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The Game Theory of Competitive Pokémon

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Strategic Element 1: Long-Term PlanningURL copied

Resources shrink as a battle progresses. Once a Pokémon faints, it almost never returns.[Missing footnote: fainting] This creates a hard asymmetry between the early game and the late game.

Usually 8--12 turns. Fast, high-stakes. One mistake can end the game outright. Your lead determines your first-turn momentum; your back two determine your endgame.

Usually 50+ turns - can reach hundreds. Early positioning accumulates. Setup moves (Swords Dance, Calm Mind) pay off over many subsequent turns.

Revolves around Perish Song, Leech Seed, and PP stalling. The goal is to exhaust your opponent's moves entirely. Mechanically valid. Psychologically cruel.

The early game is an investment, not just an exchange. Knocking out your opponent's Arcanine on turn two means your Venusaur has one fewer Fire-type threat to worry about for the rest of the game. That's not damage - that's positioning.