CAP 30 - Framework Submissions

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The following thread is intentionally designed as an offshoot of the typical Create-A-Pokemon Project. If you are new to the CAP Project, please read through previous processes to gain a full understanding of what is different here.

Join us on Discord if you have any further questions!

As per this PR thread, we will be using a Framework for this project. We will adhere to the following rules for the duration of this process:
  • This Pokemon will be playable in the CAP Metagame. Furthermore, it will be reasonably balanced for competitive battles, specifically not a broken threat that negatively centralizes the metagame.
  • The creation of this Pokemon will ONLY break CAP creation guidelines based on the Framework we select. For example, if we choose to create a Pokemon with an illegal ability as our Framework, we will not also allow a custom move for it during Movepool Submissions.
  • This creation will not allow any large-scale custom elements. This means that custom typings, fully custom abilities, or fully custom moves will be disallowed. Any changes must be entirely flavor (eg renaming), or minor changes to existing moves/abilities. An ability that swaps defensive stats with offensive stats when using the move Spiky Shield would be allowed, however an ability that summons a new terrain effect would not be.
  • This Pokemon will have a Framework that constrains the results of, at maximum, two competitive stages of the process. An example of this would be a framework that dictates our typing and primary ability. An illegal Framework would also mandate a specific stat bias on top of those restrictions. Furthermore, the two stages trivialized must be linked (e.g. an Ultra Beast that requires Beast Boost and a 570 BST).
  • This framework should not impose an undue burden upon the CAP creation process. Any framework should not require a substantial amount of effort and time beyond that of a standard CAP. It may include a maximum of 2 Pokemon/forms, which should share at least 1 of the exact same typing combinations, set of abilities, statlines, and full movepools, and among the remaining 3 stages, at least 2 should have heavy similarities (eg at least one shared typing, at least one shared ability, etc). If the Pokemon/forms share 2 or more stages completely, there is no requirement for the non-shared stages to be similar.
Additionally, please follow these rules when posting in this thread:
  • One submission per person. You may edit your Framework, but you may not change the fundamental premise after it has been posted. If editing your Framework, please edit the original post instead of posting a new revision. Do not bump your Framework after you have posted it. If people do not comment on it, so be it.
  • Do not duplicate or closely-resemble Framework already posted by others. It is your responsibility to read through all previous submissions in this thread to ensure you are complying with this rule. Ignorance or laziness is not an excuse.
  • Do not refer to any part of the Pokemon's artistic design. For example, the following phrases would be illegal:
"This is a bright blue Pokemon..."
"The Pokemon looks like a..."
"The Pokemon uses its long tail to..."
  • A Framework Submission must be submitted in the proper format. The format is described below. If the proper format is not used, it will be considered invalid, regardless of content.
Framework Submission Format

Use this format for all concept submissions: Here is the format with tags. Just copy/paste this into your post, and fill it out:
  • Name - Unlike Concept Submissions, your name CANNOT be anything cutesy. Please list EXACTLY which process rule(s) you intend to break with the name. Some examples would be "Multitype CAP" and "Ultra Beast CAP."
  • Description - This is the official description of the concept, and must follow ALL the content rules listed above. Do not make this a long description. Long descriptions are invariably too specific or too convoluted. Keep it short. Any more than a sentence or two is TOO MUCH. Do NOT include your Explanation of the concept in the Description. See "Explanation" below.
  • Explanation - This can contain just about anything. This is where you can explain your concept without restraint. You may make suggestions, even specific suggestions, regarding the possible implementation of the Framework. This explanation should help facilitate discussion of the Framework -- but the Explanation is NOT part of the Framework and will be omitted from the polls and any future use of the Framework. Since your explanation is non-binding, regarding future polls and threads, it will not be evaluated for purposes of determining if your Framework is legal or illegal. Although it is tempting, refrain from making too long of an explanation; it will deter readers from fully considering your Framework.
It is the submitter's responsibility to figure out how to make a legal submission within the rules listed above. Do not complain about the difficulty of making a submission in this thread. There are many, many legal Frameworks that can be presented within the rules. The Framework is a very basic guide for the creation process. It is hard to provide solid concept descriptions without basically designing the entire Pokemon right off the bat. Submissions should be written and chosen very carefully to avoid these problems. If you have any doubts about anything, feel free to contact a Mod via PM or Discord and we will answer your questions.

At the end of this discussion, the TL will select a slate of Frameworks. The CAP Mod team will perform a final legality check of the slated frameworks. Those that pass will then go to a poll, where the winning submission will be decided.
 

Wulfanator

Clefable's wish came true!
is a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a Top CAP Contributor Alumnus
Hey all! After a minor mistake with opening the thread prematurely, we are finally ready to begin with our second ever CAP framework project. My name Wulfanator, and I will be your TL for this process. Much like before, this project will be allowed to break some of the previous conventions we have for Pokémon creation. As someone who participated in the last framework CAP, I am glad to see the format make a return, and I am more excited to lead this unique experience for you all. I look forward to seeing the directions each of you want to push this project.

Be sure to read the original post as there are new expectations for framework submissions. I want to ensure that everyone has legal submissions. New users should consider joining the CAP Discord if they want more immediate feedback on frameworks or to simply get more involved in the project. This thread will be opened for 5 days with room to extend the deadline if the need arises.

