The following is a directory to all of the tiers from RBY to XY with all the special Clauses and bans as they are currently played. These are all tiers and metagames recognized by Smogon as official metagames. There are metagames and rulesets that have existed during Smogon's existence such as Pokemon Stadium LC and BW/XY Triples, but these have not been recognized by Smogon as part of either the official usage tiering or metagames to be played in official tournaments.
A couple of these tiers have seen intense tiering discussions on other sites, such as RBY2K10 and Mount Silver, particularly the lower tiers of older generations. Smogon recognizes these tiers as the most commonly played, and when hosting tournaments in their formats will use their banlists and rulesets. These are detailed below.
Standard Singles Clauses:
Smogon Singles Tier Lists and Bans:
~~Please note: Tiering is top-down, meaning bans that are in place for a higher tier are also in place for the tiers below it. Special cases include BW and XY Ubers Clause testing, which apply to Ubers only, and DPP/BW/XY LC, which is not a part of the usage tiering trickle-down.
RBY
RBY OU: http://www.smogon.com/dex/rb/tags/ou - Mew and Mewtwo are banned. Wrap is allowed.
RBY UU: http://www.smogon.com/dex/rb/tags/uu - Wrap is allowed. Kadabra and Haunter are banned.
GSC
GSC Ubers: http://www.smogon.com/dex/gs/tags/uber
GSC OU: http://www.smogon.com/dex/gs/tags/ou - Celebi, Ho-Oh, Lugia, Mew and Mewtwo are banned. Hidden Power legends are allowed. Mean Look + Perish Song + Hypnosis is banned.
GSC UU: http://www.smogon.com/dex/gs/tags/uu
ADV
ADV Ubers: http://www.smogon.com/dex/rs/tags/uber - Wobbuffet + Leftovers is banned.
ADV OU: http://www.smogon.com/dex/rs/tags/ou - Ingrain + Baton Pass is banned.
ADV UU: http://www.smogon.com/dex/rs/tags/uu - NFEs are banned. Scyther is allowed.
ADV NU: http://www.smogon.com/dex/rs/tags/nu - NFEs are allowed. Scyther, Kadabra and Chansey are banned.
DPP
DPP Ubers: http://www.smogon.com/dex/dp/tags/uber - Arceus is banned. When allowed, (Farceus) Arceus may not have more than 100 EVs in a single stat.
DPP OU: http://www.smogon.com/dex/dp/tags/ou
DPP UU: http://www.smogon.com/dex/dp/tags/uu
DPP NU: http://www.smogon.com/dex/dp/tags/nu - Entei and Espeon are banned.
DPP LC: http://www.smogon.com/dex/dp/tags/lc - Misdreavus, Meditite, Murkrow, Scyther, Sneasel, Tangela, and Yanma are banned. Berry Juice and DeepSeaTooth are banned. Sonic Boom and DragonRage are banned. The Pomeg Glitch is allowed.
BW
BW Ubers: http://www.smogon.com/dex/bw/tags/uber - Moody Clause is in effect. Evasion Clause is disabled.
BW OU: http://www.smogon.com/dex/bw/tags/ou - Drizzle + Swift Swim is banned. Soul Dew is banned. Sand Veil and Snow Cloak are banned.
BW UU: http://www.smogon.com/dex/bw/tags/uu - Sand Stream and Snow Warning are banned.
BW RU: http://www.smogon.com/dex/bw/tags/ru - Shell Smash + Baton Pass is banned.
BW NU: http://www.smogon.com/dex/bw/tags/nu - Assist + Prankster is banned.
BW LC: http://www.smogon.com/dex/bw/tags/lc - Carvanha, Gligar, Meditite, Scyther, Sneasel, Tangela, Vulpix, and Yanma are banned. Berry Juice is banned. Sonic Boom and DragonRage are banned. The Pomeg Glitch is allowed.
XY
http://www.smogon.com/xyhub/tiers
XY Ubers: Moody Clause is in effect. Swagger Clause is in effect. Endless Battle Clause is in effect. Mega Rayquaza is disallowed. Evasion Clause is disabled.
