East Coast Pokemon League

Get the Mighty Mewtwo!

2012-01-26T03:05:00.007-05:00

The legend of the Genetic Pokémon Mewtwo has grown ever since it debuted in the Pokémon Red Version and Pokémon Blue Versiongames. The Psychic-type Pokémon has always been considered one of the most powerful Pokémon available, and also very tough to catch.

You'll have a new opportunity to get the Legendary Mewtwo once again! Starting on February 12th, you can receive Mewtwo for yourPokémon Black Version or Pokémon White Version game. Take part in a limited-time distribution event to get this amazing Pokémon. This Mewtwo is incredibly strong and fast, and it even has an exclusive move that Mewtwo cannot normally learn!

More details will be revealed about this special Pokémon soon.

Free Lucario character unlock code included with White or Black version

2012-01-17T08:58:00.002-05:00

Is there anyone who plays Pokemon who doesn't have B/W yet? Was this deal (Target) made to squeeze out the last Lucario fan hold outs?

Happy New Year from the ECPL

2011-12-30T12:08:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas from the ECPL

2011-12-27T16:01:00.000-05:00

New ECPL Admin Account

2011-12-05T17:23:00.000-05:00

Send all ECPL organization questions and comments to ecplorg@gmail.com

Same great service, new address.

This address and all other ECPL email addresses can be found here.

Herman Cain Quotes Pokémon Theme Song

2011-12-05T16:16:00.000-05:00

http://marquee.blogs.cnn.com/2011/12/05/herman-cain-quotes-pokemon-on-his-way-out/

A weird moment of last night's Republican debate probably slipped completely under the radar for most viewers. This moment occurred in Herman Cain's closing statement, when the former pizza-chain CEO recited a favorite inspirational quote:

"A poet once said, 'life can be a challenge, life can seem impossible, but it's never easy when there's so much on the line.'"

Nothing strange about that on the surface, until you Google the quote and you realize that these words of wisdom were spoken not by a poet, but by Donna Summer in her song "The Power of One." This isn't even one of Summer's classic hits; she recorded it just over a decade ago as the theme song for Pokémon: The Movie 2000.

Happy Thanksgiving from the ECPL

2011-11-22T14:58:00.000-05:00

East Coast Pokemon League Triples Tournament

2011-10-23T15:28:00.005-04:00

The East Coast Pokemon League Triples Tournament is about to start on the 7th of November. Although the competition is limited to 16 entrants, we may have some people dropping out due to work / university and we will put you down as a substitute to fill in. (Currently there are spots left!)

Do you have what it takes to be THE triples master? Sign up to the forums to enter the competition and prove yourself.

Fall Cleaning

2011-10-18T12:17:00.002-04:00

Just weeded out some of the people who haven't been around for over a year from the author list. If you want back in, or I mistakenly removed you when I shouldn't have, just send us an email.

Banette Code revealed

2011-10-08T11:56:00.001-04:00

It is NPCHARACTER (remember as Nintento Power Character).
Just confirmed myself.

Which Pokemon Would You Eat?

2011-10-04T10:35:00.001-04:00

Just saw a IGN poll asking "Which Pokemon Would You Eat?"

So I want to see how the ECPL people rank them.

Click here for the link to the forum post.

See the IGN results below:

Banette and Togekiss Global Link Giveaways

2011-09-17T11:29:00.007-04:00

Ghost Gym Leader here with a nice little update on special pokemon Giveaways!

Nintendo has announced the first unique Pokémon distribution for Pokémon Black & White games in the US. This giveaway is a special Banette with its Hidden Ability of Cursed Body. This Pokémon is obtained via a password to be given in the next Nintendo Power issue and is accessible from yesterday (9/15/2011) until 3/1/2012. Providing the password isn't a unique serial code seen in the Japanese versions, I'll post up the info as soon as it becomes avialable.

In addition to this, the special Togekiss present started this month, giving the ability to receive a Togekiss with Super Luck in the month of your birthday, as set in your Trainer Club account. When it's your birthday month, you'll receive an e-mail regarding it within the system itself in your Trainer Club Account.

Zoroark in the Hizzy

2011-09-08T14:49:00.000-04:00

From September 18 through September 25, Toys "R" Us stores nationwide will be offering a special Zoroark character distribution. Just bring your copy of Pokemon Black and/or White -- along your your Nintendo DS, DSi, DSi XL, or 3DS system -- to a participating store to download the illusive Pokemon. This Zoroark, not normally available in-game, arrives at Level 50 and knows the move Snarl.

3DS Getting Price Cut

2011-07-29T11:12:00.001-04:00

Nintendo announced a price cut of the 3DS from $249.99 to $169.99 in the U.S. effective August 12, 2011.

"For anyone who was on the fence about buying a Nintendo 3DS, this is a huge motivation to buy now," said Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime. "We are giving shoppers every incentive to pick up a Nintendo 3DS, from an amazing new price to a rapid-fire succession of great games."

If you purchased a 3DS anytime before the price cut date, you will receive 10 free Virtual Console NES and 10 free Gameboy Advance games. Users must connect to the Nintendo eShop at least once before the price cut date. They will then be automatically registered in the Nintendo 3DS Ambassador program.

Competitive Pokemon Handbook – Part 1

2011-07-19T13:12:00.002-04:00

Just read though an on-line article about Pokemon competitive play. Most of the information is well known, but since it was detailed and colorful, I decided to post it here.

Competitive Pokemon Handbook – Part 1

The McDonald's Pokemon Party Starts Today!

2011-06-18T11:28:00.001-04:00

Visit McDonald’s now to find Pokémon Black•White-themed Happy Meals!

At participating McDonald’s restaurants all across North America, you can now find Happy Meals containing exclusive Pokémon figures and foil Pokémon TCG cards! Collect all twelve cards and all eight Pokémon figures, including your favorite characters Reshiram, Zekrom, Snivy, Tepig, Oshawott, Zorua, Zoroark, and Pikachu!

Be sure to stop by McDonald’s between now and July 7th to pick up your Pokémon Black•White-themed Happy Meal!

Watch the commercial now on Pokémon's Official YouTube Channel!

At participating McDonald’s. While supplies last.

Pokedex 3D

2011-06-03T14:35:00.000-04:00

Nintendo's 3DS e-shop will be launching the evening of June 6. Pokedex 3D, a 3DS application that will be available at the e-shop's launch absolutely free of charge, is a fully interactive Unova Pokedex.

Which design do you like?

2011-04-21T18:06:00.001-04:00

I have included pictures in this post of 5 designs (front/back)

Mars or Pokeball?

2011-03-31T11:50:00.002-04:00

There is a new ECPL Trainer on the rise ....

2011-03-16T14:40:00.000-04:00

Official Gym Challenges
Doubles Zero/Normal Gym (4th Gen) vs David (Gollumbell): 50-73295-87013
Doubles Aaron/Dark Gym (4th Gen) vs David (Gollumbell): 16-21089-36135

Where will his streak end? Can this young up-incomer defeat the ECPL Gyms? Can you?

Celebi Event

2011-02-22T12:15:00.000-05:00

The Celebi event starts on February 21st and ends March 6th, and you can download the Celebi to your Pokemon D/P/Pt/HG/SS games. If the Celebi is downloaded to a Pokemon HeartGold or Pokemon SoulSilver game cartridge, a special event will be unlocked where you can travel through time and battle the head boss of Team Rocket, Mr. Giovanni!

Once the Celebi is transferred to a Pokemon Black or Pokemon White game cartridge, it will unlock an event where you can obtain a Zorua in Castelia City!

