Combat stance
Every pokemon picks whether it advances or not. The choice sits under the gear button next to your active moves, alongside the priority strategy. It is per pokemon: switching leads does not carry the previous one's choice over.
Melee
It charges the enemy.
- Uses the whole kit. Up close every move reaches, long-range ones included.
- Takes full damage. No reduction at all.
Ranged
It holds position and does not advance.
- It only shows up enabled if the pokemon has a damaging long-range move.
The distance belongs to both of you
Here is the part that matters most, and it is not obvious: picking Ranged does not keep you out of the fight. Whoever wants to close the gap decides it, and nobody backs away.
If the enemy is a melee fighter, it walks up to you. And once it arrives, your close moves reach it too. You only truly fight at range against enemies that also prefer to stay back.
So Ranged does not cut your kit all the time. It applies in proportion to how many of the region's enemies hang back:
| of the region's enemies, advancing | how much of the stance applies |
|---|---|
| all | no effect |
| half | half the effect |
| none | full effect: less damage dealt, less damage taken |
The strategy panel shows that percentage for the region you are hunting in, right next to the stance choice. Worth a look before deciding: it swings a lot from region to region.
When Ranged is worth it
Where it works, the damage reduction reaches 35% (a 0.65x floor), and the cost is going without your close-range moves.
If your pokemon packs its damage into the long moves, that cost is low and the trade is good. If it really hits up close, you give up a lot for a little. Worth checking your case: long-range moves hit softer by default, average power 64 against 73 for close-range ones.
How enemies decide
Nobody configures them, so the game picks whatever deals more damage for them. Since every move reaches up close, any enemy with a damaging close-range move comes at you: it is always more damage than shooting from afar.
The ones that hang back are the enemies with all of their damage in long-range moves. Closing in would add nothing for them. And a short-range status move does not count: it deals no damage, so it is no reason for anyone to close the gap.