CAP 27 - Part 1 - Concept Submissions

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Quanyails

On sabbatical!
is a Top Artist Alumnusis a Community Leader Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnus
The Concept will be a guiding force throughout the ensuing project, to ensure the the final result is a cohesive competitive Pokemon. Any discussions, suggestions, or submissions in later topics, that do not support the spirit of the Concept, will be moderated by the Topic Leader. Concepts must be presented as high-level descriptions of a general idea. They cannot be detailed Pokemon designs. Since we have polls to determine each aspect of the Pokemon, we cannot allow any specific features of the Pokemon to be determined by the details of the Concept. We intentionally have many rules regarding Concept Submissions. If you are not prepared to read and understand all the rules, then don't bother making a submission. These rules are made to help narrow the field of concepts down to those that have been carefully designed. This is not meant to be easy for everyone -- a good, legal Concept requires a lot of thought and careful wording. The following rules must be followed when submitting a Concept:
  • Concepts must work with the mechanics laid out in Pokemon Sword/Shield. A concept that requires a custom ability, move, or other element that cannot be found on a Pokemon from Sword or Shield is not allowed. A concept must be feasible with the gameplay mechanics that are currently available. A concept MAY reference Pokemon unique to the CAP metagame, but the concept must be able to be fulfilled by a creation with access to only GameFreak created abilities, moves, etc. In short, "no customs." We are using GameFreak's toolbox.
  • One submission per person. You may edit your Concept, but you may not change the fundamental premise after it has been posted. If editing your concept, please edit the original post instead of posting a new revision. Do not bump your Concept after you have posted it. If people do not comment on it, so be it.
  • Do not duplicate or closely-resemble Concepts already posted by others. It is your responsibility to read through all previous submissions in this thread to ensure you are complying with this rule. Ignorance or laziness is not an excuse.
  • Specific Pokemon types or type combos cannot be included or excluded in a Concept. Nor can other characteristics of the Concept specifically result in in the inclusion or exclusion of Types. For example, the following phrases would be illegal:
    "This is a Dragon pokemon with..." "The pokemon should be immune to Ghost attacks..." "The pokemon should have at least 7 resistances..." "The pokemon should get STAB on Thunderbolt.."
  • Specific Abilities are not allowed. This applies to existing abilities and new abilities. Do not attempt to circumvent this rule by mentioning specific battle effects that can only be achieved by the implementation of an ability. For example, the following phrases would be illegal:
    "This pokemon should have a defensive ability like Intimidate or Marvel Scale..." "This pokemon has an ability that steals the opponent's held item..." "When this pokemon is switched in, all weather conditions are nullified..."
  • Movepools or lists of moves are not allowed. A specific move can be mentioned if it is the basis for the entire concept. For example, the Concept "Rapid Spinner" would obviously mention the move Rapid Spin.
  • Specific stat bias, base stats, or base stat ratings are not allowed. It is acceptable to use descriptive phrases like "fast", "bulky", "strong attacker", etc -- since there are a variety of ways a pokemon can fit those descriptions without specifically requiring certain stats. But, do not use overly-specific descriptions that would narrowly constrain the pokemon's base stat spread.
  • Indications of Physical/Special bias are discouraged, but acceptable if it is essential to the Concept.
  • Do not refer to any part of the pokemon's artistic design. For example, the following phrases would be illegal:
    "This is a bright blue pokemon..." "The pokemon looks like a..." "The pokemon uses its long tail to..."
  • A Concept Submission must be submitted in the proper format. The format is described below. If the proper format is not used, the moderators will not evaluate the submission, regardless of content.
Concept Submission Format Use this format for all concept submissions: Here is the format with tags. Just copy/paste this into your post, and fill it out:
  • Name - Don't get too clever with the name. If the essence of the concept is not intuitively obvious in the name, then you are hurting your chances of people understanding it. If the essence of your concept cannot be expressed in a few words, then you need to seriously re-evaluate your concept.
  • Description - This is the official description of the concept, and must follow ALL the content rules listed above. Do not make this a long description. Long descriptions are invariably too specific or too convoluted. Keep it short. Any more than a sentence or two is TOO MUCH. Do NOT include your Explanation of the concept in the Description. See "Explanation" below.
  • Justification- Utilizing the CAP Concept Toolkit, craft a concept that can fit into at least one of the following categories: Actualization, Archetype, or Target. Please explicitly state the category names as applicable to your specific justification and explain.
    • Actualization: What is the feeling your Concept Pokemon INSPIRES when used properly in the metagame, do existing Pokemon come close to that, and why or why not?
    • Archetype: What does your Concept Pokemon DO - functionally - in the metagame, and why does the metagame need something with that role? Use Smogon's Pokemon Dictionary to assist with role definitions.
    • Target: What does your Concept Pokemon ADDRESS in the metagame, and why is addressing that target important?
  • If you cannot justify your concept utilizing one (or more) of the three tools above, then your concept is illegal for the CAP project. (More at the end of the OP)
  • Questions To Be Answered - The purpose of the CAP project is to learn new things about the metagame, and each concept submission is a proposed "experiment". Each tool has its own specific set of questions, but good concepts often can explain other facets of competitive Pokemon. Use this section to pose those additional questions. Note that this is different from Justification where you are answering tool-related questions, in this section you are proposing questions.
  • Explanation - This can contain just about anything. This is where you can explain your concept without restraint. You may make suggestions, even specific suggestions, regarding the possible implementation of the Concept. This explanation should help facilitate discussion of the Concept -- but the Explanation is NOT part of the Concept and will be omitted from the polls and any future use of the Concept. Since your explanation is non-binding, regarding future polls and threads, it will not be evaluated for purposes of determining if your concept is legal or illegal. Although it is tempting, refrain from making too long of an explanation; it will deter readers from fully considering your concept.
It is the submitter's responsibility to figure out how to make a legal submission within the rules listed above. Do not complain about the difficulty of making a submission in this thread. There are many, many legal concepts that can be presented within the rules. Here are few examples of good and bad Concepts from previous projects:

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

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

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

Past Projects and Concept Toolbox:
Stratagem (Break The Mold), Tomohawk (Momentum) and Kitsunoh (Ultimate Scout) were great examples of an Actualization concept. Most of the "teammate" concepts (Voodoom and Volkraken) also broadly fell under this, actualizing a core that would change the metagame. The lion's share of CAP Concepts in the past have been Actualization concepts.

Fidgit (Pure Utility Pokemon) and Naviathan (Use the Boost to Get Through!) are examples of successful Archetype projects. We didn't have concepts at the time of Revenankh, but "Ultimate Bulk Up Sweeper" fits the definition of an Archetype concept.

Arghonaut (Decentralizer) and Colossoil (Stop the Secondary) are the best examples of previous successful Target projects, Arghonaut's was literally based around re-centering the metagame, while Colossoil's purpose was to target the most common users of status and secondary effects. Malaconda's concept (Type Equalizer) was also at its base a Target project.

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CAP 27 so far: [link]
 
Hey there party people, it's finally time to start CAP27!

With this being the first CAP of a new generation we have so much to explore in regards to concepts, with the game being a very different environment currently than that of the previous games. With this vast difference comes a lot of new and unique ideas and paths to explore, and I'm really hoping we can find a concept that exaggerates this! I do plan to respond in this thread with my thoughts on concepts very often, I particularly am looking out for detailed "Questions to be answered" sections as I feel they give us a great insight into what we can learn from a concept, as well as give us a good idea of what its all about.

With that said, I am thoroughly looking forward to reading some excellent concept submissions, so lets get CAP27 started!
 
Name: Idea Amender

Description: Pick a CAP concept from the past that for one reason or another hasn’t stood the test of time, and revise its execution so the original concept is better epitomized in today’s metagame.

