The second part of our movepool poll, where we will select a winning movepool for Volkraken!
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New!: All competitive polls will consist of two rounds of ranked voting (24 hours each). In the first round, the preliminary ranking of candidates by PBV will be decided. The top 3 (or 4 in the case of a tie for 3rd place) will move on to the second round of ranked voting. The Policy Review discussion that lead to this change is here.
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This will be a Preferential Block Vote (PBV) (a form of Instant Runoff Voting which re-runs the counting, each time removing the previously top-ranked candidate in order to determine the 2nd most preferred, 3rd most preferred, etc.), the details of which are outlined here and here. This is a ranked vote: order does matter! You can upvote your favourites and downvote your least favourites. You may choose to rank as many or as few options as you like, but we encourage you to rank as many options as possible to ensure your preferences are taken into account.
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Please post only your votes in this thread. Do not respond to other posts, or your posts will be moderated and you may be warned. You are allowed to say whatever you like in relation to your vote at the bottom of your post, but please do not look to begin a discussion. Keep those comments to #cap on IRC.
IMPORTANT: When voting, use only the submitter's name! The list of possible votes include:
Korski
Deck Knight
Salt the Flesh
Here are their movepools! Also make sure to read the thread for important discussion!
CAP18 so far:
Leadership Team:
DetroitLolcat - Topic Leader
jas61292 - Typing Leader
PttP - Ability Leader
srk1214 - Stats Leader
ginganinja - Movepool Leader
Art:
Name: Volkraken
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New!: All competitive polls will consist of two rounds of ranked voting (24 hours each). In the first round, the preliminary ranking of candidates by PBV will be decided. The top 3 (or 4 in the case of a tie for 3rd place) will move on to the second round of ranked voting. The Policy Review discussion that lead to this change is here.
----
This will be a Preferential Block Vote (PBV) (a form of Instant Runoff Voting which re-runs the counting, each time removing the previously top-ranked candidate in order to determine the 2nd most preferred, 3rd most preferred, etc.), the details of which are outlined here and here. This is a ranked vote: order does matter! You can upvote your favourites and downvote your least favourites. You may choose to rank as many or as few options as you like, but we encourage you to rank as many options as possible to ensure your preferences are taken into account.
Bold your votes and nothing else! A typical vote might look like the following:
Most Preferred
Second Most Preferred
Third Most Preferred
Any comments that the voter has would go below the votes in non-bold text. Bold text is used to determine what the user's votes are, so none of the supplementary text should be in bold.
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IMPORTANT: When voting, use only the submitter's name! The list of possible votes include:
Korski
Deck Knight
Salt the Flesh
Here are their movepools! Also make sure to read the thread for important discussion!
Final Submission
The competitive aim of this movepool submission should be considered an exercise in restraint, since this is CAP is already uniquely powerful by stats and ability. I don’t want Volkraken to have much of an unpredictability factor, so I designed this movepool to limit the CAP to two very similar standard movesets with 2-5 viable items to choose from. This way, the opponent doesn’t have to spend too long guessing at what the CAP is going to do next and can simply react to the incoming assault. We gave this CAP specific goals at the outset of this process, and this movepool ensures it will be able to accomplish those goals without requiring a handful of checks or plausible counter-strategies for every crazy trick it can pull out of its hat. Yes, there are moves here that could find use on gimmick sets; however, they are not the sort of moves that could lure and eliminate the CAP’s own established threats, which is absolutely crucial for a Pokemon like this.
