Metagame BDSP CAP Hub

[Astra]

approved by snake_rattler
BDSP CAP HUB

amazing art by Kiwi!!!​

Welcome to the resources and discussion thread for the BDSP CAP metagame! BDSP CAP is a metagame based on BDSP OU with, of course, the inclusion of CAPs; however, similar to how BDSP OU is limited to Pokemon only available in DPP, the CAPs available in BDSP CAP are limited to only the ones created during DPP. This thread will be used to provide resources such as viability rankings, sample teams, and more, as well as a place to discuss the metagame as a whole.

Format and Thread Rules

Format Rules:
All standard BDSP OU rules apply.
Only CAPs created during DPP are available, listed below:

• Syclant​
• Revenankh​
• Pyroak​
• Fidgit​
• Stratagem​
• Arghonaut​
• Kitsunoh​
• Cyclohm​
• Colossoil​
• Krilowatt​
• Voodoom​

Thread Rules:

• Please keep discussion within this thread related to the BDSP CAP metagame. Discussion on theorizing how an unavailable CAP may perform in the metagame, for example, is prohibited.
• General posting rules for discussion thread like this one apply. Notably, if you'd like to make a claim, please back it up with some support and evidence; one-liners and claims with no justifiable evidence is prohibited.
• Don't be a dick (that's Rabia's job).

Metagame Council:
Astra (Metagame Leader)
ausma
dex
Lasen
SHSP
spoo
Steam Buns

Changes to Available CAPs:
Some moves are unavailable for CAPs in BDSP due to Home functionality being currently unavailable. Additionally, some moves are outright removed from BDSP. Below is the list of notable moves that are unavailable to the CAPs in this metagame coming from SS. Moves that are italicized indicate that they will most likely be available once BDSP gains Home functionality.

Dual Wingbeat, Triple Axel, Hone Claws, Leech Life
Poltergeist, Body Press, Ice Punch, Power-Up Punch, Power Whip, Smack Down, Sucker Punch, Superpower
Scorching Sands, Solar Blade, Dragon Dance, Dragon Tail, Earth Power, Heat Crash, Heat Wave, High Horsepower, Leaf Storm, Toxic
Scorching Sands, Encore, Icy Wind, Sludge Wave
Accelerock, Meteor Beam, Heat Wave, Rock Polish
Body Press, Toxic, Whirlpool
Poltergeist, Close Combat, Curse, Foul Play, Ice Punch, Knock Off, Low Kick, Pain Split, Superpower, Thunder Punch, Toxic
Heal Bell, Icy Wind, Toxic
Foul Play, Superpower, Toxic
Flip Turn, Earth Power, Ice Punch, Liquidation, Thunder Punch, Whirlpool, Wild Charge
Hex, Knock Off, Vacuum Wave

Listed below are some move technicalities regarding the CAPs available in the metagame.

• Because Tail Glow is now available again in BDSP, Syclant obtains it as an egg move.
• Because Accelerock is unavailable in BDSP and Stratagem gets it as a level-up move in SS, it now gets Earth Power as a level-up move instead in place of Accelerock. Otherwise, since Earth Power isn't a TM in BDSP, it would've been unavailable to Stratagem without Home functionality.

The full movepools can be found here (special thanks to dex and spoo for helping me out with creating them).

Sample Movesets:
You can find a list of sample movesets for every CAP available in BDSP CAP here.

Sample Teams:
Arghonaut + Clefable Balance by dex:
Pyroak Balance by dex:
Colossoil Sticky Web Offense by dex:
Stall by Rabia:

Feel free to post your teams as well for us to consider listing them here.

Be sure to join our Discord server as well for discussion on the metagame!

 

[Astra]

The post currently acts as the viability list for the available CAPs in BDSP CAP. For already existing Pokemon, roughly refer to this thread. Once the metagame becomes more established, this post will be replaced with a more formal viability rankings list.

(Special thanks to dex and Rabia for writing these up!)