With all that out of the way, it is with great pleasure that I announce framework submissions as open.
 

LucarioOfLegends

Master Procraster
is a CAP Contributor
Name: Normal-type CAP

Description: This CAP will have Normal-type be one of its two types, or its sole typing if it is mono-typed.

Explanation: The Normal-type is an interesting typing in Pokemon simply due to its sheer neutrality of its matchups. It doesn't support any resistances outside of its immunity to Ghost, and lacks even a single super effective matchup to exploit. This tends to lead it being seen as inferior to other types with wide neutral matchups like Fairy and Ghost due to actually having types they are super effective against as well as good resistances. With that said, the normal-typing does have a few interesting aspects that could result in a unique Pokemon in the current meta. Its immunity to Ghost is something that is absolutely useful considering the dominance of Dragapult in the meta and is something only shared by Blissey, a defensively-orientated Pokemon. A single weakness to Fighting is also quite useful since it won't stack too many weaknesses if paired with a second typing. While lacking in super-effective hits, the Normal-types neutral coverage is still very good by itself, only being stopped completely by Ghost type due to its immunity and being resisted by the Steel-type and the rarer Rock-type. And despite the loss of strong physical Normal-type move Return, the typing does still have a plethora of strong moves to capitalize on for both physical and special side such as Body Slam, Boomburst, Double-Edge, and Hyper Voice.

The CAP process tends to value large strengths highly in its type stage, including what a typing hits supereffectively and what it resists. Because of this, the Normal-types neutrality doesn't tend to get much sway in discussions, slates, and polls. But considering the state of the meta, this is one of the best times for a Normal-type to be made by the process as a method of really exploring the types strengths and weaknesses, and I think mandating it through a framework is one of the best options of ensuring the Normal-type gets its time in the sun.
 
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Name: Genie/Deoxys Forms

Description: This CAP has two forms, distinguishable at team preview, that share typing, BST, and movepool, and are changed out of battle.

An overview of the restrictions:
  • This CAP must have two forms, which must have the following characteristics:
    • The two forms must have identical typings. If one form is Ground/Flying, the other form must also be Ground/Flying, with no exceptions.
    • The two forms must have the same BST. Stat distribution is not restricted by this rule.
    • The two forms must have identical movepools. There cannot be moves exclusive to one form (see the Rotom applicances). If a movepool creator wants to add differences to things like level-up, this is fine, as long as the other form can also use the move after the form change.
    • The two forms can only change to each other outside of battle; the form change is not tied to a held item, ability, or move.
    • The two forms must be distinguishable on team preview, so nothing like Urshifu-*, where the form is hidden until Urshifu actually comes out in battle.
Explanation:
First, I want to establish that this CAP does NOT have to be a legendary. The TL and community may choose to make it legendary as a flavor aspect, but this should not affect the competitive stages of the process or be an outright restriction on the art.

Out-of-battle form differences come with the interesting caveat of dealing with species clause, which prevents the two forms from existing on the same team. This means that there is inherent opportunity cost that forces even more competition between the two forms on top of their similarities. Some pairs manage to coexist (Johtonian and Galarian Slowking), while others end up with one form outcompeting the other (Urshifu-S vs Urshifu-R). I think this framework can provide an interesting way to explore a concept while contending with this competition. I selected the Genies (Landorus/Tornadus/Thundurus) and Deoxys forms in particular, as the pattern in their forms gives what I feel is a decent middle ground of providing interesting restrictions without unnecessarily squeezing the design space.

  • Thundurus is actually a demonstration of how the two forms can coexist, with both its Incarnate and Therian forms being highly ranked in UU at the moment (Incarnate at A+, Therian at A-). While they do compete with each other as wallbreakers, they also manage to fulfill different niches, with Incarnate :thundurus: taking advantage of its higher Speed and Attack in combination with Defiant to perform mixed wallbreaking duties, and Therian :thundurus-therian: taking advantage of its sky-high special attack to perform better against bulkier special walls like Chansey.
  • Landorus is another example in Ubers, with both forms being ranked B, but fulfilling noticeably different roles. Landorus-T :landorus-therian: performs its usual utility and scarfing duties that it does in OU, while Landorus-I :landorus: takes advantage of Sheer Force to act as a wallbreaker.
  • On the other hand, the Tornadus forms demonstrate how things can go badly. Tornadus-T :tornadus-therian: benefits heavily from Regenerator and (to a lesser extent) its higher speed tier, allowing it to act as a pivot or even a setup sweeper. Without these traits, Tornadus-I :tornadus: has a much harder time competing with other Flying types and is currently mired in NUBL with heavy competition in RU and UU.
  • Another demonstration of this, in a slightly different vein (due to the ability not changing between forms), is Deoxys; while Deoxys is not currently legal, we can draw from Gen 7 and see that Deoxys-Normal :deoxys: is completely outdone by the other forms in essentially every niche, with Deoxys-Attack :deoxys-attack: being much better at being a wallbreaker, and Deoxys-Speed :deoxys-speed: being much better at the utility role (specifically at the lead position). Meanwhile, Deoxys-Defense :deoxys-defense: has not been up to par with the power level of Ubers due to its crowded speed tier, paltry attacking stats, and a typing that is awful for its purpose.