Fire Blast and Hydro Pump are the primary tools here for dishing out damage, and I predict they will be Volkraken’s go-to options 90% of the time. To make this happen, I have included only a few options for rounding out viable movesets. U-turn is included for pivoting, which is very useful for the CAP when Latias and Lucario can immediately threaten many of its common switch-ins like Keldeo, Rotom-W, Blissey, and Chansey. Offensive coverage is limited to Power Gem, Flash Cannon, and Hidden Power, all of which are marginally useful at best and supply no surprise value to the Pokemon that can already switch relatively safely into the CAP’s STAB attacks, or at least require really good prediction in the case of Hidden Power.Will-o-Wisp and Scald are a tankier CAP’s best mid-game options for preparing a Swords Dance Lucario sweep (in addition to U-turn), and that’s really all it has available. Lava Plume is absent because, between Scald and Will-o-Wisp, the CAP will have plenty of opportunities to spread Burn status and I wanted to keep the focus of the Fire STAB on dishing out Aegislash KOs. A bulky Lava Plume / Scald / Will-o-Wisp set would be too generically tanky and would not support the core any more than a generic OU team; I'd rather each move on the set have a purpose so as to discourage creating a goodstuffs Burn spreader for general use. I suppose Reflect or Memento could be tacked onto a set as last-ditch options for giving the frail Lucario some breathing room against aggressive offensive teams, and as far as gimmick options go, they are at least pro-concept in that way.Fire Blast
Hydro Pump
Scald / Power Gem / Overheat
U-turn / HP - Ice
This is an easily understandable nuke/pivot set that accomplishes all of the Aegislash checking and switch-in punishing goals we’ve been pushing for since the Concept Assessment. The coverage choice in Power Gem is highly specific, not generically useful, and crucially unable to overwhelm our decided checks like Blissey, Chansey, Goodra, Keldeo, Latias, Rotom-W, and other bulky Waters, which I think is vitally important when considering our STABs hit with obscene levels of damage. U-turn is great for momentum grabbing if you don't want to get locked into the wrong move, while Hidden Power - Ice wrecks the Latis but preserves Water-types as complete resistors to the moveset.
Choice Specs versions of this set will absolutely demolish switch-ins and faster Pokemon that cannot secure the KO. Choice Scarf would make a good cleaner against opponents that aren’t bulky enough to take both an Analytic-boosted hit on the switch and a follow-up attack. Assault Vest is the third viable choice here, which would beef up the CAP’s Special Defense enough to tank a few of Aegislash’s Shadow Balls while maintaing a strictly offensive presence.Fire Blast / Flamethrower
Scald
Will-o-Wisp
U-turn / Rest / Memento
This set should be a pretty popular option for players, as it takes a more general supporting role for Latias and Lucario by spreading burns while launching Analytic-boosted STAB attacks. These moves also make Infiltrator a plausible option, as they can catch Substitute abusers off-guard and still apply the pressure that the Burn status provides. This set should be able to do a decent job of staying alive just long enough into the midgame to wear down troublesome opposing teams into +2 Extremespeed KO territory for Lucario or sacrificing itself at low enough HP to give Lucario a decent chance of setting up against aggressive offensive teams.
This set would more likely than not employ a bulkier EV spread, so Leftovers would be the preferred item for providing generic and continuous healing for teams that rely more on Volkraken’s ability to tank certain threatening blows. A second option would be Chesto Berry, in which case this set would work a lot like Rotom-W's ChestoRest set, launching attacks and spreading burns and forgoing turn-by-turn healing in exchange for a one-time full heal from damage and status.
The Movepool:
Flavor-wise, I wanted to put as much of the personality of the art design into the movepool as possible by giving the impression that the CAP is a menacing creature from the deep abyss. This idea is mostly carried out in the Level-Up list, although the Egg Moves do a lot to help out in this regard. There is for sure a “hidden third typing” present in the art design (Dark-type), so I have included a healthy amount of Dark-type moves in the movepool that reflect this sinister attitude of the art design.
Vampire squids don’t actually produce ink like other squids and octopi, instead relying on their bioluminescence for evading predators and whatnot. I think this is a very cool and unique attribute of the CAP’s design, so I wanted to emphasize Volkraken’s use of bioluminescence over more traditional cephalopod-related inky moves. As a result, the movepool is devoid of any Poison-type or ink-based moves (like Octazooka) and more focused on Volkraken’s physical traits.
The CAP’s Water typing is very present in its Level-Up pool; being an aquatic creature, I thought it was appropriate to accentuate the Water moves there, as well as in the Egg list. As far as Volkraken’s Fire-typing goes, bringing out that aspect of a deep-sea squid was actually quite difficult. I’ve excluded Lava Plume and all physical Fire-type attacks (generally because they require prolonged exposed flames or lava or whatever, as far as I imagine them working); however, the typing is absolutely present enough in the Level-Up and TM lists to bring that crucial characteristic across (I still think the CAP should be switched to Water/Fire typing, based on the art design). There are 11 Water-type moves in this movepool and 9 Fire moves, so the overall picture should appear smooth and balanced, with enough flavor enhancements to bring our vampire squid to life, so to speak.
