I kinda want to put this out there to highlight a more obscure aspect of prediction. I've seen no previous guides ever mention of this, but I believe it can hold some degree of value to lower and intermediate level players. There has been many discussions over the creation of the perfect team or the secrets to teambuilding, synergizing cores etc. but what people fail to realise is that teambuilding only accounts for 50% of a team's overall success, another major contributor to a player's skill is their ability to predict and take calculated risks that can shift a game in their favour. Although the level of prediction required for a particular team varies between their style of play (stall teams generally utilize less prediction), it is undoubtedly a heavy asset if used correctly.



I want to introduce a facet of prediction that is rarely used but is present in many games, that is, move-time prediction. To put this simply, it merely involves taking into consideration the length of time an opponent spends on his move, then basing your decision upon that consideration.



For example, let's take a theoretical scenario where Player A's Mega-Manectric switches into Player B's Assault-Vest Azumarill after a KO where both pokes are relatively low (50%). The most logical move for Manectric is a Thunderbolt/Volt switch, as Azumarill's Aqua Jet will fail to OHKO manectric, while T-bolt/Volt Switch is a guaranteed OHKO. However, Player A notices that the opposing team has a Garchomp and decides to take a high risk - high reward prediction that Player B will switch in Garchomp to tank the fairly obvious Thunderbolt/Volt switch and opts instead for HP Ice.



Normally a player that selects Thunderbolt/Volt-switch will make their move in less than 5 seconds as they have already predetermined what they wanted to do, the moment they switched in Manectric. However, Player B notices that it has been 15 seconds and Player A has still not made their move, and decides to cancel his Garchomp switch-in and opt to keep Azumarill in and waterfall Manectric for an easy KO.



In lower/mid-level play (< 1400), this behaviour is fairly commonplace and relatively easy to predict and counter, players usually give-away their intentions unknowingly by taking a slightly longer than average duration to make their move. However, if it has been 30 seconds and the player has still not made their move, it is better to go with your initial decision as it is very likely they are going for a double prediction and using that wait period to confuse you (or they went for a toilet break).



All of this is of course, highly speculative and could potentially fall under theorycrafting, but through my many games, I've noticed that move-time tends to play a major factor in predictive decisions, especially among the lower to mid bracket of players. Of course, instinct is also important, it is essential that you make these assumptions after you have determined the average wait time of your opponent (and their risk propensity), as well as the context of the situation (i.e in late-game scenarios, many opponents are far less likely to take risks than if it were in the early to mid game).