*cough* KOTORA *cough*
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(Little) Things that annoy you in Pokémon
- Thread starter BriarRose
- Start date
They are middle stage bug Pokémon so random objects/ polyhedrons are better than another cocoon.
Hard disagree with both you and Codraroll. Object inspiration can be blatant as all hell and I wouldn't care. I put much more importance in if the object and animal share features that were got combined in the final Pokemon design.
Dottler is a combination of a ladybug pupa and a radome. This is a ladybug pupa:
and this is a radome:
Both are rounded yet angular, and both have spots.
Charjabug isn't based on any kind of pupa in particular, but mandibles are family's defining feature (I suspect Vikavolt was designed first by combining a stag beetle and a railgun, then they decided to keep the mandibles as a constant). This is a 9-volt battery:
and this is a car battery:
The terminals work as mandibles, and having Charjabug be a battery means it can have an interesting relationship with Vikavolt (spare power). And while real stag beetles (and probably some other insects with Pokemon based after them) don't look like lumps in their pupal stage (unlike butterflies and moths, whose forms are the shapes people most commonly associate with pupae, and which Game Freak has used for all their pupa Pokemon even when it doesn't fit), be glad that they don't use what they actually look like as inspiration, because they look disgusting. Google "stag beetle pupa" at your own risk.
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Wow, I was not expecting the Normal-type discussion to explode like this.
What? No. Well I was, but then I realized I'd probably list a lot of them being Fighting or Ground-type which was boring.
I think I agree with this the most. Normal-type a lot of the time is the "unspecified" Type either because the Pokemon is lacking an element, if it does have a secondary Type has a "lesser/held back" trait about it when compared to a Pokemon that's a pure Type of its secondary Type, or has a gimmick of some kind where not having a more complicated Type is ideal. It's not committing to any direction because they've essentially made it the "default" Type, the Type they go to when they don't have a clear Type for a Pokemon concept.
Hmm... what about having Normal-types have a mechanic involving stat changes where, going with it being a "default" Type, it tries to return to being at 0 changes?
Debuffs: When a Normal-types stat is lowered, next turn any stat that has been lowered increases by +1 stage until that stat is back at 0.
Buffs: When a Normal-types stat is raised, if that stat isn't increased again on the next turn then on the turn after it'll decrease by -1 stage until that stat is back at 0 (though it'll paused doing so for one turn if at any time that stat is raised again).
EDIT: OKAY, OKAY, bad idea!
Wow, I was not expecting the Normal-type discussion to explode like this.
What? No. Well I was, but then I realized I'd probably list a lot of them being Fighting or Ground-type which was boring.
NOTE 1: For the Gen I families I'm not going to type any of them Dark, Steel, or Fairy as those Types didn't exist back then; in addition won't use the Fairy-type until Gen VII.
NOTE 2: Also for the Gen I through III families I'm going to keep in mind Types were category locked and so take that into account.
