Smogon Simple Questions Thread

Yakjdiél said:
Hello, I hope this question can be answered. I also hope it's correct to post it here.

How does the ELO subtraction system work in Pokémon Showdown? I'm referring to the fact that when you enter the Top Ladder with an ELO above 1500, this amount progressively decreases over time when you stop playing for a few days, regardless of the ELO...

I'd like to understand how this works. How much is the daily ELO that Pokémon Showdown subtracts while the player is not active? I've seen that there are players on the leaderboard whose ELO never decreases; in fact, it remains static at the same amount they left it at... I even know there are players who are inactive... I don't know if it's just me; it seems to me that I always see the same ELO number even if I check it several days later... So... Is there any way to prevent the ELO from decreasing?

Thank you and sorry for the inconvenience, I share all this based on my lack of experience with Ladder in ADV OU
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from the official ladder help page
 
Hello. I have a few questions regarding shiny event pokemon. I plan on buying a Switch 2 and pokemon scarlet this christmas. However, that means I missed out on a majority of the shiny event pokemon that were released in the meantime such as the shiny treasures of ruin and koraidon and miraidon. Is there a way here on smogon where someone is willing to trade me a duplicate or is that not possible? I am really just doing this for collection sake as I do not know if I am able to use these pokemon in competitive. I am also looking for a shiny zeraora as well. If anyone is looking for specific pokemon I am more than happy to assist you. Thank you so much. Also can you nickname event pokemon or are you still unable to?
 
Zekrom117 said:
Hello. I have a few questions regarding shiny event pokemon. I plan on buying a Switch 2 and pokemon scarlet this christmas. However, that means I missed out on a majority of the shiny event pokemon that were released in the meantime such as the shiny treasures of ruin and koraidon and miraidon. Is there a way here on smogon where someone is willing to trade me a duplicate or is that not possible? I am really just doing this for collection sake as I do not know if I am able to use these pokemon in competitive. I am also looking for a shiny zeraora as well. If anyone is looking for specific pokemon I am more than happy to assist you. Thank you so much. Also can you nickname event pokemon or are you still unable to?
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In gen 8 you became able to nickname event mons as long as they didn't have a nickname (this was because this was a general change allowing you to to nickname any unnamed Pokémon) however SV removed the ability to do so for Pokémon met in a fateful encounter. So, assuming you have SwSh you can rename Zeraora, but the shiny Treasures and Raidons will be forever nameless.
 
AztecCroc said:
In gen 8 you became able to nickname event mons as long as they didn't have a nickname (this was because this was a general change allowing you to to nickname any unnamed Pokémon) however SV removed the ability to do so for Pokémon met in a fateful encounter. So, assuming you have SwSh you can rename Zeraora, but the shiny Treasures and Raidons will be forever nameless.
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Thank you for answering the first question. But you did not answer my first question. Will there be a way for me to acquire any duplicate shiny treasures of ruin after the event distribution time on September 30 here on smogon trade forums? Or will I have to buy a Switch 2 and Scarlet or Violet right now instead of at christmas because they will be gone forever? I really need to know the answer to this or at least have reassurance I can acquire them here on smogon even after their event distribution expires. I apologize for how urgent this sounds.
 
Ok, since it has been half a year or something since I last asked this question, I am gonna throw it out again since I didn't get my update from last time.

I am present In communities outside of just Smogon, and the most prominent one that isn't Pokemon related is the competitive beyblade community.

just like Pokemon, we have a website equivalent to Smogon, we do tours yada yada yada... but the thing is, I find the community to be much less advanced in terms of organization and tiering policies, so I have came here for some help.

Is there a place where I can find a rundown on the very core systems of Smogon policies? such as tiering policies on what defines a banworthy Pokemon and whatnot? as much as beyblade and mons are very different games, many things that I don't think y'all would want me to yap about here still overlap surprisingly, so I wanna know if I can bring smogon tiering policies and maybe the analyses system and also viability ranking system over.
 
Felt like this was the best place to post this since I couldn't find a general bug reports thread.

