Pokemon League FAQ

As this reference gets larger, it may be hard to find what you're looking for, so I'm going to add in some reference words and group the FAQ into smaller categories as time goes on. Try searching for certain keywords that you believe pertain to your question to see if it's already been answered. If not, post about it on the Pokemon League thread on the DGN Forums or shoot a message to one of the representatives of the League.

FAQ Notation

Items in the FAQ are designated by their headers. Information sections are denoted by the marker = : and are closed by : = and serve as hubs where you can find smaller subsections of information donated by a simple = sign. Yet more specific minor subsections are denoted by a lone - mark.

Each section, subsection, and minor subsections will have an identifier placed next to it, so it can be referenced from anywhere in the body of the FAQ. The full listing of sections, subsections, and minor subsections follows. Use brackets as shown below to avoid including in-section references in your search.

[S1] League Setup
	[SS1] Structure
		[MSS1] Champion
		[MSS2] Elite Four
		[MSS3] Promotion/Demotion
	[SS2] Participation
		[MSS4] Prerequisites
		[MSS5] Teams
		[MSS6] Challenging
[S2] League Coordination
	[SS3] League "Staff"

= : League Setup [S1] : =
You can find all information about the format of the league and participating in it here.

=Structure [SS1]=
The Pokemon League is formed by the Elite Four (E4) and a champion. The initial champion is anonymous, but the E4 will always be known and have their teams publicly displayed at all times.

-Champion [MSS1]-
The first champion of the League is anonymous. The champion serves as the head of the Pokemon League, only battling challengers who have proven themselves worthy of a match by defeating all of the E4. Once a trainer accomplishes this, they may make a move to battle the champion. Should they win, the current champion will be displaced by the triumphant challenger. Demotion and promotion patterns in the League can be found in MSS-3.

The champion's team will always be anonymous and may be changed at any point during the League's life. It is prohibited to disclose the team of the champion and generally futile should the champion be an avid experimenter with different teams. The champion is the only member of the league that is not eligible for participation in publicly-hosted tournaments on the Dungeon Gaming Network.

-Elite Four [MSS2]-
The E4 are the cornerstones of the stage of the Pokemon League, with the champion at the center. The E4, unlike in major Pokemon games, will not consist of monotype teams. They may structure their teams however they wish, but their teams will always be publicly displayed for all to see, including movesets.

The E4 may be challenged in any order, but all four must be defeated before progressing to the champion. You may only challenge a member of the E4 once a week, but you may engage in "practice battles" as the E4 member sees fit. Unlike the champion, they may also partake in side tournaments separate from the League.

A current listing of the E4 members may be found at

-Promotion/Demotion [MSS3]-
The Elite Four is set up in an ace-king-queen-jack format, with the champion above all ranks. Upon the establishment of the League, each E4 member will be classified as one of the four positions. When the champion is displaced by a challenger, they are demoted to ace. The "jack" of the E4 will then be dismissed from the group. The primary way to become an E4 member is by becoming champion and then being displaced, but the coordinators of the League may decide on other events that could constitute rearrangement of the E4 by other criteria.

=Participation [SS2]=
Here you'll be able to find all information on formally participating in the League as a challenger.

-Prerequisites [MSS4]-
There are few prerequisites to participating in the League, but you must be aware of some fundamentals.

First, you need to own a copy of Pokemon X or Y for the Nintendo 3DS and have access to the online features of those games. All League matches will take place over XY Wi-Fi battle.

Second, you should have a good grasp on the rules of the League. Be sure to read over the rules (http://pastebin.com/c3ucCTQ5) thoroughly. For quick reference, there is also a shorthand version of the rules (http://pastebin.com/YYihinrG).

Other than that, no requirements exist! Just be a member of the DGN and forums and shout out that you'd like to participate!

-Teams [MSS5]-
Teams are governed by our fundamental banlists. You can find a reference to all lists you need to know when building your team in the Master Reference (http://pastebin.com/Dgn5sygk).

It's not necessary to have a competitive team, but all of the Elite Four and Champion will have them! For more information on building a competitive team, ask some of the staff of the League. References such as the website Smogon are great for building competitive teams, but turning to your friends for an introduction is the best course of action.

-Challenging [MSS6]-
There are only a few basics to challenging the League, but each trainer should be aware of them. You can only challenge a member of the Elite Four and/or Champion once a week. In other words, if you lose, you must wait until the next week to challenge.

Elite Four members are available for practice battles that do not count towards your League progress at their discretion, but the Champion will never be available for these purposes. This gives you time to rethink your strategies after a loss and also prevents the League from being flooded by challenge requests. Challenge wisely!

= : League Coordination [S2] : =
This section deals with how the efforts to establish and manage the league are handled.

=League "Staff" [SS3]=
This is a list of the members currently coordinating efforts within the Pokemon League. You can contact them with any questions, comments, concerns, or suggestions about the League. All members are listed by their forum usernames.

Manager:  Ver-go-a-go-go
Others:  Kybyrian, Terminus, Fig, Gobli, JuicieJ, Lord Vain, Eeveechan