READ ME: Rules & Simple Questions - SUBMISSIONS CLOSED

EV

Banned deucer.
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Welcome to Other Metagames! This is where you will find lots of interesting, unique games to play that are outside the bounds of standard tiers. It's also the birthplace of Smogon Doubles, and who knows, maybe more official formats down the road.

Since this forum supports so many metagames, things can get a bit confusing especially for new players. Give the following rules a read and if you still have questions at the end, feel free to use this as a Simple Questions, Simple Answers thread.

Current Moderator Team​

The Immortal - Co-Leader
scpinion - Co-Leader
imas

Pet Mods Project Moderators​
G-Luke

Monotype Project Moderators​
Dream Eater Gengar

Transcendent ​
Eevee General

Forum-Specific Rules​
  • Don't post in a thread unless you have something constructive to add to the conversation or need to ask a specific question.
    • Please don't post and ask if a metagame is approved. Most of the time it is and they just forgot to indicate who approved it. Leave it to the mods to handle unapproved metagames.
  • Don't bump old metagames unless you think you can generate enough discussion to get it going again. If you would like to restart a metagame currently in the OM Archive, post in OM Submissions to let us know.
  • Don't post in spam threads or unapproved threads in general. Let a mod handle it.
  • It's never okay to "metagame bash," which means don't insult or overly criticize an idea you don't like. You may offer constructive feedback, but generally if a metagame is approved it has already received criticism during the submission process. If there is a metagame you don't like, don't play it! Contrary to what you may think, you are not the authority on what qualifies as a "good metagame."
  • All new metagames and pet mods need to go through the submission process before you can post them. See the steps below on how to do that. Project threads, tours, viability rankings, etc are approved on a case-by-case basis and can be posted in submissions or discussed with a moderator via PM.
    • You need to have at least 20 posts in the Other Metagames forum or its subforums before you can submit. Use that time to become familiar with our community!
    • Users can submit one new metagame or pet mod per month regardless if the submission is approved or rejected.
  • If you're looking for information on our Other Metagame of the Month (OMotM) ladder and how to vote for it, go here.
How to Submit an OM/Pet Mod​

Step 1) Look in the Index. Does it already exist? Does something similar exist? If you see it, don't submit it.

Step 2) Float the idea with friends. A good place to do this is on Pokemon Showdown. Is the feedback mostly positive? Would they play it? Can it even be coded? If yes, continue to the next step.

Step 3) Post a thread in the submissions subforum* with the following components:
  1. A premise: "This OM makes Pokemon stronger the closer they are to fainting." Generally if you can summarize your submission in one sentence, you have a strong premise. It also helps to ask it in the form of a question: "What if every Pokemon became stronger as it gets closer to fainting?"
  2. Now answer that premise/question. "The lower your Pokemon's HP, the stronger its attacks will be, like the move Reversal. Here's how ..."
  3. List any other specific rules and clauses that apply. Are you using standard clauses? Are you creating a new clause? If so, why?
  4. Give us an idea of how this metagame will play out. Will stall get buffed? Do you expect offense to be better?
  5. Choose a foundation for the metagame. Are you starting with the OU banlist? Is this Uber-based? Doubles? LC? Also, do you foresee any necessary quickbans? We tend to frown on quickbans during the submission process, but some things are too obvious not to ban.
*This subforum is private. You will only be able to see your own threads.

Step 4) Now comes the wait. The moderator team (plus Slayer95, Uselesscrab, Ransei, G-Luke, nv, Dream Eater Gengar, Chloe.) will review your submission, ask questions for clarification, and provide suggestions to improve it. Please be patient during this stage. We try to get to all submissions within 1 week, but if we forget, you may bump after that. It's not okay to bump before 1 week, nor is it okay to PM/VM a mod to remind them of your submission. We will get to it when we get to it. Failure to follow this rule will result in your submission being rejected and locked.
  • You may see us write "1 of 2 approvals" with our response. Not every submission requires 2 approvals, but sometimes we need a second look before we're comfortable approving it outright.
Step 5) Once your submission has been put through the review process and received a full approval, you're free to post it! Affix "approved by moderator(s) name" at the top so the community knows you followed the forum rules. We will also tell you if your submission goes in the main Other Metagames forum or the Pet Mods subforum at the time of approval.

