I've been holding off on posting this as I wasn't sure what to do for it, but I've got some solutions that could make this easier to implement.
There's a common trend in the PS community at large that "low ladder" is where a lot of "low elo" or "unviable" Pokemon are used. I believe a big reason for this is because resources aren't as easy to find as one would initially think. As we know, many chat rooms on PS have links to resources in their room intros. However, these are usually only for the current generation, which is fine, but at the same time, I think this isn't enough. Many players actively avoid these chat rooms for an array of reasons (PS has a rep for toxicity, lack of interest, lurker, etc). The worst part is even if someone knows these are there, we live in a world where attention spans are crippled by the internet; I've quite literally had people refuse to Google things right to my face over the clicks required. This isn't a one-time thing, I've genuinely seen this a ton of times across many platforms. I know a fact that you've had times you've considered Googling something and said: "Nah I'm lazy". I seriously doubt many players would want to go to the Smogon Forums to try going on a deep dive for resources.
So, what happens when someone lacks the resources - the "context" to a metagame - as a result? They only have the list of Pokemon in a tier available to them, and maybe the strategy dex if they're lucky enough to locate it. As such, they are left to figure out the format based on those Pokemon, and chances are, they will wind up picking ones that are probably meant to drop next month. I call this "Non-Context Usage". An amazing example of this is BW RU Dusknoir, a Pokemon notoriously awful in the format that kept getting used by less experienced players, to the point that it never got to drop to NU. Hell, there's a time Molk made Metang rise to that same tier with the express purposes of getting low ladder NU players to stop using it, which resulted in it actually getting used by players who didn't know why it rose. You can see this explained more in his post in Policy Review regarding old gen teambuilders needing a significant cleanup. This problem with Non-Context Usage has been well-documented and has many examples across the history of Smogon. Need a modern example? How about Toxtricity who barely avoided dropping from OU for like what, 2 months, due to low ladder? In addition, there are many lower-tiered Pokemon that are good in a format and may even be worth rising through usage. Without access to resources, I'd argue it's almost impossible to know if a Pokemon works in the current meta without the context to it.
You could say all of this is nonsense and it's on them for not doing research, and I would agree to the latter. However, I feel there is a better way to handle this, and that this isn't nonsense at all. I genuinely think that some PS players don't even know where the forums are, or that this subforum exists. Giving them any sort of direction to any kind of resource thread and whatnot would lead to a significant improvement in low ladder play. I think this would be an amazing improvement and give ladder testing more objectivity.
Anyway, let's cut to the chase: my proposal is that when you click a format when teambuilding, a button pointing you to resources should show up like this next to the validator;
I would also argue the latest usage stats should be put somewhere, but iirc there's a bot function for this now so it shouldn't be that necessary. This alone would greatly streamline the teambuilding process, as now you have access to; viability rankings, role compendiums, speed tiers, threatlists, guides, sample teams, all sorts, subject to availability of course. This entire thing is a massive step up from what we have.
But, of course, what to link?
I initially thought some automated system to go to dex links for formats would be a good idea, but when I was doing research for this post...I was flabbergasted, frankly. There is almost zero consistency to whether there are resources listed or not. I think using dex links is a fair idea as RU is actually incredible (s/o to Mavis btw) and shows that these are in more active use. I think this would encourage these to actually be kept more effectively, as from what I can see, these dex pages are very inconsistent. Generally, this would also give access to the Strategy Dex analyses pages, which is also a further resource (though there are links to analyses when EVing mons).
For RoA formats, however, I would strongly disagree with ever even touching those dex links. Half of them have absolutely nothing, some are outdated as hell, others just don't have pages at all. They are a living nightmare in terms of consistency; Gen 1-5 OU doesn't even have any resources listed. The best thing I can think of is to automate linking to the RoA Resource Thread, to the specific post for the generation. This also allows for a more blanket approach to the bulk of the formats available as well, reducing the time needed to develop individual buttons for each format. If it's RoA, just have it link there.
As for OMs, honestly, I got no idea. The mod posts usually have stuff available, but at that point, I think it may be a thing where you just don't have resources added...idk about that one. It may be more trouble than it's worth.
This is a pretty big proposal, and I know it could take an eternity to develop and find stuff for, but I hope I managed to simplify it enough so that it isn't too hard. I really think this would help the accessibility of Competitive Pokemon and direct players to where they should be. It's also convenient for veteran players since they wouldn't have to go on the same old deep dive, day in day out. I know I'd actively use it.
