CAP 19 CAP 19 - Part 1 - Concept Submissions

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Birkal

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Name: Fairylicious

General Description: Design a Pokemon that teaches us more about Fairy-types and their role in the Overused metagame.

Justification: It is paramount for the Create-A-Pokemon Project to tackle and explore the newest mechanic changes of a generation with full force. Arguably the most poignant of these was the implementation of Fairy-types to the mix. Through this concept, we'll explore their commonalities and differences in the OU metagame, from their most basic traits to their individual checks and counters.

Questions To Be Answered:
  • What are features shared by all Fairy-types used in Overused? Which features are not similar?
  • How have Fairy-types shaped the metagame to differ from the previous generation?
  • Do fairies have common checks and counters? What are they?
  • How threatening are fairies in the metagame, especially in comparison to other threats?
  • What defines a "fairy" outside of its typing? Is there a common thread?

Explanation: As a new generation rolls around, we've been granted a fun new toy with Fairy-types. The examples that we have in Overused fit a variety of rules, from bulky physical attackers such as Azumarill and Mega Mawile to reliable special attackers in Sylveon and Mega Gardevoir. We've even been granted a bunch of niche fairies in Clefable and Klefki. While we have all of these examples, we've still barely scratched the surface on how fairies inherently work. We've had four generations to learn about the other seventeen types, so it's time we put our newest member under the scope.

I was inspired to form this concept thanks to something Yilx wrote here during CAP 18. Having a new generation gives us a prime time to jump into discussing our newest typing. What frequently counters them? Do they tend to find their niche early or late game? Which items work best with fairies? What outclasses them, and what do they outclass? The questions go on and on, and we can address most of them through this concept.

In case you've gotten this far and haven't realized it, this concept does not require that we create a Fairy-type. While it could certainly include that, we are not limited to the typing. Perhaps we'll define what fairies are by creating a perfect counter to them. Maybe it means we make a Pokemon that fits the playstyle of a current Fairy-type, but is not actually a Fairy-type. It could mean that we create an optimal partner for fairies that stops their counters. Or maybe we make a Fairy-type, but it doesn't fit any of the conventions we'd use to describe any fairies in this metagame. There are a plethora of options here that I think could lead to an unconventional and exciting process.
 
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DetroitLolcat

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Name: Low Priority

General Description: A Pokemon that discourages the opponent's use of priority moves and the Pokemon that depend on them.

Justification: OU is absolutely loaded with priority attackers such as Talonflame, Mega Mawile, Mega Pinsir, and others. Gen VI OU has taken priority attacks to a new level, as Pokemon like Talonflame and Mega Mawile can outright sweep with Brave Bird and Sucker Punch. Contrast this with the previous generation, where non-STAB ExtremeSpeed was the gold standard of priority attacking. On the supportive side, Thundurus can shut down just about any rampaging sweeper with a priority Thunder Wave. This concept would attempt to take the focus off of attacks with increased priority in OU by neutralizing either priority attacks or priority attackers.

Questions To Be Answered:
What will an OU metagame with less focus on priority look like?
What other ways of revenge killing will emerge in a metagame with less use of priority attacks?
Can the addition of one Pokemon to the OU metagame significantly discourage the use of priority moves?
Is it possible to counter priority without just using even higher priority?
Will a metagame with decreased focus on priority look like previous OU metagames?

Explanation: Just about every team short of full stall carries some type of priority, likely a priority attack of 80 BP or higher. Sweepers like Mega Charizard X often outpace non-priority revenge killers after a single setup, so many players rely on priority Sucker Punches, Brave Birds, and Thunder Waves to prevent sweepers from sweeping. This Pokemon would find a way to deter opponents from using priority moves, possibly by setting up on common priority users, damaging or trapping opposing priority users, or just walling them to kingdom come. I'd assume a priority-stopping Pokemon would work very well on an offensive team that carries sweepers that benefit from the removal of opposing priority moves. Although I admit we can't remove priority from the metagame entirely, we can certainly punish plenty of priority users. There are plenty of type combinations that resist many of Flying, Fighting, Dark, Ghost, and Normal. There are also plenty of moves and Abilities that can punish the free turns opposing priority moves could generate for us (moves like Rock Polish and abilities like Weak Armor come to mind, but there are dozens of choices here).
 
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alexwolf

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Regarding srk's concept, OUber, i don't think it's a good one. As you already said the best Pokemon to try and base our CAP to would be Deo-S and Genesect, but making mini Deo-S and mini-Genesect just doesn't seem as something that needs a lot of effort or teaches us anything. Just nerf a bit Genesect's coverage and power, and nerf Deo-S's speed and coverage. Or nerf Deo-S Speed and maybe remove its access to Spikes. The point is, even if there are 3 or 4 attributes of each Pokemon we could nerf, it's like just toning down an already existing Pokemon, which is not interesting at all imo. Most of the Pokemon we banned in 6th gen were pretty obviously broken and the reasons that made them broken were pretty obvious too, so what is there to learn?

Regarding Birkal's concept, i honestly have no clue what you are talking about man. Just posting this to let you know that your concept is super confusing, at least to me.

Finally, regarding DetroitLolCat's concept, i don't think we can make a Pokemon that discourage the use of the majority of the priority moves when those priority moves are so varied in OU, such as Bullet Punch, Brave Bird, Thunder Wave, Sucker Punch, Mach Punch, Shadow Sneak, and Ice Shard. You would have to make a Pokemon able to switch into all those priority users, which would basically be a Pokemon able to switch into a lot of different top-tier threats in OU, some of which are also some of the best wallbreakers in the tier (Mega Mawile), something that i don't think is feasible without creating a powerful wall, something that i don't find interesting.
 
