DiscoShiba

This is actually insane work and incredibly useful. It's also completely up to date unlike many other tools. Will def use on a daily basis tysm!!

pc in secret base 

[Context]
Hello everyone,
Hereafter is the Request we are sending to @Rache to push for a Randoms update (I'm reaching out to her specifically because she appears to be the developer in charge of Randoms and previously expressed her will to update the tier). This request contains a detailed list of suggestions, ideas, and issues related to Randoms.
Although this could be classified as a "suggestion" (and therefore be posted in Suggestions), I wish to open a discussion on the content of this request and am therefore posting it here, in Competitive Alley. The specific topics for which we adamantly wish players to voice their opinions on will be marked with a yellow star ⭐, but feel free to address anything else related to Randoms.
If this should be considered as a "Suggestion" instead, please let me know (if you're a moderator).
Cheers,
DiscoShiba & Spidget

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

REFORM REQUEST – UPDATING RANDOMS [PVP]

PREAMBLE

Dear Rache,
Dear Developers, 

We hope this message finds you well, as a lot of time and effort was put into it.
Understandably, you have a lot on your plate and receive numerous requests, but we believe that Randoms PvP is a facet of the game that receives enough playtime to be prioritized for an update. You have previously stated that reforming Randoms was “high on your to-do list” and, with this message, we are eager to offer our contribution.  

Hereafter, you will find a list of highlighted issues and recommendations that myself and several other top Randoms players have worked on. All of us have consistently played thousands of Randoms games throughout the years, earned crowns, and maintained a high winrate.
We believe that we have the necessary experience and knowledge to provide constructive feedback on the current state of Randoms and encourage you to use it when the time for an update comes. 

In addition to Randoms players, many members of the PvP community (and of the community as a whole) share the desire to see the tier reformed. An update not only benefits the current player base–which is quite large, as one can notice from PvP statistics–but also all the players who do not play Randoms due to the current design. [I am currently a member of VOW, a notorious PvP team, but am also the only avid Randoms player (who plays for Leaderboard). My teammates enjoy Randoms but not on PokeMMO. They would play if an update were to come] 

With all this being said, we are pleased to share this Randoms Reform Request with you and hope to hear back from you soon. 

We are looking forward to your response and are grateful for the opportunity to be considered, 

Yours sincerely, 
DiscoShiba & SpidgetREAL 
________________________________________________________________

TABLE OF CONTENTS 
I. POKEMONS
1. Removing Certain Pokémons
1.1. Unown
1.2. Ditto
1.3. Plant Coat Wormadam (Grass & Bug typing)
1.4. Shedinja
1.5. Dugtrio 
2. Buffing Certain Pokémons
2.1. Rotom Base Form (Ghost & Electric typing)
2.2. Grass Cloak Wormadam (Bug & Grass typing)
3. Adding Certain Pokémons
3.1. Gen 5 Pokémons
3.2. Legendary Pokémons
4. Adding Certain Mechanics
4.1. Hidden Abilities
4.2. Items
II. SETS
1. The “Wish + Protect” Problem
2. The “Screens” Problem
3. Sets that do not align with the characteristics of a Pokemon
III. SAFEGUARDS – COVERAGE & BALANCE
1. Type Coverage
1.1. Offensive Type Coverage
1.2. Defensive Type Coverage
2. Physical & Special Distribution
3. A Fair Distribution of Other Characteristics : Avoiding Extremes
4. Include Hazard Removal in Teams that do not have Hazards
5. Trapping Pokémons as Leads
6. Tiers within the Tier
IV. FINAL CONSIDERATIONS
1. We are not asking for a complete reform
2. Upcoming Update : Involving PvP Players
3. Hall of Fame

AKNOWLEDGEMENTS
_______________________________________________________

I. POKEMONS

Removing Certain Pokémons
Several Pokémons are a liability due to their underwhelming characteristics and/or design. A player who should roll them in a game is essentially starting off the battle 5 vs. 6. 
We urge you to remove the following Pokémons from Randoms:

1.1. Unown 
The capacity of Unown to a) only learn one move and b) a weak move, makes it underwhelming to use. This makes Unown easy to counter/defeat, all the more since it can only hold one of two items and has access to either HP psychic or HP fighting. Since its level is already set to 100, it cannot be further buffed and we therefore would like to see it removed from the tier. 

1.2. Ditto
The same reasoning applies to Ditto.
However, we would like to keep Ditto in the tier under the condition that Hidden Abilities are added [HAs will be the subject of an ulterior section].

1.3. Plant Coat Wormadam (Grass & Bug typing) 
Wormadam in its "regular" form is arguably the worst Pokémon in Randoms. It's been somewhat buffed in the past but its winrate unfortunately remained the same. Due to its weak overall characteristics, we recommend that it be removed from the tier.
However, we are of the opinion that Plant Coat Wormadam may remain in the tier under the condition that its level is at least increased to 84. After running a series of calculcations, we consider that it may become balanced in Randoms if its level is set somewhere between 84 and 87.

1.4. Shedinja ⭐
Although Shedinja may be balanced in other tiers, we do not support its presence in Randoms. Defeating Shedinja relies on either being in possession of hazards or defined moves in terms of typing. Inversely, Shedinja’s use becomes void if a player rolls it into a team that has hazards when said-player does not have any removal. To us, Shedinja is uncompetitive in Randoms.
Because teams and moves are randomized, we do not believe that it is fair to include a Pokémon for which the strength/weakness is determined nearly exclusively by RNG.
On top of that, the confidential aspect of Randoms (i.e., absence of team preview) also contributes to determining Shedinja’s capabilities. It is possible for a player to “hide” Shedinja until the very end, where the opponent will simply not have the necessary moves to defeat it.

Lastly, it happens too often for players to only receive one to three moves that can in fact beat Shedinja, which leaves this matter, once again, up to RNG.
For these reasons, we ask for Shedinja to be removed from Randoms.

1.5. Dugtrio ⭐
We will not reiterate the long discussions that players have held on the Forums regarding Dugtrio. It has been deemed as an uncompetitive Pokemon in regular tiers and we fail to comprehend why it has not been considered as such in Randoms. If anything, Dugtrio is especially uncompetitive in Randoms due to the absence of team preview. Any Pokemon with an electric typing would be heavily penalized should the opponent switch to Dugtrio on a Volt-Switch, for instance (all the more if they happen to be equipped with a “choice” item).
Thus, we ask for Dugtrio to be removed from Randoms. 

Buffing Certain Pokémons
We believe that a few Pokémons need a bit more love to be viable in Randoms.
We therefore ask you to increase the levels of the following Pokémons: 

2.1. Rotom Base Form (Ghost & Electric Type)
Rotom has been buffed in the past but remains too weak in Randoms. We think that
giving it a few extra levels would solidify its value in the tier. 

2.2. Grass Cloack Wormadam (Bug & Grass type)
This has already been covered in the previous section. 

Adding Certain Pokémons ⭐
We believe that adding certain Pokémons to Randoms would be refreshing for the player base and enhance the tier’s quality. 
We would not only be keen to see existing Pokemons added to the tier, but also Pokemons that are not currently available in other tiers (i.e., certain legendary Pokémons). Regarding the latter, we know that it may be a possibility since some of these Pokémons exist in the Battle Factory despite not being available to players (e.g., Latias & Latios, or Magic Bounce Alakazam). 

We therefore encourage you to add the following Pokémons to Randoms: 

3.1. Gen 5 Pokémons
No additional comments. 

3.2. Legendary Pokémons
We would not only like to see the legendary Pokémons that are currently available to players added to Randoms, but also those that are not available to players and those that are available to players but not usable in PvP. 
Regarding the former, we are referring to Pokémons like Latios, Latias (both of which exist in the Battle Factory), the Regis, to name a few. 
Regarding the latter, we are referring to Pokémons like Darkrai, Sky Form Shaymin, and Mewtwo, Rayquaza, and other “king of the hill” Pokémons, to name a few. 
Naturally, their strength should be accounted for and their level/sets should be determined accordingly for them to be balanced. 

Adding Certain Mechanics ⭐
Similarly to what has been said in the previous sections, we believe that the addition of certain elements of the game to Randoms would bring a sense of refreshment to players. 
We therefore recommend that the following be added to Randoms: 

4.1. Hidden Abilities 
On top of giving a feeling of “new” to the players, giving certain Pokémons access to their HAs would enable them to thrive in a way that may currently not be possible. It would also enable new sets and mechanics to come forward, and overall, make the tier more interesting. This would include HAs that are not currently available to players directly whilst still being present in the game (e.g., Magic Bounce Alakazam). 

Example 1. – New set:
Multiscale Dragonite with Substitute and Roost.

Example 2. – New interaction:
Porygon2 tracing Dragonite’s multiscale.

Example 3. – New potential
Infiltrator Spiritomb to enable “Tricking” Pokemons behind a Substitute.

4.2. Items 
Same reasoning as the previous section. The inclusion of certain items can bring change to the tier. On top of that, several items that lead to fun interactions—which are, however, not strong enough to be used in regular tiers—would be a great addition to Randoms. Due to the characteristics of the tier, such items would be easy to balance in such way that they become viable. 

Example1. - Assault Vest
Good and interesting item overall. 

Example 2. – Throat Spray 
Throat Spray is hardly viable in any regular tier, but who wouldn’t want to play Throat Spray Yanmega with Bug Buzz? 


II. SETS

The beauty of Randoms lies within the creative sets that Pokémons may have, on one hand, and the possibility for players to use Pokémons which would commonly not be strong enough to be viable in regular tiers, on the other hand. The corollary of the above is the process that enables Pokémons to cycle through a diversity of sets. 

The combination of the aforementioned aspects is what makes the tier so special and fun—in Randoms, every match-up will be different. 

However, we believe that numerous sets are detrimental to the game and undermine our enjoyment when playing Randoms. These sets are usually those that disregard the characteristics of a Pokemon while severely affecting their viability. 

Let it be known that we are in favor of keeping creative sets, but not when they completely crush the viability of a Pokémon. 

Example 1. –Fun Creative Set : Belly Drum Hypno
Example 2. – Detrimental Creative Set : Screens Electabuzz with Eviolite  

The “Wish + Protect” Problem ⭐
There are too many Pokemons that may roll “Wish + Protect” despite how suboptimal and incoherent it is for them to have such a set. We believe that “Wish + Protect” should be reserved for Pokemons that may viably fulfil a supportive/cleric role on a team. 
Indeed, some Pokemons can hardly make use of Wish + Protect as it is not in line with their weak defensive features, which also happens to undermine their natural offensive capabilities.  

Therefore, we urge you to remove “Wish + Protect” sets for all of the following Pokémons: 

Absol
Raichu 
Minun/Plusle
Jolteon
Gallade
Girafarig 
Kangashkan 
Salamence 

In addition, we encourage you to lower the frequency for certain Pokemons to roll a “Wish + Protect” set due to the ambiguous interaction it may have with a Pokemon. For instance, such a set may or may not be optimal on Pokemons like Kangashkan and Illumise. 

Moreover, we ask you to determine the two other moves that accompany Wish + Protect with coherence, and refrain from assigning both of those moves as incoherent offensive damaging moves. 

Example 1. – Incoherent Wish + Protect set: 
Absol with Wish, Protect, Night Slash, Will-O-Wisp. 

Example 2. – Incoherent Offensive Wish + Protect set: 
Minun with Wish, Protect, Thunderbolt, Hidden Power Ice. 

The “Screens” Problem ⭐
The same considerations apply to several Pokemons that may roll a set with Reflect & Light Screen, which is worsened if the Pokemon is not equipped with Light Clay or only has one of these two moves. 

Therefore, we encourage you to remove “Screens” sets from the following Pokemons: 
Raichu 
Electabuzz (especially if it holds Eviolite instead of Light Clay) 
Electivire 
Jolteon
Pachirisu (especially because it can only learn Light Screen and not Reflect, and because it is not equipped with Light Clay) 
Porygon2 (especially because it can only learn Reflect and not Light Screen, and because it is equipped with Eviolite instead of Light Clay) 
Magneton (especially if it holds Eviolite instead of Light Clay) 
Mamoswine 
In addition, we recommend that you provide Light Clay to all Pokémons who may set up Reflect and Light Screen. 
 
Sets that generally do not align with the characteristics of a Pokemon ⭐
In Randoms, certain Pokemons are conditionally viable, as their potential significantly depends on the sets that are allocated to them. These Pokemons usually possess remarkable strength in certain stats while being significantly weak in other stats. 

An issue arises when such Pokemons roll sets that contradict their natural strengths while being insufficient to compensate for their weaknesses. Consequently, their value is considerably undermined, to a point where they become a liability for the player. This problem is further enhanced by other factors, such as a lack of offensive move typing diversity or the assignment of a suboptimal item. 

People may wonder why reform is needed for certain Pokémons despite them having reasonable winrates, but we can only stress the fact that winrates are not de facto a good representation of a Pokémon’s position in Randoms. This is because the possibility for a Pokémon to “win” a game (or at least, contribute to a win) largely depends on the set that it rolls. For instance, it wouldn’t be surprising for Shell Smash Gorebyss to have a winrate of 60% while Choice Scarf Gorebyss sits at a winrate of 45%. [These are made-up numbers that serve as an example.]

Therefore, we urge you to review sets that may be deemed as “dubious” in light of the above, while removing/updating them in a manner that is in line with the characteristics of the given Pokemon. 

For further clarification, here are examples of the sets we are referring to:

Example 1. - Leech Seed Cacturne 
Cacturne has high offensive stats, in both Sp.Atk and Ph.Atk, but is defensively frail and slow. A set that includes Swords Dance with Sucker Punch is coherent with Cacturne’s features because it plays around its strengths and accounts for its low speed. 
However, Cacturne with Leech Seed, Substitute, Giga Drain, and Sucker Punch is hardly viable as it cannot meaningfully fulfill the role of a “damage-over-time” Pokemon due to its weak defensive stats. Its offensive stats are somewhat disregarded despite them being Cacturne’s strength. 

Example 2. - Bellossom with no set-up and no utility 
Bellossom is a Pokemon with low speed and low offensive stats, with its defensive stats being average at best. To thrive, Bellossom either needs set-up moves (e.g., Quiver Dance) or utility moves (e.g., Toxic & Leech Seed). 
However, Bellossom becomes a liability if it does not roll such sets. For instance, a Bellossom with Giga Drain, Hidden Power Ice, Synthesis, and Sleep Power, can hardly be an asset for the team as it does not have the damage, nor the speed, nor the utility, to make progress in the game. 

Example 3. - Choice Specs Bastiodon  
Bastiodon has extremely high defensive stats but has very weak offensive stats. Sets on Bastiodon that provide utility to the player are in line with the Pokémon’s characteristics (e.g., Stealth Rocks, Toxic, Roar/Rest, Iron Head). 
However, Choice Specs do not add sufficient damage on Bastiodon’s moves for it to become offensively valuable. Its defensive stats are undermined despite them being Bastiodon’s strength, while the Pokémon remains offensively weak. 

The abovementioned combinations of Pokémons & sets are problematic because they enhance the Pokémons’ weaknesses, without sufficiently enhancing them to reach a successful potential, usually at the expense of their strengths. 

Allocating resources into a Pokémon’s weaknesses at the expense of its strengths is not always an issue, but it is in several instances as highlighted above, when viability is hindered. For example, the Belly Drum Hypno set ignores the Pokémon’s strong defensive capabilities and its role as a special attacker, and instead, considerably enhances its weakest stat: physical attack. Nonetheless, unlike the examples we have mentioned, a Belly Drum set on Hypno sufficiently enhances its weak attack stat to make it viable in Randoms (all the more since it gets Drain Punch which favors sustain on a bulky Pokémon). 

In addition to the aforementioned remarks, certain sets are simply underwhelming, inefficient, and we recommend that they therefore be removed. For example: 
Ledian with Reflect, Light Screen, Substitute, Baton Pass
Smeargle with Lunar Dance, Taunt, Spore, Rapid Spin 
Sudowoodo with Sucker Punch when it is equipped with a Choice Band (it is quite detrimental to be locked into Sucker Punch) 


III. SAFEGUARDS – COVERAGE & BALANCE ⭐

At the time being, there are a few safeguards in place which seek balance in terms of team composition and capabilities. For instance, no type may appear more than twice on a team, no identical dual-types can appear on a team, and no “trapping” Pokémons (such as Dugtrio and Pursuit users) can be rolled as a lead (with the exception of Magnet Pull Pokémons). 
Nevertheless, we share the opinion that the current safeguards are insufficient, which consequently leads to unfair/unbalanced situations. 

Indeed, it is unfortunately frequent for players to lose games because they rolled a team that can single-handedly be dismantled by one opposing Pokémon (due to its particular stats, typing, etc.). We agree that some match-ups may be unfavorable—which is something that inevitably comes with the tier—but no team should be entirely incapacitated by a singular Pokémon.   

We also believe that sets should be coherent in abstracto. In other words, a certain set may be valuable in a concrete setting (e.g., Screens Jolteon in a team that is built around it), but lack purpose and viability when isolated from any context (e.g., Screens Jolteon in general). Because Randoms does not account for teambuilding, we should avoid attributing sets which can reasonably be deemed as individually unviable on a given Pokémon. 

Therefore, we urge you to implement additional safeguards that will account for the following matters; 

Type Coverage 
We agree with the current safeguards in place with regards to typing.
However, we suggest that the following type-related aspects be subject to further safeguards: 

1.1. Offensive Type Coverage 
a) We are keen on avoiding situations in which none of the Pokémons of a team can effectively/super-effectively damage a specific type, or rather, where most moves are “not very effective” into a specific type. Greater offensive type coverage should be guaranteed. 
b) Should Shedinja remain in Randoms, the player opposing Shedinja must be equipped with reasonable tools in order to defeat Shedinja. It should not be possible for a player to only have one to three moves that may defeat Shedinja. 

1.2. Defensive Type Coverage 
We are keen on avoiding situations in which five or six Pokémons in a team are weak to one type. For instance, a team comprised of two grass types, one bug type, one ice type, and two steel types would be entirely weak to a fire Pokémon. Better defensive type coverage should be allocated within a team.  

Physical & Special Distribution 
There are currently no safeguards in place to guarantee a fair distribution of power, or in other words, a fair allocation of special / physical Pokémons, both on a defensive and an offensive spectrum (but mostly offensive). This can be a serious issue, for example, when a player rolls a team that consists of six special attackers while facing a Chansey. 

Therefore, we urge you to prevent the attribution, in a team, of six Pokémons that share the same power trait. For instance, it should not be possible for a player to roll a team with six physical attackers or six special attackers. 
 
A Fair Distribution of Other Characteristics : Avoiding Extremes
We believe that, in general, safeguards should be in place to prevent a player from receiving teams that are marked by excessive redundancy.  

Example 1. – Moves  
It should not be possible for a player to roll a team with five Stealth Rocks setters. 

Example 2. – Items 
It should not be possible for a player to roll a team with five Pokémons that have a choice item. 

We do not necessarily require a minimum of each, but we do advocate for a maximum of each. In other words, we wish to keep the tier as “randomized” as possible, which requires minimal intervention from the developers. Thus, setting a minimum standard for each team would limit Randoms in an unhealthy manner (e.g., setting a minimum of one “Choice” Pokémon in each team). However, we believe that a maximum number of X or Y elements should be featured in a team in order for the tier to be functional (e.g., maximum two “Choice” items per team, maximum five  “slow” Pokémons below a certain speed tier, etc.). The specific aspects that should fall under such limitations would be determined by the developers (i.e., not all aspects should be concerned by this limit). 

Include Hazard Removal in Teams that do not have Hazards ⭐⭐⭐
The disadvantage of playing into hazards in the absence of hazard removal and hazards themselves is egregious. It creates a significant unbalance between both players. This is further amplified by the confidential aspect of Randoms, which enables players to force out the opponent on many occasions. In regular tiers, hazard removal is present in a vast majority of teams. This should also be the case in Randoms. 

Therefore, we encourage you to include hazard removal in teams that do not possess hazards. 

Alternatively, we recommend that hazards be subject to a certain ponderation [We also suggest that Pokémons be categorized in certain tiers according to their sets. This will be developed in an ulterior section.]. This way, a team that has hazards will increase the overall “tier” of the team, and a team without hazards and without hazard removal will see its overall “tier” decreased. This way, the AI would be able to detect the “imbalance” related to hazards and equip the latter team with Pokémons in a higher tier to seek balance between both teams. 

Trapping Pokémons as Leads 
Currently, trapping Pokémons may not be rolled as a lead Pokémon. Such “trapping” Pokémons include, for instance, Pursuit users, Shadow Tag users, and Arena Trap users. 
However, Magnet Pull Pokémons are exempt from this safeguard and may be rolled as the lead. We do not understand this exemption. 

Therefore, we ask you to prevent Magnet Pull Pokémons from being rolled as the lead. 

Tiers within the Tier ⭐
Certain Pokémons with specific sets are stronger than others. Pokémon X with set Y may be stronger than Pokémon A with set Y, or than Pokémon X but, this time, with set Z. To avoid imbalances in the allocation of a team, we would like the developers to implement a non-public tiering system within Randoms itself, in order for the AI to fairly distribute Pokémons in a team. The purpose would be to avoid situations in which a team has five or six overpowered combinations of sets and Pokémons, and vice-versa. 

For instance, Shell Smash Gorebyss would be categorized in the “S+” tier whilst Choice Scarf Gorebyss would be categorized in the “C” tier. 
More specifically, tiering should be processed according to the winrate of a given Pokémon with regards to a given set (i.e., the winrate of the combination). To reiterate our example, Gorebyss with Shell Smash would fall in the S+ tier due to having a winrate of (for example) 58% whereas Gorebyss with Choice Scarf would be in the C tier due to its winrate of (for example) 45%. 

In fine, the allocation of a team by the AI should be processed, in part, according to the winrates of the combinations of Pokémons and sets, in order to reach an overall balanced team winrate.
In other words, the combined winrate of each combination of Pokémon and set—i.e., the team winrate—should hover around 50%, or at least, should not be excessively high or low. 

This is one of my recent games & it perfectly summarizes the issue with a lack of safeguards. 



Rolling the three worst Pokémons in the tier;
Rolling six special attackers into a Blissey (which had toxic and wish);
Lack of diversity in the move typings;
A choice scarf on a Pokémon that is already fast and therefore does not need the extra speed;

IV. FINAL CONSIDERATIONS
General considerations that do not fall under the abovementioned categories. 

We are not asking for a complete reform
This Reform Request may be critical of certain aspects of Randoms, but we enjoy most of the current features offered by the tier. 
We are in favor of playing original sets in Randoms that would otherwise be unviable in other tiers. The same applies for Pokémons that are fun to use but not strong enough to be played elsewhere than in Randoms.
We agree with the matchmaking system, where losing a game of Randoms is less impactful than losses in other tiers.
For the tier to remain faithful to its essence, we believe that “randomization” should be the rule. However, some degree of intervention is required for a healthy gameplay. The suggestions and problems underlined in this document are the intervention we would like to see. 
As far as we know, anything that has not been mentioned here should remain unchanged and is therefore implicitly marked by our approval. Other players may, however, point out issues that we have omitted/forgotten in the discussion thread. 

Upcoming Update : Involving PvP Players 
Seeing that a Randoms update is long overdue, that numerous players have considerable experience in Randoms and are themselves the recipient of an update, that the current meta includes a wide array of “dubious” sets (which affects player engagement and retention);
We encourage you to involve experienced Randoms players (and PvP players) in the upcoming modification and development of sets, and more generally, in the upcoming update of Randoms. 

We are aware that this involvement should be limited in a way that does not affect the fairness of Randoms [It would not be fair for certain Randoms players to have access to the entire list of sets and mechanics. This would enable them to have a list that can be used when playing Randoms and would therefore create an unfair advantage. Although most top rated Randoms players already have somewhat of a list, or most sets memorized, it would still be unjust symbolically-speaking] . Thus, our involvement would be limited to Pokémons & sets that may reasonably be deemed as “dubious”. In other words, it is not necessary—nor for the developers or for the Randoms players—to go over all of the sets. Most of them can remain untouched. We are only referring to the “dubious” sets, potential new HAs, potential new legendaries, etc. 

Moreover, we suggest that a council/thread be devoted to Randoms as a tier, with a dedicated Discord channel, similarly to what has been created for the other tiers—for the sake of fluid communication. The specific competences and purpose of this tier/thread would be defined by the developers. 

We urge you to take into account all of the abovementioned considerations, and ask you to inform the lead author of this request, DiscoShiba, if/when the recipient(s), Rache and/or other developers, have properly received and duly familiarized themselves with the content of this request.
Should this request be denied/ignored, we ask you to provide an explanation as to why that is. 

Lastly, we urge you to inform us on the potential existence of an update for Randoms in the foreseeable future, and if applicable, to provide a timeframe in which said-update will begin. 

Hall of Fame 
Noting that players who finish a season on the leaderboard as rank one, two, and three in OU, UU, NU, and Doubles, thereby winning a crown, have their in-game names displayed on the PokeMMO Forums Hall of Fame thread; 
Reaffirming the prestige that a leaderboard entry holds, but also the energy and time required for Randoms players to be placed in the top three, especially in contrast with other tiers;  
Expressing our lack of understanding as to why top leaderboard players in Randoms do not have their in-game names displayed in the Hall of Fame thread at the end of the season, and are thereby being treated differently for no apparent reason; 

We adamantly ask you to display, on the Hall of Fame thread, the in-game names of past and future Randoms players that finish (or have finished) the season in the top three of the leaderboard. 
______________________________________________________________________

OPEN DISCUSSION ON THE FORUMS 

On a final note, we would like to open a discussion on certain points mentioned within this document—which will be posted on the Forums.
In particular, we are keen to see players share their views on the following topics (these topics will be marked with a yellow star on the Forums ⭐): 
Dugtrio and Shedinja in Randoms, uncompetitive or not?; 
The specifics of adding new items, Pokémons, and abilities to Randoms; 
The specific Pokémons that should (not) have access to Screens and Wish/Protect sets; 
Type coverage safeguards (and other safeguards); 
The randomized distribution of hazards in teams or lack thereof; 
Tiers within the Randoms tier; 
The specifics of “Dubious sets”. 

Naturally, we welcome and encourage players to voice their opinions on other matters related to Randoms, including those that may have not been covered by this request. 

Lastly—regarding “dubious sets”—it would be helpful if players could post screenshots or the exact moves of sets that may reasonably be considered as nonsensical so that we can have a list. At the very least, it would enable a discussion to be held on sets for which viability is debatable.

______________________________________________________________________

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 

I wish to thank the developers and Rache in advance for considering this request,

Thank you to all the PvP players and other members of the community who contributed to the content of this request, and to those that will be part of future discussions. 

Kind regards,
DiscoShiba & SpidgetREAL (lead authors of the request) 

I may be reached through the following channel (contact information):
IGN: DiscoShiba
Forums: DiscoShiba
Discord: discoshiba66 

great post!

Support gameplay updates 🤝💪💪

I love it.

[Context]
Hello everyone,
Hereafter is the Request we are sending to @Rache to push for a Randoms update (I'm reaching out to her specifically because she appears to be the developer in charge of Randoms and previously expressed her will to update the tier). This request contains a detailed list of suggestions, ideas, and issues related to Randoms.
Although this could be classified as a "suggestion" (and therefore be posted in Suggestions), I wish to open a discussion on the content of this request and am therefore posting it here, in Competitive Alley. The specific topics for which we adamantly wish players to voice their opinions on will be marked with a yellow star ⭐, but feel free to address anything else related to Randoms.
If this should be considered as a "Suggestion" instead, please let me know (if you're a moderator).
Cheers,
DiscoShiba & Spidget

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

REFORM REQUEST – UPDATING RANDOMS [PVP]

PREAMBLE

Dear Rache,
Dear Developers, 

We hope this message finds you well, as a lot of time and effort was put into it.
Understandably, you have a lot on your plate and receive numerous requests, but we believe that Randoms PvP is a facet of the game that receives enough playtime to be prioritized for an update. You have previously stated that reforming Randoms was “high on your to-do list” and, with this message, we are eager to offer our contribution.  

Hereafter, you will find a list of highlighted issues and recommendations that myself and several other top Randoms players have worked on. All of us have consistently played thousands of Randoms games throughout the years, earned crowns, and maintained a high winrate.
We believe that we have the necessary experience and knowledge to provide constructive feedback on the current state of Randoms and encourage you to use it when the time for an update comes. 

In addition to Randoms players, many members of the PvP community (and of the community as a whole) share the desire to see the tier reformed. An update not only benefits the current player base–which is quite large, as one can notice from PvP statistics–but also all the players who do not play Randoms due to the current design. [I am currently a member of VOW, a notorious PvP team, but am also the only avid Randoms player (who plays for Leaderboard). My teammates enjoy Randoms but not on PokeMMO. They would play if an update were to come] 

With all this being said, we are pleased to share this Randoms Reform Request with you and hope to hear back from you soon. 

We are looking forward to your response and are grateful for the opportunity to be considered, 

Yours sincerely, 
DiscoShiba & SpidgetREAL 
________________________________________________________________

TABLE OF CONTENTS 
I. POKEMONS
1. Removing Certain Pokémons
1.1. Unown
1.2. Ditto
1.3. Plant Coat Wormadam (Grass & Bug typing)
1.4. Shedinja
1.5. Dugtrio 
2. Buffing Certain Pokémons
2.1. Rotom Base Form (Ghost & Electric typing)
2.2. Grass Cloak Wormadam (Bug & Grass typing)
3. Adding Certain Pokémons
3.1. Gen 5 Pokémons
3.2. Legendary Pokémons
4. Adding Certain Mechanics
4.1. Hidden Abilities
4.2. Items
II. SETS
1. The “Wish + Protect” Problem
2. The “Screens” Problem
3. Sets that do not align with the characteristics of a Pokemon
III. SAFEGUARDS – COVERAGE & BALANCE
1. Type Coverage
1.1. Offensive Type Coverage
1.2. Defensive Type Coverage
2. Physical & Special Distribution
3. A Fair Distribution of Other Characteristics : Avoiding Extremes
4. Include Hazard Removal in Teams that do not have Hazards
5. Trapping Pokémons as Leads
6. Tiers within the Tier
IV. FINAL CONSIDERATIONS
1. We are not asking for a complete reform
2. Upcoming Update : Involving PvP Players
3. Hall of Fame

AKNOWLEDGEMENTS
_______________________________________________________

I. POKEMONS

Removing Certain Pokémons
Several Pokémons are a liability due to their underwhelming characteristics and/or design. A player who should roll them in a game is essentially starting off the battle 5 vs. 6. 
We urge you to remove the following Pokémons from Randoms:

1.1. Unown 
The capacity of Unown to a) only learn one move and b) a weak move, makes it underwhelming to use. This makes Unown easy to counter/defeat, all the more since it can only hold one of two items and has access to either HP psychic or HP fighting. Since its level is already set to 100, it cannot be further buffed and we therefore would like to see it removed from the tier. 

1.2. Ditto
The same reasoning applies to Ditto.
However, we would like to keep Ditto in the tier under the condition that Hidden Abilities are added [HAs will be the subject of an ulterior section].

1.3. Plant Coat Wormadam (Grass & Bug typing) 
Wormadam in its "regular" form is arguably the worst Pokémon in Randoms. It's been somewhat buffed in the past but its winrate unfortunately remained the same. Due to its weak overall characteristics, we recommend that it be removed from the tier.
However, we are of the opinion that Plant Coat Wormadam may remain in the tier under the condition that its level is at least increased to 84. After running a series of calculcations, we consider that it may become balanced in Randoms if its level is set somewhere between 84 and 87.

1.4. Shedinja ⭐
Although Shedinja may be balanced in other tiers, we do not support its presence in Randoms. Defeating Shedinja relies on either being in possession of hazards or defined moves in terms of typing. Inversely, Shedinja’s use becomes void if a player rolls it into a team that has hazards when said-player does not have any removal. To us, Shedinja is uncompetitive in Randoms.
Because teams and moves are randomized, we do not believe that it is fair to include a Pokémon for which the strength/weakness is determined nearly exclusively by RNG.
On top of that, the confidential aspect of Randoms (i.e., absence of team preview) also contributes to determining Shedinja’s capabilities. It is possible for a player to “hide” Shedinja until the very end, where the opponent will simply not have the necessary moves to defeat it.

Lastly, it happens too often for players to only receive one to three moves that can in fact beat Shedinja, which leaves this matter, once again, up to RNG.
For these reasons, we ask for Shedinja to be removed from Randoms.

1.5. Dugtrio ⭐
We will not reiterate the long discussions that players have held on the Forums regarding Dugtrio. It has been deemed as an uncompetitive Pokemon in regular tiers and we fail to comprehend why it has not been considered as such in Randoms. If anything, Dugtrio is especially uncompetitive in Randoms due to the absence of team preview. Any Pokemon with an electric typing would be heavily penalized should the opponent switch to Dugtrio on a Volt-Switch, for instance (all the more if they happen to be equipped with a “choice” item).
Thus, we ask for Dugtrio to be removed from Randoms. 

Buffing Certain Pokémons
We believe that a few Pokémons need a bit more love to be viable in Randoms.
We therefore ask you to increase the levels of the following Pokémons: 

2.1. Rotom Base Form (Ghost & Electric Type)
Rotom has been buffed in the past but remains too weak in Randoms. We think that
giving it a few extra levels would solidify its value in the tier. 

2.2. Grass Cloack Wormadam (Bug & Grass type)
This has already been covered in the previous section. 

Adding Certain Pokémons ⭐
We believe that adding certain Pokémons to Randoms would be refreshing for the player base and enhance the tier’s quality. 
We would not only be keen to see existing Pokemons added to the tier, but also Pokemons that are not currently available in other tiers (i.e., certain legendary Pokémons). Regarding the latter, we know that it may be a possibility since some of these Pokémons exist in the Battle Factory despite not being available to players (e.g., Latias & Latios, or Magic Bounce Alakazam). 

We therefore encourage you to add the following Pokémons to Randoms: 

3.1. Gen 5 Pokémons
No additional comments. 

3.2. Legendary Pokémons
We would not only like to see the legendary Pokémons that are currently available to players added to Randoms, but also those that are not available to players and those that are available to players but not usable in PvP. 
Regarding the former, we are referring to Pokémons like Latios, Latias (both of which exist in the Battle Factory), the Regis, to name a few. 
Regarding the latter, we are referring to Pokémons like Darkrai, Sky Form Shaymin, and Mewtwo, Rayquaza, and other “king of the hill” Pokémons, to name a few. 
Naturally, their strength should be accounted for and their level/sets should be determined accordingly for them to be balanced. 

Adding Certain Mechanics ⭐
Similarly to what has been said in the previous sections, we believe that the addition of certain elements of the game to Randoms would bring a sense of refreshment to players. 
We therefore recommend that the following be added to Randoms: 

4.1. Hidden Abilities 
On top of giving a feeling of “new” to the players, giving certain Pokémons access to their HAs would enable them to thrive in a way that may currently not be possible. It would also enable new sets and mechanics to come forward, and overall, make the tier more interesting. This would include HAs that are not currently available to players directly whilst still being present in the game (e.g., Magic Bounce Alakazam). 

Example 1. – New set:
Multiscale Dragonite with Substitute and Roost.

Example 2. – New interaction:
Porygon2 tracing Dragonite’s multiscale.

Example 3. – New potential
Infiltrator Spiritomb to enable “Tricking” Pokemons behind a Substitute.

4.2. Items 
Same reasoning as the previous section. The inclusion of certain items can bring change to the tier. On top of that, several items that lead to fun interactions—which are, however, not strong enough to be used in regular tiers—would be a great addition to Randoms. Due to the characteristics of the tier, such items would be easy to balance in such way that they become viable. 

Example1. - Assault Vest
Good and interesting item overall. 

Example 2. – Throat Spray 
Throat Spray is hardly viable in any regular tier, but who wouldn’t want to play Throat Spray Yanmega with Bug Buzz? 


II. SETS

The beauty of Randoms lies within the creative sets that Pokémons may have, on one hand, and the possibility for players to use Pokémons which would commonly not be strong enough to be viable in regular tiers, on the other hand. The corollary of the above is the process that enables Pokémons to cycle through a diversity of sets. 

The combination of the aforementioned aspects is what makes the tier so special and fun—in Randoms, every match-up will be different. 

However, we believe that numerous sets are detrimental to the game and undermine our enjoyment when playing Randoms. These sets are usually those that disregard the characteristics of a Pokemon while severely affecting their viability. 

Let it be known that we are in favor of keeping creative sets, but not when they completely crush the viability of a Pokémon. 

Example 1. –Fun Creative Set : Belly Drum Hypno
Example 2. – Detrimental Creative Set : Screens Electabuzz with Eviolite  

The “Wish + Protect” Problem ⭐
There are too many Pokemons that may roll “Wish + Protect” despite how suboptimal and incoherent it is for them to have such a set. We believe that “Wish + Protect” should be reserved for Pokemons that may viably fulfil a supportive/cleric role on a team. 
Indeed, some Pokemons can hardly make use of Wish + Protect as it is not in line with their weak defensive features, which also happens to undermine their natural offensive capabilities.  

Therefore, we urge you to remove “Wish + Protect” sets for all of the following Pokémons: 

Absol
Raichu 
Minun/Plusle
Jolteon
Gallade
Girafarig 
Kangashkan 
Salamence 

In addition, we encourage you to lower the frequency for certain Pokemons to roll a “Wish + Protect” set due to the ambiguous interaction it may have with a Pokemon. For instance, such a set may or may not be optimal on Pokemons like Kangashkan and Illumise. 

Moreover, we ask you to determine the two other moves that accompany Wish + Protect with coherence, and refrain from assigning both of those moves as incoherent offensive damaging moves. 

Example 1. – Incoherent Wish + Protect set: 
Absol with Wish, Protect, Night Slash, Will-O-Wisp. 

Example 2. – Incoherent Offensive Wish + Protect set: 
Minun with Wish, Protect, Thunderbolt, Hidden Power Ice. 

The “Screens” Problem ⭐
The same considerations apply to several Pokemons that may roll a set with Reflect & Light Screen, which is worsened if the Pokemon is not equipped with Light Clay or only has one of these two moves. 

Therefore, we encourage you to remove “Screens” sets from the following Pokemons: 
Raichu 
Electabuzz (especially if it holds Eviolite instead of Light Clay) 
Electivire 
Jolteon
Pachirisu (especially because it can only learn Light Screen and not Reflect, and because it is not equipped with Light Clay) 
Porygon2 (especially because it can only learn Reflect and not Light Screen, and because it is equipped with Eviolite instead of Light Clay) 
Magneton (especially if it holds Eviolite instead of Light Clay) 
Mamoswine 
In addition, we recommend that you provide Light Clay to all Pokémons who may set up Reflect and Light Screen. 
 
Sets that generally do not align with the characteristics of a Pokemon ⭐
In Randoms, certain Pokemons are conditionally viable, as their potential significantly depends on the sets that are allocated to them. These Pokemons usually possess remarkable strength in certain stats while being significantly weak in other stats. 

An issue arises when such Pokemons roll sets that contradict their natural strengths while being insufficient to compensate for their weaknesses. Consequently, their value is considerably undermined, to a point where they become a liability for the player. This problem is further enhanced by other factors, such as a lack of offensive move typing diversity or the assignment of a suboptimal item. 

People may wonder why reform is needed for certain Pokémons despite them having reasonable winrates, but we can only stress the fact that winrates are not de facto a good representation of a Pokémon’s position in Randoms. This is because the possibility for a Pokémon to “win” a game (or at least, contribute to a win) largely depends on the set that it rolls. For instance, it wouldn’t be surprising for Shell Smash Gorebyss to have a winrate of 60% while Choice Scarf Gorebyss sits at a winrate of 45%. [These are made-up numbers that serve as an example.]

Therefore, we urge you to review sets that may be deemed as “dubious” in light of the above, while removing/updating them in a manner that is in line with the characteristics of the given Pokemon. 

For further clarification, here are examples of the sets we are referring to:

Example 1. - Leech Seed Cacturne 
Cacturne has high offensive stats, in both Sp.Atk and Ph.Atk, but is defensively frail and slow. A set that includes Swords Dance with Sucker Punch is coherent with Cacturne’s features because it plays around its strengths and accounts for its low speed. 
However, Cacturne with Leech Seed, Substitute, Giga Drain, and Sucker Punch is hardly viable as it cannot meaningfully fulfill the role of a “damage-over-time” Pokemon due to its weak defensive stats. Its offensive stats are somewhat disregarded despite them being Cacturne’s strength. 

Example 2. - Bellossom with no set-up and no utility 
Bellossom is a Pokemon with low speed and low offensive stats, with its defensive stats being average at best. To thrive, Bellossom either needs set-up moves (e.g., Quiver Dance) or utility moves (e.g., Toxic & Leech Seed). 
However, Bellossom becomes a liability if it does not roll such sets. For instance, a Bellossom with Giga Drain, Hidden Power Ice, Synthesis, and Sleep Power, can hardly be an asset for the team as it does not have the damage, nor the speed, nor the utility, to make progress in the game. 

Example 3. - Choice Specs Bastiodon  
Bastiodon has extremely high defensive stats but has very weak offensive stats. Sets on Bastiodon that provide utility to the player are in line with the Pokémon’s characteristics (e.g., Stealth Rocks, Toxic, Roar/Rest, Iron Head). 
However, Choice Specs do not add sufficient damage on Bastiodon’s moves for it to become offensively valuable. Its defensive stats are undermined despite them being Bastiodon’s strength, while the Pokémon remains offensively weak. 

The abovementioned combinations of Pokémons & sets are problematic because they enhance the Pokémons’ weaknesses, without sufficiently enhancing them to reach a successful potential, usually at the expense of their strengths. 

Allocating resources into a Pokémon’s weaknesses at the expense of its strengths is not always an issue, but it is in several instances as highlighted above, when viability is hindered. For example, the Belly Drum Hypno set ignores the Pokémon’s strong defensive capabilities and its role as a special attacker, and instead, considerably enhances its weakest stat: physical attack. Nonetheless, unlike the examples we have mentioned, a Belly Drum set on Hypno sufficiently enhances its weak attack stat to make it viable in Randoms (all the more since it gets Drain Punch which favors sustain on a bulky Pokémon). 

In addition to the aforementioned remarks, certain sets are simply underwhelming, inefficient, and we recommend that they therefore be removed. For example: 
Ledian with Reflect, Light Screen, Substitute, Baton Pass
Smeargle with Lunar Dance, Taunt, Spore, Rapid Spin 
Sudowoodo with Sucker Punch when it is equipped with a Choice Band (it is quite detrimental to be locked into Sucker Punch) 


III. SAFEGUARDS – COVERAGE & BALANCE ⭐

At the time being, there are a few safeguards in place which seek balance in terms of team composition and capabilities. For instance, no type may appear more than twice on a team, no identical dual-types can appear on a team, and no “trapping” Pokémons (such as Dugtrio and Pursuit users) can be rolled as a lead (with the exception of Magnet Pull Pokémons). 
Nevertheless, we share the opinion that the current safeguards are insufficient, which consequently leads to unfair/unbalanced situations. 

Indeed, it is unfortunately frequent for players to lose games because they rolled a team that can single-handedly be dismantled by one opposing Pokémon (due to its particular stats, typing, etc.). We agree that some match-ups may be unfavorable—which is something that inevitably comes with the tier—but no team should be entirely incapacitated by a singular Pokémon.   

We also believe that sets should be coherent in abstracto. In other words, a certain set may be valuable in a concrete setting (e.g., Screens Jolteon in a team that is built around it), but lack purpose and viability when isolated from any context (e.g., Screens Jolteon in general). Because Randoms does not account for teambuilding, we should avoid attributing sets which can reasonably be deemed as individually unviable on a given Pokémon. 

Therefore, we urge you to implement additional safeguards that will account for the following matters; 

Type Coverage 
We agree with the current safeguards in place with regards to typing.
However, we suggest that the following type-related aspects be subject to further safeguards: 

1.1. Offensive Type Coverage 
a) We are keen on avoiding situations in which none of the Pokémons of a team can effectively/super-effectively damage a specific type, or rather, where most moves are “not very effective” into a specific type. Greater offensive type coverage should be guaranteed. 
b) Should Shedinja remain in Randoms, the player opposing Shedinja must be equipped with reasonable tools in order to defeat Shedinja. It should not be possible for a player to only have one to three moves that may defeat Shedinja. 

1.2. Defensive Type Coverage 
We are keen on avoiding situations in which five or six Pokémons in a team are weak to one type. For instance, a team comprised of two grass types, one bug type, one ice type, and two steel types would be entirely weak to a fire Pokémon. Better defensive type coverage should be allocated within a team.  

Physical & Special Distribution 
There are currently no safeguards in place to guarantee a fair distribution of power, or in other words, a fair allocation of special / physical Pokémons, both on a defensive and an offensive spectrum (but mostly offensive). This can be a serious issue, for example, when a player rolls a team that consists of six special attackers while facing a Chansey. 

Therefore, we urge you to prevent the attribution, in a team, of six Pokémons that share the same power trait. For instance, it should not be possible for a player to roll a team with six physical attackers or six special attackers. 
 
A Fair Distribution of Other Characteristics : Avoiding Extremes
We believe that, in general, safeguards should be in place to prevent a player from receiving teams that are marked by excessive redundancy.  

Example 1. – Moves  
It should not be possible for a player to roll a team with five Stealth Rocks setters. 

Example 2. – Items 
It should not be possible for a player to roll a team with five Pokémons that have a choice item. 

We do not necessarily require a minimum of each, but we do advocate for a maximum of each. In other words, we wish to keep the tier as “randomized” as possible, which requires minimal intervention from the developers. Thus, setting a minimum standard for each team would limit Randoms in an unhealthy manner (e.g., setting a minimum of one “Choice” Pokémon in each team). However, we believe that a maximum number of X or Y elements should be featured in a team in order for the tier to be functional (e.g., maximum two “Choice” items per team, maximum five  “slow” Pokémons below a certain speed tier, etc.). The specific aspects that should fall under such limitations would be determined by the developers (i.e., not all aspects should be concerned by this limit). 

Include Hazard Removal in Teams that do not have Hazards ⭐⭐⭐
The disadvantage of playing into hazards in the absence of hazard removal and hazards themselves is egregious. It creates a significant unbalance between both players. This is further amplified by the confidential aspect of Randoms, which enables players to force out the opponent on many occasions. In regular tiers, hazard removal is present in a vast majority of teams. This should also be the case in Randoms. 

Therefore, we encourage you to include hazard removal in teams that do not possess hazards. 

Alternatively, we recommend that hazards be subject to a certain ponderation [We also suggest that Pokémons be categorized in certain tiers according to their sets. This will be developed in an ulterior section.]. This way, a team that has hazards will increase the overall “tier” of the team, and a team without hazards and without hazard removal will see its overall “tier” decreased. This way, the AI would be able to detect the “imbalance” related to hazards and equip the latter team with Pokémons in a higher tier to seek balance between both teams. 

Trapping Pokémons as Leads 
Currently, trapping Pokémons may not be rolled as a lead Pokémon. Such “trapping” Pokémons include, for instance, Pursuit users, Shadow Tag users, and Arena Trap users. 
However, Magnet Pull Pokémons are exempt from this safeguard and may be rolled as the lead. We do not understand this exemption. 

Therefore, we ask you to prevent Magnet Pull Pokémons from being rolled as the lead. 

Tiers within the Tier ⭐
Certain Pokémons with specific sets are stronger than others. Pokémon X with set Y may be stronger than Pokémon A with set Y, or than Pokémon X but, this time, with set Z. To avoid imbalances in the allocation of a team, we would like the developers to implement a non-public tiering system within Randoms itself, in order for the AI to fairly distribute Pokémons in a team. The purpose would be to avoid situations in which a team has five or six overpowered combinations of sets and Pokémons, and vice-versa. 

For instance, Shell Smash Gorebyss would be categorized in the “S+” tier whilst Choice Scarf Gorebyss would be categorized in the “C” tier. 
More specifically, tiering should be processed according to the winrate of a given Pokémon with regards to a given set (i.e., the winrate of the combination). To reiterate our example, Gorebyss with Shell Smash would fall in the S+ tier due to having a winrate of (for example) 58% whereas Gorebyss with Choice Scarf would be in the C tier due to its winrate of (for example) 45%. 

In fine, the allocation of a team by the AI should be processed, in part, according to the winrates of the combinations of Pokémons and sets, in order to reach an overall balanced team winrate.
In other words, the combined winrate of each combination of Pokémon and set—i.e., the team winrate—should hover around 50%, or at least, should not be excessively high or low. 

This is one of my recent games & it perfectly summarizes the issue with a lack of safeguards. 



Rolling the three worst Pokémons in the tier;
Rolling six special attackers into a Blissey (which had toxic and wish);
Lack of diversity in the move typings;
A choice scarf on a Pokémon that is already fast and therefore does not need the extra speed;

IV. FINAL CONSIDERATIONS
General considerations that do not fall under the abovementioned categories. 

We are not asking for a complete reform
This Reform Request may be critical of certain aspects of Randoms, but we enjoy most of the current features offered by the tier. 
We are in favor of playing original sets in Randoms that would otherwise be unviable in other tiers. The same applies for Pokémons that are fun to use but not strong enough to be played elsewhere than in Randoms.
We agree with the matchmaking system, where losing a game of Randoms is less impactful than losses in other tiers.
For the tier to remain faithful to its essence, we believe that “randomization” should be the rule. However, some degree of intervention is required for a healthy gameplay. The suggestions and problems underlined in this document are the intervention we would like to see. 
As far as we know, anything that has not been mentioned here should remain unchanged and is therefore implicitly marked by our approval. Other players may, however, point out issues that we have omitted/forgotten in the discussion thread. 

Upcoming Update : Involving PvP Players 
Seeing that a Randoms update is long overdue, that numerous players have considerable experience in Randoms and are themselves the recipient of an update, that the current meta includes a wide array of “dubious” sets (which affects player engagement and retention);
We encourage you to involve experienced Randoms players (and PvP players) in the upcoming modification and development of sets, and more generally, in the upcoming update of Randoms. 

We are aware that this involvement should be limited in a way that does not affect the fairness of Randoms [It would not be fair for certain Randoms players to have access to the entire list of sets and mechanics. This would enable them to have a list that can be used when playing Randoms and would therefore create an unfair advantage. Although most top rated Randoms players already have somewhat of a list, or most sets memorized, it would still be unjust symbolically-speaking] . Thus, our involvement would be limited to Pokémons & sets that may reasonably be deemed as “dubious”. In other words, it is not necessary—nor for the developers or for the Randoms players—to go over all of the sets. Most of them can remain untouched. We are only referring to the “dubious” sets, potential new HAs, potential new legendaries, etc. 

Moreover, we suggest that a council/thread be devoted to Randoms as a tier, with a dedicated Discord channel, similarly to what has been created for the other tiers—for the sake of fluid communication. The specific competences and purpose of this tier/thread would be defined by the developers. 

We urge you to take into account all of the abovementioned considerations, and ask you to inform the lead author of this request, DiscoShiba, if/when the recipient(s), Rache and/or other developers, have properly received and duly familiarized themselves with the content of this request.
Should this request be denied/ignored, we ask you to provide an explanation as to why that is. 

Lastly, we urge you to inform us on the potential existence of an update for Randoms in the foreseeable future, and if applicable, to provide a timeframe in which said-update will begin. 

Hall of Fame 
Noting that players who finish a season on the leaderboard as rank one, two, and three in OU, UU, NU, and Doubles, thereby winning a crown, have their in-game names displayed on the PokeMMO Forums Hall of Fame thread; 
Reaffirming the prestige that a leaderboard entry holds, but also the energy and time required for Randoms players to be placed in the top three, especially in contrast with other tiers;  
Expressing our lack of understanding as to why top leaderboard players in Randoms do not have their in-game names displayed in the Hall of Fame thread at the end of the season, and are thereby being treated differently for no apparent reason; 

We adamantly ask you to display, on the Hall of Fame thread, the in-game names of past and future Randoms players that finish (or have finished) the season in the top three of the leaderboard. 
______________________________________________________________________

OPEN DISCUSSION ON THE FORUMS 

On a final note, we would like to open a discussion on certain points mentioned within this document—which will be posted on the Forums.
In particular, we are keen to see players share their views on the following topics (these topics will be marked with a yellow star on the Forums ⭐): 
Dugtrio and Shedinja in Randoms, uncompetitive or not?; 
The specifics of adding new items, Pokémons, and abilities to Randoms; 
The specific Pokémons that should (not) have access to Screens and Wish/Protect sets; 
Type coverage safeguards (and other safeguards); 
The randomized distribution of hazards in teams or lack thereof; 
Tiers within the Randoms tier; 
The specifics of “Dubious sets”. 

Naturally, we welcome and encourage players to voice their opinions on other matters related to Randoms, including those that may have not been covered by this request. 

Lastly—regarding “dubious sets”—it would be helpful if players could post screenshots or the exact moves of sets that may reasonably be considered as nonsensical so that we can have a list. At the very least, it would enable a discussion to be held on sets for which viability is debatable.

______________________________________________________________________

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 

I wish to thank the developers and Rache in advance for considering this request,

Thank you to all the PvP players and other members of the community who contributed to the content of this request, and to those that will be part of future discussions. 

Kind regards,
DiscoShiba & SpidgetREAL (lead authors of the request) 

I may be reached through the following channel (contact information):
IGN: DiscoShiba
Forums: DiscoShiba
Discord: discoshiba66 

[Context]
Hello everyone,
Hereafter is the Request we are sending to @Rache to push for a Randoms update (I'm reaching out to her specifically because she appears to be the developer in charge of Randoms and previously expressed her will to update the tier). This request contains a detailed list of suggestions, ideas, and issues related to Randoms.
Although this could be classified as a "suggestion" (and therefore be posted in Suggestions), I wish to open a discussion on the content of this request and am therefore posting it here, in Competitive Alley. The specific topics for which we adamantly wish players to voice their opinions on will be marked with a yellow star ⭐, but feel free to address anything else related to Randoms.
If this should be considered as a "Suggestion" instead, please let me know (if you're a moderator).
Cheers,
DiscoShiba & Spidget

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

REFORM REQUEST – UPDATING RANDOMS [PVP]

PREAMBLE

Dear Rache,
Dear Developers, 

We hope this message finds you well, as a lot of time and effort was put into it.
Understandably, you have a lot on your plate and receive numerous requests, but we believe that Randoms PvP is a facet of the game that receives enough playtime to be prioritized for an update. You have previously stated that reforming Randoms was “high on your to-do list” and, with this message, we are eager to offer our contribution.  

Hereafter, you will find a list of highlighted issues and recommendations that myself and several other top Randoms players have worked on. All of us have consistently played thousands of Randoms games throughout the years, earned crowns, and maintained a high winrate.
We believe that we have the necessary experience and knowledge to provide constructive feedback on the current state of Randoms and encourage you to use it when the time for an update comes. 

In addition to Randoms players, many members of the PvP community (and of the community as a whole) share the desire to see the tier reformed. An update not only benefits the current player base–which is quite large, as one can notice from PvP statistics–but also all the players who do not play Randoms due to the current design. [I am currently a member of VOW, a notorious PvP team, but am also the only avid Randoms player (who plays for Leaderboard). My teammates enjoy Randoms but not on PokeMMO. They would play if an update were to come] 

With all this being said, we are pleased to share this Randoms Reform Request with you and hope to hear back from you soon. 

We are looking forward to your response and are grateful for the opportunity to be considered, 

Yours sincerely, 
DiscoShiba & SpidgetREAL 
________________________________________________________________

TABLE OF CONTENTS 
I. POKEMONS
1. Removing Certain Pokémons
1.1. Unown
1.2. Ditto
1.3. Plant Coat Wormadam (Grass & Bug typing)
1.4. Shedinja
1.5. Dugtrio 
2. Buffing Certain Pokémons
2.1. Rotom Base Form (Ghost & Electric typing)
2.2. Grass Cloak Wormadam (Bug & Grass typing)
3. Adding Certain Pokémons
3.1. Gen 5 Pokémons
3.2. Legendary Pokémons
4. Adding Certain Mechanics
4.1. Hidden Abilities
4.2. Items
II. SETS
1. The “Wish + Protect” Problem
2. The “Screens” Problem
3. Sets that do not align with the characteristics of a Pokemon
III. SAFEGUARDS – COVERAGE & BALANCE
1. Type Coverage
1.1. Offensive Type Coverage
1.2. Defensive Type Coverage
2. Physical & Special Distribution
3. A Fair Distribution of Other Characteristics : Avoiding Extremes
4. Include Hazard Removal in Teams that do not have Hazards
5. Trapping Pokémons as Leads
6. Tiers within the Tier
IV. FINAL CONSIDERATIONS
1. We are not asking for a complete reform
2. Upcoming Update : Involving PvP Players
3. Hall of Fame

AKNOWLEDGEMENTS
_______________________________________________________

I. POKEMONS

Removing Certain Pokémons
Several Pokémons are a liability due to their underwhelming characteristics and/or design. A player who should roll them in a game is essentially starting off the battle 5 vs. 6. 
We urge you to remove the following Pokémons from Randoms:

1.1. Unown 
The capacity of Unown to a) only learn one move and b) a weak move, makes it underwhelming to use. This makes Unown easy to counter/defeat, all the more since it can only hold one of two items and has access to either HP psychic or HP fighting. Since its level is already set to 100, it cannot be further buffed and we therefore would like to see it removed from the tier. 

1.2. Ditto
The same reasoning applies to Ditto.
However, we would like to keep Ditto in the tier under the condition that Hidden Abilities are added [HAs will be the subject of an ulterior section].

1.3. Plant Coat Wormadam (Grass & Bug typing) 
Wormadam in its "regular" form is arguably the worst Pokémon in Randoms. It's been somewhat buffed in the past but its winrate unfortunately remained the same. Due to its weak overall characteristics, we recommend that it be removed from the tier.
However, we are of the opinion that Plant Coat Wormadam may remain in the tier under the condition that its level is at least increased to 84. After running a series of calculcations, we consider that it may become balanced in Randoms if its level is set somewhere between 84 and 87.

1.4. Shedinja ⭐
Although Shedinja may be balanced in other tiers, we do not support its presence in Randoms. Defeating Shedinja relies on either being in possession of hazards or defined moves in terms of typing. Inversely, Shedinja’s use becomes void if a player rolls it into a team that has hazards when said-player does not have any removal. To us, Shedinja is uncompetitive in Randoms.
Because teams and moves are randomized, we do not believe that it is fair to include a Pokémon for which the strength/weakness is determined nearly exclusively by RNG.
On top of that, the confidential aspect of Randoms (i.e., absence of team preview) also contributes to determining Shedinja’s capabilities. It is possible for a player to “hide” Shedinja until the very end, where the opponent will simply not have the necessary moves to defeat it.

Lastly, it happens too often for players to only receive one to three moves that can in fact beat Shedinja, which leaves this matter, once again, up to RNG.
For these reasons, we ask for Shedinja to be removed from Randoms.

1.5. Dugtrio ⭐
We will not reiterate the long discussions that players have held on the Forums regarding Dugtrio. It has been deemed as an uncompetitive Pokemon in regular tiers and we fail to comprehend why it has not been considered as such in Randoms. If anything, Dugtrio is especially uncompetitive in Randoms due to the absence of team preview. Any Pokemon with an electric typing would be heavily penalized should the opponent switch to Dugtrio on a Volt-Switch, for instance (all the more if they happen to be equipped with a “choice” item).
Thus, we ask for Dugtrio to be removed from Randoms. 

Buffing Certain Pokémons
We believe that a few Pokémons need a bit more love to be viable in Randoms.
We therefore ask you to increase the levels of the following Pokémons: 

2.1. Rotom Base Form (Ghost & Electric Type)
Rotom has been buffed in the past but remains too weak in Randoms. We think that
giving it a few extra levels would solidify its value in the tier. 