Syclant is a dangerous sweeper designed to punish Garchomp. Its access to both Swords Dance and the rare Tail Glow lets it sweep on either side of the attacking spectrum. Its unique ability, Mountaineer, also allows it to avoid damage from Rock-type moves and Stealth Rock when switching in.

Revenankh is a strong bulky setup sweeper with access to Bulk Up and priority Drain Punch thanks to Triage. Although it lacks a spammable Ghost-type attack in BDSP, it mandates every team to have a Pokemon that resists Fighting.

Pyroak is bad.

Fidgit enables Trick Room teams with its Persistent ability, making it last two extra turns. It's also a great lead on such teams because of its access to Stealth Rock, Rapid Spin, and U-turn.

Stratagem is a very fast and strong special wallbreaker. It has a lot of coverage available to make up for its poor STAB coverage and has slight defensive utility thanks to Levitate and its resistance to Flying. However, it's insanely vulnerable to being revenge killed by the plethora of priority moves around, such as Scizor's Bullet Punch and Breloom's Mach Punch.

Arghonaut is an incredible physical wall thanks to Unaware and Recover. It's able to stop threatening setup sweepers like Garchomp and Scizor with ease, supplies Spikes support, and is one of the few sources of item displacement available with Knock Off.

A great Speed tier and access to Trick and U-turn allows Kitsunoh to be an excellent Choice Scarf user. It employs a combination of Meteor Mash and its unique move, Shadow Strike, in order to break through foes given the right boost. It can also use Will-O-Wisp to further support its team.

Cyclohm's expansive movepool and impressive physical bulk allow it to take on a multitude of physical attackers and threaten them with super effective coverage. Its access to Static and Slack Off also lets it stick around and spread paralysis throughout a battle.

Colossoil is a potent wallbreaker with Guts and good source of entry hazard removal. It can disrupt Choice-locked Electric-types like Raikou by blocking their Volt Switch and pivoting the next turn with U-turn. It's also a good revenge killer with Sucker Punch.

Krilowatt is one of the most insane wallbreakers available. It has fantastic bulk due to its great HP stat, can avoid passive damage thanks to Magic Guard, has immaculate coverage, and is very hard to deny Volt Switch from because of its STAB Surf. Its Speed tier is also really solid, putting it above other strong offensive picks like Garchomp and Manaphy.

Voodoom's transition to BDSP brings it to life because of the lack of Fairy-types available. Its STAB coverage is nearly unresisted, and it can pop Fairy-types with Flash Cannon. It Speed ties with the Lati twins and outruns many other metagame staples such as Garchomp. It does have to watch out for the many users of Mach Punch, though, such as Infernape and Breloom.

 

[Astra]

At the current moment, BDSP CAP is not a challengeable format on PS! (but it will be soon), so for now, use this command to play the metagame and make sure the CAPs aren't running anything it can't run in terms of moves removed from BDSP and moves it doesn't have access to without Home.

 /chall [user], bdspou @@@ +syclant, +revenankh, +pyroak, +fidgit, +stratagem, +arghonaut, +kitsunoh, +cyclohm, +colossoil, +krilowatt, +voodoom, +mountaineer, +persistent, +shadow strike, +paleo wave, +rebound

 

[Astra]

BDSP CAP is now a playable format on Pokemon Showdown! I'll find a different use for my post above eventually.

 

[Brambane]

some thoughts now the tournament is over:

Tail Glow Ground/Ice coverage and the ability to spam U-turn early makes this mon pretty scary at first glance, but the prevalence of Arghonaut, Unaware Clef, and Scizor in the meta somewhat temper that. Scizor is especially problematic for it, since it also fits very well on more offense heavy teams, which Syclant should have a better MU against. Kinda cool, can work in some MUs but doesn't seem consistent enough for me.

Pretty cool late-game wincon, depending if BDSP gets transfer moves I am expecting a lot more of Rev. I like it since priority Drain Punch can keep Weavile and especially Stratagem in check. Ice Punch and even Power Whip could be devestating additions for its movepool. For now it is a decently solid Pokemon tempered by Unaware users and a good number of Fighting resists.

