CAP 19 CAP 19 - Part 1 - Concept Poll 1

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DHR-107

Robot from the Future
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Through this series of polls, we'll be voting as a community on which concept we'd like to pursue for CAP X. Make sure to read through each concept thoroughly; it is imperative that you understand what you're voting for here. Our slate of eight concepts was chosen by our Topic Leader, DarkSlay, from the Concept Submissions thread.

This will be a Preferential Block Vote (PBV) (a form of Instant Runoff Voting which re-runs the counting, each time removing the previously top-ranked candidate in order to determine the 2nd most preferred, 3rd most preferred, etc.), the details of which are outlined here and here. This is a ranked vote: order does matter! You can upvote your favourites and downvote your least favourites. You may choose to rank as many or as few options as you like, but we encourage you to rank as many candidates as possible to ensure your preferences are taken into account.

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IMPORTANT: When voting, use only the name of the author! The list of possible votes include:

Base Speed
Pwnemon
Deck Knight
TRC
heartofgold
Birkal
DetroitLolcat
Yilx​

This poll will be open for 24 hours. The concept submissions are quoted below in order of submission.

Name: Quit Stalling!
General Description: A pokemon that aims to eliminate stall from the XY OU meta by specifically and effectively countering it
Justification: The transition from BW to XY saw a huge amount of changes that effected stall and turned it into a prominent force in the current metagame, and people seem to be divided over whether that's a good thing or not. Creating a CAP that aims to counter stall will not only teach us how to both use and beat this important strategy, but will allow us to see what a metagame without it would look like.
Questions To Be Answered:
  • What are the main aspects of stall, and how can they be dealt with?
  • How did the various changes of Generation VI alter stall?
  • There already exist a handful of Pokemon considered to be "stallbreakers". Why then does stall still do well? What are they doing wrong?
  • What would a metagame without stall look like? Which playstyles and pokemon benefit most from its removal?
  • Is the stall playstyle defined by the Pokemon involved, or the mechanics they can use, such as healing moves and residual damage?
Explanation:
Obviously, total elimination of such a big part of the metagame is an ambitious goal and we'll have to use all our collective creativity to even come close. Stall effects every element of competitive pokemon so success depends on understanding every element of competitive pokemon. Stallbreakers already exist and we need to figure out how to simultaneously do their jobs better and more specifically, and I think this'll lead us to a unique approach that no stallbreakers have done before. We'll need to look both at the key pokemon in stall as well as overall trends and figure out a way to counter both effectively with a single pokemon, while ensuring this pokemon isn't simply used as a sweeper or even a staller itself!

But if it were easy, it wouldn't be fun.

Even if we fail, making and testing this CAP will be a great learning opportunity that will teach us both how to use and counter stall. I must stress that now is the best time for this: stall is stronger than it's been for years and the XY metagame is still fresh, with much to discover: stall experienced big changes this generation such as a new defensive type, alterations to steel, the weather change, even little things like Knock Off's improvement. The implications of these changes are unknown and there's much to learn by looking at them.

Now the biggest question that's being asked of this concept is whether stall is actually strong enough to make this CAP worthwhile. I must confess the raw statistics do me no favors: in 1825 stall and semistall combined account for about 20% of playstyles, which isn't huge. However, if you compare the 1825 stats to the 0 stats, you'll notice something incredible: in the 0 stats, stall and semistall combined make up about 7% of playstyles. That's a massive difference. It's absolutely incredible. And it backs up an opinion that many people have: stall is very good, but it's boring. It's a playstyle that people play to win, not to enjoy, and as such it's underrepresented. So no, the numbers don't deter me. If anything they spur me on: that jump between 0 and 1825 needs looking into. I still absolutely believe that stall as a playstyle should be investigated with a CAP.
Name: BWack to the Future (used with permission from srk1214)

General Description: A Pokemon whose presence in the metagame resurrects a certain aspect of the BW metagame (e.g. Dragon/Steel, weather wars, the death of stall).

Justification: The XY and BW metagames are vastly different beasts thanks to a couple mechanics changes. The terms which explained everything and were mainstream last generation have phased out. But are metagame patterns defined by the mechanics of the generation, or the dominant Pokemon of the generation? How are the two related? By attempting to give XY a more BW "feel" without altering a single mechanic, we'll see how mechanics changes affect Pokemon viability, and in turn how this affects the shape of the metagame as a whole.