Ratatta family: Poison
Meowth family: Fighting
Lickitung family: Water
Chansey family: Psychic
Kangaskhan: Fighting/Ground
Tauros: Ground
Ditto: Water
Eevee: Ground
Porygon family: Electric (maybe also Bug)
Snorlax family: Ground/Poison
Sentret family: Ground
Aipom: Dark
Dunsparce: Ground/Poison
Teddiursa family: Fighting
Stantler: Psychic
Smeargle: Psychic
Miltank: Grass
Zigzagoon: Electric
Slakoth family: Fighting
Whismur family: Steel
Skitty family: Grass
Spinda: Psychic
Zangoose: Dark/Steel
Castform: Flying
Kecleon: Dragon
Bidoof family: Water
Buneary family: Fighting
Glameow family: Poison
Regigigas: Ground/Fighting
Arceus: Psychic
Patrat family: Ground
Lillipup family: Ground
Audino: Psychic
Minccino family: Ground
Bouffalant: Fighting
Bunnelby family: Ground
Furfrou: Fairy
Yungoos family: Fighting
Type: Null family: Steel
Komala: Grass
Skwovet family: Grass
Wooloo family: Steel
Obviously Pokemon which have a secondary Type would be that secondary Type, though some additional changes I'd make with them:
Jigglypuff family: Flying/Fairy (pure Flying for Gen I)
Farfetch'd: Flying/Grass
Doduo family: Flying/Ground
Hoothoot family: Flying/Psychic
Girafarig: Psychic/Dark
Azurill: Water/Fairy (pure Water in Gen III)
Staraptor: Flying/Fighting
Deerling family (Summer): Water/Grass
Deerling family (Autumn): Flying/Grass
Deerling family (Winter): Ice/Grass
Rufflet family: Flying/Fighting
Fletchling: Fire/Flying
Pikipek family: Flying/Steel
Stufful family: Fairy/Fighting
Drampa: Ghost/Dragon
Alolan Rattata family: Poison/Dark
Galarian Zigzagoon family: Electric/Dark
Indeedee: Psychic/Fairy
NOTE 2: Also for the Gen I through III families I'm going to keep in mind Types were category locked and so take that into account.
Ratatta family: Poison
Meowth family: Fighting
Lickitung family: Water
Chansey family: Psychic
Kangaskhan: Fighting/Ground
Tauros: Ground
Ditto: Water
Eevee: Ground
Porygon family: Electric (maybe also Bug)
Snorlax family: Ground/Poison
Sentret family: Ground
Aipom: Dark
Dunsparce: Ground/Poison
Teddiursa family: Fighting
Stantler: Psychic
Smeargle: Psychic
Miltank: Grass
Zigzagoon: Electric
Slakoth family: Fighting
Whismur family: Steel
Skitty family: Grass
Spinda: Psychic
Zangoose: Dark/Steel
Castform: Flying
Kecleon: Dragon
Bidoof family: Water
Buneary family: Fighting
Glameow family: Poison
Regigigas: Ground/Fighting
Arceus: Psychic
Patrat family: Ground
Lillipup family: Ground
Audino: Psychic
Minccino family: Ground
Bouffalant: Fighting
Bunnelby family: Ground
Furfrou: Fairy
Yungoos family: Fighting
Type: Null family: Steel
Komala: Grass
Skwovet family: Grass
Wooloo family: Steel
Obviously Pokemon which have a secondary Type would be that secondary Type, though some additional changes I'd make with them:
Jigglypuff family: Flying/Fairy (pure Flying for Gen I)
Farfetch'd: Flying/Grass
Doduo family: Flying/Ground
Hoothoot family: Flying/Psychic
Girafarig: Psychic/Dark
Azurill: Water/Fairy (pure Water in Gen III)
Staraptor: Flying/Fighting
Deerling family (Summer): Water/Grass
Deerling family (Autumn): Flying/Grass
Deerling family (Winter): Ice/Grass
Rufflet family: Flying/Fighting
Fletchling: Fire/Flying
Pikipek family: Flying/Steel
Stufful family: Fairy/Fighting
Drampa: Ghost/Dragon
Alolan Rattata family: Poison/Dark
Galarian Zigzagoon family: Electric/Dark
Indeedee: Psychic/Fairy
I think I agree with this the most. Normal-type a lot of the time is the "unspecified" Type either because the Pokemon is lacking an element, if it does have a secondary Type has a "lesser/held back" trait about it when compared to a Pokemon that's a pure Type of its secondary Type, or has a gimmick of some kind where not having a more complicated Type is ideal. It's not committing to any direction because they've essentially made it the "default" Type, the Type they go to when they don't have a clear Type for a Pokemon concept.
Debuffs: When a Normal-types stat is lowered, next turn any stat that has been lowered increases by +1 stage until that stat is back at 0.
Buffs: When a Normal-types stat is raised, if that stat isn't increased again on the next turn then on the turn after it'll decrease by -1 stage until that stat is back at 0 (though it'll paused doing so for one turn if at any time that stat is raised again).
