CAP 12 CAP 1 - Concept Submissions

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The problem that I have with "Momentum" is that the concept is far too broad. Momentum isn't nearly as precise of an element of the game as "Scouting" or "Support". It takes form in many different ways, with every good pokemon in the game being able to effectively gain momentum, and every non-broken pokemon in the game being able to lose its momentum. Weather teams gain momentum by getting their respective weather up, so it would have to counter that. Stat-up mons gain momentum by setting up a DD, SD, etc, so it would have to be able to deal with that. Walls gain momentum by hard-countering pokemon, so it couldn't be dealt with like that, and so on. Really the only aspect of momentum that could be materialized into any one pokemon is using scouting moves like U-turn, Volt Change, or Baton Pass, but then the concept becomes "Ultimate Scout" (though I do think that would be interesting in a Team Preview metagame).

Really I don't see how any pokemon could ever hope to always or even consistently shift the momentum of a match, since momentum takes so many forms. But these are just my concerns, and I would love to be proven wrong as I agree that momentum is a significant part of the game and that it deserves some insight.
 
Concept: Perfect Enemy

General Description: A Pokemon designed to be another popular Pokemon's worst nightmare. They are an absolute full stop to that Pokemon and others like it, although they may lack in other areas. Examples include Infernape and Starmie, or Suicune and Vaporeon.

Justification: This is a revisit of "Perfect Mate" with a twist. Given Voodoom was our most successful CAP yet(according to Doug), I figured that we could see what happens from the other side.

Questions to be Answered:
- Does having a perfect foe make the popular Pokemon drop drastically in usage?
- Would new team combinations to fight this new threat appear?
- If the Pokemon we create a rival to is integral to the metagame, what happens to the 5th Generation?
- How do offensive counters and defensive counters compare? For example, if we made an offensively-biased Suicune counter, how would its roles vary compared to Ferrothorn or Chansey's?

Explanation: Almost any Pokemon could be the target for this, but I'd like to see a perfect foe for a massive centraliser like Ferrothorn or Conkeldurr. The former's foe would want Magnet Pull and/or strong Fire or Fighting-type moves, while the latter would need good resistances, good defenses and some form of PHazing.
 

reachzero

the pastor of disaster
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Concept: Defensive Revenge Killer

Description: A fast, Attack-oriented Pokemon to switch in, revenge kill, then be able to continue momentum by sweeping.
First of all, I believe a more fitting name for your concept idea would be "Bulky Revenge Killer", since "Defensive Revenge Killer" is an oxymoron. More importantly, however, I see little justification for why we would want a bulky revenge killer--as you note, there would be strong balance issues. A Pokemon that is very strong AND very fast AND very bulky? That sounds like an offensive player's dream.

Name: Non-Trivial Pursuit

General Description: A Pokemon that can effectively trap and kill major new threats and deal with the massive influx of Pursuit-resistant threats effectively.
A pretty good idea.

Concept: Defensive Baton Pass
Explanation: A more defensively based baton passer, therefore, removing from the passer the ability to sweep on its own.
My major concern with this concept is that I'm not sure that the concept is unexplored; Mew seems to fit the description to a "T".

Concept: Chipper
Description: A Pokémon that is designed to gradually wear away the opponent so that it, or another Pokémon, may sweep.
I like this concept, all the more because "how do we actually do that?" isn't as immediately obvious as it is with many of the concepts that have been suggested. A more catchy name would be nice (perhaps something like "The Jab"?)!

Name: Slowing the Pace

Description: A Pokemon that can break the momentum of the opposing team consistently, but not obtain momentum for its own team, while not being a liability.
This reminds me of a variant on Admiral_Korski's concept. The main difference seems to be the emphasis on slowing the pace of the momentum rather than totally reversing it.


Concept: Good Stuff

General Description: A very good Pokémon who doesn't necessarily fit in a specific themed playstyle.
I think this concept is a little too vague as currently written--it could produce Porygon-Z or Salamence or Jirachi or almost any other Pokemon indiscriminately simply because we would have almost no direction as to where to start. In fact, I think the first discussion thread would be basically a second concept thread, simply because the concept would almost entirely lack direction.

Concept: Save Stall!

General Description: This pokemon would aim to revitalize stall in the fifth generation
I think this would make an excellent concept (even though I personally hate stall...).

Concept: Perfect RainStaller

Description: A Pokemon that, while having a small niche use outside of rain, can be a key player on RainStall teams.
An okay concept in itself, no doubt, but I am concerned about designing CAP1's concept to depend on a factor as volatile as Drizzle--who knows whether Drizzletoed will even be around after this round of Suspect testing?

Concept: Premium Sun Sweeper

General Description: This pokemon would aim to abuse sun to the fullest.
Almost exactly the same concern I have with Dummy007's concept, only more so. Drought is toeing the line so closely in OU as is that I am worried about what would happen to the metagame if we gave it another premium sweeper.