All right, this is still a work in progress. I'll probably edit this later once I have some feedback, but I think the basic idea is pretty solid.

Name: Typing Investigator

General Description: A Pokemon that helps us understand what exactly makes a typing "good" or "bad" in the XY OU metagame.

Justification:
Since BW, the value (or lack thereof) of many typings has changed drastically. While the Fairy-type is one obvious culprit, it isn't the only one - for example, Flying becoming the premier attacking type, and therefore making Ground a generally inferior coverage option outside of STAB and/or Aegislash, is a major metagame shift that can't be explained by Fairies. I believe making a Pokemon that puts the value of typings in XY OU under a microscope would be a valuable endeavor, teaching us a lot about which typings are valuable, which are not, and precisely why.

Questions to be Answered:

  • Why are the "good" attacking types used as much as they are?
  • Are the typings inherently good in and of themselves, or do they just have excellent abusers?
  • Is there a legitimate reason outside of STAB to run a "bad" attacking type?
  • What makes a type "good" in the first place?
  • Are there good typings that are getting overlooked in the current metagame?
Explanation: I can see a ton of ways we can go about this concept, looking at exactly why there are so few Poisons in OU despite hitting Fairies for example, or so few Rocks despite their valuable Flying resist. Are Electric types more valuable now that Ground is less valuable? Does Ice, or Psychic, have enough redeeming qualities that their type isn't just purely bad? We know Ghost has fantastic neutral coverage...but its Dark weakness is more glaring now than ever, so is Ghost a "good" type or a "bad" one? I'm sure there are a ton of other questions like this, some that I haven't even thought of yet. Obviously we can't answer all of these questions, but if we can isolate the factors that make even a few types "good" or "bad", we'll have a much better understanding of XY OU - and it can even be applicable to other tiers, for those who play them.
 
My friend recommended me to participate in a CAP, so here goes nothing...
Name: Training for Terrain
Description: Create a Pokemon that is able to work with and encourage the use the use of terrain moves.
Justification: With the arrival of Gen VI introducing many many new features to the metagame, what with Fairy-types, mega-evolution, assault vests, sound moves defying subs, and so on, one thing that seems to go under the radar are the new terrain moves. Most likely introduced as an expansion to weather effects, they currently seem overshadowed in competitive play by the latter, even after the nerf of their weather abilities. So, with no real defined team strategies for these three moves yet, perhaps we can use CAP as a way to examine their potentials and motivate their usage, and perhaps even find how the principles of these “area effect” moves shape the meta.
Questions to be Answered:
- How can the effects of Electric/Grassy/Misty Terrain be used competitively by a team build?
- What makes terrain effects differ from weather effects? Where do they both strive and lack at?
- What attributes of an area effect move makes it favorable for team setups, and thus shape the metagame?

Explanation: Admittedly, probably the most evident reason behind the Terrain’s lack of use is that it may be too much of a double edge sword; Your team would get the benefits of not falling asleep, or steadily regaining health, or not being affected by status effects, but at the same time, so does the opposing team. Granted, this is also true to weather effects, as water attacks always get a power boost on both teams, rock-types get a special defense boost in a sandstorm on both teams, and so on. However, one thing about the benefits of terrains is that it is given to anything that isn’t on the ground, making the possible users of it perhaps way to vast, as compared to the niche groups able to use weather effects. So perhaps another question worth asking would be, “Can an area effect that would most likely benefit your opponent, as well, still give you an advantage?”
 
Name: Heal Block (HO Support)

General Description: Making it viable to compete 1-on-1 with stall, without compromising your team composition.

Justification: Stall is prominent at the top of the ladder and a true HO team fails to compensate for such bulk without resorting to gimmicks or lesser used niches like Gothitelle. This CAP would focus on hindering the stall game whether it be a pure stall team or a stall core through the use of Heal Block.

Questions to be Answered:
  • Are 'stall teams' unstable without the ability to heal off damage?
  • Does the five turn limit on Heal Block make it any less viable in OU?
  • Does utilizing Heal Block hinder user momentum/offense?
  • Would Pokemon who depend on healing abilities or sets become less viable with the addition of a successful Heal Block user (e.g. Poison Heal Gliscor)?
  • What would make a Heal Block user successful?
  • Is it better to use Heal Block on a defensive or offensive Pokemon?

Explanation:
Heal Block is a move that came to us in 4th Gen that was passed aside for a more aggressive playstyle. However, the ability to stall has expanded – more specifically the ability to heal off damage. In a metagame where recovery moves are more widely accessible from the infamous Wish-passing tactic, the arguably game defining Roost and every flavor-text of Recover (Softboiled, Moonlight, Synthesis, etc..); it has become increasingly more meticulous to KO Pokemon which has one or more of the following at their disposal. On the other hand, 6th Gen also expanded the potential of Heal Block to include blocking healing from: Leftovers recovery, the effects of Volt/Water Absorb, Poison Heal, Leech Seed, Drain Punch, and Giga Drain/Horn Leech (http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Heal_Block). This is a wide array of popular healing mechanics which are used commonly, even amongst teams not oriented towards stall. Through the use of Heal Block and being 'bulky' this CAP would aim to cripple the core of any stall and force both sides to the offensive, intentionally favoring the HO team which it supports.