2.2. Grass Cloack Wormadam (Bug & Grass type)
This has already been covered in the previous section. 

Adding Certain Pokémons ⭐
We believe that adding certain Pokémons to Randoms would be refreshing for the player base and enhance the tier’s quality. 
We would not only be keen to see existing Pokemons added to the tier, but also Pokemons that are not currently available in other tiers (i.e., certain legendary Pokémons). Regarding the latter, we know that it may be a possibility since some of these Pokémons exist in the Battle Factory despite not being available to players (e.g., Latias & Latios, or Magic Bounce Alakazam). 

We therefore encourage you to add the following Pokémons to Randoms: 

3.1. Gen 5 Pokémons
No additional comments. 

3.2. Legendary Pokémons
We would not only like to see the legendary Pokémons that are currently available to players added to Randoms, but also those that are not available to players and those that are available to players but not usable in PvP. 
Regarding the former, we are referring to Pokémons like Latios, Latias (both of which exist in the Battle Factory), the Regis, to name a few. 
Regarding the latter, we are referring to Pokémons like Darkrai, Sky Form Shaymin, and Mewtwo, Rayquaza, and other “king of the hill” Pokémons, to name a few. 
Naturally, their strength should be accounted for and their level/sets should be determined accordingly for them to be balanced. 

Adding Certain Mechanics ⭐
Similarly to what has been said in the previous sections, we believe that the addition of certain elements of the game to Randoms would bring a sense of refreshment to players. 
We therefore recommend that the following be added to Randoms: 

4.1. Hidden Abilities 
On top of giving a feeling of “new” to the players, giving certain Pokémons access to their HAs would enable them to thrive in a way that may currently not be possible. It would also enable new sets and mechanics to come forward, and overall, make the tier more interesting. This would include HAs that are not currently available to players directly whilst still being present in the game (e.g., Magic Bounce Alakazam). 

Example 1. – New set:
Multiscale Dragonite with Substitute and Roost.

Example 2. – New interaction:
Porygon2 tracing Dragonite’s multiscale.

Example 3. – New potential
Infiltrator Spiritomb to enable “Tricking” Pokemons behind a Substitute.

4.2. Items 
Same reasoning as the previous section. The inclusion of certain items can bring change to the tier. On top of that, several items that lead to fun interactions—which are, however, not strong enough to be used in regular tiers—would be a great addition to Randoms. Due to the characteristics of the tier, such items would be easy to balance in such way that they become viable. 

Example1. - Assault Vest
Good and interesting item overall. 

Example 2. – Throat Spray 
Throat Spray is hardly viable in any regular tier, but who wouldn’t want to play Throat Spray Yanmega with Bug Buzz? 


II. SETS

The beauty of Randoms lies within the creative sets that Pokémons may have, on one hand, and the possibility for players to use Pokémons which would commonly not be strong enough to be viable in regular tiers, on the other hand. The corollary of the above is the process that enables Pokémons to cycle through a diversity of sets. 

The combination of the aforementioned aspects is what makes the tier so special and fun—in Randoms, every match-up will be different. 

However, we believe that numerous sets are detrimental to the game and undermine our enjoyment when playing Randoms. These sets are usually those that disregard the characteristics of a Pokemon while severely affecting their viability. 

Let it be known that we are in favor of keeping creative sets, but not when they completely crush the viability of a Pokémon. 

Example 1. –Fun Creative Set : Belly Drum Hypno
Example 2. – Detrimental Creative Set : Screens Electabuzz with Eviolite  

The “Wish + Protect” Problem ⭐
There are too many Pokemons that may roll “Wish + Protect” despite how suboptimal and incoherent it is for them to have such a set. We believe that “Wish + Protect” should be reserved for Pokemons that may viably fulfil a supportive/cleric role on a team. 
Indeed, some Pokemons can hardly make use of Wish + Protect as it is not in line with their weak defensive features, which also happens to undermine their natural offensive capabilities.  

Therefore, we urge you to remove “Wish + Protect” sets for all of the following Pokémons: 

Absol
Raichu 
Minun/Plusle
Jolteon
Gallade
Girafarig 
Kangashkan 
Salamence 

In addition, we encourage you to lower the frequency for certain Pokemons to roll a “Wish + Protect” set due to the ambiguous interaction it may have with a Pokemon. For instance, such a set may or may not be optimal on Pokemons like Kangashkan and Illumise. 

Moreover, we ask you to determine the two other moves that accompany Wish + Protect with coherence, and refrain from assigning both of those moves as incoherent offensive damaging moves. 

Example 1. – Incoherent Wish + Protect set: 
Absol with Wish, Protect, Night Slash, Will-O-Wisp. 

Example 2. – Incoherent Offensive Wish + Protect set: 
Minun with Wish, Protect, Thunderbolt, Hidden Power Ice. 

The “Screens” Problem ⭐
The same considerations apply to several Pokemons that may roll a set with Reflect & Light Screen, which is worsened if the Pokemon is not equipped with Light Clay or only has one of these two moves. 

Therefore, we encourage you to remove “Screens” sets from the following Pokemons: 
Raichu 
Electabuzz (especially if it holds Eviolite instead of Light Clay) 
Electivire 
Jolteon
Pachirisu (especially because it can only learn Light Screen and not Reflect, and because it is not equipped with Light Clay) 
Porygon2 (especially because it can only learn Reflect and not Light Screen, and because it is equipped with Eviolite instead of Light Clay) 
Magneton (especially if it holds Eviolite instead of Light Clay) 
Mamoswine 
In addition, we recommend that you provide Light Clay to all Pokémons who may set up Reflect and Light Screen. 
 
Sets that generally do not align with the characteristics of a Pokemon ⭐
In Randoms, certain Pokemons are conditionally viable, as their potential significantly depends on the sets that are allocated to them. These Pokemons usually possess remarkable strength in certain stats while being significantly weak in other stats. 

An issue arises when such Pokemons roll sets that contradict their natural strengths while being insufficient to compensate for their weaknesses. Consequently, their value is considerably undermined, to a point where they become a liability for the player. This problem is further enhanced by other factors, such as a lack of offensive move typing diversity or the assignment of a suboptimal item. 

People may wonder why reform is needed for certain Pokémons despite them having reasonable winrates, but we can only stress the fact that winrates are not de facto a good representation of a Pokémon’s position in Randoms. This is because the possibility for a Pokémon to “win” a game (or at least, contribute to a win) largely depends on the set that it rolls. For instance, it wouldn’t be surprising for Shell Smash Gorebyss to have a winrate of 60% while Choice Scarf Gorebyss sits at a winrate of 45%. [These are made-up numbers that serve as an example.]

Therefore, we urge you to review sets that may be deemed as “dubious” in light of the above, while removing/updating them in a manner that is in line with the characteristics of the given Pokemon. 

For further clarification, here are examples of the sets we are referring to:

Example 1. - Leech Seed Cacturne 
Cacturne has high offensive stats, in both Sp.Atk and Ph.Atk, but is defensively frail and slow. A set that includes Swords Dance with Sucker Punch is coherent with Cacturne’s features because it plays around its strengths and accounts for its low speed. 
However, Cacturne with Leech Seed, Substitute, Giga Drain, and Sucker Punch is hardly viable as it cannot meaningfully fulfill the role of a “damage-over-time” Pokemon due to its weak defensive stats. Its offensive stats are somewhat disregarded despite them being Cacturne’s strength. 

Example 2. - Bellossom with no set-up and no utility 
Bellossom is a Pokemon with low speed and low offensive stats, with its defensive stats being average at best. To thrive, Bellossom either needs set-up moves (e.g., Quiver Dance) or utility moves (e.g., Toxic & Leech Seed). 
However, Bellossom becomes a liability if it does not roll such sets. For instance, a Bellossom with Giga Drain, Hidden Power Ice, Synthesis, and Sleep Power, can hardly be an asset for the team as it does not have the damage, nor the speed, nor the utility, to make progress in the game. 

Example 3. - Choice Specs Bastiodon  
Bastiodon has extremely high defensive stats but has very weak offensive stats. Sets on Bastiodon that provide utility to the player are in line with the Pokémon’s characteristics (e.g., Stealth Rocks, Toxic, Roar/Rest, Iron Head). 
However, Choice Specs do not add sufficient damage on Bastiodon’s moves for it to become offensively valuable. Its defensive stats are undermined despite them being Bastiodon’s strength, while the Pokémon remains offensively weak. 

The abovementioned combinations of Pokémons & sets are problematic because they enhance the Pokémons’ weaknesses, without sufficiently enhancing them to reach a successful potential, usually at the expense of their strengths. 

Allocating resources into a Pokémon’s weaknesses at the expense of its strengths is not always an issue, but it is in several instances as highlighted above, when viability is hindered. For example, the Belly Drum Hypno set ignores the Pokémon’s strong defensive capabilities and its role as a special attacker, and instead, considerably enhances its weakest stat: physical attack. Nonetheless, unlike the examples we have mentioned, a Belly Drum set on Hypno sufficiently enhances its weak attack stat to make it viable in Randoms (all the more since it gets Drain Punch which favors sustain on a bulky Pokémon). 

In addition to the aforementioned remarks, certain sets are simply underwhelming, inefficient, and we recommend that they therefore be removed. For example: 
Ledian with Reflect, Light Screen, Substitute, Baton Pass
Smeargle with Lunar Dance, Taunt, Spore, Rapid Spin 
Sudowoodo with Sucker Punch when it is equipped with a Choice Band (it is quite detrimental to be locked into Sucker Punch) 


III. SAFEGUARDS – COVERAGE & BALANCE ⭐

At the time being, there are a few safeguards in place which seek balance in terms of team composition and capabilities. For instance, no type may appear more than twice on a team, no identical dual-types can appear on a team, and no “trapping” Pokémons (such as Dugtrio and Pursuit users) can be rolled as a lead (with the exception of Magnet Pull Pokémons). 
Nevertheless, we share the opinion that the current safeguards are insufficient, which consequently leads to unfair/unbalanced situations. 

Indeed, it is unfortunately frequent for players to lose games because they rolled a team that can single-handedly be dismantled by one opposing Pokémon (due to its particular stats, typing, etc.). We agree that some match-ups may be unfavorable—which is something that inevitably comes with the tier—but no team should be entirely incapacitated by a singular Pokémon.   

We also believe that sets should be coherent in abstracto. In other words, a certain set may be valuable in a concrete setting (e.g., Screens Jolteon in a team that is built around it), but lack purpose and viability when isolated from any context (e.g., Screens Jolteon in general). Because Randoms does not account for teambuilding, we should avoid attributing sets which can reasonably be deemed as individually unviable on a given Pokémon. 

Therefore, we urge you to implement additional safeguards that will account for the following matters; 

Type Coverage 
We agree with the current safeguards in place with regards to typing.
However, we suggest that the following type-related aspects be subject to further safeguards: 

1.1. Offensive Type Coverage 
a) We are keen on avoiding situations in which none of the Pokémons of a team can effectively/super-effectively damage a specific type, or rather, where most moves are “not very effective” into a specific type. Greater offensive type coverage should be guaranteed. 
b) Should Shedinja remain in Randoms, the player opposing Shedinja must be equipped with reasonable tools in order to defeat Shedinja. It should not be possible for a player to only have one to three moves that may defeat Shedinja. 

1.2. Defensive Type Coverage 
We are keen on avoiding situations in which five or six Pokémons in a team are weak to one type. For instance, a team comprised of two grass types, one bug type, one ice type, and two steel types would be entirely weak to a fire Pokémon. Better defensive type coverage should be allocated within a team.  

Physical & Special Distribution 
There are currently no safeguards in place to guarantee a fair distribution of power, or in other words, a fair allocation of special / physical Pokémons, both on a defensive and an offensive spectrum (but mostly offensive). This can be a serious issue, for example, when a player rolls a team that consists of six special attackers while facing a Chansey. 

Therefore, we urge you to prevent the attribution, in a team, of six Pokémons that share the same power trait. For instance, it should not be possible for a player to roll a team with six physical attackers or six special attackers. 
 
A Fair Distribution of Other Characteristics : Avoiding Extremes
We believe that, in general, safeguards should be in place to prevent a player from receiving teams that are marked by excessive redundancy.  

Example 1. – Moves  
It should not be possible for a player to roll a team with five Stealth Rocks setters. 

Example 2. – Items 
It should not be possible for a player to roll a team with five Pokémons that have a choice item. 

We do not necessarily require a minimum of each, but we do advocate for a maximum of each. In other words, we wish to keep the tier as “randomized” as possible, which requires minimal intervention from the developers. Thus, setting a minimum standard for each team would limit Randoms in an unhealthy manner (e.g., setting a minimum of one “Choice” Pokémon in each team). However, we believe that a maximum number of X or Y elements should be featured in a team in order for the tier to be functional (e.g., maximum two “Choice” items per team, maximum five  “slow” Pokémons below a certain speed tier, etc.). The specific aspects that should fall under such limitations would be determined by the developers (i.e., not all aspects should be concerned by this limit). 

Include Hazard Removal in Teams that do not have Hazards ⭐⭐⭐
The disadvantage of playing into hazards in the absence of hazard removal and hazards themselves is egregious. It creates a significant unbalance between both players. This is further amplified by the confidential aspect of Randoms, which enables players to force out the opponent on many occasions. In regular tiers, hazard removal is present in a vast majority of teams. This should also be the case in Randoms. 

Therefore, we encourage you to include hazard removal in teams that do not possess hazards. 

Alternatively, we recommend that hazards be subject to a certain ponderation [We also suggest that Pokémons be categorized in certain tiers according to their sets. This will be developed in an ulterior section.]. This way, a team that has hazards will increase the overall “tier” of the team, and a team without hazards and without hazard removal will see its overall “tier” decreased. This way, the AI would be able to detect the “imbalance” related to hazards and equip the latter team with Pokémons in a higher tier to seek balance between both teams. 

Trapping Pokémons as Leads 
Currently, trapping Pokémons may not be rolled as a lead Pokémon. Such “trapping” Pokémons include, for instance, Pursuit users, Shadow Tag users, and Arena Trap users. 
However, Magnet Pull Pokémons are exempt from this safeguard and may be rolled as the lead. We do not understand this exemption. 

Therefore, we ask you to prevent Magnet Pull Pokémons from being rolled as the lead. 

Tiers within the Tier ⭐
Certain Pokémons with specific sets are stronger than others. Pokémon X with set Y may be stronger than Pokémon A with set Y, or than Pokémon X but, this time, with set Z. To avoid imbalances in the allocation of a team, we would like the developers to implement a non-public tiering system within Randoms itself, in order for the AI to fairly distribute Pokémons in a team. The purpose would be to avoid situations in which a team has five or six overpowered combinations of sets and Pokémons, and vice-versa. 

For instance, Shell Smash Gorebyss would be categorized in the “S+” tier whilst Choice Scarf Gorebyss would be categorized in the “C” tier. 
More specifically, tiering should be processed according to the winrate of a given Pokémon with regards to a given set (i.e., the winrate of the combination). To reiterate our example, Gorebyss with Shell Smash would fall in the S+ tier due to having a winrate of (for example) 58% whereas Gorebyss with Choice Scarf would be in the C tier due to its winrate of (for example) 45%. 

In fine, the allocation of a team by the AI should be processed, in part, according to the winrates of the combinations of Pokémons and sets, in order to reach an overall balanced team winrate.
In other words, the combined winrate of each combination of Pokémon and set—i.e., the team winrate—should hover around 50%, or at least, should not be excessively high or low. 

This is one of my recent games & it perfectly summarizes the issue with a lack of safeguards. 



Rolling the three worst Pokémons in the tier;
Rolling six special attackers into a Blissey (which had toxic and wish);
Lack of diversity in the move typings;
A choice scarf on a Pokémon that is already fast and therefore does not need the extra speed;

IV. FINAL CONSIDERATIONS
General considerations that do not fall under the abovementioned categories. 

We are not asking for a complete reform
This Reform Request may be critical of certain aspects of Randoms, but we enjoy most of the current features offered by the tier. 
We are in favor of playing original sets in Randoms that would otherwise be unviable in other tiers. The same applies for Pokémons that are fun to use but not strong enough to be played elsewhere than in Randoms.
We agree with the matchmaking system, where losing a game of Randoms is less impactful than losses in other tiers.
For the tier to remain faithful to its essence, we believe that “randomization” should be the rule. However, some degree of intervention is required for a healthy gameplay. The suggestions and problems underlined in this document are the intervention we would like to see. 
As far as we know, anything that has not been mentioned here should remain unchanged and is therefore implicitly marked by our approval. Other players may, however, point out issues that we have omitted/forgotten in the discussion thread. 

Upcoming Update : Involving PvP Players 
Seeing that a Randoms update is long overdue, that numerous players have considerable experience in Randoms and are themselves the recipient of an update, that the current meta includes a wide array of “dubious” sets (which affects player engagement and retention);
We encourage you to involve experienced Randoms players (and PvP players) in the upcoming modification and development of sets, and more generally, in the upcoming update of Randoms. 

We are aware that this involvement should be limited in a way that does not affect the fairness of Randoms [It would not be fair for certain Randoms players to have access to the entire list of sets and mechanics. This would enable them to have a list that can be used when playing Randoms and would therefore create an unfair advantage. Although most top rated Randoms players already have somewhat of a list, or most sets memorized, it would still be unjust symbolically-speaking] . Thus, our involvement would be limited to Pokémons & sets that may reasonably be deemed as “dubious”. In other words, it is not necessary—nor for the developers or for the Randoms players—to go over all of the sets. Most of them can remain untouched. We are only referring to the “dubious” sets, potential new HAs, potential new legendaries, etc. 

Moreover, we suggest that a council/thread be devoted to Randoms as a tier, with a dedicated Discord channel, similarly to what has been created for the other tiers—for the sake of fluid communication. The specific competences and purpose of this tier/thread would be defined by the developers. 

We urge you to take into account all of the abovementioned considerations, and ask you to inform the lead author of this request, DiscoShiba, if/when the recipient(s), Rache and/or other developers, have properly received and duly familiarized themselves with the content of this request.
Should this request be denied/ignored, we ask you to provide an explanation as to why that is. 

Lastly, we urge you to inform us on the potential existence of an update for Randoms in the foreseeable future, and if applicable, to provide a timeframe in which said-update will begin. 

Hall of Fame 
Noting that players who finish a season on the leaderboard as rank one, two, and three in OU, UU, NU, and Doubles, thereby winning a crown, have their in-game names displayed on the PokeMMO Forums Hall of Fame thread; 
Reaffirming the prestige that a leaderboard entry holds, but also the energy and time required for Randoms players to be placed in the top three, especially in contrast with other tiers;  
Expressing our lack of understanding as to why top leaderboard players in Randoms do not have their in-game names displayed in the Hall of Fame thread at the end of the season, and are thereby being treated differently for no apparent reason; 

We adamantly ask you to display, on the Hall of Fame thread, the in-game names of past and future Randoms players that finish (or have finished) the season in the top three of the leaderboard. 
______________________________________________________________________

OPEN DISCUSSION ON THE FORUMS 

On a final note, we would like to open a discussion on certain points mentioned within this document—which will be posted on the Forums.
In particular, we are keen to see players share their views on the following topics (these topics will be marked with a yellow star on the Forums ⭐): 
Dugtrio and Shedinja in Randoms, uncompetitive or not?; 
The specifics of adding new items, Pokémons, and abilities to Randoms; 
The specific Pokémons that should (not) have access to Screens and Wish/Protect sets; 
Type coverage safeguards (and other safeguards); 
The randomized distribution of hazards in teams or lack thereof; 
Tiers within the Randoms tier; 
The specifics of “Dubious sets”. 

Naturally, we welcome and encourage players to voice their opinions on other matters related to Randoms, including those that may have not been covered by this request. 

Lastly—regarding “dubious sets”—it would be helpful if players could post screenshots or the exact moves of sets that may reasonably be considered as nonsensical so that we can have a list. At the very least, it would enable a discussion to be held on sets for which viability is debatable.

______________________________________________________________________

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 

I wish to thank the developers and Rache in advance for considering this request,

Thank you to all the PvP players and other members of the community who contributed to the content of this request, and to those that will be part of future discussions. 

Kind regards,
DiscoShiba & SpidgetREAL (lead authors of the request) 

I may be reached through the following channel (contact information):
IGN: DiscoShiba
Forums: DiscoShiba
Discord: discoshiba66 

[Context]
Hello everyone,
Hereafter is the Request we are sending to @Rache to push for a Randoms update (I'm reaching out to her specifically because she appears to be the developer in charge of Randoms and previously expressed her will to update the tier). This request contains a detailed list of suggestions, ideas, and issues related to Randoms.
Although this could be classified as a "suggestion" (and therefore be posted in Suggestions), I wish to open a discussion on the content of this request and am therefore posting it here, in Competitive Alley. The specific topics for which we adamantly wish players to voice their opinions on will be marked with a yellow star ⭐, but feel free to address anything else related to Randoms.
If this should be considered as a "Suggestion" instead, please let me know (if you're a moderator).
Cheers,
DiscoShiba & Spidget

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

REFORM REQUEST – UPDATING RANDOMS [PVP]

PREAMBLE

Dear Rache,
Dear Developers, 

We hope this message finds you well, as a lot of time and effort was put into it.
Understandably, you have a lot on your plate and receive numerous requests, but we believe that Randoms PvP is a facet of the game that receives enough playtime to be prioritized for an update. You have previously stated that reforming Randoms was “high on your to-do list” and, with this message, we are eager to offer our contribution.  

Hereafter, you will find a list of highlighted issues and recommendations that myself and several other top Randoms players have worked on. All of us have consistently played thousands of Randoms games throughout the years, earned crowns, and maintained a high winrate.
We believe that we have the necessary experience and knowledge to provide constructive feedback on the current state of Randoms and encourage you to use it when the time for an update comes. 

In addition to Randoms players, many members of the PvP community (and of the community as a whole) share the desire to see the tier reformed. An update not only benefits the current player base–which is quite large, as one can notice from PvP statistics–but also all the players who do not play Randoms due to the current design. [I am currently a member of VOW, a notorious PvP team, but am also the only avid Randoms player (who plays for Leaderboard). My teammates enjoy Randoms but not on PokeMMO. They would play if an update were to come] 

With all this being said, we are pleased to share this Randoms Reform Request with you and hope to hear back from you soon. 

We are looking forward to your response and are grateful for the opportunity to be considered, 

Yours sincerely, 
DiscoShiba & SpidgetREAL 
________________________________________________________________

TABLE OF CONTENTS 
I. POKEMONS
1. Removing Certain Pokémons
1.1. Unown
1.2. Ditto
1.3. Plant Coat Wormadam (Grass & Bug typing)
1.4. Shedinja
1.5. Dugtrio 
2. Buffing Certain Pokémons
2.1. Rotom Base Form (Ghost & Electric typing)
2.2. Grass Cloak Wormadam (Bug & Grass typing)
3. Adding Certain Pokémons
3.1. Gen 5 Pokémons
3.2. Legendary Pokémons
4. Adding Certain Mechanics
4.1. Hidden Abilities
4.2. Items
II. SETS
1. The “Wish + Protect” Problem
2. The “Screens” Problem
3. Sets that do not align with the characteristics of a Pokemon
III. SAFEGUARDS – COVERAGE & BALANCE
1. Type Coverage
1.1. Offensive Type Coverage
1.2. Defensive Type Coverage
2. Physical & Special Distribution
3. A Fair Distribution of Other Characteristics : Avoiding Extremes
4. Include Hazard Removal in Teams that do not have Hazards
5. Trapping Pokémons as Leads
6. Tiers within the Tier
IV. FINAL CONSIDERATIONS
1. We are not asking for a complete reform
2. Upcoming Update : Involving PvP Players
3. Hall of Fame

AKNOWLEDGEMENTS
_______________________________________________________

I. POKEMONS

Removing Certain Pokémons
Several Pokémons are a liability due to their underwhelming characteristics and/or design. A player who should roll them in a game is essentially starting off the battle 5 vs. 6. 
We urge you to remove the following Pokémons from Randoms:

1.1. Unown 
The capacity of Unown to a) only learn one move and b) a weak move, makes it underwhelming to use. This makes Unown easy to counter/defeat, all the more since it can only hold one of two items and has access to either HP psychic or HP fighting. Since its level is already set to 100, it cannot be further buffed and we therefore would like to see it removed from the tier. 

1.2. Ditto
The same reasoning applies to Ditto.
However, we would like to keep Ditto in the tier under the condition that Hidden Abilities are added [HAs will be the subject of an ulterior section].

1.3. Plant Coat Wormadam (Grass & Bug typing) 
Wormadam in its "regular" form is arguably the worst Pokémon in Randoms. It's been somewhat buffed in the past but its winrate unfortunately remained the same. Due to its weak overall characteristics, we recommend that it be removed from the tier.
However, we are of the opinion that Plant Coat Wormadam may remain in the tier under the condition that its level is at least increased to 84. After running a series of calculcations, we consider that it may become balanced in Randoms if its level is set somewhere between 84 and 87.

1.4. Shedinja ⭐
Although Shedinja may be balanced in other tiers, we do not support its presence in Randoms. Defeating Shedinja relies on either being in possession of hazards or defined moves in terms of typing. Inversely, Shedinja’s use becomes void if a player rolls it into a team that has hazards when said-player does not have any removal. To us, Shedinja is uncompetitive in Randoms.
Because teams and moves are randomized, we do not believe that it is fair to include a Pokémon for which the strength/weakness is determined nearly exclusively by RNG.
On top of that, the confidential aspect of Randoms (i.e., absence of team preview) also contributes to determining Shedinja’s capabilities. It is possible for a player to “hide” Shedinja until the very end, where the opponent will simply not have the necessary moves to defeat it.

Lastly, it happens too often for players to only receive one to three moves that can in fact beat Shedinja, which leaves this matter, once again, up to RNG.
For these reasons, we ask for Shedinja to be removed from Randoms.

1.5. Dugtrio ⭐
We will not reiterate the long discussions that players have held on the Forums regarding Dugtrio. It has been deemed as an uncompetitive Pokemon in regular tiers and we fail to comprehend why it has not been considered as such in Randoms. If anything, Dugtrio is especially uncompetitive in Randoms due to the absence of team preview. Any Pokemon with an electric typing would be heavily penalized should the opponent switch to Dugtrio on a Volt-Switch, for instance (all the more if they happen to be equipped with a “choice” item).
Thus, we ask for Dugtrio to be removed from Randoms. 

Buffing Certain Pokémons
We believe that a few Pokémons need a bit more love to be viable in Randoms.
We therefore ask you to increase the levels of the following Pokémons: 

2.1. Rotom Base Form (Ghost & Electric Type)
Rotom has been buffed in the past but remains too weak in Randoms. We think that
giving it a few extra levels would solidify its value in the tier. 

2.2. Grass Cloack Wormadam (Bug & Grass type)
This has already been covered in the previous section. 

Adding Certain Pokémons ⭐
We believe that adding certain Pokémons to Randoms would be refreshing for the player base and enhance the tier’s quality. 
We would not only be keen to see existing Pokemons added to the tier, but also Pokemons that are not currently available in other tiers (i.e., certain legendary Pokémons). Regarding the latter, we know that it may be a possibility since some of these Pokémons exist in the Battle Factory despite not being available to players (e.g., Latias & Latios, or Magic Bounce Alakazam). 

We therefore encourage you to add the following Pokémons to Randoms: 

3.1. Gen 5 Pokémons
No additional comments. 

3.2. Legendary Pokémons
We would not only like to see the legendary Pokémons that are currently available to players added to Randoms, but also those that are not available to players and those that are available to players but not usable in PvP. 
Regarding the former, we are referring to Pokémons like Latios, Latias (both of which exist in the Battle Factory), the Regis, to name a few. 
Regarding the latter, we are referring to Pokémons like Darkrai, Sky Form Shaymin, and Mewtwo, Rayquaza, and other “king of the hill” Pokémons, to name a few. 
Naturally, their strength should be accounted for and their level/sets should be determined accordingly for them to be balanced. 

Adding Certain Mechanics ⭐
Similarly to what has been said in the previous sections, we believe that the addition of certain elements of the game to Randoms would bring a sense of refreshment to players. 
We therefore recommend that the following be added to Randoms: 

4.1. Hidden Abilities 
On top of giving a feeling of “new” to the players, giving certain Pokémons access to their HAs would enable them to thrive in a way that may currently not be possible. It would also enable new sets and mechanics to come forward, and overall, make the tier more interesting. This would include HAs that are not currently available to players directly whilst still being present in the game (e.g., Magic Bounce Alakazam). 

Example 1. – New set:
Multiscale Dragonite with Substitute and Roost.

Example 2. – New interaction:
Porygon2 tracing Dragonite’s multiscale.

Example 3. – New potential
Infiltrator Spiritomb to enable “Tricking” Pokemons behind a Substitute.

4.2. Items 
Same reasoning as the previous section. The inclusion of certain items can bring change to the tier. On top of that, several items that lead to fun interactions—which are, however, not strong enough to be used in regular tiers—would be a great addition to Randoms. Due to the characteristics of the tier, such items would be easy to balance in such way that they become viable. 

Example1. - Assault Vest
Good and interesting item overall. 

Example 2. – Throat Spray 
Throat Spray is hardly viable in any regular tier, but who wouldn’t want to play Throat Spray Yanmega with Bug Buzz? 


II. SETS

The beauty of Randoms lies within the creative sets that Pokémons may have, on one hand, and the possibility for players to use Pokémons which would commonly not be strong enough to be viable in regular tiers, on the other hand. The corollary of the above is the process that enables Pokémons to cycle through a diversity of sets. 

The combination of the aforementioned aspects is what makes the tier so special and fun—in Randoms, every match-up will be different. 

However, we believe that numerous sets are detrimental to the game and undermine our enjoyment when playing Randoms. These sets are usually those that disregard the characteristics of a Pokemon while severely affecting their viability. 

Let it be known that we are in favor of keeping creative sets, but not when they completely crush the viability of a Pokémon. 

Example 1. –Fun Creative Set : Belly Drum Hypno
Example 2. – Detrimental Creative Set : Screens Electabuzz with Eviolite  

The “Wish + Protect” Problem ⭐
There are too many Pokemons that may roll “Wish + Protect” despite how suboptimal and incoherent it is for them to have such a set. We believe that “Wish + Protect” should be reserved for Pokemons that may viably fulfil a supportive/cleric role on a team. 
Indeed, some Pokemons can hardly make use of Wish + Protect as it is not in line with their weak defensive features, which also happens to undermine their natural offensive capabilities.  

Therefore, we urge you to remove “Wish + Protect” sets for all of the following Pokémons: 

Absol
Raichu 
Minun/Plusle
Jolteon
Gallade
Girafarig 
Kangashkan 
Salamence 

In addition, we encourage you to lower the frequency for certain Pokemons to roll a “Wish + Protect” set due to the ambiguous interaction it may have with a Pokemon. For instance, such a set may or may not be optimal on Pokemons like Kangashkan and Illumise. 

Moreover, we ask you to determine the two other moves that accompany Wish + Protect with coherence, and refrain from assigning both of those moves as incoherent offensive damaging moves. 

Example 1. – Incoherent Wish + Protect set: 
Absol with Wish, Protect, Night Slash, Will-O-Wisp. 

Example 2. – Incoherent Offensive Wish + Protect set: 
Minun with Wish, Protect, Thunderbolt, Hidden Power Ice. 

The “Screens” Problem ⭐
The same considerations apply to several Pokemons that may roll a set with Reflect & Light Screen, which is worsened if the Pokemon is not equipped with Light Clay or only has one of these two moves. 

Therefore, we encourage you to remove “Screens” sets from the following Pokemons: 
Raichu 
Electabuzz (especially if it holds Eviolite instead of Light Clay) 
Electivire 
Jolteon
Pachirisu (especially because it can only learn Light Screen and not Reflect, and because it is not equipped with Light Clay) 
Porygon2 (especially because it can only learn Reflect and not Light Screen, and because it is equipped with Eviolite instead of Light Clay) 
Magneton (especially if it holds Eviolite instead of Light Clay) 
Mamoswine 
In addition, we recommend that you provide Light Clay to all Pokémons who may set up Reflect and Light Screen. 
 
Sets that generally do not align with the characteristics of a Pokemon ⭐
In Randoms, certain Pokemons are conditionally viable, as their potential significantly depends on the sets that are allocated to them. These Pokemons usually possess remarkable strength in certain stats while being significantly weak in other stats. 

An issue arises when such Pokemons roll sets that contradict their natural strengths while being insufficient to compensate for their weaknesses. Consequently, their value is considerably undermined, to a point where they become a liability for the player. This problem is further enhanced by other factors, such as a lack of offensive move typing diversity or the assignment of a suboptimal item. 

People may wonder why reform is needed for certain Pokémons despite them having reasonable winrates, but we can only stress the fact that winrates are not de facto a good representation of a Pokémon’s position in Randoms. This is because the possibility for a Pokémon to “win” a game (or at least, contribute to a win) largely depends on the set that it rolls. For instance, it wouldn’t be surprising for Shell Smash Gorebyss to have a winrate of 60% while Choice Scarf Gorebyss sits at a winrate of 45%. [These are made-up numbers that serve as an example.]

Therefore, we urge you to review sets that may be deemed as “dubious” in light of the above, while removing/updating them in a manner that is in line with the characteristics of the given Pokemon. 

For further clarification, here are examples of the sets we are referring to:

Example 1. - Leech Seed Cacturne 
Cacturne has high offensive stats, in both Sp.Atk and Ph.Atk, but is defensively frail and slow. A set that includes Swords Dance with Sucker Punch is coherent with Cacturne’s features because it plays around its strengths and accounts for its low speed. 
However, Cacturne with Leech Seed, Substitute, Giga Drain, and Sucker Punch is hardly viable as it cannot meaningfully fulfill the role of a “damage-over-time” Pokemon due to its weak defensive stats. Its offensive stats are somewhat disregarded despite them being Cacturne’s strength. 

Example 2. - Bellossom with no set-up and no utility 
Bellossom is a Pokemon with low speed and low offensive stats, with its defensive stats being average at best. To thrive, Bellossom either needs set-up moves (e.g., Quiver Dance) or utility moves (e.g., Toxic & Leech Seed). 
However, Bellossom becomes a liability if it does not roll such sets. For instance, a Bellossom with Giga Drain, Hidden Power Ice, Synthesis, and Sleep Power, can hardly be an asset for the team as it does not have the damage, nor the speed, nor the utility, to make progress in the game. 

Example 3. - Choice Specs Bastiodon  
Bastiodon has extremely high defensive stats but has very weak offensive stats. Sets on Bastiodon that provide utility to the player are in line with the Pokémon’s characteristics (e.g., Stealth Rocks, Toxic, Roar/Rest, Iron Head). 
However, Choice Specs do not add sufficient damage on Bastiodon’s moves for it to become offensively valuable. Its defensive stats are undermined despite them being Bastiodon’s strength, while the Pokémon remains offensively weak. 

The abovementioned combinations of Pokémons & sets are problematic because they enhance the Pokémons’ weaknesses, without sufficiently enhancing them to reach a successful potential, usually at the expense of their strengths. 

Allocating resources into a Pokémon’s weaknesses at the expense of its strengths is not always an issue, but it is in several instances as highlighted above, when viability is hindered. For example, the Belly Drum Hypno set ignores the Pokémon’s strong defensive capabilities and its role as a special attacker, and instead, considerably enhances its weakest stat: physical attack. Nonetheless, unlike the examples we have mentioned, a Belly Drum set on Hypno sufficiently enhances its weak attack stat to make it viable in Randoms (all the more since it gets Drain Punch which favors sustain on a bulky Pokémon). 

In addition to the aforementioned remarks, certain sets are simply underwhelming, inefficient, and we recommend that they therefore be removed. For example: 
Ledian with Reflect, Light Screen, Substitute, Baton Pass
Smeargle with Lunar Dance, Taunt, Spore, Rapid Spin 
Sudowoodo with Sucker Punch when it is equipped with a Choice Band (it is quite detrimental to be locked into Sucker Punch) 


III. SAFEGUARDS – COVERAGE & BALANCE ⭐

At the time being, there are a few safeguards in place which seek balance in terms of team composition and capabilities. For instance, no type may appear more than twice on a team, no identical dual-types can appear on a team, and no “trapping” Pokémons (such as Dugtrio and Pursuit users) can be rolled as a lead (with the exception of Magnet Pull Pokémons). 
Nevertheless, we share the opinion that the current safeguards are insufficient, which consequently leads to unfair/unbalanced situations. 

Indeed, it is unfortunately frequent for players to lose games because they rolled a team that can single-handedly be dismantled by one opposing Pokémon (due to its particular stats, typing, etc.). We agree that some match-ups may be unfavorable—which is something that inevitably comes with the tier—but no team should be entirely incapacitated by a singular Pokémon.   

We also believe that sets should be coherent in abstracto. In other words, a certain set may be valuable in a concrete setting (e.g., Screens Jolteon in a team that is built around it), but lack purpose and viability when isolated from any context (e.g., Screens Jolteon in general). Because Randoms does not account for teambuilding, we should avoid attributing sets which can reasonably be deemed as individually unviable on a given Pokémon. 

Therefore, we urge you to implement additional safeguards that will account for the following matters; 

Type Coverage 
We agree with the current safeguards in place with regards to typing.
However, we suggest that the following type-related aspects be subject to further safeguards: 

1.1. Offensive Type Coverage 
a) We are keen on avoiding situations in which none of the Pokémons of a team can effectively/super-effectively damage a specific type, or rather, where most moves are “not very effective” into a specific type. Greater offensive type coverage should be guaranteed. 
b) Should Shedinja remain in Randoms, the player opposing Shedinja must be equipped with reasonable tools in order to defeat Shedinja. It should not be possible for a player to only have one to three moves that may defeat Shedinja. 

1.2. Defensive Type Coverage 
We are keen on avoiding situations in which five or six Pokémons in a team are weak to one type. For instance, a team comprised of two grass types, one bug type, one ice type, and two steel types would be entirely weak to a fire Pokémon. Better defensive type coverage should be allocated within a team.  

Physical & Special Distribution 
There are currently no safeguards in place to guarantee a fair distribution of power, or in other words, a fair allocation of special / physical Pokémons, both on a defensive and an offensive spectrum (but mostly offensive). This can be a serious issue, for example, when a player rolls a team that consists of six special attackers while facing a Chansey. 

Therefore, we urge you to prevent the attribution, in a team, of six Pokémons that share the same power trait. For instance, it should not be possible for a player to roll a team with six physical attackers or six special attackers. 
 
A Fair Distribution of Other Characteristics : Avoiding Extremes
We believe that, in general, safeguards should be in place to prevent a player from receiving teams that are marked by excessive redundancy.  

Example 1. – Moves  
It should not be possible for a player to roll a team with five Stealth Rocks setters. 

Example 2. – Items 
It should not be possible for a player to roll a team with five Pokémons that have a choice item. 

We do not necessarily require a minimum of each, but we do advocate for a maximum of each. In other words, we wish to keep the tier as “randomized” as possible, which requires minimal intervention from the developers. Thus, setting a minimum standard for each team would limit Randoms in an unhealthy manner (e.g., setting a minimum of one “Choice” Pokémon in each team). However, we believe that a maximum number of X or Y elements should be featured in a team in order for the tier to be functional (e.g., maximum two “Choice” items per team, maximum five  “slow” Pokémons below a certain speed tier, etc.). The specific aspects that should fall under such limitations would be determined by the developers (i.e., not all aspects should be concerned by this limit). 

Include Hazard Removal in Teams that do not have Hazards ⭐⭐⭐
The disadvantage of playing into hazards in the absence of hazard removal and hazards themselves is egregious. It creates a significant unbalance between both players. This is further amplified by the confidential aspect of Randoms, which enables players to force out the opponent on many occasions. In regular tiers, hazard removal is present in a vast majority of teams. This should also be the case in Randoms. 

Therefore, we encourage you to include hazard removal in teams that do not possess hazards. 

Alternatively, we recommend that hazards be subject to a certain ponderation [We also suggest that Pokémons be categorized in certain tiers according to their sets. This will be developed in an ulterior section.]. This way, a team that has hazards will increase the overall “tier” of the team, and a team without hazards and without hazard removal will see its overall “tier” decreased. This way, the AI would be able to detect the “imbalance” related to hazards and equip the latter team with Pokémons in a higher tier to seek balance between both teams. 

Trapping Pokémons as Leads 
Currently, trapping Pokémons may not be rolled as a lead Pokémon. Such “trapping” Pokémons include, for instance, Pursuit users, Shadow Tag users, and Arena Trap users. 
However, Magnet Pull Pokémons are exempt from this safeguard and may be rolled as the lead. We do not understand this exemption. 

Therefore, we ask you to prevent Magnet Pull Pokémons from being rolled as the lead. 

Tiers within the Tier ⭐
Certain Pokémons with specific sets are stronger than others. Pokémon X with set Y may be stronger than Pokémon A with set Y, or than Pokémon X but, this time, with set Z. To avoid imbalances in the allocation of a team, we would like the developers to implement a non-public tiering system within Randoms itself, in order for the AI to fairly distribute Pokémons in a team. The purpose would be to avoid situations in which a team has five or six overpowered combinations of sets and Pokémons, and vice-versa. 

For instance, Shell Smash Gorebyss would be categorized in the “S+” tier whilst Choice Scarf Gorebyss would be categorized in the “C” tier. 
More specifically, tiering should be processed according to the winrate of a given Pokémon with regards to a given set (i.e., the winrate of the combination). To reiterate our example, Gorebyss with Shell Smash would fall in the S+ tier due to having a winrate of (for example) 58% whereas Gorebyss with Choice Scarf would be in the C tier due to its winrate of (for example) 45%. 

In fine, the allocation of a team by the AI should be processed, in part, according to the winrates of the combinations of Pokémons and sets, in order to reach an overall balanced team winrate.
In other words, the combined winrate of each combination of Pokémon and set—i.e., the team winrate—should hover around 50%, or at least, should not be excessively high or low. 

This is one of my recent games & it perfectly summarizes the issue with a lack of safeguards. 



Rolling the three worst Pokémons in the tier;
Rolling six special attackers into a Blissey (which had toxic and wish);
Lack of diversity in the move typings;
A choice scarf on a Pokémon that is already fast and therefore does not need the extra speed;

IV. FINAL CONSIDERATIONS
General considerations that do not fall under the abovementioned categories. 

We are not asking for a complete reform
This Reform Request may be critical of certain aspects of Randoms, but we enjoy most of the current features offered by the tier. 
We are in favor of playing original sets in Randoms that would otherwise be unviable in other tiers. The same applies for Pokémons that are fun to use but not strong enough to be played elsewhere than in Randoms.
We agree with the matchmaking system, where losing a game of Randoms is less impactful than losses in other tiers.
For the tier to remain faithful to its essence, we believe that “randomization” should be the rule. However, some degree of intervention is required for a healthy gameplay. The suggestions and problems underlined in this document are the intervention we would like to see. 
As far as we know, anything that has not been mentioned here should remain unchanged and is therefore implicitly marked by our approval. Other players may, however, point out issues that we have omitted/forgotten in the discussion thread. 

Upcoming Update : Involving PvP Players 
Seeing that a Randoms update is long overdue, that numerous players have considerable experience in Randoms and are themselves the recipient of an update, that the current meta includes a wide array of “dubious” sets (which affects player engagement and retention);
We encourage you to involve experienced Randoms players (and PvP players) in the upcoming modification and development of sets, and more generally, in the upcoming update of Randoms. 

We are aware that this involvement should be limited in a way that does not affect the fairness of Randoms [It would not be fair for certain Randoms players to have access to the entire list of sets and mechanics. This would enable them to have a list that can be used when playing Randoms and would therefore create an unfair advantage. Although most top rated Randoms players already have somewhat of a list, or most sets memorized, it would still be unjust symbolically-speaking] . Thus, our involvement would be limited to Pokémons & sets that may reasonably be deemed as “dubious”. In other words, it is not necessary—nor for the developers or for the Randoms players—to go over all of the sets. Most of them can remain untouched. We are only referring to the “dubious” sets, potential new HAs, potential new legendaries, etc. 

Moreover, we suggest that a council/thread be devoted to Randoms as a tier, with a dedicated Discord channel, similarly to what has been created for the other tiers—for the sake of fluid communication. The specific competences and purpose of this tier/thread would be defined by the developers. 

We urge you to take into account all of the abovementioned considerations, and ask you to inform the lead author of this request, DiscoShiba, if/when the recipient(s), Rache and/or other developers, have properly received and duly familiarized themselves with the content of this request.
Should this request be denied/ignored, we ask you to provide an explanation as to why that is. 

Lastly, we urge you to inform us on the potential existence of an update for Randoms in the foreseeable future, and if applicable, to provide a timeframe in which said-update will begin. 

Hall of Fame 
Noting that players who finish a season on the leaderboard as rank one, two, and three in OU, UU, NU, and Doubles, thereby winning a crown, have their in-game names displayed on the PokeMMO Forums Hall of Fame thread; 
Reaffirming the prestige that a leaderboard entry holds, but also the energy and time required for Randoms players to be placed in the top three, especially in contrast with other tiers;  
Expressing our lack of understanding as to why top leaderboard players in Randoms do not have their in-game names displayed in the Hall of Fame thread at the end of the season, and are thereby being treated differently for no apparent reason; 

We adamantly ask you to display, on the Hall of Fame thread, the in-game names of past and future Randoms players that finish (or have finished) the season in the top three of the leaderboard. 
______________________________________________________________________

OPEN DISCUSSION ON THE FORUMS 

On a final note, we would like to open a discussion on certain points mentioned within this document—which will be posted on the Forums.
In particular, we are keen to see players share their views on the following topics (these topics will be marked with a yellow star on the Forums ⭐): 
Dugtrio and Shedinja in Randoms, uncompetitive or not?; 
The specifics of adding new items, Pokémons, and abilities to Randoms; 
The specific Pokémons that should (not) have access to Screens and Wish/Protect sets; 
Type coverage safeguards (and other safeguards); 
The randomized distribution of hazards in teams or lack thereof; 
Tiers within the Randoms tier; 
The specifics of “Dubious sets”. 

Naturally, we welcome and encourage players to voice their opinions on other matters related to Randoms, including those that may have not been covered by this request. 

Lastly—regarding “dubious sets”—it would be helpful if players could post screenshots or the exact moves of sets that may reasonably be considered as nonsensical so that we can have a list. At the very least, it would enable a discussion to be held on sets for which viability is debatable.

______________________________________________________________________

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 

I wish to thank the developers and Rache in advance for considering this request,

Thank you to all the PvP players and other members of the community who contributed to the content of this request, and to those that will be part of future discussions. 

Kind regards,
DiscoShiba & SpidgetREAL (lead authors of the request) 

I may be reached through the following channel (contact information):
IGN: DiscoShiba
Forums: DiscoShiba
Discord: discoshiba66 

[Context]
Hello everyone,
Hereafter is the Request we are sending to @Rache to push for a Randoms update (I'm reaching out to her specifically because she appears to be the developer in charge of Randoms and previously expressed her will to update the tier). This request contains a detailed list of suggestions, ideas, and issues related to Randoms.
Although this could be classified as a "suggestion" (and therefore be posted in Suggestions), I wish to open a discussion on the content of this request and am therefore posting it here, in Competitive Alley. The specific topics for which we adamantly wish players to voice their opinions on will be marked with a yellow star ⭐, but feel free to address anything else related to Randoms.
If this should be considered as a "Suggestion" instead, please let me know (if you're a moderator).
Cheers,
DiscoShiba & Spidget

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

REFORM REQUEST – UPDATING RANDOMS [PVP]

PREAMBLE

Dear Rache,
Dear Developers, 

We hope this message finds you well, as a lot of time and effort was put into it.
Understandably, you have a lot on your plate and receive numerous requests, but we believe that Randoms PvP is a facet of the game that receives enough playtime to be prioritized for an update. You have previously stated that reforming Randoms was “high on your to-do list” and, with this message, we are eager to offer our contribution.  

Hereafter, you will find a list of highlighted issues and recommendations that myself and several other top Randoms players have worked on. All of us have consistently played thousands of Randoms games throughout the years, earned crowns, and maintained a high winrate.
We believe that we have the necessary experience and knowledge to provide constructive feedback on the current state of Randoms and encourage you to use it when the time for an update comes. 

In addition to Randoms players, many members of the PvP community (and of the community as a whole) share the desire to see the tier reformed. An update not only benefits the current player base–which is quite large, as one can notice from PvP statistics–but also all the players who do not play Randoms due to the current design. [I am currently a member of VOW, a notorious PvP team, but am also the only avid Randoms player (who plays for Leaderboard). My teammates enjoy Randoms but not on PokeMMO. They would play if an update were to come] 

With all this being said, we are pleased to share this Randoms Reform Request with you and hope to hear back from you soon. 

We are looking forward to your response and are grateful for the opportunity to be considered, 

Yours sincerely, 
DiscoShiba & SpidgetREAL 
________________________________________________________________

TABLE OF CONTENTS 
I. POKEMONS
1. Removing Certain Pokémons
1.1. Unown
1.2. Ditto
1.3. Plant Coat Wormadam (Grass & Bug typing)
1.4. Shedinja
1.5. Dugtrio 
2. Buffing Certain Pokémons
2.1. Rotom Base Form (Ghost & Electric typing)
2.2. Grass Cloak Wormadam (Bug & Grass typing)
3. Adding Certain Pokémons
3.1. Gen 5 Pokémons
3.2. Legendary Pokémons
4. Adding Certain Mechanics
4.1. Hidden Abilities
4.2. Items
II. SETS
1. The “Wish + Protect” Problem
2. The “Screens” Problem
3. Sets that do not align with the characteristics of a Pokemon
III. SAFEGUARDS – COVERAGE & BALANCE
1. Type Coverage
1.1. Offensive Type Coverage
1.2. Defensive Type Coverage
2. Physical & Special Distribution
3. A Fair Distribution of Other Characteristics : Avoiding Extremes
4. Include Hazard Removal in Teams that do not have Hazards
5. Trapping Pokémons as Leads
6. Tiers within the Tier
IV. FINAL CONSIDERATIONS
1. We are not asking for a complete reform
2. Upcoming Update : Involving PvP Players
3. Hall of Fame

AKNOWLEDGEMENTS
_______________________________________________________

I. POKEMONS

Removing Certain Pokémons
Several Pokémons are a liability due to their underwhelming characteristics and/or design. A player who should roll them in a game is essentially starting off the battle 5 vs. 6. 
We urge you to remove the following Pokémons from Randoms:

1.1. Unown 
The capacity of Unown to a) only learn one move and b) a weak move, makes it underwhelming to use. This makes Unown easy to counter/defeat, all the more since it can only hold one of two items and has access to either HP psychic or HP fighting. Since its level is already set to 100, it cannot be further buffed and we therefore would like to see it removed from the tier. 

1.2. Ditto
The same reasoning applies to Ditto.
However, we would like to keep Ditto in the tier under the condition that Hidden Abilities are added [HAs will be the subject of an ulterior section].

1.3. Plant Coat Wormadam (Grass & Bug typing) 
Wormadam in its "regular" form is arguably the worst Pokémon in Randoms. It's been somewhat buffed in the past but its winrate unfortunately remained the same. Due to its weak overall characteristics, we recommend that it be removed from the tier.
However, we are of the opinion that Plant Coat Wormadam may remain in the tier under the condition that its level is at least increased to 84. After running a series of calculcations, we consider that it may become balanced in Randoms if its level is set somewhere between 84 and 87.

1.4. Shedinja ⭐
Although Shedinja may be balanced in other tiers, we do not support its presence in Randoms. Defeating Shedinja relies on either being in possession of hazards or defined moves in terms of typing. Inversely, Shedinja’s use becomes void if a player rolls it into a team that has hazards when said-player does not have any removal. To us, Shedinja is uncompetitive in Randoms.
Because teams and moves are randomized, we do not believe that it is fair to include a Pokémon for which the strength/weakness is determined nearly exclusively by RNG.
On top of that, the confidential aspect of Randoms (i.e., absence of team preview) also contributes to determining Shedinja’s capabilities. It is possible for a player to “hide” Shedinja until the very end, where the opponent will simply not have the necessary moves to defeat it.

Lastly, it happens too often for players to only receive one to three moves that can in fact beat Shedinja, which leaves this matter, once again, up to RNG.
For these reasons, we ask for Shedinja to be removed from Randoms.

1.5. Dugtrio ⭐
We will not reiterate the long discussions that players have held on the Forums regarding Dugtrio. It has been deemed as an uncompetitive Pokemon in regular tiers and we fail to comprehend why it has not been considered as such in Randoms. If anything, Dugtrio is especially uncompetitive in Randoms due to the absence of team preview. Any Pokemon with an electric typing would be heavily penalized should the opponent switch to Dugtrio on a Volt-Switch, for instance (all the more if they happen to be equipped with a “choice” item).
Thus, we ask for Dugtrio to be removed from Randoms. 

Buffing Certain Pokémons
We believe that a few Pokémons need a bit more love to be viable in Randoms.
We therefore ask you to increase the levels of the following Pokémons: 

2.1. Rotom Base Form (Ghost & Electric Type)
Rotom has been buffed in the past but remains too weak in Randoms. We think that
giving it a few extra levels would solidify its value in the tier. 

2.2. Grass Cloack Wormadam (Bug & Grass type)
This has already been covered in the previous section. 

Adding Certain Pokémons ⭐
We believe that adding certain Pokémons to Randoms would be refreshing for the player base and enhance the tier’s quality. 
We would not only be keen to see existing Pokemons added to the tier, but also Pokemons that are not currently available in other tiers (i.e., certain legendary Pokémons). Regarding the latter, we know that it may be a possibility since some of these Pokémons exist in the Battle Factory despite not being available to players (e.g., Latias & Latios, or Magic Bounce Alakazam). 

We therefore encourage you to add the following Pokémons to Randoms: 

3.1. Gen 5 Pokémons
No additional comments. 

3.2. Legendary Pokémons
We would not only like to see the legendary Pokémons that are currently available to players added to Randoms, but also those that are not available to players and those that are available to players but not usable in PvP. 
Regarding the former, we are referring to Pokémons like Latios, Latias (both of which exist in the Battle Factory), the Regis, to name a few. 
Regarding the latter, we are referring to Pokémons like Darkrai, Sky Form Shaymin, and Mewtwo, Rayquaza, and other “king of the hill” Pokémons, to name a few. 
Naturally, their strength should be accounted for and their level/sets should be determined accordingly for them to be balanced. 

Adding Certain Mechanics ⭐
Similarly to what has been said in the previous sections, we believe that the addition of certain elements of the game to Randoms would bring a sense of refreshment to players. 
We therefore recommend that the following be added to Randoms: 

4.1. Hidden Abilities 
On top of giving a feeling of “new” to the players, giving certain Pokémons access to their HAs would enable them to thrive in a way that may currently not be possible. It would also enable new sets and mechanics to come forward, and overall, make the tier more interesting. This would include HAs that are not currently available to players directly whilst still being present in the game (e.g., Magic Bounce Alakazam). 

Example 1. – New set:
Multiscale Dragonite with Substitute and Roost.

Example 2. – New interaction:
Porygon2 tracing Dragonite’s multiscale.

Example 3. – New potential
Infiltrator Spiritomb to enable “Tricking” Pokemons behind a Substitute.

4.2. Items 
Same reasoning as the previous section. The inclusion of certain items can bring change to the tier. On top of that, several items that lead to fun interactions—which are, however, not strong enough to be used in regular tiers—would be a great addition to Randoms. Due to the characteristics of the tier, such items would be easy to balance in such way that they become viable. 

Example1. - Assault Vest
Good and interesting item overall. 

Example 2. – Throat Spray 
Throat Spray is hardly viable in any regular tier, but who wouldn’t want to play Throat Spray Yanmega with Bug Buzz? 


II. SETS

The beauty of Randoms lies within the creative sets that Pokémons may have, on one hand, and the possibility for players to use Pokémons which would commonly not be strong enough to be viable in regular tiers, on the other hand. The corollary of the above is the process that enables Pokémons to cycle through a diversity of sets. 

The combination of the aforementioned aspects is what makes the tier so special and fun—in Randoms, every match-up will be different. 

However, we believe that numerous sets are detrimental to the game and undermine our enjoyment when playing Randoms. These sets are usually those that disregard the characteristics of a Pokemon while severely affecting their viability. 

Let it be known that we are in favor of keeping creative sets, but not when they completely crush the viability of a Pokémon. 

Example 1. –Fun Creative Set : Belly Drum Hypno
Example 2. – Detrimental Creative Set : Screens Electabuzz with Eviolite  

The “Wish + Protect” Problem ⭐
There are too many Pokemons that may roll “Wish + Protect” despite how suboptimal and incoherent it is for them to have such a set. We believe that “Wish + Protect” should be reserved for Pokemons that may viably fulfil a supportive/cleric role on a team. 
Indeed, some Pokemons can hardly make use of Wish + Protect as it is not in line with their weak defensive features, which also happens to undermine their natural offensive capabilities.  

Therefore, we urge you to remove “Wish + Protect” sets for all of the following Pokémons: 

Absol
Raichu 
Minun/Plusle
Jolteon
Gallade
Girafarig 
Kangashkan 
Salamence 

In addition, we encourage you to lower the frequency for certain Pokemons to roll a “Wish + Protect” set due to the ambiguous interaction it may have with a Pokemon. For instance, such a set may or may not be optimal on Pokemons like Kangashkan and Illumise. 

Moreover, we ask you to determine the two other moves that accompany Wish + Protect with coherence, and refrain from assigning both of those moves as incoherent offensive damaging moves. 

Example 1. – Incoherent Wish + Protect set: 
Absol with Wish, Protect, Night Slash, Will-O-Wisp. 

Example 2. – Incoherent Offensive Wish + Protect set: 
Minun with Wish, Protect, Thunderbolt, Hidden Power Ice. 

The “Screens” Problem ⭐
The same considerations apply to several Pokemons that may roll a set with Reflect & Light Screen, which is worsened if the Pokemon is not equipped with Light Clay or only has one of these two moves. 

Therefore, we encourage you to remove “Screens” sets from the following Pokemons: 
Raichu 
Electabuzz (especially if it holds Eviolite instead of Light Clay) 
Electivire 
Jolteon
Pachirisu (especially because it can only learn Light Screen and not Reflect, and because it is not equipped with Light Clay) 
Porygon2 (especially because it can only learn Reflect and not Light Screen, and because it is equipped with Eviolite instead of Light Clay) 
Magneton (especially if it holds Eviolite instead of Light Clay) 
Mamoswine 
In addition, we recommend that you provide Light Clay to all Pokémons who may set up Reflect and Light Screen. 
 
Sets that generally do not align with the characteristics of a Pokemon ⭐
In Randoms, certain Pokemons are conditionally viable, as their potential significantly depends on the sets that are allocated to them. These Pokemons usually possess remarkable strength in certain stats while being significantly weak in other stats. 

An issue arises when such Pokemons roll sets that contradict their natural strengths while being insufficient to compensate for their weaknesses. Consequently, their value is considerably undermined, to a point where they become a liability for the player. This problem is further enhanced by other factors, such as a lack of offensive move typing diversity or the assignment of a suboptimal item. 

People may wonder why reform is needed for certain Pokémons despite them having reasonable winrates, but we can only stress the fact that winrates are not de facto a good representation of a Pokémon’s position in Randoms. This is because the possibility for a Pokémon to “win” a game (or at least, contribute to a win) largely depends on the set that it rolls. For instance, it wouldn’t be surprising for Shell Smash Gorebyss to have a winrate of 60% while Choice Scarf Gorebyss sits at a winrate of 45%. [These are made-up numbers that serve as an example.]

Therefore, we urge you to review sets that may be deemed as “dubious” in light of the above, while removing/updating them in a manner that is in line with the characteristics of the given Pokemon. 

