Undiscovered Types [PLAYABLE on Galaxy Server!]

[canno]

Lucario Talk

Considering its Bulbapedia, I would also take that with a grain of salt, considering its a fan-site - more-so than the anime. It's name coming from "the reverse of the Japanese transliteration of orichalcum" is a huge stretch. If anything its much closer to "oracle" than "orichalcum". I still think that the spikes isn't really a justification for its Steel-typing - moreso, it seemed to be an afterthought of the design. That said, I do understand more or less why Lucario is Fighting / Steel now. I still think other typings are more fitting for it, but alas.

You have to remember that Psychic in the Pokemon world isn't just Psychic like we know it in the real world, and that Aura in the Pokemon world (as evident by Lucario) works differently than it does in, say, Dragon Ball. Aura in Pokemon lets Lucario read peoples emotions, thoughts, and can understand human speech. The main things to get from this is emotions and thoughts - both are things that are tied deeply into Psychic types (Thoughts is obvious, while Emotions is less obvious but is still connected to Psychic thanks to Azelf, Uxie, and Mesprit). Meanwhile, if we look at what learns Aura Sphere (excluding Clawitzer and Blastoise since they got it to abuse Mega Launher): Mewtwo, Mew, Togekiss, Dialga, Palkia, Giratina, and Mienshao. Most notably, all of them get it by Level-Up except Togekiss who must use a Heart Scale. Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina probably received it because they debuted the same generation Aura Sphere was. That, and their canonical powers are so immense that it wouldn't be outlandish to believe that they can control aura. Mewtwo, Mew, and Mienshao are probably the most notable ones, with Togekiss being less notable but still interesting. Mienshao more than likely gets it because of the fact that it's "the Martial Arts" Pokemon, which ties it closer to the chi idea of Aura that is closer to reality. However, this doesn't disprove what I'm suggesting the "Pokemon" concept of Aura is - merely that Aura is probably more of a combination of theses ideas. Both Mewtwo and Mew are Psychic-types, and both have connections to emotions. When the Pokedex isn't busy talking about Mew being the original Pokemon, it mentions that "Apparently, it appears only to those people who are pure of heart and have a strong desire to see it." How would Mew be able to tell if people are "pure of heart"? Reading their aura isn't far fetched, not to mention that Mew gets Aura Sphere at level 100, showing a mastery of Aura. Mewtwo, meanwhile, is born directly from Mew, and has a bad relation to humans as seen by its origin story. If we still insist on using the anime for reference, then Mewtwo also has the ability to speak with humans. Togekiss is odd and I don't really have a reasoning for it learning it - I guess it has some form of connection with emotion via happyness? idk.

Meanwhile, admittingly, Ground is a bit more shakey than Psychic, but I should explain it more. I don't directly mean Anubis = Ground, as Fighting / Ghost would make more sense as you said for a direct connection. The idea was that Anubis => Egypt => Desert-themed => Sand => Ground. Sand = Ground also fits in the Pokeworld thanks to Sand Attack and smaller things such as Sandslash and Hippowdon (Sandstream) being Ground-type. There's also the fact that it learns Bone Rush, which not a lot of mons do (only Marowak and Mandibuzz do outside of Lucario). You could say it's because it's a dog, but there's a lot more to that then just that - otherwise Stoutland would also learn Bone Rush. Bone Rush probably ties in with the Anubis motif (bones are usually associated with death, and Anubis has a canine look to it. Thus - Bone Rush). Both of these things hold ground for Lucario being Ground.

I actually forgot about Ice Shard when submitting that last night. Ice Shard has been added to Sawks movepool, as it would make sense considering that (at least going with my justification) its an icicle man. Also changing Mega Lucario's ability to Sand Force to fit more with the design since Jajoken said we could change Mega Luke to nerf it back to OU

 

[Ghoul King]

Lucario stuff

I still think that the spikes isn't really a justification for its Steel-typing - moreso, it seemed to be an afterthought of the design.

They're not a justification, they're a clue.

There's also the fact that it learns Bone Rush, which not a lot of mons do (only Marowak and Mandibuzz do outside of Lucario). You could say it's because it's a dog, but there's a lot more to that then just that - otherwise Stoutland would also learn Bone Rush. Bone Rush probably ties in with the Anubis motif (bones are usually associated with death, and Anubis has a canine look to it. Thus - Bone Rush). Both of these things hold ground for Lucario being Ground.

It gets Bone Rush because the spikes are its bones. It bashes the target repeatedly with its own exposed bones -the spikes- just like Marowak bashes the target repeatedly with a held bone. I really doubt it has anything to do with the Anubis motif: both Marowak and Mandibuzz are actively carrying around bones in their design. (Marowak in a hand, Mandibuzz in its... hair... feathers... whatever) They're also both death-themed, yes, but death/bones going together is not exactly a shocking twist, and most Pokemon just don't have exposed bones to be doing Bone Whatever with. Note that Lucario doesn't get Bonemerang -the spikes aren't detachable- nor Bone Club. (Spikes are not clubs) Also note that it has to be Lucario before it can learn Bone Rush -as a Riolu, its only evidence of a metallic skeleton is that it has a small stretch of metal on the back of its forepaws, and that's presumably inadequate for bashing something as if with a held bone.

I tend to look to mechanical explanations for Physical moves in a Pokemon's movepool. Barring Generation I Pokemon being just weird, it tends to work fairly reliably, a lot more reliably than looking for thematic logic. Thematic logic is, in my experience, more useful for figuring out some of the more poorly defined types' patterns in Pokemon attribution, such as how multiple Dragons are such due to puns, linguistic quirks, or myths, as well as for figuring out myriad Special and Status moves. (But not all of them)

Aura

I was using DBZ as a reference point, is all. Reading emotions and intentions -thoughts- is so crucial to Japanese culture that Japan has two terms I'm personally aware of that both reference it while having nothing to do with psychic powers: reading the air is a phrase in Japanese alluding to working out what other people are thinking and feeling when they're actively refusing to explicate it. A memorable story (From an autobiographical webcomic whose name I've forgotten) is of a foreigner visiting Japan, living with a Japanese family, trying to ask the household mother if she's (The visitor) done something to offend the woman, and -I'm forgetting the exact leadup- it culminating in the Japanese woman saying "I would never say that about a guest!" ie not actually refuting that she thought whatever it was. In Japan, you're just expected to know what people think without them ever actually saying it to you, around you, or, at times, to anyone at all. (No, they don't simply expect you to politely eavesdrop) So, "reading the air".

Yomi, on the other hand, is a term describing the mental state in a competitive format of "I know that you know that I know that you know that..." You've engaged in Yomi plenty often, given how much you play Showdown: anytime you anticipated X would switch in and did a thing in response to the anticipated switch-in, or did a thing in response to expecting them to choose a particular move, or otherwise went "they will do yadda and so I will do such-and-such in anticipation of them doing yadda", that was Yomi. It's all about reading your opponent's thoughts and intentions using no psychic powers. Just experience, logic, and intuition.

