CAP 23 CAP 23 - Part 1 - Concept Submissions

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G-Luke

Sugar, Spice and One For All
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Name: New Toy Syndrome

Description: Pokémon that is defined by the utilization of the unseen Gen 7 abilities in CAP.

Justification: This concept aims to use one of the many new Gen 7 abilities that are unseen in CAP to its full potential. It identifies as Actualization, as it brings the idea of these abilities being used successfully by a Pokémon in the CAP metagame to fruition. It can also be seen as an Archetype concept, as the successful use of these abilities will no doubt bring new unseen roles to the metagame.

Questions to be Answered:
  • Why are these abilities currently unseen in the CAP? What can be done, along the areas of stats, typing and movepool, to prevent our CAP from falling into obscurity as the original owners of the abilities have?
  • What makes an ability define a Pokémon?
  • How can we design the CAP in such a way, as to make it choose to use the new ability given to it, as opposed to other secondary or hidden abilities?
  • What new roles in the metagame can be established from the creation of this CAP?
  • To furthur the point above, how beneficial will these new roles be to the CAP metagame?
Explaination: Generation 7 brought with it a plentiful amount of signature abilities; such as Queenly Majesty/Dazzling, Fluffy, Innards Out and Emergency Exit. Unfortunately, most of these abilities are not utilized in the SM CAP metagame, due to the users either having much better options (Toxapex) or have no place in the metagame (Dhelmise, Tsareena). This Pokémon would not only have one of these abilities, but will be designed to utilize this ability to its full potential in the CAP metagame, playing on both its strengths and weaknesses. Fluffy allows a Pokémon to be a great physical tank, at the cost of a Fire type weakness. Stamina turns mons into great defensive tanks over the course of a match and Dazzling grants the user Priority immunity. All of these abilities provide extremely useful effects, but are not used due to the owner's having supbar to terrible performance in SM for a variety of reasons. This CAP aims to change that. The prospects of this CAP are as limitless as the ability chosen for it.

First time submitting an idea for CAP. Please bear with me any errors made.
 
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Name : berry user

Description : a pokemon that can use the full potential of berries.

Justification : actualisation :berries have some potential, but very few pokemon are using them, and even less have set based on it(only sun sweeper with harvest) .there are a lot of moves and abilities based on berries (natural gift, blech, harvest, gluttony, unnerve,...) but very few pokemon are using them. There are some harvest user (moostly malaconda) and a belly drum/gluttony set is usable in CAP LC ( i never play in CAP LC but i've heard it works with zigzagoon) but that's all. It would be great if a pokemon could use a bit more the tools that GameFreak has made to use berries.

Questions To Be Answered:
-why are the berries based moves so weak?
-how can we make berries more intresting than other item for this pokemon?
-is it possible to use berries offensively?
-should CAP 23 be based on one Berry or many?
-should he be viable with other item or only with berries?
-could such a pokemon change a bit the meta, making for exemple set with unnerve more viable?

Explanation : there are many possibilies of usage for berries. For exemple, blech or natural gift can give CAP 23 great coverage or STAB. The berries Also have, for most of them, a power by them self, that could be used. Of course there are already berries user in the CAP metagame, but no one use it offensively. This concept aims to use the power of berries differently.



This was my first concept submission, please be kind.
 
