CAP 31 - Part 1 - Concept Submissions

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Wulfanator

Clefable's wish came true!
is a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a Top CAP Contributor Alumnus
Name: Forbidden Fruit

Description: This Pokémon is permitted access to a singular move from the prohibited moves list.

Justification: In most projects, we are barred from including these mechanics because they are considered some of the strongest options available in-game. Even with the addition of the clause allowing TL and Movepool SL to approve these moves, it is unlikely to ever be implemented given how late into the project this decision is made. This target concept aims to expand the project toolbox and explore how an immediate power spike in the project impacts subsequent design choices.

Questions:
  • While the prohibited moves list is dominated by many high base power moves, are there any lower base power or status moves worth considering over them?
  • How important should STAB be if we select a damaging move?
  • Should we aim to build a Pokémon that maximizes the potential of our move within the context of the CAP meta or that simply uses it as an additional tool in its kit?
  • What type of roles are enabled best by the inclusion of these moves compared to our basic toolbox?
  • Will selecting a powerful move early negatively impact the selection of stat limits or does it allow us to reprioritize the way we build stats?
  • Given the general distaste for the oversaturation of offensive threats in the meta, how will this external factor influence our decisions when faced with a move from the prohibited move list
  • Should this concept be expanded to all signature moves and not just the legend exclusive moves since they are often considered taboo to include?
  • How important should distinguishing our Pokémon from the original user be?

Explanation: Since this will be the last CAP of gen 8, I figured offering a concept that strips the project of one of its biggest limitations would send the generation off with a bang. There are many unique move mechanics locked behind the prohibited move list and it would be a nice change of pace to explore one of them this project. Instead of selecting a move out the gate and basing the entire concept around that specific move, I figured a community discussion and vote would be a more appropriate route to take this style of project. Users appreciate having more agency over project decisions, especially when it comes to breaking the mold, so the concept was deliberately left open-ended. The concept also aims to reduce the goal of fulfillment to a simplistic benchmark: use a prohibited move. This relaxed goal lets us focus on the elements of the move/Pokémon that truly interest us and avoids bogging us down early with artificial restrictions such as building to the maximum potential of the move. However, this concept does place greater emphasis on concept assessment when it comes to uniting us around a specific design path for the Pokémon. Lastly, I thought this would be a more interesting time to suggest this type of concept given the gripes people have with the meta and the oversaturation of threats. I am most curious to see how this mentality warps the design process.
 
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Zephyri

put on your headphones and burn my city
is a Top Artistis a Forum Moderator
Name: peace


Description: This Pokemon breaks down teams that fall under the “offense” category

Justification: Offense has always been good in the SS CAP metagame, but ever since the CAP Championship Playoffs, it’s arguably become the most defining playstyle in the metagame. The high level of threat saturation in the metagame makes offense especially difficult to answer; most defensive cores are simply unable to answer all of Dragapult, Pyroak, Weavile, Kartana, Zeraora, both books, and Urshifu-R (among many, many others), leading to teams having to rely on similar Lando-Astro-Fini cores to be able to defensively account for everything; cores that can be exploited by aggressive play and are somewhat prone to being overwhelmed. “peace” is a Target concept, with undertones of Archetype, that attempts to address that problem with the metagame through a unique toolkit that’d let it match up well versus offense and loosen its threshold on the tier.

Questions:

  • What metagame factors have led to the dominance of offense teams? Is it just threat saturation, or is there more to it?
  • How can the standard offense gameplan of “hazard stack -> overwhelm with breakers -> play the win condition -> clean” be exploited?
  • What kinds of utility (apart from the obvious answer of hazards) can help hinder offensive teams?
  • Are there Pokémon in the current metagame that offense teams find difficult to overwhelm? If so, what qualities make them difficult to overwhelm, and to what extent can we emulate them
  • Offense teams tend to take risks in the builder by using offensive counterplay instead of defensive counterplay to common offensive threats. They also tend to take risks in-game by relying on aggressive plays to gain momentum. How can these risks be exploited?
  • To what extent do offensive teams rely on momentum, and how necessary would it be for CAP31 to be able to “steal” momentum?
Explanation: Metagames are about balance, but with Weavile to the east, Blacephalon to the west, and lyric references throughout this explanation, bulkier builds have simply become unable to keep up with the number of threats they need to answer, and builds that can answer everything are prone to getting overwhelmed by threat-stack offense. “peace” is an attempt to reduce offense’s stranglehold on the metagame, whilst exploring design space that raises interesting questions about how metagames develop, how gameplans can be analyzed and abused, and how the addition of a single Pokemon can impact the metagame at a larger level.

There’s a variety of ways we could execute this concept too; historically, anti-offense has come in a plethora of forms. Pokemon like Mega-Lopunny and Dragapult focus on breaking offense before it can gain momentum, whereas Toxapex and Slowbro are difficult to overwhelm and can cut wincon sweeps short with Scald burns, Haze, and the courage of their convictions. ID Skarmory specifically is a really interesting manifestation of the “anti-offense” archetype that sprang up in the early-mid IoA metagame. Skarmory’s physical bulk meant that it’d be able to live most physical hits, and ID+Body Press turned it from a wall to a wincon in its own right versus offense teams. Skarmory’s coming-of-age has come and gone, but there’s definitely inspiration to be taken from there, and there’s definitely insight to be gained from this concept.

banger song ftw
 
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I also have some feedbacks, in a weird order:

WIP

Name:
Anger Management

Description: This Pokemon is able to greatly punish overly-aggressive plays immediately or almost immediately.

Justification: This would definitely be considered an Actualization concept. There are countless ways to punish aggression in the metagame, some of which aren't really that common or barely even exist currently, and partaking in this concept would allow us to explore such options. I suppose this can loosely qualify to be a Target concept as well, targeting the metagame's favor towards immediate offensive power through as equal immediate punishment.

Questions to be Answered:
  • How is an "aggressive" play defined, let alone an "overly-aggressive" play?
  • How can the multitude of ways of punishing aggressive plays be categorized?
  • How should "immediate" be defined in battle? The same turn? The following turn?
  • How much should this Pokemon be able to limit the opponent's ability to make aggressive plays?
Explanation: In a game like Pokemon, aggression is needed in order to put pressure on your opponent. Likewise, ways to for you alleviate said pressure is needed to win games as well, but sometimes, aggression can become so overwhelming that there's really nothing you can do. Such aggression is definitely prominent in the CAP metagame, filled with incredibly offensive threats that can get nigh impossible to stop. A lot of the time, such threats only need a small crack in their opponent's defenses in order to get immensely aggressive, sometimes practically for free. There are also occasions where making an aggressive prediction in your favor essentially puts you in a much greater position. A Pokemon with this concept would attempt to prevent this happening as often through means we would be exploring in hopes to bring more balance to the CAP metagame.
Just a quick feedback here: Im having a hard time understanding what this concept is aiming for. I think you need to be the one to define "overly aggressive" and perhaps "immediate punishment" because these aren't widespread competitive terms and it really could mean anything. You could be talking about punishing turn-to-turn strategy such as aggressive doubling, predictions. Or you could be talking about aggressive team buildups like HO, or overloading defenders with Flyspam. Or you could even be trying to create a mon that creates blanket counterplay to help deal with heavy matchup fish metagame full of offense. These are three vastly different concepts that all have a million routes inside them, but theyre all different concepts that I feel should be written up separately and I think it would be smart to choose a more solid starting point so voters know what they're voting for here.
Its also not entirely clear why theres a focus on the immediacy of punishment or what that has to do with the concept since it isnt mentioned in the explanation. If there is a specific meaning to the use of the word immediate here, it would be good to spell it out also.

  • Name - Best of Both Worlds
  • Description - This pokemon can effectively run Max Attack and Max Special Attack EVs.
  • 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 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

  • 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 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 b oth stats to reach a benchmark KO while still being a decent pivot/ revenge killer.
When you do Justification, you should pick one of Actualization, Archetype and Target that best fits the concept. For this, this is an Actualization concept because youre trying to enter new territory and make something fresh and see if it can be done. I do have a slight issue though. This feels a bit narrow because the only realistic, optimal way this happens would be Regieleki style spread where speed and defenses are just worthless. If the concept is a roundabout way of creating this type of pokemon, I think there could be a better writeup that specifically talks more about creating an offensive pokemon with unrivalled speed tier. Just because that has more interesting routes and questions than EV related ones which basically just seem to be "how do we tackle the stat stage?", something we ask every project.

WIP

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 see some use on specific Pokemon, such as Protective Pads or Shed Shell, but this concept aims for items with less usage than these. I believe we should make use of an item/items that don't see usage on any pokemon's common sets in the metagame.