The fact that there are words and phrases in Japanese for talking about, basically, reading people's minds without supernatural nonsense involved, is very telling, and I'm pretty sure it's the real root of "using Aura to read emotions". It's the fantastical version of reading someone's body language and paying attention not only to what they say but also what they don't say (ie the above example where the woman never refuted having the uncharitable thought) and how they say what they say. ("My friend wants..." vs "I'd like you to help my friend..." vs "They need..." etc)

The fact that some god-like Pokemon have access Aura Sphere, some of whom are Psychic, only proves that Aura isn't antithetical to Psychic powers. It doesn't in any way suggest that there's an underlying overlap between Psychic and Aura. There's an important distinction there. Bonus points, more than half of the Pokemon that have Aura Sphere lack Psychic, and only Togekiss, Giratina and Lucario get both without being Psychic type.

If they were really essentially the same thing, enough so that "is good with Aura" makes sense as a justification for Psychic typing, I'd expect a much more consistent intertwining of Aura Sphere with Psychic/Psychic moves generally. Most damning is the Psychic type's Japanese name: ESPer Type. ESPer stands for Extra-Sensory Perception-er, ie "someone with abnormal perceptions". This is a huge umbrella term: it includes psychic powers, yes, but it also includes seeing and communicating with the dead, demons, straight-up magic, seeing people's lifespans... if it's not a "normal" part of everyday sensory experience, and you experience it? That's ESP. There's a reason the "Psychic" type is this bizarre amalgam that is, at times, worse than the Normal type about being an incoherent hodgepodge: because the actual concept is a grab-bag of literally anything weird and bizarre that doesn't get co-opted by a different type first, whether you're talking Pokemon (Reuniclus is a giant amoeba) or moves. (Trick Room, Gravity, Magic Room, Wonder Room...) This is also why there's strong overlap between Ghost and Psychic typing, even though it took ages for a Psychic/Ghost to happen: because interacting with the dead is an ESPer thing, and so Pokemon with a connection to the dead often get Psychic moves to boot.

All that said, I could totally see justifying Fighting/Psychic on the basis of the Anubis connection, if one wanted to interpret Lucario as some kind of psychopomp that wanders the world finding worthy souls to fight and then take to some kind of Poke-Valhalla if they indeed prove worthy. Which would be awesome.

I just think justifying it using "Aura=Psychic" is flat-out wrong.

Side note, re Togekiss: I have no fucking clue what's going on with Togekiss. I think it's basically a minor kami as a Pokemon, having graduated to minor deity status by soaking in all kinds of happiness/using the Stone, and thus gained outright supernatural abilities -it picks up a lot of new, weird moves at that step- but that's only my best guess, and it's a shaky one.

---

So this isn't "The Reptile and Ghoul King Talk About Lucario, The Universe, And Everything", discussion on new Pokemon.

Avalugg is bad. The ability to set Sticky Web is noteworthy, since it's suddenly the only Sticky Web setter with some actual bulk and access to recovery, meaning it can set Sticky Web again and again (You know, other than Stealth Rock half-killing it every time), U-Turn gives it the useful niche of being a slow U-Turner, which really is pretty valuable for scouting, and theoretically Struggle Bug can be used to compensate for its bad Special Defense. Unfortunately it's doubly weak to both (Stealth) Rock and Fire, meaning most popular offensive threats can explode it instantly while hitting its stronger stat.

Vespiquen is overall pretty strong improved, though being weak to Knock Off sucks when you want to be a stallmon. It actually looks like a pretty interesting Doubles choice, and even in Singles it's a good pairing with a few different choices, especially since it's a slow, bulky U-Turner if you want that, giving stall a fairly decent scout -and also punishing most attempts to Pursuit-trap it.

Accelgor mostly looks neat as a late-game sweeper -once the Fairies are gone Bug/Dark is a surprisingly decent attacking combination- but it's got a lot of other random utility, and the only type that hard-walls it -Fairy- has to beware in case it is running Sludge Bomb, making switch-ins risky. Dark is also an amazing offensive type in general, so once Fairies and Chansey are gone -and it can make Chansey afraid to switch in due to Knock Off- it can potentially sweep pretty decently in general. Put another way, it's actually pretty strong against straight offensive teams, especially since it resists Sucker Punch and its other STAB murders most Sucker Punchers.

 

[Jajoken]

Accelgor mostly looks neat as a late-game sweeper -once the Fairies are gone Bug/Dark is a surprisingly decent attacking combination- but it's got a lot of other random utility, and the only type that hard-walls it -Fairy- has to beware in case it is running Sludge Bomb, making switch-ins risky. Dark is also an amazing offensive type in general, so once Fairies and Chansey are gone -and it can make Chansey afraid to switch in due to Knock Off- it can potentially sweep pretty decently in general. Put another way, it's actually pretty strong against straight offensive teams, especially since it resists Sucker Punch and its other STAB murders most Sucker Punchers.[/hide]

As I mentioned in my write-up, Fighting types are a bigger problem than Fairies. Assuming a set of Timid/max Special Attack, Life Orb, Nasty Plot/Dark Pulse/Bug Buzz/Sludge Bomb, Azumaril is not a safe switch (though Klefki is because screw Klefki). But any Fighting type that doesn't add on a detrimental type (like Medicham's Psychic) is pretty much a free switch, as you'll need +2 to even 2HKO most of them, whereas they can often OHKO even with most Close Clombats, resistance be damned. HP Flying is an option but is overall sub-optimal and fails against stuff like Terrakion and our good pal Lucario, and HP Psychic is...no.

 

[Jajoken]

Since it is Thursday once again, I'm formally switching discussion over to the previous winners. Ghoul King started us off, but if there are any other thoughts out there, share them now. Here's what I originally said in the write-up:

• Avalugg is arguably much worse now, as you're a Rapid Spinner that can't switch into Stealth Rock. However, I think it'll just see a shift in role. Being able to tank Fighting and Ground moves is a wonderful trait for a Physical wall, allowing you to make use of that titanic 95/184 spread. Sticky Web and U-turn are always useful, and Megahorn outdamages any option Avalugg had before. Just make sure to keep Rocks off the field some other way.
• Vespiquen will unarguably be better than it was (only Mega Pinsir makes Bug/Flying work), but time will tell if it's actually any good in OU. Good bulk + Calm Mind/Defend Order + STAB Stored Power looks promising, however, and the extra coverage options may be its saving grace to distinguish from most other Bug types.
• Accelgor is actually looking pretty promising -- while 100 Special Attack might not sound like a lot, but that's the same as Manaphy, and 145 Speed and Nasty Plot allow you to cleanup late-game. Nasty Pass is also an option, or simply running Knock Off on utility sets. Bug + Dark's big problem is that Fairy and Fighting types resist both STABs, and while Sludge Bomb can help with the former, Accelgor never learns any Psychic or Flying moves to get past Fighting types.

As always, you can still post submissions if you have them.

 

[mcFlareon]

Accelgor's typing seems to theoretically make it a good Dark type counter, resisting a Dark attack and then hitting off with a Bug Buzz. Too bad it's defenses are pretty low. It also has access to Yawn as a Shelmet so maybe a utility option to force switches?

Avalugg's new typing would be a nice way to deal with physical Grass types. It can comfortably shrug off Breloom's STABs although it has to watch out for Rock Tomb.

