GET INVOLVED
GET INVOLVED
How to Challenge the PPL
Please visit our NEXT EVENT page for details on how to participate at the upcoming PPL!
Applying to be a Gym Leader
A few months before each PAX, we announce open applications for people to be Gym Leaders! Applications typically stay open for a month or two, and then you won’t be able to edit your application anymore. After the application period is closed, the Admins come together and review them. This is always really tough! We typically get more applications than we can accept, unfortunately, but we try to accept as many as we can.
There are no requirements to be a Gym Leader other than owning the most recent main series Pokemon games, a console that can play it, and a love for Pokemon! People of all genders, races, orientations, religious backgrounds, and ages can be Gym Leaders (Although if you are a minor, we will need parental/guardian permission that you can participate.)
Note that Gym Leaders DO NOT HAVE TO BE COMPETITIVE POKEMON BATTLERS! We welcome (and in fact, encourage!) Gym Leaders of all experience levels!
Accepted Gym Leaders then get added to a special Leaders role on our Discord server, which is where we do the vast majority of communication and announcements with important information regarding being a Gym Leader so be sure to join! You will also be given a link to a Google Drive folder which holds important information about deadlines, dues, and where you will submit your badge design and full Gym Leader profile.
See Gym Leader Responsibilities Leading up to PAX below for more information on what prepping for PPL entails as a Gym Leader!
Gym Leader Responsibilities Leading up to PAX
In addition to being in the Discord, having notifications on, and staying on top of announcements, multiple deadlines must be completed in a timely manner by the Gym Leader. These deadlines are simple things such as filling out your Leader Profile on time, paying dues, and submitting pictures/costume references and finalized Badge Art. We understand life happens, so reach out to the Admins running your PPL and make sure to communicate with us early on if you are in need of an extension for any reason.
Gym Leaders are responsible for designing their own Badges (Or if you are not artistic, providing a detailed description of a design concept for our Art Team to help out!).
Gym Leaders need to completely fill out their Leader Profile which includes your short bio and pictures/costume description on the Google Drive Slides. Most of this information you will have already submitted on your application, and that will be available to you for an easy reference!
Gym leaders also put together their own team of Pokemon that fits within the current PPL rules. Your theme should be clear to your challenger once you’ve battled with them, and team building is a huge part of that. (For example: it doesn’t make sense to use Pikachu on a cats and dogs themed team, or have Solrock on a nighttime Pokemon based team)
Although a costume description is required, wearing a costume is not. If you will be wearing “normal clothes”, you may put that down as your costume description (Example- white t-shirt and blue hoodie)! Many Gym Leaders create elaborate personas and costumes to wear at PAX. Some Gym Leaders like dramatics and theatrics, shouting the moves they’re using in battle or engaging in puns or witty banter with their challengers. These things are fun, but again, not required!
If you are a first time Leader, you’ll need a scarf! Gym Leaders pay for their scarves and have their own badges ordered (which are 1″ button pins). If you can’t afford to get your scarf or badges made though, don’t worry, just contact the Admins and we can discuss it. We’d never want someone to not be able to participate just because they’re short on cash, we can probably help you out!
Gym Leader Responsibilities during PAX
Gym Leaders are not required to spend their entire convention time doing PPL things, but we ask Leaders to dedicate a minimum of 1-2 hours per day of taking on challengers, though many Leaders stay longer. It is important to understand that being a Gym Leader is a time commitment! You’ll be playing a lot of Pokemon. If this is your first PAX, and there’s lots of you want to see and you don’t want to spend many hours battling, you may not want to apply right away. Note that if you are an Elite or the Champion, you will be expected to spend more time around the latter half of the convention days than a standard Gym Leader would.
Wearing your green scarf signifies you are currently accepting challengers. You may do this anywhere, not just in the Community Room or Handheld Lounge! The PPL expects Gym Leaders to take as many challengers as they feel comfortable with, but obviously, Gym Leaders get tired or hungry! When that happens, you can take off your scarf and stow it in a bag or something so you don’t get more challengers.
Remember: YOU determine who is worthy of your badge! Battles are traditional, but there are other ways to test a challenger’s mettle… and losing a battle doesn’t mean they haven’t proven themselves! You set the criteria.