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 a certain archetype? 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 lesser-seen item?
- 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 Eject Pack (turning something like Close Combat or Draco Meteor into a pivoting move is very intriguing), Eject Button, Metronome, Adrenaline Orb, Scope Lens, Binding Band, 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 Life Orb on CAP31.
I like this concept, Id say you could ask some questions about consumable vs passive items and what is required to make a pokemon be willing to take the former over the latter (latter being the majority of popular items like lefties, choice, hdb). You can also ask how to give qualities that provide freedom of itemization (for instance flying types are near-required to have HDB, with exception of ground/flying, fighting/flying and steel/flying who are granted item freedom thanks to their excellent hazard resilience. slow defensive tanks without recovery are near-required to hold leftovers)

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.
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.
You got the justification category correct. It might be worth explaining how the concept is different from Tomohawks (https://www.smogon.com/forums/threads/cap-1-concept-submissions.86719/#post-3336529) and Miasmaws (https://www.smogon.com/forums/threads/cap-28-part-1-concept-submissions.3668147/#post-8554617) though. Its a bit vague atm so its not clear whether it overlaps completely or if you're going down a different route, but some more writing and explaining exactly what you mean by momentum will help clear that up. It might even be better to use another word or category just to separate it from Tomohawks concept in particular, which used its own definition.

WIP

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.
Making a pokemon that moves last is really fun and interesting. We never really do that in CAP, usually they hit specific important speed tiers. But like I said on Showdown I think the interesting part of this is building the slow mon and less to do with abusing going last, which is a bit barren outside of a couple abilities, slow pivoting, and maybe a couple moves which are all clones of each other. Why not reframe this as a concept that works around being slow, giving space to make something like Ferrothorn that doesnt abuse going last but excels DESPITE going last. It would really give you a lot more interesting avenues and questions while making the same end result for the most part. I know a lot of ppl would be excited to build a slow mon. I also dont think we need to worry in advance about it being a god trick room user, because that rarely happens for slow mons and it wouldnt matter in my eyes even if it somehow managed it. Trick Room doesnt automatically make a slow mon good, it doesnt do so for Ferrothorn, Shuckle, even things like Conkeldurr with TR stats doesnt stand out as a choice.
 
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Da Pizza Man

Pizza Time
is a Pre-Contributor
WIP

First CAP submision so please let me know if I didn't do something right.

Name - Doom Desire user
Description - A Pokemon that can viably use Doom Desire
Justification- I believe this is an actualization concept. Future Sight has historically been meta-relevant this generation, and yet Doom Desire, despite being a stronger Future Sight at 140BP, has never been listed as a main option on Jirachi (it doesn't even make Other Options). There are a lot of reasons for this, with the two I can see being Jirachi's already insane movepool and Steel's lacklustre offensive coverage. However, Doom Desire's lack of an immunity means something has to take the hit (in contrast to IoA days when Urshifu would utilize the Future Sight to deter Darks from coming into negate it). The big selling point would be hitting Fairies, and so this Pokemon could use it either as a tool to pressure Fairies for itself (perhaps it would otherwise invite them in) or to support allies that would normally lure in Fairies. Proper utilization of this move would make for a highly unique defensive pivot.
Questions To Be Answered -
  • What reasons have led to Future Sight being preferred over Doom Desire for wallbreaking support? What, in particular, has made Jirachi never utilize this tool, and how do we avoid making another Jirachi?
  • With emphasis on a delayed turn attack, how can this Pokemon remain usable until Doom Desire lands? What does it do while it waits?
  • What meta-relevant wallbreakers would benefit from Doom Desire's Steel-typing over Future Sight's Psychic-typing?
Explanation - I predominately post in Pet Mods, and we have made a few neat Doom Desire users (CS2's Duraludon and FEUU's Jirachonator), and I have wanted to see Doom Desire see OU usage because those two Pokemon have been quite fun to use. I also think, given all of the underused or underexplored tools in Pokemon, Doom Desire is quite unique because it's on an OU-viable Pokemon (as its signature move), and yet it never gets used. This is in contrast to ideas that pull inspiration from Pokemon not viable in standard to bring a certain feature into OU play. I think, in turn, this would make for an interesting case study into typing and trying to create value from a historically underwhelming offensive type (DPP Scizor aside).
We already explored Doom Desire in depth with Equilibra (Which uses the move to great success in the metagame). Although from the looks of it I would say that you seem to have writing concepts down, so don't be discouraged by that.
 
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WIP

Name:
Large Hadron Collider

Description: This Pokemon is designed to specifically check or counter a very prominently used type of core (offensive, defensive, or balanced) and its most commonly used members of our choosing in the metagame.

Justification: This is a combination of an Actualization and Target concept. We are creating a Pokemon that specifically targets commonly used threats, and also exploring how the ability to break a core affects the creation of a Pokemon.

Explanation: Cores have been a part of competitive Pokemon from the very beginning. In the past, CAP has designed Pokemon that were meant to form cores of either two (Perfect Mate) or three (Major Third) with underutilized Pokemon in their respective metagames. However, due to intense power creep, these concepts ultimately ended up failing as the Pokemon they were built around ended up falling out of viability. There are many cores in the metagame, however, that have been viable for generations, such as the infamous SkarmBliss, DragMag, and FerroPex. Reversing Voodoom and Volkraken's process and working around breaking an already established and viable core should subsequently allow for a CAP that will be much more viable in future generations.

Questions:
  • What differences are there between building a Pokemon to form a new core and building a Pokemon to break a core?
  • What are the differences between building a Pokemon to break a single threat and building a Pokemon to break two or three threats at once?
  • What tools and roles allow a Pokemon to effectively break a core? How do they differ between offensive, defensive, and balanced cores?
  • Can we ensure that this Pokemon can break its chosen threats reliably even if they are not in the chosen core?
 
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Final Submission

Name:
Pinch Hitter

Description: A Pokémon that is specifically designed to function at low HP.

Justification: This is an Actualization concept in which we look to recreate a style of play seen in previous generations that is no longer seen in present generations.

Questions to be Answered:
-What are the barriers that have appeared to this playstyle since it was commonplace?
-What recent mechanic introductions might be useful for facilitating low-HP play if properly implemented?
-Should we try to recreate previous low-HP strategies, or create an entirely new one?
-Is it possible to reliably reduce HP to low levels, without reducing HP to one?
-How do we handle the inevitable issue of being very close to being knocked out?

Explanation: This strategy is one that was decently common in previous generations, but has since virtually fallen off the map. In ADV, many Pokémon can run a Salac Berry set, getting to low HP using either Substitute or Endure before attempting to sweep opposing teams. Power creep means that this level of setup is unappealing in later generations; however, DPP often featured suicide leads with Focus Sash that were designed to faint on turn 2, letting the team gain an advantage through hazard setup. This role hasn’t disappeared in quite the same way as the sweepers in ADV did, but it’s far more rare in modern play. In SS, the easiest way to facilitate low HP play, Focus Sash, is not often seen, and the ability Sturdy, which essentially functions in the same way, isn’t on any OU Pokémon.
Despite this, I believe there is a fair amount of potential to make such a concept work. A lot of interesting mechanics that are conducive to this concept have been introduced since the style fell out of favor, such as increased hazard prevention (hazards make Focus Sash and, to a lesser extent, Substitute strategies less viable) and an updated Sturdy ability. A few mechanics that existed during generations 3 and 4 that work well with this strategy have never been utilized to their fullest extent as well, such as Magic Guard, low-HP abilities, and certain types of pinch berries. I believe that, with a properly made CAP, it is possible to revive the idea of low-HP play, if in a more limited fashion than previously.
In terms of existing Pokémon that make use of low-HP strategies, Dugtrio occasionally runs Reversal in some metas, Excadrill and Froslass have suicide lead sets that explicitly benefit from being at low HP (Excadrill can use Steel Beam, which I feel is an underutilized technique,) and Kommo-o and Darmanitan-G both make use of a combination of Belly Drum+Substitute+Salac Berry. All five of these sets are either extremely one-dimensional, have better alternatives, or are simply on mediocre Pokemon, so I feel there’s still a lot of potential in making something more dedicated to this concept, with the existing sets being useful as inspiration. Additionally, there are a few techniques, namely using hazards to help lower HP, that have never been used effectively, so I definitely think there’s a lot of very unique paths we can take with this concept.
 
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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.
Thank you for the feedback, I went ahead and changed this. Though now I do feel as though the QTBA section is even more lacking than before, if anyone has any suggestions as to what to add to this please let me know. One thing I will say though is that you didn't mention Yawn, which I think could be an interesting way to go in the sleeping department, so if people want me to change the concept back so I could work that in let me know.

