CAP 18 CAP 18 - Part 1 - Concept Submissions

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Name: Not Vary Riksy

General Description: A Pokemon who has little to no risk when being put onto a team, yet offers only a medium reward in return.

Justification: CAP has clearly been through the ins and outs of the concept of "High Risk, High Reward" (Aurumoth, Cawmodore), however the concept of little risk is a foreign concept, only being mentioned during Tomohawk. Besides that point, offensive Pokemon are often banned because they are deemed to have extremely low risk and high reward. However, what would happen if a Pokemon had low risk, but its reward was lackluster in comparison?

Questions To Be Answered:
- Does a Pokemon need to have a high reward in order to be deemed viable in the OU metagame?
- Is there a ratio between risk and reward that shows how viable a Pokemon is in the OU metagame?
- What attributes make up a Pokemon who has very little risk?
- What are the various levels of reward? How are they tested?

Explanation: Pokemon such as Blaziken and Genesect were banned because they were considered to have an extremely high reward for only a minimal risk. This concept will explore risk once again, however, it will be from the opposite end of the spectrum. How will a Pokemon react if it had little to no risk react if it only had a medium reward to give? Glue Pokemon, such as Rotom-W and Heatran are Pokemon that can seemingly be placed onto any type of team and still perform its jobs well with little cost on teambuilding. However, these Pokemon do have defensive flaws, such as a lack of reliable recovery, which can leave them vulnerable in certain situations. This concept could be interpreted in either an offensive or defensive role depending on how we would choose to go about the concept analysis.

This Pokemon is not meant to be placed into a generalized role such as "Glue" or "Pivot" from the beginning. It should start as a Pokemon with little to no risk, only when the playtest begins should we notice its true role be shown. The reason being is that if we were to choose one of those roles (which are typically seen as low-risk Pokemon) then we could risk missing out on some valuable discussion that could come from discussing both sides of the concept.
 
bugmaniacbob
I don't know if this is the place, but psychological warfare is definitely a factor when fighting against Assist Shuffle teams. I know it's not a viable strategy, but I've never seen someone rage more than against a priority whirlwind. A hypothetical idea could be a pokemon abusing Sleep Talk Whirlwind for the same effect.

Idk, just trying to contribute.
 
Name: The Pacifist

General Description: A Pokemon who manages to have a balanced impact on the OU metagame without access to any form of direct damage dealing move, including fixed damage moves.

Justification: Throughout the history of the competitive battling metagame, the best defensive and support Pokemon always have a method of dealing damage as a form of self defense in dire situations: Chansey and Blissey almost always carry Seismic Toss, Skarm generally carries Brave Bird, Explosion is a very popular move on hazard stackers, and Foul Play has turned Pokemon such as Mandibuzz and Krookodile into strong defensive threats. Rarely do you ever see a Pokemon in the higher tiers that has no methods of directly damaging the opponent, as such Pokemon are quickly labeled "Taunt Bait" and cast into the depths of obscurity. This concept aims to create a Pokemon with no method of self defense and give it the tools to be able to thrive in the upper levels of Competitive Play.

Questions to be Answered:
-How does one balance out a support Pokemon without making it so efficient it becomes unbalanced, (i.e. past generations of Deoxys-S?)
-What would make such a Pokemon viable over other similar Pokemon who have methods of reliable self defense?
-How much of a deficit is it for a Pokemon to lack a reliable method of dishing out damage if they can still support a team well?
-Exactly what level of bulk/reliability of recovery is necessary to sustain a Pokemon that cannot defend itself without giving it too much sustain?
-How many different kinds of support could a Pokemon be able to provide without becoming to versatile?

Explanation: This concept aims to explore the impact of support to one's team by taking out all offensive factors of it, leaving us able to analyze what makes a support Pokemon "balanced" at its purest form. So often do successful support Pokemon have a method of dealing with combatants when the situation calls for it that it often is hard to understand how effective a Pokemon can be simply for the support it provides. This CAP also provides the community with an entirely new challenge, as even though the CAP forums are used to balancing out a Pokemon's offensive talents, rarely do we have to question how big a Pokemon's support moveppol can be before it becomes overpowered.

Typically, one's instinct in creating a support or defensive Pokemon is to give it an impressive defensive ability like Prankster or Magic Bounce as well as throw numerous powerful non offensive and recovery moves like Spore and Whirlwind, but part of the overall goal is to teach restraint to the community in an effort to create a balanced defensive threat without going overboard, simultaneously teaching us of the intricacies of the OU metagame in the process.
 
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Name: Pick your Poison

General Idea: A Pokemon that checks/counters a pokemon or aspect of the metagame in not one way, but two.

Justification: We've explored the concept of "Pick a pokemon, and beat it" with Syclar. And we all know how that went. The concept I am proposing essentially creates a CAP that is binary, but has one goal: beat whatever it is made to beat.

Questions to be answered:
  • What defines a solid offensive/defensive counter to a pokemon?
    • Is a counter simply "X kills Y" or is it more intricate than that?
  • How can we ensure that the CAP's two methods of countering do not outclass each other?
  • Can we single out one aspect of the metagame and counter it, without breaking/buffing another part of the meta?
  • How do we successfully create a pokemon that has two non-overlapping ways to counter a pokemon, without breaking the CAP when the pokemon is gone?
Explanation: This concept is one I haven't seen explored at all. It challenges battlers to stretch their imagination, and develop not one counter, but two. I suggest creating offensive/defensive/utility counters to the meta, Giving it enough defensive stats to survive a hit, enough offensive stats to defeat its victim, and enough support moves to cripple the victim as well.

An excellent illustration of my concept is the porygon family. Porygon-2 is a defensive behemoth in its tier, walling much of the meta with recovery and utility to back it up. Porygon-Z, on the other hand, is a set-up sweeper that can demolish unprepared teams once it gets going.

The porys are two pokemon, however they present the challenge of this concept well. We will need to create a pokemon that effectively plays the roles of two different pokemon. This is achivable through what I stated earlier, or we could use two significantly different abilities (one offensive, one defensive, one supporting) that aid whichever version of he counter you are using. Either way, this concept is a very versatile one that could produce tons of results.
 
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Time for some feedback:

Low Priority: I don't like this concept, because taking care of priority users with just one Pokemon is too much. Priority users are much more than just revenge killers noawdays and can perform multiple roles at the same time, while many of them have huge power and are some of the best Pokemon in OU. Making a Pokemon able to handle all or most of Azumarill, Bisharp, Scizor, Talonflame, Dragonite, Mega Mawile, Mega Pinsir, Thundurus, Aegislash, Conkeldurr, Mamoswine is almost impossible, and i only mentioned the best priority users in OU (those in S and A ranks). And as i already explained, most of those Pokemon fill multiple roles on a team and have a lot of power, so checking them really comes down to being bulky as fuck, and to check/counter all those Pokemon you have to be one of the best walls available. So, this concept will just end up with us trying to build the ultimate defensive Pokemon, which is an ok idea but has little to do with the tittle of the concept.

