PSL Season 4 General (Smack Talk) Thread

[OrangeManiac]

Donation count: 20.2 million

Made by eggrol

 
Introduction; The PokeMMO Super League Season 4

After ThinkNice is rip in pepperoni, I decided I'll make the season 4.

I've been fan of this format for quite a while and now that our host won't and no longer literally can't host this, I thought it was my turn. If you don't know what PSL is I recommend to go to Competitive Archive to take a look. This thing used to be huge, I wish even with a new host this would still be a thing as a community uniting 9 week long event. Without further ado, below are the rules of PSL for Season 4. A lot of stuff is just blatantly stolen from ThinkNice, thanks for him for the format.
 
 
 
A few changes to Season 4:
 

- No Usage statistics, explaining this later why
- Other managers cannot veto a trade, however a traded players value differential cannot surpass 5.000 credit value
- The opposing player must inform in the week thread their opponent is not responding. Failing to do so will result in a more likely no contest.
- A sellback is only worth 50% of the credits used for the player. The reason for this is that managers wouldn't get insane advantage for midseason auction.

 

 
The format for season 4:

8 Teams, 8v8

 

PokeMMO OU x 2
PokeMMO UU x 2
PokeMMO NU
PokeMMO Doubles
DPP OU
VGC 2015

 
Planned PSL Schedule (assuming 8 teams):
 
Week 44 of 2015: Manager signups
Week 45 of 2015: Player signups
Week 46 or 47 of 2015: Player Auction (Live auction unless can't find time that fits everyone)
Week 48 of 2015: Preparation week (Live auction make take place early in the week)
Week 49 of 2015 to Week 4 of 2016 : League Stages
Week 52: Midseason auctions (the Christmas holidays are on Friday-Sunday which is the most common battling time so decided to make this a prep. week)
Week 5 of 2016: Semi-finals
Week 6 of 2016: The Finals
 
PSL League Stages:
 

http://challonge.com/pslseason4

 
Winning a week will yield your team 3 points, drawing a match gives you 1 point and lastly losing gains you nothing. Additionally, the matter in ‘how’ you win will also play a role. Therefore if you are winning or losing always try to do your best because tie breakers can be crucial.

 
 
General PSL Rules, Regulations and Information:
 
For managers:
 
Manager description[spoiler]
The manager is the heart of the team, the boss, the ruler, the God. As he makes all the final decisions for the team (barring the host).  A manager takes care of the finances of his team during the auction and the Mid Season auction, as he also manages trades. The manager controls who plays where and when. Managers are responsible for making sure all his players are up to date about all the rules and regulations of the PSL. The manager is also responsible for informing the host about all inactivities and why they were made. This should be done in time and clearly so the host can make the proper activity calls.
 
Basically the manager has huge responsibilities. This is why a manager can be seen as the most important member of a team, don’t take this role lightly.
 
                Keep the following in mind:

• There will not always be eight new managers. The managers that finished in the top 3 last season will be invited to manage again, be it under the same team name or not. After that the position is up for grabs to the public.
• Managers cannot play in the PSL, it’s either manage or play.
• Managers are chosen on a largely subjective basis. For details read the ‘Manager Signups Information’ paragraph.

Lastly the manager has these responsibilities.

• The manager shall send the host weekly rosters.
• The manager shall ensure to his/her best capabilities that every match will be completed in time.
• The manager shall inform the host as to why a match failed to be completed in the event that one fails.
• The managers shall inform the host of any substitutes that should be made.
• The manager shall inform the host of any attempts of grieving.
• The manager oversees all trades.[/spoiler]

 

Substitutes[spoiler]

A substitute is someone in the team roster that was not initially in the team’s weekly lineup, but due inactivity the managers makes him ‘substitute’ a player. At any point during the week the manager has the right to substitute a player. However, managers make sure your lineup for next week is going to be active. Reckless substituting will result in punishments.

Needless to say in the event of a substitute, the substituted player will have to make extra effort in order to get the match played.

[/spoiler]

 

Trades[spoiler]

Managers may trade players with each other at any point of the regular season. In order to complete a trade both managers must contact the host with the following information:

• The player(s) that they are trading away.
• The player(s) that they receive in return.