Concept: Fair Weather Friend

Description:
A Pokemon who functions poorly outside of weather, but is an excellent contender in Sun, Rain, Sand, or Hail
Good concept in terms of requiring creativity, in terms of giving direction, in terms of not being confiningly specific. The only real question I am left with is "why do this?" What would the benefit be of having one Pokemon that could function very well in any type of Weather?

Concept: Playing with your toys

General Description: A Pokemon able to use the opponent's strengths (ability, item) in order to either become more powerful or disable the opponent's strategy.
This would be an interesting concept, particularly since it's not all that easy to get to work, yet still at least plausible.

Concept:Single Moveset

General Description: This Pokemon would have only one viable moveset but still be used in standard.
I believe that there are already many, many Pokemon like this.
 
Concept: Tierless

General Description: A pokemon that while being able to take on current OU pokemon, but is countered and checked by lower tier pokemon.

Justification: In the current metagame their are certain standout "powerhouse" pokemon that can threaten to tear apart most teams. However on the other side are the pokemon that never see any competitive use do to their typings or move pools. If their was a pokemon that could counter or check most of the current OU threats, but was countered by a less used pokemon. It would cause a major shift in the pokemon being used and would create unique problems for team builders.

Questions to be Answered
-How would this pokemon affect the usage of the top tier threats
-Would other lower tier pokemon that handle counter for this pokemon also come into use
-How would team building "norms" change in the presence of the new pokemon and its lower tier counters
-How good would a pokemon have to be to warrant such a need for the counters
-Could a pokemon by itself create such a change in usage
-How would the countered or checked pokemon change in the new metagame
-How could you make a pokemon that is capable countering/checking the top tier pokemon and still not be owerpowered

Explanation: What I am hoping this pokemon will become is a metagame balancer and a pokemon that helps make tiers of the individual pokemon less important. The pokemon should not be able to sweep through teams not including its counters, but it should balance out the pokemon and help bring the less used pokemon into the spotlight. Lastly it is important to remember this pokemon will not be overpowered to the point that its counter has to be present on a team to make it viable in the metagame.
 

Destiny Warrior

also known as Darkwing_Duck
is a Smogon Media Contributor Alumnus
Concept: Binary Star
General Description: A Pokemon that shines in doubles with a good niche, but is not particularly good in singles.
Justification: The field of doubles has never been broached by CAP before. Designing a Pokemon for doubles will shed more light on this metagame, and learn about the impact of adding a Pokemon to the fast-paced doubles metagame, and how various strategies must adapt to it.
Questions to be Answered
- Can a single Pokemon impact the metagame significantly?
- Can a single Pokemon check the most significant strategies in the doubles metagame?
- What niche will this Pokemon occupy in the current Tailwind and Trick Room dominated metagame?
- What strategies will this Pokemon popularize?

Justification: The standard OU metagame is still being revised continously. However, the official doubles metagame has a fixed ruleset, and performing experiments on it will garner more information on an interesting metagame, which has settled down in terms of rules already. Doubles is also a metagame that requires more support, and dedicating a CAP to it will definitely go a long way towards popularizing it.

Explanation: Because of the way doubles works, building a CAP around a strategy would be the best way to maximise the amount we learn about the metagame. This is where doubles shines, because there are several dozens of strategies in doubles, meaning we can pick any one and orient our CAP towards it, meaning we have a lot of leeway with our concept even after we choose it.
 

Woodchuck

actual cannibal
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I'm worried that this concept may not be entirely legal, but...

Concept:
Hazards Defier
General Description: A pokemon that is exceptionally weak to or crippled by entry hazards, but has ways to recover from the damaging effects of these hazards.
Justification: There is a portion of the Smogon community that believes that Stealth Rock or other hazards are suspect and overcentralize the metagame. This CAP would allow us to learn more about the extent to which hazards can cripple a pokemon, and how it can beat the challenges that come from being severely weakened by entry hazards. This would also allow us to explore how the Wifi Clause changes how hazards are put onto the field and how Pokemon can take advantage of these changes.
Questions To Be Answered:
Can an extremely hazards-weak Pokemon still manage to function despite the presence of entry hazards in the metagame?
How will this Pokemon affect the number of teams that carry Rapid Spin and spin-blockers?
How will this Pokemon affect the manner in which teams lay down Stealth Rock, Spikes, and Toxic Spikes?
How will this Pokemon affect, with the Wifi Clause, the priority teams place on laying entry hazards? (i. e. early with a suicide hazard layer, or mid game with a bulkier pokemon)

Explanation: The most obvious idea that comes to mind is a Urugamosu-like Pokemon that is 4x weak to Stealth Rock and powerful to the point where teams will often carry Stealth Rock as their check to it. However, a Pokemon severely crippled by Toxic Spikes, or a Pokemon that is supposed to switch in and out frequently, are other candidates. It is also important to keep in mind this Pokemon shouldn't just be one that is so good that everyone will carry Rapid Spinner just to use it.