The stars have aligned to make Pyroak finally okay in a meta. A lot of the problems it deals with in DPP are gone. No permanent sand is the big one, as Synthesis (if you run it) is more reliable, and you no longer have to deal with not healing from Leftovers. Clef running Unaware regularly also improves Roak's MU there too with Leech Seed pressure. The main things that make Pyroak good are its ability to switch into Breloom, a Rocker who can offensively pressure Defog Scizor and Colossoil, SE STABs against Scizor+Argh (or Jirachi+Argh), and being just bulky enough to tank hits from Krilowatt. It's not an amazing mon, but "good" is better than Pyroak has been for a long time.

Cool Pokemon overall, mostly because it has Toxic and that move is ultra clutch in some MUs. A spinner with SE STAB vs Gengar is pretty good too, and unlike Colossoil, Fidgit can also serve as a Fighting resist for Rev. Vital Spirit is cheeky for Breloom. I didn't experiment with Trick Room much in builder, didn't feel worth it.

Second best CAP in the metagame imo. It's Speed tier is basically uncontested, and it has two very devastating sets. Calm Mind is a ferocious cleaner that is hard to revenge with special scarfers due to Strata's oddly high HP with +1 SpDef. Choice Specs pretty much 2HKOs every Pokemon in the meta except Blissey, Rev, and some Clefable. Very, very dangerous Pokemon you always have to take account for in builder; Scizor should watch out for Babiri Berry.

The best CAP, probably second best Pokemon in the meta behind Scizor. It's really easy to build with Arghonaut since it adds so much to the team. Spikes are obviously amazing, Knock Off is heroic, and honestly Bulk Up sets can offer both Argh's defensive utility while turning into a wincon come lategame. I tech'd very hard against Argh this tournament due to how good it is; Whirlpool Hurricane Gyarados is a blight I wish to never use again (too bad I goofed it up anyways.)

Seems alright, but its typing feels a little too niche. For a 110 Speed Ghost, I would almost always prefer Gengar. For an offensive Steel, Heatran or Scizor. And I never found a situation where I needed Kitsunoh's combination of both traits. Scarf Kit looks like the best set, especially since the Defog Wisp set looks reaaaaaal bad into Gliscor. RIP Ice Punch.

Clefable no longer getting 2HKOed by Draco Meteor hurts Cyclohm's viability lot. It also hurts that a lot of the most threatening Pokemon in the meta (Alakazam, Stratagem, Voodoom, Gengar, Manaphy, Latios...) are special attackers. It hits decently hard, but the Speed does no favors. It also faces competition with Krilowatt as an offensive electric, who I think even has better defensive utility due to its hazard immunity and Speed. Too hard to fit on teams; I would go as far to call it the worst of the CAPs.

Very good Pokemon. Fantastic breaker and utility mon, usually at the same time. It also has a lot of cool movepool options. Strong Sucker Punch helps check foes like Gengar and Zam. Both Rebound and Guts are viable; the momentum you can grab from Rebounding Rocks and then clicking U-turn will fill you with such elation and confidence you will finally ask THEM out. You know who I am talking about. I believe in you.

Fucking Krilo. This mon is obnoxious as shit. I could be pretty easily convinced this mon is #2 CAP instead Stratagem. It's pretty linear in what it does, but its just so good at it. It is a good offensive check for a lot of things; I suspect Scald Krilo, while the power of Surf will be missed, could clutch out some wins with a burn on Scizor or Clefable (combine with HexGar? sounds like a cool team.) Volt Switch elevates a strong mon in DPP to new heights.

An utterly monstrous breaker. It's only problem is that it is so monstrous that almost every team preps offensively and defensively for it. Azelf, Stratagem, and Alakazam all get Dazzling Gleam, which gives offensive teams options for Voodoom. Defensive teams have fatties like Unaware Clefable and Arghonaut to keep it in line. Also priority from Rev, Breloom, and even Scizor give it issues. Voodoom requires immense respect in the teambuilder, but it is manageable imo.

