Pet Mod VGC 20XX [2.2 - Version Exclusives]

[Sugarbear]

Balancing

Wizarteen
I think just nerfing Conductive Spell to no longer hit Ground types is good enough, maybe boost its power to 90 to compensate. What about having it destroy the opponent's held item, making it a bit weaker than a max power Knock Off, but much stronger when the opponent has no item.

Keisberg
Agreed about the swapping of Fighting immunity for Water, it'll still be very tanky and hard to KO just less so.

Magikite
Agree with adding Chip Away, Flail and Endeavor. I would also swap out Wind Rider for Cloud 9 as it fits it more thematically.

Hyper Gravity
I think the ability itself is fine, but I had an idea for an indirect nerf to it. What if Psychic Type Pokemon were now immune to sleep? It not only gives them a huge buff, it makes sense thematically since their strong minds mean they'd never be put to sleep against their will.

My Pokemon

Spiroxic
Type: Ghost / Poison
Ability: Competitive, Corrosion, Merciless
Base stats: 95, 60, 65, 125, 65, 70 (480 BST)
Useful moves
Physical: Mortal Spin
Special: Shadow Ball, Sludge Bomb, Venoshock, Hex, Snarl, Belch, Aura Sphere, Icy Wind
Status: Taunt, Toxic, Will-o-Wisp, Toxic Thread, Toxic Spikes, Nasty Plot, Trick Room, Perish Song, Baneful Bunker
Size: 0.66 m
Weight: 66.6 kgs
Competitive use: It's an annoying disruptor that can also pack a decent punch

 

[Samtendo09]

The Chopping Block

Chopping Block

Wizarteen
Not much to say, but I agree with BlueRay to an extent. Nerfing it’s Speed, though, would be a more sensible solution, given it’s decent Special bulk.

Keisberg
I already suggested replacing Fighting immunity by Water immunity, and the other two posters agreed with the change. This way, being immune to both Fire and Water makes it somewhat anti-weather except Sandstorm, while allowing Fighting-type Pokémon to shine.

Magikite
Flying Dive nerf is warranted, while also replacing Wind Rider by Opportunist or any other Ability that matches it’s opportunistic nature.

Paranoia
Those two, Volbeat and Illumise, are fine as is even if I wish they are more distinct beyond moves, but Paranoia always lowering the highest stat on top of 25% of current HP cut can cause a negative snowball effect and makes switches even more unsafe to perform. Maybe make it so that Paranoia lowers higher Defense or Special Defense so that a bulky threat like Kiesberg is easier to take down.

Hyper Gravity
Getting rid of Hypnosis from Orbeetle could work, but leaning to make Hypnosis failing on Psychic and Dark targets could work in case Hypnosis remain oppressive in case a combo (Orbeetle + Hypnosis teammate) run rampant.

 

[Genuine_Angus_B33F]

Time for Words! Lots of Words. Lots of Reading. Too much, perhaps. There is no tl;dr. Have Fun!

Tournament Winner Additions

Ledellar

You'll have to believe me when I say my addition was almost going to be a Ledian evolution. It would've gone in a slightly different direction than this; I've played too many fan games where Ledian gets an evolution or a stat overhaul that is super similar to how this ended up, so my first thought was to be bored of this kind of change, but then I remembered I haven't actually played with such a concept in VGC before! I also like the name a lot :)

This is the kind of design that would be really underwhelming in singles, but Defiant and Fake Out give it just enough to stand out in a unique way in doubles. Mold Breaker on a strong Fighting type was about to be a really defining anti-meta design choice, but it seems like that won't remain the case for too much longer. (And I will be in support of the change to Eternal Ice which makes it so) With that in mind, I'm not sure how strong Ledellar is going to be in the metagame; it's far from weak in terms of general damage, and it's offensive profile is probably going to leave it walled pretty often by something or another, but it packs a punch against foes it hits for neutral damage. Tools like screens and encore that are Ledian's bread and butter seem pretty much impossible to fit here unfortunately. (Also, for Mantis Fists, what is the functional difference between a contact move that ignores contact move consequences and a move that doesn't make contact? There's no Tough Claws here and Iron Fist should work fine anyway right?)

They aren't listed atm, but I think this mon should probably get Swarming Strike and Feint. The former is seemingly standard for bugs and especially ones with (or formerly with) Swarm, and Mold Breaker Feint is a really neat bit of situational tech that might come into play in the future if any more anti-priority is added.

For housekeeping, the useful physical moves bit in the doc should probably contain a few moves Ledian already naturally gets that aren't listed, namely Thunder Punch, Ice Punch, and Knock Off.

Cemmetar

Hell yeah, we love Ground / Rock types! It's crazy to think about how we haven't gotten one since Gen 2, and even then that was just in Larvitar and Pupitar. Golem and Rhyperior are the only FE mons with the combo past Gen 1.

Anyway, this thing is strong. Getting just shy of Rhyperior's attack and having a respectably high speed stat is pretty crazy work, and all three abilities situationally increase the damage even further. There doesn't tend to be Pokemon this fast and strong with Earthquake, so this'll definitely end up a fun piece to fit on teams. I can already see the Wizarteen discharge + earthquake combo. Skill Link Rock Blast is a pretty decent way to try and pull this mon away from just being a Rock Slide button clicker, though I think both will fit on sets for the most part with how strong Ground / Rock offenses are. (Maybe another Skill Link move would help?) Underhanded as a pseudo-Defiant is also kind of interesting, though as of now I'm not sure if it'll get used when the high speed means it won't be as relevant for other forms of damage control.

There could be a few more flavor moves here, but that's whatever housekeeping (and I also can't really imagine what this is atm so my suggestion room is limited)

Conotox

You'll have to believe me when I also say my idea for this next sub was itself going to be a bulky, kind of gimmicky Normal / Poison mon. The wavelength similarity is crazy.

I really like this design. It's a very stabilizing Pokemon with decent bulk, few weaknesses, Shell Armor, and tools like Follow Me and Baneful Bunker. But it's also got some options that enable it to play into some very weird interactions; Weak Armor, Shell Smash, and Explosion give it a lot of weird lines to play. None of that is to even mention Mimicry, which is something we'll sort of need to see the evolution of over time. I'd maybe want to see a few more moves here, there's seemingly a lot of flexibility after Follow Me / Baneful Bunker / Sludge Bomb. Nothing super crazy - maybe Chilling Water? Or Silk Trap as an alternative to Baneful?

(Also woah, 505 BST, too many numbers! Except I wouldn't really change it - it's far from optimized as is)

Intestinorm

I adore this design, and it's head and shoulders my favorite of the new batch. The typing, stats, and movepool come together in a really well crafted way, with the typing's inherent shortcomings being counterbalanced by the Electric semi-STAB and high bulk. Archetype is an awesome ability as a signature for Bugs, pairing extremely well with Struggle Bug, Electroweb, and Paranoia here. There are so many solid auxiliary options too, like Iron Def + Body Press, Life Dew, Mortal Spin + Archetype Venom Drench, Shed Tail, Archetype Acid Spray, and even something weird like Archetype + Throat Spray Screech looks super cool for a whacky one time set up for Body Press + Earth Power. I also really appreciate the restraint in the movepool; not including Bug Buzz / Pollen Puff as a super strong single target STABs is a really cool way to push this Pokemon to dig into it's movepool to find a niche. On top of that, I am a huge sucker for including the Terrain Surge abilities on Pokemon that aren't just stat sticks of a matching type, and here this goes above and beyond with a focus on letting Intestinorm or teammates counter scary Flying or Water types and potentially letting the Pokemon use Electric Seed + Body Press! Earth Power will probably be a constant staple on most sets, but I can see myself reasonably crafting movepools with this Pokemon that mix and match 8 or 9 other moves in the remaining slots, and that's a sign of a really well crafted movepool.

I also have to ask... is the name meant to bring to mind Intestines? And how they are sort of shaped like worms? That goes hard if so.

This is far from needing a buff, but still. Flavorwise, this should absolutely get Sand Pit.

Qullumen

Hey, I know that Pokemon! (Don't know if it makes a ton of sense to get a free design choice on entry thanks to a lucky bye in the tournament, but I'm not complaining)

Before anything, the movepool! It's incomplete! I sent the whole thing as a block to copy + paste that can go in the learnsets.ts doc to avoid this! (if it was tried and didn't work for some reason, sorry about that!)