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Name - Z-Halter
Description - A Pokemon that makes the opponent wary of using their Z-Moves
Justification - Z Moves are the new toys of the Generation 7 CAP metagame, and their presence shakes up the checks and counters of many common Pokemon. The main use of a Z-Move for many Pokemon is to blow away opposing Pokemon with a super powered STAB or coverage move, but they can also be used to set up. A Pokemon whose presence makes an opponent less likely to use their Z-Moves will sure shake up the CAP metagame. This concept fits nicely into both the Archetype and Target concepts.
  • Archetype: This Pokemon's role will be a completely new one, as a Pokemon that can make their opponents wary of using Z-Moves has never been seen before.
  • Target: This Pokemon targets Pokemon that frequently run Z-Crystals, making them wary of using their Z-Moves
Questions To Be Answered -
  • How would a Pokemon be able to make the opponent wary of using their Z-Move? Would it be by this Pokemon's stats, moves, abilities, or even items?
  • How many Z-Moves would this Pokemon be able and not be considered too broken at the same time?
  • How can we make a pokemon that is good enough at this role without itself being too overpowered, or completely invalidating the use of Z-Moves?
Explanation - Landorus-Therian, an already very viable pokemon in the CAP metagame, as an example of this. Landorus-Therian is usually stopped by Flying/Levitate pokemon, and has to rely on an innacurate Stone Edge or a weak Hidden Power Ice. With Rockium Z however, this problem can easily be mitigated due to the massive damage that +2 Continental Crush does. Here is a list of the common Z Move users in the CAP metagame by the type of Z-Crystal (http://www.smogon.com/forums/threads/gen-7-cap-role-compendium.3609125/ , just scroll to the folder that says Z Moves). Z-Status Moves are less common, but some notable ones are Z-Belly Drum (Cawmodore and Azumarill), Z-Celebrate/Conversion/Happy Hour (Porygon-Z, Kerfluffle, Jirachi), and Z-Parting Shot (Kerfluffle).
 
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Name - You gotta mix it up

Description - A Pokémon that has to use both physical and special moves in the same set in order to be viable.

Justification - Archetype: Using a mixed attacker is a great way to keep your opponent off guard and deal with Pokémon that have one defense higher than the other. However, most mixed attackers also have sets that focus on either physical or special moves. This CAP would be unlike those in that while it has strong mixed sets, any attempt to focus on one or the other would fall flat on its face.

Questions To Be Answered -
  • How do we avoid making the CAP prefer one of its offences?
  • How (un)predictable would and should the CAP be?
  • Is the CAP able to set up while remaining mixed? If so, in what ways?
  • What role should its ability play in making the CAP mixed?
  • How good can the CAP's coverage be?
Explanation - Preferably, the CAP's attack and special attack stats would be similar, if not the same. We should also consider what categories its strongest STAB moves are under. Keep in mind that the main goal of this CAP is to not have any viable sets that focus on one category while maintaining a strong mixed attacking presence in the metagame.
 
First attempt at Concept Subs, Woohoo!

Name: Wait! It's a Trap Move!

Description: A Pokémon that can make effective use of semi-trapping, fully trapping, or self-trapping move(s).

Justification: Trapping is a somewhat polarized mechanic in the current SM metagame. In terms of ability-based trappers we have Dugtrio, perhaps one of the most hated (or most loved, really depends on the situation) Pokémon thanks to its ability Arena Trap. There is also the occasionally seen Magnezone that uses Magnet Pull to lure in and decimate Steel type Pokemon. All trapping effects are ignored by the Shed Shell item or simply by being a Ghost type. However, this is not the kind of trapping I want to focus on. Focusing on abilities leaves few options, and the general mechanics are the same: Lure, Trap, Destroy. Nothing much new is to be found there.

So, instead, I would like this concept to focus on trapping moves. For those unfamiliar with the term, there are a few types of trapping moves which I will make an attempt to explain here. A semi- or partially trapping move prevents the opponent from switching out for a set number of turns while also usually doing a set percent of damage. Example moves would be Whirlpool, Fire Spin, Infestation, and Magma Storm (but don't use that last one, it's legendary exclusive!). There are also what I like to call fully trapping moves, moves that prevent the opponent from switching not for a set number of turns, but instead until the Pokémon who used the move leaves the battlefield. This category includes moves such as Block as well as the brand-new Gen 7 moves of Anchor Shot and Spirit Shackle. Also are what I call self-trapping moves, which is just Ingrain to my knowledge. This move (and if any similar ones come about) lock the USER into battle. Lastly, just to make sure I cover all my bases, Fairy Lock is an interesting trapping move that prevents any Pokémon, friend or foe, from leaving the battlefield on the following turn only (Barring the usual exceptions).

