Create-A-Pokemon Mini Tournament Scoreboard and Rules

[eric the espeon]

Welcome to the Create-A-Pokemon server! If you have been on the server for some time, you may have run into a "mini-tournament". If you would wish to learn more about mini-tournaments, please read the posts below.

The purpose of this scoreboard is to determine not only the relative skill level of players on this server with respect to one another (akin to the ladder ratings on the official server) but also determine how much each person participates in battles on this server. We like to establish a sense of community in the Create-A-Pokemon project and encourage everyone to participate in mini-tournaments.

Announcement:
Bass is the new Tournament Director of the CaP server. He has now taken over the running of Mini-Tournaments so please SEND ALL MT RESULTS TO Bass.
He has posted a copy of the leaderboard at the bottom of this thread, and will post copys of all my other posts here. My posts will them be deleted.

[eric the espeon]

Mini-Tournament FAQ

By Bass, Eric the Espeon and Tennisace0227

Greetings to all patrons of Doug’s Create-a-Pokemon project, since eric needs help in writing a more comprehensive guide for our server’s age old favorite pastime that is Mini-Tournaments, with nearly fifteen of them under my belt, I would like to help out by answering some frequently asked questions about them.

First of all some general advice to everyone:
When an MT you win ends always remind your TO to record and send the results, and take note of your score. If it is not added within a few days then contact a veteran TO, they will asses your complaint and if needed forward it to me (or in the case of the VTO being me, just judge the case myself) the case will be judged and the TO will be warned and possibly banned from starting MTs for a while.

Guide for Tournament participants:
Q: What is a mini-tournament?
A: A mini-tournament is exactly what its name implies. It is a relatively small and casual tournament ranging from four to sixteen players. It isn’t like a traditional tournament on Smogon that lasts for a few weeks, but rather a short and simple tournament that lasts for usually fifteen to thirty minutes. It’s a long-standing tradition on Doug’s Create-a-Pokemon server that flourishes in part to the closeness and dedication of the Create-a-Pokemon community.

Q: How do I enter a mini-tournament?
A: Simple. Wait for an approved TO to type in the main chat that they are starting a tournament. If you are in the middle of a battle, a mod or driver may assist the TO and wall (send a message to all users) that a tournament is about to start. If you plan on entering, simply give them a PM (Right click the TO’s name on the users list and select “Private Message”.) and tell them that you want to enter the tournament. If there are spots left, the TO should PM you a confirmation that you are in the tournament. Some TO's use a different method of signing up, they will say "Sign up in the main chat" if they say that you don't need to PM them, just send a message in the main chat saying you want to sign up.

Q: Wait, what’s a TO?
A: A TO is a tournament organizer. For more information on how to become one, see the second section of this guide.

Q: What are the rules?
A: The rules of a tournament are always up to the TO. However, if they do not state any rules, then, and I cannot emphasize this enough, Always assume the rules are Standard/OU tier.

Q: What are the standard rules?
A: Whenever you battle an opponent in a standard/OU tournament, make sure the following clauses are checked:
Evasion Clause: ON
Extended Game: OFF is better but does not matter.
Freeze Clause: ON is better but does not matter.
Item Clause: OFF
Level Balance: OFF
OHKO Clause: ON
Random Battle: OFF
Sleep Clause: ON
Species Clause: ON is better but does not matter.
Strict Damage Clause: OFF is better but it does not matter.
Timed Battle: ON, to ensure all battles are completed in a reasonable amount of time.
Self-KO Clause: (Not actually programmed into shoddy)
No Ubers (Refer to Smogon tier lists. “Limbo” is considered OU for the sake of simplicity).
In addition to these clauses, NO SCOUTING has become a mandatory rule.

Q: What is scouting?
A: Scouting is when a player that is participating in the tournament is intentionally watching a battle between other players in the tournament in order to get an idea of what team they are using. This gives the “scouter” an unfair advantage since they would have an idea of what they would be going up against in later rounds. If you are caught in this act, you will be given a warning to leave the battle. If you do not heed it, you will be disqualified indefinitely. Note that if you have been eliminated or are not in the tourney, it is perfectly fine to watch any remaining battles in the tournament.