WIP

Name:
Specialist Predator

Description: This Pokemon can only reliably check/counter two or three Pokemon in the entire tier, but it is so exceptionally good at checking/countering this small group of Pokemon that it can be slotted onto a team regardless.

Justification: This is a combination of an Actualization and Target concept. The latter is obvious, but many Pokemon have a wide range of targets that they can check or counter, and with this concept, we can explore whether or not the number of Pokemon one can check or counter truly affects its viability.

Explanation: Due to the rapidly shifting nature of metagames, particularly in the DLC-powered Gen 8 metagame, Pokemon that are normally seen as niche will become more popular due to their ability to check a rising threat. Examples of this include Seismitoad in the Dracovish meta, Galarian Weezing in the Urshifu-Single Strike meta, and Obstagoon in the Spectrier meta. These Pokemon, however, were completely unviable outside of being able to check that singula threat, and fell out of grace hard when those threats were banned. These Pokemon, however, have two things pulling them down: they can only reliably check that single threat, and they happened to be already introduced Pokemon who just so happened to be able to check these threats. With this CAP, we will be building a Pokemon around specifically checking multiple threats, and such making a CAP that will remain viable in future metagames.

Questions:
  • How many Pokemon does a Pokemon need to check/counter to be considered viable?
  • How can we make a Pokemon that only checks a few threats viable in a power creep-based metagame?
I think a Pokemon has to be REALLY centralizing in order for a Pokemon that counters it well and not much else to be viable. All of the examples you list (being Dracovish, Urshifu-Single-Strike and Spectrier) were all broken/banworthy, I don't think anything in the current metagame (that isn't a CAP that will end up getting nerfed) replicates their power aside from MAYBE Dragapult. I suggest listing examples of counter relationships for Pokemon that weren't broken/banworthy. Even then though, I'm not sure if this would age with time, as if anything were to happen to the Pokemon we're trying to counter it would likely lose its edge unless it found something else in the metagame to counter.

WIP
Name:
Pinch Hitter
Description: A Pokémon that is specifically designed to function at low HP.
Justification: This is an Actualization concept in which we look to recreate a style of play seen in previous generations that is no longer seen in present generations.
Questions to be Answered:
-What are the barriers that have appeared to this playstyle since it was commonplace?
-What recent mechanic introductions might be useful for facilitating low-HP play if properly implemented?
-Should we try to recreate previous low-HP strategies, or create an entirely new one?
-Is it possible to reliably reduce HP to low levels, without reducing HP to one?
-How do we handle the inevitable issue of being very close to being knocked out?
Explanation: This strategy is one that was decently common in previous generations, but has since virtually fallen off the map. In ADV, many Pokémon can run a Salac Berry set, getting to low HP using either Substitute or Endure before attempting to sweep opposing teams. Power creep means that this level of setup is unappealing in later generations; however, DPP often featured suicide leads with Focus Sash that were designed to faint on turn 2, letting the team gain an advantage through hazard setup. This role hasn’t disappeared in quite the same way as the sweepers in ADV did, but it’s far more rare in modern play. In SS, the easiest way to facilitate low HP play, Focus Sash, is not often seen, and the ability Sturdy, which essentially functions in the same way, isn’t on any OU Pokémon.
Despite this, I believe there is a fair amount of potential to make such a concept work. A lot of interesting mechanics that are conducive to this concept have been introduced since the style fell out of favor, such as increased hazard prevention (hazards make Focus Sash and, to a lesser extent, Substitute strategies less viable) and an updated Sturdy ability. A few mechanics that existed during generations 3 and 4 that work well with this strategy have never been utilized to their fullest extent as well, such as Magic Guard, low-HP abilities, and certain types of pinch berries. I feel as though the CAP metagame is the perfect opportunity to explore this idea, and I feel as though there are many directions in which we can go.
I really like the idea of this, but I do think the idea of getting yourself to low HP is risky in this generation. These kind of strategies were more viable in metagames where there was no Stealth Rock/Team Preview. But because of hazards, Focus Sash is a pretty mediocre item unless you have Magic Guard. Sturdy + Heavy-Duty Boots could work, but that mandates a specific ability. But again, this is really cool on paper, my advice is to study the current metagame and try to focus on more ways to get yourself to low HP. You mentioned Substitute, which I think is good.
 
Man it has been a long time, happy to see this happen for one more time this gen.

Final Submission

Name
- Hands-Free
Captura de pantalla (137).png



Description - This Pokémon is able to function well on a team without an item during most of the battle, to the point that it can viably run item-less sets in certain team structures.

Justification- I believe this is an actualization concept. Items have been an extremely key aspect of battling for the past 2 decades of competitive Pokémon, with the item highly determining the set and role that a Pokémon performs in a team. Some mons are already so good that they can run a large variety of items and pull up different sets (Landorus, Dragapult), some that are heavily dependent on their item (Volcarona), and some that can function even without having an item (Toxapex, Clefable). This latter category is the one the concept will explore, as there are multiple cases when certain mons are forced to spend the rest of the battle with their item manipulated and are still able to function well, as well as even extreme cases where not running an item is even beneficial.

Questions To Be Answered -
  • To what extent can a Pokémon function without an item to characterize itself with? Can a Pokémon function well in a battle even if it lacks an item for most of the battle?
  • How can a Pokémon make up for a lack of an item? What would be required of it to perform during a battle?
  • Are there any situational advantages to not holding an item? If such, which are those situations?
  • What about taking away opposing items? Is taking away a beneficial item mid-game similarly effective to holding that item from the start, or does it turn out to be more dis/advantageous?

Back in gen 2, the use of leftovers was nearly universal. Due to the lack of good damage boosting moves and items, as well as considerably bulkier mons, most mons ran leftovers since it was the best item by miles. However, the second most used item also casually happened to be itemless. This weird decision to not run an item had a good explanation behind it: thief. By utilizing thief, the Pokémon in question would gain leftovers for itself while stripping an opposing mon from his. This doesn't seem like much, but in a metagame where battles are expected to last hours and hundreds of turns, losing leftovers can be a huge detriment that strips away the longevity that GSC Pokémon are required to have to survive in the metagame.

:slowbro: :slowking: :slowbro-galar:
The Slowbro and relatives are a special case. Back in the earlier days of SWSH, a couple of slow family sets ran no items, especially the members that were found at the lower tiers like Galar-Bro and Slowking. By not running an item, members of the slow family would avoid taking knock offs with the item boost and be able to keep pivoting into teammates. Hell, here in CAP itemless Slowbro was an especially effective tech utilized to counter Revenankh at its peak, allowing it to be immune to its best stab in poltergeist to continue to keep switching around in a match without problems. Nowadays the strategy has died but it was a really interesting example of when a mon's other attributes are good enough to make up for the lack of item, as well as generally demonstrating advantages of not running an item.

I feel like with how rampant knock off is in the meta, an itemless mon could fit in nicely while offering some interesting strategies to the metagame, as well as the exploration of underexplored moves (trick, thief) and/or abilities (magician, pickpocket). Regardless of which direction is chosen, this concept can result in a very interesting mon in the meta.
 

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Final Submission
  • Name: Type Bluff
  • Description: A Pokémon that uses its typing and along with several other factors (movepool, ability, stats) to defeat things that should counter it on paper.
  • Justification: This is an Archetype concept, aiming to create an offensive or defensive mon that can use a seemingly defensively frail or offensively weak typing to succeed in the metagame (eg. Tank Buzzwole, Defensive Giratina, Bulk Up Zarude, SpD Tyranitar, Yanmega, Bulky Volcarona, Reckless Staraptor, Compound Eyes Vivilon, Venomicon, SubSeed Venusaur, etc.)
Questions To Be Answered:

1. What exactly should this Pokémon be doing with its typing? What archetype should it be filling (ie. Giratina as a Defensive Wall, Staraptor as a Scarfed Revenge Killer, Yanmega as a Special Wallbreaker, etc.)?

2. How effective should this Pokémon be within the selected archetype? What can be done to define itself in the meta while co-existing alongside others of its archetype without overtaking them in their role?

3. Should it be able to work outside of the selected archetype and run multiple sets effectively, or would this defeat the point of the concept?

4. Are there any niche archetypes that could be exploited by this Pokémon to make it a long-standing threat within the meta?

5. What tools can this Pokémon be given to compliment its typing and archetype? Should we be scarce with what we allow it access to, or give it light, but reasonable restrictions?

Explanation:

Seeing how well Pokémon such as Buzzwole, Zarude, Venomicon and Yanmega (RIP) have and still do take up their roles pretty well despite their seemingly unfitting typings, it made me think of introducing a Pokémon that could work in the same ways that these kind of Pokémon can, but actually stay relevant in the meta with their original role in mind.

