CAP 19 CAP 19 - Part 1 - Concept Submissions

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Name: Slow and steady wins the battle
General Description: A slow Pokemon that can shut down fast Pokemon completely without using utility moves that raise speed for the user, and can use moves that have more power when you are hit to its advantage.
Justification: The introduction of gen 6 has left us with the fastest Pokemon ever. Greninja, Talonflame, Pinsir, Charizard X are dominating the meta now. Sticky Web also became a huge factor the moment it was introduced. This Pokemon will have a positive effect on the meta by defeating the speedy Pokemon, allowing Pokemon who could work well but are hindered because of speedy Pokemon to regain their lost glory.
Questions to be answered:
  • Will the introduction of this Pokemon discourage usage of speedy Pokemon?
  • Will this Pokemon give Pokemon who were useful before but fell in usage their former glory?
  • Will this Pokemon's introduction open up new ways of thinking in building teams?
  • Will this Pokemon discourage Sticky Web?
Explanation: I think, as mentioned above, the new Pokemon introduced in Generation 6 have brought a lot of Pokemon down in usage and these new Pokemon are seen everywhere, which makes the OU tier more boring than fun. A lot of teambuilding options have lowered since these Pokemon were introduced, and usually 5 out of 6 of the players teams are just counters to these Pokemon. The introduction of this Pokemon should make OU more fun by making teams and sets more unpredictable, rather than just the standard OU Pokemon.
 
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Illusio

Bold and Brash
Name: Reusable Revenge Killer
General Description: A Pokemon that can act as a revenge killer multiple times.
Justification: Normally, when you use a revenge killer, it's a one time use Pokemon that easily gets destroyed later in the game. If we could add some bulk to a revenge killer, we could have a revenge killer that would be used more often, without having to worry when to use it.
Questions To Be Answered:
  • Will this Pokemon become too overpowered/overused?
  • Does this Pokemon effectively replace other revenge killers?
  • Can this Pokemon still be somewhat effective when used against a trapper?

Explanation: Whenever I use a revenge killer, I have to choose when to use it, because once I use it, I won't be able to use it again. If we added some bulk to a revenge killer, we could effectively have a reusable revenge killer. I am worried that it will become too overpowered, but that road will come when we get to it. That's about it.
 
Wow, there's so many good submissions this time around.

Dragonblaze052 This is a fun one, but more importantly it would be incredibly interesting to see how rarely seen Pokemon could affect OU if they weren't... complete shit. My concern, however, is that it puts such a large constraint on the process. If we used you Corsola example, for example (;p), then the concept would essentially become 'Defensive Regenerator with Corsola's movepool', or are you thinking of something less resemblant of our target?

Base Speed While definitely intriguing, I feel we don't have much to learn from it. We already know what beats stall - there's many Pokemon that can already 6-0 stall such as SubWisp Mew, Gothitelle, CM GardevoirMega, etc. Not only that, but we've already experienced a no stall environment in B/W, which was accomplished by incredibly hard hitters such as Specs Keldeo and Tornadrus.

MQJinx I love this one. I just hope that if you win, we choose something very unexplored like hail and trickroom, not Rain HO.

The Avalanches We already have Prankster Wisps, Prankster T-Waves, and Spores. I fail to see how this would give us insight on anything new, we already know what happens when you burn a dragon dancing Dragonite.

The Pizza Man Same opinion as Dragonblaze052.

Phione While not the most exciting concept around, it does present an extremely unmapped territory. Very good idea.

capefeather Your explanation is exactly why I'm hesitant. We might be able to learn a little, but understanding those 50/50 scenarios isn't rocket science, so I feel this would be better off simply as a discussion thread in OU rather than a CAP project.


Bleh, ran out of steam.
 

Qwilphish

when everything you touch turns to gold
Name: Lure

General Description: A Pokemon whose attributes can potentially allow for it to lure in, and eliminate certain Pokemon outside of its obvious targets to allow for its teammates to more easily sweep.

Justification: Lures are the byproduct of metagame shift. As a metagame begins to stagnate and checks and counters are set in stone, people begin to look closer at a Pokemon's movepool in order to shock an opponent with an unexpected move or a surprisingly powerful move. As XY is still evolving, I think that the best examples come from late BW. The most memorable lure that I can remember was SD Acrobatics Scizor which allowed for it to OHKO some of its common switch-ins such as Tentacruel and Jellicent at +2. Also, the rethinking of Starmie later in the generation, and the shift from Natural Cure to Analytic allowed for it to break walls with its surprisingly powerful Hydro Pumps and Thunderbolts. This generation, Earthquake Latios and Psychic Manaphy thus far have evolved in order to hit common switch-ins such as Heatran and Mega-Venusaur respectively. Unlike those Pokemon though which attempt to break through walls for their own benefit, I would like to see if we can build a lure, but for another Pokemon instead, something which is uncommon in this metagame.