The Optimal Assault Vest User: We already have very effective Assault Vest users, such as Conkeldurr, Excadrill, Tangrowth, and Slowbro, and i can't imagine how we can create a much better Assault Vest user without making it a great Pokemon in general. Conkeldurr is honestly pretty close to a Pokemon designed to take advantage of Assault Vest, as it's not such a great Pokemon without it and has all the tools to make it work.

As for some concepts i do like, ''Why so slow'' and ''Major third'' strike as the most interesting to me. ''Why so slow'' gives us the chance to see how the metagame would have been with a good Sticky Web user and is a concept with a strong and clear focus with a pretty big chance of success. ''Major third'' is a very interesting concept and a very challening one, as making a Pokemon that forms an effective core with not one, but two lesser-used Pokemon, without making the Pokemon good enough that it doesn't even need to be paired with those Pokemon to be succesful is very hard. However, the potential to make a good three Pokemon combo with underused Pokemon is too tempting to ignore.
 
thought id give this a try

Name: Parting Shot Pivot

General Description: A Pokemon that can use Parting Shot to success. It can be used on a slow, bulky Pokemon to give an easy switch to a frailer teammate, or on a fast Pokemon in order to reduce damage to the receiver - the idea is just to create a Pokemon that can viably use Parting Shot, and the possibilities this brings about are very interesting.

Justification: Parting Shot is one of the most interesting moves brought about in gen 6, and had a lot of potential depending on its distribution. Unfortunately, only the Pangoro family got the move, so it was never able to see any viable use in OU. This concept aims to create a Pokemon that is able to successfully use Parting Shot to assist its teammates - either by softening a blow for the receiver, or taking a hit then giving a free switch in to a frailer sweeper. I believe that creating a viable Pokemon that can use Parting Shot to effect would be very interesting for the metagame. It would be very intriguing to see the end result - what the CAP community believes the most successful way to use Parting Shot is, and how this Pokemon would be played. The effect on the metagame would also be interesting, as some Pokemon may lower in usage, while others, such as frail sweepers if we choose to go that path, would become more popular.

Questions To Be Answered:
  1. What is the most successful way to use Parting Shot in OU?
  2. What kind of Pokemon would be most suited to using Parting Shot, and why?
  3. What Pokemon would ideally receive the switch from Parting Shot in what situations, and what affects this choice?
  4. When is it good to use Parting Shot, and when is it better to choose a different move, depending on our end product?
  5. Which Pokemon would this CAP affect, and how would it affect them? eg. nerfing a big threat, making a less popular Pokemon more popular
  6. How does this concept affect specific playstyles, such as Stall, Offense and Balanced?
Explanation: Pangoro is, to be frank, a bad Pokemon. Where did it go wrong? Many places - its typing, abilities, movepool etc. I hope to produce a CAP that doesn't have all these flaws, and is able to use a really cool seeming move without being a shitty Pokemon. If possible, we could also try to make this Pokemon able to check some top tier threats - I'm thinking a Rock/something type to check Charizard, as well as doing decently against both Pinsir and Thundurus - four of the five S rank threats (according to the viability rankings). I don't have much to say here honestly, except that I think it would be a really interesting CAP and that many good conversations about the metagame and the CAP in general could come out of it. It also opens many doors for a unique type combination, depending on the role we choose to fill with this Pokemon.
 
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Feedback time!

I first want to say that many of the concepts brought fourth teach us less than others, and this usually stems from over-specification. I'm honestly worried that in choosing a concept such as "Parting Shot Pivot" or "Optimal Assault Vest User" or even "Why So Slow" will leave the building process lacking. Cawmodore had this problem near the end; Everyone was on the same platform for what was required for the concept to succeed. We needed to belly drum, survive a hit, and then kill everything. It wasn't hard, and it got to the point where the discussion was more "list the things we've been talking about since the beginning of the CAP" rather than new ideas or counter-arguments that actually had a point. And while why so slow does explore a new move that is both extremely powerful in the right hands and interesting, after we leave the concept stage we'll find ourselves in the same trap we fell into (to an extent) during Cawmodore.

This isn't to say that we would learn nothing. Cawmodore actually taught us a lot about why Azumarill is the only successful belly drummer in OU, and how his glorious retyping became a game changer for the set. The same is true with these concepts. We will still learn what makes a good assault vest user or a great sticky web user and abuser. But it goes without saying that many of these qualities could be recognized before the project even began. For a pivot, it's good bulk and a strong offensive presence. For a assault vest user it's much of the same. For a sticky web user, it's reliability, either through defensive presence or speed.

As such, I would prefer to avoid anything that latches on to a specific item or move. They fall too close to the boat of defining the Pokemon's type or stats before the project even begins.

However, I feel Birkal's concept of exploring uncompetitiveness is exactly what CAP is designed for. Creating a pokemon that is borderline broken can help us better define future bans in every metagame, as the concept of Uncompetitiveness has been thrown around for years. I feel like it deserves a look if only for it's ability to expand our understanding.

However, if we were to take up such a challenge, we have to limit ourselves in both directions of power. If it's too broken, we might as well unleash Arceus into OU, something we already know is uncompetitive, and so we don't learn anything. If it's too cautious, it's possible we don't learn anything due to lack of exploration. Because of this need to toe the line, it may not be a strong concept to follow through with in this setting.

Anyways, just some initial thoughts.
 
I think this will do it this time.
Name: Powerful Off-the-Bat Mixed Attacker

General Description:

A Pokemon with massive power but no stat boosting move.

Justification:

Sometimes there's no time to set up, and sometimes the power you have at the start isn't enough, so a Pokemon that trades boosting moves for immediate devastating power could be an interesting concept.

Questions to be Answered:

-Will the initial power make up for lack of stat boosting moves?
-Will the lack of stat boosting moves keep him form succeeding in his role?
-Can other hard hitters do the job better than him?
-If he fails to KO, can he make up for it later?

