I just reminded the person you replied to put stuff on the discord... So please?Oh haha wow yes, I guess I misread it on Showdown my bad
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Pet Mod Megas for All v7 - Kalos concluded! | Please read the first post! | Fully playable through Kalos Slate 10!
- Thread starter Hematite
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Alrighty, time to minimod.
Guys, please stop with the one-liners. I'm talking to ARandomPerson, thursmus, and ChoiceScarfed (ChoiceScarfed I know you are trying to be helpful, and that's really nice of you to do so, but you calling out everyone with one liners is the reason I called you out.)
As ChoiceScarfed said, we have a Discord server, which is located in the OP, and there's links in about 1/4 of the thread. Please go there to ask questions and other things you want to do, and do not do it in the thread. I know these kind of posts are getting old for everyone, but it's just a little reminder.
Have a good day, and please post questions and other things in the Discord! :)
Guys, please stop with the one-liners. I'm talking to ARandomPerson, thursmus, and ChoiceScarfed (ChoiceScarfed I know you are trying to be helpful, and that's really nice of you to do so, but you calling out everyone with one liners is the reason I called you out.)
As ChoiceScarfed said, we have a Discord server, which is located in the OP, and there's links in about 1/4 of the thread. Please go there to ask questions and other things you want to do, and do not do it in the thread. I know these kind of posts are getting old for everyone, but it's just a little reminder.
Have a good day, and please post questions and other things in the Discord! :)
Mega Zoroark @ ZoroarkiteNew Ability: Complete Deception: This pokemon appears as a random pokemon in the party, excluding fainted pokemon and itself. Nothing can remove the illusion. This ability activates on switch-in.
Type: Dark/Psychic
New stats
HP: 60
Attack: 105 ->140 (+35)
Defense: 60 ->50 (-10)
Special Attack: 120 ->140 (+20)
Special Defense: 60 -> 90 (+30)
Speed: 105 ->125 (+25)
(BST) 510-> 610
New moves: Play Rough, Poison Jab, Psycho Cut
Description: Zoroark masters the art of illusion. Using psychic powers, it can keep it up indefenitely. However, this power to keep the illusion makes it very unpredictable, and it can't control which Pokemon the illusion shows.
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Zoroark has 105 attack, so the sum would be 125 Attack.
Ability: Mind Break (Upon mega evolution, the opponent will be cursed, with a 1.3x power boost to any offensive move used this turn. When the user switches in again, the effects of Illusion will be in place. If the user uses a Dark-type move with an illusion active, the illusion will immediately end, and the opponent will be inflicted with Curse. If the move is offensive, the move will have a 1.3x power boost.
HP: 60
Atk: 115 (+20)
Def: 65 (+5)
SpA: 135 (+15)
SpD: 85 (+25)
Spe: 140 (+35)
New Moves: Knock Off, Gunk Shot, Parting Shot
Anyways, my subs.
Ability: Shadow Master: Normal Moves become Dark/Ghost moves like Flying press, and have their power multiplied by 1.1
Type:
New stats
HP: 60
Attack: 105
Defense: 60 -> 80 (+20)
Special Attack: 120 ->135 (+15)
Special Defense: 60 -> 95 (+35)
Speed: 105 ->145 (+30)
(BST) 510-> 610
New moves: None.
Description: I designed this as a destroyer of Dragapults and Spectriers, but um, their banned... It's still a good special sweeper?
New Ability: Frigid Incarnation (When under half health, this pokemon's attack and defense swap and its special attack and special defense swap, and the power of this pokemon's ice moves is multiplied by 1.2 for the rest of the battle. This only happens once.)
Type:
New stats:
HP: 73
Attack: 67
Defense: 75 -> 90 (+15)
Special Attack: 81 -> 96 (+15)
Special Defense: 100 -> 150 (+50)
Speed: 109 -> 129 (+20)
(BST) 505
New moves: None
Description: A pokemon that starts out as a bulky mon that unleashes its true power in the harshest conditions. ([User]'s Ninetales unleashed its true power!]
New Ability: Oracle's Eye (If this pokemon is active, the opponent cannot use any status moves.)
Type:
New stats:
HP: 75
Attack: 69
Defense: 72 --> 132 (+60)
Special Attack: 114 --> 134 (+20)
Special Defense: 100
Speed: 104 --> 124 (+20)
(BST) 534 --> 634
New moves: Morning Sun, Thunderbolt, Mean Look, Disable.
Description: The Anti-Tank. Most tanks depend on using status moves, to spread conditions and recover, only to find out that they can't do that. This pokemon was designed with Chansey and Toxapex in mind, which both are shut down, and if they attack, mean look and disable.
Friendly Reminder to USE THE DISCORD https://discord.com/invite/u286StN
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I did my mega zoroark yesterday, so now for ninetales
Mega A-Ninetales @ A-Nintalite
Ability: Blizzard Rage (Speed and special attack stats are 1.3x under hail)
Mega Stats:
Hp: 73
Attack: 67
Defense: 100 (+25)
Sp. atk: 131 (+50)
Sp. Def: 105 (+5)
Speed: 129 (+20)
New moves: calm mind, mystical fire
Overview: This is supposed to be a hail sweeper, benefiting immensely on hail teams as well as its own snow warning it gets before mega evolution. Mystical fire is supposed to be coverage vs steel Pokemon, however I don't think this will be too broken because it still gets hard walled by fire types and it would probably get 1 shot by bullet punch users such as Scizor, but make no mistake, this is an amazing closer when those threats are gone.
Best moveset (maybe): ice beam/freeze dry/blizzard, Moonblast, calm mind, mystical fire/aurora veil
We may as well do Delphox as well
Mega Delphox @ Delphoxite
Ability: Witch's Grace (If the opponent is about to use a setup move or has stat boosts of some sort, the stat buffs are removed and then its speed and both defences are lowered by 1 stage . If they use another status move, the user's special attack and speed are raised by 1 stage)
More Balanced ability (if original is too op): Witch Trial (all not very effective moves or moves with no effect boost special attack by 1 stage. This increases to 2 stages if that same move faints the target. However, it is now weak against fire instead of resisting it, and will gain an extra 2x weakness to dark)
Mega stats:
Hp: 75
Attack: 69
Defense: 95 (+23)
Special attack: 145 (+31)
Special Defense: 110 (+10)
Speed: 140 (+36)
New moves: Nasty plot, Sacred fire
Overview: This is meant to absolutely destroy setup sweepers such as sd Garchomp if you don't get EQ'd, nasty plot hydreigon if u don't get dark pulsed and a whole lot of other things. I don't think this will be broken because of the whole lot of prediction needed to make sure you don't get OHKO'd and team preview hinders it a bit. Nevertheless, it will still be a monster with the correct prediction. Its more balanced ability will make for a very competent revenge killer, boosting special attackmby 2 stages on the whim if played correctly, but loses hard to things with sucker punch.
Mega A-Ninetales @ A-Nintalite
Ability: Blizzard Rage (Speed and special attack stats are 1.3x under hail)
Mega Stats:
Hp: 73
Attack: 67
Defense: 100 (+25)
Sp. atk: 131 (+50)
Sp. Def: 105 (+5)
Speed: 129 (+20)
New moves: calm mind, mystical fire
Overview: This is supposed to be a hail sweeper, benefiting immensely on hail teams as well as its own snow warning it gets before mega evolution. Mystical fire is supposed to be coverage vs steel Pokemon, however I don't think this will be too broken because it still gets hard walled by fire types and it would probably get 1 shot by bullet punch users such as Scizor, but make no mistake, this is an amazing closer when those threats are gone.
Best moveset (maybe): ice beam/freeze dry/blizzard, Moonblast, calm mind, mystical fire/aurora veil
We may as well do Delphox as well
Mega Delphox @ Delphoxite
Ability: Witch's Grace (If the opponent is about to use a setup move or has stat boosts of some sort, the stat buffs are removed and then its speed and both defences are lowered by 1 stage . If they use another status move, the user's special attack and speed are raised by 1 stage)
More Balanced ability (if original is too op): Witch Trial (all not very effective moves or moves with no effect boost special attack by 1 stage. This increases to 2 stages if that same move faints the target. However, it is now weak against fire instead of resisting it, and will gain an extra 2x weakness to dark)
Mega stats:
Hp: 75
Attack: 69
Defense: 95 (+23)
Special attack: 145 (+31)
Special Defense: 110 (+10)
Speed: 140 (+36)
New moves: Nasty plot, Sacred fire
Overview: This is meant to absolutely destroy setup sweepers such as sd Garchomp if you don't get EQ'd, nasty plot hydreigon if u don't get dark pulsed and a whole lot of other things. I don't think this will be broken because of the whole lot of prediction needed to make sure you don't get OHKO'd and team preview hinders it a bit. Nevertheless, it will still be a monster with the correct prediction. Its more balanced ability will make for a very competent revenge killer, boosting special attackmby 2 stages on the whim if played correctly, but loses hard to things with sucker punch.
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Mega Alolan Ninetales @Ninetalite ANew Ability: Magical Blizzard: On switch-in, a Magical Blizzard begins until this ability is not active.
Magical Blizzard is hail but ice types also get a 1.3x boost to their attacks, and steel-type moves are stopped by the magic in the blizzard and have no effect.
Type: Ice/Fairy
New stats:
HP: 73
Attack: 67 -> 77 (+10)
Defense: 75 ->110 (+35)
Special Attack: 81 ->116 (+35)
Special Defense: 100
Speed: 109 ->129 (+20)
(BST) 505 ->605
New moves: Earth Power, U-Turn, Recover
Description: I made this pokemon to be bulky enough to be able to set up aurora veil, and strong enough to hit hard.
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here is the Second best pirate Fox
Mega Zoroark @ Zoroarkite
New Ability: Open Seas (This Pokémon summons a Pool of Water that deals 1/10 damage to all Non-Water, Ghost, and Flying type Pokémon. Doesn‘t disappear until this Pokémon faints or is switched out)
Type: Dark/Water
New stats:
HP: 60
Attack: 105
Defense: 60 -> 90
Special Attack: 120 -> 140
Special Defense: 60 -> 90
Speed: 105 -> 125
(BST: 610)
New moves: Whirlpool, Hurricane, Surf, Haze, Calm Mind
Description: This thing is set to live hits a bit better while withering down the opponent to get an easy knock out. It now has better things to hit fighting Pokémon and to set up or to ruin other set up. It has whirlpool to give in more chip damage and toxic is just a sweet triple threat that would ruin anyone’s day
New Ability: Open Seas (This Pokémon summons a Pool of Water that deals 1/10 damage to all Non-Water, Ghost, and Flying type Pokémon. Doesn‘t disappear until this Pokémon faints or is switched out)
Type: Dark/Water
New stats:
HP: 60
Attack: 105
Defense: 60 -> 90
Special Attack: 120 -> 140
Special Defense: 60 -> 90
Speed: 105 -> 125
(BST: 610)
New moves: Whirlpool, Hurricane, Surf, Haze, Calm Mind
Description: This thing is set to live hits a bit better while withering down the opponent to get an easy knock out. It now has better things to hit fighting Pokémon and to set up or to ruin other set up. It has whirlpool to give in more chip damage and toxic is just a sweet triple threat that would ruin anyone’s day
Zoroark @ Zoroarkite
Modest Nature
Ability: Illusion (Mega: Open Seas)
EVs: 6 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
- Surf
- Night Daze
- Hurricane
- Nasty Plot
Modest Nature
Ability: Illusion (Mega: Open Seas)
EVs: 6 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
- Surf
- Night Daze
- Hurricane
- Nasty Plot
Zoroark @ Zoroarkite
Bold Nature
Ability: Illusion (Mega: Open Seas)
EVs: 6 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpD
- Whirlpool
- Night Daze
- Haze
- Detect
Bold Nature
Ability: Illusion (Mega: Open Seas)
EVs: 6 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpD
- Whirlpool
- Night Daze
- Haze
- Detect
The Fox Witch strikes again
Mega Delphox @ Delphoxite
New Ability: Spirit Summoner (This Pokémon’s Ghost type moves have a 30% chance to curse the opponent or will turn the opponent part Ghost type)
Type: Fire/Ghost
New stats:
HP: 75
Attack: 69
Defense: 72 -> 110
Special Attack: 114 -> 140
Special Defense: 100 -> 120
Speed: 104 -> 120
(BST: 634)
New moves: Nasty Plot, Hex, Dark Pulse, Moonblast, Aura Sphere
Description: This thing is here to come out swinging. It can turn the opponent into a part ghost type, which will help its stab to some good damage and wither them down with a free curse, that doesn’t cost any valuable HP.
New Ability: Spirit Summoner (This Pokémon’s Ghost type moves have a 30% chance to curse the opponent or will turn the opponent part Ghost type)
Type: Fire/Ghost
New stats:
HP: 75
Attack: 69
Defense: 72 -> 110
Special Attack: 114 -> 140
Special Defense: 100 -> 120
Speed: 104 -> 120
(BST: 634)
New moves: Nasty Plot, Hex, Dark Pulse, Moonblast, Aura Sphere
Description: This thing is here to come out swinging. It can turn the opponent into a part ghost type, which will help its stab to some good damage and wither them down with a free curse, that doesn’t cost any valuable HP.
Delphox @ Delphoxite
Modest Nature
Ability: Magician (Mega: Spirit Summoner)
EVs: 252 SpA / 6 SpD / 252 Spe
- Mystical Fire
- Nasty Plot
- Hex
- Moonblast
Modest Nature
Ability: Magician (Mega: Spirit Summoner)
EVs: 252 SpA / 6 SpD / 252 Spe
- Mystical Fire
- Nasty Plot
- Hex
- Moonblast
Delphox @ Delphoxnite
Lax Nature
Ability: Magician (Mega: Spirit Summoner)
EVs: 252 Def / 252 SpA / 6 Spe
- Calm Mind
- Protect
- Hex
- Mystical Fire
Lax Nature
Ability: Magician (Mega: Spirit Summoner)
EVs: 252 Def / 252 SpA / 6 Spe
- Calm Mind
- Protect
- Hex
- Mystical Fire
The Fox definition of beauty
Mega Alolan Ninetales @ Alolan-Nintalesite
New Ability: Aurora Storm (it sets a extremely heavy hail until this Pokémon is knocked out or switched, and an Aurora Veil for 3 turns. It deals 1/10 damage every turn to all Non-Ice types, and Blizzard will always hit)
Type: Ice/Fairy
New stats:
HP: 73
Attack: 67
Defense: 75 -> 125
Special Attack: 81 -> 110
Special Defense: 100 -> 110
Speed: 109 -> 120
(BST: 605)
New moves: Psychic, Amnesia, Mystical Fire, Shadow Ball, Focus Blast
Description: This thing is made to have a permanent Aurora Veil for its own bulky likeness and to strike down anything that gets in its way of justice. It also has more ways to deal with those pesky steel types it gets utterly destroyed by and a much better defense stat to use to its advantage.
New Ability: Aurora Storm (it sets a extremely heavy hail until this Pokémon is knocked out or switched, and an Aurora Veil for 3 turns. It deals 1/10 damage every turn to all Non-Ice types, and Blizzard will always hit)
Type: Ice/Fairy
New stats:
HP: 73
Attack: 67
Defense: 75 -> 125
Special Attack: 81 -> 110
Special Defense: 100 -> 110
Speed: 109 -> 120
(BST: 605)
New moves: Psychic, Amnesia, Mystical Fire, Shadow Ball, Focus Blast
Description: This thing is made to have a permanent Aurora Veil for its own bulky likeness and to strike down anything that gets in its way of justice. It also has more ways to deal with those pesky steel types it gets utterly destroyed by and a much better defense stat to use to its advantage.
Ninetales-Alola @ Alolan-Nintalesite
Modest Nature
Ability: Snow Cloak (Mega: Aurora Storm)
EVs: 252 SpA / 6 SpD / 252 Spe
- Psychic
- Mystical Fire
- Nasty Plot
- Focus Blast
Modest Nature
Ability: Snow Cloak (Mega: Aurora Storm)
EVs: 252 SpA / 6 SpD / 252 Spe
- Psychic
- Mystical Fire
- Nasty Plot
- Focus Blast
Ninetales-Alola @ Alolan-Nintalesite
Sassy Nature
Ability: Snow Warning (Mega: Aurora Storm)
EVs: 6 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpD
- Amnesia
- Mystical Fire
- Hypnosis
- Protect
Sassy Nature
Ability: Snow Warning (Mega: Aurora Storm)
EVs: 6 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpD
- Amnesia
- Mystical Fire
- Hypnosis
- Protect
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My set
Mega Zoroark @Zoroarkite
Type: Dark -> Dark/Fairy
New Ability: Dark Aura (yes that one from Yveltal)
New Moves: Gunk Shot, Will-o-Wisp, Psychic, Play Rough, Dazzling gleam, Moonblast, Strange Steam, Clear Smog
Stats:
Hp: 60
Attack: 105 -> 125 (+20)
Defense: 60 -> 70 (+10)
Special Attack: 120 -> 150 (+30)
Special Defense: 60 -> 75 (+15)
Speed: 105 -> 130 (+25)
BST: 510 -> 610 (+100)
Mega Zoroark @Zoroarkite
Type: Dark -> Dark/Fairy
New Ability: Dark Aura (yes that one from Yveltal)
New Moves: Gunk Shot, Will-o-Wisp, Psychic, Play Rough, Dazzling gleam, Moonblast, Strange Steam, Clear Smog
Stats:
Hp: 60
Attack: 105 -> 125 (+20)
Defense: 60 -> 70 (+10)
Special Attack: 120 -> 150 (+30)
Special Defense: 60 -> 75 (+15)
Speed: 105 -> 130 (+25)
BST: 510 -> 610 (+100)
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Finally got an idea for mega delphox!
Mega Delphox @ Delphoxite
New Ability: Orb of Power: This pokemon's attack and special attack are multiplied by 1.5x. This pokemon's psychic type moves are neutral regardless of typing.
Type: Psychic
New stats:
HP: 75
Attack: 69 ->114 (+45)
Defense: 72 ->97 (+25)
Special Attack: 114
Special Defense: 100
Speed: 104 ->134 (+30)
(BST) 534 ->634
New moves: Freeze-Dry, Ice Punch, Aura Sphere
Description: Focusing on strenghthening its psychic powers, it creates an orb of pure psychic energy. This makes its psychic moves be felt by even the strongest of minds, and it makes delphox more powerful.
Mega Delphox @ DelphoxiteNew Ability: Orb of Power: This pokemon's attack and special attack are multiplied by 1.5x. This pokemon's psychic type moves are neutral regardless of typing.
Type: Psychic
New stats:
HP: 75
Attack: 69 ->114 (+45)
Defense: 72 ->97 (+25)
Special Attack: 114
Special Defense: 100
Speed: 104 ->134 (+30)
(BST) 534 ->634
New moves: Freeze-Dry, Ice Punch, Aura Sphere
Description: Focusing on strenghthening its psychic powers, it creates an orb of pure psychic energy. This makes its psychic moves be felt by even the strongest of minds, and it makes delphox more powerful.
I finally thought of a good idea for alolatails!
MEGA NINETAILS
ABILITY: SOOTHING MIST: activates fog (the losing accuracy one from gen 4 and also looses to defog) (stays 7 turns)
TYPE: ICE-WATER
STATS:
HP: 73
ATTK: 63
DEF: 100 (+25)
SPA: 121 (+40)
SPDEF: 100
SPEED: 144 (+35)
NEW MOVES: MUDDY WATER, WATER SPOUT
INSPIRATION: mist go brrrrrr
MEGA NINETAILS
ABILITY: SOOTHING MIST: activates fog (the losing accuracy one from gen 4 and also looses to defog) (stays 7 turns)
TYPE: ICE-WATER
STATS:
HP: 73
ATTK: 63
DEF: 100 (+25)
SPA: 121 (+40)
SPDEF: 100
SPEED: 144 (+35)
NEW MOVES: MUDDY WATER, WATER SPOUT
INSPIRATION: mist go brrrrrr
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Mega Delphox
New Ability: Levitate
Type:
New stats:
HP: 75
Attack: 69 -> 91 (+22)
Defense: 72 ->92 (+20)
Special Attack: 114 -> 130 (+16)
Special Defense: 100 -> 120 (+20)
Speed: 104 -> 126 (+22)
(BST): 534 -> 634
New moves: Recover, Aura Sphere, Nasty Plot
Description: Delphox's stick has enlarged, turning into an ornate purple broom with a large pink flame where the bristles would be. Delphox sits on the broom, making it so it avoids Ground-type attacks and some hazards. Delphox's ear fur has turned white, and its coat is now a light purple like its shiny form. Delphox now has a playful and almost flirty demeanor, flying around the battlefield making faces to its opponent while it battles.
Delphox @ Delphoxite
Ability: Blaze
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Nasty Plot
- Psyshock
- Fire Blast
- Aura Sphere
Delphox @ Delphoxite
Ability: Blaze
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Psyshock
- Aura Sphere
- Recover
New Ability: Levitate
Type:
New stats:
HP: 75
Attack: 69 -> 91 (+22)
Defense: 72 ->92 (+20)
Special Attack: 114 -> 130 (+16)
Special Defense: 100 -> 120 (+20)
Speed: 104 -> 126 (+22)
(BST): 534 -> 634
New moves: Recover, Aura Sphere, Nasty Plot
Description: Delphox's stick has enlarged, turning into an ornate purple broom with a large pink flame where the bristles would be. Delphox sits on the broom, making it so it avoids Ground-type attacks and some hazards. Delphox's ear fur has turned white, and its coat is now a light purple like its shiny form. Delphox now has a playful and almost flirty demeanor, flying around the battlefield making faces to its opponent while it battles.
Delphox @ Delphoxite
Ability: Blaze
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Nasty Plot
- Psyshock
- Fire Blast
- Aura Sphere
Delphox @ Delphoxite
Ability: Blaze
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Psyshock
- Aura Sphere
- Recover
Mega Alolan Ninetales
Ability: Snow Warning
Type:
New stats:
HP: 73
Attack: 67 -> 87 (+20)
Defense: 75 -> 85 (+10)
Special Attack: 81 -> 115 (+34)
Special Defense: 100 -> 110 (+10)
Speed: 109 -> 135 (+26)
(BST): 505 -> 605
New moves: Psychic, Shadow Ball
Description: Ninetales's body grows and turns completely pure white. Its tails split into 9, forming a trail behind it. It now has an aggressive stance, like
Ninetales-Alola @ Ninetalesite-A
Ability: Snow Warning
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Nasty Plot
- Blizzard
- Moonblast
- Shadow Ball
Ability: Snow Warning
Type:
New stats:
HP: 73
Attack: 67 -> 87 (+20)
Defense: 75 -> 85 (+10)
Special Attack: 81 -> 115 (+34)
Special Defense: 100 -> 110 (+10)
Speed: 109 -> 135 (+26)
(BST): 505 -> 605
New moves: Psychic, Shadow Ball
Description: Ninetales's body grows and turns completely pure white. Its tails split into 9, forming a trail behind it. It now has an aggressive stance, like
Ninetales-Alola @ Ninetalesite-A
Ability: Snow Warning
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Nasty Plot
- Blizzard
- Moonblast
- Shadow Ball
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How do you place the pokemon sprites in text?
use :pokemon: or :ss/pokemon: if you want the 3d sprites
Zoroark-mega @ Zoroarkite
Type: Dark
Ability: Voodoo (This pokemon appears as the last pokemon in your party until that pokemon faints. If that pokemon faints, this pokemon's ability becomes Shattered. Copies %hp remaining so if last pokemon is at 100% hp, Zoroark will be at 100% as well when it comes in. Copies status condition, if last mon is severely poisoned, so is Zoroark. Takes hazard damage that pokemon's typing would take.
Shattered (this pokemon loses 45% hp at the beginning of each turn)
HP: 60
Atk: 105 -> 150 (+45)
Def: 60 -> 70 (+10)
SpA: 120 -> 145 (+25)
SpD: 60 -> 70 (+10)
Spe: 105 -> 115 (+10)
BST: 510 -> 610
New Moves: Fiery Dance, Psychic
Dex Entry: The energy concentrated in its hair has caused it to emit an ominous aura and grow to cover most of its body. It's illusion capabilities are improved to an uncanny degree.
Notes: While its ability allows it to heal and possibly remove a condition it is very fragile. It's base 60 HP comboed with its base 70 defenses make it unlikely to switch in on any attack, likely to be OHKO'd. It being this fragile could make one want to invest more defensively instead of offensively. While not switching in the last most may be a strategy, doing so could potentially make the the fight a 5v6. It's speed is barely improved to keep it in line with other megas and not let it become to overwhelming offensively. Its pure dark typing makes most hits it takes neutral or super effective.
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Ninetales-Alola-Mega @ Alolanintalite
Ability: Blissful Snow - Aurora veil lasts for 3 extra turns.
No Type Changes.
Stats:
HP: 73
Attack: 67
Defense: 75 -> 80 (+5)
SpA: 81 -> 120 (+39)
SpD: 100 -> 130 (+30)
Speed: 109 -> 135 (+26)
BST: 605
New Moves: (Bold = Notable) Haze, U-Turn
Overview: It's great special bulk + a.veil gives it some breathing room to either Set up with calm mind or act as an offensive pivot (though stealth rock hinders it from being one, pretty much requiring a rapid spinner since defog removes a.veil). Having a built in light clay helps it and it's teammates set up. Still extremely weak to physical priority and steel types (still ohkoed by scizor with a 252 SpA/4SpD/252Speed set even with veil up iirc, ran calcs) and it has a big case of 4mss,as it wants it's stabs, aurora veil, u turn / calm mind, haze(for pivot sets) and coverage(for setup sets).
Edit: Removed Extra Aurora Veil Effect.
Edit 2, added back aurora veil effect, removed hazard neutering effect
Edit 3: Updated the ability and description to reflect on hematite's latest post more.
Probably Final Edit: Removed boosts to ice and fairy from field effect, to fit hema’s critique in the discord.
Actual final edit: Removed blissful snow’s status as a field effect,
Ability: Blissful Snow - Aurora veil lasts for 3 extra turns.
No Type Changes.
Stats:
HP: 73
Attack: 67
Defense: 75 -> 80 (+5)
SpA: 81 -> 120 (+39)
SpD: 100 -> 130 (+30)
Speed: 109 -> 135 (+26)
BST: 605
New Moves: (Bold = Notable) Haze, U-Turn
Overview: It's great special bulk + a.veil gives it some breathing room to either Set up with calm mind or act as an offensive pivot (though stealth rock hinders it from being one, pretty much requiring a rapid spinner since defog removes a.veil). Having a built in light clay helps it and it's teammates set up. Still extremely weak to physical priority and steel types (still ohkoed by scizor with a 252 SpA/4SpD/252Speed set even with veil up iirc, ran calcs) and it has a big case of 4mss,as it wants it's stabs, aurora veil, u turn / calm mind, haze(for pivot sets) and coverage(for setup sets).
Edit: Removed Extra Aurora Veil Effect.
Edit 2, added back aurora veil effect, removed hazard neutering effect
Edit 3: Updated the ability and description to reflect on hematite's latest post more.
Probably Final Edit: Removed boosts to ice and fairy from field effect, to fit hema’s critique in the discord.
Actual final edit: Removed blissful snow’s status as a field effect,
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Breathes
Ohhh gosh
it's been three weeks
I'm so sorry;;;
Uh, hi;;
I'm extremely sorry for the unanticipated delay in posting this - I was having a heck of a week around when submissions were supposed to close and I've been ironing out an important personal situation this month, so it's been difficult to find time to myself that I can spend on Megas for All.
I really didn't mean to disappear unannounced like that; I wouldn't have felt comfortable asking anyone else to handle this on my behalf, and it was definitely necessary for me to step back, but I regret not being more communicative about it and I apologize if anyone was concerned or impacted by the delay. :x
It seems like the situation is mostly worked out now, which is a big relief, and I will do my best to be back to business as usual in the near future - as well as to stay in better contact with everyone if anything like this needs to happen again! I have a major responsibility to this community and feel awful for being unable to fulfill it lately, but here's hoping it won't happen again at least;;
Uh, in the interest of giving everyone an appropriate amount of time to respond to this, I will be extending the submission phase by a final 24 hours and then officially closing it tomorrow night. Any changes people make in that time will be accounted for in the sub compilation; meanwhile, as usual, any posts that are still veto-worthy tomorrow will be excluded for the time being, but you can always let me know if you make a change before votes close and I'll be happy to add them back! C:
so green
First, a super minor and brief update:
This is probably not news to most of you, because it's been the case since before I even left, but to anyone not keeping an eye on the sheet or the Discord, it's worth noting that the three balance changes and the three new Mega Evolutions from last slate are all live on both Dragon Heaven and main Showdown!
The main reason I bring this up now is less because it's news (it was already announced that all three balance changes had passed) and more because I usually report the specific voting statistics and haven't had the opportunity to do so yet:
Again, these are all live and have been for quite some time now! :>
Just making sure to have something in the thread saying as much, haha.
Now for the main substance of the post - I have a couple of things to address on a broad scale, and then I'll also be making a few comments on specific submissions with those in mind!
So, uh! Some of us have been talking a bit about our submission process lately, and it came up that many of us have basically developed a set of unwritten rules and community standards for submissions, and these often end up repeated as advice but aren't really compiled anywhere. In the hopes of making a more effective community resource, the incredible DrPumpkinz took the initiative to come up with a written list of guidelines on custom Abilities, and I've expanded on this with other areas of general advice, as well as elaboration on why some of our usual expectations are important and where they come from.
This is a resource that I think is applicable to everyone, so I would encourage anyone who's interested in submitting to read it! That said, I'll also cross-reference specific points in the submission feedback I give later in the post, so you can focus on the parts that are most relevant to you if this is too much to read at once yeah okay it probably is.
Huge thanks again to DrPumpkinz for starting this, and I hope my parts can also be useful to some!
Mega Garbodor doesn't merely clear hazards and raise its defenses. It takes those hazards and adds them to its mass of trash. However, it's important to never let flavor be the only thing your Ability has going for it. Make sure the Pokémon it's attached to can actually use it effectively.
Mega Orbeetle and Mega Talonflame take existing Ability archetypes (summoning an existing field effect, trapping a specific type) and tweak them to summon a different existing field effect and a different specific type. The Spring and Fall forms of Mega Sawsbuck take the effects of niche moves (Powder and Trick-or-Treat) and find ways to make them more reliable.
For a more in-depth example of the previous two points, I'll go through the design process for one of my own custom Abilities, Sonar for
Mega Noivern (it didn't win but it still makes for a good demonstration). While browsing Noibat's Pokédex entries, I noticed that it was capable of detecting the ripeness of fruit with its sonar. This got me thinking of scouting information from the opponent, which got me thinking of scouting moves from the opponent. I've been interested in the Ability Forewarn for a while now, but the main inspiration came from a little-known move that I'm personally fascinated with: the original incarnation of Mimic. While Mimic in its current incarnation is a fairly useless move that copies the last used move of the opponent, in Gen 1 and only Gen 1, it randomly copies one of the opponent's moves, allowing it to potentially scout out moves that haven't been used yet. By combining this cool scouting application of Mimic to Noivern's theme of using sound to scout, I arrived at Sonar, which will announce one of the opponent's moves (a bit like Forewarn but random) whenever Noivern hits it with a sound move.
Mega Bastiodon's Settle and 
Mega Samurott's Heavenly Techniques. Settle grants Mega Bastiodon enormous power on its special attacks, but only if they haven't been used recently, heavily rewarding the player for making hard reads. Heavenly Techniques has a wide variety of effects depending on how much health Mega Samurott has remaining, putting heavy emphasis on HP management and creating a playstyle that takes great skill to use effectively, just as a samurai shows great skill with its blade.
But they really don't exist in a vacuum! The best submissions, whether their Abilities are custom-made or not, are the ones whose Abilities, stats, moves and even types support each other.
The more focused your submission is on one specific goal, the better it will be - it's super important to have an idea in mind from the start about what your Mega Evolution will do, and the clearer that idea is in your mind, the more you'll have to work with for every other step.
Decisions about stats, added moves, and even type changes can all interact with an Ability in their own ways and often arise naturally once you have an Ability in mind; you absolutely need a solid foundation for any of the rest of your sub to work.
Personally, I pretty much always decide on an Ability before any other part of my submission, and I highly encourage people to do the same - although if you're making a custom Ability, it often helps to develop it in more detail as you go!
In the case of custom Abilities, this complements DrPumpkinz's advice from earlier: "If it doesn't need to be custom, don't."
Well... if it does need to be custom - if your Mega's core gameplan couldn't be the same with a preexisting Ability - then of course you need to know what the Ability is as soon as possible! How could you decide on its stats, moves and types before you decide on a gameplan?
Plus, if there's really no other Ability that could do the same thing your idea does, that probably means it's one of the most unique selling points you have and the biggest thing that will set it apart from other people's takes - so there's no question that it belongs front and center!
This said, this isn't at all limited to custom Abilities! You can have an original idea by taking an existing effect in a new direction - for example,
Mega Inteleon and 
Mega Leavanny were both designed around Abilities that already existed in canon and were designed to use them in ways that other Pokémon didn't.
Every part of Mega Inteleon was designed around exploiting Illusion from the start - its stat changes and type change were built around the moves it already had that paired well with Illusion (like Fell Stinger, U-turn and Swords Dance), and then the new moves it received, like First Impression, were chosen to augment this. It wasn't decided that Inteleon should be a Bug-type physical sweeper for the sake of it - the original submitter, inkbug, took into account exactly what about Inteleon was best suited to Illusion and designed Mega Inteleon around making the most of that.
Similarly, Mega Leavanny was designed from the start to exploit the canon Ability Parental Bond in as different a way as possible from its other user, Mega Kangaskhan, primarily by using stat-reducing moves and exploring their synergy with strong setup options. Everything about it traces back to this - its new moves were chosen for their synergy with Parental Bond and its existing type, and its stats were based on the expected potential of these moves.
Nothing is more important to a quality submission than striking a balance between fitting a Pokémon's flavor and creating something mechanically sound and interesting.
With that in mind, when it comes to decisions about type changes and move additions, try to take into account what your Pokémon already has to offer - change just what you need and no more!
In my experience, adding unnecessary filler moves with no clear purpose or changing your Pokémon's type for no reason are... pretty much two of the easiest ways to make your idea more controversial without actually making it better, and many people find them distracting and will be turned off by them read: doing this haphazardly makes it less likely to win. That said, if you keep your focus clear, work towards the same goal with every step of the process, and make sure everything you do is for a reason, you'll probably have one of the best submissions out there!
Mega Reuniclus's Superpower, Hammer Arm and Drain Punch, or a move that it doesn't have yet but contributes directly to its role in a fitting way, like 
Mega Lycanroc's Extreme Speed or 
Mega Clefable's Hex.
There are plenty of other reasons, too - many type combinations have intrinsic offensive or defensive value, like
Mega Raichu's unique combination of Electric/Fighting directly supporting its excellence as a wallbreaker or Mega Dhelmise's Ghost/Steel typing giving it a much wider resistance profile and complementing its Ability defensively.
There are really plenty of reasons to change type - the important thing is that you have one! A submission that changes a Pokémon's type for absolutely no reason, or purely for flavor without thinking through the implications on its role, will rarely do well; when you're making an unexpected change like this, the more clearly you justify it, the better it will reflect on your submission and the more interested people will be in your idea.
To explain this, I'm going to talk a bit about one of my favorite submissions in recent memory: BlueRay's Mega Hawlucha, which has the custom Ability Masquerade:
At a glance, that looks incredibly nonspecific, doesn't it? How in the world do you design a Pokémon to make the most of this or say what role it creates? In my eyes, Masquerade is pretty much a perfect example of an Ability that looks general but is actually deeply ingrained in the Pokémon that has it.
During this slate, it came up on the Discord that someone wanted to use the same Ability for Zoroark because it seemed like it suited its flavor, so we had a conversation about how elements of Hawlucha interacted with the Ability and whether Zoroark could be functionally distinct from it without simply being an inferior copy. As I think they came to understand, there's a lot more to this Ability than just flavor, and BlueRay's choice of Hawlucha demonstrates a deep understanding of the practical applications of Masquerade - it's a very appropriate pick that has way more going for it as a Masquerade user than most!
This has a lot to do with its drawback: "until it takes direct damage from another Pokémon's attack." This limiting factor encourages a specific playing style - because the Ability loses its effect when the user is hit, it's favorable to Pokémon that can strike first and either force their opponents out or defeat them; if the user goes second, even if it can survive a hit, it doesn't have the benefit of its Ability any more, which closes off its options significantly. This diminishes its value on slow or passive Pokémon, and it also reduces the value of setup moves, which is relevant as a way to keep the Ability's offensive potential in check although admittedly it does sound like it's still too good in some cases and we may look into nerfing it a bit in the future; on the other hand, having access to pivoting is beneficial for the Ability, as flexibly and safely switching out and manipulating the order of the party allows the user to have more control over the Ability Masquerade inherits.
In addition, being a physical attacker like Hawlucha is a better use of the Ability than being a special attacker like Zoroark, because there are tangibly more Abilities (and they're generally more widespread) that interact with the user's physical moves than there are that interact with special ones.
Even a Pokémon's type combination can directly support a playing style like this.
For a Pokémon that's incentivized to run pivoting moves and has to come in and out of battle often, entry hazards are probably the first thing on an ideal Masquerade user's mind, especially since Mega Evolutions can't hold Heavy-Duty Boots. Hawlucha stands out as having one of the best type combinations for a pivoting Pokémon like this - it's a Flying-type, granting it immunity to all three grounded entry hazards; unlike other Flying-types, though, it isn't weak to Stealth Rock (the last entry hazard that exists in our meta) because of its additional Fighting type.
Meanwhile, offensively, the pairing of Fighting and Flying is one of the best STAB combinations in the game, meaning that Hawlucha can rely on just its STABs as its most necessary offensive moves and has way more flexibility in its other two moveslots. A Pokémon that either doesn't need coverage (like one whose STABs go as well together as Hawlucha's) or can't rely on it (think of something like Regieleki or Araquanid) has more freedom to spend its other move slots on utility like pivoting, recovery, hazard control or Taunt, all of which are options for Hawlucha, or on moves that synergize more uniquely with specific Abilities.
Just by exploring what the Ability does in depth and imagining a situation in which it would be useful, we've come to discover that it actually tells us a lot more about a Pokémon than you might expect - we've described a fast, offensive, non-grounded pivot that isn't weak to Rock, has multiple utility options, and has spare moveslots thanks to the compression offered by its STAB.
In other words, Hawlucha is literally a perfect Masquerade user and BlueRay is a genius but more on that later.
It's no fun at all to come up with a great idea and then realize you can't actually do it because you think your Pokémon would be broken if you did - but then... how much do you lose by just giving your submission lower stats to accommodate for it?
With this in mind, I'm always taken aback when I see people presenting already-completed stat spreads in places like #submission-feedback and asking what Ability to give their Pokémon at the very end - you have so many more options if you do it the other way around!
We try to give as much freedom as we can with stat changes - while we have rules constraining the way stat spreads are allowed to look, there is no one-size-fits-all rule to making a balanced Mega Evolution's stats, so none of our written rules even try to constrain how strong or weak a Pokémon is allowed to be. That's because we expect this to be tailored to an individual submission - a stat spread simply isn't strong or weak without types, moves and Abilities in mind.
You should always think first about what you want your Pokémon to do and work your stats around that. One of the recommended starting points in the first post of this very thread is to decide on your Pokémon's attacking stats by doing damage calculations and comparing them to similar Pokémon - but how can you do that if you have no idea what set your Pokémon is going to run?
A Mega Guzzlord with, say, Mega Launcher would need a completely different stat spread from a Mega Guzzlord with Contrary - or from, say, a Mega Mew with Mega Launcher (types also matter)! And they'd probably be running totally different moves, too - on a Mega Launcher Guzzlord, most people wouldn't put much thought into whether or not Superpower is an important choice, and its Attack stat would basically be a safe dump stat if not, but these become top priority on a Contrary Guzzlord.
It's far easier to make informed choices about stats when you know exactly what your Pokémon is doing, and at least in my own experience, making a decent stat spread is the most straightforward part of the process and can fall together quite easily once everything else is done. There's just no sense in putting thought into stats until you have in mind a specific set and can make decisions based on specific circumstances - and it will almost always come back to bite you if you carefully optimize your Pokémon around not having an Ability, because then you're locking yourself out of any Ability that makes it measurably stronger.
This is something that's come up a lot more often than I would like in the context of the current slate, and I feel it's important to establish a stance on it before we vote on this one and before it gets out of hand.
There seems to be a rising trend of introducing new field effects (especially terrains) and variations on field effects (especially existing weathers) for new Pokémon instead of just introducing a more straightforward Ability, so I would like to go on the record as discouraging this a lot and to take the time to explain in what ways our existing field effects are designed well and why more of them should not be made liberally.
Across all 27 previous slates of this mod - that's a total of 90 Mega Evolutions - we have introduced only three field effects:
Mega Dragalge's Acidic Terrain, 
Mega Flygon's Desert Gales, and, most recently, 
Mega Aurorus's Diamond Dust. (Relevant clarification: while Mega Aurorus has existed since slate 17, its Ability had a different effect until a buffing slate that took place between slates 26 and 27, after Mega Flygon's creation.)
All of them were extremely well justified and were handled with extreme care, and Dragalge and Flygon in particular have substantially influenced entire team styles and had incredibly unique influences on our metagame (and while Aurorus is perhaps too new to say, it's certainly shown the value of the revised Diamond Dust in our new VGC format).
Since there are only three of these, I'm going to break down what about them is done well, with a particular emphasis on Dragalge.
The Acidic Terrain it creates is a Poison-themed terrain, boosting Poison-type moves used by grounded Pokémon by 30% like Electric, Psychic and Grassy Terrains, and its unique effect is to remove the immunity of any grounded Pokémon to Poison-type damage - just like a version of Scrappy to let Poison-type moves hit Steel-type Pokémon.
First important point: other than that one unique effect, Acidic Surge has the bare minimum of interactions to pass as a terrain ("it's Poison-type," for the purposes of Camouflage, Mimicry and Terrain Pulse; the most obvious secondary effect for Secret Power and the most obvious equivalent move for Nature Power; and changing the power the most obvious type of move by the most consistent amount). All of these are extremely simple and intuitive, and all but the boost to Poison-type moves are equally rare - the only reason these interactions exist is because they are non-negotiable, and it is impossible to have a new terrain without choosing them.
Rather than taking the opportunity to stack many effects at the same time ("it's a field effect, so it doesn't have to look like it's just one Ability"), Acidic Surge makes a clear effort to be as simple and as easy to learn as possible; the only thing that distinguishes it from any other terrain is one Ability's worth of information: it's just "a terrain that's like Poison Scrappy."
I think this is important! Anything that's too detailed or unfocused to be accepted as a custom Ability is also too much to be a field effect, and calling something a field effect just to get around that it has more than one Ability's worth of effects is not going to be accepted.
There's something else Dragalge does that's super admirable! The Scrappy effect is something that reflects Dragalge's unique qualities in a subtle but extremely specific way, more so than most other Poison-types - it's a perfect flavor choice. Even if this weren't a new field effect - even if it were just a regular Poison clone of Scrappy - Dragalge is exactly the Pokémon that would "deserve" that effect by itself, which makes it that much more fitting that it should be the one to debut Acidic Surge.
Mechanically, allowing Dragalge to hit Pokémon that are immune to Poison is a perfect extension of one of the main qualities that already sets Dragalge apart. When it was created in Generation VI, Dragalge debuted a unique type combination - Poison/Dragon - which was particularly relevant at the time for pairing Dragon with a type that was super effective against Fairy; in other words, Dragalge's original selling point was already that it could circumvent the main immunity to one of its STABs. Giving this Scrappy effect to Dragalge is a natural, fitting extension of what set it apart when it was created, and it's also uniquely optimal on a type combination like Poison/Dragon compared to most others, since every single Pokémon that resists Poison and Dragon together is at least part Steel-type (and there are quite a lot of them, since Steel alone naturally resists both).
There's also a really minor detail that I love about Mega Dragalge: when Steel-type Pokémon are out of the picture, Dragalge is incentivized to run different moves than before.
Ordinarily, Dragalge's preferred coverage is something like Poison/Dragon/Fighting, using Focus Blast to cover the Steel-type Pokémon that wall both of its STABs; however, with Acidic Terrain in effect, the Pokémon that resist Dragalge's STAB moves are all Steel/Rock-, Steel/Ground- and Steel/Ghost-types (ones that would resist Poison regardless of their immunity), Steel/Flying-types (ones that are unaffected by terrain) or Bronzor and Bronzong (the only Steel-types with Levitate).
This barely matters, but it results in a subtle and extremely cool acknowledgment of one of Dragalge's other unique characteristics: despite being a Poison- and Dragon-type, it has all of the moves that are expected of a Water-type as well, thanks to its pre-evolution Skrelp, including extremely valuable ones like Hydro Pump, Scald and Flip Turn. As Water is super effective against Rock and Ground, Fighting is ineffective against Ghost, and Water and Fighting are equally effective against Steel/Flying and Steel/Psychic, the mere fact that its Ability bypasses Steel immunities encourages Dragalge to rely on the techniques it gains from its unique evolution instead of the ones any other Poison/Dragon-type would have.
Basically, Dragalge is quite possibly the best Pokémon that could possibly have been given Poison Scrappy, field effect or not. I told you BlueRay was a genius!
That's the second major point to keep in mind when making new field effects - the Pokémon that sets the field effect should clearly deserve it and be able to take advantage of it, and you should hold that to the same standard as any other custom Ability: Why Dragalge?
If Mega Dragalge didn't set a new field effect and just had Poison Scrappy to itself, it would absolutely still have had a vote from me! There's a clear reason why this suits Dragalge best, and it's optimized around Dragalge's best assets while also engaging in clever ways with its flavor and its history.
The last thing to address is when a field effect is called for. That question is admittedly quite a lot fuzzier, but one answer that's certain: rarely.
In all cases so far, a crucial unifying factor is that all three of our field effect setters are optimized to share their field effects. They all benefit a great deal from their effects, as described of Dragalge, but they're also all effective support Pokémon for their teams on top of what their Abilities have to offer.
For example, Dragalge is a specially bulky Pokémon that already has access to hazards (Toxic Spikes) and already operates as a slow pivot; its best set in the current Generation is as a utility Pokémon, Mega or not. As field effect setters go, Dragalge was pretty much already as optimized as one could get - it was already well equipped to come in and out of battle often and offered a rare benefit to its team to justify being used over other field effect setters. Mega Dragalge also gains access to Roost, improving its longevity and making it more plausible for it to support its team continually throughout the game. Especially for a Pokémon that can't hold a weather rock, a Terrain Extender or even Heavy-Duty Boots, longevity is crucial - a Pokémon that can't keep its field effect up for its team is one that isn't doing its job as a field effect setter, and there's no reason for that Pokémon to create a brand-new field effect when it would be far simpler and more or less the same to make it keep its Ability for itself.
On top of this, Acidic Terrain is also an appropriate choice for a "Poison terrain" on the basis that a wide range of Pokémon can take advantage of it - basically every Poison-type appreciates the effect, and unlike a condition like hail, it's easy to build around it without hindering your own team (for example, most replays featuring Dragalge show that it's frequently paired with a non-grounded Steel-type like Corviknight or Celesteela so that the Dragalge user's opponents can't turn it against them). It's broadly useful enough - and Dragalge is good enough at maintaining it - that turning it into a field effect visibly alters the way a team is built and opens opportunities for unusual team compositions.
In short, it can be said that a well-made field effect has these qualities:
Mega Flygon nails all of those same qualities, and in many ways, it takes them even further than Dragalge did.