(17 moves, 8 RMs)
0 - Constrict
0 - Flash
0 - Bite
0 - Leech Life
0 - Reflect
0 - Water Gun
4 - Reflect
9 - Water Gun
14 - Whirlpool
18 - Fire Spin
23 - Flame Burst
28 - Scald
32 - Destiny Bond
37 - Dive
42 - Power Gem
46 - Aqua Ring
51 - Heat Wave
56 - Hydro Pump
66 - Memento
In the early levels, I wanted to play around with the whole “vampire squid” angle, mostly by creating the impression of a Pokemon whose natural predatory behavior revolves around trapping the opponent (victim? prey?), disorienting it, and slowly draining away its health, like a vampire. To show this, Volkraken learns Constrict (trap), Flash (disorient), Bite, and Leech Life (drain) as starting moves. This same idea reappears a short while later when the CAP begins learning more advanced STAB techniques with Whirlpool and Fire Spin, which sort of accomplish all of trapping, disorienting, and health draining all at once. Water Gun is added in between as a great low-level STAB that builds into Scald and Hydro Pump as the movepool progresses.
There is a transition into a more traditional move progression starting at L23, as moves start getting more powerful the more the CAP grows. It would be a crime not to include Scald in the Level-Up pool, so I included it in the learnset after Flame Burst, as though the Poke’s hot bursts of flames begin to boil the frigid waters of the deep sea. Remaining STAB attacks in the Level-Up list continue to grow in power: Dive is a flavorful choice that reflects Volkraken’s ability to thrive in the deepest parts of the abyss (as is Aqua Ring); Heat Wave works for a high-powered underwater Fire move because the CAP can conceivably have hot gasses inside its body that keep it from being crushed by the pressure of the abyss, or something; and Hydro Pump displays a mastery of its Water STAB.
Also included in the latter stages of the Level-Up progression is a bit of a "death" theme, in the spirit of vampirism and that hidden Dark typing. Destiny Bond, while not being very competitively useful, speaks to the vampiric quality of turning people into vampires, while Memento touches upon Volkraken's relentlessness even in death (or fainting; don’t want to get too morbid here). And yes, there is a 6-6-6 in there with the levels at which the CAP learns Hydro Pump and Memento.
Another theme I wanted to touch on with the Level-Up flavor was the CAP’s bioluminescence and how it uses its glowing parts both offensively and defensively when facing a threat. I put Flash in here as a L0 move, along with Reflect, to showcase a young CAP’s defensive use of its bioluminescence, first to blind the opponent and second to mask its escape route. This luminosity theme returns with a sudden burst of offensive power at L23 with Flame Burst, then again with Power Gem, CAP’s most exotic use of this ability, to finish the theme in the Level-Up pool.
I also threw in a couple subtle connections to other Pokemon families I felt were spiritually similar to this CAP. Reflect is learned at L4, which is when the Inkay/Malamar family learns it (they are also modeled after the vampire squid). The CAP also learns Dive at L37, the same level as Gorebyss and Huntail, which I think is a fun connection for the three of them to share, as they are all modeled after various deep-sea creatures and are presumably most comfortable at the deepest depths of the ocean.(Water 1 / Water 2 Groups, 6 moves, 1 RM)
Aqua Jet - Alomomola, Azumarill, Basculin, Blastoise, Carracosta, Clawitzer, Crawdaunt, Dewgong, Dragonite, Empoleon, Feraligatr, Floatzel, Golduck, Kabutops, Luvdisc, Masquerain, Qwilfish, Sharpedo
Assurance - Sharpedo
Captivate - Gorebyss, Luvdisc, Milotic
Scary Face - Basculin, Feraligatr, Huntail, Masquerain, Sharpedo
Tickle - Alomomola, Azumarill, Lapras, Ludicolo, Lumineon, Milotic, Wailord, Whiscash
Water Pulse - Alomomola, Blastoise, Carracosta, Clawitzer, Corsola, Dewgong, Dragalge, Dragonite, Feraligatr, Gastrodon, Golduck, Gorebyss, Greninja, Huntail, Kingdra, Lanturn, Lapras, Luvdisc, Manaphy, Mantine, Milotic, Octillery, Omastar, Pelipper, Politoed, Poliwrath, Qwilfish, Seaking, Seismitoad, Slowbro, Slowking, Swanna, Wailord, Walrein, Whiscash
There must be some new rule at GameFreak because there were no Pokemon introduced in Gen. VI with more than 7 Egg moves (the average is 4 or 5), so to follow that precedent I have only included 6 moves here. Thankfully, I didn’t need anything remotely competitive from this list, so it wasn’t too hard to parse it down to a few flavorful moves. I have also only listed parents that can obtain these moves in Gen. VI; since Egg Move illegalities no longer exist due to the changes in move relearning, there’s no need to list past generation learning methods or any clutter like that.