Questions To Be Answered:
  • Are metagames defined by the mechanics that produce them, or the Pokemon that populate them? Is GSC stally because of Snorlax and SkarmBliss or different EVs and no viable items? Is BW so offensive because of Keldeo and Terrakion or Gems and perma-weather?
  • Are specific team styles restricted to generations where mechanics are favorable, or can they be used in any metagame where all the necessary Pokemon to use them are there?
  • Can a single Pokemon re-invigorate entire team styles, or is that too much to ask? Will it just be retconned into existing metagame trends?
  • What are the main differences between the BW OU and XY OU metagames?
  • How could we go about reversing those changes?
Explanation:
I said that I like concepts which try to affect the metagame and I delivered. This was my favorite concept from CAP18 and it deserves another shot.

I like this concept because, first and foremost, it's a great challenge to pull off. How can a single Pokemon so drastically reshape the metagame to look like an entirely different metagame? Malaconda showed us that a single Pokemon can have a butterfly effect, but sun was already good before malaconda. Something as drastic as this is much more challenging, and thus, much more intriguing. It would take all our brain power to make this CAP well, which is pretty cool. I'm excited for a challenging project if we choose it.

Secondly, it would show something informative about metagames as a whole through its playtest. Are they a slave to their mechanics, or can seemingly unfriendly mechanics be ignored by a style with the right Pokemon? Are we in control of our own destinies??? I feel like a broken record at this point, so I'm going to cut off this explanation because nobody reads them anyways.
Name: Breaking Dawn

General Description: A Pokemon that is designed to bring momentum early in the game when most or all foes are fresh.

Justification: Team Preview has been in place for two generations now, and it ended the notion of "the lead" that was common in Generation 4. There is still however, an early game, mid-game, and late-game. With so many threats in Generation 6, answering the question "what is the best possible way to gain an early advantage" is very difficult, something only a CAP Project can do.

Questions To Be Answered:
  • What is the highest priority in getting an early game advantage? Is it setting or preventing hazards? Is it threatening an immediate KO on a popular opposing lead?
  • What are the characteristics of a good early-game Pokemon? Are they different from good middle game or good late game Pokemon?
  • Which existing Pokemon are good early-game Pokemon, and how should the Pokemon interact with them?
  • How would an all-purpose early-game Pokemon effectively deal with differing team strategies? Which is the most important to focus on for early-game purposes?
  • What style matchups (e.g. more Hyper Offense, more Stall) should a Pokemon designed to be good in the early game encourage?
  • Given that a good early game Pokemon by necessity gains momentum in the harshest possible conditions, what makes it different from a Pokemon that is just generally good?

Explanation: The lead may be dead, but early mistakes are still among the costliest in a competitive battle. This concept would seek to create the conditions for great early game starts by either threatening a specific playstyle or other common leading Pokemon, and test the limits of getting a good early start even when the Pokemon by its necessary abilities encourages counterplays. The most interesting facet of all is whether this Pokemon by its threat could encourage such a shift in teambuilding.

Where this concept differentiates from Momentum is that Momentum was concerned with gaining lost momentum, this concept is geared around gaining a very specific momentum from ground zero of a match. Whether this is through overwhelming offensive tactical power (like say a combination of attacks or abilities that circumvent Focus Sash or Sturdy leads), setting hazards while preventing foes from setting theirs, or any other number of things that translate to building a big advantage right off the bat.
I know that a few people advised me to submit the concept that I submitted for the previous CAP, regarding Sticky Web, but the main focus of it for me was about seeing what a metagame would be like with a viable Sticky Web user. RU Stages 1-2 proved enough for me, as Shuckle was a very potent and centralizing support Pokemon there until its banning. I'm worried that a similar situation may occur in OU if the aforementioned concept goes through, which is why I'm suggesting a different one. It is certainly less inspired than the previous concept, but I feel as if it could be interesting to explore.

Name: Distribution Revolution

Description: A Pokemon which puts heavy emphasis on the importance of the distribution of EVs.

Justification: EVs are an important, though often forgotten, part of competitive play. In Pokemon, the EVs define the end value of our stats. We are allowed 508 EVs which can be allotted in any of six stats, Attack, Special Attack, Defense, Special Defense, Speed, and HP. The aim of this concept is to create a Pokemon that takes advantage of the allowed amount of EVs in several different ways that result in several notably different ways of using the Pokemon, and seems almost perfect at doing so.

