The Sardonic Hipster’s Guide to VGC 2015: Part One – “Playing to Win”
Alright, luv? Whatever decisions you’ve made across the span of your lifetime, it’s all led you to here: the Sardonic Hipster’s Guide to VGC 2015. I hope you’re proud of yourself. This is a two-part guide to my current take on 2015’s competitive scene. The second part is a teambuilding guide, and a hitlist of all the different threats your team has to cover if you want to have a shot at winning a tournament. This, however, is the first part: a concise opinion piece on what it means to “play to win” at Pokémon in 2015. Get ready for some harsh truths, special snowflakes. :^)
Live to win! ‘till you die!
If you’re playing to win, there is nothing more to it. You are playing to win: to knock out all four of your opponent’s Pokémon before they do yours. Nothing more, nothing less. And if you want the prizes, winning is the only thing that gets them.
When I’m physically playing Pokémon, winning is all that matters. Is that a healthy mentality? A lot of scrubs-I mean, people- would argue that it isn’t. But I say, yeah, why not? It’s a game, and it’s meant to be played properly. You can argue that playing Pokémon is about meeting people and hanging out with friends, but being honest I’d rather do that, and also win all of my games. Everyone plays their Swiss rounds, but if you win them, you’re coming back for more and getting loads of free stuff, so you might as well put the work in. If you want it hard enough, and you make a lucid, reasoned effort to be, you can and will be a winner.
So, how do you go about playing to win? The last piece I wrote was kind of about that, but in all honesty was mostly an excuse to crack some stupid Pokémon jokes. This time’s more about actually building a team and getting some results. The first place to start is with setting up the right attitude.
Obviously, you can’t win every time. Nobody’s perfect, and you’ll always have competition. What you can do is make yourself more likely to win than other people. There’s a lot to it, but here’s a few basic rules to start off with:
Rule 1: First, learn everything you can about the game.
Pokémon’s an information game. That means you have know all the basics, like your type charts and every common Pokémon’s base stats. Otherwise, you’re only handicapping yourself; losing a game to, say, not knowing Heliolisk’s base Speed is preventable and therefore entirely your fault. Learn how fast everything is and what moves Pokémon can carry. It’ll probably seem overwhelming at first, but play enough and you’ll get used to it. It’s not really that big of an investment once you get into the swing of things. Then, the most crucial step in becoming a high-level player is to know your damage calculations. The very top tier Pokémon players always know how much damage they should be doing. You might have to start out using a calculator, like Nugget Bridge’s lovely own, but if you get enough experience it’ll become easy to estimate damage. Once you know the game’s raw information, you can start getting into how to play with that information.
Rule 2: Be rational.
Are you here to win games, or are you here to go home with nothing? If you’re happy just playing games, that’s okay, do what you like. If you want to win them, then you have to be rational. That means if something isn’t working, accept that it isn’t working. Analyse everything and be sure of every decision you make. Be aware of cognitive biases (as beautifully described in Werford’s article) and be sure you’re playing to the highest level you can. For example, you might, say, sing the praises of Gravity Rain Kabutops, and cite many occasions in which it’s won you games. Fair enough. But be honest: if that’s happening, it isn’t because Gravity Rain Kabutops is good, it’s probably because you’re being vain and want to be known for being different. Which sure, people might talk about it for a few days. Good for you. Since Gravity Rain Kabutops is awful, you’re also not going to win, so I hope losing in Top Cut is worth it for you. Meanwhile, your sensible friend just uses something decent and earns a free trip to Worlds. You getting the gist this was something that happened? Yeah, I had to learn the hard way. When it comes to it, nobody cares about special snowflakes. I’m talking to you, Cryogonal, you snotty-nosed mug.
Rule 3: Be proactive instead of reactive.
Use things you made yourself, trust your own (reasoned) knowledge more than other people’s opinions, and generally be a Pokémon go-getter. “Hay you guiz what item should I use on my Talonflame” never won a tournament; get out and make some decisions, you baby. Think of it this way: if you can’t come up with your own Arcanine’s EV spread, nobody will ever love you. Being proactive also means using strategies that control the game. It’s all well and good packing Wide Guard Aegislash to protect against Charizard’s Heat Wave, but there’s nothing stopping it from just using Overheat and instantly ruining you. Likewise, it might seem like a cool idea to EV your Charizard to survive certain Rock Slides, but you still have to bear in mind Rock Slide will flinch you 30% of the time you survive it, meaning you’re better off just preventing any Rock Slides with, say, a partnered Ice Shard Mamoswine. It’s a typical example of a reactive play (EVing Charizard to survive) being a lesser option to the proactive play, which doesn’t give your opponent a shot at Charizard in the first place. Consciously give your opponent as little a chance as possible. You are Maggie, and they are the miners.
