In this thread we are documenting our proposed Gen8 changes, as well as collecting feedback. Please reply with questions, comments, concerns, and suggestions related to anything and everything you read here.
These proposals were designed by the Mod team: mostly JjayyFeather, TMan87, and nightblitz42. We tried to incorporate player complaints and suggestions we heard, but we worked privately. Historically, this sort of thing would take place in a formally-conducted public forum. However, due to the exodus of a lot of our players, that forum broke down. Therefore, the mod team decided to conduct its work privately. This was to improve efficiency and get things done in a timely manner (hopefully before gen8). We are now doing our best to make things public.
With regards to mechanical game changes, the mod team has two main goals in mind:
1. Increase the expected number of actions it takes to defeat a Pokemon (on average), thereby making the metagame less overtly aggressive.
2. Decrease the power gap between “strong” and “weak” Pokemon, thereby increasing the number of valid options for players.
We also have some minor goals, in no order:
• Small balance changes to overly-strong moves (Endure, Heavy Slam)
• Decrease needless complexity of the game wherever such changes are appropriate.
• Address Word-Of-God and ref discretion in determining Combo validity
• Rebalance items in accordance with any rank-number changes
[Rank Changes]
In accordance with our goals 1 and 2, we propose the following rank-math changes:
New Rank Cutoffs:
• Slightly raises the upper bar of stat ranks
• Eliminates the massive clumping issue at R3 by changing it from 50 pts of stats to 25.
New Damage Formula:
Final Damage = [(Base Attack Power * BAP Modifier + STAB + Critical Hit + Stat Rank Difference + BAP Adjustment) * Type Effectiveness] + (Combat Stage Difference * 2) + Additional Damage
• Stat Rank Difference replaces Stat Rank Bonus, with its value being (User’s Attacking Stat Rank - Target’s Defending Stat Rank) instead of that multiplied by 2.
• Reduces the impact of stats on the overall feel of combat, while not minimizing them entirely.
Two big changes to note here are: Rank thresholds at each multiple of 25, and Ranks giving +1/-1 BAP instead of +2/-2 BAP. The mod team predicts that the reduced damage from Ranks will increase time-to-kill, while also making Pokemon with lower stats more useable. Therefore, the proposed change coincides with both main goals.
Also, please note that these HP values are 10hp less than the values used in the testing match. They should closely correlate to the current HP values of gen7 BBP. The mod team is currently of the opinion that decreasing rank damage and increasing HP at the same time might have too drastic an effect (as some would argue it did during the shift to gen7).
Move Changes
Heavy Slam: BAP formula adjusted to 6+(User WC - Target WC)
Rest: Damage needed to break rest reduced to 16. (8 BAP STAB SE, or 9 BAP SE with a 2 rank difference). Healing reduced to 10hp/a
Endure: The user gains Sluggish for the remainder of the round.
Screens: Reduces the BAP of affected moves by 3, 2 if protecting more than one Pokemon.
Belly Drum: On a watchlist, no tentative plans to change it.
• The Heavy Slam nerf is mainly meant to address the overwhelming strength of Mega Aggron in BBP. The mod team predicts that this change, combined with rank-math changes and ability changes (later in this post), will help keep Mega Aggron in line.
• The damage threshold for Rest is changing in response to the rank-math changes.
• Endure has been arguably the most important move in BBP. It is useful in every single matchup to the point where Pokemon that don’t learn it (mostly Pokemon from recent generations), as well as Pokemon that can’t “break” Endure, are at a great disadvantage. In order to encourage Pokemon diversity, the mod team would like to nerf this move. Adding the Sluggish status to it will keep the move’s functionality the same while reducing its maximum payoff.
• The nerf to Light Screen and Reflect is preemptive, in response to the math-rank changes. Following the changes, the mod team expects BAP to be one of the greatest factors in determining damage output. Although we want to create a slower rate of battle, nerfing Light Screen and Reflect is an attempt to crack down on overly stall-based strategies that use Screens in conjunction with other damage-reducing effects to grind the game to a halt.
• With regards to Belly Drum: The mod team predicts a potential spike in the value of stat-boosting moves resulting from the rank-math changes. However, we are hesitant to preemptively nerf stat-boosting moves because, unlike Screens (which have been proven to be useful before gen8) stat-boosting moves have historically been generally terrible in all previous BBP metagames. Should stat-boosting moves prove to be overly oppressive in practice, we may move to nerf them later.
Damaging Evasive Moves:
D/E moves are being re-codified for clarity. As they are currently, D/E moves contain extremely long move descriptions, with many unnecessary repetitions between them as well as many seemingly-arbitrary differences. In accordance with our minor goal of reducing needless complexity, the mod team proposes the following changes to D/E moves:
• All D/E moves have Priority (0/-1).
• All D/E moves have an Evasive EN cost of six (6) EN, and an Attacking EN cost of five (5) EN.
