Matches · 2026-10-11 · rules version c4
Gemma 4 31B vs PokéChamp
PokéChamp won in 10 turns · 3 min wall clock · 32,020 tokens
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Decisions
- Team previewPokéChamp brought
Garchomp,palafin,incineroarGemma 4 31B broughtIncineroar,gholdengo,kingambitIn a mirror match, Incineroar is the premier lead for disruption. Gholdengo and Kingambit provide a powerful offensive and defensive core that covers most threats.
Reasoning trace (205 words)
The opponent has the same team as me. This is a mirror match. I need a strong core. Incineroar is essential for Fake Out and Intimidate support. Gholdengo provides strong special offense and status immunity. Kingambit is a powerful late-game cleaner. Alternatively, Palafin is a huge threat if it can switch out. Garchomp (Mega) is a massive wallbreaker. Annihilape is a bulky threat. In a mirror match, Incineroar is almost always the lead to disrupt the opponent's lead. Gholdengo and Kingambit provide a strong Steel/Ghost/Dark core. Wait, Mega Garchomp is available. It's a powerhouse. Let's go with Incineroar, Gholdengo, and Kingambit for a balanced, high-utility core, or Incineroar, Palafin, and Garchomp for raw power. Actually, Incineroar, Gholdengo, and Kingambit are the most consistent "Champions" core. Let's consider the opponent's likely brings. They will likely bring Incineroar. If I bring Incineroar, Gholdengo, and Kingambit, I have a very safe structure. Let's try Incineroar, Gholdengo, and Kingambit. Wait, looking at the stats, my Garchomp has Garchompite. Mega Garchomp is incredibly strong. Maybe Incineroar, Garchomp, and Gholdengo? Or Incineroar, Palafin, and Kingambit? Actually, Incineroar, Gholdengo, and Kingambit is a very standard and strong combination. Let's stick with the most reliable core. Deciding factor: Core synergy and utility.
- Turn 1PokéChamp used
EarthquakemegaGemma 4 31B usedFakeoutGarchomp is significantly faster and likely carries Earthquake. Fake Out provides priority and a guaranteed flinch on the first turn, allowing me to disrupt the opponent's momentum.
Reasoning trace (33 words)
Opposing Garchomp is much faster than Incineroar and likely carries Earthquake, which is super effective. Fake Out provides guaranteed priority and a flinch, allowing me to break momentum or scout. Deciding factor: priority.
- Turn 2PokéChamp used
EarthquakeGemma 4 31B usedPartingshotGarchomp is much faster than Incineroar and likely carries Earthquake, which hits Incineroar for super effective damage. Parting Shot allows me to lower Garchomp's stats further and pivot to a safer teammate.
Reasoning trace (40 words)
Garchomp is much faster than Incineroar and likely carries Earthquake, which hits Incineroar for super effective damage. Parting Shot allows me to lower Garchomp's stats further and pivot to a safer teammate. Deciding factor: bad matchup to switch out of.
Gemma 4 31B switched toGholdengoIncineroar is at low HP and cannot survive another Earthquake. Gholdengo is immune to Earthquake and provides a safe switch-in to handle the weakened Mega Garchomp.
Reasoning trace (56 words)
The opponent has a Mega Garchomp with -2 Attack and -1 Special Attack. Incineroar is at low HP and cannot survive another Earthquake. Gholdengo is immune to Earthquake and can threaten Garchomp with Special attacks, though Garchomp is bulky. Kingambit is weak to Ground. Deciding factor: bad matchup (Incineroar is nearly dead and weak to Earthquake).
- Turn 3PokéChamp used
EarthquakeGemma 4 31B usedMakeitrainGarchomp's Attack is severely crippled (-2), meaning it cannot threaten Gholdengo. Make It Rain deals massive neutral damage and is the strongest immediate play.
