CAP 25 - Part 9 - CAP 25g Moveset Discussion

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Quanyails

On sabbatical!
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NEW: This is a Celebration CAP, meaning that we are going out of our way to break some rules. We'll be creating a set of three Pokemon this time around, a set of Fire, Water, and Grass-type starters! You can read exactly which rules we'll be breaking here and the logic behind Celebration CAPs here. Give these a read-through to get some context.

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CAP 25 Grass-type moveset discussion: https://www.smogon.com/forums/threads/cap-25-part-9-cap-25g-moveset-discussion.3641726/
CAP 25 Fire-type moveset discussion: https://www.smogon.com/forums/threads/cap-25-part-9-cap-25f-moveset-discussion.3641727/
CAP 25 Water-type moveset discussion: https://www.smogon.com/forums/threads/cap-25-part-9-cap-25w-moveset-discussion.3641728/

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In this stage, we are determining the required and disallowed competitive moves by creating a list of approved movesets. The movesets will be decided based on the competitive needs and limitations of this project. We are not submitting full movepools at this time. There will be a later stage for movepool submissions (level-up sets, egg moves, etc) once the required and disallowed moves have been determined via the accepted movesets.

Moveset Discussion Rules & Guidelines

There should be four kinds of posts in the thread:
  • Moveset Submissions
  • Moveset Edits/Option Submissions
  • General Commentary
  • Section Leader/Topic Leader Announcements/Updates
This means that no moves can be suggested or commented on unless they are part of a full competitive moveset submission or suggested as a additional option for one or more previous movesets. Any recommendations to disallow certain moves should only be in reference to moves contained in previously posted movesets.

The general flow of this thread should go like this:
  1. People post moveset submissions in a prescribed format (see below)
  2. Other people suggest to add/remove moves or other options to previously posted movesets (see below)
  3. Other people propose edits to the descriptive information with previously posted movesets
  4. Other people comment on the competitive pros and cons of previously posted movesets, additions/removals, and proposed edits
  5. Continuously over the course of the thread, the movepool leader updates the first post in the thread with the "currently accepted" movesets and other information related to the status of the intelligent community consensus (see below)

By the end of this discussion thread, we should have the following outputs:
  • The top post in the thread (maintained by the Movepool Leader) will contain a list of all edited, approved movesets
  • The top post will list controversial movesets and/or optional moves that need to be voted on by the community

Prohibited Moves:
Legendary Signature Moves are banned from discussion unless one (or more) is specifically allowed by the combined consensus of the TL and the Movepool Leader. The following moves are considered Legendary Signatures:

Aeroblast
Blue Flare
Bolt Strike
Crush Grip
Core Enforcer
Dark Void
Diamond Storm
Doom Desire
Dragon Ascent
Fleur Cannon
Freeze Shock
Fusion Bolt
Fusion Flare
Geomancy
Glaciate
Heart Swap
Hyperspace Fury
Hyperspace Hole
Ice Burn
Judgement
Land's Wrath
Light of Ruin
Lunar Dance
Luster Purge
Magma Storm
Mist Ball
Moongeist Beam
Oblivion Wing
Origin Pulse
Photon Geyser
Plasma Fists
Precipice Blades
Prismatic Laser
Psycho Boost
Psystrike
Relic Song
Roar of Time
Sacred Fire
Searing Shot
Secret Sword
Seed Flare
Shadow Force
Spacial Rend
Spectral Thief
Steam Eruption
Sunsteel Strike
Techno Blast
Thousand Arrows
Thousand Waves
V-Create

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Moveset Submissions

Movesets should be posted in the following format:

Moveset Submission

Name: Agility Sweeper
Move 1: Agility
Move 2: Thunderbolt
Move 3: Ice Beam
Move 4: Earth Power / Energy Ball
Ability: Sheer Force
Item: Life Orb
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Nature: Modest / Timid
  • Agility doubles CAP X's speed, which allows it to sweep.
  • Because of CAP X's Electric typing, Thunderbolt can hit Water-types like Arghonaut very hard.
  • Ice Beam complements Thunderbolt very well, allowing it to hit Ground-types like Zygarde.
  • Earth Power lets CAP X hit Heatran and Mollux very hard, while Energy Ball lets it hit Gastrodon and Mega Swampert harder.
  • Sheer Force powers up CAP X's main moves.
  • Life Orb's recoil is removed by Sheer Force and allows CAP X to hit even harder.
  • Modest is preferred for more power, but Timid can be used to outspeed base 81s like Gyarados and Necturna before boosting.

Code:
[B]Moveset Submission[/B]

Name:
Move 1:
Move 2:
Move 3:
Move 4:
Ability: (optional)
Item: (optional)
EVs: (optional)
Nature: (optional)
[LIST]
[*]
[*]
[*]
[/LIST]

Please keep to the above format so the movepool leader can easily see which posts in the thread are proposing new moveset submissions, and can easily locate the information when updating the top post in the thread.

Ability, Item, EVs, and Nature are optional. All that is required are four moves, a name, and some descriptive information (in bullet form).

Any suggested moveset posted without any reasonable description will be deleted by the moderators. People should not spam movesets, post without checking the movesets already submitted, or post movesets without thinking them through.

Although we are not posting movesets in the full C&C analysis format, you should generally adhere to C&C standards where it makes sense. While there will not be excessively strict moderation on this, use common sense. Don't get too slash-happy with moves, no stupid names, use proper spelling and grammar, etc. These movesets will be put on the CAP subsite immediately at the end of the CAP for the playtest.

If you are unsure of the optimal ability, item, EVs, or nature -- you can leave it out and it can be edited in later over the course of the thread. By the end of the thread, every accepted moveset should be filled in completely. That doesn't mean we need to be 100% sure of every aspect of the moveset. It's fine if we go with our best guess and leave it to the playtest to optimize it.


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Moveset Edits/Option Submissions

Edits/options should be made by copying the most recent version of the moveset and description into an unattributed quote tags ([ QUOTE][ /QUOTE]). Then make any edits, additions, or replacements in bold text, removals should be in strike-through text. The most recent copy should taken from the top post or from the original submission post, depending on whichever one is most current.

Posters can and should comment on the reasoning and background for any proposed edits outside of Quote tags. Simple wording or spelling corrections do not need any explanation or commentary.

Additional move proposals must be made in the context of one or more movesets. The user cannot simply post "I suggest we add Taunt as an option to all non-choiced movesets", for example.


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Movepool Leader/Topic Leader Posts

The first post under the OP is reserved by the Movepool Leader, and will serve as the reference post for the current status of the discussion.

When the Movepool Leader determines that a moveset, option, or edit is accepted by intelligent community consensus, they will add/update a list of "Approved Movesets" in the first post. The Movepool Leader SHOULD NOT add every submission to the first post automatically, simply because it was posted in the thread. The Movepool Leader SHOULD NOT add a submission to the first post if it was not actively accepted by intelligent community consensus. "Lack of any response" is not the same as "acceptance". As with all CAP discussion threads, the leader should always use their best judgement.

If a proposal has received significant intelligent feedback (positive or negative), but it has not yet reached consensus, the Movepool leader should add it to an "Under Consideration" list in the first post. If the thread ends with controversial items that can't reach consensus, they will go to a community poll. In most cases, the "Under Consideration" list should be comprised of full movesets or additional option proposals. Edits to the description of most movesets, probably will not require extensive discussion or polling.