• All D/E moves (except Sky Drop) can be Suspended.
• The universal mechanics of D/E moves will be moved to the Handbook, instead of being included in each move’s description.
These changes are not motivated for balance reasons, but for clarity. Although, it should also be noted that changing certain D/E moves from Priority (0/-2) to Priority (0/-1) is a nerf, since it allows for potential counter-play that was not possible before. In addition, D/E moves that previously could not be suspended (Bounce, Phantom Force) are buffed by these changes. The mod team does not see this as a problem.
Ability Changes:
Global
All abilities that increase or decrease the BAP of attacks, ingoing or outgoing, have the absolute value of their adjustment reduced by 1. This means Filter is now a -1 BAP ability, and Iron Fist is only a +1 BAP, so on and so forth. They still retain a minimum absolute value of 1 however, so Magma Armor and co have not been changed.
There were two motivators for this change. First, this is a response to the rank-math changes, which make BAP-adjusting abilities more proportionately powerful than before. Secondly, this is an answer to Conkeldurr’s dominance in gen7 BBP, which the mod team predicts would become even more pronounced should Conkeldurr be left unchecked in gen8 BBP. Its multiple BAP-boosting abilities stacking atop one another would be too powerful for the upcoming metagame.
[Item Changes]
Signature Items
Entirely scrapped and redone.
Instead of being tied to specific Pokemon and only having an effect when held by those mons, they are going to be held items that have alternate effects based on various attributes of Pokemon.
All attachment category items or Legendary-specific items will remain, as well as Signature Z-Crystals and Mega Stones.
Examples:
• Adventure Rules: "An instruction manual full of tips and battle strategies. Increases the Pokemon's highest true base stat by one (1) Rank. The holder's Abilities can't reduce its own stats, reduce its HP, or increase the BAP of incoming moves."
• Exp. Share: "A high-tech device that grants the holder battle experience against a variety of attacks. Increases the Pokemon's highest true base stat by one (1) Rank. On sendout, if the holder has an Ability that boosts a stat when struck, increases the corresponding stat by one (1) Stage (adjusting the Natural Stage)."
• Lucky Egg: "A lucky charm said to bring the bearer great luck and good health. Increases the Pokemon's highest true base stat by one (1) Rank. At the end of each action, if the holder has an Ability that recovers HP when struck by a move, it regains 2 HP."
• Barometer: “A tool used for taking note of changes in wind speeds and other meteorological data. Increases the Pokemon's highest true base stat by one (1) Rank. Triggers the effects of all abilities on the holder that activate in a specific weather.”
The mod team fully expects Signature Item revamps to be a divisive issue. Signature Items are beloved ways to boost the power of certain Pokemon that would otherwise be unusable. However, they are currently based on certain principles that do not align with our second main goal:
• They are only useable by Pokemon that evolve under certain circumstances on cartridge. This guideline is arbitrarily restrictive and leads to the creation of Signature Items that serve no purpose.
• Signature Items apply personalized effects to individual Pokemon. This limits the extent to which Signature Items can possibly help balance the metagame, since even a well-balanced, well-designed Signature Item only benefits a single species of Pokemon.
• Signature Items are balanced in accordance with the power level of the holder. This philosophy leads to extremely unbalanced Signature Item design. The ubiquity of Knock Off accentuates this problem, since low-power Pokemon get even stronger effects to compensate for potential item loss.
When designing this new wave of Signature Items, the mod team focused on improving Abilities that are underutilized in BBP. The philosophy of “identifying a weakness to fix” should lead to purposeful Signature Item design. Furthermore, by making Signature Items more general in design, we can increase their potential impact on the metagame.
We are eagerly waiting to hear your suggestions for more Signature Items. Specifically, we are looking for ideas that target a specific trait a Pokemon might have that needs to be strengthened.
Held Items
Subject to a numerical rebalance in the soon-to-be future, awaiting some performance testing.
This is a given, since rank-math is changing. Certain items may become unbalanced. Notable items include Binding Band and Focus Band, for example.
Type Changes
Subject to a revisit as well
In accordance with the minor goal of reducing unneeded complexity: are STAB effects still necessary? Should they be scrapped? Should they be re-worked?
[Combo Feasibility]
In theory, the referee is the one who judges combo feasibility. In practice, the referee is expected to follow unwritten Word-Of-God laws to determine combo feasibility. This issue is further agitated by situations where the feasibility of a combo determines who wins or loses a match.
Therefore, the mod team is presenting a draft of a Combo Feasibility Chart. Its purpose is to conclusively determine combo feasibility in all situations. This would eliminate a huge source of referee subjectivity in BBP, thereby making the game more competitively viable. A link to the draft chart is below. Please look at it, then give feedback or suggestions. Due to the scope of the project, there is a high likelihood that you may catch something that was overlooked.
Please read the cover page of the document thoroughly. It contains minor mechanical and flavor changes to a significant number of moves.
