The Use and Abuse of Continue Duel in Pokémon TCG games
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a writeup by stump (twitch.tv/stumpdotio)
Last updated: 2015-11-29


The Pokémon TCG games have a "Continue Duel" option in their initial
menu, which restores the game state if the game was reset or powered
off during a duel. This can be abused in many helpful ways.


The most important thing to know is that the game checkpoints duel
state just before the main duel menu is displayed. So resetting during
an action cancels it, resetting during the opponent's turn brings you
back to before you attacked or chose Done, and resetting while selecting
an action accomplishes nothing.

The next most important thing to know is that the current RNG state
is included in the checkpointed duel state, the RNG does not advance
during duels unless and until something needs randomness, and the new
state depends in its entirety on the old state. This means if the same
sequence of actions is performed after resetting to a particular state,
no matter what buttons are pressed or what timing is used, the same
results will occur. (This applies both to Continue Duel and to loading
emulator savestates during duels.)


Now we can get to the main point: ways in which Continue Duel can be abused.


== Misplays ==

Picked the wrong attack? As long as you haven't gotten the main duel
menu again yet, reset and do the right thing this time!

(Important note: if you want to take back a misattached energy, you have
no choice but to hard reset. Even if you hold A from the misattachment
then begin holding Start, Select, and B in that order, there is enough
time before the soft reset occurs that the B will get you back to the
main duel menu, thereby recheckpointing the duel state, first. Though
you almost certainly mashed through your opportunity to reset anyway...)


== Good coin flips for you ==

Flipped tails when you *really* want heads? Reset, do something to
advance the RNG (such as using a trainer card involving a coin flip or
deck shuffle), and see what you get this time.

If you still can't get heads even by exhausting all possible means of
RNG advancement, consider whether it might be useful to skip the action
and palm the tails off on the AI.


== Bad coin flips for them ==

If the AI gets heads on an important coin flip (for example, playing
Poké Ball with an empty bench and their Active Pokémon one turn from
death), similarly try resetting, advancing the RNG, and trying again to
see if you can make it hit tails instead.

If you are using an attack involving a coin flip and *you* hit tails
on it just before such a coin flip, it may even be worth forgoing the
attack to leave the tails for them.


== Conserving healing cards ==

Really want to keep that Potion or Defender for later? If the opponent's
attack is affected by coin flips, don't play them yet - if you survive,
awesome; if you don't, reset and play the card! Then you get to save
that Potion or Defender for when you really *do* need it.


== Confusion ==

Flipped tails on your confusion check? Reset and choose Done instead
to avoid the self-hit. (Given how fast resetting is, with good menuing
this is actually faster than taking the hit!) However, if your opponent
doesn't advance the RNG and you also don't have a way to advance the RNG,
you're stuck taking it at some point.

(Under some conditions the AI will use the RNG while deciding what to do;
I have seen it happen, though only rarely. You may want to try again next
turn even if it doesn't look like the RNG has advanced. The AI needs to
be disassembled for more information about this to come to light.)

In a *real* pinch, if you have your Active Pokémon's retreat cost in
excess energy, you could use up the tails failing to retreat and see if
this gives you heads on the attack.


== Deck peeking ==

If you have something that allows you to select a card from your deck
(such as Energy Search or Computer Search), you can use it up to the
point where you see your deck, then reset without selecting a card. If
you think a critical card might be stuck as a prize, this will let you
verify that. Maybe that card you need is near the top (and you can Bill
or Oak or just wait for it and save the search card for later).


== Prizes ==

Critical card prized? Reset and choose a different prize if you don't
get it.


== Legendary Zapdos ==

Legendary Zapdos blew away your only Diglett? Reset, add something to
your bench (like a Mysterious Fossil or another Diglett), and see what
takes the hit this time. Or retreat such that something expendable ends
up in the same spot of the field, if you can't change your number of
Benched Pokémon. Or use a Defender.