My first time playing Pokémon competitively was a learning experience. I was in high school, had played the series most of my life, and solidified my team of six favorites in Diamond and Pearl : Raichu, Palkia, Latias, Beautifly, Torterra, and Houndoom. A friend of mine played competitively, and I don’t think that at the age of 15, I really understood what that meant. I knew the series’ type chart like the back of my hand, so I had memorized what moves would weaken my opponent’s monsters, but there were still several nuances I didn’t grasp. Optimizing stat spreads, understanding the split between physical and special moves, and I had no imagination for using attacks that did anything other than damage.…