For further clarification, here are examples of the sets we are referring to:

Example 1. - Leech Seed Cacturne 
Cacturne has high offensive stats, in both Sp.Atk and Ph.Atk, but is defensively frail and slow. A set that includes Swords Dance with Sucker Punch is coherent with Cacturne’s features because it plays around its strengths and accounts for its low speed. 
However, Cacturne with Leech Seed, Substitute, Giga Drain, and Sucker Punch is hardly viable as it cannot meaningfully fulfill the role of a “damage-over-time” Pokemon due to its weak defensive stats. Its offensive stats are somewhat disregarded despite them being Cacturne’s strength. 

Example 2. - Bellossom with no set-up and no utility 
Bellossom is a Pokemon with low speed and low offensive stats, with its defensive stats being average at best. To thrive, Bellossom either needs set-up moves (e.g., Quiver Dance) or utility moves (e.g., Toxic & Leech Seed). 
However, Bellossom becomes a liability if it does not roll such sets. For instance, a Bellossom with Giga Drain, Hidden Power Ice, Synthesis, and Sleep Power, can hardly be an asset for the team as it does not have the damage, nor the speed, nor the utility, to make progress in the game. 

Example 3. - Choice Specs Bastiodon  
Bastiodon has extremely high defensive stats but has very weak offensive stats. Sets on Bastiodon that provide utility to the player are in line with the Pokémon’s characteristics (e.g., Stealth Rocks, Toxic, Roar/Rest, Iron Head). 
However, Choice Specs do not add sufficient damage on Bastiodon’s moves for it to become offensively valuable. Its defensive stats are undermined despite them being Bastiodon’s strength, while the Pokémon remains offensively weak. 

The abovementioned combinations of Pokémons & sets are problematic because they enhance the Pokémons’ weaknesses, without sufficiently enhancing them to reach a successful potential, usually at the expense of their strengths. 

Allocating resources into a Pokémon’s weaknesses at the expense of its strengths is not always an issue, but it is in several instances as highlighted above, when viability is hindered. For example, the Belly Drum Hypno set ignores the Pokémon’s strong defensive capabilities and its role as a special attacker, and instead, considerably enhances its weakest stat: physical attack. Nonetheless, unlike the examples we have mentioned, a Belly Drum set on Hypno sufficiently enhances its weak attack stat to make it viable in Randoms (all the more since it gets Drain Punch which favors sustain on a bulky Pokémon). 

In addition to the aforementioned remarks, certain sets are simply underwhelming, inefficient, and we recommend that they therefore be removed. For example: 
Ledian with Reflect, Light Screen, Substitute, Baton Pass
Smeargle with Lunar Dance, Taunt, Spore, Rapid Spin 
Sudowoodo with Sucker Punch when it is equipped with a Choice Band (it is quite detrimental to be locked into Sucker Punch) 


III. SAFEGUARDS – COVERAGE & BALANCE ⭐

At the time being, there are a few safeguards in place which seek balance in terms of team composition and capabilities. For instance, no type may appear more than twice on a team, no identical dual-types can appear on a team, and no “trapping” Pokémons (such as Dugtrio and Pursuit users) can be rolled as a lead (with the exception of Magnet Pull Pokémons). 
Nevertheless, we share the opinion that the current safeguards are insufficient, which consequently leads to unfair/unbalanced situations. 

Indeed, it is unfortunately frequent for players to lose games because they rolled a team that can single-handedly be dismantled by one opposing Pokémon (due to its particular stats, typing, etc.). We agree that some match-ups may be unfavorable—which is something that inevitably comes with the tier—but no team should be entirely incapacitated by a singular Pokémon.   

We also believe that sets should be coherent in abstracto. In other words, a certain set may be valuable in a concrete setting (e.g., Screens Jolteon in a team that is built around it), but lack purpose and viability when isolated from any context (e.g., Screens Jolteon in general). Because Randoms does not account for teambuilding, we should avoid attributing sets which can reasonably be deemed as individually unviable on a given Pokémon. 

Therefore, we urge you to implement additional safeguards that will account for the following matters; 

Type Coverage 
We agree with the current safeguards in place with regards to typing.
However, we suggest that the following type-related aspects be subject to further safeguards: 

1.1. Offensive Type Coverage 
a) We are keen on avoiding situations in which none of the Pokémons of a team can effectively/super-effectively damage a specific type, or rather, where most moves are “not very effective” into a specific type. Greater offensive type coverage should be guaranteed. 
b) Should Shedinja remain in Randoms, the player opposing Shedinja must be equipped with reasonable tools in order to defeat Shedinja. It should not be possible for a player to only have one to three moves that may defeat Shedinja. 

1.2. Defensive Type Coverage 
We are keen on avoiding situations in which five or six Pokémons in a team are weak to one type. For instance, a team comprised of two grass types, one bug type, one ice type, and two steel types would be entirely weak to a fire Pokémon. Better defensive type coverage should be allocated within a team.  

Physical & Special Distribution 
There are currently no safeguards in place to guarantee a fair distribution of power, or in other words, a fair allocation of special / physical Pokémons, both on a defensive and an offensive spectrum (but mostly offensive). This can be a serious issue, for example, when a player rolls a team that consists of six special attackers while facing a Chansey. 

Therefore, we urge you to prevent the attribution, in a team, of six Pokémons that share the same power trait. For instance, it should not be possible for a player to roll a team with six physical attackers or six special attackers. 
 
A Fair Distribution of Other Characteristics : Avoiding Extremes
We believe that, in general, safeguards should be in place to prevent a player from receiving teams that are marked by excessive redundancy.  

Example 1. – Moves  
It should not be possible for a player to roll a team with five Stealth Rocks setters. 

Example 2. – Items 
It should not be possible for a player to roll a team with five Pokémons that have a choice item. 

We do not necessarily require a minimum of each, but we do advocate for a maximum of each. In other words, we wish to keep the tier as “randomized” as possible, which requires minimal intervention from the developers. Thus, setting a minimum standard for each team would limit Randoms in an unhealthy manner (e.g., setting a minimum of one “Choice” Pokémon in each team). However, we believe that a maximum number of X or Y elements should be featured in a team in order for the tier to be functional (e.g., maximum two “Choice” items per team, maximum five  “slow” Pokémons below a certain speed tier, etc.). The specific aspects that should fall under such limitations would be determined by the developers (i.e., not all aspects should be concerned by this limit). 

Include Hazard Removal in Teams that do not have Hazards ⭐⭐⭐
The disadvantage of playing into hazards in the absence of hazard removal and hazards themselves is egregious. It creates a significant unbalance between both players. This is further amplified by the confidential aspect of Randoms, which enables players to force out the opponent on many occasions. In regular tiers, hazard removal is present in a vast majority of teams. This should also be the case in Randoms. 

Therefore, we encourage you to include hazard removal in teams that do not possess hazards. 

Alternatively, we recommend that hazards be subject to a certain ponderation [We also suggest that Pokémons be categorized in certain tiers according to their sets. This will be developed in an ulterior section.]. This way, a team that has hazards will increase the overall “tier” of the team, and a team without hazards and without hazard removal will see its overall “tier” decreased. This way, the AI would be able to detect the “imbalance” related to hazards and equip the latter team with Pokémons in a higher tier to seek balance between both teams. 

Trapping Pokémons as Leads 
Currently, trapping Pokémons may not be rolled as a lead Pokémon. Such “trapping” Pokémons include, for instance, Pursuit users, Shadow Tag users, and Arena Trap users. 
However, Magnet Pull Pokémons are exempt from this safeguard and may be rolled as the lead. We do not understand this exemption. 

Therefore, we ask you to prevent Magnet Pull Pokémons from being rolled as the lead. 

Tiers within the Tier ⭐
Certain Pokémons with specific sets are stronger than others. Pokémon X with set Y may be stronger than Pokémon A with set Y, or than Pokémon X but, this time, with set Z. To avoid imbalances in the allocation of a team, we would like the developers to implement a non-public tiering system within Randoms itself, in order for the AI to fairly distribute Pokémons in a team. The purpose would be to avoid situations in which a team has five or six overpowered combinations of sets and Pokémons, and vice-versa. 

For instance, Shell Smash Gorebyss would be categorized in the “S+” tier whilst Choice Scarf Gorebyss would be categorized in the “C” tier. 
More specifically, tiering should be processed according to the winrate of a given Pokémon with regards to a given set (i.e., the winrate of the combination). To reiterate our example, Gorebyss with Shell Smash would fall in the S+ tier due to having a winrate of (for example) 58% whereas Gorebyss with Choice Scarf would be in the C tier due to its winrate of (for example) 45%. 

In fine, the allocation of a team by the AI should be processed, in part, according to the winrates of the combinations of Pokémons and sets, in order to reach an overall balanced team winrate.
In other words, the combined winrate of each combination of Pokémon and set—i.e., the team winrate—should hover around 50%, or at least, should not be excessively high or low. 

This is one of my recent games & it perfectly summarizes the issue with a lack of safeguards. 



Rolling the three worst Pokémons in the tier;
Rolling six special attackers into a Blissey (which had toxic and wish);
Lack of diversity in the move typings;
A choice scarf on a Pokémon that is already fast and therefore does not need the extra speed;

IV. FINAL CONSIDERATIONS
General considerations that do not fall under the abovementioned categories. 

We are not asking for a complete reform
This Reform Request may be critical of certain aspects of Randoms, but we enjoy most of the current features offered by the tier. 
We are in favor of playing original sets in Randoms that would otherwise be unviable in other tiers. The same applies for Pokémons that are fun to use but not strong enough to be played elsewhere than in Randoms.
We agree with the matchmaking system, where losing a game of Randoms is less impactful than losses in other tiers.
For the tier to remain faithful to its essence, we believe that “randomization” should be the rule. However, some degree of intervention is required for a healthy gameplay. The suggestions and problems underlined in this document are the intervention we would like to see. 
As far as we know, anything that has not been mentioned here should remain unchanged and is therefore implicitly marked by our approval. Other players may, however, point out issues that we have omitted/forgotten in the discussion thread. 

Upcoming Update : Involving PvP Players 
Seeing that a Randoms update is long overdue, that numerous players have considerable experience in Randoms and are themselves the recipient of an update, that the current meta includes a wide array of “dubious” sets (which affects player engagement and retention);
We encourage you to involve experienced Randoms players (and PvP players) in the upcoming modification and development of sets, and more generally, in the upcoming update of Randoms. 

We are aware that this involvement should be limited in a way that does not affect the fairness of Randoms [It would not be fair for certain Randoms players to have access to the entire list of sets and mechanics. This would enable them to have a list that can be used when playing Randoms and would therefore create an unfair advantage. Although most top rated Randoms players already have somewhat of a list, or most sets memorized, it would still be unjust symbolically-speaking] . Thus, our involvement would be limited to Pokémons & sets that may reasonably be deemed as “dubious”. In other words, it is not necessary—nor for the developers or for the Randoms players—to go over all of the sets. Most of them can remain untouched. We are only referring to the “dubious” sets, potential new HAs, potential new legendaries, etc. 

Moreover, we suggest that a council/thread be devoted to Randoms as a tier, with a dedicated Discord channel, similarly to what has been created for the other tiers—for the sake of fluid communication. The specific competences and purpose of this tier/thread would be defined by the developers. 

We urge you to take into account all of the abovementioned considerations, and ask you to inform the lead author of this request, DiscoShiba, if/when the recipient(s), Rache and/or other developers, have properly received and duly familiarized themselves with the content of this request.
Should this request be denied/ignored, we ask you to provide an explanation as to why that is. 

Lastly, we urge you to inform us on the potential existence of an update for Randoms in the foreseeable future, and if applicable, to provide a timeframe in which said-update will begin. 

Hall of Fame 
Noting that players who finish a season on the leaderboard as rank one, two, and three in OU, UU, NU, and Doubles, thereby winning a crown, have their in-game names displayed on the PokeMMO Forums Hall of Fame thread; 
Reaffirming the prestige that a leaderboard entry holds, but also the energy and time required for Randoms players to be placed in the top three, especially in contrast with other tiers;  
Expressing our lack of understanding as to why top leaderboard players in Randoms do not have their in-game names displayed in the Hall of Fame thread at the end of the season, and are thereby being treated differently for no apparent reason; 

We adamantly ask you to display, on the Hall of Fame thread, the in-game names of past and future Randoms players that finish (or have finished) the season in the top three of the leaderboard. 
______________________________________________________________________

OPEN DISCUSSION ON THE FORUMS 

On a final note, we would like to open a discussion on certain points mentioned within this document—which will be posted on the Forums.
In particular, we are keen to see players share their views on the following topics (these topics will be marked with a yellow star on the Forums ⭐): 
Dugtrio and Shedinja in Randoms, uncompetitive or not?; 
The specifics of adding new items, Pokémons, and abilities to Randoms; 
The specific Pokémons that should (not) have access to Screens and Wish/Protect sets; 
Type coverage safeguards (and other safeguards); 
The randomized distribution of hazards in teams or lack thereof; 
Tiers within the Randoms tier; 
The specifics of “Dubious sets”. 

Naturally, we welcome and encourage players to voice their opinions on other matters related to Randoms, including those that may have not been covered by this request. 

Lastly—regarding “dubious sets”—it would be helpful if players could post screenshots or the exact moves of sets that may reasonably be considered as nonsensical so that we can have a list. At the very least, it would enable a discussion to be held on sets for which viability is debatable.

______________________________________________________________________

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 

I wish to thank the developers and Rache in advance for considering this request,

Thank you to all the PvP players and other members of the community who contributed to the content of this request, and to those that will be part of future discussions. 

Kind regards,
DiscoShiba & SpidgetREAL (lead authors of the request) 

I may be reached through the following channel (contact information):
IGN: DiscoShiba
Forums: DiscoShiba
Discord: discoshiba66 

[Context]
Hello everyone,
Hereafter is the Request we are sending to @Rache to push for a Randoms update (I'm reaching out to her specifically because she appears to be the developer in charge of Randoms and previously expressed her will to update the tier). This request contains a detailed list of suggestions, ideas, and issues related to Randoms.
Although this could be classified as a "suggestion" (and therefore be posted in Suggestions), I wish to open a discussion on the content of this request and am therefore posting it here, in Competitive Alley. The specific topics for which we adamantly wish players to voice their opinions on will be marked with a yellow star ⭐, but feel free to address anything else related to Randoms.
If this should be considered as a "Suggestion" instead, please let me know (if you're a moderator).
Cheers,
DiscoShiba & Spidget

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

REFORM REQUEST – UPDATING RANDOMS [PVP]

PREAMBLE

Dear Rache,
Dear Developers, 

We hope this message finds you well, as a lot of time and effort was put into it.
Understandably, you have a lot on your plate and receive numerous requests, but we believe that Randoms PvP is a facet of the game that receives enough playtime to be prioritized for an update. You have previously stated that reforming Randoms was “high on your to-do list” and, with this message, we are eager to offer our contribution.  

Hereafter, you will find a list of highlighted issues and recommendations that myself and several other top Randoms players have worked on. All of us have consistently played thousands of Randoms games throughout the years, earned crowns, and maintained a high winrate.
We believe that we have the necessary experience and knowledge to provide constructive feedback on the current state of Randoms and encourage you to use it when the time for an update comes. 

In addition to Randoms players, many members of the PvP community (and of the community as a whole) share the desire to see the tier reformed. An update not only benefits the current player base–which is quite large, as one can notice from PvP statistics–but also all the players who do not play Randoms due to the current design. [I am currently a member of VOW, a notorious PvP team, but am also the only avid Randoms player (who plays for Leaderboard). My teammates enjoy Randoms but not on PokeMMO. They would play if an update were to come] 

With all this being said, we are pleased to share this Randoms Reform Request with you and hope to hear back from you soon. 

We are looking forward to your response and are grateful for the opportunity to be considered, 

Yours sincerely, 
DiscoShiba & SpidgetREAL 
________________________________________________________________

TABLE OF CONTENTS 
I. POKEMONS
1. Removing Certain Pokémons
1.1. Unown
1.2. Ditto
1.3. Plant Coat Wormadam (Grass & Bug typing)
1.4. Shedinja
1.5. Dugtrio 
2. Buffing Certain Pokémons
2.1. Rotom Base Form (Ghost & Electric typing)
2.2. Grass Cloak Wormadam (Bug & Grass typing)
3. Adding Certain Pokémons
3.1. Gen 5 Pokémons
3.2. Legendary Pokémons
4. Adding Certain Mechanics
4.1. Hidden Abilities
4.2. Items
II. SETS
1. The “Wish + Protect” Problem
2. The “Screens” Problem
3. Sets that do not align with the characteristics of a Pokemon
III. SAFEGUARDS – COVERAGE & BALANCE
1. Type Coverage
1.1. Offensive Type Coverage
1.2. Defensive Type Coverage
2. Physical & Special Distribution
3. A Fair Distribution of Other Characteristics : Avoiding Extremes
4. Include Hazard Removal in Teams that do not have Hazards
5. Trapping Pokémons as Leads
6. Tiers within the Tier
IV. FINAL CONSIDERATIONS
1. We are not asking for a complete reform
2. Upcoming Update : Involving PvP Players
3. Hall of Fame

AKNOWLEDGEMENTS
_______________________________________________________

I. POKEMONS

Removing Certain Pokémons
Several Pokémons are a liability due to their underwhelming characteristics and/or design. A player who should roll them in a game is essentially starting off the battle 5 vs. 6. 
We urge you to remove the following Pokémons from Randoms:

1.1. Unown 
The capacity of Unown to a) only learn one move and b) a weak move, makes it underwhelming to use. This makes Unown easy to counter/defeat, all the more since it can only hold one of two items and has access to either HP psychic or HP fighting. Since its level is already set to 100, it cannot be further buffed and we therefore would like to see it removed from the tier. 

1.2. Ditto
The same reasoning applies to Ditto.
However, we would like to keep Ditto in the tier under the condition that Hidden Abilities are added [HAs will be the subject of an ulterior section].

1.3. Plant Coat Wormadam (Grass & Bug typing) 
Wormadam in its "regular" form is arguably the worst Pokémon in Randoms. It's been somewhat buffed in the past but its winrate unfortunately remained the same. Due to its weak overall characteristics, we recommend that it be removed from the tier.
However, we are of the opinion that Plant Coat Wormadam may remain in the tier under the condition that its level is at least increased to 84. After running a series of calculcations, we consider that it may become balanced in Randoms if its level is set somewhere between 84 and 87.

1.4. Shedinja ⭐
Although Shedinja may be balanced in other tiers, we do not support its presence in Randoms. Defeating Shedinja relies on either being in possession of hazards or defined moves in terms of typing. Inversely, Shedinja’s use becomes void if a player rolls it into a team that has hazards when said-player does not have any removal. To us, Shedinja is uncompetitive in Randoms.
Because teams and moves are randomized, we do not believe that it is fair to include a Pokémon for which the strength/weakness is determined nearly exclusively by RNG.
On top of that, the confidential aspect of Randoms (i.e., absence of team preview) also contributes to determining Shedinja’s capabilities. It is possible for a player to “hide” Shedinja until the very end, where the opponent will simply not have the necessary moves to defeat it.

Lastly, it happens too often for players to only receive one to three moves that can in fact beat Shedinja, which leaves this matter, once again, up to RNG.
For these reasons, we ask for Shedinja to be removed from Randoms.

1.5. Dugtrio ⭐
We will not reiterate the long discussions that players have held on the Forums regarding Dugtrio. It has been deemed as an uncompetitive Pokemon in regular tiers and we fail to comprehend why it has not been considered as such in Randoms. If anything, Dugtrio is especially uncompetitive in Randoms due to the absence of team preview. Any Pokemon with an electric typing would be heavily penalized should the opponent switch to Dugtrio on a Volt-Switch, for instance (all the more if they happen to be equipped with a “choice” item).
Thus, we ask for Dugtrio to be removed from Randoms. 

Buffing Certain Pokémons
We believe that a few Pokémons need a bit more love to be viable in Randoms.
We therefore ask you to increase the levels of the following Pokémons: 

2.1. Rotom Base Form (Ghost & Electric Type)
Rotom has been buffed in the past but remains too weak in Randoms. We think that
giving it a few extra levels would solidify its value in the tier. 

2.2. Grass Cloack Wormadam (Bug & Grass type)
This has already been covered in the previous section. 

Adding Certain Pokémons ⭐
We believe that adding certain Pokémons to Randoms would be refreshing for the player base and enhance the tier’s quality. 
We would not only be keen to see existing Pokemons added to the tier, but also Pokemons that are not currently available in other tiers (i.e., certain legendary Pokémons). Regarding the latter, we know that it may be a possibility since some of these Pokémons exist in the Battle Factory despite not being available to players (e.g., Latias & Latios, or Magic Bounce Alakazam). 

We therefore encourage you to add the following Pokémons to Randoms: 

3.1. Gen 5 Pokémons
No additional comments. 

3.2. Legendary Pokémons
We would not only like to see the legendary Pokémons that are currently available to players added to Randoms, but also those that are not available to players and those that are available to players but not usable in PvP. 
Regarding the former, we are referring to Pokémons like Latios, Latias (both of which exist in the Battle Factory), the Regis, to name a few. 
Regarding the latter, we are referring to Pokémons like Darkrai, Sky Form Shaymin, and Mewtwo, Rayquaza, and other “king of the hill” Pokémons, to name a few. 
Naturally, their strength should be accounted for and their level/sets should be determined accordingly for them to be balanced. 

Adding Certain Mechanics ⭐
Similarly to what has been said in the previous sections, we believe that the addition of certain elements of the game to Randoms would bring a sense of refreshment to players. 
We therefore recommend that the following be added to Randoms: 

4.1. Hidden Abilities 
On top of giving a feeling of “new” to the players, giving certain Pokémons access to their HAs would enable them to thrive in a way that may currently not be possible. It would also enable new sets and mechanics to come forward, and overall, make the tier more interesting. This would include HAs that are not currently available to players directly whilst still being present in the game (e.g., Magic Bounce Alakazam). 

Example 1. – New set:
Multiscale Dragonite with Substitute and Roost.

Example 2. – New interaction:
Porygon2 tracing Dragonite’s multiscale.

Example 3. – New potential
Infiltrator Spiritomb to enable “Tricking” Pokemons behind a Substitute.

4.2. Items 
Same reasoning as the previous section. The inclusion of certain items can bring change to the tier. On top of that, several items that lead to fun interactions—which are, however, not strong enough to be used in regular tiers—would be a great addition to Randoms. Due to the characteristics of the tier, such items would be easy to balance in such way that they become viable. 

Example1. - Assault Vest
Good and interesting item overall. 

Example 2. – Throat Spray 
Throat Spray is hardly viable in any regular tier, but who wouldn’t want to play Throat Spray Yanmega with Bug Buzz? 


II. SETS

The beauty of Randoms lies within the creative sets that Pokémons may have, on one hand, and the possibility for players to use Pokémons which would commonly not be strong enough to be viable in regular tiers, on the other hand. The corollary of the above is the process that enables Pokémons to cycle through a diversity of sets. 

The combination of the aforementioned aspects is what makes the tier so special and fun—in Randoms, every match-up will be different. 

However, we believe that numerous sets are detrimental to the game and undermine our enjoyment when playing Randoms. These sets are usually those that disregard the characteristics of a Pokemon while severely affecting their viability. 

Let it be known that we are in favor of keeping creative sets, but not when they completely crush the viability of a Pokémon. 

Example 1. –Fun Creative Set : Belly Drum Hypno
Example 2. – Detrimental Creative Set : Screens Electabuzz with Eviolite  

The “Wish + Protect” Problem ⭐
There are too many Pokemons that may roll “Wish + Protect” despite how suboptimal and incoherent it is for them to have such a set. We believe that “Wish + Protect” should be reserved for Pokemons that may viably fulfil a supportive/cleric role on a team. 
Indeed, some Pokemons can hardly make use of Wish + Protect as it is not in line with their weak defensive features, which also happens to undermine their natural offensive capabilities.  

Therefore, we urge you to remove “Wish + Protect” sets for all of the following Pokémons: 

Absol
Raichu 
Minun/Plusle
Jolteon
Gallade
Girafarig 
Kangashkan 
Salamence 

In addition, we encourage you to lower the frequency for certain Pokemons to roll a “Wish + Protect” set due to the ambiguous interaction it may have with a Pokemon. For instance, such a set may or may not be optimal on Pokemons like Kangashkan and Illumise. 

Moreover, we ask you to determine the two other moves that accompany Wish + Protect with coherence, and refrain from assigning both of those moves as incoherent offensive damaging moves. 

Example 1. – Incoherent Wish + Protect set: 
Absol with Wish, Protect, Night Slash, Will-O-Wisp. 

Example 2. – Incoherent Offensive Wish + Protect set: 
Minun with Wish, Protect, Thunderbolt, Hidden Power Ice. 

The “Screens” Problem ⭐
The same considerations apply to several Pokemons that may roll a set with Reflect & Light Screen, which is worsened if the Pokemon is not equipped with Light Clay or only has one of these two moves. 

Therefore, we encourage you to remove “Screens” sets from the following Pokemons: 
Raichu 
Electabuzz (especially if it holds Eviolite instead of Light Clay) 
Electivire 
Jolteon
Pachirisu (especially because it can only learn Light Screen and not Reflect, and because it is not equipped with Light Clay) 
Porygon2 (especially because it can only learn Reflect and not Light Screen, and because it is equipped with Eviolite instead of Light Clay) 
Magneton (especially if it holds Eviolite instead of Light Clay) 
Mamoswine 
In addition, we recommend that you provide Light Clay to all Pokémons who may set up Reflect and Light Screen. 
 
Sets that generally do not align with the characteristics of a Pokemon ⭐
In Randoms, certain Pokemons are conditionally viable, as their potential significantly depends on the sets that are allocated to them. These Pokemons usually possess remarkable strength in certain stats while being significantly weak in other stats. 

An issue arises when such Pokemons roll sets that contradict their natural strengths while being insufficient to compensate for their weaknesses. Consequently, their value is considerably undermined, to a point where they become a liability for the player. This problem is further enhanced by other factors, such as a lack of offensive move typing diversity or the assignment of a suboptimal item. 

People may wonder why reform is needed for certain Pokémons despite them having reasonable winrates, but we can only stress the fact that winrates are not de facto a good representation of a Pokémon’s position in Randoms. This is because the possibility for a Pokémon to “win” a game (or at least, contribute to a win) largely depends on the set that it rolls. For instance, it wouldn’t be surprising for Shell Smash Gorebyss to have a winrate of 60% while Choice Scarf Gorebyss sits at a winrate of 45%. [These are made-up numbers that serve as an example.]

Therefore, we urge you to review sets that may be deemed as “dubious” in light of the above, while removing/updating them in a manner that is in line with the characteristics of the given Pokemon. 

For further clarification, here are examples of the sets we are referring to:

Example 1. - Leech Seed Cacturne 
Cacturne has high offensive stats, in both Sp.Atk and Ph.Atk, but is defensively frail and slow. A set that includes Swords Dance with Sucker Punch is coherent with Cacturne’s features because it plays around its strengths and accounts for its low speed. 
However, Cacturne with Leech Seed, Substitute, Giga Drain, and Sucker Punch is hardly viable as it cannot meaningfully fulfill the role of a “damage-over-time” Pokemon due to its weak defensive stats. Its offensive stats are somewhat disregarded despite them being Cacturne’s strength. 

Example 2. - Bellossom with no set-up and no utility 
Bellossom is a Pokemon with low speed and low offensive stats, with its defensive stats being average at best. To thrive, Bellossom either needs set-up moves (e.g., Quiver Dance) or utility moves (e.g., Toxic & Leech Seed). 
However, Bellossom becomes a liability if it does not roll such sets. For instance, a Bellossom with Giga Drain, Hidden Power Ice, Synthesis, and Sleep Power, can hardly be an asset for the team as it does not have the damage, nor the speed, nor the utility, to make progress in the game. 

Example 3. - Choice Specs Bastiodon  
Bastiodon has extremely high defensive stats but has very weak offensive stats. Sets on Bastiodon that provide utility to the player are in line with the Pokémon’s characteristics (e.g., Stealth Rocks, Toxic, Roar/Rest, Iron Head). 
However, Choice Specs do not add sufficient damage on Bastiodon’s moves for it to become offensively valuable. Its defensive stats are undermined despite them being Bastiodon’s strength, while the Pokémon remains offensively weak. 

The abovementioned combinations of Pokémons & sets are problematic because they enhance the Pokémons’ weaknesses, without sufficiently enhancing them to reach a successful potential, usually at the expense of their strengths. 

Allocating resources into a Pokémon’s weaknesses at the expense of its strengths is not always an issue, but it is in several instances as highlighted above, when viability is hindered. For example, the Belly Drum Hypno set ignores the Pokémon’s strong defensive capabilities and its role as a special attacker, and instead, considerably enhances its weakest stat: physical attack. Nonetheless, unlike the examples we have mentioned, a Belly Drum set on Hypno sufficiently enhances its weak attack stat to make it viable in Randoms (all the more since it gets Drain Punch which favors sustain on a bulky Pokémon). 

In addition to the aforementioned remarks, certain sets are simply underwhelming, inefficient, and we recommend that they therefore be removed. For example: 
Ledian with Reflect, Light Screen, Substitute, Baton Pass
Smeargle with Lunar Dance, Taunt, Spore, Rapid Spin 
Sudowoodo with Sucker Punch when it is equipped with a Choice Band (it is quite detrimental to be locked into Sucker Punch) 


III. SAFEGUARDS – COVERAGE & BALANCE ⭐

At the time being, there are a few safeguards in place which seek balance in terms of team composition and capabilities. For instance, no type may appear more than twice on a team, no identical dual-types can appear on a team, and no “trapping” Pokémons (such as Dugtrio and Pursuit users) can be rolled as a lead (with the exception of Magnet Pull Pokémons). 
Nevertheless, we share the opinion that the current safeguards are insufficient, which consequently leads to unfair/unbalanced situations. 

Indeed, it is unfortunately frequent for players to lose games because they rolled a team that can single-handedly be dismantled by one opposing Pokémon (due to its particular stats, typing, etc.). We agree that some match-ups may be unfavorable—which is something that inevitably comes with the tier—but no team should be entirely incapacitated by a singular Pokémon.   

We also believe that sets should be coherent in abstracto. In other words, a certain set may be valuable in a concrete setting (e.g., Screens Jolteon in a team that is built around it), but lack purpose and viability when isolated from any context (e.g., Screens Jolteon in general). Because Randoms does not account for teambuilding, we should avoid attributing sets which can reasonably be deemed as individually unviable on a given Pokémon. 

Therefore, we urge you to implement additional safeguards that will account for the following matters; 

Type Coverage 
We agree with the current safeguards in place with regards to typing.
However, we suggest that the following type-related aspects be subject to further safeguards: 

1.1. Offensive Type Coverage 
a) We are keen on avoiding situations in which none of the Pokémons of a team can effectively/super-effectively damage a specific type, or rather, where most moves are “not very effective” into a specific type. Greater offensive type coverage should be guaranteed. 
b) Should Shedinja remain in Randoms, the player opposing Shedinja must be equipped with reasonable tools in order to defeat Shedinja. It should not be possible for a player to only have one to three moves that may defeat Shedinja. 

1.2. Defensive Type Coverage 
We are keen on avoiding situations in which five or six Pokémons in a team are weak to one type. For instance, a team comprised of two grass types, one bug type, one ice type, and two steel types would be entirely weak to a fire Pokémon. Better defensive type coverage should be allocated within a team.  

Physical & Special Distribution 
There are currently no safeguards in place to guarantee a fair distribution of power, or in other words, a fair allocation of special / physical Pokémons, both on a defensive and an offensive spectrum (but mostly offensive). This can be a serious issue, for example, when a player rolls a team that consists of six special attackers while facing a Chansey. 

Therefore, we urge you to prevent the attribution, in a team, of six Pokémons that share the same power trait. For instance, it should not be possible for a player to roll a team with six physical attackers or six special attackers. 
 
A Fair Distribution of Other Characteristics : Avoiding Extremes
We believe that, in general, safeguards should be in place to prevent a player from receiving teams that are marked by excessive redundancy.  

Example 1. – Moves  
It should not be possible for a player to roll a team with five Stealth Rocks setters. 

Example 2. – Items 
It should not be possible for a player to roll a team with five Pokémons that have a choice item. 

We do not necessarily require a minimum of each, but we do advocate for a maximum of each. In other words, we wish to keep the tier as “randomized” as possible, which requires minimal intervention from the developers. Thus, setting a minimum standard for each team would limit Randoms in an unhealthy manner (e.g., setting a minimum of one “Choice” Pokémon in each team). However, we believe that a maximum number of X or Y elements should be featured in a team in order for the tier to be functional (e.g., maximum two “Choice” items per team, maximum five  “slow” Pokémons below a certain speed tier, etc.). The specific aspects that should fall under such limitations would be determined by the developers (i.e., not all aspects should be concerned by this limit). 

Include Hazard Removal in Teams that do not have Hazards ⭐⭐⭐
The disadvantage of playing into hazards in the absence of hazard removal and hazards themselves is egregious. It creates a significant unbalance between both players. This is further amplified by the confidential aspect of Randoms, which enables players to force out the opponent on many occasions. In regular tiers, hazard removal is present in a vast majority of teams. This should also be the case in Randoms. 

Therefore, we encourage you to include hazard removal in teams that do not possess hazards. 

Alternatively, we recommend that hazards be subject to a certain ponderation [We also suggest that Pokémons be categorized in certain tiers according to their sets. This will be developed in an ulterior section.]. This way, a team that has hazards will increase the overall “tier” of the team, and a team without hazards and without hazard removal will see its overall “tier” decreased. This way, the AI would be able to detect the “imbalance” related to hazards and equip the latter team with Pokémons in a higher tier to seek balance between both teams. 

Trapping Pokémons as Leads 
Currently, trapping Pokémons may not be rolled as a lead Pokémon. Such “trapping” Pokémons include, for instance, Pursuit users, Shadow Tag users, and Arena Trap users. 
However, Magnet Pull Pokémons are exempt from this safeguard and may be rolled as the lead. We do not understand this exemption. 

Therefore, we ask you to prevent Magnet Pull Pokémons from being rolled as the lead. 

Tiers within the Tier ⭐
Certain Pokémons with specific sets are stronger than others. Pokémon X with set Y may be stronger than Pokémon A with set Y, or than Pokémon X but, this time, with set Z. To avoid imbalances in the allocation of a team, we would like the developers to implement a non-public tiering system within Randoms itself, in order for the AI to fairly distribute Pokémons in a team. The purpose would be to avoid situations in which a team has five or six overpowered combinations of sets and Pokémons, and vice-versa. 

For instance, Shell Smash Gorebyss would be categorized in the “S+” tier whilst Choice Scarf Gorebyss would be categorized in the “C” tier. 
More specifically, tiering should be processed according to the winrate of a given Pokémon with regards to a given set (i.e., the winrate of the combination). To reiterate our example, Gorebyss with Shell Smash would fall in the S+ tier due to having a winrate of (for example) 58% whereas Gorebyss with Choice Scarf would be in the C tier due to its winrate of (for example) 45%. 

In fine, the allocation of a team by the AI should be processed, in part, according to the winrates of the combinations of Pokémons and sets, in order to reach an overall balanced team winrate.
In other words, the combined winrate of each combination of Pokémon and set—i.e., the team winrate—should hover around 50%, or at least, should not be excessively high or low. 

This is one of my recent games & it perfectly summarizes the issue with a lack of safeguards. 



Rolling the three worst Pokémons in the tier;
Rolling six special attackers into a Blissey (which had toxic and wish);
Lack of diversity in the move typings;
A choice scarf on a Pokémon that is already fast and therefore does not need the extra speed;

IV. FINAL CONSIDERATIONS
General considerations that do not fall under the abovementioned categories. 

We are not asking for a complete reform
This Reform Request may be critical of certain aspects of Randoms, but we enjoy most of the current features offered by the tier. 
We are in favor of playing original sets in Randoms that would otherwise be unviable in other tiers. The same applies for Pokémons that are fun to use but not strong enough to be played elsewhere than in Randoms.
We agree with the matchmaking system, where losing a game of Randoms is less impactful than losses in other tiers.
For the tier to remain faithful to its essence, we believe that “randomization” should be the rule. However, some degree of intervention is required for a healthy gameplay. The suggestions and problems underlined in this document are the intervention we would like to see. 
As far as we know, anything that has not been mentioned here should remain unchanged and is therefore implicitly marked by our approval. Other players may, however, point out issues that we have omitted/forgotten in the discussion thread. 

Upcoming Update : Involving PvP Players 
Seeing that a Randoms update is long overdue, that numerous players have considerable experience in Randoms and are themselves the recipient of an update, that the current meta includes a wide array of “dubious” sets (which affects player engagement and retention);
We encourage you to involve experienced Randoms players (and PvP players) in the upcoming modification and development of sets, and more generally, in the upcoming update of Randoms. 

We are aware that this involvement should be limited in a way that does not affect the fairness of Randoms [It would not be fair for certain Randoms players to have access to the entire list of sets and mechanics. This would enable them to have a list that can be used when playing Randoms and would therefore create an unfair advantage. Although most top rated Randoms players already have somewhat of a list, or most sets memorized, it would still be unjust symbolically-speaking] . Thus, our involvement would be limited to Pokémons & sets that may reasonably be deemed as “dubious”. In other words, it is not necessary—nor for the developers or for the Randoms players—to go over all of the sets. Most of them can remain untouched. We are only referring to the “dubious” sets, potential new HAs, potential new legendaries, etc. 

Moreover, we suggest that a council/thread be devoted to Randoms as a tier, with a dedicated Discord channel, similarly to what has been created for the other tiers—for the sake of fluid communication. The specific competences and purpose of this tier/thread would be defined by the developers. 

We urge you to take into account all of the abovementioned considerations, and ask you to inform the lead author of this request, DiscoShiba, if/when the recipient(s), Rache and/or other developers, have properly received and duly familiarized themselves with the content of this request.
Should this request be denied/ignored, we ask you to provide an explanation as to why that is. 

Lastly, we urge you to inform us on the potential existence of an update for Randoms in the foreseeable future, and if applicable, to provide a timeframe in which said-update will begin. 

Hall of Fame 
Noting that players who finish a season on the leaderboard as rank one, two, and three in OU, UU, NU, and Doubles, thereby winning a crown, have their in-game names displayed on the PokeMMO Forums Hall of Fame thread; 
Reaffirming the prestige that a leaderboard entry holds, but also the energy and time required for Randoms players to be placed in the top three, especially in contrast with other tiers;  
Expressing our lack of understanding as to why top leaderboard players in Randoms do not have their in-game names displayed in the Hall of Fame thread at the end of the season, and are thereby being treated differently for no apparent reason; 

We adamantly ask you to display, on the Hall of Fame thread, the in-game names of past and future Randoms players that finish (or have finished) the season in the top three of the leaderboard. 
______________________________________________________________________

OPEN DISCUSSION ON THE FORUMS 

On a final note, we would like to open a discussion on certain points mentioned within this document—which will be posted on the Forums.
In particular, we are keen to see players share their views on the following topics (these topics will be marked with a yellow star on the Forums ⭐): 
Dugtrio and Shedinja in Randoms, uncompetitive or not?; 
The specifics of adding new items, Pokémons, and abilities to Randoms; 
The specific Pokémons that should (not) have access to Screens and Wish/Protect sets; 
Type coverage safeguards (and other safeguards); 
The randomized distribution of hazards in teams or lack thereof; 
Tiers within the Randoms tier; 
The specifics of “Dubious sets”. 

Naturally, we welcome and encourage players to voice their opinions on other matters related to Randoms, including those that may have not been covered by this request. 

Lastly—regarding “dubious sets”—it would be helpful if players could post screenshots or the exact moves of sets that may reasonably be considered as nonsensical so that we can have a list. At the very least, it would enable a discussion to be held on sets for which viability is debatable.

______________________________________________________________________

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 

I wish to thank the developers and Rache in advance for considering this request,

Thank you to all the PvP players and other members of the community who contributed to the content of this request, and to those that will be part of future discussions. 

Kind regards,
DiscoShiba & SpidgetREAL (lead authors of the request) 

I may be reached through the following channel (contact information):
IGN: DiscoShiba
Forums: DiscoShiba
Discord: discoshiba66 

[Context]
Hello everyone,
Hereafter is the Request we are sending to @Rache to push for a Randoms update (I'm reaching out to her specifically because she appears to be the developer in charge of Randoms and previously expressed her will to update the tier). This request contains a detailed list of suggestions, ideas, and issues related to Randoms.
Although this could be classified as a "suggestion" (and therefore be posted in Suggestions), I wish to open a discussion on the content of this request and am therefore posting it here, in Competitive Alley. The specific topics for which we adamantly wish players to voice their opinions on will be marked with a yellow star ⭐, but feel free to address anything else related to Randoms.
If this should be considered as a "Suggestion" instead, please let me know (if you're a moderator).
Cheers,
DiscoShiba & Spidget

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

REFORM REQUEST – UPDATING RANDOMS [PVP]

PREAMBLE

Dear Rache,
Dear Developers, 

We hope this message finds you well, as a lot of time and effort was put into it.
Understandably, you have a lot on your plate and receive numerous requests, but we believe that Randoms PvP is a facet of the game that receives enough playtime to be prioritized for an update. You have previously stated that reforming Randoms was “high on your to-do list” and, with this message, we are eager to offer our contribution.  

Hereafter, you will find a list of highlighted issues and recommendations that myself and several other top Randoms players have worked on. All of us have consistently played thousands of Randoms games throughout the years, earned crowns, and maintained a high winrate.
We believe that we have the necessary experience and knowledge to provide constructive feedback on the current state of Randoms and encourage you to use it when the time for an update comes. 

In addition to Randoms players, many members of the PvP community (and of the community as a whole) share the desire to see the tier reformed. An update not only benefits the current player base–which is quite large, as one can notice from PvP statistics–but also all the players who do not play Randoms due to the current design. [I am currently a member of VOW, a notorious PvP team, but am also the only avid Randoms player (who plays for Leaderboard). My teammates enjoy Randoms but not on PokeMMO. They would play if an update were to come] 

With all this being said, we are pleased to share this Randoms Reform Request with you and hope to hear back from you soon. 

We are looking forward to your response and are grateful for the opportunity to be considered, 

Yours sincerely, 
DiscoShiba & SpidgetREAL 
________________________________________________________________

TABLE OF CONTENTS 
I. POKEMONS
1. Removing Certain Pokémons
1.1. Unown
1.2. Ditto
1.3. Plant Coat Wormadam (Grass & Bug typing)
1.4. Shedinja
1.5. Dugtrio 
2. Buffing Certain Pokémons
2.1. Rotom Base Form (Ghost & Electric typing)
2.2. Grass Cloak Wormadam (Bug & Grass typing)
3. Adding Certain Pokémons
3.1. Gen 5 Pokémons
3.2. Legendary Pokémons
4. Adding Certain Mechanics
4.1. Hidden Abilities
4.2. Items
II. SETS
1. The “Wish + Protect” Problem
2. The “Screens” Problem
3. Sets that do not align with the characteristics of a Pokemon
III. SAFEGUARDS – COVERAGE & BALANCE
1. Type Coverage
1.1. Offensive Type Coverage
1.2. Defensive Type Coverage
2. Physical & Special Distribution
3. A Fair Distribution of Other Characteristics : Avoiding Extremes
4. Include Hazard Removal in Teams that do not have Hazards
5. Trapping Pokémons as Leads
6. Tiers within the Tier
IV. FINAL CONSIDERATIONS
1. We are not asking for a complete reform
2. Upcoming Update : Involving PvP Players
3. Hall of Fame

AKNOWLEDGEMENTS
_______________________________________________________

I. POKEMONS

Removing Certain Pokémons
Several Pokémons are a liability due to their underwhelming characteristics and/or design. A player who should roll them in a game is essentially starting off the battle 5 vs. 6. 
We urge you to remove the following Pokémons from Randoms:

1.1. Unown 
The capacity of Unown to a) only learn one move and b) a weak move, makes it underwhelming to use. This makes Unown easy to counter/defeat, all the more since it can only hold one of two items and has access to either HP psychic or HP fighting. Since its level is already set to 100, it cannot be further buffed and we therefore would like to see it removed from the tier. 

1.2. Ditto
The same reasoning applies to Ditto.
However, we would like to keep Ditto in the tier under the condition that Hidden Abilities are added [HAs will be the subject of an ulterior section].

1.3. Plant Coat Wormadam (Grass & Bug typing) 
Wormadam in its "regular" form is arguably the worst Pokémon in Randoms. It's been somewhat buffed in the past but its winrate unfortunately remained the same. Due to its weak overall characteristics, we recommend that it be removed from the tier.
However, we are of the opinion that Plant Coat Wormadam may remain in the tier under the condition that its level is at least increased to 84. After running a series of calculcations, we consider that it may become balanced in Randoms if its level is set somewhere between 84 and 87.

1.4. Shedinja ⭐
Although Shedinja may be balanced in other tiers, we do not support its presence in Randoms. Defeating Shedinja relies on either being in possession of hazards or defined moves in terms of typing. Inversely, Shedinja’s use becomes void if a player rolls it into a team that has hazards when said-player does not have any removal. To us, Shedinja is uncompetitive in Randoms.
Because teams and moves are randomized, we do not believe that it is fair to include a Pokémon for which the strength/weakness is determined nearly exclusively by RNG.
On top of that, the confidential aspect of Randoms (i.e., absence of team preview) also contributes to determining Shedinja’s capabilities. It is possible for a player to “hide” Shedinja until the very end, where the opponent will simply not have the necessary moves to defeat it.

Lastly, it happens too often for players to only receive one to three moves that can in fact beat Shedinja, which leaves this matter, once again, up to RNG.
For these reasons, we ask for Shedinja to be removed from Randoms.

1.5. Dugtrio ⭐
We will not reiterate the long discussions that players have held on the Forums regarding Dugtrio. It has been deemed as an uncompetitive Pokemon in regular tiers and we fail to comprehend why it has not been considered as such in Randoms. If anything, Dugtrio is especially uncompetitive in Randoms due to the absence of team preview. Any Pokemon with an electric typing would be heavily penalized should the opponent switch to Dugtrio on a Volt-Switch, for instance (all the more if they happen to be equipped with a “choice” item).
Thus, we ask for Dugtrio to be removed from Randoms. 

Buffing Certain Pokémons
We believe that a few Pokémons need a bit more love to be viable in Randoms.
We therefore ask you to increase the levels of the following Pokémons: 

2.1. Rotom Base Form (Ghost & Electric Type)
Rotom has been buffed in the past but remains too weak in Randoms. We think that
giving it a few extra levels would solidify its value in the tier. 

2.2. Grass Cloack Wormadam (Bug & Grass type)
This has already been covered in the previous section. 

Adding Certain Pokémons ⭐
We believe that adding certain Pokémons to Randoms would be refreshing for the player base and enhance the tier’s quality. 
We would not only be keen to see existing Pokemons added to the tier, but also Pokemons that are not currently available in other tiers (i.e., certain legendary Pokémons). Regarding the latter, we know that it may be a possibility since some of these Pokémons exist in the Battle Factory despite not being available to players (e.g., Latias & Latios, or Magic Bounce Alakazam). 

We therefore encourage you to add the following Pokémons to Randoms: 

3.1. Gen 5 Pokémons
No additional comments. 

3.2. Legendary Pokémons
We would not only like to see the legendary Pokémons that are currently available to players added to Randoms, but also those that are not available to players and those that are available to players but not usable in PvP. 
Regarding the former, we are referring to Pokémons like Latios, Latias (both of which exist in the Battle Factory), the Regis, to name a few. 
Regarding the latter, we are referring to Pokémons like Darkrai, Sky Form Shaymin, and Mewtwo, Rayquaza, and other “king of the hill” Pokémons, to name a few. 
Naturally, their strength should be accounted for and their level/sets should be determined accordingly for them to be balanced. 

Adding Certain Mechanics ⭐
Similarly to what has been said in the previous sections, we believe that the addition of certain elements of the game to Randoms would bring a sense of refreshment to players. 
We therefore recommend that the following be added to Randoms: 

4.1. Hidden Abilities 
On top of giving a feeling of “new” to the players, giving certain Pokémons access to their HAs would enable them to thrive in a way that may currently not be possible. It would also enable new sets and mechanics to come forward, and overall, make the tier more interesting. This would include HAs that are not currently available to players directly whilst still being present in the game (e.g., Magic Bounce Alakazam). 

Example 1. – New set:
Multiscale Dragonite with Substitute and Roost.

Example 2. – New interaction:
Porygon2 tracing Dragonite’s multiscale.

Example 3. – New potential
Infiltrator Spiritomb to enable “Tricking” Pokemons behind a Substitute.

4.2. Items 
Same reasoning as the previous section. The inclusion of certain items can bring change to the tier. On top of that, several items that lead to fun interactions—which are, however, not strong enough to be used in regular tiers—would be a great addition to Randoms. Due to the characteristics of the tier, such items would be easy to balance in such way that they become viable. 

Example1. - Assault Vest
Good and interesting item overall. 

Example 2. – Throat Spray 
Throat Spray is hardly viable in any regular tier, but who wouldn’t want to play Throat Spray Yanmega with Bug Buzz? 


II. SETS

The beauty of Randoms lies within the creative sets that Pokémons may have, on one hand, and the possibility for players to use Pokémons which would commonly not be strong enough to be viable in regular tiers, on the other hand. The corollary of the above is the process that enables Pokémons to cycle through a diversity of sets. 

The combination of the aforementioned aspects is what makes the tier so special and fun—in Randoms, every match-up will be different. 

However, we believe that numerous sets are detrimental to the game and undermine our enjoyment when playing Randoms. These sets are usually those that disregard the characteristics of a Pokemon while severely affecting their viability. 

Let it be known that we are in favor of keeping creative sets, but not when they completely crush the viability of a Pokémon. 

Example 1. –Fun Creative Set : Belly Drum Hypno
Example 2. – Detrimental Creative Set : Screens Electabuzz with Eviolite  

The “Wish + Protect” Problem ⭐
There are too many Pokemons that may roll “Wish + Protect” despite how suboptimal and incoherent it is for them to have such a set. We believe that “Wish + Protect” should be reserved for Pokemons that may viably fulfil a supportive/cleric role on a team. 
Indeed, some Pokemons can hardly make use of Wish + Protect as it is not in line with their weak defensive features, which also happens to undermine their natural offensive capabilities.  

Therefore, we urge you to remove “Wish + Protect” sets for all of the following Pokémons: 

Absol
Raichu 
Minun/Plusle
Jolteon
Gallade
Girafarig 
Kangashkan 
Salamence 

In addition, we encourage you to lower the frequency for certain Pokemons to roll a “Wish + Protect” set due to the ambiguous interaction it may have with a Pokemon. For instance, such a set may or may not be optimal on Pokemons like Kangashkan and Illumise. 

Moreover, we ask you to determine the two other moves that accompany Wish + Protect with coherence, and refrain from assigning both of those moves as incoherent offensive damaging moves. 

Example 1. – Incoherent Wish + Protect set: 
Absol with Wish, Protect, Night Slash, Will-O-Wisp. 

Example 2. – Incoherent Offensive Wish + Protect set: 
Minun with Wish, Protect, Thunderbolt, Hidden Power Ice. 

The “Screens” Problem ⭐
The same considerations apply to several Pokemons that may roll a set with Reflect & Light Screen, which is worsened if the Pokemon is not equipped with Light Clay or only has one of these two moves. 

Therefore, we encourage you to remove “Screens” sets from the following Pokemons: 
Raichu 
Electabuzz (especially if it holds Eviolite instead of Light Clay) 
Electivire 
Jolteon
Pachirisu (especially because it can only learn Light Screen and not Reflect, and because it is not equipped with Light Clay) 
Porygon2 (especially because it can only learn Reflect and not Light Screen, and because it is equipped with Eviolite instead of Light Clay) 
Magneton (especially if it holds Eviolite instead of Light Clay) 
Mamoswine 
In addition, we recommend that you provide Light Clay to all Pokémons who may set up Reflect and Light Screen. 
 
Sets that generally do not align with the characteristics of a Pokemon ⭐
In Randoms, certain Pokemons are conditionally viable, as their potential significantly depends on the sets that are allocated to them. These Pokemons usually possess remarkable strength in certain stats while being significantly weak in other stats. 

An issue arises when such Pokemons roll sets that contradict their natural strengths while being insufficient to compensate for their weaknesses. Consequently, their value is considerably undermined, to a point where they become a liability for the player. This problem is further enhanced by other factors, such as a lack of offensive move typing diversity or the assignment of a suboptimal item. 

People may wonder why reform is needed for certain Pokémons despite them having reasonable winrates, but we can only stress the fact that winrates are not de facto a good representation of a Pokémon’s position in Randoms. This is because the possibility for a Pokémon to “win” a game (or at least, contribute to a win) largely depends on the set that it rolls. For instance, it wouldn’t be surprising for Shell Smash Gorebyss to have a winrate of 60% while Choice Scarf Gorebyss sits at a winrate of 45%. [These are made-up numbers that serve as an example.]

Therefore, we urge you to review sets that may be deemed as “dubious” in light of the above, while removing/updating them in a manner that is in line with the characteristics of the given Pokemon. 

For further clarification, here are examples of the sets we are referring to:

Example 1. - Leech Seed Cacturne 
Cacturne has high offensive stats, in both Sp.Atk and Ph.Atk, but is defensively frail and slow. A set that includes Swords Dance with Sucker Punch is coherent with Cacturne’s features because it plays around its strengths and accounts for its low speed. 
However, Cacturne with Leech Seed, Substitute, Giga Drain, and Sucker Punch is hardly viable as it cannot meaningfully fulfill the role of a “damage-over-time” Pokemon due to its weak defensive stats. Its offensive stats are somewhat disregarded despite them being Cacturne’s strength. 

Example 2. - Bellossom with no set-up and no utility 
Bellossom is a Pokemon with low speed and low offensive stats, with its defensive stats being average at best. To thrive, Bellossom either needs set-up moves (e.g., Quiver Dance) or utility moves (e.g., Toxic & Leech Seed). 
However, Bellossom becomes a liability if it does not roll such sets. For instance, a Bellossom with Giga Drain, Hidden Power Ice, Synthesis, and Sleep Power, can hardly be an asset for the team as it does not have the damage, nor the speed, nor the utility, to make progress in the game. 

Example 3. - Choice Specs Bastiodon  
Bastiodon has extremely high defensive stats but has very weak offensive stats. Sets on Bastiodon that provide utility to the player are in line with the Pokémon’s characteristics (e.g., Stealth Rocks, Toxic, Roar/Rest, Iron Head). 
However, Choice Specs do not add sufficient damage on Bastiodon’s moves for it to become offensively valuable. Its defensive stats are undermined despite them being Bastiodon’s strength, while the Pokémon remains offensively weak. 

The abovementioned combinations of Pokémons & sets are problematic because they enhance the Pokémons’ weaknesses, without sufficiently enhancing them to reach a successful potential, usually at the expense of their strengths. 

Allocating resources into a Pokémon’s weaknesses at the expense of its strengths is not always an issue, but it is in several instances as highlighted above, when viability is hindered. For example, the Belly Drum Hypno set ignores the Pokémon’s strong defensive capabilities and its role as a special attacker, and instead, considerably enhances its weakest stat: physical attack. Nonetheless, unlike the examples we have mentioned, a Belly Drum set on Hypno sufficiently enhances its weak attack stat to make it viable in Randoms (all the more since it gets Drain Punch which favors sustain on a bulky Pokémon). 

In addition to the aforementioned remarks, certain sets are simply underwhelming, inefficient, and we recommend that they therefore be removed. For example: 
Ledian with Reflect, Light Screen, Substitute, Baton Pass
Smeargle with Lunar Dance, Taunt, Spore, Rapid Spin 
Sudowoodo with Sucker Punch when it is equipped with a Choice Band (it is quite detrimental to be locked into Sucker Punch) 


III. SAFEGUARDS – COVERAGE & BALANCE ⭐

At the time being, there are a few safeguards in place which seek balance in terms of team composition and capabilities. For instance, no type may appear more than twice on a team, no identical dual-types can appear on a team, and no “trapping” Pokémons (such as Dugtrio and Pursuit users) can be rolled as a lead (with the exception of Magnet Pull Pokémons). 
Nevertheless, we share the opinion that the current safeguards are insufficient, which consequently leads to unfair/unbalanced situations. 

Indeed, it is unfortunately frequent for players to lose games because they rolled a team that can single-handedly be dismantled by one opposing Pokémon (due to its particular stats, typing, etc.). We agree that some match-ups may be unfavorable—which is something that inevitably comes with the tier—but no team should be entirely incapacitated by a singular Pokémon.   

We also believe that sets should be coherent in abstracto. In other words, a certain set may be valuable in a concrete setting (e.g., Screens Jolteon in a team that is built around it), but lack purpose and viability when isolated from any context (e.g., Screens Jolteon in general). Because Randoms does not account for teambuilding, we should avoid attributing sets which can reasonably be deemed as individually unviable on a given Pokémon. 

Therefore, we urge you to implement additional safeguards that will account for the following matters; 

Type Coverage 
We agree with the current safeguards in place with regards to typing.
However, we suggest that the following type-related aspects be subject to further safeguards: 

1.1. Offensive Type Coverage 
a) We are keen on avoiding situations in which none of the Pokémons of a team can effectively/super-effectively damage a specific type, or rather, where most moves are “not very effective” into a specific type. Greater offensive type coverage should be guaranteed. 
b) Should Shedinja remain in Randoms, the player opposing Shedinja must be equipped with reasonable tools in order to defeat Shedinja. It should not be possible for a player to only have one to three moves that may defeat Shedinja. 

1.2. Defensive Type Coverage 
We are keen on avoiding situations in which five or six Pokémons in a team are weak to one type. For instance, a team comprised of two grass types, one bug type, one ice type, and two steel types would be entirely weak to a fire Pokémon. Better defensive type coverage should be allocated within a team.  

Physical & Special Distribution 
There are currently no safeguards in place to guarantee a fair distribution of power, or in other words, a fair allocation of special / physical Pokémons, both on a defensive and an offensive spectrum (but mostly offensive). This can be a serious issue, for example, when a player rolls a team that consists of six special attackers while facing a Chansey. 

Therefore, we urge you to prevent the attribution, in a team, of six Pokémons that share the same power trait. For instance, it should not be possible for a player to roll a team with six physical attackers or six special attackers. 
 
A Fair Distribution of Other Characteristics : Avoiding Extremes
We believe that, in general, safeguards should be in place to prevent a player from receiving teams that are marked by excessive redundancy.  

Example 1. – Moves  
It should not be possible for a player to roll a team with five Stealth Rocks setters. 

Example 2. – Items 
It should not be possible for a player to roll a team with five Pokémons that have a choice item. 

We do not necessarily require a minimum of each, but we do advocate for a maximum of each. In other words, we wish to keep the tier as “randomized” as possible, which requires minimal intervention from the developers. Thus, setting a minimum standard for each team would limit Randoms in an unhealthy manner (e.g., setting a minimum of one “Choice” Pokémon in each team). However, we believe that a maximum number of X or Y elements should be featured in a team in order for the tier to be functional (e.g., maximum two “Choice” items per team, maximum five  “slow” Pokémons below a certain speed tier, etc.). The specific aspects that should fall under such limitations would be determined by the developers (i.e., not all aspects should be concerned by this limit). 

Include Hazard Removal in Teams that do not have Hazards ⭐⭐⭐
The disadvantage of playing into hazards in the absence of hazard removal and hazards themselves is egregious. It creates a significant unbalance between both players. This is further amplified by the confidential aspect of Randoms, which enables players to force out the opponent on many occasions. In regular tiers, hazard removal is present in a vast majority of teams. This should also be the case in Randoms. 

Therefore, we encourage you to include hazard removal in teams that do not possess hazards. 

Alternatively, we recommend that hazards be subject to a certain ponderation [We also suggest that Pokémons be categorized in certain tiers according to their sets. This will be developed in an ulterior section.]. This way, a team that has hazards will increase the overall “tier” of the team, and a team without hazards and without hazard removal will see its overall “tier” decreased. This way, the AI would be able to detect the “imbalance” related to hazards and equip the latter team with Pokémons in a higher tier to seek balance between both teams. 

