VGC and Hacked Pokemon

[T-imotep]

Hi everyone!

I'm looking for answers that I cannot find anywhere. Hope you could help me!

Official rules of VGC:
4.1. Illegally Manipulated Pokemon
o The use of external devices, such as a mobile app, to modify or create items or Pokemon in a player’s Battle Box is expressly forbidden. Players found to have Pokemon or items that have been tampered with may be disqualified from competition, regardless of whether the Pokemon or items belong to that player or were traded for.

1. If the pokemon can be traded online, how do you know it is hacked and it can be used in official competition?
2. Why is it impossible to create from scratch an illegal pokemon that meet all the standards of the legal one?

Thank you very much if you can help me!

 

[Captain Jigglypuff]

Normally this type of thing isn’t allowed to be discussed on this site but I’m wondering why you are asking?

 

[T-imotep]

One of my friend was disqualified from a competition for use of an hacked Pokemon. He get it by exchange (he said me) but then it should have been allowed for trade.
I've just realized there is a list of "legit-hacked" pokemon that are forbidden in those competition. It may have been one of those then.
I cannot delete the thread. I'd be glad if you do it for me.

 

[Captain Jigglypuff]

One of my friend was banned from a competition for use of an hacked Pokemon. He get it by exchange (he said me) but then it should have been allowed for trade. Sorry if it is not allowed I will close the topic right after you read this...

No need to close. If you were wondering how you can tell then it’s okay to talk about it. If you wanted to know how to hack Pokémon then it’d be an issue. Typically the way you tell if a Pokémon has been hacked is by its stats, being a Shiny that has been Shiny locked and never been released (e.g. Victini), or it has an Ability it shouldn’t have (e.g. Spiritomb having Wonder Guard in Gen V)

 

[T-imotep]

Ok, Thank you very much for that answer. I was wondering if there was a "seal of authenticity" that guaranteed the legitimacy of a Pokemon, but it seems there is none.

Have a nice day!

 

[Captain Jigglypuff]

Ok, Thank you very much for that answer. I was wondering if there was a "seal of authenticity" that guaranteed the legitimity of a Pokemon, but it seems there is none.

Have a nice day!

There are a few things that guarantee a Pokémon isn’t hacked. I can’t really explain them all but another user more knowledgeable in the subject could explain it. I know if the Pokémon is rejected by Pokémon Bank or Home then it’s most likely hacked. Other telltale signs are symbols next to the markings on the first page when look at a Pokemon’s info, the Trainer ID if it is an event Pokémon, the type of Poke Ball it is in (e.g. Arceus in a Cherish Ball), And occasionally a Pokémon Ribbon attached to the Pokémon to help indicate it is an event Pokémon usually a Classic Ribbon.

 

[Sceptile Leaf Blade]

There are a few things that guarantee a Pokémon isn’t hacked. I can’t really explain them all but another user more knowledgeable in the subject could explain it. I know if the Pokémon is rejected by Pokémon Bank or Home then it’s most likely hacked. Other telltale signs are symbols next to the markings on the first page when look at a Pokemon’s info, the Trainer ID if it is an event Pokémon, the type of Poke Ball it is in (e.g. Arceus in a Cherish Ball), And occasionally a Pokémon Ribbon attached to the Pokémon to help indicate it is an event Pokémon usually a Classic Ribbon.

I don't think Bank actually has hack-checks whatsoever, you can put virtually anything in there that isn't a Totem pokémon from usum or Cosplay Pikachu, and that's only because those forms were never programmed into Bank in the first place. Even the most extreme hacks with completely illegal movesets and abilities just go straight into Bank without issue, Bank doesn't actually look at any kind of combination or legitimacy, it just looks if the moves, ball, ribbons, ability, and form are in its database so it can store them, but doesn't cross-correlate them at all between each other for legitimacy. Stuff like Frenzy Plant Marshadow and so on, no issue.

