Since everyone ignores my (admittedly pointless) concept, I'm dropping it and fully throwing my support behind the Sketch Artist. It's an interesting application of a certain Smog article, and it also gives us several opportunities to learn about the metagame. There are just so many things you can do, other than being my suicide lead slave like Smeargle.
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CAP 13 CAP 2 - Concept Submissions
- Thread starter Rising_Dusk
- Start date
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I need to ask, what do you all think of my concept getting sketch? (well in actuality it's kinda like merging my concept and sketch artist)
(Dont hate me, i just wanna know what u guys think; terrible idea or... What?)
And another thing, unpredictability is ever present, as <sorry im not good with names> has said, like with blissey, but that's far too 1 dimensional, Blissey will always be a special wall/staller/cleric, etc., it is set in stone. What my cap is is... IDK, this is supposed to be ambiguous as to what its supposed to end up as, but good analogies for it would be stuff like shedinja with conversion, fast relic song meloetta against dark types or psychic types, (if that made a significant difference), etc.
I like sketch artist most (cant pick my concept either way)
NU savior is my 2nd
Psychological warfare is 3rd, but it should be known that it doesn't hold a candle to NU savior
(Dont hate me, i just wanna know what u guys think; terrible idea or... What?)
And another thing, unpredictability is ever present, as <sorry im not good with names> has said, like with blissey, but that's far too 1 dimensional, Blissey will always be a special wall/staller/cleric, etc., it is set in stone. What my cap is is... IDK, this is supposed to be ambiguous as to what its supposed to end up as, but good analogies for it would be stuff like shedinja with conversion, fast relic song meloetta against dark types or psychic types, (if that made a significant difference), etc.
I like sketch artist most (cant pick my concept either way)
NU savior is my 2nd
Psychological warfare is 3rd, but it should be known that it doesn't hold a candle to NU savior
I think this is slowing down a bit, and we're starting to get to the point where newly posted concepts are really grasping for straws. I'm going to go ahead and put out a 24 hour warning before this topic is closed and a slate is chosen.
Name: The Great Wall of Metagame
General Description: A pokemon who is able to withstand multiple strong blows from this generation's power houses.
Justification: Black and White. With that only said, one can not help but be reminded of the new offensive terror the 5th generation has brought us. Hydreigon rips apart Ferro + Jelli core, even the classic Skarm + Bliss to an extent. Salamence was put to Uber due to the fact that no one can take a double spectrum high intensity attack.
This concept should reward the patient players who takes the time to create holes in the opponent's team gradually, but surely through defensive moves.
A new and unique niche can be born with this CAP. How often can you make a Swords Danced Excadrill in Sandstorm think twice with attacking against any Pokemon? Or even a Speed Boosted Blaziken behind a Subsitute? The goal to achieve with this CAP is to introduce a new tactic of defeating an opponent other than just attacking with raw power.
Questions To Be Answered:
Explanation: This concept aims:
Another note I'd like to add is that most CAP that have been created in the past have some sort of offensive potential to them. I think it's only right to take a defensive approach this time on which one requires the brain to win as opposed to just muscles.
General Description: A pokemon who is able to withstand multiple strong blows from this generation's power houses.
Justification: Black and White. With that only said, one can not help but be reminded of the new offensive terror the 5th generation has brought us. Hydreigon rips apart Ferro + Jelli core, even the classic Skarm + Bliss to an extent. Salamence was put to Uber due to the fact that no one can take a double spectrum high intensity attack.
This concept should reward the patient players who takes the time to create holes in the opponent's team gradually, but surely through defensive moves.
A new and unique niche can be born with this CAP. How often can you make a Swords Danced Excadrill in Sandstorm think twice with attacking against any Pokemon? Or even a Speed Boosted Blaziken behind a Subsitute? The goal to achieve with this CAP is to introduce a new tactic of defeating an opponent other than just attacking with raw power.
Questions To Be Answered:
- - With the majority almost convinced that stall/effecting walling is dead, is there a way to save it with this CAP, should this concept win?
