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CAP 28 - Art Submissions

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Final Submission
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Its been a painful road but i think im comfortable enough to finally sub, it changed a bit from the previous post but either way i think i'm fine with how it came out and i hope you think that too :3

BASIS FOR THE DESING
its based on the giant termite mounds from a lot of places in Africa, there are a lot of legends of myths about those mounds in those cultures, they conceive them the power to control weather and heal the ill, so i think that magic fits very well with most typical ilustration of dragons, but overall these are just termites comforming a mound "fake" dragon, using draconic magic to control the figgure

there's also a really big inffluence in a real phenomenom that occurs on Brazil, there are, althought tinier than the ones in Africa, fairly famous red termite mounds, that inspired the overall color scheme, there's also some mounds with a GREEN glow, that glow is produced by the larvae of the flick beetle and use that glow to attract the termites and then eat them, that inspired me to add that little "queen" on the mouth of the dragon, that little larvae controls the rest of the termites with its glow (which is produced from the head, like the actual flick beetles), that sounded really interesting to me and will make evolutive methods fairly extrange if this ever gets a pre-evolution xd
also, considering that a big chunk of the inspiration for these desing comes from brazil (aka the country were the amazonas recides) a connection to the move jungle healing seems fun to make...

ABILITY INTEGRATION
this is pretty simple, the desing fits quite well in my opinion to both of the abilities (and also stats), as you can see it has a lot of gas on its body, coming out from the nostrils and the holes on the lower mounds, while i admit that there's no real inspiration behing this gasses i thought of those as a subproduct of the draconic energy that the termites use, similar to how the smoke coming out from a car its a subproduct of the combustion process used to move the car.

compound eyes its a lot easier to explain, you see the big eyes on the head of the dragon? well you'll see that there are a lot of eyes from the termites inside it, its quite litterally compound of eyes! i think thats a funny explanation that makes these desing quite diferent from the other compound eyes pokemon from GF

and for the stats:
*i consider the hp to be a very abstract stat, mostly fat pokemon has tons of hp, like blyssey and snorlax, so this pokemon being compossed of thousands of tiny individuals would be understandable as to why it has low hp
*BIG'OL JAWS
*the low physical defence can be attributed to overall weak structure that the pokemon has, a dragon made of groun doesnt seem to resist much damage, it even has cracks already
*the special attack can be traced down to magic or mind powers, this one fits the one very well as it is a dragon after all
*as for special defence, in this case in think that the mental resistance of the leader of the mound, the "queen" as i like to call it, it will most probably hide or run if it has the possibility, so a low special defence fits i think
*we have a decent speed, and while the dragon seems not very fast as it is stuck in the ground, but actually, because the mound is made of ground it could definitely dig pretty fast, also a buried pokemon usually isnt slow, the best examples are the :DUGTRIO: line and :COLOSSOIL:

supporting material

-outdated byology class
-more recent byology class, with sizes and moves
-the termites that compose the mound
-the "queen" of the mound
-a minimalist cute queen (its also my pfp)

well, the ride its finally over, that you for reading this far, i really appreciate it, lately i been very doubtful about even submitting a final submition because i dont really have faith on my drawing capabilities, but i wanted to share the concept and seing, and the support that i got was inmense, lot of thanks everyone :3
 
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Final Submission

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At the end of the day I decided to settle with this design. Some justifications pertaining to the design:

- Typing: It certainly looks like a Bug and a Dragon! I'd say no issues there. The draconic element comes from the Pokemon being a bipedal reptile, and the bug elements come from its exoskeleton, Hercules beetle horns, insectoid wings, and bombardier beetle abdomen.

- Neutralizing Gas: Much like how bombardier beetles expel acid and toxins from their abdomen, this design does so as well. You can see the gas flowing through the abdomen as part of the design. It is eventually expelled out from the gland at the end of the abdomen, where a stinger would be located. I figured it will also be useful to let it fire special attacks with that 115 base SpA.

- Compound Eyes: Not much to say, other than I imagine Compound Eyes does not need much justification. Out of the Pokemon that have it, only a handful truly have compound eyes (Butterfree, Venonat, perhaps Vivillon). Things like Yanma, Nincada, and Scatterbug lack compound eyes despite having the ability, and some mons that have actual compound eyes like Yanmega do not have the ability.

- Stats: I greatly focused on depicting that massive Atk and good SpA stats with the design. The horns and overall Haxorus-esque physique covers the physical attack stat, while the abdomen flowing with energy justifies the SpA stat. HP, Spe, and SpD are fairly in line with mons that share a similar physique, such as Haxorus. Admittedly the defense stat is very low, but I'd say the soft exoskeleton balances it out, and the defense stat can sometimes be wonky when correlated to designs, as can be seen with Hariyama's pitiful 60 base defense and special defense even when it looks so thick and rigid. Plus, most of its chest and front side is fully exposed, lacking protection from the exoskeleton.

- Moveset: I would say the design provides versatility for moveset potential. Special attacks can easily be fired from the abdomen (Flamethrower, Sludge Bomb, Dragon Pulse come to mind) or the mouth like other dragons (Bug Buzz could even be performed this manner, like a roar). Physical attacks can be a product of those menacing horns, specially if the moveset will include Megahorn and perhaps X-Scissor. Outrage and Dragon Claw fit with the bipedal draconic design as well.
 
