Pokémon Team Optimization

A former kid with a Pikachu Game Boy grew up to become a scientist and did the most adult thing possible to a child’s game: built a tool to pick the “best” Pokémon team using optimization math. The post explains, in simple terms, how mixed‑integer programming (think: smart math used in delivery routing) can choose up to six Pokémon that maximize strength while covering type weaknesses. Cool, right? The community thinks so—mostly. One veteran pro cheered for more everyday math tools and even teased a plain‑text interface to make this stuff easy for everyone. But the vibe quickly went full Poké‑drama.

First, the pedants pounced: a user corrected the author’s Pokédex slip—Mewtwo is #150, not #151—and the thread briefly became a fact‑check battle royale. Then came the spreadsheet snipers: another commenter questioned a sample equation, arguing the “best answer” was calculated wrong. Cue armchair mathematicians drafting proofs in the replies. Meanwhile, a surprise sub‑thread turned into a tattoo roll call—Pokémon ink, red balloons, and all—because of course it did. Others begged for a “vibe‑coded” web button that does the math without the math. The mood swings between “optimize everything” and “just solo with Blastoise” were peak internet. Nostalgia met nerd rage, and honestly, the comments are the real endgame here.