CAP 18 CAP 18 - Part 1 - Concept Submissions

[RBG]

Name: Priority is king

General Description: This Pokemon will use and thrive on increased priority moves to control the battle

Justification: One aspect of Gen VI that we've grown accustomed to is the reliance on increased priority moves. Gale Wings, Prankster, and the numerous priority attacking moves, it is very uncommon to see a team that doesn't utilize increased priority. The most common use is as a revenge killer, but often, as with Aegislash and Mega Lucario, the move is also used to stop Pokemon that might outspeed them to continue sweeping.

Questions To Be Answered: How important is having Priority in the Gen VI Metagame?
If you rely on priority, how much speed is "enough"?
Are Pokemon that depend on priority only able to be Revenge Killers/Support Pokemon?


Explanation: At the beginning of Gen VI, one of my friends told me he felt Gen VI would be based around priority moves. Between Talonflames's Gale Wing make an otherwise lackluster Pokemon Top OU, Prankster being the devil of an ability that it is, and all the priority moves seen throughout the meta (Shadow Sneak Aegislash, Aqua Jet Azumarill, Bullet Punch Scizor, ect) I'm inclined to agree. Although having only priority moves is not enough to make a Pokemon great, it can give a Pokemon the final "oomph" it needs to go from good to Top OU. The best example of this is Scizor. It wasn't a bad Pokemon in DP, but Bullet Punch gave it the extra utility it needed to be Number 1 on the usage stats for almost the rest of Gen IV, despite Gen IV having numerous suspects that were voted Uber. By building a Pokemon around the concept of priority, we can judge how much the Pokemon would require it to either check common threats in the meta.

One direction this concept could go is the idea of a pure wall with prankster. Murkrow does this very inefficiently, but Pokemon with stats made for being defensive and a recovery move would be an interesting concept to look into. Priority healing would be interesting for a defensive Pokemon as a concept to see as opposed to just the utility.

<I'll come back to try to work on this latter to flesh it out, but I just wanted to get the backbone and general concept out of the way so I could get feedback>

 

[Bughouse]

Name: BWack to the Future

General Description: This Pokemon aims to promote the prominent metagame aspects of BW OU in the face of changes brought in XY.

Justification: I will be the first to admit that XY OU is a fun metagame, arguably much more enjoyable than BW OU ever was. Still, the shift between the two metagames has been massive, much bigger than the shift between DPP and BW, and this presents a ripe opportunity to explore which changes in XY were most important in causing such a radical generational metagame shift and how one could go about reversing these trends.

Questions To Be Answered:

• What defining aspects of BW OU are absent or decreased in importance in XY OU?
• Which changes in XY have been most important in causing these shifts? Is it the weather debuff? The introduction of Fairy type? Ghost and Dark hitting Steel neutrally? Mega Evolutions and general power creep? Defog? Knock Off? Something less obvious?
• Is it possible to promote a metagame based on one or more of these bygone characteristics in a new generation?
• If only part of the BW OU metagame could be recreated, which part would be considered most defining and/or most desirable to recreate? Weather wars? The Dragon/Steel binary? Bulky offense in general?
• Which of these generational changes to the OU metagame are directly mechanical and which are indirect and a result of other shifts?
• Since direct mechanical changes are inevitable (i.e. we can't just eliminate Fairy typing or revert Weather to permanence), how can we go about influencing indirect shifts in the metagame within the context of these new mechanics?

Explanation:

Large metagame shifts between generations have happened before. The shift from RBY to GSC introduced two new types and greatly increased the number of viable Pokemon such as Suicune and Skarmory, along with a slew of metagame changes, such as Spikes, Hold Items, and Special being split to SpAtk and SpDef. From GSC to ADV we added abilities and with them weather as a metagame force, along with a some important hold items such as Choice Band, and many important Pokemon. On top of that the idea of Natures and EVs were introduced, greatly complicating the metagame. From ADV to DPP we got the Physical/Special split, which was big enough that I don't even need to explain any other changes, though several others like Choice Scarf were very important.

Yet from DPP to BW, comparatively little was changed. And few of the changes were anything mechanical to preexisting elements. Instead it was mostly the general power creep of new Pokemon, the introduction of some new items and abilities, chief among them perhaps being Eviolite and Air Balloon. True, weather wars became important with DW Ninetales and Politoed providing competition for Sand and Hail, but manual sunny day and manual rain dance were already existing strategies in DPP and ADV.

This is not the case this time. The metagame shift from BW to XY is radical once more and I think it would be a good time to explore the strength of these changes and whether or not any of them are reversible with a single CAP affecting the metagame. In the questions, I alluded to what I consider the three most defining aspects of the BW metagame: weather wars, co-dominance of Dragon and Steel typings, and the general teamstyle we know as Bulky Offense. So what has changed for each of these?

Well, for weather, we all know about the debuff. Even with the introduction of Mega Tyranitar and Mega Abomasnow (arguably improving Sand and Hail) and Mega Charizard Y (definitely improving Sun), weather as a whole just isn't a viable team structure. BW on the other hand was a meta very much defined by weather. As the meta changed, Rain Offense became harder to do after Aldaron's Proposal. But then we saw the rise of things like Tornadus-T and Keldeo making Rain threatening all over again. In the meanwhile, Rain Stall was a strong strategy in its own right. Epitomizing the weather-centric nature of BW OU was the high usage of Dugtrio on Sun teams, almost entirely to eliminate Tyranitar and thus win the weather war. It seems it would be difficult to alter this and make XY OU focused heavily on weather again, due to the 5 turn constraint, but perhaps it could be done? Maybe now that Pokemon no longer summon perma-weather, it would be the perfect time to create a Pokemon that summons weather. What if there were a Drought-mon that didn't stink (Ninetales) and didn't require you to use your Mega Evolution (CharY)? It's certainly an interesting question. This is a situation we avoided addressing directly due to weather's dominance in BW, but maybe now tinkering with weather wouldn't be so dangerous.

Moving onto the second dynamic, we see a clear reason for its demise in XY as well. Dragons and Steels were shafted by the redoing of the type chart. Dragons all of a sudden face an immunity in Fairy, making Outrage and Draco Meteor infinitely less spammable than they were in BW. On the other side of things, Steels no longer were necessary to stop Dragons, and indeed are inferior to Fairies in doing so. On top of that, Steel lost its resistances to Dark and Ghost type moves. Interestingly, though, due to Steel being super effective against Fairy, it is a considerably improved offensive type, so perhaps not all is lost for Steel? Still, Dragons and Steels are not the metagame forces they were in BW OU, as epitomized by the "DragMag" strategy whereby Magnezone would be used to clear Steels for Dragons to then sweep. This was even taken as far as 4Drag2Mag, where a team would literally be composed of 4 Dragons, Magnezone, and Magneton. While this strategy is no longer viable in the slightest, since Fairies (except for Mawile and Klefki) can't be trapped by Magnet Pull and Aegislash, the most popular Steel can't be trapped due to its Ghost typing, that doesn't mean that something can't be done to resurrect Dragons and/or Steels. Perhaps a new form of DragMag could be made, whereby Fairies are the targets for removal instead of (or in addition to) Steels.

Finally, we come to Bulky Offense, which is a nebulous definition for what largely dominated BW OU. I don't know how to define it particularly well, but I know that the current XY OU meta does not have much of it. Most teams are pretty heavily offensive or pretty heavily stall, without much in between. This is why a lot of people have offered concepts about "glue" or "pivots." It's certainly an option that could be explored in my concept too, but I think it's more interesting to focus on the metagame drivers themselves and focus on disrupting them in favor of bulky offense, rather than just building a "glue/pivot" mon and hoping it will work in the meta.