I'd also like to note that the Momentum-Changer idea is my favorite one, but it seems like it would be difficult to do without simply creating an extremely overpowered Pokemon.
 
Name: The Assassin

General Description: The Assassin is a Pokémon that can eliminate a few problem Pokémon for certain unconventional teams swiftly, and without possibility of failure. However, it would be incapable of harming anything else.

Justification: The Assassin would have a positive effect on the metagame because it gives certain unconventional teams the boost they need to achieve usability in standard play.

Questions to be Answered:
· How will OU be affected if The Assassin is introduced?
· Will the teams that The Assassin is meant to help see a rise in usage?
· What types of teams would The Assassin see play on?
· Would players stop using the Pokémon that The Assassin is designed to counter?

Explanation: When I came up with this concept, my original thought was to make a Pokémon that could counter certain Pokémon effectively. Then I remembered how Krillowatt turned out, so I decided to put a spin on things. I realized that the Pokémon I wanted to create needed to be an Assassin. Like the assassin, this Pokémon's sole purpose in life is to eliminate problems for others. It would do this in such a way that the target had no chance of survival, and the CAP would come out unscathed. Also like an assassin, this CAP would be incapable of harming anyone other than the target, because that would put it in danger. So much danger in fact, that anything other than the target Pokémon could defeat it just as swiftly as the CAP eliminates its targets. Certain teams, such as Hail, could benefit immensely from a Pokémon that could 'whack' problems into the dust. Hence this concept.
 
Concept: Speedy Staller

General Description:
A Pokemon that can be a prominant defensive threat by outspeeding and outstalling the opponent.

Justification:
In the current metagame stall has taken the backseat due to an influx of powerful offensive threats, a defensive playstyle is less viable due to the sheer force of offense. A fast wall could help with the simple task of setting up hazards, spreading status, screens, etc. without having to worry about the constant pressure of being outsped and taken down without having time to create the ideal situation.

Questions to be Answered:
-How crucial is speed in the Gen V metagame?
-How do other defensive threats benefit from the addition of a fast addition to the team?
-Can a fast Pokemon really slow down the battle to create a stall environment?

Explanation
When I look at the current metagame, the first thing that pops out at me is that there are some times when playing defensively is impossible because of the sheer power that the current metagame is offering. With new threats like Conkelldurr, Excadrill, Landurus, Reuinclus, and many others, being outsped is the same as being KOd. But a fast staller, or even a Mischievious Heart user with better defenses than Erufuun, could revitalize stall by giving your team the upper hand against sweepers.
 
Concept: The Hax Hunter

Description: A Pokemon that's designed to eliminate, or at least severely reduce, the amount of luck-based events that happen to anyone who adds it to their team.

Justification: Don't you just hate it when your opponent gets a critical hit on you just as you're about to win? How about having the only Pokemon alive that could possibly help you win being frozen by, say, an Ice Beam from a Jellicent? Well, the Pokemon that comes out of this concept would be glad to help, whether it be saving your ass from being flinchaxed to death or transforming a lucky crit to the opposing player's absolute worst nightmare.

Questions to be answered:

Can such events as a critical hit or a lucky flinch grind to a screeching halt?
Will the leaderboard slowly become dominated by players with only true skill?
Is there perhaps a chance that ragequits occur less often?
And how important is the slightest bit of hax important for victories anyway?

Explanation: Yeah, this is pretty much the best thing I can come up with. Hopefully it'll at least contend with some of the better concepts. But I thought of this concept because... let's face it, hax is a pain in the ass. True, it'll probably end up completely similar to Cyclohm, in terms of stat spread at the least anyway, BUT this guy should be able to deal with critical hits in some manner as well as random freezes and stuff, whereas Cyclohm only deals with the latter.
 

Bughouse

Like ships in the night, you're passing me by
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Concept: Trick Room Abuser

General Description: Trick Room has had some success as an anti-metagame playstyle, however, apart from Reuniclus and Krimgan, the pool for viable sweepers is quite small. This Pokemon would need to threaten from both the physical and special sides in order to distinguish itself from the two aforementioned options.

Justification: The metagame is fast. Really fast. Very few slow Pokemon are used, and all of them have at least one enormous factor in their favor, usually massive bulk.

Questions to be Answered:
- Does making a Pokemon that can OHKO many common fast sweepers dramatically change the metagame?
- Would this Pokemon actually be strong enough to take down walls, especially ones slower than it (Ferrothorn)?
- If the Pokemon is strong enough to defeat Ferrothorn and is faster, would it be usable outside of Trick Room as well?
- Can the Pokemon be bulky enough to survive priority, but still frail enough that outside of Trick Room it stands no chance of survival?
- Since a mixed sweeper likely needs 4 attacks, can it function without carrying Trick Room, especially because of its short duration?

