Rules Wi-Fi Rules and Resources (Read Me First, Updated Jan 20 2024 -- Requirements when Trading)

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Xen

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Wi-Fi Leader
Thread reference:
Post 1: Wi-Fi Specific Rules
Post 2: Resources



On top of Smogon's Global rules, Wi-Fi also has a few forum-specific rules. Follow these rules to stay out of trouble. If you're confused about any of them, feel free to PM a Wi-Fi moderator (shiny finder) for clarification.

General Forum Rules
  • New threads are reserved for operating full-fledged trade threads. Do not make individual threads for what can be posted in any of the pinned threads. See post #2 for details.
  • If you only need items, in-game services (cloning, EVing, etc), help filling your dex, have a question, or a simple trade use the Simple Questions/Requests thread at the top of the forum--do not make a new thread. New threads are reserved for trade threads.
  • Do apply some common sense when trading, if you received the Pokémon via Wonder Trade, the GTS, Surprise Trade, giveaways that are unrelated to Smogon and/or Pokémon Showdown! etc and have no way of knowing where/who it's from please refrain from offering it to avoid trouble for yourself and other forum goers.
  • The sale of Pokémon for currency is strictly prohibited. No money is allowed to be exchanged for any Wi-Fi trades on these forums.
  • Trade privately (via PMs, VMs, etc) at your own risk. While we understand the need for private requests, the transparency of public posts will help you if you get into trouble.
  • Any trades that occur outside of these forums (including PS) are not under our jurisdiction so we cannot help you should anything happen. The aforementioned does not apply if it was a breach of redistribution right and you can prove the user in question did intentionally trade a Pokémon that is not redistributable.
  • Do not post in threads that state "Don't post here/yet"; threads doing this are reserving posts for a trade thread. Wait until the owner says you can post.
  • Do not complain about RNG manipulation in any generation. It's here to, hopefully, stay; get over it.
  • Do not distribute Pokémon via files (.pkmn, .pk7, etc) aka non-console means. Exceptions may be granted in situations of receiving aid in transferring Pokemon with another user within private channels, if no other means are available.
  • If you are banned from trading on Pokémon Showdown, you're banned from trading on the forums and from accessing our discord and its services.
  • The mods reserve the right to ask you to change your nicknames if they are (potentially) offensive.
  • When requesting trades or services, please include at minimum an idea of what you are offering in return.
Trade Thread Rules
  • List the nature, EVs, and especially IVs of your Pokémon. Traders here at Smogon are only interested in Pokémon with competitive value. We want to know your Pokémon's IVs. Please state these IVs explicitly a good format for them would be HP/ATK/DEF/SPATK/SPDEF/SPEED such as 31/31/31/31/31/30, especially if your Pokémon has a specific Hidden Power type it was bred/caught for. DO NOT generalize by posting "5 IV, 4 IV, etc". Use an IV calculator such as this one or PS's team builder (if you don't have an existing team, create a new team then add a Pokemon to it to access the builder) to help you if you're unsure. Spitbacks / breedjects / Pokémon with decent IVs that aren't a final product are exempt from this rule. You're free to use terminology like x3 IV or x/x/31/x/31/31 if you're trading spitbacks.
  • If you are trading Pokémon that you did not breed or catch yourself, you must include the name of the original user or OT/ID of that user in the trade details. If you have limited distribution rights, then you must link to the original post or thread which confirms this. For Pokémon that have come from another site, the Pokémon's OT/ID must be posted in the trade details. For Pokémon you did catch/breed yourself, it's fine to just add your OT/ID at the top of the thread and say that any Pokémon without a listed OT/ID were obtained by you and have the OT/ID at the top of the thread.
    • Although more of a suggestion than a rule, if you borrow an idea from another user (i.e. thread format, nicknames, parents for your latest breeding project, etc), please consider giving them a shoutout. Naturally there will be some overlap in ideas, but we believe that all credit should be given where it's due and encourage you to cite your sources.
  • Note the use of any third party devices/software (PokeSav, CFW, etc) and emulators and how they're being used in your thread.
  • Do not post a link to another site or a spreadsheet as your trade thread. You must list all the information on the forum.
  • Do not bump your trade thread unless you have something new to add.
  • Do not bump old trade threads that have been inactive for months.
  • Do not start a new trade thread if you already have an active trade thread, you are only allowed one trade thread at a time. If your old thread is inactive and you wish to make a new one, contact a Wi-Fi moderator to close the old one for you.
  • Please do not use obnoxiously large pictures in your trade thread. Banners are allowed, but make sure they're not too bulky.
  • Personal blacklists are not allowed in trade threads. If a user is trading suspiciously, report them to the forum-wide Wi-Fi blacklist.
On Cloning, Hacking, and Glitches
  • Cloning is allowed on these forums. We do not care about your moral stance regarding cloning. If you do not want to trade for cloned Pokémon you are free to say so but DO NOT tell others cloning is hacking or whatever you consider it, keep all that to yourself.
The following is Smogon's stance on hacking and our rules regarding it:

