Welcome to the Battle Tower MkII. This is where you can arrange matches between your friends and rivals. Here are the rules about battles:
Battling:
Each Trainer may be in a maximum of three (3) concurrent battles at once.
Types of Battle:
Open Battle: This is a general challenge to anyone quick enough to answer your match request.
Challenge: Throwing down the gauntlet to a specific opponent.
Beginner Battle (Updated May 27, 2011): This is a type of battle that allows trainers to avoid conflict with the more stronger trainers. The following rules apply to beginner battles and the Pokemon able to be used in them.
1. Pokemon must be able to evolve
2. Pokemon with 4 rarity cannot be used.
3. Rarity Cost of Pokemon on one side of the field cannot exceed # of Pokemon + 3
4. 1 Rarity is added to the rarity of a 2nd stage Pokemon in a 3 stage line.
5. A Pokemon with full EC or full DC cannot be used in a Beginner Battle.
6. Trainers must have played less than 6 matches, and must have joined ASB less than 1 month ago.
Refs for Beginner Battles are expected to be prompt and include flavour.
Training Battle: A variation of a battle that is the same as a normal battle, except the match does not count towards W/L/T.
Rules:
Each Trainer should PM the referee 3 Pokemon for all matches that are 3vs3 or lower unless specified otherwise. For longer matches, send Pokemon up to that match's maximum (e.g. 4 for a 4vs4, 5 for a 5vs5 etc.). If 3 Pokemon are not supplied but there are enough Pokemon for the match, you may either VM the trainer asking them to fill out their squad or ref using the more limited list as an assumption.
Whenever you post a challenge you may also request a specific referee. When doing Challenges or requesting referees, send them a courtesy VM linking to your challenge post.
There are at least two trainers in a match. The trainer who initiates a match is a Match Seeker, and a trainer who accepts a match is a Match Challenger.
Match Seeker: The person who puts up a battle request in the Battle Tower.
Match Challenger: A person responding to that person's original battle request.
Match Seeker:
Chooses Number of Pokemon per side
Chooses Match Type (Singles/Doubles/Triples)
Chooses Disqualification (DQ) Time
Chooses Number of Permitted Substitutions
Chooses Restricted Moves
Chooses Arena
Sends Out Pokemon First
Number of Pokemon and Match Type: The Standard Battling format of ASB is considered 3vs3 Singles; however, any battle format can be selected, including multi-trainer melees.
Disqualification (DQ) Time: The time expected between the posting of attacks and the ref's interpretation of the battle. Refs are expected to post within the DQ period. Opponents who do not post within the DQ period are disqualified and the match goes to whichever player posted last. If extenuating circumstances come up, PM the ref and your opponent for a suspension. The standard DQ time is usually between 3-7 days to account for the ref and battlers schedules.
Restricted Moves: Standard restrictions are Two uses of recovery moves and 5 chills. The following moves are considered recovery moves for the purposes of such restrictions:
Other moves may be restricted at the Seeker's discretion however, or mutually agreed upon by both sides.
Arenas: The Match Seeker is expected to provide an Arena for battle; however, they may forfeit this right to the opponent in exchange for posting second. Arenas have the most far-reaching consequences for a match and can have any attribute the designer wishes, including structural move restrictions. It is assumed that when a Challenger accepts a Seeker's challenge, they agree to the Arena and any of its inherent traits/restrictions/effects. Arenas can be simple or complex.
Match Challenger:
Chooses the switch method (Switch = OK or Switch = KO)
Chooses the ability method (No Abilities, One Ability, All Abilities)
Chooses the item method (Items Off, Items On, Training Items On)
Attacks First
Switch Methods:
Switch = KO Pokemon cannot be switched out during battle or they will be KOed. Moves that would initiate a switch effect on either side do not activate that effect. Instead they have been given descriptions for what they do in a non-switching battle on each Attack.
Switch = OK: At the end of each round, a trainer may switch their Pokémon. If they do, the Pokémon they send out must issue attacks first if their opponent does not switch in response. The same trainer cannot initiate a switch phase on consecutive rounds unless an Attack like U-turn, Volt Switch, or Teleport is used. Trainers whose Pokémon are returned through the effects of moves like Dragon Tail, Circle Throw, Roar, and Whirlwind do not have to move first the next round.
Voluntary switches occur only during a switching phase.
A Switching phase may only be initiated by the trainer moving first that round. Instead of issuing commands, the trainer may instead initiate a switch and offer their opponent a chance to switch their Pokémon. If the opposing trainer accepts and switches their Pokémon, that trainer forfeits the advantage of moving second that round. During a Switch Phase, if a trainer switches out a Pokémon with the Shadow Tag/Arena Trap Ability, or switches out a Pokémon that has trapped another Pokémon through the use of Block/Mean Look/Bind/Clamp/Fire Spin/Magma Storm/Sand Tomb/Whirlpool/Wrap, then the opponent will not be able to switch that Pokémon out of battle. If all active Pokémon your opponent controls is trapped in this manner, then the offer to Counterswitch is automatically declined. Should the opposing trainer have no living Pokémon in the bench, then the offer to Counterswitch is automatically declined.