There are many other aspects that matter a ton, such as Defog's ease of removing hazards and Knock Off's rise to power. But since most of these ancillary factors have received entire dedicated concepts of their own, I won't prattle on any further. But I would very much look forward to continuing this discussion if my concept were to be chosen.

 

[P2X7]

Name: Typewriter

General Description: A Pokemon that specializes in using type changing moves.

Justification: While typing has always been a powerful influence in determining the viability of a Pokemon, type changing moves have been overlooked for the most part. Although these moves can have a somewhat strong effect when used properly, their general unreliability cause most players to think of them as gimmicks. However, with the advent of Gen VI, several new moves that change types have been added, which would make this a prime opportunity to experiment with these kinds of moves. This CAP would allow us to further explore the effect that typing can have by utilizing the ability to alter both its and its opponent's typing in a way that it would gain a sizable advantage.

Questions to be Answered:

• How important typing truly is when a Pokemon is capable of shifting types in its favor?
• How effective can type changing moves really be?
• How would the metagame react to a threat based around type changes?

Explanation: Type changing moves are an untapped resource. The ability to change types on a whim is a powerful concept, and one that hasn't been explored to its true potential. While Pokemon such as Greninja have shown that type changes can be powerful in the current metagame, the type changing moves themselves are still an unexplored concept, and I feel that we can create a Pokemon that showcases the full potential of type changing moves, and prove that these moves are more than just a gimmick.

One of my favorite things about type changing moves is that they can be used both offensively and defensively, and are great at forcing switches, which in turn gains momentum with ease. An example of a defensive use is one of my personal favorite sets in Gen V, Reflect Type + Swords Dance Mew, which could lure in would-be checks or counters, such as Tyranitar, set up a Swords Dance on the switch, and then use Reflect Type to turn the tables on its foe, as Mew's newly-acquired typing meant that, because its opponent's most likely move would be a super effective STAB that Mew would then resist, it could then threaten said opponent and either KO it or force a switch. For an example of an offensive use, one needs to look no further than CAP 13, Necturna, which could utilize Soak to force out most switch-ins with the threat of a super effective Power Whip or other Grass STAB. And then there are the lesser used type changing moves, such as Conversion(2) and Camouflage, which, while the generally least useful of any of said moves, still have potential regardless of this, and the new type changing moves introduced in Gen VI, one of which—Trick or Treat—appears to have great potential, as even though its only user ignores it in favor of defensive sets, the ability to move an attack one step higher on the weakness/resistance chart can be invaluable, especially if the user happens to be a Ghost-type that can exploit this sudden weakening of its opponent's resistances.

I feel that type changing moves are a powerful, unexplored concept, and one that could be healthy for the metagame, which is what my rambles are trying to explain, and is why I feel that this would be a great time to try these moves out and find the best way to use them. Who knows, we might find something that changes the metagame in a way no one could have predicted, but we'll never know unless we try it out.

 

[Lulz. N3CR0M4NC3R]

Name: Skill Swapper
General Description: A Pokémon which is able to utilise Skill Swap in a fairly good sense, whether it would be removing the enemies ability or getting rid of a inferior ability.
Justification: Skill Swap is an underrated move that has almost no use in competetive battling, only ever being used on Slaking to remove Truant. Other than that, it is seen as a silly gimmick move, along with moves such as Wonder Room or Magic Room. Being able to rid of your own ability for a superior one or being able to remove the ability that a Pokémon relies on to do it's job (eg. Azumarill) is something that doesn't spring to mind when one things of battling, which could mean that this CAP could wreck havoc on Ability-reliant Pokémon.
Questions To Be Answered:

• What Pokémon suffer from the loss of their abilities?
• What Pokémon would benefit going up against a Pokémon without it's normal ability?
• How would ability swapping affect the OU Metagame?

Explanation: As mentioned, Skill Swap is never used unless people want to troll around with Slaking/Regigigas. The Skill Swap Pokémon that I've seen are always wrecking havoc on my Poison Heal Gliscor, which in itself counters the whole set. I feel that this art of being able to shut down Pranksters and Magic Guarders is a valuable one which is never used. However, Skill Swap has many downsides, such as its only use being on Pokémon with Huge Power or such abilities. On paper this sounds great, but it is hindered by the fact that few viable Pokémon learn this move, which therefore goes on to it never being used. I felt that this move needed some more interest.

Well here you go, my first ever idea. Sorry it's not a huge amount of writing.

 

[Karrandras]

Name: Ultimate Anti Lead

General Description: A Pokemon that's main role is to disable or remove leads

Justification: Many say hazard leads or suicide leads are a thing of previous of metagames due to defog and other XY mechanics, but we do still have things like Galvantula and Ferrothorn who almost guaranteed set up a hazard or, in Smeargle's case, set up multiple. You also get scout leads who VoltTurn out for instant momentum, and then you get prankster leads like Klefki, Liepard and Sableye, who can all be highly frustrating. What if there was a Pokemon who could deal with a frustrating lead easily, although lacking the raw punch that another member of the team may have.

Questions to be Answered:

• How often are leads seen in the XY OU meta and how much of an impact do they have?
• What effect/reaction will a prevention method of leads have on the meta?
• Could multiple types of leads be checked or countered in one set? Would the Pokemon have different sets to cope with these sets

Explanation: When playing BW OU, I remember the majority of teams using one of three Pokemon: Ferrothorn, Forretress and Skarmory. MOst of the time, these would be leads that set up stealth rock and were bulky enough not to be suicidal like Aerodactyl. I then realised that they suffered one similarity: there steel- typing. This meant that maybe a magnet pull Pokemon could trap and taunt them, with the ability to kill hem with HP Fire. Thus Probopass, my Gen V anti lead was born.

This Pokemon however could only deal with steel- type set up leads, and wasn't optimised for its role with low base speeds and could only run Fire punch or HP fire, meaning it was only able to 2HKO or lose out to Skarmory, and all it could other than that was set up it's own stelath rock. Imagine if a counter similar to this was considerably more usable and had greater versatility, meaning opponents wouldn't just insta-pick their standard lead, creating a positive change on the meta where people have to think more about antileads.

 

[Empress]

Name: Banned for Spam

General Description: A Pokémon that discourages the opponent from using easily spammable moves, and punishing them if they do so.

Justification: "Easily spammable moves", such as Volt Switch, U-Turn and Knock Off, are insane in this metagame, to say the least. Knock Off, with its unbelievable buff this generation, is a must-use on nearly any Pokémon that gets it; it has a respectable power, punishes switch-ins, and makes Ghost- and Psychic- types even harsher defensive liabilities than they used to be. VoltTurn is more annoying than ever now that the genies have returned to OU. Even with the ban of Genesect, VoltTurn remains one of the most uncounterable strategies in the OU environment, thanks to the aforementioned genies, as well as the continued presence of Rotom-W and Scizor. While those are the main moves that I aim to deal a blow in viability, there are plenty of other moves that can be used without a thought. Healing moves, especially Prankster Roost Tomohawk or the infamous Chansey. Choice Band/Specs Close Combat/Draco Meteor/etc. Priority attacks- lots and lots of them. Status-spreading moves, especially from Klefki (those goddamn fairies!). Even Kitsunoh's ShadowStrike qualifies thanks to its frequent Defense Drops. This concept aims to stop not just these Pokémon, but Pokémon overall, from spamming moves, whether by way of tanking them or punishing them. If we find a way to effectively punish users of these moves, we could see both the moves and the Pokémon take a dip in OU viability.