As the Movepool Leader makes updates to the first post, they should also post announcements in the thread indicating what they have added or updated. This will allow active discussion participants to easily track the progress of the thread. The Topic Leader should also post regular feedback in the thread, like every other competitive discussion.

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CAP 25 so far:

Topic Leader: reachzero

Topic Leadership Team:
EpicUmbreon29 - Typing
snake_rattler - Ability
jas61292 - Stats
cbrevan - Movepool


Name: Starter Trio CAPs

Description: This CAP is not one Pokemon, but three seperate Pokemon, based off of a Grass/Water/Fire starter trio.

Explanation: There is rarely such thing as a competitively viable starter Pokemon in the OU metagame, rare exceptions being Serperior, Greninja, and Blaziken for their insanely powerful abilities, and Infernape for his speed and movepool. Running three seperate CAP Processes with different Concepts can be loads of fun, and a nice way to celebrate CAP with our own starter trio! I'd love to see what the artists can come up with, and what pre-evos will be made alongside this trio, as well.
I've spoken to Birkal about this framework, and I've decided that this framework would definitely limit the Typing stage of each CAP, but not necessarily limit the Abilities stages, as Overgrow, Torrent, and Blaze aren't very competitively viable, and not necessarily limit the Stats stages, as starter trios tend not to share the same BSTs, giving us flexibility with where and how we want to place stats, especially with each "starter" most likely having a different concept from the others.

Possible Questions:
Is it possible to create a fully competitively viable Grass/Water/Fire trio?
What can be learned from a trio of Pokemon that will mostly likely check, if not counter, each other in a Rock Paper Scissors manner?
Exactly what does it take to create a fully competitively viable starter trio, something unprecedented in all of official, competitive Pokemon?

Of course, feedback is all but begged for as we work to flesh out this framework!


Starter Fact Sheet

Final Submission
  • Name - Astounding Ability Actualization (Triple A)
  • Description - These Pokemon each maximize the potential of their given, separate abilities by coordinating their movepools and that ability's competitive effect.
  • Justification - This is an Actualization concept much like Cyclohm's original "Neglected Ability." In my research on what made Pokemon with "Starter Level" stats effective, the common denominator was they all had abilities they used to full effect with their other competitive aspects. This framework gives us a unique opportunity to A-B test some fairly powerful abilities we usually shy away from and bring out an effective competitive starter trio.
  • Questions To Be Answered -
    • Which Abilities are best suited to a full, comprehensive exploration of their specific mechanics?
    • Why does Ability seem to be the common factor in taking "starter-esque" Pokemon into prominence (e.g. Protean and Battle Bond Greninja, Contrary Serperior, Speed Boost Blaziken to Ubers, etc.)
    • What is the threshold where maximizing an ability goes toi far, such as Blaziken's combination of Swords Dance, strong attack and mid-grade speed, and high BP STABS with Speed Boost or Protean Greninja's huge speed and just-varied enough movepool in prior Generations?
    • How will introducing three specialized Pokemon into the metagame at once impact it overall?
    • Which type combinations along with the starter types are best suited to maximizing the potential of a specific ability, and why?
  • Explanation - Competitive Pokemon has suffered from a massive power creep for a long time. In order for a Pokemon to be effective, not only does it have to be fairly good generally, it also can't be directly outclassed. Considering our Framework, our Pokemon are already competing against Heatran/Volcarona, Toxapex/Keldeo/Greninja, and Ferrothorn/Kartana for offensive or defensive roles. However, each of those Pokemon have their own flaws that give our FWG CAP Trio space to explore if we are focused on a key niche for each of them.

    Let's take Grass for example, and Tough Claws. Tough Claws boosts one of the most incredibly CAP-relevant moves, Grass Knot, because it is a special contact attack. Only Mega Metagross ever even came close to utilizing this combination, and Mega-Meta was banned (for other reasons, of course). Grass could also use it's huge number of healing options with Triage, including priority Strength Sap that even outruns Bullet Punch. Nearly every Fire attack has a secondary effect chance perfect for Serene Grace or Sheer Force. Water has a few specific moves that would also love Serene Grace, but would also appreciate breaking through Gastrodon and Mollux with Mold Breaker. Suffice it to say, this concept gives us an ability to meet our Framework demands and think through a huge combination of synergistic types and abilities in a single project.


CAP 25g

Typing: Grass/Electric
Threats and Counters: https://www.smogon.com/forums/posts/7875516
Abilities: Overgrow/Galvanize
Stats: 84 HP / 106 Atk / 82 Def / 77 SpA / 80 SpD / 106 Spe


CAP 25f

Typing: Fire/Ground
Threats and Counters: https://www.smogon.com/forums/posts/7870058
Abilities: Blaze/Technician
Stats: 88 HP / 116 Atk / 67 Def / 88 SpA / 78 SpD / 97 Spe


CAP 25w

Typing: Water/Bug
Threats and Counters: https://www.smogon.com/forums/posts/7872739
Abilities: Torrent/Poison Heal
Stats: 91 HP / 94 Atk / 110 Def / 80 SpA / 97 SpD / 63 Spe
 
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Name: Utility Attacker
Move 1: Return
Move 2: Knock Off
Move 3: Rapid Spin
Move 4: Power Whip / Volt Switch
Ability: Galvanize
Item: Magnet
EVs: 168 HP / 72 Atk / 16 SpD / 252 Spe
Nature: Jolly

Name: Physically Biased Mixed
Move 1: Boomburst
Move 2: Power Whip
Move 3: Return / Body Slam
Move 4: Knock Off / Quick Attack
Ability: Galvanize
Item: Magnet / Life Orb
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe*
Nature: Hasty / Naive

Name: Swords Dance + Quick Attack
Move 1: Swords Dance
Move 2: Quick Attack
Move 3: Power Whip / Horn Leech / Knock Off / Brick Break
Move 4: Return / Body Slam / Double-Edge
Ability: Galvanize
Item: Grassium Z / Magnet
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Nature: Jolly

Set Name: Bulky Set-up Sweeper
Move 1: Bulk Up
Move 2: Return / Facade
Move 3: Power Whip / Brick Break
Move 4: Brick Break / Knock Off / Substitute
Ability: Galvanize
Item: Leftovers / Iapapa Berry
EVs: 248 HP / 196 Atk / 64 Spe
Nature: Adamant

Name: You better WORK (special-based mixed wallbreaker)
Move 1: Work Up
Move 2: Boomburst
Move 3: Power Whip / Knock Off
Move 4: Synthesis / Quick Attack / Hidden Power [Ice] / Natural Gift
Ability: Galvanize
Item: Life Orb / Petaya Berry
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Nature: Naive

Name: Z-Terrain Sweeper
Move 1: Grassy Terrain / Electric Terrain
Move 2: Swords Dance
Move 3: Return / Double Edge
Move 4: Power Whip / Horn Leech
Ability: Galvanize
Item: Grassium Z / Electrium Z
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Nature: Jolly

Name: Specially-biased Mixed G
Move 1: Boomburst
Move 2: Hidden Power Ice
Move 3: Knock Off
Move 4: Power Whip
Ability: Galvanize
Item: Life Orb / Magnet
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Nature: Hasty / Naive

Name: SubSeed Disrupter
Move 1: Leech Seed
Move 2: Substitute
Move 3: Return / Boomburst / Body Slam
Move 4: Horn Leech / Knock Off / Hidden Power [Fire]
Ability: Galvanize
Item: Leftovers
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Nature: Jolly / Timid
None!
[/hide]
Disallowed Moves: Extreme Speed, Physical Ground Coverage over 60 BP, Competitive Special Attack boosting status moves aside from Work Up, Physical Fighting-type coverage over 75 BP, Physical Bug-type coverage over 60 BP, Physical Rock-type coverage over 50 BP, Physical Steel-type coverage over 70 BP, Physical Psychic-type coverage over 60 BP, Sleep Inflicting Status Moves, Encore, Ice Beam
 
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Hello everyone. As the final competitive stage for this CAP, we will be deciding on what moves are and are not appropriate for CAP 25g based on our starter framework, our concept, and our already determined factors such as typing, ability, and base stats. This will be done through carefully considering different movesets in regards to our concept and threatlist.