EDIT: OKAY, OKAY, bad idea!
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That debuff/buff situation would be completely awful, absolutely do not do that, please. That's a gimmick you'd see on an ability of a really gimmicky Pokemon, makes buffs all but useless and gameplay-wise makes you sit through even more notifications. It's bad enough Morpeko and its ilk have to sit through its ability going off every turn, do not do this with one of the central mechanics in the game on one of hte most plentiful types of the game that are most available at a poitn where single stage buff/debuffs are at their most common.
I'm never checking this thread after eating again. Ever.
While I still kidn of like my "make it strong against psychic" idea, I think a way to make Normal more....distinct, I guess. Might be something like it just has stronger STAB.
Normal's the only type with no type advantage. Dragon, its closest counterpart, is at least effective against itself and can buey its moves with dragon's overall high attacking stat(s).
Normal pokemon trends towards lower, more balanced statlines with a slight bent towards physical.
So, if we don't want to redo these stats and we don't want to make it SE against anything, make the STAB boost higher. There's 2 types that resist it and 1 type that's immune and 2 of those are very common competitively and the other's at least not un-common in-game. Not x2, that's overkill. Maybe like...x1.75 tops?
Even then I don't think they'd do it, it seems like it'd be hell to balance in practice and still goes against the general idea of other type's passives whcih are more fringe benefits (immunity to a certain status, a small subset of moves, a specific ability interaction....)
Normal's the only type with no type advantage. Dragon, its closest counterpart, is at least effective against itself and can buey its moves with dragon's overall high attacking stat(s).
Normal pokemon trends towards lower, more balanced statlines with a slight bent towards physical.
So, if we don't want to redo these stats and we don't want to make it SE against anything, make the STAB boost higher. There's 2 types that resist it and 1 type that's immune and 2 of those are very common competitively and the other's at least not un-common in-game. Not x2, that's overkill. Maybe like...x1.75 tops?
Even then I don't think they'd do it, it seems like it'd be hell to balance in practice and still goes against the general idea of other type's passives whcih are more fringe benefits (immunity to a certain status, a small subset of moves, a specific ability interaction....)
In addition to what R_N said, I also think this would just hurt a lot of Normal-types, haha. Self buffs are way more common than enemy debuffs, and losing them over time would be crippling.
If we're talking about minor innate mechanics (like the various immunities and special effects from Gen VI and VII), I think a simpler and less disruptive buff would be to boost the power of Normal-type moves in clear weather - not by 50%, but potentially by as much as 33% (like Adaptability).
Since Normal can't hit anything super effectively, I don't anticipate that this would be broken; if anything, I would see it as a way to compensate for that lack of any specific type advantages. Few Normal-type Pokémon are even used in competitive, and even fewer actually use their Normal-type STAB moves, since Normal is broadly such a bad attacking type (the only exceptions that spring to mind are ones that have Normal/Fighting/Dark coverage). There are some pure Normal-types that don't run any Normal-type moves! This buff would put the average STAB Normal move on par with a super effective coverage move, making them more reliable and giving Normal-types less difficulty with moveset compression, without really easing the matchup against Rock/Steel/Ghost, the types that are actually supposed to give them a hard time.
It's easily accessible and passive/doesn't require setup, so it's an easy and accessible buff, but it's still contingent on opponents not using weather-based strategies of their own.
If this is too powerful, it could also be contingent on there being no Terrain - just a completely neutral field - to make it even easier to disrupt, but without testing and just spitballing, I would guess that clear weather alone would be a good enough restriction, and this would be a nice way to bring them back to relevance without making them dominate.
>Ditto Water
Ditto seems to have been initially based on malleable metal. Even Stadium/SSBM gave him a metallic texture, and his special item is Metal Powder. Considering its most likely artificial as well, even more indication that Steel would be a potential swapped type
Though after mid 2000s I think everyone forgot. Pity, the metallic shine looked unique
Ditto seems to have been initially based on malleable metal. Even Stadium/SSBM gave him a metallic texture, and his special item is Metal Powder. Considering its most likely artificial as well, even more indication that Steel would be a potential swapped type
Though after mid 2000s I think everyone forgot. Pity, the metallic shine looked unique
Huh, you're right. I thought it did.