Once you put on your green scarf, you are no longer just a PAX Attendee; you’re a public face for the PAX Pokemon League. We expect all leaders to uphold the integrity of this organization, and to be friendly and welcoming to every challenger, regardless of who they are or what their experience level is. You may be battling seasoned Ace Trainers with tournament wins under their belts, or tiny Poke-tots, getting their first taste of battle with their in-game team. Either way, we expect you to be gracious, both in defeat and in victory!
Any disparaging or rude remarks about any person or group of people, no matter who they are, will not be tolerated. Harassment will get you kicked out of the PPL and reported to Enforcers.
On the flip side, harassment of Gym Leaders by challengers is also not tolerated. PPL Admins will see to it that any incidents of harassment lead to the person being on warning strikes or also banned from the PPL and reported to Enforcers. The PPL should be a safe, fun environment, and there is no room for negativity or toxicity!
What makes a strong Gym Leader Application?
We often see questions about what we look for in a Leader application and often times, a lot of misinformation is assumed or spread. We have put together a little guide just to show how we think when looking over applications.
Everything below is a basic guideline and by no means a strict rule. We look at applications on a case-by-case basis and try to consider everything.
If you ever have any questions, feel free to reach out to an Admin. While we won’t give you an answer right then and there whether you’ll be accepted or not, we can give an idea of if it can be improved, or even if there are similar applications so you can decide if you want to try applying with a different type or theme!
Basic Things we Consider:
- Are you a type or theme? We try to accept a healthy combination of both.
- Are there any other similar applications? We usually accept 1 or 2 for each Pokemon type at most. Similar themes may end up with us choosing only 1 of the applicants. It is not first-come-first-served.
People who apply with the exact same type or theme multiple times in a row are more likely to have their application rejected if there is a new applicant with the same type or theme. - Past leader experience. Were you good with making deadlines or communicating if you needed an extension? Did you keep up to date with important information and participate in important discussions? Having been a Leader before does not guarantee being a Leader the next time around. We try to accept a mix of returning and new Gym Leaders to be fair to everyone who applies. Favoritism is not a factor in this decision.
- What difficulty tier will you be in? We want everyone to be able to challenge us so we try to accept Leaders of all skill levels, and prefer Leaders that have multiple difficulty tiers, but that is not required. Note that Elites will not have a casual difficulty option.
- What type of battles will you do? Singles is most prevalent, although Doubles leaders and Multi leaders are also accepted. Leaders that offer both Singles and Doubles are appreciated, but certainly not required.
- Is the application complete? While some adjustments can be made to things like the Pokemon team you use or the content of your Leader Bio, your application should be as complete as possible with a coherent and well-thought-out idea. Do not apply with more than one theme. If you have two ideas, pick only one and fill out only one application, or if you change your mind later, edit your application before applications close.
Types:
Types are pretty straight forward; pick a type you want to use and put together a team of Pokemon that all share that type. Some people also do dual types (Example: Ghost and Dark, allowing you to pick from all Ghost Pokemon and all Dark Pokemon), but a single type (monotype) is typically preferred.
Themes:
Themes are more complicated and will be looked over more closely. Here are a few things we look for when deciding whether to accept a theme.
- Is it clear? The theme should give the average challenger an idea of what Pokemon you might use. When seeing your team preview they should be able to clearly identify how most if not all the Pokemon fit into the theme.
- Does the theme apply some restriction/limitation to Pokemon choice? Your theme should be something that gives you a much smaller pool of Pokemon to choose from, just like a type does. If you can pick from just about every fully evolved Pokemon, your theme is too loose. (Good example: Only Pokemon found in Aquariums, or only Snake/Serpent-like Pokemon. Bad example: Only Pokemon found in the Hoenn region- this is too broad)
- Regarding “novelty” themes/teams: Teams that fit this category are things like “all Pikachu team” or “only Meowths”. Despite breaking our Same Species clause, these teams are considered exceptions and will still be considered (provided the application is complete and thought out).
“Gimmick” themes:
Gimmick themes may also be accepted depending on what the gimmick is. Things that are gimmicks include but are not limited to: In-game minigames like raids or Ogre Oustin, winning a versus battle in Pokemon Puzzle League, answering some trivia questions correctly to earn the badge. Some Leaders that do gimmicks also prepare a battling team if they wish to!
Examples of Application Strength:
The chart below is a rough depiction of what themes are generally considered stronger than others. 100 does not automatically equal acceptance, and likewise, 0 does not automatically equal rejection, but other themes that are more thought out will be prioritized before those. Again, it is case-by-case basis with lots of other considerations!
