Just got home from a job and I see there's a TON of stuff to analyze. I think for now I'm just going to Like an comment on posts (especially since I got over 15 pages to read):
Actually first I'm amazed to see some comments have over 40 Likes! That's deserving of some kind of badge. :P
So... final starter evolutions confirmed?
Seems like it as that does really look like Mallow (not to mention their boiling a pot of water on Litten's final evo and Mallow is a cook. Does this also mean Mallow may become Ash's travelling companion for the Alola anime?). I'm okay with Rowlet's final evo, it's just the other two which sort of bother me.
At least Litten's is Fire/Dark instead of Fire/Fighting despite the wrestler theme. Still, I don't get why the wrestler theme and not having it be part Fighting. There wasn't a better way to represent a Fire/Dark type than a heel wrestler?
As for Popplio, I suppose its mid evolution could maybe make the transition make some sense. It goes from a circus performer seal(ion) to a siren? Where's the connection (aside both having a vague relation to being a performer, though its two different kinds of performances)?
Which does bring to mind a few certain humorous situations.
Magikarp used Hydro Vortex!
Too bad Magikarp doesn't know a Water-type move. Though it might be able to use the Normal or Flying-type super move if the Z-Move doesn't require the user to be the same type...
Guys, you don't understand. The new Exeggutor is based on TCG art from 1999.
I also thought of the
Pokemon on Valencia Island in the anime.
I just realized something: how the heck does Alola Vulpix evolve? Sandshrew evolves by level up and Exeggcute using a leaf stone would still make sense. But Vulpix uses a Fire Stone to evolve.
Dawn Stone? Icy Rock (Greninja'd, but still thought of it before seeing the comment)?
I wonder - are totem Pokémon going to be catchable? I mean, they're clearly not the same as standard wild Pokémon, but the only other time we couldn't catch a (technically) wild Pokémon was when Ghetsis's staff was interfering during the BW2 battle with Kyurem.
Going to guess no. GF is really shaking up the formula here so having wild, uncatchable "boss" Pokemon wouldn't surprise me.
Given how Protect heavy Doubles tends to be, it wouldn't surprise me if all Z-Moves broke Protect.
What about using a move that makes the user semi-invulnerable like Fly, Dig, Dive, or Shadow Force?
So functionally, Z-moves are essentially "Mega moves". But read this...
Key Items for Z-Moves
The Z-Ring fits on a Trainer’s arm, and Z-Crystals are set into it. If a Pokémon holds the same variety of Z-Crystal, the two will be able to resonate with one another. Crystals that correspond to each Pokémon type have been found in the Alola region.
According to the in-universe flavor, you need to keep a crystal in your bracelet, AND have your Pokemon hold an identical crystal, so they can match up and do the move. But if you remember from gen 6, a "Key Stone" was a thing that the characters wore to match up with the Pokemon's held Mega Stone. The player characters wore these in a bracelet as well.
Is it possible that you would have to choose between having a Mega or a Z-move on your team, because your character can only store 1 item in their bracelet at once? Or will they throw out the flavor logic and let you do both (maybe like the XY NPCs who stored their keystones in other jewelry not on their arms)?
Well wasn't their an image of the Z-Ring having a circle spot on the back of it that looks like the perfect size for a Key Stone? I want to say I don't think they would limit you, but GF is being very random that I don't know. You'd think giving a Pokemon an option of a Z-Move would combo nicely with another holding a Mega Stone so you'll now have 2 aces... but to GF is that one ace too many?
Does anybody else find the Totem Gumshoos summoning that Yungoos hilarious? It literally just comes falling out the sky and crashes to the ground with a grin. I'm laughing to myself at home and feeling like an idiot.
Well Donald Trumgoose always said he has created many jobs...
Nah. These "alolan" pokemon will evolve naturally into thier Alolan forms. If you want their orignal forms, you're going to have to transfer them. You can see this in the JP footage.
That doesn't mean they won't have a different evolution method. Honestly the Alola version of old Pokemon are essentially new Pokemon just using an old Pokemon as the basis.
hype hype hype hype
maths guy here with some base HP stats! (credit to smogon's calculator for helping me with this)
long Eggy - normally 95 base HP, now 91-107
Vulpix - normally 38, now 27-43
Ninetails - normally 73, now 63-78
^all of those are in range of the normal base HP
tl;dr - Alolan forms most likely have the same base stats as their regular forms.*
*obviously this is speculation
Maybe just for the HP stat, like how Mega Pokemon don't change HP. And yes, I know Zygarde increases HP but that looks to be a special case. Their might be a reason outside of battles to keep HP the same like possibly for breeding purposes.
