Is cloning cheating?

[Frost Mage]

So I got a few cloned shinies this week via a trade shop, and I was just thinking, is cloning cheating? Yes, it's still the same Pokemon, but it's putting more into circulation than there should be, making them less rare. What do you think?

[BCVM22]

It's using an unsanctioned glitched mechanic to achieve something the game designers clearly didn't intend for you to achieve.

To some people, that's cheating. To others, the fact that you're doing it without using any sort of external cheat device or hack means that is isn't cheating.

That's the best answer anyone's going to give you. There's no consensus on the matter and there isn't likely to every be one.

[Excitable Boy]

It's using an unsanctioned glitched mechanic to achieve something the game designers clearly didn't intend for you to achieve.

There's no cloning glitch beyond Gen IV, actually (unless you count pirate GTS via DNS abuse).

Cloning is weird in that it's mostly done illegitimately, but no one really cares.

[Psychic Politoed]

Just to add, I did have a cloned Blaziken that came from an accidental link trade, back when they had link cable doodads. So, if it just happened, I don't see any imminent harm in having a Pokemon cloned.

[BCVM22]

but no one really cares.

That's untrue. Don't most of the trade shops here at least gently encourage their customers to at least disclose whether a critter is cloned or not, and themselves follow some semblance of the same?

[Excitable Boy]

That's untrue. Don't most of the trade shops here at least gently encourage their customers to at least disclose whether a critter is cloned or not, and themselves follow some semblance of the same?

Not that I noticed, no, at least not any of the larger/more serious ones. If they do, it's more because getting a specific 'mon that you're not going to get at another shop is a bargaining tactic, and less about preserving the sanctity of something something or whatever.

[randomspot555]

Among the trading communities, especially when it comes to shinies and events, it is almost a foregone conclusion that you are receiving a clone. Otherwise, these trade shops wouldn't be able to get so large since they'd have to trade and lose something to gain another.

[Zoruagible]

It depends on the person. Some people probably won't care but others will think it is unfair trading legits for clones.

[Meeker]

Technically, for me. It's not legitimate, so I don't know what else to call it.

[Rayquaza07]

Only if it is not using a hacking device.

[ParaChomp]

Not really, some people go that far for competition however in some cases, cloned Pokemon do mess up the game. I've had it happen to me, in Battle Revolution, I uploaded my Soul Silver game and my shiny Scizor was replaced by a Bad Egg.

[Rayquaza07]

I also have bad exp with hacking. One time i hacked and it killed my silver copy for GBC

[mjunior3]

i have used the cloning method in Emerald to get more rare candies, masterballs, and Lv. 100s. even then, i don't count it as a cheat, because it is perfectly doable. btw, i only had 1 bad exp. in cloning, and that was accidently RELEASING my Lugia in Gold.

[randomspot555]

Not really, some people go that far for competition however in some cases, cloned Pokemon do mess up the game. I've had it happen to me, in Battle Revolution, I uploaded my Soul Silver game and my shiny Scizor was replaced by a Bad Egg.

PBR does not change anything on the cart. It uploads copies. It is true that in some cases, a Bad Egg results due to a failed legality check. But it may also happen simply due to a communication error or any other number of reasons.

Your statement "Cloned Pokemon does mess up the game" is meaningless. Your scizor was hacked and that's why it showed up as a Bad Egg as PBR. That has nothing to do with it being cloned or not.

[ParaChomp]

PBR does not change anything on the cart. It uploads copies. It is true that in some cases, a Bad Egg results due to a failed legality check. But it may also happen simply due to a communication error or any other number of reasons.

Your statement "Cloned Pokemon does mess up the game" is meaningless. Your scizor was hacked and that's why it showed up as a Bad Egg as PBR. That has nothing to do with it being cloned or not.

I thought it would count since it was probably most likely copied. I really haven't found any method. The only known method of cloning I know of was generation 2's glitch. Due to the roaming legendaries, I thought it was mandatory to clone your Master Ball so in the end, no, I didn't think cloning is cheating back then.

As for now, I don't know, I might have encountered it but I haven't discovered its bad side-effects.

[Inferno Vulpix]

To me, cheating is receiving value without putting in the proper effort for it. Trading is an exception to this mainly because trades are supposed to be more or less of equal value. But if you do anything that gets you easy value and isn't intended by the programmers, I consider it cheating. Action Replay is a clear example of this because you can make a shiny Rayquaza appear in normal grass just because you feel like it, but other people have to get their shiny Rayquaza through a lot of hard work. If you were to clone that shiny Rayquaza you legitimately got though, you're still getting a second shiny Rayquaza without the hard work you're supposed to put in to get it, so it's still cheating.

If you clone a Pokemon for whatever reason, you're receiving the value the Pokemon represents without the effort you should have to. Put simply: It's just unfair and underhanded.

[Fearless123]

I thought these discussions ended like 6 years ago...

[SprSncConzor]

Cloning's great. I use the Emerald Glitch all the time so I can transfer my Pokemon to the newer games but still have them in Gen III

I used to clone Master Balls and such but having 999 Master Balls in your inventory looks exactly the same as if you've used a Gameshark! (I'd rather use normal balls for legendaries now anyway)

[The Benmeister]

No. It's exploiting to an almost unfair degree in some situations, yes, but not technically cheating. In my opinion, anyway, and feel free to disagree.

[AquaWarrior]

Technically, no. Unless the source POkemon you're cloning is already hacked.