Ready for some mad science?
Chimera is a 1v1-based metagame where a single Pokemon inherits specific traits from your entire 6-mon team, based on their order, which can be changed in team preview. Once the battle starts, the Pokemon undergoes a form change that "fuses" together your team into a single Pokemon. At last, you can take the best aspects of all your favorites and combine them into the ultimate monster! How exactly does this work, though? Well, it's probably easier just to show an example.
Rotom-Wash @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP / 44 SpA / 216 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Volt Switch
- Hydro Pump
- Defog
- Pain Split
This is standard Defog Rotom-Wash, as displayed in Teambuilder import text. The number by each part of the Rotom-Wash set represents which trait the Pokemon would pass on in to the fused Chimera, depending on which slot it resides in. Remember -- you can choose the order of your team at the start of the battle, allowing you to tweak the fusion process to your liking. Here are the traits you can provide with this set:
So what does the process of playing Chimera look like, and what does this bring to the table over standard 1v1 and Balanced Hackmons?
Creating the Ultimate Life Form: All the Pokemon sets legal in Chimera used can be used in game, or probably in the Ubers tier--on their own they're nothing special. Once fused together, however, the chimeric Pokemon can be min-maxed to achieve the full potential of its qualities and those from its team. Perhaps even more so than standard 1v1, Chimera is a meta where careful and clever preparation far outweighs the events of the battle itself.
Limitation Breeds Invention: There are some sets you simply can't create in Chimera. Instead of always picking the best move and ability for the job (like BH), you search out for what each member of your team can provide naturally and jerry-rig a powerful set. This would lead to a lot of thread discussion on which combinations fuse into the best Chimera.
Switching Strategies on the Fly: By altering the order of your team at team preview, you chose the composition of your "fused" Pokemon. This players of this meta thrive with flexibility and smart predictions. Each team should allow for multiple "variants" rather than one linear option. You may have Xerneas for its high base stats (slot 4), but if you're using something else for stats, perhaps make sure it passes on its ability Fairy Aura (slot 3) to a Fairy type, or moves like Play Rough, Close Combat, Geomancy, and Moonblast (slots 5-6). You can even "pair" moves for different sets together, like two special moves in the first two slots and two physical moves in the latter two. The ultimate flex slot is slot 2 (Item), as that Pokemon has full reign to change the rest of its set in case you want to use a different variant build. I'll be talking about some examples below, but the key point here is that the ability to change which way your Pokemon fuse allows the player more agency to alter their strategy based on the matchup. 1v1-based metas, in any game, are very matchup oriented, but here you can see what strategies your opponent might be trying to bring and adjust accordingly right before the fight begins. I can see room tours being pretty entertaining in this way, as they'd only last a couple turns but the mindgames would be a joy to watch.
Examples:
Team-building can be tricky for this metagame! Below I will cover what you should and shouldn't do when constructing a Chimera, listing two team imports which can make at least 10 distinct Chimera sets each.
Q&A:
Q: Why is X banned?
A: My baseline was to meld the banlists of 1v1 and Balanced Hackmons as a starting point, then go from there. Shedinja is banned because Wonder Guard is its only ability, Huge Power is banned to prevent absurd power creep, Moody is banned in both BH and 1v1 due to its Evasion-abuse, Focus Sash is a standard 1v1 ban even in Gamefreak formats, Perish Song is a 1v1 ban but maybe it's worth testing here, and Transform prevents Imprison + Transform strategies, which I recall being a major pain for BH 1v1. Because Transform can be a problem in and of itself, it was chosen over Imprison to be banned. Sleep moves are banned because it is easy to abuse and hard to counter, with viable sets having SubSeed or setup.
Q: Why is X not banned?
A: I want to stay fairly conservative on bans to allow the greatest freedom to players, but more changes may be required down the line. I have my eye on certain aspects, like Fur Coat and Ice Scales, but often these strategies require very specific Pokemon and can be easily predicted, like Water Bubble on Araquanid. You'll also notice a lack of Species Clause--using multiple versions of a Pokemon doesn't offer a huge benefit in this OM, so I see no need to restrict that choice.
