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My votes are:
Cinccino:
1- Ausma
2- Moretto
3- Vipotis (not a fan of voting for myself, but the concept most subs had followed a different line than what i'd like to see)
Me, ARandomPerson, Magmajudis
Me, Morreto, Qways
Me, Lydian, Starfalcon555
Me, Abismal, Inkbug
Also, to answer Kakas's question about Ninjask being a support mon, I just realized I've been playing to much AG. Sorry. Forgot BP was banned.
Belated congratulations to lydian, inkbug, and ausma for winning the last slate. Between feeling rather burnt out in general and there being four mons (technically again) this time, I'll just limit myself to a top 10 of voting so I can get this out of the way "quickly":
Floatzel-Mega
01. inkbug
02. I am the Impostor
03. BlueRay
04. okispokis
05. jazzmat
06. ChoiceScarfed
07. lydian
08. Ema Skye
09. Cuddly
10. BP
Simisear-Mega
01. okispokis
02. ausma
03. ViZar
04. temp
05. abismal
06. woworiginal
07. VoolPool
08. jazzmat
09. ChoiceScarfed
10. I am the Impostor
Not sure if I'll do the next slate either yet, in part because I honestly would have rather it waited until it was confirmed the upcoming Gen IV remake wasn't bringing back Megas. I guess if it does, then the Gen IV starting trio just end up with two forms then since they'll most likely get a Mega. Oh well. Hopefully whatever wins doesn't end up being close to any official Megas should they exist since that would be the actual problem.
P.S. Speaking of starters, having done the latest large slate poll, I noticed that "Deicudeye, Incineroar, Primarina" is on there on twice. Not sure if that matters, but I'm just noting it in case it does again, especially since another slate of starters just won.
So this is a lot of subs to go through, but as always, here we go!
**all subs are, as usual, listed from my preferred ones to my most highly preferred ones
7) StarFalcon555
6) fratelli bc
5) inkbug
4) Aurum4
3) I am the Imposter 1/10 sac of water sounds too similar of a name to body of water I really enjoyed this one! I like the concept of Floatzel's water sac allowing it to absorb water from opponents and use it as its own, and this one executes the idea the best in my shitty opinion.
2) BlueRay
Honestly, as good as inkbug's idea was, I much prefer this simpler, much more offensive entry from another one of M4A's supreme council. Water/Electric somehow really fits Floatzel and this is genuinely a Speed Boost Pokemon I would use.
1) shinxthe17
This sub has some hidden glory in it that makes me feel kinda proud, y'know? I mean, where else can you find a bulky water that supports offensive Pokemon the way no other Pokemon can?
tapu fini does not exist
5) okispokis
4)VoolPool
3) abismal
Sorry but I got diabetes just from this post, hence why I'm only placing it in 3rd. Sweet idea, though. ba dum tssh
2) I am the Imposter
Fella, you are on FIRE this slate! ba dum tssh
I won't lie, I had a bit of doubt when I saw Simisear was part-Electric in your sub but giving it some thought, it lowkey makes sense, and I really like it!
1) ausma
Lets just say... if this sub doesn't win, I will personally stand in front of the council office with blazing torches, demanding for this sub to be reconsidered as the winning entry.
But serious talk this is the perfect Pokemon to fuck with the current M4A meta and I would KILL to use it.
6) PokeLegend (interesting concept tho)
5) StarFalcon555
4) The Main Mon
3) BitBitio
gotta give the OG some credit here, this is cool, though not too sure personally of the usage of Spikes on a crocodile.
Would have voted for kakaks if Simisear wasn't in a set; if Sage and Pour end up not getting Overgrow and Torrent, it would be weird.
Everyone who did anything sound related got immediately ignored. Railroading the trio into a wise monkey theme is an extremely bad idea. I speak from experience.
Hi!!! I've been around Smogon and Showdown for quite a while now, but I've never gotten around to making an account here because I've never felt the need. I just found your petmod threat and I really like it! I'm sad that I found it too late to submit for this slate because I really love Floatzel and Cinccino, but I'm happy to have made it in time to help decide for them!
inkbug! I think the concept of making the mega just have pool floaties is really cute, and the effect of it is also really unique. It's a really fun ability for double battles, it seems. It's also a clever way to give ground immunity without directly making it Flying type, like some other people did (especially since that means it doesn't have to deal with 4x electric weakness >.< )
ausma ^.^ I really liked the candy theme they and some other people had going on much better than the "hear no evil" or generic "fire monkey" themes. Ausma's sub just really stood out as the best of the candy monkies to me, though.
ViZar. You don't always need a fancy new ability to make a cool idea, and I think ViZar pulled it off really well! I think Sheer Force really fits Krookodile's brute force brute attitude, and works really well with the nice coverage moves they gave it.
KeroseneZanchu~ I like Cinccino's preppy neat-freak attitude and think it adds a lot of character to it, but I've got to admit I'm a big sucker for adorable little floof balls even more! I love the flavor they gave of just copious amounts of fluff everywhere, and they made the ability take in a direction that was a lot more unique that just "Fluffy" or "Fur Coat".
I don't really have time to vote for everyone's, but all of the submissions were really great to read!! I'm sorry if I didn't vote for you, but I'm sure you'll make subs I like even more in the future! And best of luck to everyone on winning, even without my votes xP
Before I get started, a quick run-down of how this works:
Each vote contributes one point to its first-place choice
The candidates are ordered based on both the number of first-place votes and the number of total votes, and eliminated from the bottom
Any vote whose first choice has been eliminated instead gives its point to its second choice, or whatever its next ranking is. (On the sheet, points that have moved in this manner are highlighted in yellow.)
The elimination and re-ranking process continues until there are two remaining, upon which the one with more points is the winner.
There were, uh, a lot of single votes this time, and I feel like I would not be doing my job if I didn't remind people that you can vote for as many as you want and that it's generally better if you do that? Like, you can just vote for one if you want, but overall it just makes it more likely that your vote will end up not being counted at all. I understand that there are a lot of submissions to go through, but as a general rule it's best to rank as many as you find interesting at all!
Mega Floatzel New Ability: Swift Swim/Water Veil --> Pool Floaties (This Pokemon and its allies are immune to Water-type moves. If they use or are hit by a Water-type move, they also become immune to Ground-type moves for 3 turns.)
New Typing: Water (unchanged)
Desc: if youre having a pool party , safety comes first!!! don't worry, mega floatzel is here to save the day. with it around to keep an eye on things and make sure everyone stays safe, you all can Surf to your hearts content! :D
ok but in all seriousness, floatzel loves being able to swap itself in on water moves -- it apparently runs water veil so it can swap in to scalds more safely -- and once it's done so, it's also immune to ground for a couple turns, forcing out things like water/ground staples and building momentum for its teammates.
doubles-wise, floatzel can make use of Surf to give it and its allies immunity to two types with common (i think? eq/bulldoze are common at least) spread moves, which can have a wide variety of potential applications! from teammates freely using eq, to using it for the defensive utility on water- or ground-weak potential allies -- ausma pointed out magnezone and heatran as scary potential partners, and BlueRay pointed out coalossal as a potential partner with a terrifying amount of both offensive and defensive synergy !
Ability: Red Licorice (The user unleashes superheated gelatin onto the target upon using a damaging Fairy-type move, setting the "Sticky Gel" volatile.)
The volatile-bearer is "flammable". If any Pokemon uses a Fire-type attack on a target with this volatile, they sustain 1.5x damage and are burnt. Upon use of a Fire-type move, however, the volatile is removed.
If the opponent bearing the volatile attempts to use a Fire-type attack, they will sustain 1/2 the damage they deal and are burnt. The volatile is then removed.
New Moves: Slack Off, Calm Mind, Play Rough, Dazzling Gleam, Draining Kiss, Mystical Fire
Reasoning:
now we're back to chaos
Simisear's dex entries claim that it uses sweets in order to fuel its fires... very interesting, and also the perfect excuse to finally make use of the bonkers Fire/Fairy typing. Fire/Fairy is an incredibly potent offensive typing, only really well-taken by opposing Fire-types. Naturally, due to how well these two types can combo together, I wanted to create an effect that can not only boast flavor, but can capitalize well on common Fairy-type switch-ins and punish them with an incredibly powerful effect in tandem with the Fire-type, of course. So, let's make Simisear embody the fuel to its fire and make it a candy monke.
Fairy-type moves, as we know, have literally no immunities, making them a perfect candidate for the ability's catalyst, which allows for Simisear to spread nuclear follow-up Fire-type moves, or more interestingly, spread status on a whim. This can let Simisear perform as an effective setup sweeper or general wallbreaker, dishing out immediate damage upon switch-in, and then using its spreaded burns as Calm Mind opportunities. Especially since burn lowers attack, this naturally makes for a powerful combo with Calm Mind, much moreso than the alternative Nasty Plot.
The latter effect of Sticky Gel allows for Simisear to not just be an ooga-booga wallbreaker and cleaner, but also lets it provide actual utility for its teams in the process. This dishes a similar effect if the recipient is the user of a Fire-type attack, letting Simisear pair especially well with Fire-type weak Pokemon and forcing a powerful checkmate scenario for opponents that might want to use their STAB or a coverage option to damage a threat sitting in front of them.
With all of this comes a natural drawback: opposing Fire-types. Sure, it gets the damage boost and forces recoil damage on them, but Simisear can never burn them, and they naturally resist both of its STABs, making for very linear counterplay. Additionally, it's lights out for Simisear if opponents can exploit its weaker physical bulk or put a para/poison on it. However, overall, this creates for a supportive wallbreaker and setup sweeper that takes unique advantage of powerful dual STABs in order to make progress.
You see those shades?
Let's do something with that.
Krookodile-Mega
/
Intimidate/Moxie/Anger Point-->Stygian Shades (this Pokémon’s Dark type status moves set a layer of Spikes.)
