptable and not have rigid win conditions in your mind and just let things unfold and respond accordingly.
Exactly!
In conclusion, no matter how complex is your gameplan, +252 atk choice band Barraskewda liquidation vs 252 hp/+252 def You in rain (140.7% - 165.4%) -- guaranteed OHKO
Personally I just make greedy plays, favour high risk low reward decisions, throw out my best win con turn 1 and purposely sack my other mons for no reason, just so daddy gambit can get supreme overlord boosts and bail me out
REMEMBER to keep your mons that walls threats healthy. Players will be so focused on killing the thing infront of them and predicting that they don’t realize their mon that walls the big threat is dead.
okay but real talk that guy's Hoopa U set was HEAT
it was
That Gliscor play was so big brain
great video as always ❤
it would be really cool if you made videos just playing with different playstyles I'd really like to watch you playing with trick room or stall
This is a great idea! I just wrote it down! :]
My game plan this entire gen has been misplay and blunder 5 mons then bring out the king
All hail the king
Very informative, I find myself doing this a lot more since I actually started trying to get good on Monotype. The teambuilding limitations mean that many types run similar strategies and Pokémon with small differences for each team, so just knowing their "usual" gameplan and what each Pokémon can do to your team is very important. Choosing a lead with Ice monotype is very fun, because many people instantly default to thinking I'll lead Ninetales into Aurora Veil, which very often backfires on them.
Many Fire Type teams get cocky upon seeing an Ice monotype and limit their gameplan to "I'll just click my Fire Type move 6 times", which most of the time leads to them inmediately getting swept by Baxcalibur, because said teams rarely have a way to kill it once it has set up. (Just need to stop attacking Ceruledge with Earthquake).
Fairy Type teams are also a good example, because of Flutter Mane. Chien-Pao OHKOs it with Sucker Punch, and it outspeeds my entire team, easily being capable of sweeping, so it's imperative to keep Chien alive just to deal with it the moment its exposed. Only then I can risk using Chien-Pao for something else.
Overall, really like monotype. The restrictions on teambuilding make it feel similar to a card game, where instead of being able to face any combination of Pokémon, you see certain "decks" that follow the same general strategy, with small variations. It's very fun coming up with ways to play around certain threats in certain types (god I hate Kleavor, Bug Type is somehow the hardest to deal with because of it and Scizor).
Anyways, nice video! Definitely learnt some more things that can be kept in mind.
Glad you enjoyed the video and thank you for the monotype information, this was an interesting comment to read!
@@pinkacross2042 You'd be surprised at how stupid stereotype mindgames can get.
One of my favorite things to do versus Water is leading Ninetales, as they usually lead Pelipper. Ninetales is faster, so Snow Warning is removed by Drizzle, which would make most people think I goofed and will switch since I can't set up Aurora Veil...
...and then the Pelipper inmediately gets OHKO'd by Freeze-Dry, because they clicked U-Turn to read said switch. If I get to pull it off, that by itself provides a massive advantage, since it means I've won the weather war and can safely set Snow later with another switch. Already did twice, but one had Sash. Haven't faced many Pelipper lately.
As a bug monotype player, good to see that ive made an impact of some kind.
I feel like there's multiple typed of game plans. There's a general gamelan when building a team, then there's the battle gameplan that you have when you first see the opponent's team
Bruh this is literally how I think during my games. I never thought it was anything special and other people always seemed to try overcomplicate it more than it had to be.
i feel like with gen 9 being able to have some type of game plan or "flow chart" on how your team goes about winning a game was completely thrown out the window. The amount of variance thats in the metagame is so crazy high that its just not something you can reliably do
While this is certainly true, it's been true for many generations-- flowchart teams sometimes exist with stall and HO but other than that aren't common.
I remember blunder saying that he likes teams that have a specific game plans in mind, too, because it feels restricting.
Idk abt game plan but ALWAYS know your win-cons, and your back up plan. That’s one thing I learned from the shadiest penguin, ShadyP, from his time in comp-went in w opponents revealing their hand (item held, possible moves+ability, dmg calc etc) slowly but he would find his ability to win through maximing (or minimizing) his win con/ace in his sleeve. He could be down 6-2 and still tie the match if his opponent doesn’t get greedy. But is all else fails, I believe he said just CC everything on Heracross w CB bc apparently heracross is great all around.
