Resource AG General Information and Simple Questions Thread (READ ME)

Icemaster

Few will truly understand.
is a Community Leader Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Contributor Alumnus
RBTT Champion

(gorgeous art by Albinson)

Rules:

AG (Anything Goes) is a 6v6 singles metagame that has the fewest restrictions found in any of Smogon's formats. Every Pokémon from any tier is allowed, and because the Species Clause is lifted, you can have up to six of the same Pokémon on your team. Anything legal in the cartridge games (Sword and Shield) is legal. There are no bans or clauses (excluding the 'Endless Battle Clause').

FAQ:

Q. Why can't I use Primal Groudon/Mega Rayquaza/Arceus/Z Moves?
A. Pokemon Sword and Shield don't have Primal Reversions, Mega Evolutions, Z Moves and has a lot of cut mons - a list of all Pokemon available. To use these, play National Dex AG.

Q. What is going to happen to National Dex AG?
A. Read this.

Q. Will Zacian or Dynamax be banned?
A. No bans, this is AG.

Q. Why can't I use more than one Necrozma-Dusk-Mane/Kyurem-White/Calyrex-Shadow
A. This is a cartridge limitation.

Forum Rules
Forum Moderators:

cromagnet
Seldanna

Council:
cromagnet (Forum Mod)
BaconEatinAssassin
Fardin
Fc
WSun1
Seldanna (Forum Mod)

Rules and Guidelines:
  • The Global Forum Rules are expected to be followed.
  • Do NOT make a thread without the permission of an AG Forum Moderator. If you feel the need to make one, then feel free to PM a moderator asking for approval in this format:
    • Requester (Smogon AND PS name):
    • Thread Title:
    • Explanation or Details:
  • Please make sure that an already existing thread does not fulfill the purpose of the thread you're proposing. For example, simple AG related questions can be asked in the Simple Question and Simple Answers thread. If you wish to discuss the metagame, Pokemon ideas, or innovative sets, this is the thread you're looking for. This guideline must be taken seriously because repeated offenders will be punished.
  • Stick to AG. Posts not related to the Anything Goes metagame will be removed.
  • Be respectful to other users. If you disagree with someone's opinions, or think that the team they posted in the Team Bazaar is unviable, dont be rude about it. You're free to ignore their post. If you really want to help, do it in a polite manner or simply wait for a roomauth or a council member to reply to them.
  • This forum is not the place to ask for help with a team. This should be done in the Rate My Team forum or the #rmt Discord channel . Please make sure to read the rules of the RMT forum before posting there if you choose to do so.
Resources:
AG Metagame Discussion
AG Viability Rankings
National Dex AG Megathread
AG Old Gens Hub
Anything Goes room on PS!
Anything Goes Discord
Tournaments Schedule 2022

Simple Questions, Simple Answers:

This thread will also be doubling as a simple Q&A thread where players can get questions answered. Any questions related to National Dex formats are welcome (provided they are relatively simple to answer), but please keep the following guidelines in mind before posting:
  • Make sure the question you are asking is clear! It's a lot easier for us to help you out if we understand what you're asking.
  • If your question can be answered by a Google search or the Smogdex, please do that as to not clutter the thread.
  • When answering questions, please quote the post you're answering to avoid confusion.
  • In-game questions or questions related to other tiers don't belong here. Make sure you're asking about Anything Goes!
  • Be civil when posting please
Ask away!
 
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Icemaster

Few will truly understand.
is a Community Leader Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Contributor Alumnus
RBTT Champion

Fc

Waiting for something to happen?
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Ubers Leader
What are the most effective Pokemon on Baton Pass teams? Are BP teams any good at all, do they need ingrain, and do they ever pass boosts to defensive stats?
BP teams are fairly hit or miss, some mu's it just autowins but others like Taunt Yveltal or a well played dynamax can just end it. That said there's still a lot of good BP options for full pass teams. I don't think it needs ingrain but it definitely helps, so Bellosom would be the best user of that. I've used bp in tours here with these 6 mons being really solid on BP in general, but other options like Bellosom, Unaware Clefable, Xatu, and Vaporeon all exist but I think you need quite a few of the things I have on that team to not lose to calyrex-s, Yveltal, Groudon, etc.

