The Most Common Mistakes in Competitive Pokemon and How to Avoid Them

Strap in, folks — it’s time for some tough love from yours truly. After seeing Charlie Lockyer’s recent article, I was inspired to put together something a little different for this one. You’re used to the usual deck profile, and trust me, we’ll get some more of those soon enough. With this Paradox Rift format dragging on for what seems like an eternity, it has left me lots of time to think about why my results have been lackluster this season. I love blaming bad luck whenever I get the chance, and I’m not the only one. This game undeniably has a ridiculous amount of variance. However, it has a similarly insanely high skill ceiling. In other words, there are a lot of factors that go into a game of Pokemon, and there are many things that don’t even cross the average player’s mind. There’s always more to learn.

There are several different directions I could go from here, but for today, I’ll discuss the most common mistakes that Pokemon players make. These go for pretty much every level of player, and some may seem more obvious than others. If you ask me, the best way to improve is to learn and incorporate a little bit of information at a time. Absorb. Marinate. Apply. Rinse. Repeat. This slow-and-steady approach is not flashy and takes time, but as long as you are playing the game and learning things, it’s pretty hard to get worse. I’ve noticed a lot of common mistakes lately. Some of these are especially relevant to the current format, but others are timeless.

Problem: Not Playing Around What Your Opponent Has

This point is particularly relevant in the current age, with so much information. We can easily view card and deck data online. For every major tournament in the past three months, [card name=”Charizard ex” set=”Obsidian Flames” no=”125″ c=”name”][/card] has been the number-one most popular deck. If you’re playing a deck with a bad Charizard matchup, you have no excuse to not know the risk you’re taking, and you had better have a good reason for doing so. [card name=”Mew VMAX” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”114″ c=”name”][/card] players, for example, have the justification that their deck is stupidly broken, crushes most random decks, and has good matchups outside of Charizard. (This is less true with the recent rise of [card name=”Roaring Moon ex” set=”Paradox Rift” no=”124″ c=”name”][/card], but you get the point.)

[cardimg name=”Roxanne” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”188″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

We can take this a step further and observe that [card name=”Giratina VSTAR” set=”Lost Origin” no=”131″ c=”name”][/card], one of the other most popular decks, has been playing zero [card name=”Iono” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”185″ c=”name”][/card] lately. That means your hand is safe until you go down to three Prize cards, at which point you know you’re walking into a [card name=”Roxanne” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”150″ c=”name”][/card]. This allows you to safely hold and build combos to continue applying pressure and responding to what they’re doing. Some decks can play around Roxanne better than others, but at the very least, you have the agency. You choose when you’re activating Roxanne, so you should have a solid plan to close out the game. Hopefully you’re going down to two Prize cards and you just need one last KO. You should have your deck sufficiently thinned, or else have the necessary pieces already built on your board. We also know that Giratina is likely to play two Roxanne. If both copies are discarded or in the Lost Zone, you don’t have to play around it like you otherwise would.

Let’s not forget similarly disruptive cards like [card name=”Path to the Peak” set=”Chilling Reign” no=”148″ c=”name”][/card] and [card name=”Lost Vacuum” set=”Lost Origin” no=”162″ c=”name”][/card]. I could rattle off the counts of all of these cards for each of the meta decks off the top of my head. Because I am a nerd. And if you want to be good at the game, you have to be a nerd, too. Any Charizard or Mew player will tell you that you have to play very differently against decks with no Path to the Peak than against decks with four of them.

More broadly relevant, any deck with a Pokemon Tool card should know which decks play Lost Vacuum. Being able to play a [card name=”Forest Seal Stone” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”156″ c=”name”][/card] on the board without fear of it being hit by Lost Vacuum is huge. This can protect you from hand disruption, for example. One of my favorite plays is leaving an unused Seal Stone on the Bench when you know that Giratina is going to Roxanne-Path you.