Explanation:

*Edited

When making a team, we usually have a sweeper of sorts, but when it meets a wall it cannot smash through, whether due to typing, stats, or ability, it can mean bad news for the rest of the team, and while stall teams aren't near as common as they were back in earlier gens, they can still pose problems for sweepers. This Pokemon will be designed to be the most offensive wall breaker, wielding massive power at the cost of no boosting move for landing immediately powerful blows. Like really powerful. I can't get too specific, but I'm talking serious power here. But one of the differences this Pokemon would have from other wall breakers such as Kyurem-B is having less predictability with more offensive options. With Kyurem-B, you know his options are STABs, Fusion Bolt, Earth Power, possibly Focus Blast, and maybe a Hidden Power (all other options are rather lackluster for him), making him somewhat easy to play around. This Pokemon, however, would have many options, and while, again, I can't get too specific, he would wield moves that threaten every wall in OU, if not in the game, even if he only hits them neutrally. The next issue that some wall breakers have is they either have numerous or critical weaknesses, such as Kyurem-B's weakness to Fighting, Fairy, Steel, Dragon, and Rock, or Charizard with a fatal 4x Stealth Rock weakness. Another issue to point out is that some wall breakers are either biased in one offensive stat or are balanced and aren't significantly high in either offensive stat, with Kyurem-B and Infernape being good examples, respectively. This Pokemon will hopefully have as little bias between Attack and Special Attack as possible. So to sum it up, what this Pokemon hopes to achieve is having the best of all worlds while having as few of their flaws as possible.
 
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Ignus said:
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not discussing most of your post, but just pointing out an error. You say that azumarills added fairy typing is what made the belly drum set potent. This isn't true. While the fairy typing is very nice, and certainly makes azumarill a better Pokemon (and belly drummer), the reason the belly drum set has risen to the spotlight this generation is because azumarill can now run belly drum and aqua jet on the same set. Previously, if it chose to run belly drum it couldn't use aqua jet thanks to dumb breeding mechanics. The fact that it can use them together in Gen 6 makes the belly drum set popular, not just the fairy typing.
 
Name: The Nature of Types

General Description: A Pokémon whose playstyle is tailored towards both strengths and weaknesses of its typing.

Justification: Each type possesses a unique set of characteristics, causing all of them to perform very differently in various aspects of battle.
This concept aims to do a detailed analysis on a certain type’s primary function and its potentially unexplored capabilities by creating a Pokémon that embodies “the essence” of that type, by emphasizing the type’s most prominent traits and utilizing them effectively.

This approach will not only allow us to widen our understanding on that particular type itself, but we will also be able to learn a great deal about its interactions with others types and the effects it has on different playstyles within the metagame.

Questions to be answered:
  • What are the most important traits the Pokémon gains from the chosen typing, both positive and negative?
  • How much did Stats, Ability and Movepool contribute in order to emphasize these traits sufficiently? Did these they end up altering or removing any of them?
  • Is quality or quantity of weaknesses/resistances/immunities more relevant to the chosen typing? What does this mean for the way it is played?
  • How reliably can the Pokémon utilize its playstyle in OU? Are the positive traits of the typing relevant enough to provide the wielder with a solid niche, or are they too limited and situational to be actually effective?
  • Does the created Pokémon face any competition for its role from Pokémon of other types?
  • Is a single Pokémon capable of portraying most relevant aspects of the entire type?
  • Is there any distinct playstyle that suits the chosen type the best? Or could the type be utilized in entirely different approaches to similar success?
  • How important is a type’s versatility for its overall success?
  • Are some types inherently less viable, or are those underused types just not represented appropriately, i.e. they don’t have the right Stats, Abilities and Movepool to work with?

Explanation: While most players will be quite familiar with the function of Pokémon of a particular type, this concept will to go a step further and explore the typing itself, in isolation of other attributes that could define the Pokémon. Stats, Ability and Movepool will be important to emphasize the typing’s traits and make them work, but should under no circumstances alter them or add something completely unrelated. The aim is to create a Pokémon, which shows us what the chosen typing does best, and how it functions, not how it can be fixed or improved.

The typing to be chosen would preferably be quite common, but poorly utilized. That would allow us to learn a lot from this project, while keeping that knowledge relevant and within context. The ability to compare the CAP to counterparts of the same type, both during and after the creating process, will give us additional insight on the mechanics that lead to success and failure for that typing.

Typings like these can be commonly found in the lower tiers. Good examples would include many single typings (e.g. pure Psychic, Fire, Poison,…), but also certain type combinations (e.g. Bug/Flying, Steel/Rock, Water/Ice). Although they all undoubtedly have their benefits, those are largely set off by exploitable weaknesses, making these typings more of a burden than an aid in most cases.
While several of the wielders do have respectable Stats, Abilities and Movepools, one could argue that they do not utilize their typing to their fullest, and that is what holds them back. Finding out, which playstyle truly suits the chosen typing, will be an important and interesting part of this concept.

To concude this in a metaphor: Typings are like diamonds in the rough, waiting for their true potential to be uncovered. Instead of altering them unnaturally by the means of Stats, Ability and Movepool, we should instead use those tools to polish out the typings’ best traits just enough, and put them into the right light. Then, the typing will finally be able to shine in its own unique colours, and will reveal its innermost nature to us.
 
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(I really hope this isn't too much like what colourcodedchaos suggested. I think what we are thinking of is sufficiently different.)

Name: Redemption

General Idea: Remake a Pokemon that had an interesting concept, but for some reason didn't quite fulfill what it should have been. This applies not only to Pokemon that fell too short on the idea (Bibarel's Simple/Unaware dichotomy that could either be a set up sweeper OR a counter to set ups), but also to Pokemon that did the job too well (Mega Lucario priority sweeper on either offense) or had another use that people focused on much more (Ferrothorn as a bulky physical attacker that can abuse Gyro Ball).

Justification: There are so many unique ideas used in Pokemon (Blaziken: a suicide sweeper that gets more effective the longer it remains in play) that for some reason fail to fall into OU. For one reason or another, these Pokemon had a niche only they could fill and yet still failed to fill that niche. Corsola, for example, has a beautiful movepool but is held back by abysmal stats and a historically bad typing that renders it unusable even in NU. Others fell aside for other reasons, like the heavy hitting Prankster Mega Banette taking up a valuable Mega slot. The heart of this concept is to find a Pokemon or idea that had so much missed potential and salvage it. This will allow us insight into what makes a niche successful and unique without being overshadowed by other options or too powerful to be allowed in play.

Questions to be Answered:
-What went wrong with the Pokemon/concept in question?Is the premise behind it unsound or just not well executed?
-How can we take this idea and make it work in an OU environment where it had previously failed?
-What separates good (Lucario) from overpowered (Mega Lucario) and underwhelming? (Toxicroak)
-If this Pokemon is also capable of fulfilling another role, will it still be used for the role it was made for? (Ferrothorn is a capable of being a bulky physical attacker that makes the opponent's Speed a liability, but is instead used to set up entry hazards.)
-What about this Pokemon, if anything, is truly integral to the role it fills? (Bibarel's unique combination of ability options gives it a duality, but its typing and stats have almost no effect on what it does.)
-How will the meta react to the addition of a role/playstyle/mechanic it has never encountered before? (Like the havoc a lower tier Pokemon can wreak on an unprepared team.)