A Switching phase has only two possible outcomes:
1. Player A Switch > Player B Declines Switch > Player A Orders > Player B Orders.
2. Player A Switch > Player B Counterswitch and Orders > Player A Orders.
Tag Team Battles operate the same with both team members on the same team switching their Pokémon first. The team which performs the most switches in the switch phase moves first. (e.g. if both trainers on a two person tag team switch, but only one of their opponents does, their opponents still move second)
Melee battles go through each trainer next in the order. Attack Order is then determined in the reverse order of trainers who switched. (eg. Trainer A initiates switch phase. Trainer B makes a switch, Trainer C declines to switch, then Trainer D makes a switch. The attack order would now be D > B > A > C. Because D was able to see the decisions of all other players, D is punished the most for deciding to switch after B switched and C declined.
Any Battle large enough to require orders via PM will automatically be set to Switch=KO
Ability Methods:
No Abilities: No Abilities will be active in a match. Note that this does not prevent Pokemon who naturally Levitate from doing so; common physics still apply.
One Ability: The trainers select one Ability that their Pokemon will use for the entirety of the match upon release.
All Abilities: All of the Pokemon's Abilities are active at once.
Item Methods:
Items Off: Hold Items will not be allowed in battle.
Items On: Pokemon are equipped with Hold Items upon release.
Training Items On: Pokemon are equipped with "Training" Hold Items upon release (An Item that raises a Counter when a Pokemon holds it).
How to Release a Pokemon:
When you first release a Pokemon into battle, give its Pokemon Species (with a Sprite or the name of the Species), its Nickname, its Gender (Optional), and its Nature (Optional).
Example:
Sandshrew(*) Terrato (M)
Nature: Jolly
Attacks and Commands:
An Attack is any of the official Pokemon Attacks on the Attack List. A Command is slightly different. Commands can be issued as actions in any battle that might take a sufficient amount of time or focus to accomplish. Commands can be anything from "hide behind rocks" to "create some distance from the opponent" to interactions with specific arenas like "pick an Oran Berry from the bushes." Depending on the complexity of the command it can cost from 2-4% of the Pokemon's Energy. Commands like "block an attack" or "dodge an attack" can be used, but are generally not effective and frowned upon. Attacks take priority over simple Commands, and their higher energy costs mean Pokemon put more energy into making them hit.
Actions: These are orders given by the trainers in a match. They will always be three orders per Pokemon, unless it is a Triple Battle or larger, in which case it will become two orders.
Combination Attacks: A player can combo moves together into one move for a greater effect at the cost of more energy. These combos will generally have a lower priority, due to the execution of the combo taking more time to perform. They must make sure that the moves can actually combine with each other effectively (e.g. Tackle + Psychic will not work, but Double-Edge + Wild Charge has merits). This move will take up one action, but the user must rest the following action. Combos cannot be used on the third action.
More expansive combination rules can be found in the DAT.
Hidden Power: Hidden Power can be any type and Attack Power of the player’s choosing (between 4 and 7); however, once Hidden Power’s type and Attack Power is chosen, it can never be changed. Hidden Power's Energy Cost is equal to Base Attack Power minus two (2).
Chills: A "Chill" is the only command that can restore Energy in ASB. Chills restore 12 Energy each and are usually limited to 5 per Pokemon per match.
Substitutions:
Substitutions are a mechanism to remove various advantages and disadvantages to going first or second. The number of permitted substitutions in a match is decided by the Match Seeker.
Substitution Types
Substitutions are allowed in battles to deal with various luck-based elements and the general disadvantage of attacking first. Here are the different kinds of substitutions and when they can be used.
Substitution Rules:
Mid-battle Evolution (Updated September 3, 2013):
If a Pokemon's Evolution Counter (or EC) is high enough for it to evolve (see Battle Rewards below) at the start of the battle, it may opt to evolve during the battle. This is done by initiating a switch phase as described in the Switch = OK switch method, except instead of swapping the Pokemon out for one on the player's bench, the Pokemon expends 40 energy to evolve into its next stage. The Pokemon swaps its stats, typing and abilities for those of its evolved form, but does not learn any new moves until after the battle. The Pokemon retains its current HP when it evolves unless its current HP exceeds its new max HP, in which case the Pokemon's HP is reduced to this new max value.
As with initiating a switch phase, this may only be done by the player ordering first, and the opponent has the opportunity to counterswitch in exchange for taking the first order.