Q: Is it possible to have more than one of the same move on a Chimera?
A: This remains to be seen, based on the coding. My inclination is to allow it to happen, but if it doesn't work, then the duplicate move(s) should just be deleted off the final moveset.
Q: Can I use illegal combinations of moves/abilities/etc. on a Pokemon if there's no way they'll end up on the same set?
A: No. Even if the set will never appear in battle, it still needs to be legal in-game (or in Anything Goes). The qualities of a Chimera are derived from the fusion process, not alterations to the individual Pokemon themselves.
Q: Can I make use of exclusive items, like Light Ball or Eviolite?
A: No, because it causes too much power creep. It allows things like Kyurem with +2 in both offensive stats.
Q: What about in-battle forms that don't require items, like Disguise Mimikyu?
A: No additional form changes should take place in-battle, so if these interactions continue to happen, please post replays in the thread and I'll make sure they're ironed out.
Q: Which slot determines my gender, happiness, weight, level, shininess, and name?
A: In addition to the type and appearance, all these qualities are taken from slot 1. This allows the coding to change the least amount of things from the base form, and since these traits rarely matter in battle, the player doesn't really lose much customization here.
Q: Is this OM fun?
A: You tell me!
Chimera is a 1v1-based metagame where a single Pokemon inherits specific traits from your entire 6-mon team, based on their order, which can be changed in team preview. Once the battle starts, the Pokemon undergoes a form change that "fuses" together your team into a single Pokemon. At last, you can take the best aspects of all your favorites and combine them into the ultimate monster! How exactly does this work, though? Well, it's probably easier just to show an example.
Rotom-Wash @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP / 44 SpA / 216 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Volt Switch
- Hydro Pump
- Defog
- Pain Split
This is standard Defog Rotom-Wash, as displayed in Teambuilder import text. The number by each part of the Rotom-Wash set represents which trait the Pokemon would pass on in to the fused Chimera, depending on which slot it resides in. Remember -- you can choose the order of your team at the start of the battle, allowing you to tweak the fusion process to your liking. Here are the traits you can provide with this set:
- Type: The Chimera would be Electric/Water and look like Rotom-Wash
- Item: The Chimera would be holding Leftovers
- Ability: The Chimera would have the ability Levitate
- Stats: The Chimera would have 303/121/250/257/250/288 stats, including IV values
- Moves 1+2: The Chimera would be able to use Volt Switch and Hydro Pump
- Moves 3+4: The Chimera would be able to use Defog and Pain Split
Rules: Players bring 6 legal Pokemon to battle but only pick one. The player cannot switch directly or by using moves/items/abilities. Once that Pokemon is defeated, the match ends.
Mechanic: The chosen Pokemon inherits traits from their teammates once the battle begins. This process can be altered by rearranging the team order during team preview.
Clauses: OHKO Clause, Species Clause, Evasion Clause, Endless Battle Clause, Dynamax Clause
Bans:
Pokemon: Shedinja
Abilities: Huge Power, Moody, Neutralizing Gas, Truant, Perish Body
Items: Focus Sash, Pokemon-specific items (Eviolite, Light Ball, Leek, Thick Club)
Moves: Perish Song, Transform, Fishious Rend, Bolt Beak, Disable, all Sleep moves, Double Iron Bash, Trick, Switcheroo
Current Watchlist:
Moves: Trick, Encore
So what does the process of playing Chimera look like, and what does this bring to the table over standard 1v1 and Balanced Hackmons?
Creating the Ultimate Life Form: All the Pokemon sets legal in Chimera used can be used in game, or probably in the Ubers tier--on their own they're nothing special. Once fused together, however, the chimeric Pokemon can be min-maxed to achieve the full potential of its qualities and those from its team. Perhaps even more so than standard 1v1, Chimera is a meta where careful and clever preparation far outweighs the events of the battle itself.