 

[Ghoul King]

Most Fighting types have poor Special Defense and no recovery (Or only Drain Punch, which has exploitable flaws), where Fairies have multiple Pokemon with good Special Defense and good or decent recovery, not to mention an Unaware Fairy vs no Unaware Fighting type. (Unless for some reason someone submits like, a Fighting/Electric type and successfully argues that it should have Unaware) The main thing that makes Fighting types problematic is that they resist Stealth Rock while Accelgor is weak to it, meaning it will tend to lose in a drawn-out series of switches, barring it having Rain support while running Hydration, and while its Defense is both bad and worse than its Special Defense, the difference between the two is small, sufficiently so that effectiveness is generally going to matter more than the difference between its defensive stats.

Avalugg's new typing would be a nice way to deal with physical Grass types. It can comfortably shrug off Breloom's STABs although it has to watch out for Rock Tomb.

I can't name a viable Physical Grass type other than Breloom, personally.

 

[Jajoken]

SLATE 5 WINNERS
Cryogonal (by Jajoken)

Ice-> Ice/Fire
+ Flash Fire, Solar Power
+ Fire Blast, Flamethrower, Ember, Will o' Wisp, Fire Spin, Sunny Day, Overheat
Pros: Freeze Dry + Fire is a powerful STAB combo, WoW patches up weak Defense, can choose immunity to Ground or Fire
Cons: Terrible spinner due to Rocks weakness, very few resistances, no longer a Scald switch-in

Gourgeist (+Pumpkaboo) (by zerobreaker000)

Grass/Ghost -> Grass/Fire
+ Overheat, Fire Punch, Flare Blitz
- Phantom Force, Shadow Sneak
Pros: Fire is great STAB, can't be burned, rare Grass type without a Fire weakness
Cons: Misses immunity, hates Rocks weakness, worse Water check

Victini (by mcFlareon)

Fire/Psychic -> Fire/Fairy
+ Competitive, Defiant
+ Moonblast, Play Nice, Disarming Voice, Play Rough, Baby Doll Eyes
- Confusion, Zen Headbutt, Stored Power, Psyshock
Pros: Punishes Defog and Intimidate, good switch-in to Knock Off and U-turn, great new STAB for both Special/Physical
Cons: Walled by Fire types, Heatran laughs at you slightly more than before

[VOTES SPREADSHEET]​

Discussion

Feel free to discuss the impact of these new additions to the metagame below, or wait until around Thursday where I will officially initiate the discussion. Overall, this could be a fairly impactful slate, though not evenly so: one of these winners certainly stand out above the others. Cryogonal...may not see much use. It would actually be pretty cool in lower tiers, but in OU it probably needs too much support to be worth it. Still, Freeze Dry + Fire Blast is a powerful combo. At least it has the option of choosing between two immunities that are common attacking types -- suck it, Bronzong. Gourgeist could go either way. Grass/Fire is a pretty neat type, more so offensively than defensively, but being a Fairy switch-in is cool. Rocks weakness and Water neutrality though? I don't know. But forget all that, because Victini is here. Where to begin? Victini often resented its Psychic typing both for its defensive liability and its underused STAB. Now, you're better off both defensively as well as offensively, with both Play Rough and Moonblast being great options. It's nice to have a Fairy that absolutely obliterates most Steels as well -- no one else can claim to have the two most powerful Fire STABs in the game (outside of Blast Burn, on the special side). But the cherry on top is the addition of two new abilities -- Defog users and Landorus will hate you. Can you say Bisharp 2.0? At least Bisharp can't be a special attacker too. Victini has 10 million sets, and all these new tools only give it more. Be afraid.

SLATE 6 VOTING​

Time for the sixth voting stage! PM me (don't post it in the thread please) three choices for each of the type combinations, and then give each choice 1-3 points. You have one +3, one +2, and one +1 to give for each type. NOTE: This is the first slate where I'll allow two versions of the same submission. For Fighting + Ice, you can vote for Beartic A or Beartic B. You can vote for both or just one of them. Just list the submission name under the type, and give it the points in parenthesis like so:

Fighting + Ice: Beartic A (+3), Beartic B (+2), Medicham (+1)
Fighting + Ghost: (Mega) Lucario (+3), Dusknoir (+2), Aegislash (+1)
Fighting + Ground: Marowak (+3), Conkeldurr (+2), Primeape (+1)

What you're actually voting for is subjective, but try to focus on things that are actually fitting first, then consider which ones a particularly cool and/or viable.

Here are the valid submissions by type:

Fighting + Ice

Name(s): Beartic (A)
Type: Ice + Fighting
Justification: Beartick is the kind of bear you wouldn't want to piss off. Along with having giant claws and hands, he also gets a surprising amount of fighting-type moves
New Moves: Ice Shard, Close Combat
Removed Moves: None
Altered Abilities: +Tough Claws

Name(s): Meditite/Medicham/Mega Medicham
Type: Fighting / Ice
Justification: The Meditite line are known to isolate themselves in mountains and can be found in the snowy routes outside Snowpoint in Sinnoh, training themselves in the cold environment. Candice also uses one in DP and it also learns Ice Punch naturally. The yoga style is also reminiscent of India which is also near the Himalayas, so there's a bit of synergy with the meditating hermit theme with cold mountainous regions. Removed most Psychic moves (some like Zen Headbutt and Meditate still make sense) and Fire Punch for more Ice moves. Priority in Ice Shard will be an interesting addition.
New Moves: Icicle Spear, Icicle Crash, Ice Beam, Blizzard, Hail, Frost Breath, Ice Shard, Avalanche
Removed Moves: Psycho Cut, Confusion, Psyshock, Psychic, Dream Eater, Guard Swap, Power Swap, Magic Coat, Trick, Fire Punch
Altered Abilities: Telepathy -> Vital Spirit (flavour and Delibird/Primeape gets it), +Inner Focus as third ability (Mega Medicham still retains Pure Power though).

Name(s): Beartic (B)
Type: Fighting/Ice
Justification: It manually creates claws of ice so it can fight people with weapons. Fighting types are, by far, the Pokemon most prone to understanding and using tools, rather than just being a smogasbord of biological weapons. It also already has a decent pool of Fighting moves, including Focus Blast, which is a bit unusual and is present on nearly every Fighting type. (Even though most Fighting types would never use the move)
New Moves: Drain Punch, Close Combat, Mach Punch
Removed Moves: None.
Altered Abilities: +Guts

Name(s): Sawk
Type: Fighting / Ice
Justification: This is a bit of a stretch but...its blue! That, and if you squint your eyes a bit it looks like its made of Ice! (well, moreso it looks like its made of Rock, but Fighting / Rock isn't on the list, now is it?). It has a huge movepool boost because of its new typing, although most of it is useless. At least now it has Icicle Crash.
New Moves: Ice Beam, Blizzard, Powder Snow, Aurora Beam, Icy Wind, Freeze-Dry, Icicle Crash, Ice Shard
Removed Moves: None
Altered Abilities: None

Fighting + Ghost

Name(s): Dusclops, Dusknoir
Type: Ghost + Fighting
Justification: Both Dusclops and Dusknoir have huge fists and use elemental punching moves and are one of the few pokemon to learn Shadow Punch.
New Moves: Drain Punch, Focus Punch, Dynamic Punch, Cross Chop, Bulk Up
Removed Moves: None
Altered Abilities: +Iron Fist