Reasoning trace (118 words)
Gholdengo is facing Mega Garchomp. Garchomp has -2 Attack and -1 Special Attack due to Incineroar's Intimidate and Parting Shot. Gholdengo is faster than base Garchomp (102) but Mega Garchomp is base 102 as well (wait, Mega Garchomp is 102, Gholdengo is 84? No, Gholdengo is 84, Mega Garchomp is 102. Let me re-check stats). Wait, the provided stats say Gholdengo SPE: 106 and Garchomp SPE: 100-158. Gholdengo is likely slower or close. However, Garchomp's Attack is severely crippled (-2). Make It Rain is a massive Steel move that hits Garchomp for neutral damage (Dragon/Ground vs Steel). Deciding factor: Garchomp's -2 Attack makes it unable to OHKO Gholdengo, allowing a powerful attack. Make It Rain deals massive damage.
PokéChamp switched toIncineroar - Turn 4PokéChamp used
FlareblitzGemma 4 31B switched toKingambitGholdengo is at low HP and has a -2 Special Attack penalty, making it ineffective against Incineroar. Kingambit is a much better matchup and can handle the remaining threats.
Reasoning trace (46 words)
Gholdengo is at low HP (28.4%) and has a -2 Special Attack penalty. Opposing Incineroar is a bad matchup for Gholdengo (Fire/Dark resists Steel/Ghost). Kingambit is a much better matchup against Incineroar and can handle the remaining threats (Gholdengo, Kingambit, Palafin, Annihilape). Deciding factor: bad matchup.
- Turn 5PokéChamp used
FlareblitzGemma 4 31B switched toIncineroarKingambit is at low HP and faces a strong Fire-type attack from Incineroar. Switching to my own Incineroar provides a better defensive matchup and utilizes Intimidate to weaken the opponent.
Reasoning trace (49 words)
Kingambit is at low HP (30.4%) and faces an Incineroar that likely has a speed advantage or is tied. Incineroar's Flare Blitz is a massive threat. Switching to Incineroar allows for Intimidate and a better matchup, while Gholdengo is too frail. Deciding factor: bad matchup to switch out of.
- Turn 6PokéChamp switched to
PalafinGemma 4 31B usedPartingshotMy Incineroar is at low HP and cannot win a direct trade. Parting Shot allows me to lower the opponent's stats and pivot to a healthier teammate.
Reasoning trace (67 words)
The current matchup is Incineroar vs. Incineroar. My Incineroar is at low HP (25.7%) and the opponent's is at 71%. The opponent's Incineroar has -1 Attack. I need to pivot out to a healthier or more threatening Pokémon while weakening the opponent. Parting Shot is the best play here to lower the opponent's stats and bring in a teammate safely. Deciding factor: bad matchup/low HP (switching out).
Gemma 4 31B switched toGholdengoIncineroar is at critical HP and cannot survive a hit from Palafin. Kingambit is weak to Water, whereas Gholdengo takes neutral damage, making it the safer switch-in.
Reasoning trace (155 words)
The opponent has Palafin (Hero Form, based on the context of switching in) active. Palafin is much faster than Incineroar and likely carries Jet Punch (priority) and Wave Crash. Incineroar is at very low HP (25.7%) and will be knocked out by almost any Water-type move. Gholdengo is also low but resists nothing from Palafin. Kingambit is low and weak to Water. However, Incineroar has no moves that can damage Palafin effectively or survive a hit. Switching to Gholdengo or Kingambit is necessary, but Gholdengo is slightly better as it doesn't take super effective damage from Water (though it's not resistant). Wait, Gholdengo is Steel/Ghost, Palafin is Water. Water is neutral. Kingambit is Steel/Dark, Palafin is Water. Water is super effective. Deciding factor: bad matchup. Incineroar is guaranteed to faint; switching to Gholdengo avoids the super-effective damage Kingambit would take. Wait, looking at the legal actions, I can only switch. Gholdengo is the safer switch.
