At the Pokémon Scarlet and Violet Los Angeles Regionals this weekend, we saw multiple players intentionally attacking and knocking out their own Pokémon. Here’s why.
As Pokémon players, we’re taught to knock out all Pokémon on the opponent’s team while trying to keep our team healthy. However, at the highest level of play, there are certain situations where it’s actually beneficial to attack and knock out your own Pokémon—even if that sounds counterproductive. At the L.A. Regionals, that’s exactly what top players like Alex Underhill and Joseph Ugarte did on-stream during their matches.
