The Pokémon franchise has been around for more than 20 years, and players of the series have tried to become the very best for every generation. Competitive Pokémon is growing every year, and with the release of Pokémon Sword and Shield, getting into it is easier than ever. There are quite a few hidden values and stats manipulations in the game that the casual player wouldn’t know about by just playing through the game. Competitive Pokemon is all about minimizing or maximizing damage output, as well as reading what the opponent is about to do. That trait is hard to learn without playing a lot of games, but this guide will go over the basics of competitive Pokémon that new players will need to know.

Typing in Competitive Pokémon

In Pokémon, typing is extremely important, and some professional players have described it as a game of matchups. Understanding how type advantages work is the first step in playing Pokémon competitively. Types that are super effective against other types deal twice the amount of damage they usually do. Resisted types deal one half. However, Pokémon can have two types so there are situations where a Pokémon is 4x weak to a type (like Charizard being 4x weak against Rock moves) or they resist a type twice and take ¼ of their damage (like Water moves against a Ferrothorn). Along with type advantages and resistances, there are certain type immunities as well. For example, Electric moves can’t damage Ground-types and Poison can’t damage Steel types. Typing is also important because of something called Same Type Attack Bonus, or STAB, which gives a move 50% more damage if it’s used by a Pokémon of the same type. This means that Charizard’s Fire Blast will do extra damage since Fire Blast is a Fire-Type move and Charizard is a Fire-Type.

Stats in Competitive Pokemon

Each Pokémon has six base stats: Hit Points (HP), Attack, Defense, Special Attack (SpA), Special Defense (SpD), and Speed. Physical moves correspond to the Attack stat, and Special moves correspond to the Special Attack stat. For example, Charizard can use Flare Blitz, a Physical Fire-Type move which will change in power depending on its Attack stat, or Fire Blast, a Special Fire-Type move that changes in power depending on its Special Attack stat. Generally, offensive Pokémon want to focus on either Physical or Special damage in order to maximize their damage output, and on the other end of the spectrum, bulkier Pokémon will want to do the same. For example, Pokémon has one of the highest HP and SpD stats in the franchise and can tank almost any Special move, but it will fall over to many weaker Physical attacks.

Effort Values (EVs)

Effort Values or EVs determine which stats a Pokémon will get when they gain a level. Each Pokémon, when defeated, will give a certain amount of EVs, and four EVs of one stat will add one to their stat on level up. For example, Machop gives one Attack EV and defeating four Machops will add one to their Attack stat. EVs are calculated at their full value once the Pokémon reaches level 100. There are two limitations to EVs in Pokémon. First, a Pokémon can only earn a maximum of 510 EVs, and second, a Pokémon can only earn a maximum of 255 EVs for one particular stat. Since it takes four EVs to gain +1 Stat, then the optimal amount of EVs it will take to max out a stat is 252 EVs.

Individual Values (IVs)

Individual Values, or IVs, are the genes of the Pokémon universe. These are innate stats that every Pokémon is born with, and they cannot be changed once the number is generated. IVs are included when calculating a Pokémon’s stats. Each Pokémon has an IV for the six basic stats, and each stat can have a max IV of six. In most cases, trainers will want theirPokémon to have max IVs, but there are some situations where Pokémon want a low IV in a particular stat. For example, Pokémon who uses the move Gyro Ball wants a Speed IV of 0 since it gets stronger the slower the user is.

Natures

Each Pokémon has a certain nature that can boost or lower specific stats, and there are some natures that don’t alter any stats at all. Except for the neutral natures, each nature will raise one stat and lower another. For example, a Pokémon with an Adamant nature will have their Attack raised and Special Attack lowered. Natures have a huge effect on a Pokémon’s overall stats. Charizard with max Special Attack EVs and IVs and a beneficial nature can have a Special Attack stat of 348 at level 100. If it had a nature that lowers its Special Attack, that number would drop all the way down to 285.

Formats in Competitive Pokemon

There are two main formats of competitive Pokémon. The official Video Game Championship (VGC) format and Smogon’s 6v6 singles. VGC is a format where trainers bring six Pokémon but choose four for a Double Battle. Smogon’s format is purely Single Battles and trainers fight with their full party of six Pokémon.

Strategy

Battles play out quite differently in competitive matches than regular playthrough battles. When Pokémon faint, the opponent sends out their next Pokémon without the player getting a chance to switch out. This makes switching out for favorable matchups really important, and with the increased amount of switching Pokémon, certain techniques and strategies arise.

Entry hazards are moves that affect Pokémon when they switch into battle. These moves include Stealth Rock, Spikes, and Sticky Web. These are some of the strongest moves in Single Battles because of how often Pokémon are switched out. Entry hazards can become centralizing in battle, so every team usually uses some kind of hazard control. Almost every team will use at least one Pokémon with moves like Rapid Spin, Defog, or Court Change. In VGC however, trainers only use four Pokémon in a battle and since they are Double Battles, 1v1 matchups are not as important. Switching out is not nearly as common, and because of this, entry hazards aren’t really used. Weather effects such as Sun and Rain are used much more often in VGC since trainers can send out a Pokémon with the Drought (puts up Sun weather when the Pokémon is switched in) or Drizzle (activates Rain when the Pokemon is switched in) abilities as well a Pokémon who benefits from the weather immediately.

More: New Mythical Pokémon Being Revealed for Sword and Shield in February

Pokemon Sword and Shield are available on the Nintendo Switch.