Q: Are you allowed to use the new Pokemon in the Mini Tournaments?
A: Of course. Its the CaP server so you may use them unless the rules for that Tourney do not permit it, an example would be a UU tourney, all CaP Pokemon are considered OU.

Q: What if I didn’t enter the tournament in time?
A: All you can do is wait for another tournament to start. Some TO’s might grant you permission to join as a sub so if a player does not show up for their match you can take their place. .

Q: Ok, so can you explain to me the structure of each tournament?
A: After enough people have entered, the TO will post random pairings for the first round. Once you know who your opponent is, it is your responsibility to communicate an with him or her IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE TO SAYS “BEGIN!” After each player battles their opponent, they must inform the TO of the result. Once all results are in, the losers are eliminated and the pairings for the next round are posted, this process repeats until one winner is left standing.

Q: Is there any prize for winning?
A: There is no real prize for winning a mini-tournament other than heightened fame and glory…for about five minutes, some TOs will send a /wall announcing your victory and your place on the leaderboard. (Tennisace0227 gives cookies to winners. However, he holds all the cookies in a secret underground base.) The whole purpose of a mini-tournament is to have fun. True glory, however, goes to the player that wins their final challenge.

Q: What’s a final challenge?
A: A final challenge is a final battle that the winner of the tournament must compete in. The opponent is usually the TO, though the TO is allowed to designate anyone he or she wants as the final challenge opponent. Winning nets you twice the glory, of course.

Q: I won a Tourney but my points have not been added...
A: This is a big problem if this has happened to you please talk to the TO who did the tourney and remind them to tell me. If you have done this (and waited a reasonable amount of time for them to send it and me to update) and your points have not been added contact me or one of the veteran TOs and we will talk to the TO involved.

Q: I cant win anything... what should I do?
A: Read some of Smogons guides, and play a lot until you get better. You could also sign up to the Smogon tutor/apprentice program, it can help a lot.

Q: The TO left in the middle of a tourney...
A: TOs should NEVER leave without finishing the tourney unless they really have to AND they can find someone to take over the running of the tourney. Try to ask a different TO to run it, if none are around then the tourney is pretty much over... sorry.

Q: Is there a leaderboard?
A: Yes there is. Rankings on the leaderboard are determined by a point system. 1, 2, and 4 points are rewarded for winning four, eight, and sixteen player tournaments respectively. Final challenge wins are worth an additional bonus point and are separate from main tournament points. It is the TO’s responsibility to PM eric the espeon and keep the results up to date. If they forget, PM the TO remind them.

Guide for Tournament Organizers (TOs):

Q: What is a TO?
A: A tournament organizer is a user approved by Doug’s Create-a-Pokemon administration to organize mini-tournaments.

Q: I am not a TO, can I start a tournament?
A: No.

Q: But I am not going to make the results official or anything...!
A: No buts. The purpose of the TO system is to ensure that only people who have demonstrated their maturity and responsibility on the Create-a-Pokemon server can organize a tournament. If you really think that you are qualified to organize a tournament, than apply to become a TO yourself.

Q: Why should I become a TO?
A: Since Mini-Tournaments cannot begin without the presence of a TO, users of the CAP server will greatly appreciate it when you give up some of your time to host a tournament. You will grow more involved in the CAP server as a whole, and in turn, you will gain the respect of many users.

Q: How do I become a TO?
A: The process is relatively simple. Find an online Veteran TO and tell them via PM that you would like to become a TO, they will test you (you will have to organize a MT as they watch) to see if you can be a TO, if you fail the test try to think about what you did wrong and if you want you may reapply after a week or so.
Note that from now on you MUST have a Smogon account to become a TO, so that you can reliably send me results.

Q: YEAAAAH! I AM A TO!! Uhh, wait, what do I do next?
A: Indeed, now that you are a TO, you are probably unsure of how to make the best use of your newly acquired privilege. Here are some additional rules/tips that TO’s should follow.

