What is Hackmons?

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Introduction

Hello there! Welcome to the world of Pokémon! My name is Ransei. I am from Smogon University! This world is inhabited with strange and magical creatures known as Pokémon. Some people see them as pets; others use them for battling in tiers! I, however, modify and test them in a metagame where they are all free to use anything other Pokémon could have. In other words, I hack 'em all!

Concept and Philosophy

Hackmons is a metagame where people can give their Pokémon any ability and move that can be hacked using an external device and used in local battles. It is essentially Anything Goes, but with a lot more twists and turns. Hackmons is otherwise known as Pure Hackmons; it has no sort of balancing or restrictions.

Prior to Generation 1 in Pokémon history, a mythical Pokémon named Mew was discovered and obtained by a scientist named Dr. Fuji. Dr. Fuji took Mew’s DNA and cloned it into a new Pokémon. He then learned he could genetically modify the DNA of this new Pokémon to exceed Mew’s natural limitations and reach a new, true peak of its potential. The Pokémon was named Mewtwo and it was created to be the most powerful Pokémon in existence.

Dr. Fuji founded a philosophy of exceeding an original Pokémon's natural limitations to make it as competent in Pokémon battling as it could possibly be by creating Mewtwo. Mewtwo then left Dr. Fuji's lab and carried on this same philosophy by creating clones of other Pokémon, then genetically modifying those Pokémon to exceed the original Pokémon’s natural limitations.

The same philosophy used to create Mewtwo is the philosophy of Hackmons. The Pokémon in Hackmons are genetically engineered to go past their natural legal limitations in order to be as competent in Pokémon battling as they can be, reaching their true full potential. Mewtwo was the first of its kind and the Pokémon that founded Hackmons.

How Pokémon are affected by this philosophy:

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Audino

Audino is a Pokémon that is famously perceived as a punching bag in the core series Pokémon games. It’s most famous for giving lots of EXP points away upon getting knocked out in battle and is an example of a Pokémon that, under normal conditions, would not be very suitable for battle. This Pokémon struggles a lot to stop itself from becoming a victim of EXP farmers and being treated as a joke. This is definitely an example of a Pokémon that could use modifications.

Audino received a Mega Evolution in Generation Six. While it made the Pokémon a bit better, it managed to get a poor ability in Healer in return. This led many players to continue seeing Audino as a complete joke, but it also had them wish for this Pokémon to have received a better ability. Mega Audino is often seen as the black sheep of Mega Evolution. It has the stats and typing to succeed. Its movepool isn’t all that bad either. All it needs is the modification of a better ability and it’d be incredible.

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With the powers of modification, Audino and its Mega Evolution move on from being jesters of battle to being among the best Pokémon available. With the freedom to choose any ability in the game and more advanced moves, along with the good stats and typing this Pokémon already had, Mega Audino has worked its way up into being the best overall Wonder Guard Pokémon and serving as a source of stability for the 3DS generations of Hackmons. You can even go as far as to say that a hacked Mega Audino performs better than a hacked Arceus in Gen 7 and about the same in Gen 6.

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Mega Rayquaza

In Generations 6-7, Mega Rayquaza is a Pokémon that has it all: the movepool, the stats, the solid ability for legal matches. It is the best Pokémon in the generations in which it’s available. This is a Pokémon that, under normal circumstances, has no need for modification or any improvement of some sort. It’s amazing how it is. However, in Pure Hackmons, it will need to keep up. The power scale of Pure Hackmons is well increased from legal formats, as all Pokémon are capable of giving themselves powerful abilities, such as Huge Power, Mold Breaker, and Wonder Guard, and insane moves such as Spore, King’s Shield, and Shell Smash. A legal Mega Rayquaza set would not be viable in Pure Hackmons.

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Mega Rayquaza has been given the improvements much needed in order for it to keep up with the Pure Hackmons metagame. To spice things up, this set has also been modified to be shiny. It remains a formidable foe and is still great in battle. However, there is a difference. Despite being the best Pokémon in Generations 6-7 legal formats, Mega Rayquaza does not hold the top spot in Generations 6-7 Pure Hackmons. Since Pure Hackmons allows all Pokémon to use any move and any ability, a Pokémon’s typing and stat spread factor much more into its viability. A Pokémon’s overall BST is no longer as important as the individual stats within their BST, as a specific stat or combination of stats may prevent a Pokemon from being outclassed by the many other premier options available.

