You’re staring at a shop full of Rattatas and Pidgeys, wondering why on earth you’re losing to a guy who somehow has a three-star Blastoise by round ten. It’s frustrating. Pokemon Auto Chess—most commonly encountered as the fan-made Pokemon Auto Chess (PAC) mod or various iterations in the fan-game community—is a chaotic blend of nostalgic monster collecting and the ruthless strategy of games like Dota Underlords or Teamfight Tactics. If you think you can just win by picking your favorites from the anime, you’re going to get smoked.
Learning how to play pokemon auto chess requires unlearning a lot of standard Pokemon logic. Type advantages still matter, sure, but economy management and "synergy" tags are the real kings here.
The Basic Loop: More Than Just Clicking
Basically, the game runs on a cycle. You get some gold, you buy units from a randomized shop, you stick them on a grid, and they fight automatically. You don't control the moves. If your Pikachu decides to use Thunderbolt on a Ground-type, that’s just life.
The strategy starts in the shop. You’re looking for three of the same unit to "star them up." A two-star Bulbasaur is infinitely better than two one-star Bulbasaurs taking up space on your bench. Honestly, the biggest mistake beginners make is holding onto too many different types of Pokemon at once. Your bench space is tiny. If you’re hunting for five different evolutions simultaneously, your economy will tank, and you’ll never hit those power spikes.
Gold is your lifeline. You get it every round, but you also get interest. Usually, for every 10 gold you sit on, you get an extra 1 gold per turn (up to a cap, often at 50 gold). This means if you spend every penny trying to find a Charizard early, you’re sabotaging your late game. Save up. Be boring. Win later.
Understanding Synergies (The Real Secret)
In how to play pokemon auto chess successfully, you have to look past the individual stats. Every Pokemon has tags—usually their Type (Water, Fire, Ghost) and sometimes a Rarity or Generation tag. When you place multiple different Pokemon of the same type on the board, you trigger a synergy bonus.
- Electric Types: Often grant a chance to paralyze enemies, skipping their attacks.
- Grass Types: Usually focus on health regeneration or "leeching" life.
- Psychic Types: Might reduce the enemy's armor or magic resistance.
But here is the kicker: you can't just stack six Magikarps and expect a bonus. It has to be unique Pokemon. A Magikarp and a Gyarados count as two Water-types; two Magikarps just count as one for the sake of the synergy counter.
Think about the frontline. You need "tanks." Rock and Steel types are generally your best bet here. If you put a Gengar in the front row, he’s going to vanish in three seconds. Put an Onix or a Golem up there to soak up the hits while your glass cannons—like Alakazam or Jolteon—do the actual heavy lifting from the back. It sounds simple. It isn't.
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Positioning: It’s Not Just a Grid
Positioning is where the "chess" part of the name actually matters. Most PAC versions use a hex or square grid.
If you see your opponent is running Assassins (like Scyther or Haunter), they are going to jump straight to your backline the moment the round starts. If your Squirtle is just hanging out in the back left corner unprotected, he’s dead. You’ve got to "box" your carries. Surround your high-damage dealers with beefy defenders so the Assassins have to chew through 500 HP of Geodude before they can touch your Pikachu.
Also, pay attention to "AoE" (Area of Effect). If a Blastoise is about to use Hydro Pump, it hits a line or a cone. If all your Pokemon are huddled together like they’re trying to stay warm in a blizzard, one Hydro Pump will wipe your entire team. Spread them out.
The Economy Trap
Let’s talk about the "D" key—the reroll. It is a drug. You have 22 gold, you need one more Charmander to get a three-star, and you start clicking. Click. A Meowth. Click. A Caterpie. Before you know it, you have 2 gold, no Charmander, and your interest income is gone.
Serious players follow the "Leveling vs. Rolling" rule. In the early game, use your gold to level up. Higher levels give you two things: more Pokemon on the board and a better chance to see rare, high-tier Pokemon (like Legendaries) in the shop. A one-star Mewtwo is often better than a three-star Pidgey. Don't roll for low-tier garbage when you could be leveling up to find the game-changers.
Evolution and Items
Unlike the main games, evolution is automatic when you hit the three-unit requirement. Some mods include items like Choice Band or Leftovers. How to play pokemon auto chess effectively means knowing who gets the loot.
Don't spread your items thin. One "hyper-carry" with three items is almost always better than three units with one item each. Give your defensive items to your main tank and your damage items to the unit that actually survives long enough to use them. If you give a Life Orb to a unit that dies in the first five seconds, you’ve effectively deleted that item from the game.
Common Pitfalls to Avoid
Honestly, stop chasing Legendaries too early. The odds of seeing a Lugia or Rayquaza at level 5 are basically zero. You'll waste all your gold looking for them. Stick to solid "mid-range" compositions. A strong core of three Poison-types and three Bug-types can carry you much further than a disjointed mess of "cool" Rare Pokemon.
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Watch your opponents. If four other people are all trying to build "Fire" teams, the pool of Fire Pokemon is going to run dry. Most auto-battlers use a shared pool. If everyone wants Charizard, nobody is getting a three-star Charizard. Switch tracks. If everyone is fighting over Fire and Water, maybe that’s your cue to corner the market on Psychic or Fairy types.
Practical Next Steps for Your Next Match
To actually get better at how to play pokemon auto chess, stop playing on autopilot. For your next three games, try this specific discipline:
- The 50 Gold Rule: Do not spend a single gold on rerolling until you have hit 50 gold. Use your excess money (anything over 50) to buy XP and level up.
- Focus on Two Synergies: Don't try to get five different bonuses. Pick two strong ones—like Fighting and Flying—and commit.
- Scout the Enemy: Every two rounds, click on your opponents' boards. See where they are placing their strongest units. If they are all on the right side, shift your tanks to the right.
- Prioritize Two-Stars: A bunch of random two-star Pokemon is better than a "perfect" synergy of one-star Pokemon. Raw stats win early rounds.
- Identify Your Carry: Decide by round 15 which Pokemon is your "win condition." Is it a three-star Arcanine? Great. Give him every single attack item you find.
Winning isn't about luck; it's about managing the math. The RNG (random number generation) will screw you over sometimes, but over ten games, the player who manages their gold and understands positioning will always climb the ranks. Stop hunting for favorites and start building a machine.