• Before starting a tournament, always, and I mean always, STATE THE RULES. I have had several problems in the past where users were unclear about what the rules of the tournament were, and some battles had to be redone. Even if it’s a standard tourney, say it.
• Now look at what is going on in the server. How many people are on? Pay close attention and determine how big your tournament should be. Don’t try to start an eight-man tournament if only a few people are on, and never start a four-man tournament when a lot of people are on, or else you’ll have a lot of disappointing customers.
• Next, in CAPS (If you are an approved TO, the moderators won’t mind), type “PM ME TO JOIN (4, 8, or 16) MAN TOURNEY”, At the best case scenario, the required number of people will have read your message and immediately join. However, this is usually not the case. If you are having trouble at attracting participants, than you can ask a moderator or a driver to wall “PM (TO) to join tourney”, since walling will send your message to all users. Sometimes you will not be able to get enough people for the size of tourney you planed if so make it smaller and if you cant find 4 people its not a good time for an MT.
• Once you have enough people, you will need to create pairings. DO NOT CLOSE YOUR PMs. Keeping PM tabs up helps you keep track of who is in the tournament. There are several pairing generators available, including Smogon made ones in the Tournament forum, this is the recommended one. If you cannot use them, then do your best to make the pairings on the top of your head. Try to avoid prejudice in your decisions.
• State the pairings in the Main Chat. Again in CAPS. (Anything you type in the main chat related to your tournament should be in CAPS). Then give the players the cue to start by saying “BEGIN!”
• At this point, sit tight and wait for the battles to finish. It is recommended that you watch each battle to see if everything is going smoothly. Make sure everyone PM’s you their results. If players don’t start their battles, remind them who their opponent is through PM. You can also highlight key battles in the main chat to attract spectators.
• If things aren’t working out, be assertive! Act tough! Remind the participants that you are the boss, but be sure to remain calm and act in your best judgment to resolve any disputes. Usually, you should disqualify any player that is caught breaking the rules. If someone leaves without having their battle give them about a minute to return (it may be connection problems). If you DQ someone try to find a sub to replace them, do not use people who were/are in the tourney as subs.
• Once the first round of battles is complete, verify the winners through your PM’s. Then state your next set of pairings, and repeat until a winner is decided.
• Now, as the TO, you must face the winner in the final challenge battle, following the same rules that your participants followed.
• Once the tournament is over, PM eric the espeon the results so the leaderboard gets updated. It is your responsibility to be honest about the results. Always include the following in your PM:

• Number of Players
• Main Tournament Winner
• Final Challenge Winner

As you host more tournaments, memorizing this procedure should become second nature to you. But a few questions remain.

Q: Can I host a tournament while another one is going on?
A: While there is no rule that prevents you from doing so, it is common courtesy to wait your turn before starting a tournament. It makes it easier for the TO that is running the tournament in progress to keep track of results, as well as give more opportunities for people to participate again.

Q: Do TO’s have a leaderboard?
A: Yes, their ranking is based on final challenge wins (1 point per win or loss, your wins – losses determines your overall ranking).

Q: Hey, you said TO’s can make the rules, to what extent?
A: Any. You can make UU tournaments, Uber tournaments, tag team tournaments (see below), even Random Tournaments! Get creative! Users will like it when you give them the opportunity to participate in several types of tournaments, however it is harder to get people to sign up for a tourney if they have to make a new team so things like "mono NFE" or "mono starter" will be hard to do.

Q: What is a Tag-team tournament?
A: Here’s a brief guide:

• To enter, each player must form a team with another player and inform the TO the name of their team-mate to enter.
• The tourney size is four teams, two people per team, making eight players total.
• Next, one member of each team is assigned as "captain". When the TO states the pairings, they will pair them by teams. The pairings will address them as "team captain" to keep organization simple.
• Once pairings are decided, the players decide amongst themselves who from each team they will face. In order to advance, a team must get two wins. (One player on each team battling the other). If there is a tie in the number of wins, a sudden death battle between the winning players on each team will decide which team advances to the next round.
• The team that wins must decide which player goes on to the final challenge. Only one player participates.
• Points won are shared between players on the winning team (For a 8 player tourney each player would get 1 point).

Q: What are the different classes of TO?
A: New is for TOs who have not done many Mini Tournaments and don't know that much about how to do them.
Semi-Experienced is for those who have done a few Mini Tournaments and generally know what do do.
Veteran is for TOs who know very well what to do, they have been active in discussing Mini Tournaments, are often good battlers and have participated in and organized many Mini Tournaments, Veteran TOs are able to approve new TOs.

Q: I have heard a rumour about an upcoming "Mini Tournament bot", is this true?
A: Yes. There is a possibility that DougJustDoug will program a Mini Tournament bot for the CaP server, but please do not pester him about it.