This concept fits in the Actualization and Archetype categories. Trapping moves are exceedingly rare in their usage. The most effective in OU currently is Magma Storm Heatran, but this is by far not its only nor its best set. Expanding our gaze slightly we may find the strange Stall-Trap or Perish-Trap strategies in use in varying parts of the ladder. Even further? Ok then, in Ubers you can find an excellent example of self-trapping in Ingrain Xerneas, which helps prevent the opponent from forcing Xerneas out after it has set up its boosts. In addition, one could look at SD Trapper Decidueye that sets up with Swords Dance after trapping a helpless opponent via Spirit Shackle. Dhelmise can also use Anchor Shot, though I'm not terribly sure as to how that set works... Regardless, that makes about four solid examples of trapping moves across four different tiers, and none of the sets are by any means the only or most effective sets those Pokémon can run (Except maybe Dhelmise. Is there an RU player here who can help me out with that thing?). Overall, the relative rarity of these moves in competitive play when contrasted with the seemingly powerful effect of locking in the opponent begs a variety of questions about the nature and use of said trapping moves. To best explore these moves, designing a Pokémon to use and abuse them makes the most sense for understanding how to properly use them (whatever that would mean).

Questions To Be Answered:

(Base) Is there a 'best' way to utilize trapping moves? If so, what playstyle does it most align with?
(Base) Is there a 'best' type of trapping move overall, or are they each truly viable in their own ways?
(Base) What is the value in trapping the opposing Pokémon? Are certain traps better than others? Why?
(Base) What synergies work well with trapping moves? Why do they have such a great synergy, and how can that be expanded or dealt with in the process of teambuilding?
(Comparison) How do trapping moves compare against trapping abilities? Are there any inherent benefits and disadvantages and if so, what are they?
(Metagame) Are there any particular archetype matchups in which a trapping-move Pokémon would have an advantage? A disadvantage? Why is that?
(Metagame) What has contributed to the lack of presence of trapping moves in our metagame? Is it a plethora of other options, a lack of viable abusers, or something else?
(Metagame) How does the trapping mechanic interact with the value of switching out?

Explanation:

With the variety of different trapping moves available for use, a variety of archetypes can be built depending on the choice of move. To start, let's first analyze the semi-trapping moves. As mentioned before the basic applications for these fall in the categories of trapping and stalling out opponents through the use of Toxic or other status ailments. Alternatively, as with Heatran, it's used to trap vulnerable Pokémon in order to further weaken them to critical levels or straight up KO them. It was also mentioned during updates another strategy of using the moves of Pokémon who cannot do anything to your Pokémon and then setting up to sweep, as with Infestation on Aurumoth and Syclant, though this was generically deemed unviable. As for the fully-trapping moves, they are far more inclined to be used in the set up manner, as with the previously mentioned Decidueye. Again, stall sets works well with these moves as well, as they fully prevent escape instead of trapping just for a few turns. However, they do not do damage at the end of each turn, making the chip damage not as substantial. Ingrain honestly in the CAP metagame does not have any real foreseeable use. The anti-phasing properties applied to the Pokémon aren't useful unless you're trying to set up, and HazeHawk already makes easy work of any physical and non-SE moves if it switches in early enough. From there, it can usually chip you down. There could be some viability if you wanted to use super effective STAB moves such as Psychic type or Fairy type moves, but that seems a bit limiting, so I wouldn't necessarily encourage it unless someone thinks of a radically different use. Lastly we come to the more support-oriented role of Fairy Lock. The main way I have personally used this is on a Spikes, Dual Screens Lead Klefki. I let it set up until it was about to die, then used Fairy Lock to trap the opponent for an easy revenge kill. There are ways to use this move as more of a offensive role, by trapping at key points when you predict the opponent, but more importantly, this move is not very compatible with the stall playstyle, as the effect only lasts one turn. In addition to all of this, "trapping synergies with three great follow-up strategies: setting up, safely pivoting out, and using a powerful Z move lure" (snek), all of which can be considered when constructing the CAP. Overall, there are some similar threads of playstyles and archetypes, but each with its own niche.
 
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toshimelonhead

Honey Badger don't care.
is a Tiering Contributor
Name: True Landorus-Therian Counter

General Description: A Pokemon designed to decrease the viability of Landorus-Therian in the CAP metagame.

Justification: Landorus-Therian has dominated every single metagame it has been in, and has even carved out a niche in Ubers metagames. The Gen 7 CAP metagame is no exception. Because of the variety of different sets Landorus-Therian can run, it is nearly impossible to find a specific Pokemon that can reliably switch on it and gain momentum. In addition, its setup sets are easy to set up and challenging to revenge kill. This is a Target concept.

