It's not that they are not fond of flinch hax, since Togekiss isn't banned, but it is because Jirachi is not widely available/found in game but comes from an event.
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Pokemon VGC 2010 DATES / rules announced for the US!
- Thread starter POKEMONBATTLEBRAIN
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It's not that they are not fond of flinch hax, since Togekiss isn't banned, but it is because Jirachi is not widely available/found in game but comes from an event.
Precisely. The only banned Pokemon this year are ones that can't be obtained in-game and require events.
Well, would you want Darkrai allowed? I'm guessing no - the only things faster than it are Shaymin-S and Mewtwo/other base 130's, so we'd almost certainly have to deal with Scarf Dark Void spamming.
Which we have to deal with enough as it is =/ Dark Void is the gayest move ever, and I also like how it NEVER MISSES when it is used against me.
*makes note to use Smeargle against tad*
I haven't seen too many even on PBR, and most of the players on IRC don't use him either. However, I'm anticipating that he might be a problem in actual tournaments, so I'm going to have to use Chesto on my Metagross lead, or use one of my Trick Room teams (which assumes I'm not running into another Trick Room team.)
I have to say that I am getting pretty pissed that dates haven't been announced yet. The only one I can go to this early on is Seattle anyway, and I've already booked the day off work...but I'd like to know more than a week in advance where the other qualifiers will be held if I don't get into Seattle because of a crappy random draw system.
I'm not really in a crunch for team building time, I only have one more pokemon left to EV. But I would like to know if it'd be better to hang back until a later date and maybe do some team scouting. I don't like the idea of being first, really, even if I do well.
I REALLY hoping they change the entry system to get more skilled players in. Maybe have a sub-tournament for people who can't answer a quiz correctly? That way we'd all get to play with people at our own skill level. I lost to a dude that had no clue what EV training was thanks to some hax and destiny bond.
Like, I don't want to go into my first match to meet a Blizzard Articuno and a Discharge Zapdos (seen it, lost to it) who manage to score a crit every time they move.
I guess I'll just sit tight and wait though, as there's obviously not much else to do. I'm busying myself with running a local tournament, and I guess it's sort of taken the edge off.
I'm not really in a crunch for team building time, I only have one more pokemon left to EV. But I would like to know if it'd be better to hang back until a later date and maybe do some team scouting. I don't like the idea of being first, really, even if I do well.
I REALLY hoping they change the entry system to get more skilled players in. Maybe have a sub-tournament for people who can't answer a quiz correctly? That way we'd all get to play with people at our own skill level. I lost to a dude that had no clue what EV training was thanks to some hax and destiny bond.
Like, I don't want to go into my first match to meet a Blizzard Articuno and a Discharge Zapdos (seen it, lost to it) who manage to score a crit every time they move.
I guess I'll just sit tight and wait though, as there's obviously not much else to do. I'm busying myself with running a local tournament, and I guess it's sort of taken the edge off.
Do you actually have a direct source for this claim about Japan using the lottery system, or are you just guessing? Because that would be pretty retarded if they used the lottery system over there, too...
I don't have a direct source to give, but if you search way back in the thread (too lazy to find it), we were discussing the Japanese rules when they first came on the official Japanese site, and it said something like, "If there are 128 or less players, all are accepted. If more than 128 players, lottery system." Thankfully, Japan has a tournament IN EACH PREFECTURE (size-wise, think of counties in the larger states like Texas or California), so there wasn't as many people per preliminary. The reason why the lottery sucks is because our tournaments are overcrowded - theirs isn't besides maybe Tokyo or Osaka or other large cities (btw, Tokyo is split into THREE prefectures...). So, they have 47 tournaments split over an area the size of California, while we have 7 tournaments split over the fourth largest country in the world (if we exclude Hawaii and Alaska). So.... yeah. It sucks to be us. Also, don't forget that we are the third most populated country in the world, and it doesn't help that we have the second most amount of Pokémon players.
I don't get why only Japan gets to have everything early in a form that sucks considerably less than what we get.
I do have a direct source, user Sloshed, who PM'd me about going to a qualifier over there, and he said that there was some kind of required signup months in advance and if you didn't signup you weren't even allowed inside.
Just search this thread for posts by user "Sloshed".
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Here ya go.
It's the game's home country and has the most Pokémon players. That's pretty much it. The US isn't the centre of the universe.:naughty:
The amount of times I've seen Americans complaining about release dates etc coming earlier in Japan...