Trapping Pokémons as Leads 
Currently, trapping Pokémons may not be rolled as a lead Pokémon. Such “trapping” Pokémons include, for instance, Pursuit users, Shadow Tag users, and Arena Trap users. 
However, Magnet Pull Pokémons are exempt from this safeguard and may be rolled as the lead. We do not understand this exemption. 

Therefore, we ask you to prevent Magnet Pull Pokémons from being rolled as the lead. 

Tiers within the Tier ⭐
Certain Pokémons with specific sets are stronger than others. Pokémon X with set Y may be stronger than Pokémon A with set Y, or than Pokémon X but, this time, with set Z. To avoid imbalances in the allocation of a team, we would like the developers to implement a non-public tiering system within Randoms itself, in order for the AI to fairly distribute Pokémons in a team. The purpose would be to avoid situations in which a team has five or six overpowered combinations of sets and Pokémons, and vice-versa. 

For instance, Shell Smash Gorebyss would be categorized in the “S+” tier whilst Choice Scarf Gorebyss would be categorized in the “C” tier. 
More specifically, tiering should be processed according to the winrate of a given Pokémon with regards to a given set (i.e., the winrate of the combination). To reiterate our example, Gorebyss with Shell Smash would fall in the S+ tier due to having a winrate of (for example) 58% whereas Gorebyss with Choice Scarf would be in the C tier due to its winrate of (for example) 45%. 

In fine, the allocation of a team by the AI should be processed, in part, according to the winrates of the combinations of Pokémons and sets, in order to reach an overall balanced team winrate.
In other words, the combined winrate of each combination of Pokémon and set—i.e., the team winrate—should hover around 50%, or at least, should not be excessively high or low. 

This is one of my recent games & it perfectly summarizes the issue with a lack of safeguards. 



Rolling the three worst Pokémons in the tier;
Rolling six special attackers into a Blissey (which had toxic and wish);
Lack of diversity in the move typings;
A choice scarf on a Pokémon that is already fast and therefore does not need the extra speed;

IV. FINAL CONSIDERATIONS
General considerations that do not fall under the abovementioned categories. 

We are not asking for a complete reform
This Reform Request may be critical of certain aspects of Randoms, but we enjoy most of the current features offered by the tier. 
We are in favor of playing original sets in Randoms that would otherwise be unviable in other tiers. The same applies for Pokémons that are fun to use but not strong enough to be played elsewhere than in Randoms.
We agree with the matchmaking system, where losing a game of Randoms is less impactful than losses in other tiers.
For the tier to remain faithful to its essence, we believe that “randomization” should be the rule. However, some degree of intervention is required for a healthy gameplay. The suggestions and problems underlined in this document are the intervention we would like to see. 
As far as we know, anything that has not been mentioned here should remain unchanged and is therefore implicitly marked by our approval. Other players may, however, point out issues that we have omitted/forgotten in the discussion thread. 

Upcoming Update : Involving PvP Players 
Seeing that a Randoms update is long overdue, that numerous players have considerable experience in Randoms and are themselves the recipient of an update, that the current meta includes a wide array of “dubious” sets (which affects player engagement and retention);
We encourage you to involve experienced Randoms players (and PvP players) in the upcoming modification and development of sets, and more generally, in the upcoming update of Randoms. 

We are aware that this involvement should be limited in a way that does not affect the fairness of Randoms [It would not be fair for certain Randoms players to have access to the entire list of sets and mechanics. This would enable them to have a list that can be used when playing Randoms and would therefore create an unfair advantage. Although most top rated Randoms players already have somewhat of a list, or most sets memorized, it would still be unjust symbolically-speaking] . Thus, our involvement would be limited to Pokémons & sets that may reasonably be deemed as “dubious”. In other words, it is not necessary—nor for the developers or for the Randoms players—to go over all of the sets. Most of them can remain untouched. We are only referring to the “dubious” sets, potential new HAs, potential new legendaries, etc. 

Moreover, we suggest that a council/thread be devoted to Randoms as a tier, with a dedicated Discord channel, similarly to what has been created for the other tiers—for the sake of fluid communication. The specific competences and purpose of this tier/thread would be defined by the developers. 

We urge you to take into account all of the abovementioned considerations, and ask you to inform the lead author of this request, DiscoShiba, if/when the recipient(s), Rache and/or other developers, have properly received and duly familiarized themselves with the content of this request.
Should this request be denied/ignored, we ask you to provide an explanation as to why that is. 

Lastly, we urge you to inform us on the potential existence of an update for Randoms in the foreseeable future, and if applicable, to provide a timeframe in which said-update will begin. 

Hall of Fame 
Noting that players who finish a season on the leaderboard as rank one, two, and three in OU, UU, NU, and Doubles, thereby winning a crown, have their in-game names displayed on the PokeMMO Forums Hall of Fame thread; 
Reaffirming the prestige that a leaderboard entry holds, but also the energy and time required for Randoms players to be placed in the top three, especially in contrast with other tiers;  
Expressing our lack of understanding as to why top leaderboard players in Randoms do not have their in-game names displayed in the Hall of Fame thread at the end of the season, and are thereby being treated differently for no apparent reason; 

We adamantly ask you to display, on the Hall of Fame thread, the in-game names of past and future Randoms players that finish (or have finished) the season in the top three of the leaderboard. 
______________________________________________________________________

OPEN DISCUSSION ON THE FORUMS 

On a final note, we would like to open a discussion on certain points mentioned within this document—which will be posted on the Forums.
In particular, we are keen to see players share their views on the following topics (these topics will be marked with a yellow star on the Forums ⭐): 
Dugtrio and Shedinja in Randoms, uncompetitive or not?; 
The specifics of adding new items, Pokémons, and abilities to Randoms; 
The specific Pokémons that should (not) have access to Screens and Wish/Protect sets; 
Type coverage safeguards (and other safeguards); 
The randomized distribution of hazards in teams or lack thereof; 
Tiers within the Randoms tier; 
The specifics of “Dubious sets”. 

Naturally, we welcome and encourage players to voice their opinions on other matters related to Randoms, including those that may have not been covered by this request. 

Lastly—regarding “dubious sets”—it would be helpful if players could post screenshots or the exact moves of sets that may reasonably be considered as nonsensical so that we can have a list. At the very least, it would enable a discussion to be held on sets for which viability is debatable.

______________________________________________________________________

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 

I wish to thank the developers and Rache in advance for considering this request,

Thank you to all the PvP players and other members of the community who contributed to the content of this request, and to those that will be part of future discussions. 

Kind regards,
DiscoShiba & SpidgetREAL (lead authors of the request) 

I may be reached through the following channel (contact information):
IGN: DiscoShiba
Forums: DiscoShiba
Discord: discoshiba66 

[Context]
Hello everyone,
Hereafter is the Request we are sending to @Rache to push for a Randoms update (I'm reaching out to her specifically because she appears to be the developer in charge of Randoms and previously expressed her will to update the tier). This request contains a detailed list of suggestions, ideas, and issues related to Randoms.
Although this could be classified as a "suggestion" (and therefore be posted in Suggestions), I wish to open a discussion on the content of this request and am therefore posting it here, in Competitive Alley. The specific topics for which we adamantly wish players to voice their opinions on will be marked with a yellow star ⭐, but feel free to address anything else related to Randoms.
If this should be considered as a "Suggestion" instead, please let me know (if you're a moderator).
Cheers,
DiscoShiba & Spidget

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

REFORM REQUEST – UPDATING RANDOMS [PVP]

PREAMBLE

Dear Rache,
Dear Developers, 

We hope this message finds you well, as a lot of time and effort was put into it.
Understandably, you have a lot on your plate and receive numerous requests, but we believe that Randoms PvP is a facet of the game that receives enough playtime to be prioritized for an update. You have previously stated that reforming Randoms was “high on your to-do list” and, with this message, we are eager to offer our contribution.  

Hereafter, you will find a list of highlighted issues and recommendations that myself and several other top Randoms players have worked on. All of us have consistently played thousands of Randoms games throughout the years, earned crowns, and maintained a high winrate.
We believe that we have the necessary experience and knowledge to provide constructive feedback on the current state of Randoms and encourage you to use it when the time for an update comes. 

In addition to Randoms players, many members of the PvP community (and of the community as a whole) share the desire to see the tier reformed. An update not only benefits the current player base–which is quite large, as one can notice from PvP statistics–but also all the players who do not play Randoms due to the current design. [I am currently a member of VOW, a notorious PvP team, but am also the only avid Randoms player (who plays for Leaderboard). My teammates enjoy Randoms but not on PokeMMO. They would play if an update were to come] 

With all this being said, we are pleased to share this Randoms Reform Request with you and hope to hear back from you soon. 

We are looking forward to your response and are grateful for the opportunity to be considered, 

Yours sincerely, 
DiscoShiba & SpidgetREAL 
________________________________________________________________

TABLE OF CONTENTS 
I. POKEMONS
1. Removing Certain Pokémons
1.1. Unown
1.2. Ditto
1.3. Plant Coat Wormadam (Grass & Bug typing)
1.4. Shedinja
1.5. Dugtrio 
2. Buffing Certain Pokémons
2.1. Rotom Base Form (Ghost & Electric typing)
2.2. Grass Cloak Wormadam (Bug & Grass typing)
3. Adding Certain Pokémons
3.1. Gen 5 Pokémons
3.2. Legendary Pokémons
4. Adding Certain Mechanics
4.1. Hidden Abilities
4.2. Items
II. SETS
1. The “Wish + Protect” Problem
2. The “Screens” Problem
3. Sets that do not align with the characteristics of a Pokemon
III. SAFEGUARDS – COVERAGE & BALANCE
1. Type Coverage
1.1. Offensive Type Coverage
1.2. Defensive Type Coverage
2. Physical & Special Distribution
3. A Fair Distribution of Other Characteristics : Avoiding Extremes
4. Include Hazard Removal in Teams that do not have Hazards
5. Trapping Pokémons as Leads
6. Tiers within the Tier
IV. FINAL CONSIDERATIONS
1. We are not asking for a complete reform
2. Upcoming Update : Involving PvP Players
3. Hall of Fame

AKNOWLEDGEMENTS
_______________________________________________________

I. POKEMONS

Removing Certain Pokémons
Several Pokémons are a liability due to their underwhelming characteristics and/or design. A player who should roll them in a game is essentially starting off the battle 5 vs. 6. 
We urge you to remove the following Pokémons from Randoms:

1.1. Unown 
The capacity of Unown to a) only learn one move and b) a weak move, makes it underwhelming to use. This makes Unown easy to counter/defeat, all the more since it can only hold one of two items and has access to either HP psychic or HP fighting. Since its level is already set to 100, it cannot be further buffed and we therefore would like to see it removed from the tier. 

1.2. Ditto
The same reasoning applies to Ditto.
However, we would like to keep Ditto in the tier under the condition that Hidden Abilities are added [HAs will be the subject of an ulterior section].

1.3. Plant Coat Wormadam (Grass & Bug typing) 
Wormadam in its "regular" form is arguably the worst Pokémon in Randoms. It's been somewhat buffed in the past but its winrate unfortunately remained the same. Due to its weak overall characteristics, we recommend that it be removed from the tier.
However, we are of the opinion that Plant Coat Wormadam may remain in the tier under the condition that its level is at least increased to 84. After running a series of calculcations, we consider that it may become balanced in Randoms if its level is set somewhere between 84 and 87.

1.4. Shedinja ⭐
Although Shedinja may be balanced in other tiers, we do not support its presence in Randoms. Defeating Shedinja relies on either being in possession of hazards or defined moves in terms of typing. Inversely, Shedinja’s use becomes void if a player rolls it into a team that has hazards when said-player does not have any removal. To us, Shedinja is uncompetitive in Randoms.
Because teams and moves are randomized, we do not believe that it is fair to include a Pokémon for which the strength/weakness is determined nearly exclusively by RNG.
On top of that, the confidential aspect of Randoms (i.e., absence of team preview) also contributes to determining Shedinja’s capabilities. It is possible for a player to “hide” Shedinja until the very end, where the opponent will simply not have the necessary moves to defeat it.

Lastly, it happens too often for players to only receive one to three moves that can in fact beat Shedinja, which leaves this matter, once again, up to RNG.
For these reasons, we ask for Shedinja to be removed from Randoms.

1.5. Dugtrio ⭐
We will not reiterate the long discussions that players have held on the Forums regarding Dugtrio. It has been deemed as an uncompetitive Pokemon in regular tiers and we fail to comprehend why it has not been considered as such in Randoms. If anything, Dugtrio is especially uncompetitive in Randoms due to the absence of team preview. Any Pokemon with an electric typing would be heavily penalized should the opponent switch to Dugtrio on a Volt-Switch, for instance (all the more if they happen to be equipped with a “choice” item).
Thus, we ask for Dugtrio to be removed from Randoms. 

Buffing Certain Pokémons
We believe that a few Pokémons need a bit more love to be viable in Randoms.
We therefore ask you to increase the levels of the following Pokémons: 

2.1. Rotom Base Form (Ghost & Electric Type)
Rotom has been buffed in the past but remains too weak in Randoms. We think that
giving it a few extra levels would solidify its value in the tier. 

2.2. Grass Cloack Wormadam (Bug & Grass type)
This has already been covered in the previous section. 

Adding Certain Pokémons ⭐
We believe that adding certain Pokémons to Randoms would be refreshing for the player base and enhance the tier’s quality. 
We would not only be keen to see existing Pokemons added to the tier, but also Pokemons that are not currently available in other tiers (i.e., certain legendary Pokémons). Regarding the latter, we know that it may be a possibility since some of these Pokémons exist in the Battle Factory despite not being available to players (e.g., Latias & Latios, or Magic Bounce Alakazam). 

We therefore encourage you to add the following Pokémons to Randoms: 

3.1. Gen 5 Pokémons
No additional comments. 

3.2. Legendary Pokémons
We would not only like to see the legendary Pokémons that are currently available to players added to Randoms, but also those that are not available to players and those that are available to players but not usable in PvP. 
Regarding the former, we are referring to Pokémons like Latios, Latias (both of which exist in the Battle Factory), the Regis, to name a few. 
Regarding the latter, we are referring to Pokémons like Darkrai, Sky Form Shaymin, and Mewtwo, Rayquaza, and other “king of the hill” Pokémons, to name a few. 
Naturally, their strength should be accounted for and their level/sets should be determined accordingly for them to be balanced. 

Adding Certain Mechanics ⭐
Similarly to what has been said in the previous sections, we believe that the addition of certain elements of the game to Randoms would bring a sense of refreshment to players. 
We therefore recommend that the following be added to Randoms: 

4.1. Hidden Abilities 
On top of giving a feeling of “new” to the players, giving certain Pokémons access to their HAs would enable them to thrive in a way that may currently not be possible. It would also enable new sets and mechanics to come forward, and overall, make the tier more interesting. This would include HAs that are not currently available to players directly whilst still being present in the game (e.g., Magic Bounce Alakazam). 

Example 1. – New set:
Multiscale Dragonite with Substitute and Roost.

Example 2. – New interaction:
Porygon2 tracing Dragonite’s multiscale.

Example 3. – New potential
Infiltrator Spiritomb to enable “Tricking” Pokemons behind a Substitute.

4.2. Items 
Same reasoning as the previous section. The inclusion of certain items can bring change to the tier. On top of that, several items that lead to fun interactions—which are, however, not strong enough to be used in regular tiers—would be a great addition to Randoms. Due to the characteristics of the tier, such items would be easy to balance in such way that they become viable. 

Example1. - Assault Vest
Good and interesting item overall. 

Example 2. – Throat Spray 
Throat Spray is hardly viable in any regular tier, but who wouldn’t want to play Throat Spray Yanmega with Bug Buzz? 


II. SETS

The beauty of Randoms lies within the creative sets that Pokémons may have, on one hand, and the possibility for players to use Pokémons which would commonly not be strong enough to be viable in regular tiers, on the other hand. The corollary of the above is the process that enables Pokémons to cycle through a diversity of sets. 

The combination of the aforementioned aspects is what makes the tier so special and fun—in Randoms, every match-up will be different. 

However, we believe that numerous sets are detrimental to the game and undermine our enjoyment when playing Randoms. These sets are usually those that disregard the characteristics of a Pokemon while severely affecting their viability. 

Let it be known that we are in favor of keeping creative sets, but not when they completely crush the viability of a Pokémon. 

Example 1. –Fun Creative Set : Belly Drum Hypno
Example 2. – Detrimental Creative Set : Screens Electabuzz with Eviolite  

The “Wish + Protect” Problem ⭐
There are too many Pokemons that may roll “Wish + Protect” despite how suboptimal and incoherent it is for them to have such a set. We believe that “Wish + Protect” should be reserved for Pokemons that may viably fulfil a supportive/cleric role on a team. 
Indeed, some Pokemons can hardly make use of Wish + Protect as it is not in line with their weak defensive features, which also happens to undermine their natural offensive capabilities.  

Therefore, we urge you to remove “Wish + Protect” sets for all of the following Pokémons: 

Absol
Raichu 
Minun/Plusle
Jolteon
Gallade
Girafarig 
Kangashkan 
Salamence 

In addition, we encourage you to lower the frequency for certain Pokemons to roll a “Wish + Protect” set due to the ambiguous interaction it may have with a Pokemon. For instance, such a set may or may not be optimal on Pokemons like Kangashkan and Illumise. 

Moreover, we ask you to determine the two other moves that accompany Wish + Protect with coherence, and refrain from assigning both of those moves as incoherent offensive damaging moves. 

Example 1. – Incoherent Wish + Protect set: 
Absol with Wish, Protect, Night Slash, Will-O-Wisp. 

Example 2. – Incoherent Offensive Wish + Protect set: 
Minun with Wish, Protect, Thunderbolt, Hidden Power Ice. 

The “Screens” Problem ⭐
The same considerations apply to several Pokemons that may roll a set with Reflect & Light Screen, which is worsened if the Pokemon is not equipped with Light Clay or only has one of these two moves. 

Therefore, we encourage you to remove “Screens” sets from the following Pokemons: 
Raichu 
Electabuzz (especially if it holds Eviolite instead of Light Clay) 
Electivire 
Jolteon
Pachirisu (especially because it can only learn Light Screen and not Reflect, and because it is not equipped with Light Clay) 
Porygon2 (especially because it can only learn Reflect and not Light Screen, and because it is equipped with Eviolite instead of Light Clay) 
Magneton (especially if it holds Eviolite instead of Light Clay) 
Mamoswine 
In addition, we recommend that you provide Light Clay to all Pokémons who may set up Reflect and Light Screen. 
 
Sets that generally do not align with the characteristics of a Pokemon ⭐
In Randoms, certain Pokemons are conditionally viable, as their potential significantly depends on the sets that are allocated to them. These Pokemons usually possess remarkable strength in certain stats while being significantly weak in other stats. 

An issue arises when such Pokemons roll sets that contradict their natural strengths while being insufficient to compensate for their weaknesses. Consequently, their value is considerably undermined, to a point where they become a liability for the player. This problem is further enhanced by other factors, such as a lack of offensive move typing diversity or the assignment of a suboptimal item. 

People may wonder why reform is needed for certain Pokémons despite them having reasonable winrates, but we can only stress the fact that winrates are not de facto a good representation of a Pokémon’s position in Randoms. This is because the possibility for a Pokémon to “win” a game (or at least, contribute to a win) largely depends on the set that it rolls. For instance, it wouldn’t be surprising for Shell Smash Gorebyss to have a winrate of 60% while Choice Scarf Gorebyss sits at a winrate of 45%. [These are made-up numbers that serve as an example.]

Therefore, we urge you to review sets that may be deemed as “dubious” in light of the above, while removing/updating them in a manner that is in line with the characteristics of the given Pokemon. 

For further clarification, here are examples of the sets we are referring to:

Example 1. - Leech Seed Cacturne 
Cacturne has high offensive stats, in both Sp.Atk and Ph.Atk, but is defensively frail and slow. A set that includes Swords Dance with Sucker Punch is coherent with Cacturne’s features because it plays around its strengths and accounts for its low speed. 
However, Cacturne with Leech Seed, Substitute, Giga Drain, and Sucker Punch is hardly viable as it cannot meaningfully fulfill the role of a “damage-over-time” Pokemon due to its weak defensive stats. Its offensive stats are somewhat disregarded despite them being Cacturne’s strength. 

Example 2. - Bellossom with no set-up and no utility 
Bellossom is a Pokemon with low speed and low offensive stats, with its defensive stats being average at best. To thrive, Bellossom either needs set-up moves (e.g., Quiver Dance) or utility moves (e.g., Toxic & Leech Seed). 
However, Bellossom becomes a liability if it does not roll such sets. For instance, a Bellossom with Giga Drain, Hidden Power Ice, Synthesis, and Sleep Power, can hardly be an asset for the team as it does not have the damage, nor the speed, nor the utility, to make progress in the game. 

Example 3. - Choice Specs Bastiodon  
Bastiodon has extremely high defensive stats but has very weak offensive stats. Sets on Bastiodon that provide utility to the player are in line with the Pokémon’s characteristics (e.g., Stealth Rocks, Toxic, Roar/Rest, Iron Head). 
However, Choice Specs do not add sufficient damage on Bastiodon’s moves for it to become offensively valuable. Its defensive stats are undermined despite them being Bastiodon’s strength, while the Pokémon remains offensively weak. 

The abovementioned combinations of Pokémons & sets are problematic because they enhance the Pokémons’ weaknesses, without sufficiently enhancing them to reach a successful potential, usually at the expense of their strengths. 

Allocating resources into a Pokémon’s weaknesses at the expense of its strengths is not always an issue, but it is in several instances as highlighted above, when viability is hindered. For example, the Belly Drum Hypno set ignores the Pokémon’s strong defensive capabilities and its role as a special attacker, and instead, considerably enhances its weakest stat: physical attack. Nonetheless, unlike the examples we have mentioned, a Belly Drum set on Hypno sufficiently enhances its weak attack stat to make it viable in Randoms (all the more since it gets Drain Punch which favors sustain on a bulky Pokémon). 

In addition to the aforementioned remarks, certain sets are simply underwhelming, inefficient, and we recommend that they therefore be removed. For example: 
Ledian with Reflect, Light Screen, Substitute, Baton Pass
Smeargle with Lunar Dance, Taunt, Spore, Rapid Spin 
Sudowoodo with Sucker Punch when it is equipped with a Choice Band (it is quite detrimental to be locked into Sucker Punch) 


III. SAFEGUARDS – COVERAGE & BALANCE ⭐

At the time being, there are a few safeguards in place which seek balance in terms of team composition and capabilities. For instance, no type may appear more than twice on a team, no identical dual-types can appear on a team, and no “trapping” Pokémons (such as Dugtrio and Pursuit users) can be rolled as a lead (with the exception of Magnet Pull Pokémons). 
Nevertheless, we share the opinion that the current safeguards are insufficient, which consequently leads to unfair/unbalanced situations. 

Indeed, it is unfortunately frequent for players to lose games because they rolled a team that can single-handedly be dismantled by one opposing Pokémon (due to its particular stats, typing, etc.). We agree that some match-ups may be unfavorable—which is something that inevitably comes with the tier—but no team should be entirely incapacitated by a singular Pokémon.   

We also believe that sets should be coherent in abstracto. In other words, a certain set may be valuable in a concrete setting (e.g., Screens Jolteon in a team that is built around it), but lack purpose and viability when isolated from any context (e.g., Screens Jolteon in general). Because Randoms does not account for teambuilding, we should avoid attributing sets which can reasonably be deemed as individually unviable on a given Pokémon. 

Therefore, we urge you to implement additional safeguards that will account for the following matters; 

Type Coverage 
We agree with the current safeguards in place with regards to typing.
However, we suggest that the following type-related aspects be subject to further safeguards: 

1.1. Offensive Type Coverage 
a) We are keen on avoiding situations in which none of the Pokémons of a team can effectively/super-effectively damage a specific type, or rather, where most moves are “not very effective” into a specific type. Greater offensive type coverage should be guaranteed. 
b) Should Shedinja remain in Randoms, the player opposing Shedinja must be equipped with reasonable tools in order to defeat Shedinja. It should not be possible for a player to only have one to three moves that may defeat Shedinja. 

1.2. Defensive Type Coverage 
We are keen on avoiding situations in which five or six Pokémons in a team are weak to one type. For instance, a team comprised of two grass types, one bug type, one ice type, and two steel types would be entirely weak to a fire Pokémon. Better defensive type coverage should be allocated within a team.  

Physical & Special Distribution 
There are currently no safeguards in place to guarantee a fair distribution of power, or in other words, a fair allocation of special / physical Pokémons, both on a defensive and an offensive spectrum (but mostly offensive). This can be a serious issue, for example, when a player rolls a team that consists of six special attackers while facing a Chansey. 

Therefore, we urge you to prevent the attribution, in a team, of six Pokémons that share the same power trait. For instance, it should not be possible for a player to roll a team with six physical attackers or six special attackers. 
 
A Fair Distribution of Other Characteristics : Avoiding Extremes
We believe that, in general, safeguards should be in place to prevent a player from receiving teams that are marked by excessive redundancy.  

Example 1. – Moves  
It should not be possible for a player to roll a team with five Stealth Rocks setters. 

Example 2. – Items 
It should not be possible for a player to roll a team with five Pokémons that have a choice item. 

We do not necessarily require a minimum of each, but we do advocate for a maximum of each. In other words, we wish to keep the tier as “randomized” as possible, which requires minimal intervention from the developers. Thus, setting a minimum standard for each team would limit Randoms in an unhealthy manner (e.g., setting a minimum of one “Choice” Pokémon in each team). However, we believe that a maximum number of X or Y elements should be featured in a team in order for the tier to be functional (e.g., maximum two “Choice” items per team, maximum five  “slow” Pokémons below a certain speed tier, etc.). The specific aspects that should fall under such limitations would be determined by the developers (i.e., not all aspects should be concerned by this limit). 

Include Hazard Removal in Teams that do not have Hazards ⭐⭐⭐
The disadvantage of playing into hazards in the absence of hazard removal and hazards themselves is egregious. It creates a significant unbalance between both players. This is further amplified by the confidential aspect of Randoms, which enables players to force out the opponent on many occasions. In regular tiers, hazard removal is present in a vast majority of teams. This should also be the case in Randoms. 

Therefore, we encourage you to include hazard removal in teams that do not possess hazards. 

Alternatively, we recommend that hazards be subject to a certain ponderation [We also suggest that Pokémons be categorized in certain tiers according to their sets. This will be developed in an ulterior section.]. This way, a team that has hazards will increase the overall “tier” of the team, and a team without hazards and without hazard removal will see its overall “tier” decreased. This way, the AI would be able to detect the “imbalance” related to hazards and equip the latter team with Pokémons in a higher tier to seek balance between both teams. 

Trapping Pokémons as Leads 
Currently, trapping Pokémons may not be rolled as a lead Pokémon. Such “trapping” Pokémons include, for instance, Pursuit users, Shadow Tag users, and Arena Trap users. 
However, Magnet Pull Pokémons are exempt from this safeguard and may be rolled as the lead. We do not understand this exemption. 

Therefore, we ask you to prevent Magnet Pull Pokémons from being rolled as the lead. 

Tiers within the Tier ⭐
Certain Pokémons with specific sets are stronger than others. Pokémon X with set Y may be stronger than Pokémon A with set Y, or than Pokémon X but, this time, with set Z. To avoid imbalances in the allocation of a team, we would like the developers to implement a non-public tiering system within Randoms itself, in order for the AI to fairly distribute Pokémons in a team. The purpose would be to avoid situations in which a team has five or six overpowered combinations of sets and Pokémons, and vice-versa. 

For instance, Shell Smash Gorebyss would be categorized in the “S+” tier whilst Choice Scarf Gorebyss would be categorized in the “C” tier. 
More specifically, tiering should be processed according to the winrate of a given Pokémon with regards to a given set (i.e., the winrate of the combination). To reiterate our example, Gorebyss with Shell Smash would fall in the S+ tier due to having a winrate of (for example) 58% whereas Gorebyss with Choice Scarf would be in the C tier due to its winrate of (for example) 45%. 

In fine, the allocation of a team by the AI should be processed, in part, according to the winrates of the combinations of Pokémons and sets, in order to reach an overall balanced team winrate.
In other words, the combined winrate of each combination of Pokémon and set—i.e., the team winrate—should hover around 50%, or at least, should not be excessively high or low. 

This is one of my recent games & it perfectly summarizes the issue with a lack of safeguards. 



Rolling the three worst Pokémons in the tier;
Rolling six special attackers into a Blissey (which had toxic and wish);
Lack of diversity in the move typings;
A choice scarf on a Pokémon that is already fast and therefore does not need the extra speed;

IV. FINAL CONSIDERATIONS
General considerations that do not fall under the abovementioned categories. 

We are not asking for a complete reform
This Reform Request may be critical of certain aspects of Randoms, but we enjoy most of the current features offered by the tier. 
We are in favor of playing original sets in Randoms that would otherwise be unviable in other tiers. The same applies for Pokémons that are fun to use but not strong enough to be played elsewhere than in Randoms.
We agree with the matchmaking system, where losing a game of Randoms is less impactful than losses in other tiers.
For the tier to remain faithful to its essence, we believe that “randomization” should be the rule. However, some degree of intervention is required for a healthy gameplay. The suggestions and problems underlined in this document are the intervention we would like to see. 
As far as we know, anything that has not been mentioned here should remain unchanged and is therefore implicitly marked by our approval. Other players may, however, point out issues that we have omitted/forgotten in the discussion thread. 

Upcoming Update : Involving PvP Players 
Seeing that a Randoms update is long overdue, that numerous players have considerable experience in Randoms and are themselves the recipient of an update, that the current meta includes a wide array of “dubious” sets (which affects player engagement and retention);
We encourage you to involve experienced Randoms players (and PvP players) in the upcoming modification and development of sets, and more generally, in the upcoming update of Randoms. 

We are aware that this involvement should be limited in a way that does not affect the fairness of Randoms [It would not be fair for certain Randoms players to have access to the entire list of sets and mechanics. This would enable them to have a list that can be used when playing Randoms and would therefore create an unfair advantage. Although most top rated Randoms players already have somewhat of a list, or most sets memorized, it would still be unjust symbolically-speaking] . Thus, our involvement would be limited to Pokémons & sets that may reasonably be deemed as “dubious”. In other words, it is not necessary—nor for the developers or for the Randoms players—to go over all of the sets. Most of them can remain untouched. We are only referring to the “dubious” sets, potential new HAs, potential new legendaries, etc. 

Moreover, we suggest that a council/thread be devoted to Randoms as a tier, with a dedicated Discord channel, similarly to what has been created for the other tiers—for the sake of fluid communication. The specific competences and purpose of this tier/thread would be defined by the developers. 

We urge you to take into account all of the abovementioned considerations, and ask you to inform the lead author of this request, DiscoShiba, if/when the recipient(s), Rache and/or other developers, have properly received and duly familiarized themselves with the content of this request.
Should this request be denied/ignored, we ask you to provide an explanation as to why that is. 

Lastly, we urge you to inform us on the potential existence of an update for Randoms in the foreseeable future, and if applicable, to provide a timeframe in which said-update will begin. 

Hall of Fame 
Noting that players who finish a season on the leaderboard as rank one, two, and three in OU, UU, NU, and Doubles, thereby winning a crown, have their in-game names displayed on the PokeMMO Forums Hall of Fame thread; 
Reaffirming the prestige that a leaderboard entry holds, but also the energy and time required for Randoms players to be placed in the top three, especially in contrast with other tiers;  
Expressing our lack of understanding as to why top leaderboard players in Randoms do not have their in-game names displayed in the Hall of Fame thread at the end of the season, and are thereby being treated differently for no apparent reason; 

We adamantly ask you to display, on the Hall of Fame thread, the in-game names of past and future Randoms players that finish (or have finished) the season in the top three of the leaderboard. 
______________________________________________________________________

OPEN DISCUSSION ON THE FORUMS 

On a final note, we would like to open a discussion on certain points mentioned within this document—which will be posted on the Forums.
In particular, we are keen to see players share their views on the following topics (these topics will be marked with a yellow star on the Forums ⭐): 
Dugtrio and Shedinja in Randoms, uncompetitive or not?; 
The specifics of adding new items, Pokémons, and abilities to Randoms; 
The specific Pokémons that should (not) have access to Screens and Wish/Protect sets; 
Type coverage safeguards (and other safeguards); 
The randomized distribution of hazards in teams or lack thereof; 
Tiers within the Randoms tier; 
The specifics of “Dubious sets”. 

Naturally, we welcome and encourage players to voice their opinions on other matters related to Randoms, including those that may have not been covered by this request. 

Lastly—regarding “dubious sets”—it would be helpful if players could post screenshots or the exact moves of sets that may reasonably be considered as nonsensical so that we can have a list. At the very least, it would enable a discussion to be held on sets for which viability is debatable.

______________________________________________________________________

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 

I wish to thank the developers and Rache in advance for considering this request,

Thank you to all the PvP players and other members of the community who contributed to the content of this request, and to those that will be part of future discussions. 

Kind regards,
DiscoShiba & SpidgetREAL (lead authors of the request) 

I may be reached through the following channel (contact information):
IGN: DiscoShiba
Forums: DiscoShiba
Discord: discoshiba66 

[Context]
Hello everyone,
Hereafter is the Request we are sending to @Rache to push for a Randoms update (I'm reaching out to her specifically because she appears to be the developer in charge of Randoms and previously expressed her will to update the tier). This request contains a detailed list of suggestions, ideas, and issues related to Randoms.
Although this could be classified as a "suggestion" (and therefore be posted in Suggestions), I wish to open a discussion on the content of this request and am therefore posting it here, in Competitive Alley. The specific topics for which we adamantly wish players to voice their opinions on will be marked with a yellow star ⭐, but feel free to address anything else related to Randoms.
If this should be considered as a "Suggestion" instead, please let me know (if you're a moderator).
Cheers,
DiscoShiba & Spidget

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

REFORM REQUEST – UPDATING RANDOMS [PVP]

PREAMBLE

Dear Rache,
Dear Developers, 

We hope this message finds you well, as a lot of time and effort was put into it.
Understandably, you have a lot on your plate and receive numerous requests, but we believe that Randoms PvP is a facet of the game that receives enough playtime to be prioritized for an update. You have previously stated that reforming Randoms was “high on your to-do list” and, with this message, we are eager to offer our contribution.  

Hereafter, you will find a list of highlighted issues and recommendations that myself and several other top Randoms players have worked on. All of us have consistently played thousands of Randoms games throughout the years, earned crowns, and maintained a high winrate.
We believe that we have the necessary experience and knowledge to provide constructive feedback on the current state of Randoms and encourage you to use it when the time for an update comes. 

In addition to Randoms players, many members of the PvP community (and of the community as a whole) share the desire to see the tier reformed. An update not only benefits the current player base–which is quite large, as one can notice from PvP statistics–but also all the players who do not play Randoms due to the current design. [I am currently a member of VOW, a notorious PvP team, but am also the only avid Randoms player (who plays for Leaderboard). My teammates enjoy Randoms but not on PokeMMO. They would play if an update were to come] 

With all this being said, we are pleased to share this Randoms Reform Request with you and hope to hear back from you soon. 

We are looking forward to your response and are grateful for the opportunity to be considered, 

Yours sincerely, 
DiscoShiba & SpidgetREAL 
________________________________________________________________

TABLE OF CONTENTS 
I. POKEMONS
1. Removing Certain Pokémons
1.1. Unown
1.2. Ditto
1.3. Plant Coat Wormadam (Grass & Bug typing)
1.4. Shedinja
1.5. Dugtrio 
2. Buffing Certain Pokémons
2.1. Rotom Base Form (Ghost & Electric typing)
2.2. Grass Cloak Wormadam (Bug & Grass typing)
3. Adding Certain Pokémons
3.1. Gen 5 Pokémons
3.2. Legendary Pokémons
4. Adding Certain Mechanics
4.1. Hidden Abilities
4.2. Items
II. SETS
1. The “Wish + Protect” Problem
2. The “Screens” Problem
3. Sets that do not align with the characteristics of a Pokemon
III. SAFEGUARDS – COVERAGE & BALANCE
1. Type Coverage
1.1. Offensive Type Coverage
1.2. Defensive Type Coverage
2. Physical & Special Distribution
3. A Fair Distribution of Other Characteristics : Avoiding Extremes
4. Include Hazard Removal in Teams that do not have Hazards
5. Trapping Pokémons as Leads
6. Tiers within the Tier
IV. FINAL CONSIDERATIONS
1. We are not asking for a complete reform
2. Upcoming Update : Involving PvP Players
3. Hall of Fame

AKNOWLEDGEMENTS
_______________________________________________________

I. POKEMONS

Removing Certain Pokémons
Several Pokémons are a liability due to their underwhelming characteristics and/or design. A player who should roll them in a game is essentially starting off the battle 5 vs. 6. 
We urge you to remove the following Pokémons from Randoms:

1.1. Unown 
The capacity of Unown to a) only learn one move and b) a weak move, makes it underwhelming to use. This makes Unown easy to counter/defeat, all the more since it can only hold one of two items and has access to either HP psychic or HP fighting. Since its level is already set to 100, it cannot be further buffed and we therefore would like to see it removed from the tier. 

1.2. Ditto
The same reasoning applies to Ditto.
However, we would like to keep Ditto in the tier under the condition that Hidden Abilities are added [HAs will be the subject of an ulterior section].

1.3. Plant Coat Wormadam (Grass & Bug typing) 
Wormadam in its "regular" form is arguably the worst Pokémon in Randoms. It's been somewhat buffed in the past but its winrate unfortunately remained the same. Due to its weak overall characteristics, we recommend that it be removed from the tier.
However, we are of the opinion that Plant Coat Wormadam may remain in the tier under the condition that its level is at least increased to 84. After running a series of calculcations, we consider that it may become balanced in Randoms if its level is set somewhere between 84 and 87.

1.4. Shedinja ⭐
Although Shedinja may be balanced in other tiers, we do not support its presence in Randoms. Defeating Shedinja relies on either being in possession of hazards or defined moves in terms of typing. Inversely, Shedinja’s use becomes void if a player rolls it into a team that has hazards when said-player does not have any removal. To us, Shedinja is uncompetitive in Randoms.
Because teams and moves are randomized, we do not believe that it is fair to include a Pokémon for which the strength/weakness is determined nearly exclusively by RNG.
On top of that, the confidential aspect of Randoms (i.e., absence of team preview) also contributes to determining Shedinja’s capabilities. It is possible for a player to “hide” Shedinja until the very end, where the opponent will simply not have the necessary moves to defeat it.

Lastly, it happens too often for players to only receive one to three moves that can in fact beat Shedinja, which leaves this matter, once again, up to RNG.
For these reasons, we ask for Shedinja to be removed from Randoms.

1.5. Dugtrio ⭐
We will not reiterate the long discussions that players have held on the Forums regarding Dugtrio. It has been deemed as an uncompetitive Pokemon in regular tiers and we fail to comprehend why it has not been considered as such in Randoms. If anything, Dugtrio is especially uncompetitive in Randoms due to the absence of team preview. Any Pokemon with an electric typing would be heavily penalized should the opponent switch to Dugtrio on a Volt-Switch, for instance (all the more if they happen to be equipped with a “choice” item).
Thus, we ask for Dugtrio to be removed from Randoms. 

Buffing Certain Pokémons
We believe that a few Pokémons need a bit more love to be viable in Randoms.
We therefore ask you to increase the levels of the following Pokémons: 

2.1. Rotom Base Form (Ghost & Electric Type)
Rotom has been buffed in the past but remains too weak in Randoms. We think that
giving it a few extra levels would solidify its value in the tier. 

2.2. Grass Cloack Wormadam (Bug & Grass type)
This has already been covered in the previous section. 

Adding Certain Pokémons ⭐
We believe that adding certain Pokémons to Randoms would be refreshing for the player base and enhance the tier’s quality. 
We would not only be keen to see existing Pokemons added to the tier, but also Pokemons that are not currently available in other tiers (i.e., certain legendary Pokémons). Regarding the latter, we know that it may be a possibility since some of these Pokémons exist in the Battle Factory despite not being available to players (e.g., Latias & Latios, or Magic Bounce Alakazam). 

We therefore encourage you to add the following Pokémons to Randoms: 

3.1. Gen 5 Pokémons
No additional comments. 

3.2. Legendary Pokémons
We would not only like to see the legendary Pokémons that are currently available to players added to Randoms, but also those that are not available to players and those that are available to players but not usable in PvP. 
Regarding the former, we are referring to Pokémons like Latios, Latias (both of which exist in the Battle Factory), the Regis, to name a few. 
Regarding the latter, we are referring to Pokémons like Darkrai, Sky Form Shaymin, and Mewtwo, Rayquaza, and other “king of the hill” Pokémons, to name a few. 
Naturally, their strength should be accounted for and their level/sets should be determined accordingly for them to be balanced. 

Adding Certain Mechanics ⭐
Similarly to what has been said in the previous sections, we believe that the addition of certain elements of the game to Randoms would bring a sense of refreshment to players. 
We therefore recommend that the following be added to Randoms: 

4.1. Hidden Abilities 
On top of giving a feeling of “new” to the players, giving certain Pokémons access to their HAs would enable them to thrive in a way that may currently not be possible. It would also enable new sets and mechanics to come forward, and overall, make the tier more interesting. This would include HAs that are not currently available to players directly whilst still being present in the game (e.g., Magic Bounce Alakazam). 

Example 1. – New set:
Multiscale Dragonite with Substitute and Roost.

Example 2. – New interaction:
Porygon2 tracing Dragonite’s multiscale.

Example 3. – New potential
Infiltrator Spiritomb to enable “Tricking” Pokemons behind a Substitute.

4.2. Items 
Same reasoning as the previous section. The inclusion of certain items can bring change to the tier. On top of that, several items that lead to fun interactions—which are, however, not strong enough to be used in regular tiers—would be a great addition to Randoms. Due to the characteristics of the tier, such items would be easy to balance in such way that they become viable. 

Example1. - Assault Vest
Good and interesting item overall. 

Example 2. – Throat Spray 
Throat Spray is hardly viable in any regular tier, but who wouldn’t want to play Throat Spray Yanmega with Bug Buzz? 


II. SETS

The beauty of Randoms lies within the creative sets that Pokémons may have, on one hand, and the possibility for players to use Pokémons which would commonly not be strong enough to be viable in regular tiers, on the other hand. The corollary of the above is the process that enables Pokémons to cycle through a diversity of sets. 

The combination of the aforementioned aspects is what makes the tier so special and fun—in Randoms, every match-up will be different. 

However, we believe that numerous sets are detrimental to the game and undermine our enjoyment when playing Randoms. These sets are usually those that disregard the characteristics of a Pokemon while severely affecting their viability. 

Let it be known that we are in favor of keeping creative sets, but not when they completely crush the viability of a Pokémon. 

Example 1. –Fun Creative Set : Belly Drum Hypno
Example 2. – Detrimental Creative Set : Screens Electabuzz with Eviolite  

The “Wish + Protect” Problem ⭐
There are too many Pokemons that may roll “Wish + Protect” despite how suboptimal and incoherent it is for them to have such a set. We believe that “Wish + Protect” should be reserved for Pokemons that may viably fulfil a supportive/cleric role on a team. 
Indeed, some Pokemons can hardly make use of Wish + Protect as it is not in line with their weak defensive features, which also happens to undermine their natural offensive capabilities.  

Therefore, we urge you to remove “Wish + Protect” sets for all of the following Pokémons: 

Absol
Raichu 
Minun/Plusle
Jolteon
Gallade
Girafarig 
Kangashkan 
Salamence 

In addition, we encourage you to lower the frequency for certain Pokemons to roll a “Wish + Protect” set due to the ambiguous interaction it may have with a Pokemon. For instance, such a set may or may not be optimal on Pokemons like Kangashkan and Illumise. 

Moreover, we ask you to determine the two other moves that accompany Wish + Protect with coherence, and refrain from assigning both of those moves as incoherent offensive damaging moves. 

Example 1. – Incoherent Wish + Protect set: 
Absol with Wish, Protect, Night Slash, Will-O-Wisp. 

Example 2. – Incoherent Offensive Wish + Protect set: 
Minun with Wish, Protect, Thunderbolt, Hidden Power Ice. 

The “Screens” Problem ⭐
The same considerations apply to several Pokemons that may roll a set with Reflect & Light Screen, which is worsened if the Pokemon is not equipped with Light Clay or only has one of these two moves. 

Therefore, we encourage you to remove “Screens” sets from the following Pokemons: 
Raichu 
Electabuzz (especially if it holds Eviolite instead of Light Clay) 
Electivire 
Jolteon
Pachirisu (especially because it can only learn Light Screen and not Reflect, and because it is not equipped with Light Clay) 
Porygon2 (especially because it can only learn Reflect and not Light Screen, and because it is equipped with Eviolite instead of Light Clay) 
Magneton (especially if it holds Eviolite instead of Light Clay) 
Mamoswine 
In addition, we recommend that you provide Light Clay to all Pokémons who may set up Reflect and Light Screen. 
 
Sets that generally do not align with the characteristics of a Pokemon ⭐
In Randoms, certain Pokemons are conditionally viable, as their potential significantly depends on the sets that are allocated to them. These Pokemons usually possess remarkable strength in certain stats while being significantly weak in other stats. 

An issue arises when such Pokemons roll sets that contradict their natural strengths while being insufficient to compensate for their weaknesses. Consequently, their value is considerably undermined, to a point where they become a liability for the player. This problem is further enhanced by other factors, such as a lack of offensive move typing diversity or the assignment of a suboptimal item. 

People may wonder why reform is needed for certain Pokémons despite them having reasonable winrates, but we can only stress the fact that winrates are not de facto a good representation of a Pokémon’s position in Randoms. This is because the possibility for a Pokémon to “win” a game (or at least, contribute to a win) largely depends on the set that it rolls. For instance, it wouldn’t be surprising for Shell Smash Gorebyss to have a winrate of 60% while Choice Scarf Gorebyss sits at a winrate of 45%. [These are made-up numbers that serve as an example.]

Therefore, we urge you to review sets that may be deemed as “dubious” in light of the above, while removing/updating them in a manner that is in line with the characteristics of the given Pokemon. 

For further clarification, here are examples of the sets we are referring to:

Example 1. - Leech Seed Cacturne 
Cacturne has high offensive stats, in both Sp.Atk and Ph.Atk, but is defensively frail and slow. A set that includes Swords Dance with Sucker Punch is coherent with Cacturne’s features because it plays around its strengths and accounts for its low speed. 
However, Cacturne with Leech Seed, Substitute, Giga Drain, and Sucker Punch is hardly viable as it cannot meaningfully fulfill the role of a “damage-over-time” Pokemon due to its weak defensive stats. Its offensive stats are somewhat disregarded despite them being Cacturne’s strength. 

Example 2. - Bellossom with no set-up and no utility 
Bellossom is a Pokemon with low speed and low offensive stats, with its defensive stats being average at best. To thrive, Bellossom either needs set-up moves (e.g., Quiver Dance) or utility moves (e.g., Toxic & Leech Seed). 
However, Bellossom becomes a liability if it does not roll such sets. For instance, a Bellossom with Giga Drain, Hidden Power Ice, Synthesis, and Sleep Power, can hardly be an asset for the team as it does not have the damage, nor the speed, nor the utility, to make progress in the game. 

Example 3. - Choice Specs Bastiodon  
Bastiodon has extremely high defensive stats but has very weak offensive stats. Sets on Bastiodon that provide utility to the player are in line with the Pokémon’s characteristics (e.g., Stealth Rocks, Toxic, Roar/Rest, Iron Head). 
However, Choice Specs do not add sufficient damage on Bastiodon’s moves for it to become offensively valuable. Its defensive stats are undermined despite them being Bastiodon’s strength, while the Pokémon remains offensively weak. 

The abovementioned combinations of Pokémons & sets are problematic because they enhance the Pokémons’ weaknesses, without sufficiently enhancing them to reach a successful potential, usually at the expense of their strengths. 

Allocating resources into a Pokémon’s weaknesses at the expense of its strengths is not always an issue, but it is in several instances as highlighted above, when viability is hindered. For example, the Belly Drum Hypno set ignores the Pokémon’s strong defensive capabilities and its role as a special attacker, and instead, considerably enhances its weakest stat: physical attack. Nonetheless, unlike the examples we have mentioned, a Belly Drum set on Hypno sufficiently enhances its weak attack stat to make it viable in Randoms (all the more since it gets Drain Punch which favors sustain on a bulky Pokémon). 

In addition to the aforementioned remarks, certain sets are simply underwhelming, inefficient, and we recommend that they therefore be removed. For example: 
Ledian with Reflect, Light Screen, Substitute, Baton Pass
Smeargle with Lunar Dance, Taunt, Spore, Rapid Spin 
Sudowoodo with Sucker Punch when it is equipped with a Choice Band (it is quite detrimental to be locked into Sucker Punch) 


III. SAFEGUARDS – COVERAGE & BALANCE ⭐

At the time being, there are a few safeguards in place which seek balance in terms of team composition and capabilities. For instance, no type may appear more than twice on a team, no identical dual-types can appear on a team, and no “trapping” Pokémons (such as Dugtrio and Pursuit users) can be rolled as a lead (with the exception of Magnet Pull Pokémons). 
Nevertheless, we share the opinion that the current safeguards are insufficient, which consequently leads to unfair/unbalanced situations. 

Indeed, it is unfortunately frequent for players to lose games because they rolled a team that can single-handedly be dismantled by one opposing Pokémon (due to its particular stats, typing, etc.). We agree that some match-ups may be unfavorable—which is something that inevitably comes with the tier—but no team should be entirely incapacitated by a singular Pokémon.   

We also believe that sets should be coherent in abstracto. In other words, a certain set may be valuable in a concrete setting (e.g., Screens Jolteon in a team that is built around it), but lack purpose and viability when isolated from any context (e.g., Screens Jolteon in general). Because Randoms does not account for teambuilding, we should avoid attributing sets which can reasonably be deemed as individually unviable on a given Pokémon. 

Therefore, we urge you to implement additional safeguards that will account for the following matters; 

Type Coverage 
We agree with the current safeguards in place with regards to typing.
However, we suggest that the following type-related aspects be subject to further safeguards: 

1.1. Offensive Type Coverage 
a) We are keen on avoiding situations in which none of the Pokémons of a team can effectively/super-effectively damage a specific type, or rather, where most moves are “not very effective” into a specific type. Greater offensive type coverage should be guaranteed. 
b) Should Shedinja remain in Randoms, the player opposing Shedinja must be equipped with reasonable tools in order to defeat Shedinja. It should not be possible for a player to only have one to three moves that may defeat Shedinja. 

1.2. Defensive Type Coverage 
We are keen on avoiding situations in which five or six Pokémons in a team are weak to one type. For instance, a team comprised of two grass types, one bug type, one ice type, and two steel types would be entirely weak to a fire Pokémon. Better defensive type coverage should be allocated within a team.  

Physical & Special Distribution 
There are currently no safeguards in place to guarantee a fair distribution of power, or in other words, a fair allocation of special / physical Pokémons, both on a defensive and an offensive spectrum (but mostly offensive). This can be a serious issue, for example, when a player rolls a team that consists of six special attackers while facing a Chansey. 

Therefore, we urge you to prevent the attribution, in a team, of six Pokémons that share the same power trait. For instance, it should not be possible for a player to roll a team with six physical attackers or six special attackers. 
 
A Fair Distribution of Other Characteristics : Avoiding Extremes
We believe that, in general, safeguards should be in place to prevent a player from receiving teams that are marked by excessive redundancy.  

Example 1. – Moves  
It should not be possible for a player to roll a team with five Stealth Rocks setters. 

Example 2. – Items 
It should not be possible for a player to roll a team with five Pokémons that have a choice item. 

We do not necessarily require a minimum of each, but we do advocate for a maximum of each. In other words, we wish to keep the tier as “randomized” as possible, which requires minimal intervention from the developers. Thus, setting a minimum standard for each team would limit Randoms in an unhealthy manner (e.g., setting a minimum of one “Choice” Pokémon in each team). However, we believe that a maximum number of X or Y elements should be featured in a team in order for the tier to be functional (e.g., maximum two “Choice” items per team, maximum five  “slow” Pokémons below a certain speed tier, etc.). The specific aspects that should fall under such limitations would be determined by the developers (i.e., not all aspects should be concerned by this limit). 

Include Hazard Removal in Teams that do not have Hazards ⭐⭐⭐
The disadvantage of playing into hazards in the absence of hazard removal and hazards themselves is egregious. It creates a significant unbalance between both players. This is further amplified by the confidential aspect of Randoms, which enables players to force out the opponent on many occasions. In regular tiers, hazard removal is present in a vast majority of teams. This should also be the case in Randoms. 

Therefore, we encourage you to include hazard removal in teams that do not possess hazards. 

Alternatively, we recommend that hazards be subject to a certain ponderation [We also suggest that Pokémons be categorized in certain tiers according to their sets. This will be developed in an ulterior section.]. This way, a team that has hazards will increase the overall “tier” of the team, and a team without hazards and without hazard removal will see its overall “tier” decreased. This way, the AI would be able to detect the “imbalance” related to hazards and equip the latter team with Pokémons in a higher tier to seek balance between both teams. 

Trapping Pokémons as Leads 
Currently, trapping Pokémons may not be rolled as a lead Pokémon. Such “trapping” Pokémons include, for instance, Pursuit users, Shadow Tag users, and Arena Trap users. 
However, Magnet Pull Pokémons are exempt from this safeguard and may be rolled as the lead. We do not understand this exemption. 

Therefore, we ask you to prevent Magnet Pull Pokémons from being rolled as the lead. 

Tiers within the Tier ⭐
Certain Pokémons with specific sets are stronger than others. Pokémon X with set Y may be stronger than Pokémon A with set Y, or than Pokémon X but, this time, with set Z. To avoid imbalances in the allocation of a team, we would like the developers to implement a non-public tiering system within Randoms itself, in order for the AI to fairly distribute Pokémons in a team. The purpose would be to avoid situations in which a team has five or six overpowered combinations of sets and Pokémons, and vice-versa. 

For instance, Shell Smash Gorebyss would be categorized in the “S+” tier whilst Choice Scarf Gorebyss would be categorized in the “C” tier. 
More specifically, tiering should be processed according to the winrate of a given Pokémon with regards to a given set (i.e., the winrate of the combination). To reiterate our example, Gorebyss with Shell Smash would fall in the S+ tier due to having a winrate of (for example) 58% whereas Gorebyss with Choice Scarf would be in the C tier due to its winrate of (for example) 45%. 

In fine, the allocation of a team by the AI should be processed, in part, according to the winrates of the combinations of Pokémons and sets, in order to reach an overall balanced team winrate.
In other words, the combined winrate of each combination of Pokémon and set—i.e., the team winrate—should hover around 50%, or at least, should not be excessively high or low. 

This is one of my recent games & it perfectly summarizes the issue with a lack of safeguards. 



Rolling the three worst Pokémons in the tier;
Rolling six special attackers into a Blissey (which had toxic and wish);
Lack of diversity in the move typings;
A choice scarf on a Pokémon that is already fast and therefore does not need the extra speed;

IV. FINAL CONSIDERATIONS
General considerations that do not fall under the abovementioned categories. 

We are not asking for a complete reform
This Reform Request may be critical of certain aspects of Randoms, but we enjoy most of the current features offered by the tier. 
We are in favor of playing original sets in Randoms that would otherwise be unviable in other tiers. The same applies for Pokémons that are fun to use but not strong enough to be played elsewhere than in Randoms.
We agree with the matchmaking system, where losing a game of Randoms is less impactful than losses in other tiers.
For the tier to remain faithful to its essence, we believe that “randomization” should be the rule. However, some degree of intervention is required for a healthy gameplay. The suggestions and problems underlined in this document are the intervention we would like to see. 
As far as we know, anything that has not been mentioned here should remain unchanged and is therefore implicitly marked by our approval. Other players may, however, point out issues that we have omitted/forgotten in the discussion thread. 

Upcoming Update : Involving PvP Players 
Seeing that a Randoms update is long overdue, that numerous players have considerable experience in Randoms and are themselves the recipient of an update, that the current meta includes a wide array of “dubious” sets (which affects player engagement and retention);
We encourage you to involve experienced Randoms players (and PvP players) in the upcoming modification and development of sets, and more generally, in the upcoming update of Randoms. 

We are aware that this involvement should be limited in a way that does not affect the fairness of Randoms [It would not be fair for certain Randoms players to have access to the entire list of sets and mechanics. This would enable them to have a list that can be used when playing Randoms and would therefore create an unfair advantage. Although most top rated Randoms players already have somewhat of a list, or most sets memorized, it would still be unjust symbolically-speaking] . Thus, our involvement would be limited to Pokémons & sets that may reasonably be deemed as “dubious”. In other words, it is not necessary—nor for the developers or for the Randoms players—to go over all of the sets. Most of them can remain untouched. We are only referring to the “dubious” sets, potential new HAs, potential new legendaries, etc. 

Moreover, we suggest that a council/thread be devoted to Randoms as a tier, with a dedicated Discord channel, similarly to what has been created for the other tiers—for the sake of fluid communication. The specific competences and purpose of this tier/thread would be defined by the developers. 

We urge you to take into account all of the abovementioned considerations, and ask you to inform the lead author of this request, DiscoShiba, if/when the recipient(s), Rache and/or other developers, have properly received and duly familiarized themselves with the content of this request.
Should this request be denied/ignored, we ask you to provide an explanation as to why that is. 

Lastly, we urge you to inform us on the potential existence of an update for Randoms in the foreseeable future, and if applicable, to provide a timeframe in which said-update will begin. 

Hall of Fame 
Noting that players who finish a season on the leaderboard as rank one, two, and three in OU, UU, NU, and Doubles, thereby winning a crown, have their in-game names displayed on the PokeMMO Forums Hall of Fame thread; 
Reaffirming the prestige that a leaderboard entry holds, but also the energy and time required for Randoms players to be placed in the top three, especially in contrast with other tiers;  
Expressing our lack of understanding as to why top leaderboard players in Randoms do not have their in-game names displayed in the Hall of Fame thread at the end of the season, and are thereby being treated differently for no apparent reason; 

We adamantly ask you to display, on the Hall of Fame thread, the in-game names of past and future Randoms players that finish (or have finished) the season in the top three of the leaderboard. 
______________________________________________________________________

OPEN DISCUSSION ON THE FORUMS 

On a final note, we would like to open a discussion on certain points mentioned within this document—which will be posted on the Forums.
In particular, we are keen to see players share their views on the following topics (these topics will be marked with a yellow star on the Forums ⭐): 
Dugtrio and Shedinja in Randoms, uncompetitive or not?; 
The specifics of adding new items, Pokémons, and abilities to Randoms; 
The specific Pokémons that should (not) have access to Screens and Wish/Protect sets; 
Type coverage safeguards (and other safeguards); 
The randomized distribution of hazards in teams or lack thereof; 
Tiers within the Randoms tier; 
The specifics of “Dubious sets”. 

Naturally, we welcome and encourage players to voice their opinions on other matters related to Randoms, including those that may have not been covered by this request. 

Lastly—regarding “dubious sets”—it would be helpful if players could post screenshots or the exact moves of sets that may reasonably be considered as nonsensical so that we can have a list. At the very least, it would enable a discussion to be held on sets for which viability is debatable.

______________________________________________________________________

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 

I wish to thank the developers and Rache in advance for considering this request,

Thank you to all the PvP players and other members of the community who contributed to the content of this request, and to those that will be part of future discussions. 

