CAP 31 - Part 1 - Concept Submissions

Status
Not open for further replies.

spoo

is a Site Content Manageris a Social Media Contributoris a Community Leaderis a Community Contributoris a CAP Contributoris a Contributor to Smogon
CAP Co-Leader
Feedback on a few I felt like talking about

Soft Power
The central question of this concept really hooked me - that being, how do you pose an “offensive” threat without actually being offensive? Kind of feels like the inverse of Bulletproof Glass, which is cool to me. I’ve got nothing but good things to say about this concept - the outlined examples provide a ton of design space to work within (though I’m not sure if Foul Play would really count?) and I feel like this would lead to a rich process overall.

Stick Together!
This one scares me, but also has one of the highest ceilings I think. It’s already quite hard to balance a Pokemon as-is - CAP should know this well - and that’s when we aren’t explicitly making a mon with the day 1 goal of compressing multiple crucial roles and presumably shouldering a large burden in the builder and in-game. Even looking at the examples, we have Lando-T (S Rank), Astro (was S rank for a long time), Ferro (S- in OU), Torn-T (S-), ORAS Torn-T (arguably the best mon in the tier), etc… one way I’m looking at this concept is an exploration in “healthy centralization,” and I have mixed feelings about undertaking a goal like that. It’s also just quite broad, and while this can sometimes be a strength, I’m not sure if that’s the case here. However, like I said: this has a huge ceiling! SS CAP is a bit dire right now, and despite some personal fears, adding Landorus-2 into the tier could be a serious boon. I think this would be an exciting process, and while I have reservations, it’s ultimately a concept that still has me interested.

Forbidden Fruit
I already talked to Wulf a bit about this one but it’s super cool! I’ll be upfront about the one worry I have, which is that I’m not sure how many moves on the prohibited list are capable of carrying a process on their back in the same way that, say, Doom Desire did. Assuming we choose a move with proper depth, though - and I’d wager we will - this concept is very exciting. I mostly just love the questions and writeup here. This concept would genuinely allow us to break outside the CAP mold - not just by choosing a truly novel move, but through the new roles and routes it would enable - and that sounds like a very nice way to close out the generation. Also, making SHSP do a second move-based concept is funny.

Mint Condition
I think the sort of calculus described in the explanation is what’s most interesting here - weighing the power of being at full health versus what you might gain by losing it. There are just enough routes here to remain focused, while still allowing for an engaging process and the possibility of interesting and unintuitive solutions. Definitely one of my favorites at the moment.

Global Presence
I sympathize with comments about this concept being limited but it’s still very cool to me - it feels like one of the more “conceptual” submissions, which I’m a big fan of. The writeup mentions field-affecting abilities like terrain/weather summoning as a way to “extend” the Pokemon’s presence after switching out, but the cooler route to me personally is forcing your opponent into / out of certain choices. Kinda like when you have a pawn in chess that’s locking down your opponent’s whole board even though it’s just sitting there all game. The most basic example I can think of is just “I can never click Volt Switch safely because my opponent has a healthy Ground-type,” but I think other immunity abilities/typings, contact abilities, and even certain items could lead to your opponent feeling like they’re playing a lose-lose game at all times - ie, make an aggressive read and risk getting punished, or keep making the unideal safer play.

Mini-Uber
I agree with what SHSP has to say about this - it’s like the reverse of those “take a cool NU mon and make it CAP-viable” concepts, or a really cool take on the “this mon is ridiculously strong but has one fatal flaw” idea, and I think it’s great. I feel like it could be worth a question about how much “differentiation” is allowed with the Uber, though. Like, if we pick Zygarde, does it need to be a Ground-type that uses Thousand Arrows? Or just any bulky setup sweeper that largely relies on a single move? That aside, I think it’s super interesting what this concept basically asks us to do: take these mons and distill them down to their most essential features before building them back up in a different environment. The one downside is that Lasen would know more than everybody during the process and his ego is already far too big

Really great collection this time, have fun narrowing them down to a slate SHSP I don't envy you
 

Ema Skye

Work!
My first round of CAP has been really fun and I've really enjoyed reading them all. I picked out a few that stuck out to me that I think would be interesting projects.
Final Submission

Name:
Stick Together!