Link to Combo Chart: (Google Drive)
With regards to System Changes, the Mod Team has two main goals:
1. Give players faster access to Pokemon and Items. There are two purposes for this goal:
• To make high-level play more accessible (both by increasing player resources and by reducing the time dedicated to grinding).
• To encourage experimentation. Niche, experimental strategies are very healthy for the game, but are discouraged by time/currency costs. These costs impair Mechanical Goal 2 (Pokemon diversity) by incentivizing players to spend their limited time/currency on “safe” Meta pokemon that have already been proven to be successful.
2. Incentivize reffing, despite system changes that favor Goal 1
[System Changes]
Currency
CC: Refactored into RC
UC: No longer exists
MC: No longer exists
JC: (tentative name) Is the only existing player currency. Used in order to enter battles as well as payment for reffing battles. Full details on the system to be added…
Pokemon
• Automatically fully trained at the evolution stage of your preference on acquisition
• Hidden Ability is locked or unlocked at user discretion, needs to be logged through claims
Rewards
Players pay JC to battle, with that JC (and a little bit more in some cases), going to the ref of that battle.
All parties, players and ref, receive RC, which is used to acquire new Pokemon.
JC can also be used to buy rewards specific to it which includes Legendary Pokemon and some other features in the system.
The mod team expects all the System Changes listed above to be controversial. Naturally, we have spent a lot of time reviewing these proposals. The downside to maxed Pokemon purchasing is that players can’t grind for moves anymore. Some players like to grind for moves for prestige, or to cultivate their “favorite Pokemon” to an unrivaled power level. If we take away those options, the alternative would be to seek prestige and progression through TLRs or Gym Badges. Not everybody is interested in those routes.
However, if I may speak for myself, I am strongly in favor of maxed Pokemon purchases. I’m not 100% in favor (I don’t think anybody on the mod team truly is), but I’ve gradually concluded that MC cultivation is intolerably time-wasting. This isn’t a sudden conclusion, but one I’ve been arriving at for at least a year. Had I not played all the training battles I have, and instead spent that time playing more serious battles, I would be a better player right now. And that’s not even considering the hours upon hours I’ve spent claiming moves for my Pokemon after each battle. It’s all wasted time.
There obviously is a need for some sort of limitation on purchases, though, for the approvers’ sake. That’s why RC is still necessary. But it’s easier for everybody involved if players just buy the Pokemon once, maxed, at the PCT and that’s it.
One way to enable progression is to increase the variety of methods by which people can obtain Legendary Pokemon. That is part of the appeal of the new JC system. Players who are interested in grinding for prestige, but are not interested in challenging Gyms or TLRs, could choose to use reffing to grind JC and purchase Legendaries.
Please give your thoughts or suggestions.
Legendary Pokemon Tiers
The following is all the work of JjayyFeather (thank you!). Legendary Pokemon have been assigned Tiers 0-4, with 0 being the strongest and 4 being the weakest. The purpose is so that we can potentially design future rewards as “claim a Legendary Pokemon from X Tier”.
I know y’all have been waiting to see this.
Tier 4: Phione
• Yes, I made Phione its own fucking tier
Tier 3: Floette-E, Celebi, Keldeo, Cobalion, Virizion, Diancie, Magearna, Zeraora, Articuno, Moltres, Zapdos, Entei, Suicune, Raikou
• Lower-end legendaries that are likely really easy to outclass, but hey, these are legendaries :p
Tier 2: Jirachi, Manaphy, Darkrai, Shaymin, Terrakion, Meloetta, Genesect, Mega Diancie, Volcanion, Lati@s, Marshadow, Registeel, Regirock, Regice, Regigigas, Azelf, Mesprit, Uxie, Cresselia, Heatran, Landorus, Landorus-T, Thundurus, Thundurus-T, Tornadus, Tornadus-T, Reshiram, Zekrom, Kyurem, Tapu Lele, Tapu Fini, Tapu Koko, Tapu Bulu, Necrozma
• Middle/Upper-Middle tier legendaries that definitely all carry their own water easily
Tier 1: Dialga, Palkia, Giratina, Kyurem-B, Kyurem-W, Xerneas, Zygarde, Yveltal, Necrozma-DW, Necrozma-DM, Ho-Oh, Lugia, Kyogre, Groudon, Mew, Mewtwo, Victini, Hoopa-U, Deoxys, Solgaleo, Lunala, Mega Lati@s
• These them bois right here
Tier 0: Mega Rayquaza, Primal Kyogre, Primal Groudon, Ultra Necrozma, Mega Mewtwo X, Mega Mewtwo Y, Arceus
• These right here won’t be gracing BBP with their presence anytime soon lmao
These proposals were designed by the Mod team: mostly JjayyFeather, TMan87, and nightblitz42. We tried to incorporate player complaints and suggestions we heard, but we worked privately. Historically, this sort of thing would take place in a formally-conducted public forum. However, due to the exodus of a lot of our players, that forum broke down. Therefore, the mod team decided to conduct its work privately. This was to improve efficiency and get things done in a timely manner (hopefully before gen8). We are now doing our best to make things public.