Like Acidic Terrain, Desert Gales can more or less be summed up as one Ability: despite being a weather, it's really a version of Pixilate, Refrigerate and so on that changes Normal-type moves to Ground-type moves, then boosts their power by 20%. There's a slight deviation here - following the precedent of multiple other sand-related effects, it boosts the power of Rock, Ground and Steel (all three types that are immune to sandstorm and boosted by Sand Force) rather than just Ground-type moves - but the effects are still almost as simple as a regular -ate Ability, just applied to the whole field instead of one Pokémon.
What Flygon did differently from most other custom weathers before it was the extremely clever, fitting and innovative idea to activate all sand-related Abilities and "count" as sandstorm for the intents and purposes of all moves. That wasn't the entire premise or the only reason for it to be used supportively - the function of Desert Gales is broadly distinct from Sand Stream in more ways than just for Flygon itself - but it allowed it to have a realistic span of move and Ability interactions beyond just Weather Ball without asking players to learn anything new.
Desert Gales is an excellent fit for Mega Flygon mechanically - it wasn't even the only Mega Flygon inspired by -ate Abilities, since Flygon is strongly associated with Normal-type sound moves like Boomburst but doesn't currently have any reason to use them, and Ausma's own submission added other relevant moves like Iron Head and Extreme Speed to make the most of the effect.
Flygon's flavor also draws strong connections between its sound moves and sand, and it has Pokédex entries about teaming up with other Ground-type Pokémon to hunt for food, specifically using its sandstorms to enable them - an effect that makes Boomburst into a STAB move, buffs Ground-type allies and approximates sand in a way that Flygon actually values (regular Sand Stream would do almost nothing for it) is an impressively elegant way to link these together, still without actually being a complicated effect.
Moreover, Mega Flygon, like Dragalge, has many qualities encouraging it to play a supportive role - with access to Defog, U-turn and Roost and a convenient resistance to Stealth Rock, Flygon finds it easy to come in and out of battle and make progress repeatedly rather than staying in to sweep in one shot. The immediate power of its buffed Boomburst also makes it less likely to attempt sweeping sets like Dragon Dance despite the impression its higher Attack gives, while its physical bias still has key benefits in supporting moves like Extreme Speed and U-turn with or without investment.
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, the introduction of Desert Gales to the metagame has pretty much singlehandedly redefined the existing archetype of sand teams. The mere fact of having an -ate Ability that affected the entire field and not just its user was an incredibly new and original idea and has unique interactions with a much wider variety of Pokémon, including existing sand staples like Excadrill and common Ground-types like Landorus-Therian (it has one strong Explosion), and it's even brought new faces like Toxtricity to become "sand" staples.
Flygon also usually pairs with Tyranitar, and the two alternate in supporting their teams in different ways, rather than Flygon being expected to carry its team all by itself. This has proven valuable to its success as well, since it's much harder for a unique weather setter to support a whole team by itself than it is for a unique terrain setter - and Flygon's much wider variety of potential allies makes it desirable to be able to sustain as many of them as possible on the same team.
Despite functioning as sand for the purposes of moves and Abilities, Desert Gales isn't just "sand but better" or even a straightforward type-based boost by itself - it brings something new, an effect that's applicable to a wide variety of Pokémon in a wide variety of ways, and one that's totally non-equivalent to any weather condition that exists. It's a wildly original take on what it means to introduce a new field effect and probably my favorite one as of now. Have I mentioned that Ausma is also a genius?
Aurorus wasn't meant to be a weather setter in the first place until it was buffed - the new version of Diamond Dust was essentially a rework of its original Ability into an original field effect, directly inspired by Desert Gales, after recognizing that it was a better application of Diamond Dust's effect than Aurorus could make on its own. In its current state, Diamond Dust is a weather condition that nullifies all Rock-type damage, including Stealth Rock - as an Ability, it would basically just be "Levitate but for Rock instead of Ground" (probably the simplest of all three of our new field effects!) - and in opposition to Desert Gales, it also behaves as hail for the purposes of any moves and Abilities that interact with it.
For context, the original effect of Diamond Dust was to grant Aurorus alone immunity to Rock-type damage, including Stealth Rock, only during hail; the intention was to be an effect that referenced Aurorus's association with hail, but one that was so small-scale and so long-term that it would never get enough out of it from its own five turns of hail - it wasn't meant to benefit significantly from its own five turns of Snow Warning without proper support. At the time, Mega Aurorus was set up as a support Pokémon that would function well enough in or out of hail, but one that still appreciated hail support from its allies and was equipped to fill necessary niches for hail teams better than most, including having access to Aurora Veil from canon and the additions of Volt Switch and Rapid Spin from the original submission.
While Aurorus's original role didn't pan out, the context for its original state matters in drawing some similarities to what made Mega Dragalge and Mega Flygon work as field effect setters - like them, it had an Ability that directly benefited it as an individual and would have facilitated its own role; like them, it could manipulate the field state in a way that benefited its team, in its own case with hazard control and screens; like them, it had access to pivoting; and while it didn't have reliable recovery of its own, it has incredible bulk and an immunity to an important offensive type, granting it opportunities to switch in repeatedly on the right opponents. Its Ability was also designed in the first place with the reasoning that a Rock immunity was something that hail teams needed in particular in addition to its value to Aurorus by itself.
These similarities are the reasons it was possible to turn its Ability into a field effect to get more mileage out of it - the way Mega Aurorus was designed from the start, it was identified as an excellent choice for a field effect setter based on qualities it already possessed, not because a field effect is the right choice on just any Pokémon.
And if nothing else, I think that's a testament to just how conservative we try to be with new field effects - making it a field effect wasn't even considered until well after the Pokémon was made, and it was rooted in the realization that the effect couldn't meet its potential unless it could be shared with a team.
This is sort of its own answer to those first two guidelines - it was a regular and perfectly simple custom Ability before it was a field effect, and not just one that "would have been" a neat fit for Aurorus even without being a new field effect but one that was voted in as the Mega Aurorus of choice.
In addition, while Diamond Dust is valuable to hail teams - it eliminates a shared weakness of nearly all hail Pokémon and activates hail-related Abilities like Slush Rush - it's also like Desert Gales in inviting a completely separate and very wide set of Pokémon to reap the benefits: it directly aids non-Ice-type Pokémon with weaknesses to Rock as well (and the introduction of Boots tells us that basically everything else likes ignoring Stealth Rock, too), and it's able to support its team with Aurora Veil without also causing the penalty of chip that normally comes with that. The combination of these factors is especially handy for Rock-weak setup sweepers like Volcarona. I've already seen other Rock-weak pivots like Victini used on Mega Aurorus teams in the relatively short time I've had to observe it, and I'm pretty sure that was also because they appreciated the support from Diamond Dust.
One last thing that I think is important about Aurorus: no one decided up front that, because Aurorus happened to set hail, any good Mega Aurorus must set "Mega Hail." I'm emphasizing this because I'm seeing a lot of "Mega Hail" for Mega Alolan Ninetales, seemingly in an attempt to follow Mega Aurorus's example - it's crucial to keep in mind that Mega Aurorus did not set an original field effect until it was decided that that was the only way to make its Ability work and that it was a good fit for the part already.
First, there's one more important factor that applies to all three of these: all of their effects are applied unconditionally! Every Pokémon shares in the effect.
In addition to their respective damage modifiers: in Acidic Terrain, every Pokémon can ignore immunities to Poison-type moves; in Desert Gales, every Pokémon's Normal-type moves become Ground-type; and in Diamond Dust, every Pokémon is immune to Rock-type damage.
I think this is an important qualifying factor, because it shows that these are designed to affect the field and not just the setter; there's a clear reason why these are meant to be shared, and it's apparent that a balanced team can be built around the setter without only Pokémon of one type benefiting. This is a huge part of the reason why Desert Gales and Diamond Dust in particular have changed the kinds of Pokémon that can be seen on sand teams and hail teams - if only Ground-types got the -ate effect or only Ice-types were immune to Rock, their influence on the metagame would be way more limited and way less interesting!
Based on what we've described about the new field effects we have right now, I would also like to emphasize a few key points:
Not every Pokémon is an ideal pick for the role of field effect setter; especially in the context that Mega Evolutions can't hold weather rocks or Terrain Extenders, a field effect setter that's effective at supporting anything but itself must be kept to a much higher standard than a non-Mega setter. In the vast majority of cases, field effects are unwarranted.
Even if it's plausible for a Pokémon to be a field effect setter, consider whether there is any other way for it to support its team - there are plenty of other roles that these characteristics can imply - and whether the field effect it sets has to be a new one. We really don't take the introduction of field effects lightly, and it's important to emphasize just how much went into all three of our existing ones and how they've impacted the metagame since their introductions.
Not every Pokémon that already sets a field effect needs to set a special version of that field effect after it Mega Evolves - there are plenty of examples of doing everything but what Aurorus did, and that Aurorus did this at all wasn't even the plan at first!
Broadly, we try hard to avoid making custom Abilities that are "just this other old Ability but better" - straight upgrades that do everything an existing option does and then some. This one hundred percent goes for field effects as well! Notice that, even with their intentional overlap with sand and hail, Desert Gales and Diamond Dust both do something completely different as their primary effect; neither of them does residual chip damage, and Desert Gales also has no effect on Rock-type Pokémon's Special Defense. This is something that I think will be enforced - if you're making a custom weather effect, it shouldn't be another entire weather plus add-ons!
Finally, for that matter, I think minimizing overlap would be wise - something about the idea of having three different kinds of hail feels wrong on a level I can't quite explain, and making a habit of introducing new versions of every weather every time feels more exteme than just making a special kind once. I won't put a hard number on this or make an explicit rule about it, partially in case there's some really brilliant idea down the line that happens to suffer from type overlap and partially because this is a bad thing to spring on people at the very end of a slate with an overwhelming number of new kinds of hail, but I will say that I strongly discourage the idea of having more than one custom "variant" of each existing weather (meaning sand and hail are both covered and we really should not be making more) or more than one distinct terrain representing the same type, and those we do introduce should be aimed at benefiting a wide variety of Pokémon in distinct ways rather than just being the first Pokémon that could pass as a field effect setter of the right type.
Again, there are no hard limits here and I won't outright disallow custom field effects, but treat them as though I have - make them count if you feel they're strictly necessary, and make every field effect as though it's the only one of its kind.
The last section is by far the longest, and I couldn't fit it, so see the next post for that! c':
(Edit: some minor updates after proofreading!)
Ohhh gosh
it's been three weeks
I'm so sorry;;;
Uh, hi;;
I'm extremely sorry for the unanticipated delay in posting this - I was having a heck of a week around when submissions were supposed to close and I've been ironing out an important personal situation this month, so it's been difficult to find time to myself that I can spend on Megas for All.
I really didn't mean to disappear unannounced like that; I wouldn't have felt comfortable asking anyone else to handle this on my behalf, and it was definitely necessary for me to step back, but I regret not being more communicative about it and I apologize if anyone was concerned or impacted by the delay. :x
It seems like the situation is mostly worked out now, which is a big relief, and I will do my best to be back to business as usual in the near future - as well as to stay in better contact with everyone if anything like this needs to happen again! I have a major responsibility to this community and feel awful for being unable to fulfill it lately, but here's hoping it won't happen again at least;;
Uh, in the interest of giving everyone an appropriate amount of time to respond to this, I will be extending the submission phase by a final 24 hours and then officially closing it tomorrow night. Any changes people make in that time will be accounted for in the sub compilation; meanwhile, as usual, any posts that are still veto-worthy tomorrow will be excluded for the time being, but you can always let me know if you make a change before votes close and I'll be happy to add them back! C:
so green
First, a super minor and brief update:
This is probably not news to most of you, because it's been the case since before I even left, but to anyone not keeping an eye on the sheet or the Discord, it's worth noting that the three balance changes and the three new Mega Evolutions from last slate are all live on both Dragon Heaven and main Showdown!
The main reason I bring this up now is less because it's news (it was already announced that all three balance changes had passed) and more because I usually report the specific voting statistics and haven't had the opportunity to do so yet:
For Meganium to gain access to the move Rock Slide:
Meganium to gain access to the move Rock Slide:23 in favor vs 0 against - passes with a 100% supermajority
For 40 points of Mega Dhelmise's Speed to be moved into its other stats (5 into Defense, 30 into Special Attack and 5 into Special Defense):
Mega Dhelmise's Speed to be moved into its other stats (5 into Defense, 30 into Special Attack and 5 into Special Defense):21 in favor vs 2 against - passes with a 91.30% supermajority
For Rillaboom to lose access to the move Jungle Healing:
Rillaboom to lose access to the move Jungle Healing:18 in favor vs 5 against - passes with a 78.26% supermajority
Again, these are all live and have been for quite some time now! :>
Just making sure to have something in the thread saying as much, haha.
Now for the main substance of the post - I have a couple of things to address on a broad scale, and then I'll also be making a few comments on specific submissions with those in mind!
So, uh! Some of us have been talking a bit about our submission process lately, and it came up that many of us have basically developed a set of unwritten rules and community standards for submissions, and these often end up repeated as advice but aren't really compiled anywhere. In the hopes of making a more effective community resource, the incredible DrPumpkinz took the initiative to come up with a written list of guidelines on custom Abilities, and I've expanded on this with other areas of general advice, as well as elaboration on why some of our usual expectations are important and where they come from.
This is a resource that I think is applicable to everyone, so I would encourage anyone who's interested in submitting to read it! That said, I'll also cross-reference specific points in the submission feedback I give later in the post, so you can focus on the parts that are most relevant to you if this is too much to read at once yeah okay it probably is.
Huge thanks again to DrPumpkinz for starting this, and I hope my parts can also be useful to some!
The Submission Handbook: Advice and Guidelines on Quality Submissions
If it doesn't need to be custom, don't
Look at your custom Ability and ask yourself: would my Mega's core gameplan be the same if I gave it a preexisting Ability? If the answer is yes, just give it that preexisting Ability.The less complex, the better
Abilities should be simple and easy to understand. If an Ability has too many effects, it can feel like a jumbled mess. Decide on a single core effect, and then maybe add one other extra effect that complements the core effect. Sometimes, an Ability that's complex on paper can still work if it's intuitive in practice (though being intuitive on paper still certainly helps).Keep flavor in mind
Your custom Ability may be really cool in isolation, but Abilities are never in isolation: they're attached to a Pokémon. Try to come up with some in-universe explanation for what's happening. For example, Mega Garbodor doesn't merely clear hazards and raise its defenses. It takes those hazards and adds them to its mass of trash. However, it's important to never let flavor be the only thing your Ability has going for it. Make sure the Pokémon it's attached to can actually use it effectively.Seek inspiration from what already exists
A good way to help make your Ability feel more like a real Ability that Game Freak would actually make is combine preexisting effects in new ways. There are many ways to go about this. Mega Orbeetle and Mega Talonflame take existing Ability archetypes (summoning an existing field effect, trapping a specific type) and tweak them to summon a different existing field effect and a different specific type. The Spring and Fall forms of Mega Sawsbuck take the effects of niche moves (Powder and Trick-or-Treat) and find ways to make them more reliable.For a more in-depth example of the previous two points, I'll go through the design process for one of my own custom Abilities, Sonar for
Mega Noivern (it didn't win but it still makes for a good demonstration). While browsing Noibat's Pokédex entries, I noticed that it was capable of detecting the ripeness of fruit with its sonar. This got me thinking of scouting information from the opponent, which got me thinking of scouting moves from the opponent. I've been interested in the Ability Forewarn for a while now, but the main inspiration came from a little-known move that I'm personally fascinated with: the original incarnation of Mimic. While Mimic in its current incarnation is a fairly useless move that copies the last used move of the opponent, in Gen 1 and only Gen 1, it randomly copies one of the opponent's moves, allowing it to potentially scout out moves that haven't been used yet. By combining this cool scouting application of Mimic to Noivern's theme of using sound to scout, I arrived at Sonar, which will announce one of the opponent's moves (a bit like Forewarn but random) whenever Noivern hits it with a sound move.
These are guidelines, not rules
Sometimes, a custom Ability that is very complex and unlike anything that exists in Pokémon can still work if it allows its user to function in new and interesting ways. Popular examples include Mega Bastiodon's Settle and Mega Samurott's Heavenly Techniques. Settle grants Mega Bastiodon enormous power on its special attacks, but only if they haven't been used recently, heavily rewarding the player for making hard reads. Heavenly Techniques has a wide variety of effects depending on how much health Mega Samurott has remaining, putting heavy emphasis on HP management and creating a playstyle that takes great skill to use effectively, just as a samurai shows great skill with its blade.That concludes DrPumpkinz's section!
Developing ideas from start to finish
Start from what makes your Pokémon unique - and take that as far as you can!
One of the biggest pitfalls I notice in Fakemon design in general is when people treat Abilities, stats, moves and types as completely independent components. For instance, I've seen people post complete stat spreads and then ask "now what Ability should this have?"But they really don't exist in a vacuum! The best submissions, whether their Abilities are custom-made or not, are the ones whose Abilities, stats, moves and even types support each other.
The more focused your submission is on one specific goal, the better it will be - it's super important to have an idea in mind from the start about what your Mega Evolution will do, and the clearer that idea is in your mind, the more you'll have to work with for every other step.
Make the most of your Ability
Never underestimate just how important a well-chosen and interesting Ability is to a Mega Evolution - it's probably the single biggest way to set it apart from its base form!Decisions about stats, added moves, and even type changes can all interact with an Ability in their own ways and often arise naturally once you have an Ability in mind; you absolutely need a solid foundation for any of the rest of your sub to work.
Personally, I pretty much always decide on an Ability before any other part of my submission, and I highly encourage people to do the same - although if you're making a custom Ability, it often helps to develop it in more detail as you go!
In the case of custom Abilities, this complements DrPumpkinz's advice from earlier: "If it doesn't need to be custom, don't."
Well... if it does need to be custom - if your Mega's core gameplan couldn't be the same with a preexisting Ability - then of course you need to know what the Ability is as soon as possible! How could you decide on its stats, moves and types before you decide on a gameplan?
Plus, if there's really no other Ability that could do the same thing your idea does, that probably means it's one of the most unique selling points you have and the biggest thing that will set it apart from other people's takes - so there's no question that it belongs front and center!
This said, this isn't at all limited to custom Abilities! You can have an original idea by taking an existing effect in a new direction - for example,
Mega Inteleon and Mega Leavanny were both designed around Abilities that already existed in canon and were designed to use them in ways that other Pokémon didn't.Every part of Mega Inteleon was designed around exploiting Illusion from the start - its stat changes and type change were built around the moves it already had that paired well with Illusion (like Fell Stinger, U-turn and Swords Dance), and then the new moves it received, like First Impression, were chosen to augment this. It wasn't decided that Inteleon should be a Bug-type physical sweeper for the sake of it - the original submitter, inkbug, took into account exactly what about Inteleon was best suited to Illusion and designed Mega Inteleon around making the most of that.
Similarly, Mega Leavanny was designed from the start to exploit the canon Ability Parental Bond in as different a way as possible from its other user, Mega Kangaskhan, primarily by using stat-reducing moves and exploring their synergy with strong setup options. Everything about it traces back to this - its new moves were chosen for their synergy with Parental Bond and its existing type, and its stats were based on the expected potential of these moves.
Have a specific purpose in mind for any movepool and type changes
I know DrPumpkinz touched on this already, but it's important, so I'm going to emphasize it - flavor is important, but it shouldn't be the only factor you consider!Nothing is more important to a quality submission than striking a balance between fitting a Pokémon's flavor and creating something mechanically sound and interesting.
With that in mind, when it comes to decisions about type changes and move additions, try to take into account what your Pokémon already has to offer - change just what you need and no more!
In my experience, adding unnecessary filler moves with no clear purpose or changing your Pokémon's type for no reason are... pretty much two of the easiest ways to make your idea more controversial without actually making it better, and many people find them distracting and will be turned off by them read: doing this haphazardly makes it less likely to win. That said, if you keep your focus clear, work towards the same goal with every step of the process, and make sure everything you do is for a reason, you'll probably have one of the best submissions out there!
Consider when a type change is necessary and when it isn't
A common example of something that would justify a type change is if your goal is for your Pokémon to exploit a move that it already has, like the aforementioned Inteleon's U-turn and Fell Stinger or Mega Reuniclus's Superpower, Hammer Arm and Drain Punch, or a move that it doesn't have yet but contributes directly to its role in a fitting way, like Mega Lycanroc's Extreme Speed or Mega Clefable's Hex.There are plenty of other reasons, too - many type combinations have intrinsic offensive or defensive value, like
Mega Raichu's unique combination of Electric/Fighting directly supporting its excellence as a wallbreaker or Mega Dhelmise's Ghost/Steel typing giving it a much wider resistance profile and complementing its Ability defensively.There are really plenty of reasons to change type - the important thing is that you have one! A submission that changes a Pokémon's type for absolutely no reason, or purely for flavor without thinking through the implications on its role, will rarely do well; when you're making an unexpected change like this, the more clearly you justify it, the better it will reflect on your submission and the more interested people will be in your idea.
Consider the practical implications of your idea in context - not just what it does by itself, but how your Pokémon will be used!
Speaking super broadly, most moves, Abilities and sometimes even types are ideal for specific roles, before you even get to deciding stats - and it might not always be obvious what they are! While you're brainstorming, try to imagine putting your Mega Evolution on a team and using it in battle, and think about what you would want it to be able to do - when its Ability would come in handy and how you would use it, what moves you would use (even if they're ones it doesn't have - this is exactly what you should have in mind when you add them!) and even if its type has an effect on that and makes it lean a certain way (does this work in your favor? does it work against you? should you address that by changing it to another type or exploring a different course?).To explain this, I'm going to talk a bit about one of my favorite submissions in recent memory: BlueRay's
Mega Hawlucha, which has the custom Ability Masquerade:This Pokémon inherits the Ability of the last unfainted Pokémon in its party until it takes direct damage from another Pokémon's attack.
At a glance, that looks incredibly nonspecific, doesn't it? How in the world do you design a Pokémon to make the most of this or say what role it creates? In my eyes, Masquerade is pretty much a perfect example of an Ability that looks general but is actually deeply ingrained in the Pokémon that has it.
During this slate, it came up on the Discord that someone wanted to use the same Ability for Zoroark because it seemed like it suited its flavor, so we had a conversation about how elements of Hawlucha interacted with the Ability and whether Zoroark could be functionally distinct from it without simply being an inferior copy. As I think they came to understand, there's a lot more to this Ability than just flavor, and BlueRay's choice of Hawlucha demonstrates a deep understanding of the practical applications of Masquerade - it's a very appropriate pick that has way more going for it as a Masquerade user than most!
This has a lot to do with its drawback: "until it takes direct damage from another Pokémon's attack." This limiting factor encourages a specific playing style - because the Ability loses its effect when the user is hit, it's favorable to Pokémon that can strike first and either force their opponents out or defeat them; if the user goes second, even if it can survive a hit, it doesn't have the benefit of its Ability any more, which closes off its options significantly. This diminishes its value on slow or passive Pokémon, and it also reduces the value of setup moves, which is relevant as a way to keep the Ability's offensive potential in check although admittedly it does sound like it's still too good in some cases and we may look into nerfing it a bit in the future; on the other hand, having access to pivoting is beneficial for the Ability, as flexibly and safely switching out and manipulating the order of the party allows the user to have more control over the Ability Masquerade inherits.
In addition, being a physical attacker like Hawlucha is a better use of the Ability than being a special attacker like Zoroark, because there are tangibly more Abilities (and they're generally more widespread) that interact with the user's physical moves than there are that interact with special ones.
Even a Pokémon's type combination can directly support a playing style like this.
For a Pokémon that's incentivized to run pivoting moves and has to come in and out of battle often, entry hazards are probably the first thing on an ideal Masquerade user's mind, especially since Mega Evolutions can't hold Heavy-Duty Boots. Hawlucha stands out as having one of the best type combinations for a pivoting Pokémon like this - it's a Flying-type, granting it immunity to all three grounded entry hazards; unlike other Flying-types, though, it isn't weak to Stealth Rock (the last entry hazard that exists in our meta) because of its additional Fighting type.
Meanwhile, offensively, the pairing of Fighting and Flying is one of the best STAB combinations in the game, meaning that Hawlucha can rely on just its STABs as its most necessary offensive moves and has way more flexibility in its other two moveslots. A Pokémon that either doesn't need coverage (like one whose STABs go as well together as Hawlucha's) or can't rely on it (think of something like Regieleki or Araquanid) has more freedom to spend its other move slots on utility like pivoting, recovery, hazard control or Taunt, all of which are options for Hawlucha, or on moves that synergize more uniquely with specific Abilities.
Just by exploring what the Ability does in depth and imagining a situation in which it would be useful, we've come to discover that it actually tells us a lot more about a Pokémon than you might expect - we've described a fast, offensive, non-grounded pivot that isn't weak to Rock, has multiple utility options, and has spare moveslots thanks to the compression offered by its STAB.
In other words, Hawlucha is literally a perfect Masquerade user and BlueRay is a genius but more on that later.
Do stats last
Trust me. It's always better this way.It's no fun at all to come up with a great idea and then realize you can't actually do it because you think your Pokémon would be broken if you did - but then... how much do you lose by just giving your submission lower stats to accommodate for it?
With this in mind, I'm always taken aback when I see people presenting already-completed stat spreads in places like #submission-feedback and asking what Ability to give their Pokémon at the very end - you have so many more options if you do it the other way around!
We try to give as much freedom as we can with stat changes - while we have rules constraining the way stat spreads are allowed to look, there is no one-size-fits-all rule to making a balanced Mega Evolution's stats, so none of our written rules even try to constrain how strong or weak a Pokémon is allowed to be. That's because we expect this to be tailored to an individual submission - a stat spread simply isn't strong or weak without types, moves and Abilities in mind.
You should always think first about what you want your Pokémon to do and work your stats around that. One of the recommended starting points in the first post of this very thread is to decide on your Pokémon's attacking stats by doing damage calculations and comparing them to similar Pokémon - but how can you do that if you have no idea what set your Pokémon is going to run?
A Mega Guzzlord with, say, Mega Launcher would need a completely different stat spread from a Mega Guzzlord with Contrary - or from, say, a Mega Mew with Mega Launcher (types also matter)! And they'd probably be running totally different moves, too - on a Mega Launcher Guzzlord, most people wouldn't put much thought into whether or not Superpower is an important choice, and its Attack stat would basically be a safe dump stat if not, but these become top priority on a Contrary Guzzlord.
It's far easier to make informed choices about stats when you know exactly what your Pokémon is doing, and at least in my own experience, making a decent stat spread is the most straightforward part of the process and can fall together quite easily once everything else is done. There's just no sense in putting thought into stats until you have in mind a specific set and can make decisions based on specific circumstances - and it will almost always come back to bite you if you carefully optimize your Pokémon around not having an Ability, because then you're locking yourself out of any Ability that makes it measurably stronger.
Introducing new field effects - and when you don't need them
This is something that's come up a lot more often than I would like in the context of the current slate, and I feel it's important to establish a stance on it before we vote on this one and before it gets out of hand.
There seems to be a rising trend of introducing new field effects (especially terrains) and variations on field effects (especially existing weathers) for new Pokémon instead of just introducing a more straightforward Ability, so I would like to go on the record as discouraging this a lot and to take the time to explain in what ways our existing field effects are designed well and why more of them should not be made liberally.
Across all 27 previous slates of this mod - that's a total of 90 Mega Evolutions - we have introduced only three field effects:
Mega Dragalge's Acidic Terrain, Mega Flygon's Desert Gales, and, most recently, Mega Aurorus's Diamond Dust. (Relevant clarification: while Mega Aurorus has existed since slate 17, its Ability had a different effect until a buffing slate that took place between slates 26 and 27, after Mega Flygon's creation.)All of them were extremely well justified and were handled with extreme care, and Dragalge and Flygon in particular have substantially influenced entire team styles and had incredibly unique influences on our metagame (and while Aurorus is perhaps too new to say, it's certainly shown the value of the revised Diamond Dust in our new VGC format).
Since there are only three of these, I'm going to break down what about them is done well, with a particular emphasis on Dragalge.
The first new field effect that won came with BlueRay's Mega Dragalge in slate 19, through its custom Ability, Acidic Surge.
Mega Dragalge in slate 19, through its custom Ability, Acidic Surge.The Acidic Terrain it creates is a Poison-themed terrain, boosting Poison-type moves used by grounded Pokémon by 30% like Electric, Psychic and Grassy Terrains, and its unique effect is to remove the immunity of any grounded Pokémon to Poison-type damage - just like a version of Scrappy to let Poison-type moves hit Steel-type Pokémon.
First important point: other than that one unique effect, Acidic Surge has the bare minimum of interactions to pass as a terrain ("it's Poison-type," for the purposes of Camouflage, Mimicry and Terrain Pulse; the most obvious secondary effect for Secret Power and the most obvious equivalent move for Nature Power; and changing the power the most obvious type of move by the most consistent amount). All of these are extremely simple and intuitive, and all but the boost to Poison-type moves are equally rare - the only reason these interactions exist is because they are non-negotiable, and it is impossible to have a new terrain without choosing them.
Rather than taking the opportunity to stack many effects at the same time ("it's a field effect, so it doesn't have to look like it's just one Ability"), Acidic Surge makes a clear effort to be as simple and as easy to learn as possible; the only thing that distinguishes it from any other terrain is one Ability's worth of information: it's just "a terrain that's like Poison Scrappy."
I think this is important! Anything that's too detailed or unfocused to be accepted as a custom Ability is also too much to be a field effect, and calling something a field effect just to get around that it has more than one Ability's worth of effects is not going to be accepted.
There's something else Dragalge does that's super admirable! The Scrappy effect is something that reflects Dragalge's unique qualities in a subtle but extremely specific way, more so than most other Poison-types - it's a perfect flavor choice. Even if this weren't a new field effect - even if it were just a regular Poison clone of Scrappy - Dragalge is exactly the Pokémon that would "deserve" that effect by itself, which makes it that much more fitting that it should be the one to debut Acidic Surge.
Mechanically, allowing Dragalge to hit Pokémon that are immune to Poison is a perfect extension of one of the main qualities that already sets Dragalge apart. When it was created in Generation VI, Dragalge debuted a unique type combination - Poison/Dragon - which was particularly relevant at the time for pairing Dragon with a type that was super effective against Fairy; in other words, Dragalge's original selling point was already that it could circumvent the main immunity to one of its STABs. Giving this Scrappy effect to Dragalge is a natural, fitting extension of what set it apart when it was created, and it's also uniquely optimal on a type combination like Poison/Dragon compared to most others, since every single Pokémon that resists Poison and Dragon together is at least part Steel-type (and there are quite a lot of them, since Steel alone naturally resists both).
There's also a really minor detail that I love about Mega Dragalge: when Steel-type Pokémon are out of the picture, Dragalge is incentivized to run different moves than before.
Ordinarily, Dragalge's preferred coverage is something like Poison/Dragon/Fighting, using Focus Blast to cover the Steel-type Pokémon that wall both of its STABs; however, with Acidic Terrain in effect, the Pokémon that resist Dragalge's STAB moves are all Steel/Rock-, Steel/Ground- and Steel/Ghost-types (ones that would resist Poison regardless of their immunity), Steel/Flying-types (ones that are unaffected by terrain) or Bronzor and Bronzong (the only Steel-types with Levitate).
This barely matters, but it results in a subtle and extremely cool acknowledgment of one of Dragalge's other unique characteristics: despite being a Poison- and Dragon-type, it has all of the moves that are expected of a Water-type as well, thanks to its pre-evolution Skrelp, including extremely valuable ones like Hydro Pump, Scald and Flip Turn. As Water is super effective against Rock and Ground, Fighting is ineffective against Ghost, and Water and Fighting are equally effective against Steel/Flying and Steel/Psychic, the mere fact that its Ability bypasses Steel immunities encourages Dragalge to rely on the techniques it gains from its unique evolution instead of the ones any other Poison/Dragon-type would have.
Basically, Dragalge is quite possibly the best Pokémon that could possibly have been given Poison Scrappy, field effect or not. I told you BlueRay was a genius!
That's the second major point to keep in mind when making new field effects - the Pokémon that sets the field effect should clearly deserve it and be able to take advantage of it, and you should hold that to the same standard as any other custom Ability: Why Dragalge?
If Mega Dragalge didn't set a new field effect and just had Poison Scrappy to itself, it would absolutely still have had a vote from me! There's a clear reason why this suits Dragalge best, and it's optimized around Dragalge's best assets while also engaging in clever ways with its flavor and its history.
The last thing to address is when a field effect is called for. That question is admittedly quite a lot fuzzier, but one answer that's certain: rarely.
In all cases so far, a crucial unifying factor is that all three of our field effect setters are optimized to share their field effects. They all benefit a great deal from their effects, as described of Dragalge, but they're also all effective support Pokémon for their teams on top of what their Abilities have to offer.
For example, Dragalge is a specially bulky Pokémon that already has access to hazards (Toxic Spikes) and already operates as a slow pivot; its best set in the current Generation is as a utility Pokémon, Mega or not. As field effect setters go, Dragalge was pretty much already as optimized as one could get - it was already well equipped to come in and out of battle often and offered a rare benefit to its team to justify being used over other field effect setters. Mega Dragalge also gains access to Roost, improving its longevity and making it more plausible for it to support its team continually throughout the game. Especially for a Pokémon that can't hold a weather rock, a Terrain Extender or even Heavy-Duty Boots, longevity is crucial - a Pokémon that can't keep its field effect up for its team is one that isn't doing its job as a field effect setter, and there's no reason for that Pokémon to create a brand-new field effect when it would be far simpler and more or less the same to make it keep its Ability for itself.
On top of this, Acidic Terrain is also an appropriate choice for a "Poison terrain" on the basis that a wide range of Pokémon can take advantage of it - basically every Poison-type appreciates the effect, and unlike a condition like hail, it's easy to build around it without hindering your own team (for example, most replays featuring Dragalge show that it's frequently paired with a non-grounded Steel-type like Corviknight or Celesteela so that the Dragalge user's opponents can't turn it against them). It's broadly useful enough - and Dragalge is good enough at maintaining it - that turning it into a field effect visibly alters the way a team is built and opens opportunities for unusual team compositions.
In short, it can be said that a well-made field effect has these qualities:
- The field effect is no more complicated than any regular custom Ability, except the basic interactions a field effect of its kind needs (such as moves and Abilities that interact with weather in general or terrain in general).
- The Pokémon that sets the field effect can easily be defended as the right choice for the effect by itself, accounting for both mechanics and flavor, and is appropriately built around the effect; by itself, it takes the Ability about as far as one Pokémon can.
- The Pokémon that sets the field effect is also clearly effective as a support Pokémon and offers more support than just its Ability: it has the longevity to come in and out of battle more than once to preserve its field effect in the long term; it can make progress in areas like hazards, status conditions and other utility; bringing it in and out of battle doesn't cost momentum and can be done efficiently.
- The field effect itself has broader applications than just one Pokémon can encapsulate; it's clear that there is a wide range of potential teammates that would benefit from the Pokémon's support, and it expands the options for viable teammates rather than limiting them.
- The Pokémon that sets the field effect can easily be defended as the right choice for the effect by itself, accounting for both mechanics and flavor, and is appropriately built around the effect; by itself, it takes the Ability about as far as one Pokémon can.
- The Pokémon that sets the field effect is also clearly effective as a support Pokémon and offers more support than just its Ability: it has the longevity to come in and out of battle more than once to preserve its field effect in the long term; it can make progress in areas like hazards, status conditions and other utility; bringing it in and out of battle doesn't cost momentum and can be done efficiently.
- The field effect itself has broader applications than just one Pokémon can encapsulate; it's clear that there is a wide range of potential teammates that would benefit from the Pokémon's support, and it expands the options for viable teammates rather than limiting them.
Ausma's Mega Flygon from slate 25 was our next field effect, introducing a variation of sandstorm called Desert Gales.
Mega Flygon from slate 25 was our next field effect, introducing a variation of sandstorm called Desert Gales.Mega Flygon nails all of those same qualities, and in many ways, it takes them even further than Dragalge did.
Like Acidic Terrain, Desert Gales can more or less be summed up as one Ability: despite being a weather, it's really a version of Pixilate, Refrigerate and so on that changes Normal-type moves to Ground-type moves, then boosts their power by 20%. There's a slight deviation here - following the precedent of multiple other sand-related effects, it boosts the power of Rock, Ground and Steel (all three types that are immune to sandstorm and boosted by Sand Force) rather than just Ground-type moves - but the effects are still almost as simple as a regular -ate Ability, just applied to the whole field instead of one Pokémon.
What Flygon did differently from most other custom weathers before it was the extremely clever, fitting and innovative idea to activate all sand-related Abilities and "count" as sandstorm for the intents and purposes of all moves. That wasn't the entire premise or the only reason for it to be used supportively - the function of Desert Gales is broadly distinct from Sand Stream in more ways than just for Flygon itself - but it allowed it to have a realistic span of move and Ability interactions beyond just Weather Ball without asking players to learn anything new.
Desert Gales is an excellent fit for Mega Flygon mechanically - it wasn't even the only Mega Flygon inspired by -ate Abilities, since Flygon is strongly associated with Normal-type sound moves like Boomburst but doesn't currently have any reason to use them, and Ausma's own submission added other relevant moves like Iron Head and Extreme Speed to make the most of the effect.
Flygon's flavor also draws strong connections between its sound moves and sand, and it has Pokédex entries about teaming up with other Ground-type Pokémon to hunt for food, specifically using its sandstorms to enable them - an effect that makes Boomburst into a STAB move, buffs Ground-type allies and approximates sand in a way that Flygon actually values (regular Sand Stream would do almost nothing for it) is an impressively elegant way to link these together, still without actually being a complicated effect.
Moreover, Mega Flygon, like Dragalge, has many qualities encouraging it to play a supportive role - with access to Defog, U-turn and Roost and a convenient resistance to Stealth Rock, Flygon finds it easy to come in and out of battle and make progress repeatedly rather than staying in to sweep in one shot. The immediate power of its buffed Boomburst also makes it less likely to attempt sweeping sets like Dragon Dance despite the impression its higher Attack gives, while its physical bias still has key benefits in supporting moves like Extreme Speed and U-turn with or without investment.
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, the introduction of Desert Gales to the metagame has pretty much singlehandedly redefined the existing archetype of sand teams. The mere fact of having an -ate Ability that affected the entire field and not just its user was an incredibly new and original idea and has unique interactions with a much wider variety of Pokémon, including existing sand staples like Excadrill and common Ground-types like Landorus-Therian (it has one strong Explosion), and it's even brought new faces like Toxtricity to become "sand" staples.
Flygon also usually pairs with Tyranitar, and the two alternate in supporting their teams in different ways, rather than Flygon being expected to carry its team all by itself. This has proven valuable to its success as well, since it's much harder for a unique weather setter to support a whole team by itself than it is for a unique terrain setter - and Flygon's much wider variety of potential allies makes it desirable to be able to sustain as many of them as possible on the same team.
Despite functioning as sand for the purposes of moves and Abilities, Desert Gales isn't just "sand but better" or even a straightforward type-based boost by itself - it brings something new, an effect that's applicable to a wide variety of Pokémon in a wide variety of ways, and one that's totally non-equivalent to any weather condition that exists. It's a wildly original take on what it means to introduce a new field effect and probably my favorite one as of now. Have I mentioned that Ausma is also a genius?
As of the end of slate 26, our final field effect setter is Mega Aurorus; although it debuted in slate 17 (before even Dragalge) and was my own submission, the version of Diamond Dust that creates a field effect was suggested by inkbug as part of a buffing slate so when I praise it, it's aimed at him and not myself, I promise.
Mega Aurorus; although it debuted in slate 17 (before even Dragalge) and was my own submission, the version of Diamond Dust that creates a field effect was suggested by inkbug as part of a buffing slate so when I praise it, it's aimed at him and not myself, I promise.Aurorus wasn't meant to be a weather setter in the first place until it was buffed - the new version of Diamond Dust was essentially a rework of its original Ability into an original field effect, directly inspired by Desert Gales, after recognizing that it was a better application of Diamond Dust's effect than Aurorus could make on its own. In its current state, Diamond Dust is a weather condition that nullifies all Rock-type damage, including Stealth Rock - as an Ability, it would basically just be "Levitate but for Rock instead of Ground" (probably the simplest of all three of our new field effects!) - and in opposition to Desert Gales, it also behaves as hail for the purposes of any moves and Abilities that interact with it.
For context, the original effect of Diamond Dust was to grant Aurorus alone immunity to Rock-type damage, including Stealth Rock, only during hail; the intention was to be an effect that referenced Aurorus's association with hail, but one that was so small-scale and so long-term that it would never get enough out of it from its own five turns of hail - it wasn't meant to benefit significantly from its own five turns of Snow Warning without proper support. At the time, Mega Aurorus was set up as a support Pokémon that would function well enough in or out of hail, but one that still appreciated hail support from its allies and was equipped to fill necessary niches for hail teams better than most, including having access to Aurora Veil from canon and the additions of Volt Switch and Rapid Spin from the original submission.
While Aurorus's original role didn't pan out, the context for its original state matters in drawing some similarities to what made Mega Dragalge and Mega Flygon work as field effect setters - like them, it had an Ability that directly benefited it as an individual and would have facilitated its own role; like them, it could manipulate the field state in a way that benefited its team, in its own case with hazard control and screens; like them, it had access to pivoting; and while it didn't have reliable recovery of its own, it has incredible bulk and an immunity to an important offensive type, granting it opportunities to switch in repeatedly on the right opponents. Its Ability was also designed in the first place with the reasoning that a Rock immunity was something that hail teams needed in particular in addition to its value to Aurorus by itself.
These similarities are the reasons it was possible to turn its Ability into a field effect to get more mileage out of it - the way Mega Aurorus was designed from the start, it was identified as an excellent choice for a field effect setter based on qualities it already possessed, not because a field effect is the right choice on just any Pokémon.
And if nothing else, I think that's a testament to just how conservative we try to be with new field effects - making it a field effect wasn't even considered until well after the Pokémon was made, and it was rooted in the realization that the effect couldn't meet its potential unless it could be shared with a team.
This is sort of its own answer to those first two guidelines - it was a regular and perfectly simple custom Ability before it was a field effect, and not just one that "would have been" a neat fit for Aurorus even without being a new field effect but one that was voted in as the Mega Aurorus of choice.
In addition, while Diamond Dust is valuable to hail teams - it eliminates a shared weakness of nearly all hail Pokémon and activates hail-related Abilities like Slush Rush - it's also like Desert Gales in inviting a completely separate and very wide set of Pokémon to reap the benefits: it directly aids non-Ice-type Pokémon with weaknesses to Rock as well (and the introduction of Boots tells us that basically everything else likes ignoring Stealth Rock, too), and it's able to support its team with Aurora Veil without also causing the penalty of chip that normally comes with that. The combination of these factors is especially handy for Rock-weak setup sweepers like Volcarona. I've already seen other Rock-weak pivots like Victini used on Mega Aurorus teams in the relatively short time I've had to observe it, and I'm pretty sure that was also because they appreciated the support from Diamond Dust.
One last thing that I think is important about Aurorus: no one decided up front that, because Aurorus happened to set hail, any good Mega Aurorus must set "Mega Hail." I'm emphasizing this because I'm seeing a lot of "Mega Hail" for Mega Alolan Ninetales, seemingly in an attempt to follow Mega Aurorus's example - it's crucial to keep in mind that Mega Aurorus did not set an original field effect until it was decided that that was the only way to make its Ability work and that it was a good fit for the part already.
Closing words
First, there's one more important factor that applies to all three of these: all of their effects are applied unconditionally! Every Pokémon shares in the effect.
In addition to their respective damage modifiers: in Acidic Terrain, every Pokémon can ignore immunities to Poison-type moves; in Desert Gales, every Pokémon's Normal-type moves become Ground-type; and in Diamond Dust, every Pokémon is immune to Rock-type damage.
I think this is an important qualifying factor, because it shows that these are designed to affect the field and not just the setter; there's a clear reason why these are meant to be shared, and it's apparent that a balanced team can be built around the setter without only Pokémon of one type benefiting. This is a huge part of the reason why Desert Gales and Diamond Dust in particular have changed the kinds of Pokémon that can be seen on sand teams and hail teams - if only Ground-types got the -ate effect or only Ice-types were immune to Rock, their influence on the metagame would be way more limited and way less interesting!
Based on what we've described about the new field effects we have right now, I would also like to emphasize a few key points:
Not every Pokémon is an ideal pick for the role of field effect setter; especially in the context that Mega Evolutions can't hold weather rocks or Terrain Extenders, a field effect setter that's effective at supporting anything but itself must be kept to a much higher standard than a non-Mega setter. In the vast majority of cases, field effects are unwarranted.
Even if it's plausible for a Pokémon to be a field effect setter, consider whether there is any other way for it to support its team - there are plenty of other roles that these characteristics can imply - and whether the field effect it sets has to be a new one. We really don't take the introduction of field effects lightly, and it's important to emphasize just how much went into all three of our existing ones and how they've impacted the metagame since their introductions.
Not every Pokémon that already sets a field effect needs to set a special version of that field effect after it Mega Evolves - there are plenty of examples of doing everything but what Aurorus did, and that Aurorus did this at all wasn't even the plan at first!
Broadly, we try hard to avoid making custom Abilities that are "just this other old Ability but better" - straight upgrades that do everything an existing option does and then some. This one hundred percent goes for field effects as well! Notice that, even with their intentional overlap with sand and hail, Desert Gales and Diamond Dust both do something completely different as their primary effect; neither of them does residual chip damage, and Desert Gales also has no effect on Rock-type Pokémon's Special Defense. This is something that I think will be enforced - if you're making a custom weather effect, it shouldn't be another entire weather plus add-ons!
Finally, for that matter, I think minimizing overlap would be wise - something about the idea of having three different kinds of hail feels wrong on a level I can't quite explain, and making a habit of introducing new versions of every weather every time feels more exteme than just making a special kind once. I won't put a hard number on this or make an explicit rule about it, partially in case there's some really brilliant idea down the line that happens to suffer from type overlap and partially because this is a bad thing to spring on people at the very end of a slate with an overwhelming number of new kinds of hail, but I will say that I strongly discourage the idea of having more than one custom "variant" of each existing weather (meaning sand and hail are both covered and we really should not be making more) or more than one distinct terrain representing the same type, and those we do introduce should be aimed at benefiting a wide variety of Pokémon in distinct ways rather than just being the first Pokémon that could pass as a field effect setter of the right type.
Again, there are no hard limits here and I won't outright disallow custom field effects, but treat them as though I have - make them count if you feel they're strictly necessary, and make every field effect as though it's the only one of its kind.
(Edit: some minor updates after proofreading!)
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Generally good and bad practices (and mindsets!)
Designing a Pokémon is an iterative process, not a cumulative one!
This goes hand in hand with the above advice about stats - pretty often, I see someone come into #submission-feedback with a fully-formed idea and receive negative feedback, then respond as though it's a ton of work to throw an idea away and "start over" now that they know they need to change something about it. This is especially common when people find that their direction isn't widely appealing or that it overlaps too much with another sub, so they may well need to rethink it from its core to make something worthwhile.Admittedly, I can totally understand why someone would find that frustrating at times! But this... really strikes me as the wrong mindset to have when coming up with ideas, and it seems like it usually makes people enjoy the process of submitting less. There is no better way to come up with a good idea than to change your approach - you need to be willing to let go of your first ideas and try new ones instead of trying to hold onto as many details as possible!
I don't think anyone consistently comes up with great ideas on the first try - at least for me, coming up with a solid premise for a Mega Evolution is always something I do over and over again if I make a sub at all, and only about a third of my ideas even make it to the thread.
