Introduction to Frontier

Introduction to Frontier

Frontier is a fully server-side competitive ranked battling system for Cobblemon Fabric servers. Matchmaking queues, Glicko-2 ratings, seasonal competitions, team validation, configurable formats — everything you need to run a competitive ladder on your server.

Why Frontier?

Cobblemon has the battle engine, but no ranked infrastructure. Frontier fills that gap:

• Players queue up and get matched against opponents of similar skill
• Ratings update after each match using Glicko-2 (or Showdown-style K-scaling)
• Seasons give structure with milestones, end-of-season rewards, and leaderboards
• Formats and clauses enforce competitive rules before matches begin
• Arenas teleport players to dedicated battle locations

Core Systems at a Glance

Frontier is built around several focused systems that work together. Start with a single ladder and arena — add complexity as your community grows.

Ranked Ladders : Each ladder has its own format, rating pool, and rank tiers. Players climb from Poke Ball to Beast Ball (or whatever tiers you configure).

Matchmaking Queue : Players join a queue for a specific ladder. The system searches for opponents within a rating range that expands over time — tight matches early, broader search as wait time increases. Anti-boost protection prevents rating manipulation from repeated matchups.

Team Validation : Before joining a queue, the player’s team is validated against the format’s rules. Species bans, move bans, ability bans, item bans, level caps, legality checks, and custom MoLang-based clauses — all enforced before battle starts.

Seasons : Configurable date ranges with milestone rewards (triggered during play) and season-end rewards (distributed when the season closes). Ratings reset between seasons — hard, soft, or none.

Arenas : Dedicated battle locations with player spawn points and optional spectator positions. Players teleport in for matches and return to their original position afterward.

Team Preview : Before battle begins, both players see both teams and select their lead order. Configurable per-format: pick counts, hidden opponent teams, random lead selection.

Default Ladders

Frontier ships with seven ready-to-use ladders out of the box:

Ladder	Format
Singles	Standard 6v6 singles
Doubles	Standard 6v6 doubles
VGC	VGC-style bring-6-pick-4 doubles
Monotype	All Pokemon must share a type
Little Cup	Base-form Pokemon at level 5
Random Battle	Randomized teams, singles
Random Doubles	Randomized teams, doubles

Requirements

Dependency	Version
Minecraft	1.21.1 (Fabric)
Fabric Loader	0.16.0+
Cobblemon	1.6.0+
Ceremony	4.3.9+

Configuration Structure

All configuration uses HOCON files in config/frontier/. Every file auto-generates with sensible defaults on first launch. Changes can be applied without restart using /ranked reload.

config/frontier/
├── config.conf
├── ladders/
│   ├── singles.conf
│   ├── doubles.conf
│   ├── vgc.conf
│   └── ...
├── seasons/
│   └── ...
└── arenas.conf

Next Steps

Ready to get started? Here’s the recommended path:

1. Installation Guide — Get Frontier running on your server
2. Quick Start — Five-minute setup walkthrough
3. Configuration Overview — Understand the config structure

Start Simple

Frontier works out of the box with sensible defaults. Install it, create one arena, and your players can start climbing the ladder immediately — fine-tune formats and seasons later.