The Pokemon Thunderdome [It looks like a Luvdisc evo..hmm..]

Does Salamence deserve to be uber?

Yes. It's about time it was banned.	41.0%	[ 32 ]
No. It deserved to stay in OU.	42.3%	[ 33 ]
I don't care/pollwhore	16.7%	[ 13 ]
Total Votes:			[ 78 ]

[Official Pokemon]

WELCOME TO THE

Two Pokemon enter. One Pokemon leaves.

(all art credits in credits post)

~NEWS~
6/30~ The Draco Meteor Jirachi event is now available for HG/SS via Wi-Fi! Go to Mystery Gift on your HG/SS cart and find "receive gift via Wi-Fi". This Jirachi has the event move Draco Meteor that was given out at Gamestop earlier this year and comes holding a Leichi Berry. We don't know when this event will end, so be sure to pick it up fast whether you missed the original event or simply want more Jirachi!
EDIT by AoK;; Event ends July 16th
---
6/27~ Sheepo here doing a little thread cleanup!
Don't mind me
---
6/27~ No more will the news post be ignored!
Oha Suta has just revealed 8 new Pokemon in addition to introducing triple battles. Looks like the next generation of Pokemon may be the craziest yet!
For more information, check out Pokebeach and Serebii.
As for the event beasts, it seems like Raikou's OU bid has failed as it is Rash. Entei got fortunate with Adamant, while Suicune, though not having any special moves, has the usable Relaxed. Remember that the Celebi event is happening soon in Japan, with exciting new move additions like Nasty Plot!
So we apologize for leaving the news post un-updated....as we venture into exciting times, we'll be sure to see a lot more!


Show your Thunderdome spirit and put the button in your signature!~

We are a competitive based Pokemon community, constantly striving to help thread regulars become better battlers. We emphasize the use of both Wi-Fi and Shoddy to practice and aid in our discussion. We also welcome novice, casual players of all skill levels as well to come and have fun. So what are you waiting for? Come on in the Thunderdome!

Thread Moderators
Age of Kings
Panic!_At_The_Tragedy
Prince Noir
Sheepoman

These people are always right. Don't ******** with them.

M.A.D.S scoreboard (mods against douche spammers)
as of Oct. 10, 2009
Age of Kings - 20
Sheepoman - 8
Panic!_at_the_tragedy - 2
Prince Noir - 2

[Official Pokemon]

Rules
- Follow Gaia ToS at all times.
- If you have any questions, suggestions, or complaints, please PM this thread mule. A moderator with access to this account will be able to help you as soon as possible.
- While we are dedicated to competitive Pokemon battling, feel free to chat about anything Pokemon (of substance).
- We welcome anyone with a thick skin and a brain. Loosely translated, be intelligent and learn to accept criticism. We're here to help you, not boost egos, so cooperate with us.
- Do not waltz in here requesting a trade or battle if it is your first time in this thread. You will likely be ignored, especially for the former. Stay and chat and ingratiate yourself with the community instead of treating it like it's a one-time deal.
- When battling on Wi-Fi, we ask that you not use hacks. Hacked Pokemon are defined as Pokemon obtained or altered by external cheating devices. We also ask that if you own an external device like AR or R4, that you be open about its use. We're fine with you using them as long as you are not using them to hack Pokemon. In fact, we welcome owners of AR and other such devices to help thread regulars with Platinum move tutoring, giving TMs/items, cloning, etc.
- As per above, please refrain from discussing Pokesav, AR codes, and the like for the purposes of hacking and altering Pokemon or doing other "illegal" things in the game. Either take it to PMs or google it.
- FOR REFERENCE, the following are commonly accepted AR codes: fast hatch, SID check, IV check, cloning, max money/items.
- Do not spam the thread with Pokemon questions that are easily found on Google or Serebii or whatever. You will most of the time be ignored.
- Do not spam the thread with questions answered in the FAQs section. God help you if you do, especially if AoK sees you doing so because she spent a long time writing them up.
- Do, however, ask complex and engaging questions about the metagame, specific Pokemon, etc.
- Do not engage in: "__________ used Outrage on troll!" Does this really need to be said? Report it, ignore it, and move on.
- Try to stay on topic. Pokemon is one of the most complex, largest games available and it is a subject certainly worth talking about for long periods of time. If you're in an engaging non-Pokemon conversation with someone in the thread, please take it to PMs or an instant messenger. We want everyone to be friends but it's against the rules.
- Please do not engage in a discussion about something you have little experience with. It's better to say nothing, ask questions, and learn something than try to contribute but failing at it. Back up your arguments with evidence or experience. Remember, experience > theorymon.
- Even though she has sworn an oath of kindness, we all beg that you never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, EVER irritate AoK. Never ever. You will be sorry. Please don't do it for yours, ours, and her sake.