Trades will be finalized at the end of every week. In addition, a player that is being put up for trade must be substituted out if they are in the week’s lineup. Of course, this means a player that is being traded can also not be substituted in that week. A player can immediately play for the other team in the next week. In addition, a manager is allowed to trade up to two players in one trade (meaning you can trade one player for two).

I have added a rule to season 4 that a managers may not trade players with more than 5.000 credit auction price differential. Trading 5.000 player and 3.000 player to a 12.000 player would be allowed, for example. The host still has the right to veto any trade. This would mostly happen if a trade would seem notably lobsided.
 
After the player trades both players must fill the criteria for team size.
[/spoiler]

 

Sellbacks[spoiler]
A manager has the right to sell back a player for 50% of the price they bought their player if following criteria are met:

• The player has a negative impact on the team, brings the whole team down (evidenced by logs/PMs and team members (witnesses), judged by the host).
• The player has quit.
• The player has disappeared.
• Inactivity (evidenced by logs/PMs and team members (witnesses), judged by the host).

Defining inactivity:
If a player is so inactive during PMs on the forums or TS that he/she is often unable to complete/schedule a match then it can be called inactivity.  
 
As of always the host has the last say.
[/spoiler]

 

Manager signup information[spoiler]
If you are interested in being a manger I suggest you read up on the paragraph: ‘Manager Description’ before continuing on.
 
After reading all that crap you still wish to be a manager huh? Well, like stated a manager has an enormous responsibility. Because this role is such a vital part of this competition I cannot allow the sign ups to be ‘first come first serve’. The host will always handpick the managers. You have the chance to present yourself as well as possible during the signups. The signup form looks like this:
 
IGN:
Motivation:
Experience:
In addition you can let players vouch for you, if you so wish or need.
 
After the sign ups the host picks managers based on a couple of things.

• How well the host knows you.
• How well the host recognizes your activity (forums, TeamSpeak). Don’t worry the host will always be a very active forum and TeamSpeak member.
• How well you have written your signup form and how much effort you put into it.

Lastly before you sign up consider all of the below:

• Can I stay active through the whole season?
• Can I communicate well with my players?
• Can I handle team finances?
• Can I keep an eye on my players and those of the opponent
• Do I have knowledge of the competitive scene and the players?
• Will I keep interest, even when I'm on the losing side?

Do I understand and can I make my players understand the terms & conditions of the PSL?[/spoiler]

 

Team Captain[spoiler]The manager has to select one player from his/her roster to become a team captain. A team captain is the second in command. If a manager is away or missing the team captain will take over the duties of the manager. The team captain can also function as a second opinion, for the manager. It is entirely up to the manager how he/she communicates with their team captain. They could be closely discussing potential trades or drafts, strategies, you name it. The team captain can also form a strong bridge of communication between the players of the team and the managers him or herself.[/spoiler]

For players:
 
Player Signups Information[spoiler]
All players that wish to play in the PSL have to sign up during the player signup week on the forums. Note that this tournament is a nine week long tournament and requires high activity from every participant. Do not sign up if you do not intend to see the whole tournament through. Even if you know your team will not make the playoffs, playing your best is in your best interest. Players may only sign up themselves, so we do not end up in unpleasant situations like in last season.

 
The form for signing up is as follows:
 
IGN:
Timezone:
Tiers:
 
This form will be used during the live auction to inform managers of who they are exactly bidding on. This is not a sign up thread, do not sign up in this thread.
 
Note that by signing up you agree to the following terms:

• The player agrees that he can play for any team or manager.
• The player agrees to respect the decisions of his/her manager (including being traded, being substituted etc.).
• The player agrees to be respectful and will do his/her best to schedule matches.
• The player agrees that he/she can be punished or blacklisted for unsportsmanlike behavior or breaking any rules/terms of the PSL.