New Stats: 95/150/95/65/95/119 HP: 95--->95 (+0) Attack: 117--->150 (+33) Defense: 80--->95 (+15) Special Attack: 65--->65 (+0) Special Defense: 70--->95 (+25) Speed: 92--->119 (+27)
Total: 519--->619 (+100)
New Moves: Parting Shot, Topsy Turvy, Shore Up, Spikes
Description: Krookodile is my favorite Pokemon of all time without a doubt. Tied with the Mudkip line but they already have a mega. It was actually one of the first three Pokemon I was ever introduced to, so it holds a place very near and dear to my heart.
It's such a cool Pokemon in every facet of its design. In particular, I wanted to highlight the competitive side of this Pokemon. Krookodile is usually used in a number of roles due to its flexiblility, whether as a pivot, a scarfer, a rocker, or another role. It is something of an all-purpose glue- It can fill a variety of useful roles for a team in need, much like Landorus-Therian. However, as a result of the aforementioned Landorus-T, which is bulkier, stronger, and in possession of a wider movepool, Krookodile usually is cast aside and instead used widely in UU.
Fun fact: did you know that wild Krookodile have a 50% chance to be holding Black Glasses? I found this out the other day and it's kind of the coolest thing ever. Ash's Krookodile in the anime was famous for its sunglasses that gave it a unique character, and its unique battling style that let it take on opponents such as Sawk and Beartic that would soundly defeat it otherwise. I love the character of Krookodile with its rude, too-cool attitude. Mega Krookodile would don a pair of its own sunglasses.
Krookodile also holds an entirely unique typing- both Dark and Ground types are competitively potent, but no Pokemon aside from Krookodile and its evolutions have this combination. Both types have a lot to offer, and it certainly makes Krookodile a more interesting Pokemon.
Dark types are easily the rudest Pokemon around. While their type would seemingly indicate the use of actual darkness to attack, they only do this with Dark Pulse- Ghost types are the ones that make use of "darkness" as an element. The name for the Dark type in Japanese is more meant to indicate evil. While I wouldn't necessarily call Dark types evil, they certainly play very dirty. They trip, bite, cheat, steal, and surprise their opponents, and honestly their level of rudeness can be hilarious.
Ground types are known for being essential to good competitive teams- the ability to absorb Volt Switch and put a stop to Electric types in general is incredibly beneficial. Additionally, Ground type is a stellar offensive type that dictates sturdy resists/immunities on teams due to fanstastic neutral and super effective coverage as well as strong moves to take advantage of. Ground happens to pair well with Dark- both types hit the other type's checks for neutral damage, and the punitive nature of their respective attacks allow users of the combination to be challenging to switch into.
Mega Krookodile is optimized to handle a variety of roles at once, role compression being another thing Krookodile is famous for, while maintaining that classic Dark type rudery and the offensive benefits of Spikes and the Ground type. With a generally great boost to its bulk, as well as respectable boosts to power and speed, Mega Krookodile can be quite potent in the right hands. The ability Stygian Shades allows Krookodile to make excellent use of a variety of Dark type status moves:
-Parting Shot lends Krookodile a means of pivoting, allowing Krookodile to gain momentum and bring in teammates more safely. Additionally, the stat drops and the momentum often forces switches, which synergizes well with Spikes.
-Topsy Turvy is a useful tool that lets Krookodile flip the script on setup sweepers, often forcing them out- Pursuit and Spikes again enable further chip damage.
-Hone Claws lets Krook set up and lay Spikes, making potent use of Krookodile's good offensive stats.
-Snatch is an often overlooked move that lets you “steal” moves that set up or heal, which can be very disruptive and rude. This can throw off opposing strategies well, but requires good prediction.
-Taunt is another disruptive tool that lends Krookodile the unique ability to stop hazard removal while simultaneously setting Spikes. It also has general utility, and often forces switches by defensive Pokémon which lets Krookodile punish switches with the Spikes and Pursuit.
-Embargo is extremely disruptive- it stops all forms of item use, in addition to setting Spikes. This can really throw off Pokémon that depends on their item. It also forces switches much like many of the other moves listed here.
-Torment is a rude option that pairs best with Protect to force opponents to have a hard time hitting Krookodile. It can be a good stallbreaking tool. It also forces switches which, as has been proven, is easy prey for Krookodile.
Shore Up lets Krookodile complete these disruptive strategies throughout the game, which pairs well with dual STABs (Ground/Dark is a potent and unique combo that pairs well with the ability)- Knock Off in particular pairs phenomenally with the constant Spike chip, and the grounded Pokemon that take chip from Spikes are also vulnerable to Earthquake.
Overall, Mega Krookodile is a hilariously rude yet super cool Pokemon, acting as a super disruptive pivot, glue, and wallbreaker that fills the roles Krookodile is (in)famous for. Enjoy!
Did I mention that today is literally my birthday?
Ability: Long Whip - This Pokemon’s multi-hit moves become damage over time effects, performing one hit at the end of every turn, with the number of turns equal to the max number of hits the move has. This effect can be layered multiple times, and targeting/damage calculation functions similarly to Future Sight.
Dex: During Mega Evolution, Cinccino's tails become overwhelmingly fluffy, long, and luxurious - enough so that there is significant delay between the initial wave of its tail, and the final whip at the tip.
Cinccino’s new ability allows it to fill a unique concept of setting up a turn or two of its multihit move of choice - Tail Slap usually, but situationally Rock Blast or Bullet Seed - and letting it switch into a defensive partner. This allows Cinccino to deal good, consistent damage while hiding behind a wall of its own.
The strengths of this sub should be pretty clear. You trade a turn or two of only using a low power move (25-50 BP) in exchange for being able to switch into a defensive wall or stall who also benefits from getting that damage every turn - in addition to whatever setup, status, or damage of their own they want to utilize. Cinccino has access to the pivot move U-Turn, which has excellent synergy with this playstyle. Its Mega form gets just enough added bulk to help it endure the damage it takes to the face on switch-in a bit better, as well as a boosted attack stat to make up for the lack of in-battle stat boosts that other heavy-hitting Pokemon can utilize.
Excellent partners for Cinccino will be Pokémon with Screens to help Cinccino and others switch around without being as pressured, moves like Wish to help keep Cinccino and other pivots healthy, and Pokemon with pivot moves of their own.
With stall like Substitute, Work Up, Light Screen, and Rest, Cinccino also has tools to utilize its new ability by itself if needed, though to an (intentionally) lesser efficiency. However, into strong enemy walls (especially setup ones like Clefable and Araquanid), keeping Cinccino on the field to utilize Laser Focus and Work Up may be the better play, as you lack these benefits when switching out.
A very clear weakness to this style is any sort of entry hazards, for obvious reasons. Other weaknesses to this are Steel-types who resist all of Cinccino’s multi-hit moves. While Cinccino has tools to stall and chip on her own, as previously described, trappers are also threats deal with her quite handily with their ability to choose if they want to pick fights with just her, or the wall, and shut down their synergy.
A reason I like this sub is both a strength and weakness in regards to the manner users will have to approach to teambuilding with it. While many mega Pokemon are merely strong picks on their own right and require little foresight, Mega Cinccino is a very intentional pick that encourages careful planning and teambuilding. This can be a constriction to some, but is a glorious benefit to those flexible and willing enough to pick Pokemon that synergize with Cinccino and allow her to unleash her true potential.
Before I move on, I have a section here to add from Hematite about some balance changes that we'd like to poll! Here's him now:
Balance Changes Update
Hi again, everyone! This part of the post is by Hematite, and I'm here with another balance changes poll!
Some of the changes are actually pretty minor, with the focus just being on cleaning up the optics of some moves and Abilities.
These ones shouldn't take too much explaining or justification, since they're not meant to be major competitive changes!
Two of the smaller updates are just to remove Photon Geyser from Starmie and Fling from Mismagius.
In Starmie's case, Photon Geyser is a very rare Psychic move that's tied heavily to a specific Legendary Pokémon, Necrozma, so it's really not meant to be taken lightly as a movepool addition. Unlike Reuniclus (which is actually also being discussed, but the consensus right now isn't to remove it), for Starmie, it's not an important part of its gameplan to rely on Photon Geyser's unique properties, like its changing category - Starmie only uses it for its raw power if anything, while it has no shortage of other choices for its main STAB that are just as good and in many ways more interesting, including Stored Power (which has incredible synergy with its Ability), Future Sight and Psyshock. Given how rare the move is, some of the people in our community feel that it takes the mod further from its goal of being a realistic extension of canon for no real gain, so we've agreed to remove it.
Mismagius is a super minor one, but some people object to the choice to give it Fling as a flavor move - the reason it was considered flavorful is only because Mega Mismagius is characterized by wildly throwing potions and stuff, but it has no such flavor on the base form, while it's actively impossible for a Mega Evolution to use. While it's understandable where it came from, it's been considered a weird addition and outside of the scope of the mod, since the sole focus of all of our move additions is meant to be on our Mega Evolutions and this is a move that can't be used by one.
Next up is a minor revision to Mega Samurott's Ability, Heavenly Techniques, which is meant to be focused on slashing moves in keeping with the theme of swordfighting techniques. After some discussion, it was decided that X-Scissor is a very fitting move to include, and one that could also be neat for Samurott to have as a way to preempt priority from Rillaboom when at full HP; on the other hand, people have been insistent that Smart Strike does not fit the theme, as it involves stabbing with a horn and has nothing to do with swordsmanship or slashing. Accordingly, we'd like to update the list of affected moves to add X-Scissor and remove Smart Strike.
For reference, the current effect of the Ability is as follows:
If this Pokémon is at full HP, its blade-based and slashing moves have their priority increased by 1.
When its HP is in between full and 1/3, this Pokémon's Defense is raised by 1 stage after it uses a blade-based or slashing move.
