SBL Intro/Rules

Hello, and welcome to the Shoddybattle League introductory thread, which will explain what the Shoddybattle League is and how it is run. Please read all of the following information before asking a question, as all of the information you need to know concerning the league can be found here, or is linked to from here.

The Shoddybattle League

The Shoddybattle Leauge (which will be reffered to as SBL from now on) is a forum based Role Playing Game. The statistics and relative "gameplay" is done on the forum, while the battling is taken place on Shoddybattle.

How To Begin

To begin particpating in the ShoddybattleLeague (which will be referred to as the SBL from this point on), you should first finish reading this introductory thread, so that you have a basic understanding of the SBL and how things work. After you have finished reading this thread, you should go to the Starter Request thread, where you will select your first 6 Pokemon for play in the SBL. Once you have selected your first team, you should then go to the Member ID thread, where you will set up your account information for the SBL.

Setting up your Pokemon's information will be explained in the Member ID thread.

The Point System

The NBL is based around a point system. Members will trade in their points to purchase items, buy Pokemon at the mart, participate in tournaments, bid at auctions, and a whole slew of other things. Members begin with 12 points, which they first use to purchase their initial 6 Pokemon. All the details that pertain to starting can be found in the Starter Request thread.

The biggest and most common way to make money will be to battle. Winning a match will earn a member 2 points, whereas losing a match will earn a member 1 point. If the battle ends in a tie, both members get 1 point.

Members will have to spend a certain amount of points to enter into tournaments, but the payoff is the prize money which will come from the entrance fees.

Members will also be able to sell Pokemon and items at the Yard Sale thread, where they can set their own prices on what they care to sell.

There will be other random activities throughout the course of the league in which members will be able to grab a few points.

The Stores

The General Store, the Pokemart, and the Move Tutor are the three stores which will be open for business in the SBL. The General store is the place to go to purchase items and TMs/HMs, whereas the Pokemart is open to purchase new Pokemon. Not all iteams or Pokemon will be available for purchase though, as the better items and Pokemon will be available during events, such as tournaments or the Safari Zone. The Move Tutor is where you can purchase EMs (which will be explained in that thread).

Battling

Battling in the SBL is going to take place on the Shoddy battle program. For those members new to Shoddybattle, I suggest playing around with the program and battling a few times before participating in the SBL. For those of you who are familiar with the program, here are some guidelines you should follow:

-You may NOT use Pokemon you don't own. Furthermore, you may NOT change the gender, DVs, nature, or any of the other stats of your Pokemon.
-You may ONLY use moves labeled "Level Up" in the ShoddybattleTeam builder. Only when you buy TMs from the General Store will you be able to use moves labeled "TM X" where "X" is a TM number.
-You may not use any items that you do not own, so you may only attach items that you have purchased at the The General Store or recieved through some event.
-The following clauses MUST be followed:
- Evasion Clause - OFF
- Extended Game - OFF
- Freeze Clause - OFF
- Item Clause - ON (Optional)
- Level Balance - OFF
- OHKO Clause - OFF
- Random Battle - OFF
- Sleep Clause - ON
- Species Clause - OFF
- Strict Damage Clause - Optional <it just shows if the damage exceeds 100% or not>
- Timed Battle - ON

^=You may not have any two Pokemon holding the same item. Therefore, only one Pokemon will be able to hold any certain one item in battles.
*=The Modserver Moves are not yet available, but when they are implemented, members will have the option of allowing Modserver Moves and Traits to be used in battle. Modserver Moves will only be available on my Modserver, once it is ready.

After all battles, you must go to your own Battle Log thread, and fill out a Battle Log of the game(s) you just played.

TMs and Other Non-Level Up Moves

As stated above, Pokemon may only use moves labeled "Level Up" in Shoddybattle . This means, that the only moves Pokemon may use are those moves which they learn through leveling up. Here are how unlocking the other moves work:

TMs/HMs: TMs and HMs will be available in the General Store and through various events. When you recieve a TM or HM, you may not use it until you select what Pokemon is going to recieve that TM or HM. Once you do so, only that Pokemon has access to that TM or HM. You must list what TMs and HMs each of your Pokemon has on your Member ID. Once you use a TM or HM, you may not use it again, unless you buy another. Yes, in the game, you can reuse the HMs over and over, but that is NOT the case in the SBL.

Box/NYPC/FRLG/Breeding/Move Tutor: These moves, referred to in the SBL in bulk as EMs (Extra Moves) are the many other moves that became available to Pokemon through other sources, such as Breeding and the New York Pokemon Center. In order to unlock these moves for your Pokemon in the NBL, you must purchase them at the Move Tutor. You will purchase a specific move for a specific Pokemon. Unlike TMs and HMs, when you purchase a move through the Move Tutor, only that move on that Pokemon can be used. So, if you purchase NYPC Wish for Bagon, you will still have to purchase NYPC Wish for Chansey.

Modded Moves: After work has been complete on my Modserver, many Pokemon will have new moves that will be only availble on my Modserver. These moves I have added to the database, and will most likely be available to use in the NBL. I can't make any promises though.