[/spoiler]

 

Pre-Week Battling[spoiler]Pre-Week battling will not be allowed under any circumstances. Yes there is a set schedule generated at the start of the season, in which most players can accurately guess who they will be playing. But you never know what a manager would like to do with their matchups. By asking for a preemptive battle you are basically limiting the options of a manager. This is why pre-week battling is not allowed, substitutes exist for a reason.[/spoiler]

 

Usage statistics[spoiler]Not a thing in Season 4. A reason to this is that it was decided that PSL usage statistics won't be taken into actual real consideration. The only valid usage has been decided to be official tournament usage statistics. In addition, at worst can usage be only from 8 players and there give a wrong picture of the metagame. Oh yeah and I'm just too lazy to hunt people for usage.[/spoiler]

 
 
For battles:
 
Revealing Teams & Sets[spoiler]Publically revealing teams before a battle by any means is not allowed and you will be punished. Do not publically announce teams. I don’t care what you do in your team PMs, but in threads or during matches do not do this.

Speculating really obscure moves is not harmful, yet I'd encourage this wouldn't be done at all.[/spoiler]

 

Ghosting & Coaching[spoiler]To all managers and players I would like to say: please refrain from coaching or ghosting for someone. Ghosting, playing on another person’s account, is an officially ban-able offense. Coaching is not but it does take away from competition like it is meant to be. As a manager or a team member you should have confidence in the ability of your teammate. As a player standing from the sidelines you should have respect for a player’s ability.

Helping with practicing is absolutely fine and helping with teambuilding is also good, in fact I would encourage these activities. The grey area is telling what an opponent’s Pokémon set could be or what a player should watch out for. Some battlers find this irritating as it can ruin the surprises but some are fine with it, so keep this in mind (read: ‘Revealing Teams & Sets).[/spoiler]

 

Getting Your Battles Done[spoiler]

This is largely in the player’s hands and there is not much to do about it. I can however try to award the player that is actively trying to get his match done as opposed to neglecting someone’s effort. Follow these guidelines to get your battle done in time or to at least secure a victory for your team in case of player inactivity.
Every week will have a separate thread within it the week's match-ups and including a deadline for that week's matches.
 
 
When you agree on a time you must post in the weekly thread the time and date you agreed on or ten minutes before your match starts. IF YOU DO NOT DO THIS the match will be forfeit on both sides.
ShowDown players are required to always provide a replay of their match, or this match will too be forfeited.
 
Within 48 hours after the Weekly Match-Ups are posted:

• PM your opponent with at least 3 different time ranges you will be available, at least 2 must be at least 24 hours apart.
• Post in the thread stating that you have contacted your opponent.
• If neither opponent does this: you risk a substitution (getting put out of a team due to inactivity) or a no-contest match. Don't risk yourself or your own team.

Within 72 hours after the Weekly Match-Ups are posted:

• Respond to your opponent either agreeing to one of the proposed times or, if none of them work for you, respond with at least 3 time ranges that will work for you
• When a time is agreed on, post in the weekly thread with the time of the battle
• If you do not respond before the 72 hour limit: you must still respond 48 hours before the deadline.

48 Hours before the Weekly Deadline:

• If neither opponent has PM'd with a time: The match is considered no-contest and does not count for either team.
• If your opponent responds but doesn't do that within 72 hours of the Weekly Match-Ups are posted you are required to respond in 24 hours. You may accept the times given by your opponent or give 3+ new times that your opponent has to accept.
• If one opponent PM'd within the timeframe and did not receive a response from the other player: The player who did not respond forfeits the match. It is a Win for the player who sent a PM and a Loss for the player who failed to respond.

Of course after the battle is done report in the weekly thread that you won or lost.
 
Huge thanks to Imgur for summarizing it in a clearer way and to Aldaron from Smogon for the system.
[/spoiler]

 

Activity Decisions[spoiler]
There will always be matches that fail to be completed. But as this system can be abused to give your team an unfair advantage (like when you are up 4-3 and don’t want to risk a tie) activity decision must be made. If both parties are deemed to be equally enthusiastic about completing their match but just could not make it: the match will result in a no contest. If one party makes significantly more effort in trying to get a battle done this player can be awarded a win.

Things that will most likely lose your match in case of an activity decision:

• Failing to PM your opponent as quickly as possible.
• Scheduling a match but missing this match.
• Failing to provide concrete and reasonable times.
• Failing to respond to your opponent in PMs at all.

