Really, I'm surprised no one made this list yet, but I believe it should be vital to see what we want to do and don't want to do.
List of goals
Possible information we want to collect (Prio 1):
- Names of the 6 pokemon on a team
- What 4 moves are used on each of these pokemon
- Items used on each of the pokemon
- Abilities used on each of the pokemon
- EV spread of each pokemon
Possible additional roles we want the scout to fulfil (Prio 2):
- Crippling a pokemon through damage, but only after set-up, loss of items or status
- Being able to set the field just right for another member of the team to sweep.
Possible additional additional roles we want the scout to fulfil (Prio 3):
- Having longevity through sheer defensive stats, an ability, or moves, or a combination of these
- Being able to switch in multiple times negating Stealth Rock damage through ability or typing
- Being able to be a proper check to certain list of pokemon, being able to force them out one way or another. This list includes but is not limited to (stolen shamelessly from Ziggy on page 1):
Flygon
Infernape
Jirachi
Jolteon
Latias
Salamence
Vaporeon
Celebi
Cresselia
Lucario
Heatran
_____________________________________________________________________
List of methods
Possible methods to get information, split by information type:
Names of the 6 pokemon on a team:
- Causing switches by raw force (high offensive stats meaning death to any pokemon that stays in
- Causing switches by status (Ruining a potential sweep with a burn or a paralyze)
- Causing switches by potential sleep (Yawn)
- Causing switches by temporary stat drops (I.e charming a physical version of mence)
- Causing switches by removing an item that is vital to the cause of that certain pokemon
- Causing switches by the use of roar and/or whirlwind
- Causing switches by revealed information because it was vital to the opponent to keep his set revealed
- Besides all the causing of switches, there could possibly be some kind of strange ability be created that returns all the same type pokemon on a team when you switch in or whatever (not that I agree with this, just saying that if we would want to, we could even make an ability of some sort to get to know the 6 pokemon).
What 4 moves are used on each of these pokemon:
- By use of certain existing abilities like forwarn.
- By use of Taunt and/or a newly created reversed taunt
- By use of mimic/imprison/disable/moves of the like.
- By use of protect/detect/substitute
- By use of Transform
- By use of stat dropping moves which could mean a mixed set will suddenly throw moves from the other side of the spectrum
- By use of set knowledge (this is a more global way to learn a moveset, and works in conjunction with the other information types, i.e. "know the item to know the moveset")
Items used on each of the pokemon:
- By use of the ability Frisk
- By use of the moves Knock Off, Bug Bite, Pluck, Trick, Embargo etc.
- By use of set knowledge (The other way around now: "Know the moves to know the item")
Abilities used on each of the pokemon:
- By use of the ability Trace
- By use of the move Role Play
EV spread of each pokemon:
- This may be a controversial one, but we could create an ability that shows the EV spread of a pokemon (or partial spread) which could tell us a lot. A Heatran with attack EVs obviously runs Explosion. A sweeper with both Atk and SpA EVs is a mixed sweeper. A Gyarados or Salamence with lots of HP and other bulk EV's may make you switch in another counter that you usually would (knowing that your Ice Shard all of the sudden won't OHKO anymore, or something like that). There is a lot of information to be gained from the EV spread.
- And of course, the set knowledge. Items will most likely reveal which EV spread is used.
Crippling a pokemon through damage, but only after set-up, loss of items or status:
Status crippling:
- By use of moves like Will-O-Wisp, Toxic, T-wave, Yawn but also attacking moves like Body Slam
- By use of the move Psycho Shift
- By use of tricking a Toxic Orb or Burn Orb.
- By use of the ability Synchronize
Offensive crippling
- When a stat dropping move is used to make a foe switch, yet he doesn't, I feel a punishment for bad play should be in order. I.e a Fake Tears + random special attack. I don't think the ability to sweep should be innate, but through set-up (on the side of the opponent) one should be able to do considerable damage. The same could also be achieved by taking away an item vital to the foe's safety. If he doesn't switch, it's his own fault the pokemon will die (Focus Sash on a weak pokemon as an example)
Being able to set the field just right for another member of the team to sweep:
- This one is a bit of all, but this pokemon should be able to have high team synergy by being able to (partially) cripple counters to certain of your sweepers through whatever means, giving your own sweeper a field day in the park. This can be done by any of the previous mentioned methods. Additional methods will be mentioned here.
- By use of locking a foe into a move through encore
- By use of locking a pokemon to the field by use of Block or Spider Web
- By use of setting a field condition like Rain Dance/Sunny Day and/or Trick Room/Gravity, etc.
Having longevity through sheer defensive stats, an ability, or moves, or a combination of these:
- By giving it (semi-)high defensive stats, it's easier to switch it into damaging moves/let it stay in.
- By giving it an ability that let it lives longer, i.e a Solid Rock or even Magic Guard.
- By giving it defensive stat up moves like stockpile and Amnesia, but also moves like Guard Swap that also disrupts the foe.
- By giving it proper typing that has numerous key resistances and/or immunties.
Being able to switch in multiple times negating Stealth Rock damage through ability or typing:
- Through use of typing that makes it 2x or even 4x resistant to SR.
- Through use of abilities like Mountaineer or Magic Guard that resist SR or all residual damage respectively.
Being able to be a proper check to certain list of pokemon, being able to force them out one way or another:
- By giving it a good typing that can resist many of the common attacks used by the list of pokemon mentioned above.
- By giving it useful tricks to cripple said list of pokemon which have all been listed above.
- By giving it a decent offensive movepool to finish these pokemon if they decide to stay in at their own peril (or are forced to stay in because of Block).
Explanation to this list:
I've listed what a scout (in my opinion) could be able to do. I'm not saying at all that he should do any or all of these. That's what we should decide on. I think it's important for espacially a broad project like this, that we set a accurate list of all potential goals and niches we want this CAP to fulfill and mention a list of means to fulfil that goal. From there on, we decide what is most viable and what isn't. For example, an ability that reveals an EV spread could be considered to be waaay overpowered and/or not worth the hassle when there are other abilities to consider. We then just remove it from the list to eventually keep list of all the things we want CAP7 to do.
Therefor, it's very likely I may have missed a thing or two on either of the list. Maybe CAP7 has other roles or goals to fulfill as well so please mention it. Please also mention the means to that end, because if there are no possible ways for it to do what you want it to do in the first place, the goal itself is flawed. Maybe there are other ways to reveal a moveset or to reveal the 6 pokemon on the opponents team that I haven't thought of, please mention those as well.