CAP 35 - Part 1 - Concept Poll 2

Status
Not open for further replies.

quziel

I am the Scientist now
is a Site Content Manageris a Forum Moderatoris a Community Contributoris a Smogon Discord Contributoris a Metagame Resource Contributoris a Top CAP Contributoris a Contributor to Smogonis a Battle Simulator Staff Alumnus
Moderator
Before you vote, it's important that you read through each concept carefully, as well as look at our TL kenn's final post in the concept submissions thread with their justification for each that made the slate, since this concept will guide the discussion for the rest of the CAP Process. This is linked here.

This will be a Ranked Pairs vote (RP) (a form of voting where each candidate is ranked according to head to head matchups with each of its competitors in a directed acyclic graph), the details of which were discussed here.

This is a ranked vote: order does matter! You can upvote your favorites and downvote your least favorites. You may choose to rank as many or as few options as you like, but we encourage you to rank as many options as possible to ensure your preferences are taken into account fully.

Bold your votes and nothing else!

A typical vote might look like the following:

Most Preferred
Second Most Preferred
Third Most Preferred


Any comments that the voter has would go below the votes in non-bold text. Bold text is used to determine what the user's votes are, so none of the supplementary text should be in bold.

CAP uses automated scripts to count votes. For this reason, it is very important for all ballots to be submitted correctly. If you do not compose a legal ballot, your post will be subject to moderation.
  • The scripts count bold words in ballots, so do NOT bold anything in your ballot other than the options you are voting for.
  • Do NOT put any formatting other than bold in your post.
  • Only one option per line.
  • The spelling of options must be EXACTLY correct and must match the spelling listed below.
  • Capitalization and spaces are ignored by the vote counting scripts, but you probably should not depend on it.
Composing a proper ballot is easy. Enter BBCode Edit Mode (the A in the upper right corner). Copy/paste the options directly from the OP to your ballot as plain unbolded text. Delete and/or rearrange the options to suit your preference and the poll type. Bold your vote text using bold tags or re-enter rich text mode, highlight your vote and click B. Spelling or formatting errors may spoil your ballot, so be careful!

Please post only your votes in this thread. You are allowed to say whatever you like in relation to your vote at the bottom of your post, but please do not look to begin a discussion. Keep those comments to the PS! CAP chatroom or the CAP Discord channel.

Asking for votes for your submission or for the submissions of others is not allowed. Anyone found to have done so risks punishment at the moderation team's discretion. If you find that someone has broken this rule, please contact the CAP moderation team with your evidence and no one else. Mini-moderation of this rule is also considered a serious offense and can be punished.

IMPORTANT: When voting, use only the exact name of the concept submissions as listed below! The concept submissions are quoted below in order of submission:

By Your Powers Combined
Name - By Your Powers Combined

Description - This Pokemon can viably inhabit two distinct roles/niches in the metagame.

Justification - CAP Pokemon have historically been very concise in their competitive design; they are meant to do one thing and do it well. This is in part due to the concept system; if a CAP has a concept, its role has already been partly determined. The past few CAPs, (Chuggalong, Cresceidon) have been very set in their one role. However, many Pokemon inhabit multiple roles and do so well. Calm Mind vs. Stealth Rock Clefable, Choice Scarf vs. Defensive Gholdengo, and even offensive vs. defensive Zapdos come to mind as examples of Pokemon that, in one metagame, did multiple things.

Questions To Be Answered -
  • The definition of "role" is not a clear-cut thing. As seen when comparing Clefable to Zapdos, role can be shown by both move selection or EV investment. What are ways we can give CAP 35 the ability to inhabit multiple roles?
  • Some Pokemon run varying sets that could be distilled down to a single role. An example of this is Dragapult, where even though its Choice item and support sets vary in how they play, they both do boil down to "fast special attacker." Are Pokemon like Dragapult acceptable examples of inhabiting multiple roles in the same metagame?
  • A tricky part to balancing Pokemon is variability. In the past, CAP has often nerfed variability off of its Pokemon, citing unpredictability as uncompetitive. How will CAP 35 manage its inevitable set variability in its power budget?
  • Are there any common traits/combinations that enable Pokemon to inhabit multiple roles in the same metagame?
  • Can a Pokemon inhabit two offensive roles at the same time? What about defensive?
  • Are there any combination of roles that do not mesh well together and should be avoided? Why?

Adopt-a-Signature
Name - Adopt-a-Signature

Description - This Pokemon utilizes a signature move, ability, or both to its greatest effect, where the original user of the move/ability could not.

Justification - Plenty of Pokemon introduced in modern gens come with their own signature moves and/or abilities. Sometimes these unique assets get completely ignored by their owners in favor of better options, see Espathra, while others simply don't have the stats or movepool to synergize with their signature assets, see Toxapex's Merciless or Grapploct's Octolock. The goal of this Pokemon would be squeezing as much potential out of a signature move or ability where the original mon failed, and develop a niche in the CAP metagame along the way.

Questions To Be Answered -
  • Which signature moves are worth building around, and which could potentially set this Pokemon up for failure?
  • Should all signature moves be considered, or only those that aren't already showcased by their original owners to full effect? (Torch Song, Rage Fist, Glaive Rush may not be as interesting.)
  • Should revitalizing a signature ability be a goal for this Pokemon, or should all tools be devoted to synergizing with its move of choice?
  • Should some signature moves/abilities be off the table, either for not making sense flavor-wise (Malignant Chain) or being creatively limiting on the Pokemon's visual design (Spicy Extract, Fillet Away)?
Uphill Battle
Name - Uphill Battle

Description - This Pokémon succeeds in its role despite a severe contradiction in one of its key components (type, ability, stats, or moves) which would typically hold its role back.

Justification - CAP has a general tendency to shy away from contradictions in its designs; why undermine a concept/role by picking something that actively seems detrimental for it? While this impulse is understandable, it also leaves a great deal of design space unexplored. This CAP shall explore how a Pokémon can succeed despite its apparent contradictions by building around them to fill a cohesive niche in the metagame.

Questions To Be Answered -
  • Are certain roles more capable of working with an individual Pokémon’s counterproductive elements than others? For example, would it be easier to build a viable sweeper with a bad offensive typing than a viable wall with a bad defensive typing?
  • For each component of a Pokémon’s kit, what makes it “counterproductive”? Do the components have different thresholds depending on what the role is, and if so, how?
  • Are certain contradictions in a Pokémon’s kit more easily managed by the rest of its kit than others? For example, is a counterproductive typing easier to work with than counterproductive stats?
  • How “counterproductive” can the chosen aspect of this Pokémon’s kit be for its role to prevent it from being unsalvageable while still remaining on-concept?
  • With one aspect of the Pokémon working against its role, how strong should the other elements be to compensate without making this aspect trivial to how the Pokémon plays?
  • How can the Pokémon be designed such that it thrives in the metagame beyond acting as a check against current powerhouses, as certain Pokémon of this nature have previously done?
Once again, your options are:

By Your Powers Combined
Adopt-a-Signature
Uphill Battle


Please ensure your ballot uses the concept names listed above in bold and not the usernames of the submitters. This vote will end in 24 hours, so please do not feel rushed, and instead ensure you make an informed decision!

This poll will be open for 24 hours.
 
Uphill Battle
Adopt-a-Signature
By Your Powers Combined
 
Last edited:
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top