As per our concept, we will have two main goals to work with. Our first goal is to identify potential movesets that will best take advantage of our chosen ability, Galvanize. Our second goal, as decided in concept assessment and further explored in past stages, is to enable CAP 25g to differentiate itself as a physically biased offensive Pokemon.

Our third consideration will be our threatlist, which should serve as a general guideline in what Pokemon to target with our movesets. Pay extra attention to this list when considering what Pokemon to calc for when building your proposed moveset.

Now, before I open the gates and allow moveset submissons, I would like us to spend one to two days with a general discussion concerning how our chosen ability Galvanize may affect our movesets. Considering how heavily this concept depends on ability and moves interactions, I think the discussion is warranted to better flesh out our expectations and desires for this stage. This will also give us an opportunity to explore how our framework may influence this stage.

What moves coordinate best with our ability, Galvanize. Are there ways to effectively utilize Galvanize in our movesets other than direct move interaction (Normal-type moves)?

What kind of roles should we pursue to complement both our concept and chosen offensive direction?


How may our starter framework influence move choice when discussing potential movesets? Are they any precedents we should consider in when submitting movesets? Should we be bound by these precedents or accept them/reject them as needed?

Once I feel like these questions have been sufficiently explored, I'll open the thread up to moveset submissions and we'll proceed as outlined in the OP. At that time, I will post my expectations for moveset submissions. Until then, please refrain from posting moveset submissions. I'd like us to focus on these questions before we jump into the meat of the thread.
 
What moves coordinate best with our ability, Galvanize. Are there ways to effectively utilize Galvanize in our movesets other than direct move interaction (Normal-type moves)?

All Normal type moves are potentially up for grabs to be abused by this Pokemon, and I do not think, as long as attacks are picked wisely, we don't have to be shy about picking them. Attacks that should be highlighted, other than the universal Return, and the very controversial Boomburst and Extreme Speed, include attacks like Double-Edge, which grants us a powerful nuke at the cost of recoil damage. Rapid Spin is also an interesting choice for hazard removal, as it effectively trades its Ghost immunity for a Ground one, flipping traditional means of "spinblocking" on its head. Though with the heavy presence of Ground types in the metagame, it requires us to be more creative with our approach. Fake Out and Quick Attack are priority attacks that I believe can be properly abused by CAPg without the potentially damaging effects that Extreme Speed carries.

How may our starter framework influence move choice when discussing potential movesets? Are they any precedents we should consider in when submitting movesets? Should we be bound by these precedents or accept them/reject them as needed?

One major discussion point is that should the inclusion of Swords Dance be deemed mandatory, especially with the very real prospect of CAPg gaining Extreme Speed. Swords Dance has been on every single Grass type starter, and on almost every Grass type, even ones that would be very anti-concept (Serperior). But Swords Dance + Extreme Speed may grant us a sweeper / revengekiller that cannot be checked by this metagame's traditional means of beating set up sweepers (HazeHawk, Arghonaut, even Haze Toxapex), and that might be a scary proposition.
 
What kind of roles should we pursue to complement both our concept and chosen offensive direction?

Spinner can be a good idea, since the only type that can block Galvanize Raid Spin is Ground, but it fears the Grass type moves. From the Checks/Counters list, only Cawmodore can stop this move.

How may our starter framework influence move choice when discussing potential movesets? Are they any precedents we should consider in when submitting movesets? Should we be bound by these precedents or accept them/reject them as needed?

As G-Luke said, allowing both Extreme Speed and Swords Dance will be very dangerous, because we will create a sweeper that will be almost impossible to stop.
 
What moves coordinate best with our ability, Galvanize. Are there ways to effectively utilize Galvanize in our movesets other than direct move interaction (Normal-type moves)?

Other than every Normal Offensive moves (Extreme Speed, Boomburst, Double-Edge...), CAP 25g would also make a good use of Swords Dance due its powerful Galvanize boosted priority that lets it kill Hazehawk before it can remove its boost, similar to Gen 6 Talonflame, as well as hitting Arghonaut extremely hard. Unaware Clefable would likely be unable to check CAP 25G if it carries Double-Edge (which could be dropped in favor of Synthesis in a SD Set). While I do understand the fear that it could create a very scary set-up sweeper due to its ability to threaten the most common forms of answer to the others boosters, Hazehawk and Argho aren't really universal answer to all Pokemon of this kind, just look at Aurumoth (although this one struggles against Clefable) and the aforementionned gen 6 Talonflame. Against it, you could naturally faster and scarfed mons that doesn't fear Galvanize Extreme Speed (Cawmodore, Lati@s-Mega, Band Kartana...). In the same manner, if we don't give too strong coverage to CAP 25g, almost any Dragon and Grass-Type could become a check (Cyclohm, Pyroak, Venusaur-Mega...), as long as it is naturally able to directly do something against CAP 25G without changing its usual moveslots, which could be the case of Ferrothorn and maybe Jumbao. That's why I'm still a bit sceptical...

What kind of roles should we pursue to complement both our concept and chosen offensive direction?

As stated above, I don't think that a Swords Dance set would become this scary. It's mostly a matter of coverage. A Choice Band set could perform as an interesting Revenge Killer and as "wallbreaker" (although once again it shouldn't be too hard to stop if it doesn't have something like strong Physical Ice-coverage). A Special Attacking Pivot with Choice Specs Galvanize boosted Boomburst hits harder than Specs Koko, and unlike most Electric-types it naturally discourages Gastrodon to come on to prevent it from using Volt Switch, an addition that could be greatly appreciated by most Volturn offense.
 
What moves coordinate best with our ability, Galvanize. Are there ways to effectively utilize Galvanize in our movesets other than direct move interaction (Normal-type moves)?

All of those strong Normal type attacks (Return, Boomburst, Double Edge, Fake Out, Extreme Speed) are at are disposal, so pick your poison there (Oh wait this is CAPg) Swords Dance is certainly an option for it, as it boost its decent attack to more acceptable levels, but I am worried about it because of the presense of Galvanize Extreme Speed being a very popular option for it. Fake Out is interesting because guaranteed flinch, but I think it won't be as useful as the rest of the possible "STABs". Rapid Spin is super interesting because we can now spin on ghost types but not ground types, but we beat most Ground types due to CAPg's Grass STAB, although Zygarde will probably shrug it off.