For example look at the release of Ace Attorney Investigations. When the European release was announced a week ahead of the US one, there was an uproar. Then when it was rescheduled so the US got it first most of the Americans acted like that was how it should've been from the start.
Taken directly from that post:
"I did gather a bit of information on it though. To enter in Japan you need to be part of the Pokemon Daisuke Club (Pokemon Love Club) and your address has to be in the region that the regional is being held. On top of this you also have to sign up for the tournament, but those who do are guaranteed spots (no lottery). I am not sure if they had a maximum number of people who could sign up however."
So yeah, no lottery in Japan. I was right.
Japan irritates me sometimes.
Then again, they are the ones who created the game, and they're way better at this type of thing than America and other countries are. They could just time every round with 10-15 minutes which is MORE than enough to cover a 4v4 round. Perhaps 15 for safe-measure. lol You could probably get through a good sized lot with that much time. -shrugs-
So what are these events we are all waiting for, btw? Pokemon VGC events/locations/dates?
I dunno why they wouldn't want more entrants there in the first place. More spots means more people show up to the tournament, which means more potential sales for all the stuff they could be selling, plus more publicity.
It seems sort of counter-productive to put a low cap on how many people can enter.
It seems sort of counter-productive to put a low cap on how many people can enter.
Actually, both of you are right. Japan does have a lottery, but they also accommodate most (if not all) entrants.
Let's use Tokyo for example. From last year's attendance, The Pokemon Company decided to hold three tournaments in Tokyo, spaced months apart, to accommodate last year's capacity crowd. Interested participants choose one of the three (although the window for registration is different for all three so that those who miss the first can still attend the second or third after discovering they were not selected for the first), and submit their desire to participate online, months in advance, during a month-long window. After the window closes, the company rounds down to the next power of two. To keep the bracket symmetric, the company rounds this way so that nobody earns a "bye" or some other unfair advantage.
The first Tokyo event had 1024 entrants. Of course, rounding down means that as many as 1023 entrants missed out, but they discovered this without actually attending, months in advance. In other words, once they knew they were not selected, then they could sign up for the next Tokyo tournament, which occurs two months after the first. As a result, many who failed to either submit during the first window, or who submitted and were not selected, could try again. Using this method, only those who are rounded out during the final window (for the third Tokyo tournament) failed to play.
People could not take advantage of this method by traveling because the Pokemon Daisuke Club (which does not mean Love Club, exactly - it's more of a fondness) tracks mailing address, so players cannot attend remote tournaments, and, once you register for one, you are handicapped in the next lottery (in other words, you have low priority on the wait list). Still, selection for your first entry stands up well, because the lottery rounds down to the nearest power of two, and, in the small chance you are rounded out, you could rely on last year's statistics convincing the company to hold a second qualifier there, months later. In the end, they have two Last Chance Qualifiers, open to everybody, in West and East, for people who either lost (and want a second shot) or for those who were rounded out in the final tournament in the prefecture.
In summary, there is a lottery. However, they make every effort for all to participate, so they determine the cap only after receiving all entries online. Afterwards, lottery determines which of the 128, 256, 512, 1024, 2048, ... to accept, and people who are not selected then can sign up for the next tournament two months before that one, again online. You are notified quickly enough of your non-selection that you do not need to commit travel, and can still make the next window in your prefecture, if you live in a large one like Tokyo's or Kanagawa's.
Let's use Tokyo for example. From last year's attendance, The Pokemon Company decided to hold three tournaments in Tokyo, spaced months apart, to accommodate last year's capacity crowd. Interested participants choose one of the three (although the window for registration is different for all three so that those who miss the first can still attend the second or third after discovering they were not selected for the first), and submit their desire to participate online, months in advance, during a month-long window. After the window closes, the company rounds down to the next power of two. To keep the bracket symmetric, the company rounds this way so that nobody earns a "bye" or some other unfair advantage.
The first Tokyo event had 1024 entrants. Of course, rounding down means that as many as 1023 entrants missed out, but they discovered this without actually attending, months in advance. In other words, once they knew they were not selected, then they could sign up for the next Tokyo tournament, which occurs two months after the first. As a result, many who failed to either submit during the first window, or who submitted and were not selected, could try again. Using this method, only those who are rounded out during the final window (for the third Tokyo tournament) failed to play.