- - At the current metagame, is it all about achieving high Atk/SpA through boosting moves such as Dragon Dance, Shell Smash, for the wipe out? Can it not be the opposite where a Pokemon boosts its defensive stats to the point when even the Pokemon with the strongest STAB can literally not take it down by just simply attacking?
- - What type combination can possibly endure the majority of 5th generation's power houses' attacks?
Explanation: This concept aims:
- - To be a reliable defensive pokemon where you can safely switch it in even against the most lethal attacks.
- - To create safe switch ins to your other pokemon by letting this CAP sponge an attack almost no Pokemon can take.
- - Relies heavily on its defensive capabilities, but there is almost no way to rely on its offensive side.
- - Makes common power house sweepers fear a predictable, but is difficult to take down strategy through defensive boosting/moves.
Another note I'd like to add is that most CAP that have been created in the past have some sort of offensive potential to them. I think it's only right to take a defensive approach this time on which one requires the brain to win as opposed to just muscles.
Concept: Under the Weather
Description: A fairly dangerous Pokemon that can only function properly when no weather is up.
Justification: I think whoever reads these CAP submissions probably knows by now that "weather defines 5th generation". Until such teams as Tabloo, nobody RAN weatherless teams at all, and even now, weatherless is a broad category for teams that don't really care what weather the opposition is using such as Hyper Offense or Baton Pass, or for teams that simply have a "counter" to every weather (and have a heatran 100% of the time). But this Pokemon would take weather control to a whole new level, in that it NECESSITATES the presence of no weather condition on the field. This adds a whole new dimension to weather wars that we had not previously explored.
Questions To Be Answered:
How can a team control weather without the use of its own auto-summoners?
What traits prevent a Pokemon from succeeding against weather teams?
What characteristics of weather have the biggest impact on the metagame and team building(or rather, why is weather so GOOD)?
Explanation: It's actually fairly difficult to determine how to ensure that all 4 vastly different weathers ruin a Pokemon. Custom moves/abilities seem not to be an option but Forecast could make a Pokemon with potentially useful typing a dead weight (especially if it's carrying STAB moves and no ice, fire or water moves). Another option would be to give it 1 HP, like Shedinja, so that Hail and Sandstorm immediately ruin him. He could also simply be designed such that his 5 best counters are Tyranitar, Politoed, Ninetales, Hippowdon and Abomasnow. Perhaps he has sufficient bulk to take fire and water attacks, but not enough with weather weighing down on him. There's a lot to learn here, and this would definitely be a very challenging concept.
Description: A fairly dangerous Pokemon that can only function properly when no weather is up.
Justification: I think whoever reads these CAP submissions probably knows by now that "weather defines 5th generation". Until such teams as Tabloo, nobody RAN weatherless teams at all, and even now, weatherless is a broad category for teams that don't really care what weather the opposition is using such as Hyper Offense or Baton Pass, or for teams that simply have a "counter" to every weather (and have a heatran 100% of the time). But this Pokemon would take weather control to a whole new level, in that it NECESSITATES the presence of no weather condition on the field. This adds a whole new dimension to weather wars that we had not previously explored.
Questions To Be Answered:
How can a team control weather without the use of its own auto-summoners?
What traits prevent a Pokemon from succeeding against weather teams?
What characteristics of weather have the biggest impact on the metagame and team building(or rather, why is weather so GOOD)?
Explanation: It's actually fairly difficult to determine how to ensure that all 4 vastly different weathers ruin a Pokemon. Custom moves/abilities seem not to be an option but Forecast could make a Pokemon with potentially useful typing a dead weight (especially if it's carrying STAB moves and no ice, fire or water moves). Another option would be to give it 1 HP, like Shedinja, so that Hail and Sandstorm immediately ruin him. He could also simply be designed such that his 5 best counters are Tyranitar, Politoed, Ninetales, Hippowdon and Abomasnow. Perhaps he has sufficient bulk to take fire and water attacks, but not enough with weather weighing down on him. There's a lot to learn here, and this would definitely be a very challenging concept.
