Beginners Help

[Tall-Guy]

Hello,

I'v been playing pokemon for long time now.
Playing Pokemon for me, was just beating the game, nothing else.
I want to take my gaming experience further.
I see alot of people talk about Teams, moves, and I cant really understand most of the topics here (which I find very frustrating).
So I would like you to give me few tips - How did you, as a beginners- started.
I'm reading some FAQs about pokemon R/S from www.gamefaqs.com
Do you know any good document that should work better?

I'm also going to use this topic to ask my questions instead opening a new topic each time.
The first thing I would like to ask is -

I know that each pokemon have IVs. How do I calculate the pokemon IVs , and what considered a GOOD IV ?
For example, my starter pokemon is going to be Mudkip.
I know that I should get a female Mudkip so I'll be able to breed it.
Whats next? is it IVs should be larger then X IVs ?


Thanks Guys.

[Tall-Guy]

Another question that went up.
Evolve, or not evolve your pokemon.
Torchic can learn Flamethrower much faster the Blaziken. Does evolving doing something else except changing the look?

[Silent Dragonfly]

Just for beating the game it isnt nessecary to think much about your team, however if you want to play competitively against other people there are quite a few things that need consideration.

First of all you'll need to make sure that your pokemon can balance each others weaknesses.

Secondly you'll need to decide on a moveset. It is pointless to have two fire type moves for example, unless they have special effects you want to utilise. A moveset relies mostly on what a pokemon's job is. A special sweeper is something that uses it's high special attack to inflict as much damage as possible quickly. A Physical sweeper is the same but with physical moves. Tanks are things that power themselves up so that they are able to survive for longer.

There are a lot of ways to get moves, firstly by reaching certain levels, secondly by using TMs on them, and thirdly by breeding. Some of the best moves for some pokemon require breeding. The egg will ALWAYS hatch into the same species as the mother, however if the father species has any "egg moves" that can be passed to the baby they will be.

EVs (short for Effort Values) are something that is completely customizable. Defeating paticular pokemon give your own pokemon certain EVs. For example defeating a Whismur will give your Pokemon 1 HP EV. Every 4 EVs will equal an extra stat point when it is at L100. However each individual stat can only have a maximum of 255 EVs. This means you can get an extra 63 points in a stat. You cannot however acheive 63 extra in every stat. In total your pokemon can only have 510 EVs. You need to collect the right EVs to influence the stats that will help you most.

IVs (Individuals Values and also sometimes called DVs) are random values chosen when you first meet the pokemon. There is an IV for each stat and they range between 0 (the worst) and 31 (best). You can use online IV calculators to work out what IVs you have or find the formula and work it out yourself. IVs that I usually find acceptable are 15+ (except for Attack or Special Attack if I won't be using one of them)

Natures are a new addition to Ruby and Sapphire. Certain natures do nothing however others will modify stats. For example something with an adamant nature has a 10% increase on Attack stat, but a 10% decrease on Special Attack. Finding the right nature for your pokemon is nessecary.

Evolution: When a pokemon evolves it's stats become higher, however some moves will be learnt at higher levels or not at all. No matter what level you evolve a pokemon it will always have the same stats at that level.

In the case of Torchic, it learns Flamethrower at L41. It's evolutions do not learn it by natural means, however they can learn it from the Flamethrower TM. In this case it is better to evolve as early as possible and teach it to it with the TM later.

In the case of Shroomish however, it learns Spore (the best sleep inducing move there is) at a massive L64! It's evolution Breloom however does not. Since there isn't a Spore TM to get Spore on Breloom you need to stop Shroomish from evolving until it learns Spore.

[Tall-Guy]

First of all, let me say thanks for the time you investment for answering me.
The answer is very detailed.

Second, here is some questions that concern what you said:

A) You didnt really explained what are IVs.
What higher IV will do?

B) I didnt find any IV calulator online except the one of pokemon forever. but Im not sure how to use it ...

c) What exactly are "Base stats" ?

D) "No matter what level you evolve a pokemon it will always have the same stats at that level" - I'm not sure I got what this line means ... stats boost up every level that pokeom gains. does he get extra stats boost when he evolve?

