gp eseque rulings

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This article aims to cover and document all rulings across RBY formats, with the aim of increasing accessibility for those interested in studying rulings, playing formats or hosting tournaments. A big part of what makes Pokemon fun for players is the flexibility it gives in rulings, and in RBY this is no different. Rulings are put in place for various reasons, such as making Pokemon more competitive or creating new and interesting metagames for people to play. However, as more formats spring up with more rulings, it can be difficult to understand or access formats with "x Clause" listed over and over again, sometimes with obscure wording.</p>

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I will not be including simulator mods, which are used for quality of life enhancements rather than restrictions. However, should a rule employ a mod to serve its purpose on notable simulators, we will mention it in the notes. This article will also not cover individual bans, as they are not necessarily blanket rulings like what we're covering here. I've made the effort of adding some trivia for later generations as well, in an attempt to keep this interesting!
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Team Restrictions involve rules which dictate how a team should qualify for a battle. The most common example of this is Species Clause, which prevents Pokemon of the same species from participating in a battle, though this extends to Team Length, event legality and more.
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While quite rare and often having little effect on a regular match, there are rules regarding what moves can be made during a battle. The most notable of these are Sleep Clause and Freeze Clause, which prevent multiple Pokemon from being, well, put to sleep or frozen by an opponent. Self-KO Clause also exists to resolve ties, dictating that the one who caused the tie loses the game.
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Pokemon has many similar moves, which often result in blanket rules being made to ban specific categories. The most common of these are Evasion Clause and OHKO Clause, which are often utilized to decrease the luck factor involved with winning games, thus making the game more competitive. However, there are sometimes more move bans than just these, such as the standard bans on Dig and Fly.
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It can be difficult to understand rulings for a new player, often being given little description outside of a short line without any real clarity on the scope, so I hope this article has improved the clarity. RBY has many intricate rulings partly due to the nature of the game, so knowledge of them is key to teambuilding and success in the competitive scene.
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