Well guys, we're finally done. CAP 10 is over, and the result is Krilowatt, an Electric/Water-type shrimp that can be customized to handle a wide variety of threats by way of held item, EVs, nature, moveset and ability. If we say that we ended on May 2nd (we started on February 28th), then this CAP lasted exactly nine weeks. This isn't particularly fast compared to previous CAPs like 9, which lasted six weeks, but all in all I'm satisfied with the length of this project, and I think that if I had sped it up more, it would have been rushed. I would now like to take this time to reflect upon some of what occurred during this CAP, including what I've learned.
---
I've been around for a good number of CAP projects, and in all of this time, I've had a chance to see many drastically-different interpretations of what makes a good project and the results have varied a good deal. There have been CAPs that have historically been considered "the best" or "the most successful", and there are ones that have been considered overall less successful, or even bad. Being around a long time and being opinionated, I've never hesitated to use my observations to come to my own interpretations of the merit of previous projects. As such, my run for TL was largely motivated by a desire to have an opportunity at managing a CAP project my way, and see if many of the conceptions I had acquired from sitting back and watching could actually be applied in practice.
Needless to say, being TL for CAP 10 has taught me a hell of a lot, not just about competitive Pokemon, but also about what makes a "good" CAP project. Most of these interpretations have been based off of whether or not the actual Pokemon that resulted from the project is broken or sucks or whatever. I used to be among the first to call a project worthless because the Pokemon that it resulted in had some flaw that seemed extremely obvious to me. Not being the head of those projects and not being involved in every facet of their creation made it really easy to pick them apart.
So what does make a good CAP? I think it's the level of discussion and debating within the actual project that makes the CAP. I will be the first to admit that many of the heated arguments that went on during this CAP, in which either side often presented their preference as the end-all choice, I was legitimately moved and scared, and I have definitely thought and sometimes worried about the legacy that my particular project would leave. But this is part of what makes CAP so great. A good example of a CAP that I once questioned in terms of merit would definitely be Pyroak. The end result of that project seemed terribly underwhelming to me, and it was the quintessential example of people like me complaining about issues that seem obvious now flying over people's heads at the time. But after running CAP 10 and dealing with a lot of conflicting opinions held vehemently, I would say that CAP 3 was one of the most educational CAPs of all time in terms of just how much debating and discussion there was. The end result in tandem with the discussions that went on during that CAP served to provide us with a lot of insight that has proven valuable up to this very day.
To put it simply, one of the greatest things that I learned from running CAP 10 is the fact that a CAP project is extremely complicated, multi-faceted, and not something you can label as good or bad based on something as superficial as the result. Personally, I'm happy with how Krilowatt turned out, which means that I have done my job correctly. In fact, looking at it right now, I can't really say that there have been decisions in this CAP that I outright regret. However, would I be extremely surprised if in months to come people pointed out very obvious flaws in its design, and noted that it could be much more competitively cohesive if certain things were done differently? Not at all. I don't think there has ever been a CAP where the resulting Pokemon's merit has been completely unquestioned, and I originally thought that this was because the TLs were shortsighted or messed up. Now I have realized, in the wake of polarizing debates such as the allowance of Magic Guard and the issue of primary typing, that this is actually because CAPs inherently have controversy in them, and these debates are often carried off into playtesting in the form of conceptions.
So now that this CAP is over, and the playtesting will begin, I feel that I can sit back and watch how my creation is taken in by others without much fear. I've learned so much about the game we play through our discussions and arguments that the results of this playtesting can do nothing but supplement what we've explored with evidence that will prove or disprove our hypotheses. My CAP may very well turn out to be very successful in what it does, and fit its concept perfectly. But it were to have clear flaws that others might look upon and think are obvious, like maybe some other skill it has would overshadow its ability to be a utility counter, or it would simply suck or be broken, I wouldn't be all that upset, because I ran the project in the way that I felt it should be run, and I'm satisfied with the results. If there's anything I would say to to future TLs to advise them on how to run a project, I would tell them to make choices that result in as much discussion and debate as possible, and on a high level, as this is the ultimate basis of education within a CAP. But I would also tell them that even though it's important to be careful when running the project, and making sure that options that you think are bad don't get into poll slates, it's also important to remember that whether or not you like what you're doing is the most crucial thing. There are always many different opinions as to what is the end-all component of a CAP that makes it fit its concept or fall apart, and a lot of people will be making these cases for you to decide, so you're inevitably going to have some people who think it's a disaster. This is not the basis of whether or not the CAP is a success, ultimately.