To the mentions of Taunt and Knock Off: Taunt can be PP stalled by switching out, and can backfire if the opponent goes on the offense. Knock Off while useful doesn't stop the opponent from healing through any of the aforementioned moves or abilities. Heal Block sets up and allows in four turns the potential removal of a threat without the worry of healing.
 
Name: Psychological Warfare

General Description: A Pokemon whose use in battle comes primarily from its influence on the opponent's decision-making, rather than its actual in-battle performance.

Justification: In competitive Pokemon, prediction is probably the single most important aspect that differentiated the good players from the great ones. Being able to correctly predict what your opponent is going to do next can give you the edge in an otherwise equally-matched battle. So what happens when you're faced with a Pokemon that can tear your team apart unless its stopped by one of a few counters on turn 1? A Pokemon capable of scaring the opponent into performing a predictable action, and then exploiting it, is not something seen very often, and would teach us about the importance of prediction and psychologically influencing the opponent in OU.

Questions to be answered:
  • How much does psychological influence on the opponent play into battling?
  • How can this Pokemon back the opponent "into a corner"? (i.e. the opponent must do x or be swept)
  • How can this Pokemon take advantage of the opponent being "backed into a corner"?
Explanation: I'll start off by saying that we don't want to make a second Mega Lucario. We could easily make a monster with two equally powerful sweeping sets, each with completely different counters. If we did this, we'd just make something broken and not learn anything about the metagame. Instead, let's make something that can tear the opponent's team to shreds, but is countered by a few common Pokemon. By forcing the opponent to switch to the counters in order to avoid a sweep, the player gains a huge amount of momentum and can pretty much do whatever they want that turn. However, if the opponent predicts the player won't set up, they can stay in and gain momentum for themselves. This type of mindgame could either result in a loss of momentum for the player, or a loss of the game for the opponent, putting a lot of pressure on the opponent to switch. This primarily psychological-based playing is not something commonly seen in OU, the best analogue being 50/50 scenarios. However, while similar, these scenarios usually only result in the loss of one Pokemon on either side, rather than a significant gain of momentum or a game-ending sweep on one side. We could go a lot of different routes with this concept, and am looking forward to discussion on it. Any feedback is greatly appreciated.
 

epicparker

Banned deucer.
Name: Type Changer
General Description: A Pokémon that effectively utilizes moves that changes the opponent's typings.
Justification: This creates multiple new niches in the metagame. One is the CAP itself that will change the opponent's type. Another could be a Pokémon to switch in and knock out the opponent using the new typing matchups, however this could be covered by the CAP itself depending on its moveset.
Questions to be Answered:
  • How much defensive bulk is necessary to set up an optimal typing on the opponent?
  • What moves will work in conjunction with the type changing moves?
  • In what ways can having an opponent's type change be beneficial to a team?
Explanation: Such moves (Trick-or-Treat, Forest's Curse, and Soak) could have potentially devastating effects for certain Pokémon that rely on their typings for defense, STAB, and more. The idea of these moves is very interesting, but their lack of use is quite disappointing.
Examples of typing reliant Pokémon include Mega-Pinsir and Mega-Gardevoir, whose abilities give Normal moves STAB. Also, many steel types rely on their multiple resistances.
As far as strategy goes for this Pokemon, Trick-or-treat may not be as helpful in some scenarios, as it gives two immunities (except in doubles). The most effective strategy may be to use Soak (which makes the opponent mono-Water type) and then a supereffective move. I suggest giving the CAP Freeze Dry, so that Soak and then Forest's Curse would give a 4x weakness, but other routes could be taken.
 
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DarkSlay

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Hi all! Just posting to say that I'm reading every concept and will be providing feedback for concepts very soon. Keep up the great work!

This is the 36 hour warning for this thread. If you have a concept and have not submitted it yet, please do so!
 
Name- No Items, No Abilities, No Service

Description- A Pokemon which cripples opponents by removing or making useless certain aspects of them which they thrive off of, such as items, abilities, or even moves.

Justification- This Pokemon would have a positive effect on the metagame by eliminating threats which would previously require niche Pokemon to get rid of. Not only would this allow the Pokemon to support the rest of its team well, but it could possibly open spots on a team for other Pokemon that the player would need to utilize by combining these niche Pokemon's roles, allowing for new ways to organize viable teams. These new possibilities would also allow us to learn more about the metagame by seeing how different team structures affect play style.

Questions To Be Answered-
- What move/ability combinations would best enable this Pokemon to remove the items/abilities/etc. of the opponent?
- How would a Pokemon which can remove vital aspects of foes effectively change the way the metagame is played and structured?
- How will team building be affected, if at all, by a Pokemon that can cripple opponents which would previously require one or more niche roles to combat?
- How can team members effectively take advantages of the opportunities this Pokemon provides?
- What role will prediction play in using these opportunities?
- To what degree will switching affect this prediction?
- Can this concept be applied to other aspects of a Pokemon?