While Pokémon like Tyranitar and Giratina have been spectacular within their defensive roles in the past, they have lately been struggling to keep a staying place within their respective metas. In OU, Tyranitar faces mounting pressure from wallbreakers such as Urshifu-R, Zapdos-G, Melmetal and Tapu Lele while the Ghost-type breakers that it would usually KO either pivot out with U-Turn (Dragapult), or simply trick a choice item onto it to cripple it (Blacephalon). Giratina is heavily endangered by the omnipresent Yveltal, Calyrex-S, Marshadow and rising Weavile in Ubers while being too passive to fight off these threats and having no instant recovery.

Compared to these two, Buzzwole is always able to check and counter the things it does in Landorus-T, Weavile, Melmetal and Urshifu-R while chipping them with Rocky Helmet and staving them off with STAB and colourful coverage. Zarude can always spam U-Turn, shave off Status effects with Jungle Healing and soft-check the Ghosts, Grounds, Waters and opposing Darks of every tier it roams. It even reprises use as a defensive sweeper/pivot in Ubers due to its unique typing and ability to absorb status. Volcarona can always soft-check Weavile, Buzzwole, Zapdos-G and Landorus-T by threatening them with a Flame Body burn. Staraptor can always nuke stuff with Reckless-boosted STAB and coverage in Close Combat. Vivilon can always put everything in AG to sleep, set up with Quiver Dance and spam Hurricane. Venusaur can always soak up Fairy, Water and Fighting type attacks up and stall opponents out with Leech Seed. Venomicon can always stack Stamina and Nasty Plot to snowball throughout a match, and Venomicon-E / Yanmega are always able to spam Tinted Lens boosted attacks (and in Yanmega’s case, give its team a form of speed control thanks to Speed Boost).

Like these Pokémon, I want this CAP to fulfil the same idea of “seemingly bad typing for the job, but gets the job done really well” while actually lasting within the meta it lies within unlike Tyranitar or Giratina-A. I really like this kind of archetype as it makes the meta it’s in more diverse and fun to play overall.
 
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Man it has been a long time, happy to see this happen for one more time this gen.

Name - No bit items?
View attachment 411938
Description - This pokemon is able to function without an item, or it is encourage to enter the battle without running one.
Justification- I believe this is an actualization concept. Items have been an extremely key aspect of battling for the past 2 decades of competitive pokemon, with the item highly determining the set and role that a pokemon performs in a team. There are some mons which are already so good that they can run a large variety of items and pull up different sets (landorus, dragapult), some that are heavily dependant on their item (volcarona) and some that can function even without having an item, but i don't think we currently have a true itemless mon. This is would make us explore a mon that functions without an item in a metagame where item removal seems pretty rampant.
Questions To Be Answered -
  • To what extent can a pokemon function without an item to caracterise itself with? Can a pokemon function well in a battle even if it lacks an item for the most of the battle?
  • How can a pokemon make up for a lack of item? What would be required of it?
  • Are there any situactional advantages to not holding an item? If such, which are those situations?
  • What about taking away opposing items? Is taking away an item midgame similarly effective to holding that item from the start or does it turn out to be more dis/advantegous?
Explanation -
Items. Items are one of the most key aspects of competitive pokemon. They can revolutionize speed tiers and damage outputs, as well as providing longevity to mons that otherwise lack recovery options. But what if we made a mon specifically designed to lack an item when entering the battle? I can come up with a couple of examples:
View attachment 411944View attachment 411945View attachment 411946
Back in gen 2 the use of leftovers was nearly universal. Due to the lack of good damage boosting moves, as well as considerably bulkier mons, most mons ran leftovers since it was the best item by miles. However, the second most used item also casually happned to be itemless. This weird decision to not run an item had a good explanation: thief. By utilizing thief, the pokemon in question would gain leftovers for itself while stripping an opposing mon from his. This doesn't seem like much but in a metagame where battles are expected to last hours, losing leftovers can be a huge detriment that strips away the longevity that gsc pokemon are meant to have.

:slowbro: :slowking: :slowbro-galar:
The Slow twins are a special case. Back in the earlier days of SwSH, a couple of slow family sets ran no items, especially the members that were found at the lower tiers like Galar-Bro and Slowking. By not running an item, members of the slow family would avoid taking knock offs with the item boost and be able to keep pivoting into teammates. Nowdays the stretegy has died but it was a really interesting example on when a mon's other attributes are good enough to make up for the lack of item, as wel as generally demostrating advantages of not running an item.

I feel like with how rampant knock off is in the meta, an itemless mon could fit in nicely while offering some interesting strategies to the metagame.
Another thing you could mention here is that in metagames such as PU, NU and RU, some Psychic and Ghost mons may run no item just because of how threatening physical Ghost types with Poltergeist are, or how you could use Trick to net yourself Leftovers or Assault Vest.
 
I think a Pokemon has to be REALLY centralizing in order for a Pokemon that counters it well and not much else to be viable. All of the examples you list (being Dracovish, Urshifu-Single-Strike and Spectrier) were all broken/banworthy, I don't think anything in the current metagame (that isn't a CAP that will end up getting nerfed) replicates their power aside from MAYBE Dragapult. I suggest listing examples of counter relationships for Pokemon that weren't broken/banworthy. Even then though, I'm not sure if this would age with time, as if anything were to happen to the Pokemon we're trying to counter it would likely lose its edge unless it found something else in the metagame to counter.
After thinking on this for a bit, you make some good points. I reworked my concept to get my idea across better while increasing the chance of the mon we make being viable in the future.

Just so this isn't a one-liner, I'm going to share my thoughts on some already-submitted concepts:

Name - The Last Word

Description - This Pokemon gains consistent value from moving last on most of its turns.
My main worry with this concept is that it's probably going to end up being another Teleport machine. Teleport is really the best negative priority move just because of how much progress it provides to both the user and its teammates, so it is naturally the best option for a concept like this. And considering how crazy mons with Teleport can get (looking at you, pre-IOA Clefable), it's probably going to end up going over the edge.

Name: Spore User (I couldn't think of a more creative name that's not an Atelier reference that no one would understand)

Description: A Pokemon that uses a Spore to inflict the sleep status condition.
I really like this concept solely because my main tiers are SS UU and BDSP OU, which host the two best Spore users in Amoonguss and Breloom respectively. Amoonguss is more defensive while Breloom is more offensive, so it will be interesting to see which path we take here and how we can make them distinct from the funny mushrooms.

  • Name - Best of Both Worlds
  • Description - This pokemon can effectively run Max Attack and Max Special Attack EVs.
This is an interesting concept, but really it's impossible to run a Pokemon with max Attack and Special Attack EVs solely because of how important Speed is for wallbreakers. A lack of Speed investment can make or break a game. I recommend rewording this to "This Pokemon can effectively split EVs between Attack and Special Attack on the same set" or something to leave the option for Speed investment open.

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.
Another interesting concept, but your explanation focuses more on the two extremes (broken and unviable). I would put a lot more emphasis on the in-between: Pokemon like Slowbro, Melmetal, Rillaboom, and (to a lesser extent) Regieleki that fit this concept and are still viable in OU, making a distinction between the more successful examples (Bro and Melm) and the less successful examples (Boom and Eleki) and why this is the case in your questions section.

Name - Needle

Description - This Pokemon uses at least one low base power move as its main attack
I LOVE this concept. There are so many sub-80 BP moves in the game that I think have a LOT of potential for competitive usage on the right Pokemon and it would be so interesting to explore one or more of these weaker moves, especially without the use of Technician. One thing that I think should be touched on, though, is the synergy of offensive set up moves with these weaker attacks, and how they compare to nonboosted moves of higher BP. Swords Dance or Nasty Plot could make a huge difference in this mon's viability IMO.

Name: Purveyor of Rare Trinkets

Description: A Pokemon that is built around using one or two underused items.
Another concept I really like for similar reasons as Needle, but I feel like this one might be a bit harder to build around simply because a lot of items are very niche. Stuff like Grip Claw and Luminous Moss seem promising, but rarely see usage because they just don't really come in handy. I'd like to be proven wrong, though :3

Name: Bang Average

Description: This pokemon will attempt to circumvent average or below average stats to become viable.
I feel like this has potential to get completely derailed. People would just end up submitting really powerful type combos, abilities, and defining moves to completely nullify the low BST and thus, the concept as a whole. Feels more suitable for a Flash CAP IMO.

There's a few more submissions I want to touch on, but this post is getting long, so I'll make a Part 2 to this later :3
 
Name: First AND Last

Description: This pokemon utilizes both positive and negative priority moves to put itself in advantagous situations.