With regards to mechanical game changes, the mod team has two main goals in mind:
1. Increase the expected number of actions it takes to defeat a Pokemon (on average), thereby making the metagame less overtly aggressive.
2. Decrease the power gap between “strong” and “weak” Pokemon, thereby increasing the number of valid options for players.
We also have some minor goals, in no order:
• Small balance changes to overly-strong moves (Endure, Heavy Slam)
• Decrease needless complexity of the game wherever such changes are appropriate.
• Address Word-Of-God and ref discretion in determining Combo validity
• Rebalance items in accordance with any rank-number changes
[Rank Changes]
In accordance with our goals 1 and 2, we propose the following rank-math changes:
New Rank Cutoffs:
Rank | Min. Stat | Max. Stat | HP Value |
1 | 0 | 24 | 60 |
2 | 25 | 49 | 70 |
3 | 50 | 74 | 80 |
4 | 75 | 99 | 90 |
5 | 100 | 124 | 100 |
6 | 125 | 149 | 110 |
7 | 150 | 174 | 115 |
8 | 175 | 199 | 120 |
9 | 200 | 224 | 125 |
10 | 225 | - | 130 |
• Eliminates the massive clumping issue at R3 by changing it from 50 pts of stats to 25.
New Damage Formula:
Final Damage = [(Base Attack Power * BAP Modifier + STAB + Critical Hit + Stat Rank Difference + BAP Adjustment) * Type Effectiveness] + (Combat Stage Difference * 2) + Additional Damage
• Stat Rank Difference replaces Stat Rank Bonus, with its value being (User’s Attacking Stat Rank - Target’s Defending Stat Rank) instead of that multiplied by 2.
• Reduces the impact of stats on the overall feel of combat, while not minimizing them entirely.
Two big changes to note here are: Rank thresholds at each multiple of 25, and Ranks giving +1/-1 BAP instead of +2/-2 BAP. The mod team predicts that the reduced damage from Ranks will increase time-to-kill, while also making Pokemon with lower stats more useable. Therefore, the proposed change coincides with both main goals.
Also, please note that these HP values are 10hp less than the values used in the testing match. They should closely correlate to the current HP values of gen7 BBP. The mod team is currently of the opinion that decreasing rank damage and increasing HP at the same time might have too drastic an effect (as some would argue it did during the shift to gen7).
Move Changes
Heavy Slam: BAP formula adjusted to 6+(User WC - Target WC)
Rest: Damage needed to break rest reduced to 16. (8 BAP STAB SE, or 9 BAP SE with a 2 rank difference). Healing reduced to 10hp/a
Endure: The user gains Sluggish for the remainder of the round.
Screens: Reduces the BAP of affected moves by 3, 2 if protecting more than one Pokemon.
Belly Drum: On a watchlist, no tentative plans to change it.
• The Heavy Slam nerf is mainly meant to address the overwhelming strength of Mega Aggron in BBP. The mod team predicts that this change, combined with rank-math changes and ability changes (later in this post), will help keep Mega Aggron in line.
• The damage threshold for Rest is changing in response to the rank-math changes.
• Endure has been arguably the most important move in BBP. It is useful in every single matchup to the point where Pokemon that don’t learn it (mostly Pokemon from recent generations), as well as Pokemon that can’t “break” Endure, are at a great disadvantage. In order to encourage Pokemon diversity, the mod team would like to nerf this move. Adding the Sluggish status to it will keep the move’s functionality the same while reducing its maximum payoff.
• The nerf to Light Screen and Reflect is preemptive, in response to the math-rank changes. Following the changes, the mod team expects BAP to be one of the greatest factors in determining damage output. Although we want to create a slower rate of battle, nerfing Light Screen and Reflect is an attempt to crack down on overly stall-based strategies that use Screens in conjunction with other damage-reducing effects to grind the game to a halt.
• With regards to Belly Drum: The mod team predicts a potential spike in the value of stat-boosting moves resulting from the rank-math changes. However, we are hesitant to preemptively nerf stat-boosting moves because, unlike Screens (which have been proven to be useful before gen8) stat-boosting moves have historically been generally terrible in all previous BBP metagames. Should stat-boosting moves prove to be overly oppressive in practice, we may move to nerf them later.
Damaging Evasive Moves:
D/E moves are being re-codified for clarity. As they are currently, D/E moves contain extremely long move descriptions, with many unnecessary repetitions between them as well as many seemingly-arbitrary differences. In accordance with our minor goal of reducing needless complexity, the mod team proposes the following changes to D/E moves:
• All D/E moves have Priority (0/-1).
• All D/E moves have an Evasive EN cost of six (6) EN, and an Attacking EN cost of five (5) EN.