Personally, I find that stats, types and move additions all usually fall together pretty straightforwardly once I'm satisfied with an idea (which is a big part of why I personally emphasize Abilities and unusual roles the most), and type changes and move additions aren't even something you need to decide unless something about your idea makes you want them - there are plenty of great submissions that don't change either! If you struggle in those areas, there's pretty much always someone in #submission-feedback who can help you through them; the important thing here is the creative process of exploring your ideas and finding the one that clicks, not to do homework and spend ages refining stats.
And hey, if doing stats stresses you out, you can always just not do them until after you're sure of an idea! Reiterating: do stats last! The earlier in your creative process you open up to ask for feedback, the less there is to do over if you change your mind.
I cannot stress enough that nothing is more important than being comfortable with exploring more than one route and finding the one that works best. Even if you end up sticking with your first option, at least you know then that you considered other options and it's really your favorite!
When you're using an Ability that's already on another Mega, try to do something new with it!
We're totally open to using the same Ability twice - even with custom Abilities! Our 
Mega Typhlosion borrows the Ability Ignite from 
Mega Toucannon, for example, and although it didn't turn out to win, one particularly well-thought-out Magcargo submission borrowed Counter-Clockwise Spiral from 
Mega Slowking.That said, it's best to avoid doing this without a specific reason - a selling point that relates to the Ability that the other Pokémon doesn't have.
In some cases, just being a different type can be enough to set two Pokémon apart - the important thing is to consider why its type matters and what it has to do with the Ability, not just to have different coverage for the sake of it.
For example, a Water-type attacker with Primordial Sea would be completely different from
Mega Dhelmise - not just because it's a different type, but because both of their types have something to do with Primordial Sea. Being a Ghost/Steel-type is a big part of the reason Dhelmise wants Primordial Sea, since it's normally weak to Fire and the Ability directly contributes to its defensive utility; a Water-type would already resist Fire and doesn't really care about that, but it's carried further offensively with the Ability's boost to its STAB.In this case, despite having the same Ability, their types capitalize on different parts of it.
Notice that introducing a new Water-type with Primordial Sea doesn't encroach on what makes Dhelmise worth using, because it's the Ability in combination with different other qualities that makes each of them worthwhile.
This is important! We make a serious effort to keep our Mega Evolutions' niches distinct where possible, so if we already have a Mega Evolution that does something unique, we broadly try to avoid making anything that will directly outclass it or compete with it at doing exactly the same thing.
A case when this doesn't work is the example I brought up earlier: Mega Zoroark sharing Masquerade with Mega Hawlucha.
When I asked what would set them apart, it was pointed out that Zoroark had a different type and that it was a special attacker instead of a physical attacker (and had Nasty Plot rather than Swords Dance by extension).
The problem here is that none of these factors relate to the Ability - their roles are still the same (both are fast, frail attackers), and while it was previously brought up that the type combination of Fighting/Flying and a preference for physical moves are both advantageous for Masquerade, mono Dark and a special bias have no such advantages; there are no widespread Abilities that work with those qualities that Hawlucha can't also use (notably, the only Ability that directly powers up Dark moves - Dark Aura - is exclusively found on other Mega Evolutions and Ubers, so there would be no way for Mega Zoroark to capitalize on its type with even one legal Ability).
In other words, Masquerade Zoroark doesn't bring anything new to the table; even if Zoroark has superficially different qualities from Hawlucha, they mostly pair poorly with Masquerade, and the only value of putting the Ability on Zoroark is its flavor. This is a case where overlap like this would be unwelcome; it squanders the potential of a Mega Zoroark, and there's not a clear reason why more than one Pokémon warrants Masquerade when the result is only one of them using it effectively.
With the above in mind, keep in mind to choose the right Pokémon for the job - and be willing to step back and save an idea for later if that's not a part of the current slate!
This is especially true when you're introducing a new effect or a custom Ability!If you have an idea for a custom that's particularly original and innovative, or an Ability that creates a niche in itself, it can be easy to think that that's all you need and to stop there.
It's true that there are some Abilities that have interesting effects on their own and would serve the same purpose no matter what had them; in some cases, these could be considered the main reason to use a given Mega Evolution on a team. Examples would be Pokémon like
Mega Orbeetle (sets Gravity on entry), 
Mega Delibird (restores items to the team on entry) and 
Mega Chandelure (curses the attacker when defeated, then permanently transfers this Ability to the attacker). The most important thing to remember is that the Pokémon with the Ability still matters!If the entire reason to use a Mega is for its Ability's effect in a vacuum, but it's not designed well around that Ability, then that has a couple of consequences that aren't great - it means it's not very good at its job and might be hard for it to see use, but it also means we won't have the opportunity to add another Pokémon setter later, because it would be hard to avoid leaving the original behind and letting it be outclassed.
Let's use the Ability Gravitas as an example, because it's been brought up for more Pokémon in the past than just the one that has it now - I think it's an excellent example of how not only being on the right Pokémon but being on the right Pokémon first was crucial to
Mega Orbeetle's success, and what might have gone differently if someone else's beat it to the punch.At a glance, Orbeetle might look like it's kind of a surface-level pick for an Ability that sets Gravity - the flavor connection is already there, because its Gigantamax has the very same effect and its design is based on tractor beams, so one might assume that that's all there was to the decision.
This isn't true at all, though!
People have also proposed autosetting Gravity as an Ability for other Pokémon, like Lunatone, in the past, but there are numerous factors that make Mega Orbeetle the ideal user of Gravitas, and none of the others come close to living up to it. The Gravity field effect has two primary effects - one of them is to force non-grounded Pokémon to the ground, making them susceptible to Ground-type moves and grounded entry hazards, and the other is to increase the accuracy of moves by 5/3 (such that a 60%-accurate move becomes 100% accurate).
Mega Orbeetle is equipped to capitalize on each of these in multiple ways.
Orbeetle, even before the submission modified it, came with an excellent type and movepool for Gravity, and it was well chosen as a candidate by both Game Freak and Scoopapa personally I'm inclined to give Scoopapa the credit here, because the very mechanic of Gigantamax stops the official G-Max Orbeetle from making the most of this anyway. Orbeetle is already capable of setting a grounded entry hazard itself, so Gravity takes away the immunity non-grounded Pokémon have the threatening Sticky Web and enables ally sweepers a great deal more; in addition, it already comes with the 60%-accurate Hypnosis, which Gravity turns into the most reliable sleep move in the game - 100%-accurate like Spore, but without being powder-based so even Grass-types can't stop it; and while Gravity is known for making Ground-types substantially more dangerous, Orbeetle already comes with one of the only two types that can still switch in on Ground-type moves, so its type is one that would be necessary on any team with Gravity to keep its opponents from turning the field against it.
The main changes Scoopapa made in his submission were to add Teleport (a pivoting option that's often more optimal than U-turn, the one Orbeetle already had, for a supportive role) and Focus Blast (an attacking move that both benefits from Gravity and complements Bug/Psychic STAB incredibly well); both of these changes are focused on making Orbeetle better at its job and on pairing with its Ability, but they're also obviously fitting choices for it and certainly don't feel like forcing it to be something it's not!
It's easy to see why Orbeetle was perfect for this, and the resulting submission is brilliantly designed around benefiting from such an Ability and making it feel as good as possible to build around it.
But uh... what would happen if we did something else before Orbeetle? If Mega Orbeetle didn't already exist, then when Lunatone's slate came around, someone might well have submitted a Lunatone with this same Ability (not an arbitrary example! this idea has been brought up before by someone who didn't know about Mega Orbeetle), and it might well have won! Autosetting Gravity is a novel and interesting idea that has a great deal of supportive potential in a vacuum, no matter how good or bad Lunatone itself may be at exploiting it. But it would have won on the grounds of its Ability being something people want, and that's not necessarily the same as that Mega Lunatone being a well-executed idea.
A Pokémon like Lunatone would have been put in great danger by its own field effect - bringing its own weakness to Ground and nullifying its own team's safest switch-ins against Ground-type moves would have made it difficult to build a team around it, and it would be easy to punish Lunatone by bringing in a Ground-type against it right away - and its only entry hazard is one that already works on non-grounded Pokémon. While it could be argued that Lunatone could at least exploit Gravity offensively, it already covers the few Pokémon that resist its Rock- and Ground-type coverage thanks to its STAB Psyshock, and a simpler Ability like Mold Breaker would have been just as effective at bypassing Levitate on Pokémon like Bronzong, without the major drawbacks of enabling its own weaknesses or needlessly introducing a brand-new Ability it can't use well and taking the associated niche from other Pokémon that are more deserving.
Basically, the Ability is cool, but Lunatone is not at all the Pokémon for it.
Often, this kind of ground can be covered with type, stat and movepool changes - but we do have rules for all of those, and there's also a matter of making basic flavor sense and being palatable to the voters, so people (understandably!) aren't always willing to go all that far in these areas to force their Pokémon to be something it's not. This is when choosing the wrong Pokémon for the job becomes a problem: when trying to stay true to the Pokémon is an obstacle in the way of making an idea work for example, the only way for Lunatone to keep one of its types and resist Ground under Gravity like Orbeetle would be to replace Rock with either Grass or Bug, neither of which particularly suits it and one of which just emphasizes that Orbeetle is the better choice, please wait for another Pokémon rather than trying to be the first one to get to the idea!
Whether you get there by changing a lot about the Pokémon or by picking a candidate that already works, the absolute most important thing is to end up with a Pokémon that's both flavorful and practical, not just an aesthetic judgment that it would suit it to use Gravity.
If Lunatone did win, then... how would we ever get to introduce a good Gravity setter later? If the one thing that makes Mega Lunatone worth using is the fact that it sets Gravity for its teammates' sake, and it's barely even good at it, there's no way at all that it would still be used if we later gave it a competitor that was effectively designed around doing the same thing.
That means our fantastic Orbeetle could probably not even have been allowed to exist. In line with what I said in the last section about trying to use Abilities in new ways without outclassing the Pokémon that already have them, well... if someone comes along later with a Mega Orbeetle that does everything Lunatone does and then some, those aren't going to be able to coexist - if we allowed that, it would be a waste of our Mega Lunatone.
We'd then be stuck with a cool-on-paper Ability on a Pokémon that can only barely use it, and a much better application of the idea would have had to be passed up on - if we have to keep Lunatone as "the" Gravity setter, because it's entirely carried by that idea's novelty and that's the one thing it has going for it, then we can't afford to do anything better with the idea or Lunatone would become pretty much pointless!
So this is what I mean about "saving" good ideas and considering when to use them - we don't want to close those doors just to get the idea down as soon as possible. The more potential an idea has in a vacuum, the more there is to lose if we actually treat it like it's in a vacuum!
(Remember this, too: we have several hundred Mega Evolutions to go!! You don't need to feel pressured to submit all of your good ideas as soon as they come to you, and I really strongly encourage saving them for when they're best spent.
This also goes along with what I said about field effects - there's a reason Orbeetle makes such a good example of this! It highlights just how much more goes into making a field effect setter work than just whether or not the field effect itself is a good idea in a vacuum.)
I know this section was a super long ramble, but here's the tl;dr of it!!
If you're submitting an idea, especially a custom Ability, you should ask yourself, "Why does this effect belong on this Pokémon?"
It might be that the Pokémon is optimized as well as it could be to bring the idea to fruition, like in the case of Orbeetle. Or it might be that the Pokémon isn't perfect, but the idea addresses some of its specific flaws and the effect is more relevant to helping that Pokémon than it might be to others (again, while part of the problem with Lunatone is that it doesn't serve the part of Gravity setter well, the other part is that Gravity doesn't do anything for it that another regular Ability like Mold Breaker wouldn't!). Either way, there's some kind of connection in their mechanics - either some reason the Pokémon is better off with this idea than almost any other Ability or some reason the idea is better off with this Pokémon than with almost any other Pokémon.
In Scoopapa's case, the answers must have come easily: "Sticky Web, Hypnosis, relevant Ground resistance and explicit flavor connection" - there's really no question that Orbeetle deserves Gravitas!
But if the Lunatone slate came around first, and you had this same idea for an Ability and asked yourself "Why does Lunatone need Gravitas?" and didn't have any answer except that it's kind of space-y and looks about right... that's the kind of idea that you should save instead!
The perfect opportunity will come along eventually - it doesn't have to be for whatever the current slate is now.
Be very careful with weather-reliant Abilities
Among other features of Mega Evolution as a mechanic, one important quality is that you only use one on a team.This means that directly competing with other Mega Evolutions is often detrimental, and never is this more important to have in mind than when making a Mega Evolution that relies on a specific team style, like weather.
For example, rain-reliant Mega Evolutions are almost always a bad idea. Rain as a team style relies heavily on Mega Swampert, a Pokémon that has fantastic synergy with other rain setters and users because of its unique type. It's invaluable defensively for its Electric immunity; offensively for its Ground STAB (which handles many of rain's usual checks) and Water STAB (which benefits directly from rain) and its Ability, Swift Swim, probably the best rain Ability that exists in canon; and even supportively, enabling rain teams to set Stealth Rock and excelling at the part because it can handle Mega Sableye reliably. Mega Swampert is optimized around being exactly what rain needs in every way.
We tried making a Swift Swim Mega Evolution in the past with
Mega Walrein, but even with the same Ability that made Swampert so threatening, great bulk, perfect coverage and reliable recovery... it still wasn't worth using, because rain teams kind of can't live without Mega Swampert. We eventually yielded and gave it a different Ability to make it self-sufficient and usable on teams that weren't otherwise committed to rain, and even though the loss of Swift Swim basically meant cutting its Speed in half under ideal circumstances, that improved it significantly.Pay attention to what Pokémon already have a place on weather teams, Mega or not, and be aware of how they compete with yours - if there's already a better Mega to use on a given team style, it might not be affordable to spend the Mega slot on your new take, and if there's already a more important Pokémon to the style that overlaps with yours in type and role, it might also be harder to fit your idea onto a team (see also:
Mega Aurorus needed to be reworked in no small part because it shared a type with Arctozolt - it was always better to run Arctozolt with 
Mega Regice than to give up both an important Ice/Electric and an important hail Mega to fit Aurorus).It's also worth paying attention to what Mega Evolutions the mod has already introduced! It's widely believed that sun just has too many Megas at this point (in addition to the canon
Mega Charizard Y and 
Mega Houndoom, M4A already has three more that use sun in different ways - Mega Meganium, 
Mega Gigalith and 
Mega Sawsbuck-Summer, the last of which is itself almost two in one because of its flexible Ability gimmick), and many people have voiced that they aren't really itching to see more; rain has more or less been unfeasible to top from the start thanks to Swampert; and Mega Regice has been considered the only reason hail is even viable in this meta of ours, so there's a dangerously high bar for any competing additions. Sand is probably the only kind of weather Mega that people are likely to welcome with open arms, and even then, opportunities to do what sand needs are limited.In short: don't use weather Abilities lightly! It's super rare that a weather-based Mega Evolution is actually called for, and while some people have done them well (part of why so many people wanted Sand Rush Cacturne last slate was because its type was actually important to sand teams - there are few relevant sand Mega Evolutions competing with it and specific reasons why Cacturne would be good for the part), it's something to avoid unless you really know what you're doing; weather-reliant Megas have been found to be flawed premises and needed reworks and buffs more than once in our mod's history, and it's rarely worthwhile.
A quick followup note on the same topic: it's also not usually a great idea to make a Pokémon that relies too heavily on its base form's Ability, which is something that people attempt often for Pokémon whose base forms set field effects (an example of this would be making a Mega Rillaboom and giving it Grass Pelt, since it has Grassy Terrain for "free" and can use it right away).
Some archetypes can work with this - for example, a Pokémon that's meant to be a fast lategame cleaner and isn't intended to switch out once it's doing its job can operate effectively under these circumstances, which is frequently the case for Pokémon designed around Speed Boost - but it's important to note that most Pokémon will eventually have to switch out, and it's generally really, really bad if leaving the field is just a death sentence for it.
This has been circumvented in the past in a few ways:
Mega Rillaboom continues to rely on Grassy Terrain, but it doesn't lose the means to set it, as its new Ability also sets Grassy Terrain in a unique way; Mega Gigalith is designed around a field effect that its base form can't set, discouraging it from running Sand Stream in the first place and allowing it to be balanced around the assumption of no sand; 
Mega Vanilluxe and Mega Aurorus both set field effects themselves, but not (necessarily) the same ones as their base forms; and the canon 
Mega Tyranitar and 
Mega Abomasnow simply keep their base forms' weather-setting Abilities and do their best to work with them in a new way, Tyranitar being a "sidegrade" through a stat spread that creates a different role than any other held item and Abomasnow by using a smart stat distribution to succeed exactly where its base form failed.At least personally, I'm of the opinion that playing with hypothetical combinations like "Drought Ninetales -> Solar Power
Mega Ninetales" is an unwise decision, because it's basically impossible for the Pokémon to be effectively balanced both during its five turns of sun and after they wear off; with as drastic a difference as there is between the two states, it's highly likely that any version that isn't outright broken during its first five turns will be dead weight for the remainder of the battle. For example, a Mega Ninetales with Solar Power would need to be substantially weaker than any non-Drought Mega Evolution would be (compare Houndoom, for example) to make up for its lack of needed support... but then after its first five turns, a Pokémon that's substantially weaker than Mega Houndoom out of sun will still probably want sun support, and then it would be that much harder to justify running it over Mega Houndoom in the first place. There's a delicate balance to strike, as the advantage is both far too big to be taken lightly and too short-lived to justify running without the proper support, so it's rarely feasible to balance effectively and a route I really strongly advise against.Being the strongest or being broken on purpose is not a selling point! And neither is "I hate stall, so here's how you never have to worry about it again!"
To some of you, this might sound like stating the obvious - if that's the case, you're probably fine and you don't need to worry about this! I'm perfectly serious when I say that this is only a problem when people do it on purpose, and that ideas like this have been submitted more than once.We strive to create a balanced metagame, and to us, that means being friendly to a wide variety of team styles (yes, even stall!!) and having a wide variety of viable Pokémon. When a Pokémon turns out to be too dominant or oppressive to specific team styles (or, on the other hand, when it's greatly struggling to do its job and isn't usable), we regularly make balance changes to address that!
With this in mind, consider the simple fact that brokenness isn't permanent - if your Pokémon really is a bonkers sweeper that stall can't beat, we won't just leave it sitting there, and it will be nerfed sooner or later until it's no longer broken.
People who aren't used to building for a meta like this sometimes consider it a service to the metagame and to other players to create something that "kills stall," often just by making an incredibly hard-hitting attacker that can't be walled. However, this is contrary to our goals and is not a good thing - if it really is as good at that as you think, we just... won't allow it.
Naturally, if your Pokémon does something unique and interesting, any future balance changes will obviously be aimed at preserving and amplifying that! But raw power is something we're constantly reevaluating, and no Pokémon has any "right" to be the perfect setup sweeper or the perfect wallbreaker, nor does any submitter have any "right" to pick and choose what team styles are viable in the mod as a whole.
Some people really like playing defensively - it's actually not a good thing to make something that destroys stall as a playing style just because you want the game to be more fast-paced, because that would ultimately shut down a lot of other players and stop them from having fun, or even turn the game into rock-paper-scissors ("this Mega always beats stall, this Mega always beats offense, and this Mega always beats balance" - that is... if you see your opponent's Mega Evolution at team preview and you're playing the wrong kind of team, you might as well just lose on the spot). At that point, why are any of us even playing? In the long term, this is bad for a metagame.
That said, it's totally possible for this to happen accidentally, and there's nothing wrong with that! People make mistakes all the time - my own
Mega Slowking had too good a matchup against hyper offense teams, for example, and all we had to do was nerf it later on. Because that wasn't the point of Mega Slowking - because there was more to it than just "a Pokémon whose job is to end hyper offense" - it's still doing fine even after being nerfed and taking its place as a healthier part of the mod, and the idea that made it unique (its Ability) is still perfectly intact. Just like with Slowking, it's totally okay if you don't balance your idea perfectly on the first try!But there's a huge difference between a case like Slowking and making something broken on purpose. I've seen a lot of submissions that are quite explicitly aimed at ending stall so that games are faster for the one using them, and that's the entire goal of the submission. That's the kind of Pokémon that (if it even works) gets either vetoed on the spot or nerfed - and if its entire identity rests on it being broken, what would be the point of having it when it's not broken any more?
A common mistake I see on this front is when people confuse restraint for lack of foresight - like, a ton of official Mega Evolutions are criticized for wasting stat points and not spending their +100 BST optimally. (Or maybe a Mega Evolution would be better with this great coverage move or this great setup move - how could you forget to give it that?)
For example, when X and Y came out, there were many comments that criticized Mega Gardevoir for raising its Attack, which it obviously didn't need - as though some misguided soul at Game Freak thought raising Attack was more important than Defense or even Speed. But in Generation VI, Mega Gardevoir turned out to be OU in Smogon's terms and was perfectly useful in Game Freak's official formats, BSS and VGC. In actuality, it's not that Attack was considered more important than Defense or Speed or that anyone thought those 20 points would be useful, but that its maker didn't want to raise Defense or Speed and that it didn't need to be stronger.
Knowing when to show this kind of restraint is crucial - not every Mega Evolution should make full use of all 100 of its stat points, and knowing how hard you want to hit, how fast you need to be and how well you need to take hits is always more valuable (and shows more thoughtful design) than knowing the strongest way to spend all 100 points you're given.
The most popular submissions are usually the ones that are creative and well thought out but kept in check by having no better stats than they need - not the other way around!
To close off this section, here's a fun fact: remember what I said about
Mega Slowking?Mega Slowking's Ability sets Trick Room for as long as it remains in battle, but it wears off when Slowking leaves like Primordial Sea - the idea was to prevent it from being used supportively, which would be super dangerous on almost anything, but especially so with Slowking's access to Teleport.
This is still an obviously powerful effect for a slow Pokémon, so at first, recognizing how strong it was on its own, I tried to keep it in check by putting 55 of its 100 points into its Speed - not only squandering them but making it actively worse, since its Ability is better on a slow Pokémon.
As mentioned, Slowking later had to be nerfed. In its later incarnation, its Speed was increased further - from base 85 to base 120, spending no fewer than 90 points of its precious +100 BST on a stat that was not just useless but actively detrimental to it.
It's still strong as heck.
A Mega Slowking that used its +100 BST "well" - let alone optimally - would be broken beyond belief!
In hindsight, perhaps Slowking was not the safest choice for an Ability like this in the first place, haha - but if this case tells us anything, there's no denying that throwing away points can be the right choice, and sometimes you don't need anywhere near the 100 points you're given to make something strong!
Never introduce variance for the sake of variance - always be careful, purposeful and restrained when introducing RNG
Excessive RNG is widely disliked, as it frequently removes the outcome of a battle from both players' hands and de-emphasizes skill. Whether you're using or facing an RNG-reliant strategy, you need luck to be on your side - and it's easy for a situation to spiral out of control without either player having or getting to make smart choices because it wasn't.There are cases when RNG can be used effectively - it's not always a strictly bad thing! But it's important to think about the role that kind of risk serves in battles, when it's worth the trouble and when it's more trouble than it's worth... and it's (dangerously) common for people to cite Mega Evolutions we already have as precedents to say that RNG is okay in any situation, when there's really quite a lot more nuance than that.
Something that's sort of obvious but very important to note: an RNG-based effect is more likely to happen the more tries you get. That means RNG favors Pokémon that can try more often.
Bulky Pokémon that can afford to take a lot of hits are way, way better at using RNG than fast, frail Pokémon, because they can afford the bad rolls and have plenty of opportunities to get the ones they want.
Let's use Scald as an example of this. Scald is a move that has a 30% chance to cause a burn, and it's used primarily by Water-type walls. This adds a major element of risk that their opponents will have to bear in mind - for every turn that a physical attacker is up against a Water-type, it has a serious chance of being crippled in a big way, maybe even for the rest of the match. That means it's not safe to switch a physical attacker in on a Water-type, even if you know it won't do a lot of damage - and it's definitely not safe to try to set up on a Water-type, which is a big reason why other passive Pokémon are riskier to use.
This is technically up to luck, but it's a threat that takes skill to plan around. The more opportunities you have to use Scald, the more likely you are to land a burn - at the move's 30% chance, the odds are about 50/50 in just two tries and increasingly in the Scald user's favor past that, so it's basically an inevitability. The counterplay isn't "hope it doesn't happen" - there are ways not to take chances, like using a Pokémon that can't be burned or doesn't mind being burned, or using a Pokémon that can come in safely and deal with the Scald user efficiently without giving them chances to use Scald.
This case study is super relevant here - there's a reason Scald caught on where Lava Plume didn't, and it's not just because hot water is neat flavor! Water as a type is more conducive to defensive roles than Fire, and it's way more valuable for bulky Water-types to be able to cripple physical attackers and make it dangerous to switch in on them or use them on setup bait than it is for the average Flamethrower-flinging sweeper. On top of that, Fire-type Pokémon are immune to being burned, and it's just as important to bear in mind that they're resistant to Lava Plume but weak to Scald.
The combination of these factors is what makes burns so much more valuable to defensive Water-types than to offensive Fire-types - people occasionally fuss about how much it bothers them that Water-types have the better burning move than Fire-types, but they deserve it! Burn as a status was designed in a way that Water-types are optimized to use and most Fire-types really aren't (actually, I find that Fire-types often value spreading bad poison if anything), and the nerf to the status in Generation VII makes that truer than ever.
At its best, RNG is used to create a threat like this - something that will happen reliably enough that it forces players to plan around it rather than hoping for the best, on a Pokémon that's optimized to have plenty of chances to try, not something rare enough that it often doesn't happen at all in a battle or something that's equally debilitating pretty much no matter how you play around it (like messing with accuracy and evasion or freezing).
Incidentally, as a rule of thumb: never balance RNG by making the odds lower - only by making the effect less debilitating.
I would recommend hovering around a 30% chance or even higher - if 30% feels like too much for whatever you have in mind, it's the effect, not the chance, that's the problem.
Something that almost never happens but is crazy-frustrating when it does (like a 10% chance to cause freeze or sleep) is worse design than something that happens more often and is less extreme or more counterable (like a 30% chance to cause a burn, which happens often but matters more to some Pokémon than others).
It's also quite player-friendly and easy to think in terms of a 30% chance. A 30% chance to activate on one try is a 51% chance to happen over two attempts (like I said, almost exactly 50/50), and from that point on, it's in the favor of the one using it. It's one of the more clear-cut cases in which RNG rewards Pokémon that can create opportunities for themselves over Pokémon that get lucky.
Of course, you can also avoid the issue entirely by including a non-RNG-based condition instead - even for effects that are "traditionally" tied to RNG. Our recent
Mega Cacturne's Ability, Coup de Grass, is directly inspired by the Quick Claw and very similar to the Ability Quick Draw - when it does activate, it has exactly the same effect as both! - but instead of activating 20% of the time like the former or 30% like the latter, it activates consistently under specific circumstances (when the target of its move is low on HP).When
Mega Mismagius was submitted, I gave similar advice to ausma, the one who created it - its effect originally activated at random (I think 50% of the time?) when using a Poison-type move, but I suggested making it happen only when the target was poisoned instead, and she accepted that.This is something that I feel contributes to Mega Mismagius's competitive design - even though the effects of its Ability are random, the conditions under which they activate are consistent and preventable and require setup on the player's part. You can keep Alchemist from activating by using a Pokémon that isn't poisoned or one that can't be poisoned, and whether it activates or not, the Ability consistently works to same end of encouraging already-poisoned Pokémon to switch out and endangering only those that choose to stay in after being poisoned. Nearly all of the Ability's effects wear off when switching out, and the few that don't also get rid of the poison status in exchange for something else, preventing any more RNG from taking place; even with the wide variety of potential outcomes and the jokey "embrace the chaos" nature of the Ability, there is a clear way out for the other player and it generally doesn't matter which outcome is rolled.
It's characteristics like this that make Mismagius an effective example of RNG done extremely well in a way that is harmless to the competitive integrity of the game.
The same cannot be said for many submissions that are vetoed for excessive and unnecessary RNG, so I think it's valuable to talk about why Mismagius is so popular and why many attempts to follow its example have not lived up.
(That said, it's equally important to bear in mind that Mismagius was... sort of a one-off? It was holiday-themed for a special event slate, mostly a joke submission, and in multiple ways designed to be suboptimal and unlikely as a serious contender in high-level competitive play. It's not meant to be replicated often, and those of us who were part of the community at the time broadly agreed that it was better as a fun special case. Following Mega Mismagius's example exactly in terms of having a goofy Ability with an unrealistically wide array of special effects is not actually something we encourage.)
And finally...
Something the fantastic 
inkbug says often: when the best submission wins, everyone wins!
Megas for All is a collaboration, not a competition! Our goal here is and always has been to make a metagame together - and to make it as enjoyable as possible to play. inkbug says often: when the best submission wins, everyone wins!It's disheartening when people feel the need to prioritize winning for themselves or just "putting their name down" over supporting other ideas that they like and showing their appreciation for other people's ideas.
On that note, I would like to take this moment to encourage collaboration - in cases when your idea is particularly similar to someone else's, please be open to pitching it as advice to them and asking how they feel about incorporating it into their own, instead of making a separate submission with a significant amount of overlap. This arguably hurts both of your chances and makes both of you look worse, and it's been made clear in the past that it can feel really bad for the person who thinks their idea was taken from them or that they're being robbed of a win.
Of course, not everyone reads other people's submissions (although I actually really encourage that, if not for this reason!) - this often happens completely unintentionally for ideas that seemingly just make sense! I know the people here wouldn't intentionally take ideas from one another, haha. That said, if I do notice similar submissions that feel like they have a great deal of overlap, please be aware that I may invite both submitters to collaborate on one rather than having both separately, and please try to understand and cooperate if I do.
Submission Feedback
That uh!! Sure was a lot!! this is also my first time breaking the forum character limit by hand/not as part of a compilation of other people's posts
But to close this off, I'm going to give some individual feedback to people's submissions as promised! Some of these are vetoes, and the submissions in question will not be included in the compilation of they aren't addressed, but others are just friendly advice, and I'll try to make the difference between the two clear. C:
If I don't comment on your submission, it's probably fine balance-wise as it is!
Iiin any case, let's do this!
Bearing in mind Zoroark's access to Nasty Plot, I would be wary of giving it sweeping stats like these and access to reliable coverage like Earth Power, which complements its STABs super well; this is pretty close to Mega Houndoom statwise (and Houndoom has similar moves as well), so I don't think it would be absurd, but I think it would be best if you at least lowered its Speed by 10 points (to 115 like Houndoom). I do think some kind of nerf would be mandatory, and this is the one I would recommend (I feel like it should be either a small cut to Speed or a much bigger cut to Special Attack), but I'm open to talking on the Discord before subs close if you want to discuss alternatives!That said, I think the way you've integrated the Ability is really cool! I had something sort of like this for Flareon once, but this is almost completely different in terms of battle role - its high Speed and Wisp access cover its physical frailty really well, and the critical hit effect also complements Overheat in a way I think is really cool... I like this one a lot! .w.
As you guessed, I do think Expanding Force is definitely too strong on this; however, it was brought up on the Discord that it's highly probable for Delphox to receive Expanding Force the next time it appears in the main series, so it might be better to keep Expanding Force and change its stats to be balanced with that instead of hoping it never gets the move. With that in mind, I would personally mandate removing 20 points of its Speed (back to 104 like base Delphox) and encourage removing as much Special Attack as you're willing - I would certainly be most comfortable with this at 114 Special Attack and 104 Speed like base, but I can understand why you might not be willing to do that, haha. I would probably put at least half of the points you remove into Attack, but I'm alright with it if you put some of them into Defense if you feel the need! Just know that this will likely be very strong pretty much no matter what you do - I wouldn't be worried about throwing away too many points! - but I won't push it if you're uncomfortable losing that many. XPThis would be reasonably "safe" for the time being with the same stats if you just got rid of Expanding Force, and I would tentatively allow that as an alternative, but only if you're on board with us nerfing its stats if it eventually does get Expanding Force - this seems like a likely outcome to me and I would prefer just keeping the move and doing the best we can with it, but I'll concede that speculation is no reason to turn away an otherwise-fine submission, so I don't mind terribly if you choose to drop Expanding Force instead!
I think it's been noted on the Discord that giving Fire-type coverage to Alolan Ninetales has dangerous implications not on the Mega but on its base form, since Fire is a dangerously effective coverage type to complement Ice/Fairy STAB and helps Alolan Ninetales cover a very important weakness to Steel, so I will have to require the removal of regular Fire coverage moves this strong though something like Mystical Fire would be a bit tamer if you must.At the same time, I have reservations about the effect you've chosen for your Ability. There's a section about RNG in the guide above here, in the fourth spoiler box (the one at the top of this post), if you're willing to read it; I'm generally against adding a 10% freeze chance to anything that doesn't already have it if I had my way, the things that already had it also wouldn't; freeze as a status is kind of unhealthy in general, and the Ability itself reads as pure flavor with almost no legitimate competitive applications, since it's not at all reliable at setting any one specific status and Alolan Ninetales is too frail to try to make use of it consistently.
My opinion on the Ability is just advice rather than a mandatory change, so you can keep it as-is if you really must - but if it helps at all, one potential compromise would be to give it Ignite (the Fire-type version of Refrigerate - we have that on Toucannon and Typhlosion already) and a special Normal move like Hyper Voice instead, allowing the Mega to have Fire STAB without affecting the base form at all and giving it a Fire-related Ability without giving it this kind of RNG.
This seems like it's balanced perfectly well and there's nothing mandatory about this suggestion, but I'm just letting you know that I would totally be okay with a modifier of 2x instead of 1.5x on Clairvoyant Eye if you want, given this stat spread! I think that a pseudo-Nasty Plot would give it more of an edge over the base form, which I feel is valuable since no room effects do that much for it on their own. I think I'm also okay with this one, although Night Daze's high rate of accuracy drops worries me a little (I'm glad you accounted for flinches already!); I know the main point is Snarl, though, which I think is really cool. I'm sort of conflicted on how I feel about it, haha.More importantly, would you mind clarifying in the description how you want the power of its moves to be divided? (Is it just divided by the number of hits - so Snarl with one ally fainted would be five hits of 11 power, for example - or is it always divided by the same amount, so the move only hits at full power when it hits all six times?)
There are no mandatory changes for balance reasons or anything, but purely as a bit of feedback, I'm reeeally struggling to tell what this effect has to do with Zoroark and why you've chosen to use it here.It's obvious that the effect is more suited to a Pokémon with a defensive role, but Zoroark's stat spread even in your submission is very offensively inclined. The high amount of recovery you felt the need to give it reads as compensation for how ill-suited Zoroark is to carry out this role, which just makes me think it would be better if it were on something other than Zoroark in the first place, and the sample set you've given it also doesn't reflect the Ability at all and is just a perfectly generic set any Zoroark could run (even in its EVs), which suggests the Ability isn't integrated very well. I would personally expect to see an Ability like this on a Pokémon that was already defensively-inclined, preferably one that resists Bug rather than being weak to it since U-turn is the contact move that needs to be punished most often and this will absolutely still hate taking that.
also the flavor justification you gave makes no sense I'm really sorry I'm just so confused
where did the idea for "Zoroark punishes predators by stealing items and using them as life essence." come from
This one is also just advice but advice that I think is important:Don't make your Pokémon spread burns just because it's Fire-type - ask yourself what kind of Pokémon needs to burn its foes, what foes are affected the most by burns, when and why it would want to burn them, and how it can be supported by being able to do that reliably.
It might not sound like it, since you're following the mechanical precedent of a traditionally Fire-based status, but this is exactly the kind of premise I mean when I say to avoid purely flavor-driven concepts - Delphox is not well equipped to capitalize on burns in any interesting way, especially given that yours is (again) offensively inclined and both burn chances and RNG exploitation are fundamentally defensive characteristics. Just adding a burn chance to its STAB moves doesn't relate at all to the status beyond the superficial Fire association or to your Delphox beyond... well... being Fire-type.
I discussed the value of Scald a bit in the RNG section of the fourth spoiler (top of this post), and I think it would benefit you to consider the points there as well.
Again, nothing mandatory and you're under no obligation to change anything, but I would really suggest that you reconsider both of these and think about why they don't come off as cohesive rather than shrugging this off - I know you're in the habit of getting frustrated when you get negative feedback, and that sort of makes it harder to give it to you, but I promise I'm trying to be constructive and I hope this illuminates why these premises feel wrong to me instead of just coming off as an attack?
Your Alolan Ninetales is awesome though .w.
かたわれ時:
This one is actually really neat!I know some people have voiced that they're against the change to Mystical Fire's base power and effect as part of the Ability, but I'm actually commenting to voice my support of it rather than to ask you to change it. I think this is really clever in the context that it's a parallel to Ash-Greninja - I wouldn't ordinarily advocate for an Ability that changes how a specific move works in this specific a way, but it makes for a really cool reference and I can totally get behind doing it for this trio specifically!
Just as a clarifying question: is Vortex of Visions meant to trap the target (like Fire Spin or Octolock), or was that just a way of saying that it was like a non-volatile status? I think I would be okay with it either way (although if that's the case, I would lean towards making that replace the buff to -2 Special Attack rather than being on top of it - it feels sort of redundant to double the Special Attack reduction when you're lowering it again every turn), but I figured I should confirm the effect before any voting happened! XP
I'm afraid I would be inclined to disallow this one on the basis of power level, sorry;;Accounting for the 1.3x boost, this hits scarily hard for its Speed even unboosted, and that on something with good coverage like Zoroark's... would maybe be okay (but still certainly very strong) on something without Swords Dance or Nasty Plot, but the fact that it has those makes it definitely too much, so I think it would be necessary to tone this down quite a lot to compensate for them.
One minor other thing before I go any further: I'll have talked about field effects in the last spoiler at the end of the previous post, and I think this is a case where I would just advise against introducing a new terrain at all! It doesn't really look like something that would influence teambuilding or battling in a unique way, and since it's so specific to one type and Zoroark doesn't really need any more Dark-type allies (especially being a pure Dark-type itself, it's not likely to form interesting cores with other Dark-types by virtue of their secondary types or anything), it seems kind of unnecessary for its effect to extend to anything but itself. Zoroark also isn't really a support Pokémon so much as a fast, frail setup sweeper, so it's not likely to make a great terrain setter regardless, I think.
Wiiith that in mind, I think that's kind of convenient in this case! The 1.3x boost from the terrain was a big part of the problem - if that's taken off and the Ability is no longer a terrain at all, just a reduction to Fairy damage (you could also totally compensate by making it a proper Fairy resistance or a Fairy immunity if you wanted! this is pretty frail as it is, and having resistances and immunities is more valuable for a setup sweeper than just making one of its weaknesses neutral - since that's the most unique part of the terrain you had, I think putting more emphasis on it would be fitting!), this would be a lot more balanced right away; I think I would maybe still lean towards lowering its Speed a bit (just to the 115 to 120 range if you were willing), but that part may well be me being paranoid and I wouldn't mandate it at all! XP
So uh!! Tl;dr:
- would definitely suggest removing the Dark boost
- would suggest lowering its Speed by 10 to 15 points
- would suggest making it no longer a terrain at all
- could totally get behind buffing the Fairy reduction to a proper resistance or an immunity
AWater22:
Hi! This one is really neat, but I'm kind of worried by the super high boost to its Special Attack and Speed since it already gets hail for its Ability for free, so I would like to ask you to put its Speed somewhere like +5 (114) or +6 (115) if you prefer for any reason instead of going all the way to +20. It's okay with me if you put those left over points in its defenses - you don't have to throw them away into Attack (unless you want) - but I'm wary of leaving them where they are, since it hits super hard with Blizzard and it has Nasty Plot access. Thank you and sorry for the inconvenience!jazzmat:
Would you be willing to clarify whether hail needs to be up for Borealis Aura to activate? I would lean towards saying that it should definitely be a requirement, but I'm open to discussing on the Discord if you would prefer otherwise! Mostly the important thing is to have that clearly stated in the description, since it's a bit open to interpretation given how Aurora Veil normally works. This is super minor and baaarely important, since it's only 9 points, but as explained in the submission rules in the first post, you're not allowed to lower Attack like you did; the lowest it can be is 69 like regular Delphox, which means you're required to take 9 points out of some other stat and put them back, I'm afraid. Sorry for the inconvenience;; First thing is minor, but this part: "Every Pokemon will take damage from Subzero hail regardless of typing expect Mega Alolan Ninetales." I'm not inclined to allow this basically on the grounds that that's... not how weather works?But more importantly, I have serious balance concerns with this, accounting for its massively increased Special Attack and Speed, permanent Ability-boosted Blizzards, access to Nasty Plot and Fire coverage all at once; while I would suggest nerfs, I'mmm instead just going to ask you to read the very last section of the spoiler at the top of this post (it's part of a guide on good submission practices!) - bearing in mind the similarity between your submission and the one by DrPumpkinz, in conjunction with the fact that I think his is balanced perfectly well and most potential nerfs would just be bringing yours closer to his, I think you should see if there's anything his doesn't accomplish and discuss with him any feedback that would make it closer to what you're hoping to see. Thank you for understanding!
On a similar note, the spoiler at the top of this post also has an RNG and when it is and isn't appropriate, and I'm going to say that the RNG in your Mega Zoroark is definitely not. Given the wide variety of effects that happen completely out of both players' control and aren't even similar in counterplay, the effect is uncompetitive and I can't allow this; sorry;;VoolPool:
Hi! On this one in particular, as with the previous poster, I'm greatly concerned by the power level this has on account of the boost to its Blizzards, and I notice that this is quite similar to the one by DrPumpkinz. I'm also going to veto this one for its raw power, but with that similarity in mind, rather than suggesting nerfs, I think it would be beneficial for you to compare ideas and discuss with him any feedback that you have rather than make a competing submission that's so similar; it would be better for both of you, as it's more likely that a compromise that satisfies both of you will win. okay that pun is BRILLIANT but I think this is too many unrelated effects for one Ability, I'm afraid; I would ask you to remove the accuracy modifier and the entire Ability Flash Fire and reduce it to just the "fire attacks will target the lower of the target's defences" part, since that's the most distinctive effect here and the only one that can't just be another Ability that already exists.I also will definitely require you to drop Blue Flare and perhaps lower its Speed a bit (would you be okay with taking it down to 104 like base Delphox?) - the effect of this Ability is a lot stronger than you might expect; it's actually an idea that's come up many times in past slates and proven dangerous surprisingly often.
I think I'm pretty much okay with this! However, could I ask why you've chosen all three of Fire, Steel and Fighting, but nothing else? I think it would make more sense to pick a specific type ("when hit by a Fire move"), to do types with a unifying quality (all four of Fire, Steel, Fighting and Rock - the types that are super effective against Ice) or to do any types that hit it super effectively (think Weakness Policy - in this case, that would be the six types: the three you listed, but also Rock, Bug and Fairy), but having just the three seems odd to me. I think Blue Flare should be removed from this; it's a very strong move for something that's this fast and has Calm Mind.oh my heck I love your Delphox
This is another one that I don't think calls for a new field effect to be introduced; you can see the last spoiler on the previous post for a more thorough explanation of my stance on field effects, but my main reservation is that this seems a great deal more complicated than it needs to be.The main issue is that this behaves sometimes like hail but with multiple exceptions (Blizzard and Aurora Veil) and has completely unrelated interactions with screens, a status condition and moves of three types that don't inherently have anything to do with one another. It feels like the idea of being a field effect is mostly just an excuse to give this a lot of different Abilities (I see at least Screen Cleaner, Immunity, Heatproof for Poison and pseudo-Adaptability) rather than the effects actually belonging together.
On the whole, it's sort of excessive and also sort of player-unfriendly, since it's a bit chaotic and not intuitive to learn or extrapolate one effect from another; I don't think I could allow this in its current state, I'm afraid. :x
Mmmmm... okay, so I know we have Mega Feraligatr already, but I think Mega Feraligatr having Ice Fang in particular has also been considered problematic by some and I would lean away from repeating the same mistake given that it can be avoided; we can't get rid of Ice Fang from Feraligatr only because it already had it in canon, but since Zoroark doesn't have Ice Punch already, would you be open to removing it from this?One other change I would at least strongly encourage you to consider: the 150 Speed scares me a quite a lot in conjunction with Nasty Plot + STAB Shadow Ball + coverage Focus Blast - it's hard to judge exactly what range of Speed would be okay for this my instinct would be only a tiny bit higher than Zoroark already has, to be honest, but I don't want to hurt every set that much just because of Nasty Plot and I understand if you're not comfortable with that, but could I request that you remove anywhere from 20 to 35 points of Speed (and probably distribute them however you like between its defenses)?
Those two points aside, I think I'm okay with this on the whole! Hopefully both of those are relatively minor fixes and not terribly inconvenient;;
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I’m slllightly concerned, in part by the complexity of this Ability and in part by having Earth Power. Earth Power is probably too strong a coverage move for an Alolan Ninetales to have, so I would just ask you to remove that, I think! But I know we talked about this Ability on the Discord some time ago, and I do understand why it’s important for it to be able to stockpile three blessings and for them to do something.Is it possible that the three blessings could instead be more similar (maybe that all three have the same effect but each is stronger than the last, or maybe that each one boosts a different stat, so the combination of the three amounts to what you have as the third blessing? plus the Healing Wish part at three blessings can stay - I think I said so already on the Discord, but I do really like that part!) and would you be open to removing the Snow Warning part of the Ability so it’s not doing so many unrelated things at once?
If removing the Snow Warning part is too debilitating, and/or you want to maintain the “using moves of a specific type” element, you could maybe make each blessing take place after using an Ice move (or instead make each blessing take place after using a Fairy move) instead of relying on hail. Something like...
“Each time it uses an Ice-type move, Alolan Ninetales gains one of three blessings. The first blessing raises Special Defense; the second blessing raises Special Attack; and the third blessing raises Speed. If it has all three blessings when it faints, it makes a Healing Wish.”
This is probably the least complicated thing I can think of that still sounds both viable and close to what you have - it doesn’t have to be exactly that, but I think streamlining it somewhat would be a good idea, and this is one example of a direction that I think would be smoother if you’re open to it!
I’m so alarmed by the flavorWhile there’s nothing strictly wrong with it in terms of balance, I’m thinking that this is another one that’s probably better off being made more straightforward and not introducing a new field effect.
You can look at the last spoiler in the post above this for my full thoughts on field effects, but in short: spirit hail itself doesn’t do anything that’s really worth differentiating itself from normal hail (I don’t think that applying Cursed Body to every Pokémon is compelling or has any effect on teambuilding in itself, and for a hail that’s comparatively friendly to Normal and Ghost, there’s already Diamond Dust which doesn’t hurt either), nor is it any more mechanically interesting on Mega Alolan Ninetales than regular Snow Warning or just Cursed Body.
The fact that you have a list of several discrete effects, some of which are field effect-related and some of which are just part of the Ability, is also a sign that this is more complicated than it needs to be (and is unprecedented among other effect-setting Abilities). With that in mind, I think it’s important to identify which parts of this are important to you and which you’re willing to cut down; in my personal opinion, Ninetales doesn’t have much going for it as a field effect setter except for Aurora Veil, and your third effect makes me think that Aurora Veil is something this isn’t really supposed to be good at anyway - why not just remove both the field effect and the third bullet point and leave it with just “special Sap Sipper for Dark-type moves?”
bekama:
This one is definitely way too strong; I get the impression that Inferno is the main reason you wanted this, but Inferno with this Ability and these stats is also super broken, so the easiest way to deal with it is to remove Inferno. Honestly, though, I think the stats are also broken even with just Fire Blast; massive boosts to Special Attack and Speed like this are rarely a good idea. Maybe try with no Inferno and no Speed boost at all...? Nnnnnnope, nope, I cannot allow this. This just has way too much potential to become incredibly broken with the wrong effect (including two of the three moves you gave it yourself - pivoting on entry is uncompetitive and sleep on entry is definitely not happening - but there are also a lot of moves Zoroark already has with plenty of ways to go wrong, like all of its setup moves, Protect, Copycat, Roar, Substitute, Toxic... honestly most of the ways Zoroark has to use this are broken).As a solution, I’m just going to ask you to pick one specific thing for this to do on entry, with no regard at all for player customization or its movepool.
