Competitive Pokemon: UU Balanced Team #1

     I've never really liked UU (Underused) that much in competitive Pokemon because while many of the Pokemon there are some of my favourites, the tier itself is relatively rigid. OU can be quite rigid as well, with very standard teams and play style, but through experience, I realised that UU is actually more so. You may see some creative sets in OU, because it is also played by more professional players, but UU tends to be very uncreative. Let's not get into the creativity of the lower tiers. I love the new FU tier.

     Still, I've been playing UU for the past few days and have gotten to about 1700 before I started to test my NU team in UU (not a good idea) and went on immediate tilt. Before I introduce and explain the team though, let's go through some terminologies, so that if I plan to post more teams, it's easier to predict what the teams will be like just through the post title.

1. Balanced
     A balanced team is a team with an equal and standard team distribution. Out of the 6 Pokemon, you will have 2 physical attackers, 2 special attackers, 1 defensive Pokemon and 1 specially defensive Pokemon. Since I won't post teams that never get pass the 1600s, the team will also have a Defogger/Rapid Spinner, a Heal Beller and more often than not, a Wish passer. Also, at least one Pokemon will have a momentum-setting move, e.g. Volt Switch, U-Turn.

2. Hyper Offense
     A hyper offense team specialises in all out attacking and switching is uncommon. Hyper offense teams are generally very weak against teams carrying extremely defensive Pokemon that run recovery moves. Therefore, I will not be using hyper offense much in UU, due to the many defensive healers in the tier e.g. Suicune, Umbreon, Vaporeon, just to name some. The team is usually labelled 1 to 6, with each Pokemon checking the counters for the Pokemon before. For example, if Nidoking goes down, assuming it is to a super-effective hit, the next Pokemon that follows will be one that resists the STAB of the opponent and counters it effectively. These teams are meant for a fast and risky play style. I've never gotten past 1650 with one though.

3. Walling and Stalling
     Play a walling and stalling team if you have too much time on your hands and just want to troll the shit out of your opponent. More often than not, your opponent will forfeit out of pure frustration. The main check to these kind of teams is set-up Pokemon, but you can check that easily with phasing moves, e.g. Whirlwind, Roar. The team is made up of extremely defensive Pokemon that all carry status moves and will slowly chip away at the health of the opponent. However, for higher ranks, I recommend carrying at least one mixed attacker, just to handle certain Pokemon that your bulky Pokemon cannot handle.

4. Gimmicky
     Gimmicky teams are not meant for laddering. They are purely fun and experimental teams. Most of these teams will have a Pokemon with a field-changing move e.g. Rain Dance, Trick Room, Sticky Web. They are great teams for catching the opponent off-guard but at higher parts of the ladder, the more professional players will be able to deal with you. Still, I think in UU at least, Rain Dance is a great idea with Mega Swampert while Sticky Web and Trick Room are very effective in RU due to the existence of extremely slow but powerful Pokemon.

UU Balanced Team #1
1. Galvantula

Type: Bug/Electric

Item: Choice Specs

Ability: Compound Eyes

Moves: Volt Switch, Thunder, Bug Buzz, Giga Drain

Nature: Timid

EV Spread: 252 SpA, 252 SpD, 252 Spd

Roles:

- Lead against teams with no Ground resistant or non-offensive Ground leads

- Bluffs Sticky Web

- Momentum with Volt Switch

- Water type check, also able to deal with incoming Ground types

Overview

     Galvantula is a great Pokemon to lead with, in my opinion, because most people expect every lead Galvantula to set up Sticky Web. If the lead of the opponent isn't a Ground type, it is easy to get off a powerful Volt Switch first turn and potentially cripple the opponent's lead. This gives rise to many other opportunities:

- If the opponent has an offensive Pokemon on the field, switch immediately to the wall that specialises in dealing with that Pokemon i.e. defensive walls for physical attackers, special walls for special attackers

- If the enemy Pokemon is a hazard setter, switch immediately to a Defogger/Rapid Spinner. Watch out for Defiant for the former, although Defiant is not commonly seen in UU.

     Galvantula is also a very powerful special attacker and is very good at dealing with those bulky Water types in the tier e.g. Suicune, Vaporeon, Jellicent, Milotic. Also, if the opponent carries a Ground type, it is not difficult to just switch up to Giga Drain since it is super effective against those Water types anyway. In other words, this spider is amazing at keeping up offensive pressure on the opponent to try to predict around you. 