Possible Questions:
  • In a CAP context, how much overlap can there be between the roles of each form without one form shoving the other out of the meta? (Compare the Thundurus forms both primarily being wallbreakers in UU vs the Landorus Forms performing much more distinct roles in Ubers.)
  • How important is the choice in shared typing, and what kinds of typings can "support" two forms and avoid hamstringing one of them? (See how Deoxys-D stands out among the Deoxys forms as being particularly crippled by the Psychic typing.)
  • How important is it to try to strike a balance between the competitive abilities of each form? At what point does the ability of one form propel it far above another without necessarily being broken (such as in the case of Regenerator Tornadus-T vs Prankster Tornadus-I)?
  • What is the role of stats in differentiating the two forms, relative to ability? The existing Incarnate/Therian forms demonstrate that you don't need drastically different stat lines to have different niches, although there is clearly a line, as demonstrated by Deoxys-Normal; how big of a difference is necessary for the concept?
  • Because the two forms must share a movepool, is there a point where the sets of moves each form uses become too separate?
 
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MrDollSteak

CAP 1v1 me IRL
is a Community Contributoris an Artist Alumnusis a Forum Moderator Alumnus
Name: Competitive NFE/Evolution Pair

Description: Two CAP Pokemon will be produced, one being an NFE and the other it's evolution, designed to fulfill different roles in the CAP metagame and be of a similar level of viability. As part of the same family line they will share at least one typing, all of the same competitive abilities, and the majority of their movepool with the evolution being allowed access to a few additional moves.

Overview of the restrictions:

  • The two Pokemon must have at least one shared typing.
  • The two Pokemon must share the exact same competitive abilities. There cannot be a competitive ability that is used by either Pokemon that is unavailable on the other.
  • Every move that is learnt by the NFE must be learnt by the evolution. The evolution is able to have a few additional moves that are inaccessible to the NFE.
  • The two Pokemon must have different roles that they excel in.

Explanation:

There have been a range of concept submissions in the past focused around the idea of the Eviolite allowing an NFE to be more viable than its evolution. The problem with such an idea has often been focused around the fact that the evolved form would also be eligible for use in the CAP metagame and as such most often resorted to artificially reducing the capability of the evolution to succeed or by nominally limiting it to the Ubers metagame.

With the framework for CAP 30 and the ability to design multiple shared Pokemon at a time, I believe there is an unprecedented opportunity to design an NFE and its Evolution simultaneously for use within the CAP metagame. Unlike formes, it is also the case that both the NFE and the Evolution could feasibly be run on the same team as they do not trigger the species clause, and as such the idea of them filling different roles can be fully explored.

The aim of such a project is to hone into and explore what really makes the relationship between NFEs and Evolutions unique. The most obvious features that qualify this are the one-sided sharing of moves, as well as the ability to run the Eviolite. By forcing both Pokemon to have at least one of the same typing and a full shared list of competitive abilities, this framework also seeks to explore the impact that stats, moves and items can have upon the construction of team roles.

Furthermore, while most viable NFE Pokemon in the higher tier competitive metagames have historically succeeded over their evolutions because their access to the Eviolite has allowed them to become incredibly defensive, such a framework could also seek to challenge this paradigm, and instead consider whether or not an NFE can be viable at fulfilling a different roles from its evolution without having to use the defense that the Eviolite provides, or even running other items.

Some examples of NFE and Evolution relationships that I see as loose templates for this project would be Scyther and Scizor, Doublade and Aegislash, Porygon2 and Porygon-Z and finally Golbat and Crobat. While the majority of these examples are not fully viable in the CAP metagame, and belong to different tiers to their corresponding pair, I think they demonstrate the various different roles that NFE and evolutions can share, with some being bulky walls, pivots and attackers and the others more filling sweeping, wallbreaking and utility roles. While in the later examples it tends to be the NFE filling the bulky role thanks to the Eviolite, in the case of Scyther and Scizor this paradigm is reversed, with Scyther not even needing to use the Eviolite at all.

Possible Questions:
- Is it possible for an NFE Pokemon to succeed in the CAP Metagame? Does this require the use of the Eviolite?
- Why have previously successful NFE Pokemon such as Chansey fallen out of favour in the SS CAP Metagame?
- What are the different roles that NFE Pokemon across the various tiers fill in teams? Can these various roles have a place in the CAP metagame?
- How much impact can an item like the Eviolite have upon the success of the NFE's given role? Is this purely limited to defensive roles?
- How can the access to some exclusive moves allow for an Evolution to perform its given role more successfully than its NFE? Does it depend on the role?
- Is it possible for the same pool of competitive abilities to be suited towards Pokemon that are aimed at achieving different roles in a team.
 
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Name: Form Change Ability triggered by a Move

Description: This Pokemon has an Ability which causes it to change forms upon the usage of a specific or a type/classification of move.