Pokemon Showdown/SynIRC Rules

Other Metas Room Owners​
E4 Flint
imas
The Immortal
  • Follow all global PS/SynIRC rules at all times.
  • No meta bashing applies here as well. If you don't like it, keep it to yourself.
  • No scouting (AKA watching fellow players battle) is allowed during the official daily tours. If someone from the tour is scouting your match, let a room %, @ or # know.
  • Use the /faq staff command to learn about rank. We keep track of the best contributors and promote them after discussing it with the room staff. Don't ask to be promoted.
  • Room owners have the final say in discipline decisions. Don't bog down the chat asking why they did what they did.
Miscellaneous​
Ghoul King said:
An OM makes broad changes off a consistent rule (Or small set of rules) with the accommodation for oddities generally being limited to banning things. eg Slaking and Regigigas are extremely powerful if allowed to have non-negative Abilities, and are thus usually banned in metas which would, by their own rules, provide them non-negative Abilities. They are not granted special accommodation to remain legal by virtue of being exempted from the OM's rules. (ie AAA doesn't keep them legal while denying them the core gimmick of the meta -it just bans them)

The short version is an OM can usually be summarized accurately and completely in a single sentence, or at least a single paragraph.

A Pet Mod will usually have a guiding principle ("Make everything OU-viable"), but it will still consist of a long series of specific changes to achieve the vision of the creator or creators. ("Creators" may mean the community, collectively) AbNormal is a good example of a Pet Mod because while the goal of the project is simple -remove the Normal type from the game- there is no simple rule to this. AbNormal would be an OM if it simply said "All instances of Normal typing are replaced by the Fighting type", but since individual Pokemon and moves are converted to a wide variety of types by no clear underlying rule (Beyond "Not allowed to stay Normal"), such that you must read the entire list of changes to have a clear idea of the meta, AbNormal is a Pet Mod.

In contrast with an OM, a Pet Mod cannot be reduced down to a rule or small set of rules to achieve perfect clarity -saying "Everything Normal typed becomes other types" is a clear, consistent rule, but it wouldn't tell you what to expect Boomburst's typing to be, nor Return's, nor Frustration's, all of which are, in fact, different types in AbNormal, never mind that Return and Frustration are virtually the same move in standard play! The rule does not outline the result, in short, it only provides a premise for the potential types of changes the Pet Mod makes.
Click to expand...
  • Sample submission by Temporaryanonymous (Components added by me)
Temporaryanonymous said:
(1) A move's base power generally gives you an idea of how powerful it is, but the actual damage requires a complex formula of adding, multiplying, and dividing. What if moves and damaging were simpler? What if a move's base power decides how much damage it does?

(2) The Main Rule:
  • On normal situations, a move's base power decides how much damage it does. (Swift does 60 damage, Flamethrower does 90, High Jump Kick does 130)
(3) Extra Rules:
  • STAB is taken into account as a 1.5x boost (A water type using Surf will do 135 damage while a non-water type using Surf will do 90)
  • Type effectiveness is taken into account (Ice Beam against a Gliscor will do 360 damage while Ice Beam against a Zapdos will do 180 and Ice Beam against a Cryogonal will do 45)
  • Moves with variable base power (Gyro Ball, Water Spout, Seismic Toss, Psywave) do damage based on its base power
  • Abilities are also taken into account (Adaptability users get 2x on STAB, Fur Coat cuts physical damage in half, Thick Fat halves Fire and Ice damage, Blaze/Overgrow/Torrent/Swarm will increase the power of Fire/Grass/Water/Bug moves by 50% if the user has 33% HP or less, Technician increases damage done by 50% if the move has 60 base power or less, Strong Jaws boosts biting moves by 50%)
  • Stat changes are taken into account (A neutral +1 Dragon Claw will do 120 damage while a neutral +2 Dragon Claw will do 160 damage, defense boosts work likewise)
  • Critical hits will increase the damage by 50% and ignore offensive drops and defense boosts
  • Type boosting moves boost damage done by that type by 20%. Expert Belt increases Super effective moves by 20%
  • Choice Band/Specs increases physical/special damage by 50% but locks you into a move. Choice Scarf works as normal
  • Life Orb increases damage done by 30% at the expense of 10% HP loss each attack
  • Certain Pokemon-exclusive items like Thick Club or Light Orb or Stick work like they're supposed to (either doubling attack/damage or increase critical chances)
  • A Pokemon not fully evolved holding Eviolite takes 33% more damage
  • Moves that heal or do damage based on a % work as normal
  • Secondary effects work as normal
(4) In this meta, more Pokemon will be able to make use of both their physical and special movesets, as with almost the removal of atk/def/spA/spD base stats, there is a bigger emphasis on HP and spe. Of course, most Pokemon will be running 252hp 252spe+ sets. Pokemon like Wailord and Drifblim will be able to shine because of their ludicrously high HP, making them extremely hard to take down, while also hitting just as hard as most other Pokemon.

