As you may or may not know, the XY Doubles team is hosting its 1st Doubles Circuit tournament (click the link for more information)! This is your last chance to win points and gain entry into the season-ending Invitational! Rack up some massive circuit points by doing well in this tournament! The top 4 finishers in this tour will all earn 100 Circuit points, which is enough to participate in the Doubles Circuit Invitational, where the top Doubles players will face off for the title of the Doubles Champion (who is awarded with his or her very own custom banner
Note that this tournament format is heavily based on points attained in prior minitours and seasonals in the Doubles Tournament Circuit. People will be seeded into 8 Pools based on Circuit Points entering this tournament. The user with the most points will be in Pool 1, the second most in Pool 2 and so on, snaking so that user #9 is in Pool 8, etc. These pools of users will compete in a Best of 3 Double Elimination, until the Top 2 from each pool advance. These Top 16 players will then play Best of 3 Single Elimination, until a winner is crowned.
Due to the structure of the tournament, we cannot proceed with any number of users other than a power of 2. Therefore signups will be cut at 64 users, unless we can surpass 128. Byes are too influential otherwise in the double elimination pools.
Since this is part of a larger Doubles Tournament circuit, some preference will be given to users with more points. However, as 4 players will all get 100 points, meaning 4 users who have not participated at all yet could, in theory, qualify for the Invitational, we do not want to overly restrict newcomers to the Circuit. Specifically, we will use a modified 62.5-37.5 cut off. The first 62.5% of users to sign-up will automatically be in, while the remaining 37.5% of users will be handpicked based on current points standings.
Point Breakdowns
Specific Rules
- This is a standard XY Doubles tournament.
- The tournament will be Double Elimination format (top 16 cutoff), followed by Single Elimination format.
- Players will play a best of three series of games each round.
- Matches are to be played on Pokemon Showdown!
- NO Sleep Clause: A player can put two or more different opposing Pokémon to sleep using attacks that induce sleep to opposing Pokémon.
- Species Clause: A player cannot have two of the same Pokémon on their team. For example, a player cannot have two Koffing on his or her team.
- Evasion Clause: A player cannot use the moves Double Team or Minimize in their Pokémon's movesets.
- OHKO Clause: Players cannot use Horn Drill, Guillotine, Sheer Cold, or Fissure in any of their Pokémon's movesets.
- Team Preview: Players must turn on the Team Preview feature where players can view the opposing team's Pokémon and choose their lead Pokémon.
- Timer Clause: If a player exhausts the timer, he/she loses.
- Endless Battle Clause: Any moveset on any pokemon that is capable of intentionally causing an endless battle is banned from competitive play. Check this thread for more informations.
- Uber Clause: Players may not use any items, moves, abilities, or Pokemon that appear on Smogon's Doubles banlist. If the tiers change or new items, abilities, moves, or Pokemon become available in the middle of a round, the changes will take effect in the following round. There will be an announcement in the relevant round if this occurs.
Pokemon Bans
- Mewtwo
- Lugia
- Ho-oh
- Kyogre
- Groudon
- Rayquaza
- Dialga
- Palkia
- Giratina, Giratina-O
- Arceus
- Reshiram
- Zekrom
- Kyurem-White
- Xerneas
- Yveltal
- Dark Void
I'm sure plenty of you have come across activity drama while scheduling matches. I'm here to reduce the arbitrary element associated with some of these decisions. It is entirely your decision to adhere to these STRONG RECOMMENDATIONS, but note that if you choose not to, I'll most likely ignore any pleading from your end.
YOU MUST ACTIVATE YOUR VM WALL IF YOU WISH TO PLAY IN THIS TOURNAMENT. THIS IS HOW ALL OFFICIAL SCHEDULING WILL BE HANDLED.
Once that week's thread is posted, you have up to 48 hours to contact your opponent ON HIS VM WALL and mention your timezone and exactly what dates, what time ranges you are available, and where you will battle. Note that the default accepted sim and server is the official server on Showdown/Smogon Tournament Server, or PO if you're playing an old gen. You must provide at least 3 different time ranges at least 48 hours from the timestamp of your message, with at least 2 that are 24-hours apart from each other. The minimum and maximum length for 1 time range is 30 minutes, and the minimum difference between the 3 required time ranges is 3 hours. If you give 3 time ranges that stick with this policy, you can give any additional time ranges at any time you please.