Qullumen Full Movepool

qullumen: {
learnset: {
calmmind: ["9M"],
confuseray: ["9M"],
ember: ["9L1"],
endure: ["9M"],
energyball: ["9M"],
facade: ["9M"],
firespin: ["9M"],
gigaimpact: ["9M"],
haze: ["9M"],
heatwave: ["9M"],
hyperbeam: ["9M"],
imprison: ["9M"],
memento: ["9L1"],
minimize: ["9L1"],
mysticalfire: ["9M"],
protect: ["9M"],
psychic: ["9M"],
psychup: ["9M"],
rest: ["9M"],
safeguard: ["9M"],
skittersmack: ["9M"],
sleeptalk: ["9M"],
substitute: ["9M"],
trickroom: ["9M"],
powergem: ["9M"],
rocktomb: ["9M"],
rockslide: ["9M"],
rockblast: ["9M"],
rockthrow: ["9M"],
rockpolish: ["9M"],
stoneedge: ["9M"],
stealthrock: ["9M"],
tarshot: ["9M"],
wideguard: ["9M"],
dazzlinggleam: ["9M"],
drainingkiss: ["9M"],
mistyexplosion: ["9M"],
playrough: ["9M"],
aromaticmist: ["9M"],
sweetkiss: ["9M"],
mistyterrain: ["9M"],
mysticalfire: ["9M"],
earthpower: ["9M"],
scorchingsands: ["9M"],
gyroball: ["9M"],
sandtomb: ["9M"],
healpulse: ["9M"],
mist: ["9M"],
skillswap: ["9M"],
flameburst: ["9M"],
explosion: ["9M"],
cottonspore: ["9M"],
branchpoke: ["9M"],
},
},

The additions to what is already in the live builder are mostly niche tools and flavor, stuff like Skill Swap, Tar Shot, Haze, etc. With the attacking stat adjustment, tools like Rock Slide and Explosion are kind of relevant too. I did initially have Cotton Guard in that list, which I thought would be fun for silly Draining Kiss sets, a neat flavor inclusion, and a way to really flip the script on Keisberg, but...

252+ Atk Technician Scizor Bullet Punch vs. +3 252 HP / 252+ Def Qullumen: 96-112 (48.7 - 56.8%) -- 18% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery

...I don't know if I can justify that on a second pass. Qullumen does way to well into every other possible Steel type with all the coverage it has, and forcing random tech Heavy Slams just for it is way too big an ask. It'll probably be just fine without it.

Last thing, I'm surprised nobody has noticed a way Qullumen resembles another existing Pokemon. Especially after the stat change. I'll just have to wait and see...

New Items

Miracle Berry, aside from probably needing a new name given the Gen 2 item, is sort of crazy! The biggest reason I disliked reintroducing Gen 7 Super Pinch Berries back into the game before was them flouting Item Clause due to their being no penalty to stacking them, and Miracle Berry definitely avoids that issue. My thought with the modern Super Pinch berries is that they are blunted a lot by mechanics like Dynamax and Tera, which very flexibly bend damage thresholds and push the damage ceiling higher and higher, which tends to mean you aren't as able to count on hitting 25% HP and surviving very reliably. Without those mechanics, they tend to be a slow burn addition to metagames, because players need to figure out what hits need to be taken and when to utilize them over Sitrus Berry. Rather than being overpowered, I am mostly just curious if we haven't waited long enough to see whether or not the generic Super Pinch berries will shine. With them added, there's at least some fun interactions; we've got a few strong Unnerve Pokemon in the Necro-Trio as counterplay I suppose, as well as some fun users like Gluttony Recycle Snorlax / Alolan-Muk, Recycle Almgid, and Rewind Bennusule.

Ancient Armor seems... bizarre. Filter / Solid Rock in the item slot is not something most Pokemon really care to use, especially not over a Sash or a Pinch Berry. Dustnoir might use it, but that's about all I can think of right now - other Pokemon with abilities that give healing or defensive buffs may be relevant as well.

Chopping Block!

Wizarteen-Gravelord and Keisberg

Overall, I think my biggest issues with these two were mostly in terms of builder strain.

Wizarteen is faster than everything and trades positively into most of the metagame. It reliably 2HKOs just about everything with its STABs alone, even without a boosting item, and it's typing and ability mean it's deceptively difficult to OHKO in return without a boost or a very specific tool like Sucker Punch. (which, even then, is potentially prediction reliant.) It's not super dominant when it plays neutral match-ups into bulky foes, but the offensive range of Conductive Spell + Shadow Ball alone ensures that many Pokemon simply cannot play into it - every Ground type, every Flying type, and every Water type besides Rift-Pert felt extremely difficult to use on a team.

Keisberg is a fairly bulky Pokemon that is both a decently bulky and dangerous setup sweeper and a hard wall to so many Pokemon. Steel is already a defensive behemoth of a type on paper, and most Pokemon in the game rely on a Super-Effective coverage move to hit Steel Pokemon for meaningful damage, and immunities to Fire and Fighting mean that most Pokemon in the game simply don't deal damage to it. The thing fully walls every Psychic type, every Fairy type, (unless you count Tinkaton's Mold Breaker Brick Break) most Bug types, most Poison types, most Normal types, every Fire type, every Fighting type besides Hariyama, every Flying type besides Gyarados, 2 of the 4 Dragon types at the time, and every Ice type besides Rotom Frost and itself.

The orbit of these two caused most of the metagame's trends. Trick Room was so strong in large part because it beat Wizarteen and was at worst neutral against Keisberg; Tailwind was limited in impact because the only Pokemon worth using in it were those that could outspeed Wizarteen with it and threaten Keisberg without it. With little to do about going first vs Wizarteen and no need to worry about Keisberg in Trick Room, teams bulked out hard, and tried to focus on enabling setup win conditions. Basically, I think nerfing these two even a little bit will cause a lot of chain-reactions.

For Keisberg, I agree with the Fire + Fighting Immunity --> Fire + Water Immunity. Fighting is by far the most common type to have to hit Steel for SE damage, and having that option means Keisberg's setup threat is a lot less reliably game ending without support. I do worry slightly about Water types now being so poor into both Wizarteen and Keisberg, but we'll have to see.

For Wizarteen, I think focusing on Conductive Spell is a good idea. The move is comparable to Freeze Dry, with it hitting all of Water, Flying, and Ground for SE, but it's also on a type that is neutral to Steel offensively and a type that isn't junk defensively. Changing the move effect entirely is an option, but I do also think my initial idea for a Conductive Spell nerf would work.

Conductive Spell - Super Effective against Ground --> Super Effective against Ground, No Effect against Non-Grounded

This does sort of make Wizarteen a bit match-up fishy, with the mix-up between Thunderbolt and Conductive Spell potentially having a wild swing effect on MUs and items like Air Balloon suddenly having a huge impact on coverage. But it does make it less sheerly consistent, and it also preserves the initial uniqueness of the move, for what that's worth.

Magikite

Glad this is noticed, because it could have definitely been a sleeper broken Pokemon considering it was walled by both Keisberg and Wizarteen. Having no drawback STAB Brave Bird against most targets is pretty solid.

A Flying Dive nerf / ability nerf would be fine here, but I could also see this Pokemon having it's changes focused on movepool to just hone it on Flying STAB. Close Combat, Stone Edge, and especially Earthquake don't make a ton of sense flavorwise here, and if you don't want to entirely forgo coverage, it can just have some less impressive tools like Sky Uppercut, Play Rough, or Skitter Smack instead.

Paranoia

Remove from Volbeat and Illumise. The move is scary but not incredible in general, it just really happened to shine both on Pokemon as otherwise passive as those two and in a meta where indirect damage was probably the only way it would make sense to handle Keisberg and all the bulky things meant to handle it. As a rule, I think the move could just continue to be a bit more limited in distribution than moves like Struggle Bug or whatnot. Orbeetle should be about the most passive thing that gets it basically.

Hyper Gravity

If Orbeetle does have an HP Buff, it certainly isn't showing in builder.