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Mewtwo

Mewtwo was the original hacked Pokémon in the Pokémon world. This Pokémon was given an opportunity to be used in fully legal formats in Generation 1 and, therefore, utterly destroyed each of those formats. When Mewtwo debuted, it was the perfect Pokémon. No other Pokémon could come remotely close to its battling capabilities. Being the only hacked Pokémon in legal formats surely made this Pokémon exponentially better than all others. However, Mewtwo was not given the full capabilities of a hacked Pokémon. While it had been genetically engineered to be more powerful, it was still given a restricted movepool and, in future generations, a restricted ability. This was in order to keep it usable in legal competitive formats.

By the time Generation 7 games were released, this Pokémon had received lots of nerfs and more competition. It was simply far too much for Mewtwo to retain its position as a top tier Pokémon in legal formats.

   

Mewtwo received two Mega Evolutions by Generation 7, but they didn’t really add much to Mewtwo’s viability due to their lack of an item slot, mediocre abilities, lack of great moves to fully utilize Mewtwo's unorthodox stat raises from Mega Evolution, and sacrificing of important stats in return for more power. Mewtwo, even with its Mega Evolutions, was still noticeably worse off in battle than at least a dozen other Pokémon.

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Through further modification from when it was first made as a Pokémon, Mewtwo has been able to adapt to the Generation 7 Pure Hackmons metagame and return to being among the best Pokémon. Mega Mewtwo X is incredibly good at taking down many of the metagame's most defensive Pokémon due to incredibly high Attack, great moves to choose from, and the Huge Power ability. Anything that could wall it, such as Doublade, Zygarde-C, Mega Slowbro, or Cresselia, can be doomed by a simple change of one move. Mega Mewtwo Y is better at dealing with many of the metagame's most offensive threats, like Deoxys-S, Ultra Necrozma, and Primal Groudon, due to its stat distribution. Mega Mewtwo Y's wild stat distribution allows this Pokémon to be highly flexible when carrying abilities like Wonder Guard, Prankster, and Innards Out. This flexibility enables it to be one of the most unpredictable and effective Pokémon in Hackmons. Both Mega Mewtwo X and Y are major forces to be reckoned with and dominate Pure Hackmons more than just about every other species of Pokémon in some generations.

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What is Hackmons like?

Hackmons is a 6v6 format where two players use their unlimited creativity against each other to come up with a winning strategy. Since Hackmons allows the use of any Pokémon, the Pokémon that stand out by having the highest number in a particular base stat or an outstanding type combination are the ones likely to be used most. The small amount of Pokémon who aren't outclassed will make matches look as if everyone is running the same exact Pokémon on plenty of teams and may have the metagame look bland from an outward perspective. However, because Pokémon are entirely free to run any move and ability a player wishes, many of the same Pokémon often utilize a vast number of entirely different sets. Since the threat of being outclassed is so severe, different Pokémon with similar stats and typing may have very different niches. This great diversity makes it difficult for players to fully expect what’s coming from each Pokémon.

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Tips for Getting into Hackmons

Hackmons is one of the most complex metagames for a Pokémon player to get into solely because of how differently the metagame functions from any other form of competitive play. A move or ability that could be broken if given to the best Pokémon in legal and/or tiered formats is very often significantly more tame in Pure Hackmons, as it is a metagame where anything can be used by anything. Here are some tips:

Don’t come with an expectation; come with an open mind.

This is the most important tip for getting into Pure Hackmons. The biggest mistake every inexperienced player makes when they’re introduced to the metagame is thinking they know everything. They think they know how the entire metagame functions and how to build the most dominant team without ever really having any experience playing the format. Many people with this mindset even criticize the metagame due to being stuck with an entirely false image of how the metagame works. For example, some people have disliked Pure Hackmons due to believing it's just Wonder Guard spam, and then get disappointed when they lose using Wonder Guard + Air Balloon or Wonder Guard + Burn Up strategies. Because people tend to think Pokémon, moves, and abilities function the same way they would in restricted formats, most people believe Pure Hackmons is a very simple metagame to understand. The issue is that it isn’t. In a metagame where any Pokémon could possibly stop another by the use of any move and/or ability, almost all of the most broken Pokémon, moves, and abilities have a lot of easy countermeasures. It is incredibly difficult to just single-handedly rely on even the best Pokémon and expect they’d do the entire job of winning for your team by themselves. The average great team will always have ways around the best strategies and can disable your main planned wincon entirely.