     However, one great weakness of this set is the Choice Specs, which is also what gives this Pokemon its power. I don't think Galvantula will be as good without its item, but there is the pressure on the user to predict properly. While Giga Drain is still super effective, if the opponent does not switch out, for example, his Jellicent, Giga Drain won't even do above half. Choice Specs locks you in and you have no choice but to switch out and switch back in, giving your opponent a chance to Recover and Scald something.

2. Crobat

Type: Poison/Flying

Item: Black Sludge/Sky Plate

Ability: Infiltrator

Moves: U-Turn, Brave Bird, Defog, Roost

Nature: Adamant

EV Spread: 248 HP, 252 Atk, 8 SpD

Roles:

- Potential lead

- Defogger

- Momentum with U-Turn

- Deals with Chesnaught (a big threat in UU)

- Deals with anything behind a Substitute because of Infiltrator

- Ability to remove Flying type weakness with Roost (against bulky Water types with Ice Beam)

Overview

     While I give lead priority to Galvantula, Crobat is a great lead against teams with offensive Ground types. Its strength, however, lies in its ability to fire off a power attack with Brave Bird and heal the recoil back up with Black Sludge and/or Roost. It is also a check to a huge threat to another team member, Umbreon, as it is 4x resistant to Fighting type attacks. It can come in very easily against a bulky Pokemon and Defog away any hazards. Also, since this team does not run hazards at all, there is no need to worry about Defogging my own hazards away.

     For greater offense, run Sky Plate over Black Sludge, but in my case, I prefer Black Sludge. While Sky Plate is great for bluffing a Choice Band, as it boosts Brave Bird by about the same amount, Black Sludge is essential because Crobat takes 1/4 damage from Stealth Rock. I need my Crobat to be still functional after a few switch ins. My team relies a lot on early game momentum and keeping the pressure on the opponent and even if having a more powerful attack may seem better, Crobat's U-Turn allows it to switch out against potentially bad match ups. If you were wondering about the weird EV Spread, it is to get an odd HP number to maximise Stealth Rock switch in.

3. Mega Pidgeot

Type: Normal, Flying

Item: Pidgeotite

Ability: No Guard

Moves: Hurricane, Heat Wave, U-Turn, Roost

Nature: Hasty

EV Spread: 4 Atk, 252 SpA, 252 Spd

Roles:

- Powerful late game sweeper, with no need for set-up

- Ability to heal off damage

- Deals with Chesnaught very effectively (no damage taken against Spiky Shield)

- Lack of resistance to Flying type in UU

Overview

     If I'm not wrong, RU is running a suspect test for Mega Pidgeot right now, but do I care? No. Mega Pidgeot has proved itself worthy to be used in both UU and OU, as a very fast and powerful special attacker, running Hurricane that is both devastating and can confuse. Regular Pidgeot is also unexpectedly fast, allowing Pidgeot to mega evolve against some powerful offensive Pokemon. This is important because the ability to mega evolve safely is what kicked Mega Glalie to the lower tiers. It is powerful, but it's too slow to mega evolve and not get killed immediately.

     Mega Pidgeot, like most Megas, should not be used early game and with its speed and special attack stat, this makes Mega Pidgeot a beast. It is wonderful at cleaning up teams and while Galvantula and the physically attackers chip away from the opponents bit by bit, Mega Pidgeot can clean up with Hurricanes...that can never miss. Also, watch the frustration unfold as you confuse your opponent with a Hurricane and get confusion first turn. It's horrible. Mostly because most things get 2HKO by Hurricane.

4. Darmanitan

Type: Fire

Item: Choice Scarf

Ability: Sheer Force

Moves: Flare Blitz, U-Turn, Rock Slide, Superpower

Nature: Jolly

EV Spread: 252 Atk, 4 SpD, 252 Spd

Roles:

- Powerful physical attacker

- Revenge killer

- Momentum with U-Turn against obvious switches

Overivew

     Choice Scarf Darmanitan is a standard Pokemon in UU and doesn't need much explanation. Flare Blitz fired off by this Pokemon is so destructive that most of the time, if you switch in a Darmanitan, expect the opponent to switch out. Since the switch is so obvious, in the lower ladders, just U-Turn out to get a favourable match up. Remember, this team is all about momentum and pressurising the opponent with having to switch a lot. 

