FAQ

Have people actually asked these questions?

No, no one has asked me any questions, really. But these are questions that I anticipate people might have once they start using this teambuilder. Also, having a FAQ page is good for SEO and marketing stuff, so I figured I'd add one.

Who made this website?

Me. It took me a really long time, and I know it's not perfect, but I do have a full-time job and a family. You can support me here.

Why do I have to pay for this?

It's expensive to run the servers and store everybody's teams!

The Pokémon Showdown teambuilder works fine... Why should I use this?

I have nothing against the Showdown teambuilder. I actually think it's extremely pleasant to use, simple, and elegant. It stays out of the way, unlike a lot of software, while also letting you quickly iterate on building teams. BUT! The main problem is that the entire Pokémon ecosystem exists by sharing teams v.i.a. raw text files, pastebins, etc. We're missing out on some really cool opportunities that a good ol' relational database, with teams connected to user accounts, can provide.

If people can store their teams in the cloud, then they can share them directly, copy them right into their own teambuilder, public teams can be upvoted, downvoted, etc. This will be really useful for normal Pokémon players who like laddering, and I think this will be an especially useful platform for content creators which help drive the Pokémon community.

As Old Ball Teambuilder continues to get better, and as I find more time, as usage stats get imported, there's also some really cool, "smart" teambuilder things that could get implemented. I.e., warning you of certain metagame threats—"It looks like you don't have an offensive Dragonite check."

What about Pikalytics?

Pikalytics seem to have focused moreso on the analytics of the VGC community. Their site is really pretty, and they clearly have some very talented, hardworking people running things (i.e., updating the usage stats after tournaments). That being said, I don't really like their teambuilder. It's a little clunky, and it's hard to use if you're used to using the Pokémon Showdown teambuilder. Again, I don't really think it's where they put their focus—instead focusing more on analytics, as the name suggests.

Are other tiers going to be added?

It's not a priority right now for me. For now I plan on aligning everything with Generation 9 (Pokémon Scarlet and Violet).

Do you play Pokémon?

I've been playing Pokémon battle simulators since 2013. I was most active back in the Pokémon Online (PO) era.

Make it smarter!

• Okay!!
• I want to add usage stats.
• I want to do more analysis (without getting in the way of the simplicity of the teambuilder). Things like (your team is weak to certain popular metagame threats, certain type weaknesses, etc.)

Are there any other ways I can support Old Ball Teambuilder

Right now I'm a team of one. If you want to support Old Ball Teambuilder, you can, well make an account. If you feel overjoyed by the teambuilder, you can support me directly via Stripe.