How to play Pokemon Duel: What should we know about figures

Pokemon Duel is a virtual board game, a bit similar to classic chess. Instead of usual pieces, players use Pokemon here. Figures move on the board, trying to occupy the opponent’s Goal Point.

The using of Pokemon figures in a board game made its process very interesting, and a bit complicated – those figures not only have a shape and names of different Pokemon but also have their unique abilities and features. To know them well means to make a nice step toward success in the game. And in this Pokemon Duel tutorial we reveal a lot of significant information about Pokemon figures – how they differ from each other, how to take a lot of them into your team, how to make your Pokemon even more powerful…

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More about basics of Pokemon Duel you can read in the tutorial “Pokemon Duel – a digital board game with Pocket Monsters”.

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Move Points and Data Disks

There are two aspects of any figure, which make that Pokemon a nice one or… just a usual. They are:

• Move Points, or MP – a number of steps that a Pokemon can make on the game board;
• Data Disks – special circles with different sections, which determine the power of Pokemon in a battle.

The more MP has a Pokemon, the farther he can move in one turn, the faster he will reach the opponent’s Goal Point, and the more chances he has to achieve fast victory in a duel. But a problem with the fastest Pokemon is their weakness in battles – their Data Disks are not the best…

On Data Disks we have five kinds of sections. Players can begin a battle, when their Pokemon stay on adjoined points. Data Disks of these Pokemon spin, and a section with one action will be chosen. Comparison of the sections on two Data Disks determines the result of the battle. This aspect of the Pokemon Duel game should be understood properly! 

These five types of sections are:

1. White Attacks – when both opponents spin such sections, numbers on them are compared and a bigger one wins. A draw is possible. 
2. Gold Attack –  its number compares with number of White section as usual. An amazing power of Gold Sections reveals itself in comparison with Purple Sections – Gold always wins.
3. Purple Section – special abilities of Pokemon (we talk about them a bit later). Purple always wins White and activate an ability. There is no numbers in Purple Sections – all of them have stars. More stars mean more powerful Purple Sections, and if two Purple battle, wins one with more stars. Or it can be a draw.
4. Blue Sections – total protection of a Pokemon. Other sections can’t beat Blue. No harm will be made for both Pokemon in battle if one spins a Blue Section.
5. Red Section – miss. These parts of Pokemon Data Disks always lose to White, Gold, and Purple sections.

So, bigger numbers on White Sections, more stars on Purple Sections, big Blue Sections and smaller Red Sections – these factors make powerful Data Disks of a Pokemon. But a problem with the most powerful Pokemon is their small MP. And in some cases – special conditions. For example:

• Dialga and Palkia can enter board with their MP only after all the other Pokemon of the team;

• Zekrom and Reshiram should wait 9 turns and only then they can participate in a duel;

• Latios and Latias will be knocked out from a duel permanently if they will lose a battle.

Abilities of Purple Sections

This kind of attacks makes the game really unpredictable. Purple Sections have the power to bring you a victory. But they may become a reason of losing, even if it is your Pokemon who get them.

There are so many different abilities, that it will be a long and boring process to describe them all. Some Pokemon put different conditions of their battle opponent, others make them move away, or can jump over opponent… Gardevoir can change an opponent Pokemon with any other. Gothitelle can take a place of any opponent’s Pokemon, even on the Goal Point, but only if three Entry Points are blocked by figures…

 The best way to understand and to remember abilities of Purple Sections (as other sections as well) is reading their descriptions every time you get a new Pokemon. And of course – using figures in battles will give essential experience.

To understand and remember those abilities is quite an important step for Pokemon trainers in the Pokemon Duel game. For example, you will know that:

Braixen has big Purple Section with total protection from attacks. It has 3 stars and wins against most of other Purple Attacks. So this Pokemon is very good in defense. We can use her even on the Goal Point. But Braixen is almost useless in attack – she hardly can knock out other Pokemon.

Dragonite is a very powerful Pokemon. Her Purple Section has two stars – it allows her fly over an opponent and to land on 1-2 steps away. Then she should wait 1 turn. It is good for fast moving on the board. But if you put Dragonite on protection of the Goal Point, she may just fly away after winning a duel…

Special Conditions are quite common among Purple Sections. There are seven of them and all make an opponent temporary weaker, in one way or another. They are: 

• Burn – minus 10 point on all White Attacks and smallest of them turns to Red Section;
• Confusion – chosen sections of the Data Disk will be changed on the neighboring in clockwise direction;
• Sleep – a Pokemon cannot act;
• Poison – a victim’s White Attacks become weaker on 20 points;
• Noxious – minus 40 points on all White Attacks of a victim;
• Frozen – a Pokemon cannot act and during a battle always spins Red Sections;
• Paralysis – a smaller White Attack turns to Red Section.

Using these conditions, we can knock out even a powerful Pokemon – for example, first burn them, then beat them…

When our Pokemon get these conditions, we can heal them with appropriate special in-game cards. 

Also with sleep and frozen conditions, we can use dragging for heal – put any your Pokemon on an adjoined point and tap your injured figure as you do for beginning a battle. 

Special abilities of Pokemon figures

This is another one significant aspect in the Pokemon Duel game. Some figures are able to perform unique tricks, and knowing them may help to win a duel. Or at least, to avoid annoying mistakes…

For example, Gabite can jump over an opponent in response to an attack. This is useful when you try to reach the opponent’s Goal Point fast. And awful when instead of a battle you allow this Pokemon from the opponent’s team coming really close to your Goal Point.