Limitation Breeds Invention: There are some sets you simply can't create in Chimera. Instead of always picking the best move and ability for the job (like BH), you search out for what each member of your team can provide naturally and jerry-rig a powerful set. This would lead to a lot of thread discussion on which combinations fuse into the best Chimera.
Switching Strategies on the Fly: By altering the order of your team at team preview, you chose the composition of your "fused" Pokemon. This players of this meta thrive with flexibility and smart predictions. Each team should allow for multiple "variants" rather than one linear option. You may have Xerneas for its high base stats (slot 4), but if you're using something else for stats, perhaps make sure it passes on its ability Fairy Aura (slot 3) to a Fairy type, or moves like Play Rough, Close Combat, Geomancy, and Moonblast (slots 5-6). You can even "pair" moves for different sets together, like two special moves in the first two slots and two physical moves in the latter two. The ultimate flex slot is slot 2 (Item), as that Pokemon has full reign to change the rest of its set in case you want to use a different variant build. I'll be talking about some examples below, but the key point here is that the ability to change which way your Pokemon fuse allows the player more agency to alter their strategy based on the matchup. 1v1-based metas, in any game, are very matchup oriented, but here you can see what strategies your opponent might be trying to bring and adjust accordingly right before the fight begins. I can see room tours being pretty entertaining in this way, as they'd only last a couple turns but the mindgames would be a joy to watch.
Examples:
Team-building can be tricky for this metagame! Below I will cover what you should and shouldn't do when constructing a Chimera, listing two team imports which can make at least 10 distinct Chimera sets each.
Most people are unwilling to play Chimera 1v1 because it seems very complicated to them, and they are right, to an extent. However, here are a few tips on how to make flexible and viable teams.
Here is a team setup that's far too obvious, even if it may be effective:
Even if the initial order was something different, it's pretty clear which sequence the player is going to choose their lineup and what they're trying to do. They want a Steel/Fairy Pokemon with an unknown item that probably boosts damage, Pixilate, the stats of Kyurem, Boomburst + filler and Extreme Speed + filler. Seeing this, an opponent with a flexible team could, say, select their type as something that resists Fairy, select stats that can easily take hits, or maybe even select their ability as Soundproof, if they had a mon on the team that has it. Here's a version that is capable of the same thing, but with much more flexibility:
The player could also mix up their team to hide their intentions better, but here's a very similar team with much more potential. While, yes, you could create the exact same Chimera as described above, there are more options here. Rather than just holding an item, Turtonator can pass on Shell Smash and attacks like Fire Blast, Draco Meteor, and even Body Press. Perhaps Kyurem could supply the stats while Togekiss could supply Extreme Speed, but now you can also use Togekiss' wide movepool that includes recovery, Nasty Plot, and Extreme Speed. Kommo-o is useful for Boomburst, but maybe you see a matchup that would appreciate a bulky spread, Bulletproof/Soundproof, or moves like Dragon Dance, Clangorous Soul, and Close Combat. Matchup still plays a huge role, but with a setup like this, your Chimera has more options to utilize.
I. Teammates should have multiple viable slots
I see a lot of Chimera players using one-dimensional teams: Water Bubble, Shell Smash, Poison Heal. The best way to teambuild is to use teammates that have good abilities, moves, and stats themselves. Take, for example, the above Pixilate team. Pixilate is a common sight in one-dimensional teams, but I enhanced the idea by adding teammates that can take advantage of each others' wide movepool. Kyurem has Ice Beam and Earth Power, so Mamoswine is a good teammate, synergizing types, adding a good stat spread, and contributing its decent ability in Thick Fat. Kommo-o has both Earthquake and Dragon Dance for the physical Pixilate set, while also using Boomburst and Focus Blast for a special Pixilate set.
