CAP 31 - Part 1 - Concept Submissions

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spoo

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CAP Co-Leader
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, SHSP. 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 change your concept any time before submissions close. 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. If you choose to change your concept's fundamental premise, you forfeit your current claim to this concept, and it is still your responsibility that you are not duplicating someone else's concept. 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 Submissions will be open for 5 days or 120 Hours after this post, unless otherwise specified by the Topic Leader.
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"
"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.

CAP 31 So Far
 

SHSP

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Moderator
Hello everyone, who else is ready to get this show on the road! We have an incredible TLT that I'm extremely excited to work with, and I've also been looking forward to this concept submission stage. A reminder to familiarize yourself with both the CAP Metagame and CAP Process at large before jumping into this: it helps a ton to have a good grasp of what's going on and it'll make your concept- and everything else further down the line- that much better off. The playing field feels very open with CAP 31: we've done some very fun concepts for the CAPs across Gen 8 and still have plenty to explore.

As I and other TL's have done before, I plan on leaning on my team to discuss concepts and help drive decisions about them. If anyone needs help with their concept, wants to workshop elements of one, or has any questions, feel free to reach out to me personally or any of the TLT. With that, I'm excited to see how the concepts shape up!
 

reachzero

the pastor of disaster
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Final Submission

Name -
The Last Word

Description - This Pokemon gains consistent value from moving last on most of its turns.

Justification- This is an actualization concept. There is a general perception that speed is powerful and that going first is nearly always to be preferred. This project would explore that inversely--proving where the exceptions lie and what value there is to be had when a Pokemon builds around not needing or wanting to go first.

Questions To Be Answered -

Is the value gained by moving last enough to offset the obvious drawbacks?

What strategies benefit the most from moving last?

How different is a Pokemon targeting moving-last synergies from a Pokemon that is incidentally slow?

Explanation - The metagame is full of Pokemon that don't mind going last because they are good enough to power through the disadvantages--Ferrothorn, Melmetal, etc. That is not this Pokemon. This Pokemon is meant to be good not in spite of going last but because of it. Similarly, I would not expect this to be particularly good on Trick Room--the goal of Trick Room is to go first, after all.

While base speed is of course a factor in how this will play out, I expect that the other states will actually be more definitive of the project--focus on moves like Payback, Avalanche or Teleport, abilities ranging in effect as widely as Analytic or Stall, etc. In particular, this concept is totally agnostic as to whether this Pokemon will be offensive or defensive/support based --there is enough support mechanically to make either approach work.
 
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quziel

I am the Scientist now
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Name: Soft Power

Description: This pokemon excels at either forcing switches through offensive means or being very difficult to switch into despite not having much if any raw offensive power

Justification: This is an Archetype concept, which aims to explore how offensive presence can be created without actually hitting hard at all. Generally speaking, barring a few exceptions, offensive presence is directly tied into move BP, (special) Attack stat, and finally any secondary effects attached at a move, but how can it be created if the first two are mediocre at best? Is this something that meshes well into a strictly defensive pokemon, or are there other archetypes it can fulfill?

Questions:
  • What methods exist to prevent an opponent from switching in freely without offensive power behind it?
  • What methods exist to force a switch through offensive (i.e. not recover spam) means without offensive power?
  • Given that this pokemon is denied strict immediate power, what roles can it fulfill?
    • Is a defensive role best to work around lacking explicit power?
    • Can speed or setup allow this to work in a more offensive role?
  • What are some attacking moves that do not need high power behind them to pose a threat?
Explanation: One of the most interesting things about calls to ban SM Toxapex was that they were very often based around how difficult it is to effectively switch into. Sure, they mentioned its walling prowess, and that's a huge part of why it can be difficult to switch into, but talking about its walling prowess without mentioning how terrifying the combo of Scald + Toxic + Knock Off is to come into without losing a major element of your gameplan is impossible. Another pokemon that had a few ban calls was SMNU Comfey, which, despite relying on 82 SpA, and having its main STAB at 50 BP, was arguably the best late game sweeper in the entire tier. This is because Triage both granted it insane priority, being able to out-prioritize every attacking move, as well as Draining Kiss's 75% recovery letting it win any trade against the opponent.

A final example I'd like to bring up is Persian-Alola, which, with its pivoting set, is weirdly capable of both forcing switches (using foul play), and is quite difficult to effectively switch into given the combo of Foul Play, Knock Off, Taunt, and Parting Shot. These three pokemon sorta outline the design triangle I want to explore with this concept. How can we use a relatively low attacking stat to nonetheless be very difficult to actually switch into? I should note, this concept already has a number of viable existing examples, but I really want to explore the specific options and design space available here beyond just making Gilbert Gottfried but red instead of blue.
 
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spoo

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CAP Co-Leader
Name: Bulletproof Glass

Description: A Pokémon that, despite lacking good defensive stats / bulk, poses a considerable defensive threat in the metagame.

Justification: This is an Archetype concept, as we would be creating a Pokemon within a defensive archetype whose effectiveness should be dependent on factors other than its raw bulk. This approach would allow us to add a defensive Pokemon with a unique playstyle, explore what constitutes various archetypes and roles within the game, and further learn about the current metagame and specifically the requirements it holds on defensive Pokémon.

Questions:
  • How do we decide which Pokemon this CAP should pose a defensive threat to?
  • What is the full spectrum of defensive roles in Pokemon (wall, tank, etc), and which one(s) should we aim for?
  • What defines "low" or "mediocre" defenses? How low can the bulk of a defensive Pokemon reasonably be, and are there certain abilities, resistances, or moves that would let us push our bulk lower than others? Conversely, how high can our bulk be before we no longer fulfill the concept? And which approach –– lowest possible vs highest possible defenses –– should we aim for?
  • Should stat-boosting abilities like Ice Scales, Marvel Scale, Fur Coat, etc. be considered concept-relevant or “getting around” the central restriction?
  • Is there a relationship between a Pokemon’s speed and its defensive capabilities? If so, what kind of speed benchmarks will this Pokemon want to hit? What's the difference between a defensive Pokemon that merely benefits from high speed, and one that's dependent on its speed to check threats?
  • Can offensive strength be a contributor to a Pokemon’s defensive capabilities? In other words, is it ever true that the best defense is a good offense? How much offensive pressure should we exert to compensate for our low bulk?
  • Pokemon such as Heatran, Landorus-T, Tornadus-T, Zapdos, and even Weavile often fulfill roles that are simultaneously offensive and defensive in nature. What is the ideal ratio of “checking offensive threats / applying offensive pressure” we should strive for? In other words, how “offensive” are we allowed to be before our defensive value is overshadowed?
  • Because this concept is so open, there are a few risks that naturally come with it. “Checking some offensive threats” is our only goal, with the added restrictions of A) doing so without “good” bulk, and B) being unambiguously “defensive” in nature. One scenario is that we zero-in on the top offensive threat(s) in the metagame, soon finding ourselves attempting to “fix the meta.” Another scenario is that, due to the number of possible directions, the community may disagree about which Pokemon we want to check or what role we want to occupy. We have seen both of these things happen in our processes this generation. So, finally: If this concept is chosen, how can we –– as a community –– avoid such mentalities? What are the specific risks with a concept like this, and how might we avoid them?
Explanation: This concept aims to create a Pokémon that doesn’t rely on its raw defenses to check opposing threats, but instead takes full advantage of factors such as resistances, abilities, movepool, and speed tier to survive key hits in the metagame. It may seem like a straightforward idea on paper, but I think it could lead to a very complex and rewarding process. There are many defensive roles within Pokemon, and this concept is intentionally vague about how we approach them. We are not required to go down any one path, and I think this concept could realistically take the form of a pivot, wall, utility support, or any number of other roles, with each one having very different implications in regard to how the process takes shape and what our place in the metagame is.