Clickbait title aside, the info in the video was fine, gen 9 requires you to rethink lines and be dynamic. I do worry people in the comments might misinterpret this as just "think on the fly" though. You do need to have ideas of what mons you need weakened and which of ur mons has the most solid "line" to win (probably gambit)
@ 7:45 the "hard plan" of win with ID skarm wasn't wrong and should always of been the plan you tried to execute first. Your opponent had 4 phys attackers + 2 sort of passive mons who give you "free" IDs; ur most forcing/winning line this game would be to get skarm in safely and threaten to ID sweep (which you did). This induced ur opp to tera ghost gambit so it loses to ur gambit in an endgame, now all you have to do is chip hands and you win with tera gambit (literally how most games go)
The line of "ill kill hatt + win with hazard stack" is wrong cause its way too slow; if u waste time setting up spikes they are gonna run you over with SD ursaluna, Iron hands, gambit etc... but you really should be able to see that on team preview and write off that plan
Your opponent had to realise on team preview that their 4 phys attackers lose to ID skarm and therefore have a gameplan to get past skarm e.g. take lines where hatt can para it and force some chip or trading psychic noise hoopa for more skarm chip/a kill then trying to win with gambit leveraging the fact your dark resist loses to low kick. Imo they didn't really have much room to be "dynamic" in their gameplan
Kingambit is such a ridiculous mon lmfao
Good vid though - I think I just have a hard time applying this kinda stuff bc I still don't understand the relationship between team structure (e.g. balance/stall/HO, etc.) and a dynamic wincon. I like HO bc the wincon is always the same (make the enemy team explode) even though obviously it's still key to constantly be dynamically updating your gameplan.
(this is to say a more in depth version of ur old vid on that stuff would be greatly appreciated and v helpful lmao, ty pinka)
I think you may be confusing what a win condition is. A win condition is often a pokemon (or sometimes a sequence) that leads directly to a win. HO has MANY win cons. What you may be thinking of is the overall GOAL of a team which is similar but not exactly a win condition.
For a second i thought this would've just been a gambit reverse sweep montage then i realized the poster is pinkacross
...So where's the 17 gambit reverse sweep montage?
Haha I might make a gambit reverse sweep montage one day, it does indeed go crazy
Kind of off topic, but the more I play this game, the more parallels I see between Pokemon and fighting games. You take notes of what attacks you and your opponent have and make a general strategy around what you believe to be effective, which varies depending on each of your characters. You evaluate risk-reward and generally take more mid ground options on a moment-to-moment basis until you see a more direct win condition to go for. There's also an similar element of mind games where a generally risky play may be appropriate if you have a good read on your opponent's habits and it can get you a huge reward. I feel like you'd be fantastic at fighting games, too. They have so much in common, outside of the execution.
As someone who plays smash bros (somewhat seriously) and pokemon seriously, this is an interesting perspective! Thank you for sharing!
I consider it closer to card games like Hearthstone. Luck is important, but playing your cards wisely too: you need to keep in mind what strategy your opponent is utilizing, and how to counter their possible plays while also progressing your own goal. Thus, you usually want to focus entirely on keeping your counters ready, and striking hard.
Maybe found this semblance because I like those games, but since I started playing Monotype, which is even closer to it because certain types follow certain variations of certain strategies, my mindset has switched into one similar to the one I use when playing those games.
Thank you for clearing this up. Relatedly I've always been confused by the concept of a "win condition," which seems restrictive. I guess your win condition here is when you recognized around turn 28 that glowking outspeeds everything? As opposed to thinking, on turn 0, "I am going to try to reverse sweep with kingambit" or whatever
Yes exactly, ANYTHING can be a wincon. Typically pokemon like Kingambit, but had the Iron Hands gotten a critical hit on Wild Charge for example, then Glowking would be my win con.
Really good vid, I like this perspective a lot.
Team looks very solid. But any particular reason you chose Thundurus as ur Knock Off user over other mons? Thanks!
Glad you liked the video! I chose Thundurus because I like Thundurus, no particular reason other than that. As a Knock Off user it is extremely potent due to Volt Switch + Weather Ball, but at the same time there are a lot of potent Knock Off users like Meowscarada and Ival that also could replace Thundurus here.
Very educational. Wondering what the tera fire for kingambit is for?
Tera Fire Kingambit is for opposing burns and to resist Fire type attacks like from Volcarona, Gouging Fire, and Cinderace.
Well put. Also nice to resist Fairy hits.
I know this is for VGC but I wonder if this is applicable to TCG as well as it seems so to me. Very helpful, thank you!
This isn't VGC, it's singles, but I'm glad you found further application for this! :D
Interesting video. Question tho, does this still apply when the meta gets more developed/stabilizes (mostly follow old gen through bkc)? Obviously, you should still be adaptable with the in-game situation ofc (bkc also highlights such). But from what i can tell, the situations/sets that people prepare/prepare for in those gens can get very concrete. Could just be my lack of knowledge.