What kind of roles should we pursue to complement both our concept and chosen offensive direction?
I think I'd be down with CAPg becoming a revenge killer, sniping birds out of the sky and outspeeding plenty of stuff and hitting the stuff that resists with STAB Wood Hammers or coverage. Pivot would also be a really interesting thing to go, since it pretty much gets Volt Switch (unless we pull a Plasmanta here pls give it Volt Switch next updates) and our speed tier is quite good for it.

How may our starter framework influence move choice when discussing potential movesets? Are they any precedents we should consider in when submitting movesets? Should we be bound by these precedents or accept them/reject them as needed?

Once again, Swords Dance is the big talking point here. Only one turn of setup could turn CAPg into a nigh unstoppable monster, considering its good speed tier and acceptable bulk pair with the scary Galvanize Extreme Speed. Will need discussion on this.
 
What moves coordinate best with our ability, Galvanize. Are there ways to effectively utilize Galvanize in our movesets other than direct move interaction (Normal-type moves)?

People are already talking a lot about the potential Boomburst, Double-Edge and Extremespeed, which are undoubtebly amazing, so I'd rather have a look at utility moves and underrated moves.
One thing I'd like to mention is: if you guys want to run Double-Edge, you might as well run Head Charge, which has significantly lower recoil and has the same base power, accuracy and PP as Double-Edge.

Rapid Spin is really interesting. Removing hazards with no more Ghost-type spinblockers is nice. Although Ground-types become the new blockers, CAP25g's Grass-type coverage can scare most of them out.
Priority in general is great for this pokemon. Fake Out provides free chip damage, Quick Attack is a weaker option for Extremespeed, but can be used if it ends up being considered too strong. The priority move that drew my attention the most, however, was Feint. It's ability to break through Protect can come in handy in a bunch of situations and it has higher priority than the likes of Bullet Punch, Water Shuriken, Mach Punch, allowing CAP25g to pick up KOs without unnecessary chip damage.
Secret Power is probably a meme but it's also very interesting. It's secondary effect changes based on the terrain that's on the field. 30% chance to sleep if Grassy Terrain is up, to cause paralysis in Electric Terrain, reduce Special Attack on Misty Terrain and Speed on Psychic Terrain. Although very situational, it'd be funny to try it out. Nature Power also interacts with terrains, changing the move based on which one is up at the moment or becoming a Galvanize-boosted Tri-Attack outside of terrain.


What kind of roles should we pursue to complement both our concept and chosen offensive direction?

I agree that CAP25g should have a role of a priority-abuser sweeper. It's a fun and fresh role that would fit the concept very nicely. However, we have to be careful about balancing out the movepool. We don't want to break the CAP metagame.
I also think a mixed wallbreaker would suit CAP25g extremely well. It's rather underwhelming special attack stat becomes monstrous if we end up giving it Boomburst.

How may our starter framework influence move choice when discussing potential movesets? Are they any precedents we should consider in when submitting movesets? Should we be bound by these precedents or accept them/reject them as needed?

If we do decided to go with the sweeper role, Swords Dance is mandatory. Not only has it been present in every Grass-type starter movepool but it also provides CAP25g the boost it needs to effectively sweep through teams.
 
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What moves coordinate best with our ability, Galvanize. Are there ways to effectively utilize Galvanize in our movesets other than direct move interaction (Normal-type moves)?

Body Slam has a handy 30% chance to paralyze, which gives CAP25g some interesting utility at the cost of some power. Explosion (or Self-Destruct) is really powerful, especially if backed by Choice Band, which I could definitely see.

What I don't want to see is Extreme Speed. STAB Extreme Speed off of an effective Base 137 Attack stat doesn't need to be entertained, especially because it really eclipses any other Galvanize move we could want to give to CAP25g. Swords Dance + Extreme Speed in particular would be disastrous, as it creates a situation like Cawmodore, where you get absolutely swept if you don't have a check. While Cawmodore might seem subpar in the current metagame, do realize that you still just lose to Cawmodore if you don't have a check for it - the same will be true for a Swords Dance + Extreme Speed CAP25g, which has even less priority counterplay than Cawmodore. However, Quick Attack is a very suitable alternative, as it still provides Electric-type priority without being so overbearing.

What kind of roles should we pursue to complement both our concept and chosen offensive direction?


There are two roles I can see on CAP25g. The first is a Swords Dance sweeper that utilizes Quick Attack, similar to Mega Pinsir, as this preserves one of the interesting niches that Galvanize has to offer, Electric-type priority, while not making a Cawmodore replica. The second is a Choice Band abuser to take advantage of CAP25g's rather nice speed tier.

How may our starter framework influence move choice when discussing potential movesets? Are they any precedents we should consider in when submitting movesets? Should we be bound by these precedents or accept them/reject them as needed?

As mentioned before, Swords Dance is on every Grass-type starter's movepool; however, I do not believe that should be the motivator to have Swords Dance on CAP25g's movepool. On the contrary, we should treat CAP25g, w, and f like every other CAP and subject it to the same moveset approval standard that we've held for every CAP that's used that format. What I do think should be followed are moves that every starter gets (like Work Up, elemental Pledge, elemental Hyper Beam, etc.). These are advertised as starter moves. The fact that every Grass-type starter gets Swords Dance, however, is not.
 
What moves coordinate best with our ability, Galvanize. Are there ways to effectively utilize Galvanize in our movesets other than direct move interaction (Normal-type moves)?

Well, most Normal-moves that synergize with Galvanize are pretty straightforward. Return and Double Edge are strong physical moves, and gives use access to a strong and reliable physical STAB, something that not many Electric-types can claim, as they're usually stuck with Wild Charge. Hyper Voice is an alternative Special STAB move, and Boomburst is an insanely powerful special nuke, that even our mediocre SpA stat might be able to abuse.

Of course, the elephant in the room is Extreme Speed, which would give us one of the strongest priority moves in the whole tier. I think that Extreme Speed is not inherently broken on CAP 25g, but it would restrict the rest of our movepool to an asphyxiating degree, as we could easily become too overwhelming by adding the wrong move. So, I think Extreme Speed shouldn't be allowed, in order to prevent CAP 25g from becoming too one-dimensional and potentially broken.

Rapid Spin is another move that could be theoretically used alongside our ability, as the type change means that it's no longer blocked by Ghost-types. However, as Ground-types Pokemon are immune to Electric moves, you are just exchanging one immunity for another, and it wouldn't change the way in which this move operate, as your opponent can still play around it by pivoting on something like Scarf Landorus-T or Cawmodore. Therefore I think that Rapid Spin would be a superficial addition to our movepool, and shouldn't be considered as a move to abuse our ability.

What kind of roles should we pursue to complement both our concept and chosen offensive direction?

Everything about CAP 25g, from its typing to its stats, pushes it towards an aggressive physical attacker. Defensive sets are just bound to fail, as Grass/Electric has a terrible set of resistances and will just end up outclassed by mons more suited to these roles like Jumbao, Tangrowth, Zapdos and Cyclohm. I think that having some options on the Special side would be beneficial, because it gives us just a bit more flexibility, but ultimately, we should primarily focus on the physical side, as that is our stronger stat, so we should try to take as much advantage of it as we can. Here there are two different routes that we could take:

-All-out-attacker: On this route, we would focus mostly on coverage options, but intentionally excluding good set-up moves. Choiced sets would benefit a lot from this, as Band would be a fearsome breaker with the right prediction, while Scarf sets should be able to revenge kill most threats without too much trouble. Simple All-out attacker sets can also be used, and can even include some sort of utility moves, like hazards, status spreading moves, or pivoting moves, all depending on what we deem necessary.