No matter what we choose, though, I think it's also likely we will still end up with clearly defined strengths and weaknesses as a result of this Pokemon's middling bulk. There will always be room for this weakness to be exploited by certain Pokemon that we intentionally choose to preserve as checks, or by lesser-seen threats that end up having a very positive matchup, or simply by intelligently playing to the Pokemon's weak spots. Pokemon in lower tiers such as Sableye, Klefki, and arguably things like Crobat and Flame Orb Sigilyph all execute this concept to some degree, and the niches they occupy as well as their checks & counters are very defined. However, this archetype is far rarer in tiers like OU / CAP, and it would be fascinating to explore why this is the case and what we can do to make a Pokemon like this succeed.
 
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Final Submission

Name:
I Got You Covered!

Description: This pokemon uses either off-standard coverage types or moves to help fulfill its purpose in an offensive role.

Justification: This is an Actualization concept. Coverage moves are Non-STAB moves used on a Pokemon's kit to offensively check opposing Pokemon who are not threatened by the users STAB attacks. Generally, the coverage moves used in a meta tend to favor a specifc group of types, as well as the most straightforward move mechanics, in order to check the most important Pokemon in the metagame at the moment. However, for certain pokemon, the need to check certain pokemon or pairs of pokemon can cause them to desire off-standard coverage options over more common ones instead. For example, offensive Garchomp sometimes runs Aqua Tail in order to hit pokemon such as Landorus, and Plasmanta commonly runs the unusual Body Press in order to expand its coverage. These off-standard coverage types and moves, despite being less common, can effectively strengthen a pokemons playstyle to better handle key metagame threats in ways more convential options cannot. This concept aims to observe how we can achieve this positive effect, the effects of using such coverage types and how this affects both typing and playstyle.

Questions to be asked:
  • What types can be seen as commonly used coverage types? Conversely, which types are not often used for coverage?
  • How does Base Power impact coverage choice?
  • Can a pokemon who lacks stronger coverage options successfully use weaker ones to their advantage? Have there been examples of this?
  • Certain types that are weaker offensively usually have moves that have utility options to boost their viability. Is it possible to use these moves utility effectively without them losing their primary role as a coverage option?
  • How does a Pokémons typing impact what coverage options it uses?
  • How has coverage played a role in the success of previous CAP projects?
  • How might a more limited coverage movepool change the way typing and abilities are decided?
  • How can we prevent more common coverage from being more appealing than less common coverage? Are there solutions to this other than preventing this Pokemon from having common coverage at all?
Explanation: With the new release of Venomicon Prologue, as well as recent changes to Pyroak, I've noticed a trend when it comes to coverage in CAP. That is, CAP tends to use the same types (or even the same moves) again and again on many of its offensive Pokémon, even for those with wildly different roles. Fire, Ground, Ice and Fighting coverage are everywhere in CAP, and most CAP mons who don't run one of those types as coverage don't even run coverage at all. While the same can be said about many of the Pokémon currently residing in OU as well, many of these Pokémon also have the ability to run less standard coverage as well, which is something that most CAP's lack the ability to do at all. This concepts desired effect would be to expand CAPs view of potential coverage to be more than just a way to adjust the strength of CAP Pokémon by adding or removing it.
 
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Da Pizza Man

Pizza Time
is a Pre-Contributor
WIP

Name:
Crossout Designator

Description: This Pokemon uses the move Imprison to cut off the opponent's access to key moves during a battle.

Justification: This is an Actualization concept. Generally, Imprison is a very unexplored move in Singles outside of serving as a tool for an incredibly annoying gimmick set that Mew often runs (Transform + Imprison), despite seemingly having quite a bit of potential to be a powerful utility option. This concept would serve to explore this move in depth and overall give us insight on how effective it would be in a Singles oriented metagame.
 
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dex

Hard as Vince Carter’s knee cartilage is
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Final Submission

Name:
Stick Together!

Description: This Pokemon fulfills a "glue" role, working well alongside a multitude of cores while justifying its usage through a myriad of utility options and defensive qualities.

Justification: This is an Archetype concept because it aims to perform a role that is commonly found on many team structures in the current metagame. Every generation, there have been certain Pokemon that "glue" teams together. These glue mons typically offer incredible role compression. Tornadus-T in ORAS is a great example of this, providing teams with invaluable Knock Off and pivoting support while offering unique defensive qualities through its typing, stats, and ability. Landorus-T performs similarly in the current generation, as it is a "do everything" type of mon that runs entry hazard removal, Stealth Rock, Toxic, U-turn, and Knock Off support. A lot rides on glue mons in teambuilding, so it would be interesting to see how we deal with the immense role compression that comes with these mons. Examples of glue mons in current SS CAP: Landorus-T, Tornadus-T, Tapu Fini, Toxapex, Ferrothorn, Zapdos, and Astrolotl

Questions To Be Answered:

Being a glue mon has more often been an indirect result of a process rather than a goal. How can we achieve making a glue mon directly?
What utility options are the most valuable on a support Pokemon?
What roles can a glue mon inhabit?
Are there certain roles and needs that simply cannot be condensed on one Pokemon?
How does typing play into role compression?
Is the ability to output offensive pressure a necessary component of a glue mon? If so, to what level?
What Pokemon have such a need to be checked that they justify the usage of a glue mon when a less-than consistent check is used?
How can Pokemon like Tornadus-T overcome being a "jack-of-all-trades, master of none" to be a metagame force?

Explanation: A very common complaint with CAP as of late is that the tier is simply oversaturated with insane offensive mons. Balance teams have begun to struggle to keep up with the high-flying pace more offensive teams set, and this is only compounded by the fact that there simply aren't too many options when it comes to crafting a balanced team due to how many threats need to be taken into account when building. Adding another "glue" mon to the field could hopefully lead to a more diverse building environment while providing the metagame with a much-needed reprieve from the deluge of offense being rained down upon it currently. I also think that the utility aspect that comes with this concept is quite interesting; CAP 30 saw us struggle to exactly define what utility is in competitive Pokemon, and this concept gives us the chance to take a deep dive into what utility exactly is, what utility moves are the most valuable, and how typing plays a role in the defensive choices of the current metagame.
 
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LucarioOfLegends

Master Procraster
is a CAP Contributor
Final Submission

Name:
Not All Dragons Are Dragon-type

Description: This Pokemon emulates the attributes of a specific type without directly being that type.

Justification: This fits squarely into both Actualization and Archetype. This concept focuses on inspiring discussion into typings and the elements that make them unique and effective, and asks how we can seek to mimic these elements without being said typing completely. This is meant to highlight both the offensive coverage and defensive traits of a type, so an emulation should take from both aspects to a decent degree, even though a 1:1 emulation is realistically not possible. The role of the CAP would be extremely dependent on what type is actually chosen to mimic, but regardless it creates a mon with a unique role since it is not necessarily bound to the same pitfalls of the chosen typing and can function on its own.

Questions To Be Answered:
  • How large of a role does typing play in forging a Pokemon's viability in the current metagame in comparison to other elements like ability, stats, and movepool?
  • What types are easier to emulate? What types are harder?
  • Do certain typings naturally fall into specific roles and archetypes? If so, why is this the case? Should the CAP also seek to emulate these roles as well?
  • Are there certain moves that different types gravitate towards for one reason or another? Would they still be viable for CAP to receive and use even if they do not have the correct typing?
  • Which would be easier for a different type to emulate: a type's defensive capabilities, or a type's offensive coverage?
  • How much of a typing's natural attributes should be emulated by this CAP? Should they seek to emulate the weaknesses of the typing or is it more important for this process to emulate just the strengths?
  • While still focused on emulating a typing, how much should the actual typing of the CAP be able to stand apart from the chosen typing to emulate?
Explanation:
This mostly spurred from a joke line in Pokemon Masters referring to Lance, where when asked about why his team isn't actually a mono-dragon team, he boldly proclaims "Not All Dragons Are Dragon-type!" It was meant as a joke, but it led to the thought on how would you actually make a Pokemon function like a Dragon-type without actually being like a Dragon-type, and later into this concept proper.