I occasionally get 502 errors, but recently they seem to have been way more common than normal. Is there an issue on my end or is this a known problem? I have gotten the errors both on my phone via data and WiFi and on my desktop.
 
If I struggle extremely to know how to build anything, know what goes good together, understand any of this stuff about Pokemon at the age of 40, how can I find out what method of learning would help me with all this to find what I need to do any of this with Pokemon?
 
Karxrida said:
Is there an issue on my end or is this a known problem?
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There have been some site-wide issues recently yes; these were probably our side and not your side.
CinosCatGamr said:
how can I find out what method of learning would help me with all this to find what I need to do any of this with Pokemon
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I would look for the resources threads of the metagame you are attempting to learn, they'll have viability rankings, sample teams, places to ask specific questions, etc. If you need help finding those threads, what metagame are you trying to learn?
 
CinosCatGamr said:
If I struggle extremely to know how to build anything, know what goes good together, understand any of this stuff about Pokemon at the age of 40, how can I find out what method of learning would help me with all this to find what I need to do any of this with Pokemon?
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we also have content creators like pinkacross on YT who makes content that teaches stuff that applies to pretty much all of the standard metagame, he focuses mainly on OU but his tips on making plays, teambuilding and whatnot helps immensely with other tiers as well.

Another way is to join the discord servers of the metagames you desire, as they are generally more active than the forums these days, and the people in there got tons of knowledge on the tier.
 
UT said:
There have been some site-wide issues recently yes; these were probably our side and not your side.

I would look for the resources threads of the metagame you are attempting to learn, they'll have viability rankings, sample teams, places to ask specific questions, etc. If you need help finding those threads, what metagame are you trying to learn?
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I'm trying to learn competitive Pokemon aka the videogames, not Showdown, but it's all so extremely complicated, I lack the mind strategy, I usually make it up as I go for better or worse and I can't look at somethin and tell what goes good together, I have autism so I think that has a role in my struggle,

Pigbeeef said:
we also have content creators like pinkacross on YT who makes content that teaches stuff that applies to pretty much all of the standard metagame, he focuses mainly on OU but his tips on making plays, teambuilding and whatnot helps immensely with other tiers as well.

Another way is to join the discord servers of the metagames you desire, as they are generally more active than the forums these days, and the people in there got tons of knowledge on the tier.
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It would have to be extremely simple to follow or it'll just go over my head...
 
CinosCatGamr said:
I'm trying to learn competitive Pokemon aka the videogames, not Showdown, but it's all so extremely complicated, I lack the mind strategy, I usually make it up as I go for better or worse and I can't look at somethin and tell what goes good together, I have autism so I think that has a role in my struggle,


It would have to be extremely simple to follow or it'll just go over my head...
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My favourite guide is the one Callous put out about how to become a better competitive Pokemon battler. While this primarily covers ADV, this guide does apply to competitive Pokemon as a whole. I would strongly recommend you read through it. Take small notes bit by bit so you don't get overwhelmed by it, and reach out to me (@ Zpice on Discord or via. smogon pms) if you're not able to understand certain aspects.
https://www.pokemonperfect.com/foru...me-a-better-competitive-pokemon-battler.4317/

I'll throw in this teambuilding guide as well involving Callous and Hclat
https://pastebin.com/8971VN2s

Both resources I've looked at in multiple occasions and there are my favourite guides out there, but you can check resources through big Discord servers and you can reach out to other people if you're still interested in wanting to learn more. Just don't go pestering ABR or something.

All love, let me know if you need anything else!
 
Zpice said:
My favourite guide is the one Callous put out about how to become a better competitive Pokemon battler. While this primarily covers ADV, this guide does apply to competitive Pokemon as a whole. I would strongly recommend you read through it. Take small notes bit by bit so you don't get overwhelmed by it, and reach out to me (@ Zpice on Discord or via. smogon pms) if you're not able to understand certain aspects.
https://www.pokemonperfect.com/foru...me-a-better-competitive-pokemon-battler.4317/

I'll throw in this teambuilding guide as well involving Callous and Hclat
https://pastebin.com/8971VN2s

Both resources I've looked at in multiple occasions and there are my favourite guides out there, but you can check resources through big Discord servers and you can reach out to other people if you're still interested in wanting to learn more. Just don't go pestering ABR or something.