Questions To Be Answered:

What constitutes a “spammable” move?

How are teams that abuse moves able to be successful?

What types of teams would this concept benefit most- stall, balance, HO, etc…?

Is there a “best” way to punish users of these moves, instead of tanking them directly?

Can you actually stop an opponent from spamming moves?

What other sorts of niches would the concept have to fill (besides the main concept, of course)?

Explanation:

I love CAP- in fact, it’s almost the sole thing I play on Showdown. Thanks to the many additions, it has become Smogon’s most balanced metagame, hands-down. The hyper-offense style of Gen 5 and Gen 6 doesn’t work as well in CAP thanks to the multitude of Bulky Offense (Revenankh, Arghonaut, Necturna, Aurumoth) and even some Stall/Defense (Fidgit, Tomohawk, Mollux, Malaconda). A metagame dominated by a certain strategy/type of team is rather monotonous, and thus it’s no fun. It is also impractical to try a different strategy from the norm; while unorthodox teambuilding is certainly enjoyable, in practice it often won’t work against the offense-dominant competition of Gen 5 and 6 OU. Spammable attacks are a staple of HO teams and VoltTurn teams alike. This concept, as such, aims to counter those teams at the root. If it succeeds, we could see some brand-new playstyles and strategies emerge, and Bulky Offense/Stall will attempt to be revitalized once more. But mostly Stall, I hope. Though I hate Stall teams with a passion, it is nonetheless a shame to see that they are a dying breed. Just like how the Fairy type balanced the type chart (but became slightly overpowered itself), this CAP will hopefully balance the “metagame analysis” section of the Usage Stats each month (without being a broken Pokémon, of course).

As for punishing/stopping move spammers, I've noticed that Cyclohm does that well, as Shield Dust can block a stray ShadowStrike from Kitsunoh or a Scald Burn, and Static punishes Knock Off/U-Turn/Priority users. Thus, Cyclohm is a very skill-based Pokémon, as both of its abilities have certain techniques that you must consider: punish contact users? Or act as a tank? Until your foe gets paralyzed, or their ShadowStrike doesn't work, you can play some serious mind games with them. Additionally, what sort of previously uncommon abilities or moves could this concept give rise to? Flame Body and Rough Skin for the same moves that Cyclohm blocks? Synchronize for status? Heal Block for recovery spammers? Mean Look/Block/Partial trapping for Choice-locked Pokes? These are all seemingly gimmicky moves and abilities that could potentially be rewarding if used properly, so it would be cool to see what sorts of strategies besides those I mentioned would work to fulfill the concept. Perhaps we could look at Cyclohm again and see why it was so successful, and create a Pokémon somewhat in the mold of it. Of course I'm not suggesting we make a Cyclohm clone, but I could definitely see this concept having similarities with it. Overall, this concept all boils down to deeming which moves are spammed the most thoughtlessly, and to go from there. Once we figure out which ones need to be balanced/punished, we will create a more skilled and less pure-power (not the ability) metagame.

(Note: This is my first CAP concept ever. It's cool that the some big-name Smogonites are giving it some praise. And thanks DetroitLolcat and bugmaniacbob for the constructive criticism as well; I hope I addressed a little more in this edit.)

 

[youngjake93]

Name: Deeply Rooted

General Description: Uses draining and recovery moves

Justification: Smeargle is the only Pokemon that uses Ingrain. Nothing really uses Big Root. It would be interesting to see some of the non-instant recovery moves be used. Some Pokemon have accomplished this such as Ferrothorn, Conkeldurr and Swirlix, but none have done it to the point where they would ever use Big Root to maximize effectiveness.

Questions to be Answered:

• Can Big Root be an viable option on the right Pokemon?
• Is Ingrain only usable on Baton Pass chains?
• How would the metagame react to a threat based around staying in forever with draining/passive recovery moves?

Explanation: Fitting the pieces of the puzzle together for a Pokemon that can make the most of Big Root could be pretty interesting. Having something like a Ferrothorn or Chansey, but without the team utility and emphasis on survival could bring the dedicated stallbreakers back out that were more popular in the past prior to power creep deeming them less necessary. Soak+Leech Seed or Ingrain+Aqua Ring are some interesting combinations that simply aren't used legal due to flavor restrictions. Also, it has long been the assumption that KOing your opponent/supporting your team is generally more useful than staying alive. This concept could put that to the test.

 

[Adar]

First CAP submission; feedback appreciated.

Concept: True Utility Check

Justification: The overspecialization of the previous metagame was immense, and while the weather nerf and Fairy type may lessen this, there are still many Pokémon capable of causing game breaking damage to teams. Would it be possible to create a Pokémon capable of responding to most or even all setup sweepers reliably?

Questions to Answer:

• Is it possible to prepare for all significant threats without significantly altering teambuilding?
• How would a universal check alter the (currently) offensive metagame?
• Would this Pokémon be able to come in on a set up sweeper, or as the opponent is setting up or switching itself?
• Would such a Pokémon be overspecialized or gamebreaking itself?

Explanation: With the exception of GSC, the metagame has continuously become more and more offensively-oriented. Without necessarily preventing the function of all offensive and hyper-offense teams, could there be a Pokémon capable of (with proper investment) checking the most popular threats, and thereby establishing a more balanced metagame without dominating the metagame itself?

 

[xAudienceofone]

Name: Support Sun Setter
General Description: Most Sunny Day teams, by my experience, are about offense and rarely breach barriers of typing (often being grass or fire type on the team). This pokemon would seek to break that, being both supportive and not too offensive.
Justification: Weather teams are on the decline since the most recent generation's changes. They are weaker and they will be needing some more diversity and help to continue on. Rain will be okay. It was massively useful before and will continue to be so. I think sand will be alright, with the powerful Tyranitar and Hippowdon leading the charge and granting boosts to speed and power through abilities as well as boosting rock type pokemon's special defense considerably. Hail as always been a little weak. Sun was useable in the previous generations, but has always been very heavily focused on attacking. This pokemon would seek to be a wall (of the physical and special sort) and fulfill a support role on this offensive sort of team. This won't bring the sun teams back to full power, but it would make them more diverse and give them a much needed supportive pokemon.
Questions To Be Answered:

• Is Sunny Day worth investing in still? What would make it worth setting up?
• Most likely, this would be a special or physical wall, as opposed to having equal defenses. Looking at the threats to a sun team, what would be best to defend against that a pokemon like Tangrowth cannot?
• Supposing that this is one of your last pokemon, what sort of offense or status move could allow it to do some damage? What supporting moves does a current sun team lack?

Explanation: It's actually pretty simple to me. There are very few sun team pokemon outside the typical grass and fire typings. I'd like to see this pokemon break from that. Outside the typing, I think there is a largely unpopulated role as a sun-setter. Ninetailes and Groudon are the only two (I know of) that currently have drought. I'd like this to join the ranks of these essential sun-setters and be a third option. Another thing I'd like to mention is that there are few (if any) sun team pokemon with sticky web or stealth rocks. These could be incredibly valuable to add. As for defensive moves, what about a wish passer or a tank with cosmic power on your sun team? How about the possibility of a trick room to make your slower pokemon more threatening and give the chlorophyll users a rest? The possibilities are endless, it will largely come down to what we want most, I think.

Also, this is my first post, so if I did anything wrong, don't hesitate to tell me. I love creative projects and this just spoke to me a little unexpectedly. Glad to make a contribution after lurking for so long.

 

[macle]

Name: the anti-luck

General Description: a pokemon that limits and or punishes the opposing player's luck

Justification: Luck plays an important part in the game.Flinching, Confusion, Secondary effects and whatnot are all game changers, deserving or not. The ability to limit luck can be an important part of a team. There aren't a lot of Pokemon that can really limit the amount of luck the opponent gets.