Kind regards,
DiscoShiba & SpidgetREAL (lead authors of the request) 

I may be reached through the following channel (contact information):
IGN: DiscoShiba
Forums: DiscoShiba
Discord: discoshiba66 

[Context]
Hello everyone,
Hereafter is the Request we are sending to @Rache to push for a Randoms update (I'm reaching out to her specifically because she appears to be the developer in charge of Randoms and previously expressed her will to update the tier). This request contains a detailed list of suggestions, ideas, and issues related to Randoms.
Although this could be classified as a "suggestion" (and therefore be posted in Suggestions), I wish to open a discussion on the content of this request and am therefore posting it here, in Competitive Alley. The specific topics for which we adamantly wish players to voice their opinions on will be marked with a yellow star ⭐, but feel free to address anything else related to Randoms.
If this should be considered as a "Suggestion" instead, please let me know (if you're a moderator).
Cheers,
DiscoShiba & Spidget

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

REFORM REQUEST – UPDATING RANDOMS [PVP]

PREAMBLE

Dear Rache,
Dear Developers, 

We hope this message finds you well, as a lot of time and effort was put into it.
Understandably, you have a lot on your plate and receive numerous requests, but we believe that Randoms PvP is a facet of the game that receives enough playtime to be prioritized for an update. You have previously stated that reforming Randoms was “high on your to-do list” and, with this message, we are eager to offer our contribution.  

Hereafter, you will find a list of highlighted issues and recommendations that myself and several other top Randoms players have worked on. All of us have consistently played thousands of Randoms games throughout the years, earned crowns, and maintained a high winrate.
We believe that we have the necessary experience and knowledge to provide constructive feedback on the current state of Randoms and encourage you to use it when the time for an update comes. 

In addition to Randoms players, many members of the PvP community (and of the community as a whole) share the desire to see the tier reformed. An update not only benefits the current player base–which is quite large, as one can notice from PvP statistics–but also all the players who do not play Randoms due to the current design. [I am currently a member of VOW, a notorious PvP team, but am also the only avid Randoms player (who plays for Leaderboard). My teammates enjoy Randoms but not on PokeMMO. They would play if an update were to come] 

With all this being said, we are pleased to share this Randoms Reform Request with you and hope to hear back from you soon. 

We are looking forward to your response and are grateful for the opportunity to be considered, 

Yours sincerely, 
DiscoShiba & SpidgetREAL 
________________________________________________________________

TABLE OF CONTENTS 
I. POKEMONS
1. Removing Certain Pokémons
1.1. Unown
1.2. Ditto
1.3. Plant Coat Wormadam (Grass & Bug typing)
1.4. Shedinja
1.5. Dugtrio 
2. Buffing Certain Pokémons
2.1. Rotom Base Form (Ghost & Electric typing)
2.2. Grass Cloak Wormadam (Bug & Grass typing)
3. Adding Certain Pokémons
3.1. Gen 5 Pokémons
3.2. Legendary Pokémons
4. Adding Certain Mechanics
4.1. Hidden Abilities
4.2. Items
II. SETS
1. The “Wish + Protect” Problem
2. The “Screens” Problem
3. Sets that do not align with the characteristics of a Pokemon
III. SAFEGUARDS – COVERAGE & BALANCE
1. Type Coverage
1.1. Offensive Type Coverage
1.2. Defensive Type Coverage
2. Physical & Special Distribution
3. A Fair Distribution of Other Characteristics : Avoiding Extremes
4. Include Hazard Removal in Teams that do not have Hazards
5. Trapping Pokémons as Leads
6. Tiers within the Tier
IV. FINAL CONSIDERATIONS
1. We are not asking for a complete reform
2. Upcoming Update : Involving PvP Players
3. Hall of Fame

AKNOWLEDGEMENTS
_______________________________________________________

I. POKEMONS

Removing Certain Pokémons
Several Pokémons are a liability due to their underwhelming characteristics and/or design. A player who should roll them in a game is essentially starting off the battle 5 vs. 6. 
We urge you to remove the following Pokémons from Randoms:

1.1. Unown 
The capacity of Unown to a) only learn one move and b) a weak move, makes it underwhelming to use. This makes Unown easy to counter/defeat, all the more since it can only hold one of two items and has access to either HP psychic or HP fighting. Since its level is already set to 100, it cannot be further buffed and we therefore would like to see it removed from the tier. 

1.2. Ditto
The same reasoning applies to Ditto.
However, we would like to keep Ditto in the tier under the condition that Hidden Abilities are added [HAs will be the subject of an ulterior section].

1.3. Plant Coat Wormadam (Grass & Bug typing) 
Wormadam in its "regular" form is arguably the worst Pokémon in Randoms. It's been somewhat buffed in the past but its winrate unfortunately remained the same. Due to its weak overall characteristics, we recommend that it be removed from the tier.
However, we are of the opinion that Plant Coat Wormadam may remain in the tier under the condition that its level is at least increased to 84. After running a series of calculcations, we consider that it may become balanced in Randoms if its level is set somewhere between 84 and 87.

1.4. Shedinja ⭐
Although Shedinja may be balanced in other tiers, we do not support its presence in Randoms. Defeating Shedinja relies on either being in possession of hazards or defined moves in terms of typing. Inversely, Shedinja’s use becomes void if a player rolls it into a team that has hazards when said-player does not have any removal. To us, Shedinja is uncompetitive in Randoms.
Because teams and moves are randomized, we do not believe that it is fair to include a Pokémon for which the strength/weakness is determined nearly exclusively by RNG.
On top of that, the confidential aspect of Randoms (i.e., absence of team preview) also contributes to determining Shedinja’s capabilities. It is possible for a player to “hide” Shedinja until the very end, where the opponent will simply not have the necessary moves to defeat it.

Lastly, it happens too often for players to only receive one to three moves that can in fact beat Shedinja, which leaves this matter, once again, up to RNG.
For these reasons, we ask for Shedinja to be removed from Randoms.

1.5. Dugtrio ⭐
We will not reiterate the long discussions that players have held on the Forums regarding Dugtrio. It has been deemed as an uncompetitive Pokemon in regular tiers and we fail to comprehend why it has not been considered as such in Randoms. If anything, Dugtrio is especially uncompetitive in Randoms due to the absence of team preview. Any Pokemon with an electric typing would be heavily penalized should the opponent switch to Dugtrio on a Volt-Switch, for instance (all the more if they happen to be equipped with a “choice” item).
Thus, we ask for Dugtrio to be removed from Randoms. 

Buffing Certain Pokémons
We believe that a few Pokémons need a bit more love to be viable in Randoms.
We therefore ask you to increase the levels of the following Pokémons: 

2.1. Rotom Base Form (Ghost & Electric Type)
Rotom has been buffed in the past but remains too weak in Randoms. We think that
giving it a few extra levels would solidify its value in the tier. 

2.2. Grass Cloack Wormadam (Bug & Grass type)
This has already been covered in the previous section. 

Adding Certain Pokémons ⭐
We believe that adding certain Pokémons to Randoms would be refreshing for the player base and enhance the tier’s quality. 
We would not only be keen to see existing Pokemons added to the tier, but also Pokemons that are not currently available in other tiers (i.e., certain legendary Pokémons). Regarding the latter, we know that it may be a possibility since some of these Pokémons exist in the Battle Factory despite not being available to players (e.g., Latias & Latios, or Magic Bounce Alakazam). 

We therefore encourage you to add the following Pokémons to Randoms: 

3.1. Gen 5 Pokémons
No additional comments. 

3.2. Legendary Pokémons
We would not only like to see the legendary Pokémons that are currently available to players added to Randoms, but also those that are not available to players and those that are available to players but not usable in PvP. 
Regarding the former, we are referring to Pokémons like Latios, Latias (both of which exist in the Battle Factory), the Regis, to name a few. 
Regarding the latter, we are referring to Pokémons like Darkrai, Sky Form Shaymin, and Mewtwo, Rayquaza, and other “king of the hill” Pokémons, to name a few. 
Naturally, their strength should be accounted for and their level/sets should be determined accordingly for them to be balanced. 

Adding Certain Mechanics ⭐
Similarly to what has been said in the previous sections, we believe that the addition of certain elements of the game to Randoms would bring a sense of refreshment to players. 
We therefore recommend that the following be added to Randoms: 

4.1. Hidden Abilities 
On top of giving a feeling of “new” to the players, giving certain Pokémons access to their HAs would enable them to thrive in a way that may currently not be possible. It would also enable new sets and mechanics to come forward, and overall, make the tier more interesting. This would include HAs that are not currently available to players directly whilst still being present in the game (e.g., Magic Bounce Alakazam). 

Example 1. – New set:
Multiscale Dragonite with Substitute and Roost.

Example 2. – New interaction:
Porygon2 tracing Dragonite’s multiscale.

Example 3. – New potential
Infiltrator Spiritomb to enable “Tricking” Pokemons behind a Substitute.

4.2. Items 
Same reasoning as the previous section. The inclusion of certain items can bring change to the tier. On top of that, several items that lead to fun interactions—which are, however, not strong enough to be used in regular tiers—would be a great addition to Randoms. Due to the characteristics of the tier, such items would be easy to balance in such way that they become viable. 

Example1. - Assault Vest
Good and interesting item overall. 

Example 2. – Throat Spray 
Throat Spray is hardly viable in any regular tier, but who wouldn’t want to play Throat Spray Yanmega with Bug Buzz? 


II. SETS

The beauty of Randoms lies within the creative sets that Pokémons may have, on one hand, and the possibility for players to use Pokémons which would commonly not be strong enough to be viable in regular tiers, on the other hand. The corollary of the above is the process that enables Pokémons to cycle through a diversity of sets. 

The combination of the aforementioned aspects is what makes the tier so special and fun—in Randoms, every match-up will be different. 

However, we believe that numerous sets are detrimental to the game and undermine our enjoyment when playing Randoms. These sets are usually those that disregard the characteristics of a Pokemon while severely affecting their viability. 

Let it be known that we are in favor of keeping creative sets, but not when they completely crush the viability of a Pokémon. 

Example 1. –Fun Creative Set : Belly Drum Hypno
Example 2. – Detrimental Creative Set : Screens Electabuzz with Eviolite  

The “Wish + Protect” Problem ⭐
There are too many Pokemons that may roll “Wish + Protect” despite how suboptimal and incoherent it is for them to have such a set. We believe that “Wish + Protect” should be reserved for Pokemons that may viably fulfil a supportive/cleric role on a team. 
Indeed, some Pokemons can hardly make use of Wish + Protect as it is not in line with their weak defensive features, which also happens to undermine their natural offensive capabilities.  

Therefore, we urge you to remove “Wish + Protect” sets for all of the following Pokémons: 

Absol
Raichu 
Minun/Plusle
Jolteon
Gallade
Girafarig 
Kangashkan 
Salamence 

In addition, we encourage you to lower the frequency for certain Pokemons to roll a “Wish + Protect” set due to the ambiguous interaction it may have with a Pokemon. For instance, such a set may or may not be optimal on Pokemons like Kangashkan and Illumise. 

Moreover, we ask you to determine the two other moves that accompany Wish + Protect with coherence, and refrain from assigning both of those moves as incoherent offensive damaging moves. 

Example 1. – Incoherent Wish + Protect set: 
Absol with Wish, Protect, Night Slash, Will-O-Wisp. 

Example 2. – Incoherent Offensive Wish + Protect set: 
Minun with Wish, Protect, Thunderbolt, Hidden Power Ice. 

The “Screens” Problem ⭐
The same considerations apply to several Pokemons that may roll a set with Reflect & Light Screen, which is worsened if the Pokemon is not equipped with Light Clay or only has one of these two moves. 

Therefore, we encourage you to remove “Screens” sets from the following Pokemons: 
Raichu 
Electabuzz (especially if it holds Eviolite instead of Light Clay) 
Electivire 
Jolteon
Pachirisu (especially because it can only learn Light Screen and not Reflect, and because it is not equipped with Light Clay) 
Porygon2 (especially because it can only learn Reflect and not Light Screen, and because it is equipped with Eviolite instead of Light Clay) 
Magneton (especially if it holds Eviolite instead of Light Clay) 
Mamoswine 
In addition, we recommend that you provide Light Clay to all Pokémons who may set up Reflect and Light Screen. 
 
Sets that generally do not align with the characteristics of a Pokemon ⭐
In Randoms, certain Pokemons are conditionally viable, as their potential significantly depends on the sets that are allocated to them. These Pokemons usually possess remarkable strength in certain stats while being significantly weak in other stats. 

An issue arises when such Pokemons roll sets that contradict their natural strengths while being insufficient to compensate for their weaknesses. Consequently, their value is considerably undermined, to a point where they become a liability for the player. This problem is further enhanced by other factors, such as a lack of offensive move typing diversity or the assignment of a suboptimal item. 

People may wonder why reform is needed for certain Pokémons despite them having reasonable winrates, but we can only stress the fact that winrates are not de facto a good representation of a Pokémon’s position in Randoms. This is because the possibility for a Pokémon to “win” a game (or at least, contribute to a win) largely depends on the set that it rolls. For instance, it wouldn’t be surprising for Shell Smash Gorebyss to have a winrate of 60% while Choice Scarf Gorebyss sits at a winrate of 45%. [These are made-up numbers that serve as an example.]

Therefore, we urge you to review sets that may be deemed as “dubious” in light of the above, while removing/updating them in a manner that is in line with the characteristics of the given Pokemon. 

For further clarification, here are examples of the sets we are referring to:

Example 1. - Leech Seed Cacturne 
Cacturne has high offensive stats, in both Sp.Atk and Ph.Atk, but is defensively frail and slow. A set that includes Swords Dance with Sucker Punch is coherent with Cacturne’s features because it plays around its strengths and accounts for its low speed. 
However, Cacturne with Leech Seed, Substitute, Giga Drain, and Sucker Punch is hardly viable as it cannot meaningfully fulfill the role of a “damage-over-time” Pokemon due to its weak defensive stats. Its offensive stats are somewhat disregarded despite them being Cacturne’s strength. 

Example 2. - Bellossom with no set-up and no utility 
Bellossom is a Pokemon with low speed and low offensive stats, with its defensive stats being average at best. To thrive, Bellossom either needs set-up moves (e.g., Quiver Dance) or utility moves (e.g., Toxic & Leech Seed). 
However, Bellossom becomes a liability if it does not roll such sets. For instance, a Bellossom with Giga Drain, Hidden Power Ice, Synthesis, and Sleep Power, can hardly be an asset for the team as it does not have the damage, nor the speed, nor the utility, to make progress in the game. 

Example 3. - Choice Specs Bastiodon  
Bastiodon has extremely high defensive stats but has very weak offensive stats. Sets on Bastiodon that provide utility to the player are in line with the Pokémon’s characteristics (e.g., Stealth Rocks, Toxic, Roar/Rest, Iron Head). 
However, Choice Specs do not add sufficient damage on Bastiodon’s moves for it to become offensively valuable. Its defensive stats are undermined despite them being Bastiodon’s strength, while the Pokémon remains offensively weak. 

The abovementioned combinations of Pokémons & sets are problematic because they enhance the Pokémons’ weaknesses, without sufficiently enhancing them to reach a successful potential, usually at the expense of their strengths. 

Allocating resources into a Pokémon’s weaknesses at the expense of its strengths is not always an issue, but it is in several instances as highlighted above, when viability is hindered. For example, the Belly Drum Hypno set ignores the Pokémon’s strong defensive capabilities and its role as a special attacker, and instead, considerably enhances its weakest stat: physical attack. Nonetheless, unlike the examples we have mentioned, a Belly Drum set on Hypno sufficiently enhances its weak attack stat to make it viable in Randoms (all the more since it gets Drain Punch which favors sustain on a bulky Pokémon). 

In addition to the aforementioned remarks, certain sets are simply underwhelming, inefficient, and we recommend that they therefore be removed. For example: 
Ledian with Reflect, Light Screen, Substitute, Baton Pass
Smeargle with Lunar Dance, Taunt, Spore, Rapid Spin 
Sudowoodo with Sucker Punch when it is equipped with a Choice Band (it is quite detrimental to be locked into Sucker Punch) 


III. SAFEGUARDS – COVERAGE & BALANCE ⭐

At the time being, there are a few safeguards in place which seek balance in terms of team composition and capabilities. For instance, no type may appear more than twice on a team, no identical dual-types can appear on a team, and no “trapping” Pokémons (such as Dugtrio and Pursuit users) can be rolled as a lead (with the exception of Magnet Pull Pokémons). 
Nevertheless, we share the opinion that the current safeguards are insufficient, which consequently leads to unfair/unbalanced situations. 

Indeed, it is unfortunately frequent for players to lose games because they rolled a team that can single-handedly be dismantled by one opposing Pokémon (due to its particular stats, typing, etc.). We agree that some match-ups may be unfavorable—which is something that inevitably comes with the tier—but no team should be entirely incapacitated by a singular Pokémon.   

We also believe that sets should be coherent in abstracto. In other words, a certain set may be valuable in a concrete setting (e.g., Screens Jolteon in a team that is built around it), but lack purpose and viability when isolated from any context (e.g., Screens Jolteon in general). Because Randoms does not account for teambuilding, we should avoid attributing sets which can reasonably be deemed as individually unviable on a given Pokémon. 

Therefore, we urge you to implement additional safeguards that will account for the following matters; 

Type Coverage 
We agree with the current safeguards in place with regards to typing.
However, we suggest that the following type-related aspects be subject to further safeguards: 

1.1. Offensive Type Coverage 
a) We are keen on avoiding situations in which none of the Pokémons of a team can effectively/super-effectively damage a specific type, or rather, where most moves are “not very effective” into a specific type. Greater offensive type coverage should be guaranteed. 
b) Should Shedinja remain in Randoms, the player opposing Shedinja must be equipped with reasonable tools in order to defeat Shedinja. It should not be possible for a player to only have one to three moves that may defeat Shedinja. 

1.2. Defensive Type Coverage 
We are keen on avoiding situations in which five or six Pokémons in a team are weak to one type. For instance, a team comprised of two grass types, one bug type, one ice type, and two steel types would be entirely weak to a fire Pokémon. Better defensive type coverage should be allocated within a team.  

Physical & Special Distribution 
There are currently no safeguards in place to guarantee a fair distribution of power, or in other words, a fair allocation of special / physical Pokémons, both on a defensive and an offensive spectrum (but mostly offensive). This can be a serious issue, for example, when a player rolls a team that consists of six special attackers while facing a Chansey. 

Therefore, we urge you to prevent the attribution, in a team, of six Pokémons that share the same power trait. For instance, it should not be possible for a player to roll a team with six physical attackers or six special attackers. 
 
A Fair Distribution of Other Characteristics : Avoiding Extremes
We believe that, in general, safeguards should be in place to prevent a player from receiving teams that are marked by excessive redundancy.  

Example 1. – Moves  
It should not be possible for a player to roll a team with five Stealth Rocks setters. 

Example 2. – Items 
It should not be possible for a player to roll a team with five Pokémons that have a choice item. 

We do not necessarily require a minimum of each, but we do advocate for a maximum of each. In other words, we wish to keep the tier as “randomized” as possible, which requires minimal intervention from the developers. Thus, setting a minimum standard for each team would limit Randoms in an unhealthy manner (e.g., setting a minimum of one “Choice” Pokémon in each team). However, we believe that a maximum number of X or Y elements should be featured in a team in order for the tier to be functional (e.g., maximum two “Choice” items per team, maximum five  “slow” Pokémons below a certain speed tier, etc.). The specific aspects that should fall under such limitations would be determined by the developers (i.e., not all aspects should be concerned by this limit). 

Include Hazard Removal in Teams that do not have Hazards ⭐⭐⭐
The disadvantage of playing into hazards in the absence of hazard removal and hazards themselves is egregious. It creates a significant unbalance between both players. This is further amplified by the confidential aspect of Randoms, which enables players to force out the opponent on many occasions. In regular tiers, hazard removal is present in a vast majority of teams. This should also be the case in Randoms. 

Therefore, we encourage you to include hazard removal in teams that do not possess hazards. 

Alternatively, we recommend that hazards be subject to a certain ponderation [We also suggest that Pokémons be categorized in certain tiers according to their sets. This will be developed in an ulterior section.]. This way, a team that has hazards will increase the overall “tier” of the team, and a team without hazards and without hazard removal will see its overall “tier” decreased. This way, the AI would be able to detect the “imbalance” related to hazards and equip the latter team with Pokémons in a higher tier to seek balance between both teams. 

Trapping Pokémons as Leads 
Currently, trapping Pokémons may not be rolled as a lead Pokémon. Such “trapping” Pokémons include, for instance, Pursuit users, Shadow Tag users, and Arena Trap users. 
However, Magnet Pull Pokémons are exempt from this safeguard and may be rolled as the lead. We do not understand this exemption. 

Therefore, we ask you to prevent Magnet Pull Pokémons from being rolled as the lead. 

Tiers within the Tier ⭐
Certain Pokémons with specific sets are stronger than others. Pokémon X with set Y may be stronger than Pokémon A with set Y, or than Pokémon X but, this time, with set Z. To avoid imbalances in the allocation of a team, we would like the developers to implement a non-public tiering system within Randoms itself, in order for the AI to fairly distribute Pokémons in a team. The purpose would be to avoid situations in which a team has five or six overpowered combinations of sets and Pokémons, and vice-versa. 

For instance, Shell Smash Gorebyss would be categorized in the “S+” tier whilst Choice Scarf Gorebyss would be categorized in the “C” tier. 
More specifically, tiering should be processed according to the winrate of a given Pokémon with regards to a given set (i.e., the winrate of the combination). To reiterate our example, Gorebyss with Shell Smash would fall in the S+ tier due to having a winrate of (for example) 58% whereas Gorebyss with Choice Scarf would be in the C tier due to its winrate of (for example) 45%. 

In fine, the allocation of a team by the AI should be processed, in part, according to the winrates of the combinations of Pokémons and sets, in order to reach an overall balanced team winrate.
In other words, the combined winrate of each combination of Pokémon and set—i.e., the team winrate—should hover around 50%, or at least, should not be excessively high or low. 

This is one of my recent games & it perfectly summarizes the issue with a lack of safeguards. 



Rolling the three worst Pokémons in the tier;
Rolling six special attackers into a Blissey (which had toxic and wish);
Lack of diversity in the move typings;
A choice scarf on a Pokémon that is already fast and therefore does not need the extra speed;

IV. FINAL CONSIDERATIONS
General considerations that do not fall under the abovementioned categories. 

We are not asking for a complete reform
This Reform Request may be critical of certain aspects of Randoms, but we enjoy most of the current features offered by the tier. 
We are in favor of playing original sets in Randoms that would otherwise be unviable in other tiers. The same applies for Pokémons that are fun to use but not strong enough to be played elsewhere than in Randoms.
We agree with the matchmaking system, where losing a game of Randoms is less impactful than losses in other tiers.
For the tier to remain faithful to its essence, we believe that “randomization” should be the rule. However, some degree of intervention is required for a healthy gameplay. The suggestions and problems underlined in this document are the intervention we would like to see. 
As far as we know, anything that has not been mentioned here should remain unchanged and is therefore implicitly marked by our approval. Other players may, however, point out issues that we have omitted/forgotten in the discussion thread. 

Upcoming Update : Involving PvP Players 
Seeing that a Randoms update is long overdue, that numerous players have considerable experience in Randoms and are themselves the recipient of an update, that the current meta includes a wide array of “dubious” sets (which affects player engagement and retention);
We encourage you to involve experienced Randoms players (and PvP players) in the upcoming modification and development of sets, and more generally, in the upcoming update of Randoms. 

We are aware that this involvement should be limited in a way that does not affect the fairness of Randoms [It would not be fair for certain Randoms players to have access to the entire list of sets and mechanics. This would enable them to have a list that can be used when playing Randoms and would therefore create an unfair advantage. Although most top rated Randoms players already have somewhat of a list, or most sets memorized, it would still be unjust symbolically-speaking] . Thus, our involvement would be limited to Pokémons & sets that may reasonably be deemed as “dubious”. In other words, it is not necessary—nor for the developers or for the Randoms players—to go over all of the sets. Most of them can remain untouched. We are only referring to the “dubious” sets, potential new HAs, potential new legendaries, etc. 

Moreover, we suggest that a council/thread be devoted to Randoms as a tier, with a dedicated Discord channel, similarly to what has been created for the other tiers—for the sake of fluid communication. The specific competences and purpose of this tier/thread would be defined by the developers. 

We urge you to take into account all of the abovementioned considerations, and ask you to inform the lead author of this request, DiscoShiba, if/when the recipient(s), Rache and/or other developers, have properly received and duly familiarized themselves with the content of this request.
Should this request be denied/ignored, we ask you to provide an explanation as to why that is. 

Lastly, we urge you to inform us on the potential existence of an update for Randoms in the foreseeable future, and if applicable, to provide a timeframe in which said-update will begin. 

Hall of Fame 
Noting that players who finish a season on the leaderboard as rank one, two, and three in OU, UU, NU, and Doubles, thereby winning a crown, have their in-game names displayed on the PokeMMO Forums Hall of Fame thread; 
Reaffirming the prestige that a leaderboard entry holds, but also the energy and time required for Randoms players to be placed in the top three, especially in contrast with other tiers;  
Expressing our lack of understanding as to why top leaderboard players in Randoms do not have their in-game names displayed in the Hall of Fame thread at the end of the season, and are thereby being treated differently for no apparent reason; 

We adamantly ask you to display, on the Hall of Fame thread, the in-game names of past and future Randoms players that finish (or have finished) the season in the top three of the leaderboard. 
______________________________________________________________________

OPEN DISCUSSION ON THE FORUMS 

On a final note, we would like to open a discussion on certain points mentioned within this document—which will be posted on the Forums.
In particular, we are keen to see players share their views on the following topics (these topics will be marked with a yellow star on the Forums ⭐): 
Dugtrio and Shedinja in Randoms, uncompetitive or not?; 
The specifics of adding new items, Pokémons, and abilities to Randoms; 
The specific Pokémons that should (not) have access to Screens and Wish/Protect sets; 
Type coverage safeguards (and other safeguards); 
The randomized distribution of hazards in teams or lack thereof; 
Tiers within the Randoms tier; 
The specifics of “Dubious sets”. 

Naturally, we welcome and encourage players to voice their opinions on other matters related to Randoms, including those that may have not been covered by this request. 

Lastly—regarding “dubious sets”—it would be helpful if players could post screenshots or the exact moves of sets that may reasonably be considered as nonsensical so that we can have a list. At the very least, it would enable a discussion to be held on sets for which viability is debatable.

______________________________________________________________________

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 

I wish to thank the developers and Rache in advance for considering this request,

Thank you to all the PvP players and other members of the community who contributed to the content of this request, and to those that will be part of future discussions. 

Kind regards,
DiscoShiba & SpidgetREAL (lead authors of the request) 

I may be reached through the following channel (contact information):
IGN: DiscoShiba
Forums: DiscoShiba
Discord: discoshiba66 

I recently tried to go out and fill my pokedex, and found myself wishing the in game pokedex were a little more helpful than it currently is. It's pretty annoying having to go back and forth between a website, some random checklist someone made in google docs and the in game pokedex to see what I have, and have not caught.
If I could simply sort by a region, and then a route in the region, and see in game what I have and have not caught on that route, it would save so much time and effort. I know there's the "Wild Locations" tab, but it only shows the location for seen/caught mons,(who you likely wont need it for anyways).
I really just feel like it would make so much more sense and make it much more user friendly


attached is a very high quality mock up i made for reference

[Context]
Hello everyone,
Hereafter is the Request we are sending to @Rache to push for a Randoms update (I'm reaching out to her specifically because she appears to be the developer in charge of Randoms and previously expressed her will to update the tier). This request contains a detailed list of suggestions, ideas, and issues related to Randoms.
Although this could be classified as a "suggestion" (and therefore be posted in Suggestions), I wish to open a discussion on the content of this request and am therefore posting it here, in Competitive Alley. The specific topics for which we adamantly wish players to voice their opinions on will be marked with a yellow star ⭐, but feel free to address anything else related to Randoms.
If this should be considered as a "Suggestion" instead, please let me know (if you're a moderator).
Cheers,
DiscoShiba & Spidget

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

REFORM REQUEST – UPDATING RANDOMS [PVP]

PREAMBLE

Dear Rache,
Dear Developers, 

We hope this message finds you well, as a lot of time and effort was put into it.
Understandably, you have a lot on your plate and receive numerous requests, but we believe that Randoms PvP is a facet of the game that receives enough playtime to be prioritized for an update. You have previously stated that reforming Randoms was “high on your to-do list” and, with this message, we are eager to offer our contribution.  

Hereafter, you will find a list of highlighted issues and recommendations that myself and several other top Randoms players have worked on. All of us have consistently played thousands of Randoms games throughout the years, earned crowns, and maintained a high winrate.
We believe that we have the necessary experience and knowledge to provide constructive feedback on the current state of Randoms and encourage you to use it when the time for an update comes. 

In addition to Randoms players, many members of the PvP community (and of the community as a whole) share the desire to see the tier reformed. An update not only benefits the current player base–which is quite large, as one can notice from PvP statistics–but also all the players who do not play Randoms due to the current design. [I am currently a member of VOW, a notorious PvP team, but am also the only avid Randoms player (who plays for Leaderboard). My teammates enjoy Randoms but not on PokeMMO. They would play if an update were to come] 

With all this being said, we are pleased to share this Randoms Reform Request with you and hope to hear back from you soon. 

We are looking forward to your response and are grateful for the opportunity to be considered, 

Yours sincerely, 
DiscoShiba & SpidgetREAL 
________________________________________________________________

TABLE OF CONTENTS 
I. POKEMONS
1. Removing Certain Pokémons
1.1. Unown
1.2. Ditto
1.3. Plant Coat Wormadam (Grass & Bug typing)
1.4. Shedinja
1.5. Dugtrio 
2. Buffing Certain Pokémons
2.1. Rotom Base Form (Ghost & Electric typing)
2.2. Grass Cloak Wormadam (Bug & Grass typing)
3. Adding Certain Pokémons
3.1. Gen 5 Pokémons
3.2. Legendary Pokémons
4. Adding Certain Mechanics
4.1. Hidden Abilities
4.2. Items
II. SETS
1. The “Wish + Protect” Problem
2. The “Screens” Problem
3. Sets that do not align with the characteristics of a Pokemon
III. SAFEGUARDS – COVERAGE & BALANCE
1. Type Coverage
1.1. Offensive Type Coverage
1.2. Defensive Type Coverage
2. Physical & Special Distribution
3. A Fair Distribution of Other Characteristics : Avoiding Extremes
4. Include Hazard Removal in Teams that do not have Hazards
5. Trapping Pokémons as Leads
6. Tiers within the Tier
IV. FINAL CONSIDERATIONS
1. We are not asking for a complete reform
2. Upcoming Update : Involving PvP Players
3. Hall of Fame

AKNOWLEDGEMENTS
_______________________________________________________

I. POKEMONS

Removing Certain Pokémons
Several Pokémons are a liability due to their underwhelming characteristics and/or design. A player who should roll them in a game is essentially starting off the battle 5 vs. 6. 
We urge you to remove the following Pokémons from Randoms:

1.1. Unown 
The capacity of Unown to a) only learn one move and b) a weak move, makes it underwhelming to use. This makes Unown easy to counter/defeat, all the more since it can only hold one of two items and has access to either HP psychic or HP fighting. Since its level is already set to 100, it cannot be further buffed and we therefore would like to see it removed from the tier. 

1.2. Ditto
The same reasoning applies to Ditto.
However, we would like to keep Ditto in the tier under the condition that Hidden Abilities are added [HAs will be the subject of an ulterior section].

1.3. Plant Coat Wormadam (Grass & Bug typing) 
Wormadam in its "regular" form is arguably the worst Pokémon in Randoms. It's been somewhat buffed in the past but its winrate unfortunately remained the same. Due to its weak overall characteristics, we recommend that it be removed from the tier.
However, we are of the opinion that Plant Coat Wormadam may remain in the tier under the condition that its level is at least increased to 84. After running a series of calculcations, we consider that it may become balanced in Randoms if its level is set somewhere between 84 and 87.

1.4. Shedinja ⭐
Although Shedinja may be balanced in other tiers, we do not support its presence in Randoms. Defeating Shedinja relies on either being in possession of hazards or defined moves in terms of typing. Inversely, Shedinja’s use becomes void if a player rolls it into a team that has hazards when said-player does not have any removal. To us, Shedinja is uncompetitive in Randoms.
Because teams and moves are randomized, we do not believe that it is fair to include a Pokémon for which the strength/weakness is determined nearly exclusively by RNG.
On top of that, the confidential aspect of Randoms (i.e., absence of team preview) also contributes to determining Shedinja’s capabilities. It is possible for a player to “hide” Shedinja until the very end, where the opponent will simply not have the necessary moves to defeat it.

Lastly, it happens too often for players to only receive one to three moves that can in fact beat Shedinja, which leaves this matter, once again, up to RNG.
For these reasons, we ask for Shedinja to be removed from Randoms.

1.5. Dugtrio ⭐
We will not reiterate the long discussions that players have held on the Forums regarding Dugtrio. It has been deemed as an uncompetitive Pokemon in regular tiers and we fail to comprehend why it has not been considered as such in Randoms. If anything, Dugtrio is especially uncompetitive in Randoms due to the absence of team preview. Any Pokemon with an electric typing would be heavily penalized should the opponent switch to Dugtrio on a Volt-Switch, for instance (all the more if they happen to be equipped with a “choice” item).
Thus, we ask for Dugtrio to be removed from Randoms. 

Buffing Certain Pokémons
We believe that a few Pokémons need a bit more love to be viable in Randoms.
We therefore ask you to increase the levels of the following Pokémons: 

2.1. Rotom Base Form (Ghost & Electric Type)
Rotom has been buffed in the past but remains too weak in Randoms. We think that
giving it a few extra levels would solidify its value in the tier. 

2.2. Grass Cloack Wormadam (Bug & Grass type)
This has already been covered in the previous section. 

Adding Certain Pokémons ⭐
We believe that adding certain Pokémons to Randoms would be refreshing for the player base and enhance the tier’s quality. 
We would not only be keen to see existing Pokemons added to the tier, but also Pokemons that are not currently available in other tiers (i.e., certain legendary Pokémons). Regarding the latter, we know that it may be a possibility since some of these Pokémons exist in the Battle Factory despite not being available to players (e.g., Latias & Latios, or Magic Bounce Alakazam). 

We therefore encourage you to add the following Pokémons to Randoms: 

3.1. Gen 5 Pokémons
No additional comments. 

3.2. Legendary Pokémons
We would not only like to see the legendary Pokémons that are currently available to players added to Randoms, but also those that are not available to players and those that are available to players but not usable in PvP. 
Regarding the former, we are referring to Pokémons like Latios, Latias (both of which exist in the Battle Factory), the Regis, to name a few. 
Regarding the latter, we are referring to Pokémons like Darkrai, Sky Form Shaymin, and Mewtwo, Rayquaza, and other “king of the hill” Pokémons, to name a few. 
Naturally, their strength should be accounted for and their level/sets should be determined accordingly for them to be balanced. 

Adding Certain Mechanics ⭐
Similarly to what has been said in the previous sections, we believe that the addition of certain elements of the game to Randoms would bring a sense of refreshment to players. 
We therefore recommend that the following be added to Randoms: 

4.1. Hidden Abilities 
On top of giving a feeling of “new” to the players, giving certain Pokémons access to their HAs would enable them to thrive in a way that may currently not be possible. It would also enable new sets and mechanics to come forward, and overall, make the tier more interesting. This would include HAs that are not currently available to players directly whilst still being present in the game (e.g., Magic Bounce Alakazam). 

Example 1. – New set:
Multiscale Dragonite with Substitute and Roost.

Example 2. – New interaction:
Porygon2 tracing Dragonite’s multiscale.

Example 3. – New potential
Infiltrator Spiritomb to enable “Tricking” Pokemons behind a Substitute.

4.2. Items 
Same reasoning as the previous section. The inclusion of certain items can bring change to the tier. On top of that, several items that lead to fun interactions—which are, however, not strong enough to be used in regular tiers—would be a great addition to Randoms. Due to the characteristics of the tier, such items would be easy to balance in such way that they become viable. 

Example1. - Assault Vest
Good and interesting item overall. 

Example 2. – Throat Spray 
Throat Spray is hardly viable in any regular tier, but who wouldn’t want to play Throat Spray Yanmega with Bug Buzz? 


II. SETS

The beauty of Randoms lies within the creative sets that Pokémons may have, on one hand, and the possibility for players to use Pokémons which would commonly not be strong enough to be viable in regular tiers, on the other hand. The corollary of the above is the process that enables Pokémons to cycle through a diversity of sets. 

The combination of the aforementioned aspects is what makes the tier so special and fun—in Randoms, every match-up will be different. 

However, we believe that numerous sets are detrimental to the game and undermine our enjoyment when playing Randoms. These sets are usually those that disregard the characteristics of a Pokemon while severely affecting their viability. 

Let it be known that we are in favor of keeping creative sets, but not when they completely crush the viability of a Pokémon. 

Example 1. –Fun Creative Set : Belly Drum Hypno
Example 2. – Detrimental Creative Set : Screens Electabuzz with Eviolite  

The “Wish + Protect” Problem ⭐
There are too many Pokemons that may roll “Wish + Protect” despite how suboptimal and incoherent it is for them to have such a set. We believe that “Wish + Protect” should be reserved for Pokemons that may viably fulfil a supportive/cleric role on a team. 
Indeed, some Pokemons can hardly make use of Wish + Protect as it is not in line with their weak defensive features, which also happens to undermine their natural offensive capabilities.  

Therefore, we urge you to remove “Wish + Protect” sets for all of the following Pokémons: 

Absol
Raichu 
Minun/Plusle
Jolteon
Gallade
Girafarig 
Kangashkan 
Salamence 

In addition, we encourage you to lower the frequency for certain Pokemons to roll a “Wish + Protect” set due to the ambiguous interaction it may have with a Pokemon. For instance, such a set may or may not be optimal on Pokemons like Kangashkan and Illumise. 

Moreover, we ask you to determine the two other moves that accompany Wish + Protect with coherence, and refrain from assigning both of those moves as incoherent offensive damaging moves. 

Example 1. – Incoherent Wish + Protect set: 
Absol with Wish, Protect, Night Slash, Will-O-Wisp. 

Example 2. – Incoherent Offensive Wish + Protect set: 
Minun with Wish, Protect, Thunderbolt, Hidden Power Ice. 

The “Screens” Problem ⭐
The same considerations apply to several Pokemons that may roll a set with Reflect & Light Screen, which is worsened if the Pokemon is not equipped with Light Clay or only has one of these two moves. 

Therefore, we encourage you to remove “Screens” sets from the following Pokemons: 
Raichu 
Electabuzz (especially if it holds Eviolite instead of Light Clay) 
Electivire 
Jolteon
Pachirisu (especially because it can only learn Light Screen and not Reflect, and because it is not equipped with Light Clay) 
Porygon2 (especially because it can only learn Reflect and not Light Screen, and because it is equipped with Eviolite instead of Light Clay) 
Magneton (especially if it holds Eviolite instead of Light Clay) 
Mamoswine 
In addition, we recommend that you provide Light Clay to all Pokémons who may set up Reflect and Light Screen. 
 
Sets that generally do not align with the characteristics of a Pokemon ⭐
In Randoms, certain Pokemons are conditionally viable, as their potential significantly depends on the sets that are allocated to them. These Pokemons usually possess remarkable strength in certain stats while being significantly weak in other stats. 

An issue arises when such Pokemons roll sets that contradict their natural strengths while being insufficient to compensate for their weaknesses. Consequently, their value is considerably undermined, to a point where they become a liability for the player. This problem is further enhanced by other factors, such as a lack of offensive move typing diversity or the assignment of a suboptimal item. 

People may wonder why reform is needed for certain Pokémons despite them having reasonable winrates, but we can only stress the fact that winrates are not de facto a good representation of a Pokémon’s position in Randoms. This is because the possibility for a Pokémon to “win” a game (or at least, contribute to a win) largely depends on the set that it rolls. For instance, it wouldn’t be surprising for Shell Smash Gorebyss to have a winrate of 60% while Choice Scarf Gorebyss sits at a winrate of 45%. [These are made-up numbers that serve as an example.]

Therefore, we urge you to review sets that may be deemed as “dubious” in light of the above, while removing/updating them in a manner that is in line with the characteristics of the given Pokemon. 

For further clarification, here are examples of the sets we are referring to:

Example 1. - Leech Seed Cacturne 
Cacturne has high offensive stats, in both Sp.Atk and Ph.Atk, but is defensively frail and slow. A set that includes Swords Dance with Sucker Punch is coherent with Cacturne’s features because it plays around its strengths and accounts for its low speed. 
However, Cacturne with Leech Seed, Substitute, Giga Drain, and Sucker Punch is hardly viable as it cannot meaningfully fulfill the role of a “damage-over-time” Pokemon due to its weak defensive stats. Its offensive stats are somewhat disregarded despite them being Cacturne’s strength. 

Example 2. - Bellossom with no set-up and no utility 
Bellossom is a Pokemon with low speed and low offensive stats, with its defensive stats being average at best. To thrive, Bellossom either needs set-up moves (e.g., Quiver Dance) or utility moves (e.g., Toxic & Leech Seed). 
However, Bellossom becomes a liability if it does not roll such sets. For instance, a Bellossom with Giga Drain, Hidden Power Ice, Synthesis, and Sleep Power, can hardly be an asset for the team as it does not have the damage, nor the speed, nor the utility, to make progress in the game. 

Example 3. - Choice Specs Bastiodon  
Bastiodon has extremely high defensive stats but has very weak offensive stats. Sets on Bastiodon that provide utility to the player are in line with the Pokémon’s characteristics (e.g., Stealth Rocks, Toxic, Roar/Rest, Iron Head). 
However, Choice Specs do not add sufficient damage on Bastiodon’s moves for it to become offensively valuable. Its defensive stats are undermined despite them being Bastiodon’s strength, while the Pokémon remains offensively weak. 

The abovementioned combinations of Pokémons & sets are problematic because they enhance the Pokémons’ weaknesses, without sufficiently enhancing them to reach a successful potential, usually at the expense of their strengths. 

Allocating resources into a Pokémon’s weaknesses at the expense of its strengths is not always an issue, but it is in several instances as highlighted above, when viability is hindered. For example, the Belly Drum Hypno set ignores the Pokémon’s strong defensive capabilities and its role as a special attacker, and instead, considerably enhances its weakest stat: physical attack. Nonetheless, unlike the examples we have mentioned, a Belly Drum set on Hypno sufficiently enhances its weak attack stat to make it viable in Randoms (all the more since it gets Drain Punch which favors sustain on a bulky Pokémon). 

In addition to the aforementioned remarks, certain sets are simply underwhelming, inefficient, and we recommend that they therefore be removed. For example: 
Ledian with Reflect, Light Screen, Substitute, Baton Pass
Smeargle with Lunar Dance, Taunt, Spore, Rapid Spin 
Sudowoodo with Sucker Punch when it is equipped with a Choice Band (it is quite detrimental to be locked into Sucker Punch) 


III. SAFEGUARDS – COVERAGE & BALANCE ⭐

At the time being, there are a few safeguards in place which seek balance in terms of team composition and capabilities. For instance, no type may appear more than twice on a team, no identical dual-types can appear on a team, and no “trapping” Pokémons (such as Dugtrio and Pursuit users) can be rolled as a lead (with the exception of Magnet Pull Pokémons). 
Nevertheless, we share the opinion that the current safeguards are insufficient, which consequently leads to unfair/unbalanced situations. 

Indeed, it is unfortunately frequent for players to lose games because they rolled a team that can single-handedly be dismantled by one opposing Pokémon (due to its particular stats, typing, etc.). We agree that some match-ups may be unfavorable—which is something that inevitably comes with the tier—but no team should be entirely incapacitated by a singular Pokémon.   

We also believe that sets should be coherent in abstracto. In other words, a certain set may be valuable in a concrete setting (e.g., Screens Jolteon in a team that is built around it), but lack purpose and viability when isolated from any context (e.g., Screens Jolteon in general). Because Randoms does not account for teambuilding, we should avoid attributing sets which can reasonably be deemed as individually unviable on a given Pokémon. 

Therefore, we urge you to implement additional safeguards that will account for the following matters; 

Type Coverage 
We agree with the current safeguards in place with regards to typing.
However, we suggest that the following type-related aspects be subject to further safeguards: 

1.1. Offensive Type Coverage 
a) We are keen on avoiding situations in which none of the Pokémons of a team can effectively/super-effectively damage a specific type, or rather, where most moves are “not very effective” into a specific type. Greater offensive type coverage should be guaranteed. 
b) Should Shedinja remain in Randoms, the player opposing Shedinja must be equipped with reasonable tools in order to defeat Shedinja. It should not be possible for a player to only have one to three moves that may defeat Shedinja. 

1.2. Defensive Type Coverage 
We are keen on avoiding situations in which five or six Pokémons in a team are weak to one type. For instance, a team comprised of two grass types, one bug type, one ice type, and two steel types would be entirely weak to a fire Pokémon. Better defensive type coverage should be allocated within a team.  

Physical & Special Distribution 
There are currently no safeguards in place to guarantee a fair distribution of power, or in other words, a fair allocation of special / physical Pokémons, both on a defensive and an offensive spectrum (but mostly offensive). This can be a serious issue, for example, when a player rolls a team that consists of six special attackers while facing a Chansey. 

Therefore, we urge you to prevent the attribution, in a team, of six Pokémons that share the same power trait. For instance, it should not be possible for a player to roll a team with six physical attackers or six special attackers. 
 
A Fair Distribution of Other Characteristics : Avoiding Extremes
We believe that, in general, safeguards should be in place to prevent a player from receiving teams that are marked by excessive redundancy.  

Example 1. – Moves  
It should not be possible for a player to roll a team with five Stealth Rocks setters. 

Example 2. – Items 
It should not be possible for a player to roll a team with five Pokémons that have a choice item. 

We do not necessarily require a minimum of each, but we do advocate for a maximum of each. In other words, we wish to keep the tier as “randomized” as possible, which requires minimal intervention from the developers. Thus, setting a minimum standard for each team would limit Randoms in an unhealthy manner (e.g., setting a minimum of one “Choice” Pokémon in each team). However, we believe that a maximum number of X or Y elements should be featured in a team in order for the tier to be functional (e.g., maximum two “Choice” items per team, maximum five  “slow” Pokémons below a certain speed tier, etc.). The specific aspects that should fall under such limitations would be determined by the developers (i.e., not all aspects should be concerned by this limit). 

Include Hazard Removal in Teams that do not have Hazards ⭐⭐⭐
The disadvantage of playing into hazards in the absence of hazard removal and hazards themselves is egregious. It creates a significant unbalance between both players. This is further amplified by the confidential aspect of Randoms, which enables players to force out the opponent on many occasions. In regular tiers, hazard removal is present in a vast majority of teams. This should also be the case in Randoms. 

Therefore, we encourage you to include hazard removal in teams that do not possess hazards. 

Alternatively, we recommend that hazards be subject to a certain ponderation [We also suggest that Pokémons be categorized in certain tiers according to their sets. This will be developed in an ulterior section.]. This way, a team that has hazards will increase the overall “tier” of the team, and a team without hazards and without hazard removal will see its overall “tier” decreased. This way, the AI would be able to detect the “imbalance” related to hazards and equip the latter team with Pokémons in a higher tier to seek balance between both teams. 

Trapping Pokémons as Leads 
Currently, trapping Pokémons may not be rolled as a lead Pokémon. Such “trapping” Pokémons include, for instance, Pursuit users, Shadow Tag users, and Arena Trap users. 
However, Magnet Pull Pokémons are exempt from this safeguard and may be rolled as the lead. We do not understand this exemption. 

Therefore, we ask you to prevent Magnet Pull Pokémons from being rolled as the lead. 

Tiers within the Tier ⭐
Certain Pokémons with specific sets are stronger than others. Pokémon X with set Y may be stronger than Pokémon A with set Y, or than Pokémon X but, this time, with set Z. To avoid imbalances in the allocation of a team, we would like the developers to implement a non-public tiering system within Randoms itself, in order for the AI to fairly distribute Pokémons in a team. The purpose would be to avoid situations in which a team has five or six overpowered combinations of sets and Pokémons, and vice-versa. 

For instance, Shell Smash Gorebyss would be categorized in the “S+” tier whilst Choice Scarf Gorebyss would be categorized in the “C” tier. 
More specifically, tiering should be processed according to the winrate of a given Pokémon with regards to a given set (i.e., the winrate of the combination). To reiterate our example, Gorebyss with Shell Smash would fall in the S+ tier due to having a winrate of (for example) 58% whereas Gorebyss with Choice Scarf would be in the C tier due to its winrate of (for example) 45%. 

In fine, the allocation of a team by the AI should be processed, in part, according to the winrates of the combinations of Pokémons and sets, in order to reach an overall balanced team winrate.
In other words, the combined winrate of each combination of Pokémon and set—i.e., the team winrate—should hover around 50%, or at least, should not be excessively high or low. 

This is one of my recent games & it perfectly summarizes the issue with a lack of safeguards. 



Rolling the three worst Pokémons in the tier;
Rolling six special attackers into a Blissey (which had toxic and wish);
Lack of diversity in the move typings;
A choice scarf on a Pokémon that is already fast and therefore does not need the extra speed;

IV. FINAL CONSIDERATIONS
General considerations that do not fall under the abovementioned categories. 

We are not asking for a complete reform
This Reform Request may be critical of certain aspects of Randoms, but we enjoy most of the current features offered by the tier. 
We are in favor of playing original sets in Randoms that would otherwise be unviable in other tiers. The same applies for Pokémons that are fun to use but not strong enough to be played elsewhere than in Randoms.
We agree with the matchmaking system, where losing a game of Randoms is less impactful than losses in other tiers.
For the tier to remain faithful to its essence, we believe that “randomization” should be the rule. However, some degree of intervention is required for a healthy gameplay. The suggestions and problems underlined in this document are the intervention we would like to see. 
As far as we know, anything that has not been mentioned here should remain unchanged and is therefore implicitly marked by our approval. Other players may, however, point out issues that we have omitted/forgotten in the discussion thread. 

Upcoming Update : Involving PvP Players 
Seeing that a Randoms update is long overdue, that numerous players have considerable experience in Randoms and are themselves the recipient of an update, that the current meta includes a wide array of “dubious” sets (which affects player engagement and retention);
We encourage you to involve experienced Randoms players (and PvP players) in the upcoming modification and development of sets, and more generally, in the upcoming update of Randoms. 

We are aware that this involvement should be limited in a way that does not affect the fairness of Randoms [It would not be fair for certain Randoms players to have access to the entire list of sets and mechanics. This would enable them to have a list that can be used when playing Randoms and would therefore create an unfair advantage. Although most top rated Randoms players already have somewhat of a list, or most sets memorized, it would still be unjust symbolically-speaking] . Thus, our involvement would be limited to Pokémons & sets that may reasonably be deemed as “dubious”. In other words, it is not necessary—nor for the developers or for the Randoms players—to go over all of the sets. Most of them can remain untouched. We are only referring to the “dubious” sets, potential new HAs, potential new legendaries, etc. 

Moreover, we suggest that a council/thread be devoted to Randoms as a tier, with a dedicated Discord channel, similarly to what has been created for the other tiers—for the sake of fluid communication. The specific competences and purpose of this tier/thread would be defined by the developers. 

We urge you to take into account all of the abovementioned considerations, and ask you to inform the lead author of this request, DiscoShiba, if/when the recipient(s), Rache and/or other developers, have properly received and duly familiarized themselves with the content of this request.
Should this request be denied/ignored, we ask you to provide an explanation as to why that is. 

Lastly, we urge you to inform us on the potential existence of an update for Randoms in the foreseeable future, and if applicable, to provide a timeframe in which said-update will begin. 

Hall of Fame 
Noting that players who finish a season on the leaderboard as rank one, two, and three in OU, UU, NU, and Doubles, thereby winning a crown, have their in-game names displayed on the PokeMMO Forums Hall of Fame thread; 
Reaffirming the prestige that a leaderboard entry holds, but also the energy and time required for Randoms players to be placed in the top three, especially in contrast with other tiers;  
Expressing our lack of understanding as to why top leaderboard players in Randoms do not have their in-game names displayed in the Hall of Fame thread at the end of the season, and are thereby being treated differently for no apparent reason; 

We adamantly ask you to display, on the Hall of Fame thread, the in-game names of past and future Randoms players that finish (or have finished) the season in the top three of the leaderboard. 
______________________________________________________________________

OPEN DISCUSSION ON THE FORUMS 

On a final note, we would like to open a discussion on certain points mentioned within this document—which will be posted on the Forums.
In particular, we are keen to see players share their views on the following topics (these topics will be marked with a yellow star on the Forums ⭐): 
Dugtrio and Shedinja in Randoms, uncompetitive or not?; 
The specifics of adding new items, Pokémons, and abilities to Randoms; 
The specific Pokémons that should (not) have access to Screens and Wish/Protect sets; 
Type coverage safeguards (and other safeguards); 
The randomized distribution of hazards in teams or lack thereof; 
Tiers within the Randoms tier; 
The specifics of “Dubious sets”. 

Naturally, we welcome and encourage players to voice their opinions on other matters related to Randoms, including those that may have not been covered by this request. 

Lastly—regarding “dubious sets”—it would be helpful if players could post screenshots or the exact moves of sets that may reasonably be considered as nonsensical so that we can have a list. At the very least, it would enable a discussion to be held on sets for which viability is debatable.

______________________________________________________________________

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 

I wish to thank the developers and Rache in advance for considering this request,

Thank you to all the PvP players and other members of the community who contributed to the content of this request, and to those that will be part of future discussions. 

Kind regards,
DiscoShiba & SpidgetREAL (lead authors of the request) 

I may be reached through the following channel (contact information):
IGN: DiscoShiba
Forums: DiscoShiba
Discord: discoshiba66 

[Context]
Hello everyone,
Hereafter is the Request we are sending to @Rache to push for a Randoms update (I'm reaching out to her specifically because she appears to be the developer in charge of Randoms and previously expressed her will to update the tier). This request contains a detailed list of suggestions, ideas, and issues related to Randoms.
Although this could be classified as a "suggestion" (and therefore be posted in Suggestions), I wish to open a discussion on the content of this request and am therefore posting it here, in Competitive Alley. The specific topics for which we adamantly wish players to voice their opinions on will be marked with a yellow star ⭐, but feel free to address anything else related to Randoms.
If this should be considered as a "Suggestion" instead, please let me know (if you're a moderator).
Cheers,
DiscoShiba & Spidget

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

REFORM REQUEST – UPDATING RANDOMS [PVP]

PREAMBLE

Dear Rache,
Dear Developers, 

We hope this message finds you well, as a lot of time and effort was put into it.
Understandably, you have a lot on your plate and receive numerous requests, but we believe that Randoms PvP is a facet of the game that receives enough playtime to be prioritized for an update. You have previously stated that reforming Randoms was “high on your to-do list” and, with this message, we are eager to offer our contribution.  

Hereafter, you will find a list of highlighted issues and recommendations that myself and several other top Randoms players have worked on. All of us have consistently played thousands of Randoms games throughout the years, earned crowns, and maintained a high winrate.
We believe that we have the necessary experience and knowledge to provide constructive feedback on the current state of Randoms and encourage you to use it when the time for an update comes. 

In addition to Randoms players, many members of the PvP community (and of the community as a whole) share the desire to see the tier reformed. An update not only benefits the current player base–which is quite large, as one can notice from PvP statistics–but also all the players who do not play Randoms due to the current design. [I am currently a member of VOW, a notorious PvP team, but am also the only avid Randoms player (who plays for Leaderboard). My teammates enjoy Randoms but not on PokeMMO. They would play if an update were to come] 

With all this being said, we are pleased to share this Randoms Reform Request with you and hope to hear back from you soon. 

We are looking forward to your response and are grateful for the opportunity to be considered, 

Yours sincerely, 
DiscoShiba & SpidgetREAL 
________________________________________________________________

TABLE OF CONTENTS 
I. POKEMONS
1. Removing Certain Pokémons
1.1. Unown
1.2. Ditto
1.3. Plant Coat Wormadam (Grass & Bug typing)
1.4. Shedinja
1.5. Dugtrio 
2. Buffing Certain Pokémons
2.1. Rotom Base Form (Ghost & Electric typing)
2.2. Grass Cloak Wormadam (Bug & Grass typing)
3. Adding Certain Pokémons
3.1. Gen 5 Pokémons
3.2. Legendary Pokémons
4. Adding Certain Mechanics
4.1. Hidden Abilities
4.2. Items
II. SETS
1. The “Wish + Protect” Problem
2. The “Screens” Problem
3. Sets that do not align with the characteristics of a Pokemon
III. SAFEGUARDS – COVERAGE & BALANCE
1. Type Coverage
1.1. Offensive Type Coverage
1.2. Defensive Type Coverage
2. Physical & Special Distribution
3. A Fair Distribution of Other Characteristics : Avoiding Extremes
4. Include Hazard Removal in Teams that do not have Hazards
5. Trapping Pokémons as Leads
6. Tiers within the Tier
IV. FINAL CONSIDERATIONS
1. We are not asking for a complete reform
2. Upcoming Update : Involving PvP Players
3. Hall of Fame

AKNOWLEDGEMENTS
_______________________________________________________

I. POKEMONS

Removing Certain Pokémons
Several Pokémons are a liability due to their underwhelming characteristics and/or design. A player who should roll them in a game is essentially starting off the battle 5 vs. 6. 
We urge you to remove the following Pokémons from Randoms:

1.1. Unown 
The capacity of Unown to a) only learn one move and b) a weak move, makes it underwhelming to use. This makes Unown easy to counter/defeat, all the more since it can only hold one of two items and has access to either HP psychic or HP fighting. Since its level is already set to 100, it cannot be further buffed and we therefore would like to see it removed from the tier. 

1.2. Ditto
The same reasoning applies to Ditto.
However, we would like to keep Ditto in the tier under the condition that Hidden Abilities are added [HAs will be the subject of an ulterior section].

1.3. Plant Coat Wormadam (Grass & Bug typing) 
Wormadam in its "regular" form is arguably the worst Pokémon in Randoms. It's been somewhat buffed in the past but its winrate unfortunately remained the same. Due to its weak overall characteristics, we recommend that it be removed from the tier.
However, we are of the opinion that Plant Coat Wormadam may remain in the tier under the condition that its level is at least increased to 84. After running a series of calculcations, we consider that it may become balanced in Randoms if its level is set somewhere between 84 and 87.

1.4. Shedinja ⭐
Although Shedinja may be balanced in other tiers, we do not support its presence in Randoms. Defeating Shedinja relies on either being in possession of hazards or defined moves in terms of typing. Inversely, Shedinja’s use becomes void if a player rolls it into a team that has hazards when said-player does not have any removal. To us, Shedinja is uncompetitive in Randoms.
Because teams and moves are randomized, we do not believe that it is fair to include a Pokémon for which the strength/weakness is determined nearly exclusively by RNG.
On top of that, the confidential aspect of Randoms (i.e., absence of team preview) also contributes to determining Shedinja’s capabilities. It is possible for a player to “hide” Shedinja until the very end, where the opponent will simply not have the necessary moves to defeat it.

Lastly, it happens too often for players to only receive one to three moves that can in fact beat Shedinja, which leaves this matter, once again, up to RNG.
For these reasons, we ask for Shedinja to be removed from Randoms.

1.5. Dugtrio ⭐
We will not reiterate the long discussions that players have held on the Forums regarding Dugtrio. It has been deemed as an uncompetitive Pokemon in regular tiers and we fail to comprehend why it has not been considered as such in Randoms. If anything, Dugtrio is especially uncompetitive in Randoms due to the absence of team preview. Any Pokemon with an electric typing would be heavily penalized should the opponent switch to Dugtrio on a Volt-Switch, for instance (all the more if they happen to be equipped with a “choice” item).
Thus, we ask for Dugtrio to be removed from Randoms. 

Buffing Certain Pokémons
We believe that a few Pokémons need a bit more love to be viable in Randoms.
We therefore ask you to increase the levels of the following Pokémons: 

2.1. Rotom Base Form (Ghost & Electric Type)
Rotom has been buffed in the past but remains too weak in Randoms. We think that
giving it a few extra levels would solidify its value in the tier. 

