CAP 37 - Part 1 - TL and TLT Applications

[Da Pizza Man]

This is the thread for people to announce their desire to become either the Topic Leader (TL) or a member of the Topic Leadership Team (TLT) for this creation project. Do not suggest other users. If someone wants to become the TL or a TLT member, they will post on their own, and if they don't have a strong urge to be it then they shouldn't be signing up anyway. The CAP project requires the utmost dedication and a substantial amount of free time, especially to lead, meaning that only those who have carefully considered the magnitude of their application will apply at all. If you are not prepared to fulfill all of the responsibilities to the very end, then do not throw your hat into the ring.

Before applying it is important to read and understand the following posts
Topic Leadership
CAP 5 - Policy Review Summary

We are looking to fill the following five positions to help us lead the creation of this new Pokemon:

• Topic Leader: In the public's eyes, this is the leader of the project. Overall, the goal of the TL is "quality control", not "project control". The responsibilities of the TL include creating a slate of Concept Submissions, running Concept Assessment, Threats Discussion, Post Play Lookback, and finalizing the slates of TLT members.
• Topic Leadership Team: The TLT will be leading the four major competitive aspects of creating a Pokemon. They will make slates for their respective threads and provide meaningful discussion points to their specific area. Note that TLT members are allowed to make submissions during stages of the CAP process that they are not actively leading. We are looking to fill the following four positions:
  • Typing Leader
  • Ability Leader
  • Stats Leader
  • Movepool Leader

When making your application, please indicate which position(s) you are applying for. You must identify whether you're applying for TL or TLT (you are allowed to apply for both). You are allowed to specific which position you'd like to fill on the TLT, but it is not required. Topic leaders and TLT members should have the following qualifications:

• Deep knowledge of the game of Pokemon
• Familiarity with competitive Pokemon concepts, strategy, and philosophy, as practiced within Smogon
• Willing to voice opinions and lead others
• Open-minded to new ideas
• Creative, "outside-of-the-box" thinker
• Good writing skills
• Level-headed when resolving disputes

Once this CAP starts, the Topic Leader and the Topic Leadership Team will be the most important, most visible members of the CAP community, and they are expected to be a strong guiding force throughout the creation process. If you are selected for any of these positions, you will have a great deal of power to influence the project. But you also have a responsibility to stay on top of things. You will have forum moderators to help you, but you need to be regularly active on the project until it is complete. All potential candidates should look through both the Topic Leadership Guide and the CAP Process Archive, to get an idea of what will be expected of you, if you are selected to be the Topic Leader or TLT member.

This thread is strictly for candidacy posts and posts supporting those candidates. Please stay on topic. Below are the guidelines for posting in this thread:

• Candidates will benefit from highlighting their active involvement throughout the duration of a recent CAP project. Involvement in multiple CAP projects is strongly preferred.
• Do not suggest other people. If you want you encourage someone else to run, then send them a PM or talk to them on the PS! CAP chatroom or the CAP Discord channel.
• If you are new to the CAP project, do not sign up in this thread. Instead, spend a project or two lurking, learning, and participating first.
• Include a summary of your involvement in the CAP project.
• Make a pitch for why you should be selected. If you can't present and defend yourself, then you can't expect to lead a project whose primary function is discussion and debate. Convince us that you are a good choice.
• Even if you don't think you are better qualified than certain other candidates, you still should consider posting your application. Candidates not selected as TL or TLT for this project will be on the watch list for next time around. Don't post your name if you don't intend to be active in the project, even if you are not selected, since people will be scrutinizing your involvement more closely.
• Feel free to post support for any candidates already named.
• Do not post disparaging remarks about any candidates.

If these rules are not followed, the offending user will be subject to moderation.