-Sweeper: Using boosting moves like Sword Dance or Bulk Up, we can turn into a formidable win condition, capable of finishing off games after the right set-up. This option would greatly reduce the amount of coverage we can give to CAP 25g, as it might get out of control and end the game too easily if we are not careful. Other options, particularly support moves, can allow us to have other viable sets if we want to, but they would most likely take a back seat in favor of full the set up options, as CAP 25g would have a harder time pressuring teams without a boost.

I think that both option are more or less equally viable, because looking at our current product, and assuming we won't have Extreme Speed, nothing really seem too exceptional about this starter so far, so we will really need to put emphasis on our movepool to create something viable. I'm slightly inclined towards the all-out attacker option more, because I feel like it offers a bit more flexibility, but I also see a lot of merit on taking the sweeper route, as it could be much more dangerous late in the game.

How may our starter framework influence move choice when discussing potential movesets? Are they any precedents we should consider in when submitting movesets? Should we be bound by these precedents or accept them/reject them as needed?

I don't think it's a good idea to let the starter framework influence this discussion at all. Creating the best possible final product should always take precedence over any flavor discussion. Additionally, the problem with doing this is that flavor is always subjective from one person to another, and might change radically in the future, making the decisions made now obsolete. This of course apply to all of three CAP 25.

I posted this on the CAP 25f thread, and it applies to this one too. Sword Dance might have been present on the movepool of all previous starters, but there is no guarantee that this will be the case for the next Grass starter. Until Gen 5, all starters always learned Earthquake, but when Gen 5 rolled in, suddenly two starters (Serperior and Samurott) didn't. Why? Did Game Freak decide that Earthquake was too powerful for them? While we can only speculate, I find that highly unlikely, and they probably just changed it without even thinking too much on it. For all we know, all starters learning that move until then might have been just a coincidence, and people were just overthinking if they assumed all starters had to learn Earthquake. Sword Dance should be judged on its own merits, disregarding whatever the precedent might be.
 
What moves coordinate best with our ability, Galvanize. Are there ways to effectively utilize Galvanize in our movesets other than direct move interaction (Normal-type moves)?

I feel like any normal attack fits into our options. The basics like Frustration and Hyper Voice come to mind, as well as big hitters like Double Edge and Boom Burst. Some more niche filler options like Rapid Spin also seems interesting. Solid priority like Fake Out and Quick Attack will also be solid. I am against the option of Extreme Speed, but it's something to consider with our concept. Swords Dance and Work Up should be cool too as ways to boost our strong stab combo.

What kind of roles should we pursue to complement both our concept and chosen offensive direction?

I think us being fast and offensive is a given, and something I'm glad about. I would like to see a mixed option with Work Up focusing around 3 attacks utilizing Galvanized Hyper Voice and/or a solid special grass stab such as Giga Drain or Energy Ball. Also as long as we keep Extreme Speed off the set I think a physical SD set with Quick Attack will be a cool option. Other than that I have nothing really specific to add since I think this mon is extremely straight forward in what it's going to want to do - aside from whether or not we allow a mixed set to be viable based off movepool since the stat bias makes me assume we'll be okay physically.

How may our starter framework influence move choice when discussing potential movesets? Are they any precedents we should consider in when submitting movesets? Should we be bound by these precedents or accept them/reject them as needed?

I don't give much thought to starter traditions, but I do think you need a solid argument to keep something all starters, or even just grass starters, have had off the set. Swords Dance is a big example for our grass starter, that should be discussed. Personally if we keep Extreme Speed off the set I'll be cool with SD, but if ESpeed is included I'll be vehemently against SD, not afraid to challenge tradition for the sake of the tier.
 
What moves coordinate best with our ability, Galvanize. Are there ways to effectively utilize Galvanize in our movesets other than direct move interaction (Normal-type moves)?

Glare turns into the old version of Thunder Wave and thus more relyable. Nothing revolutionary but works with concept. Lovely Kiss turns into an electric version of Sleep Powder meaning we can potentially use it to better tailor our checks and counter list. If we go the route of a set up sweeper, both moves would help it get to situations where it can set up and even catch potential checks off guard.

Rapid Spin was already mentioned. I am all for Pokemon with large amounts of Utility so I am for this. Only thing I wanted to add to that discussion is the question 'Why would you want to use this CAP as a spinner/Defog user over another Pokemon?'. Throwing my support for Quick Attack as well. Extreme Speed is a bit too much and could tear apart teams caught unprepared. Quick Attack is like Scisor with Bullet Punch except coming from a weaker Pokemon but having better coverage. Not a good analogy, but I hope you know what I mean.
 
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What moves coordinate best with our ability, Galvanize. Are there ways to effectively utilize Galvanize in our movesets other than direct move interaction (Normal-type moves)?

Glare turns into the old version of Thunder Wave and thus more relyable. Nothing revolutionary but works with concept. Lovely Kiss turns into an electric version of Sleep Powder meaning we can potentially use it to better tailor our checks and counter list. If we go the route of a set up sweeper, both moves would help it get to situations where it can set up and even catch potential checks off guard.

Rapid Spin was already mentioned. I am all for Pokemon with large amounts of Utility so I am for this. Only thing I wanted to add to that discussion is the question 'Why would you want to use this CAP as a spinner/Defog user over another Pokemon?'. Throwing my support for Quick Attack as well. Extreme Speed is a bit too much and could tear apart teams caught unprepared. Quick Attack is like Scisor with Bullet Punch except coming from a weaker Pokemon but having better coverage. Not a good analogy, but I hope you know what I mean.

Glare is not affected by Galvanize, and would be better if it was at all.
 
What moves coordinate best with our ability, Galvanize. Are there ways to effectively utilize Galvanize in our movesets other than direct move interaction (Normal-type moves)?

I've loved the idea of Boomburst, Fake Out, Extreme Speed (which I'm gonna get to in more detail) and Rapid Spin from the very start, these are all great ways of abusing Galvanize. I didn't initially think of Double Edge, Feint, Quick Attack, Secret Power, or Head Charge, these were all really cool suggestions (I would argue especially Secret Power, could borderline be gimmicky, but nonetheless be fun to explore). Mega Kick and Thrash are also worth mentioning for nuke attack options as well.

Now, Extreme Speed, that is honestly really tough. I could give or take Swords Dance (maybe ever so slightly leaning towards having it), but coming off of a (probably) neutral base 106 Attack is not crazy impressive. After an SD, yea it could turn rogue on us, but I don't think it's inherently broken or could break or not break things we wouldn't already imo. It could make some neutral 2KOs or KOs more probable obviously, but I'm not sure if that necessarily affects our main checklist. Quick Attack is a good secondary option if we end up ditching Extreme Speed, but I'm worried it'll be underwhelming in terms of sweeping power like we're aiming for. Its not going to be nearly as strong as Mega Pinsir's boosted Quick Attack, for comparison.
 
What moves coordinate best with our ability, Galvanize. Are there ways to effectively utilize Galvanize in our movesets other than direct move interaction (Normal-type moves)?