A Pokemon may not use the EC or KO reward for participating in a battle to evolve in that same battle. A Pokemon may not evolve beyond the evolutionary stage specified in the battle rules. For example, a Charmander can evolve into a Charmeleon in a NFE battle, but not in a LC battle, and a Murkrow cannot evolve into a Honchkrow in a NFE or LC battle.
Battle Rewards:
There are 4 different rewards that can be received in battle. Three are Pokemon specific (they track with each Pokemon), the fourth follows the trainer. Most Battle Rewards must be claimed at the end of a battle.
The KO Bonus:
Every time one of your Pokemon knocks out one of your opponent's Pokemon, you get a one point KO Bonus that you can apply to any of the four counters described below. It doesn't matter if this KO was obtained by taking out 100% of your Opponent's Pokemon's HP or the 20% they had remaining when they KOed your first Pokemon. A KO Counter will be added either way. A Pokemon can only apply a KO counter to their stats if they made the KO. These counters can be applied either after a KO or held in reserve until the end of the battle.
If a Pokemon uses Explosion or any other self-KO move, the opponent will get the KO Bonus while your Pokemon will get the KO Bonus if it was able to successfully faint the opponent. In a double battle or higher, each Pokemon on the opponent's side will get the KO Bonus.
Pokemon Specific Bonuses:
Evolution Counter: Each time a Pokemon enters battle, their Evolution Counter goes up by one (1). For 3 Stage Pokemon, they can evolve to their second form once their Evolution Counter reaches four (4) and then their final evolution when it reaches nine (9). For 2 Stage Pokemon, They can evolve to their higher form once their Evolution Counter reaches six (6). (There are some exceptions, which are noted in the Registration Tower.) Non-evolving Pokemon do not have Evolution Counters, and they do not have any points redistributed because of it. Regardless of how high the Evolution Counter needs to reach, a Pokemon must complete a battle at one stage before it can evolve into the next stage.
Move Counter: Each time a Pokemon enters battle, their Move Counter goes up by two (2). Pokemon that have a full Evolution Counter and Dream Counter increase their Move Counter by an additional one (1). Move Counters are used to add new moves to your Pokemon. Here are the costs associated with Move Counters:
1 MC: Level-Up Moves from any Pokemon at or below the current Evolution stage, Pledge Moves.
2 MC: BW TMs, BW Tutors.
3 MC: Egg Moves, Event Moves, Past Gen TMs, Past Gen Tutors, Manga-only Moves, Anime-only Moves
Each Pokemon starts with their Level-up moves from every generation up through Level 25, 5 Egg Moves, and 5 BW TMs. When Pokemon evolve, they retain all moves learned by their previous form in addition to any of their own, differing level-up moves (ex. Magneton has Tri-Attack as a Level 0 move, and will have all of Magnemite's moves up to level 25 plus any it learned in the battles it fought before evolving into Magneton. Likewise Magnezone keeps Tri Attack but also adds its Level 0 moves of Barrier and Mirror Coat.)
Dream Counter: Each Pokemon's Dream World Ability is sealed to start with. Each time a Pokemon enters battle, its Dream Counter goes up by one (1). Once they have reached 5, they may voluntarily unlock their Dream World ability. If a Pokemon has no Dream World Ability or has already unlocked it, no extra points can be distributed. Once a Dream World ability is unlocked, it will be unlocked even if the Pokemon evolves.
Trainer Specific Bonus:
Currency Counter: Each time you enter a battle, your Currency Counter goes up by a certain amount. Currency Counters are the primary "currency" of the ASB, and can be used to capture Pokemon or purchase items. Once you get Currency Counters equivalent to a Pokemon's Rarity Rating you can catch that Pokemon at the end of a battle. Rarities will be applied to each first stage Pokemon in amounts from 1 to 4. Similarly, once you get Currency Counters equivalent to an Item's cost, you can purchase that item. Currency Counters may be sold for Universal Counters at a rate of 8 CC-->1 UC.
Currency Counters will be awarded for battles as follows:
1 CC: 1v1 Anything, 2v2 Doubles, 3v3 Triples
2 CC: 2v2 Singles, 3v3 Singles / Doubles, 4v4 Triples+, Melees
3 CC: 4v4 Singles / Doubles, 5v5 Triples+, Triples+ with 6 to 9 Pokemon per side, Melees with 8+ Pokemon total
4 CC: 5v5 Singles / Doubles, 6v6 Singles / Doubles / Triples, Melees with 15+ Pokemon total
5 CC: Singles / Doubles / Triples with 7+ Pokemon per side, Triples+ with 10+ Pokemon per side, Melees with 24+ Pokemon total
Note that Brawls fall under the category of "Triples+" since they are two player matches.