Justification: This would be a target concept, due to how this concept necessitates addressing both the history of the metagame and the CAP process itself. Addressing these targets is important firstly because of how it forces us to analyze the CAP process’s shortcomings, and how those shortcomings can contribute to concepts possibly falling flat. In addition, addressing the metagame’s history can enable us to see how the game changes over time, and how we can create Pokemon that fit in more meaningful ways into the meta. With this framing, it is my hope that we can use this concept to learn from the past, and enter the 8th Generation with a stronger understanding about how CAP can be improved.

Questions to be answered:
  • What causes certain Pokemon to fall out of favor, and others to remain metagame staples across the years?
  • On a more specific scale, why do certain CAP concepts stay strong throughout the generations, and others flounder? Is it due to some failing at the core of the CAP process, issues in the execution, external forces like changes to the game, or something else entirely?
  • Especially in terms of fulfilling concepts, what specific ways can CAP be improved?
  • Is there a way to “future-proof” certain Pokemon when only Game Freak can decide how the game itself changes over the years/through the generations?
  • How would CAP 27 be designed to not completely invalidate the existence of the concept/CAP it was based on?
Explanation: Looking at the CAP forum over the past few weeks, it has been interesting to hear the various opinions on how all the CAPmons should be adjusted for the new generation. With all these changes though, it brings to mind how various Pokemon in general have changed across the years, not just in the new gen. With CAPmons particularly, their very existences are predicated on ideas conceived for metagames much different than the one that exists today. As a result, some of those ideas have gotten “lost in translation”, as it were.

For an example, let’s take a quick glance at Voodoom and Aurumoth. Both of them have become something of a meme due mainly to how they currently don’t adhere to their original concepts. Powercreep and changes to Togekiss (who Voodoom was conceived as the “perfect mate” for) have left Voodoom in the dust, and many argue that with things like high BST and an extraordinary movepool, Aurumoth never fulfilled being “high-risk, high-reward” in the first place.

I want to be clear that this concept is not meant to entirely retread familiar ground or rehash a concept of the past. However, there is merit in analyzing where we can improve the CAP process itself, and it is my opinion that the best way to do that is to scrutinize our history, lest we be doomed to repeat it.
 
Name - Hail Yeah

Description - A Pokemon that fully utilizes Hail as a weather to find success and thrive in the current CAP OU metagame.

Justification- This concept would fall under Archetype. We are all familiar with weather wars of the past, and even had Jumbao recently as a CAP that really delved in and explored different aspects of weather in competitive battling. However, Hail has always been least successful of the weathers. There are no Pokemon, in CAP or OU, that are fully successful BECAUSE of taking advantage of Hail as a weather in a way that merits consistent use.

Questions To Be Answered:
  • Why has Hail always been the least viable of the weather formats?
  • What would it take for a Pokemon to successfully use Hail in the current CAP metagame, not as a niche, but as a defining feature and advantage of using this Pokemon on a team?
  • Which aspects of Hail as a weather would be most important to focus on in order for a Pokemon to find success? Does a Pokemon need to have more of an offensive or defensive presence to take advantage of Hail, or can it do both?
  • What qualities would be required for this one Pokemon to possess in order to build a complete, competitively successful team based around Hail? What other Pokemon would benefit from being paired with a Hail CAP?
  • What are the specific threats that prevent Hail from being successful, and how would a Hail CAP and team prepare to handle these threats accordingly?
  • Could a Pokemon use the chip damage that Hail provides to significantly improve matchups against other Pokemon, turning 2HKOs into OHKOs, etc.?
  • Must a Pokemon require a Hail-specific ability to take advantage of Hail? If not, what other abilities would lend themselves well to the success of a Pokemon's specific use in Hail?
  • What type or type combinations could best take advantage of being used in Hail, if given the right tools in stats, abilities, and movepools to adapt to the weather appropriately?
Explanation - Ever since its creation, Hail has never had a chance to really shine the way other weathers have. With CAP, we have a very unique and exciting opportunity to explore just what it is that makes Hail the inferior weather, and how to really build a Pokemon that can take advantage of Hail. Now, I know that one might see a Hail concept and immediately want to disqualify it because it suggests an Ice typing, but I would argue that this is not inherently true. Besides gaining STAB on perfectly accurate Blizzard and not receiving chip damage, there are no other features of Hail that specifically target Ice-types, which is significantly unlike the other weathers. This concept would allow us to delve in and figure out what it would take for Hail to actually finally work as a weather archetype and do something that Gamefreak has not: explore the success of a Hail-specific Pokemon that may or may not be Ice-type. There are niche Pokemon and teams that can try to take advantage of Hail, but what would it really take finally give Hail what it needs to compete on par with the other weathers?
 
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Voltage

OTTN5
is a Pre-Contributor
Final Submission

Name:
Offensive Team Support (the concept formerly known as "Trickster Cleric")

Description: A Pokemon that is able to fit the role of team support through more offensive and/or utility based means, whether these are through moves, abilities, typings or other factors unique to CAP27.

Justification: This is absolutely an Archetype based concept, if that weren't inherently clear by its name. This more or less comes from the class of a similar name from the fifth edition of dungeons and dragons (not necessarily being a Pokemon that uses Aromatherapy or Heal Bell), and it's meant to fill a role that we haven't explored in CAP since as far back as generation four with Fidgit. Furthermore, of all the offensively-oriented Pokemon that exist in the metagame, very few can also act as support for their team.

Questions to be answered:
  • How can a Pokemon that might be more offensively-focused or utility-focused fare as a healer/cleric/support mon in the current metagame?
  • What are aspects of specific support Pokemon that make them effective in their roles in the current meta?
  • To what extent can CAP27 use the new mechanics of utility based moves be used in a way to benefit players using them?
  • Without getting into overly cheesy strategies, how can CAP27 bring about creative ways to assist the rest of the team it finds itself on?
  • How does CAP27 bring about situations in which the opponent has to debate whether or not CAP27 will be healing or attacking, and how can they effectively beat that 50/50?
  • To what extent does CAP27 have to choose between acting more as a cleric versus acting more as an attacker? Can it do both without sacrificing anything relevant to its viability?
  • Are there any forms of playstyle that CAP27 might be able to benefit just by existing?
  • How can CAP27's offensive or utility presence open opportunities for healing its allies later in the game (if CAP27 gets healing methods) ?
  • To what extent does an offense-oriented support Pokemon need to use healing (via HP recovery or status healing) to support teams it finds itself on?
Explanation: Narrative time! I was listening to a bunch of nerdy-ass voice actors play dungeons and dragons while thinking about what kind of concept we might be able to use for a new CAP mon. I was inspired by a certain blue-haired tiefling cleric to see how this kind of archetype of Pokemon might fare in this setting. Essentially, this character is able to act as a healer for the group, but she's also able to provide a notable damaging presence when the situation arises.

Over the course of a lot of different metagames, there have been mons that can either help heal the team, remove status, or act as some sort of utility for the benefit of a team. However, very rarely have they had much offensive presence outside of some fixed-damage move (see Chansey, Blissey), some kind of attempt at fishing for chip damage (Alomomola), or have to sacrifice coverage to really act as a healer (Clefable). The only Pokemon in this current metagame that even remotely fills this niche is Sylveon, and even then, the eeveelution has its own shortcomings from its role as a more offensively-oriented healer. There are also Pokemon that currently exist that manage to support the rest of their teammates while having some notable offensive presence, but maybe the support isn't through actual healing but through a utility (Grimmsnarl with screens + Spirit Break for example).

The other thing that I think justifies this concept is the fact that we haven't actually ever made a CAP that is meant to act as a kind of healer, offensively or defensively. Obviously the perfect utility mon, Fidgit, exists, but we haven't explored the concept of utility since Generation 4. To be clear, I'm not saying that this concept has to inherently give precedent to creating a Pokemon that's just some random wishpasser, nor am I saying that we need to have this be some random offensive mon that also has Healing Wish (since let's be real, Jumbao does that just fine). I'm also not saying that we have to base this concept off of the entire Dungeons and Dragons class in the first place. I just think that the concept of a healing mon with access to offensive options and utility options would be pretty interesting.