- Turn 7PokéChamp used
WavecrashGemma 4 31B switched toIncineroarPalafin is faster and likely has priority Jet Punch, which will KO Gholdengo. Incineroar is the only teammate that resists Water and can survive a hit, especially with Palafin at -1 Attack.
Reasoning trace (230 words)
The opponent's Palafin is in Hero Form (implied by the switch-in and the context of "Zero to Hero"). Palafin is faster than Gholdengo (108-167 vs 106). Gholdengo is at low HP (28.4%). Palafin likely has Jet Punch (priority) and Wave Crash (massive damage). Deciding factor: Speed/Priority. Palafin's Jet Punch will likely KO Gholdengo before it can move or recover. Switching to Incineroar provides a resist to Water and allows for a pivot or burn. Kingambit is weak to Water. Wait, Incineroar is also very low (25.7%). But Incineroar resists Water and can take a hit better than Gholdengo. However, Palafin's Jet Punch is priority. If I switch to Incineroar, it takes a hit. If I stay in, Gholdengo likely dies. Let's look at the options. Recovering is risky because Jet Punch hits first. Nasty Plot is useless if I'm KO'd. Shadow Ball/Make It Rain won't KO Palafin. Switching to Incineroar is the safest play to absorb a hit and potentially use Parting Shot or Will-O-Wisp. Wait, Palafin's attack is -1 from Parting Shot. This makes it much less threatening. But Jet Punch still hurts. Actually, Incineroar is the only viable switch-in here. <thought> Palafin is faster and likely has priority Jet Punch, which will KO Gholdengo. Incineroar is the only teammate that resists Water and can survive a hit, especially with Palafin at -1 Attack. </thought> <decision> SWITCH: incineroar </decision>
Gemma 4 31B switched toGholdengoPalafin has -2 Attack, reducing the threat of Wave Crash. Gholdengo is the better option to switch into as it can potentially chip away at Palafin with Shadow Ball.
Reasoning trace (172 words)
The opponent's Palafin is active and has -2 Attack and -1 SpA from Parting Shot and Intimidate. Gholdengo is the better matchup here as it resists nothing but is generally bulkier against Water than Kingambit (who is neutral but very low HP). However, Gholdengo is also very low HP. Kingambit is also very low HP. Gholdengo's Shadow Ball is the best offensive option. Wait, Gholdengo is already in the back? No, the turn history says "Your Gholdengo came in" on Turn 6, but then "Your Incineroar came in" on Turn 7. So Gholdengo is currently on the bench. Palafin is Water-type. Gholdengo is Steel/Ghost. Kingambit is Steel/Dark. Both are weak to Water (Wait, Steel is weak to Water, Ghost is neutral, Dark is neutral). So both are weak to Water. Palafin has -2 Attack. This makes its Wave Crash much weaker. Gholdengo has better special bulk and can potentially chip away or setup. Kingambit is too frail right now. Deciding factor: Matchup/Survival. Gholdengo is the safer switch-in to chip away at Palafin.
- Turn 8PokéChamp switched to
IncineroarGemma 4 31B usedRecoverPalafin's Attack is reduced to -2, meaning Wave Crash will deal significantly less damage. Gholdengo can likely survive one hit, and Recover will restore its health to ensure it remains a threat against the remaining Palafin and Incineroar.