How exactly would a Pokemon like that work Smith? The only way I can think of to permanently remove weather is set up Sunny Day, etc. and wait for it to end. Otherwise you can't exactly stop the opponent from setting up Sandstream/Drought/Drizzle, as they just have to switch in once - even if they sac their weather starter - and will completely cripple one of your Pokemon. Even if you trap their weathermon it wouldn't stop the weather, you need to make sure that their starter never gets in which is pretty hard to do (unless you use the above strategy but that would involve waiting for 5 turns where your opponent could get a lot done). It seems to me that you'd just have to make a huge gamble on whether your opponent has weather or not, and you'd tend to lose that gamble (also it's pretty clear that weather-summon moves stand no chance against abilities).
It is an interesting concept though I just think it needs a bit more realism to it. IMO concepts like Let it Snow accomplish a pretty similar task (de-centralizing the dominant weathers) but have more direction behind them.
It is an interesting concept though I just think it needs a bit more realism to it. IMO concepts like Let it Snow accomplish a pretty similar task (de-centralizing the dominant weathers) but have more direction behind them.
I've realized that this isn't necessarily bad... I didn't explicitly say this in my last post (I made more changes, anyway...), but I think I have explained better what I was getting at now, and explained the questions better. Yes, trying to make a Pokémon that exploits most or all of the weather conditions is going to be complicated, but maybe there are simple solutions for it, and even if we fail, I think that we may learn something about weighing demands that are very different, sometimes even contradictory. This was the spirit of the weather slayer concept and I hope that I have finally succeeded in embodying this in my new concept. (My offer to revert to weather slayer still stands, though...)DarkSlay said:
Asylum_Rhapsody
Guest
Yay, somebody mentioned mine! ^_^
Nobody said anything, so I was worried that everybody hated it. =P
NU is good stuff, man.
For everyone that read half of my explanation and thought it was illegal, be sure to read the last few sentences :p
For everyone that read half of my explanation and thought it was illegal, be sure to read the last few sentences :p
Might I mention nu savior was a close second too
Is it just me, or does anyone else feel as if NU Savoir will be too similar to CAP11? CAP11 was designed to take a low usage Pokemon (Togekiss, ended up being Zapdos if I remember) and save it with the combination of CAP11 and Kiss. NU Savior is the same, just with an NU Pokemon instead of a low OU one.
It is a nice concept though, but not my ideal. I think the Ability-Punisher concept, and the similar one that included items to be the best bets.
It is a nice concept though, but not my ideal. I think the Ability-Punisher concept, and the similar one that included items to be the best bets.
Asylum_Rhapsody
Guest
I can see how that's a fair comparison, but in my defense, I do think that there are significant differences...
The major difference is that Voodoom was working with another Pokemon that was already well established as viable in the meta-game. This meant that people already knew that it was capable of, what to expect from a move list, what to expect as supporting team members, what to do to best counter it, and so on. None of the above would necessarily be true for the target Pokemon here.
Another difference would be the content and measure of what we would be able to learn about the meta-game. Because Voodoom was intended to support an already existing piece of the meta-game, I don't think that as much was learned from it as could be learned by introducing a new Pokemon that enables an entirely different possible strategy, no disrespect to Voodoom at all, of course.
However, there is a down side, and that is that the NU Savior would probably be much more difficult to construct to fulfill its intended purpose. There would probably be a lot more room to screw up here than with Voodoom. Part of why I relied on quick, made-up examples was because it was difficult to conceive of a Pokemon that would do as I suggested. But of course, I'm not as into the meta-game as I wish that I was, so I'm counting on others with more experience and insight to fill in the blanks if the challenge is ever undertaken.