It’s possible that Topsy-Turvy on entry would be a viable option - it was clearly on your mind, it suits the name of the Ability, and it’s a useful effect to be able to use often (and quite surprising to pull from behind an Illusion) - but there’s a high chance that even that would be too strong given that it completely shuts down opposing setup. I think that would be... more acceptable than what you have, without a doubt, but you could look into other status moves instead or just do something totally different if you prefer!
In any case, the effect in its current state is very definitely not allowed, haha;;
This is actually super cool and I think you did a fantastic job balancing it! That said, could I make the very minor request to change the modifier to 4/3 or 1.33 (like Fairy Aura/Dark Aura or Adaptability) or 1.3 (like Life Orb or Sheer Force)? A modifier of 1.35 is pretty much unheard of in Pokémon and it would be vaguely weird for optics to introduce one now. That said, this is easily the least important thing on this entire post and I will totally just accept it however you leave it! :’D I feel bad saying so because it looks like you already nerfed this once, but I think this is definitely still... terrifying? and very questionably balanced even as it is;;I think I would at least require lowering its Speed by quite a lot, if it’s meant to start with free setup. Even just base 105 (+0) to 115 (+10) Speed at most, and starting with a +1 boost to Attack and Special Attack instead of +2, would strike me as very threatening - I’m not sure I could reasonably accept anything much stronger than that.
Vetoing this out of hand on account of power level.In general, I would also strongly discourage having an Ability that (like this) is the entire effect of another Ability plus another strong effect (in this case both the entirety of Snow Warning and setting Aurora Veil on entry) - but this one would be completely broken regardless of that, because setting Veil on entry, unconditionally, is the kind of crazy team support that I would not allow on literally any Pokémon. Earth Power is also a very strong coverage move for Alolan Ninetales in general (Mega or not) that I don’t think should be allowed.
Probably the closest one can get to what you want is just lydian’s existing sub, so rather than suggesting any nerfs, I’m just going to exclude yours and encourage you to vote for his; if you feel like his could be improved or there’s something about yours that you think is better, it would be best to give that feedback to him and try to settle on something you both like.
This is a minor presentational note, but rather than saying that Mega Delphox can hold two items... realistically, this would just replace the Mega Stone outright - I hope that’s okay with you! :’D This definitely can’t be allowed to have Boomburst, but it’s allowed if you take that off. Hyper Voice is more than strong enough for this already! This one I think... I’m probably just going to have to veto? The closest you could get to this without being extremely uncompetitive is maybe Stakeout, but I think even with that as a “nerf,” I would encourage you to lower its Speed back down to 105 like base - even Stakeout is super strong, but I think totally ignoring type matchups and always being super effective is something I can’t allow at all.BitBitio:
:coldsweat:
ahem
I... I thought this was going to be a joke but... I think this works? I’m baffled but I think this is maybe okay in this caseI’m open to trying it
It’s weirdly cool on something this frail because it makes every bit of defensive investment matter that much more and makes it weirdly customizable
That said, I think I should ask you to subtract 20 points from Speed and... I feel like the least consequential change would be to put 10 into each offense? This theoretically sets up super easily, so it scares me a little that it’s as high as 130 Speed; that’s actually the only thing about this that makes me uncomfortable and that’s kind of impressive because I’m baffled that Phantom Guard is even possible to balance so good job
also I love that you and Mossy are just referencing each other’s memes
CrLmao:
I don’t think this warrants a new field effect at all - I would either give it an Ability that just boosts its Defense in hail (like Grass Pelt), since it already comes with hail for free once, or just stick with Snow Warning. Changing this will be mandatory; sorry. We do already have a Fire-type -ate! It’s called Ignite, and it’s already being used by Toucannon and Typhlosion.While there’s also a submission that already has Ignite by itself, it looks like yours is going a relatively different route anyway - yours is more of a sweeper, whereas Yoshivert555’s is aimed at being a tank - so I think I would accept it if you chose to replace this with regular Ignite; it looks like the Ability itself is not at all the defining feature of Yoshivert555’s sub and the idea of another Delphox also having Ignite doesn’t seem to conflict with it. That said, I’m against creating a new Ability that’s just “Ignite but it also does something else” and will not allow this in its current state.
I’mmm afraid I can’t allow this one, with or without Spectral Thief; I think having this much Speed, access to Nasty Plot and STAB perfect coverage (Ghost/Fighting) all on one Pokémon is a recipe for disaster. I think Fighting STAB in general is a problem on this, given its high Special Attack and access to Focus Blast. I wouldn’t object as strongly if this were pure Dark (no Fighting STAB) and had a good amount less Speed, though; 115 is already quite fast and I think that’s as much as I would accept on this. aaah, I love that you made a design! the hat and the tail are great <3it’s super funny that the brim of the hat is made of its ear fluff, haha
Uh, that said, I have to ask you to remove Blue Flare - a Delphox with these stats already looks super strong even with its regular movepool, but Blue Flare definitely makes its damage output too high.
That aside, I think this is fine! It differentiates itself pretty well from the other Magic Guard submission on account of its much more offensively-inclined stats and movepool additions (the other one has much lower Speed and a support-oriented movepool), so I think it’s okay to include both of them. C:
Your
Ninetales is actually really neat, by the way! The same Pokémon having super-buffed Icy Wind, extended Tailwind and access to Aurora Veil sounds awesome to me!thursmus:
I actually mostly really like this in terms of stats and the second part of its Ability, but I don’t think I support combining that with Serene Grace - I would ask you to make its moves just do double damage to statused foes which is already really strong rather than having both that and the entire Ability Serene Grace.I think I would also push for... either reducing the modifier to 50% instead of doubling power or reducing Speed back to base Delphox’s 104 at most - but I don’t think there’s any need to do both, so whichever option you like more? XP Nerfing one of the two would be my instinct, at least.
Huh... normally I would advise against dual-typed moves, but given the relationship between Dark and Ghost, Shadow Master is maybe the most unique and crazy pair you could possibly choose and I’m... kind of fascinated by it. I will totally allow this.I also love your Ninetales oh my gosh
This is the only one that I think might be a problem - the effect of the Ability is kind of too strong on its own, in my opinion. Something I think might make it work is if it applied equally to both sides, like our existing Mega Staraptor’s Showdown or @inkbug’s Hawlucha from last slate I would link it but I think he deleted the post - its effect was to Taunt both the user and its opponent on entry, though - I know Delphox has a lot of cool status moves to use, but I almost wonder if that would add an interesting layer to it in itself, making people decide carefully when it’s the right time to Mega Evolve? I’m afraid I’m gonna have to veto this one - I think you may have underestimated how much a 1.3x modifier to Speed matters, but if I’m not mistaken, this would naturally outspeed even something as fast as Deoxys-Speed! (It’s also generally not a good idea to introduce unusual modifiers to Speed in particular, mostly because that makes it so much less how fast something will be - most people are familiar with 1.5x because of Choice Scarf and 2x because of most Speed-boosting Abilities, but there’s no way in any game to get exactly 1.3x Speed, nor anything in between 1 and 1.5.)Honestly, I think this would be perfectly fine (not broken but also definitely strong) with just the 1.3x Special Attack - without changing Speed at all and without increasing the Special Attack modifier from what you have - so I would be inclined to suggest just doing that part if it’s alright with you!
I don’t... think your Delphox’s Ability is too broken, but I think it’s too complicated to pass as a real Ability. I would suggest something like, “When an opposing Pokémon’s stats should be boosted, their Defense, Special Defense and Speed are reduced by 1 stage instead.” Just that - you don’t really need a clause for if they try it twice in a row, since nobody is going to do that on purpose whether you make it worse or not, and I think activating at the time the stats are boosted (like Defiant or Competitive for the opposite side) would be the most straightforward and the most consistent with real Abilities.I would actually be more concerned by Witch Trial so I think it’s better to work on balancing Witch’s Grace if that’s okay
That aside!! I’m reasonably okay with Nasty Plot on Delphox in a vacuum, but I don’t think you can have 140 Speed with it. I would suggest capping out at like 114 (+10) Speed and putting the other 26 into your choice of Attack, Defense or Special Defense.
I’m afraid I’m gonna have to veto this one as well, for a few reasons.First, I’m concerned by the impact that all three of these movepool additions would have on base Alolan Ninetales - Recover might be fine, but Earth Power is about the best coverage move you could possibly give it (a couple of other people have also given it this and I’ve disallowed them, too, if it makes you feel any better), and it’s already a pretty excellent support Pokémon without pivoting, so the addition of U-turn feels... dangerous and like it has the potential to impact the base form’s role significantly.
But second, I also think the power level on this is much too high even without those - rather than suggesting a nerf, I think it would be best to refer you to the Mega Alolan Ninetales by DrPumpkinz, which is more or less the same as yours in role and feels much better balanced. If I suggested ways to tone yours down, they would just overlap more and more; instead, I think it would be best for you to look at the one he made and decide whether you have any feedback to give him that would make you support it more or if you are already willing to vote for it, then discuss it with him if there’s anything you have to suggest to him.
One-move perfect neutral coverage is... not something that would be allowed in general, but especially not on something that has setup, base 134 Speed and the rough approximation of base 195.75 mixed offenses, so this is also a veto. Despite myself, I am allowing your Zoroark only on account of not really being a field effect at all. It’s just an Ability that passively damages enemies and doesn’t work on certain types.That said, I still strongly discourage this because it seems to be exclusively flavor-driven (and... vaguely so... for flavor that has nothing to do with Zoroark, but that’s beside the point) rather than having game mechanics in mind; there’s no meaningful connection between the types Flying, Water and Ghost and no particular benefit to excluding those types. I don’t think this effect is compelling or believe it adds anything to the game at all, but. You do you? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I am going to veto this one, because the idea of setting a random status is uncompetitive and doesn’t have consistent counterplay, but I would encourage you to do something else with Ghost-type moves instead if you wanted. I also am going to disallow Aura Sphere on account of its Ghost STAB and boosting access. This is roughly the same as the Mega Alolan Ninetales by DrPumpkinz with the addition of three turns of free Aurora Veil, which is most likely extra power that it doesn’t need, and some extra moves; if there’s anything his doesn’t do that you wish it did, I would encourage you to discuss with him any suggestions you may have and collaborate on a take that you would both like, but his is still the best-balanced version of this idea and the one I would be most comfortable allowing, so there’s no reason to have another one. Vetoing this for power level; it has dangerously high Speed and mixed attacking stats for something with access to all three of Swords Dance, Calm Mind and Nasty Plot, a type combination as offensively excellent as Dark/Fairy and a damage-boosting Ability that benefits its best moves. We already have Mega Meowstic-M, and this will probably encroach on it far too directly and basically outclass it, which is something to be avoided. Hi! Conveniently, there’s a section about acceptable use of RNG in the spoiler at the top of this post. I would encourage you to read that if you have time!In any case, this is uncompetitive as all heck and there is no chance that it will be allowed; sorry?
Uh, part of the problem here is that I don’t think I can code this, I’m afraid? Unless you’d want Zoroark’s actual HP and actual status to change based on the percentage remaining of the Pokémon in the back - like, its HP is restored or depleted before entry to match the Pokémon it’s copying and its status really changes to match - but I definitely don’t think I would personally be able to code just visually disguising its HP and status.If that is what you want, I’m sort of worried by the fact that Zoroark could just come in and out indefinitely - as long as you never sent in the Pokémon in the back, it would constantly be resetting Zoroark’s HP and status as many times as you wanted, which feels like kind of a broken version of Regenerator + Natural Cure in one, so I’m nnnot sure if it should be allowed anyway, but uh
please clarify the wording of the Ability if you can because I really have no idea what it’s supposed to do
That aside, the accuracy modifier definitely has to go. As small as it is, that’s just pointlessly uncompetitive.
I also will have to veto this one, I’m afraid. If it helps, the last spoiler box in the post above this has a more thorough explanation of when it is and isn’t appropriate to introduce a new field effect; yours is definitely not one that I am comfortable allowing.I also think adding U-turn to Alolan Ninetales would have dangerous effects on the non-Mega form, which is already strong as a support Pokémon without access to pivoting and could potentially have a major impact on the metagame without Mega Evolving.
And... I think... that’s all of them! obligatory: please yell at me if I messed anything up or missed anything (including if I forgot to veto anyone who had Earth Power or U-turn on Ninetales because I don’t think that should be allowed for any of them)
Okay, so subs will close tomorrow night and I will spend the next few hours catching up on what I missed in the Discord! XP
Thank you guys for your cooperation and patience, and again, I’m really sorry I was absent for so long - it was not at all planned or wanted and I’m kinda just relieved to be back now;;
Mega-Delphox @ Delphoxite
Type: Fire-Grass
Ability: Intertwining Branch- This Pokemon sets up Grassy Terrain on entry and has the Ingrained effect.
Stats:
HP: 75
Attack: 89 (+20)
Defense: 82 (+10)
Special Attack: 149 (+35)
Special Defense: 135 (+35)
Speed: 104
New Moves: (Moves in italics are not viable)
Energy Ball, *Branch Poke*, Morning Sun, U-Turn
*Okay, it has a branch and it can poke things with it. No other reason I put it on there. *
Pokedex Entry: Through the power of Mega Evolution, Delphox's branch came back to life and granted Mega-Delphox its power. Now, Mega-Delphox roams the woods and meadows, taking care of the plants and trees in gratitude.
Overview: The high special bulk and high special attack allow Delphox to be able to set up a couple of Calm Minds and deal quite a lot of damage. It also has decent physical attack, so it can use moves like Low Kick for more coverage. It can also use a more bulky set, taking advantage of its ability to regenerate health, use Morning Sun to heal half of its HP, and the very high special bulk. It still has low enough HP and low defense, though, so it needs to watch out for physical attacks.
Type: Fire-Grass
Ability: Intertwining Branch- This Pokemon sets up Grassy Terrain on entry and has the Ingrained effect.
Stats:
HP: 75
Attack: 89 (+20)
Defense: 82 (+10)
Special Attack: 149 (+35)
Special Defense: 135 (+35)
Speed: 104
New Moves: (Moves in italics are not viable)
Energy Ball, *Branch Poke*, Morning Sun, U-Turn
*Okay, it has a branch and it can poke things with it. No other reason I put it on there. *
Pokedex Entry: Through the power of Mega Evolution, Delphox's branch came back to life and granted Mega-Delphox its power. Now, Mega-Delphox roams the woods and meadows, taking care of the plants and trees in gratitude.
Overview: The high special bulk and high special attack allow Delphox to be able to set up a couple of Calm Minds and deal quite a lot of damage. It also has decent physical attack, so it can use moves like Low Kick for more coverage. It can also use a more bulky set, taking advantage of its ability to regenerate health, use Morning Sun to heal half of its HP, and the very high special bulk. It still has low enough HP and low defense, though, so it needs to watch out for physical attacks.
First and foremost, it's good to see you safely back, Hematite.
Well, it's good to know that this one at least is okay and that you like it. No changes to it as such.
These changes are all fair to ask and easy to comply with even though, much like the subpar Exploud-Mega idea I had, I would rather this not win anyway. I just had to get out of my head and tried to focus on at least making it not be utterly broken. That said, I figured the Speed would understandably be commented on, especially since it gets both Nasty Plot and Swords Dance. Good to know about Ice Fang on Feraligatr-Mega:
New Stats for My Zoroark-Mega:
60 HP / 140 Atk / 60 Def / 140 SpA / 60 SpD / 150 Spe
becomes
60 HP / 140 Atk / 70 Def / 140 SpA / 80 SpD / 120 Spe
Movepool Subtractions: loses/doesn't gain Ice Punch
(I'm admittedly tempted to give it Will-O-Wisp, which I am a bit surprised it doesn't already get, even if not a Ghost type, given the illusion similarities in folktales. This "atk gud" dumb version doesn't need it though even if it is part Ghost.)
Meanwhile, this was far more difficult to redo even though I understand why Blessed Snow was rejected. Thanks for the thorough explanation there.
The chief problem, even ignoring my visceral hatred of Aurora Veil, is that it's rather difficult to give Ninetales-Alola an ability that isn't implicitly buffed by its access to both Aurora Veil and Nasty Plot and automatic setting of Hail. This is compounded by the fact that Ninetales-Alola is actually usable as it is even in OU, even if it's mostly just as a debased Aurora Veil bot. So letting Ninetales-Alola-Mega just keep any form of "normal" Hail that's compatible with screens just seems like it ends up either obviating normal Ninetales-Alola or making the would-be mega form redundant.
Still, I think the replacement ability I thought of after a couple of minutes is fair while keeping the "die, Aurora Veil, die" focus that I ultimately wanted. The replacement ability should even actually be clear about what it does, pun intended:
Replacement Ability for My Ninetales-Alola-Mega: Blessed Snow is replaced by Mountain Air, "When this pokémon is on the battlefield, all effects of screens and weather are negated."
Movepool Addition: now gains Defog (in addition to the two other moves)
Replacement Description: "Mega Evolution has given Ninetales an air of arrogant, condescending benevolence. That the clouds in the sky part and even the most ferocious of storms cease in its presence only bolster its pride."
I figured I would at least try something before throwing in the towel on it despite the aforementioned challenges. An ability that is essentially just Air Lock + pseudo-Screen Cleaner seems fine even if the screens unfortunately stay up if Ninetales-Alola-Mega switches out. It also seems *far* easier to code, especially when Air Lock already comes up with an announcement message.
Of course let me know if any of those changes are still too much, and I will do my best to change them before the 24 hour extension is over.
(Also, in the unlikely case I win any of these, name their mega stones whatever you want.)
All of your feedback has been implemented in my submission for this slate, with the changes there being described and explained below this line.
oh my heck I love your Delphox
The main issue is that this behaves sometimes like hail but with multiple exceptions (Blizzard and Aurora Veil) and has completely unrelated interactions with screens, a status condition and moves of three types that don't inherently have anything to do with one another. It feels like the idea of being a field effect is mostly just an excuse to give this a lot of different Abilities (I see at least Screen Cleaner, Immunity, Heatproof for Poison and pseudo-Adaptability) rather than the effects actually belonging together.
On the whole, it's sort of excessive and also sort of player-unfriendly, since it's a bit chaotic and not intuitive to learn or extrapolate one effect from another; I don't think I could allow this in its current state, I'm afraid. :x
One other change I would at least strongly encourage you to consider: the 150 Speed scares me a quite a lot in conjunction with Nasty Plot + STAB Shadow Ball + coverage Focus Blast - it's hard to judge exactly what range of Speed would be okay for this my instinct would be only a tiny bit higher than Zoroark already has, to be honest, but I don't want to hurt every set that much just because of Nasty Plot and I understand if you're not comfortable with that, but could I request that you remove anywhere from 20 to 35 points of Speed (and probably distribute them however you like between its defenses)?
Those two points aside, I think I'm okay with this on the whole! Hopefully both of those are relatively minor fixes and not terribly inconvenient;;
Well, it's good to know that this one at least is okay and that you like it. No changes to it as such. These changes are all fair to ask and easy to comply with even though, much like the subpar Exploud-Mega idea I had, I would rather this not win anyway. I just had to get out of my head and tried to focus on at least making it not be utterly broken. That said, I figured the Speed would understandably be commented on, especially since it gets both Nasty Plot and Swords Dance. Good to know about Ice Fang on Feraligatr-Mega:New Stats for My Zoroark-Mega:
60 HP / 140 Atk / 60 Def / 140 SpA / 60 SpD / 150 Spe
becomes
60 HP / 140 Atk / 70 Def / 140 SpA / 80 SpD / 120 Spe
Movepool Subtractions: loses/doesn't gain Ice Punch
(I'm admittedly tempted to give it Will-O-Wisp, which I am a bit surprised it doesn't already get, even if not a Ghost type, given the illusion similarities in folktales. This "atk gud" dumb version doesn't need it though even if it is part Ghost.)
Meanwhile, this was far more difficult to redo even though I understand why Blessed Snow was rejected. Thanks for the thorough explanation there.The chief problem, even ignoring my visceral hatred of Aurora Veil, is that it's rather difficult to give Ninetales-Alola an ability that isn't implicitly buffed by its access to both Aurora Veil and Nasty Plot and automatic setting of Hail. This is compounded by the fact that Ninetales-Alola is actually usable as it is even in OU, even if it's mostly just as a debased Aurora Veil bot. So letting Ninetales-Alola-Mega just keep any form of "normal" Hail that's compatible with screens just seems like it ends up either obviating normal Ninetales-Alola or making the would-be mega form redundant.
Still, I think the replacement ability I thought of after a couple of minutes is fair while keeping the "die, Aurora Veil, die" focus that I ultimately wanted. The replacement ability should even actually be clear about what it does, pun intended:
Replacement Ability for My Ninetales-Alola-Mega: Blessed Snow is replaced by Mountain Air, "When this pokémon is on the battlefield, all effects of screens and weather are negated."
Movepool Addition: now gains Defog (in addition to the two other moves)
Replacement Description: "Mega Evolution has given Ninetales an air of arrogant, condescending benevolence. That the clouds in the sky part and even the most ferocious of storms cease in its presence only bolster its pride."
I figured I would at least try something before throwing in the towel on it despite the aforementioned challenges. An ability that is essentially just Air Lock + pseudo-Screen Cleaner seems fine even if the screens unfortunately stay up if Ninetales-Alola-Mega switches out. It also seems *far* easier to code, especially when Air Lock already comes up with an announcement message.
Of course let me know if any of those changes are still too much, and I will do my best to change them before the 24 hour extension is over.
(Also, in the unlikely case I win any of these, name their mega stones whatever you want.)
Ninetails
in retrospect, that wasnt a good idea on my part. tbf it was kinda hard not making a hail/ aurora-vail ability but accuracy drops? i messed up
Old ability: SOOTHING MIST (activates fog from gen 4)
NEW ABILITY: SUBZERO RAIN (stays for 5 turns/boosts both ice and water moves my 1.25 instead of 1.5/ halves fire moves)
(feel like the stat spread should stay)
Zoruark
although you didn’t say anything about this i do feel like this could be better
ngl im kinda proud of that ability but NOT giving it the fairy type while calling it a prankster is my bad. Whats also my bad is that even tho i buffed its attk I didn’t give it physical coverage.
Old added moves: dazzling gleam, aura sphere
NEW ADDED MOVES: DAZZLING GLEAM, PLAY ROUGH, FLAME CHARGE.
(Keeping delphox the same)
Ninetales-Alola @ Ninetalesite-A
Type: Ice-Flying
Ability: Chilly Draft - This Pokemon, upon entry/Mega Evolving, summons a chilly draft to clear the weather and terrain
Stats:
HP: 73
Attack: 67
Defense: 105 (+30)
Special Attack: 110 (+29)
Special Defense: 135 (+35)
Speed: 115 (+6)
New Moves: (Moves in italics are not viable)
Tailwind, Defog, Hurricane, Air Slash
Pokedex Entry: When it Mega Evolves, its nine tails turn into clouds and become capable of making great winds. It can summon cold winds that blow away everything in its path.
Overview: This Pokemon acts as a good defensive tank and can set up with Calm Mind or Nasty Plot. Its ability in a terrain and weather filled meta makes it so entire teams can be disrupted. It can get rid of hazards and use Tailwind to benefit the entire team. It has a nice new STAB, too. It is easily worn down due to a lack of reliable recovery and low HP, though.
Type: Ice-Flying
Ability: Chilly Draft - This Pokemon, upon entry/Mega Evolving, summons a chilly draft to clear the weather and terrain
Stats:
HP: 73
Attack: 67
Defense: 105 (+30)
Special Attack: 110 (+29)
Special Defense: 135 (+35)
Speed: 115 (+6)
New Moves: (Moves in italics are not viable)
Tailwind, Defog, Hurricane, Air Slash
Pokedex Entry: When it Mega Evolves, its nine tails turn into clouds and become capable of making great winds. It can summon cold winds that blow away everything in its path.
Overview: This Pokemon acts as a good defensive tank and can set up with Calm Mind or Nasty Plot. Its ability in a terrain and weather filled meta makes it so entire teams can be disrupted. It can get rid of hazards and use Tailwind to benefit the entire team. It has a nice new STAB, too. It is easily worn down due to a lack of reliable recovery and low HP, though.
Hello again, everyone!!
It's... finally time for submissions to close and voting to begin! really sorry it took like a month holy heck
I really appreciate that so many of you took the feedback I gave into account! Many of the submissions that I addressed last night were improved, and I'm happy to be able to include them in the compilation now! C:
A couple of subs that were deemed problematic or broke rules are still being excluded, though, so I'll tag the people in question just in case they still want to make changes!
As is the usual policy, it's not too late to update your sub if you just didn't have time in the last 24 hours! If you need to make any changes to a disqualified sub before the voting phase closes, just let me know by DM or in the Discord, and I'll add it back right away if it's fixed! As long as there are still people voting, you have time to win their votes, haha.
With that said, subs from the following people are currently excluded:
AWater22, MrFish777, Big Water Lover, StealthGhost (just your Delphox!), harmony96369 (just your Ninetales!), bekama (Zoroark and Delphox!), MysticMind (just your Ninetales!), CrLmao, greyllama8 (just your Delphox!), thursmus, ChoiceScarfed (just your Delphox!), Woba Fett, FierceHawk192 (Ninetales and Delphox!), The Main Mon (Ninetales and Delphox!) and RaimundoBita.
In addition, stinky potato attempted to amend their Ninetales, but the new one would also have to be excluded - there's a thorough explanation of what we expect of a field effect in the last announcement post (it's the spoiler at the very bottom of the first message!) if you're interested in reading it, but I'm afraid yours definitely seems extraneous and doesn't qualify;;
If any of you still want to make changes and get them in, now would be the time!
Every other submission (I think) is included! Thank you guys so much for your cooperation and your fantastic ideas! C:
Before we start the current slate's voting process, I also have one more update to introduce alongside it:
This is a very small one compared to the large batches that have become the norm lately - there are multiple other changes that are being discussed (including
), but either the details aren't ironed out completely or not everyone in the council has had time to weigh in, so they're not ready to be polled this very minute! You can expect a followup poll pretty soon with, hopefully, all four of those. C:
Just for now, I think it's best to focus on this one that we've been sitting on for some time - since before my absence - that does have full council approval and that the submitter was fine with changing. Also it suits the theme of this slate perfectly so now obviously is the best time
As usual, we will require at least a 60% supermajority in the poll to go through with the change! That said, it's been discussed at length in the Discord and approved by the competitive council, and we have the consent of the original submitter, MegaFlareon, to make these revisions as well. This is just to check the public opinion before we go through with it!
For those interested, the affected Mega Evolution is Thievul! the secret fourth fox of the three-fox slate
Mega Thievul is one of our oldest Mega Evolutions, but it's never really found success in the metagame; although Dark Aura gives its STAB moves an impressive damage output for a Nasty Plot sweeper, it struggles to complement its STABs with coverage and can be stopped in its tracks by something that doesn't mind Dark-type moves.
The benefits of Dark Aura are relatively minimal for a special attacking sweeper. The primary draw of the Ability is to make Dark-type moves more spammable and make coverage less necessary, which allows a Pokémon to take advantage of the wide range of effects Dark-type moves have to offer and justify running more than one of them, or at least to run just one Dark-type attack and have moveslots free to run moves of value other than coverage. However, Mega Thievul only really has one Dark move worth using - the best Dark utility moves (the ones enabled the most by Dark Aura, as seen on Pokémon like Yveltal and Mega Meowstic-M) are mostly physical attacks, and Thievul's own best STAB does nothing but raw damage anyway.
In turn, Dark Aura diminishes the value of any one coverage move, especially on a Pokémon with only Dark for a STAB. For example, even the addition of coverage like Aura Sphere only really helps against opposing Dark-types - a neutral Aura Sphere from Thievul still only does exactly as much as a resisted Dark Pulse, so only Pokémon that are both resistant to Dark and specifically weak to Fighting have any reason to worry about its coverage at all. Since Thievul's breaking power relies so heavily on its Ability rather than its moves or its stats, the gap between its STAB and its next-strongest move is too wide for coverage to be worthwhile; this can be beneficial to free space on a utility Pokémon, but a would-be setup sweeper like Mega Thievul is simply left with no way to cover its weaknesses.
After some consideration, it was decided that the best way to bring Thievul out of its predicament would be to follow the spirit of Dark Aura rather than sticking with the same effect exactly. The goal was to promote the same moves that Dark Aura is meant to support - moves like Knock Off and Sucker Punch that Thievul itself can't use but more effective Dark Aura users can - and compress coverage so that, as is the effect of Dark Aura, Thievul is not forced to rely on many moves of different types, but in a way that isn't detrimental to its success as a special sweeper or breaker.
Accordingly, we first decided on a new custom Ability, Sleight of Hand, which turns Mega Thievul's contact moves into special, non-contact moves. The first goal of this Ability is to give Thievul access to its valuable Dark-type tools like Knock Off and Sucker Punch without turning it into a physical attacker; by extension, this also gives it an edge over (and a distinguishing factor from) the existing Mega Meowstic-M by allowing it to pair these moves with Nasty Plot. In exchange for losing the immediate breaking power granted by Dark Aura, Mega Thievul can use setup to boost its spammable Dark moves where Meowstic-M cannot.
(This is also a super flavorful effect on Thievul! A lot of its design - notably its gloved paws and its broom-shaped tail - is meant to convey that it's a Pokémon that covers its tracks and avoids leaving traces, so it's fitting that it should excel at moves that normally make contact but escape the consequences otherwise associated with contact; in addition, the Ability also lets it pair contact moves with the flavorfully-appropriate Nasty Plot, directly tying its use of these kinds of moves to its scheming and cleverness instead of physical force.
I'm not normally a fan of just swapping damage categories liberally, but in this case, it really is the most direct way to support a specific and necessary role - and at least personally, I find this super satisfying as a connection to Thievul's design! - so I'm totally on board with this and I'm happy that the rest of the competitive council was as well.)
Expanding on this, it was also decided to give Thievul access to a few new moves to take full advantage of the effect.
First, Spirit Break is a fitting but not overwhelming Fairy-type move; Fairy is the type that complements Dark best offensively and that would give it the most efficient two-move coverage, and since Thievul no longer has Dark Aura, the low power of Spirit Break is more similar to its own Dark-type STABs and isn't as much of an issue. It's also more angled towards utility than raw offense, suiting Thievul's tricky nature and the ideas that its Ability are meant to convey while also pairing well with the specific Dark-type moves we're allowing it to run. It was also suggested that, in order to support the reliable Special Attack drops from Spirit Break, it would be wise to move 10 points from its Defense to its Special Defense to tank special hits more effectively.
Second, Moonlight is a move that pairs well with pretty much all of Thievul's other options, giving it the longevity to exploit its Dark-type utility options in the long term, to set up Nasty Plot more safely and to feel safe shutting down opposing special attackers with Spirit Break.
The changes brought about by this new Ability and these new moves all lend themselves to a good deal of flexibility for the revised Mega Thievul, but they're still rooted in the playing style the original sub's choice of Dark Aura is meant to promote and still have the potential to be used well with Nasty Plot like the original sub, and the premise is also closely connected to Thievul's flavor and design, so... hopefully, this is a direction that works better for it and can help to save it from its current obscurity!
As usual, this poll will last just as long as the voting period for slate 28, and the results will be announced at the same time! We'd love to have everyone's input on this, so please vote to let us know how you feel about them! C:
that would normally be at the end, but the character limit is not cooperating, so things had to be moved around OTL
Now that that's been covered, here's the list of legal submissions for your voting convenience:
(they have to be split across three posts as usual because there were quite a lot of them)
Mega Alolan Ninetales
Mega Alolan Ninetales
New Ability: Snow Cloak / Snow Warning -> Crystal Protection - When this Pokemon is under hail, this Pokémon's Defense stat is x1.5.
Typing: View attachment 310223 View attachment 310224
New Stats:
HP: 73 -> 73
Attack: 67 -> 67
Defense: 75 -> 97 (+22)
Special Attack: 81 -> 113 (+27)
Special Defense: 100 -> 130 (+30)
Speed: 109 -> 130 (+21)
(505 BST) -> (605 BST)
New Moves: Future Sight, Moonlight, Teleport
Description: Before I explain anything, don't think the Ability is broken. It still dies to any Steel Type move over 80 Base Power. The reason I have made Ninetales more bulky because it really didn't do it's job as a staller well, just a lead. I wanted it to utilize it's bulk, and since it's Defense is doubled under hail, and it's going to have Snow Warning, that's why. I also made it a pivot with FuturePort to further increase it's longevity, and the same with recovery by Moonlight. It'd be a pretty nice wall in the meta, in my opinion.
Mega Ninetales-Alola
Type: Ice/Fire
Ability: Frostburn (All Ice-type moves used by this Pokémon have an additional 10% chance of burning, and all Fire-type moves used by this Pokémon have an additional 10% chance of freezing)
Stats:
Mega Evolution awoke latent genes inside Alolan Ninetales's body, causing it to regain the Fire typing. It combines its icy and firey powers to shoot beams of hot ice and cold fire.
Remember when Pokémon GO -> Pokémon HOME transfer was first rolled out, and there was that glitch that gave regional variant Pokémon the moves of their original form, which meant that you could get an Alolan Vulpix/Ninetales with Fire moves? Well, I looked at that, and I thought "Hey. This could be a pretty neat Mega concept!"
Anyways, the main goal of Mega Alolan Ninetales is to hit hard and spread statuses. Its new ability, Frostburn, helps accomplish this. I do understand that having added freeze chances could be problematic, so please tell me if that is the case.
Mega Ninetales-Alola
New Ability: Entropy [The user's Ice-type moves ignore Fire type's resistance]
Type: Ice/Fairy
New stats:
HP: 73
Attack: 67
Defense: 75 -> 95 (+20)
Special Attack: 81 -> 131 (+50)
Special Defense: 100 -> 100
Speed: 109 -> 139 (+30)
(BST)
New moves: Mystical Fire, Will-o-Wisp
Description: Okay so let's first explore the lore here.
Alolan Ninetales seems to draw on the Hawaiian god Poli'ahu, one of the gods of snow, who are the mortal foes of Pele, the creator of Hawaii and goddess of fire and volcanos. In the mythology, Poli'ahu met a noble and they formed a relationship. However, this noble was already betrothed to a princess, and Poli'ahu was mad, so she cursed the princess. The princess was frozen to the bone, then heated her up again. In another myth, the goddess was at war with Pele, and Poli-ahu froze some magma to confine Pele to certain parts of the island. Poli-ahu is said to live on dormant volcanos.
Drawing on this lore, I gave Alolatales some of its old fire powers. Mystical Fire is primarily for steels, and has solid coverage with Freeze-Dry. While it's a weaker Fire-type move, it fits more with the mystical lore. The same thing can be set for Will-o-Wisp, and both are usually given to 'spirit-like' Pokemon. There are some thing that will still wall it, predominantly Heatran, but it's potent offensive coverage, especially with Nasty Plot, give it a strong presence. Ice/Fire/Fairy is incredible coverage.
Also, as discussed in the Discord, the ability also makes a reference to Gen 1 when Fire didn't resist Ice, which, funnily enough, is where the normal Ninetales form is from.
Mega Alolan Ninetales
New Ability: Fluffy
Type: Ice/Fairy
New stats:
HP: 73 -> 73
Attack: 67 -> 77 (+10)
Defense: 75 -> 95 (+20)
Special Attack: 81 -> 131 (+50)
Special Defense: 100 -> 120 (+20)
Speed: 109 -> 109
BST: 505 -> 605
New moves: None
Description: Mega Alolan Ninetales' stat boosts allow it to become a devastating Nasty Plot sweeper. Ninetales already has a great Special Defense stat and Fluffy can increase its overall bulk even further to allow it to set up Nasty Plot consistently. It can even set up Aurora Veil before Mega Evolving to make it even bulkier, though that comes at the cost of a coverage move slot. Fluffy however gives it a double weakness to Fire, giving Mega Alolan Ninetales a total of two double weaknesses. Its offensive movepool is walled by certain Pokémon such as Heatran, Blissey, and Mega Registeel so it wouldn't be too overpowering.
A. Ninetales-Mega
Ice/Fairy
Snow Cloak/Snow Warning-> Compound Eyes
Stats
HP: 73
Atk: 67-> 107 (+40)
Def: 75
SpA: 81-> 111 (+30)
SpD: 100-> 115 (+15)
Spe: 109-> 124 (+15)
New Moves: +Play Rough
Description: With Alolatales, I specifically wanted to move the Mega away from Aurora Veil for balance reasons, and what better way to build something different than by giving it a role that isn't really being filled right now: a fast sleep user with Hypnosis (now usable thanks to 78% accuracy), which I feel fits well what with Ninetales' "all-knowing" schtick. Now you may initially wonder if I've gone insane (Nonsense! I was crazy well before I started submitting here), but I believe that this sub will actually be balanced as due to several factors: limited moveslots after Hypnosis and NP, only okay attacking stats pre-boost, Rocks weakness, meh physical bulk and nothing to hit Steel types outside of HP. On the other hand, sleep is a powerful tool, Freeze-Dry is has pretty great coverage (even if its not the strongest move) and it can even try some physical/mixed cheese thanks to 3-hit guaranteed Axel off a not garbage Attack. Alolatales is a very high risk, high reward Mega- you can handle it with good teambuilding, but under the right circumstances it can be scary.
New Ability: Purple Veil (This Pokémon gets warned, when the opponent has a poison move. If that's the case the users screen moves became a "Purple Veil" instead. When the opponent doesn't have a poison move, the screen moves become unchanged)
Type:
New Stats:
HP: 73 => 73 (+0)
Atk: 67 => 77 (+10)
Def: 75 => 85 (+10)
SpA: 81 => 121 (+40)
SpD: 100 => 120 (+20)
Spe: 109 => 129 (+20)
BST: 505 => 605
New moves:
Description: "We hide behind the Purple Veil."
"Purple Veil" might seem like a situational ability and it is, but a lot of the good and useful Megas are Nidoqeen, Garbodor, Toxtricity and Dragalge with regular poisons like Nidoking, Slowking-G and Toxapex. If those running around, it would be nice to have somekind of protection against them. Ninetales outruns all of them and can set up Purple Veil in front of them without fearing much. In a match-up where you don't need the Veil, you can stay as regular Alolan Ninetales and you can set-up Aurora Veils. The only problem is that you don't have light clay and you miss a different Mega.
ice/fairy
stats
hp- 73
atk- 67(+2)>69
def- 75(+20)>95
spa- 81(+40)>121
spd- 100(+25)>125
spe- 109(+13)>122
ability: Borealis Aura- after using an ice type move mega alolan ninetales attempts to use aurora veil
new moves: psychic, shadow ball
Ninetales-Alola-Mega
Type: Ice/Fairy
Ability: Absolute Zero - Generate ice crystals at the beginning of each turn. The effects of ice crystals depend on whether Ninetales-Alola moves before or after the opposing pokemon.
"It can produce ice crystals from its fur, which it can use for both offense and defense. The ice crystals can act as a shield or form balls that can be fired like bullets with enough force to shatter rock."
New Stats
HP: 73 (Unchanged)
Atk: 83 (+16)
Def: 90 (+15)
SpA: 125 ((+44)
SpD: 115 (+15)
Spe: 119 (+10)
New Moves: Nuzzle.
"Upon Mega Evolution, Alolan Ninetales proficiency with ice has increased to the point where it's capable of freezing the very air itself. In battle, it freezes the air in front of it to protect itself, as well as its friends. When attacking, it freezes the air around the opponents, preventing them from blocking or dodging."
Mega Icetales (as I call it) has the potential to be very versatile and somewhat unpredictable with it's new ability. Faster builds gain a power boost as long as it attacks first. (50 bp Ice Shard anyone?) You can also run less speed for bulky builds to make better use of the damage reduction effect. You can even minimum speed (218) if you really want to use it on more defensive teams. It also is great against Trick Room teams because of the damage reduction when it's up, and the power boost when it's down.
I mostly added Nuzzle because I originally planned to make Icetales Electric/Fairy, but when I thought of this, I decided to keep it. The thought of Alolan Ninetales nuzzling lost travelers to comfort them is cute, and it fits because Icetales has a gentle temperament. I am willing to remove it if it seems too strong in conjunction with its ability.
Types:
Frozen Form:Ice/Dark
Thawed Form:Fairy
Ability:Frozen Spirit:If this Pokemon is hit by a Fire, Steel, and Fighting attack, its form changes to Thawed Form. (Base: Frozen Form)
Frozen Form:Ice-type attacks have 1.25× power.
Thawed Form:Fairy-type attacks have 1.5× power.
New Moves:Spirit Break
Stats:
Mega Alolan Ninetales
New Ability: Magic Guard
Type: Ice/Fairy
New stats:
HP: 73
Attack: 87 (+20)
Defense: 110 (+35)
Special Attack: 101 (+20)
Special Defense: 125 (+25)
Speed: 109
(605 BST)
New moves: Shadow Ball, Surf, Haze
Description: WIP
Ninetales-Alola-Mega
Type:
/
New Ability: Mountain Air - When this pokémon is on the battlefield, all effects of screens and weather are negated.
NEW STATS:
HP: 73 => 73 (+00)
Atk: 67 => 67 (+00)
Def: 75 => 100 (+25)
SpA: 81 => 120 (+39)
SpD: 100 => 110 (+10)
Spe: 109 => 135 (+26)
(BST: 505 => 605)
Movepool Additions: Defog, Magic Coat, Power Gem [EDIT: Due to now having Mountain Air instead of the ineligible Blessed Snow, this now also gains Defog.]
Description:"Convinced of its own divinity by the energy of Mega Evolution, it maintains an air of benevolence until challenged. Then it freezes its enemies with glowing, pink snow." "Mega Evolution has given Ninetales an air of arrogant, condescending benevolence. That the clouds in the sky part and even the most ferocious of storms cease in its presence only bolster its pride."
Mega Ninetales-A
New Ability: Snow Cloak / Snow Warning -> Misty Surge
Type: Ice, Fairy
New stats:
HP: 73
Attack: 67
Defense: 75 -> 120 (+45)
Special Attack: 81 -> 105 (+24)
Special Defense: 100 -> 120 (+20)
Speed: 109 -> 120 (+11)
(605 BST)
New moves: Moonlight
Description: This Ninetales-A is made to abuse nasty plot, one of the best setup moves in the entire game. With higher bulk and misty terrain, it has more opportunities to set up, and its decend speed can be used to outspeed most offensive mons below 120 speed. It can also use the pre-mega hail to have an perfect-accuracy blizzard, and even after the hail wears out, you can use Moonlight to have more longevity. It also has many utility options such as encore, taunt, and disable, and due to its high speed, its able to use them effectively.
Mega Alolan Ninetales - Ice Fairy
1000-Year Grace
'This Pokemon moves with the grace of a being that has lived for hundreds of years and in combat, uses the momentum from enemy attacks to position itself to counterattack'
When this Pokemon is hit by a contact move, the next attack this Pokemon connects is a guaranteed critical hit.
73/67/125 (SpD + 25)/
125 (+44)/95 (Def + 20)/120 (+11)
New Moves: Scald
Mega Alolan Ninetales
New Ability:
Spirit Guide (upon replacing a fainted ally it gains its ability)
Type:
Ghost
Fairy
New stats:
HP:73
Attack:67
Defense:84(+19)
Special Attack:141(+60)
Special Defense:100
Speed:130(+21)
BST:605(+100)
New moves: Spirit Shackle heart swap
Mega Alolan Ninetales
New Ability: Devious (Swaps the user's Attack and Sp. Atk stats when using a Physical attack; swaps them back if using a Special Attack afterwards - does not swap stat boosts.)
Type: Ice/Fairy
New stats:
HP: 73
Attack: 67
Defense: 90 (+15)
Special Attack: 136 (+55)
Special Defense: 110 (+10)
Speed: 129 (+20)
(605)
New moves: Aura Sphere
Description: Wallbreaker and/or cleanup sweeper; brutal attacking options and speed, but also frail and has a bad defensive typing.
Mega Ninetales-Alola
New Ability: Careful Guardian
After this pokemon uses field effecting moves (Screens, Terrain Setting, Room Setting, Weather Setting.) it switches out.
Type:
New stats:
HP: 73
Atk: 67 -> 76 (+9)i know its not as good has having all stats ending in 9 but hey, +9 is close enough right ?
Def: 75 -> 99 (+24)
SpA: 81 -> 109 (+28)
SpD: 100 -> 119 (+19)
Spe: 109 -> 129 (+20)
BST: 505 -> 605
New moves: Magic Room, Psychic Terrain, Lucky Chant, Wish
Description: Gives pivoting properties to manual set up, so while using screens is not as strong as using base with light clay, this ability lets
otherwise weak move options that wouldn't be used like Magic Room or manually setting fields/weather preserve momentum.
While this mega will be mostly used in hyper offense teams with its usual aurora veil set-up and newfound pivoting capabilities
it also shines in improving unused playstyles for those willing to experiment with them.
Time for every animal in a 5 mile radius to start dancing
Mega Alolan Ninetales
New Ability: Fairy Tale Princess - Using sound moves causes the foe(s) Atk and sp Atk to drop by one stage; in a doubles battle, using a sound move will also boost the ally's damage by 1.3x
Type: Ice / Fairy
New stats:
HP: 73
Attack: 77 (+10)
Defense: 111 (+36)
Special Attack: 90 (+9)
Special Defense: 115 (+15)
Speed: 139 (+30)
(605)
New moves: Hyper Voice, Parting Shot, Disarming Voice
Description: An attempt at making Ninetales into Snow White. The best I could think of was making something based on the singing and well, here we are. Ninetales is mostly a support mon for doubles, with being able to boost its ally's moves while simultaneously lowering the foe's stats. It can also use Howl to boost your ally's Attack while at it. In singles, there's less to note adimitedly, but Parting Shot grants a very safe switch for any mon.
Mega Ninetales-Alola
New Ability: Thin Ice (If this pokemon's stats are lowered by an opponent, that opponent becomes weak to Ice.)
Type: Ice/Fairy
New stats: 73/67/105/121/110/129
HP: 73 (+0)
Attack: 67 (+0)
Defense: 75 --> 105 (+30)
Special Attack: 81 --> 121 (+40)
Special Defense: 100 --> 110 (+10)
Speed: 109 --> 129 (+20)
(BST) 505 --> 605
New moves: None
Description:
Mega ninetales-alola
New Ability: freezy air: this pokemon wind-based moves have x2 power, tailwind lasts 6 turns instead of 4
Type: ice/fairy
New stats:
73
67
75 -> 80
81 -> 131
100 -> 125
109 -> 129
New moves: ominous wind, silver wind, fairy wind, razor wind, tailwind
New Ability: Frigid Incarnation (When under half health, this pokemon's attack and defense swap and its special attack and special defense swap, and the power of this pokemon's ice moves is multiplied by 1.2 for the rest of the battle. This only happens once.)
Type:
New stats:
HP: 73
Attack: 67
Defense: 75 -> 90 (+15)
Special Attack: 81 -> 96 (+15)
Special Defense: 100 -> 150 (+50)
Speed: 109 -> 129 (+20)
(BST) 505
New moves: None
Description: A pokemon that starts out as a bulky mon that unleashes its true power in the harshest conditions. ([User]'s Ninetales unleashed its true power!]