II. Many teammates should have viable stats
While many mons have great movepools, one should also make sure that they don't rely on one or two mons for the fourth slot. Many high-BST mons also have good abilities (i.e. Gyarados' Intimidate), unique moves (i.e. Kommo-o's Clangorous Soul), or utility options (i.e. Hydreigon's Roost or Keldeo's Taunt). It's important to have many options to maximize your chances of winning many matchups, and high-BST mons help achieve this.
III. Don't use the teambuilder to teambuild
I think the main turnaway of Chimera, and the reason why there are many one-dimensional teams, is because it is incredibly hard to build one when one is looking at one mon at a time. The solution? Don't use Pokemon Showdown to teambuild. Although it might sound like too much, I do all of my teambuilding on paper (you can do this with on the computer, too, with Google Docs, Word, or Pages) It lets me see every teammate's ability, moves, and item, all at once. Just use this template:
Since I focus on abilities first, I fill in the third mon slot first. Take the Hustle team, for instance:
Here is a team setup that's far too obvious, even if it may be effective:
Even if the initial order was something different, it's pretty clear which sequence the player is going to choose their lineup and what they're trying to do. They want a Steel/Fairy Pokemon with an unknown item that probably boosts damage, Pixilate, the stats of Kyurem, Boomburst + filler and Extreme Speed + filler. Seeing this, an opponent with a flexible team could, say, select their type as something that resists Fairy, select stats that can easily take hits, or maybe even select their ability as Soundproof, if they had a mon on the team that has it. Here's a version that is capable of the same thing, but with much more flexibility:
The player could also mix up their team to hide their intentions better, but here's a very similar team with much more potential. While, yes, you could create the exact same Chimera as described above, there are more options here. Rather than just holding an item, Turtonator can pass on Shell Smash and attacks like Fire Blast, Draco Meteor, and even Body Press. Perhaps Kyurem could supply the stats while Togekiss could supply Extreme Speed, but now you can also use Togekiss' wide movepool that includes recovery, Nasty Plot, and Extreme Speed. Kommo-o is useful for Boomburst, but maybe you see a matchup that would appreciate a bulky spread, Bulletproof/Soundproof, or moves like Dragon Dance, Clangorous Soul, and Close Combat. Matchup still plays a huge role, but with a setup like this, your Chimera has more options to utilize.
I. Teammates should have multiple viable slots
I see a lot of Chimera players using one-dimensional teams: Water Bubble, Shell Smash, Poison Heal. The best way to teambuild is to use teammates that have good abilities, moves, and stats themselves. Take, for example, the above Pixilate team. Pixilate is a common sight in one-dimensional teams, but I enhanced the idea by adding teammates that can take advantage of each others' wide movepool. Kyurem has Ice Beam and Earth Power, so Mamoswine is a good teammate, synergizing types, adding a good stat spread, and contributing its decent ability in Thick Fat. Kommo-o has both Earthquake and Dragon Dance for the physical Pixilate set, while also using Boomburst and Focus Blast for a special Pixilate set.
II. Many teammates should have viable stats
While many mons have great movepools, one should also make sure that they don't rely on one or two mons for the fourth slot. Many high-BST mons also have good abilities (i.e. Gyarados' Intimidate), unique moves (i.e. Kommo-o's Clangorous Soul), or utility options (i.e. Hydreigon's Roost or Keldeo's Taunt). It's important to have many options to maximize your chances of winning many matchups, and high-BST mons help achieve this.