Questions To Be Answered:
  • How effective are lures when their existence is well-documented?
  • How reliant on prediction are lures? Does the effectiveness of a lure only last for one turn or a small window before the opponent will be more wary?
  • Being a lure means that the opponent thinks that they are safe when in reality they are not. In this case, if we build a lure does that mean we need to have a viable standard moveset?
  • If the above is true, will the lure, which, in accordance to the concept, shouldn't greatly benefit the user significantly, even be worth the moveslot or two?
  • Are the effectiveness of lures based on the metagame which it is built for? Or do they stay effective as long as the set isn't the standard set?
  • Can lures be used besides for the purpose of wallbreaking?
Explanation: Lures are a very strange concept for a CAP, because if we are building a CAP around the idea that we can surprise the opponent, then obviously the surprise will be blown away the instant they see the CAP. However, I see great potential in seeing the how reliant prediction is when playing with a lure. This concept will undoubtedly be difficult to gauge the success of during the playtest as lures rely on the element of surprise, something that most people who will play with and against will not have the benefit of having, however that doesn't mean that this concept will be a flat-out bust if no one is surprised during the playtest. As has been stated by others many times in the past, CAP is more so about the process than the end result, and if we were to go with this concept, it will surely be a process-praised project (alliteration :]). As for the we could give about this process: we need to make the lure effective, but still less than reliable than a main set which we could choose during the concept submission. This sounds scary for those who enjoy streamlined processes in which we know what we are supposed to be making at every step, but it will up to the TL to keep this CAP from straying to far from its chosen goal and its "lure" goal. I will not deny that this concept will require a lot out of the TL and TLT this time around, even more than probably any other project considering this concept's looseness and ability to be distracted easily at every step, but I believe that with lures being such a prominent part of teambuilding and metagame development as a whole, that we can learn so much about how sets are developed and how to abuse these lures both before and during a battle.

  • In response to those saying that if we build a CAP around a lure, then obviously it will not be successful during the playtest: Obviously, as lures become more popular and people begin to sort of expect them, the set becomes less likely of working 100% of the time, and people will begin to scout for these moves. That doesn't mean that this will not be a successful project if the lure which we create is not as effective during practice simply because people will be prepared for it, because that is a sign of metagame development which is a key concept in this, well, concept.
 
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I've been informed that my previous idea was against the rules, so I'm going to submit this one instead.

Name:
Out of Many, One

General Description: A Pokemon whose singular traits synergize to make it threatening in the metagame.

Justification: The place of Aegislash in the OU metagame is currently being heavily debated in the suspect test. A common pro-ban argument is that Aegislash's positive traits, such as its useful defensive typing, great offensive and defensive stats, highly spammable Shadow Ball, and ability to cause excessive 50/50 situations with King's Shield, are not overcentralizing on their own, but the combination of all these traits are what make it banworthy. I believe that most competitively viable Pokemon need this "synergy" to some extent to be effective in the metagame. As such, I think it would be interesting to explore the interplay between the various traits of a Pokemon relevant to competitive play to see if certain links are stronger than others.

Questions to be Answered:

  • How is "synergy" defined in respect to one Pokemon's traits?
  • Do certain traits synergize more effectively than others? If so, why?
  • To what degree does a Pokemon need such synergy in order to be effective in the metagame? Conversely, how much synergy would make a Pokemon too powerful for the metagame?
  • How well can a team with this Pokemon on it take advantage of such synergy? How will an opponent adapt to facing such a threat?

Explanation: I've noticed that more than a few ideas for this project have taken inspiration from the ongoing Aegislash suspect test in OU. I believe that this is a sensible approach since Aegislash is the most divisive test so far in Gen VI, so I believe there is something to be learned from that test. Furthermore, this concept would leave the exact role of CAP 19 open, but the need for interplay between each stage of its creation should keep the process from being too chaotic. For example, this concept could take the form of something whose STABs match up well with its offensive prowess (such as Excadrill or Mega Charizard X), or a Pokemon whose ability allows it to switch in on attacks it normally wouldn't be able to take and threaten back with a powerful attack (e.g. Gengar avoiding otherwise super-effective Ground attacks with Levitate).
 

Ununhexium

I closed my eyes and I slipped away...
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Name: Setup Stopper

General Description:
A Pokemon that can effectively neuter and take down setup sweepers

Justification:
Setup sweepers are a common and important part of competitive Pokemon. If given a turn to set up, they can easily sweep your team. The aim of this Pokemon would be to stop most setup sweepers after they have set up; not an easy feat. By creating this Pokemon, you could completely alter the metagame to need to support setup sweepers, or maybe even remove setup sweepers from the game altogether. I understand this would be a difficult feat (not making it broken), but it could be a lot of fun to build and a challenge as well.

Questions To Be Answered:

  • How powerful are setup sweepers in the current metagame?
  • How can we effectively counter setup sweepers, especially after a boost is acquired?
  • How can we make a Pokemon that does this effectively without making it too powerful?
  • How would countering setup sweepers change the metagame? And would it be positive or negative
Explanation: We see a lot of setup sweepers, and we all know how threatening they are. With one free turn, they can easily plow through your team, sometimes requireing multiple sacrifices to finish them off. For example, if Mega Chariazard X can get a Dragon Dance or two set up, it can completely plow through less defensive teams (and even some defensive ones at that). Even setup sweepers with moves like Swords Dance are threatening as they can completely demolish slower teams, especially with the rise of priority in OU. A good example of a powerful Swords Dance user in OU is Mega Pinsir, who carries a good combination of Speed, power, and priority. It has enough power to break nearly everything, enough Speed to outspeed most defensive threats, and priority so smash offensive Pokemon. It even has enough power to almost always 2HKO Skarmory after a Swords Dance boost! If we could tailor a Pokemon to take them down, they would surely decrease in usage and viability, but how much is the question. Would they just require more support? Would they be almost entirely useless? Only through creating it could we find out...
 
Here's one I've been thinking about for a while.