Additionally, for all battles held we will assume standard clauses. They are:
Sleep Clause - No two Pokemon may be asleep at once. A Pokemon that has used Rest does NOT count against this limit.
Freeze Clause - No two Pokemon on a team may be frozen at once. (not enforcable on Wi-Fi though)
OHKO Clause - Moves like Fissure and Sheer Cold that inflict a one hit KO on a Pokemon are banned. Perish Song does not count and is allowed.
Evasion Clause - Moves that affect the evasion of a Pokemon are banned. The move Double Team is expressly banned. The items Brightpowder and Lax Incense are also banned.
Species Clause - No two Pokemon of the same Pokedex number are allowed on one team.
Self-KO clause - If the last Pokemon on a team uses Explosion or Selfdestruct, the player in control of that Pokemon automatically loses even if it KOs the opponent's last Pokemon. The last Pokemon on a team may not use Perish Song or Destiny Bond. Move recoil, such as Double Edge, Flare Blitz, or Struggle and the item Life Orb does not count. For example, if a Pokemon using these moves or the item Life Orb manages to kill the opponents last Pokemon and gets killed itself, the match ends in a draw.
Soul Dew and ubers clause (for ALL non-ubers battles) - In non-ubers battles, the item Soul Dew may not be equipped on any Pokemon and all Pokemon on the ubers list are banned.

It is your responsibility to be informed of the match rules before you battle your opponent. Neither us nor your opponent are responsible for your failure to confirm the match rules.

Tier Listings
At this time, we are not entertaining tier list changes unless there is an obvious discrepancy.
We will follow Smogon's tier listings for OU and ubers.
Ubers
Please note that until Arceus is released as a US event, it is banned from ALL battles unless the opponent specifies.
OU
For the time being, Manaphy is not allowed in standard matches in the Thunderdome.
Please note that Smogon's OU list is updated every three or so months, so check back every so often.

Because of Smogon's current suspect process, we will use old listings for BL and UU. The BL list will change periodically as some Pokemon are taken out of OU.
BL
Abomasnow
Alakazam
Ambipom
Arcanine
Azumarill
Blaziken
Charizard
Donphan
Dugtrio
Entei
Espeon
Exeggutor
Feraligatr
Floatzel
Gallade
Gardevoir
Hariyama
Honchkrow
Houndoom
Lickilicky
Ludicolo
Magmortar
Marowak
Medicham
Mesprit
Milotic
Mismagius
Moltres
Pinsir
Porygon2
Raikou
Rampardos
Regice
Regigigas
Regirock
Registeel
Rhyperior
Sceptile
Slaking
Shaymin
Slowbro
Slowking
Spiritomb
Staraptor
Tauros
Torterra
Typhlosion
Ursaring
Umbreon
Uxie
Yanmega
Zangoose

UU
Everything else not covered by the above lists

[Official Pokemon]

FAQs
Q: Are there any requirements to post in the thread? Do I need to be a super-ultra competitive Pokemon player?
A: Of course not. In fact, all you really need to have in order to post here is a love of Pokemon and understanding of basic grammar.

Q: "smogon sux i h8 cookie cuttr sets u r so unorignal!!!!111!"
A: We realize that many people here, for one reason or another distrust Smogon. Smogon does have its flaws but it is unparalleled in singles OU play under standard clauses. Its research into game mechanics is also above par. If you're going to whine and b***h about something that works, kindly take your business elsewhere.