Explanation: This Pokemon would need to resist common priority (essentially meaning Mach Punch, others are added bonuses). Since it is already dependent on bulkier support Pokemon like Reuniclus to set up the Trick Room, it should not also be dependent on a spinner too by being weak to Stealth Rock (neutrality is fine). One potential example would be a slow Electric type with access to Flare Blitz and Wild Bolt to defeat the Ferrothorn/Jellicent core. This primarily physical threat could be powered up even more in Trick Room by holding Iron Ball.
 

DetroitLolcat

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Name: Second Chance

General Description: A pokemon that can, if on a team, can reduce or negate the effect of a misplay by the user.

Justification: You forgot the opponent had Doryuuzu and got swept at the last minute. Your only pokemon faster than your opponent's Gliscor was killed by a poor prediction so 'Scor outlasted you. We've all been there. This Pokemon would serve as "insurance" for a mistake made by the user. It's a fitting concept because it effectively fills all three of the Justification questions. It has a positive effect on the metagame by making it easier to get into. The current metagame is very offensive and is centered around ridiculously powered (though not broken) pokemon like Terrakion or Volcarona setting up and sweeping. However, in the new metagame, one poor play can cost you the game. If you predict a Swords Dance by your foe's Terrakion and it Close Combats your Ferrothorn, it could end up costing you the match. If you had a way to make up for your mistake, it could even out the score and not make one turn the deciding factor in a game. It allows us to learn more about the metagame by seeing that if Bulky set-up pokemon and other do-or-die pokemon are weakened, what new threats will pop up? If wins are harder to come by, what new faces will gain popularity? It somewhat introduces a new niche by reshaping the metagame around new threats, but it shakily at best answers this question. It still tackles the first two, though!

Questions to be answered:

1. Since players who use this pokemon can afford to play more liberally, what new playstyles will emerge?
2. Since making a mistake in playing can cause a myriad of problems, can one pokemon theoretically handle all of them without breaking the metagame?
3. How can one pokemon neuter the opponent's momentum without building offensive momentum for themselves (as making a mistake should never result in a favorable situation for the user)?
4. What threats are most important to check when building this pokemon?
5. What playstyles are most effective for the user when this pokemon is covering common threats?
6. How will opponents react to this pokemon when they see it in Team Preview?

Explanation: In an offensive metagame, players can often feel in a "do-or-die" situation especially with the advent of Team Preview. The entire game is about gaining momentum with offensive juggernauts like Mole, Landorus, and Volcarona while trying to counter your opponent's with Gliscor or Ferrothorn, both of which cannot last forever. Latios is often used as a means to rip holes in the opponent's pokemon, with a deadly Draco Meteor and HP Fire to round out coverage against Ferrthorn. Obviously, there is no room for error when dealing with these monsters, as they can reach nearly four digit (Special) Attack and sometimes even 500 speed in only one turn. If you screw up, you have to sacrifice one pokemon for a switch in, then another to take it out. And losing one third of your team is a little costly for making one error. This pokemon would attempt to nullify the effect of the mistake and give the user another chance at victory. If I can post the "illegal" stuff here, I would think of a pokemon with high defenses, as it would need to come in on these super-threats and force them out, without being broken. By this, I think a very high stat spread and maybe a hindering ability would be in order, though that's up to the community if this concept is lucky enough to be chosen. This is like the concept "Momentum" in a sense, as the entire metagame is based on momentum, no? Just this one serves as a one-time halt to the opponent's momentum.
 
Name: Status Assassin
General Description: Geared towards effectively crippling top metagame threats with, but not less-commonly seen Pokemon, and cannot outright KO top threats, but isn't defensively weak to them either.
Justification: Gen V swarms with threats such as Thundurus, Excadrill, etc. to which the only answer is Gliscor, Skarmory, Blissey, Porygon2, Hippowdon and other majorly defensive pokemon. While somewhat useful on a few pokemon, such as Jellicent, there isn't a pokemon that can really effectively use multiple types of status to deal with these threats without killing them. I think that the ability to do that would be useful because crippling is quite often more useful than KOing something, because you have fodder, which can be used to set up on, further helping your team.
Questions To Be Answered: (See rules below.)
Can top threats be dealt with without KOing them?
What types of status are certain threats weak to?
Could Confusion/other status conditions besides burns, paralysis, and poison be a viable tactic in OU?

Explanation: um, yeah. nothing much else to say.
 
Name: Residual Damage Abuser

General Description: The goal of this pokemon is to make full use of ways of damaging the opponent outside of attacking it, such as abuse of entry hazards, status, damaging weather, etc.

Justification: OU is such a fast paced metagame where often times we even completely forgo the use of entry hazards and damaging status simply to free up move slots to better sweep the opponent. How could we design a pokemon that could really bring these sorts of strategies almost strictly associated with stall teams and perhaps make them even viable on offensive teams such that alternative methods of wearing down pokemon can be used effectively.