Explanation- An important part of the way I play Pokemon is in neutralizing the threat of my opponents (some of you may remember the small article I wrote on Sableye), so this idea seemed natural to me. After Volkraken, I also thought it might be nice to go from the offensive side of the XY metagame to a more support-based side.
There are many ways to make this concept work effectively. For example, moves like Knock Off, Thief/Covet, Embargo, Trick/Switcheroo, etc. could take care of the opponents' items, as might Skill Swapping Klutz.
Skill Swapping can be an effective way of neutralizing abilities by replacing them with ones the opponent cannot use as effectively, as HeaLnDeaL wrote. Gastro Acid can simply remove the opposing Pokemon's ability, and Mold Breaker could be another effective way to neutralize abilities.
In order to stop moves, we can use abilities like Flash Fire, Storm Drain, Sap Sipper, etc., or even moves like Encore (on a less useful move), Disable, or Taunt. Sap Sipper would be great for stopping Spore while possibly helping this Pokemon's stats (if it uses Attack).
Other interesting aspects to affect may be type. Moves like Soak could provide offensive openings for Electric types. Overall, this Pokemon can cripple tough foes by making their moves, items, and/or abilities ineffective, causing their usability to plummet.
 
Name - Rare Roles

Description
- A pokemon that plays a role scarcely seen in OU.

Justification - We can learn about pokemon and the roles they play on a team. We will learn about what kinds of things make pokemon good at certain roles. We will learn how increasing the appearance rate of a scarce role will affect the metagame, and how the common team archtypes will change.

Questions To Be Answered
-
  • What roles are missing in OU?
  • How does the presence of a previously unseen role change the OU metagame?
  • What lower tier pokemon have the same role?
  • What kept them from being OU?
  • What makes a pokemon good at its role?

Explanation - Many roles are absent from common OU play in this meta. Weather setters like rain setters, hail setters, sun setters aren’t too common. Of course we could blame that on the weather nerf, and the fact the hail is bad in general. But we could make them and see how reintroducing weather might affect the XY metagame. We could Make a pokemon with Drizzle and good stats, reliable recovery, etc. We could give it hydration instead, because all that’s really required is rain dance. Rapid spinners aren’t common anymore, in fact the only relevant rapid spinner in OU is Excadrill. We could make a spinner that thrives in this metagame with recovery and high defensive stats. Trappers aren’t around either. Making a trapper would affect the metagame immensely. We could tailor it to take out top threats. There are many ways we could go about it, too. We could give it a trapping ability or trapping moves, whatever works. There are many roles that just aren’t seen in OU these days.
 
Name: You mean other items, they exist?

Description: A pokemon who's usefulness stems from a seldom or underused item or items.

Justification: In a usual battle, the range of items used is quite low. Items other than Leftovers, Life Orbs, Choice Items and Mega Stones are very rarely or never seen in a regular battle despite many of them having great potential and unique effects. This concept would allow us to see just how useful such items can be when put in the correct hands.

Questions to be Answered:

- What are the main traits of a pokemon that influence the items they choose?
- In what ways and scenarios can under used items be more useful than the items we normally see?
- How can a pokemon be focused around a specific item or items so that they outclass the regular items?
- Is it possible for a pokemon to be focused such that an under used item will always or the majority of the time outclass a common one?

Explanation: When you look at the vast list of items in the game of pokemon it always astounds me how many are almost never used. A good deal of items that go unused have very unique effects that could be devastating in the correct hands. Big root, pinch berries (now very uncommon), eject button, safety goggles, the herbs; the list goes on! Each of these items has the potential to be great, but no pokemon has the correct set up to use them to their fullest. A pokemon that can use something that no others can effectively would certainly teach us about that item and additional uses for it, as well as create a new role or niche that no other could fill!
 
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Yilx

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Name: Einherjar ~Acta Est Fabula~

Description: A Pokemon that dissuades your opponent from fainting it, or can even leave it's presence on the field felt even after it faints.

Justification: When a Pokemon faints, it's usually thought of as the battle having gotten down to a 5-6. However, we've yet to discover if a Pokemon can leave a lasting impression on the battle even after having fainted; be it through moves like Healing Wish and Destiny Bond, placing hazards that the opponent can't remove as their removal has been taken care of, or by leaving an opponent's key member weakened and/or taken out.

Questions To Be Answered:
  • How can a Pokemon leave a long-lasting effect on the rest of the battle with just it's moves?
  • How the hell is it different from simply ramming a sacrificial martyr into your opponent's team and hoping it punches holes in it?
  • Building on the previous question, is it possible to build this Pokemon as a defensive threat rather than a "Glass Cannon"?
  • Is it even possible for a Pokemon to leave a lasting effect on on the battle, even after it faints?
  • Could changing your opponent's way of thinking even be plausible? From, "I need to take CAP X out!", to, "Damn, if I take CAP X out, I'll be in trouble...!"

Explanation: Just going back to the basic rules of Pokemon, we all know we have to faint all 6 Pokemon on the opposing team. Once a member goes down, we think of it as a 5v6, and then subsequently a 4v6, etc. However, I was thinking if it was possible for a Pokemon to somehow "continue fighting", even after it faints, be it through a lasting effect on the field or by dissuading your opponent from fainting it. That, or having your opponent having the thought of fainting the mon being a taboo, causing them to choose their moves carefully instead of swinging their sweeper into motion all the time. Maybe the Pokemon can grab momentum extremely easily? I'm trying to wrap my head around my own concept myself, but you get the general idea. I hope.

I actually drew lots of inspiration from a specific type of Hyper Offense team in OU; the one known as "Flying Spam". However, that one is kind of one-dimensional and relies on repeatedly attacking to wear down your opponent's answers; my concept however tries to discover if it's even possible at all to take on that idea with a more defensive/balanced approach, or, on the flip side, to dissuade your opponent from recklessly swinging their battering rams into your team as it will leave repercussions if the mon faints.