Explanation: We see so many Pokemon that have SUCH a promising role (Contrary Super Power Spinda), but due to some problem in their design are rendered unusable in OU. Some concepts even fall both above and below OU without ever fitting nicely in the middle. (Mew and Arceus both being well rounded Pokemon with near infinite possibilities.) Some of these concepts even already had a second chance and still failed at it. (Contrary Superpower Malamar.) Others have even already found a home amongst the CAP world already. (Failed Belly Drum users being the basis for Cawmodore.) This concept will give us many options to pursue without any truly limiting the possibilities of what we can do.
 
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Name: The Giver-Taker

General Description: Bulky Pokemon with the ability to hit from both ends of the spectrum as well as support the team

Justification: In today's metagame, it is difficult to find a Pokemon who can do all of the following things: Take hits nicely, check offensive and defensive Pokemon alike, and hit hard from both ends of the spectrum. Mega Charizard X is an example of such a Pokemon, but Tough Claws makes it always lean towards Physical, and it uses up the team's Mega Slot. The Giver-Taker is a Pokemon who will be taking a lot of hits with its good bulk and will be forcing out many switches, especially Choice-locked Pokemon, slower offensive threats, and defensive walls it can break with relative ease. While it would be a force to be reckoned with and something to be prepared for, it could always be defeated by Pokemon in a similar vein who could hit it hard while avoiding a 2HKO from one of its moves.

What is it, exactly? A Bulky Mixed Wallbreaker. But with its bulk it could also see use as a defensive or support Pokemon.

Such a Pokemon would teach us all about what bulk alone could do for versatility: While is bulky offense is a defining part of the metagame (Mega Mawile, Dragonite, Mega Charizard X, Conkeldurr, etc.), these Pokemon all have one thing in common: Offense. Mega Mawile's not taking up the role of a wall anytime soon, and you don't see Dragonite stalling with Multiscale. What makes the Giver-Taker so scary is the ability to fit on both Offensive and Stall teams.

Questions to be answered:
  • Would such a Pokemon limit teambuilding by making teams prepare for it on both Stall and Offensive?
  • Is bulk alone enough to give a Pokemon a niche in the metagame?
  • If not, does the combination of bulk and power on both ends give it a niche over other Pokemon?
  • With the coveted ability to take hits as well as hit hard physically and specially, what would its downfall be?
Explanation:

In such an offensively-oriented metagame, and this Pokemon being able to slow it down considerably, it would make sense that teams would have to be prepared for it. Offensive teams could be threatened with losing their valued sweepers after failing to KO it, and Stall teams would have difficulty shrugging off the damage it deals on both ends. Walling it could be a non-option, as mixed walls are hard to come by and usually don't do much besides take hits and maybe throw a few Toxics around. However, this brings me to the last question. Its biggest issue would be... its speed. This is where most bulky offensive Pokemon fall flat. While they aren't as weak to priority thanks to the relatively low base power of the moves (barring Talonflame's Brave Bird), they are extremely open to strong, fast threats. A Pokemon's bulk, while it can be helpful, is generally not enough to warrant a niche, otherwise Shuckle would be residing in OU. But that's where its power comes in. It can be hard to come by a Pokemon who takes a decent hit and retaliates with a bigger one. Conkeldurr and Dragonite are examples of such Pokemon, but Conkeldurr suffers from the relatively low base power of its moves and Dragonite's claim to fame is broken by Stealth Rock. The bulk to take a hard-hitting move and the power to dish out an even stronger one isn't very common, and I feel like it would be a nice addition to the metagame.
 
Name: Pivot Predator

General Description: A pokemon whose purpose is to hunt an opponent's pivot and punish them.

Justification: Pivots are running rampant in Gen VI. Common pivots such as Rotom-W, scizor, the genies (etc.) can be very pesky. They are a source of momentum for trainers, but would would happen if we tried to take that source away from them? With U-turn/Volt Switch pivots switching in and out all the time, they can be very hard to catch. Many players cater pokemon to excel at pivoting. You don't enjoy it when your opponent has momentum and you don't, do you? The solution: Kill the momentum at its source, thus taking it as your own. After an opponent loses a key pivot, it would be much easier to maintain momentum on your own side. But how easily can this be done? In what ways can punishment be delivered differently than the likes of Kyurem-Black. This would allow us to learn effective methods to stop pivots, and methods of stopping your opponent from gaining momentum at its source. We would learn more about pivots, and how they provide for their teammates. We would also learn about momentum, about how to flip the tables to take an opponent's momentum from them, and how it would affect the battle and to what degree.

Questions to be Answered:
  • How important is momentum to the outcome of a battle?
  • Are there more effective ways to stop an opponent's pivot than there were before?
  • Are pivots mainly used to form cores in teams, or are they mainly used as support for teams?
  • How much easier is it to gain momentum against a team lacking pivots than a team that includes pivots?
  • How effective is catching pivots by luring them?
  • How effective is it to catch pivots by chasing them?
  • Are Volt-Turn teams less common?
Explanation: One way to catch pivots is through the use of trapping moves such as pursuit, block, infestation, etc. Pursuit can be used to catch the opponent if it tries to make an escape using U-turn, Volt-Switch, or simply by switching out. But that can only happen after your prey is caught. In order to catch your prey, you can attempt to predict a pivot's switch in, and switch in as well, or switch in when its already out and hope it stays in. You can also use a teammate to lure it in and trap it. If part ground type, you can come in on a predicted Volt Switch and the opponent will not escape. However ground type will also make the pokemon susceptible to Rotom-W's water type moves, so an ability like Lightning Rod may be preferable. Abilities like Rattled, Motor Drive, and Flame body can be used to discourage U-turns and Volt-Switches.
 
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Name: Stall vs Stall
General Idea: Make a Pokemon that serves as a counter to stall and utility well being able to take advantage of stall to an extent itself.

Justification: The counter to stall teams is usually just breaking through the stall. Good stall counters are Mew, Reuniclus etc these work by having the capabilities to incapacitate the stall or prevent it from working and then damaging them to death. To this day I know of no Pokemon that fights stall well with utility and stall (Wobuffet is an exception) so I think it would be interesting for a Pokemon to exist that focuses on out-stalling rather then fighting it. Plus it would add a bit more spice to generally uneventful stall battles.