Smogon's definition of hacking is the following - Hacking is the use of any external device/software in order to modify the game and the game data in any sort of way.

With this in mind, the site will not promote hacking in any sort of way. This means that you may not post, discuss, or promote PokeSav, PKHeX, editting, and anything else related to flash cart/cfw activities. You also may not discuss what is "hacking" and what is not "hacking" - this is because this is an exercise in futility.

You cannot trade edited Pokémon here (Pokémon which have had any of their data modified after capture/hatching). This includes generated Pokémon (Pokémon which were flat-out created), as well as hacked parents for breeding.

Yet we recognize that everyone has their own views and standards when it comes to what is "legit" or "illegit". The site will respect this, and will not interfere with the use of external devices in any sort of way. We ask that the use of external device is fully documented and disclosed when one uses the WiFi forums - as an act that will respect the views of the other party.*
  • DO NOT
    • Trade Pokémon that have been created or altered (includes changing its shinyness) by a third party tool (Pokesav, PKHeX etc.) or glitches. This includes Pokémon bred from created/altered parents.
    • Alter static Trainer information such as OT name, gender, ID, etc
    • Ask for advice or help with hacking/editing Pokémon.
    • Request hacking/editing services.
    • Offer or distribute created/altered Pokémon on the forums.
    • If you suspect a Pokémon is hacked or altered do not offer it in your thread or you will be blacklisted. Let's apply some common sense here.
    • Modify the save structure, normal behavior of the game, or Pokemon generation.
    • Edit/Inject Raid Den Seeds using third party software, such as PKHeX.
    • Inject custom raid dens created by an unofficial source.
    • Manually edit chain length
    • Trade Pokemon captured on Switch emulators.
    • Transfer Pokemon with 3rd party tools such as PKHeX.
  • Smogon does permit the use of certain forms of save editing as a means of convenience when obtaining Pokémon, these include:
    • Item duplication/injection (including BP)
    • Quick hatching codes
    • Save state abuse and Save back up/restoration
    • Warp codes
    • Cloning
    • Rebattle/Retutor
    • Dex completion/shiny charm injection, provided you do not acquire the shiny charm before you legitimately could otherwise. Removing can be done whenever with disclosure.
The use of glitches are allowed, but due to the varying levels of power and convenience that glitches afford across the games, there are a few uses that are disallowed here (subject to change at a later date if necessary) that are as follows:
  • Do not use glitches to edit Pokemon in any way. 8F/ACE in RBY/GSC are exempt from this rule if the Pokemon can be legally obtained otherwise
  • Do not use glitches to edit trainer info
  • Do not use glitches to edit RNG state, memory values, or anything else that would otherwise alter the generation of a Pokemon
With that in mind, the following list of glitches are permitted on Smogon:
  • Pomeg Glitch for the purposes of cloning/items/modifying event flags. Do not use to modify Pokemon
  • Cute Charm Glitch
  • 8F/ACE (Arbitrary Code Execution)/Coin Case in RBY/GSC (cannot be used to edit RNG state)
  • Emerald Battle Tower Cloning Glitch
  • Festival Plaza/Poke Pelago Glitch
  • Bingus Glitch
  • Menu Glitch in BDSP for the purposes of cloning/deleting items/mons. Do not use to modify Pokemon
  • SV Smeargle Glitch for the purposes of cloning items. Do not use to clone or modify Pokemon