 
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DarkSlay

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Dragonblaze052's Second Chance: This is a decent concept, as there are quite a few Pokemon that have potential on paper but just can't seem to put it into practice well enough to be used in the OU tier. However, when it comes to reasons as to why Pokemon aren't used in higher tiers, it's often due to bad stats, poor typing or (simply) just being outclassed. There's not a ton of unique roles that aren't filled in OU at the moment, and those that aren't filled tend to be archaic and/or outdated (SubSeed, etc.). That said, I do think there is value at looking at some underutilized concepts and applying them to the OU metagame, so this is definitely an interesting discussion piece.

Base Speed's Quit Stalling!: Stall is absolutely a powerful strategy in XY, yet Stall is also very intricate and patient, which is why you don't see a majority of teams on the ladder run Stall. What's even more interesting is the way that OU currently handles Stall, which is through the use of powerful wallbreakers such as Kyu-B. There's been a lot of reliance of breaking stall through power rather than through "stallbreaking" like we understood it in the past. It wasn't until somewhat recently that the stallbreaker Mew became used in OU as a means of hindering stall teams consistently. There's definitely breathing room within this concept, and I think that both the Stall playstyle and how teams react to Stall are valuable items to learn about. Good concept.

The Avalanches' Crippling Threat: This concept is okay, although I do think that it's somewhat limited in that there are only a certain amount of moves that cripple opponents. This concept obviously takes precedence from Pokemon like Sableye and Klefki, who utilize status and key moves (Knock Off, Foul Play) to mess around with opponents. I don't think that this concept is bad, but I do think that the solution to this concept is pretty straightforward and limited.

The Pizza Man's Nostalgic Playstyle: This concept is kind of similar to "Second Chance" (although it deals with a wider net due to it focusing on previous generations). However, it suffers from similar issues of roles just not being useful anymore. Also, I'm not too sure if using all past OU examples is a great idea, as even Gen IV playstyles are really showing their age as new factors are introduced. It's still a fine concept, though.

Phione's The Slaking of OU: We've had this kind of concept come up multiple times in the past, but Pokemon with crippling abilities stay within the lower tiers for pretty good reasons. There's just too many consistent threats in the OU metagame that are either just as powerful or are safer options. This concept will either result in a Pokemon that under-performs its peers or will have a bloated BST to overcompensate, which is unwanted for the process.

capefeather's Yomi: Ah, there's always one controversial concept per project! I am extremely torn on this concept, to be honest. There is a sincere worry about this kind of project resulting in a "bad ladder experience", which could very well be true. However, there is no denying that this concept is very relevant and would provide some interesting discussion points throughout the process. I think the biggest question about choosing this kind of concept is: Would a concept that focuses on a near-bannable topic (hence the Aegislash suspect) in 50/50's be a healthy learning process? We would essentially go through the project knowing that the concept of 50/50's is a near-broken one and thus be creating something unhealthy for the OU metagame. It's a very risky project.

srk's OUber: Kind of the opposite of some other concepts trying to bring things up from different tiers, this concept tries to bring something back down into OU without breaking the metagame. We talked a bit on IRC about this already, but in short, I think this is a decent idea, but may result in a CAP process that is a bit "cookie-cutter" in discussions, since we'd be essentially molding an entire project around an already-existing Pokemon and just trying to make it worse.

Clankenator's If It Isn't Broken...: This is an interesting concept theory-wise, as centralization in Gen VI is extremely varied. You have Birdspam, Aegislash, Mega evolutions, and such all representing a major part of the metagame, yet each is much different than one another. I do worry, however, that this concept will boil down into something too simple. On the surface, this kind of concept just kind of reads "Let's make a really good Pokemon.". There's not a lot of direction with that kind of concept, and the true purpose behind the learning process could become lost very easily.

Pwnemon's BWack to the Future: I hate Gen V so no. This concept is somewhat similar to The Pizza Man's Nostalgic Playstyle, but to expand further on this one, I think this concept doesn't necessarily look at physical roles and sets but rather looks at what kind of team playstyles were popular in Gen V and how they could function in a new setting. I think the question is how many playstyles and Pokemon archetypes remain that are stuck in Gen V and can't find their way into XY? Weather mechanics have changed, so that takes out a major portion of what Gen V played as. I'm interested to see what needs to be done in order to bring about a Gen V playstyle into a metagame with Mega Evolutions and a completely new typing. This is arguably one of the most drastic changes from one metagame to another tech-wise, so that further makes this concept valid.

Number Cruncher's Trick Room: This concept is a bit too niche. A slow Pokemon with priority usually can function well outside of Trick Room (see: Conkeldurr), and the advantages of having a semi-weak priority move out-speeding another semi-weak priority move doesn't seem like a deep concept process-wise.

Deck_Knight's Breaking Dawn: This is a good concept, as the role of a lead is currently being discussed and being questioned in common practice. The early portion of a battle is just as fluid as its always been, even with Team Preview, so there's a good deal of variety in terms of what style of Pokemon we can build. I don't have much else to say on this one other than it's a solid concept.

TRC's Distribution Revolution: This is another solid concept. EV distribution is really taken for granted nowadays in the competitive Pokemon community as a whole. Most players tend to slap 252 / 252 / 4 in some stats and call it a day, while more experienced players EV based off of nuances of the OU metagame. Having a Pokemon that can help us learn about and value the EV distribution process would not only be interesting, but very valuable and could make an impact on how we approach Pokemon customization. While current examples of such Pokemon are the 100 Legendaries, I don't think stats will be forced to be balanced at all. Really like this one.

