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The PWF Battle Server

Tiers

Every Pokemon is classified into different tiers based on both their stats and usage in competitive play. Tiers are an attempt by players to classify characters in a game by their competitive ability. The Pokémon franchise features hundreds of species available for use, all varying in their base statistics and moveset potential; thus the tiers were created in an attempt to somewhat regulate and equalize battles between players. There are currently six tiers with various fansites individually deciding the Pokémon assumed to be in those tiers. Here at the PWF, we usually follow those of Smogon, considered by many trainers to be the "official" standard tier system: their tier list can be found here.

In "standard" battles, any Pokémon that is not in the Uber tier is eligible for use. However, it is common for some battles to maintain use in one tier only. It is up to the individual players to regulate their own rules, although PWF tournaments and events will always have clear rules on what is and is not acceptable.

Uber: The Uber tier is a banlist for OU and the other tiers, however this does not mean it is not, or cannot be played. Pokémon in the Uber tier are deemed too powerful or centralizing to be used fairly among other Pokémon. A common misconception, especially among players new to competitive battling, is that Uber tier contains only legendary Pokémon. While it is true that a majority of the accepted Ubers are indeed legendary, some are not and many legendary Pokémon are far from being Uber. While most Pokémon in the Uber tier are there for their ability to power through teams or be defensive behemoths, Wobbuffet is included primarily because of its Shadow Tag ability, along with Encore, which lets it trap any opponent Pokémon and lock them into any move, giving a free turn of set-up for any Pokémon, or giving a "free" kill with Counter or Mirror Coat. Wobbuffet's pre-evolution, Wynaut, is sometimes banned for similar reasons. Garchomp is another non-legendary that is in the list due to its high stats, brilliant movepool, and great typing.

Over-Used: Over-used, commonly abbreviated as "OU", refers to Pokémon that are most commonly seen in standard play. It is a misconception that all OU Pokémon are the most powerful in the game. OU is a term based on usage; however, there is a distinct correlation between usage and usefulness in the system. There are exceptions to this such as Magneton in Generation III, where it was considered an OU Pokémon merely because it was used primarily as a counter for Skarmory; a Pokémon commonly seen due to its high defense, low weaknesses, and stall-based movepool. The introduction of Magnezone, an evolution of Magneton, solidified its place in OU, due to increased stats, and a broader movepool.

Borderline: Pokémon in Borderline, commonly referred to as "BL", are considered by some to be too strong for Under-Used, but may be found in some OU battles. A Pokémon is placed in BL only if it is too strong for the UU tier; its performance in OU has nothing to do with its status.

Under-Used: Under-Used, commonly referred to as "UU", designates Pokémon whose use is limited as they are not strong enough for general OU competition, usually due to sub-standard stats, movepools, easily exploitable weaknesses, or the existence of a stronger Pokémon that do nearly the same job as the UU Pokémon making players use the stronger Pokémon instead of the UU Pokémon, giving it little use (e.g., Mismagius is UU because Rotom's alternate formes possess higher defensive stats, a superior movepool and a type combination that adds 3 resistance while adding no weaknesses). UU Pokémon can, and are, used in OU battle, but are usually recommended by some solely for UU-type battles.

Never-Used: As the name implies, Never-Used, commonly referred to as "NU", is for Pokémon that have problems competing even in UU due to dismal stats and/or movepools, and thus are extremely rare to be used in battles. This is where most novelty Pokémon reside in tiers as well as Pokémon found early in a player's journey. They are recommended by most only for use in NU only battles. However, most NU Pokémon are very common among contest coordinators.

Not Fully Evolved: This tier is more commonly known as "NFE", and as the name implies, contains almost every Pokémon that has not yet reached its final evolution. Some NFE Pokémon, such as Rhydon are used in the lower tiers, as their stats are on par with some of the weaker evolved Pokémon. Also, the abilities of Hippopotas and Snover are the only way to set up permanent weather in the lower tiers, as their evolved forms are banned.

Clauses are certain rules that players abide by while in battles. They can restrict Pokemon types, moves, and items, and are intended to make competitive play either more fair or more challenging. As with tiers, the use of clauses in personal battles are left up to the trainers' preferences. In PWF tournaments and events, however, the invididual clauses and whether or not they are active are always included. In the PWF league, each gym has its own set of rules concerning which clauses it chooses to follow.

Sleep Clause: When this clause is on, two or more Pokémon on a team cannot be asleep at the same time. Self-induced sleep via Rest does not activate Sleep Clause.

Self-KO Clause: When this clause is on, if both players have only one Pokémon left, moves which KO both the user and the opponent are not allowed (e.g. Explosion, Destiny Bond). If recoil damage would cause a tie, Self KO Clause does not activate, and the player who last attacked is the winner.

Evasion Clause: When this clause is on, moves that boost evasion (i.e. Double Team and Minimize) are not allowed.

OHKO Clause: When this clause is on, one-Hit KO moves are not allowed. One example of this is Sheer Cold.

Species Clause: When this clause is on, two or more of the same Pokémon may not be used on the same team - for instance, you may not have two Pikachu on your team if this clause is activated.

Item Clause: When this clause is on, all Pokémon on a team must hold different items. This is not a standard clause in competitive play, but it is used in Nintendo tournaments.