Applications will close on Wednesday, January 14th 11:59pm GMT-5

 

[Gekokeso]

Hello everybody, my name is Gekokeso, and I will be putting my name in the hat for TLT, with the preference being Typing > Ability > Stats > Movepool but willing to take either of them. I have been lurking in the CAP subforum since the very beginning of SS, participating in all CAP processes since Astrolotl, as well as additional events such as the Isle of Armor tutor move additions and other buff processes, both in the Smogon forums and on Discord. I submitted Chuggalong's concept in "Collector's edition" as well as the winning typing for Saharaja in mono-ground, as well as some other contributions throughout the years. I have been very active within the competitive scene for two years now, even winning my first CAP tournament as lead manager in last year's CAPCL, the first time I managed any CAP related tour. Those who have played with me can vouch for the fact that I would often provide support for nearly every tier that needed it, be it ORAS, SV, SS, among others.

I might not be the best battler, but I am very active in the Pet Mods scene, a subforum entirely dedicated to metas when some Pokémon are buffed or some are made from scratch, so I at least have enough experience with what a meta tends to need or want, and what leads to a new Pokémon successfully integrating into a metagame.

Should I be selected as TLT I promise to be extremely active and lead conversation in a fruitful manner, as well as taking the community's input in order to create a project that leads to a project that the community can enjoy. Thanks for reading my pitch.

 

[a fairy]

Hello! I would like to be a member of the Topic Leadership Team for CAP 37!

I've been around the place contributing to various parts of the process since CAP34 as of recent, though I used to be somewhat active during old-school CAP (including being a member of the very first CAP Policy Review Committee back in 2012 when that was a thing. After a decade away from Smogon, I've jumped back in as recently as 2023, jumping headfirst into discussion threads. While obviously my old involvement only can mean so much with the major difference between how CAP12-14 were run and nowadays, the modern CAP process is truly one of the shining stars of modern Smogon and how community involvement and iteration can create something beautiful - both the CAPs themselves but also just the structure they are created in. I want to help by being a part of the TLT.

I have found my stride trying to look at things from another angle than the direction of the thread where possible, whether that's suggesting out-of-the-box ideas like a "core concept catch-up" stage in between major sections of a CAP in a PR discussion of power creep, or hoping against hope that Noble Roar could ever David v Goliath options like Clangorous Soul or Clanging Scales. While this does often mean that my options tend to be the bridesmaid and never the bride, I actually quite enjoy that space within the community, rarely speaking alongside or as part of the chorus but instead pushing slightly against the grain. This can bring new thoughts to the table, answering questions from a different perspective or questioning the thread energy on a certain topic to stimulate conversation.

I've been on Smogon and in/around CAP a very long time, for good and for bad. I remember the Necturna discussions, though for some reason my brain is promising me that I was at least a spectator as far back as Voodoom? I remember Auromoth drama, conversations about how to go from Gen4 to Gen5, the Celebration CAP Project and Saharaja, among plenty others, as a participant or as a spectator.

I am the Unofficial Metagames community leader and a Draft moderator, and while UMs are UMs, Draft is Draft, and CAP is CAP, I think there is value in looking at competitive Pokemon in a slightly different way than the standard community-wide orthodoxy of OU or VGC or what-have-you that CAP, UMs, and Draft all share. I am a tournament director, no stranger to leading projects and events and having policy conversations that have both objective influences and consequences, as well as subjective weights and impacts. I am a moderator of places like TFP and Circus Maximus, where scheduling and timeliness are as important as the thing being scheduled, and where the ability to be social and properly communicate are paramount.

I love contributing to CAP, this community brings me great joy and there are few places on Smogon or elsewhere that provide such an incredible structure for analysis and dissection of a competitive Pokemon environment, an environment that is certainly more than the sum of its parts. Examining and discussing what we all partake in with such love is truly close to my heart, and I wish to give back to a community that has allowed me such enjoyment by helping steward those conversations as a member of the TLT, be it during Ability or Typing as what I view as my strongest sections as a participant in that order - though I could give Movepool or Stats (in that order, so Ability > Typing > Movepool > Stats) a try if needed.

 

[earthflax]

THE THREEPEAT IS ON. I am Earthflax and I want to be YOUR next TL.

shitposts

THE EARTHFLAX EFFECT

BEFORE THE EARTHFLAX EFFECT: BROKEN MON, NEEDED NERF. BROKEN MON, NEEDED NERF. BROKEN MON, NEEDED NERF
AFTER THE EARTHFLAX EFFECT: BELOVED MON. BELOVED MON
THE LOGICAL CONCLUSION? EARTHFLAX TL = BELOVED MON
2024'S FAVORITE CAP? MY DOING.