E) I'm not sure if im doing it right but ...
My starter is going to buy Torchic. I checked torchic base stats and I find out that he has very high S.Attack. I think he is going to be my "Speical sweeper" (If I understood you right). Which kind of Torchic I would like to get?
A Torchic with High IV on S.Attack OR a torchic with High IV on Defense that is the lower stats on Torchic.
In other words, Should I try get High IV for a stats the pokemon going to use. Or should I try to Balance stat with Higher IV on lower stats?
I hope I'm clear enough :/

Thanks again for the time, sorry for the bad English ...

[phaedrus]

A) You didnt really explained what are IVs.
What higher IV will do?
higher stats.
B) I didnt find any IV calulator online except the one of pokemon forever. but Im not sure how to use it ...
try inputing your pokes stats.
c) What exactly are "Base stats" ?
the basic, max iv stats the pokemon has at that certain level, as if it were wild.
D) "No matter what level you evolve a pokemon it will always have the same stats at that level" - I'm not sure I got what this line means ... stats boost up every level that pokeom gains. does he get extra stats boost when he evolve?
it's not a stat boost. it's a base stat raise through evolution. you neither gain or lose when you choose when to evolve your pokemon....but you'll probably want to evolve them before lvl 100 =X
E) I'm not sure if im doing it right but ...
My starter is going to buy Torchic. I checked torchic base stats and I find out that he has very high S.Attack. I think he is going to be my "Speical sweeper" (If I understood you right). Which kind of Torchic I would like to get?
A Torchic with High IV on S.Attack OR a torchic with High IV on Defense that is the lower stats on Torchic.
In other words, Should I try get High IV for a stats the pokemon going to use. Or should I try to Balance stat with Higher IV on lower stats?
I hope I'm clear enough :/
go with a neutral personality, then get a female. that way if you don't like your pokemon you can always rebreed for a better pokemon.


your english isn't that bad..... ;p

[Tall-Guy]

Thanks Dude.
But I'm not sure I got the last question.
Torchic have very High special Attack, but the Speed is nothing much.
Should I give him a nature that Boost Even More the Special Attack (since he is going to be Special Sweeper) or should I try to balance him and give him some nature that will boost Speed and lower Special attack ?

[Cedric]

I can make cloudizme's words mine. He said everything there was to be said...
He really knows pokemon =)

And Tall guy, if I can ask, what language do you speak there in Israel? Sorry, but I really don't know...

[Poryhedron]

Thanks Dude.
But I'm not sure I got the last question.
Torchic have very High special Attack, but the Speed is nothing much.
Should I give him a nature that Boost Even More the Special Attack (since he is going to be Special Sweeper) or should I try to balance him and give him some nature that will boost Speed and lower Special attack ?

I think most people around here prefer the nature that increases Special Attack. Since natures adjust stats by 10%, upping an already high stat will give you more points than upping a low stat...and lowering an already low stat will make you lose fewer points than lowering a high stat.
Generally, it just isn't worth it in RS to try to achieve a rounded-stat pokémon of a species that doesn't have rounded base stats. Instead, make it good enough at what it's naturally good at so that it can make up for its lack in other stats.
There are certain strategies you can use for a pokémon with low speed. There are certain moves that will always go first in a turn, and there are certain moves that always go last in a turn. If you use a lot of those, your pokémon's speed really won't matter.

[Tall-Guy]

Poryhedron:

I see. That makes sense. Which Nature you will give to your Torchic?


Cedric:
Well, we speak Hebrew around here :)
Its really nice language.

[Poryhedron]

Well, it's always a good idea to use a nature that lowers a stat you won't be using anyway. You said you were planning on making your Torchic a Special Sweeper? Then it would have a few good special attacks and, at most, one physical attack for emergencies like Alakazam...maybe not even one. If you won't be needing your physical Attack stat much, your best bet would be a Modest Torchic. Modest Torchic have higher Special Attack and lower Attack...it's definitely wise to lower Attack if you aren't going to be using physical attacks, because the Attack stat affects how much damage a confused pokémon does to itself.

[Cedric]

Cedric:
Well, we speak Hebrew around here :)
Its really nice language.


It's so cooool to know that =)
We speak portuguese here in Brazil, not spanish as a lot of people think...
It's a difficult language, more complicated than english for example, but I think it's very rich when it comes to vocabulary =)

[Don't Run With Scizors]

You type better English than most native speakers. ^_^

I made a special calculator in Excel for determining your IVs and Hidden Power from the IVs that you determined, attached below.

