Rule variants: Difference between revisions

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(I object to the large edit from several months ago, as it focuses solely on the US and not internationally. Also, results are already in dedicated yearly VGC articles, are they not?)
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===In tournaments===
===In tournaments===
====Nintendo Cup '97====
====Nintendo Cup '97====
This was the first official Pokémon tournament ever, and started in 1997 a series of annual tournaments sponsored by Nintendo, taking place in various locations across Japan. These tournaments, which would later be referred to as Nintendo Cups in the Japanese version of the [[Pokémon Stadium series]], established the first set of rule variants that would pave the way for all future tournaments and Pokémon games.  
A series of annual tournaments sponsored by Nintendo began in 1997, taking place in various locations across Japan. These tournaments, which would later be referred to as Nintendo Cups in the Japanese version of the [[Pokémon Stadium series]], established the first set of rule variants that would pave the way for all future tournaments and Pokémon games.  


In first of these tournaments, Nintendo Cup '97, [[Full Battle]]s did not take place due to time constraints. Instead, each player selected three Pokémon to battle after showing their party of six to their opponent.  
In first of these tournaments, Nintendo Cup '97, [[Full Battle]]s did not take place due to time constraints. Instead, each player selected three Pokémon to battle after showing their party of six to their opponent.  
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====Pokémon 2000 World Championship====
====Pokémon 2000 World Championship====
Thunder for Down Under, a worldwide qualifier, took place later the same year in North America. In this tournament, players from Australia, Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States all competed in regional championships, with the winners heading for the Pokémon 2000 World Championship, the first Pokémon World Championship, in Sydney, Australia.


The '''Pokémon 2000 World Championship''' was the first ever World Championship of the Pokémon videogames in history, and it would be the blueprint on which later championships would evolve from. It was timely conducted during the initial Pokémon's craze of the late'90s-early'00s; in fact some European competitors like those of the United Kingdom had just received {{game|Yellow}} and went to the championship with the Pokémania fully reigning in their homelands. The '''Pokémon 2000 World Championship''' was also purposely conducted at the same time and place than the {{wp|2000 Summer Olympics}} held in Sydney, Australia, to give the event a more sport-like appeal (8 years would have to pass by until the two events would be done at the same time again), and so the Sydney University was used as the venue to hold the Championship's world stage. It was the only World Championship of Generation I.
The championship was part of a 22-day event that started September 12 at Pokémon Park in Sydney University. The winner of the championship was Darryn Van Vuuren of the United Kingdom, followed by Edwin Krause of Germany in second, Sergio Garcia Maroto of Spain in third, and Ian Garvey of the United States in fourth.


The championship would start with Regional tournaments, then the best players of there would go to play the National tournaments, and then the best players of there would go to play the World stage in Sydney, Australia.
In North America, the qualifying events took place at four {{wp|Wizards of the Coast}} stores, with 32 entrants for each store.  
 
''Thunder for Down Under Contest – Pikachu's Search for America's Best Pokémon Master'', was the name of the United States' qualifier contest, taking place just a few months after the [[Pokémon 2000 Stadium Tour]]. However there was discomfort in American competitors around a perceived inferior organization compared to those of European countries like the United Kingdom. To win the trip to the World Championship, players competed in regional championships. The problem was that Nintendo only gave 4 places for these, they were: Garden City (NY), San Diego (CA), Fort Worth (TX) and Seattle (WA). That meant many people far away from theses places around USA would have difficulties to play there. Moreover, the qualifying events took place at the four {{wp|Wizards of the Coast}} stores in those cities, with just 32 entrants for each store. At the end, the champion of the USA Nationals was Ian Garvey, a.k.a. ''EeveeTrainer'' from Azure Heights, the top Pokémon competitive community of that era, comparable with Smogon nowadays.
 
Meanwhile, at the same time there were being conducted qualifiers for Australia, Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, and the United Kingdom, which together with those of the United States made a total of 8 involved countries, a figure that wouldn't be broken until 12 years later.
 
This championship had some quirks that wouldn't be repeated on later Video Game World Championships: for starters the Sidney segment was part of a 22-day event that started September 12, so the actual battles were conducted between September 20-22. All later Video Game World Championships would be scheduled for August, one month earlier than this. But the most striking one was that there weren't any ''Senior'' and ''Junior'' age divisions like those of later championships, all players competed in the same single division and so for example 5 years old children could play against teenagers. And last, there weren't any competitors from Japan, unlike future contests, just from USA and Europe.
 
At the end, the winner of the '''Pokémon 2000 World Championship''' was Darryn Van Vuuren of the United Kingdom, therefore converting himself in the first true Pokémon Master of all the world, and the best player in all the planet until the following World Championship came. Following him were Edwin Krause of Germany in second place, Sergio Garcia Maroto of Spain in third place, and the aforementioned Ian Garvey of the United States in fourth place.
 
That meant that this was the first time an USA player made it to the first 4 places, and also that the first player that ever reached 4° place in a World Championship, was from USA.
 
However, after this contest was finished, Nintendo surprisingly didn't made any more World Championships. There were not any Generation II championships, nor another Generation I one, and so people from competitive communities like the aforementioned Azure Heights that were expecting another competition on the following year (perhaps now with Generation II and [[Pokémon Stadium 2]]) were really dissapointed. There was much debate on the reasons why Nintendo wouldn't continue to make those events.
 
For 8 years, Nintendo wouldn't do another World Championship like this again, ocasionally organizing little promotional events like the 2001 ''Six Flags Pokémon Fun Fest'' (which involved giving Celebis as gifts) and other event-Pokémon offerings. It wouldn't be until the 2005 [[Pokémon Emerald Ultimate Frontier Brain Battle]] that they would start testing waters, to see if such a World event would be viable again.


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====Pokémon Emerald Ultimate Frontier Brain Battle====
====Pokémon Emerald Ultimate Frontier Brain Battle====
 
A small competition called the [[Pokémon Emerald Ultimate Frontier Brain Battle]] took place in 2005 to commemorate the international release of {{game|Emerald}}. Fourteen competitors were selected after a series of online quizzes, with a trip to {{OBP|PokéPark|theme park}} on the line.  
After 5 years since the last tournament held on American soil, an interest on holding new Pokémon battling contests was growing strong, and so the Pokémon Company began to test waters again.
 
A small competition called the [[Pokémon Emerald Ultimate Frontier Brain Battle]] took place in 2005 to commemorate the international release of {{game|Emerald}}. Fourteen competitors were selected after a series of online quizzes, with a trip to {{OBP|PokéPark|theme park}} on the line.


The tournament used the Single Battle format. Unlike other Generation III tournaments, all items were banned.  
The tournament used the Single Battle format. Unlike other Generation III tournaments, all items were banned.  
This contest would be very important because it was the first official competition of many American players that would compete years later in the Video Game World Championships.


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====???====
====???====
Following the ''[[Pokémon Emerald Ultimate Frontier Brain Battle]]'', another North American tournament took place during the [[Pokémon 10th Anniversary Journey Across America|Journey Across America]] tour in 2006 commemorating Pokémon's 10th anniversary.
Another North American tournament took place during the [[Pokémon 10th Anniversary Journey Across America|Journey Across America]] tour in 2006. The rules were similar to the Pokémon Festa 2004 rules; however, only event Pokémon were banned.  
 
The rules were similar to the Pokémon Festa 2004 rules; however, only event Pokémon were banned.
 
Notably, this would be the first official tournament of would-be [[Smogon]] people.


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====Pokémon Video Game Showdown 2008====
====Pokémon Video Game Showdown 2008====
 
In 2008, players from Japan and the United States competed against one another for the first time in the [[Pokémon Video Game Showdown 2008]]. The tournament took place in the in-game [[Double Cup]].
This championship started a whole new era, for the first time in 8 years, Pokémon had officialy a global-level tournament again. 3 generations later, on Generation IV, the [[Pokémon Video Game Showdown 2008]] was conducted to restart the Pokémon competitive scene. Its world stage was going to be held on August 16 in the Hilton Walt Disney World Resort Hotel from Orlando, Florida.
 
The singularity of this event was that this was the first time players from Japan and the United States competed officialy against one another in a World Championship. Notably the only 2 countries that were meant to compete there, were Japan and the United States, so this was the Video Game World Championship with the least number of countries competing.
 
The [[Pokémon Video Game Showdown 2008]] took place in the in-game [[Double Cup]]. For the first time it implemented the '''Junior''' and '''Senior''' age divisions on Pokémon Video Game tournaments that were originally from the TCG tournaments, so younger players would have a fairer chance on competition.
 
The [[Pokémon Video Game Showdown 2008]] finished this way:
 
'''Junior:'''<br/>
1°: Knight Silvayne (USA)<br/>
2°: Genki Taketomi (JAP)<br/>
3°: Takerou Toyonaga (JAP)<br/>
4°: Kento Mikata (JAP)
 
'''Senior:'''<br/>
1°: Izuru Yoshimura (JAP)<br/>
2°: Yasuhito Kajiwara (JAP)<br/>
3°: Hideaki Shimizu (JAP)<br/>
4°: Christopher Halordain-Tsai (USA)
 
Notably, this marked quite a few milestones:
 
* It was the first time an American player would make it to the podium (Knight Silvayne, from the '''Junior''' division).
* It was the first time an American player would win the 1° place (Knight Silvayne).
* This meant that the first winner ever of the '''Junior''' division was from USA.
* This was the first time two American players reached the first four places (Knight Silvayne and Christopher Halordain-Tsai).
* This meant that the first player ever who reached 4° place in the '''Senior''' division was from USA.