In short, we haven't explored the concept of an offensive support Poekmon (a DnD "trickster cleric" if you will) in CAP, and very rarely in Pokemon in the first place, and it could be a very way to start off generation 8.

Shoutouts to my first concept submission, let's have some fun with this CAP!

EDIT: Small edit since Snake brought it up in the Discord and there was a good discussion on the term "cleric: as a whole, I'd like to add a brief note here. In Pokemon context, cleric tends to rend to a Pokemon that uses Heal Bell / Aromatherapy. This concept would not necessarily conform to those two moves, but rather the concept of assisting a team either with healing or through utility means. In a sense, the term "cleric" here refers more to the DnD class as opposed to "Pokemon that uses Aromatherapy or Heal Bell", though again, the DnD class is not meant to be the entire outline of the concept.
 
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Wulfanator

Clefable's wish came true!
is a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a Top CAP Contributor Alumnus
Name: The Aftermath is Secondary

Description: A Pokémon that explores the potential of secondary effects

Justification: This concept would fall under the target category. In the past, I’ve noticed secondary effects often take a backseat to good damage. The most notable example of this would be thunderbolt versus discharge. It was only during the transition from ORAS to SM that moves like discharge began to rise in popularity. Looking at the suggested Smogon sets for Pokémon like Zapdos (XY/SM) confirms this change. While Zapdos is not in our current meta, exploring why this shift took place and the benefits of secondary effects over additional damage would be interesting since there are many ways of using secondary effects.

Questions To Be Answered:
  • In what ways can additional effects be used effectively?
  • How would an increase in additional effects impact the meta?
  • Would using abilities that remove additional effects for alternate benefits still be considered “using” secondary effects?
  • What archetypes would appreciate the heightened focus on additional effects?
Explanation: This concept hasn’t seen the light of day for over 19 months as I originally suggested it during CAP 25. I thought it was about time to max revive the idea since there are many interesting tools we have available when it comes to moves with secondary effects, including some very reliable options. With such a wide array of moves at our disposal, it offers many unique takes on how to use them. As an example, we could go for a more support oriented defensive Pokémon. On the opposite end of the spectrum, we could aim for hyper-offensive Pokémon with the intent to cripple whatever opponent it touches. Also, notice that moves with additional effects include stat lowering moves like fire lash/grav apple as well as stat boosting moves like charge beam/flame charge.
 
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Final Submission

Name
: Terrain-O-Saurus

General Discription: A Pokémon that can take advantage of more than one of the four terrain field effects, with or without the assistance of teammates.

Justification: Sun and Moon bought about the Land Spirits of Alola, who each summon a unique terrain field effect much like Drought, Drizzle, Snow Warning, and Sand Stream. Unlike weather-based field effects however; terrains have little to no Pokémon designed to utilize them to their full potential.

This concept would fall under the categories of Actualization and Archetype. When used correctly in the metagame, the CAP should instil a sense of synergy; like it utilises the terrain to the best of its ability and the terrain is also bringing out the best in the CAP. This creates an archetype within the meta, a form of team based around this CAP teamed with Terrain setters which is currently only seen with Rain as other forms of field effect are unviable.

Questions to be answered:
What Makes each terrain powerful?
How can each terrain's effect be utilized in a way which synergizes with a Pokémon?
How would Terrain set itself apart from already utilized field effects?
How could a Pokémon synergize with more than one of the terrain effects?
How large of an effect on Terrain-O-Saurus' effectiveness should be determined by if Terrain is up or not?
Can Terrain-O-Saurus be accomplished without making it a specific partner Pokémon?

Explanation: Terrain still has Pokémon that can set it up, but Weezing-Galar really prefers Levitate; Indeedee and Pincurchin are not even OU and could be better at that role; Rillaboom's Hidden Ability has not been released. Also, the four Tapu from Alola will not return to the game until Galar's "The Crown Tundra" DLC, which will not release until Fall. In addition to the current setters being either useless or outclassed, there have not been any abusers of the mechanic after both kinds of Max got kicked upstairs, as only those four Pokémon can set it up without wasting a turn. It's a perfect time to explore the potential of terrain in CAP, especially before the Tapu come back.

Credit goes to Jho's concept submission from CAP 23. The explanation is mine, but I otherwise mostly gave GP checks, if you will.
 
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Quanyails

On sabbatical!
is a Top Artist Alumnusis a Community Leader Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnus
Final Submission

Name:
Tempo

Description: A Pokémon that explores the concept of turn efficiency (tempo) in battles.

Justification: Battling competitively involves making the most amount of impact on your opponent in the least amount of turns. For example, moves that set entry hazards are considered useful, as entry hazards have a lasting impact on the match despite taking only a few turns to set up. In contrast, moves that debuff opponents are not considered useful, as the effects of these moves are immediately nullified upon switching. Another example of turn-efficient mechanics includes abilities that automatically "use a move" (e.g., Intimidate or Psychic Surge), letting you use next move for another purpose. While playing efficiently is a core part of all strategy games, we've yet to quantify what this entails in the Pokémon metagame.

This concept falls under the Target category, as it explores a concept integral to Pokémon's battle system.

Questions to be answered:
  • What are characteristics of types, abilities, moves, and items that are efficient/inefficient?
  • What makes a move more or less efficient over the course of battle?
  • What circumstances make switching efficient or inefficient?
  • When does it become efficient for the player to use a turn to negate an existing advantage? (E.g., using a move to remove entry hazards, using Knock Off to remove items.)
  • How does RNG factor into the efficiency of an action?
  • What actions can force the opponent to lose a tempo (become behind on turn advantage)?
  • How can a player recover from losing tempo?
Explanation: Some ideas how this CAP Pokémon could behave include:
  • Specializing in making efficient plays
  • Hampering the opponent from making efficient plays
  • Creating a scenario where an ordinarily-inefficient option becomes viable (e.g., how Aegislash uses Metal Sound to disrupt would-be checks)
Thanks to the following people:
  • atrus159 showing me the analogous concept in chess, which inspired the last "question to be answered".
  • Reviloja753 for giving me feedback on this concept's clarity.
  • wulfanator72 on discussing more venues for this concept.
 
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Final Submission

Name
: Comeback King

Description: A pokemon that thrives in a losing situation, and is capable of making comebacks possible.

Justification: Comebacks in Pokemon are hard to do. Most comebacks come either from the opponent misplaying or the player making good reads that catch the opponent off guard, but comebacks rarely come from the Pokemon themselves. This would be a Target concept, as it will be used to figure out why comebacks in Pokemon are so difficult, and how certain Pokemon or team strategies could be optimized with comebacks in mind.

Questions to be Answered:

- How can we make CAP27 good at comebacks while also making sure that this pokemon isn't too good in all phases of a battle?

- Do comebacks mainly come from offensive pokemon, or can they come from defensive pokemon? What are strategies that each use to facilitate a comeback?

- If we decide to make CAP27 offensive, how do we distinguish it from general sweepers?

- How do comebacks start and how can they be stopped? Is there an effective way to prevent a comeback from being stopped?

- Does CAP27 need to kept out of battle until the late game? Doing this would essentially put the battle as a 5v6 from the start.


Explanation:
Momentum will likely play a large part in CAP27's success because even at a disadvantage, momentum will create easier opportunities for the comeback to start. Keeping CAP27 at peak condition with Wish Passing, Heal Bell, and/or hazard control would be important.
 
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Final Submission

Name:
Fragile Fighter

Description: This pokemon struggles to switch into anything, but is able to make a significant impact each time it gets the chance.

Justification: This would be an Archetype project as it fills a unique niche. While many pokemon are unable to take hits, this idea is largely unexplored as there are many possible options to compensate for this including utility, power and coverage.

