Contest Rules/Info

[Akira]

Naturally, since we have Coordinators on here, we've got to have Contests. Region-wide contests are held every other month, where many trainers gather to test their ability, but it's also possible to have smaller one-on-one contests for those who might have a score to settle and don't want to wait another month to do so.

-The Showcase Round-

The Showcase Round is the shorter and simpler of the two. All you have to do is sign up for the contest itself. To do so, you simply need to fill out the form provided when the contest is announced, and you'll be good to go. ICly, this will be treated as simply showing your Pokemon off to the judges, who will then give a score based purely on their looks. Generally, displays in the Showcase round are given a score out of ten by the judges, which are determined by how much the contestant and their Pokemon meets certain criteria. They are as followed;

• The Charisma Stat - This stat is a measurement of how adept your Pokemon is at looking the part it needs to play, whether it be graceful and elegant, cheerful and energetic, or even a total badass. A Pokemon can have a total of ten points in this stat. Charisma determines the largest portion of round one’s score, worth a total of five points. Points awarded are equal your Pokemon's stat total divided by two, rounded down. For example, a Ninetales with a full ten points in this stat will earn a score of five points, while a Magmar with only four points will only get a score of two. Last but not least, in order to enter a contest at all, anyone who isn't a Coordinator must have a Pokemon with at least two points in their Charisma stat (effectively a score of one). See more on how to raise a Pokemon's Charisma below.

• Theme - Along with the announcement of the contest itself, they will also reveal the theme of the contest; it can be anything from the current season to a specific holiday. Or it could even be something as simple as a specific Pokemon type, or an ideal such as love or style. Either way, depending on how much your acts match with whatever the theme is, the higher your score will be; if you only do the bare minimum to meet the theme, you'll only end up with one point. But if you give it all you've got, then it can be worth up to three points.

• Poke Ball Flair - Flairs are largely similar to the Seals commonly used throughout the Sinnoh Region for their Super Contests; stickers that, when applied to a Poke Ball, will produce a flashy effect of some sort upon sending them out. The only difference between the two is that Flairs can be applied directly to the Poke Ball itself; no need for a Ball Capsule. Either way, these become available for purchase once a region-wide Contest has been announced, and come in a variety of effect; these range anywhere from bursts of colorful confetti to even a cloud of smoke or a burst of electricity. It's possible to score two points with a Flair; one if they work well with the theme of the contest, and another if it looks good with the Pokemon being sent out.

• Coordinator Bonus - Coordinators spend as much time grooming and styling their Pokemon as Battlers do battling and strengthening theirs. Thus, simply by virtue of being a Coordinator in the first place, they gain an extra two points. This is considered a bonus, and can thus potentially raise someone's score above the usual maximum of ten points. Lastly, this bonus only applies in the first round; the second round will be based purely on the skill of the contestant and their Pokemon.

• Shiny Bonus - If the Pokemon's shiny coloring happens to work with whatever the theme is, they'll gain one extra point. Just try to keep in mind that a Pokemon being shiny by itself does not automatically mean they'll get it. For example, let's say the theme for a contest is the color red; in this instance, a normal Scizor would fare much better than its Shiny counterpart. This is considered a bonus, and can thus potentially raise someone's score above the usual maximum of ten points. Lastly, this bonus only applies in the first round; the second round will be based purely on the skill of the contestant and their Pokemon.

- Raising the “Charisma” Stat-

Raising the Chraisma stat is as easy as playing normally. Any activity that would grant your pokemon raw exp will also grant them Charisma. This is scaled on a point-to-point basis, meaning that for each experience point their pokemon gain, they will gain the same amount of Charisma points. For example, your Chimchar battles and defeats an opposing Turtwig. On top of the one experience point that Chimchar gains, it may also gain one Charisma point. The only stipulation is that you must specifically state somewhere in your post that you want to give them a Charisma point; mostly for the staff's benefit.

The one exception for this rule is are the Training Grounds. Under normal circumstances, Battlers participating in the training grounds would received two experience points while all other classes would receive one experience point and one Charisma point. However, Battlers and Coordinators have a choice to make with what they gain from their training period. Coordinators can opt to forgo their one experience point to instead gain two Charisma points. Battlers are the inverse with the choice to gain one experience point and one Charisma point instead of their normal two experience points. Battlers who choose to gain two experience points from the Training Grounds will gain no Charisma points.

-Intermission-

Once the Showcase Round is finished, there will be a short intermission while the judges tally up everyone's scores. Trainers who are participating will be allowed to make adjustments to their Pokemon and/or themselves. Whether this means some last-minute practice or a bit of grooming, anything is fine. The only thing not allowed is changing any of the details you signed up with. Once this intermission is finished, the second and final round will begin.

-Concert Round-

The Concert Round will have the contestants and their Pokemon putting on some kind of display involving their Pokemon's moves, with the contestants themselves also being allowed to join in on the act. This is where the contestant will really show off their creativity, as well as their Pokemon's ability to adapt and perform to their owner's standards; as such, this is arguably the most important of the two rounds. Despite the name, the act doesn't have to be musical in nature.

There are only two points on which one will be judged this time around. The first is how much one meets the theme of the contest, which is still worth three points altogether. The other, and far more important, aspect is simply the quality of the act itself. From an RPer's standpoint, the points you receive will be determined from how well-written and comprehensive your post is. One thing I will say is that, while extremely short posts are strongly discouraged, we're still a firm believer of "quality over quantity". In other words, try to keep pointless filler/fluff to a minimum. Either way, this is worth a whopping seven points altogether.

In any case, that's it. For those wondering 1v1 contests will follow the same rules, with the only real difference being that it'll probably go much faster due to only two "contestants" being involved. Additionally, whereas multiple mods will be going over each post for the major contests, only one mod will be needed for the 1v1 contests.

Either way, if you have any questions or concerns, don't hesitate to contact any staff members and we'll answer it the best we can.