• All D/E moves (except Sky Drop) can be Suspended.
• The universal mechanics of D/E moves will be moved to the Handbook, instead of being included in each move’s description.
Fly: The Pokémon flies up high, and strikes down in a tackle. This move has Damaging Evasive properties. Gust, Hurricane, Sky Uppercut, Smack Down, Thunder, Twister, and Whirlwind cannot miss against the user. Smack Down and Gravity will cause the user to crash to the ground, cancelling Fly and making it take (2 * Weight Class + 4) crash damage. Gust, Twister, and Whirlwind will make Fly miss when used during the evasive stage, but will not deal crash damage.
Evasive EN cost: 6 EN
Attacking EN cost: 5 EN
Bounce: The user leaps above an incoming attack and crashes down on the opponent with immense force that may paralyze. This move has Damaging Evasive properties.
Gust, Hurricane, Sky Uppercut, Smack Down, Thunder, Twister, and Whirlwind ignore Bounce's evasive properties. Being struck by Smack Down and Gravity will cancel Bounce; the Bounce user will take falling damage equal to twice their own Weight Class, plus 4. Being struck by Gust, Twister, and Whirlwind will cause Bounce to automatically miss, but will not result in falling damage.
Evasive EN cost: 6 EN
Attacking EN cost: 5 EN
Dive: The user dives underwater and surfaces under the opponent to attack them. This move has Damaging Evasive properties. If the user is at least SC 5, at least 3.5 meters long, is Hovering, or is a Flying-type; it ignores the target's Hovering status. Dive will fail if the arena lacks a body of water. Surf and Whirlpool ignore Dive's evasive properties and strike with double BAP.
Evasive EN cost: 6 EN
Attacking EN cost: 5 EN
Phantom Force: The Pokemon disappears briefly into a shadow dimension before striking an opponent from behind. This move has Damaging Evasive properties. This attack nullifies any Protect, Detect, Quick Guard, Wide Guard, Crafty Shield, King's Shield or Spiky Shield active on the target, as well as the effects of Evasive Agility and Evasive Teleport. If the target is under the effects of Minimize, Phantom Force has its Base Attack Power doubled (x2).
Evasive EN cost: 6 EN
Attacking EN cost: 5 EN
Shadow Force: The user slips into a parallel dimension, waiting for the perfect moment to reappear and strike. TThis move has Damaging Evasive properties. Shadow Force is not blocked by Protect or Detect and hits users of those moves normally.
Evasive EN cost: 6 EN
Attacking EN cost: 5 EN
Dig: The user burrows under the ground to attack the target by surprise. This move has Damaging Evasive properties. If the user is at least SC 5, at least 3.5 meters long, is Hovering, or is a Flying-type; it ignores the target's Hovering status. Bulldoze, Earth Power, Earthquake, Fissure, and Magnitude ignore Dig's evasive properties. Bulldoze, Earthquake, and Magnitude strike for doubled BAP, and ignore any immunity granted by the Flying Type and the Hovering status.
Evasive EN cost: 6 EN
Attacking EN cost: 5 EN
Sky Drop: The Pokémon grabs the opponent in its talons, and drops them from a great height. This move has Damaging Evasive properties, but CANNOT be Suspended. While in midair, the target of Sky Drop has its attack redirected to the user, and can only hit the user with its attacks (and cannot use Evasive Damaging Moves). Gust, Hurricane, Sky Uppercut, Smack Down, Thunder, Twister, and Whirlwind cannot miss against either Pokemon in the evasive stage of Sky Drop. If the user of Sky Drop is hit by Smack down while in the evasive stage, it crashes to the ground and takes (2 * Weight Class + 4) damage while the target lands unharmed. If Gravity is used, both Pokemon take this crash damage. Sky Drop fails when used on a Substitute, or if the target's Weight Class is equal to or greater than the user's Weight Class + 3. If used on a Flying-type Pokémon, it will deal no damage but the attack will still lift the target into the air as normal.
Evasive EN cost: 6 EN
Attacking EN cost: 5 EN
*****Handbook description*****
Some move descriptions say that a move has Damaging Evasive properties. These moves are called Damaging Evasive moves (D/E moves). They are two-phase moves. First, the user enters an Evasive state. During this Evasive state, the user avoids most attacks. Secondly, the user emerges from its Evasive state to attack the opponent.
There are three ways to perform a Damaging Evasive move:
(Default): The user enters the Evasive state at +0 Priority and pays the move's Evasive EN cost. Then, the user attacks at -1 Priority the same action, and pays the move's Attacking EN cost. STAB EN cost reduction is only applied to the Attacking EN cost for this version.
