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Using items in battle

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i think this should be an interesting discussion. o:

so! of course, in pokemon games, you as the trainer have always had the ability to heal or even revive your pokemon in the middle of battle should the situation warrant it. an interesting counterpoint i've heard to this though, is that using items feels like "cheating" in a sense, mostly because the AI doesn't use items (excluding gym leaders and elite four members that use full restores).

my question is: how do you all feel about using items in battle? whether it be healing or reviving your pokemon, or even using x-items if necessary? do you see it as having an unfair advantage, or do you see it as far due to it being an option, period?
 
The AI doesn't use Revives so I don't either, but otherwise it's fair since they do have them (not as much in Sw/Sh for some reason), although during the main story I don't use them to make it slightly harder.
 
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i feel guilty saying this, but i use items. i do realize it's sorta unfair, but i'd feel bad seeing my pokemon faint in an AI battle that i feel like i know i'm supposed to win, so i use healing items. i try not to go overboard with them, though. and i don't do x-boosting items (with the one exception being totem mimikyu because otherwise i wouldnt have beaten it).

i used to use revives like crazy during older generations (most particularly during the elite four) because i would've lost otherwise. nowadays i feel conflicted whether healing in-between elite four matches is the right thing to do or not.
 
I definitely use items, especially when the usual annoying status effects Paralysis, Sleep, Confusion, and Freezing takes place. Lowering the chances of my Pokemon hitting the AI opponent 10fold is cruelty on the player to me.
 
While I rarely use Revives unless absolutely necessary, I do use items whenever I need to. Especially if I'm training a weak new recruit in older games like Gens 4 and 5, since in those games the EXP Share is a stupid held item. That way I can get said new recruit up to speed with the rest of the party. As a trainer in Sinnoh's Trainer School said being a trainer is more than just bossing your Mons around, as superior trainers know when to help your Mons with items when the going gets tough. While I don't use the X items, as they're a total waste to me, even after getting buffed in Gen 7 (though they do sell for decent cash), I will use items to help my Mons whenever they need to.

However, I do try to refrain from it in battles with other AI trainers in-game outside of Held Items unless it's a particularly strong foe like Cynthia, mainly reserving it for battles with wild Mons. Especially if they're afflicted with a status ailment like Poison or Sleep. It's just like any other RPG: if you have the option to use something like an item that can potentially save your skin, then use it. It's better to use an item at a clutch moment than face a full party wipe out of stubbornness, especially if the foe is capable of doing insane amounts of damage within one or two strikes. Again, with in-game trainer battles I try to refrain from it so it's a bit more "honorable" toward the AI (unless said trainer uses items themselves), and Revives pretty much rot in my bag except when needed, but I will use them if I feel the situation calls for it. Better to use a Full Restore on your Mon when needed in case a critical hit comes their way and would KO them if you didn't. Plus, I don't like it when my Mons get KOed, as it makes me feel like I betrayed them when they needed it the most. Especially when the affection mechanic came into play. You try saying no to the "Mon is in a pinch, it looks like it might cry" prompt when it comes up!

So, yeah, I use items when needed. I try to refrain from it with AI trainer battles, but just like any other RPG, if you have the option to use it, then you should just use it. It could be the difference between victory and game over.
 
I completely disavow in-battle items in Nuzlockes, which is how I play most older games, and basically consider them a failure state for normal playthroughs. I had to spam Revives for the first time in a very long time in Shield, because nothing on my team resisted Zacian and it one-shotted almost everything at level parity (I was reduced to waiting for Close Combat stat drops to enable Barraskewda to take it out).

Even in Nuzlockes, they're fine outside of battles - the experience isn't enhanced by detouring back to a Centre.
 
