So, it's here at last. CAP 2 is done.
Necturna has been in development for 94 days, or just over 3 months. We've created a Pokemon from the ground up, focusing on the impacts that the presence of a single use of Sketch in the Pokemon's movepool would do to it, and here we are. With this all done, the inaugural battle for Necturna on Pokemon Showdown will occur within the next couple of days, and then after that the playtest will begin in earnest.
This is an interesting time of mixed emotions for me. Not only does this mark the end of my real role as topic leader for CAP 2, it also marks the end of my time here on Smogon. There are a lot of reasons for this, but none of them of any interest to the general populace. Suffice to say that I have outlived my usefulness, and it's time for others to take my place here as they already have everywhere else on Smogon. CAP 2 was the last best contribution I could possibly provide, and hopefully it has been as fun and informative for all of you as it has been for me.
As far as Policy Review concerns go, I have none. CAP 2 has moved along steadily and without hitches. There is nothing in the process itself that needs to be adjusted after this CAP; it's all run smoothly. We have yet to see how the pre-evolution process for CAP 2 will fare, and I will have to pick someone to run that, but it is not a priority. It will happen within the next week or so. I suspect that regardless, it will be run smoothly by whomever I pick to lead it. Normally the ATL's responsibilities would include running it, but our ATL has been gone for a very long time, and so I should pick someone else. We'll see.
For the record, height and weight were chosen based on the following criteria. I felt that CAP 2 should be roughly the same size as Gardevoir, but the added height is primarily due to the vine on its head. CAP 2 is also a bit bulkier than Gardevoir, though I specifically chose to keep it within 60 BAP Grass Knot and Low Kick range, not that it matters. It just felt right. Hopefully there is no vehement communal response to my choices in this matter.
Anyway, thanks everyone.. For everything. It's been fun, and hopefully CAP 2 lives up to all of the hype during playtest, where we get to see what it can really do. Cheers.
CAP 2 in its totality:
Name: Necturna
Concept:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fat Korski
Sketch Artist
Description: A Pokemon that learns Sketch, once, and everything that goes along with that.
Justification:
In terms of uniqueness, I think that few existing Pokemon can match DPP Smeargle, an otherwise laughably worthless Pokemon trolling OU with access to every trick in the book (or at least 4 of them) but also affecting the metagame greatly by becoming a top threat in the lead metagame. This Pokemon will borrow some of that uniqueness by learning the move Sketch and thus having access to ONE surprise/strategic/gutshot bonus move to supplement its pre-existing movepool. Being otherwise competently built (read: usable stats), this Poke could be a top threat or specialist for reasons we can't even predict yet.
Questions To Be Answered:
- How will a Poke that has access to any one move out of all the moves in the game affect common battling tactics, namely prediction, scouting, and switching?
- Which Sketch moves will become most common on this Poke's best sets? Does Sketchmon's success rely on hiding that secret Sketch move until just the right moment or can it succeed with predictably powerful moves like Spore, Spikes, Hurricane, Shell Smash, etc.?
- Does this unique and powerful access to moves need to be counterbalanced elsewhere in the Pokemon's design? If so, then to what degree?
- What kind of impact can Sketchmon have on teambuilding in terms of being able to patch holes with common utility moves like Rapid Spin or Toxic Spikes?
Explanation: The key here is that we have a lot of freedom to construct a unique Pokemon while staying within the confines of the concept. Typing, stats, abilities, and even most of the movepool are completely fair game so long as the Poke learns Sketch only once along the way and that we keep that in mind during previous steps. Now, this doesn't mean the CAP process will be directionless; Rising Dusk is pretty well organized and good at keeping discussions focused, and the concept itself has firm grounding in Smeargle's precedent. What's really being studied with this concept is movepool diversity and effectiveness, so it should have the most effect on the movepool process, where movepool creators will have to carefully balance their Sketchmon's actual movepool with the possibility of adding any one other move to the list. In terms of the metagame, there is no doubt in my mind that throwing a wildcard like this into the mix will strongly affect the metagame.
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Typing: Grass / Ghost
Stats: 64 HP / 120 Atk / 100 Def / 85 SpA / 120 SpD / 81 Spe
Abilities: Forewarn / Telepathy (DW)
Movepool:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fat Deck Knight
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Focus: Bulky Offense
Primary Checks: Heatran, Jirachi, Skarmory, Hydreigon
Gender Ratio: 0% Male, 100% Female
Height: 5'05", 1.65m
Weight: 109.3lbs, 49.6kg
Pokedex Color: Black
Pokedex Entries:Species: Essence Pokemon
Black: It's said that this Pokemon is able to communicate with spirits. When in the location of a past tragedy, it weeps.
White: This Pokemon has the ability to speak to spirits. Necturna are said to have a harder time trusting the living than the dead.
tl;dr: Quack! (Necturna is a duck in spirit! Credits to Mos-Quitoxe!)