[Tall-Guy]

Poryhedron:
And yet, thanks again :)

Cedric:
Well, I'm working with teenagers, and lately I had a chance to work with teenagers from all over the world including Brazil. So I do know they speak portuguese, I even know some words ;P

[Tall-Guy]

More Questions -

I'v been checking the RMT thread around.
From what I understand there is kinds of pokemon in a team -
Physical Sweeper - Pokemon that suppose to knock other pokemon with Physical Attack.
special sweeper - Pokemon that suppose to knock other pokemon with Special Attacks.
Tank - a pokemon with High Defense (i'm not sure what his job is .. )

Any other pokemon types I need in a Team?
Is it a buildset ?

----

My Torchic Is only level 7, so I dont have Final IV, but until now :

HP - 10 to 27
Attack - 9 to 13
Defense - 6 to 19
Speed - 27 to 29
S.ATK - 20 to 26
S.DEF - 0 to 14

Now, the speed is very very high, and the S.ATK is not very bad too (Im going to use it as S Sweeper.
But the Defense for Both S and Normal is very low.
Should I try to restart the game and try to get better Torchic, Or just stick with it and then breed better baby?
by the way. the nature is serious.

[Chris 2.1]

Right then, I think this is right....

A tank is a Pokemon with good staying power that can set up stat-increasing moves. It's hard to take down.

Sweeper's are Pokemon like Blaziken, or in the metagame Jolteon I think. They are Pokemon with high attack and can sweep throguh a team, taking 2/3 Pokemon down before they go down.

[Silent Dragonfly]

Other jobs include Annoyers: They have move which cause multiple status such as poison and confuse to slowly kill the enemy, or they evade attacks, generally they just annoy the opponent.

Baton Passers: They power up with moves such as Swords Dance and then give the boosts to other pokemon by using Baton Pass. Ninjask is a great BPer as his abilty, Speed Boost, raises his speed every turn.

[Poryhedron]

Pseudohazer: A hazer is a pokémon that can use Haze, a move that erases all stat changes. A Pseudohazer is a pokémon that can erase all of the enemy's stat boosts without using Haze, by forcing the opponent to switch pokémon. There are two kinds of pseudohazers: those who force a switch by using Roar or Whirlwind, and those that make the opponent want to switch by dumping horrible status effects on the enemy like Toxic.

[Tall-Guy]

OK, and how much of each type do you need in a team?
For example, I guess that annoyer is not something you have to use.
But you have to use atleast one Sweeper (even more).
What would be a good combine of types? (most used combine)

---

I did a mistake by thinking that blazkien going to be a special sweeper.
It was because I looked at torchic base stat and I thought because Torchic has high special attack, blazkien stats will be same.
Blazkien stat is better on physical attack.

So thats makes my current Torchic not a good choise, since the IV for attack would be somewhere from 9 to 12.
Should I restart and try get another better torchic?

[andyizcool]

There are 3 types of Sweeper:
Physical Sweeper
Special Sweeper
Mixed Sweeper

You should have a Physical Sweeper and a Special Sweeper on every Team. The maxium you should have is 3 Sweepers. The other 3 members of your Team should be an Annoyer, a Baton Passer, a Hazer, a Tank, a Physical Sponge, a Special Sponge. Just pick any 3 of them maybe more than one to the same job.

[Tall-Guy]

Not sure I know what Sponge thingi is :)
And what about the Torchic IVs ?

[andyizcool]

Not sure I know what Sponge thingi is :)
And what about the Torchic IVs ?
A Sponge absorbs attacks like a Regice would be a Special Sponge because it has such a high Special Defence Stat.

Torchic's IVs would be random. As are all Pokemon's IVs when you catch or breed them. Breeding makes Pokemon have better IVs than catching them in the wild though.

[Tall-Guy]

So whats the difference between tank and a sponge ?

I know Torchic IV's are Random, but maybe restarting and trying to get other torchic will give it better random IVs.
I guess that as a physical sweeper his Attack, S.def, def and HP IVs need to be above 15.


