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Appendix:F.E.A.R.

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F.E.A.R. is a widely-known strategy used in competitive battling, often used as a last resort. A Pokémon with the ability to have the moveset below is called a F.E.A.R. Pokémon. This Pokémon is capable of defeating a full-HP opponent at virtually any level (most notably L.100) while itself is only at Lv.1 or 2. The most common Pokémon used for this strategy is a Rattata. F.E.A.R. Stands for:

How to use F.E.A.R.

After one of your Pokémon the player's Pokémon faints, the Lv.2 F.E.A.R. Pokémon can be sent out against a (preferably) full-HP oppenent at Lv.100 (though other situations will work, albeit possibly not as well). During your first turn, have your F.E.A.R. Pokémon use Endeavor, and your opponent will most likely use an offensive attack to try to OHKO your F.E.A.R. (assuming, of course, that your oppenent isn't aware of this strategy; few are in competitve battling). Your Pokémon would indeed faint, if it were not holding the Focus Fash, which allows the user to hold on to 1 HP after a hit which would otherwise knock it out from max-HP. When your Pokémon uses Endeavor, the opponent will sustain the difference between their HP and yours (which is at this point 1), leaving them with about 1 HP. Have your F.E.A.R. Pokémon use Quick Attack the next turn to wipe out the rest of your opponents HP. Obviously, this strategy works only once per battle, seeing as Focus Sash will not work twice.

Countering F.E.A.R.

While an impressive strategy, F.E.A.R. is very widespread, making it next to useless, as many teams are able to counter it and players are aware of how it works and how to stop it from working. The following are four ways to counter the F.E.A.R. strategy:

  • Knowledge: The simplest strategy and perhaps the most effective. If your oppenent knows the F.E.A.R. strategy, they won't attack as needed for it to work (a damaging move), or they will switch out for a Pokémon immune to it or easily able to counter it. Besides the other three counters listed here, a player could switch out after the opponent's F.E.A.R. uses Endeavor, leaving it with 1 HP and another Pokémon to sweep the F.E.A.R.
  • Ghost-types: As Ghost-types are immune to Normal- and Fighting-type attacks, Endeavor and Quick Attack are useless against them.
  • A Pokémon with Quick Attack, Extremespeed, Sucker Punch, Ice Shard, or other automatic, first-hit effects: If your opponent attacks you before you can use Quick Attack, your Pokémon will not endure the hit, leaving your opponent with little HP, but leaving you with one Pokémon down.
  • F.E.A.R.: Ironically, a way to combat a F.E.A.R. Pokémon is having it face another F.E.A.R. Pokémon (or some other low-level Pokémon). Having roughly the same HP, both F.E.A.R.s would do little damage towards each other. It isn't, however, practical or useful to carry a F.E.A.R. Pokémon just for the sake of combating another F.E.A.R., as both Pokémon are about evenly-matched.

F.E.A.R.-capable Pokémon

The F.E.A.R. strategy can be used with the following Pokémon:

The following Pokémon have attacks necessary for the F.E.A.R. strategy, yet have no way of obtaining them at Lv.1.

Marriland vs. Untouchable

Marriland, the owner of the self-named Pokémon website made famous this strategy in a battle against a player (called "Untouchable") with a team of L.100 Pokémon, several of which were Legendary. The battle can be seen here.

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