XY OU: http://www.smogon.com/dex/xy/tags/ou - Gengarite, Kangaskhanite, Lucarionite, Mawilite, and Salamencite are banned. Baton Pass Clause is in effect. Soul Dew is banned.
XY UU: http://www.smogon.com/dex/xy/tags/uu - Alakazamite, Diancite, Heracronite, Medichamite, Pinsirite are banned. Drought, Drizzle and Shadow Tag are banned.
XY RU: http://www.smogon.com/dex/xy/tags/ru - Houndoominite is banned.
XY NU: http://www.smogon.com/dex/xy/tags/nu
XY LC: Gligar, Meditite, Misdreavus, Murkrow, Scyther, Sneasel, Swirlix, Tangela, and Yanma are banned. Sonic Boom and DragonRage are banned. The Pomeg Glitch is allowed.
Smogon Doubles Rulesets and Banlists:
http://www.smogon.com/forums/threads/introduction-to-doubles-faq-and-help-thread.3491043/
BW Doubles: http://www.smogon.com/bw/metagames/doubles - Dark Void is banned. Moody Clause is in effect. Soul Dew is banned. Sky Drop is banned.
XY Doubles: Moody Clause is in effect. Dark Void is banned. Soul Dew is banned. Salamencite is banned.
VGC Rulesets and Banlists:
JAA: Standard ADV Doubles format. Celebi, Jirachi, and all Deoxys formes banned. Enigma Berry, Soul Dew, and Leftovers + Wobbuffet are banned.
VGC 2009: Standard DPP Doubles format. Soul Dew is banned. The Toys R Us event Dragonite (which is always of the Mild nature) is legal for VGC 2009 use.
VGC 2010: Standard DPP Doubles format. Only 2 Special Pokemon allowed per team. Soul Dew is banned.
VGC 2011: Standard BW Doubles format. Only Pokemon in the Unova Dex allowed. Sky Drop is banned. Victini, Zekrom, Reshiram, and Kyurem are banned.
VGC 2013: Standard BW Doubles format. Sky Drop and Dark Void are banned.
VGC 2014: Standard XY Doubles format. Only Pokemon in the Kalos Dex are allowed. Xerneas, Yveltal, and Zygarde are banned.
A couple of these tiers have seen intense tiering discussions on other sites, such as RBY2K10 and Mount Silver, particularly the lower tiers of older generations. Smogon recognizes these tiers as the most commonly played, and when hosting tournaments in their formats will use their banlists and rulesets. These are detailed below.
Standard Singles Clauses:
- No GSC tradebacks.
- Species Clause: A player cannot have two of the same Pokémon on their team. For example, a player cannot have two Koffing on his or her team.
- Sleep Clause: A player cannot put two or more different opposing Pokémon to sleep using attacks that induce sleep to opposing Pokémon.
- Freeze Clause: A player cannot freeze two or more different opposing Pokémon.
- Evasion Clause: A player cannot increase their Pokémon's evasion stat with a move that specifically increases evasion. Indirect boosts do not break this clause.
- OHKO Clause: Players cannot use moves that have a chance of instantly KOing an opposing Pokémon. For example, Horn Drill is an illegal move to have on a Pokémon's move set.
- Species Clause: A player cannot have two of the same Pokémon on their team. For example, a player cannot have two Koffing on his or her team.
- Sleep Clause: A player cannot put two or more different opposing Pokémon to sleep using attacks that induce sleep to opposing Pokémon.
- Freeze Clause: A player cannot freeze two or more different opposing Pokémon.
- Evasion Clause: A player cannot increase their Pokémon's evasion stat with a move that specifically increases evasion. Indirect boosts do not break this clause.
- OHKO Clause: Players cannot use moves that have a chance of instantly KOing an opposing Pokémon. For example, Horn Drill is an illegal move to have on a Pokémon's move set.
- Species Clause: A player cannot have two of the same Pokémon on their team. For example, a player cannot have two Koffing on his or her team.
- Sleep Clause: A player cannot put two or more different opposing Pokémon to sleep using attacks that induce sleep to opposing Pokémon.
