The Art of Fakemons

By Chou Toshio. Art by Chou Toshio.
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Introduction

Fakemon—let's face it, making fakemon is fun. There are so many different Pokémon with so many different aspects and conditions that you can really get your creative juices going. Pokémon's got just enough frame work to hold structure, but so much room for possibilities that fantasizing about fakemon can be hours of fun. I personally use it to fill all sorts of dull hours of the day (though less now that I have a smart phone…), and it's my go-to way to relax my brain for a good night's sleep.

For better or worse, the only allowed outlet for fakemon discussion at Smogon is in (1) the very structured group-oriented CAP project and (2) fakemon illustrations (plus descriptions) in Smeargle Studio. Frankly, neither is my cup of tea since the former cramps on any chance at allowing an individual to go all-out with his own autonomy and creative pursuit, and the latter will never get any non-art based discussion (plus you need to DRAW your ideas to talk about them…). Of course, there is a method in this madness. It's clear that fakemon discussions can get really off-track, really easily, and the sad truth is that so many fakemon ideas are just not that interesting: too powerful, too uncreative, or simply being too OUT there without any frame of reference.

It takes attention to details to design a fakemon that people won’t think of as just being a brain fart. To this end, I will outline some primary concepts to aid people in making fakemon designs that have some substance to them.

You have to have a good Conceptual Base: While it may seem totally random, concept is critical to making a fakemon that people can enjoy from a strategic vantage. Every Pokémon has a concept, from the completely whimsical (Mewtwo, Haxorus) to the almost completely realistic (Pidgey, Gastrodon). Official Pokémon could be pretty much anything—but when making a fakemon, the more outlandish the concept, the less understanding/acknowledgement it will garner for its strategic design. The best fakemon designs have some good basis.

For instance, anyone will understand that Heracross (a Hercules Beetle) should get Megahorn and Close Combat. But, if I design something like Nidoking that offers little to no context, it's hard to justify why it should get Thunderbolt, Fire Blast, and Surf. Game Freak can do it because they're the game makers so we'll be satisfied that whatever they make are "real Pokémon." When fakemon designing though, you have to give the viewer some context, some reference to something in real life, fantasy culture, or pop culture from which to orient themselves in order to appreciate the strategic aspects of the design. In other words, the best fakemon have a design basis that will justify its strategic attributes well.

Consider Balance: Probably a big criticism of fakemon is the fact that it's so tempting to just design something that would destroy the metagame. At which point, where's the fun in thinking about how it would affect the meta? One should be especially careful in solving every potential strategic issue with more BST—in fact, it can be a really fun challenge to design something that would be unique and effective while having very low BST!

Try to use Abilities that have Context: There are a lot of abilities that basically give no context, and some are really broken. What do I mean by context? I mean that abilities that can effectively draw on the creative concept basis. For instance, Tinted Lens and Compound Eyes have a lot of context since it pretty much HAS to be a Bug, or something with Bug-like qualities from a concept sense. This makes it an easy ability to justify. Levitate, Poison Heal, Sheer Force, Rock Head, Sap Sipper, and Harvest are other examples. Inversely, be wary of just slapping on abilities that give no context, especially really broken ones. The main offenders are abilities such as Simple, Contrary, Speed Boost, and Huge Power. Similar offenders (though maybe to a lesser extent) include Magic Guard, Regenerator, Magic Bounce, and Intimidate. Though most abilities can be great with the right design concept, those who give more context are easier to justify and design around.

Take Cues from Real Pokémon: You can't justify Extreme Speed in a movepool of a Pokémon just because the concept base is something fast like a falcon or a cheetah. Look at the fact that Extreme Speed isn't learned by anything with a Speed stat over 100 (except Deoxys and Arceus...). You can't justify Sheer Force just because your design has every elemental attack in the game and a high SpA—Sheer Force contextually is about brute strength, and every real Pokémon with Sheer Force has higher Attack than Special Attack. Waterfall and Hydro Pump are generally not learned by non-Water types, with only a few exceptions. Pink blob things almost always get Wish. Will-O-Wisp is justifiable on many "mysterious" Pokémon, and almost any Ghost or Fire-type. Look back at your concept, and take cues from actual Pokémon as to whether you think stats, abilities, moves, and even typing make sense.

Keeping these concepts in mind, I would like to show you some example fakemon of my own.

