Pokémon Perfect
| Pokémon Perfect | |
|---|---|
 Site logo | |
| Language | English |
| Status | Active |
| Run | 2011 - Present |
| Date opened | 2011 |
| Creator | Lutra |
| Forum | Pokémon Perfect |
| Mascot | Mew |
| Website | Main page |
Pokémon Perfect is a forum centered around competitive play, especially for Generation I. The site currently caters to competitive play from Generation I to VI. The forums are run using XenForo, a type of forum software.
This site was founded by Lutra in 2011, as an answer to Smogon and Pokémon Online's lack of support for Generation I at the time. It was founded around the same time the Generation I-focused competitive site RBY 2k10 dipped in activity. In 2019, ownership was handed to CALLOUS, wherein the website was relaunched strictly for tournaments. After the transfer of ownership, all tiering projects were suspended due to dwindling activity and lack of invested staff, adopting Smogon tiers instead.[1] As of 2023, it has accumulated over 3,000 members.
History
Pokémon Perfect was launched by Lutra in 2011 with a Pokémon Online server, accommodating Pokémon Stadium OverUsed, which was seen as neglected on the platform—at the time, this format did not ban evasion-boosting moves.
In 2013, Pokémon Perfect launched a tiering project for Pokémon Red and Blue, continuing the tiering used by RBY 2k10, aiming to produce a metagame that is diverse instead of centralized. At the time, many in the community argued that Smogon's Generation I tiers were antiquated—they had not been updated since 2006. With RBY 2k10's tiering project not being continued too seriously on Pokémon Online, and being seen as unfinished, Pokémon Perfect aimed to make something more definitive. For its tiering, instead of the usual Smogon nomenclature, it used its own naming conventions, those being 1U, 2U, 3U, and so on, aiming to be more neutral and straightforward. It utilized viability-based, democratic tiering, with qualified voters sending Pokemon up and down tiers after tournaments concluded until they were properly established, wherein the community would move down to the next one. The aim was to tier every fully-evolved Pokémon, which led to tiers being created down to 7U. This led to a radically different tier list compared to Smogon's; notably, Pokémon Perfect was the only website to drop Rhydon to its UnderUsed equivalent[2]. While these tiers were designed for Generation I, the same system was used for Generation II to VI tiers on the site, but not with the same success. The project was decommissioned in 2018 due to declining interest, being seen as largely finished.
Pokémon Perfect has run a variety of tournament series, including seasonal tournaments with a variety of systems employed, such as peaking on the Pokémon Showdown ladder, a battle royale where one picks their opponents, and Round Robin. These tournaments were categorized under a hierarchy, and players would earn points to participate in larger tournaments later.[3] Tournaments on Pokémon Perfect would also earn points to be seeded higher in "Master Tournaments," which used a Best of 5 Single Elimination format. While this system has declined to regular "Open" tournaments in modern times, Pokémon Perfect's competitive tournament system fostered numerous notable Generation I players, such as marcoasd, Heroic Troller, and Peasounay, all of whom ended up becoming famous competitors on other websites[4]. It has since become notable in competitive Generation III battling for the CALLOUS Invitational, a tournament series inviting the premier players of the advanced generation, old and new, to compete for a cash prize. This tournament has since become a qualification standard for Generation III OverUsed suspect tests on Smogon.
Relationship with Smogon
Pokémon Perfect has frequently been associated with Smogon, mainly for its tournament prestige and large playerbase overlap.
During a suspect test on Counter in Generation I OverUsed, due to Smogon only recognizing Smogon tournaments when determining who is eligible to vote in suspect ests, numerous frequent Pokémon Perfect competitors were not permitted to vote.[5] This resulted in controversy due to a lack of tournaments on Smogon limiting the ability to adequately conduct the suspect test, with Generation I competitors arguing that the vote was not adequately representative. Regardless, the vote went forward, leading to Counter's ban and the instating of "Desync Clause Mod," which changes instances that would lead to Link Battles desynchronising on a real cartridge to instead fail on Pokémon Showdown.
Since the Counter suspect test, tournament results from Pokémon Perfect have been factored into suspect test qualifications sporadically, particularly those involving the CALLOUS Invitational,[6] citing the lack of Generation III tournament support on Smogon making them a required feature.
Years after they were decommissioned, Pokémon Perfect's Generation I tiers inspired the development of a new lowest tier in 7U, which has seen coverage by YouTube content creators.[7] This tier has developed a cult following, even seeing competitive experimentation on Smogon[8].
References
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This article is a part of Project Fandom, a Bulbapedia Project that aims to write comprehensive articles on every aspect of the Pokémon Fandom. |