- Evasion Clause: A player cannot increase their Pokémon's evasion stat with a move that specifically increases evasion. Items or indirect boosts do not break this clause.
- OHKO Clause: Players cannot use moves that have a chance of instantly KOing an opposing Pokémon. For example, Horn Drill is an illegal move to have on a Pokémon's move set.
- Sleep Clause: A player cannot put two or more different opposing Pokémon to sleep using attacks that induce sleep to opposing Pokémon.
- Evasion Clause: A player cannot increase their Pokémon's evasion stat with a move that specifically increases evasion. Items or indirect boosts do not break this clause.
- OHKO Clause: Players cannot use moves that have a chance of instantly KOing an opposing Pokémon. For example, Horn Drill is an illegal move to have on a Pokémon's move set.
- Species Clause: A player cannot have two of the same Pokémon on their team. For example, a player cannot have two Koffing on his or her team.
- Sleep Clause: A player cannot put two or more different opposing Pokémon to sleep using attacks that induce sleep to opposing Pokémon.
- Evasion Clause: A player cannot increase their Pokémon's evasion stat with a move that specifically increases evasion. Items or indirect boosts do not break this clause.
- OHKO Clause: Players cannot use moves that have a chance of instantly KOing an opposing Pokémon. For example, Horn Drill is an illegal move to have on a Pokémon's move set.
- Sleep Clause: A player cannot put two or more different opposing Pokémon to sleep using attacks that induce sleep to opposing Pokémon.
- Evasion Clause: A player cannot increase their Pokémon's evasion stat with a move that specifically increases evasion. Items or indirect boosts do not break this clause.
- OHKO Clause: Players cannot use moves that have a chance of instantly KOing an opposing Pokémon. For example, Horn Drill is an illegal move to have on a Pokémon's move set.
- Species Clause: A player cannot have two of the same Pokémon on their team. For example, a player cannot have two Koffing on his or her team.
- Sleep Clause: A player cannot put two or more different opposing Pokémon to sleep using attacks that induce sleep to opposing Pokémon.
- Evasion Clause: A player cannot increase their Pokémon's evasion stat with a move that specifically increases evasion. Items or indirect boosts do not break this clause.
- OHKO Clause: Players cannot use moves that have a chance of instantly KOing an opposing Pokémon. For example, Horn Drill is an illegal move to have on a Pokémon's move set.
- Sleep Clause: A player cannot put two or more different opposing Pokémon to sleep using attacks that induce sleep to opposing Pokémon.
- Evasion Clause: A player cannot increase their Pokémon's evasion stat with a move that specifically increases evasion. Items or indirect boosts do not break this clause.
- OHKO Clause: Players cannot use moves that have a chance of instantly KOing an opposing Pokémon. For example, Horn Drill is an illegal move to have on a Pokémon's move set.
- Team Preview must be enabled.
- Only Pokemon that have been proven to have a released Dream World ability will be allowed to use that ability.
- Species Clause: A player cannot have two of the same Pokémon on their team. For example, a player cannot have two Koffing on his or her team.
- Sleep Clause: A player cannot put two or more different opposing Pokémon to sleep using attacks that induce sleep to opposing Pokémon.
- Evasion Clause: A player cannot increase their Pokémon's evasion stat with a move that specifically increases evasion.
- OHKO Clause: Players cannot use moves that have a chance of instantly KOing an opposing Pokémon. For example, Horn Drill is an illegal move to have on a Pokémon's move set.
- Moody Clause: No Pokemon may have the ability Moody in battle.
- Only Pokemon that have been proven to have a released Dream World ability will be allowed to use that ability.
- Species Clause: A player cannot have two of the same Pokémon on their team. For example, a player cannot have two Koffing on his or her team.
- Sleep Clause: A player cannot put two or more different opposing Pokémon to sleep using attacks that induce sleep to opposing Pokémon.
- Evasion Clause: A player cannot increase their Pokémon's evasion stat with a move that specifically increases evasion.