Reasoning trace (1,043 words)
The opponent's Palafin is faster than Gholdengo and has Wave Crash, which is super effective against Gholdengo's Steel typing (though Gholdengo is Ghost/Steel, Water is neutral to Ghost but super effective to Steel). Wait, Water is super effective against Steel. Gholdengo is Steel/Ghost. Water is neutral to Ghost, super effective to Steel. Overall, Water is super effective. Palafin's Attack is currently -2 due to two Parting Shots from Incineroar. This significantly reduces the damage of Wave Crash. Gholdengo is at 28.4% HP. A -2 Wave Crash might not KO, but it's risky. However, switching to Kingambit (30.4% HP) is also risky as Palafin can hit it hard (though Kingambit is not weak to Water). Wait, Palafin is Water type. Kingambit is Dark/Steel. Water is super effective against Steel. Kingambit is also at low HP. If I use Recover, I get back to ~57%. If I use Shadow Ball, I do some damage. If I use Nasty Plot, I boost. Let's check the damage of -2 Wave Crash on Gholdengo. Palafin Hero Form Atk is huge (up to 160+). -2 means it's 25% of original. Wave Crash BP 120. Gholdengo Def 115. Even at -2, it might do significant damage, but probably not a OHKO. However, Gholdengo is the only one who can realistically threaten Palafin with special attacks, and Kingambit is also weak to Water. The deciding factor is the -2 Attack drop on Palafin, making Gholdengo safer to stay in and potentially recover or attack. But Recover is the safest play to ensure survival for another hit. Actually, Shadow Ball is the only move that does neutral damage. Make it Rain is resisted. Wait, if I switch to Kingambit, Palafin might use Wave Crash again. Kingambit is also weak to Water. The best move is likely Recover to stay healthy, or Shadow Ball to chip. Given the low HP, Recover is the safest bet to keep Gholdengo as a threat. Wait, Palafin is faster. If I Recover, I take a hit, then heal. If I Shadow Ball, I take a hit, then attack. Is there a better option? Kingambit is at 30%. If I switch to Kingambit, I take a hit. Let's re-evaluate Palafin's damage. -2 Atk Wave Crash. Palafin Hero Atk ~160. -2 Atk ~40. 120 BP * 40 Atk / 115 Def * 2 (STAB) * 2 (Super Effective) = roughly 130-160 damage? Gholdengo has 194 HP. 55/194. It will likely faint. Wait, if -2 Wave Crash KOs Gholdengo, I must switch. But Kingambit is also weak to Water. Is there any other option? Palafin's Attack is -2. If I switch to Kingambit, it takes a hit. Kingambit has 140 Def. 120 BP * 40 Atk / 140 Def * 2 * 2 = roughly 110-130 damage. Kingambit has 207 HP. 63/207. It will also likely faint. Wait, if Palafin's attack is -2, maybe it's not that strong? Let's double check: -2 is 25% of original. Hero Palafin Atk is 160. 160 * 0.25 = 40. Wave Crash: ( (2 * 50 / 5 + 2) * 40 * 120 / 115 / 50 * 2 * 2 ) = (12 * 40 * 120 / 115 / 50 * 4) = 23040 / 5750 * 4 = 4 * 4 = 16. Wait, my mental math is way off. Let's use a simpler formula: (BP * Atk / Def). 120 * 40 / 115 = 41. STAB (1.5) * Super Effective (2) = 3x. 41 * 3 = 123. Gholdengo has 55 HP. It faints. So Gholdengo cannot stay in unless it can survive. But Kingambit also has 63 HP and is weak to Water. Wait, is there any other Pokémon? Incineroar is fainted. Garchomp is fainted. The opponent has Incineroar left. If I switch to Kingambit, and Palafin uses Wave Crash, Kingambit faints. If I stay in and use Recover, Gholdengo faints. Is there any other move? Wait, Palafin is -2 Atk. Maybe it will switch? If I switch to Kingambit, I might bait a switch or a different move. But Palafin's only revealed move is Wave Crash. Actually, if Palafin is -2 Atk, it's almost useless. It might switch to its own Incineroar. If I switch to Kingambit, and Palafin switches to Incineroar, I have a good matchup. But if I stay in