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Unfortunately, I have had to make an unexpected trip to Buffalo, so I'm typing this from my phone, and thus it probably won't say everything I had been thinking about today, but I did want to chime in about the fact that Poison isn't the only type we necessarily need to consider.
Like Deck just mentioned, Flash Canon is another option we can look at here. Thinking back to Voodoom's typing back in Gen 4, the one super important thing about it was it's neutral coverage. While that is not true anymore, I think the key to any move addition should be to get that neutral coverage back. Psychic technically does this already, but other than for Tomohawk, it doesn't provide much utility. Obviously, having perfect neutral coverage is great, but when that is reliant on s mediocre powered non STAB move hitting neutrally on a ton of things, that is somewhat unimpressive.
As mentioned by many people, Sludge Bomb / Wave solves that issue, but if we think that is too good, Flash Canon also do this. It might not hit tons of things super effectively, but it does nail Tapu Bulu and Clefable. And, while it already talked neutral from Dark Pulse, it also really hurts Tapu Lele, scarf variants of whom might try to switch in on a predicted set up. And, of course, as mentioned, it also gives us prefect neutral coverage.
While I'm not sure I think Sludge Bomb would be a problem, I do think Flash Canon would be plenty for it, along side Nasty Plot (and it is much more fitting, imo).
As a nasty plot abuser I could see voodoom getting some real mileage, and I personally think Flash Cannon would be an interesting coverage move to look into. I think generally fighting + dark + generally resisted that, that does handle SOME of voodoom's problems would be the way to go. I do not think that a boosting ability + nasty plot + all this coverage is the way to go though. Just two of the three, and I generally think 1 and 3 will work out the best. While a boosting ability could be cool on paper, I think an ability that just boosts pure power (no pun intended) is not the way to go.
Alright so discussion has stalled out some, so I'm going to ask another question to focus discussion more.
Coverage moves are probably going to happen on Voodoom. I'm thinking at least one, but that's no guarantee. There's a bigger issue we need to resolve first.
Should we give Voodoom an immediate offensive ability OR should we give Voodoom Nasty Plot?
This is a big question, because I honestly can't see CAP Updates giving both to Voodoom. No matter what offensive ability we give Voodoom or whether we give it Nasty Plot, it will improve Voodoom's niche. This isn't the question. The question is which one is better. There's not too much competitive basis for this, but for what it's worth, Voodoom was built to use Nasty Plot boosts. Granted, this was way back in Gen 4, so maybe the boosting ability is better now. Regardless, we can't really progress without deciding on this soon.
Again, posts that show "Mega Launcher makes Voodoom better" and "Nasty Plot makes Voodoom better" aren't very helpful at this point. These facts are apparent. We need to know why one option is better than the other.
Keep up the good discussion guys, I'm loving how we've got a few different paths to take Voodoom down, but it's not super chaotic either.
I'm definitely in favor of adding Nasty Plot over adding an immediate offensive ability. This gives a nod to Voodoom's state in Gen 4, except that now it would the one boosting its own Special Attack rather than having Togekiss pass boosts to it. I'm in agreement with Snorlax in the way regarding boosting abilities, Nasty Plot, and coverage. Voodoom certainly does not need all three of these at once, and I personally think that the combination of Nasty Plot and some additional coverage would be the best route for us to take.
One could argue that Voodoom's identity at the present moment is basically just clicking attacks and hoping it kills something, therefore an immediate boosting ability like Mega Launcher or Sheer Force complements this. However, on the same note, it can also be said that Voodoom lacks much of an identity at all in the current metagame. For this reason, I have no qualms with us focusing more on Voodoom's purpose in the metagame and generation it was designed for when it comes to guiding its update.
I prefer the immediate offensive ability not because NP gives more power, but in a meta where there are some 100+ speed scarf, I think it can be difficult do deal with a pokemon that can boost itself or be super fast
My stance on this is slightly torn of course an immediate offensive ability will give voodoom much more usefulness however something like Mega Launcher, which boots it's Fighting and Dark stab, could potentially cause a problem if coupled with Sludge Bomb as then the actual answer to this combination of stabs is no longer an answer.