Now knowing that it does sound like they added that in to "justify" it being Fairy-type...
WELL I wasn't going to make a second list, BUT:
For Normal-types with a secondary Type, there seems to be something about them that makes them have a lesser trait of say a Pokemon that's purely of is secondary Type:
Normal/Flying: Just doing all of them at once. They all are birds without an elemental affinity. Now why aren't they pure Flying? For some reason, at the time, GF had a rule where Flying couldn't be on its own. I guess because Flying wasn't strictly seen as a wind/air Type but more of a trait which could manipulate wind & air or had to do with birds (if that makes any sense). That's why for a long time it was only a secondary Type and the first pure Flying was a wind/air elemental. But back to Normal, since Flying couldn't be on its own and these Pokemon were elementaless that means Normal was really the only choice to be paired with them.
Jigglypuff family: Why was Clefairy made pure Fairy but not Jigglypuff? I would say has to do with how they move around. Clefairy are able to hop and float around via magical means, looking as if they're using an anti-magic force to make them lighter then air. Meanwhile, Jigglypuff moves around in mundane ways its body allows: clumsily walking/running, skipping, rolling, and inflating its elastic body with air to make it more buoyant. It's not really a Flying-type as it's not controlling the wind/air to make it fly, its just filling itself up. Jigglypuff is also more closely related to the sound mechanic than Clefairy which has been classified as Normal-type.
Girafarig: A case of duality between normality & the strange. Girafarig's front half looks perfectly normal, it's just a cartoon giraffe. But then you see it's back end and what happened? Its color scheme swaps and its growing a second head with a second brain of its opening, giving it more brain power than most creatures. While other Psychic-type on their own had the intelligence or power to be Psychic-type without complication, Girafarig's brain alone isn't enough so needs that second head to make it more than just Normal, but need to to have the Normal-type to do so.
Azurill: This is more of a question of why isn't it Water/Fairy like its evolution. I think it's the tail. Azurill's tail is bigger and heavier than it. When Azurill goes into the water it can't do any water acrobatics like its evolution because its tail is too buoyant limiting its movement. The tail itself is made of a elastic material it can bounce on like rubber, likely also waterproof. With it unable to bond with the water as deeply as its evolutions can it doesn't have the Water typing yet BUT still has that potential to be, thus it's only Normal-type to "fill the void" until it can be filled upon evolution.
Bibarel: Now Bibarel can manipulate the water... just not in the way most Water-types do. While many Water-types are just water elementals or almost lives entirely in water, Bibarel uses structures it builds to manipulate water flow. Most of these structures are made of wood & mud but it doesn't have control over the wood mud. It's just very knowledgeable about dam building and how to make a water structure both sturdy and aquadynamic, thus giving it unconventional control over water.
Mega Lopunny: Mega Lopuuny has a sleek fighter underneath all its fur... the problem is it has to shed that fur. Mega Lopunny's fur soften most strikes that would do a lot more damage other Fighting-types would be able to use without trouble, so it had to improvise. While it does try to shed off the fur on its legs so it can use its more developed legs to give strong kicks, it also has learned to use its segmented ears as nunchucks to deliver strong hits via centrifugal force.
Mega Audino: Going to say it has to do with sound being Normal-type. It got the Fairy-type in order to gain access to more healing & calming power (useful for a Pokemon that's a nurse) but its main way of diagnosing a patient is via using its stethoscope ears to listen to the patient's body sound. It retaining its Normal-type gives it the keen hearing sense to do this whereas if it was pure Fairy it's sense may be dampened by being more sensitive to the magic forces around it.