Q: What are IVs? How do I find them?
A: IVs are a number from 0-31 that determines how high a specific stat is, 31 being the highest. The value and arrangement of these numbers also determines the move type and base power of the move Hidden Power.
You can find IVs by leveling up a Pokemon in-game and tracking its growth via Metalkid's IV calculator (link is in the post below) to get an accurate range or entering an IV battle. Simply set up a lv. 100 singles match on Wi-Fi with someone else, which temporarily boosts your Pokemon to level 100, copy down the stats and enter them into Metalkid's IV calculator, and then run from the match as a courtesy to the person who gave you the IV battle.
Two things to be careful of:
1. YOU MUST KEEP TRACK OF ALL EVS TO GET AN ACCURATE RANGE OF IVS. If they are incorrect or you do not know them, you will be unable to find the IVs unless you use the stat reducing berries to wipe EVs.
2. DO NOT USE SEREBII'S/LEGENDARY POKE'S IV CALCULATOR. It has time and again proven to be inaccurate, even completely off readings, ex. an invalid stat with EVs in them will read as 31. Please use Metalkid's for your own good.

Q: What are EVs? How do I train for them?
A: EVs are a little more complicated than IVs though most players learn about EVs first. EVs stand for effort values, four of which equals one stat gain at level 100. The maximum a Pokemon can have in one stat is 255, the maximum total EVs 510. For more information, consult the EV training hotspots guide in the resources section.

Q: What do the tiers mean?
A: For the exact Pokemon in each list, please check tier listings in the above post.

Ubers - Extremely powerful Pokemon banned from standard play. Do not use them unless your opponent expressly allows them.
OU - "Overused", commonly referred to as standard. It is exactly what the name implies, comprised of the most used, cream of the crop Pokemon. This tier is based solely on usage, in this case the most used of Pokemon.
BL - "Borderline". Pokemon banned from UU play (like ubers from OU) but not quite used enough to be OU. Mediocrity in standard play is often used to describe the Pokemon within this tier.
UU - "Underused". Also pretty much what the name implies, these aren't the best of Pokemon but they are not overpowering either. They comprise a completely different metagame from the OU tier in its own unique flavor.
NU - "Neverused". Denizens include Luvdisc and Unown. A definitive NU list for the 4th generation has not been defined yet, though Thunderdome may embark on defining its own in the future.

Q: What is the difference between legends and ubers?
A: Most ubers are legends, but vice versa is definitely not true. While ubers are extremely powerful, broken Pokemon that are not allowed in standard play, most legendary Pokemon are not overpowering and actually serve as a benefit in regular play. The ones allowed offer nothing terribly special and on Wi-Fi may actually have a disadvantage to bred Pokemon since most are willing to settle for a bit less in terms of IVs due to a restricted IV algorithm (see X-Act's IV to PID applet below). Anyone with a "no legends" rule or complains about their use are not worth battling anyways since they are usually newbies with little knowledge of how the metagame works and that most legendaries are benefits and checks to other threats, a far cry from being true ubers.

Q: What are the differences between Shoddy and Wi-Fi?
A: Shoddy is a battle simulator that tries its best to emulate real battling conditions in the game. However, Shoddy does have its share of bugs (in the past, there was even a Fly glitch!). The main draw of Shoddy is the automated team builder; unlike the games, there is no breeding or SRing necessary. You can also have flawless event Pokemon like WishBliss and Celebi in the nature you want that would be otherwise extremely difficult to obtain. The most marked difference from the Wi-Fi metagame is the ability to use Platinum forms like Skymin, the Rotom appliances, and Origin Giratina.

Q: What's up with AoK?
A: Just give her a nice, large German lager and a hug. Get a bowl (or pipe) immediately if she is foaming at the mouth and keep all flammable and sharp objects and military weaponry away from her at all times. Also refrain from posting photos of John Rambo, Catherine the Great, and Eugene Delacroix's 1830 painting Liberty Leading the People.

[Official Pokemon]

Links and Resources
If you have any questions or suggestions here, please PM Age of Kings or her mules. She can also try to help you with technical support for any of the programs and applications listed in this thread.

Shoddy Battle Official - The official website of the premier Pokemon battle simulator of the 4th generation. It is a free, safe program used by thousands of trainers daily all over the world. Many people in the thread use this program to battle and swap teams so it is in your benefit to download this program.

Netbattle: Supremacy - The original Netbattle program is long gone, but here is the update to the premier battle simulator for the first three Pokemon generations before the advent of Wi-Fi. In addition to supporting the first three generations of Pokemon, it features double battles in addition to plenty of kooky clauses, games, and whatever. Sadly, few people use this nowadays but try it anyways. In the future, Thunderdome may offer activities and even tournaments on Netbattle depending on interest level.

Smogon University - The one and only. The premier competitive Pokemon battling community with many helpful guides and resources to aid you in whatever you need.