When it has 1/3 or less of its maximum HP, rounded down, this Pokémon's blade-based and slashing moves are critical hits.
Affected moves:
Aerial Ace, Air Slash, Behemoth Blade, Cut, Fury Cutter, Leaf Blade, Night Slash, Psycho Cut, Razor Shell, Razor Wind, Sacred Sword, Secret Sword, Slash, Smart Strike and Solar Blade
To clarify, neither of these changes affects Samurott's movepool at all - just the Ability (and the category of slashing moves)!
Following this are some bigger changes with more important competitive implications! While the other changes are mostly for optics and just a matter of what we agree is or isn't fitting, I would advise taking these two very seriously. These are changes to the Abilities Savage, exclusive to Mega Feraligatr, and Body of Water, exclusive to Mega Araquanid.
Savage is sort of a strange case - while it was primarily meant as a "for-fun" Mega (and it's certainly a very enjoyable Ability to use when it works! I always love getting Feraligatr in random battles, for example) and not meant to have major competitive implications, it's had a more serious impact on the optics of the mod. It's been found, unfortunately, to set a bad example for new submitters and been seriously misleading about what kind of RNG is supposed to be accepted by the mod; some people keep trying to replicate the effect for other categories of moves, while some people see it and are turned off of using Feraligatr, and we've already had to implement the unusual Freeze Clause Mod primarily to mitigate its potentially harmful and uncompetitive impact.
With that in mind, we're hoping to streamline Savage to be tamer and more competitive, removing the RNG-induced variance in its damage output and focusing on it instead as a quirky hybrid of Serene Grace and Parental Bond - keeping Mega Feraligatr's emphasis on secondary effects and stat drops, but making it more competitive and more reliable otherwise.
For reference, the current effect of the Ability is as follows:
When the user uses a bite move, the user will hit 2-5 times at 1/3 power.
The proposed change is for Mega Feraligatr's biting moves to hit exactly three times instead of varying from two to five hits.
For some mathematical justifications:
- The effect on its damage output would be an extremely marginal increase of 1/18 relative to the average it has now.
- The reliability of its secondary effects would not be changed substantially, either:
* a 10% effect such as a burn from Fire Fang would go from 27.9235% to 27.1%;
* a 20% effect such as a Defense drop from Crunch would go from 49.312% to 48.8%;
* and a 30% effect such as a flinch from Bite would go from 65.4305% to 65.7%.
(This accounts for the variance in the number of hits and is cumulative.)
This is the absolute smallest change possible in most ways, but it should address the way the Ability reflects on the mod and make Feraligatr a more consistent and more competitive addition to the mod, so we'd really like to change it if we can have approval!
Finally, uh
I have created a monster.
For reference, the current effect of its Ability, Body of Water, is as follows:
When this Pokémon uses a Water-type attack, damage is calculated using the user's Defense stat as its Attack or its Special Defense as its Special Attack, including stat stage changes. Other effects that modify the Attack and Special Attack stats are used as normal.
Unfortunately, when I submitted Mega Araquanid (this was my fault I'm so sorry), I neglected a move I had no idea would become so important to its use: Stockpile. Stockpile Mega Araquanid, uh, does not take damage, and it's turned out to be one of the most threatening offensive setup Pokémon in the entire mod thanks to the combination of its incredible bulk, its incredibly hard-hitting moves and its ability to raise (effectively) its Attack, Defense, Special Attack and Special Defense at the same time.
Araquanid has quickly become one of the strongest Pokémon around in both single battles and VGC, and there are some terrifying replays of it living hits it has no business living, KOing in turn and cleaving through entire teams that lack the bulk to wear it down over time - you can find an analysis by the incredible BlueRay and a gallery of replays featuring Araquanid on the Megas for All wiki to see it for yourself!
The biggest problem with Body of Water is definitely the amount that setup is rewarded, with both Iron Defense and Stockpile proving to be some of the strongest setup moves anything in the mod can have - and since I wasn't accounting for them when I first submitted it, Araquanid was not at all balanced around or designed to be a setup sweeper, so this pushes it much further than it was meant to go. We've agreed that the solution should simply be to address this directly - we'd like to revise Body of Water such that it no longer uses stat boosts to Defense and Special Defense, deviating a bit from its basis in Body Press but preventing Araquanid's crazy setup options from making it so hard to break and hard to wall at the same time.
This might seem like a pretty big nerf, but it's only to get it to where it was supposed to be in the first place - and Araquanid is still going to be left a pretty strong Pokémon!
As usual, we will require at least a 60% supermajority in the poll to go through with the changes! That said, all of these changes have been approved unanimously by the competitive council and by their original submitters - this is just to check the public opinion before we go through with them!
This poll will last 48 hours, and the results will be announced right away when it closes! We'd love to have everyone's input on this, so please vote to let us know how you feel about it! C:
Next, before I move on to the next slate, here's a reminder about our upcoming tours!
Since there was some confusion last time, I would like to clarify that these are not long-form tours; they are basically run like roomtours that just use a different website for the bracket so we can more easily play Best of 3, which is most people's preference. If you're not there within half an hour or so of the start time, we will move on without you!
>>> Upcoming tournaments this weekend (March 13th/14th) <<< Saturday, March 13th at 6PM GMT: New Recruits Tour #2 >>> (Wiki Homepage) (Challonge Signups) <<<
Awhile ago, we decided to hold one of these periodically, to get a feel for the potential our new additions have for shaping the metagame in new and exciting ways. For this tournament, the teams you use are required to have a Mega Evolution that is either from any of the slates made after the previous New Recruits tour that are live at the time of the tournament, or one that has recently seen a significant buff or nerf. Here's the list currently, but it may be added to as we potentially poll more balance changes over the coming weeks: (both)
Sunday, March 14th at 7PM GMT: M4A Monthly #1 >>> (Wiki Homepage) (Challonge Signups) <<<
You know, we don't hold normal tours that often!! This one's just a normal tournament with no restrictions on what you can and can't bring (outside of like. normal MfA format rules), and I'd like to hold this kind of tour on a more regular basis.
And finally, last but not least; Submissions for Slate 31 are now open!
A very topical set of Pokemon given recent announcements, and that are dear to the hearts of many of us here! I know Diamond was the first video game I ever played, personally, and its probably the one I've spent the most time on overall.
Here are some important things to keep in mind while designing your submissions for these three:
Hematite said:
It has become apparent that many are inclined to give Shell Smash to Mega Torterra on account of its resemblance to other users of the move. Please don't do this!
I feel it's important to note that Infernape is a mixed attacker and comes with both Swords Dance and Nasty Plot, and it naturally has a high Speed stat and very strong moves as both physical and special STABs. This means we need to exercise caution with it - keep other setup sweepers in mind when making choices about its stats, and remember that neither attacking stat is really a safe throwaway! There's a lot of room to create something too strong by mistake when you're working with a Pokémon like this, so please be careful with it.
Submissions for Mega Torterra, Mega Infernape and Mega Empoleon will be open until 0:00 GMT on Monday, March 15th, or 120 hours (5 days) from this post. (Midnight GMT is a weird timeslot to keep in mind, at least for me, so hopefully this is a helpful example -- 0:00 GMT on Sunday in GMT is 4:00 PM on Saturday in my timezone (GMT-8).)
Torterra is supposed to be based on the World Turtle, which is a giant turtle that supports the world. And IMO, something that is essentially a planet should definitely have its own gravitational force. Torterra actually benefits a lot from Gravity, as now Flying-types just can't switch into its Earthquake. Grav Apple is a great new move to fit with this; under Gravity, Grav Apple basically becomes a recoil-less Wood Hammer.
Mega Infernape has a niche that hasn't really been explored yet: a set-up sweeper that gets boosts by dealing damage. It already gets STAB on two moves that have a guaranteed stat boost: Power-Up Punch and Flame Charge. These moves still have low base power, though, which made Technician a perfect fit. It encourages actually using Flame Charge and Power-Up Punch to set up rather than just using Swords Dance. I do know that this concept is a bit of a slippery slope, so I tried to make the increases in the attacking stats and speed as low as possible. If it still looks problematic, please let me know.
MegaEmpoleon
Type: Water/Steel
Ability: King ofthe North (This Pokémon gets STAB on Ice-type moves. Immune to Hail.)
Stats:
HP: 84 (+0)
Attack: 116 (+30)
Defense: 118 (+30)
Special Attack: 111 (+0)
Special Defense: 111 (+10)
Speed: 90 (+30)
New Moves: Triple Axel, Icicle Crash, Meteor Mash, Iron Head
Honestly this one is pretty self-explanatory. Mega Empoleon is now an honorary Ice-type. I mean it's a fucking PENGUIN WHY WASN'T IT ALREADY ICE-TYPE FFS GAMEFREAK. But now it gets a cool (hehe get it) new STAB without losing the benefits of the amazing Water/Steel typing. Its new moves complement its increased physical Attack. (TIL that Empoleon does not already get Iron Head. Seriously GameFreak, what are you smoking?!)
Ability: Overgrow/Shell Armor --> Gravitational Pull (While this pokemon is active, hazard's on the either side of the field orbits it until it switches out. While hazards are in orbit, if the opponent makes contact each hazard causes its own effect. This pokemon is also immune to hazards.)
Toxic Spikes = Poison, Toxic depending on the layer count Stealth Rock = Deals the same stealth rock damage, including its type effectiveness. Spikes = 1/8th, 1/6th, 1/4th depending on the layer count (either side) Sticky Webs= Lower's speed 1 stage.
Description: Upon mega evolving Torterra significantly grows in size, gaining a more spherical shape in comparison to its base form. It's large enough to sustain multiple nests for pokemon and its mysteriously capable of wielding gravity. It's underbelly transforms, resembling oceans and other small continents. This pokemon is also great for slowing down minior that enter the atmosphere. It prefers to hover very close to the ground, however it is still able to walk.