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Final Submission

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Supporting Material

This design draws inspiration from various wormy creatures! Inspirations include tapeworms, tube worms, and centipedes, combined with Chinese dragons. It ended up similar to a cockatrice, so you can call that an accidental inspiration. :) For a more thorough breakdown of the design, see the "Full design breakdown" section.

Typing

Worms are bugs, wyrms are dragons, and they share similar body shapes, so they're a perfect fit with each other! :)

Abilities
  • Neutralizing Gas: I combined tube worms with the hydrothermal vents they live by to make horns that vent hydrothermal vent gas. The gas from hydrothermal vents contain a slurry of chemicals, which create a lot of chemical reactions. This is a natural fit for Neutralizing Gas, otherwise known as "Chemical Change Gas" in Japanese.
  • Compound Eyes: The Pokemon that get Compound Eyes all have bug-like eyes, and this one, while different, still counts! Glowing eyes suggest laser-like focus, which would improve accuracy. The photophores on the ridges give the illusion of extra eyes, which compound the effect.
Stats

This Pokemon has 85/135/60/115/85/89 stats. Centiskorch has 100/115/60/90/90/65 stats. You can imagine that this design is like Centiskorch but with offensive bias turned up a notch!
  • 85 HP: This stat isn't anything special. It's the same HP stat as Noivern, another lean dragon, while being between serpentine 'mons like Serperior (75 HP) and Centiskorch (100 HP).
  • 135 Attack: I added these big arms that are planted solidly on the ground to justify the big attack stat. You can draw comparisons in pose to Pokemon like Darmanitan (140 Attack) and Rillaboom (125 Attack).
  • 60 Defense: Centiskorch has 60 base defense, and this 'mon has a similar body shape, so low defense fits.
  • 115 Special Attack: Being able to vent/shoot stuff indicates good Special Attack, such as with Clawitzer (120 Special Attack) and Magmortar (125 Special Attack). Glowing eyes can be also an indicator of Special Attack, such as with Minior-core (100 Special Attack) or Espeon (130 Special Attack).
  • 85 Special Defense: Like HP, this is not a very interesting stat to look at. Centiskorch has 90 Special Defense, for reference.
  • 89 Speed: This is on the high side for serpentine Pokemon. I.e., Arbok (80 Speed), Milotic (81 Speed). It's not a big stretch to make the jump to 89 speed, considering that we've got Serperior as an outlier at 113 speed.
Moves (projected)

Here is Amamama's writeup for our stats, which also provides some attacks used as guidelines we may get.
  • Bug Buzz: Most bugs get this, including Centiskorch, which doesn't have a visible means of buzzing. Bug Buzz's Japanese name, "Insect Noise", is also as generic as you can get, so probably all bugs should be able to learn this?
  • Draco Meteor: Universal on Dragon-type Pokemon.
  • Dragon Hammer: Judging by our sample size of two, Dragon Hammer is used by Pokemon with long necks, such that they can be swung down. This design can swing its head down from its serpentine body! Or if you imagine it used like Hammer Arm, it's got the right anatomy for that, too.
  • Leech Life: Tapeworms are parasitic creatures, so there's additional flavor to it receiving a move that drains the enemy's health besides "it's a bug".
  • Megahorn: The design was made with Megahorn in mind, having Chinese dragon horns jutting out of its head.
  • Outrage: Near-universal on Dragon-type Pokemon, including Pokemon that don't look angry, like Flygon or Serperior.
There are also movesets being discussed at the moment. I'll add justification for those as they become approved.
  • Head
    • Horns
      • Chinese dragons are commonly depicted with antlers.
      • Red tips: tube worms have red heads.
      • Smoke: reminiscent of insect incense sticks.
    • "Hair"
      • Chinese dragons are commonly depicted with "the mane of a lion".
      • Repurposed as a mane of gas.
    • Eyes
      • Chinese dragons are commonly depicted with "the eyes of a demon".
      • Honestly, it was the only style of eye that clicked with a gas mane. ^^;
    • Mouth
      • Wobbly "beak" matches shapes used by zigzag belly patterns and wispy gas.
      • Inspired by Centipeedle from Steven Universe.
  • Body
    • Ridges/Fins/Flaps
      • I don't remember what they're inspired by. In retrospect, they're reminiscent of Rayquaza or Armaldo, but neither of them were ever in my mind when I drew them.
      • Red edges are an accent color which also help define the design's shape.
    • "Eyespots"
      • Inspired by Armaldo and Peacock from Skullgirls.
      • Meant for Compound Eyes, but made them fake eyes instead due to feedback.
      • Vaguely reminiscent of feathered serpents?
    • Segments
      • Centipede-like
    • Belly
      • Zigzag pattern: artifact of my CAP 23 design, being a literal tapewyrm.
      • Not-flat due to direction of stats and it generally looking nice.
  • Arms
    • Halfway between flat tapeworm arms and centipede arms.
    • Claws
      • Repeats the same shape motif as eyespots/fins.
  • Colors
    • Teal was the only color that "worked" for gas that didn't remind me of a Fire, Ghost, Poison, Water, etc. type, while simultaneously feeling "bug-like".
    • White belly is inspired from a literal tapewyrm (as in Scotch tape).
    • White belly is also inspired from tube worms having a white body.
    • Red accents are inspired by tube worms having a red head.
    • Alternating light and dark segments break up anatomy monotony.
Thanks to everyone who voted on the color palette! A good number of people preferred the original palette over the red dragon millipede palette, so I will be sending this one to the polls. Some people thought that the red palette could make a good shiny. If it gets the chance by winning CAP 28's art poll, maybe it can get a second chance!