All love, let me know if you need anything else!
Click to expand...
Adv, abr?
 
Zpice said:
My favourite guide is the one Callous put out about how to become a better competitive Pokemon battler. While this primarily covers ADV, this guide does apply to competitive Pokemon as a whole. I would strongly recommend you read through it. Take small notes bit by bit so you don't get overwhelmed by it, and reach out to me (@ Zpice on Discord or via. smogon pms) if you're not able to understand certain aspects.
https://www.pokemonperfect.com/foru...me-a-better-competitive-pokemon-battler.4317/

I'll throw in this teambuilding guide as well involving Callous and Hclat
https://pastebin.com/8971VN2s

Both resources I've looked at in multiple occasions and there are my favourite guides out there, but you can check resources through big Discord servers and you can reach out to other people if you're still interested in wanting to learn more. Just don't go pestering ABR or something.

All love, let me know if you need anything else!
Click to expand...
Well I checked it out, I only read a section and the titles of the others, none of it helps me, thanks for trying
 
What are some typical approaches people take to farming Dittos? I just spent about 2 hours in Moon trying to snag a 0 Speed IV purple blob with no luck. I'm considering using glitches or RNG manip in a virtual console game, but that feels a bit questionable, so I'm holding off. Is there a trick to this that I'm just overlooking?
 
xonsh said:
What are some typical approaches people take to farming Dittos? I just spent about 2 hours in Moon trying to snag a 0 Speed IV purple blob with no luck. I'm considering using glitches or RNG manip in a virtual console game, but that feels a bit questionable, so I'm holding off. Is there a trick to this that I'm just overlooking?
Click to expand...
You'd find easier informations about this in the Orange Island section since that's the part of the site dedicated to actual cartridge casual gameplay.

That said, there's no real easy way to get 0 IV Dittos legitimately in older gens other than RNG manipulation or relying on good old 1/32 chance.
However, Pokemon Ultrasun/Ultramoon specifically has a sidequest which does provide with guaranteed 31 and 0 IV dittos (conveniently, the 0 IV ones have them in attack and speed).
 
Worldie said:
You'd find easier informations about this in the Orange Island section since that's the part of the site dedicated to actual cartridge casual gameplay.

That said, there's no real easy way to get 0 IV Dittos legitimately in older gens other than RNG manipulation or relying on good old 1/32 chance.
However, Pokemon Ultrasun/Ultramoon specifically has a sidequest which does provide with guaranteed 31 and 0 IV dittos (conveniently, the 0 IV ones have them in attack and speed).
Click to expand...
You're shittin' me, one of my old forever saves is on those games. Thanks m8
 
Quite Quiet said:
Welcome to Smogon, the premier competitive battling Pokemon website! If you're new to the forums or competitive battling in general and looking for help on how things work around here, feel free to ask any questions you have in this thread.

Please keep in mind that this is not an introduction thread, so do include relevant queries in your posts. You're more than welcome to ask questions regarding competitive battling, our forums in general, or how to get involved in a particular section of the website, and we'll be happy to help you out or direct you to the appropriate resource.

We'll do our best to answer every question in this thread, but if your question relates to a specific part of the forums, you'll likely get a much quicker answer there. For your convenience, here are links to the Simple Questions & Answers threads in Smogon's various forums:
OverUsed
Ubers
UnderUsed
RarelyUsed
NeverUsed
PU
Little Cup
Doubles
National Dex
Other Metagames
Anything Goes
Past Generations
VGC
Battle Stadium
Wi-Fi
Random Number Generator
Corrections & Contributions
Pokemon Showdown!
Create-A-Pokemon
If your question pertains to any of these areas, please use the forum-specific SQSAs.