And Immediate Offensive Ability could go a long way on voodoom making it this premier all out attacker but in my opinion this is not what we aim to do with the Updates. The updates aren't meant to make every cap a Top Tier cap it's to give them an identity and this really isn't an act of giving it an identity although it would be nice to have and I wouldn't fuss if we did get it.
Nasty Plot is currently my preferred option, after taking with snake it chat it's apparent that Voodoom was built to actually be a nasty-passer which plays on with what was intended for the CAP. However I know this isn't a strong reasoning to support it's a reason regardless as keeping voodoom as close to voodoom is one of the rules intended and so I think we should follow this rule.
I'm personally leaning with Nasty Plot. I feel that, while the concept is certainly flawed, we shouldn't abandon it entirely. Nasty Plot gives Voodoom a large boost in offensive ability, but also can give it also a bit of utility as well, as it can now pass these boosts to its teammates, sorta like its concept.
One of the things that makes Voodoom iconic is that it is uniquely suited as a partner to Flying-type Pokemon. Its Fighting STAB threatens Ice and Rock, while its abilities give it resistance to Rock and immunity to Electric. In fact I'd argue Mega Launcher or Adaptability are inferior to Lightning Rod because if you can avtivate the SpA boost Lightning Rod is a straight up better boost. Even without activation though, Voodoom has an immunity to one of the most common pivoting moves in the game and it cannot be overstated how much in a metagame with Tapu Koko and Tapu Lele how much a Pokemon with Psychic and Electric immunity brings to the table. Now, Colossoil also does this but all Soil can hope to do is tie Lele, Voodoom actually outspeeds it.
Meanwhile, some have mentioned Motor Drive in PS and Motor Drive would give Voodoom the ability to come in on LO Tapu Koko. Now, there has been some discussion of Sludge Bomb or Sludge Wave being too powerful, but those are the only moves that would one-shot Koko. Interestingly, +1 LO Venoshock does OHKO Koko, but then you have Lightning Rod and aren't fast enough unless you're Scarved. Basically, Koko that run Dazzling Gleam are a big problem for Voodoom if Sludge Bomb/Wave are decided against. Of course if Voodoom dispenses with the Electric immunity abilities it shouldn't be interacting with Koko at all...
In any case, Nasty Plot + Additional Coverage patches up Voodoom's issues without losing its identity, and to the extent another ability might be warranted it ought to be in keeping with Voodoom's spirit. I think more than just Motor Drive would qualify for that, it's just a matter of what the suggestions are.
I really haven't seen a single argument that was in favor of nasty plot that didn't overly rely on "it was part of its former identity to get plot boosts." To me, I really don't think Voodoom is a mon where its concept impacts its identity anymore, and furthermore the "receiving plot boosts" part of its identity was a rather minor effect of the concept and not the concept itself. So, I just don't think that the argument holds any real weight.
Part 1: On Nasty Plot
What does Nasty Plot do? At the cost of one set up turn, Voodoom becomes viably strong to compliment its viable speed. As I showed earlier in this thread, Exclaimer's posts about Voodoom's struggle to set up is largely exaggerated. Voodoom usually, but not always, is OHKO by Colo's Guts EQ, which is pretty much the strongest EQ in the unboosted metagame (if you want to call Guts unboosted at least), but even that is irrelevant because Voodoom outspeeds and already OHKOs non AV Colo. Voodoom very much has the ability to set up a Nasty Plot. Which is in part why I believe people are suggesting it as a solution to its problems; if Voodoom couldn't set up, then people wouldn't be talking about it.
Voodoom will likely lose a considerable amount of HP setting up, perhaps to the point where LO might not be the best item anymore due to the increased level of fatigue. I admit this is entirely conjecture, but it stands to reason that NP Voodoom might not use Life Orb and could use a range of items from Z Crystals to STAB boosters. I'll be using calcs with and without Life Orb as a result.