2.2. Grass Cloack Wormadam (Bug & Grass type)
This has already been covered in the previous section. 

Adding Certain Pokémons ⭐
We believe that adding certain Pokémons to Randoms would be refreshing for the player base and enhance the tier’s quality. 
We would not only be keen to see existing Pokemons added to the tier, but also Pokemons that are not currently available in other tiers (i.e., certain legendary Pokémons). Regarding the latter, we know that it may be a possibility since some of these Pokémons exist in the Battle Factory despite not being available to players (e.g., Latias & Latios, or Magic Bounce Alakazam). 

We therefore encourage you to add the following Pokémons to Randoms: 

3.1. Gen 5 Pokémons
No additional comments. 

3.2. Legendary Pokémons
We would not only like to see the legendary Pokémons that are currently available to players added to Randoms, but also those that are not available to players and those that are available to players but not usable in PvP. 
Regarding the former, we are referring to Pokémons like Latios, Latias (both of which exist in the Battle Factory), the Regis, to name a few. 
Regarding the latter, we are referring to Pokémons like Darkrai, Sky Form Shaymin, and Mewtwo, Rayquaza, and other “king of the hill” Pokémons, to name a few. 
Naturally, their strength should be accounted for and their level/sets should be determined accordingly for them to be balanced. 

Adding Certain Mechanics ⭐
Similarly to what has been said in the previous sections, we believe that the addition of certain elements of the game to Randoms would bring a sense of refreshment to players. 
We therefore recommend that the following be added to Randoms: 

4.1. Hidden Abilities 
On top of giving a feeling of “new” to the players, giving certain Pokémons access to their HAs would enable them to thrive in a way that may currently not be possible. It would also enable new sets and mechanics to come forward, and overall, make the tier more interesting. This would include HAs that are not currently available to players directly whilst still being present in the game (e.g., Magic Bounce Alakazam). 

Example 1. – New set:
Multiscale Dragonite with Substitute and Roost.

Example 2. – New interaction:
Porygon2 tracing Dragonite’s multiscale.

Example 3. – New potential
Infiltrator Spiritomb to enable “Tricking” Pokemons behind a Substitute.

4.2. Items 
Same reasoning as the previous section. The inclusion of certain items can bring change to the tier. On top of that, several items that lead to fun interactions—which are, however, not strong enough to be used in regular tiers—would be a great addition to Randoms. Due to the characteristics of the tier, such items would be easy to balance in such way that they become viable. 

Example1. - Assault Vest
Good and interesting item overall. 

Example 2. – Throat Spray 
Throat Spray is hardly viable in any regular tier, but who wouldn’t want to play Throat Spray Yanmega with Bug Buzz? 


II. SETS

The beauty of Randoms lies within the creative sets that Pokémons may have, on one hand, and the possibility for players to use Pokémons which would commonly not be strong enough to be viable in regular tiers, on the other hand. The corollary of the above is the process that enables Pokémons to cycle through a diversity of sets. 

The combination of the aforementioned aspects is what makes the tier so special and fun—in Randoms, every match-up will be different. 

However, we believe that numerous sets are detrimental to the game and undermine our enjoyment when playing Randoms. These sets are usually those that disregard the characteristics of a Pokemon while severely affecting their viability. 

Let it be known that we are in favor of keeping creative sets, but not when they completely crush the viability of a Pokémon. 

Example 1. –Fun Creative Set : Belly Drum Hypno
Example 2. – Detrimental Creative Set : Screens Electabuzz with Eviolite  

The “Wish + Protect” Problem ⭐
There are too many Pokemons that may roll “Wish + Protect” despite how suboptimal and incoherent it is for them to have such a set. We believe that “Wish + Protect” should be reserved for Pokemons that may viably fulfil a supportive/cleric role on a team. 
Indeed, some Pokemons can hardly make use of Wish + Protect as it is not in line with their weak defensive features, which also happens to undermine their natural offensive capabilities.  

Therefore, we urge you to remove “Wish + Protect” sets for all of the following Pokémons: 

Absol
Raichu 
Minun/Plusle
Jolteon
Gallade
Girafarig 
Kangashkan 
Salamence 

In addition, we encourage you to lower the frequency for certain Pokemons to roll a “Wish + Protect” set due to the ambiguous interaction it may have with a Pokemon. For instance, such a set may or may not be optimal on Pokemons like Kangashkan and Illumise. 

Moreover, we ask you to determine the two other moves that accompany Wish + Protect with coherence, and refrain from assigning both of those moves as incoherent offensive damaging moves. 

Example 1. – Incoherent Wish + Protect set: 
Absol with Wish, Protect, Night Slash, Will-O-Wisp. 

Example 2. – Incoherent Offensive Wish + Protect set: 
Minun with Wish, Protect, Thunderbolt, Hidden Power Ice. 

The “Screens” Problem ⭐
The same considerations apply to several Pokemons that may roll a set with Reflect & Light Screen, which is worsened if the Pokemon is not equipped with Light Clay or only has one of these two moves. 

Therefore, we encourage you to remove “Screens” sets from the following Pokemons: 
Raichu 
Electabuzz (especially if it holds Eviolite instead of Light Clay) 
Electivire 
Jolteon
Pachirisu (especially because it can only learn Light Screen and not Reflect, and because it is not equipped with Light Clay) 
Porygon2 (especially because it can only learn Reflect and not Light Screen, and because it is equipped with Eviolite instead of Light Clay) 
Magneton (especially if it holds Eviolite instead of Light Clay) 
Mamoswine 
In addition, we recommend that you provide Light Clay to all Pokémons who may set up Reflect and Light Screen. 
 
Sets that generally do not align with the characteristics of a Pokemon ⭐
In Randoms, certain Pokemons are conditionally viable, as their potential significantly depends on the sets that are allocated to them. These Pokemons usually possess remarkable strength in certain stats while being significantly weak in other stats. 

An issue arises when such Pokemons roll sets that contradict their natural strengths while being insufficient to compensate for their weaknesses. Consequently, their value is considerably undermined, to a point where they become a liability for the player. This problem is further enhanced by other factors, such as a lack of offensive move typing diversity or the assignment of a suboptimal item. 

People may wonder why reform is needed for certain Pokémons despite them having reasonable winrates, but we can only stress the fact that winrates are not de facto a good representation of a Pokémon’s position in Randoms. This is because the possibility for a Pokémon to “win” a game (or at least, contribute to a win) largely depends on the set that it rolls. For instance, it wouldn’t be surprising for Shell Smash Gorebyss to have a winrate of 60% while Choice Scarf Gorebyss sits at a winrate of 45%. [These are made-up numbers that serve as an example.]

Therefore, we urge you to review sets that may be deemed as “dubious” in light of the above, while removing/updating them in a manner that is in line with the characteristics of the given Pokemon. 

For further clarification, here are examples of the sets we are referring to:

Example 1. - Leech Seed Cacturne 
Cacturne has high offensive stats, in both Sp.Atk and Ph.Atk, but is defensively frail and slow. A set that includes Swords Dance with Sucker Punch is coherent with Cacturne’s features because it plays around its strengths and accounts for its low speed. 
However, Cacturne with Leech Seed, Substitute, Giga Drain, and Sucker Punch is hardly viable as it cannot meaningfully fulfill the role of a “damage-over-time” Pokemon due to its weak defensive stats. Its offensive stats are somewhat disregarded despite them being Cacturne’s strength. 

Example 2. - Bellossom with no set-up and no utility 
Bellossom is a Pokemon with low speed and low offensive stats, with its defensive stats being average at best. To thrive, Bellossom either needs set-up moves (e.g., Quiver Dance) or utility moves (e.g., Toxic & Leech Seed). 
However, Bellossom becomes a liability if it does not roll such sets. For instance, a Bellossom with Giga Drain, Hidden Power Ice, Synthesis, and Sleep Power, can hardly be an asset for the team as it does not have the damage, nor the speed, nor the utility, to make progress in the game. 

Example 3. - Choice Specs Bastiodon  
Bastiodon has extremely high defensive stats but has very weak offensive stats. Sets on Bastiodon that provide utility to the player are in line with the Pokémon’s characteristics (e.g., Stealth Rocks, Toxic, Roar/Rest, Iron Head). 
However, Choice Specs do not add sufficient damage on Bastiodon’s moves for it to become offensively valuable. Its defensive stats are undermined despite them being Bastiodon’s strength, while the Pokémon remains offensively weak. 

The abovementioned combinations of Pokémons & sets are problematic because they enhance the Pokémons’ weaknesses, without sufficiently enhancing them to reach a successful potential, usually at the expense of their strengths. 

Allocating resources into a Pokémon’s weaknesses at the expense of its strengths is not always an issue, but it is in several instances as highlighted above, when viability is hindered. For example, the Belly Drum Hypno set ignores the Pokémon’s strong defensive capabilities and its role as a special attacker, and instead, considerably enhances its weakest stat: physical attack. Nonetheless, unlike the examples we have mentioned, a Belly Drum set on Hypno sufficiently enhances its weak attack stat to make it viable in Randoms (all the more since it gets Drain Punch which favors sustain on a bulky Pokémon). 

In addition to the aforementioned remarks, certain sets are simply underwhelming, inefficient, and we recommend that they therefore be removed. For example: 
Ledian with Reflect, Light Screen, Substitute, Baton Pass
Smeargle with Lunar Dance, Taunt, Spore, Rapid Spin 
Sudowoodo with Sucker Punch when it is equipped with a Choice Band (it is quite detrimental to be locked into Sucker Punch) 


III. SAFEGUARDS – COVERAGE & BALANCE ⭐

At the time being, there are a few safeguards in place which seek balance in terms of team composition and capabilities. For instance, no type may appear more than twice on a team, no identical dual-types can appear on a team, and no “trapping” Pokémons (such as Dugtrio and Pursuit users) can be rolled as a lead (with the exception of Magnet Pull Pokémons). 
Nevertheless, we share the opinion that the current safeguards are insufficient, which consequently leads to unfair/unbalanced situations. 

Indeed, it is unfortunately frequent for players to lose games because they rolled a team that can single-handedly be dismantled by one opposing Pokémon (due to its particular stats, typing, etc.). We agree that some match-ups may be unfavorable—which is something that inevitably comes with the tier—but no team should be entirely incapacitated by a singular Pokémon.   

We also believe that sets should be coherent in abstracto. In other words, a certain set may be valuable in a concrete setting (e.g., Screens Jolteon in a team that is built around it), but lack purpose and viability when isolated from any context (e.g., Screens Jolteon in general). Because Randoms does not account for teambuilding, we should avoid attributing sets which can reasonably be deemed as individually unviable on a given Pokémon. 

Therefore, we urge you to implement additional safeguards that will account for the following matters; 

Type Coverage 
We agree with the current safeguards in place with regards to typing.
However, we suggest that the following type-related aspects be subject to further safeguards: 

1.1. Offensive Type Coverage 
a) We are keen on avoiding situations in which none of the Pokémons of a team can effectively/super-effectively damage a specific type, or rather, where most moves are “not very effective” into a specific type. Greater offensive type coverage should be guaranteed. 
b) Should Shedinja remain in Randoms, the player opposing Shedinja must be equipped with reasonable tools in order to defeat Shedinja. It should not be possible for a player to only have one to three moves that may defeat Shedinja. 

1.2. Defensive Type Coverage 
We are keen on avoiding situations in which five or six Pokémons in a team are weak to one type. For instance, a team comprised of two grass types, one bug type, one ice type, and two steel types would be entirely weak to a fire Pokémon. Better defensive type coverage should be allocated within a team.  

Physical & Special Distribution 
There are currently no safeguards in place to guarantee a fair distribution of power, or in other words, a fair allocation of special / physical Pokémons, both on a defensive and an offensive spectrum (but mostly offensive). This can be a serious issue, for example, when a player rolls a team that consists of six special attackers while facing a Chansey. 

Therefore, we urge you to prevent the attribution, in a team, of six Pokémons that share the same power trait. For instance, it should not be possible for a player to roll a team with six physical attackers or six special attackers. 
 
A Fair Distribution of Other Characteristics : Avoiding Extremes
We believe that, in general, safeguards should be in place to prevent a player from receiving teams that are marked by excessive redundancy.  

Example 1. – Moves  
It should not be possible for a player to roll a team with five Stealth Rocks setters. 

Example 2. – Items 
It should not be possible for a player to roll a team with five Pokémons that have a choice item. 

We do not necessarily require a minimum of each, but we do advocate for a maximum of each. In other words, we wish to keep the tier as “randomized” as possible, which requires minimal intervention from the developers. Thus, setting a minimum standard for each team would limit Randoms in an unhealthy manner (e.g., setting a minimum of one “Choice” Pokémon in each team). However, we believe that a maximum number of X or Y elements should be featured in a team in order for the tier to be functional (e.g., maximum two “Choice” items per team, maximum five  “slow” Pokémons below a certain speed tier, etc.). The specific aspects that should fall under such limitations would be determined by the developers (i.e., not all aspects should be concerned by this limit). 

Include Hazard Removal in Teams that do not have Hazards ⭐⭐⭐
The disadvantage of playing into hazards in the absence of hazard removal and hazards themselves is egregious. It creates a significant unbalance between both players. This is further amplified by the confidential aspect of Randoms, which enables players to force out the opponent on many occasions. In regular tiers, hazard removal is present in a vast majority of teams. This should also be the case in Randoms. 

Therefore, we encourage you to include hazard removal in teams that do not possess hazards. 

Alternatively, we recommend that hazards be subject to a certain ponderation [We also suggest that Pokémons be categorized in certain tiers according to their sets. This will be developed in an ulterior section.]. This way, a team that has hazards will increase the overall “tier” of the team, and a team without hazards and without hazard removal will see its overall “tier” decreased. This way, the AI would be able to detect the “imbalance” related to hazards and equip the latter team with Pokémons in a higher tier to seek balance between both teams. 

Trapping Pokémons as Leads 
Currently, trapping Pokémons may not be rolled as a lead Pokémon. Such “trapping” Pokémons include, for instance, Pursuit users, Shadow Tag users, and Arena Trap users. 
However, Magnet Pull Pokémons are exempt from this safeguard and may be rolled as the lead. We do not understand this exemption. 

Therefore, we ask you to prevent Magnet Pull Pokémons from being rolled as the lead. 

Tiers within the Tier ⭐
Certain Pokémons with specific sets are stronger than others. Pokémon X with set Y may be stronger than Pokémon A with set Y, or than Pokémon X but, this time, with set Z. To avoid imbalances in the allocation of a team, we would like the developers to implement a non-public tiering system within Randoms itself, in order for the AI to fairly distribute Pokémons in a team. The purpose would be to avoid situations in which a team has five or six overpowered combinations of sets and Pokémons, and vice-versa. 

For instance, Shell Smash Gorebyss would be categorized in the “S+” tier whilst Choice Scarf Gorebyss would be categorized in the “C” tier. 
More specifically, tiering should be processed according to the winrate of a given Pokémon with regards to a given set (i.e., the winrate of the combination). To reiterate our example, Gorebyss with Shell Smash would fall in the S+ tier due to having a winrate of (for example) 58% whereas Gorebyss with Choice Scarf would be in the C tier due to its winrate of (for example) 45%. 

In fine, the allocation of a team by the AI should be processed, in part, according to the winrates of the combinations of Pokémons and sets, in order to reach an overall balanced team winrate.
In other words, the combined winrate of each combination of Pokémon and set—i.e., the team winrate—should hover around 50%, or at least, should not be excessively high or low. 

This is one of my recent games & it perfectly summarizes the issue with a lack of safeguards. 



Rolling the three worst Pokémons in the tier;
Rolling six special attackers into a Blissey (which had toxic and wish);
Lack of diversity in the move typings;
A choice scarf on a Pokémon that is already fast and therefore does not need the extra speed;

IV. FINAL CONSIDERATIONS
General considerations that do not fall under the abovementioned categories. 

We are not asking for a complete reform
This Reform Request may be critical of certain aspects of Randoms, but we enjoy most of the current features offered by the tier. 
We are in favor of playing original sets in Randoms that would otherwise be unviable in other tiers. The same applies for Pokémons that are fun to use but not strong enough to be played elsewhere than in Randoms.
We agree with the matchmaking system, where losing a game of Randoms is less impactful than losses in other tiers.
For the tier to remain faithful to its essence, we believe that “randomization” should be the rule. However, some degree of intervention is required for a healthy gameplay. The suggestions and problems underlined in this document are the intervention we would like to see. 
As far as we know, anything that has not been mentioned here should remain unchanged and is therefore implicitly marked by our approval. Other players may, however, point out issues that we have omitted/forgotten in the discussion thread. 

Upcoming Update : Involving PvP Players 
Seeing that a Randoms update is long overdue, that numerous players have considerable experience in Randoms and are themselves the recipient of an update, that the current meta includes a wide array of “dubious” sets (which affects player engagement and retention);
We encourage you to involve experienced Randoms players (and PvP players) in the upcoming modification and development of sets, and more generally, in the upcoming update of Randoms. 

We are aware that this involvement should be limited in a way that does not affect the fairness of Randoms [It would not be fair for certain Randoms players to have access to the entire list of sets and mechanics. This would enable them to have a list that can be used when playing Randoms and would therefore create an unfair advantage. Although most top rated Randoms players already have somewhat of a list, or most sets memorized, it would still be unjust symbolically-speaking] . Thus, our involvement would be limited to Pokémons & sets that may reasonably be deemed as “dubious”. In other words, it is not necessary—nor for the developers or for the Randoms players—to go over all of the sets. Most of them can remain untouched. We are only referring to the “dubious” sets, potential new HAs, potential new legendaries, etc. 

Moreover, we suggest that a council/thread be devoted to Randoms as a tier, with a dedicated Discord channel, similarly to what has been created for the other tiers—for the sake of fluid communication. The specific competences and purpose of this tier/thread would be defined by the developers. 

We urge you to take into account all of the abovementioned considerations, and ask you to inform the lead author of this request, DiscoShiba, if/when the recipient(s), Rache and/or other developers, have properly received and duly familiarized themselves with the content of this request.
Should this request be denied/ignored, we ask you to provide an explanation as to why that is. 

Lastly, we urge you to inform us on the potential existence of an update for Randoms in the foreseeable future, and if applicable, to provide a timeframe in which said-update will begin. 

Hall of Fame 
Noting that players who finish a season on the leaderboard as rank one, two, and three in OU, UU, NU, and Doubles, thereby winning a crown, have their in-game names displayed on the PokeMMO Forums Hall of Fame thread; 
Reaffirming the prestige that a leaderboard entry holds, but also the energy and time required for Randoms players to be placed in the top three, especially in contrast with other tiers;  
Expressing our lack of understanding as to why top leaderboard players in Randoms do not have their in-game names displayed in the Hall of Fame thread at the end of the season, and are thereby being treated differently for no apparent reason; 

We adamantly ask you to display, on the Hall of Fame thread, the in-game names of past and future Randoms players that finish (or have finished) the season in the top three of the leaderboard. 
______________________________________________________________________

OPEN DISCUSSION ON THE FORUMS 

On a final note, we would like to open a discussion on certain points mentioned within this document—which will be posted on the Forums.
In particular, we are keen to see players share their views on the following topics (these topics will be marked with a yellow star on the Forums ⭐): 
Dugtrio and Shedinja in Randoms, uncompetitive or not?; 
The specifics of adding new items, Pokémons, and abilities to Randoms; 
The specific Pokémons that should (not) have access to Screens and Wish/Protect sets; 
Type coverage safeguards (and other safeguards); 
The randomized distribution of hazards in teams or lack thereof; 
Tiers within the Randoms tier; 
The specifics of “Dubious sets”. 

Naturally, we welcome and encourage players to voice their opinions on other matters related to Randoms, including those that may have not been covered by this request. 

Lastly—regarding “dubious sets”—it would be helpful if players could post screenshots or the exact moves of sets that may reasonably be considered as nonsensical so that we can have a list. At the very least, it would enable a discussion to be held on sets for which viability is debatable.

______________________________________________________________________

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 

I wish to thank the developers and Rache in advance for considering this request,

Thank you to all the PvP players and other members of the community who contributed to the content of this request, and to those that will be part of future discussions. 

Kind regards,
DiscoShiba & SpidgetREAL (lead authors of the request) 

I may be reached through the following channel (contact information):
IGN: DiscoShiba
Forums: DiscoShiba
Discord: discoshiba66 

+1
Amazing write up and in agreement with many of these points.

[Context]
Hello everyone,
Hereafter is the Request we are sending to @Rache to push for a Randoms update (I'm reaching out to her specifically because she appears to be the developer in charge of Randoms and previously expressed her will to update the tier). This request contains a detailed list of suggestions, ideas, and issues related to Randoms.
Although this could be classified as a "suggestion" (and therefore be posted in Suggestions), I wish to open a discussion on the content of this request and am therefore posting it here, in Competitive Alley. The specific topics for which we adamantly wish players to voice their opinions on will be marked with a yellow star ⭐, but feel free to address anything else related to Randoms.
If this should be considered as a "Suggestion" instead, please let me know (if you're a moderator).
Cheers,
DiscoShiba & Spidget

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

REFORM REQUEST – UPDATING RANDOMS [PVP]

PREAMBLE

Dear Rache,
Dear Developers, 

We hope this message finds you well, as a lot of time and effort was put into it.
Understandably, you have a lot on your plate and receive numerous requests, but we believe that Randoms PvP is a facet of the game that receives enough playtime to be prioritized for an update. You have previously stated that reforming Randoms was “high on your to-do list” and, with this message, we are eager to offer our contribution.  

Hereafter, you will find a list of highlighted issues and recommendations that myself and several other top Randoms players have worked on. All of us have consistently played thousands of Randoms games throughout the years, earned crowns, and maintained a high winrate.
We believe that we have the necessary experience and knowledge to provide constructive feedback on the current state of Randoms and encourage you to use it when the time for an update comes. 

In addition to Randoms players, many members of the PvP community (and of the community as a whole) share the desire to see the tier reformed. An update not only benefits the current player base–which is quite large, as one can notice from PvP statistics–but also all the players who do not play Randoms due to the current design. [I am currently a member of VOW, a notorious PvP team, but am also the only avid Randoms player (who plays for Leaderboard). My teammates enjoy Randoms but not on PokeMMO. They would play if an update were to come] 

With all this being said, we are pleased to share this Randoms Reform Request with you and hope to hear back from you soon. 

We are looking forward to your response and are grateful for the opportunity to be considered, 

Yours sincerely, 
DiscoShiba & SpidgetREAL 
________________________________________________________________

TABLE OF CONTENTS 
I. POKEMONS
1. Removing Certain Pokémons
1.1. Unown
1.2. Ditto
1.3. Plant Coat Wormadam (Grass & Bug typing)
1.4. Shedinja
1.5. Dugtrio 
2. Buffing Certain Pokémons
2.1. Rotom Base Form (Ghost & Electric typing)
2.2. Grass Cloak Wormadam (Bug & Grass typing)
3. Adding Certain Pokémons
3.1. Gen 5 Pokémons
3.2. Legendary Pokémons
4. Adding Certain Mechanics
4.1. Hidden Abilities
4.2. Items
II. SETS
1. The “Wish + Protect” Problem
2. The “Screens” Problem
3. Sets that do not align with the characteristics of a Pokemon
III. SAFEGUARDS – COVERAGE & BALANCE
1. Type Coverage
1.1. Offensive Type Coverage
1.2. Defensive Type Coverage
2. Physical & Special Distribution
3. A Fair Distribution of Other Characteristics : Avoiding Extremes
4. Include Hazard Removal in Teams that do not have Hazards
5. Trapping Pokémons as Leads
6. Tiers within the Tier
IV. FINAL CONSIDERATIONS
1. We are not asking for a complete reform
2. Upcoming Update : Involving PvP Players
3. Hall of Fame

AKNOWLEDGEMENTS
_______________________________________________________

I. POKEMONS

Removing Certain Pokémons
Several Pokémons are a liability due to their underwhelming characteristics and/or design. A player who should roll them in a game is essentially starting off the battle 5 vs. 6. 
We urge you to remove the following Pokémons from Randoms:

1.1. Unown 
The capacity of Unown to a) only learn one move and b) a weak move, makes it underwhelming to use. This makes Unown easy to counter/defeat, all the more since it can only hold one of two items and has access to either HP psychic or HP fighting. Since its level is already set to 100, it cannot be further buffed and we therefore would like to see it removed from the tier. 

1.2. Ditto
The same reasoning applies to Ditto.
However, we would like to keep Ditto in the tier under the condition that Hidden Abilities are added [HAs will be the subject of an ulterior section].

1.3. Plant Coat Wormadam (Grass & Bug typing) 
Wormadam in its "regular" form is arguably the worst Pokémon in Randoms. It's been somewhat buffed in the past but its winrate unfortunately remained the same. Due to its weak overall characteristics, we recommend that it be removed from the tier.
However, we are of the opinion that Plant Coat Wormadam may remain in the tier under the condition that its level is at least increased to 84. After running a series of calculcations, we consider that it may become balanced in Randoms if its level is set somewhere between 84 and 87.

1.4. Shedinja ⭐
Although Shedinja may be balanced in other tiers, we do not support its presence in Randoms. Defeating Shedinja relies on either being in possession of hazards or defined moves in terms of typing. Inversely, Shedinja’s use becomes void if a player rolls it into a team that has hazards when said-player does not have any removal. To us, Shedinja is uncompetitive in Randoms.
Because teams and moves are randomized, we do not believe that it is fair to include a Pokémon for which the strength/weakness is determined nearly exclusively by RNG.
On top of that, the confidential aspect of Randoms (i.e., absence of team preview) also contributes to determining Shedinja’s capabilities. It is possible for a player to “hide” Shedinja until the very end, where the opponent will simply not have the necessary moves to defeat it.

Lastly, it happens too often for players to only receive one to three moves that can in fact beat Shedinja, which leaves this matter, once again, up to RNG.
For these reasons, we ask for Shedinja to be removed from Randoms.

1.5. Dugtrio ⭐
We will not reiterate the long discussions that players have held on the Forums regarding Dugtrio. It has been deemed as an uncompetitive Pokemon in regular tiers and we fail to comprehend why it has not been considered as such in Randoms. If anything, Dugtrio is especially uncompetitive in Randoms due to the absence of team preview. Any Pokemon with an electric typing would be heavily penalized should the opponent switch to Dugtrio on a Volt-Switch, for instance (all the more if they happen to be equipped with a “choice” item).
Thus, we ask for Dugtrio to be removed from Randoms. 

Buffing Certain Pokémons
We believe that a few Pokémons need a bit more love to be viable in Randoms.
We therefore ask you to increase the levels of the following Pokémons: 

2.1. Rotom Base Form (Ghost & Electric Type)
Rotom has been buffed in the past but remains too weak in Randoms. We think that
giving it a few extra levels would solidify its value in the tier. 

2.2. Grass Cloack Wormadam (Bug & Grass type)
This has already been covered in the previous section. 

Adding Certain Pokémons ⭐
We believe that adding certain Pokémons to Randoms would be refreshing for the player base and enhance the tier’s quality. 
We would not only be keen to see existing Pokemons added to the tier, but also Pokemons that are not currently available in other tiers (i.e., certain legendary Pokémons). Regarding the latter, we know that it may be a possibility since some of these Pokémons exist in the Battle Factory despite not being available to players (e.g., Latias & Latios, or Magic Bounce Alakazam). 

We therefore encourage you to add the following Pokémons to Randoms: 

3.1. Gen 5 Pokémons
No additional comments. 

3.2. Legendary Pokémons
We would not only like to see the legendary Pokémons that are currently available to players added to Randoms, but also those that are not available to players and those that are available to players but not usable in PvP. 
Regarding the former, we are referring to Pokémons like Latios, Latias (both of which exist in the Battle Factory), the Regis, to name a few. 
Regarding the latter, we are referring to Pokémons like Darkrai, Sky Form Shaymin, and Mewtwo, Rayquaza, and other “king of the hill” Pokémons, to name a few. 
Naturally, their strength should be accounted for and their level/sets should be determined accordingly for them to be balanced. 

Adding Certain Mechanics ⭐
Similarly to what has been said in the previous sections, we believe that the addition of certain elements of the game to Randoms would bring a sense of refreshment to players. 
We therefore recommend that the following be added to Randoms: 

4.1. Hidden Abilities 
On top of giving a feeling of “new” to the players, giving certain Pokémons access to their HAs would enable them to thrive in a way that may currently not be possible. It would also enable new sets and mechanics to come forward, and overall, make the tier more interesting. This would include HAs that are not currently available to players directly whilst still being present in the game (e.g., Magic Bounce Alakazam). 

Example 1. – New set:
Multiscale Dragonite with Substitute and Roost.

Example 2. – New interaction:
Porygon2 tracing Dragonite’s multiscale.

Example 3. – New potential
Infiltrator Spiritomb to enable “Tricking” Pokemons behind a Substitute.

4.2. Items 
Same reasoning as the previous section. The inclusion of certain items can bring change to the tier. On top of that, several items that lead to fun interactions—which are, however, not strong enough to be used in regular tiers—would be a great addition to Randoms. Due to the characteristics of the tier, such items would be easy to balance in such way that they become viable. 

Example1. - Assault Vest
Good and interesting item overall. 

Example 2. – Throat Spray 
Throat Spray is hardly viable in any regular tier, but who wouldn’t want to play Throat Spray Yanmega with Bug Buzz? 


II. SETS

The beauty of Randoms lies within the creative sets that Pokémons may have, on one hand, and the possibility for players to use Pokémons which would commonly not be strong enough to be viable in regular tiers, on the other hand. The corollary of the above is the process that enables Pokémons to cycle through a diversity of sets. 

The combination of the aforementioned aspects is what makes the tier so special and fun—in Randoms, every match-up will be different. 

However, we believe that numerous sets are detrimental to the game and undermine our enjoyment when playing Randoms. These sets are usually those that disregard the characteristics of a Pokemon while severely affecting their viability. 

Let it be known that we are in favor of keeping creative sets, but not when they completely crush the viability of a Pokémon. 

Example 1. –Fun Creative Set : Belly Drum Hypno
Example 2. – Detrimental Creative Set : Screens Electabuzz with Eviolite  

The “Wish + Protect” Problem ⭐
There are too many Pokemons that may roll “Wish + Protect” despite how suboptimal and incoherent it is for them to have such a set. We believe that “Wish + Protect” should be reserved for Pokemons that may viably fulfil a supportive/cleric role on a team. 
Indeed, some Pokemons can hardly make use of Wish + Protect as it is not in line with their weak defensive features, which also happens to undermine their natural offensive capabilities.  

Therefore, we urge you to remove “Wish + Protect” sets for all of the following Pokémons: 

Absol
Raichu 
Minun/Plusle
Jolteon
Gallade
Girafarig 
Kangashkan 
Salamence 

In addition, we encourage you to lower the frequency for certain Pokemons to roll a “Wish + Protect” set due to the ambiguous interaction it may have with a Pokemon. For instance, such a set may or may not be optimal on Pokemons like Kangashkan and Illumise. 

Moreover, we ask you to determine the two other moves that accompany Wish + Protect with coherence, and refrain from assigning both of those moves as incoherent offensive damaging moves. 

Example 1. – Incoherent Wish + Protect set: 
Absol with Wish, Protect, Night Slash, Will-O-Wisp. 

Example 2. – Incoherent Offensive Wish + Protect set: 
Minun with Wish, Protect, Thunderbolt, Hidden Power Ice. 

The “Screens” Problem ⭐
The same considerations apply to several Pokemons that may roll a set with Reflect & Light Screen, which is worsened if the Pokemon is not equipped with Light Clay or only has one of these two moves. 

Therefore, we encourage you to remove “Screens” sets from the following Pokemons: 
Raichu 
Electabuzz (especially if it holds Eviolite instead of Light Clay) 
Electivire 
Jolteon
Pachirisu (especially because it can only learn Light Screen and not Reflect, and because it is not equipped with Light Clay) 
Porygon2 (especially because it can only learn Reflect and not Light Screen, and because it is equipped with Eviolite instead of Light Clay) 
Magneton (especially if it holds Eviolite instead of Light Clay) 
Mamoswine 
In addition, we recommend that you provide Light Clay to all Pokémons who may set up Reflect and Light Screen. 
 
Sets that generally do not align with the characteristics of a Pokemon ⭐
In Randoms, certain Pokemons are conditionally viable, as their potential significantly depends on the sets that are allocated to them. These Pokemons usually possess remarkable strength in certain stats while being significantly weak in other stats. 

An issue arises when such Pokemons roll sets that contradict their natural strengths while being insufficient to compensate for their weaknesses. Consequently, their value is considerably undermined, to a point where they become a liability for the player. This problem is further enhanced by other factors, such as a lack of offensive move typing diversity or the assignment of a suboptimal item. 

People may wonder why reform is needed for certain Pokémons despite them having reasonable winrates, but we can only stress the fact that winrates are not de facto a good representation of a Pokémon’s position in Randoms. This is because the possibility for a Pokémon to “win” a game (or at least, contribute to a win) largely depends on the set that it rolls. For instance, it wouldn’t be surprising for Shell Smash Gorebyss to have a winrate of 60% while Choice Scarf Gorebyss sits at a winrate of 45%. [These are made-up numbers that serve as an example.]

Therefore, we urge you to review sets that may be deemed as “dubious” in light of the above, while removing/updating them in a manner that is in line with the characteristics of the given Pokemon. 

For further clarification, here are examples of the sets we are referring to:

Example 1. - Leech Seed Cacturne 
Cacturne has high offensive stats, in both Sp.Atk and Ph.Atk, but is defensively frail and slow. A set that includes Swords Dance with Sucker Punch is coherent with Cacturne’s features because it plays around its strengths and accounts for its low speed. 
However, Cacturne with Leech Seed, Substitute, Giga Drain, and Sucker Punch is hardly viable as it cannot meaningfully fulfill the role of a “damage-over-time” Pokemon due to its weak defensive stats. Its offensive stats are somewhat disregarded despite them being Cacturne’s strength. 

Example 2. - Bellossom with no set-up and no utility 
Bellossom is a Pokemon with low speed and low offensive stats, with its defensive stats being average at best. To thrive, Bellossom either needs set-up moves (e.g., Quiver Dance) or utility moves (e.g., Toxic & Leech Seed). 
However, Bellossom becomes a liability if it does not roll such sets. For instance, a Bellossom with Giga Drain, Hidden Power Ice, Synthesis, and Sleep Power, can hardly be an asset for the team as it does not have the damage, nor the speed, nor the utility, to make progress in the game. 

Example 3. - Choice Specs Bastiodon  
Bastiodon has extremely high defensive stats but has very weak offensive stats. Sets on Bastiodon that provide utility to the player are in line with the Pokémon’s characteristics (e.g., Stealth Rocks, Toxic, Roar/Rest, Iron Head). 
However, Choice Specs do not add sufficient damage on Bastiodon’s moves for it to become offensively valuable. Its defensive stats are undermined despite them being Bastiodon’s strength, while the Pokémon remains offensively weak. 

The abovementioned combinations of Pokémons & sets are problematic because they enhance the Pokémons’ weaknesses, without sufficiently enhancing them to reach a successful potential, usually at the expense of their strengths. 

Allocating resources into a Pokémon’s weaknesses at the expense of its strengths is not always an issue, but it is in several instances as highlighted above, when viability is hindered. For example, the Belly Drum Hypno set ignores the Pokémon’s strong defensive capabilities and its role as a special attacker, and instead, considerably enhances its weakest stat: physical attack. Nonetheless, unlike the examples we have mentioned, a Belly Drum set on Hypno sufficiently enhances its weak attack stat to make it viable in Randoms (all the more since it gets Drain Punch which favors sustain on a bulky Pokémon). 

In addition to the aforementioned remarks, certain sets are simply underwhelming, inefficient, and we recommend that they therefore be removed. For example: 
Ledian with Reflect, Light Screen, Substitute, Baton Pass
Smeargle with Lunar Dance, Taunt, Spore, Rapid Spin 
Sudowoodo with Sucker Punch when it is equipped with a Choice Band (it is quite detrimental to be locked into Sucker Punch) 


III. SAFEGUARDS – COVERAGE & BALANCE ⭐

At the time being, there are a few safeguards in place which seek balance in terms of team composition and capabilities. For instance, no type may appear more than twice on a team, no identical dual-types can appear on a team, and no “trapping” Pokémons (such as Dugtrio and Pursuit users) can be rolled as a lead (with the exception of Magnet Pull Pokémons). 
Nevertheless, we share the opinion that the current safeguards are insufficient, which consequently leads to unfair/unbalanced situations. 

Indeed, it is unfortunately frequent for players to lose games because they rolled a team that can single-handedly be dismantled by one opposing Pokémon (due to its particular stats, typing, etc.). We agree that some match-ups may be unfavorable—which is something that inevitably comes with the tier—but no team should be entirely incapacitated by a singular Pokémon.   

We also believe that sets should be coherent in abstracto. In other words, a certain set may be valuable in a concrete setting (e.g., Screens Jolteon in a team that is built around it), but lack purpose and viability when isolated from any context (e.g., Screens Jolteon in general). Because Randoms does not account for teambuilding, we should avoid attributing sets which can reasonably be deemed as individually unviable on a given Pokémon. 

Therefore, we urge you to implement additional safeguards that will account for the following matters; 

Type Coverage 
We agree with the current safeguards in place with regards to typing.
However, we suggest that the following type-related aspects be subject to further safeguards: 

1.1. Offensive Type Coverage 
a) We are keen on avoiding situations in which none of the Pokémons of a team can effectively/super-effectively damage a specific type, or rather, where most moves are “not very effective” into a specific type. Greater offensive type coverage should be guaranteed. 
b) Should Shedinja remain in Randoms, the player opposing Shedinja must be equipped with reasonable tools in order to defeat Shedinja. It should not be possible for a player to only have one to three moves that may defeat Shedinja. 

1.2. Defensive Type Coverage 
We are keen on avoiding situations in which five or six Pokémons in a team are weak to one type. For instance, a team comprised of two grass types, one bug type, one ice type, and two steel types would be entirely weak to a fire Pokémon. Better defensive type coverage should be allocated within a team.  

Physical & Special Distribution 
There are currently no safeguards in place to guarantee a fair distribution of power, or in other words, a fair allocation of special / physical Pokémons, both on a defensive and an offensive spectrum (but mostly offensive). This can be a serious issue, for example, when a player rolls a team that consists of six special attackers while facing a Chansey. 

Therefore, we urge you to prevent the attribution, in a team, of six Pokémons that share the same power trait. For instance, it should not be possible for a player to roll a team with six physical attackers or six special attackers. 
 
A Fair Distribution of Other Characteristics : Avoiding Extremes
We believe that, in general, safeguards should be in place to prevent a player from receiving teams that are marked by excessive redundancy.  

Example 1. – Moves  
It should not be possible for a player to roll a team with five Stealth Rocks setters. 

Example 2. – Items 
It should not be possible for a player to roll a team with five Pokémons that have a choice item. 

We do not necessarily require a minimum of each, but we do advocate for a maximum of each. In other words, we wish to keep the tier as “randomized” as possible, which requires minimal intervention from the developers. Thus, setting a minimum standard for each team would limit Randoms in an unhealthy manner (e.g., setting a minimum of one “Choice” Pokémon in each team). However, we believe that a maximum number of X or Y elements should be featured in a team in order for the tier to be functional (e.g., maximum two “Choice” items per team, maximum five  “slow” Pokémons below a certain speed tier, etc.). The specific aspects that should fall under such limitations would be determined by the developers (i.e., not all aspects should be concerned by this limit). 

Include Hazard Removal in Teams that do not have Hazards ⭐⭐⭐
The disadvantage of playing into hazards in the absence of hazard removal and hazards themselves is egregious. It creates a significant unbalance between both players. This is further amplified by the confidential aspect of Randoms, which enables players to force out the opponent on many occasions. In regular tiers, hazard removal is present in a vast majority of teams. This should also be the case in Randoms. 

Therefore, we encourage you to include hazard removal in teams that do not possess hazards. 

Alternatively, we recommend that hazards be subject to a certain ponderation [We also suggest that Pokémons be categorized in certain tiers according to their sets. This will be developed in an ulterior section.]. This way, a team that has hazards will increase the overall “tier” of the team, and a team without hazards and without hazard removal will see its overall “tier” decreased. This way, the AI would be able to detect the “imbalance” related to hazards and equip the latter team with Pokémons in a higher tier to seek balance between both teams. 

Trapping Pokémons as Leads 
Currently, trapping Pokémons may not be rolled as a lead Pokémon. Such “trapping” Pokémons include, for instance, Pursuit users, Shadow Tag users, and Arena Trap users. 
However, Magnet Pull Pokémons are exempt from this safeguard and may be rolled as the lead. We do not understand this exemption. 

Therefore, we ask you to prevent Magnet Pull Pokémons from being rolled as the lead. 

Tiers within the Tier ⭐
Certain Pokémons with specific sets are stronger than others. Pokémon X with set Y may be stronger than Pokémon A with set Y, or than Pokémon X but, this time, with set Z. To avoid imbalances in the allocation of a team, we would like the developers to implement a non-public tiering system within Randoms itself, in order for the AI to fairly distribute Pokémons in a team. The purpose would be to avoid situations in which a team has five or six overpowered combinations of sets and Pokémons, and vice-versa. 

For instance, Shell Smash Gorebyss would be categorized in the “S+” tier whilst Choice Scarf Gorebyss would be categorized in the “C” tier. 
More specifically, tiering should be processed according to the winrate of a given Pokémon with regards to a given set (i.e., the winrate of the combination). To reiterate our example, Gorebyss with Shell Smash would fall in the S+ tier due to having a winrate of (for example) 58% whereas Gorebyss with Choice Scarf would be in the C tier due to its winrate of (for example) 45%. 

In fine, the allocation of a team by the AI should be processed, in part, according to the winrates of the combinations of Pokémons and sets, in order to reach an overall balanced team winrate.
In other words, the combined winrate of each combination of Pokémon and set—i.e., the team winrate—should hover around 50%, or at least, should not be excessively high or low. 

This is one of my recent games & it perfectly summarizes the issue with a lack of safeguards. 



Rolling the three worst Pokémons in the tier;
Rolling six special attackers into a Blissey (which had toxic and wish);
Lack of diversity in the move typings;
A choice scarf on a Pokémon that is already fast and therefore does not need the extra speed;

IV. FINAL CONSIDERATIONS
General considerations that do not fall under the abovementioned categories. 

We are not asking for a complete reform
This Reform Request may be critical of certain aspects of Randoms, but we enjoy most of the current features offered by the tier. 
We are in favor of playing original sets in Randoms that would otherwise be unviable in other tiers. The same applies for Pokémons that are fun to use but not strong enough to be played elsewhere than in Randoms.
We agree with the matchmaking system, where losing a game of Randoms is less impactful than losses in other tiers.
For the tier to remain faithful to its essence, we believe that “randomization” should be the rule. However, some degree of intervention is required for a healthy gameplay. The suggestions and problems underlined in this document are the intervention we would like to see. 
As far as we know, anything that has not been mentioned here should remain unchanged and is therefore implicitly marked by our approval. Other players may, however, point out issues that we have omitted/forgotten in the discussion thread. 

Upcoming Update : Involving PvP Players 
Seeing that a Randoms update is long overdue, that numerous players have considerable experience in Randoms and are themselves the recipient of an update, that the current meta includes a wide array of “dubious” sets (which affects player engagement and retention);
We encourage you to involve experienced Randoms players (and PvP players) in the upcoming modification and development of sets, and more generally, in the upcoming update of Randoms. 

We are aware that this involvement should be limited in a way that does not affect the fairness of Randoms [It would not be fair for certain Randoms players to have access to the entire list of sets and mechanics. This would enable them to have a list that can be used when playing Randoms and would therefore create an unfair advantage. Although most top rated Randoms players already have somewhat of a list, or most sets memorized, it would still be unjust symbolically-speaking] . Thus, our involvement would be limited to Pokémons & sets that may reasonably be deemed as “dubious”. In other words, it is not necessary—nor for the developers or for the Randoms players—to go over all of the sets. Most of them can remain untouched. We are only referring to the “dubious” sets, potential new HAs, potential new legendaries, etc. 

Moreover, we suggest that a council/thread be devoted to Randoms as a tier, with a dedicated Discord channel, similarly to what has been created for the other tiers—for the sake of fluid communication. The specific competences and purpose of this tier/thread would be defined by the developers. 

We urge you to take into account all of the abovementioned considerations, and ask you to inform the lead author of this request, DiscoShiba, if/when the recipient(s), Rache and/or other developers, have properly received and duly familiarized themselves with the content of this request.
Should this request be denied/ignored, we ask you to provide an explanation as to why that is. 

Lastly, we urge you to inform us on the potential existence of an update for Randoms in the foreseeable future, and if applicable, to provide a timeframe in which said-update will begin. 

Hall of Fame 
Noting that players who finish a season on the leaderboard as rank one, two, and three in OU, UU, NU, and Doubles, thereby winning a crown, have their in-game names displayed on the PokeMMO Forums Hall of Fame thread; 
Reaffirming the prestige that a leaderboard entry holds, but also the energy and time required for Randoms players to be placed in the top three, especially in contrast with other tiers;  
Expressing our lack of understanding as to why top leaderboard players in Randoms do not have their in-game names displayed in the Hall of Fame thread at the end of the season, and are thereby being treated differently for no apparent reason; 

We adamantly ask you to display, on the Hall of Fame thread, the in-game names of past and future Randoms players that finish (or have finished) the season in the top three of the leaderboard. 
______________________________________________________________________

OPEN DISCUSSION ON THE FORUMS 

On a final note, we would like to open a discussion on certain points mentioned within this document—which will be posted on the Forums.
In particular, we are keen to see players share their views on the following topics (these topics will be marked with a yellow star on the Forums ⭐): 
Dugtrio and Shedinja in Randoms, uncompetitive or not?; 
The specifics of adding new items, Pokémons, and abilities to Randoms; 
The specific Pokémons that should (not) have access to Screens and Wish/Protect sets; 
Type coverage safeguards (and other safeguards); 
The randomized distribution of hazards in teams or lack thereof; 
Tiers within the Randoms tier; 
The specifics of “Dubious sets”. 

Naturally, we welcome and encourage players to voice their opinions on other matters related to Randoms, including those that may have not been covered by this request. 

Lastly—regarding “dubious sets”—it would be helpful if players could post screenshots or the exact moves of sets that may reasonably be considered as nonsensical so that we can have a list. At the very least, it would enable a discussion to be held on sets for which viability is debatable.

______________________________________________________________________

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 

I wish to thank the developers and Rache in advance for considering this request,

Thank you to all the PvP players and other members of the community who contributed to the content of this request, and to those that will be part of future discussions. 

Kind regards,
DiscoShiba & SpidgetREAL (lead authors of the request) 

I may be reached through the following channel (contact information):
IGN: DiscoShiba
Forums: DiscoShiba
Discord: discoshiba66 

[Context]
Hello everyone,
Hereafter is the Request we are sending to @Rache to push for a Randoms update (I'm reaching out to her specifically because she appears to be the developer in charge of Randoms and previously expressed her will to update the tier). This request contains a detailed list of suggestions, ideas, and issues related to Randoms.
Although this could be classified as a "suggestion" (and therefore be posted in Suggestions), I wish to open a discussion on the content of this request and am therefore posting it here, in Competitive Alley. The specific topics for which we adamantly wish players to voice their opinions on will be marked with a yellow star ⭐, but feel free to address anything else related to Randoms.
If this should be considered as a "Suggestion" instead, please let me know (if you're a moderator).
Cheers,
DiscoShiba & Spidget

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

REFORM REQUEST – UPDATING RANDOMS [PVP]

PREAMBLE

Dear Rache,
Dear Developers, 

We hope this message finds you well, as a lot of time and effort was put into it.
Understandably, you have a lot on your plate and receive numerous requests, but we believe that Randoms PvP is a facet of the game that receives enough playtime to be prioritized for an update. You have previously stated that reforming Randoms was “high on your to-do list” and, with this message, we are eager to offer our contribution.  

Hereafter, you will find a list of highlighted issues and recommendations that myself and several other top Randoms players have worked on. All of us have consistently played thousands of Randoms games throughout the years, earned crowns, and maintained a high winrate.
We believe that we have the necessary experience and knowledge to provide constructive feedback on the current state of Randoms and encourage you to use it when the time for an update comes. 

In addition to Randoms players, many members of the PvP community (and of the community as a whole) share the desire to see the tier reformed. An update not only benefits the current player base–which is quite large, as one can notice from PvP statistics–but also all the players who do not play Randoms due to the current design. [I am currently a member of VOW, a notorious PvP team, but am also the only avid Randoms player (who plays for Leaderboard). My teammates enjoy Randoms but not on PokeMMO. They would play if an update were to come] 

With all this being said, we are pleased to share this Randoms Reform Request with you and hope to hear back from you soon. 

We are looking forward to your response and are grateful for the opportunity to be considered, 

Yours sincerely, 
DiscoShiba & SpidgetREAL 
________________________________________________________________

TABLE OF CONTENTS 
I. POKEMONS
1. Removing Certain Pokémons
1.1. Unown
1.2. Ditto
1.3. Plant Coat Wormadam (Grass & Bug typing)
1.4. Shedinja
1.5. Dugtrio 
2. Buffing Certain Pokémons
2.1. Rotom Base Form (Ghost & Electric typing)
2.2. Grass Cloak Wormadam (Bug & Grass typing)
3. Adding Certain Pokémons
3.1. Gen 5 Pokémons
3.2. Legendary Pokémons
4. Adding Certain Mechanics
4.1. Hidden Abilities
4.2. Items
II. SETS
1. The “Wish + Protect” Problem
2. The “Screens” Problem
3. Sets that do not align with the characteristics of a Pokemon
III. SAFEGUARDS – COVERAGE & BALANCE
1. Type Coverage
1.1. Offensive Type Coverage
1.2. Defensive Type Coverage
2. Physical & Special Distribution
3. A Fair Distribution of Other Characteristics : Avoiding Extremes
4. Include Hazard Removal in Teams that do not have Hazards
5. Trapping Pokémons as Leads
6. Tiers within the Tier
IV. FINAL CONSIDERATIONS
1. We are not asking for a complete reform
2. Upcoming Update : Involving PvP Players
3. Hall of Fame

AKNOWLEDGEMENTS
_______________________________________________________

I. POKEMONS

Removing Certain Pokémons
Several Pokémons are a liability due to their underwhelming characteristics and/or design. A player who should roll them in a game is essentially starting off the battle 5 vs. 6. 
We urge you to remove the following Pokémons from Randoms:

1.1. Unown 
The capacity of Unown to a) only learn one move and b) a weak move, makes it underwhelming to use. This makes Unown easy to counter/defeat, all the more since it can only hold one of two items and has access to either HP psychic or HP fighting. Since its level is already set to 100, it cannot be further buffed and we therefore would like to see it removed from the tier. 

1.2. Ditto
The same reasoning applies to Ditto.
However, we would like to keep Ditto in the tier under the condition that Hidden Abilities are added [HAs will be the subject of an ulterior section].

1.3. Plant Coat Wormadam (Grass & Bug typing) 
Wormadam in its "regular" form is arguably the worst Pokémon in Randoms. It's been somewhat buffed in the past but its winrate unfortunately remained the same. Due to its weak overall characteristics, we recommend that it be removed from the tier.
However, we are of the opinion that Plant Coat Wormadam may remain in the tier under the condition that its level is at least increased to 84. After running a series of calculcations, we consider that it may become balanced in Randoms if its level is set somewhere between 84 and 87.

1.4. Shedinja ⭐
Although Shedinja may be balanced in other tiers, we do not support its presence in Randoms. Defeating Shedinja relies on either being in possession of hazards or defined moves in terms of typing. Inversely, Shedinja’s use becomes void if a player rolls it into a team that has hazards when said-player does not have any removal. To us, Shedinja is uncompetitive in Randoms.
Because teams and moves are randomized, we do not believe that it is fair to include a Pokémon for which the strength/weakness is determined nearly exclusively by RNG.
On top of that, the confidential aspect of Randoms (i.e., absence of team preview) also contributes to determining Shedinja’s capabilities. It is possible for a player to “hide” Shedinja until the very end, where the opponent will simply not have the necessary moves to defeat it.

Lastly, it happens too often for players to only receive one to three moves that can in fact beat Shedinja, which leaves this matter, once again, up to RNG.
For these reasons, we ask for Shedinja to be removed from Randoms.

1.5. Dugtrio ⭐
We will not reiterate the long discussions that players have held on the Forums regarding Dugtrio. It has been deemed as an uncompetitive Pokemon in regular tiers and we fail to comprehend why it has not been considered as such in Randoms. If anything, Dugtrio is especially uncompetitive in Randoms due to the absence of team preview. Any Pokemon with an electric typing would be heavily penalized should the opponent switch to Dugtrio on a Volt-Switch, for instance (all the more if they happen to be equipped with a “choice” item).
Thus, we ask for Dugtrio to be removed from Randoms. 

Buffing Certain Pokémons
We believe that a few Pokémons need a bit more love to be viable in Randoms.
We therefore ask you to increase the levels of the following Pokémons: 

2.1. Rotom Base Form (Ghost & Electric Type)
Rotom has been buffed in the past but remains too weak in Randoms. We think that
giving it a few extra levels would solidify its value in the tier. 

2.2. Grass Cloack Wormadam (Bug & Grass type)
This has already been covered in the previous section. 

Adding Certain Pokémons ⭐
We believe that adding certain Pokémons to Randoms would be refreshing for the player base and enhance the tier’s quality. 
We would not only be keen to see existing Pokemons added to the tier, but also Pokemons that are not currently available in other tiers (i.e., certain legendary Pokémons). Regarding the latter, we know that it may be a possibility since some of these Pokémons exist in the Battle Factory despite not being available to players (e.g., Latias & Latios, or Magic Bounce Alakazam). 

We therefore encourage you to add the following Pokémons to Randoms: 

3.1. Gen 5 Pokémons
No additional comments. 

3.2. Legendary Pokémons
We would not only like to see the legendary Pokémons that are currently available to players added to Randoms, but also those that are not available to players and those that are available to players but not usable in PvP. 
Regarding the former, we are referring to Pokémons like Latios, Latias (both of which exist in the Battle Factory), the Regis, to name a few. 
Regarding the latter, we are referring to Pokémons like Darkrai, Sky Form Shaymin, and Mewtwo, Rayquaza, and other “king of the hill” Pokémons, to name a few. 
Naturally, their strength should be accounted for and their level/sets should be determined accordingly for them to be balanced. 

Adding Certain Mechanics ⭐
Similarly to what has been said in the previous sections, we believe that the addition of certain elements of the game to Randoms would bring a sense of refreshment to players. 
We therefore recommend that the following be added to Randoms: 

4.1. Hidden Abilities 
On top of giving a feeling of “new” to the players, giving certain Pokémons access to their HAs would enable them to thrive in a way that may currently not be possible. It would also enable new sets and mechanics to come forward, and overall, make the tier more interesting. This would include HAs that are not currently available to players directly whilst still being present in the game (e.g., Magic Bounce Alakazam). 

Example 1. – New set:
Multiscale Dragonite with Substitute and Roost.

Example 2. – New interaction:
Porygon2 tracing Dragonite’s multiscale.

Example 3. – New potential
Infiltrator Spiritomb to enable “Tricking” Pokemons behind a Substitute.

4.2. Items 
Same reasoning as the previous section. The inclusion of certain items can bring change to the tier. On top of that, several items that lead to fun interactions—which are, however, not strong enough to be used in regular tiers—would be a great addition to Randoms. Due to the characteristics of the tier, such items would be easy to balance in such way that they become viable. 

Example1. - Assault Vest
Good and interesting item overall. 

Example 2. – Throat Spray 
Throat Spray is hardly viable in any regular tier, but who wouldn’t want to play Throat Spray Yanmega with Bug Buzz? 


II. SETS

The beauty of Randoms lies within the creative sets that Pokémons may have, on one hand, and the possibility for players to use Pokémons which would commonly not be strong enough to be viable in regular tiers, on the other hand. The corollary of the above is the process that enables Pokémons to cycle through a diversity of sets. 

The combination of the aforementioned aspects is what makes the tier so special and fun—in Randoms, every match-up will be different. 

However, we believe that numerous sets are detrimental to the game and undermine our enjoyment when playing Randoms. These sets are usually those that disregard the characteristics of a Pokemon while severely affecting their viability. 

Let it be known that we are in favor of keeping creative sets, but not when they completely crush the viability of a Pokémon. 

Example 1. –Fun Creative Set : Belly Drum Hypno
Example 2. – Detrimental Creative Set : Screens Electabuzz with Eviolite  

The “Wish + Protect” Problem ⭐
There are too many Pokemons that may roll “Wish + Protect” despite how suboptimal and incoherent it is for them to have such a set. We believe that “Wish + Protect” should be reserved for Pokemons that may viably fulfil a supportive/cleric role on a team. 
Indeed, some Pokemons can hardly make use of Wish + Protect as it is not in line with their weak defensive features, which also happens to undermine their natural offensive capabilities.  

Therefore, we urge you to remove “Wish + Protect” sets for all of the following Pokémons: 

Absol
Raichu 
Minun/Plusle
Jolteon
Gallade
Girafarig 
Kangashkan 
Salamence 

In addition, we encourage you to lower the frequency for certain Pokemons to roll a “Wish + Protect” set due to the ambiguous interaction it may have with a Pokemon. For instance, such a set may or may not be optimal on Pokemons like Kangashkan and Illumise. 

Moreover, we ask you to determine the two other moves that accompany Wish + Protect with coherence, and refrain from assigning both of those moves as incoherent offensive damaging moves. 

Example 1. – Incoherent Wish + Protect set: 
Absol with Wish, Protect, Night Slash, Will-O-Wisp. 

Example 2. – Incoherent Offensive Wish + Protect set: 
Minun with Wish, Protect, Thunderbolt, Hidden Power Ice. 

The “Screens” Problem ⭐
The same considerations apply to several Pokemons that may roll a set with Reflect & Light Screen, which is worsened if the Pokemon is not equipped with Light Clay or only has one of these two moves. 

Therefore, we encourage you to remove “Screens” sets from the following Pokemons: 
Raichu 
Electabuzz (especially if it holds Eviolite instead of Light Clay) 
Electivire 
Jolteon
Pachirisu (especially because it can only learn Light Screen and not Reflect, and because it is not equipped with Light Clay) 
Porygon2 (especially because it can only learn Reflect and not Light Screen, and because it is equipped with Eviolite instead of Light Clay) 
Magneton (especially if it holds Eviolite instead of Light Clay) 
Mamoswine 
In addition, we recommend that you provide Light Clay to all Pokémons who may set up Reflect and Light Screen. 
 
Sets that generally do not align with the characteristics of a Pokemon ⭐
In Randoms, certain Pokemons are conditionally viable, as their potential significantly depends on the sets that are allocated to them. These Pokemons usually possess remarkable strength in certain stats while being significantly weak in other stats. 

An issue arises when such Pokemons roll sets that contradict their natural strengths while being insufficient to compensate for their weaknesses. Consequently, their value is considerably undermined, to a point where they become a liability for the player. This problem is further enhanced by other factors, such as a lack of offensive move typing diversity or the assignment of a suboptimal item. 

People may wonder why reform is needed for certain Pokémons despite them having reasonable winrates, but we can only stress the fact that winrates are not de facto a good representation of a Pokémon’s position in Randoms. This is because the possibility for a Pokémon to “win” a game (or at least, contribute to a win) largely depends on the set that it rolls. For instance, it wouldn’t be surprising for Shell Smash Gorebyss to have a winrate of 60% while Choice Scarf Gorebyss sits at a winrate of 45%. [These are made-up numbers that serve as an example.]

Therefore, we urge you to review sets that may be deemed as “dubious” in light of the above, while removing/updating them in a manner that is in line with the characteristics of the given Pokemon. 