When I really get to thinking about it, though, the great thing about this sort of concept, is that there are so many ways to do it. Even if this concept were identical to Voodoom but just paired up with a different OU Pokemon, the result would likely be drastically different. Voodoom was part of an offensive core because it was intended to be paired up with that Pokemon, but intending to pair it up with a different pokemon would have resulted in a very different creature, possibly with an entirely different role in the meta-game.
read the entire thing and try again.
Anyway, voodoom made a core with togekiss-and failed. Then used one of the most used OU ever. And did it. His (her?) CAP has nothing to do with cores. I like the thought of abusing unused niches that are terrors if unleashed via this CAP. (not cores) Imma just point stuff out:
HARVEST EXEGUTOR, NU, special ability/niche: infinite sitrus berries, 1/3 chance per turn to regain it OR chesto/lum resting making for infinite rests (thats 2 1/3 chances if your using rest every other turn, more if used less than that)
EPIC SHUCKLE TROLL, NU (or was it RU?) and my personal specialty, YES I'M PREJUDICED DEAL WITH IT.
special ability niche: where do I start... power share is an insta-cripple, and since stat boosters multiply, and it has 2 of the highest stats that can be boosted, accupressure (he has the bulk to wait for it to do stuff reliably, also legal evasion) boost his defenses far beyond 9000. (ok, ok, 2232 if I remember correctly, apply power share to your calculators though, and account for the fact that now he can sweep you, and evasion hax to top it all off, yes, he can rest easy) throw that together with its walling and general utility abilities and you may wonder why its not even UU.
why arent these being used? Well why not? *lol makes CAP to find out* OH, then that means *unmentioned strategy* becomes viable! IT ALL MAKES SENSE NOW! (etc.)
lol don't forget my wtf concept XD (f for flip as previously mentioned, like flip upside down--- unintentional wordplay)
ok, im typing on a wii so thats enough examples already.
And after I read your concept (more), I think your'e about tied with sketch artist, more or less.
EDIT: we both responded to the same person about the same thing at the same time 0-o
anyway/also, created moves and abilities were made to help CAPs; not define them, can you think of a strong, non-technician special rock type attack? Well that's why paleo wave was invented.
NU Savior is a worse version of Perfect Mate.
There is just no way around it. At the time of perfect mate, Togekiss was OU, and was selected in part because of its versatility and its niche. This was back in DPP, where the power creep was substantial, but nothing like in BW OU. The blunt truth is that if you don't have some niche, can't address a certain level of threat, no single Pokemon can ever make an NU Pokemon rise to the top. Zapdos ended up being a bigger beneficiary in an offensive core than Togekiss, even after all that work.
Shuckle is NU because Taunt renders it impotent, it is weak to Stealth Rock, has absolutely zero offensive presence, and its only gimmick is Power Trick, a move that makes it keel over to any unSTABBed physical attack.
There is just no way around it. At the time of perfect mate, Togekiss was OU, and was selected in part because of its versatility and its niche. This was back in DPP, where the power creep was substantial, but nothing like in BW OU. The blunt truth is that if you don't have some niche, can't address a certain level of threat, no single Pokemon can ever make an NU Pokemon rise to the top. Zapdos ended up being a bigger beneficiary in an offensive core than Togekiss, even after all that work.
Shuckle is NU because Taunt renders it impotent, it is weak to Stealth Rock, has absolutely zero offensive presence, and its only gimmick is Power Trick, a move that makes it keel over to any unSTABBed physical attack.
I'm not sure how the idea of the sketch artist will end up working out. It'll probably end up just being a set up move of some type or a status move. In which case we'll probably end up just making another sweeper or another form of Breloom.
I definitely think one of the weather abusers would be the best, as the current metagame is centered around weather.
I definitely think one of the weather abusers would be the best, as the current metagame is centered around weather.
unfair shutdown and a judgement with no valid argument identifiable.
if abilities can, then this new pokemon should allow NICHES to be carried out to full effect.
what the flip. I mentioned power trick nonce. The fact that you ignored everything I said and went straight for it's taunt weakness, it's negligable sr weakness and a single gimmick that it shouldn't be using really says something. On top of that, if that's so, how does my Shuckle (physical) beat up ferrothorn- a physical wall that resists it's attack? (only need 1) Whatever, this isnt about Shuckle.