Name(s): Lucario/Mega Lucario
Type: Fighting / Ghost
Justification: Being based on jackals and Anubis who judges souls in Egyptian mythology, I feel Lucario is better fit of a part Ghost type. It already uses the supernatural power of Aura and it can potentially extend to sensing beings from the other world. It already learns Shadow Ball and Shadow Claw so it's not a far stretch. Its base form is actually more specially focused in terms of stats, so Shadow Ball is a very valid STAB option (and the coverage is really nice). Flavour-wise, if we take into account the Mega form, it looks to be possessed with those extra body markings. I decided to change Mega Lucario's ability to Mummy as Anubis is related to mummification and the afterlife. Also Riolu is just pure Fighting.
New Moves: Ominous Wind, Shadow Sneak, Shadow Punch, Destiny Bond, Curse, Will-o-wisp (all Ghost pokemon can learn it)
Removed Moves: Flash Cannon, Metal Sound, Metal Claw, Iron Defense, Bullet Punch, Iron Tail
Altered Abilities: Adaptability -> Mummy

Name(s): Gallade/Mega Gallade
Type: Fighting / Ghost
Justification: It is in the Amorphous egg group, a group mostly filled by Ghost types and most of the moves that it gains by breeding are Ghost-typed.
New Moves: Ominous Wind, Shadow Punch, Shadow Claw, Phantom Force, Sucker Punch, Force Palm
Removed Moves: Zen Headbutt, Psychic, Psyshock, Synchronoise, Wonder Room, Magic Room
Altered Abilities: +Cursed Body

Name(s): Aegislash
Type: Fighting / Ghost
Justification: If I had to pick two moves to define Aegislash as a concept, I would say, of course, King's Shield, but the other one would have to be Sacred Sword. Aegislash is literally a sword, and Game Freak deigned to gift it with the signature move of a group of legendaries because said move fit Aegislash so well. Problem? Sacred Sword is a Fighting-type move. Tragically, the one attacking move that defines Aegislash best, it doesn't even get STAB on. Well, no longer! With perfect STAB coverage and lots of new moves to take advantage of this, Aegislash becomes a much more powerful offensive threat. Power always comes at a cost though, and while I don't want to get into too much theorymonning here, I'm sure you can all realize the ramifications of Aegislash losing Steel as one of its types. Namely that it gets defensively nerfed straight into hell.
New Moves: Cross Chop, Low Sweep, Focus Blast, Close Combat, Revenge, Superpower
Removed Moves: Flash Cannon, Iron Defense, Gyro Ball, Autotomize
Altered Abilities: N/A

Name(s): Teddiursa, Ursaring
Type: Fighting/Ghost (Teddiursa is pure Ghost)
Justification: MOON BEAR.
New Moves: Curse (Of the moon!), Shadow Ball (Universal among fully evolved Ghosts), Shadow Sneak.
Removed Moves: None.
Altered Abilities: None.

Fighting + Ground

Name(s): Conkeldurr
Type: Fighting + Ground
Justification: Conkeldurr uses concrete pillars, which is commonly imbedded in the ground along with concrete also going into roads.
New Moves: Bulldoze
Removed Moves: None
Altered Abilities: None

Name(s): Marowak
Type: Ground / Fighting
Justification: Always thought Marowak needed a Fighting type with its bone-weapon handling skills (Cubone is pure Ground because still too young and unskilled). It already learns a few Fighting moves like Brick Break and Double Kick by breeding and gave it more STABs that seem fitting. Mach Punch, Power-up Punch and Drain Punch can be interesting with Thick Club, and is an extension of the other punches it already learns like Focus, Thunder and Fire Punch. Replaced Lightningrod with Skill Link (Mega Heracross had it) to utilise Bonemerang and Bone Rush to the fullest. Like Heracross, Arm Thrust was given for a second multi-hit STAB move to use (and it using its weapon with the thrusting attacks still make sense).
New Moves: Mach Punch, Close Combat, Arm Thrust, Counter, Final Gambit, Drain Punch, Hammer Arm, Focus Blast, Power-up Punch, Revenge, Reversal, Wake-up Slap, Vacuum Wave, Bulk Up
Removed Moves: None
Altered Abilities: Lightningrod -> Skill Link

Name(s): Lucario, Mega Lucario
Type: Fighting / Ground
Justification: Honestly, it being a Steel-type was always a stretch to me. Ground, meanwhile, makes more sense. For one, it fits with the Anubis mofit (saaaaand), and Lucario would get STAB on Bone Rush, something that is unique to it, Mandibuzz, and Marowak. This new typing is both good and bad for it. It now has a reliable second STAB, although its coverage is a bit redundant with its Fighting STAB, and it didn't lose its 4x resistance to SR. It losing its neutrality to Fairy isn't that big of a deal tbh - Fairy moves would probably kill it anyways. The same could be said about Flying, although it is more relevant because of Talonflame. Finally, movepool is changed to reflect its new typing - adding Ground-type attacks that are common and removing some steel moves.
New Moves: Earth Power, Sand Attack, Mud Slap
Removed Moves: Flash Cannon, Metal Sound, Iron Defense
Altered Abilities: Adaptabilty [MEGA] --> Sand Force [MEGA]

Name(s): Seismitoad
Type: Ground / Fighting
Justification: As this is one of the only Pokemon that learn Drain Punch by level up and that it can destroy a boulder in one punch screams Fighting type.
New Moves: Mach Punch, Close Combat, Hammer Arm, Circle Throw, Karate Chop, Low Sweep, Revenge, Reversal, Seismic Toss, Sky Uppercut, Superpower, Vacuum Wave, Counter, Fire Punch, Thunder Punch
Removed Moves: Surf, Scald, Water Pulse, Hydro Pump, Mist, Icy Wind
Altered Abilities: Swift Swim -> Iron Fist, Water Absorb -> No Guard

Name(s): Mankey and Primeape
Type: Fighting/Ground
Justification: They're the Pig Monkey Pokemon. What are pigs known for rolling around in?
New Moves: None, it already has everything it needs.
Removed Moves: None
Altered Abilities: None

The deadline is one week from now, Sunday September 20.

 

[Jajoken]

SLATE 7: "BLUE DARKNESS"

The seventh submissions slate has started! Submit Pokemon for the three following type combinations:

Dark + Fairy
Dark + Normal
Dark + Electric

Read the guidelines if you haven't already. If you missed the submission template, here it is:

Name(s):
Type:
Justification:
New Moves:
Removed Moves:
Altered Abilities:

The deadline is one week from now: Sunday September 20th at midnight.