Anyway, probably just axe the ability. Accuracy buffs are fun on paper, but in practice they are always optimized for sleep strategies, and even if you remove Hypnosis from Orbeetle and give Psychic an immunity to Hypnosis, we've still got some really silly mons to partner this with like Milotic, Gengar, either Ninetales, Roserade-Delta, Delphox-Rift, and even something like Sing Mudaimer. You can even persistently counterplay stalling out the Gravity turns by Skill Swapping the ability, possibly also removing a useful ability from a foe in the process. Electric Surge Intestinorm is probably not enough to handle this alone.

 

[BlueRay]

what's THIS Weedle doing here?

Name: Highloam
Prompt: 480 BST.
Type: Normal / Ground
Ability: Sap Sipper / Fluffy (Sand Stream)
Stats: 105/95/115/60/75/25 (475 BST)
Useful Moves:
Physical: Bulldoze, High Horsepower, Earthquake, Body Slam, Horn Leech, Headlong Rush, Facade, Rock Slide, Stone Edge, Head Smash, Superpower, Avalanche, Heat Crash.
Special: Earth Power, Tera Blast, Hyper Voice, Power Gem,
Status: Shore Up, Milk Drink, Belly Drum, Toxic, Follow Me, Heal Bell, Helping Hand, Whirlwind, Bulk Up, Curse, Stealth Rock, Spikes, Wide Guard.
Weight: 905.2
Height: 1.82
Gender: 50/50
Competitive use: Weather setter! Can also function as a slow bulky attacker with Sap Sipper or a complete utility piece with Fluffy.
Flavor: Large. Similar in shape to a Piloswine + Shox Fusion. Highland Cow btw

full learnset if it wins or something idk I just wanted to participate :3

Hey! It's nice to see new people. Hope you had a lot of fun while taking a look at sugarbear's VGC PetMod.^^ Speaking of overview, it might not hurt to explain to the readers how Highloam functionally differs from Mudaimer (another "slow", bulky Normal/Ground Pokémon). That way, some readers might be more inclined to vote for your sub, imo! Moving on, I think it would be best to remove Follow Me from Highloam for balance purposes. Follow Me has very limited distributions since it's functionally superior than Rage Powder. I appreciate that Highloam doesn't have much overlap with Rage Powder users, at the very least. However, Fluffy + 105 HP / 115 Def really pushes this Pokémon, making it very resilient on the physical side, allowing it to redirect moves for several turns. You could take a look at Blastoise and Togekiss to get a better idea what bulk is more acceptable on a Follow Me user, especially on a type combo that isn't too shabby at all.

 

[Cyaneedle]

Hey! It's nice to see new people. Hope you had a lot of fun while taking a look at sugarbear's VGC PetMod.^^ Speaking of overview, it might not hurt to explain to the readers how Highloam functionally differs from Mudaimer (another "slow", bulky Normal/Ground Pokémon). That way, some readers might be more inclined to vote for your sub, imo! Moving on, I think it would be best to remove Follow Me from Highloam for balance purposes. Follow Me has very limited distributions since it's functionally superior than Rage Powder. I appreciate that Highloam doesn't have much overlap with Rage Powder users, at the very least. However, Fluffy + 105 HP / 115 Def really pushes this Pokémon, making it very resilient on the physical side, allowing it to redirect moves for several turns. You could take a look at Blastoise and Togekiss to get a better idea what bulk is more acceptable on a Follow Me user, especially on a type combo that isn't too shabby at all.

Gotcha! I removed Follow Me and went more in-depth for reasons on why someone should vote for Highloam.

 

[BlueRay]

Tournament Winner Additions

Conotox

I really like this design. It's a very stabilizing Pokemon with decent bulk, few weaknesses, Shell Armor, and tools like Follow Me and Baneful Bunker. But it's also got some options that enable it to play into some very weird interactions; Weak Armor, Shell Smash, and Explosion give it a lot of weird lines to play. None of that is to even mention Mimicry, which is something we'll sort of need to see the evolution of over time. I'd maybe want to see a few more moves here, there's seemingly a lot of flexibility after Follow Me / Baneful Bunker / Sludge Bomb. Nothing super crazy - maybe Chilling Water? Or Silk Trap as an alternative to Baneful?

(Also woah, 505 BST, too many numbers! Except I wouldn't really change it - it's far from optimized as is)

Intestinorm

I also have to ask... is the name meant to bring to mind Intestines? And how they are sort of shaped like worms? That goes hard if so.

This is far from needing a buff, but still. Flavorwise, this should absolutely get Sand Pit.

New Items

Ancient Armor seems... bizarre. Filter / Solid Rock in the item slot is not something most Pokemon really care to use, especially not over a Sash or a Pinch Berry. Dustnoir might use it, but that's about all I can think of right now - other Pokemon with abilities that give healing or defensive buffs may be relevant as well.

Thanks for the feedback and for providing the move code! It's great to see this PetMod inviting people to talk about their submissions, providing feedback and criticism, etc. I appreciate this!
- Now, as for Conotox, I could add Chilling Water; that's an excellent addition because it fits Conotox so well flavour wise and underlines its support role. I'm also very open to Silk Trap.
- On Intestinorm, you are right, indeed. The name does refer to "intestines" and how they kind of resemble worms. Moreover, I might add that "norm" alludes to the word "enormous". Intestinorm is a very large creature, reminiscent of some of the sand worms in the book / movie "Dunes". I'll probably refrain from adding Sand Pit as I personally consider this move more a signature move, which I wouldn't want to distribute too widely. Though, people are free to add this move to their submissions if they want to.
- With regard to Ancient Armor, I was debating whether I really wanted to include it; there were some other options as well. I'm not very married to Ancient Armor. So, I appreciate your thoughts and am open to other items if people here would like to see another one.

Potential Item Replacement, unless people prefer Ancient Armor, which is essentially Filter / Solid Rock:
- Protonema: If Grassy Terrain is active, adds Grass type to the user. Consumable.
- Ancient Tool: User of this item follows physical / special split based on gen 3 when attacking. Fairy is physical. If a move category change occured, grants 20% power boost.
- Energy Switch: If user has its Atk lowered, its SpA is increased by the same amount. Same with Def and SpD. Consumable.
- Power Unit: If user recharges (by using Hyper Beam, for instance), gets +1 omni boost. Consumable.

 

[Sugarbear]

Thanks for the feedback and for providing the move code! It's great to see this PetMod inviting people to talk about their submissions, providing feedback and criticism, etc. I appreciate this!
- Now, as for Conotox, I could add Chilling Water; that's an excellent addition because it fits Conotox so well flavour wise and underlines its support role. I'm also very open to Silk Trap.
- On Intestinorm, you are right, indeed. The name does refer to "intestines" and how they kind of resemble worms. Moreover, I might add that "norm" alludes to the word "enormous". Intestinorm is a very large creature, reminiscent of some of the sand worms in the book / movie "Dunes". I'll probably refrain from adding Sand Pit as I personally consider this move more a signature move, which I wouldn't want to distribute too widely. Though, people are free to add this move to their submissions if they want to.
- With regard to Ancient Armor, I was debating whether I really wanted to include it; there were some other options as well. I'm not very married to Ancient Armor. So, I appreciate your thoughts and am open to other items if people here would like to see another one.

Potential Item Replacement, unless people prefer Ancient Armor, which is essentially Filter / Solid Rock:
- Protonema: If Grassy Terrain is active, adds Grass type to the user. Consumable.
- Ancient Tool: User of this item follows physical / special split based on gen 3 when attacking. Fairy is physical. If a move category change occured, grants 20% power boost.
- Energy Switch: If user has its Atk lowered, its SpA is increased by the same amount. Same with Def and SpD. Consumable.
- Power Unit: If user recharges (by using Hyper Beam, for instance), gets +1 omni boost. Consumable.

Of those I like the Power Unit most, it’s a great high risk high reward item

 

[Genuine_Angus_B33F]

Potential Item Replacement, unless people prefer Ancient Armor, which is essentially Filter / Solid Rock:
- Protonema: If Grassy Terrain is active, adds Grass type to the user. Consumable.
- Ancient Tool: User of this item follows physical / special split based on gen 3 when attacking. Fairy is physical. If a move category change occured, grants 20% power boost.
- Energy Switch: If user has its Atk lowered, its SpA is increased by the same amount. Same with Def and SpD. Consumable.
- Power Unit: If user recharges (by using Hyper Beam, for instance), gets +1 omni boost. Consumable.

