Generation 3 OU (ADV) — Singles Format Reference
ADV OU (Generation 3) is the foundational era of modern competitive Pokémon. Smogon's tier hierarchy, Sleep Clause, Species Clause, and the 6v6 Singles format were all formalised here. Skarm-Bliss is the era's defining defensive core; Tyranitar Sand Stream is its only weather setter.
Cartridge
Ruby / Sapphire / Emerald
Type
6v6 Singles
Status
Frozen tier · 20+ years played
Era
Foundational
Skarmory walls physical attackers. Blissey walls special attackers. The two-Pokémon defensive core has shaped every ADV team-building decision for over twenty years.
At a glance
ADV is where competitive Pokémon was formalised. Abilities, natures, the 252-EV system, Smogon's tier hierarchy, the canonical clauses — all introduced or codified in Gen 3.
The format is now frozen and one of the most-played retro formats. Smogon Tour, Smogon Premier League (SPL), and the World Cup of Pokémon all run ADV OU continuously. The meta is the most refined of any single generation — three decades of community analysis on a fixed banlist.
- Format type6v6 Singles, all six brought to battle
- MechanicsAbilities (intro), natures (intro), held items (Choice Band intro), Sand Stream Tyranitar
- StatusFrozen — meta stable since Gen 4 succession; played continuously since
- Where it's playedPokémon Showdown ladder + retro tournaments. Live tier page: /rse/ou.
- Sister formatsUbers (above), UU (below)
Format rules
ADV OU is where the canonical Smogon Singles ruleset was formalised. Most clauses every later gen uses originate here.
| Clause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Sleep Clause | Only one opposing Pokémon may be put to sleep at a time. Formalised in ADV. |
| Species Clause | Each team can only carry one of any given species. ADV-formalised. |
| Evasion Clause | Evasion-boosting moves and abilities are banned. ADV-formalised. |
| OHKO Clause | Sheer Cold, Fissure, Horn Drill, Guillotine are banned. |
| Endless Battle Clause | Battle states that cannot end are forbidden. |
| Soul Dew Clause |  Soul Dew banned in OU. Latias and Latios cannot hold it. |
| Sleep Counter rule | Persists across switches in Gen 3 (rule changed in Gen 5). |
Banlist
ADV OU's banlist established the canonical pattern — ban box legendaries, ban Pokémon whose stats outpace the format's answers, ban abilities that distort the matchup space (Shadow Tag).
Notable ADV OU bans
| Pokémon | Why it was banned |
|---|---|
| Mewtwo | 154 SpA + 130 Spe + universal coverage. Permanent Ubers from Gen 1 onward. |
| Lugia | 106/130/90/154/154/110 + Recover. Permanent Ubers. |
| Ho-Oh | 106/130/90/110/154/90 + Sacred Fire (50% burn chance). Permanent Ubers. |
| Kyogre | Drizzle + 150 SpA + Surf in rain. Permanent Ubers. |
| Groudon | Drought + 150 Atk + Earthquake in sun. Permanent Ubers. |
| Rayquaza | Air Lock + 150 / 150 mixed offensive stats + Outrage / Dragon Claw / Earthquake. Permanent Ubers. |
| Deoxys-Speed | 180 base Speed + Stealth Rock setter (Gen 4+). Banned to Ubers. |
| Deoxys-Attack | 180 / 180 mixed offensive stats. Permanent Ubers. |
| Wobbuffet | Shadow Tag + Counter / Mirror Coat. Banned to Ubers for trapping pattern. |
| Blaziken | Speed Boost (HGSS-era distribution; pre-Hidden Ability era ADV runs Blaze + Belly Drum). |
Skarm-Bliss & Tyranitar sand
Two team-building patterns define ADV OU. The Skarm-Bliss core walls almost every offensive type. Tyranitar's Sand Stream is the format's only permanent weather and the engine for the era's offensive sand cores.
Skarm-Bliss
Skarmory walls most physical attackers. Steel/Flying typing resists or is immune to Normal, Bug, Grass, Psychic, Dragon, Ghost, Fighting, and Poison. Spikes setter, Whirlwind phazer, Roostfor healing — Skarmory is OU's archetypal physical wall.
Blissey walls most special attackers. 255 base HP + 135 base SpD with Soft-Boiled + Wish + Toxic + Seismic Toss / Ice Beam. Natural Cureheals status on switch-out — Blissey is OU's archetypal special wall and team cleric.
Tyranitar Sand Stream
Tyranitar is ADV OU's defining offensive engine. Sand Stream sets permanent sand on switch-in, producing 1/16 chip damage to non-Rock / Steel / Ground Pokémon and a 50% Special Defense boost to Rock-types. Tyranitar itself runs Choice Band, Dragon Dance, and stallbreaker sets all in OU.