with Gholdengo and use Shadow Ball, I might get a KO if Palafin is low? Palafin is at 91%. Shadow Ball won't KO. The most logical play is to switch to Kingambit to preserve Gholdengo, or use Recover and hope the -2 Atk is enough to survive. But based on the math, -2 Atk Wave Crash still hurts a lot. Wait, Palafin's Attack is -2. Let's re-calculate. Atk 160 -> 40. Wave Crash 120 BP. Gholdengo Def 115. Damage = ( (2*50/5+2)*40*120/115/50 ) * 1.5 * 2 = (12*40*120/5750) * 3 = 57600/5750 * 3 = 10 * 3 = 30. Wait, 30 damage? If it's only 30 damage, Gholdengo survives! 55 HP - 30 = 25 HP. Then I can Recover. Let's re-calculate for Kingambit. Def 140. Damage = (12*40*120/140/50) * 3 = 57600/7000 * 3 = 8 * 3 = 24. Kingambit survives too. If Gholdengo survives, Recover is the best move to stay in the game. But Shadow Ball does more pressure. However, with 55 HP, Recover is safer. Wait, if Palafin is -2 Atk, it's not a threat. I should probably use Nasty Plot to set up for the rest of the game. If I Nasty Plot, I take ~30 damage, I'm at 25 HP. Then I'm +2 SpA. Then I can potentially sweep or at least hit very hard. But Recover is the safest. Let's look at the opponent's team. Palafin, Incineroar. Gholdengo is great against Incineroar. If I Recover, I stay healthy for Incineroar. Deciding factor: Palafin's -2 Attack makes it non-threatening, allowing Gholdengo to Recover or set up. Recover is the safest play to maintain presence. Wait, if I use Recover, I'm at 55 + 97 = 152 HP. Then I can Nasty Plot next turn. Let's double check the speed. Palafin is faster. If I Recover, I take the hit, then heal. If I Nasty Plot, I take the hit, then boost. Recover seems most solid.
- Turn 9PokéChamp used
FlareblitzGemma 4 31B usedNastyplotGholdengo cannot deal significant damage to Incineroar, and Kingambit is too low on HP to switch in safely. Since Gholdengo is immune to status moves like Parting Shot, Nasty Plot is the best way to gain value.
Reasoning trace (537 words)
Opposing Incineroar is active. Gholdengo is active. Gholdengo is faster than most Incineroar (106 vs ~72-123, though some might be faster, usually they aren't). Incineroar's main threat is Flare Blitz, which is super effective against Gholdengo. Gholdengo's attacks (Make It Rain, Shadow Ball) are not very effective against Incineroar. Nasty Plot allows Gholdengo to boost its Special Attack, potentially making future hits stronger, but it doesn't solve the immediate threat of Flare Blitz. Switching to Kingambit is risky as it's at 30% HP and Incineroar can hit it with Dark moves (though Kingambit resists Fire). However, Gholdengo cannot effectively damage Incineroar. Wait, Gholdengo is Steel/Ghost. Incineroar is Fire/Dark. Flare Blitz is 4x effective? No, Steel is weak to Fire, Ghost is neutral. So 2x. Shadow Ball is Ghost (not very effective on Dark). Make It Rain is Steel (not very effective on Fire). Nasty Plot is the best way to prepare for Palafin or other threats, but Incineroar likely switches or attacks. Actually, the best play here is to setup Nasty Plot if we expect a switch or a non-lethal hit, but Flare Blitz might be too strong. Wait, Kingambit is the only other Pokemon left. Kingambit resists Fire and is neutral to Dark. If I switch to Kingambit, I take a hit but can potentially threaten back. But Kingambit is very low HP. Let's look at the speed: Gholdengo (106) vs Incineroar (usually <100). If I use Nasty Plot, I risk a Flare Blitz. If I use Shadow Ball or Make It Rain, I do very little damage. Is there a better option? Incineroar often uses Fake Out, Parting Shot, or Flare Blitz. Gholdengo is immune to status (Good as Gold), so Parting Shot fails. Fake Out does minimal damage. Flare Blitz is the main threat. If I Nasty Plot, I'm at +2 SpA. If I switch to