Flavor-wise, I wanted to make sure to touch on the various themes I tried to establish in the Level-Up pool. Assurance follows up on the hidden Dark-typing theme, and also subtly hints at Volkraken’s primary ability, Analytic, as it nets a power boost of its own for moving after its target in certain scenarios. Captivate, at least in my mind, plays off of the idea of the CAP using its bioluminescent parts to distract its opponents. Scary Face was a must-have; I needed to address the “false face” of the art design somewhere in the movepool, and this was the perfect place to do it. Tickle is a common move for tentacled Pokemon to have access to, so I didn’t want to leave Volkraken out on all the fun. Finally, there are the two STAB moves, Aqua Jet and Water Pulse, which don’t have any competitive value for the CAP but do fit very flavorfully with a marine creature that already darts through the deep seas shooting beams of water and whatnot.(36 moves, 22 RMs)
TM06 - Toxic
TM10 - Hidden Power
TM11 - Sunny Day
TM15 - Hyper Beam
TM17 - Protect
TM18 - Rain Dance
TM21 - Frustration
TM27 - Return
TM32 - Double Team
TM33 - Reflect
TM35 - Flamethrower
TM38 - Fire Blast
TM41 - Torment
TM42 - Facade
TM44 - Rest
TM45 - Attract
TM46 - Thief
TM48 - Round
TM50 - Overheat
TM54 - False Swipe
TM55 - Scald
TM56 - Fling
TM59 - Incinerate
TM60 - Quash
TM61 - Will-o-Wisp
TM66 - Payback
TM68 - Giga Impact
TM70 - Flash
TM87 - Swagger
TM88 - Sleep Talk
TM89 - U-turn
TM90 - Substitute
TM91 - Flash Cannon
TM100 - Confide
HM03 - Surf
HM05 - Waterfall
The TM list is where the CAP learns most of its Fire-type moves: Fire Blast, Flamethrower, Incinerate, Overheat, Sunny Day, and Will-o-Wisp round out the bunch along with Fire Spin, Flame Burst, and Heat Wave from the Level-Up list. The CAP can also learn the bulk of its Dark-type attacks here: Fling, Thief, Torment, Payback, and Quash.
I thought Payback would be a neat flavor nod to Volkraken’s Analytic ability, considering its base power doubles if the target has already moved that turn, and Analytic would boost that power to even higher levels. I like to imagine that Volkraken has come to possess the Analytic ability from its evolutionary adaptation to its pitch-black natural habitat (bottom of the ocean), so the fact that Payback is a Dark-type move makes this flavor element very elegant the way I see it. Within the same theme, Volkraken learns Assurance as an Egg move, which is another Dark-type move that does double damage when the CAP moves after the target (if the target has already received damage that turn).
Because Reflect, Scald, and Flash are repeated from the Level-Up pool, that means there are 33 moves and 20 RMs unique to this list.(56 moves, 27 RMs)
Special Attacking RMs (10):
Fire Blast
Flamethrower / Flame Burst
Flash Cannon
Heat Wave
Hidden Power
Hydro Pump
Overheat
Power Gem
Scald
Surf
Physical Attacking RMs (6):
Aqua Jet
Facade
Frustration / Return
Payback
U-turn
Waterfall
Non-Attacking RMs (11):
Destiny Bond
Memento
Protect
Rain Dance
Reflect
Rest
Sleep Talk
Substitute
Swagger
Toxic
Will-o-Wisp
Final Submission:
- Inferno
- Rock Blast*
- Leer
- Ember
- Wrap
6. Acid
10. Bubble Beam
14. Fire Spin
18. Will-O-Wisp*
22. Gastro Acid
25. Lava Plume*
28. Octazooka
34. Smokescreen
40. Clear Smog*
46. Baton Pass*
52. Flare Blitz*
58. Memento*
64. Hydro Pump*
RMs: 8 / Moves: 18
Level-up swipes the actual levels and build-up from Octillery, and provides a flavorful mix of progressively more powerful special attacks, smoke attacks, and status moves. The competitive highlights of this list are Will-O-Wisp, Lava Plume, Clear Smog, Memento, and Hydro Pump.