Thank you to everyone who gave feedback on CAP Discord and in the poll I sent out! I still haven't gotten through all of it due to time constraints, but I'll still try to bite through what I can. >.<

If I have time, I'd like to get some supporting art drawn!
 
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Final Submission

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Design

My reference was a stick bug, its has a lot of thorns, a rough exoskeleton that look very similar to a dragon. I focused a lot in the head to give him a more unique and strong expression, especially in the eyes which I took inspiration from Pokémon like Venonat and Dustox. Later in the design I incorporate some chimney elements in the tail and the back of the head where some gas escape, giving a hair appearance.
It has some sharp claws in its feet and hands, and a really big mouth that goes with his offensive nature.

Well, I really happy with the final result, I had a lot of fun doing and I hope you all like it too! :D
 
Final Submission
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Supporting Material

Follow the links to find some supporting art with orthos, the worm without shell and an action scene, comparisons to other similar Pokémon, a higher quality image as well as older versions.

Design breakdown
For the typing Bug Dragon I immediately thought of extraterrestrial or alien creatures, which often show reptilian and or insectoid features, fitting the bill perfectly. They often feel hard to categorize by terrestrial taxonomy, because they might have evolved under completely different conditions.
Interestingly though, earths animals looked very outlandish themselves half a billion years ago.
The first ancestors of arthropods started to emerge from the Precambrian ooze.
Among those arthropods I found my inspiration:

It’s a little strangely build “bug“ called Hallucinogenia (a video of it is linked here).

When it first was discovered, the scientists confounded its tail and head as well as back and belly turning it completely upside down.
In my design this translates into it having no single real front, but rather three identical sides, which could all be the front.
The trilateral symmetry is mostly based on tide breakers and caltrops, which I thought could make a nice subtheme for a „Roadblock“, but also take inspiration from kaleidoscopes and optical illusions.

The agressive triangular shapes of the design are also inspired by Caltrops and the shards found in kaleidoscopes, as well as designed to look offensively strong and hint at the mineralic nature of Fossils.

The way the claws mount to the arms and the diamond shaped openings, that form the jaws and the chest ornament, are supposed to evoke censers, used to disperse perfumed smoke during worship.

The dark blue shell is supposed to be an exoskeleton, formed by mineralic substances, which the teal colored bug that lives inside them ingests while feeding. With this spiky exoskeleton the Bug shields itself against attacks.
Being a very early version of exoskeleton it’s still pretty frail and thin and only shielding the most important parts of the body, leaving open some parts of the bug body (teal colored parts)

While feeding on the minerals it also ingests toxins, which it neutralizes by burning them, creating a confusing hallucinogenic Gas, which is able to debilitate foes and prey alike.

It has nine eyes placed on the main head and the biggest arms, which compound to get a full surround view.

Lastly I chose these colors, because the name of the base creature alludes to its trippy appearance, and the design plays with several elements that can confuse anyone that looks at it (trilateral symmetry) or are often connected to hallucinogens (kaleidoscope). So naturally a color scheme inspired by purple haze and kaleidoscope shards should fit.

I like to thank all of you people, who gave feedback on discord, especially those that made me stick with my initial idea.
It was a headscratcher designing this mon, but I’ve never had as much fun with any of my designs.
I wish every contender good look.
It certainly was a ride.
 
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Final Submission

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Design
Inspired by a cross between the hickory horned devil caterpillar and the Azure Dragon (青龙). Bug and dragon. Hence, the main bright teal body colour. Functions as a roadblock in the same way as spike strips.

One of the driving ideas was a tiny real insect head connected to a huge dragon head and serpentine body, much like the mini head of the hickory horned devil caterpillar. The little pink insect head at the front has a pair of compound eyes, large yellow mandibles, and feelers of pheromone gas, which constitutes the snout of the dragon-appearing full head. Its feelers of pheromone gas search out both predators and prey, neutralising them for attack or retreat. Huge fake eyes make this beast appear fragile and unassuming, acting as a lure rather than a deterrence. After all, it can pack a real punch.

Supporting Material
Fashionable Heavy-Duty Boots
Head Diagram
 
Final Submission

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A fog machine earwig who has fog machine fluid for blood. The design is also based slightly off of dragon ants. NGas fits the design for... obvious reasons, and compound eyes fits since it is a bug. With eyes. Which is basically the precedent set for Pokémon with compound eyes. It functions as a “roadblock” by disorienting its opponents in a thick fog.

I had a lot of fun working on this CAP, although it was a little bit unconventional flavor-wise. Good luck to all the artists who final subbed!

Supporting Material
Outspeeding Tomohawk
Orthographic Turnaround + Size Reference
Disorienting Slowking
Without Shell
 
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Final Submission
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Alright, here it is: The fighter jet wasp! It's a fighter jet and a wasp. Huge thanks to Pipotchi, Yokaiju, Sharpen42/Stitch98, Quanyails, and others on the discord for their feedback!
 