- OHKO Clause: Players cannot use moves that have a chance of instantly KOing an opposing Pokémon. For example, Horn Drill is an illegal move to have on a Pokémon's move set.
- Moody Clause: No Pokemon may have the ability Moody in battle.
- A player may not use any Item / Pokemon / Moveset that is not obtainable in-game.
- Team Preview must be enabled.
- Only Pokemon that have been proven to have a released Dream World ability will be allowed to use that ability.
- Species Clause: A player cannot have two of the same Pokémon on their team. For example, a player cannot have two Koffing on his or her team.
- Sleep Clause: A player cannot put two or more different opposing Pokémon to sleep using attacks that induce sleep to opposing Pokémon.
- Evasion Clause: A player cannot increase their Pokémon's evasion stat with a move that specifically increases evasion.
- OHKO Clause: Players cannot use moves that have a chance of instantly KOing an opposing Pokémon. For example, Horn Drill is an illegal move to have on a Pokémon's move set.
- Moody Clause: No Pokemon may have the ability Moody in battle.
- Swagger Clause: No Pokemon may have the move Swagger in battle.
- Endless Battle Clause: Any moveset on any Pokémon that is capable of intentionally causing an endless battle is banned from competitive play. Thus:
--A Pokémon may not carry Recycle and hold a Leppa Berry in conjunction with Heal Pulse and Milk Drink, Moonlight, Morning Sun, Recover, Roost, Slack Off, Soft-Boiled, or Wish.
--A Pokémon may not hold a Leppa Berry and carry Recycle and Pain Split on its moveset.
--A Pokémon may not hold a Leppa Berry and carry Recycle and Fling on its moveset.
- Team Preview must be enabled.
- Only Pokemon that have been proven to have a released Dream World ability will be allowed to use that ability.
- Species Clause: A player cannot have two of the same Pokémon on their team. For example, a player cannot have two Koffing on his or her team.
- Sleep Clause: A player cannot put two or more different opposing Pokémon to sleep using attacks that induce sleep to opposing Pokémon.
- Evasion Clause: A player cannot increase their Pokémon's evasion stat with a move that specifically increases evasion.
- OHKO Clause: Players cannot use moves that have a chance of instantly KOing an opposing Pokémon. For example, Horn Drill is an illegal move to have on a Pokémon's move set.
- Moody Clause: No Pokemon may have the ability Moody in battle.
- Swagger Clause: No Pokemon may have the move Swagger in battle.
- Endless Battle Clause: Any moveset on any Pokémon that is capable of intentionally causing an endless battle is banned from competitive play. Thus:
--A Pokémon may not carry Recycle and hold a Leppa Berry in conjunction with Heal Pulse and Milk Drink, Moonlight, Morning Sun, Recover, Roost, Slack Off, Soft-Boiled, or Wish.
--A Pokémon may not hold a Leppa Berry and carry Recycle and Pain Split on its moveset.
--A Pokémon may not hold a Leppa Berry and carry Recycle and Fling on its moveset.
Smogon Singles Tier Lists and Bans:
~~Please note: Tiering is top-down, meaning bans that are in place for a higher tier are also in place for the tiers below it. Special cases include BW and XY Ubers Clause testing, which apply to Ubers only, and DPP/BW/XY LC, which is not a part of the usage tiering trickle-down.
RBY
RBY OU: http://www.smogon.com/dex/rb/tags/ou - Mew and Mewtwo are banned. Wrap is allowed.
RBY UU: http://www.smogon.com/dex/rb/tags/uu - Wrap is allowed. Kadabra and Haunter are banned.
GSC
GSC Ubers: http://www.smogon.com/dex/gs/tags/uber
GSC OU: http://www.smogon.com/dex/gs/tags/ou - Celebi, Ho-Oh, Lugia, Mew and Mewtwo are banned. Hidden Power legends are allowed. Mean Look + Perish Song + Hypnosis is banned.
GSC UU: http://www.smogon.com/dex/gs/tags/uu
ADV
ADV Ubers: http://www.smogon.com/dex/rs/tags/uber - Wobbuffet + Leftovers is banned.