Mega Alolan Ninetales
Ability: Snow Warning
Type:
New stats:
HP: 73
Attack: 67 -> 87 (+20)
Defense: 75 -> 85 (+10)
Special Attack: 81 -> 115 (+34)
Special Defense: 100 -> 110 (+10)
Speed: 109 -> 135 (+26)
(BST): 505 -> 605
New moves: Psychic, Shadow Ball
Description: Ninetales's body grows and turns completely pure white. Its tails split into 9, forming a trail behind it. It now has an aggressive stance, like
Ninetales-Alola @ Ninetalesite-A
Ability: Snow Warning
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Nasty Plot
- Blizzard
- Moonblast
- Shadow Ball
[/hide]
Edit: fixed a typo by a submitter's request
Edit: yikes, I put two of the Ninetales in the Zoroark section without noticing! huge thanks to PalpitoadChamp for pointing that out!!
It's... finally time for submissions to close and voting to begin! really sorry it took like a month holy heck
I really appreciate that so many of you took the feedback I gave into account! Many of the submissions that I addressed last night were improved, and I'm happy to be able to include them in the compilation now! C:
A couple of subs that were deemed problematic or broke rules are still being excluded, though, so I'll tag the people in question just in case they still want to make changes!
As is the usual policy, it's not too late to update your sub if you just didn't have time in the last 24 hours! If you need to make any changes to a disqualified sub before the voting phase closes, just let me know by DM or in the Discord, and I'll add it back right away if it's fixed! As long as there are still people voting, you have time to win their votes, haha.
With that said, subs from the following people are currently excluded:
AWater22, MrFish777, Big Water Lover, StealthGhost (just your Delphox!), harmony96369 (just your Ninetales!), bekama (Zoroark and Delphox!), MysticMind (just your Ninetales!), CrLmao, greyllama8 (just your Delphox!), thursmus, ChoiceScarfed (just your Delphox!), Woba Fett, FierceHawk192 (Ninetales and Delphox!), The Main Mon (Ninetales and Delphox!) and RaimundoBita.
In addition, stinky potato attempted to amend their Ninetales, but the new one would also have to be excluded - there's a thorough explanation of what we expect of a field effect in the last announcement post (it's the spoiler at the very bottom of the first message!) if you're interested in reading it, but I'm afraid yours definitely seems extraneous and doesn't qualify;;
If any of you still want to make changes and get them in, now would be the time!
Every other submission (I think) is included! Thank you guys so much for your cooperation and your fantastic ideas! C:
Before we start the current slate's voting process, I also have one more update to introduce alongside it:
Small Balance Change Poll
This is a very small one compared to the large batches that have become the norm lately - there are multiple other changes that are being discussed (including
), but either the details aren't ironed out completely or not everyone in the council has had time to weigh in, so they're not ready to be polled this very minute! You can expect a followup poll pretty soon with, hopefully, all four of those. C:Just for now, I think it's best to focus on this one that we've been sitting on for some time - since before my absence - that does have full council approval and that the submitter was fine with changing. Also it suits the theme of this slate perfectly so now obviously is the best time
As usual, we will require at least a 60% supermajority in the poll to go through with the change! That said, it's been discussed at length in the Discord and approved by the competitive council, and we have the consent of the original submitter, MegaFlareon, to make these revisions as well. This is just to check the public opinion before we go through with it!
For those interested, the affected Mega Evolution is Thievul! the secret fourth fox of the three-fox slate
Mega Thievul is one of our oldest Mega Evolutions, but it's never really found success in the metagame; although Dark Aura gives its STAB moves an impressive damage output for a Nasty Plot sweeper, it struggles to complement its STABs with coverage and can be stopped in its tracks by something that doesn't mind Dark-type moves.The benefits of Dark Aura are relatively minimal for a special attacking sweeper. The primary draw of the Ability is to make Dark-type moves more spammable and make coverage less necessary, which allows a Pokémon to take advantage of the wide range of effects Dark-type moves have to offer and justify running more than one of them, or at least to run just one Dark-type attack and have moveslots free to run moves of value other than coverage. However, Mega Thievul only really has one Dark move worth using - the best Dark utility moves (the ones enabled the most by Dark Aura, as seen on Pokémon like Yveltal and Mega Meowstic-M) are mostly physical attacks, and Thievul's own best STAB does nothing but raw damage anyway.
In turn, Dark Aura diminishes the value of any one coverage move, especially on a Pokémon with only Dark for a STAB. For example, even the addition of coverage like Aura Sphere only really helps against opposing Dark-types - a neutral Aura Sphere from Thievul still only does exactly as much as a resisted Dark Pulse, so only Pokémon that are both resistant to Dark and specifically weak to Fighting have any reason to worry about its coverage at all. Since Thievul's breaking power relies so heavily on its Ability rather than its moves or its stats, the gap between its STAB and its next-strongest move is too wide for coverage to be worthwhile; this can be beneficial to free space on a utility Pokémon, but a would-be setup sweeper like Mega Thievul is simply left with no way to cover its weaknesses.
After some consideration, it was decided that the best way to bring Thievul out of its predicament would be to follow the spirit of Dark Aura rather than sticking with the same effect exactly. The goal was to promote the same moves that Dark Aura is meant to support - moves like Knock Off and Sucker Punch that Thievul itself can't use but more effective Dark Aura users can - and compress coverage so that, as is the effect of Dark Aura, Thievul is not forced to rely on many moves of different types, but in a way that isn't detrimental to its success as a special sweeper or breaker.
Accordingly, we first decided on a new custom Ability, Sleight of Hand, which turns Mega Thievul's contact moves into special, non-contact moves. The first goal of this Ability is to give Thievul access to its valuable Dark-type tools like Knock Off and Sucker Punch without turning it into a physical attacker; by extension, this also gives it an edge over (and a distinguishing factor from) the existing Mega Meowstic-M by allowing it to pair these moves with Nasty Plot. In exchange for losing the immediate breaking power granted by Dark Aura, Mega Thievul can use setup to boost its spammable Dark moves where Meowstic-M cannot.
(This is also a super flavorful effect on Thievul! A lot of its design - notably its gloved paws and its broom-shaped tail - is meant to convey that it's a Pokémon that covers its tracks and avoids leaving traces, so it's fitting that it should excel at moves that normally make contact but escape the consequences otherwise associated with contact; in addition, the Ability also lets it pair contact moves with the flavorfully-appropriate Nasty Plot, directly tying its use of these kinds of moves to its scheming and cleverness instead of physical force.
I'm not normally a fan of just swapping damage categories liberally, but in this case, it really is the most direct way to support a specific and necessary role - and at least personally, I find this super satisfying as a connection to Thievul's design! - so I'm totally on board with this and I'm happy that the rest of the competitive council was as well.)
Expanding on this, it was also decided to give Thievul access to a few new moves to take full advantage of the effect.
First, Spirit Break is a fitting but not overwhelming Fairy-type move; Fairy is the type that complements Dark best offensively and that would give it the most efficient two-move coverage, and since Thievul no longer has Dark Aura, the low power of Spirit Break is more similar to its own Dark-type STABs and isn't as much of an issue. It's also more angled towards utility than raw offense, suiting Thievul's tricky nature and the ideas that its Ability are meant to convey while also pairing well with the specific Dark-type moves we're allowing it to run. It was also suggested that, in order to support the reliable Special Attack drops from Spirit Break, it would be wise to move 10 points from its Defense to its Special Defense to tank special hits more effectively.
Second, Moonlight is a move that pairs well with pretty much all of Thievul's other options, giving it the longevity to exploit its Dark-type utility options in the long term, to set up Nasty Plot more safely and to feel safe shutting down opposing special attackers with Spirit Break.
The changes brought about by this new Ability and these new moves all lend themselves to a good deal of flexibility for the revised Mega Thievul, but they're still rooted in the playing style the original sub's choice of Dark Aura is meant to promote and still have the potential to be used well with Nasty Plot like the original sub, and the premise is also closely connected to Thievul's flavor and design, so... hopefully, this is a direction that works better for it and can help to save it from its current obscurity!
As usual, this poll will last just as long as the voting period for slate 28, and the results will be announced at the same time! We'd love to have everyone's input on this, so please vote to let us know how you feel about them! C:
that would normally be at the end, but the character limit is not cooperating, so things had to be moved around OTL
Slate 28 Voting
Now that that's been covered, here's the list of legal submissions for your voting convenience:
(they have to be split across three posts as usual because there were quite a lot of them)
Mega Alolan Ninetales
Mega Alolan NinetalesNew Ability: Snow Cloak / Snow Warning -> Crystal Protection - When this Pokemon is under hail, this Pokémon's Defense stat is x1.5.
Typing: View attachment 310223 View attachment 310224
New Stats:
HP: 73 -> 73
Attack: 67 -> 67
Defense: 75 -> 97 (+22)
Special Attack: 81 -> 113 (+27)
Special Defense: 100 -> 130 (+30)
Speed: 109 -> 130 (+21)
(505 BST) -> (605 BST)
New Moves: Future Sight, Moonlight, Teleport
Description: Before I explain anything, don't think the Ability is broken. It still dies to any Steel Type move over 80 Base Power. The reason I have made Ninetales more bulky because it really didn't do it's job as a staller well, just a lead. I wanted it to utilize it's bulk, and since it's Defense is doubled under hail, and it's going to have Snow Warning, that's why. I also made it a pivot with FuturePort to further increase it's longevity, and the same with recovery by Moonlight. It'd be a pretty nice wall in the meta, in my opinion.
Mega Alolan Ninetales
Ability - Snow Cloak; Snow Warning ➝ Revontulet (Upon switch in, Mega evolving, or gaining this ability, the user attempts to use the move "Aurora Veil")
HP - 73 ➝ 73
Atk - 67 ➝ 77 (+10)
Def - 75 ➝ 105 (+30)
SpA - 81 ➝ 91 (+10)
SpD - 100 ➝ 133 (+33)
Spe - 109 ➝ 126 (+17)
BST - 505➝ 605 (+100)
Movepoll Changes - n/a
Competitive Corner - Auto Aurora Veil is scary, especially on a Pokémon with Nasty Plot, however, this is a bit of a Mega Sharpedo situation, as, without another teammate with Hail support, Mega Ninetales only has a span of 5 turns after it Mega evolves to get its Aurora Veil going, you may want to preserve it from Mega evolving throughout the game, and only do so when its checks are sufficiently chipped, but Alolan Ninetales will be a bit of dead weight if you choose to do so. So this is a high risk, high reward Mega evolution!
Flavor Corner - Alolan Ninetales is inspired, among other things, on the Finnish Tulikettu, a fox with radiant fur, which produces the northern lights. Hence, using Aurora Veil upon switch in, or Mega evolution, felt like the apt choice to match the flavor! The name of the ability, "Revontulet", is also of Finnish origin, meaning "fox's fires": revon (“fox's”) + tulet (“fires”), and its the name the Finnish use for the northern lights to this day!
Ability - Snow Cloak; Snow Warning ➝ Revontulet (Upon switch in, Mega evolving, or gaining this ability, the user attempts to use the move "Aurora Veil")
HP - 73 ➝ 73
Atk - 67 ➝ 77 (+10)
Def - 75 ➝ 105 (+30)
SpA - 81 ➝ 91 (+10)
SpD - 100 ➝ 133 (+33)
Spe - 109 ➝ 126 (+17)
BST - 505➝ 605 (+100)
Movepoll Changes - n/a
Competitive Corner - Auto Aurora Veil is scary, especially on a Pokémon with Nasty Plot, however, this is a bit of a Mega Sharpedo situation, as, without another teammate with Hail support, Mega Ninetales only has a span of 5 turns after it Mega evolves to get its Aurora Veil going, you may want to preserve it from Mega evolving throughout the game, and only do so when its checks are sufficiently chipped, but Alolan Ninetales will be a bit of dead weight if you choose to do so. So this is a high risk, high reward Mega evolution!
Flavor Corner - Alolan Ninetales is inspired, among other things, on the Finnish Tulikettu, a fox with radiant fur, which produces the northern lights. Hence, using Aurora Veil upon switch in, or Mega evolution, felt like the apt choice to match the flavor! The name of the ability, "Revontulet", is also of Finnish origin, meaning "fox's fires": revon (“fox's”) + tulet (“fires”), and its the name the Finnish use for the northern lights to this day!
Mega Ninetales-Alola
Type: Ice/Fire
Ability: Frostburn (All Ice-type moves used by this Pokémon have an additional 10% chance of burning, and all Fire-type moves used by this Pokémon have an additional 10% chance of freezing)
Stats:
- HP: 73 (+0)
- Attack: 91 (+15)
- Defense: 75 (+0)
- Special Attack: 131 (+50)
- Special Defense: 120 (+20)
- Speed: 124 (+15)
Mega Evolution awoke latent genes inside Alolan Ninetales's body, causing it to regain the Fire typing. It combines its icy and firey powers to shoot beams of hot ice and cold fire.
Remember when Pokémon GO -> Pokémon HOME transfer was first rolled out, and there was that glitch that gave regional variant Pokémon the moves of their original form, which meant that you could get an Alolan Vulpix/Ninetales with Fire moves? Well, I looked at that, and I thought "Hey. This could be a pretty neat Mega concept!"
Anyways, the main goal of Mega Alolan Ninetales is to hit hard and spread statuses. Its new ability, Frostburn, helps accomplish this. I do understand that having added freeze chances could be problematic, so please tell me if that is the case.
Mega Ninetales-AlolaNew Ability: Entropy [The user's Ice-type moves ignore Fire type's resistance]
Type: Ice/Fairy
New stats:
HP: 73
Attack: 67
Defense: 75 -> 95 (+20)
Special Attack: 81 -> 131 (+50)
Special Defense: 100 -> 100
Speed: 109 -> 139 (+30)
(BST)
New moves: Mystical Fire, Will-o-Wisp
Description: Okay so let's first explore the lore here.
Alolan Ninetales seems to draw on the Hawaiian god Poli'ahu, one of the gods of snow, who are the mortal foes of Pele, the creator of Hawaii and goddess of fire and volcanos. In the mythology, Poli'ahu met a noble and they formed a relationship. However, this noble was already betrothed to a princess, and Poli'ahu was mad, so she cursed the princess. The princess was frozen to the bone, then heated her up again. In another myth, the goddess was at war with Pele, and Poli-ahu froze some magma to confine Pele to certain parts of the island. Poli-ahu is said to live on dormant volcanos.
Drawing on this lore, I gave Alolatales some of its old fire powers. Mystical Fire is primarily for steels, and has solid coverage with Freeze-Dry. While it's a weaker Fire-type move, it fits more with the mystical lore. The same thing can be set for Will-o-Wisp, and both are usually given to 'spirit-like' Pokemon. There are some thing that will still wall it, predominantly Heatran, but it's potent offensive coverage, especially with Nasty Plot, give it a strong presence. Ice/Fire/Fairy is incredible coverage.
Also, as discussed in the Discord, the ability also makes a reference to Gen 1 when Fire didn't resist Ice, which, funnily enough, is where the normal Ninetales form is from.
Mega Alolan NinetalesNew Ability: Fluffy
Type: Ice/Fairy
New stats:
HP: 73 -> 73
Attack: 67 -> 77 (+10)
Defense: 75 -> 95 (+20)
Special Attack: 81 -> 131 (+50)
Special Defense: 100 -> 120 (+20)
Speed: 109 -> 109
BST: 505 -> 605
New moves: None
Description: Mega Alolan Ninetales' stat boosts allow it to become a devastating Nasty Plot sweeper. Ninetales already has a great Special Defense stat and Fluffy can increase its overall bulk even further to allow it to set up Nasty Plot consistently. It can even set up Aurora Veil before Mega Evolving to make it even bulkier, though that comes at the cost of a coverage move slot. Fluffy however gives it a double weakness to Fire, giving Mega Alolan Ninetales a total of two double weaknesses. Its offensive movepool is walled by certain Pokémon such as Heatran, Blissey, and Mega Registeel so it wouldn't be too overpowering.
Mega Ninetales(Alola) - Ice/Fairy
Ability: Compact: When Hail is active, this Pokemon’s defense and speed stat switch
New Stats:
HP: 73
Attack: 67 > 87 (+20)
Defense: 75 > 55 (-20)
Spatk: 81 > 120 (+39)
Spdef: 100 > 130 (+30)
Speed: 109 > 140 (+31)
BST: 505 > 605
New Moves: Recover, Shadow Ball
Back rather quickly with Alolan Ninetales! I designed it around using it's increased bulk from hail to set up Veil and Nasty Plots, then once the hail runs out, go all out offensive with boosted Moonblasts and Ice Beams
Ability: Compact: When Hail is active, this Pokemon’s defense and speed stat switch
New Stats:
HP: 73
Attack: 67 > 87 (+20)
Defense: 75 > 55 (-20)
Spatk: 81 > 120 (+39)
Spdef: 100 > 130 (+30)
Speed: 109 > 140 (+31)
BST: 505 > 605
New Moves: Recover, Shadow Ball
Back rather quickly with Alolan Ninetales! I designed it around using it's increased bulk from hail to set up Veil and Nasty Plots, then once the hail runs out, go all out offensive with boosted Moonblasts and Ice Beams
A. Ninetales-Mega
Ice/Fairy
Snow Cloak/Snow Warning-> Compound Eyes
Stats
HP: 73
Atk: 67-> 107 (+40)
Def: 75
SpA: 81-> 111 (+30)
SpD: 100-> 115 (+15)
Spe: 109-> 124 (+15)
New Moves: +Play Rough
Description: With Alolatales, I specifically wanted to move the Mega away from Aurora Veil for balance reasons, and what better way to build something different than by giving it a role that isn't really being filled right now: a fast sleep user with Hypnosis (now usable thanks to 78% accuracy), which I feel fits well what with Ninetales' "all-knowing" schtick. Now you may initially wonder if I've gone insane (Nonsense! I was crazy well before I started submitting here), but I believe that this sub will actually be balanced as due to several factors: limited moveslots after Hypnosis and NP, only okay attacking stats pre-boost, Rocks weakness, meh physical bulk and nothing to hit Steel types outside of HP. On the other hand, sleep is a powerful tool, Freeze-Dry is has pretty great coverage (even if its not the strongest move) and it can even try some physical/mixed cheese thanks to 3-hit guaranteed Axel off a not garbage Attack. Alolatales is a very high risk, high reward Mega- you can handle it with good teambuilding, but under the right circumstances it can be scary.
New Ability: Purple Veil (This Pokémon gets warned, when the opponent has a poison move. If that's the case the users screen moves became a "Purple Veil" instead. When the opponent doesn't have a poison move, the screen moves become unchanged)
Purple Veil protects the users side from upcoming Poison type attack and heals 25% of their maximum HP instead. If the Pokémon is already poisoned, they heal the amount of HP, they would normally loose. Lasts 5 Turns, can be extended by Light Clay
New Stats:
HP: 73 => 73 (+0)
Atk: 67 => 77 (+10)
Def: 75 => 85 (+10)
SpA: 81 => 121 (+40)
SpD: 100 => 120 (+20)
Spe: 109 => 129 (+20)
BST: 505 => 605
New moves:
Description: "We hide behind the Purple Veil."
"Purple Veil" might seem like a situational ability and it is, but a lot of the good and useful Megas are Nidoqeen, Garbodor, Toxtricity and Dragalge with regular poisons like Nidoking, Slowking-G and Toxapex. If those running around, it would be nice to have somekind of protection against them. Ninetales outruns all of them and can set up Purple Veil in front of them without fearing much. In a match-up where you don't need the Veil, you can stay as regular Alolan Ninetales and you can set-up Aurora Veils. The only problem is that you don't have light clay and you miss a different Mega.
Calm Mind Set-up
Ninetales-Alola @ Ninetalite
Ability: Purple Veil
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Moonblast
- Freeze-Dry
- Aurora Veil
- Nasty Plot
Ninetales-Alola @ Ninetalite
Ability: Purple Veil
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Moonblast
- Freeze-Dry
- Aurora Veil
- Nasty Plot
Mega Alolan-Ninetales
Type:
/
Ability: Snow Cloak/Snow Warning --> Vehement Frost (This Pokémon's ice-type moves lower the opponent's speed by 1.)
Stats:
HP: 73
Attack: 67 -> 67 (+0)
Defense: 75 -> 110 (+35)
SpAtk: 81 -> 121 (+40)
SpDef: 100 -> 110 (+10)
Speed: 109 -> 124 (+15)
New Moves: Ice Burn, Moonlight, Burning Jealousy. (Burning Jealousy is the only fire move that isn't really fire related. I wanted to try it here, if its too strong for ninetales I'll remove it.)
Description: I'm keeping this one kinda short. Basically, Ninetales is the embodiment of a hailstorm, because everywhere it goes it brings a blizzard with it, But Regice already has snow warning so now I bring you Vehement Frost. It lowers opponents speed by 1 when hitting them with an ice move. This allows nintetales to encourage wise switch-ins, as you can go for something like Ice Beam or Freeze Dry to lower the targets speed then finish them off with a stronger or same attack.
Type:
Ability: Snow Cloak/Snow Warning --> Vehement Frost (This Pokémon's ice-type moves lower the opponent's speed by 1.)
Stats:
HP: 73
Attack: 67 -> 67 (+0)
Defense: 75 -> 110 (+35)
SpAtk: 81 -> 121 (+40)
SpDef: 100 -> 110 (+10)
Speed: 109 -> 124 (+15)
New Moves: Ice Burn, Moonlight, Burning Jealousy. (Burning Jealousy is the only fire move that isn't really fire related. I wanted to try it here, if its too strong for ninetales I'll remove it.)
Description: I'm keeping this one kinda short. Basically, Ninetales is the embodiment of a hailstorm, because everywhere it goes it brings a blizzard with it, But Regice already has snow warning so now I bring you Vehement Frost. It lowers opponents speed by 1 when hitting them with an ice move. This allows nintetales to encourage wise switch-ins, as you can go for something like Ice Beam or Freeze Dry to lower the targets speed then finish them off with a stronger or same attack.
A bunch of people have had ideas for hail variants or abilities that disable non-hail weathers, but for some reason no one has noticed the blindingly obvious option that's been staring everyone directly in the face.
Mega Alolan Ninetales
Type: Ice / Fairy
Ability: Everlasting Winter (Primordial Hail) Clarifying edit: does not actually have any different effects to regular hail; it just can't be replaced and clears when Alolatales leaves
Stats:
Alolan Ninetales' primary role, the thing it's most well known for, is setting Aurora Veil. Problem is, we now have Mega Regice, an insanely bulky behemoth who is much more consistent at setting Veil and almost singlehandedly made Hail teams viable. So what to do?
Well, what are the shortcomings of regular Alolatales as a Veil setter? Its speed is good but not outstanding, and the same can be said for its bulk, so it's not particularly hard to prevent it from doing its job via offensive pressure. Okay, we can just increase its speed and bulk. That's pretty easy.
It also relies on Snow Warning to do its job. Now obviously yes, Snow Warning is precisely what allows it to perform so well as a Veil setting in the first place, but it's not without downsides. If the opponent has a weather setter of their own, they can block Alolatales from setting Veil every time if it's not running Hail (the move). Additionally, while Aurora Veil is insanely powerful and useful, Hail (the weather) is not, and Veil abusers often just have to accept the chip damage as a tradeoff for instant dual screens.
Both of the problems with Snow Warning are solved with Everlasting Winter. With its combination of great speed, fine bulk, and unreplacable Hail, it's very hard for Alolatales' opponent to stop it from setting up its Veil, and its team mates can reap all the benefits of Veil without suffering the annoying Hail damage.
Mega Alolan Ninetales
Type: Ice / Fairy
Ability: Everlasting Winter (Primordial Hail) Clarifying edit: does not actually have any different effects to regular hail; it just can't be replaced and clears when Alolatales leaves
Stats:
HP: 73
Att: 67
Def: 115 (+40)
SpA: 81
SpD: 130 (+30)
Spe: 139 (+30)
Alolan Ninetales' primary role, the thing it's most well known for, is setting Aurora Veil. Problem is, we now have Mega Regice, an insanely bulky behemoth who is much more consistent at setting Veil and almost singlehandedly made Hail teams viable. So what to do?
Well, what are the shortcomings of regular Alolatales as a Veil setter? Its speed is good but not outstanding, and the same can be said for its bulk, so it's not particularly hard to prevent it from doing its job via offensive pressure. Okay, we can just increase its speed and bulk. That's pretty easy.
It also relies on Snow Warning to do its job. Now obviously yes, Snow Warning is precisely what allows it to perform so well as a Veil setting in the first place, but it's not without downsides. If the opponent has a weather setter of their own, they can block Alolatales from setting Veil every time if it's not running Hail (the move). Additionally, while Aurora Veil is insanely powerful and useful, Hail (the weather) is not, and Veil abusers often just have to accept the chip damage as a tradeoff for instant dual screens.
Both of the problems with Snow Warning are solved with Everlasting Winter. With its combination of great speed, fine bulk, and unreplacable Hail, it's very hard for Alolatales' opponent to stop it from setting up its Veil, and its team mates can reap all the benefits of Veil without suffering the annoying Hail damage.
ice/fairy
stats
hp- 73
atk- 67(+2)>69
def- 75(+20)>95
spa- 81(+40)>121
spd- 100(+25)>125
spe- 109(+13)>122
ability: Borealis Aura- after using an ice type move mega alolan ninetales attempts to use aurora veil
new moves: psychic, shadow ball
Ninetales-Alola-Mega
Type: Ice/Fairy
Ability: Absolute Zero - Generate ice crystals at the beginning of each turn. The effects of ice crystals depend on whether Ninetales-Alola moves before or after the opposing pokemon.
Ninetales Ice type attacks have 25% more power.
Ninetales and it's allies take 25% less damage from the first attack.
"It can produce ice crystals from its fur, which it can use for both offense and defense. The ice crystals can act as a shield or form balls that can be fired like bullets with enough force to shatter rock."
New Stats
HP: 73 (Unchanged)
Atk: 83 (+16)
Def: 90 (+15)
SpA: 125 ((+44)
SpD: 115 (+15)
Spe: 119 (+10)
New Moves: Nuzzle.
"Upon Mega Evolution, Alolan Ninetales proficiency with ice has increased to the point where it's capable of freezing the very air itself. In battle, it freezes the air in front of it to protect itself, as well as its friends. When attacking, it freezes the air around the opponents, preventing them from blocking or dodging."
Mega Icetales (as I call it) has the potential to be very versatile and somewhat unpredictable with it's new ability. Faster builds gain a power boost as long as it attacks first. (50 bp Ice Shard anyone?) You can also run less speed for bulky builds to make better use of the damage reduction effect. You can even minimum speed (218) if you really want to use it on more defensive teams. It also is great against Trick Room teams because of the damage reduction when it's up, and the power boost when it's down.
I mostly added Nuzzle because I originally planned to make Icetales Electric/Fairy, but when I thought of this, I decided to keep it. The thought of Alolan Ninetales nuzzling lost travelers to comfort them is cute, and it fits because Icetales has a gentle temperament. I am willing to remove it if it seems too strong in conjunction with its ability.
Types:
Frozen Form:Ice/Dark
Thawed Form:Fairy
Ability:Frozen Spirit:If this Pokemon is hit by a Fire, Steel, and Fighting attack, its form changes to Thawed Form. (Base: Frozen Form)
Frozen Form:Ice-type attacks have 1.25× power.
Thawed Form:Fairy-type attacks have 1.5× power.
New Moves:Spirit Break
Stats:
| HP: | 73 | |
|---|---|---|
| Attack: | 67 | |
| Defense: | 115 | +40 |
| Sp. Atk: | 101 | +20 |
| Sp. Def: | 120 | +20 |
| Speed: | 129 | +20 |
"The extreme cold energy from the Mega Evolution froze its spirit. It will look for an excuse to defeat its opponent."
"Now its spirit is free, just by a simple move. Its joy cannot be stopped."
Mega Alolan Ninetales
New Ability: Magic Guard
Type: Ice/Fairy
New stats:
HP: 73
Attack: 87 (+20)
Defense: 110 (+35)
Special Attack: 101 (+20)
Special Defense: 125 (+25)
Speed: 109
(605 BST)
New moves: Shadow Ball, Surf, Haze
Description: WIP
Ninetales-Alola-MegaType:
New Ability: Mountain Air - When this pokémon is on the battlefield, all effects of screens and weather are negated.
Blessed Snow - Upon switching in (or mega-evolving), sets Blessed Snow for 5 turns.
1. It overrides the effects of Light Screen, Reflect, and Aurora Veil for both sides of the field and prevents them from being set up.
2. It prevents all pokémon on the field from being Poisoned and decreases base damage from Poison moves by 50%.
3. It increases the base damage of Ice moves by 25% and of Fairy moves by 25% but does not increase the accuracy of Blizzard.
4. All Hail-related abilities and moves, including Weather Ball, otherwise function as they normally do in Hail except there is no chip damage unlike Hail for non-Ice mons without those abilities (or Magic Guard).
2. It prevents all pokémon on the field from being Poisoned and decreases base damage from Poison moves by 50%.
3. It increases the base damage of Ice moves by 25% and of Fairy moves by 25% but does not increase the accuracy of Blizzard.
4. All Hail-related abilities and moves, including Weather Ball, otherwise function as they normally do in Hail except there is no chip damage unlike Hail for non-Ice mons without those abilities (or Magic Guard).
NEW STATS:
HP: 73 => 73 (+00)
Atk: 67 => 67 (+00)
Def: 75 => 100 (+25)
SpA: 81 => 120 (+39)
SpD: 100 => 110 (+10)
Spe: 109 => 135 (+26)
(BST: 505 => 605)
Movepool Additions: Defog, Magic Coat, Power Gem [EDIT: Due to now having Mountain Air instead of the ineligible Blessed Snow, this now also gains Defog.]
Description:
First and foremost, let me say that this ability only got as complex as it did due to a) trying to mirror Rain and Sun, which actually do quite a lot (unlike Hail), and b) my intense hatred of Aurora Veil. I absolutely HATE that Ninetales-Alola, for all of its moves, is basically reduced to the meme of "Aurora Veil go brrr" and thus only ever used on Hyper Offense teams despite all it could do otherwise, Stealth Rock and quadruple Steel weaknesses aside.
As such, between my despising Aurora Veil and not wanting to obviate what is unfortunately the regular form of Ninetales-Alola's sole function in life, I decided the best course of action would be to then make it impossible for any team using Ninetales-Alola-Mega to actually get any benefit of out it setting up Aurora Veil with it then Mega Evolving (or, hell, using Aurora Veil after Mega Evolving). A large part of this Pet Mod seems to be trying to keep the original forms of actually already useful mons still viable from their Mega forms where possible, and as much as I don't like Aurora Veil, Ninetales-Alola's regular form is already quite useful for it. So that was another reason I wanted to not have anything to do with Aurora Veil, especially since I figure there already two other Megas for that anyway in the form of Regice-Mega and the recently buffed Aurorus-Mega (which may yet need more buffs--who knows).
So Ninetales-Alola-Mega's first course of action was taking Mr. Rime out back and robbing it of Screen Cleaner after drugging the tea they were drinking. It then "politely" asked Rapidash-Galar if it could borrow half of Pastel Veil as long as it put as its own spin on it. After that, it decided said spin was mostly buffing both of its own STABs while getting rid of the evidence of poison in the aforementioned tea. It also wanted to avoid being "boorish" & too close to "regular Hail but better" in its weather effects by making it so that Blizzard wasn't just all you would ever use in Blessed Snow as far as Ice attacks go; Weather Ball is classier for those who don't want to miss even if Ice Beam and Freeze-Dry are safer still. Finally, it figured it could get more people to worshi...er play with it if its Hail-ability didn't damage them just because they weren't Ice types who didn't like taking baseball-sized ice chunks to face every turn. Ninetales-Alola-Mega is a benevolent god like that when supporting its teammates.
Joking aside, I am a bit unsure how much Blessed Snow ties together as an ability. Outside of the "necessary" "I hate Aurora Veil" function, I really did try to model it on Sunny Day otherwise, which actually does quite a lot unlike, well, Hail (or even Sandstorm). The inability to be poisoned is akin to how you can't be frozen in Sunny Day (and I guess Desolate Land), whereas the Poison-halving aspect is basically the Water-halving of Sun and the Fire-halving aspect of Rain. I wanted to be gentler with the type damage buffing from the weather given how Rain and Sun are so strong due in large part due to that alone and given how Ice is a better typing attacking than even Water or Fire are; the buffs, if they stay, might need to be as low as 20% honestly and maybe even "only" buff Ice despite Ice/Fairy actually being a bit of "meh" attacking STAB combination--not great, not terrible. I was a bit wary of the buffs in the first place given Ninetales-Alola unfortunately has access to Nasty Plot innately, which is why I'm also a bit wary of it having 120 Special Attack. All of that in addition to the other Hail buffs might be fine though.
This caution (and hatred of Aurora Veil) is why the only movepool additions are Power Gem, which allow it some additional coverage to its STABs by allowing it to hit Fire types while still being walled by most Steels if it wants to use Nasty Plot too, and Magic Coat, to screw over moves like Hypnosis, Stealth Rock, and Taunt with "Don't Touch Me!: The Move: Fancy Edition". I didn't give it Taunt despite wanting to since I imagine that means regular Ninetales-Alola would end up having it in this Pet Mod, which is haha...no; I was tempted to give it Flash Cannon for almost the exact inverse reason of shattering opposing Ninetales-Alola instances, but that felt a bit too spiteful. I imagine some of this will have to change though, so I'll stop here (finally).
As such, between my despising Aurora Veil and not wanting to obviate what is unfortunately the regular form of Ninetales-Alola's sole function in life, I decided the best course of action would be to then make it impossible for any team using Ninetales-Alola-Mega to actually get any benefit of out it setting up Aurora Veil with it then Mega Evolving (or, hell, using Aurora Veil after Mega Evolving). A large part of this Pet Mod seems to be trying to keep the original forms of actually already useful mons still viable from their Mega forms where possible, and as much as I don't like Aurora Veil, Ninetales-Alola's regular form is already quite useful for it. So that was another reason I wanted to not have anything to do with Aurora Veil, especially since I figure there already two other Megas for that anyway in the form of Regice-Mega and the recently buffed Aurorus-Mega (which may yet need more buffs--who knows).
So Ninetales-Alola-Mega's first course of action was taking Mr. Rime out back and robbing it of Screen Cleaner after drugging the tea they were drinking. It then "politely" asked Rapidash-Galar if it could borrow half of Pastel Veil as long as it put as its own spin on it. After that, it decided said spin was mostly buffing both of its own STABs while getting rid of the evidence of poison in the aforementioned tea. It also wanted to avoid being "boorish" & too close to "regular Hail but better" in its weather effects by making it so that Blizzard wasn't just all you would ever use in Blessed Snow as far as Ice attacks go; Weather Ball is classier for those who don't want to miss even if Ice Beam and Freeze-Dry are safer still. Finally, it figured it could get more people to worshi...er play with it if its Hail-ability didn't damage them just because they weren't Ice types who didn't like taking baseball-sized ice chunks to face every turn. Ninetales-Alola-Mega is a benevolent god like that when supporting its teammates.
Joking aside, I am a bit unsure how much Blessed Snow ties together as an ability. Outside of the "necessary" "I hate Aurora Veil" function, I really did try to model it on Sunny Day otherwise, which actually does quite a lot unlike, well, Hail (or even Sandstorm). The inability to be poisoned is akin to how you can't be frozen in Sunny Day (and I guess Desolate Land), whereas the Poison-halving aspect is basically the Water-halving of Sun and the Fire-halving aspect of Rain. I wanted to be gentler with the type damage buffing from the weather given how Rain and Sun are so strong due in large part due to that alone and given how Ice is a better typing attacking than even Water or Fire are; the buffs, if they stay, might need to be as low as 20% honestly and maybe even "only" buff Ice despite Ice/Fairy actually being a bit of "meh" attacking STAB combination--not great, not terrible. I was a bit wary of the buffs in the first place given Ninetales-Alola unfortunately has access to Nasty Plot innately, which is why I'm also a bit wary of it having 120 Special Attack. All of that in addition to the other Hail buffs might be fine though.
This caution (and hatred of Aurora Veil) is why the only movepool additions are Power Gem, which allow it some additional coverage to its STABs by allowing it to hit Fire types while still being walled by most Steels if it wants to use Nasty Plot too, and Magic Coat, to screw over moves like Hypnosis, Stealth Rock, and Taunt with "Don't Touch Me!: The Move: Fancy Edition". I didn't give it Taunt despite wanting to since I imagine that means regular Ninetales-Alola would end up having it in this Pet Mod, which is haha...no; I was tempted to give it Flash Cannon for almost the exact inverse reason of shattering opposing Ninetales-Alola instances, but that felt a bit too spiteful. I imagine some of this will have to change though, so I'll stop here (finally).
Ok, so I said I wasn't going for Alolan Ninetales... But I had a sudden burst of inspiration and here it is:
Ninetales-Alolan-Mega
Type: Ice/Fairy
Abiltiy: Valhalla
Uppon mega evolving or switching, Alolan Ninetales evokes the power of the Deity of the Mountain, protecting the sacred land it lives.
At the end of each turn, Ninetales will receive a Deity's Blessing, up to 3. Certain status moves (see lists of moves affected by Magic Bounce/Magic Coat) used by Ninetales, if succesful, will release Deity's Wrath and deal fairy-type damage to the enemies targeted by her.
Deity's Wrath: Special. Fairy-type. Base power depends on ammount of Deity's Blessing that Ninetales stacked. Targets enemies weakest defensive stat.
1 Blessing: Deity's Wrath is 15 Base Power.
2 Blessings: Deity's Wrath is 20 Base Power.
3 Blessings: Deity's Wrath is 30 Base Power.
If Ninetales faints when all 3 blessings are collected and not used, the replacing teammate will recover 100% HP and be healed of any status condition (Healing Wish).
* Ammount of blessings collected only resets if Ninetales switches out.
** Deity's Wrath damage will applies right after the effects of the status move of choice lands.
*** If the status move is bounced back, Ninetales will take the damage.
New moves: Haze, Defog, Taunt.
Stats
HP: 73 (-)
ATK: 67(-)
DEF: 115 (+40)
SPA: 116 (+35)
SPD: 110 (+10)
SPE: 124 (+15)
Ninetales dex entries states that it protects the snowy mountais that is home for an ancient Deity.
Uppon Mega Evolving, Ninetales is blessed by the Mountain Deity, and receives it's blessings to better protect the hidden paradise it lives, by safetely guiding away gentle visitors or fighting against not welcomed intruders, using the Deity's Blessings or releasing the deity's wrath.
The focus here is distributing cheap damage. Ninetales already has access to Veil and Nasty Plot, so giving it boosting ability could be dangerous.
It's base form main use is to set Veil, however this niche is already filled by Mega Regice in this meta.
Mega A-Tales main role, I think, will be in stall breaking. Imagine taunting or encoring some fat mon and deal damage at the same time? Of course, steels and fire types will not care that much, however it can cheap down enough fat mons to be helpful to other breakers on the team. And it can still set veil, if that's what you're going for, before mega.
What makes it so good, and the reason why this is 30 BP at max, is Fake Tears. Imagine reducing your target's SPDef by 3 stages and deal fairy-type STAB damage in the same turn?
It still needs time to catch on blessings, and if you throw a tin can on it, it will dies, however.
That was... Quite a long one lol.
Ninetales-Alolan-Mega
Type: Ice/Fairy
Abiltiy: Valhalla
Uppon mega evolving or switching, Alolan Ninetales evokes the power of the Deity of the Mountain, protecting the sacred land it lives.
At the end of each turn, Ninetales will receive a Deity's Blessing, up to 3. Certain status moves (see lists of moves affected by Magic Bounce/Magic Coat) used by Ninetales, if succesful, will release Deity's Wrath and deal fairy-type damage to the enemies targeted by her.
Deity's Wrath: Special. Fairy-type. Base power depends on ammount of Deity's Blessing that Ninetales stacked. Targets enemies weakest defensive stat.
1 Blessing: Deity's Wrath is 15 Base Power.
2 Blessings: Deity's Wrath is 20 Base Power.
3 Blessings: Deity's Wrath is 30 Base Power.
If Ninetales faints when all 3 blessings are collected and not used, the replacing teammate will recover 100% HP and be healed of any status condition (Healing Wish).
* Ammount of blessings collected only resets if Ninetales switches out.
** Deity's Wrath damage will applies right after the effects of the status move of choice lands.
*** If the status move is bounced back, Ninetales will take the damage.
New moves: Haze, Defog, Taunt.
Stats
HP: 73 (-)
ATK: 67(-)
DEF: 115 (+40)
SPA: 116 (+35)
SPD: 110 (+10)
SPE: 124 (+15)
Ninetales dex entries states that it protects the snowy mountais that is home for an ancient Deity.
Uppon Mega Evolving, Ninetales is blessed by the Mountain Deity, and receives it's blessings to better protect the hidden paradise it lives, by safetely guiding away gentle visitors or fighting against not welcomed intruders, using the Deity's Blessings or releasing the deity's wrath.
The focus here is distributing cheap damage. Ninetales already has access to Veil and Nasty Plot, so giving it boosting ability could be dangerous.
It's base form main use is to set Veil, however this niche is already filled by Mega Regice in this meta.
Mega A-Tales main role, I think, will be in stall breaking. Imagine taunting or encoring some fat mon and deal damage at the same time? Of course, steels and fire types will not care that much, however it can cheap down enough fat mons to be helpful to other breakers on the team. And it can still set veil, if that's what you're going for, before mega.
What makes it so good, and the reason why this is 30 BP at max, is Fake Tears. Imagine reducing your target's SPDef by 3 stages and deal fairy-type STAB damage in the same turn?
It still needs time to catch on blessings, and if you throw a tin can on it, it will dies, however.
That was... Quite a long one lol.
Mega Ninetales-ANew Ability: Snow Cloak / Snow Warning -> Misty Surge
Type: Ice, Fairy
New stats:
HP: 73
Attack: 67
Defense: 75 -> 120 (+45)
Special Attack: 81 -> 105 (+24)
Special Defense: 100 -> 120 (+20)
Speed: 109 -> 120 (+11)
(605 BST)
New moves: Moonlight
Description: This Ninetales-A is made to abuse nasty plot, one of the best setup moves in the entire game. With higher bulk and misty terrain, it has more opportunities to set up, and its decend speed can be used to outspeed most offensive mons below 120 speed. It can also use the pre-mega hail to have an perfect-accuracy blizzard, and even after the hail wears out, you can use Moonlight to have more longevity. It also has many utility options such as encore, taunt, and disable, and due to its high speed, its able to use them effectively.
Mega Alolan Ninetales - Ice Fairy
1000-Year Grace
'This Pokemon moves with the grace of a being that has lived for hundreds of years and in combat, uses the momentum from enemy attacks to position itself to counterattack'
When this Pokemon is hit by a contact move, the next attack this Pokemon connects is a guaranteed critical hit.
73/67/125 (SpD + 25)/
125 (+44)/95 (Def + 20)/120 (+11)
New Moves: Scald
The ability name and concept comes from the idea that Ninetales is based of the Kitsune Yokai, which is said to gain a tail for every decade it lives, until it eventually has nine, and therefore reaches its most powerful form after 1000 years of life. It allows Ninetales to punish moves such as Uturn, Grassy Glide, Mach Punch etc. In an offensive way, rather then defensively (static/flame body)
Mega Alolan NinetalesNew Ability:
Spirit Guide (upon replacing a fainted ally it gains its ability)
Type:
Ghost
Fairy
New stats:
HP:73
Attack:67
Defense:84(+19)
Special Attack:141(+60)
Special Defense:100
Speed:130(+21)
BST:605(+100)
New moves: Spirit Shackle heart swap
So I missed out on these following Pokemon to make Megas for, among my top 10 favourite Pokemon of all time:
Luxray
Absol
Swampert
Lucario
Reuniclus
Heck, even Samurott.
...so there's no way in hell I'm posting a shit sub for this Pokemon.
*PLEASE NOTE: This is not the same post I made a few days earlier, but instead a reworked entry that I created after some feedback by the community on Discord. I am not a big fan of reposts and this one most certainly isn’t.
Luxray
Absol
Swampert
Lucario
Reuniclus
Heck, even Samurott.
...so there's no way in hell I'm posting a shit sub for this Pokemon.
*PLEASE NOTE: This is not the same post I made a few days earlier, but instead a reworked entry that I created after some feedback by the community on Discord. I am not a big fan of reposts and this one most certainly isn’t.
Type: Ice/Fairy
Ability: Deity's Wrath
Stats:
Health: 73
Attack: 67
Defense: 100 (+25)
Special Attack: 120 (+44)
Special Defense: 115 (+15)
Speed: 125 (+16)
New moves: Nature's Madness, Will-O-Wisp
Flavor reasoning:
From Sword: A deity resides in the snowy mountains where this Pokémon lives. In ancient times, it was worshipped as that deity's incarnation.
From Shield: While it will guide travelers who get lost on a snowy mountain down to the mountain's base, it won't forgive anyone who harms nature.
From Sun: It creates drops of ice in its coat and showers them over its enemies. Anyone who angers it will be frozen stiff in an instant.
As the psuedo 5th Guardian Deity of Alola (having been reincarnated as a different form of Ninetales), Ninetales-Alola doesn't actually guard a specific island, but rather, the snow and the icy mountains of the entire region. Using its Mega form, it punishes those who attempt to disturb the usual still/snowy weathers to their favor by freezing them with SE hits that leave them frozen.
Competitive reasoning:
So one of my favourite ways to combat Veiltales is by directly switching in a Sand Stream/Drizzle/Drought Pokemon and watch it suffer.
What if there was a way to punish that?
Deity's Wrath allows for Alolatales-Mega to shift the weathers in its favor, while also being able to punish opposing weather setters in the process. Posing as a solid anti-weather Pokemon, it can hit hard even with uninvested STAB Blizzard and Freeze-Dry after being boosted by Deity's Wrath. Deity's Wrath can also summon Hail if used correctly, giving Alolatales-Mega the chance to setup Aurora Veil if left unchecked.
Overall, Alolatales-Mega can be viewed from two sides of the spectrum: as an anti-weather Veil setter, or an anti-weather special sweeper.
As a Veil setter, it can provide Veil and even Hail support for its teammates, even being able to use the move Hail to provide an additional Deity's Wrath damage boost.
As an anti-weather special sweeper, it can boost its already good Special Attack stat to high levels with Nasty Plot, and proceed to sweep from there with solid STAB coverage in Ice Beam/Blizzard, Freeze-Dry and Moonblast. Feisty users can again, use Hail trigger Deity's Wrath boosts.
Of course, you could also use Alolatales-Mega's creditable bulk as a defensive utility tool, with solid defensive moves such as Hypnosis, Will-O-Wisp and Nature's Madness being able to cripple offensive threats easily. However, I find the previous 2 roles easier for Alolatales-Mega to fill.
There's also no denying the fact that Alolatales-Mega is still beatable by a Veil setter's biggest issue: Stealth Rock. If that discourages you, then stop reading this post and go check out Aurorus-Mega instead. Alolatales-Mega's barely good bulk can also be exploited by fast revenge killers, or just fast Pokemon in general. It's frailness prevents it from switching in safely without taking a hard hit from any weather abuser, and thus requiring team support to pivot it into the battlefield. Finally, unless you have a Deity's Wrath boost or Nature's Madness, Steel-types (especially Heatran) can wall Alolatales-Mega to the end of time.