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

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

Questions To Be Answered:

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

Explanation: A very common complaint with CAP as of late is that the tier is simply oversaturated with insane offensive mons. Balance teams have begun to struggle to keep up with the high-flying pace more offensive teams set, and this is only compounded by the fact that there simply aren't too many options when it comes to crafting a balanced team due to how many threats need to be taken into account when building. Adding another "glue" mon to the field could hopefully lead to a more diverse building environment while providing the metagame with a much-needed reprieve from the deluge of offense being rained down upon it currently. I also think that the utility aspect that comes with this concept is quite interesting; CAP 30 saw us struggle to exactly define what utility is in competitive Pokemon, and this concept gives us the chance to take a deep dive into what utility exactly is, what utility moves are the most valuable, and how typing plays a role in the defensive choices of the current metagame.
As much as this concept feels like it is 'make a good Pokemon' (because when are glues not super viable), having more options in this role is always beneficial because, again, they're pretty much always amazing Pokemon. I also like I like that this doesn't necessarily imply a utility role, even with 'do everything' Landorus-T. Landorus-T benefits teams from its inclusion, but Landorus-T's moveset looks very different depending on what else is on the team. To me, this is way more interesting than exploring a concept where we maximize the support moves on the Pokemon. In a way, this also reminds me of something like ORAS Primal Groudon or GSC Snorlax as Pokemon that hold their tiers together, but have an immense amount of versatility and the positive matchup charts that hold their tiers together.

Final Submission

Name:
Spore User

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

This is the first concept I have ever submitted, so I'm not expecting to get a lot of attention, but I hope that this is not at the very least completely ignored and that my justifications are understood.
As a disclaimer, I love sleep moves. There is definitely enough counterplay to Spore (Grasses, Poison Heal, Guts, Electric Terrain etc), and I don't believe its matchup chart will need to be crippled that much. Balancing a Pokemon around not only a move, but also a status condition, is a unique approach, especially a status condition with a level of RNG against it. You highlight a great array of ways this could go in, as sleep strategies take a variety of forms. I think this would be quite a fun adventure in Pokemon design, especially with Spore, as we can tell that GameFreak tends to make Spore users rather underwhelming, likely due to access to the move.
WIP

Name:
Pacifist Run

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

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

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

Defensive Pokemon should alleviate pressure for you, but most defensive Pokemon still rely on some form of attacking move or status to pressure the opponent. Blissey runs Seismic Toss, Toxapex runs Knock Off and Scald, Corviknight runs Body Press, you get the point. Defensive Pokemon that cannot pressure the opponent are utter momentum sinks. This question being posed here is what ways can you make a defensive Pokemon that pressures the opponent without inflicting damage itself. This defensive Pokemon would explore alternative ways of either inflicting damage or supporting its team so it doesn't ever need to lay a metaphorical finger on the opponent.
Pyukumuku has always been one of my favorite gimmicks, and I think a Pokemon that did its gimmick, but better, would be interesting. I admittedly have a hard time seeing how this will work out, but I think that only adds to my interest in it, as it seems almost impossible to pull off. You ask some incredible questions as they are all going to be barriers to how viable this Pokemon will be, especially its response to Taunt and its options to role compress.

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.
There are so many interesting options on the prohibited move list that this concept can lead to a lot of options. Like with Spore, balancing a Pokemon around a move, especially a move perceived to be overpowered for standard play, makes it an interesting experiment, and I'm sure we'll learn something from it. There are a lot of moves here with a lot of depth or options that can be explored, even if those moves are also high damaging.

WIP
Name
- Mini-Uber
Description - A Pokemon that replicates a strategy used by an Uber Pokemon
Justification- This is an Actualization concept - we want to preserve the excitement of using an Uber while simultaneously having it be fair and competitive for the current CAP metagame.
Questions To Be Answered:
  • What makes an Uber pokemon interesting beyond just the power level? What makes a pokemon "fun" to use?
  • On average Ubers have better stats, abilities, and movepools than OU Pokémon - out of those 3, which are safe to take away without removing a pokemon's identity?
  • Will a pokemon still be useful even when taken out of its native context (ie without the specific metagame threats it checks)?
  • Is there room to explore certain Uber's unique defensive and utility potential in addition to their offenses?
  • Can this pokemon still stand out even with the high volume of threats that we currently have?
Explanation - I was playing some ubers and I was like "Deoxys-Attack is really sick. Too bad I can't use it in SS OU - unless?" I realized that no other pokemon really does what Deo-A does (at least that's CAP-legal, you could argue Pheromosa also falls under "really fast glass cannon" for example). A lot of Ubers are pretty similar in that they have some unique quality that isn't replicated by other pokemon.