So basically Torterra looks like a planet, and more specifically it looks like the earth. It sustains life and has a rare typing, Grass/Ground. This mega doesn't do much for base Torterra other than increase its stats but it also gives it an interesting role against hazards. With its new ability, Gravitational Pull, It uses hazards on either side of the field defensively. This also brings good hazard control as Torterra can reward hazard stacking for the user, and punish hazard stacking for the opponent. Torterra can set its own stealth rocks, giving it a freebie if it wants. Torterra being capable of switching into hazards freely allows it to capitalize more on this effect, as it also cannot have its entry hazards removed while it is active. If you manage to stack a full layer of Spikes and Toxic Spikes, along with stealth rocks you can constantly rack up damage as long as the opponent makes contact. Common threats like Rillaboom and Landorus are still an issue, but they'd be less inclined to touch you as each hit they throw at you hurts them even more. Combine Torterra with leech seed or synthesis and its good to go.
So I'm pretty sure everyone's heard the way Isaac Newton was lead to develop theories about gravity. An apple falling from a tree. Torterra has a big tree on it, so why not give it Grav Apple? It makes perfect sense. Gravity and apples. Torterra becoming large enough to gain a gravitational pull, you get the point. Grav Apple is a neat addition because it can punish switching. Rather than making Torterra rock polish and sweep everything you can slowly lower the foes defense, and hit them with Body Press or Earthquake. Grav Apple also saves Torterra the trouble of having to run Wood Hammer.
Alright, that's all I have for now, I might have more submissions later.
Mega Torterra
New Ability: Quaking Surge (Summons Quaking Terrain on switch in.)
Boosts the power of ground type moves by 1.3, and ground Pokemon have a defense boost, similar to the effects of sandstorm.
Type:
New Stats:
HP: 95
Attack: 109 -> 124 (+15)
Defense: 105 -> 155 (+50)
Special Attack: 75 -> 95 (+20)
Special Defense: 85 -> 100 (+15)
Speed: 56 -> 76 (+20) New moves: Precipice Blades, Explosion Description: A wallbreaker that can conveniently blow itself up in case it has to bring a revenge killer/sweeper in.
Mega Empoleon
New Ability: Empoleon Complex (If this pokemon is hit with a status move from another pokemon, its SpA is raised two stages.) Type:
New Stats:
HP: 84
Attack: 86
Defense: 88 -> 103 (+15)
Special Attack: 111 -> 136 (+25)
Special Defense: 101
Speed: 60 -> 120 (+60) New moves: None Description: I'm not the first person on this thread to base a mega on a bad joke, and I won't be the last.
Mega Infernape
New Ability: Blazing Banana: If a berry has been consumed in the battle, this pokemon's attacks will always burn. Type:
New Stats:
HP: 76
Attack: 104 -> 124 (+20)
Defense: 71 -> 86 (+15)
Special Attack: 104 -> 124 (+20)
Special Defense: 71 -> 86 (+15)
Speed: 108 -> 138 (+30) New moves: Fire Lash Description:
New Moves: Steel Beam, Smart Strike, Flip Turn, Life Dew
Description: A potentially very strong pokemon. With access to moves like life dew, agility, swords dance, iron defense, double team, feather dance, & work up. This pokemon can set up for massive effect in exchange for going last when doing so.
New Moves: Body Press, Grassy Glide, Terrain Pulse, Head Smash, High Horsepower
Description: A great pokemon who likes rillaboom as a partner. With access to body press, grassy glide, synthesis, swords dance, rock polish, head smash, stone edge, high horsepower & other great options. This pokemon can tank physical hits like crazy when in grassy terrain with additional healing as well. btw body press doesn't work with grass pelt :(
Mega Infernape
Fire/Fighting
Ability: Enrage (When this pokemon falls below 1/2 hp, it gains +1 Speed)
Description: This pokemon has nasty plot and swords dance for set up. This pokemon can also use high jump kick to lower its health to activate the berserk boost.
So, Sinnoh starters. I intend to go all out with this one. I have put a lot more time onto these 3 subs than most of my other subs, so I genuinely hope y’all love these ones.
Starting off with a simple concept here:
Type: Grass/Ground
Ability: Aftershock (If this Pokemon uses the move Earthquake, the opposing side will be attacked by Magnitude 2 turns afterwards. The effects only stack once.)
Stats:
Health: 95
Attack: 144 (+35)
Defense: 135 (+30)
Special Attack: 90 (+15)
Special Defense: 115 (+20)
Speed: 56
New moves: Magnitude, Rapid Spin
Describing the Ability:
So, we all know about Earthquake. That deadly, 100-BP STAB Ground move which is also one of the most popular moves in the game. The move itself is based on (of course) earthquakes in real life, which are just as deadly to us. But after earthquakes, aftershocks may occur.
Wikipedia defines an aftershock as:
‘a smaller earthquake that follows a larger earthquake, in the same area of the main shock, caused as the displaced crust adjusts to the effects of the main shock.’
So for a smaller earthquake to happen after using the move Earthquake doesn’t seem too odd now, right?
Aftershock works as a Ground-type alternative to Future Sight for Torterra-Mega, forcing the opponent to anticipate when the aftershock will arrive, and potentially take the risk of having a grounded Pokemon tank the hit and hope that it isn’t a Magnitude 8 or above.
Like Future Sight, this issue can easily be resolved with the existence of Flying-types, and unlike Dark-types, Flying-types are incredibly common in the current metagame, serving as defensive Defog utility mons.
Why Aftershock on Torterra-Mega?
It’s literally the Continental Pokemon. If it couldn’t cause huge seismic activity just from walking I’d be surprised, especially considering the fact that Torterra-Mega would be even huger when it evolves.
How will Torterra-Mega affect the competitive metagame?
Honestly, this one comes down to the player! I do have a few sets here that would work well with Torterra:
Rock Polish (Torterra)
Ability: Shell Armor
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Rock Polish
- Earthquake
- Wood Hammer
- Stone Edge
This one serves as a setup sweeper, being able to utilize Aftershock to pressurize checks not named Rillaboom, while also having Stone Edge to scare away the common Zapdos and Moltres. It does, however, struggle against the likes of Ferrothorn (to an extent), Tangrowth, and of course, Corviknight.
This is a defensive set, and arguably really good for the current M4A metagame. Besides that, it shuts down the majority of Electric-types not carrying HP Ice very well, and completely nukes Sand architecture, being able to mess with the likes of Ttar (not carrying Ice Beam), Hippowdon, Dracozolt, Flygon-Mega, and Excadrill incredibly well.
252+ Atk Choice Band Rillaboom Wood Hammer vs. 248 HP / 252+ Def Torterra in Grassy Terrain: 237-280 (60.3 - 71.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Grassy Terrain recovery
Oh, and it tanks Rillaboom decently, I guess.
+2 252 Atk Garchomp Scale Shot (5 hits) vs. 248 HP / 252+ Def Torterra: 245-290 (62.3 - 73.7%) -- approx. 2HKO
Would still like to add that SD Chomp is scary asf, though.
Overall, I see Torterra-Mega as a versatile, bulky Grass mon with both offensive viability and defensive viability. With Aftershock Earthquake it can force many switches and make the opponent play a smarter game to not get hit by overwhelming magnitudes.
Next up, Infernape. This one actually ran into some troubles with the previous draft so I ended up having to rework the whole thing. Nonetheless, I’m satisfied with what I’ve got in my hands.
Type: Fire/Fighting
Ability: Hotheaded (If switched in against an opponent with stat boosts, this Pokemon’s speed is doubled. If the opposing Pokemon has no stat boosts/has fainted, the effect wears off and Infernape-Mega cools down at the end of the turn.)
Stats:
Health: 76
Attack: 130 (+26)
Defense: 90 (+19)
Special Attack: 130 (+26)
Special Defense: 90 (+19)
Speed: 118 (+10)
New moves: Outrage, Wild Charge
Describing the Ability:
Ever heard of this guy?
This is Sun Wukong, a mythical figure of legend, who happens to be the inspiration for Infernape itself. He is a monke who attained supernatural powers through the art of Taoist pratices, and has many strong abilities which made him one of the strongest beings in the world.
However, the ability is only loosely based on one aspect of Sun Wukong: his hotheadedness that led to him rebelling against Heaven after they belittled him. This ability also ties in with the BW/BW2 dex entries that describe Infernape as a Pokemon that would ‘take on anyone’. So to even up the odds stacked against it, Infernape gets hot-headed and its speed doubles, allowing it to garner a chance against whatever its facing.
In a nutshell, Hotheaded is an ability that enables revenge killing with ease, not being completely useless but certainly having a solid niche that makes it stand out.
How will Infernape-Mega affect the current metagame?
Fuck your stupid Calm Mind, Shift Gear Magearna.
Fuck your stupid Scale Shot SD Garchomp.
Fuck your stupid Quiver Dance Volcarona.
Fuck your stupid Unburden + SD Hawlucha.
Fuck your stupid Lurantis-Mega Silver Wind boosts.
Fuck setup sweepers in general.
How I intend Infernape-Mega to work:
Physical Revenge AOA (Infernape)
Ability: Iron Fist
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Flare Blitz
- Close Combat
- U-turn
- Wild Charge
Special Revenge AOA (Infernape)
Ability: Blaze
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Fire Blast
- Focus Blast
- Grass Knot
- U-turn
Ironic Physical (Infernape)
Ability: Iron Fist
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Flare Blitz
- Close Combat
- Wild Charge
To avert the situation above, I decided to add the effect to remove Hotheaded's speed boosts once Infernape takes out the stronger opponent and finds out that it's even/better compared to the opponent's Pokemon, hence eliminating most of its opportunity to snowball (I mean, who in the right mind would allow their setup sweeper to stay in against Infernape anyways).
