Hello all. This is an idea that has been bouncing around in my head for a while, and I think it has a lot of merit. This post is long, so please read all of it and think carefully before you say anything.
We have had many metagames become defunct in Gen IV due to banning or unbanning of Pokémon, the most recent being no-Arceus HGSS Ubers, which will no longer be relevant in a few hours once the tour is over. This metagame has been around for over a year, yet the number of RMTs posted for it is but a tiny percentage of the number of teams that people have actually used. I know that we have the RMT archive for the 'best' teams of each era that have been posted, but a more accurate picture of these defunct metagames could be gathered from a mass repository of ALL teams that people wish to contribute.
"Sure DT, but we already have the RMT forum, so this is pointless right?" Not at all, and I will now try to show you that there is a need for something such as what I would like to have implemented. The 2 main reasons why we have such a dearth of historically significant teams available for viewing on Smogon are as follows:
1. It takes a really long time to write up a solid RMT. Having written 2 of these myself, I can say with certainty that it is a time-consuming effort and what you get out of it is often less than what you put in, especially if you are retiring a team that you have used a lot and there is not much to say about it. This is especially true at the end of a metagame that has experienced a fundamental shift (such as adding Arceus into Ubers) because you will most likely be discarding much of what you have used before in favor of new tactics, playstyles, etc. There is currently no incentive to contribute defunct teams to the community unless it is in an attempt to get into the RMT archive, which leaves out many of the staples of past metagames from solid teams that were either denied admittance or were simply not posted in the first place.
2. Most people like to keep their favorite sets, preferred attacking combinations, and so on as secrets for as long as possible in order to keep their effectiveness high for tournaments and the like. If I used the rare Set X before to great success and I plan on building more teams around it in the future, I won't want to post my tournament-winning team that used Set X for fear that it will become more widespread and its effectiveness will diminish. This is also why quite a few of the best sets out there are not posted in C&C for a long time after they are developed - see the ChestoRest Kingdra thread as an example. However, if Smogon's atmosphere were more conducive to sharing knowledge, this problem would no longer exist because there would be lots more great ideas out there for people to latch onto and use as bases for future teams, eliminating the need to use the same ideas over and over again under a veil of secrecy.
"So what exactly do you suggest DT?" Here it is: when a metagame becomes defunct, a thread is opened expressly for people to post teams from that metagame without the need for detailed write-ups (all that would be needed is C+P'ing from Team Builder with maybe a short paragraph at the end describing the team as a whole). All teams are accepted, regardless of quality, because the goal is to have as complete a picture of the actual metagame as possible. Anyone can contribute as many or as few teams as he/she feels like, but the more the better! This thread then becomes a database of information about a particular segment in Smogon's history, which has obvious value for anyone interested in competitive Pokémon. Here is an example of the format of a team that would be posted in one of these repositories:
As you can see, nothing more than bare-bones data would be required. (It took me 2 or 3 minutes to do one team.) Please let me know if you would like me to elaborate upon any aspect of this proposal. If you have concerns, I will attempt to address those as well. Thank you for reading and I hope you will consider my ideas thoughtfully before agreeing with them or shooting them down.
We have had many metagames become defunct in Gen IV due to banning or unbanning of Pokémon, the most recent being no-Arceus HGSS Ubers, which will no longer be relevant in a few hours once the tour is over. This metagame has been around for over a year, yet the number of RMTs posted for it is but a tiny percentage of the number of teams that people have actually used. I know that we have the RMT archive for the 'best' teams of each era that have been posted, but a more accurate picture of these defunct metagames could be gathered from a mass repository of ALL teams that people wish to contribute.
"Sure DT, but we already have the RMT forum, so this is pointless right?" Not at all, and I will now try to show you that there is a need for something such as what I would like to have implemented. The 2 main reasons why we have such a dearth of historically significant teams available for viewing on Smogon are as follows:
1. It takes a really long time to write up a solid RMT. Having written 2 of these myself, I can say with certainty that it is a time-consuming effort and what you get out of it is often less than what you put in, especially if you are retiring a team that you have used a lot and there is not much to say about it. This is especially true at the end of a metagame that has experienced a fundamental shift (such as adding Arceus into Ubers) because you will most likely be discarding much of what you have used before in favor of new tactics, playstyles, etc. There is currently no incentive to contribute defunct teams to the community unless it is in an attempt to get into the RMT archive, which leaves out many of the staples of past metagames from solid teams that were either denied admittance or were simply not posted in the first place.
