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I made this one night after reading some comments on a thread about clauses "preventing good strategy"... so I decided to try to educate those people.


Introduction.


Hello. Some of you may be competitive battling pros... some of you may have played a good game here and there, and are on your way to greatness... and some of you are still trying to beat the Elite 4.

Regardless of your skill level, if you ever want to battle seriously online, there are some rules called "clauses" that many good players will want to play with. Whether or not you personally use them is your business, but most high skill level tournaments, and people who believe in playing fair will want you to agree to some clauses.



So who makes these clauses?


People like you. No, it isn't Nintendo, or Game Freak that makes the clauses. It's players who spend a lot of free time to battle those cute little creatures you all enjoy collecting oh so much.

Clauses started appearing mostly when web communities like www.smogon.com began seriously discussing pokemon battling on a competitive level. Soon programs like "netbattle" made pokemon battling possible online even though Nintendo hadn't even began to dream of the DS and WiFi.

So, people started using strategies that were pretty much unfair. Some of you kids may call them legit strategies, but putting the entire enemy team to sleep, then calling it skill is not skillful. Winning because you got lucky on some 1HKO moves is not strategy... it's luck.

Like in most professional sports, whether you hate them or love them, skill is what really wins. Sure, people may call it "luck" but those players win because they are good at the game ((or are atheletic, but I think you get the point))




So, why should I follow, and encourage using these clauses



Because, it's the fair thing to do. Clauses are created after certain strategies and moves become so overused that they recreate the "metagame". This means that because the strategy is so ridiculously good, almost every team that hopes to win has to be centered around it.

If someone else wants to use a fair clause, then it's only right if you agree to it. If you really don't agree with the clause, then you need to let the person know before you battle. If you break a previously mentioned clause while battling, it's not only dishonorable and cowardly, but it pretty much means you lost.

Whether or not you choose to encourage using these clauses is your choice... just remember, after some idiot KOs your whole team by putting it to sleep, or gets ridiculously lucky with their luck based hold items, or you can't them after they've double teamed and passed it around, don't complain to me.




So... what exactly are these clauses?


There are many clauses, but only the ones that are actually valid become used in the mainstream. Exampled of highly used clauses, and are practically considered part of the Standard Rules for competitive battling are:


- Uber Clause: Basically states that no ubers shall be used in the battle. Ubers are mainly legendaries that are insanely powerful, as well as wobbufette, who for various reasons is unfair to use. Tyranitar is oftentimes debated to be an uber, especially with the many potential benefits his practically permanent sandstorm brings, and his legendary level stats. However, due to his weaknesses, and the fact that he hasn't really hindered higher skill level players from winning has kept him off of the uber list.


- Sleep Clause: The sleep clause means that you cannot put 2 enemy pokemon to sleep at the same time. This means, if you put my Gengar to sleep, and I switched out for Arcanine, you cannot put Arcanine to sleep until Gengar has woken up. However, if you KO the sleeping pokemon, or it wakes up, feel free to use your sleep moves again. Please note, that pokemon who have induced their own sleep, commonly through using Rest, then that does NOT count towards the clause.


- Evasion Clause: One of the most questioned clauses, but it's right up there with uber and sleep for importance. Basically, this clause means you cannot use evasion increasing moves like Double Team and Minimize. This clause has appeared due to the fact that any pokemon who can use TMs can learn double team, and there's no way to get rid of the evasion bonuses except through the move Haze, or if the opponent switches out. Further leading to the unfariness of double team is the fact that after 2 uses, only about 60% of your attacks can hit the foe at all... and to finish it off, double team can be baton passed to a stronger or faster or sturdier pokemon....

Just imagine this... you know those annoying blisseys/skarmorys/rhyperiors/other walls? Not only will it take multiple hits to take them down ((most of the time at least)) but now you can only hit them about 60% of the time.... Don't even get me started on how dangerous it is when you start giving that to sweepers... especially Garchomp, who can further increase his evasion through his sand veil ability.


- 1HKO move clause: Another biggie. Most people refuse to play if 1HKO moves ((sheer cold and the such)) are used because it's a 30% of auto killing. The only surefire counter to 1HKO moves is to have a focus sash, have an ability that prevents them, or to not get hit. While some may argue there's only a small chance of getting hit by them, this only makes it even more frustrating when a player that's better than another loses, or performes poorly, because he was hit by a sheer cold.

- Self KO Clause: This clause basically means that if your last pokemon self KOs or Destiny Bonds against your opponents last pokemon, your opponent wins, and not you. This is really more so to be fair.


- Luck "hax" items: Hax refers to when something unlucky occurs to you. Most of the time this is that 30% chance to freeze from ice beam, or something like that, and it's just the way the game goes. Although, when hold items, such as quick claw have that small chance of completely turning the game around... just out of sheer chance... it's frustrating and very simular to the 1HKO clause.

- Species Clause: Clause that means you can't have more than 1 of the same pokemon on your team. This is mainly used just because it's kind of annoying to see 4 Garchomps or something ridiculous like that. This clause is oftentimes not used, but will normally be active during tournament play.




The main ones ((Uber, Sleep, Evasion, Self KO, 1HKO, and Luck Items)) are the only ones that will really be used all the time... Even if you think they're stupid, just keep in mind it's what a lot of people will only play by.

So is the Item clause completely mandatory because I have 2 focus sash users

I need some new hold items too emo

do these take effect for just torunaments in the guild or through all battling in the guild? Because I jst went through several hours of work ot get a skarmory and a blissey for my team.........I suppose I could switch out skarmory, but he fits into my team.

Cool I wondered what a couple of these were, only one thing though....can someone tell me whats with the skarmory blissey thing?

Yes, there is a little bit of luck during battles. But hax items just throws way more unneeded luck into the mix. I think the amount of luck you need, without the hax items, is just right, compared with the skill you need. You can also not use pokemon that NEED luck items to fight... You know, since you're saying they're so crappy and all. Oh but you don't want to use OU. Blah blah blah, that's your fault.
Of course I would want an out of no where critical hit if I was being pwnt by a garchomp. But my opponent wouldn't. And if I was the guy owning, I'd be little annoyed that my opponent won out of sheer luck.



Aww, there's going to be 1HKO move clause for the tournament? I had a great strategy planned o_o (it has nothing to do with luck)

Quick Claw and the powder is banned. Everything else isn't.

Also, mention in the 1hko clause how Smeargles become king.

I thought band was banned since it's a chance of surviving, not sure fire.