Introduction On Sunday, February 5th, Noibat will be the focus of the latest Pokemon GO Community Day.  For established players of the game, Noivern, its evolution, isn't likely to be more than a Pokedex entry.  But for those without many solid Pokemon for gyms, Noivern becomes a very attractive option.  Normally, the 400 Noibat candy it would take to evolve Noibat into Noivern would be nearly impossible for a new player to rack up with any efficiency.  However, with Noibat spawning all over the place, and all candy from catching being doubled, this evolution gets much easier for one day only. (This guy right here? Keep an eye on him, newbies.) Why Noivern Saves Noobs While Noivern lags behind its Dragon-Flying counterparts in most ways, the availability the dragon-bat gets for this one day is very important. While Dragonite takes only 125 Dratini candy to evolve, Dratini is a wildly rare spawn.  Even using Pinap Berries on every catch means you'll have to catch it 21 times

By all metrics, Pikachu... kinda sucks.  Its abysmal stats, mediocre movepool and 'meh'-inducing evolution would in any other case, make it a pick in very few teams, from casual playthroughs to hardcore competitors. But when you take into account all the things in the message of Pokemon, Pikachu goes from terrible to one of the very best. This all starts with Trainer that made Pikachu the franchise's face: Ash Ketchum.  From the first episodes of Indigo League to the final battles of his share of the anime, Ash is inherently an underdog.  In fact, he's one of the few anime underdogs who loses fairly often, adding to the realism of his story. And what happens an underdog Trainer with the Pokemon that he got because he showed up late to get a Pokemon at all? You get one of the most well-known protagonist duos of all time. Despite the losses Ash and Pikachu face together, neither gives up on their goal or each other.  And eventually, no matter how long it took, the du

Playing a stall team on Showdown is a great way to earn the respect (read: hatred) of your opponents!  No gamer is patient enough to withstand the slow-play antics of a stall team - except the ones playing them!  Ready to get stally and make your opponents salty?  Let's find out how!  This guide is completely format-agnostic.  Try it anywhere you can play competitive Pokemon! Step 1:  Know the format. In order to stall the best attackers in your tier, it might be wise to know *what* those attackers are. For example, in a stall team, you're likely to have a physical wall and a special wall. You should aim to ensure those walls can handle common attackers of that type. Step 2:  Have a win condition (besides rage-quitting!) Yes, yes, I know, many stall games end in a rage-quit.  But for the players that stick it out, you'll need a way to win in-game.  Commonly, this means status conditions and chip damage.  Even in a stall team with big numbers in the HP stat, you're st

Much like the normal world, the world of Pokémon Go celebrates a number of holidays in its events. These events often include special research missions, new Pokemon, and more! Check out these exciting events year after year: 4: Pokémon Go Fest Pokémon Go Fest is a yearly event that takes place in the summer.  It's a great time to get out, find a good area to grind, and start catching! The event includes special bonuses for players who buy an extra pass: Shinies appear much more frequently than usual, and you can get an extra research mission to give you extra rewards. Beyond that, everyone who plays during the event can take a crack at raids against some Legendary Pokemon! 3: Halloween Halloween is a great time to get your hands on some solid ghost and dark type Pokemon. There are also interesting non-legendary raids during this period, most of them being those types as well.  All around, a great time to come out and socialize with some grim grinning Gastly! 2: Equinox event The Eq

Remember when Wizards of the Coast didn't screw things up on the regular? The Pokemon TCG was originally created by Wizards of the Coast in 1998, after finding huge success with Magic the Gathering. Eventually, control of the game's design went to a team specific to Game Freak and Nintendo. But the influence Magic had on the Pokemon TCG is still felt to this day. In fact, both games have grown in parallel to one another in certain ways. Let's take a look: Power Creep Parallel Power creep can be seen in Magic: The Gathering and Pokemon cards, which both introduced more and more powerful cards with each set. But beyond the simple existence of power creep, certain types of cards in both games have shifted with each other. In Magic, creatures started as very weak, and by today's standards are mostly obsolete. However, non-creature spells, especially instants and sorceries, were often much more powerful than any that could be made today. Not a single member of Magic

  Weather in Pokemon is much like real life weather. It's often volatile, but it can also be vital to certain plans. The question is, can weather be competitive with this touch-and-go nature?  What is weather? What does it do? Weather is a temporary condition that affects mainly the power of certain types. Weather can be set by an ability or move and only one weather effect can be active at a time. If a Pokémon uses a damaging move of a type the active weather benefits, they will deal increased damage from the move. Fire types get boosts from Sun, Ground types are buffed by Sand, Hail and Snow both help Ice types thrive, and Rain works with Water types. Doubles vs. Singles. Weather has a different metagame effect in doubles than in singles. In double battles, only 4 pokemon are sent out in a given game. Beyond that, they come in pairs. This means games last fewer turns, which is crucial for weather teams, as each effect only lasts so long. However, on Smogon's singles ladder

It's the first season of gen 9 VGC! This season is going to be filled with action, excitement and most importantly: new Pokemon to build around! So which ones work well? What old favorites can we dig up? Let's take a look at some of the most popular options so far: 1. Murkrow Murkrow is the most used Pokemon in the VGC metagame, and for good reason. This bird Pokémon can set up Tailwind thanks to Prankster, which gives its status moves priority. This allows it to speed up its teammate and itself for later turns. It also packs Haze, which is very useful for countering the very common Tatsugiri and Dodonzo combo. Murkrow is a top-notch support. If you're playing in competitive doubles in any capacity, you should definitely be considering this Pokémon on your team. 2. Tatsugiri and Dondozo Tatsugiri and Dondozo are a great offensive combination. They have the same typing and when they're on the field together, they become nearly unstoppable. The main reason this works is b