Name: Command and Counter (Alternate: Decentralizer v2)
General Description: A Pokemon that lowers the usage of the top threats in the OU metagame by checking or outright countering them.
Justification: The metagame has changed a lot from when Arghonaut was created. New Pokemon appeared, mechanics like the Fairy type and Team Preview were introduced and the top Pokemon are very different now. The goal here is to create something that makes it harder to use top threats, in order to bring up lesser used Pokemon that are good but are hampered by said threats.
Questions To Be Answered:
  • What constitutes as a "top threat"? Does it have to do strictly with usage or does it depend on something else entirely?
  • When the mechanics of a new generation change, do the "top threats" change drastically?
  • What Pokemon benefit the most from the removal of "top threats"?
  • If a Pokemon can easily defeat "top threats", does it automatically become a "top threat" itself?
Explanation: I love the concept of Arghonaut. A Pokemon that screws the top threats over so lesser-used mons can shine is something that, to me, sounds great. So, how would we do this? I can see a bulky Ghost/Water mon that can outspeed and KO Keldeo, Talonflame and Aegislash. Or a Steel/Ground mon that can beat Heatran, Aegislash and Thundurus to a pulp. There are lots of possibilities here. We can't take all of the top threats out (that's an impossible task), but we can take out a good chunk of them. So, let's all contribute so you can get rid of that pesky Aegislash or that Heatran that always seems to wall your Special attacker!
 
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Ununhexium

I closed my eyes and I slipped away...
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Feedback time!!

Dragonblaze052, this would actually be a lot of fun to do. The only thing that would be a drag about it is having to go back and reevaluate where we went wrong on given concept. I get the feeling that we kind of just want redo Aurumoth...

Base Speed, I like your idea, it's just that I don't think stall is common enough to dedicate a CAP to beating it, especially when we already have hard-hitting sweeper and Gothitelle

MQJinx, this could be interesting. I would love to see other playstyles become more common, especially the aforementioned Trick Room.

The Avalanches, I like this idea, but we already have Pokemon like Thundurus. What I do like, however, is that you think we should find a healthy medium between Thundurus and Sableye.

The Pizza Man and Pwnemon (they're kind of similar), this could be fun, but I feel like people will put too much stress on rain and weather in general.

Phione and Clankenator007 (I grouped you two together because they are sort of similar), correct me if I'm wrong, but you basically want to push the limits of OU correct? If that's the case, I like it. I would love to see how powerful we could make a Pokemon without breaking it.

capefeather, I like this idea. It would be a challenge to create, but it would be really cool. It seems like a lot Birkal's concept last CAP, however.

srk1214, this could be a lot of fun. The only issue I can imagine is finding one too copy without breaking it again.

I'll try to do more later because I'm lazy :P
 

alexwolf

lurks in the shadows
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Name: Toxic Spikes are back

General Description: A Pokemon that can use Toxic Spikes effectively in OU.

Justification:
Toxic Spikes are never seen in OU anymore, as Mega Venusaur, Excadrill, and Defog users are everywhere, and a lot of Pokemon are immune to them, so the time needed to set them up is not worth it. Would Toxic Spikes be worth using on a Pokemon that can deal with most of the things that make them a bad option to begin with?

Questions To Be Answered:
  • What are the biggest problems to Toxic Spikes?
  • What tools does a Pokemon need to solve those problems?
  • What kind of Pokemon appreciate Toxic Spikes support the most?
  • On what kind of Pokemon would Toxic Spikes fit better, offensive or defensive?
  • How will the presence of Toxic Spikes in OU affect the metagame?
Explanation: Toxic Spikes help deal with a lot of scary Pokemon, such as Mega Charizard X, Mega Gyarados (once they have Mevolved), Keldeo, Azumarill, Mega Tyranitar, and Mega Pinsir (before Mevolving), so their presence in OU could be very beneficial. Toxic Spikes could also help deal with some stall teams (another big force in OU) by crippling key members such as Hippowdon, Quagsire, and Mega Charizard X. We hardly see any entry hazard other than Stealth Rock anymore in OU after the banning of the Deos, which is a shame because Toxic Spikes have a lot of potential, as lower tiers have proved.
 

Cretacerus

Survivor
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Reactions Contest Winner
Name: Not Fully Evolved

Description: A Pokémon which successfully utilizes the item Eviolite as part of its playstyle

Justification: The Eviolite is an item with huge potential, but hardly sees any usage in the OU metagame due to it being restricted to solely NFEs, a group of Pokémon well known for their mediocre stats, making them a rather unappealing choice despite this privilege. The presence of their statistically superior evolutions in the same tier also means that the few viable Eviolite users are completely reliant on the defensive boost granted by their item in order to distinguish themselves, forcing them into rather one-dimensional roles and playstyles.

This concept aims to explore the full capabilities of the Eviolite, and the diverse strategies that it can promote in absence of the shortcomings of its current holders and the direct competition faced from an evolution, thus allowing us to gain a better understanding of the item’s true potential. We will also be able to examine how the unique properties of the Eviolite influence the metagame, and interact with the different playstyles and strategies found within it.

Questions To Be Answered:
  • Does the access to Eviolite necessitate significant restraint in certain stages of the process (such as stats) in order to keep the Pokémon balanced?
  • How does CAP19 differ from the multitude of unviable NFEs, and what is the main aspect that holds them back?
  • What are the most prominent drawbacks of holding Eviolite, and which opposing strategies take advantage of them?
  • How can those counterstrategies be kept in check?
  • Is it possible for CAP19 to utilize items other than Eviolite without being outclassed (by the primary set or by similar Pokémon)?

Explanation: The centrepiece of this concept and the key to its success is treating the Eviolite as more than a mere stat boost. There are many ways of raising a Pokémon’s defences (the most straight-forward being customizing the base stats themselves), but what really defines an Eviolite user is the reliance on a held item to do so. As such, our focus should be on the distinct advantages and disadvantages that this approach provides.