Restrictions:
- This framework requires two forms. They will have the same movepool and the same ability.
- This framework does require a custom ability unless we want to reuse an existing Move Based Form Change ability. This should be its only ability.
- This framework does not require a custom signature move for the form change, there are more than enough moves already in the game to choose from.
- This framework may change the typing of the Pokemon upon form change, but it is not a requirement.
- This framework may change the stats of the Pokemon upon form change, but it is not a requirement.

Explanation: One type of form change that I always find incredibly interesting and fun to play around with is the kind where the Pokemon changes form mid-battle. Among those, there are the Pokemon whose form change can be manipulated by the opponent, such as Mimikyu or Darmanitan. After just coming off of Chromera, I feel like it would be more interesting to explore a Pokemon that offensively transforms rather than defensively. Therefore, I feel a Pokemon who changes form based on the move selected by its trainer feels like an exciting direction to explore.

For a few examples of Pokemon who currently do this:
- Aegislash changes forms upon using a damaging move, and upon using King's Shield
- Cramorant changes forms upon using Surf or Dive

- Eiscue is a weird case. In singles, Ice Face functions as a form change upon Eiscue using Hail, but it is not technically a move based form change ability because others can trigger it too (impactful in doubles for example). This is a grey area that debatably counts for our purposes of CAP Singles.

- Melotta has Serene Grace as an ability, despite changing forms with Relic Song, and thus does not count.


I am leaving this framework broad and open so we have different choices of what kind of move based form change ability we would want to create, rather than just saying "We're making Cramorant 2.0" or something like that. This framework leaves not just the move or class of moves up to discussion, but also the effect that will come out of changing forms. Not only would this freedom give us a lot more room to further discuss in later stages, but it will also make a much less linear concept stage than some frameworks as we still have a very high amount of versatility with where we can go beyond the fact that we change forms upon using a move.

EDIT: After some feedback and discussion, I've got more written out below:

This will almost certainly require a custom ability, as was discussed in Discord and by Wulfanator here. I think this does open it up a bit more to exploring new avenues of how we can take this project, as opposed to specifically just choosing one of the existing choices (which would fall under Spoo's WIP.)

This is NOT a general form change framework. I wanted to make this more specific and targeted towards specifically proactive move-based form changes, rather than weather based like Cherrim/Castform, or health based like Wishiwashi/Minior for our primary trigger. That being said, the ability to change to the other form does vary in interpretation, leaving room and possibility for how we want to explore changing to the other form. Aegislash for example can change between its two forms depending on what move it uses, while Cramorant's Gulp Missile form changes back to normal upon getting hit. Likewise, Eiscue changes from Ice Face to melted face upon taking a physical hit. However, all three of these involve requiring a use of a move from the owner as its proactive trigger for the ability.

There are also differences between different form changing Pokemon about whether or not they retain their form change when switching in and out. This is something that would need to be discussed and explored alongside the condition. A Stance Change Pokemon for example enters the battle in its King's Shield form primarily, and then changes out of it when using an attacking move. An Ice Face Pokemon retains its form change and must use the move Hail to restore its Ice Face as its proactive trigger. We have choices and precedent for both, form changes that reset upon leaving the field as well as form changes that stay upon switching out. How we want to approach this varies, giving us lots of freedom for different kinds of concepts and ways to approach this in both concept assessment as well as ability discussion.

In other words, despite sounding limited as a form change restricted to having its primary proactive trigger based on the use of a move or class of moves, it is still very open for of exploration and diversity in how we can explore it afterwards.
 
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  • Name - Legendary Duo
  • Description - Two Pokemon that are legendary.
  • Explanation - Every Pokemon game has to have legendary duo/trio. So if someone making a Pokemon fan game with CAPs, then these could be the duo! I suggest doing a separate stage after the Pokedex stage where we submit origins to that Pokemon. Also, make sure that it isn't too OP, and disallow it in OU, or UU.
 
Name: Weak Status Move Ability

Description:
This CAP has a custom ability that uses the effect of a weak status move upon switch-in.

Explanation: Currently abilities such as Drizzle, Intimidate, and Grassy Surge functionally activate a status move upon switch-in, and currently these are some of the strongest abilities in the game. This framework would aim to explore a weaker, niche status move, and see how effective it could be as an ability. While most status moves are clearly broken in this context, I believe other moves can act as balanced, but strong abilities. Some abilities that come to mind include Magic Room, Reflect Type, Imprison, Laser Focus, Recycle, and Torment.

Questions to be Answered:
- How can we reliably determine the effectiveness of a status move as an ability without being able to test them?
- Can a competitive mon be created by using a strong ability while sacrificing in other areas?
- Is there anything that can be learned from Colossoil's process, which did functionally the same thing with Rebound acting as Magic Coat?
 
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Name: Giratina-style Forms

Description: This CAP has an out-of-battle form change like Giratina- the form change is only accessible through holding an unremovable custom item like Griseous Orb.

Restrictions:
-The mons, like Giratina, will share a typing, and movepool.
-The abilities can be completely different between forms.
-The stats can be different between forms, while maintaining the same base total. Note that this does not need to swap offenses and defenses like Giratina's forms, though this is not to exclude that option either. The way that stats differ between these two mons should be decided at the stats stage.