(Suspend): The user enters the Evasive state at +0 Priority and pays the move's Evasive EN cost. If a Pokémon is in the Evasive state at the end of the round, it may not be switched out. While in the Evasive state, a Pokémon can only use the (Suspend) or (Attack) versions of the same move, or a combination involving the (Attack) version of the same move. Failing to do so causes the user to exit the Evasive state and lose their turn. For the purposes of Consecutive EN cost, the (Suspend) version is considered a different move from the (Default) and (Attack) versions. (Suspend) versions of Damaging Evasive moves do not trigger substitutions for Damaging [Type] Move
(Attack): This version replaces the (Default) version if the user is already in an Evasive state at the start of their turn. The user strikes at +0 Priority and pays the sum value of the move's Evasive and Attacking EN costs. For the purposes of Consecutive EN cost, the (Suspend) version does not contribute an EN cost penalty to the (Attack) version. STAB EN reduction is only applied once to the (Attack) version.
Evasive EN cost: 6 EN
Attacking EN cost: 5 EN
Bounce: The user leaps above an incoming attack and crashes down on the opponent with immense force that may paralyze. This move has Damaging Evasive properties.
Gust, Hurricane, Sky Uppercut, Smack Down, Thunder, Twister, and Whirlwind ignore Bounce's evasive properties. Being struck by Smack Down and Gravity will cancel Bounce; the Bounce user will take falling damage equal to twice their own Weight Class, plus 4. Being struck by Gust, Twister, and Whirlwind will cause Bounce to automatically miss, but will not result in falling damage.
Evasive EN cost: 6 EN
Attacking EN cost: 5 EN
Dive: The user dives underwater and surfaces under the opponent to attack them. This move has Damaging Evasive properties. If the user is at least SC 5, at least 3.5 meters long, is Hovering, or is a Flying-type; it ignores the target's Hovering status. Dive will fail if the arena lacks a body of water. Surf and Whirlpool ignore Dive's evasive properties and strike with double BAP.
Evasive EN cost: 6 EN
Attacking EN cost: 5 EN
Phantom Force: The Pokemon disappears briefly into a shadow dimension before striking an opponent from behind. This move has Damaging Evasive properties. This attack nullifies any Protect, Detect, Quick Guard, Wide Guard, Crafty Shield, King's Shield or Spiky Shield active on the target, as well as the effects of Evasive Agility and Evasive Teleport. If the target is under the effects of Minimize, Phantom Force has its Base Attack Power doubled (x2).
Evasive EN cost: 6 EN
Attacking EN cost: 5 EN
Shadow Force: The user slips into a parallel dimension, waiting for the perfect moment to reappear and strike. TThis move has Damaging Evasive properties. Shadow Force is not blocked by Protect or Detect and hits users of those moves normally.
Evasive EN cost: 6 EN
Attacking EN cost: 5 EN
Dig: The user burrows under the ground to attack the target by surprise. This move has Damaging Evasive properties. If the user is at least SC 5, at least 3.5 meters long, is Hovering, or is a Flying-type; it ignores the target's Hovering status. Bulldoze, Earth Power, Earthquake, Fissure, and Magnitude ignore Dig's evasive properties. Bulldoze, Earthquake, and Magnitude strike for doubled BAP, and ignore any immunity granted by the Flying Type and the Hovering status.
Evasive EN cost: 6 EN
Attacking EN cost: 5 EN
Sky Drop: The Pokémon grabs the opponent in its talons, and drops them from a great height. This move has Damaging Evasive properties, but CANNOT be Suspended. While in midair, the target of Sky Drop has its attack redirected to the user, and can only hit the user with its attacks (and cannot use Evasive Damaging Moves). Gust, Hurricane, Sky Uppercut, Smack Down, Thunder, Twister, and Whirlwind cannot miss against either Pokemon in the evasive stage of Sky Drop. If the user of Sky Drop is hit by Smack down while in the evasive stage, it crashes to the ground and takes (2 * Weight Class + 4) damage while the target lands unharmed. If Gravity is used, both Pokemon take this crash damage. Sky Drop fails when used on a Substitute, or if the target's Weight Class is equal to or greater than the user's Weight Class + 3. If used on a Flying-type Pokémon, it will deal no damage but the attack will still lift the target into the air as normal.
Evasive EN cost: 6 EN
Attacking EN cost: 5 EN
*****Handbook description*****
Some move descriptions say that a move has Damaging Evasive properties. These moves are called Damaging Evasive moves (D/E moves). They are two-phase moves. First, the user enters an Evasive state. During this Evasive state, the user avoids most attacks. Secondly, the user emerges from its Evasive state to attack the opponent.
There are three ways to perform a Damaging Evasive move:
(Default): The user enters the Evasive state at +0 Priority and pays the move's Evasive EN cost. Then, the user attacks at -1 Priority the same action, and pays the move's Attacking EN cost. STAB EN cost reduction is only applied to the Attacking EN cost for this version.