(5) Possible bans:
  • Huge Power and Pure Power seem powerful, and thus will have no effect for balance
  • Some high HP Pokemon that are too strong
Click to expand...
 
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4/17 - Changed the 20 post rule to: 20 posts in OM threads rather than 20 posts in general.

7/27 - SpartanMalice now has access to Submissions and has project mods in the Pet Mod subforum. (Don't use this thread to say congrats. VM messages are good for that!)

7/28 - Snaquaza now has access to Submissions and has project mods in the Pet Mod subforum. (Don't use this thread to say congrats. VM messages are good for that!)

9/5 - Added the following rule to Submissions: Users can only submit one new metagame/pet mod per month.

11/23 - E4 Flint is now a Room Owner of the Other Metas room on Showdown. (Don't use this thread to say congrats. VM messages are good for that!)

1/23/16 - Uselesscrab now has access to Submissions!

1/26 - imas234 now has access to Submissions!

2/25 - imas234 is now a Room Owner of the Other Metas room on Showdown.

3/1 - Ransei now has access to Submissions!

8/3 - nv now has access to Submissions!

8/18 - imas and scpinion are now forum moderators!

8/25 - Dream Eater Gengar now has access to Submissions!
 
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Some big changes are coming to the Smogon dex!

http://www.smogon.com/dex/xy/formats
If you lead one of the metagames listed above, whenever a change happens (a ban or unban including items/moves/abilities, new clauses, anything of note) please do the following:

#1) If you have a ladder on Showdown (permanent or challenge) tag The Immortal .
#2) Regardless of #1, tag Eevee General so I can update the information on the /formats page.

Thanks!
 
OP Format​

If your metagame wins OMotM or is chosen for LCotM, the original post (OP) needs to follow this format. Otherwise using the format is optional, but recommended.

Key:
Blue = tips (delete when writing post)
Red = write your own text (change color back to black)

--​

Approved by [???]
<List which staff members approved your metagame. Always include this information somewhere in your thread, so that posters know that you've gone through the approval process -- it can be small, as long as its visible>
ws3YJA4.png

<Try to include some sort of visual at the start of your thread that represents your metagame, with centered alignment. It can be something you've made, or an image you found on the internet. If it's the latter, always include a link that credits your source under the image, like so...>
[Source]
<If the image doesn't contain the title of your metagame, include a title in text below the image, bold and with maximum size font, like so...>
[Title]​
[Text, default size, aligned left]
<This is where text describing the premise of your metagame should go. You can go on for a few lines, or a few paragraphs. You can add a bit of flavor text if you'd like -- you don't need to bee succinct here, save that for...>
​
Rules:

Mechanic: [Text] <State exactly what mechanics changes there are between your meta and standard gameplay, in as few words as possible>
Clauses: [Text] <List the clauses your meta uses. If your meta is based in an existing tier (OU, Ubers), then you can often just say "OU clauses," etc. However, you can also list clauses individually, especially if you add new clauses (ex: "Donors Clause" from Inheritance). If you do add clauses, be sure to describe them>
Bans: [Text] <List the Pokemon, items, moves and abilities that are banned from use in your meta. Again, if you are based in a tier, you can just say "OU banlist" and then add additional bans>
Unbans: [Text (optional)] <If you used an existing banlist for the above section, list Pokemon here that are are unbanned from that list. Many metagames won't have this list -- but if you do have it, it should look very similar to your banlist in format>


