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Get Back Here! : Dealing With Damaging Evasive Moves

In Battle-By-Post, speedy Pokemon can utilize Damaging Evasive Moves (or D/E Moves for short) to dodge opponents’ attacks while striking back on the same turn. You may be familiar with some of these moves already: Dive, Bounce, Fly, and Phantom Force are a few examples. Like on cartridge, D/E moves cause the user to enter a near-invulnerable evasive stage before attacking. The key difference in Battle-By-Post, though, is that they don’t have a one-turn delay like they do on cartridge. Instead, the attacker vanishes at priority 0 and re-emerges the same turn at negative priority. What this means is that the user can avoid most ordinary attacks from the opponent and strike back on that same action, if they are faster.

When facing fast opponents who know Damaging Evasive Moves, look at your Pokemon’s options to find a counter-measure. If your Pokemon knows a move with either high priority like Sucker Punch or lower priority like Revenge, consider using it to act outside your opponent’s evasive phase. Alternatively, nullify the opponent’s speed advantage by using Agility to let you strike first. Maybe use a D/E move of your own to trump theirs. Or, give them some real payback with a damage-returning Counter or Bide! Your methods will change depending on which Pokemon you’re using, of course.

Finally, there’s one countermeasure that’s available to every Pokemon: the Combination Attack. To perform it, combine two similar attacks into an extra-strong fusion attack for massive damage! Most Combinations have negative priority, making them perfect for catching foes outside of their evasive stage. Sure, your Pokemon will be too tired to act the turn afterwards, but if your opponent’s going to dodge your attacks anyways you might as well get your hits in wherever you can, right? Metal Claw + Slash, Gunk Shot + Mud Bomb, Fire Fang + Crunch… The possibilities are endless!

There you have it! Just to recap: Damaging Evasive Moves allow the user to dodge and then attack on the same turn, so counter them by either attacking beforehand or using a low-priority move or Combination to attack after they reappear.

…Or just skip the thinking altogether and let a Pokemon with the No Guard ability or the moves Lock On or Mind Reader do your job for you, I guess.
 
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TMan87

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Suggested changes:

"a move with high or low priority, like Revenge or Sucker Punch" ==> "a move with either high priority like Sucker Punch, or low priority like Revenge"

I'd also add Lock-On and Mind Reader to the No Guard part.

Otherwise, not much to say!
 

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