Protonema seems somewhat interesting, especially as an answer to Spore / Wizarteen, but it's also a dud without any Grassy Terrain setters at the moment.

Ancient Tool is probably just a no to me. Kagunawa with Ancient Core seems really well designed around leveraging unique move effects tied to Physical moves from the Special side, and that sort of nuance is lost when every single movepool has to be designed with it in mind. Boomburst Mudaimer alone makes this seem suspect.

Energy Switch is kind of fascinating, sort of like a weird Adrenaline Orb / mini Competitive boost but more broad in application. Would it only apply to Atk --> SpAtk and Def --> SpDef, or would it also apply with SpAtk --> Atk and SpDef --> Def? Wizarteen with this alongside a scary physical threat seems very tricky - I don't know if we need more anti-Intimidate at the moment.

Power Unit creates some very wacky snowball sets. Just thinking of something like Farigiraf with Hyper Beam + Stored Power, or Matokoda using Frenzy Plant and being a huge nuisance with redirection + Jungle Healing + Protect, or even just Rift-Pert with Hydro Cannon + Spiral Punch and Sucker Punch. It's probably not very relevant overall, just some goofy fun, but it is also basically a universal omni-boost option.

I am a bit picky when it comes to new items, and I don't think any of these jump out at as amazing additions. Energy Switch is probably my favorite of the batch.

 

[BlueRay]

Protonema seems somewhat interesting, especially as an answer to Spore / Wizarteen, but it's also a dud without any Grassy Terrain setters at the moment.

Ancient Tool is probably just a no to me. Kagunawa with Ancient Core seems really well designed around leveraging unique move effects tied to Physical moves from the Special side, and that sort of nuance is lost when every single movepool has to be designed with it in mind. Boomburst Mudaimer alone makes this seem suspect.

Energy Switch is kind of fascinating, sort of like a weird Adrenaline Orb / mini Competitive boost but more broad in application. Would it only apply to Atk --> SpAtk and Def --> SpDef, or would it also apply with SpAtk --> Atk and SpDef --> Def? Wizarteen with this alongside a scary physical threat seems very tricky - I don't know if we need more anti-Intimidate at the moment.

Power Unit creates some very wacky snowball sets. Just thinking of something like Farigiraf with Hyper Beam + Stored Power, or Matokoda using Frenzy Plant and being a huge nuisance with redirection + Jungle Healing + Protect, or even just Rift-Pert with Hydro Cannon + Spiral Punch and Sucker Punch. It's probably not very relevant overall, just some goofy fun, but it is also basically a universal omni-boost option.

I am a bit picky when it comes to new items, and I don't think any of these jump out at as amazing additions. Energy Switch is probably my favorite of the batch.

- Actually, we do have a Grassy Terrain setter, just not an auto-setter. It's Samtendo09's Meganium-Xelian, which has a signature Steel move that does solid damage and sets this terrain. Iirc, Sugarbear once mentioned there would be a terrain / weather slate. So, if that would be still done in the (near) future, I imagine there would be more ways to trigger Protonema, if necessary. Speaking of weather / terrain, technically, it's a good opportunity to remind people that the only real aspect we are missing are Misty Terrain and Rain. Grassy (Meganium-Xelian in the form of an offensive Steel move), Electric (Intestinorm as auto-setter), Psychic (Metagross-Prime but triggers like Seed Sower), Sun (Ninetales as auto-setter and the Fire/Ghost legendary as manual setter), Snow (Ninetales-Alola), and Sand (Dustnoir).
- Energy Switch functions in both ways. Atk <-> SpA. So, if SpA is lowered, Atk is increased instead. And if Atk is lowered, SpA is increased. As for Def, if that stat is lowered, SpD would be increased, and vice versa. Offensive stat drops only affect another offensive stat. And defensive stat drops only affect another defensive stat.
- There's no rush with the item choice; people are free to suggest other ideas as I'm not super married to a new item.

 

[BlueRay]

As Gengar is in the format, I was wondering what we could do to make it more viable in the metagame. As a Ghost Pokémon, it is heavily outclassed by Wizareetin. We could remove Gengar from the metagame, though, as it barely offers anything unique. But then, I had the idea we could give it Toxic Debris. The ability has excellent synergy with its movepool, such as Hex, Venoshock, Perish Song, Destiny Bond, Encore, among others. Really, as a Toxic Debris user, it's quite different from Glimmora, which doesn't exist in this metagame. Moreover, Gengar's presence could lead to some interesting teambuilding options, making it therefore a more notable and potentially positive addition to this PetMod.

 

[Genuine_Angus_B33F]

Gengar... (etc) ...Toxic Debris... (etc)

Go for it, I'd say. I do sort of like the soft rule that Levitate remains a mono-ability where it exists but we've already got Flygon with Tinted Lens.

I will also say that it does feel a bit weird to design a new mon with respect to the meta without having playtested the results of recent nerfs, or even knowing how some things will be changed. With that being said,

Lachespind
Psychic
Shield Dust / Overcoat / Cotton Down
76/ 81/ 54/ 60/101/113 (475)

Important Moves:
Psychic Fangs, Spirit Break, Mortal Spin, Shadow Sneak, Rapid Spin, Icy Wind, Super Fang, Taut Thread, Silk Trap, Cotton Guard, String Shot, Toxic Thread, Life Dew, Taunt, Quash, Haze

Taut Thread: Protects all Pokémon on the user's side of the field from any attacking moves for the turn. Only usable if used on the first turn after the Pokémon enters the field. If the move successfully blocks the damage of an incoming attack, set Misty Terrain. (+0 Priority)

(Basically, this is Mat Block but with a small bonus. The terrain setting isn't super relevant, I could remove it and just have this be a clone if it seems too tacked on, but I sort of like the idea of a small and not always impactful bonus)

Gameplay-wise, I'm expecting this to be a design that slows the pace of the game down, being a nuisance to fast and slow win conditions alike. Against slower threats, tools like Super Fang, Mortal Spin, and Haze can keep dangerous setup threats from getting out of hand, while a Taunt backed by Shield Dust can effectively block Trick Room. Against faster teams, the combination of Cotton Down and String Shot can quickly shut down the ambitions of Tailwind attackers lacking a Clear Amulet, while Psychic Fangs is a natural deterrent to Screens Hyper Offense. Taut Thread is a fairly niche tool in this kit, mostly accounting for opposing teams that simply want to deal immediate damage, while also blocking duos that rely on Fake Out to enforce their early offense. The wording of the success state to activate the Misty Terrain is also pretty deliberate, as it allows for slower allies using spread moves like Earthquake or Discharge to trigger the effect as well.

I'm also sort of preempting a meta call that Sneasler is going to become very good with the surrounding additions / changes, and having a Dire Claw RNG immune Psychic type might be an in-demand commodity.

misc details

Taut Thread
Psychic type
10 / 16 PP
Just copy Mat Block's mini text for builder. You can't fit everything in the move line bar and that's probably just OK.

Weight: uh 15 kg
Gender: 100% female

Full Move List

Psychic Fangs, Psycho Cut, Heart Stamp, Spirit Break, Ice Spinner, Aqua Cutter, Petal Blizzard, Cross Poison, Poison Fang, Mortal Spin, Shadow Sneak, Fire Fang, Ice Fang, Thunder Fang, Rapid Spin, Feint, Wrap, Skitter Smack,

Psychic, Psyshock, Psychic Noise, Future Sight, Expanding Force, Stored Power, Shadow Ball, Hex, Air Slash, Grass Knot, Icy Wind, Vacuum Wave

Super Fang, Cotton Guard, Cotton Spore, Calm Mind, Hypnosis, String Shot, Silk Trap, Toxic Thread, Teeter Dance, Imprison, Quash, Haze, Mist, Memento, Teleport, Aromatic Mist, Fairy Lock, Misty Terrain, Grassy Terrain, Purify, Life Dew

i can format this in the moves ts style if you dont want to blueray, just lmk :)

Origin / Concept

This one is a lot less clean in concept. I am just sort of mashing themes of a "thread of fate" as referenced in many mythologies with the idea of psychic premonition and the literal weaving of thread, as well as the continuous spinning of spindles in that process to rope in (heh) stuff like Mortal Spin and the idea of cutting that thread to include slicing moves. I'd imagine the creature itself is some kind of snake wrapped around an upside-down spindle, somehow keeping its head stable and forward facing despite the top's spinning, with a wide collar of knitted cloth sort of hiding that process.

