The Grand Melee

The Grand Melee is the culmination of the UPN PASBL calendar. An annual event battle, with almost all the trainers of the league (Excepting of course the referees who officiate over this battle) sent into a massive arena together with one of their Pokémon and a few items of equipment (A "Radar" and a Walkie Talkie) in a battle for supremacy and the League Championship.

Rules

The rules for the Grand Melee are anything but standard, so please make sure you pay very close attention. They're also very long, but you're going to have to read it all through thoroughly if you want to stand a chance of winning.

Technically, there is no upper maximum number of trainers for a Grand Melee, nor is there an upper maximum number of referees. However, it is advised that the numbers be kept to around 50 trainers and 5 referees maximum.

The Battle is held on a specially designed arena. One is held annually at November 1 each year, however they may be called at any time (As long as one is not currently running) by the League Officials or by a person paying a full 50 service points.

For Trainers & Referees

Each trainer is permitted only one Pokémon in the Grand Melee. ONLY 1. It is recommended that trainers choose only their highest level Pokémon for this duty, as level can and will have a major impact. In choosing your Pokémon, take into account how frequently you have used this Pokémon recently, what sort of strategies you plan to use in the Grand Melee, and what trainer profile you intend on choosing (More on that below). If you do not choose a Pokémon by the first day of the battle and you have been expressed interest to be in it, you will automatically be assigned a random Pokémon from your squad who is at their maximum potential level for your trainer level and gym badges.

Trainers accompany their Pokémon into the arena. To represent this, each trainer must choose a trainer profile to represent them. The profiles are named after Pokémon who would have the same approximate physical characteristics. No profile is better or worse than any others (Even though some have slightly higher or lower total scores), however some may not suit your trainer style. Have a look at the battles you've recently completed and see what sort of strategies you've taken with the Pokémon you choose to bring in, and try and choose a profile to compliment, while also not hindering, your Pokémon. If you do not choose a profile by the first day of the battle and you have been expressed interest to be in it, you will automatically be assigned the "All-rounder" profile, Hitmontop.

Each trainer will be given a kit consisting of a "radar" and a "walkie talkie". While the current radars will be posted on the forums with each ref result, the walkie talkie is to represent the fact that trainers can and will talk to each other outside of the actual match. These pieces of equipment cannot be lost, stolen or broken, however there may be in some arenas the opportunity to "modify" your radar so it no longer sends out the tracking beacon, and so subsequently you do not appear on radar readouts.

Points will be scored for trainers inside the Grand Melee, so it is entirely possible to boost your level (And your Pokémon's level) inside the battle. (Make sure you have enough gym badges and wins though to reach those next levels.). You will get a full point for each Pokémon you knock out, and a half point when your Pokémon is knocked out. You will ONLY score these points while both you are your Pokémon are not knocked out, and while you are not separated.

Everyone, trainers and Pokémon, are fair game for attacks, however there are limits.
Pokémon may NOT use damaging attacks against trainers when that trainers Pokémon is still with them and not yet knocked out, excepting situations where the trainer would be in the blast area of the attack. Attacks may NOT be targeted between the two targets so that they hit both, they must be directly aimed at the Pokémon.
Trainers may attack anyone, at any time. Their "attacks" will be limited to punches, kicks, and other various "martial arts" moves (WITHIN REASON ! By no means will anyone be allowed to use a Steel Cloth (or variation) technique for instance. If you aren't sure, clear it with a ref !), and will be heavily influenced by the trainers chosen profile.

Pokémon come under the control of the referees if their Trainer is put asleep, or somehow unable to order attacks. If or when the trainer is subsequently revived and their Pokémon is not yet knocked out, their Pokémon may no longer be with them due to this referee control, and the trainer will then have to find their Pokémon first to have a shot at winning.

Trainers are limited in the number of attacks they may order per round per week to 4 1-move-combos, 2 2-move-combos and 1 3-move-combo. These limits are seperate for the trainer and the Pokémon, and there is nothing stopping you from having yourself (the trainer) do a 3 move combo and the Pokémon do a 2 move combo in the same round, just so long as in the week you do not use more than the limits each.

