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Formats & rules
Every OHKO battle runs on the open-source Showdown battle simulator on OHKO's game server. Your browser only sends choices; the server validates each one against the current request and is the single source of truth for the battle.
Formats
| Format | Teams | About |
|---|---|---|
| Gen 9 Random Battle | Random, generated per battle | The default. You get a random team, so there is no team building and no meta to learn: pure decision-making. |
| Gen 9 Random Doubles Battle | Random, generated per battle | Two monsters on each side at once. Positioning, spread moves and target choice decide every turn. |
| Gen 1 Random Battle | Random, generated per battle | The original 151 with classic mechanics. Fast, swingy and nostalgic. |
| Gen 9 OU | Your own (teambuilder) | Build a team in the full teambuilder, import or export it in Showdown text format, and validate it before you queue. |
The format registry is data-driven, so new formats can be added by configuration. Random formats are the fairest for staking: neither player can bring a prepared team, and both teams come from the committed battle seed (see Provably fair).
Gen 9 OU and the teambuilder
OU uses your own team. Build it in the Teambuilder: search species, moves, items and abilities, set EVs, IVs, nature and Tera type, or import a team in the Showdown text format (and export it the same way). Every save is checked by the simulator's own team validator, and errors are shown next to the slot they concern. Teams are checked again before every battle; an illegal team cannot enter a queue, a challenge or a staked match. OU battles start with team preview.
Timer
The timer is always on, in every format, Showdown style: a per-decision limit plus a bank.
| Rule | Value |
|---|---|
| Starting bank per player | 150 s |
| Longest single decision | 60 s |
| Added to both banks each new turn | 10 s |
| Bank never grows above | 150 s |
| Disconnect grace period | 60 s |
| Rematch offer stays open | 60 s |
| Spectator delay on staked matches | 2 turns |
- Each decision may take at most the per-decision limit, and never more than what is left in your bank.
- Every new turn adds the increment to both banks, up to the maximum.
- Running out forfeits the battle. If both players run out on the same decision, the battle is a draw (mutual timeout).
- You can take back a submitted choice while your opponent is still deciding (Undo), unless doing so would leak information.
Forfeits
You can forfeit from the battle menu at any time. A forfeit ends the battle immediately and your opponent wins. In a staked match the winner is paid as for any other win.
Disconnects
If you lose your connection, OHKO reconnects automatically (with growing pauses between attempts) and resynchronizes the full battle state from the server; a banner shows while it reconnects. Your opponent sees a countdown.
- A player with no connected tab has the disconnect grace period to come back.
- The turn clock keeps running during the grace period.
- When the grace period expires, the disconnected player forfeits.
- If both players are gone when a grace period expires, the battle is a draw (mutual disconnect).
If OHKO's server restarts during a battle, the battle is rebuilt from its seed and its saved inputs, exactly as it was, and both players get the normal grace period to reconnect.
Draws
A battle is drawn when both players time out on the same decision, both disconnect, or the last monsters of both sides faint at the same time. In a staked match a draw refunds both players in full, with no fee. In a tournament a drawn bracket match is replayed (see below).
Rematches
Either player can offer a rematch for a short time after the battle. The new battle swaps sides. A staked rematch is a new staked match at the same table, with fresh deposits.
Spectators and chat
- Free battles are public and can be watched live from Play.
- Staked battles are public with a two-turn delay for spectators, so nobody can relay hidden information to a player.
- Spectators never see a player's exact HP or their pending choices.
- Free battles: short text chat (links are blocked, profanity is masked) plus quick-chat emotes. You can mute a player, and report a battle once from its menu.
- Staked battles and tournaments: quick-chat emotes only.
Staked match windows
| Window | Value |
|---|---|
| Each player's deposit window after pairing | 90 s |
| On-chain join deadline of an open match | 24 h |
| On-chain settle deadline after the join | 2 h |
| Tournament registration deadline | 24 h |
| Tournament settle deadline after it fills | 8 h |
| Show-up time for a bracket match | 3 min |
| Replays of a drawn bracket match | 2 |
| Challenge link expiry options | 15 min · 1 h · 6 h · 24 h |
| Open challenge links per player | 3 |
- Pairing to deposits. After two players are paired, the longest-waiting one deposits first
(
create_match), then the other (join_match). The first deposit locks the match to the opponent's wallet, so nobody else can take the seat. - Creator too slow: nothing has moved; both players may queue again.
- Opponent too slow: the creator gets a Cancel and refund button. Once the on-chain join deadline passes, OHKO refunds the creator automatically.
- Settlement late: if the referee has not settled before the settle deadline, anyone can refund both players in full and the result screen shows Claim refund.
Tournaments
Sit-and-go tables are always open for registration and start automatically when the last seat is taken. Brackets are single elimination; 16-player events also play a third-place match.
| Format | Size | Entry per player |
|---|---|---|
| Gen 9 Random Battle | 8 players | 0.05 SOL |
| Gen 9 Random Battle | 8 players | 5 USDC |
| Gen 9 Random Battle | 8 players | 50,000 $OHKO |
| Gen 9 Random Battle | 16 players | 10 USDC |
| Gen 9 Random Doubles Battle | 8 players | 0.05 SOL |
- When both players of a bracket match are known, both are called. The battle starts as soon as both are connected.
- A player who does not show up within the show-up time loses by walkover. If neither shows up, the lower seat advances.
- A drawn bracket match is replayed with a new seed derived from the committed one; after the replays, the lower seat advances.
- While you are alive in a running tournament you cannot queue, practice or accept challenges.
- A table that does not fill before its registration deadline, or a bracket that misses its settle deadline, is refunded in full.
Ratings and the ladder
Every player has an Elo rating per format (starting at 1000), fed by battles against other people. The season ladder is a separate rating per month, fed only by staked table matches (queue and challenge links). Matchmaking looks for an opponent within ±100 rating points at first and widens the band every 10 seconds until any opponent is accepted after a minute. The same two wallets are paired by the public queue at most three times in 24 hours.