Name is a combination of Lachesis, the name for the middle sister of the triplet sister Fates in Greek Mythology, and a Spindle, a "is a straight spike, usually made from wood, used for spinning twisting fibers such as wool, flax, hemp, and cotton into yarn." (per wikipedia) Lachesis is also the name for a genus of pit viper, which is itself derived from the Fates.

 

[BlueRay]

[...]I'm also sort of preempting a meta call that Sneasler is going to become very good with the surrounding additions / changes, and having a Dire Claw RNG immune Psychic type might be an in-demand commodity.[...]

[...]i can format this in the moves ts style if you dont want to blueray, just lmk :)[...]

- I had the same thoughts! And with how many Ghost Pokémon we have in the metagame, it's quite possible Sneasler might run Throat Chop. I have no idea what kind of EV spread your submission might run, but if it's a simple 252 HP / 252 Spe spread, Sneasler can still take it out, especially with an Adamant nature. Therefore, you might want to increase Lachespind's base Def stat a bit.
- That's very thoughtful of you! I don't mind you formating the listed moves in the moves.ts style.
- I've been thinking about your nerf on Conductive Spell for a while. I like it quite a lot for how it's similar to Rising Voltage (being less powerful against airborne Pokémon). Moreover, it's true that there's a lot of flexibility in how you can check Wizareetin by simply running Air Balloon on a Pokémon or just resorting to an airborne Pokémon. This makes the choice between Conductive Spell and Thunderbolt more relevant while also highlighting the good payoff Conductive Spell has, especially with Orbeetle's auto Gravity around. I like this type of unusual interaction. It also helps you can promote unusual combos in the future, like a Normal/Flying Pokémon, a Levitate Normal Pokémon or Levitate Dark Pokémon, etc.
- As for your sub, that's a cool take on a supportive role. It makes sense to have a monotype (we should have more of those) where the user can lean much better into utility moves as they only need to run one damaging STAB move while dualtypes are usually more incentived to be more offensive and have less space for utility moves. Personally, I think it's fine to have an extra effect on Taut Thread; the developers do like to add extra effects on existing elements from time to time, especially for special occasions, for instance. Since it's a fakemon, it probably wouldn't be too difficult to justify it however you want to.

 

[Sugarbear]

Guys I am so sorry, I completely forgot about this. It's voting time!

Burdown (480 BST)

Name: Burdown (Burdock + Down)
Type:

Stats: 46/115/27/27/120/145 (480)
Abilities: Lightning Rod/Natural Cure/Neutralizing Gas
Weight: 4.2 lbs.
Movepool: Leafage, Gastro Acid, Slash, Leaf Blade, Psycho Cut, Night Slash, Spirit Break, Petal Dance, Snarl, Fling, Foul Play, Throat Chop, Charm, Disarming Voice, Dazzling Gleam, Draining Kiss, Play Rough, Confuse Ray, Shadow Claw, Spite, Curse, Energy Ball, Giga Drain, Seed Bomb, Grass Knot, Solar Beam, Solar Blade, Grassy Terrain, Grassy Glide, Petal Blizzard, Earthquake, Earth Power, Take Down, Protect, Facade, Endure, Body Slam, Sleep Talk, Swords Dance, Substitute, Hyper Beam, Giga Impact, Tera Blast, Swords Dance, Rest, Zen Headbutt, Trick, Trick Room, Amnesia, Toxic, Gunk Shot, Poison Jab, Smart Strike, Iron Head
Role: Gravelord Wizareetin Counter!!! Burdown is designed to do to Wizareetin what Daiyakuza couldn't, by having no weaknesses when facing him, outspeeding him by one point, being able to hit for Supereffective damage without the worry of getting hit by Conductive Spell, can resist Special Blows and hit them back with his high attack stat against Wizareetin's less than stellar defence. He can even set up Trick Room and neutralize abilities with Neutralizing Gas. Of course, it has pathetic health and physical defences, but that's what your allies are for!
Flavor: This Pokémon is based off the Burdock, a flowering plant that was believed to help fend off the evil eye. This plant also led to the invention of the Velcro Strap, and this Pokémon can strap it's own thorns around it's hands to use as arm blades to help protect itself from predators. It's said that when the flower on it's head blooms, there will be no evil for the rest of the day.

480 BST

Name: Jijilong (jijī (an informal term for an old man) and 龍 Lóng)

Type: Normal/Dragon
Abilities: Berserk / Sap Sipper // Cloud Nine
Stats: 68/55/75/120/86/56

Move Removals: Fly, Giga Impact, Hyper Beam, Scale Shot, Shadow Claw

Weight: 120.0 kg
Gender: 50-50
Design: Drampa but younger looking

Description: Drampa pre-evolution. I thought about calling it Druncle because Drampa + Uncle but then I realized just how much that sounds like drunk + L and decided to not do that. Drampa looses a bit of bulk and offense, but it can use eviolite to overcome the downside and it gets some speed.

Name: Dukion

Ability: Cloud Nine / Energizer (If a Pokémon on user's side lowers a target's stat, it recovers 1/8 of its HP while ally recovers 1/16 of its HP.)
Type: Dragon / Electric

Stats:
HP: 90
Attack: 108
Defense: 83
Special Attack: 34
Special Defense: 73
Speed: 92
BST: 480

Height: 2.3 m
Weight: 103.7 kg
Gender Ratio: male (50.0%), female (50.0%)

Physical Moves	Special Moves	Status Moves
Aqua Tail, Bite, Breaking Swipe, Crunch, Dragon Claw, Dragon Rush, Dragon Tail, Endeavor, Facade, Fire Fang, Flail, Giga Impact, Outrage, Scale Shot, Supercell Slam, Thunder Fang, Wild Charge	Draco Meteor, Dragon Breath, Dragon Pulse, Electroweb, Hyper Voice, Snarl, Snore, Thunder, Thunderbolt, Vacuum Wave, Volt Switch	Charge, Dragon Cheer, Dragon Dance, Electric Terrain, Endure, Helping Hand, Protect, Rain Dance, Rest, Roar, Sleep Talk, Substitute Tailwind, Taunt, Thunder Wave, Torment

Description:
1) Concept
- Dukion is based on the Tibetan dragon Druk, with a lot of lightning association and able to enlighten and lift the spirit of people. Hence, the custom ability

Description:
2) Competitive
- Dukion is meant to support Bug Pokémon in particular as they like nothing more than to lower stats. Thanks to its custom ability Energizer, Dukion can ensure that Pokémon on the user's side can stay relatively healthy while also slowing down the oppressive set-up sets that became popular during the most recent tournament. Dukion can also pair with Ice Pokémon since it naturally resists Steel and Fire, and both Electric and Ice exert good offensive pressure since few type combos resist this duo. In general, though, Dukion should have no trouble to be put on the team as Electric/Dragon offers a good resistance profile that matches well into the common Grass/Fire/Water core.
[/spoiler]

Name: Highloam
Prompt: Regular Mon under or at 480 BST
Type: Normal / Ground
Ability: Sap Sipper / Fluffy (Sand Stream)
Stats: 105/95/115/60/75/25 (475 BST)
Useful Moves:
Physical: Bulldoze, High Horsepower, Earthquake, Body Slam, Horn Leech, Headlong Rush, Facade, Rock Slide, Stone Edge, Head Smash, Superpower, Avalanche, Heat Crash.
Special: Earth Power, Tera Blast, Hyper Voice, Power Gem,
Status: Shore Up, Milk Drink, Belly Drum, Toxic, Heal Bell, Helping Hand, Whirlwind, Bulk Up, Curse, Stealth Rock, Spikes, Wide Guard.
Weight: 905.2
Height: 1.82
Gender: 50/50
Competitive use: Weather setter! Can also function as a slow bulky attacker with Sap Sipper or a complete utility piece with Fluffy.