Everyone else kind of already mentioned what moves coordinate with Galvanize (Quick Attack, Rapid Spin, Return/Frustration, Double-Edge, Body Slam, etc.) and I agree with these. Since 25g is meant to be physically offensively biased, I do not expect to see moves like Hyper Voice or Boomburst in its movepool. I also don’t want to see Extreme Speed, since it could become overbearing if certain boosting moves come into play.

What kind of roles should we pursue to complement both our concept and chosen offensive direction?

25g’s stats, namely its decent speed tier and usable but not great attack stat, give me the feeling that it would be a good offensive utility Pokemon or set-up sweeper. For example, Galvanize Rapid Spin provides unique hazard removal; while it is now blocked by Ground-types and things like Volt Absorb Cawmodore, 25g’s Grass STAB can potentially discourage some Ground-types from attempting to spinblock. As for setting up, Swords Dance is something worth considering, since it allows 25g to better utilize the high-powered physical STAB moves it will likely gain access to.

How may our starter framework influence move choice when discussing potential movesets? Are they any precedents we should consider in when submitting movesets? Should we be bound by these precedents or accept them/reject them as needed?

As G-Luke mentioned, Swords Dance is found in the movepools of almost all Grass-type Pokemon. This would be a welcome addition to 25g’s movepool in my opinion, since base 106 attack just isn’t that great for an offensive Pokemon, even with Galvanize. I would be careful about giving it both Swords Dance and Extreme Speed, though, for the same reasons that others have already stated. As far as precedents go, I think we should loosely accept them as long as they don’t create an overbearing Pokemon, at which point we should reject them. The starter framework already heavily influenced other stages of this CAP, including the primary typings, primary abilities, and stat limits, so why start rejecting them now? Again, as long as we don’t end up with something like Speed Boost Blaziken.
 
What moves coordinate best with our ability, Galvanize. Are there ways to effectively utilize Galvanize in our movesets other than direct move interaction (Normal-type moves)?

I've loved the idea of Boomburst, Fake Out, Extreme Speed (which I'm gonna get to in more detail) and Rapid Spin from the very start, these are all great ways of abusing Galvanize. I didn't initially think of Double Edge, Feint, Quick Attack, Secret Power, or Head Charge, these were all really cool suggestions (I would argue especially Secret Power, could borderline be gimmicky, but nonetheless be fun to explore). Mega Kick and Thrash are also worth mentioning for nuke attack options as well.

Now, Extreme Speed, that is honestly really tough. I could give or take Swords Dance (maybe ever so slightly leaning towards having it), but coming off of a (probably) neutral base 106 Attack is not crazy impressive. After an SD, yea it could turn rogue on us, but I don't think it's inherently broken or could break or not break things we wouldn't already imo. It could make some neutral 2KOs or KOs more probable obviously, but I'm not sure if that necessarily affects our main checklist. Quick Attack is a good secondary option if we end up ditching Extreme Speed, but I'm worried it'll be underwhelming in terms of sweeping power like we're aiming for. Its not going to be nearly as strong as Mega Pinsir's boosted Quick Attack, for comparison.


Thanks to Quanyails's experimental server, in which we were able to test out the caps with moves of our choice, Extreme Speed proved as ridiculous in practice as it is on paper. Firstly, if you run Espeed, Adamant is the way to go, so you can get away with things like this

+2 252 Atk Life Orb Galvanize Abomasnow Extreme Speed vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Pajantom: 234-276 (75.7 - 89.3%) -- 12.5% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock

+2 252+ Atk Life Orb Galvanize Abomasnow Extreme Speed vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Pajantom: 257-303 (83.1 - 98%) -- 68.8% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock

Best believe that once its checks are worn down (dead if its a grass type), one SD and it goes to town with Extreme Speed.
 
We've gotten a good number of suggestions on potential moves and roles for us to pursue with CAP 25g. From our discussion, I feel comfortable going forward with moveset submissions knowing the general directions we can pursue. I'll include a short summary of moves that have been brought up to help kickstart moveset discussion and provide a general reference point for our opening discussion.

Normal moves! Return, Double-Edge, Extreme Speed, Quick Attack, Feint, Fake Out, Boomburst, Hyper Voice, Rapid Spin: Unsurprisingly, every post mentioned Normal moves to abuse Galvanize. Return and Double-Edge were mentioned as physical STABs, Boomburst and Hyper Voice to allow mixed sets, and Extreme Speed, Quick Attack, Fake Out, and Feint as priority moves. Rapid Spin was mentioned to allow CAP 25g to Spin on traditional spinblockers. By far the most controversial move brought up was Extreme Speed.

Swords Dance, Bulk Up, Work Up: All three moves were mentioned as way to turn CAP 25g into an offensive sweeper. Sword Dance was mentioned consistently throughout discussion and will be a discussion point alongside Extreme Speed.

Discussion so far has been heavily focused on turning CAP 25g into a set up sweeper or powerful Choice user. Extreme Speed and Swords Dance are currently discussion points, so please remember them when submitting and reviewing movesets.

Keep in mind that this is just a quick summary of the last three days of discussion, and that this list will have no bearing on what movesets are accept and moves disallowed. This is just to give people an idea of what to experiment with.

Now, onto moveset submissions. Moveset submissions are now open. Read the rest of this post before you make them. A large range of moves have been brought up, now its our job to see how they perform in a moveset. We will examine each moveset based on concept fulfillment, how it interacts with our threatlist, general balance, and if it is true to our chosen direction. By doing so, we'll be able to evaluate what movesets work, which do not, and what moves should be disallowed. To go over these factors further:

Concept will be one of our primary focuses, as it is important that we have main sets that synergize with our ability in order for us to explore our concept. The bulk of discussion up till now has been on how to achieve this.

We also need to keep in mind our decision to make CAP 25w a physically biased offensive Pokemon. Please keep this in mind when posting potential movesets regarding utility moves.

Our third and fourth considerations will be our threatlist and overall balance. I mention these two together because they are closely related to each other. I'll define balance for this stage as having counterplay and an appropriate number of checks and counters. If a moveset allows this CAP to run over the existing metagame, I cannot allow it. We're going to be stuck with our creations until the end of the CAP metagame, so I'll be giving overall balance an equal priority as concept fulfillment. Moreover, this definition works well because it allows us to use our threatlist as a measuring stick in deciding if a moveset puts too much of a strain on the balance of this CAP. Make sure you provide relevant damage calcs for every moveset submitted. Damage calculations are some of the best pieces of evidence you can provide when theorymonning, so don't neglect them.

On a related note, Quanyails has done us a great favor and is hosting a test server for all three CAPs at http://quanyails.asuscomm.com.psim.us
This means that for CAP 25, we'll be able to do more than blatant theorymon every moveset. I encourage everyone to get onto the server when they have time and test out any movesets submitted or planned. This server will also save replays as long as you hit the "Download Replay" button. I'm excited to see how people make use of this opportunity.
 
