Immortal Wordsmith

Every day millions of players roam the world searching for and catching Pokémon. But catching Pokémon is only half the battle – literally. If you are struggling to get the right Pokémon Go Battle Strategy, read on!

Winning battles on Pokémon Go can be challenging as you are playing against other players all trying to win those rewards and stardust. The good news is, with a bit of basic understanding, you can improve your odds significantly.

Here are 5 tips to instantly improve your Pokémon Go Battle Strategy.

Don’t Be a Sheep – Create a New Team

You will likely find when battling on Pokémon Go that people seem to use the same types of Pokémon.

Players tend to prefer Pokémon that have good HP and can get their special attacks quickly. At almost all levels of the game there are clear default teams that emerge.

For example, if you are battling in the 1500 CP Cup, more often than not you will encounter Stunfisk. If you are battling in the 2500 CP Cup, it is Swampert and for the unlimited CP battles you invariably encounter Metagross and a dragon Pokémon.

This is knowledge to build your own team. Always have a Pokémon that is super effective against the default Pokémon people seem to choose and it will make battling so much easier.

Have Two Different Type Specials for Each Pokémon You Use

You can train each Pokémon to have an additional special move by spending candy and stardust. The amount of candy and stardust differs depending on the Pokémon.

If you are using Gyarados, then have a water move and a dragon move for example.

This means you can tailor your special attacks a bit more against Pokémon you face.

You can also be sneaky, adding a secondary move that is unusual for your Pokémon type. For example, adding a fire move for Garchomp (ground type).

That means you have an element of surprise in your arsenal to hit a Pokémon with a super effective move they are not expecting.

Fast Attack Choice – Pokémon Go Battle Strategy

Your fast attack is the backbone to your battle strategy and is often overlooked by other trainers.

First and foremost you want to pick a fast attack that generates your special moves in the soonest time.

You also want to make sure your fast attack is broadly effective against the types of Pokémon people use in their teams.

For example, I always equip Gyarados with a dragon type fast move because most people use dragon type Pokémon in battles. I then equip Aqua Tail as one of my specials to do water damage quickly to any fire Pokémon I rarely encounter.

Consider your fast attack as the jab that sets up the finishing punch. It is invaluable and important to get right.

Learn Your Weaknesses and Resistances

When building a Pokémon team you have 3 category in each battle category – making a total of 9 Pokémon to familiarise yourself with overall.

Understand what Pokémon your Pokémon are weak against and select other Pokémon in your team to offset these weaknesses.

A good team is one with three carefully selected Pokémon that each contribute to an overall powerful team. As a very basic example, if you have a fire Pokémon, you will want a grass type Pokémon to combat the water Pokémon your opponent will inevitably bring out to fight your fire type.

Equally important are your resistances. Using shields in battle should be done sparingly, you always want to have shields left when your opponent has run out. This gives you breathing space to launch your special attacks and block incoming attacks to finish the job.

Knowing a Pokémon can take special attacks from your opponent without taking too much damage buys you time and saves your shields.

For example, Gyarados can withstand most of Swampert’s attacks without taking much damage at all, whereas Swampert is not as good defensively against Gyarados’ water and dragon moves.

This means you can counter Swampert without using an obvious grass type Pokémon.

In totality, you should consider your weaknesses and resistances in equal measure, then create a balanced and dynamic team.

Stack Up Specials and Switch – Pokémon Go Battle Strategy

If you find yourself in a position where your Pokémon has a super effective fast move, it is best to save your specials for another Pokémon. You can store up specials to be used on the next Pokémon which your current Pokémon may not be as effective against.

Switching Pokémon is also under-utilised in Pokémon Go with players only switching when they are weak against you.

Switching Pokémon should be used as part of your strategy. You might have a Pokémon that is strong against your opponent but have another Pokémon in your stable that is stronger. If you have resistance to the Pokémon you are facing, it is an ideal time to build up a special move or two and then switch to your most effective Pokémon.

By the time you have your original Pokémon back out your opponent will have used their shields defending against the second Pokémon and you have one or two specials in the bank to unleash and finish the job.

Final Word on Pokémon Go Battle Strategy

Winning on Pokémon Go isn’t too difficult provided you create a balanced and strong team and understand your Pokémon’s weaknesses and resistances.

By using the information in this article, you will find your team is much more effective and you can then work on practicing and tweaking your expertise to create a more advanced Pokémon Go battle strategy. Once you have the basics nailed down, it isn’t too difficult to hone in on your strategy further and become a formidable opponent.