And why use Highloam instead of.. say, Mudaimer? as they're both slow bulky Ground / Normals? Well, Highloam gets a significantly larger utility movepool, packing a Cleric move in Heal Bell, being able to phaze with Whirlwind, and being able to deal solid damage itself and paralyze with Body Slam. It can also slow other Pokemon down with Bulldoze. It additionally packs a useful Grass immunity if it uses Sap Sipper, or can bring in a possible new Weather with its Sand Stream, assisting rock types with their Special Defense. It can also run Wide Guard in case of spread moves that your ally might be prone to.
Flavor: Large. Similar in shape to a Piloswine + Shox Fusion. Highland Cow btw

full learnset if it wins or something idk I just wanted to participate :3

Spiroxic
Type: Ghost / Poison
Ability: Competitive, Corrosion, Merciless
Base stats: 95, 60, 65, 125, 65, 70 (480 BST)
Useful moves
Physical: Mortal Spin
Special: Shadow Ball, Sludge Bomb, Venoshock, Hex, Snarl, Belch, Aura Sphere, Icy Wind
Status: Taunt, Toxic, Will-o-Wisp, Toxic Thread, Toxic Spikes, Nasty Plot, Trick Room, Perish Song, Baneful Bunker
Size: 0.66 m
Weight: 66.6 kgs
Competitive use: It's an annoying disruptor that can also pack a decent punch

Lachespind
Psychic
Shield Dust / Overcoat / Cotton Down
76/ 81/ 54/ 60/101/113 (475)

Important Moves:
Psychic Fangs, Spirit Break, Mortal Spin, Shadow Sneak, Rapid Spin, Icy Wind, Super Fang, Taut Thread, Silk Trap, Cotton Guard, String Shot, Toxic Thread, Life Dew, Taunt, Quash, Haze

Taut Thread: Protects all Pokémon on the user's side of the field from any attacking moves for the turn. Only usable if used on the first turn after the Pokémon enters the field. If the move successfully blocks the damage of an incoming attack, set Misty Terrain. (+0 Priority)

(Basically, this is Mat Block but with a small bonus. The terrain setting isn't super relevant, I could remove it and just have this be a clone if it seems too tacked on, but I sort of like the idea of a small and not always impactful bonus)

Gameplay-wise, I'm expecting this to be a design that slows the pace of the game down, being a nuisance to fast and slow win conditions alike. Against slower threats, tools like Super Fang, Mortal Spin, and Haze can keep dangerous setup threats from getting out of hand, while a Taunt backed by Shield Dust can effectively block Trick Room. Against faster teams, the combination of Cotton Down and String Shot can quickly shut down the ambitions of Tailwind attackers lacking a Clear Amulet, while Psychic Fangs is a natural deterrent to Screens Hyper Offense. Taut Thread is a fairly niche tool in this kit, mostly accounting for opposing teams that simply want to deal immediate damage, while also blocking duos that rely on Fake Out to enforce their early offense. The wording of the success state to activate the Misty Terrain is also pretty deliberate, as it allows for slower allies using spread moves like Earthquake or Discharge to trigger the effect as well.

I'm also sort of preempting a meta call that Sneasler is going to become very good with the surrounding additions / changes, and having a Dire Claw RNG immune Psychic type might be an in-demand commodity.

misc details

Taut Thread
Psychic type
10 / 16 PP
Just copy Mat Block's mini text for builder. You can't fit everything in the move line bar and that's probably just OK.

Weight: uh 15 kg
Gender: 100% female

Full Move List

Psychic Fangs, Psycho Cut, Heart Stamp, Spirit Break, Ice Spinner, Aqua Cutter, Petal Blizzard, Cross Poison, Poison Fang, Mortal Spin, Shadow Sneak, Fire Fang, Ice Fang, Thunder Fang, Rapid Spin, Feint, Wrap, Skitter Smack,

Psychic, Psyshock, Psychic Noise, Future Sight, Expanding Force, Stored Power, Shadow Ball, Hex, Air Slash, Grass Knot, Icy Wind, Vacuum Wave

Super Fang, Cotton Guard, Cotton Spore, Calm Mind, Hypnosis, String Shot, Silk Trap, Toxic Thread, Teeter Dance, Imprison, Quash, Haze, Mist, Memento, Teleport, Aromatic Mist, Fairy Lock, Misty Terrain, Grassy Terrain, Purify, Life Dew

i can format this in the moves ts style if you dont want to blueray, just lmk :)

Origin / Concept

This one is a lot less clean in concept. I am just sort of mashing themes of a "thread of fate" as referenced in many mythologies with the idea of psychic premonition and the literal weaving of thread, as well as the continuous spinning of spindles in that process to rope in (heh) stuff like Mortal Spin and the idea of cutting that thread to include slicing moves. I'd imagine the creature itself is some kind of snake wrapped around an upside-down spindle, somehow keeping its head stable and forward facing despite the top's spinning, with a wide collar of knitted cloth sort of hiding that process.

Name is a combination of Lachesis, the name for the middle sister of the triplet sister Fates in Greek Mythology, and a Spindle, a "is a straight spike, usually made from wood, used for spinning twisting fibers such as wool, flax, hemp, and cotton into yarn." (per wikipedia) Lachesis is also the name for a genus of pit viper, which is itself derived from the Fates.

Nerfs

This section is a bit cluttered, so I'll give you a rundown of the suggestions and you can vote on the one(s) you agree with

Wizarteen:
Lower its Speed
Nerf Conductive Spell

Keisberg
Eternal Ice now blocks Fire and Water, leaving it with a 4x weakness to Fighting

Magikite
Replace Wind Rider (Cloud 9 makes the most sense thematically IMO)
Nerf Flying Dive from 60 BP to 50

Orbeetle
Lose Hypnosis
Makes Psychic types immune to Sleep

Paranoia
Always drops Def/SpDef depending on which stat is lower.

Not related to votes, but because there already was an item called Miracle Berry, it has now been renamed the Gaia Berry.

Votes will be counted on Monday 21st April. Again, I'm so sorry for forgetting.

 

[Cyaneedle]

Cyaneedle's Votes for Regular 'Mon with 480 BST:
BlueRay's Dukion
Genuine_Angus_B33F's Lachespind

 

[BlueRay]

I assume we can vote only for one Pokémon submission that is not our own since that's how it's been done in the past. In that case, I'll vote for Genuine_Angus_B33F's Lachespind.

As for nerfs:
- nerf Conductive Spell (preferably making airborne Pokémon immune to this move)
- Keisberg's ability makes it immune to Fire and Water
- Magikite (replace Wind Rider with Cloud Nine and lower Flying Dive's BP from 60 to 50. Though, I personally prefer 55.)
- Orbeetle. Make Psychic Pokémon immune to Hypnosis is what I would generally prefer. Making them immune to general Sleep would make them incapable of using Rest. While Rest is like almost never used in VGC, from a design standpoint, it kind of feels weird to exclude Psychic Pokémon from ever running this move. So, I'd rather prefer immunity to Hypnosis.
- Paranoia is fine as it is, imo; you do have Wide Guard to get around it as well as Delphox-Rift's Curious Medicine and Clear Amulet. Just remove the move from Volbeat / Illumise. All the other Paranoia users aren't oppressive with it.

That said, in the (near) future, it might not hurt to include some Spore users because we have two types (Grass and Bug) that are immune to powder moves. We are not using Grass / Bug and Safety Goggles at their fullest potential. And when's the last time we have seen a Rage Powder user? Rage Powder has been underutilized so far in the tournament. Though, with Keisberg's nerf and the potential rise of Sneasler, we might see more Rage Powder users, like Matokoda or Eviolite Tangela.

 

[PalpitoadChamp]

480 BST: Genuine_Angus_B33F

Wizareetin: Conductive Spell no longer can target airborn Pokemon.

Keisberg: Eternal Ice provides an immunity to Fire and Water.

Magikite: Replace Wind Rider with Cloud Nine and nerf Flying Dive to 55.

Orbeetle: Remove Hypnosis.

Paranoia: Remove from Volbeat and Illumise as they already have a great option but Paranoia helps get over their passiveness too well.

 

[Samtendo09]

480 BST: Genuine_Angus_B33F

Wizareetin: Conductive Spell no longer can target airborn Pokemon

Keisberg: Eternal Ice no longer provide immunity to Fighting; now provides immunity to Fire and Water

Magikite: Replace Wind Rider with Cloud Nine and nerf Flying Dive to 55

Orbeetle: Remove Hypnosis, make Psychic-thpe immune to Hypnosis

Paranoia: Remove from Volbeat and Illumise

 

[Genuine_Angus_B33F]

My vote is for BlueRay's submission, Dukion.