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Final Submission
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My submission for CAP 28 is an Egyptian themed scarab based on Khepri, an Egyptian god with a scarab for a head. The overall design is meant to look like a head.
  • The color scheme is based on colors seen on Ancient Egyptian papyrus.
  • The crown and horns represent the crown of a king of Upper Egypt.
  • A heat source (hot dung?) inside the crown releases gas.
  • Wings are based on Ancient Egyptian depictions of wings, often paired with scarabs. The green "feathers" are meant to be transparent.
  • The top of the abdomen (connected to the arms) emulates a beaded collar.
  • The placement of the arms on top of the large, oval abdomen give the impression of a face.
  • The tail is positioned to look like a chin piece often seen on sarcophagi.
  • Bug/Dragon: This design is based on an insect, as most bug-type Pokémon are, and I included draconic features such as horns, a serpent-like tail, mandibles that imitate a dragon's jaw, and a snout.
  • Hyper Offensive: I increased the size of the appendages in relation to the core body compared to my previous design. I also made the horns more rigid and the mandibles larger. The design is also supposed to be mystical, similar to Volcarona, which could account for Sp. Attack.
  • Low Defense & Average Speed: This design is actually meant to be small (a little larger than a human head) which accounts for the low physical defense and average speed.
  • Neutralizing Gas and Compound Eyes: In Ancient Egyptian mythology scarabs were believed to carry the sun (because they rolled balls of dung), so I thought it would be appropriate for this design to carry a heat source in its crown, which is where the gas is coming from. Compound Eyes is self explanatory.
  • Coverage Moves: I've seen ground-type coverage being discussed and I think this design would be a good fit for that, being based on Ancient Egyptian mythology and all.
I'll post supporting art soon.
 
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Final Submission

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This was a fun art sub competition! I believe this may be my best CAP sub yet, though whether or not it wins will of course depend on the polls, so my obligatory best wishes go to everyone else participating. There've been a ton of incredible ideas and artworks making the rounds this time, but I say that for every CAP art sub stage lol so... yeah! XP

Supporting Material

Because I'm feeling a touch lazy tonight, here's a copy-paste from my previous WIP post:
The main two inspirations for this big bug were Arthropleura, a gigantic Carboniferous millipede, and Nidhogg, the dragon that lives under the World Tree of Yggdrasil in Norse mythology. At around 2.5 meters (8.2 feet) long, Arthropleura was one of the largest terrestrial invertebrates known, so compared to cousin Scolipede, who's already pretty massive, I imagine this guy might well be as big as Onix, or even bigger. Now, what does Nidhogg have to do with this? You see, one of the best-known parts of his legend is that he chews on the roots of Yggdrasil in a bid to topple the tree over - either that, or chewing on the deceased bodies of the most depraved in life. I went with the root-eating bit because Arthropleura was likely herbivorous, which we know thanks to gut contents known from it largely consisting of plant life, so there's actually a justification for the root-munching lore in this case. That said, just because this thing can't eat you doesn't mean it can't kill you, and this being a Dragon-type I gave it a menacing appearance in the vein of Yanmega, with large fangs and sharp teeth for mincing plant food and attackers' limbs alike, Stegosaurus-like plates on the back like those on Yanmega, and a head plate slightly resembling a Viking warrior's helmet.

Now, as for the abilities and stat spread... Arthropleura is believed to have been quite quick despite its size thanks to analysis of fossilized trackways, which fits the Speed being pretty solid, though not great thanks to its size. The fangs and bladed spines already hint at high physical attack, but because this is an anti-pivot 'mon, I also styled the latter to suggest a picket fence (though I may have to make that clearer further down the road), and I can easily see it encircling its opponent, literally fencing it in and keeping it from escaping. The justification for both the almost as high Special Attack and Neutralizing Gas is the vapor pouring from the vents on the sides of its head and body along with the tips of its tail and antennae/horns. Many species of millipedes actually release toxic vapors such as cyanide as a defense, and turning this into an offensive technique was the next logical step, seeing as many European dragons were said to emit toxic fumes. As for the low defenses, one idea I originally had was the addition of a weak spot on the underbelly, a glowing marking that could be struck easily, but that seemed out of place after I tried putting it there. Then I realized that I could tie it into the vapor by having it come out of permanently open spiracles which would allow weaponry and energy attacks to easily enter and harm its insides, which gets the idea across but makes more thematic sense. Finally, I was originally going to color this thing pink like a pink dragon millipede, but after fiddling with the color scheme I found that this purple and blue palette works much better, especially with the green vapor like I'd always intended.

