
Battle rules are restrictions that can be placed on a battle. They are negotiated and selected prior to the battle, and remain in place throughout the battle. Both player-vs.-player and player-vs.-NPC Trainer battles can have battle rules configured. Battle rules can also be exported and imported as plain text to save rule configurations for later use.
If battle rules are configured, players will be taken to a "team selection" screen prior to battle, where they can choose which of their party Pokémon will be used during the battle, along with which Pokémon will be sent out first as the battle begins. Pokémon that are not selected for battle will become temporarily unavailable during battle, and will return after the battle is finished.
Selection
Player
When challenging a player, one of the options in the challenge screen is the battle rules selection. If either player selects this option, the battle rules screen will open prior to the battle starting.
From the battle rules screen, the first player to select the battle rules option will be able to configure the rules for the battle. After this, the other player will be presented with the selected rules, and can confirm that the selected rules are satisfactory and start the battle.
If the second player is not satisfied with the rules, the rules can be modified by the second player and sent to the first player for confirmation. This process can continue until both players are satisfied with the rules, or until one player declines the battle completely. The Minecraft chat is available while selecting rules, allowing conversations to negotiate the rules.
NPC Trainer
Using an NPC editor, the battle rules for an NPC Trainer can be selected. These rules will be enforced when a player battles the NPC Trainer, and are non-negotiable.
List of rules
- Level cap: Imposes an upper limit on the level that Pokémon can be. Pokémon with levels higher than this limit have their levels reduced to the limit.
- Raise to cap: Pokémon with levels lower than the level cap have their levels raised to the level cap.
- Full heal: Pokémon will be fully healed, including HP, PP, and status, when the battle begins. After the battle is over, all of these attributes will revert back to what they were before the battle. This setting will also cause held items to be restored after the battle, regardless of the "returnHeldItems" config setting.
- Battle type: Whether the battle is a single battle (1 vs. 1) or a double battle (2 vs. 2). It is currently impossible to initiate multi battles with this setting.
- # Pokémon: The maximum number of Pokémon that can be selected for battle by each player.
- Turn time: The amount of time that players are given to select a move for a turn. If the timer expires, a move is selected randomly for the player.
- Team select time: The amount of time that players are given to select Pokémon before battle. If the timer expires, the currently selected Pokémon will be used for battle. If no Pokémon are selected, or all selected Pokémon cannot be used due to battle clause restrictions, the first eligible Pokémon will be automatically selected for battle.
- Team preview: If enabled, the Pokémon in the opposing team will be displayed during team selection.
Clauses
Clauses are assorted rules that restrict Pokémon that can be used or affect certain aspects of battle. If clauses are selected such that a side of the battle cannot use any of its Pokémon, the battle will not start. All clauses are disabled by default, and they can be selectively enabled as desired.
- Bag Clause: Players cannot use items from their bags during battle, such as medicine. Held items can still be used by Pokémon.
- Baton Pass Clause: Pokémon with the move Baton Pass cannot be used.
- Baton Pass 1 Clause: Only one Pokémon on a team can have the move Baton Pass.
- Chatter Clause: Pokémon with the move Chatter cannot be used.
- Drizzle Clause: Pokémon are not allowed to have the Drizzle Ability.
- Drizzle-Swim Clause: A team cannot have a Pokémon with the Drizzle Ability and another Pokémon with the Swift Swim Ability.
- Drought Clause: Pokémon with the Drought Ability cannot be used.
- Endless Battle Clause: Pokémon cannot have a combination of held items, moves, and Abilities that would allow a battle to proceed endlessly.
- Evasion Ability Clause: Pokemon with the Sand Veil or Snow Cloak Abilities cannot be used.
- Evasion Clause: Pokémon with the moves Double Team or Minimize cannot be used.
- Inverse Battle: Type matchups are reversed. For example, Fire would become not very effective against Grass if this clause is enabled. Type immunities will become 2× super effective matchups. Immunities from other causes, such as Abilities, are not changed.
- Item Clause: A team cannot have multiple Pokémon with the same held item.
- Legendary Clause: Legendary Pokémon cannot be used.
- Mega Clause: Mega Evolution cannot be used. Pokémon holding their Mega Stones are banned from battle.
- Moody Clause: Pokémon with the Moody Ability cannot be used.
- OHKO Clause: Pokémon with the moves Fissure, Guillotine, Horn Drill, or Sheer Cold cannot be used.
- Sand Stream Clause: Pokémon with the Sand Stream Ability cannot be used.
- Shadow Tag Clause: Pokémon with the Shadow Tag Ability cannot be used.
- Sky Battle: Imposes the Sky Battle restrictions from Pokémon X and Y.
- Sleep Clause: Only one Pokémon on a team can be put to sleep at a time. Self-imposed sleep from Rest can still be inflicted with this restriction.
- Smash-Pass Clause: Pokémon that have both of the moves Shell Smash and Baton Pass cannot be used.
- Snow Warning Clause: Pokémon with the Snow Warning Ability cannot be used.
- Soul Dew Clause: Latias and Latios that are holding a Soul Dew cannot be used.
- Species Clause: A team cannot have multiple Pokémon with the same Pokédex number.
- Speed-Pass Clause: A Pokémon cannot have Baton Pass, a move/Ability that boosts Speed, and a move/Ability that boosts another stat. For example, a Pokémon cannot have Baton Pass and Shell Smash, or the combination of Baton Pass, Speed Boost, and Swords Dance.
- Swagger Clause: Pokémon with the move Swagger cannot be used.
- Weather Speed Clause: A team cannot have a weather-setting Ability and an Ability that boosts Speed when that weather is active. This includes the combinations of Drizzle and Swift Swim, Drought and Chlorophyll, and Sand Stream and Sand Rush.