CAP is of course no stranger to doing weird stuff with typings, dating as far back as Stratagem by turning the natural archetype of Rock-types on its head, then Mollux through its use of a poor typing, and finally Crucibelle by using an undervalued one effectively (and being a Mega at the time). Where I think this concept differs is a specific focus on trying to make on typing work similarly to a different typing, as it spurs discussion into what makes certain Pokemon and types fall certain ways in terms of their role in the metagame.
 
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Brambane

protect the wetlands
is a Contributor Alumnus
Final Submission

Name:
Pacifist Run

Description: A defensive Pokemon that can maintain or generate tempo without attacking moves of any kind.

Justification: This is an Archetype/Actualization hybrid concept, as we would be creating a Pokemon within a defensive archetype due to a lack of offensive pressure through status or strong attacking moves. CAP rarely makes truly defensive Pokemon. This concept actualizes the defensive archetype by creating a Pokemon whose entire identity revolves around its defensive prowess and how that can be leveraged in a way that can keep up with the current metagame.

Questions:
  • What offensive threats are meaningful to answer, and how does that interact with other defensive Pokemon in the metagame?
  • Should a defensive, non-attacking Pokemon be able to bypass Taunt and/or Trick? If so, how?
  • How can a defensive Pokemon maintain tempo for its team without directly threatening the opponent with damage? What role can Speed play in regards to momentum?
  • What degree of role compression do defensive Pokemon need to possess to be viable in the current metagame?
  • Can a Pokemon without attacking moves or damaging status ever present itself as a win-con? How could this situation realistically manifest over the course of a match?
  • With the absence of strong attacking moves or damaging status, what other ways can this Pokemon achieve direct damage on the opponent?
Explanation:
A bit of context: CAP has never made an explicitly defensive Pokemon. Fidgit was given passable Special Attack to maintain some degree of offensive presence. Arghonaut is similar, with its highest stat being Attack. Malaconda was defined not only by its defensive utility, but ability to punish targets with STAB Pursuit and Power Whip. Even Snaelstrom, despite its ability and stat distribution, received Swords Dance in the end. For the final (?) CAP of Generation 8, I fully believe we would benefit as a community from embracing a defensive project. This concept pushes that idea further by forcing us to design a Pokemon without an offensive presence from attacking moves.

Defensive Pokemon should alleviate pressure for you, but most defensive Pokemon still rely on some form of attacking move or status to pressure the opponent. Blissey runs Seismic Toss, Toxapex runs Knock Off and Scald, Corviknight runs Body Press, you get the point. Defensive Pokemon that cannot pressure the opponent are utter momentum sinks. This question being posed here is what ways can you make a defensive Pokemon that pressures the opponent without inflicting damage itself. This defensive Pokemon would explore alternative ways of either inflicting damage or supporting its team so it doesn't ever need to lay a metaphorical finger on the opponent.
 
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drampa's grandpa

cannonball
is a Community Contributoris a Community Leader Alumnus
This first overlaps far too much with Miasmaw's concept, and I am removing it as such. I hope to am submitting something else. Thanks Pip for passing me the old concepts to read!
WIP
  • Name - A Non-Momentous Occasion
  • Description - This Pokémon blocks and reverses momentum in unconventional ways.
  • Justification-
    • Actualization: I believe this to be an Actualization concept because it serves to make us question how momentum works in the current metagame, and about ways of controlling it and manipulating it that are not commonly used. It will force us to consider elements that exist individually such as VoltBlockers and U-Turn Punishers and force them to either coexist or work to punish momentum some other way.
  • Questions To Be Answered
    What underused tools exist, not to gain your own momentum or to punish the opponents, but to specifically stop and slow the opponent?
    How can the difference between the gain of your own momentum and the stop of your opponents be made apparent?
    Which tools of the opponents exist that need to be punished?
    Can a Pokemon which does not gain momentum itself be a benefit and not a hinderance in that specific competitive dance?
  • Explanation - Momentum is a key part of every metagame, and many teams and Pokémon focus on abusing momentum to put themselves in an advantageous position. There are currently tools and Pokemon used to disrupt this, but I would argue nothing has come close to optimizing the ability to punish momentum, besides mayyyybe Shedinja, which is.... interesting but problematic.
If I'm being completely honest I don't quite understand the Justification categories. If I messed that part up please let me know and I will fix it to the best of my ability. That goes for the entire thing of course, but that's the part I'm most worried about.


FINAL SUBMISSION

  • Name - What's Yours Is Mine
  • Description - This Pokémon utilizes the opponents tools for itself, potentially denying the opponent access to its own tools in the process.
  • Justification-
    • Actualization: This concept actualizes a concept not usually seen in Pokemon; rather than abusing its own tools, such as ability, boosts, items, field conditions, or moves, it has ways to steal, borrow, or mimic the opponents. This will allow insight into how scouting and crippling the opponent in unconventional ways can be useful, and how updating your toolset mid-match to suit the situation can likewise be of aid.
  • Questions To Be Answered -
    - What tools of the opponents CAN be used to make progress?
    - What qualifies as utilization of the opponent's tools? Is the denial of progress to the opponent enough of a victory to justifiably fulfil the concept, or must you turn it around and make your own progress?
    - It is common to see removal or denial of a tool or effort of the opponent, such as Knock Off, Defog, Haze, and more. How can that be taken further and turned into a benefit for the player?
    - What difficulties arise from utilizing opposing tools as opposed to your own? Clearly it is not the dominant strategy, so why is that? What problems would this concept have to overcome?
    - What opposing strategies make this desirable? Which strategies are more useful to nullify on the opponents side and set separately on your own, and which are more effective to do simultaneously?
  • Explanation - There are a number of moves and abilities meant to take the opponents stuff and use it yourself. They're typically not used much either because they're bad and only very situationally useful or have fairly limited distribution. However these tools, when put on a Pokémon that can properly use them, should add the ability to deal with a battlefield in flux, to create your own ways of controlling the pace of the battle without utilizing uncompetitive elements or RNG. There are many powerful setup sweepers and hazard setters in CAP, and this would give an option to turn their power into a disadvantage.

    To be clear, I mean 'stuff' to steal in the broadest way possible, setting no limits on the process. If necessary I can give some examples, but for now I'm going to pass on that so I don't steer the concept unnecessarily.
    ...
    After some discussion in the Discord I think some examples are due, despite what I said just above. The best example of what I am aiming for is the move Heart Swap. This move not only denies the opponent their boosts, but also grants the user of the move the boosts to abuse itself. Sadly, Heart Swap is dexited and therefore off our radar, which is one of the reasons it makes such a good example here.
    There are a lot of different ways to abuse the opponent's tools and positioning to your benefit, and I absolutely do not intend to list them out here. However we can consider abilities, hazards, stats, and more within grasp of this concept to abuse. It is intended for ways to trade or overwrite abilities to be applicable, utilizing moves such as Skill Swap and abilities such as Trace or Wandering Spirit, and to some degree Mummy. These all take the opponent's ability and / or have it benefit the user. Other tools that a Pokémon could do this with include Magic Bounce or Magic Coat, to block and reflect the opponent's status moves, Spectral Thief or Power Swap, to take and make use of the opponents boosts, Court Change, to reverse the hazard game, many immunity abilities that give the user some kind of buff such as Volt Absorb or Flash Fire (pretty much every type immunity ability besides Levitate), and many more.

    The tl;dr is...
    We are taking something, ANYTHING we can think of that our opponent uses against us, and turning it back against them.

    I don't know if I'm being clear enough, but I'm not sure I can think of any way to phrase it clearer than that without being excessively limiting in my phrasing.
Putting this here again because it still applies...
If I'm being completely honest I don't quite understand the Justification categories. If I messed that part up please let me know and I will fix it to the best of my ability. That goes for the entire thing of course, but that's the part I'm most worried about.
 
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WIP (Update 1)

Name:
The Perfect (generalized) Mate

Description: This Pokemon will attempt to support and accel a specific role or type of Pokémon.

Justification: This will fit into the Actualization concept, seeking to create a pokemon that can act as a way to allow another type of mon's strengths to shine, or weaknesses covered.

