How to Track VGC Battles with Open or Closed Team Sheets
A VGC turn can be decided in 45 seconds, so a useful tracker cannot ask the coach to reopen six long set cards after every action. The live view should look like the field: two opponents above, two teammates below, saved moves one tap away, and the bench close enough for a switch. This guide explains the fast workflow while preserving the most important boundary—suggestions can speed up entry, but they never become revealed facts until the coach records them.
Choose the correct sheet mode
Use open team sheet only for information the event actually publishes. In a closed team sheet match, begin with the visible species and add a move, item, or ability only when battle play reveals it. Keep private deductions separate from facts you can cite later.
How this works in DraftCenter
Team Lab supports open- and closed-team-sheet Battle Room workflows. Closed sheet starts from observed information; open sheet can preload published details. Opponent notes and the battle record remain private to the signed-in account.
Set the four active slots
Put both opposing Pokémon in the top row and both of your active Pokémon in the bottom row. Confirm the leads before the first action. Keep the remaining roster in a compact bench rather than expanding every saved set into the live turn area.
How this works in DraftCenter
The doubles field shows two active slots per side. Your compact six-Pokémon roster marks Brought, Benched, or Out; tapping a member can reveal its saved set, and the roster collapses after leads are selected.
Record an action from the Pokémon that acted
Select the acting Pokémon, choose Move, Ability, Item, Switch, Faint, or Note, then choose the target or replacement when the action needs one. For doubles, always distinguish the user from the target, including an ally target.
How this works in DraftCenter
Active cards keep saved and revealed moves one tap away. Selecting a Pokémon prepares its action, while target controls distinguish the acting side and the affected Pokémon.
Use suggestions as shortcuts, not evidence
Type-ahead move, ability, and item lists can reduce spelling and scrolling. Common-set suggestions are useful planning context, especially in an open-sheet environment, but usage frequency does not prove the opponent's set.
How this works in DraftCenter
Team Lab places saved and revealed information first. Format-aware competitive suggestions remain visibly labeled, and choosing a suggestion records only what the coach intentionally confirms.
Complete switches and pivot moves
A plain switch needs both pieces of information: who left and who came in. A pivot move such as Parting Shot, U-turn, Volt Switch, or Flip Turn also needs its move and target before the replacement is chosen. Do not leave the field showing a Pokémon that already switched out.
How this works in DraftCenter
Switch actions require a replacement. Supported pivot moves continue into the switch picker so the timeline and four active slots stay synchronized.
Let timed effects expire visibly
When Tailwind, Trick Room, weather, terrain, screens, or another tracked field effect begins, record the side and duration at that turn. A turn counter is most useful when it updates automatically but still permits a correction after an unusual extension or missed turn.
How this works in DraftCenter
Structured battle state tracks supported field effects and their remaining turns. Advancing the turn decrements the timers and removes an effect when its recorded duration ends.
Use Auto-next only when the turn is complete
A turn may end without four attacks because a Pokémon switched, fainted before moving, became unable to act, or the game ended. Auto-advance should recognize recorded moves and switches for every eligible active Pokémon, but the coach must keep a manual Next turn control for edge cases.
How this works in DraftCenter
Optional Auto-next advances only after each eligible active Pokémon has a move or switch recorded for the current turn. Manual next-turn and undo controls remain available.
Recover and export the record
A refresh during a match should restore the active Battle tab and its local draft instead of returning to setup. After each game, download a compact record; after the set, preserve the full workbook and add the replay or result context you want to review.
How this works in DraftCenter
Team Lab restores the selected tab and locally autosaved Battle Room state. It provides a per-game CSV and a complete Excel or Google Sheets-ready workbook containing only the teams, turns, reveals, effects, notes, and report details the coach saved.
A fast turn-recording routine
- The sheet mode matches the event's open or closed team-sheet rule.
- Both active Pokémon on each side match the battle field.
- Every recorded move has the correct user and target.
- Every switch identifies the Pokémon that entered, including after a pivot move.
- Items and abilities are recorded only after they are known or revealed.
- Timed effects show the correct side and remaining turns.
- Auto-next is enabled only if I want complete turns to advance automatically.
- The game CSV or complete private workbook is saved when I need a report.
How this guide is maintained
DraftCenter reviews this guide against the product's current workflows. See our data methodology and editorial standards, including how to report a correction.