CAP 12 CAP 1 - Topic Leader Nominations

[Deck Knight]

This is the thread for people to announce their desire to be the Topic Leader for the upcoming creation project. Do not suggest other people. If someone doesn't strongly desire to be a Topic Leader without provocation, then we don't need them signing up for the job. Topic Leader is not an honorary title. It requires a lot of work and attention. If you are not prepared to fulfill all the responsibilities, then do not throw your hat in the ring.

Topic leaders should have the following qualifications:

• Deep knowledge of the game of Pokemon
• Familiarity with competitive Pokemon concepts, strategy and philosophy, as practiced within Smogon
• Willing to voice opinions and lead others
• Open-minded to new ideas
• Creative, "outside-of-the-box" thinker
• Good writing skills
• Level-headed when resolving disputes
• Liked and respected by the CAP community

Once CAP 11 starts, the Topic Leader will be the most important, most visible member of the CAP community, and is expected to be a strong guiding force throughout the creation process. If you are selected, you will have a great deal of power to influence the project. But you also have a responsibility to stay on top of things. You will have forum moderators and an assistant to help you sometimes, but you need to be regularly active on the project until it is complete. All potential candidates should look through the Topic Leadership Guide, to get an idea of what will be expected of you, if you are selected to be the CAP 1 Topic Leader.

Furthermore, the Topic Leader will select at least one other person to guide him or her as an Assistant Topic Leader (ATL). The Assistant Topic Leader has responsibilities and powers outlined in the Active ATL Guide. Be aware that even if you are not selected as the Topic Leader you may still have a very large bully pulput to steer the project.

To avoid confusion -- Topic Leader nominees will automatically be considered applicants for the CAP 1 Policy Review Committee, after the Topic Leader vote is complete. See the Policy Review Committee Application thread for more information regarding the Policy Review Committee.

This thread is strictly for candidacy posts, and posts supporting those candidates. Please stay on topic.

Here are the guidelines for posting in this thread:

• Candidates must have been actively involved through the entire duration of the most recent CAP project (CAP 11, Voodoom). Involvement in multiple CAP projects is strongly preferred.
• Do not suggest other people. If you want to encourage someone else to run, then send them a PM.
• If you are new to the CAP project, don't bother signing up to be a Topic Leader. Lurk more.
• Include a summary of your involvement in the CAP project.
• Make a pitch for why you should be selected. If you can't present and defend yourself, then how can you expect to lead a project whose primary function is discussion and debate? Convince us that you are a good choice. Emphasize how you exemplify the qualifications listed above.
• Poor spelling, punctuation, and grammar are great ways to look like an uneducated idiot. It's not a great way to look like a thoughtful, intelligent, community leader.
• Even if you don't think you are better qualified than certain other candidates, you still should consider posting a candidacy. Candidates not selected as the TL for this project, will be on the "watch list" by the community for next time. Don't post your name if you don't intend to be active in the project, even if you are not selected. Like I said, if you post here, people will be scrutinizing your involvement more closely in the future.
• Feel free to post support for any candidates already named. Please back up why you are supporting a candidate with some reasoning though.
• Please do not post disparaging remarks about any candidates.

If these rules are not followed by all posters, the offenders will be moderated.

 

[Wyverii]

Hello I'm Wyverii, CaP moderator and artist. I've been with the project since CaP 3 (Pyroak) and have been active within each project since. I have since then grown a deep connection to both CaP's history and community so it gives me great joy to find that the people and resources nessessary to spur CaPs rebirth into the 5th generation has come together.

Now you might ask what a person who's primary talent is art doing submitting for topic leadership. Well the answer is simple, sensitivity to the community. One thing both successful artists and moderators share is the ability to listen to the people and sort what are valid concerns and opinions from the uninformed. I think this particular talent will be pivotal to the success of our first gen 5 CaP. To me a true TL is one that can really work with the community. Simple as that.

Now I'm not trying to say I have no competitive knowledge whatsoever. That'd be silly. It would be extremely hard for me to decipher anything anybody says here if I didn't know how something as simple as a tank role worked. I do have all the basic knowledge nessessary to be able to formulate my own opinions and stratagies for each metagame. What I don't have is the experience gained from constant battle with competitive players. This puts me in a strange position where I can't do much on my own but it also makes me unbiased. This becomes even more important when you consider how unstable the current generation is.