Rule 4: In a tournament, winning is all that matters.
Have I stressed this enough yet? The game doesn’t care what Pokémon you’re using, or if you’re being “fair”. That’s for scrubs, also known as losers. The game only cares about who KOs their opponent’s last Pokémon. So if you’re playing to win, the game’s opinion is the only one that matters. “At least I’m using something different“ – nobody cares. “I got haxed” – unless you’re James Green and went 4-1 to 0-1 after a consecutive 4 Ice Beams and 2 Draco Meteors missed on Brightpowder Garchomp, to this day the most sickening luck to afflict anyone in a VGC National tournament, nobody cares, and the bracket still didn’t care about that, because he lost the game. Play to maximise your odds of winning, and while there will be a minority of cases in which you couldn’t have done anything, learn to identify when you could’ve done better. Be the best you can, and don’t make excuses. Become a sassy Pokémon Spartan with a sweet cape, rippling abs, and a wonderful constipated grimace. It’s the cool thing to do.
Rule 5: Do whatever makes you most likely to win.
This is where things get more complicated. What I’m saying, is, whatever you’re using should be the absolute best, most optimal build you can manage. That means playing everything in your team to its best strengths, and having an answer to whatever you come up against. It might seem cool to run, say, Crunch Kangaskhan, but that’s never going to be the optimal move. For every game you win because you had Crunch, you’ll probably lose two to not having Sucker Punch. Likewise, prediction-based Pokémon like Bisharp, as well as anything with inaccurate moves, will do you in at some point and lose the game. Gimmicks never have won, and in all likelihood never will win, a tournament. You can make Top Cut, definitely, but what’s the point in making it that far if as soon as you get a bad matchup, it’s impossible to win? So don’t be “that guy” who brings a staple remover to a gunfight. You’ll only go 1-8 and ruin Mr Staple’s tiebreaker, his day, and consequently his life.
Rule 6: But don’t forget it’s all only for fun.
Some kids get their kicks shuffling on sticky floors, with a drink in one hand and a slack-jawed stranger in the other. Some people really like knitting, and baking cakes they don’t eat. Others enjoy sitting in a darkened room and typing out quotes from Bane from the newest Batman movie on the internet. Personally, I enjoy wrecking scrubs at video games. Whilst you could probably call my playstyle brutal and nihilistic, it’s also really enjoyable to me, and it works. Excluding one 3-3 at Worlds (editor’s note: and the most recent German Nationals), I’ve missed precisely two Top Cuts in 6 years of playing VGC, and had a great time at the tournaments I have cut. Is this the devious and Byronic dark side of Pokémon? Not really, it’s just game theory, which I happen to think is loads of fun.
“Playing to win” doesn’t make you a monster; an unholy fusion of Lance Armstrong, Don King and Beelzebub, a bicycled beast of twisted hair and gaping maw, clutching at stolen treasure and terrorising the innocent. That’s called poor sportsmanship, or Boris Johnson. Playing to win is looking at every match as a puzzle to be solved, and fighting as hard as you can to have the game say “win”. It’s not aggressive; to be honest, I actually find it pretty relaxing. Whilst your nan’s doing sudokus, I’ll get settled in, get t’ curtains drawn, snuggle up with a cuppa and practise some Pokémon. Then go to Nationals, wreck scrubs, and win a nice holiday. That’s the way to do it. I love this game, and VGC’s a nice hobby.
Anyway, that’s a basic summary of what I think it means to play to win. This year’s format, with its seemingly infinite amount of options, makes it easier than ever for that one weird team to get its lucky matchups all the way into a Top Cut, where it’ll get wrecked by somebody competent using something reliable. So, please, please, if not just for my sake, don’t go running in there with Ancient Power Air Balloon Heatran, or throwing Low Kicks into my Charizard, or spamming endgame Scarf Rock Slides and actually getting the triple flinch, or whatever. I’m fed up of having to put my losses down to best-of-one gimmicks and hax. So hey, think you’ve got what it takes? Play your best and see if you can beat me.