Abilities such as Sticky Hold or Magic Guard, which attempt to rectify an Eviolite user’s inherent vulnerability to item removal and residual damage, respectively, might help CAP19 utilize the boost better, but they do so in a way that alters its matchups against opposing strategies, potentially reducing the knowledge we can acquire about Eviolite playstyles. Therefore, they should only be considered with utmost precaution.

By preserving the drawbacks of holding the Eviolite, we will be able to observe how the metagame reacts to this item, and what kind of strategies would arise to counter it. While such counterstrategies are certainly a valuable part of this concept, they would become too dominant in the playtest and take away the focus from Eviolite itself if left unchecked. Fortunately, CAP19 can take advantage of a quality almost unexplored among current Eviolite users: the ability to run other items. As mentioned previously, most of the current users are utterly outclassed by their evolutions when holding anything but the Eviolite, which prevents them from utilizing the great extent to which they can customize their stats. CAP19, however, would not have to face such competition, allowing it to make full use of this flexibility, and perhaps take care of Eviolite counterstrategies on its own with an alternative set. There is a lot of ground to be covered in this regard, with currently no Pokémon in OU being able to change their stat orientation and role that drastically based on their item alone, while Eviolite users have already shown that they have the potential to do so without competition in the lower tiers.

On a final note, being a NFE should not have any impact on the competitive properties of this CAP, aside from its ability to utilize the item Eviolite. Further references to this fact, if any, would be limited to only flavour aspects.
 
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WIP
Name: Dragons are Back

General Idea: Design a Pokemon that can or help spam Dragon moves without the threat of Fairies.

Justification: Before 6th Gen, Dragon Pokemon were one of the most dangerous types. It is no surprise. They have key resistances to Fire, Grass, Electric, and Water, four very common types. Dragons are only weak to Ice and Dragon itself, the first having a weak defensive typing. Not to mention that they have very good move pools. Dragons were so good that I made a Dragon Monotype team and laddered with it on the OU ladder. Then 6th Gen came along. They introduced a new type called Fairies. They caused some Dragons such as Haxorus and Hydreigon to fall down to lower tiers. Other newcomers like Zygarde
,and Goodra to fail to meet the expectations of OU. This Pokemon will be able to counter fairies.

Questions to be Answered:
-Are Dragons worse because of fairies alone or it is a bunch of other events?
-Are Dragons in lower tiers such as Hydreigon would still be in OU if fairies did not exist.
-What are most fairies main weakness?( Low speed, key weaknesses,etc...)
-What other roles this CAP will have beside stopping or sweeping fairys?
-Are fairies too strong to stop?
-Will this make the metagame healthier or worse?
Explanation: The main reasons Dragons cant counter fairies is because only 4 Dragons take Fairy attacks for neutral damage.( 2 are in Ubers and 1 is in NU) Although fairies are a dominate type, we will try to expose their weaknesses and take advantage of them in order to make strategies like DragMag good again.
 

Valmanway

My jimmies remain unrustled
is a Smogon Media Contributor Alumnus
Name: You Want To Status Me? Yes Please!
General Description: A Pokemon that can take advantage of any one of paralysis, burn, and poison, but not every one at the same time
Justification: Pokemon with Guts such as Heracross and Conkeldurr have shown that they love getting burnt, and Poison Heal Gliscor has shown that he loves getting Toxic'd, so we try to make a Pokemon that can abuse status for any (but not every) situation
Questions To Be Answered: How will this Pokemon take advantage of opponent's status moves?
Will this steer opponents away from using status moves more often?
Will people stop carrying status moves for some of their Pokemon altogether so they can better approach this Pokemon?
Will there be a flaw to this Pokemon's ability to abuse status?
How will this Pokemon fare if it's inflicted with the status move it isn't meant to take advantage of?
How will this Pokemon support its teammates?
Will this Pokemon need a lot of support for the status it can't handle?

Explanation:
Let's be honest now, most teams have at least one method of inflicting status, such as Will-O-Wisp, Thunder Wave, and Toxic, in an attempt to cripple their opponent's team. Paralysis cripples fast sweepers, burns cripple physical attackers, and Toxic cripples setup sweepers and walls. But what if there was a Pokemon that could literally take advantage of any status condition thrown its way? This is what this CAP submission is all about. The concept here is to make a Pokemon that can take advantage of any one status condition, but can't have an answer to every status condition simultaneously. If your team needs a defense to Thunder Wave, this guy can handle it. Need anti Will-O-Wisp support? This guy takes care of that, too. Need anti Toxic? This guy. But the catch here is that while he's focused on taking one form of status, he'll be wide open to the other two forms of status, so the team he's on will likely determine which status he should take advantage of. He's anti paralysis for fast sweeping teams, anti burn for hard hitting teams, and anti Toxic for setup sweepers and walls. So to sum all this up, this CAP submission is designed to handle any one of the three mentioned status moves to support his team, but is left wide open for the other two, so pick your poison (Eh? EH?).
 

HeaLnDeaL

Let's Keep Fighting
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Name: Trading Cards! (The Skill Swapper)

General Description: A Pokémon with the move Skill Swap and the proper incentive to use it in order to take out important threats or to gain momentum.

Justification: Skill Swap is an underutilized move, and one that can explore both positive and negative traits of abilities at the same time. Currently, Pokémon that already learn Skill Swap either lack the incentive to swap their ability in XY Singles or they simply don’t have enough of a presence to prevent the opponent from making a low risk switch to a different party member after Skill Swap has been used.

