np: OU Suspect Testing Round 3 - So Long and Thanks for all the Fish

[reachzero]

So Manaphy is gone, and for the first time, we have implemented a "complex" ban, in this case the combination of the abilities Drizzle and Swift Swim on the same team! With Rain teams seriously nerfed, will Rain become a balanced playstyle in standard? With Randorosu being pulled off the Suspect list because of a glitch in the simulator, will Sand prove more balanced? There are many questions to be answered this testing period.

This period will run exactly four weeks from the time the Standard OU ladder on the Smogon University server of Pokemon Online is reset. Unlike past tests, the rating requirement for this period will not be a set number. Instead, there will be a "15+15" system; the top fifteen players on the ladder (note: players, not alts) will automatically qualify, and players within fifteen points of #15 will also automatically qualify. For instance, at the time of this post, #15 has a rating of 1401. All accounts with a rating of 1386 or higher would qualify.

This thread is a discussion thread for discussing trends in the metagame, Pokemon that are controversial in some way, and other aspects of the Standard OU metagame. Do not use this thread to discuss evasion or OHKO clauses, dropping Uber Pokemon into OU, etc. Use other discussions threads for those.

Special thanks go out to Super for implementing the results of the last round of Suspect testing, and especially for programming the Drizzle + Swift Swim ban!

reachzero edit: this period ends on March 16th.

EDIT by Haunter:

Originally Posted by Fat Philip7086

Hey guys, apparently there was a miscommunication while I was on vacation this weekend about whether or not the ladder ratings were going to be reset. I'm sorry for the inconvenience and the late action here, but the ladder ratings are about to be reset right now for this round of testing. Happy testing everybody, and special thanks to reachzero for posting this thread while I was away, and to Super for being the server boss that he is! :D

[uraga]

in

it'll be interesting to see whether (weather???) sand will completely dominate the ladder now, or maybe rain + hurricane/thunder/stab water attacks or sun will start to become the dominant playstyle.

[capefeather]

Sweet!

Full banlist for anyone who needs it:

You may not use a Pokémon carrying the following attributes:

Moves
All moves that increase Evasion only (e.g. Minimize)
All instant OHKO moves (e.g. Horn Drill)

Abilities
Inconsistent

Species
Arceus
Darkrai
Deoxys-A
Deoxys
Dialga
Giratina
Giratina-O
Groudon
Ho-Oh
Kyogre
Lugia
Manaphy
Mewtwo
Palkia
Rayquaza
Reshiram
Shaymin-S
Zekrom

You may also not use a Pokémon team carrying both Swift Swim and Drizzle.

Also, DO NOT USE V-GENERATE VICTINI. IT'S NOT OUT YET. JUST DON'T DO IT.

Also let it be known that I plan on not looking at my rating. At all. Maybe if I get to req range I'll see it in the screenshots in the nom thread, but other than that, I don't care. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to play this metagame much until now because of schoolwork and a lack of motivation to make/improve teams lately :( But yeah, for me, whether this round "started" or not shouldn't have mattered, but outside factors have caused it to matter. I realize that this kills my chances of making the reqs yet again, but whatever. I'll keep trying until I convince people that I do invest time into this test despite the crushingly demoralizing rating system. I just haven't been able to lately until now.

I will grant that the new 15+15 system is definitely a step in the right direction considering the stupid limitations that this simulator has imposed upon us. *sigh* Even this weird new feature on the ratings masquerading as "rating decay" is just pissing me off even more.

Can you also make a list of all unreleased event pokemon?

Don't know what you're talking about, but if you're talking about hidden abilities, I don't think that anything's been documented anywhere since December. Obviously, Keldeo, Meloetta and Genesect don't exist yet.

[SlimMan]

@ capefeather:
Thank you. Can you also make a list of all unreleased event pokemon? Cuz there are like, 5 of those.

Anyway, the server was updated several days ago and I haven't found anything to be broken so far. It's still way too early to deem the metagame balanced, but we certainly aren't in a hell-hole like hte previous two rounds. I think "normal" teams will finally seem more common than weather teams.

[Plusle]

Nice :p. But how will Rating Decay affect this. Your rating will be reduced.....

[SlimMan]

Originally Posted by Fat Plusle

Nice :p. But how will Rating Decay affect this. Your rating will be reduced.....

PO doesn't have Rating Decay. Unless the rating system itself has been changed...

[Raikaria]

Rateing dosen't decay over time on Pokemon Online.

