CAP 38 - Part 2 - Concept Submissions

[Spammernoob]

CAP 38 So Far

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The Concept will be a guiding force throughout the ensuing project, to ensure the the final result is a cohesive competitive Pokemon. Any discussions, suggestions, or submissions in later topics, that do not support the spirit of the Concept, will be moderated by the Topic Leader. Concepts must be presented as high-level descriptions of a general idea. They cannot be detailed Pokemon designs. Since we have polls to determine each aspect of the Pokemon, we cannot allow any specific features of the Pokemon to be determined by the details of the Concept. We intentionally have many rules regarding Concept Submissions. If you are not prepared to read and understand all the rules, then don't bother making a submission. These rules are made to help narrow the field of concepts down to those that have been carefully designed. This is not meant to be easy for everyone -- a good, legal Concept requires a lot of thought and careful wording. The following rules must be followed when submitting a Concept:

• Concepts must work with the mechanics laid out in Pokemon Scarlet/Violet. A concept that requires a custom ability, move, or other element that cannot be found on a Pokemon from Scarlet or Violet is not allowed. A concept must be feasible with the gameplay mechanics that are currently available. A concept MAY reference Pokemon unique to the CAP metagame, but the concept must be able to be fulfilled by a creation with access to only GameFreak created abilities, moves, etc. In short, "no customs." We are using GameFreak's toolbox.
• One submission per person. You may edit your Concept, but you may not change the fundamental premise after it has been posted. If editing your concept, please edit the original post instead of posting a new revision. Do not bump your Concept after you have posted it. If people do not comment on it, so be it.
• Do not duplicate or closely-resemble Concepts already posted by others. It is your responsibility to read through all previous submissions in this thread to ensure you are complying with this rule. Ignorance or laziness is not an excuse.
• Specific Pokemon types or type combos cannot be included or excluded in a Concept. Nor can other characteristics of the Concept specifically result in in the inclusion or exclusion of Types. For example, the following phrases would be illegal:
  "This is a Dragon pokemon with..." "The pokemon should be immune to Ghost attacks..." "The pokemon should have at least 7 resistances..." "The pokemon should get STAB on Thunderbolt.."
• Specific Abilities are not allowed. This applies to existing abilities and new abilities. Do not attempt to circumvent this rule by mentioning specific battle effects that can only be achieved by the implementation of an ability. For example, the following phrases would be illegal:
  "This pokemon should have a defensive ability like Intimidate or Marvel Scale..." "This pokemon has an ability that steals the opponent's held item..." "When this pokemon is switched in, all weather conditions are nullified..."
• Movepools or lists of moves are not allowed. A specific move can be mentioned if it is the basis for the entire concept. For example, the Concept "Rapid Spinner" would obviously mention the move Rapid Spin.
• Specific stat bias, base stats, or base stat ratings are not allowed. It is acceptable to use descriptive phrases like "fast", "bulky", "strong attacker", etc -- since there are a variety of ways a pokemon can fit those descriptions without specifically requiring certain stats. But, do not use overly-specific descriptions that would narrowly constrain the pokemon's base stat spread.
• Indications of Physical/Special bias are discouraged, but acceptable if it is essential to the Concept.
• Do not refer to any part of the pokemon's artistic design. For example, the following phrases would be illegal:
  "This is a bright blue pokemon..." "The pokemon looks like a..." "The pokemon uses its long tail to..."
• A Concept Submission must be submitted in the proper format. The format is described below. If the proper format is not used, the moderators will not evaluate the submission, regardless of content.

Concept Submission Format Use this format for all concept submissions: Here is the format with tags. Just copy/paste this into your post, and fill it out:

• Name - Don't get too clever with the name. If the essence of the concept is not intuitively obvious in the name, then you are hurting your chances of people understanding it. If the essence of your concept cannot be expressed in a few words, then you need to seriously re-evaluate your concept.
• Description - This is the official description of the concept, and must follow ALL the content rules listed above. Do not make this a long description. Long descriptions are invariably too specific or too convoluted. Keep it short. Any more than a sentence or two is TOO MUCH. Do NOT include your Explanation of the concept in the Description. See "Explanation" below.
• Justification- Your concept must answer the following questions to be eligible:
  • What new territory will your Concept Pokemon explore, why do you believe it’s interesting, and how would it interact with the metagame?
  • How does your concept motivate in-depth discussion at each stage of the process, and why do you believe the CAP Project community should discuss these topics?
• In filling out your concept submission, copy the questions above and add your answer after it.
• Questions To Be Answered - The purpose of the CAP project is to learn new things about the metagame, and each concept submission is a proposed "experiment". Each tool has its own specific set of questions, but good concepts often can explain other facets of competitive Pokemon. Use this section to pose those additional questions. Note that this is different from Justification where you are answering tool-related questions, in this section you are proposing questions.
• Explanation - This can contain just about anything. This is where you can explain your concept without restraint. You may make suggestions, even specific suggestions, regarding the possible implementation of the Concept. This explanation should help facilitate discussion of the Concept -- but the Explanation is NOT part of the Concept and will be omitted from the polls and any future use of the Concept. Since your explanation is non-binding, regarding future polls and threads, it will not be evaluated for purposes of determining if your concept is legal or illegal. Although it is tempting, refrain from making too long of an explanation; it will deter readers from fully considering your concept.

It is the submitter's responsibility to figure out how to make a legal submission within the rules listed above. Do not complain about the difficulty of making a submission in this thread. There are many, many legal concepts that can be presented within the rules. Here are few examples of good and bad Concepts from previous projects:

Good Concepts from Past Projects
"Pure Utility Pokemon"
"Anti-Ghost Rapid Spinner"
"Ultimate Weather Abuser"
"Status Counter"
"Momentum"

Bad Concepts from Past Projects
"Ice-Resisting Dragon"
"Super Luck User"
"STAB Explosion Glass Cannon"
"Auto-Stealth Rock Remover"
"A Pokemon with Special Intimidate"
"Pyrokinetic Pokemon (Fire/Psychic)"
"Special Guts"
"Typing Means Nothing"

Note that all good concepts do not specifically dictate anything in later polls. Please try to remember that we are simply pointing the project in a general direction, we are not trying to decide anything right now. We have several weeks of polls ahead of us where EVERYTHING about this Pokemon will be dissected, discussed, voted, and decided. The concept is a very basic guide for the creation process. It is hard to provide solid concept descriptions without basically designing the entire Pokemon right off the bat. Submissions should be written and chosen very carefully to avoid these problems.

Now I will hand things over to CAP 38's TL, me!

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Hi there. I'll put my TL message here to avoid double-posting. I already know there will be lots of great submissions, and it will be hard for me to narrow down to a slate... I'll definitely get help from my TLT (and possibly others if its allowed...)

As always, I'll be around on Discord if you want to discuss concepts or ask for feedback and I'll try to do periodic feedback posts in this thread as well. For any prospective concept submitters, I also highly recommend checking out the Concept Laboratory to get an idea of what good concepts look like.

I think previous TLs might've said a bit more here, but I'm running out of stuff to say so I'll end it here. Have fun coming up with and submitting concepts.

 

[Amamama]

Final Submission

Name: What doesn’t hurt me makes me stronger.

Description: This Pokemon creates and excels at abusing turns of invulnerability.

Justification: Usually Pokémon play to make as much progress as possible during their turn to advance toward a wincon as quickly as possible.
Sometimes though there are Pokémon that don’t. Pokémon that spend turns apparently doing nothing except denying the opponent progress.
These “passive” turns usually can be taken advantage of by the opponent but these few mons manage to gain more from them than the opponent and use these turns as integral part of their playstyle or even wincon.
This concept shall explore what makes these playstyles and wincons viable and if there are different successful paths towards using turn by turn invulnerability to win a game.

Questions to be answered:
- In what ways are(have) Pokémon (been) abusing turns of invulnerability. What are the tools they use to do this (Moves/Abilities/Types)
- Can Terastallization play a role in this?
- What type of Pokémon likes to use turns of invulnerability?
- What benefits can be gained from being invulnerable to opponents Attacks and/or Status for a turn? (while giving up the potential of Attacking)
- Which benefits can a defensive Pokemon gain from it and can an offensive Pokemon equally benefit from passive plays?
- What is required to abuse invulnerability successfully multiple times and what is required to manage to be successful with maybe even a singular use of an invulnerable turn?
- What are the pitfalls of not attacking to shield yourself and how can the opponent abuse these turns?
- Are there ways to mitigate conceding agency to the opponent?
- Does playing a slower game impact the team styles and partners that this Pokémon would work with and do you have to account for more passive plays while teambuilding?

Explanation: We have seen several good users of invulnerable turns in past and present generations and the most obvious and likely easiest to achieve path is a mon that is strong at leveraging ~~shadow force~~ Protect.
The current gen alone sees multiple top tier threats that abuse Protect turns to great effect and have these invulnerable turns as integral part of their gameplan, among them no less than Gliscor, Kyurem, Equilibra and Snaelstrom, which use this turn to stay healthy but also (especially in Kyurems, Gliscory and Snaels case) to deprive the opponent of resources necessary to break past them.

Kyurem also represents another move which affords invulnerability sometimes for even more turns, which is Substitute. While this strategy has been relatively rare in recent gens we’ve seen multiple very good users of it in the past which were enabled to ease predictions against switch ins, become immune to status or again attacking the opponent’s resources through pp or toxic stalling.

Lastly for defensive uses simple Type and Ability immunities can afford these kind of turns. Sets like Balloon Gholdengo or Heatran in the past stack multiple immunities to again and again find free turns during the game where the opponent can’t touch them at all, which gives them time to spam powerful moves, set hazards or boost their stats.