Questions to answer:
How does limiting luck effect a battle?
Is a poke that decreases luck viable?
Can you really stop luck?
What really DOES define luck?

Explanation:
With XY, there has been discussions about teams and abilities that are completely based around the "uncompetitive" concept of luck. Smogon, has taken many measures to ensure the game as as competitive as possible and manageable within the Player's realms of control; such examples of actions taken are the implementation of Evasion and OHKO clauses. All in all, luck CAN be stopped or even punished, but how viable is it in the end? This Pokemon aims to discover the surreal concept that it is.

There are a few ways to limit the opponent's luck. Own Tempo mons stop Swagger. Battle Armor mons stop crits. No guard lets you use moves that may miss. Inner focus stops flinches. Electric types stop paralyses.

 

[leafflare8097]

Name: Operation: Nullify

General Description: A Pokemon that would nullify and cripple the opponents Pokemon by reversing their moves back at them

Justification: There has been a rise of many buffed up moves or new moves that nullify what the opponent has done(like Topsy-Turvy or Defog). Some of these moves either have a small distribution or are not the Pokemon's main moves. This Pokemon could use it's moves to cripple the opponent's moves or their Pokemon using things like status. Through this, we can learn about the effects of these moves on the metagame.

Questions To Be Answered:

• Would this type of Pokemon influence the Pokemon in away that it could cause momentum in your favor?
• Would this Pokemon be in more use for stall of offence type of team?
• Could this Pokemon lessen a certain type of set(like Dragons to Fairies)?

Explanation: When I played XY OU, one of my main Pokemon was Togekiss. I used the ParaFlinch set. I noticed that while Togekiss could cripple the other Pokemon using paralysis, it could only really effect fast Pokemon. Malamar, another pokemon that piqued my interest when I was thinking about this Pokemon has similar issues, while it can make set-up Pokemon backfire on themselves with Topsy Turvy, it can't do much else. If we made a Pokemon using these types of moves, than we could truly find the influence of these moves.

My First time submitting one of these!!

 

[Torkoals]

Name: Momentum freezer

General description: A pokemon that is largely devoted to spreading status, but can actually inflict and utilize the rarely seen frozen statusto turn momentum in the user's favor

Justification: Since its arrival in Gen 1, the frozen status has been thrown to the wayside as it has no move to reliably inflict it, yet it has the potential to immediately turn a battle's momentum in the user's favor. Every other status condition is widely used, depending on the need of a team or availability due to movesets, and an ability or typing making this possible with the frozen status could give it a chance to shine in the XY metagame, and possibly ice-types, which are immune to being frozen, a boost in usage.

Questions to be answered:

• Is the frozen status, even with a reliable method of infliction, viable?
• Would teams have to take the frozen status especially into consideration, such as how burning can affect a physical team?
• Would this increase usage of ice types or other pokemon immune to being frozen?
• Could the frozen status act as a method of returning lost momentum to the user?
• How does the metagame react to a new status as potentially as powerful as sleep, but without a clause in place to limit it?

Explanation: I often take status into consideration when creating a team, but have always lamented that a status condition that could help boost the worst type, ice, into prominence, is unavailable for reliable infliction. New Ice moves like freeze dry, and new ice type pokemon like Aurorus and Avalugg, deserve a chance to excel in the XY metagame.

(Also articuno is 2 kool, his usage is embarassing)

 

[FMD]

Momentum Freezer: Freeze is actually way too overpowered. It is Sleep with no definite end turn. That is why it only ever has a 10% or lower chance of happening (not considering Serene Grace).

 

[Admiral_Stalfos19]

Been a long time since I've done one of these, but anyway...

Name: The Super Special Awesome One
General Description: A Pokemon with an ability that otherwise almost never sees use in OU, despite the perks that it may bring to the table
Justification: XY OU brings a whole host of different abilities. There's Protean, which grants STAB on every single attack because it changes type before its wielder attacks, and is the sole reason Greninja makes the cut in the OU metagame. On top of that, Goodra has Gooey to slow down anyone that uses contact moves on it, and Talonflame has Gale Wings for its priority Brave Birds. However, even back in Advance when abilities were introduced, many have been neglected for better ones. Of course the neglecting of some of those abilities is warranted since those specific ones are outright bad, but others still have their perks. Trace can be used against Heatran and other Flash Fire users for example, but the only way to get it on an OU Pokemon is by Mega Evolving Alakazam, which means you're using it wrong for the most part. Analytic can also be useful for its 30% power boost, but only Starmie has it, and 10 times out of 10, the experienced battler would use Natural Cure instead. This concept aims to determine the true worth of a neglected ability of the community's choosing, and perhaps shed some light on abilities in general.
Questions to be Answered:

• What makes an ability see use in OU? Is it because of a Pokemon that it's assigned to, or is it so good that without it, the Pokemon would be UU or worse?
• How does one ability get overshadowed over another ability, and what can we do to prevent that?
• What exactly does it take for an ability to reach its maximum potential?
• Should moves such as Skill Swap or Entrainment be included in this Pokemon's movepool, in case its ability turns out not to be so grand?

Explanation: I've said enough in the Justification as far as I'm concerned, but am willing to expand on that if need be.

 

[Zebstrika]

I have to second (actually, it might be third or fourth) that I prefer more open ended submissions, rather than something built around a specific move/item/etc. Also, I can list off a pokemon that already fits many of those specific roles, not even counting the submissions where the poster includes some. I realize that just pointing out that these pokemon exist doesn't tell us everything, and we can learn more by looking at what it takes to construct a pokemon of our own, but we might as well pick a topic that is more abstract or unique since we'll learn even more there.

I guess what I'm trying to say, is, some of these submissions look like, "Hey wouldn't it be cool if we had a pokemon with ... trait? Like something that could be 2 completely different pokemon based on its ability (nothing personal towards that submission?" And I personally don't think that should be done, especially if there is an existing pokemon that we could take a look at how it's doing.

(edit: yeah birkal makes a good point 2 posts below. On second thought the main question we would be missing out on for one of these proposals is, "What does this specific niche end up doing in the metagame" which was not a good question in the first place)

stuff that already exists

Name: One Mind

General Description: A pokemon that fills one role and one role only, but does it well.

Suicune is pretty much this. Anything other than Rest+Sleep Talk+Scald+Calm Mind with max HP and defense is generally outclassed, either by another Suicune set or by one of the zillion bulky waters out there. Suicune has a few other moves but they generally are only for surprise factor.

Name/Concept:

Jack of all trades, ...

General Description:

A pokemon that can effectively fulfull every role in the current metagame decently while not being the very best pick for any of them.

Mew.

Name: The Optimal Assault Vest User

General Description: This will be a Pokemon that makes the best use of the new Assault Vest item while not being broken. It will also help judge if a Pokemon that should make the best use of the Assault Vest can perform another role as well as it can use Assault Vest, or better.

Conkeldurr, Tangrowth, Slowbro, Metagross, and so on are all very good Assault Vest users. Generally, they have a wide attacking movepool so they don't feel restrained at all on a 4 attack moveset, and either have a separate method of healing or use assault vest to survive specific attacks an extra couple times.

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.

I think Deoxys-D fills this role nicely. Its standard set runs hazards, Taunt, and another support move like Thunder Wave or Magic Coat. Sometimes you see Night Shade or Toxic but generally not much more than that.

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.

These are all over. Infernape, Greninja, heck even a lot of past CAPs like Syclant.