Wizareetin: Conductive Spell has no effect vs airborne targets

Keisberg: Eternal Ice provides immunities from Fire + Water

Magikite: Nerf Flying Dive to 55 BP + Remove Earthquake

Orbeetle: Remove Hypnosis, make Psychic types immune to Hypnosis

Paranoia: Remove from Volbeat and Illumise

 

[BlueRay]

Sugarbear, concerning Gaia Berry, what type and BP should it be when Natural Gift is used? Miracle Berry, the previous version, had 80 BP and Flying type. On another note, perhaps, I'm going through a Mandela effect, but I could have sworn Underhanded boosted both physical and special hits if the user's stats were lowered this turn rather than the target's. Did you change the effect? Genuine_Angus_B33F mentioned a pseudo Defiant effect which seems to mirror exactly how I initially understood the ability. If you did change the effect or if I just misunderstood it, I can update the ability correctly, of course.

Speaking of Genuine_Anguss_B33F, in case of your sub winning, do you want me to add Protect, Substitute, Rest, and Sleep Talk?

 

[Sugarbear]

OK, votes are in! The winner is Lachespind by Genuine_Angus_B33F !
As per the balance, Wizarteen will have its signature move nerfed to no longer hit airborne Pokemon.
Psychic types are now immune to Hypnosis, thus nerfing Orbeetle and buffing Psychic types simultaneously.
Magikite has Cloud Nine instead of Wind Rider, and Flying Dive starts at 50 BP and doubles against grounded mons.
Keisberg’s Eternal Ice now blocks Water moves instead of Fighting onces.
Will update the google sheet tomorrow morning, along with the next slate!

As for Gaia Berry, yeah I think 80BP Flying type is the best option.

 

[BlueRay]

- Congratulation to the winner! I'm very curious to see how Lachespind will perform in the newly updated metagame. It has very unique tools to control the field, making attackers wary of hitting it.
- Speaking of updates, I've already made a pull-request. So, it's only a question of time until DH gets updated. I should note I improved the coding for the Rewind ability to make it more clean. While I'm at it, I'm eager to try out Rewind with Gaia Berry to ensure Bennusule will remain longer on the field.
- If you recall, I didn't manage to code PalpitoadChamp's move Passive Aggressive due to its high complexity. I still haven't managed to solve it, which made me wonder if you would like to come up with an alternative effect or if you just want to wait and see if I'll ever manage to crack the code. Your choice, PalpitoadChamp.
- With the new Pokémon additions, the metagame will likely look quite different from the previous one. Genuine_Angus_B33F already mentioned Sneasler could rise up in popularity now that Keisberg will no longer push out from the metagame almost every Fighting Pokémon. I share their prediction as well and will add that Intestinorm--the Bug/Ground Electric Terrain setter--could likely be a common partner for Sneasler. After all, this terrain can trigger Sneasler's Electric Seed + Unburden. I could see moderately fast Water, Fire or Flying Pokémon rising just to pressure Intestinorm. Though, Wizareetin might be the prefered check / counter considering it's immune to Fake Out and can tank any moves from Intestinorm while threatening it with Conductive Spell at the same time. Sneasler also hates facing Wizareetin unless it runs Throat Chop. It will be interesting to see how Wizareetin players and the hypothetical Intestinorm + Sneasler core will adapt. For now, Sneasler will be a refreshing sight in the metagame.
- Hopefully, Sneasler won't be the only Fighting or Poison Pokémon that actually benefits from Keisberg's nerf. There's the Poison/Fighting Mycecroak who's not only bulky but also offers Fake Out and has the resistance profile to comfortably switch into Sneasler or Swampert-Rift. The latter might take some hit with the potential rise of Fighting Pokémon, but that's why you have allies to take care of them for you. Moreover, Water/Dark exerts good offensive pressure in the current metagame (notably threatening Wizareetin, among others) and its Electric immunity is a blessing.
- As for Ledellar, it can be pretty much anti-metagame, greatly taking advantage of Intestinorm's stat lowering abuse due to Defiant. It also happens to synergize with Wizareetin, the two covering each other's weaknesses and resistances for the most part. I would not be surprised to see a Rock Pokémon within this core, such as the Rock/Ground Cemmetar. I could see Choice Scarf or a set with a boosting item be a real threat. Between Mudaimer, Intestinorm, and Cemmetar, the Ground type probably won't feel neglected at all for lack of a better term. I hope to see Water or even Ice Pokémon seeing more usage just to keep them in check. We'll see.
- I'm not sure how Keisberg will perform after the nerf. At the very least, it should be healthier and more reasonable to deal with. A redirector such as Tangela or Matokoda will likely be mandatory just to keep Fighting Pokémon away from it.
- On support Pokémon, I noticed we have Vespiquen. With how good and useful Wizareetin is, I wonder if it has any chance to thrive in the metagame as an Intimidate user, especially when there's Arbok who isn't weak to the aforementioned Electric/Ghost Pokémon. If Cemmetar sees good usage, Vespiquen will have a harder time due to its 4x Rock weakness. Perhaps, one day, the metagame will shift in its favour or someone manages to find a viable niche for it.
- I'm tired now. So, I might post another information post. That said, I'm very curious about the new slate. I have some ideas about what the metagame might need, such as more diversity in terms of strategies / gimmicks or Pokémon. Outside of Keisberg, Ice feels a little bit underrepresented, for instance. I hope we will see more than the devastating set-up sets we've seen in the tournament. More fun and viable strategies would go a long way to make this PetMod feel more fresh and exciting than it already is. For instance, when's the last time you've seen successful Dancer teams in VGC?

 

[Sugarbear]

OK everyone, the next slate is here! Today, we are covering Version Exclusives. From Pinsir and Scyther to Lycanroc and...Lycanroc, every mainline game has had them. You can do 2 different Pokemon, or they can be two formes of the same mon like Lycanroc (but no in battle changes between them). When the voting comes on Wednesday 30th April you'll be voting for your favourite 2 pairs (excluding your own). 520 BST limit. You may also bring back 1 Pre-existing Pokemon (no legendaries, paradoxes, Incineroar or Amoongus) and buff it if you wish with movepool additions, new ability(s) and base stat buffs.
Good luck everyone!
Not related to the slate, but BlueRay had a great idea for a tournament.

Hey, I was wondering how we could get people's interest and make them more invested in your PetMod. After I had watched Wolfe Glick's recent auction video, it made me think you could try setting up a draft match. This would allow everyone to get more familiar with some of the underused or unused Pokémon!

If you're curious, here's the full video. Don't worry if you don't want to watch the whole thing, he explains the concept within the first part. We're not going to be doing it right away, especially as we just had a tournament, but it sounds really interesting. It'll get people using and exploring more Pokemon.

 

[BlueRay]

This time, I have two Pokémon based on objects, axe and lance that represent healing and destruction respectively.

Stormulex & Caulúin

Name: Stormulex

Ability: Triage / Volt Absorb // Grassy Surge
Type: Electric / Rock

Stats:
HP: 91
Attack: 129
Defense: 96
Special Attack: 60
Special Defense: 84
Speed: 60
BST: 520

Height: 1.7 m
Weight: 125.0 kg
Gender Ratio: -

New Move:
- Stormrend (Electric, physical, 60 BP, 100% acc, 10 PP, contact, effect: User recovers half of the damage dealt to all other targets, like Parabolic Charge.)

Physical Moves	Special Moves	Status Moves
Brick Break, Brutal Swing, Facade, Giga Impact, Grassy Glide, Head Smash, Heavy Slam, Knock Off, Rapid Spin, Rock Slide, Rock Tomb, Stone Axe, Stone Edge, Stormrend, Supercell Slam, Wild Charge	Ancient Power, Discharge, Grass Knot, Meteor Beam, Rising Voltage, Thunder, Thunderbolt, Vacuum Wave, Volt Switch	Calm Mind, Charge, Electric Terrain, Endure, Focus Energy, Grassy Terrain, Healing Wish, Heal Pulse, Helping Hand, Magic Coat, Magnet Rise, Pain Split, Protect, Rain Dance, Rest, Rock Polish, Rototiller, Sandstorm, Sleep Talk, Spikes, Stealth Rock, Substitute, Swords Dance, Thunder Wave, Wish

Description:
1) Concept
- Visually speaking, Stormulex is a thunder stone axe whose name combines different aspects of its design:

a) storm
b) to store (energy, for instance)
c) amulet (a historical real life reference to a a thunder stone axe's use as an amulet, which is supposed to protect you or a building)
d) outlet (this one is stretching a bit since you can barely recognize it in the name)
e) lex (chosen more so to have the name sound like the word 'axe'. Though, in Greek, 'lex' can also mean 'defender of mankind'.