Start off with a well-developed sample team found in Pure Hackmons resource threads on Smogon. Grant yourself the opportunity to learn how successful Pokémon function in the metagame.

The easiest way to start off with success in the Pure Hackmons metagame is by trying out a strong sample team. Because Pure Hackmons functions entirely differently from how any other format functions, you will most likely have a difficult time getting used to the metagame without using a well-organized team made by an expert early on. Using a team that makes the most of Hackmons's possibilities can completely change the way you see Pokémon, and you’ll be able to understand how many of them can work (or not work) in unique fashions. It can also give you a jump start to seeing what strategies really dominate the format most and what you can do to properly face off against them.

Study the mechanical differences between each generation of Pokémon and Pure Hackmons.

Each generation of Pokémon is different, so each generation of the Pure Hackmons metagame is different as well. Because Pure Hackmons is Pokémon at its freest, it is also the format most likely to be affected by mechanical changes. One example would be the 510 EV limit that's exclusive to Generation 6 Hackmons. Some mechanics are spread throughout multiple different generations but are only relevant to a particular generation or set of generations of Hackmons due to what dominates in the Pure Hackmons metagame. The main example of this would be Dark-types being immune to Prankster in Generation 7 onwards. This immunity is not very relevant in Generation 8 Pure Hackmons, even though it still exists. Other mechanics may only be highly relevant to Pure Hackmons and no other format, such as Ice-types being immune to Sheer Cold in Generation 7 onwards. Keeping up with the mechanics of each generation and the mechanics that specifically affect Pure Hackmons will help you be able to keep track of everything going on in the metagame.

Gradually play and learn

Pure Hackmons is not a metagame that can be learned from playing another format or through understanding how moves and abilities work in a different format. It is a metagame that can only truly be learned by playing it directly against experienced players, fully understanding the core concept of each move and ability, and then grasping the freedom to use them all in battle. Continuing to gain experience will let you use your own creativity to work around metagame strategies and make the most use of the limitless toolset you are given.

Have Fun!

Pure Hackmons is a wild metagame with an infinite number of possibilities in each battle. There are plenty of things you can try out and enjoy in battle! See if Pure Hackmons is right for you! If it’s not, you can always go back to the format you enjoy or search further for what you are interested in. This tip will always apply for getting into Pure Hackmons, but it’s more so a tip for living a good life.

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What makes a Pokémon good in Hackmons?

Unlike with other formats, Pokémon in Pure Hackmons are not restricted to their own natural moves and abilities. This completely changes the effectiveness of many Pokémon for better or worse. Instead, a Pokémon’s effectiveness is dependent on two major factors:

Stat Distribution

With the freedom to run any move and ability, stats are one of the few things left to determine a Pokémon’s viability. Usually, the higher a Pokémon’s stats are, the better, but don’t expect just any random Pokémon with high BST to be good. Many of the most efficient Pokémon tend to have a particular base stat or combination of stats they can use to overwhelm the metagame. At least one of those stats should well exceed the same stat of most other Pokémon. For example, they could be the fastest Pokémon or the Pokémon with the highest HP. They might be the Pokémon with the highest defenses or the highest offenses. They can also be Pokémon with the best combination of offenses and Speed or defenses and HP. There are a ton of factors that play into how their stat distribution can turn out. How a Pokémon’s stat distribution determines their viability is more about where a Pokémon’s best stats are placed and how high they are than about how high their BST is.

Typing

In Pure Hackmons, a Pokémon’s typing matters just as much as its stat distribution. Its typing determines what abilities the Pokémon can run most effectively, whether it can block certain moves, and how useful attacks will be as STAB moves or coverage. Oftentimes a Pokémon with a mediocre stat distribution and BST ends up being one of the best due to having an amazing typing. Other times a Pokémon with a fairly good stat distribution and high BST ends up not being great due to having poor typing.