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Solution: Study

Study the decks from major tournaments. Look at the card counts, and the averages. Knowledge is power. This format is diverse, and there’s a lot of decks you can run into. If you’re already familiar with your opponent’s list, you will have a big advantage. Your opponent can roll up with any combination of 60 cards in the diverse card pool. Who knows what they put in there? I do. Do you? They can choose their 60, but not really. Tournament data gives you a good idea of your opponent’s deck from the moment you see their opening Pokemon. Maybe in the first round or two, you’ll face something weird, but since it will just be a worse deck, you should win anyway. Past that, you will primarily play against normal stuff.

This format is particularly difficult to innovate in, but even in past formats, the vast majority of players simply are not creative. I have made Top 8 at many tournaments by playing decks that specifically targeted the meta decks. I was playing decks that were, by any metric, awful piles of garbage. They only worked because I knew exactly what I was going to play against. It’s harder to play decks like this now, but the point is that opponents’ cards and decks are very predictable.

Another note I would add is that at anything at the level of a League Cup or lower, you are much more likely to run into weird decks. I mention this mainly so you don’t complain to me that I didn’t warn you about the [card name=”Cherrim” set=”Battle Styles” no=”8″ c=”name”][/card] deck that little Timmy flattened you with. I love rogue decks, and I’ll play one whenever I get the chance. They just suck right now. Also, the meta changes from week to week. This just means more homework for you.

Problem: Dead-Drawing

Any Lost Box player knows the dread of opening with [card name=”Sableye” set=”Lost Origin” no=”70″ c=”name”][/card], [card name=”Super Rod” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”188″ c=”name”][/card], three Energy, and a few switch cards. It sucks, and it happens to everyone. But what if I told you that most of the times you dead-draw, it is actually your own fault? Sure, there’s nothing you can do to avoid nightmare scenarios like the example opening hand. I’ve sure had my fair share of them. But an appalling number of times, players have the option to stabilize their own board and simply don’t do it.

[cardimg name=”Pidgeot ex” set=”Obsidian Flames” no=”217″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

The cards in this game are so insanely good. The decks have so many options that let them play the game. Anyone can win when they draw the nuts, but the best players turn “barely playable” hands into a long-term stable and functioning machine. I’ve lost count how many times I’ve seen someone go for [card name=”Rare Candy” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”191″ c=”name”][/card] into Charizard when they should have gone for Candy into [card name=”Pidgeot ex” set=”Obsidian Flames” no=”164″ c=”name”][/card]. It has taken years off my life. Did you know that [card name=”Rotom V” set=”Crown Zenith” no=”45″ c=”name”][/card]’s Instant Charge and [card name=”Giratina V” set=”Lost Origin” no=”130″ c=”name”][/card]’s Abyss Seeking can actually be used at any point during the game?

Have you considered what happens when your opponent inevitably KO’s your Active Pokemon on their next turn? Do you have a response? Why does your hand suck? For 80% of draw-passes, there was a better decision to be made a turn or two prior. If you saw a Supporter card, or your [card name=”Radiant Greninja” set=”Astral Radiance” no=”46″ c=”name”][/card], or a [card name=”Comfey” set=”Lost Origin” no=”79″ c=”name”][/card], or any draw card at any point in the game, there’s almost no way you can use the “I bricked” excuse.

Solution: Stabilize

On average, Pokemon players severely undervalue stabilizing their board, usually in favor of the instant gratification of taking a Prize card. More important than anything is to put yourself in a position where you can keep on doing things. For Charizard players, this can be as simple as getting Pidgeot into play, because Pidgeot is broken and gets you whatever you want. Don’t even get me started on the number of times I’ve seen [card name=”Chien-Pao ex” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”61″ c=”name”][/card] players fail to prioritize that second [card name=”Bibarel” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”121″ c=”name”][/card]! Their Bibarel gets KO’d, and then they sit there with a stunned look on their face because they didn’t draw their game-winning seven-card combo off an Iono to two. Support Pokemon in general are the gifts that keep on giving. They help decks move like well-oiled machines, which is why they are so good.