Before I go, here, have a few sample sets that you can use should this entry be the winner of the Alolatales slate:
Veil Setter (Ninetales-Alola) (F)
Ability: Snow Warning
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hail/Nature’s Madness
- Will-O-Wisp/Hail
- Freeze-Dry/Blizzard
- Aurora Veil
Special Sweeper (Ninetales-Alola) (F)
Ability: Snow Warning
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Nasty Plot
- Blizzard
- Freeze-Dry/Hail
- Moonblast
And while I'm at it, here's some calculations I made of Ninetales-Alola with Deity's Wrath boosts against common weather abusers:
Yeah, I'd say this is pretty cool.
Ability: Deity's Wrath
Summons Hail IF and ONLY IF another weather is active. If Hail is successfully summoned, the next Ice-type move used by this Pokemon does 2x damage AND is a guaranteed critical hit. Does not trigger if weather is Hail/Diamond Dust/Delta Stream/Primordial Sea/Desolate Land, or if there isn't any weather.
Stats:
Health: 73
Attack: 67
Defense: 100 (+25)
Special Attack: 120 (+44)
Special Defense: 115 (+15)
Speed: 125 (+16)
New moves: Nature's Madness, Will-O-Wisp
Flavor reasoning:
From Sword: A deity resides in the snowy mountains where this Pokémon lives. In ancient times, it was worshipped as that deity's incarnation.
From Shield: While it will guide travelers who get lost on a snowy mountain down to the mountain's base, it won't forgive anyone who harms nature.
From Sun: It creates drops of ice in its coat and showers them over its enemies. Anyone who angers it will be frozen stiff in an instant.
As the psuedo 5th Guardian Deity of Alola (having been reincarnated as a different form of Ninetales), Ninetales-Alola doesn't actually guard a specific island, but rather, the snow and the icy mountains of the entire region. Using its Mega form, it punishes those who attempt to disturb the usual still/snowy weathers to their favor by freezing them with SE hits that leave them frozen.
Competitive reasoning:
So one of my favourite ways to combat Veiltales is by directly switching in a Sand Stream/Drizzle/Drought Pokemon and watch it suffer.
What if there was a way to punish that?
Deity's Wrath allows for Alolatales-Mega to shift the weathers in its favor, while also being able to punish opposing weather setters in the process. Posing as a solid anti-weather Pokemon, it can hit hard even with uninvested STAB Blizzard and Freeze-Dry after being boosted by Deity's Wrath. Deity's Wrath can also summon Hail if used correctly, giving Alolatales-Mega the chance to setup Aurora Veil if left unchecked.
Overall, Alolatales-Mega can be viewed from two sides of the spectrum: as an anti-weather Veil setter, or an anti-weather special sweeper.
As a Veil setter, it can provide Veil and even Hail support for its teammates, even being able to use the move Hail to provide an additional Deity's Wrath damage boost.
As an anti-weather special sweeper, it can boost its already good Special Attack stat to high levels with Nasty Plot, and proceed to sweep from there with solid STAB coverage in Ice Beam/Blizzard, Freeze-Dry and Moonblast. Feisty users can again, use Hail trigger Deity's Wrath boosts.
Of course, you could also use Alolatales-Mega's creditable bulk as a defensive utility tool, with solid defensive moves such as Hypnosis, Will-O-Wisp and Nature's Madness being able to cripple offensive threats easily. However, I find the previous 2 roles easier for Alolatales-Mega to fill.
There's also no denying the fact that Alolatales-Mega is still beatable by a Veil setter's biggest issue: Stealth Rock. If that discourages you, then stop reading this post and go check out Aurorus-Mega instead. Alolatales-Mega's barely good bulk can also be exploited by fast revenge killers, or just fast Pokemon in general. It's frailness prevents it from switching in safely without taking a hard hit from any weather abuser, and thus requiring team support to pivot it into the battlefield. Finally, unless you have a Deity's Wrath boost or Nature's Madness, Steel-types (especially Heatran) can wall Alolatales-Mega to the end of time.
Before I go, here, have a few sample sets that you can use should this entry be the winner of the Alolatales slate:
Veil Setter (Ninetales-Alola) (F)
Ability: Snow Warning
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hail/Nature’s Madness
- Will-O-Wisp/Hail
- Freeze-Dry/Blizzard
- Aurora Veil
Special Sweeper (Ninetales-Alola) (F)
Ability: Snow Warning
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Nasty Plot
- Blizzard
- Freeze-Dry/Hail
- Moonblast
And while I'm at it, here's some calculations I made of Ninetales-Alola with Deity's Wrath boosts against common weather abusers:
*note: all Freeze-Dry/Blizzard calculations are done with Freeze-Dry being 140 BP and Blizzard being 220 BP respectively to mirror the 2x boost of Deity's Wrath.
0 SpA Ninetales-Alola Freeze-Dry vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Dracozolt on a critical hit: 710-836 (221.1 - 260.4%) -- guaranteed OHKO
0 SpA Ninetales-Alola Freeze-Dry vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Excadrill on a critical hit: 375-442 (103.8 - 122.4%) -- guaranteed OHKO
0 SpA Ninetales-Alola Blizzard vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Charizard-Mega-Y on a critical hit: 367-433 (123.5 - 145.7%) -- guaranteed OHKO (this is under Sun, considering if the opponent tries to change the weather back afterwards. Also applies to other weather setters below)
0 SpA Ninetales-Alola Freeze-Dry vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Hippowdon on a critical hit: 696-818 (165.7 - 194.7%) -- guaranteed OHKO
0 SpA Ninetales-Alola Freeze-Dry vs. 248 HP / 8 SpD Pelipper on a critical hit: 1404-1656 (434.6 - 512.6%) -- guaranteed OHKO
0 SpA Ninetales-Alola Blizzard vs. 248 HP / 8 SpD Torkoal on a critical hit: 275-324 (80.1 - 94.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 SpA Ninetales-Alola Blizzard vs. 248 HP / 8 SpD Torkoal on a critical hit: 336-396 (97.9 - 115.4%) -- 87.5% chance to OHKO
0 SpA Ninetales-Alola Blizzard vs. 252 HP / 216+ SpD Tyranitar in Sand on a critical hit: 205-243 (50.7 - 60.1%) -- 86.7% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 SpA Ninetales-Alola Blizzard vs. 252 HP / 216+ SpD Tyranitar in Sand on a critical hit: 253-298 (62.6 - 73.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
0 SpA Ninetales-Alola Freeze-Dry vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Barraskewda on a critical hit: 918-1080 (349 - 410.6%) -- guaranteed OHKO
0 SpA Ninetales-Alola Freeze-Dry vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Kabutops on a critical hit: 704-830 (269.7 - 318%) -- guaranteed OHKO
0 SpA Ninetales-Alola Freeze-Dry vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Kingdra on a critical hit: 1096-1296 (376.6 - 445.3%) -- guaranteed OHKO
0 SpA Ninetales-Alola Freeze-Dry vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Omastar on a critical hit: 704-830 (250.5 - 295.3%) -- guaranteed OHKO
0 SpA Ninetales-Alola Freeze-Dry vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Swampert-Mega on a critical hit: 976-1152 (286.2 - 337.8%) -- guaranteed OHKO
0 SpA Ninetales-Alola Blizzard vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Charizard on a critical hit: 474-558 (159.5 - 187.8%) -- guaranteed OHKO
(do note, however, that specs charizard with Overheat still OHKOs)
0 SpA Ninetales-Alola Blizzard vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Darmanitan on a critical hit: 332-391 (94.5 - 111.3%) -- 68.8% chance to OHKO
252 SpA Ninetales-Alola Blizzard vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Victini on a critical hit: 254-299 (74.4 - 87.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after hail damage
252 SpA Ninetales-Alola Blizzard vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Volcarona on a critical hit: 244-288 (78.4 - 92.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after hail damage
0 SpA Ninetales-Alola Freeze-Dry vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Dracozolt on a critical hit: 710-836 (221.1 - 260.4%) -- guaranteed OHKO
0 SpA Ninetales-Alola Freeze-Dry vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Excadrill on a critical hit: 375-442 (103.8 - 122.4%) -- guaranteed OHKO
0 SpA Ninetales-Alola Blizzard vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Charizard-Mega-Y on a critical hit: 367-433 (123.5 - 145.7%) -- guaranteed OHKO (this is under Sun, considering if the opponent tries to change the weather back afterwards. Also applies to other weather setters below)
0 SpA Ninetales-Alola Freeze-Dry vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Hippowdon on a critical hit: 696-818 (165.7 - 194.7%) -- guaranteed OHKO
0 SpA Ninetales-Alola Freeze-Dry vs. 248 HP / 8 SpD Pelipper on a critical hit: 1404-1656 (434.6 - 512.6%) -- guaranteed OHKO
0 SpA Ninetales-Alola Blizzard vs. 248 HP / 8 SpD Torkoal on a critical hit: 275-324 (80.1 - 94.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 SpA Ninetales-Alola Blizzard vs. 248 HP / 8 SpD Torkoal on a critical hit: 336-396 (97.9 - 115.4%) -- 87.5% chance to OHKO
0 SpA Ninetales-Alola Blizzard vs. 252 HP / 216+ SpD Tyranitar in Sand on a critical hit: 205-243 (50.7 - 60.1%) -- 86.7% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 SpA Ninetales-Alola Blizzard vs. 252 HP / 216+ SpD Tyranitar in Sand on a critical hit: 253-298 (62.6 - 73.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
0 SpA Ninetales-Alola Freeze-Dry vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Barraskewda on a critical hit: 918-1080 (349 - 410.6%) -- guaranteed OHKO
0 SpA Ninetales-Alola Freeze-Dry vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Kabutops on a critical hit: 704-830 (269.7 - 318%) -- guaranteed OHKO
0 SpA Ninetales-Alola Freeze-Dry vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Kingdra on a critical hit: 1096-1296 (376.6 - 445.3%) -- guaranteed OHKO
0 SpA Ninetales-Alola Freeze-Dry vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Omastar on a critical hit: 704-830 (250.5 - 295.3%) -- guaranteed OHKO
0 SpA Ninetales-Alola Freeze-Dry vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Swampert-Mega on a critical hit: 976-1152 (286.2 - 337.8%) -- guaranteed OHKO
0 SpA Ninetales-Alola Blizzard vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Charizard on a critical hit: 474-558 (159.5 - 187.8%) -- guaranteed OHKO
(do note, however, that specs charizard with Overheat still OHKOs)
0 SpA Ninetales-Alola Blizzard vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Darmanitan on a critical hit: 332-391 (94.5 - 111.3%) -- 68.8% chance to OHKO
252 SpA Ninetales-Alola Blizzard vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Victini on a critical hit: 254-299 (74.4 - 87.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after hail damage
252 SpA Ninetales-Alola Blizzard vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Volcarona on a critical hit: 244-288 (78.4 - 92.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after hail damage
Yeah, I'd say this is pretty cool.
Mega Alolan NinetalesNew Ability: Devious (Swaps the user's Attack and Sp. Atk stats when using a Physical attack; swaps them back if using a Special Attack afterwards - does not swap stat boosts.)
Type: Ice/Fairy
New stats:
HP: 73
Attack: 67
Defense: 90 (+15)
Special Attack: 136 (+55)
Special Defense: 110 (+10)
Speed: 129 (+20)
(605)
New moves: Aura Sphere
Description: Wallbreaker and/or cleanup sweeper; brutal attacking options and speed, but also frail and has a bad defensive typing.
Mega Ninetales-AlolaNew Ability: Careful Guardian
After this pokemon uses field effecting moves (Screens, Terrain Setting, Room Setting, Weather Setting.) it switches out.
Type:
New stats:
HP: 73
Atk: 67 -> 76 (+9)
Def: 75 -> 99 (+24)
SpA: 81 -> 109 (+28)
SpD: 100 -> 119 (+19)
Spe: 109 -> 129 (+20)
BST: 505 -> 605
New moves: Magic Room, Psychic Terrain, Lucky Chant, Wish
Description: Gives pivoting properties to manual set up, so while using screens is not as strong as using base with light clay, this ability lets
otherwise weak move options that wouldn't be used like Magic Room or manually setting fields/weather preserve momentum.
While this mega will be mostly used in hyper offense teams with its usual aurora veil set-up and newfound pivoting capabilities
it also shines in improving unused playstyles for those willing to experiment with them.
Time for every animal in a 5 mile radius to start dancing
Mega Alolan Ninetales
New Ability: Fairy Tale Princess - Using sound moves causes the foe(s) Atk and sp Atk to drop by one stage; in a doubles battle, using a sound move will also boost the ally's damage by 1.3x
Type: Ice / Fairy
New stats:
HP: 73
Attack: 77 (+10)
Defense: 111 (+36)
Special Attack: 90 (+9)
Special Defense: 115 (+15)
Speed: 139 (+30)
(605)
New moves: Hyper Voice, Parting Shot, Disarming Voice
Description: An attempt at making Ninetales into Snow White. The best I could think of was making something based on the singing and well, here we are. Ninetales is mostly a support mon for doubles, with being able to boost its ally's moves while simultaneously lowering the foe's stats. It can also use Howl to boost your ally's Attack while at it. In singles, there's less to note adimitedly, but Parting Shot grants a very safe switch for any mon.
Mega Ninetales-AlolaNew Ability: Thin Ice (If this pokemon's stats are lowered by an opponent, that opponent becomes weak to Ice.)
Type: Ice/Fairy
New stats: 73/67/105/121/110/129
HP: 73 (+0)
Attack: 67 (+0)
Defense: 75 --> 105 (+30)
Special Attack: 81 --> 121 (+40)
Special Defense: 100 --> 110 (+10)
Speed: 109 --> 129 (+20)
(BST) 505 --> 605
New moves: None
Description:
Memes
Ground/Dragon->Bug/Dragon
Levitate->Sand Song (during a sandstorm, this Pokémon’s sound-based moves are Ground type and have 1.2x power.)
New Stats: 80/120/90/120/90/120
HP: 80->80 (+0)
Attack: 100->120 (+20)
Defense: 80->90 (+10)
Special Attack: 80->120 (+40)
Special Defense: 80->90 (+10)
Speed: 100->120 (+20)
Total: 520->620 (+100)
New moves: Sludge Bomb, Quiver Dance, Leech Life, Pollen Puff
Kinda cute idea
edit: added Pollen Puff solely for the fact that Sand Song prevents Bug Buzz from being useable, lolthin ice, my friend
Mega A-Ninetales
Typing: Ice/Fairy
Ability: Snow warning
HP: 73
Attack: 67 (+0)
Defense: 90 (+15)
Special Attack: 141 (+60)
Special Defense: 110 (+10)
Speed: 124 (+15)
Typing: Ice/Fairy
Ability: Snow warning
HP: 73
Attack: 67 (+0)
Defense: 90 (+15)
Special Attack: 141 (+60)
Special Defense: 110 (+10)
Speed: 124 (+15)
Mega ninetales-alola
New Ability: freezy air: this pokemon wind-based moves have x2 power, tailwind lasts 6 turns instead of 4
Type: ice/fairy
New stats:
73
67
75 -> 80
81 -> 131
100 -> 125
109 -> 129
New moves: ominous wind, silver wind, fairy wind, razor wind, tailwind
New Ability: Frigid Incarnation (When under half health, this pokemon's attack and defense swap and its special attack and special defense swap, and the power of this pokemon's ice moves is multiplied by 1.2 for the rest of the battle. This only happens once.)
Type:
New stats:
HP: 73
Attack: 67
Defense: 75 -> 90 (+15)
Special Attack: 81 -> 96 (+15)
Special Defense: 100 -> 150 (+50)
Speed: 109 -> 129 (+20)
(BST) 505
New moves: None
Description: A pokemon that starts out as a bulky mon that unleashes its true power in the harshest conditions. ([User]'s Ninetales unleashed its true power!]
Mega Alolan Ninetales
Ability: Snow Warning
Type:
New stats:
HP: 73
Attack: 67 -> 87 (+20)
Defense: 75 -> 85 (+10)
Special Attack: 81 -> 115 (+34)
Special Defense: 100 -> 110 (+10)
Speed: 109 -> 135 (+26)
(BST): 505 -> 605
New moves: Psychic, Shadow Ball
Description: Ninetales's body grows and turns completely pure white. Its tails split into 9, forming a trail behind it. It now has an aggressive stance, like
Ninetales-Alola @ Ninetalesite-A
Ability: Snow Warning
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Nasty Plot
- Blizzard
- Moonblast
- Shadow Ball
[/hide]
Ninetales-Alola-Mega @ Alolanintalite
Ability: Blissful Snow - Aurora veil lasts for 3 extra turns.
No Type Changes.
Stats:
HP: 73
Attack: 67
Defense: 75 -> 80 (+5)
SpA: 81 -> 120 (+39)
SpD: 100 -> 130 (+30)
Speed: 109 -> 135 (+26)
BST: 605
New Moves: (Bold = Notable) Haze, U-Turn
Overview: It's great special bulk + a.veil gives it some breathing room to either Set up with calm mind or act as an offensive pivot (though stealth rock hinders it from being one, pretty much requiring a rapid spinner since defog removes a.veil). Having a built in light clay helps it and it's teammates set up. Still extremely weak to physical priority and steel types (still ohkoed by scizor with a 252 SpA/4SpD/252Speed set even with veil up iirc, ran calcs) and it has a big case of 4mss,as it wants it's stabs, aurora veil, u turn / calm mind, haze(for pivot sets) and coverage(for setup sets).
Ability: Blissful Snow - Aurora veil lasts for 3 extra turns.
No Type Changes.
Stats:
HP: 73
Attack: 67
Defense: 75 -> 80 (+5)
SpA: 81 -> 120 (+39)
SpD: 100 -> 130 (+30)
Speed: 109 -> 135 (+26)
BST: 605
New Moves: (Bold = Notable) Haze, U-Turn
Overview: It's great special bulk + a.veil gives it some breathing room to either Set up with calm mind or act as an offensive pivot (though stealth rock hinders it from being one, pretty much requiring a rapid spinner since defog removes a.veil). Having a built in light clay helps it and it's teammates set up. Still extremely weak to physical priority and steel types (still ohkoed by scizor with a 252 SpA/4SpD/252Speed set even with veil up iirc, ran calcs) and it has a big case of 4mss,as it wants it's stabs, aurora veil, u turn / calm mind, haze(for pivot sets) and coverage(for setup sets).
Ninetales-Alola @ Ninetalesite-A
Type: Ice-Flying
Ability: Chilly Draft - This Pokemon, upon entry/Mega Evolving, summons a chilly draft to clear the weather and terrain
Stats:
HP: 73
Attack: 67
Defense: 105 (+30)
Special Attack: 110 (+29)
Special Defense: 135 (+35)
Speed: 115 (+6)
New Moves: (Moves in italics are not viable)
Tailwind, Defog, Hurricane, Air Slash
Pokedex Entry: When it Mega Evolves, its nine tails turn into clouds and become capable of making great winds. It can summon cold winds that blow away everything in its path.
Overview: This Pokemon acts as a good defensive tank and can set up with Calm Mind or Nasty Plot. Its ability in a terrain and weather filled meta makes it so entire teams can be disrupted. It can get rid of hazards and use Tailwind to benefit the entire team. It has a nice new STAB, too. It is easily worn down due to a lack of reliable recovery and low HP, though.
Type: Ice-Flying
Ability: Chilly Draft - This Pokemon, upon entry/Mega Evolving, summons a chilly draft to clear the weather and terrain
Stats:
HP: 73
Attack: 67
Defense: 105 (+30)
Special Attack: 110 (+29)
Special Defense: 135 (+35)
Speed: 115 (+6)
New Moves: (Moves in italics are not viable)
Tailwind, Defog, Hurricane, Air Slash
Pokedex Entry: When it Mega Evolves, its nine tails turn into clouds and become capable of making great winds. It can summon cold winds that blow away everything in its path.
Overview: This Pokemon acts as a good defensive tank and can set up with Calm Mind or Nasty Plot. Its ability in a terrain and weather filled meta makes it so entire teams can be disrupted. It can get rid of hazards and use Tailwind to benefit the entire team. It has a nice new STAB, too. It is easily worn down due to a lack of reliable recovery and low HP, though.
Edit: yikes, I put two of the Ninetales in the Zoroark section without noticing! huge thanks to PalpitoadChamp for pointing that out!!
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Mega Zoroark
New Ability: Illusion -> Devilish Wrath - When the opponent is Burned, these Pokémon's moves will always do a critical hit.
Typing: View attachment 310416 View attachment 310417
New Stats:
HP: 60 -> 60
Attack: 105 -> 135 (+30
Defense: 60 -> 75 (+15)
Special Attack: 120 -> 145 (+25)
Special Defense: 60 -> 80 (+20)
Speed: 105 -> 115 (+10)
New Moves: Fire Blast, Will-O-Wisp, Overheat, Earth Power, Flare Blitz
Description: Having a Burn version of Merciless supports this Pokemon greatly, especially with something that can burn the opponent like Spectrier or Rotom-Heat. With a amazing Special Attack of 150, and with a nice speed tier, this can dish out some real damage.
Mega Zoroark
Ability - Illusion ➝ Identity Theft (Upon KOing a Pokémon, the user transforms into them)
HP - 60 ➝ 60
Atk - 105 ➝ 121 (+16)
Def - 60 ➝ 77 (+17)
SpA - 120 ➝ 154 (+34)
SpD - 60 ➝ 77 (+17)
Spe - 105 ➝ 121 (+16)
BST - 510 ➝ 610 (+100)
Movepoll Changes - n/a
Competitive Corner - I think this is pretty strong but fair, Transform mechanics means Zoroark won't keep Nasty Plot / Sword Dance boosts after killing anything which is great when you have base 154 SpA, and Imprison + Transform won't work as the 'mon you're transforming is already KOed. The speed and power could be a little troublesome with Nasty Plot even if you lose your progress after every kill (most of the time you'll be transforming into a Toxapex or a Tapu Fini or something along these lines), but I don't see it being too bad (hopefully!).
Flavor Corner - Zoroark is obviously inspired on the japanese kitsune, and they can shapeshift! So transforming into a foe upon KOing it seems like a fun way to go about it and does feel like something a Dark-type kitsune would totally do! (and avoid the dreadful Transform + Imprison combo, which is also why I decided not to give Zoroark Transform!). You could make a case that Zoroark is only a "teathrical" shapeshifter, and that it's all an Illusion and not actually shapeshifting, which is well, true. But that same suspension of disbelief can be used to make it so Zoroarks "transforming" into the Pokémon it just KOed is also an Illusion and it doesn't actually get to do that. We saw Zoroark using moves that Entei, Raikou, and Suicune would know (if my memory serves me right), so it's reasonable to expect it can create these Illusions with other Pokémon as well! Also funnily enough, this is kind of an idea I took from another design I did for another japanese inspired Pokémon, so yeah, i plagiarised myself, what are you gonna do about it >:)
Ability - Illusion ➝ Identity Theft (Upon KOing a Pokémon, the user transforms into them)
HP - 60 ➝ 60
Atk - 105 ➝ 121 (+16)
Def - 60 ➝ 77 (+17)
SpA - 120 ➝ 154 (+34)
SpD - 60 ➝ 77 (+17)
Spe - 105 ➝ 121 (+16)
BST - 510 ➝ 610 (+100)
Movepoll Changes - n/a
Competitive Corner - I think this is pretty strong but fair, Transform mechanics means Zoroark won't keep Nasty Plot / Sword Dance boosts after killing anything which is great when you have base 154 SpA, and Imprison + Transform won't work as the 'mon you're transforming is already KOed. The speed and power could be a little troublesome with Nasty Plot even if you lose your progress after every kill (most of the time you'll be transforming into a Toxapex or a Tapu Fini or something along these lines), but I don't see it being too bad (hopefully!).
Flavor Corner - Zoroark is obviously inspired on the japanese kitsune, and they can shapeshift! So transforming into a foe upon KOing it seems like a fun way to go about it and does feel like something a Dark-type kitsune would totally do! (and avoid the dreadful Transform + Imprison combo, which is also why I decided not to give Zoroark Transform!). You could make a case that Zoroark is only a "teathrical" shapeshifter, and that it's all an Illusion and not actually shapeshifting, which is well, true. But that same suspension of disbelief can be used to make it so Zoroarks "transforming" into the Pokémon it just KOed is also an Illusion and it doesn't actually get to do that. We saw Zoroark using moves that Entei, Raikou, and Suicune would know (if my memory serves me right), so it's reasonable to expect it can create these Illusions with other Pokémon as well! Also funnily enough, this is kind of an idea I took from another design I did for another japanese inspired Pokémon, so yeah, i plagiarised myself, what are you gonna do about it >:)
Mega Zoroark - Dark
Ability: Broken Disguise: Throw away your disguise upon using a move, giving priority to the move used, however there is a 25% BP decrease with this move(Status moves don’t proc Broken Disguise, and this does keep the base effect of Illusion[Disguising]
New Stats
HP: 60
Attack: 105 > 120 (+15)
Defense: 60 > 80 (+20)
Spatk: 120 > 125 (+5)
Spdef: 60 > 100 (+40)
Speed: 105 > 125 (+20)
BST: 510 > 610
New moves: N/A
For Slate 28 I bring you Zoroark! I'll probably have the other two some other time, but for now just Zoroark
Ability: Broken Disguise: Throw away your disguise upon using a move, giving priority to the move used, however there is a 25% BP decrease with this move(Status moves don’t proc Broken Disguise, and this does keep the base effect of Illusion[Disguising]
New Stats
HP: 60
Attack: 105 > 120 (+15)
Defense: 60 > 80 (+20)
Spatk: 120 > 125 (+5)
Spdef: 60 > 100 (+40)
Speed: 105 > 125 (+20)
BST: 510 > 610
New moves: N/A
For Slate 28 I bring you Zoroark! I'll probably have the other two some other time, but for now just Zoroark
Mega ZoroarkNew Ability: Dark
Type: No Guard
New stats:
HP: 60 -> 60
Attack: 105 -> 135 (+30)
Defense: 60 -> 80 (+20)
Special Attack: 120 -> 150 (+30)
Special Defense: 80 -> (+20)
Speed: 105 -> 105
BST: 510 -> 610
New moves: Cross Chop
Description: Just an attempt to make its signature Night Daze to work and be used instead of Dark Pulse. Other than that, it also has no-miss Focus Blass and Cross Chop (if you want to hit Blissey hard), and Nasty Plot to set up.
Mega Zoroark
Dark
Ability: Gang Up (users attacking dark type moves act like beat up and have their power split up between the hits. Also this pokemon's dark moves can't flinch or lower the accuracy any pokemon.)
Hp: 60
Att: 130 (+25)
Def: 90 (+30)
Spec Att: 125 (+5)
Spec Def: 90 (+30)
Sped: 115 (+10)
New Moves: None
Desription: Another multi-hitter but this time with the odd mechanics of beat up. The damage of the moves is split out for example if it hits 3 times it would be at 1/3 power for each hit. This allows it to take advantage of moves like snarl or maybe even night slash to great advantage.
Zoroark-Mega
Dark
Illusion-> Terror Vision (Upon switch in, all opponents receive -1 SpA. Inner Focus, Oblivious, Own Tempo, Scrappy and Pokemon behind a substitute are immune).
Stats
HP: 60
Atk: 105-> 120 (+15)
Def: 60-> 90 (+30)
SpA: 120-> 135 (+15)
SpD: 60-> 90 (+30)
Spe: 105-> 115 (+10)
New Moves: +Poison Jab
"This Pokemon cares deeply about others of its kind, and it will conjure terrifying illusions to keep its den and pack safe."
Description: With the added power of Mega evolution, Zoroark's illusion powers take on a terrifying new dimension, taking on the image of its opponent's greatest fear. The distress these illusion cause any opponent's SpA to drop by one stage, as the special spectrum is the one that is usually associated with the mind, finally giving us special Intimidate. Gameplay-wise, Terror Vision allows Zoro additional set-up opportunities post-Illusion thanks to its now passable special bulk, or allows it to be a support pivot with U-turn, using the SpA drops to benefit its team.
So few attempts at Mega Zoroark so far? Well don't mind me then
Pokemon: Mega Zoroark
Type:
Stats: 60 / 105 / 90 (+30) / 130 (+10) / 90 (+30) / 135 (+30) (610 BST)
Ability: Soul Chain: Illusion effects + when something faints and you send in your last Pokémon to replace it, it gains the new last Pokémon's Ability
New Moves: +Fire Blast, Moonblast, Parting Shot
Description: Same stuff its base form does but better and with a lot more versatility. Regenerator, Magic Guard, Sheer Force, with good enough planning you can get some gnarly stuff on this mon.
Pokemon: Mega Zoroark
Type:
Stats: 60 / 105 / 90 (+30) / 130 (+10) / 90 (+30) / 135 (+30) (610 BST)
Ability: Soul Chain: Illusion effects + when something faints and you send in your last Pokémon to replace it, it gains the new last Pokémon's Ability
Battle Bond, Comatose, Disguise, Download, Flower Gift, Forecast, Gorilla Tactics, Gulp Missile, Huge Power, Hunger Switch, Hustle, Ice Face, Illusion, Intrepid Sword, Imposter, Multitype, Power Construct, Power of Alchemy, Pure Power, Receiver, RKS System, Schooling, Shields Down, Stance Change, Trace, Wonder Guard, and Zen Mode.
New Moves: +Fire Blast, Moonblast, Parting Shot
Description: Same stuff its base form does but better and with a lot more versatility. Regenerator, Magic Guard, Sheer Force, with good enough planning you can get some gnarly stuff on this mon.
Mega Zoroark
New Ability: Uncanny
When mega-evolving or switching in, the user will transform itself into the Pokémon it is facing and lower the opponent's Speed by 1 stage.
Extra Info: If the user gets hurt by a direct move, it will revert back to its original form. Furthermore, if the user (under the effect of transform) gets hurt by a direct move before attacking the target, the user's move will fail.
Type: Dark
New stats:
HP: 60
Attack: 105 -> 115 (+10)
Defense: 60 -> 85 (+25)
Special Attack: 120 -> 130 (+10)
Special Defense: 60 -> 85 (+25)
Speed: 105 -> 135 (+30)
BST: 510 -> 610 (+100)
New moves:
Parting Shot, Moonlight
Description:
1) Concept Process
The ability's name is based on a concept developed by Sigmund Freud and describes the idea of something that was once experienced and repressed in the past but which now appears under a new form you don't recognise at first. As a reader or character, you are constantly trying to question its appearance because you aren't sure how to take it. Is it a genuine appearance? Or is there something more to it, something threatening, maybe? Due to the ambiguous nature of the uncanny, the reader or the character is going to develop a strong feeling of hesitance. It is this hesitance which becomes the deciding factor as to whether or not the events in someone's life can be considered uncanny. In literature, a narration is considered uncanny if, and only if, the tensions are solved towards the end and if there's a reasonable explanation for the strange events. Apart from that, there are some elements that are typical of the uncanny such as, but not limited to, the double.
For this sub, I mainly concentrated on the feeling of hesitance and the double. Since the Pokédex specifically mentions Zoroark's tendency to transform itself into enemies to protect its family, creating an ability that mirrored some aspects of Ditto's Imposter was only natural, in my eyes. As for hesistance, it is reflected in the opponent's speed reduction since they are unsure how to treat the user who looks and acts like them. Moreover, the moment the user reveals its true form pretty much marks the uncanny aspect of the battle encounter; after all, the opponent realises that it was only the user's ability which confused them.
Another aspect that influenced the creation of this custom ability was the fact that Zoroark had to distinguish itself well enough from Mega Meowstic-M and Mega Thievul if people want to use it. As a reminder, Meowstic-M is a pretty strong, physical Pokémon relying on its wide range of utility dark moves. Mega Thievul, on the other hand, is more of a special attacker and has access to Nasty Plot.
2) Strategy
Uncanny allows the user to punish set-up sweepers as it's almost always going to outspeed the opponent, unless the latter has Choice Scarf or an ability that prevents Speed reduction, like Clear Body. Unlike Ditto (which usually holds a Choice item), you are free to chose any move you want. But you have to make sure that your "disguise" won't get destroyed, otherwise the user reverts back to its original form.
However, you can make use of Parting Shot to reactivate the ability and/or get out of an uncomfortable situation. You can also make use of Moonlight to make sure Zoroark can stay much longer throughout the game to use its ability. There's also the possibility to run some additional utility moves like Pursuit to trap certain targets after getting hit by them. For instance, if Zoroark transforms into Alakazam during switch-in and gets hit by it, you can now trap it!
Since Zoroark mostly relies on the power of the opponent's Pokémon, you can fully invest into its Speed and HP to better take hits if you want. Or you can run a fast, offensive EV spread and use Zoroark's transformation defensively to take a hit and threaten the opposing Pokémon. For instance, Zoroark could switch into Landorus-T and lower its Atk to take less damage from Stone Edge. Once the transformation is over, you can now threaten it with Hidden Power Ice, which you couldn't do so easily before due to Zoroark's bad defensive stats.
Mega Zoroark
New Ability: Horrific Illusions (The horror of this Pokémon’s illusions reduces the effectiveness of Fairy-type moves. This Pokemon takes 3/4 (25%) damage from Fairy-type moves.)
Type: Dark
New stats:
HP: 60
Attack: 150 (+45)
Defense: 70 (+10)
Special Attack: 150 (+30)
Special Defense: 70 (+10)
Speed: 110 (+5)
(BST: 610 (+100))
New moves: nope
Description:
Competitive
Immensely strong attacking stats makes for an immensely strong mixed attacker, functioning perfectly fine on either offensive, specially offensive or mixed! Coupled with powerful Fire, Fighting, Psychic and Ghost coverage and loss of weakness to Fairy makes for a powerful sweeper! Unfortunately, this comes at a downside: your coverage depends greatly on what set you wish to run, with Fighting-, Psychic- and Fire-type coverage only available on special sets (which has slightly inferior stats) and Ghost-type coverage on physical sets, while running mixed ensures less damage output in at least one of the stats. In addition, it’s low defenses cause it to be easily revenge-killed by priority, although it’s high speed will make it harder to be revenge-killed without priority. Nevertheless, Zoroark’s immense sweeping potential coupled with Eerie Terrain will make this a beast of a Pokemon to deal with.
Lore
"Upon Mega Evolving, Zoroark's illusory powers have grown out of its control, spreading and seeping all over the battlefield and transforming it into a nightmarish hellscape. Zoroark constantly battles the darkness that seeks to control it, giving it much pain and agony."
New Ability: Trickery (Upon entry, the Pokémon swaps the highest stat of the opponent with its own. In Double Battles it targets the ally.)
Type:
New Stats:
HP: 60 => 60 (+0)
Atk: 105 => 130 (+25)
Def: 60 => 80 (+20)
SpA: 120 => 145 (+25)
SpD: 60 => 80 (+20)
Spe: 105 => 115 (+10)
BST: 510 => 610
New moves: Psyshock, Trick, Psychic, Zen Headbutt, Transform
Description: "No, he can't read my Poker Face."
With this ability you have the potential to mess up any offensive or defensive mon. It's a bit match-depended since a physical set would have easily defeated Blissey without the SpDef swap. Either you can really change how an interaction plays out. As I said Defensive mons can get screwed over a swap with its best defensive stat. Unevolved Ash-Greninja gets outsped and slow wall breakers can potentially loose their most dangerous battle.
Physical Pivot
Zoroark @ Zoroarite
Ability: Trickery
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Knock Off
- Sucker Punch
- Zen Headbutt
- U-turn
Nasty Plot Set-up
Zoroark @ Zoroarite
Ability: Trickery
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Dark Pulse
- Psychic
- Focus Blast
- Nasty Plot
Zoroark @ Zoroarite
Ability: Trickery
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Knock Off
- Sucker Punch
- Zen Headbutt
- U-turn
Nasty Plot Set-up
Zoroark @ Zoroarite
Ability: Trickery
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Dark Pulse
- Psychic
- Focus Blast
- Nasty Plot
Zoroark-Mega
Type: Dark
Ability: Hallucinate
This pokemon's Dark-type moves will be 2x in power, and all moves will be 100% accurate, if used against a target that is under the effects of Taunt, Torment, Encore and Confusion; or flinched in the same turn. Immunity to Intimidate.
New Moves: Flatter, Dynamic Punch, Iron Tail, Confuse Ray, Darkest Lariat.
HP: 60
ATK: 135 (+30)
DEF: 60 (-)
SPA: 135 (+15)
SPD: 90 (+30)
SPE: 130 (+25)
Description: Zoroark's Dex entries states that they generate strong illusions to protect it's pack. Uppon Mega Evolving, it would made it enemies to hallucinate, gaining the ability to be more effective against foes that are mentally unstable, under it's hallucination.
Uses: It's main role is as a stall breaker. Taunting blobs, immunity to prankster and intimidate, confusing/encoring setup and then using boosted stab moves, in top of having Nasty Plot and SD. It also has use in Doubles, where it can use boosted moves in targets that were faked out. However, is really frail in the physical side and can suffers from 4MSS.
Mega-Zoroark
New Ability: Hallucinating Jaw
This Pokemon bite-based attacks have 1.3x power and a 50% chance of confusing the opponent.
Typing: Dark/Poison
New Stats:
Health: 60
Attack: 120 (+15)
Defense: 110 (+50)
Special Attack: 105 (-15)
Special Defense: 79 (+19)
Speed: 136 (+31)
New Moves: Crunch, Psychic Fangs, Fire Fang, Poison fang.
Description:
1) Concept: At first I was trying to make a special magic-absorbing Zoroark way bulkier but half done I realized that as much as a magic user/reality warper Zoroark is, it didn't make much sense thematically so I dropped it. But then I started looking at the original megas and tought how simple yet unique some of them are, so I put all of the convoluted Illusion-esque ideas aside for the ability and pictured a giant mawed venomous Zoroark just bitting and confusing everyting (Kinda like Mega-Mawille + the confusing part) and I think it fits right, Mega-Zoroark becomes bigger, tougher, and more aggressive, it's bite gets like venomous which makes its victims hallucinate. Never to touch magic again, Mega-Zoroark goes in for the kill with it's giant venomous bite.
2) Competitive Aspect: Mega-Zoroark is well, aggresive by nature, yet the added physicall bulk helps it a lot surviving neutral hits. The strategy with M-Zoroark can be switch in, bamboozle with Illusion as you set up a Swords Dance, Mega-Evolve then BAM! if you don't OH-KO pray for the confusion to not get killed by a random Earthquake. Note that only the moves that can cause the confusion part of the ability are bitting moves, that way is prevented to sucker punch a +6 boosted dragonite, confuse it and watch it die as it hits itself. With a much better typing defensively, not being weak to fairy and fighting with the tools in Stab Poison Fang and Psychic Fangs to hit them back, M-Zoroark can serve as pivot with amazing offenses yet a valuable defensive merit.
Mega Zoroark
Type:
Ability: Illusion --> Bamboozle (Stat changes made by the user or opponent are received by the opposite side, in doubles only zoroark and whoever its facing/targeting are affected)
Stats:
HP: 60
Attack: 105 -> 130 (+25)
Defense: 60 -> 70 (+10)
SpAtk: 120 -> 140 (+20)
SpDef: 60 -> 75 (+15)
Speed: 105 -> 135 (+30)
New Moves: Flatter, Instruct, Poison Jab
Description: I couldn't come up with anything else so here we are. So zoroark is known for trickery and more specifically illusions, but its hard to come up with another illusory based ability when Illusion exists so I thought to myself. "What if there was an ability that swapped stat changes?" That's how I made bamboozle. You can steal pretty much anything you want at the cost of not being able to boost your own offenses. But since zoroark's offenses are usually pretty high you don't need to. If you feel like the opponent will go for a setup move you can use instruct to gain a double boost.
Type:
Ability: Illusion --> Bamboozle (Stat changes made by the user or opponent are received by the opposite side, in doubles only zoroark and whoever its facing/targeting are affected)
Stats:
HP: 60
Attack: 105 -> 130 (+25)
Defense: 60 -> 70 (+10)
SpAtk: 120 -> 140 (+20)
SpDef: 60 -> 75 (+15)
Speed: 105 -> 135 (+30)
New Moves: Flatter, Instruct, Poison Jab
Description: I couldn't come up with anything else so here we are. So zoroark is known for trickery and more specifically illusions, but its hard to come up with another illusory based ability when Illusion exists so I thought to myself. "What if there was an ability that swapped stat changes?" That's how I made bamboozle. You can steal pretty much anything you want at the cost of not being able to boost your own offenses. But since zoroark's offenses are usually pretty high you don't need to. If you feel like the opponent will go for a setup move you can use instruct to gain a double boost.
dark
stats
hp- 60
atk- 105(+5)>110
def- 60(+25)>85
spa- 120(+10)>130
spd- 60(+45)>105
spe- 105(+15)>120
ability: Intimidate
new moves: parting shot, mystical fire, moonblast, psychic
Mega Zoroark
Type: Dark ---> Dark / Psychic
Ability: Illusion ---> Tormenting Visions: Sets the field effect Illusive Fog
On the side of the field Illusive Fog is set, all Pokemon appear to be the Pokemon that set Illusive Fog until it takes direct damage. Lasts for 3 turns. Can be cleared by Defog.
HP: 60
Atk: 105 ---> 120 (+15)
Def: 60 ---> 75 (+15)
SpA: 120 ---> 135 (+15)
SpD: 60 ---> 75 (+15)
Spe: 105 ---> 145 (+40)
Movepool Additions: Parting Shot
Description: Didn't wanna do a straight upgrade of Illusion, so I thought an Illusion-based field effect would be funny. The field effect might be quite powerful, but Zoroark itself is still kinda weak, its new typing not really helping it out. Zoroark already has U-turn, but Parting Shot lets it pivot without taking Helm/Barbs/Rough Skin chip.
Sooo... Remember how I said I wouldn't be making a Mega Zoroark unless I got a sudden burst of inspiration? Well, guess who just got a sudden burst of inspiration?
Mega Zoroark
Type: Dark
Ability: Hoodwink (When this Pokémon Mega Evolves or switches in, the opponent becomes confused. Affects both opponents in Doubles.)
Stats:
After Mega Evolving, Zoroark gained complete mastery over the dark arts and the creation of hallucinations. It carefully crafts its hallucinations to confuse and torment its opponents as much as possible.
So I was reading through the thread again, and I noticed how inkbug said that Illusion would instantly wear off when Zoroark Mega Evolved. The funny part of my brain thought, "That must be pretty confusing for the opponent." And then I went "Wait a minute..."
Mega Zoroark is meant to take advantage of auto-confusing the opponent by forcing them to switch out. It then uses the switch-out turn to set up a free Swords Dance or Nasty Plot, then it sweeps. Its new moves allow it to actually run a usable physical set.
Mega Zoroark
Type: Dark
Ability: Hoodwink (When this Pokémon Mega Evolves or switches in, the opponent becomes confused. Affects both opponents in Doubles.)
Stats:
- HP: 60 (+0)
- Attack: 135 (+30)
- Defense: 75 (+15)
- Special Attack: 135 (+15)
- Special Defense: 75 (+15)
- Speed: 130 (+25)
After Mega Evolving, Zoroark gained complete mastery over the dark arts and the creation of hallucinations. It carefully crafts its hallucinations to confuse and torment its opponents as much as possible.
So I was reading through the thread again, and I noticed how inkbug said that Illusion would instantly wear off when Zoroark Mega Evolved. The funny part of my brain thought, "That must be pretty confusing for the opponent." And then I went "Wait a minute..."
Mega Zoroark is meant to take advantage of auto-confusing the opponent by forcing them to switch out. It then uses the switch-out turn to set up a free Swords Dance or Nasty Plot, then it sweeps. Its new moves allow it to actually run a usable physical set.
Mega Zoroark
New Ability: Hallucination Phantom( This pokemon always crits on confused pokemon. This Pokémon's attacks have a 30% chance of confusion.
Type: Dark/Ghost
New stats:
HP: 60
Attack: 125 (+20)
Defense:80(+20)
Special Attack:135(+15)
Special Defense: 80(+20)
Speed:130(+25)
(BST) 610
New moves: Poltergeist, Confuse Ray, Confusion, Spirit Shackle
Description: Since this Pokémon makes illusions that can confuse others, wanted to focus down on the confusion side of things. I gave it confusion and confuse ray for obvious reasons, and the other 2 for better ghost physical stab. Spirit shackle is mostly for flavor because Zoroark can make u feel like your trapped with its hallucinating attacks. This pokemon could be preety useful when used with another pokemon that confuses enemies which is like status spreading but not really. Pokemon cant really just switch out to reset the confusion because there is still a preety decent chance that it will confuse the enemy.
New Ability: Hallucination Phantom( This pokemon always crits on confused pokemon. This Pokémon's attacks have a 30% chance of confusion.
Type: Dark/Ghost
New stats:
HP: 60
Attack: 125 (+20)
Defense:80(+20)
Special Attack:135(+15)
Special Defense: 80(+20)
Speed:130(+25)
(BST) 610
New moves: Poltergeist, Confuse Ray, Confusion, Spirit Shackle
Description: Since this Pokémon makes illusions that can confuse others, wanted to focus down on the confusion side of things. I gave it confusion and confuse ray for obvious reasons, and the other 2 for better ghost physical stab. Spirit shackle is mostly for flavor because Zoroark can make u feel like your trapped with its hallucinating attacks. This pokemon could be preety useful when used with another pokemon that confuses enemies which is like status spreading but not really. Pokemon cant really just switch out to reset the confusion because there is still a preety decent chance that it will confuse the enemy.
Zoroark-Mega
Type: Dark
Ability: Eluding Fog - Hides the pokemon's moves from the foe.
"It can make convincing illusions of attacks, and these illusions are extremely realistic, enough to fool even cameras and make one believe they're being physically affected, though the illusion does not have any direct physical effect."
New Stats
HP: 60 (Unchanged)
Atk: 135 (+30)
Def: 75 (+15)
SpA: 135 (+15)
SpD: 85 (+25)
Spe: 120 (+15)
New Moves: Parting Shot, Poison Jab, Aura Sphere, Iron Head, Psycho Cut.
Zoroark creates an illusion of a thick black fog to hide it's own attacks from the opponent. This includes move animations, the chat, and when the opponent hovers their cursor over Mega-Zoroark.
Any moves that have stat changes and/or some other effect that is displayed such as the taunt status can't really be hidden because they show up even if the move is hidden. Also any side effect such as Knock-Off knocking items and U-Turn switching the user out gives away that move.
This ability hides many of it's attacks and coverage provided you don't poison, burn, flinch, etc. This keeps people guessing as to whether you are physical or special, and what coverage you are running.
I wanted to give it a few coverage moves to help it use its ability better so it has more options that can remain hidden, but I also didn't want to give it any moves that are too strong because of it's stats.
The Call of the Wild=Jack London's book
Types:Dark/Poison
Ability:The Call of the Wild(If this Pokemon switch-in; all Pokemons Attack and Sp.Attack lowered by 1 stage and speed raised by 1 stage.)
New Moves:None
Stats:
Types:Dark/Poison
Ability:The Call of the Wild(If this Pokemon switch-in; all Pokemons Attack and Sp.Attack lowered by 1 stage and speed raised by 1 stage.)
New Moves:None
Stats:
| HP: | 60 | |
|---|---|---|
| Attack: | 105 | |
| Defense: | 80 | +20 |
| Sp. Atk: | 130 | +10 |
| Sp. Def: | 80 | +20 |
| Speed: | 155 | +50 |
lol none
Zoroark-MegaType:
New Ability: Shadow Boxer - When this pokémon uses a punching move, the pokémon will hit 2-5 times at 1/3 power.
New Stats:
[EDIT: As mandated by Hematite, Speed stat loses +30, so instead this now has 70 Def / 80 SpD / 120 Spe instead of 60 Def / 60 SpD / 150 Spe.]