Deerling family: So, while Deerling and Sawsbuck has plant antlers, that's really the only Grass-type thing about them. Otherwise they're a normal animal. "The same can be said about Skiddo and Gogoat". Yes, yes it can, but they do have more of their body covered by their Grass-type trait while for the Deerling family its just their horns. Their body changing depending on the season could also have something to do with it, especially with Sawsbuck, maybe showing despite being the same being the two parts are still different enough they both go through their own transformation. Sawsbuck's plant antlers go through a typical tree seasonal cycle while its body grows & sheds fur, two different adaptations yet Sawsbuck displays both.
Meloetta: It's the sound thing again. Meloetta is a musical performer, while its voice has a soul soothing effect and dancing is full of vigor, no matter what form it takes still needs that singing connection. But to maybe dive a bit deeper, unlike other Psychic types its no using pure mind power to use its Psychic power but is doing so through its voice. Similarly, while it can deliver strong strikes it does not do so the usual way Fighting-types do via a trained martial arts but through another rigorous way to train & exercise the body, dance!
Diggersby: Pretty much the same excuse as Bibarel. It's not controlling the dirt it digs up but is using its digging and tunneling knowledge to manipulate the land to its whim.
Stufful family: And it shares a similar excuse with Mega Lopunny. Both are firmly packed with stuffing-like muscle it can break and squeeze hard, but at the same time when not tensing the stuffing its soft to the touch which is also how it absorbs physical damage. It's another duality, but this time between softness and hardness.
Oranguru: Now Oranguru could have been pure Psychic, however it's Normal-type because it chooses to hold itself back. Because what's probably the most normal thing in the Pokemon world than a human being? Oranguru likes being a trainer instead of the battler, and even when out on the battlefield has learned a special move it can use to command another Pokemon.
Drampa: Dragons usually are to extremes: fierce looking or cuddly (or are both). However Drampa doesn't really fit either, instead of being an extreme it more chooses to be in the middle. It's a gentle giant who is friends to all children, but also a berserking feathered serpent burning down homes of bullies to the children it likes. It's your dear old Drampa!
Alolan Rattata family & Galarian Zigzagoon family: Dark is a Type added onto what were originally Normal-types. For A-Rat they had to get meaner and more aggressive in order to combat their sworn Alolan rival: the Yungoose family. For G-Zig it's both them needing to become more dominating to compete for survival in the Wild Area but they also keep their Normal-type due to the sound connection as they're also loud. Technically their behavior and goals are the same, it's just that the regional variants are more extreme versions of this behavior because their survival depended on the species hardening up.
Litleo family: This I think it has to do with their looks. You look at other Fire-types and they either have an open flame on their body or their mainly brightly colored red, orange, and/or yellow. But looking at Litleo and its evolutions you'll notice it sort of mimics this but never goes full way in one direction. It's mane/crest/hair looks like its on fire but it's not, and while their hair is brightly colored the rest of its body is a dull black and brown. They have the element of fire, but rather then actively display it only front the element, probably so they can save it for only attacking... And there's once again that sound connection...
Helioptile family: Now, while they can generate electricity, they can't do so on their own. They need to absorb light & energy, not necessarily heat, in order to power their electric cells. Infact, despite living in a desert area, their Ability show their weak to heat. Any energy they get from eating is probably needed to keep it moving so it doesn't suffer from heat exhaustion. However, while that helped with the heat, didn't do much for the light, so probably adapted light absorbing organs as another way to keep it cool (and it turns that extra energy into electricity to not only use that energy but probably uses the excess electricity to increase its speed and reflexes).
Indeedee: Probably the same reason Mega Audino isn't full Fairy. Indeedee developed the Psychic-type to help them better serve their owners by reading their minds and emotions but uses Normal-type to dampen its power as it wouldn't be very hospitable of it to read your deeper thoughts.