In addition, if a Pokemon participating has its EC and DC maxed out and knows every move it can possibly learn, you get additional CC equal to FLOOR (Total moves / 15), with a minimum bonus of 0 CC. Commands such as Dodge, Levitate, Chill and Intimidate do not count towards the Pokemon's total moves.
Battler Prizes in Disqualifications:
Unreleased Pokemon will receive their basic EC/MC/DC from a disqualified match only for the player that is not DQ'd. (e.g. if Player 2 DQ's Player 1 in a 4v4 that is after player 2's second Pokemon is released, Player 2 will get their usual bonus, any training item bonus on their released Pokemon, and the EC/MC/DC only on their unreleased Pokemon, even if they have additional training items. The Disqualified battler will receive no rewards.)
Final Notes:
If you enter a battle, once the thread is up make sure to post its link in your trainer registration post in the Registration Tower.
Remember that each match needs a Seeker, a Challenger, and a Ref. Once you find a Challenger and a Referee, PM the Referee your team choices for the battle. Select 3 Pokemon for Battles that are 3vs3 or lower. For longer matches send Pokemon up to that match's maximum (e.g. 4 for a 4vs4, 5 for a 5vs5 etc.)
The ref will post up the thread and tell the Match Seeker to send out their first Pokemon. Then the battle commences. Always link back to your trainer profile post was seeking or accepting a challenge. The ref should always check these links to make sure the Pokemon being used are legitimate and up to date.
Here is how a match starts up:
Condensed flow to start a match:
1. Seeker posts up a match
2. Challenger responds
3. Ref accepts a match and PMs both opponents to send their squads to that ref.
4. After receiving the Squad information from both trainers, the ref posts the OP, and asks the Match Challenger to determine the Ability, Switch, and Item clauses. (If both trainers agree to this set of rules beforehand, the Ref should post them in the OP and proceed to Step 5.)
5. The Match Seeker posts their first Pokemon with its abilities/item if applicable.
6. The Match Challenger sends their actions for the round.
7. The Match Seeker sends their actions for the round.
8. The Round is reffed and the order of 6 and 7 alternate each round until completion.
Previous Threads
Battle Tower MkI
Battling:
Each Trainer may be in a maximum of three (3) concurrent battles at once.
Types of Battle:
Open Battle: This is a general challenge to anyone quick enough to answer your match request.
Challenge: Throwing down the gauntlet to a specific opponent.
Beginner Battle (Updated May 27, 2011): This is a type of battle that allows trainers to avoid conflict with the more stronger trainers. The following rules apply to beginner battles and the Pokemon able to be used in them.
1. Pokemon must be able to evolve
2. Pokemon with 4 rarity cannot be used.
3. Rarity Cost of Pokemon on one side of the field cannot exceed # of Pokemon + 3
4. 1 Rarity is added to the rarity of a 2nd stage Pokemon in a 3 stage line.
5. A Pokemon with full EC or full DC cannot be used in a Beginner Battle.
6. Trainers must have played less than 6 matches, and must have joined ASB less than 1 month ago.
Refs for Beginner Battles are expected to be prompt and include flavour.
Training Battle: A variation of a battle that is the same as a normal battle, except the match does not count towards W/L/T.
Rules:
Each Trainer should PM the referee 3 Pokemon for all matches that are 3vs3 or lower unless specified otherwise. For longer matches, send Pokemon up to that match's maximum (e.g. 4 for a 4vs4, 5 for a 5vs5 etc.). If 3 Pokemon are not supplied but there are enough Pokemon for the match, you may either VM the trainer asking them to fill out their squad or ref using the more limited list as an assumption.
Whenever you post a challenge you may also request a specific referee. When doing Challenges or requesting referees, send them a courtesy VM linking to your challenge post.
There are at least two trainers in a match. The trainer who initiates a match is a Match Seeker, and a trainer who accepts a match is a Match Challenger.
Match Seeker: The person who puts up a battle request in the Battle Tower.
Match Challenger: A person responding to that person's original battle request.
Match Seeker:
Chooses Number of Pokemon per side
Chooses Match Type (Singles/Doubles/Triples)
Chooses Disqualification (DQ) Time
Chooses Number of Permitted Substitutions
Chooses Restricted Moves
Chooses Arena
Sends Out Pokemon First
Number of Pokemon and Match Type: The Standard Battling format of ASB is considered 3vs3 Singles; however, any battle format can be selected, including multi-trainer melees.
Disqualification (DQ) Time: The time expected between the posting of attacks and the ref's interpretation of the battle. Refs are expected to post within the DQ period. Opponents who do not post within the DQ period are disqualified and the match goes to whichever player posted last. If extenuating circumstances come up, PM the ref and your opponent for a suspension. The standard DQ time is usually between 3-7 days to account for the ref and battlers schedules.
