Hello, today, I am going to talk about competitive Pokemon. And as you may know, competitive battling in Pokemon is where you follow unofficial rules of websites on the internet to play in Pokemon battles online. Sadly, since competitive Pokemon battling has been popular for a while now, Pokemon doesn't seem like Pokemon anymore. Pokemon should be about catching Pokemon, battling with them, following the story of the games, focus on catching all the Pokemon for the Pokedex, but it doesn't seem like the games are like that anymore. No, it isn't about all that stuff, it's about competitive battling, being strategic, and conquering other players in online battles. But the thing is, I want that to change. I want that to change so Pokemon can feel like actual Pokemon again. So, let's overview competitive battling. There are these tiers which select which Pokemon that fit into each category. For example, OU (Over-Used) is a term used to describe, of course, over-used Pokemon while competitively battling. And on the official Smogon website, it lists every OU Pokemon. Here are a few examples of OU Pokemon.

Bisharp
Azumarill
Gengar
Keldeo
Gliscor

Those are a few Pokemon that are in the OU tier. Now, I could list MANY more tiers, (ex. UU (Under-Used) and I find it to be very confusing. How can one person remember all this stuff, while building a team to competitively battle? I find it confusing, but I bet most people probably use the Smogon website for a reference. I tried building a team of OU Pokemon, went to the Pokemon I used, used the strategies, and it kind of worked, I mostly lost, sometimes I won, it was just confusing. Now, it's not like I dislike competitive battling that much, but I think it's ruining Pokemon and what the game is supposed to be about.

And remember, this is my opinion, and I want you to respect it. You can correct me on stuff, and I am fine with that. If you don't agree with me, I am ok with that too, but don't go flaming me about it.

I don't see your point.
Pokemon is still Pokemon, and the way some people like to utilise the game doesn't take away from that.

Pokemon games have gotten easier over the years, and for people like old fans or youtubers who've played through each game multiple times, it gives them something new and challenging to do. There's just more focus on it because the potential for big tournaments and competitions is getting bigger because of the internet.

Also, the smogon rules are just fan-made and are not the official rules for competitive play. A lot of people like them more because it's more organised, most elements of unpleasant gameplay are gone (accuracy drops/putting everything to sleep/etc.). The whole system is that the more popular pokemon (which are usually the better ones) are higher on the tier ladder and can only be used in their tier or tiers above them. This way you won't find a Hydreigon when you're battling with stuff like Vileplume in lower tiers.

It's been like this since the very beginning, it's just that you couldn't do much since the only way you could battle was through link cables and whatnot, it's been meant to be competitive since the start but the tools weren't there to help it.

Good points you made. I respect your opinion. And yes, Pokemon has gotten easier over the years, but I think competitive battling is too confusing. Of course, your opinion, my opinion.