Questions To Be Answered:
  • What uses can a pokemon bring to a team?
  • How does a pokemon’s defensive and offensive capabilities interact with each other?
  • Would this CAP be reserved for use on only hyper offense teams, or could it be used effectively on other team archetypes?
  • How could this CAP consistently make an impact and what kind of counterplay should be available to ensure that it is neither unstoppable nor a dead weight?
  • Many pokemon like this either excel at crushing offence or bulky cores. Is it possible to create such a volatile pokemon that is less dependent on matchups and have the capacity to perform well in all games?
  • Do poor defences force this CAP to outspeed others, or can it rely on other methods to survive?
Explanation: Many pokemon have been successful in the past despite their lacking defences, however just as many have failed to find serious viability. Surprisingly, these pokemon have fit in a variety of team structures in the past such as Weavile stall last generation and Ash – Greninja’s use on balanced and offensive teams alike. This concept seeks to explore how a pokemon that could so easily be a waste of a team slot can be justified, and what can be accomplished with limited switch in opportunities. It is also interesting to consider how good a pokemon has to be to outweigh its poor bulk from a balance perspective.
 
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Name: NFE

Description: An unevolved Pokémon that can survive in CAP.

Justification: This is an archetype concept. It gives us back the mon we were missing from losing . . . Wait, who? Chansey? Hmmmmm . . This could be a lot of regret. That being said, Coribalis (Snaelstrom's prevo) is a genuinely good Pokémon when equipped with Eviolite, but I feel like we can do better (possibly without Eviolite).

Questions To Be Answered:
- Can this mon run any viable set other than one with an Eviolite?
- If no, how do we protect it from Knock Off (if we choose to do so)?
- Do we gear this Pokémon offensively (Scyther) or defensively (Chansey)?
- How will we make it more viable than it's fully evolved form?
- Do we have to make evolution during the process or tack it on afterwards?

Explanation: Chansey is gone (for now. . .) and we don't have any NFE's in OU (Meltan doesn't count). I reckon it'd be a good time to try something new in CAP and we've never done anything remotely like this. It appeals to me personally because Scyther is a Pokémon that I've used a lot, but it's also very interesting on a technical level. Also, when I say "protect it from Knock Off" I don't mean that it's immune, I mean how can we mitigate that damage? Justified and Unburden spring to mind, Acrobatics as well. But then it just runs the risk of being a weak itemless mon. I think this would be a good test of our ability as a mon making community.
 
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Final Submission

Name:
Inoffensive

Description: This Pokemon reduces the overabundance of offense in the current metagame by promoting stall and bulkier balance teams

Justification: This would be a Target project, as this mon specifically wants to bring more diversity in playstyles to the metagame by bringing stall into a healthier place in the metagame and giving balance teams more incentive to incorporate more defensive options.

Questions To Be Answered:
  • Offense teams are currently thriving in the Gen 8 metagame in a way that no other team archetype is. What elements in this generation have caused this shift to offense?
  • Stall teams, in contrast, are doing far worse than they have in previous generations. What elements are stall and semi-stall teams missing in order to thrive?
  • How would this mon boost stall and balance against offense without also boosting offense itself by giving it an edge in mirror matches?
  • Gen 8 greatly expanded the viable movepool of several powerful, non-CAP mons, either with new boosting potential or expanded coverage. What tools would this mon need when teams now have far more breaking power than they once did?
  • Gen 8 also heavily reduced the size of the Pokedex, removing key mons to the stall playstyles in previous gens. What rolls can be filled by mons already found in the Gen 8 metagame, and what rolls need to be filled by CAP?
  • Which Pokemon in particular push CAP in such an offensive direction, and how do they accomplish this?
Explanation: So I'd first like to say that Yelram slightly ninja'd me, but I think this one hones in a little more at what the actual problem is. The excess of offense in the metagame is turning this generation pretty stale and quickly. Fewer playstyles are viable this gen than in previous gens. By elevating stall by bringing in elements it lacks, we can open up the metagame without making CAP heavily overcentralizing.
 
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Name: Compare and Contrast: A Monotype Story

Description: A Pokémon that designed around another metagame (Monotype) and added to CAP to see how it fairs.

Justification: Taking one or two Monotype teams and creating a Pokemon to help defeat some of their checks/counters to increase their viablity. This is a TARGET category to have a different look at the OU metagame through the lens of another. All of the key threats are mostly the same in both Tiers so we can still build around OU for the most part though CAP27's Checks and Counter are obviously going to change drastically depending on which type of Monotype team(s) we decide. The main difference is building around the team and focusing on their strength/weaknesses instead of focusing on CAP27 alone.

If the Pokemon ends up being too weak for the CAP meta, that is fine. If it ends up being too strong, that is fine as well. Either way we will be able to glean information off of that alone. The purpose of this is to analyze the relationship between the Metas themselves. It is also to get a better understanding on team building and the relationship of checks and counters to teammates.

Questions To Be Answered:

  • Why do Pokemon succeed in some Metas but fail in others?
  • Can we further our understanding between the relationship between Pokemon and the Meta?
  • How will building around an entire team affect the final design?
  • Will their roles be the same or will CAP27 play vastly differently when in the OU environment?
  • How will its relevant Checks/Counters affect it outside of Monotype?
  • How versatile are Pokemon outside of the Meta concept?
  • What type(s) would we choose to design CAP27 around?
Explanation: On a personal level I've been thinking about this concept for a while now. I have played Monotypes for a while and saw lower tier Pokemon excel while OU staples never played. This makes sense as they cover counters to the team while the OU ones add to them.
I have even played around and tried out Mono teams in OU as well as the lower tiers just as a means restrict my team building process and giving myself something to do. I found that they play fine for the most part to my surprise even when I have to scrap the bottom of the barrel. Building a good team is a form of art and I've always found the concept interesting. I was originally going to suggest building around a lower tier but reevaluated it and felt Monotype would be a better fit for a CAP.
 
Final Submission

Invincible Juggernaut

Description
: A Pokemon that explores the potential of moves that boost Defense and Special Defense.

Justification: This can be a Actualization or Archetype project, as it aims to study a class of Pokemon that has many members, but few successful members. Many Pokemon have the move Cosmic Power, for instance, but very few actually use it. As an Actualization, the project would aim to create the best defensive boosting Pokemon possible, while as an Archetype the project would aim to study the differences in those that succeed in this and those that fail.

Before moving on, I want to say that what I feel is needed for CAP 27 is a very open-ended and flexible project. With Home blowing much of the meta we took for granted sky-high followed by the quickbans of Kyurem-B and Melmetal, the current meta is highly volatile. Things we could add to our check list might end up being banned, forcing us to change direction mid-flow. Thus, instead of the usual "Questions to be answered", I will give "Questions that could be answered". I feel this represents how open-ended this project can be.

Questions that could be answered:
  • Why is it that moves like Cosmic Power and Amnesia are not usually regarded as competitive options? What is it that lets their few users like Eternatus thrive?
  • Is Cotton Guard a key move or too broken for this project?
  • Is Stored Power or Power Trip the way to approach this topic from an offensive movepool selection, or is there another way?
  • Could the combination of Power Trip+Bulk Up+Amnesia match the well known Double Dance Reuniclus's Stored Power+Calm Mind+Acid Armour?
  • The release of Body Press has caused a spike in usage of Acid Armour and Iron Defense. Is Body Press necessary for this project?
  • Many successful users of this have access to Recover and its variations, but Kommo-o, who has niche use with a Body Press set, does not. Is Recover etc. needed for CAP 27 to take hits?
  • What about more niche options like Screens and Stuff Cheeks? Are they relevant to this project?
  • From an ability standpoint, should CAP 27 follow in the footsteps of Mega Slowbro (Shell Armour), Etenatus and Corviknight (Pressure) and Reuniclus (Magic Guard) with a defensive ability, or would a more offensively minded Ability provide a new outlook on this theme?
  • Should CAP 27 be fast to avoid Taunts like Eternatus or use Speed as a dump stat like Reuniclus?
  • Many mons that use Defence boosting do so as a secondary set. How can we make CAP 27 use Defence boosting as its main set?
Explaination:
This project was inspired by the observation that no CAP Pokemon get Cosmic Power, and only Pyroak gets Amnesia despite its massive distribution. I was wondering why this was, when I came to the conclusion that they weren't perceived as competitive moves, but were considered too strong for flavour moves. I wanted to see if we could investigate these moves further to see if they deserve this bad-move stigma attached to them.