     There's really not much to explain for Darmanitan, but you can also try to run the Choice Band set. However, since my other physical attacker, Crobat, is not running Speed, I think that Choice Scarf is needed. You can also run Sheer Force + Life Orb, but if that's your style, I recommend a Nidoking (in my other team).

5. Suicune

Type: Water

Item: Leftovers

Ability: Pressure

Moves: Scald, Calm Mind, Rest, Sleep Talk

Nature: Bold

EV Spread: 252 HP, 252 Def, 4 SpA

Roles:

- Physical wall that is also able to set up

- Can become very dangerous if allowed to set up

- Ability to heal off status and damage with Sleep Talk

- 50% chance of favourable move selection with Sleep Talk

Overview

     This set for Suicune is a pain for many people. Suicune itself is a very physically defensive Pokemon and without a special attacker with an Electric/Grass move, it can be disastrous to go up against a Suicune. Here also lies the reason for my many checks to Chesnaught - Chesnaught is one of the only viable bulky checks against a set up Suicune. You can run Galvantula, etc, but after setting up, those things cannot handle Suicune because Suicune can take a hit and kill with Scald. The exception is Chesnaught, which is checked by 3 other Pokemon on the team.

     Once the checks to Suicune are gone, simply switch into it on a physical attacker and start setting up. At lower parts of the ladder, the opponents are usually quite stupid and will try to damage Suicune a few more times before deciding to switch out to their special attackers. Too late, the beast is ready to go. Also, one great check to Suicune, which is not normally ran in UU, believe it or not, is Toxicroak. Of course, I do have Crobat and Mega Pidgeot for that too.

6. Umbreon

Type: Dark

Item: Leftovers

Ability: Synchronise

Moves: Wish, Toxic, Foul Play, Heal Bell

Nature: Careful

EV Spread: 252 HP, 4 Atk, 252 SpD

Roles:

- Special wall that prevents physical attackers from setting up

- Ability to pass status effects to opponent through Synchronise and then heal it off with Heal Bell

- Wish support for the rest of the team

Overview

     Umbreon is extremely annoying to deal with and although some may argue that Blissey is more effective as a special wall, I would like to argue back that Blissey can't do anything against set up. The only reason you should run Blissey is if you have a very powerful Mega that you want to heal with Healing Wish. Other than that, Blissey can be a huge burden on your team if it allows setting up.

     Umbreon on the other hand is brilliant at its job. While Blissey can heal off its status with Natural Cure, you need to switch out. Umbreon on the other hand can take a Toxic, Synchronise the Toxic onto the opponent and then heal it off. While its Wishes are not as powerful, it is still effective at it. Foul Play is amazing at dealing with Pokemon that thinks they can set up against Umbreon while Toxic chips away at their health. However, if you have your Umbreon up against a physical attacker, don't stay in, unless there's no other better alternative. Umbreon's healing takes 2 turns and while you can run Protect, it decreases Umbreon's usefulness to the team while increasing its own survival. Once again, this team revolves around momentum and teamplay is important.  

More MBTI Stuff #2

     The last post was a bit technical, but in this one, there will be more rambling and fun stuff. These are all taken from Tumblr, so these are not made up by me in anyway. I will usually point out INFP, INTJ, ENFJ, ISTP, ISFJ and ESFJ.

1. MBTI Stereotypes Are Not Always True

     That's right. I don't cry all the time, alright? In fact, I don't cry often, especially not in front of people. The kind of embarrassment that comes with crying in public is awful. Though I do almost always cry in movies. I also get depression pangs that cause tears. Fine, I feel like crying a lot, but whether I actually do cry is another story.

     Oh, please. The poster must be an ENFJ, because anyone who knows an ENFJ knows that ENFJs love nothing more than digging into your deepest emotions. It's like they get some sadistic pleasure from seeing you squirm in discomfort. INTJs are evil masterminds. They can be nice, but still, they are almost always quite mean and unemotional. I do know an ISTP who does not understand sarcasm. I also know that my ISFJ friend is not trying to be my mom. Still...ESFJs are gossipy, it is true. But hey, just don't gossip about me.

2. MBTI As Third Wheels

     Well, in this case, I would say that INFPs and ENFJs are the opposite. I would actually make it even more awkward, because I'm feeling extremely awkward. Well, INTJs are very straightforward with stuff, but I think in this situation, we are assuming that they are being asked specifically to be a third wheel. I would want to say no, but as an INFP, I feel happy to be invited, so I wouldn't turn down the invitation. I would still inwardly complain about being put in an awkward situation though.