Normal/Flying: Just doing all of them at once. They all are birds without an elemental affinity. Now why aren't they pure Flying? For some reason, at the time, GF had a rule where Flying couldn't be on its own. I guess because Flying wasn't strictly seen as a wind/air Type but more of a trait which could manipulate wind & air or had to do with birds (if that makes any sense). That's why for a long time it was only a secondary Type and the first pure Flying was a wind/air elemental. But back to Normal, since Flying couldn't be on its own and these Pokemon were elementaless that means Normal was really the only choice to be paired with them.
Jigglypuff family: Why was Clefairy made pure Fairy but not Jigglypuff? I would say has to do with how they move around. Clefairy are able to hop and float around via magical means, looking as if they're using an anti-magic force to make them lighter then air. Meanwhile, Jigglypuff moves around in mundane ways its body allows: clumsily walking/running, skipping, rolling, and inflating its elastic body with air to make it more buoyant. It's not really a Flying-type as it's not controlling the wind/air to make it fly, its just filling itself up. Jigglypuff is also more closely related to the sound mechanic than Clefairy which has been classified as Normal-type.
Girafarig: A case of duality between normality & the strange. Girafarig's front half looks perfectly normal, it's just a cartoon giraffe. But then you see it's back end and what happened? Its color scheme swaps and its growing a second head with a second brain of its opening, giving it more brain power than most creatures. While other Psychic-type on their own had the intelligence or power to be Psychic-type without complication, Girafarig's brain alone isn't enough so needs that second head to make it more than just Normal, but need to to have the Normal-type to do so.
Azurill: This is more of a question of why isn't it Water/Fairy like its evolution. I think it's the tail. Azurill's tail is bigger and heavier than it. When Azurill goes into the water it can't do any water acrobatics like its evolution because its tail is too buoyant limiting its movement. The tail itself is made of a elastic material it can bounce on like rubber, likely also waterproof. With it unable to bond with the water as deeply as its evolutions can it doesn't have the Water typing yet BUT still has that potential to be, thus it's only Normal-type to "fill the void" until it can be filled upon evolution.
Bibarel: Now Bibarel can manipulate the water... just not in the way most Water-types do. While many Water-types are just water elementals or almost lives entirely in water, Bibarel uses structures it builds to manipulate water flow. Most of these structures are made of wood & mud but it doesn't have control over the wood mud. It's just very knowledgeable about dam building and how to make a water structure both sturdy and aquadynamic, thus giving it unconventional control over water.
Mega Lopunny: Mega Lopuuny has a sleek fighter underneath all its fur... the problem is it has to shed that fur. Mega Lopunny's fur soften most strikes that would do a lot more damage other Fighting-types would be able to use without trouble, so it had to improvise. While it does try to shed off the fur on its legs so it can use its more developed legs to give strong kicks, it also has learned to use its segmented ears as nunchucks to deliver strong hits via centrifugal force.
Mega Audino: Going to say it has to do with sound being Normal-type. It got the Fairy-type in order to gain access to more healing & calming power (useful for a Pokemon that's a nurse) but its main way of diagnosing a patient is via using its stethoscope ears to listen to the patient's body sound. It retaining its Normal-type gives it the keen hearing sense to do this whereas if it was pure Fairy it's sense may be dampened by being more sensitive to the magic forces around it.
Deerling family: So, while Deerling and Sawsbuck has plant antlers, that's really the only Grass-type thing about them. Otherwise they're a normal animal. "The same can be said about Skiddo and Gogoat". Yes, yes it can, but they do have more of their body covered by their Grass-type trait while for the Deerling family its just their horns. Their body changing depending on the season could also have something to do with it, especially with Sawsbuck, maybe showing despite being the same being the two parts are still different enough they both go through their own transformation. Sawsbuck's plant antlers go through a typical tree seasonal cycle while its body grows & sheds fur, two different adaptations yet Sawsbuck displays both.
Meloetta: It's the sound thing again. Meloetta is a musical performer, while its voice has a soul soothing effect and dancing is full of vigor, no matter what form it takes still needs that singing connection. But to maybe dive a bit deeper, unlike other Psychic types its no using pure mind power to use its Psychic power but is doing so through its voice. Similarly, while it can deliver strong strikes it does not do so the usual way Fighting-types do via a trained martial arts but through another rigorous way to train & exercise the body, dance!