(Suspend): The user enters the Evasive state at +0 Priority and pays the move's Evasive EN cost. If a Pokémon is in the Evasive state at the end of the round, it may not be switched out. While in the Evasive state, a Pokémon can only use the (Suspend) or (Attack) versions of the same move, or a combination involving the (Attack) version of the same move. Failing to do so causes the user to exit the Evasive state and lose their turn. For the purposes of Consecutive EN cost, the (Suspend) version is considered a different move from the (Default) and (Attack) versions. (Suspend) versions of Damaging Evasive moves do not trigger substitutions for Damaging [Type] Move
(Attack): This version replaces the (Default) version if the user is already in an Evasive state at the start of their turn. The user strikes at +0 Priority and pays the sum value of the move's Evasive and Attacking EN costs. For the purposes of Consecutive EN cost, the (Suspend) version does not contribute an EN cost penalty to the (Attack) version. STAB EN reduction is only applied once to the (Attack) version.
Ability Changes:
Global
All abilities that increase or decrease the BAP of attacks, ingoing or outgoing, have the absolute value of their adjustment reduced by 1. This means Filter is now a -1 BAP ability, and Iron Fist is only a +1 BAP, so on and so forth. They still retain a minimum absolute value of 1 however, so Magma Armor and co have not been changed.
There were two motivators for this change. First, this is a response to the rank-math changes, which make BAP-adjusting abilities more proportionately powerful than before. Secondly, this is an answer to Conkeldurr’s dominance in gen7 BBP, which the mod team predicts would become even more pronounced should Conkeldurr be left unchecked in gen8 BBP. Its multiple BAP-boosting abilities stacking atop one another would be too powerful for the upcoming metagame.
[Item Changes]
Signature Items
Entirely scrapped and redone.
Instead of being tied to specific Pokemon and only having an effect when held by those mons, they are going to be held items that have alternate effects based on various attributes of Pokemon.
All attachment category items or Legendary-specific items will remain, as well as Signature Z-Crystals and Mega Stones.
Examples:
• Adventure Rules: "An instruction manual full of tips and battle strategies. Increases the Pokemon's highest true base stat by one (1) Rank. The holder's Abilities can't reduce its own stats, reduce its HP, or increase the BAP of incoming moves."
• Exp. Share: "A high-tech device that grants the holder battle experience against a variety of attacks. Increases the Pokemon's highest true base stat by one (1) Rank. On sendout, if the holder has an Ability that boosts a stat when struck, increases the corresponding stat by one (1) Stage (adjusting the Natural Stage)."
• Lucky Egg: "A lucky charm said to bring the bearer great luck and good health. Increases the Pokemon's highest true base stat by one (1) Rank. At the end of each action, if the holder has an Ability that recovers HP when struck by a move, it regains 2 HP."
• Barometer: “A tool used for taking note of changes in wind speeds and other meteorological data. Increases the Pokemon's highest true base stat by one (1) Rank. Triggers the effects of all abilities on the holder that activate in a specific weather.”
The mod team fully expects Signature Item revamps to be a divisive issue. Signature Items are beloved ways to boost the power of certain Pokemon that would otherwise be unusable. However, they are currently based on certain principles that do not align with our second main goal:
• They are only useable by Pokemon that evolve under certain circumstances on cartridge. This guideline is arbitrarily restrictive and leads to the creation of Signature Items that serve no purpose.
• Signature Items apply personalized effects to individual Pokemon. This limits the extent to which Signature Items can possibly help balance the metagame, since even a well-balanced, well-designed Signature Item only benefits a single species of Pokemon.
• Signature Items are balanced in accordance with the power level of the holder. This philosophy leads to extremely unbalanced Signature Item design. The ubiquity of Knock Off accentuates this problem, since low-power Pokemon get even stronger effects to compensate for potential item loss.
When designing this new wave of Signature Items, the mod team focused on improving Abilities that are underutilized in BBP. The philosophy of “identifying a weakness to fix” should lead to purposeful Signature Item design. Furthermore, by making Signature Items more general in design, we can increase their potential impact on the metagame.
We are eagerly waiting to hear your suggestions for more Signature Items. Specifically, we are looking for ideas that target a specific trait a Pokemon might have that needs to be strengthened.
Held Items
Subject to a numerical rebalance in the soon-to-be future, awaiting some performance testing.
This is a given, since rank-math is changing. Certain items may become unbalanced. Notable items include Binding Band and Focus Band, for example.
Type Changes
Subject to a revisit as well
In accordance with the minor goal of reducing unneeded complexity: are STAB effects still necessary? Should they be scrapped? Should they be re-worked?
[Combo Feasibility]
In theory, the referee is the one who judges combo feasibility. In practice, the referee is expected to follow unwritten Word-Of-God laws to determine combo feasibility. This issue is further agitated by situations where the feasibility of a combo determines who wins or loses a match.
Therefore, the mod team is presenting a draft of a Combo Feasibility Chart. Its purpose is to conclusively determine combo feasibility in all situations. This would eliminate a huge source of referee subjectivity in BBP, thereby making the game more competitively viable. A link to the draft chart is below. Please look at it, then give feedback or suggestions. Due to the scope of the project, there is a high likelihood that you may catch something that was overlooked.
