Now that we’ve selected our concept, it’s time to discuss what direction we’ll take with it. Again, our concept is:
Utility Counter is a potentially metagame-shifting concept in that it will be creating a new niche, something that can be customized to address any threat that you choose. However, even with such specification, there is a lot of room for diversity. In addition to the obvious questions (how we’re going to allow our Pokemon to do its job with certain mechanics), there are some key bullet points that I want you to discuss in particular:reachzero said:Name: Utility Counter
General Description: This Pokemon is capable of being customized to counter virtually any specific Pokemon, but is incapable of countering a large number of Pokemon at the same time.
Justification: It is not unusual for people to say that "versatility is broken" from an offensive standpoint; less attention is given to versatile defensive Pokemon such as Zapdos or Hariyama. This Pokemon would allow us to study the impact of having a Pokemon that is capable of dealing with such varied threats as Salamence, Lucario, and Gengar....but not all at once.
Questions To Be Answered:
--How useful is defensive versatility in a metagame with so many different threats to account for?
--Given the existence of a Pokemon that can hard counter only specific major threats, which threats will be prepared for the most?
--How would team building change if certain difficult-to-prepare-for threats became easier to prepare for?
--Which is more useful, a Pokemon that can somewhat handle a wide range of threats, or a Pokemon that can handle a few threats extremely well?
- To what extent should this Pokemon be addressing threats? Should it be able to wall everything they use, or should it just be able to take hits well enough to be able to force them out with an attack or status?
- Should this Pokemon be addressing threats offensively or defensively? Could this also be customized per threat by the user?
- What kind of stats will facilitate a Pokemon that can be tailored to counter any threat? Should it be a primarily defensive Pokemon, offensive or balanced between the two?
- Just how limited should the Pokemon be in regard to dealing with threats that it isn’t specifically designed to counter? If the opponent doesn’t carry the threat that a particular CAP10 was customized to counter, will it become dead weight during that battle?
- No bashing. Don’t be a jerk. This is a civil discussion, and while debate is obviously going to occur, don’t resort to flaming or passive-aggressive remarks.
- No poll jumping. This basically means that your posts shouldn’t be outright proposing that CAP10 should definitely hav e any particular traits. Nothing like “CAP10 should get ability x, along with typing y and z Speed" is allowed. It’s acceptable to suggest abilities and types and whatnot, but you shouldn’t be coming up with an entire Pokemon with your posts. Basically, use your judgement.
- Don't be afraid to ask questions. This concept provides us with a lot of leeway to be creative, and as such, it can be pretty confusing. We’re basically trying to get on the same page with this thread, so if you are having trouble understanding something, I encourage you to ask about it here.