Questions To Be Answered:
  • Which key threats in OU are overly reliant on their abilities?
  • What traits are even needed to give a Pokémon with the move Skill Swap the incentive to consistently carry it on its moveset?
  • If it is simply expected that the opponent will switch after being Skill Swapped, what is needed for a good Skill Swapper to properly take advantage of the opponent’s switch?
  • Are they any ways for a Pokémon with Skill Swap to prevent or discourage the opponent from switching out? Or is Skill Swap doomed outside of a 1v1 scenario?
  • Is Skill Swap only usable once before the user switches out, or can a Skill Swapper plan ahead and cripple multiple Pokémon using the opponent’s own abilities against each other? How common/reliable could this be, if at all?
  • Are there any ways that the opponent could exploit this strategy, and which previously unusable Pokémon would raise in usage, if any? In a number of CAP Playtests, counter-strategies emerge, but how reliable is it for a player to use a Pokémon crippled by its own ability to try to counter a Skill Swapper?
  • How do abilities interact with each other in team synergy, and how does Skill Swap potentially affect this?
Explanation: Originally, my intention this time around was to make a concept involving a Pokémon with traditionally poor traits that could succeed in the meta simply by passing or trading these traits to the opponent (thus crippling/hindering opposing Pokémon). After looking through possible traits that could fulfill this, however, I couldn’t help but see Skill Swap as something crucial to this role. This in turn spurred my interest in the move, and led me to this concept. I will admit, it is somewhat if a “Pokémon with X trait” sort of concept, but I hope I’m not the only one with interest in this particular move.

I recognize that Defeatist, Truant, and Slow Start (easily the most abusable abilities to have with Skill Swap) are not allowed here in the CAP Process. And to be honest, I actually think that’s a good thing. We can all imagine that Skill Swapping Truant would be awfully good, until we realize that any Pokémon with protect can wall this strategy… However, despite the above abilities being banned, I still think there are plenty of others that can be used. Normalize, Weak Armor, Heavy Metal… There are some creative options available, and I don’t really need to name them all to get the point across.

Furthermore, I do think that a nice bonus of exploring a Skill Swapper is that it would allow us to analyze not only the abilities of the user, but the abilities found within the OU metagame as well. And beyond being an ability-centric Pokémon, I hope that studying Skill Swap could also help figure out which traits (other than abilities) are needed for this strategy to succeed in Singles play. Certainly having a particular ability and access to Skill Swap isn’t enough, and the Pokémon’s typing, stats, and access to other moves surely will have a big impact on whether or not a Skill Swapper can be successful.
 
Let's give this a shot...

Name: Negative Into Positive
General Description: A Pokemon that will have a stat(s) practically useless without boosting, but when boosted becomes its main threat.

Justification: Stat boosting is obviously a very important part of the meta. However, it all revolves around taking a pokemon with an already powerful stat and further upping it. Taking a more mediocre stat and having that as the goal of the stat increase would create a niche for this pokemon currently unseen in the current meta. It also creates the opportunity for teambuilding around a pokemon that getting its boosts is vital, leading to a greater value on learning the threats to this pokemon and countering them beforehand.

Questions To Be Answered:
-Can a pokemon with marginal base stats be viable in the meta? Or can other bases be strong anyways but not take away for this pokemon's intended use?
-What qualifies as a bad or unusable stat in the metagame? When does a stat become low enough that boosting it becomes pointless?
-What methods of stat boosting are the most practical in a project like this?
-What major threats are there in the metagame against a pokemon focused primarily on boosting its stats? Should this pokemon counter those threats or should it rely on teammates?

Explanation: Most of my inspiration for this concept came from speed boost. The ability varies in effectiveness from pokemon to pokemon, but not solely in coordination with its speed base stat (see ninjask). I first thought, how low could a base speed go, and still be an effective ability, which eventually led to the concept. Although this was my initial thought, the concept is definitely not this narrowly limited. There are more than enough abilities or moves to potentially attach to this pokemon to boost different stats. The concept just means set a key base stat low, but give the pokemon the tools so that a user would be motivated to boost it to a usable level. ...I feel like I talked in circles a little, but oh well, hope I got the point across.
 
Name: Little Man Big Heart

General Description: A pokemon with a base stat total (BST) that is considered below average or worse but can strive in OU.

Justification: OU is full of titans with high BST and yet there are pokemon with low BST that can stand toe to toe with these titans. Pokemon such as Breloom, Azumarill, even Sableye. We create such a pokemon that can pull their weight in OU despite a handicap.

Questions To Be Answered: What is considered the minimum average for BST in OU?
What roles are a pokemon able to accomplish with such a low BST?
What makes a pokemon with a low BST to be viable for OU? (Is it their ability, move pool, types?)
Can such a pokemon make a difference in the OU metagame? (e.g. Pokemon running Sleep Talk for Breloom's Spore in BW.)
Does having a low BST hinder a pokemon from achieving its full potential?
Does having a low BST balance out having great abilites, types, and/or moves?
How low can a pokemon BST go without becoming too weak for OU?

Explanation: It'll be interesting to work with this concept because we'll find out what make these little guys so good at what they do and how they fare against the OU elite, especially the mega evos. And we'll learn what abilities and certain moves are fantastic tools available to such pokemon supplemented by excellent types. We'll discover which combination of these traits are able to provide a great asset thus outweighing the cons of having a low BST. Thus proving you don't need a high BST to be successful in OU. There's a reason why Kyurem-B is in OU.

"Even the smallest person can change the course of the future."
 
