A Fresh Start For Competitive Pokémon

The first Pokémon game released for the Nintendo 3DS came along with a great number of innovations, from controversial Mega Evolutions to the new Fairy type that redefines the metagame. Pokémon X & Y feel like the most renovated versions since the games changed themselves back in Generation III; however, the most important added feature might be the overlooked Super Training mode.

This Super Training allows us to select and increase the specific stats that we want to increase in our Pokémon –normally called EV training– through a set of simple and fun activities, but most importantly, doing it in an understandable and visual way. The process of EV training has been present since the first generation of games, and its mechanisms have been deciphered by the players along the years, but it used to be shrouded by a veil of mystery that left many players marginalized and consequently, uninterested in going beyond finishing the game.

Now, this user friendly Super Training reduces the hardcore feeling that involved the specialized training a little bit, but offers a way in for the curious and the confident players that at some point of their career thought about training their Pokémon beyond the challenge difficulty of the Elite Four and the Battle Tower/Frontier. It helps the ones that didn’t understand, or perhaps, those that didn’t know how every Pokémon, even at the same level, with the same nature and movesets, can be very different from one another; thus, making the player focusing not only on the level and increase of Exp. Points, but also in specializing some Pokémon, balancing others, assembling a team and eventually deciding to enter a tournament.

Of course there are many aspects still buried within the depths of such an interesting gameplay, that we can understand only via specialized forums and communities –and small in game hints– like the IVs and the whole process of breeding; but the gradual demystification of these mechanics is the right decision.

Naturally, lowering the entry barriers may raise some controversy, but when the PokéBank is up and running and more official tournaments start to take place, we´ll see a whole new generation of trainers lured by their recent interest in deep Pokémon training, all thanks to the approach they had during Super Training. Then, we’ll be seeing more players in competitions, more varied strategies and higher level battles, which in the end, is the whole point of reinventing the series.