Toys 'R' Us reveals American Black and White pre-order bonus

2011-02-02T12:36:00.002-05:00

Toys 'R' Us has revealed the American pre-order bonus for Pokémon Black and White Versions, on sale March 6. Those who pre-order Pokémon Black and White at participating Toys 'R' Us retail stores will receive a Reshiram or Zekrom wall cling, respectively, depending on the pre-ordered version.

New ECPL Site

2011-02-01T15:02:00.001-05:00

Attention ECPL trainers and Gym Leaders.

You may be asking "Where did the forum go?", or "How do I make one of those trainer cards?"
Your questions will be answered in this post.
Introducing the NEW and improved ECPL site: http://ecpl.orgfree.com

ECPL Main Page
This is the ECPL site that brings the all ECPL sites together.

ECPL Forum
This forum provides another venue to communicate with trainers and gym leaders in the ECPL, post battle videos, find battle partners, and just keep up with general pokechat. The forums will also make it easier to keep track of any challengers who rise to battle the ECPL gym leaders and their progress.

ECPL Trainer Card Creator
Challengers create ECPL Trainer Cards, which keep track of their battle team, badges, and other information. They are allowed to use 9 Pokemon for their quest.

Interview with Mike TV, Ground Gym Leader

2011-01-12T22:37:00.003-05:00

[removed until GGL finishes his job hunt]
We Decided at ECPL we haven't had much actual pokemon strategy talk recently, so starting today, we will be posting interviews with the gym leaders. We had a late night sitdown with our very own Ground Gym leader to discuss battle strategies, and find out who his personal favorite pokemon is.

Enjoy!

A Made-up Trainer Has Just Earned 7 Badges

2010-12-22T18:06:00.001-05:00

This is the newest example of a trainer card. This time it shows the earned badges. From left to right (top then bottom) ... Bug-Poison-Ground-Rock-Fire-Fighting-Dark. A message to all gym leaders send the DarkGymLeader a copy of your badge so he can store it in the trainer card generator program.

New Shiny Beasts Event Coming in January!

2010-12-22T11:36:00.003-05:00

In coordination with the new Pokemon movie releasing, "Zoroark Master of Illusion". Nintendo has recently announced that US gamestop stores will be promoting the movie by offering *shiny* versions of the Legendary beasts Entei, Suicune, and Raikou. Later, by transferring these to B/W you will be able to take them to the Illusion Forest to receive Zoroark.

Dates are as follows:
Raikou - Jan. 3rd-9th.
Entei - Jan. 17th-23rd.
Suicune - Jan. 31st-Feb. 6th.

Ghost Gym ready for Challengers

2010-09-28T12:55:00.003-04:00

I have assembled my Ghost team and it is ready for battle.
The gym is open, enter if you dare....

Quick Comic

2010-08-25T16:55:00.000-04:00

http://www.damnlag.com/wp-content/uploads/mewtwo1.jpg

The Results Are In!

2010-07-20T12:01:00.002-04:00

Which Pokémon Black & White Pokémon has peaked your interest?

Chiramii - (Normal) The Chinchilla Pokémon - 5 (16%)

Munna - (Psychic) The Dream Eater Pokémon - 3 (10%)

Gear - (Steel) The Gear Pokémon - 3 (10%)

Mamepato - (Normal/Flying) The Baby Pigeon Pokémon - 2 (6%)

Hihidaruma - (Fire) The Flaming Pokémon - 1 (3%)

Shimama - (Electric) The Charged Pokémon - 6 (20%)

Meguroko - (Dark/Ground) The Desert Crocodile Pokémon - 7 (23%)

Reshiram - (Dragon/Fire) The White Yang Pokémon - 8 (26%)

Zekrom - (Dragon/Eletric) The Black Yin Pokémon - 11 (36%)

Zorua/Zoroark - (Dark) Monster Fox Pokémon - 8 (26%)

Votes so far: 30
Poll closed

The Results Are In!

2010-06-17T15:35:00.001-04:00

When playing Pokemon, where does most of your time go?

Catching Em All	2 (4%)
Effort Value Trainging	13 (30%)
Breeding	17 (39%)
Hunting Shinies	1 (2%)
Battling Other Humans	2 (4%)
Earning Battle Points	2 (4%)
Playing through the story	6 (13%)

Votes so far: 43
Poll closed

ECPL Forums are Open!

2010-06-08T11:37:00.007-04:00

Attention ECPL trainers and Gym Leaders. The new ECPL Forums are now open!
Located at http://ecpl.orgfree.com/smforum

This new forum provides another venue to communicate with trainers and gym leaders in the ECPL, post battle videos, find battle partners, and just keep up with general pokechat. The forums will also make it easier to keep track of any challengers who rise to battle the ECPL gym leaders and their progress.

Dark-Fighting-Rock

2010-05-26T14:08:00.000-04:00

Hello all, I've created Trainer Cards for the gyms I'm associated with, Dark, Fighting, and Rock, and posted the images below. Officially I'm only the leader of the Dark Gym, but I suppose until further notice I'll be serving as leader of the other two. The cards shown below highlight the pokemon & items you may encounter although I reserve the right to use trained Dark, Fighting, and Rock pokemon who may not appear on the respective card. When you defeat any of these teams you'll be award the Corona Badge (Dark), Title Badge (Fighting), or Asteroid Badge (Rock). I can be contacted using the ECPL Administration email address: ecpladmin@gmail.com

Winner's Path Pokéwalker Route Distribution

2010-05-10T14:50:00.000-04:00

The official Pokémon website and the official Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver website have both updated with information the Winner's Path Pokéwalker Route distribution. This Route will be available to players of the North American and PAL versions of the games via Wi-Fi starting May 6, the day after the distribution of the Yellow Forest ends. The distribution will end June 25.
This Route allows players to capture Pokémon with moves they cannot normally learn by leveling up, such as a Munchlax with Selfdestruct or a Horsea with Muddy Water. Several items useful in battle are also available. This Route was initially available to players of the Japanese versions of HeartGold and SoulSilver from Oct. 17 to Dec. 17, 2009 and from Jan. 13 to 27 earlier this year.

New Team

2010-05-07T13:23:00.005-04:00

Hey all, I've just finished making a new Steel team, and thought I'd let people here see what I've done.

Pokemon: Aggron, Scizor, Empoleon, Magnezone, Bronzong, Lucario, Metagross, Steelix, Forretress

Items: Wide Lens, Occa Berry, Leftovers, Salac Berry, Light Clay, Choice Specs, Lum Berry, Life Orb, Bright Powder

And don't worry Pernell, I'm not gunning for your gym. I just saw that Aggron now has access to the Rock Head ability and Head Smash and couldn't resist.

2010-04-20T21:38:00.007-04:00

Hello all, I've created Trainer Cards for the gyms I'm associated with, Ground, Poison, and Bug, and posted the images below. Officially I'm only the leader of the Ground gym, but I suppose until further notice I'll be serving as leader of the other two. The teams and their items consist of:

Ground
Pokemon: Claydol, Garchomp, Rhyperior, Gliscor, Dugtrio, Mamoswine, Hippowdon, Camerupt, Gastrodon
Items: Lum Berry, Life Orb, Expert Belt, Yache Berry, Choice Band, Choice Scarf, Bright Powder, Choice Specs, Leftovers

Poison
Pokemon: Nidoking, Toxicroak, Gengar, Roserade, Weezing, Venusaur, Crobat, Tentacruel, Drapion
Items: Choice Specs,Wide Lens, Life Orb, White Herb, Black Sludge, Leftovers, Choice Band, Choice Scarf, Scope Lens

Bug
Pokemon: Scizor, Shuckle, Heracross, Yanmega, Forretress, Armaldo, Shedinja, Drapion, Ninjask
Items:Life Orb, Occa Berry, Choice Scarf, Lum Berry, Shed Shell, Iron Ball, Leftover, Scope Lens, Focus Sash

When you defeat any of these teams you'll be award the Quake Badge, Toxic Badge, or Swarm Badge, respectively, which are also posted below (please forgive the MS Paint-ness of the images) . My Soul Silver FC is 5414-2680-3128 and my PBR FC is 1935-3441-4975. If you want to battle, just give me a buzz.