Fakemon Example #1

Overview

Concept Basis: This concept basis is really simple since I'm using an actual animal as the foundation—the Mantis Shrimp. Since I'm using an actual animal, the foundation is really strong because any characteristics that truly exist in the basis (the real animal) can be easily justified in the strategic design.

Pokémon Name: Shakumantis(Comes from the combination of the Japanese name for Mantis Shrimp, "Shakume", combined with Mantis Shrimp.)

Description: Shakumantis are timid, yet incredibly effective hunters. Using their unique and powerful eyes, they pick up on prey and snag them with a rapid strike. They are known to have the fastest punch of any Pokémon. (This is basically just a description of what a real mantis shrimp is like.)

Type: Water / Bug

Abilities: Tinted Lens, Compound Eyes

Base Stats:

Strike Form: BST - 515. 515. 74 HP / 105 Atk / 100 Def / 30 SpA / 90 SpD / 116 Spe

Smash Form: BST - 515. 84 HP / 137 Atk / 105 Def / 30 SpA / 95 SpD / 64 Spe

Noteworthy Movepool:

Explanation

Now, taking a look at all the strategic data—Typing, Ability, Stats, Attacks—you can see they all strongly pull their justification from the concept base. Everything here is included in the scope of the concept base, and since the concept base itself is something really fundamental (a real animal), the justification for all the strategic choices are incredibly sound. You can't really argue with anything in there as being unreasonable. Let's break it down.

First, the Bug / Water typing. I think it's clear that both of these types are justified just in the phrase "Mantis Shrimp", as if the typing were a literal translation of the name. The abilities also have an insect context that works well, especially with the Mantis Shrimp's buggy appearance and possession of the most sophisticated eyes of any invertebrate, and possibly of any animal in the entire animal kingdom.

The stats are broken down into two different formes—the "Strike forme" and the "Smash forme." This dual forme also takes its cue from the real animal, since amongst Mantis Shrimp, there are "Stabbers" and there are "Smashers." The former use raw Speed and spear-like claws with wicket blades to capture fast prey such as fish. This is reflected in the forme's much lesser bulk and power in exchange for Speed to catch up to the fastest of aquatic prey (an example being Starmie, which makes perfect sense as prey considering typing). The latter hunt for slower shellfish and use blunt claws and tremendous power to bash through tough shells. This is reflected in the smasher's much greater bulk and power in exchange for lesser Speed.

The movepool also takes its cues from the real animal. While Megahorn and Horn Leech may seem strange on a creature that doesn't have traditional horns, the claws it uses to bash prey are at the forefront of its head. Besides, Megahorn is needed to make this concept truly work strategically, by taking advantage of the Bug STAB and Compound Eyes. With Megahorn in the movepool, Horn Leech can also make sense, and helps against Jellicent. In general, I think draining attacks fit in rather effectively with Mantis Shrimps being such voracious hunters, snagging and feasting on their prey. Draining attacks are also pretty buggy in nature, with Leech Life being the first physical draining attack. Crab Hammer works beautifully in this design, with Shakumantis being a fearsome crustacean that also gets Compound Eyes. In general, all the punching and priority attacks can be justified with the Mantis Shrimp bragging the fastest "punch" of the animal kingdom—it moves several times faster than a mantis's strike. No other animal can make such a quick limb movement. Extreme Speed also takes a cue from slower Extreme Speed real Pokémon users, considering Smash Forme's lower Speed. Slashing moves and Swords Dance / Hone Claws are justified by Strike Forme's blades, and U-turn is explained by the shrimp's ability to jet backwards using its tail.

Sample Sets

Strike Forme @ Choice Band
Ability: Compound Eyes
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
-Megahorn
-Crab Hammer
-Stone Edge / Cross Chop
-U-turn / Extreme Speed

Strike Forme @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Compound Eyes
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
-Megahorn
-Crab Hammer
-Stone Edge
-U-turn / Cross Chop

Strike Forme @ Leftovers / Life Orb
Abilities: Compound Eyes / Tinted Lens
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
-Megahorn
-Crab Hammer
-Stone Edge
-Swords Dance / Hone Claws

Fakemon Example #2

Overview

Taking cues from actual Pokémon, it is not just actual animals, but from a number of sources. The next example fakemon comes from a Japanese mythological creature, along the same lines as Arcanine, Gyarados, and Mawile.