Group: Water 1 / Water 2
Aqua Jet*
Aqua Ring
Camouflage
Lock-On
Psybeam
Soak
Stealth Rock*
RM: 2 / Moves 7
Legalities:
Aqua Jet + Aqua Ring + Soak: Alomomola
Aqua Jet + Aqua Ring + Stealth Rock: Empoleon
Aqua Jet + Psybeam + Soak: Golduck
Aqua Jet + Stealth Rock: Kabutops / Carracosta
Aqua Ring + Psybeam + Soak: Lumineon / Lanturn
Camouflage + Psybeam: Malamar
Camouflage + Stealth Rock: Corsola / Stunfisk
Lock-On + Psybeam + Soak: Octillery
Same Egg Groups as Octillery, with a fair bit of overlap. Of special note here even though it isn't an RM, is Psybeam, which is useful for several Pokemon that otherwise give its best coverage options (Fire/Water/Poison/Steel) a hard time. The two notable actual RMs here are Baton Pass and Stealth Rock, though I suppose you could use Aqua Jet to thwart Sucker Punches.
TM:
06 Toxic*
10 Hidden Power*
11 Sunny Day
15 Hyper Beam
17 Protect*
18 Rain Dance*
21 Frustration*
23 Smack Down
27 Return -
32 Double Team
33 Reflect*
34 Sludge Wave*
35 Flamethrower*
38 Fire Blast*
42 Façade*
44 Rest*
45 Attract
46 Thief
48 Round
50 Overheat*
55 Scald*
59 Incinerate
61 Will-O-Wisp -
68 Giga Impact
70 Flash
87 Swagger*
88 Sleep Talk*
90 Substitute*
91 Flash Cannon*
100 Confide
H1 Cut
H3 Surf*
H5 Waterfall*
RM: 19 / Moves: 32
I pulled a lot of the flavor moves here from Octillery as well, including moves like Smack Down. What's obviously most important here is the coverage and support options. The strongest coverage move Volkraken has is Sludge Wave, and the TM Learnset also features Overheat and Flash Cannon. I strongly believe both of these moves are necessary to make an Inflitrator set viable, or even more defensive sets by netting that swift OHKO on Aegislash.
Support-wise, Will-O-Wisp is repeated from Level-up and Volkraken has both weathers and Reflect. Reflect I think is especially important to give Latias a chance to Defog without becoming total Pursuit bait, and also sets up Lucario well to use his 4x rock resistance that Volkraken lures.
Total: RM 29 / Moves: 57
Offense as a Whole:
The driving idea behind our typing and ability selection was the ability to switch into Aegislash and offer an ultimatum between losing Aegislash and ripping the shreds out of a potential switch. As such my offensive movepool contains STAB coverage, Flash Cannon as an accurate way to hit Fairies, and Sludge Wave as the ultimate risk/reward move. If it's used against Aegislash it will backfire, but Sludge Wave also does the most damage to generic switchins that resist Fire and Water. Interestingly though, Sludge Wave does poorly against the Ground types we want to beat 1-on-1, but not necessarily check or counter. For this reason I don't even have so much as any other decently powered special coverage move outside the aforementioned Flash Cannon.
Support as a Whole:
Volkraken's support has the most relevant move selections for this core. Because of the attacks Volkraken lures, Reflect sets up Lucario for a switch into Rock Attacks, allows Latias to take the brunt of Mold Breaker Excadrill's Earthquake, and Volkraken's weakness to Electric is mostly addressed by Latias in Latias's type and stats alone.
Memento is the perfect move to set up a Lucario sweep, as Lucario needs the offenses opponents severely weakened to pull it off. While other sweepers can take advantage of it, naturally, none of them can do so quite as well as Lucario because of its Swords Dance boosted Extremespeed. Combined with Stealth Rock for chip damage to get foes in Extremespeed range, Memento provides that golden opportunity.
Finally, Baton Pass. Drypassing allows Volkraken to be the pivot necessary to scout out attacks and get Lucario in safely, or give Latias an opening to use Defog on something it can wall. As Volkraken lacks any stat-boosting moves of its own, the only thing it can pass is 101HP Substitutes, which are useful for both Lucario and Latias to deal with the blobs without getting statused or damaged.
Special RMs:
Overheat
Fire Blast
Flamethrower
Lava Plume
Hydro Pump
Surf
Scald
Sludge Wave
Clear Smog
Flash Cannon
Hidden Power
Physical RMs:
Flare Blitz
Waterfall
Aqua Jet
Rock Blast
Facade
Frustration = Return
Support RMs:
Baton Pass
Memento
Protect
Rain Dance
Reflect
Rest
Sleep Talk
Stealth Rock
Substitute
Swagger
Toxic
Will-O-Wisp
Flavor:
I wanted to play off a lot of themes from bio-luminescent and ocean bottom dwelling creatures. Since volcanic vents also vent extremely powerful toxic gasses, a significant number of Volkraken's moves are poison-based. Bio-luminescent creatures can also change colors, so Camouflage is a perfect egg move, and I feel like Soak is a good counterpart with no real competitive implications. I also wanted to emphasize the ability of these creatures to regenerate, so Volkraken has both Refresh and Aqua Ring. And of course, with the Octopus connection I couldn't ignore having Octillery contribute to its Egg Moves in a unique way, granting it Lock-On for its Lv0 Inferno and a bit of Octillery's unique beam arsenal. That's also the source of moves like Smokescreen, Clear Smog, and even Aqua Jet to an extent, as blasting the ink out also grants some propulsion. Naturally, things like Flash and Flash Cannon are part of the movepool.