The Results Are In ....

2010-04-18T01:26:00.000-04:00

How many times do you reset to catch a Pokemon that appears once in a game?

0 resets (I keep the 1st one)                - 5 votes    [33%]
01 - 10 resets                       - 1 vote    [06%]
11 - 20 resets                       - 3 votes    [20%]
21 - 30 resets                       - 1 vote    [06%]
as many as it takes, even if it's weeks - 5 votes    [33%]

ECPL Trainer Card

2010-04-17T19:19:00.000-04:00

Well I have all of the Dirty work done. It would be nice if I had a place to host this. It turned out I needed a scripting language to get the card to display correct. So any place I put this will need PHP.

All images, and the trainer name were outputs from the form. There is a little more real-estate on this card, so I know I could include a few more things. Here are some samples:

Breeding and EV Training Updates

2010-04-16T17:35:00.005-04:00

Hello, with Heart Gold and Soul Silver there have been some updates to the breeding system that I'd thought I'd make you all aware of. We all know that when you breed two pokemon, the Individual Values (IVs) for the offspring take three from the parents (one randomly from the father, one randomly from the mother, and one randomly from either) and then the game generates three random values for the remaining IVs. Now, however there is a way to definitively pass on an IV from a parent to the offspring. The Power items, namely the Power Bracer, Power Belt, Power Lens, Power Band, Power Anklet, and Power Weight, will allow a parent Pokemon to pass on the relevant stat IV (Attack for the Bracer, Defense for the Belt, Sp. Attack for the Lens, Sp. Defense for the Band, Speed for the Anklet, and HP for the Weight) to its offspring. With this you can pass up to two IV's from parents to the pokemon you are trying to breed, but be careful as this means you can't control the nature of the resulting pokemon by equipping the mother with an Everstone. I've already used this method to breed a Pokemon, and I can say it is a much easier way to go, especially if you want a perfect IV for an important stat like speed.

Additionally, I think I've found a better way to train Effort Values (EVs). Before, I always gave the pokemon I was training the Pokerus and equipped it with a Macho Brace, effectively quadrupling the amount of EVs it received in battle. The Power Items speed thing up even more, however, especially if you have the Pokerus. The Power Items add 4 EVs to the related stat after every value, so if you have the Power Anklet equipped and fight a Magikarp, which normally gives 1 EV for speed, you would gain 5 speed EVs. Now if the pokemon you are training has the Pokerus, this value is doubled to 10 EVs ( (1+4)*2=10). I used this method this morning and it was much faster than my old way, although it gets a little confusing if you try to EV train while fighting different pokemon. This problem is easily remedied by the fact that there are a number of areas in HG and SS where only one pokemon shows up most of the time, a topic which will be covered later.

**Special thanks to Serebii.net for cluing me into a lot of these things. All information was verified personally while breeding and training my new Aggron over the past couple of days.

Pets of the Future on CRACKED

2010-04-14T08:41:00.002-04:00

I'd like to direct everyone's attention to #6 on this list of pets of the future.

ECPL Trainer Ryan

2010-04-13T18:13:00.005-04:00

Items

Choice specs
Focus band
Life orb
Focus sash
Leftovers
Choice scarf

A New Challenger Has Entered the Game!!!

2010-04-12T10:51:00.002-04:00

Calling all Gym Leaders .... I'm going to make a call here and say 8 is the limit for the challenge roster. We left that up in the air for too long. Our poll results had 1-6 and 6-12 get the highest votes, so why not 8. Also Gym Leaders that read this post make a comment here if you are not getting forwarded messages from the ECPL site. Currently that is the only way a challenger can contact us.

So Did You Guys Get These?

2010-03-11T12:23:00.000-05:00

Another chance at Pichu

2010-03-08T15:07:00.001-05:00

If you missed it, Pichu is now available over WiFi for the next few weeks.

Pokémon Video Game Championships returning in spring 2010

2010-02-26T11:07:00.000-05:00

Returning participants will notice that most of the rules and guidelines are the same as last year, but we've been working hard to make exciting changes that will make the 2010 Pokémon Video Game Championships better than ever! These changes include:

Players now using Pokémon HeartGold or SoulSilver Version games exclusively
Pokémon Level 51 and higher being automatically graded down to Level 50 for the duration of the battle using a new auto-leveling feature
- Each Pokémon keeps all of the moves it knew before being adjusted
- Pokémon that evolve after Level 50 don't devolve
- Any Pokémon below Level 50 will stay at its current level
Virtually every Pokémon found in the National Pokédex of Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver Versions is eligible, including Pokémon traded in from earlier games, with the following exceptions:
- Arceus, Celebi, Darkrai, Deoxys, Jirachi, Manaphy, Mew, Phione, and Shaymin cannot participate
- A team cannot contain more than two of Dialga, Giratina, Groudon, Ho-Oh, Kyogre, Lugia, Mewtwo, Palkia, and Rayquaza during a battle

Stay tuned for more information regarding the upcoming Pokémon Video Game Championships! Look for details around March 14th when Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver Versions arrive in stores!

Jirachi Event

2010-02-25T11:23:00.000-05:00

Receive the Pokémon Jirachi during a distribution event at GameStop from February 27th to March 13th!

Kimjongil Pokemon

2010-02-20T14:52:00.000-05:00

I like the Pika-missiles.

Better Late Than Never Shiny Pichu Event

2010-02-16T11:46:00.000-05:00

Sorry if anyone missed this event. Here is some info on what you missed.

New Pokimanz

2010-01-29T11:08:00.001-05:00

http://ds.ign.com/articles/106/1065010p1.html

Not that it's a surprise, but the announcement gives us some sort of idea of a timeline.

Pokemon Redesigned in Traditional Japanese Style Artwork

2010-01-28T10:50:00.000-05:00

Some these pokemon are pretty cool looking.

Ho-oh and Lugia figures to come with pre orders

2010-01-20T11:02:00.003-05:00

http://kotaku.com/5451757/catch-ho+oh-or-lugia-when-you-preorder-pokemon

Also Arceus if you get both, but the GameStop dude already gave me one (I think it was used for black friday Platinum pre orders as well).

ECPL at MAGFEST

2010-01-11T11:06:00.003-05:00

Hey folks, just wanted to let everyone that the ECPL was well represented at MAGFest by myself (Mike TV aka Ground Gym Leader and PokeMatt ( aka Normal Gym Leader). We both took place in the Pokemon tourney there, where Pokematt and I engaged in an epic battle in the semifinals. I moved on to the final round, but was defeated in a very close battle that pitted my Rain Dance team against a very well-trained group of pokemanz, including one very tough Breloom. Congratulations to all that participated, and I hope to see some of you here!

This is pretty Awesome!

2009-12-02T13:50:00.001-05:00

Not the original source, but I wasn't able to refind it.

http://ashyboy.com/coma/index.htm

US Arceus Event Announced

2009-10-16T16:58:00.002-04:00

This is copied from Serebii in case any of you haven't seen it yet.:
The new issue of Nintendo Power has supposedly announced the US dates for the giveaway of the final fourth generation Pokémon, Arceus. According to it, Arceus will be given away in Toys 'R' Us Stores across America from November 7th to November 15th onto your Diamond, Pearl or Platinum games. This Arceus will unlock a special event in Platinum which gives some of the theoretical back story of Arceus and when transferred to HeartGold & SoulSilver, it unlocks a special area called the Shinto Ruins and gives you access to a Level 1 Dialga, Palkia or Giratina. Click the picture to go to the HGSS page.