Situational awareness definitely helps knowing what to do to put yourself in a better position, but it rarely directly transitions to a win or makes the rest of the game clear. Definitely though, as the gen progresses people get more familiar with certain situations and often are able to think more turns ahead, leading to earlier concrete game plans.
I have a plan, attack.
not having a game plan, is a game plan
the reason game plans get foiled is not kingambit, it's tera.
Gouging Fire @ Haban Berry
Ability: Protosynthesis
Tera Type: Dragon
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Dragon Claw
- Raging Fury
- Burning Bulwark
Gliscor @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Poison Heal
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk
- Toxic
- Spikes
- Earthquake
- Protect
Gyarados @ Safety Goggles
Ability: Intimidate
Tera Type: Dragon
EVs: 4 HP / 244 Atk / 8 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Tera Blast
- Earthquake
- Dragon Dance
- Waterfall
Meowscarada @ Focus Sash
Ability: Overgrow
Tera Type: Grass
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Triple Axel
- Knock Off
- Flower Trick
- Sucker Punch
Metagross @ Weakness Policy
Ability: Clear Body
Tera Type: Fairy
EVs: 252 HP / 200 Atk / 4 Def / 52 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Trailblaze
- Psychic Fangs
- Bullet Punch
- Stomping Tantrum
Dragapult @ Wise Glasses
Ability: Infiltrator
Tera Type: Ghost
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Shadow Ball
- Flamethrower
- U-turn
Thank you for the submission!
How would you suggest trapping via magnet pull with this sort of mindset? Or would you rather not at all? I like using air balloon magnezone for skarm/treads, but I feel I get way too focused on that when it’s not entirely necessary.
Magnet Pull is nearly dead this gen (mostly due to Tera) but trapping with magnet pull is a part of a team's structure, and making a play at some point to trap a corv or skarm isn't overplanning, it's just making a solid choice. If it's not necessary to win the game though, or another play would put you in a better position, then yea don't go for the magnet pull trap.
I wonder if the same holds for VGC. It seems like concrete game plans would be a bit more important, as you can only bring four members of your team.
Due to how short VGC games are, I'd imagine they might be somewhat similar to singles endgames and therefore have more specific turns and goals in mind. Based on what I've seen you don't have a specific plan from turn 1, but a more solid plan develops quite quickly in VGC compared to singles.
That may be true but in doubles there are more variables which makes game-planning still unreliable I'd imagine
great video never thought about it this way. also do you play any other games besides pokemon?
Glad you enjoyed the video! I play smash bros ultimate as well.
Gen 9 ou be like: why trying to make a strategy when you can just click on swords dance?
Looking at the team you use in the video, as someone who's tried to build teams that don't care about hazards before, I've always struggled with slotting in immediate power that didn't care about hazards, thinking that specs/band/a damage boosting item was necessary. Do things like a boots Gambit or a boots Thundurus-Therian serve as immediate power? Also thanks for the teambuilding tips, before I started watching you I didn't even think to have a resistance to every type on the teams that I built, and other basic things like that.
Immediate power can sometimes be forgone on hazard stack teams, but generally this makes it even more important that you're not vulnerable to setup and common breakers. On this team for example I don't really have anything super strong right off the bat, which does cause some problems-- but hazard stack is so strong that it can be worth the trade-off. There are SOME creative solutions you could do-- something like Specs Latios I suppose is both very strong and good against hazards? Usually you are correct though, immediate power is difficult to fit and there's no easy way to fit this on an HDB spam hstack. On a non HDB spam Hstack with Great Tusk, you can afford to run immediate power that is somewhat weak to hazards since you have Tusk for removal and you don't need to be as worried about running HDB.
@@pinkacross2042 Thanks for the swift reply, and yeah, most of my HDB teams have resorted to Specs Latios, which has good power, though Luster Purge is obviously vulnerable to dark type switch ins hindering its spammability. Its also interesting just how different Gen 9 OU is compared to Gen 8 OU when it comes to Hazards especially, which Ghold isn't fully responsible for (movepool cuts) but definitely doesn't help with.
can a team win without setting hazards?