While these strategies are mostly seen on defensive or bulky Pokémon, there also has been a variety of other implementations of invulnerability that favors offensive use. Be it Speed Boost sweepers getting that initial turn to outspeed opponents or mons using encore or disable (e.g. Iron Valiant) (or more niche imprison or torment) to lock the opponent into a move that can’t threaten them and deny the opponent any option that is threatening the user during the next turn.
Additionally this gen has introduced a mechanic that lets offensive Pokémon get free turns by becoming immune to threats that would otherwise beat them.
These turns can be pivotal for a game and to me it is very interesting to see that invulnerability can lead to strategies that grind the opponent down slowly or that guarantee multiple powerful attacks without having to fear retribution but also to strategies that seek to run the opponent over in a single turn.

While Shadow Force user would be the most hype option imo this concept leaves ample other paths to explore how Pokemon can use turns where they might not really pressure the opponent actively but still further their own and their teams gameplan and find potential wincons.

 

[Falchion]

Final Submission

• Name - From Nobody To Nightmare
• Description - A Pokemon that offers little strategic benefit in the early phase of a match, but whose tactical advantages become both clear and formidable as the match continues.
• Justification- This concept combines Actualization and Archetype, because it invokes a specific type of combatant, a tank or sweeper that is very difficult to use offensively early on but becomes very dangerous if it can survive long enough to be used in circumstances more ideal for it.
  • Actualization - The key takeaway from this project would be to understand how the circumstances of a battle can change over time along with how these changes affect Pokemon from one situation to the next. A Pokemon can be extremely dangerous in one particular matchup and pretty much deadweight in another, and it's important to understand why, how, and when the odds can turn either against or in favor of it.
  • Archetype - We're looking at a Pokemon with either mixed utility and pivoting, setup sweeping, defensive stall, or any combination of the three as its playstyle, but in any case it would be very difficult to use at best during the early stages of a match due to crippling disadvantages or otherwise a lack of advantages against the checks and counters that are most likely to be brought into play at this point. Conversely, if it manages to survive long enough and find the right time to mobilize later on, it can potentially prove far more valuable in the late game. However it is intended to play, and whatever benefits it can bring if used with optimum care, the most important aspect of playing with this Pokemon is knowing exactly when to bring it out and how to prepare it for pulling off a late-game turnaround. The inexperienced and impatient, on the other hand, may end up forcing its arrival too early, exposing key weaknesses that can then be easily exploited by a prepared opponent.

Questions To Be Answered

• What would make this CAP stand out among other late-game participants, either offensively or defensively? In particular, what do any existing examples of late-game participants that are much harder to use effectively, if any, have in common? What could this concept do to make it different from these examples?
• Do we want this CAP have a more active support role early on? Since it has to rely on its teammates to pick off early-game threats, should it remain out of play and rely wholly on team support or should it help its team more actively?
• What strategies should we consider with this CAP? Should we bring it out early and have it stall for time until it can find the right moment to strike, or let other teammates do the work for it and bring it out later?
• What are the most common strengths and weaknesses of commonly used Pokemon from the early stages of a match? What are those from Pokemon used in later stages? In what ways can this CAP be rendered vulnerable to the former and strong against the latter?
• How versatile can this CAP be on offensive teams, defensive teams, or both? Conversely, can it be used effectively as a counter to either or both?
• What would be the most effective way to ensure that this CAP remains alive until it can be used? Are we looking for a frail but speedy Pokemon that can switch out of threats or a sturdier one that can remain in play to defend against them?

Explanation
In most instances when I played in online tournaments using Pokemon Showdown back in the New Tens, my favorite strategy has always been one of ambush, waiting for the enemy to make a wrong move and then capitalizing on it. However, when an enemy team is fully stocked with all members present and functional, waiting for the right time to strike can be difficult, since knocking out one enemy can provide an opening for another. In most cases, my defeat came about by bringing out team members too soon and failing to study the pros and cons of certain foes. The concept I'm proposing epitomizes the "wait and see" strategy in that it does precisely that, because if you use it too early then it can become easy pickings without the correct setup or timing that can allow it to go up against foes it has the advantage against. A good example I can think of off the top of my head is Volcorona, which has immensely powerful Special Attack and access to Quiver Dance, but a 4x weakness to Stealth Rock, middling speed compared to certain Choice Scarf users like Garchomp, and vulnerability to priority users like Mega Mawile. It needs lots of team support to get rid of hazards and chase away counters, but once those are out of the way, it's nigh unstoppable. In the case of the CAP, I can easily see different stat builds being used to fill the role, with either a defensive Pokemon that has to stall early-game enemies and help teammates fight them off before bringing its attack power to bear, or a fast, aggressive sweeper that's forced to switch out or remain out of play in the face of early-game counters while itself serving as a counter to other Pokemon that are more frequently used later.

The metagame has changed since then, and with Generation 9 we've received newer takes on similar archetypes. Several of these examples were suggested by Pipotchi, who gave some useful feedback on the original pitch and proposed the revised idea of having this concept's strategy be unclear until the time is right, and these examples among others could be used as inspiration for this prompt. On the offensive front, Kartana is an engine of destruction can utterly decimate enemy ranks if given the chance, but won't be able to truly thrive until its key checks and counters are removed from play, particularly strong special attackers like Mega Charizard Y who could reduce it to atoms just by looking at it funny. Kingambit is in a similar boat, being difficult to use early due to its few vulnerabilities being both potent and exploitable, but squaring those away will result in it wreaking absolute havoc with its top-tier offensive prowess thanks to Swords Dance and Supreme Overlord. A defensive example, meanwhile, is Cresselia, whose impressive bulk is extremely difficult to get past but whose vulnerability to key counters like Gengar and Wo-Chien can leave it basically DOA if it times its entrance wrong. Finally, an example with both defensive and offensive utility is Scizor and especially its Mega Evolution, who is an absolute terror if handled well thanks to its defensively solid type combination, superlative physical stats, and access to useful moves that can cover for its stat limitations like Bullet Punch to get the drop on faster opponents, but whose crippling double-weakness to Fire - one of the most depressingly common attacking types in most of the relevant tiers - is so blindingly obvious that bringing it out too soon or with insufficient backup will only get it fried to a crisp by the likes of Skeledirge, Ceruledge, or the aforementioned Volcorona.

All in all, this refined concept could be applied not just to offensive sweepers like I'd originally proposed, but to any role the metagame has to offer. Hopefully this will give it more versatility than my original and less informed definition that restricted it into one specific style of competitive play that has already been explored in much greater depth. Further discussion on what kinds of roles exist in the current meta that can be used as a reference point may be necessary for futher exploration, but regardless of how we choose to go about this concept, defining both the kind of strategy or strategies our CAP can be optimized for during the late-game and the weaknesses intended to hold it back to the point of uselessness during earlier stages will be equally essential.

 

[traceyscetchit]

Final Submission

Name: Two sides, one coin

Description: This CAP is tailored towards performing one, specific role on a team, but can go about performing that role in one of two drastically different ways.

Justification:
The CAP process encourages convergence towards a single, optimal build, and having multiple distinct sets that can't mix or share elements is often something that CAP actively tries to avoid. Since multiple sets are nearly impossible to arise naturally due to our process, a CAP that has two sets can only occur if the concept itself pushes the CAP down two roads instead of one. This concept explores how distinct sets can share a niche and what keeps them differentiated. This opens new territory for CAP by forcing us to consider how each stage of the process affects both paths, while still keeping the paths themselves distinct.

Questions To Be Answered:

• What role should the CAP be built around?
• Does performing the role in different ways necessitate having two viable abilities, or can the CAP be forced down one of two paths via item, stats, and movepool alone?
• How distinct should the two sets be? What can be done to make sure that both sets have advantages over the other while existing within the same niche?
• Is the surprise value of not knowing which set the CAP is running toxic? If so, how can the CAP be forced to reveal its set?
• What variables discourage a pokemon from mixing and matching the pieces its viable sets? How do we ensure that this pokemon doesn't just end up with one viable set that happens to have a lot of flexibility in its options?
• Should the order of the process be tweaked to tailor to the concept; for example, to allow two primary abilities to be selected back-to-back?

Explanation:
Gamefreak often unintentionally or intentionally makes pokemon that end up with two incredibly different viable sets that do pretty much the same thing.
Most of the time this is because of two busted abilities, but it can happen in a variety of ways:
Ability: ,,
Boosting moves: ,, ,, (3 boosting methods!?)
Utility moves:
Physical/Special split: ,,
Item (my personal favorite): ,,
Due to the linear nature of the CAP process, pretty much the only way that such behavior would exist in a capmon is if something changes between generations or a secondary ability ends up being strong. As we actively discourage this behavior to occur organically, I thought it would make sense to try to get it to work artificially.

A "quick" example

Guingil has recommended that I explain one of the examples above to give a good idea of what all this is about, and I think probably the best fulfillment of this concept in gen 9 is :
Let's take a look at both of manaphy's main sets in gen 9 ou:

Manaphy @ Leftovers
Ability: Hydration
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Tera Type: Fairy
Timid Nature
- Tail Glow
- Surf/Scald
- Alluring Voice
- Substitute/Energy Ball

Manaphy @ Leftovers
Ability: Hydration
EVs: 252 HP / 40 Def / 216 Spe
Tera Type: Poison/Dragon
Timid Nature
- Take Heart
- Acid Armor
- Scald
- Stored Power

Both of these sets play the game with the same goal in mind, and the role they fill on a team is identical: sweeper. The difference is the way in which these two sets go about actualizing that goal, and in turn, the differing team support that each of these sets appreciate.