3. Truthful MBTI

     The words are a bit small, but deal with it. Let me just try to understand this. INFPs fall out of the sky, are raised by unicorns, will follow you like a puppy and will dissipate in water. I love how INFPs are always described in the weirdest ways. We aren't even human. We are so strange, we are a completely different species, not a normal species either. Some unidentified creature.

     I can agree with the ENFJ thing. They are very capable of making to think and care about things that I would not think or care about. It's very annoying when it's more convenient to skip that and not allow my decision to waver, especially since INFPs are prone to making last minute decision changes. INTJs are proud of being assholes, I agree. ISFJs are also the kind of friend who won't be very open about being extremely nice and all. 

More MBTI Stuff #1

     Since I have so much MBTI stuff on my computer and I also spend so much of my day looking at them, I decided I might as well share it here. Come on, I'm avoiding work again. I'm supposed to finish up my Crimean War research by today and send my notes for printing, but I have plenty of time to do that in the afternoon. I have blocked myself from Youtube and all those gaming sites I used, so I don't have to worry about being tempted to procrastinate. This app I'm using is so effective that while the sites are still being blocked, I cannot unblock them.

     So for every piece of information or picture I attach to each post, I'll talk about them a little. Some may be quite technical stuff and others are just rants. I'm inclined to not organise them as such, because I'm a P. I'm sure your brains are effective enough to filter without my hand-holding anyway.

MBTI Frequency

     MBTI Frequency refers to the statistical analysis of MBTI within the population. However, because this is not a worldwide data analysis, here are some cautionary notes:
(1) It is known through research that different populations have differing trends. For example, it is widely accepted that Asian populations tend to have more Introverts while the Western populations have more Extroverts. Asians also tend to be more rational, because of their upbringing. These particular statistics are from the US.
(2) The year of which this data is published is unknown. It is as recent as I can find though.
(3) MBTI may change over the course of one's life and while it does not affect the accuracy of these statistics (statistics are not meant to cover individuals, but are general trends), slight inclinations are not put into consideration.
Slight Inclination - A concept that is often forgotten by people who study MBTI. One of the biggest problem with MBTI is the assumption of extreme inclination. MBTI results are shown in percentages, however, your final MBTI type is an extreme type. There are people whose function differences are merely 1% and in those cases, they are able to swing between 2 MBTIs quite easily.

Observations
      From the data above, I decided to further compress the data, according to the 4 types. As much as statistics usually pains my brain, psychology is interesting and I'm after the observations and conclusions anyway.

     It can be easily seen that there are a lot more S types in this world compared to N. It is something that upsets me quite a bit, because it means that most people are then unable to understand me when I try to explain things with gut instincts. However, this can also be a reflection of how humans have evolved much differently from other animals. N types are often seen as more primitive and primal, because gut instinct is what humans call "animal instinct". S is data-oriented and is a purely human construct. So, to exaggerate, Ns are animals and Ss are robots.

     Also, it is interesting to observe that while males and females do not differ as much in the SP type, the other 3 types see quite a bit of divergence. Especially in the NT type (Intellectuals/Analysts), there are substantially more males than females. In fact, if you refer to the first table, you realise that across all 4 MBTIs that fall under the NT type, the divergence is constant. 

     Can I mention how I find it insulting that I'm only the 3rd most uncommon MBTI? INFJ and INTJ are less common than INFP. I find that absolutely insulting. Please, I am as unique as unique can get. I'm also tied for being the 4th most uncommon female MBTI with ENTJ, lagging behind INTJ, INTP and INFJ. Excuse me, you guys aren't that unique.

Compatibility Art

     Compatibility is the category in which I go to Tumblr and look for MBTI photos signifying the compatibility between 2 types. Since I am an INFP, all the art I post will have INFP. I'm sorry.

1. INFP (male) and ENFJ (female) - Classic Drama Couple

     This is one of your classic drama pairings. The extremely shy and introverted guy who is highly artistic and understanding, but seems depressed all the time. He is the kid that sits at the back of the class, silent and never speaking. He probably has some weird habits, probably artistic ones. Then a girl comes along, the exact opposite of him. She is probably the most notable girl in class and everyone knows she's there. She is liked by everyone in class, is confident and is basically the life of the party. 