Questions:
  • Is there a way to assure synergy with a specific mon or role in a changing meta, especially with gen 9 on the Horizon?
  • What makes a good 2 mon duo?
  • What roles need a support to maximize their effectiveness, or do well helping others do the same.
  • How can we make a pokemon that shines best with a specific type of mon, while also maintaining viable on it's own?
  • How would giving a very generalized partner affect the viability of mons within the concept of that partner.
Explanation: While similar to the original Voodoom concept, instead of focusing on a specific mon though, it pairs with a more general type of mon, such as bulky water types, set-up Sweepers, Pivots, or even something as general as a specific type regardless of role. While making a mon that's main goal has the potnetial to be lost due to a number of meta changes, i think that's all the more reason to attempt this concept in the first place. I think ESPECIALLY with a new generation on the horizon this is the ideal time to attempt making a partner that's goal with a generalized partner will stand the test of a potentially *big* meta change. Going for a more generalized partner allows for much more freedom in building as well as offering less volitility with the potential of cut mons. If we want to assure "something" to partner with going as general as a type or even something like "Defensive" partner could be possible, but i also personally think that a partner slightly more specific with potential fluctuations with how the meta shifts isn't inherently a bad thing, at least if the cap is still doing it's job to make the partner *more* viable.
 
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D2TheW

Amadán
Final Submission

Name:
Bang Average

Description: This pokemon will attempt to circumvent average or below average stats to become viable.

Justification: This is an actualisation concept, actualising a type of mon that sees pretty sparse representation in current gen ou.

Questions:
(I know this isn't the typical format for questions but I'm not redoing this shit, think of it as a revolutionary new method of talking too much)
  • What actually counts as average stats? This will likely be up for some debate, as this is somewhat relative. 85 speed is a perfectly good speed stat on fini, but if zera had 85 speed it'd probably be in ru. As for bst, the lowest bst of ou ranked mons is Pelipper at 440, with Clefable in 2nd with 483. Both of these are undeniably average but 3rd lowest is Ferrothorn at 489, whose statline could definitely be seen as above average. It'd be pretty hard to deny that Toxapex has a better statline than Alolatales, despite the 10 point bst difference being in the fox's favour. Particular attention will have to be paid to how the stats synergise, rather than a flat interest in BST
  • How much stat efficiency is permissable? To return to the above example part of what gives Ferro and Pex above average stats is the efficiency with which their bst is divided, with speed and various attacking stats being dropped in favour of juicing up defenses. Conversely, to use a lower tier example, Cobalion has a bst 91 points higher than ferro, but that bst is inefficiently distributed giving Cob mediocre attacking stats and good bulk on only one side. Despite it's high bst, Coba has pretty average stats. Obviously some degree of efficiency will be necessary but to what extent. Breloom has a frankly awful statline with the exception of it's attack, finding use through it's unique combination of other strong attributes. Is one stat pushing 130 fundamentally antithetical to the concept or is it permissable if all other stats take hits? Where do we draw that line?
  • Do we actually do stats first? This is obviously a very stat centric concept, but there's good reasons that stats are usually done so late in the process. It'd certainly be a shake up to the process but you could probably still achieve a similar result with a more standard process order.
  • How does this affect our power budget? The Chromera process afforded a large power budget to other aspects of the process to account for it's bad ability. To what extent, if any, do we allow that here? Remember that the goal here is using stats that are average or below average, not explicitly bad. The sort of affordances allowed in chroms process are almost certainly over the line, and honestly we could potentially make a perfectly reasonable end product without dipping into anything explicitly overpowered.
  • What types suit average stats, if any? For example, dragon might be more suitable for it's access to strong stabs like Draco and Outrage that mitigate ower attacking stats. Psychic on the other hand may suit less well due to its reliance on weaker stabs. Are there typings that can work around mediocre bulk by leveraging unique or valuable defensive profiles?


Explanation:
Cap loves statballs. It's a natural consequence of the ability to choose stats that we're never gonna intentionally give a cap a statline that isn't fit for purpose. This leaves us with some pretty interesting unexplored design space. High statlines are an obvious staple of all ou metas, but there have always been interesting exceptions. The classic example here is Clefable, which has no stats above 100 but has achieved ou success in four generations. However to me, Clefable is a pretty uninteresting and frankly, unhelpful example. Clef is viable because of magic guard. It has a great movepool and really nice typing, but let's be real here, without Magic Guard Clef would be ranked RU, UU at best. To me the more interesting example is Breloom which also has ou success in 4 generations despite a statline that is severely lacking in almost every department. Just like Clef, it's got some great abilities and a dope movepool. However, Clef is a phenomenal ability facilitating other good attributes, while Loom is a series of great individual traits that when combined, make an utterly unique and consistently viable mon. Loom isn't the only example either. Skarm has a whopping bst of 465 and has seen ou usage in every generation since it's creation. Forretress has an identical bst and would likely be in the exact same situation if it weren't in the unfortunate position of being worse Skarmory. Gastrodon-east hits 475 with only hp sitting above 100 and has seen not inconsiderable ou usage throughout the generations. Pelipper has frankly atrocious stats but rain is rain and it's the best at what it does. Chansey only has a bst of 450 but that's textbook bsr abuse and shouldn't have got past the TL of that process, gdi Gamefreak.

To me, this concept has the potential to give us a super tight and focused cap, instead of the sprawling masses that caps often turn into, with a hundred movepool options and stats that can be specced seven ways to Sunday. It also has the potential to give us something really unique and interesting if we try. This is also obviously just my opinion, but I think the constraints do incentivize us to go down a more defensive route, and personally, I think in the current meta that is definitely a good thing. In my opinion this concept hits the sweetspot of giving us interesting constraints to play with and learn from, without kneecapping us with the starting pistol. There's design space here and I think it's space worth exploring.
 
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Final Submission

Name:
Spore User

Description: A Pokemon that uses Spore to inflict the sleep status condition.

Justification: This is an Actualization concept, built around a move that inflicts status condition that shuts down the opponent as opposed to passive damage or stat reductions like more popular moves that inflict status conditions, such as Toxic or Scald, and is capable of crippling all of Steel types, Poison types, Fire types, Electric types, and even Pokemon with Magic Guard. This adds strategy in terms of reacting to and taking advantage of a deterrent that you have placed, forcing the opponent into some difficult positions, either having to resort to switching to a different Pokemon or sticking it and waiting for the morning rooster, and since neither is a perfect solution you can take advantage of this. The only other relevant Pokemon in the metagame that uses a sleeping move is Alolan Ninetales, which uses the inconsistent Hypnosis and is more known for its role in Hail and Aurora Veil.

Questions To Be Answered:
- What should this Pokemon be doing once it has put an opposing Pokemon to sleep?
- Given that one of the advantages of sleep is allowing teammates more opportunities, how much effectiveness should this Pokemon have outside of spreading Sleep? At what point does it become too much?
- How well should our matchups be against Spore absorbers? At what point does sleep stop becoming useful?

Explanation: When making a concept, you have to take the current metagame into account. I almost submitted a Flash CAP concept about using the ability Unaware in an offensive nature to outspeed Pokemon with speed boosts as opposed to its traditional defensive nature. This might have worked if it was being created for something like ORAS Ubers, a tier dominated by Dragon Dance Megamence and Geomancy Xerneas. However, this Flash CAP was being created for BDSP CAP, where many of the Pokemon go first by using priority moves, so that concept wouldn’t have worked well.

However, I believe the current CAP metagame is in a prime position to accept a Pokemon that can use Spore. The tier is dominated by Pokemon that are immune to the common Toxic such as Heatran, Venomicon, Clefable, Galarian Slowking, Magnezone, and Corviknight, and most of these are unfazed by burn as well. However, all of these Pokemon are vulnerable to being put to sleep. I also believe that there are enough sleep immune Pokemon in the metagame (Tapu Fini, Tapu Koko, Pajantom, and every single Grass type) that this could be balanced.