Strategy:

[Text, images, etc.]
<This section is very open depending on what you want to do, but you should use it to discuss the potential that your metagame has and how a new player should approach it. If you foresee certain Pokemon, team styles or special combinations that would work especially well in your metagame, you can describe them here. This can be in the form of paragraphs, or lines with sprite images. You may want to update this section as posters in your thread discusses the metagame, and eventually play it to see what is especially effective. If you're stumped, try looking at the threads of some popular metagames to see what they list. If this section begins to take up too much space, you can selectively use hide tags to condense it>


Q&A:

Q: [Text]
A: [Text]
[Repeat as necessary...]
<For questions that you received during the approval process or the discussion of the thread (or simply questions for mechanics/interactions that aren't immediately clear from any of the above text), list the question and your answer to it. Be sure to update this part of the post with questions that keep coming up about your metagame>

Resources:

[Text, images, links, etc.]
<This is where you include any miscellaneous information about your meta along with any additional resources that you or people in the thread have created. The content is up to you, but these are some items that would be useful in the section:
  • Locations where your meta is playable (Aqua, Pandora, etc.)
  • List of the people on your council (if applicable)
  • Labeled replays of your metagame being played, to show readers examples of gameplay
  • Images/charts/lists that provide more information about the metagame
  • A list of bans/changes made to your metagame with dates to show readers the history of the meta
For popular metagames, this section can get quite long, so use hide tags as necessary>

[RESERVED POSTS]
<You likely want to reserve at least one post after your original post -- simply add additional posts that say "Reserved" before other people respond to the thread. This allows you to add more content if you run out space in the original post, although you can leave the post blank for as long as you need to. These are the most common uses of reserved posts:
  • Viability Rankings: A list of viable Pokemon in your meta, sectioned off into tiers, with sprites next to their names. Check several popular metagame threads or official Smogon tiers to see examples of this -- keep in mind you likely want to wait until multiple people have played your meta and have formed opinions on what's good and what's not>
  • Team Archive: A list of team imports that people have posted or that you have used. Please use hide tags here, and label the tags well so that teams are easy to find. Having an archive is a good way to promote the growth of your metagame, as new players can use a tested team without making their own
  • Any of the items listed in the "Resources" section could be moved to separate posts as well
While you don't need to reserve posts, it's recommended you do so just in case -- if your meta really takes off and gets popular, you'll want more space without having to create a new thread>


--​

<Here is a finished example of a proper metagame OP>​


Approved by Eevee General and The Immortal
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[Source]

Magicmons
​
Have you ever wished you could go back to a time before Leftovers? Before Life Orb? Before Choice Scarf? These days, held items are a crucial part of competitive battling, but there's a way you can negate them: Magic Room! This uncommon move prevents item use, but is rarely seen because it only lasts five turns. In Magicmons, this is no longer the case! Magic Room is permanently active during this game mode, making held items essentially useless. With a mix of Gen 1 and Gen 6 mechanics, anything could happen! It's magical!


Rules:

Mechanic: The move "Magic Room" is permanently active
Clauses: OU clauses
Bans: OU banlist, Sablenite
Unbans: Genesect


Strategy:

Without items, offensive Pokemon lose a lot of their damage and defensive Pokemon lose a lot of their longevity. The one type of Pokemon that lose nothing are Mega Pokemon, as they basically operated without an item to begin with.

Increased Viability:
Here are some Pokemon that are especially powerful in Magicmons:
006-mx.png
Mega Charizard X is a monster in Magicmons. All the close 2HKOs it had before become much more consistent due to lack of Leftovers recovery, and it hits much harder than almost every other attacker.
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Talonflame sometimes runs an itemless Acrobatics set in standard, and now that set has basically no downside! Definitely one of the better Acrobatics users, although Acrobatics in general is a much better move.