Notable Flavor moves (unique or differentiating, non RMs):
Acid
Aqua Ring
Camouflage
Fire Spin
Gastro Acid
Inferno
Octazooka
Psybeam
Smack Down
Smokescreen
Soak
Sunny Day
Wrap
Conclusion:
I take a lot of pride in giving my movesets the tools they need to be successful. I have selected the combination of competitive and flavor moves I feel do Volkraken justice, and also allow it to maximize support to this specific core. Both of its abilities will be useful, with Analytic being the superior of the two in general usage but Infiltrator having the offensive tools it needs to bring out its niche uses.
_ _ _ _ _
Postscript Note: I've decided, based on subsequent posts that Pain Split in conbination with other moves causes too many headaches, but I've decided to keep this scenario for posterity.
I might as well clear the air on this. Here's a play-by-play of the mighty SubSplit against the blobs, assuming Volkraken is already in and Subs as they come in, and it isn't holding Lefties so as to maximize Pain Split effectiveness aka best case scenario:
Volkraken: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 Spe @ Mystic Water, Sub/Split/Toxic/Scald [404 HP] (This set is selected because Heatran doesn't hard counter it, and it has more PP)
Blissey: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD Bold [714 HP] Standard set.
Turn 1:
Volkraken Sub [31PP] (303 HP + Sub)
Blissey switches in. (714 HP)
Turn 2:
Volkraken Toxic [15PP]
Blissey Toss [31PP]
(1 HP left on toss), Lefties and Toxic cancel HP damage
Turn 3:
Volkraken Pain Split [31PP] ([303 + 714]/2 = 508 HP.)
Blissey Toss [30PP] (Sub is broken), Lefties heals 44 HP. [Blissey 552]
Turn 4:
Volkraken Sub [30PP] (303 HP)
Blissey Toss [29PP] (1HP Left in Toss). Blissey heals 44 HP. [Blissey 596]
Turn 5:
Volkraken Toxic [14PP]
Blissey Toss [28PP] (Sub breaks)
Toxic/Lefties neutralize.
Turn 6:
Volkraken Scald [23PP] (Average damage 150)
Blissey Softboiled [15PP] (back to full health) [670 after Toxic - Lefties]
Turn 7:
Volkraken Sub [29PP]
Blissey Toss [27PP] (1HP Left on Sub) [582 After Toxic damage]
Turn 8:
Volkraken Split [30PP] (202 + 592 = 392)
Blissey Heal Bell [6PP] (Blissey at 436)
Turn 9:
Volkraken Scald [22PP] (Average damage 150, Burns for sake of argument)
Blissey Toss [26PP] (Sub Breaks) (Blissey 242 overall HP]
Turn 10:
Volkraken Sub [28 PP] [291 HP behind Sub]
Blissey Softboiled [14PP] (555 HP after Burn]
Turn 11:
Volkraken Split [29PP] ([291 + 555]/2 = 423)
Blissey Toss [26PP] (1HP Sub left) [379 After Burn]
Turn 12:
Volkraken Scald [21PP] (Average damage 150)
Blissey Softboiled [13PP] (542 Ending HP after Burn and Softboiled)
Turn 13:
Volkraken Scald [20PP] (Average Damage 150)
Blissey Toxic [15PP] (348 Ending HP)
Turn 14:
Volkraken Scald [19PP] (Average Damage 150)
Blissey Softboiled [12PP] (511 Ending HP)
And here, after 14 turns, we arrive at the dilemma. Volkraken is behind a Sub, so it could just keep Subbing to waste PP, but it won't be making it's Pain Split stronger. It could Pain Split, but at this stage Pain Split does less damage than Scald. It could Toxic, but that won't effect a burned Blissey that's PP stalling it. If it keeps using Scald though, Blissey will stall it out of Scald PP faster than it will run out of Softboiled PP, and Volkraken will be useless against the rest of the opponent's team. And if Volkraken uses any other move BUT Scald, Blissey can switch out and heal its status, prompting a counter or a U-turner to come in and win back some momentum or double switch.