One time, I got whopped by Ultra Necrozma and thought to myself, "You know, maybe I just... suck at Pokémon?" That's most certainly a little harsher than the reality, but it is true that I don't really think strategically when playing. And sure, I can attribute a lot of that to the basic structure of the games - they don't exactly do a lot to encourage strategic thinking. But still, I took stock of my gameplay style and concluded that I rely almost entirely on Supereffective STAB, and Revives in order to outlast the opponent, and I felt like I wasn't really capable of thinking outside the box. So lately, I've been trying to lean less on those and more on other tactics. It's a hard habit to break, but defeating Mustard recently after a few tries without using any Revives was a very satisfying feeling.

In general, I'm perfectly fine with using potions and X items in moderation - I don't want to spam them, but since NPCs can sometimes use those, it feels "fair" to me, unlike Revives. Though I often forget that X items even exist, lol. If anything, maybe that's an argument in favor of me needing to experiment with them a bit more.

But I mean, that's all a personal challenge for myself based on my own dissatisfaction with my performance. At the end of the day, there's no problem with players using whatever means they have available to in order to keep the game fun. That should be the foremost priority, and if slogging through a battle with a self-imposed item limit makes the game not as fun or rewarding, then you shouldn't do it. Nothing wrong with that.
 
Honestly, I have no problem with using items in battle, although I seldom need to use them outside of the tougher battles (ie: E4 battles). But it would be good if more Trainers used items in battle, and more than just a limited number of a single kind of item, and revives in particular.
 
in past I was against items but found out they are actually cool in use, berries, and others. they arent cheating if all can use what they want in a equal manor. The AI could be better programmed in that matter. Like Fling and item...

Generaly items are nice, abilities and moves are related with them

All abilities that affect items/are affected by items: Cheek pouch, frisk, gluttony, harvest, klutz, honey gather, magician, pickpocket, pickup, sticky hold, symbiosis, unburden, unnerve.

All moves that effect items: acrobatics, bestow, covet, trick, incinerate, embargo, magic room, recycle, natural gift, pluck, fling, knock off, switcheroo, bug bite, snatch, belch. Poltergeist and corrosive gas(this one needs to do damage kike knock off)...
incinerate destroys berries, bug bite too

Source: the db move and ability pages.

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ps. Magician would need a cooler extra effect like protecting/making immune the user from moves that affect items....

I hope they create more item related moves in future too or add effects to old moves,
like some electric, grass moves, water moves, ice moves,
psychic moves( Kinesis, Telekinesis, Psychokinesis those should affect items generaly too)

electric and ice move that could neutralize item, water or grass move that causes it to lose it like knock of does...
move that could block item usage for 2 turns... thunder wave?spark?

Sheer cold and moves that ko target could affect items too when unsuccesfull in ko...

generaly Psychokinesis should work a little like Poltergeist or acrobatics in my opinion. power depending on targets holding a item or not.

items and using them or not will have always a meaning in game.


Interesting will be a point where a pokemon will be getting a ability to be immune to moves from pokemon that have items or one thats immune to pokemon not using items... Klutz is good against Poltergeist... Pokemon without items get less damage from Acrobatics...

Fling works only if user has a item and can use it... interesting when a Prankster user has corrosive gas and could block its usement.
or a other pokemon a ability to block it... Sticky Hold should block it , catch it...

Interesting will be a ability to create exploding items and giving them oponents every begin of turn as gift if they have any(explodes after turn ends) or throw at them directly at the begining and it explodes...

Or a abilities to create items to hinder oponent, imagine you use knock of and then a ability puts ropes on your oponent reducing all its stats, or speed, and attack...

If they would add extra effects to some old moves and abilities that are already related with items or that could be related...
 
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I don't usually end up using many since the games are very easy for me unless I'm doing a challenge run aha. if I do it's during events where there are several battles in succession, like the e4, to heal/revive etc. no shame in using them at all since I play normally 98% of the time and challenges are a rare case for me atm.

usually just counts heals/status removals/revives though, I don't pay much attention to stat-boosting items like X Attack and etc. not for me ):
 
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