HomeGuide FAQ's:
Q: Do IV's matter?
A: All guides assume IV's do not matter at a baseline. If they do, they will be explicitly mentioned. For a majority of solo raids throughout the archive, they don't matter.
Q: Do levels matter?
A: Similarly, we will explicitly point out if levels decide whether a raid is soloable or not. Each battle party can either show levels or a range of levels. Of course generally higher levels are more helpful but they are not significant enough variables to determine something being un-soloable.
Q: If I don't have the battle party listed, how do I know I can solo it?
A: We will explicitly mention if a battle party is strict or not. Most of times battle parties are not strict; we just list the optimal option for accuracy's sake. In some guides and retroactively through community editing, we'll try to include viable budget counters and context as to their overall DPS above the minimum.
Q: How do I know if my counters are good enough?
A: Best way is through the DPS Calculator. Its Main DPS mode tells you how much damage a pokemon is doing when absorbing fast moves only. Its Catch Tank mode tells you how much DPS is gained through CT rotations or, in that moment, if a regular attacker fully absorbs a charge move.
Solo Tier 5 raids have an overall minimum of 50 DPS after factoring rejoins. Here's a breakpoint of DPS to Rejoin. (Counted before rejoin time)
Tier 5 Legendary Raids:
- 0 Rejoin: 50.0 DPS
- 1 Rejoin: 51.19 DPS
- 2 Rejoins: 52.44 DPS
- 3 Rejoins: 53.76 DPS
- 4 Rejoins: 55.14 DPS
Tier 4 (Mega) Raids
- 0 Rejoin: 30.00 DPS
- 1 Rejoin: 30.71 DPS
- 2 Rejoins: 31.46 DPS
- 3 Rejoins: 32.25 DPS
- 4 Rejoins: 33.08 DPS
The math is as simple as subtracting rejoin time then doing total damage/remaining time. E.g 2 rejoin 15000/286 = 52.44 DPS
Q: Where can I learn about solo mechanics, how do I improve?
A: For quick review on mechanics visit our glossary here: Solo Raid Mechanics [Clips and short desciption], for an indepth tutorial video and voiceovers, check out this introduction playlist. Introduction to Solo raid Mechanics tutorial videos (SpiritedBloom)
We have a DPS Calculator for theorycraft & an archive to observe how other players defeated tough challenges. Solo raids are all about showing that player ingenuity and skill will always push above simulators. Practice makes perfect and enjoy the theorycraft!
Q: Pokegenie, Pokebattler and other simulators say this is not soloable, are they just inaccurate?
A: They aren't wrong but they are inaccurate. Simulators are bots playing in place of humans with no adaptation to strategy, preparation or theorycraft. They will always be several steps behind the meta. The single best question as to whether something is soloable or not is searching it up in the archive. 99.9% of the time, we'll have either the verified or theoretical approach to the boss.
Q: How do I know what moves are good?
A: A good starting point is DPS*DPE, something we already have labeled under Move-data as score*. DPS*DPE and EPS*DPS (fast moves) are roughly a ~90% fit for defining move value. In solo raids, a higher value is placed on heavy damaging charge moves due to immense energy gains through catch tanking.
For the full answer, this is complex and takes experience. Fundamentally, the move which does the most DPS in a viable rotation is the best. DPS*DPE has a good alignment here but sometimes it is not perfect. Instead, utilizing a rotation calculator (link to it on landing page or via pokechespin) will provide the precise answer through trial and error.
Q: How can I get involved?
A: Submit a guide or submit a vod from the landing page. Or feel free to reach out to me via discord, my username is: cookieblob.