#{{also livestock. it’s plausible for a single trainer to have a TON of Pokemon on their own and just rotate the battle team. but costly}}

[tlblitzle]

Those are fair points! Secrecy is a frequently debated topic, because the statistics just aren’t clear as to whether it’s a consistent benefit to win percentages or cost effective as someone whose income AND expenses are largely dictated by professional battling. There’s simply not enough data. Training up new Pokemon is resource intensive, and you ideally want that training to have dividends once they’re tourney-ready. I’m not professional on that level, I do small-scale competition, so it’s definitely out of my pay grade. It’s a risk the majority of pro battlers can’t afford to take. So a lot of folks at the lower pro levels only have a roster of maybe 8 Pokemon to pull from, because they’re working solo and 6 is already a lot of work. And some of us do keep it quiet, because we want that extra edge. But it doesn’t last in local scenes, not with the closer-knit community and more limited resources. I’m not saying it’s an invalid way to operate, just that I personally fall on the side of the debate where it’s not worthwhile. Not for me, at least.

Genuine question: why do competitive trainers here post their team in pinned? Isn't that like giving away your strategy training in chess? Or are you just lying in said pinned?