Concept Basis: Japanese demon dogs. Of course, just saying that won't give you a very well thought-out concept—it doesn't have the same details to work with compared to what a real animal gives. So in this case, I'm going to exercise some fanboyism and take hints from the anime Inuyasha which covers a similar concept. As said before, take hints from actual Pokémon. GF isn't above doing this either.*cough*Infernape*cough*

Type: Ghost / Normal

Ability: Poison Claws / Poison Heal

Base Stats: BST - 555. 100 HP / 122 Atk / 80 Def / 65 SpA / 80 SpD / 109 Spe

Noteworthy Movepool:

Explanation

So the concept is Japanese demon dogs, taking cues from Inuyasha (and his brother Sesshomaru) to fill in the details, much like how Infernape is based off of The Monkey King and takes cues from Goku in Dragon Ball (if you disagree I will bash you over the head with an extending pole). Ghost / Normal typing comes from the combination of a mammal base and a demonic entity. Similar to other Pokémon based on "legends" like Gyarados and Arcanine, I've used a similarly high BST. The ability Poison Heal comes from Sesshomaru's immunity to poison, and the "osmosis" toxic gas that he and other "higher demons" create just by their presence. Also, Poison Heal is an ability that always attaches to designs that are not Poison-types, but are often associated with poison (Gliscor's scorpion and Breloom's mushroom are good examples). The move pool is mostly standard fare for Ghost- or Normal-types. Power Whip is based off of Sesshomaru's green energy whip, and the Sword attacks Sacred Sword and Swords Dance comes from both demon dogs using swords in their humanoid formes in the anime. I actually think it would be really cool to have a Sword item to give them a humanoid Mega Evolution too! But not today.

This design allows for a whole variety of interesting strategies—based on the abuse of Poison Heal. Obviously there is the all-out sweeper route, combining good Speed and power with boosted Facade and Swords Dance (not to mention an immunity to burn and paralysis once set up!). An annoyer or stallbreaker set is possible as well by using Will-O-Wisp and Taunt. There are a lot of possibilities! Using a typing that has a lot of effective defensive capabilities as well as offensive merit, alongside powerful healing and immunity to status, opens up a lot of unique and powerful strategies.

Sample Sets

All-Out Attacker
@ Toxic Orb
Ability: Poison Heal
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
-Facade
-Shadow Claw
-Sacred Sword / Crunch
-Swords Dance

Crunch is slashed in there just because without it, this fakemon literally can't touch other Ghost / Normal Pokémon. Shadow Sneak and Quick Attack are other interesting options, as are Substitute and Protect, with the latter two helping to activate the Toxic Orb and better abuse its healing. Set up Swords Dance and just bull through with massively powerful Facades, its bulk, Speed, healing, and immunities to Mach Punch and Extreme Speed!

All-Out Annoyer
@ Toxic Orb
Ability: Poison Heal
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
-Will-O-Wisp
-Taunt / Disable
-Substitute / Protect / Bulk Up
-Phantom Force / Facade

248 HP maxes its bulk while avoiding a divisible-by-four number—252 HP EVs Substitutes are worthless with Ghost typing anyway. Will-O-Wisp + Taunt is a classic stallbreaking combo and also furthers this fakemon's potential bulk (Tyranitar hates it too). Phantom Force is really cool to draw out the stall and gain more healing.

Fakemon Example #3

Overview

With the last fakemon in this article, I want to highlight two interesting fakemon concepts: (1) Using a lower BST to give a greater challenge and (2) Making up moves or abilities tactfully, and to open something unique strategically.

Making up a move or ability can be really dangerous, because it's so easy to go wild and break the game. Also, made-up moves or abilities are really hard to make a basis or justification for. The key is to not go too wild—think of something plausible; and ideally something that gives a lot of context (it could only be possible on a very limited pool of Pokémon). If the ability or attack can bring a really unique concept, it would be even better!

The concept I will use for the next fakemon is this: Incentivizing Poison Pokémon to poison enemies.

Venom is an incredibly powerful ability for real animals. It allows the small and weak to kill the bigger and stronger. In animals, chemical weapons are a type of "balancer" of power—but Poison status and Poison typing is so weak and minor in the Pokémon metagame. In fact, there's almost no direct tie between Poison Pokémon and poison status, and Poison Pokémon have almost no incentive to try to poison enemies, except for the minor use of Toxic Spikes by Tentacruel and Roserade. My goal is to make an ability that incentivizes its users to poison targets, and actually makes the use of Poison more realistic / reflective of Poison's function in the real world.

Fast Acting Venom: When a Pokémon is poisoned by an attack used by this Pokémon, its Speed will harshly drop.

