Cryo CAP Concept Post

[QUOTE="Jho, post: 8378819, member: 208105"]

What constitutes a "Support" Pokemon?

[/QUOTE]

So while this question is a bit confusing to me, I would like to showcase a Pokemon who I feel is a great example of what to do for this concept: Cryogonal. More specifically, its ORAS NU and PU sets. [hide=Snowflake Spinner]

Cryogonal @ Leftovers

Ability: Levitate

EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

Timid Nature

- Freeze-Dry

- Rapid Spin

- Recover

- Hidden Power Fighting



Cryogonal @ Never-Melt Ice

Ability: Levitate

EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

Timid Nature

- Rapid Spin

- Ice Beam / Frost Breath

- Freeze-Dry

- Recover[/hide]These sets are very similar, but I will come back to the two sets and their differences later. What I want to examine is how the second set, the one for ORAS NU, is the best example of Offensive Support. You see, Aurorus was a common and powerful wallbreaker in that metagame, with a combination of Ice and Ground-type attacks paired with Choice Specs. However, Cryogonal acted as one of its main checks, resisting Ice and having Levitate. Cryogonal in this situation could easily Rapid Spin any hazards away if need-be, or even use an Ice-type move to do damage to anything that was coming in, as Aurorus is completely walled by Cryogonal and has to switch. Additionally, Cryogonal's 70/135 special bulk (Cryo gained 10 HP in Alola), even uninvested, let it come in on plenty of Special Attackers to either Rapid Spin, or threaten them out with Ice Beam or Freeze-Dry. If it were running Frost Breath instead, it could overcome setup sweepers such as Calm Mind Audino if it got the chance. Freeze-Dry also allowed it to overcome bulky Water-types. It was no offensive slouch in stats either, packing a 95 Special Attack stat combined with a good offensive STAB in Ice. Combined with Never-Melting Ice, it was able to deal some good damage to its foes. Cryogonal also has base 105 speed, which was enough to let it Rapid Spin against Choice Band Primeape to support members weak to rocks like Scyther for the late game, although if Primeape wasn't locked into Earthquake it would be game over for the snowflake. Recover also allows Cryogonal to maintain itself and be able to be used as a spinner multiple times throughout a game, especially if it forces a switch in situations mentioned prior. This also allows Cryogonal to act as a reliable special tank throughout the game. The reason I mentioned the PU set with Hidden Power Fighting is that it highlights that STABs are not all there is to it. In PU, HP Fighting allowed Cryogonal to put even more offensive pressure on the opponent, specificially by OHKOing the prominent Pawniard. While Hidden Power is obviously no longer with us (rest in peace), it still is worth noting coverage is needed.



In terms of what we gain from these sets, there are a few key elements that I see.

1. Repeatable Utility

This one seems somewhat obvious, but I feel like mentioning it because some utility moves, such as Healing Wish, can only work once before the user is dead. Healing Wish would not neccesarily be a bad direction, but I personally feel that it limits our choices as to what to do with the concept. Also, I feel Jumbao uses Healing Wish fine as is.



2. Multiple Switch-In Opportunities

Part of what makes Cryogonal work is that it has multiple chances to come in during a match. While in Cryogonal's case it comes primarily from stats for most, type and ability play a factor as well, especially in the case of Aurorus. Regardless of how it's accomplished, having multiple opportunities to come in during a match makes the utility that much more reliable, and thus helpful, to the team.



3. Longevity

While Cryogonal struggles with this on the physical side do to a pathetic 30 Defense stat, Cryogonal can generally shrug off neutral special attacks with Recover, which helps it not be worn down throughout a match, allowing it to come in whenever it finds an opportunity, which is not has hard thanks to the previous point. There are also other ways to maintain longevity in a Pokemon match, such as draining moves, that we can also consider.



4. Offensive Pressure

Cryogonal is not passive, either. It packs both an alright Special Attack stat for its tier and Never-Melting Ice to provide for decently strong offensive pressure, especially to Pokemon weak to Ice. The PU set has even more pressure to it with the inclusion of Hidden Power Fighting. Cryogonal is also pretty fast, letting it potentially sacrifice itself if it absolutely must to in order to support the team, such as with the Primeape example from earlier. Offensive pressure also prevents the Pokemon from being completely passive set-up bait for the entire metagame.



Before moving on, I would like to emphasize the importance of type and stats for my second and fourth points. What makes Cryogonal work in terms of its type is more offensive than defensive, as Ice is terrible defensively but amazing as an offensive STAB. Having a good STAB type is key in providing offensive pressure, as coverage alone is just not enough, especially when the utility itself already takes a moveslot up, not to mention any healing method we may decide to add if we so choose. Stats also play a key role, as you could have the best offensive type in the world, but if you can't do damage fast or hit hard enough, your offensive pressure vanishes in an instant.



My final point that I would like to make is a Pokemon that does not fufill this concept: Excadrill. While it does run Rapid Spin on its sets and certainly has offensive pressure, fufilling the first and fourth points, it fails miserably on the second and third metrics. It is noticably frailer than the snowflake, having 110/60/65 bulk. This provides it with relatively few switch-in opportunities on neutral hits, as most strong neutral attacks will take about half of its health away, forcing Excadrill to rely on its team for healing, as opposed to the rest of the team relying on Excadrill for hazard control. Moreover, Excadrill lacks any recovery, meaning that it can get constantly get worn down throughout a match. However, perhaps the biggest mark against the mole is the fact that the two sets that Excadrill runs, both with Rapid Spin, either skew too much towards offense or are so utility-focused that it in my opinion goes against the spirit of what the concept seeks. The former is a pure Sand Sweeper set, where Excadrill merely runs Rapid Spin for its newly acquired Speed Boost. The latter set is a suicide lead set, which while offensive and utility, does not at least to me seem to be what the concept seeks to create. I feel what the concept wants to create is a Pokemon that is offensive yet can support its team throughout the match, not just at the start of the game. To that end, Cryogonal works very well in terms of support, not just for hazard control, but as a Special tank. That is to say that even outside of the utility move and pure offensive pressure, I feel that this Pokemon should contribute something to the team composition as a whole beyond its utility move alone. While the way Cryogonal uses Rapid Spin just so happens to contribute to the team, other ideas proposed here may not work the same way in terms of simultaneously providing to the team with utility and something outside of the move itself, so I felt that is worth mentioning.



Before I go, I would like to mention the Rapid Spin buff this gen. If anything, I feel the Rapid Spin buff just adds to offensive pressure for a utility mon if done right, as further increasing your speed allows you to do more with your utility, or create more sacrifice opportunities like with Primeape and Scyther. However, as seen in Excadrill, Rapid Spin as a speed booster can easily be turned into a pseudo Double Dance set if not done properly, so that should be kept in mind should we decide to go for Rapid Spin. However, Rapid Spin is not the only move that Cryogonal's strategy can be applied to. It could be applied to lots of other utility moves, such as status spreading moves, hazard setting moves, or even pure cleric moves like Wish or Heal Bell.



TL;DR: The keys to a good offensive utility mon are multiple chances to use the utility throughout a match, offensive pressure, and having longevity throughout a match. Excadrill does not fufill offensive utility, but Cryogonal in ORAS does.