Pokemon Go may be declining in popularity recently, but with major updates coming soon such as daily quests, holiday events such as the Halloween Ghastly-fest that just ended, and Generation II (giving a reason to catch an Onix), Pokemon Trainers that want to be the very best, that no one ever was, will have a reason to catch'em all again.
With that being said, I'm tired of all the guides online that can only state the obvious and lack the experience from actually playing the game. So here's some tips from a level 29 Pokemon Go trainer that's been grinding from the start to help all you newbies out there:
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1. Save Your Stardust
Stardust...Ash Ketchum never had to deal with this Taurus. The most valuable resource of them all when you're past level 20 is stardust and you will never have enough Tinkerbell juice. Powering up your Pokemon before level 20 is a complete waste so save it up like your 401k.
2. Check Your Pokemon IV's
Each Pokemon has Individual Values (IV's) that indicate how strong your BASE Pokemon is. Although many Pokemon have filed complaints to the PR department, not all Pokemon are equal. This may get somewhat complicated, but I'll simplify as much as possible: each Pokemon's base power is determined by three statistics in Attack, Defense, and Stamina. On top of these base statistics, each unique Pokemon can gain a maximum of 15 more points in each of these three categories. This means a perfect Pokemon would have 15 more Attack, Defense, and Stamina than the worst possible Pokemon.
Combat points (CP) doesn't matter nearly as much as these IV's. The only benefit to CP is that you won't lose as much stardust and candy powering a Pokemon up. But IV's will allow for a higher maximum CP when that Pokemon is fully powered up. For those that don't care about the absolute perfection of their Pokemon, they can simply ask for an appraisal, where each Team Leader will be prompted a different line determined by its IV's. For the OCD, download Poke Genie on the App Store which will allow you to just screenshot your Pokemon, or use this calculator to plug in the values to look at all the pretty numbers your hearts desire.
3. Pokeballs > Potions
Although gym battling becomes more and more relevant as you level up, first you need to hoard all the candy and stardust possible through catching Pokemon with Pokeballs. At one point you may feel as if you have enough Pokeballs, but a single Mankey can make you feel differently.
4. Save Your PokeCoins on Egg Incubators
Eggs are the best way to get rare Pokemon with high IV's, by far. Even from the early stages of the game, you are loaded with 5k eggs. You need to move these out for 10k eggs in order to get the big kahunas such as Snorlax and Lapras. The only way you're going to move product faster than El Chapo is through more egg incubators. And you shouldn't need the other stuff like lucky eggs if you are efficient in managing your Pidgey farm and spinning the PokeStops.
5. Learn how to Curveball
An extra 10 XP may not seem that much, but trust me, it builds up. When it counts, you'll get desperate and do anything for just a little bit more, just like Donald Trump. Also, as you get used to curveballs, it is actually far easier to hit the center of Pokemon and get the Greats than throwing it straight. You may not believe me, but JUST DO IT. Yes you will look dumb spinning your index finger on your iPhone, but honestly, common sense went out the window when we decided to chase AR kawaii animals with our phones.
6. Not All Movesets are Equal
As with the fact that not all Pokemon are equal due to IV's, what may be more important are movesets. While many websites will attempt to convince you of an optimal moveset, most likely they don't exist. This is because in almost all cases, there is a moveset that is superior for attacking gyms and another for defending gyms.
General rule of thumb is that the Fast moves that hit harder and are slower defend better, but paradoxically, the Charge moves that have a smaller bar and are faster usually are more defense-suited. The opposite applies for attacking gyms.
Well, there you go, some pro-tips from someone who spent way too much time playing Pokemon Go. Although many tips have been left open for exploration, exploring is the majority of Pokemon Go's charm. So go out there and make hipster Professor Oak proud!