 

[Swagodile]

Name(s): Mega Absol
Type: Dark/Fairy
Justification: Mega Absol takes on a more majestic appearance, with the faux wings. It also has Magic Bounce for some reason, and gets Play Rough through breeding.
New Moves: Moonblast, Dazzling Gleam
Removed Moves: None
Altered Abilities: None

Name(s): Girafarig
Type: Normal/Dark
Justification: It honestly looks nothing like a Psychic-type. Normal/Dark is more fitting, with one of half the body being the giraffe, and the other half being the Chain Chomp-looking thing.
New Moves: Dark Pulse
Removed Moves: All of its Psychic-type moves except maybe Calm Mind
Altered Abilities: None

Name(s): Luxray
Type: Electric/Dark
Justification: Kind of a predictable submission, but it's all I've got. It benefits from the STAB Crunch, I guess.
New Moves: Dark Pulse
Removed Moves: None
Altered Abilities: None

 

[mcFlareon]

->

Name(s): Glameow -> Purugly
Type: Normal / Dark
Justification: Purugly is a 'brazen brute that barges into anoother Pokemon's nest and claims it as its own'. Stealing other Pokemon's homes forcefully while making itself look bigger and intimidating other with a mean glare sounds pretty Dark type to me. Ugly name, ugly nature! Glameow itself also has a fickle side when displeased. Like other cat-based Pokemon it has access to a few Dark moves like Feint Attack, Hone Claws, Bite, Thief, Snatch and Sucker Punch (as Glameow). Fake Out + Knock Off would make for a good annoyer. Interestingly, with Thick Fat, Purugly gets even more resistances with the new typing, although Defiant is good for Defoggers. Adding Thrash because it seems to go with the bad nature and synergises with Own Tempo if you wanna go that route.
New Moves: Snarl, Switcheroo, Pursuit, Quash, Night Slash, Beat Up, Dark Pulse, Thrash
Removed Moves: None
Altered Abilities: None

Name(s): Porygon-Z
Type: Electric / Dark
Justification: Electric because Porygon-Z is cyber related and already learns a good amount of Electric moves. Dark because it seems like an evil, inverted Porygon 2 and a product of hacking through the Dubious Disc (it's described as a 'suspicious' disc). It learns Dark moves such as Embrago and Nasty Plot naturally and can also learn Thief, Dark Pulse and Foul Play. Porygon and Porygon 2 and Electric.
New Moves: Knock Off, Memento, Sucker Punch, Snatch, Switcheroo, Taunt, Topsy-Turvy, Parabolic Charge, Wild Charge, Eerie Impulse, Volt Switch, Electric Terrain
Removed Moves: None
Altered Abilities: None

->

Name(s): Snubbull -> Granbull
Type: Fairy / Dark
Justification: Look at those fangs! Fangs are a prominent feature in Granbull's design and besides learning Bite and Crunch, can also learn other Dark moves like Payback and Fake Tears. They also look mean and intimidating, putting on a scary face and are possibly partly inspired by the Cu Sith which was a fairy dog that lets 3 warning cries before possibly snatching women for fairy children. Sounds pretty Dark-type for a dog fairy (and creates a new scary level of fridge horror in how these Pokemon are popular with women). With the Rattled ability, it can make use of a Ghost and a quadruple Dark resistance to boost speed.
New Moves: Knock Off, Sucker Punch, Snatch, Switcheroo, Beat Up, Assurance, Foul Play, Dark Pulse
Removed Moves: None
Altered Abilities: None

 

[Jajoken]

Name(s): Zebstrika
Type: Electric/Dark
Justification: Kind of a predictable submission, but it's all I've got. It benefits from the STAB Crunch, I guess.
New Moves: Dark Pulse
Removed Moves: None
Altered Abilities: None

I see a Luxray face and a Zebstrika nametag. Care to clarify?

 

[canno]

Name(s): Meowth / Persian
Type: Normal / Dark
Justification: They have a fair amount of Dark moves in their movepool. Meowth is said to be nocturnal and is said to be sneaky - "MEOWTH withdraw their sharp claws into their paws to silently sneak about." Cats being pranksters is also common trope. Another thing supporting this is the fact that Persian is kind of a jerk - "Many adore it for its sophisticated air. However, it will lash out and scratch for little reason." and "Behind its lithe, elegant appearance lies a barbaric side. It will tear apart its prey on a mere whim." not to mention it keeps the sneaky fighting style of Meowth - "Its lithe muscles allow it to walk without making a sound. It attacks in an instant." Adding moves that I'm surprised it doesn't already learn, while removing nothing.
New Moves: Sucker Punch, Pursuit
Removed Moves: None
Altered Abilities: None

 

[TotalAsteroid]

Name(s): Purrloin+Liepard
Type: Dark / Fairy
Justification: Purrlion and Liepard are the type of pokemon to look cute, but are to lie, manipulate, and abuse you like my dad. This why they are a dark type and have Prankster. Fairy just represents the facade they put on. Plus, Play Rough exists
New Moves: Baby-Doll Eyes, Sweet Kiss, Draining Kiss, Disarming Voice
Removed Moves: None
Altered Abilities: None

Name(s):Poochyena+Mightyena
Type: Dark / Normal
Justification: Poochyena and Mightyena both are extremely general Dark type pokemon who learn some moves that are normal-type standard, such as Heal Bell and Hypervoice. Each are basic in design and are introduced early which generally have normal-type pokemon.
New Moves: Hyper Fang
Removed Moves: None
Altered Abilities: None

Name(s):Luxio+Luxray
Type: Electric / Dark
Justification: Luxio and Luxray have tons of dark markings on them which are jet black. They also generally are depicted as nasty, such as in PMD where they try to kill the player and the Darkrai movie where a Luxray tries to kill Alice. Also, people have wanted this forever.
New Moves: Knock Off, Foul Play, Pursuit, Snatch
Removed Moves: None
Altered Abilities: None

 

[zerobreaker000]

Name(s): Umbreon
Type: Dark/Fairy
Justification: It's the Moonlight Pokémon, and moon is often related to Fairy-type.
New Moves: Moonblast, Play Rough, Draining Kiss, Misty Terrain
Removed Moves: None
Altered Abilities: Synchronize -> Intimidate (Fire Red, Soul Silver dex)

Name(s): Liepard
Type: Dark/Normal
Justification: It's about one of the most generic Dark-type you can find. That, and it's the only line able to get Pay Day - the signature move of the Normal-type Meowth line - via means other than events.
New Moves: Feint, Quick Attack, Tail Slap
Removed Moves: None
Altered Abilities: None

Name(s): Electabuzz and Electivire
Type: Electric/Dark
Justification: Electabuzz is based on a japanese oni, which are said to kidnap humans. I have no idea why Electivire changed the design so much, but let's just go with it as well.
New Moves: Crunch, Knock Off, Beat Up, Dark Pulse, Nasty Plot, Snarl, Pursuit, Quash
Removed Moves: None
Altered Abilities: None

 

[Slawth13]

Name(s): Sableye and Mega Sableye
Type: Dark/Fairy
Justification: Sableye is based off of the Hopkinsville Goblins, an urban legend/cryptid from Kentucky. Fairy type is clearly linked to mythological or fantastic things, and Carbink and Diancie have also shown us a link to gemstones. Additionally, Sableye already is capable of learning Dazzling Gleam and Moonlight.
New Moves: Moonblast, Play Rough, Misty Terrain
Removed Moves: N/A
Altered Abilities: N/A

Name(s): Raticate
Type: Normal/Dark
Justification: In all honesty I'm surprised we don't have a Dark-type rat yet. Raticate fits the bill perfectly; it learns a bunch of Dark moves naturally, including Sucker Punch and Pursuit, and its name is even a pun on the word "eradicate," which definitely implies ruthlessness and violence, something Dark-types are all about.
New Moves: Hone Claws, Knock Off, Foul Play, Night Slash, Payback, Punishment, Nasty Plot, Dark Pulse
Removed Moves: Zen Headbutt
Altered Abilities: Run Away -> Unnerve

 

[Jajoken]