Absolutely. Usually hazards are very good though. Hazards become less beneficial the closer the game is to ending though, often in the last few turns it's better to just attack rather than set hazards, but early-on hazards are fantastic to set up.
so 5 band explosions 1 gambit= win
I believe it's optimal to use the pixel art sprites instead of the 3d models
This is so true, the colours are better and the pixel art done for the new mons is so good
how does this team beat tera dragon volc besides praying for a sludge bomb poison+crit?
also who df is running sub salac NP ghold, i just lost to that weird shit.
forget it, how do i beat any volcarona? that guy is too broken with tera. i just got bodied by tera ground cuz i couldn't twave
Toxic Gliscor + Glowking + Kingambit Sucker, or just Tera Fire Gambit.
Why was the HoopaU at 3:10 itemless…
It used up an Eject Pack when it used Hyperspace Fury!
@@pinkacross2042 'I showed you my Hyperspace Hole, please respond'
the woohoojin of pokemon showdown
Why thank you!
Hey pink, its trinco, we talked on d smogon chat recently. Don't you think that the team preview can be considered a "game plan" but more dynamic? I at least think this way, since you basically make your game plan by looking at your team and your opponent's team.
Yes you certainly could call it a gameplan in and of itself-- semantics aren't important though, as long as you understand the procedure.
I'm not sure why anyone would come into competitive with a game plan, greater men have died underestimating pachirisu
AYO I REMEBER YOU! YOU RATED MY FAKE STALL TEAM ON SMOGON! IM "GLITCH" ON SMOGON BTW
*GLICHT
Mr cross what is your favorite gen?
Gen 7 or 8! In-game would have to be gen 4 because of HGSS, best games!
just won a privat draft league tournament :3
Nicely done!
I think you’re actually underselling yourself with this video. While I agree with you in theory, in practice you have to have really strong fundamentals in understanding key threats and win conditions for your team and your opponent’s. You’re able to play this way because you intuitively understand key components of the game and can balance them accordingly. Someone with less knowledge/experience/intuition won’t be able to do that and will likely blunder an important threat or defensive check on their team.
All of that to say - while I think this strategy is important to talk about (because it is truly under-discussed in the community), I don’t think it’s actually practical for the vast majority of the viewers of this video. I think a lot of people trying to take this style and copying it immediately will actually get worse (in the short term, at least) as a result.
I understand your perspective, but I've tutored many newer players and I've seen this approach yield very positive results quite consistently! This way of playing certainly becomes more effective with strong fundamentals and like any mindset change, will likely lead to worse results temporarily. That being said, the strategy of latching onto a specific win-con or idea prematurely has caused issues in both low-level and higher-level players-- it's quite difficult to unlearn and I think (even with minimal practice) this more dynamic way of thinking absolutely can help newer players. They will, however, need to be vigilant with team preview analysis and reassessing when major factors change-- THIS is something I do intuitively and no longer think about, but I broke down this intuition for the video. That being said if you have any alternative ideas (or perhaps another way of thinking through games as a transition phase to this method) please let me know! :]
Sacrifice everything for king gambit
how can I send you my team for a review? i have a team concept around hazards and electric terrain but I could use some fixes to really polish it up.
You can send the importable as a comment here! Fair warning though, I don't think there's any way to polish up an electric terrain team, I think it's likely an unviable playstyle.
@@pinkacross2042 Thank you!
Kingambit is a game plan by being present. I think the title should be about not having a rigid game plan. Throughout the video you yourself adopt various plans and bring up how others failed. Having a plan is good, being unable to change plans is the bad part
That is a fair take, unfortunately nobody will watch a video titled "Do NOT Have a Rigid Game Plan in Competitive Pokemon." Short, snappy, and shocking titles get clicks and I figured the vast majority of people watching would not feel cheated or displeased by the content of the video.
@@pinkacross2042 that's valid lol, don't hate the player, hate the game and all lol
Me, a HO player: ah, they have no counter to (sweeper), I will win on turn 13.
(Though, this only really happens when I play any Ubers format, power creep there is 10x worse than in OU)
I hear Koraidon is busted
@@pinkacross2042 truly the winged king of Ubers
but doesn't everyone play like this? doing this since gen 4 ou
It's great that you're doing this, but no, a LOT of people do not play like this.
@@pinkacross2042 crazy to me
Title was click bait without even playing the video. No way you think you shouldn’t have a game plan.
I was correct Team Preview Analysis is exactly what everyone considers game planning to the exact T.
I am planning out how to go about the match up of my team vs their team. Identify threats and potential win cons and making note on who I need to make sure is healthy and who I can win without. Aka…game planning.
As I state in the first 10 seconds of the video, I'm addressing a common misconception about what gameplanning is and correcting how a gameplan should be more of a fluid strategy rather than a solidified plan.
Bro skipped the first 30 seconds of the video
@@pinkacross2042 I definitely listened to the entire video as I usually learn and enjoy your videos.