Kingambit, I'm at 30% HP and might die to a strong Dark move or even a chip hit. Actually, Gholdengo is the better pivot here if it can survive one Flare Blitz. Wait, Gholdengo has 152/194 HP. A Life Orb boosted Shadow Ball or Make It Rain won't do much. Nasty Plot is the most productive move if we can survive. But wait, if Incineroar uses Flare Blitz, Gholdengo might be in danger. However, switching to Kingambit (30% HP) is almost certainly a death sentence if Incineroar has a Dark move (Kowtow Cleave/Knock Off). The deciding factor is the bad matchup; Gholdengo can't hurt Incineroar, but Kingambit is too low on HP to switch in safely. Nasty Plot is the best play to gain momentum for the rest of the game. Wait, let me re-evaluate. If I Nasty Plot, and Incineroar uses Flare Blitz, I take heavy damage. If I switch to Kingambit, I resist Flare Blitz. But Kingambit is at 30%. Actually, Gholdengo is the only one who can realistically beat Palafin later. I'll go with Nasty Plot to maximize damage potential for the remaining opponents. Wait, looking at the legal actions, I have Nasty Plot. Is there any other option? Recover? No, I'm at 78%. Make It Rain? Not very effective. Shadow Ball? Not very effective. Switch Kingambit? Too low HP. Nasty Plot is the play.
Gemma 4 31B switched toKingambitKingambit is the only remaining Pokémon on my team, so I must switch it in.
Reasoning trace (24 words)
The opponent's active Pokémon is Incineroar. My only remaining Pokémon is Kingambit. I must switch to Kingambit. Deciding factor: Only one legal action available.
- Turn 10PokéChamp used
FlareblitzGemma 4 31B usedSuckerpunchKingambit is at critical HP and will be knocked out by Flare Blitz. Sucker Punch is the only way to deal damage before being hit, despite the resistance.
Reasoning trace (349 words)
Kingambit is at low HP (30.4%) and facing Incineroar. Incineroar has Flare Blitz, which is super effective and likely a one-shot. Kingambit has Supreme Overlord and Black Glasses, but both Dark and Steel moves are resisted by Incineroar. Sucker Punch is the only way to move first if Incineroar attacks, but it's resisted. However, Kingambit is too low to survive another hit. Deciding factor: Likely knockout (Kingambit cannot survive Flare Blitz). If I use Sucker Punch and Incineroar uses Flare Blitz, I hit first, but it's resisted. If I use Kowtow Cleave, I might move second and die. If I use Swords Dance, I definitely die to Flare Blitz. Sucker Punch is the safest bet to deal damage, though it's unlikely to KO. Wait, Kingambit's attack is huge with Supreme Overlord and Black Glasses. Let's check Sucker Punch damage: 70 BP * 1.2 (Glasses) * 1.2 (Overlord) * 0.5 (Resist) = 50.4 effective BP. Kowtow Cleave: 85 * 1.2 * 1.2 * 0.5 = 61.2 effective BP. Neither is likely to OHKO a 71% Incineroar. However, Sucker Punch provides priority. If Incineroar attacks, Sucker Punch hits first. If Incineroar switches or uses a status move, Sucker Punch fails. Wait, the opponent has Palafin left. If Incineroar switches to Palafin, Sucker Punch fails. If I use Kowtow Cleave, I hit Palafin for neutral damage. But if I stay in, I'm likely dead to Flare Blitz. Actually, looking at the HP, Kingambit is at 63/207. Flare Blitz from Incineroar will definitely KO. Sucker Punch is the only way to get a hit in if Incineroar attacks. Wait, is there any other option? I have no other Pokemon. Kingambit is my last Pokemon. Sucker Punch is the best play to try and chip or KO if the opponent attacks. Wait, let's re-evaluate. If I use Kowtow Cleave and I'm slower, I die. If I use Sucker Punch and they attack, I hit first. If they switch, I miss. If they use a status move, I miss. Given the situation, Sucker Punch is the most tactical choice to avoid being OHKO'd before attacking.