So I know that snake wanted to hold off on discussion of individual coverage, but I think I have to dabble into that topic to even discuss the NP vs Ability split, so please forgive me. Simply put, Nasty Plot and coverage is a huge topic of concern and the two have to be talked together. And I apologize that I'm going to be running around in circles for a tiny bit, so please just bear with me and I'll try to link everything back together.
Let's talk about Voodoom and Tomohawk. A lot of speculation has been voiced that Sludge Bomb Voodoom wouldn't run Psychic anymore so that it could hit fairies better at the cost of not being able to Tomohawk. The simple fact is that Voodoom loses a moveslot with Nasty Plot; it will have to choose Psychic OR -insert new coverage move here-.
Against standard Defensive Hawk, Nasty Plot Psychic Voodoom will win. In fact, Voodoom can even set up on defensive Hawk.
4 SpA Tomohawk Air Slash vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Voodoom: 218-260 (67.7 - 80.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
+2 252 SpA Voodoom Psychic vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Tomohawk: 408-480 (98.5 - 115.9%) -- 87.5% chance to OHKO
Against Offensive Hawk, Voodoom cannot set up and a +0 Psychic fails to KO Tomohawk. However, if assuming that NP Voodoom isn't running LO, which as said above might be a big assumption, then we can see that Voodoom has the potential to run Z Psychic. Which of course KOs Offensive Hawk.
252 SpA Voodoom Shattered Psyche (175 BP) vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Tomohawk: 396-466 (112.8 - 132.7%) -- guaranteed OHKO
(it even can KO defensive hawk after SR, but at that point it is risk/reward if Voodoom wants to set up on defensive hawk or not)
252 SpA Voodoom Shattered Psyche (175 BP) vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Tomohawk: 396-466 (95.6 - 112.5%) -- 75% chance to OHKO
So, I'm going to use this to build a theorymon set for NP Voodoom that hasn't been discussed yet.
Voodoom @ Psychium Z
Ability: Lightning Rod
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Focus Blast
- Dark Pulse
- Psychic
- Nasty Plot
I've already shown how Voodoom defeats Colossoil, so thus far this set beats Colo, Tomo. Let's move onto some other things.
0 SpA Mollux Sludge Wave vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Voodoom: 156-184 (48.4 - 57.1%) -- 92.6% chance to 2HKO
+2 252 SpA Voodoom Shattered Psyche (175 BP) vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Mollux: 456-538 (115.7 - 136.5%) -- guaranteed OHKO
+4 252 SpA Life Orb Voodoom Psychic vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Mollux: 458-541 (116.2 - 137.3%) -- guaranteed OHKO
Voodoom needs to be at +3 with Life Orb in order to KO sp def Mollux or can be a +2 with Z Psychic. Voodoom itself has the ability to take 1 hit and set up against Mollux, meaning to get to +3 it would have to have set up at least once before Mollux came in and still have more than 50% left to take the wave or bomb.
252 Atk Crucibelle-Mega Gunk Shot vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Voodoom: 243-286 (75.4 - 88.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
+2 252 SpA Voodoom Shattered Psyche (175 BP) vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Crucibelle-Mega: 542-638 (153.1 - 180.2%) -- guaranteed OHKO
+2 252 SpA Life Orb Voodoom Psychic vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Crucibelle-Mega: 364-429 (102.8 - 121.1%) -- guaranteed OHKO
This one is a bit of a less interesting match up, as Voodoom has to have set up once before Cruci comes in, but once again, Psychic deals with a relevant mon that Psn coverage Voodoom couldn't deal with.
+2 252 SpA Life Orb Voodoom Dark Pulse vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Fidgit: 352-415 (89.3 - 105.3%) -- 37.5% chance to OHKO
252 SpA Voodoom Shattered Psyche (175 BP) vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Fidgit: 396-466 (100.5 - 118.2%) -- guaranteed OHKO
Z Psychic Voodoom deals with Fidgit before it has the chance to screw Voodoom with speed control. In order for psn coverage Voodoom to accomplish this, it needs to be at +2 before Fidgit comes in and even then win a roll.