Justification: This is an Actualization concept. We would aim for a pokemon that can freely choose wether it goes first or last in a turn. This mon could dictate the flow of battle by deciding when it, and the opponent go in the turn. The only mon that theoretically pulls this concept off is the Technican Argho, which sees no play outside of low ladder. With this concept, we could realize and fully explore a concept that has not been seen before.

Questions:
- What different roles could benifit from going first vs last?
- What are the mindgames that could come from a mon with control over negative and positive priority?
- Which positive or negative priority moves are commonly used in the metagame? How effective are they?
- What are some lesser used, but interesting priority moves that could be used to some success?
- What playstyles would be hindered by facing a mon with access to viable negative and positive priority moves? What playstyles would want run this mon?

Explanation: One of the most intereting things about Gen 8, in my opinion was the reworking of Teleport. It took an entirely useless move and introduced an interesting type of slow pivoting to the game. It leverages the risk of tanking a hit to the reward of bring in another mon for free. However, I'd like to take this a step further to introduce positive priority into the mix. There hasn't been a good mon that is so readily able to choose wether it wants to go first or last in this, or any other generation (to my knowledge). Being able to hit first allows for all sorts of benifits too, like being able to knock out a mon before it goes, or forcing chip. Being able to leverage the two ends of the spectrum into one mon could be a fun, and interesting process.

One of the interesting ways we could take this is make it a slower mon, that can leverage powerful positive priority moves as a threat to faster mons. However, it could also use negative priority moves 'to out-slow' other users of it, like the Slowtwins. Distruption is key with this mon.
 
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Name: Deja Vu

Description: This Pokemon is designed to make effective use of the move Copycat.

Justification: This is an Archetype concept. The key focus here is to create a Pokemon that properly leverages Copycat to replicate key moves both the user and their opponent use. This should allow for greater flexibility in moveset and the option to turn an opponent's tools against them.

Questions to be Answered:
  • What Pokemon are the most threatened by having their moves turned against them?
  • What speed tier is required to replicate the moves you want?
  • What supporting moves synergize with Copycat?
  • Is having the flexibility of Copycat on a set worth working with additional unknowns compared to a consistent set?
  • What move options are the best to copy? Are these utility, attacking, pivoting, etc.
  • What partner Pokemon help enable the successful use of Copycat?
Explanation: Copycat is a fascinating move. As a reminder on how Copycat works mechanically, it always replicates the last move that was used - even if it was from the user. Unlike Mimic, Copycat works immediately and can be re-used to replicate different moves throughout a match. So there’s a few ways Copycat can activate:
  1. User is slower than opponent and copies the move they used this turn
  2. User is faster than opponent and copies the move they used last turn
  3. User uses a slow pivoting move to bring CAP 31 in and CAP 31 is faster than the opponent and copies the pivoting move
  4. User’s previous Pokémon gets a move off then faints from status, recoil, etc. and then CAP 31 is faster than opponent and copies the move used by their previous Pokemon
Working through each scenario gives us a fantastic foundation for a project, as our insight into what key Pokémon are vulnerable in situations 1 and 2, as well as strategies with situation 3, will lead to some deep discussion into team synergies and key threats and counters. In particular I‘m looking forward to discussions around things like replicating hazards, defog/rapid spin, healing moves, toxic, for utility as well as analyzing what Pokémon are threatened by moves they take themselves.

I fully believe the central theme of Copycat will be a consistent benchmark for concept success and will lead to some brilliant discussions at all stages.
 
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Trying this one again, with a few tweaks :)

Name: Unusual Gains

Description: A Pokémon which has a method (or methods) of setup that isn't usually seen in the OU/CAP metagame.

Justification: With this concept we'll be actualizing the use of underutilized and sometimes underexplored methods of setup, and exploring why these methods are underutilized in the first place and the utility they might bring over more traditional setup methods. The concept also falls firmly under the Archetype category because ultimately we'll end up with a Pokémon that uses some form of setup.

Questions To Be Answered:
  • What kinds of underutilized setup options are there and why do they rarely, if ever, see play in higher tiers?
  • On the contrary, why is it that certain ways of setting up are used so much more in these tiers?
  • Is it worth using these setup methods over more established methods for the Pokémon we're creating? Why wouldn't we just give it a more common setup method?
  • What are the most defining factors of how successful certain setup methods are on a given Pokémon?
  • Is there any utility tied to some methods of setup that currently don't see much play in the OU/CAP metagame?
    • By extension, how can we make sure these utilities can be used to great effect in order to define the Pokémon we're creating?
  • Can we combine the use of underused setup methods with other available mechanics to further solidify the role(s) our created Pokémon fulfills?

Explanation:

(For reference, the word "setup" in this context refers to augmentation of the user or its team rather than hindering the opposing team)

Setup as a concept is nothing new to CAP and competitive Pokémon as a whole, but often times there's only a handful of setup methods that see play in the higher tiers. Think of moves like Swords Dance, Nasty Plot, Bulk Up and Calm Mind. This concept aims to explore more unconventional ways of setup, some of which have seen play in other/lower tiers or past generations. As such I would like to give some examples:

  • Kommo-O's signature move Clangorous Soul in conjunction with Throat Spray makes it a very potent special threat in just one turn.
  • Bisharp and Galarian Zapdos use(d) the ability Defiant to discourage the opponent from clicking stat-lowering moves like Defog or switching into Intimidate users because of the threat they form if they ever get the boost off.
    • Same goes for the ability Competitive.
  • Volcarona in BW OU used the move Fiery Dance to snowball opponents in a similar fashion to Moxie, Beast Boost, Soul-Heart and Grim Neigh/Chilling Neigh.
    • The same thing could be said for Mega Kangaskhan in its time, with Power-Up Punch raising its attack twice while also doing damage.
  • Focus Energy Kingdra, AKA CritDra, saw use in SM RU because in combination with Sniper and a Scope Lens, it could blow past strong special walls like Cresselia and Umbreon.
  • While not entirely concept-relevant, Infernape has access to both Swords Dance and Nasty Plot as well as great STABs on both offenses, which it took advantage of in older gens by having the opponent guess which set it ran. Something similar could be done with the move Work Up.
  • A lot of Pokémon carry Tailwind in VGC and doubles formats, in order to help their teammates outspeed the opponents and potentially get KOs first.
  • Recently some Pokémon like Jirachi and Mew have been using Cosmic Power in combination with Weakness Policy and Stored Power to act as a late-game wincon.

A lot of these Pokémon (with the exception of Volcarona, because it was good regardless) were able to carve a solid niche for themselves in their respective tiers with these tools, despite not using or not having access to the more traditional forms of setup. Overall, there are a lot more ways of setup that don't see as much play even in lower tiers because the distribution is limited or there is no Pokémon with good synergy with the move, ability or item yet.

In short, there is room for a lot of creativity during the process of this CAP and I believe with the experience we has already we can create a product that is both fun and viable to use in the CAP metagame.
 
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WIP

Name:
Spore User (I couldn't think of a more creative name that's not an Atelier reference that no one would understand)

Description: A Pokemon that uses a 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?

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.

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 this 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 think one thing that you can add to the QTBA is “How does this mon respond to Spore absorbers? Should it have tools to beat them and if so which ones? By how much?” This can help us figure out what its role might be and think about how other Spore users act in their respective metagames.
(Take this with a grain of salt, I’m very new here.)
 
Final Sub

Name:
Mint Condition

Description: This Pokemon's effectiveness is greater the more health it has.

Justification: This is an actualization concept as it actualizes a playstyle that while existing, isn't fully emphasized at the moment. There are mons who are able to go most of the game without being touched but not really any who are able to capitalize on it. This concept aims to explore how players' willingness to take hits changes when taking damage also hinders a Pokemon's effectiveness.

Questions:
  • What mons are best able to keep themselves at full over the course of a game? What advantages do these mons gain from preserving their health?
  • What moves and abilities provide the most benefits when at full health? How can these moves and abilities be combined to make a mon notably stronger at full?
  • How reliant is this concept on Heavy-Duty Boots? How much should we consider CAP31 with a different item being run on teams with good removal?
  • Is this concept best suited for an offensive or defensive role? Offensively, how much power is necessary to justify the burdens of needing to be kept at full? Defensively, in what ways can a mon be defensive without taking hits?
  • What role does recovery play into this? Should CAP31 be able to heal to full and be at full power multiple times a game, or should CAP31's health hold more fragility?
  • Adding onto the previous question, how heavily do we want to distinguish this mon's power at full health? Specifically, in what situations should players be willing to switch in CAP31 to take a hit?
  • Is giving CAP31 immunities to help it switch in important here? How heavily do we want to rely on pivoting and double switching to bring this mon in at full health?
Explanation: Gen 8 has been largely defined as the generation with Heavy-Duty Boots and Teleport, which allows many mons to stay at full health over the course of the game. Notably we see that fast mons like Boots Zeraora are able to be pivoted in and kept at full until a late-game cleanup. Ironically this isn't what inspired me to post this concept. What's actually been the inspiration is the rise of Air Balloon Heatran(granted this mon still takes rocks chip so it's not a perfect example). Balloon Tran is really sick because of the way that if is able to avoid taking hits while simultaneously bei g able to come in on multiple threats thanks to its immunities, and how as long as Balloon is preserved Heatran is able to click Eruption and stay in on things it normally isn't able to. But more importantly, I find it interesting to see how players decide whether or not to preserve the Balloon, especially in match-up where having that ground immunity really matters. This at its core is what's really neat to me about this concept, the question of how much is one willing to trade that full-health power.
 