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====Pokémon Video Game Championships 2009====
====Pokémon Video Game Championships 2009====


In 2009, it was started the proper series named '''"Pokémon Video Game Championships"''', as this type of video game tournament was included in the yearly Pokémon World Championships, which previously only featured the TCG.
In 2009, the Pokémon Video Game Championships were included in the yearly Pokémon World Championships, which previously only featured the TCG. In the [[2009 World Championships|Video Game World Championships for 2009]], players could only use {{game|Platinum}}, and the [[form differences|alternate forms]] introduced in Platinum were ineligible. The [[Double Cup]] rules were reinstated.  
 
The world stage was held on August 14 and 15 at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront Hotel, in San Diego, California.
 
The number of countries involved rose to 5: now the participants were the winners of the Nationals from France, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
 
One of the rules in the [[2009 World Championships|Video Game World Championships for 2009]] was that players could only use {{game|Platinum}} with quite a few conditions: the [[form differences|alternate forms]] (like those of Rotom and Giratina) introduced in Platinum were ineligible. This was due to European countries not receiving {{game|Platinum}} yet, in fact the rules of this tournament stated that European players could only use {{game|Diamond and Pearl|s}}. The [[Double Cup]] rules were reinstated.
 
The [[2009 World Championships]] finished this way:
 
'''Junior:'''<br/>
1°: Jeremiah Fan (USA)<br/>
2°: Santa Ito (JAP)<br/>
3°: Kamran Jahadi (USA)<br/>
4°: Towa Takahashi (JAP)
 
'''Senior:'''<br/>
1°: Kazuyuki Tsuji (JAP)<br/>
2°: Tasuku Mano (JAP)<br/>
3°: Steven Wasserloos (USA)<br/>
4°: Grace Beck (USA)
 
Thus this marked more milestones:
 
* This was the first time that USA won 1° place on two consecutive championships ('''Junior''' divisions 2008 and 2009).
* This was the first time two USA players would make it into the same podium (Jeremiah Fan and Kamran Jahadi from '''Junior''' divisions).
* It was the first time an USA player would reach the '''Senior''' division podium (Steven Wasserloos).
* It was, along with Japan, the first time some country would win two consecutive championships on a division (USA with '''Juniors''', Japan with '''Seniors''').
* This was the first time USA put 3 players in the podium (Jeremiah Fan, Kamran Jahadi and Steven Wasserloos).
* This was the first time 4 USA players reached the first 4 places (Jeremiah Fan, Kamran Jahadi, Steven Wasserloos and Grace Beck).
* It was the first time an USA player would win the 3° place (in this case, two players made it).


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====Pokémon Video Game Championships 2010====
====Pokémon Video Game Championships 2010====
In 2010, powerful legendary Pokémon such as {{p|Mewtwo}} were allowed once again in the [[2010 World Championships]]. These Pokémon, referred to as '''special Pokémon''', were limited to two per team. Event-only Pokémon such as {{p|Mew}} were still banned.


In 2010, the ''Pokémon Video Game Championship'' proved to have been sucessful by being launched a new edition on that year. This time the world stage was held between August 13-15 at the Hilton Waikoloa Village Hotel, in Waikoloa, Hawaii.
The tournament used only {{game|HeartGold and SoulSilver|s}}, and the rules followed the [[GS Cup]] rule set found in [[Flat Battle]] mode. All Pokémon above level 50 were leveled down to 50, while Pokémon below level 50 will retain their levels. Also, Pokémon that evolve at levels above 50 like {{p|Dragonite}} and {{p|Tyranitar}} could compete.
 
The total number of participant countries rose to 6: France, Germany, Japan, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
 
The '''LCQ''' (''Last Chance Qualifier''), which was already implemented in the TCG tournaments, for the first time was implemented for the Video Games Championships. This allowed players another way of getting to play the World Championship, going round the Regional and National tournaments. However, qualifying chances were tighter, one lose and they would be eliminated.
 
Powerful legendary Pokémon such as {{p|Mewtwo}} were allowed once again in the [[2010 World Championships]]. These Pokémon, referred to as '''special Pokémon''', were allowed in the team with the condition that the players would be limited to have only up to two of them in a match. Event-only Pokémon such as {{p|Mew}} were still banned.
 
Like when the previous tournament was {{game|Platinum}} only, this tournament used only {{game|HeartGold and SoulSilver|s}}, and the rules followed the [[GS Cup]] rule set found in [[Flat Battle]] mode. All Pokémon above level 50 were leveled down to 50, while Pokémon below level 50 will retain their levels. Also, unlike previous tournaments, Pokémon that evolve at levels above 50 like {{p|Dragonite}} and {{p|Tyranitar}} could compete.
 
The World Championship finished this way:
 
'''Junior:'''<br/>
1°: Shota Yamamoto (JAP)<br/>
2°: Santa Ito (JAP)<br/>
3°: Ren Toriyama (JAP)<br/>
4°: Kippei Takaki (JAP)
 
'''Senior:'''<br/>
1°: Ray Rizzo (USA)<br/>
2°: Yasuki Tochigi (JAP)<br/>
3°: Isao Yoshioka (JAP)<br/>
4°: Wataru Onishi (JAP)
 
This marked '''a real milestone''' in the history of Pokémon: for the first time in history, an USA player won the main division of the Pokémon Video Game Championships, the '''Senior''' division, conquering on the way the Japanese adversity. This player was Ray Rizzo.
 
However, Japanese presence on the tournaments still was going strong, as the other 7 places on the first 4 places on each divisions were all Japanese players.


{{GBU|noko|Pokémon VGC 2010|black=no|white=no|heartgold=yes|soulsilver=yes|
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====Pokémon Video Game Championships 2011====
====Pokémon Video Game Championships 2011====
The [[2011 World Championships|2011 Video Game Championships]] became the venue for the first [[Generation V]] tournament. Its world stage was meant to be held between August 12-14 again like in 2009 at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront Hotel, in San Diego, California.
The [[2011 World Championships|2011 Video Game Championships]] became the venue for the first [[Generation V]] tournament. As with the first tournaments of [[Generation III]] and [[Generation IV]], only Pokémon in the [[List of Pokémon by Unova Pokédex number|Unova Pokédex]] may be used. The tournament continued to use the Double Battle format, and due to a [[Sky Drop glitch|glitch]] {{m|Sky Drop}} was banned in this format.
 
This edition a new feature from TCG tournaments was implemented: the '''Masters''' age division was added. From now on, competitors would play in '''Junior''' (which that year represented players born in 2000 or later), '''Senior''' (which that year represented players born between 1996 and 1999 included), or '''Masters''' (which that year represented players born in 1995 or earlier). This greatly expanded the number of participants the Video Game Championship could get, and relieved the pain for those that in previous tournaments had to line up for long hours and still didn't entered into the tournament because they were assigned a number that wasn't chosen. Notably, Ray Rizzo himself participated on the 2008 Showdown, '''but the following year he couldn't participate in the 2009 Video Game Championships''', because his number wasn't picked up.
 
Due to the natural disasters in that year in Japan, their National qualifier championships were cancelled, however, three Japanese players went anyway to participate in the world stage in San Diego, they were: Yasuki Tochigi (for the '''Masters''' division), Shota Yamamoto and Santa Ito (these last two for the '''Senior''' division). But they qualified because they were the 2010 '''Senior''' runner-up, the 2010 '''Junior''' champion, and the 2010 '''Junior''' runner-up, respectively.
 
And therefore the number of competitor countries that year rose to 8, equating the figure from 11 years earlier; these were the countries of: France, Germany, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
 
As with the first tournaments of [[Generation III]] and [[Generation IV]], only Pokémon in the [[List of Pokémon by Unova Pokédex number|Unova Pokédex]] may be used. The tournament continued to use the Double Battle format, and due to a [[Sky Drop glitch|glitch]] {{m|Sky Drop}} was banned in this format.
 
At the end of the championship, the results were:
 
'''Junior:'''<br/>
1°: Brian Hough (USA)<br/>
2°: Ian McLaughlin (USA)<br/>
3°: Brendan Zheng (USA)<br/>
4°: Sarah Lakehal (FRA)
 
'''Senior:'''<br/>
1°: Kamran Jahadi (USA)<br/>
2°: Sejun Park (KOR)<br/>
3°: Enosh Shachar (USA)<br/>
4°: Shota Yamamoto (JAP)
 
'''Masters:'''<br/>
1°: Ray Rizzo (USA)<br/>
2°: Matteo Gini (ITA)<br/>
3°: Matt Coyle (USA)<br/>
4°: Ruben Puig Lecegui (SPA)
 
Therefore making even more milestones in the Pokémon history:
 
* The first player that ever won two consecutive times the main division's World Championship was from USA, Ray Rizzo, who won the 2010 '''Seniors''' and the 2011 '''Masters'''.
* Moreover, he was also the first player ever in Pokémon's history that won at least two consecutive times, no player won two consecutive times before in '''Junior''' nor in '''Senior'''.
* For the first time, an entire podium of USA players was achieved (Brian Hough, Ian McLaughlin and Brendan Zheng from the '''Junior''' division).
* The first player ever to achieve the 1° place in '''Masters''' division was from USA, Ray Rizzo.
* The first player ever to achieve the 3° place in '''Masters''' division was from USA, Matt Coyle.
* For the first time, there were USA players in all 3 podiums.
* It was the first time a total of 7 players from USA reached the podium (Brian Hough, Ian McLaughlin, Brendan Zheng, Kamran Jahadi, Enosh Shachar, Ray Rizzo and Matt Coyle) or, likewise, the first 4 places.