As for myself I consider myself a patient and fair person. I'm also not above legitimate scrutiny from others. Fair, however, does not mean pushover in this case. I can and will defend myself and crack down on any popular but silly ideas. I'm not afraid to be the bad guy if it comes down to it. I will also have plenty time for this CaP and there will be almost no way I will disappear without warning. I'm sure others can attest to my character if need be.

That's it from me. I am absolutely sure that whoever makes it to TL will have the strength and endurance to keep things going smoothly. If not we have a wonderful community to fall back on. Lets enter the new gen with a positive outlook and lots of energy!

 

[reachzero]

I, reachzero, would like to step forward as a candidate for Topic Leader.

I have been heavily involved with the CAP project since CAP 9 (Colossoil) and somewhat involved since CAP 7 (Kitsunoh), mostly on the competitive side of the project. Although I have submitted concepts and stat spreads before, most of my participation has been through the discussion phases, and the post-process playtesting.

I am extremely familiar with nearly all aspects of competitive Pokemon. I have extensively played all metagames that are currently played competitively, with the exceptions of 5th Generation Little Cup and 1st and 2nd Generation OU. I have had extensive experience in both CAP playtesting and the full CAP metagame, so I believe I also have a good understanding of how the introduction of a new Pokemon causes the metagame to shift. I feel that it is very important for a good Topic Leader to have a strong grasp of competitive Pokemon--several CAPs have turned out to be overpowered relative to their metagame (Colossoil, Arghonaut, Stratagem), and a few have been underwhelming (Pyroak, Cyclohm). While not a guarantee, I believe a high level of competitive experience gives a TL an edge in terms of understanding how a controversial move or ability will affect the overall power level of that Pokemon and its impact on the metagame.

Topic Leadership is as leadership-intensive as the title suggests, and I have extensive leadership experience, both personally and in the area of competitive Pokemon. As a pastor in real life, managing people through difficult and at times contentious situations is what I am trained to do. Knowing when to follow public opinion and when to take a stand is one of the most difficult aspects of leadership in general, and a particularly important one with regard to CAP. I have a great deal of experience with making such decisions. Moreover, I served as one of the leaders of the tiering process for DPP UU, a process that eventually led to a balanced metagame. I am currently serving as one of the members of the "brain trust" managing the tiering process for Generation 5 Standard play. I am very accustomed to managing controversies related to competitive Pokemon.

I believe I have what it takes to be a successful TL, but I am confident that the other candidates will be excellent choices in their own right! 5th Generation brings us a very different metagame to explore, and I believe this CAP could potentially be one of the most interesting ones yet!

 

[Deck Knight]

What the heck, I'm also throwing in.

Hello everyone, it's Deck Knight again.

I've been part of the CAP Process since the very beginning. Over that time I've made tons of submissions in almost every facet and have a record of success that is nearly unparalleled. I listen to the community and its concerns, and wherever I can I try and reflect them through my vision. One thing I never change is that I must have a vision in order to make a submission. Elements of it are subject to change, but at its core it has to have a function and purpose. I never put up any submission that does not have my complete confidence.

It is these qualities: vision, discernment, and confidence that I believe led to my eventual moderation of the CAP forum. In addition to my official duties I have also kept the CAP Forum going during its hiatus, trying to provide a constant presence even during technical downtime between generations.

Beyond that I was the Assistant Topic Leader in CAP 11, Voodoom, and when Fuzznip left I took over as the Topic Leader to finish it up. While it wasn't a perfect mate for Togekiss, it did make a powerful offensive offensive partner with Zapdos instead. Not quite the result intended, but instructive nonetheless.

I have not delved that deeply into 5th Generation battling yet, though I intend to get more involved after BWs US release. It's tough for me to get excited about something I can't hold in my hands or test for myself. Nonetheless I have playtested a team or two and have kept aware of the major threats, discussions, and rules changes.

My leadership qualities are also well regarded. My most recent project is the CAP ASB Subforum, which admittedly was kind of a time-filler since we still had technical difficulties even a few months after 5th Gen's release and the transfer over to Pokemon Online. Nonetheless it has grown quite a bit in the week its been up, and will eventually become self-sufficient. While I am dedicated to it, I am more dedicated to the CAP process and have been for its two years (and more) of existence. I strive to make myself as available as humanly possible for anyone with concerns or questions.

tl;dr, I have spent a great deal of time in the trenches of CAP and believe I am more than suitably qualified for the position of Topic Leader. I wish good luck to to all of my fellow nominees.