     Now, anyone who doesn't understand MBTI would be like "See, opposites do attract!" Well, they would just be wrong. The girl is either an ENFJ or ENFP and any way you look at it, these are not the opposites of INFP. The fact is, if the girl is the exact opposite, ESTJ, she would have absolutely no interest in that poor little boy who would love nothing more than to be left alone to his own thoughts. The moment you see the girl ask the guy "You can open up to me", you know she is an NF. I know it myself because the painful reality is that unless the other person is an NF, they probably have no idea what I am thinking or feeling. That's why INFP is known as the type who nobody understands. We are highly emotional, yet unlike our Extroverted counterparts, we rarely express these emotions openly and so, people who aren't NFs usually don't understand what's going on with us unless we tell them.

     Still, from the perspective of an INFP, I would find the approach of an ENFJ both endearing and very annoying. The first thought that occurs when an ENFJ tells you to "open up" is "Hey, someone understands me" and believe me when I tell you that, for an INFP, it is one of the greatest feeling in our lives to know that someone understands. Most of the time, we are passed off as weird people, who are unpredictable. Not true. You just need to understand the subtle cues. Then the INFP gets to know the ENFJ and suddenly, their Introversion kicks in and they go "Why am I telling this person so much? ...I don't know anything about them!" The moment that happens, they retract within themselves again.

     Just think about that drama you watched. The INFP guy starts sharing a lot with the ENFJ girl and the whole class is surprised. They shouldn't be. INFP x ENFJ is widely regarded by the MBTI community as one of the best matches emotionally. Then one fine day, he suddenly detaches from her again and starts avoiding her like the plague. As an INFP, I can tell you, that that is the exact moment that he decides that he has been saying too much and not getting the same amount back. Introversion has that negative side effect, especially on INFPs. It gives us relief to be able to rid ourselves of our emotional burdens, but along with it comes the insecurity and the fear of betrayal, especially when we don't have as much as hold on the other person as they have on us. ENFJs are annoying to INFPs precisely because of that. They are able to fish out a lot of things from us and by the time we noticed it, we have said too much. Time to retreat.

      Next time you watch a drama with a shy guy and a loud girl, just remember, they aren't actually polar opposites that attract. It's actually the idealism of MBTI compatibility coming into play. The most idealistic couple, in fact, maybe tied with INFJ and ENFP. But then again, it's not that fun with INFJ because they can be equally emotional, but their J type keeps them in check. A drama is meant to be dramatic, so INFPs are the best for that role. Also, ENFP is less effective than ENFJ because their P type makes them less in tune to emotions. 

     Classic drama couple: INFP (male) x ENFJ (female). It works the other way, but it doesn't look as fun in dramas.

INFP (female) x ENFJ (male)

INFP x INTJ Friendship

     This is one of the funniest pairings out there, because out how ridiculously dysfunctional their relationship can be. INTJ is one of the least emotional types out there and despite them being N, they can often understand the theory behind emotions, but still think it's stupid. 

     Just look at the picture. The one on the right is the INFP sharing her extremely weird thoughts and feelings with the INTJ, who is listening, but totally doesn't get it. Meanwhile, the INFP is just happy that there's someone listening to her. I have many INTJ female friends and I can tell you that every time the situation like that one happens, they come back to me and are like "What do you want me to do about it? I have no idea what to do." I just blink at them, a little ticked off but also quite shocked at how their intuition is totally not working with their TJ at the back. That INTJ in the GIF is probably wondering what she will have for dinner.

     I guess INTJs are still one of the best friends that INFPs can have. We INFPs dislike it when we are sharing our emotions and the person would not stop offering advice. I'm not asking for your advice. I'm not asking for you to tell me what to do. Just shut up and listen. Another NF would be a bad idea, because the INFP's extreme pessimistic nature may just rub off on them. INTJs are one of the only MBTIs that can take an INFPs rambling to the face and be completely immune to the waves of negativity flooding from them. I know for sure that when I ramble to some people, they end up in the same state of depression as I am in.

     The T part in INTJ is wonderful for INFPs because the INTJ, at the end of the day, will give solid advice that is not emotionally driven. It is a great slap to the face for INFPs, because despite our knowledge that we are idealistic, we still like swimming in that sea of fantasy. Then INTJs come along and deliver a firm slap to the face, waking us up from that fantasy. 