III. Don't use the teambuilder to teambuild
I think the main turnaway of Chimera, and the reason why there are many one-dimensional teams, is because it is incredibly hard to build one when one is looking at one mon at a time. The solution? Don't use Pokemon Showdown to teambuild. Although it might sound like too much, I do all of my teambuilding on paper (you can do this with on the computer, too, with Google Docs, Word, or Pages) It lets me see every teammate's ability, moves, and item, all at once. Just use this template:
[Pokemon] @ [Item]
[Ability]
[Move], [Move], [Move], [Move]
[Pokemon] @ [Item]
[Ability]
[Move], [Move], [Move], [Move]
[Pokemon] @ [Item]
[Ability]
[Move], [Move], [Move], [Move]
[Pokemon] @ [Item]
[Ability]
[Move], [Move], [Move], [Move]
[Pokemon] @ [Item]
[Ability]
[Move], [Move], [Move], [Move]
[Pokemon] @ [Item]
[Ability]
[Move], [Move], [Move], [Move]
[Ability]
[Move], [Move], [Move], [Move]
[Pokemon] @ [Item]
[Ability]
[Move], [Move], [Move], [Move]
[Pokemon] @ [Item]
[Ability]
[Move], [Move], [Move], [Move]
[Pokemon] @ [Item]
[Ability]
[Move], [Move], [Move], [Move]
[Pokemon] @ [Item]
[Ability]
[Move], [Move], [Move], [Move]
[Pokemon] @ [Item]
[Ability]
[Move], [Move], [Move], [Move]
Since I focus on abilities first, I fill in the third mon slot first. Take the Hustle team, for instance:
I'm looking for a HustleBand set. Togekiss has the best movepool out of Hustle users, so I fill in this:
Rayquaza has a great movepool with V-Create and Dragon Ascent. Ho-oh gets STAB on both. I can also use Xerneas to support Togekiss's typing with Geomancy and Moonblast while also donating good Speed and Attack. Lugia gets Earthquake, Trick, and Multiscale while also having Aeroblast to further support Togekiss's typing. Since Xerneas has interesting physical moves in Outrage and Close Combat, and I have both a Dragon type and a Fire type, Reshiram is a good choice because it has good special stats. I put it in the item slot because it doesn't have much to contribute to the HustleBand set. Now my team looks like this:
Now, let's say that I want a Geomancy set. Since Xerneas already has Geomancy and Moonblast, I can use Togekiss as the first slot, and add Aeroblast to Lugia. Lugia has good coverage in Earth Power, so I add that too. Rayquaza has great Special Attack and the highest Speed after Xerneas, so I use max Special Attack and Speed on it. Reshiram's Turboblaze helps beat Unaware, so only Ho-oh is left. It gets a Power Herb for Geomancy and goes in the item slot. Now my team looks like this:
To track sets, I use a single letter to represent each teammate. Here, I use H for Ho-oh, R for Reshiram, T for Togekiss, X for Xerneas, F forFug Rayquaza, and L for Lugia. So my Geomancy set would look like this: THRFLX
I repeat this process for each viable set I can find until every move is used up. If any items are left blank, I usually put Leftovers or Lum Berry there as a viable placeholder. Here is my finished team:
What kinds of chimeras can you make?