The power of poison is not only in that it does damage, but in the fact that it often disables and disrupts the ability to move in a predator or prey item, preventing it from escaping and allowing for easier consumption. This is especially important with dangerous prey. This Fast Acting Venom ability will incentivize a poisonous Pokémon to actually use Toxic, and will have an effect that is more reflective of the way actual poison works as a survival strategy. Also, this ability is still pretty balanced compared to things like Speed Boost and Regenerator.

To effectively utilize this ability flavor-wise and strategy-wise, I will be using a very typical animal design: The Spitting Cobra.

Fakemon Example #3

Concept Basis: Spitting Cobra

Typing: Poison / Ground

Ability: Fast Acting Venom

Base Stats: BST - 460. 90 HP / 95 Atk / 100 Def / 30 SpA / 60 SpD / 85 Spe

Noteworthy Movepool:

Explanation

I don't think there's anything crazy or unbelievable here from a design perspective. The Ground-type seems tacked on, but Ground typing is often just tacked on anyway. This typing is important strategically because STAB Earthquake represents a grave danger to Steel- and Poison-types—the two groups of Pokémon immune to Toxic. Everything about this Pokémon can be derived from the concept, and everything about this Pokémon is also harmonious strategically. It can cripple enemy Pokémon and set up sweeps for teammates. Its options are few, but extremely synergized.

Fast Acting Venom in addition to Toxic and Glare is an effective method to slow and cripple enemy switch-ins. Getting the Speed advantage against almost any foe allows you to execute strategies to gain even more momentum; either cripple and switch out with Parting Shot (now your foe will be at -1 ATK, -1 SpA, extremely slow, and either poisoned or paralyzed) or set up Coil and pass it out to give your switch-in a leg up on its sweeping. Parting Shot is especially good since even if they try to switch again, their new Pokémon will still have their offensive capabilities weakened.

This can lead to some extremely powerful plays, and with so much momentum it could even spell game over with the right follow-up sweeper. Its stats are well placed for this role: it has just enough power and just enough bulk to abuse Coil and Gunk Shot, which have incredibly good synergy strategically, and make perfect sense on a Spitting Cobra flavor-wise. It has just enough Speed to outpace basically everything at -2 or paralyzed Pokémon.

The typing of this Pokémon synergizes beautifully with this strategy as well. Steel- and Poison-types will naturally be wary of switching into a potential STAB Earthquake, while bulky Water-types—the best checks from a typing perspective—are often the same Pokémon that hate getting hit by Toxic the most! Even Pokémon like Skarmory, Gengar, and Tentacruel will hate getting hit by a potential Glare, while Electric-types immune to Glare hate Earthquake (or Toxic in Rotom-W's case). While this Pokémon may be overall frail with key weaknesses, its ability to drastically drop the opponent's Speed, combined with its switching abilities and well-placed 85 Speed makes it incredibly difficult for a counter to come in and land a good hit; instead, it might find itself being set-up bait. Furthermore, its typing gives it an immunity to Volt Switch and a resistance to U-turn, making counter-switching a strategy with its own risks. The final icing on the cake is that this Pokémon's typing makes it resistant to Stealth Rock and able to absorb Toxic Spikes, giving it some pretty good resilience to passive damage itself, while also making its switching strategies even more lethal.

Sample Sets

All-out Disabler
@ Black Sludge
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
-Toxic
-Glare
-Parting Shot
-Earthquake

Coil Pass
@ Black Sludge
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
-Toxic
-Coil
-Earthquake / Gunk Shot
-Baton Pass

Even with 460 BST, low offensive capability, a tiny movepool, and a typing that's generally not considered especially good, this Pokémon could be a major frustration and actually has qualities that make it work better flavor-wise than the poisonous Pokémon we currently have! I think this shows that fake abilities and fake moves can be really interesting, as long as they're thought up with a bit of tact/class, and not be just broken and silly.

Conclusion

That concludes this little article on fakemons. I hope you guys enjoyed this venture in the most absolute creative type of theorymon. While fakemons could potentially be a subject that makes for really terrible threads, it also has potential to create an incredible in-depth variety of creative thought! Right now, everyone's super hyped up about the new mons Game Freak has designed—but maybe with a little bit of love for this article and a little change of heart from our staff, when the dust settles someone can find a place for us to design some ourselves! I think we'll find that the Pokémon we dream up are just as interesting (if not more-so) than the Pokémon that Game Freak dreamed up!

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