Decreased Viability:
There are also some Pokemon that lose a lot from the Magicmons meta, either from the lack of items on themselves or on enemy Pokemon:
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Gliscor never gets the chance to activate Toxic Orb, thus taking away its main niche. As such, Landorus-T pretty much directly outclasses Gliscor in every way.
461.png
Weavile and other Pokemon that rely on Knock Off will be disappointed by their damage output, as few Pokemon will be holding an item unless they're attempting some sort of strategy with Natural Gift or Fling.


Q&A:

Q: What happens if a Pokemon uses Magic Room?
A: The move fails, rather than reversing the permanent Magic Room.

Q: Can Pokemon still Mega Evolve?
A: Yes, Magic Room doesn't effect Mega Stones.

Resources:

Playability: You can play Magicmons on Aqua!

Council: To apply to the Magicmons council, please send me a PM.
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Jajoken
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Eevee General
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The Immortal

Ban History:
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2/26/2016: Sablenite banned. Without damage items, very few Pokemon could 2HKO Mega Sableye. Plus, it outclassed most defensive Pokemon due to their loss of Leftovers recovery, so the Mega Stone was determined unhealthy for the meta and banned.
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2/27/2016: Genesect unbanned. Without access to Choice Scarf, Genesect lost its main niche and was determined healthy enough for the meta. Thus, it was unbanned.

Replays:
[1] - Showing the strength of Mega Charizard X
[2] - How lead matchup impacts an entire match
[3] - Example of why Sablenite was banned
 
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Sam Crowe said:
is there a thread of capture and Evolve?
Click to expand...

Hey Sam Crowe! Welcome to Smogon. In this subforum, only metagames with unique changes are allowed and submitted. Catch and Evolve is a tournament format that is not considered an Other Metagame. You'll have better luck finding Catch and Evolve in the Tournaments room on Pokémon Showdown! than on this subforum.

STABmons is an example of an OM. Catch and Evolve sadly does not fall under the category of Other Metagames, and thus there is no thread for it.

If you need help, feel free to send me a PM! Hope you enjoy the forums. :]
 
ChrystalFalchion said:
How does an Other Metagame get a permanent ladder? I'd like to make a case for Mix and Mega
Click to expand...

It's decided by the OM leaders. Pitching them doesn't really do much (see: hackmons), and it'll only be a ladder if it wins OMotM / OMLC, but with the new rules regarding ladders, it might change. It's really up to TI though.
 
Mega Ampharos said:
Sorry if this is the wrong place to ask, but why was the original Challenge Cup removed from the Pokemon Showdown servers?
Click to expand...

It was an unpopular format, and so was replaced with the more popular Hackmons Cup. To give you numbers, Challenge Cup had about 9000 battles a month, which is less than half a percent of the number of Random Battle battles. Hackmons Cup has about 46000 battles a month, which is 5 times more. However, it was a better format for 1v1 (according to myself and my peers) and so Challenge Cup 1v1 was retained alongside Hackmons Cup. You may ask "why not both?". For a few reasons: 1) Having too similar formats. Hackmons Cup and Random Battle are quite far apart, so their activity doesn't really affect each other as they attract different crowds. 2) Visually clogging up the formats list. We already have a lot of formats and one more is not helping it. 3) Server resources. Each additional format takes up more resources.

Hope that answers the question.
 
Just out of curiosity, has somebody created a Metagame in which you could give a Pokemon just about any move in the game, and doesn't allow you to give the Pokemon an ability that it doesn't normally have access to.
 
I've submitted an Other Metagame, but it's been weeks since anyone's replied. I already tried bumping it, but that didn't get results. How can I get the right people's attention? I'm tired of waiting.
 
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ChrystalFalchion said:
I've submitted an Other Metagame, but it's been weeks since anyone's replied. I already tried bumping it, but that didn't get results. How can I get the right people's attention? I'm tired of waiting.
Click to expand...

There really isn't much you can do about this. There are a lot of OM Submissions, so you've just got to wait for someone to get to it. If you've been waiting 2-3 weeks and there's been no response, try bumping it.
 
For the one OM submission a month rule: does the month timer begin once your metagame is approved/denied or the second you posted it for review?
 
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