[@Sketcher][@King Cosmos][@GarlandDaHero][@Tenma Tendo][@Chev][@DocTachyon]

Alright, I've taken everything you all have said into consideration, and here are my final rulings on bans/party restrictions. I'll start with a picture that summarizes all the rules, but details can be found below. 

[img]https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/c97937a8-34ef-429e-bcc2-2e36964033f8.jpg[/img] 

[b]1st[/b]: No Mega Evolutions or Z-Moves allowed in round one. In round two, I will allow Z-Moves. Of course, showdown (as in the games) will only allow you to use a Z-Move once in the battle (for those that might not know). In the knockout rounds, I will allow both a Z-move and a Mega Evolution (and you must mega evolve via the item during battle, you cannot choose the already Mega-Evolved Pokemon). 

[b]2nd[/b]: In the qualifying rounds, Ubers and OUs are banned. Those that make it into round two (the group stages) can then "reveal" their OU Pokemon; after those trainers have "revealed" their one OU Pokemon, then trainers that didn't make it into the group stages (but are still in the region) may then "reveal" their OU Pokemon. And finally, those that make it into the knock out rounds may "reveal" their one Uber Pokemon; again, those that didn't make it, may then "reveal" their Uber Pokemon. 

[indent]Okay, before I continue, let me explain why I kept saying "reveal". The reason why I use this term is because, we're assuming that these trainers already had these Pokemon (either tucked away in a Ball, or "on-call" with some sort of psychic connection, which I'm sure would be the case with more celestial Pokemon such as Arceus). BUT I don't want everyone calling dibs on these Pokemon now. I want to reward those that are doing well in the tournament with first choice (really the main incentive to do well in the tournament). 

[b]That being said[/b], you DON'T have to use your OU or Uber Pokemon in the tournament if you don't wanna, and you don't even need to have one at all. [i]Why not use your OU or Uber Pokemon in the tournament?[/i] Simple, those Pokemon use up a lot of your base stat limit for your party, but they could come in handy outside the tournament, [color=fff79a]in the hidden plot of this RP[/color].[/indent]

[b]3rd[/b]: Once a Legendary or Mythical Pokemon is claimed, nobody else can claim them. 

[b]4th[/b]: I want to see some unique team combinations. As such, no Pokemon in your party can be from the same tier in [b]Pokemon Showdown[/b] [i][b]besides the PU tier[/b][/i]. [b]Also[/b], once a character's party is approved, nobody else can create a party that shares [b]three[/b] of the same Pokemon. [b]And finally, you can't have two of the same Pokemon in your party.[/b]

[color=f7976a]On a side note:[/color] The grand prize for this tournament is a Master Ball, the renowned title of "Grand Master", a fancy priceless medallion, a wish from Jirachi, and [b]LOTS[/b] of money ([i]What's a lot of money in the Pokemon world? Ya'll tell me. LOL[/i]). There will be runner up prizes, but that's all just for flavor anyways. I'm only adding this so that you can give your trainer a motivation for participating in this tournament. Oh yeah, since I'm using Jirachi as a reward, no one can put Jirachi on their team (sorry Jirachi fans). 

[h3]I figured that I would get all this out in the open so that everyone can start working on their teams while I work in the actual thread. I can approve teams separately from your characters (so that you have a better chance of getting the Pokemon that you want). 

And if you are reading all this for the first time. This RP is open for applications until I hit a max of [b]eight to ten[/b] definitively confirmed users. I want to start off strong with the expectation that people will drop out as the tournament progresses, but I won't complain if everyone sticks it out to the end. In my experience however, this never/rarely happens.[/h3]