Questions to be Answered:
· How will OU be affected by the introduction of the Residual Damage Abuser?
· Will the Residual Damage Abuser make the use of residual damage threatening in an environment filled with Steel-Types, pokemon immune to various forms of status afflictions, and abilities such as Magic Guard and Magic Mirror on several of OU's top threats?
· How will this pokemon deal with the huge offensive power of Gen 5 OU considering how Residual Damage is typically associated with stall teams, and stall teams are far from effective in the current fast paced metagem?
· Would an abuser of residual damage decrease the use of strategies such as Choiced revenge killers and U-Turn spamming, along with perhaps increasing the use of pokemon with Rapid Spin and status alleviating moves such as Heal Bell?

Explanation:

My intention for this pokemon is to make full use of not only entry hazards but damaging status such as poison and burn to really cripple a huge variety of top threats regardless of their typings and abilities. Obviously access to moves such as toxic, will-o-wisp, whirlwind/roar, dragon tail, etc would be very useful on this pokemon, but the main idea behind it is vague enough where I feel it would lead to a very cool CAP 1 for Gen V.
 

Jibaku

Who let marco in here????
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Yeah I ddin't put much time into making this post, but I've had this concept for a while

Concept: Disabler

General Description: A Pokemon whose job is to severely limit the target's move options, thus creating advantageous situations that can be utilized creatively.

Justification: As of Gen 4 onwards moveslots have become more valuable, given the increased amount of moves, threats, and new typing combinations available. When Pokemon lose their ability to perform certain moves, they become vulnerable to certain threats (I think we all know this). In Generation 5, these threats have become more significant than before, which makes this concept more successful (Sub/Disable Gengar is an example). Disabling is a great offensive and defensive maneuver, and with so little to perform it in Gen 5, it would be awesome to get a closer look at it.

Questions to be answered:

- What would be the best group of Pokemon in OU to target the disabler at? Do we want to target it against offensive Pokemon to easier stop their sweeps, or defensive Pokemon for easier set up?
- How will a prominent disabler affect the metagame's pace?
- Would it cause the amount of set up sweepers to increase or decrease? Increase due to the disabler creating more room to set up, or decrease due to the disabler's ability to stop sweeps by disabling an attack from the sweeper? (this question is similar to the first one)

Explanation:
We've seen Substitute/Disable Gengar used to a decent success in OU, utilizing its Ghost typing to halt things like CM Reuniclus. Jellicent is also another good disabler, with access to great bulk, Cursed Body, and Taunt (and is also a Ghost). I'd imagine this Pokemon is more on the bulky side of things, with Cursed Body (although really, Flame Body/Static/Mischievous Heart/Klutz/etc/NOT SHADOW TAG could work), access to Taunt/Torment/Imprison/Encore/Trick/and of course, Disable. Even Worry Seed and Gastro Acid could work as a lot of Pokemon today enjoy their abilities (even though this concept is centered around moves). That's as much as I need to say for this concept, but considering that GF has presented us with one offensive disabler and one defensive disabler, I think we have some room to be creative with this.
 
Name:All hail the sweeper!

General Description: A Hail abuser that can benefit the team in a more offensive and outgoing/fastpaced style rather than a slower, set up, or, luck based style as shown by Snow Cloak and Ice Body abusers.

Justification: Let's say you are running a wonderful Hail team. You're having fun, climbing up the ladders, messin' with teams...but wait. You're facing a Sun, Rain, or Sandstorm team. You kill their weather abuser, and try to turn the tables by sending out your precious Abomasnow, but you then see that they have a powerful ScarfChomp, Warubiaru, Starmie, Gengar, Blaziken, etc. You try your best to predict his moves and beat his team, but he's just to fast and too powerful for you! Well, if only you had that game-saving, Hail abusing Doryuuzu/Venusaur/Kingdra/Ludicolo/Kabutops equivalent to save the day! Certainly you could turn the tables and win the game if only you had a hidden card, no?

Questions to be answered:

1. But Ice is a horrible defensive/offensive playing type no? I mean, how many viable Ice types do you see in the current metagame?
2. And what if the Hail isn't around? Can't a *insert powerful weather summoner here* come in and ruin your sweep?
3. But what about the horrid priority moves and Stealth Rock?
4. What threats are most important to check when building this pokemon?
5. Is it really safe to use this thing as a "last chance" or "early game" sweeper? If this thing can't stay around, won't your team be wrecked by speedy sweepers?
6. How will the opponent be able to cripple this pokemon?

Explanation: While Ice may not be the best typing, remember all of the benefits. STAB Ice Beam/Ice Shard/Avalanche/Icicle Drop/Ice Punch/Ice Fang, all extremely viable moves that we see all of the time. Also remember that it doesn't have to be Ice. Cacturne is a prime example! While it may not be able to take advantage of weather like alot of other abusers(SpD boosts, powerful Water and Fire moves, or 100% accurate Blizzards), it's Ability, nice stat distribution, and wonderful movepool make it a wonderful pokemon to use, which is what would be the intentions of this pokemon. If this pokemon were to be used, you would have to be wary of hazards, especially Toxic Spikes, speed boosters, such as AgiliGross, Speed Boost Blaziken, and Dragon Dancers. A nice Taunter, Spinner, or Hazer can all benefit this pokemon in order for it to destroy the opposing team. While losing this pokemon can be situational, it is important to have a plan in mind. Planning out your future move can make this nIce sweeper (pun intended) an extremely potent threat.
 