There's a common trend in the PS community at large that "low ladder" is where a lot of "low elo" or "unviable" Pokemon are used. I believe a big reason for this is because resources aren't as easy to find as one would initially think. As we know, many chat rooms on PS have links to resources in their room intros. However, these are usually only for the current generation, which is fine, but at the same time, I think this isn't enough. Many players actively avoid these chat rooms for an array of reasons (PS has a rep for toxicity, lack of interest, lurker, etc). The worst part is even if someone knows these are there, we live in a world where attention spans are crippled by the internet; I've quite literally had people refuse to Google things right to my face over the clicks required. This isn't a one-time thing, I've genuinely seen this a ton of times across many platforms. I know a fact that you've had times you've considered Googling something and said: "Nah I'm lazy". I seriously doubt many players would want to go to the Smogon Forums to try going on a deep dive for resources.
So, what happens when someone lacks the resources - the "context" to a metagame - as a result? They only have the list of Pokemon in a tier available to them, and maybe the strategy dex if they're lucky enough to locate it. As such, they are left to figure out the format based on those Pokemon, and chances are, they will wind up picking ones that are probably meant to drop next month. I call this "Non-Context Usage". An amazing example of this is BW RU Dusknoir, a Pokemon notoriously awful in the format that kept getting used by less experienced players, to the point that it never got to drop to NU. Hell, there's a time Molk made Metang rise to that same tier with the express purposes of getting low ladder NU players to stop using it, which resulted in it actually getting used by players who didn't know why it rose. You can see this explained more in his post in Policy Review regarding old gen teambuilders needing a significant cleanup. This problem with Non-Context Usage has been well-documented and has many examples across the history of Smogon. Need a modern example? How about Toxtricity who barely avoided dropping from OU for like what, 2 months, due to low ladder? In addition, there are many lower-tiered Pokemon that are good in a format and may even be worth rising through usage. Without access to resources, I'd argue it's almost impossible to know if a Pokemon works in the current meta without the context to it.
You could say all of this is nonsense and it's on them for not doing research, and I would agree to the latter. However, I feel there is a better way to handle this, and that this isn't nonsense at all. I genuinely think that some PS players don't even know where the forums are, or that this subforum exists. Giving them any sort of direction to any kind of resource thread and whatnot would lead to a significant improvement in low ladder play. I think this would be an amazing improvement and give ladder testing more objectivity.
Anyway, let's cut to the chase: my proposal is that when you click a format when teambuilding, a button pointing you to resources should show up like this next to the validator;
I would also argue the latest usage stats should be put somewhere, but iirc there's a bot function for this now so it shouldn't be that necessary. This alone would greatly streamline the teambuilding process, as now you have access to; viability rankings, role compendiums, speed tiers, threatlists, guides, sample teams, all sorts, subject to availability of course. This entire thing is a massive step up from what we have.
But, of course, what to link?
I initially thought some automated system to go to dex links for formats would be a good idea, but when I was doing research for this post...I was flabbergasted, frankly. There is almost zero consistency to whether there are resources listed or not. I think using dex links is a fair idea as RU is actually incredible (s/o to Mavis btw) and shows that these are in more active use. I think this would encourage these to actually be kept more effectively, as from what I can see, these dex pages are very inconsistent. Generally, this would also give access to the Strategy Dex analyses pages, which is also a further resource (though there are links to analyses when EVing mons).
For RoA formats, however, I would strongly disagree with ever even touching those dex links. Half of them have absolutely nothing, some are outdated as hell, others just don't have pages at all. They are a living nightmare in terms of consistency; Gen 1-5 OU doesn't even have any resources listed. The best thing I can think of is to automate linking to the RoA Resource Thread, to the specific post for the generation. This also allows for a more blanket approach to the bulk of the formats available as well, reducing the time needed to develop individual buttons for each format. If it's RoA, just have it link there.
As for OMs, honestly, I got no idea. The mod posts usually have stuff available, but at that point, I think it may be a thing where you just don't have resources added...idk about that one. It may be more trouble than it's worth.
This is a pretty big proposal, and I know it could take an eternity to develop and find stuff for, but I hope I managed to simplify it enough so that it isn't too hard. I really think this would help the accessibility of Competitive Pokemon and direct players to where they should be. It's also convenient for veteran players since they wouldn't have to go on the same old deep dive, day in day out. I know I'd actively use it.
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