     So how will that situation in the GIF end? The INFP is going to finish the conversation, look at INTJ expectantly, waiting for some advice. The INTJ will look completely unshaken but what she just heard and totally not get it that the INFP is waiting for advice. The INFP sighs "So, what should I do? Don't just stare at me." The INTJ then gives an advice that is nothing that INFP wanted to hear, but is so objective that the INFP cannot deny the validity of it. The INFP will be enraged for a few moments at the INTJ's inability to get how she is feeling, but end up taking the advice anyway. The INTJ will then go on ahead and forget that that conversation ever happened (I had this female friend who I had to repeat the same thing to about 10 times before she remembered it), while INFP will take that advice for life, but whether she actually succeeds in following it is another story.

MBTI Functions and Compatibility Theory

     I've always been quite curious about how people can use MBTI and other personality tests to determine your compatibility with another person. I mean, some people believe that "likes attract likes", but others believe in "opposites attract". And then there are others, like me, who believes in a mixture of both.

     I am an ardent believer in MBTI and although I know its many flaws, it is still the most accurate personality test I've come across. And believe me, I have taken many personality tests - tests, not quizzes. This post will focus on the four functions - Dominant, Auxiliary, Tertiary and Inferior. These four functions develop as you progress in life and that's why MBTI is considered part of developmental psychology. Compatibility, at least in MBTI, revolves around the four functions as well.

The Four Functions
1. What Are They?
     The first and most developed function is the Dominant function. This function develops very early in life and is often affected by your innate personality and childhood experiences. It forms the core of our personality and plays the most important role in guiding the way we think, feel and act.

     The second function that develops later in your childhood years and before your teens is the Auxiliary function. This function seeks to balance out your Dominant function and therefore, every introvert will have an extroverted Auxiliary function and vice versa. It is very important to have this function developed alongside the Dominant function as it aids the individual in making balanced decisions.

     The third function, known as the Tertiary function, is the exact opposite from the Auxiliary function. This function will develop in early adulthood, or in more mature individuals, slightly earlier. Most people have few skills associated with this function and these skills are almost always actively developed with the awareness of the need to do so.

     The fourth function, or the Inferior function, is the least appealing to individuals and many never develop this in their lives. It takes much awareness for an individual to see the need to develop this function and even then, it would be the least prominent function.

2. How Are They Expressed?
     Each function is expressed in 2 letters, one in caps, e.g. "F" and one in small letters e.g. "e". The one in caps is the function (not to be confused with the overall function) and can be S (sensing), N (intuition), T (thinking) or F (feeling). The small letter represents the direction - introversion or extroversion. In other words, Fe means Extroverted Feeling while Si would mean Introverted Sensing.

3. What Do These Functions Mean?
     Of course, you need to know what these 8 possible functions mean. It doesn't do anyone any good just knowing the letters and not being able to draw a connection between these abstract theory and reality. So, before I actually present the chart that I drew out with the functions of all the MBTIs, I'll just go through very simply what the functions mean:

(1) Extroverted Thinking (Te): Seeks logic and consistency in the outside world. Concern for external laws and rules.
(2) Introverted Sensing (Si): Compares present facts and experiences to past experience. Trusts the past. Stores sensory data for future use.
(3) Extroverted Intuition (Ne): Sees possibilities in the external world. Trusts flashes from the unconscious, which can then be shared with others.
(4) Introverted Feeling (Fi): Seeks harmony of action and thoughts with personal values. May not always articulate those values.
(5) Extraverted Sensing (Se): Acts on concrete data from here and now. Trusts the present, then lets it go.
(6) Introverted Thinking (Ti): Seeks internal consistency and logic of ideas. Trusts his or her internal framework, which may be difficult to explain to others.
(7): Extroverted Feeling (Fe): Seeks harmony with and between people in the outside world. Interpersonal and cultural values are important.
(8) Introverted Intuition (Ni); Looks at consistency of ideas and thoughts with an internal framework. Trusts flashes from the unconscious, which may be hard for others to understand.

4. The 16 MBTIs and Their Functions

     Yes, so finally, after all that ranting, these was what people were waiting for. The actual table containing all the 16 types of MBTI and their functions. I am not grouping the MBTIs in any meaningful way, just E before I, S before N, T before F and J before P. So in other words, my MBTI would appear last.

     In any case, if you can't read this for some reason, I'll just give an example. I am an INFP, so my Dominant function is Fi (Introverted Feeling), my Auxiliary function is Ne (Extroverted Intuition), my Tertiary function is Si (Introverted Sensing) and my Inferior function is Te (Extroverted Thinking). In other words, I have values that people don't know about, but also gut feelings that I follow and articulate. So people who are not intuitive mostly think I'm crazy. Sounds about right. 