Concept: Incomplete Pokemon/ Unbalanced pokemon

Description: A pokemon that is designed to be a certain roll, but is missing a part of it. (Sweeper with bad speed, walls with bad movepools)

Justification: Right now there are many powerful pokemon. The have good stats where they need them and have movepools/abilities too. This pokemon will show us if all of these are neccesary to be succesful.

Questions To Be Answered:
  • Do succesful pokemon need to be good in every part of them?
  • How useful is a large stat if the pokemon is unsuccesful in other areas?
  • Can a pokemon have multiple roles while doing each role imperfectly?
  • How valuable is the element of surprise?
Explanation: This pokemon should have a stat or ability that makes it clear that the pokemon is a <insert role here>. However part of the pokemon is worse causing it to have trouble playing that role. The rest of the pokemon should be fairly balanced. This allows the pokemon to play other roles, but also to a lesser extent. This allows us to understand the element of surprise.
 
Small feedback on some of these (from this page).

Concept: Binary Star
General Description: A Pokemon that shines in doubles with a good niche, but is not particularly good in singles.
I'm not sure whether we are going to be focusing on Double Battles for CaP (yet). Even if so, one made to work well in those and not in Single battles doesn't make any sense. Interesting, but that's basically saying "let's make a crappy Pokemon for the standard game."

Concept: Hazards Defier
General Description: A pokemon that is exceptionally weak to or crippled by entry hazards, but has ways to recover from the damaging effects of these hazards.
By the description, that is not a concept. To fulfill this, we simply make a Fire/Bug Pokemon with Recover (or any other healing move). It's a specific characteristic of the Pokemon which we can't use at this stage.

Concept: Weather Decentralizer

General Description: A Pokemon that can turn weather's presence into a hindrance against teams that would otherwise utilize it.
Now I like this. I can't think of anyway to do it on the top of my head, but this is a great alternative to Weather Slayer.

Name: The Assassin

General Description: The Assassin is a Pokémon that can eliminate a few problem Pokémon for certain unconventional teams swiftly, and without possibility of failure. However, it would be incapable of harming anything else.
I'm not sure whether I'd be inclined to use a Pokemon that would be dead weight after its "target" is killed. When if the Pokemon we design it to counter are not even on the opponent's team?

Concept: Speedy Staller

General Description: A Pokemon that can be a prominant defensive threat by outspeeding and outstalling the opponent.
There are a couple of ways to go with this. I prefer offense myself, but a staller without piss-poor speed can be a nice addition.

Concept: The Hax Hunter

Description: A Pokemon that's designed to eliminate, or at least severely reduce, the amount of luck-based events: such as critical hits, paralysis from stuff like Discharge or Body Slam, burns from stuff like Lava Plume or Scald, flinches from stuff like Rock Slide or Iron Head, etc that happen to anyone who adds it to their team.
Be sure not to use specific moves and traits in the description. Leave it at the first sentence. I'd like less hax in PO though as well.

Concept: Trick Room Abuser

General Description: Trick Room has had some success as an anti-metagame playstyle, however, apart from Reuniclus and Krimgan, the pool for viable sweepers is quite small. This Pokemon would need to threaten from both the physical and special sides in order to distinguish itself from the two aforementioned options.
What's with you kids and Trick Room? Again, a specific move is illegal to use as a concept. How about leaving your idea at anti-metagame instead?

Name: Second Chance

General Description: A pokemon that can, if on a team, can reduce or negate the effect of a misplay by the user.
Somewhat related to momentum in some aspects. I like this one a lot. There are many threats you may forget (even with Team Reveal). I make mistakes all the time and pay for it.

Concept: Disabler

General Description: A Pokemon whose job is to severely limit the target's move options, thus creating advantageous situations that can be utilized creatively.
I'm suprised you didn't bring this up in the past. I think this one need consideration. This one is very realistic and would help counter some of those darn threats of 5th gen.

Name: Toxic Spikes Abuser

General Description: The goal of this pokemon is to make full use of the HP draining status of Poison.
Again, using a specific move. Description and justification are not usable like this, but the idea of making full use of residual damage is a good concept.

Name:All hail the sweeper!

General Description: A Hail abuser that can benefit the team in a more offensive and outgoing/fastpaced style rather than a slower, set up, or, luck based style as shown by Snow Cloak and Ice Body abusers.
I don't really want someone to sweep in weather, but you make a good point that the core users of hail are more of stallers. Really, the only thing I can think of using it offensively is just the accuracy increase in Blizzard. I don't know how we could change that, but it's something interesting to think about.

Concept: Hail Crusher
Description: A physically offensive Pokemon to bring Hail teams into the fifth generation.