Explanation: This was a pretty popular submission last framework and I think it remains an interesting concept! This gives us a chance to do two mons at once, and perhaps take two different routes to the same concept without overloading.
Making a mon that is forced to hold an item also has really interesting competitive implications; items have changed drastically since the last gen. No more Z-moves, no mega stones, and the introduction of Heavy Duty Boots has changed how we look at the value of items. Knock Off is everywhere because it always works, and Trick is near-guaranteed to be effective. Meanwhile, being locked into an item greatly reduces the potential scope of mons like Giratina-O, which'll be known to never hold a scarf, band, leftovers, or any kind of tricky tech. Knowing this gives us a really interesting situation where we will be trying to maximise the value of the benefits of a locked item, while overcoming the fact that it forfeits access to many other quality items and has no surprise factor. What's more, the other form will be tackling the exact opposite situation, trying to stand out from the held item form by having access to different stats and those key meta items.

The held item will be a new custom item (like Crucibellite was), and will share the qualities of Griseous Orb- "If held by CAP30, its STAB attacks have 1.2x power." It is unable to be removed when held by CAP30 (not other Pokemon), and doesn't have any effect when held by other Pokemon. There is room in concept assessment to change the effect to that of another item, if desired- for example, Leftovers' effect.
 
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Magmajudis

Title pending
Name: Ultra-Beast
Description: This CAP has 570 BST and the ability Beast Boost as it's only ability. It's stats would also have to be prime numbers, with the exception of Speed.

Explanation:

Ultra-Beasts have the unique property of being exttemely diverse despite sharing the same ability. Out of the 8 non-Ubers fully-evolved Ultra-Beasts, we have two walls, one pretty well-rounded (Celesteela) and one specialized in physical defense and hitting back hard (buzzwole), four sweepers (Kartana, Blacephalon, Stakataka and Xurkitree, that all work pretty differently) (five if you count Nihilego's Meteor Beam set), one utility-centered (nihilego) and a bad one (Guzzlord). This, alongside Beast Boost being able to boost every non-HP stat, means that an UB framework would leave a lot of room for an interesting concept and creative uses of Beast Boost.
 
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dex

Hard as Vince Carter’s knee cartilage is
is a Site Content Manageris an official Team Rateris a Top Social Media Contributoris a Forum Moderatoris a Community Contributoris a Top Contributoris a Smogon Media Contributoris a CAP Contributor Alumnus
Name: Gender Differences

Description: This will be a multi-mon CAP, involving either one mon with differences due to gender (ex: Indeedee) or two mons that evolve from the same base form differently due to gender (ex: Gallade and Gardevoir).

Explanation: This CAP (or CAPs) will have differences in their stages due to gender. There are essentially two ways this can go. Using the aforementioned Indeedee as an example, we would have identical movepool and typing, while having similar abilities and stats. Perhaps the most stringent example along this line would be Nidoking and Nidoqueen, possessing identical typings and abilites while only differing slightly in stats and movepool. This would be the most restrictive method of following the framework. At the other end of the spectrum, we have pairings such as Gardevoir and Gallade. While that example does not exactly follow the framework guidelines (they are similar but not the same in all of their competitive stages), we can definitely work with that by making one stage the same, most likely one of typing or ability. Froslass and Glalie are probably a better example of this, as they almost share an exact movepool while having very similar typings and stats.

One small matter to note is that if the gender difference is determined not through evolution but through the actual gender of a singular CAP, then both forms will not be able to be used on the same team because of the species clause.

In terms of what would be most simple, I think making the movepool stage identical would be the most straightforward. Typing will most definitely be closely tied, leaving one of ability or stat stages to be similar as well while the other is given free range to be unique.

Determining what direction to go in will most likely be up to the TL or some sort of Framework assessment. Either way, both options are completely doable and would result in an interesting pair of mons that I believe will both challenge and engage the CAP community artistically and competitively.
 
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Name: Fossil

Description: This Framework requires the process to create a Fossil Pokémon. While a flavor aspect on its own, it has precedent that most Pokémon of this group adhere to.

The restrictions are as follows:
  • This Pokémon has to be partially Rock-type, but the secondary typing can be different.
  • Its BST should not exceed 521. Archeops has a 567 BST, but there is such a huge difference between it and the others that it is an outlier.
Explanation: The point of this is to work with or around the Rock typing and relatively low BST compared to most Pokémon viable within the CAP meta. We should discuss this alongside the Concept Assessment, but it is up to the TL and possibly the TLT to figure out.

Despite having been pitched as two Pokémon at first, I ultimately edited it to only one of them, credit for which goes to Wulfanator and Kjn’s suggestions on the CAP Discord server. I hope to cause the velocirapture with this framework!
 