Over the years, stat boosting moves, for better or for worse, have played a huge role in competitive Pokemon. With a few glaring ommisions. Cosmic Power, Amnesia and Iron Defence/Acid Armour have seen little competitive use despite having a similar power level on paper to Swords Dance and Nasty Plot, two of the most powerful moves in the game. (I would also argue that Cosmic Power is more powerful than the comparable Work Up due to not having to run a mixed moveset to go with it). Game Freak has even given a few lucky mons Cotton Guard, akin to Tail Glow in power level, but also unused. Why is this? Are the Pokemon that get these moves too weak to use them properly? Or is there something fundamentally wrong with boosting up Defense?

However, with Body Press causing the use of Defense-boosting to become more widespread, we can look back on some examples of this that have succeeded. Notably, it often succeeds when hand-in-hand with offensive play. Body Press+Iron Defence is a formidable combination that blocks physical attackers while dismantling anything not a Ghost type. Indeed, Game Freak may have feared this combo so much, that they decided to not give it to Zamazenta. Bulk Up sweepers are everywhere this gen, with mons as varied as Corviknight and Conkeldurr using it, and we all know how often Calm Mind is used. Eternatus with Cosmic Power has seen usage in Ubers as a similar slow-motion breaker, but can that be attributed to its 690 BST rather than the actual strength of the set?

The most famous example pre-Gen 8 is Double Dance Reuniclus, a Pokemon that combines Calm Mind boosting with Acid Armour to become near-invincible. Possibly the most famous example of Defence-boosting is Curse in Gen 2, a very widespread use move that makes the user impregnable to physical attacks after a few uses, while also boosting Attack and dropping Speed. Even walls like Skarmory used it. I think these examples show there is much more to Defence-boosting than stalling and waiting to be critted. CAP's motto when making defensive mons of "defensive not passive" really fits this theme, and we have plenty of options to ensure our boosts can still cause major damage.

So I think that this is a very open-ended project with a lot of potential to be worked as we see for at every stage. This gen, we are starting to see that Defense boosting moves are nowhere near as one-dimensional as often assumed, and this is a chance to really explore their potential.
 
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Name: The Good Ol' Switcheroo
Description: A Pokémon that takes advantage of item-swapping moves such as Switcheroo or Trick.
Justification: This should be an Archetype concept. It explores a relatively uncharted role in a Pokémon that can cripple its opponents through swapping items with them.
Questions To Be Answered:
  • How should CAP27 approach its goal of being the ultimate Switcheroo / Trick user?
    • What ability / abilities could CAP27 have to encourage the successful use of Switcheroo / Trick? Klutz, Magic Guard, Poison Heal, another ability that benefits from status effects, something else entirely?
    • What role should CAP27 play in-battle to optimize its goal? A fast offensive pivot, a defensive pivot, something else entirely?
  • How should CAP 27 make it flexible and easy to Switcheroo / Trick hindering items to opponents? Tricking Choice Items has the limitation of only being able to do it turn one, making it predictable and prone to fail. Tricking other negative items such as Flame Orb, Toxic Orb, or Sticky Barb, means having an immunity to these items, be it through typing or abilities.
  • Should CAP27 focus on Switcheroo'ing / Tricking one particular item to cripple foes? Or should it attempt to have a multitude of different items it can Switcheroo / Trick to its foe?
  • Should CAP27 also have other outs against defensive Pokémon other than Switcheroo / Trick? Or would such a Pokémon be too powerful of a Stallbreaker / Wallbreaker?
Explanation: OU has always had its fair share of Choice Scarf Switcheroo / Trick users, be it Latios, Gengar, Rotom-W, etc. But now in SS, we're seeing Trick Sticky Barb Clefable, Switcheroo Flame Orb Obstagoon, Trick Ring Target Rotom-W, etc. And I came to realize how this can be an extremely potent asset if used properly, and having a Pokémon built around this concept would definitely allow for such an asset to be used to its full potential.

There are a few approaches that come to mind, obviously, Klutz is a given, as you can swap pretty much any negative item without drawback and get a good item in return, most likely, you could swap a Sticky Barb, a Choice Scarf, an Assault Vest, an Iron Ball, a Ring Target, a Sticky Barb, a Toxic or Flame Orb, there are lots of options. Magic Guard also allows for the Sticky Barb, Toxic Orb, or Flame Orb approach, as seen by Clefable. Poison Heal with Toxic Orb can also be a very valuable asset, as not only would CAP27 Toxic a foe, but it would steal a Leftovers and heal a whopping 3/16 of its HP every turn, which could be as much as 3/8 with the aid of Protect, (we'd obviously need to be careful when balancing this one, btw). Other abilities that trigger with status effects can also be feasible (Guts, Flare Boost, Quick Feet) especially if CAP27 manages to scoop up a Leftovers, thus negating the burn damage. There's also the possibility of having no beneficial Ability on this sense and going for the good ol' Choice Scarf Switcheroo / Trick option, but there are plenty of Pokémon that can go with this combo, already, and it's hard to give CAP27 a reason to use it in the first place, not to mention it's very predictable and fail prone, as previously mentioned.

Obviously the main target of CAP27 would be defensive Pokémon that would get crippled by having a hindering item Switcheroo'd / Tricked to them, but crippling offensive Pokémon can also be a possibility, be it through Sticky Barb or Toxic Orb wearing them down (such as Clefable Tricking Sticky Barb onto Excadrill), or something more clever like tricking a Flame Orb or even an Iron Ball. It could be a fast offensive pivot that helps pave its own way by hindering walls or fellow offensive pivots to help ally walls beat them one-on-one, or also a wall of itself that would provide support for offensive teammates by crippling other walls or faster offensive Pokémon. Overall, while this concept does narrow down one move, I think there's a lot of room to be creative, were this concept to go through.
 
Final Submission

Name
: Up and down you go

Description: A pokemon that utilizes multiple ways of raising and lowering stats, both for itself and its opponents.

Justification: This concept would fall under the Actualization and Archetype concept. In the current metagame, there's not a lot of pokemon capable of effectively working with stat raises and drops, usually one or the other, with pokemon like Kerfluffle (Parting Shot), Tomohawk (Intimidate) and Ribombee (Sticky web) making use of ways to drop the opponents stats, while pokemon like Hydreigon (Nasty plot), Grimmsnarl (Bulk Up) and Kommo-o (Clangorous Soul) make good use of ways to raise your stats, but a common theme between them are the lack of ways to control both sides of the field, with Grimmsnarl using Bulk Up and Spirit Break being the best way currently to control both sides, although Grimmsnarl is only effectively able to use those two moves to fit the concept, leaving it very predictable if you focus on stat changes.
If this concept is used very successfully, it can become quite scary, albeit more passive than a lot of the metagame due to most ways to raising and lowering stats being through the use of status moves, but there are more than plenty of ways to work with stat changes without the use of status moves, allowing this pokemon to potentially be quite un-predictable, yet still has limitations it has to watch out for, making it more matchup reliant than some other pokemon. Another bonus is how variable the process could be, due to the sheer amount of ways to go about it, however this could be assessed in a concept assessment if it would run options like close combat/leaf storm (Or similar) for self drops, or stick to ways to control the field as a whole.