Tail glow manaphy attempts to win by clicking tail glow once and then blowing up everything in its path. The rest of its kit is fully built around that sweeping method: Surf is used over scald because it's trying to get ohko's, 252 speed is to ensure it gets to nuke foes before they can grab chip, and substitute can be used to help find that one key boosting turn that can flip the game around. Even the tera is used to boost its damage.

Take heart manaphy attempts to win by accruing a large number of defense boosts, converting them to offense boosts, and out-damage-trading opposing pokemon with high power scalds and stored powers. It's whole set is designed to support that sweeping method: Scald is prefered to surf for its defensive utility, it drops both damage and some speed investment in return for the bulk it needs to boost multiple times, and it typically runs defensive teras like poison or dragon over an offensive tera like psychic.

The goal/role is the same, the method is different. And these different methods lead to these sets seeing usage despite their similarities because they fit on different team structures. Tail glow manaphy really appreciates outspeeding and nuking pokemon, so it finds its place on sticky web and rain teams most of the time. Take heart manaphy often struggles to survive repeated heavy attacks with only leftovers recovery, so it appreciates screens and aurora veil. Similarly, these sets match up into some opponents very differently. For example, tail glow manaphy has a significantly better matchup into dark types, while take heart has a significantly better matchup into priority and status.

It's important to note that THIS

Manaphy @ Leftovers
Ability: Hydration
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Tera Type: Poison
Timid Nature
- Take Heart
- Acid Armor
- Surf
- Alluring Voice

Is a bad idea. The sets may share typing, scald, and hydration, but ultimately the way that they operate is distinct. There is not one flexible set, there are two separate but viable ideas tied to one pokemon.

 

[Ayecrusher King]

WIP

Name: Ace Custom

Description: This CAP can assume one out of a variety of roles, based on how its moveset, Ability, held item and/or EV spread are managed; this flexibility allows it to slot in with teambuilding.

Justification: CAP as a whole is really adverse to flexibility, and once we decide on one specific role we shrug off all other possibilities it could also taken. So, to finish off the gen, let's try putting our priority on versatility, and how it can serve as a teaching tool.

Questions to be answered:

• How much of an impact can one Pokemon have on making the team building process easier to learn?
• What specific roles do we want this CAP to viably assume?

Explanation: I'm just gonna list some examples:
: Specially Defensive, Explosive Stealth Rock setter, Swords Dance wallbreaker.
: Offensive Nasty Plot, Defensive Nasty Plot, Choice Item,
: Physically Defensive, Sword Dance sweeper
: Utility drainer, Physical wall
: Life Orb Offence, Special Wall
: Utility pivot, Rain cleaner

 

[IGotEaten]

Final Submission

Name: Rigid Versatility

Description: This Pokemon is centered around a single move that all successful kits require, conversely causing the rest of the kit to be more versatile.

Justification: Most Pokemon use all their viable tools to near-equal effect. However, certain Pokemon have 1 move required for a viable kit, which is significantly better than the average move overall. This inversely gives them access to more variety in their movepool and sometimes other factors due to a single move being extremely viable.

Questions To Be Answered:

1. What moves are powerful enough to allow this sort of diversity to take effect?
2. Is this limited to attacks, or are there other moves capable of creating this effect?
3. How do moves that can deal increased damage under certain conditions come into play? Is using other moves to fulfill those conditions anti-concept?
4. Does typing of our “key move” impact how much it allows for this versatility?

Justification: The primary inspiration for this concept was (thanks to viol and bass for pointing me towards this Mon, it’s been helpful in molding this concept) who does most of what I’m describing here with its Ceaseless Edge (perhaps this is a power marker to use), having 5 very different OU sets. Pokemon like have had success, but also don’t really fulfill the concept strategy-wise, never really clicking anything but First Impression and U-Turn. However, I believe that this concept has levels to it, mainly in focus move power and options for other moves, which we need to explore as we dive deeper into the concept. In summary, I think this concept treads some interesting ground, and if guided right, could be a great concept for this process. UPDATE: I have been requested to provide some more examples of the type of Mons I mean. So, I will now add some specific sets from across OU which shed some light on what I mean.

@ Assault Vest
Ability: Sharpness
EVs: 248 HP / 84 Atk / 124 SpD / 52 Spe
Tera Type: Poison
Adamant Nature
- Ceaseless Edge
- Razor Shell
- Sucker Punch
- Knock Off

This is a bulky set of Samurott-H using the Assault Vest and some SpD investment, allowing for more staying power to gain more Ceaseless clicks, condensing special tank and hazard setup.

@ Focus Sash
Ability: Sharpness
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Tera Type: Ghost
Jolly Nature
- Ceaseless Edge
- Aqua Cutter
- Aqua Jet
- Knock Off/Taunt/Encore

Meanwhile, this set takes a more dedicated lead role, using moves like Encore and Knock Off to 1. Help its team down the line and 2. Make it easier to set up Ceaseless spikes at the start of the battle.

@ Wellspring Mask
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Tera Type: Water
Jolly Nature
- Ivy Cudgel
- U-turn
- Knock Off
- Spikes

This Ogerpon-W set uses its signature move, Ivy Cudgel, so it can set up spikes while threatening common spinners off the field at risk of OHKOs.

@ Wellspring Mask
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Tera Type: Water
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Ivy Cudgel
- Trailblaze
- Play Rough

Meanwhile, this set uses Swords Dance to set up Ivy Cudgel so it can OHKO about anything that has no resistance to it, and cover everything else with Play Rough.

(HONORABLE MENTION TO FROM BW WITH ITS DRACO METEOR)

 

[IronTemplar]

Final Submission
Name: Double STAB

Note: I made this several years ago and before Azoth submitted their own similar concept for CAP 37. Doing what I can to make this one properly adapted for the approved format

Description: This CAP utilizes a type focused "boost" ability together with an optimized stat distribution and movepool to take advantage of a seldom used methodology in battle

Justification: A handful of Pokémon over the years have had unique abilities that essentially give them an “extra STAB”. The next logical step is to utilize these abilities to provide “double STAB”. In other words, multipliers that allow TREMENDOUS damage, especially for types that might otherwise suffer low output, or utility of types that would otherwise suffer from a variety of weaknesses

There are 3 main methods for this approach
1. Monotype with the matching boost (Regieleki and Regidrago for example)
2. Dual type with 1 type matching boost (Araquanid for example)
3. Dual type with neither type matching boost (Dhelmise and Bombirdier for example)

I should also note for the third method that it is entirely possible to use the STAB provided by the ability as an offensive option, while the other 2 act as defensive utility. Rock for example has tremendous coverage potential, but some unfortunate weaknesses

With this in mind, we create 3 schools of thought:
• Damage potential would mean focusing on a very narrow range of type coverage, while maximizing our overall damage from 1 of those type
• Defensive potential means having a type combination to reduce incoming damage from a variety of threats, while the ability provides a third type for handling the opposition
• And finally coverage potential takes advantage of all 3 types to pressure as many types as possible, potentially sacrificing defence in order to do so

While the first approach has seen tremendous competitive success, it did so by utilizing a variety of factors. Factors like stats, movepools, and type advantage. The other 2 have never had such access to these factors. CAP 38 COULD

Clarification
Type Boost abilities: Steelworker, Water Bubble, Transistor, Dragon's Maw, Rocky Payload
Type Converter abilities ("ates"): Aerilate, Pixilate, Refrigerate, Galvanize, Dragonize (Normalize fits in this category as well, but is antithetical to this approach)

Questions to be answered
1. How should our power budget reflect the increased damage allotted from such a concept?
2. What typings are favourable for the meta?
3. Are there any troublesome moves or combinations made problematic by this concept?

Explanation

There are a variety of potentially strong ways to utilize an ability that provides additional type based damage. The group is relatively new and unexplored, but merely existing provides opportunities for creative and competitive development

In response to some comments, the goal of this concept is versatility. An ability to effectively grant additional boosted damage is an extremely useful tool in a variety of situations. While simply boosting damage to its apex is indeed possible, it is not the ultimate goal here. The idea is that we can utilize some very effective moves well also having the capability to not suffer under that type (whatever weaknesses Rock, Electric, or steel have for example). All in some cases while still getting a very large amount of damage off

This is a concept that has been in my mind for literal years and I will probably be thinking about for a very long time. I write most of my concepts several months in advance, and this is no exception. Even if it’s not clear in this particular rendition, what I hoped to achieve, I hope to eventually make that case. If nothing else, I hope I at least inspired my readers. Thank you

 

[Pipotchi]

Final Submission

Name: Mind over Meta

Description: A Pokémon that takes advantage of all the positives of Psychic attacks, while shoring up the issues of the typing.

Justification: This is a Pokémon that pulls from the unique potential of Psychic offenses in the CAP tier- either going all in on a Psychic type Pokémon that shores up the offensive and defensive flaws of the typing (without being forced to simply Tera away from it) while abusing the strengths, or flipping the script with a non-Psychic type Pokémon that can abuse Psychic strength while avoiding the regular Psychic-type matchups, creating something uniquely difficult to answer.
Psychic is the least used CAP typing, with only Aurumoth as our only Psychic type, and its almost never granted as meaningful coverage. And yet, we've seen success from Psychic mons like Mega Gallade, regular Slowking and Reuniclus on a level that OU hasn't. This concept will explore this latent potential for the first time and also be able to take advantage of the rising value of Psychic moves (moves like Psychic Noise and Psyshock becoming usable coverage this gen for instance).

