Where the numbers come from
Every usage statistic on Pokékipe is derived from the monthly usage reports that Smogon publishes for Pokémon Showdown ladder play, including the detailed “chaos” JSON files (moveset, item, ability, spread, teammate and checks/counters data per Pokémon per format). We ingest each month's files shortly after Smogon publishes them, normally in the first days of the following month.
Reference data — typing, base stats, move mechanics, item and ability descriptions — comes from PokeAPI. Curated sets shown under “Smogon Sets” are excerpted from Smogon's strategy dex, with each set linking back to its source page. Official VGC tournament results come from public Pokémon Company event data.
We do not run our own battle simulations and we do not hand-pick what appears in usage tables. If a number is on a usage page, it is because high-level ladder play produced it.
What “Elite” means
Smogon publishes each format at several rating cutoffs. A cutoff of 0 includes every ladder game; higher cutoffs (1825 for SV OU, 1760 for most other formats) include only games where players were rated above that threshold. Pokékipe's default view — labelled “Elite” — is the highest cutoff Smogon publishes for that format, because top-rated play is the best predictor of what actually works. Pages state the cutoff they are built from.
How to read our numbers
- Usage rate (Pokémon)— the share of teams that include the Pokémon, at the stated rating cutoff, weighted by Smogon's methodology.
- Usage (moves/items/abilities) — reported as Pokémon per team: the expected number of team members carrying it. This can exceed 1 (many teams run Protect on several Pokémon), which is why it is not shown as a percentage of teams.
- Checks & counters— Smogon reports, for each attacker/defender pair, the share of encounters ending with the target KOed or switched out (p) and the number of encounters sampled (n). We show both and rank by Smogon's own sample-corrected score (p − 4·√(p(1−p)/n)), so a matchup measured over 20 games cannot outrank one measured over 100 on noise alone.
- Trends — month-over-month changes compare the same format at the same cutoff.
Freshness and history
Ladder statistics update once per month, following Smogon's publication schedule. Each page's data reflects the latest ingested month for that format; historical charts go back as far as our archive for that format does. When a Pokémon, move or item stops appearing in a format — for example after a tiering ban — its page says so rather than silently reusing old numbers. (Tera Blast was banned from SV OU in late April 2026; its SV OU page reflects that, while its pages for formats where it remains legal continue to update.)
Known limitations
- Smogon's data covers Pokémon Showdown ladder play. It does not include official cartridge ladders, and tournament metagames can differ from ladder metagames.
- Weighted usage is an estimate, not a census; very low-usage entries are noisy.
- Reference text for some moves, items and abilities is incomplete upstream; where PokeAPI has no reliable description we show none rather than invent one.
- We aggregate and present; we do not verify individual battles.
Attribution
Usage data © Smogon / Pokémon Showdown contributors. Reference data via PokeAPI. Pokémon and Pokémon character names are trademarks of Nintendo, Creatures Inc. and GAME FREAK inc. Pokékipe is a fan-made analytics site and is not affiliated with, endorsed or approved by these companies.