The Tactician
This Trainer aims to win with smarts, not brawn. They’re focused on developing the most effective tactics to win, and they may employ a wide range of Pokémon focusing on using Status Afflictions, Hazards, Blessings, and clever combinations of Pokémon and Moves to overcome foes with more sheer offensive strength.
Notable Examples: Red, Conway
Key Skills: Guile, Intuition, Command
How to Build: Start with Commander or Mentor The Commander is the quintessential class for a Tactician character. They focus on using Orders to enhance particular strategies such as using high critical hit rate Moves or making inaccurate attacks more reliable. They’re also able to make the most of hazards, buffs, and other indirect and support Moves. Mentor of course is a great fit for this archetype as well with their ability to teach Pokémon Moves earlier than normal and allow them to retain more Moves. Even without Mastermind, all of the Orders in the General FEATURES are good choices for a Tactician and represent their ability to quickly give their Pokémon tactical advice on the fly. You may also want to focus on Ace Trainer early on for the boosts to EXP and the benefits of Trained Stats. Later on, Ace’s Signature Technique Feature can give Tacticians a crucial edge in battle and a unique battling style. Other good choices include the CLASSES that specialize in a certain subset of Pokémon, such as the Type and Stat Aces and the Style Expert. Juggler also makes an interesting Tactician option due to the all of the strategies made available with the ability to quickly cycle through a team of Pokémon. Tacticians who want to shy away from direct assaults and instead outwit their opponents with tricky Status-Class Moves may pick up the Trickster Class. Tacticians should be careful, however, not to overwhelm themselves with outlets for AP and Standard Actions in battle given their often high use of Orders and reliance on Active Pokémon Support Classes. It can be a good idea to pick up a Class more focused on Passive Pokémon Support after nabbing your core Classes, which is why the Stat and Type Aces were recommended.
Key Skills: Guile, Intuition, Command
How to Build: Start with Commander or Mentor The Commander is the quintessential class for a Tactician character. They focus on using Orders to enhance particular strategies such as using high critical hit rate Moves or making inaccurate attacks more reliable. They’re also able to make the most of hazards, buffs, and other indirect and support Moves. Mentor of course is a great fit for this archetype as well with their ability to teach Pokémon Moves earlier than normal and allow them to retain more Moves. Even without Mastermind, all of the Orders in the General FEATURES are good choices for a Tactician and represent their ability to quickly give their Pokémon tactical advice on the fly. You may also want to focus on Ace Trainer early on for the boosts to EXP and the benefits of Trained Stats. Later on, Ace’s Signature Technique Feature can give Tacticians a crucial edge in battle and a unique battling style. Other good choices include the CLASSES that specialize in a certain subset of Pokémon, such as the Type and Stat Aces and the Style Expert. Juggler also makes an interesting Tactician option due to the all of the strategies made available with the ability to quickly cycle through a team of Pokémon. Tacticians who want to shy away from direct assaults and instead outwit their opponents with tricky Status-Class Moves may pick up the Trickster Class. Tacticians should be careful, however, not to overwhelm themselves with outlets for AP and Standard Actions in battle given their often high use of Orders and reliance on Active Pokémon Support Classes. It can be a good idea to pick up a Class more focused on Passive Pokémon Support after nabbing your core Classes, which is why the Stat and Type Aces were recommended.