Libelldra Forge Damage Calculator - The most accurate Pokemon damage calculator on the internet. This calculator runs on stats rather than Pokemon like Metalkid's calculator (which tends to overshoot damage), so be prepared with some calculations beforehand. However, it never fails or disappoints if used properly and includes a nifty OHKO and 2HKO chances feature.

Metalkid's IV calculator - The very best on the internet. Please don't use the Legendary Pokemon / Serebii one because they're terrible. You will always get accurate readings off Metalkid and includes columns to help aid in narrowing IVs by leveling low-leveled Pokemon.

Bulbapedia, the Pokemon wiki - Pretty much everything you need to know about Pokemon. It's pretty useful as a Pokemon search engine. Also includes sprites for every Pokemon from every Pokemon generation.

Smogon Wi-Fi DPPt PRNG abuse thread - Thread explaining how to get bred shinies and flawless Pokemon by utilizing mechanics inherent in the game. RNG Reporter and other useful programs and downloads are available here.

EV Training Hotspot Guide - An extremely useful resource for EV training. Has an introduction to EV training and how to do it, and shows you where to go. Please note that locations are for D/P only.

Serebii Moveset Calculator - A pretty handy little tool that searches for Pokemon that can learn certain moves or a combination of moves. PLEASE NOTE THIS DOES NOT TAKE INTO ACCOUNT SPECIAL EVENT MOVES, POKEMON XD, OR ILLEGAL MOVE COMBINATIONS (i.e. Belly Drum + Aqua Jet Azumarill).

X-Act's IV to PID calculator - A useful little tool most commonly used to check the legitimacy of caught Pokemon based on IVs. This tool does not apply to Pokemon obtained by Wondercards, Agate Celebi, or 10ANIV events.

Marriland Team Builder - a preliminary tool that checks weaknesses and resistances of your team. Do NOT rely too much on this tool; it cannot tell you if your team is weak to a metagame-specific threat or a certain strategy. However, it is a good quick check in case you put too many Pokemon with a certain type weakness on your team.

Psypoke Natures Guide - Every nature and its effects are listed, as well as the Pokeblock/Poffin flavor preferences.

HG/SS moveset additions - Lists all moveset additions from HG/SS, including both level-up and egg moves.

How to watch Pokemon Sunday outside of Japan - A resource for watching original Japanese TV and video. Watch Pokemon Sunday and the anime live!

Thunderdome Official - Because despite not having anything to do with Pokemon, AoK likes spreading the word of possibly the best hardcore/gabber festival in the world.

Shorthand EV calculations:
Pokemon that gives 2 EVs in a stat (Tentacruel, Golduck) will yield 12 EVs with Pokerus and a Power item. 21 Pokemon * 12 EVs = 252.
2 EVs * 2 Pokerus = 4 EVs
Pokemon that give 1 EV in a stat (Magikarp, Bidoof) will yield 10 EVs with Pokerus and a power item.
1 EV * 2 Pokerus = 2 EVs

[Official Pokemon]

Team Sharing/Rating
Because Shoddy Battle saves teams as documents, you may share your team to either help others or so others can help you. To access downloaded teams on Shoddy, save the file somewhere where you can easily access it, open Shoddy, go to 'edit team' and open the file. If you are helping fix someone else's team, make your desired changes directly on Shoddy and save the team under another name, upload it, and PM the link to the person you are helping. There are, however, a few rules:

1. You must first upload the team with Megaupload. It is a free service that does not require an account to upload things. Please see guidelines the guidelines in #3 and #4 before you upload.

2. Please PM the team to the official thread account. A moderator will look the team over and approve it. If the team is not approved, you will receive a response detailing what you can do to make it approvable. This is also to ensure that every team posted up here is safe for others to download.

3. Every upload must be in a neat folder with both the Shoddy Battle team and a short Word document detailing the team and the functions of each member. To get a ready template, open your team in Shoddy team builder, go to file > export to text, and copy + paste your entire Pokemon team to the documents, with a description for what each Pokemon does below it.
We require this document because it makes it easier for others to understand the premise of your team, and makes it extremely easy for others to help you if you need it fixed.

4. WE DO NOT ACCEPT INCOMPLETE TEAMS EVEN IF YOU ARE IN NEED OF TEAM HELP. We don't care if you put filler moves or Pokemon, just make the effort to send a complete team and don't be lazy. We are here to help, but we need you to put in some effort.

