Winning the entry hazards war or getting an Intimidate attack debuff on the opponent’s physical sweeper can make the difference between a win and a loss in competitive. It’s why Gholdengo is so ridiculously overpowered by being immune to status moves and why Pokemon with the Unaware ability are used so much despite having lacklustre stats.
In competitive Pokemon, buffs and debuffs are absolutely critical.
In a single player run, they’re useless.
Winning the entry hazards war or getting an Intimidate attack debuff on the opponent’s physical sweeper can make the difference between a win and a loss in competitive. It’s why Gholdengo is so ridiculously overpowered by being immune to status moves and why Pokemon with the Unaware ability are used so much despite having lacklustre stats.