ADV OU: http://www.smogon.com/dex/rs/tags/ou - Ingrain + Baton Pass is banned.
ADV UU: http://www.smogon.com/dex/rs/tags/uu - NFEs are banned. Scyther is allowed.
ADV NU: http://www.smogon.com/dex/rs/tags/nu - NFEs are allowed. Scyther, Kadabra and Chansey are banned.
DPP
DPP Ubers: http://www.smogon.com/dex/dp/tags/uber - Arceus is banned. When allowed, (Farceus) Arceus may not have more than 100 EVs in a single stat.
DPP OU: http://www.smogon.com/dex/dp/tags/ou
DPP UU: http://www.smogon.com/dex/dp/tags/uu
DPP NU: http://www.smogon.com/dex/dp/tags/nu - Entei and Espeon are banned.
DPP LC: http://www.smogon.com/dex/dp/tags/lc - Misdreavus, Meditite, Murkrow, Scyther, Sneasel, Tangela, and Yanma are banned. Berry Juice and DeepSeaTooth are banned. Sonic Boom and DragonRage are banned. The Pomeg Glitch is allowed.
BW
BW Ubers: http://www.smogon.com/dex/bw/tags/uber - Moody Clause is in effect. Evasion Clause is disabled.
BW OU: http://www.smogon.com/dex/bw/tags/ou - Drizzle + Swift Swim is banned. Soul Dew is banned. Sand Veil and Snow Cloak are banned.
BW UU: http://www.smogon.com/dex/bw/tags/uu - Sand Stream and Snow Warning are banned.
BW RU: http://www.smogon.com/dex/bw/tags/ru - Shell Smash + Baton Pass is banned.
BW NU: http://www.smogon.com/dex/bw/tags/nu - Assist + Prankster is banned.
BW LC: http://www.smogon.com/dex/bw/tags/lc - Carvanha, Gligar, Meditite, Scyther, Sneasel, Tangela, Vulpix, and Yanma are banned. Berry Juice is banned. Sonic Boom and DragonRage are banned. The Pomeg Glitch is allowed.
XY
http://www.smogon.com/xyhub/tiers
XY Ubers: Moody Clause is in effect. Swagger Clause is in effect. Endless Battle Clause is in effect. Mega Rayquaza is disallowed. Evasion Clause is disabled.
Aegislash
Arceus
Blaziken
Darkrai
Deoxys
Deoxys-A
Deoxys-S
Deoxys-D
Dialga
Genesect
Giratina
Giratina-O
Greninja
Groudon
Ho-Oh
Kyogre
Kyurem-W
Lugia
Mewtwo
Palkia
Rayquaza
Reshiram
Shaymin-S
Xerneas
Yveltal
Zekrom
Arceus
Blaziken
Darkrai
Deoxys
Deoxys-A
Deoxys-S
Deoxys-D
Dialga
Genesect
Giratina
Giratina-O
Greninja
Groudon
Ho-Oh
Kyogre
Kyurem-W
Lugia
Mewtwo
Palkia
Rayquaza
Reshiram
Shaymin-S
Xerneas
Yveltal
Zekrom
XY UU: http://www.smogon.com/dex/xy/tags/uu - Alakazamite, Diancite, Heracronite, Medichamite, Pinsirite are banned. Drought, Drizzle and Shadow Tag are banned.
XY RU: http://www.smogon.com/dex/xy/tags/ru - Houndoominite is banned.
XY NU: http://www.smogon.com/dex/xy/tags/nu
XY LC: Gligar, Meditite, Misdreavus, Murkrow, Scyther, Sneasel, Swirlix, Tangela, and Yanma are banned. Sonic Boom and DragonRage are banned. The Pomeg Glitch is allowed.
Smogon Doubles Rulesets and Banlists:
http://www.smogon.com/forums/threads/introduction-to-doubles-faq-and-help-thread.3491043/
BW Doubles: http://www.smogon.com/bw/metagames/doubles - Dark Void is banned. Moody Clause is in effect. Soul Dew is banned. Sky Drop is banned.