  • 85 HP: A middle-of-the-road value for this stat is close to fellow Dragon-types Dragapult (88) and Noivern (85), along with fellow Bug-types Yanmega (86) and Volcarona (85). Ironically, Onix and Steelix, whom I imagine this guy would correspond to size-wise, have lower HP stats than CAP28 (35 and 75, respectively)!
  • 135 Attack: Shared with fellow Dragon-type Salamence and fellow Bug-type Escavalier, the former of which is also no slouch in the Speed department either. This made me feel a little better about giving my design something not unlike Salamence's bulkier but still mobile build. The actual weaponry consists of the razor-sharp bladed plates running down the back, the powerful armored body for ramming, and a pair of Predator-esque "mandibles" - actually centipede-style forpicules, but ehhh, technicalities.
  • 60 Defense: The weakest link in this stat spread is shared with a ton of other frail but speedy Pokémon along with a whole mess of others of all kinds of builds and BSTs. Surprisingly, Hariyama, whom you'd think would have a much better Defense stat due to all that, uh, "padding", has both a Defense and a Special Defense of 60, which also made me feel slightly less uncomfortable with my design being thicker than most other serpentine 'mons. That said, and as previously noted, I did justify it design-wise by having the Neutralizing Gas come out of obvious holes in the exoskeleton, referencing the good old "chink in the dragon's armor" cliché.
  • 115 Special Attack: Easily justifiable due to being a Dragon-type alongside the reasoning for Neutralizing Gas, this is close to that of fellow Bug-type special attacker Yanmega (116). Funnily enough, Yanmega's "dragonfly-o-saurus" look was the inspiration for my addition of dinosaurian traits to this design!
  • 85 Special Defense: The same justification as with the low physical Defense applies here. This is shared with fellow Dragon-types Turtonator and Mega Sceptile, which in Gen 7's PU were respectively a fearsome Shell Smash sweeper and one of the best and fastest revenge-killers. A hefty Special Defense isn't really needed here.
  • 89 Speed: The only other Pokémon with this exact number for Speed is also a Bug-type: Vivillon, who in Gen 7 was a surprisingly deceptive setup sweeper in NU thanks to Quiver Dance, being held back primarily by its godawful type combination. Whether we'll get Quiver Dance or Dragon Dance is a debate best left to the Moveset Discussion, but for now I'll simply use the contrast between this guy's large size and far too many legs as the justification and move on.
  • Neutralizing Gas: I've already mentioned this justification under "Design Overview", but let me run it into the ground once and for all with a link to this article, since I'm a moron and hadn't done so earlier. On a tangential note, when Punk Rock was under consideration, I actually had the idea of it actually acting as an entire stage, with the gas production being reminiscent of a fog machine! It would've been a fun thematic addition, but in retrospect I'm glad we got the secondary ability below instead...
  • Compound Eyes: Real millipedes have actual compound eyes, though they're small and not noticeable. I gave this design multi-faceted eyes like Yanmega, along with several smaller ocelli like Galvantula has on its face for visual interest.

  • Bug Buzz: Fellow myriapod Centiskorch can learn this move (though ironically, Scolipede can't), but it's through TR so I didn't feel the need to justify its presence per se. That said, some species of millipedes really do communicate with noises made by bodily vibrations, so I can easily see this thing vibrating its plates to make a much louder, nastier sound.
  • Megahorn: This design had always had deely-bobber thingies on its head invoking smokestacks (for Neutralizing Gas), antennae, and the horns seen on fanciful depictions of Viking helmets (since the mythos Nidhogg is from is Scandinavian). I did add some sharper, pointier projections to the horn-pipes just tonight though so the presence of Megahorn would make more visual sense. I think they work quite well!
  • Bug Bite: This move is notable for actually stealing and using any berries the target may have on them. I figured it'd fit particularly well here both because millipedes are plant-eaters and because as I've mentioned, Nidhogg is said to chew Yggdrasil's roots, so both inspirations have a connection to herbivory - and thus, eating berries.
  • Dragon Claw: One previous draft for this design actually had the Neutralizing Gas look like a pair of massive clawed wings in the same fashion as in this vintage illustration of Koffing. I did want to keep them to highlight the Dragon typing but ultimately I had to scrap them, so I decided to give it a pair of forpicules on its face like a centipede instead, which are modified legs rather than fangs. I did think about an alternative method where it wraps around the foe and uses its many walking legs to tear in like centipedes do, but I figured the face claws would be better for clarity.
  • Dragon Breath: A natural follow-up to the Neutralizing Gas justification. All it'd need to do is blow the fumes from its mouth instead of its, well, everywhere else.
  • Dragon Rush: It's a big buggy dragon with deceptive speed and a durable carapace despite so many holes. Just have it come at you at full pelt and run you over. Simple, no?
  • Draco Meteor: Well, duh lol. The way I imagine this thing using this move is not unlike how Tyrunt does it in the anime, by firing a massive explosive projectile from its mouth which then explodes into a shower of smaller meteors.

Thanks so much to everyone on the Discord server who helped me make this design the best it can be! Particular thanks go to SgtMoose, Tsunfished, Clambats, tknowledge, Tommaniacal, Zephyr2007, Shadowshocker, Mos-Quitoxe, and Quanyails!

Draft 1.0
Draft 2.0
Draft 2.1
Draft 2.2
Potential Punk Rock/Bug Buzz justification + Neutralizing Gas
Alternate plate markings 1
Alternate plate markings 2
High-Definition Final Submission
 
WIP
​
I finally settled on a design! It’s a draconic bee that has acquired anatomical features resembling a bee smoker. It‘s full of a kind of smoke that has a pacifying effect, and it forces the smoke out by compressing the bellows on its body.
I’d like to still make a few small changes and add shading, but I might not have enough time.
 
Final Submission

Here's my entry to this CAP.

Some really neat designs in this thread, looking forward to seeing further developments and submissions

 
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Final Submission

And the Mecha Godzilla Ambush Bug is complete! It stores immense amounts of energy within its body, and must vent out excess heat through holes in the sides of its body and its horn, similar to the blastpipe of a train. When enraged, it can release stored energy out of its mouth like a cannon, or deafen enemies by blasting air through the holes in its body. The sharp spikes on its back can be used like a sawblade, rolling into enemies and dealing great amounts of damage.