[Official Pokemon]

Tutoring
If you need that extra one-on-one help, we offer battling tutors in this thread. Since the tutors themselves are always practicing and getting better, they'll be up-to-date with battling know-hows. Experience cannot be taught but they'll help you with the tools you'll need.

Tutors:
Age of Kings - currently tutoring demon_devil15
Lachrymal Lamentations

Feel free to give them a PM or comment with whatever help you need! Please be as specific as possible with what you need help with.

At the moment, we will only be offering help for singles OU [AoK will also help with BL or the suspect nUU metagame]. If demand for alternative metagames is high enough, we will be looking to find qualified tutors for those metagames.

Rules:
One rule: be respectful to your tutor. They both are going out of their way to help you so don't be an a**. This should be a given, but we're putting it here just in case.

[Official Pokemon]

Banners

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PM this thread mule if you have made one for us. We appreciate them and we will give due credit. 3nodding

Additional Links
None at the moment. This is for advertising things thread regulars have made, so please don't be afraid to PM the thread mule if you need out help getting the word out!

Credits
People who contributed to this thread.
Age of Kings - Hi, I'm typing in first person. I came up with the thread concept, I'm the one who spent hours wrestling with stupid post formatting and typing walls of s**t people probably won't read just to make this thread aesthetically presentable, and I force you guys to worship me for a reason. >[
Panic!_at_the_Tragedy - For coming up with the thread name despite ignoring all the times AoK has spammed hardcore/gabber > movie.
Lachrymal Lamentations - For being a great battler, mod, helper, and friend.
Armadildo, Challenged Night, Sheepoman, SwordplayKnight - Awesome riot police are awesome.
KipphizzyCo, Sleight of Zero, Mia_Sage - For being wonderful, encouraging friends. <3
Jaguar-Gal - Official (animated) thread banner credit.
[Fox Girl] - Thread banner credit.
xSchwarze Sonne - Contributing several lovely banners to the thread. <3
Mocha Madness - Rainbow Sprinkles shop owner, maker of thread button.
Posters like you - Who make the thread active and successful. Even though AoK kicks you around like her pawns, she appreciates all of you.

[Official Pokemon]

Contests and Events

[Official Pokemon]

Tournaments

[Official Pokemon]

The Rules of the Gameyknow the one you just lost
RULE #1:NO SAME ITEMS
RULE#2:NO DOUBLE TEAM/MINIMIZE/OHKO
RULE#3:NO UBERS
RULES#4:NO EVOLVED FORMS
RULE#5SLEEP CLAUSE
RULE#6FREEZE CLAUSE
RULE#7SELF-KO CLAUSE
RULE#8LEVEL 50 MAXIMUM
RULE#9SKARMBLISS ONLY
RULE#10The following are banned for being too powerful:leftovers,choice band,choice scarf,choice specs, all other choice items,anything that boosts your stats,anything that gives you an advantage against your opponent,manaphy,salamence,garchomp,scizor,anything that has over 60 in stats.
RULE#11No Women, you guys suck at videogames, just go back and makes us real men playing pokemanz a sandwich jkjkucanplay,butyoustillhavetomakemeasandwich
RULE#11RESPECT SMOGON, those guys are hard working honest smart people, they deserve every ounce of respect, that latias only got what it deserved, it was way too overpowered.
RULE#12If your pokemon that managed to get through these strict rules ever beats your opponent in less then 100 turns, its overpowered so its banned.
RULE#13 RNG,SRing and breeding is for pussies, just hack your pokemon everyone is doing it, because that's what real men do. You will be able to use all that time you saved to suspect more pokemons into UBER, its a win-win situation.
RULES#14Most important rule FINAL DESTINATION ONLY FGT

these rules must be respected
your mod
Prince Noir
P.S.: if anybody sees kyle please tell me, I have been looking for him everywhere

[Age of Kings]

cool Ego sempre lucro!

[Age of Kings]

this thread is now open. Except i need to put a few RMTs in the RMT section. But yeah, post betches. mad

[Panic!_at_the_Tragedy]

heart
I got first page mutha ********]

[Age of Kings]

Panic!_at_the_Tragedy

heart
I got first page mutha ********]

I dunno if I should take up the rest of the space or wait for the others to get online / get the word spread that it's open. rofl

[KipphizzyCo]

<3