Justification: Most Hail teams are seen as either stall teams, or terrible Blizzard spamming teams. While Sand, Rain, and Sun teams all have the ability to either stall or sweep, Hail is left out. A physically offensive Pokemon, as compared to the common Blizzard wielding Pokemon, with a varied enough movepool to combat common threats to Hail teams could open the door for new methods to counter or stop other weather teams.
The description is vague. By the justification, it is just like the concept above.

Concept: Incomplete Pokemon/ Unbalanced pokemon

Description: A pokemon that is designed to be a certain roll, but is missing a part of it. (Sweeper with bad speed, walls with bad movepools)

Justification: Right now there are many powerful pokemon. They have good stats where they need them and have movepools/abilities too. This pokemon will show us if all of these are neccesary to be succesful.
I get the basis of the concept, but it needs a better description/justification. Why would we make half a Pokemon? I think a better way to put it would be "...a Pokemon that is designed to play as a certain role, but doesn't share all of the qualities usually seen when by other Pokemon with the same role." That would make much more sense. Your justification makes sense and could be a good project, but I think it's pretty obvious whether a certain trait (or traits) is the reason of it being so effective. Excadrill would be nowhere near as useful if he didn't have Sand Rush for example.
 
Name: Gravi-ton
Description: A pokemon that can actually make Gravity viable
Justification: Gravity is easily the worst and/or least used of teams that are based around a certain condition. To make it worse, a surprising amount of Gravity abusers are weak to Ground (but then a lot of Rain pokemon are Water typed, Sun pokemon are Fire or Grass, etc.). This pokemon can make Gravity much more viable, but because one pokemon probably can't do that and Gravity is just 4 turns (5 with Fidgit) of abuse, this pokemon should not be an epic fail outside of Gravity.
Questions:

  • Could just one pokemon make Gravity teams viable?
  • Is there enough to abuse in Gravity that can make a pokemon OU material in Gravity, but largely outclassed (or just plain bad) outside of Gravity?
  • Will lesser used pokemon be brought into OU if they can fit well on a Gravity team?
Explanation: Gravity really sucks compared to weather, Trick Room and other teams like that. They are somewhat viable now, but generally not as good as the others, as Gravity does not provide speed or defensive boosts unlike the others. Gravity also never lasts long and it's never activated automatically, like Trick Room. Gravity just needs to be better and a threat in the OU metagame.
 

Zystral

めんどくさい、な~
is a Contributor Alumnusis a Top Smogon Media Contributor Alumnus
As much as I like Korski's Momentum idea, I had a concept that went in a completely different direction.

Concept: Irrelevance

General Description: This Pokemon is capable of altering the flow of battle. While not a complete game-breaker, it will force opponents to respond in an unnatural way.

Justification: Most teams in Gen V have a rough idea. Rain-based, Anti-Rain, Sand Offense, Total Sweep, etc. This Pokemon would basically be something that can slow the momentum down (for both players), and possibly knock the game off course, thus giving both players a little more time (such as one or two turns) to rethink about how to respond once they know the opponent's team a little better. This can be very useful in picking apart certain strategies, seeing if the preventation of certain Pokemon affects the viability of that strategy.

Questions to be answered:
  • How do some playstyles respond when their plan doesn't work?
  • Is it possible to force their alternate hand without making an attempt to counter the playstyler directly?
  • How effective can something be at shifting the balance of the game without being too powerful?
  • How far does one Pokemon dictate the useage of a certain playstyle?

Explaination: There are a variety of ways we can do this, but it has to be one or the other. I only fear what is required of this Pokemon will require some heavy stats to pull off, namely the fact that it will either slow down the opposition by brute force (and that only works against non-defensive playstyles), or by standard walling (which non-defensive play should have no problem breaking through). The other problem is thinking how to overcome the problem of being able to face these different effects without focusing on one more than the other. I don't want it to be a Jack Of All Trades, but I don't want it to be Sally Specialized either. However, it will be interesting to see out, since it likely will be the sort of Pokemon that you can't just stick on a team expecting it to work and stop weather teams from smashing you, yet its not really the prime candidate for building a team around. I see it as something that you can slot in with a partner in a 4-man team, just for extra insurance against playstyles.
 
Concept: Swiss Army Knife

General Description: A pokemon able to have many purposes, each with it's own strengths and weaknesses.

Justification: Many Pokemon have only one or two uses. When it comes out on a situation, you know exactly what it's coming in to do. However, this pokemon could come in using one of many sets. If the oppodent makes one wrong move, it could cost him/her a sweeper, hazards, or ultimately the battle.

Questions to be Answered:

-Could enemies be prepared for almost anything?
-How many uses could one pokemon have?
-Is it possible to have a Jack of all Trades without being overpowered?

Explanation: It's a Jack of All Trades. It can be a sweeper, using good offensive stats and powerful moves combined with high speed. It can be a wall, with good defenses and large HP combined with defensive typing. It can be a utility, using utility moves combined with high speed to preform it's use and get out. It could be a lead, preforming a task and taking an enemy down with it. The list goes on and on. It can't just be slapped onto any team, you have to build the team around it to compliment it. Finally, it needs a movepool complete with utility moves, powerful STAB, and stalling moves.
 