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SHSP

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Super pleased with the activity of the thread so far! Looking like we're gonna have plenty to pick from. Here's some initial reactions fleshed out a bit on what's here so far (gonna put it in a hide tag so I don't drag this page out 30 feet):

The Last Word- Interesting design space for sure, and it's absolutely true that we tend to hyperfocus on speed in general. I'm mostly curious about how we'd go about doing this: It feels like there's a very limited pool of moves that directly benefit from going last. Slow pivoting jumps to mind immediately more than any sort of damage dealing approach.

Soft Power- I'm very intrigued by this concept mostly because of these examples: Comfey, Persian-A and Pex are three *very* different mons in practice that all achieve this in their own way. The proof of concept so to speak between the three of them is clear, and the objective also is quite clear: I think this is very well written and well explained so far. The concept of punishing switches without basically chunking or 2HKOing what comes in is a super cool space to explore as well, could be very fascinating.

Bulletproof Glass- Enjoyed seeing this one in the past if I remember right? I'm normally not a huge fan of concepts that "put us in a box"- artificially limit us in X way to allow us to go further in Y or Z, stuff like Chromera's concept as an example- but this is a really cool way of going about it. I really appreciate the openness of the concept- the fact it's very broad outside of "has bad defensive stats, but is good at being defensive" lets us go a variety of ways but still gives us a clear, defined direction.

I Got You Covered- There's been a lot of discussion about this one in the Discord I know (sidenote: Join the discord if you haven't already! great place to discuss stuff like this). This reminds me a lot of the Chromera moves stage, where we were discussing a lot of what makes coverage good and how to work with two move coverage. I do think it's written better now that it defines "off-standard" rather than some nebulous "unorthodox," but I think it's aimed a bit awkwardly as it's written now. It mentions coverage defining role, but coverage itself feels inherently offensive more than anything: lean into the definition of coverage and the exploration of how we get into situations to use unorthodox coverage and I think it'll work a bit better.

Crossout Designator- I'll be honest, I'm not sure there's enough to work with here. Not sure what the end goal is for imprison, especially considering we've seen a bit of it already with Lando in OU. If you can flesh this out to kinda put an end goal in place and a direction past "imprison user," it'll be much appreciated.

Stick Together- I actually find this really interesting because it's focusing on what is usually a side effect of the process. I feel like very rarely we aim to create a glue mon, and it'd be fascinating to approach this in the meta as it stands now. Finding the why glue mons are glue and the how they get there could be very interesting, but I think it might be a bit broad.

Not All Dragons are Dragon Type- I think this is a really cool one. Emulating a typing in every way but actually being that typing could be very cool, but also a bit weird to comprehend. I'm mostly curious about what counts as "emulation:" if we make a mon that hits the same things that a typing would hit, does that work for this concept?

Pacifist Run- This feels quite extreme, almost? Specifying no attacking moves is very bold, and it also immediately draws comparison to Soft Power submitted above. Also highlighting three extremely good defensive mons as things we cannot do under this concept rings a few alarm bells in my head, to be flat. Alternative ways of finding tempo is an interesting sphere to explore, but I'd appreciate more direction as to what that means exactly: does Leech Seed count? Things like Nuzzle?

What's Yours Is Mine- gonna wait on the explanation of this one, but the blurb is very intriguing at least.

Perfect Generalized Mate- It's an interesting approach to a partner concept, but I'm not sure what exactly we'd do with this. It specifies a general role to pair with, but then a question describes a two mon core? I think this needs a good bit more fleshing out.

Bang Average- again waiting on an explanation, curious to see how this overcomes the "putting us in a box" description I mentioned earlier to be a strong concept.

Spore User- I think that this could be a successful concept for sure, and a surprisingly flexible one: there's a lot of different routes spore/sleep have worked in the past, from Amoonguss level tanks to Brelooom as a more self sufficient and offensive threat. I'm just not sure how healthy making a very good sleep mon would be for the metagame in general, to be flat.

Blood Price Has Been Paid- Curious idea to focus on HP manipulation, but my primary concern is how realistic it is. This might be something that looks like a "rose tinted" concept- something that works well in very specific situations but can struggle to be in those at all. I think this needs more direction overall, and to be less broad.

Nice Moves!- I can't tell you that I 100% know what this concept is aiming to do. Is it just "make a mon that boosts its moves?" I think you need to be clearer and way more defined at the moment.

One Trick Pony- This is really cool on its face to me, and I think leads into some very interesting in-game situations where everyone knows *what* the mon wants to do and does best. Particularly curious to see how this can be done that aren't exactly like Vish's Fishious Rend- and if this can be done to make a mon that is viable and also healthy for the game.

Purveyor of Rare Trinkets- I think this one is a bit of an uphill struggle, to be honest. Most underused items are underused not so much because they're niche, but because they're outclassed, especially with things like Boots that are easy to fit when you don't want a specific boosting item or what not. I feel like there's a very specific pool of items that we can look at, and even then it can be hard to fit them over a choice item or a more "standard" one. Questions about feasibility are at the front of my mind here.

Anger Management- I think this is a really cool idea that needs some more explanation. Defining aggression and making clear what we're trying to punish would do wonders for looking at how feasible this is and what routes we'd take. I really do love what this could do, though- almost suggest dropping the "over" from "overaggressive" and playing into punishing fast play could be very fascinating.

Needle- Go further with this! I think that this gets way more interesting when you look at weak moves that have powerful side effects (Charge Beam is one that comes to mind immediately) rather than an arbitrary 80 BP cutoff. Also maybe worth considering is the impact on typing and STAB on moves- Shadow Ball is weak by your standards, but it's a strong move for special Ghosts because of a lack of other options and STAB.

Best of Both Worlds- I'm confused if this means we're running 252 Atk/252 Spa? It feels very confusing at the moment in terms of direction- is this a strict mixed attacker, or is this running full physical on some sets and full special on others? A mixed attacker could be cool, but you need to be more clear.

Game of Inches- I'm starting to notice a bit of a theme with some of these: defensive mons that have little offensive impact but force switches/keep tempo/etc. Incremental damage and recovery is surely a very unique way to go about this- I'd lean into utilizing it rather than focusing on denying it- you bring up both in the commentary about it.

Combined Traits- Curious idea here. Definitely one of the "put in a box" concepts. This also cuts a bit close to Chromera in a way- focusing on "okay how can we make bad things work" again isn't a super great look personally. Maybe a bit better with some tweaking to be focusing on unique interactions instead of "how do we make objectively bad things work."

Forbidden Fruit- Goddamnit Wulf you make me want to do a move concept again... I really enjoy this one. I'm curious to see what the explanation is, but the moves on the banlist can be really cool to build around and focusing on potentially a moves stage first (defining or otherwise) is interesting for the process overall. One initial concern would be differentiating presumably signature moves that are banned from how they're used on the existing users.

Peace- Waiting on some explanation here, but this feels like a new age Argho process. Could be interesting to work with, could also fall a bit flat.

Large Hadron Collider- This feels very difficult to do. If this succeeds, it will be good against one specific core, which then makes our mon significantly less good as the core appears less and less. It feels like this needs to target a type of core or an archetype almost.

Pinch Hitter- I like the leaning on past generations here, it contextualizes it really well. I do wonder how effective this can be in the current gen- evaluating why previously existing archetypes of low-HP users have fallen off the map could be quite cool, but that also raises the worry of "they are gone for a good reason" and a struggle to make this effective as we figure that out.

No Items- I've seen some of this already- I'm a huge Itemless Slowbro fan, especially with the prevalence of Revenankh a few months ago. I'm not sure if there's much of a direction written here that isn't "make a good mon without thinking about items" or "Knock Off abuser-" more direction would be appreciated. Very cool concept to start with!

Type Bluff- almost an inverse of Not All Dragons here. Playing into a typing weakness and turning it into a strength could be a really unique situation, and I think this gives a lot of direction. I'm curious what unique routes we could take with this considering the examples given.