Questions to be answered:

• What are the best psychic attacks? Which attacks can no other typing replicate?
• Out of the previous/existing OU/CAP psychics, which of them took advantage of their Psychic typing and which simply succeeded despite of it?
• What are the flaws, offensively and defensively of common Psychic types?
• Which Pokémon prey on psychic types the most in CAP, and what are their weak points, both offensively and defensively?
• What is Psychic's standalone defensive merit in CAP, and are there ability or type combinations that can lead to a particularly successful set of resistances?
• Offensively, what is Psychic coverage's purpose in the tier?
• If taking a pseudo-STAB route, how can we maximise the impact of Psychic type attacks- (what multipliers, and what synergistic coverage types?)
• What abilities support Psychic type attacks, or dissuade common Psychic type counters?

Explanation:
Psychic type is uniquely terrible! It has key problematic weaknesses, many holes offensively, and we've avoided it for years. We've shied away from a lot of meaningful psychic coverage also. But Psychic is definitely something with potential. Psychic has been attached to some of the very few meta developments that have surprised me. Stuff like 's Poison/Psychic typing turning out to have a huge place in the metagame, regular becoming S tier in CAP before, or stuff like or managing to make use of non-stab Psyshock. Its also a typing with a goldmine of insanely good signature attacks, and attacks with unique effects. I used to think the only good psychic was a psyspam glass cannon like Tapu Lele/Megazam or a steel/psychic, but now I think there's so much hidden in this typing that hasn't yet been found.
Another reason I thought this could be interesting is because I often see triple-stab concepts get posted. I think this could be a route to explore this in a meta-relevant way- yes, you would usually expect a Psychic type to get preyed on by Kingambit or Obliteryx, but what happens to those teams that want to survive a Psychic Noise from Primarina? Changing the switchins can lead to some challenging wallbreakers, and I'm definitely interested in exploring that in a focused way.

edit: I feel like its obvious but I should specify in this writeup somewhere that the end result would definitely be a mon that enjoys its typing and would not be desperate to use Tera to shed it

 

[Gekokeso]

Final Submission

Name - My Band

Description - This pokémon works pretty well with teammates that share a typing, enabling Typespam strategies.

Justification - Typespam is a team archetype that used to be very common in the older generations. It involves putting multiple pokémon of the same typing together in one team with the purpose to overwhelm options meant to check their respective typing and thus get free reign on the opposite team. This pokémon would be able to fit into said archetypes by pairing up well with pokémon it shares typing with.

Questions To Be Answered -

• What examples can we look at of Typespam archetypes archiving success in OU? What made them so good?
• What pokémon work best in team structures meant to stack similar types together?
• The main disadvantage of typespam is that you sometime stack weaknesses on either the ofeensive or the defensive end. Should we prioritize being able to pick typings that don't stack defensive weaknesses or prioritize the offensive coverage?
• How can we ensure that this pokémon will see use alongside other pokémon it shares typing with instead of just pairing up with mons it doesn't share a type with?
• This concept may share similarities to previous "make a perfect partner for x-mon" concepts. How can we prevent this pokémon from being slotted with only one or two pokémon of the same typing instead of more options. Should this be even an issue that needs to be addressed if it partners well with very few partners of the same typing?

Explanation - As the new final Concept of the SV generation I think it would be interesting to look at a concept that involves a type of playstyle that saw a bit of resurgence in gen 9 thanks to the help of Tera. Typespam has been present in various archetypes across different generations:

The most known instance of type spam comes in the form of DragMag, where you would use a pokémon like Magnezone to get rid of steel types or fairy types that got in the way of your dragon sweepers so that you could spam dragon-type attacks like Draco Meteor with ease.

Weather teams often engage in typespam strategies as well, particullarly sun and rain. Because these weathers double the power of fire and water moves respectively they tend to get used in conjunction with multiple pokémon of said typings to take the most advantage of the weather boost.

Similar to weather teams, terrains tend to have abusers who share their typing with their teammates, as together they can overwhelm options meant to hand one or the other. Psyspam is the most notable, but eterrain in national dex is also a good example of this.

The most common way that types overlap with each other in a team these days is in defensive teams. The likes of Corviknight or Gliscor tend to actually pair well with other flying types that can circumvent their weaknesses thanks to their secondary typings giving them significantly different defensive utility from one another while both being immune to spikes.

 

[dex]

Final Submission

Name: Stop the Secondary (Redux!)

Description: A Pokemon that excels at stopping the gameplan and progress of a variety of non-attacking moves.

Justification: This concept is directly taken from DPP's own CAP 9, Colossoil, who's concept was fairly straightforward: prevent non-attack moves from making progress. This concept seeks to answer the same question, this time looking at Generation 9's own status and non-attacking move users such as Ting-Lu, Gliscor, Arghonaut, Cresceidon, and Snaelstrom to name a few high-tier ones.

Questions To Be Answered:

• There are a multitude of ways to manage non-attacking moves, like the outright discouragement of their use (Magic Bounce), "ignorance" effects (Oblivious), and remedying their effects once they have been used (Rapid Spin). Are all of these methods viable? Should a Pokemon that is focused on denying non-attacking moves have multiple of these methods at their disposal?
• What types of roles do Pokemon that often deny or wipe the progress of non-attacking moves fulfill? Moves like Taunt and Rapid Spin see play on a wide variety of Pokemon, for example.
• Moves are the easiest way to think of for denying non-attacking moves. Are those types of moves necessary for a Pokemon focused on this aspect of battle?
• What are some of the most common, or the most meta-relevant, non-attacking moves that CAP 38 would want to target?
• What can we learn from how Colossoil's process played out? Are there any similar traits between the DPP metagame and today's that could be brought over in this process?

Explanation:
First, credit to moi for the original concept! I think it's a fun one; however, I also think it is one that Colossoil did not necessarily satisfy, even back in DPP. Colossoil was largely focused around Rapid Spin, but Revenankh was the tier's best Ghost-type. Additionally, Rebound turned out to be somewhat underpowered, and so Colossoil, while very much a viable and good Pokemon, became more focused on its STAB moves like Pursuit and Earthquake than in denying status moves. Fast forward to Generation 9, and Colossoil still doesn't really scratch the itch of its concept. I think the concept itself is a strong one. Non-attacking moves are and have been prevalent throughout the metagame. Examples in SV include Kitsunoh's Wisp, Ting-Lu's Hazards, Necturna's Leech Seed, and Shox's Glare. It's not that rare for Pokemon to be mostly (entirely) devoted to utility (see: Ting-Lu), so I don't think it is out of the question to have a Pokemon whose primary focus is on denying said utility. I think there are plenty of ways to go about this, too, which should lead to fruitful and diverse conversation. I also think it's a fun way of sending off SV CAP: by looking back at one of the processes that got us here.

 

[RovVelvet]

Name: Every Little Counts

Description: A Pokémon that can only use low base power moves, but has a wide selection of those moves.

Justification: As it currently stands, the vast majority of moves remain unused in the competitive scene of Scarlet Violet; and serve only as moves used in a playthrough that get replaced later down the line. The lower base power moves that are viable in competitive often come with side effects that grant value to its user; namely Fake Out and it's priority flinch is a great tool in VGC, and arguably one of its defining moves. Other low BP moves with interesting side effects aren't used very much, and a Pokémon with access to only these types of moves would be an addition into SV comp that could be very versatile due to the lack of high damage, but a selection of moves which you can select based on their secondary effect instead of their damage.

Questions To Be Answered:

1) What defines a low base power move?
2) What role should this Pokémon take on a team?
3) How should this Pokémon take advantage of low base power moves?

Explanation: Most low base power moves remain underutilized, so a Pokémon which solely uses them is an interesting concept that not many Pokémon fulfil, if any. The one Pokémon that exists that sort of fulfils this concept is Mega Scizor, making advantage of the low base power Bullet Punch with it's Technician ability. A second approach is to give the Pokémon very good stats of which are balanced by having low BP moves. Unlike Mega Scizor however, this concept would encourage a Pokémon who could have a very modular toolkit that could make it a versatile fit into many different team archetypes, whilst not being the main damage dealer.

 

[Rysachi]

Final Submission
Name - Oops! All Coverage

Description - A Pokémon that has a wide selection of coverage moves to hit super effective against a large selection of typings.

Justification - As it stands in this generation of CAPs, we have had a history of giving them limited coverage options to preserve checks/counters as a way to balance the CAPs to fullfil their intended slated role. However, we have seen a few standout Pokémon over the generations that have had the option of multiple sets to choose from with a large move pool that have diverted from this idea and focussed on a singular optimal set instead. Some examples of this are: Terapagos (Banned due to Stellar + has a broken signature move to reduce the need to use its' wide coverage pool); Mew (Now defaults on a NP set but has previously been a staple support role in older generations) or even Necturna (using its signature Sketch to give it a theoretical infinite selection that got narrowed down to the point Rage Fist became banned due to being a fat preferred move choice.) The main Pokemon currently that feels that utilises this concept well in the meta is Iron Valiant which currently uses its strong STAB combination with mixed offensive stats to be able to use the coverage as tools to help give Valiant slightly wider range of Pokemon to hit. Even taking this list in mind, the concept of a large move pool overall currently feels underutilized and has large potential to allow us to explore and give us creative liberties on how we want this CAP to shape out

Questions To Be Answered -

• How many different type coverage options is too much for a singular Pokémon to have? Should there be a limit to what this CAP can and cannot hit?
• How do we create a CAP that doesn't favour certain coverage moves over others? How do we decide the CAP's typing that doesn't naturally cause this preference?
• What makes a Pokémon with a larger movepool balanced? How can we make it feel flexible but not overbearing to become impossible to build against?

