Trainer0336

- Competitive battling can take place via your game cartridge or via the simulators. It makes no difference.
- The Hoenn Triangle doesn't have any testing for which you're checked for whether or not you're on the right track. But you can just ask for a battle, and I'm sure someone will battle you. If you ask for their opinion on how you did, I'm positive they'll help you out.
- First time mistakes, hmm... I can't think of any. Tips though are always useful. Stealth Rock is probably the best move in the game. Always try and set it up, preferably earlier than later. But beware of Magic Bounce users, Espeon and Xatu (although TTar threatens both with STAB Crunch/Pursuit, and can then set up Stealth Rock). A good offense is a good defence, but you do want Defense as well. 1 or 2 tanks to take Physical and Special hits are always welcome, and if they're capable of dealing good damage, then that's even better. When teambuilding, try and have a good 'core', which is 2 or 3 Pokémon which have good offensive and defensive synergy. Fire + Water + Grass is a core. Slowbro + Amoonguss is a Regenerator core. Dark + Fighting + Dark is a core.

http://www.serebiiforums.com/showthread.php?499840-A-basic-guide-to-EVs-IVs-and-natures

The above link is probably the best guide to EVs, IVs and Natures there is. Don't worry too much about IVs, but Natures and EVs are important in competitive.

Remember to have fun!

On review, this probably wasn't brief :P, but oh well. The links are useful. Make a team (both offensive and defensive synergy is key in this), pick your EVs, put it on Showdown, and you're off!

http://play.pokemonshowdown.com/

Welcome to Pokémon Showdown ^. That's a battle simulator, where you can make teams and test them on the vast amount of noobs on the ladder. There're a lot of people there who make awful decisions, and so they lose. Thus, they are noobs. But hey ho.

IVs even I don't know. Not that well anyway. Showdown gives your Pokémon 31 IVs per stat (HP, Attack, Defense, Special Attack, Special Defense, Speed), and so the Pokémon is dubbed 'flawless', because it's stats are perfect (before and after EV training it).

http://www.smogon.com/bw/metagames/

The above link shows all the Pokémon in each metagame. Not tiers, as there're are Pokémon for example in the UU (underused) tier which can be viable and used in OU (like Chandelure or Bronzong). I've found that knowing which Pokémon in the metagame makes it easier to build a team, as you can see what Pokémon are viable in said tier. If you click on the name of a Pokémon from one of the metagames (for example I clicked on the Overused metagame and clicked on Alakazam). Smogon is kind enough to give us the moveset, EVs and nature required for this Alakazam, as well as a brief info on why it has those moves and the best teammates for Alakazam to have in order for it to sweep or wall or whatever. This applies to any Pokémon.

For the time being, as you're new, use the EVs that Smogon says to use for the particular set you want on your Pokémon of choice. When you become more experienced, then you can toy around with the EVs and stuff and see what works. Oh yes, Showdown has a teambuilder, where you can put EVs into a Pokémon. It may give examples of EV sets to use on said Pokémon. Generally, they don't really work too well, but that's your choice.

Fair enough. Still learning how this sites forums work. Thank you for being patient with me.

I guess a short review would be most beneficial to me at this point. Both from me to you and vice versa. I believe I'm fairly confident in team structure, I'm more than familiar with type coverage and move coverage, I'm fairly knowledgeable regarding tiers.

It's when it comes to the math behind preparing EVs and IVs where I start to get confused. Additionally, I know there are some programs online where you battle using a program or something... (I.E. Smogons Simulators) . . . so, I guess I'm unsure as to how or where competitive battling takes place.

The VMs appear on both our pages. It's not on a single person's page. Just keep answering my VMs, I'll answer yours, and so it will begin

So what do you want to know?

Sure, no problem. You posted on your own page, which is why I never got the message lol. If you click View Conversation, it'll pop up with every VM we posted to each other, and you can send a VM to me from there.

Thank you and apology accepted. I appreciate you taking the time to message me personally in addition to your posts in the thread.

I would have replied sooner, but I work nights so I went to bed shortly after my last post. Despite the rocky start so far, I still hope I can fit in and make friends with THT. It was the only guild that really appealed to me out of those I had seen in the forums.

Pleasantries aside, might you be willing to break me in and perhaps start me along my way to learning the ropes? I'm not exactly sure where to go from here now that you all have accepted me.

Hey, I just wanted to apologise for what I said in The Hoenn Triangle earlier. I never meant to sound rude or anything.