HP: 60 => 60 (+00)
Atk: 105 => 140 (+35)
Def: 60 => 70 (+10)
SpA: 120 => 140 (+20)
SpD: 60 => 80 (+20)
Spe: 105 => 120 (+15)
(BST: 510 => 610)
Movepool Additions: Fire Punch, Shadow Punch, Thunder Punch [EDIT: As mandated by Hematite, loses Ice Punch.]
Description: "Zoroark has become almost as ethereal as the illusions it conjures, blurring reality and unreality with strange new limbs that can unleash devastating, unseen strikes."
This description will be far shorter than the other two in this slate given this Zoroark-Mega is intentionally a big dumb beater meant to either clean-up the opposing teams or literally punch holes in its by ripping off Feraligatr-Mega's Savage ability--credit to Ausma for that design. If BlueRay's Zoroark-Mega ability could be a more elegant version of what I originally thought of doing, then I figured it best to choose to be utterly inelegant by forcing this design of a glass cannon on a mon that doesn't even have any innate punching moves somehow. Guess Zoroark didn't take enough weight lifting tips from that famous, hard-punching Gen 1 fellow, Alakazam.
Seriously though, I need to purge this design from my mind somehow, so here it is. From the beginning, I at least knew and decided that I didn't want an ability that obviated Illusion. Illusion is an ability I actually really like even if Zoroark itself tends to be greatly disappointing due to its unfortunate Speed tier and Night Daze's "Oh, you thought that would hit?" accuracy. This is especially true given that Inteleon-Mega ended up with Illusion in this Pet Mod apparently.
So this Zoroark-Mega is a literal "shadowboxer" in that it's a deadly diorama that folds to a stiff breeze and has strong yet somewhat redundant STABs, in part because I just wanted an offensive Dark/Ghost mon since neither Sableye-Mega nor Spiritomb-Mega really quite fit that niche. It also seemed safer to make it Dark/Ghost than Dark/Fighting even with the even more fatal Fairy allergies of the latter typing. That this can hit on either side equally hard and has access to both Swords Dance and Nasty Plot due to Zoroark already having those moves helps its options even if none of its STABs or moves in general are especially strong. Still, that flexibility is the closest to deception this version of Zoroark-Mega is getting compared to its regular self, which is "fine" with me...in as much as I'm glad to be mentally done with this.
Seriously though, I need to purge this design from my mind somehow, so here it is. From the beginning, I at least knew and decided that I didn't want an ability that obviated Illusion. Illusion is an ability I actually really like even if Zoroark itself tends to be greatly disappointing due to its unfortunate Speed tier and Night Daze's "Oh, you thought that would hit?" accuracy. This is especially true given that Inteleon-Mega ended up with Illusion in this Pet Mod apparently.
So this Zoroark-Mega is a literal "shadowboxer" in that it's a deadly diorama that folds to a stiff breeze and has strong yet somewhat redundant STABs, in part because I just wanted an offensive Dark/Ghost mon since neither Sableye-Mega nor Spiritomb-Mega really quite fit that niche. It also seemed safer to make it Dark/Ghost than Dark/Fighting even with the even more fatal Fairy allergies of the latter typing. That this can hit on either side equally hard and has access to both Swords Dance and Nasty Plot due to Zoroark already having those moves helps its options even if none of its STABs or moves in general are especially strong. Still, that flexibility is the closest to deception this version of Zoroark-Mega is getting compared to its regular self, which is "fine" with me...in as much as I'm glad to be mentally done with this.
MEGA ZORUARK:
NEW Ability: Fool's Victim (after mega evolving, the pokemon that they illusioned gets unillusioned, but MEGA ZORUARK keeps a 25% bonus for their stab moves e.g: zoruark illusioned darmanitan so now flamethrower 25% stronger)
Type: DARK/FAIRY
HP: 60
ATTACK: 130 (+25)
DEF:70 (+10)
SPA: 145 (+25)
SPECIAL DEFENCE: 75 (+15)
SPEED: 115: (+25)
MOVEPOOL: DAZ GLEAM, FLAME CHARGE, PLAY ROUGH
SUMMARY: very strong mon that can solo sweep teams but with meh defense cant stand it all
INSPIRATION: for the ability, i thought of it taking off its illusion and the opponent being so shocked that the "stab moves" would do more damage. I also tried to think that with the power of mega evolution, unlike normal zoruark, this isn't a prankster for fun. its an evil pokemon straight up
NEW Ability: Fool's Victim (after mega evolving, the pokemon that they illusioned gets unillusioned, but MEGA ZORUARK keeps a 25% bonus for their stab moves e.g: zoruark illusioned darmanitan so now flamethrower 25% stronger)
Type: DARK/FAIRY
HP: 60
ATTACK: 130 (+25)
DEF:70 (+10)
SPA: 145 (+25)
SPECIAL DEFENCE: 75 (+15)
SPEED: 115: (+25)
MOVEPOOL: DAZ GLEAM, FLAME CHARGE, PLAY ROUGH
SUMMARY: very strong mon that can solo sweep teams but with meh defense cant stand it all
INSPIRATION: for the ability, i thought of it taking off its illusion and the opponent being so shocked that the "stab moves" would do more damage. I also tried to think that with the power of mega evolution, unlike normal zoruark, this isn't a prankster for fun. its an evil pokemon straight up
Mega ZoroarkNew Ability: Illusion -> Jumpscare
(When the user mega evolves/switches in, their next move will have +2 Priority)
Type: Dark
New stats:
HP: 60
Attack: 105 -> 145 (+40)
Defense: 60 -> 75 (+15)
Special Attack: 120 -> 145 (+25)
Special Defense: 60 -> 75 (+15)
Speed: 105 -> 110 (+5)
(610 BST)
New moves: Parting Shot, Will-O-Wisp
Description: ooooh boy, this one is gonna be a good one. there are SO MUCH moves to use with this
- Offensive moves: I guess having prio focus blast/dark pulse is cool, but the thing gets fun when we get to the Utility Options
- Encore: With Encore, you can reliably trap something into using stuff like Swords Dance or Roost without fearing them using an offensive move to screw up your Encoring
- Foul Play: Can serve as a nice, big cup of "Shut the fuck up you Physically-frail Physical attacker" to stuff like Kartana, Ash-Greninja with a non-attack lowering nature, etc
- Knock Off: Using this, you can severely hinder mons that rely on LO, Choice items, and everything else to be effective, and with it, it can shut down most attackers
- Memento: Soooooooooooooooo i guess you can use it to make it so an threat from the enemy team is heavily hindered until they switch out? Thats a gigantic waste of a mega slot
- Parting Shot: Priority pivoting can be used to escape certain bad situations such as mons that could outspeed and KO zoroark (honestly is that even a problem mega zoro has)
- Substitute: It can now set substitute safely! Without having to worry abt being completely shredded to bits! And it can also potentially block an attack!
- Taunt: Can be a stop to NP/SD/CM/BU/DD/you get it sweepers, and can also be a stop to stuff that commonly runs stuff like Wisp or Substitute, and its just fun to have around
- Toxic: Priority Tox is the funniest thing to mess around in the entire world, trust me. It can also completely invalidate some mons, but we all know we are doing it for the funnis
- U-Turn: Parting Shot 2: Electric Boogaloo. Parting shot but you can also deal daamge to walls like bliss and slowking, and it can break Sashes, Sturdy, etc
- Will-O-Wisp: Read Toxic
Mega Zoroark
Type: Dark
Ability: Show-off (special Moxie)
Stats:
HP: 60
Att: 155 (+50)
Def: 60
SpA: 120
SpD: 100 (+40)
Spe: 115 (+10)
(yes, i know we usually try to avoid making duplicates of existing abilities, but grim neigh's counterpart chilling neigh is already a duplicate of regular moxie)
Zoroark (or rather, Illusion) is interesting, but not for the reason you might expect. Between the disguise fading after only a single hit and potentially using a move that gives it away, once Zoroark hits the field, it's extremely hard to maintain a convincing disguise for longer than a single turn. Luckily, when played correctly, that one turn is all you need. You might pressure the opponent to switch to what they think is a resist, and then either snag the retreating foe with Pursuit, or snipe the incoming foe with a surprise coverage move. Alternatively, you might trick the opponent into thinking they're safe to stay in, before revenge killing them with ease. The point is, a well-played Zoroark is very good at getting one kill. What can be done to enhance this?
Well, Zoroark's best tools for sniping unsuspecting Pokemon (Sucker Punch and Pursuit) are physical, so we want it to be good at using them right out of the gate. But its special movepool is much more varied than its physical, so we also want it to be good at using special attacks. To accomplish this, Mega Zoroark's Attack is very high. High enough to hit hard even without investment. This helps it use Sucker Punch and Pursuit to score an initial KO. However, once it does so, its special attacks become more deadly, and it transitions into being a snowballing special sweeper.
mega zoroark
zoroark uses illusions to evade attacks, and it attacks from the shadows. but why? well, in zoroark: master of illusions, zoroark used it to save herself and zorua from mr shady buisnessman. sure, it uses it to prey, but that is what a lot of pokemon do. heck, even sylveon use manipulation of the opponents' thoughts to make dinner. it is a caring mother and will sacrifice itself for its son. IT FACED OFF AGAINST ENTEI, SUICUNE, AND RAIKOU FOR ITS CHILD! it also will defend many small pokemon, and adopts helpless pokemon. honestly, is it evil? i decided to make it dark fairy, and show that it has a sweet inside, and a harsh outside. like the mega absol that never was.
ability: shadow shield
moves: play rough, false surrender, spirit break, calm mind
stats:
hp: 60
attack: 120(+15)
defence: 80(+20)
spatk: 125(+5)
spdef: 110(+50)
speed: 115(+10)
zoroark uses illusions to evade attacks, and it attacks from the shadows. but why? well, in zoroark: master of illusions, zoroark used it to save herself and zorua from mr shady buisnessman. sure, it uses it to prey, but that is what a lot of pokemon do. heck, even sylveon use manipulation of the opponents' thoughts to make dinner. it is a caring mother and will sacrifice itself for its son. IT FACED OFF AGAINST ENTEI, SUICUNE, AND RAIKOU FOR ITS CHILD! it also will defend many small pokemon, and adopts helpless pokemon. honestly, is it evil? i decided to make it dark fairy, and show that it has a sweet inside, and a harsh outside. like the mega absol that never was.
ability: shadow shield
moves: play rough, false surrender, spirit break, calm mind
stats:
hp: 60
attack: 120(+15)
defence: 80(+20)
spatk: 125(+5)
spdef: 110(+50)
speed: 115(+10)
Mega-ZoroarkTyping: Dark
Ability: Illusion --> Forgery (On switch-in, copies the item of the last unfainted party member. Effect wears off when hit by a direct attack)
Stats:
HP: 60
Atk: 125 (+20)
Def: 85 (+25)
SpA: 125 (+5)
SpD: 110 (+50)
Spe: 105
New Moves: None
Description: This might be either too good or not that good if it wins but a Mega with an item is hard to balance. This is actually a pretty cool concept for me: It removes the biggest flaw of a lot of Megas (not being able to run an item really removes a lot if you don't have an ability to compensate for that) while actively trying to encourages variety in item to avoid teambuilding with this being too restrictive (since you have to basically give two Pokemon the same item). This ability was made to feel like a trickery (also thanks DrPumpkinz for the name). Outside of the obvious "Mega with an item"
route, it can bluff in a set based on who your last party member is and later reveal you used a less common item choice to surprise the opponent and get an advantage. I'm now gonna list all items i think would work on this, a description of how it would work, potential teammates for it, and the set it would prefer for each.
Life Orb:
This gets a lot of power, and most importantly it has access to both Nasty Plot and Swords Dance, which makes it a really dangerous attacker if you let it set-up. Unfortunately for this set, running essentialy two Pokemon with Life Orb isn't that great on most teams because you get chipped down easily.
All-Out Attacker:
Zoroark @ Life Orb (Of course it's not really Life Orb it's just to understand it more easily)
EVs: 252 SpA / 252 Spe / 4 Atk
Timid Nature
-Sucker Punch
-Dark Pulse
-Flamethrower
-Sludge Bomb
Swords Dance:
Zoroark @ Life Orb
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spe / 4 SpD
Jolly Nature
-Sucker Punch
-Knock Off
-Low Kick
-Swords Dance
Nasty Plot:
Zoroark @ Life Orb
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spe / 4 SpD
Timid Nature
-Sucker Punch
-Dark Pulse
-Nasty Plot
-Sludge Bomb
Zoroark @ Life Orb (Of course it's not really Life Orb it's just to understand it more easily)
EVs: 252 SpA / 252 Spe / 4 Atk
Timid Nature
-Sucker Punch
-Dark Pulse
-Flamethrower
-Sludge Bomb
Swords Dance:
Zoroark @ Life Orb
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spe / 4 SpD
Jolly Nature
-Sucker Punch
-Knock Off
-Low Kick
-Swords Dance
Nasty Plot:
Zoroark @ Life Orb
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spe / 4 SpD
Timid Nature
-Sucker Punch
-Dark Pulse
-Nasty Plot
-Sludge Bomb
Choice Band:
This hits pretty hard, even if it doesn't have much good physical moves. It still gets Pursuit, Knock Off and Sucker Punch as great STABs, and U-Turn is always good to have.
Zoroark @ Choice Band
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spe / 4 SpD
Jolly Nature
-Sucker Punch/Pursuit
-Knock Off
-Low Kick/Swords Dance
-U-Turn
To note: It is actually be possible to run SD on this because you don't keep your item during all the battle.
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spe / 4 SpD
Jolly Nature
-Sucker Punch/Pursuit
-Knock Off
-Low Kick/Swords Dance
-U-Turn
To note: It is actually be possible to run SD on this because you don't keep your item during all the battle.
Choice Specs:
This hits just as hard as Band, while having a much bigger and better movepool on that side. However it can't really use Knock Off, Pursuit or Sucker Punch as efficiently as Choice Band. Would probably still be better than Band.
Zoroark @ Choice Specs
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spe / 4 SpD
Timid Nature
-Focus Blast
-Dark Pulse
-Flamethrower/Nasty Plot
-Sludge Bomb
To note: This can actually run Nasty Plot because you won't have the same item the whole battle
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spe / 4 SpD
Timid Nature
-Focus Blast
-Dark Pulse
-Flamethrower/Nasty Plot
-Sludge Bomb
To note: This can actually run Nasty Plot because you won't have the same item the whole battle
Heavy-Duty Boots:
I don't think i have to explain that, Boots are great on pretty much any Pokemon that doesn't rely on a single item, and this is no exception. Play this with pretty much any set you want but you should probably play it with a boosing option.
Assault Vest:
So uh i might be te only one to see potential for this item specifically, but it actually gets pretty useful when you consider the fact you can bluff being Choice Band with this, since there are some mons that can viably run both (like Melmetal). It also gets a great bulk on the special side with it.
Zoroark @ Assault Vest
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spe / 4 SpD
Jolly Nature
-Sucker Punch/Pursuit
-Knock Off
-Low Kick/Swords Dance
-U-Turn
To note: It is actually be possible to run SD on this because you don't keep your item during all the battle. And yes this is the Choice Band set.
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spe / 4 SpD
Jolly Nature
-Sucker Punch/Pursuit
-Knock Off
-Low Kick/Swords Dance
-U-Turn
To note: It is actually be possible to run SD on this because you don't keep your item during all the battle. And yes this is the Choice Band set.
Choice Scarf:
This allows it to go from a speed tier that larves it vulnerable to any form of revenge-kiling to a pretty great one. This item can be played with either the Choice Band st or Choice Specs set.
There are some other items i could mention, such as Focus Sash, Black Glasses or Fightinium-Z, but those are either too situational or fit on too few team styles to be on this list.
Conclusion: Also a highly versatile Pokemon, that can adaptate to a lot of situations and fit onto a lot of teams.
Mega Zoroark
New Ability: Illusion --> Trick Master (This Pokemon is always under the effects of Snatch: if another Pokemon (including an ally) attempts to use a beneficial status move, this Pokemon steals the move and uses the move itself instead of the move's original user.)
New Typing: Dark (unchanged)
New Stats:
HP: 60
ATK: 105 (--)
DEF: 60 --> 105 (+45)
SPA: 120 (--)
SPD: 60 --> 105 (+45)
SPE: 105 --> 115 (+10)
New Moves: Parting Shot, Haze, Slack Off
Desc: So I was brainstorming for Zoroark, trying to think of what the rudest possible thing to whip out as a surprise mid-turn from behind an Illusion would be. I dunno if I found it but I think I might've gotten pretty close :'D
Snatch is a very fun move that its just usually not worth spending a moveslot on in Singles and that game freak CUT from the GAME for some reason what is wRONG WITH YOU--, but as a passive effect it becomes a real hazard to play around. Zoroark will steal loads of effects, notably including most setup, most kinds of recovery, and screens! Its utility varies drastically depending on what your opponent is carrying, of course, but it should be an extension of sorts of what Zoroark already does -- just a bit more disruptively.
Mega Zoroark
New Ability: Illusion => Disguise
Type: Dark
New stats:
HP: 60
Attack: 125 (+20)
Defense: 85 (+25)
Special Attack: 125 (+5)
Special Defense: 85 (+25)
Speed: 130 (+25)
(BST)
New moves:
Description:
I'll be honest the main reason this is kind of underwhelming is due to the fact that it gets disguise meaning it can at least set up a swords dance or a nasty plot with the addition that it probably won't get KO'd when doing so. Now the biggest question is why does it get an increase to its bulk and the answer is I didn't want to make this thing be able to set up fairly well and have base 140 attacking stats. As for how Disguise would work with it, my dumb stupid idea is that it simply flips its mane of hair over so it looks like it's facing away from the opponent when in actuality it's not, thus using its fur to bait the opponent into thinking they have an advantage. Anyway when it's "busted" it simply flips its hair back over and you see a more vicious looking zoroark. You can say that minor damage that disguise has when it gets busted is due to the opponent getting stuck in its fur and it getting out causes it some minor pain like when someone pulls on your hair.
Mega-Zoroark
Ability : Psychic Surge
Stats : HP 60 / Atk 110 (+5) / Def 90 (+30) / SpA 135 (+15)/ SpD 90 (+30)/ Spe 125 (+20)
Type : Dark / Psychic
New Moves : Psychic Terrain, Misty Terrain
Description :
Zoroark, once he has taken an attack, becomes sensitive to priorities. Thanks to Psychic Surge and his increase in speed and special attack, he will have 5 turns to sweep the opposing team (and more). In addition, its bulk becomes better, which will allow it to use Nasty Plot safely.
Mega ZoroarkNew Ability: Cover Blown (If Illusion wore off before it Mega Evolves, its Attack and Sp. Atk are raised 1 stage. Only activates once.)
Type: Dark/Fire
New stats:
HP: 60
Attack: 135 (+30)
Defense: 75 (+15)
Special Attack: 150 (+30)
Special Defense: 75 (+15)
Speed: 115 (+10)
(620)
New moves: Psychic
Description: Late-game nightmare fodder, but pretty useless if forced out, outsped, or activated too early.
Mega ZoroarkNew Ability: Rogue's Bond (shoutouts to Quagsi for the ability name)
On switch-in this pokemon's secondary type becomes the same as the primary type of the last pokemon in the party,
all normal type moves on its moveset become of that type too. If its the last pokemon in the party this ability has no effect.
Type:
New stats:
HP: 60
Atk: 105 -> 120 (+15)
Def: 60 ->90 (+30)
SpA: 120
SpD: 60 -> 90 (+30)
Spe: 105 -> 130 (+25)
BST: 510 -> 610
New moves: Double Edge, Hyper Voice, Fake Out, Quick Attack, Parting Shot
Description: The fun part about Illusion is that it gives the player a way to use team order for a advantage, this ability preserves
and improves that interaction by making the effect directly translate into offensive coverage and defensive typing. Giving an extra
layer to teambuilding that is bound to be useful and interesting.
Ability: Mind Break (Upon mega evolution, the opponent will be cursed, with a 1.3x power boost to any offensive move used this turn. When the user switches in again, the effects of Illusion will be in place. If the user uses a Dark-type move with an illusion active, the illusion will immediately end, and the opponent will be inflicted with Curse. If the move is offensive, the move will have a 1.3x power boost.
HP: 60
Atk: 125 (+20)
Def: 65 (+5)
SpA: 135 (+15)
SpD: 85 (+25)
Spe: 140 (+35)
New Moves: Knock Off, Gunk Shot, Parting Shot
Reasoning:
Illusion is a fundamentally super cool, but in tandem with Mega Evolution, it's really strange, especially because the illusion breaks regardless of whether Illusion remains intact upon Mega Evolution. For this reason, I feel as though optimizing the deceptive aspects of Illusion can't really be done without drastically reworking the ability, and reworking Zoroark's identity as a whole. So, instead, if you can't beat it, turn it into a tool of destruction.
This idea essentially allows for Zoroark to weaponize its Illusion for wallbreaking purposes, with flavor to bat, overwhelming the opponent with Dark energy and breaking their mind with a curse. This amplified version of Illusion allows for Zoroark to minimize potential switch-ins, helping to get potential Dark-type switch-ins in range of a Sludge Bomb or Flamethrower. This lets Zoroark operate as a very interesting, one of a kind hit and run wallbreaker that uses its Illusion as a way to actually make progress as opposed to solely relying on mindgames, also even having access to neat options like Pursuit, Foul Play, and Sucker Punch to further take advantage of its ability, and actually make direct use of its Illusion.
Alternatively, it can use its great boosting options in Swords Dance, Calm Mind, and situationally Nasty Plot (since it somewhat conflicts with its ability, but this was an intentional design choice) to make its Mind Break-boosted attacks that much more dangerous, alongside a new Physical coverage option in Gunk Shot to deal with Fairy-type matchups. Parting Shot is the final addition, and while possibly not being an amazing choice, it does allow for Zoroark to plant a Curse onto opponents before swapping out to support a fellow wallbreaker or passive utility Pokemon.
Although it appears frustrating, it definitely has its weak points, such as poultry bulk which does not pair well with its Dark-type, unimpressive unboosted offenses, and a painful weakness to priority. It is also fairly easy to scout out too due to how sustaining any damage can make mind play difficult to pull off. Nonetheless, it is an interesting option that takes advantage of Illusion to make progress and wallbreak in a very one-of-a-kind way.
Granny, what big stats you have!
Mega Zoroark
New Ability: Fairy Tale Canine - Immune to Fairy moves; this Pokémon's Dark moves deal neutral damage to Fairy
Type: Dark
New stats:
HP: 60
Attack: 126 (+21)
Defense: 75 (+15)
Special Attack: 145 (+25)
Special Defense: 75 (+15)
Speed: 129 (+24)
(610)
Description: Here is where I'd talk about Mega Zoroark, but it seems all is left here is just Grandpa. Weird. Moving on...
Mega Zoroark
New Ability: Illusionist Instincts-This Ability copies The opponents Movepool/Typing/Ability but It keeps its Own Stats And Copies Stat Boost.
Type: Dark
New Stats:
Hp:60(Same Stat)
Attack:125
Defense:75
Sp.Attack:150
Sp.Defense:80
Speed:120
This Mega Zoroark is based on high Speed and SP.Attack Kinda Like Spect But dark type It Also Has High Attack If you want to run Swords Dance Zoroark. With this mega you can abuse Ghost types By turning into there typing then Using whatever ghost move they have.
I Might Come Up with more But This is it, thanks to BlueRays and VIZar Helping me.
I'm on thin ice
Mega Zoroark
Illusion-->Phantom Guard (this Pokemon takes 1/2 damage from direct attacks, but 2x indirect damage.)
New Stats: 60/160/60/160/60/110
HP: 60-->60 (+0)
Attack: 105-->160 (+55)
Defense: 60-->60 (+0)
Special Attack: 120-->160 (+40)
Special Defense: 60-->60 (+0)
Speed: 105-->110 (+5)
Total: 510-->610 (+100)
New Moves: no
Description: big props to Mossy Sandwich the goat
Mega Zoroark
Illusion-->Phantom Guard (this Pokemon takes 1/2 damage from direct attacks, but 2x indirect damage.)
New Stats: 60/160/60/160/60/110
HP: 60-->60 (+0)
Attack: 105-->160 (+55)
Defense: 60-->60 (+0)
Special Attack: 120-->160 (+40)
Special Defense: 60-->60 (+0)
Speed: 105-->110 (+5)
Total: 510-->610 (+100)
New Moves: no
Description: big props to Mossy Sandwich the goat
Mega zoroark:
Typing: Dark/Fire
Ability: Crafty illusions - Zoroark will switch its Typing and appearance before attacking or being attacked with the opposing pokemon whenever doing so would be beneficial (so to take less damage or deal more damage or avoid a status attack). This may only happen once per turn.
Example: If its attacked by a alola ninetales Blizzard, it would switch to alola ninetales typing and appearance. If it attacks the next turn with flamethrower and alola ninteales stays in, it would switch back to zoroark to have stab. If in the same turn, in which it changed back to zoroark and used flamethrower, alola nintales stays in and attacks back with bizzard, it wouldnt switch again to zoroark, since it already switched forms once in a turn.
HP: 60
Attack: 120 (+15)
Defense: 80 (+20)
Special Attack: 155 (+35)
Special Defense: 80 (+20)
Speed: 115 (+10)
Typing: Dark/Fire
Ability: Crafty illusions - Zoroark will switch its Typing and appearance before attacking or being attacked with the opposing pokemon whenever doing so would be beneficial (so to take less damage or deal more damage or avoid a status attack). This may only happen once per turn.
Example: If its attacked by a alola ninetales Blizzard, it would switch to alola ninetales typing and appearance. If it attacks the next turn with flamethrower and alola ninteales stays in, it would switch back to zoroark to have stab. If in the same turn, in which it changed back to zoroark and used flamethrower, alola nintales stays in and attacks back with bizzard, it wouldnt switch again to zoroark, since it already switched forms once in a turn.
HP: 60
Attack: 120 (+15)
Defense: 80 (+20)
Special Attack: 155 (+35)
Special Defense: 80 (+20)
Speed: 115 (+10)
New Typing: Dark/Fairy
Ability: Protean Prioritas (Changes type to match move and the type change has +3 priority, however it doesn't get STAB from any moves other than the original typing. )
Base stats:
Hp: 60
Attack: 120 (+15)
Defense: 95 (+35)
Sp. atk: 130 (+10)
Sp. Def: 85 (+25)
Speed: 120 (+15)
Move additions: Moonblast, play rough, psychic
Overview: Here we have one of the most terrifying JOATs (Jack Of All Trades). With a mixed glass cannon style play, it can run lots of different sets, ranging from fully special/physical 4 attacks set, which optimises its type changing abilities, or nasty plot/swords sets with huge amounts of power. The main thing is mega zoroark can do well vs most Pokemon and its tanking abilities are surprisingly high despite its stats because you can make it resist most things with its ability.
Mega Zoroark @ ZoroarkiteNew Ability: Complete Deception: This pokemon appears as a random pokemon in the party, excluding fainted pokemon and itself. Nothing can remove the illusion. This ability activates on switch-in.
Type: Dark/Psychic
New stats
HP: 60
Attack: 105 ->140 (+35)
Defense: 60 ->50 (-10)
Special Attack: 120 ->140 (+20)
Special Defense: 60 -> 90 (+30)
Speed: 105 ->125 (+25)
(BST) 510-> 610
New moves: Play Rough, Poison Jab, Psycho Cut
Description: Zoroark masters the art of illusion. Using psychic powers, it can keep it up indefenitely. However, this power to keep the illusion makes it very unpredictable, and it can't control which Pokemon the illusion shows.
Ability: Shadow Master: Normal Moves become Dark/Ghost moves like Flying press, and have their power multiplied by 1.1
Type:
New stats
HP: 60
Attack: 105
Defense: 60 -> 80 (+20)
Special Attack: 120 ->135 (+15)
Special Defense: 60 -> 95 (+35)
Speed: 105 ->145 (+30)
(BST) 510-> 610
New moves: None.
Description: I designed this as a destroyer of Dragapults and Spectriers, but um, their banned... It's still a good special sweeper?
Mega Zoroark @ Zoroarkite
New Ability: Open Seas (This Pokémon summons a Pool of Water that deals 1/10 damage to all Non-Water, Ghost, and Flying type Pokémon. Doesn‘t disappear until this Pokémon faints or is switched out)
Type: Dark/Water
New stats:
HP: 60
Attack: 105
Defense: 60 -> 90
Special Attack: 120 -> 140
Special Defense: 60 -> 90
Speed: 105 -> 125
(BST: 610)
New moves: Whirlpool, Hurricane, Surf, Haze, Calm Mind
Description: This thing is set to live hits a bit better while withering down the opponent to get an easy knock out. It now has better things to hit fighting Pokémon and to set up or to ruin other set up. It has whirlpool to give in more chip damage and toxic is just a sweet triple threat that would ruin anyone’s day
New Ability: Open Seas (This Pokémon summons a Pool of Water that deals 1/10 damage to all Non-Water, Ghost, and Flying type Pokémon. Doesn‘t disappear until this Pokémon faints or is switched out)
Type: Dark/Water
New stats:
HP: 60
Attack: 105
Defense: 60 -> 90
Special Attack: 120 -> 140
Special Defense: 60 -> 90
Speed: 105 -> 125
(BST: 610)
New moves: Whirlpool, Hurricane, Surf, Haze, Calm Mind
Description: This thing is set to live hits a bit better while withering down the opponent to get an easy knock out. It now has better things to hit fighting Pokémon and to set up or to ruin other set up. It has whirlpool to give in more chip damage and toxic is just a sweet triple threat that would ruin anyone’s day
Zoroark @ Zoroarkite
Modest Nature
Ability: Illusion (Mega: Open Seas)
EVs: 6 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
- Surf
- Night Daze
- Hurricane
- Nasty Plot
Modest Nature
Ability: Illusion (Mega: Open Seas)
EVs: 6 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
- Surf
- Night Daze
- Hurricane
- Nasty Plot
Zoroark @ Zoroarkite
Bold Nature
Ability: Illusion (Mega: Open Seas)
EVs: 6 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpD
- Whirlpool
- Night Daze
- Haze
- Detect
Bold Nature
Ability: Illusion (Mega: Open Seas)
EVs: 6 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpD
- Whirlpool
- Night Daze
- Haze
- Detect
Zoroark-mega @ Zoroarkite
Type: Dark
Ability: Voodoo (This pokemon appears as the last pokemon in your party until that pokemon faints. If that pokemon faints, this pokemon's ability becomes Shattered. Copies %hp remaining so if last pokemon is at 100% hp, Zoroark will be at 100% as well when it comes in. Copies status condition, if last mon is severely poisoned, so is Zoroark. Takes hazard damage that pokemon's typing would take.
Shattered (this pokemon loses 45% hp at the beginning of each turn)
HP: 60
Atk: 105 -> 150 (+45)
Def: 60 -> 70 (+10)
SpA: 120 -> 145 (+25)
SpD: 60 -> 70 (+10)
Spe: 105 -> 115 (+10)
BST: 510 -> 610
New Moves: Fiery Dance, Psychic
Dex Entry: The energy concentrated in its hair has caused it to emit an ominous aura and grow to cover most of its body. It's illusion capabilities are improved to an uncanny degree.
Notes: While its ability allows it to heal and possibly remove a condition it is very fragile. It's base 60 HP comboed with its base 70 defenses make it unlikely to switch in on any attack, likely to be OHKO'd. It being this fragile could make one want to invest more defensively instead of offensively. While not switching in the last most may be a strategy, doing so could potentially make the the fight a 5v6. It's speed is barely improved to keep it in line with other megas and not let it become to overwhelming offensively. Its pure dark typing makes most hits it takes neutral or super effective.
Edit: yikes, I put two of the Ninetales in the Zoroark section without noticing! huge thanks to PalpitoadChamp for pointing that out!!
The sub compilation continues with Mega Delphox at the top of the next page (the post linked here)!
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Mega Delphox
Mega Delphox
Ability - Blaze; Magician ➝ As Prophecised (This ability only triggers once per game. Whenever the user would take direct damage from a move, instead the user switches out, and the incoming Pokémon takes no damage. If there are no other Pokémon in the user's party, the trigger fails, and the user takes damage as normal.)
HP - 75 ➝ 75
Atk - 69 ➝ 78 (+9)
Def - 72 ➝ 91 (+19)
SpA - 114 ➝ 143 (+29)
SpD - 100 ➝ 130 (+30)
Spe - 104 ➝ 117 (+13)
BST - 534➝ 634 (+100)
Movepoll Changes - Teleport
Competitive Corner - Having a "Get Out of Jail Free card" every game can be a very strong effect, and gives Mega Delphox an irrefutable edge, however, it still falls prey to hazard damage, and lacks the appeal that other Megas might bring to the table. A team equipped to remove hazards for Delphox, and able to support its offensive capabilities, can make it a great choice for a Mega evolution!
Flavor Corner - Delphox is inspired on japanese witches, that often have foxen as their familiars, but it also draws inspiration from the oracles of greek mythology, one of which gives Delphox its name, the "Delphic Oracle"! With that in mind, I decided to draw another parallel with greek mythology, and allude to the Teumessian Fox, which is destined never to be caught (definitely read more on its backstory here)! In a similar way, Delphox can use its prophetic abilities never to be caught, and avoid one attack each game with "As Prophecised"!
Ability - Blaze; Magician ➝ As Prophecised (This ability only triggers once per game. Whenever the user would take direct damage from a move, instead the user switches out, and the incoming Pokémon takes no damage. If there are no other Pokémon in the user's party, the trigger fails, and the user takes damage as normal.)
HP - 75 ➝ 75
Atk - 69 ➝ 78 (+9)
Def - 72 ➝ 91 (+19)
SpA - 114 ➝ 143 (+29)
SpD - 100 ➝ 130 (+30)
Spe - 104 ➝ 117 (+13)
BST - 534➝ 634 (+100)
Movepoll Changes - Teleport
Competitive Corner - Having a "Get Out of Jail Free card" every game can be a very strong effect, and gives Mega Delphox an irrefutable edge, however, it still falls prey to hazard damage, and lacks the appeal that other Megas might bring to the table. A team equipped to remove hazards for Delphox, and able to support its offensive capabilities, can make it a great choice for a Mega evolution!
Flavor Corner - Delphox is inspired on japanese witches, that often have foxen as their familiars, but it also draws inspiration from the oracles of greek mythology, one of which gives Delphox its name, the "Delphic Oracle"! With that in mind, I decided to draw another parallel with greek mythology, and allude to the Teumessian Fox, which is destined never to be caught (definitely read more on its backstory here)! In a similar way, Delphox can use its prophetic abilities never to be caught, and avoid one attack each game with "As Prophecised"!
Mega Delphox
Type: Fire/Psychic
Ability: Psychic Surge
Stats:
- HP: 75 (+0)
- Attack: 99 (+30)
- Defense: 102 (+30)
- Special Attack: 124 (+10)
- Special Defense: 130 (+30)
- Speed: 104 (+0)
The power of Mega Evolution greatly increased the psychic energy inside of Delphox's wand, to the point where it broke, creating a massive surge of psychic energy across the battlefield.
Introducing Indeedee 2.0: It's Much Better This Time, And Also Part Fire Type! I do have some concerns about Expanding Force on this thing, though, so if you guys could tell me if that's the case, I'd greatly appreciate it.
Mega DelphoxNew Ability: Magic Rune. When attacked by a special move, a 'rune' of the move's type absorbs 25% of the damage. As long as the rune is active, the user has an '-ate' effect on its Normal type moves corresponding to the rune type. The rune disappears when switching out.
Type: Fire/Psychic
New stats:
HP: 75
Attack: 69
Defense: 72
Special Attack: 114 -> 154 (+40)
Special Defense: 100 -> 130 (+30)
Speed: 104 -> 124 (+20)
(BST)
New moves: Tri-Attack, Hyper Voice, Parting Shot
Description: So, courtesy of best FF7 charracter Celes, we have a rune knight, which, if you don't know, is a magic class with the ability to absorb magic with its weapon (for Delphox, that's its wand). Absorbing the spell lets it unleash it later, which is how the ability works. I gave it Tri-Attack because it fits with the magic theme (which side-effect will you get!) and so it can use the -ate effect with a special move. Added Hyper Voice in case you're
Mega DelphoxNew Ability: Wand Vision - User's Psychic-type moves bypass immunity checks, whether by typing or by ability.
Type: Fire/Psychic
New stats:
HP: 75 -> 75
Attack: 69 -> 79 (+10)
Defense: 72 -> 92 (+20)
Special Attack: 114 -> 154 (+40)
Special Defense: 100 -> 100
Speed: 104 -> 134 (+30)
BST: 534 -> 634
New moves: Scorching Sands
Description: Delphox gains Wand Vision upon Mega Evolution which makes its Psychic STAB moves much more spammable. Being able to hit Dark-types with its STAB allows it to forgo running Dazzling Gleam in favor of another coverage move or a support move. Scorching Sands allows it to hit and get past Heatran. Mega Delphox's stats are patterned similar to Mewtwo, the original Uber and a fellow Psychic-type.
Mega Delphox
Fire/Psychic
Ability: Clairvoyant Eye (When in Magic Room, Trick Room, Wonder Room this pokemon's special attack is multiplied by 2x)
Hp: 75
Att: 99 (+30)
Def: 102 (+30)
Spec Att: 124 (+10)
Spec Def: 130 (+30)
Sped: 104
New Moves: Reflect, Parting Shot
Description: I was looking around in Delphox's moveset and found the Room moves and decided to base an ability around them. This pokemon becomes a threatening pokemon in any room, with Magic Room crippling the opponent's item since mega stones aren't affected by it, Trick Room for getting rid of faster threats, and Wonder Room making it physically more bulky (if you want, wonder room isn't all to useful.)
Delphox-Mega
Fire/Psychic
Blaze/Magician-> Psychic Coat (User takes 1/2 damage from non-contact moves, but 2x damage from Water attacks).
Stats
HP: 75
Atk: 69-> 79 (+10)
Def: 72-> 92 (+20)
SpA: 114-> 139 (+25)
SpD: 100-> 130 (+30)
Spe: 104-> 119 (+15)
New Moves: +Burning Jealousy, Expanding Force
Description: Delphox's enhanced mystic powers create a psychic coat that allows it to take non-contact moves easier, serving as the counterpart to Fluffy. However, the ability does make it weaker to water since a) fur + water is usually not a good mix and b) it's a witch (I assume you whippersnappers have seen Wizard of Oz). This allows Delphox to serve as a potent cleaner with CM, backed by a decent offensive STAB combo and solid coverage options like Grass Knot and Dazzling Gleam, fast and powerful but with a very obvious weakness to keep it in check.
Pokemon: Mega Delphox
Type:
Stats: 60 / 79 (+10) / 82 (+10) / 174 (+60) / 110 (+10) / 114 (+10) (634 BST)
Ability: Witch's Spell: This Pokemon's moves with secondary effects have that secondary effect's chance replaced with the chance to transform the foe's item into a random new one with the exception of Mega Stones, Z-Crystals or other form-changing items
New Moves: +Branch Poke, Energy Ball, Nuzzle
Description: Mega Mismagius but for items. Unlike Mega Zoroark where I could not figure out a way to get it to use Night Daze no matter how hard I tried, this sub actually gives Delphox a reason to run Mystical Fire as with its 100% SpA lowering chance being replaced it's basically a pseudo-fire Knock Off on this.
Mega Delphox - Fire/Psychic
Ability: Magic Guard
New Stats
HP: 75
Attack: 69 > 89 (+20)
Defense: 72 > 112 (+40)
Spatk: 114 > 144 (+30)
Spdef: 100 > 130 (+30)
Speed: 104 > 84 (-20)
BST: 534 > 634
New Moves: Teleport, Parting Shot, Court Change, Moonlight
And finally we have Delphox! Designed to be a supportive mon with an offensive presence, this thing should be able to fit almost any hole you need, and Magic Guard negates it's rock weakness so it can pivot freely
Ability: Magic Guard
New Stats
HP: 75
Attack: 69 > 89 (+20)
Defense: 72 > 112 (+40)
Spatk: 114 > 144 (+30)
Spdef: 100 > 130 (+30)
Speed: 104 > 84 (-20)
BST: 534 > 634
New Moves: Teleport, Parting Shot, Court Change, Moonlight
And finally we have Delphox! Designed to be a supportive mon with an offensive presence, this thing should be able to fit almost any hole you need, and Magic Guard negates it's rock weakness so it can pivot freely
Type: Fire/Psychic
Ability: Witchcraft (This Pokemon's Fire and Psychic-type moves each have a 30% chance to burn the target. Negates pre-existing side-effects.)
Stats:
Health: 75
Attack: 69 (nice)
Defense: 92 (+20)
Special Attack: 154 (+40)
Special Defense: 120 (+20)
Speed: 124 (+20)
New moves: Parting Shot (please don't kill me Hema I did it), Moonblast, Nasty Plot
Flavor reasoning:
From Pokemon Y and Alpha Sapphire: Using psychic power, it generates a fiery vortex of 5,400 degree Fahrenheit, incinerating foes swept into this whirl of flame.
There's no way a vortex like that would not have a chance of burning the targets trapped in it, right?
Competitive reasoning:
Behold, the vulpine sorcerer whose powers can rival even mankind's most powerful creation (at least, until that motherfucker mega evolves too).
With a really strong ability in Witchcraft, Pursuit trappers need to watch their step carefully to avoid unnecessary burns or even potential KOs. With Nasty Plot (a move Delphox deserved to have from the beginning NGL), Delphox-Mega is able to crank up its already insane 154 base SPA to skyrocketing levels. Parting Shot probably breaks this Pokemon, giving it a free pivot into things it can't break, like Dhelmise-Mega and Latias-Mega.
At the moment, I'm primarily concerned about giving Delphox-Mega Moonblast, as that move gives it extra coverage against Dark-types and the aforementioned Latias-Mega. If possible, Hema, if you're reading this can we add this to the sandbox please?
Obviously, Delphox-Mega is easily revengeable, with its base 124 speed getting nae nae'd on by base 125 mons and whatnot. It's defense is also pretty lacking, so if you can tank a hit (without getting burned), Delphox is almost guaranteed to be screwed.
Sample set:
what does it say (Delphox) @ Delphox mega stone
Ability: Blaze
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Nasty Plot
- Flamethrower
- Psyshock
- Moonblast
...I am honestly starting to doubt my own credentials in making new Megas.
Mega Delphox
New Ability: Vortex of Visions (When this Pokemon uses Mystical Fire, the opponent is afflicted with the status "Vortex of Visions" (more information below). If a Pokemon has this ability, Mystical Fire has its Base Power increased to 90.
At the end of every turn, the opponent's Special Attack and Special Defense is reduced by 1 stage. This Pokemon cannot retreat when afflicted by this status unless it uses a self-switching move or the opponent uses a phasing move on it.
New stats:
HP: 72
Attack: 99 (+30)
Defense: 72
Special Attack: 144 (+30)
Special Defense: 140 (+40)
Speed: 104
(BST: 634 (+100))
New moves: Let’s not make this too powerful, shall we?
Description:
Competitive:
Massive Special Attack and Special Defense makes for a steamroller of a Pokemon. Combined with good Speed and an ability that’s capitalizes on that and you’ve got an absolute beast. It also has good coverage in Dazzling Gleam and dual STAB. Unfortunately, it’s reliance on Solar Beam to cover its common weaknesses and frail physical defenses forces it to rely on team support to reliably function.
Thought process behind it’s creation:
So I originally wanted to create a Pokemon similar to Ash-Greninja (like, seriously GameFreak, be consistent in creating Pokemon! Where is Serena-Delphox and Clemont-Chesnaught?) but had doubts about its potential brokenness. Nevertheless, the stat boosts are similar to Ash-Greninja, with +50 to its Special stats (since Delphox is specially-oriented, unlike Ash-Greninja’s mixed orientation) while also adding +10 to its Speed (like Greninja). I wanted to give it an ability that would mimic Choice Specs (since that’s the most commonly run item on Ash-Greninja) but a Gorrila Tactics clone would definitely not be a good choice. I next tried to take it in a different direction, one that relies on its Speed to score KOes, but after consulting with other people, the ability appeared to be too powerful. This current rendition plays with its signature move (which got redistributed >:(), akin to how Battle Bond buffs Water Shuriken.
Lore:
“Mega evolution unlocks Delphox’s hidden Psychic mastery, allowing it far greater control and power of its Psychic-type moves, and can predict the future to a startlingly accurate degree. It’s ravenous and bloody temperament on the battlefield is frightening.”
(Credits to BitBitio (for pointing out to me it’s brokenness! I have nerfed it accordingly :)) and DrPumpkinz )
New Ability: Magic Trick (Summons Magic Room for 5 Turns)
Type:
New Stats:
HP: 75 => 75 (+0)
Atk: 69 => 109 (+40)
Def: 72 => 82 (+10)
SpA: 114 => 124 (+10)
SpD: 100 => 120 (+20)
Spe: 104 => 124 (+20)
BST: 534 => 634
New moves: Hex
Description: "Why you gotta be so rude?"
Negating items goes a long way. You can ignore the speed of choice scarfed and also the recovery of leftovers and black sludge. Getting rid of Assault Vest, Heavy-Duty-Boots and Rocky Helmet is no joke either. The drawback of this is that your own items get negated as well, which is admittedly bad, but it can be helpful to ignore Life Orb recoil or being choice locked.
Calm Mind Set-up
Delphox @ Delphoxite
Ability: Magic Trick
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Shadow Ball
- Fire Blast
- Dazzling Gleam
- Calm Mind
Delphox @ Delphoxite
Ability: Magic Trick
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Shadow Ball
- Fire Blast
- Dazzling Gleam
- Calm Mind
Mega DelphoxType:
Ability: Kiln (This pokemon burns pokemon that attempt to switch out while it's on the field not on the turn it's switching in)
New Stats:
HP: 75 => 75 (+0)
Atk: 69 => 80 (+11)
Def: 72 => 112 (+40)
SpA: 114 => 140 (+26)
SpD: 100 => 123 (+23)
Spe: 104 => 104
BST: 534 => 634
Flavor: Mega Delphox's stick twists and grows, the red fur in its ears turn into lava and ooze out of its ears, seeping to the ground. Her eyes hollow out the irises become white. Mega Delphox, despite its eerie nature, just wants to hug things. Unfortunately, it usually burns them to a crisp.
Description: Behold, a cool pokemon! A kiln is something that hardens pottery I think, and I thought that it would be a cool take on Delphox to have it burn things severely. Delphox has wish, and this helps it capitalize on its access to the dank move by shutting down physical attackers with its ability, and special attackers with mystical fire. It still has pretty severe weaknesses - like an awkwardly balanced stat spread - and it gets shut down by some of the most common attacking types in the game being water, ground, and dark. With that being said, with proper team support, I can see this thing burning down teams ;). I don't really expect this to win, haven't participated in one of these for a while and I'm rusty. Nonetheless...enjoy!
Mega Delphox
Type:
/
Ability: Blaze/Magician --> Immolation (Fire type moves used by this pokemon restore 50% of the damage dealt. Residual damage caused by fire-type attacks restore 100% of the damage dealt.)