Q: I have read your guide, but still have questions, what should I do?
A: If you are on the server, ask the resident TO for some advice. He or she should usually be able to help you.


Punishment FAQ

When it is all said and done, a successfully organized mini-tournament brings a lot of fun and a sense of community to users of the CAP server. Thus, maintaining the integrity of tournaments is a high priority, so please read the following:

Q: What kind of things should I avoid doing when participating and/or hosting a tournament?
A: To recap, here's a list of behaviours that will not be tolerated during the event of a mini-tournament.

For Participants:

• Harassing, insulting, or threatening other users, including fellow tournament participants, the TO, or spectators.
• If you are spectating, please do not give advice to either of the players, cheering is allowed, advice is not.
• Intentionally breaking the TO's rules (ie. Use Ubers in an OU tournament).
• Not showing up for your match or dropping out of the tournament. (Unless it is an emergency)
• Asking the TO to join the tournament when you know it is full.
• Changing your name in the middle of a tournament.
• "Scouting" another participant's battle without permission.
• Attempting to host a tournament if you are not a TO.
• Intentionally sending the TO false results (and any other form of cheating).

For Tournament Organizers:

• Leaving in the middle of your own tournament. (Unless it is an emergency, and even then you should fine another TO to take over)
• Harassing, insulting, or threatening other users, including tournament participants, or spectators.
• Forgetting or refusing to PM eric the espeon the results of your tournament, this is really important. I hate it when people (who I trust) say to me they have won many more tourneys than I have been sent.
• Attempting to falsify tournament results (And your leaderboard placement).
• Knowingly start another tournament while another one is going on. If the other tourney is in the FC stage this is not too bad, but not something that is advised.
• Fighting an unfair battle against your final challenge opponent (ie using Ubers against OU) if you don't have the right kind for team for the FC find someone to replace you.
• Giving "byes" to players, if someone drops out you should always try to sub someone in to replace them. Don't sub in people who have already entered the tourney.

Q: What are the consequences?
A: Your punishment will depend on the severity of your offence. For smaller thing such as leaving (as a participant, leaveing as a TO is major) or scouting, you will be given a warning and possibly tournament disqualification. However, if you have committed multiple of the above offences or have done some very despicable things (like cheating), then you will temporarily or even permanently lose your privilege of participating in tournaments, or if you are a TO you may have you TOship removed. If you try to join a tourney while banned you may be banned from the server.

Q: I am a tournament organizer, how can I prevent people from cheating?
A: Indeed, cheating is probably the worst of all things one can do in a tournament. It essentially destroys the purpose of not just the leaderboard but also the values we hold dear on this server. So, as a TO, the best thing you can do to prevent cheating is watching your participants' battles. Through this, you can always be certain that the results will be 100% accurate and you will catch people if they attempt to lie about them. However, some may opt not to watch every single battle due to scouting reasons (for the final challenge).

Q: I am a participant, and my opponent CLEARLY cheated, but the TO did not witness it. What should I do?
A: PM the tournament organizer if you believe your opponent has cheated, but try to have some some solid evidence to back it up. Battle logs, spectator accounts, and several other things will be useful. Attempting to falsely accuse someone of cheating, however, is in fact a form of cheating itself and will immediately bar you from participating in tournaments, so don't do it.

Q: I think <User> should be banned from participating in/organizing tournaments.
A: You should PM eric the espeon why you believe said user should be banned. You should provide specific evidence (copy-pasted logs are good) showing that the user in question has committed enough of the above offences to warrant a ban. Saying things like "yO eric, ban dis dude, he's a fag!" is not only not enough but may result in yourself being banned, so please be sure that your accusations are valid.

Here is the list of banned tournament users, modelled after Smogon's:

The following users are banned from participating in tournaments:
<User> (State reasons here)
None so far :-)

The following users are on warning due to bad behavior:

fireblast/Ferp
Lied about the results of a battle, apologized afterwards.
until: 13th June
EXPIRED

The following TOs are banned from starting tournaments:
<User> <Reason> <Until>

The following TOs are on probation:
They may still start MTs, but one more complaint and they will be banned.