Questions To Be Answered:

How does countering Landorus-Therian differ from the SM OU metagame and the CAP metagame?

Landorus-Therian offers plenty of utility in the form of Stealth Rock, U-Turn, and Knock Off, meaning if CAP 23 comes in and Landorus-T picks one of these moves, Landorus-T has still done its job. How can CAP 23 reclaim momentum in these situations to makes these moves a liability on Landorus-T?

In X-Act’s submission for a “True Garchomp Counter”, he wanted something that can take “Dragon, Ground, and Fire moves well”. Is something that can take Ground, Flying, and Rock moves well enough to fulfill the concept, or will Landorus-T start running coverage moves such as HP Ice or Sludge Wave to lure in CAP 23?

How do different playstyles deal with Landorus-Therian, and how would they benefit from CAP 23?

How do we limit CAP 23 to counter just Landorus-Therian and make sure it’s not a utility counter?

At the same time, does having a specific Landorus-Therian counter matter when there are so many metagame threats and not enough Pokemon to handle all of them at once?

Can CAP 23 decrease the viability of Landorus-Therian even if it's not a "true counter"? If so, is it more valuable to limit Lando-T's viability or counter it?

Explanation:

I want this concept to have a little more depth beyond a CAP with Ice Beam. Cresselia, for instance, counters Landorus-T, but is unviable in the CAP metagame. Mamoswine and Syclant can revenge kill Landorus-T easily, but cannot switch in to any of Landorus-T’s attacks. Skarmory and Celesteela are some of the better viable answers out there, but have to worry about +2 Continental Crush and Smack Down + Earthquake. While I appreciate CAP concepts focusing on the CAP metagame, this concept has a chance to engage other Smogon users who are not as familiar with the CAP metagame as they are with other metagames where Lando-T is on every other team.

(Otherwise I've nicknamed this "Jerry" after the cartoon series "Tom and Jerry".)
 
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snake

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CAP Co-Leader
Apologies for not having TL feedback ready, but I'll be making a post later tonight. This is the official 48 hour warning, marking a week after concept submissions opened. Get your submissions ready! Again, apologies to those who just posted concepts; I'll get some TL feedback up later tonight.
 

snake

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You Are/n't Worth It - This concept is eerily similar to Aurumoth's concept, which went south for a number of reasons. Regardless, it might be worth building off of what went wrong with Aurumoth's concept. I might work on the questions to be more tied to the metagame as well as the nature of risk. Also, I don't know what a "Dalai Lama" is; try to use specific terms when applicable.

STABless Coverage King - I'm not sure how interesting of a project this can actually be. We've seen Magearna, which has really great defensive typing, have a really potent set using BoltBeam + Focus Blast, and while existing examples shouldn't discourage a concept, I'm wondering what's interesting about making a Pokemon that has BoltBeam or other potent coverage move pairs and then just giving it a ton of firepower to go with it.

New Toy Syndrome - I've kinda been waiting for someone to post a concept like this. It's a well constructed, and I really don't have too much to say about it. Keep expanding the questions more because those are really nice to look back on.

Berry User - Don't wimp out in your questions! Frame your questions around berries entirely - ask "How can we make it rely solely on berries and not on common items like Life Orb or Leftovers?" I'd emphasize those berry specific moves a little bit less, as they are very conditional in nature. PM me with questions.

Crystal Stopper - I'm not too sure about this concept. It's really hard to stop a really powerful nuking move. I think Z Crystals are a part of the metagame we need to embrace and adapt to, not trying to squash them out. Think about how many different Z moves there actually are, and we want to stop them? The only thing you really can do is Protect, which is a really bad move to center a project around. PM me if you have questions, but while this is a good idea, I'm not sure if you can take it and run very far with it.

You gotta mix it up - I'm not sure how much there is to be learned from making a Pokemon with mixed offenses. We could make a Pokemon like this with a much more concrete concept. If you can narrow down the concept to be something we can have some fun discussion on, it'd make for a better concept.

Wait! It's a Trap Move! - Man the second-to-last day you take my beautiful concept away from me ;; Oh well. Obviously you've thought this concept out extremely well, but I'm going to hand you one last bit of thought from when I wrote mine down. Trapping synergies with three great follow-up strategies: setting up, safely pivoting out, and using a powerful Z move lure. Maybe frame these as one of your questions? Overall though, really great looking submission.