I play NU frequently, and I can say that there are extremely solid reasons that the Pokemon are NU to begin with (PS, I have not seen one Shuckle in NU. Ever.) These Pokemon have large, exploitable flaws, and/or are completely outclassed by other, better Pokemon in higher tiers. I would take this concept more seriously if you said it would be pairing with a Low OU/BL/High UU Pokemon, since at that point the Pokemon are generally able to hold their own in OU without an entire team's worth of support. However, NU mons are essentially "beyond repair" for multiple reasons. I don't think this concept will work at all to be quite honest. On another note, Pokemon like Volbeat and Dugtrio will probably rise out of NU when the tiers get updated, so yes, abilities do make a huge difference, but we can't give abilities to those Pokemon.
PS: saying it's a worse version of Perfect Mate is a legitimate complaint since it is taking the exact same concept but trying to apply it to a worse Pokemon.
PS: saying it's a worse version of Perfect Mate is a legitimate complaint since it is taking the exact same concept but trying to apply it to a worse Pokemon.
Yeah, ryik, please stop threadhogging with your arguments for NU savior. I agree with everything Deck had to say, NU savior is a more specific and less valuable version of Perfect Mate, a concept we've already done. Furthermore, this is not the place to argue incessantly about this. You're locking up the thread from further discussion, and it is a primary reason why I'm moving on to the next step in around 6 hours when my 24 hour warning is up.
I'd like to argue against weather-related concepts. The entire metagame is centralized around weather at this point, and so the only weather concepts really worth doing are those that counter weather, since there are literally dozens of weather sweepers and walls by now.
I don't think it would be so much a gamble because there are so many stages of the process to calculate and edit and balance the Pokemon out. Sketch alone will not break this Pokemon (remember that Smeargle has 4 Sketch slots and is way down in NU this gen); restricting move freedom down to only one moveslot gives a little leeway to beef up the "Smeargle base" in other areas like stats and typing, imo. The movepool process alone would be unique to this concept, as opposed to others, especially as the Pokemon takes shape further and further.
Sketch Artist is not about creating a powerful, unpredictable powerhouse; it is about exploring the value of a single move to a particular Pokemon, the infinite ways we can accomplish that, and the unpredictable effect it could have on the metagame. The assumption of access to one of any move in the game will guide discussion throughout the process and is even addressed in my "Questions to be Answered" section, so don't fear a lack of direction. Especially with R_D as TL, the process will remain fresh and focused.
Name: Comeback Artist
General Description: By its presence in the metagame, this Pokémon enables a Pokémon which had been OU in past generations but wasn't able to continue that in Generation V to return to OU, in a similar role to the one it played in past generations.
Justification: In Generation V, many solid Pokémon that had been OU for much of their lifetimes were finally pushed into lower tiers. Many broad explanations have been given (ex: Snorlax is no longer OU due to the presence of more, stronger Fighting-types in OU and the decreasing power of 110 base Attack) but we don't have a completely thorough understanding of why these flaws were crippling whereas other Pokémon survived drastic changes for the worse in their environment. Heatran lost the ability to really make use of Explosion, and has a metagame filled with strong Fighting-types and a greater number of Pokémon with the Special bulk to stand up against it. Nonetheless, it's still a solid choice in OU.
Questions To Be Answered:
The obvious one is that we introduce a Pokémon which acts as a partner on the same team- if we decided to go with Machamp, we'd be identifying Machamp's advantages (ex: No Guard DynamicPunch and the instant power it provides) and disadvantages (ex: "only" 130 base Attack, mediocre bulk, low Speed) over competing threats in OU. (ex: Conkeldurr) The concept would then go toward producing a partner that could compensate for these flaws. This is boring- and hardly different from a concept we've already done. It would not be the best way to go about this.