Luna
Reason: Left in the middle of several tourneys some time ago, has not done so for a while.
On probation until: 3rd of June
EXPIRED

The following users are banned from applying to become a TO

Ferp/fireblast
Reason: General spamming/stupidity during the test and applying to a different VTO after failing.
Extended: due to applying under a false name while under a ban from applying.
Banned from applying until: 1st August
EXPIRED

Mason/Crunch/Aquarius/TenTen50/some other alts
Reason: Used multiple alts to send false results, won his own tourneys under false names, cheated his way to no.1 on the TO leaderboard. Gained over 30 points for various alts.
Banned from applying until: Like FOREVER
Extra punishment: He and all his alts have been removed from both leaderboards. Points won from his tourneys by other people will still count.


Hopefully, this guide answers some, if not all of your questions regarding mini-tournaments.

[eric the espeon]

The next clear out of TOs will be on the 1st of June.

To apply to become a TO find a Veteran TO on shoddy, they will guide you through the application process.

Approved Tournament Organisers (TOs):

Veteren
eric the espeon
tennisace0227
Bass
Hybrid
Captain

TOs

NinjaBunny
Beav232
ronjocox
mimefan
Dixe Normas
BLOOD Cuc
Plus
Beef 2.0
Phalanx
Frosty
Iggybot
Super Trainer
Magmortified
Spanky
Alphabet_Soup
Cooper
Mekkah
therealpele
Itachi 2008
mudpie369
IcyVegeta
taco reaver
CrossDragon
resetx
LifeSavers
bobtheball4
BIGarceusFAN2
goldsaber
cyberzero
darkie
KinglerDude24

Passed, but still need a Smogon account:
13Cedric13
Aki (well he is banned, so kinda)

If you are on this list and do a tourney please record it then PM the results to me, if I am away (check my location) send it to DougJustDoug, he can edit into my post. If you can't use Smogon PM's or see me on Shoddy then you may tell me them via PM on Shoddy, just because I am on shoddy does not mean I know what happened and I will not always be watching the main chat, you must tell me via PM.

I prefer Smogon PMs so try to use Shoddy PMs only if you don't have a Smogon account, if your name is different on Smogon then please include your Shoddy name on Smogon PM's or I may use the wrong name.

Info I need:
1. How many people where in the MT?
2. Who won?
3. Did the winner of the tournament also win the final challenge?

Please don't post here, go to this thread http://www.smogon.com/forums/showthread.php?t=38369
to discuss stuff.

[Bass]

Announcement: With eric the espeon leaving for the next week, I will temporarily take over in running Mini-Tournaments on the CaP Server. As such, I have been given permission to post a copy of the leaderboard in this thread so it remains updated in his absence. PLEASE SEND ALL MT RESULTS TO ME.