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====Pokémon Video Game Championships 2012====
====Pokémon Video Game Championships 2012====
The [[2012 World Championships]] world stage was held between August 10-12 again like in 2010 at the Hilton Waikoloa Village Hotel, in Waikoloa, Hawaii.
With the proper return of Japan and the introduction of long-ignored Canada, this edition managed to beat the figure of 8 countries from the original 2000 World Championship of 12 years earlier, gathering people from 9 National qualifiers; those from: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
For the [[2012 World Championships|Pokémon Video Game Championships 2012]], all Pokémon from the National Pokédex may be used, with the exception of some. Most of the rules remain unchanged from the previous year, with the only difference with {{m|Dark Void}} being banned.
For the [[2012 World Championships|Pokémon Video Game Championships 2012]], all Pokémon from the National Pokédex may be used, with the exception of some. Most of the rules remain unchanged from the previous year, with the only difference with {{m|Dark Void}} being banned.
So this is the way the [[2012 World Championships]] ended:
'''Junior:'''<br/>
1°: Abram Burrows (USA)<br/>
2°: Brian Hough (USA)<br/>
3°: Brendan Zheng (USA)<br/>
4°: Kippei Takaki (JAP)
'''Senior:'''<br/>
1°: Toler Webb (USA)<br/>
2°: Jaime Martinez Alonzo (SPA)<br/>
3°: Nitesh Manem (CAN)<br/>
4°: Henry Maxon (USA)
'''Masters:'''<br/>
1°: Ray Rizzo (USA)<br/>
2°: Wolfe Glick (USA)<br/>
3°: Abel Martin Sanz (SPA)<br/>
4°: Joe Pulkowski (USA)
And so making many more milestones, which are the following:
* Ray Rizzo managed to be the first three-year consecutive main division's World Champion, and therefore be the best Pokémon trainer that have existed in all history of the franchise.
* Likewise, for the same reason it converted itself in the first three-year consecutive champion of any division.
* Also the only one who at least made it to the finals three-year consecutively.
* For the first time, both the champion and the runner-up of the main division's World Championship were from USA (Ray Rizzo and Wolfe Glick from '''Masters''' division).
* For the first time, all three champions from the three divisions were all from USA.
* It marked a record as 8 players from USA reached the 4 first places (Abram Burrows, Brian Hough, Brendan Zheng, Toler Webb, Henry Maxon, Ray Rizzo, Wolfe Glick and Joe Pulkowski from '''Masters''' division).
* For the first time, there were 3 USA players in the main division's first 4 places (Ray Rizzo, Wolfe Glick and Joe Pulkowski).
* As a reward from achieving the championship, the champions would be eternized by being introduced together with their teams in the {{game|Black 2 and White 2|s}}, and so the USA was first to ever achieve this reward, as the absolute group of 2012 champions were all American.


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{{GBU|noko|Pokémon VGC 2012|

Revision as of 02:20, 3 December 2012

050Diglett.png This article is incomplete.
Please feel free to edit this article to add missing information and complete it.

A rule variant refers to a Pokémon battle that follows certain regulations. While the main series Pokémon games have no restriction on the Pokémon that a player may use, rule variants often restrict the levels, species, items, and moves of Pokémon, or place time limits on battles.

Pokémon players have also created their own rule variants. These rules are frequently used in unofficial competitive play in order to maintain balance and to minimize the luck involved in battles.

Rules

While normally banning unreleased and/or illegitimate Pokémon, moves, items, and Abilities, there are other sets of rules set to be followed by players under tournaments or individual battles, may they be official or otherwise.

Clauses

Almost all of the rule variations in Pokémon have a certain set of rules, which are called clauses by the fanon. Clauses are put into play in order to prevent degenerate strategies, to prevent the game from becoming stagnant, or to eliminate ties, among other reasons. The following clauses are often used in official tournaments, console Pokémon games, and unofficial battles:

  • Species Clause: All of the Pokémon on a player's team must be of different species or National Pokédex number.
  • Item Clause: Each Pokémon on a player's team must be holding different items.
  • Self-KO Clause (also known as Kamikaze Clause): The player automatically loses if his last Pokémon uses Selfdestruct or Explosion. Destiny Bond and Perish Song also fail when used by the last Pokémon.
  • Event Clause: Pokémon and items that have only been released through events, such as Mew, are ineligible. This is often unheard of due to the Pokémon (and sometimes items) banned being specified.
  • Sleep Clause: Each player can only have one Pokémon asleep at a time (Pokémon that are put to sleep due to Rest do not count).
  • Freeze Clause: Each player can only have one Pokémon frozen at a time.
  • Evasion Clause: Double Team, Minimize, BrightPowder, and Lax Incense are banned. In some tournaments, the Abilities Sand Veil and Snow Cloak cannot be used with sandstorm or hail, respectively. Also, sometimes Acupressure and Moody are prohibted by this clause due to the possibility of raising evasiveness.
  • One-hit KO Clause (simplified as the OHKO Clause): One-hit KO moves, Fissure, Horn Drill, Guillotine, and Sheer Cold, are banned.
  • Hax Item Clause: Items that rely on chance, such as Focus Band and Quick Claw are banned. This clause is a "soft ban", and is usually ignored.
  • Hidden Power Clause: The move Hidden Power is banned, as the chances of legitimately obtaining a Pokémon with high Individual Values and an ideal type are extremely low. Alternatively, the move Hidden Power may only be banned on legendary Pokémon. Like the hax item clause, this clause is rarely enforced.
  • Sleep Trapping Clause: Followed mainly in Generation II competitive play, sleep-inducing moves cannot be used in conjunction with moves that trap the opposing Pokémon, such as Mean Look.

Other rules

There are other rules normally followed only by official tournaments, such as:

  • No two or more Pokémon can have the same nickname.
  • Pokémon cannot be nicknamed with the name of another Pokémon (i.e. An Unfezant named "Pidove" or "Arbok").

In addition, official Generation V tournaments have required the use of the Battle Box feature introduced by Pokémon Black and White.

Tiers

Main article: Tier

In competitive play, Pokémon are divided into tiers. A Pokémon's tier placing depends on several factors, including its base stats, type, movepool, and usage.

Tiers also serve as banlists. Battles take place according to tier, with all Pokémon in a higher tier banned. In the most common metagame, the Standard or Overused metagame, all Pokémon in the Uber tier are banned. In the Underused metagame, all Pokémon in the Borderline or higher tiers are banned.

In certain countries, such as France and Mexico, players are only allowed to use a maximum of one Pokémon out of a select group of Pokémon. This group of Pokémon is usually limited to legendary and pseudo-legendary Pokémon.

Generation I

In the games

Pokémon Stadium (Japanese)

The first Pokémon Stadium game, which was only released in Japan in 1998, was heavily based on the first two Japanese tournaments.

The game featured a tournament mode with two divisions: the L1-30 division, based on Nintendo Cup '98, and the L50-55 division, based on Nintendo Cup '99. The finalists from the Nintendo Cup '97 appeared as opponents in the L50-55 Division.

Each division featured a set of rules that would become standard for all console games:

  • The species, Self-KO, sleep, and freeze clauses are in effect.
  • Both teams are shown before the battle, and each player must select three Pokémon to battle.
  • Players have to defeat eight Trainers in a row to win the tournament. Upon losing, players must start over from the beginning. Unlike future console games, however, there are no Continues.

Certain tournaments have four divisions: the Poké, Great, Ultra, and Master Ball divisions. After a player clears a division, the next division is unlocked. If all four divisions are beaten, the player wins the Cup. In this game, the L1-30 Division had four divisions.

The game also featured a Free Battle mode where players could customize their rules.

L1-30 Division L50-55 Division
Level Limit 1-30 50-55
Total Level N/A 155

Pokémon Yellow

The Cable Club in Pokémon Red, Green, and Blue featured no rule regulations. However, Pokémon Yellow featured an exclusive battle arena, Colosseum 2, with three Cups.

Each player could only use three Pokémon, and no additional rules were in effect, with the exception of level limitations. These Cups would later be used in the international Pokémon Stadium and future international tournaments.

Pika Cup Petit Cup Poké Cup
Level Limit 15-20 25-30 50-55
Total Level 50 80 155

Pokémon Stadium

The Japanese Stadium Cups in Pokémon Stadium

A second Pokémon Stadium game, which would be released internationally as Pokémon Stadium, came out later in the year. In this game, the tournaments were called Stadium Cups. In the Stadium Cups, a Continue is earned when a player wins a battle without losing any Pokémon. If a player loses a battle, a Continue can be used to re-try the previous battle.

All versions of Pokémon Stadium featured the Pika and Petit Cups from Pokémon Yellow Version's Colosseum 2, along with the Prime Cup, a no-holds barred tournament based on the normal Cable Club battles.

The Japanese version, known as Pokémon Stadium 2, also features three Nintendo Cups based on the first three Japanese tournaments, Nintendo Cups '97, '98, and '99. In-game representatives of its real-life participants appeared as opponents in Nintendo Cup '98, while Nintendo Cup '99 and the Prime Cup each had four divisions. When both Cups were cleared, the player would earn an upgrade in the Game Boy Tower. All three cups followed the species, self-Ko, sleep, freeze, and event clauses.

Nintendo Cup '97 Nintendo Cup '98 Nintendo Cup '99
Level Limit 50-55 1-30 1-50
Total Level 155 N/A N/A

In the international versions, the Nintendo Cups were replaced with the Poké Cup from Yellow's Colosseum 2. The Poké Cup featured the four divisions and the arena of Nintendo Cup '99, and had to be cleared in tandem with the Prime Cup to unlock the Game Boy Tower upgrade. Due to its similarity to the Nintendo Cups, it is referred to as the "official Pokémon tournament". All four Cups had the species, self-KO, sleep, and freeze clauses, while only the Pika and Poké Cups had the event clause.

Pika Cup Petit Cup Poké Cup Prime Cup
Level Limit 15-20 25-30 50-55 N/A
Total Level 50 80 155 N/A

Pokémon Stadium also introduced a Gym Leader Castle, where the player had to defeat the eight Gym Leaders and the Elite Four of the Generation I games. While the Castle featured no level restrictions, all of the opposing Pokémon would be at level 50 by default. If the player used a higher leveled Pokémon, all of the opponents' Pokémon would be at the same level as the player's highest-leveled Pokémon. A similar auto-leveling feature would appear in the Generation III Battle Frontier and future battling facilities. The Castle also featured the same clauses as the Stadium Cups.

