Pokémon Showdown: has long been a tool used by the Pokémon community for competitive battling instead of the actual games. Here’s why. Pokémon Showdown, also often formatted as Pokémon Showdown!, is a web-based Pokémon battle simulator. It is free open source software and written in JavaScript and Node.js. It was adopted by Smogon on July 2, 2012.
In addition to standard modes of play, Pokémon Showdown! includes unique features such as “Pure Hackmons” and “Balanced Hackmons,” which encompass Pokémon of normally illegal movesets and Abilities. Some people also have custom servers in which they can create their own rulesets, battle formats, and even “pet mods” where they can change the entire way the game is played
Pokémon Showdown has move animations in battle. It supports one-click replay sharing and reconnecting to disconnected battles.
Pokémon Showdown supports Single and Double Battles in Generation V, Generation VI, Generation VII, and Generation VIII and also has support for Single Battles in all other generations. They also have Triple Battles though it is only in beta phase as with Multi Battles and Battle Royals. There are also custom battle styles, such as the Almost Any Ability or Monotype ruleset.
When referring to Pokémon in the competitive sense, terms such as OU, UU, PU, etc. get thrown around. None of these terms are found within the Pokémon games or in the VGC itself, leaving many players unsure of what they mean. These terms come from Pokémon Showdown, a downloadable computer application that can also run through a browser and allows for competitive Pokémon battles with people around the world.
The game allows for varied teambuilding and metagames for players to hone their skills and feel the effects that different features have on any particular format. which first came out in Oct. 2011, was adopted by Smogon, an online resource for competitive Pokémon, in July 2012. is completely free to play and lets players create a profile and save their own teams, as well as check their rankings in comparison to other players. At any given point there are likely to be over 10,000 players online and over 2,000 active battles.