To answer the original question, regard anything you didn't obtain yourself and you received from strangers as hacked, especially legendaries and events. If you want to get something legit, catch it yourself in your own game.

 

[T-imotep]

Hi Sceptile Leaf Blade, thank you for your time!

The matter is to play in official tournament. Unfortunately a lot of legendaries cannot be obtained without passed Events...

I am so sad for that shiny Celebi from Crystal that somebody traded me . Passing by, is a clone from Silver/Gold/Crystal version using the in game glitch would be considered a hack in official tournament? In fact it is not an external device!

 

[Sceptile Leaf Blade]

Hi Sceptile Leaf Blade, thank you for your time!

The matter is to play in official tournament. Unfortunately a lot of legendaries cannot be obtained without passed Events...

I am so sad for that shiny Celebi from Crystal that somebody traded me . Passing by, is a clone from Silver/Gold/Crystal version using the in game glitch would be considered a hack in official tournament? In fact it is not an external device!

Mythicals like Celebi are never allowed in VGC tournaments regardless of their legality, most likely because it'd lead to unfair advantages to certain players depending on their geographical location (some areas get events for them, others don't)

 

[Ophie]

Ok, Thank you very much for that answer. I was wondering if there was a "seal of authenticity" that guaranteed the legitimacy of a Pokemon, but it seems there is none.

Have a nice day!

There are also a few signs that your Pokémon was very likely hacked, though it's not a guarantee:
1. The Pokémon is shiny and isn't Magikarp.
2. The Pokémon has perfect Individual Values in all stats.
3. The Pokémon's nickname and/or Trainer ID shows a URL or contains the word "Lab."
4. The Pokémon is of a species one wouldn't just normally give away, like Legendary Pokémon or Mythical Pokémon.
5. The Pokémon is of an unusually low level for its species (such as a Level 10 Mewtwo) or high level, though EXP Candies have made this less suspicious.

That's because some individuals and groups online are generating hacked Pokémon and distributing them via Surprise Trade. I've received Pokémon from at least two of these groups in the past, and I've encountered at least three of them playing online. They always give nicknames indicating whom they're from. By the by, they believe they're doing something good, giving away Pokémon people will appreciate, and the majority of their recipients probably do. Problem is that they can run afoul of hack filters or judges at competitions. They're also the groups responsible for the GTS historically being full of unreasonable trades (you know, stuff like offering a Level 20 Surskit and expecting a Level 100 Genesect), because they'll actually fulfill them.

And the only way to be sure is what Sceptile Leaf Blade said: Never trust any Pokémon you didn't catch or breed yourself. It's perfectly fine to use these hacked Pokémon to start your breeding or just to use in-game (provided they don't glitch anything up), but I would NOT advise ever actually bringing them straight into a competition. If you show up with a shiny Charizard with all perfect IVs, can Gigantamax, and is natually Timid with Solar Power, that's going to draw some eyeballs over.

Mythicals like Celebi are never allowed in VGC tournaments regardless of their legality, most likely because it'd lead to unfair advantages to certain players depending on their geographical location (some areas get events for them, others don't)

Yeah, I remember for a while why Phione was banned despite not being overpowered in any way (I used Phione myself online in Generation IV), and I realized the issue lies in how Mythical Pokémon are not available to everybody.

 

[WishIhadaManafi5]

There are also a few signs that your Pokémon was very likely hacked, though it's not a guarantee:
1. The Pokémon is shiny and isn't Magikarp.
2. The Pokémon has perfect Individual Values in all stats.
3. The Pokémon's nickname and/or Trainer ID shows a URL or contains the word "Lab."
4. The Pokémon is of a species one wouldn't just normally give away, like Legendary Pokémon or Mythical Pokémon.
5. The Pokémon is of an unusually low level for its species (such as a Level 10 Mewtwo) or high level, though EXP Candies have made this less suspicious.