Name(s): Zorua, Zoroark
Type: Fairy/Dark
Justification: Based on mythological shape-shifting pranksters, the kitsune, these tricky foxes pretty much sum up the traits of a dark fairy. Their dex entries describe both their penchant for deceit as well as their loyal dedication to the pack. "Playfulness" is a vital part of the Fairy identity (see: Play Rough, Play Nice) as is the moon, with Zoroark being a nocturnal creature that uses darkness of the night to help disguise itself.
New Moves: Play Rough, Moonblast, Dazzling Gleam
Removed Moves: None
Altered Abilities: +Prankster, +Trace

Name(s): Voltorb, Electrode
Type: Electric/Dark
Justification: These Pokemon will explode at the most minor of irritations, and already have a strange assortment of Dark moves like Foul Play and Sucker Punch at their disposal. Voltorb looks perpetually pissed, while Electrode has an evil grin.
New Moves: Nasty Plot, Dark Pulse, Knock Off
Removed Moves: None
Altered Abilities: None

Name(s): Porygon-Z
Type: Normal/Dark
Justification: "Corruption" can mean conflicting code ruining memory files, but it also refers to being dragged into a path of wickedness. P-Z learns a lot of Dark moves already, like the sought-after Nasty Plot and solid STAB in Dark Pulse, no doubt due to the corrupting influence of the Dubious Disc. It was once Normal, but now has a bit of Dark as well. Honestly it's movepool already has all the Dark moves it needs so no additions this time.
New Moves: None
Removed Moves: None
Altered Abilities: None

 

[Swagodile]

I see a Luxray face and a Zebstrika nametag. Care to clarify?

Woops, I was considering Zebstrika at first, but I decided to go with Luxray.

Fixed.

 

[Ghoul King]

Name(s): Zangoose
Type: Dark/Fairy
Justification: Adds a new angle on its vicious relationship with Seviper -note that in real life a mongoose can absolutely die to a snake bite, it's just the mongoose is good at not getting bitten- while fitting to it being a badass cute thing. It also already has a decent selection of Dark moves.
New Moves: Play Rough, Switcheroo, Sucker Punch
Removed Moves: None
Altered Abilities: Justified (The inveterate underdog, powering on even in the face of underhanded poisonous tactics!)

Name(s): Doduo (Pure Normal), Dodrio
Type: Dark/Normal
Justification: It's a nasty angry bird, one of the first Pokemon to know Pursuit, prone to fighting over food with itself, and it doesn't fly, so Flying typing is weird. It actually has a pretty decent pool of Dark moves already!
New Moves: Foul Play, Nasty Plot
Removed Moves: None
Altered Abilities: None

Name(s): Electivire
Type: Dark/Electric
Justification: It's an electrical oni basically. Oni aren't necessarily bad guys, but Dark type doesn't necessarily mean bad guy anyway. It tends to more mean violent, tricksy, etc, and Oni fit to violent definitely.
New Moves: Knock Off, Sucker Punch, Nasty Plot, Dark Pulse
Removed Moves: None
Altered Abilities: None

 

[Jajoken]

Victini Hype Discussion Time

• Cryogonal...may not see much use. It would actually be pretty cool in lower tiers, but in OU it probably needs too much support to be worth it. Still, Freeze Dry + Fire Blast is a powerful combo. At least it has the option of choosing between two immunities that are common attacking types -- suck it, Bronzong.
• Gourgeist could go either way. Grass/Fire is a pretty neat type, more so offensively than defensively, but being a Fairy switch-in is cool. Rocks weakness and Water neutrality though? I don't know.
• Victini often resented its Psychic typing both for its defensive liability and its underused STAB. Now, you're better off both defensively as well as offensively, with both Play Rough and Moonblast being great options. It's nice to have a Fairy that absolutely obliterates most Steels as well -- no one else can claim to have the two most powerful Fire STABs in the game (outside of Blast Burn, on the special side). But the cherry on top is the addition of two new abilities -- Defog users and Landorus will hate you. Can you say Bisharp 2.0? At least Bisharp can't be a special attacker too. Victini has 10 million sets, and all these new tools only give it more. Be afraid.

Post your thoughts below before the new slate starts on Sunday.

 

[Ghoul King]

Cryogonal should honestly probably always run Flashfire, as Fire is the only single type that walls Freeze Dry and Fire STAB at the same time, so walling what is otherwise its counter is good. Various individual Fire types will of course be able to get around that -Entei just hits you with Stone Edge for instance- but it's probably the most useful Ability for it overall anyway.

Gourgeist seems like an overall downgrade to me. Ghost/Grass is a surprisingly good typing. Grass/Fire isn't bad, it's good too, but the main point in its favor in my mind over Ghost/Grass is the potential to absorb Will O Wisps, which in conjunction with it no longer being Ghost type makes it better at switching in on Ghosts.

#VictiniForUbers

 

[mcFlareon]

Well Victini's whole thing as a Pokemon is giving you a win so...

Actually it would be pretty interesting that because people are less likely to Defog, that means Rocks would be up longer- and Victini is weak to those so it's a battle to control the right pacing of using Hazards/Defog. Using V-create leaves it susceptible to switches and priority (especially Azumarill's Aqua Jet). As Jajoken mentioned Heatran's Flash Fire makes Fire attacks useless while resisting Fairy STAB. Defensive Mega Slowbro can probably take a Fire hit and cripple with Thunder Wave. Defensive Mega Venusaur can survive one V-create assuming no Choice Band- maybe hit back with either Sleep Powder, Knock Off or Sludge Bomb.

(Pleasant to see Rapidash was pretty good in results in votes too, would've been happy with that as an alternate winner too and really fitted the Unicorn thing)

Cryogonal's Levitate was more useful when it was only 2x SR weak and immune to grounded hazards to spin away. With the new typing, Flash Fire would be better as it won't see any use Spinning anymore. On the other hand, it's a great at resisting Ice/Grass type attacks and hitting back with Fire attacks (take that Abomasnow). It also has Recover as well but it just dies to any physical attack. As for Solar Power, it has a workable Special Attack but it would just lose health too fast.

Gourgeist finally gets a physical Fire attack (why give it special Fire attacks with that Sp. Atk?) and is great against Bugs and other Grass types. Immune to burn, Spore and Stun Spore is pretty nice- it only has to worry about Poison/Paralysis. Fire STAB would also give it better attacks against Steel types that other Grass types usually have trouble with. Leech Seed can probably be used to gain back health from Flare Blitzes, I guess.

 

[Jajoken]

SLATE 6 WINNERS
Beartic (by Ghoul King)

Ice-> Ice/Fighting
+ Guts
+ Drain Punch, Close Combat, Mach Punch
Pros: New STAB to break Steels, neutral to Rocks, priority is nice, Guts sets could be cool on Trick Room
Cons: Stats and typing still leaves a bit to be desired

Dusknoir (+Dusclops) (by TotalAsteroid)

Ghost -> Ghost/Fighting
+ Iron Fist
+ Drain Punch, Focus Punch, Dynamic Punch, Cross Chop, Bulk Up
Pros: Nearly unrestricted STAB combo, Drain Punch gives recovery, no longer Dark-weak
Cons: Ghost STAB is weak, gains troublesome new weaknesses

Marowak (by mcFlareon)

Ground -> Ground/Fighting
+ Skill Link
- Lightningrod
+ Mach Punch, Close Combat, Arm Thrust, Counter, Final Gambit, Drain Punch, Hammer Arm, Focus Blast, Power-up Punch, Revenge, Reversal, Wake-up Slap, Vacuum Wave, Bulk Up
Pros: Has a ton of new move options, priority STAB, access to 125 bp Ground STAB, x4 resists Rocks
Cons: STABs have similar coverage, Flying weakness is annoying