About the Author
Zog A veteran tournament player, Daniel "Zog" Nolan is proud of his no-nonsense attitude and silly sense of humour. When he's actually doing work, Zog likes to hide toy snakes in the wilderness (and other decidedly more lab-based activities) in the name of scientific progress. Follow on Instagram at dan_z_nolan and Twitter @Zoggykins!
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56 Responses to The Sardonic Hipster’s Guide to VGC 2015: Part One – “Playing to Win”
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Play to win or play to learn?
DUN DUN
It’s a very harsh article, but it is true as well. I feel anyone new should read this as new players might want to use their favorites but end up frustrated when they keep losing. Still a good, harsh read 😀
Air balloon heatran with ancient power is now considered a gimmick? Sometimes you have to tailor things to fit your team and fill up weaknesses, you can’t always run the standard sets.
And I think it’s great that you want to win games so desperately, but remember that some of us have fun using unorthodox strategies, and there’s no really need to be so condescending to those kinds of people.
This article is about playing to win and is mainly aimed at players who want to win and who try to use unorthodox teams and still want to win tournaments with them. I wouldn’t say it was aimed at players who just want to have fun with random teams. Although on a side note are you really having fun losing with an unorthodox team when you could be winning with a more standard team?
The salt in this thread is comical.
Was hoping for some useful tips and instead got a rehash of last article. I don’t think you used “Special Snowflake” enough, we didn’t get your point last time that unusual sets are typically not the best way to go. Not to say that there wasn’t a few good suggestions, like not blaming hacks or clinging to Pokemon just because they’re different from the meta, but… I don’t know. Maybe this was directed at newer players primarily, but even saying that feels weird because it’s not like I’m a player who’s been playing for years. I also think you take it too far in the opposite direction. How many top teams/players used *only* standard pokemon/moves/ev spreads? Yes, they usually used mostly standard guys, with good reason, but don’t most have a trick or two up their sleeves? Pokemon like Pachirisu and Torkoal will not work for most of course, but for those few really good players, it can pay off to deviate a bit.
I think you have completely missed the point of the article, he never states don’t deviate from the norm its about that deviation having a purpose. The whole article is aimed at telling people to play to win and be honest with yourself, if you have devised a strat for a grimer mon and won a couple of games does that make it a good mon? no, his kabutops analogy is a good example, you could potentially win a game with that strategy, you’ll also probably lose a lot when you don’t set it up. Also you say it might be a re-hash but if you look through the forums its clearly a re-hash that needs to be said as the same stuff is being repeatedly asked.
“Think of it this way: if you can’t come up with your own Arcanine’s EV spread, nobody will ever love you.” I couldn’t help but laugh at this.
You know i never got people like this, you say have fun but only use what works even if what works usually involves the most absolutely boring and painful joykill play style the game offers, maybe its just me but khan spamming double edge with rock slide from lando for support is as boring as watching paint dry.
also how is winning the only thing that matters and then the next rule is have fun?
this article is really offensive because kabutops looks really cool and i like it!!
in the section of “doing whatever it takes to win” i think a prudent point of that discussion is playing to win via timer; a lot of people recently were giving wolfe heat in the MA stream because he won g1/2 via timer. not sure where the expectation that you’re supposed to win based on an arbitrary and inconsistent sense of “honor” comes from
Some people find winning in it self to be fun. Such is their competitive spirit.
Also gingeruprising brought up a good point; it’s okay to deviate from standard pokemon as long as their is a PURPOSE. Purpose being “to win”.
Were getting to that point in the meta where people try and find ways to counter it, primarily lando and his spread moves. No one is saying pull out your own lando to beat it (although that is an option), zog is saying pick good stuff to beat it.
As an extreme example:
Luvdisc @ Choice Specs
Ability: Swift Swim
Level: 50
EVs: 4 HP / 188 Def / 188 SpA / 4 SpD / 124 Spe
Modest Nature
– Ice Beam
-cos who needs other moves with this little monster
Here’s a few calcs to show you the power …. brace yourself.