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Name: Silvally/Arceus-like Forms

Description: This concept would create a pokemon that has a similar movepool, but it’s typing is malleable. In short, we make a Silvally/Arceus style pokemon for the CAP metagame

Explanation: One of the main things that drew me into an extremely brief stint in Ubers was the concept of the Arceus slot. The very concept of Arceus, a Pokemon that you were objectively worse off not having, that you could mould to be perfect for your team was super interesting to me. Arceus-Ground served as a solid setup sweeper and offensive check to numerous threats, Arceus-Water was an amazing support slot, and Arceus-Flying was just plain fun to use. So when Gen 7 came around with Silvally, which was objectively a OU legal mini-Arceus, I was hyped to see this concept used in a non-user setting. Needless to say, I was unimpressed. Silvally was rarely seen outside of PU in Gen 7, and despite the Multi-Attack buff in gen 8, are almost unilaterally untiered in ZU. As such, for this Framework CAP, I think a Arceus-lite would be, not only interesting in concept, but a fun addition to the CAP metagame. Theoretically, this CAP could be moulded for any team role that a builder might need. Other interesting bits of this concept are also in our choice of what ability or movepool we would give to each form.

However, the difficulties lay in the movepool and abilities stages. We would need to find a balance between giving CAP 30 a usable Stab move for each of it's forms, yet not have a brokenly overbloated movepool. Too, finding a ability that would be equally viable for each type could lead to a uncompetitive ability to maintain balance.
 

DetroitLolcat

Maize and Blue Badge Set 2014-2017
is a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a CAP Contributor Alumnus
Name: Cover Legend CAP

Description: This CAP has competitive features in line with the legendary Pokemon that appear on covers of Pokemon video games.

Explanation:

Think back to the year 2012. You're posting rage comics, watching LeBron James finally win a ring, and nobody had yet strung together the words "White Claw Hard Seltzer." But, then, in the dead of night just before the holidays, the most significant cultural event of the decade happens. The world changes forever. That's right, Kyurem-Black drops to OU. Think about that! A 700 BST behemoth with more power than Rampardos, more physical bulk than Skarmory, and more special bulk than Latias drops into the same tier as Donphan and Jellicent. And it came with no restrictions that other Base Stat Titans like Slaking and Regigigas have. Throw in a snazzy Ability and a signature move that lets it blast bulky Waters to boot.

And you know what? We liked it in OU! We liked it so much we kept it for another two generations! And another Pokemon with cover legend stats - Hoopa-Unbound - decided to join OU for a generation as well. But alas, the move tutors sent Kuyrem-Black (Fusion) Bolting to Ubers, while Hoopa-U hopped in a hyperspace hole to National Dex. Smogon tried to fill the cover legend void by letting Zamazenta-Crowned in, but it Zamazenta-Clowned the metagame so hard we booted it back to Ubers. And alas, for the first time in nine years, we play in a tier with no cover legends in it.

And this, my friends, is where this Framework comes in.

Imagine blasting your bracket demon with a Choice Band Fusion Bolt. Imagine firing the Dynamax Cannons on all cylinders. The sky's the limit. No, that's not right - the Mossdeep Space Center has been open for almost 20 years. The universe is the limit. Wait no, Ultra Beasts are out there too. We don't know the limits of what we can do with this Framework, but we'll never find out unless we pick it.

And for funsies, imagine doing the other cover legend as a flavor project afterwards rather than a prevo. Looking at you, DHR.

Questions to be Answered:

What features can only a cover legend bring to the metagame? Do we want to make a breaker like Gen 5 Kyurem-Black, a great wall like a toned-down Lugia, or a speed demon like Zamazenta-Crowned?

Most cover legends get one signature move. Do we want to make our own Fusion Bolt/Fusion Flare? A Sunsteel Strike of our own? Or maybe a defensive signature move, for the first time in forever.

What drawbacks do we want to put on our CAP? Do we hamper its typing like Kyurem-Black, leaving it without a STAB for its massive attacking stat? Does it have a hindering Ability, or maybe one that is unviable, like Zygarde's Aura Break? Should it be forced to hold a useless item like Zamazenta-Crowned's Rusted Shield?
 

Voltage

OTTN5
is a Pre-Contributor
Sure, I'll submit this one since no one has yet.

Name: Regional Forme

Description: This is a CAP that is a regional (Galarian) forme / evolution of a previous CAP.

Explanation: As I previously said, I think that this submission is a little inevitable. We've seen Game Freak go and revamp older Pokemon in the past two generations through regional formes, with some providing true buffs to viability. Whether it's differing typing, like addition of the dark type to Alolan-Muk, or an active change in ability for the better, like Gorrila Tactics on Galarian-Darmantian, there's options to explore here. With CAPs now having an extensive list of creations, there are a number of Pokemon that could use a REgional forme or even regional evolution.

Now I'm not going to beat around the bush with this submission, it's pretty limited. If we follow with the trend of how Game Freak creates regional formes, we would essentially pick a former CAP, change its typing, slightly adjust its stats (G-Corsola), review its movepool and add and remove things as necessary, and that would essentially be it from a competitive standpoint. However, in that rather simplistic process, there's a lot of opportunity for depth. I'll go over these in the "Questions to be Answered" stage.

Questions to be Answered:
  • Which CAPs could fill an entirely different niche with a single change to its in-game notes? (a la Slowking vs. G-Slowking)
    • To that end, how different can we make a CAP competitively when compared to its base forme?
  • Would making a final form CAP a prevo stage with a new evolution be an interesting concept? (Mr. Mime vs. G-Mr. Mime)
  • Are there any CAPs that would be inadvertently buffed through a single change in typing? (A-Muk)
  • Are there any specific changes / buffs / nerfs that Game Freak hasn't explored with regards to Regional Formes?
  • Would a regional evolution of a previous CAP work to improve or change a competitive niche of an existing CAP? (Obstagoon, Perserker, Mr. Rime)
Again, I acknowledge that this would be a very limited process, but it's a neat Framework that could be fun to explore.
 