NOTE THAT THIS SCENARIO INVOLVES RESPONSE DYNAMICS; THERE IS SOMEONE WHO WILL CONTACT FIRST AND SOMEONE WHO RESPOND...THESE REQUIREMENTS ARE NOT FOR BOTH OF YOU TO ASSUME TO YOU CAN BE FIRST CONTACTS...WHOEVER CONTACTS FIRST IS THE FIRST, AND THE OTHER DEFAULTS TO THE RESPONDER. THIS SHOULD BE OBVIOUS BUT SOME OF YOU ARE DUMB.
Once your opponent has contacted you, you now have up until 72 hours after the week's thread has been posted (NOT after your opponent's message) to respond with times that are good for you. What this means is that if both of you spend the maximum time contacting and responding, you should have back and forth collaboration at a maximum of 72 hours after the round has been posted, with both parties given an additional 24 hours to prepare for the battle should it be scheduled as soon as required. If none of the opponent's proposed time ranges are good for you, you must respond with alternative time ranges.
The first opponent now has X hours to prepare for the battle (if the second opponent agreed to some time) or 24 hours to contact a TD if, for whatever reason, this second set of time ranges does not suit the first opponent. Note this should be an absolute last measure.
Once a time is agreed upon, please make a message on your opponent's VM wall between 10 minutes and 1 second before the agreed upon time and say you are ready to battle and then get to agreed upon location (regardless of whether or not your opponent sends you a response VM). Please protect yourself by making this message, as it makes decisions much easier. You will be required to wait for your opponent for the duration of the time range.
If neither of you contact each other before 48 hours after the thread has been posted, you're both opening yourself up to a potential no contest or substitution. If I look at the situation, I might just determine I'm going to no contest, or whatever based on however I'm feeling at that moment. Don't leave yourself and your team vulnerable to this.
Just because at anytime one of the responders does not respond within the given range does not give you automatic activity win credentials. If they don't contact at all on your VM wall up until 48 hours before the end of the round (note, I'm not going to take irc or sim messages as evidence due to how easily they can be doctored...so if you want to protect yourself, stick to the VM messages), then you obviously have activity win justification. You WILL contact your opponent in a timely manner. However, if they do contact you at all after the suggested response time and before 48 hours before the end of the round, you are required to respond before 24 hours before the end of the round with 2 1-hour time ranges at least 1 hour apart before the end of the round. The opponent, since he did not stick to the proposed response schedule, WILL BE REQUIRED TO PLAY AT ONE OF YOUR NEWLY SUGGESTED TIMES, so you have the advantage here. This obviously puts a bit of an emphasis on the last 48 hours of each round (as is standard operating procedure for most of our official team tournaments anyway), so I will try my best to keep the last 48 hours of the round as close to the majority of the weekend for as much of the world as I can.
If you follow all of these guidelines, you will a.) most likely get your match done with minimal issue or b.) protect yourself and your team from an undue no contest or activity decision. Yes, I hate activity decisions in official tournaments. Yes, I will do my best to prevent activity decisions in the playoffs (the qualifying round is fair game however and I will have no problem issuing an activity call here), but don't push your luck.
Here is an example of how following this would work:
Week 1 thread is posted June 7, 2013 at 12:00 AM. Its deadline is June 14, 2013 at 11:59PM. User A and User B are matched up. User A contacts User B on his VM wall on June 7, at 9:00 PM (47 hours after the thread was posted, so ok), and gives 4 time ranges: June 10, from 7:00-7:30 PM (22 hours after the timestamp of his message, which is only ok so long as at minimum 3 of the other proposed time ranges adhere to the requirements), June 11, from 9:00-9:30 PM (48 hours after the timestamp of his message, which is ok), June 12, from 6:00-6:30 PM (69 hours after timestamp of his message, so ok, but only 21 hours after the earliest time range that is 48 hours after the timestamp), and June 12, from 9:00-9:30 PM (72 hours after the timestamp, so ok, and 24 hours after a legal time range and 3 hours after another legal time range). The June 11 and both June 12 time ranges satisfy the requirements, so User A can propose his first June 10 time range as well. User B responds on June 10, at 8:00 PM (23 hours after User A contacted him, so ok), and picks June 11, at 9:00 PM to battle, which is ok because it is 24 hours after his own response.
You'll note I made most of my response ranges multiples of 24 hours, but also included 24 hours. This means I expect you to be able to check Smogon at least once a day. If that is not feasible, you put yourself at risk.
~ Aldaron
YOU MUST ACTIVATE YOUR VM WALL IF YOU WISH TO PLAY IN THIS TOURNAMENT. THIS IS HOW ALL OFFICIAL SCHEDULING WILL BE HANDLED.