2. Most people like to keep their favorite sets, preferred attacking combinations, and so on as secrets for as long as possible in order to keep their effectiveness high for tournaments and the like. If I used the rare Set X before to great success and I plan on building more teams around it in the future, I won't want to post my tournament-winning team that used Set X for fear that it will become more widespread and its effectiveness will diminish. This is also why quite a few of the best sets out there are not posted in C&C for a long time after they are developed - see the ChestoRest Kingdra thread as an example. However, if Smogon's atmosphere were more conducive to sharing knowledge, this problem would no longer exist because there would be lots more great ideas out there for people to latch onto and use as bases for future teams, eliminating the need to use the same ideas over and over again under a veil of secrecy.
"So what exactly do you suggest DT?" Here it is: when a metagame becomes defunct, a thread is opened expressly for people to post teams from that metagame without the need for detailed write-ups (all that would be needed is C+P'ing from Team Builder with maybe a short paragraph at the end describing the team as a whole). All teams are accepted, regardless of quality, because the goal is to have as complete a picture of the actual metagame as possible. Anyone can contribute as many or as few teams as he/she feels like, but the more the better! This thread then becomes a database of information about a particular segment in Smogon's history, which has obvious value for anyone interested in competitive Pokémon. Here is an example of the format of a team that would be posted in one of these repositories:
Team Name: Shadows and Dust (a name is not necessary - you could simply write "Team 1" or something)
Gaia (Mew) @ Lum Berry
Ability: Synchronize
EVs: 252 HP/36 Atk/222 Spd
Jolly nature (+Spd,-SpAtk)
- Explosion
- Stealth Rock
- Taunt
- U-turn
---
Mars (Scizor) (M) @ Choice Band
Ability: Technician
EVs: 202 HP/56 Atk/252 SpDef
Adamant nature (+Atk,-SpAtk)
- Bullet Punch
- Pursuit
- Superpower
- U-turn
---
Neptune (Kyogre) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Drizzle
EVs: 222 HP/36 Spd/252 SpAtk
Modest nature (+SpAtk,-Atk)
- Ice Beam
- Surf
- Thunder
- Water Spout
---
Jupiter (Rayquaza) @ Choice Band
Ability: Air Lock
EVs: 252 Atk/252 Spd/6 SpDef
Jolly nature (+Spd,-SpAtk)
- Dragon Claw
- Earthquake
- ExtremeSpeed
- Outrage
---
Saturn (Dialga) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 6 HP/252 Spd/252 SpAtk
Timid nature (+Spd,-Atk)
- Draco Meteor
- Dragon Pulse
- Flamethrower
- Thunder
---
Uranus (Mewtwo) @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 6 Def/252 Spd/252 SpAtk
Timid nature (+Spd,-Atk)
- Aura Sphere
- Calm Mind
- Ice Beam
- Taunt
---
The main goal of this team is to control momentum. This is accomplished through the use of the Mew + Scizor combination to lead off the battle; three of the most powerful Choice users in existence in SpecsOgre, BandRay, and SpecsDialga; and Taunt + Calm Mind Mewtwo as the late-game sweeper. This team does require a lot of switching to use effectively, so the minimization of residual damage is a top priority against more defensively-inclined opponents.
Gaia (Mew) @ Lum Berry
Ability: Synchronize
EVs: 252 HP/36 Atk/222 Spd
Jolly nature (+Spd,-SpAtk)
- Explosion
- Stealth Rock
- Taunt
- U-turn
---
Mars (Scizor) (M) @ Choice Band
Ability: Technician
EVs: 202 HP/56 Atk/252 SpDef
Adamant nature (+Atk,-SpAtk)
- Bullet Punch
- Pursuit
- Superpower
- U-turn
---
Neptune (Kyogre) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Drizzle
EVs: 222 HP/36 Spd/252 SpAtk
Modest nature (+SpAtk,-Atk)
- Ice Beam
- Surf
- Thunder
- Water Spout
---
Jupiter (Rayquaza) @ Choice Band
Ability: Air Lock
EVs: 252 Atk/252 Spd/6 SpDef
Jolly nature (+Spd,-SpAtk)
- Dragon Claw
- Earthquake
- ExtremeSpeed
- Outrage
---
Saturn (Dialga) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 6 HP/252 Spd/252 SpAtk
Timid nature (+Spd,-Atk)
- Draco Meteor
- Dragon Pulse
- Flamethrower
- Thunder
---
Uranus (Mewtwo) @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 6 Def/252 Spd/252 SpAtk
Timid nature (+Spd,-Atk)
- Aura Sphere
- Calm Mind
- Ice Beam
- Taunt
---
The main goal of this team is to control momentum. This is accomplished through the use of the Mew + Scizor combination to lead off the battle; three of the most powerful Choice users in existence in SpecsOgre, BandRay, and SpecsDialga; and Taunt + Calm Mind Mewtwo as the late-game sweeper. This team does require a lot of switching to use effectively, so the minimization of residual damage is a top priority against more defensively-inclined opponents.