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Name - Protean / Libero User

Description - A Pokemon that can make good use of either Protean or Libero to help itself out.

Explanation - Protean and Libero are basically widely-used abilities in the Gen 7 to Gen 8 meta, and they have gotten Greninja and Cinderace to OU and Ubers respectively. In this submission I want to make a balanced user of those abilities, picking one of them and making a Pokemon based off of that ability. However, Protean and Libero do the exact same thing:
proteanlibero.PNG

They were just introduced in different gens. To make up for this we would choose whatever works best as the main ability for the Pokemon and nothing else.

If we want a viable user of these abilities, however, we will need a very wide moveset full of different type options to choose from, making our balanced user of these abilities a wide attacker with good coverage. Something around OU could work, Gen 7 or Gen 8, whatever you prefer, to say the least.

With all the points down, our Protean/Libero Pokemon should also have a way to deal mixed damage to threats alike, however it should also have some distinct threats it can't really deal with, such as Pokemon who can counter its ability by predicting its moveset, or anything else.

Questions to be answered:
- How will our Libero/Protean user affect the metagame?
- What could counter our Libero/Protean user and what checks it?
- Could our user have an effective premise with countering its threats?
- What would be able to help this Pokemon? What moves should we give it?
 
Name: CAP 30 Specific Buff Item

Description: A custom item is created for CAP 30 that adds a significant power boost only to it, similar to a Thick Club for Marowak.

Explanation: A feature that is only really seen in the underwhelming Marowak or the strong Soul Dew of older gens, a Pokemon specific item adds in some interesting options for us while still giving lots of wiggle room for solid discussions for CAP 30. Most items of this variety double the associated stat, and if we continue with this trend we can have some really interesting analysis of how we want to approach it. Whether as a wall or an offensive threat, CAP 30 being largely reliant on an item is a design restriction that will allow for a cohesive end result.

Questions to be Answered:
  • Will CAP 30 be usable without the item?
  • Is an item of this kind more valuable for defenses or offenses?
  • Does CAP 30 suffer from only having one real item choice?
  • What tools does CAP 30 need to keep its item?
  • Is losing the item too significant of a threat to prioritize CAP 30 on a team?
 
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quziel

I am the Scientist now
is a Site Content Manageris a Forum Moderatoris a Community Contributoris a Smogon Discord Contributoris a Top CAP Contributoris a Contributor to Smogonis a member of the Battle Simulator Staff
Moderator
Name: Random Slates

Description: The Slate for as many stages as possible are slated randomly.

Explanation: One thing I've thought to be interesting is a sorta emergent design process, that is, where we sorta have to figure out what the cap is gonna be based on options given to us. A randomly decided slate (eg random type combos, random abilities) would facilitate and encourage this emergent design behavior. The specific rules it would be breaking are well, the community suggestion of options for the slate, instead being replaced with (in as many stages as possible) the random generation and then community discussion of a pre-given slate. I am uncertain whether this framework would require a concept, but it would probably be helpful to have a fairly general one. An idea to how this could look is:

Typing: Generate N Type 1 / Type 2 combos (eg slate Bug / Dragon, Electric / Steel, Normal / Poison chosen completely randomly)

Discuss options based on the random slate, trying to figure out which one matches the vision of the mon so far

Vote on options on the random slate.

I think this random generation would be applicable to Typing, Abilities, Sorta Stats (maybe generate highest stat / lowest stat pairings without numbers), maybe randomly select 1-2 random defining moves.
 
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Name: -ate choice CAP

Description: A Pokémon with 2 or 3 -ate abilities so you are forced to decide what type of coverage you desire. This Pokémon would get strong normal type moves, but no moves of the -ate types.

Explanation: For those who don't know, the -ate abilities are abilities like Pixilate or Aerilate that turn normal type moves into a new type.

An example of this would be an Electric/Ice type that has Galvanize and Refrigerate and is forced to pick if it wants Ice or Electric stab. Or have the Pokémon's type be something different and the abilities are used to decide coverage types. I recommend this for a Framework CAP cause we can create new -ate abilities for types and so we can work with the full amount of types in the game instead of the 4 or 5 -ate abilities we currently have.

This would essentially add hidden power back to the game but only for one mon, while also making it this mon’s gimmick.
 
Name: Route 1 CAP

Description: This process would create a CAP that adheres to the general traits of early route Pokemon.