Pokémon Stadium was also the first Pokémon game that allowed more than two players to battle at a time. Up to four players could compete in the Free Battle mode; if two players were on a team, each player could only select and control three Pokémon. A similar mode of play, Multi Battle, was introduced in the Generation III main series games.

In tournaments

Nintendo Cup '97

A series of annual tournaments sponsored by Nintendo began in 1997, taking place in various locations across Japan. These tournaments, which would later be referred to as Nintendo Cups in the Japanese version of the Pokémon Stadium series, established the first set of rule variants that would pave the way for all future tournaments and Pokémon games.

In first of these tournaments, Nintendo Cup '97, Full Battles did not take place due to time constraints. Instead, each player selected three Pokémon to battle after showing their party of six to their opponent.

The finalists in the tournament appeared as opponents in the first two Japanese Pokémon Stadium games released. In addition, most of the Pokémon that appeared in Pokémon Stadium were selected due to their tournament performance. [1]

JP Nintendo Cup '97      
R
G
B
Y
St
St
G
S
C
St2
R
S
E
FR
LG
Colo
XD
D
P
Pt
HG
SS
PBR
B
W
B2
W2
Duration ???
Registration ???
Release of Rankings N/A
Maximum Entries ???
  Clauses  
Evasion Clause
Sleep Clause
Freeze Clause
Self-KO Clause
Item Clause
Species Clause
Info
  Banned Pokémon  
Pokémon from the following Generations:
I
II
III
IV
V

MewtwoMew
  Banned Items  
Soul Dew
Enigma Berry
Leftovers (on Wobbuffet)
ALL
NONE
N/A
  Banned Moves  
  Sky Drop  
  Dark Void  
  Hyper Beam  
  Hyper Beam  
  Hyper Beam  
NONE
  Rules  
Format Single Battle
Party 3 per battle
6 per entry
Format Party
Single Battle 3 per battle
3-6 per entry
Double Battle 4 per battle
4-6 per entry
Triple Battle 6 per battle
6 per entry
Rotation Battle 4 per battle
4-6 per entry
Battle Time ???
Command Time ???
Total Level 155
Level Range 50-55
  Clauses  
Evasion Clause
Sleep Clause
Freeze Clause
Self-KO Clause
Item Clause
Species Clause
  • All Pokémon, items, moves, and Abilities unreleased or unobtainable legitimately during the duration of the battles under Nintendo Cup '97 are also banned, but they are not specifically listed.

Nintendo Cup '98

In the next tournament, Nintendo Cup '98, which made use of the newly-released Pokémon Stadium game, only Pokémon that were available in the said game were allowed to participate, limiting the selection to only a few Pokémon.

JP Nintendo Cup '98      
R
G
B
Y
St
St
G
S
C
St2
R
S
E
FR
LG
Colo
XD
D
P
Pt
HG
SS
PBR
B
W
B2
W2
Duration ???
Registration ???
Release of Rankings N/A
Maximum Entries ???
  Clauses  
Evasion Clause
Sleep Clause
Freeze Clause
Self-KO Clause
Item Clause
Species Clause
A pass for the Nintendo Cup '98
  Pokémon Not Banned  
Pokémon from the following Generations:
I
II
III
IV
V

BeedrillFearowPikachuNidoqueenNidokingDugtrioPrimeapeArcanineAlakazamMachampGolemMagnetonCloysterGengarOnixHypnoElectrodeExeggutorChanseyKangaskhanStarmieScytherJynxPinsirTaurosGyaradosLaprasDittoVaporeonJolteonFlareonAerodactylSnorlaxMewtwoMew
  Banned Items  
Soul Dew
Enigma Berry
Leftovers (on Wobbuffet)
ALL
NONE
N/A
  Banned Moves  
  Sky Drop  
  Dark Void  
  Hyper Beam  
  Hyper Beam  
  Hyper Beam  
NONE
  Rules  
Format Single Battle
Party 3 per battle
6 per entry
Format Party
Single Battle 3 per battle
3-6 per entry
Double Battle 4 per battle
4-6 per entry
Triple Battle 6 per battle
6 per entry
Rotation Battle 4 per battle
4-6 per entry
Battle Time ???
Command Time ???
Total Level None
Level Cap 30
  Clauses  
Evasion Clause
Sleep Clause
Freeze Clause
Self-KO Clause
Item Clause
Species Clause
  • All Pokémon, items, moves, and Abilities unreleased or unobtainable legitimately during the duration of the battles under Nintendo Cup '98 are also banned, but they are not specifically listed.

Nintendo Cup '99

The third tournament, Nintendo Cup '99, combined aspects from the previous two tournaments.

In addition to the legendary Pokémon Mewtwo and Mew, the Pokémon used by the finalists in Nintendo Cup '98 were also banned from the tournament.

JP Nintendo Cup '99      
R
G
B
Y
St
St
G
S
C
St2
R
S
E
FR
LG
Colo
XD
D
P
Pt
HG
SS
PBR
B
W
B2
W2
Duration ???
Registration ???
Release of Rankings N/A
Maximum Entries ???
  Clauses  
Evasion Clause
Sleep Clause
Freeze Clause
Self-KO Clause
Item Clause
Species Clause
Info
  Pokémon Not Banned  
Pokémon from the following Generations:
I
II
III
IV
V

VenusaurDugtrioAlakazamGolemMagnetonGengarHypnoElectrodeExeggutorChanseyKangaskhanStarmieJynxTaurosGyaradosLaprasDittoVaporeonJolteonAerodactylSnorlaxArticunoZapdosDragoniteMewtwoMew
  Banned Items  
Soul Dew
Enigma Berry
Leftovers (on Wobbuffet)
ALL
NONE
N/A
  Banned Moves  
  Sky Drop  
  Dark Void  
  Hyper Beam  
  Hyper Beam  
  Hyper Beam  
NONE
  Rules  
Format Single Battle
Party 3 per battle
6 per entry
Format Party
Single Battle 3 per battle
3-6 per entry
Double Battle 4 per battle
4-6 per entry
Triple Battle 6 per battle
6 per entry
Rotation Battle 4 per battle
4-6 per entry
Battle Time ???
Command Time ???
Total Level None
Level Cap 50
  Clauses  
Evasion Clause
Sleep Clause
Freeze Clause
Self-KO Clause
Item Clause
Species Clause
  • All Pokémon, items, moves, and Abilities unreleased or unobtainable legitimately during the duration of the battles under Nintendo Cup '99 are also banned, but they are not specifically listed.

???

The first North American tournament was held during the Pokémon 2000 Stadium Tour, which took place to promote Pokémon Stadium. Competitors were separated into three skill groups: Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced. Each skill group featured three divisions from Pokémon Stadium: the Pika Cup, Poké Cup, and the Prime Cup.

Each Cup division only lasted for two rounds. Each participant received a Pokémon Stadium Tour Competition Badge; in addition, players who won one match would receive a Boulder Badge while players who won both matches would receive the Cascade Badge.

NA ???      
R
G
B
Y
St
St
G
S
C
St2
R
S
E
FR
LG
Colo
XD
D
P
Pt
HG
SS
PBR
B
W
B2
W2
Duration ???
Registration ???
Release of Rankings N/A
Maximum Entries ???
  Clauses  
Evasion Clause
Sleep Clause
Freeze Clause
Self-KO Clause
Item Clause
Species Clause
Pokémon 2000 Stadium Tour logo
  Banned Pokémon  
Pokémon from the following Generations:
I
II
III
IV
V

NONE
  Banned Items  
Soul Dew
Enigma Berry
Leftovers (on Wobbuffet)
ALL
NONE
N/A
  Banned Moves  
  Sky Drop  
  Dark Void  
  Hyper Beam  
  Hyper Beam  
  Hyper Beam  
NONE
  Rules  
Format Single Battle
Party 3 per battle
6 per entry
Format Party
Single Battle 3 per battle
3-6 per entry
Double Battle 4 per battle
4-6 per entry
Triple Battle 6 per battle
6 per entry
Rotation Battle 4 per battle
4-6 per entry
Battle Time ???
Command Time ???
Total Level ???
Level Cap ???
  Clauses  
Evasion Clause
Sleep Clause
Freeze Clause
Self-KO Clause
Item Clause
Species Clause
  • All Pokémon, items, moves, and Abilities unreleased or unobtainable legitimately during the duration of the battles under ??? are also banned, but they are not specifically listed.

Pokémon 2000 World Championship

Thunder for Down Under, a worldwide qualifier, took place later the same year in North America. In this tournament, players from Australia, Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States all competed in regional championships, with the winners heading for the Pokémon 2000 World Championship, the first Pokémon World Championship, in Sydney, Australia.

The championship was part of a 22-day event that started September 12 at Pokémon Park in Sydney University. The winner of the championship was Darryn Van Vuuren of the United Kingdom, followed by Edwin Krause of Germany in second, Sergio Garcia Maroto of Spain in third, and Ian Garvey of the United States in fourth.

In North America, the qualifying events took place at four Wizards of the Coast stores, with 32 entrants for each store.