Once that week's thread is posted, you have up to 48 hours to contact your opponent ON HIS VM WALL and mention your timezone and exactly what dates, what time ranges you are available, and where you will battle. Note that the default accepted sim and server is the official server on Showdown/Smogon Tournament Server, or PO if you're playing an old gen. You must provide at least 3 different time ranges at least 48 hours from the timestamp of your message, with at least 2 that are 24-hours apart from each other. The minimum and maximum length for 1 time range is 30 minutes, and the minimum difference between the 3 required time ranges is 3 hours. If you give 3 time ranges that stick with this policy, you can give any additional time ranges at any time you please.
NOTE THAT THIS SCENARIO INVOLVES RESPONSE DYNAMICS; THERE IS SOMEONE WHO WILL CONTACT FIRST AND SOMEONE WHO RESPOND...THESE REQUIREMENTS ARE NOT FOR BOTH OF YOU TO ASSUME TO YOU CAN BE FIRST CONTACTS...WHOEVER CONTACTS FIRST IS THE FIRST, AND THE OTHER DEFAULTS TO THE RESPONDER. THIS SHOULD BE OBVIOUS BUT SOME OF YOU ARE DUMB.
Once your opponent has contacted you, you now have up until 72 hours after the week's thread has been posted (NOT after your opponent's message) to respond with times that are good for you. What this means is that if both of you spend the maximum time contacting and responding, you should have back and forth collaboration at a maximum of 72 hours after the round has been posted, with both parties given an additional 24 hours to prepare for the battle should it be scheduled as soon as required. If none of the opponent's proposed time ranges are good for you, you must respond with alternative time ranges.
The first opponent now has X hours to prepare for the battle (if the second opponent agreed to some time) or 24 hours to contact a TD if, for whatever reason, this second set of time ranges does not suit the first opponent. Note this should be an absolute last measure.
Once a time is agreed upon, please make a message on your opponent's VM wall between 10 minutes and 1 second before the agreed upon time and say you are ready to battle and then get to agreed upon location (regardless of whether or not your opponent sends you a response VM). Please protect yourself by making this message, as it makes decisions much easier. You will be required to wait for your opponent for the duration of the time range.
If neither of you contact each other before 48 hours after the thread has been posted, you're both opening yourself up to a potential no contest or substitution. If I look at the situation, I might just determine I'm going to no contest, or whatever based on however I'm feeling at that moment. Don't leave yourself and your team vulnerable to this.
Just because at anytime one of the responders does not respond within the given range does not give you automatic activity win credentials. If they don't contact at all on your VM wall up until 48 hours before the end of the round (note, I'm not going to take irc or sim messages as evidence due to how easily they can be doctored...so if you want to protect yourself, stick to the VM messages), then you obviously have activity win justification. You WILL contact your opponent in a timely manner. However, if they do contact you at all after the suggested response time and before 48 hours before the end of the round, you are required to respond before 24 hours before the end of the round with 2 1-hour time ranges at least 1 hour apart before the end of the round. The opponent, since he did not stick to the proposed response schedule, WILL BE REQUIRED TO PLAY AT ONE OF YOUR NEWLY SUGGESTED TIMES, so you have the advantage here. This obviously puts a bit of an emphasis on the last 48 hours of each round (as is standard operating procedure for most of our official team tournaments anyway), so I will try my best to keep the last 48 hours of the round as close to the majority of the weekend for as much of the world as I can.
If you follow all of these guidelines, you will a.) most likely get your match done with minimal issue or b.) protect yourself and your team from an undue no contest or activity decision. Yes, I hate activity decisions in official tournaments. Yes, I will do my best to prevent activity decisions in the playoffs (the qualifying round is fair game however and I will have no problem issuing an activity call here), but don't push your luck.
Here is an example of how following this would work:
Week 1 thread is posted June 7, 2013 at 12:00 AM. Its deadline is June 14, 2013 at 11:59PM. User A and User B are matched up. User A contacts User B on his VM wall on June 7, at 9:00 PM (47 hours after the thread was posted, so ok), and gives 4 time ranges: June 10, from 7:00-7:30 PM (22 hours after the timestamp of his message, which is only ok so long as at minimum 3 of the other proposed time ranges adhere to the requirements), June 11, from 9:00-9:30 PM (48 hours after the timestamp of his message, which is ok), June 12, from 6:00-6:30 PM (69 hours after timestamp of his message, so ok, but only 21 hours after the earliest time range that is 48 hours after the timestamp), and June 12, from 9:00-9:30 PM (72 hours after the timestamp, so ok, and 24 hours after a legal time range and 3 hours after another legal time range). The June 11 and both June 12 time ranges satisfy the requirements, so User A can propose his first June 10 time range as well. User B responds on June 10, at 8:00 PM (23 hours after User A contacted him, so ok), and picks June 11, at 9:00 PM to battle, which is ok because it is 24 hours after his own response.