That's because some individuals and groups online are generating hacked Pokémon and distributing them via Surprise Trade. I've received Pokémon from at least two of these groups in the past, and I've encountered at least three of them playing online. They always give nicknames indicating whom they're from. By the by, they believe they're doing something good, giving away Pokémon people will appreciate, and the majority of their recipients probably do. Problem is that they can run afoul of hack filters or judges at competitions. They're also the groups responsible for the GTS historically being full of unreasonable trades (you know, stuff like offering a Level 20 Surskit and expecting a Level 100 Genesect), because they'll actually fulfill them.

And the only way to be sure is what Sceptile Leaf Blade said: Never trust any Pokémon you didn't catch or breed yourself. It's perfectly fine to use these hacked Pokémon to start your breeding or just to use in-game (provided they don't glitch anything up), but I would NOT advise ever actually bringing them straight into a competition. If you show up with a shiny Charizard with all perfect IVs, can Gigantamax, and is natually Timid with Solar Power, that's going to draw some eyeballs over.



Yeah, I remember for a while why Phione was banned despite not being overpowered in any way (I used Phione myself online in Generation IV), and I realized the issue lies in how Mythical Pokémon are not available to everybody.

Another one to add to 3., any Pokemon whose OT has TV or YT as a part of their username. Gotten the former before via wonder/surprise trade via Moon version.

 

[nel3]

Since this thread is open, what consequences are there if any for using them online battles? I'm asking as a well known user on YT recently made a battle vid with mons from surprise trades they were all shiny and had tv or .com in their names. They seemed fine in normal online combat and they would clearly not pass the vgc rules. I don't plan on using similar sourced mons at all but I'm just wondering how strong/well coded the game is to make such mons inelligble for battles. GF never did code GTS WT that well to make hacked mons useless.

 

[Captain Jigglypuff]

Since this thread is open, what consequences are there if any for using them online battles? I'm asking as a well known user on YT recently made a battle vid with mons from surprise trades they were all shiny and had tv or .com in their names. They seemed fine in normal online combat and they would clearly not pass the vgc rules. I don't plan on using similar sourced mons at all but I'm just wondering how strong/well coded the game is to make such mons inelligble for battles. GF never did code GTS WT that well to make hacked mons useless.

The Youtubers are probably doing local battles with one Switch on tv and the other in handheld mode. I believe I heard that anyone caught by GF and Nintendo using hacked Pokémon in online competitions will be banned immediately.

 

[nel3]

The Youtubers are probably doing local battles with one Switch on tv and the other in handheld mode. I believe I heard that anyone caught by GF and Nintendo using hacked Pokémon in online competitions will be banned immediately.

Ty for the reply, I'm not sure exactly what forms they use to do the battles but id never risk that myself. Does GF ban such grevious players from online functions all together? The YT user in question does legit battle mons but once in a while uses hacked mons ie 1 full hack mon battle. I wonder how they are able to go back to their normal 100% legit battle teams without any lasting issues.

 

[Captain Jigglypuff]

The only hacked battles I watch on YouTube is the Metronome battles that pit alternate forms, split Evolutions, or counterparts against each other and both teams use only Metronome. It looks like it is local battles because there is no lag and both sides select Metronome almost immediately each turn. The uploaded also states before every match that this is done only for fun and never encourages people to create hacked Pokémon.

 

[nel3]

The only hacked battles I watch on YouTube is the Metronome battles that pit alternate forms, split Evolutions, or counterparts against each other and both teams use only Metronome. It looks like it is local battles because there is no lag and both sides select Metronome almost immediately each turn. The uploaded also states before every match that this is done only for fun and never encourages people to create hacked Pokémon.

the online YT vids i watch are those by a youtuber whole name starts with a P. he makes a living off of YT and streaming pokemon videos (LOL try saying thats your main job 30yrs ago) so he does only 1-2 videos of hacked mons just for fun. all the other teams he uses are ones he properly breeds or legit mon from trades.