[Pokemon] @ [Item]
[Ability]
[Move], [Move], [Move], [Move]
[Pokemon] @ Choice Band
[Ability]
[Move], [Move], [Move], [Move]
Togekiss @ [Item]
Hustle
[Move], [Move], [Move], [Move]
[Pokemon] @ [Item]
[Ability]
[Move], [Move], [Move], [Move]
[Pokemon] @ [Item]
[Ability]
[Move], [Move], [Move], [Move]
[Pokemon] @ [Item]
[Ability]
[Move], [Move], [Move], [Move]
[Ability]
[Move], [Move], [Move], [Move]
[Pokemon] @ Choice Band
[Ability]
[Move], [Move], [Move], [Move]
Togekiss @ [Item]
Hustle
[Move], [Move], [Move], [Move]
[Pokemon] @ [Item]
[Ability]
[Move], [Move], [Move], [Move]
[Pokemon] @ [Item]
[Ability]
[Move], [Move], [Move], [Move]
[Pokemon] @ [Item]
[Ability]
[Move], [Move], [Move], [Move]
Ho-oh @ [Item]
Pressure
[Move], [Move], [Move], [Move]
Reshiram @ Choice Band
Turboblaze
[Move], [Move], [Move], [Move]
Togekiss @ [Item]
Hustle
[Move], [Move], [Move], [Move]
Xerneas @ [Item]
Fairy Aura
Outrage, Close Combat, Geomancy, Moonblast
Rayquaza @ [Item]
Air Lock
V-Create, Dragon Ascent, [Move], [Move]
Lugia @ [Item]
Multiscale
Aeroblast, [Move], Earthquake, Trick
Pressure
[Move], [Move], [Move], [Move]
Reshiram @ Choice Band
Turboblaze
[Move], [Move], [Move], [Move]
Togekiss @ [Item]
Hustle
[Move], [Move], [Move], [Move]
Xerneas @ [Item]
Fairy Aura
Outrage, Close Combat, Geomancy, Moonblast
Rayquaza @ [Item]
Air Lock
V-Create, Dragon Ascent, [Move], [Move]
Lugia @ [Item]
Multiscale
Aeroblast, [Move], Earthquake, Trick
Ho-oh @ Power Herb
Pressure
[Move], [Move], [Move], [Move]
Reshiram @ Choice Band
Turboblaze
[Move], [Move], [Move], [Move]
Togekiss @ [Item]
Hustle
[Move], [Move], [Move], [Move]
Xerneas @ [Item]
Fairy Aura
Outrage, Close Combat, Geomancy, Moonblast
Rayquaza @ [Item]
Air Lock
V-Create, Dragon Ascent, [Move], [Move]
Lugia @ [Item]
Multiscale
Aeroblast, Earth Power, Earthquake, Trick
Pressure
[Move], [Move], [Move], [Move]
Reshiram @ Choice Band
Turboblaze
[Move], [Move], [Move], [Move]
Togekiss @ [Item]
Hustle
[Move], [Move], [Move], [Move]
Xerneas @ [Item]
Fairy Aura
Outrage, Close Combat, Geomancy, Moonblast
Rayquaza @ [Item]
Air Lock
V-Create, Dragon Ascent, [Move], [Move]
Lugia @ [Item]
Multiscale
Aeroblast, Earth Power, Earthquake, Trick
To track sets, I use a single letter to represent each teammate. Here, I use H for Ho-oh, R for Reshiram, T for Togekiss, X for Xerneas, F for
I repeat this process for each viable set I can find until every move is used up. If any items are left blank, I usually put Leftovers or Lum Berry there as a viable placeholder. Here is my finished team:
Ho-Oh @ Power Herb
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Will-O-Wisp
- Roost
- Recover
- Earthquake
Reshiram @ Choice Band
Ability: Turboblaze
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Blue Flare
- Earth Power
- Roost
- Will-O-Wisp
Togekiss @ Power Herb
Ability: Hustle
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Nasty Plot
- Fire Blast
- Encore
- Dazzling Gleam
Xerneas @ Expert Belt
Ability: Fairy Aura
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Outrage
- Close Combat
- Geomancy
- Moonblast
Rayquaza @ Leftovers
Ability: Air Lock
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- V-create
- Dragon Ascent
- Earth Power
- Hurricane
Lugia @ Charcoal
Ability: Multiscale
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
- Aeroblast
- Earth Power
- Earthquake
- Trick
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Will-O-Wisp
- Roost
- Recover
- Earthquake
Reshiram @ Choice Band
Ability: Turboblaze
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Blue Flare
- Earth Power
- Roost
- Will-O-Wisp
Togekiss @ Power Herb
Ability: Hustle
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Nasty Plot
- Fire Blast
- Encore
- Dazzling Gleam
Xerneas @ Expert Belt
Ability: Fairy Aura
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Outrage
- Close Combat
- Geomancy
- Moonblast
Rayquaza @ Leftovers
Ability: Air Lock
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- V-create
- Dragon Ascent
- Earth Power
- Hurricane
Lugia @ Charcoal
Ability: Multiscale
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
- Aeroblast
- Earth Power
- Earthquake
- Trick
HustleBand: HRTXFL
HustleBulk: RLTXFH
Turbomancy: THRFLX
Multimancy: HTLFRX
NastyPlot: HXLRTF
Stall: XFRLHT
Encore: HXLFRT
HustleBulk: RLTXFH
Turbomancy: THRFLX
Multimancy: HTLFRX
NastyPlot: HXLRTF
Stall: XFRLHT
Encore: HXLFRT
Q: Why is X banned?