Explanation - The idea of a larger movepool has been touched on previous CAPs and had varied results on slates that didn't focus solely on this idea, Aurumoth in particular comes to mind regarding this to where it uses its typing and movepool limitations to have a leaning preference on the set but had the potential to be more flexible. I also feel a lot of Pokémon that had larger movepools in early generations have fallen victim of powercreep and even have seen Pokémon such as Gengar in Gen 1 completely forgoing stab for coverage options (mostly due to limitations on ghost typing), giving the idea a layer of versatility on the route we want to take with the slate.

 

[Badly Poisoned]

Final Submission
Name: Dripping water wears through rocks

Description: This CAP pressures its would-be answers by repeated stat-dropping attacks

Justification:
Unlike setup or status moves, stat-dropping attacks are able to damage the opponent while also making the subsequent attacks more punishing. While these debuffs disappear when a Pokemon switches out, they can often force opponents to choose between staying at a disadvantage or giving up the positional momentum to reset their stats. Over the course of a battle, these repeated forced decisions can gradually overwhelm defensive answers despite the temporary nature of the drops. This concept explores whether stat reduction can serve as an effective primary form of offensive pressure, rather than just being an complementary bonus

Questions To Be Answered:

• Can repeated stat drops serve as a Pokémon's primary method of making progress?
• Which stat drops create the most meaningful offensive pressure while maintaining healthy counterplay?
• How much immediate offensive presence is needed to capitalize on repeated debuffs?
• Does our selected moves need to have 100% of a drop (i.e. Icy Wind, Acid Spray), or is anything with a high rate of happening (i.e. Seed Flare) fair game?
• How do temporary stat drops reshape switching patterns and defensive play?

Explanation:
The most well-known realisation of this concept is probably in the case of Shaymin-Sky, whose Specs Seed Flare could 2HKO Blissery if the first use results in a SpD drop. However, this concept is not limited to just wallbreaking through dropping Def or SpD. More subtle forms of stat reduction can be equally influential in gameplay. In SS OU I've seen Tapu Fini run Icy Wind which, while not OHKOing Dragonite and Garchomp, allows it to outspeed on the following turn for a subsquent with Moonblast. Atk dropping moves have also seen success in various applications. As a defensive tool, Lunge on Buzzwole has seen some user in Ubers against Marshadow from overpowering it; and as an offensive tool Gourging Fire has notably used Breaking Swipe to assist itself in setting up multiple Dragon Dances. This concept seeks to explore how repeated stat drops of any kind can reshape counterplay and become a Pokémon's defining method of generating offensive pressure.

 

[realOzone]

Final Submission
Name: Wild Card

Description: This CAP fulfills or can fulfill a wide variety of roles on a team.

Justification: At this point in the lifespan of CAP, there is usually a Pokemon that is most optimal for a certain role on your team (Equilibra as solid defensive support/hazard removal, for example, or Chuggalong as a sweeper) while other potential options lay forgotten and/or powercrept. With a sort of "Swiss Army Knife" CAP, you can not only use it to fulfill one of its possible options in place of other CAPs that would normally fulfill those roles but also as role compression to avoid having to choose another Pokemon that serves that purpose over a Pokemon that might be passed over in favor of a more obviously important mon. To account for all these options the CAP could possibly have, many possible counters could appear that might involve previously neglected Pokemon and thus introduce more variety into the metagame.


Questions To Be Answered:

• What roles are considered "necessary" on a team, and does it differ based on the style of team? If so, what roles should this CAP have to most effectively fit into most teams?
• Can we accomplish the task of this CAP fitting on to many teams without it being necessarily overpowered or having good stats/typing? If so, how?
• Can we make this CAP varied enough that it does well, but not to the point where it feels like more moveslots are needed to be successful?

Explanation: This sort of "many roles" thing is most commonly seen in Landorus-Therian, an OU staple, but I haven't seen him in CAP too much, although that might just be me. I wanted to make a Lando-esque CAP that would see common use and might do well in the matchups Lando struggles in. Also, I think it'd just be cool. It would be most preferable to see this CAP have good typing and stats, but I'm interested to see how it would work otherwise.

 

[Volsur]

Final Submission
Name: Flipped Matchups
Description: This Pokemon changes its matchups and coverage by changing its opponent's typing or its own.
Justification: We have Pokemon that are viable because of their typing, and Pokemon that are viable in spite of their typing, but rarely does a Pokemon match well into an unfavourable type MU unless it has insane stats, strong enough coverage, or walls the opponent through some other means.
Questions To Be Answered:
1. Should this Pokemon focus on changing the target's typing, its own, or a mix of both?
2. How do we give this Pokemon reliable offensive attacks when its STAB and the opponent's defensive profile are constantly changing?
3. Is it better to utilise abilities or moves for these purposes?
4. What types benefit most from changing their defensive profile, or gaining new coverage?
5. How do we make this Pokemon actually want to run these moves/abilities instead of coverage?
6. Should this Pokemon have type immunity abilities? How do we stop it from being too matchup-fishy?
Explanation: There are quite a few type-changing moves in the game, however most of them are not used because they take up a moveslot, reset on switch and can be rendered redundant by coverage moves. Soak has seen a bit of use on and , but those Pokemon don't have many options and are low-tier. Forest's Curse, Magic Powder and Trick or Treat lack usage as well, despite being signature moves. Neither do the Conversions and Reflect Type, whereas Burn Up and Double Shock had a small niche with Tera. However, Protean and Libero are considered good abilities, while Mimicry is not(No Forecast mention as that is form/Pokemon tied). There's a balance somewhere there that is worth the opportunity cost of a move/ability slot, but is still balanced. Being such an important and baseline part of Pokemon, adjusting and adapting types should be explored more, both offensively and defensively.

 

[Apagogie]

Name: Great Wall, Great Wallbreaker

Description: It is a wallbreaker with an unusual very high bulk

Justification: Wallbreakers are usually designed to be these big powerhouses which nuke a Pokemon but on the flip side, their raw bulk is usually pretty unimpressive if not mediocre. This concept explores the opposite approach: what happens when a wallbreaker also possesses high bulk and longevity? The goal is to explore how defensive strength can contribute to wallbreaking in giving to the Pokemon additional opportunities to enter the field, the possibility to remain threatening over the course of a game and the ability to take risks that conventional wallbreakers cannot.

Questions To Be Answered:
- How can a wallbreaker use its high bulk to enhance its ability to make progress?
- What risk can a wallbreaker with high bulk take that other wallbreakers cannot?
- How should high offensive and defensive capabilities be balanced against weaknesses in other areas of the Pokemon?
- What kinds of counterplay are appropriate against a wallbreaker that cannot easily be worn down or revenge killed?
- How can we ensure that the Pokémon primarily functions as a wallbreaker rather than a bulky attacker or a Defensive Pokemon?

Explanation:
I will give example of Pokemon in some tiers that answers more or less this definition. Glastrier and Calyrex-Ice provide especially two interesting reference points, one very bad and one way too good. :
- Glastrier
This Pokemon has a great bulk for with 100 HP\130 Def\100 SpD for 145 base attack. What made this Pokemon balanced (and pretty bad) is the very poor speed, the mono ice typing and a pretty bad stab as Icicle Crash that makes laughable damage for any Pokemon in CAP.
- Calyrex-Ice
On the flip side, Calyrex-Ice received significant boosts with a bulk of 100 HP\150 Def\130 SpD with 165 base attack. Thats already impressive but on top of this, it gained an other STAB, access to Trick Room and especially a 120 base power move without drawback.
- Ursaluna
Unfortunately, Guts reduces significantly the longevity of this Pokemon so despite an excellent bulk, it doesnt always feel like it in game.

 

[Darek]

WIP

Castle of Glass

This Pokemon is able to defensively check threats by heavily disincentivizing attacking into it, as opposed to purely utilizing bulk or resistances.

 

[Jomakl]

WIP
Name: Tutorial-Mon

Description: This Cap has a straight forward set with a drawback and a versatile set that reduces the drawback at a cost

Justification: Many new players try to find the most straight forward set for a Pokémon why not use that to teach them about other strategies. This Pokémon would go about this by having some kit that is easy to figure out but has a major flaw, which can be mitigated by shifting the CAPs role. Only in CAP can a Pokémon really be designed to teach you about competitive Pokémon.

Questions to be Answered:
-What is a good primary role
-What makes a good role and drawback
-How should the role change
-What makes a Pokémon more versatile
-How should the two sets compare to each other competitively

Explanation:
An example of this would be a Pokémon that clearly works as a setup sweeper running 2-stabs and coverage with a boosting move, but has a middling speed stat. The Pokémon could switch to a tailwind setter dropping an attack but letting it not have to worry about its speed. Another advantage of this is that its drawback could be a CAP specific problem.

 

[Sqookblooks]

Since Gekkokeso already submitted the Giga GOAT concept (will win this time fr), I'll submit a different idea in mind:

Name - A Dastardly Foe

Description - This CAP will be intentionally designed to be as competitively "obnoxious", "annoying", or even "villainous" as possible without being outright unhealthy for the metagame.

Justification- The objective of any competition is obviously to win. However, the way you win is also considered to be important. This is especially true for competitive Pokemon singles, where for the most part, only pride is on the line. Some competitors play hype. Others play lame. Some team-styles are moral. Others are evil. And of course, some Pokemon are good while others are villains. Examples of Pokemon that could be or have been considered villainous in previous or current gens include Garganacl, Seperior, Magearna, Gliscor, Kingambit, Zapdos, Toxapex, Volcarona amongst a host of other foes. Such Pokemon could be considered "annoying" because they can stonewall unprepared teams, provide hard-to-answer utility, rely on RNG to incapacitate foes, or otherwise bend expectations of what a healthy Pokemon should be capable of. Obviously, the line of what is considered to be an obnoxious, annoying, or even villainous Pokemon depends on what competitor you ask which presents a major philosophical question about Competitive Pokemon that will have to be tackled when designing this CAP.