Overall, I found the meta to be okay. I prefer original DPP (and DPP CAP by extension), but BDSP brings some fun new twists. I think it is a meta worth revisiting in the near future, especially depending on what kind of tiering decisions come from BDSP OU.

 

[Hpdsd]

OOF CAP NFE and CAP LC mons have so bad movepools what happened to their learnsets.

 

[kjnjkmjk1]

OOF CAP NFE and CAP LC mons have so bad movepools what happened to their learnsets.

The only relevant CAPs to the BDSP metagame are the fully evolved CAPs, so those were the only ones whose movepools were properly updated for BDSP, which ended up leaving the prevos with incomplete movepools. Given both the overhead of doing the updates and the complete lack of interest in a BDSP-specific CAP LC/NFE, I don't think an update to the prevos for BDSP is likely unless it suddenly turns into the definitive metagame over SwSh for an extended period of time.

 

[dex]

Thought I would post some of the fun cores I've come up with and seen in this tier:

+
Krilowatt is disgusting in this metagame. Its Volt Switch is nigh unpunishable, making it excellent at generating momentum. Scizor complements Krilowatt's offensive pivoting ability by being a consistent switch-in to Latios and Tangrowth, all while being able to slowly pivot Krilowatt in with U-turn, keeping the initiative firmly in Krilowatt's hands, er... weird shrimp legs?

+
Balance is immensely more viable in BDSP CAP than it is in BDSP OU for one simple reason: Arghonaut. Arghonaut provides so much defensive utility to pretty much every non-offensive team with Knock Off and Spikes that it is essentially a required pick on every balance team. It also frees Clefable to run Magic Guard, massively improving Clefable's longevity. This duo can be incredibly difficult to break without prediction, making it perhaps the best available defensive core.

+
TogeDoom is back with a vengeance, this time featuring the newly-minted BrokeDoom. Voodoom can force its way through most unprepared teams; however, most teams have a way of dealing with it due to its centralizing nature. Enter: Thunder Wave Togekiss. TWave allows Voodoom to click its STAB moves much more freely, and the combination of Specs Dark Pulse and the paralysis chance allows Voodoom to burst through defensive cores that would otherwise be able to deal with its breaking power. Togekiss's ability to handle Breloom is also quite notable.

 

[dex]

We have our initial viability rankings!


BDSP CAP Viability Rankings
S
Arghonaut
Krilowatt
Scizor

A+
Alakazam
Breloom
Clefable
Garchomp
Gliscor
Rotom-Wash
Voodoom
Pyroak

A
Azumarill
Colossoil
Heatran
Slowbro

A-
Blissey
Infernape
Latias
Magnezone
Revenankh
Skarmory
Starmie
Tangrowth

B+
Azelf
Crawdaunt
Dragonite
Feraligatr
Gastrodon
Jirachi
Kitsunoh
Mamoswine
Nidoking
Salamence
Stratagem
Togekiss
Weavile

B
Donphan
Empoleon
Mew
Raikou
Roserade
Rotom-Mow
Syclant
Staraptor
Tyranitar

B-
Cyclohm
Forretress
Lucario
Mantine
Smeargle

C
Aerodactyl
Blastoise
Cloyster
Cresselia
Espeon
Fidgit
Froslass
Hippowdon
Mismagius
Poliwrath
Quagsire
Shedinja
Shuckle
Slowking
Tentacruel
Torkoal
Vileplume
Weezing

 

[dex]

Some notes about these:

Arghonaut has a profound effect on the metagame, notably decreasing the viability of physical sweepers and wallbreakers like Weavile, Feraligatr, Crawdaunt, and Cloyster. Breloom is even better here than in BDSP OU, as it is one of the rare physical attackers that can pressure Arghonaut.

Togekiss sees a notably higher rank here than in BDSP OU, most likely as a result of its ability to pressure Arghonaut and its great synergy with Voodoom.

Krilowatt has breached the S rank! It is an incredibly difficult Pokemon to actually punish, as its Volt Switch easily chunks unprepared teams throughout the match. Accordingly, Gastrodon sees a higher rank as perhaps the best stop to it in the game.