Other interesting abilities are:

• Your Pokemon can pass over Torterra. So, if you put this creature on an Entry Point, your team will not be blocked.
• Opponents’ Pokemon can’t pass Vibrava on the game field and can’t begin a battle immediately after standing near that creature. So, Vibrava can negate the ability of Torterra totally.

• Shuppet can move through other Pokemon on the field. So, this Pokemon can reach the opponents Entry Points and even the Goal Point just in a few turns. It is hard to block him, and often players just forget about this Shuppet’s feature and open a way for him.
• Other Pokemon can’t pass over Kirlia. So this Pokemon can easily block Shuppet on the field...

Some Special Abilities should be activated manually. Three legendary birds from the First Generation of Pokemon can put different conditions on their opponents (Articuno – frozen, Moltress – burn, Zapdos – paralysis). But to do so, players have to press a special button on the lower side of the screen, and then choose a victim. In the same way, Dragonair can heal herself from any condition – this is very useful after activating her Purple Attack, which paralyzes not only an opponent but Dragonair as well…

As with Purple Sections, we can understand and remember Special Abilities only by practice. Read descriptions of your new Pokemon in the “Menu->Figures” section! Read descriptions of different interesting Pokemon in the “Menu->Library section”.

Of course, after losing because of Shuppet, which jumped over your Pokemon and occupied your Goal Point, you will remember his ability. And after discovering that Vibrava can block the ability of Torterra, you will know what to do with this creature… Experience is a key factor in playing Pokemon Duel!

How to evolve Pokemon in the Pokemon Duel game?

As in the mega-popular Pokemon Go and in original games of Pokemon series, Pocket Monsters can evolve in Pokemon Duel. But this process is different here.

A Pokemon figure evolves in a duel after winning a battle – when an opponent is knocked out in one way or another. To make such evolution possible, we should get a figure of that evolution form and put it into our deck, as shown in the picture below.

Evolution gives +10 points to White Attacks and 1 star to Purple Attacks. Some Pokemon get +1 to MP (Charizard).

How to level up Pokemon in the Pokemon Duel game?

In the Fusion section, we can merge a figure with blue Rare Metal and other figures. This increases an amount of experience points and leads this Pokemon to the next level (up to 5). Every leveling-up allows expanding nice sections of Data Disks and making Red Sections smaller.

Then players can use special game item Carmonite and unlock leveling up of a Pokémon to 10th level. This feature was added after the Major Update in August 2017.

There is a special feature in Pokemon Duel – Chain Level of Pokemon. It can be increased by fusion with green Cubes or with identical Pokemon. After leveling up the Chain Level we can add 1 point to any white attack.

Read more about special bonus items in our Pokemon Duel tutorial “Cubes, Ingots, and Rare Metal in Pokemon Duel”.

How to get nice Pokemon in Pokemon Duel

At the start of the game, we have a few quite simple figures. To succeed in duels, we should collect much stronger creature. To do so:

• Win league matches and get Time Boosters. They can be opened after some time and you will get figures and items from them. The more time is needed for opening these Boosters, the better figures will be there.
• Play league matches and collect keys for Locked Boosters. They will be opened after collecting ten keys. These Boosters can be of different types – the same as Time Boosters.
• Buy Boosters in the shop. You will need gems for this – they can be bought for real money or collected from different activities in the game (read about gems in our tutorial “How to get and how to spend gems in Pokemon Duel” – it is in developing at the moment). Also, Boosters from the shop can be gotten through Booster Tickets – special in-game items. To get Booster Tickets and free gems, login in Pokemon Duel daily, perform Daily Missions, and win duels in Gym Cups.
• Play quest matches in the story mode. Often Pokemon figures become a reward there.

Rarity of Pokemon figures

All the figures in the Pokemon Duel game are divided into four types of rarity:

1. UX - the most powerful, unique Pokemon of Mega Evolition form;
2. EX – very powerful and Extremely Rare Pokemon;
3. R – quite strong and Rare Pokemon;
4. UC – just normal and UnCommon Pokemon;
5. C – rather weak and Common Pokemon.

So, EX figures are the best! But it is not easy to get them. Especially because of randomness of Pokemon’s appearance from Boosters – even if buy Boosters in the shop for real money, we can’t predict what it will give us.

To get nice Pokemon from Time Boosters, we should enter higher Leagues – Master, Ultra, Great… in low Leagues only simple Pokemon are available. Read more about Leagues in the tutorial “How to play Pokemon Duel: All the game modes”.

How to get a particular Pokemon in the Pokemon Duel game

If you have chosen a nice Pokemon and want to get this figure, you can do this in the shop. But not for gems directly! After purchasing usual Boosters, you will get special Material. And it can be changed for any Pokemon in the special section of the shop.

Many really nice figures cost 4000 pieces of materials. It is quite a lot, so many gems should be spent to buy only one Pokemon for Material from Boosters. 

One more thing should be understood about Pokemon figures – everything can be changed! Now we have a lot of figures in the game, and more will be added. Features of different Pokemon have been changed already and this can happen again. Some Pokemon become available in Boosters for a period of time while others disappear for a while…

And your own team can change regularly! After getting a new Pokemon, consider adding him into your deck. And this can change even your game strategy…

More about strategy in Pokemon Duel we talk in the tutorial “How to play Pokemon Duel. Let’s win a duel!”.

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