Stats:
HP: 75
Attack: 69 -> 69 (+0)
Defense: 72 -> 100 (+28)
SpAtk: 114 -> 152 (+38)
SpDef: 100 -> 120 (+20)
Speed: 104 -> 118 (+14)
New Moves: Expanding Force, Earth Power, Tri Attack, Taunt
Description: So. Delphox doesn't have a lot of entries, but its Y entry states:
I mean like, this thing burns everything with magical fire using its psychic powers. Immolation is an act of sacrificial through fire and sacrificing can sometimes be spiritual. If a god is receiving someone through sacrifice there's gotta be some type of shenanigans going on right? Is it just me?am I ignorant? Anyway delphox does a lot with magic and flames. Immolation is a lot of flames and not specifically magic is involved but yeah. So why does the ability "Immolation" restore health? because you sacrifice the target to yourself to regain strength. Competitively delphox can sort of stall with its fire attacks. Will-O-Wisp and Fire Spin act as fire type leech seeds for delphox so you could stack them together to recover more health. With earth power and or hidden power delphox can counter ground types, fire types or basically anything that stands in its way. This also gives it more coverage for a specs move-set. It also gets expanding force now, how lovely.
Type:
Ability: Blaze/Magician --> Immolation (Fire type moves used by this pokemon restore 50% of the damage dealt. Residual damage caused by fire-type attacks restore 100% of the damage dealt.)
Stats:
HP: 75
Attack: 69 -> 69 (+0)
Defense: 72 -> 100 (+28)
SpAtk: 114 -> 152 (+38)
SpDef: 100 -> 120 (+20)
Speed: 104 -> 118 (+14)
New Moves: Expanding Force, Earth Power, Tri Attack, Taunt
Description: So. Delphox doesn't have a lot of entries, but its Y entry states:
I mean like, this thing burns everything with magical fire using its psychic powers. Immolation is an act of sacrificial through fire and sacrificing can sometimes be spiritual. If a god is receiving someone through sacrifice there's gotta be some type of shenanigans going on right? Is it just me?
Delphox-Mega
Type: Fire/Psychic
Ability: Prophet's Wand
Mega Delphox imbues it's wand with magic received by the Oracles, and embraces nature's whisdom.
Delphox's wand will gather evil energy directed to her or allies and purify it to use against it's agressor.
This pokemon draws in and absorbs dark-type moves. The attacker will have it's speed, attack and special attack lowered by 1 stage. Immunity to Dark-type moves.
New moves: Aura Sphere, Expanding Force, Discharge, Burning Jealousy
Stats
HP: 75
ATK: 69 (-)
DEF: 94 (+22)
SPA: 148 (+34)
SPD: 132 (+32)
SPE: 116 (+12)
Delphox is based, among other things, in the Delphic Oracle, dedicated to Apollo (God of the sun and prophets, greek/roman mythology).
If your team struggles with dark types, or you just want to avoid annoying knock offs, call Mega Delphox. It can even use the oportunity to set up, since the enemy is debilitated by the stat drops!
Type: Fire/Psychic
Ability: Prophet's Wand
Mega Delphox imbues it's wand with magic received by the Oracles, and embraces nature's whisdom.
Delphox's wand will gather evil energy directed to her or allies and purify it to use against it's agressor.
This pokemon draws in and absorbs dark-type moves. The attacker will have it's speed, attack and special attack lowered by 1 stage. Immunity to Dark-type moves.
New moves: Aura Sphere, Expanding Force, Discharge, Burning Jealousy
Stats
HP: 75
ATK: 69 (-)
DEF: 94 (+22)
SPA: 148 (+34)
SPD: 132 (+32)
SPE: 116 (+12)
Delphox is based, among other things, in the Delphic Oracle, dedicated to Apollo (God of the sun and prophets, greek/roman mythology).
If your team struggles with dark types, or you just want to avoid annoying knock offs, call Mega Delphox. It can even use the oportunity to set up, since the enemy is debilitated by the stat drops!
fire/psychic
stats
hp- 75
atk- 69
def- 72(+20)>92
spa- 114(+33)>147
spd- 100(+30)>130
spe- 104(+17)>121
ability: Magical Focus- on switch in/mega evolving, accuracy is increased by 1.5 until hit with a physical move
new moves: expanding force, moonblast, disable, inferno
Mega Delphox
Type: Fire/Psychic ---> Fire/Psychic
Ability: Blaze / Magician ---> Foreseeing Flames | Fire-type moves have +1 priority and x0.75 power (if they have a base power)
HP: 79
Atk: 69 ---> 69
Def: 72 ---> 92 (+20)
SpA: 114 ---> 159 (+45)
SpD: 100 ---> 135 (+35)
Spe: 104 ---> 104
Movepool Additions: Recover
Description: Delphox's Pokedex entry talks about it being be able to see the future with its flames, so I gave it priority moves. It can be a revenge killer, sweeper, or mess around with priority Wisp.
Pokemon: Mega Delphox
New Ability: Wizard (This Pokémon's special moves deal 1.3 more damage.)
Type: Fire/Pyshic
New stats:
HP:75
Attack: 69
Defense: 92(+20
Special Attack: 134(+30)
Special Defense: 150(+50)
Speed: 104
(BST) 634
New moves: Ice Beam, Thunderbolt
Description: The premise is simple:
Delphox used to be a magican that could do mediocore magic , but then mega evolves into a wizard that can dish out powerful special attacks using its psychic powers! I added ice beam and thunderbolt because wizards use spells and ice beam and thunder bolt are both spells that I could see a wizard using. I gave it spatk and spdef for obvious reasons, and defense for the leftover because
. Its ability makes it a very threatening wall breaker with good speed and high special attack. It TONKS on the special side, but its weak to physical attacks. This makes it very susceptible to scarfers and faster pokemon in general. Overall, I think mega delphox will find its niche as a solid special wall breaker that doesn't give a crap about pex or something else I forgot after I accidently deleted it lol.
New Ability: Wizard (This Pokémon's special moves deal 1.3 more damage.)
Type: Fire/Pyshic
New stats:
HP:75
Attack: 69
Defense: 92(+20
Special Attack: 134(+30)
Special Defense: 150(+50)
Speed: 104
(BST) 634
New moves: Ice Beam, Thunderbolt
Description: The premise is simple:
Delphox used to be a magican that could do mediocore magic , but then mega evolves into a wizard that can dish out powerful special attacks using its psychic powers! I added ice beam and thunderbolt because wizards use spells and ice beam and thunder bolt are both spells that I could see a wizard using. I gave it spatk and spdef for obvious reasons, and defense for the leftover because
. Its ability makes it a very threatening wall breaker with good speed and high special attack. It TONKS on the special side, but its weak to physical attacks. This makes it very susceptible to scarfers and faster pokemon in general. Overall, I think mega delphox will find its niche as a solid special wall breaker that doesn't give a crap about pex or something else I forgot after I accidently deleted it lol.Mega Delphox
New Ability: Lingering Embers: If this Pokemon uses a move that has a chance to burn, it will always burn, but the move will only be at 40% of its normal base power. If the target already has a status condition, the effect will not activate.
Type: Fire/Ghost
New stats:
HP: 75
Attack: 89(+20)
Defense: 82(+10)
Special Attack: 144(+30)
Special Defense: 125(+25)
Speed: 119(+15)
(634 BST)
New moves: Dark Pulse, Hex, Dazzling Gleam
Description: WIP
Delphox-MegaType:
New Ability: Witch Hunter - This pokémon's own Dark attacks do 50% more damage if hit by one Dark move; this pokémon is immune to Dark moves.
New Stats:
HP: 75 => 75 (+00)
Atk: 69 => 80 (+11)
Def: 72 => 100 (+28)
SpA: 114 => 140 (+26)
SpD: 100 => 115 (+15)
Spe: 104 => 124 (+20)
(BST: 534 => 634)
Movepool Additions: Dark Pulse, Knock Off, Recover, Torment
Description: "Mega Evolution warps Delphox's visions of the future, causing it to see only bad omens and obsessively hunt those it sees as evil."
I ultimately decided to go with a darker interpretation of Delphox's visions of the future that point in a similar direction to Gothitelle's apparent Pokédex entries yet still go in a different path. Whereas Gothitelle-Mega becomes a big wall that gets to just passively smack you with a Steel version of the future (a.k.a. Doom Desire) after becoming Steel itself, Delphox-Mega ends up staring into the abyss a bit too much as it more actively destroys the Dark type mons that used to plague its regular form. It does this while staying Fire/Psychic and getting to negate one of its five weaknesses instead of just doing away with the Dark resistance it would have gained anyway if it had become Fire/Dark (while also trading Ghost weakness for an arguably more detrimental weakness to Fighting).
This direction was the one I settled on in part because the "wand" that Delphox holds has always instead reminded me more of the typical torch that various horrible mobs throughout history and in movies have been depicted welding and using to inflict harm on those they were persecuting or attempting to persecute. So Delphox-Mega basically ended up becoming an even more cynical version of Witch Hunter Robin, perhaps even taking visual cues from that series or other religious inquisitors throughout history, fictional or otherwise. Maybe it would even get away with a magician-like or witch-like hat for maximum hypocrisy as far as visual design goes.
As far as actual mechanics go, as stated above, Witch Hunter (the ability) negates one of Delphox's five weaknesses, leaving it weak to "only" Water, Ground, Rock, and Ghost. Beyond eliminating the Dark weakness outright, Witch Hunter provides quite a few unique benefits. Chief among them is a most unique aspect: through Witch Hunter, Delphox-Mega becomes the only pokémon in the entire game outright immune to Knock Off.
Yes, Megas already are "immune" to the highly spammable move that is Knock Off, but they still take damage, especially if they're weak to Dark. The same goes for mons with Justified. With Witch Hunter, Delphox-Mega would be the sole exemption to Knock Off doing any damage or having any effect, meaning it would provide its teammates with a solid switch-in to that move if the opponent wishes to be careless about using it given how riskless it generally is to throw out Knock Off otherwise. That's pretty huge by itself even if Witch Hunter did literally nothing else.
Witch Hunter does do other things, however, in addition to spiting Knock Off and spitting in its face. It prevents Delphox-Mega from being revenged by Pursuit or Sucker Punch, gives it a pseudo-version of Aroma Veil by making it immune to both Taunt and Torment, blocks Parting Shot, and gives it pseudo-STAB on the new Dark moves it now gets, among a few other uses still. Being immune to Taunt is arguably the most important of these other aspects now that Delphox gets Recover in addition to having access to Calm Mind, especially since Fire, Psychic, and Dark is actually good coverage without being overwhelmingly good. The lack of overwhelming power or Attack is why I feel comfortable enough to give it something as frankly stupid as Knock Off currently is, much less Dark Pulse off its much higher Special Attack. The same reasoning goes for being part why this didn't become Fire/Dark even though that would arguably justify, pun not intended, Witch Hunter as an ability more: I didn't want Delphox-Mega to have actual STAB on Dark in addition to also getting 150% damage on Dark type attacks anytime time it switched into one. We all know how overpowering Adaptability can be after all.
It's certainly not all good omens for Delphox-Mega with Witch Hunter though. First and foremost is that it's still weak to all hazards and non-Burn status, especially Stealth Rock, due to being a Fire type that can't wear Heavy Duty Boots. So while it would get the benefit of becoming the best Knock Off switch-in in the game, it can only come in so many times even if guesses right all those times, at least without having to use Recover. Additionally, due to not being Fire/Dark, it doesn't get as much out of Dark moves normally as it would otherwise, especially if Witch Hunter isn't activated; the same goes for using Knock Off with such middling Attack. Having to use non-STAB Dark attacks to get offensive usage out of its ability isn't great, especially when it somewhat already has 4MSS between wanting set-up in Calm Mind and its new Recover move as well as other utility moves, including possibly its new Torment move--there largely for flavor (over both Taunt and Nasty Plot). Additionally, going with Fire/Psychic/Dark as its coverage means it effectively walls itself, especially with a Calm Mind set, since whatever Delphox-Mega crits the other first effectively wins that war--somewhat fitting given its flavor. Finally, it doesn't play as nicely as other Psychics might on a team trying to exploit Psychic Surge given it also lacks Expanding Force, but that's the least concern of this design, especially since there's already so many other abusers of Psychic Terrain would still be better than it at that.
This direction was the one I settled on in part because the "wand" that Delphox holds has always instead reminded me more of the typical torch that various horrible mobs throughout history and in movies have been depicted welding and using to inflict harm on those they were persecuting or attempting to persecute. So Delphox-Mega basically ended up becoming an even more cynical version of Witch Hunter Robin, perhaps even taking visual cues from that series or other religious inquisitors throughout history, fictional or otherwise. Maybe it would even get away with a magician-like or witch-like hat for maximum hypocrisy as far as visual design goes.
As far as actual mechanics go, as stated above, Witch Hunter (the ability) negates one of Delphox's five weaknesses, leaving it weak to "only" Water, Ground, Rock, and Ghost. Beyond eliminating the Dark weakness outright, Witch Hunter provides quite a few unique benefits. Chief among them is a most unique aspect: through Witch Hunter, Delphox-Mega becomes the only pokémon in the entire game outright immune to Knock Off.
Yes, Megas already are "immune" to the highly spammable move that is Knock Off, but they still take damage, especially if they're weak to Dark. The same goes for mons with Justified. With Witch Hunter, Delphox-Mega would be the sole exemption to Knock Off doing any damage or having any effect, meaning it would provide its teammates with a solid switch-in to that move if the opponent wishes to be careless about using it given how riskless it generally is to throw out Knock Off otherwise. That's pretty huge by itself even if Witch Hunter did literally nothing else.
Witch Hunter does do other things, however, in addition to spiting Knock Off and spitting in its face. It prevents Delphox-Mega from being revenged by Pursuit or Sucker Punch, gives it a pseudo-version of Aroma Veil by making it immune to both Taunt and Torment, blocks Parting Shot, and gives it pseudo-STAB on the new Dark moves it now gets, among a few other uses still. Being immune to Taunt is arguably the most important of these other aspects now that Delphox gets Recover in addition to having access to Calm Mind, especially since Fire, Psychic, and Dark is actually good coverage without being overwhelmingly good. The lack of overwhelming power or Attack is why I feel comfortable enough to give it something as frankly stupid as Knock Off currently is, much less Dark Pulse off its much higher Special Attack. The same reasoning goes for being part why this didn't become Fire/Dark even though that would arguably justify, pun not intended, Witch Hunter as an ability more: I didn't want Delphox-Mega to have actual STAB on Dark in addition to also getting 150% damage on Dark type attacks anytime time it switched into one. We all know how overpowering Adaptability can be after all.
It's certainly not all good omens for Delphox-Mega with Witch Hunter though. First and foremost is that it's still weak to all hazards and non-Burn status, especially Stealth Rock, due to being a Fire type that can't wear Heavy Duty Boots. So while it would get the benefit of becoming the best Knock Off switch-in in the game, it can only come in so many times even if guesses right all those times, at least without having to use Recover. Additionally, due to not being Fire/Dark, it doesn't get as much out of Dark moves normally as it would otherwise, especially if Witch Hunter isn't activated; the same goes for using Knock Off with such middling Attack. Having to use non-STAB Dark attacks to get offensive usage out of its ability isn't great, especially when it somewhat already has 4MSS between wanting set-up in Calm Mind and its new Recover move as well as other utility moves, including possibly its new Torment move--there largely for flavor (over both Taunt and Nasty Plot). Additionally, going with Fire/Psychic/Dark as its coverage means it effectively walls itself, especially with a Calm Mind set, since whatever Delphox-Mega crits the other first effectively wins that war--somewhat fitting given its flavor. Finally, it doesn't play as nicely as other Psychics might on a team trying to exploit Psychic Surge given it also lacks Expanding Force, but that's the least concern of this design, especially since there's already so many other abusers of Psychic Terrain would still be better than it at that.
MEGA DELPHOX:
NEW Ability: Tangling hair
HP: 75
ATTACK: 119 (+60)
DEF: 92 (+20)
SPA: 114
SPDEF: 120 (+20)
SPEED: 104
MOVEPOOL: V-CREATE
SUMMARY: made to reverse the roles, power up punch delphox can be a beast but a limited movepool holds it back.
INSPIRAITON: the ability is obvious and v creat would make sense if its hair was v shaped.
Hope you guys liked it. Im not really good at balancing so just tell me if its op
NEW Ability: Tangling hair
HP: 75
ATTACK: 119 (+60)
DEF: 92 (+20)
SPA: 114
SPDEF: 120 (+20)
SPEED: 104
MOVEPOOL: V-CREATE
SUMMARY: made to reverse the roles, power up punch delphox can be a beast but a limited movepool holds it back.
INSPIRAITON: the ability is obvious and v creat would make sense if its hair was v shaped.
Hope you guys liked it. Im not really good at balancing so just tell me if its op
Mega DelphoxNew Ability: Blaze/Magician -> Psychic Overload
(During Psychic terrain, the users SpA is multiplied by 1.5, but it loses 1/8 HP at the end of every turn)
Type: Fire/Psychic
New stats:
HP: 75
Attack: 69 -> 139 (+70)
Defense: 72 -> 77 (+5)
Special Attack: 114
Special Defense: 100 -> 125 (+25)
Speed: 104
(630 BST)
New moves: Expanding Force, Psychic Fangs, Sacred Fire, Play Rough
Description: This Delphox is made to abuse Psychic Terrain, with the help of the EXTREMELY strong Expanding Force, and it can even pack a punch outside of terrain, using its good attack stat due to the movepool additions. However, in psychic terrain, the Delphox user has nuclear special attack, and with an pretty decent speed tier and good special bulk, Delphox-M is an absolute monster
Mega Delphox
Ability: celestial orbit: future sight and doom desire hit at 1 turn, and at 3 turns.(power is 80)
Wish: heals 33% 1 turn after, and heals 33% another turn.
(Credit to the insurgence dev team for base idea)
Also, you can have wish at the same time as a future sight, and vice versa with other moves.
New moves: doom desire, teleport, thunderbolt(no tbolt if u want)
If you want the original idea, go here: Periodic Orbit (Ability) - The Pokemon Insurgence Wiki (p-insurgence.com)
Reason: i really love delphox. i know, it is the most hated on starter, but come on! its fur, not hair! it has a great shiny! it has a lot of design quirks, including its fire symbols that are beautiful scarlet, and its fenekinn like traits on its face, like the eyes. it can see into the future, which is cool, and it is like a fire witch! i wanted it to feul its attacks from the hatred of its opponents (and delphox haters lmao) and use it on them. be nice to this elegant fox! is it that hard?
Stats:
Hp: 75
Attack: 69 (noice)
Defence: 119(+44)
Spatk: 135(+26)
Spdef: 120(+20)
Speed: 114(+10)
Ability: celestial orbit: future sight and doom desire hit at 1 turn, and at 3 turns.(power is 80)
Wish: heals 33% 1 turn after, and heals 33% another turn.
(Credit to the insurgence dev team for base idea)
Also, you can have wish at the same time as a future sight, and vice versa with other moves.
New moves: doom desire, teleport, thunderbolt(no tbolt if u want)
If you want the original idea, go here: Periodic Orbit (Ability) - The Pokemon Insurgence Wiki (p-insurgence.com)
Reason: i really love delphox. i know, it is the most hated on starter, but come on! its fur, not hair! it has a great shiny! it has a lot of design quirks, including its fire symbols that are beautiful scarlet, and its fenekinn like traits on its face, like the eyes. it can see into the future, which is cool, and it is like a fire witch! i wanted it to feul its attacks from the hatred of its opponents (and delphox haters lmao) and use it on them. be nice to this elegant fox! is it that hard?
Stats:
Hp: 75
Attack: 69 (noice)
Defence: 119(+44)
Spatk: 135(+26)
Spdef: 120(+20)
Speed: 114(+10)
Mega Delphox - Fire Psychic
Priestess of the Sun - If harsh sunlight is active while this Pokemon is on the field, it cannot be removed or replaced by other weathers (loses to primordial weathers) including by timer. The effects of harsh sunlight are enhanced (Fire type moves gain a 100% damage bonus rather than 50%), and Normal type moves become fire type moves.
75/79(+10)/105(+33)/144(+30)/137(+37)/94(-10)
New Moves: Teleport, Moonlight, Hyper Voice
The ability comes from the idea that Delphox is named after the Oracle of Delphi. A few other people have used this idea, making abilities based on Delphox being able to see the future. This ability however, focuses on how the Oracle of Delphi was also a Priestess of Apollo, who among other things, was the god of the Sun. This Pokemon cannot set up sun for itself (except with sunny day but you get what I mean), but with sun up this Pokemon and it's allies have their fire type moves powered up even more. Cool options in doubles when paired with something like Ninetales or Torkoal. Also as a sidenote I think its cool that there's a progression between being a witch, who were despised and considered evil and a Priestess, who are basically the opposite.
Probably only going to do Delphox because I'm too sleep-deprived to do this for two other mons but I hope y'all enjoy this sub!
Mega Delphox
Type: Fire/Psychic
Ability: Blaze/Magician-> Mastery of Fire (This pokemon's Physical Fire-type moves will always be Special and will have a 35% boost to BP)
New Moves: Recover, Stored Power
Stats:
HP: 75->75 (+0)
Attack: 69 -> 89 (+20)
Defense: 72 -> 102 (+30)
Special Attack: 114 -> 149 (+35)
Special Defense: 100 -> 135 (+35)
Speed: 104 -> 84 (-20)
Description: First of all, let me start by saying that Delphox is my absolute favorite of all the starters, the XY games hold such a special place in my heart, and watching my little Fennekin grow up into its wizard state was everything. When I first set out on this sub, I wanted to turn Delphox into the Grand Fire Wizard I always knew it could be. The Delphox I present to you today has turned into a Fire Warlock, and while it's still practicing with its Psychic abilities, Delphox has mainly honed in on its Fire abilities and has become a true Pyromancer. It has perfected each of its Fire moves and now doesn't even need to raise a finger to use its Fire moves on the Physical side (being Flame Charge and Fire Punch). While it gives the appearance of a much slower Delphox, it's able to use its buffed Special Flame Charge (now with 81 BP) in order to boost its mediocre speed. This mon becomes one of the best setup sweepers, being able to boost its speed with a decent attack and/or it's Special Stats with Calm Mind. I ended up dropping its Speed (and moving those points to Atk) mainly to Balance it and make sure it can't sweep too easily.
Mega Delphox
Type: Fire/Psychic
Ability: Blaze/Magician-> Mastery of Fire (This pokemon's Physical Fire-type moves will always be Special and will have a 35% boost to BP)
New Moves: Recover, Stored Power
Stats:
HP: 75->75 (+0)
Attack: 69 -> 89 (+20)
Defense: 72 -> 102 (+30)
Special Attack: 114 -> 149 (+35)
Special Defense: 100 -> 135 (+35)
Speed: 104 -> 84 (-20)
Description: First of all, let me start by saying that Delphox is my absolute favorite of all the starters, the XY games hold such a special place in my heart, and watching my little Fennekin grow up into its wizard state was everything. When I first set out on this sub, I wanted to turn Delphox into the Grand Fire Wizard I always knew it could be. The Delphox I present to you today has turned into a Fire Warlock, and while it's still practicing with its Psychic abilities, Delphox has mainly honed in on its Fire abilities and has become a true Pyromancer. It has perfected each of its Fire moves and now doesn't even need to raise a finger to use its Fire moves on the Physical side (being Flame Charge and Fire Punch). While it gives the appearance of a much slower Delphox, it's able to use its buffed Special Flame Charge (now with 81 BP) in order to boost its mediocre speed. This mon becomes one of the best setup sweepers, being able to boost its speed with a decent attack and/or it's Special Stats with Calm Mind. I ended up dropping its Speed (and moving those points to Atk) mainly to Balance it and make sure it can't sweep too easily.
Main Set:
Delphox @ Delphite
Ability: Blaze (Will be Mastery of Fire after Mega Evolving)
EVs: 252 HP / 72 Def / 140 SpA / 44 Spe
Modest Nature
- Calm Mind
- Recover
- Flame Charge
- Psychic
Hyper Offense/Late Game Cleaner:
Delphox @ Delphite
Ability: Blaze (Will be Mastery of Fire after Mega Evolving)
EVs: 4 SpD / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Flame Charge
- Fire Punch
- Psychic
- Dazzling Gleam
Bulky Stored Power Sweeper:
Delphox @ Delphite
Ability: Blaze (Will be Mastery of Fire after Mega Evolving)
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
- Recover
- Calm Mind
- Flame Charge
- Stored Power
Delphox @ Delphite
Ability: Blaze (Will be Mastery of Fire after Mega Evolving)
EVs: 252 HP / 72 Def / 140 SpA / 44 Spe
Modest Nature
- Calm Mind
- Recover
- Flame Charge
- Psychic
Hyper Offense/Late Game Cleaner:
Delphox @ Delphite
Ability: Blaze (Will be Mastery of Fire after Mega Evolving)
EVs: 4 SpD / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Flame Charge
- Fire Punch
- Psychic
- Dazzling Gleam
Bulky Stored Power Sweeper:
Delphox @ Delphite
Ability: Blaze (Will be Mastery of Fire after Mega Evolving)
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
- Recover
- Calm Mind
- Flame Charge
- Stored Power
Mega-DelphoxTyping: Fire-Psychic
Ability: Blaze/Magician --> Clairvoyance (This Pokemon's Psychic type moves (including non offensive moves) hits two turns after they are used. Future Sight is affected. The effect does not stack.)
Stats:
HP: 75
Atk: 69
Def: 115 (+43)
SpA: 135 (+21)
SpD: 130 (+30)
Spe: 110 (+6)
New Moves: Speed Swap, Recover, Teleport
Description:This one is an idea i actually really like. At first, it may seem a little detrimental to delay your STAB by two turns, because you can't really do that much with offensive moves, especially on a Pokemon thta already gets Future Sight. But what really makes this interesting are the status moves. I'm going to list here every Psychic type statua moves and possible ways to use them by taking advantage of the ability:
Wonder Room
Trick
Telekinesis
Trick Room
Skill Swap
Role Play
Rest
Psychic Terrain
Magic Room
Magic Coat
Light Screen
Hypnosis
Calm Mind
Dream Eater
Ally Switch
Speed Swap
Teleport
Trick
Telekinesis
Trick Room
Skill Swap
Role Play
Rest
Psychic Terrain
Magic Room
Magic Coat
Light Screen
Hypnosis
Calm Mind
Dream Eater
Ally Switch
Speed Swap
Teleport
Wonder Room isn't that useful, but it could potentially be used in pair with Blissey or Chansey, even if that's probably unviable.
Trick is actually extremely interesting on this. A delayed Trick means that you can swap a not useful item to your opponent, such as giving it a Black Sludge if it's not Poison type, giving a Choice Scarf to a wall, giving a Flame Orb to an opponent after activating Guts... If your opponent ses it and send a Pokemon where you don't want it's item, you can switch back to Delphox, who can't be Tricked. It also means you can send a strong Pokemon, and it will force your opponent to sned a Pokemon that can't check it to avoid getting it's check Tricked, which would probably make it useless against your Pokemon. Here is a list of possible abusers:
Conkeldurr @ Flame Orb
Ability: Guts
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Close Combat/Drain Punch
- Mach Punch
- Knock Off
- Facade
This set benefits a lot from giving it's item to an opponent, since it stays burned, but also burns the opponent and can potentially recieve a more useful item in place of the Flame Orb.
Gliscor @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Poison Heal
EVs: 244 HP / 52 Def / 192 SpD / 20 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Earthquake
- Facade
- Roost
Same concept here.
Other abusers of this, such as Assault Vest Pokemon sent in on a set-up sweeper, or Black Sludge on an offensive Poison type that also works defensevely (like Dragalge) can exist, but it would be too long to list them all, and i think you can imagine it by yourself. Other creative combos could be used, like removing an opponent's item and then using the Trick to remove the item of an Unburden Pokemon.
Ability: Guts
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Close Combat/Drain Punch
- Mach Punch
- Knock Off
- Facade
This set benefits a lot from giving it's item to an opponent, since it stays burned, but also burns the opponent and can potentially recieve a more useful item in place of the Flame Orb.
Gliscor @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Poison Heal
EVs: 244 HP / 52 Def / 192 SpD / 20 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Earthquake
- Facade
- Roost
Same concept here.
Other abusers of this, such as Assault Vest Pokemon sent in on a set-up sweeper, or Black Sludge on an offensive Poison type that also works defensevely (like Dragalge) can exist, but it would be too long to list them all, and i think you can imagine it by yourself. Other creative combos could be used, like removing an opponent's item and then using the Trick to remove the item of an Unburden Pokemon.
Trick Room. That is one of the best use you could make of this ability. Basically, the thing that makes Trick Room go from absolutely great in evey single point to pretty meh is the fact you can't extend it's duration, which means that you have 5 turns un theory, but in practice you only have 3 turns to exploit it (since you lose a turn by setting it, and then you lose another turn by switching into your abuser). This negates that factor, essentaliy allowing you to have the full 5 turns, especially if you run Protect to negate the turn where you don't have Trick Room if you directly switch out. This Can be paired with any Trick Room abuser.
Telekinesis isn't that interesting, but it could have some niche uses. Like giving fully accurate Focus Blasts or Hydro Pumps.
Skill Swap is very interesting, because you Can pass some bad abilities to your opponent, but most importantly: You can use this with Slaking, Archeops or Regigigas, in a completely viable way. Not only are you negating their biggest flaw, but you also give some of the worst abilities in the game to your opponent. That means those three, which are knowed to be really bad Pokemon because of their abilities specifically, can finally get a time to shine.
Role Play is basically a worse Skill Swap. Not viable running at all.
Rest is actually great on this,becoming a Lunar Dance sort of move that put the healed target to sleep but doesn't kill the user. This could be played on teams that have offensive mons with bulk to get them back to healthy easily.
Psychic Terrain could probably have a niche if the Terrain is extended if the Pokemon that is on the field when it activates holds a Terrain Extender but other than that it's not very useful.
Magic Room could be an interesting tool in Some cases, like using a Choice Band/Choice Specs to get a lot of damage on your first turn on the field, and then the effect activates and you can heal or set-up.
Magic Coat is bad on this. Being predictible isn't good at all on this move.
Light Screen could potentially have uses, like using both Lught Screen and Reflect at the same turn because you switched to a Pokemon with Reflect.
Hypnosis is definitly a good support move and an interesting choice on this, but it could see trouble fitting on some sets due to it's low accuracy.
Calm Mind is a very interesting move here. Set-up is always nice, but being able to set-up twice on a turn is really cool. Any Pokemon that sets-up on the Special side will appreciate this, as will Choice-locked Pokemon or Pokemon that lack set-up.
Dream Eater isn't good. Like not at all. Especially if it's delayed.
Ally Switch would be an excellent choice in Doubles, that would allow for mind-blowing strategies (probably) but is useless in Singles.
Speed Swap is a pretty niche but interesting case. At the same time, it works great to allow Pokemon like Escavalier or Glastrier to shine, but it's countered by... Switching to the defensive check you will realistically always bring to counter those Pokemon. I have mixed feeling on that one.
Teleport is a really weird move on this, but i feel like it would be fun: it allows you to pivot at a defined time. Which means that it can either make you give up on an advantage, or take you out of a disadvantage. So it's basically really specific but has a big potential. You could also potentially try running it along Fairy Lock Klefki.
I won't give Sample Sets for this one because what it wants to run will depend on the team. It most likely will want to run a strong Fire mive to be less passive and Recover (to negate Stealth Rock damage of course, this is a "defensive" pivot).
Conclusion: Overall, this could be a Pokemon that completely changes depending on the team, but will most likely find a niche to full in a lot of teams. It should be noted that almost all this utility is negated by Dark types though. I would also recommend trying Protect, which would work great in some cases like Trick Room or Psychic Terrain.
Mega Delphox
New Ability: Blaze/Magician --> Witching Hour (When this Pokemon enters battle, it activates a Room effect for 5 turns that turns all attacking moves used during the duration into Special moves.)
New Typing: Fire/Psychic (unchanged)
New Stats:
HP: 75
ATK: 69 --> 89 (+20)
DEF: 72 --> 102 (+30)
SPA: 114 --> 154 (+40)
SPD: 100 (--)
SPE: 104 --> 114 (+10)
New Moves: Parting Shot, Spirit Break
Desc: Hey guys remember this????
I have been sitting on this concept for a good long while now -- and honestly it works much better on Delphox than Mismagius, especially since Delphox is the original user of Mystical Fire!
So this concept for a room effect has a lot of fascinating properties! To name a few:
- Physical sweepers are forced to use their worse attacking stat
- Calm Mind essentially behaves like an omniboost barring Speed, boosting its total offensive and defensive power
- Light Screen behaves similarly in that one screen handles all the damage your team will take for the duration of Witching Hour, which alongside Parting Shot aid it in providing team support (since Witching Hour is a normal room effect, it can apply to your teammates too!)
- Moves like the STAB Mystical Fire and Witching Hour Spirit Break reliably reduce the amount of damage Delphox takes from any attack during Witching Hour's duration
- Certain Physical moves of Delphox's can be used to target Special Defense instead; namely Thunder Punch, which synergizes well with its other attacking types
It's also worth noting that due to the way the moves Body Press and Foul Play are coded, both of those moves become entirely Special-based under Witching Hour (Foul Play targeting Special Attack, Body Press using Special Defense). Body Press might not be relevant for Delphox itself, but maybe a Specially Defensive teammate could come in with and cause some problems with it. Foul Play on the other hand could make for a fascinating option, letting it target both Special and Physical attackers depending on whether or not the Room is active.
The last time I submitted this concept it was made very clear that I shouldn't bump its Special Defense too much. For Mismagius I gave it about a +10, but since Delphox has higher base HP I've just left it where it is this time. A little bit more speed, a chunk of SpA, and the rest goes into the physical side that it's generally not gonna be using (but would be nice to have for when the room runs out!)
Also fun fact! Delphox gets Wish. wink wonk
Mega-Delphox
Ability : Ignite
Stats : HP 75 / Atk 89 (+10) / Def 122 (+50)/ SpA 134 (+20)/ SpD 130 (+30)/ Spe 94 (-10)
Type : Fire / Psychic
New Moves : Hyper Voice
Description :
This tougher version of Delphox will be able to Stall for a long time in the field thanks to wish and inflict heavy damage thanks to Hyper Voice and Ignite.
Mega Delphox
Type: Fire, Psychic
Ability: True Magician (This pokemon steals items with its attacks and can hold two different items at once.)
Base Stats:
HP: 75
Attack: 69
Defense: 72
Sp. Atk. 150 (+36)
Sp. Def: 138 (+38)
Speed: 130 (+26)
BST: 634
New Moves:
Earth Power
Energy Ball
Agility
Teleport
Type: Fire, Psychic
Ability: True Magician (This pokemon steals items with its attacks and can hold two different items at once.)
The Delphox line has a pretty cool ability, similar to Pickpocket, which allows it to steal items off attacks. However, cool definitely doesn’t mean viable, which, unfortunately, leaves Delphox without a usable ability. True Magician is my way of trying to make the tactic somewhat viable, by giving Delphox the ability to hold two items at once. Obviously, on paper, this sounds really broken, especially on a mon with a base 150 Sp Atk stat. To balance this, and to incorporate how Magician works, Delphox steals other pokemon’s items and basically has two item slots. In-game, I suppose it would work by giving Delphox the Mega Stone, and after mega evolving, having a second item slot in which a stolen item can be placed in. This stolen item can be any item, barring z-crystals and other mega stones. Delphox has to be careful when attacking, and the opponent must be wary of what pokemon they bring in, as items such as Black Sludge and Choice Band can be extremely harmful to Delphox while removing Heavy-Duty-Boots from flying types like Moltres almost completely cripple them.
Base Stats:
HP: 75
Attack: 69
Defense: 72
Sp. Atk. 150 (+36)
Sp. Def: 138 (+38)
Speed: 130 (+26)
BST: 634
New Moves:
Earth Power
Energy Ball
Agility
Teleport
Base Delphox is a very specially oriented pokemon, with good Special Atk, Special Defense, and Speed. This form of Mega Delphox wishes to capitalize on those stats, notably an extremely high base 150 Sp Atk stat. This, with regard to a solid STAB of Fire and Psychic, as well as new coverage in Energy Ball and Earth Power, helps it breakthrough many of its checks. Mega Delphox can also opt to run a boosting set, with Calm Mind to boost its already incredibly high Special Stats, or Agility to boost its Speed. Despite this, not all things are cheery for this arcane fox, notably its low Defense and exploitable Speed. Weaknesses to common types such as Water, Ground, and Dark, as well as a weakness to Stealth Rock, hinder its offensive capabilities. Finally, although Mega Delphox’s ability can be a great asset, it also a double-edged sword, sometimes crippling it with a bad item.
Mega DelphoxWitching Hour: Converts damaging Psychic Type moves (including Future Sight) into Dark Type moves.
Type: Fire & Dark
New stats:
HP: 75 (+0)
Attack: 79 (+10)
Defense: 102 (+30)
Special Attack: 159 (+45)
Special Defense: 105 (+5)
Speed: 114 (+10)
(BST) 634
New moves: Night Daze, Snarl, Torment
Description:
I based it slightly on a witch concept from Madoka Magica. The idea of it becoming a Dark Type would be a fun concept to explore, imo, and may be able to provide some interesting situations. Idk I don't have much more to add, but I love the Megas For All concept a lot and finally wanted to submit one.
Mega Delphox
New Ability: Fairy Tale Witch - If foe eats a berry, or gets hit by Grav Apple, Apple Acid, or Natural Gift, foe gets Poisoned (not Toxic)
Type: Fire / Poison
New stats:
HP: 75
Attack: 69
Defense: 117
Special Attack: 135
Special Defense: 120
Speed: 119
(634)
New moves: Sludge Bomb, Venoshock, Apple Acid, Mirror Shot
Description: To close off the Fairy Tales, the Evil Queen herself! Delphox takes advantage of spreading Poison to deal obscene damage with Venoshock. (This one I think might be a bit too strong; let me know if I need to nerf it)
Mega-Delphox
Ability/Trait:Black Cat:Delphox is healed by 6% by the end of the turn, also gives STAB to dark moves.
Item:Delphoxite
Stats
HP:75
ATTACK:69 ---> 106 (+37)
DEFENSE:72 ---> 90 (+18)
SP.ATTACK:114 ---> 129 (+15)
SP.DEFENSE:100 ---> 114 (+14)
SPEED:104 ---> 120 (+16)
New Moves:Eerie Spell, Focus Blast, Night Daze, Nasty Plot, Dark Pulse.
Most Used Moveset (My opinion) - Fire Blast, Nasty Plot, Psychic/Night Daze, Dazzling Gleam/Focus Blast.
Description: Black Cat is like leftovers, Fire Blast is stab, Nasty Plot is for setup and Psychic/Night Daze is your second stab, Dazzling Gleam/Focus blast is coverage.
Ability/Trait:Black Cat:Delphox is healed by 6% by the end of the turn, also gives STAB to dark moves.
Item:Delphoxite
Stats
HP:75
ATTACK:69 ---> 106 (+37)
DEFENSE:72 ---> 90 (+18)
SP.ATTACK:114 ---> 129 (+15)
SP.DEFENSE:100 ---> 114 (+14)
SPEED:104 ---> 120 (+16)
New Moves:Eerie Spell, Focus Blast, Night Daze, Nasty Plot, Dark Pulse.
Most Used Moveset (My opinion) - Fire Blast, Nasty Plot, Psychic/Night Daze, Dazzling Gleam/Focus Blast.
Description: Black Cat is like leftovers, Fire Blast is stab, Nasty Plot is for setup and Psychic/Night Daze is your second stab, Dazzling Gleam/Focus blast is coverage.
Mega DelphoxNew Ability: Leeching Curse (When this pokemon lowers another's stats, it drains 12.5% of the target's HP.)
Type: Fire/Psychic
New stats: 75/109/102/124/110/114
HP: 75 (+0)
Attack: 69 --> 109 (+40)
Defense: 72 --> 102 (+30)
Special Attack: 114 --> 124 (+10)
Special Defense: 100 --> 110 (+10)
Speed: 104 --> 114 (+10)
(BST) 534 --> 634
New moves: Parting Shot, Memento, Fire Lash, Noble Roar, Tickle
Description: Two words: Chip Damage. The main goal of this ability was too see how I could make use of Delphox's signature move, Mystical Fire. However, outside of that move, it didn't have many reliable options to lower an opponent's stats so I added a few. Tickle and Noble Roar lower the opponent's stats while draining 25% of their health while Memento just has an added 25% damage. Fire Lash lowering defense and stealing a bit of health makes it an excellent stallbreaking tool. Parting Shot lets you pivot while taking a chunk out of the opponent's HP.
Mega delphox:
Typing: Psychic/Fire
Ability: Magicate - Normal type moves are now psychic type and deal 1.2 times more damage.
HP: 75
Attack: 79 (+0)
Defense: 92 (+20)
Special Attack: 154 (+40)
Special Defense: 130 (+30)
Speed: 114 (+10)
New moves: Hyper voice
Typing: Psychic/Fire
Ability: Magicate - Normal type moves are now psychic type and deal 1.2 times more damage.
HP: 75
Attack: 79 (+0)
Defense: 92 (+20)
Special Attack: 154 (+40)
Special Defense: 130 (+30)
Speed: 114 (+10)
New moves: Hyper voice
Mega Delphox
New Ability: Levitate
Type:
New stats:
HP: 75
Attack: 69 -> 91 (+22)
Defense: 72 ->92 (+20)
Special Attack: 114 -> 130 (+16)
Special Defense: 100 -> 120 (+20)
Speed: 104 -> 126 (+22)
(BST): 534 -> 634
New moves: Recover, Aura Sphere, Nasty Plot
Description: Delphox's stick has enlarged, turning into an ornate purple broom with a large pink flame where the bristles would be. Delphox sits on the broom, making it so it avoids Ground-type attacks and some hazards. Delphox's ear fur has turned white, and its coat is now a light purple like its shiny form. Delphox now has a playful and almost flirty demeanor, flying around the battlefield making faces to its opponent while it battles.
Delphox @ Delphoxite
Ability: Blaze
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Nasty Plot
- Psyshock
- Fire Blast
- Aura Sphere
Delphox @ Delphoxite
Ability: Blaze
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Psyshock
- Aura Sphere
- Recover
Mega-Delphox @ Delphoxite
Type: Fire-Grass
Ability: Intertwining Branch- This Pokemon sets up Grassy Terrain on entry and has the Ingrained effect.
Stats:
HP: 75
Attack: 89 (+20)
Defense: 82 (+10)
Special Attack: 149 (+35)
Special Defense: 135 (+35)
Speed: 104
New Moves: (Moves in italics are not viable)
Energy Ball, *Branch Poke*, Morning Sun, U-Turn
*Okay, it has a branch and it can poke things with it. No other reason I put it on there. *
Pokedex Entry: Through the power of Mega Evolution, Delphox's branch came back to life and granted Mega-Delphox its power. Now, Mega-Delphox roams the woods and meadows, taking care of the plants and trees in gratitude.
Overview: The high special bulk and high special attack allow Delphox to be able to set up a couple of Calm Minds and deal quite a lot of damage. It also has decent physical attack, so it can use moves like Low Kick for more coverage. It can also use a more bulky set, taking advantage of its ability to regenerate health, use Morning Sun to heal half of its HP, and the very high special bulk. It still has low enough HP and low defense, though, so it needs to watch out for physical attacks.
Type: Fire-Grass
Ability: Intertwining Branch- This Pokemon sets up Grassy Terrain on entry and has the Ingrained effect.
Stats:
HP: 75
Attack: 89 (+20)
Defense: 82 (+10)
Special Attack: 149 (+35)
Special Defense: 135 (+35)
Speed: 104
New Moves: (Moves in italics are not viable)
Energy Ball, *Branch Poke*, Morning Sun, U-Turn
*Okay, it has a branch and it can poke things with it. No other reason I put it on there. *
Pokedex Entry: Through the power of Mega Evolution, Delphox's branch came back to life and granted Mega-Delphox its power. Now, Mega-Delphox roams the woods and meadows, taking care of the plants and trees in gratitude.
Overview: The high special bulk and high special attack allow Delphox to be able to set up a couple of Calm Minds and deal quite a lot of damage. It also has decent physical attack, so it can use moves like Low Kick for more coverage. It can also use a more bulky set, taking advantage of its ability to regenerate health, use Morning Sun to heal half of its HP, and the very high special bulk. It still has low enough HP and low defense, though, so it needs to watch out for physical attacks.
Reminder on Voting Rules
For a reminder, Megas for All uses a variation on instant runoff voting, meaning that it uses a systematic process of elimination to find the submission that's supported by the most people. This system takes into account both the total number of people who voted for the submission at all and how those people ranked it in relation to any other submissions that have not been eliminated.
Your votes should consist of however many submissions you like.
Including a submission in your post at all is "voting for it," but you can vote for as many (or as few) as you want! It doesn't have to be exactly three.
Your votes should also be ranked from most preferred to least preferred, just like they were in the previous system.
It's also now acceptable to self-vote in first!
One of the benefits of the new system is that you get less extreme an advantage from this and there's not as much room for one individual to swing the results dramatically in their own favor, so we can afford to loosen up the rules in that area.
That said, I would still ask you to include at least two other people in your vote if one of your votes is for yourself (this was already in the rules before).
Please make sure you tell inkbug if you edit your vote! He generally adds them to his list as soon as they're posted, so edits may go unnoticed. You can contact him on his profile here or on the Discord. C:
Voting will last until 0:00 GMT on Monday, the 22nd of February!
Slate 29
Based on the results of the latest poll, slate 29 will be a slate of Pokémon made of multiple individual beings, suggested by Ninjamonkey3904 - the Pokémon we'll be doing next are
Mega Dugtrio (Kantonian Form), 
Mega Wishiwashi 
and 
Mega Falinks!I have some quick clarifications to make on how these will work:
- Remember that the Ability Arena Trap is banned! Regular Dugtrio will not have access to it, so you shouldn't design your Mega Evolution thinking that its opponents will be trapped (it's common to take the base form's Ability into account when making a Mega, so I just felt this should be pointed out!).That also goes for Mega Dugtrio itself - you can't make a Mega Dugtrio with Arena Trap, because the Ability itself is banned in the tier, and your Mega Stone would just be banned with it by default!
- Like some other Pokémon we've done in the past, non-Mega Wishiwashi has more than one form, and it's up to you to decide how to handle that for your own submission! However, unlike most Pokémon we've done before, Wishiwashi changes between its two forms during battle - and unlike even Mimikyu, each of Wishiwashi's forms comes with different base stats and different base stat totals.I'm tentatively inclined to give a good amount of freedom for this one - it's entirely up to you to decide how to handle this, including whether you'd like to have a totally separate Mega Evolution for each form, a Mega Evolution that continues to change between the two forms in its own way, or just a single Mega Wishiwashi based on either one of the forms.
Notably, Wishiwashi's
School Form also has unusually high stats, and its form change is partially designed as a hindrance and a balancing factor. If you're making a Mega Evolution based on School Form that doesn't change into Solo Form during battle, be conscious of the hindering element you're removing, and be careful not to make something too strong!No matter how you choose to handle Schooling, the important thing is still to make a balanced contribution to the metagame!
Edit:
- As a followup, it's also been pointed out that Falinks's signature move, No Retreat, has the potential to be dangerous if not handled carefully. Please remember to take this strong boosting option into consideration when deciding the stats to give to your Mega Falinks!The move hasn't been explored all that much in canon because Falinks itself is not the strongest with or without it, but there is definitely potential to abuse it given the right tools; make sure to have the move in mind as you consider your submission, and be careful of the stats you give to your Mega Falinks with a potential omniboost in mind!
To keep the thread organized, I ask that you refrain from posting your submissions here until the submission phase begins, but remember that the Discord is always a fantastic place to discuss ideas and get feedback on your submissions even before the slate opens!
Although I'd usually put a poll here for the next slate, the one coming up after this is a bit of a special occasion, so we won't have a poll to decide what Pokémon will be featured. Instead, we have a themed slate lined up! This can be discussed openly on the Discord, but I'm going to keep it out of this section for clarity. C:
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