The more interesting one would be to introduce a potent offensive or defensive threat which shapes the metagame in such a way that our Pokémon of choice can make its grand comeback. Say we wanted to bring back Snorlax- well, if we brought in a ton of Choiced Special-attacking Ghost-types to counter or check our CAP, Snorlax would be able to exploit that. Come in on a locked Shadow Ball and Curse; if you can bait out Conkeldurr or whatever first and eliminate it, you're good to go. Even if you mispredict, Snorlax would be pretty much okay with its enormous Special Defense and HP. This is the take on the concept I'd personally like to see- something that supports the Pokémon in question not by its presence on a team, but its presence in the metagame.
General Description: By its presence in the metagame, this Pokémon enables a Pokémon which had been OU in past generations but wasn't able to continue that in Generation V to return to OU, in a similar role to the one it played in past generations.
Justification: In Generation V, many solid Pokémon that had been OU for much of their lifetimes were finally pushed into lower tiers. Many broad explanations have been given (ex: Snorlax is no longer OU due to the presence of more, stronger Fighting-types in OU and the decreasing power of 110 base Attack) but we don't have a completely thorough understanding of why these flaws were crippling whereas other Pokémon survived drastic changes for the worse in their environment. Heatran lost the ability to really make use of Explosion, and has a metagame filled with strong Fighting-types and a greater number of Pokémon with the Special bulk to stand up against it. Nonetheless, it's still a solid choice in OU.
Questions To Be Answered:
- What specific flaws are the ones that cripple a given Pokémon?
- Which inhibit its power, but would in the absence of the crippling flaws be manageable? (for instance, Volcarona's Stealth Rock weakness is, without a doubt, a significant impact- but its merits are enough to grant it use, even if it's pretty much required that its team can keep SR off the field)
- What kind of metagame shifts would it take to make these flaws less damaging to the Pokémon's usability?
The obvious one is that we introduce a Pokémon which acts as a partner on the same team- if we decided to go with Machamp, we'd be identifying Machamp's advantages (ex: No Guard DynamicPunch and the instant power it provides) and disadvantages (ex: "only" 130 base Attack, mediocre bulk, low Speed) over competing threats in OU. (ex: Conkeldurr) The concept would then go toward producing a partner that could compensate for these flaws. This is boring- and hardly different from a concept we've already done. It would not be the best way to go about this.
The more interesting one would be to introduce a potent offensive or defensive threat which shapes the metagame in such a way that our Pokémon of choice can make its grand comeback. Say we wanted to bring back Snorlax- well, if we brought in a ton of Choiced Special-attacking Ghost-types to counter or check our CAP, Snorlax would be able to exploit that. Come in on a locked Shadow Ball and Curse; if you can bait out Conkeldurr or whatever first and eliminate it, you're good to go. Even if you mispredict, Snorlax would be pretty much okay with its enormous Special Defense and HP. This is the take on the concept I'd personally like to see- something that supports the Pokémon in question not by its presence on a team, but its presence in the metagame.
@Korski, as a matter of interest, what are we expecting to gain from the discussions that would lead to the creation of your "Sketchmon"? As far as I can see (part of the reason I am asking you, as the concept's designer) we could make absolutely anything as long as it had Sketch as an egg move and it would not make the slightest little bit of difference. From this perspective, you will understand that I am concerned that the process has a very real risk of becoming devoid of meaning, especially since the concept was not particularly clear on what exactly the point of creation was (I don't mean in terms of competitive play, which you explained very clearly, but don't come into force until after the process has ended, I mean in terms of an easily definable set of criteria that we are working towards). I will not conceal that I can easily see at least the typing threads disintegrating into "well, let's make it Psychic because we've never had one of those before".
In any case, I'd like to hear your thoughts on this matter. At present there is no doubt in my mind that, if slated, Sketch Artist will win the poll, and so I'd like to be reassured that you have an idea of what we expect to glean from the process, which is my favourite part of the whole palaver, though of course not everyone's.