Cheating And The Consequences

Cheating will NOT be tolerated in the SBL. It is YOUR job to keep track of your Member ID statistics, which include and are not limited to:

-Your Win/Loss/Tie record
-Point total
-Pokemon
-Items, etc

If you are caught doing any of the following:

-Altering your Win/Loss/Tie record from its actual values.
-Having items or Pokemon in your Member ID that you do not legally own.
-Using in battle items, Pokemon, or moves that you do not legally own.
-Adjusting your Point total from its actual value.

You will be warned on your first offense. You will be severely warned on your second offense, and a proper punishment will be down, such as a fine. Your third offense, you WILL be banned from the SBL for up to a month, and a 4rd offense will result in you being banned FOREVER. Punishments are not laid out immediately, as we are aware that sometimes mistakes can be made. Just know that repeated "mistakes" will be construed as cheating.

Q: My Charmander has been in 16 battles and it evolved into Charmeleon. 20 more battles before it is Charizard, right?
A: Wrong. Sorry, evolution is a little different in the SBL. Charmander needs 16 battles to evolve into Charmeleon, and then Charmeleon's battle count resets. You will need 36 battles as Charmeleon to evolve into a Charizard, so you will need 52 battles in total to get a Charizard. Please read the Explanation of Evolution thread for more details.

Q: I bought HM Fly and I want to use it on Doduo and Spearow. I can do this, right?
A: No, sorry. Unlike the Gameboy games, HMs may only be used once, just like TMs. So when you buy HMs and TMs, choose wisely the Pokemon you want to give it to.

Q: Am I allowed to buy the same TM again later?
A: Absolutely. You are allowed to buy as many of the same TM or HM as you like.

Q: Can I use moves labeled Egg Moves/Move Tutor/FRLG/Box/NYPC?
A: When you first get a Pokemon, the only moves available for use are the moves in Shoddybattle labeled "Level". In order to get Extra Moves (as the above moves are called) you must buy a specific move for a specific Pokemon in the Move Tutor thread.

Q: Can I change my Pokemon's EVs and moves?
A: Yes, each Pokemon's EVs and movesets are NOT locked. You are free to use different EV settings and different moves.

Q: I bought Persim berry. I can give it to all of the Pokemon in my party?
A: Sorry, in the NBL we have an Item Clause. You may not use the same item on more than 1 Pokemon on your team. And no, you may not buy the same item twice in order to use it twice.

Q: I bought a berry and it was used in battle. Do I have to buy another?
A: No, you've unlocked the use of that berry, you can use that berry as often as you like.

*Credits go to Ironshell Blastoise of PE2K.

Credits:
Most of the rules and stuff here are from Pe2k, so thank them not me.

Default Explanation of Evolution
Pokemon in the NBL will evolve in a similar manner to which they did in the original games. Here is an explanation of how Pokemon evolve.

Evolution By Level

Just as Pokemon evolved by reaching a specific level in game, in the NBL, Pokemon evolve after reaching that same number of participated battles. In other words, a Pokemon can evolve after being in the number of battles equal to level at which it evolves.

For example, in game, Bulbasaur evolves into Ivysaur at level 16. In the NBL, Bulbasaur will able to evolve into Ivysaur after participating in 16 battles. Ivysaur evolves into Venusaur at level 32, so after 32 battles, Ivysaur can evolve into Venusaur. To make a note, the 16 battles that Ivysaur participated in as Bulbasaur DO count towards the 32 battles he needs to evolve into Venusaur. So you need another 16 battles to evolve to Venusaur.

Non-Level-up Evolution

Some Pokemon didn't evolve by simply leveling up; some Pokemon evolved after being traded, while others evolved after being exposed to certain stones, and still others had to reach a certain Happiness or Beauty to evolve at the next level. These evolutions will be referred to as Special Evolutions. Here is an explaination of how these Pokemon will evolve in the NBL; you will not have to worry about any stones, or Happiness or Beauty, or any of the other details of how these Pokemon would evolve in the original game, just use them in battle 30 times and they can evolve.

One Time Evolution: Pokemon whose one and only evolution is a Special Evolution will need to battle 30 times before they evolve. So, Pokemon like Feebas, Shellder, Growlithe, and Smoochum will have to participate in 30 battles before they can evolve into Milotic, Cloyster, Arcanine, or Jynx, respectively.

First Special Evolution: Pokemon who have a Special Evolution and who can potentially evolve two times in total must battle 15 times before they can evolve. So, Pokemon like Pichu, Igglybuff, and Cleffa must battle 15 times before they can evolve into Pikachu, Jigglypuff, or Clefairy, respectively.

Trade evolution:
If your pokemon evolves by trade you have to battle with it 30 times before evolving.

Note: When it is said that a Pokemon "must battle (x number of times)" it means that that specific Pokemon must have been on your team for that battle, not necessarily that that specific Pokemon had to be used in battle. So if you have 7 Pokemon, the 6 you had on your team when you battled would get one battle that counted towards their evolution battle number, reguardless of if they were used in the battle or not.