Thank you for your interest in the PPL, and we look forward to seeing you at PAX!
How to Challenge the PPL
Please visit our NEXT EVENT page for details on how to participate at the upcoming PPL!
Applying to be a Gym Leader
A few months before each PAX, we announce open applications for people to be Gym Leaders! Applications typically stay open for a month or two, and then you won’t be able to edit your application anymore. After the application period is closed, the Admins come together and review them. This is always really tough! We typically get more applications than we can accept, unfortunately, but we try to accept as many as we can.
There are no requirements to be a Gym Leader other than owning the most recent main series Pokemon games, a console that can play it, and a love for Pokemon! People of all genders, races, orientations, religious backgrounds, and ages can be Gym Leaders (Although if you are a minor, we will need parental/guardian permission that you can participate.)
Note that Gym Leaders DO NOT HAVE TO BE COMPETITIVE POKEMON BATTLERS! We welcome (and in fact, encourage!) Gym Leaders of all experience levels!
Accepted Gym Leaders then get added to a special Leaders role on our Discord server, which is where we do the vast majority of communication and announcements with important information regarding being a Gym Leader so be sure to join! You will also be given a link to a Google Drive folder which holds important information about deadlines, dues, and where you will submit your badge design and full Gym Leader profile.
See Gym Leader Responsibilities Leading up to PAX below for more information on what prepping for PPL entails as a Gym Leader!
What makes a strong Gym Leader Application?
We often see questions about what we look for in a Leader application and often times, a lot of misinformation is assumed or spread. We have put together a little guide just to show how we think when looking over applications.
Everything below is a basic guideline and by no means a strict rule. We look at applications on a case-by-case basis and try to consider everything.
If you ever have any questions, feel free to reach out to an Admin. While we won’t give you an answer right then and there whether you’ll be accepted or not, we can give an idea of if it can be improved, or even if there are similar applications so you can decide if you want to try applying with a different type or theme!
Basic Things we Consider:
- Are you a type or theme? We try to accept a healthy combination of both.
- Are there any other similar applications? We usually accept 1 or 2 for each Pokemon type at most. Similar themes may end up with us choosing only 1 of the applicants. It is not first-come-first-served.
People who apply with the exact same type or theme multiple times in a row are more likely to have their application rejected if there is a new applicant with the same type or theme. - Past leader experience. Were you good with making deadlines or communicating if you needed an extension? Did you keep up to date with important information and participate in important discussions? Having been a Leader before does not guarantee being a Leader the next time around. We try to accept a mix of returning and new Gym Leaders to be fair to everyone who applies. Favoritism is not a factor in this decision.
- What difficulty tier will you be in? We want everyone to be able to challenge us so we try to accept Leaders of all skill levels, and prefer Leaders that have multiple difficulty tiers, but that is not required. Note that Elites will not have a casual difficulty option.
- What type of battles will you do? Singles is most prevalent, although Doubles leaders and Multi leaders are also accepted. Leaders that offer both Singles and Doubles are appreciated, but certainly not required.
- Is the application complete? While some adjustments can be made to things like the Pokemon team you use or the content of your Leader Bio, your application should be as complete as possible with a coherent and well-thought-out idea. Do not apply with more than one theme. If you have two ideas, pick only one and fill out only one application, or if you change your mind later, edit your application before applications close.
Types:
Types are pretty straight forward; pick a type you want to use and put together a team of Pokemon that all share that type. Some people also do dual types (Example: Ghost and Dark, allowing you to pick from all Ghost Pokemon and all Dark Pokemon), but a single type (monotype) is typically preferred.
Themes:
Themes are more complicated and will be looked over more closely. Here are a few things we look for when deciding whether to accept a theme.
- Is it clear? The theme should give the average challenger an idea of what Pokemon you might use. When seeing your team preview they should be able to clearly identify how most if not all the Pokemon fit into the theme.
- Does the theme apply some restriction/limitation to Pokemon choice? Your theme should be something that gives you a much smaller pool of Pokemon to choose from, just like a type does. If you can pick from just about every fully evolved Pokemon, your theme is too loose. (Good example: Only Pokemon found in Aquariums, or only Snake/Serpent-like Pokemon. Bad example: Only Pokemon found in the Hoenn region- this is too broad)
- Regarding “novelty” themes/teams: Teams that fit this category are things like “all Pikachu team” or “only Meowths”. Despite breaking our Same Species clause, these teams are considered exceptions and will still be considered (provided the application is complete and thought out).