Shock and Awe, Mario-Style

2009-10-01T14:27:00.000-04:00

Breeding Relicanth

2009-09-21T20:52:00.002-04:00

My god is it a pain.I can't breed it with a ditto because I need it to have head smash. It only has a 12.5% chance of yielding a female, so I have precisely a 0.5% chance of getting one with the nature I want. On the plus side, I'm keeping every female I get, so if anyone ever needs a female relicanth of a particular nature, there's a good chance I'll have it when I'm finished with this ordeal. Has anyone else ever had some weird breeding circumstance like this? There hasn't been a legit post on the blog in a while, so let's have some input!

We were SPAMed!!!

2009-09-12T14:16:00.000-04:00

I disabled the feature that allows members to email posts to the web log. My guess is that a web crawler found the address and started to hit it with SPAM. Other than changing the address, I removed the feature. I suggest that the admins of this site NOT re-enable this feature.

21 Crossover Pictures of Pikachu

2009-08-12T18:27:00.001-04:00

http://geekpadshow.com/2009/08/12/gotta-catch-em-all-21-crossover-pictures-of-pikachu/

Does Nintendo/Game Freak Care About Us?

2009-08-03T12:54:00.003-04:00

This article that I'm posting the link to here is a few months old, but if nothing has changed in the minds of the developers then in a Kanye West-ish moment, I feel comfortable in proclaiming that Nintendo/Game Freak does not care about Pokemon players.

Say it ain't so, Nintendo, say it ain't so!

Finally, A New Event

2009-07-29T19:05:00.002-04:00

In a very late afternoon change over on pokemon.com, they have announced that the "member's card" will be distributed via wifi connection starting August 3rd (until September 13th). For those who don't know, the member's card allows you to go through the in-game process of catching darkrai. For more information, click here.

A New Way to Get Shinies

2009-07-17T18:00:00.003-04:00

So I happened to check pokemon.com this evening and there was a new article up about the GTS. Personally, I thought this was kind of odd since there is nothing particularly new about GTS....BUT! They tossed out a little known fact that may be a change in the game mechanics because they said that if you use a pokemon you got from a foreign country (via GTS) to breed, your odds of breeding a shiny pokemon increase. Now as is pokemon's style, they never actually publish their probabilities, but it is safe to say that the odds are better than the 1/8192 that you ordinarily have of breeding a shiny (or running into a wild one). Note the fifth slide on the GTS tutorial when you follow this link.

A little change...

2009-07-05T04:35:00.002-04:00

Just bred me a poliwag with perfect attack, speed, and HP IVs with everything else at least a 20. It's all trained up, and now I need some help. It's utilizing a salac berry, and it's HP is not divisible by 4 at lvl 50. Is it too late to fix that? Will I only be able to use him properly in 100 set battles? I don't want to mess with it further until I get some feedback.

Secret Key Event (Part 2)

2009-06-19T19:23:00.002-04:00

For those who may have missed it the first time, Pokemon.com announced another chance to obtain the secret key. You can find the instructions on how to get the key here. It appears that this is only obtainable if your ds has access to WiFi at home, or you can get to one of the many places that will let you access their WiFi for free. It ends on July 19th.

The Results Are In!

2009-06-17T16:12:00.001-04:00

How many gyms must a trainer defeat to be considered elite?
All Gyms 17/17 ..... 19 votes
8 out of 17 Gyms .... 8 votes

How many Pokemon (registered roster size) should a challenger be allowed to use to face ALL gyms?
1-6 ......... 11 votes
7-12 ........ 11 votes
13-18 ....... 3 votes
Unlimited ... 2 votes

Stay tuned for more polls!!!!

Bundled pedometer with Gold/Silver remakes

2009-06-09T11:57:00.001-04:00

June 8, 2009 - Nintendo is remaking Pokemon Gold and Silver into Pokemon Heart Gold and Soul Silver. We've known this much since last month.

But what no one knew about until now is the little special extra Nintendo is preparing for the title. In Japan, each copy of Heart Gold and Soul Silver will come bundled with a PokeWalker, a pedometer that looks like a Pokeball.

You can transfer a single Pokemon from Heart Gold and Soul Silver into this device, carrying your little friend with you when you go out. As you walk, the internal Pokemon gains experience and grows happier.

Additionally, the PokeWalker converts your steps into watts, a currency that can be used to catch wild Pokemon and shop for tools. These can then be sent back into Heart Gold and Soul Silver.

Philly VGCs

2009-06-07T15:09:00.003-04:00

Hey everyone, I just wanted to share the pictures my girlfriend took while we were at the Philly VGC's. Too bad this and our milotic are the only things Mike and I have to show for it. I can only hope Nintendo returns to a Journey Across America format or something because they way they handled this tournament kinda stunk.

Sample Trainer Card

2009-06-01T15:15:00.000-04:00

Really Small Post

2009-05-31T17:50:00.002-04:00

I don't want to overshadow the post that R.C. did, so I'll wrap this up by saying that the vs. recorder code for the final match of the Dallas Seniors' Tourney is 11-07776-66386.

Pokemon Event at R.C.'s House

2009-05-31T15:48:00.004-04:00

Okay, so here is my effort at getting something going. I have invited pretty much everyone I know personally that plays pokemon to my house on June 20th for a pokemon event as I described it, this list is about fourteen people, NOT including myself or you guys. I have a couple people already saying that they can come and a couple people I know will come. My estimate is around eight of them will actually show up. Now this may not be as glamourous as going to some place and renting it out for the weekend and having a huge tournament and all that other crap, this is still a good start if you ask me. If most of you come, as well as a fair amount of others I have invited, this could be considered a decent pokemon event and a fair chance to get the league rolling. And its still more then just seeing the people we see every time we get together.

I think we should hold official gym battles for once, rather then using our gym teams and not counting them as real battles. I was even thinking of creating stickers for our gym badges and maybe printing up personalized member cards for the league. The date is subject to change.. but I think by this point we need to actually get moving, have some set league rules and actually do something more then just five or six of us hanging out at Jason or Mikes house. Granted, this is still somebodies house and its not a LARGE event by any means, but its still a chance to double the amount of activity as a league and get things running... officially.

Of course... if we do this we have to have our rules set in stone.
I think gym rules are a pretty easy one...
Anyone can be part of a gym so long as they have a full team of that gyms type.
Gym leader can use any pokemon in each battle so long as they are of that type.
To become gym leader you must either be the first with a full team of that gyms type, or beat the gym leader with your own team of that gyms type.

Other rules have been discussed, but nothing has really been set in stone. As far as your 'challenging team' what are you allowed and not allowed to use? How many reserves do we get? We can't be limited to JUST six pokemon to battle everyone.. so we should be able to have like.. a total of ten or twelve pokemon we can use. and of course it has to be limited to such, otherwise if we were free to use ANY pokemon in our roster we could just use all water types vs the fire gym, all ground types vs the electric gym and so on. Not exactly fair. But we can't be eternally limited to those ten or so pokemon either.. so how long do we have to wait to change our roster? One month, two months? More? Which pokemon are banned from use for official league battles? Legendary is an obvious choice. Most likely Wobuffet too. Anyone else?

These are things that as far as I know, still havn't truly been decided and if I am wrong, please correct me. But If I'm right, I think we should get to it. I also think those who have yet to, should create their gym badges... or else suffer having... generic badges created by me used for your gym badge! I made my fire badges, and Arsonist(I accidently said his name first and realized my mistake!) made a Dark badge, did anyone else?

I just want to see more progress as a league and though my little event isn't huge progress, I think if we get ready for it, and enough of you guys, and enough of the other people come, it will help alot.