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Final Submission

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Supporting Material

Well, this CAP has been one hell of a ride, hasn't it? Between the typing, stats, abilities, and nail-biting poll results, I'm honestly surprised how many designs managed to make it to the end!

This design is based on the bombardier beetle, with an added exterminator motif. When threatened, these beetles are capable of spraying a caustic liquid from their abdomens that burns on impact, sometimes fatally wounding smaller aggressors. Since most of this boiling liquid evaporates into the air when released, I figured these little beetles would be a perfect fit for a design based around Neutralizing Gas.

As for the exterminator elements of the design, fumigation is a common way to combat household pests such as termites, further lending justification to 28's primary ability. Oversized forearms and feet are meant to resemble work gloves and boots, while the beetle shell and flexible tail resemble a fumigation backpack and hose when at rest. The Flygon-esque lenses over the eyes lend themselves well to 28's secondary ability, Compound Eyes, while these, in combination with the large nostrils, make the head somewhat resemble a gas mask.

Additionally, its sharp mandibles, elongated snout and lengthy antennae make the head reminiscent of an Eastern dragon's, while its wings meld both the Bug and Dragon typing together even more, the wing membrane itself patterned after a beetle's wing.

Sharp corners on the shoulders, claws, mandibles, antennae and wings help denote a high Attack stat, while the tail hose lends itself well to the bevy of ranged attacks that other Dragon-types learn, such as Dragon Breath, Dragon Pulse, Thunderbolt and Flamethrower, further justified by 28's above-average Special Attack. Additionally, many Bug-type Pokemon based on beetles, such as Pinsir, Heracross, Volbeat, Illumise and Vikavolt, sport similar defensive capabilities and speed tiers to 28, so pulling inspiration from another beetle seemed like a perfect fit for this CAP.

Of course, what's a good CAP design without some supporting art?
Orthos
Action Poses + Size Comparison
Larger Version

As always, I'd like to give a huge thanks to everyone over on Discord for helping me perfect this design! I was going through a rough time in my life during and after CAP 27, but I just couldn't say no to a great community that's helped me regain my artistic drive. Plus hey, you can't truly be an artist without hitting a few roadblocks! ;)

That said, there are so many great designs this time around, it'll be hard for me to pick just a few for the polls. Best of luck to everyone! May the best 'mon win! >*)))>{
 
Final Submission



Click to bring up the full-res version.

Supporting Material

CaP 28 being a snide bouncer bro and preventing those loser Slowtwins from entering the club.
The basic concept behind the design is a rocket-powered turbo beetle dragon. While this CaP isn't the fastest, this Pokémon uses compressed gasses to ignite and propel itself to ambush prey or prevent foes from leaving its territory. The clamping scissor claws are razor sharp, and when rocketing towards prey, can impale it. The jets are tucked under the carapace wings when not in use. I feel as if this design blends together both typings well. The general body type is a dragon, however it is broken up into segments like an insect, as well as having the same mandible and back wing structure of lots of beetles. The carapace itself is also a shiny iridescent sheen much like actual insect exoskeletons. Ngas is justified by the fact that this CaP is known to flood the immediate area around it with fumes from its back jets in an attempt to sow disarray amongst its enemies and provide cover for itself since it's not the fastest. The long body part and massive forearms both allude to its great power as well as general frailty. This Pokemon has to hit fast or it risks being taken out itself. CompoundEyes is justified because it has literal compound eyes on its face, though the 4 smaller eyes are more vestigial and really are more for heat sensing.

Thanks for looking! This will be my first CaP in years after dropping off the face of the earth to do the family hustle. I seem to have good CaP luck when it comes to bugs, so maybe Aurumoth will shine its graces on me this time around! Thank you so much to everyone on the CaP discord server for easing me not only into my return to Smogon, but getting back into art entirely as well! You've done a lot for me getting my groove back.
 
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Final Submission

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It is inspired to a triceratops beetle, a tri-horned beetle as you can tell from the name, and Southeast Asian rhinoceros beetle, that looks even more like a triceratops, and obviously to Hercules beetle.

Supporting Material
https://imgur.com/avTUoEz
It gained the shape of a dragon to protect itself from aggressive Pokémon and predators, that could easily curve this Pokemon's frail armor. Their abdomen is in fact very soft, but the axe-shaped horn on the torso is very hard and it can cut wood. They rely on this horn in their charges against the enemy. The specimens that can exhale Neutralizing Gas from their shell use it to mark and define their territory, so that intruders loose their power when they enter it. Usually those that can spray this gas gather into groups to protect their own kind that don't have this ability, that instead protect the tribe using strong attacks with their boosted accuracy. Upper eyes, which serve as the sacks that contain the exhaled gas if the specimens has NG, in those that don't produce it seem in fact to receive some sort of information that the Pokemon uses to aim precisely at the enemy. They can fly, but only for short periods of time, and they have to recover for a bit after they do that.
This last bit of the concept means that they could learn Fly if their movepools allows/requires to have it, because their energies are partially restored inside Pokéballs (think of how it heals confusion), but that's not compulsory obviously, it's just a possibility.
To attack with Megahorn it uses its lower horn, while to use Dragon Hammer it uses the axe on its torso. The appearance also fits Dragon Claw, Dragon Tail and bodily moves like Superpower, Body Slam, Outrage and others. Special moves are mainly thrown from its fake mouth, as its energy conveys there, so for example Dragon Pulse and Signal Beam can come out of that place, while Bug Buzz is performed using its wings obviously.