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

How about Tyranitar? It has the offenses and movepool to use both attacking stats. It has defenses to wall a bunch of stuff. Its support movepool is pretty limited but at least includes Stealth Rock. Goodra is another one, although it doesn't normally go mixed attacking, it can use either stat and has good defenses.

Name: Weakness Policy Abuser
General Description: A Pokemon meant to use the Weakness Policy, be it mainly defensive or offensive.

I have seen and used a few more weakness policy users than Dragonite. Others include bulky pokemon like Aegislash or Tyranitar, I've also seen it on other Sturdy mons like Carracosta and Aggron. Even a Baton Pass Mew set, aimed at taking a relatively weak U-Turn or Knock Off running around and then passing big boosts to something else. While none of them are "ideal" users of a weakness policy and some are otherwise a rare sight in OU, I don't think you will ever find that (though that might be interesting to find if it is true with a CAP). Taking a SE attack is inherently a bad idea, but if the CAP can turn it into so much of a benefit that it would rather take a SE attack, then the opponent will stop using those attacks on it, and then the CAP will respond to that by using a different item and abusing the opponent's reluctance to activate the weakness policy.

Name: Role Swapper

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

This one is a bit harder to find examples in OU, but I think Breloom is a perfect one. Technician implies a more offensive set, using moves like Bullet Seed and Mach Punch, while Poison Heal builds around lasting for a few turns, using Substitute and moves that go with it.

To a lesser extent, there are a few others. Thundurus-I has Prankster for support and purely special sets, and Defiant for some physical sets. Goodra has Gooey and Sap Sipper for defensive, tanky sets, while it makes a good rain setter with Hydration (though no matter what, Thundurus is almost always offensive, Goodra is almost always tanky, can't take those away so easily). Clefable has Unaware and Magic Guard, and while there are some sets that play similarly with each ability, it makes a big difference on what can handle Clefable.

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.

Chesnaught can do this with Bulletproof for a certain set of moves, though maybe 122 base defense goes against what you were thinking, in which case there's also Espeon and mega Absol with Magic Bounce. Soundproof also does this kind of thing but isn't on any pokemon that is good.

 

[ClashofDemonesense]

Name: Resurgence

General Concept: A pokemon that will be able to aid old styles of play that have either just lost popularity or can't function any more becasue of new additions or pokemon.

Questions to Answer:
-Just because it has lost popularity, are old play-styles bad?
-If certain threats to a play-style are stopped, is the style to much for an opponent to handle?
-Is there a reason why these styles just lost popularity?
-Can the X and Y metagame become more varied with more potential play-styles added back into the fray?

Explanation: In past generations, there have been things like toxic spikes offense, dragon spam, trick room, and even things like para flinching, which are things that aren't quite as viable in the X and Y OU meta right now with things that can counter them well. The additions of things like status immunities to electric and grass make certain things less viable, and fairy types shut down dragons entirely, making them not such a great choice to lock into an Outrage when Azumarill and Mawile are used so much. And with fairy usage going up, steel and poison types have risen. Steel counters dragons even more, and poison types take away any layers of toxic spikes you have laid up. This concept could bring back play-styles that were good by countering the things that can keep them at bay.

 

[Birkal]

I wanted to pop in and say that posts such as Zebstrika's are not particularly helpful. Just because a Pokemon exists that fits a proposed concept doesn't mean we can't learn more about it as a Create-A-Pokemon Project. We're not setting out to create some "wonder Pokemon" that is entirely new to the face of competitive battling. We pull from old and new themes to teach us about competitive Pokemon. Many of our designs host similarities to currently existing Pokemon, so it's unfair to dismiss a concept under that logic. In fact, we could probably learn a lot from trying to mimic a competitive Pokemon that currently exists!

I'll provide some more specific feedback tomorrow. Remember when giving feedback to be specific and thoughtful. One-liners that contain no content will be deleted. Feedback is great (and can earn you a badge if you're talented), but only when given constructively. Keep your conversations to private messages, please!

 

[Oglemi]

I don't think anyone's suggested something like this so far

Name: Taking my lumps

General Description: A Pokemon that is extremely good at taking hits through one means or another and providing a defensive pivot and...... not much else.

Justification: The current metagame is filled with Pokemon that can do literally 10 different things; offensive, defensive, support. We've seen Pokemon be exceptionally good walls before, such as Chansey and Mega Venusaur, but those Pokemon were also extremely good supports to the team in some manner: Stealth Rock, Aromatherapy, Toxic, Sleep Powder, Wish, Leech Seed etc. etc. We've never seen a Pokemon that was solely designed to just take hits and do little else and still considered to be good in the metagame. We've seen offensive Pokemon be offensive and do little else, but not so much on the defensive end. About the only real equivalent I can come up with is Shuckle, and it's considered poor in the metagame despite now having access to Sticky Web for various reasons.

Questions To Be Answered:
- Is a Pokemon that solely excels at taking hits desired in the metagame?
- What makes a really good defensive pivot?
- What kind of net loss or gain of momentum is experienced by having an immovable wall on your team?
- Even with little support given to the team, how does having what's essentially a great pivot do for offensive and defensive teams alike?

Explanation: Looking at the viability list in the OU subforum you'll notice a grand total of like 4 Pokemon in the S to A- rank that are what would be considered almost solely defensive. What those Pokemon all have in common (apart from Mandibuzz) is that they do a ton of other stuff apart from just taking hits for the team. There is no central focus on just taking the massively powerful hits thrown around in the tier. There is also a surprisingly large lack of mixed walls, Deoxys-D usually focusing on hazards instead, and Mega Venusaur being about the only true example. The tier also lacks a particularly good pivot outside of Landorus-T. What I really want to see is something that just takes all lumps and frankly does not care in the slightest.

 

[DetroitLolcat]

All right, I'm back in town and it's time to get cracking on some feedback. I'm going to be replying to concepts in the order they were posted provided they were in the correct format. If I respond to your concept and you edit it and request additional feedback, shoot me a PM. If I didn't reply to your concept, it's because I saw it as a heavy work-in-progress and I don't want to judge it before it's all finished.

Salt the Flesh (Low Priority) - This is an interesting concept, but I worry that there are already Pokemon that handle OU's priority abusers rather well. You mention that this concept doesn't have to be a Physical wall, but it's pretty clear that Talonflame and Mega Pinsir can get past just about any Pokemon not packing a ton of Defense. Furthermore, do you think it's possible to even semi-reliably counter Talonflame, Mega Pinsir, Aegislash, and even Azumarill with one Pokemon? Most defensive Pokemon handle priority users the same way they handle offensive Pokemon without priority, and it'd be pretty difficult for an offensive Pokemon to handle your concept. I'm not sure why a Pokemon dedicated to handling priority needs to exist in this metagame when so many Pokemon already (Rotom-W, Hippowdon, Mega Venusaur) can do well against many (but not all, admittedly) priority users.