2025'S FAVORITE CAP? MY DOING.

2026'S FAVORITE CAP? YOU CAN DRAW YOUR CONCLUSIONS.

I'll keep this brief. I've been in CAP for 5 years, and I've accomplished a fair bit. 2 TLT appearances as Ability Leader for Shox and Ramnarok. The winning buff package for Kitsunoh. A ladybug for my contributions, which has, in this past offseason, been upgraded to CAP Contributor proper. "Played" in two CAPPLs, managed a CAPCL and (currently) a WCAP, made 2025 Circuit Champs. But my results and accomplishments aren't reasons that I should be your next TL. They are products of the philosophy and thought process that would make me a good TL in the first place. A philosophy that prioritizes simple solutions and ideas executed well. It's the philosophy that produced No Guard instead of Magic Bounce on Ramnarok, and the philosophy that produced Trace instead of Opportunist on Kitsunoh. It is the same philosophy that creates fundamentally sound Pokemon that near-universally age well, both in- and outside of CAP. It is with this philosophy, and all of the experience that I've accrued in tandem with it, that I humbly throw my hat into the ring. Because even though we approach this process with particularly uncertain circumstances, I am confident that I can lead the creation of a CAP37 that rises to the occasion.

 

[Quinn]

Hi CAP enthusiasts, I'm Quinn and I’ve been active in CAP for about a year now. I’d like to apply for the Movepool TLT position for CAP 37. Over the past year, I’ve been an active tournament player within the CAP community, and I now want to take the next step by contributing directly to the creation process.

Competitively, I participated in all forum CAP team tournaments in 2025, finishing with one of the best overall records at 15–5. This experience has given me an understanding of how CAP Pokémon perform in practice and how movepool design can influence their balance and viability.
Outside of tournaments, I previously led the Pet Mod Little Colosseum for a year successfully. That also included some balancing and moveset processes.

I’m particularly interested in the movepool stage because I believe that many CAP Pokémon start off too strong due to overtuned early movepools, often leading to move removals later on. My goal as Movepool TLT would be to create balanced, concept-driven movepools that fit the project’s intent and minimize post-release adjustments.

I have the time and motivation to stay active throughout CAP 37, and I look forward to contributing to the project. If Movepool isn't possible, my preference for the other positions would be Ability > Typing > Stats.

 

[AzothBend]

Hey-ho CAP friends,

I'm Azoth, and I'm throwing my hat in for CAP 37's TLT. Though I've been a lurker for far longer, I've been an active part of CAP for roughly two years now, having earned my ladybug at the end of last process. Now I'm ready to take the next step up. I'd like to apply for Typing -> Ability -> Movepool -> Stats TLT in that order.

In short, in the time off, I've really dove deep into CAP AT. It's fast-paced environment has been a great teacher. But I'd like to take the skills I've honed there and apply them to CAP proper. Above all, I'd like to be known as someone that approaches a problem from every angle in considered fashion. My contributions so far hopefully speak to that ethos. To that end, in serving on the TLT, my goal would be thorough and thoughtful discussion where every idea is given its due course.

Thank you for your consideration. I am so thrilled to have CAP back and will be an eager participant regardless.

 

[dex]

Hello. I am dex.

I am applying for TLT. I have a ton of CAP experience dating back to Miasmaw (CAP 28!) both as a contributor and as a TLT member. To refresh, I was the typing leader for Saharaja and Hemogoblin and the Topic Leader for Chuggalong. I like to emphasize thinking with a competitive mindset and keeping an open mind when it comes to submissions. I bring a ton of experience to the table and am looking forward to another successful process! I would rank my preference as Typing -> Ability -> Stats -> Movepool, but I am more than happy with whatever.

 

[Da Pizza Man]

Hello, I'm Da Pizza Man! I am signing up for both TL and TLT.