All Arceus formes
Dialga
Giratina
Giratina-O
Groudon
Ho-Oh
Kyogre
Kyurem-W
Lugia
Mewtwo
Palkia
Rayquaza
Reshiram
Zekrom
Dialga
Giratina
Giratina-O
Groudon
Ho-Oh
Kyogre
Kyurem-W
Lugia
Mewtwo
Palkia
Rayquaza
Reshiram
Zekrom
XY Doubles: Moody Clause is in effect. Dark Void is banned. Soul Dew is banned. Salamencite is banned.
All Arceus formes
Dialga
Giratina
Giratina-O
Groudon
Ho-Oh
Kyogre
Kyurem-W
Lugia
Mewtwo
Palkia
Rayquaza
Reshiram
Xerneas
Yveltal
Zekrom
Dialga
Giratina
Giratina-O
Groudon
Ho-Oh
Kyogre
Kyurem-W
Lugia
Mewtwo
Palkia
Rayquaza
Reshiram
Xerneas
Yveltal
Zekrom
VGC Rulesets and Banlists:
JAA: Standard ADV Doubles format. Celebi, Jirachi, and all Deoxys formes banned. Enigma Berry, Soul Dew, and Leftovers + Wobbuffet are banned.
VGC 2009: Standard DPP Doubles format. Soul Dew is banned. The Toys R Us event Dragonite (which is always of the Mild nature) is legal for VGC 2009 use.
All other Dragonite
Mewtwo
Mew
Tyranitar
Lugia
Ho-Oh
Celebi
Kyogre
Groudon
Rayquaza
Jirachi
All Deoxys formes
All alternate Rotom formes (Rotom-N is allowed)
Dialga
Palkia
Giratina
Giratina-O
Phione
Manaphy
Darkrai
Shaymin
Shaymin-S
All Arceus formes
Mewtwo
Mew
Tyranitar
Lugia
Ho-Oh
Celebi
Kyogre
Groudon
Rayquaza
Jirachi
All Deoxys formes
All alternate Rotom formes (Rotom-N is allowed)
Dialga
Palkia
Giratina
Giratina-O
Phione
Manaphy
Darkrai
Shaymin
Shaymin-S
All Arceus formes
VGC 2010: Standard DPP Doubles format. Only 2 Special Pokemon allowed per team. Soul Dew is banned.
Mew
Celebi
Jirachi
All Deoxys formes
Phione
Manaphy
Darkrai
Shaymin
Shaymin-S
All Arceus formes
Celebi
Jirachi
All Deoxys formes
Phione
Manaphy
Darkrai
Shaymin
Shaymin-S
All Arceus formes
Mewtwo
Lugia
Ho-Oh
Kyogre
Groudon
Rayquaza
Dialga
Palkia
Giratina
Giratina-O
Lugia
Ho-Oh
Kyogre
Groudon
Rayquaza
Dialga
Palkia
Giratina
Giratina-O
VGC 2011: Standard BW Doubles format. Only Pokemon in the Unova Dex allowed. Sky Drop is banned. Victini, Zekrom, Reshiram, and Kyurem are banned.
VGC 2013: Standard BW Doubles format. Sky Drop and Dark Void are banned.
Mewtwo
Mew
Lugia
Ho-Oh
Celebi
Kyogre
Groudon
Rayquaza
Jirachi
All Deoxys formes
Dialga
Palkia
Giratina
Giratina-O
Phione
Manaphy
Darkrai
Shaymin
Shaymin-S
All Arceus formes
Victini
Zekrom
Reshiram
Kyurem
Mew
Lugia
Ho-Oh
Celebi
Kyogre
Groudon
Rayquaza
Jirachi
All Deoxys formes
Dialga
Palkia
Giratina
Giratina-O
Phione
Manaphy
Darkrai
Shaymin
Shaymin-S
All Arceus formes
Victini
Zekrom
Reshiram
Kyurem
VGC 2014: Standard XY Doubles format. Only Pokemon in the Kalos Dex are allowed. Xerneas, Yveltal, and Zygarde are banned.
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