Judge a Pokémon Express: New Paradox Pokémon
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heritage
Welcome to this edition's Judge a Pokémon Express! This time, we're going over two new Paradox Pokémon that were teased in the Scarlet and Violet books from the games prior, Walking Wake and Iron Leaves! While they turned out to be quite different than the sketches, plenty of people ended up liking them. What do our panelists have to say?
| Walking Wake | Iron Leaves |
| Click on the images to reveal everyone's thoughts! | |
Pikachu315111
I feel Walking Wake supports the theory that Paradox Pokémon aren’t from a different time but rather creations of the “Disk Pokémon” from people's imaginations. How else would Suicune, a Pokémon that was created, have an ancient ancestor, let alone one that more resembles a theropod instead of quadruped mammal carnivora? Don’t get me wrong, it looks pretty cool; solid STAB typing with only two weaknesses, and can’t go wrong with a speedy special attacker with decent defenses. Hydro Steam is a quirky Water-type move that adds on to you wanting ancient Paradox Pokémon on sun teams. Though I am disappointed it’s just a Paradox Suicune instead of a fusion of the Legendary Beasts like we saw in the Scarlet Book; I guess they either couldn’t agree on typing or came up with the theropod idea and decided to keep things simple.
Band
DINO
churine
Suicune is one of the three Pokémon revived by Ho-Oh when the Brass Tower in Johto burned down 150 years ago. So that begs the question, why is there a Suicune variant from millions of years ago? Is it that Ho-Oh simply revived the Pokémon to be a Suicune, that Suicune already existed before in-universe? Perhaps, but whatever your headcanon is, it doesn't change the fact that this ancient form is kind of goofy looking. It's even funnier considering that Suicune is a mammal but this has reptilian characteristics to service a Water / Dragon-type. This Pokémon brings in far too many questions more than answers, such as why does it exist, where did it come from, what defines a Dragon-type, will it break OU, why do the design books in-game depict a far different design with elements of all three beasts, and more. I suppose it does have a cool signature Water-type move that gets boosted in harsh sunlight, which is cool; I'd like to see a Fire-type equivalent for rain in the future.
Shadowshocker
Walking Wake took some getting used to—not because I think the design is bad, because if they needed to tack on vaguely prehistoric, reptilian motifs to the Scarlet Paradoxes, this was a pretty good way to go about it. Changing the aurora wisps to menacing spiky tails, paired with Suicune's purple cascade, certainly gave the old staple of previous generations a new spin. The idea of a Water attack that gets boosted by sunny weather is likewise a solid twist that I'm disappointed hasn't been tried by the other Paradoxes. No, I'd say the biggest issue I have with Walking Wake is the fact that it looks nothing like the Scarlet Book sketch, which would have been an impressive look at the Johto beasts and makes actual Walking Wake almost a pale shadow in comparison.
Neko
Walking Wake storms Tera raids faster than a storm's surge, surprising us with its reptilian design that towers over its feline counterpart. The much-sought-out Water/Dragon Pokémon dons a mane that puts Flutter's...Mane to shame. The typing itself is surprisingly apt, as Suicune is based on a Qilin, which is draconic deer, with a mane and scales; with Dragon Pokémon usually being mythical and scaly, this completes the link on the mystery of Walking Wake's design. Competitively, Waking Wake blows us out of the Water with it being a excellent Water-type attacker that works well on and against sun teams while still making waves outside of those team compositions. The catgon might not be the fusion I had hoped for, but Game Freak's ability to derive another design from a pre-existing concept of a Pokémon makes me look forward to what they can do with the other, dated forms of Pokémon.
Pikachu315111
A common complaint I have with Future Paradox Pokémon is that most are just robot versions of the Pokémon they’re based on; sadly Iron Leaves continues this disappointment. But it didn’t need to; it didn’t change body shape like Walking Wake di,d so why not use the fused Sword of Justice concept in the Violet Book to give it some originality? Sure, its lights can extend into blades, but they look like someone just stretched them out in an image editor. Aside from its stats being good for a speedy physical attacker, its typing isn’t all that great (especially for a physical attacker), and Psyblade doesn’t quite have the same synergy that Hydro Steam has (a Grass-type signature move might have been a better option). That said, I had a more difficult time catching it than Walking Wake, BUT then again I used Miraidon (holding a Clear Amulet) against that, while for Iron Leaves I was eventually able to get by with my starter, Skeledirge (holding a Spell Tag).