I've been active in CAP for technically 12 years at this point (Although granted, about half of that time was spent away from the process), with my contributions going all the way back to Volkraken's process! My list of accomplishments within the process is pretty extensive, serving as the Stats Leader during Cresceidon's process, having a fair number of winning submissions (Namely Venomicon-P's stat spread and Saharaja's movepool), earning a CAP Snowflake badge for my accomplishments, and most recently being promoted to a moderator of the CAP Section.

My accomplishments within the metagame section of CAP are also very extensive, even if I don't personally view myself as the best player. In tournaments, I was on the winning teams of CAPCL III (As a manager) and CAPCL IV (As a player), made it to the CAP Circuit Championship in every year from 2023-2025, managed the Shoenice Skwovets to playoffs in CAPCL XI with Concept Everything, and am currently managing US Northeast in WCAP I with SHSP, where we have just managed to make it to the Semi-Finals. Outside of just tournaments, I am also one of the leaders and moderators of CAP C&C, am a founding member and co-leader of the SS CAP Oldgen Council, and have an extensive history of hosting and promoting various events in the CAP Project room on Showdown.

Generally speaking, I try to tackle leadership with a more "no-nonsense" approach to try to keep everyone on the same page, but I am very open to creative ideas and solutions to problems. Should I be selected as Topic Leader, my main goal for the process would be to promote more competitively-minded thinking while still trying to explore territory that may not be familiar to many members of the process as a whole. Should I instead be selected to serve on the TLT, my preference would be Stats > Ability > Typing > Movepool, but I would very much be okay with whatever role is assigned to me, and I will fulfill the Topic Leader's desires and aim to keep the project within their direction as much as possible.

Thank you for coming to my TED Talk.

 

[shnowshner]

After a somewhat lengthy process hiatus the CAP creation itch has returned, and likewise I am in for another round at TLT, any section, no preference.

My prior TLT experience was for Hemogoblin at the start of SV and later Chuggalong, serving as the Movepool and Stats Leader respectively. I've been fairly consistent with aiding in process discussions since the end of SS but significantly ramped up my activity for SV, reflected in both the CAP Contributor badge for my high-quality posts and TLT tenures in CAP processes, and Community Contributor largely for taking up the reigns of running our summer and winter teamtours when Tadasuke signed off. 2025 was also a point in which I made a more conscious effort to engage with SV seriously, resulting in me worming my way into a top 4 (or higher!) placement in our Individual Circuit. Combined with a secondary familiarity of SV just by virtue of hosting multiple iterations of Premier/Champions League, I am quite confident in my ability to help lead this CAP through a successful process, and ensure that it finds a home in the tumultuous SV landscape.

 

[viol and bass]

Hey friends, I've never tried for any form of project leadership before, but I figured I would try applying for TLT. I've apparently participated to some extent in every single CAP since CAP 9 (Colossoil), which is honestly a little concerning. Colossoil was always my favorite CAP and I'm only now realizing why. Anyway, I've been enthralled by the CAP process since that time. I started participating much more actively during Chromera's process when I learned you could argue with people on Discord, and I've been involved in most competitive stages since that point. It's been quite a learning process and I understand the workings & potential pitfalls of the process pretty well at this point, so I figured I'd give this a shot. I really enjoy thoroughly exploring and discussing possibilities, and more than anything I love the collaborative element of CAP so I believe I'd be pretty good at hearing people out.

My favorite CAP stage is actually the concept stage, and I've kept a running document of concept ideas for years now (seriously if anybody needs ideas or wants to run your concept past me feel free, I love workshopping them). A number of my concepts have gotten slated which is neat. My main lasting contributions are Hemogoblin's stat spread and proposing Venomicon's typing if that counts.

I've also participated extensively in Kenn's AT CAP project, and I love taking part in CAP CCATs when they pop up. I'm not a tournament player (I'm definitely a process main), but I ladder often and I'm fairly competent competitively even though I use unmons like Cetitan and Tropius more than is healthy.

in terms of preferences I'd go Ability > Stats > Typing > Movepool.