NA

PAL
Pokémon 2000 World Championship      
R
G
B
Y
St
St
G
S
C
St2
R
S
E
FR
LG
Colo
XD
D
P
Pt
HG
SS
PBR
B
W
B2
W2
Duration ???
Registration ???
Release of Rankings N/A
Maximum Entries ???
  Clauses  
Evasion Clause
Sleep Clause
Freeze Clause
Self-KO Clause
Item Clause
Species Clause
Info
  Banned Pokémon  
Pokémon from the following Generations:
I
II
III
IV
V

MewtwoMew
  Banned Items  
Soul Dew
Enigma Berry
Leftovers (on Wobbuffet)
ALL
NONE
N/A
  Banned Moves  
  Sky Drop  
  Dark Void  
  Hyper Beam  
  Hyper Beam  
  Hyper Beam  
NONE
  Rules  
Format Single Battle
Party 3 per battle
6 per entry
Format Party
Single Battle 3 per battle
3-6 per entry
Double Battle 4 per battle
4-6 per entry
Triple Battle 6 per battle
6 per entry
Rotation Battle 4 per battle
4-6 per entry
Battle Time ???
Command Time ???
Total Level None
Level Cap 100
  Clauses  
Evasion Clause
Sleep Clause
Freeze Clause
Self-KO Clause
Item Clause
Species Clause
  • All Pokémon, items, moves, and Abilities unreleased or unobtainable legitimately during the duration of the battles under Pokémon 2000 World Championship are also banned, but they are not specifically listed.

Generation II

In the games

Pokémon Stadium 2

The final Pokémon Stadium game, Pokémon Stadium 2, featured four Stadium Cups in all versions. The Poké and Prime Cups returned from the original; however, the Prime Cup only had one division. The Little Cup and the Challenge Cup were added, with the latter featuring four divisions. On the other hand, the moves Dragon Rage and SonicBoom were banned in the Little Cup, making it the first rule variant to prohibit certain attacks. In the game, players could customize and save various sets of rules. Still, all cups follow the species, item, self-KO, sleep, and freeze clauses; only the Prime Cup follows the event clause. With a total limit of 155, only the Poké Cup has a total level limit.

Little Cup Challenge Cup Poké Cup Prime Cup
Level Limit 5 Varies 50-55 N/A

Pokémon Crystal

Pokémon Crystal introduced the first Battle Tower, a special battling facility. The Battle Tower's rules were similar to Pokémon Stadium's, and this was later followed by future Battle Towers:

  • Players must select three different Pokémon to battle.
  • All Pokémon must be holding different items.
  • The player must defeat seven opponents in a row. The challenge can only be interrupted by saving between battles; otherwise, the Trainer will be disqualified.

A change from the Pokémon Stadium games, a draw would end the player's streak, even if the opponent's Pokémon caused the draw with a move such as Explosion. Also, items could not be used from the Bag.

In the Japanese version, players could access a ranking system by connecting with the Pokémon Mobile System GB. Each player would be ranked based on their streak, and the computers would use the teams of various Trainers. A similar feature would be used in the Generation IV Battle Tower.

Unlike future Battle Towers, powerful legendary and event Pokémon could be used in the level 70 and higher divisions.

In tournaments

Nintendo Cup 2000

File:2000 Cup logo.gif
Nintendo Cup 2000 logo

In Japan, a fourth tournament for a Pokémon game, Nintendo Cup 2000, was held using Pokémon Gold and Silver. Similar to Nintendo Cup '97, the tournament took place using Pokémon from levels 50-55, with a total limit of 155.

JP Nintendo Cup 2000      
R
G
B
Y
St
St
G
S
C
St2
R
S
E
FR
LG
Colo
XD
D
P
Pt
HG
SS
PBR
B
W
B2
W2
Duration ???
Registration ???
Release of Rankings N/A
Maximum Entries ???
  Clauses  
Evasion Clause
Sleep Clause
Freeze Clause
Self-KO Clause
Item Clause
Species Clause
Additional rule:
  Banned Pokémon  
Pokémon from the following Generations:
I
II
III
IV
V

MewtwoMewLugiaHo-OhCelebi
  Banned Items  
Soul Dew
Enigma Berry
Leftovers (on Wobbuffet)
ALL
NONE
N/A
  Banned Moves  
  Sky Drop  
  Dark Void  
  Hyper Beam  
  Hyper Beam  
  Hyper Beam  
NONE
  Rules  
Format Single Battle
Party 3 per battle
6 per entry
Format Party
Single Battle 3 per battle
3-6 per entry
Double Battle 4 per battle
4-6 per entry
Triple Battle 6 per battle
6 per entry
Rotation Battle 4 per battle
4-6 per entry
Battle Time ???
Command Time ???
Total Level None
Level Range 50-55
  Clauses  
Evasion Clause
Sleep Clause
Freeze Clause
Self-KO Clause
Item Clause
Species Clause
  • All Pokémon, items, moves, and Abilities unreleased or unobtainable legitimately during the duration of the battles under Nintendo Cup 2000 are also banned, but they are not specifically listed.

Mobile Cup 2001

Photo logo from Mobile Cup 2001

The second Generation II tournament, Mobile Cup 2001, was a not-so-well-known tournament with 1000 players that used the Japan-only Pokémon Mobile System GB, a feature exclusive only to Japanese Pokémon Crystal games.

Each battle had a ten-minute time limit; if a decision was not made by that time, tournament officials would decide the outcome. Unlike previous tournaments, there were no limits on the number of Pokémon that could be asleep or frozen or moves that the last Pokémon could use.

JP Mobile Cup 2001      
R
G
B
Y
St
St
G
S
C
St2
R
S
E
FR
LG
Colo
XD
D
P
Pt
HG
SS
PBR
B
W
B2
W2
Duration ???
Registration ???
Release of Rankings N/A
Maximum Entries ???
  Clauses  
Evasion Clause
Sleep Clause
Freeze Clause
Self-KO Clause
Item Clause
Species Clause
Info
  Banned Pokémon  
Pokémon from the following Generations:
I
II
III
IV
V

MewCelebi
  Banned Items  
Soul Dew
Enigma Berry
Leftovers (on Wobbuffet)
ALL
NONE
N/A
  Banned Moves  
  Sky Drop  
  Dark Void  
  Hyper Beam  
  Hyper Beam  
  Hyper Beam  
NONE
  Rules  
Format Single Battle
Party 3 per battle
6 per entry
Format Party
Single Battle 3 per battle
3-6 per entry
Double Battle 4 per battle
4-6 per entry
Triple Battle 6 per battle
6 per entry
Rotation Battle 4 per battle
4-6 per entry
Battle Time 10 minutes
Command Time ???
Total Level None
Level Cap 30
  Clauses  
Evasion Clause
Sleep Clause
Freeze Clause
Self-KO Clause
Item Clause
Species Clause
  • All Pokémon, items, moves, and Abilities unreleased or unobtainable legitimately during the duration of the battles under Mobile Cup 2001 are also banned, but they are not specifically listed.

Generation III

In the games

Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire

Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire introduced Double Battles, where each player battled with two Pokémon at a time. In Double Battles, certain attacks affect multiple Pokémon and certain abilities, such as Plus and Minus, only take effect in Double Battles. While Double Battles were rarely touched upon in the storyline, the format has been used in almost every tournament since the one held in Pokémon Festa 2004 and is the main format in the story modes of Pokémon Colosseum and Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness.

In the Cable Club, four players could play a Double Battle variant called the Multi Battle. Similar to Pokémon Stadium, each player could only select and control three Pokémon at a time.

Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire featured a Battle Tower extremely similar to Pokémon Crystal's. However, only two divisions were available: the Level 50 and the Level 100 division. Also, Double Battles could not be conducted.

Pokémon Colosseum

In Pokémon Colosseum, the Stadium Cups were replaced with Colosseums. While the general clauses remained from the Pokémon Stadium series, the Colosseums had no special rules in place, with the exception of level divisions. Each Colosseum could be challenged in a single or Double Battle format.

Pokémon Colosseum also introduced Poké Coupons, which were rewarded to the player upon completing portions of Mt. Battle. Poké Coupons could be traded in for various TMs or items; however, the player received a 15% penalty for each legendary Pokémon used.

Division Phenac Pyrite Under Orre Tower
Level 50 Yes Yes Yes Yes No
Level 100 No No No Yes Yes

Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen

In the remakes of the first Generation I games, a Battle Tower was not present; instead, Trainer Tower took its place.

While the Battle Tower valued winning streaks, Trainer Tower prioritized speed. In the Japanese version, players could scan e-Cards to change the floor layouts; in international versions, the e-Reader support was removed, and many of the card layouts were incorporated into the Tower.

Trainer Tower featured four modes of play: Singles, Doubles, Knockout, and Mixed. In a Knockout Battle, the player had to defeat three Trainers in a single battle consecutively. The Mixed mode incorporated battles from the other three layouts.

Unlike the Battle Tower, no clauses were in effect, items could be used from the Bag, and the player could interrupt their challenge to use the Pokémon Center in the lobby at any time.

In addition, a special battle format was present in the Union Room. Each Trainer could select two Pokémon up to Level 30 in a Single Battle format.

Pokémon Emerald

Pokémon Emerald introduced the first Battle Frontier. In addition to the Battle Tower, it featured six other facilities with special rules, similar to the Stadium Cups.

Each facility could be challenged in a Single Battle or a Double Battle format. In addition, two players could team up in a Multi Battle format, where each player could control two Pokémon at a time. Players could battle in a Level 50 division or an Open Level division where all of the opponent's Pokémon would be at the same level as the player's highest-leveled Pokémon.

Unlike the previous Battle Tower, players would not receive items after winning a streak. Instead, players received Battle Points. Like Poké Coupons, Battle Points could be saved and traded in for certain items or attacks; however, there was no penalty for using legendary Pokémon.

In addition, Trainer Hill was added, which is similar to Trainer Tower.

Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness

Unlike Pokémon Colosseum, Pokémon XD does not feature a Battle Mode. However, after completing the game, the player may challenge the Orre Colosseum, which has similar regulations to the Colosseums in Battle Mode.