There are also several other threads in the Information & Resources forum which might contain the information you're looking for:
  • Introduction to Smogon - Provides an introduction to the website and information regarding our various resources and contribution opportunities.
  • Global Forum Rules - You know what these are; you should read them.
  • Competitive Battling FAQ - A basic introduction to competitive battling. If you're completely new to the competitive aspect of Pokemon, then this thread will give you a solid foundation to build from.
  • Tiering FAQ - A useful introductory resource to Smogon's tiering processes.
  • Badge Leaders & Standards - A rundown of Smogon's contribution/staff-based awards for contribution: badges. Also, their Badge Leaders.
  • Smogon Staff & Promotions - Contains a list of all staff members and the section of the site they moderate.
  • Smogon Discord Server Directory - All of Smogon's Discord servers are here, ranging from OverUsed to Circus Maximus!
If your question is related to base stats, moves or abilities, it'd be a good idea to check out the SWSH research thread or the Past Generations research thread depending on the game.

Here is a short list of very frequently asked questions that you can consult before asking your own question, as the answer you're looking for may already be here.
Q: Can we delete inactive accounts with 0 posts?
A: We're not deleting inactive accounts because chances are an older user could return and want their account back. The most that'll probably be done is name changes if a user is desperate for the name. But in general a purge is very unlikely in the near future.

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A: Alerts are notifications that you receive in the dropdown in the top right corner of the forum index. You get an alert if you've posted in a thread and there are new replies, you've been tagged by someone in a post, you're watching a forum and there are new threads, you're watching a thread and there are new replies, if you receive a "Like" on a post, if someone follows you, and if you receive a visitor message on your profile. Furthermore, if you don't want to receive alerts for any or all of these things, you can toggle your preferences in the Control Panel.

Q: What are followers and how do you get them?
A: Followers are a very minor quirk of the forum system that Smogon uses. Following someone is simply a way of seeing whether or not they are online more easily, as they appear on the index underneath the "Staff Online Now" list. Furthermore, you can use the news feed to see what the people you follow are doing around the forum, from when they change their avatar to what post they just "Liked". You don't gain or lose anything from having a lot of followers or following other people, but it can be a fun way to connect with other users and keep up with your friends on Smogon.

Q: Why do only some staff appear on the "Staff Online Now" list?
A: The "Staff Online Now" list exclusively shows Super Moderators and Administrators. Furthermore, some staff members have their online visibility private, and they will not show up on the "Staff Online Now" list if that is the case.

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A: Hyperlinking text or images means that you are assigning a URL to said text or image so that it redirects you to the URL when you click it. To hyperlink something, wrap URL tags around the text or image, like so:
[URL=URL HERE.com]text you want to hyperlink[/URL]
Alternatively, you can highlight the text or image, click the chain icon in the post format toolbar, and paste your link in the text box. This will automatically embed the link the selected content.

Q: How do you tag someone in a post?
A: You can tag users by putting an "@" before their username, e.g.
@Username123 . In order to link to someone's profile, you can also use the member ID found at the end of the profile URL and place it between the following tags:
[USER=MEMBER ID HERE]Username[/USER]

So to link Quite Quiet's profile, it would look like the following:

[USER=196780]Quite Quiet[/USER]

However, unlike tags, this does not send them a notification.

Q: How do you get a name/ profile details change?
A: You may post in this thread, and wait for a staff member to go through it.

Q: How do you post an image?
A: If you have a URL ending in a valid file extension (.png, .jpeg, .gif, etc.), you can paste it within [IMG][/IMG] tags. This will embed an image in your post. Alternatively, you can click the portrait icon in the post toolbar and paste your link there, which automatically embeds your image in a post.

Q: How do you change your avatar?
A: Click on your username in the top right corner of the index and hover over your current avatar in the dropdown menu. If you click the "Edit" button in the pop-up, you can upload an image from your computer to Smogon. You can also click on your avatar directly if you are viewing your own profile. Furthermore, if you have a Gravatar account, you can simply input your email and activate your Gravatar on Smogon.