I could go on and on, but the assumption that Sludge Bomb invalidates Psychic isn't holding up in my book. What does this mean? Nasty Plot makes Psychic Voodoom quite viable on its own right. There has been a lot of talk about Sludge Bomb Nasty Plot being too OP, and I think I might now agree with that. But it doesn't make it OP just because Sludge Bomb +2 is OP in it's own right, but more of because it creates a guessing game of coverage. Certainly it's not at the level of something like Auru's guessing games, but I think Voodoom with NP + Sludge Bomb puts an unhealthy amount of pressure on the meta. NP Sludge Wave/Bomb has the potential to beat Clefable and Tapu if it uses Life Orb. The number of things that can handle both +2 Psychic and Sludge Bomb (and Voodoom's STABs) is surprisingly small.
Part 2: On Boosting Abilities
Part of the challenge in talking about boosting abilities is that we've so far been blindly throwing out them without discussing them individually in terms of what they can do. So I'll attempt to analyze some of the ones discussed here and in the PS chat. But before that, I just want to say something regarding Lightning Rod; activating it is a lot harder than what some people have suggested. People can see a Voodoom in team preview and automatically know better than to throw electric spam like crazy. With the prevalence of Ground-types in CAP, electric spam already is dangerous and people can play around electric immunities fairly well. Can Lightning Rod work sometimes? Surely. But it's a rare thing when it does work in high level play. The vast majority of the time Voodoom's current abilities will not be activated.
In general, all Boosting Abilities have the main advantages of a) not requiring Voodoom to set up thus allowing it to never lose HP during the turn of setting up and b) allowing Voodoom to run an additional coverage move, essentially guaranteeing Voodoom will use both Psychic and a new coverage move that we will give it here.
Sheer Force: Sheer Force not only gives Voodoom an immediate boost in power across the board, but it also negates its Life Orb allowing its slightly above average bulk to be better utilized.
252 SpA Life Orb Sheer Force Voodoom Psychic vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Fidgit: 343-406 (87 - 103%) -- 18.8% chance to OHKO
Sheer force Voodoom cannot reliably stop Fidgit from setting up with speed control.
252 SpA Life Orb Sheer Force Voodoom Psychic vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Tomohawk: 343-406 (82.8 - 98%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
Sheer Force Voodoom lets it beat Tomohawk more reliably than the current Voodoom, primarily because Tomohawk instantly dies if it had prior damage and Normal Voodoom suffers significant Life Orb damage from Tomohawk's roost stall.
252 SpA Life Orb Sheer Force Voodoom Psychic vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Mollux: 200-237 (50.7 - 60.1%) -- 85.5% chance to 2HKO after Black Sludge recovery
Sheer Force allows Voodoom to 2hko sp def Mollux, something it couldn't do without sheer force (and can't even do with +2 lo).
252 SpA Life Orb Sheer Force Voodoom Psychic vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Crucibelle-Mega: 237-281 (66.9 - 79.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
Unless Mega Crucibelle misses, Life Orb Voodoom loses to Mega Crucibelle.
252 SpA Life Orb Sheer Force Voodoom Sludge Bomb vs. 252 HP / 72+ SpD Clefable: 265-312 (67.2 - 79.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
Clefable still checks Sheer Force Voodoom even if it has Sludge Bomb.
252 SpA Life Orb Sheer Force Voodoom Sludge Bomb vs. 248 HP / 16+ SpD Tapu Fini: 205-244 (59.7 - 71.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
Tapu Fini still checks Sheer Force Voodoom even if it has Sludge Bomb.
252 SpA Life Orb Sheer Force Voodoom Dark Pulse vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Necturna: 328-385 (98.7 - 115.9%) -- 87.5% chance to OHKO
(328, 330, 335, 338, 343, 346, 351, 354, 359, 361, 367, 369, 374, 377, 382, 385)
Sheer Force Voodoom prevents non Colbur Necturna from setting webs.
