In competitive games like Clash Royale and Pokémon, players hit a cognitive ceiling: memorize hundreds of interactions, run real-time math, and predict the opponent — all at once.

The goal: build a cognitive-offloading tool that translates complex math into actionable empathy — rationalized space, the 10× rule (every element serves user intent), and data-informed empathy that shows why a decision fails, not just the failure itself.

The Clash Royale deck-finder pattern, decomposed into a reusable UX architecture: Input (the finder) → Discovery (results grid) → Understanding (the check).

Six team slots × four moves each — plus items, abilities, and EV spreads. The complexity space explodes, so the Understanding layer has to carry type matchups and damage ranges, or the tool isn't viable.

• "Cards I have" → format & presets — arena selection becomes a format picker plus quick-start meta matchups.
• Free entry → guarded entry — dropdown slots, search, and generation filters constrain input before choice paralysis sets in.

Every pick is a card with high-level stats surfaced immediately — tier badge, usage rate, typing, damage-taken chips — before a single calculation runs. Rationalized space: one card per decision.

What failed: exact damage calculations ("Earthquake deals 82% to 96%") — users still paused to do mental math.

The fix: borrow DeckShop's traffic-light logic. Replace percentages with visual threat gauges — SURVIVES · 2HKO RANGE · GUARANTEED OHKO — read at a glance, no arithmetic required.

• Role identification — sweeper, wall, hazard setter, speed control; teams audited by role.
• Gap analysis in traffic lights — missing Stealth Rock setter flagged amber; weaknesses guide manual fixes.
• Seamless integration — Showdown Export closes the loop between the web tool and actual gameplay.

Three concrete answers per Pokémon, each tagged by why it works. Speed tier context — ties, outspeeds, slower-thans — the info that decides turn one. The 10× rule applied: no decoration survives unless it serves a decision.