Questions to be answered:
  • What limitations are best put in place to ensure that the pokemon wouldn't become too overpowered?
  • What current approaches are there for raising and lowering stats that we should avoid repeating too much of in the metagame to make this pokemon feel more unique?
  • How do we ensure this does not become a repeat of previous CAP pokemon that has multiple ways of boosting, like Aurumoth or Naviathan?
  • What is the best way to make sure that the concept is properly used, and not have the pokemon gravitate towards a default set, like for example hydreigon not evaluating physical coverage well, or krilowatt not using water stab (Thank you Quziel for the idea <3)
  • How would we best incorporate this concept to affect both sides of the field with a limit of 4 moves, which usually causes the choice of raising the users stats rather than the opponents lowered? (Thank you Quziel again)

Explanation: With the ban of dynamax, the lack of z-moves and a lot of moves being straight up excluded, raising and lowering stats as a whole has become less common, and most pokemon that are capable will usually either make the opponent weaker with moves like Spirit Break or Mystical Fire, or raise your own stats with moves like Calm Mind or Bulk Up, but there are tons of ways to work with stat changes that does not involve your average move.
With the most recent games, Sword & Shield, there's a few new notable moves for this concept that could work, such as Grav Apple or Apple Acid, both of which can force out the opponent with enough drops, making walls less likely to stay in, which is one of the many approaches to this concept, other ways include something like Stuff Cheeks, which eats your berry and gives you +2 defense.
A simpler approach is ways of boosting defense or lowering the opponents defense, then utilizing a move like Body Press to do more damage. Those are a few examples of how it would be possible to work with the newer moves in mind to add more diversity to the field.

There are certain categories that are relatively left untouched, such as lowering your opponents accuracy, raising opponents stats or purposely lowering yours, all of which could add a variable not seen, but with certain moves, abilities and type, it could all make the metagame more interesting. An idea is an unaware pokemon that uses the new move Decorate, which raises the opponents attack and special attack by 2 stages, then use a move like Power Swap to take the boosts back, which would be a very different way of targeting the opponent but with the risk of being knocked out leaving the opponent boosted. The idea I presented is merely a way of working with something not seen, and would most likely not be a practical set, but it's a mere demonstration of how it could work.

So with some helpful feedback from members of the community, an important issue has been raised, in that between 4 moves, sacrificing 2, one to boost and one to target the opponent, you leave yourself stuck between the choice of 2 stab moves or one stab and coverage, and if you want to go 3 attacks, you often prefer to raise your own stats, leaving the concept to not work as well as it's meant to be able to target both sides of the field.
The best solution is to incorporate an ability that will accomplish one of these, such as stamina, intimidate, speed boost (Although with careful consideration with an ability like speed boost), or alternatively run moves that has a secondary effect, such as mystical fire, grav apple/apple acid, or even alternatively power-up punch, something which with a good physical movepool, and decent attack but no access to swords dance, could be a way to set up, although the problem with stat changes is that you often sacrifice a turn to do so, leaving you in the dust should the opponent predict that, and lowering the opponents stats when switching out can be risky, because you may be revenge killed by a faster opponent, leaving your stat drop as potentially useless.

These are all some of the problems that could arise, and would need to be assessed early on to not risk making the concept a fail, or worse, make the pokemon downright bad, so while the concept is risky, it would also allow for a process with the concept in mind at almost every stage, which while it may feel restrictive, would definitely allow the concept to be kept in mind and not go off course, something which has been previously seen, mainly around the starters, but also allow for a new way of thinking ahead in terms of balance, counters and checks, which can really shift them with stat changes in mind :) Also I'd say to ban Octolock as a whole should this concept be chosen, as it's essentially trapping on top of stat drops, which feels cheesy to me and would not really feel like the concept would be a success if it was the main way to go about things, plus it's quite overpowered :)
 
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Final Submission

Name:
Contrast is key

Description: A Pokemon that can perform two contrastingly different roles, but not at the same time.

Justification: I think this concept would fit best into Archetype and Actualization categories. CAP 27 should feel like two completely types of pokemon depending on what set it is running.

Questions to be Answered:
  • What are the various roles one pokemon can be, which ones work together naturally, and which ones don't?
  • What tools would each role need that would would be nearly useless to a different role?
  • Which roles would be effective or needed in the current metagame?
  • What type of limitations should be put on CAP 27 to make sure that both roles that it will encompass are of equal viability?
  • Why do certian roles or sets of a pokemon drop off, while others retain viability? (e.g CM Naviathan vs DD Naviathan)
Explanation:
While many pokemon can perform different roles depending on it’s set, (such as Azumarill in Gen 7 monotype on water vs fairy teams), there are few that have two equally viable, yet contrasting sets. CAP 27 should be effective at doing two specific, yet contrasting roles—though depending on it’s set, can only do one at a time. Currently, Naviathan is the CAP has the most similar concept to mine, though it's Dragon Dance set has clearly taken off. Jumbao too somewhat occupies this concept--as it is either a offensive powerhouse or a decent mixed tank. Where CAP 27 differs is it's complete inability to run a hybrid of it's two chosen roles without sacrificing the viability of the other. This could be accieved through Choice of ability, 4MSS etc. CAP 27's two chosen roles should be as equal in viablity as possible, but most importantly, unable to be optimally performed at the same time.
 
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sun_dew

formerly JAGFL
is a Pre-Contributor
Name: Item Acclimation

Description: A Pokémon that utilizes form changing to better suit specific items.

Justification: This concept would fit well under the Actualization category. It would be able to fit into multiple totally different niches depending on item, and no current Pokémon can do something like that, the closest being Silvally and Arceus, which both change only the type and nothing else. When used properly, this concept could easily confuse or take the opponent by surprise due to its shifting nature.

Questions to be answered:
  • How would having a Pokémon with several individual forms impact the CAP metagame?
  • How can moves, ability, and typing all be changed to suit an item?
  • How many forms can a Pokémon be given before it becomes too unpredictable or overcentralizing?
Explanation:
Form changes to a Pokémon based on an item is not unprecedented, including Silvally, Arceus, Shaymin, and, in some ways, mega evolutions and primal reversions. Most of these Pokémon have only one (or very few) actually viable forms, and it would be interesting to see a Pokémon with multiple viable forms that each perform a separate role.
 

Dogfish44

You can call me Jiggly
is a Forum Moderatoris a Community Contributoris a CAP Contributor
Moderator
I say WIP it, WIP it good ~♫

Name - Customisable Core Crusher

Description - A Pokémon that has the neccessary tools to be particularly effective at breaking or otherwise neutralising cores, without being able to handle every core at the same time.

Justification - This is bang on as an Archetype concept, with a particular focus on being able to break through cores. We can already see in the metagame how strong cores can be (Ask Dugtrio + Any Fairy Type), which makes this a prime time for such a concept.

Questions To Be Answered -
  • What defines a core in the current metagame, and what cores see regular use?
  • By design, cores often have no or very limited counters. What tools exist that could potentially be able to break current cores, but for some reason don't see use?
  • Any concept with 'versatility' being a key element often runs into a wall figuring out how much change should happen between sets. Which works better for breaking different cores - having a standard moveset and then a 'tech' moveslot, or having completely different movepools?

Explanation - Before you say it: No, this is not a Zygarde Clone.

CAP has a... spotty, relationship with cores! We've tried building them several times in the past, and have either ended up with ineffective cores (Volkraken/Lucario/Latias), or cores that simply got supplanted by a stronger Pokémon (Togekiss/Voodoom was lovely... though, unfortunately, completely outclassed by Zapdos/Voodoom of the time). Indeed, CAP creates cores at it's best when it's actively not trying to make a core - consider Jumbao + Heatran at that time.

This... kind of throws us for a loop when it comes to 'Core' concepts - we either can't get much study into them, or we get a project that people mark as a 'fail' when our built core collapses. Ergo, I'd like to change our focus - away from building cores, and towards destroying the things.

