Pokemon players reveal most “unfair” ways they’ve won battles

Brent Koepp
Screenshot of battles in Pokemon Sword & Shield.

Following a debate as to whether Pokemon villains should be able to fight unfairly in battles, fans have hilariously revealed ways in which they’ve won by having an advantage over foes.

Pokemon battles have almost always stuck to the same format since the game’s release way back in 1996: pick a monster, use a move or an item, and try and knock the opponent’s ‘mon out first.

It’s not always that straightforward though, and the rules have been bent before, especially on the player’s side. Members of the Pokemon community have revealed examples of this happening in their own games, and it’s hilarious.

Screenshot of Team Rocket from the Pokemon anime.
Not everybody plays fair in Pokemon.

Pokemon players reveal how they’ve won fights “unfairly”

On December 6, Reddit user ‘TheLego27’ went viral on the r/Pokemon subreddit after they shared an example of how they’d cheesed a battle in the 2004 released title Emerald. 

“For me, i was in the Battle Factory in Emerald, and i had only one Pokemon left, a Swampert,” they started off. “There was a Gengar that i couldn’t hit, because i had Rest, Curse, Earthquake, and Counter on Swampert. i KO’d it with a Curse boosted Struggle.”

After explaining the absurd way they managed to scrape a victory in the Gen III RPG, the player then asked fellow fans if they had similar experiences. The post kicked off a discussion where Trainers opened up about the most ridiculous ways they had won battles.

“Battling Cynthia in Gen IV, I had a Vespiquen with Destiny Bond. Her heavy hitters were no match when I would just revive and repeat,” one person replied. “This was at release, and I started with Gen I. I’ve never fought her legitimately, even to this day. So I fully admit I’m a scrub.”

“If I’m being completely objective here, every battle I’ve done against a gym leader or elite four member where I came with like fifty potions and revives has been pretty unfair,” another fan wrote.

“This is why I no longer allow myself to use healing items in battle. I’d rather have to retry a fight once or twice than just use infinite moneys to make myself nigh unkillable,” someone said in reply to the previous commenter.

Pokemon players share their unfair victories.
Fans shared their stories.

Players have always had an advantage of sorts over NPC enemies. As another user appropriately said in the replies: “You can’t become champion of the elite four without spamming full restores!”

Pokemon fans have a lot to be excited for in 2021 as it’s the series’ 25th anniversary. While nothing’s been revealed yet, who knows, maybe there will be a new game for players to battle in.

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About The Author

Brent is a former writer at Dexerto based in the United States, who covered topics such as Pokemon, Gaming, and online Entertainment.