Quanyails (The Safety Net) - I am a fan of this concept. It seems like this concept wants to create a universal "glue" Pokemon role in that it can be stuck on a team and serve some purpose at least once in the match. There are examples of this concept in past OU metagames, such as Scizor in Gen IV OU (could usually do 60%+ to a Pokemon you let set up against you) or Alakazam in Gen V OU (Focus Sash = one, often two, guaranteed hits). Do you think a Pokemon like this already exists in Gen VI? I'd argue Alakazam can still serve its Gen V safety net-esque role, but Alakazam really isn't the Pokemon it once was. I'd like to see this concept explored, and I think there are quite a few ways to go about this. I'd like to see a few examples of where you might want to take this concept, if you don't mind.

nyttyn (Power for a Price) - I'm not sure what "sacrifice" means in your concept. As you said, "Sacrifice" could mean the sacrifice of a Pokemon, a quantity of a Pokemon's health, in-game momentum, or something completely different. Also, how would you mandate a Pokemon to be better after a sacrifice than before the sacrifice? I'd like to see this concept be narrowed down some more, at least let me understand what kind of sacrifice you're talking about and how you intend for a Pokemon to be better after something is sacrificed for it.

loco1234 (Backlash) - I'm not sure how you turn something that's inherently bad, recoil, into an advantage. Although low-HP strategies certainly have existed throughout the generations (Endure+Reversal, Pain Split, etc.), very few if any of them rely on recoil (damage you take from yourself) because recoil damage is unpredictable. You don't control how much damage you take from recoil (besides Life Orb), so you can't whittle your health down to exactly where you need it to be. Without examples as to how recoil damage specifically can create an advantage for the user, I'm not convinced this concept is feasible.

Unitas (Never Seen Before!!) - I think that every CAP, we're trying to create something that hasn't been seen before. Arguably, that's the whole purpose of the CAP Project. Looking at our most recent creations, Cawmodore sweeps with a move that was barely ever used in Gen V, Malaconda used an ability whose potential had gone unrealized, and Aurumoth was probably the most powerful two-pronged attacker in its generation. This concept really doesn't give us much to go on; we need something more specific than "Never Before Seen" to move forward with the project.

EpicUmbreon29 (Vantage Point Creator) - This is another concept that just seems really nebulous. Of course every Pokemon exists for its user to gain an advantage, for the balance to be tipped in the user's favor. You mention everything from Frost Breath (a move never used, and for good reason) to multi-hit moves (which are rarely seen without Skill Link, again for good reason) and it just seems that this concept tries to make a "jack of all trades". Your explanation just seems like a list of moves that are either already pretty well-explored or outclassed in nearly all situations. If you could list some specific vantage points you're trying to make, I think I'd understand this concept better.

The Pizza Man (Nostalgic Playstyle) - I like the concept a lot, really. What this concept lacks in ambition it makes up in feasibility and interest, especially since there are dozens of metagames to choose from. I'd like to see some more explanation to this concept, such as certain nostalgic playstyles that you'd like to see explored. I'm not sure what you mean by "What is the definition of viable" in your questions section, either. If you clean up the Questions and Explanation section, then this concept shows a lot of promise.

Kankuro195 (Ability Neutralizer) - How do you see us going about neutralizing opposing Abilities? It's pretty evident that Pokemon like Medicham and Mawile are significantly worse without their Abilities, but most teams have 4 or 5 Pokemon that can function fine without their Abilities and a Simple Beam spammer isn't going to revolutionize the metagame. Pokemon like Excadrill and Kyurem-Black already show how some Pokemon like Rotom-W and Latias need their Abilities, as well.

Mowtom (Hazard Control) - Can one Pokemon be a universal hazard controller? Each hazard and hazard-clearing move takes up a moveslot, and a universal hazard controller (I assume like Forretress in the past two generations) will end up with some pretty bad four-moveslot syndrome. I think this concept does have some promise, however. Pokemon like Skarmory in the current generation try to accomplish this role, but I'm not sure if having hazards and hazard-clearing moves on the same Pokemon is that significant an advantage. I'd like to see a little more explanation on that front.

ghana.7 (One Mind) - There are a lot of Pokemon that you see only run one premier set in this generation as well as previous generations. Conkeldurr is always an Assault Vest tank, Mega Pinsir is a Swords Dance annihilator, Mandibuzz is a bulky Defogger, etc. If you have a specific, perhaps unexplored, role in particular you'd like your concept to explore then I think it would be more fitting for the CAP. But right now, "very predictable Pokemon" is a role taken by many prominent OU threats. Not to mention it's not a particularly interesting concept. There's potential with this concept, but it could use some more specificity.

Xlelius (Ultimate Baton-Passer) - Baton Pass isn't a bad idea, but there are a lot of more pressing changes to Gen VI that seem more worthy of exploration. If Baton Pass is popular enough then it'll be worthy of inclusion, but Baton Pass has already had its time in the sun.

Fuzzie (Universal Tank Buster) - This is a pretty cool concept. Tanks are definitely prevalent in this metagame; Pokemon like Conkeldurr and Tyranitar are masters at taking hits and dishing them out, and most battles spend the entire mid-game busting through the tanks that handle sweepers. A concept like this, if executed successfully, could have a lasting impression on the metagame. Although being threatening only to defensive Pokemon (or primarily to defensive Pokemon) could be difficult, it's a worthy endeavor. I'd like to see some more examples (outside of a clearly niche FEAR strategy) of how you want to bust tanks, but this concept is very promising.

TitaniumWall55 (Return of Weather) - I don't think it's fair to say weather is nearly extinct; it's just returned to the same level of viability that it had in Gen IV. Sandstorm is still as prevalent as ever, and Tyranitar and Hippowdon are defensive stalwarts that need to be covered by any competitive team. Furthermore, "return of weather" is a pretty vague concept; could you go into detail about which weathers you believe are possible to promote and what you believe makes weather so much less effective in this generation?

Dr.Slugma (Electric-Stopping Jack of Trades) - I don't understand why stopping Electric-types is so important specifically. The only relevant Electric-types in OU are Galvantula, Rotom-W, and Thundurus. Although those Pokemon are nothing to sneeze at, they need an entire CAP dedicated to stopping them. A "jack of all trades" Pokemon is definitely interesting, but the Electric type is not prevalent enough in OU to be worth an entire CAP. In Gen V, the Dragon type was good enough to be worth dedicating an entire CAP, as was the Water type. In Gen IV, there were entire metagames that revolved about stopping perennial powerhouses Salamence and Latias. Those metagames were so dominated by a single type that it merited a CAP, but Electrics in the current meta are not threatening enough to merit a CAP.

PikapowerUltra (Stats and typing vs Abilities) - This is really two concepts in one, but I don't think either concept is specific enough to be considered for the CAP. There are Pokemon with hindering Abilities and Pokemon that are redeemed by their Abilities, the same goes for stats. Trevenant has pretty poor stats, but its abilities and synergy with Mega Charizard Y makes it a force in OU. Aegislash is a Pokemon with pretty medioocre stats and one of the best Abilities in the game. If you can specify exactly what sort of Pokemon you want with this concept, it'll be easier to consider it moving forward.

shockwave527 (Pilot Fish (or Scope Out)) - This concept is essentially the ultimate scout, much like we did with Kitsunoh two generations ago. With the banishment of Genesect to Ubers, OU has lost one of its best scouts. Although OU definitely has its fair share of scouting-based Pokemon (Rotom-W, Greninja), there isn't a dedicated "scout" Pokemon in OU. I'm not sold on the explanation of this concept, it's not going to be possible to create a scout Pokemon without scouting-based moves. To determine the opponent's sets, you need specific scouting moves because forcing switches isn't enough. I like this concept, and would like to see it move on if the explanation is improved :).

Yilx (The Big Dipper) - I can get behind this concept, it involves identifying the best cores in OU and finding ways to destroy them. Although Kyurem-Black is already a great example of this, we can create a Pokemon with more of an "OU build" that can take down other prevalent cores. I don't think we need to go the setup route with this Pokemon (Kyurem certainly doesn't), but that should definitely be on the table. The only reservation I have about this concept is how many Pokemon already sort of perform it already; all of the examples you mentioned are pretty relevant to Gen VI OU. Do we need a CAP to learn about the Big Dipper, or can we learn about your concept by studying the current metagame?