Restricted Moves: Standard restrictions are Two uses of recovery moves and 5 chills. The following moves are considered recovery moves for the purposes of such restrictions:
- Recover and its clones
- Roost
- Moonlight, Morning Sun and Synthesis
- Swallow
- Rest
- Aqua Ring
- Ingrain
- Heal Pulse (this goes against the user's recovery move limit)
- Wish (this goes against the user's recovery move limit)
- Any move that activates the user's Poison Heal
Other moves may be restricted at the Seeker's discretion however, or mutually agreed upon by both sides.
Arenas: The Match Seeker is expected to provide an Arena for battle; however, they may forfeit this right to the opponent in exchange for posting second. Arenas have the most far-reaching consequences for a match and can have any attribute the designer wishes, including structural move restrictions. It is assumed that when a Challenger accepts a Seeker's challenge, they agree to the Arena and any of its inherent traits/restrictions/effects. Arenas can be simple or complex.
Match Challenger:
Chooses the switch method (Switch = OK or Switch = KO)
Chooses the ability method (No Abilities, One Ability, All Abilities)
Chooses the item method (Items Off, Items On, Training Items On)
Attacks First
Switch Methods:
Switch = KO Pokemon cannot be switched out during battle or they will be KOed. Moves that would initiate a switch effect on either side do not activate that effect. Instead they have been given descriptions for what they do in a non-switching battle on each Attack.
Switch = OK: At the end of each round, a trainer may switch their Pokémon. If they do, the Pokémon they send out must issue attacks first if their opponent does not switch in response. The same trainer cannot initiate a switch phase on consecutive rounds unless an Attack like U-turn, Volt Switch, or Teleport is used. Trainers whose Pokémon are returned through the effects of moves like Dragon Tail, Circle Throw, Roar, and Whirlwind do not have to move first the next round.
Voluntary switches occur only during a switching phase.
A Switching phase may only be initiated by the trainer moving first that round. Instead of issuing commands, the trainer may instead initiate a switch and offer their opponent a chance to switch their Pokémon. If the opposing trainer accepts and switches their Pokémon, that trainer forfeits the advantage of moving second that round. During a Switch Phase, if a trainer switches out a Pokémon with the Shadow Tag/Arena Trap Ability, or switches out a Pokémon that has trapped another Pokémon through the use of Block/Mean Look/Bind/Clamp/Fire Spin/Magma Storm/Sand Tomb/Whirlpool/Wrap, then the opponent will not be able to switch that Pokémon out of battle. If all active Pokémon your opponent controls is trapped in this manner, then the offer to Counterswitch is automatically declined. Should the opposing trainer have no living Pokémon in the bench, then the offer to Counterswitch is automatically declined.
A Switching phase has only two possible outcomes:
1. Player A Switch > Player B Declines Switch > Player A Orders > Player B Orders.
2. Player A Switch > Player B Counterswitch and Orders > Player A Orders.
Tag Team Battles operate the same with both team members on the same team switching their Pokémon first. The team which performs the most switches in the switch phase moves first. (e.g. if both trainers on a two person tag team switch, but only one of their opponents does, their opponents still move second)
Melee battles go through each trainer next in the order. Attack Order is then determined in the reverse order of trainers who switched. (eg. Trainer A initiates switch phase. Trainer B makes a switch, Trainer C declines to switch, then Trainer D makes a switch. The attack order would now be D > B > A > C. Because D was able to see the decisions of all other players, D is punished the most for deciding to switch after B switched and C declined.
Any Battle large enough to require orders via PM will automatically be set to Switch=KO
Ability Methods:
No Abilities: No Abilities will be active in a match. Note that this does not prevent Pokemon who naturally Levitate from doing so; common physics still apply.
One Ability: The trainers select one Ability that their Pokemon will use for the entirety of the match upon release.
All Abilities: All of the Pokemon's Abilities are active at once.
Item Methods:
Items Off: Hold Items will not be allowed in battle.
Items On: Pokemon are equipped with Hold Items upon release.
Training Items On: Pokemon are equipped with "Training" Hold Items upon release (An Item that raises a Counter when a Pokemon holds it).
How to Release a Pokemon:
When you first release a Pokemon into battle, give its Pokemon Species (with a Sprite or the name of the Species), its Nickname, its Gender (Optional), and its Nature (Optional).
Example:
Sandshrew(*) Terrato (M)
Nature: Jolly
Attacks and Commands:
An Attack is any of the official Pokemon Attacks on the Attack List. A Command is slightly different. Commands can be issued as actions in any battle that might take a sufficient amount of time or focus to accomplish. Commands can be anything from "hide behind rocks" to "create some distance from the opponent" to interactions with specific arenas like "pick an Oran Berry from the bushes." Depending on the complexity of the command it can cost from 2-4% of the Pokemon's Energy. Commands like "block an attack" or "dodge an attack" can be used, but are generally not effective and frowned upon. Attacks take priority over simple Commands, and their higher energy costs mean Pokemon put more energy into making them hit.