I suppose it could be argued on paper this little thing does reasonable in the meta (with re-direction support) but should you use it over other mons for the sake of being different?? Detroit no, milotic, suicune, swampert Detroit almost any water type does the same job but better and that is one of the points of this article. No one is saying don’t think outside the box, just don’t use grimer pokemon for the sake of being different. Beating the meta with different pokes isn’t easy and your attitude won’t get you far, you have to put some serious effort into designing the team but it is possible to beat these pokes without using the top 6 from battlespot.
I agree with the whole “Stop worrying about Honour Code” thing. At the end of the day, if it ain’t in the rulebook, you don’t gotta worry about it. If the game lets you do it, use everything in the game’s natural limitations and rules to secure yourself a victory.
Good Lord 4 ice beams and 2 dracos? Id flip a table.
See the thing is with all counters is that the top tier stuff together really can be anything in a team to the point where deviating from this basically makes it an uphill battle no matter what you bring. and more of what i was saying if winning is all that matters then we may as well all use the same stuff just to get that slight edge that would happen if we theoretically all played that perfect game and got the same levels of hax, because there are unorthodox counter strategies to standard.jpg but it taes one item shift or ev spread to change a good match up to a horrid match up.
and im not even going to bother putting calcs on a luvdisc even dunsparce has more utility
I think we’re forgetting that there’s a lot more to a game than just the Pokemon. Who cares if both teams are bog standard? In fact who cares if both teams are exactly the same down to the EVs? There’s still so many things that will happen in a game, and is part of what Zog talks about where it’s a puzzle to solve and ultimately what happens in the battle and trying to turn the tides to your favour is the real fun, not whether someone is using Kangaskhan or Absol.
Great topic.
Playing to win is the only way to play and I’m glad Zog wrote this article!
While I think Zog was a bit off with the numbers (something along 3 Ice Beams, one Draco and one MM), I guess that’s the actual battle he was referring to, for anyone interested: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqKIgBVBAq8
Every time I watch that video I can feel my soul die.
I dunno. I’m still worried to get lynched if I use Minimize Clefable.
Such sad times are these where a man must fear for his life due to his choice of characters in a children’s game…
Firstly, maybe I’m just unable to identify with your horrible sense of humor but although the points in this article are great it sounds stupidly arrogant. Just because you’re a half decent Pokemon player doesn’t mean that you should be so condescending to beginners etc. Everyone started their competitive journey somewhere. Pokemon’s always been a scene that incorporates/ accepts everyone and it really should stay that way rather than having inflated ego’s ruining it for others. Maybe I’m just reading to much into the second grade insults riddled in the article but it’s frustrating to see an abundance of players developing and expanding the VGC scene and then read this, which would more than likely intimidate newer players. I understand that you’re trying to encourage players to stop playing for fun/ run unique teams and get them focusing on a more competitive mindset but so are the majority of the articles on Nuggetbridge and they’re all absent of these kind of comments.
Secondly, Perish Trap has and always be considered a gimmick just because a great player ran it doesn’t make it any less of a gimmick.
Gonna ignore the other part because that has been beaten to death, and you’re wrong, but lets not focus on that.
Perish Trap is not a gimmick. I can almost certainly assure you that anything that has been around for years and has had success for years, can be safely no longer called a gimmick. People consider it one because of how frustrating it is to play against. If your team doesn’t have at least someway to beat Perish Trap, then its a bad team in general because it cannot matchup to everything.
A lot of people say that you don’t need to beat everything. I find that train of thought stupid. If you do not have a check to “everything” or at least a game plan against it, then you should really have a new team. You need a game plan.
There are several people that have done well with Perish Trap. P3DS had a Perish Trap option on his team, even though it was mainly TerraCott. Wolfe basically revolutionized Perish Trap. A Japanese Player used it to get top 8 in the Japan Cup in 2014. Wolfe got 9th at worlds with it in 2014.
If you argue that Perish Trap is a gimmick, then the same goes for every solid strategy that has ever done well. Trickroom and Tailwind are gimmicks. Clef Kang/Mence is also a gimmick now according to you.
Please think about what you say. You can’t just randomly deem something a gimmick because you dont like it.
Jolly Good Read
Completely agree but just to add to this, actually look at the definition of a gimmick
A device employed to cheat, deceive, or trick
A trick or device intended to attract attention
There’s lots of definitions but perish trap does not fall into these categories. Like has already been said it’s been around for years, it doesn’t deceive you, you normally have an idea that it’s going to be a perish trap team or there is at least potential. Just because you don’t like it doesn’t mean you can label it incorrectly.