Questions to be answered
. Would this Pokemon fit well on stall teams as counter to other stall teams? Or it would it be a Pokemon with stalling capabilities that could functional well on an offensive team eg: Ferrothorn.
. Would a Pokemon like this have a niche if stall teams are within the minority?
. Is creating to a Pokemon with stalling capabilities possible without making the Pokemon go full stall?

Explanation: This is a Pokemon that I hope could become middle ground between stall and offensive. The fact that it could counter stall teams well serving as utility/stall would give stall teams an incentive to run it and bulky offense teams that are troubled by stall could use this Pokemon as well. I want a Pokemon like this to exist as it could potentially encourage offensive teams to contain a bit of stall and vice versa thus increasing team diversity. UPDATE: a not many people seem to understand what I mean let my try to explain this a bit better. A lot of anti-stall and anti-utility qualities are give to offensive pokes (magic bounce, trapping capabilities, etc) I want to make a Poke with decent defenses and some stalling moves in its repertoire that also has access to anti-stall tactics. Perhaps easily being able to clear away residual damage or something along those lines. The two examples of Pokes I think fit the description of the Pokemon I want to make are Gliscor and Ferrothorn. Two defensive Pokemon that get placed on offensive teams quite often that can counter stall somewhat well. Thanks to poison heal Gliscor becomes immune to all statuses well simultaneously having decent attack and the capabilities to inflict status on the opponents side. Ferrothorn is immune to both leech seed and poison well having great defenses and an ok offense as well as being able to set up hazards. These traits let them counter stall well being able to stall themselves. The Pokemon that would be produced in this cap would be dedicated to destroying stall with excellent utility and not being able to do much else yet it should also be able to have a niche on the typical non-stall team.
 
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Name: Weakness Policy Abuser
General Description: A Pokemon meant to use the Weakness Policy, be it mainly defensive or offensive.
Justification: This interesting item is almost non-existent out there! I think it'd be cool to explore the use of it, and the possibilities. There's not much to explain but the main question, does the weakness policy work better on something more defensive or offensive? Defensive pokemon can survive a hit they're weak to, but can't abuse the item as much as an offensive pokemon, which may not survive the hit. Not to mention, it adds a spin to using whatever move hits your foe SE, as it may just give a sweeper exactly what it needs!
Questions To Be Answered:
- Is the weakness policy a good item? If so, is it better on a defensive or offensive Pokemon?
- Can it have a major impact on how the game is played?
- Can Pokemon naturally make use of their weaknesses?
- Can the use of an item on one Pokemon influence it on others?

Explanation: This item is very interesting. It gives a 2+ boost to both attacking stats if the user is hit by something it is weak to. The only user commonly seen out there is Dragonite, which could be seen as defensive or offensive. I want to see how it could be used on a Pokemon that's in only one of those categories, defensive or offensive. It adds a new level of thought to the metagame, for if this Pokemon is out there, the players must predict what the other person is predicting. If the user of this Pokemon is expecting a move that's weak but SE against it, they may switch it in, and the other person may expect that and use something else.
 
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I quite like EyeDentist's suggestion, because it could tie in with a lot of the other ones knocking about, including Birkal's and my own. A Pokemon using its own flaws as a weapon is a really interesting concept, and if there's one place that's rich in deeply flawed Pokemon for us to pick apart, it's the lower tiers. I'd really like to see a defensively-oriented Fighting/Ground type for this: it has a slew of weaknesses but no 4x ones, which means it can switch in on a lot more predicted moves; it has a brilliant offensive typing that includes STAB priority (probably a necessity for a Pokemon of this sort); and something with good bulk could tank the SE hit and get to sweeping. If we could combine this with low speed, we could also incorporate it as a potent Trick Room sweeper, especially if it had an ability like Regenerator. I get that it's a bit on the gimmicky side, but it's at least an interesting gimmick. =]
 
Name: Wonder Room

General Description: A Pokemon that can exploit the move Wonder Room to support its sweeper allies.

Justification: Wonder Room is possibly one of the least used moves out there, for the simple reason that it is a very gimmicky move. Its use is to swap the defensive stats of a Pokemon, thus enabling a sweeper to break a wall. However, the main problems are that the defending Pokemon can simply switch out and send out a wall with the opposite defensive stats in its place. Most Pokemon also have coverage moves that can break these types of walls. However, in certain circumstances, the move Wonder Room could be useful. This Pokemon will try to exploit Wonder Room in favor of physical or special sweepers, especially Shadow Tag or Arena Trap users, and figure out if Wonder Room could be viable.

Questions To Be Answered:
  • Would any sweepers significantly profit from Wonder Room?
  • Would this Pokemon be able to last the turn needed to set up the room?
  • Is Wonder Room a gimmick or a true competitive move?
  • Could this force teambuilders to include dual walls like Aegislash or Deoxys-D, or possibly Wonder Room removers?

Explanation: Trick Room is by far the most commonly used Room move, with Wonder Room being gimmicky and Magic Room being outclassed by Embargo. However, if a certain Pokemon were created to fill a niche where Wonder Room would be made viable, then it certainly would see more competitive use. The Pokemon in question would have to be sufficiently bulky to withstand attack provided it is switching into a sweeper. Wonder Room could be used to, for example, lock in a physical wall while Wonder Room is up and use Black Kyurem to rain destruction upon them. What is interesting about this setup is that it is not the sweeper, such as Reuniclus, that is using it, but the supporter. This would require an additional swtch, limiting its capabilities somewhat, but not completely removing them.

Got to go to school, sorry I can't post more. This might not be the best idea competitively, since I'm certainly not the best competitive battler ever, but here goes.
 
Some thoughts again :)

For myself (but this is only my opinion though), I wouldn't go for an idea that is too precise, or requires either a particular move or item, namely Wonder Room, Weakness Policy abuser, Parting Shot Pivot, The Optimal Assault Vest User and many others, because I think personnaly that they limitate creativity by getting very straight criterias right from the start. This doesn't mean I don't like them, many of them were good ideas, but that's just my opinion.

Also, I really like Birkal concept, because I think it will really teach CAP players what makes a Pokemon viable or not, and how to work around with that. Good job there Birkal.

I find Qwilphish concept nice too, because it will make players really think of what's the best to use with that Pokemon, know how to use it, instead of, like he said, using low risk sweepers that give high reward. I think it would be real nice to work on that, working around with a constraint.

Keep up the good work guys!
 
Lasagne said:
not discussing most of your post, but just pointing out an error. You say that azumarills added fairy typing is what made the belly drum set potent. This isn't true. While the fairy typing is very nice, and certainly makes azumarill a better Pokemon (and belly drummer), the reason the belly drum set has risen to the spotlight this generation is because azumarill can now run belly drum and aqua jet on the same set. Previously, if it chose to run belly drum it couldn't use aqua jet thanks to dumb breeding mechanics. The fact that it can use them together in Gen 6 makes the belly drum set popular, not just the fairy typing.
Click to expand...
Good Point. Thanks! And while this is a larger deal then the re-typing, Priority was another requirement we came upon while building Cawmodore, and my point still stands. Understanding the requirements for a certain playstyle to thrive are not that hard to imagine.

