Help & tips
How to play
Quick guides for CounterQuest's mini-games and tools — no account, everything in your browser.
CounterQuest packs mini-games, dex tools, Nuzlocke tracking, and trainer prep. This guide covers every mode — including the full Arcade vault. Star your favorite on /play/ and check today's stats while you're there.
Arcade vault
13+ quiz modes — daily seed, matchups, routes, memory, and more.
- Open /play/ for the full list — each mode has its own page and rules.
- Star ★ your favorite game — one favorite per browser. Your first star adds to community favorite totals.
- “Today’s pulse” shows your local plays/clears and anonymous site-wide counts.
- A “clear” / “beaten” run means you finished with at least half the questions correct (or completed memory / evolution runs).
- Daily Challenge uses the same question seed for everyone on a given calendar day.
Favorites & stats
Star games, track today’s runs, see what the community plays.
- Tap ☆ on any game card to set your favorite — only one at a time on this device.
- Your first favorite also increments that game’s community ★ counter (one vote per browser, ever).
- “You today” counts runs started and runs cleared — stored locally, resets at midnight.
- Community “most played today” and favorite leaderboards use anonymous counters (no login).
- Who's That Pokémon?, Type Challenge, and Chaos can be favorited from the Arcade hub too.
Who's That Pokémon?
Silhouette, facts, flavor text, or cry — solo streak or 2-player. Plus guess the dex #.
- Pick your game version — sprites and cries match that cartridge.
- Flavor text hides the species name in the prose so you can't cheat from the entry.
- Solo runs until you quit; then share your score link to challenge friends.
- Use the Dex # tab to guess national dex numbers.
Type Challenge
See a sprite — type the Pokémon name before the timer hits zero.
- Exact name match auto-submits — spaces and apostrophes are ignored.
- Guided typing mode highlights the next letter WPM-style.
- Faster answers earn more points (up to 100 if instant).
- Filter by generation and pick a sprite style for nostalgia.
Chaos Mode
Stack silly rules on a random trainer fight — cursed fun, not serious advice.
- Pick one or more chaos modifiers, optional target trainer, then roll.
- Leave target blank for a random elite-style matchup.
- Best for experiments after the quiz games.
Daily Challenge
Same 10 mixed questions for everyone today — compare scores.
- Everyone gets the same 10 mixed questions for today's date seed.
- Compare scores with friends — link them to /play/daily/.
- Questions rotate through matchups, routes, flavor text fakes, and more.
- Come back tomorrow for a fresh seed.
Type Matchup Blitz
Pick the type that's super effective — fast and brutal.
- See a Pokémon's types — pick an attacking type that's super effective.
- Immunities and double typings count — read the defender types carefully.
- Great warm-up before gym fights on Fight Prep.
Counter Quiz
What type beats this Pokémon? Gym-prep in quiz form.
- Same idea as Matchup Blitz — framed as gym-prep counter picking.
- Think: what type would you lead with against this team member?
Higher or Lower
Two Pokémon — which has the higher BST or stat?
- Two Pokémon side by side — tap the one with the higher stat or BST.
- If stats tie, hit “It's a tie”.
- Stat changes each round — could be Speed, Special Attack, or total BST.
Evolution Chain
Tap sprites in evolution order — baby to boss.
- Sprites appear shuffled — tap them in evolution order (baby → final).
- Chains are 2–3 stages from Gen I–IV data.
- Wrong order? The correct chain shows on reveal.
Who Learns This Move?
Earthquake, Ice Beam… which species actually learns it?
- A move name appears — pick the species that learns it in the selected learnset.
- Popular TMs and level-up moves from Emerald / paired learnsets.
Route Roulette
Given a route — what wild Pokémon appears there?
- A route or area name — which wild Pokémon appears there?
- Uses encounter data from Red, Blue, or Emerald pools.
- Each area and answer Pokémon appears at most once per run.
- Tap View map for the in-game Town Map with the area highlighted (Kanto & Hoenn).
Reverse Guess
Name shown — pick the matching sprite from four choices.
- The species name is shown — pick the matching sprite from four choices.
- Opposite of Type Challenge — good for beginners.
Stat Spy
BST and stat hints — guess the species.
- BST and highest-stat hints — no sprite until you answer.
- Hard mode for people who memorise base stats.
Gym Leader Snapshot
See a team — guess which gym leader sends it out.
- See a gym leader's team list — guess who runs it.
- Location and game version are shown as hints.
Version Exclusive Snap
Red or Blue exclusive? Prove you know the split.
- Gen I Red vs Blue split — where is this species exclusive?
- Classic version-exclusive quiz for retro players.
Spot the Fake
Four Pokédex entries — only one is the real species.
- See the sprite — pick the real Pokédex entry for that species.
- Fakes are real entries from other Pokémon, rewritten so names match the one on screen.
Memory Match
Flip cards — match the sprite pairs. No names, pure memory.
- Flip cards to find matching sprite pairs — no names, just memory.
- Match a pair to hear its cry and peek at Pokédex info below.
- Six pairs — no timer. Fewest moves wins bragging rights.
My Teams
Build a squad with levels, moves, and PP for smarter fight prep.
- Choose the game version your team is for — move lists and base PP follow that game's learnsets (level-up + TMs).
- Add Pokémon from the search dropdown instead of typing species names manually.
- Pick moves from the suggestions; base PP fills in automatically when you select a legal move.
- Lower HP% or current PP if you're mid-run and want tips that match your real party state.
- Set a team as Active — trainer fight pages use it by default for counter advice and simulations.
- From Nuzlocke, sync your party to My Teams to carry levels (and optionally build moves later).
Trainer fights & prep
Pick a gym leader or rival — get counters, types, and battle sims.
- Browse trainers by game filter on Fight Prep (Red/Blue, Emerald, etc.).
- Open a trainer card for their team, types, and suggested counters.
- Load a saved team before fighting for tips that respect your levels, HP, and move PP.
- Run the battle sim to see a scripted outcome — useful for spotting bad matchups before you commit in-game.
Nuzlocke tracker
Track routes, catches, deaths, and badges in the browser.
- Everything saves locally in your browser — no account needed.
- Log catches per route; mark deaths and badge milestones as you go.
- Use the Pokédex (same site) filtered by your version for accurate catch locations.
- Sync party to My Teams when you want fight-prep tips for your current run.
Pokédex
Version-accurate dex with catch guides and learnsets.
- Default view is All Gens — switch to your cartridge for version exclusives and catch data.
- Tap a species for encounters, learnsets, and type matchups.
- Mark species caught to hide them when planning a living dex or Nuzlocke.
Still stuck or want a feature explained? Send a suggestion — we read everything.