Score Board

Participant Leader Board:
Format: Tournament wins, Final Challenge wins

Spanky/Son Of Thunder 60, 22
Captain 38, 16
Bass 38, 13
Plus 24, 11
Poopazing 23, 9
Alphabet_Soup 23, 7
Ronjocox 21, 7
Dixie Normas 18, 8
piledriver12300 18, 7
oh no 17, 7
Hybrid 14, 5
Phalanx 13, 5
rewindman 13, 5
Lunar Fang 13, 5
bobtheball4 11, 4
alive 11, 3
YagamiDark 10, 3
BLOODS Cuc 10, 1
squirtleboy12 9, 4
tennisace0227 9, 2
Iggybot 8, 4
Mr Happy 8, 3
cyberzero 8, 2
raedos 8, 2
Sonaxy 7, 2
dragonites 6, 4
Frosten 6, 4
Magmortified 6, 3
stud 6, 2
Cooper 6, 2
hybridherp 6, 2
Goldsaber 6, 1
Zakkusu 6, 1
rado 6, 0
DragonDance 5, 3
Mudpie369 5, 2
Lil Ant 5, 1
adam23 5, 0
eric the espeon 4, 3
6A9 SS 4, 2
Gouki 4, 2
nif 4, 1
Garchomp18 4, 1
damo 4, 1
Tekken7 4, 1
Mystica 4, 1
Feign 4, 0
Frosty 4, 0
saud 4, 0
Five 4, 0
HECTORismynuts 4, 0
Aerodactyl Legend 4, 0
kazio32 4, 0
Icyvegeta 3, 2
ABYAY 3, 2
Super Trainer 3,1
X1NF1D3L 3, 1
Kespa 3, 1
Beav232 3, 1
therealpele 3, 1
yami_scorpion 3, 1
Luna 3, 1
fastball 3, 1
KinglerDude24 2, 2
qwert 2, 2
motson 2, 1
mr banana grabber 2, 1
vegeta_ex 2, 1
Stallcia 2, 1
Monika 2, 1
lJLeeRSX 2, 1
Great sage 2, 1
Ryuma 2, 1
Arcanaville 2, 1
isverygood 2, 1
Resetx 2, 1
CraftySouthPaw 2, 1
darkie 2, 1
randomalt123 2, 1
Mekkah 2, 1
Ash 2, 1
Lelouch 2, 1
MajeSan 2, 1
billymills 2, 1
Ria 2, 0
Zenol 2, 0
Yoshifan22 2, 0
FieryKai 2, 0
gormenghast 2, 0
ComingBack 2, 0
Hero 2, 0
scsrhino 2, 0
SOTY 2, 0
DaOnlyRecless 2, 0
Squallion90 2, 0
Andre 2, 0
Ranger Blue0 2, 0
Erik-Testing 2, 0
Burraki 2, 0
legion 2, 0
Judge 2, 0
Ancien Regime 1, 1
Brawley 1, 1
Pikapowow 1, 1
Ice hockey 1, 1
mien 1, 1
ninjarabian 1, 1
rkat 1, 1
Verbal 1, 1
Time Mage 1, 1
mosers15 1, 1
SSAJ 1, 1
physical02 1, 1
p4ant0m 1, 1
Lockon 1, 1
BS Nyles 1, 1
Notty 1, 1
mewthe 1, 1
general geoffry 1, 1
Fool 1, 1
TVboyCanti 1, 1
Fetto 1, 0
Mr. Oak 1, 0
Matzrim Taim 1, 0
Itachi 2008 1, 0
Evil Angel 1, 0
The DCJ713 1, 0
fishyfool 1, 0
Cooley 1, 0
ButtMunch 1, 0
Lugia 1, 0
shanx678 1, 0
Brawlmastah 1, 0
gigas 1, 0
XINF1D3L 1, 0
Colonel Klink 1, 0
Bradly95 1, 0
Oxymoron 1, 0
brock of pewter 1, 0
ninjabunny 1, 0
mastircheese 1, 0
Beef 2.0 1, 0
Yrael 1, 0
McGill 1, 0
GuyNamedBlaq23 1, 0
Snuffy 1, 0
Fineifold 1, 0
6A9UltimateChimera 1, 0
red_gyrados 1, 0
s1lver 1, 0
Autumnsgrace 1, 0
tentaintcool 1, 0
JustRandom 1, 0
Slothful 1, 0
Pokemon Master09 1, 0
Leviathan207 1, 0

154 players on the leaderboard

4 player tourneys will give you one point, 8 player tourneys will give you 2, 16 will give 4, you get 1 FC point for winning a final challenge.
Final Challenges points act as tiebreakers.

Tournament Organizer Leader Board:
Format: Final Challenge Wins/Losses
Bass 38/17
eric the espeon 11/4
Dixie Normas 9/2Hybrid 19/15
Poopazing 12/8
IcyVegeta 7/3
IggyBot 4/0
Plus 5/2
piledriver12300 4/1
BLOODS Cuc 5/4
Aki 3/2
darkie 2/1
Mekkah 2/1
Cooper 2/1
Alphabet Soup 1/0
Mr. Happy 1/0
Lil Ant 1/0
13Cedric13 1/0
SSAJ 1/0
Super Trainer 1/1
taco reaver 4/5
Luna 2/3
Magmorified 1/2
halosiel 1/2
Tekken7 0/1
mimefan 0/1
CrossDragon 0/2
Resetx 0/2
Spanky/Son of Thunder 2/4
ronjocox 14/17
LifeSavers 7/10
oh no 4/7
Beav232 1/4
KinglerDude24 1/4
phalanx 0/3
BIGarceusFAN2 0/3
mudpie369 4/8
tennisace0227 3/7
Bobtheball4 3/7
Beef 2.0 2/7
alive 0/5
Captain 11/18
cyberzero 3/11
Mewthe 1/10
Goldsaber 0/9