Jerry - Really well-made submission. I feel like it's just a little bit linear given how constraining Landorus-T is, but I like how it's a targetted submission. I would make a small edit in the title to make it more obvious that it's a Landorus-T counter, but that's just me.
 
Name: Z-Crystal Setup (ik it's boring but I couldn't come up with something better :p)

Description
This pokemon would rely on Z-Crystals in a more uncommon fashion: as a means of setting up primarily rather then for wallbreaking. Without the z-crystal, the pokemon would be hard pressed to pull off a successful sweep.

Justification
- Archetype:
This pokemon would fufill a niche in a strong z-setup sweeper, something not used often in favor of a strong z-wallbreaker.

Questions
1. When is it worth it to use a z-crystal for set-up rather than as an attack?

2. When is the opportunity cost worth it to use a z-setup move sweeper rather then a z-wallbreaker? How might it constrain teambuilding?

3. How can we make a pokemon excel at sweeping with a z-crystal to setup, but viably function without it?

4. How can we prevent the new pokemon from turning into a one-trick pony (ala Porygon Z in OU)?

5. How does harshly limiting the amount of times a pokemon can setup affect how it is played?

6. Is it possible to make a pokemon function as either a wallbreaker or sweeper depending on when it uses it's z-move (Choosing whether or not to use a z-setup vs fire off an extremely powerful attack)?

7. How does harshly limiting the amount of times a pokemon setup affect counterplay?

Explanation
This CAP would be a delicate balancing act between making it underwhelming but still useable without a z-crystal and making it strong but not broken with one. It would also offer decent competition for a z-crystal spot, and would limit the amount of wallbreakers able to be paired with it by virtue of not being able to have a teamatte use a z-crystal for wallbreaking.

This pokemon wouldn't have to rely on a singke move like Z-Conversion, many options exist in OU alone for sweepers that often rely on their z-crystals: Z-Conversion Porygon Z, Moxie Gyarados/Menca, SG/OTR Magearna, (and Pheromosa pre-ban). Other options exist as well, such as Z-Geomancy Xerneas in Ubers. Underexplored options could be chosen as well, such as Z-Mirror Move (+2 Attack and reflects attacks back), or even Z-Sketch (+1 in everything and copies opponents move). I'll post a list below of some interesting ones.

Abilities:
Beast Boost (+1 Highest stat)
Soul Heart (+1 SpA on kill) (Exclusive Ability)
Moxie (+1 Atk on kill)

Moves:
Conversion (+1 in all, typing changes to first move in moveslots) (Would invalidate typing stage)
Happy Hour/Celebrate/Hold Hands (+1 in all)
Geomancy (+1 in all turn 1; +2 in Spa, SpD, Spe turn 2)
Sketch (+1 in all, steals opponent's move)
Forests Curse (+1 in all, adds grass to opponent's typing)
Trick-Or-Treat (+1 in all, adds ghost to opponent's typing)
Purify (+1 in all, if target is statused, heals user 50% and cures target)


Mirror Move (+2 Atk, deals 1.5x damage back to opponent if damaged)
Could discourage being attacked while trying to setup

Psycho Shift (+2 SpA, transfers status condition from user to opponent)
Heal Block (+2 SpA, prevents target from healing {actively or passively})

Trick/Switcheroo (+2 Spe)
Me First (+2 Spe, Uses opponent's attack)
Snatch (+2 Spe, Uses opponents non-attack)

Edit: Grammer and added question 7
 
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Name: Z-Crystal Setup (ik it's boring but I couldn't come up with something better :p)

Description
This pokemon would rely on Z-Crystals in a more uncommon fashion: as a means of setting up primarily rather then for wallbreaking. Without the z-crystal, the pokemon would be hard pressed to pull off a successful sweep.

Justification
- Archetype:
This pokemon would fufill a niche in a strong z-setup sweeper, something not used often in favor of a strong z-wallbreaker.

Questions
1. When is it worth it to use a z-crystal for set-up rather than as an attack?

2. When is the opportunity cost worth it to use a z-setup move sweeper rather then a z-wallbreaker? How might it constrain teambuilding?

