About Smogon

Smogon is the most comprehensive and accurate online resource for competitive Pokémon battling. We offer articles and advice via our community forums to help fans of the game compete at every level, while honing their skills in every aspect of competitive Pokémon from team building to battling tactics. Our over-450,000-member organization is growing at an ever increasing rate, constantly expanding our knowledge base and our ability to be at the cutting edge of the game.

Though officially established December 18th, 2004 by the site owner, chaos, the history of our organization stretches back many years. Some members have been part of the online competitive Pokémon scene since 1999, originating from websites such as GameFAQs, Azure Heights, RPGamer, Pojo, and The PokeMasters. Top battlers from these websites held a number of tournaments, hosted on the original "Pokémon Battle Simulator," a web based sim written by Blizzard for the RBY Pokémon games. Other battle simulators were made, more strategies were developed, and a close knit community began to form around the game. This community needed a unifying presence on the Internet, a definitive home. And thus, Smogon began.

Since that time, we have evolved from just a tiny group of gaming gurus into a gigantic association of Pokémon fans whose membership spans the globe. The impressive growth of Smogon has brought it quite a bit of attention and recognition. We are now widely acknowledged on the web as being the authority in the competitive Pokémon arena.

Smogon also provides an outlet in the form of tournaments for competitive battlers to apply what they have learned from the vast resources provided on this site. At any given time there may be over fifteen active tournaments, varying in theme and structure, almost all of which are open to any registered member who would like to participate. Respected community members are always attempting to come up with some new twist to put into these exciting competitions that keep them fresh for all members. In addition to the multitude of minor contests Smogon offers, our tournament circuit called the Smogon Tour is one of the centerpieces of the competitive Pokémon environment on the Internet. The Tour unfolds in weekly installments, each of which features a particular generation of Pokémon: BW/XY/SM. Participants face the highest caliber of competition and only the most well-rounded and experienced emerge victorious. The final segment of the Smogon tournament scene is the Official Smogon Tournament which occurs only once each year. This is the most prestigious Pokémon contest on the Internet, the last of which was entered by 512 participants. Learn more about Smogon’s minor tournaments, the Smogon Tour, and the Official Tournament from the tournaments section of the site.

In addition to giving members the chance to test their skills in the tournaments we sponsor, Smogon has provided a teaching and learning program where newer members are welcomed to sign-up for a personal tutor. Senior community members volunteer their time and expertise in varying areas of competitive play in order to help junior members apply the concepts they learn from the articles on our site, integrating them into complex battling strategies. We believe that the tutoring program provides something extra to individuals who really want to learn the game. The gains made through the one-on-one attention afforded to students in the program go beyond what can be gleaned from the advice in a “Rate My Team” thread or read in an article. Tutors and apprentices schedule real time meetings on a battling simulator so that novices get hands on experience with a coach by their side. These partnerships have helped many beginners blossom into respected battlers in their own right, some becoming tutors themselves!

Though Pokémon is certainly the focus of our site, you will find that the members of our community have a wide variety of interests and a particular brand of humor. Our long history has given rise to an entire culture characterized by a kind of "Smogon swagger" that you will experience if you visit our official Discord server or one of our general discussion sub-forums. Please note that we enforce COPPA, and all of our site content including the forums, Discord, onsite analyses, videos, articles, webzines, and social media accounts may contain content not suitable for those under the age of 13.

Currently there are several projects underway that promise a bright future for the Smogon Community. New authoritative articles have been authored for each Pokémon, and our staff is always working to keep them up to date. The site is always changing and new features are constantly being added. With the vast and knowledgeable staff working on its directives, Smogon is a dynamic place of growth and improvement that is continually better able to serve its users.

Going forward into the future, the Smogon staff is optimistic that our expansion will continue and hope to maintain our place as the pre-eminent source of competitive Pokémon information on the Internet!