Archetypes
ADV OU teams cluster into the standard Singles archetypes, with a heavy lean toward balance and stall. The Skarm-Bliss core anchors most builds.
Aggressive
Hyper Offense
Six offensive Pokémon. Common build: Aerodactyl Choice Band lead + Tyranitar Banded + Salamence Dragon Dance + Heracross Banded + offensive support.
Balance
Skarm-Bliss Balance
Skarmory + Blissey defensive core + 3-4 offensive Pokémon. The format's most-played pattern. Defining offensive support: Tyranitar Banded, Snorlax CurseLax, Salamence mixed.
Sand
Sand Offense
Tyranitar Sand Stream as the team's engine. Aerodactyl as a Sand-Stream-tolerant offensive lead, Heracross Banded Megahorn, Snorlax Curse + Body Slam.
Defensive
Stall
Six defensive Pokémon. Defining stall core: Skarmory + Blissey + Tyranitar + Forretress Spikes / Rapid Spin + Suicune Calm Mind wincon + Celebi support.
Specialty
Curse / Belly Drum
Slow setup wincons. Snorlax Curse + Body Slam + Earthquake + Rest. Linoone Belly Drum + Extreme Speed niche but viable.
Specialty
Calm Mind / Suicune
Suicune Calm Mind + Surf + Hidden Power Electric / Ice + Rest. CroCune (Calm Mind + Rest + Sleep Talk) is a defining late-game wincon.
The seven team roles
The seven structural roles apply to ADV OU. The roles map cleanly to Pokémon roles even before they were articulated as a framework.
Defining setters: Skarmory (Spikes + Whirlwind), Forretress (Spikes + Rapid Spin), Cloyster (Spikes + Explosion suicide lead).
Defog does not exist as a hazard remover until Gen 6. Defining spinners: Forretress (Sturdy + Rapid Spin), Starmie (offensive Rapid Spin), Donphan (defensive Rapid Spin). Spinblockers: Gengar.
Defining options: priority via Dugtrio Earthquake (with Arena Trap), Aerodactyl 130 Speed, Starmie Choice Band 115 Spe, paralysis via Body Slam / Thunder Wave.
Magic Guard arrives in Gen 4. Defining ADV absorbers: Blissey Natural Cure (cures status on switch-out), Celebi Natural Cure.
U-turn arrives in Gen 4. Defining ADV pivots: Celebi Baton Pass + Recover, Snorlax Body Slam + Earthquake passive switch-in.
What makes ADV OU different
ADV is the foundational format. Every later generation builds on this base — with abilities, natures, EVs, the canonical clauses, and the 6v6 Singles framework.
✓
Abilities (intro)
Per-Pokémon passive effects
✓
Natures + EVs
Granular stat customisation
✗
Stealth Rock
Doesn't exist yet (arrives Gen 4)
- Abilities introduced — Levitate, Wonder Guard, Intimidate, Speed Boost, Drought, Drizzle, Sand Stream all originate in Gen 3.
- Natures and EVs — 25 natures with ±10% stat modifiers, EVs capped at 252/510. Stat customisation became granular for the first time.
- Sand Stream Tyranitar — the only permanent weather setter in OU. Sand chip damage applies to non-Rock / Steel / Ground Pokémon for the entire match.
- Smogon's tier hierarchy formalised — OU / Ubers / UU as canonical tiers, Sleep Clause + Species Clause + Evasion Clause + OHKO Clause all formalised in this generation.
- No Stealth Rock — the universal hazard arrives in Gen 4. ADV defensive Pokémon are correspondingly more universally bulky.
How to get started
ADV OU has the deepest tournament archive of any Singles format. SPL has run ADV continuously for over a decade; community analyses are exhaustive.
- Read Smogon's ADV OU tier page — the canonical resource. Banlist locked, analyses final, 20+ years of accumulated wisdom.
- Build Skarm-Bliss first — the defensive core defines the format. Almost every team in OU history has run Skarm + Bliss or a close equivalent.
- Pick your offensive engine — Tyranitar Banded, Snorlax CurseLax, Salamence Dragon Dance, Suicune Calm Mind, or Heracross Banded.
- Copy a sample team — Smogon's vetted ADV OU samples are stable and well-documented.
- Ladder Pokémon Showdown — ADV OU has an active retro ladder. Tournament play continues via Smogon Tour, SPL, and the World Cup of Pokémon.
Where to go from here
The above is the static reference for ADV OU. Live frozen-tier data lives in the rest of Pokékipe.
- Live tier data — /rse/ou for ADV OU usage and Pokémon stats.
- Mechanics — Gen 3 — Ruby & Sapphire covers abilities, natures, the modern EV system, and the foundational Smogon era.
- Adjacent formats — Gen 4 OU covers the post-split Diamond / Pearl format that succeeded ADV.
- Tournament history — Timeline tracks Smogon Tour, SPL, and World Cup ADV OU results.