3. How can we make a pokemon excel at sweeping with a z-crystal to setup, but viably function without it?

4. How can we prevent we prevent the new pokemon from turning into a one-trick pony (ala Porygon Z in OU)?

5. How does harshly limiting the amount of times a pokemon can setup affect how it is played?

6. Is it possible to make a pokemon function as either a wallbreaker or sweeper depending on when it uses it's z-move (Choosing whether or not to use a z-setup vs fire off an extremely powerful attack)?

Explanation
This CAP would be a delicate balancing act between making it underwhelming but still useable without a z-crystal and making it strong but not broken with one. It would also offer decent competition for a z-crystal spot, and would limit the amount of wallbreakers able to be paired with it by virtue of not being able to have a teamatte use a z-crystal for wallbreaking.

This pokemon wouldn't have to rely on a singke move like Z-Conversion, many options exist in OU alone for sweepers that often rely on their z-crystals: Z-Conversion Porygon Z, Moxie Gyarados/Menca, SG/OTR Magearna, (and Pheromosa pre-ban). Other options exist as well, such as Z-Geomancy Xerneas in Ubers. Underexplored options could be chosen as well, such as Z-Mirror Move (+2 Attack and reflects attacks back), or even Z-Sketch (+1 in everything and copies opponents move). I'll post a list below of some interesting ones.

Abilities:
Beast Boost(+1 Highest stat)
Soul Heart (+1 SpA on kill) (Exclusive Ability)
Moxie (+1 Atk on kill)

Moves:
Conversion (+1 in all, typing changes to first move in moveslots) (Would invalidate typing stage)
Happy Hour/Celebrate/Hold Hands (+1 in all)
Geomancy (+1 in all turn 1; +2 in Spa, SpD, Spe turn 2)
Sketch (+1 in all, steals opponent's move)
Forests Curse (+1 in all, adds grass to opponent's typing)
Trick-Or-Treat (+1 in all, adds ghost to opponent's typing)
Purify (+1 in all, if target is statused, heals user 50% and cures target)


Mirror Move (+2 Atk, deals 1.5x damage back to opponent if damaged)
Could discourage being attacked while trying to setup

Psycho Shift (+2 SpA, transfers status condition from user to opponent)
Heal Block (+2 SpA, prevents target from healing {actively or passively})

Trick/Switcheroo (+2 Spe)
Me First (+2 Spe, Uses opponent's attack)
Snatch (+2 Spe, Uses opponents non-attack)
This is a really cool idea an it brings up some valid questions, but you only talked about the OU metagame without mentioning the CAP metagame, which this CAP will be made for.
 
This is a really cool idea an it brings up some valid questions, but you only talked about the OU metagame without mentioning the CAP metagame, which this CAP will be made for.
Being completely honest, I am not too familiar with the CAP metagame, which is why I left my questions vague enough to be applicable to both OU and CAP. I figured a fair amount of metagame trends would transfer over (z wallbreakers being much more prominent in particular), and would love to see the CAP team tackle a concept like this.
 
Name: Produced Boost Abuse!

Description: This Pokemon gains and uses stat boosts without using stat boosting moves.

Justification: This is an Actualization concept because it explores much deeper an idea that is still quite shallow in the CAP Metagame. Of course, there are already Pokemon that use auto-boosting abilities like Magearna or Plasmanta, but there is still, in my opinion, huge potential for discovering new uses of this concept. For example, not a single Pokemon in the CAP Metagame uses abilities such as Stamina to increase its defensive capabilities. There is so much to learn about the nature of opportunity, prediction and momentum in Pokemon battles that can be discovered and explored with this concept.

Questions To Be Answered: The questions which we will be able to answer will obviously vary with the direction we take this project, but I have tried to include a range that encompasses any direction that I think we could take.
- How important is it to utilise each auto-boost opportunity in a battle, as there can be very few?
- Can the threat of giving the Pokemon a boost change the way an opponent plays?
- Does the prevalence of Prankster Haze in the CAP Metagame effect how viable opportunistic booster are?
- How do we make this Pokemon viable despite the omnipresence of Haze Tomohawk?
- Is it easier for a Pokemon that doesn't have to use a boosting move to overcome traditional blocks like Unaware Pokemon and Tomohawk?
- For defensive boosters, does passivity make them more vulnerable to phazing and opposing boosting?
- Could a defensive booster succeed despite the constant threat of critical hits?
- Can immunity auto-boosting abilities be used primarily for their stat boosts?
- Are there a set of Pokemon common enough for this Pokemon to reliably gain boosts?
- Do Z Moves provide a reliable way to start a sweep?
- Can lure Z Moves be effective in surprising an opponent and quickly sparking a sweep?
- Does relying on knocking an opponent out make this Pokemon ineffective against stall?

