Wondering whether or not to get into competitive battling...

[Frost Mage]

So I've done a fair amount of research on competitive battling these past few months, but sometimes I look at it and wonder if I would really enjoy going into the competitive arena. I really do love the competitive and technical aspects of Pokemon, but I'm not sure if I'd want to go into the less-desirable but often necessary parts of competitive battling (at least for me, no offense to anyone who disagrees), such as RNGing and cloning, as well as the more time-consuming and often not-worth-it aspects of IV breeding, egg moves and the like.

I really love shiny hunting and obtaining very good stat-wise Pokemon, but I'm not sure if I want to get into all of that.

So I was wondering Serebii competitive battling community, prove me wrong, tell me why I should reconsider.

 

[Sparkbeat]

One word. Simulators. You don't have to rng, ev train, or go through getting moveset you want. It's also much easier to find opponents.

 

[jesusfreak94]

Don't do it. It will consume your life and eat away at your soul until you're nothing but a lifeless husk who can think of nothing besides damage calculations and greasy Cheetos. Get out while you still can.

 

[AnakBaé]

Don't do it. It will consume your life and eat away at your soul until you're nothing but a lifeless husk who can think of nothing besides damage calculations and greasy Cheetos. Get out while you still can.

Couldn't agree more with this statement. +1

 

[Klaus™]

what gibbs said...

its fun for the first month or so, but then it loses all its glamour

 

[Divine Retribution]

Yes, you should. It's actually not that addictive, and it's plenty easy enough to break away from if you need to. In fact, it gets very repetitive and I find I can't stand the competitive community for more than a couple months at a time. I swear, if I had to live with these people I'd go crazy. That's my biggest issue, not the supposed addictiveness of the gameplay.

If you do want to get into competitive battling, there's no better time than now. With a new generation breaking down the door, the entire metagame is going to be tossed on its head very soon, so nobody will have any clue what they're doing. You'll be on relatively equal terms with the rest of the community.

 

[Sid87]

I'll be honest... I've gotten into competitive battling in so much as I chase good IV'ed pokemon, train EVs, and play strategies online. Here are my personal pros and cons:

Pros:
+It is a really quick and easy and fun to pass time battling on Wi-Fi.

+It gives you a better insight into moves and strategies you'd never use before.

+You get a better understanding and insight into individual pokemon and what their real strengths and weaknsesses are.

Cons:
-My actual enjoyment of the games has decreased dramatically. I don't enjoy just regular playthroughs as much as I used to because my brain is just obsessed with arbitrary nonsense like making sure my attack-oriented pokemon beats pokemon that give it ATK EVs, etc. I honestly miss just naively playing through a game story.

-Playing competitively can be insanely repetitive (seeing the EXACT SAME pokemon and strategies over and over and over again)

-Competitive players tend to be VERY judgmental about how you play (I've heard people say outright that people who play on Wi-Fi don't know anything; others just ignore anyone who ply a tier or a style (like Triples) that they don't care about.


That's just a quick run down of my thoughts, anyway.

 

[Cosmic Potato]

NO, do not ever join the competitive battling community. It will consume all that you do and you will lose focus of your real life. I think about whether or not OU teams always need a spinner or not during math tests, running, and while I talk to my friends. STAY AWAY!!!

 

[SonicX28]

Personally, I'm into competitive battling, but not sucked into it and I do try to aim for great IV's, but I don't get involved into RNGing or trying to attain flawless IV's.

 

[Frost Mage]

Huh, well, I really had no idea about all of the bad things about competitive battling, so maybe I will stay away. :lol: I think I'll stay with the "informed but still playing non-competitively" way of playing Pokemon. Knowing about IVs and EVs makes the games so much more interesting, but I'd rather not depend on them to have fun with the games.

And to Divine Retribution, I'll think about it. Sure it contradicts what I just said, but that's a good point with the new generation coming out soon.

 

[FireTrainer92]

If you get competitive in anything, top tier strats will used mostly anyways. At certain points ALL competitive fields get repetitive. That's not a good complaint to toss out. Its not really all that addicting. You can take long breaks and come to back to if you want.

Its as fun as you make it. I suggest you try it for a month and then see if you wanna drop it or not.

 

[jstinftw!]