In any case, I'd like to hear your thoughts on this matter. At present there is no doubt in my mind that, if slated, Sketch Artist will win the poll, and so I'd like to be reassured that you have an idea of what we expect to glean from the process, which is my favourite part of the whole palaver, though of course not everyone's.
aw :'(
was I locking things up? (sorry then)
My point still stands that this is different from perfect mate. But nevermind, it shouldn't stop you, skip it and go straight to whatever you wanna talk about.
This is the main concern I have had as well. I will not lie and say that I don't think Sketch Artist is interesting, but what do we really get out of it? There really is nothing in it to accomplish, meaning that we could literally just do any other concept, slap sketch on it, and have this one be completed as well. I understand that there is a concept assessment phase, and that we would be able to narrow it down a bit there, but it is hard to narrow down something that is fairly limitless, and without such direction, polls will break down into personal favorites rather than competitive options. If there was something more too this concept, I might very well be behind it, but I find it very hard to support something that to me does not really feel like a full concept at all.
There are a few people who are questioning weather concepts, so I'd like to take this post to both address them and hopefully sway some people towards my concept:
Sand and Rain are still rather dominate in OU, yes. But Sun and Hail (which my concept covers) are no where near as common in OU. The point of Create-a-Pokemon project, as I've come to understand it, is to explore the metagame and mechanics of Pokemon--and in this case, as Dusk said in the O.P., examine the Pokemon we're designing to explore the metagame from a different light and our very processes.
That being said, I think my concept "Let it Snow" does this quite well. While it does focus on yet another weather, it picks the one that is the least used and can actually teach us a lot about the process. Sandstorm and Rain received major boosts this generation--but I'd challenge anyone to point at one specific pokemon, ability, or mechanic change that brought them to such a high power. I'd argue that it isn't just ONE thing--it was many. Sandstorm got Excadrill but it also got the fantastic ability of Sand Rush--if Sand Rush didn't exist, I don't think Excadrill would've been as game changing as it was. Rain got a huge boost with an OU-ready Drizzle Politoed, but it also received Thundurus and Ferrothorn. Even Sun got a boost from Drought Ninetales.
Going with "Let It Snow" would not only let us see a metagame where Hail is just as successful as Sand and Rain--if the project is successful--but let us go through the process of designing a pokemon that would have a big enough effect to make Hail successful. I believe that the process would let us examine in-depth which key components are required to make a weather successful. Hail has an auto-starter and pokemon to abuse it--but what kind of key component is it missing to be a major player in OU, and how can we successfully fill that hole without centralizing the entire metagame around Hail?
Sand and Rain are still rather dominate in OU, yes. But Sun and Hail (which my concept covers) are no where near as common in OU. The point of Create-a-Pokemon project, as I've come to understand it, is to explore the metagame and mechanics of Pokemon--and in this case, as Dusk said in the O.P., examine the Pokemon we're designing to explore the metagame from a different light and our very processes.
That being said, I think my concept "Let it Snow" does this quite well. While it does focus on yet another weather, it picks the one that is the least used and can actually teach us a lot about the process. Sandstorm and Rain received major boosts this generation--but I'd challenge anyone to point at one specific pokemon, ability, or mechanic change that brought them to such a high power. I'd argue that it isn't just ONE thing--it was many. Sandstorm got Excadrill but it also got the fantastic ability of Sand Rush--if Sand Rush didn't exist, I don't think Excadrill would've been as game changing as it was. Rain got a huge boost with an OU-ready Drizzle Politoed, but it also received Thundurus and Ferrothorn. Even Sun got a boost from Drought Ninetales.
Going with "Let It Snow" would not only let us see a metagame where Hail is just as successful as Sand and Rain--if the project is successful--but let us go through the process of designing a pokemon that would have a big enough effect to make Hail successful. I believe that the process would let us examine in-depth which key components are required to make a weather successful. Hail has an auto-starter and pokemon to abuse it--but what kind of key component is it missing to be a major player in OU, and how can we successfully fill that hole without centralizing the entire metagame around Hail?
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