Explanation: Since the beginning of Pokemon battling, stat boosting moves have been a potent way to increase a Pokemon's offensive or defensive capabilities and allow them to do or take more damage. Given an opportunity, a Pokemon could set up and drastically change the course of the battle. As the generations advanced and the metagame became more diverse, many offensive teams began to gear themselves towards a certain goal: giving a Pokemon the opportunity to use a boosting move and, consequently, allowing it to sweep the opposing team. However, abilities began to be introduced that allowed Pokemon to gain boosts without using a move. These abilities, such as Lightning Rod and Storm Drain, are the most basic of auto-boosting means and allowed their bearers to get a 'free' boost, unrestricted by opportunity or moveslot. In Gen 5, Moxie was introduced which, in my opinion, was the biggest change in auto-boosting yet. It allowed both wallbreakers, revenge killers and set up sweepers to become much more powerful without requiring an additional opportunity or, in the case of a former two, moveslot to do so. It also introduced one of the most potent aspects of the offensive auto-booster: 'snowballing'.

Fast forward to the current metagame, and Sun and Moon have by far been the most revolutionary in terms of automatic boosting. For one, Gen 7 introduced abilities like Beast Boost and Soul Heart (which I know is banned by CAP) that allow offensive Pokemon to gain momentum while sweeping. This ability is compounded by the introduction of Z-Moves. Magearna is a prime example of how these two new mechanics can work in harmony together; it can use a powerful Z Move to blow back one roadblock on the opposing team whilst simultaneously gaining the ability, with the Special Attack boost, to break through the rest of the team without having to use a Z-Move. Magearna is infamous for pulling off a 'snowball' sweep where the momentum it gains throughout the course of a sweep means that it can soon become nigh-on unstoppable. Secondly, Generation 7 introduced defensive auto-boosting abilities in the form of Stamina and Water Compaction, something never seen before and still yet to be seen in the CAP metagame although Mudbray is an excellent user of the former ability in LC. Finally, this Generation also introduced Terrain Seeds which have proven to be effective at least on Hawlucha in OU.

In short, this Generation is the perfect time to explore the concept of automatic boosting. There are so many directions that we could take this concept, whether it be exploring the interaction between a momentum-gaining 'snowballing' sweeper or breaker with our resident momentum block Haze Tomohawk; the viability of a defensive booster in a metagame filled with bulky offense that has the ability to boost without using a valuable moveslot or turn, potentially allowing it to avoid 2HKOs and allowing to increase its defensive repertoire, or the snapshot turn of momentum that an ability like Lightning Rod provides. Whichever option we choose, this concept explores the pillar of Pokemon battles that is opportunity. I think anyone that participates in this project would learn a great deal about how valuable opportunity is when dealing with the make-or-break nature of stat boosts. Whether it be when to use your Z Move to start the snowball rolling or when to switch out and lose your hard earned Defense boosts, there are many decisions that we have to make. When creating this Pokemon, we would have to be able to envisage common situations and decide whether our Pokemon should be able to take that opportunity or not; creating a balance between being able to get the auto-boost too often or never at all will certainly be a challenge, but personally I think that it will be both an enjoyable and informative one for every participant of the project.
Thank you for reading and I hope my concept is considered.
 

snake

is a Community Leaderis a Top CAP Contributoris a Contributor to Smogon
CAP Co-Leader
Final TL review. Any other concepts will likely not receive a review because submissions are so close to being over, but I'm happy to talk in a PM.