Also, RIP Ditto's Viability (2010-2021)
Well, you’ve seen my (former) Infernape and Torterra entries on Discord before, but I have yet to reveal my Empoleon entry, which I feel is BY FAR my favourite of the 3 mega concepts. Without further ado, here we go:
Oh boy, is this gonna be controversial.
Type: Water/Steel
Ability: Emperor’s Might
An ability that has different effects based on what move this Pokemon is hit by.
If a Pokemon with this ability is hit by a NVE move, the opponent is encored. On the contrary, if it is hit by a SE move, the Pokemon is tormented.
Stats:
Health: 84
Attack: 111 (+25)
Defense: 128 (+40)
Special Attack: 111
Special Defense: 136 (+35)
Speed: 60
New moves: Nasty Plot, Roost, Encore
Describing the Ability:
You know how Japanese/Chinese emperors kinda like ruling the world and doing as they please, right? Well they tend to act irrationally under different moods so this is where the idea came from.
When they see something that pleases them, they ask for more, hence the encoring. When something displeases them, the person who committed such sins on his royal ground would suffer harsh punishment. Execution (or an OHKO) would’ve been too extreme, so I went with tormenting instead.
Emperor’s Might allows for many different styles of play, which we’ll get in-depth with later. Encoring a Pokemon onto an NVE move is HUGE for Empoleon-Mega, allowing it to use a move that gives his royal subject- I mean, teammates a better chance at winning. Whether it be Defog, SR or Roost, the opponent cannot prevent it, regardless of whether they switch out or not. Tormenting after SE move is also a very useful tool, leaving an offensive Pokemon with one less tool (and perhaps their only useful tool) to hit Empoleon-Mega with. Don’t get me started on Choice-locked Pokemon.
It can’t however, punish pivoting, since there is no point in encoring a Pokemon that is about to switch in anyways. Volt Switch is also fun against Empoleon-Mega.
Why this ability on Empoleon-Mega?
It’s literally based on an Emperor Penguin. End of story.
How will Empoleon-Mega affect the current metagame?
Well, this is going to be by far the best defensive Water in the game if it goes through. Having innate access to Encore and Torment makes it a huge asset to any team, and it itself can do a lot with Emperor’s Might.
A. The Emperor that will defend its citizens and subjects whatever it takes. Defensive (Empoleon)
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Roost
- Defog
- Stealth Rock
- Scald
Here’s a generic set you’d run with Defensive Empoleon-Mega, with recovery, hazard setting, hazard removing and potential burn chance all compact in a single Pokemon.
B. The Emperor who will enforce power on the throne through any means possible.
This is why I gave it Nasty Plot, to fulfill the needs of those who like a dose of evil Emperor vibes.
Yep.
With a pretty bad speed tier of 60, Empoleon-Mega will require Agility alongside Nasty Plot to enjoy the fruits of its (cheaply-earned) labor. Pokemon like Ferrothorn, Blissey (Seismic Toss cannot be disabled since it technically isn’t SE), Rotom-W, and just all the offensive Water-types in general have at least one move that can hit Empoleon-Mega.
Overall, Empoleon is by far the most controversial sub I’ve done so far, but also perhaps my most creative one. Please the emperor or face the perils.
I hope these subs weren’t too bad lmao
Empoleon-Mega and Infernape-Mega can be sandboxed if necessary, thanks!
Also in consideration: Bulldoze as Aftershock's move instead of Magnitude.
New moves:
Solar Blade, High Horsepower, Heat Crash
Description: 1) Concept:
Torterra has some associations with the "World Turtle" theme, which is the idea of a gigantic turtle who is always moving and carrying the whole world on its back. Since "Desolate Land" actually means "Land of the End" in Japanese according to bulbapedia, I figured the ability would reflect that part very well.
2) Competitive: VGC: "Desolate Land" allows Torterra to use many moves that are supported by that form of weather, like Solar Blade, Synthesis, or Growth, which is something that Primal Groudon cannot do to the same extent, therefore making Torterra different from it. There is also something to be said about the unique support Torterra offers in VGC. For instance, Fairy Pokémon like Florges or Comfey have access to an ability called "Flower Veil" which protects Grass Pokémon from status issues and stat drops caused by the opponent. While the ability is useful in a vacuum, few Grass Pokémon synergize well with these Fairy Pokémon because one of them must be able to deal with Poison Pokémon like Amoonguss, and sturdy Steel Pokémon like Ferrothorn or Celesteela. As Torterra has a secondary Ground type and new access to Heat Crash, it can work very well with Florges or Comfey and their ability "Flower Veil" to deal with obnoxious Steel Pokémon and get around Intimidate.
Torterra as a "Desolate Land" user also invites other types, such as the Rock type. Rock Pokémon resist Flying and Fire Torterra is weak to. Furthermore, the Rock type can hit these types as well as the Ice and Bug type for effective damage, which are other types Torterra is weak to. Torterra, on the other hand, has access to Wide Guard to protect Rock Pokémon from Earthquake. Its ability makes them no longer worry about Water moves anymore, and thanks to its Grass type, it can deal with Ground and Water Pokémon very easily.
While Torterra has great bulk and is quite strong offensively (after all, Solar Blade, Earthquake, and Heat Crash have high BP and hit many targets for effective damage), it is balanced out by its crippling weakness to Ice and Fire, the latter being worsened by "Desolate Land".
Singles: There's not much to say except that it's fast and strong enough to run Rock Polish if you want to. Just look at the three moves I just listed above. Torterra can also work defensively since it has a useful Rock and Ground resistance and is immune to Electric and Water thanks to "Desolate Land". As a bulky attacker, it probably won't have a difficult time finding a place on a team, especially when it has a strong offensive presence due to its movepool.
Description 1) Concept:
The Pokédex specifically mentions how Infernape fights with its whole body and that it's quite flexible in that regard. That's why Infernape has the ability "Limber", flavourwise.
2) Competitive:
Now, the main reason why Infernape has "Limber" is because many teams run certain options to burn or paralyse a Pokémon, making them less effective in their role as a wall or attacker. Notable examples include Flame Body from Moltres and Volcarona, Static from Zapdos, Will-O-Wisp, Lava Plume, Scald, Thunderwave, or Discharge. Since Infernape is a Fire Pokémon, it is naturally immune to Burn. So, it only has to worry about Paralysis. Thanks to "Limber", however, it can safely click contact moves against a Static user or set-up in front of a Pokémon that likes spreading Burn or Paralysis. Moreover, Infernape has access to many useful contact moves, like U-Turn, Fake Out, or Close Combat, which underlines how useful "Limber" can be for Infernape. After all, you are no longer required to run Tapu Fini for status protection or Aromatherapy on Clefable to cure your main attackers from a status problem. This gives you the chance to run other moves on your support Pokémon or even frees up a team slot!
Regular Infernape usually runs a Choice Scarf or a Choice Band set in our format since it's too frail and not fast enough to set-up with Swords Dance or Nasty Plot consistently. This Mega Infernape, however, is different from its regular form in that its improved stats (especially its Special Defense) and its new ability "Limber" make it so much more reliable at setting-up. For instance, Mega Infernape is 3HKOed by Discharge from Zapdos after Stealth Rock. Offensive wise, it is as strong as Terrakion. While the latter can run an item to boost its power (for example, through Life Orb or a Z-Move), this Mega Infernape has a better movepool and a Fire type that makes it much easier to break through a team. For instance, Flare Blitz deals with Corviknight and Tangrowth while Gunk Shot threatens Tapu Fini, especially after Swords Dance.
Description: 1) Concept:
Empoleon has some associations with Poseidon, a Greek entity known as the God of Sea. He's easily recognised by the trident which can summon a thunderstorm. Since Empoleon's face is covered by the trident, it quickly led me to "Lightning Rod".
2) Competitive: Singles: In this format, Mega Empoleon is an anti-pivot Pokémon. Lightning Rod makes it immune to Electric moves, such as Volt Switch. Its dual Water and Steel type means, it takes little damage from Flip Turn and U-Turn. Furthermore, it cannot be poisoned by Toxic Spikes and takes little damage from Stealth Rock, leaving only Spikes to notably affect Mega Empoleon. These desirable traits make it harder for the opponent to wear down Mega Empoleon, which can often click Defog to remove clear the field from hazards, terrain, and screens.
There's also another positive trait about Lightning Rod Empoleon. Most Volt Switch users in this format are special Electric attackers, like Tapu Koko, Rotom-W, or Zapdos, and Mega Empoleon is able to wall all of them as its high special bulk and its dual type make it resistant to most of their STAB or coverage moves. The fact that Mega Empoleon can check Magearna (unless it's running Focus Blast) also contribute to Mega Empoleon's useful traits and role as a special wall. Concerning the movepool, you have Roost to help out Mega Empoleon and its regular form in their defensive role. Flip Turn keeps momentum, Haze removes stat boosts, and Origin Pulse is only used for VGC as Empoleon already faces tough competition from Ash-Greninja or Mega Starmie as an offensive Water Pokémon in Singles; after all, they're fast and have better coverage moves. This Empoleon should be really only used defensively in Singles as Lightning Rod, its stats, its movepool, and its dual type are much more effective in that regard.
VGC: In this format, Mega Empoleon works very well with Pelipper and Zapdos; it's a match in heaven, I'd argue. Defensive wise, Mega Empoleon protects Pelipper from a single-targeted Electric move and is resistant to Rock while Pelipper offers support in Tailwind for speed control, Drizzle for offensive power, and Wide Guard for protection from the most common Ground move in Earthquake. Moreover, Pelipper can deal with Fighting Pokémon Empoleon is weak to. As for Zapdos, it covers Empoleon's weaknesses, and vice versa. While it doesn't have Drizzle, it has Discharge to raise Empoleon's Special Attack, therefore allowing it to function outside of (semi) Rain teams.