As such, I feel any concepts that are too specific will lead to a relatively boring/unenlightening building process. And that ain't no good!
 
Name: Revenge Killer, v6.0

General Description: An effective revenge killer in the XY OU metagame.

Justification: The Revenge Killer role is one of the most (if not the most) changed in the BW -> XY transition. The old standard Scarf Keldeo, Terrakion, Latios and friends look so outdated, while their "modern" counterparts are completely different: Talonflame, Greninja, Azumarill, and so on. The characteristics required to fulfill this role changed drastically, following the revolution in the metagame; it would be very interesting, in my opinion, to create a CAP around it to learn exactly what does Pokemon need in XY to be an excellent Revenge Killer.

Questions To Be Answered:
  • What does it take for a pokemon to be an effective Revenge Killer?
  • What Pokemon force you to consider a Revenge Killer in your teambuilding? What Pokemon are easily played around without requiring one?
  • Is Choice Scarf still a good asset to fulfill this role? Is priority a requirement?
  • What typings are most effective for this role? Is an unresisted STAB conbination more desirable, or a better defensive typing is preferable?
  • Is resistance to entry hazards still a factor?
  • Does the general bulk of this metagame render the role somewhat ineffective?

Explanation: As I already said, Revenge Killers changed drastically in the last generation shift. Just compare the arguably most popular ones for each generation: Scarf Keldeo and Talonflame. Keldeo used a very high speed, power, mixed capabilities, and a somewhat good defensive typing (with a resistance to hazards) to wreak havoc and often to sweep if the conditions were favourable. Talonflame, comparatively, shows pretty low speed and attack stats, with a crippling x4 weakness to SR; however, it compensates with priority, arguably even better offensive typing, and the capability to run boosting items to further bolster its attacks. The sheer difference between these two Pokemon is enough to make the matter very interesting, in my opinion, especially seeing how Choice Scarf is barely seen anymore on the ladder (in fact, it is so rare that it's effectively become a surprise item in most circumastances) and priority is literally everywhere. Every tool used in the past generation to revenge kill effectively looks quite blunt and uneffective these days, making me wonder if they just look useless or it's the metagame that still needs development to incorporate effective Scarfers or stuff like that. While this concept may be too broad, or not-as-innovative as many others, it's probably one of the most instructive when the goal is to gain insight about a new metagame (at least IMHO).

That said, I've already seen a number of great concepts, and I was even doubtful about posting mine with an already good selection. However, posting a concept is a great way to start a new CAP anyway, and even if my suggestion doesn't make it through, it's not a real issue at all!

Still open to feedback and (constructive) criticism, as always.
 
Name: Role Swapper

General Description: A Pokemon that fills two completely different roles depending on which ability the Pokemon has.

Justification: Abilities are one of the more interesting part of any Pokemon. They will often define a Pokemon's entire purpose (Shednija), make what would be a horrible Pokemon otherwise completely usable (Azumarill) or in some cases ruin it (Regigigas). Of course there are many Pokemon that would be just a fearsome without any. Scizor would still be dangerous without a Technician Bullet Punch for example. However, one problem that most Pokemon have is that there's usually only one ability on their list that's really used, the others being useless or outclassed. Even Pokemon that can use multiple ones often don't differ very much in the long run based off it. Salamance isn't going to play that differently based off the choice between Intimidate and Moxie. I think it would be interesting to see a Pokemon that can do one thing with one ability, and a completely different thing with the other.

Questions To be Answered:
  • How much can a difference of Ability change a Pokemon?
  • What methods can be used to make a Pokemon that's both versatile yet unable to play multiple roles simultaneously?
  • What role can be made to be differentiated by a single ability?
  • How does a Pokemon that you can only figure out what it does once you see it interact with the opponent?

Explanation: We've explored Typing and Movepool many times over the CAP project. The effects ability have on a Pokemon, however, has yet to really be looked at in any serious matter. With the wild and new GenVI Metagame shaping up, I think it's best to go for bold for CAP18, especially with the addition of many new abilities to play around with. The hard part, of course, will be making it so that the CAP can't just do both at once. But creating that delicate sense of balance is part of the fun of CAP.
 
Name: The Frail Sponge

General Description: The Pokemon must be designed not to be bulky, but an "absorber" of certain attack and status moves, to be determined at a later time.

Justification: I have always seen a Pokemon's ability to defend as a square with its four corners: Typing, Abilities, Moveset, and Overall Bulk. Time and time again, we saw incredible defensive pokemon with these godlike attributes, but I'll talk about them later. With the advent of Shedinja, a Pokemon with no bulk, in ADV, it appeared that its ability, Wonder Guard, would make it incredibly difficult to face in battle, with 13 type immunities including the Fairy type, but with only 1 HP, it died to any number of status moves, weather, and entry hazards, and was thus easy to work around. It's safe to say that even with its unique ability, Shedinja failed to be a proper defensive threat. The objective here is to create a Pokemon similar to Shedinja, a strong absorber of certain moves, but reimagined for the OU tier as opposed to the NU tier. The concept of this CAP should also explore not only why defensive Pokemon are played, but also why and how defensive Pokemon are deemed as defensive, be it their stats, typings, abilites, moves, etc.

Questions To Be Answered:
  • What makes this Pokemon, based upon a "sponge" concept, keep it on par with its bulky counterparts?
  • Can giving a "frail" Pokemon good defensive moves, typing, and abilities make it a good defensive Pokemon despite its obvious shortcomings?
  • When making this Pokemon, what threats are we looking to wall? When decided, what threats can then force the CAP to retreat?
  • What implementations can be made to this Pokemon to make it a threat defensively without a large amount of bulk?
Explanation: Heatran. Vaporeon. Gastrodon. Rotom-W. All four of these Pokemon who were (or still are), at their prime, amazing at being defensive Pokemon. They all share an extra immunity, but what else did they bring to the table? Large bulk for large defenses. This is something I've always wanted to defy by showing the concept of what I call "a frail sponge". Even our defensive CAPs in the past have had the same story as those four Pokemon I mentioned. As I stated previously in this concept submission, the initial theory behind a defensive Pokemon was and will always be some combination of moves, typing, abilities, and most importantly, its bulk.