Half Way Finished

2009-05-24T21:08:00.003-04:00

For some reason, people haven't been as youtube crazy with the Phoenix tournament, but here is the final match of the seniors' competition. Just a reminder, this coming weekend the Dallas area gets their turn and then it's the east coast's time to shine.

San Francisco Seniors' Video

2009-05-17T09:18:00.003-04:00

And once again, another regional competition has come and gone. Fortunately, people have been willing to videotape competitions that have taken place thus far. You can view the video here. In my opinion, this battle was a bit more interesting that the final battle from Seattle. Looks like the Smeargle/dark void thing is popular, but considering there's no sleep clause, it makes sense.

Seattle Seniors' Video

2009-05-12T00:25:00.004-04:00

I would have loved to actually put the video into this post, but since I can't download it from youtube, you'll have to settle for seeing it here. I was actually kinda surprised by the make-up of the final teams, but it was a cool match nevertheless. Enjoy!!!

One of Six Is Now History

2009-05-11T07:34:00.002-04:00

Hey all,
I really hope there will be video available of some of the latter matches, but pokemon.com has an article up about the outcome of the Seattle competition. You can find that article here. One important thing I noticed when I read it is that battles were displayed on a large screen. The teams the finalist used were also pretty interesting as well.

The Vs. Recorder Is Very Cool

2009-04-20T18:15:00.004-04:00

Hey all, just had a second battle with Dreamer (Jesse). The video can be seen using this code: 30-44234-30077. If we get to do a second battle this evening, I'll post that code after that battle as well.

Intense Battle

2009-04-18T22:09:00.003-04:00

So yeah, I'll just post two of these in a row. I'm really liking this vs recorder. Anyway, here is a really close battle between myself (NormalGymLeader) and Jesse (Dreamerofryleh).

61-84306-32263

Serious BS

2009-04-18T16:56:00.002-04:00

The most frustrating Tower Tycoon battle I've ever had. Check it out:

93-86274-68152

This is awesome!

2009-04-16T11:08:00.000-04:00

Someone just forwarded this link to me.

Move Tutor Stuff

2009-04-15T22:32:00.003-04:00

It's probably safe to say that we all acquired that encyclopedia of a strategy guide for platinum. It's probably also safe to say that finding specific things can be a pain in the butt sometimes. If you're anything like me, remembering which move tutors teach what, for how much and where they are is not second nature yet. So hopefully you'll find THIS link helpful. Enjoy!

Secret Key Details

2009-04-09T20:48:00.002-04:00

So pokemon.com has revealed the details for the secret key to change rotom's formes. It appears that you can get at Toys R Us from the 19th to the 26th, OR you if you have access to WiFi, you can download it starting the 20th until May 12th. I think that covers the most important stuff, but if you'd like more information you can go here.

June 6th In Philadelphia

2009-04-08T18:32:00.002-04:00

I haven't even read all of the details of the competition yet, but it appears that the nearest (and only) competition in mid-atlantic area will take place on June 6th at the location listed below:

Valley Forge Convention Center
Montgomery and Lancaster Rooms
1160 1st Ave
King of Prussia, PA 19406

And the registration takes place during the following times:
Senior: 8:30 - 9:30 A.M.
Junior: 11:30 A.M - 12:30 P.M.

Also, it appears that ONE shiny milotic will be distributed per person.

Dragon and Bug Gyms

2009-03-25T15:44:00.002-04:00

So it seems that the Dragon and Bug clause was not as unanimously agreed upon as I had thought. So I welcome further discussion on the matter. Currently we are allowing members of the Dragon Gym to use not only Dragon Types, but also non-Dragon Types from the Dragon Egg Group, with a similar exception made for the Bug Gym and Bug Egg Group.

Make your voice heard. Do you agree/disagree? Why? Any other options to explore?

Rotom Insert

2009-03-23T20:13:00.002-04:00

You may not have paid it attention, but aside from detailing how to get the secret key for the new rotom forms, the insert that came with your platinum game also gives you a code to enter here.

Thus far, with Parivir's help, we have two codes:
6TS8ORF (unlocks frost forme wallpaper)
T8A6EH7 (unlocks heat forme wallpaper)

If you got a different code with your insert, please post it in reply to this post. Something happens once all five formes have been unlocked. And while that could simply be more wallpaper, it could be something good.

Happy Platinum-ing!

Shaymin and Regigigas

2009-01-30T11:39:00.003-05:00

Hey everyone, I just wanted to remind you all that shaymin's event has been officially announced on pokemon.com here. Also, I believe the regigigas has also been leaked via Toys-R-Us' facebook page even though it hasn't been mentioned on pokemon.com yet. See the information about that here.

P.S. Also, please r.s.v.p. me (yea or nea) in the previous post if you're able to come over on the 21st. Thanks!

February 21st

2009-01-25T15:26:00.003-05:00

In the spirit of keeping the monthly thing going, I'd like to invite those who can make it to my place on the 21st. I think just about everyone's been to my place, but if anyone needs directions, just let me know. Also, like the last event, I think 4pm is a good time to begin. The table will be set up for the TCG, so if you'd like to battle or trade cards (a new set comes out just before we meet) don't forget to bring them with you! Hope to see you all then!

P.S. Don't forget, shaymin comes out the week before, so we can all see who got the best ones.

Shiny Grid

2009-01-23T19:06:00.002-05:00

Lately, shinies have been a frequent topic of conversation and we'd all like to know how to be better at it. There is a grid I've seen a few times, but never really paid attention to whether I was following it. To the extent that it posts well, it looks like this:

X 4 4 4 X 4 4 4 X
4 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4
4 3 2 2 2 2 2 3 4
4 3 2 1 1 1 2 3 4
X 3 2 1 U 1 2 3 X
4 3 2 1 1 1 2 3 4
4 3 2 2 2 2 2 3 4
4 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4
X 4 4 4 X 4 4 4 X

Where:
U = you
1 = least safe
4 = most safe
X = patches you should avoid at all costs

Smeargle Breeding

2009-01-21T14:44:00.005-05:00

This is something I do a lot, so I figured I'd write up some of the things I've learned that help speed things along.

What is Smeargle Breeding? Smeargle Breeding is using a male Smeargle to pass on moves that may otherwise be difficult to pass. For example one time TMs, or moveset combinations that are impossible to breed otherwise. It may also be worth considering if the conventional breeding chain for the moves you are intending to pass along goes several pokemon deep.
*This assumes you are already familiar with regular breeding and breeding chains. If not, you may want to read up on that before continuing. Here are a few links: [legendary pokemon], [bulbapedia], [serebii] (there are plenty of other good resources as well).

Why Smeargle? Smeargle can learn any combination of moves imaginable (with a few exceptions such as Transform). Once he's learned these moves, a male Smeargle can pass them on, just as any male could. Thus you can have him learn virtually any moveset of egg moves and TMs you would like to pass along.

What's the Catch? Smeargle is in the Field egg group (also sometimes called Ground). The Pokemon you want to learn the moveset must also be in this group, or have a breeding chain that leads to Field. This is usually not an issue for passing on single moves. This may be tougher for passing multiple moves, since each pokemon in the chain will have to have all the moves in the intended moveset as an egg move or learnable TM. This does limit the usefulness of Smeargle breeding, but it is another option to consider when regular breeding chains won't get the job done.

Give me an example. Say hypothetically Ranger Steve calls me up, and the topic of giving a Lapras the move Avalanche comes up. I let Steve know that his options are 1) use his Avalanche TM, or 2) Smeargle Breeding. Conventional breeding will not work, since the only Pokemon that can learn Avalanche, Jynx, is always female, and thus cannot pass along the move. Steve can use his TM, and then reset and play through the game again if he ever needs another one, or have Smeargle learn Avalanche from Jynx, breed Smeargle with a Delibird, then breed a male child Delibird with a female Lapras, thus keeping his TM for a Pokemon that Smeargle Breeding will not work for.