Diggersby: Pretty much the same excuse as Bibarel. It's not controlling the dirt it digs up but is using its digging and tunneling knowledge to manipulate the land to its whim.
Stufful family: And it shares a similar excuse with Mega Lopunny. Both are firmly packed with stuffing-like muscle it can break and squeeze hard, but at the same time when not tensing the stuffing its soft to the touch which is also how it absorbs physical damage. It's another duality, but this time between softness and hardness.
Oranguru: Now Oranguru could have been pure Psychic, however it's Normal-type because it chooses to hold itself back. Because what's probably the most normal thing in the Pokemon world than a human being? Oranguru likes being a trainer instead of the battler, and even when out on the battlefield has learned a special move it can use to command another Pokemon.
Drampa: Dragons usually are to extremes: fierce looking or cuddly (or are both). However Drampa doesn't really fit either, instead of being an extreme it more chooses to be in the middle. It's a gentle giant who is friends to all children, but also a berserking feathered serpent burning down homes of bullies to the children it likes. It's your dear old Drampa!
Alolan Rattata family & Galarian Zigzagoon family: Dark is a Type added onto what were originally Normal-types. For A-Rat they had to get meaner and more aggressive in order to combat their sworn Alolan rival: the Yungoose family. For G-Zig it's both them needing to become more dominating to compete for survival in the Wild Area but they also keep their Normal-type due to the sound connection as they're also loud. Technically their behavior and goals are the same, it's just that the regional variants are more extreme versions of this behavior because their survival depended on the species hardening up.
Litleo family: This I think it has to do with their looks. You look at other Fire-types and they either have an open flame on their body or their mainly brightly colored red, orange, and/or yellow. But looking at Litleo and its evolutions you'll notice it sort of mimics this but never goes full way in one direction. It's mane/crest/hair looks like its on fire but it's not, and while their hair is brightly colored the rest of its body is a dull black and brown. They have the element of fire, but rather then actively display it only front the element, probably so they can save it for only attacking... And there's once again that sound connection...
Helioptile family: Now, while they can generate electricity, they can't do so on their own. They need to absorb light & energy, not necessarily heat, in order to power their electric cells. Infact, despite living in a desert area, their Ability show their weak to heat. Any energy they get from eating is probably needed to keep it moving so it doesn't suffer from heat exhaustion. However, while that helped with the heat, didn't do much for the light, so probably adapted light absorbing organs as another way to keep it cool (and it turns that extra energy into electricity to not only use that energy but probably uses the excess electricity to increase its speed and reflexes).
Indeedee: Probably the same reason Mega Audino isn't full Fairy. Indeedee developed the Psychic-type to help them better serve their owners by reading their minds and emotions but uses Normal-type to dampen its power as it wouldn't be very hospitable of it to read your deeper thoughts.
Steel didn't exist in Gen I.
Huh, you're right. I thought it did.
Now knowing that it does sound like they added that in to "justify" it being Fairy-type...
Just read that entry myself.
It makes even less sense now, but at the same time it does...
ERROR.
The idea of giving a type to normal be super effective against is good but doesn't solve the problem because there is no incentive to use mons with terrible stat just their moves as coverage, normal would turn in a second Ice type whose moves are commonly used but Ice Pokémon aren't used much. Besides gaining a weakness to normal would wreak the viability of any type as normal moves are widespread in most movepools.
It would be better to make normal Pokémon with good to great stats, lose it weakness to fighting or give it resistances to Fairy and/ or Psychic (they are so basic and mudane that they would have an anti-magic against them). Boosts to the STAB multiplier and boosts on normal weather are terrific ideas too.
It would be better to make normal Pokémon with good to great stats, lose it weakness to fighting or give it resistances to Fairy and/ or Psychic (they are so basic and mudane that they would have an anti-magic against them). Boosts to the STAB multiplier and boosts on normal weather are terrific ideas too.