So basically a SubSplit set can frustrate Blissey and gain a small upper hand, but all it really prompts is a stall war and a dilemma on when to use Volkraken's one attacking move. Alternatively Volkraken could use the stronger Surf, and rely on Toxic for its chip damage, but there's a problem there, too. Toxic has the same amount of PP as Softboiled, and Blissey has the option to switch out any time it doesn't suspect a Surf. Ultimately the problem is, nothing forces Blissey to use its healing or its Seismic Toss immediately, and because of its ability, it can neutralize Toxic's effectiveness and the fact Volkraken basically has to reveal its entire set to try and address Blissey. If it doesn't have Toxic, it can't even fight Blissey at all provided a competent opponent. My apologies for this massive section, but I really HAD to address the notion SubSplit is somehow a Blissey destroyer. It might best Eviolite Chansey because it doesn't have constant recovery, but it's just going to waste a lot of PP otherwise.
A much better set is actually Sub/Split/Baton Pass/Attack, but Sub-Pass is already something unto itself.
-------------------Final Submission
Bold = RM
Italics = Outclassed/Double/Repeat
Total Moves: 52
Total RMs: 26
I had one point in mind when building this movepool: no unnecessary fluff. If a move does the exact same thing as another available move while also having a potentially harmful side-effect, I did not include it. Moves like Overheat, U-turn, and Sludge Wave are examples of this, all of which are touched on in my competitive reasoning. Flavor was entirely secondary, and you'll find that most of my reasoning for that is inane rambling. Please consider this movepool for its competitive justifications. I will say this though; If you think the lack of Overheat is an egregious flavor crime, consider that there isn't a single Water-type outside of Volcanion who learns Overheat, and he's also a Fire-type. Considering his primary type is Fire, and I designed this movepool as a Water-type primarily, it's not unreasonable for Volkraken to be unable to learn Overheat. Not to mention that Heatmor doesn't learn it, so there is an exception to the "all Fire-types learn Overheat" rule.
Total Moves: 19
RMs: 6
1: Scald
1: Baton Pass
1: Lava Plume
1: Constrict
1: Bubble
3: Leech Life
7: Smokescreen
12: Peck
16: Supersonic
19: Bubble Beam
23: Confuse Ray
28: Scald (Repeat from earlier Level Up)
32: Scary Face
35: Flame Burst (Outclassed by Flamethrower)
39: Haze
44: Hydro Pump
48: Memento
51: Flare Blitz
55: Aqua Ring
60: Inferno
Generic level up moves for Water types, Fire types, and octopi. I took inspiration mainly from Tentacruel (fellow tentacle mon), Lanturn (fellow bioluminescent mon), and Volcanion (fellow Fire/Water mon). The three moves that Volkraken learns at level 1 define what Fire/Water does: Burns things. Baton Pass is also at Level 1 because it's one of my favorite moves for the concept and fits well with moves that are learned at level 1 in general. Leech Life is a perfect move for a vampire squid, and Peck is there because squids have beaks. Smokescreen and Haze fit well with the concept of Fire/Water because it invokes the idea of steam and smoke. Scary Face should be fairy self evident. Scald is used twice because it's basically the signature of a Fire/Water type. Supersonic and Confuse Ray are present on a lot of Pokemon related to Volkraken in some way. As for RMs, there are relatively few because Level Up movepools generally don't include competitive moves often.
Total Moves: 27
RMs: 16
TM06 Toxic
TM10 Hidden Power
TM11 Sunny Day
TM15 Hyper Beam
TM17 Protect
TM18 Rain Dance
TM21 Frustration
TM27 Return (Doubles with Frustration)
TM32 Double Team
TM35 Flamethrower
TM38 Fire Blast
TM42 Facade
TM44 Rest
TM45 Attract
TM46 Thief
TM48 Round
TM54 Scald (Repeat from Level Up)
TM59 Incinerate
TM61 Will-O-Wisp
TM68 Giga Impact
TM70 Flash
TM87 Swagger
TM88 Sleep Talk
TM90 Substitute
TM91 Flash Cannon
TM100 Confide
HM03 Surf
HM05 Waterfall
This is the most RM-heavy section because of all the good moves available. Aside from things like Flash and Thief, which are good moves for Volkraken to have from a flavor standpoint, this is a pretty generic Fire/Water TM pool. Overheat is excluded for competitive reasons I will mention in my competitive justification, but it still conceivably makes sense as no Water-type other than Volcanion learns Overheat, and there is one Fire-type (Heatmor) who does not.