Overall, I feel the calcs show Sheer Force is not as effective against the Fairies as Nasty Plot is. While it can stop things like Tomohawk and Mollux, it loses the advantage of preventing Fidgit from setting up or beating Mega Crucibelle. As such, I view Sheer Force as less threatening than Nasty Plot, and adding additional coverage in the form of Sludge Bomb or Flash Cannon does not really appear to be overkill at all on Sheer Force Voodoom.
Mega Launcher: Mega Launcher boosts Voodoom's Dark Pulse by 1.5 and gives it a 100% accurate Focus Blast in the form of a boosted Aura Sphere. That is all it does. This essentially means that Dark Pulse is stronger with Mega Launcher than with any other possible ability. Thus, only calcs with Dark Pulse are really relevant. However, I went through the calc trying to find something relevant that it actually hit that mattered. I couldn't find anything. I'm not going to conclude and say something doesn't exist (I only spent 10 min or so looking), but I think Mega Launcher as an ability really doesn't do much. Things that are weak to Dark already fear Voodoom and it doesn't change many 2hkos into 1hkos otherwise.
Now, I know this ability hasn't been discussed a lot, but just throwing it out there more of as something not to use. Flare Boost: Flare Boost is a considerably stronger Life Orb with less recoil while making Voodoom immune to other primary status. It's essentially a +1 at the cost of an item slot. The problem? Life Orb and Sheer Force stack and together are stronger without any recoil being suffered.
Adaptability: Essentially this is a slightly stronger Sheer Force but only works on your STABs and still gives you LO recoil. The difference in power compared to sheer force is something very negligible, at best doing only a a few more percentage points of damage.
Part 3: Briefly Comparing NP to Boosting Abilities
Overall, I feel that Nasty Plot increases Voodoom's viability more than boosting abilities thanks to the less-than-talked about ability for Voodoom to still have the option to use Psychic. However, I think if we choose Nasty Plot over boosting abilities, then our choice of additional coverage becomes much more limited. I do no want a Plot Voodoom with poison coverage, and I'm not sure if it would even need Flash Cannon.
Ultimately, if we go Nasty Plot I would argue against serious new coverage. If we go Sheer Force (realistically the best ability option) then I'd be absolutely fine with more coverage. I don't think one path is "better" than the other, but I feel Nasty Plot is good enough to where we don't need extra move choices whereas Sheer Force is fine with them.
I'll just make a quick little post about coverage, since I was tired last time I posted and I feel I left out a small part. Flash cannon is not the only coverage option I'd be willing to look into for Voodoom. I think looking into several types of normally resisted stab types that have few super effective type matchups for Voodoom is a good thing. Flash cannon has been thrown around for steel, and I have heard talks about thunderbolt as well. I'd like to see us look into several types before decided on a specific move to give it, and as stated earlier, pair this commonly resisted type with Nasty Plot
I personally prefer Nasty Plot over an immediate boosting ability, as not only NP can go a far way into securing a sweep or to crack open a wall for others, but I think it can effectively utilize the Nasty Pass niche currently filled by nothing in the CAP metagame with it, while still maintaining its identity as a Nasty Plot sweeper. Its not that I think immediate boosting abilities are wrong or bad, they just seem like they would be only be good on paper, and fall flat in practice. Then again, with no proof we cannot say that for sure.
At this point, I think we need to take the Nasty Plot vs. Direct Boosting Ability (Sheer Force, Mega Launcher, etc.) to a poll soon. We can't progress without making this decision. Therefore, I'm going to give this discussion another day or two before we get the poll started. Right now, I want the options to be:
Nasty Plot, no Direct Boosting Ability
Direct Boosting Ability, no Nasty Plot
No Change
I'm required to include a "No Change" option in each poll, and having both Nasty Plot and Sheer Force (to the degree of Sheer Force) is excessive. This will be your last chance to post any final thoughts on NP vs. Direct Boosting Ability. If you have any objections to this poll or its options, say them now.
