Are there strategies in challenge cup 1v1?

Question

I played some CC1V1 and it seemed to me like all luck once I got past 1100 on the ladder. However, I often see people who break 1200. How do they do it?

Comments

There's the infamous FEAR aron set I remember. Just run top threats like mega blaziken, mega salamence, if they even still allow those. Anything near the top of the viability list. Its just mind games. The matchup decides the game 90% the time.

---

For CC1V1 I feel like it rests largely on mind games - trying to guess which Pokemon your opponent will use, and picking the one you feel like will counter it best, or going through your pokemon, noting useful moves, levels bla bla bla. Even if you don't know what moves your opponent's Pokemon will have, you can make horrible guesses, and you try to pick something that covers the likely 2 or 3 pokemon they're going to pick - I mean if they have a magikarp it's probably not going to be chosen right?
It is mainly luck, and people at a higher rating are probably experiencing a degree of luck - but in terms of strategy, I feel like it's just really overthinking and trying to outmaneuver the opponent

---

Unknown, this is a randomized meta. I don't get to choose any Pokemon.

Answer 1

I decided to try answering this to get it out of the unanswered section so...

They use witchcraft! JK

Okay, now being serious, it's all based on luck and deduction as Sempiternus said:

For CC1V1 I feel like it rests largely on mind games - trying to guess which Pokemon your opponent will use, and picking the one you feel like will counter it best, or going through your Pokemon, noting useful moves, levels bla bla bla. Even if you don't know what moves your opponent's Pokemon will have, you can make horrible guesses, and you try to pick something that covers the likely 2 or 3 Pokemon they're going to pick - I mean if they have a magikarp it's probably not going to be chosen right?
It is mainly luck, and people at a higher rating are probably experiencing a degree of luck - but in terms of strategy, I feel like it's just really overthinking and trying to outmaneuver the opponent
commented Nov 18, 2016 by Sempiternus

Another piece of advice is to look at your opponents' more powerful Pokemon, say a Pokemon in ubers. There's a good chance they will choose that, so pick a Pokemon that could counter it. Another idea is to be unpredictable. Use a Pokemon your opponent won't predict.

Other than this, it's just pure luck. To be honest, it's just a complicated version of Snakes and Ladders or Rock, Paper, Scissors with a bit more strategy. Also, it wasn't that hard for me to get to 1100 in the ladder.

Comments

I thought all Pokemon was rock paper scissors and snakes and ladders. By the way, Pokemon with higher stats have lower levels, so it doesn't make a difference if the species is Uber or something like that.

---

Being in ubers is just a factor, I didn't necessarily mean you should base it of that alone. Also it's more like rock paper scissors and snakes and ladders because its more based on luck than all the other metagames, since in other metagames you can prepare and think of strategies with the teambuilder knowing the predictability of other players, but in CC1V1, you have absolutely no clue what about what pokemon you and your opponent will use.

---

Good enough.