How to improve in PvP of Pokémon GO? We asked three pros in the game. They explain: Just playing is not enough.
Who is speaking here? During the Pokémon European International Championship in London, we had the opportunity to talk to three professionals from the Pokémon GO battle league.
These were:
- “DancingRob”, the first and reigning world champion in Pokémon GO
- Kevin “JBGWinsenHSV” Chlupka
- Dominik “Fr43ka” Wieber
All three professionals have already participated in international tournaments and achieved success there. So it’s no surprise that their focus is mainly on PvP. But they also make use of the other aspects of the game.
Especially in terms of catches, they have impressive numbers. Kevin Chlupka has caught nearly 400,000 Pokémon, and DancingRob stands at 200,000. However, Dominik Wieber holds the record with 730,000 catches: “When I walk around and catch, it relaxes me; I can switch off,” he explains.
In PvP, however, switching off is prohibited, as maximum concentration is required. After all, there are many things to consider – things that a casual player may not keep in mind.
In the interview, the three gave us a little insight into how beginners or casual players can improve in Pokémon GO’s battle league – and what is needed for that.
“You can’t avoid theory”
How to get better in PvP? All three explained that they started with Pokémon GO a few years ago and gained experience in PvP first through the battle league and then through tournaments of the “Silph” platform moving towards pro level. “At first, there were no official tournaments from Niantic or in-game,” Wieber recalls.
So Silph became the hub for all PvP enthusiasts. And this battle experience pays off today. To put it another way: the knowledge of game mechanics and what different Pokémon can do.
You must gather a lot of knowledge – also outside the game
This knowledge is not gained by just playing the game, the pros explain. “There are some aspects that you simply have to learn. It starts with effectiveness, which is the foundation. You can still learn that in-game when it says ‘very effective’,” Wieber explains.
Moreover, it is an important basis to know the movesets of the most important Pokémon you might encounter.
But then additional aspects come into play: “Things like energy generation, or what a move costs,” you don’t learn that in the game. You need other sources for that.
What source do the pros use? “The first thing you really need to do is learn PvPoke. Once you know how PvPoke works, you can quickly get into PvP,” Kevin Chlupka explains. PvPoke is a database that provides various rankings and simulations around the battle league.
Here you can find the link to PvPoke.com.
“You see every move, every Pokémon, the HP, the attack values, the defense values. You see what’s currently good in the meta, and there are also good example teams that are currently played,” Chlupka explains: “When you learn how this website, rankings, and simulations work, that’s a very good foundation to become good in PvP.”
It is crucial to first learn the theory and then put it into practice. Knowing your Pokémon and the opponent’s inside and out gives you a huge advantage.
Why do I need a different source than the game? DancingRob explains this quite simply: “You can compare it a little to chess. It can be quickly explained how the pieces move and a few games can be played against each other—matches can be close. But if you want to be particularly good or achieve a lot, you need to bring in external sources,” says the world champion.
He also recommends PvPoke or searching for YouTubers who explain basic mechanics in PvP: “You can’t avoid theory, it all depends on information. How much energy different attacks generate, what synergy effects arise. Shielding scenarios, how you can play with the switch timer, how you need to time moves to maximize their potential.”
In Pokémon GO, success depends a lot on which teams with which effectiveness face off against each other. Therefore, it’s usually not enough to know your own team – you also need to know potential opponents.
What teams do the pros play?
When asking the pros about the “best team”, it becomes clear quickly that there isn’t one directly. Too much depends on synergies and effectiveness. Therefore, you can only find out what your preferred play style is and which teams fit that.
If you want to try something out, here are some team tips from the pros:
DancingRob’s team: DancingRob explains: “I personally try to play neutrally so as not to depend too much on the opposing team. I try to work with energy advantage and switch more aggressively.”
For this, he uses Pokémon that can still secure victories even in “bad matchups” – that is, against monsters that are actually at an advantage.
“My favorite Pokémon is Crypto-Swampert. If you are just half a second faster than the opponent, you can gain so much advantage that you can keep up even against counters like Trombork,” explains DancingRob.
However, it should be noted that Crypto-Swampert first has the wrong moves, because: Frustration needs to be unlearned first. But with the right attacks, it is extremely strong.
“There are core Pokémon that are generally never that bad. Galar-Whiscash, Medicham, Registeel, Lanturn, Trombork, Noctowl. You can build good teams around that. I like to play a variant with Vulpix, Crypto-Swampert, and Galar-Whiscash, for example,” says the world champion.
Which team does Fr43ka play? “I also prefer energy management and flexible Pokémon, with which matchups can still be flipped,” Wieber says: “I used to have clear favorites, but that has changed over time. I played the same team for seven GBL seasons, with Altaria, Azumarill, and Rain Forme. It also worked for seven seasons.”
Azumarill was early on a Pokémon that, although looks harmless, instilled fear in the PvP league.
However, he eventually had to rebuild and now uses Lanturn instead of Forme: “Due to many updates, new Pokémon, also move updates, and the XL change, the team got weaker and was simply not really playable anymore.”
What team does JBGWinsenHSV use? Kevin Chlupka has a clear favorite: “I currently play Crypto-Charlie, Registeel, and Spiritomb. Charlie is one of the best Pokémon in the league because it can always draw a shield. And Spiritomb in the back is almost unstoppable.”
Do I really just have to learn theory?
No. Gathering knowledge is just the first step: “Practicing in between is really important; just theory brings nothing,” explains Fr43ka: “You have to internalize it,” says the pro.
However, there is a problem: “In Pokémon GO, you only have 25 battles per day, with a few exceptions. So it is usually only by chance that you practice against people at the same level. You don’t really approach people. Especially as a casual player, that’s not so easy.”
In fact, there are some aspects of the game that could be improved from the pros’ point of view. They regularly suggest more frequent updates in PvP that bring fresh air.
Furthermore, Fr43ka emphasizes: “There have been many bonuses that simplify the game or make it more accessible, like remote raids or better incense. That was really good for players in the countryside,” says the pro: “I would like to see something like that come back. Especially the remote raids, which have become more expensive, burden players who don’t have a local community.”
The discussion about remote raids has been going on for several weeks, and many players are dissatisfied with the developers’ decision to make them more expensive. Learn more about the big discussion on the topic of remote raids in Pokémon GO here.
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