Band
At first, I preferred the Violet Paradox exclusives and didn't mind that they were basically robot versions of already exisiting Pokémon, but the novelty kinda wore off after the first batch. I still think Iron Leaves's model looks good in-game; the people in charge nailed the metallic look and the transparent parts where it looks like we can see their "blood" is a really cool touch, but really, it's just a robot Virizion, which is especially disappointing because the Violet book version is quite a bit better than the same-y robot Paradox versions we've been getting. As much as this sounds contradicting, I still hope we get to see robot versions of Cobalion, Terrakion and maybe even Keldeo, which could lead to a fusion of all main three or one that involves Keldeo, but for now, Iron Leaves is just kinda meh.
churine
This Pokémon follows suit of the other future Paradox Pokémon by having Iron at the start of its name, which has been kind of boring. I suppose they all have very samey names because these future forms all look similar to each other. The ancient forms at least feel like they incorporated more unique design elements even if they also feel similar and brutish, but here, it's like the developers slapped a Metal Coat onto their contemporary versions, sent them to the supervisor, and then they happen to all become mechanical versions of the same design. Perhaps what exacerbates these sentiments is that the design from the books in-game depicts a more unique appearance of this Pokémon, with the entire trio incorporated in some way, only for the actual design to just be a mechanized Virizion; why lead us on like that? Paradox Pokémon in general are not something I'm a huge fan of, more due to expanding the pool of high-BST Pokémon and power creep, but they could at least feel less tropey and more natural. I suppose they are giving Virizion more notoriety, which is pretty nice to see still.
Aaronboyer
Iron Leaves is just another entry on a laundry list of disappointing Paradox Pokémon with mechanical bodies that aren't Steel type. Game Freak really threw some sparkly pink sections onto its design and made it part Psychic type; because its pink, it must be Psychic type. I do enjoy its design, however, especially its neck, which I suppose could be used to extend and reach new heights or for attacking. I am confused why Virizion in particular got a new Paradox version, especially since Suicune is technically a box cover legendary for Pokémon Crystal. That being said, Virizion probably is the most forgotten Sword of Justice, so giving it some extra love and attention especially from newer Pokémon fans doesn't hurt, and Iron Leaves does have one of the better-looking designs of all the Iron Paradox Pokémon. Please just keep it away from U-turn...
Shadowshocker
Okay, okay, I'll admit it. If there was a point where I'd have to say "Scarlet team keeps winning", Iron Leaves might be it. I don't mind the fact that Violet's Paradoxes are by and large robot versions of original Pokémon, but they could certainly have afforded a few more gimmicks with their tech, surely? Iron Bundle has its spring neck. Iron Hands has its floating propulsion palms. Was it too much to ask for rocket boots for the classiest musketeer? I think it's funny that Game Freak took the defensive member of each legendary trio and turned them into sweepers, but I cannot imagine what a Psychic move boosted by Electric Terrain is meant to accomplish either. Iron Leaves just feels like an underdeveloped idea that at least isn't the mishmash of anatomy that was the Musketeer monster mash, which I think just looks awkward compared to Scarlet's impressive chimera.
Neko
Iron Leaves follows the tradition of Violet's paradoxes being too confined, typical of mass-manufactured robots modern times have wrought. Having Iron in its name, being a robot version of Virizion, and utilizing the signature digitized eyes, Iron Leaves are possibly mass produced in future Paldea as part of the Robot Police force in the future. After all, the contemporary Virizion's claim to fame as an excellent battler and protector, coupled with its sleek form makes it a great choice for that role. Like most future Paradoxes, seeing Iron Leaves in action makes cooler than just looking at a sprite, as its extendable blades from its "scarf" in its Psyblade animation is much cooler than Walking Wake's primordial energy blasts. Competitively, its yet another Grass / Psychic type, but its status as a physical attacker with workable coverage and decent Speed makes it unique but not as amazing as Walking Wake. In contrast to Walking Wake, I think the Iron Leaves fusion found in the Violet book would be cooler, with the lore behind it being the perfected form of the Swords of Justice. Picking and giving the best traits to certain living beings is something people already do, and such a fusion would have broke the monotony of future Paradoxes being just robots with Iron Valiant.
heritage
Thank you for joining us for this edition of Judge A Pokémon Express! We hope you enjoyed reading our panelists' opinions. Scarlet truly does stay winning. See you next time!
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