Moveset Submission:

Name: Swords Dance Z-Sweeper
Move 1: Swords Dance
Move 2: Quick Attack
Move 3: Horn Leech
Move 4: Explosion
Ability: Galvanize
Item: Normalium-Z
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Nature: Jolly
  • Swords Dance quickly boosts 25g's attack, allowing it to sweep.
  • Quick Attack gets boosted by Galvanize and allows 25g to pick off weakened foes and opponents weak to Electric.
  • Horn Leech provides incredible sustain after a Swords Dance boost, allowing 25g to exchange blows with most opponents, even resists, and come out on top.
  • Explosion provides an opportunity for two breaking nuke attacks: a 200 BP Breakneck Blitz and a Galvanize Explosion. After Swords Dance, Breakneck Blitz runs over a lot of opposing Grass and Dragon type checks that take little damage from Quick Attack and Horn Leech (examples being Garchomp, Latos/Latias, M-Venusaur, etc). Explosion itself has immense power and can take threats down with it.

The first thing to address for this set is the question: "Is Quick Attack good enough?" It is. It really, really is. If you consider the Pokemon that have access to Extreme Speed, most of them do not have STAB on it. Lucario's Swords Dance Extreme Speed set was very effective in its debut generation but has fallen off since almost solely due to Lucario's frailty and a stronger set of defensive threats like Mega Slowbro. Extremekiller Arceus is the other example and obviously not applicable. Next is Pokemon with Dragon Dance and Extreme Speed. These Pokemon use this combination well, in Dragonite and Zygarde. If you consider that a +1 stat boost is effectively STAB, After DD Extreme Speed has 120 BP and only hits neutrally. After Swords Dance, Quick Attack has 144 BP (2x from Stat boosts, 1.5x from STAB, 1.2x from Galvanize) and can hit for type weakness. This easily OHKOs Flying types in CAP like Tornadus-T, and even though Tomohawk can survive the first hit, Haze, and Roost, it can't stall out Quick Attack or Swords Dance's immense PP - it's stuck in a cycle of Haze -> Roost until it runs out of Roosts. You're honestly better off running Firium-Z with Heat Wave or LO offensive Hawk if you want Hawk to counter 25g.

Calc: +2 252 Atk Galvanize 25g Quick Attack vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Tomohawk: 210-248 (50.7 - 59.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery

Next is Horn Leech. I've heard on Discord people call it "disgusting," which I'm not sure if they mean "broken" or just "extremely good and effective." From my own personal use I've found it to hit just that right balance of being useful, keeping 25g alive, and still requiring me to play well, use my Z-nuke at the correct time on the correct opponent, and honestly the only time I ever Exploded was to see how much it did to Cyclohm (not enough to 2HKO between +2 Blitz and +2 Explosion. Cyclohm is the hardest of walls to 25g). Explosion might not even be needed, save that Giga Impact is very, very punishable and you'd rather just sac 25g than leave yourself open to the opponent's setup.
 
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Moveset Submission:

Name: Mixed attacker
Move 1: Extreme Speed
Move 2: Return / Work Up / Bulk Up
Move 3: Seed Bomb / Giga Drain / Leaf Storm
Move 4: Volt Switch / Hyper Voice / Leaf Storm
Ability: Galvanize
Item: Life Orb
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Nature: Hasty

Name: Physical attacker
Move 1: Extreme Speed
Move 2: Return /
Move 3: Seed Bomb
Move 4: Volt Switch
Ability: Galvanize
Item: Choice Band / Life Orb
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Nature: Hasty

Name: Special attacker
Move 1: Leaf Storm / Extreme Speed
Move 2: Hyper Voice
Move 3: Giga Drain / Leaf Storm
Move 4: Volt Switch
Ability: Galvanize
Item: Choice Specs / Life Orb
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Nature: Hasty
  • Thanks to Galvanize, Extreme Speed allows 25g to pressure faster pokemon that are at least neutral to it and to deal heavy damage against foes weak to Electric
  • Return can be used to deal more damage if the target is slower than 25g
  • Work Up boosts both the attack stats. Bulk Up does the same thing but instead of boosting the SpA, it raises the Defense, patching the minus from the Hasty nature
  • Seed Bomb is a the physical Grass STAB, if you need a special one, Giga Drain allows 25g to recover some HP reducing the Life Orb Damage
  • Leaf Storm can be used too , at the cost of the reduction of two stages of SpA
  • Volt Switch is used for momentum against its counters
  • Hyper Voice is a special balanced against Water types. Also it bypasses Substitutes

Extreme Speed is the the main draw of these sets: allowing 25g to differenciate from all the other priority and -ate users, making it a specialized attacker. Even with a boost, it can't do enough damage to its checks and counters.

Obviously allowing Extreme Speed means that Swords Dance needs to be gone, because with it, Extreme Speed would be too strong
 
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Name: Swords Dance
Move 1: Swords Dance
Move 2: Return / Body Slam / Double-Edge
Move 3: Power Whip / Horn Leech
Move 4: Quick Attack
Ability: Galvanize
Item: Grassium Z / Magnet
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Nature: Jolly
  • Swords Dance boosts CAP25g's Attack so it can hit rather hard.
  • Return is a super reliable STAB move. Body Slam provides some utility and paralysis at a cost to some power. Double-Edge is more powerful, but it introduces recoil.
  • Power Whip is a powerful secondary STAB move that, when combined with Grassium Z, allows CAP25g to have a better chance against Zygarde, as it nearly OHKOs offensive variants. However, Horn Leech provides more sustainability and synergizes rather well with Double-Edge.
  • Quick Attack provides priority that isn't Extreme Speed and allows CAP25g to tackle Tornadus-T, Tomohawk, Greninja, and Volkraken much more easily.
  • Grassium Z powers up Power Whip, while Magnet can be run to make Return + Quick Attack OHKO Tomohawk before it can Roost.

Name: Choice Band
Move 1: Return / Body Slam / Double-Edge
Move 2: Power Whip / Horn Leech
Move 3: Quick Attack
Move 4: Knock Off / Explosion
Ability: Galvanize
Item: Choice Band
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Nature: Jolly
  • The STAB choice is the same as above; Return is reliable, Body Slam provides some unique utility, and Double-Edge provides more power.
  • Again, Power Whip for more power, and Horn Leech for sustainability.
  • Quick Attack provides priority and, when backed by Choice Band, hits pretty hard against what Electric-type priority is for.
  • Knock Off provides unique utility that punishes switch-ins, while also not outright beating them. It's also useful because CAP25g can safely hit Static Pokemon and not get paralyzed.
  • Explosion hits incredibly hard and can nuke most resists pretty hard.
252 Atk Choice Band Galvanize Golem-Alola Quick Attack vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Tornadus-Therian: 246-290 (82.2 - 96.9%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock
252 Atk Choice Band Galvanize Golem-Alola Quick Attack vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Greninja: 284-336 (99.6 - 117.8%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock
252 Atk Choice Band Galvanize Golem-Alola Quick Attack vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Volkraken: 246-290 (71.9 - 84.7%) -- 75% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock

Will be editing more calcs in later, especially for Explosion.
 