“Gimmick” themes:
Gimmick themes may also be accepted depending on what the gimmick is. Things that are gimmicks include but are not limited to: In-game minigames like raids or Ogre Oustin, winning a versus battle in Pokemon Puzzle League, answering some trivia questions correctly to earn the badge. Some Leaders that do gimmicks also prepare a battling team if they wish to!
Examples of Application Strength:
The chart below is a rough depiction of what themes are generally considered stronger than others. 100 does not automatically equal acceptance, and likewise, 0 does not automatically equal rejection, but other themes that are more thought out will be prioritized before those. Again, it is case-by-case basis with lots of other considerations!
Gym Leader Responsibilities Leading up to PAX
In addition to being in the Discord, having notifications on, and staying on top of announcements, multiple deadlines must be completed in a timely manner by the Gym Leader. These deadlines are simple things such as filling out your Leader Profile on time, paying dues, and submitting pictures/costume references and finalized Badge Art. We understand life happens, so reach out to the Admins running your PPL and make sure to communicate with us early on if you are in need of an extension for any reason.
Gym Leaders are responsible for designing their own Badges (Or if you are not artistic, providing a detailed description of a design concept for our Art Team to help out!).
Gym Leaders need to completely fill out their Leader Profile which includes your short bio and pictures/costume description on the Google Drive Slides. Most of this information you will have already submitted on your application, and that will be available to you for an easy reference!
Gym leaders also put together their own team of Pokemon that fits within the current PPL rules. Your theme should be clear to your challenger once you’ve battled with them, and team building is a huge part of that. (For example: it doesn’t make sense to use Pikachu on a cats and dogs themed team, or have Solrock on a nighttime Pokemon based team)
Although a costume description is required, wearing a costume is not. If you will be wearing “normal clothes”, you may put that down as your costume description (Example- white t-shirt and blue hoodie)! Many Gym Leaders create elaborate personas and costumes to wear at PAX. Some Gym Leaders like dramatics and theatrics, shouting the moves they’re using in battle or engaging in puns or witty banter with their challengers. These things are fun, but again, not required!
If you are a first time Leader, you’ll need a scarf! Gym Leaders pay for their scarves and have their own badges ordered (which are 1″ button pins). If you can’t afford to get your scarf or badges made though, don’t worry, just contact the Admins and we can discuss it. We’d never want someone to not be able to participate just because they’re short on cash, we can probably help you out!
Gym Leader Responsibilities during PAX
Gym Leaders are not required to spend their entire convention time doing PPL things, but we ask Leaders to dedicate a minimum of 1-2 hours per day of taking on challengers, though many Leaders stay longer. It is important to understand that being a Gym Leader is a time commitment! You’ll be playing a lot of Pokemon. If this is your first PAX, and there’s lots of you want to see and you don’t want to spend many hours battling, you may not want to apply right away. Note that if you are an Elite or the Champion, you will be expected to spend more time around the latter half of the convention days than a standard Gym Leader would.
Wearing your green scarf signifies you are currently accepting challengers. You may do this anywhere, not just in the Community Room or Handheld Lounge! The PPL expects Gym Leaders to take as many challengers as they feel comfortable with, but obviously, Gym Leaders get tired or hungry! When that happens, you can take off your scarf and stow it in a bag or something so you don’t get more challengers.
Remember: YOU determine who is worthy of your badge! Battles are traditional, but there are other ways to test a challenger’s mettle… and losing a battle doesn’t mean they haven’t proven themselves! You set the criteria.
Once you put on your green scarf, you are no longer just a PAX Attendee; you’re a public face for the PAX Pokemon League. We expect all leaders to uphold the integrity of this organization, and to be friendly and welcoming to every challenger, regardless of who they are or what their experience level is. You may be battling seasoned Ace Trainers with tournament wins under their belts, or tiny Poke-tots, getting their first taste of battle with their in-game team. Either way, we expect you to be gracious, both in defeat and in victory!
Any disparaging or rude remarks about any person or group of people, no matter who they are, will not be tolerated. Harassment will get you kicked out of the PPL and reported to Enforcers.
On the flip side, harassment of Gym Leaders by challengers is also not tolerated. PPL Admins will see to it that any incidents of harassment lead to the person being on warning strikes or also banned from the PPL and reported to Enforcers. The PPL should be a safe, fun environment, and there is no room for negativity or toxicity!