We have a lot of ways to tackle this concept. For instance, we could make a Pokémon that is able to target specific problematic cores, such as a Pokémon that can defeat the Dugtrio + Fairy sets, as well as other specific cores depending on the set used. Alternatively, we can focus more on what tools help break Offensive, Balanced, and Defensive cores respectively - creating a Pokémon suitable to all depending on it's set, without being able to break all three in a broken manner. Both of these methods provide their own journey - their own ups and downs - but I'm pretty sure that we can manage.

Finally, if it wasn't clear, this concept was in part inspired by that of Krilowatt's Utility Counter, which is approaching it's 10th birthday (and ain't that a scary thought), and I'm eternally fond of projects which invite us all to read back on our past achievements, see what went well and what we can take on board for the current one!
 
WIP
Concept
: Item-Based Roles

Description: A Pokemon that utilizes two different items to perform two distinct roles.

Justification: This concept is in the Actualization category. We’ve seen Pokemon where one or more items are clearly the best choice for them, but we haven’t seen a viable Pokemon that is defined by how they use separate items to accomplish different things on a team.

Questions to be Answered:
- What does a Pokemon relying on two items need in order to exemplify the traits of those items?
- How would a Pokemon with two roles defined by their choice of item have said roles differentiated from one another?
- How would a Pokemon with item-based roles deal with item removal without being entirely invalidated?
- How would we incentivize a specific pair of items to be used, with other item options being less appealing?

Explanation: Pokemon is full of so many items, all with highly unique effects that can change how a player responds to a situation while playing. For example, a player might have a Sitrus Berry, and the foe knocking them down below half health wouldn’t worry them as much the first time. A Pokemon with a Choice Scarf will be sent out against normally faster Pokemon, and a player with no way to read a switch otherwise will likely click Knock Off to cripple an incoming Pokemon. Bottom line, choosing an item for a Pokemon changes how you use it. What if we took that to its extreme, hinging how a Pokemon plays on an item it is intended to hold? We see this done with abilities like Poison Heal, where the best item to hold is the one that activates your ability. So, what about having two items be the best item for a Pokemon to hold, but have those items heavily alter how the Pokemon is played? For example, a Pokemon with HDB might be encouraged to utilize hazard removal, while a Pokemon with Choice Specs will accomplish more dealing damage, and a Pokemon with Weakness Policy might encourage SE hits, but capitalize off them with powerful setup. So, if we find a pair of items that can provide a pair of roles different from one another, we could in turn build a Pokemon that could accomplish either of them with access to the same stats, moves, and abilities.
 
WIP
Feedback for justification is welcomed, I really never have a clue what to write for that.
-----

Name: Stalemate

Description: A Pokémon which is best checked or countered by itself.

Justification: This concept would fit under the Actualization category. It aims to create a Pokemon that is able to do its job while being its own worst enemy.

Questions to be answered:
  • What different ways are there to check/counter a Pokemon?
  • How does the role of a pokemon change the way it can be checked/countered?
  • Which of these roles are better suited for CAP27 without making it unviable or overpowered?
  • Is it better if CAP27 checks or counters itself?
  • Should other Pokemon be able to check/counter CAP27?
  • How can we prevent other Pokemon from checking/countering CAP27 better than itself?
Explanation:
This concept leaves a lot of room for interpretation some roles are checked/countered by other means than others.
I feel like the line between a Pokemon that is checked best by itself and a pokemon that is checked ONLY by itself is very small. But that thin line is the thing I think is the most interesting about this concept.
Are you up for the challenge?
 

quziel

I am the Scientist now
is a Site Content Manageris a Forum Moderatoris a Community Contributoris a Smogon Discord Contributoris a Top CAP Contributoris a Contributor to Smogonis a member of the Battle Simulator Staff
Moderator
Concept: Role-Switching It Up

Description: This Pokemon fulfills two or more different role, but crucially, it switches between roles during a battle based on in-battle factors.

Justification:

This concept fits under the Actualization category. The aim is to create a Pokemon that firstly is able to be effective in two different roles, and secondarily will be able to distinctly switch between them during a battle.

Some examples of pokemon that broadly fulfill this concept already are Pre-Home SwSh Rotom-Heat, which spent the early game spamming Will-o-Wisp and Volt Switch, and then transitioned to a wallbreaker once its answers such as Seismitoad and Kommo-o are weakened into Overheat range. ORAS era Calm Mind Clefable also fulfills this category, as it has the bulk and recovery to spend the early game as a pivot, using Thunder Wave to status its answers, and then transitions to a Sweeper once answers such as Heatran are weakened. SMNU Comfey is a very clear example of this concept in action, as it spends the majority of the early game using its +3 priority moves to revenge kill threats, and then, once its counters are chipped (by its team) into range of a +1 Hidden Power, it attempts to sweep.

Questions to be answered:
  • How do we ensure that the Pokemon does not focus purely on one of its two possible roles? That is, what elements do we need to include to allow this shift, and what elements should we remove?
  • What battle conditions can serve as a trigger to switch focus between its two roles?
  • Are there any sets of roles that lend themselves to a transition within battle? Are there roles that are incompatible with eachother?
  • Are certain roles keyed towards early-game effectiveness, are certain roles keyed towards late-game effectiveness? Do we need to pick an early-game and late-game role, or can we pick two early-game or two late-game roles?
  • Does a Pokemon such as this need to switch roles once, or can it smoothly transition between multiple times?
Explanation:

There are a few Pokemon across many generations that are both able to fulfill different roles within a battle, and explicitely transition from one to the other. ORAS era Calm Mind Clefable is a terrifying sweeper, but only once its checks are weakened, something it struggles to do itself, so spends the early game as a status-spreading pivot. Pre-Home SwSh era Rotom-Heat has great defensive typing, and is a great pivot, but still runs Nasty Plot to function as a terrifying wallbreaker once the few resists to its stabs are weakened, a feat that again, it struggles to do by itself.

These Pokemon have the ability to cleanly switch between their distinct roles, which makes them very useful while teambuilding, and great focuses to a team, however, they require explicit team support; if Clefable could sweep from turn 1 vs Heatran it would be broken, if Mega-Scizor didn't need to spend the early game u-turning to weaken its checks, it would be terrifying.

All of the above pokemon share a common thread; they all have answers they cannot break by themselves, but all of these answers either have limited recovery, are SR weak, or are otherwise very easy to wear down. The presence of these answers that they cannot break by themselves is likely one part of what forces and enables this switch in playstyles. There is no point in being a sweeper when you can't ever break their wall, however running a Calm Mind set does not remove any of Comfey's ability to revenge kill threats, nor does running Nasty Plot remove Rotom-Heat's ability to pivot in and out throughout the early game with Volt Switch. These boosting moves are then what enables the late game switch, with Comfey transitioning to a Sweeper, and Rotom-Heat becoming a potent wallbreaker once Fire/Electric resists are chipped.

A large question that will need to be handled in concept assessment for this concept will be the interaction between various roles and game state. A sweeper is pretty much the definitive late-game role; if it works well, it wins the game there and then, while a Suicide Lead is the definitive early-game role; if its ever coming in during the late game it already set up hazards, or its a failure of a mon. However, are Pivots early-game or late game, are Wallbreakers? And how do the transitions between roles work during a game, that is, do we need to select an early-game and late-game role, or does for example, a Hazard Setter that transitions into a wallbreaker (both arguably early game roles), a la SD Garchomp, work?

This concept already exists as seen in ORAS Era Clefable, SMNU Comfey, and Pre-Home SwSh Rotom-Heat. There is however a large amount of design space available for this concept in terms of exploring how multiple roles interact within a battle; just look at the huge difference in how SMNU Comfey (Rkiller => Sweeper) and ORASOU Clefable (Pivot => Sweeper) play.
 