You'll note I made most of my response ranges multiples of 24 hours, but also included 24 hours. This means I expect you to be able to check Smogon at least once a day. If that is not feasible, you put yourself at risk.
~ Aldaron
Sign Ups:
- Anty
- Lolk
- Pwnemon
- Terraquaza
- TewMew
- makiri
- pokebasket
- Brap
- iliketrains11
- AuraRayquaza
- Seismitoad
- e7e
- -Clone-
- Raseri
- Tricking
- Braverius
- Mizuhime
- Steeljackal<3
- Laurel
- champetero
- Shaian
- BLOOD TOTEM
- Scene
- finally
- SoulWind
- TGMD
- Matt
- Level 56
- quickscopenoscope
- LzrGunPewPew
- Laga
- atomicllamas
- TRC
- Lohgock
- LightningLuxray
- Haruno
- U-turn Out
- Qazoo306
- FLCL
- Typhlito
- shrop05
- Audiosurfer
- ForgottenOnes
- Lasagne
- Mega-Swampert
- Blizzard
- Mael
- wllmagic
- McMeghan
- The Unlucky one
- Cicada
- praj.pran
- SparksBlade
- Level 51
- Robert Alfons
- Benja299
- koolkranny
- Jirachie
- DaFlo
- Brazilian Army
- Staraptor
- MadBull
- Hantsuki
- Memoric
- Joryn
- Hashtag
- KyleCole
- MarceloDK
- TheFourthChaser
- Lil_Sweep
- GlassGlaceon
- Sunny.
- Qwertypops
- Tesung
- Drookez
- NotAGymLdr
- Wilfire10
- Acecard367
- Aenonar
- Wyeth
- Cyonarix
- Dashspin
Deadline for Signups:
Saturday September 13th 11:59 PM GMT-4
Qualifier Round 1: Sept 14th - Sept 19th
Qualifier Round 2: Sept 20th - Sept 25th
Qualifier Round 3: Sept 26th - Oct 1st
Qualifier Round 4: Oct 2nd - Oct 7th
Qualifier Round 5: Oct 8th - Oct 13th
Qualifier Round 6: Oct 14th - Oct 19th
Top 16: Oct 20th - Oct 25th
Top 8: Oct 26th - Oct 31st
Top 4: Nov 1st - Nov 6th
Finals: Nov 7th - Nov 12th
Qualifier Round 2: Sept 20th - Sept 25th
Qualifier Round 3: Sept 26th - Oct 1st
Qualifier Round 4: Oct 2nd - Oct 7th
Qualifier Round 5: Oct 8th - Oct 13th
Qualifier Round 6: Oct 14th - Oct 19th
Top 16: Oct 20th - Oct 25th
Top 8: Oct 26th - Oct 31st
Top 4: Nov 1st - Nov 6th
Finals: Nov 7th - Nov 12th
Qualifier Round 1: Sept 14th - Sept 18th
Qualifier Round 2: Sept 19th - Sept 23rd
Qualifier Round 3: Sept 24th - Sept 28th
Qualifier Round 4: Sept 29th - Oct 4th
Qualifier Round 5: Oct 5th - Oct 9th
Qualifier Round 6: Oct 10th - Oct 14th
Qualifier Round 7: Oct 15th - Oct 19th
Qualifier Round 8: Oct 20th - Oct 25th
Top 16: Oct 26th - Oct 30th
Top 8: Oct 31st - Nov 4th
Top 4: Nov 5th - Nov 10th
Finals: Nov 11th - Nov 15th
Qualifier Round 2: Sept 19th - Sept 23rd
Qualifier Round 3: Sept 24th - Sept 28th
Qualifier Round 4: Sept 29th - Oct 4th
Qualifier Round 5: Oct 5th - Oct 9th
Qualifier Round 6: Oct 10th - Oct 14th
Qualifier Round 7: Oct 15th - Oct 19th
Qualifier Round 8: Oct 20th - Oct 25th
Top 16: Oct 26th - Oct 30th
Top 8: Oct 31st - Nov 4th
Top 4: Nov 5th - Nov 10th
Finals: Nov 11th - Nov 15th
Pay Attention to short deadlines and remember - NO JOHNS
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