People could not take advantage of this method by traveling because the Pokemon Daisuke Club (which does not mean Love Club, exactly - it's more of a fondness) tracks mailing address, so players cannot attend remote tournaments, and, once you register for one, you are handicapped in the next lottery (in other words, you have low priority on the wait list). Still, selection for your first entry stands up well, because the lottery rounds down to the nearest power of two, and, in the small chance you are rounded out, you could rely on last year's statistics convincing the company to hold a second qualifier there, months later. In the end, they have two Last Chance Qualifiers, open to everybody, in West and East, for people who either lost (and want a second shot) or for those who were rounded out in the final tournament in the prefecture.
In summary, there is a lottery. However, they make every effort for all to participate, so they determine the cap only after receiving all entries online. Afterwards, lottery determines which of the 128, 256, 512, 1024, 2048, ... to accept, and people who are not selected then can sign up for the next tournament two months before that one, again online. You are notified quickly enough of your non-selection that you do not need to commit travel, and can still make the next window in your prefecture, if you live in a large one like Tokyo's or Kanagawa's.
That makes sense, but my theory is still that Japan's shape makes humping Nintendo's leg easier.
I'm thinking aloud here, so forgive me if this is a bit long/repetitive...
With the whole "Why can't we have tournaments like Japan?" deal, you have to keep in mind that the population distribution in Japan is different than in the U.S. Each country has a roughly comparable population size, but the U.S. is huge, while Japan is a smaller island.
As a result, Japan's population is dense throughout, while the majority of the U.S. is centered around a couple dozen big cities. In Japan it makes sense to hold a tourny in every prefecture; there are more than enough players within a comfortable distance of the venue.
In the U.S., though, if we took a similar "state approach," the states with the large population centers (California, New York...) would get an ample turnout, while states without these centers (South Dakota, Wyoming...) would get little or no players.
I think that it makes sense within the U.S. to target the major population centers, rather than try and hit every state. We aren't like Japan; our players aren't distributed evenly across the country. In order to draw in the largest crowds, logically, events should be based in the largest cities.
I think ideally what would be best for the future of U.S. tournies would be to expand them to as many major cities as possible (maybe 20-30, instead of just 5 or 6 like last year).
Also, in cities where particularly large crowds are known to show up, add in another round or two. The system they had going last year, with herding players through the colored zones, worked efficiently. I don't think that an extra round would be forbiddingly difficult to accomodate; the staff seems organized enough.
With the whole "Why can't we have tournaments like Japan?" deal, you have to keep in mind that the population distribution in Japan is different than in the U.S. Each country has a roughly comparable population size, but the U.S. is huge, while Japan is a smaller island.
As a result, Japan's population is dense throughout, while the majority of the U.S. is centered around a couple dozen big cities. In Japan it makes sense to hold a tourny in every prefecture; there are more than enough players within a comfortable distance of the venue.
In the U.S., though, if we took a similar "state approach," the states with the large population centers (California, New York...) would get an ample turnout, while states without these centers (South Dakota, Wyoming...) would get little or no players.
I think that it makes sense within the U.S. to target the major population centers, rather than try and hit every state. We aren't like Japan; our players aren't distributed evenly across the country. In order to draw in the largest crowds, logically, events should be based in the largest cities.
I think ideally what would be best for the future of U.S. tournies would be to expand them to as many major cities as possible (maybe 20-30, instead of just 5 or 6 like last year).
Also, in cities where particularly large crowds are known to show up, add in another round or two. The system they had going last year, with herding players through the colored zones, worked efficiently. I don't think that an extra round would be forbiddingly difficult to accomodate; the staff seems organized enough.
I don't think you will. IIRC in the world championships of last year, players were using RNGed shinies without a problem.
The TM's have nothing to do with the RNG Pokemon.
Hopefully the locations will be announced soon, but if there's only one northeast regional again and it happens to be on 6/5/2010 then I'm afraid I will have to miss that one due to a conflict, and I don't intend to travel thousands of miles away just for a shiny eevee at least.
I think he was refering to the 'hack-checkers' using this as an excuss to DQ him because there was no actual pysical proof of hacking present.
When I attented the 'summer fiet' events through August Kc who worked the majority of European VGC's last year did say RNG'ing was frowned upon but whether this was his personal opinion or one across the company, I dont know.
Although as stated above, the finalists in last years VGC's had whole teams of RNG'd pokemon, so personally I don't know what the fuss is about, as long as your smart and don't have ridiculous amounts of TM's or balls i'd say you'd be fine. The safest bet is just don't use an AR on your comp cart, RNG'ing is not cheating and is undectable so don't worry.
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