PM evidence will always weigh heavier than in-game screenshots. So always, always make sure that you contact your opponent by PM, no matter how well you know him/her.
[/spoiler]
 

 

In general:

Prize[spoiler]Prize pool will be split between the winning team, manager however will recieve 1.5x amount a player will. A player who has played less than 4 matches in a winning team is entitled to 0.75x prize of a player.[/spoiler]

 

Sportsmanship
[spoiler]You will respect your teammates and above all you will respect your manager. If you got drafted by a manager you don't like or want you will have to put these feelings aside. Signing up is like signing a contract, and these are conditions you have to accept. Disobeying your PSL duties will result in blacklisting.

At any point of time the host can give you a warning or a restriction based on your behavior. Don’t act like a uguu and you should be fine. Trying to purposely evade matches, or not trying to get your match done for example can result in penalties.
 
It’s fine to have a little bit of drama, in fact in can make the whole PSL experience more enjoyable. Don’t push it though and please refrain from flaming excessively. Try to keep interaction on a human level so we can all avoid large scale drama’s. Picking on players is fine as long as it doesn’t turn in to harassment.[/spoiler]

 

Midseason Auction

[spoiler]
On week 4 of the PSL Midseason Auctions will be put up. On week 3 players get the chance to sign up if they missed the initial signups, or can sign up again if they hadn’t been auctioned. Note that if you were on the first free agent list but did not get drafted that you’ll have to sign up again in order to get on the Mid Season free auction list.
 
Auctioning in the Mid Season will be on the forums instead of a live auction. The rules for the Mid Season Auctions are as follows:

• Starting bids on any player is 1.000 credits.
• Minimum raise is 250 credits.
• Only bids posted in the thread are 'legal'.
• Bids can't be retracted.
• If there has been no overbid on a bid for 24 hours, the player goes to the highest bidder.
  [/spoiler]

 

Reversing Rulings[spoiler]Once a week ends rulings will be irreversible. Any appeal on a ruling (like an activity decision or a rule breaking) must be made during the week the ruling was made. After the week concludes any decisions will be final, no exceptions.[/spoiler]

 

If I missed something, please let me know.

Oh yeah and this is also the smack talk thread so go nuts.   

Edited December 22, 2015 by OrangeManiac

[OrangeManiac]

Team standings, statistics, etc: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1EgqEVfZtlq6j66j6hKiyuciggciyxPtmskDs6T52rvs/edit#gid=0

Edited December 5, 2015 by OrangeManiac

[OrangeManiac]

Donation count: 20.2 mil

(Ideal would be at around 20 mil to make it big)

 

Donating is allowed even when the season is on.

Donators
 

[spoiler]

Vorred - 1 mil

Parke - 500k

CaptainGrey - 1.5 mil
Baraccus - 500k
CaptainKek - 111k
OrangeManiac - 8.512 mil
DoubleJ - 200k
Sleepy - 280k
gunthug - 1 mil
Linken - 100k

Inarin - 700k

BenGorgon - 100k

REEVS - 60k

imabetheverybest - 100k
DynamicPyro - 1 mil
Bishav - 1 mil
BlueBreath - 1.5 mil

dededoge - 200k

ElCoolio - 100k

SirAlbert - 75k

FuzzyRegirock - 50k

DaftKitteh - 120k

Spaintakula - 100k
FireTail - 500k

Yupin - 800k

OldKeith - 200k

[/spoiler]

Edited November 29, 2015 by OrangeManiac

[OrangeManiac]

reserve 

Edited October 13, 2015 by OrangeManiac

[OrangeManiac]

Reserve

[OrangeManiac]

Reserve

[KaynineXL]

I think there is no point in not taking donations, I understand you're too lazy as you say but would there not be a staff member who would be happy to collect donations to go to extra prize funds?

[OrangeManiac]

I think there is no point in not taking donations, I understand you're too lazy as you say but would there not be a staff member who would be happy to collect donations to go to extra prize funds?

Alright, fair point. I'll consider it.