-------------

By the way, Im using GameFAQs for year now (not only with pokemon), I checked the Pokemon Sapphire page few days ago, and I was overwhelmed by the numbers of game in-depth guides.
Instead of reading them all, do you know some guide there you can recomand about? (I watched "advanced trainer guide" and it looked pretty nice .. )

[Poryhedron]

A physical sponge is designed specifically for absorbing physical attacks. A special sponge is meant to absorb special attacks. They aren't necessarily any good at taking hits of the opposite type; for example, Blissey is a mervelous special sponge that will fall quickly if hit with physical attacks.
A Tank is both a physical sponge and a special sponge in one pokémon. It may not be as good at taking physical attacks as a physical sponge is, but it can still survive some serious damage of both types, especially when it uses defense-boosting moves like Cosmic Power and can heal itself easily.

[Mitch's Bashamo]

I suggest for a Physical sponge you should use Regirock or Aggron and for a Special sponge Blissey or Regice

[Don't Run With Scizors]

By the way, Im using GameFAQs for year now (not only with pokemon), I checked the Pokemon Sapphire page few days ago, and I was overwhelmed by the numbers of game in-depth guides.
Instead of reading them all, do you know some guide there you can recomand about? (I watched "advanced trainer guide" and it looked pretty nice .. )

I recommend you check out the RSbot (http://lugia.pgamers.com/mlugia/rsbot.shtml) and learn from your own experience. You can only learn so much from reading a guide - and there's tons more you can learn with battling experience.

[phaedrus]

A physical sponge is designed specifically for absorbing physical attacks. A special sponge is meant to absorb special attacks. They aren't necessarily any good at taking hits of the opposite type; for example, Blissey is a mervelous special sponge that will fall quickly if hit with physical attacks.


Counterblissey=Death To All. Counter-Seismic Toss-Aromatherapy-Softboiled@leftovers = You've Just Been Owned.

[Tall-Guy]

Poryhedron:
Why using tank or sponge? I mean, is there job only to absorb hits? when they coming to the picture? when the other trainer switch to some kind of strong pokemon?

Dont Run With Scizors:
I heard lately about NetBattle. it looks pretty good (But I didnt try it yet).


By the way, nobody yet said anything about the IV questions .. :)

[andyizcool]

I know Torchic IV's are Random, but maybe restarting and trying to get other torchic will give it better random IVs.
I guess that as a physical sweeper his Attack, S.def, def and HP IVs need to be above 15.
For a Torchic to be a Good Physical Sweeper I would say it needs IVs of 20+ in Attack and Speed, and IVs of around 15 in all other Stats just so it can be good in battle. Breeding is always better than catching in the wild or being given to you.

[Tall-Guy]

Well, My Torchic Attack is only 12. To set it to 20 I need alot of breeding.
I think I'll just reset it and try a new torchic.

[andyizcool]

Well, My Torchic Attack is only 12. To set it to 20 I need alot of breeding.
I think I'll just reset it and try a new torchic.
That Torchic at the start is a Pokemon that's just given to you. Pokemon that are given to you always have bad IVs like the Beldum at Steven's House.

[Tall-Guy]

So you recommend to keep this pokemon?
Here is the IV stat again -

HP - 10 to 20
Attack - 9 to 12
Defense - 9 to 19
S.ATK - 23 to 26
S.DEF - 0 to 11
Speed - 27 to 29

The primary stat which I need for him to be a Physical Sweeper is very low (attack).
But the speed is pretty good.
Also HP, and Defenses are not very high, and I need it for him to be a strong physical Sweeper.
I know that Pokemon that just given to you have a bad stat, but for example, my first torchic have supreme speed IV.
In how much IVs attack will raise if I'll breed this torchic?
Thats why I think I might try get another torchic.

[andyizcool]

I would say breed a Female Torchic/Combusken/Blaziken with a Numel/Camerupt that has Rock Slide. Check the Nature and IVs of the baby Torchic with Rock Slide. You should have 20+ IVs in Attack and Speed, and around 15 IVs in other Stats. This shouldn't take much breeding and you'll get a good Physical Sweeping Blaziken in the end.

[Don't Run With Scizors]

strat: Focus Punch Gengar > that Blissey. ;)

Tall-Guy: In my experience, there are usually a lot more experienced players on RSbot than there are on NetBattle.

[Tall-Guy]

Dont Run With Scizors:
Well, I guess your right, NetBattle is pretty new. But the Interface is much Easier to navigate.

Andyizcool:
Thanks, I'll go for it.