pokemon-showdown/mods/gennext/GEN-NEXT.md

Generation NEXT!

Manifesto

The goal of NEXT is to improve the diversity of the OU metagame by only doing things that could plausibly be done between gens.

That means:

1. no base stat changes
2. only numbers that make sense like 60%, 30%, etc, not weird numbers like 65%
3. no buffing OU mons, except maybe tiny buffs to mons at the bottom of OU
4. no doing things that make zero sense flavor-wise

A good example is what Game Freak did by giving Ditto the Imposter ability. This gave a Ditto a role in OU, while still making sense flavor-wise, and without removing anything it used to have.

Changes

Generation NEXT currently makes the following changes:

Major changes:

• Stealth Rock now does 1/4 damage against Flying-types, and 1/8 damage against everything else. To prevent Volcarona from shooting into Ubers, Quiver Dance now grants +1 SpD +1 Spe +1 accuracy.

• Drives will change Genesect's typing immediately after switch-in, to Bug/Ice, Bug/Fire, Bug/Electric, or Bug/Water. (Basically, it will change Genesect's type, except Genesect will still take neutral damage from SR)

• Unown gets an item named Strange Orb (select "Stick" in the teambuilder) It doubles its SpA and Spe, and changes its type to the type of its Hidden Power.

• Bug/Flying Quiver Dancers get an item named GossamerWing (select "Stick" in the teambuilder). It negates the Flying weaknesses (take half damage from Rock, Ice, and Electric moves, and SR), and adds +1 SpA back to Quiver Dance.

• Weather-inducing abilities now last for only 5 turns (or 8 with the right item). Weather moves have +1 priority. Forecast and Flower Gift will make weather moves last forever.

• Hail is improved:

  • Silver Wind, Ominous Wind, and Avalanche deal 1.5x as much damage in Hail
  • Thick Fat grants immunity to Hail damage
     

• Moves with a charge turn are now a lot more powerful. They remove Protect and Substitute before hitting, they always crit (although their base power has been adjusted accordingly), they have perfect accuracy, and one other change depending on the move:

  • SolarBeam: heal 50% on the charge turn, 60 bp
  • Razor Wind: 100% confusion, 40 bp
  • Skull Bash: +1 Def, +1 SpD, +1 accuracy on the charge turn, 50 bp
  • Sky Attack: 100% -1 Def, 70 bp
  • Freeze Shock: 100% paralysis, 70 bp
  • Ice Burn: 100% burn, 70 bp
  • Bounce: 100% paralysis, 45 bp
  • Fly: 100% -1 Def, 45 bp
  • Dig: 100% -1 Def, 45 bp
  • Dive: 100% -1 Def, 45 bp
  • Shadow Force: 100% Ghost-Curse, 30 bp
  • Sky Drop: 100% -1 Def, 40 bp
     

• Every DW ability other than on Chandelure is released.

• Flower Gift now only boosts Sp. Def, but if Sunny Day is used while Cherrim is out, the next switch-in also receives +1 SpD

• Relic Song switches Meloetta's SpA and Atk EVs, boosts, and certain natures, specifically: Modest <-> Adamant, Jolly <-> Timid, other natures are left untouched. Its secondary is now 40% -1 Atk -1 SpA (80% after Serene Grace).

• Shuckle gets Berry Shell (select "Stick" in the teambuilder), which gives a 50% boost to Defense and Sp. Def. It also learns Leech Seed.

• Echoed Voice now has 80 base power, hits once, and then, 2 turns later, hits again for 80 base power. It's like Doom Desire, except it still hits that first time.

• Twister is now a Flying-type Scald that confuses instead of burns

• Drain Punch is now Poison-type

Minor move changes:

• Perfect accuracy moves with a base power of 60 have their base power increased to 80

• Drives grant a 1.1x damage bonus to Techno Blast

• Multi-hit moves are now all perfect-accuracy

• Whirlwind and Roar have perfect accuracy

• Silver Wind, Ominous Wind, and AncientPower have a 60% chance of raising one random stat by 1, rather than a 10% chance of raising every stat (accuracy and evasion still can't be raised, unlike with Acupressure)

• Twineedle has a new base power of 50

• Tri Attack now hits 3 times and has a base power of 30

• Strength now has a 30% chance of raising user's Atk

• Cut now has a 100% chance of lowering foe's Def

• Snore's Base Power is now 100

• Drill Peck's Base Power is now 100

• Octazooka and Leaf Tornado are now 75 base power and 90% -accuracy

• Muddy Water is now 85 base power and 100% accurate

• Leech Life is now 60 base power

• Smog is now 60 base power, 100% poison

• Sludge is now 60 base power, 100% poison

• Sound-based moves are no longer affected by immunities (ghosts can hear things)

• Wing Attack and Power Gem are now like Dual Chop: 40 base power, 2-hit

• Glaciate now has 100 base power, 100% accuracy

Minor learnset changes:

• Masquerain gets Surf

• Bug/Flying Quiver Dancers (Butterfree, Beautifly, Masquerain, Mothim) get Hurricane

• Aerodactyl gets Brave Bird

• Shuckle gets Leech Seed

• Roserade gets Sludge

• Meloetta gets Fiery Dance

• Milotic and Scolipede get Coil

• Rotom formes learn more things:

  • Rotom-Wash: BubbleBeam
  • Rotom-Fan: Hurricane, Twister
  • Rotom-Frost: Frost Breath
  • Rotom-Heat: Heat Wave
  • Rotom-Mow: Magical Leaf

Minor ability changes:

• Compoundeyes now grants 1.6x accuracy

• Solid Rock and Filter now reduce 1/2 damage of SE moves, not 1/4

• Outrage, Thrash, and Petal Dance don't lock if the user has Own Tempo

• Slow Start now only lasts 3 turns instead of 5

Minor item changes:

• Zoom Lens now grants 1.6x accuracy

• Wide Lens now grants 1.3x accuracy

Tier changes:

• DrizzleSwim is no longer banned in OU

• Kyurem is banned (by the time NEXT is done, it would presumably have received enough buffs to be Uber)

Metagame implication

Obviously, the Pokemon that have received major changes (Genesect, Meloetta, Cherrim, Castform, Unown, Shuckle) should be more common than they were before.

The variety of buffs to various moves may lead Smeargle to advance.

With the Stealth Rock change, many pokemon previously weak to Stealth Rock should be more popular.

Weather has been turned upside-down - with the Cherrim buffs, Sun is currently quite popular.