I'd say when making a BP you probably need:
  • Speed boost lead
  • Dubwool
  • Magic Bounce User
  • Fairy for Yveltal
off the top of my head those are super important which is why I used scoli / dub / espeon / mag, with the last 2 just shoring up harder mu's like umbreon for Double Team and Calyrex-S check and since it's a ladder team Indeedee covers for Sash Marsh and also is a good wincon. Could probably go like Bellosom or sometime else > indeedee as well, so there's options
 
Completely new to pokemon, was bored and started looking into showdown.
After finding a pokemon I liked (shuckle) i looked into the movelist and came up with this
Shuckle (Shuckle) (M) @ Binding Band
Ability: Contrary
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Shell Smash
- Toxic
- Infestation
- Rest
Im not sure of this is even good but the few matches I tried it seemed alright
Don't really know where to go from here and was hoping some of you could help me out
 
Completely new to pokemon, was bored and started looking into showdown.
After finding a pokemon I liked (shuckle) i looked into the movelist and came up with this
Shuckle (Shuckle) (M) @ Binding Band
Ability: Contrary
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Shell Smash
- Toxic
- Infestation
- Rest
Im not sure of this is even good but the few matches I tried it seemed alright
Don't really know where to go from here and was hoping some of you could help me out
Shuckle runs mental herb with the moves sticky web,infestation,stealth rock,encore
 
Completely new to pokemon, was bored and started looking into showdown.
After finding a pokemon I liked (shuckle) i looked into the movelist and came up with this
Shuckle (Shuckle) (M) @ Binding Band
Ability: Contrary
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Shell Smash
- Toxic
- Infestation
- Rest
Im not sure of this is even good but the few matches I tried it seemed alright
Don't really know where to go from here and was hoping some of you could help me out
If we’re talking Anything Goes here, Shuckle really only has one viable role, and that is to set up entry hazards in order to let your remaining Pokémon apply a lot of offensive pressure onto your opponent’s team. If you don’t know what entry hazards are, they are field effects generated by certain attacks that impose an inhibition onto your opponent’s Pokémon each time they come into battle. The entry hazards that Shuckle can set up are Sticky Web (drops the speed of grounded Pokémon by one stage when they switch in) and Stealth Rock (deals a base damage of 12.5% of the incoming Pokémon’s max HP value with a power of two multiplier depending on its weakness to rock; if it’s weak, the damage is doubled, and if it resists, the damage is halved). Shuckle will tend to run both of these attacks and try to get off the field as soon as possible so that it’s partner Pokémon can enter the game and capitalize off of opposing entry hazards before they are removed via Defog or Rapid Spin (or god forbid G-Max Wind Rage). As a result, Shuckle will run Stealth Rock and Sticky Web as givens, holding a Red Card to help switch Pokémon around and spread hazard effects relatively early, and have the ability Sturdy to ensure it always takes 1 hit. It tends to run max HP max Defense to minimize the damage it takes from a very popular threat to it in Necrozma-Dusk-Mane. For it’s final two moves, a combination of Toxic, Infestation, Encore, and Final Gambit is generally preferred. I personally would probably prefer Final Gambit and Encore. It’s partner Pokémon should be very powerful sweepers, such as offensive Necrozma-Dusk-Mane and Calyrex-Shadow. I hope this helps.
 
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Because it has to be cartridge legal; you can’t have multiple mega Pokémon on the same team in the cartridge games, so you can’t have multiple mega Pokémon in the format.
But you can't have a game with Zacian and Mega Pinsir on the same team in cartridge either...
 
But you can't have a game with Zacian and Mega Pinsir on the same team in cartridge either...
National Dex AG simply combines the current gen 8 SWSH and BDSP cartridge rules with the gen 7 USUM cartridge rules (with some speculation regarding combining Megas and Z-Moves with Dynamaxing). In the gen 7 games you can’t have 2 mega Pokémon, so in National Dex AG you can’t have 2 Megas on a team either.
 
hi um why is my route 1 starter bug butterfree ranked on the vr?
butterfree makes you go zzz and then goes woosh woosh and brrrrrr.

