Let’s be honest here. If you’ve played a Pokemon game at any point in your life, you’ve made a few silly mistakes. It’s practically a rite of passage.
Pokemon video games have been around for over a very long time now and throughout the generations, we have all stumbled, fumbled, and accidentally clicked “Run” when we meant to throw a Quick Ball. From misusing the Master Ball to accidentally evolving our Eevee into the “wrong” evolution, the mistakes we have made aren’t just common but they are universal.
Top 8 Common Mistakes Pokemon Fans Make While Playing
Whether you started in the quaint little Pallet Town with a Charmander or found yourself trekking the open wilds of Galar, every Pokemon trainer has a story of “I can't believe I used to do that". Consider this article your trip down memory lane and a friendly reminder to remember just how far we’ve come.
Ignoring Non-Damaging Moves
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+ 9Let’s start with the grand old mistake of ignoring non-damaging moves. If a move didn’t show a damage number in its description, it went straight to the trash. Why use Toxic when you could teach your Pokemon the screen-blasting Hyper Beam? Who needs Protect when you can just roll the dice with Fissure’s pathetic accuracy?
Turns out, competitive players knew something we didn’t. Moves like Stealth Rock can topple entire strategies. Dragon Dance can turn your average dragon into a sweeping problem for the opponent. And Toxic? That little purple skull is practically a death sentence if played right.
But back then, if it didn’t hit hard, it didn’t make the cut. Classic mistake.
Thinking All Pokemon Evolved By Leveling Up
click to enlarge+ 9Then there’s assuming that all evolution happened by leveling up. Most of us thought leveling up was all the answer to evolution. And to be fair, it usually is. But the Pokemon world loves its curveballs.
Raise that Kadabra to level 100 all you like but it’s not evolving unless you trade it. Waiting for your adorable Eevee to evolve into the bulky Umbreon without max friendship or a being outside at night? It's not happening.
We’ve all stared blankly at a fully-leveled Pokemon wondering why it hasn’t transformed, only to realize we skipped some crucial step. It's always the hard way, isn't it, Game Freak?
Ignoring the Physical - Special Stat Split
click to enlarge+ 9Now, let’s talk about the often overlooked physical-special split. Back before Generation IV, a move’s typing anchored its categorization if it was physical or special. But from Gen IV onwards, each move got its own classification.
This meant some of our old strategies needed serious revisiting. If you didn’t adjust, you probably taught Surf to Gyarados, a notorious physical attacker, or fed Psyshock TM to Gardevoir, a Pokemon built for special attacks.
Not understanding this meant your powerful moves weren’t actually doing much at all. And if you didn’t try to catch on? Your rival definitely will.
Teaching Your Pokemon With STAB Moves Only
click to enlarge+ 9Want another classic but cringe-worthy misstep? Move sets with only STAB. STAB or Same Type Attack Bonus, gives you extra damage when your Pokemon uses a move that matches its type.
So yes, a Water-type like Blastoise does more damage with Surf. But if you’ve only taught it Surf, Hydro Pump, Water Gun, and Bubblebeam, congratulations! You’ve created a sitting reptile for any Electric or Grass type that comes your way.
Type coverage matters. Ice Beam for those fantastical Dragons. Earthquake for tough Steels. Being a one-trick Ponyta only gets you so far in a world full of type counters.
Teaching A Bad HM To Your Main Pokemon
click to enlarge+ 9And then, oh yes, there’s the HM curse. Hidden Machines seemed cool at first until you realized that teaching your main Pokemon the move Cut was the equivalent of giving them an origami sword for a move slot.
Once you teach Flash to your Mewtwo or Rock Smash to your Machamp, that move is locked in unless you find the late-game Move Deleter. Some of us had an entire team’s potential sabotaged by Whirlpool and Strength. The worst part? We did it out of necessity or worse by accident.
Wrong Use of the Master Ball
click to enlarge+ 9Now let’s all collectively groan at how we used our Master Ball. You get one. Just one. And yet somehow, it ended up being thrown at a level 45 Electabuzz or a shiny Rattata that you thought was once-in-a-lifetime phenomenon. Spoiler alert, it was not and you learned about it the hard way.
The Master Ball is meant for that moment when you encounter a roaming Entei or any other legendary at 1 HP with a sleep status, and you’re down to your last Premier Ball. But we all did this at least once. And once it's gone, it's gone.
Running From A Shiny Pokemon
click to enlarge+ 9Speaking of regrets, who here has pressed "Run" from a shiny? Be honest because I did. Maybe you thought it was a glitch. Maybe the color difference was so slight you didn’t notice. Some shinies like Gengar, Garchomp, or Zapdos are unnecessarily subtle.
Or maybe you were in grind mode and your muscle memory just hit "Run" out of habit. Whatever the reason, the frustration is real. That sparkle? Yeah, it's going to take hours before you see that again . It’s the kind of moment that haunts you years later, usually while another Trainer brags about their shiny collection on Facebook.
Strengthening Your Starter Pokemon Only
click to enlarge+ 9And let’s not forget the classic mistake of hyper-focusing on your starter Pokemon. You have a bond, we get it. You went through thick and thin together. But while your Charizard soared to level 42, the rest of your party sat at level 11, occasionally popping out to take a hit before being swapped back in.
This is a huge liability in team building. The lack of type coverage becomes painfully evident when your starter faces something it can’t just handle, and suddenly your B-level squad isn’t ready to hold the fort.
Plus, half the fun of Pokemon is discovering new favorites. Neglecting them means missing out.
click to enlarge+ 9So what’s the takeaway from this Hall of Shame? It's actually very cliche. These mistakes are part of the journey. Every failed Poke Ball throw, every wrong evolution, every time you taught Flash to a psychic god, they’re all learning experiences.
If you're just beginning your Pokemon adventure, don’t sweat the wrong decisions. But maybe, just maybe, you’ll avoid a few of ours. Read the move descriptions. Check those evolution methods online. Don’t waste your Master Ball. And for Arceus’ sake, don’t ignore that oddly-colored Pokemon in the grass. Trust us. We’ve been there.
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