8 Helpful Tips On How To Battle In Pokémon Go

Got some strong Pokémon and ready to fight? Here's what you need to do.

1. CP is important, but element types often matter even more. Always remember what's strong against what.

Via gamefaqs.com

The above chart shows which types have good and bad offense and defense against other types. For example, water-type Pokémon do double damage against ground, rock, and fire, but do half damage against grass and dragon. Additionally, water takes double damage from grass and electric, but has strong defense against fire, steel and ice.

2. Here's an easy-to-read chart that you can save to your phone.

masterposter.tumblr.com

The types in the middle are weak to the types on the left and strong against the types on the right. If you're about to take on a gym, check its lineup of Pokémon and assemble your team accordingly.

3. Just because a Pokémon is a certain type doesn't mean its moves will also be that type. So always check their moves!

Niantic

Niantic

The Geodude on the left has two rock-type moves: Rock Throw and Rock Slide. The Geodude on the right has Tackle, which is normal-type, and Dig, which is ground-type. So if you tried to use the Geodude on the right against a Pokémon weak to rock, neither of its attacks would do extra damage.

4. Also be sure to check your Pokémon's moves for damage numbers.

noobtohacker.com

The Pidgey on the left has Tackle, which has 12 attack power, and Twister, which has 15 attack power. The Pidgey on the right has Quick Attack and Air Cutter, with attack powers of 10 and 25, respectively. Do you want more damage with your basic attack and less with your special, or vice versa?

You'll want to try these attacks out at a friendly gym too, to see how fast they are. If one does less damage but attacks faster, it might be the better option overall.

5. You're probably better off using an "ultimate" special attack (one that uses a full blue bar) as opposed to using a faster special.

Niantic

Anyone who has battled in this game knows how long the animations take when you use a special, so using multiple specials might make you vulnerable to attacks. Try using a quick basic attack and one big, high-damage special instead to cut down on wasted time.

6. When attacking, tap quickly — but don't forget to dodge.

vg247.com

Fight the urge to just tap like a madman until the battle is over, especially if you're fighting a Pokémon with higher CP. Make good use of dodging (swipe to the side), especially when you see your opponent charging a special move.

7. The best way to practice is to train at a friendly gym.

kotaku.com.au

If a gym is currently owned by your team (Valor, Mystic, or Instinct), you'll see a little boxing glove in the lower right corner. Tap on that and you'll face off against the gym members with just one of your Pokémon, and you'll get XP and increase the gym's prestige if you win.

The benefits here are that your Pokémon will only lose health and not faint, which means you won't have to burn through all your Revive items. Also, if you earn enough prestige to level up the gym, you can place a Pokémon there and earn defense bonuses!

8. Oh, and don't forget to give your Pokémon excellent names.

Jarry @jarry

WHO DID THIS #PokemonGo

10:36 PM - 09 Jul 2016

You know, for intimidation.