Total Moves: 6
RMs: 4
Stealth Rock
Clear Smog
Octazooka
Water Pulse
Power Gem
Heal Bell
The egg groups I chose contain many Pokemon that Volkraken is related to, along with containing the moves I wanted to have as egg moves. Octazooka is one of my favorite flavor moves, but other than that, the egg moves became a dumping ground for the RMs I couldn't fit into level up or TMs.
Attacking RMs (14):
Scald
Lava Plume
Hydro Pump
Flare Blitz
Hidden Power
Frustration/Return
Flamethrower/Flame Burst
Fire Blast
Facade
Flash Cannon
Surf
Waterfall
Clear Smog
Power Gem
Non-Attacking RMs (12):
Baton Pass
Memento
Toxic
Protect
Rain Dance
Rest
Will-O-Wisp
Swagger
Sleep Talk
Substitute
Stealth Rock
Heal Bell
Alright, here's where my descriptions become much less inane. All selected STAB moves are obvious, and I've renounced my doubts about Lava Plume because I realize that some people may want to choose between Fire Blast + Scald or Hydro Pump + Lava Plume.
U-turn is not included because of my doubts about it earlier: it does a bit too much to Lati@s in addition to grabbing momentum. In addition, U-turn would make Volkraken a good general pivot, which distracts from use in the core. Baton Pass is a much healthier alternative, because it doesn't do the damage and allows for Substitute passing.
Speaking of Substitute, I've included that as well because the benefits of SubPass outweigh the risks of SubToxic beating our counters. SubToxic is a bad set without Pain Split anyways, and Pain Split just seems like a move designed to get around our counters while opening us up to things we're supposed to threaten.
As for coverage moves, I've excluded everything but Flash Cannon and Power Gem. Flash Cannon doesn't accomplish much that the STABs don't so there's no harm in including it, though I just as easily could have excluded it. Power Gem is essential to beat Mega Charizard X and Lum Dragonite, which walk over our core otherwise. Aura Sphere accomplishes nothing for us. (Mega)Tyranitar is already annihilated by Hydro Pump and Mega Gyarados is crippled by burn. Plus, Aura Sphere isn't helping at all if they already have boosted because they outspeed and KO Volkraken. Sludge Wave is too dangerous because it's more powerful than Analytic Fire Blast on some of our checks and counters and can screw with them.
Overheat is excluded because of this:
252+ SpA Choice Specs Analytic Abomasnow Overheat vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Latios: 215-253 (71.1 - 83.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
-2 252+ SpA Choice Specs Analytic Abomasnow Overheat vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Latios: 108-127 (35.7 - 42%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
That is way too powerful for us. Even after -2, we 2HKO Latios while he can't OHKO us back. I think the calc speaks for itself, and I can't really think of any benefit to having Overheat because Fire Blast already achieves our intended KOs. The -2 doesn't really even matter much of the time because Volkraken will constantly be switching out, so the extra damage on Latios and Latias is entirely unnecessary because Fire Blast already does a number to them. We should avoid dangerous redundancy whenever we can.
Stealth Rock and Heal Bell allow the core to be more self-sufficient. With Volkraken as the team's SR setter, the teamslot can be dedicated to actually covering more of the core's weaknesses. Stealth Rock, even with Defog Latias, is still essential for Lucario to achieve important KOs. Heal Bell is a huge relief for the otherwise status susceptible core. Paralysis in particular cripples all three members, and having a way to clear status without having to look for a member outside of the core or using one of Latias' precious moveslots is a nice boon.
Lava Plume has been brought into question, and I understand why. It basically does a half-assed job of what both Fire Blast and Will-o-Wisp are supposed to do. The reason I keep it is because of which combination of "power" STAB and "burning" STAB people would want to run. Of course, Fire Blast/Scald is going to be superior most of the time but running Hydro Pump over Scald allows Heatran to be beaten more easily, and an Aegislash at ~10% is practically dead anyways, and literally dead if it gets burned.
The role of Clear Smog, and Haze by extension, is pretty self evident. Rain Dance and Flare Blitz have no competitive value.
CAP18 so far:
Leadership Team:
DetroitLolcat - Topic Leader
jas61292 - Typing Leader
PttP - Ability Leader
srk1214 - Stats Leader
ginganinja - Movepool Leader
Art:
Name: Volkraken
