I'd like to point out an issue with the wording of options 1, 3, and 4: the use of the phrase "at the end of the turn". This offers a loophole to abuse if the pokemon is slept and koed before the turn ends. For example, in a matchup of an 8% life orb darkrai, a 3% ho-oh, and a 5% sleeping dialga, the darkrai user can use dark void to put the ho-oh to sleep and avoid breaking sleep clause because the pokemon was not asleep when the turn ended; it had fainted due to bad dreams. A more common situation can be found in doubles; sleep one foe on turn 1, sleep the other on turn 2 and then ko one of them before the turn ends (assuming our rules apply to doubles, if not then disregard the second example).
To get around this, simply remove the "at the end of the turn" requirement.
As for which clause we should use, I support classic sleep clause. Of the clauses listed in the OP
- 1 is easily abusable (wobbuffet + scarf sleep).
- 2 has the aforementioned issue with natural cure or predicting a pokemon waking up. It also goes against wifi mechanics by restricting usable moves, which not only defeats the purpose of redefining sleep clause but has a potentially large competitive impact too. If I switch my starmie into your sporing breloom, I can then switch dragonite in for free while you are unable to spore it and set up a substitute without having to sacrifice a pokemon to sleep.
- 3 has the issue snunch mentioned with a resting pokemon + sleep move, and is otherwise no different from 4.
So, discouting classic sleep clause, I support a modified version of #4: "You lose if two of your opponent's pokemon are asleep because of a move you used but were not forced into."
To Aesoft's issue about the punishment for sleep clause being an instant win
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Fat Aesoft
Adherence [...] We are not making a new game, we are metagaming the existing game of Pokemon.
It doesn't matter that it's fair that Choice Breloom could instantly lose. It matters that in Pokemon, instant losses aren't a thing.
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How do you enforce sleep clause if you don't give the other player a win? Anything short of that cannot apply to every battle, or even most battles. "Spam the sleep move until they wake up" doesn't work because of leftovers/sandstorm/poison heal. Sacrificing the sleep inducer A. is not feasable on wifi and B. can be abused (get a free switch in for your sweeper, for example). Switch around until they wake up hasn't been an option since gen 1, due to variable sleep length and the fact that pokemon use a move the turn they wake up, even disregarding leftovers recovery and entry hazard damage. No matter what you do, there is no way to accurately implement sleep clause in cartridge play; giving a win to the other player is the only way to fairly and consistently punish someone for breaking sleep clause.
I support classic sleep clause because it's less intrusive than adding in an alternate win condition or disallowing the use of certain moves in certain situations, and doesn't restrict any of the competitive options discussed in this thread. For what it's worth it's also the precedent, though I don't think that's an important issue to you.