Also, please remember that coverage moves in any capacity should not impact your decision here. Right now we're focusing on how to increase Voodoom's damage output, not how many targets Voodoom hits. We will address Voodoom's coverage immediately following the poll, plus any other sort of competitive additions if anyone wants to suggest them.
Just as a reference, here are possible Direct Boosting Abilities discussed so far: Adaptability
Sheer Force
Mega Launcher
Flare Boost (mentioned once)
If I missed something, please mention it for others.
As far as Nasty Plot versus Direct Boosting Ability goes, we are basically deciding if Voodoom will become a special set up sweeper with 3 attacks, or an all out attacker with 4 attacks or 3 attacks plus a utility move. Some people are also discussing which applies to the essence of Voodoom. Direct Boosting Ability applies to the essence of what it is now, an immediate special attacker. Nasty Plot caters to the essence of what Voodoom was, as it would receive a special attack boost from a teammate who had already set up for them. In the case of Nasty Plot, Voodoom would be setting up for itmself.
Unfortunately this creates a divide based on what people believe is the essence of Voodoom...
I am in favor of Nasty Plot, as I really enjoy the idea of catering to what Voodoom once was. As a minor side note, I also like the potential of the set.
I was in favor of the Direct Boosting Ability, but now I think that it may be too much considering that it will be used with Life Orb or even a Choice Scarf.
Also you need to consider:
- Voodoom can use Vacuum Wave and Close Combat, both boosted by Adaptability
- Sheer Force: Voodoom has 105 SpA, Landorus-I 115. Despite I think the first can be in normal conditions a perfect valor for the tier, the speed can be to high for it
- Mega Launcher boosts only Dark Pulse and grants perfect Focus Blast
- Flare Boost needs of a turn to activate
In the end, I'm for Nasty Plot or Flare Boost (because removes the scarf option)
I absolutely think Nasty Plot is the way to go here. A boosting ability really does nothing to give Voodoom an identity. It would just be a generic attacker, and still not a very impressive one at that. There are plenty of special attackers at the same or higher speed, but with more power. A boosting ability might help put it ahead of some of these Pokemon, but probably not enough to make a big difference. What Voodoom really needs to shine is Nasty Plot. There are only 4 (legal) Pokemon at similar levels or higher in both SpA and Spe with access either Nasty Plot or the even more powerful Tail Glow: Azelf, Salazzle, Syclant and Thundurus-I. While you can easily look at the list of all fast and powerful special attackers and find numerous Pokemon that would always have advantages over Voodoom, even with it having a more offensive ability, only a small number have even the potential of packing the punch that Voodoom could with Nasty Plot, and that is what would give it a niche.
And lets not undersell Voodoom's ability to actually set up. While its bulk may not be amazing, it is more than bulky enough to take a hit from many things. And its nice Electric immunity would give it extra opportunities similar Pokemon might not get, especially if it nabs a Lightningrod boost and becomes more threatening and thus more likely to force a switch.
I think the question of direct boosting ability vs Nasty Plot is an issue of risk management as well as an issue of principle.i
If you want Voodoom to be clearly, absolutely better, a reliable contributor in each game you use it, A- viability at worst, go with a direct boosting ability. You can bring it in on nearly anything slower, and basically work with it the same way you would with Hoopa-U. It's a strong stand-alone choice, and it's hard to go wrong with it. If we're talking about effectiveness, I have little question that giving Sheer Force to Voodoom would be more effective than Nasty Plot in the long run. You 2HKO Chansey, you come close enough to OHKOing Tomohawk that even a little prior damage will doom it, you have an 85% chance of 2HKOing Mollux even without Stealth Rock. What concerns me is that I want Voodoom to be viable, but I don't want it to be another Aurumoth, a Pokemon we have to "fix" again at the start of the next generation. Even without additional coverage options, the Life Orb Sheer Force calcs are painful.