Will Smeargle Breeding work for me? If the pokemon you want to pass moves to is in the Field egg group, then the answer is always yes. You will not need to chain, so you can pass up to four egg moves or TMs with little difficulty. If this is not the case, you will need to make sure there is a breeding chain for the moves you want to pass. This is pretty easy for one move, but the more moves you have planned, the harder they will be to chain. I find this search tool to be very useful. To start, I suggest adding Field egg group to the search, and add each move you wish to pass (check the TM and Egg option, but not the level). This will let you know if there is a simple chain (one intermediary Pokemon). If one of the resulting dual egg group Pokemon shares an Egg group with the Pokemon you wish to ultimately learn the moves, then this will be your "bridge" Pokemon. If not, remove the Field egg group condition, and see if there is a chain with the resulting Pokemon listed. When doing either, remember you will have to ignore any Pokemon that isn't the first stage of its evolution. If a Pokemon can use a TM after it evolves, but not in its first stage, it will be no use in breeding chains. Also remember to ignore Pokemon that only come in one gender (or no gender). Your end result Pokemon can be female only, but everything in the chain must come in both genders.

What do I need? You will of course need a male Smeargle. They can be caught on Rt. 212 with a PokeRadar, or Pal Parked over from a GBA version of the game. You will need to have a Pokemon that knows the move you are trying to pass on (in the case of multiple moves, the moves can be spread over multiple Pokemon). You will need a female of the pokemon you wish to learn the move(s). You may also need other female pokemon depending on whether or not you need to chain breed. Heart Scales may be needed if you need to have your Smeargle relearn sketch and you can't/don't want to level up to learn it again. The Vs. Seeker is also very helpful.

How do I get Smeargle to learn the moves I want? Sketch works by permanently learning the last move it's target used. This can be tough to time or even survive against an opponent. The easy way to ensure success is to use it on your partner in a doubles battle. Have Smeargle and a pokemon that knows the move you want to learn be in the first two slots in your party, so they both come out in a doubles battle. Then find yourself some doubles opponents. I generally use the father / daughter pair just north of Solaceon Town, since its close to where I'll be breeding anyway. Use the Vs Seeker to get them ready to fight. If your Smeargle has a lower Speed than your other pokemon (the best case), have your other pokemon use the move you want to learn (it doesn't matter who is targeted), then have the Smeargle use sketch on your other pokemon. As long as Smeargle survives until its turn, the move will be learned. If the Smeargle happens to be faster, have it use another move (either killing an opponent, or protecting is preferable) while your other pokemon uses the move you want to learn. Then have Smeargle use sketch on your other pokemon second turn. Once this move is learned you can heal up, learn sketch again via leveling or heart scale, then repeat for the next move you want to learn (if any).

Got the moves I want on my Smeargle. Now what? Now you get to breedin'! Take that Smeargle to the Day Care Center. If you don't need a breeding chain, then give them the female of the Pokemon you want to learn the move, and wait for your results. If you do need to chain, give them a female of the first Pokemon in your chain, and wait for a male child. Retrieve the parents, then enter the male child and a female of the next pokemon in the chain (you may first need to evolve the child if it is a pre-evolution such as pichu or cleffa, make sure not to lose those bred moves). Repeat this down the chain until you get to your end result pokemon.

So there you have it. Sometimes it's quick and painless, sometimes it takes a bit of work. But it's an option to consider if you're hesitant to use that TM you got from a Gym Leader, or can't seem to chain a specific moveset through normal means.

1/17 Meeting - Last Minute Advice

2009-01-16T16:24:00.002-05:00

Hi folks, with regards to the meeting tomorrow at my place, a slight wrench has been thrown in the plans. Turns out Obama is speaking tomorrow in Baltimore, so it's going to be crowded as hell and some roads are going to be closed. If you're route takes you 83 South via 695, you should still be fine, but anyone coming from South Baltimore is going to have to be creative (or just take 695 to 83 South). Here's an article with road closure info, if anyone doesn't think they can make it or would like some advice on how to get here feel free to give me a call.

Listserv

2009-01-12T14:26:00.001-05:00

A listserv has been created for ECPL members. It will be used to send notifications to ECPL members. It will be:

"A nice Pokemon related mailing list that isn't a mailing list filled with 12 year olds. This will notify blog members of up coming events and social gatherings."

Pool League Play

2009-01-09T16:20:00.002-05:00

The Normal Gym Leader and the Dark Gym Leader will not have league pool matches on the following Sundays:

Dec 14, 2008
Dec 21, 2008
Dec 28, 2008
Jan 04, 2009

However, they will play pool on December 27, 2008 at Fantasies Night Club after the UFC matches.

Next ECPL Meeting - 1/17

2009-01-06T19:02:00.002-05:00

Alright, after chatting with people it looks like our next meeting will be on Saturday, January 17th at my place in Baltimore. We'll be starting around 4 or so and going until whenever. As per usual, there will be battles, trading, and general video gaming. Friends are welcome, just give me a heads up if you or anyone else is coming. My e-mail is mridgaway@gmail.com, you get a hold of me there for directions as well. Hope to see you there!

Mascot

2008-12-20T10:36:00.003-05:00

I'v mention this a few times in the past week or two, but I believe our group should have a mascot. Something to put on our cards or the blog itself. Also if I do get my web page started, I'd make a section for ECPL. How fun would it be with no images at all? Not much. I don't know, its not necessary, its just an idea I had, if not just for the fun of it.

But before I got anyone to actually do anything, I figured it would be best to get everyones opinions on exactly what it should be. Obviously a pokemon(or could it be a trainer?) but which pokemon? The best ideas I'v heard of were a Blue Kingler or a Eastern Gastrodon, any other ideas?

But there's more then that! We need to flesh out this mascot. What kind of personality would it have? Going off of the actual graph.. would it be.. Tough, Cute, Cool, Smart, or Beautiful? It would obviously need a hold item(or otherwise equiped item). It doesn't have to be the item that would be BEST for it, but just a little something extra to give it a little personality.

Shoot, for all I care our mascot could be a rainbow colored Tauros wearing a top hat and scarf, holding a cane and pocketwatch... but that seems more like something you'll see when tripping on acid.

Garchomp Debate

2008-12-10T08:59:00.003-05:00

We've mentioned this in our online chats and when we get together, but I saw a post on a forum (psypokes.com) that makes a pretty compelling case as to why people and sites like Smogon debate his status as an Uber versus an Overused (OU) pokemon:
*sorry in advance for this post's length*
______________________________________

Xcfrisco from Smogon Forums wrote:

Let me start by warning everyone that this thread is gonna be very tl;dr. So if you're not interested in READING EVERY SINGLE THING I SAY please don't even bother posting and stop right now and move to a different thread.

Lets being with some background on Garchomp; a Ground/Dragon pokemon whose ability is Sand Veil, which causes an automatic +20% Evasion in Sandstorm. These are his base stats (Garchomp is a 600 Base Stat Total pokemon)

HP:108
Attack:130
Defense:95
Special Attack:80
Special Defense: 85
Speed:102

Garchomp's most notable moves are Swords Dance, Substitute, Earthquake, Outrage, Dragon Claw, Draco Meteor, Fire Blast, Fire Fang, Crunch, and Stone Edge. All of the sets on Smogon's analysis index use a combination of 4 of the above moves.

**Why is Garchomp too broken for OU?**

Before I go any further please note that a pokemon's viability in OU has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with how good a pokemon plays in the Uber metagame. A pokemon can completely suck and be outclassed in Ubers (See regular Deoxys) and this does not matter at all. As long as a pokemon is deemed broken in the OU metagame, it'll be banned to Ubers.