Another advantage of Mega Empoleon is that Lightning Rod and its dual type turn it into a formidable special defensive opponent since it can wall or check three of the four Tapus (Koko, Lele, and Fini) and isn't too devastated by Sun teams when Sun is active; after all, it takes neutral damage from Fire and Grass moves and it has a very high Special Defense, making Mega Empoleon a good choice for rain teams.
Mega Empoleon is, however, susceptible to physical moves, especially Fighting and Ground moves, which is what makes it balanced. Urshifu-Rapid-Strike and Urshifu-Single-Strike ignore Protect, and some other Fighting Pokémon are immune to Intimidate because abilities like Scrappy were buffed in Gen 8. While Empoleon has now access to Origin Pulse, bear in mind that it can't reliably boost its Special Attack through a move, unlike Sylveon and Mega Guardevoir who have both access to Calm Mind. Moreover, Origin Pulse coming from a 131 Special Attack only slightly outdamages Heat Wave from Mega Charizard Y when no weather is involved. Since the latter naturally comes with Drought, its Heat Wave will naturally outdamage Origin Pulse. Furthermore, Overheat from a 159 Special Attack is far more devastating than a Hydro Pump from a 131 Special Attack.
That said, Origin Pulse on Empoleon is a way to make it different from other Water Pokémon. Mega Blastoise has Shell Smash and Water Spout as well as excellent support options in Fake Out and good coverage moves in Dark Pulse and Aura Sphere, which get boosted by Mega Launcher. Kingdra and Ludicolo can run an item to boost the power of their move or to get around the risk of using a move like Muddy Water. As for Tapu Fini, it has the typing, bulk, and the support to not make Muddy Water too much of an issue for it if it misses. I believe Origin Pulse on Empoleon helps lessening the burden put on its partner since they are usually there to support it and it allows Empoleon to work more reliably in different teams who are not reliant on rain. After all, its defensive and supportive qualities help out a lot of common Flying Pokémon, like Zapdos, Galarian Moltres, Salamence to name a few. This is quite interesting since penguins are considered birds. While Empoleon doesn't have a Flying type, its movepool as well as its role in VGC are associated with and supported by that type.
Ability: Ecosystem - At the end of the turn, Torterra-Mega restores 1/8 of it’s max hp if below 1/2 Max hp rounded up, or deals damage to all opposing pokemon equal to 1/8 of their max hp if above 1/2 max hp rounded up.
(Ecosystems are like one body. They are resilient against outsiders and can heal themselves when damaged if undisturbed, however, completely destroying it [aka fainting Torterra] Will prevent all of that. I mean, Torterra can probably host a whole miniature ecosystem on it’s back when it’s mega-evolved instead of just a few small bugs and birds.)
Stats:
Hp: 95
Atk: 129 (+20)
Def: 140 (+35)
Spa: 95 (+20)
Spd: 110 (+25)
Spe: 56
New Moves: (Bold=Notable) Body Press, Grassy Glide, High Horsepower (notable in doubles)
Overview: To Be Added
Empoleon-Mega @ Empolinite
Ability: Steely Spirit
Stats:
Hp: 84
Atk: 111 (+25)
Def: 116 (+28)
Spa: 126 (+15)
Spd: 121 (+20)
Spe: 72 (+12)
New Moves: (Bold = Notable) Flip Turn, Steel Beam, Iron Head, Air Slash, Meteor Beam
Overview: A Bulky attacker with an amazing defensive typing and the ability to go mixed. Can benefit from defog/intimidate pre-mega with defiant, and pairing with Steely spirit boosting it and it’s ally’s steel attacks, i believe it will be solid in vgc as well as singles.
Infernape-Mega @ Infernapite
Ability: Blazing Assault - This Pokémon’s fighting-type attacks have an additional 30% chance to burn.
Stats:
Hp: 76
Atk: 124 (+20)
Def: 86 (+15)
Spa: 119 (+15)
Spd: 90 (+20)
Spee: 138 (+30)
New Moves: None
Overview:
This monke be a strong wallbreaker, stallbreaker or setup sweeper, with the ability to go mixed. With a large number of options, monke becomes quite unpredictable. It’s ability mostly pressures physical checks like lando-t, swampert, Dragonite and Corviknight-Mega looking to get off an intimidate, and while it’s special checks such as The Slow-twins don’t care about the attack lowering, they do care about the chip damage. As for why I chose this ability? In the post of effective use of rng, scald was used as an example. Part of the reason it’s so good is that it’s strong against the fire types who are immune to the burns. With this ability, fire types are brilliant checks, and so are ghost types which are immune to fighting moves. Checks and Counters include fire types that resist fighting, ghost types that resist fire, Tapu fini (which is completely immune to the burn), The previously mentioned Slow-Twins and Regular and Mega clefable (who doesn’t care about the burn that much either). These can be dispatched by earthquake, rock slide/stone edge , shadow claw or thunder punch, or by pivoting with u-turn so a 4 attacks set is perfectly viable. However, it still can use it’s numerous setup options, taunt, or stealth rock. It can fish for a burn as a last ditch effort with mach punch or vacuum wave too.
I’m considering just giving infernape competitive instead, as it fits with it’s lore of being willing to take on anyone. If this ability is too hard to balance, competitive will be fine.
Ability - Overgrow; Shell Armor ➝ Turtle All The Way Down (At the end of each turn, the user gains 1/32 HP for each turn it has spent on the battlefield up until the current turn, up to a maximum of 1/4 HP.)
Movepool Changes - n/a Competitive Corner - Turtle All The Way Down rewards Mega Tortorra for sticking on the battlefield and doing what it does best, just staying there... Still... Forever! Nah, just kidding it can use Leech Seed and Curse, and in general just be a bit of a nuisance, it's ability starts slow, but once it gets going it can be quite the trouble, thankfully Torterra has like, what, four weaknesses? And not much counterplay to this move called "Toxic", so hopefully this is kinda balanced? Flavor Corner - Quoting Wikipedia here because whoever wrote this put it better than I ever possibly could "'Turtles all the way down' is an expression of the problem of infinite regress. The saying alludes to the mythological idea of a World Turtle that supports the flat earth on its back. It suggests that this turtle rests on the back of an even larger turtle, which itself is part of a column of increasingly large world turtles that continues indefinitely (hence, 'turtles all the way down')". Therefore, we can see the double meaning of the phrase, as Torterra is very clearly inspired on the world turtle, and its ability rewards recursiveness and going on forever, just like the infinitely many turtles that support the flat earth! (P.S. I think flat earthernism would be much more appealing if they brought back world turtles, just saying :P)
Mega Infernape
Ability - Blaze; Iron Fist ➝ Hotheaded (For the first turn each time the user enters battle (just like Fake Out), user's contact moves gain +1 priority but have their power multiplied by ½.)
Movepool Changes - n/a Competitive Corner - Hotheaded can come in handy as useful priority to have, albeit it does mean that all your contact moves will be half-power for the first turn Mega Infernape is out, even when you want them to be fully powered, of course you can always go with a mixed set, but that comes with its own set of drawbacks, such as limiting movepool and EV spread. This creates an interesting dynamic and gives Infernape much more of a "revenge killer" role, as opposed to that of a "breaker". Flavor Corner - Hotheaded also has two possible parsings, Infernape's head literally is hot (quite hot in fact, you remember that episode from the Pokémon anime, right? When Infernape went Super Saiyan and all that?), that should be quite obvious, but also the hasty connotation associated with it. The ability seeks to capture the former, giving it a strong risk vs. reward ability that greatly emphasises its hastiness and carelessness for consequences :^)
Mega Empoleon
Ability - Torrent; Defiant ➝Icebreaker (Immediately upon switch-in or Mega Evolution, the user attempts to use Metal Claw.)
Movepool Changes - n/a Competitive Corner - Icebreaker is a very strong ability, most of the time, it can be useful to force out Fairy-, Rock-, and Ice-types, and just rack up chip damage while incentivising switching, but in some cases, if you have a faster Pokémon than your opponent and you switch Mega Empoleon in, it can act in a sense, similar to Pursuit, in which damage can be dealt before the opponent can even switch out. To balance it out, Metal Claw only has a pitiful 50 BP, and Mega Empoleon's stats do leave a bit to be desired in terms of strengths. Flavor Corner - The idea of Icebreaker was to play on the double meaning of "icebreaker", for one, the ships Empoleon is based on, but also as a metaphorical "icebreaker", like the ones used to start a conversation or, in this case, a Pokémon battle! (Also if I may add, very ironic to call the Pokémon named after Napoleon Bonaparte "Icebreaker" when Napoleon's defeat happened in very cold Russia, that irony is part of the flavor, yes!)
Trio's Corner - I wanted to have a few unifying themes running across my submissions to make them more cohesive, I'm aware that if one of them does win, it's likely the other two won't win as well, but I still liked trying to do this just for my own enjoyment! So the first theme is how all three's abilities can be parsed in two possible ways, which I'm really happy worked out, and I think it makes the submissions just a bit more lively! I also wanted to tie the themes of risk vs. reward and tempo within a game, you will notice Mega Infernape and Empoleon are very fast and have a very "All Or Nothing" approach, whereas Mega Torterra is much more slow and consistent with what it does. Last but not least, I ended up keeping their base Attack and Special Attack stats equal within each Mega, as there is a part of me that genuinely likes the versatility that starters have, and I thought doing so here, as well as trying other ways to incentivise these Megas to go mixed would be a fun challenge! That's all, hope you liked my submissions! The sinnoh starter trio holds a very special place in my heart, so I tried to design these with as much care as I could :)
Stats: 76 / 129 (+25) / 86 (+15) / 124 (+20) / 86 (+15) / 133 (+25) (634 BST) Ability: Levitate New Moves: +Aura Sphere, Brutal Swing, Sucker Punch, Throat Chop Description: Taking Infernape's Sun Wukong inspiration to its logical extreme. It now floats around on his cool cloud and gets nice all-around boosts to his stats and movepool. Nothing here is revolutionary or introduces crazy new mechanics, it's just a simple but cool adaptation of a classic mythological figure.