---
Hopefully some of you stuck with me to read all of that stuff. I don't blame you if you didn't find it interesting enough though. There were times when I found this to be stressful work, but I ultimately had fun with this, and I'm proud of the results. Later on, I might throw in some commentary about how the actual Pokemon specifically turned out, and the relevance to the concept, but right now I'm too tired and I'm not even sure everybody would be all that interested. So without further adieu, here is our final product:
Typing: Electric/Water
Stat Spread: 151/84/73/83/74/105
Ability: Trace
Ability: Magic Guard
Movepool:
Misc:
Weight: 23.4 lbs
This makes for a 40 base power Grass Knot. I made this decision based on the fact that Nasty Plot Infernape, while rare, is something that Krilowatt should be able to beat easily if it wants to. Even with Grass Knot becoming an unfavorable option, Celebi can still be customized to beat Krilowatt with ease by running Leaf Storm or even Energy Ball in tandem with a move like Thunder Wave, so I ultimately don't see this becoming much of a problem. Shaymin can also use Seed Flare, if necessary.
Height: 2'4" feet
With a weight of 23.4 lbs, I consider this to be a relatively realistic height. Small, but not ridiculously small, and it's slightly heavy due to its shell and whatnot.
---
Here's to another CAP, guys.
---
I've been around for a good number of CAP projects, and in all of this time, I've had a chance to see many drastically-different interpretations of what makes a good project and the results have varied a good deal. There have been CAPs that have historically been considered "the best" or "the most successful", and there are ones that have been considered overall less successful, or even bad. Being around a long time and being opinionated, I've never hesitated to use my observations to come to my own interpretations of the merit of previous projects. As such, my run for TL was largely motivated by a desire to have an opportunity at managing a CAP project my way, and see if many of the conceptions I had acquired from sitting back and watching could actually be applied in practice.
Needless to say, being TL for CAP 10 has taught me a hell of a lot, not just about competitive Pokemon, but also about what makes a "good" CAP project. Most of these interpretations have been based off of whether or not the actual Pokemon that resulted from the project is broken or sucks or whatever. I used to be among the first to call a project worthless because the Pokemon that it resulted in had some flaw that seemed extremely obvious to me. Not being the head of those projects and not being involved in every facet of their creation made it really easy to pick them apart.
So what does make a good CAP? I think it's the level of discussion and debating within the actual project that makes the CAP. I will be the first to admit that many of the heated arguments that went on during this CAP, in which either side often presented their preference as the end-all choice, I was legitimately moved and scared, and I have definitely thought and sometimes worried about the legacy that my particular project would leave. But this is part of what makes CAP so great. A good example of a CAP that I once questioned in terms of merit would definitely be Pyroak. The end result of that project seemed terribly underwhelming to me, and it was the quintessential example of people like me complaining about issues that seem obvious now flying over people's heads at the time. But after running CAP 10 and dealing with a lot of conflicting opinions held vehemently, I would say that CAP 3 was one of the most educational CAPs of all time in terms of just how much debating and discussion there was. The end result in tandem with the discussions that went on during that CAP served to provide us with a lot of insight that has proven valuable up to this very day.
To put it simply, one of the greatest things that I learned from running CAP 10 is the fact that a CAP project is extremely complicated, multi-faceted, and not something you can label as good or bad based on something as superficial as the result. Personally, I'm happy with how Krilowatt turned out, which means that I have done my job correctly. In fact, looking at it right now, I can't really say that there have been decisions in this CAP that I outright regret. However, would I be extremely surprised if in months to come people pointed out very obvious flaws in its design, and noted that it could be much more competitively cohesive if certain things were done differently? Not at all. I don't think there has ever been a CAP where the resulting Pokemon's merit has been completely unquestioned, and I originally thought that this was because the TLs were shortsighted or messed up. Now I have realized, in the wake of polarizing debates such as the allowance of Magic Guard and the issue of primary typing, that this is actually because CAPs inherently have controversy in them, and these debates are often carried off into playtesting in the form of conceptions.