Please read the cover page of the document thoroughly. It contains minor mechanical and flavor changes to a significant number of moves.
Link to Combo Chart: (Google Drive)
With regards to System Changes, the Mod Team has two main goals:
1. Give players faster access to Pokemon and Items. There are two purposes for this goal:
• To make high-level play more accessible (both by increasing player resources and by reducing the time dedicated to grinding).
• To encourage experimentation. Niche, experimental strategies are very healthy for the game, but are discouraged by time/currency costs. These costs impair Mechanical Goal 2 (Pokemon diversity) by incentivizing players to spend their limited time/currency on “safe” Meta pokemon that have already been proven to be successful.
2. Incentivize reffing, despite system changes that favor Goal 1
[System Changes]
Currency
CC: Refactored into RC
UC: No longer exists
MC: No longer exists
JC: (tentative name) Is the only existing player currency. Used in order to enter battles as well as payment for reffing battles. Full details on the system to be added…
Pokemon
• Automatically fully trained at the evolution stage of your preference on acquisition
• Hidden Ability is locked or unlocked at user discretion, needs to be logged through claims
Rewards
Players pay JC to battle, with that JC (and a little bit more in some cases), going to the ref of that battle.
All parties, players and ref, receive RC, which is used to acquire new Pokemon.
JC can also be used to buy rewards specific to it which includes Legendary Pokemon and some other features in the system.
The mod team expects all the System Changes listed above to be controversial. Naturally, we have spent a lot of time reviewing these proposals. The downside to maxed Pokemon purchasing is that players can’t grind for moves anymore. Some players like to grind for moves for prestige, or to cultivate their “favorite Pokemon” to an unrivaled power level. If we take away those options, the alternative would be to seek prestige and progression through TLRs or Gym Badges. Not everybody is interested in those routes.
However, if I may speak for myself, I am strongly in favor of maxed Pokemon purchases. I’m not 100% in favor (I don’t think anybody on the mod team truly is), but I’ve gradually concluded that MC cultivation is intolerably time-wasting. This isn’t a sudden conclusion, but one I’ve been arriving at for at least a year. Had I not played all the training battles I have, and instead spent that time playing more serious battles, I would be a better player right now. And that’s not even considering the hours upon hours I’ve spent claiming moves for my Pokemon after each battle. It’s all wasted time.
There obviously is a need for some sort of limitation on purchases, though, for the approvers’ sake. That’s why RC is still necessary. But it’s easier for everybody involved if players just buy the Pokemon once, maxed, at the PCT and that’s it.
One way to enable progression is to increase the variety of methods by which people can obtain Legendary Pokemon. That is part of the appeal of the new JC system. Players who are interested in grinding for prestige, but are not interested in challenging Gyms or TLRs, could choose to use reffing to grind JC and purchase Legendaries.
Please give your thoughts or suggestions.
Legendary Pokemon Tiers
The following is all the work of JjayyFeather (thank you!). Legendary Pokemon have been assigned Tiers 0-4, with 0 being the strongest and 4 being the weakest. The purpose is so that we can potentially design future rewards as “claim a Legendary Pokemon from X Tier”.
I know y’all have been waiting to see this.
Tier 4: Phione
• Yes, I made Phione its own fucking tier
Tier 3: Floette-E, Celebi, Keldeo, Cobalion, Virizion, Diancie, Magearna, Zeraora, Articuno, Moltres, Zapdos, Entei, Suicune, Raikou
• Lower-end legendaries that are likely really easy to outclass, but hey, these are legendaries :p
Tier 2: Jirachi, Manaphy, Darkrai, Shaymin, Terrakion, Meloetta, Genesect, Mega Diancie, Volcanion, Lati@s, Marshadow, Registeel, Regirock, Regice, Regigigas, Azelf, Mesprit, Uxie, Cresselia, Heatran, Landorus, Landorus-T, Thundurus, Thundurus-T, Tornadus, Tornadus-T, Reshiram, Zekrom, Kyurem, Tapu Lele, Tapu Fini, Tapu Koko, Tapu Bulu, Necrozma
• Middle/Upper-Middle tier legendaries that definitely all carry their own water easily
Tier 1: Dialga, Palkia, Giratina, Kyurem-B, Kyurem-W, Xerneas, Zygarde, Yveltal, Necrozma-DW, Necrozma-DM, Ho-Oh, Lugia, Kyogre, Groudon, Mew, Mewtwo, Victini, Hoopa-U, Deoxys, Solgaleo, Lunala, Mega Lati@s
• These them bois right here
Tier 0: Mega Rayquaza, Primal Kyogre, Primal Groudon, Ultra Necrozma, Mega Mewtwo X, Mega Mewtwo Y, Arceus
• These right here won’t be gracing BBP with their presence anytime soon lmao
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