Setting the "pace" in battle, what does this really mean?

[IggyBot]

Player's often talk about setting a fast or slow "pace" in the game, or controlling the "speed" of the match. What does this really mean? And is it truely important?

From my experience, the "pace" of the match is just a measure of how intense the match is. This is what I think of when I think of a "fast or "slow" paced match.

Fast- The match is very intense, leaving little to no room for any error at all. Fast matches generally involve high offense (this includes getting Spikes/Toxic Spikes/Stealth Rock set up, not just attacking offense. That's right, Stall teams are offensive). Any error is immediatly a huge advantage to your opponent, and potentially game changing/ending.

Slow- The match is more laid back. One, or both players are leaving lots of different options open each turn, and mistakes aren't as brutally game changing as in a faster paced match.

• So, if you agree with my definitions, is controlling the pace of a match really that important? Why?
• Do certain types of teams set a faster or slower pace just by the nature of the team?
• If the above is true, is it really possible for the team to set the pace, or is it up to the players?
• What advantages/disadvantages does setting a certain pace for the battle hold?
• Do you attempt to control/change the pace of the match?

I'm actually really interested in the responses for these questions. I'm going to hold off and post my opinion later, as I want to actaully some discussion here.

For exmaples of what I'm looking for, check out Slathakis's post.

 

[animenagai]

i disagree that intense matches are more fast paced. a slow paced match between 2 stall teams could be intense as well. mistakes are still costly because a bad decision could mean killing your spinner when they ahve multiple spikes down etc. if a match is slow, the stall/balanced team has the advantage. if it's a fast game, either you're playing against a real noob or the offensive team has the edge. that's all the pace of the game means to me.

 

[IggyBot]

i disagree that intense matches are more fast paced. a slow paced match between 2 stall teams could be intense as well. mistakes are still costly because a bad decision could mean killing your spinner when they ahve multiple spikes down etc. if a match is slow, the stall/balanced team has the advantage. if it's a fast game, either you're playing against a real noob or the offensive team has the edge. that's all the pace of the game means to me.

If you read my description, I completely agree with you. Stall teams are just as offensive as well, offensive teams. The type of offensive however, is indirect damage. I've played some stall teams that have some incredibly fast and intense matches, simply because getting that last vital layer of spikes means the difference in winning or losing the match.

 

[Stathakis]

So, if you agree with my definitions, is controlling the pace of a match really that important? Why?

Controlling the pace of a match is important all the time. It's much easier to be making the threats than to be dealing with them. It's like in chess, when one player has the "initiative," meaning he controls the pace of the match and is making the threats, the other player has to deal with him, and there's much more pressure in dealing with a threat than in making one.

Do certain types of teams set a faster or slower pace just by the nature of the team?

I think so. In heavy offensive teams (the kind I play), the pressure seems to be on from the beginning, as super-offensive teams seem to make that "you get swept right now if you don't respond" message. In the meantime, stall teams deliver the "you're going to get choked slowly if you don't respond" message, increasing the pace of the match as well. So I guess I think that both types of teams increase the pace, and the pace is always going to be pretty fast in a match.


If the above is true, is it really possible for the team to set the pace, or is it up to the players?

I really think that it's the team that sets the pace, and whoever has the better start (i.e. their lead has an advantage over the other lead) usually sets the pace of the match. Skill level doesn't really have too much to do with it other than the skill required to make a lead that usually comes out on top.

What advantages/disadvantages does setting a certain pace for the battle hold?

As I said earlier, setting the pace of the match puts immense pressure on the opponent, because it's much harder to respond to a threat than make one. Also, if you set the pace, you often get free turns in the mix of things, and we all know how devastating free turns can be, on both types of teams.

Do you attempt to control/change the pace of the match?

I do attempt to control the pace of the match. I find the best leads for this are lumzong and taunt/sr aerodactyl or azelf (azelf gets explosion, which is cool, as it can essentially start the match over, except you have rocks down). I find that most battles I lose are due to bad luck or stupid playing early on in the battle. Mid-late game I do either well or horribly, depending on whether I have or don't have control of the pace.

 

[Pulse]

I believe the pace of the game (the momentum) and the information you have on the opponents team are directly linked. To me, playing fast is giving yourself an excellent advantage over the course of at most two or three moves, but this often requires making a few risky moves. When I need information on my opponents team, I slow down the pace. I'll use my current team as an example. I start the game by simply scouting out what my opponent has. To do this, I use my defensive core to cause switches and scout out my opponent. Since I'm setting up a sweep for a specific Pokémon, it is important I know what my opponent has. Once I get a feel for the team they have, I can start to speed up the pace. Magnezone comes in on Steels that I lure out and quickly kills them. Now I have the opponent on their heels and the game is speeding up. Often they'll bring in something to Earthquake me, so I can go to Azelf. Obviously this is a specific example, but a good one nonetheless. With Azelf comes the risk factor in speeding up the pace of a game. U-turning on predicted switches allows me to switch accordingly and swiftly put my opponent at a disadvantage.

As for looking at it in a broader scale, the momentum is extremely important. Just like in any sporting event, momentum is huge. Sure if you make just one slip-up, you can get yourself out of the hole, but this is where we can look at styles of play. On an offensive team, your goal is to make the game so fast in your favor that your opponent cannot catch you. As an example, we can look at IPL's team. I feel like I can talk about it as it has a similar concept to mine. For his team, he can afford to lose a Pokémon or two, as long as he is able to beat the opponent down. Just like with Azelf, U-turn on Zapdos gives him the advantage to quickly and swiftly set up his sweepers for a dominant game. On the opposite side of the spectrum, we have stall teams. Stall teams are designed so that the tempo of the game is relatively low, but at the same time you are in control. I think momentum is just as important, but I'm not sure "pace" is the best way to describe it. In both offensive teams or stall teams (or any team for this matter) the objective is to eventually come out with at least one Pokémon left. Just because you are stalling doesn't mean you are letting up. Momentum is in your favor and you are still aiming for having Pokémon left at the end. However, just like in an offensive team, stall teams can lose that momentum.

To sum up my thoughts, I don't really feel that pace is very important in a battle; however, momentum is key. It doesn't matter if you win in 30 turns or 120, you just need to keep yourself at an advantage so that you come out on top in the end. However, I do completely agree with you that with pace comes risk, but on a Stall team (like Obi addresses in his thread) risk is still present and good prediction is still key. It's hard to say that one style has it better off than the other, as in my opinion every team member should have just as an important role as the next, and every move should determine the outcome. If not, you're not utilizing your team nor your prediction to the fullest.

[highlight]tl;dr[/highlight]: Pace is only important if you let it control your own momentum and even if the pace is slow it can be fine as long as the advantage scale tilts in your favor.

 

[Thunderpup]

In every competitive game, pace is important.

In MTG and Yugioh, pace means everything. In many RTS games, pace is everything.

In pokemon, I find that the pace plays less of a role than in other games, but it still plays an important part of any battle. The player who has built up the most and is putting the most pressure on the opponent has the pace.

If you've ever thought "oh shit, things are looking bad" then chances are, the other player controls the field, and you're struggling to regain footing. This forces you to make some drastic decisions in order to regain control of the battle.