Battling / General Battling Principles

When you're playing through the Pokemon video games, switching isn't a focus of battles in the story– attacking is a much more direct path to victory. In competitive Pokemon, however, switching your Pokemon in at the right time can turn the battle on its head-- and your opponent switching in their Pokemon when you least expect it can be devastating.

Why would you want to make a switch? 

Survive an attack

If an opposing Pokemon threatens a powerful attack on one of your Pokemon, you're going to have to Protect, switch it out, or risk being knocked out. The urge to switch happens instinctually for many players in this situation. 

Improve next turn's positioning

Think about how this turn is going to go, and what the situation next turn will look like. Then, think about if you can afford to switch a Pokemon in for some effect next turn. 

Make the most of field conditions

Certain field conditions only last for a set amount of turns (e.g. Trick Room, Tailwind, weather, terrain), and if your active Pokemon don't make full use of those conditions, they may be gone before you reap their benefits. You can switch in a Pokemon with high damage output that will take advantage of the condition while it lasts. 

Save a Pokemon for later

If one Pokemon is crucial to your plan for defeating your opponent, you can switch it out to preserve it for as long as possible. Then, once your opponent's resources for defeating it are weakened, you can use that crucial Pokemon to close out the battle.

What are the risks of switching? 

Some switches happen in the moment, as you instinctively rush to save a Pokemon from an attack. However, for the most part, switching is about setting up for success on a future turn. Because switching requires foresight, you'll need to be extra careful to think twice before you switch, and cautiously consider what will happen this turn and next turn.

Your opponent could do something that you don't expect

In most cases, a player will switch because they expect their opponent to make a particular move or play in a particular way. However, opponents don't always move in the way that you think they will. Before switching, consider what the risks of your switch are, and what the worst case action from your opponent will be– and then think about whether your opponent will actually make that move.

(link to predictions article)

Switch-in could take too much damage

Switching in is ultimately a risky move, and the Pokemon that switches in is entirely defenseless. Some of the time, you'll switch in a Pokemon and it'll take too much damage from 

Furthermore, pay attention to your team's total health when you focus on switching. Switching doesn't do damage– that means that compared to attacking, switching doesn't immediately advance you towards knocking out all 4 of your opponent's Pokemon. There may be big payoffs in the future if you can switch into an advantageous position, but if you spend too much time switching, you might take too much damage to be able to make use of the positioning you get.

Finally, switching into an attack can mean your switch-in Pokemon will be the victim of that attack's undesirable secondary effects– a crit, a burn, or even a freeze. This event is importantly linked to the fact that you get luckier when you have more chances to attack.

Switch-in doesn't improve your next turn

Your switch-in Pokemon has to be useful to some extent against your opponent's Pokemon and their attacks. If you switch out a Pokemon to save it, great– but if you've switched in a Pokemon that is just as weak in this situation, you may have actually harmed your position by giving your opponent an opportunity to attack without recompense. 

Wrapping Up

To make a switch successfully, you have to consider your opponent's Pokemon's capabilities, and think about how the next turn will end up in the best case-- or in the worst case. At the end of the day, the success of a switch usually depends on your opponent's actions, so there's no guarantee even the most well-thought-out switches will end up well. In fact, even the most expert competitive Pokemon battlers make switches that end up poorly for them. However, switching is a fundamental skill of Pokemon, and thinking about switches lets you make more complex plays that get you closer to victory.