Rules

Orange League Rules List

I.                   Basic Rules

a.       Be respectful. Unsportsmanlike conduct during matches or even during regular conversation may be met with penalties or suspensions.

b.      Stay dedicated. We are looking for members who will be able to commit to an entire season and not just give up if their record sucks after a few weeks.

c.       Teams names should be modeled after real sports teams (ex: St. Louis Rampardos for the St. Louis Rams or Real Marill for Real Madrid FC). Exceptions may be made, but try to stick with real teams.

II.                Draft

a.       Draft order will be randomly selected. The draft will be a snake draft, meaning that draft order from the first round will be reversed and that will continue through all eleven rounds.

b.      The draft will be 11 rounds. Teams must draft the following:

                                                              i.      Tier 1 - 1

                                                            ii.      Tier 2 - 1

                                                          iii.      Tier 3 - 2

                                                          iv.      Tier 4 – 1

                                                            v.      Tier 5 – 1

                                                          vi.      Mega - 1

                                                        vii.      Free Pokémon- 4

c.       Pokémon chosen from each of the required tiers as well as Mega Pokemon will not cost any points. Teams will be given 400 points to spend on their 4 Free Pokémon. Teams cannot exceed those 400 points, but are allowed to be under the 400 point limit. Free Pokémon from each tier are worth the following points:

                                                              i.      Tier 1 – 180

                                                            ii.      Tier 2 – 120

                                                          iii.      Tier 3 – 100

                                                          iv.      Tier 4 – 60

                                                            v.      Tier 5 - 40

d.      Mega Pokémon are separated into tiers separate from regular Pokémon. If a team drafts a Mega Pokémon from a lower Mega Tier, they will be given bonus points to spend on their Free Pokémon.

e.       Tiers can be found here: http://imgur.com/8FrvESU

f.       Draft will be held on Skype.

III.             In-Season Roster Stipulations

a.       Each team will be given 3 TOTAL transactions during the season. These may be either trades or free agency pick-ups. This means that if a team makes a trade, they cannot then make 3 free agency pick-ups. They may make two more transactions throughout the rest of the season.

b.      Free agency will open after the draft ends. Teams must drop one Pokémon in order to make a pick-up and they must stay within the 400 point limit and have a Pokemon from each of the required tiers Teams may pick-up a Pokémon another team dropped. Free agents must be Tier 3 or below

c.       The Trade Market opens up after the draft ends. Since teams must stay at eleven Pokémon, trades may only be made in a 1-for-1 style. Teams must stay within the 400 point limit and must have a Pokemon from each of the required tiers.

d.      Mega Pokémon  cannot be traded or dropped.

IV.             Match Format

a.       Teams will have one match a week. Coaches will chose 6 of the 11 Pokémon on their roster to bring to a match. Matches will be held on Pokémon Showdown. All Pokémon will be set to level 100

b.      If a coach brings a Mega Pokémon to a match, they must Mega evolve the first turn they decide to go for an attack. Coaches are allowed to switch without attacking and thus, not Mega evolve.

c.       There will be no baton pass clause, however all other standard Smogon OU clauses will apply. Shadow Tag is allowed.

d.      Should a team forfeit mid match, their opponent will receive a win and will receive a differential as if they knocked out all of the remaining Pokémon. For example, if my opponent forfeits a match and I have 3 Pokémon left, I will receive a 3-0 win. If it is obvious that a certain remaining Pokémon would have gotten the remaining kills if the forfeit had not taken place, a coach can appeal to have that Pokémon be given the stats for that game. Should a team forfeit without playing the match, their opponent will receive a 3-0 victory.

e.       Games do not have to be recorded or uploaded, but coaches may record or upload their battles.

f.       At the end of a match, one coach must save the replay and present it to the league commissioner (THEryanplummer) or the league news chat, along with the results of the match. Matches and match results can be appealed and will brought before the league for a ruling if need be.

V.                Scheduling

a.       The Orange League runs off of a strict schedule. We require that you play your matches during the given week unless you have notified your opponent and the league you will be unable to do so. If you do notify them ahead of time, you will be given an extension. If you do not notify us, you may have to forfeit the match depending on the circumstances. If your opponent contacts you and you do not respond until late in the week, you will most likely have to forfeit. If neither team contacts their opponent, it will be considered a 3-3 draw or the teams will be given an extension. We ask that you please be respectful of these rules, which may seem annoying at first. However, this ensures that we maintain our schedule and keep the league going.

b.      Teams will be placed in two conferences, the Red division and the Yellow Division. Each conference will hold 6 teams, and the regular season will last for ten weeks

c.       Each Conference will be broken down into two divisions. Each division will have 3 teams.

d.      Each team will play each division opponent twice, as well as six out of division matches. The schedule will be randomly generated based off of those parameters.

e.       The top team from each division will receive a playoff berth. The next team with the highest record in each conference will receive a playoff berth as well. The team with the highest record from each conference will receive a first round bye (This will automatically be one of the division winners). This means that 6 teams total will make the playoffs. Should teams have the same record, their standing in the league will be decided by head-to-head results. Should they have the same head-to-head results, the tiebreaker will be differential. Should two teams still be tied, the tiebreaker will be head-to-head against a random division opponent. Should the teams still be tied, then they will face off in a tiebreaker match, in which each coach will bring three Pokémon. In the case of a three way tie, differential will take precedence over head-to-head results.

f.       A break week will be given between the last game of the regular season and the first week of playoffs. Playoffs will follow the same style as the regular season, with each round taking place one week at a time.

g.      The winner of the playoffs will be crowned the Orange League champion.

Any questions or suggestions about the rules should be directed to the league commissioner (THEryanplummer). Rule changes will be voted on by all members of the league.