However, in a world where a Pokemon being unhealthy has become an increasingly cited piece of rhetoric to justify a ban, or in the case of CAP; a lengthy post-look playback and subsequent nerf, it may be useful for us to intentionally inspect the distinction between a Pokemon's design being obnoxious to deal with versus being outright unhealthy. After all, we all know what being broken looks like. Unhealthy is much more nebulous, so riding this thin line may help guide our perspective when designing CAPs in the future.

Questions To Be Answered -

1. What are hallmarks of said "obnoxious" or "annoying" competitive Pokemon?
2. What distinguishes an obnoxious from an unhealthy competitive Pokemon?
3. What competitive Pokemon can be consensus-viewed as "obnoxious". What Pokemon are often considered not to be particularly "annoying" to face?
4. How do we account for possible team-builder strain that may result from releasing an "annoying" CAP into the metagame. What degree of meta-game warping can be considered acceptable for such a design?

Explanation - I like to think of this concept as more of a philosophical / psychological exploration of Competitive Pokemon Singles and specifically how we feel about the Pokemon that exist within it. The concept itself was inspired by two things I've observed. First is that, in a collaborative process like CAP, it takes a lot of effort to truly make a pokemon that is "annoying" to see, especially with tools like the Post Play Lookback and other nerfing processes that are used to tone down kits that have been deemed unhealthy. If a CAP's design was deemed unpopular, it probably wouldn't survive very long into the metagame. We'd probably try our best to fix it in some way.

The second relates to the recent Volcarona re-suspect test done in Gen 9 OU. While I'm not going to deny that there were valid reasons to not want Volc back in the metagame, you definitely got the sense that at least some of the opposition to the re-introduction of the mon was the very annoying / obnoxious nature of its design that has basically been true since its start in Gen 9 (more on that later). Unhealthiness as a whole is a major part of the tiering / suspect rhetoric nowadays, and while I'm not going to boil down all talk about a Pokemon being unhealthy into it being annoying, it's a little self-evident that people can easily deem an otherwise annoying pokemon as unhealthy given the right set of elements are available in the metagame.

So this concept kind of takes the hammer in the opposite direction. Instead of shying away from competitive design elements that aren't very desirable, let's lean into it. We'd basically be exploring the design space between unhealthy design vs just annoying design, and what distinguishes the two when it comes to mons. In other words, let's make a CAP that no one wants to see on the other team in Team Preview even if no sane person would put it up for a suspect test. A concept that appeals to all the misanthropes of the community.

I left the actual definition of what an "annoying" or "obnoxious" Pokemon vague on purpose. First, because I think its an interesting discussion on its own right and should be hashed out in a concept assessment, but second, because I actually think we all probably have a better idea of what an "annoying" Pokemon actually looks. I'll go over some examples and what immediate takeaways we can see with them, but if it helps you to understand this concept, don't ask what mons annoy you, ask yourself what mons annoy other people, and you might see what I mean. Anyways, here's some examples that I think fit the criteria outlined above

1) Probably the modern poster child for this type of design and immediately the one I think about when writing this. You know him, you probably hate him. He's so efficient at needling down unsuspecting teams and just being a real nuisance with just Salt Cure alone plus the help of Tera, solid bulk, and setup. If you forgot to pack a Covert Cloak, forget about switching into him comfortably. Add on the random immunities to status and the extra Ghost Resistance for some reason, and he's probably the most annoying Pokemon out of all the new Pokemon added.

2) More of a throwback in terms of annoying design because the Snake has somewhat fallen off (although its still usable). But back in its prime, probably has to be one of the most annoying Pokemon to see. Glare cripples basically every would-be check. Stacked with SubSeed, and you can easily cheese past Pokemon you shouldn't be able to. Add onto it the ability to evasion boost off a stray Defog, and you got one of the most annoying Pokemon in existence

3) (From before Gen 9 ofc) I mentioned this one as one of the inspirations for this post, and it's not hard to see why. It's been colloquially known as the MU Moth, getting stronger through a competitive gen cycles at a time. In older gens, it had to pick and choose who it was able to beat, while in older gens, it's been given the ability to troll players with Flame Body chip, turning it into a brutal way to check Physical attackers alongside its obviously amazing ability to pick up wins in the end-game.

Special mention to Randbats and Purely Satanic designs. Obviously, we're lucky no real Pokemon in singles is capable of emulating what they can do (and you'd be able to prepare for it if it did), but they symbolize how its possible to be decent to good while also being exceptionally brutal to face.

Ok so obviously, looking through these examples I've mentioned, you might get the sense that "annoying" means a Pokemon that's capable of trolly-style chip like leech seed or salt cure, abusing RNG like paralysis / flame body procs, and supplementing that with offensive power (in the case of Volc and Serperior), and while I think that's a very valid way to look at how to create an obnoxious Pokemon, I did want to highlight that its not the only way we could approach this concept-- mons like and have definitely been described as annoying (not going to elaborate to be concise). Still, I think we as a community already have a pretty good baseline of what mons we consider to be annoying already, based on looking at each other's attitudes. If all else fails, I think the pseudo-definition I gave in the justification is already a pretty good baseline how to create an annoying Pokemon.

More importantly though, there is very clearly a rich and untapped design space when it comes to making the horrible but viable Pokemon to see on team preview.

 

[shnowshner]

Final Submission

Name - Sacrifice
Description - This CAP invariably KOs itself as a consequence of the tools that allow it to make progress.
Justification - Pokemon battles are decided by which side loses resources first, typically when one player runs out of usable Pokemon, so it follows that you want to ensure your chosen Pokemon are able to stay healthy and avoid falling into a death spiral, where one lost resource leads into another. However, many successful Pokemon fly in the face of this wisdom, often lacking the longevity to make it to the end of a match, or being designed specifically to get KO'd for the purposes of timing and momentum. With this concept, we'd look to explore what attributes allow for a Pokemon to find continued success in spite of its own demise.
Questions To Be Answered -

1. What kind of value is necessary to justify a Pokemon that is near-guaranteed to get KO'd?
2. How important is the timing of our CAP's own KO to its gameplan?
3. Is it necessary that we have a means of immediately KOing CAP 38?
4. How does our opponent factor into CAP 38's performance? Is there something it does that warrants aggressive retaliation, or is the opponent roped into KOing us so we can execute a sequence of events?
5. As this concept is inherently catered towards more offensively-inclined team structures, is there any room for more balanced builds to fit a Pokemon that is liable to KO itself, if the expected value is high enough to justify its presence?

Explanation - A common thread among many CAPs is their ability to persist throughout a battle. Many have 50% recovery in some form, or an alternative like Strength Sap/Pain Split/HP-draining attack, some have Ability-based recovery (Regenerator, -Absorb abilities, Poison Heal) or a defensively-adjacent Ability like Levitate, Sticky Hold, Magic Guard, Armor Tail, etc.. Our very first CAP was endowed with Mountaineer to solve a major hurdle in its survivability, in spite of a typing and statline that screams "I will die in one hit to like anything." As it turns out, keeping your Pokemon healthy is very important! However, frequently you will see Pokemon that can't help but get downed during the course of a battle, yet see continued success regardless. Are people just using them wrong? Or is there a method to the madness? (It's the latter)

The most infamous example of this phenomenon is the "suicide lead," an archetype that saw much greater usage before team preview, but still sees decent play today. A Pokemon is dedicated towards the lead slot in roughly 99% of matches (or 100% for those without preview) in order to set the tempo and conditions in which the battle with proceed, often via hazards like Stealth Rock, Spikes, or Sticky Web, and often uses the properties of its own KO to deny the opponent important options, such as removal via Rapid Spin, pivoting via U-Turn, or outright mutually assured destruction with a pre-nerf Explosion. If this was all the concept could encompass, however, I wouldn't have submitted it. Plenty of other Pokemon have found success off of moves that spell their own doom, either self-KO moves to regain momentum midway through a match or via wearing themselves down over the course of a match from moves like Flare Blitz or Head Smash, or an equipped Life Orb. HP management and smart positioning is often key for these Pokemon, particularly for those that lack recovery, as useable turns are on short supply and thus mandate you get the most of the turns you do get (and for move that KO the user, you probably aren't looking to spend a moveslot on recovery anyhow).

What I want this concept to explore is a CAP that embraces this alternate side of competitive Pokemon, where something as disadvantageous as losing one of your Pokemon can still be worthwhile, if not potentially our entire purpose.

 

[CapitanPabloskii]

Final Submission

Name - Double Dance
Description - This Pokemon aims to boost its stats with multiple different boosting moves.
Justification - This Pokemon will explore the offensive and defensive limits of the metagame, while being hard to be overbearing due to Obliteryx, Arghonaut and Tomohawk. It will likely be a late game wincon whose path needs a bit of clearing. Needing 2 different moves to properly set up is hard to do at times, so having every aspekt in this Pokemon synergise is especially important. There are multiple paths we could go through, such as a defensive route with IDCM, Amnesia + Bulk Up, or even fully defensive with Amnesia + Iron Defense, or offensive with boosting combinations like Agility + Nasty Plot, as seen prominently on Galarian Moltres. This leads to interesting dynamics in game of deciding which moves to even click first.

Questions To Be Answered -

• What tools do we need to not get taken advantage of in our necessary turns of setup?
• How do we keep this Pokemon from having few specific Pokemon mandatory on every Team?
• What do we sacrafice for 2 set up moves while still having everything needed in its kit?
  
  
• Where do we draw the line on defense to be able to set up but not be unkillable after setting up?
  -OR-
• Where do we draw the line on offense to threaten something immidiately, letting us set up, while not steamrolling everything after setting up?