We’ve seen Pokemon with sleeping moves take several roles. In many iterations of UU, Amoonguss acts as a defensive pivot. When Tangrowth isn’t running Assault Vest, it is a physical wall that can put opponents to sleep. Breloom and Darkrai are offensive setup sweepers in the tiers that they are relevant in. ORAS NU Jynx wallbreaks in addition to being the sandman, with or without Nasty Plot. Roserade in RU is a hazard setter and a sleep inducer. As you can see, there is a lot of flexibility here in terms of roles.

Since the "healthiness" of this concept was questioned, I'd like to speak in defense on why I believe that we could avoid making this unhealthy. For one, as I mentioned earlier, there are plenty of Pokemon that are actually immune to Spore that are viable in the metagame, including an entire type. Also Breloom and Amoonguss were once viable in OU and they were nowhere close to broken, they both had weaknesses that prevented their sleeping shenanigans from being too much for the tier to handle. It also adds a layer of strategy to the game, having the opponent choose between switching out or staying and waiting to wake up, and there is no guarantee the sleep will even last that long and will have a big enough impact, it can wake up after a turn, which adds some potential risk into using the move. I will admit though, this concept would definitely need to be watched carefully and ensuring it won't become too overbearing will be absolutely crucial, I think making it so this Pokemon gets walled by at least 2 Pokemon on your standard team will ensure that it won't be broken while still getting mileage out of sleep. We don't want it to become so much that people start running Vital Spirit Astrolotl.

This is the first concept I have ever submitted, so I'm not expecting to get a lot of attention, but I hope that this is not at the very least completely ignored and that my justifications are understood.
 
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Yu_IOTJ

formerly NoahIOTJ
is a Community Contributor
WIP

Name:
The Blood Price has been Paid!

Description:
A Pokemon that manipulates it's HP through means of Recoil, Draining HP, and/or means like Pain Split or Endure to gain an advantage over the opponent.

Justification:
This is an Actualization concept. This concept will be aiming to build a Mon that can utilize its HP stat to the fullest in battle. Not only as a measure of tankiness and health restoration, but to grant it offensive prowess through use recoil moves in conjunction with high power abilities and moves that work best at low HP. This strategy is high risk and requires a more careful strategy regarding health management, but the rewards are great through the power it provides to rip through a team.

Questions to be Answered:
- What tools are available to us that take advantage of having significant control over our HP?
- How should we approach our base HP stat? What are the properties of the HP stat in game and how it interacts with various moves and mechanics?
- What tools do we have to manipulate our HP for both offensive and defensive advantage?

Explanation:
One of the play styles that this concept could seek to capture is that of a modernization of the old ADV sets of Endure/Flail sweeping, but with more safety in its design through the ability to gain back HP in a pinch. This strategy could be combined with abilities that would synergize or boost its effectiveness to make for a powerful pick; like Swarm/Torrent to boost power, or Overcoat/Comatose to be more resilient against opposing passive damage, or even Dazzling to protect against priority when at low health.
 
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Final Submission

Name:
Funhouse Mirror Image

Description: This Pokemon shares a typing with a viable Pokemon but fulfills an entirely different role within the metagame.

Justification: This is an Archetype concept, because it aims to see how it could be a mon with the typing of another mon, but with a entirely different role. There are already some mons with the same typing, but with a completely different role, like Kartana and Ferrothorn, Cawmodore and Corviknight, etc, and those are great examples of what we should do. While Ferrothorn uses the defensive aspects of its typing to be a great wall and hazard setter, Kartana uses his typing to get STAB Leaf Blade and Smart Strike, it also uses it a little bit to switch-in some mons but it doesnt even nearly uses it defensively as Ferrothorn, and Corviknight uses the resistances of its typing combined with its amazing bulk to effectively wall a lot of the mons of the metagame, but cawmodore uses its resistances to effectively setup sweep with Belly Drum and have STAB Bullet Punch and Acrobatics.

Questions To Be Answered:

-What general roles are best suited to utilizing an already-viable Pokémon’s typing? Would an offensive role be preferable, or would a defensive one be ideal?

-There are multiple examples of differing Pokémon with the same type combination; Ferrothorn and Kartana, as well as Corviknight and Cawmodore serve as prime examples of this. What can we learn from these two pairs of Pokémon which serve different roles with the
same type?

-How different should the role of this Pokémon be from that of the Pokémon whose type we choose to copy? For example, would making a fast special attacker out of a fast physical attacker properly fulfill the concept?

-What general roles are best suited to utilizing an already-viable Pokémon’s typing? Would an offensive role be preferable, or would a defensive one be ideal?

-What effect does typing have on making specific Pokémon successful? Can types poorly fit for a role on paper be made to work for said role?

-Should we give this pokemon any of the same tools its counterpart has, or are these tools role-specific?

Explanation:
This mon explores how a mon with a defensive typing, can be offensive or viceversa, making it a versitile concept, using the best offensive/defensive aspects of the typing of the selected mon, some examples of this could be;

-Excadrill and Equilibra, i know Equilibra can be an attacker, but its normally a defensive mon, Excadrill uses the great resistances that his type has, to resist attacks/switch in safely, and then do some strong damage with STAB Earthquake and Iron Head, it also has quad resist to SRocks so thats nice, it can also remove hazards due to its not so impressive but nice speed. And on the other side, Equilibra uses more the resistances of its typing to have some crazy bulk, it also has levitate, that eliminates one of its weaknesess, its also great at eliminating hazards with Rapid Spin like Excadrill, but this time its because of its bulk.

-Ferrothorn and Kartana are the primest of prime examples of what this concept is supposed to be, Ferrothorn uses its resistances to wall, be a hazard setter and recover/force a switch with Leech Seed, and it covers his few weaknesses with other members of its team, while Kartana is pure offense, uses his typing to get STAB Leaf Blade and Smart Strike, and to switch in safely, not get stalled by Toxic and to resist SRocks switching in, both of them use the best of its typing defensively and offensively, and it works really well for both of them, thats why its the best example of what this concept should be.

-Corviknight and Cawmodore are another great example, Corviknight uses the resistances of its typing + the amazing bulk it has to be one of the best walls in the game, and also having some of the best utility moves, Defog, U-Turn, etc. But it doesnt nearly uses it as offensively as Cawmodore, it also uses it a little defensively, but just to setup with Belly Drum, eat a berry, and sweep with STAB Bullet Punch and Acrobatics, both of them are some straightforward examples, but Cawm uses it a little defensively, so should we consider doing something like that?

So what we can get from this examples?; Should we do a mon like Cawmodore, that uses at least a little bit of his typing defensively (not counting switching in), or more like Kartana and Ferrothorn, almost complete opposites?
 
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shnowshner

You've Gotta Try
is a Pre-Contributor
Concept Reviews! Because I can't think of anything good to submit myself!

I don't want this to come off as campaigning for or against anything, moreso just a spattering of ideas to help develop them further. If I didn't mention yours it's simply because I haven't anything to inquire/add on at the moment. And yes, I am a but a singular gamer, so don't take my words as gospel.

Name - The Last Word

Description - This Pokemon gains consistent value from moving last on most of its turns.
I feel that we've always put a greater emphasis on higher Speed CAPs unless it's a stat we have no stake it, so going the opposite direction is a nice change of pace. Like you said, a fair bit of slower mons don't really benefit from going last as much as their positive traits are worth going last.

A question I think might be worth including: what methods do we have at our disposal to ensure moving last? A low Speed stat is the obvious way forward, but lower Speed = faster in Trick Room, which is antithetical to the concept. I could see this causing polljumping, however, so it might be something we work on over the course of the project.

WIP

Name:
Crossout Designator

Description: This Pokemon uses the move Imprison to cut off the opponent's
A couple ideas for this:

Imprison has modest distribution and was even included on our most recent project, but rarely sees play. Meanwhile, other forms of preventing moves are much more common and successful:
What allows these kinds of moves to succeed within a specific Pokemon's toolset?
Are there examples of Imprison being used successfully (in conventual manners)?
Why is Imprison often looked over versus other disruption options?


I think an Imprison-centric concept would be interesting as it's unique in effect and properties, though my only critique is if people may think the move alone is not enough to carry an entire project, I.E. provide some reasons why Imprison in particular is worth looking into.

