Pokemon Duel tips and tricks

With Super Mario Run not even available for Android yet - and the Nintendo Switch less than two months away - we were hardly expecting Nintendo to drop another mobile title on us so soon. 

But then along comes a new game - a Pokémon game, no less - and one that’s been made by The Pokémon Company itself.

And while it’s got a lot to live up to thanks to the incredible success of Pokémon Go, Pokémon Duel is completely different experience. So if you’re just jumping in, we’ve got ten tips to get you collecting and battling like a seasoned pro.

Since Pokémon Duel is all about collecting Pokémon and using them to battle the squads of other players, your account comes with a packet of data that’s saved to the cloud. So if you break or lose your phone, you won’t destroy all that hard work with your Poké pals.

If you do decide to move to a new device, simply download the app from Google Play or the App Store, then select ‘Data Transfer’ after the opening screen and you’ll start downloading all your profile data and progress. 

Be mindful, though - this is usually a lot of data so make sure you’re near a strong Wi-Fi signal before you begin.

Much like Pokémon Go - and pretty much any other mobile title worth its salt - Pokémon Duel has plenty of free content to keep you coming back multiple times a day. Said features include rewards in your Messages and tasks to complete in the form of Daily Missions.

To find your messages, simply tap the Menu button in the corner of the Leagues screen. Opening each new message will also net you some extra gems. When it comes to Daily Missions, remember that these don’t reward you coins automatically - you’ll need to open Daily Missions and tap on each active mission to collect your reward.

Attacks in Pokémon Duel are broken down into four different tiles, defined by how powerful they are and how much damage they inflict when activated. The types are defined by color and it’s wise to brush up on these before testing your mettle online.

If you land on a white tile, this denotes a standard attack that deals the least amount of damage. Next, there’s purple attacks which also come with special effects such as opponent debuffs. 

Then there’s gold, which are similar to white but are considered a higher priority than purple. Finally, there’s blue - land on one of these and you’ll even have defensive moves to play with. Think of it like a rock/paper/scissors system.

Like any competitive board game setup, earning a win in Pokémon Duel is all about taking control of the board and using your turns to successfully manoeuvre around the board. Since some Pokémon are stronger than others, you’ll want to have as many creatures in proximity to your opponent’s as possible.

If you manage to surround or corner one of your opponent's Pokémon, they’ll be automatically removed from board. However, this tactic can also be deployed against you so try to avoid letting one of your characters get wiped out in a solitary corner.

In a regular Pokémon game, having one of your Pokémon defeated in battle and knocked unconscious usually means it’s out of action until the battle is over. Not so in the world of Pokémon Duel.

Any Pokémon defeated on your team will be automatically moved to a virtual Pokémon Center for healing. 

Think of this like a sideline of sorts, where injured Pokémon go to recover before being redeployed. Only two Pokémon can inhabit the Pokémon Center at one time - if a third arrives, the first one that entered the Center is sent back into the fight (but they’ll have to wait one turn). 

Ever played an online CCG (collectible card game) or the like and found yourself sitting there for what seems like an age, your opponent seemingly doing nothing? It’s an age old problem and one that Pokémon Duel addresses by giving each player an individual timer.

Since each timer is tied to the player and their specific turn, that player can’t stall proceedings because things aren’t going their way (or because they’re just massively indecisive). 

If the clock runs out before committing to a turn, you’ll automatically lose. It might seem a bit harsh, but it speeds up the pace of the game. Just don’t get distracted during a match!

This being a tactical board game of sorts, blocking your opponent’s ability to send out new and revived Pokémon is tantamount to success. The spawn points, represented as swirly portals on the corner of the board, should be part of your attack plan just as much as the Pokémon themselves.

If you manage to block these spawn points with your own Pokémon, this will effectively force your opponent to forfeit the match as they can no longer re-deploy Pokémon into battle. It’s not an immediate means for success, but it will grant you a chess-like WaitWin for your troubles.

When you head into battle you’ll select which Pokémon figures you want to take with you, but you’ll also need to choose which plates you want to use as well. New to the concept of plates? No need to worry - they basically work just like items in a regular Pokémon game.

In other words, these are consumables that can really turn the tide of a game (if used correctly). These can include everything from Awakening (for when your Pokémon is sent into slumber) or the tactical X Attack. Keep in mind that many of these plates have a one turn or more shelf life, so use them wisely.

Much like Pokémon Go, Pokémon Duel is a free-to-play mobile title, but there are microtransactions to help speed up your experience should you not want to wait. 

However, rather than blowing real life cash on Pokémon and plates, why not steer clear of Shop Boosters and chase after Locked Boosters and Timed Boosters?

Locked Boosters require you to collect 10 key fragments - you earn one for a loss in a League match and three for a win. They are rationed to one per day and Room matches don’t count. Timed Boosters can be unlocked by winning matches and waiting a period of time. Or you could just spend gems and speed that clock up.

You don’t just unlock Pokémon figures/toys by opening Booster Packs, you can also earn them by working your way through Quest mode. Quest mode is broken down into stages, and at the end of each stage a roulette-esque wheel will spin and land on either red (coins) or blue (figures).

As of right now (meaning The Pokémon Company could well patch this out in a later update), you can replay this stage and effectively win the same or alternative prize without a diminishing value. So if you want to double up on Pokémon or fill your boots with Coins, start farming Quest mode for all its worth.

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