Like almost all of the battles in the game, the Colosseum uses the Double Battle format.

no

KO
Orre Colosseum      
R
G
B
Y
St
St
G
S
C
St2
R
S
E
FR
LG
Colo
XD
D
P
Pt
HG
SS
PBR
B
W
B2
W2
Duration N/A
Registration N/A
Release of Rankings N/A
Maximum Entries N/A
  Clauses  
Evasion Clause
Sleep Clause
Freeze Clause
Self-KO Clause
Item Clause
Species Clause
Info
  Banned Pokémon  
Pokémon from the following Generations:
I
II
III
IV
V

DragoniteMewtwoMewTyranitarLugiaHo-OhCelebiKyogreGroudonRayquazaJirachiDeoxysDeoxysDeoxysDeoxys
  Banned Items  
Soul Dew
Enigma Berry
Leftovers (on Wobbuffet)
ALL
NONE
N/A
  Banned Moves  
  Sky Drop  
  Dark Void  
  Hyper Beam  
  Hyper Beam  
  Hyper Beam  
NONE
  Rules  
Format Double Battle
Party 4 per battle
6 per entry
Format Party
Single Battle 3 per battle
3-6 per entry
Double Battle 4 per battle
4-6 per entry
Triple Battle 6 per battle
6 per entry
Rotation Battle 4 per battle
4-6 per entry
Battle Time ???
Command Time ???
Total Level None
Level Cap 60
  Clauses  
Evasion Clause
Sleep Clause
Freeze Clause
Self-KO Clause
Item Clause
Species Clause
  • All Pokémon, items, moves, and Abilities unreleased or unobtainable legitimately during the duration of the battles under Orre Colosseum are also banned, but they are not specifically listed.

In tournaments

050Diglett.png This section is incomplete.
Please feel free to edit this section to add missing information and complete it.
Reason: Misc. official/Nintendo-supported tournaments worldwide

???

The first tournament of Generation III took place during Pokémon Festa 2003. Unlike previous Japanese tournaments, two divisions were available: a Level 50 and a Level 100 Division. The tournament used the Single Battle format, and only Pokémon from the Hoenn Pokédex could be used. Players that won three consecutive rounds won a Jirachi.

JP ???      
R
G
B
Y
St
St
G
S
C
St2
R
S
E
FR
LG
Colo
XD
D
P
Pt
HG
SS
PBR
B
W
B2
W2
Duration ???
Registration ???
Release of Rankings N/A
Maximum Entries ???
  Clauses  
Evasion Clause
Sleep Clause
Freeze Clause
Self-KO Clause
Item Clause
Species Clause
Info
  Banned Pokémon  
Pokémon from the following Generations:
I
II
III
IV
V

Jirachi
  Banned Items  
Soul Dew
Enigma Berry
Leftovers (on Wobbuffet)
ALL
NONE
N/A
  Banned Moves  
  Sky Drop  
  Dark Void  
  Hyper Beam  
  Hyper Beam  
  Hyper Beam  
NONE
  Rules  
Format Double Battle
Party ??? per battle
6 per entry
Format Party
Single Battle 3 per battle
3-6 per entry
Double Battle 4 per battle
4-6 per entry
Triple Battle 6 per battle
6 per entry
Rotation Battle 4 per battle
4-6 per entry
Battle Time ???
Command Time ???
Total Level None
Level Cap 50 or 100
  Clauses  
Evasion Clause
Sleep Clause
Freeze Clause
Self-KO Clause
Item Clause
Species Clause
  • All Pokémon, items, moves, and Abilities unreleased or unobtainable legitimately during the duration of the battles under ??? are also banned, but they are not specifically listed.

???

The following tournament took place at Pokémon Festa 2004. This tournament used the Double Battle format, which would be the official format for all future tournaments. Unlike single battles, each player selected four Pokémon for battle. In addition to the previous rules, new restrictions were placed on nicknames: no vulgarities are to be used nor any Pokémon could be named after another Pokémon (e.g. a Smeargle nicknamed "KYOGRE").

As Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen were released earlier that year, almost all of the Pokémon in the National Pokédex were available for use.

JP ???      
R
G
B
Y
St
St
G
S
C
St2
R
S
E
FR
LG
Colo
XD
D
P
Pt
HG
SS
PBR
B
W
B2
W2
Duration ???
Registration ???
Release of Rankings N/A
Maximum Entries ???
  Clauses  
Evasion Clause
Sleep Clause
Freeze Clause
Self-KO Clause
Item Clause
Species Clause
Info
  Banned Pokémon  
Pokémon from the following Generations:
I
II
III
IV
V

DragoniteMewtwoMewTyranitarLugiaHo-OhCelebiKyogreGroudonRayquazaJirachiDeoxysDeoxysDeoxys
  Banned Items  
Soul Dew
Enigma Berry
Leftovers (on Wobbuffet)
ALL
NONE
N/A
  Banned Moves  
  Sky Drop  
  Dark Void  
  Hyper Beam  
  Hyper Beam  
  Hyper Beam  
NONE
  Rules  
Format Double Battle
Party 4 per battle
6 per entry
Format Party
Single Battle 3 per battle
3-6 per entry
Double Battle 4 per battle
4-6 per entry
Triple Battle 6 per battle
6 per entry
Rotation Battle 4 per battle
4-6 per entry
Battle Time ???
Command Time ???
Total Level None
Level Cap 50
  Clauses  
Evasion Clause
Sleep Clause
Freeze Clause
Self-KO Clause
Item Clause
Species Clause
  • All Pokémon, items, moves, and Abilities unreleased or unobtainable legitimately during the duration of the battles under ??? are also banned, but they are not specifically listed.

???

The tournament of Pokémon Festa 2005 featured nearly identical restrictions; however, Kyogre and Groudon were also banned.

JP ???      
R
G
B
Y
St
St
G
S
C
St2
R
S
E
FR
LG
Colo
XD
D
P
Pt
HG
SS
PBR
B
W
B2
W2
Duration ???
Registration ???
Release of Rankings N/A
Maximum Entries ???
  Clauses  
Evasion Clause
Sleep Clause
Freeze Clause
Self-KO Clause
Item Clause
Species Clause
Info
  Banned Pokémon  
Pokémon from the following Generations:
I
II
III
IV
V

DragoniteMewtwoMewTyranitarLugiaHo-OhCelebiKyogreGroudonRayquazaJirachiDeoxysDeoxysDeoxysDeoxys
  Banned Items  
Soul Dew
Enigma Berry
Leftovers (on Wobbuffet)
ALL
NONE
N/A
  Banned Moves  
  Sky Drop  
  Dark Void  
  Hyper Beam  
  Hyper Beam  
  Hyper Beam  
NONE
  Rules  
Format Double Battle
Party 4 per battle
6 per entry
Format Party
Single Battle 3 per battle
3-6 per entry
Double Battle 4 per battle
4-6 per entry
Triple Battle 6 per battle
6 per entry
Rotation Battle 4 per battle
4-6 per entry
Battle Time ???
Command Time ???
Total Level None
Level Cap 50
  Clauses  
Evasion Clause
Sleep Clause
Freeze Clause
Self-KO Clause
Item Clause
Species Clause
  • All Pokémon, items, moves, and Abilities unreleased or unobtainable legitimately during the duration of the battles under ??? are also banned, but they are not specifically listed.


Pokémon Masters 2005

A tournament held September 17 to 18, 2005 in Paris, France, Pokémon Masters 2005 was organized by French fansites and sponsored by the likes of Nintendo and Bandai.

FR Pokémon Masters 2005      
R
G
B
Y
St
St
G
S
C
St2
R
S
E
FR
LG
Colo
XD
D
P
Pt
HG
SS
PBR
B
W
B2
W2
Duration September 17 to 18, 2005
Registration ???
Release of Rankings N/A
Maximum Entries ???
  Clauses  
Evasion Clause
Sleep Clause
Freeze Clause
Self-KO Clause
Item Clause
Species Clause
Info
  Banned Pokémon  
Pokémon from the following Generations:
I
II
III
IV
V

MewtwoMewLugiaHo-OhCelebiKyogreGroudonRayquazaJirachiDeoxysDeoxysDeoxys
  Banned Items  
Soul Dew
Enigma Berry
Leftovers (on Wobbuffet)
ALL
NONE
N/A
  Banned Moves  
  Sky Drop  
  Dark Void  
  Hyper Beam  
  Hyper Beam  
  Hyper Beam  
NONE
  Rules  
Format ???
Party ???
Format Party
Single Battle 3 per battle
3-6 per entry
Double Battle 4 per battle
4-6 per entry
Triple Battle 6 per battle
6 per entry
Rotation Battle 4 per battle
4-6 per entry
Battle Time ???
Command Time ???
Total Level None
Level Cap ??
  Clauses  
Evasion Clause
Sleep Clause
Freeze Clause
Self-KO Clause
Item Clause
Species Clause
  • All Pokémon, items, moves, and Abilities unreleased or unobtainable legitimately during the duration of the battles under Pokémon Masters 2005 are also banned, but they are not specifically listed.

Pokémon Emerald Ultimate Frontier Brain Battle

A small competition called the Pokémon Emerald Ultimate Frontier Brain Battle took place in 2005 to commemorate the international release of Pokémon Emerald. Fourteen competitors were selected after a series of online quizzes, with a trip to PokéPark on the line.

The tournament used the Single Battle format. Unlike other Generation III tournaments, all items were banned.