[VOTES SPREADSHEET]​

Discussion

Feel free to discuss the impact of these new additions to the metagame below, or wait until around Thursday where I will officially initiate the discussion. Overall, solid changes this slate. Beartic's new type + priority make it significantly less mediocre, but base 50 Speed and an "okay" 110 base Attack still hold it back. Guts on TR teams and Swift Swim on rain teams show promise, though. Dusknoir is even slower (at base 45 Speed) and weaker (at base 100 Attack) but I still have more hope for it. Ghost + Fighting is a legendary combo, and Drain Punch should help it a lot. With good bulk, Iron Fist to improve punching moves and a Rocks resistance to facilitate switch-ins, Dusknoir shows promise as a bulky attacker or offensive TR setter. Dusclops still sucks, though. Marowak has the most move additions of pretty much any submission, and several of them are good options for the old Bonekeeper. Priority, recovery and powerful STAB are now at its disposal, along with quirky options like Final Gambit. Marowak's Adamant + Thick Club + Skill Link Bone Rush actually outdamages Primal Groudon's Adamant Precipice Blades. Like every other winner this slate, it's slow as hell, but maybe you could put them all on the same TR team.

SLATE 7 VOTING​

Time for the sixth voting stage! PM me (don't post it in the thread please) three choices for each of the type combinations, and then give each choice 1-3 points. You have one +3, one +2, and one +1 to give for each type. Just list the submission name under the type, and give it the points in parenthesis like so:

Dark + Fairy: Zoroark (+3), Granbull (+2), Sableye (+1)
Dark + Normal: Dodrio (+3), Porygon-Z (+2), Purugly (+1)
Dark + Electric: Luxray (+3), Electivire (+2), Porygon-Z (+1)

What you're actually voting for is subjective, but try to focus on things that are actually fitting first, then consider which ones a particularly cool and/or viable.

Here are the valid submissions by type:

Dark + Fairy

Name(s): Mega Absol
Type: Dark/Fairy
Justification: Mega Absol takes on a more majestic appearance, with the faux wings. It also has Magic Bounce for some reason, and gets Play Rough through breeding.
New Moves: Moonblast, Dazzling Gleam
Removed Moves: None
Altered Abilities: None

Name(s): Snubbull -> Granbull
Type: Fairy / Dark
Justification: Look at those fangs! Fangs are a prominent feature in Granbull's design and besides learning Bite and Crunch, can also learn other Dark moves like Payback and Fake Tears. They also look mean and intimidating, putting on a scary face and are possibly partly inspired by the Cu Sith which was a fairy dog that lets 3 warning cries before possibly snatching women for fairy children. Sounds pretty Dark-type for a dog fairy (and creates a new scary level of fridge horror in how these Pokemon are popular with women). With the Rattled ability, it can make use of a Ghost and a quadruple Dark resistance to boost speed.
New Moves: Knock Off, Sucker Punch, Snatch, Switcheroo, Beat Up, Assurance, Foul Play, Dark Pulse
Removed Moves: None
Altered Abilities: None

Name(s): Purrloin+Liepard
Type: Dark / Fairy
Justification: Purrlion and Liepard are the type of pokemon to look cute, but are to lie, manipulate, and abuse you like my dad. This why they are a dark type and have Prankster. Fairy just represents the facade they put on. Plus, Play Rough exists
New Moves: Baby-Doll Eyes, Sweet Kiss, Draining Kiss, Disarming Voice
Removed Moves: None
Altered Abilities: None

Name(s): Umbreon
Type: Dark/Fairy
Justification: It's the Moonlight Pokémon, and moon is often related to Fairy-type.
New Moves: Moonblast, Play Rough, Draining Kiss, Misty Terrain
Removed Moves: None
Altered Abilities: Synchronize -> Intimidate (Fire Red, Soul Silver dex)

Name(s): Sableye and Mega Sableye
Type: Dark/Fairy
Justification: Sableye is based off of the Hopkinsville Goblins, an urban legend/cryptid from Kentucky. Fairy type is clearly linked to mythological or fantastic things, and Carbink and Diancie have also shown us a link to gemstones. Additionally, Sableye already is capable of learning Dazzling Gleam and Moonlight.
New Moves: Moonblast, Play Rough, Misty Terrain
Removed Moves: N/A
Altered Abilities: N/A

Name(s): Zorua, Zoroark
Type: Fairy/Dark
Justification: Based on mythological shape-shifting pranksters, the kitsune, these tricky foxes pretty much sum up the traits of a dark fairy. Their dex entries describe both their penchant for deceit as well as their loyal dedication to the pack. "Playfulness" is a vital part of the Fairy identity (see: Play Rough, Play Nice) as is the moon, with Zoroark being a nocturnal creature that uses darkness of the night to help disguise itself.
New Moves: Play Rough, Moonblast, Dazzling Gleam
Removed Moves: None
Altered Abilities: +Prankster, +Trace

Name(s): Zangoose
Type: Dark/Fairy
Justification: Adds a new angle on its vicious relationship with Seviper -note that in real life a mongoose can absolutely die to a snake bite, it's just the mongoose is good at not getting bitten- while fitting to it being a badass cute thing. It also already has a decent selection of Dark moves.
New Moves: Play Rough, Switcheroo, Sucker Punch
Removed Moves: None
Altered Abilities: Justified (The inveterate underdog, powering on even in the face of underhanded poisonous tactics!)

Dark + Normal

Name(s): Girafarig
Type: Normal/Dark
Justification: It honestly looks nothing like a Psychic-type. Normal/Dark is more fitting, with one of half the body being the giraffe, and the other half being the Chain Chomp-looking thing.
New Moves: Dark Pulse
Removed Moves: All of its Psychic-type moves except maybe Calm Mind
Altered Abilities: None

Name(s): Glameow -> Purugly
Type: Normal / Dark
Justification: Purugly is a 'brazen brute that barges into anoother Pokemon's nest and claims it as its own'. Stealing other Pokemon's homes forcefully while making itself look bigger and intimidating other with a mean glare sounds pretty Dark type to me. Ugly name, ugly nature! Glameow itself also has a fickle side when displeased. Like other cat-based Pokemon it has access to a few Dark moves like Feint Attack, Hone Claws, Bite, Thief, Snatch and Sucker Punch (as Glameow). Fake Out + Knock Off would make for a good annoyer. Interestingly, with Thick Fat, Purugly gets even more resistances with the new typing, although Defiant is good for Defoggers. Adding Thrash because it seems to go with the bad nature and synergises with Own Tempo if you wanna go that route.
New Moves: Snarl, Switcheroo, Pursuit, Quash, Night Slash, Beat Up, Dark Pulse, Thrash
Removed Moves: None
Altered Abilities: None

Name(s): Meowth / Persian
Type: Normal / Dark
Justification: They have a fair amount of Dark moves in their movepool. Meowth is said to be nocturnal and is said to be sneaky - "MEOWTH withdraw their sharp claws into their paws to silently sneak about." Cats being pranksters is also common trope. Another thing supporting this is the fact that Persian is kind of a jerk - "Many adore it for its sophisticated air. However, it will lash out and scratch for little reason." and "Behind its lithe, elegant appearance lies a barbaric side. It will tear apart its prey on a mere whim." not to mention it keeps the sneaky fighting style of Meowth - "Its lithe muscles allow it to walk without making a sound. It attacks in an instant." Adding moves that I'm surprised it doesn't already learn, while removing nothing.
New Moves: Sucker Punch, Pursuit
Removed Moves: None
Altered Abilities: None

