Whats the best way to earn points on showdown?

Question

im so close to getting top 500 in ubers but I lose more points when I lose then when I win.

Comments

Aye, that's how the alogrithm for laddering seems to work. Kinda unfair, and losing is harshly punished.

Anyway, keep at it, that's the best way. It's a bit like gambling, so be prepared to quit if you're on a losing streak; the gambler's fallacy will make you throw away weeks of hard work as you attempt to right a cosmic wrong. RNG will remain a fickle mistress, and you're going to have to accept that as part of the game.

As for other advice, if you're close breaking 500, you're already well versed with battling, but in any case, have an alt you can use to test teams for any weaknesses before you use the team in the laddering account. Look up youtubers to gain insight on some advanced tactics (wow that sounds real cheesy, my bad), but my point is eventually you'll start playing like a pro subconsciously if you see enough battles where the obvious way out isn't the right way, and you'll understand which Pokemon to sack when without hesitation (something I personally struggle with), and how to lead the battle like chess towards the endgame.

Then again, sumwun prolly has a better idea, he broke 500 in monotype using his flying team iirc so he may be more qualified than yours truly to dish out advice.

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I lose less than what I earn from winning, but barely. Maybe it is because you are higher up in ubers than I am. :P

It is all about learning and applying that knowledge. Not only learning the meta, but getting good at predictions, bettering your team, etc. You'll get there eventually, with hard work and effort. Keep trying and never give up.

That is the best advice I can provide for you. Earning more points is impossible when you don't work to earn them. :P

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Kirby, I want to battle ya!

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I got into the top 500 only because I was one of the first few people to start battling immediately after the ladder reset. I was also in AAA's top 500, but that was because only 500 people were playing that format.

Answer 1

Showdown uses the ELO rating system, which estimates the strength of a player based on his performance against other players. Players' ratings depend on their opponents ratings. The difference in rating between two players determine an expected outcome of their battle. A higher rated player is likely to win against a lower rated player. The amount of points you get after winning is then determined by the difference in rating between the two players.

Basically. You gain much from beating higher rated players than yourself and you don't lose much if they beat you. (Because the most likely outcome is that they beat you). But if you have a higher rating than your opponent the system determines you to be the most likely winner, which means that you gain little from winning and lose much by losing.

It is more complicated than this. If you would like to read more here are links to articles from the Smogon Forum and Wikipedia.

It is supposed to work like this and there is little you can do about it, although I have some advice on how you can avoid playing lower rated players. Showdown tries to match you with someone of equal rating, but when there are few players online you can get matched with someone better or worse. I would try to play during the time when Showdown is the most active, because you would get to play equally good players more often.

Other than that I would just try to not go on tilt after frustrating losses. Sometimes you get a bad beat when RNG does not go your way, but there is nothing you can do to prevent that from happening. After losing many games in a row I usually take a break from the game, because you play worse when you're angry.

After all the best way to get points is by consistently winning.

Anyway, good luck with reaching top 500.