Non-Deoxys Examples:
Darkrai pre-Darkvoid nerf: Basically guaranteed sleep means it's good for one in almost every game
Lugia: Wall that's actually fast enough to outrun a lot of attackers
Yveltal: Somehow both a really good wallbreaker (on both sides!) and a really good wall
Zygarde: Sweeper without much initial firepower but succeeds anyway because it's unkillable and because its one attack is impossible to resist

Moreover, these qualities are not solely tied to power level - even within Ubers, where Deo-A is at least somewhat balanced, it's still fun to click Superpower/icebeam/Espeed and watch things die. In other words, I am arguing that we as a community should, no, Must reprint Deoxys Attack in OU.
Discord has made this seem really fun and I am here for it (this also overlaps with ones like Forbidden Fruit which I find funny). What I like most about this is perfectly summed up in your first question: What makes an Uber interesting beyond just being strong? It's admittedly something I've never thought about before. Further, there are so many options this can go in that I'm sure will lead to some great discussions.
 

Birkal

We have the technology.
is a Top Artistis a Top CAP Contributoris a Top Smogon Media Contributoris a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Battle Simulator Admin Alumnusis a Senior Staff Member Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnus
Final Submission

Name: Celebrity Entourage

Description:
This Pokemon supports the playstyle and tactical considerations of a single, well-documented Smogon competitor.

Justification: Very few concepts explored in the Create-A-Pokemon Project have explored what is the most important ingredient in competitive battles: the players. Through this concept, the CAP community would sift through replays, RMTs, YouTube videos, interviews, posts, and miscellaneous content of a community-appointed Smogon battler. Using this information, we'd condense their overall competitive mindset into a Pokemon that caters to how they play the game. We have a gargantuan amount to learn as a community from analyzing a high-profile competitor as we actualize their battle mindset into a newly created Pokemon, inspiring others to commit to that same competitive mindset.

Questions To Be Answered:
  • Basic: What are some considerations the competitor makes when building a team? For example, do they prefer certain types or stat biases?
  • Basic: What is the competitor's mindset when going into a battle? How do they mentally prepare for the battle and ultimately select a team?
  • Intermediate: What is the competitor's mindset like during the battle? How concrete is this during team preview? Does this shift at all as wincons are established?
  • Intermediate: How often does the competitor repeat Pokemon selection and general team composition? Are they varied and unpredictable, or safe and fortified? Do they tend to select Pokemon with singular sets or a plethora of options?
  • Advanced: How does luck and hax factor into a competitor's selection of a specific Pokemon? Where does the competitor lie on the spectrum of power versus accuracy, and does this mindset change based on the stakes of the match?
  • Advanced: What is the mindset of a competitive battler? How much of it is social versus self-prep? How much of it is unchangeable versus flexible? How much does this vary between competitors, and does this variation correlate to any sort data?
Explanation: In the past, CAP has mostly completed concepts that revolve around Pokemon rather than battlers; that being said, focusing on the players isn't unheard of in the project. Concepts like "Risky Business" from CAP15 (Aurumoth) and "Einherjar" from CAP19 (Plasmanta) both encouraged us to study the mindset of a battle. Both of these concepts failed to get practical enough in their conversations to be imported into competitive battles, since we talked about battlers in more generalized terms.

This concept seeks to focus on a specific battler in the competitive Smogon community. By dialing in on a single user, we'll find at least a pearl or two of wisdom on the mindset of competitive play to benefit us all. Once we select that user, a smorgasbord of information is available to us to pick apart, thanks to saved replays, YouTube videos logs, and interviews. It would be fascinating to even bring that user into CAP to share their competitive mindset, like how they prepare for games, what they look for while teambuilding, and how they address conflict during a high-stakes match.

Once we've decided upon a specific battler to spotlight for CAP31 and gathered resources about them, we can go about fulfilling the concept through the creation of a Pokemon designed to cater to that user's playstyle. While we certainly should analyze what types, abilities, and moves that competitor will gravitate towards during teambuilding, it's far more important that we capture the essence of what makes them a successful competitor. Are they aggressive or defensive, or an unpredictable combination of both? Will they go for the hot prediction more often than playing it safe? Does their mindset shift based on the stakes of the match, and their selection of a team consequentially? There's an absolute plethora for us to learn about competitive Pokemon in the Create-A-Pokemon Project, and doing it through the lens of a selected battler seems like an ideal way for us to learn more about mindset, teambuilding, and playstyle.

This concept I originally pitched during CAP26; SHSP was also the Topic Leader then, and he was interested enough in the concept to slate it. Since then, the amount of data to sift through on specific players has grown exponentially, both in the CAP metagame and on social media platforms. With the generation coming to a close, it feels prudent to re-explore a concept like this, when players are settling into their playstyle for the remainder of the generation. I believe SHSP would be an ideal candidate to explore the inner thoughts and decision-making of a top competitive battler.

This concept isn't solely meant to create a Pokemon for a tournament regular; we could just as easily complete this concept focusing on a UU player, an ADV OU player, a CAP player, or whomever we choose. On the other hand, it may behoove us to select someone with thorough documentation on their battles (lots of logs, YouTube videos, available for interviews) so we have a plethora of information to distill. Just thought I'd make a note of it!
 