Name(s):Poochyena+Mightyena
Type: Dark / Normal
Justification: Poochyena and Mightyena both are extremely general Dark type pokemon who learn some moves that are normal-type standard, such as Heal Bell and Hypervoice. Each are basic in design and are introduced early which generally have normal-type pokemon.
New Moves: Hyper Fang
Removed Moves: None
Altered Abilities: None

Name(s): Liepard
Type: Dark/Normal
Justification: It's about one of the most generic Dark-type you can find. That, and it's the only line able to get Pay Day - the signature move of the Normal-type Meowth line - via means other than events.
New Moves: Feint, Quick Attack, Tail Slap
Removed Moves: None
Altered Abilities: None

Name(s): Raticate
Type: Normal/Dark
Justification: In all honesty I'm surprised we don't have a Dark-type rat yet. Raticate fits the bill perfectly; it learns a bunch of Dark moves naturally, including Sucker Punch and Pursuit, and its name is even a pun on the word "eradicate," which definitely implies ruthlessness and violence, something Dark-types are all about.
New Moves: Hone Claws, Knock Off, Foul Play, Night Slash, Payback, Punishment, Nasty Plot, Dark Pulse
Removed Moves: Zen Headbutt
Altered Abilities: Run Away -> Unnerve

Name(s): Porygon-Z
Type: Normal/Dark
Justification: "Corruption" can mean conflicting code ruining memory files, but it also refers to being dragged into a path of wickedness. P-Z learns a lot of Dark moves already, like the sought-after Nasty Plot and solid STAB in Dark Pulse, no doubt due to the corrupting influence of the Dubious Disc. It was once Normal, but now has a bit of Dark as well. Honestly it's movepool already has all the Dark moves it needs so no additions this time.
New Moves: None
Removed Moves: None
Altered Abilities: None

Name(s): Doduo (Pure Normal), Dodrio
Type: Dark/Normal
Justification: It's a nasty angry bird, one of the first Pokemon to know Pursuit, prone to fighting over food with itself, and it doesn't fly, so Flying typing is weird. It actually has a pretty decent pool of Dark moves already!
New Moves: Foul Play, Nasty Plot
Removed Moves: None
Altered Abilities: None

Dark + Electric

Name(s): Luxray
Type: Electric/Dark
Justification: Kind of a predictable submission, but it's all I've got. It benefits from the STAB Crunch, I guess.
New Moves: Dark Pulse
Removed Moves: None
Altered Abilities: None

Name(s): Porygon-Z
Type: Electric / Dark
Justification: Electric because Porygon-Z is cyber related and already learns a good amount of Electric moves. Dark because it seems like an evil, inverted Porygon 2 and a product of hacking through the Dubious Disc (it's described as a 'suspicious' disc). It learns Dark moves such as Embrago and Nasty Plot naturally and can also learn Thief, Dark Pulse and Foul Play. Porygon and Porygon 2 and Electric.
New Moves: Knock Off, Memento, Sucker Punch, Snatch, Switcheroo, Taunt, Topsy-Turvy, Parabolic Charge, Wild Charge, Eerie Impulse, Volt Switch, Electric Terrain
Removed Moves: None
Altered Abilities: None

Name(s): Electabuzz and Electivire
Type: Electric/Dark
Justification: Electabuzz is based on a japanese oni, which are said to kidnap humans. I have no idea why Electivire changed the design so much, but let's just go with it as well.
New Moves: Crunch, Knock Off, Beat Up, Dark Pulse, Nasty Plot, Snarl, Pursuit, Quash
Removed Moves: None
Altered Abilities: None

Name(s): Voltorb, Electrode
Type: Electric/Dark
Justification: These Pokemon will explode at the most minor of irritations, and already have a strange assortment of Dark moves like Foul Play and Sucker Punch at their disposal. Voltorb looks perpetually pissed, while Electrode has an evil grin.
New Moves: Nasty Plot, Dark Pulse, Knock Off
Removed Moves: None
Altered Abilities: None

The submission for deadlines is one week from now, Sunday September 27th.

 

[Jajoken]

SLATE 8: "TAINTED BLADE"

The eighth submissions slate has started! Submit Pokemon for the three following type combinations:

Poison + Fairy
Poison + Rock
Poison + Psychic

Read the guidelines if you haven't already. If you missed the submission template, here it is:

Name(s):
Type:
Justification:
New Moves:
Removed Moves:
Altered Abilities:

The deadline is one week from now: Sunday September 27th at midnight.

 

[canno]

Name(s): Spritzee, Aromatisse
Type: Poison / Fairy
Justification: I remember when we (or at least when I) first saw Spritzee, people were saying that it could potentially evolve into a plague doctor Poison / Fairy. While it didn't exactly evolve into what we expected, I still feel like there are enough traits of the plague doctor in Aromatisse (and obviously Spritzee) that I can see it being Poison / Fairy. It would also let Aromatisse differentiate itself from the other Fairy-types. The movepool is a set of Poison-type moves that I could see it using. Nothing else is changed about it.
New Moves: Sludge Bomb, Venoshock, Poison Jab, Poison Sting, Clear Smog, Venom Drench
Removed Moves: None
Altered Abilities: None

 

[mcFlareon]

Name(s): Barbaracle
Type: Poison / Rock
Justification: Some species of shellfish are toxic and those claws look like they pack a mean Poison Jab.
New Moves: Gastro Acid, Cross Poison, Gunk Shot, Venoshock
Removed Moves: None
Altered Abilities: None

Name(s): Musharna
Type: Fairy / Poison
Justification: Musharna feels more like a Fairy type than Psychic type (Munna is Fairy). It also evolves with a Moon stone and Fairies have a connection with the moon in this game- not to mention it learns Moonlight and is found in a placed called Dreamyard. Poison because of the dream smoke kind of sounds hallucinogenic if you ask me, but it has a more positive vibe which works well with Fairy.
New Moves: Poison Gas, Smog, Sludge Bomb, Sludge Wave, Clear Smog, Moonblast, Aromatic Mist, Draining Kiss, Misty Terrain
Removed Moves: Psychic, Stored Power, Psywave, Telekinesis, Skill Swap
Altered Abilities: Telepathy -> Levitate (Telepathy is more Psychic-related and Levitate because, it actually does, kind of like Weezing)

->

Name(s): Drowzee -> Hypno
Type: Psychic / Poison
Justification: Hypno's pendulum and hypnosis theme cements the Psychic type while the whole draining people's dreams and nightmarish attributes of luring children away makes it sound sinister which sounds like Poison type. It uses the 'dark' side of Psychic powers through hypnosis and in a way, sounds like poison of the mind. It also learns Poison Gas naturally and can be seen in Koga's gym back in the Kanto games so at least the new type will make the gym make more sense.
New Moves: Clear Smog, Sludge Bomb, Sludge Wave, Venom Drench, Venoshock, Gunk Shot, Gastro Acid
Removed Moves: None
Altered Abilities: None