A "counter" is a pokemon that takes little risk when switching into an enemy pokemon and provides an immediate threat.

There are three primary reasons why I believe Garchomp is too broken for the OU metagame and should be moved to Ubers.
1.) Garchomp's excellent movepool and STAB options allow it to beat every single one of its "counters"
2.) Garchomp's excellent defenses and only two weaknesses require Ice/Dragon move users to have a lot of stat points in order to OHKO him.
3.) Sand Veil gives Garchomp +20% evasion under Sandstorm, allowing him to beat otherwise guaranteed counters/revenge killers.

Let me explain each of these points in greater detail.

1.)

The fact that no one pokemon can safely switch into Garchomp is an understatement. Let me present to you damage calculations on how much damage an Adamant Choice Band Garchomp with 252 Attack EV's does to its so called "counters." The most common of which are pokemon with a high Defense stat that are not weak to any of it STAB moves (a counter that's weak to any of Garchomp's STAB isn't going to be a counter much longer). The most common of these pokemon are: Cresselia, Bronzong, Skarmory, Gyarados (Intimidate factored), Gliscor, Weezing, Hippowdon, Donphan, Suicune, Slowbro. The EV spreads I used were either the ones meant to counter Garchomp or the one listed first in the analysis index on Smogon's website.

Using MetalKid's online calculator:
Crunch to 20Hp/252Def Modest Cresselia 53-62%
Fire Fang to 252Hp/4Def Relaxed Bronzong 56-66%
Fire Blast to 252Hp/0SpDef Impish Skarmory 64-75%
Stone Edge to 212Hp/180Def Adamant Gyarados 62-73%
Dragon Claw to 252Hp/252Def Impish Gliscor 38-45%
Outrage to 252Hp/252Def Impish Gliscor 54-64%
Dragon Claw to 252Hp/252Def Impish Weezing 42-49%
Outrage to 252Hp/252Def Impish Weezing 62-73%
Earthquake to 252Hp/252Def Impish Hippowdon 42-49%
Outrage to 252Hp/252Def Impish Hippowdon 50-59%
Earthquake to 252Hp/252Def Impish Donphan 45-53%
Outrage to 252Hp/252Def Impish Donphan 54-63%
Earthquake to 252Hp/252Def Bold Suicune 44-52%
Outrage to 252Hp/252Def Bold Suicune 53-63%
Crunch to 252Hp/252Def Bold Slowbro 56-65%

Every single pokemon on this list gets 2hko'd by CB Chomp except for Hippowdon (Hippowdon loses to SD Chomp). The ones that are only 2hko'd by Outrage (which is important cause this means Garchomp can't switch out until it ends) are Gliscor, Weezing, Hippowdon, Donphan, Suicune. None of these pokemon are capable of OHKOing Garchomp with these spreads. This means that all the pokemon without a reliable recovery moves WILL lose because they will get 3hko'd while the try to 2hko Garchomp. That means Suicune is out. Gliscor only wins with Roost (depleting Dragon Claw's pp), Donphan has Ice Shard (and NEEDS CB) to 2hko Garchomp before it gets 3hko'd, Weezing can Will o Wisp Garchomp (pray to good that it lands).

And remember this, if you attempt to revenge kill Garchomp by sacrificing one of the above pokes to Outrage, you also pray that garchomp doesn't get confused after only two turns (which means he can switch out again.)

I hope I've illustrated just how dangerous CBchomp is. The only "counter", Hippowdon, loses to the even more popular form of Garchomp because Swords Danced Earthquake will 2hko Hippowdon before you 2hko with Ice Fang.

CBChomp isn't the only version of Garchomp one must counter, however. Keep in mind that it can SD, SubSD that abuses Sand Veil, Scarf, and Chain Chomp. I'm not gonna post any specifics about the above sets (look on the analysis index to get more details) because I'm not as familiar with them as I am with the CB version. But, these sets provide other options for Garchomp to deal with the OU metgame. Garchomp is no one trick pony.

2.)

Now for all the people who like to revenge kill out there (Completely ignoring that Garchomp has the ability to be Choice Scarfed). First you must beat 333 speed if you are sure Garchomp isn't wearing a Choice Scarf. Second, take into account Garchomp's solid defenses. If your not relying on Ice or Dragon moves to OHKO Garchomp, then good luck because you're going to need it! These are the minimum stats one needs to OHKO Garchomp with the following moves, unSTAB'd: Ice pebble, Ice Fang, Ice Punch, Hidden Power Ice, Ice Beam, Dragon Claw, Dragon Pulse (I consider these to be the most common moves for dealing with Garchomp). Additionally, this is assuming Garchomp has absolutely no defensive EV's.

693 Attack Stat to OHKO with Ice Pebble
426 Attack Stat to OHKO with Ice Fang
370 Attack Stat to OHKO with Ice Punch
361 Special Attack Stat to OHKO with Hidden Power Ice
266 Special Attack Stat to OHKO with Ice Beam
693 Attack Stat to OHKO with Dragon Claw
567 Special Attack Stat to OHKO with Dragon Pulse

If you want to add in STAB or a Choice Item, divide these numbers by 1.5 or 1.3 for Life Orb. What these numbers suggest is that unless your an Ice type pokemon or going to lock yourself into an Ice move, be prepared to use A LOT of EV's to get your attack stats to these numbers. 2hkoing Garchomp is a little trickier because A.) you have to sometimes account for leftovers, (but just divide these numbers by two) B.) if your faster than Garchomp, must be able to survive an Earthquake or Outrage C.) if your slower than Garchomp, must be able to survive three of the above moves (good luck!)

So if you want to revenge kill Garchomp, be prepared to have amazing attack and speed stats or force yourself to lock into an Ice move (the Choice items can supplement your stat needs). And even once you've met all these requirements...

3.)

Sand Veil grants Garchomp +20% Evasion for free in a Sandstorm. This means that (assuming Sandstorm to be the near-ubiquitous enviroment that it is) at least 1 out 5 times, Garchomp will get a FREE turn because your move will miss. This is also assuming your moves are 100% accurate to begin with! For all those players who attempt to incapacitate Garchomp with WoW, Hypnosis, Sleep/Stun Spore, good luck because your going to need it for those moves to land. Here's a list of how accurate moves are on Garchomp under Sandstorm:

100% accurate moves turn to 80% (Almost all the Ice moves)
95% accurate moves turn to 76% (Ice fang)
90% accurate moves turn to 72% (Draco Meteor, Toxic)
80% accurate moves turn to 64% (Hydro Pump, Fire Blast, etc)
75% accurate moves turn to 60% (Sleep/Stun Spore, WoW)
70% accurate moves turn to 56% (Hypnosis)

So even if you've taken all the necessary precautions, the most dangerous pokemon in the game has at least a 1 in 5 chance to get a completely free turn. Better hope Garchomp isn't abusing Substitute or BrightPowder, that would get insanely frustrating.

There you have it. I've outlined all my reasons for Garchomp being too broken for OU. Now for some counterarguments that I heard in the previous thread.

What about all the countless other pokemon that need more than one "counter"?

Please explain why said pokemon is as dangerous as Garchomp. Most of these double counter pokemon are either really frail or have STAB options much inferior to Garchomp. Remember that Garchomp only has two weaknesses and solid defenses. In addition, Garchomp is immune Thunder Wave and can double his attack at a moment's notice. Please point out all the reasons that another pokemon is even more broken than Garchomp.

But Garchomp is too bad for Ubers and no one will use him there!

Read the big bold thing at the start of this thread (both of them)

Salamence, Tyranitar, Dragonite, etc, are really bulky pokemon that are hard to kill and sweep good, why not ban them?