We've seen this time and time again, even going as far back as RBY, when Chansey was top of the defensive heap. She had her own recovery move, a good typing with only one weakness, and bulkiness a mile wide. In GSC, SkarmBliss was almost a staple if you wanted to be competitive, while the defensive core was still seen as a tough core to break in ADV. This core featured good typings, good moves, and yet again, massive bulk. In DPP, the physical-special split came into effect, and as time went on we saw these many different OU walls come in. Bronzong and Ferrothorn were both at one point top 10 Pokemon because of their great typing, great ability, great moveset, and yet again, their massive, bulky defenses. It's starting to become quite a large pattern with these defensive Pokemon, isn't it?

The reasons why we, the CAP community, should unite and create this concept for CAP18 is simple. We've always had this preconceived notion when making our defense-based CAPs. We've said and implied time and time again: "To make a good defensive Pokemon, first give it great bulk and go from there." More recently, we turned Malaconda into a special wall by giving it 115 HP and 130 SpD. If that's not bulky, I don't know what it is. As I go through the list of "defensive" Pokemon in the CAP Pokedex, I see it with Pyroak, Fidgit, and more recently Malaconda, and it's because of this that I want to turn this implied notion on its head and bring this concept to the limelight.

As previously mentioned, Shedinja was created on the idea of a defensively frail Pokemon with a broad number of immunites, but with very clear shortcomings. Outside of this, there have been few Pokemon like this in the OU metagame, or for that matter, the CAP metagame. With these in mind, remember that the objective is not to create the perfect defensive pokemon, but a much-needed update on an old idea.

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To everyone else, I thank you for reading, I wish you all good luck, and have a nice day. :heart:
 
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Name: Hunting Beast

General Description: This Pokemon aims to counter ONE Pokemon in ANY team.

Justification: Concepts like Krilowatt's "Utility Counter" and Necturna's "Sketch Artist" have placed an emphasis on controlled versatility. However, the notion of controlled versatility frequently comes into conflict with the need for a Pokemon to have reasonably well-defined checks and counters. This concept is an attempt to marry the two by placing the emphasis on "hunting down" a key member of the opposing team, rather than trying to possess some kind of inherent versatility. This may also shed some light on the notion of "counterteaming" and help to mitigate its effects. Ideally, in any given match, it should be able to stymie one opposing Pokemon while being checked or countered by the others. While such an ideal is probably unreachable, it couldn't hurt to try our best!

Questions To Be Answered:
  • What existing Pokemon sell themselves on their ability to counter other Pokemon? How does this work out for them and why?
  • How valuable is a Pokemon's ability to counter a Pokemon in an arbitrary opposing team?
  • What similarities exist across different team archetypes? How can these similarities be exploited?
  • How should this Pokemon's profile of threats be constructed? Should we go after versatile "glues" or specialized roles?
  • What kind of build is best suited for such a role?
  • Can this Pokemon act as an "equalizer" and make certain teams more viable and less susceptible to counterteaming?
  • Will teams feel a strong need to adapt to this Pokemon, and if so, how can this Pokemon respond to such adaptations?
Explanation:

I suspect that a lot of people will think of Pokemon like Rotom Wash, Heatran and Ditto when thinking about this concept. Indeed, they do seem to fulfill this concept to an extent. Rotom Wash is often said to be good largely because of its ability to chase Talonflame around 5 months, as well as check a lot of other Pokemon. Heatran is similar with its formidable palette of resistances. Choice Scarf Ditto's often used as "insurance" against certain runaway sweepers. I suppose it's like countersurveillance. "He's hiding here, Imma hiding here!" However, all three kind of try to be "catch-all" utility counters, and Ditto isn't even all that great at it against anything bulky that doesn't resist its own STAB. Genesect, as well, was banned because its massive coverage and power allowed it to deal with a vast range of Pokemon. This concept is aimed more at teams than at Pokemon, gunning down specific targets rather than outgunning everything.

(By the way, you know how much money Genesect cost? I said, "bro just cut som-" and Dudley said, "Nooooo money money money." I said, "You know what, I swear to god man, honestly man?")

Anyway, I suppose this concept is kind of similar to DarkSlay's concept. The main difference is that his concept focuses on a Pokemon's role in a team, whereas mine focuses on roles in the opposing team. This concept is also more "objective" in our ability to assess it, while retaining a factor of perhaps seeking out the unknown. My hope is that this concept encourages participants to have a better understanding of the kinds of teams that are out there, and how they work.

Like I said before, I'm not sure that the ideal presented by this concept is even attainable in the strictest sense, or even what that would even mean exactly. We often say that CAP is about the journey, not the destination, and that will be even more true for a concept like this. Whether this concept is chosen or not, though, I have high hopes for this project. All I know, all I know, all I know, is we'll have the best CAP in the world, even better than Prime Minister Harper.

(btw this concept has been surprisingly difficult to name, despite the simple description...)
 
Name: Status Prevention

General Description: A Pokémon meant to prevent the effects of the opponent’s status-based moves (to stop status before it is inflicted, rather than to absorb or heal status after the fact).

Justification: Status inflicting moves are a common part of competitive battling, but there are many factors than can affect both the use and countering of status conditions: typing, abilities, held items, team synergy, etc. Poison and steel types are immune to poison, fire types are immune to burns; even new to X and Y, electric types are now immune to paralysis, and grass types are immune to the “spore” status moves. There are a plethora of abilities that can defend against/prevent certain status conditions, and even some very underutilized moves, but there aren’t many viable Pokémon with the perfect combination to stop status before it has the chance to be inflicted. With sixth gen updated mechanics, now is a more relevant time to investigate status prevention than ever before.

Questions To Be Answered:
  • How can teambuilding better prepare against status?
  • Which aspects make a Pokémon a reliable status preventer?
  • Which aspects make a Pokémon a reliable status inflictor?
  • How does status prevention compare to status healing/status absorbing? With the right combination, can status prevention be viable?
  • With different Pokémon being immune to different statuses, what battling strategies are employed in order to prevent status?
  • What new, innovative, or underused strategies might hit it big in response to preventing status in sixth gen?
  • Can a single new status preventer affect how status is used within a metagame?
  • How would a new viable status preventer affect the usage of status-curing moves or items?
  • What are the different factors that affect the usefulness of primary vs secondary status, or which factors affect the usefulness of a particular status compared to any other? Which types of status are easier/more apt to prevent? Which are more important to prevent?
  • How can momentum be effected with the use of a status preventer? Without the often-common answers of burning/paralyzing/toxic stalling a specific threat, how will the metagame shift?
Explanation: First and foremost, it should be said that this concept aims at allowing a Pokemon that can prevent status far better than stuff like Charizard, and even Heatran; Heatran is immune to burn and poison, but would not be considered a dedicated status preventer due to his susceptibility to sleep, paralysis, and perhaps of less worry to confusion. When going through type and ability combinations, there seem to be some untapped pairings that can make a Pokémon ignore the negative effects of common/viable status moves and prevent them from even taking effect. Any fast sweeper that is of the electric type can now laugh at any attempts aimed at making it paralyzed; as a result, immediately stopping its sweep becomes harder to do with status, especially so if it is a special sweeper and doesn’t mind the loss to its physical attack that burn could offer. A fast physical sweeper that is fire type doesn’t fear being burned, and if it has methods of ignoring paralysis, then it sits in a similar boat. Nowadays, grass types have a lot less to fear when it comes sleep, since the most reliable/common methods of sleep are spore or sleep powder (of course, hypnosis and dark void could still be used to put a grass type to sleep).