On Homebrew, Custom Firmware, Injecting, and Other Rules

With homebrew and custom firmware (cfw) becoming more accessible we have decided to allow the use of both and their tools as long as such use does not violate any of the other rules. While most uses (subject to mod approval) will be permitted the following are NOT allowed on these forums:
  • Using homebrew/cfw to acquire Pokémon by removing the region lock and playing a save whose region does not match cart/ROM's region. (ex: obtaining JPN exclusive events on an ENG save file)
  • Linking to materials on installing or using homebrew/cfw; while we tolerate their existence, we will not help people make modifications to their consoles nor promote such actions.
Injecting is allowed in the following circumstances:
  • Wonder Cards as long as the save file's region matches the region that the Wonder Card was distributed if it was region locked i.e. do not inject a WC that was only obtainable on a Japanese save file into a North American save file. If the event was not region locked, WC injection is fine as long as you provide disclosure you did so.
    • This does not include Gen 8 events, since Wonder Cards no longer exist. Injection of Gen 8 "Wonder Cards" is considered genning and are not allowed to be traded.
  • Save files as long as the regions and game versions match.
  • Dream Forest and Dream Radar Pokémon.
  • Re-host previous official, promotional event raids.
The following are additional rules that don't directly fall into any of the above categories:
  • The use of bots to obtain Pokémon in-game is permitted as long as their use is fully disclosed and does not violate the other rules. The discussion of any topic pertaining to bots on the forums is forbidden and will be met with a warning.
  • Ram watching is allowed through the use of lua scripts or other applications.
  • Emulators are allowed but do not ask for links to them or discuss them on the forums as per our global rules.
  • Region spoofing is allowed, but do so at your own risk and full disclosure if you obtain Pokémon using such methods.
  • Pokémon/items/ribbons/events acquired from fan-made services/applications such as un-official games or romhacks cannot be traded on these forums.
  • Mew obtained from any of the Mew glitches in RBY may not be traded.
  • If you use legal hacks in battles, you must disclose this information to the other party while coordinating the battle.
  • Redistribution rights of Pokémon caught in raid battles is determined by the person who catches the Pokémon, not the raid host.
  • AltWFC can be used for trading/getting the old ribbons. The user is held responsible for the legitimacy of any WC mons obtained from the service (not all of them are legit or were WCs to begin with; naturally those are not allowed to be traded here).
 
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Nexus

Forever the Recusant
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Forum Resources

To keep the forum cleaner, there are several stickied threads for you to use for specific needs. Read the first post of all these threads and follow the rules and guidelines they contain. The rules set there carry the same weight as those listed here. Do not make individual threads for what can be posted in any of these threads. Your topic will be locked and deleted.

These threads are:
  • Simple Questions/Requests Use this thread for simple questions and simple requests. Simple requests include requests such as "can someone trade me this Pokémon / item", "can someone help evolve my Haunter", etc.
  • 5th Gen PRNG Help / Info- Use this thread to request help manipulating the RNG of 5th Gen games.
  • Most Generation PRNG Help / Information- Use this thread to request help manipulating the RNG for all other generations
  • Battle Requests Forum - Use the threads in this forum to request battles in the format of your choosing.
  • Giveaways - Use the threads in this forum to participate in or host Wi-Fi giveaways.
  • Wi-Fi Tournaments - Use the threads in this forum to participate in or host (subject to the rules of Wi-Fi Tournaments) Wi-Fi tournaments.
  • TSV/SID Checking / List - Use this thread if you want a TSV/ESV check done for you, or want your TSV(s) added to Smogon's official TSV list. Can also be a place to ask for checking for your SID.
  • PSAs - Thread for public wifi announcements.

We also have a dedicated discord channel for trading in/playing Pokemon GO! See below for our full list of discord resources.

Discord Resources

  • Trade and battle requests: link
  • General chat: link
  • Tera Raid Battles: link
  • Pokemon GO: link
  • Helpful links: link
 
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Nexus

Forever the Recusant
is a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Senior Staff Member Alumnusis a Contributor Alumnus
9/29/17:

With a new set of games under 2 months away and 3DS homebrew and CFW on the rise it was time to update our old rules. Not too much has changed just clarifications and addressing the new tools available to us. Feel free to direct any questions/concerns to me via PM.