Like I said, please bring up ways in which said pokemon are superior to Garchomp. Let me give you some examples and how they are worse:
-Salamence, Dragonite, Gyarados have a Stealth Rock weakness. This is HUGE. This means that every time that said pokemon switches in, you are 1/4 of a step closer to completely eliminating them (they have to sacrifice coverage to use Roost, dont bring it up). Garchomp actually resists Stealth Rock.
-The 4 main Dragon Dancers need that boost just to outspeed many of their counters (In other words, most bulky pokemon are really slow). Garchomp's speed is already fantastic as its 2 points above all the countless Base 100 speed pokemon.
-Swords Dance is practically the perfect move to aid a fast pokemon with amazing type coverage. All the other threats wish they were as fast and could double their attack stat at a moments notice.
-Garchomp's STAB options absolutely HURT at 150bp and 180bp and are only resisted by two pokemon, Skarmory and Bronzong. This is why most Garchomp's pack fire moves for unparalled type coverage.
-Tyranitar (IMO the only other debateable poke) has five x2 weaknesses and one x4 weak and is really slow. Garchomp has one x2 weak and one x4.

Blissey [insert any pokemon] are more overcentralizing than Garchomp, why arent we banning them?

Blissey isn't broken, and neither are those other pokemon. If you want to debate this, start a thread and list all the reasons why [insert any pokemon] here is broken.

I love Garchomp!

As do I, its the best pokemon in OU. This doesn't mean he isn't broken though, we have to get rid of our biases in order to create the most balanced OU metagame.

I hoped I addressed every issue as to why I think Garchomp is not only the deadliest pokemon in OU, but too broken as well. Just so this thread doesn't die, I would like it if all people in support of my view, or holding a tournament, or whatever would sign this thread with their opinion.

And if you want to argue against me, then go right ahead I'm looking forward to the rebuttals.

Proof of 5th Generation?

2008-12-08T23:54:00.003-05:00

So apparently at the end of the 12th pokemon movie, there was an image of pikachu and a blocked out pokemon. According to Bulbanews, a voice announced that the pokemon was a previously unknown electric type. In a way it's hard for me to wrap my mind around a fifth generation of pokemon when we don't even have a US release date for platinum, but it's exciting nevertheless.

Bugs Are DONE

2008-12-07T23:59:00.003-05:00

As of this evening, my bugs are done. I've created every bug type I care to, and I'm really pleased with the team and alternates that have come out of this process. What with the varieties of speed, attack, and support types, I think it's the most balanced team I've made yet. Now I just need Platinum to come out so I can give my Scizor Bullet Punch and finish up my Helping Hand/Knock Off Shuckle, and I will be set.

Awesome

2008-12-02T18:37:00.001-05:00

Really

100+ wins on battle tower Finally!!!

2008-11-25T17:21:00.003-05:00

Today I finally got over a 100 win streak in the battle tower, it's currently 105 but I stopped after that and I don't care to go further. How have your battle tower streaks been?

Also this is the team I used.

Porygon-Z @ choice specs
Adaptability
Timid
EV: 252spd 252spatt 4hp
-tri attack
-ice beam
-dark pulse
-hyper beam

Bronzong @ leftovers
Levitate
Sassy
EV: 252hp 100def 100spdef 58spatt
-hypnosis
-stealth rock
-charge beam
-HP ice (+50bp)

Garchomp @ choice band
Sand Veil
Jolly
EV: 252spd 252att 4hp
-outrage
-dragon claw
-earthquake
-firefang

Strategy was I used Z and chomp to OHKO as much as possible, and bronzong to allow them to switch without taking hits.

Collector Extraordinaire

2008-11-23T17:23:00.002-05:00

Well, it's taken over a year and a half and more than five hundred hours, but I've almost completed the national Pokedex in my Pearl version. I Played all the way through Fire Red, and I'm currently about halfway through Emerald, but I've hit a snag. I recently discovered that some of these things are going to take way longer than simply beating another game to get access to, and my ultimate goal was to get this done before Platinum hits the shelves in America. So I am sending out an all hands request to complete my National Dex! I've got 33 left to obtain out of 493, all legit so far (I'm including all event onlys even though they're not necessary). Here's the list of what I do not have:

Mew
Chikorita
Bayleef
Meganium
Cyndaquil
Quilava
Typhlosion
Totodile
Croconaw
Feraligatr
Politoed
Sunflora
Yanma
Slowking
Raikou
Entei
Suicune
Lugia
Ho-Oh
Huntail
Gorebyss
Latias
Latios
Kyogre
Electivire
Yanmega
Shaymin
Arceus

As you can see, they're all Pokemon that require certain items, are legendaries that I don't have access to yet, or they're one of those damn Gold/Silver starters that you only get to choose one of after completing the Emerald Dex. So if anyone has any of these, and a wi-fi connection - help a brother out? I might even be willing to drive to you. I'll even take just the items needed, or just one out of an evolution tree. I'm also willing to trade just about anything I've got. Thanks guys.

Pointless Math

2008-11-20T18:02:00.002-05:00

So as I was constantly resetting my DS in hopes of finding a Dragonite with really good IVs, I began wondering. What are the odds of getting 2 perfect IVs, or 3, or more...? I decided to see if I remembered anything from Statistics class and came up with the following numbers. This is assuming pure random distribution, so it applies to pokemon in the wild, or mystery gifts, but not ones hatched from eggs. I think I did this right, but I'm open to corrections. (numbers listed 3 times in a row are repeating)

Odds of AT LEAST 1 perfect IV: 18.75% or 1:5.333
Odds of AT LEAST 2 perfect IVs: 1.46% or 1:68.2666
Odds of AT LEAST 3 perfect IVs: 0.061% or 1:1,638.4
Odds of AT LEAST 4 perfect IVs: 0.0014% or 1:69,905.0666
Odds of AT LEAST 5 perfect IVs: 0.000018% or 1:5,592,405.333
Odds of ALL perfect IVs: 0.000000093% or 1:1,073,741,824

So yeah, you have less than a one in a billion chance of finding one with perfect IVs.

30 Year Anniversary of the Dark Gym Leader

2008-11-18T17:43:00.004-05:00

Happy Birthday to The Arsonist!

November 19th is officially the 30 year anniversary of the Dark Gym Leader. Can you believe that 30 years ago we had no idea what a Pokemon was, let alone having any idea how much of a powerhouse it's Dark Gym Leader would become! There have been a ton of Pokemon trainers put out over the past 30 years, and the hype never seems to die down. New trainers are humbled like crazy, the Pokemon cartoon is still on TV, and to this day I see people chatting on poke chat sessions. Will this Pokemon Gym Leader battle on for another 30 more? Stay Tuned!!!

Housewarming Party

2008-11-07T10:25:00.000-05:00

Hey all, as per Aaron's request, here's the info for my housewarming party tomorrow. It'll be at my place, 3522 Chestnut Ave, Baltimore, MD. We're on the second floor and the entrance is around the side of the building, if you can't find it just give me a call. We'll be starting around 8, and feel free to bring guests.

Pokemon Ranch Updated for Platinum

2008-11-05T15:59:00.004-05:00

Pokemon Ranch Updated for Platinum
Your full Platinum collection can come over to the Wii.

The Japanese version of My Pokemon Ranch got a update in Japan, bringing the WiiWare title up to "Platinum" status.

That's right, your Pokemon collection from Pokemon Platinum (currently available in Japan) can now be transferred over to Pokemon Ranch! You will be able to handle up to 1,500 Pokemon on your ranch.

The update adds selectable background music and new events.

In Japan, the update replaces the old version of Pokemon Ranch and will retain the current 1,000 WiiPoint price point. Owners of the older version can upgrade for free.