Actions: These are orders given by the trainers in a match. They will always be three orders per Pokemon, unless it is a Triple Battle or larger, in which case it will become two orders.
Combination Attacks: A player can combo moves together into one move for a greater effect at the cost of more energy. These combos will generally have a lower priority, due to the execution of the combo taking more time to perform. They must make sure that the moves can actually combine with each other effectively (e.g. Tackle + Psychic will not work, but Double-Edge + Wild Charge has merits). This move will take up one action, but the user must rest the following action. Combos cannot be used on the third action.
More expansive combination rules can be found in the DAT.
Hidden Power: Hidden Power can be any type and Attack Power of the player’s choosing (between 4 and 7); however, once Hidden Power’s type and Attack Power is chosen, it can never be changed. Hidden Power's Energy Cost is equal to Base Attack Power minus two (2).
Chills: A "Chill" is the only command that can restore Energy in ASB. Chills restore 12 Energy each and are usually limited to 5 per Pokemon per match.
Substitutions:
Substitutions are a mechanism to remove various advantages and disadvantages to going first or second. The number of permitted substitutions in a match is decided by the Match Seeker.
Substitution Types
Substitutions are allowed in battles to deal with various luck-based elements and the general disadvantage of attacking first. Here are the different kinds of substitutions and when they can be used.
Attack Substitution:
For each of their Pokemon, a Player acting first may create a Substitution based on one or more specific Attack or Command the opponent can issue and Substitute their called Actions. This conditional can only be triggered by one of the opponent's Actions, however it may apply to multiple consecutive Actions for the trainer's Pokemon in that round. Battlers may also use "Substitution Classes" to have the same effect but cover a wider breadth of moves:
For each of their Pokemon, a Player acting first may create a Substitution based on one or more specific Attack or Command the opponent can issue and Substitute their called Actions. This conditional can only be triggered by one of the opponent's Actions, however it may apply to multiple consecutive Actions for the trainer's Pokemon in that round. Battlers may also use "Substitution Classes" to have the same effect but cover a wider breadth of moves:
- Protective Moves: Protect, Detect
- Evasive Moves: Agility (Evasive), Teleport (Evasive)
- Damaging Evasive Moves: Dig, Fly, Dive, Bounce, Shadow Force
- Damaging Priority Moves: Aqua Jet, Bullet Punch, Extremespeed, Fake Out, Feint, Ice Shard, Mach Punch, Quick Attack, Shadow Sneak, Sucker Punch, Vacuum Wave.
- Damaging TYPE Moves: Covers all of Flamethrower, Lava Plume, Fire Blast, Ember, etc. under the umbrella of "Damaging Fire-type Move." Covers all of Psychic, Psyshock, Confusion, Dream Eater, etc. under the umbrella of "Damaging Psychic-type Move." Etc. NOTE: This Substitution applies to all attacks of a certain type that have a BAP, so moves like Knock Off, Incinerate, and Rapid Spin will trigger this Substitution.
- Paralysis-Inflicting Moves: Thunder Wave, Glare, Stun Spore
- Poison-Inflicting Moves: Poison Gas, Poisonpowder, Toxic
- Sleep-Inflicting Moves: Spore, Hypnosis, Sleep Powder, Sing, Grasswhistle, Lovely Kiss, Dark Void, Yawn
- Confusion-Inflicting Moves: Confuse Ray, Supersonic, Sweet Kiss, Teeter Dance, Swagger
- Switch-Preventing Moves (Only allowed during Switch = OK): Block, Mean Look, Spider Web
- Trapping Moves: Fire Spin, Sand Tomb, Whirlpool, Magma Storm, Bind, Wrap, Clamp
- Switch-Forcing Moves: Whirlwind, Roar, Circle Throw, Dragon Tail
- Self-Switching Moves: U-Turn, Volt Switch, Teleport (Switch)
- Healing Moves: Roost, Slack Off, Recover, Moonlight, Synthesis, Morning Sun, Softboiled, Heal Order, Milk Drink, Swallow
- Status-Healing Moves: Aromatherapy, Heal Bell, Refresh
- Lock-On Moves: Lock-On, Mind Reader
- Attack-Reducing Moves: Growl, Charm, Featherdance, Memento
- Defense-Reducing Moves: Leer, Tail Whip, Screech
- Special Attack-Reducing Moves: Captivate, Memento
- Special Defense-Reducing Moves: Fake Tears, Metal Sound
- Speed-Reducing Moves: String Shot, Cotton Spore, Scary Face, Bulldoze, Icy Wind, Mud Shot, Rock Tomb, Electroweb, Glaciate, Low Sweep
- Accuracy-Reducing Moves: Flash, Kinesis, Sand-Attack, Smokescreen
Chance Substitution:
Battlers may also create Substitutions based on the success or failure of a previously ordered Attack or Attack effect. This conditional can only be triggered by the success or failure of a previous Action, and as such cannot be applied to the first action of a Round. Ex: IF Body Slam Paralyzes the opponent, THEN use Bounce on the following Action. This Substitution can be made by either Player (or both) when issuing Actions, but it will still count toward the total number of Substitutions allowed.
