Pokémon/Competitive battling

(Note that all articles starting with [Pre Gen V] are out of date and we are working to update them with Generation V Information)

This work is a compilation of many tactics common to the core Pokémon games. With the right knowledge, patience, and creativity, anyone who reads this guide can greatly improve their battling abilities. To many people, this guide will be boring if you're not committed to learning the art of Pokémon battling. You cannot consider every factor in this guide when creating your team, but the strategy is to use as much of the following information as you can. The more you can use, the better battler you will be.

Competitive Battling is an art that many have discovered. This does not include beating the game and becoming the Pokémon League Champion. This instead focuses on player(s) vs. player(s) battles. To experienced players, beating the game does not make you a Pokémon master, since the game is created for younger kids to beat. When taking the skills you know to a level that allows you to compete with battlers all over the world, you will learn the wondrous and complex beauty of Pokémon battling and you will recognize the many strategies it uses.

This guide will cover all the main series games, from all generations;
 * 1) The First Generation is comprised of Red, Blue and Yellow, also called RBY (the Japanese-only Pokémon Green is also in this category).
 * 2) The Second Generation consists of Gold and Silver as well as Crystal, usually called GSC.
 * 3) The Third Generation consists of Ruby, Sapphire and Emerald, along with FireRed and LeafGreen (referred to as RSE and FRLG respectively).
 * 4) The Fourth Generation consists of Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum, as well as HeartGold and SoulSilver (called DPP or DPPt and HGSS, respectively).
 * 5) The Fifth Generation consists of Black, White, Black 2, and White 2.