It is a roadblock because I imagine it as 2 meters high and 2 meters large, so it would physically block the road, but also because of its territorial attitude.
I will provide a documentation sheet with all different poses, proporitons and silhouettes, including the charging and flying ones.

My design looks more intended for a high defense, but I think the can compensate that with the fact of the frail armor. Weak Armor would have fitted, but it can also be reflected by other possible third abilities.
It's the first time I submit a final design (I just submitted a lineart for when Plasmanta was being created) and I had really fun and enjoyed the atmosphere on Discord channel. It's also the first time I color a complete artwork, so if you have any suggestions on how to make it more eye-appealing I'm here to listen lol
 
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Final Submission

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Design based off a locust swarm and a praying mantis. Basically, the lore around this design would be that it has a bunch of smaller mons forming the gas around it (to whom the smaller wings on the tail belong).
Supporting material
Full res
 
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Final Submission

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Supporting Material
Design Justification
The concept is that this pokémon collects small particles from the surroundings and forms an orb-like structure to strike foes.
At high altitude, the pokémon throws this ball near unsuspecting prey causing a giant smoke cloud, thereby confusing and blinding the opponent.
Afterwards this pokémon strikes at high speed with its strong claws.
Its compound eyes are adapted to the darkness enabling it to fight efficiently in the smoke cloud.
Some scientist believe these pokémon were gigantic at prehistoric times and frequently attacked dinosaur pokémon causing some to get extinct.

Supplementary art
Side view + orb resting on spikes - https://i.imgur.com/nEWUofi.png
While attacking - https://i.imgur.com/ZlEVqeB.png

Final thoughts
It took some effort for me to come up with a decent idea. Changing the hypothesis that dinosaurs went extinct due to a meteor causing massive dust clouds causing them to freeze to death into the hypothesis that gigantic ancient dung beetles throw dust balls at them causing them to get extinct was my idea. It might not be superclear when just looking at the design, but I am glad that I stuck with it. I had a blast making it, and quite happy with the result. Best of luck to all the other contestants!
 
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Final Submission
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Supporting Material
Design 1.0
Design 2.0
Design 3.0
Supporting Art 1
Includes CAP28 facing forward (which shows off the face on its wings), side view, and facial expressions (mad and happy).​
Supporting Art 2
Includes CAP28 landed on the ground, how it looks at night with its glowing pheromones, and several more emotions.​
​
Supporting Text
It's an Atlas Moth dragon! It conveys Neutralizing Gas through its pheromones that it constantly emits. It uses these toxins to ease prey into a defenseless state before attacking with its massive claws. Its eyes dilate rapidly, allowing it to see in all types of darkness. Its head is made of some unknown property, but it's said to be extremely hard and durable, like its horns that guide the pheromones during flight. Finally, its wings can create an even bigger face to scare off foes when viewed from the front.

I am so proud of this design and all the work I put into it. I transitioned to a new tablet for this CAP, and it was truly agonizing to work on. Still, I'm happy with the end result. Huge thanks to the Discord for all the help, ideas, and support. Best of luck to everyone!
 
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Final Submission
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This is my mon, based on a tongue-eating louse. Thinking of maybe doing some supporting stuff later tonight, if I do I will put it here!
 
Final Submission

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Imgur Link: https://imgur.com/XW3ZZUr
So I’m finally to a point where I’m happy with this design. Before I jump into design Justifications, I would like to give some thanks to everyone in the CAP discord who gave thoughts and critiques, as this design wouldn’t be where it is today without your help. Special thanks to Pioptchi for tips and encouragement throughout the process.

Design Overview:
This design is based off of a combination of two main ideas, beehives and cobras in baskets. The two meshed well together, leading to a worm-like cobra living inside a beehive much like a cobra would in a basket. The headpiece takes heavy inspiration from incense, and the sticks for the incense bend like antennae, further selling the bug type. The design also takes lesser inspiration from the Naga King and vipers, shown in the sharp nose and eye ridges.

Design Justification:
Bug Typing: Bug is harder to sell than dragon here, but the multiple limbs, wormlike body, and stick antennae are all visual bug type cues, and while the beehive is not a part of the body, the fact that the beehive is what the wyrm resides in should be able to justify the bug type, similar to how living in the apple justifies the grass type for applin.
Dragon Typing: Dragon is far more clear, with clear reptilian basis from the design, working from many snakes and the naga king.

Neutralizing Gas: The design is topped with a beehive headpiece and a crown/stem that releases smoke, a reference to both incense burners and to using smoke to calm down bees, also shown by the very serene expression the design has.
Compound Eyes: There isn't much justification for compoundeyes, because compoundeyes tends to be generic bug type flavor ability. Pokemon with no visible compoundeyes like Scatterbug and Nincada have it, so I feel fine not forcing it onto the design.

85 HP: A slightly chunky body for a snake gives a decent feel for a higher HP stat.
135 ATK: Sharp fangs and inherent snakieness helps sell the massive attack stat. Snake pokemon tend to have a good physical attack, and this is no exception.
60 DEF: Being mostly exposed outside of the beehive makes this pokemon succeptible to physical attacks.
115 SPA: The mist and draconic power combine to make a powerful special attack stat. Influence from the naga king helps in this aspect too, as this calm and collected pokemon has a clear and powerful mind, ready to use for strong special attacks.
85 SPD: Special defense is hard to quantify, but the confusing hood and mystical aura of the headpiece protect from special damage better than the body does from physical damage.
89 SPE: While the pokemon itself does not move fast, it strikes fast like real vipers and other snakes. This combination of fast reaction and slow physical movement leads to a decently average speed stat.