12/22/17:
After some discussion we have decided to allow bots and trading of Pokémon obtained by using them. However, just like cfw we will not help you with them. New rule:

  • The use of bots to obtain Pokémon in-game is permitted as long as how they are being used is fully disclosed. The discussion of any topic pertaining to bots is forbidden and will be met with a warning.
 
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Nexus

Forever the Recusant
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CitraRNG:

Pokémon obtained from Citra through RNG manipulation may be traded on the forums. To those users wishing to trade such Pokémon, please disclose how they were obtained including a note if any changes to your RTC were made to perform said RNG manipulation.
 

shiny finder

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Chatot Wrangler
(really just looking for a reason to bump this to the top of the pins)

Updated the rules a bit to say don't use the menu glitches in BDSP to modify your Pokemon (i.e. make them shiny). Cloning/mass deleting with them is fine, but as always please use disclosure.
 

shiny finder

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Chatot Wrangler
We have decided to make some changes to our transfer policies. Up until this point, we have allowed transfers with tools like PKHeX, with the caveat of disclosure and holding the Pokémon owner responsible for the end result. However, it has come to our attention that PKHeX, despite the Pokémon owners' intentions, does not produce perfect transfers. While it does a very good job of it, moving forward we want to take a more proactive stance in encouraging the use of official means for transferring Pokémon, for the integrity of the trades here and in other communities.

Effective immediately we ask that you do not trade Pokémon that have been transferred with unofficial means, such as PKHeX. If you need help transferring Pokémon, we suggest you ask for help in trade-battle-general on discord or the simple trade/requests thread where someone with the means may be able to assist you.

Thank you guys for your understanding and cooperation!
 

shiny finder

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is a Community Leaderis a Programmeris a Smogon Discord Contributoris a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Top Social Media Contributor Alumnusis a Senior Staff Member Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Contributor Alumnus
Chatot Wrangler
We are expanding our general rules to request that you make a concerted effort to list what you are offering when requesting trades or services.

While we will not require a strict "LF / FT" syntax (that is, "looking for / for trade"), your post should include--at the minimum--a general idea of what you are offering in return. For example, can you offer shiny Pokemon? Competitive breeds? Rare balls? Version exclusives? A trade thread/sheet? Similar items or services? The more details the better of course, as people will be more willing to help the better idea they have.

Wi-Fi is home to a lot of generous people, as many of us have experienced, but we don't want that to be taken for granted. People may still end up helping you for nothing at all, and we're all for it! But that should not be the expectation.

The rules on here and discord have been updated accordingly. Thank you for your cooperation, especially to the many already in the habit of specifying!
 

Xen

is a Community Leaderis a Top Social Media Contributor Alumnus
Wi-Fi Leader
1/20/2024: Update regarding use of glitches/ACE

This is primarily just a minor text update that further clarifies the acceptable use of old glitches within past-gen games, but also addresses the use of the newly-discovered Smeargle glitch in SV's Indigo Disk DLC

The use of glitches are allowed, but due to the varying levels of power and convenience that glitches afford across the games, there are a few uses that are disallowed here (subject to change at a later date if necessary) that are as follows:
  • Do not use glitches to edit Pokemon in any way. 8F/ACE in RBY/GSC are exempt from this rule if the Pokemon can be legally obtained otherwise
  • Do not use glitches to edit trainer info
  • Do not use glitches to edit RNG state, memory values, or anything else that would otherwise alter the generation of a Pokemon
With that in mind, the following list of glitches are permitted on Smogon:
  • Pomeg Glitch for the purposes of cloning/items/modifying event flags. Do not use to modify Pokemon
  • Cute Charm Glitch
  • 8F/ACE (Arbitrary Code Execution)/Coin Case in RBY/GSC (cannot be used to edit RNG state)
  • Emerald Battle Tower Cloning Glitch
  • Festival Plaza/Poke Pelago Glitch
  • Bingus Glitch
  • Menu Glitch in BDSP for the purposes of cloning/deleting items/mons. Do not use to modify Pokemon
  • SV Smeargle Glitch for the purposes of cloning items. Do not use to clone or modify Pokemon
 
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