Destiny Warrior

also known as Darkwing_Duck
is a Smogon Media Contributor Alumnus
I'm not sure whether we are going to be focusing on Double Battles for CaP (yet). Even if so, one made to work well in those and not in Single battles doesn't make any sense. Interesting, but that's basically saying "let's make a crappy Pokemon for the standard game."
I spoke to Rising_Dusk and reachzero, and they said teh concept was legal.
The Pokemon does not *have* to be crappy in singles, it merely must be worse than it is in doubles.
 
I spoke to Rising_Dusk and reachzero, and they said teh concept was legal.
The Pokemon does not *have* to be crappy in singles, it merely must be worse than it is in doubles.
Oh, I knew it was legal, just not sure if it's practical at the time. I still have Shoddy in my mind, where there were no Double Battles. With them available in PO, there's no reason why we can't try our CAPs in doubles and see how they affect that enviroment as well. I saw your post about trying to get it started. I hope my comment didn't come off has negative, it's a good concept.

Name: Ability Manipulator

General Description: A pokemon which is capable of using the opponents ability against them.
Haha, this and another has been in my head for a while. This is good, but I wanted to wait for all abilities on some guys to be released. Your right, it would be very hard to accomplish (like Ultimate Scout), it could result in a cool Pokemon when you think about it.
 
Concept: Fall of the Fighters (and Psychics)

General Description: A Pokemon which is able to make the metagame less focused on Fighting type Pokemon(think Birijion, Blaziken, Roobushin) and Psychic Pokemon (Rankurusu, Lati@s, Shinporaa)

Justification: In Gen V, one of the major changes from Gen IV was the introduction of a whole new host of fighting type Pokemon. That dominance of Fighting Type pokemon led to a lot of centralization based on Fighting Types and Psychic Types. I think it would be interesting to see how Gen V would be shaped if Psychic and Fighting types were less dominant.

Questions to be Answered:

-How would Gen V have evolved if Fighting types and Psychic type Pokemon were not as dominant?
-Would other types such as Steel and Rock become more viable with the lack of Fighting Types?
-Would other types such as Dark and Bug become less viable with the decrease of usage of Psychic Types?
-Is it possible to make a Pokemon that can take down one type of Pokemon while also decreasing usage of another type that benefits from the removal of the first type?

Explanation: I feel that this can be done in many different ways, so I'll leave this up to your imagination ... :P
 
Quote:
Name: Type Trait
General Description: Some types are just undervalued or underused, despite being useable on paper. Some may be good for a certain role, but have no pokemon with the right stats or movepool to use it.
Justification: This allows us to see if certain types can do certain roles which they type does not already have a decent pokemon to do so, within the 5th Generation Metagame. In a way, this is similar to Stratagem in the 4th Gen CAP.
Questions To Be Answered:

  • Can X type perform X role within OU?
  • How would the advent of a new offensive/defensive/supportive threat of a different type to the existing ones effect OU?
  • Are some types underestimated, just because the pokemon who weild them suffer in other respects?

Explanation:
It's often thrown about, things such as Poision is a Bad attacking type! Or Fire is a bad Defensive type!

However, if you take these two aformentioned examples, and look closer, you can see that there is nothing to justify this. Poision types have no pokemon suitable to sweep in OU, the closest they get is Crobat, who has no-set up moves, and is somewhat frail. Nidoking is close too with Encourage, but he's slow.

However, if you look at OU right now, Poision actually has great neutral coverage. The most prominent types are Dragon, Water, Psychic, Fighting, and Steel. There's also quite a lot of Grass, Rock, and Ground-types. Considering Poision has some good STABS [Slime Wave is Base 100, 100 Accuracy, and can Poision], it could be interesting to see what would happen if we actually made a Poision-type sweeper.

Taking the Fire type example, the closest the Fires have to a defensive build is Torkoal, who lacks Sp.Def and HP, and Magcargo, who has one of the worst duel-types possible. Heatran is bulky, but is more oriented towards being a bulky sweeper, not a defensive pokemon outright. Fire has been shown to be a useful type for bulky attackers, such as Heatran, and Moltres in UU [As well as Entei in NU], so, is it possible to have a defensive fire-type, which is viable in OU?

Rock is another type which is often overlooked in defensive roles. Tyranitar only works defensivly due to monsterous stats in the first place, and Craydily benifits from it's Grass-type, as well as Recover, and Stockpile, and Suction Cups, and even then, it's only average at best.

How about a supportive Dragon? Or a Defensive Fighting-type? A flying-type sweeper, who dosen't focus extensivly on their alternate STAB [Looking at you, Thunderous]. There are many different possibilities which remain unexplored, due to there not being a pokemon with the right stats and movepool to give the type a legitamate chance at being viable.
 
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