The thing is: It's still probably a bit early to assume that gyms are confirmed out, imo. The Island Challenge could be something done alongside the gyms.
Indeed, once again lack of news doesn't mean it's not still there, it's just not getting focus. Of course this technically means Synchro is still a possibility...
Apparently the Japanese site explicitly mentions there are more than 4 Captains. Getting 8 is likely.
Actually I was going to mention if each island has a Captain and a Kahuna, that's your 8 Gym-like bosses right there. Course what happens after beating all the Kahunas?
Kiawe is a captain whose expertise is in Fire-type Pokémon. Together with his Marowak
Marowak Alola form is a fire type
And I bet it'll be base on a
fire dancer (especially since Kiawe is a dance practitioner). (Greninja'd, but still thought of it before seeing the comment)
So, Oricorio got me wanting to look up what moves would fall under the purview of a dancing move. All together this includes:
Swords Dance
Petal Dance
Rain Dance
Feather Dance
Teeter Dance
Dragon Dance
Lunar Dance
Quiver Dance
Fiery Dance
Barring any Dance moves lost in translation I'm not aware of. Oricorio killing itself with Lunar Dance sounds hilarious.
I think it'll just stick to the status dances so Petal Dance and Fiery Dance is out. Lunar Dance self-KO still possible though.
I find the idea of Alola Forms really awesome, actually. I had advocated for something similar once (
based on some Pokémon expressing area-exclusive pattern changes in the Anime), but I always thought it was going to be purely cosmetic. Instead, we find Game Freak once again using new mechanics to breathe new relevance into old-and-almost-discarded Pokémon.
The idea of complete type changes with Forms is also a good one, but I thought that was the stuff they'd use Mega Evolutions for. Tying Forms to hold items means complete flexibility with Form changes, with different Mega Stones adding different typings to the same Pokémon (As seen with Charizard and Mewtwo). Instead, they did the same in a completely different way, robbing Megas of that purpose. Oh well, I guess it could still be a thing. And either way, I'm all for Game Freak making old Pokémon relevant again. It keeps the "backlog" fresh, and reduces the need to constantly create more Pokémon. Here's hoping the Alola Forms also envelope some later-generation Pokémon. Since they weren't "refreshed" by Hidden Abilities, introduced after the "ban" on cross-generation evolutions, and almost forgotten in the Mega department, Gen V Pokémon in particular are due for some spruce-up.
I also had a similar idea, inspired from the Delta/Holon Pokemon. However I only had them change type instead of appearance, stats, and Abilities too (also I stuck to what type you could see them changing into, never would I have though of making the Vulpix or Sandshrew family Ice-type).
This one was telegraphed, so pokedex entries actually matter now?
Extreme Speed excavalier when?
I more imagine it might be the designers reading through dex entries and taking inspiration from them instead of making them matter.
Just curious if Z-crystals could be knocked off or not......
Mega Stones can't be knocked off so probably not.
Yeah and those dancing birds are also fire, grass, electric, and water. Oh wait.
Captains are Grass, Fire, Water Electric.
Oricorio is part Fire, Electric, Ghost, Psychic.
I'd say there's no reason they can't combine types, like maybe having Grass/Ghost and Water/Psychic (or Grass/Psychic and Water/Ghost). Since neither grouping has the Fairy-typing but the Electric maybe that type (and Fire) will be free to have a secondary type of its choosing (hoping for another Fire/Dragon).
My main problem with the new forms is that they don't exist anywhere else. Like hoenn and sinnoh yield some of the same Pokemon in the same form despite their drastically different climates. So the continuity is kinda broken, even in the new timeline.
But the thing with Alola is that its a secluded island chain far from any mainland. Hoenn is most likely close to the Kanto/Johto/Sinnoh regions that the Pokemon don't change that much. The Alola Pokemon are largly separated from their main stream relatives, thus giving them the unique opportunity to change.
*Watch as Sinnoh remakes come out and have "Sinnoh" versions of other region Pokemon*
Oh, the internet is LOVING Alola Exeggutor.
I can't be the only one who thought this when I saw the hair?
Here.
does anyone think the new professor is cute ._.
Not cute per se...
PHEW! Okay, got through 10 pages. 7 more to go... for later.