Q: How do you private message someone?
A: On Smogon, "private messages" are just known as conversations, and you can start them with multiple people at once! To do so, hover over the "Inbox" button in the top right corner of the index and click "Start a new conversation". In the new window, type your participants in the first box; if you have more than one person you want to send a private message to, separate their usernames with a comma (,). In the next box, you can choose a title for the conversation. In the last box, just type your message, then click "Start a Conversation" and your PM will be sent.

Q: What is a "CT"?
A: "CT" is an abbreviation for "custom title", the term the Smogon forum uses to identify the text underneath a member's username and avatar in their postbit. Regular members don't have the ability to edit their CT, but after becoming a badgeholder (a member that's been awarded a badge for their on-site contributions), a member can freely edit their CT. There are some cases in which non-badgeholders have a CT, such as if a member gets a username change and the CT is "formerly [their old username]", or if they have Nitro Boosted the official Smogon Discord server.

Q: How do you post a YouTube video?
A: To post a video, all you have to do is take the part of a YouTube URL after the "v=" and put it in [media=youtube][/media] tags. For example, to post this video, you should take what's at the end (1yw1Tgj9-VU) and place it between the aforementioned tags, like so: [media=youtube]1yw1Tgj9-VU[/media]. You can also use the media section of the post format toolbar.

Q: How do you use hide tags?
A: Hide tags, or "spoiler tags", as they're referred to on other boards, are exactly what they sound like: a hidden message. These hidden messages will appear with an orange background a gray text box which will either say "Show Hide" or "Example (open)". The code to create this box is [HIDE][/HIDE] or [HIDE=Example][/HIDE] alternatively. If left without an equal sign, the box's title will simply be Hide. The example area is where to put your hide tag's title; for example, a tag for all Gen 1 Pokemon would be [HIDE=Gen 1][/HIDE].

Q: How do you quote a post?
A: Clicking on 'Reply' (located on the bottom right of someone's post) will automatically quote the post for you. [quote] Message [/quote] will also quote the post, but it won't tag the user of the post. You can click "Reply" on multiple posts to respond to more than one quote at once. You can also highlight parts of a user's message and click on the "Reply" tag that shows up to only quote specific portions.

Q: What is a VM?
A: VM is a "Visitor Message" and is the equivalent to posting on somebody's wall for Facebook, or any social media along those lines. This is where easy interactions and communication will occur. Every user has a page for VMs, but privacy settings can be set to turn this ability off. To do exactly this, click on your name in the top right corner of the forum index, then click on "Privacy" and adjust the setting next to "Allow users to post messages on your profile page". Simply clicking on a user's name will pull up this page and where it says "Write a message" is where the post will go when this privacy setting is not activated.

Q: What are badges and what do they do?
A: Badges are rewarded to users that contribute to the site. Having a badge allows you to have a larger filesize avatar and access to a discussion board for contributors to the community. More information about badges and how to earn them can be found here. A list of all of Smogon's badgeholders can be found here.

Q: What are trophy points?
A: Trophy points are part of Xenforo, the forum software Smogon uses. There is currently no use for them.

Q: Where can I find damage calculations?
A: You can find the most recently updated damage calculator here.

Q: Where can I trade Pokemon?
A: The primary place on Smogon to find others to trade Pokemon with would be the Wi-Fi section, as there's tons of shops there to choose from, and quick/minor trade can be posted in this thread. If you want live interaction with other traders/breeders, you can check out the Wi-Fi room on Pokemon Showdown! Remember, hacking is strictly frowned upon on Smogon and most places promoting otherwise legitimate trade practices. Have some integrity.

Q: How do I see past Smogon bans/suspect tests?
A: There is a listing of threads that contain past suspect tests here and in the now archived Blind Voting, but there's no currently existing compendium of suspect tests or bans for most tiers in generations.

If you can't find the answer you're looking for above, then we encourage you to use this thread!
_______________________

If you spot an error on one of the site pages (such as a Pokemon being listed in the wrong tier in the Strategydex), post here.
_______________________
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Not sure how to post a new post, but I wanted to ask iff you guys have an app for the android phones. I have an android phone and would love to use an app of yours to play Pokémon Showdown.
 
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