How to Play: Pokémon VGC Circuit
Everything you need to know to draft, manage, and win your Raivaly fantasy league.
League & Drafting
Raivaly brings the tension of traditional fantasy sports to the competitive E-Sports scene. For the Pokémon VGC circuit, you will compete in closed leagues of 4 to 8 Managers in a season-long battle spanning official Play! Pokémon tournaments.
Live Snake Drafts & Exclusivity
Before the season begins, managers participate in a live Snake Draft. Raivaly operates on strict Exclusive Ownership: if you draft a specific Pokémon, no one else in your league can have it.
- Cosmetic Forms: Purely visual variants (e.g., Maushold Family of 3 vs 4) are grouped together. Drafting the base species gets you all cosmetic variants.
- Biological Forms: Forms with distinct stats or typings (e.g., Alolan Ninetales, Ogerpon-Hearthflame) are treated as entirely separate draftable entities.
Roster Management
Every manager maintains a team of exactly 6 Pokémon. Before a real-world tournament locks, you must assign your roster into two distinct categories:
The Starters
4 roster slots. Pokémon in these slots earn 1.0x of their calculated score for the event.
The Bench
2 roster slots. Pokémon in these slots only earn 0.5x of their calculated score for the event.
Important Operational Rules
- Roster Lock: Rosters lock exactly at Midnight (00:00 UTC) on the day the real-world event begins. Ensure your Starters and Bench are set before this time.
- Did Not Play (DNP): If a rostered Pokémon does not play, or fails to reach Phase 2 (Day 2) of an event, it will score exactly 0 points for that tournament.
The Scoring Engine
Scores are calculated per Pokémon, per event, using our automated Peak Performance + Rarity model.
Score = (Base * Rarity * Event) * Status1. Base Points
Awarded based on the single highest placement the Pokémon achieved at the event.
- Made Day 2: 5 pts
- Made Top Cut: 10 pts
- Made Top 8: 15 pts
- Made Top 4: 20 pts
- Finalist: 25 pts
- Winner: 35 pts
2. The Rarity Multiplier
Rewards managers for taking risks on underdogs. Based on overall Day 2 usage percentage.
- Tier 1 (>20% Usage): x1.0 (Meta Staples)
- Tier 2 (10-20% Usage): x1.2 (Core Picks)
- Tier 3 (5-10% Usage): x1.5 (Rogue Picks)
- Tier 4 (<5% Usage): x2.0 (Underdogs)
3. The Event Multiplier
Larger tournaments carry heavier weight to escalate tension.
- Regionals: x1.0
- Internationals: x1.4
- Worlds: x1.8
Waivers & Trades
To prevent constant roster churning, moves are strictly limited. You are granted 8 Roster Moves per season. This limit applies collectively to all Waiver Wire pickups and future Manager Trades.
Unowned Pokémon sit on the Waiver Wire. If multiple managers attempt to claim the same Pokémon between events, priority is strictly given based on current league standings (the worst record gets first pick).
The End Game
The ultimate goal is to accumulate the highest total score across all events. The manager with the highest cumulative sum at the end of the season wins. In the event of a tie, the platform engine resolves standings using the following hierarchy:
- Tournament Wins:
Who started the most event winning Pokémon throughout the season? - Highest Peak:
Who achieved the single highest event score of the season? - Highest Floor:
Who achieved the highest "worst" event score of the season? - The Clutch Factor:
- Worlds: Who scored the most points at the World Championship?
- Internationals: Who accumulated the most total points across all International Championships?