Z-Crystal Setup (ik it's boring but I couldn't come up with something better :p)
- The problem I'm seeing with this concept is what you ask in question 4. If it's forced to use a set-up Z move, it's going to be a one trick pony. One of the biggest issues I've seen with these kinds of Pokemon is that they're almost always either this Z move set-up, or they have such better options that the Z move set-up becomes OO. I'm just not totally sure about the viability of a Z move set-up concept because I'm not sure how you'd find that sweet spot where it's not just a Z move set up sweeper, but you also don't heavily outclass that option. I'm also not too happy with Z move concepts in general because they're a universally available option on Pokemon. PM me with questions.

Produced Boost Abuse! - Well crafted concept, Soul Heart is banned by Primary Ability banlist, but there's lots of direction with this concept.

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Less than 24 hours remain for concept submissions. Here's a nice last-minute checklist to review:

1. Does my concept's name convey my concept clearly, without having cleverness completely overshadow clarity?
2. Do my questions cover most of the general possibilities and areas of exploration of my concept?
3. Does my concept look good and have good grammar? (these are more for bonus points, but please try to make sure you check this)

I'm hyped to make this slate for tomorrow! See you then!
 
Okamu beat me to the suggesting of trapping/binding as the focus. Although was going to call it 'The Ties that Bind' or 'Lips That Grip'.
 
I have updated my submission to be CAP legal, apologies for the error!! I'll read the instructions more closely in future contributions.
 
I've added additional questions for my submission based on feedback, so I believe I've got all my bases covered.
 

BP

Beers and Steers
is a Contributor to Smogon
I gave a more indepth describtion and what I pictured the mons roll would look like and stuff like that.
 
The name for this concept was inspired by an experience I had when I was on holiday in Italy. I was eating at a restaurant and asked for no egg in my pizza, unfortunately, they messed up my order and added an egg to it so I ended up sharing a pizza with one of my friends instead. When the time came for us to pay, we asked not to pay for the pizza they messed up so we spoke to the manager and she said: "You touch it, you pay for it!"

Name: You touch it, You pay for it!

Description: A Pokemon that makes you think twice before attacking it!

Justification: Back in ORAS Pokemon like Garchomp and Ferrothorn were able to punish any physical Pokemon who dared to attack them with no second thought, but the prospect of punishing Pokemon for attacking you head on has never been fully explored. Generation 7 needs this more than ever, as big offensive misplays often go unpunished and players who make these mistakes should be punished accordingly! So in essence, this is an Actualization concept with the overarching Target of making Gen 7 players more cautious when attacking!

Questions To Be Answered:
  • What could we learn about punishing attackers?
  • How can we punish special attackers?
  • What ways would punishing your opponents attacks affect a battle?
  • How should we use a Pokemon that can punish its opponent's attacks?
  • What point in the game should you use Pokemon like this?
  • How would an offensive team play around this Pokemon?
  • Could this Pokemon have a significant impact on bulkier/defensive teams or just vs offence?
Explanation: So why is it important for us to punish an opponent's attacks? Generation 7 is a very trigger-happy rush down metagame and battles are often very forgiving and allow for a lot of big offensive misplays. If an offensive misplay isn't punished the enemy would be able to regain momentum quickly and potentially brush it off even after a terrible play. People should not be able to do this; if you mess up you should be punished for it and should not be able to sweep it under the rug. Punishing people's attacks also helps someone recover from a sweep by whittling down or crippling the enemy, maybe even scaring off a sweeper entirely. Another more obvious reason for why punishing your opponent's attacks is important and useful is the fact that it will force a lot of offensive Pokemon to switch, thus paving the way for another Pokemon on your team to set up.

Generation 6 was a lot less forgiving as the Pokemon that'd punish you for mindlessly clicking an attack were way more common. Pokemon like Ferrothorn and especially Garchomp were extremely potent against most physical attackers, making them weigh the benefits and disadvantages of attacking. Similarly, in Gen 7 we're seeing things like Eject Button Toxapex + Dugtrio rising in popularity.

We've only seen the tip of the iceberg when it comes to ways of punishing most attackers as it's only really been done to physical mons via Rough Skin/Iron Barbs/Spikey Sheild or with the use of a Rocky Helmet, so Special Attackers usually go scott free. The Eject Button Regenerator Pokemon + Trapper combo give special attackers a hard time but aside from that special attackers have been left relatively unscathed.

Some people have tried to compare this concept to that of Plasmantas but while that concept focuses on the effects of killing you this concept focuses on the effects of attacking you head on!
 
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