What it does
Minimize raises the user's evasiveness by two stages. A fully accurate 100% hit rate move drops to roughly 60% chance to land after two stages, and drops further with each additional use. The move also has a mechanical interaction: Pokemon that have used Minimize and remain on the field take double damage from Stomp and Heat Crash/Heavy Slam — a built-in check, but most competitive sets don't run those moves specifically.
The real ceiling on Minimize's value is the number of ways opponents can bypass evasion: No Guard forces every move to hit at 100% regardless; certain 'never-miss' moves like Aerial Ace or Aura Sphere don't even roll accuracy; Keen Eye ignores evasion changes. Check for these before investing turns in Minimize.
Who runs it
Sandaconda (82%) pairs Minimize with sandstorm recovery. Sandstorm deals chip damage each turn to everything except Rock, Steel, and Ground types — Sandaconda qualifies for immunity. As evasion stacks up, Sandaconda avoids the passive HP drain that chips down the rest of the field, letting it outlast opponents more easily. The longer the game goes, the harder Sandaconda is to remove. Opponents on a timer can't grind it down fast enough.
Starmie (43%) has high base Speed, which means it often moves first and gets the first Minimize in before opponents can pressure it. A slower Pokemon trying the same strategy eats a hit first; Starmie often avoids that. It's also not a pure stall — its Special Attack is meaningful, and once evasion is high enough, it can start attacking back.
How to use it
You have to stay in: Evasion resets when you switch out. The whole strategy depends on staying on the field and stacking. In doubles, frequent switching is common and opponents can force you out — once you leave, the investment is gone.
Sandstorm recovery loop: Sandaconda's gameplan is sandstorm active → Minimize each turn → recovery offsets the occasional hit. The spiral tightens every turn: evasion gets higher, recovery keeps you alive through the rare successful hit, opponent's probability-based offense becomes more and more unreliable.
Identify bypass tools early: Before committing multiple turns to Minimize, check if the opponent has No Guard, never-miss coverage moves, or Keen Eye. If they do, Minimize stacking is wasted effort — you'll get hit anyway.
Tips & strategy
Evasion is not immunity: High evasiveness makes hits less likely, not impossible. In doubles especially, two opponents attacking every turn still connect sometimes even at 40% hit rate. Don't plan around zero incoming damage — plan around reduced incoming damage.
Protect to get free stacks: One turn of Protect wastes the opponent's attack and buys a free turn to use Minimize next. Alternate between them for more efficient stacking with fewer hits landing.
Doubles viability is limited: Two attackers make the combined hit probability per turn much higher than in singles. Minimize is typically more of a stall option or a 'force the opponent to adjust' move in doubles than a primary win condition. Against two active threats, it's much harder to reach the stacking levels where evasion genuinely protects you.