First and Last- Priority is really cool, and a specific priority based CAP could be a very cool creation. Using both positive and negative priorities seems very difficult on paper, mostly because the two types of moves want to do very different things in general. Perhaps lean more into the Argh example- slow mon with strong priority? Gives a lot of direction.

Deja Vu- Copycat could be really cool, but I feel like this needs a really solid explanation. I know there was some experience with copycat with Chromera before 2.0 launched? Very intrigued to see how this is written up.

Unusual Gains- I loved this concept in past processes, and I love it here still. Underused setup is a really fascinating route with a lot of options but still a lot of direction inherent in it: I'd love to explore what we'd like to do here, but the core of the concept I think is still great. I do wonder how Venomicon-Prologue plays into perception of it with doing Stamina so recently.
 

Ema Skye

Work!
Final Submission

Name
- A Berry Nice Pokemon
Description - A Pokémon that makes use of moves and/or abilities that incorporate or encourage using berries as its held item.
Justification- I think this is an actualization concept. Berries have been a part of Pokemon since Gen 2, but have usually held to very specific niches (excluding Lum Berry and Custap Berry). There are a lot of reasons for this, but the most significant being that they are all single use items in a game where meta-relevant items like Leftovers are endless. Not to mention as well that many of the Pokemon that use the berry-reliant abilities are usually gimmicky (Extreme Speed Linoone being the best one), and none of the berry-based moves being used at all. I've been told this was done as a Flash CAP, but the full CAP process would allow for this concept to be explored in all of its nuances.
Questions To Be Answered -
  • How do we overcome the opportunity cost of berries compared to other items, such as having to work without a boosting item or passive recovery?
  • How do we design a Pokemon encouraged to use berries instead of items like Leftovers or HDB, especially considering the above question?
  • How do we make this Pokemon not feel like a gimmick, but rather a meta-relevant threat?
  • Given the prevalence of item removal, how can we ensure this Pokemon is not completely useless without a berry? (ties into the above question)
  • The more we lean into this concept with multiple berry-based moves and abilities, the less consistent the Pokemon becomes. How do we strike a balance between embracing the concept and staying competitively viable?
Explanation - There are a total of 66 berries in Pokemon, and GameFreak has steadily been utilizing different ways to utilize them, beginning with moves like Natural Gift and expanding to abilities like Cheek Pouch. Due to their lack of consistency and reliability, they have never been very meta relevant, especially as the held item pool grows every generation. I am sure that, as a community, we can finally achieve what they couldn't - make the ultimate berry master.
 
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Name - Too Close for Comfort
Description - A Pokemon that punishes or otherwise deincentivizes the opponent from using contact moves (preferably using lesser seen methods).
Justification - (I think) this is an Actualization concept, built around discouraging the use of contact moves. Some Pokemon in CAP and OU already accomplish this to some extent (Rough Skin, Iron Barbs, Rocky Helmet, probably more), so ideally this would be done using more obscure methods on CAP31.
Questions To Be Answered -
- How should this Pokemon deincentivize contact moves? Through moves, ability, held item or some combination of those?
- What role should a Pokemon like this take outside of fulfilling the concept?
- Why are some types of contact punishing more viable than others?
- Is it possible to take a currently unviable or unseen method of contact punishing and make it viable?

Probably more to come
Explanation - Punishing/deincentivizing contact doesn't just involve inflicting chip damage; there's a myriad of abilities (and to a lesser extent, moves) to pick from. You have Flame Body and its clones, Fluffy halving contact damage, Wandering Spirit, say, taking away Astrolotl's Regenrator after a Fire Lash, and more! Note how two of these were considered for CAP30's ability (and one even got on the slate!). As for moves, you have the Protect clones (that have extra effects), but also Beak Blast, which delivers a burn to the attacker if hit by a contact move (which is some nice synergy, as most contact moves are physical). As for items, you have Rocky Helmet but also Sticky Barb, and you could also make an argument for Protective Pads being contact-deincentivizing.
TL;DR: Contact punishing/deincentivizing is way more than just dealing chip damage with stuff like Iron Barbs

Feedback is appreciated!
 
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Final Submission

This is my first concept submission for the CAP project.

Name: Priority Emperor

Description: This Pokémon controls the move priority of the field, whether that be using it to its full advantage, or hampening the opponent’s priority moves.

Justification: While arguments can be made for Archetype (Sweeper, potentially Dual Screener due to several Guarding moves that have Priority such as Quick Guard and Wide Guard) or Target (Pokémon with strong Priority game, Protect - fills out a spot which only really has a handful of options such as Tsareena) I will argue for Actualization - Speed might be considered important, but if a move has a higher priority then no matter the Speed that move will go first. While this does mean one ability of this concept would most likely end up as a Priority based ability, we don’t necessarily need to use such an ability - if anything, avoiding such an ability could lead to an interesting way to make this concept work. This concept can also end up leaning offensive, defensive or supportive due to the variety of Priority moves.

Questions to be Answered:

What abilities can lend themselves to a Priority playstyle while not affecting priority itself?

Should Speed be necessary for a Priority based ‘mon?

What other stats would be good for a Priority controller?

Could and should this Pokémon benefit of other ways of controlling priority, such as status effects and other ways of hampering opponent's speed?

What risks would a Priority based Pokémon encounter?

Explanation:

There are 5 abilities directly affecting Priority and only 23 Pokémon have them - of which, three of these abilities only have a single Pokémon: Queenly Majesty has Tsareena, Triage has Comfey, and Dazzling has Bruxish (of which is currently illegal in the CAP format). And of the remaining 20 Pokémon, 17 of them use Prankster while a single line has Gale Winds (which admittedly now is only good without having taken damage). This concept could be able to play a Priority game without the ability or need to use Prankster. While abilities I feel are not essential to the concept itself, there's quite a few that could do with more usage to see an increase in its appearances in the meta.
 
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  • Name - Limited Stats
  • Description - This Pokemon would find success in the CAP metagame, despite having a lower than average base stat total (BST). This could be achieved by focusing the limited stats into key areas, or by making use of its other attributes, i.e. typing, ability, and movepool.
  • Justification- This would be an actualization concept, with the goal of creating a pokemon that overcomes a lower BST to still find success in the metagame. Most CAPs have had relatively high BSTs, particularly recently with the power creep from recent generations coming into play. This concept aims to investigate the level of impact that stats have on the viability of a Pokemon, while simultaneously investigating what optimal synergy between typing, ability, and movepool looks like.

  • Questions To Be Answered-
    • How large of an impact do stats have on the viability of a Pokemon in the metagame?
    • What is the threshold BST to be considered viable in the CAP metagame? How low is too low?
    • Does a viable Pokemon with a low BST necessitate any strong stat biases? Are certain stats more necessary for viability?
    • What team roles can be performed effectively independently of stats?
    • Can a low BST be overcome through a combination of typing, movepool, and ability? Does it even need to be overcome, or can careful distribution of stats compensate for a lower overall total?
    • What synergy exists between typing, movepool, and ability, and how can a Pokemon exploit that?
    • How specialized would a low-BST Pokemon need to be to become viable?
  • Explanation - This concept was inspired by Mollux and Chromera's concepts, in which the CAP community intentionally limited itself in the areas of typing and ability, respectively. What if we did the same thing with stats? With the power creep that has been slowly but steadily happening throughout the generations, is it possible to build a viable 'mon with a lower BST than average? Intentionally choosing a lower BST would really force us to examine the interplay between the other stages of the CAP process, while still retaining an interesting stats stage. Stats submitters would have to carefully allocate the limited stats, and ask the question "What stats does this 'mon truly need to do its job?" For example, something like Regieleki doesn't need physical attack, Kartana doesn't need special attack, Blissey doesn't need a ton of speed, etc. We could make something that truly was specialized and above average in one stat, but we'd have to pay for that by lowering the others. When would that sacrifice be worth it?

    As with the recent process of developing Venomicon's stats, I think operating within a limitation such as this would produce varied and creative stat spreads - ultimately enhancing the stats stage, rather than hindering it. The process of setting that BST limit would be an important, interesting conversation in and of itself; an opportunity to engage with some of the questions listed above directly. This concept would give us a variety of directions to pursue, both with the pokemon itself and with our process (for example, concept assessment would give us the chance to grapple with whether we would need to choose the BST limit first, or address it in the standard order).
EDIT: Thanks Lectrys for the feedback!
EDIT 2 based on more feedback - yes, this idea is very similar to Bang Average - I decided to write this up and post it before the explanation and everything was fully fleshed out in that post, and at the time of writing my understanding was that the Bang Average concept was such that each individual stat of the Pokemon would be below average, and I tried contrasting that by focusing on BST instead. This way, we could have more team roles to pick from. However, upon rereading the updated Bang Average post, I see that one of the questions addresses the possibility of having one stat exceed what's considered 'average', so functionally I think we've arrived at the same concept. It's fun to see convergent thinking! Bang Average was posted first, so I hope to see it on the slate!
 