Battlers may also create Substitutions based on the success or failure of a previously ordered Attack or Attack effect. This conditional can only be triggered by the success or failure of a previous Action, and as such cannot be applied to the first action of a Round. Ex: IF Body Slam Paralyzes the opponent, THEN use Bounce on the following Action. This Substitution can be made by either Player (or both) when issuing Actions, but it will still count toward the total number of Substitutions allowed.
KO Substitution:
For each of their Pokemon, either player in a multiple battle (Doubles or more) may order an alternative set of actions based on a specific opponent fainting. KO Substitutions do not stack with Attack or Chance Substitutions in terms of Substitution limits, although only one is allowed per Round.
For each of their Pokemon, either player in a multiple battle (Doubles or more) may order an alternative set of actions based on a specific opponent fainting. KO Substitutions do not stack with Attack or Chance Substitutions in terms of Substitution limits, although only one is allowed per Round.
Substitution Rules:
- Substitutions exist in a vacuum. In matches with multiple substitutions, they may not reference one another.
- Substitutions must be legal. Illegal substitutions are treated as nonexistent, and Referees are to ignore illegal substitutions when reffing (unlike Actions, which must be fixed before reffing can occur).
- A single Pokemon may not activate two different Substitutions in the same action. If its first substitution activates, the second substitution is ignored. If the first substitution does NOT activate, the second substitution acts as normal.
Mid-battle Evolution (Updated September 3, 2013):
If a Pokemon's Evolution Counter (or EC) is high enough for it to evolve (see Battle Rewards below) at the start of the battle, it may opt to evolve during the battle. This is done by initiating a switch phase as described in the Switch = OK switch method, except instead of swapping the Pokemon out for one on the player's bench, the Pokemon expends 40 energy to evolve into its next stage. The Pokemon swaps its stats, typing and abilities for those of its evolved form, but does not learn any new moves until after the battle. The Pokemon retains its current HP when it evolves unless its current HP exceeds its new max HP, in which case the Pokemon's HP is reduced to this new max value.
As with initiating a switch phase, this may only be done by the player ordering first, and the opponent has the opportunity to counterswitch in exchange for taking the first order.
A Pokemon may not use the EC or KO reward for participating in a battle to evolve in that same battle. A Pokemon may not evolve beyond the evolutionary stage specified in the battle rules. For example, a Charmander can evolve into a Charmeleon in a NFE battle, but not in a LC battle, and a Murkrow cannot evolve into a Honchkrow in a NFE or LC battle.
Battle Rewards:
There are 4 different rewards that can be received in battle. Three are Pokemon specific (they track with each Pokemon), the fourth follows the trainer. Most Battle Rewards must be claimed at the end of a battle.
The KO Bonus:
Every time one of your Pokemon knocks out one of your opponent's Pokemon, you get a one point KO Bonus that you can apply to any of the four counters described below. It doesn't matter if this KO was obtained by taking out 100% of your Opponent's Pokemon's HP or the 20% they had remaining when they KOed your first Pokemon. A KO Counter will be added either way. A Pokemon can only apply a KO counter to their stats if they made the KO. These counters can be applied either after a KO or held in reserve until the end of the battle.
If a Pokemon uses Explosion or any other self-KO move, the opponent will get the KO Bonus while your Pokemon will get the KO Bonus if it was able to successfully faint the opponent. In a double battle or higher, each Pokemon on the opponent's side will get the KO Bonus.
Pokemon Specific Bonuses:
Evolution Counter: Each time a Pokemon enters battle, their Evolution Counter goes up by one (1). For 3 Stage Pokemon, they can evolve to their second form once their Evolution Counter reaches four (4) and then their final evolution when it reaches nine (9). For 2 Stage Pokemon, They can evolve to their higher form once their Evolution Counter reaches six (6). (There are some exceptions, which are noted in the Registration Tower.) Non-evolving Pokemon do not have Evolution Counters, and they do not have any points redistributed because of it. Regardless of how high the Evolution Counter needs to reach, a Pokemon must complete a battle at one stage before it can evolve into the next stage.