NA Pokémon Emerald Ultimate Frontier Brain Battle      
R
G
B
Y
St
St
G
S
C
St2
R
S
E
FR
LG
Colo
XD
D
P
Pt
HG
SS
PBR
B
W
B2
W2
Duration ???
Registration ???
Release of Rankings N/A
Maximum Entries ???
  Clauses  
Evasion Clause
Sleep Clause
Freeze Clause
Self-KO Clause
Item Clause
Species Clause
Info
  Banned Pokémon  
Pokémon from the following Generations:
I
II
III
IV
V

MewCelebiJirachiDeoxysDeoxysDeoxysDeoxys
  Banned Items  
Soul Dew
Enigma Berry
Leftovers (on Wobbuffet)
ALL
NONE
N/A
  Banned Moves  
  Sky Drop  
  Dark Void  
  Hyper Beam  
  Hyper Beam  
  Hyper Beam  
NONE
  Rules  
Format Single Battle
Party 3 per battle
6 per entry
Format Party
Single Battle 3 per battle
3-6 per entry
Double Battle 4 per battle
4-6 per entry
Triple Battle 6 per battle
6 per entry
Rotation Battle 4 per battle
4-6 per entry
Battle Time 30 minutes
Command Time 20 seconds
Total Level None
Level Cap 100
  Clauses  
Evasion Clause
Sleep Clause
Freeze Clause
Self-KO Clause
Item Clause
Species Clause
  • All Pokémon, items, moves, and Abilities unreleased or unobtainable legitimately during the duration of the battles under Pokémon Emerald Ultimate Frontier Brain Battle are also banned, but they are not specifically listed.

???

Another North American tournament took place during the Journey Across America tour in 2006. The rules were similar to the Pokémon Festa 2004 rules; however, only event Pokémon were banned.

NA ???      
R
G
B
Y
St
St
G
S
C
St2
R
S
E
FR
LG
Colo
XD
D
P
Pt
HG
SS
PBR
B
W
B2
W2
Duration ???
Registration ???
Release of Rankings N/A
Maximum Entries ???
  Clauses  
Evasion Clause
Sleep Clause
Freeze Clause
Self-KO Clause
Item Clause
Species Clause
The logo for the tournament's nationals

  • Only Wobbuffet is prohibited from holding Leftovers.
  Banned Pokémon  
Pokémon from the following Generations:
I
II
III
IV
V

MewCelebiJirachiDeoxysDeoxysDeoxysDeoxys
  Banned Items  
Soul Dew
Enigma Berry
Leftovers (on Wobbuffet)
ALL
NONE
N/A
  Banned Moves  
  Sky Drop  
  Dark Void  
  Hyper Beam  
  Hyper Beam  
  Hyper Beam  
NONE
  Rules  
Format Double Battle
Party 4 per battle
6 per entry
Format Party
Single Battle 3 per battle
3-6 per entry
Double Battle 4 per battle
4-6 per entry
Triple Battle 6 per battle
6 per entry
Rotation Battle 4 per battle
4-6 per entry
Battle Time ???
Command Time ???
Total Level None
Level Cap 50
  Clauses  
Evasion Clause
Sleep Clause
Freeze Clause
Self-KO Clause
Item Clause
Species Clause
  • All Pokémon, items, moves, and Abilities unreleased or unobtainable legitimately during the duration of the battles under ??? are also banned, but they are not specifically listed.

Generation IV

In the games

Pokémon Diamond and Pearl

In Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, six Cups were introduced for wireless battles in the Pokémon Colosseum Club Colosseum, many of which are similar to those in the Pokémon Stadium series. In addition, players could set the levels of all Pokémon to 50 or 100 during Wi-Fi battles.

Mix Battles were also introduced, wherein players swap one Pokémon with each other from a team of three, then battle.

Unlike Pokémon Emerald, Diamond and Pearl does not have a Battle Frontier, only a Battle Tower. In addition, a level cap of 50 is established.

Pokémon Battle Revolution

Colosseums made their return in Pokémon Battle Revolution; however, like the Stadium Cups, each Colosseum features a special rule. Each battle takes place in a Level 30 or a Level 50 mode, and can eventually be challenged in a Single or a Double Battle format. Players may use Rental Passes or Custom Passes in any Colosseum except for the Gateway Colosseum, which restricts the player to Rental Passes.

Under Colosseum battles, the sleep, freeze, species, item, and self-KO clauses are followed.

In addition, Pokémon Battle Revolution features a mode of online play against random players, a system that eventually carried on to Pokémon Black and White. Battles could be conducted in a single or Double Battle format, with each player selecting three or four Pokémon before battle. All Pokémon are set to level 50, Pokémon nicknames are not used, and Trainer quotes are set to default. Other than that, there are no further restrictions.

Pokémon Platinum

As with Pokémon Emerald, a new Battle Frontier incorporated the Battle Tower and added four other battle facilities: the Battle Factory, Battle Arcade, Battle Castle, and Battle Hall. Each facility has a set of rules to be followed, all depending on the format of battle selected.

Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver

Flat Battle mode was introduced in HeartGold and SoulSilver at the Pokémon Communication Club Colosseum. Regardless of rule set, all Pokémon are set to level 50 for the duration of the battle. The exact same Battle Frontier from Pokémon Platinum also made a return.

In tournaments

???

The first tournament for Generation IV took place in Pokémon Festa 2006, wherein Pokémon only found in the original Sinnoh Pokédex were eligible. No Pokémon are allowed to hold Soul Dew, which remained a banned item throughout all Generation IV competitions from 2006 to 2010.

JP ???      
R
G
B
Y
St
St
G
S
C
St2
R
S
E
FR
LG
Colo
XD
D
P
Pt
HG
SS
PBR
B
W
B2
W2
Duration ???
Registration ???
Release of Rankings N/A
Maximum Entries ???
  Clauses  
Evasion Clause
Sleep Clause
Freeze Clause
Self-KO Clause
Item Clause
Species Clause
Info
  Banned Pokémon  
Pokémon from the following Generations:
I
II
III
IV
V

DialgaPalkiaManaphy
  Banned Items  
Soul Dew
Enigma Berry
Leftovers (on Wobbuffet)
ALL
NONE
N/A
  Banned Moves  
  Sky Drop  
  Dark Void  
  Hyper Beam  
  Hyper Beam  
  Hyper Beam  
NONE
  Rules  
Format Double Battle
Party 4 per battle
6 per entry
Format Party
Single Battle 3 per battle
3-6 per entry
Double Battle 4 per battle
4-6 per entry
Triple Battle 6 per battle
6 per entry
Rotation Battle 4 per battle
4-6 per entry
Battle Time ???
Command Time ???
Total Level None
Level Cap 50
  Clauses  
Evasion Clause
Sleep Clause
Freeze Clause
Self-KO Clause
Item Clause
Species Clause
  • All Pokémon, items, moves, and Abilities unreleased or unobtainable legitimately during the duration of the battles under ??? are also banned, but they are not specifically listed.

???

The Pokémon Festa 2007 tournament featured similar rules; however, Pokémon outside of the Sinnoh Pokédex were eligible.

JP ???      
R
G
B
Y
St
St
G
S
C
St2
R
S
E
FR
LG
Colo
XD
D
P
Pt
HG
SS
PBR
B
W
B2
W2
Duration ???
Registration ???
Release of Rankings N/A
Maximum Entries ???
  Clauses  
Evasion Clause
Sleep Clause
Freeze Clause
Self-KO Clause
Item Clause
Species Clause
Info
  Banned Pokémon  
Pokémon from the following Generations:
I
II
III
IV
V

DragoniteMewtwoMewTyranitarLugiaHo-OhCelebiKyogreGroudonRayquazaJirachiDeoxysDeoxysDeoxysDeoxysDialgaPalkiaHeatranRegigigasGiratinaPhioneManaphyDarkrai
  Banned Items  
Soul Dew
Enigma Berry
Leftovers (on Wobbuffet)
ALL
NONE
N/A
  Banned Moves  
  Sky Drop  
  Dark Void  
  Hyper Beam  
  Hyper Beam  
  Hyper Beam  
NONE
  Rules  
Format Double Battle
Party 4 per battle
6 per entry
Format Party
Single Battle 3 per battle
3-6 per entry
Double Battle 4 per battle
4-6 per entry
Triple Battle 6 per battle
6 per entry
Rotation Battle 4 per battle
4-6 per entry
Battle Time ???
Command Time ???
Total Level None
Level Cap 50
  Clauses  
Evasion Clause
Sleep Clause
Freeze Clause
Self-KO Clause
Item Clause
Species Clause
  • All Pokémon, items, moves, and Abilities unreleased or unobtainable legitimately during the duration of the battles under ??? are also banned, but they are not specifically listed.

Pokémon Video Game Showdown 2008

In 2008, players from Japan and the United States competed against one another for the first time in the Pokémon Video Game Showdown 2008. The tournament took place in the in-game Double Cup.

JP

NA
Pokémon Video Game Showdown 2008      
R
G
B
Y
St
St
G
S
C
St2
R
S
E
FR
LG
Colo
XD
D
P
Pt
HG
SS
PBR
B
W
B2
W2
Duration ???
Registration ???
Release of Rankings N/A
Maximum Entries 128
  Clauses  
Evasion Clause
Sleep Clause
Freeze Clause
Self-KO Clause
Item Clause
Species Clause
Video Game Showdown 2008 logo.png
  Banned Pokémon  
Pokémon from the following Generations:
I
II
III
IV
V

DragoniteMewtwoMewTyranitarLugiaHo-OhCelebiKyogreGroudonRayquazaJirachiDeoxysDeoxysDeoxysDeoxysDialgaPalkiaHeatranRegigigasGiratinaPhioneManaphyDarkraiShaymin
  Banned Items  
Soul Dew
Enigma Berry
Leftovers (on Wobbuffet)
ALL
NONE
N/A
  Banned Moves  
  Sky Drop  
  Dark Void  
  Hyper Beam  
  Hyper Beam  
  Hyper Beam  
NONE
  Rules  
Format Double Battle
Party 4 per battle
6 per entry
Format Party
Single Battle 3 per battle
3-6 per entry
Double Battle 4 per battle
4-6 per entry
Triple Battle 6 per battle
6 per entry
Rotation Battle 4 per battle
4-6 per entry
Battle Time ???
Command Time ???
Total Level None
Level Cap 50
  Clauses  
Evasion Clause
Sleep Clause
Freeze Clause
Self-KO Clause
Item Clause
Species Clause
  • All Pokémon, items, moves, and Abilities unreleased or unobtainable legitimately during the duration of the battles under Pokémon Video Game Showdown 2008 are also banned, but they are not specifically listed.