A: My baseline was to meld the banlists of 1v1 and Balanced Hackmons as a starting point, then go from there. Shedinja is banned because Wonder Guard is its only ability, Huge Power is banned to prevent absurd power creep, Moody is banned in both BH and 1v1 due to its Evasion-abuse, Focus Sash is a standard 1v1 ban even in Gamefreak formats, Perish Song is a 1v1 ban but maybe it's worth testing here, and Transform prevents Imprison + Transform strategies, which I recall being a major pain for BH 1v1. Because Transform can be a problem in and of itself, it was chosen over Imprison to be banned. Sleep moves are banned because it is easy to abuse and hard to counter, with viable sets having SubSeed or setup.
Q: Why is X not banned?
A: I want to stay fairly conservative on bans to allow the greatest freedom to players, but more changes may be required down the line. I have my eye on certain aspects, like Fur Coat and Ice Scales, but often these strategies require very specific Pokemon and can be easily predicted, like Water Bubble on Araquanid. You'll also notice a lack of Species Clause--using multiple versions of a Pokemon doesn't offer a huge benefit in this OM, so I see no need to restrict that choice.
Q: Is it possible to have more than one of the same move on a Chimera?
A: This remains to be seen, based on the coding. My inclination is to allow it to happen, but if it doesn't work, then the duplicate move(s) should just be deleted off the final moveset.
Q: Can I use illegal combinations of moves/abilities/etc. on a Pokemon if there's no way they'll end up on the same set?
A: No. Even if the set will never appear in battle, it still needs to be legal in-game (or in Anything Goes). The qualities of a Chimera are derived from the fusion process, not alterations to the individual Pokemon themselves.
Q: Can I make use of exclusive items, like Light Ball or Eviolite?
A: No, because it causes too much power creep. It allows things like Kyurem with +2 in both offensive stats.
Q: What about in-battle forms that don't require items, like Disguise Mimikyu?
A: No additional form changes should take place in-battle, so if these interactions continue to happen, please post replays in the thread and I'll make sure they're ironed out.
Q: Which slot determines my gender, happiness, weight, level, shininess, and name?
A: In addition to the type and appearance, all these qualities are taken from slot 1. This allows the coding to change the least amount of things from the base form, and since these traits rarely matter in battle, the player doesn't really lose much customization here.
Q: Is this OM fun?
A: You tell me!
Last edited:
This thing grants a good typing, not one but two good potential abilities, and a movepool rich in coverage. The only thing it really lacks is stats. I expect to see this become a staple on teams that want a physical chimera thanks to its slot flexibility.
This is obviously here for the ability. Water Bubble is a borky ability in most metagames, and I wouldn't be surprised if it is here as well. However Araquanid doesn't give much else to a team, so it isn't very flexible and is pretty much guaranteed to be an ability, item, or maybe mediocre move donor.
Bulky, strong, not slow. Using Kyurem as your stat donor can't be a bad thing, and it gets a p nice movepool including recovery and Ice Beam + Earth Power. But mostly it has the highest bst here by a fair bit.
Punk Rock is a cool ability, as is Technician. Boomburst is a really hot move, although it would be nice to use it with Punk Rock but oh well run Flygon or something. Shift Gear sounds cool at first but I doubt it will be useful in a 1v1 environment. Electric/Poison is a unique typing that looks neat, especially with a Levitate donor like... Flygon!