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nyttyn

From Now On, We'll...
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Name: Power for a Price

General Description: A Pokemon that requires a sacrifice to be used, but is considerably more effective then usual.

Justification: In competitive Pokemon, the concept of sacrifice has always been a key part of playing the game. From using Rapid Spin to clear hazards but sacrifice momentum, to even moves that flat out KO the user such as Destiny Bond or Healing Wish. However, there has never been a Pokemon that absolutely requires sacrifice to be used, as even Pokemon who use moves such as Healing Wish or Rapid Spin will often only do so when absolutely necessary. As a result, while the concept of Sacrifice is topic that has been, to some degree, explored within OU, it has never been absolutely mandatory for a Pokemon to succeed.

Questions To Be Answered:
  • Can a Pokemon be desirable to use, even if it requires a sacrifice? Will being forced to make a sacrifice heavily influence its desirability?
  • What can a Pokemon afford to sacrifice to be successful? What amount of sacrifice is too great?
  • What types of teams would this Pokemon be able to fit on? Will being forced to make a sacrifice significantly influence the number of team compositions it can fit in?
  • How does forced sacrifice impact how a Pokemon plays?
Explanation: I would like to note that we should try to avoid 'sacrifice' from a "is a glass cannon that's hard to switch in" approach, as slow U-Turns and double switches can completely negate any need to sacrifice. Instead, we should be looking at moves like Draco Meteor, Explosion, or Head Smash, or abilities like Flare Boost or Reckless. Moves and abilities that have a significant cost to them, be it recoil, status, or even the pokemon's consciousness (in the case of moves such as Memento). Though recoil moves or abilities that inflict self-harm would be the easiest way of accomplishing this, it would also be possible to approach this project from a momentum-sacrificing standpoint, with moves that carry enormous momentum costs with them such as Overheat, and even Hyper Beam.
 

Dogfish44

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Name: Scout and Strike

General Description: A Pokemon that is able to accurately scout for a specific type of threat, depending on the movepool and abilities it currently has, and reliably disable it.

Justification: Many Pokemon are capable of sweeping unprepared teams, however they have a certain type of Pokemon that they fall against. Perhaps you're using a frail sweeper that's prone to being revenge killed by Scarf Users, but you're never able to identify which of your opponents are using Scarfs until a little bit too late. Team preview might help scout out a general team, but it's not as good when it comes down to figuring out exactly what sets your opponent is running.

Questions to be answered:

  • Can a Pokemon reliably scout out a Pokemon's moveset, without KOed before anything can be done to mitigate the scouted set?
  • What viable methods exist for a scout to capitalise on information learned?
  • What information does a scout need to detect a threat of a given type? What information is frivilous?
  • Can a scout ever be successfully built to detect multiple threats, or is there a limit?
  • Is it possible to build a team that functions when it is able to remove an entire archetype of threats, rather than individual ones?

Explanation: I imagine some people will see this and think either Kitsunoh or Krilowatt, and it's fair to say that this concept is a combination of ideas from both. In Pokemon there are many mons who are capable of scouting for pieces of information through abilities like Frisk, but they either lack the offensive prowess to build upon this, or the bulk to scout out threats multiple times. If a scout can't survive a hit, then it's reliant on it's ability to obtain some information, and that would only be a single bit of information, and even if the information is worthwhile you've not done anything to handle the threat. One big issue to deal with is making sure that the scout actively has to change builds depending on what it's dealing with - a scout aiming to handle scarfs should be very different from one scouting out pursuit trappers, even though they're the same Pokemon.
 
Concept: The Supported

General Description: A pokemon that can do extremely well, but needs some type of support to do so.

Justification: Many of the top OU pokemon are top OU simply because they function well on their own, while other pokemon that could easily be very threatening are lesser threats, simply because they fall short, whether because they are completely walled by a select few pokemon, aren't quite fast enough, or can't set up easily enough. This CAP aims to be able to be an effective threat, despite such flaws, in an attempt to see if this is possible.

Questions to be answered:
  • Can a pokemon be useful, despite having serious flaws?
  • Will such a pokemon cause an increase in usage of pokemon that are effective at fixing or mitigating said flaws?
  • Does being dependent on other pokemon significantly weaken a pokemon?
  • Will the danger of being defeated by this pokemon cause people to run counters to the pokemon, despite it needing support to work effectively?
Explanation: Most of the top pokemon in any given meta can do serious damage to the other team, almost regardless of conditions. Pokemon such as Mega Charizard (both of them) and Aegislash in OU are capable of smashing through OU, and often require two pokemon to take down. Meanwhile, Volcarona is an extremely dangerous sweeper, easily demolishing teams after a single Quiver Dance... if the opponent doesn't have any surviving fire-types and stealth rocks aren't on the field. This concept is intended to be a happy medium between the two, who struggles against a few pokemon, or if stealth rocks are on your side of the field, or if stealth rocks aren't on the other side of the field, etc. The or is the important part here, in that we shouldn't have a pokemon that can't do well unless the field is set up for it perfectly and there aren't any of this long list of pokemon remaining on the other team.
 