Fire Arrow's Pure Power: This is a concept that just screams "Make a Really Good/Broken Pokemon", since the goal is...to make an extremely powerful Pokemon. I don't see much coming from this concept, sorry.

noobiess' This Time Without Any Distractions: This concept was explored with Cyclohm back in the Gen IV days. That doesn't disqualify this concept at all, though, since there's a large portion of underutilized abilities out there that could make fine concepts. It's still a decent concept overall.

Rotosect's Not A Gimmick: Gimmicks really aren't what the competitive OU metagame is about. Your concept lists some examples of very nuanced changes to Pokemon (ie. Shadow Sneak Greninja), but gimmicks themselves are usually unsuccessful because there are simply better options in terms of Pokemon and moves. I'm not sure what we'll really learn from a concept like this.
 
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Fire Arrow's Pure Power: This is a concept that just screams "Make a Really Good/Broken Pokemon", since the goal is...to make an extremely powerful Pokemon. I don't see much coming from this concept, sorry.
Since my concept is pretty much make a Pokemon that centralizes the metagame around itself, yes, It is going to be a really broken/good Pokemon. However, I disagree that nothing can come of it, since it explores how centralization works and if we can make a Pokemon and map out exactly how it will affect the Metagame. The CAP metagame probably wouldn't appreciate another Tomohawk, but that's irrelevant to the creation processes.

In short, making an intentionally powerful Pokemon =/= we have nothing to gain.
 
So, I'd like to ask a question that I think is pretty important for my submission. When people use the term "50/50", does that specifically refer to the high-stakes, "someone's gonna die" situations that affect the entire course of a game, and thus are seen as undesirable? I mean, maybe it's worth pointing out explicitly that KOing a Pokemon and crippling a Pokemon with its least desired status aren't the only ways to gain an advantage in a game. I don't want people to feel like they have to create highly exaggerated risk/reward scenarios like with Aegislash, or make a clutch sweeper, so if the term "50/50" detracts from this, I could use a different one.
 
I'm a huge fan of Necrozer0's concept. It always fascinated me that Breloom can have a presence in OU with his BST, and exploring just how low we can go and still create a viable Pokemon for the metagame is, IMO, a more than worthy challenge for us.

BTW, I should have my concept up at around noon tomorrow, so please don't close the thread until the 36 hours are up at two. My idea is saved at home, where I am not.
 
Name: No Pokemon is an Island
General Description: A Pokemon that may be OU viable at fulfilling a particular niche, but that only truly excels due to the team members available for it in the current metagame and the support it offers them.
Justification: Team building is an essential part of any Pokemon metagame, and there is always more to be learnt about the synergy involved in constructing teams. In Gen VI, we saw the ultimate example of team synergy in the form of the full Baton Pass chain, which used (at best) barely OU viable Pokemon to great effect; Espeon, while a mediocre Pokemon under normal circumstances, made most status-reliant Pokemon and phazers a liability against Baton Pass. If the other members of the Baton Pass team were not in the metagame, however, Espeon would barely have seen any OU usage. This concept will allow us to explore the difference between a Pokemon's innate viability in a metagame and its viability in light of the teams in which it can be used.
Questions To Be Answered:
- How much of an affect does the available list of teammates have on a Pokemon's viability in the metagame?
- Which team roles are most dependent on having the right teammates available?
- In what ways can a Pokemon offer support to its team members?
- How much is the effectiveness of a Pokemon's checks/counters influenced by its potential teammates?

Explanation: There is always a great deal to be learnt about synergy in team building in any given metagame. Team building CAP concepts are not uncommon, particularly those that involve building cores. The reason that I believe this concept warrants study is because of some of the discussions that took place during the Deoxys suspect test, particularly surrounding Deoxys-D. Deo-D was, as it was pointed out many times, not particularly difficult to limit to one or two layers of hazards. With Defog running rampant, it should, in theory, have been relatively easy to negate Deo-D's influence on the game. It was good at its job, but it wasn't going to sweep your entire team. Paired with certain other threats though, particularly DeoSharp HO, it became dangerous because of the opportunities it created for its team. Ultimately, Deo-D's team support was deemed so effective as to be ban worthy. However, I believe this gives us an interesting area to explore with a CAP project. In any metagame, there are always some Pokemon that are threatening regardless of what else is on their team; some other Pokemon might look for teammates to provide type coverage, hazards, cleric roles, etc, but would still be high OU regardless; some other Pokemon only excel because they fit in well with a team. It's this final group I think warrants further investigation.

What I don't intend for this to be is another "create a core", or even necessarily "create a Pokemon that specifically supports Pokemon [X]". What I'm interested in is looking at a Pokemon who, in a similar metagame lacking a certain set of Pokemon, might be barely OU, but because of the inclusion of some of those Pokemon on its team becomes a notable threat. Pokemon that are good in cores would generally be good outside of the core (a lesson learn clearly from CAP 18), having the core available simply allows them to better handle their weaknesses. This concept is about a Pokemon who would not be considered good in a similar metagame, who would be considered good in Gen VI OU, where the difference is entirely due to the presence of a group of OU Pokemon. The first way of achieving this that comes to mind is a Pokemon that has a number of reliable counters, but whose counters are setup bait for other notable OU threats. Alternatively, our CAP could be a Pokemon with the ability to turn the counters of another threat into setup bait (a Magnet Pull setup Pokemon comes to mind here as but one of a huge number of options), but with a small number of setup opportunities otherwise. The ability to setup hazards is fairly well explored, along with the team archetypes into which hazards best fit, so I don't foresee it being the ideal direction for this project; other support roles such as cleric that don't have a history of one massively defining user dominating the metagame could be interesting to explore though.
 