Questions To Be Answered:
  • What competitive roles commonly differ based on EV spreads?
  • Where can we see examples of this to make comparisons to the current concept?
  • How important is specific EV investment in specific stats? Where is it more delicate than others?
  • Is it possible to make a Pokemon that can be this delicate itself, where EV differences change its role vastly?
  • How will the typing interact with this? Do we want a typing that seems like it would be successful at different roles?
  • Will we consider there a finite amount of "usable EV spreads" that we can discover and utilize with this CAP, or is there room for exploration?
Explanation: The majority of offensive Pokemon are recommended to use a very simple EV spread of 4 HP / 252 Atk or SpA / 252 Spe in order to accomplish their given role. Defensive Pokemon are often seen with more elaborate EV spreads that increase overall bulk while also avoiding specific OHKOes / 2HKOes from certain Pokemon. Pokemon with particularly awkward Speed tiers often only use enough Speed EVs to outspeed the closest relevant threat below their maximum achievable Speed if it threatens that Pokemon in some way. However, there is often more in-depth EV distribution. Some people manipulate the amount of EVs in HP to take less damage from Stealth Rock while switching-in, or to gain more health from Leftovers. In the Genesect metagame, a huge amount of Pokemon with even Defense stats added 4 EVs in one of the defenses so that opposing Genesect would miss out on the Download boost that would favour them more. I want to see how much further we can go with this EV manipulation. I think we can create a Pokemon that can fulfil this criteria and be a positive metagame addition. I'm going to show some examples of hypothetical Pokemon that somewhat portray what I am trying to achieve. The Pokemon could have an interesting Speed tier with average stats all around. Lets say it is a mixed attacker with Speed just above Dragonite and Mamoswine, but gets KOed by Dragonite's Dragon Claw and Mamoswine's Earthquake. It has the moves Icicle Crash and Hydro Pump. If it runs enough Speed for Dragonite and enough Attack for Icicle Crash to KO it, then it will not have enough Special Attack investment leftover to OHKO Mamoswine, and this dies in return. If it runs enough Speed for Mamoswine it can allot more EVs in Special Attack, KO it, but lose out on Dragonite. Another example is a Pokemon that avoids being OHKOed / 2HKOed by both Azumarill and Keldeo with certain amounts of bulk; it can use enough Speed and bulk for Azumarill to survive one hit on the switch-in and KO back, but it lacks the bulk to avoid the 2HKO as it switches in on Keldeo. If it runs more bulk to survive the Keldeo 2HKO, it can't use enough Speed for Azumarill. The idea is to create a Pokemon that can fulfil several different roles depending on its EV spread (an example of such being XY's Mega Venusaur, which can be offensive or defensive, or BW Jirachi, which could wall certain Pokemon, take offensive roles, spread status, or revenge kill with a Choice Scarf), while also having a large amount of specific metagame-relevant examples of things gained and lost by certain EV spreads. This heavily influences the stat stage and may require a fair bit more research than other CAPs, but I think it is an interesting idea worth exploring. There is somewhat precedent with the likes of Jirachi and Mew, but they don't have the exact specific technicalities that this CAP would achieve. Altogether, I think it is an interesting choice for a CAP Pokemon and is definitely worth using.
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.
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.
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).
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.
This poll will be open for 24 hours. Get voting!

CAP 19 so far:

Leadership Team:
DarkSlay - Topic Leader
ginganinja - Ability Leader
srk1214 - Typing Leader
pwnemon - Movepool Leader
Deck Knight - Stats Leader​
 
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DarkSlay

Guess who's back? Na na na! *breakdances*
is a CAP Contributor Alumnus
Yilx
Deck Knight
TRC
heartofgold
DetroitLolCat
Base Speed
Pwnemon
Birkal


Congrats to all of the participants who were slated, and I look forward to working with any one of these concepts for CAP 19!
 

Imanalt

I'm the coolest girl you'll ever meet
is a Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Battle Simulator Moderator Alumnus
Yilx
DetroitLolcat
heartofgold
Birkal
Pwnemon
Base Speed
TRC
Deck Knight
 
Yilx
TRC
Deck Knight
heartofgold
Pwnemon
DetroitLolcat
Birkal
Base Speed

Can't wait to see the results, good luck everyone!
 

Bughouse

Like ships in the night, you're passing me by
is a Site Content Manageris a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a CAP Contributor Alumnusis a Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Contributor Alumnus
Pwnemon
DetroitLolcat
Deck Knight
Base Speed
heartofgold
Yilx
Birkal
TRC
 
Birkal
DetroitLolcat
Deck Knight
TRC
Yilx
heartofgold

Nice slate, lot of interesting concepts. At first I hugely disliked Birkal's Fairylicious concept, but actually it could make for a pretty interesting CAP, whether we make a fairy, make a counter, make a partner for a pre-existing fairy etc - there is a lot more freedom there than I initially thought.
 
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Empress

Took a piss on my nutsack and called it Jack Black
is a Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Contributor Alumnusis a Smogon Media Contributor Alumnus
DetroitLolcat
Deck Knight
heartofgold
Yilx
Birkal
Base Speed
Pwnemon
TRC

They're all good concepts; may the best one win.
 
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