TRC. (Why so slow?) - Sticky Web is definitely OU's elephant in the room. I don't need to be convinced of Sticky Web's viability, anyone who's played the current CAP metagame knows Sticky Web Necturna is a terrific support Pokemon. The only relevant Sticky Webber in OU is Galvantula, and it's no secret Galvantula is no OU powerhouse. Although the prevalence of Defog could be a thorn in this concept's side (not to mention that it would be the second "underappreciated move" CAP in a row), it's only one obstacle to overcome. It seems you already have a pretty great battle plan for accomplishing this concept outlined in the explanation, as well. Impressive :)

Dummy007 (Major Third) - A more complicated Perfect Mate? Many concepts submitted during this round have been about studying offensive or defensive cores, and this concept seems like a great way to do so. Voodoom's concept taught us more about the late DPP metagame than we expected it to; we tried to create a great core and ended up creating a different amazing core. Major Third could have the same pitfall, but just like Perfect Mate we'll definitely end up with a great lesson about the metagame.

senshidenshi (Movin' Out!) - Although this is a cool concept, we just finished a CAP in which we explored an underappreciated move (Belly Drum) that also let us explore Acrobatics as well. This concept is definitely worth exploring, but I'm not sure if it's the right time right now. So many moves like Storm Throw and Fell Stinger have the users to make them viable, but are simply outclassed by better moves. Technician is definitely a good way to boost underused moves, but it's also been done to death by Pokemon that already exist. There's promise here, but I'm not sure if two straight "underused move" concepts is the way to go.

ZirconSubway (True Persistence) - This concept seems like "build a really great Pokemon", I'm not sure what we learn by building a Pokemon that just hits really hard and takes a lot of hits. I don't think the Cinccino line is an appropriate example, as Cinccino is a rather frail Pokemon that cannot take the hits the way your description describes. Mega Heracross is a better user of Skill Link, and it's definitely not doing 3% with Rock Blast to anything. I'd like to see something more specific than "Pokemon that takes a lot of hits", but less specific than Skill Link abuser. There's something there with this concept, but it's unclear right now.

Vryheid (The Robber Baron) - There are definitely tools such as Punishment and Heart Swap that can turn an opponent's strategy against them, but so many of those moves are niche even though the abusers are there. Me First was discussed at length during the previous CAP, as was Power Split. The only potential problem with a "toolbox" Pokemon such as The Robber Baron is that some of the moves you outline (Power Split, for example), require significant bulk to use effectively. Power Split and Me First are also very easy to play around, the latter move even lets the opponent switch without penalty. I like this concept, but I would like a little more explanation directed at its feasibility.

 

[fatty]

Name: No Offense, but this HO gotta go

General Description: This Pokemon will function as an "offense breaker", possessing qualities that allow it to consistently and efficiently handle and/or dismantle various offensively oriented teams.

Justification: With the increasing number of threats to handle with each generation, it's become harder and harder to counter every single offensive threat with just 6 Pokemon. It seems as though stall has always been at a disadvantage due to the fact that offense can dedicate even a single slot towards beating an entire style, where as stall needs to run a cohesive set of 6 pokemon to function properly against offense. So, what if there was a Pokemon that could by itself, if played right, disrupt offense in the same way that stallbreakers do defensive teams.
Questions To Be Answered:

• What aspects of stallbreakers make them successful at their job, and are there any conceptual similarities we can use to translate this success to "breaking" other styles of play?
• What existing tools help alleviate the pressure from offense, and what would be the right combination of them to fit onto a single mon meant to offense-break?
• Is it more efficient to attempt to beat offense with premier defensive capabilities, even higher offensive capabilities (i.e. fighting fire with fire), or a happy medium between both extremes?
• How differently can teams be formed with potentially only two slots (stallbreaker and offensebreaker) dedicated towards stopping the two predominant playstyles?
• Would an offensebreaker work better for stall attempting to gain an upper edge on offense, or offense trying to lessen the "whoever sets up first, wins" game?
• Lastly, is it even possible to "break" offense with all of the options that the playstyle as a whole has at its disposal?

Explanation: The XY OU metagame and pretty much all metagames throughout each generation have been made up of contrasting archetypes and playstyles. Of these playstyles, stall always been a particular point of interest. Whether it be creating the perfect set of 6 Pokemon made to wall omnipresent threats, or using pokemon tailored to break past teams such as those, defensively oriented teams have essentially dominated the formation of a metagame. So much, in fact, that almost every successful teams utilizes a particular Pokemon or core of Pokemon specifically for "stallbreaking". The problem is, though, that there are other types of teams, specifically offense, that are equally as threatening and need just as much attention. This concept will help the CAP community explore the whole idea of how to counteract a single style with a single pokemon, and if the job of a stallbreaker can be morphed to other objectives. Hopefully, it will help bring a new dimension to the stall vs. offense war, and allow us to break down this battle on a more analytical level.

 

[Cornholioam]

I'll try my hand at this, but will try to be brief.

NAME: A bridge for the check. (Send the revenge killer)

GENERAL DESCRIPTION: A pokemon that, by any means, can make sure a check gets to its objective without harm, transforming said check into a hard counter.

JUSTIFICATION: Revenge killing is a very important part of the metagame, often chosen above hard countering because its easier to find a mon that effectively revenge kills a large portion of the meta than one that counters them. A well placed sweeper can force you to make the desicion of letting a potentially useful pokemon die in order to get a clean switch, with some pokes being near immpossible to switch into. This pokemon would have the task of bringing checks to whatever needs to be checked as some sort of bridge that will either scare the oponent away or make him take a risky choice.

Q.T.B.A.:

Would a poke of this charactheristics have a adverse effect on hyper offensive teams?

What is the balanced bulk that a poke made for constant swithcing has to have?

How predictable a switch would be and how much worht would there be to predicting a double switch?

Is there a situation in which the disadvantage of giving free turns to the opponent could be worth it for getting a desired matchup?

EXPLANATION: This pokemon would be all about closing the gaps between matchups in a way that makes prediction even more relevant. It has to be a bulky juggler capable of manipulating what you get on the field and even how you get it, but with the downside of being prone to wearing down faster than most pokemon on your team by merit of its use.

 

[Albacore]

Name: Specialized Emergency Button

General Description: A Pokemon which is 100% guaranteed to hard counter any sweep, but can only do it once and is deadweight afterwards.

Justification: The current metagame has many powerful Pokemon like Mega-Pinsir and Bisharp who love to increase their stats and sweep the opposing team. Furthermore, the Weakness Policy item enables Pokemon like Aegislash and Dragonite to sweep without wasting a turn. Since setting up a Swords Dance or a Dragon Dance can be enough to seal a match, it's important to have an emergency plan for whenever it happens. This can be done with a Prankster Pokemon such as Sableye and Thundurus, with Will-O-Wisp and Thunder Wave. However, they are far from perfect at their job, because not only do nether of these have the bulk to switch in, forcing a Pokemon to be sacrificed in the process, but the former cannot neuter special attackers, and the latter is useless against the priority moves which have become commonplace on most sweepers in OU. A Specialized Emergency Button will be able to switch into any Pokemon, no matter how many boosts it has, and always stop it from sweeping, heavily and possibly irreversibly crippling or even KOing it in the process. However, he can only successfully do it once. Furthermore, he is practically useless against a team which does not carry set-up sweepers. This will stop his presence in the metagame from completely rendering sweep unviable, but will not suffice to make him too niche for OU.