On the other hand, bulky Pokémon oftentimes care more about the residual damage from toxic or even burns. Magic guard seems to be an ability that is used to mitigate these effects, but that ability alone doesn’t prevent negative status such sleep, paralysis, freeze, and a whole list of secondary forms of status. In terms of status prevention abilities, there are ones such as magic bounce and shield dust, not to mention a plethora of abilities that prevent single statuses (insomnia, limber, immunity, etc).

Furthermore, there are some extremely underutilized moves that prevent status. Safeguard is the most general, and is one that is largely deemed uncompetitive. Even some moves with nifty side effects can also prevent status; electric terrain not only boosts electric moves for a time but also prevents sleep while it is up. Could any of these status preventing moves work in a well-designed combination alongside abilities and types to make status prevention a viable strategy?

In terms of base stats, there are a number of different directions/builds that a status preventer could take. It could solely prevent status from inflicting itself and take a sweeper approach to stats; a sweeper that can generally not fear about status could potentially be a result of this concept. Or, a team-player status preventer is another possibility that could take a more supportive route and would thus have a different stat combination. Something in between the two, or even completely different, is also possible.

As a result, I think a status preventer can fulfill each step of the CAP process with a lot of different discussions and options to consider. The new sixth gen mechanics in reference to certain status immunities is my primary inspiration for this concept, and so a sixth gen CAP is a good place to start looking at status prevention in a more collaborative light. A primary focus for this concept would be the combinations that type, abilities, and moves could have in order to make a CAP with status prevention in mind.

For my particular concept, I don't think that my direction is intended to make a Pokemon a that stops/prevents only one or two types of status such as with Charizard and Heatran. Rather, the aims would be to stop much more than previously seen on a competitive Pokemon. I realize that status has always been a force in the metagame, but we've yet to really have either a sweeper who can't be touched by a large number of status effects, nor have we had a Pokemon that tries to prevent status for the rest of the team except arguably magic bouncers (of course, it could be said in some respects that status healing after the fact is more reliable... but that then brings in the whole problem of switching and likely double switching just to get your team members healed and magic bounce has this same problem though maybe to a less extent due to not wasting a turn with heal bell--status prevention could circumvent this through a number of different methods, whether it be the largely deemed worthless safeguard, or status-specific moves that could be seen as more viable such as the new electric terrain; the key benefit to status prevention would be no longer having to risk the turns that it takes to successfully heal status).

I myself use Charizard-X a ton, and being susceptible to paralysis (and to a lesser extent poison) is still a major thorn in its side (still a great Pokemon and I don't foresee making something as strong as Zard X and slapping on stuff that makes him only tickled by rare status). Being immune only to burn is hardly the same as being a status preventer. Heatran is shut down by sleep, and hindered by paralysis. Conkeldurr, though not a status "preventer" and rather one that utlizes it, is able to avoid sleep through the means of being inflicted with poison/burn, but there are clearly negative effects to this via the residual damage. A status preventer, not having been inflicted with status in the first place, would have no worry of this residual damage.

Overall, I don't think that the concept is trying at all "to do a little better against status than the average Pokemon". It aims at doing a lot better. We have never seen a grass/electric Pokemon with immunity that cannot be paralyzed, put to sleep by the most common means, nor poisoned (likewise, though not entirely true to "prevention" something like grass/electric with poison heal would technically be able to be poisoned, but would turn that negative residual damage into a positive). We've never seen a fire/electric Pokemon with immunity or insomnia, or even a fire/electric with immunity and uproar/electric terrain. We've never seen a steel/grass with water veil/flash fire (though that might be a stretch in terms of flavor). Even things such as own tempo could also prove to be useful, as of the secondary statuses, confusion isn't extremely rare.

So then... my questions to you readers/voters is this; how do you think a Pokemon that can laugh off status would affect the metagame? Is it something worth exploring? I think that with the updated status-immunities received by Electric and Grass Pokemon this generation is an interesting twist, and for the first time as a result, GameFreak has given us a large enough toolbox to make something that can't be affected by the major status forces in the metagame. As admitted, status has always been a force to deal with. So, this concept, in a way, asks us to imagine the prospect of it it wasn't (or at least regarding a specific CAPmon).

Edit: Added in more explanations after chatting with DLC over PM.
 
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Well, here goes my first attempt, feedback is greatly appreciated.
Name: The Cleric Breaker
General Description: This pokemon takes on cleric pokemon and stops them from doing what they were brought in to do without sacrificing momentum.
Justification: With gen 6, Clerics are still running amok it can be quite a challenge to stop a Chansey from healing all her teammate's status problems or a Sylveon from wish passing. Even if many pokemon can stop clerics, most of the time they lose momentum doing so. Momentum is still almost a necessity to keep, especially with Rotom-W still going strong due to the pokemon it counters and the use of Volt Switch.
Questions:
  • What kind of pokemon would be able to take on a variety of clerics while maintaining momentum?
  • How will this pokemon distinguish itself from the many pokemon that can stop clerics?
  • How will this pokemon fare against clerics with items or mechanics to stop pokemon from taunting or statusing them?
  • Which aspects of clerics should this pokemon focus on? Why?
  • What challenges appear when trying to balance momentum with the countering of clerics?
Explanation: I personally think that clerics do not get the attention they deserve. I personally have a Blissey on my team in PS! and she always gets her job done, and when it gets down to it, I very rarely run into a situation where she is 100% unable to do her job. With such a powerful glue to my team you'd think I would have issues with moves such as taunt or status like sleep or paralysis, but she really just doesn't run into taunt users anymore (maybe other than the occasional taunt Gliscor) and sleep is less powerful now that the mechanics have been reverted to pre-gen 5 (plus natural cure alleviates this issue anyway). Running into a pokemon that can steal momentum while stopping my Blissey from using Aromatherapy is by far my greatest fear, and it motivated me to at least try to make concept for CAP 18.
 
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