About BadgeCoach
BadgeCoach (badgecoach.com) is an independent analysis site for Pokémon Champions and VGC competitive play. We turn scattered battle data into tools that are actually usable, paired with plain-spoken write-ups that help competitive players read the metagame and build teams that hold up. The site is built and maintained by a single long-time VGC player — no team, no outside funding. Every tool and article is made to the standard of “something I’d use myself.”
What we offer
- Damage calculator — battle damage under the current regulation, with ability/item/terrain/weather modifiers, and every multiplier shown rather than hidden behind one number.
- Speed tiers — a speed distribution from base stats, EVs, nature and boosts, so you can see who moves first at a glance.
- Pokédex — legal species with stats, moves, abilities and items, each with a written competitive breakdown.
- Team builder — build teams, tune spreads, and export to simulator format.
- AI Coach — upload a team-preview screenshot for lead and game-plan suggestions (a paid, metered feature).
- Lessons & guides — a structured beginner-to-advanced curriculum plus practical write-ups for each item, move and ability, human-written and edited in English and Chinese.
- Ladder & community teams — curated top-ladder and community rental teams, credited to their authors with source links and rental codes.
Data sources & attribution
We organise, verify and localise data on top of these public sources, keeping attribution:
- PokéAPI (base stats, moves, abilities, items)
- Smogon usage statistics (usage and spread distributions)
- champs.pokedb.tokyo (open ladder data, cached under its licence)
- GameWith public team-builder data (author article links preserved)
When we feature someone’s team we credit the author and link the source. We do not republish others’ full articles; the calculator logic, lessons and competitive write-ups are original to this site.
On our use of AI
Some supporting text (such as one-line team blurbs) is AI-assisted, but species/move/item names are always substituted deterministically with official localised names — the model is never allowed to write names freely, which prevents errors and fabrication. The core lessons and guides are human-written and human-edited. The AI Coach is a clearly-labelled metered paid feature.
Not affiliated
BadgeCoach is an independent fan project and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Nintendo, Game Freak, Creatures Inc., or The Pokémon Company International. All Pokémon names, sprites, and game data are trademarks of their respective owners and are used here under nominative fair use for competitive analysis and education.
Contact
For suggestions, corrections or collaboration see the contact page, or email [email protected].