For further clarification, here are examples of the sets we are referring to:

Example 1. - Leech Seed Cacturne 
Cacturne has high offensive stats, in both Sp.Atk and Ph.Atk, but is defensively frail and slow. A set that includes Swords Dance with Sucker Punch is coherent with Cacturne’s features because it plays around its strengths and accounts for its low speed. 
However, Cacturne with Leech Seed, Substitute, Giga Drain, and Sucker Punch is hardly viable as it cannot meaningfully fulfill the role of a “damage-over-time” Pokemon due to its weak defensive stats. Its offensive stats are somewhat disregarded despite them being Cacturne’s strength. 

Example 2. - Bellossom with no set-up and no utility 
Bellossom is a Pokemon with low speed and low offensive stats, with its defensive stats being average at best. To thrive, Bellossom either needs set-up moves (e.g., Quiver Dance) or utility moves (e.g., Toxic & Leech Seed). 
However, Bellossom becomes a liability if it does not roll such sets. For instance, a Bellossom with Giga Drain, Hidden Power Ice, Synthesis, and Sleep Power, can hardly be an asset for the team as it does not have the damage, nor the speed, nor the utility, to make progress in the game. 

Example 3. - Choice Specs Bastiodon  
Bastiodon has extremely high defensive stats but has very weak offensive stats. Sets on Bastiodon that provide utility to the player are in line with the Pokémon’s characteristics (e.g., Stealth Rocks, Toxic, Roar/Rest, Iron Head). 
However, Choice Specs do not add sufficient damage on Bastiodon’s moves for it to become offensively valuable. Its defensive stats are undermined despite them being Bastiodon’s strength, while the Pokémon remains offensively weak. 

The abovementioned combinations of Pokémons & sets are problematic because they enhance the Pokémons’ weaknesses, without sufficiently enhancing them to reach a successful potential, usually at the expense of their strengths. 

Allocating resources into a Pokémon’s weaknesses at the expense of its strengths is not always an issue, but it is in several instances as highlighted above, when viability is hindered. For example, the Belly Drum Hypno set ignores the Pokémon’s strong defensive capabilities and its role as a special attacker, and instead, considerably enhances its weakest stat: physical attack. Nonetheless, unlike the examples we have mentioned, a Belly Drum set on Hypno sufficiently enhances its weak attack stat to make it viable in Randoms (all the more since it gets Drain Punch which favors sustain on a bulky Pokémon). 

In addition to the aforementioned remarks, certain sets are simply underwhelming, inefficient, and we recommend that they therefore be removed. For example: 
Ledian with Reflect, Light Screen, Substitute, Baton Pass
Smeargle with Lunar Dance, Taunt, Spore, Rapid Spin 
Sudowoodo with Sucker Punch when it is equipped with a Choice Band (it is quite detrimental to be locked into Sucker Punch) 


III. SAFEGUARDS – COVERAGE & BALANCE ⭐

At the time being, there are a few safeguards in place which seek balance in terms of team composition and capabilities. For instance, no type may appear more than twice on a team, no identical dual-types can appear on a team, and no “trapping” Pokémons (such as Dugtrio and Pursuit users) can be rolled as a lead (with the exception of Magnet Pull Pokémons). 
Nevertheless, we share the opinion that the current safeguards are insufficient, which consequently leads to unfair/unbalanced situations. 

Indeed, it is unfortunately frequent for players to lose games because they rolled a team that can single-handedly be dismantled by one opposing Pokémon (due to its particular stats, typing, etc.). We agree that some match-ups may be unfavorable—which is something that inevitably comes with the tier—but no team should be entirely incapacitated by a singular Pokémon.   

We also believe that sets should be coherent in abstracto. In other words, a certain set may be valuable in a concrete setting (e.g., Screens Jolteon in a team that is built around it), but lack purpose and viability when isolated from any context (e.g., Screens Jolteon in general). Because Randoms does not account for teambuilding, we should avoid attributing sets which can reasonably be deemed as individually unviable on a given Pokémon. 

Therefore, we urge you to implement additional safeguards that will account for the following matters; 

Type Coverage 
We agree with the current safeguards in place with regards to typing.
However, we suggest that the following type-related aspects be subject to further safeguards: 

1.1. Offensive Type Coverage 
a) We are keen on avoiding situations in which none of the Pokémons of a team can effectively/super-effectively damage a specific type, or rather, where most moves are “not very effective” into a specific type. Greater offensive type coverage should be guaranteed. 
b) Should Shedinja remain in Randoms, the player opposing Shedinja must be equipped with reasonable tools in order to defeat Shedinja. It should not be possible for a player to only have one to three moves that may defeat Shedinja. 

1.2. Defensive Type Coverage 
We are keen on avoiding situations in which five or six Pokémons in a team are weak to one type. For instance, a team comprised of two grass types, one bug type, one ice type, and two steel types would be entirely weak to a fire Pokémon. Better defensive type coverage should be allocated within a team.  

Physical & Special Distribution 
There are currently no safeguards in place to guarantee a fair distribution of power, or in other words, a fair allocation of special / physical Pokémons, both on a defensive and an offensive spectrum (but mostly offensive). This can be a serious issue, for example, when a player rolls a team that consists of six special attackers while facing a Chansey. 

Therefore, we urge you to prevent the attribution, in a team, of six Pokémons that share the same power trait. For instance, it should not be possible for a player to roll a team with six physical attackers or six special attackers. 
 
A Fair Distribution of Other Characteristics : Avoiding Extremes
We believe that, in general, safeguards should be in place to prevent a player from receiving teams that are marked by excessive redundancy.  

Example 1. – Moves  
It should not be possible for a player to roll a team with five Stealth Rocks setters. 

Example 2. – Items 
It should not be possible for a player to roll a team with five Pokémons that have a choice item. 

We do not necessarily require a minimum of each, but we do advocate for a maximum of each. In other words, we wish to keep the tier as “randomized” as possible, which requires minimal intervention from the developers. Thus, setting a minimum standard for each team would limit Randoms in an unhealthy manner (e.g., setting a minimum of one “Choice” Pokémon in each team). However, we believe that a maximum number of X or Y elements should be featured in a team in order for the tier to be functional (e.g., maximum two “Choice” items per team, maximum five  “slow” Pokémons below a certain speed tier, etc.). The specific aspects that should fall under such limitations would be determined by the developers (i.e., not all aspects should be concerned by this limit). 

Include Hazard Removal in Teams that do not have Hazards ⭐⭐⭐
The disadvantage of playing into hazards in the absence of hazard removal and hazards themselves is egregious. It creates a significant unbalance between both players. This is further amplified by the confidential aspect of Randoms, which enables players to force out the opponent on many occasions. In regular tiers, hazard removal is present in a vast majority of teams. This should also be the case in Randoms. 

Therefore, we encourage you to include hazard removal in teams that do not possess hazards. 

Alternatively, we recommend that hazards be subject to a certain ponderation [We also suggest that Pokémons be categorized in certain tiers according to their sets. This will be developed in an ulterior section.]. This way, a team that has hazards will increase the overall “tier” of the team, and a team without hazards and without hazard removal will see its overall “tier” decreased. This way, the AI would be able to detect the “imbalance” related to hazards and equip the latter team with Pokémons in a higher tier to seek balance between both teams. 

Trapping Pokémons as Leads 
Currently, trapping Pokémons may not be rolled as a lead Pokémon. Such “trapping” Pokémons include, for instance, Pursuit users, Shadow Tag users, and Arena Trap users. 
However, Magnet Pull Pokémons are exempt from this safeguard and may be rolled as the lead. We do not understand this exemption. 

Therefore, we ask you to prevent Magnet Pull Pokémons from being rolled as the lead. 

Tiers within the Tier ⭐
Certain Pokémons with specific sets are stronger than others. Pokémon X with set Y may be stronger than Pokémon A with set Y, or than Pokémon X but, this time, with set Z. To avoid imbalances in the allocation of a team, we would like the developers to implement a non-public tiering system within Randoms itself, in order for the AI to fairly distribute Pokémons in a team. The purpose would be to avoid situations in which a team has five or six overpowered combinations of sets and Pokémons, and vice-versa. 

For instance, Shell Smash Gorebyss would be categorized in the “S+” tier whilst Choice Scarf Gorebyss would be categorized in the “C” tier. 
More specifically, tiering should be processed according to the winrate of a given Pokémon with regards to a given set (i.e., the winrate of the combination). To reiterate our example, Gorebyss with Shell Smash would fall in the S+ tier due to having a winrate of (for example) 58% whereas Gorebyss with Choice Scarf would be in the C tier due to its winrate of (for example) 45%. 

In fine, the allocation of a team by the AI should be processed, in part, according to the winrates of the combinations of Pokémons and sets, in order to reach an overall balanced team winrate.
In other words, the combined winrate of each combination of Pokémon and set—i.e., the team winrate—should hover around 50%, or at least, should not be excessively high or low. 

This is one of my recent games & it perfectly summarizes the issue with a lack of safeguards. 



Rolling the three worst Pokémons in the tier;
Rolling six special attackers into a Blissey (which had toxic and wish);
Lack of diversity in the move typings;
A choice scarf on a Pokémon that is already fast and therefore does not need the extra speed;

IV. FINAL CONSIDERATIONS
General considerations that do not fall under the abovementioned categories. 

We are not asking for a complete reform
This Reform Request may be critical of certain aspects of Randoms, but we enjoy most of the current features offered by the tier. 
We are in favor of playing original sets in Randoms that would otherwise be unviable in other tiers. The same applies for Pokémons that are fun to use but not strong enough to be played elsewhere than in Randoms.
We agree with the matchmaking system, where losing a game of Randoms is less impactful than losses in other tiers.
For the tier to remain faithful to its essence, we believe that “randomization” should be the rule. However, some degree of intervention is required for a healthy gameplay. The suggestions and problems underlined in this document are the intervention we would like to see. 
As far as we know, anything that has not been mentioned here should remain unchanged and is therefore implicitly marked by our approval. Other players may, however, point out issues that we have omitted/forgotten in the discussion thread. 

Upcoming Update : Involving PvP Players 
Seeing that a Randoms update is long overdue, that numerous players have considerable experience in Randoms and are themselves the recipient of an update, that the current meta includes a wide array of “dubious” sets (which affects player engagement and retention);
We encourage you to involve experienced Randoms players (and PvP players) in the upcoming modification and development of sets, and more generally, in the upcoming update of Randoms. 

We are aware that this involvement should be limited in a way that does not affect the fairness of Randoms [It would not be fair for certain Randoms players to have access to the entire list of sets and mechanics. This would enable them to have a list that can be used when playing Randoms and would therefore create an unfair advantage. Although most top rated Randoms players already have somewhat of a list, or most sets memorized, it would still be unjust symbolically-speaking] . Thus, our involvement would be limited to Pokémons & sets that may reasonably be deemed as “dubious”. In other words, it is not necessary—nor for the developers or for the Randoms players—to go over all of the sets. Most of them can remain untouched. We are only referring to the “dubious” sets, potential new HAs, potential new legendaries, etc. 

Moreover, we suggest that a council/thread be devoted to Randoms as a tier, with a dedicated Discord channel, similarly to what has been created for the other tiers—for the sake of fluid communication. The specific competences and purpose of this tier/thread would be defined by the developers. 

We urge you to take into account all of the abovementioned considerations, and ask you to inform the lead author of this request, DiscoShiba, if/when the recipient(s), Rache and/or other developers, have properly received and duly familiarized themselves with the content of this request.
Should this request be denied/ignored, we ask you to provide an explanation as to why that is. 

Lastly, we urge you to inform us on the potential existence of an update for Randoms in the foreseeable future, and if applicable, to provide a timeframe in which said-update will begin. 

Hall of Fame 
Noting that players who finish a season on the leaderboard as rank one, two, and three in OU, UU, NU, and Doubles, thereby winning a crown, have their in-game names displayed on the PokeMMO Forums Hall of Fame thread; 
Reaffirming the prestige that a leaderboard entry holds, but also the energy and time required for Randoms players to be placed in the top three, especially in contrast with other tiers;  
Expressing our lack of understanding as to why top leaderboard players in Randoms do not have their in-game names displayed in the Hall of Fame thread at the end of the season, and are thereby being treated differently for no apparent reason; 

We adamantly ask you to display, on the Hall of Fame thread, the in-game names of past and future Randoms players that finish (or have finished) the season in the top three of the leaderboard. 
______________________________________________________________________

OPEN DISCUSSION ON THE FORUMS 

On a final note, we would like to open a discussion on certain points mentioned within this document—which will be posted on the Forums.
In particular, we are keen to see players share their views on the following topics (these topics will be marked with a yellow star on the Forums ⭐): 
Dugtrio and Shedinja in Randoms, uncompetitive or not?; 
The specifics of adding new items, Pokémons, and abilities to Randoms; 
The specific Pokémons that should (not) have access to Screens and Wish/Protect sets; 
Type coverage safeguards (and other safeguards); 
The randomized distribution of hazards in teams or lack thereof; 
Tiers within the Randoms tier; 
The specifics of “Dubious sets”. 

Naturally, we welcome and encourage players to voice their opinions on other matters related to Randoms, including those that may have not been covered by this request. 

Lastly—regarding “dubious sets”—it would be helpful if players could post screenshots or the exact moves of sets that may reasonably be considered as nonsensical so that we can have a list. At the very least, it would enable a discussion to be held on sets for which viability is debatable.

______________________________________________________________________

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 

I wish to thank the developers and Rache in advance for considering this request,

Thank you to all the PvP players and other members of the community who contributed to the content of this request, and to those that will be part of future discussions. 

Kind regards,
DiscoShiba & SpidgetREAL (lead authors of the request) 

I may be reached through the following channel (contact information):
IGN: DiscoShiba
Forums: DiscoShiba
Discord: discoshiba66 

[Context]
Hello everyone,
Hereafter is the Request we are sending to @Rache to push for a Randoms update (I'm reaching out to her specifically because she appears to be the developer in charge of Randoms and previously expressed her will to update the tier). This request contains a detailed list of suggestions, ideas, and issues related to Randoms.
Although this could be classified as a "suggestion" (and therefore be posted in Suggestions), I wish to open a discussion on the content of this request and am therefore posting it here, in Competitive Alley. The specific topics for which we adamantly wish players to voice their opinions on will be marked with a yellow star ⭐, but feel free to address anything else related to Randoms.
If this should be considered as a "Suggestion" instead, please let me know (if you're a moderator).
Cheers,
DiscoShiba & Spidget

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

REFORM REQUEST – UPDATING RANDOMS [PVP]

PREAMBLE

Dear Rache,
Dear Developers, 

We hope this message finds you well, as a lot of time and effort was put into it.
Understandably, you have a lot on your plate and receive numerous requests, but we believe that Randoms PvP is a facet of the game that receives enough playtime to be prioritized for an update. You have previously stated that reforming Randoms was “high on your to-do list” and, with this message, we are eager to offer our contribution.  

Hereafter, you will find a list of highlighted issues and recommendations that myself and several other top Randoms players have worked on. All of us have consistently played thousands of Randoms games throughout the years, earned crowns, and maintained a high winrate.
We believe that we have the necessary experience and knowledge to provide constructive feedback on the current state of Randoms and encourage you to use it when the time for an update comes. 

In addition to Randoms players, many members of the PvP community (and of the community as a whole) share the desire to see the tier reformed. An update not only benefits the current player base–which is quite large, as one can notice from PvP statistics–but also all the players who do not play Randoms due to the current design. [I am currently a member of VOW, a notorious PvP team, but am also the only avid Randoms player (who plays for Leaderboard). My teammates enjoy Randoms but not on PokeMMO. They would play if an update were to come] 

With all this being said, we are pleased to share this Randoms Reform Request with you and hope to hear back from you soon. 

We are looking forward to your response and are grateful for the opportunity to be considered, 

Yours sincerely, 
DiscoShiba & SpidgetREAL 
________________________________________________________________

TABLE OF CONTENTS 
I. POKEMONS
1. Removing Certain Pokémons
1.1. Unown
1.2. Ditto
1.3. Plant Coat Wormadam (Grass & Bug typing)
1.4. Shedinja
1.5. Dugtrio 
2. Buffing Certain Pokémons
2.1. Rotom Base Form (Ghost & Electric typing)
2.2. Grass Cloak Wormadam (Bug & Grass typing)
3. Adding Certain Pokémons
3.1. Gen 5 Pokémons
3.2. Legendary Pokémons
4. Adding Certain Mechanics
4.1. Hidden Abilities
4.2. Items
II. SETS
1. The “Wish + Protect” Problem
2. The “Screens” Problem
3. Sets that do not align with the characteristics of a Pokemon
III. SAFEGUARDS – COVERAGE & BALANCE
1. Type Coverage
1.1. Offensive Type Coverage
1.2. Defensive Type Coverage
2. Physical & Special Distribution
3. A Fair Distribution of Other Characteristics : Avoiding Extremes
4. Include Hazard Removal in Teams that do not have Hazards
5. Trapping Pokémons as Leads
6. Tiers within the Tier
IV. FINAL CONSIDERATIONS
1. We are not asking for a complete reform
2. Upcoming Update : Involving PvP Players
3. Hall of Fame

AKNOWLEDGEMENTS
_______________________________________________________

I. POKEMONS

Removing Certain Pokémons
Several Pokémons are a liability due to their underwhelming characteristics and/or design. A player who should roll them in a game is essentially starting off the battle 5 vs. 6. 
We urge you to remove the following Pokémons from Randoms:

1.1. Unown 
The capacity of Unown to a) only learn one move and b) a weak move, makes it underwhelming to use. This makes Unown easy to counter/defeat, all the more since it can only hold one of two items and has access to either HP psychic or HP fighting. Since its level is already set to 100, it cannot be further buffed and we therefore would like to see it removed from the tier. 

1.2. Ditto
The same reasoning applies to Ditto.
However, we would like to keep Ditto in the tier under the condition that Hidden Abilities are added [HAs will be the subject of an ulterior section].

1.3. Plant Coat Wormadam (Grass & Bug typing) 
Wormadam in its "regular" form is arguably the worst Pokémon in Randoms. It's been somewhat buffed in the past but its winrate unfortunately remained the same. Due to its weak overall characteristics, we recommend that it be removed from the tier.
However, we are of the opinion that Plant Coat Wormadam may remain in the tier under the condition that its level is at least increased to 84. After running a series of calculcations, we consider that it may become balanced in Randoms if its level is set somewhere between 84 and 87.

1.4. Shedinja ⭐
Although Shedinja may be balanced in other tiers, we do not support its presence in Randoms. Defeating Shedinja relies on either being in possession of hazards or defined moves in terms of typing. Inversely, Shedinja’s use becomes void if a player rolls it into a team that has hazards when said-player does not have any removal. To us, Shedinja is uncompetitive in Randoms.
Because teams and moves are randomized, we do not believe that it is fair to include a Pokémon for which the strength/weakness is determined nearly exclusively by RNG.
On top of that, the confidential aspect of Randoms (i.e., absence of team preview) also contributes to determining Shedinja’s capabilities. It is possible for a player to “hide” Shedinja until the very end, where the opponent will simply not have the necessary moves to defeat it.

Lastly, it happens too often for players to only receive one to three moves that can in fact beat Shedinja, which leaves this matter, once again, up to RNG.
For these reasons, we ask for Shedinja to be removed from Randoms.

1.5. Dugtrio ⭐
We will not reiterate the long discussions that players have held on the Forums regarding Dugtrio. It has been deemed as an uncompetitive Pokemon in regular tiers and we fail to comprehend why it has not been considered as such in Randoms. If anything, Dugtrio is especially uncompetitive in Randoms due to the absence of team preview. Any Pokemon with an electric typing would be heavily penalized should the opponent switch to Dugtrio on a Volt-Switch, for instance (all the more if they happen to be equipped with a “choice” item).
Thus, we ask for Dugtrio to be removed from Randoms. 

Buffing Certain Pokémons
We believe that a few Pokémons need a bit more love to be viable in Randoms.
We therefore ask you to increase the levels of the following Pokémons: 

2.1. Rotom Base Form (Ghost & Electric Type)
Rotom has been buffed in the past but remains too weak in Randoms. We think that
giving it a few extra levels would solidify its value in the tier. 

2.2. Grass Cloack Wormadam (Bug & Grass type)
This has already been covered in the previous section. 

Adding Certain Pokémons ⭐
We believe that adding certain Pokémons to Randoms would be refreshing for the player base and enhance the tier’s quality. 
We would not only be keen to see existing Pokemons added to the tier, but also Pokemons that are not currently available in other tiers (i.e., certain legendary Pokémons). Regarding the latter, we know that it may be a possibility since some of these Pokémons exist in the Battle Factory despite not being available to players (e.g., Latias & Latios, or Magic Bounce Alakazam). 

We therefore encourage you to add the following Pokémons to Randoms: 

3.1. Gen 5 Pokémons
No additional comments. 

3.2. Legendary Pokémons
We would not only like to see the legendary Pokémons that are currently available to players added to Randoms, but also those that are not available to players and those that are available to players but not usable in PvP. 
Regarding the former, we are referring to Pokémons like Latios, Latias (both of which exist in the Battle Factory), the Regis, to name a few. 
Regarding the latter, we are referring to Pokémons like Darkrai, Sky Form Shaymin, and Mewtwo, Rayquaza, and other “king of the hill” Pokémons, to name a few. 
Naturally, their strength should be accounted for and their level/sets should be determined accordingly for them to be balanced. 

Adding Certain Mechanics ⭐
Similarly to what has been said in the previous sections, we believe that the addition of certain elements of the game to Randoms would bring a sense of refreshment to players. 
We therefore recommend that the following be added to Randoms: 

4.1. Hidden Abilities 
On top of giving a feeling of “new” to the players, giving certain Pokémons access to their HAs would enable them to thrive in a way that may currently not be possible. It would also enable new sets and mechanics to come forward, and overall, make the tier more interesting. This would include HAs that are not currently available to players directly whilst still being present in the game (e.g., Magic Bounce Alakazam). 

Example 1. – New set:
Multiscale Dragonite with Substitute and Roost.

Example 2. – New interaction:
Porygon2 tracing Dragonite’s multiscale.

Example 3. – New potential
Infiltrator Spiritomb to enable “Tricking” Pokemons behind a Substitute.

4.2. Items 
Same reasoning as the previous section. The inclusion of certain items can bring change to the tier. On top of that, several items that lead to fun interactions—which are, however, not strong enough to be used in regular tiers—would be a great addition to Randoms. Due to the characteristics of the tier, such items would be easy to balance in such way that they become viable. 

Example1. - Assault Vest
Good and interesting item overall. 

Example 2. – Throat Spray 
Throat Spray is hardly viable in any regular tier, but who wouldn’t want to play Throat Spray Yanmega with Bug Buzz? 


II. SETS

The beauty of Randoms lies within the creative sets that Pokémons may have, on one hand, and the possibility for players to use Pokémons which would commonly not be strong enough to be viable in regular tiers, on the other hand. The corollary of the above is the process that enables Pokémons to cycle through a diversity of sets. 

The combination of the aforementioned aspects is what makes the tier so special and fun—in Randoms, every match-up will be different. 

However, we believe that numerous sets are detrimental to the game and undermine our enjoyment when playing Randoms. These sets are usually those that disregard the characteristics of a Pokemon while severely affecting their viability. 

Let it be known that we are in favor of keeping creative sets, but not when they completely crush the viability of a Pokémon. 

Example 1. –Fun Creative Set : Belly Drum Hypno
Example 2. – Detrimental Creative Set : Screens Electabuzz with Eviolite  

The “Wish + Protect” Problem ⭐
There are too many Pokemons that may roll “Wish + Protect” despite how suboptimal and incoherent it is for them to have such a set. We believe that “Wish + Protect” should be reserved for Pokemons that may viably fulfil a supportive/cleric role on a team. 
Indeed, some Pokemons can hardly make use of Wish + Protect as it is not in line with their weak defensive features, which also happens to undermine their natural offensive capabilities.  

Therefore, we urge you to remove “Wish + Protect” sets for all of the following Pokémons: 

Absol
Raichu 
Minun/Plusle
Jolteon
Gallade
Girafarig 
Kangashkan 
Salamence 

In addition, we encourage you to lower the frequency for certain Pokemons to roll a “Wish + Protect” set due to the ambiguous interaction it may have with a Pokemon. For instance, such a set may or may not be optimal on Pokemons like Kangashkan and Illumise. 

Moreover, we ask you to determine the two other moves that accompany Wish + Protect with coherence, and refrain from assigning both of those moves as incoherent offensive damaging moves. 

Example 1. – Incoherent Wish + Protect set: 
Absol with Wish, Protect, Night Slash, Will-O-Wisp. 

Example 2. – Incoherent Offensive Wish + Protect set: 
Minun with Wish, Protect, Thunderbolt, Hidden Power Ice. 

The “Screens” Problem ⭐
The same considerations apply to several Pokemons that may roll a set with Reflect & Light Screen, which is worsened if the Pokemon is not equipped with Light Clay or only has one of these two moves. 

Therefore, we encourage you to remove “Screens” sets from the following Pokemons: 
Raichu 
Electabuzz (especially if it holds Eviolite instead of Light Clay) 
Electivire 
Jolteon
Pachirisu (especially because it can only learn Light Screen and not Reflect, and because it is not equipped with Light Clay) 
Porygon2 (especially because it can only learn Reflect and not Light Screen, and because it is equipped with Eviolite instead of Light Clay) 
Magneton (especially if it holds Eviolite instead of Light Clay) 
Mamoswine 
In addition, we recommend that you provide Light Clay to all Pokémons who may set up Reflect and Light Screen. 
 
Sets that generally do not align with the characteristics of a Pokemon ⭐
In Randoms, certain Pokemons are conditionally viable, as their potential significantly depends on the sets that are allocated to them. These Pokemons usually possess remarkable strength in certain stats while being significantly weak in other stats. 

An issue arises when such Pokemons roll sets that contradict their natural strengths while being insufficient to compensate for their weaknesses. Consequently, their value is considerably undermined, to a point where they become a liability for the player. This problem is further enhanced by other factors, such as a lack of offensive move typing diversity or the assignment of a suboptimal item. 

People may wonder why reform is needed for certain Pokémons despite them having reasonable winrates, but we can only stress the fact that winrates are not de facto a good representation of a Pokémon’s position in Randoms. This is because the possibility for a Pokémon to “win” a game (or at least, contribute to a win) largely depends on the set that it rolls. For instance, it wouldn’t be surprising for Shell Smash Gorebyss to have a winrate of 60% while Choice Scarf Gorebyss sits at a winrate of 45%. [These are made-up numbers that serve as an example.]

Therefore, we urge you to review sets that may be deemed as “dubious” in light of the above, while removing/updating them in a manner that is in line with the characteristics of the given Pokemon. 

For further clarification, here are examples of the sets we are referring to:

Example 1. - Leech Seed Cacturne 
Cacturne has high offensive stats, in both Sp.Atk and Ph.Atk, but is defensively frail and slow. A set that includes Swords Dance with Sucker Punch is coherent with Cacturne’s features because it plays around its strengths and accounts for its low speed. 
However, Cacturne with Leech Seed, Substitute, Giga Drain, and Sucker Punch is hardly viable as it cannot meaningfully fulfill the role of a “damage-over-time” Pokemon due to its weak defensive stats. Its offensive stats are somewhat disregarded despite them being Cacturne’s strength. 

Example 2. - Bellossom with no set-up and no utility 
Bellossom is a Pokemon with low speed and low offensive stats, with its defensive stats being average at best. To thrive, Bellossom either needs set-up moves (e.g., Quiver Dance) or utility moves (e.g., Toxic & Leech Seed). 
However, Bellossom becomes a liability if it does not roll such sets. For instance, a Bellossom with Giga Drain, Hidden Power Ice, Synthesis, and Sleep Power, can hardly be an asset for the team as it does not have the damage, nor the speed, nor the utility, to make progress in the game. 

Example 3. - Choice Specs Bastiodon  
Bastiodon has extremely high defensive stats but has very weak offensive stats. Sets on Bastiodon that provide utility to the player are in line with the Pokémon’s characteristics (e.g., Stealth Rocks, Toxic, Roar/Rest, Iron Head). 
However, Choice Specs do not add sufficient damage on Bastiodon’s moves for it to become offensively valuable. Its defensive stats are undermined despite them being Bastiodon’s strength, while the Pokémon remains offensively weak. 

The abovementioned combinations of Pokémons & sets are problematic because they enhance the Pokémons’ weaknesses, without sufficiently enhancing them to reach a successful potential, usually at the expense of their strengths. 

Allocating resources into a Pokémon’s weaknesses at the expense of its strengths is not always an issue, but it is in several instances as highlighted above, when viability is hindered. For example, the Belly Drum Hypno set ignores the Pokémon’s strong defensive capabilities and its role as a special attacker, and instead, considerably enhances its weakest stat: physical attack. Nonetheless, unlike the examples we have mentioned, a Belly Drum set on Hypno sufficiently enhances its weak attack stat to make it viable in Randoms (all the more since it gets Drain Punch which favors sustain on a bulky Pokémon). 

In addition to the aforementioned remarks, certain sets are simply underwhelming, inefficient, and we recommend that they therefore be removed. For example: 
Ledian with Reflect, Light Screen, Substitute, Baton Pass
Smeargle with Lunar Dance, Taunt, Spore, Rapid Spin 
Sudowoodo with Sucker Punch when it is equipped with a Choice Band (it is quite detrimental to be locked into Sucker Punch) 


III. SAFEGUARDS – COVERAGE & BALANCE ⭐

At the time being, there are a few safeguards in place which seek balance in terms of team composition and capabilities. For instance, no type may appear more than twice on a team, no identical dual-types can appear on a team, and no “trapping” Pokémons (such as Dugtrio and Pursuit users) can be rolled as a lead (with the exception of Magnet Pull Pokémons). 
Nevertheless, we share the opinion that the current safeguards are insufficient, which consequently leads to unfair/unbalanced situations. 

Indeed, it is unfortunately frequent for players to lose games because they rolled a team that can single-handedly be dismantled by one opposing Pokémon (due to its particular stats, typing, etc.). We agree that some match-ups may be unfavorable—which is something that inevitably comes with the tier—but no team should be entirely incapacitated by a singular Pokémon.   

We also believe that sets should be coherent in abstracto. In other words, a certain set may be valuable in a concrete setting (e.g., Screens Jolteon in a team that is built around it), but lack purpose and viability when isolated from any context (e.g., Screens Jolteon in general). Because Randoms does not account for teambuilding, we should avoid attributing sets which can reasonably be deemed as individually unviable on a given Pokémon. 

Therefore, we urge you to implement additional safeguards that will account for the following matters; 

Type Coverage 
We agree with the current safeguards in place with regards to typing.
However, we suggest that the following type-related aspects be subject to further safeguards: 

1.1. Offensive Type Coverage 
a) We are keen on avoiding situations in which none of the Pokémons of a team can effectively/super-effectively damage a specific type, or rather, where most moves are “not very effective” into a specific type. Greater offensive type coverage should be guaranteed. 
b) Should Shedinja remain in Randoms, the player opposing Shedinja must be equipped with reasonable tools in order to defeat Shedinja. It should not be possible for a player to only have one to three moves that may defeat Shedinja. 

1.2. Defensive Type Coverage 
We are keen on avoiding situations in which five or six Pokémons in a team are weak to one type. For instance, a team comprised of two grass types, one bug type, one ice type, and two steel types would be entirely weak to a fire Pokémon. Better defensive type coverage should be allocated within a team.  

Physical & Special Distribution 
There are currently no safeguards in place to guarantee a fair distribution of power, or in other words, a fair allocation of special / physical Pokémons, both on a defensive and an offensive spectrum (but mostly offensive). This can be a serious issue, for example, when a player rolls a team that consists of six special attackers while facing a Chansey. 

Therefore, we urge you to prevent the attribution, in a team, of six Pokémons that share the same power trait. For instance, it should not be possible for a player to roll a team with six physical attackers or six special attackers. 
 
A Fair Distribution of Other Characteristics : Avoiding Extremes
We believe that, in general, safeguards should be in place to prevent a player from receiving teams that are marked by excessive redundancy.  

Example 1. – Moves  
It should not be possible for a player to roll a team with five Stealth Rocks setters. 

Example 2. – Items 
It should not be possible for a player to roll a team with five Pokémons that have a choice item. 

We do not necessarily require a minimum of each, but we do advocate for a maximum of each. In other words, we wish to keep the tier as “randomized” as possible, which requires minimal intervention from the developers. Thus, setting a minimum standard for each team would limit Randoms in an unhealthy manner (e.g., setting a minimum of one “Choice” Pokémon in each team). However, we believe that a maximum number of X or Y elements should be featured in a team in order for the tier to be functional (e.g., maximum two “Choice” items per team, maximum five  “slow” Pokémons below a certain speed tier, etc.). The specific aspects that should fall under such limitations would be determined by the developers (i.e., not all aspects should be concerned by this limit). 

Include Hazard Removal in Teams that do not have Hazards ⭐⭐⭐
The disadvantage of playing into hazards in the absence of hazard removal and hazards themselves is egregious. It creates a significant unbalance between both players. This is further amplified by the confidential aspect of Randoms, which enables players to force out the opponent on many occasions. In regular tiers, hazard removal is present in a vast majority of teams. This should also be the case in Randoms. 

Therefore, we encourage you to include hazard removal in teams that do not possess hazards. 

Alternatively, we recommend that hazards be subject to a certain ponderation [We also suggest that Pokémons be categorized in certain tiers according to their sets. This will be developed in an ulterior section.]. This way, a team that has hazards will increase the overall “tier” of the team, and a team without hazards and without hazard removal will see its overall “tier” decreased. This way, the AI would be able to detect the “imbalance” related to hazards and equip the latter team with Pokémons in a higher tier to seek balance between both teams. 

Trapping Pokémons as Leads 
Currently, trapping Pokémons may not be rolled as a lead Pokémon. Such “trapping” Pokémons include, for instance, Pursuit users, Shadow Tag users, and Arena Trap users. 
However, Magnet Pull Pokémons are exempt from this safeguard and may be rolled as the lead. We do not understand this exemption. 

Therefore, we ask you to prevent Magnet Pull Pokémons from being rolled as the lead. 

Tiers within the Tier ⭐
Certain Pokémons with specific sets are stronger than others. Pokémon X with set Y may be stronger than Pokémon A with set Y, or than Pokémon X but, this time, with set Z. To avoid imbalances in the allocation of a team, we would like the developers to implement a non-public tiering system within Randoms itself, in order for the AI to fairly distribute Pokémons in a team. The purpose would be to avoid situations in which a team has five or six overpowered combinations of sets and Pokémons, and vice-versa. 

For instance, Shell Smash Gorebyss would be categorized in the “S+” tier whilst Choice Scarf Gorebyss would be categorized in the “C” tier. 
More specifically, tiering should be processed according to the winrate of a given Pokémon with regards to a given set (i.e., the winrate of the combination). To reiterate our example, Gorebyss with Shell Smash would fall in the S+ tier due to having a winrate of (for example) 58% whereas Gorebyss with Choice Scarf would be in the C tier due to its winrate of (for example) 45%. 

In fine, the allocation of a team by the AI should be processed, in part, according to the winrates of the combinations of Pokémons and sets, in order to reach an overall balanced team winrate.
In other words, the combined winrate of each combination of Pokémon and set—i.e., the team winrate—should hover around 50%, or at least, should not be excessively high or low. 

This is one of my recent games & it perfectly summarizes the issue with a lack of safeguards. 



Rolling the three worst Pokémons in the tier;
Rolling six special attackers into a Blissey (which had toxic and wish);
Lack of diversity in the move typings;
A choice scarf on a Pokémon that is already fast and therefore does not need the extra speed;

IV. FINAL CONSIDERATIONS
General considerations that do not fall under the abovementioned categories. 

We are not asking for a complete reform
This Reform Request may be critical of certain aspects of Randoms, but we enjoy most of the current features offered by the tier. 
We are in favor of playing original sets in Randoms that would otherwise be unviable in other tiers. The same applies for Pokémons that are fun to use but not strong enough to be played elsewhere than in Randoms.
We agree with the matchmaking system, where losing a game of Randoms is less impactful than losses in other tiers.
For the tier to remain faithful to its essence, we believe that “randomization” should be the rule. However, some degree of intervention is required for a healthy gameplay. The suggestions and problems underlined in this document are the intervention we would like to see. 
As far as we know, anything that has not been mentioned here should remain unchanged and is therefore implicitly marked by our approval. Other players may, however, point out issues that we have omitted/forgotten in the discussion thread. 

Upcoming Update : Involving PvP Players 
Seeing that a Randoms update is long overdue, that numerous players have considerable experience in Randoms and are themselves the recipient of an update, that the current meta includes a wide array of “dubious” sets (which affects player engagement and retention);
We encourage you to involve experienced Randoms players (and PvP players) in the upcoming modification and development of sets, and more generally, in the upcoming update of Randoms. 

We are aware that this involvement should be limited in a way that does not affect the fairness of Randoms [It would not be fair for certain Randoms players to have access to the entire list of sets and mechanics. This would enable them to have a list that can be used when playing Randoms and would therefore create an unfair advantage. Although most top rated Randoms players already have somewhat of a list, or most sets memorized, it would still be unjust symbolically-speaking] . Thus, our involvement would be limited to Pokémons & sets that may reasonably be deemed as “dubious”. In other words, it is not necessary—nor for the developers or for the Randoms players—to go over all of the sets. Most of them can remain untouched. We are only referring to the “dubious” sets, potential new HAs, potential new legendaries, etc. 

Moreover, we suggest that a council/thread be devoted to Randoms as a tier, with a dedicated Discord channel, similarly to what has been created for the other tiers—for the sake of fluid communication. The specific competences and purpose of this tier/thread would be defined by the developers. 

We urge you to take into account all of the abovementioned considerations, and ask you to inform the lead author of this request, DiscoShiba, if/when the recipient(s), Rache and/or other developers, have properly received and duly familiarized themselves with the content of this request.
Should this request be denied/ignored, we ask you to provide an explanation as to why that is. 

Lastly, we urge you to inform us on the potential existence of an update for Randoms in the foreseeable future, and if applicable, to provide a timeframe in which said-update will begin. 

Hall of Fame 
Noting that players who finish a season on the leaderboard as rank one, two, and three in OU, UU, NU, and Doubles, thereby winning a crown, have their in-game names displayed on the PokeMMO Forums Hall of Fame thread; 
Reaffirming the prestige that a leaderboard entry holds, but also the energy and time required for Randoms players to be placed in the top three, especially in contrast with other tiers;  
Expressing our lack of understanding as to why top leaderboard players in Randoms do not have their in-game names displayed in the Hall of Fame thread at the end of the season, and are thereby being treated differently for no apparent reason; 

We adamantly ask you to display, on the Hall of Fame thread, the in-game names of past and future Randoms players that finish (or have finished) the season in the top three of the leaderboard. 
______________________________________________________________________

OPEN DISCUSSION ON THE FORUMS 

On a final note, we would like to open a discussion on certain points mentioned within this document—which will be posted on the Forums.
In particular, we are keen to see players share their views on the following topics (these topics will be marked with a yellow star on the Forums ⭐): 
Dugtrio and Shedinja in Randoms, uncompetitive or not?; 
The specifics of adding new items, Pokémons, and abilities to Randoms; 
The specific Pokémons that should (not) have access to Screens and Wish/Protect sets; 
Type coverage safeguards (and other safeguards); 
The randomized distribution of hazards in teams or lack thereof; 
Tiers within the Randoms tier; 
The specifics of “Dubious sets”. 

Naturally, we welcome and encourage players to voice their opinions on other matters related to Randoms, including those that may have not been covered by this request. 

Lastly—regarding “dubious sets”—it would be helpful if players could post screenshots or the exact moves of sets that may reasonably be considered as nonsensical so that we can have a list. At the very least, it would enable a discussion to be held on sets for which viability is debatable.

______________________________________________________________________

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 

I wish to thank the developers and Rache in advance for considering this request,

Thank you to all the PvP players and other members of the community who contributed to the content of this request, and to those that will be part of future discussions. 

Kind regards,
DiscoShiba & SpidgetREAL (lead authors of the request) 

I may be reached through the following channel (contact information):
IGN: DiscoShiba
Forums: DiscoShiba
Discord: discoshiba66 

[Context]
Hello everyone,
Hereafter is the Request we are sending to @Rache to push for a Randoms update (I'm reaching out to her specifically because she appears to be the developer in charge of Randoms and previously expressed her will to update the tier). This request contains a detailed list of suggestions, ideas, and issues related to Randoms.
Although this could be classified as a "suggestion" (and therefore be posted in Suggestions), I wish to open a discussion on the content of this request and am therefore posting it here, in Competitive Alley. The specific topics for which we adamantly wish players to voice their opinions on will be marked with a yellow star ⭐, but feel free to address anything else related to Randoms.
If this should be considered as a "Suggestion" instead, please let me know (if you're a moderator).
Cheers,
DiscoShiba & Spidget

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

REFORM REQUEST – UPDATING RANDOMS [PVP]

PREAMBLE

Dear Rache,
Dear Developers, 

We hope this message finds you well, as a lot of time and effort was put into it.
Understandably, you have a lot on your plate and receive numerous requests, but we believe that Randoms PvP is a facet of the game that receives enough playtime to be prioritized for an update. You have previously stated that reforming Randoms was “high on your to-do list” and, with this message, we are eager to offer our contribution.  

Hereafter, you will find a list of highlighted issues and recommendations that myself and several other top Randoms players have worked on. All of us have consistently played thousands of Randoms games throughout the years, earned crowns, and maintained a high winrate.
We believe that we have the necessary experience and knowledge to provide constructive feedback on the current state of Randoms and encourage you to use it when the time for an update comes. 

In addition to Randoms players, many members of the PvP community (and of the community as a whole) share the desire to see the tier reformed. An update not only benefits the current player base–which is quite large, as one can notice from PvP statistics–but also all the players who do not play Randoms due to the current design. [I am currently a member of VOW, a notorious PvP team, but am also the only avid Randoms player (who plays for Leaderboard). My teammates enjoy Randoms but not on PokeMMO. They would play if an update were to come] 

With all this being said, we are pleased to share this Randoms Reform Request with you and hope to hear back from you soon. 

We are looking forward to your response and are grateful for the opportunity to be considered, 

Yours sincerely, 
DiscoShiba & SpidgetREAL 
________________________________________________________________

TABLE OF CONTENTS 
I. POKEMONS
1. Removing Certain Pokémons
1.1. Unown
1.2. Ditto
1.3. Plant Coat Wormadam (Grass & Bug typing)
1.4. Shedinja
1.5. Dugtrio 
2. Buffing Certain Pokémons
2.1. Rotom Base Form (Ghost & Electric typing)
2.2. Grass Cloak Wormadam (Bug & Grass typing)
3. Adding Certain Pokémons
3.1. Gen 5 Pokémons
3.2. Legendary Pokémons
4. Adding Certain Mechanics
4.1. Hidden Abilities
4.2. Items
II. SETS
1. The “Wish + Protect” Problem
2. The “Screens” Problem
3. Sets that do not align with the characteristics of a Pokemon
III. SAFEGUARDS – COVERAGE & BALANCE
1. Type Coverage
1.1. Offensive Type Coverage
1.2. Defensive Type Coverage
2. Physical & Special Distribution
3. A Fair Distribution of Other Characteristics : Avoiding Extremes
4. Include Hazard Removal in Teams that do not have Hazards
5. Trapping Pokémons as Leads
6. Tiers within the Tier
IV. FINAL CONSIDERATIONS
1. We are not asking for a complete reform
2. Upcoming Update : Involving PvP Players
3. Hall of Fame

AKNOWLEDGEMENTS
_______________________________________________________

I. POKEMONS

Removing Certain Pokémons
Several Pokémons are a liability due to their underwhelming characteristics and/or design. A player who should roll them in a game is essentially starting off the battle 5 vs. 6. 
We urge you to remove the following Pokémons from Randoms:

1.1. Unown 
The capacity of Unown to a) only learn one move and b) a weak move, makes it underwhelming to use. This makes Unown easy to counter/defeat, all the more since it can only hold one of two items and has access to either HP psychic or HP fighting. Since its level is already set to 100, it cannot be further buffed and we therefore would like to see it removed from the tier. 

1.2. Ditto
The same reasoning applies to Ditto.
However, we would like to keep Ditto in the tier under the condition that Hidden Abilities are added [HAs will be the subject of an ulterior section].

1.3. Plant Coat Wormadam (Grass & Bug typing) 
Wormadam in its "regular" form is arguably the worst Pokémon in Randoms. It's been somewhat buffed in the past but its winrate unfortunately remained the same. Due to its weak overall characteristics, we recommend that it be removed from the tier.
However, we are of the opinion that Plant Coat Wormadam may remain in the tier under the condition that its level is at least increased to 84. After running a series of calculcations, we consider that it may become balanced in Randoms if its level is set somewhere between 84 and 87.

1.4. Shedinja ⭐
Although Shedinja may be balanced in other tiers, we do not support its presence in Randoms. Defeating Shedinja relies on either being in possession of hazards or defined moves in terms of typing. Inversely, Shedinja’s use becomes void if a player rolls it into a team that has hazards when said-player does not have any removal. To us, Shedinja is uncompetitive in Randoms.
Because teams and moves are randomized, we do not believe that it is fair to include a Pokémon for which the strength/weakness is determined nearly exclusively by RNG.
On top of that, the confidential aspect of Randoms (i.e., absence of team preview) also contributes to determining Shedinja’s capabilities. It is possible for a player to “hide” Shedinja until the very end, where the opponent will simply not have the necessary moves to defeat it.

Lastly, it happens too often for players to only receive one to three moves that can in fact beat Shedinja, which leaves this matter, once again, up to RNG.
For these reasons, we ask for Shedinja to be removed from Randoms.

1.5. Dugtrio ⭐
We will not reiterate the long discussions that players have held on the Forums regarding Dugtrio. It has been deemed as an uncompetitive Pokemon in regular tiers and we fail to comprehend why it has not been considered as such in Randoms. If anything, Dugtrio is especially uncompetitive in Randoms due to the absence of team preview. Any Pokemon with an electric typing would be heavily penalized should the opponent switch to Dugtrio on a Volt-Switch, for instance (all the more if they happen to be equipped with a “choice” item).
Thus, we ask for Dugtrio to be removed from Randoms. 

Buffing Certain Pokémons
We believe that a few Pokémons need a bit more love to be viable in Randoms.
We therefore ask you to increase the levels of the following Pokémons: 

2.1. Rotom Base Form (Ghost & Electric Type)
Rotom has been buffed in the past but remains too weak in Randoms. We think that
giving it a few extra levels would solidify its value in the tier. 

2.2. Grass Cloack Wormadam (Bug & Grass type)
This has already been covered in the previous section. 

Adding Certain Pokémons ⭐
We believe that adding certain Pokémons to Randoms would be refreshing for the player base and enhance the tier’s quality. 
We would not only be keen to see existing Pokemons added to the tier, but also Pokemons that are not currently available in other tiers (i.e., certain legendary Pokémons). Regarding the latter, we know that it may be a possibility since some of these Pokémons exist in the Battle Factory despite not being available to players (e.g., Latias & Latios, or Magic Bounce Alakazam). 

We therefore encourage you to add the following Pokémons to Randoms: 

3.1. Gen 5 Pokémons
No additional comments. 

3.2. Legendary Pokémons
We would not only like to see the legendary Pokémons that are currently available to players added to Randoms, but also those that are not available to players and those that are available to players but not usable in PvP. 
Regarding the former, we are referring to Pokémons like Latios, Latias (both of which exist in the Battle Factory), the Regis, to name a few. 
Regarding the latter, we are referring to Pokémons like Darkrai, Sky Form Shaymin, and Mewtwo, Rayquaza, and other “king of the hill” Pokémons, to name a few. 
Naturally, their strength should be accounted for and their level/sets should be determined accordingly for them to be balanced. 

Adding Certain Mechanics ⭐
Similarly to what has been said in the previous sections, we believe that the addition of certain elements of the game to Randoms would bring a sense of refreshment to players. 
We therefore recommend that the following be added to Randoms: 

4.1. Hidden Abilities 
On top of giving a feeling of “new” to the players, giving certain Pokémons access to their HAs would enable them to thrive in a way that may currently not be possible. It would also enable new sets and mechanics to come forward, and overall, make the tier more interesting. This would include HAs that are not currently available to players directly whilst still being present in the game (e.g., Magic Bounce Alakazam). 

Example 1. – New set:
Multiscale Dragonite with Substitute and Roost.

Example 2. – New interaction:
Porygon2 tracing Dragonite’s multiscale.

Example 3. – New potential
Infiltrator Spiritomb to enable “Tricking” Pokemons behind a Substitute.

4.2. Items 
Same reasoning as the previous section. The inclusion of certain items can bring change to the tier. On top of that, several items that lead to fun interactions—which are, however, not strong enough to be used in regular tiers—would be a great addition to Randoms. Due to the characteristics of the tier, such items would be easy to balance in such way that they become viable. 

Example1. - Assault Vest
Good and interesting item overall. 

Example 2. – Throat Spray 
Throat Spray is hardly viable in any regular tier, but who wouldn’t want to play Throat Spray Yanmega with Bug Buzz? 


II. SETS

The beauty of Randoms lies within the creative sets that Pokémons may have, on one hand, and the possibility for players to use Pokémons which would commonly not be strong enough to be viable in regular tiers, on the other hand. The corollary of the above is the process that enables Pokémons to cycle through a diversity of sets. 

The combination of the aforementioned aspects is what makes the tier so special and fun—in Randoms, every match-up will be different. 

However, we believe that numerous sets are detrimental to the game and undermine our enjoyment when playing Randoms. These sets are usually those that disregard the characteristics of a Pokemon while severely affecting their viability. 

Let it be known that we are in favor of keeping creative sets, but not when they completely crush the viability of a Pokémon. 

Example 1. –Fun Creative Set : Belly Drum Hypno
Example 2. – Detrimental Creative Set : Screens Electabuzz with Eviolite  

The “Wish + Protect” Problem ⭐
There are too many Pokemons that may roll “Wish + Protect” despite how suboptimal and incoherent it is for them to have such a set. We believe that “Wish + Protect” should be reserved for Pokemons that may viably fulfil a supportive/cleric role on a team. 
Indeed, some Pokemons can hardly make use of Wish + Protect as it is not in line with their weak defensive features, which also happens to undermine their natural offensive capabilities.  

Therefore, we urge you to remove “Wish + Protect” sets for all of the following Pokémons: 

Absol
Raichu 
Minun/Plusle
Jolteon
Gallade
Girafarig 
Kangashkan 
Salamence 

In addition, we encourage you to lower the frequency for certain Pokemons to roll a “Wish + Protect” set due to the ambiguous interaction it may have with a Pokemon. For instance, such a set may or may not be optimal on Pokemons like Kangashkan and Illumise. 

Moreover, we ask you to determine the two other moves that accompany Wish + Protect with coherence, and refrain from assigning both of those moves as incoherent offensive damaging moves. 

Example 1. – Incoherent Wish + Protect set: 
Absol with Wish, Protect, Night Slash, Will-O-Wisp. 

Example 2. – Incoherent Offensive Wish + Protect set: 
Minun with Wish, Protect, Thunderbolt, Hidden Power Ice. 

The “Screens” Problem ⭐
The same considerations apply to several Pokemons that may roll a set with Reflect & Light Screen, which is worsened if the Pokemon is not equipped with Light Clay or only has one of these two moves. 

Therefore, we encourage you to remove “Screens” sets from the following Pokemons: 
Raichu 
Electabuzz (especially if it holds Eviolite instead of Light Clay) 
Electivire 
Jolteon
Pachirisu (especially because it can only learn Light Screen and not Reflect, and because it is not equipped with Light Clay) 
Porygon2 (especially because it can only learn Reflect and not Light Screen, and because it is equipped with Eviolite instead of Light Clay) 
Magneton (especially if it holds Eviolite instead of Light Clay) 
Mamoswine 
In addition, we recommend that you provide Light Clay to all Pokémons who may set up Reflect and Light Screen. 
 
Sets that generally do not align with the characteristics of a Pokemon ⭐
In Randoms, certain Pokemons are conditionally viable, as their potential significantly depends on the sets that are allocated to them. These Pokemons usually possess remarkable strength in certain stats while being significantly weak in other stats. 

An issue arises when such Pokemons roll sets that contradict their natural strengths while being insufficient to compensate for their weaknesses. Consequently, their value is considerably undermined, to a point where they become a liability for the player. This problem is further enhanced by other factors, such as a lack of offensive move typing diversity or the assignment of a suboptimal item. 

People may wonder why reform is needed for certain Pokémons despite them having reasonable winrates, but we can only stress the fact that winrates are not de facto a good representation of a Pokémon’s position in Randoms. This is because the possibility for a Pokémon to “win” a game (or at least, contribute to a win) largely depends on the set that it rolls. For instance, it wouldn’t be surprising for Shell Smash Gorebyss to have a winrate of 60% while Choice Scarf Gorebyss sits at a winrate of 45%. [These are made-up numbers that serve as an example.]

Therefore, we urge you to review sets that may be deemed as “dubious” in light of the above, while removing/updating them in a manner that is in line with the characteristics of the given Pokemon. 

For further clarification, here are examples of the sets we are referring to:

Example 1. - Leech Seed Cacturne 
Cacturne has high offensive stats, in both Sp.Atk and Ph.Atk, but is defensively frail and slow. A set that includes Swords Dance with Sucker Punch is coherent with Cacturne’s features because it plays around its strengths and accounts for its low speed. 
However, Cacturne with Leech Seed, Substitute, Giga Drain, and Sucker Punch is hardly viable as it cannot meaningfully fulfill the role of a “damage-over-time” Pokemon due to its weak defensive stats. Its offensive stats are somewhat disregarded despite them being Cacturne’s strength. 

Example 2. - Bellossom with no set-up and no utility 
Bellossom is a Pokemon with low speed and low offensive stats, with its defensive stats being average at best. To thrive, Bellossom either needs set-up moves (e.g., Quiver Dance) or utility moves (e.g., Toxic & Leech Seed). 
However, Bellossom becomes a liability if it does not roll such sets. For instance, a Bellossom with Giga Drain, Hidden Power Ice, Synthesis, and Sleep Power, can hardly be an asset for the team as it does not have the damage, nor the speed, nor the utility, to make progress in the game. 

Example 3. - Choice Specs Bastiodon  
Bastiodon has extremely high defensive stats but has very weak offensive stats. Sets on Bastiodon that provide utility to the player are in line with the Pokémon’s characteristics (e.g., Stealth Rocks, Toxic, Roar/Rest, Iron Head). 
However, Choice Specs do not add sufficient damage on Bastiodon’s moves for it to become offensively valuable. Its defensive stats are undermined despite them being Bastiodon’s strength, while the Pokémon remains offensively weak. 

The abovementioned combinations of Pokémons & sets are problematic because they enhance the Pokémons’ weaknesses, without sufficiently enhancing them to reach a successful potential, usually at the expense of their strengths. 

Allocating resources into a Pokémon’s weaknesses at the expense of its strengths is not always an issue, but it is in several instances as highlighted above, when viability is hindered. For example, the Belly Drum Hypno set ignores the Pokémon’s strong defensive capabilities and its role as a special attacker, and instead, considerably enhances its weakest stat: physical attack. Nonetheless, unlike the examples we have mentioned, a Belly Drum set on Hypno sufficiently enhances its weak attack stat to make it viable in Randoms (all the more since it gets Drain Punch which favors sustain on a bulky Pokémon). 

In addition to the aforementioned remarks, certain sets are simply underwhelming, inefficient, and we recommend that they therefore be removed. For example: 
Ledian with Reflect, Light Screen, Substitute, Baton Pass
Smeargle with Lunar Dance, Taunt, Spore, Rapid Spin 
Sudowoodo with Sucker Punch when it is equipped with a Choice Band (it is quite detrimental to be locked into Sucker Punch) 


III. SAFEGUARDS – COVERAGE & BALANCE ⭐

At the time being, there are a few safeguards in place which seek balance in terms of team composition and capabilities. For instance, no type may appear more than twice on a team, no identical dual-types can appear on a team, and no “trapping” Pokémons (such as Dugtrio and Pursuit users) can be rolled as a lead (with the exception of Magnet Pull Pokémons). 
Nevertheless, we share the opinion that the current safeguards are insufficient, which consequently leads to unfair/unbalanced situations. 

Indeed, it is unfortunately frequent for players to lose games because they rolled a team that can single-handedly be dismantled by one opposing Pokémon (due to its particular stats, typing, etc.). We agree that some match-ups may be unfavorable—which is something that inevitably comes with the tier—but no team should be entirely incapacitated by a singular Pokémon.   

We also believe that sets should be coherent in abstracto. In other words, a certain set may be valuable in a concrete setting (e.g., Screens Jolteon in a team that is built around it), but lack purpose and viability when isolated from any context (e.g., Screens Jolteon in general). Because Randoms does not account for teambuilding, we should avoid attributing sets which can reasonably be deemed as individually unviable on a given Pokémon. 

Therefore, we urge you to implement additional safeguards that will account for the following matters; 

Type Coverage 
We agree with the current safeguards in place with regards to typing.
However, we suggest that the following type-related aspects be subject to further safeguards: 

1.1. Offensive Type Coverage 
a) We are keen on avoiding situations in which none of the Pokémons of a team can effectively/super-effectively damage a specific type, or rather, where most moves are “not very effective” into a specific type. Greater offensive type coverage should be guaranteed. 
b) Should Shedinja remain in Randoms, the player opposing Shedinja must be equipped with reasonable tools in order to defeat Shedinja. It should not be possible for a player to only have one to three moves that may defeat Shedinja. 

1.2. Defensive Type Coverage 
We are keen on avoiding situations in which five or six Pokémons in a team are weak to one type. For instance, a team comprised of two grass types, one bug type, one ice type, and two steel types would be entirely weak to a fire Pokémon. Better defensive type coverage should be allocated within a team.  

Physical & Special Distribution 
There are currently no safeguards in place to guarantee a fair distribution of power, or in other words, a fair allocation of special / physical Pokémons, both on a defensive and an offensive spectrum (but mostly offensive). This can be a serious issue, for example, when a player rolls a team that consists of six special attackers while facing a Chansey. 

Therefore, we urge you to prevent the attribution, in a team, of six Pokémons that share the same power trait. For instance, it should not be possible for a player to roll a team with six physical attackers or six special attackers. 
 
A Fair Distribution of Other Characteristics : Avoiding Extremes
We believe that, in general, safeguards should be in place to prevent a player from receiving teams that are marked by excessive redundancy.  

Example 1. – Moves  
It should not be possible for a player to roll a team with five Stealth Rocks setters. 

Example 2. – Items 
It should not be possible for a player to roll a team with five Pokémons that have a choice item. 

We do not necessarily require a minimum of each, but we do advocate for a maximum of each. In other words, we wish to keep the tier as “randomized” as possible, which requires minimal intervention from the developers. Thus, setting a minimum standard for each team would limit Randoms in an unhealthy manner (e.g., setting a minimum of one “Choice” Pokémon in each team). However, we believe that a maximum number of X or Y elements should be featured in a team in order for the tier to be functional (e.g., maximum two “Choice” items per team, maximum five  “slow” Pokémons below a certain speed tier, etc.). The specific aspects that should fall under such limitations would be determined by the developers (i.e., not all aspects should be concerned by this limit). 

Include Hazard Removal in Teams that do not have Hazards ⭐⭐⭐
The disadvantage of playing into hazards in the absence of hazard removal and hazards themselves is egregious. It creates a significant unbalance between both players. This is further amplified by the confidential aspect of Randoms, which enables players to force out the opponent on many occasions. In regular tiers, hazard removal is present in a vast majority of teams. This should also be the case in Randoms. 

Therefore, we encourage you to include hazard removal in teams that do not possess hazards. 