Pokémon Video Game Championships 2009

In 2009, the Pokémon Video Game Championships were included in the yearly Pokémon World Championships, which previously only featured the TCG. In the Video Game World Championships for 2009, players could only use Pokémon Platinum, and the alternate forms introduced in Platinum were ineligible. The Double Cup rules were reinstated.

no

KO
Pokémon VGC 2009      
R
G
B
Y
St
St
G
S
C
St2
R
S
E
FR
LG
Colo
XD
D
P
Pt
HG
SS
PBR
B
W
B2
W2
Duration ???
Registration ???
Release of Rankings N/A
Maximum Entries ???
  Clauses  
Evasion Clause
Sleep Clause
Freeze Clause
Self-KO Clause
Item Clause
Species Clause
Video Game Championships 2009 logo.png
  Banned Pokémon  
Pokémon from the following Generations:
I
II
III
IV
V

DragoniteMewtwoMewTyranitarLugiaHo-OhCelebiKyogreGroudonRayquazaJirachiDeoxysDeoxysDeoxysDeoxysRotomRotomRotomRotomRotomDialgaPalkiaGiratinaGiratinaPhioneManaphyDarkraiShayminShayminArceus
  Banned Items  
Soul Dew
Enigma Berry
Leftovers (on Wobbuffet)
ALL
NONE
N/A
  Banned Moves  
  Sky Drop  
  Dark Void  
  Hyper Beam  
  Hyper Beam  
  Hyper Beam  
NONE
  Rules  
Format Double Battle
Party 4 per battle
6 per entry
Format Party
Single Battle 3 per battle
3-6 per entry
Double Battle 4 per battle
4-6 per entry
Triple Battle 6 per battle
6 per entry
Rotation Battle 4 per battle
4-6 per entry
Battle Time ???
Command Time ???
Total Level None
Level Cap 50
  Clauses  
Evasion Clause
Sleep Clause
Freeze Clause
Self-KO Clause
Item Clause
Species Clause
  • All Pokémon, items, moves, and Abilities unreleased or unobtainable legitimately during the duration of the battles under Pokémon VGC 2009 are also banned, but they are not specifically listed.

Pokémon Video Game Championships 2010

In 2010, powerful legendary Pokémon such as Mewtwo were allowed once again in the 2010 World Championships. These Pokémon, referred to as special Pokémon, were limited to two per team. Event-only Pokémon such as Mew were still banned.

The tournament used only Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver, and the rules followed the GS Cup rule set found in Flat Battle mode. All Pokémon above level 50 were leveled down to 50, while Pokémon below level 50 will retain their levels. Also, Pokémon that evolve at levels above 50 like Dragonite and Tyranitar could compete.

no

KO
Pokémon VGC 2010      
R
G
B
Y
St
St
G
S
C
St2
R
S
E
FR
LG
Colo
XD
D
P
Pt
HG
SS
PBR
B
W
B2
W2
Duration ???
Registration ???
Release of Rankings N/A
Maximum Entries ???
  Clauses  
Evasion Clause
Sleep Clause
Freeze Clause
Self-KO Clause
Item Clause
Species Clause
Video Game Championships 2010 logo.png

  • A maximum of two "special Pokémon" are allowed in a party.
  Banned Pokémon  
Pokémon from the following Generations:
I
II
III
IV
V

MewCelebiJirachiDeoxysDeoxysDeoxysDeoxysPhioneManaphyDarkraiShayminShayminArceus

Special Pokémon
MewtwoLugiaHo-OhKyogreGroudonRayquazaDialgaPalkiaGiratinaGiratina

  Banned Items  
Soul Dew
Enigma Berry
Leftovers (on Wobbuffet)
ALL
NONE
N/A
  Banned Moves  
  Sky Drop  
  Dark Void  
  Hyper Beam  
  Hyper Beam  
  Hyper Beam  
NONE
  Rules  
Format Double Battle
Party 4 per battle
6 per entry
Format Party
Single Battle 3 per battle
3-6 per entry
Double Battle 4 per battle
4-6 per entry
Triple Battle 6 per battle
6 per entry
Rotation Battle 4 per battle
4-6 per entry
Battle Time ???
Command Time ???
Total Level None
Level Cap 50
  Clauses  
Evasion Clause
Sleep Clause
Freeze Clause
Self-KO Clause
Item Clause
Species Clause
  • All Pokémon, items, moves, and Abilities unreleased or unobtainable legitimately during the duration of the battles under Pokémon VGC 2010 are also banned, but they are not specifically listed.

Generation V

In the games

Pokémon Black and White

Pokémon Black and White introduced Triple Battles, Rotation Battles, and the Wonder Launcher were introduced, the last of which is only available on multiplayer. As with the introduction of Double Battles, these introduced a new set of rules to be followed when battling under these formats.

Black and White also brought about the Pokémon Global Link, with the Global Battle Union alongside it. Accessible in Pokémon Centers is the new Random Matchup mode wherein players may face random opponents over Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection without Friend Codes. Any type of battle may be selected. Random Matchup follows its own set of rules for every format available, which updates at times. It also presents a ranking system, with worldwide ranks available on the Global Battle Union section of the Global Link.

In tournaments

Global Battle Union tournaments

Main article: Global Battle Union

The Global Battle Union hosts its own tournaments via the Battle Competition option on the game menu, and acts similarly to Random Matchup. These tournaments are participated entirely through Wi-Fi connection, and randomly match the player with an opponent. Players are not eliminated, but instead lose points for losing. Each tournament can be joined by anyone with the appropriate region set on their accounts on the Global Link if there is space, and these tournaments each have their own set of rules. All Pokémon used must be placed in the Battle Box.

Pokémon Video Game Championships 2011

The 2011 Video Game Championships became the venue for the first Generation V tournament. As with the first tournaments of Generation III and Generation IV, only Pokémon in the Unova Pokédex may be used. The tournament continued to use the Double Battle format, and due to a glitch Sky Drop was banned in this format.

no

KO
Pokémon VGC 2011      
R
G
B
Y
St
St
G
S
C
St2
R
S
E
FR
LG
Colo
XD
D
P
Pt
HG
SS
PBR
B
W
B2
W2
Duration ???
Registration ???
Release of Rankings N/A
Maximum Entries ???
  Clauses  
Evasion Clause
Sleep Clause
Freeze Clause
Self-KO Clause
Item Clause
Species Clause
Pokémon World Championships 2011 logo.png
  Banned Pokémon  
Pokémon from the following Generations:
I
II
III
IV
V

VictiniReshiramZekromKyurem
  Banned Items  
Soul Dew
Enigma Berry
Leftovers (on Wobbuffet)
ALL
NONE
N/A
  Banned Moves  
  Sky Drop  
  Dark Void  
  Hyper Beam  
  Hyper Beam  
  Hyper Beam  
NONE
  Rules  
Format Double Battle
Party 4 per battle
6 per entry
Format Party
Single Battle 3 per battle
3-6 per entry
Double Battle 4 per battle
4-6 per entry
Triple Battle 6 per battle
6 per entry
Rotation Battle 4 per battle
4-6 per entry
Battle Time ???
Command Time ???
Total Level None
Level Cap 50
  Clauses  
Evasion Clause
Sleep Clause
Freeze Clause
Self-KO Clause
Item Clause
Species Clause
  • All Pokémon, items, moves, and Abilities unreleased or unobtainable legitimately during the duration of the battles under Pokémon VGC 2011 are also banned, but they are not specifically listed.

Pokémon Video Game Championships 2012

For the Pokémon Video Game Championships 2012, all Pokémon from the National Pokédex may be used, with the exception of some. Most of the rules remain unchanged from the previous year, with the only difference with Dark Void being banned.

no

KO
Pokémon VGC 2012      
R
G
B
Y
St
St
G
S
C
St2
R
S
E
FR
LG
Colo
XD
D
P
Pt
HG
SS
PBR
B
W
B2
W2
Duration August 10 to 12, 2012
Registration ???
Release of Rankings N/A
Maximum Entries ???
  Clauses  
Evasion Clause
Sleep Clause
Freeze Clause
Self-KO Clause
Item Clause
Species Clause
Additional rules:
  • No two or more Pokémon can have the same nickname.
  • Pokémon cannot be nicknamed with the name of another Pokémon.
  • Pokémon must be placed in the Battle Box.
  Banned Pokémon  
Pokémon from the following Generations:
I
II
III
IV
V

MewtwoMewLugiaHo-OhCelebiKyogreGroudonRayquazaJirachiDeoxysDeoxysDeoxysDeoxysDialgaPalkiaGiratinaGiratinaPhioneManaphyDarkraiShayminShayminArceusVictiniReshiramZekromKyurem
  Banned Items  
Soul Dew
Enigma Berry
Leftovers (on Wobbuffet)
ALL
NONE
N/A
  Banned Moves  
  Sky Drop  
  Dark Void  
  Hyper Beam  
  Hyper Beam  
  Hyper Beam  
NONE
  Rules  
Format Double Battle
Party 4 per battle
6 per entry
Format Party
Single Battle 3 per battle
3-6 per entry
Double Battle 4 per battle
4-6 per entry
Triple Battle 6 per battle
6 per entry
Rotation Battle 4 per battle
4-6 per entry
Battle Time ???
Command Time ???
Total Level None
Level Cap 50
  Clauses  
Evasion Clause
Sleep Clause
Freeze Clause
Self-KO Clause
Item Clause
Species Clause
  • All Pokémon, items, moves, and Abilities unreleased or unobtainable legitimately during the duration of the battles under Pokémon VGC 2012 are also banned, but they are not specifically listed.

References

  1. [1] Pokémon Stadium Q&A

Exernal links

Project Games logo.png This game mechanic article is part of Project Games, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on the Pokémon games.