Einherjar, we want to dissuade our opponent from fainting CAP19 and(or) leave its impact on the battlefield after death. I would like us to try and explore the first part of the concept, as it is a far more interesting and complicated and we would probably create . A lot of this post is going to be my own rambling, but I hope that it at least provides food for thought.
My first thoughts were that to dissuade our opponent from eliminating CAP19, it would mean that it has to be the last pokemon standing on our team. In order to do that our opponent is going to have to force CAP out quite frequently. Initially, I thought a frail set up sweeper could be the way to go with this, this would enable our opponent to check/counter CAP and remove force us to switch, especially if it requires a boost to pull off manageable damage.
The problem with creating this is that CAP would effectively give the opponent momentum for the most part of the game, and obviously it doesn't leave a lasting effect after its death. In short, it wouldn't achieve what the concept set out to do.
This brings me to my next thought, status effects, stat drops, and moves of similar kin to grudge, these would leave a lasting effect on the battlefield, but it doesn't really dissuade the opponent from eliminating CAP, only serves to push the opponent to remove it so they escape with the least amount of problems. If there was a way to marry the two ideas, it would be fantastic, but Pokemon only have four move slots and it wouldn't be feasible to create a mon that simultaneously functions as a sweeper and a support pokemon. It would be far too easy to remove once the moveset has been scouted out.
Now a lot of people are mentioning hazards, while those do fulfill the second aspect of the concept in leaving a lasting effect. However, I have to stress that any hazard setter is rushed to be taken out, thereby it would not mesh that well with the concept - ultimately we'd just create another suicide lead.
I also think we need to stay away from sacrificial moves such as healing wish and memento since they're self inflicted and this concept is all about creating a pokemon that the opponent can't recklessly remove from battle; the opponent would have no control over the usage of these moves.
Anyway, on to the questions DarkSlay posed;
- What is the difference between tangible results of fainting (hazards, raw damage, etc.) and theoretical results of fainting (team opportunities, loss of momentum, added stress, etc.)? Which of these are most important when discussing CAP 19's goals?
I think a combination of both are necessary for CAP to achieve the concept; if possible when it faints it should leave the opposing pokemon in a somehow vulnerable state and allow CAP's team to gain momentum. Destiny Bond has been spoken of, however as a couple have nicely pointed out it causes a double blind switch and may or may not have a beneficial result for CAP's team. At low health Prankster feather dance or fake tears would almost serve as a pseudo-memento, allowing a pokemon to start setting up. Which brings us to the next question.
- How important are the other five Pokemon when it comes to losing a Pokemon? Should CAP 19 accomplish its goal as an individual entity, or as a member of its team?
CAP19 certainly requires some form of partnership, maybe globally with any set-up sweeper or with a specific pokemon.
- Is it more about the opponent being hindered by a Pokemon fainting directly, or is it more about your team benefiting from your Pokemon fainting? Can it be both? How?
It can be both! As far as grabbing momentum goes anyway, it's possible to hinder an opposing pokemon, again, priority featherdance/fake tears and faint causing CAP's team member to come in and begin setting up.
- How is it possible to discourage the opponent from fainting a Pokemon? Can this be a constant result from a Pokemon fainting, or is it situational depending on what players (re: Pokemon) are involved?
I don't have the answers to these questions, however I think it's important to note that we HAVE to make sure the when CAP19 faints our team is in a far better position than it would be if any of our other pokemon faints.
- With these questions being discussed, what is the best overall avenue for us to pursue, as a community, CAP 19?
Thundurus deserves a mention as it is a pokemon I think we need to emulate and improve upon it to achieve our objective. Thundurus has prankster and a decent array of support moves to utilise such as, thunder wave, toxic, taunt, combined with offensive presence off a respectable 125 sp.att and access to Nasty Plot. It's clear that it can cause lasting problems to the opposing team after it's been eliminated, however Thundurus doesn't have any deterrent to prevent it from being fainted
TL;DR (and some extra)
We need to create a pokemon that cannot be recklessly eliminated and also leaves a lasting effect on the field, personal preference in the form of status or stat drops.
Good offensive presence is required or else it would be far to easy for the opponent to eliminate CAP19. Typing and movepool needs to be well thought out to achieve this, if 19 can take care of a number of the top threats in OU then it would be dissuaded from being eliminated so easily.
Thundurus is an interested pokemon to look toward for inspiration because of the way it functions in both the offensive and supportive sides of the spectrum.