Well, I fell like a buzzkill after the nice pokemon that only succeeds because of help from its friends, but here is my concept. ( Had this concept before he posted. I am not just trying to reverse his. )

Name: Whats Gonna Work, Not Teamwork
General Description: A Pokemon who is able to stop other pokemon from directly supporting one another, and generally breaks down team synergy by preventing members from helping their fellow members.
Justification: The concept of helping your fellow man ( or pokemon ) has been around since the beginning of time. Some pokemon are completely dependent on team support to stay healthy, score boosts, or take out counters. Others are completely support based, slowing down threats, stacking hazards, or playing the role of clergic. These pokemon play an essential role in a metagame where some pokemon cannot function without team support. These pokemon will crumble and fall on their own but because of others are able to stand tall and strong. We all know the time when we whittled Heatran down to under a quarter of its health, only to have it be reviatalized by a well-timed Wish. When you scored an essential burn on Tyranitar only to have it healed away like it never happened. What if you were able to stop these and other plays supporting the team from happening?
Questions To Be Answered:
  • How does support affect the metagame?
  • What pokemon are completely reliant on the support of others?
  • How well do the above pokemon preform without support?
  • What are the best ways to stop support? Is it trapping, forcing a switch, or simply attacking?
  • How effective is a pokemon that mainly counters opposing support?

Explanation: We all know that every pokemon can succeed with the right support and teamates. But many also know that most pokemon will rely on some form of support to fufill their roles. If this support is compromised however, these pokemon will be unable to function properly. A pokemon that can can stop most support is therefore very valuble as it is able to stop synergy and force every pokemon to succeed based purely upon its own merits, which many cannot do. While Mega-Charizard Y may be powerful and a huge threat that appears to be able to function on its own, it still needs team support. While it may have decent bulk, it will survive a lot fewer hits if it comes in at half health do to Stealth Rocks. It may have good special attack, but needs help in some form to deal with the pink blobs. Need another example? Baton Pass teams. They rely on others to become effective but when separated, they are easily eliminated. Same can be said of some stall teams. These pokemon may be effective together, but their flaws are easily exploited when alone. My concept aims to take advantage of this fact by using moves and abilites that reduce or eliminate the effects of team support. This will also allow us to see how certain pokemon function without support, and if any pokemon can truly be called self suffiencent.
 

Cretacerus

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I'd like to add on some thoughts on FireArrow's concept "Pure Power", which I think is very interesting, and in no way limited to merely creating a strong Pokémon. Rather, I see the centralizing nature of the Pokémon primarily as a way of exposing and exploring a range of rarely seen features in the metagame. In this regard it is rather similar to past concepts such as the "Decentralizer", which Arghonaut was based on, and which definitely thought us a lot about the dynamics within the OU Metagame. While this comparison might seem somewhat ironic at first, FireArrows concept does not just aim to centralize the metagame around different Pokémon, but it wants to discourage the use of current top threats at the same time. On the other hand, while Arghonaut utilized specific traits and tricks counter those top threats, this concept chooses to achieve this through the means of "pure power". This approach will certainly differ from the former in its end results, as it will affect a wider group of Pokémon and therefore be more centralizing by nature. However, that does not mean, that such a CAP will be broken and create a one-sided metagame, but that will raise currently lesser seen counters in popularity, and create a different metagame if done correctly. Of course those counters must be chosen carefully and not be completely useless outside of that role. A metagame with such new players, and not just an overpowered Pokémon, is what I hope to explore with this concept.

If I interpreted anything wrongly, feel free to correct me
 
Name: Mr. Toolman

General Description: We create a CAP based around an item(s) that are rarely utilized within the metagame.

Justification: Ever since items were released during the GSC era, they redifined (and are continually redefining) how to go about formulating a victory. Some items are used more than others depending on what it was best designed to do. This Pokemon will utilize some (or one) of the rarely used items currently available to be a potential threat to the metagame.

Questions To Be Answered:
  • What defines an item's usefulness?
  • What defines a Pokemon's purpose based on the item it carries into battle?
  • What makes particular items (ie. Choice items, recovery items, berries, Gems) crucial to the current metagame?
  • Do typing, abilities, and EV's/IV's play an essential role in deciding what item best suits a Pokemon?
  • How do we choose a particularly rarely used item(s) (ie. King's rock, Scope Lens, Metronome, etc.) based on these factors?
  • What kind of impact will this Pokemon have based on the item(s) we choose to give it?
  • Does a Pokemon's moveset also affect what kind of items are best suited for their roles on teams?