MBTI Compatibility

     I think the assumption made in MBTI compatibility is a fair one. It balances out the idea of "opposites attract" and "like attracts like" very well. For two people to be compatible, they must view the world using the same functions (like attracts like), but to balance each other's weaknesses out, they must view the world from different directions (opposites attract). 

     You can't go 100% "like attracts like", because you end up with someone with the same MBTI and the kind of relationship you get is a very narrow-minded one. Sure, you may get along perfect, but I doubt either one in the relationship is ideal for the growth of the other. For example, I would be comfortable being stuck with a fellow INFP because he/she would understand me perfectly well, but because we are so similar, there is absolute nothing I can learn in terms of psychological maturity. 

     On the other hand, you can't go 100% "opposites attract", because there is no common ground. For example, I am an INFP and if I am stuck with an ESTJ, I would learn a lot from interacting with the person...if I even want to be related to them in any way. It isn't impossible for us to get along, but it is very difficult. We would see the world in very different ways and our behaviours will seem extremely strange to the other party. I would be overly emotional and depend very much on my guts, but ESTJ is very data-oriented and dislikes emotion. I will be able to see the completely different side of the coin, but we would never get along well.

     Therefore, like I said, this is how MBTI works - same function in different directions. Let me explain it. For example, for an INFP, my Dominant function is Fi, or Introverted Feeling. "Feeling" is my function and "Introverted" is the direction. With the MBTI compatibility assumption, the MBTI compatible with an INFP would have a Dominant function with the same function - "Feeling" - but the opposite direction - "Extroverted" - Fe. In that case, that immediately narrows down my compatible MBTIs to ESFJ and ENFJ.

     The same applies to all four functions and so, for me, an INFP, my compatible MBTI is ENFJ. Every single one of our functions are the same, but in the opposite direction. This ensures that we are able to understand the way each other views the world, but because we view it from different directions, our final interpretation of how everything works usually don't coincide. It is an idealistic compatibility assumption that aims for both understanding and growth. I mean, if we were realistic about it, I'll just go after another INFP. We would understand each other perfectly and there would be no disagreements, ever. 

     To put it simply, for anyone who doesn't want to think, this is how the compatibility chart goes. 

     Also, another way of explaining things would be that, you always keep the two letters in the centre constant for Ns; second and last letter for Ss. For example, for an INFP like me, I would be compatible with xNFx. The reason is actually quite simple. If you look at any professional MBTI website, they would list the 16 MBTIs in 4 categories, depending on the centre two letters. SJs are Sentinels, SPs are Explorers, NTs are Analysts and NFs are Diplomats. Your compatible MBTI will not be an MBTI from another group. A Diplomat is compatible with another Diplomat.

(Only for Ns)

      E and I being compatible is also quite common sense. It is less scientific than it is an observation that it is better for Extroverted people and Introverted people to be together. The maximisation of psychological growth being the goal of compatibility, it makes absolutely no sense that two Introverted people are grouped together, because their Dominant functions are all focused inward. J and P is more of a guess and applies more practically. Js are typically more tidy and Ps are typically more flexible. Js need to calm down and Ps need a little push to get them to be organised. That's why J and P are compatible. 

So in the end, what does these all mean?

      Nothing. It means absolutely nothing. MBTI is just another personality study and everyone with half a brain and half a hold on reality would understand that personality is not the only thing that plays a part in deciding whether relationships work - be it friendship or romance. You may find that one person who is so compatible with you, so much so that you don't think you'll ever find another one, but that's just nonsense. Compatibility means almost nothing in the real world where your career, financial situation, family background, etc play a much bigger part in deciding which people in life you get to keep. 

     After all, just look at all the couples around. They aren't always compatible. They don't always understand each other. They aren't always the best for each other's growth. In truth, MBTI compatibility is an idealisation of how relationships should work out. After all, if MBTI compatibility is used in reality, couples wouldn't be so unhappy, would they?

     Then how is this useful? Well, it is always still useful in understanding why certainly people in your life have a certain type of relationship with you. It is also fascinating to observe how accurate MBTI can be, especially for people whose MBTI has become fixed. 

     So, do I still believe in it? Well, yes, of course. It's not wrong; it's just unrealistic. As are many things in this world.