When you are considering what you should do during your turn, you of course consider your immediate goal. This is usually Knocking Out something specific. Sometimes Knocking Out anything is good enough. But you should also consider what your hand and board will look like on the next turn. Don’t burn that [card name=”Ultra Ball” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”196″ c=”name”][/card] if you’ll need [card name=”Lumineon V” set=”Brilliant Stars” no=”40″ c=”name”][/card] for next turn! Don’t ever leave yourself with a dead hand if you can help it. Relying on a good topdeck is asking to lose. Always have a plan. Even your plans should have plans.

If you don’t have [card name=”Colress’s Experiment” set=”Lost Origin” no=”155″ c=”name”][/card] in hand, you’d better already have your combo, or else have access to multiple Flower Selectings. If your only one or two Comfey get KO’d, you better already have Colress or your combo ready to go. If your hand sucks, don’t leave your Comfey at risk in the Active Spot. You’ll need it next turn.

Not leaving yourself with a dead hand sounds like common sense, and you might be thinking “I would never do something so silly.” But you would, you do, and you have. I have, and it’s pretty embarrassing. I’ve seen players do this a number of times that approaches infinity. Always take stock of your board and hand, and try to make sure you’re always in a position where you can keep doing things.

The main exception that exists is when tempo is enough to win the game. Going into Knoxville Regionals, my [card name=”Kyogre” set=”Celebrations” no=”3″ c=”name”][/card] deck had a very solid game plan going against Giratina, and it relied on playing around Roxanne entirely. You could either go straight from four Prizes to zero, or set up a checkmate on board that doesn’t care about Roxanne. My second round against Giratina, I threw that plan out the window because I identified that I could win off tempo. My opponent’s board was fairly weak, so I fired off a Moonlight Shuriken on both Comfey, happily going down to three (or maybe it was two) Prizes way ahead of schedule. Sure, I played into Roxanne, but I was so far ahead that it didn’t matter.

Another great example is Charizard vs. Mew. I normally don’t go for gameplans that don’t involve Pidgeot, but against Mew, you really only need two Charizard to win. You don’t need that consistent access to [card name=”Boss’s Orders” set=”Rebel Clash” no=”154″ c=”name”][/card], Iono, or other tricky plays. Going for tempo is usually good enough. I don’t care how dead my hand is when I win in two attacks.

Identifying and evaluating tempo-based lines requires a bit of experience and matchup familiarity. You can only do it when you know exactly what your opponent is capable of doing in the next X number of turns, and when you know you can beat whatever that may be.

Problem: Letting Your Opponent Back In

[cardimg name=”Iono” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”254″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

Ever seen a [card name=”Gardevoir ex” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”86″ c=”name”][/card] player with a fully set-up board lose by getting Boss-stalled? They mismanaged their resources and lost a game they should have had in the bag. Seen any insane comebacks off an Iono to one or two? If the winning player was that far ahead, they should have had the opportunity to play around that to some extent.

Iono isn’t the biggest comeback-enabler in the game. Complacency is. It is a natural human tendency to become complacent when you’re winning. And let me tell you: nothing is more satisfying than outmaneuvering a complacent opponent who did not respect your possible lines of play. When you are winning, your opponent is a cornered animal with nothing to lose, and is therefore still dangerous.

Being in a winning position isn’t necessarily being ahead on Prizes. It’s being in a position where it’s difficult for the opponent to win the game with the resources available to them. When you’re truly winning, you should not lose, even against these so-called “comeback decks.” Giratina and Gardevoir aren’t really making comebacks when they go down on Prizes; they are operating exactly as intended. With optimal play, you are winning a majority of matches in any matchup that is 40–60 or better. Of course, nobody is playing 100% optimal, but we are trying to get as close as possible.