Alternatively, we recommend that hazards be subject to a certain ponderation [We also suggest that Pokémons be categorized in certain tiers according to their sets. This will be developed in an ulterior section.]. This way, a team that has hazards will increase the overall “tier” of the team, and a team without hazards and without hazard removal will see its overall “tier” decreased. This way, the AI would be able to detect the “imbalance” related to hazards and equip the latter team with Pokémons in a higher tier to seek balance between both teams. 

Trapping Pokémons as Leads 
Currently, trapping Pokémons may not be rolled as a lead Pokémon. Such “trapping” Pokémons include, for instance, Pursuit users, Shadow Tag users, and Arena Trap users. 
However, Magnet Pull Pokémons are exempt from this safeguard and may be rolled as the lead. We do not understand this exemption. 

Therefore, we ask you to prevent Magnet Pull Pokémons from being rolled as the lead. 

Tiers within the Tier ⭐
Certain Pokémons with specific sets are stronger than others. Pokémon X with set Y may be stronger than Pokémon A with set Y, or than Pokémon X but, this time, with set Z. To avoid imbalances in the allocation of a team, we would like the developers to implement a non-public tiering system within Randoms itself, in order for the AI to fairly distribute Pokémons in a team. The purpose would be to avoid situations in which a team has five or six overpowered combinations of sets and Pokémons, and vice-versa. 

For instance, Shell Smash Gorebyss would be categorized in the “S+” tier whilst Choice Scarf Gorebyss would be categorized in the “C” tier. 
More specifically, tiering should be processed according to the winrate of a given Pokémon with regards to a given set (i.e., the winrate of the combination). To reiterate our example, Gorebyss with Shell Smash would fall in the S+ tier due to having a winrate of (for example) 58% whereas Gorebyss with Choice Scarf would be in the C tier due to its winrate of (for example) 45%. 

In fine, the allocation of a team by the AI should be processed, in part, according to the winrates of the combinations of Pokémons and sets, in order to reach an overall balanced team winrate.
In other words, the combined winrate of each combination of Pokémon and set—i.e., the team winrate—should hover around 50%, or at least, should not be excessively high or low. 

This is one of my recent games & it perfectly summarizes the issue with a lack of safeguards. 



Rolling the three worst Pokémons in the tier;
Rolling six special attackers into a Blissey (which had toxic and wish);
Lack of diversity in the move typings;
A choice scarf on a Pokémon that is already fast and therefore does not need the extra speed;

IV. FINAL CONSIDERATIONS
General considerations that do not fall under the abovementioned categories. 

We are not asking for a complete reform
This Reform Request may be critical of certain aspects of Randoms, but we enjoy most of the current features offered by the tier. 
We are in favor of playing original sets in Randoms that would otherwise be unviable in other tiers. The same applies for Pokémons that are fun to use but not strong enough to be played elsewhere than in Randoms.
We agree with the matchmaking system, where losing a game of Randoms is less impactful than losses in other tiers.
For the tier to remain faithful to its essence, we believe that “randomization” should be the rule. However, some degree of intervention is required for a healthy gameplay. The suggestions and problems underlined in this document are the intervention we would like to see. 
As far as we know, anything that has not been mentioned here should remain unchanged and is therefore implicitly marked by our approval. Other players may, however, point out issues that we have omitted/forgotten in the discussion thread. 

Upcoming Update : Involving PvP Players 
Seeing that a Randoms update is long overdue, that numerous players have considerable experience in Randoms and are themselves the recipient of an update, that the current meta includes a wide array of “dubious” sets (which affects player engagement and retention);
We encourage you to involve experienced Randoms players (and PvP players) in the upcoming modification and development of sets, and more generally, in the upcoming update of Randoms. 

We are aware that this involvement should be limited in a way that does not affect the fairness of Randoms [It would not be fair for certain Randoms players to have access to the entire list of sets and mechanics. This would enable them to have a list that can be used when playing Randoms and would therefore create an unfair advantage. Although most top rated Randoms players already have somewhat of a list, or most sets memorized, it would still be unjust symbolically-speaking] . Thus, our involvement would be limited to Pokémons & sets that may reasonably be deemed as “dubious”. In other words, it is not necessary—nor for the developers or for the Randoms players—to go over all of the sets. Most of them can remain untouched. We are only referring to the “dubious” sets, potential new HAs, potential new legendaries, etc. 

Moreover, we suggest that a council/thread be devoted to Randoms as a tier, with a dedicated Discord channel, similarly to what has been created for the other tiers—for the sake of fluid communication. The specific competences and purpose of this tier/thread would be defined by the developers. 

We urge you to take into account all of the abovementioned considerations, and ask you to inform the lead author of this request, DiscoShiba, if/when the recipient(s), Rache and/or other developers, have properly received and duly familiarized themselves with the content of this request.
Should this request be denied/ignored, we ask you to provide an explanation as to why that is. 

Lastly, we urge you to inform us on the potential existence of an update for Randoms in the foreseeable future, and if applicable, to provide a timeframe in which said-update will begin. 

Hall of Fame 
Noting that players who finish a season on the leaderboard as rank one, two, and three in OU, UU, NU, and Doubles, thereby winning a crown, have their in-game names displayed on the PokeMMO Forums Hall of Fame thread; 
Reaffirming the prestige that a leaderboard entry holds, but also the energy and time required for Randoms players to be placed in the top three, especially in contrast with other tiers;  
Expressing our lack of understanding as to why top leaderboard players in Randoms do not have their in-game names displayed in the Hall of Fame thread at the end of the season, and are thereby being treated differently for no apparent reason; 

We adamantly ask you to display, on the Hall of Fame thread, the in-game names of past and future Randoms players that finish (or have finished) the season in the top three of the leaderboard. 
______________________________________________________________________

OPEN DISCUSSION ON THE FORUMS 

On a final note, we would like to open a discussion on certain points mentioned within this document—which will be posted on the Forums.
In particular, we are keen to see players share their views on the following topics (these topics will be marked with a yellow star on the Forums ⭐): 
Dugtrio and Shedinja in Randoms, uncompetitive or not?; 
The specifics of adding new items, Pokémons, and abilities to Randoms; 
The specific Pokémons that should (not) have access to Screens and Wish/Protect sets; 
Type coverage safeguards (and other safeguards); 
The randomized distribution of hazards in teams or lack thereof; 
Tiers within the Randoms tier; 
The specifics of “Dubious sets”. 

Naturally, we welcome and encourage players to voice their opinions on other matters related to Randoms, including those that may have not been covered by this request. 

Lastly—regarding “dubious sets”—it would be helpful if players could post screenshots or the exact moves of sets that may reasonably be considered as nonsensical so that we can have a list. At the very least, it would enable a discussion to be held on sets for which viability is debatable.

______________________________________________________________________

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 

I wish to thank the developers and Rache in advance for considering this request,

Thank you to all the PvP players and other members of the community who contributed to the content of this request, and to those that will be part of future discussions. 

Kind regards,
DiscoShiba & SpidgetREAL (lead authors of the request) 

I may be reached through the following channel (contact information):
IGN: DiscoShiba
Forums: DiscoShiba
Discord: discoshiba66 

[Context]
Hello everyone,
Hereafter is the Request we are sending to @Rache to push for a Randoms update (I'm reaching out to her specifically because she appears to be the developer in charge of Randoms and previously expressed her will to update the tier). This request contains a detailed list of suggestions, ideas, and issues related to Randoms.
Although this could be classified as a "suggestion" (and therefore be posted in Suggestions), I wish to open a discussion on the content of this request and am therefore posting it here, in Competitive Alley. The specific topics for which we adamantly wish players to voice their opinions on will be marked with a yellow star ⭐, but feel free to address anything else related to Randoms.
If this should be considered as a "Suggestion" instead, please let me know (if you're a moderator).
Cheers,
DiscoShiba & Spidget

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

REFORM REQUEST – UPDATING RANDOMS [PVP]

PREAMBLE

Dear Rache,
Dear Developers, 

We hope this message finds you well, as a lot of time and effort was put into it.
Understandably, you have a lot on your plate and receive numerous requests, but we believe that Randoms PvP is a facet of the game that receives enough playtime to be prioritized for an update. You have previously stated that reforming Randoms was “high on your to-do list” and, with this message, we are eager to offer our contribution.  

Hereafter, you will find a list of highlighted issues and recommendations that myself and several other top Randoms players have worked on. All of us have consistently played thousands of Randoms games throughout the years, earned crowns, and maintained a high winrate.
We believe that we have the necessary experience and knowledge to provide constructive feedback on the current state of Randoms and encourage you to use it when the time for an update comes. 

In addition to Randoms players, many members of the PvP community (and of the community as a whole) share the desire to see the tier reformed. An update not only benefits the current player base–which is quite large, as one can notice from PvP statistics–but also all the players who do not play Randoms due to the current design. [I am currently a member of VOW, a notorious PvP team, but am also the only avid Randoms player (who plays for Leaderboard). My teammates enjoy Randoms but not on PokeMMO. They would play if an update were to come] 

With all this being said, we are pleased to share this Randoms Reform Request with you and hope to hear back from you soon. 

We are looking forward to your response and are grateful for the opportunity to be considered, 

Yours sincerely, 
DiscoShiba & SpidgetREAL 
________________________________________________________________

TABLE OF CONTENTS 
I. POKEMONS
1. Removing Certain Pokémons
1.1. Unown
1.2. Ditto
1.3. Plant Coat Wormadam (Grass & Bug typing)
1.4. Shedinja
1.5. Dugtrio 
2. Buffing Certain Pokémons
2.1. Rotom Base Form (Ghost & Electric typing)
2.2. Grass Cloak Wormadam (Bug & Grass typing)
3. Adding Certain Pokémons
3.1. Gen 5 Pokémons
3.2. Legendary Pokémons
4. Adding Certain Mechanics
4.1. Hidden Abilities
4.2. Items
II. SETS
1. The “Wish + Protect” Problem
2. The “Screens” Problem
3. Sets that do not align with the characteristics of a Pokemon
III. SAFEGUARDS – COVERAGE & BALANCE
1. Type Coverage
1.1. Offensive Type Coverage
1.2. Defensive Type Coverage
2. Physical & Special Distribution
3. A Fair Distribution of Other Characteristics : Avoiding Extremes
4. Include Hazard Removal in Teams that do not have Hazards
5. Trapping Pokémons as Leads
6. Tiers within the Tier
IV. FINAL CONSIDERATIONS
1. We are not asking for a complete reform
2. Upcoming Update : Involving PvP Players
3. Hall of Fame

AKNOWLEDGEMENTS
_______________________________________________________

I. POKEMONS

Removing Certain Pokémons
Several Pokémons are a liability due to their underwhelming characteristics and/or design. A player who should roll them in a game is essentially starting off the battle 5 vs. 6. 
We urge you to remove the following Pokémons from Randoms:

1.1. Unown 
The capacity of Unown to a) only learn one move and b) a weak move, makes it underwhelming to use. This makes Unown easy to counter/defeat, all the more since it can only hold one of two items and has access to either HP psychic or HP fighting. Since its level is already set to 100, it cannot be further buffed and we therefore would like to see it removed from the tier. 

1.2. Ditto
The same reasoning applies to Ditto.
However, we would like to keep Ditto in the tier under the condition that Hidden Abilities are added [HAs will be the subject of an ulterior section].

1.3. Plant Coat Wormadam (Grass & Bug typing) 
Wormadam in its "regular" form is arguably the worst Pokémon in Randoms. It's been somewhat buffed in the past but its winrate unfortunately remained the same. Due to its weak overall characteristics, we recommend that it be removed from the tier.
However, we are of the opinion that Plant Coat Wormadam may remain in the tier under the condition that its level is at least increased to 84. After running a series of calculcations, we consider that it may become balanced in Randoms if its level is set somewhere between 84 and 87.

1.4. Shedinja ⭐
Although Shedinja may be balanced in other tiers, we do not support its presence in Randoms. Defeating Shedinja relies on either being in possession of hazards or defined moves in terms of typing. Inversely, Shedinja’s use becomes void if a player rolls it into a team that has hazards when said-player does not have any removal. To us, Shedinja is uncompetitive in Randoms.
Because teams and moves are randomized, we do not believe that it is fair to include a Pokémon for which the strength/weakness is determined nearly exclusively by RNG.
On top of that, the confidential aspect of Randoms (i.e., absence of team preview) also contributes to determining Shedinja’s capabilities. It is possible for a player to “hide” Shedinja until the very end, where the opponent will simply not have the necessary moves to defeat it.

Lastly, it happens too often for players to only receive one to three moves that can in fact beat Shedinja, which leaves this matter, once again, up to RNG.
For these reasons, we ask for Shedinja to be removed from Randoms.

1.5. Dugtrio ⭐
We will not reiterate the long discussions that players have held on the Forums regarding Dugtrio. It has been deemed as an uncompetitive Pokemon in regular tiers and we fail to comprehend why it has not been considered as such in Randoms. If anything, Dugtrio is especially uncompetitive in Randoms due to the absence of team preview. Any Pokemon with an electric typing would be heavily penalized should the opponent switch to Dugtrio on a Volt-Switch, for instance (all the more if they happen to be equipped with a “choice” item).
Thus, we ask for Dugtrio to be removed from Randoms. 

Buffing Certain Pokémons
We believe that a few Pokémons need a bit more love to be viable in Randoms.
We therefore ask you to increase the levels of the following Pokémons: 

2.1. Rotom Base Form (Ghost & Electric Type)
Rotom has been buffed in the past but remains too weak in Randoms. We think that
giving it a few extra levels would solidify its value in the tier. 

2.2. Grass Cloack Wormadam (Bug & Grass type)
This has already been covered in the previous section. 

Adding Certain Pokémons ⭐
We believe that adding certain Pokémons to Randoms would be refreshing for the player base and enhance the tier’s quality. 
We would not only be keen to see existing Pokemons added to the tier, but also Pokemons that are not currently available in other tiers (i.e., certain legendary Pokémons). Regarding the latter, we know that it may be a possibility since some of these Pokémons exist in the Battle Factory despite not being available to players (e.g., Latias & Latios, or Magic Bounce Alakazam). 

We therefore encourage you to add the following Pokémons to Randoms: 

3.1. Gen 5 Pokémons
No additional comments. 

3.2. Legendary Pokémons
We would not only like to see the legendary Pokémons that are currently available to players added to Randoms, but also those that are not available to players and those that are available to players but not usable in PvP. 
Regarding the former, we are referring to Pokémons like Latios, Latias (both of which exist in the Battle Factory), the Regis, to name a few. 
Regarding the latter, we are referring to Pokémons like Darkrai, Sky Form Shaymin, and Mewtwo, Rayquaza, and other “king of the hill” Pokémons, to name a few. 
Naturally, their strength should be accounted for and their level/sets should be determined accordingly for them to be balanced. 

Adding Certain Mechanics ⭐
Similarly to what has been said in the previous sections, we believe that the addition of certain elements of the game to Randoms would bring a sense of refreshment to players. 
We therefore recommend that the following be added to Randoms: 

4.1. Hidden Abilities 
On top of giving a feeling of “new” to the players, giving certain Pokémons access to their HAs would enable them to thrive in a way that may currently not be possible. It would also enable new sets and mechanics to come forward, and overall, make the tier more interesting. This would include HAs that are not currently available to players directly whilst still being present in the game (e.g., Magic Bounce Alakazam). 

Example 1. – New set:
Multiscale Dragonite with Substitute and Roost.

Example 2. – New interaction:
Porygon2 tracing Dragonite’s multiscale.

Example 3. – New potential
Infiltrator Spiritomb to enable “Tricking” Pokemons behind a Substitute.

4.2. Items 
Same reasoning as the previous section. The inclusion of certain items can bring change to the tier. On top of that, several items that lead to fun interactions—which are, however, not strong enough to be used in regular tiers—would be a great addition to Randoms. Due to the characteristics of the tier, such items would be easy to balance in such way that they become viable. 

Example1. - Assault Vest
Good and interesting item overall. 

Example 2. – Throat Spray 
Throat Spray is hardly viable in any regular tier, but who wouldn’t want to play Throat Spray Yanmega with Bug Buzz? 


II. SETS

The beauty of Randoms lies within the creative sets that Pokémons may have, on one hand, and the possibility for players to use Pokémons which would commonly not be strong enough to be viable in regular tiers, on the other hand. The corollary of the above is the process that enables Pokémons to cycle through a diversity of sets. 

The combination of the aforementioned aspects is what makes the tier so special and fun—in Randoms, every match-up will be different. 

However, we believe that numerous sets are detrimental to the game and undermine our enjoyment when playing Randoms. These sets are usually those that disregard the characteristics of a Pokemon while severely affecting their viability. 

Let it be known that we are in favor of keeping creative sets, but not when they completely crush the viability of a Pokémon. 

Example 1. –Fun Creative Set : Belly Drum Hypno
Example 2. – Detrimental Creative Set : Screens Electabuzz with Eviolite  

The “Wish + Protect” Problem ⭐
There are too many Pokemons that may roll “Wish + Protect” despite how suboptimal and incoherent it is for them to have such a set. We believe that “Wish + Protect” should be reserved for Pokemons that may viably fulfil a supportive/cleric role on a team. 
Indeed, some Pokemons can hardly make use of Wish + Protect as it is not in line with their weak defensive features, which also happens to undermine their natural offensive capabilities.  

Therefore, we urge you to remove “Wish + Protect” sets for all of the following Pokémons: 

Absol
Raichu 
Minun/Plusle
Jolteon
Gallade
Girafarig 
Kangashkan 
Salamence 

In addition, we encourage you to lower the frequency for certain Pokemons to roll a “Wish + Protect” set due to the ambiguous interaction it may have with a Pokemon. For instance, such a set may or may not be optimal on Pokemons like Kangashkan and Illumise. 

Moreover, we ask you to determine the two other moves that accompany Wish + Protect with coherence, and refrain from assigning both of those moves as incoherent offensive damaging moves. 

Example 1. – Incoherent Wish + Protect set: 
Absol with Wish, Protect, Night Slash, Will-O-Wisp. 

Example 2. – Incoherent Offensive Wish + Protect set: 
Minun with Wish, Protect, Thunderbolt, Hidden Power Ice. 

The “Screens” Problem ⭐
The same considerations apply to several Pokemons that may roll a set with Reflect & Light Screen, which is worsened if the Pokemon is not equipped with Light Clay or only has one of these two moves. 

Therefore, we encourage you to remove “Screens” sets from the following Pokemons: 
Raichu 
Electabuzz (especially if it holds Eviolite instead of Light Clay) 
Electivire 
Jolteon
Pachirisu (especially because it can only learn Light Screen and not Reflect, and because it is not equipped with Light Clay) 
Porygon2 (especially because it can only learn Reflect and not Light Screen, and because it is equipped with Eviolite instead of Light Clay) 
Magneton (especially if it holds Eviolite instead of Light Clay) 
Mamoswine 
In addition, we recommend that you provide Light Clay to all Pokémons who may set up Reflect and Light Screen. 
 
Sets that generally do not align with the characteristics of a Pokemon ⭐
In Randoms, certain Pokemons are conditionally viable, as their potential significantly depends on the sets that are allocated to them. These Pokemons usually possess remarkable strength in certain stats while being significantly weak in other stats. 

An issue arises when such Pokemons roll sets that contradict their natural strengths while being insufficient to compensate for their weaknesses. Consequently, their value is considerably undermined, to a point where they become a liability for the player. This problem is further enhanced by other factors, such as a lack of offensive move typing diversity or the assignment of a suboptimal item. 

People may wonder why reform is needed for certain Pokémons despite them having reasonable winrates, but we can only stress the fact that winrates are not de facto a good representation of a Pokémon’s position in Randoms. This is because the possibility for a Pokémon to “win” a game (or at least, contribute to a win) largely depends on the set that it rolls. For instance, it wouldn’t be surprising for Shell Smash Gorebyss to have a winrate of 60% while Choice Scarf Gorebyss sits at a winrate of 45%. [These are made-up numbers that serve as an example.]

Therefore, we urge you to review sets that may be deemed as “dubious” in light of the above, while removing/updating them in a manner that is in line with the characteristics of the given Pokemon. 

For further clarification, here are examples of the sets we are referring to:

Example 1. - Leech Seed Cacturne 
Cacturne has high offensive stats, in both Sp.Atk and Ph.Atk, but is defensively frail and slow. A set that includes Swords Dance with Sucker Punch is coherent with Cacturne’s features because it plays around its strengths and accounts for its low speed. 
However, Cacturne with Leech Seed, Substitute, Giga Drain, and Sucker Punch is hardly viable as it cannot meaningfully fulfill the role of a “damage-over-time” Pokemon due to its weak defensive stats. Its offensive stats are somewhat disregarded despite them being Cacturne’s strength. 

Example 2. - Bellossom with no set-up and no utility 
Bellossom is a Pokemon with low speed and low offensive stats, with its defensive stats being average at best. To thrive, Bellossom either needs set-up moves (e.g., Quiver Dance) or utility moves (e.g., Toxic & Leech Seed). 
However, Bellossom becomes a liability if it does not roll such sets. For instance, a Bellossom with Giga Drain, Hidden Power Ice, Synthesis, and Sleep Power, can hardly be an asset for the team as it does not have the damage, nor the speed, nor the utility, to make progress in the game. 

Example 3. - Choice Specs Bastiodon  
Bastiodon has extremely high defensive stats but has very weak offensive stats. Sets on Bastiodon that provide utility to the player are in line with the Pokémon’s characteristics (e.g., Stealth Rocks, Toxic, Roar/Rest, Iron Head). 
However, Choice Specs do not add sufficient damage on Bastiodon’s moves for it to become offensively valuable. Its defensive stats are undermined despite them being Bastiodon’s strength, while the Pokémon remains offensively weak. 

The abovementioned combinations of Pokémons & sets are problematic because they enhance the Pokémons’ weaknesses, without sufficiently enhancing them to reach a successful potential, usually at the expense of their strengths. 

Allocating resources into a Pokémon’s weaknesses at the expense of its strengths is not always an issue, but it is in several instances as highlighted above, when viability is hindered. For example, the Belly Drum Hypno set ignores the Pokémon’s strong defensive capabilities and its role as a special attacker, and instead, considerably enhances its weakest stat: physical attack. Nonetheless, unlike the examples we have mentioned, a Belly Drum set on Hypno sufficiently enhances its weak attack stat to make it viable in Randoms (all the more since it gets Drain Punch which favors sustain on a bulky Pokémon). 

In addition to the aforementioned remarks, certain sets are simply underwhelming, inefficient, and we recommend that they therefore be removed. For example: 
Ledian with Reflect, Light Screen, Substitute, Baton Pass
Smeargle with Lunar Dance, Taunt, Spore, Rapid Spin 
Sudowoodo with Sucker Punch when it is equipped with a Choice Band (it is quite detrimental to be locked into Sucker Punch) 


III. SAFEGUARDS – COVERAGE & BALANCE ⭐

At the time being, there are a few safeguards in place which seek balance in terms of team composition and capabilities. For instance, no type may appear more than twice on a team, no identical dual-types can appear on a team, and no “trapping” Pokémons (such as Dugtrio and Pursuit users) can be rolled as a lead (with the exception of Magnet Pull Pokémons). 
Nevertheless, we share the opinion that the current safeguards are insufficient, which consequently leads to unfair/unbalanced situations. 

Indeed, it is unfortunately frequent for players to lose games because they rolled a team that can single-handedly be dismantled by one opposing Pokémon (due to its particular stats, typing, etc.). We agree that some match-ups may be unfavorable—which is something that inevitably comes with the tier—but no team should be entirely incapacitated by a singular Pokémon.   

We also believe that sets should be coherent in abstracto. In other words, a certain set may be valuable in a concrete setting (e.g., Screens Jolteon in a team that is built around it), but lack purpose and viability when isolated from any context (e.g., Screens Jolteon in general). Because Randoms does not account for teambuilding, we should avoid attributing sets which can reasonably be deemed as individually unviable on a given Pokémon. 

Therefore, we urge you to implement additional safeguards that will account for the following matters; 

Type Coverage 
We agree with the current safeguards in place with regards to typing.
However, we suggest that the following type-related aspects be subject to further safeguards: 

1.1. Offensive Type Coverage 
a) We are keen on avoiding situations in which none of the Pokémons of a team can effectively/super-effectively damage a specific type, or rather, where most moves are “not very effective” into a specific type. Greater offensive type coverage should be guaranteed. 
b) Should Shedinja remain in Randoms, the player opposing Shedinja must be equipped with reasonable tools in order to defeat Shedinja. It should not be possible for a player to only have one to three moves that may defeat Shedinja. 

1.2. Defensive Type Coverage 
We are keen on avoiding situations in which five or six Pokémons in a team are weak to one type. For instance, a team comprised of two grass types, one bug type, one ice type, and two steel types would be entirely weak to a fire Pokémon. Better defensive type coverage should be allocated within a team.  

Physical & Special Distribution 
There are currently no safeguards in place to guarantee a fair distribution of power, or in other words, a fair allocation of special / physical Pokémons, both on a defensive and an offensive spectrum (but mostly offensive). This can be a serious issue, for example, when a player rolls a team that consists of six special attackers while facing a Chansey. 

Therefore, we urge you to prevent the attribution, in a team, of six Pokémons that share the same power trait. For instance, it should not be possible for a player to roll a team with six physical attackers or six special attackers. 
 
A Fair Distribution of Other Characteristics : Avoiding Extremes
We believe that, in general, safeguards should be in place to prevent a player from receiving teams that are marked by excessive redundancy.  

Example 1. – Moves  
It should not be possible for a player to roll a team with five Stealth Rocks setters. 

Example 2. – Items 
It should not be possible for a player to roll a team with five Pokémons that have a choice item. 

We do not necessarily require a minimum of each, but we do advocate for a maximum of each. In other words, we wish to keep the tier as “randomized” as possible, which requires minimal intervention from the developers. Thus, setting a minimum standard for each team would limit Randoms in an unhealthy manner (e.g., setting a minimum of one “Choice” Pokémon in each team). However, we believe that a maximum number of X or Y elements should be featured in a team in order for the tier to be functional (e.g., maximum two “Choice” items per team, maximum five  “slow” Pokémons below a certain speed tier, etc.). The specific aspects that should fall under such limitations would be determined by the developers (i.e., not all aspects should be concerned by this limit). 

Include Hazard Removal in Teams that do not have Hazards ⭐⭐⭐
The disadvantage of playing into hazards in the absence of hazard removal and hazards themselves is egregious. It creates a significant unbalance between both players. This is further amplified by the confidential aspect of Randoms, which enables players to force out the opponent on many occasions. In regular tiers, hazard removal is present in a vast majority of teams. This should also be the case in Randoms. 

Therefore, we encourage you to include hazard removal in teams that do not possess hazards. 

Alternatively, we recommend that hazards be subject to a certain ponderation [We also suggest that Pokémons be categorized in certain tiers according to their sets. This will be developed in an ulterior section.]. This way, a team that has hazards will increase the overall “tier” of the team, and a team without hazards and without hazard removal will see its overall “tier” decreased. This way, the AI would be able to detect the “imbalance” related to hazards and equip the latter team with Pokémons in a higher tier to seek balance between both teams. 

Trapping Pokémons as Leads 
Currently, trapping Pokémons may not be rolled as a lead Pokémon. Such “trapping” Pokémons include, for instance, Pursuit users, Shadow Tag users, and Arena Trap users. 
However, Magnet Pull Pokémons are exempt from this safeguard and may be rolled as the lead. We do not understand this exemption. 

Therefore, we ask you to prevent Magnet Pull Pokémons from being rolled as the lead. 

Tiers within the Tier ⭐
Certain Pokémons with specific sets are stronger than others. Pokémon X with set Y may be stronger than Pokémon A with set Y, or than Pokémon X but, this time, with set Z. To avoid imbalances in the allocation of a team, we would like the developers to implement a non-public tiering system within Randoms itself, in order for the AI to fairly distribute Pokémons in a team. The purpose would be to avoid situations in which a team has five or six overpowered combinations of sets and Pokémons, and vice-versa. 

For instance, Shell Smash Gorebyss would be categorized in the “S+” tier whilst Choice Scarf Gorebyss would be categorized in the “C” tier. 
More specifically, tiering should be processed according to the winrate of a given Pokémon with regards to a given set (i.e., the winrate of the combination). To reiterate our example, Gorebyss with Shell Smash would fall in the S+ tier due to having a winrate of (for example) 58% whereas Gorebyss with Choice Scarf would be in the C tier due to its winrate of (for example) 45%. 

In fine, the allocation of a team by the AI should be processed, in part, according to the winrates of the combinations of Pokémons and sets, in order to reach an overall balanced team winrate.
In other words, the combined winrate of each combination of Pokémon and set—i.e., the team winrate—should hover around 50%, or at least, should not be excessively high or low. 

This is one of my recent games & it perfectly summarizes the issue with a lack of safeguards. 



Rolling the three worst Pokémons in the tier;
Rolling six special attackers into a Blissey (which had toxic and wish);
Lack of diversity in the move typings;
A choice scarf on a Pokémon that is already fast and therefore does not need the extra speed;

IV. FINAL CONSIDERATIONS
General considerations that do not fall under the abovementioned categories. 

We are not asking for a complete reform
This Reform Request may be critical of certain aspects of Randoms, but we enjoy most of the current features offered by the tier. 
We are in favor of playing original sets in Randoms that would otherwise be unviable in other tiers. The same applies for Pokémons that are fun to use but not strong enough to be played elsewhere than in Randoms.
We agree with the matchmaking system, where losing a game of Randoms is less impactful than losses in other tiers.
For the tier to remain faithful to its essence, we believe that “randomization” should be the rule. However, some degree of intervention is required for a healthy gameplay. The suggestions and problems underlined in this document are the intervention we would like to see. 
As far as we know, anything that has not been mentioned here should remain unchanged and is therefore implicitly marked by our approval. Other players may, however, point out issues that we have omitted/forgotten in the discussion thread. 

Upcoming Update : Involving PvP Players 
Seeing that a Randoms update is long overdue, that numerous players have considerable experience in Randoms and are themselves the recipient of an update, that the current meta includes a wide array of “dubious” sets (which affects player engagement and retention);
We encourage you to involve experienced Randoms players (and PvP players) in the upcoming modification and development of sets, and more generally, in the upcoming update of Randoms. 

We are aware that this involvement should be limited in a way that does not affect the fairness of Randoms [It would not be fair for certain Randoms players to have access to the entire list of sets and mechanics. This would enable them to have a list that can be used when playing Randoms and would therefore create an unfair advantage. Although most top rated Randoms players already have somewhat of a list, or most sets memorized, it would still be unjust symbolically-speaking] . Thus, our involvement would be limited to Pokémons & sets that may reasonably be deemed as “dubious”. In other words, it is not necessary—nor for the developers or for the Randoms players—to go over all of the sets. Most of them can remain untouched. We are only referring to the “dubious” sets, potential new HAs, potential new legendaries, etc. 

Moreover, we suggest that a council/thread be devoted to Randoms as a tier, with a dedicated Discord channel, similarly to what has been created for the other tiers—for the sake of fluid communication. The specific competences and purpose of this tier/thread would be defined by the developers. 

We urge you to take into account all of the abovementioned considerations, and ask you to inform the lead author of this request, DiscoShiba, if/when the recipient(s), Rache and/or other developers, have properly received and duly familiarized themselves with the content of this request.
Should this request be denied/ignored, we ask you to provide an explanation as to why that is. 

Lastly, we urge you to inform us on the potential existence of an update for Randoms in the foreseeable future, and if applicable, to provide a timeframe in which said-update will begin. 

Hall of Fame 
Noting that players who finish a season on the leaderboard as rank one, two, and three in OU, UU, NU, and Doubles, thereby winning a crown, have their in-game names displayed on the PokeMMO Forums Hall of Fame thread; 
Reaffirming the prestige that a leaderboard entry holds, but also the energy and time required for Randoms players to be placed in the top three, especially in contrast with other tiers;  
Expressing our lack of understanding as to why top leaderboard players in Randoms do not have their in-game names displayed in the Hall of Fame thread at the end of the season, and are thereby being treated differently for no apparent reason; 

We adamantly ask you to display, on the Hall of Fame thread, the in-game names of past and future Randoms players that finish (or have finished) the season in the top three of the leaderboard. 
______________________________________________________________________

OPEN DISCUSSION ON THE FORUMS 

On a final note, we would like to open a discussion on certain points mentioned within this document—which will be posted on the Forums.
In particular, we are keen to see players share their views on the following topics (these topics will be marked with a yellow star on the Forums ⭐): 
Dugtrio and Shedinja in Randoms, uncompetitive or not?; 
The specifics of adding new items, Pokémons, and abilities to Randoms; 
The specific Pokémons that should (not) have access to Screens and Wish/Protect sets; 
Type coverage safeguards (and other safeguards); 
The randomized distribution of hazards in teams or lack thereof; 
Tiers within the Randoms tier; 
The specifics of “Dubious sets”. 

Naturally, we welcome and encourage players to voice their opinions on other matters related to Randoms, including those that may have not been covered by this request. 

Lastly—regarding “dubious sets”—it would be helpful if players could post screenshots or the exact moves of sets that may reasonably be considered as nonsensical so that we can have a list. At the very least, it would enable a discussion to be held on sets for which viability is debatable.

______________________________________________________________________

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 

I wish to thank the developers and Rache in advance for considering this request,

Thank you to all the PvP players and other members of the community who contributed to the content of this request, and to those that will be part of future discussions. 

Kind regards,
DiscoShiba & SpidgetREAL (lead authors of the request) 

I may be reached through the following channel (contact information):
IGN: DiscoShiba
Forums: DiscoShiba
Discord: discoshiba66 

[Context]
Hello everyone,
Hereafter is the Request we are sending to @Rache to push for a Randoms update (I'm reaching out to her specifically because she appears to be the developer in charge of Randoms and previously expressed her will to update the tier). This request contains a detailed list of suggestions, ideas, and issues related to Randoms.
Although this could be classified as a "suggestion" (and therefore be posted in Suggestions), I wish to open a discussion on the content of this request and am therefore posting it here, in Competitive Alley. The specific topics for which we adamantly wish players to voice their opinions on will be marked with a yellow star ⭐, but feel free to address anything else related to Randoms.
If this should be considered as a "Suggestion" instead, please let me know (if you're a moderator).
Cheers,
DiscoShiba & Spidget

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

REFORM REQUEST – UPDATING RANDOMS [PVP]

PREAMBLE

Dear Rache,
Dear Developers, 

We hope this message finds you well, as a lot of time and effort was put into it.
Understandably, you have a lot on your plate and receive numerous requests, but we believe that Randoms PvP is a facet of the game that receives enough playtime to be prioritized for an update. You have previously stated that reforming Randoms was “high on your to-do list” and, with this message, we are eager to offer our contribution.  

Hereafter, you will find a list of highlighted issues and recommendations that myself and several other top Randoms players have worked on. All of us have consistently played thousands of Randoms games throughout the years, earned crowns, and maintained a high winrate.
We believe that we have the necessary experience and knowledge to provide constructive feedback on the current state of Randoms and encourage you to use it when the time for an update comes. 

In addition to Randoms players, many members of the PvP community (and of the community as a whole) share the desire to see the tier reformed. An update not only benefits the current player base–which is quite large, as one can notice from PvP statistics–but also all the players who do not play Randoms due to the current design. [I am currently a member of VOW, a notorious PvP team, but am also the only avid Randoms player (who plays for Leaderboard). My teammates enjoy Randoms but not on PokeMMO. They would play if an update were to come] 

With all this being said, we are pleased to share this Randoms Reform Request with you and hope to hear back from you soon. 

We are looking forward to your response and are grateful for the opportunity to be considered, 

Yours sincerely, 
DiscoShiba & SpidgetREAL 
________________________________________________________________

TABLE OF CONTENTS 
I. POKEMONS
1. Removing Certain Pokémons
1.1. Unown
1.2. Ditto
1.3. Plant Coat Wormadam (Grass & Bug typing)
1.4. Shedinja
1.5. Dugtrio 
2. Buffing Certain Pokémons
2.1. Rotom Base Form (Ghost & Electric typing)
2.2. Grass Cloak Wormadam (Bug & Grass typing)
3. Adding Certain Pokémons
3.1. Gen 5 Pokémons
3.2. Legendary Pokémons
4. Adding Certain Mechanics
4.1. Hidden Abilities
4.2. Items
II. SETS
1. The “Wish + Protect” Problem
2. The “Screens” Problem
3. Sets that do not align with the characteristics of a Pokemon
III. SAFEGUARDS – COVERAGE & BALANCE
1. Type Coverage
1.1. Offensive Type Coverage
1.2. Defensive Type Coverage
2. Physical & Special Distribution
3. A Fair Distribution of Other Characteristics : Avoiding Extremes
4. Include Hazard Removal in Teams that do not have Hazards
5. Trapping Pokémons as Leads
6. Tiers within the Tier
IV. FINAL CONSIDERATIONS
1. We are not asking for a complete reform
2. Upcoming Update : Involving PvP Players
3. Hall of Fame

AKNOWLEDGEMENTS
_______________________________________________________

I. POKEMONS

Removing Certain Pokémons
Several Pokémons are a liability due to their underwhelming characteristics and/or design. A player who should roll them in a game is essentially starting off the battle 5 vs. 6. 
We urge you to remove the following Pokémons from Randoms:

1.1. Unown 
The capacity of Unown to a) only learn one move and b) a weak move, makes it underwhelming to use. This makes Unown easy to counter/defeat, all the more since it can only hold one of two items and has access to either HP psychic or HP fighting. Since its level is already set to 100, it cannot be further buffed and we therefore would like to see it removed from the tier. 

1.2. Ditto
The same reasoning applies to Ditto.
However, we would like to keep Ditto in the tier under the condition that Hidden Abilities are added [HAs will be the subject of an ulterior section].

1.3. Plant Coat Wormadam (Grass & Bug typing) 
Wormadam in its "regular" form is arguably the worst Pokémon in Randoms. It's been somewhat buffed in the past but its winrate unfortunately remained the same. Due to its weak overall characteristics, we recommend that it be removed from the tier.
However, we are of the opinion that Plant Coat Wormadam may remain in the tier under the condition that its level is at least increased to 84. After running a series of calculcations, we consider that it may become balanced in Randoms if its level is set somewhere between 84 and 87.

1.4. Shedinja ⭐
Although Shedinja may be balanced in other tiers, we do not support its presence in Randoms. Defeating Shedinja relies on either being in possession of hazards or defined moves in terms of typing. Inversely, Shedinja’s use becomes void if a player rolls it into a team that has hazards when said-player does not have any removal. To us, Shedinja is uncompetitive in Randoms.
Because teams and moves are randomized, we do not believe that it is fair to include a Pokémon for which the strength/weakness is determined nearly exclusively by RNG.
On top of that, the confidential aspect of Randoms (i.e., absence of team preview) also contributes to determining Shedinja’s capabilities. It is possible for a player to “hide” Shedinja until the very end, where the opponent will simply not have the necessary moves to defeat it.

Lastly, it happens too often for players to only receive one to three moves that can in fact beat Shedinja, which leaves this matter, once again, up to RNG.
For these reasons, we ask for Shedinja to be removed from Randoms.

1.5. Dugtrio ⭐
We will not reiterate the long discussions that players have held on the Forums regarding Dugtrio. It has been deemed as an uncompetitive Pokemon in regular tiers and we fail to comprehend why it has not been considered as such in Randoms. If anything, Dugtrio is especially uncompetitive in Randoms due to the absence of team preview. Any Pokemon with an electric typing would be heavily penalized should the opponent switch to Dugtrio on a Volt-Switch, for instance (all the more if they happen to be equipped with a “choice” item).
Thus, we ask for Dugtrio to be removed from Randoms. 

Buffing Certain Pokémons
We believe that a few Pokémons need a bit more love to be viable in Randoms.
We therefore ask you to increase the levels of the following Pokémons: 

2.1. Rotom Base Form (Ghost & Electric Type)
Rotom has been buffed in the past but remains too weak in Randoms. We think that
giving it a few extra levels would solidify its value in the tier. 

2.2. Grass Cloack Wormadam (Bug & Grass type)
This has already been covered in the previous section. 

Adding Certain Pokémons ⭐
We believe that adding certain Pokémons to Randoms would be refreshing for the player base and enhance the tier’s quality. 
We would not only be keen to see existing Pokemons added to the tier, but also Pokemons that are not currently available in other tiers (i.e., certain legendary Pokémons). Regarding the latter, we know that it may be a possibility since some of these Pokémons exist in the Battle Factory despite not being available to players (e.g., Latias & Latios, or Magic Bounce Alakazam). 

We therefore encourage you to add the following Pokémons to Randoms: 

3.1. Gen 5 Pokémons
No additional comments. 

3.2. Legendary Pokémons
We would not only like to see the legendary Pokémons that are currently available to players added to Randoms, but also those that are not available to players and those that are available to players but not usable in PvP. 
Regarding the former, we are referring to Pokémons like Latios, Latias (both of which exist in the Battle Factory), the Regis, to name a few. 
Regarding the latter, we are referring to Pokémons like Darkrai, Sky Form Shaymin, and Mewtwo, Rayquaza, and other “king of the hill” Pokémons, to name a few. 
Naturally, their strength should be accounted for and their level/sets should be determined accordingly for them to be balanced. 

Adding Certain Mechanics ⭐
Similarly to what has been said in the previous sections, we believe that the addition of certain elements of the game to Randoms would bring a sense of refreshment to players. 
We therefore recommend that the following be added to Randoms: 

4.1. Hidden Abilities 
On top of giving a feeling of “new” to the players, giving certain Pokémons access to their HAs would enable them to thrive in a way that may currently not be possible. It would also enable new sets and mechanics to come forward, and overall, make the tier more interesting. This would include HAs that are not currently available to players directly whilst still being present in the game (e.g., Magic Bounce Alakazam). 

Example 1. – New set:
Multiscale Dragonite with Substitute and Roost.

Example 2. – New interaction:
Porygon2 tracing Dragonite’s multiscale.

Example 3. – New potential
Infiltrator Spiritomb to enable “Tricking” Pokemons behind a Substitute.

4.2. Items 
Same reasoning as the previous section. The inclusion of certain items can bring change to the tier. On top of that, several items that lead to fun interactions—which are, however, not strong enough to be used in regular tiers—would be a great addition to Randoms. Due to the characteristics of the tier, such items would be easy to balance in such way that they become viable. 

Example1. - Assault Vest
Good and interesting item overall. 

Example 2. – Throat Spray 
Throat Spray is hardly viable in any regular tier, but who wouldn’t want to play Throat Spray Yanmega with Bug Buzz? 


II. SETS

The beauty of Randoms lies within the creative sets that Pokémons may have, on one hand, and the possibility for players to use Pokémons which would commonly not be strong enough to be viable in regular tiers, on the other hand. The corollary of the above is the process that enables Pokémons to cycle through a diversity of sets. 

The combination of the aforementioned aspects is what makes the tier so special and fun—in Randoms, every match-up will be different. 

However, we believe that numerous sets are detrimental to the game and undermine our enjoyment when playing Randoms. These sets are usually those that disregard the characteristics of a Pokemon while severely affecting their viability. 

Let it be known that we are in favor of keeping creative sets, but not when they completely crush the viability of a Pokémon. 

Example 1. –Fun Creative Set : Belly Drum Hypno
Example 2. – Detrimental Creative Set : Screens Electabuzz with Eviolite  

The “Wish + Protect” Problem ⭐
There are too many Pokemons that may roll “Wish + Protect” despite how suboptimal and incoherent it is for them to have such a set. We believe that “Wish + Protect” should be reserved for Pokemons that may viably fulfil a supportive/cleric role on a team. 
Indeed, some Pokemons can hardly make use of Wish + Protect as it is not in line with their weak defensive features, which also happens to undermine their natural offensive capabilities.  

Therefore, we urge you to remove “Wish + Protect” sets for all of the following Pokémons: 

Absol
Raichu 
Minun/Plusle
Jolteon
Gallade
Girafarig 
Kangashkan 
Salamence 

In addition, we encourage you to lower the frequency for certain Pokemons to roll a “Wish + Protect” set due to the ambiguous interaction it may have with a Pokemon. For instance, such a set may or may not be optimal on Pokemons like Kangashkan and Illumise. 

Moreover, we ask you to determine the two other moves that accompany Wish + Protect with coherence, and refrain from assigning both of those moves as incoherent offensive damaging moves. 

Example 1. – Incoherent Wish + Protect set: 
Absol with Wish, Protect, Night Slash, Will-O-Wisp. 

Example 2. – Incoherent Offensive Wish + Protect set: 
Minun with Wish, Protect, Thunderbolt, Hidden Power Ice. 

The “Screens” Problem ⭐
The same considerations apply to several Pokemons that may roll a set with Reflect & Light Screen, which is worsened if the Pokemon is not equipped with Light Clay or only has one of these two moves. 

Therefore, we encourage you to remove “Screens” sets from the following Pokemons: 
Raichu 
Electabuzz (especially if it holds Eviolite instead of Light Clay) 
Electivire 
Jolteon
Pachirisu (especially because it can only learn Light Screen and not Reflect, and because it is not equipped with Light Clay) 
Porygon2 (especially because it can only learn Reflect and not Light Screen, and because it is equipped with Eviolite instead of Light Clay) 
Magneton (especially if it holds Eviolite instead of Light Clay) 
Mamoswine 
In addition, we recommend that you provide Light Clay to all Pokémons who may set up Reflect and Light Screen. 
 
Sets that generally do not align with the characteristics of a Pokemon ⭐
In Randoms, certain Pokemons are conditionally viable, as their potential significantly depends on the sets that are allocated to them. These Pokemons usually possess remarkable strength in certain stats while being significantly weak in other stats. 

An issue arises when such Pokemons roll sets that contradict their natural strengths while being insufficient to compensate for their weaknesses. Consequently, their value is considerably undermined, to a point where they become a liability for the player. This problem is further enhanced by other factors, such as a lack of offensive move typing diversity or the assignment of a suboptimal item. 

People may wonder why reform is needed for certain Pokémons despite them having reasonable winrates, but we can only stress the fact that winrates are not de facto a good representation of a Pokémon’s position in Randoms. This is because the possibility for a Pokémon to “win” a game (or at least, contribute to a win) largely depends on the set that it rolls. For instance, it wouldn’t be surprising for Shell Smash Gorebyss to have a winrate of 60% while Choice Scarf Gorebyss sits at a winrate of 45%. [These are made-up numbers that serve as an example.]

Therefore, we urge you to review sets that may be deemed as “dubious” in light of the above, while removing/updating them in a manner that is in line with the characteristics of the given Pokemon. 

For further clarification, here are examples of the sets we are referring to:

Example 1. - Leech Seed Cacturne 
Cacturne has high offensive stats, in both Sp.Atk and Ph.Atk, but is defensively frail and slow. A set that includes Swords Dance with Sucker Punch is coherent with Cacturne’s features because it plays around its strengths and accounts for its low speed. 
However, Cacturne with Leech Seed, Substitute, Giga Drain, and Sucker Punch is hardly viable as it cannot meaningfully fulfill the role of a “damage-over-time” Pokemon due to its weak defensive stats. Its offensive stats are somewhat disregarded despite them being Cacturne’s strength. 

Example 2. - Bellossom with no set-up and no utility 
Bellossom is a Pokemon with low speed and low offensive stats, with its defensive stats being average at best. To thrive, Bellossom either needs set-up moves (e.g., Quiver Dance) or utility moves (e.g., Toxic & Leech Seed). 
However, Bellossom becomes a liability if it does not roll such sets. For instance, a Bellossom with Giga Drain, Hidden Power Ice, Synthesis, and Sleep Power, can hardly be an asset for the team as it does not have the damage, nor the speed, nor the utility, to make progress in the game. 

Example 3. - Choice Specs Bastiodon  
Bastiodon has extremely high defensive stats but has very weak offensive stats. Sets on Bastiodon that provide utility to the player are in line with the Pokémon’s characteristics (e.g., Stealth Rocks, Toxic, Roar/Rest, Iron Head). 
However, Choice Specs do not add sufficient damage on Bastiodon’s moves for it to become offensively valuable. Its defensive stats are undermined despite them being Bastiodon’s strength, while the Pokémon remains offensively weak. 

The abovementioned combinations of Pokémons & sets are problematic because they enhance the Pokémons’ weaknesses, without sufficiently enhancing them to reach a successful potential, usually at the expense of their strengths. 

Allocating resources into a Pokémon’s weaknesses at the expense of its strengths is not always an issue, but it is in several instances as highlighted above, when viability is hindered. For example, the Belly Drum Hypno set ignores the Pokémon’s strong defensive capabilities and its role as a special attacker, and instead, considerably enhances its weakest stat: physical attack. Nonetheless, unlike the examples we have mentioned, a Belly Drum set on Hypno sufficiently enhances its weak attack stat to make it viable in Randoms (all the more since it gets Drain Punch which favors sustain on a bulky Pokémon). 

In addition to the aforementioned remarks, certain sets are simply underwhelming, inefficient, and we recommend that they therefore be removed. For example: 
Ledian with Reflect, Light Screen, Substitute, Baton Pass
Smeargle with Lunar Dance, Taunt, Spore, Rapid Spin 
Sudowoodo with Sucker Punch when it is equipped with a Choice Band (it is quite detrimental to be locked into Sucker Punch) 


III. SAFEGUARDS – COVERAGE & BALANCE ⭐

At the time being, there are a few safeguards in place which seek balance in terms of team composition and capabilities. For instance, no type may appear more than twice on a team, no identical dual-types can appear on a team, and no “trapping” Pokémons (such as Dugtrio and Pursuit users) can be rolled as a lead (with the exception of Magnet Pull Pokémons). 
Nevertheless, we share the opinion that the current safeguards are insufficient, which consequently leads to unfair/unbalanced situations. 

Indeed, it is unfortunately frequent for players to lose games because they rolled a team that can single-handedly be dismantled by one opposing Pokémon (due to its particular stats, typing, etc.). We agree that some match-ups may be unfavorable—which is something that inevitably comes with the tier—but no team should be entirely incapacitated by a singular Pokémon.   

We also believe that sets should be coherent in abstracto. In other words, a certain set may be valuable in a concrete setting (e.g., Screens Jolteon in a team that is built around it), but lack purpose and viability when isolated from any context (e.g., Screens Jolteon in general). Because Randoms does not account for teambuilding, we should avoid attributing sets which can reasonably be deemed as individually unviable on a given Pokémon. 

Therefore, we urge you to implement additional safeguards that will account for the following matters; 

Type Coverage 
We agree with the current safeguards in place with regards to typing.
However, we suggest that the following type-related aspects be subject to further safeguards: 

1.1. Offensive Type Coverage 
a) We are keen on avoiding situations in which none of the Pokémons of a team can effectively/super-effectively damage a specific type, or rather, where most moves are “not very effective” into a specific type. Greater offensive type coverage should be guaranteed. 
b) Should Shedinja remain in Randoms, the player opposing Shedinja must be equipped with reasonable tools in order to defeat Shedinja. It should not be possible for a player to only have one to three moves that may defeat Shedinja. 

1.2. Defensive Type Coverage 
We are keen on avoiding situations in which five or six Pokémons in a team are weak to one type. For instance, a team comprised of two grass types, one bug type, one ice type, and two steel types would be entirely weak to a fire Pokémon. Better defensive type coverage should be allocated within a team.  

Physical & Special Distribution 
There are currently no safeguards in place to guarantee a fair distribution of power, or in other words, a fair allocation of special / physical Pokémons, both on a defensive and an offensive spectrum (but mostly offensive). This can be a serious issue, for example, when a player rolls a team that consists of six special attackers while facing a Chansey. 

Therefore, we urge you to prevent the attribution, in a team, of six Pokémons that share the same power trait. For instance, it should not be possible for a player to roll a team with six physical attackers or six special attackers. 
 
A Fair Distribution of Other Characteristics : Avoiding Extremes
We believe that, in general, safeguards should be in place to prevent a player from receiving teams that are marked by excessive redundancy.  

Example 1. – Moves  
It should not be possible for a player to roll a team with five Stealth Rocks setters. 

Example 2. – Items 
It should not be possible for a player to roll a team with five Pokémons that have a choice item. 

We do not necessarily require a minimum of each, but we do advocate for a maximum of each. In other words, we wish to keep the tier as “randomized” as possible, which requires minimal intervention from the developers. Thus, setting a minimum standard for each team would limit Randoms in an unhealthy manner (e.g., setting a minimum of one “Choice” Pokémon in each team). However, we believe that a maximum number of X or Y elements should be featured in a team in order for the tier to be functional (e.g., maximum two “Choice” items per team, maximum five  “slow” Pokémons below a certain speed tier, etc.). The specific aspects that should fall under such limitations would be determined by the developers (i.e., not all aspects should be concerned by this limit). 

Include Hazard Removal in Teams that do not have Hazards ⭐⭐⭐
The disadvantage of playing into hazards in the absence of hazard removal and hazards themselves is egregious. It creates a significant unbalance between both players. This is further amplified by the confidential aspect of Randoms, which enables players to force out the opponent on many occasions. In regular tiers, hazard removal is present in a vast majority of teams. This should also be the case in Randoms. 

Therefore, we encourage you to include hazard removal in teams that do not possess hazards. 

Alternatively, we recommend that hazards be subject to a certain ponderation [We also suggest that Pokémons be categorized in certain tiers according to their sets. This will be developed in an ulterior section.]. This way, a team that has hazards will increase the overall “tier” of the team, and a team without hazards and without hazard removal will see its overall “tier” decreased. This way, the AI would be able to detect the “imbalance” related to hazards and equip the latter team with Pokémons in a higher tier to seek balance between both teams. 

Trapping Pokémons as Leads 
Currently, trapping Pokémons may not be rolled as a lead Pokémon. Such “trapping” Pokémons include, for instance, Pursuit users, Shadow Tag users, and Arena Trap users. 
However, Magnet Pull Pokémons are exempt from this safeguard and may be rolled as the lead. We do not understand this exemption. 

Therefore, we ask you to prevent Magnet Pull Pokémons from being rolled as the lead. 

Tiers within the Tier ⭐
Certain Pokémons with specific sets are stronger than others. Pokémon X with set Y may be stronger than Pokémon A with set Y, or than Pokémon X but, this time, with set Z. To avoid imbalances in the allocation of a team, we would like the developers to implement a non-public tiering system within Randoms itself, in order for the AI to fairly distribute Pokémons in a team. The purpose would be to avoid situations in which a team has five or six overpowered combinations of sets and Pokémons, and vice-versa. 

For instance, Shell Smash Gorebyss would be categorized in the “S+” tier whilst Choice Scarf Gorebyss would be categorized in the “C” tier. 
More specifically, tiering should be processed according to the winrate of a given Pokémon with regards to a given set (i.e., the winrate of the combination). To reiterate our example, Gorebyss with Shell Smash would fall in the S+ tier due to having a winrate of (for example) 58% whereas Gorebyss with Choice Scarf would be in the C tier due to its winrate of (for example) 45%. 

In fine, the allocation of a team by the AI should be processed, in part, according to the winrates of the combinations of Pokémons and sets, in order to reach an overall balanced team winrate.
In other words, the combined winrate of each combination of Pokémon and set—i.e., the team winrate—should hover around 50%, or at least, should not be excessively high or low. 

This is one of my recent games & it perfectly summarizes the issue with a lack of safeguards. 



Rolling the three worst Pokémons in the tier;
Rolling six special attackers into a Blissey (which had toxic and wish);
Lack of diversity in the move typings;
A choice scarf on a Pokémon that is already fast and therefore does not need the extra speed;

IV. FINAL CONSIDERATIONS
General considerations that do not fall under the abovementioned categories. 

We are not asking for a complete reform
This Reform Request may be critical of certain aspects of Randoms, but we enjoy most of the current features offered by the tier. 
We are in favor of playing original sets in Randoms that would otherwise be unviable in other tiers. The same applies for Pokémons that are fun to use but not strong enough to be played elsewhere than in Randoms.
We agree with the matchmaking system, where losing a game of Randoms is less impactful than losses in other tiers.
For the tier to remain faithful to its essence, we believe that “randomization” should be the rule. However, some degree of intervention is required for a healthy gameplay. The suggestions and problems underlined in this document are the intervention we would like to see. 
As far as we know, anything that has not been mentioned here should remain unchanged and is therefore implicitly marked by our approval. Other players may, however, point out issues that we have omitted/forgotten in the discussion thread. 

Upcoming Update : Involving PvP Players 
Seeing that a Randoms update is long overdue, that numerous players have considerable experience in Randoms and are themselves the recipient of an update, that the current meta includes a wide array of “dubious” sets (which affects player engagement and retention);
We encourage you to involve experienced Randoms players (and PvP players) in the upcoming modification and development of sets, and more generally, in the upcoming update of Randoms. 

We are aware that this involvement should be limited in a way that does not affect the fairness of Randoms [It would not be fair for certain Randoms players to have access to the entire list of sets and mechanics. This would enable them to have a list that can be used when playing Randoms and would therefore create an unfair advantage. Although most top rated Randoms players already have somewhat of a list, or most sets memorized, it would still be unjust symbolically-speaking] . Thus, our involvement would be limited to Pokémons & sets that may reasonably be deemed as “dubious”. In other words, it is not necessary—nor for the developers or for the Randoms players—to go over all of the sets. Most of them can remain untouched. We are only referring to the “dubious” sets, potential new HAs, potential new legendaries, etc. 

Moreover, we suggest that a council/thread be devoted to Randoms as a tier, with a dedicated Discord channel, similarly to what has been created for the other tiers—for the sake of fluid communication. The specific competences and purpose of this tier/thread would be defined by the developers. 

We urge you to take into account all of the abovementioned considerations, and ask you to inform the lead author of this request, DiscoShiba, if/when the recipient(s), Rache and/or other developers, have properly received and duly familiarized themselves with the content of this request.
Should this request be denied/ignored, we ask you to provide an explanation as to why that is. 

Lastly, we urge you to inform us on the potential existence of an update for Randoms in the foreseeable future, and if applicable, to provide a timeframe in which said-update will begin. 

Hall of Fame 
Noting that players who finish a season on the leaderboard as rank one, two, and three in OU, UU, NU, and Doubles, thereby winning a crown, have their in-game names displayed on the PokeMMO Forums Hall of Fame thread; 
Reaffirming the prestige that a leaderboard entry holds, but also the energy and time required for Randoms players to be placed in the top three, especially in contrast with other tiers;  
Expressing our lack of understanding as to why top leaderboard players in Randoms do not have their in-game names displayed in the Hall of Fame thread at the end of the season, and are thereby being treated differently for no apparent reason; 

We adamantly ask you to display, on the Hall of Fame thread, the in-game names of past and future Randoms players that finish (or have finished) the season in the top three of the leaderboard. 
______________________________________________________________________

OPEN DISCUSSION ON THE FORUMS 

On a final note, we would like to open a discussion on certain points mentioned within this document—which will be posted on the Forums.
In particular, we are keen to see players share their views on the following topics (these topics will be marked with a yellow star on the Forums ⭐): 
Dugtrio and Shedinja in Randoms, uncompetitive or not?; 
The specifics of adding new items, Pokémons, and abilities to Randoms; 
The specific Pokémons that should (not) have access to Screens and Wish/Protect sets; 
Type coverage safeguards (and other safeguards); 
The randomized distribution of hazards in teams or lack thereof; 
Tiers within the Randoms tier; 
The specifics of “Dubious sets”. 

Naturally, we welcome and encourage players to voice their opinions on other matters related to Randoms, including those that may have not been covered by this request. 

Lastly—regarding “dubious sets”—it would be helpful if players could post screenshots or the exact moves of sets that may reasonably be considered as nonsensical so that we can have a list. At the very least, it would enable a discussion to be held on sets for which viability is debatable.

______________________________________________________________________

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 

I wish to thank the developers and Rache in advance for considering this request,

Thank you to all the PvP players and other members of the community who contributed to the content of this request, and to those that will be part of future discussions. 

Kind regards,
DiscoShiba & SpidgetREAL (lead authors of the request) 

I may be reached through the following channel (contact information):
IGN: DiscoShiba
Forums: DiscoShiba
Discord: discoshiba66