Final Submission
Name: Mini-Uber
Description: This Pokemon replicates or is inspired by a strategy, play pattern or niche used by an Uber Pokemon.
Justification: Many of the Pokemon that reside in Ubers- be it this gen or in past gens- have playstyles and niches that are totally foreign to most other Pokemon and tiers. This concept seeks to explore both the design space of those roles and niches, as well as how balance and strength work in Pokemon, to create something that draws from the unique elements of the chosen Uber without being worthy of the tier itself.
Questions To Be Answered:
- What makes an Uber Pokemon interesting beyond just the power level?
- What roles or niches, or playstyles are unique to or common among Uber Pokemon?
- On average Ubers have better stats, abilities, and movepools than OU Pokémon - out of those 3, which are safe to take away without removing a Pokemon's identity? What of these traits define what Ubers?
- Will a Pokemon still be useful even when taken out of its native context (i.e. without the specific metagame threats it checks)?
- Is there room to explore certain Ubers' unique defensive and utility potential in addition to their offenses?
- How can Pokemon already deemed too strong for OU be replicated in a more balanced fashion?
Explanation: I’m back, re-subbing one of (if not my single) favorite concepts of all time. Gen 9 has a LOT of Ubers, from top-tier box legend threats (Koraidon, Zacian, etc) to the variety of stuff that started in OU, lasting either mere moments (Flutter Mane, Iron Bundle) or overstaying their welcome (Gouging Fire, Volcarona, etc). There’s been even more unqique attention on Ubers overall through this gen: retests on stuff like Palafin and Zama-C, and the dropping of base Zamazenta and Darkrai into OU. Ubers UU also came into existence, giving us a look at how Pokemon banned from OU, but too week for Ubers proper play and what roles they fill.
In general, Ubers existing outside of the format we are most familiar with creates cool opportunities to build around. Combinations of the metagame pressures and overwhelmingly strong kits found in Ubers create very unique Pokemon. There’s very little that falls into similar classes to Ubers like Lunala (how does this psy/ghost type have meaningful defensive utility) or Caly-I (a slow, bulky Ice type actually using all of that to its advantage). Many of these play patterns, roles and niches are just not observed in OU metagames, where the users of them either have no real reason to or are far too strong for the tier. Enter Mini-Uber, a chance to take some of these very unique Pokemon and challenge ourselves to create something inspired by them that rests on an equal playing field as OU's rank and file.
At its core, this concept challenges us in a number of very unique ways. Firstly, and most clearly, it involves us taking a deeper dive into a meta that is generally less explored by most of us, as we'd be looking at Ubers themselves and how they play in Ubers. Translating the Uber to our metagame would make us take a deeper look into what makes these Pokemon tick: how they function, why they function that way, and why they are too strong for OU. The concept still gives us strong direction through directly looking at and being inspired by the role and traits of the Uber we focus on. It has the potential to keep us engaged with all stages of the project and produce a really fascinating end product.