Move Counter: Each time a Pokemon enters battle, their Move Counter goes up by two (2). Pokemon that have a full Evolution Counter and Dream Counter increase their Move Counter by an additional one (1). Move Counters are used to add new moves to your Pokemon. Here are the costs associated with Move Counters:
1 MC: Level-Up Moves from any Pokemon at or below the current Evolution stage, Pledge Moves.
2 MC: BW TMs, BW Tutors.
3 MC: Egg Moves, Event Moves, Past Gen TMs, Past Gen Tutors, Manga-only Moves, Anime-only Moves
Each Pokemon starts with their Level-up moves from every generation up through Level 25, 5 Egg Moves, and 5 BW TMs. When Pokemon evolve, they retain all moves learned by their previous form in addition to any of their own, differing level-up moves (ex. Magneton has Tri-Attack as a Level 0 move, and will have all of Magnemite's moves up to level 25 plus any it learned in the battles it fought before evolving into Magneton. Likewise Magnezone keeps Tri Attack but also adds its Level 0 moves of Barrier and Mirror Coat.)
Dream Counter: Each Pokemon's Dream World Ability is sealed to start with. Each time a Pokemon enters battle, its Dream Counter goes up by one (1). Once they have reached 5, they may voluntarily unlock their Dream World ability. If a Pokemon has no Dream World Ability or has already unlocked it, no extra points can be distributed. Once a Dream World ability is unlocked, it will be unlocked even if the Pokemon evolves.
Trainer Specific Bonus:
Currency Counter: Each time you enter a battle, your Currency Counter goes up by a certain amount. Currency Counters are the primary "currency" of the ASB, and can be used to capture Pokemon or purchase items. Once you get Currency Counters equivalent to a Pokemon's Rarity Rating you can catch that Pokemon at the end of a battle. Rarities will be applied to each first stage Pokemon in amounts from 1 to 4. Similarly, once you get Currency Counters equivalent to an Item's cost, you can purchase that item. Currency Counters may be sold for Universal Counters at a rate of 8 CC-->1 UC.
Currency Counters will be awarded for battles as follows:
1 CC: 1v1 Anything, 2v2 Doubles, 3v3 Triples
2 CC: 2v2 Singles, 3v3 Singles / Doubles, 4v4 Triples+, Melees
3 CC: 4v4 Singles / Doubles, 5v5 Triples+, Triples+ with 6 to 9 Pokemon per side, Melees with 8+ Pokemon total
4 CC: 5v5 Singles / Doubles, 6v6 Singles / Doubles / Triples, Melees with 15+ Pokemon total
5 CC: Singles / Doubles / Triples with 7+ Pokemon per side, Triples+ with 10+ Pokemon per side, Melees with 24+ Pokemon total
Note that Brawls fall under the category of "Triples+" since they are two player matches.
In addition, if a Pokemon participating has its EC and DC maxed out and knows every move it can possibly learn, you get additional CC equal to FLOOR (Total moves / 15), with a minimum bonus of 0 CC. Commands such as Dodge, Levitate, Chill and Intimidate do not count towards the Pokemon's total moves.
Battler Prizes in Disqualifications:
Unreleased Pokemon will receive their basic EC/MC/DC from a disqualified match only for the player that is not DQ'd. (e.g. if Player 2 DQ's Player 1 in a 4v4 that is after player 2's second Pokemon is released, Player 2 will get their usual bonus, any training item bonus on their released Pokemon, and the EC/MC/DC only on their unreleased Pokemon, even if they have additional training items. The Disqualified battler will receive no rewards.)
Final Notes:
If you enter a battle, once the thread is up make sure to post its link in your trainer registration post in the Registration Tower.
Remember that each match needs a Seeker, a Challenger, and a Ref. Once you find a Challenger and a Referee, PM the Referee your team choices for the battle. Select 3 Pokemon for Battles that are 3vs3 or lower. For longer matches send Pokemon up to that match's maximum (e.g. 4 for a 4vs4, 5 for a 5vs5 etc.)
The ref will post up the thread and tell the Match Seeker to send out their first Pokemon. Then the battle commences. Always link back to your trainer profile post was seeking or accepting a challenge. The ref should always check these links to make sure the Pokemon being used are legitimate and up to date.
Here is how a match starts up:
Condensed flow to start a match:
1. Seeker posts up a match
2. Challenger responds
3. Ref accepts a match and PMs both opponents to send their squads to that ref.
4. After receiving the Squad information from both trainers, the ref posts the OP, and asks the Match Challenger to determine the Ability, Switch, and Item clauses. (If both trainers agree to this set of rules beforehand, the Ref should post them in the OP and proceed to Step 5.)
5. The Match Seeker posts their first Pokemon with its abilities/item if applicable.
6. The Match Challenger sends their actions for the round.
7. The Match Seeker sends their actions for the round.
8. The Round is reffed and the order of 6 and 7 alternate each round until completion.
Previous Threads
Battle Tower MkI
Last edited by a moderator:
