UU Tier Advice

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Hello, I know the basics of competitive battling (EVs, IVs, general team building, beginner strategies), and I know I want to become skilled in the UU tier because I enjoy the style of UU's tactics as opposed to the feel of battling in OU or Ubers. However, even though I know these basic skills and know my resources for the UU tier, I'm having trouble progressing from the current point I'm at. I'm looking for some nudges in the right direction.

My question is for all UUers out there who no longer consider themselves 'newbies' to competitively battling in this tier - what helped you progress the most when you were just starting out, either competitively or in this tier specifically? What tools or mindset helped push you in the right direction or were the most helpful? Is there anything you know now that you wished you knew as a beginner?
 

Hogg

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Welcome to Smogon!

This forum requires permission to start a new thread, so I've locked this one. However, you seem like you earnestly want some info, so I'll answer your question as best I can.

There's no one magic method to improving as a battler, and certainly nothing that's really specific to just UU. If you can play really well in any tier, you'll play well here once you get a handle on the metagame. Everyone is going to have different ways of pushing past the hump and becoming a talented battler, and everyone is going to have different advice they want to give. Here's my own, and take it with a grain of salt:

1. Watch games. Tour games in particular are good for this, but even just high ladder matches can be fun. Catch them live when you can, or watch old tour replays. The SPL thread on this subforum is a good place to start for some cool matches and commentary by both spectators and players. Try to think about what the players are thinking. Why did they make the moves they made? How could the game have gone differently? What impressed you? Watch games, watch games, watch games. Watch players you like and watch players you hate.

2. Don't just play UU. Good playing is good playing, and the fundamentals of how to plan out a game, figure out your best shot at winning and execute a gameplan are not going to be that different when you step outside your box and play different tiers. Play the toughest metagame with the best talent you can find. Focus on your fundamentals. Play old gens. RBY is great for this, because teambuilding is taken out of the equation almost entirely; it's just about playing the game.

3. Take time during team preview to figure out how a game will go. Look at your team, look at your opponent's team, and ask yourself how you plan to win the game. Figure out what the big threats are. Think about really basic stuff: what's their hazard plan? Do they have a scarfer? Any setup sweepers? How's the matchup? Will you have to play aggressively to stay in the game, or can you just make the smart, conservative play over and over again until you win? Come up with a gameplan before you even pick a lead.

4. Don't be afraid to adjust. A lot of times you can take one look at a team or a player and know everything about it, but sometimes things surprise you or the game doesn’t go your way. Don't get wrongfooted or start making desperate plays. Just take a breath, think about how things have changed, and adjust accordingly.

5. Stay up on the metagame. Make sure you're keeping an eye on the np and VR threads, on recent tour games, on the ladder. Nothing crazy, just make sure you know what's going on with any metagame trends. You'll see little things, like a hot new OTR team that everyone is spamming, and can adjust your building to account for it.

6. Have fun! Seriously, winning is fun but if you treat every game like it's the finals of OST you're going to burn out fast. I often like to dick around on the ladder, bring fun teams, etc., because if I take everything too seriously I end up getting sick of the game. If you find that you're just not having fun anymore, take a break and come back when it's fun again.

Good luck!
 
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