So now that this CAP is over, and the playtesting will begin, I feel that I can sit back and watch how my creation is taken in by others without much fear. I've learned so much about the game we play through our discussions and arguments that the results of this playtesting can do nothing but supplement what we've explored with evidence that will prove or disprove our hypotheses. My CAP may very well turn out to be very successful in what it does, and fit its concept perfectly. But it were to have clear flaws that others might look upon and think are obvious, like maybe some other skill it has would overshadow its ability to be a utility counter, or it would simply suck or be broken, I wouldn't be all that upset, because I ran the project in the way that I felt it should be run, and I'm satisfied with the results. If there's anything I would say to to future TLs to advise them on how to run a project, I would tell them to make choices that result in as much discussion and debate as possible, and on a high level, as this is the ultimate basis of education within a CAP. But I would also tell them that even though it's important to be careful when running the project, and making sure that options that you think are bad don't get into poll slates, it's also important to remember that whether or not you like what you're doing is the most crucial thing. There are always many different opinions as to what is the end-all component of a CAP that makes it fit its concept or fall apart, and a lot of people will be making these cases for you to decide, so you're inevitably going to have some people who think it's a disaster. This is not the basis of whether or not the CAP is a success, ultimately.
---
Hopefully some of you stuck with me to read all of that stuff. I don't blame you if you didn't find it interesting enough though. There were times when I found this to be stressful work, but I ultimately had fun with this, and I'm proud of the results. Later on, I might throw in some commentary about how the actual Pokemon specifically turned out, and the relevance to the concept, but right now I'm too tired and I'm not even sure everybody would be all that interested. So without further adieu, here is our final product:
Name: Krilowattreachzero 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?
Typing: Electric/Water
Stat Spread: 151/84/73/83/74/105
Ability: Trace
Ability: Magic Guard
Movepool:
Level-Up:
H Night Slash
H Sand Tomb
– Bubble
– Charge
10. Spark
12. Detect
15. Copycat
19. Aqua Jet
24. Discharge
30. Imprison
37. Confuse Ray
43. Haze
48. Guillotine
52. Perish Song
55. Heart Swap
57. Zap Cannon
TMs/HMs:
TM02 - Dragon Claw
TM03 - Water Pulse
TM06 - Toxic
TM07 - Hail
TM10 - Hidden Power
TM13 - Ice Beam
TM14 - Blizzard
TM15 - Hyper Beam
TM17 - Protect
TM18 - Rain Dance
TM20 - Safeguard
TM21 - Frustration
TM23 - Iron Tail
TM24 - Thunderbolt
TM25 - Thunder
TM26 - Earthquake
TM27 - Return
TM28 - Dig
TM29 – Psychic
TM31 – Brick Break
TM32 - Double Team
TM34 - Shock Wave
TM40 - Aerial Ace
TM41 - Torment
TM42 - Facade
TM43 - Secret Power
TM44 - Rest
TM45 - Attract
TM46 - Thief
TM49 - Snatch
TM50 - Overheat
TM54 - False Swipe
TM55 - Brine
TM56 - Fling
TM58 - Endure
TM66 - Payback
TM67 - Recycle
TM68 - Giga Impact
TM70 - Flash
TM72 - Avalanche
TM73 - Thunder Wave
TM77 - Psych Up
TM78 – Captivate
TM79 – Dark Pulse
TM81 – X-Scissor
TM82 - Sleep Talk
TM83 - Natural Gift
TM87 - Swagger
TM88 - Pluck
TM90 - Substitute
TM91 - Flash Cannon