My point was I knew a battler as good as you know that you need a gameplan so the title was indeed click bait. Idc if you want to call it dynamic, no experience battler is using a static gameplay regardless. Especially not in gen 9.
However, controversial title is better than positive title. I also make videos for multiple companies and sometimes my own RUclips. So I understand marketing to the overall masses very well as a paid content creator for around 5 years. I see nothing wrong with clickbait.
@@whos_agent2129me when I don't watch the video and just bitch
Always wing it.
My game plan is play randoms
Having a dynamic gameplan is especially important in random battles! Good luck! :]
@@pinkacross2042 thx you too
Why does your skarmory need to be healthy?
Kingambit and Ursaluna.
@@pinkacross2042 I know, you mentioned that a few times in the video. But why?
@@mijkolsmith To live hits from those pokemon. If it is not healthy, it will get KOd and then I will have nothing to handle those pokemon.
@@pinkacross2042 what coverage moves do they usually run?
@@mijkolsmith Fire Punch, Kowtow Cleave
❤
This is a game plan hahaha, a strategy worked out in advance. Especially in sports a game plan is made to be flexible and adapt to ever-changing circumstances
You certainly COULD call it a game plan, although many people have an incorrect perception of what a 'game plan' should be. My intention is not to advocate for lack of thinking but rather lack of the detailed procedures that most people think of when they consider a 'plan.'
I don't think anyone does that though
@@patricksimmons8117 They absolutely do, I've seen game overplanning a LOT-- it's good that you don't though! :]
thats crazy
Tbh you're talking about 'Win Condition', not Gameplan
Win condition typically refers to a role of pokemon, not a set of sequences that could lead to a win. I suppose in theory it could mean both but that is not the typical community understanding (to my knowledge).
@@pinkacross2042 That kinda sounds like the term is just being made less useful in pokemon, lol. Where I'm from, your "win condition" is your answer to "how am I going to win this game from this position?" You used the term "win route" in this vid, which is virtually interchangeable to how my communities use "win condition".
On the other hand, a "game plan" simply describes a plan for how you'll approach a game, generally with the intention of putting yourself in advantageous positions. Any game plan that actively includes a specific win condition (or win route, if you prefer) is probably a weak plan.
@@duncathan_salt Very fair. This explanation makes a lot of sense and I actually prefer this thought process to what is popular belief in the pokemon community, but from what I've seen this is not the case. Most players (especially new ones that I've encountered) consider a game plan to be a rough idea of a winning sequence, and most players consider a wincon to be a pokemon that has a high potential to end the game.
Screw that.
5 memento Pokémon + Last Respects sweeper
unbeatable game plan 😎
Sadly when LR was in OU that actually got some people
Long video, you could’ve just said use kingambit
lol
Sorry but this just starts with "I don't want to make a gameplan" and you proceed to talk about "crucial things" that you should take note of. This is a gameplan. Thinking about your important mons, what to keep healthy and what might not be useful, what might come in clutch and just what your possibilities are. That's a gameplan.
That is ONE definition of a game plan-- and yes there should be some thinking involved. The difference is that the strategy I'm recommending involves noting certain things and avoiding details. The definition of 'plan' is as follows: "a detailed proposal for doing or achieving something." Avoiding details while noting important factors is not a plan, but rather a strategy. If you consider this to be a plan that is a perfectly fine way of thinking but the information is nonetheless useful and corrects a perception that many players hold about what a "game plan" should be.
As it anyone is like "oh yeah there I have gotten this really big important information that destroys my gameplan I've made but well.. it's a gameplan so I will just continue it." Like no, we aren't dumb brain-dead people and we absolutely adjust in battle. That's just what is inside the word "gameplan"
@@olivergro7105He's only trying to show a clearer line in the middle
So the video is saying "Don't plan the whole game in advance. Instead, identify general principles (I need Skarmory healthy or I lose to Kingambit and Ursaluna), pick good lead, and make solid mid ground plays until you secure an advantage"
Yeah I absolutely get the point it makes sense, also it's helpful for many players nonetheless. I just don't like the phrasing "don't make a gameplan".
hey, so i reached top 350 from 1400 using a keldeo team and im not sure if its good or im just getting lucky with matchups my user is weavileenjoyer15
Congratulations! Feel free to send the importable via a comment and I'll take a look!
@@pinkacross2042 18a595721619ff87 is the pokepaste #. idrk how to put the link in
@@pinkacross2042 i dont know really how to send the team, but my username is weavileenjoyer15 and i can send you the team via msgs