[Artemiseta]

way to step up orange.

ill try and grind out a bit of monies to help out some

Week 50 of 2015: Manager auctions
Week 51 to 31.12.2015: Player auctions.
Week 2 of 2016: Player Auction (Live auction or forum auction)
Week 3-9 of 2016: League Stages
Week 10 of 2016: Playoffs
Week 1 of 2016: The Finals​

 

in this section I think there are a couple little typos to take a look at

[Inarin]

More PSL! \o/ I miss Thinkie, but I think(hue) you'll be a damn good host, Orange. o7

If you need any help with this, I'd love to be there for you.

If not, best of luck, Orango. This season's fun is just about to begin. :P

 

I'll also donate most of what little I have remaining, if that's cool with you.

Will only be 100k and what I can get for selling a Shiny Rat. I've been breeding too much. xD

[RysPicz]

IT'S HAPPENIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING

[OrangeManiac]

Everything's fixed, now you can look. Should have definitely used the "Preview Post" feature.

Anyways, start shit talking pls.

[GoldenSunIsaac]

now that your done the reserves, Nice Layout Orange \o/

[Gunthug]

Plssssss switch ADV out for DPP :D

 

edit: i'll also put my vote in for ORAS OU over VGC but I think i'm in the minority on that one. Either one will be entertaining, cant go wrong there

 

edit edit: i'll also throw my hat in the ring for the prize. literally. Maybe we could give it to the MVP? Each manager would have 1 MVP vote at the end of the season and can't vote for someone on their own team? I dk, we can discuss it later

Edited September 29, 2015 by Gunthug

[Inarin]

Plssssss switch ADV out for DPP :D

 

edit: i'll also put my vote in for ORAS OU over VGC but I think i'm in the minority on that one. Either one will be entertaining, cant go wrong there

 

 

As a fan of DPP, I support Gunt's suggestion to replace Gen3.

 

I'm not sure about ORAS vs VGC. The Bo3 VGC worked rather nicely S3, and was relatively quick, however ORAS could be fun.

[DoubleJ]

Ahhhh yus

[Robofiend]

Awww yis

 

My opinion: get rid of ADV and replace with DPP - it'd be good practice for that someday when 4th gen comes to PokeMMO

[DaftCoolio]

well hi there

 

also vgc is swag

Edited September 29, 2015 by DaftCoolio

[OrangeManiac]

My initial thoughts of selecting ADV over DPP was that we're playing a 3rd gen game and the whole physical/special split is kind of a "Throwback MMO OU" format but not quite. I doubt anything relating to 4th gen Pokemon will be a thing in MMO for a while. However, I am willing to hear opinions about this.

I'm more inclined to go with VGC because Doubles would otherwise get only 1/6 formats and VGC is kinda the main thing what comes to real "Pokemon champions".


Some announcements: Disregard what I said last, I will be taking donations. Also I altered the prize pool that whatever I get donated in addition to my Shellder will be split between all the players, except manager gets 1.5x value.

[OrangeManiac]

Added poll about the Showdown formats, however don't forget to give your reasoning why you think something should be picked; I will not take this poll 1 to 1 but it's a nice way to see what the community wants.

[BenGorgon]

I agree with the throwback MMO idea behind ADV PS, think it would be fun and we would see some of those not-so-long, not-so-lost pokes come back out to play.

 

I also think VGC is an amazing idea. It is the most officially recognized format, is completely different from what the average PokeMMO player does, and provides a very different challenge from other tiers. If you ever really wanted to be a Pokemon Master, trophy and all, this is what you would be playing. 

 

This is awesome btw.

Edited September 29, 2015 by BenGorgon

[felix]

can we replace pokemmo doubles for vgc and have oras ou, vgc, dpp?

 

is dobles really played as tier still in pokemmo?

[Toast]

can we replace pokemmo doubles for vgc and have oras ou, vgc, dpp?

 

is dobles really played as tier still in pokemmo?

n-no we have some doubles players :(

 

will blacklisted players still be blacklisted

[felix]

n-no we have some doubles players :(

does this game have enough dobles player for a psl season or lots of singles will be used to play doubles just to not give a W.O like in the last one?

[Imabetheverybest1]

does this game have enough dobles player for a psl season or lots of singles will be used to play doubles just to not give a W.O like in the last one?

I mean doubles tourneys fill up