Restrictions:
  • This Pokemon's BST cannot equal or exceed 500, and only one of its individual base stats can equal or exceed 100. (A commonality between many early-route Pokemon is that they have one really good stat and the rest are very mediocre. Examples include Swellow and Boltund's Speed, Vikavolt's Special Attack, Breloom's Attack, and Greedent's HP)
  • This Pokemon CANNOT have the following types: Dragon, Fairy, Steel, and Ghost. (These typings are disallowed because Pokemon with these typings are usually not found until the mid to late game. These typings are also mainly used for Pokemon with more complex, mystical origins and designs, while early-route Pokemon usually have very simple designs, and thus they would not fit the flavor of an early-route Pokemon.)
  • This Pokemon has to have at least one pre-evolution. (Single-stage Pokemon are usually not found until mid-game at most. This is a flavor based one, but I'd thought I'd include it anyways.)
Explanation: Every generation of Pokemon has had at least three evolutionary lines that you can easily get right at the beginning of the game. These Pokemon are usually based on a bird, rodent/small mammal, and bug respectively, but Game Freak has taken more liberties with this concept in more recent generations, basing early-route Pokemon off of cats, dogs, turtles, and other types of animals. While these Pokemon can get you through the first and second gyms just fine, after that they begin to fall behind hard. With a few notable exceptions (Corviknight, Diggersby, Staraptor, Scolipede, pre-Gen 7 Talonflame) these Pokemon find themselves languishing in Untiered more often than not, thanks to their poor type combinations and atrocious base stat totals. Even the better early route critters are only as good as they are thanks to being carried by an Ability (Diggersby, Scolipede, and pre-Gen 7 Talonflame) or a move (Hoennian Linoone). This process would be really challenging but fun, as we would be trying to figure out how to make a solid Pokemon while dealing with low BSTs and without being able to use some of the best typings in the game.
 
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Name: Permanent Health-Based Form Change

Description: This CAP will have a custom ability which functions like Power Construct (Possibly IS Power Construct depending on how it is coded), Changing the base form into a new form when health reaches a certain threshold. (And not reverting to the base until the battle is over.)

Explanation: Power Construct is an interesting ability, being the only form change which alters the base HP stat. With Zygarde, this is all the ability really does, acting as a huge heal when half health is reached. This framework can also be though of like a more permanent Zen-Mode. The slight other changes Zygarde recieves shows the ability is not limited to health. Other stats and even typing could be altered when the ability triggers. While ability and movepool remain constant, the rest of the pokemon could change drastically when critical HP is reached.
 
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Name: Counterparts CAP

Description: A pair of different or same species pokemon that share one or both types and have the same BST, as well as share the same abilities.

Restrictions:
  • One or both types must be shared
  • BST must be the same for both pokemon
  • Abilities must be exactly identical
  • The two pokemon must be unique in some way from each other
Explanation: Despite being here for such little time, it's obvious even to me that CAP is a process filled with many interesting paths. Every CAP is filled with a backstory of different ideas, from different types to different stats and different roles, and inevitably many interesting ideas get shelved in exchange for the "best" route. This framework aims to explore this by creating two pokemon with similar enough traits while also allowing each to be unique enough from the other for us to see how a concept can be interpreted in unique ways.

While there are not many examples that fully fall in to guidelines given here, close examples include nidoking vs queen, the slows vs the galar slows, and heracross vs pinsir, while poor examples include mons such as zangoose vs seviper and durant vs heatmor.
 
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Name: Wonder Guard Pokémon

Description: This CAP's ability is Wonder Guard.

Restrictions:
  • Wonder Guard must be this CAP's only ability.
Explanation: Wonder Guard has long been a source of intrigue for competitive players, as it is quite possibly the best ability in the game. However, its exclusivity to Shedinja has proven to keep it in check, as Shedinja's single hit point means that it will die to any form of damage, indirect or otherwise. Furthermore, Shedinja's confusing stat spread that invests in its useless defenses has proven to be a point of ire to anyone interested in making use of that ghostly bug. While Shedinja has seen niche use in tiers like Ubers in the past, and has enjoyed the luxury of new items like Safety Goggles and a fresh pair of Timbs, its deeply debilitating flaws prevent it from being any kind of meta threat. By iterating on Shedinja's gimmick by doing things which could include giving it more than 1 HP or a different typing, we can ask ourselves questions relating to what it means to balance a Pokémon when it has some kind of very powerful tool, as well as open up the possibility to give unconventional movepools/statlines/typings a new lease on life when they can make up for their shortcomings by relying on this Pokémon's incredible ability.
 
Name: Two-Face

Description: A pair of CAP’s that are related in some way but play very differently (IE Gallade and Gardevoir)

Restrictions:
  • Have to share an ability, but they must also have a separate ability (two different abilities and one pair of the same)
  • They have to play differently, such as one having technician as one’s ability and being fast, but the other is a slow bulky wall. Another example is one being a physical attacker and the other being special.
  • They must share at least one typing, but their secondary typing must be different.

Explanation: In Pokemon there are a lot of Pokemon that are similar, like Minun and Plusle, or Slowbro and Slowking. However, the most interesting pairs are Gallade and Gardevoir, and Glastrier and Spectrier. Thus comes to the concept - two CAP’s that evolve from the same thing and have similar characteristics, but play very differently. This would also add some more interesting story to CAP, as it would make a pair of CAP’s with intertwined story. In conclusion, I think that a pair of similar CAP’s would really tie things together and would make for some interesting play.

Questions to be Answered:
  • How can we make two different Pokémon that have similar abilities but different purposes?
  • How much of an impact does a similar typing make?
  • How can we make these pokemon play as differently as possible with similar typings?
 
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