Explanation: Just as abilities added another dimension onto battling when released during the RSE era, items play an important role in every match. RSE introduced Choice items, DPPt introduced Orbs and Plates, BW introduced Eviolite, Rocky Helmet, and Air Balloon, and XY introduced us with the Assault Vest and prevalent Mega Stones. These are just some of the many items introduced throughout the years that consistently help shape the Meta. Whether you need a Jellicent to carry leftovers to recover HP when walling hits or you need your shiny Scizor to power through your opponents team with Choice Band, items play a determining role in how a match will play out. The key here for this CAP however is to utilize some items in the metagame that are either rarely used or never looked upon based on their merit. As broad as this topic may be, it still serves as a template for a possibly threatening CAP within the metagame. I want us to really study how items have defined previous and current metagames and possibly redefine or find new strategies surrounding what items are used. Though finding typings, stats, and abilities will be tricky for this CAP, if we can find rarely utilized items that we can work around, we'll already have the stepping stones for a unique CAP.
 
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I should copy paste that as my explanation - you communicated the idea so much better than I could've in 2,000 words.

Moar Feedback [This took me 40 minutes...]

srk1214 DarkSlay already said it all. We know why things are banned to Ubers and we know how to put them back into OU. How one would affect the metagame holds no water, given we don't know how CAP19 would affect the metagame regardless of the concept we choose.

Clankenator007 This would lead to some great discussion, all for it.

Pwnemon BW was a terribly broken metagame and I have no idea why you'd want to recreate that. Solid idea, I just personally don't find it that interesting. No complaints if this wins.

NumberCruncher This seems horribly specific. A trick room concept by itself is one thing, but setting it up just to spam a priority move sounds extraordinary gimmicky.

AOPSUser Way too vague for my taste, very reliant on concept assesment.

Deck Knight Like. Thumbs Up. Smiley face. A++

TRC Contrary to what other people are saying, this sounds incredibly dull. Stat stage is gonna be an astronomically retarded amount of number crunching and everything else is just leading up to that. We already know how to make it, we just don't know the numbers yet.

noobiess This isn't getting enough attention compared to the more daring concepts. It's simple and I'll admit a bit repetitive, but concepts like these are always educational and fun.

Rotosect I'm not sure if DarkSlay read your explanation or not, because exploring things such as forecast and color change being used to the extent at which
Aegislash uses Stance Change would be phenomenal.

HyperBeamingEevee There just simply aren't enough mechanics to do this with. Literally the only two moves in the game that punish high speed are Gyro Ball and trickroom, the latter of which doesn't really help your concept. Ability wise, stance change does something similar, but Aegislash has already given us an amazing example of that.

Flying Types Rule! Most revenge killers already can revenge kill more than once...

Qwilphish If we make a CAP called HEATRAN LURE, it's not really a lure. There's no way to test how successful we were in playtest because no ones going to switch in something CAP19 was made to bait in.

Elite Lord Sigma Most pokemon in OU already have multiple singular traits that make them good, I fail to see how such a thing is anything unique.

Ununhexium Prankster Topsy-Turvy, thunder wave, heart swap, unaware... this feels like way to easy of a concept.

alexwolf I like toxic spikes, consequently, I really like this concept.

Cretacerus Yes, eviolite is such an unexplored item, we have a total of two viable users in OU.

NinjaStars Dragon Spam was successful because steels were easy to remove (magnet pull) or bypass with coverage. Dragons don't have that luxary with fairies, so this is just gonna end up being the magnezone equivalent for fairies or a dragon with poison secondary typing. A bit too one dimensional.
 
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Late and may not make it, but whatever, better late than never.
Name: A time for everything
General Description: A Pokemon that changes its role on a team depending on the stage of the battle (i.e early-game v.s. late-game).
Justification: I've been seeing a lot of Pokemon being labeled "early-game wallbreaker" or "late-game cleaner", in accordance with when they're most useful. This concept would explore whether it's possible to have a Pokemon that can function whenever in the battle, and, by changing roles during battle, explore the concepts of "early-game" and "late-game" in more depth.
Questions To Be Answered:
-How well can a Pokemon be expected to change its role on a team mid-battle?
-What roles are better for early in a fight as opposed to later on?
-How is the rest of the team affected by this Pokemon's changing of roles?
-Would 4MSS be in effect with this Pokemon?
-What would happen if it happened to be KO'd early in a fight and, as such, couldn't perform later?
Explanation: We all know of that one Pokemon on a team that is sent out first and then is left hanging once it's job is done, and that one has to be kept from the fray until the path is clear to wreck the opponent. To name a few examples, hazard setters are usually relegated to early-game; they get their hazards down and little else. Pokemon like Cawmodore, on the other hand, and largely late-game Pokemon; they NEED to have their counters gone, but once they are gone, that Pokemon is home free to wreck face. I'm wondering if we could have a Pokemon that could do its job in the first turns of the fight, and then return at a later point to do another job for the team. And the early-game doesn't necessarily have to be "hazard-setter"; that's all I really have in mind right now.
 

Stratos

Banned deucer.
Quick note about the concept "Distribution Revolution:" I'm not a fan. All the concept provides is that the Pokemon can do different things depending on its EV distribution, but gives absolutely no indication as to what these things may be. If we want to make a CAP that requires tailored ev spreads to fulfill its function, that will come soon enough if you stick around, but to try and force it through a concept leaves us with really no clue of what we're actually doing here
 

Bughouse

Like ships in the night, you're passing me by
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I already talked with DarkSlay a bit on IRC about why I don't think OUber would be cookie cutter and played out, but I wanted to post it here too.

I think the key point to focus in on is my final question. How different can the CAP be from the Uber pokemon it will emulate? I fully agree that a hazard stacking Psychic type with 130 speed, lower attacking stats, and no Psycho Boost would be a seriously boring project. I just disagree that we would in any way be forced to do that.
 
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