HM01 - Cut
HM03 - Surf
HM05 - Whirlpool
HM06 - Rock Smash
HM07 - Waterfall
HM08 - Rock Climb
Egg Move Stuff:
Egg Groups:
Water 1
Fairy
Moves
Ice Shard - Lapras, Seel, Dewgong, Snorunt, Glalie, Froslass
Mirror Coat – Corsola, Squirtle*, Wartortle*, Blastoise*
Counter – Breloom, Squirtle (3), Wartortle (3), Blastoise (3)
Mind Reader – Breloom, Poliwrath
Draco Meteor – Dratini, Dragonair, Dragonite, Kingdra
Sheer Cold – Lapras, Glalie
Poison Fang - Mawile
Flail - Feebas
Follow Me - Clefairy, Clefable
Metronome - Clefairy, Clefable
Me First - Slowpoke*
*Chain Breed
(3) - 3rd gen move Tutor
Move Tutor:
AncientPower
Bug Bite
Fury Cutter
ThunderPunch
Fire Punch
Ice Punch
Bounce
Dive
Swift
Aqua Tail
Outrage
Knock Off
Sucker Punch
Magnet Rise
Earth Power
Helping Hand
Magic Coat
Low Kick
Signal Beam
Icy Wind
Gastro Acid
Zen Headbutt
Role Play
H Night Slash
H Sand Tomb
– Bubble
– Charge
10. Spark
12. Detect
15. Copycat
19. Aqua Jet
24. Discharge
30. Imprison
37. Confuse Ray
43. Haze
48. Guillotine
52. Perish Song
55. Heart Swap
57. Zap Cannon
TMs/HMs:
TM02 - Dragon Claw
TM03 - Water Pulse
TM06 - Toxic
TM07 - Hail
TM10 - Hidden Power
TM13 - Ice Beam
TM14 - Blizzard
TM15 - Hyper Beam
TM17 - Protect
TM18 - Rain Dance
TM20 - Safeguard
TM21 - Frustration
TM23 - Iron Tail
TM24 - Thunderbolt
TM25 - Thunder
TM26 - Earthquake
TM27 - Return
TM28 - Dig
TM29 – Psychic
TM31 – Brick Break
TM32 - Double Team
TM34 - Shock Wave
TM40 - Aerial Ace
TM41 - Torment
TM42 - Facade
TM43 - Secret Power
TM44 - Rest
TM45 - Attract
TM46 - Thief
TM49 - Snatch
TM50 - Overheat
TM54 - False Swipe
TM55 - Brine
TM56 - Fling
TM58 - Endure
TM66 - Payback
TM67 - Recycle
TM68 - Giga Impact
TM70 - Flash
TM72 - Avalanche
TM73 - Thunder Wave
TM77 - Psych Up
TM78 – Captivate
TM79 – Dark Pulse
TM81 – X-Scissor
TM82 - Sleep Talk
TM83 - Natural Gift
TM87 - Swagger
TM88 - Pluck
TM90 - Substitute
TM91 - Flash Cannon
HM01 - Cut
HM03 - Surf
HM05 - Whirlpool
HM06 - Rock Smash
HM07 - Waterfall
HM08 - Rock Climb
Egg Move Stuff:
Egg Groups:
Water 1
Fairy
Moves
Ice Shard - Lapras, Seel, Dewgong, Snorunt, Glalie, Froslass
Mirror Coat – Corsola, Squirtle*, Wartortle*, Blastoise*
Counter – Breloom, Squirtle (3), Wartortle (3), Blastoise (3)
Mind Reader – Breloom, Poliwrath
Draco Meteor – Dratini, Dragonair, Dragonite, Kingdra
Sheer Cold – Lapras, Glalie
Poison Fang - Mawile
Flail - Feebas
Follow Me - Clefairy, Clefable
Metronome - Clefairy, Clefable
Me First - Slowpoke*
*Chain Breed
(3) - 3rd gen move Tutor
Move Tutor:
AncientPower
Bug Bite
Fury Cutter
ThunderPunch
Fire Punch
Ice Punch
Bounce
Dive
Swift
Aqua Tail
Outrage
Knock Off
Sucker Punch
Magnet Rise
Earth Power
Helping Hand
Magic Coat
Low Kick
Signal Beam
Icy Wind
Gastro Acid
Zen Headbutt
Role Play
Misc:
Weight: 23.4 lbs
This makes for a 40 base power Grass Knot. I made this decision based on the fact that Nasty Plot Infernape, while rare, is something that Krilowatt should be able to beat easily if it wants to. Even with Grass Knot becoming an unfavorable option, Celebi can still be customized to beat Krilowatt with ease by running Leaf Storm or even Energy Ball in tandem with a move like Thunder Wave, so I ultimately don't see this becoming much of a problem. Shaymin can also use Seed Flare, if necessary.
Height: 2'4" feet
With a weight of 23.4 lbs, I consider this to be a relatively realistic height. Small, but not ridiculously small, and it's slightly heavy due to its shell and whatnot.
---
Here's to another CAP, guys.