Its ability gives it 98% accurate sleep powder and there's no sleep clause in ag.
It can destroy unprepared teams with this set

Butterfree @ Leftovers
Ability: Compound Eyes
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Sleep Powder
- Substitute
- Quiver Dance
- Hurricane

Hope that helps!
 
hi um why is my route 1 starter bug butterfree ranked on the vr?
According to the latest VR update:
UR to C+

Butterfree is the essentially the child of Vivillon from earlier generations of Anything Goes. If you allow it to come in on something it's faster than, it will sleep your Pokémon with a Compound Eyes boosted Sleep Powder that clocks in at 97.5% accuracy, set a Substitute up, Quiver Dance to high heaven, and then sweep your team with Hurricane. Butterfree is especially scary when used on a Sticky Web offense team as incoming grounded Pokémon automatically start at -1 Speed. On offense teams without Sticky Web, it can be used as an efficient stat passer as it gains access to Baton Pass which it can utilize in tandem with Quiver Dance and Focus Sash. While it's possible to overcome Butterfree with priority as it's frail, Stealth Rocks to limit its HP, and Electric/Misty terrain set up by Dynamax moves that blocks status, its unexpected ability to turn a game around at a moment's notice warrants its rise out of the unranked pool.
Here are some examples of Fc using butterfree in the recent Anything Goes Ladder Tour:
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8anythinggoes-1452185045-rdnypkjde4a5pxncbhphfjae22zr8gvpw
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8anythinggoes-1452187795-v9wgva824036jl7gfaqo6pmz5z1vbujpw
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8anythinggoes-1452192331-pngidogdz6qekpby8235ab7ixr9r3zmpw

I hope this helps explain why Butterfree is now ranked on the VR.

Ratio
 
National Dex AG simply combines the current gen 8 SWSH and BDSP cartridge rules with the gen 7 USUM cartridge rules (with some speculation regarding combining Megas and Z-Moves with Dynamaxing). In the gen 7 games you can’t have 2 mega Pokémon, so in National Dex AG you can’t have 2 Megas on a team either.
Well there it is, speculation. It's not emulation of any real game. I just don't see the reason we can't have multiple megas. We have a mix of pokemon that could never be in a game together, we have mixing dynamax/z moves, we should let multiple megas too. It would be fun and it wouldn't even be meta warping since most megas are hardly viable in the tier.
 
Well there it is, speculation. It's not emulation of any real game. I just don't see the reason we can't have multiple megas. We have a mix of pokemon that could never be in a game together, we have mixing dynamax/z moves, we should let multiple megas too. It would be fun and it wouldn't even be meta warping since most megas are hardly viable in the tier.
Well yes, but all the evidence suggests to the fact that there will never be a cartridge-legal format in which multiple Megas are allowed. The goal is to concoct a format which we believe is most likely to occur in an official cartridge game where all Pokémon and gimmicks are available and usable. As a result, we have no reason to go against the evidence and allow multiple Megas. If that’s more of your speed, BH and I think maybe some OMs allow multiple Megas.
 
Why is lycanrock used over aerodactyl as a suicide lead?
The edges Lycanroc has over Aerodactyl are Endeavor and priority Accelerock. The latter isn’t used much but Rock Tomb+Endeavor combo allows it to take most non-ghosts out of the battle almost immediately. However, Aerodactyl is faster and has access to Defog and Tailwind. You can kind of pick your poison depending on your team. Lycanroc is more common though and Endeavor is extremely useful for a suicide lead like that.
 
Well yes, but all the evidence suggests to the fact that there will never be a cartridge-legal format in which multiple Megas are allowed. The goal is to concoct a format which we believe is most likely to occur in an official cartridge game where all Pokémon and gimmicks are available and usable. As a result, we have no reason to go against the evidence and allow multiple Megas. If that’s more of your speed, BH and I think maybe some OMs allow multiple Megas.
The evidence just as much suggests to the fact that there will never be a cartridge legal format in which you can see Arceus fighting Calyrex, yet here we are.
 

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