Nasty Plot Voodoom is riskier, no question about it. It's immediate power is the same that it is now, which is to say not very great. Its boosted power is incredible, though, so I'd say the set-up turn is worth it when you can find it. For all the talk about "Fairies" in the abstract, only Unaware Clefable truly walls Nasty Plot Voodoom even without a Poison attack; I would argue that Psychium Z is the best item for Nasty Plot Voodom, since +0 Shattered Psyche has a 68% chance of OHKOing defensive Tomohawk from full even with Timid, while OHKOing Tapu Bulu and severely damaging Tapu Fini at +2. Nasty Plot Voodoom has game-changing power, but it is does require set-up, which while obtainable using Voodoom's serviceable defenses, is not automatic. It is also noticeably easier to revenge kill. These are positives, as Voodoom therefore has strong viability without removing all reasonable counterplay, as a direct boosting ability threatens to do.
Finally, Nasty Plot is simply Voodoom as it is now with a boost. It still cooperates with Flying types (Tomohawk certainly likes it), discourages Scarf Plasmanta, and plays only a little differently than before. A direct boosting ability makes Voodoom more of a solo player, which in my mind strays a bit from the consistency principles we would like to uphold. Nasty Plot is not as guaranteed to be successful as a direct boosting ability is, but it is also much less likely to make Voodoom overpowered. Nasty Plot is also the more conservative options, so I am fully in support of Nasty Plot as the preferable option.
After looking at calcs, I am additionally convinced that Voodoom does not need a Poison move, whichever option we choose.
Nasty Plot wins the poll! This means that Voodoom will be receiving Nasty Plot and not an ability akin to Sheer Force, Mega Launcher, etc.
That said, I'd like to finish up Ability discussion before we get into coverage. I don't want this to last more than 24 to 48 hours, but if discussion is still rolling, I'll extend the deadline. If Voodoom needs another ability, this is the time to say so. However, I'm going to discourage discussion on the following abilities:
Sheer Force
Magic Guard
Mega Launcher
Flare Boost
Adaptability
Technician
Other Abilities that give a direct, easily exploitable boost to Voodoom's offenses
Other Generically Good Abilities
What this means is that generally any ability discussed here needs to be a conditional ability (similar to Lightning Rod), where Voodoom doesn't have complete control over it. Make sure you back up your posts with calcs and other evidence. Of course, no competitive option is a choice, and we can give Voodoom a flavor Hidden Ability.
I'm gonna stick to my guns. Now that we've allowed Nasty Plot, I suggest we just keep Lightning Rod / Volt Absorb and add a flavor ability. This'll allow us more wiggle room when it comes time to discuss specific coverage moves.
Scrappy can be a good idea if you want it Mega Sableye super effectively.
Also Technician boosts the power of Vacuum Wave (but you need to sacrifice a coverage move or NP).
Both abilities are not so relevant over Lightning Rod beacuse are for specific cases.
Technician gives you a pseudo Sludge Bomb with Hidden Power Poison (or of course any 90BP move you want) so I really don't think that Tech is the right way to go with this. Scrappy doesn't help too much, barring letting you hit Sableye and easing up prediction especially with a choice item, but I think flavor abilities should be even more situational than this and flavor is definitely what we should be aiming for. Something like Unnerve or Synchronize would fit into this category nicely I would say.
Technician gives you a pseudo Sludge Bomb with Hidden Power Poison (or of course any 90BP move you want) so I really don't think that Tech is the right way to go with this. Scrappy doesn't help too much, barring letting you hit Sableye and easing up prediction especially with a choice item, but I think flavor abilities should be even more situational than this and flavor is definitely what we should be aiming for. Something like Unnerve or Synchronize would fit into this category nicely I would say.
The goal of this discussion is to understand if we can give another ability in the place of Volt Absorb, since it's outclassed by Lightning Rod.
That's why I suggested an ability that help against a single pokemon.
About Technician, you may have right since it can give a boosted coverage against fairies and dragons (hp ice)