Name: Absolute Weather Tyrant
General Description: A Pokemon that can function optimally in hail, sand, sun AND/OR rain.
Justification: With Drought and Drizzle being released as hidden abilities on non-Uber Pokemon in BW, OU was able to utilize any of the four above weathers for the first time in competitive Pokemon history. Sand and rain teams were the most prominent of the four, but some hail and sun teams saw success as well. Unfortunately, there wasn't a single Pokemon that could master all four weathers and use them to their advantage, and XY had nerfed weather before the CAP Metagame was able to create such a Pokemon. This concept aims to see if such a Pokemon could've been made once and for all.
Questions to be Answered:
- Is it possible to balance out which of the four weathers this Pokemon can run in? Or should we favor one weather over another?
- Will the introduction of this Pokemon hold any influence in regards to the return of weather?
- Should this Pokemon provide support for Pokemon that function well in the same weather? Or would be better if the other Pokemon supported it?
- How well can this Pokemon function without the presence of weather, considering that it will be built with optimization of a weather in mind?
Explanation: We know that Rocks have their Special Defense multiplied by x1.5 during a sandstorm, and that Rock, Ground and Steel are invulnerable to the damage it dishes out each turn. We also know that Ice doesn't take damage from hail, and that Water and Fire attacks are multiplied in power by x1.5 in rain and sun respectively, while in the other weather their power is cut in half. But keep in mind that we're not restricted to a combination of those 6 types. Dragon can be used as well for protection against both sun- and rain-boosted attacks, and Grass, Electric and Flying get a STAB bonus on moves that function extremely well in the right weather, with Solar Beam only taking 1 turn to execute and Thunder and Hurricane getting 100% accuracy. There is also a wide range of abilities to choose from; including the obvious weather-related abilities, things like Thick Fat or Storm Drain to reduce the damage inflicted by key attacks, Overcoat and Magic Guard to nullify to damage from sand and hail, or even Gale Wings to add priority to Hurricane, among other abilities that provide such niche options.
 
I've been around for quite a few CAP's here and there, but I've never really gotten involved - I would mostly just keep an eye on the happenings over here. Despite this, I've though of a concept and I'll go ahead and post it. It is a WIP and any suggestions or help with refining it would be fantastic!

Name: Loner (Synergy Killer)
General Description: A Pokemon that does not synergize well with the most common Pokemon in the metagame, but whose positive qualities outweigh the negatives of its use.
Justification: This concept will allow us to explore the importance of synergy when it comes to team building. By incorporating a Pokemon that will essentially be of no help to the rest of the team, the CAP process can explore what aspects will be desirable when facing a potential loss of momentum or support. In addition, we can explore what goes in to making a team, and discover how that may change with the introduction of a Pokemon that is desirable enough to use despite not offering support or help to the rest of the team.
Questions To Be Answered:
What exactly is synergy? Does it involve momentum, support, or any other aspects?
What causes a Pokemon to not synergize well with the rest of the team?
How can one Pokemon effectively break down the synergy of the other five team members?
Will this Pokemon encourage the use of uncommonly used Pokemon that it will potentially work well with?
What qualities will make this Pokemon desirable to use despite its lack of support to the rest of the team?
What types of teams will the introduction of a team member that does not play well with the rest of the team encourage people to build?

Explanation: When building the ideal team, it is usually important to keep in mind synergy - how well each member supports the rest of the team. So by making a Pokemon that either served to break down a teams synergy, or at least does not synergize well with the top Pokemon in the OU metagame, this CAP can allow us to examine the team-building process, and to learn what other aspects of a Pokemon can be relied on when it doesn't 'fit in.' Now, the easiest example I can think of to make a Pokemon that doesn't synergize well is to make the CAP a) unable to check the threats to the top OU Pokemon due to typing and/or movepool and b) have threats itself that the top OU Pokemon cannot check, while also having other qualities that still make it worthwhile to use - whether this be brute force or whatever else. Of course, this example is pretty basic, and I'm sure the CAP process can examine what else goes in to making a team synergize, as well as how to break down that synergy internally.

I'll edit this later as I think of more things to add, as well as an explanation once I type up what I want to say.
 
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Name: Crippling Flaw
General Description: A Pokemon that has something that would normally be considered a crippling flaw that drastically reduces viability, but instead of being held back by this trait it uses it as an advantage, or at least an obstetrical that can be overcome.

Justification: When designing Pokemon one must not only consider what makes the Pokemon good, but also what makes the pokemon bad, and usually a balance is found between these to make sure the Pokemon is on equal grounds with all the other Pokes. Sometimes when a Pokemon has an exceptionally positive trait(s) it is given something exceptionally negative as a counterbalance to prevent the poke from becoming centralizing, be it a negative ability, terrible stat(s), mediocre movepool, or otherwise. This concept would help us learn how viability of Pokemon are balanced as well as how Pokes overcome their flaws.

Questions To Be Answered:
- What makes a trait bad?
- How can a flaw be made to be benefit a poke?
- What makes this Poke dangerous, and how is it best checked/countered?
- What obstetrical are not able to be overcome due to the weakness?
- How will the metagame adapt to such a poke?
- Will this poke be predictable, or will it be able to overcome the flaw if it chooses to attempt a different set?
- What positive traits will be acceptable with this downside to balance them.

Explanation: There are many detrimental abilities in the Pokemon which there are absolutely no reason to use (unless you have to) and even more examples of pokes who have had a stat greatly reduced to give it some sort of weak point to take advantage of. If at all possible, it would be interesting to see if having such a downside could actually be an appealing aspect of the Pokemon. The idea behind this concept is all about managing a weakness and knowing when it will be beat, but not making it so devastating that the poke isn't viable. There are a lot of opportunities with this one to make very niche typings, stats, moves, and abilities all come into play somehow, and I feel that it will add some very unique gameplay variety in the very least.
 
Name: Item Fighter
General Description: A Pokemon designed around using the myriad of item based moves and abilities.
Justification: Over the course of Pokemon's existence, there have been many item based moves and abilities that are largely unused. A Pokemon designed to use these moves/abilities could allow us to conclusively determine If these moves are useless, or if they've only been utilized poorly thus far.
Questions To Be Answered:
-Can an item based build work in the metagame?
-How will we be able to counter moves like knock off and trick, that mess with items?
-Are items only limited to boosting damage and healing in the metagame?

