"A fan made "PvP" format players can participate in now!"

#PokemonGO: AboutCurrently, there is no direct way to have PvP in Pokemon GO. While players have tried to emulate competitive game play by struggling to control a gym for a period of time (like an ingress anomaly) or by having DPS/gym tear down races, no formats have really felt like PvP. Unlike these other competitions, my “Pseudo PvP” format attempts to capture the PvP experience by restricting players to using the same species and movesets as the Pokemon their team is using to defend their gym with as attackers.How does this work?This format is similar to a “DPS/gym tear down race” but with a few twists.It’s 3v3 rather than 6v6Teams are restricted to using the same attackers as their defenders, and vice-versaSince using more than 2 players can’t be avoided, this “PvP” format is team based. 3 players of two opposing factions take each other on in a 3v3 singles format similar to “Battle Spot Singles” in the Pokemon console games. If you’re unfamiliar with Battle Spot Singles, it’s where each opponent has 6 Pokemon, but only use 3 of them per round. This eases up on the amount of players needed to emulate “PvP” while also putting a greater emphasis on the rock-paper-scissors aspect of Pokemon.To emulate PvP, each team will take turns acting as the “defending” team and the “offending” team in a gym tear down race. Unlike other gym tear down races I’ve observed, this format restricts players to using the same Pokemon on offense as they used on defense and vice versa. For example, if in round 1 your team was on defense and you used a Chansey, Snorlax, and Steelix, when it’s your team’s turn to be on offense in round 1, you’ll have to attack with Chansey, Snorlax, and Steelix. To be successful, your Pokemon will have to be able to handle both roles well, or your team will have to balance out more defensive Pokemon with more offensive ones.The winning team of each round is determined by which team cleared the gym out the fastest (as evidenced by the start and end timers in the gym to remove lag/crash issues) or by which team survived the longest (whichever team made it the furthest in the 9 battles that take place to clear a gym of 3 Pokemon). The first team to win 2 rounds is dubbed the winner.This is all easier to visualize than explain. Here are my battles with Faliel and Fuzy for my local areas “test tournament.” The first battle shows the importance of team composition, as Faliel’s team only had 1 Pokemon that could really threaten Dragonite. The second battle shows the importance of dodging since both teams ended up fainting out each round ^_^;The RulesAll rules are optional, some are more optional than others.Species Clause Pokemon used by 1 team for attacking and defending must be the same species.Moveset Clause All of the same Pokemon used between 1 team must have the same moveset.Level Clause All Pokemon used must be at or below an agreed level. Surprisingly enough level 20 (no stardust needed) is a bit more hardcore. Since attack and defense breakpoints scale with level, only HP goes up. This means any flubbed dodges would be a graver mistake.No Berry interference This one should be obvious.No healing between fights It takes 9 fights to clear a gym of 3 Pokemon. You cannot heal between fights.Order Clause When on attack, for the first fight, the Pokemon must be ordered the same as they were or will be on defense. Switching is allowed after the fight has begun. This is to further emulate PvP and to reduce an advantage from attacking first.No Blissey Blissey can defeat any Pokemon faster than they can defeat it and has increased battle times that surpass even disadvantageous matchups. Any team not using Blissey would lose to a team using one, which would reduce fights to Blissey and 2 Blissey counters vs Blissey and 2 Blissey counters, which would be pretty boring imo.Same Faction/Non-Localized PlayIt is possible for 2 players from across the globe or two players of the same faction to fight each other. All they would need are players from an opposing faction to act as their opponent’s team. While at first that sounds daunting, I could see local leagues being more conducive for this. In this type of play, levels would have to match and an IV standard would have to be set. 12/12/10+ would be a reasonable start point. Ultimately, it’s up to combatants to decide what is fair.Time/LocationIt is also important to pick a time and location that you feel won’t be fussed with. A lot of “fouls” could come from other players who are unaware of your competition. Additionally, it would be wise to not publicize your fights, since it could invite players to troll your efforts. If you want to publicize your battles, I suggest using a screen recording app and posting them online.ClosingSo yeah, that’s my answer for PvP in Pokemon GO until Niantic finally decides to deliver. To be honest, this type of PvP could easily be implemented in the game through a “personal gym/battle box” system, eliminating the need for 4 other players and troll avoidance. Looking at how glitched battles and raids are now, I think I’d prefer something like this over real time/”true” PvP.Let me know what you think or how I could expand upon this format!Please keep an open mind and remember that the competitive format for the console games (smogon OU) has fan made rules and standards as well! via /r/TheSilphRoad http://ift.tt/2j8Yor8