Editor's Note

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Here we are, on the eve of a new generation. Pokémon Black and White is due for release on September 18th in Japan (the 17th for some of us). Those of us who have preordered import copies are eagerly counting down the days, but the rest of you have a lot to look forward to as well. Competitively, the changes will be profound. New Pokémon, new moves, new items, new abilities, new mechanics (including 3v3 battles). The tiers will be shaken up, more star players will emerge, and, if Philip7086's "Evolution of the 4th Generation Metagame" is any indication, at the very end we'll be wondering how things could've been so different at the start.

One of the most important aspects of Smogon is its lively community, something this issue of The Smog hopes to appeal to, and this won't be untouched. We can expect many new members, with some departures, and fresh (possibly revolutionary) ideas. Something Smogon is endeavoring to include more of is VGC, for example. DP radically changed Smogon with the advent of Wi-Fi play, and while BW's changes probably won't be as dramatic, they're something to be anticipated. Maybe even looked forward to—different doesn't mean bad, and it's with this mindset that I welcome you to the swan song issue of DP, expectant and excited for the future.

Let me plant a little time capsule here. As you're probably aware, back issues of The Smog can be pored through at leisure from the index of The Smog. For those of you who come in the inevitable flood of people BW will bring, I'm happy to see you've discovered the old issues of The Smog. Hopefully you'll find it interesting to see flashbacks of the community and metagame—not to mention that a number of these articles will stay relevant for some time to come.

DP has been quite a thrilling ride, but it's time to say goodbye—bring on the fifth generation!

—jumpluff

P.S. Happy birthday to Kinneas, who drew the adorable picture to the left!

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