WIP

Name:
Stick Together!

Description: This Pokemon fulfills a "glue" role, working well alongside a multitude of cores while justifying its usage through a myriad of utility options and defensive qualities
There was a fair amount of discussion around "glue mons" on Discord, of which was the idea that many glue mons tend to have inherent flaws or obvious weaknesses that hold them back. I feel this might be worth looking into: using Lando as an example, it's a crucial defensive centerpiece for many teams despite lacking reliable recovery. I guess what I'm getting to is this: Why is it thay many glue mons have a multitude of flaws/hurdles yet continue to succeed regardless? It's a bit out there but being able to fully dissect the nuances of mons like Lando-T, Torn-T, and Fini would help us better understand what 31 needs to do in order to succeed for this concept.

WIP

Name:
The Perfect (generalized) Mate

Description: This Pokemon will attempt to support and accel a specific role or type of Pokémon.
This caught my eye because partner subs tend to struggle in the face of meta shifts, generational changes, and especially now the existence of cut Pokemon. In a broad sense we tend to stray away from these as the result of a CAP's partners falling off often means it will too, and an unviable CAP is a sad CAP.

Expanding the idea of a partner towards a more general sense is the only real way I can see this working going forward: tying a CAP to a specific mon will not fly, to be blunt. Instead, being an ideal partner to any variety of consistently good roles, like walls and offensive pivots, or classical archetypes like bulky Water or fast Electric, is more feasible, but can still suffer from being too centralized around what's good now and not necessarily in the future. I suggest doubling down on the generalized aspect of this concept and explicitly stating that we should avoid putting too much focus on contemporary metagame forces.

WIP

Name:
Sleeper Pick

Description: A Pokemon that uses a move that inflicts the sleep status condition.
Call me crazy but I honestly see a lot of potential here despite the stigma around the status. Sleep has definitely fallen out of the equation on more balanced team structures, with Veil HO being the only real representative and that's mostly because you're already trying to push as much advantage over your opponent as possible. A sleep user that is more applicable for slower-paced teams (at least slower than HO) isn't really present and might have a lot of useful applications. My advice: narrow this down so that the Sleep user isn't being used to cheese matchups, but rather as a means of slowing the opponent down and forcing them to play by your rules. I feel a lot of people will be more open to that versus one that allows "Sleep user that lets you matchup fish easier," even if that's not the explicit end goal.

WIP

Name:
There Will Be Sacrifices

Description: A Pokemon that manipulates it's HP through means of Recoil, Draining HP, and means like Pain Split or Endure to gain an advantage over the opponent.
This definitely needs a more coheasive name. I wish I had a good suggestion at the moment, but I've come up short.

Either way, I think the HP stat has a lot to look into. Manipulation and various means of controling it is a good start: here's a couple things I might add as questions.

What tools are available to us that take advantage of having significant control over our HP?

How should we approach our base HP stat? What are the properties of the HP stat in game and how it interacts with various moves and mechanics?


WIP

Name:
Nice Moves!

Description: This Pokemon stacks boosting effects to boost the damage of a move or
The most immediate issue here is the current metagame state, which is lame since there are a ton of potential avenues with this one. The prospect of adding another offensive mon would leave a sour taste in the mouths of many active players right now.

That doesn't necessarily mean this is a bad concept, but timing and context are often a big factor in a winning concept. I think a good extention onto this concept might be shifting focus from boosting the damage of moves towards utilizing moves that are otherwise underutilized or have room to be further optimized, so that the concept is a lot more broad in what mons can benefit from it. Lessen emphasis on damage output and more on making our key moves as useful as they can possibly be. That way this concept doesn't immediately shoehorn us into making another offensive threat, unless we're comfortable with going that direction as the process develops.
 

Hera

Make a move before they can make an act on you
is a Social Media Contributoris a Tiering Contributoris a Contributor to Smogon
PUPL Champion
Final Submission

Name:
One Trick Pony

Description: This Pokemon excels at using a singular move offensively or defensively. When given the opportunity, the best play this Pokemon will make is to spam this move. It should be on every viable moveset of this Pokemon. It will not be a unique/custom move.

Justification: This would be an Actualization concept. Many Pokemon that are defined by one move are either banned from CAP (Dracovish, Urshifu-S), unviable in CAP (Exploud, Dracozolt), or are viable but are defined more by a combination of aspects than a single move (Slowbro, Melmetal).

Questions To Be Answered:

  • If an offensive route is taken with this CAP, how can we create a balanced AND viable Pokemon without making it banworthy? Can we effectively make one without turning it into a matchup fishy option?
  • If a defensive route is taken with this CAP, what would our role be? What defensive moves will a viable CAP with this concept want to spam, and how can we fit the concept without making the move droppable?
  • In either case, how would we optimize this CAP's ability to spam its desired move? What would be an optimal move to chose? How can we properly incentivize this Pokemon to spam its desired move?

Explanation: Something I find infinitely interesting in the realm of competitive Pokemon is how volatile Pokemon that would be considered to fall under this concept are. Let's take Dracovish as an example. 9/10 times, it will want to use Fishous Rend, because it is stronger than its other stongest move, Outrage, on resisted targets compared to Outrage's damage on neutral targets (191.25 BP vs 180 BP). This insane power, which nearly mandated a Water immunity or a core of Physically Defensive Water resists is what caused it to be banned. On the flip side, we have Exploud, famous for Boomburst spam in lower tiers...but not remotely viable in CAP or OU. While these two Pokemon have a myriad of different qualites, like stats, typing, and abilites, they both have at least one thing in common: they are built around maximizing the damage output this Pokemon has on its spammable move.

The goal of this CAP, as stated above, would be to create a viable and balanced CAP following this concept. For example, if the move chosen was
Triple Axel, we could give it STAB and an ability like Compound Eyes/Technichan, but make it slower than most offensive mons and have just enough power to be threatening, but not enough power to force 2HKOs on common defensive staples. On the defensive side of things, if the move we picked was Stored Power, we could give it a defensive typing that leaves it immune to Toxic, decent bulk, and defensive boosting moves like Stockpile to turn it into a late game threat, but no STAB, offensive boosting moves, and a slow Speed stat to keep it balanced.

I also believe this would be a good concept because Gen 8 CAPs have ended up heavily relying on their abilites. Astrolotl has Regenerator, Miasmaw has Neturalizing Gas, and Chromera has Color Change. Remove the abilites from these 3 Pokemon, and they would be wildly different in terms of functions and most likely less viable (with the obvious exception of Chromera). Building around a move would a unique concept for this generation, and I would love to see Gen 8 CAP end by deviatating from the norm a little.
 
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Final Submission

Name:
Purveyor of Rare Trinkets

Description: A Pokemon that is built around using one or two underused items.

Justification: This is an Actualization concept because it's trying to viably build around items that don't see a lot of use. There are borderline underused items that see some niche use on specific Pokemon, such as Protective Pads, Shed Shell, or Throat Spray, but generally these items are far from standard. This concept aims to specifically build a pokemon around the underused item(s) we choose. We should center this on items that see very little usage on any common pokemon's most frequent sets in the metagame, probably up to the level of Protective Pads but no more.

Questions To Be Answered:
- Can lesser-used items surpass the more broadly useful ones when specifically built around?
- How strongly does the choice of item insist upon an offensive or defensive bias? Heavy-Duty Boots is seen on heavily offensive and heavily defensive Pokemon alike. Can a more obscure item choice have similar breadth?
- Can we rejuvenate an archetype or even create a new archetype by building around a rarely-seen item?
- To what extent must we "force the issue"– for instance by making a Pokemon that makes poor use of Heavy-Duty Boots or choice items? What allows a Pokemon the freedom to run more obscure items?
- When is a consumable item preferred to a passive one? How could we grant a Pokemon built around a consumable item consistency?
- Is it possible that one or more of these items are overlooked, and might have some merit even when not specifically built around, like we discovered with delayed damage moves when creating Equilibra?