Smaller Factors

Items

Due to the nature of Pure Hackmons, items are heavily centralized in the metagame. The accessibility of any move and ability usually overrides the need to use most items. Because of this, only a small handful of items are commonly used in the metagame, and these items are what may help each team survive top metagame strategies most efficiently. They tend to be items used to block the effects of specific moves or abilities, hinder the opposing team’s overall effectiveness, or give Pokémon noticeable stat buffs to help them out even further.

Strategy

The nature of Pure Hackmons not only changes how items work but how Pokémon work as well. Most Pokémon's sets override the viability of the Pokémon themselves. Sets only become usable because the moves and abilities they're carrying are great, rather than the Pokémon itself being good. This may lead to many different Pokémon carrying a similar set and all of them being effective with that set because of how effective its ability and moves are. Be careful with this, however, because many Pokémon with good sets are still outclassed, and it takes solid teambuilding skill in Pure Hackmons in order to get away with maximizing the small niches of Pokémon that are close to being outclassed. The Pokémon placed in the metagame's viability rankings are ones that are not completely outclassed and are capable of fulfilling their roles without having to overly rely on the support of other Pokémon.

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Accessibility

Pure Hackmons is easy to find and play on Pokémon Showdown. Here are the main methods to play it:

• Through the Pokémon Showdown ladder. This only applies to Generation 6 Pure Hackmons. There may also be an occasional monthly ladder for other generations of Pure Hackmons, but this requires a lot of wait time.
• You can play other generations of Pure Hackmons directly challenging someone. You can also challenge someone to an old gen Custom Game format in order to play older generations of Pure Hackmons. If you do challenge through Custom Game, please be aware that Pure Hackmons isn't the Custom Game meta. The Custom Game meta allows 24 moves, 24 Pokémon, and levels up to 9999, reaching beyond the horizons of Pokémon itself. Custom Game, however, is also a sandbox that allows you to make and play many formats within it, including Pure Hackmons, as long as both players follow the ruleset.
• Pure Hackmons is also accessible through roomtours in Pokémon Showdown's Old Shark room. Aside from this, there may also be occasional Pure Hackmons room tournaments in the public Other Metas and Ruins of Alph rooms.

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Community

The Old Shark room, Other Metas room, and Pure Hackmons Discord server serve as primary homes to the Pure Hackmons community. They are where players most frequently discuss each Pure Hackmons metagame. OM Mashups can also be a place to discuss Pure Hackmons, but specifically in cases where the metagame is mashed up with another format.

What is Old Shark?

Old Shark is an Other Metas subroom dedicated to Pure Hackmons formats. It particularly focuses on older gens of Pure Hackmons but also accepts current gen discussion and tours. The room is inhabited by plenty of experienced Pure Hackmons players who participate in all sorts of different generations. Many of them are given the power to moderate the room and set up roomtours whenever they like. It is a room that allows fun and creativity to be engaged when discussing each generation of Pure Hackmons.

The emerging Pure Hackmons community is like any other on Smogon. The people are fun to play against and are always willing to give constructive criticism whenever needed. The Old Shark roomstaff especially are often trustworthy members who've cherished and respected the metagame for a while. If you visit Old Shark, feel free to say hi and ask for a Pure Hackmons game.

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Directories and Resources

Old Gen Hackmons Megathread - Provides all the information about old gen Pure Hackmons formats and links the current gen thread on the original post.

Old Shark - An Other Metagames subroom dedicated for Hackmons discussion and tournaments on Pokémon Showdown.

Pure Hackmons Discord - A server dedicated for Hackmons discussion on Discord.

Other Metas - The home of current gen Hackmons. Other Metas is a room that's more focused on current gen formats than old gen formats, so the current gen of Pure Hackmons can be discussed and played in room tournaments there too.

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Conclusion

A world of endless possibilities awaits you. Go out there and fulfill your hopes and dreams to create the perfect Pokémon! Many popular theorymons and fulfilled desires come to life in this very format. See what you can come up with when playing Pure Hackmons.

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