Pokémon Announces Standard Format for VGC ’14 Season
The official rules document for the VGC ’14 season has been updated by The Pokémon Company International and is more or less what we reported on a few weeks back.
Standard Ruleset (VGC ’14)
- All matches are played in Doubles format
- Pokemon above Level 50 will be brought down to 50 for the match while those below 50 will stay as-is
- Players choose 4 of their 6 registered Pokemon after team preview
- Pokémon must meet all three of the following conditions to be eligible for use:
- Pokémon must be found in the Coastal Kalos, Central Kalos, or Mountain Kalos Pokédex (Full list can be found here)
- Pokémon must have been obtained in Pokémon X or Y (identifiable by a blue pentagon on the stats screen)
- Mewtwo, Xerneas, Yveltal, and Zygarde are banned
- Species Clause: No two Pokémon can share the same Pokédex number.
- Item Clause: No two Pokémon can hold the same held item.
You can find the full rules document here with the key bits taken out for you below:
Pokémon Organized Play supports several tournament formats for sanctioned play of the Pokémon video games. This document covers each of the approved formats and their variations. Tournaments that do not use one of the formats described here may not be sanctioned.
7. Standard Format Style
All sanctioned Pokémon video game tournaments require players to assemble a team of Pokémon, with items, prior to the start of the event. The standard format style for all Play! Pokémon tournaments is Double Battle.
7.1. Double Battle
In Double Battles, each player selects four Pokémon from his or her party of six to battle with. At the start of the battle, players send out the first two Pokémon in their party, making a total of four Pokémon on the battlefield. Game play continues until a player makes all four of his or her opponent’s Pokémon faint.
8. Standard Team Construction Rules
- When building a team for a Play! Pokémon tournament, all players must adhere to these standard construction rules.
- A player’s team cannot contain two Pokémon with the same Pokédex number.
- Each Pokémon on a player’s team can hold an item, though no two Pokémon may hold the same item.
- A player’s team cannot contain two Pokémon with the same nickname.
- A player’s team cannot contain a Pokémon nicknamed with the name of another Pokémon (for example, an Unfezant named “Pidove”).
- Pokémon may only use moves that have been learned through one of the following methods:
- By leveling up
- By TM or HM
- As an Egg Move, through breeding
- From a character in the game
- A move already known by a Pokémon received at an official Pokémon event or promotion
9. Sanctioned Format
Pokémon Organized Play supports one format for sanctioned play: Standard. Sanctioned events are listed on the POP website, and the results are reported to POP after the event concludes.
9.1. Standard Format
The Standard format is the standard tournament format for Play! Pokémon video game events. This format will be used at all premier events unless specified otherwise. The Standard format for the 2014 season will use the following restrictions:
- Only Pokémon X and Pokémon Y Game Cards or downloadable versions are permitted for use.
- Players may use Pokémon from the Central Kalos Pokédex from #001 to #150, Coastal Kalos Pokédex from #001 to #153, or Mountain Kalos Pokédex from #001 to #147.
- Pokémon must be placed in the Battle Box.
- Pokémon are allowed to Mega Evolve.
- Pokémon above Level 50 are permitted, but they are auto-leveled down to 50 for the duration of battle.
- Players may use Pokémon with Hidden Abilities.
- Players may use items that have been officially released via Pokémon X, Pokémon Y, the Pokémon Global Link, or an official event or promotion.
9.2. Kalos Native
Pokémon used in the Standard Format must be native to the Kalos region in Pokémon X or Pokémon Y. A native Pokémon is a Pokémon that is hatched or caught in Pokémon X or Pokémon Y. Pokémon that have been transferred to Pokémon X or Pokémon Y via Pokémon Bank or Poké Transporter are not native.
The primary difference (aside from everything that comes with using Pokémon X and Y of course) from the last season is that there will be a restriction on the Pokémon used based on Pokédex much like there was in the VGC ’11 season. Using Veekun’s filter, you can get a full list of Pokémon allowed (minus Xerneas, Yveltal, Zygarde, and Mewtwo). Additionally, the moves Sky Drop and Dark Void are no longer banned from use and we once again lose move tutor moves from previous generations.
As far as time goes, you will be allowed to take notes at any time during the match rather than just after you’ve taken your move. You will have 45 seconds to make your move as opposed to 60 seconds last season and we will return to a 15 minute time limit for each match like in the VGC ’12 season rather than 20 minutes.
4. Time Limits
Tournament staff is responsible for running a timely event. To assist in this effort, POP has established guidelines for time limits during various portions of the event. Players may take notes at any time during their match but must begin each match with a blank sheet.
4.1. Pre-game Time Limit
Players will have 90 seconds to view their opponent’s team and select their Pokémon.
4.2. Mid-game Time Limit
Any mid-game effects, such as selecting a move or retreating Pokémon, are to take place within the 45 seconds allocated per turn.
4.3. Match Time Limits
Single-game matches will be 15 minutes. For best-of-three matches, each game in the match will be 15 minutes.
About the Author
Firestorm is one of the co-founders of Nugget Bridge and the Community Manager for eSports Tournament Platform Battlefy. He has been playing Pokémon since 1999, competitively since 2007, and attending tournaments since 2010. He lives in Vancouver, Canada with a degree in Interactive Art & Technology + Communications. You can follow him on Twitter at @rushanshekar.
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So what about egg moves that are only from gen 5 on to Kalos natives? Is that legal? Or no?
As regular checker of Battle Boxes for these events I am scared for anyone who has to try to figure out why a team is not legal. I don’t want to have to explain to a non competitive 10 year old why they can’t there favorite Pokemon from black and white which is a in the Kalos dex is not a “native”.
Not happy and I don’t even know how to RNG.
Dark Void/Shell Smash/Baton Pass/— Smeargle will be absolutely rediculous. It might exceed Rotom in usage. Quick Claw support maybe?
If you can hatch the Pokemon in X & Y with the moves you want, even with Gen 5 parents, it is legal. Pokemon born in Kalos should have a blue pentagon on their stat screen. If they have that and are in either the Coastal, Central, or Mountain Kalos dex, they are legal.
Darkvoid is legal – there was very lengthly discussion regarding bringing it back and it’s use will be evaluated as the season progresses.
The Pentagon indicates a Pokémon is Kalos native as explained in the External. Firestorm’s explaination is accurate.
Good I don’t have to scrap my team.
we’ve dealt with smeargle once before and we’ll do it again, it’s not the end of the world and it isn’t impossible to beat. if you can counter it then it’s essentially deadweight, we know how it works and what it does and it isn’t going to surprise anyone. just for fun, here are smeargles base stats:
55/20/35/20/45/75
i expect paul to enjoy smeargle at least since its his favorite pokemon, but honestly it isn’t that bad. smeargle was an easy way for people to exploit players that didn’t expect it, and now everyone expects it so i really am not seeing a problem with smeargle itself. of course like AZ said we’ll see how the season goes with dv being allowed. i personally wouldn’t fill a slot on a six pokemon team where i already need to choose at least one mega with something that literally has a 50/50 chance of working. maybe it will be annoying, maybe it won’t.
Aaaaaaand dark void smeargle returns for the vgc.
Ok, i am a complete noob to the vgc world. However, not a noob to grammar/comprehension.
The rules state Players MAY use pokemon from those regions. Not MUST use. Am I wrong on assuming this means the friend safari is legal, since it then continues to explain basically any pokemon caught in the X and Y games are considered native.
“Players may use Pokémon from the Central Kalos Pokédex from #001 to #150, Coastal Kalos Pokédex from #001 to #153, or Mountain Kalos Pokédex from #001 to #147.”
Again, it is stating you may use those pokemon. Not that we HAVE to abide to ONLY those regions. That does not answer my question.
I would assume “may” refers to you having a choice of using pokemon from any of the three Kalos Dexes.
I you’re going to be a stickler for grammar you could at least capitalize I. You are not allowed to use Pokemon that are not found in the Kalos Pokedex. This means some Pokemon from Friend Safari are allowed but not all.
But then it goes on in section 9.2 stating a Kalos native, and that a Kalos native pokemon is any that is caught or hatched in Pokemon X and Pokemon Y.
It’s also implying that you may not use Pokemon that are not in the Kalos Dexes.
You may use pokemon from those regions or you may not be allowed to play
Choice is up to you
Come on, man. TPCi is running this tournament out of their own budget and giving out thousands of dollars in prizes for free. They don’t even charge for venue or entry. The LEAST they can get out of this is some marketing displaying Kalos Pokemon specifically. I realize that wasn’t the meat of your post and you said it (probably) won’t be a big deal, but that comment just irked me.
I’m not sure where I stand on Dark Void. Anyone who wants to run multiple Megas quickly finds their item slots slipping away if they want to go down the Chesto / Lum route, and it makes lead-Megas a bit of a liability. There aren’t too many Wide Guard users – Mienshao, Hariyama, Conk are the viable ones of the top of my head, but I know random Grimer like Mr. Mime get it too.
On the other hand, the increased viability of Lum / Chesto adds even more items to an already fairly diverse item-pool, even without gems. Dark Void Smeargle also gives Mega Aerodactyl and Mega Absol a remote niche with faster-than-Scarf-Smeargle Taunts and Magic Bounce, respectively. We also gained a couple of priority Safeguard users, and some new / improved priority options in Talonflame, Mega Mawile, Mega Kangaskhan, Azumarill etc.
The lack of tutor moves is also something I might struggle to adjust to. Suddenly we’ve lost a lot of speed control options with Icy Wind (and tailwind) only gifted to a handful of Pokemon, and on top of that we’ve lost almost all the good ’12 Trick Room users and Electric-types are immune to Thunder Wave.
I’d just want to add that Sketch now requires battles that involve experience to save the copied move. I tried to get Ice Punch for Sneasel that way and I failed.
You could still possibly make a Safari Ditto copy your Darkrai and go from there…
May as well point out with the sleep mechanics changes, it’s not as bad as before, no more 6 turn sleeps and resetting sleep counters. Not to mention there are Safeguard users in Priority form, Taunts, and other things that can be used to shut down Dark Void, Safeguard probably being the best option since it blocks other status conditions too (assuming you don’t get Taunted beforehand).
I was about to say Rated Battle Spot worked, but then I remembered the non-Kalos Dex Pokémon that are available in-game. Why do they do this to us? Didn’t they make a ruleset in HG/SS for VGC ’10?
I’m more inclined to say that they know that people can hack Pokémon to beat their checks, so they’re just going to block everything from before so people have no access to any form of cheating device or program. As for being used as parents, many people already have flawless IV Pokémon, with Bank being a month away. Previous gen parents will be a non-issue, except for perhaps egg moves that are currently inaccessible (ie. Earth Power Hydreigon/Stealth Rock Skarmory).
Some idiot who doesn’t actually know how to play is going to win or do really well at a babby regional because nobody had a counter for or they got lucky enough to just not run into the people who had a counter for dark void. You heard it here first.
So just for a quick reference of the important stuff:
– No previous tutor moves
– Egg moves from non-Kalos Pokemon are allowed
Am I missing anything?
Nice to get the ruleset, now i can get to work on things
Nicknames are back I believe
You’ll notice no developer that has a competitive scene heatlhy enough to be considered an “e-sport” hasn’t done anything gimmicky with their rulesets. It isn’t an effective growth strategy.
They wouldn’t be running tournaments if they didn’t think it made sense for their brand. It isn’t a charity service.
While this could have been true in 2010 or 2011, I’d like to think that at this point there are enough good players in every region so that something really stupid wont win. Exception maybe for Massachusetts, dont trust the skill level there after a liepard of all things won.
You are joking but I’m serious. Also you overestimate people’s ability to do things in a new metagame.
Couldn’t you also do some Restaurant Battles with Smeargle and Darkrai, since you have unlimited Doubles/Triples?
All of my complaints remain relevant but I will take them all back of you give me a ladder to practice on.
They are just trying to keep the battle simulator community alive. You know their servers can’t handle everyone actually playing on Wifi.
Just wanted to say im okay with kalos dex but I’m sad about not having icy wind or tailwind. Oh well =/ Dark Void, like others have pointed out, will be a little easier to deal with than previous generations but still somewhat of a nuisance. I don’t think it will be too overcentralizing but I definitely could be wrong. I am however hoping to see some cool uses for Sky Drop =)