Questions To Be Answered:
- Can a Pokemon be viable if all he does is counter a strategy, no matter how common it is?
- How can the mere presence of a Pokemon on the opponent's team affect somebody's playstyle?
- How will sweepers adapt to the presence of a perfect sweep counter in the metagame?
- How can one lure out an extremely specialized counter without getting one of their Pokemon crippled in the process?

Explanation: Not only will this Pokemon be able to stop sweeps, but it will also stop an intelligent opponent from setting up. After all, if he sees this Pokemon on his opponent's team, he will think twice before using Swords Dance. This can easily be exploited with Pokemon like Blissey and Magic Guard Clefable, who dislike boosting sweepers. The Pokemon will need to be able to both switch in and stop a sweep the next turn without getting KO'd, but come with a severe handicap that will only enable it to have the ability to do this once. He also needs a typing which resists common priority moves.
If the Pokemon doesn't manage to cripple the sweeper because it switches out, it will not be rendered useless. It can try as many times as it wants, but can succeed only once.
He will probably have a signature move specifically tailored to stop sweeps.
And, of course, this Pokemon can stop sweeps only if they use boosting moves. For instance, it can stop SD Talonflame but can't touch CB Talonflame.

 

[Godgers]

Name: The CLAW

General Description: This pokemon is OU viable and makes serious use of the Binding Band. The item should be widely considered equally viable with leftovers, choice item, or life orb, and using a trapping move is almost always your first choice over just attacking with a strong move.

Justification: When you run the math it just never makes sense to spend your item on increasing the damage of trapping moves from 1/8 to 1/6. And to begin with, it almost never makes sense to use Fire Spin or Infestation in the first place when you could use Overheat or U-Turn. Is there really a good opponent out there that will let your Shuckle boost to +6 while you chip away in perfect increments? Yes, of course these moves can and are used to bypass the effects of Taunt or Assault Vest, and they can be useful on bulky pokemon with weak offenses, but this CAP is something different. This CAP aims to be the ultimate wrapper trapper. Virtually every set will be running some kind of trapping move almost by default, and following that, Binding Band is your first serious consideration for item, and only some sort of very specific (but also ... "decent" ...) set will rather have a choice item or lefties.

Questions:
-What sorts of explicit formulas do we need to come up with, and in which situations is boosting a trapping move truly logical?
-What types of pokemon make better use of Whirlpool than Scald or Surf? Why would a pokemon run Wrap instead of Return?
-Are these moves viable on all sorts of archetypes, or are they limited in usefulness to bulky stallers and tanks?
-What are the best ways to make use of a trapped opponent?
-Is such a move necessarily useless against pokemon with a volt-turn move?

Explanation: This concept should immediately bring about the more mathematical and probabilistic side of pokemon battles. We have specific numbers to work with, a clear set of constrained solutions we are looking for, and absolutely complete freedom in terms of stats, typing, and so on. Gen VI brought us a plethora of mechanics changes, and while Assault Vest, Mega Stones, Knock Off, and Fairy's are currently doing serious work in OU (not to mention the electrics and grasses with their new immunities), the tweaks to trapping moves have been underutilized. Every now and then we run into a pretty decent Infestation or Magma Storm user, but that 'mon was almost guaranteed using leftovers. Can we as a CAP team bring these types of moves into the spotlight?

 

[Scorpio]

Name: The Oddball

General Description: A Pokemon that possesses attributes (stats, typing, ability, etc.) that seem odd or even detrimental to its given role, but in reality gives it a unique niche in said role.

Justification: Here in Smogon, we've classified Pokemon by their supposed roles in the metagame. You have your sweepers, your walls, your revenge killers, what have you. And for all these roles, we've determined certain 'stereotypes', so to speak, of a Pokemon in that role; for example, most revenge killers are expected to have either high speed or priority, and some power to back it up. So what I'm wondering is this; what if we have a Pokemon fill a certain role that doesn't fit into the expected mold of said role? What I'm hoping is that we discover more about the roles Pokemon play in battle by introducing something unexpected into the fray.

Questions To Be Answered:
- What are traits considered normal/'abnormal' for a given role? (probably the obvious one)
- What traits can be considered 'detrimental' to a given role? (also probably a given)
- Do unusual traits make a Pokemon stand out in its role and give it a niche?
- What effect does this unique trait have on the metagame?

Explanation: So, we have a pretty broad topic to cover here. We could give a Pokemon an ability that isn't usually associated with that role (ex. Mold Breaker on a wall, Shield Dust on a sweeper), or a different typing (Bug-type wall, Dark-type Tank), or possibly having differing stats (haven't seen a special revenge killer around, have you guys?). If we wanted, we could use certain unexpected items to achieve the effect. The goal (or at least my goal) of this CAP is essentially to see if a Pokemon outside the mold of what a role's typing, ability, etc., can succeed among those inside the mold, so to speak. It's sort of a 'contrapositive' to Strategem's concept, as we would be picking attributes that are unusual for a chosen role, rather than picking a role that is unusual for a chosen attribute (in Strategem's case typing).

 

[Solstice]

Name: Two-Status Troublemaker

General Description: A Pokemon designed to take full advantage of two different types of status, leaving the opponent guessing over which effect they'll be dealing with.

Justification: Status is an enormous part of the game, the effects of status can often be the deciding factor between a win and a loss. Pokemon has extended status beyond the conditions themselves, with moves based around the infliction of status or moves that are dependent on the opponents status or your own. Most Pokemon cannot use status to its entire effects. A Pokemon that can use two status effects to their absolute best effect would demonstrate a few fundamental things about the metagame. One is that a Pokemon fulfilling two functions must be dealt with in different ways, and this involves a lot of scouting of tip-toeing to discover what's going on. If your opponent will use Toxic or Spore, you need to switch into a Poison/Steel type or a Grass type, or else the momentum you had will quickly fade. This extends beyond CAP 18, although it is the extreme example we can learn a lot about how best to deal with dangerous status spreaders. Another possible lesson will be the extent to which status can be used as an offensive and defensive power. By extending status beyond the base effects we can see how they truly change the dynamic of a fight.

So far I've talked about inflicting status of an opponent, but there are ways that being affected by status is more of a boon than a detriment. Exploring these options of counter-status will be just as useful. Many Pokemon already are buffed by status, but a rare few will use the buff they receive from status to continue the use of status.

Questions to be Answered:
- Is one type of status inherently more powerful than another?
- What dangers does CAP 18 face in optimally spreading status?
- Is one of the status types CAP 18 is dedicated too outshine the other? Why?
- Have clerics become more important due to CAP 18? Have new clerics become more prominent?
- Is status one of the best ways to defeat a status abuser?

Explanation: In picking the two types of status, the really viable ones would be Poison, Paralysis, and Sleep. Burn is definitely an important status that should be explored, my issue with it is that it doesn't really have any other moves that are dependent on burn. It is fairly one-dimensional for the purposes of this CAP. Poison is a status effect that has everything going for it for this concept. With two levels of poison to experiment with, Toxic Spikes, Venoshock, Venom Drench, even flinging Toxic Orbs, there is lots of room to examine how Poison can be used to its maximum effect. As well abilities like Poison Heal, Toxic Boost, Guts, Quick Feet or Marvel Scale can all benefit from being poisoned. Sleep is also interesting, with options like Spore, Hypnosis, Yawn or Sleep Powder to inflict it, and then Dream Eater or Wake-Up Slap to follow up. As well self-inflicted sleep with Rest opens up Sleep Talk sets or even sets based around Snore. Paralysis works fairly well, not as well as Poison and Sleep in my opinion though, but there are still benefits like using Smellingsalts, spreading it with Thunder Wave or Body Slam, or using the speed differential to boost moves like Electro Orb's power.