- I probably wasn't clear enough but in ancient times, people believed a thunder stone axe had a lot of healing properties and prevented the loss of fertility. It was a very useful tool for agriculture, ensuring lots of luck and prosperity. This explains why Stormulex has such a strong focus on healing.

- If you want to read some world building around this Pokémon, here's an example: In ancient times, when people were suffering from a great malaise, no healer could find a cure. As their conditions worsened with each passing day, they prayed for help. And just so, in the midst of a stormy night, a heavy object fell from the sky, crackling with the sound of thunder. When people approached it, they were scared at first, not knowing what they were dealing with. But soon enough, their reactions changed to wonder as they saw it filling the arid area they were in with life. This display filled the people with such confidence and courage that they asked it to accompany them. After all, their loved ones were in dire need of help. Pitying them, the mysterious object acquiesed. Once the group arrived at the village, it went to the sick people. Its body started to pulse in the colour of a clear, light, bruish green. And with a swift swing of its axe-like body, the atmosphere became oddly charged, like electricity, yet brimming with the energy of life. All people nearby suddenly felt rejuvenated; the sick people felt their lifes returning to them. Ever since then, Stormulex became the patron of this village. To this day, scholars are befuddled by this Pokémon's existence; its body is made of a rock not found on this planet. Moreover, its origin remains unknown. Did it travel with a meteoroid and somehow fell down during its travel? Where was its home? Was it created?Whatever the answers may be, people are grateful for its presence; some believe Stormulex to be Arceus's blessing despite their being no evidence.


Description:
2) Competitive
- As a Triage user, Stormulex will always find a niche as it can quickly patch up a weakened ally with Heal Pulse or the unexplored Healing Wish. Furthermore, since Stormrend is a healing move, Stormulex can double as a threatening priority attacker. However, since this move hurts all other Pokémon, you can't spam it mindlessly. Consider pairing it with an Electric immune or resistant Pokémon, such as Flygon, Intestinorm or Mudaimer. There's also potential synergy with Weakness Policy, Battery, Kee Berry, Parasignal, Stamina (whenever we might get one), etc. What's more, Stormrend can mitigate the recoil damage from Wild Charge and Head Smash.
- As a Grassy Surge user, Stormulex has great synergy with Grass Pokémon. The two cover their weaknesses and resistances very well. For instance, Electric/Rock resists and pressures Fire and Flying while Grass takes care of Water and Ground. Speaking of Grass Pokémon, they can also benefit from Stormulex's Rototiller.
- Stormulex's biggest strength is its role as a very flexible, offensive utility Pokémon. While Electric/Rock has a lot of shortcomings, especially on the defensive side, it should not be underestimated how well this type combination synergizes with the Grass type and Bug type, making teambuilding very easy and diverse.


Name: Caulúin

Ability: Corrosion / Technician // Withering Blight (As long as user is on the field, all other Pokémon are considered poisoned, similar to Comatose, and loose 1/16 HP from this Poison instead. For transparency's sake: If any Pokémon switches out, that Pokémon is no longer poisoned from the ability. If the user leaves the field, all other Pokémon are no longer poisoned from this ability as well. Only Pokémon that got poisoned from this ability loose 1/16 HP. Pokémon that have another status condition, like Burn or Sleep, are not considered poisoned.)
Type: Fire / Steel

Stats:
HP: 91
Attack: 116
Defense: 84
Special Attack: 40
Special Defense: 129
Speed: 60
BST: 520

Height: 2.7 m
Weight: 225.0 kg
Gender Ratio: -

New Moves:
- Infernal Joust (Fire, physical, 120 BP, 100% acc, 5 PP, contact, effect: Functions like Phantom Force.)

Physical Moves	Special Moves	Status Moves
Acrobatics, Aerial Ace, Assurance, Barb Barrage, Brick Break, Brutal Swing, Drill Run, Endeavor, Facade, Feint, Feint Attack, Fell Stinger, Fire Lash, First Impression, Flail, Flame Charge, Fling, Giga Impact, Infernal Joust, Lunge, Mega Horn, Mortal Spin, Payback, Poison Jab, Reversal, Shadow Sneak, Smart Strike, Steel Roller, Swarming Strike, Temper Flare, Throat Chop	Acid Spray, Burn Up, Flame Burst, Incinerate, Inferno, Overheat, Venoshock	Acid Armor, After You, Agility, Curse, Destiny Bond, Endure, Focus Energy, Iron Defense, Laser Focus, Protect, Rest, Sandstorm, Sleep Talk, Substitute, Sunny Day, Taunt, Torment, Toxic, Toxic Spikes, Venom Drench, Will-O-Wisp

Description:
1) Concept
- Caulúin is based on the legendary lance Lúin of Celtchar, said to be very fiery and venomous. It's so dangerous and bloodthirsty that it has to be put in a cauldron, filled with a black liquid, to lower its impact on the environment and the wielder; in fact, you need several people just to "tame" it.

Description:
2) Competitive
- Caulúin's Withering Blight introduce a unique strategy to the metagame, easily enabling stuff like Guts, Quick Feet, and Poison Heal, among others, while also being able to slow down teams; in fact, it can reliably make use of Venom Drench or resort to Lunge and Will-O-Wisp. You can also promote offense with tools like Acid Spray and Fire Lash or attack yourself. For instance, Infernal Joust can extend Caulúin's presence on the field, and thus its poisoning, while also recovering a little bit of HP with Leftovers.
- Fwiw, as Withering Blith puts all other Pokémon on a timer, it can use First Impression more reliably, pressuring Psychic Pokémon a Poison ally may not want to deal with. The Fire type pressures opposing Steel Pokémon who are naturally immune to Poison, poisoning, and Toxic.
- Against this background, Caulúin's poisonous and destructive approach to a battle greatly contrasts Stormulex's regenerative proclivity. It's no wonder then that the two represent version exclusives.
- Another advantage of Withering Blight is the fact that it can grant your ally an alternative Sleep immunity. That said, low speed and a very modest physical defense should keep Caulúin well in check. Moreover, with Fighting Pokémon rising and a 4x weakness to Ground, it has to be careful.

 

[BlueRay]

Returning Pokémon: Meowstic.
- male one would be the only "fast" Screen setter while also being able to offer speed control and techs like Gravity or Misty Terrain if you fear status that much, such as Sleep.
- female one has Competitive at least, which could be useful on speedy Psy Spam teams as they usually hate facing stat lowering moves like Snarl or Icy Wind.

If you are in need of submission ideas, here are some suggestions:
- metagame currently lacks a Rain setter as well as potent Rain abusers
- a threatening Quiver Dance user à la Volcarona or Frosmoth
- a slow, powerful Ice Pokémon for Trick Room
- generic good Ice Pokémon for a fast mode
- a powerful Sun abuser
- more diverse Dragon Pokémon
- gimmicks, such as Dancer, Commander, etc.
- a viable Spore user
- an Unaware user, à la Skeledirge or Dondozo
- Intimidate user that isn't resistant or immune to Fighting and Ground
- Electric Terrain, Grassy Terrain or Misty Terrain abuser
- more diverse Monotype Pokémon
- more diverse Flying Pokémon
- a good partner for Perrserker and its Steely Spirit ability
- more status interaction, like Quick Feet or Poison Heal
- more diverse Gravity abusers
- Neutralising Gas user
- regional bird, route Pokémon, new Pikachu version (like Pawmot or Togedemaru), etc.

 

[Genuine_Angus_B33F]

I do think a draft / tournament follow up would be very fun, but in the meantime I also just want to run more games of this format, and I'm not quite sure of the best way to do that. I can try just loitering on dh2 a bit more I suppose, but in the meantime I'll also accept DMs if anyone wants to run games.

Also, Stormulex is a direct port-over from Clubmons, right?