Anyway, first thing Im doing is testing out Rain Offense without SS more. It worked OK last tim I used it. Now that everyone and their mother is probobly going to use Sand...

Also, I expect more Azumarills, they revenge Dory and Landos, after all, and Nattorei/Tyranitar can't switch in due to Superpower.

EDIT: Ninja'ed

[Plusle]

http://pokemon-online.eu/forums/show...-Rating-system

but I had not understood the new voting system.

[SlimMan]

^^^
I said that it may have changed.

That means that people can't ladder to #1 and park the account like they could in previous tests. I suppose it is a good thing, but I liked the old system better.

[Raikaria]

You can still park. Your rateing returns after you play a game or two.

[Kefka Palazzo™]

The top 15 players?
Well,I can guarantee I wont be there x_x

I swear,the server knows when I have a winning streak and makes me lose...like a Fire Fang flinching,burning,and critting all at the same time on the only mon that can stop a sweep...

[SlimMan]

Originally Posted by Fat Raikaria

You can still park. Your rateing returns after you play a game or two.

But suppose you lose both games though. Your rating doesn't magically go back to where it was before simply because you play. You would still have to win to keep your rating up.

Unless I'm thinking of a different system than what has been implemented, which is entirely possible.

[capefeather]

Yeah, rating decay simply makes it a bit harder and riskier to park. That's why I like the 15+15 system so much, even if it is just a small improvement.

[SlimMan]

Originally Posted by Fat capefeather

Yeah, rating decay simply makes it a bit harder and riskier to park. That's why I like the 15+15 system so much, even if it is just a small improvement.

The problem I see with the 15+15 system is that, although it ensures well-informed and intelligent voters, the voter pool is likely to be significantly smaller.

So it's kind of a "you win some, you lose some" type of thing.

[reachzero]

Originally Posted by Fat SlimMan

The problem I see with the 15+15 system is that, although it ensures well-informed and intelligent voters, the voter pool is likely to be significantly smaller.

So it's kind of a "you win some, you lose some" type of thing.

Actually, at the time we discussed this on IRC, this system would have given us the exact same number of voters that the previous 1400 cutoff did, as evidenced on the screenshot of the end of the previous round.

[masterful]

Time for Rain Stall epicness. CB Azu is pro in rain

[Mario With Lasers]

QUESTION: Will we have usage stats by the end of this Round?

[Engineer Pikachu]

Originally Posted by Fat reachzero

Actually, at the time we discussed this on IRC, this system would have given us the exact same number of voters that the previous 1400 cutoff did, as evidenced on the screenshot of the end of the previous round.

Voters meaning number of players or number of alts?

[Athenodoros]

Originally Posted by Fat Mario With Lasers

QUESTION: Will we have usage stats by the end of this Round?

I think I heard that Super was trying to do it this weekend. Don't quote me on it, though.

E: Actually, I had a look around and I have no idea where I heard that. Ignore it.

Originally Posted by Fat Engineer Pikachu

Voters meaning number of players or number of alts?

Players. Alts don't vote.

[Arc Tech]

I'm going to try out an 8-turn rain swift swim team. It'll probably be extra effective with all the rain stall teams ;)

P.S. Love the title

And I guess I shouldn't risk being able to get the required rating on the last day again without playing too much during most of the period again.

[Snunch]

Yay, finally. Looking forward to the ladder race.

Let it be known that I'll be nominating a dragon type + draco meteor / outrage ban when the nomination period comes up. I'll call it "Snunch's Proposal" and dismiss all arguments of a slippery slope.

[breh]

Originally Posted by Fat capefeather

Good. That's what we need to reward.

But it's not necessarily a good thing, though. Luck is very hard-hitting at high stages. If the rating limit is anywhere around 1440 then progress will be impossible.

[Athenodoros]

Not if there is this much time. Now that there is ladder decay it doesn't make much difference.

[kobo1d]

The rating "decay" isn't really.

Originally Posted by Fat http://pokemon-online.eu/forums/showthread.php?4189-New-Rating-system

THE REAL RATING IS SAVED IN THE DATABASE, THE RATING DISPLAYED IS A DECAYED VERSION OF IT. YOU'LL GET IT BACK AFTER A FEW BATTLES EVEN IF YOU WERE INACTIVE FOR LONG.

[animenagai]

Originally Posted by Fat capefeather

Good. That's what we need to reward.

You're rewarding time spent and not competence. A lot of older players can't just sit around and ladder all day every day.