Moveset Submission

Name: Offensive Pivot
Move 1: Fake Out
Move 2: Volt Switch
Move 3: Double Edge / Quick Attack
Move 4: Wood Hammer
Ability: Galvanize
Item: Magnet / Normalium-Z
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Nature: Hasty / Jolly
  • Volt Switch allows CAP25g to grab free momentum on anything slower than it.
  • Fake Out fits the hit-and-run playstyle by helping to soften stuff into margin where we can KO with our other moves.
  • Double Edge allows us to nuke stuff that has been softened by Fake Out
    • Return can be used instead to avoid recoil
    • Quick Attack can be used for a double priority set with Fake Out
  • Wood Hammer is our secondary STAB, allowing us to break through Ground types that can come in to absorb our other moves.
Fake Out in an interesting option to consider since it opens up possibilities for double STAB priority. Having Fake Out + Extreme Speed is probably too hard to balance, so this is assuming no ES (which means we can give CAP25g SD without too much balance concern). With a pretty fast Volt Switch, Fake Out can be spammed very often in the game. Fake Out also can be used to inch stuff into KO range for our our stronger moves, and in conjunction with QA, allows us to basically revenge the same targets that ES could.
 
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Time to start it up with two different variations on Swords Dance!

Moveset Submission:
Name: Swords Dance Breaker
Move 1: Swords Dance
Move 2: Return
Move 3: Power Whip / Wood Hammer
Move 4: Quick Attack / Knock Off
Ability: Galvanize
Item: Life Orb / Magnet
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Nature: Jolly

  • Swords Dance boosts the power of CAPg's Attack to formidable levels.
  • Return is the main STAB, after Galvanize its a 122 BP STAB that hits very hard at +2.
  • The choice between Wood Hammer or Power Whip boils down to one of two things - recoil vs low accuracy. Either one of the two serves to smash the Ground types that are immune to its main STAB.
  • Final slot can go for either QA for strong priority that can pick off weakened threats and pose a threat to offensive teams in general, or Knock Off, which provides great neutral coverage that compliments its STAB options without drastically shaking up matchups to its C&C.
Moveset Submission:
Name: Normalium Z Nuke (with multiple uses)
Move 1: Swords Dance
Move 2: Head Charge / Double Edge
Move 3: Horn Leech
Move 4: Quick Attack / Knock Off
Ability: Galvanize
Item: Normalium Z
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Nature: Jolly / Adamant
  • Swords Dance boosts the power of CAPg's Attack to formidable levels.
  • Head Charge hits a potent 216 BP after Galvanize and STAB are counted, at +2 absolutely nukes everything but the sturdiest of resists. Double-Edge is worse due to higher recoil, but is mentioned in case Head Charge is unfavoured due to being a signature.
  • Horn Leech is the Grass STAB, and is useful to sustain CAPg's health as it spams recoil attacks.
  • Final slot can go for either QA for strong priority that can pick off weakened threats and pose a threat to offensive teams in general, or Knock Off, which provides great neutral coverage that compliments its STAB options without drastically shaking up matchups to its C&C.
SD CAPg will be a potent threat in the metagame, and I expect several variations to pop up before this threat was over. The first set is as simple as it gets - SD + high power STABs allow it to break through much of the metagame. Z-Double-Edge sets are a neat hybrid between the vanilla SD and Explosion sets that generate discussion. Having the best of both world's in a reliable high powered STAB and a power Z-Nuke for Grasses and Dragons.

I do have one thing to say though, in concerns with Deck Knight's set - Quick Attack just cannot fill Extreme Speed's void. Even without Life Orb and a neutral nature, Extreme Speed significantly outdamages QA.

+2 252 Atk Galvanize Abomasnow Quick Attack vs. 248 HP / 8 Def Zapdos: 154-183 (40.2 - 47.7%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers recovery

Your set needs to use Breakneck to beat Zapdos :/. That kinda shows how awkward it is.
 
Moveset Submission 01:
Name: Utility Wallbreaker
Move 1: Head Charge
Move 2: Rapid Spin
Move 3: Wood Hammer
Move 4: Extremespeed
Ability: Galvanize
Item: Choice Band / Magnet
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Nature: Jolly

  • Galvanize-boosted Head Charge hits a monstrous base power of 216 BP. It also has significantly less recoil than Double-Edge, which will help CAP25g's longevity.
  • Rapid Spin provides utility in hazard removal. Being able to spin on common Ghost-types while pressuring the Grass-type blockes with Grass STAB is very valuable.
  • Wood Hammer was chosen over Power Whip to give CAP25g a more accurate Grass STAB option.
  • Extremespeed is an amazing STAB priority move that can be devastating for unprepared teams. I do not think, however, it would be overwhelming on CAP25g, as the CAP metagame has a vast list of pokemon that can handle this move with ease such as Jumbao, Tangrowth and Cawmodore.
Moveset Submission: 02:
Name: Special-based Mixed Sweeper
Move 1: Boomburst
Move 2: Leaf Storm
Move 3: Work Up
Move 4: Extreme Speed
Ability: Galvanize
Item: Normalium Z / Grassium Z / Life Orb
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Nature: Naive
  • Boomburst is a spammable offensive move that can break through a lot of the metagame. Synergizes extremely well with Work Up as well.
  • Leaf Storm is a Grass-type STAB that can nuke potential Ground-type switch-ins.
  • Work Up provides boost to both physical and special offenses, making CAP25g an excelent mixed Wallbreaker/Sweeper
  • Extreme Speed provides priority to finish off weakened foes or pick up KOes on frail pokemon such as Greninja and Gyarados.
 
Moveset Submission:
Name: Swords Dance Breaker
Move 1: Swords Dance
Move 2: Return
Move 3: Power Whip / Wood Hammer
Move 4: Quick Attack / Knock Off
Ability: Galvanize
Item: Life Orb / Magnet
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Nature: Jolly

This is approximately the set that I would submit, and I'm surprised it wasn't immediately the first submission. Life Orb and Galvanize-boosted Quick Attack would be quite strong. The only changes I'd consider would be to have Double Edge and perhaps Leaf Blade as options. Double Edge could give us an overall boost to power, and Leaf Blade could let us reliably take out Colossoil without dying to Sucker Punch + Wood Hammer recoil. Being a Grass type that outspeeds Colossoil is not fun when we have to kill ourselves to take it out. There would be a similar problem with Krilowatt and its even more absurd HP stat. And yes I know Power Whip doesn't have recoil, but it is inaccurate and in those two cases the extra power isn't really needed.
 
This is approximately the set that I would submit, and I'm surprised it wasn't immediately the first submission. Life Orb and Galvanize-boosted Quick Attack would be quite strong. The only changes I'd consider would be to have Double Edge and perhaps Leaf Blade as options. Double Edge could give us an overall boost to power, and Leaf Blade could let us reliably take out Colossoil without dying to Sucker Punch + Wood Hammer recoil. Being a Grass type that outspeeds Colossoil is not fun when we have to kill ourselves to take it out. There would be a similar problem with Krilowatt and its even more absurd HP stat. And yes I know Power Whip doesn't have recoil, but it is inaccurate and in those two cases the extra power isn't really needed.

The extra power is actually needed so it can threaten Zygarde and Landorus-T

+2 252 Atk Life Orb Abomasnow Power Whip vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Zygarde: 374-442 (104.4 - 123.4%) -- guaranteed OHKO

+1 252 Atk Life Orb Abomasnow Power Whip vs. 252 HP / 240+ Def Landorus-Therian: 259-305 (67.8 - 79.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery

+2 252 Atk Life Orb Abomasnow Leaf Blade vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Zygarde: 282-333 (78.7 - 93%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock

+1 252 Atk Life Orb Abomasnow Leaf Blade vs. 252 HP / 240+ Def Landorus-Therian: 195-230 (51 - 60.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
 
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