Pokemon Unite, the highly anticipated Pokemon MOBA, was officially launched on July 21, for the Nintendo Switch. It’s a free-to-play game that can be downloaded on the Nintendo eShop, with the mobile version scheduled to be released on September 21.

Many fan favorites, such as Pikachu, Gengar, Snorlax, and Lucario, are captivating Pokemon fans and MOBA fans alike. As players start to learn more about the game and some start to aim for the top in ranked matches, here are the five fundamental tips that trainers must keep in mind while starting out their journey in Pokemon Unite.

Leveling is crucial

This game, unlike other MOBA titles such as DOTA and League of Legends, does not have items that you can purchase during the game. Therefore, players must always be looking to try and get as much EXP as they can to become stronger than their enemies.

Players always want to be farming wild Pokemon at all points of the game. You should always look to prioritize the wild Pokemon that spawns in the middle of the lanes, such as the Vespiquen/Combee camps right in the middle of each lane, the four Corphish camps outside the Zapdos pit, the Corphish camp in between the two bot lane bushes, and the Audino that spawns on the top side of the bot lane.

In terms of objective Pokemon such as Rotom and Drednaw, I personally think that Drednaw provides much more for the team. To make comparisons to League of Legends, Drednaw is like getting dragon stacks because both elements of the game gives buffs, while Rotom is like the Rift Herald, where players can escort it to the enemy scoring zones to make them defenseless. Drednaw makes your allies gain more EXP and a shield, and since gaining EXP is fundamental, you should always look to prioritize Drednaw.

Know your role; as a Defender/Supporter, it’s okay to be underleveled

While this may sound contradictory to the tip above, this tip will usually only apply to the Defender & Supporter Pokemon in the game. Crustle, Slowbro and Snorlax are the three Defender type Pokemon, and Mr. Mime, Wigglytuff, and Eldegoss are the three Supporter Pokemon that are currently in the game.

These Pokemon’s jobs are to either provide crowd control, provide healing, or zone out the enemy Pokemon. Their main job is to assist their ally Attacker/All-Rounder/Speedster Pokemon secure kills, while defending scoring zones, so naturally, there will be a level difference in comparison to the ‘carry’ pokemon. Don’t be alarmed. This is just a natural mechanic of the game.

Learning each Pokemon’s power spikes will help you get better both mechanically and strategically

There are Pokemon that are strong in the early game, while there are Pokemon that get stronger when they level up. For example, Gengar is a Speedster type Pokemon that hits his power spike at level 7 & 9, when he levels up to learn Hex & Sludge Bomb, and eventually his Unite move, Phantom Ambush. He generally wants to power farm in the jungle (central area) until he learns Hex & Sludge Bomb, where he’ll be able to get resets on Hex after landing Sludge Bomb on an enemy.

Garchomp is another Pokemon that hits his massive power spike at level 6 & 8, when he upgrades both of his moves [Dig & Earthquake, or Dragon Rush & Dragon Claw, depending on how you want to play Garchomp]. All Pokemon hit their huge power spike when they level up to unlock their respective Unite Moves, so learning each Pokemon’s power spikes is crucial to becoming better at the game.

Always try to score, even if you have one Pokeball in your inventory

By no means, I’m a Master rank player at the game; I’m currently only at Expert: Class 1. However, I’ve seen too many people hold max capacity pokeball in their inventory, and just wander around to pick fights with the enemy Pokemon.

There were a surprising number of games that were landslide victories/losses, but there were also those that were surprisingly very close. Even if you may have one Pokeball in your inventory, small leads do matter in this game.

Don’t hit Zapdos if your team’s ahead

Zapdos is the ‘double-edged sword’ element of this game; you can either make the biggest comeback or just lose from trying to get Zapdos. If I were to compare this game to League of Legends, Zapdos is the Baron Nashor of Pokemon Unite. While it unlocks all the opponents’ scoring zones from taking down Zapdos, it can also spell disaster when it gets stolen. If your team’s ahead, always try to prevent the enemy from taking Zapdos. There’s no need to coinflip.

Whether it's for casual play or to climb the ranked ladder, this game is still less than a week old. While all the tips listed are to elevate your gameplay experience, never forget the number one fundamental tip while playing Pokemon Unite [or any game for that matter]: GLHF!