New moves: Roost Description: Water/Steel is often considered to be an amazing type. However, it works very differently from how you'd expect a water type to work. Bulky waters are usually tasked with dealing with strong fighting or ground attackers because of their neutrality to these types and good bulk. However, Empoleon is unable to do that because of its weakness to those types. I chose Filter to help Empoleon overcome these weaknesses and function better as a bulky water type. With its massive special bulk, it doesn't even need any investment to wall choice specs greninja and walls ash-greninja as well if it's invested. It can also wall Specs Kyurem and Specs Tapu Lele, 2 of the strongest wallbreakers in the format, unless they hit it with a Focus Blast on the switch. With physical bulk investment, it can take any attack other than Wood Hammer from Band Rillaboom and it can deal with defensive Landorus-T and Gliscor. If it carries Ice Beam, it can also act as a check to offensive Landorus-T, Gliscor and Garchomp as it is able to take an Earthquake and KO with Ice Beam. Basically, Mega-Empoleon performs well defensively on the side it decides to invest into. Now unto what it offers for a team. Mega-Empoleon can fit both the role of rocker or defogger, you can choose whichever fits your team better. It can also spread burns with scald and remove items with Knock Off. It fits very well into defensive cores as it's resistant or immune to a total of 11 types and only 3 weaknesses which are weakened by filter. It pairs well with bulky Flying or Grass types as they cover Empoleon's weaknesses very well and it can also help them with their weaknesses. Its best partners are probably Gliscor and Landorus-T as they cover each other's weaknesses perfectly and give you access to both rocks and Defog letting you focus your team slots for different utility. Overall, Mega-Empoleon is an amazing defensive pokemon with fantastic utility that would fit on many kinds of teams.
Mega Infernape
New Ability: Justified Type: Fire/Fighting
New moves: None Description: Knock Off is an annoying move that can cripple any pokemon switching in with decent damage and item removal. However, Justified allows you to get a power boost if the opponent tries to use Knock Off, punishing them for trying to use an otherwise spammable move. Justified combined with an unknockable mega-stone makes Mega-Infernape the perfect Knock Off blocker. Its high speed and attack let it make good use of the power boost as it becomes very dangerous after the +1 boost. Other than that, Mega-Infernape is very good even without the attack boost from Justified as its offensive stats are high and its stabs are powerful. It also carries solid coverage, Swords Dance and U-Turn to round out its movesets. Just a very good overall pokemon that can serve as a Knock Off Blocker.
Mega Torterra
New Ability: Dauntless Shield Type: Grass/Ground
New moves: Body Press Description: The Canadian Shield is a layer of bedrock that covers a large part of Canada and of the United States. It notably protects the region from earthquakes. Now that you know what this Mega-Torterra is based on, let's get on to competitive relevance. Massive defense stat boosted by Dauntless Shield makes it a physically defensive behemoth. Its bulk and resistances let it take on most ground types very well and also let it wall threats such as Rillaboom, Kartana and Terrakion if invested in physical bulk. However, it might prefer investing in special bulk to make up for its lower spdef stat. Many special attacker like carrying an ice move or choice specs though so don't expect Mega-Torterra to be unbreakable on the special side. It also is rather weak to status as burn and toxic damage add up quickly and its only way to heal status is through rest. Synthesis is also unreliable and will not let Torterra survive the whole way during long games. Despite those weaknesses though, Torterra is an incredibly tough physical wall and can just take on nearly every physical attacker.
Flavor: Basically it's sticking to the theme of sun wukong, by having Aerilate its as if it's attacking you from its nimbus
Torterra-Mega Infinite regression- This pokemon seemingly has a smaller version of itself on its back, and on that pokemon's back another smaller version of this pokemon exists. (If possible I would like a parental bond clone, but if Hem doesn't think it constitutes a rename I'll honestly think of a new ability. I just really like the ability name and flavor) Grass/Ground
Flavor: This is based on a famous lecture given by Bertrand Russell where he talks about the earth orbiting the sun and one of the people listening says "blaspheme, the earth is in the back of a turtle. then someone else says so what is the turtle standing on, so she says another larger turtle of course" The other thinking is that it gets healed by smaller versions of itself when the sense danger
Type: Water/Steel
Ability: Torrent | Defiant -> Emperor's Wrath (+1 Speed Increase when stat is lowered | Activates like defiant)
HP 84 -> 84 Atk 86(+50) -> 136
Def 88(+20) -> 108
SpA 111 -> 111
SpD 101 -> 101
Spe 60(+30) -> 90
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Total 530(+100) -> 630
Due to some of Empoleon’s dex entries mentioning that “it swims as fast as a jet boat,” “its wings are sharp and can slice apart drifting ice,” “The three horns on its beak attest to its power,” or “with wings that can cleave through an ice floe,” I thought it made sense for this concept to make it a semi fast physical attacker. It’s speed and power that’s referenced in those dex entries would be activated through Emperor’s Wrath when its pride is hurt.
New Ability – Emperor’s Wrath: If this Pokemon's stats are lowered by an opponent, it’s speed is increased by 1 stage.
This ability was first conceptualized after researching Empoleon's dex entries. It's Pokemon Pearl, X, and Omega Ruby entries say, "It swims as fast a jet boat." With its old speed –60– it was definitely a slow Pokemon. Emperor's Wrath would allow it to be fast without over investing its mega stat bonuses. With it already having Defiant, Emperor's Wrath fits well with what it already offers in game. It would also make it a great stealth rocker as it could punish defoggers.
Anchor Shot -> Interchangeable with Iron Head, I think Anchor Shot would be cool –As the sea emperor, Empoleon coexists with humans by using it’s strong fins and fast swimming speed to dock and anchor ships.– With its unique typing, Anchor Shot just makes sense on Empoleon. (Trapping can also work as a form punishment) Triple Axel -> It’s a penguin and multiple dex entries reference ice. Since its a water/steel type and it's native to the cold, it makes sense that its feet would be suited for ice skating and completing a triple axel. It would also be a good form of physical ice coverage. Flip Turn -> This would allow it to pivot. Taunt -> Empoleon taunts others by flaunting its power. Punishment -> This move is more for lore –As a prideful emperor, Empoleon punishes any of its subordinates that challenge its power.–
This is my first time submitting a mega evolution, so please feel free to give advice/ideas for this concept!! Thank you for taking the time to read through this lol :) (I also love steel types, so it would be cool to have one that has the potential to be a fast physical sweeper)
Congrats to inkbug, ausma, BitBitio, and KerosenseZanchu for winning the previous slate. Also, inkbug, I'm just going to note that I'm going to edit my last post--where I voted--a bit since I apparently omitted a "sure" at the end, which is bothering me. It wouldn't change anything voting-wise, but I just wanted to be clear in case you happened to see an edit later.
Anyway, I am still a bit burnt out, as I'm sure will soon become evident. Additionally, it would seem that Yung Dramps and I had the same idea about Infernape-Mega, which is...unsurprising given all of the references to Sun Wukong in popular culture even ignoring the most obvious one. Seeing that makes me glad that I didn't go with one of previous ideas for Empoleon-Mega either since I already see that in here too.
Still, his entry and my mine differ enough in stats and moves added that I'm just going to keep mine as it is unless ordered to change it, though I will change mine from Levitate if needed since his was here first. I figure I might as well post the other two also. Whee.
Torterra-Mega @ Torterrite Typing:
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New Ability: Evergreen Endurance - This pokemon is immune to Ice attacks, damage from Hail, and freezing status.
NEW STATS: [EDIT #1: Having done like...50 calcs finally as of 2021/03/13, 105 SpA doesn't hit much I want outside of Garchomp. So stats shift.] HP: 095 Atk: 109 => 135 (+26) {previously 130 (+21)} Def: 105 => 145 (+40) {previously 140 (+35)} SpA: 075 => 095 (+20) {previously 105 (+30)} SpD: 085 => 110 (+25) {previously 105 (+20)} Spe: 056 => 045 (-11) {previously 050 (-06)}
(BST: 525 => 625)
Movepool Additions: Body Press, Petal Blizzard, Refresh, Smack Down, Spikes [EDIT #1: Loses High Horsepower for both Petal Blizzard and Smack Down. As much as I wanted to try to stick to at most 4 moves, Torterra needs all the reasonable help it can get and High Horsepower is a bit redundant when it's not beating Rillaboom or Tapu Bulu most times anyway. Petal Blizzard is the most on-flavor high BP attack I can give it that doesn't kill itself unlike Wood Hammer, which is good a tank, while Smack Down just really helps its coverage.]
Pokedex Description: "The energy of Mega Evolution has made Torterra and the biome on its back larger and more enduring, but Torterra has become more sluggish under the constant strain."
Admittedly, I am...unsure if Evergreen Endurance does too much, Hematite, especially since I apparently have techbane especially hard when it comes to Discord given how much it acts up whenever I've tried to use it. So I'll assume you'll tell me when this slate is near its end despite how coherent the ability is otherwise, even if it's not like it couldn't forego immunity to Hail damage. I wouldn't have even bothered with the anti-freeze clause, really, if not for the fact that both Tri-Attack and now Freezing Glare exist as well.
Flavor-wise: As the last starter I ever had in the last generation I ever physically touched, I remember Torterra being rather...underwhelming. It is a mon clearly meant to be a slow tank...that is cursed with both getting obliterated by a quad weakness to one of the best offensive types in the game and a middling-at-best STAB combination that three types naturally resist. To that end, Evergreen Endurance tries to fix half of that issue, now giving it the ability to both just not die to Ice--Mold Breaker and its variants aside--and the capacity to actually switch into Water mons and threaten them out instead of dying to their likely Ice coverage. This even if it still has the additional issue of being basically the only official Grass mon still to not resist Water (and Grass, for that matter) since both Cradily and Lileep basically always uses Storm Drain competitively post-Baton Pass ban. Still, that flaw is part of why I think Evergreen Endurance is fair despite all it seems to cover.