If you like Pokemon battling, I don't see why not! It's a great way to get out of the little league and try to test your mettle against the big boys. You go from small town zero to something. Hopefully. haha

If you want to do the whole BEST THERE EVER WAS deal, regardless of who you are battling, and enjoy it merely for the competitiveness of it, then I'd say doing the whole simulator thing is a good idea. The best part about it is that it is a lot easier, not having to do any of the hard work.

However, I personally prefer having a group of people to play with. Like, friends you make online or whatever, and then just coming online and challenging them to battles. Simulators work as well, but we use the simulators more of as a testing ground, and then we go ahead and transfer our ideas onto our games and get playing. It adds a little sense of hardwork and achievement, as well as some connectivity amongst friends when you trade Pokemon with each other when you need something to parent your Pokemon, or simply having a friend do the work for you and trading them something in return for it. It is a bit more out of the way, but it adds a little bit extra to the game. More to do, and keeps you in your actual game, so you can get encouraged to do some of the in-game stuff.

 

[SonicX28]

I'd do it still OP. The whole fun of it is fixing up your team with other pokemon that fit your team better.

 

[MetalSonic]

Yes.


Join us, Frost.


Join us in this hellish bliss that is competitive Pokémon.

 

[jesusfreak94]

Huh, well, I really had no idea about all of the bad things about competitive battling, so maybe I will stay away. :lol: I think I'll stay with the "informed but still playing non-competitively" way of playing Pokemon. Knowing about IVs and EVs makes the games so much more interesting, but I'd rather not depend on them to have fun with the games.

And to Divine Retribution, I'll think about it. Sure it contradicts what I just said, but that's a good point with the new generation coming out soon.

Lol, I was just messing with you...well, sorta. It's fun at times and you have the potential to meet a lot of cool people since competitive Pokemon is often a community project. Just keep in mind that it can be addictive at times, so know your limits and take a break if you think it's taking up too much of your time.

 

[Jazz™]

I do agree with what the the aboeve posters, to an extent. OU can get very repetitive, but tiers like ru, nu and lc are extremely fun after playing ou. so start with ou, but maybe when it gets boring play one of the tiers i mentioned

 

[AnakBaé]

Huh, well, I really had no idea about all of the bad things about competitive battling, so maybe I will stay away. :lol: I think I'll stay with the "informed but still playing non-competitively" way of playing Pokemon. Knowing about IVs and EVs makes the games so much more interesting, but I'd rather not depend on them to have fun with the games.

And to Divine Retribution, I'll think about it. Sure it contradicts what I just said, but that's a good point with the new generation coming out soon.

Alright time to go for quality this time. Sorry but Forget my previous post.
Seems like you're trapped in a dilemma where you're forced to jump into the Competitive Scene or stay at the safe side. Judging from your statements, you the have knowledge about EV & IV, 2 of the few elements of Competitive battling. You know you want to do it, but you're too worried about the drawbacks such as Time wasting, addiction, etc. which is probably why you decided post this thread instead of seeking somebody to battle.
If i were you, I would do it. Because once you're informed, it's pretty much too late to go back without ruining the fun of your in-game satisfaction. Just get online and beat some dudes in Random Matchup or download PS/PO and try to get some wins. It wont be hurt.

 

[Frost Mage]

Eh, I've done a lot of random matchups, and lost 90% of them. I don't think I can't go back to just playing normally, because I'm doing that right now. I'm not worried about addiction or time wasting, I'm just wondering if I would enjoy it.

 

[Cosmic Potato]

Lol, I was just messing with you...well, sorta. It's fun at times and you have the potential to meet a lot of cool people since competitive Pokemon is often a community project. Just keep in mind that it can be addictive at times, so know your limits and take a break if you think it's taking up too much of your time.

I wasn't. 10char

 

[Vis_Mage]

The way I see it, if you enjoy the aspect of IV's, EV's, and the experience of bettering your strategy via hands on experience, then by all means, now it a prime time to hop on into the competitive community! I personally enjoy being what some may consider a "Competitive Battler", yet I do not allow such to consume my lifestyle, or even my play style. I enjoy battling to gain valuable experience, experience that I can use to better myself and those around me. Words don't do it justice, but the thrill of bettering oneself as a person is exhilarating. By all means old sport, if you feel that you may enjoy yourself, then give it a chance, and see what you think.

Oh, and best of luck!~