Solution: Stay Vigilant

Even when I am winning, I try to stay locked in and identify all of my opponent’s possible win conditions. Playing around Path, Iono, Boss, a Knock Out on any Pokemon on my board, and so on — that’s a lot to juggle. But when I lose a game I had in the bag, I feel like an idiot. Conversely, I’ve made countless comebacks against opponents who were either unaware or unconcerned with my remaining options because they were “winning.” This is another thing that requires a lot of matchup familiarity. It’s a lot easier to checkmate opponents when you know exactly what they are capable of. Don’t forget the basics: they can’t Boss and Iono you at the same time, so as long as you can play around both separately, you’re good to go. Also, be aware of your opponent’s single-Prize Pokemon options, as these are often instrumental in making comebacks.

Problem: Getting Bad Prize Cards

Prize checking is an annoying chore that we all have to suffer through. If you’re playing Giratina and a [card name=”Grass Energy” set=”Crown Zenith” no=”152″ c=”name”][/card] shows up next to Colress’s Experiment off Flower Selecting, you’re ditching the Grass without hesitation. But if your other two Grass Energy are in the Prizes, you just lost the game on the spot. Barring some fun exceptions such as [card name=”Baxcalibur” set=”Paldea Evolved” no=”60″ c=”name”][/card] prizing triple Rare Candy, your Prize cards are only bad if you don’t check them. Now, I don’t expect you to identify all six Prize cards every game. We’re not robots; I’m not doing that much work. Some people can check all six quickly, and that’s great for them. If you aren’t doing that, at least do the following.

Solution: Work Smarter, Not Harder

[cardimg name=”Forest Seal Stone” set=”Silver Tempest” no=”156″ align=”right” c=”none”][/cardimg]

On your very first deck search, you should check for the cards that most influence your decisions. For Lost Zone decks, you need to know what Energy are prized, as this greatly influences your Flower Selecting and [card name=”Mirage Gate” set=”Lost Origin” no=”163″ c=”name”][/card] plays. For Charizard players, you’d better check that Forest Seal Stone before anything else, so you know whether [card name=”Arven” set=”Scarlet and Violet” no=”166″ c=”name”][/card] is trash or treasure. Mew players need to know if they can afford to Ultra Ball that Mew VMAX away that’s clogging the hand on turn one.

I don’t care how many Ultra Balls I prized, at least not right away. Prioritize checking the cards that would influence your decision-making the most for whatever deck you are playing. Do Roaring Moon players even have to check for anything? Most decks will have more opportunities to search their deck later anyway, so you can fill in the gaps as you go.

I also recommend checking Prizes before taking a KO (checking the ones you don’t already know, that is). This is basically peeking into the future as you can identify which cards will be in your hand next turn, or at least the percent chances of them, which lets you further plan ahead. This sounds like a lot of work, but consider the following scenario. You are playing Charizard and you need to use that Forest Seal Stone for a juicy Boss-KO instead of Knocking Out the Active. Well, you want to save the Forest Seal Stone to bump an opposing Path to the Peak, which would cripple you. You check your Prizes and see three Path counters, which means you have a high chance of drawing one off the KO.

In other words: your Prize cards are resources for you to use. You can leave yourself with a dead hand if there’s an 80% chance of ripping a draw card off the Prizes. I remember a fun situation where I was considering leaving myself without any [card name=”Genesect V” set=”Fusion Strike” no=”185″ c=”name”][/card] on the board in order to take a KO as I was playing Mew. I checked some for some cards I wouldn’t normally care about being prized, and saw that I had four or five outs to Genesect prized, giving me peace of mind and rewarding my thorough planning.

Conclusion

That’s all I have for today. Thanks for reading! Try to actively think about and incorporate 30–40% of what I discussed in this article today! If you try to apply everything at once right away, it might be overwhelming, unless you have already internalized some of these things. I’ve noticed a lot of common mistakes lately and wanted to discuss some of them, so I hope this article was helpful.

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