Explanation: It always annoys me seeing the items mechanics game freak slaps on to random Pokemon failing. a good example I see is the ability magician. Klefki gets the excuse of having prankster, but Delphox gets it, and on every build recommendation i've seen for Delphox you use blaze. thief is a move that is similarly unused, even though both are capable of removing an opponents item like knock off. (granted, you can't be holding an item either) a Pokemon created to use the moves game freak leaves as gimmicks would be both interesting and insightful.
 
Name: The Typing Game


General Description: Through stats, movepool, abilities, create an OU-level pokemon with a typing combination that currently exists in a lesser used tier


Justification: Typing means a lot in the world of pokemon, but it doesn’t mean everything. There are many typing combinations in existence that remain largely unused in the OU metagame. This concept should aim to introduce a type combination that has never seen success in OU or no longer does. It would allow us explore what typing means in regards to OU pokemon and how the introduction of a different combination impacts upon the metagame.

With the advent of XY, Talonflame, the Fire/Flying type was introduced to OU even considering the awful x4 weakness to stealth rocks. Yet we’ve had access to the Fire/Flying type ever since Gen1 in the form of Moltres, in terms of typing nothing new was introduced. As far as I’m aware, apart from the odd appearance in some of Gen5 rain teams, Moltres has not been in OU since possibly before Gen 4. It currently resides in RU, despite having better stats than Talonflame in everything but speed. Now, we all know the reason why Talonflame is in OU and Moltres is not; this comes down to Talonflame’s excellent ability. Until Talonflame’s Gale Wings ability was revealed I can recall people speculating that it would end up in RU/NU. This is an example of how a typing combo that previously existed has secured a valuable place in the OU metagame, resulting in most teams having to dedicate a slot to specifically to address Talonflame.


Questions to be Answered:
- What makes a typing good or bad?
- How would the introduction of a newly empowered type combination affect the current meta?
- How much influence does typing have on the current metagame?


Explanation: There are many approaches we could take to execute this, all the unique typing combinations from UU to NU to be precise. Take for example Cradily, a rock/grass type, to my knowledge has never functioned in OU outside perhaps a gimmick appearance. However, it has potential in both offensive and defensive capacities. The rock and grass STABs have great coverage, the typing itself renders it immune to sandstorm and powder moves. With the right stats, ability and movepool Cradily could have been a force to be reckoned with in OU.
To be clear, I’m not proposing we make a new Mollux and severely negate the weakness of a type, but rather to capitalize on what the typing we choose has to offer.
 
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(WIP)
Concept: Something New

General Description: A Pokemon that fills a role in the metagame previously unexplored in the OU metagame, or even in any metagame.

Justification: There are many metagames outside of OU which have pokemon which function extremely different from anything that is present in OU. These pokemon range from geomancy sweepers, ubiquitous in Ubers and STABmons, to prankster topsy turvy users who eliminate all hopes of set up sweeping. Contrary sweepers get more powerful with every attack. Focus energy boosters which rely on 100% crit chance. Extreme speed or boomburst users of Aerialate (or any other of those abilities.) As you can see there are many roles which do not exist in OU which could be filled by a new pokemon.

Questions to Be Answered:

-How would this role fit into the current OU metagame?
-What Pokemon will be able to survive with this new pokemon?
-How would this Pokemon be able to fill a new role?
-How would this Pokemon be able to be a major threat in OU without being to similar to other pokemon?
-What pokemon or playstyles would rise in usage with this new role thrown into the mix?
-What playstyles would be most impacted by this new role?

Explanation:

The pokemon that would be made in this project would have to be sufficiently different from all other pokemon commonly found in OU while still being able to be a functional part of the metagame. The pokemon should be able to be a strong force in the metagame without being too overly centralizing. This would help illuminate just how to make a role viable in the metagame and could teach us a lot about how new roles impact the OU landscape. This project would open many new doors about how to make something unique without being too weak or too strong.
 
Name: Control Switch

Description: A Pokemon that controls the switching game, punishing and limiting its opponents ability to do so while allowing itself freedom of movement.

Justification: Switching is one of the most powerful and dangerous tools in Pokemon, and via CAP we have a unique opportunity to examine its effects and measure its influence. This concept should allow us the opportunity both to learn what makes a well-timed switch so effective, but also how that effect can be diminished and even negated. Much like Tomohawk, this concept should also allow us to learn more about momentum, and how having the advantage on a switch can grant a player control of the match.

Questions To Be Answered:
  • How does switching confer advantages to both players? Can those advantages be negated?
  • By what means can we punish or limit an opponents ability to switch? Which combinations are most effective?
  • Given how fundamental switching is the to the meta, can a pokemon that limits an opponents ability to do so be truly balanced?
Explanation: Let's be honest: switching is the fifth move in Pokemon, and much like movement in SF4, it's the metagame within the metagame. It defines the game from the top of Ubers to the bottom of Little Cup. To be a good player, good switching is crucial. Similarly, we all know how dangerous an ability like Shadow Tag can be, and even the oh-so-common Stealth Rock is considered broken by a number of players simply because it punishes you for switching - something that's normally a free action. But there are many ways to control your opponents switch - to force them into a corner where they need to make a bad decision. This ‘mon should fundamentally be about just doing that: forcing your opponent into no-win scenarios, and walking away from every switch with an advantage.
 
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