Explanation: Groups of items with broadly the same effect should be grouped together for the purpose of this concept, so type-resist berries or 1.2x boosting items in the vein of mystic water should be taken as a group regarding their usage. Whatever we choose, we should strive to build around the item and make it the most viable item for CAP31.

Some item possibilities are more reactive (for example, Safety Goggles or certain berries), while some are more proactive (for example, Scope Lens or Metronome). In general I think proactive items are more viable to build around, but it might help to help group items in this way to decide on an approach to take.

Obviously, there are a lot of items that are extremely situational or outclassed. I don't think we should build around something like Absorb Bulb or Shell Bell or Utility Umbrella for this reason. But there are some intriguing items in the vein of Protective Pads, Air Balloon, Eject Pack, Metronome, Scope Lens, Toxic Orb, Binding Band, Eject Button, Throat Spray, or certain berries. Most of these items skew offensive, but something like Binding Band allowing a defensive mon to inflict tons of damage-per-turn, irrespective of its attacking stats, shouldn't be overlooked. There are quite a lot of possibilities, and our task is to make them compete in viability with the likes of Heavy-Duty Boots, Leftovers, and choice items on CAP31.
 
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Astra

talk to me nice
is a Site Content Manageris a Top Social Media Contributoris a Forum Moderatoris a Community Contributoris a Top Contributoris a Top Smogon Media Contributoris a Community Leader Alumnus
Final Submission

Name:
Anger Management

Description: This Pokemon is able to greatly punish fast aggressive plays that can occur in a single turn immediately or almost immediately.

Justification: This would definitely be considered an Actualization concept. There are plenty methods of punishing your opponent that you can do within the same turn of them making an aggressive play (i.e. switching in Ferrothorn against Urshifu-S's Surging Strikes to rack up Iron Barbs contact damage), some of which haven't really seen the light in the current metagame, so partaking in this concept could help us explore the variety of such methods. I also would say that this can be considered a Target concept, targeting the CAP metagame's huge bias towards offense and wanting as much damage as possible as fast as possible.

Questions to be Answered:
  • In the context of the CAP metagame, what would be the current best methods of punishing fast aggressive plays?
  • How can a Pokemon punish its foe on the same turn their foe made the play to be punished? The following turn?
  • How much should this Pokemon be able to limit the opponent's ability to make fast aggressive plays?
Explanation: In a game like Pokemon, fast play is needed to get the advantage on your opponent, whether it be through dropping high-damaged attacks that can barely be walled by your opponent's team to aggressive double switches that force you opponent to make the predicted play. There are methods available to you to prevent your team from becoming a victim to such fast play yourself, but the amount of pressure that you'd need to circumvent can easily get too overwhelming for your team, rendering your forms of punishment to such teamstyle ineffective. Some threats within the CAP metagame that play well with a fast aggressive turn-to-turn playstyle only need a small crack in the opponent's defense in order to become nigh impossible to stop. This concept's goal would be to alleviate the pressure caused by this playstyle through a reliable means of punishment that puts the pressure back on the opponent immediately.
 
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Final Submission

Name
- Needle

Description - This Pokemon uses at least one low base power move (<=75BP) as its main attack

Justification - Actualization concept- we are trying to explore the extents of a Pokemon fully geared to using a low base power move. Some mons utilize low base power moves as coverage, but almost never as main attacks outside of priority. However these low bp moves are full of potential thanks to their much more powerful side effects that aren't seen elsewhere in the metagame, and we'll tap into those to create something completely new and create impact through the powerful combination of damage and useful effects.

Questions to be answered -
-What moves are under standard acceptable bp, but currently see usage?
-What moves are under standard acceptable bp, dont see usage, but have huge potential?
-Do low bp moves lend themselves to a specific archetype?
-Do low bp moves need to be paired with high bp moves to find success?
-What is the stat compensation required to make up for low BP?
-How to value the additional effects of moves? And how does the role of the pokemon affect those weightings? (For instance, why does 20%+ paralysis chance not outweigh 10BP in some situations in the case of Discharge vs Tbolt, but it does in others?)

Explanation -
Technician!!!! But no, there's more. 80BP (for instance Shadow Ball, Dark Pulse, Scald) is considered as overall mediocre BP in todays metagame. Moves with 75BP or less are usually considered only for coverage or side utility, such as hazard control. I want to see if a mon can excel with its core move being lower than that usually accepted minimum of 80BP, by leveraging its other qualities outside of damage. There are a ton of interesting moves in the lower BPs which go wild when paired with the correct ability, and I would like to see that taken to the nth degree by also looking at how to best match stats, typing and surrounding movepool to maximise the success of this low BP move.
Some examples of where low BP moves have shined in the past in OU and lower: Scizor (Bullet Punch), Comfey (Draining Kiss), Kyurem (Freeze-Dry), Arghonaut (Circle Throw).
Some moves that dont count as low BP: Knock Off, Bonemerang, other moves that are listed as low BP but automatically boost their own damage or multi-hit into an acceptable BP range.
Kartana is an example of low bp movepool that doesnt lean heavily on ability to use those moves. Similarly to Kartana, usage of the low BP move may be required due to lacking a higher BP alternative. This is a valid method for executing concept.

Just on a personal note, Technician has been done to death in CAP and I would like us to explore not only a wider range than sub 60BP but also take a look at more ability interactions as well as non-ability interactions with our move choices. So dont see this as Technician CAP #4.
 
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  • Name - Best of Both Worlds
  • Description - This pokemon can effectively split Attack and Special Attack EVs, and running minimal Speed..
  • Justification-
    • Actualization: This mon should feel powerful to use, but not overbearing; similar to Pokémon such as Crawdaunt.
    • Archetype: It works as a wallbreaker to poke holes in the opposing teams, similar to Pajantom, or it works as a fast pivot/ revenge killer, like Tapu Koko.
    • Target: gives defensive mons that are barely viable a little boost.

  • Questions To Be Answered-
    • What would the Speed of this Pokemon be? Would it be naturally fast enough to outpace walls, or would it be better suited for trick room? Since this pokemon is not running a lot of Speed investment, this question is extremely important.
    • What would the offensive stats of this Pokemon be? What is the type combination? These are integral as this concept's requirements nessecitate very particular balancing, even moreso than normal wallbreakers, in order for it to not be overbearing or underpowered.
    • What archetypes would this pokemon be used for? this heavily ties into the stat distribution as well. The higher the Natural Speed, the lower the offenses would be. This pokemon should not be very bulky.

  • Explanation - This pokemon just takes the idea of a mixed attacker to the extreme and would be quite interesting to balance. I'd assume a pokemon like this would not have some crazy STAB combo like ice/electric or fairy/ground or so on in order to keep it balanced; if anything it could be monotype. Mixed walls, such as Ferrothorn, Hippowdon, Fini, Equlibra, and even Chromera (depending on the coverage) would love the addition of this pokemon since their sheer bulk would suit them well to keeping this thing at bay. This mon would give other mons that are almost or just barely viable that second wind (e.x. libra, hippo, chrom) in the tier. Unless it becomes tied to Trick Room, the speed tier would have to be super specific such that it outspeeds certain pokemon whilst not getting much use out of running maximum Speed investment. I wouldn't be surprised if this pokemon ended up as a super frail glass-cannon pivot with low defensive and offensive stats and a Blistering natural speed stat (think a toned-down verson of Deo-S, without the broken coverage) so that it needs the offensive investment in both stats to reach a benchmark KO or 2hko while still being a decent pivot/ revenge killer.
 
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Final Submission

Name:
Game of Inches

Description: A Pokémon that explores the use of incremental damage and recovery effects in the CAP metagame.

Justification: This is an Actualization concept. Given the vast amounts of directly damaging attacks and reliable recovery, this concept intends to explore some of the lesser seen methods of damage and healing.