Evergreen Endurance also fits with the theme of Torterra supposedly supporting a biome that contains life that basically spends its entire lifetime on Torterra's back. It also seemed a bit weird to me that something that almost automatically dies to Powder Snow is somehow able to ferry other things through the winter. Finally, Evergreen Endurance makes it one of the few mons who resist the extremely potent attacking combination of Ice/Ground and also the only mon to do so while also being resistant to Ground/Rock (and not weak to Freeze-Dry).
Movepool-wise: I figure that Body Press and High Horsepower are inevitable additions to Torterra once it officially comes back, so those were the easiest picks. Refresh was chosen given it reflects the seasons that Torterra endures through as well as helps it take Scalds without being rendered useless unlike most other physical Grass mons (who actually resist Water besides). I was originally going to give it Slack Off as the fourth move, but then I remembered that Synthesis was something it already had and that seemed the safer recovery to keep given its newfound type, weather, and status immunity and possible obnoxiousness with Curse. So I eventually decided its fourth move "should" be Spikes, in part due to Torterra already being based on an ankylosaur and thus seems likely to get at least a bit more spiky upon Mega Evolving.
Shrug. I'm no artist, especially not a visual one.
Gameplay-wise: Torterra remains a tanky pokemon in becoming Torterra-Mega, except that it can actually do its job now in part due to losing its worst weakness completely. Access to Body Press and Spikes gives it more offensive pressure that it desperately needs while both remaining a supportive mon and actually fair given, respectively, Fighting attacks happen to be actually still be bad against two of the three types that naturally resist Grass/Ground and Torterra still naturally has issues with the majority of Defog mons STAB-wise due to the majority of them being Flying. Thankfully Torterra already gets access to Rock Slide and Stone Edge (and Rock Tomb), so it isn't quite as much of a problem that it would otherwise would be.
Torterra-Mega's SpA is okay enough that it can feasibly use Giga Drain and Earth Power alongside Body Press if you don't want to have to worry too much about switching into Scalds or dealing with opposing Intimidates, especially since Body Press mauls Chansey and especially Blissey even without STAB to back it up. Giga Drain's recovery is at least more active than every other form of recovery Torterra-Mega has, though it's not going to be OHKOing most things even at max SpA.
Hey, we can't at all have Serperior's good fortune of being an aggressively mediocre (Grass) starter mon and then getting gifted into a completely busted ability, especially since Megas for All actually strives for balance. At least this version of Torterra-Mega should be able to the actual tanking that was clearly intended of Torterra originally in addition to being more supportive and possibly even an outright threat with either Curse or Trick Room support.
EDIT #2: I finally am remembering to note that with its ability now confirmed to be legal, Torterra-Mega is also one of the only mons who resists both sides of Boltbeam cover and the only mon besides Shedinja to be outright immune to both types. So that's also something important to finally note.
Infernape-Mega @ Infernite [EDIT #2: CONFIRMED INELEGIBLE by Hematite, which is fine.] Typing:
Pokedex Description: "Capable of now creating an odd cloud made by condensing both superheated air and its own fighting spirit, Infernape lazily rides around on it even when battling."
No, this is not just a direct reference to Dragonball Z...technically.
Flavor-wise: Given that Infernape is clearly based on Sun Wukong from Journey to the West, who has gone on to spawn many characters even centuries later, including the world-famous character of Goku from the Dragonball (Z) franchise, I decided to use that as my focus here. To that end, giving Infernape-Mega a "nimbus" to ride around seemed pretty obvious to the point that I wouldn't be surprised Game Freak also did it for an actual Infernape-Mega provided that Megas ever come back in the first place. I suppose that makes me a tad hypocritical given my current worries with regards to the Gen 4 remake in that regard, but Megas For All will only have to deal with that if said worry is true and if this wins. So I'll risk it.
Movepool-wise:Even though Infernape doesn't really need anything when it comes to moves, especially with having to worry about both Nasty Plot and Swords Dance as it is alongside both Bulk Up and Calm Mind as well, I figured I could still get away with giving it up to four additional moves that were on flavor. This especially if they seemed to be something it was likely to get in the upcoming remake anyway, with Snatch being the sole exception there.
In actuality, however, Coaching is perhaps the most "off-flavor", but for the most part that move seems to be something given to most--all?--Fighting types that didn't get hit by Dexit. So Infernape has Coaching too, in part because I finally realized two slates ago Doubles is actually important to Megas for All.
Of the moves added, I could see either Aura Sphere or Snatch (or both) being the most problematic of them even if I find it weird that it doesn't already have either. Infernape's lack of Snatch especially seems weird given the basis on Sun Wukong and him infamously snatching immortality from Chinese gods alongside the general behavior of other monkeys (and humans). Burning Jealousy should be completely fine though even if somehow all of the other three ended up being too powerful to stay.
Gameplay-wise: I decided rather quickly that the easiest way to avoid Infernape-Mega becoming busted was a) to make sure its ability was relatively passive and b) to spread out its stats rather easily. I decided to go even further and drop Infernape-Mega's Speed a bit despite it no longer being able to use Life Orb or a Choice item now just because it gained a lot more bulk due to the same caution. Still, I wanted to avoid Garchomp-Mega's fatal flaw of dropping speed too much, and so I made sure to stay about 100 Speed. I picked 101 Speed particularly because I noticed Simisear and the other two monkeys of that trio had that Speed, and it seemed weird that a monkey mon based on a literal monkey god would be slower than than them. So it settles for "only" being as fast as them given this Infernape-Mega has become a bit lazy on its constant cloud.
That Levitate just so happens to be a passive ability that mixes really well with the typing Fire/Fighting, which is one of the few Fire combinations to be neutral to Stealth Rock, is just an added benefit. Being immune to Ground attacks, Spikes, Toxic Spikes, and Sticky Web allow it a lot more opportunities to come in now even before its added bulk, making it a lot more able to take advantage of the access Infernape already had set-up moves, including Bulk Up and Calm Mind, via its also natural access to Slack Off among other things. After all, being able to set up is important if its ability is directly isn't helping its offenses even if its stats are overall higher than regular Infernape. Even so, this version of Infernape-Mega won't be doomed to only using set-up moves given all of the options it (already) has.
Movepool Additions: Flip Turn, Iron Head, Roost, Steel Beam
Pokedex Description: "Empoleon has become more prideful due to its increased power and speed. It will now take even refusal to fight as an insult to its pride."
Despite going through four other abilities for this initially, two of them completely original, I ended just going with Defiant for this. That's a bit ironic given I kept forgetting it already had Defiant as its hidden ability. I guess K.I.S.S. applies even when you follow it accidentally.
Flavor-wise: Of the three Gen 4 starters, Empoleon is the one where I took most directly from the Pokedex instead of either focusing on either outside influences (as with Infernape) or in-game mechanical issues (as with Torterra). For something with a Pokedex entry that mostly talks about its pride, physical power, and speed, the actual Empoleon reflects very little of that in-game. It's to the point where despite having used Empoleon a lot in Gen 6 UU and especially Gen 7 UU, I legitimately forgot it already had Defiant until after my first twenty or so minutes trying to brainstorm for this slate.
So this version of Empoleon-Mega is meant to solely take actual advantage of an ability it already has that regular Empoleon almost never uses as well as live up to the Speed it supposedly has in the Pokedex. The fact that I had to flip the attacking stats helps make me feel a bit lazy even if a Defiant-having Empoleon-Mega is something I could see Game Freak doing too. (With their current track record, I could see them keeping it a Special Attacker with Defiant though. Sigh.)
Movepool-wise: As with the two other starters, for the most part, its movepool additions are moves I either see it inevitably getting when it comes back or was slightly surprised it didn't already have, with Roost being the willful exception here. Iron Head was weird for me to realize Empoleon didn't already have given I could have sworn it did, and that one gives me no trouble unlike the others. Flip Turn and Steel Beam should be fair as well. It's more just that I find their existences stupid, especially the former. Flip Turn also screws over the already maligned-by-Gen-8 Magnezone even more, meaning Empoleon no longer has anything to fear from Magnet Pull, Scarf Magnezone aside. [Insert sad magnet noises here.]
There were a couple of other moves I considered, but I figured that Roost is "controversial" enough by itself that I wouldn't push my nonexistent luck. This even though I'm glad that dumping almost half--originally, actually half--of the Mega stat boost into Speed meant I was forced to give Empoleon-Mega less bulk anyway, which means that Roost should be fine...maybe.
Gameplay-wise: Despite Defiant being an ability it actually had, Empoleon-Mega makes the most of it by gaining a STAB pivot move, having a STAB priority move, and being faster than all of the relevant Intimidate-having mons, which triggers its ability. Its STAB combination is still walled by most bulky opposing Water mons (including itself to a degree if it gets to keep Roost), but at least has Flip Turn now to preserve momentum against all of them.
There's honestly not much else to say than that outside of the fact that this version of Empoleon-Mega finally has a reason to use Swords Dance. Hurray! You could probably even get away with a Feather Dance / Roost / Flip Turn / filler move-set given how dumb Flip Turn actually is. (I must admit I dislike pivot moves as they currently are almost as much as screens.)
All that said, I look forward to getting destroyed in both tours over the weekend if I wake up on time for either of them.
(both) 
Mega Torterra on account of its resemblance to other users of the move. Please don't do this!
Infernape is a mixed attacker and comes with both Swords Dance and Nasty Plot, and it naturally has a high Speed stat and very strong moves as both physical and special STABs. This means we need to exercise caution with it - keep other setup sweepers in mind when making choices about its stats, and remember that neither attacking stat is really a safe throwaway! There's a lot of room to create something too strong by mistake when you're working with a Pokémon like this, so please be careful with it.