Megahorn: The antennae sticks fuse together to create a stag beetle like horn that is rammed into the opponent.
Dragon Hammer: The snake slams its tall neck down on the opponent.
Earthquake: The snake slams its body or tail on the ground, causing a massive quake.
Thunder: The horn used in megahorn is now charged with electrical energy like a lightningrod, then released.
Close Combat: The snake jumps out of the pot, coiling around the opponent to get off a strong attack.
Leech Life: The fangs are used to suck out the life force of the opponent.
No U-Turn: There is a decent chance U-turn is disallowed as it is very anti-concept, and this pokemon can't feasibly get out fast, due to the fact that it spends most of its time inside a beehive.

Supporting Material
Character Sheet: https://imgur.com/KhgKpv0
Using moves(Thunder, Megahorn, Earthquake): https://imgur.com/Pl6tpyv
Size Comparison: https://imgur.com/uagjDkq
 
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Final Submission
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This Sky Grazer is inspired by
Crop Dusters, Japanese Beetles, and Rhinoceros Beetles. Crop Dusters are a type of airplane specifically designed to help with the spreading of pesticides, utilized by farmers to protect their plants. Fittingly, it also fits in with Japanese Beetles, as they are known for being quite a pest in the garden, often eating up the crops for themselves. I thought it would be a neat idea to turn the tables on their heads, by creating a Pseudo-Dragon Bug that utilizes these same repellents to neutralize the opponent's ability.

Bug/Dragon - The "Bug" Portion justifies itself with the Beetlery, but the Dragon portion is not as obvious. See, its "hood", is actually part of it's shell that has molded itself into the shape of a dragon, providing for better intimidation tactics against predators. Several Dragon type Pokemon already take the form of some military vehicle, such as :hydreigon:, :salamence:, and :dragapult:. You might also be asking why it has wings, despite not being Flying type or having Levitate, and the simple answer is, it doesn't need to have those in order to fly. Several Dragons can fly without being either, such as :dragonair:, :garchomp:, and :flapple:.
Neutralizing Gas - CAP28 provides its ability to expel gas in both design and origin. As i mentioned earlier in this post, Crop Dusters were used to spread pesticides, and CAP28 does this using ports beneath it's elytra.
Compound Eyes - While Compound Eyes is less restrictive, as most bugs don't need to have specifically fly-shaped eyes to have this, i still wanted to incorporate some form of odd insectoid pupil, which also makes it look like some sort of machine, don't you think?

I'd like to thank both the CAP Server on Discord for helping me with this design, but a bigger thanks to my friends in personal servers who helped me every step of the way. The designs this CAP are amazing, and I don't think I'd mind seeing any of these take the limelight.

Happy Voting!
 
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Final Submission

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https://imgur.com/a/2xb01Zr

Well, this is it! I must say, for my first CAP contribution (and first time on Smogon forums period), I quite enjoyed this experience. I would gladly do this again someday!

Anyway, the actual design! Bug/Dragon with Neutralizing Gas and those specific stats was a lot harder to come up with than I thought. My first few sketches leaned too far into looking like they had high Defense, which was hard to break away from considering the fact that they "had" to have exoskeletons. I decided to solve that issue by having its body be lithe and snake-like, which not only makes base 60 Defense quite reasonable, it is also a body shape very befitting of a dragon! The exoskeleton is still an essential aspect of the Bug typing, though, so it keeps that with nice segmented body parts in its body and legs. Speaking of legs: it has 3 pairs of them! More bugginess! Base 89 Speed isn't exactly crazy fast, but it's certainly no slouch. I think the leg proportions conveys this particular Speed stat quite well. Compound Eyes was a lot easier to get across, as it's not necessary for a Pokemon to literally have visually distinct compound eyes (see Nincada and Scatterbug). The vertical pupils were a purposeful touch to both this and for flavor-enhancing; it gives it more of a reptilian feel. This is a Bug/DRAGON, after all.

As for Neutralizing Gas, I knew that I didn't just want this to be a Bug/Dragon with gas slapped onto its concept without much reason. I really wanted the gas to be integral and even mesh well with its other stats. I got to thinking about gas and things that can relate to high offensive stats, and then it hit me: MAKE IT PART CANNON!

It all fell into place quite easily after that. Dragons are often depicted with smoke coming out of their nostrils, so naturally this cannon dragon has gas coming out of its giant cannon-like nostrils. Gas that aids in expulsion, flammation, and other functions (see Supporting Art below for more). To tie this gas in further, I decided to give it an expandable stomach that produces the gas, and inflates and deflates according to action (see Supporting Art below for more, again). I felt like it needed one more "hook", though, so I added a distinct organ at the end of its tail that gives the impression of a tail that looks like a lit fuse. Flavor-wise, this organ is how the 'mon's gas is able to be ignited. It's sort of like a lighter!

Supporting Art:
-Cannon nostril functionality: https://imgur.com/a/yhZo7iF
-Dynamic body shape: https://imgur.com/a/hqazNNC
-Expressions, for fun flavor: https://imgur.com/a/1kb3Ile
 
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