Questions to be answered:

  • How important are incremental, residual, and any other forms of indirect damage in the current meta?
  • Which effects, whether they are moves, abilities, or anything else, should be considered incremental?
  • Which damaging moves would be useful for their secondary effects?
  • In what ways can incremental effects be worthwhile over traditional forms of damage and recovery?
  • How should incremental damage be used alongside direct damage? Should one be prioritized over the other?
  • What methods of blocking indirect damage/recovery are there currently? Should these methods be used as a balancing tool or should this Pokémon have a way around them?
Explanation: This Pokémon would serve a different playstyle than Pokemon that only deal direct damage or Pokemon with perfectly reliable recovery. As an example, Leech Seed perfectly encompasses these effects, though there are others like Sand/Hail, Ingrain/Aqua Ring, Leftovers/Black Sludge, Rough Skin/Iron Barbs, Poison Point/Flame Body, and Sand Tomb/Infestation that are also worth looking at.

As for blocking incremental damage and recovery effects, the first ability that comes to mind is Magic Guard, which would be very strong both offensively and defensively. Others to look at are Immunity/Pastel Veil/Poison Heal with their ability to block Toxic damage, Overcoat to block Weather, Water Veil to block Burn, and Taunt to prevent incremental effects from status moves.

This CAP would not need to be completely passive; one route to explore is how they relate, synergize, and benefit from direct damage. Abilities like Rough Skin and Poison Touch can provide chip damage, while moves like Poison Jab or Scald can deal damage with an additional chance to inflict incremental damage.

The closest Pokémon that fills this role is Ferrothorn, with its main recovery being Leech Seed, and its ability to rack up damage with the aforementioned move and its ability Iron Barbs. Ferrothorn’s above-average attack stat also allows its attacking moves like Power Whip and Gyro Ball to reach KOs after sufficiently weakening the opponent with its incremental effects.

As for CAP Pokémon, the closest to fill this role is Snaelstrom, with its main source of Recovery being through Poison Heal, and its ability to status through Toxic or Scald. It’s similar to Ferrothorn however, due to its above average attacking stats giving it offensive prowess (with it even being able to make use of Swords Dance sets).
 
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Final Submission

Name:
Combined Traits

Desscription: This Pokemon has multiple traits that are specifically chosen to interact with each other as much as possible.

Justification: This is an Actualization concept. It brings multiple traits together, and utilizes them to be beneficial. There are a lot of traits in Pokemon that specifically benefit other parts of that Pokemon(some abilities, stat distribution, movepool, etc.). Combining multiple of these traits all together to benefit the Pokemon as much as possible would make all of its traits coherently fit together and benefit each other. This idea is similar to Pokemon like Machamp, with No Guard, Dynamic Punch, and a high Attack stat, since neither of those are that amazing or prevalent and both have drawbacks, but combined they become a lot better.

Questions To Be Answered:

-What different attributes are most important for a Pokemon?

-Why are certain attributes less important than others, and what makes one attribute more important than another?

-What is most important in a combination of a Pokemon’s attributes? Is every part of the Pokemon something that can be factored in for combinations, or are only certain traits like abilities and typing?

-Are the interactions of Pokemon’s traits important in the metagame, or are Pokemon that go all in on one thing by itself better?

-How complex can combinations of traits get? There are very simple ones, but how complex can they possibly get, and are complex combos better or worse for the viability of the Pokemon?

-How useful is a Pokemon that all of its traits combine to make a Pokemon with one main use? Even if the traits combine could the Pokemon be used outside of its main purpose?

Explanation: There are a lot of different attributes a Pokemon can work with, and a lot of different things like Abilities, where a lot of them are just unviable despite having a meaningful effect because the effect isn’t great on its own. Some abilities seem really good but they are either unused , or they are actually not good for the metagame. I think that a Pokemon that could take something like an ability, typing, or something else like stats and combine it with some other attribute to make both attributes beneficial to the Pokemon. Using stats to the Pokemon’s advantage to fit with certain specific moves or abilities, or abilities that help the Pokemon’s type or movepool, or a combination of these combinations could work. The goal is to use multiple parts of a Pokemon to work together to make the Pokemon work well with those.

Abilities like Iron Fist and No Guard can combine with punching and low accuracy moves, respectively to make their weak points less noticeable or non-existent. Something like Iron Barbs on a Pokemon with low physical bulk would also work because Iron Barbs makes Pokemon not want to use contact physical moves onto its low defense, or a physically bulky Pokemon to be a wall against physical attackers along with moves like Spiky Shield and recovery moves.
 
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snake

is a Community Leaderis a Top CAP Contributoris a Contributor to Smogon
CAP Co-Leader
WIP

Name:
Sleeper Pick

Description: A Pokemon that uses a move that inflicts the sleep status condition.

Justification: This is an Actualization concept, built around a status condition that shuts down the opponent as opposed to passive damage or stat reductions like more popular moves that inflict status conditions, such as Toxic or Scald, and is capable of crippling all of Steel types, Poison types, Fire types, Electric types, and even Pokemon with Magic Guard. This adds strategy in terms of reacting to and taking advantage of a deterrent that you have placed, forcing the opponent into some difficult positions, either having to resort to switching to a different Pokemon or sticking it and waiting for the morning rooster, and since neither is a perfect solution you can take advantage of this. The only other relevant Pokemon in the metagame that uses a sleeping move is Alolan Ninetales, which uses the inconsistent Hypnosis and is more known for its role in Hail and Aurora Veil.

Questions To Be Answered:
- What should this Pokemon be doing once it has put an opposing Pokemon to sleep?
- What sleeping move should this Pokemon get? Spore? Lovely Kiss? Something else? Are multiple sleep moves on this Pokemon worth considering?
- Given that one of the advantages of sleep is allowing teammates more opportunities, how much effectiveness should this Pokemon have outside of spreading Sleep? At what point does it become too much?

Explanation: When making a concept, you have to take the current metagame into account. I almost submitted a Flash CAP concept about using the ability Unaware in an offensive nature to outspeed Pokemon with speed boosts as opposed to its traditional defensive nature. This might have worked if it was being created for something like ORAS Ubers, a tier dominated by Dragon Dance Megamence and Geomancy Xerneas. However, this Flash CAP was being created for BDSP CAP, where many of the Pokemon go first by using priority moves, so that concept wouldn’t have worked well.

However, I believe the current CAP metagame is in a prime position to accept a Pokemon with a sleeping move. The tier is dominated by Pokemon that are immune to the common Toxic such as Heatran, Venomicon, Clefable, Galarian Slowking, Magnezone, and Corviknight, and most of these are unfazed by burn as well. However, all of these Pokemon are vulnerable to being put to sleep. I also believe that there are enough sleep immune Pokemon in the metagame (Tapu Fini, Tapu Koko, Pajantom, and if the sleeping move has powder in it, there’s also Ferrothorn, Pyroak, and Kartana) that this could be balanced.

We’ve seen Pokemon with sleeping moves take several roles. In many iterations of UU, Amoonguss acts as a defensive pivot. When Tangrowth isn’t running Assault Vest, it is a physical wall that can put opponents to sleep. Breloom and Darkrai are offensive setup sweepers in the tiers that they are relevant in. ORAS NU Jynx wallbreaks in addition to being the sandman, with or without Nasty Plot. Roserade in RU is a hazard setter and a sleep inducer. As you can see, there is a lot of flexibility here in terms of roles.

This is the first concept I have ever submitted, so I'm not expecting to get a lot of attention, but I hope that this is not at the very least completely ignored and that my justifications are understood. I don't think was perfect, the QTBA in particular I feel isn't particularly strong, so if you have any feedback please let me know so I can improve this concept.
I was thinking about submitting a concept revolving around sleep, but you basically beat me to it! A personal suggestion (that others might disagree with), but I think just going all-in on this concept and making the concept about building around Spore specifically. Instead of creating a concept of "oh this Pokemon has a good chance to put the opposing Pokemon to sleep", it's "this Pokemon WILL put an opposing Pokemon to sleep," and that guarantee will make it a lot easier to write the justifications and questions because it knocks out the RNG of hitting moves. There's just a huge difference between a Hypnosis or Lovely Kiss user and a Spore user, and I feel like a Spore user is much more interesting.
 
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