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more thoughts on already submitted concepts yeeee

Name: Unusual Gains

Description: A Pokémon which has a method (or methods) of setup that isn't usually seen in the OU/CAP metagame.
A really interesting idea with a lot of cool applications. However, we JUST made Venomicon, whose Prologue form already fulfills this concept by basically doing everything that your first example, Mudsdale, does but better. More of a nitpick if anything, but adding a point on Venomicon-P would maybe beef up the concept a lot more.

Name - A Berry Nice Pokemon
Description - A Pokémon that makes use of multiple moves and abilities that incorporate berries.
Another concept that is interesting in theory, but the problem is that there are just way too few moves and abilities that work with berries. I feel like we'd just end up with a Harvest sun abuser since that's really the only moderately viable berry abusing tool there is. I recommend rewording this to something like "This Pokemon is built around being able to viably run a Berry as its held item of choice" giving more focus to the Berry rather than any moves or abilities associated with it.

Name - Too Close for Comfort
Description - A Pokemon that punishes or otherwise deincentivizes the opponent from using contact moves (preferably using lesser seen methods).
I really like this concept. I was actually considering this as my submission before going with Large Hadron Collider. There is one concern I have with this, though, and that's Ferrothorn, which is the poster child for punishing contact moves. Maybe add a question on why some methods of punishing contact moves are better than others, which will give us a better shot at creating a mon that isn't outclassed by Ferro.

Name: Forbidden Fruit

Description: This Pokémon is permitted access to a singular move from the prohibited moves list.
war flashbacks to people unironically advocating for Oblivion Wing during the Defining Moves stage of Venomicon's process intensify
Jokes aside, the prohibited moves list is very interesting because it's made up solely of Legendary and Mythical signature moves, which are... a varied bunch, to say the least. You have moves that are just straight up broken (Thousand Arrows, Wicked Blow, Geomancy, Spectral Thief), moves that are upgrades to already amazing moves (Precipice Blades > Earthquake, Astral Barrage > Shadow Ball), moves that are bad even by Legendary/Mythical signature move status due to their bad battle effects (Roar of Time, Prismatic Laser), and so on. I just feel like the pool is going to be whittled down a lot by all these moves, restricting the process even further.

Name: Bulletproof Glass

Description: A Pokémon that, despite lacking good defensive stats / bulk, poses a considerable defensive threat in the metagame.
Loved this concept back when it was submitted for CAP 29, love it now. CAP hasn't made a purely defensive mon since Mollux iirc, and the challenge of building one with resorting to 100+ in either of its defensive stats will be fun, creative, and rewarding IMO. Not really any feedback here, just showing my support :3

Name: Deja Vu

Description: This Pokemon is designed to make effective use of the move Copycat.
While YouTube videos of Copycat Final Gambit Blissey making 1100 ranked NatDex AG noobs ragequit do make me commit tiny giggle, I do feel like a CAP built around this move will end up just like that strategy- a gimmick. Copycat's mechanics are just too convoluted and can easily be messed up by faster Pokemon, priority, etc. Just really don't see this one working out too well.
 
Name: Denial of Service Attack
Description: This Pokemon capitalizes on temporarily disabling or altering one or more aspects of its opponent's set, namely its moves, item, Ability, typing, or stats.
Justification: This is mainly an Actualization concept, aiming to create a Pokemon that can selectively shut down an opponent's strategic moves. There is a small degree of Target involved, since whatever the concept chooses to focus on disabling will naturally be strong against the Pokemon that rely on that aspect the most.
Questions To Be Answered:
  • How do we define the importance of a Pokemon's moves, Ability, etc. to its performance in competitive battle?
  • In what ways can disabling a Pokemon's options be immediately beneficial?
  • Beyond the physical effects, how does directly limiting someone's options alter the match being played?
Explanation: I've always been intrigued by elements of the game such as Heal Block and Wonder Room because they change the rules of a Pokemon battle in the middle of it. It sounds like a powerful, hard-to-address way of creating problems with your opponent's strategies, because what you're essentially attacking is the opponent's teambuilding, which is completed and unable to be changed. However, almost none of these are at all usable in competitive. Knock Off is an obvious exception, but a lot of that comes from its respectable power alongside the item-removing utility it provides. Before Gen VI, Knock Off was a niche move, and creating a Pokemon that capitalizes on niches such as that is what this concept revolves around.

Another notable exception is Neutralizing Gas, which is good on G-Weezing but doesn't propel it into strong viability, as it sits comfortably in RU ever since the Crown Tundra dropped. Evidently, it doesn't for Miasmaw either since it's not in the CAP Viability Rankings at all as of this post. Miasmaw's relative recency does concern me somewhat, although this concept is fundamentally different than its.

The specification of temporary effects aims to shy away from these two. The definition does include effects that don't have timers but will get removed by the foe switching, such as Soak and Speed Swap. Of course, Taunt and Encore are still quite viable from this selection, so ideally this concept would not wind up just using the two of them.
 
  • Name - Limited Stats
  • Description - This Pokemon would find success in the CAP metagame, despite having a lower than average base stat total (BST), by making use of its other attributes, i.e. typing, ability, and movepool.
  • <snip>

  • Questions To Be Answered-
    • How large of an impact do stats have on the viability of a Pokemon in the metagame?
    • What is the threshold BST to be considered viable in the CAP metagame? How low is too low?
    • Does a viable Pokemon with a low BST necessitate any strong stat biases? Are certain stats more necessary for viability?
    • What team roles can be performed effectively independently of stats?
    • Can a low BST be overcome through a combination of typing, movepool, and ability?
    • What synergy exists between typing, movepool, and ability, and how can a Pokemon exploit that?
I feel that your description is underselling how much of an impact min-maxing stats Ultra Beast- or Mega Beedrill-style can have on the viability of a low-BST mon. Without the ability to min-max, this starts to look like the other proposed concept Bang Average to me. I'm glad you address min-maxing with your "Does a viable Pokemon with a low BST necessitate any strong stat biases? Are certain stats more necessary for viability?" question, but your description and many of your questions seem to concentrate on typing, movepool, and ability at the expense of stat distribution.
 
Final Submission

Name:
Contradictability

Description: Two of this Pokemon's ability, stats, and movepool lend themselves naturally to two different roles which seem contradictory, but actually complement each other well and both contribute to the Pokemon's viability.

Justification: This is an Actualization concept. The name is inspired by Justified Keldeo, Moxie Pyroar, and (assuming the HOME data is correct) the upcoming Defiant Braviary-H, though none of these are actually examples of the concept.

Questions to be Answered:
  1. In a similar vein to Chromera's concept, is it possible to create a Pokemon which would prefer to have the contradictory ability/stats/movepool? Basically, why does Pyroar pick the almost useless Unnerve over Moxie?
  2. Can a defensive ability be utilized effectively by an offensive Pokemon and vice versa (not including universally good abilities such as Regenerator/Fur Coat/Huge Power)?
  3. Is it possible to create such a Pokemon without a powerful ability (like Hustle, or better) or one particularly extreme stat (like Dragapult/Kyurem-B)?
  4. What makes a Pokemon with these characteristics want to use them together on one set, versus using them for two different sets?

Explanation: Though the inspiration comes from these ability examples, I wanted to leave more creative space by opening the concept up to basically any part of the mon (except the typing, which rarely lends itself to a specific archetype anyways). The inspiration was a kind of "idealized Pyroar", where it would theoretically be able to pick up one kill with a Fire Blast (for instance) to set up a sweep with physical moves; Pyroar itself, of course, doesn't work like this. Examples of this concept in actual metagames include
  • Remoraid in LC, whose ability (Hustle) lends itself to be a physical attacker while its movepool is devoid of any good physical STAB. Despite this, it utilizes Hustle to beat would-be checks like Staryu and Chinchou with Bullet Seed.
  • Kyurem-B in SM OU, whose monstrous Attack stat is let down by its barren physical movepool. Despite this, it uses its Attack to complement its special movepool with Fusion Bolt and a potential Z-Freeze Shock.
  • Dragapult in various non-standard metas (Monotype, BSS, etc.), whose superior Attack is contrasted with a stellar special movepool. In these metas, it can run Dragon Dance sets, which adds another dimension to its usual Choice Specs sets.
Of course, there is a lot more unexplored room between having a single coverage/lure move and two different separately viable sets. Ideally, the two contradictory elements would actually work quite harmoniously in one role, but this may not be feasible at the end of the day.
 
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