Explanation - I was inspired by experimenting with Acid Armor + Calm Mind Mollux and the interesting dynamics it creates. You become very hard to kill and hit very hard, but what do you trade for having 2 set up moves. Do you want Recover? Then you have just Lava Plume, Draining Kiss or Sludge Bomb, and having just one attacking type is very exploitable. Other examples include Galarian Moltres, who uses both Agility and Nasty Plot to boost both speed and spatk. Then there is Agility + Meteor Beam Lunala in Ubers, or Stored Power Iron Crown in UU when it was legal, with a combination of Calm Mind and Iron Defense, clicking Stored Power once it was bulky and strong enough, while also having boosted speed with Booster Energy. There are so many possible ways to implement this, that I just had to try explore it. There is the option of Quiver Dance + Victory Dance, Calm Mind + Iron Defense, Agility + Swords Dance / Nasty Plot, Amnesia + Bulk Up. The initial idea was born when I created a Pokemon for my solomod, where one Pokemon has Quiver Dance and Victory Dance, along with a ton of mixed option. A mixed setup sweeper is super interesting in my opinion, which has never been seen before. The obvious moves to abuse this concept are Power Trip and Stored Power, which we have not seen a lot of. This Concept leans more offensive, with Offense and HO getting a (very much needed after the offense disaster that is Obliteryx) boost, though this doesn't have to be the case, as something akin to Deoxys-D with Cosmic Power can be used here with something like Amnesia + Iron Defense. Other strong Double Dance users, even if it may not be seen as Double Dance traditionally, is in my opinion Flame Charge and Trailblaze users, in particular the rare Swords Dance + Trailblaze Ogerpon-W or Ogerpon-R. Flame Charge Smokomodo is cool in concept but is lacking in practice, but the Double Dance Aspect of Bulk Up + Flame Charge keeps its niche afloat. Another less thought about option for Double Dance that also offers a good bit of utility is Rapid Spin + Nasty Plot / Swords Dance, like we see on Caribolt, on Bulk Up Great Tusk, and Swords Dance Excadrill. Double Dance is all around us, we just don't know it yet ;). Even still, the aspect of pure Double Dance that uses IDCM, Agility SD/NP, etc is way more interesting to me personally.

 

[Explosion Badger]

WIP

Name: Schrödinger's CAP

Description: Changing this Pokémon's ability swaps it between an offensive role and a defensive one.

Justification: The typical CAP Process isn't really designed to explore how multiple competitive abilities affect a Pokémon's toolkit. We heavily focus our stats and movepool around a specific ability, and adding a second is usually done as a "failsafe", giving the Pokémon some flexibility if it doesn't end up as strong as originally expected. While this can work, it means that 2nd abilities often end up being unneccesary, sometimes to the point of being removed. At best, the second ability lets Pokémon play the same role with slightly different utility.

This concept, then, aims to actualize the strength of having multiple abilities. By having an offensive ability and a defensive one, the goal is to show how the combination of both can offer a Pokémon far more variety in the roles it can play on a team. An Offensive/Defensive ability pair also challenges us to design with less extremity in mind, giving us a chance to take a path far different than the usual CAP Process.

Questions to be asked:

• What kind of versatility do we unlock with a O/D ability pair? Is this versatility different from the kind we'd gain from other parts of our toolkit?
• While we don't exactly need a 50/50 split, how do we ensure that both abilities see use?
• How "lopsided" can our abilities be? For example, could our defensive ability be a lot stronger if our other tools focus more on offense?
• How can we limit the pressure placed on the opponent to guess the right ability?
• How does an O/D ability pair's versatility compare to a pair of abilities that are both offensive or defensive (Cresceidon/Equilibra)? What are the advantages/disadvantages of either route?
• What can we apply from this concept to future CAP Processes? Is it possible that we can improve how we conduct ability stages, or is the current format the best for most situations?

Explanation: There aren't many Pokemon that fit this bill, even within the 1,000 strong count we have nowadays, but I wanted to point out an example that I've been given that does match with the concept: SwSh UU Salamence.

With the introduction of Heavy Duty Boots in gen 8, Salamence was finally able to tap into some more defensive sets alongside its famous offensive ones, and with this, both of its abilities got a chance to shine. For defensive sets, Intimidate was the ability of choice, allowing it to switch in on physical attackers in the tier and threaten them out with its coverage and giving it chances to Defog for its teammates. On the more offensive end, Salamence's Moxie ability adds to the pressure of its Dragon Dance sets, allowing it to snowball out of control in the late game. An interesting thing to note about this example is how it solves the issue of guessing pressure: With Intimidate announcing its presence as soon as Mence enters, the opponent can more easily narrow down which potential set is being used, allowing them to more quickly respond to the potential threat of a sweeping set.

 

[Scepticskep]

Final Submission

Name: The Perfect Antidote

Description: This Pokémon excels thanks to its ability to absorb/alleviate status ailments for itself and its team.

Justification: Status Ailments are extremely common in competitive singles, and the current CAP metagame is no exception. Between Burn crippling physical attackers, Poison placing any mon affected on a timer, Paralysis controlling speed and potentially enabling free turns, and Freeze... existing, status is valuable for a wide variety of playstyles. As a result, having a Pokémon that can effectively absorb each status on your team is highly beneficial. However, few Pokémon are explicitly designed around absorbing status, instead having immunities/abilities that nullify them. This concept intends to explore what a Pokémon designed around status absorption and/or alleviation could do for the metagame.

While many Pokémon possess type inherent or ability-based ways to deal with status, these are more passive and aren't the primary role of the Pokémon in question. Additionally, very few Pokémon have an answer to ALL potential status. This Concept Pokémon would be the first CAP designed to protect its team from most/all status.

Unlike certain other mechanics in the game, Status has a vast amount of interactions with moves, typings and abilities, and deciding the most efficient way to deal with status would be a worthwhile discussion in my opinion. It enables many options at each stage of the process.

Questions To Be Answered:

• What are the most effective "status absorbers" of the current and past generations? What tools did they utilize that would be beneficial for this CAP?
• A "Cleric" is a role that's faded out of relevance in SV OU / CAP, mostly due to poor distribution of their typical utility. Should we consider the typical cleric utility to fulfill this concept, or can a status absorber assist its team in more complex ways?
• Between move-based, ability-based, and typing-based interactions with Status. what combination of these would suit this CAP's role the best?
• Statuses are a very effective and relevant method of dealing with offensive sweepers and bulky walls alike. How hard can this CAP deny Status Ailments without warping the metagame around itself?

Explanation:

Now, I didn't want this concept to just be another "this CAP counters the last CAP"... however I would want to point out that 4 of the 6 CAPs released this generation have majorly relied on spreading status in their playstyle (shoutout to our 2 favorite setup sweepers for breaking the chain). So, I'd consider this mon less of "screw the last guy" situation and more a look back on SV's additions to CAP as a whole.
Status is and always will be extremely crucial for making progress on several playstyles, but on the other hand, the role of a "cleric" has largely fallen out of favor in SV CAP. Now, a crucial aspect of this is the extreme moveset cuts of the two most significant cleric utility options: Aromatherapy and Heal Bell. Aromatherapy has been fully erased while Heal Bell finds itself on a grand total of 2 mons, Blissey who rarely would run it and Chimecho who... is Chimecho (also Chuggalong, apparently??? However that's even less relevant then on Blissey). So, the role of a true Cleric is pretty vacant. However, there are plenty of ways to ignore status without slapping Heal Bell on a Pokemon and calling it a day. So, how can a Pokemon be designed around its methods of dealing with Status?

Type-Based Immunities The simplest kind of status absorbtion comes from immunities baked into certain types. Steel/Poison can't be poisoned outside of Corrosion, Fire types can't be burned, and Electric types can't be paralyzed. Additionally, Poison types absorb toxic spikes, protecting its team from being poisoned or badly poisoned. These can be easily slotted onto a team as each type carries a variety of mons that fit different teamstyles. However, you rarely choose one of these mons specifically for status absorbtion, it's more of a passive benefit piled onto other traits of that pokemon. It will be important to consider if we want to maintain one or more type-based immunities with our CAP's typing or a seperate typing that capitalizes off alternate status absorption methods.

Immunity Abilities: Abilities like these enable this pokemon to sit in front of a status spreader without worrying much about the negatives. Garg is the most extreme, being flat-out immune to all status. Clefairy's Magic Guard protects it from Toxic damage, and it's stats mean it doesn't care for Burn or Paralysis. Gliscor is a softer immunity but can usually ignore status thanks to its Toxic Orb and Poison Heal combination. Guts, Quick Feet, Limber and plenty of other abilities can be used to ignore one or more statuses for your team. Some are even type based like Volt Absorb into Thunder Wave These abilities are great for switching in and blocking status, but can't really help an ally keep progress in front of a status spreader. Speaking of which...
Misty Surge is definitely of significant interest, as it provides total status protection even when the setter is off the field (unless you're a bird type). This would be an extremely powerful and effective method to alleviate status, but perhaps a bit too powerful. Not only does this eat up a large amount of the power budget, but adding a new consistent terrain setter into the tier could be a bit warping. I can see a lot of discussion for this in the hypothetical ability phase.

Status Healing Moves: Now we land on moves, a more complicated way of alleviating status. Mons like Zarude and Manaphy can easily shrug off status with Jungle Healing and Take Heart respectively, allowing them to switch in very well for the team. On the other hand, Heal Bell can easily heal the entire team with one move. There is some opportunity cost to be had here, using up a turn to heal off status, or potentially losing out on using other status abusers like or .