You send your moves for the round as an EMAIL to the mailing list which will have been specifically been set up for this. The result for the round, from the perspective of an announcer sitting up in a commentary box, will be posted on the forums in the Grand Melee Main Thread. This commentary box perspective will usually be all that is required for each trainer, however on occasion you might be PM'ed with special information. Remember, the commentator can see everything, and everyone will hear everything he says. Your opponents will have advance warning of you sneaking up on them (Not just from the commentator, but also from the radar), so be careful.

One cannot stress this point more strongly then it is here.
MAKE SURE YOU FORMAT YOUR EMAIL TO THE REFEREES PROPERLY OR YOUR ACTIONS FOR THIS ROUND MAY BE IGNORED.

Battle "ends" for a trainer when either they, or their Pokémon, are knocked out. Once this has happened, you may not win in the Grand Melee. However, you aren't necessarily completely out of the action, as explained below.
Where the trainer is knocked out before their Pokémon, their Pokémon will from then on be under the control of the referees for the rest of the battle. These Pokémon will have two priorities. Protecting their fallen trainers body, and avenging their loss.
Where the Pokémon falls before the trainer, the trainer, while no longer able to win, may still act to prevent others winning if they so choose. How exactly they can do this will be up to the trainers.
If a trainer can somehow revive their Pokémon, the battle will continue as if the Pokémon had not been knocked out in the first place.

The Grand Melee is over when only 1 team of trainer and Pokémon remains "attached". Trainers without their Pokémon and Pokémon without their trainers do not count, even if both halves of the team are not yet knocked out.

Trainer Profiles

The following are the 10 profiles you will have to choose from. There are no limits for how many people can have each profile, however if all your rivals are taking a particular profile, it might be wise to choose one with an advantage over it. Of course, since profile decisions are not public (They go to the referees via the mailing list.), you'll have to find out what they are picking first.

Sneasel
Speed: 10
Strength: 4
Body: 4
Reflex: 8
Defense: 7
Jump: 7
Fist: 7
Foot: 4
Order: 6
Total: 57

Machamp
Speed: 5
Strength: 10
Body: 6
Reflex: 5
Defense: 7
Jump: 5
Fist: 8
Foot: 4
Order: 4
Total: 54

Golem
Speed: 4
Strength: 8
Body: 10
Reflex:  6
Defense: 7
Jump:  3
Fist: 7
Foot: 4
Order: 7
Total: 56

Alakazam
Speed: 8
Strength: 4
Body: 4
Reflex: 10
Defense: 2
Jump: 8
Fist:  6
Foot: 5
Order: 8
Total: 55

Scizor
Speed: 6
Strength: 4
Body: 7
Reflex: 7
Defense: 10
Jump: 6
Fist: 6
Foot: 4
Order: 4
Total: 54

Gengar
Speed: 8
Strength: 3
Body: 5
Reflex: 6
Defense: 5
Jump: 10
Fist: 6
Foot: 6
Order: 7
Total: 56

Hitmonchan
Speed: 7
Strength: 5
Body: 6
Reflex: 6
Defense: 6
Jump: 5
Fist: 10
Foot: 4
Order: 6
Total: 55

Hitmonlee
Speed: 8
Strength: 4
Body: 4
Reflex: 7
Defense: 4
Jump: 8
Fist: 4
Foot: 10
Order: 6
Total: 55

Lapras
Speed: 4 
Strength: 8
Body: 8
Reflex: 8
Defense: 8
Jump: 2
Fist: 4
Foot: 4
Order: 10
Total: 56

Hitmontop
Speed: 6
Strength: 6 
Body: 6 
Reflex: 6 
Defense: 6 
Jump: 6 
Fist: 6 
Foot: 6 
Order: 6 
Total: 54

Grand Arenas

While the Grand Arenas are primarily intended for use in Grand Melee's, they are also open for use in regular battles, though it is STRONGLY recommended that none below Trainer Level 4 use them, and that even then, only the most experienced of trainers think about using them.

Star Park (League Grand Arena. Site of the 2001 UPN PASBL Grand Melee). Coming Soon.