Last edited:
Final Submission
Name:
Enviroment Changer
Description: A Pokémon that changes the enviroment to a certain theme, and then gets destroyed.
Justification: I thank that this is an Archetype concept because it's main, if not only purpose, is to change the enviroment.
Questions To Be Answered:
  • Is this it's main or only purpose?
  • Will it change its type to match the user's team?
  • How will it get destroyed, if the enviroment is it's only purpose?
  • Will it benefit the team in other ways?
Explanation: So, there is this feature called weather (which I will be calling enviroments). The way it works is that, basically, there are a bunch of enviroments, that Pokémon can interact with, and change. So this concept is to make a Pokémon that does that as it's main or only role.
 

SHSP

is a Forum Moderatoris a Community Contributoris a Top CAP Contributor
Moderator
Despite Daylight Savings and my own inability to count getting in the way, the TLT and I have put together a slate of concepts that we think would make for engaging, deep and fun CAP Processes. Here they are, with a bit of a blurb about each:

Bulletproof Glass: There were a number of concepts submitted this time around that were explicitly defensive: there's a clear feeling that the CAP Metagame is too offensive/threat-heavy/etc and it shows with the defensive lean of these submissions. Bulletproof Glass is the best of the bunch: it's a clever take on the "box" idea, restricting us but not heavily and forcing us to take clever routes to be successful rather than just be bulky.

Stick Together!: This is another concept that is somewhat defensive in nature, but what sets Stick Together out from the pack is that it's a very unique idea about something I feel is taken for granted. It's broad, yes, but it forces us to evaluate what makes some of the most successful mons in OU history- glue mons, like Landorus-T and Tornadus-T- so successful, and come into the process aiming to replicate elements of that success. In that way, it asks us about a lot: it covers both concepts out of game, the actual minutia of how real games play out, and even asks us about how teambuilding works on a deeper level.

Bang Average: This concept specifically was difficult for me to like for a long time, after hearing about a hypothetical version of it for a few processes now. I think that Bang Average, however, hits the mark in a way other versions of this idea wouldn't. It puts us in a box and challenges us to use every square inch of that box to be successful, leaning into analyses of stats themselves and how they interact with the rest of the process, leading to a quite unique process overall.

One Trick Pony: What makes this concept so appealing to me is the way this interacts with the overall power budget of the process, as well as how it's a bit wider in scope than it may appear. Though the examples of things like Exploud and Dracovish come to mind as very defined, there's still quite a bit to explore here I believe, and forcing us to consider how to take a powerful move and make it succeed- not as a move, but as the backbone for the entire mon. One Trick Pony, then, is a very unique play on how move-based concepts tend to work.

Anger Management: Another defensively minded concept but one that again forces us to think in a very unique way. Aggressive play is not limited to just offense, after all, and it's a broad concept that gives us freedom while also giving us a clear goal through the process. The conceptual nature of Anger Management forces us to look at how the game is played deeply as we move through each stage, encompassing topics like momentum and aggression at their core, and would produce a fascinating process.

Forbidden Fruit: Stop me if this one sounds familiar. Yes, it's in the same vein as the last process I TL'd, based around what became Doom Desire. Yes, it's an amazing concept as well. Forbidden Fruit does a move based concept excellently, giving flexibility in it's selection and how the process overall goes, while still being fun and offering a deeper view at moves that are rarely if ever able to be seen in the current game. Any of a number of possible options here would create really unique processes and end products in a very creative way.

Unusual Gains: Setup is a really cool element of competitive Pokemon, and Unusual Gains explores this in a very, well, unusual way. There's a lot of setup that is rarely used, if at all, and those different moves can offer really unique routes to define the process. It looks at a core element of the way games play out and challenges us to understand how and why it works in order to create something that breaks those norms.

Mini-Uber: I want to preface this by saying that I'm no expert on the Ubers tier or what lies within it. Even with that caveat, this concept strikes me as fascinating and very deep. Replicating the playstyle and role of an Uber would be a fascinating process, forcing us to widen our knowledge of the game and understand new and very unique playstyles that the tier above us has to offer. Additionally, Mini-Uber challenges our understanding of what makes Pokemon strong and asks us to lean into that to succeed.

There's our slate of concepts for CAP 31, thanks to everyone for submitting and iterating on them. It was a LOT of work narrowing this list down to eight, with so many of these just missing the mark. If anyone has any questions about this stage, feel free to DM me, I'll always be willing to have a conversation. With that being said, let's get this on the move: time for some polls!
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Users Who Are Viewing This Thread (Users: 1, Guests: 0)

Top