Overall, we will have to determine which forms of status absorption would be effective and beneficial for the tier. Will it be a return to Clerics of olde, or find a more complex method of dealing with status ailments?

Idk, I'm no medical professional.

 

[kenn]

Final Submission

Name: Pick A Side

Description: This CAP's stats are extremely lopsided towards one side of the spectrum.

Justification: While most Pokemon find success in having "optimized" stats, having a Pokemon that has an immediate weak point that has to be accounted for could be an interesting way to approach not just the stats stage of the process, but the rest of the process as well. Extremely weaker stats that are "baked in" are always interesting to try and work around and some Pokemon have successfully done it through past generations (Kartana, Blissey) while others have fallen off or fallen short (Sylveon, Duraludon). This is usually due to how their abilities, typings, and moves work together within the metagame. The idea of "guaranteeing" these weak and strong points means each stage of the process is even more crucial than usual as the stats stage is the last major step before the end of a process and this concept doubles down on the importance of each step that comes before it to make sure that the lopsided stats can be accounted for by other means.

Questions To Be Answered:

• What exactly defines "extremely lopsided" when it comes to one's stats? Is there a minimum threshold to reach? Is there a maximum threshold for the weaker stat/s?
• What kinda of versatility can be accomplished with this concept's lack of care for one side of the attacking spectrum?
• Is it better to overwhelm the opponent to the point of being forced to hit it on its weaker side no matter what or should there be a "fatal flaw" that specific Pokemon can power through still?
• How does a CAP with lopsided stats make itself stand out amongst more balanced stat spreads? Does the ability, typing, or moves hold the most weight when "making up" for the lack of stats on one side?
• How does the imbalance work in this CAP's favor rather than to its detriment? Should the weaker stat still suffice as "passable" or is it truly gonna be a nick in the armor that cannot be patched? If the latter, how does this CAP overcome that to be viable/used on the teams it fits on?

Explanation: I find it interesting that Pokemon such as Rhyperior with a hefty Attack and Defense stat invest in its lower defense to shore up its lack of bulk and utilize the resistances it does have while also still being extremely weak to common special attacking types (and dying to most as well lol). Solid Rock also helps with the "weaker" weaknesses on the special side. This allows it to find major success in lower tiers. Kartana is a higher tier example that would invest in Speed despite having a better Defense stat and instead leverages the stat to find opportunities to swap in and attack or set up. This is all while having an insignificant amount of special bulk. Another example that was brought to my attention in CAPcord was setup sweepers like Curse Dondozo or CM Meloetta which is interesting to see these 2 have varying degrees of success. I think there is a ton of space to explore within this simple yet varied approach to a Pokemon's stats and could be interesting to have a stalwart with an "Achilles heel" that can't really be fixed but rather is the only way to truly take this CAP down.

 

[a fairy]

• Name - Power —
• Description - This CAP makes use of one or more move(s) with a variable base power as the primary/preferred means of dealing damage.
• Justification- Your concept must answer the following questions to be eligible:
  • What new territory will your Concept Pokémon explore, why do you believe it’s interesting, and how would it interact with the metagame?
    • This CAP will explore a category of moves that usually see fringe use, and live in the parts of the damage calculation which are usually seen as set in stone. At best in most use cases, these moves are secondary considerations on Pokemon choosing to do other things. Options range from interacting with some of the most important aspects of a Pokemon to parts of a Pokemon that are at best marginalia often disregarded from consideration. Given the range of options and what they interact with, it will allow the community to explore a flavor profile of the metagame that otherwise is perhaps seen fairly one-dimensional or even entirely disregarded.
  • How does your concept motivate in-depth discussion at each stage of the process?
    • Depending on the move(s) selected, each stage of the process has considerable impact on the final product and can lean in to be concept developing. Typing can provide STAB for the moves its applicable to, or discourage certain switchins that would otherwise be happy to take our move. Stats and abilities have a surprising impact on a large number of these chosen moves, from enabling the use of the move (via any number of means), damage amplification, even counter/check deterrence. Moves to supplement and support these otherwise often unused moves help to complete the package.
  • I'm breaking "why do you believe the CAP Project community should discuss these topics" into its own bulletpoint since that's the part I love the most personally.
    • We have the chance to explore any number of aspects of individual Pokemon and the metagame as a whole here, aspects that either go entirely unnoticed or are seen in a very orthodox manner. There is no fault in finding the important parts of a metagame and focusing on why they are important, but to be able to explore a new dimension to the metagame, and to be able to interface with that dimension to bring value and importance to it via a CAP38 attached to this concept, is fascinating to me.
• Questions To Be Answered - The purpose of the CAP project is to learn new things about the metagame, and each concept submission is a proposed "experiment". Each tool has its own specific set of questions, but good concepts often can explain other facets of competitive Pokemon. Use this section to pose those additional questions. Note that this is different from Justification where you are answering tool-related questions, in this section you are proposing questions.
  • Why do so many of these moves go either unused or are at best a filler slot to threaten some potential damage on Pokemon which otherwise are doing utility role things? Why do the notable exceptions to even that exception succeed?
  • What are key parts within the body of the metagame that allow for such moves to be successful? What weaknesses, in the non-Pokemon meaning of the word, can be exploited to enable success of a variable power move?
  • Some of these moves have the potential to be very powerful, but can also be considerably weaker. Where is the fulcrum of balance between player skill expression in using the move correctly, against the player skill expression of properly responding to the threat of its use? Can that be manually set by the CAP Process or is it inherent to the SV metagame and competitive Pokemon as a whole?
  • Some of these moves have seen fairly significant use in certain circumstances or metagames beyond the group set out in QTBA 1. What causes these moves and circumstances to break out of the mold and find success?
  • There are certain "subcategories" within the variable power moves, which each category having one or two 'standout' (for the group...) circumstances of success while others seemingly get left behind. Is it the circumstances surrounding these moves that allow them to succeed, or is it something intrinsic to the move or its user(s) that enable that?
  • Base Power is certainly top three most important aspects of a move, but it's not the only aspect. What do things like PP count, type, and Physical/Special do for a variable Base Power move? Are these merely veneers for show or can they play a larger part in the success of a variable Base Power move?
• Explanation -
  • I am a big fan of the margins, the game space that exists through intent but goes otherwise underutilized or ignored, but also the parts that exist as part of "therefores", the game space that exists in between conscious choices elsewhere. This one is certainly an 'intent' margin, moves and entire classifications of similar moves that get entirely disregarded because better options exist. So what does it look like when we explore the world where these moves are desired?
  • So many times these options are chosen, they're because a 'mon doesn't have better options, either as a whole or on the specific. Ferrothorn doesn't choose Gyro Ball because it wants to deal tons of damage to, idk, DeoS, it chooses Gyro Ball because 4 status moves leaves it wrecked by Taunt and it's slow enough to make it reliable enough. And even then, plenty often, it takes Power Whip (85% accurate!) instead. But stuff like Electro Ball sees no use, even on the fastest Pokemon ever. Kingambit occasionally picks up Low Kick to combat opposing Kingambit, but when's the last time you saw something pulling out Grass Knot? ORAS Tangrowth?
  • Meanwhile, stuff like Seismic Toss and Night Shade see some niche use on defensively oriented Pokemon, if only because the flat 100 damage is usually going to be more than anything they could do with uninvested stats. Chansey, Dusclops, those kinda 'mons run these moves because they don't really do damage otherwise. Ruination on Ting-Lu is similar here, and even then plenty choose to Payback or EQ or whatever.
  • OTOH, we do occasionally see stuff like Heat Crash (Gouging Fire) and Heavy Slam (Zamazenta) when they either would rather not use a move of the same type (Flare Blitz) or otherwise don't have access to better options (Iron Head usually underpowered in comparison). These are almost pressured situations, 'mons that want the type but can't risk the drawbacks. In these cases, the drawback of the variance is somehow smaller. Why?
  • Finally, we have some Pokemon that choose to hard commit to these variance moves, throwing their whole set (and occasionally team support!) into ensuring success. Sneasler with Reversal, Choice Scarf Final Gambit from Annihilape or Straraptor, lure sets of various Pokemon pulling out Counter or Mirror coat. Rarely are these ever the primary set for the 'mon, often delegated to niche alternatives designed to surprise.
  • These are real moves doing real stuff with real effect that mostly translate to duds in the competitive space. Why? Can they be successful? What would cause a 'mon to pick one of these moves as its primary progress maker damage-wise?

mini-edit: At request on Discord, I've included a Hide Tag listing what I view as all of the variable power moves. I am using the list of moves that have a — Power listed in the PS! Teambuilder, primarily.

List

OHKO: Sheer Cold, Fissure, Guillotine, Horn Drill
HP-Derived: Ruination, Hard Press, Super Fang, Final Gambit, Flail, Reversal, Crush Grip
Stat-Derived: Seismic Toss, Night Shade, Spit Up, Electro Ball, Gyro Ball
Weight-Derived: Grass Knot, Low Kick, Heat Crash, Heavy Slam
Uno Reverse: Comeuppance, Counter, Metal Burst, Mirror Coat
Other: Fling, Present

Asterisks:
There are plenty of other moves that don't just have one simple Base Power. Moves like Water Spout and its clones, Temper Flare and Stomping Tantrum, Rage Fist, Stored Power and Power Trip, hell even Rollout and Ice Ball all can modify their base power, but these also have a starting base power. There's probably more I missed. Fury Cutter! Anyway, I have not outright dismissed these as options to allow for potentiality, but I am focused on moves which do not have a default Base Power. All the moves listed in this paragraph (and more!) have a default Base Power that then can be modified in specific situations, compared to the list above which do not have a coded default Base Power.