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Name: Set Customization

Description:
This Pokémon can customize their nature and EV’s (as well as item, ability and move choice) to change its functionality and take on different sets such as fast sweeper, tank and wall breaker for example as well as take on different Pokémon.
Justification:
Having a Pokémon that can take on different roles increases its versatility and helps when putting in as a team slot as it can mold its set to compliment the team. It also enables some customization when selecting this CAP and creates some minor mind games when an opponent tries to figure out which set.
Archetype: This CAP will have different archetypes it may fill depending on the chosen set from the options of different sets.

Questions to be Answered:
  • What kinds of different sets can we have a single CAP take on while still being viable?
  • How do all of the possible factors (ability, typing, move coverage, and stats/EV distribution) affect versatility in a Pokémon and what different sets it can be?
  • How does having multiple viable sets on a Pokémon affect how people play against it?
  • How would this CAP encourage scenarios where it doesn’t want to run one single “best set”?
  • How will this CAP’s speed be defined, given that it may want different EV spreads for speed?
  • How will this CAP’s checks and counters be defined since it can run multiple sets?
Explanation:
The main interest of this concept is customization thanks to the option of running different sets. This customization leads to interesting scenarios where there are significant trade offs between choices. The most obvious examples include Tyranitar who can run support, banded or assault vest and Cefable who can run offensive or defensive sets. These examples can effectively run multiple sets because they have stats that cause ev’s and nature to be highly customize-able.

Some examples about set trades/how sets can be varied:
  • Positive speed nature to out speed threats or neutral speed to invest elsewhere like offense or defense at the cost of being out speed by certain threats
  • Positive Attack/Special Attack nature to become a stronger breaker and change 3hkos into 2hkos for example, or neutral Attack/Special Attack nature to invest elsewhere like speed or defense
  • Either running a choice scarf to be a revenge killer or a life orb to be a breaker
  • Either a defensive/tank set with Leftovers/Assault Vest and defensive EV investment or an offensive set with Life Orb and offensive investment
  • Either Physical, Special or Mixed sets
  • Lure sets with uncommon coverage moves versus other move options like recovery or setup
  • Niche set options
An additional note that wide move pools enable numerous sets. This would greatly help when creating multiple sets for this CAP.
 
Name - Keep it Simple, Stupid

Description - This pokemon makes use of the Simple Mechanic to double the effects of Stat Ups or Stat Downs.

Justification- this potentially falls under both Archetype and Target - the Simple Mechanic is tied to an ability, which can be inflicted/gained in a number of ways. The ability of many pokemon is the key to their strength - by removing that ability, and then by impacting their stats negatively on top of that, it is possible to change match ups effectiveness in your favour.

Questions To Be Answered -
- Which pokemon use their ability to significantly affect how they operate, and would be significantly impacted by that loss?
- Conversely, which pokemon are not particularly negatively affected by the loss, or indeed, potentially benefit from the loss of their ability?
- Which pokemon would benefit from specific opposing pokemon no longer having their ability?
- Is this a time to consider a "doubles" meta involvement, when the use of "inflicting" Simple on your own team members can result in significant power gains outside of what they were originally intended to do so.
- Diglett has proven that trapping alongside stat debuff is a dangerous tool (despite it also needing another trapper to capitalize on it) - even though certain abilities are banned, there are other methods of trapping - is it the actual trap which causes this, or is it the way in which the trap is inflicted that makes it broken?
- Which moves will get the most mileage out of the stat drop without being overbearing; i.e can moves which target opponent defenses for its own use be included in the movepool, or is there a limit to their inclusion?
- Given that the inflict of Simple is one required turn, and the required debuff effect is at least one more, how viable would CAP27 be in Singles if its needs to switch out?
- Is it worth casting a weather-eye on mechanics which are currently not in use in the metagame, such as Z-Moves and Dynamax to hopefully prevent any such combinations from becoming too broken should they ever be reintroduced?
- Is there a break point in which Simple is not needed to be inflicted and the stat drop does its own job, and is this a break point that wants to be stayed away from?
- Haze/Clear Smog in particular is a huge nullifier of the concept - how much does this need to be looked out for?

Explanation
I tend to love playing RPG's, and team-combinations that come from that. Pokemon isn't much of an exception despite loving singles, but one that pokemon tends to fair poorly conceptually is the "cursemancer" - one who makes the rest of the team shine by making other opponents worse. There is already a CAPmon who "uses the boost" (Naviathan), while this can be one that's considered to "Use the Drop" to make the difference in battle.

Simple isn't that inherently that good of a move for personal use IMHO; it only really begins to affect pokemon still alive after a 3rd Hit - using Acid Spray+Sludge Wave as an example, out of the various iterations of the move (3*Sludge Wave, Acid Spray+2* Sludge Wave, Simple Beam+Acid Spray+Sludge Wave), the last two have the same effective use of power - 420BP of moves. More powerful than tripling up on a 120BP move, sure - but given that these moves could have been Choice Locked for damage or Metronome'd for more damage, it implies that there are better things for the use of inflicting Simple.

I'm keen to find out how useful it can be as a core concept.


Cancelling this Concept - it overlaps with a few others and potentially illegal.
 
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MrDollSteak

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Name: Compress to Impress (Formerly Role Call)

Description: A Pokemon that embodies the term 'role compression' by fulfilling a range of roles that teams require.

Justification: This concept is an Actualization concept because it aims to create a Pokemon that can viably fulfil certain roles that teams require. While there are already some Pokemon that successfully compress roles, this concept will allow for further exploration into what roles are vital to teams, and how they can be best condensed together through typing, ability and moveset choices. There is also an element of being a Target concept as the roles that CAP 27 will be compressing will be specific to the demands of the metagame.

Questions to be answered:

What are some of the major roles that Pokemon teams in the CAP meta rely on in the current meta?
What roles in the CAP meta are currently lacking viable users and are subsequently unviable? Would these roles be important to teams if there were a viable user in CAP 27?
Are there certain roles that will only be viable when combined?
Are there certain roles that by their nature cannot be condensed together within one Pokemon?
How many roles can a Pokemon viably fulfil? Is there a point when the Pokemon becomes a jack-of-all-trades but master of none?
Does an offensive or defensive leaning Pokemon best compress roles more than the other?
Which Pokemon will benefit from having a pokemon that compresses a range of roles together? Which Pokemon may see less usage?
Will having a Pokemon that compresses certain roles lead to more or less diversity in rosters?


Explanation: Pokemon Sword and Shield have seen major changes to the competitive roster of Pokemon in OU, and subsequently the metagame with it, through the loss of previous staple Pokemon and moves. Through some of these removals, there are less Pokemon that are each able to fill certain roles effectively and subsequently many teams tend to use similar Pokemon to achieve their needs. As such, the value of role compression cannot be understated in the SS meta. Seismitoad is an example of a previously low-tier Pokemon that has risen to OU due to it condensing a range of roles that teams require in Generation 8 that have each seen a loss of viable users and thus reducing its competiton, namely a Stealth Rock setter, status spreader, electric immunity and a water immunity. By compressing roles in this way, Seismitoad effectively opens room up for more varied teambuilding choices, as less slots in the team need to be dedicated to filling certain roles. Designing a Pokemon that embodies role compression can also allow for currently underutilised roles to see more prominence by being combined with others that are ubiquitous. For example, the role of cleric is currently underrepresented in the CAP metagame due to a lack of viable users, but perhaps when combined with a Fairy or Ghost type resistance and ability to set hazards, may be quite successful. There is an inherent amount of flexibility to this project, and will likely require as part of the concept assessment, an overarching guide of what roles CAP 27 will be compressing so as to inform the subsequent typing, moveset and ability stages. The roles that the Pokemon will be able to achieve will naturally evolve with the project during these stages, but having a few specific ones at the forefront will guide discussion immensely. To avoid poll-jumping, roles during this point should be referred to in loose terms such as 'wallbreaker', 'hazard control' or 'pivot'.
 
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