Another idea could be to give Normal-types a lot more coverage moves by level up. Go wild with moves of different types and make them available without needing TMs. One of the original intentions of the Normal-type was that it could be taught a wide assortments of the strong TMs you found on your adventure, but people had a tendency to save them for "something better" instead of spending them. So TMs were first made easier to find in multiples, and later made multi-use, but then strong TMs were relegated to the late- or post-game to keep things balanced. You wouldn't want players to teach their whole team Earthquake around the fourth Gym, after all. And as such, Normal had little opportunity to fulfill the role of coverage user throughout the main game. But if they were to learn a multitude of coverage moves naturally, they would be much easier to fit into the role.
So turn them into a different flavor of the Dragon-type? I kind of feel that defeats the purpose of them being the "Normal" type. They're not super strong by conventional means like it's an attribute of their Type, whether a Normal-type is strong is a species-by-species case.
I think this honestly is probably the closest way to buff the Normal-type. When there is no weather (and maybe also no terrain so it doesn't seem too OP) Normal-types get a 33% increase to their Normal-type attacks. Additional Suggestion: Maybe for Normal-types that have a secondary Type they can have their other Type also get boosted and/or if their other Type is positively affected by a weather/terrain its Normal-type retains its boost (like if its raining Bibarel's Water-type moves are boosted thus keeps its Normal-type boost too).
That reminds me of a mechanic which I thought could be neat to have: observed learning. Forgot which game I got the idea from, but the idea is that, if a Pokemon was in a battle and "witnessed" a move which it could learn during a battle (whether from an ally or an opponent), it would attempt to learn the move. After the battle you'll be asked whether to teach that Pokemon the move, and even if you decide to decline that move is still saved in the Pokemon's Move Reminder list and you won't be asked again if it witnesses the same move again (though obviously is the Pokemon learns the move by level-up you'll be asked again when the Pokemon reaches that level). While for Pokemon of certain Types that could make training them in a location fitted for their type beneficial (instead of shoving them to the back of the team as they'll have no advantage in the area), since Normal-types learn a lot of elemental moves through unconventional means maybe this could be used to encourage their use as getting those elemental moves could be made easier.
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The more I think about it, the less actual problems I see in Normal-types besides it not being a good defensive-type.
Sure, there's the problem of Fighting being one of the best offensive types in the game and Steel being one of the best defensive ones. But Normal is not a bad offensive type.
To "fix" it in-game, you really just need good, accessible Normal mons with actual good moves via level-up. Not just coverage, the good utility and power moves.
To "fix" it competitively, all you really need is a strong mon that can hit things hard with Return and potentially Extreme Speed while also having some coverage. A special set is also possible with the likes of Hyper Voice/Boomburst + coverage. I wouldn't be opposed to giving it a Fairy resist for added defensive value though.
Sure, there's the problem of Fighting being one of the best offensive types in the game and Steel being one of the best defensive ones. But Normal is not a bad offensive type.
To "fix" it in-game, you really just need good, accessible Normal mons with actual good moves via level-up. Not just coverage, the good utility and power moves.
To "fix" it competitively, all you really need is a strong mon that can hit things hard with Return and potentially Extreme Speed while also having some coverage. A special set is also possible with the likes of Hyper Voice/Boomburst + coverage. I wouldn't be opposed to giving it a Fairy resist for added defensive value though.
Return can't be used anymore. The strongest widest spread Physical Normal-type move now seems to be Body Slam (excluding those lucky ones that get Extreme Speed and Thrash, the latter I feel could maybe be more wider spread).
There's Double Edge & Mega Kick though the former not being a TR kind of limits it
Right, let me correct myself: strongest widest spread Physical Normal-type move without a downside.
Double Edge comes with recoil.
Mega Kick, Mega Punch & Slam are inaccurate.
Giga Impact needs to recharge.
Last Resort needs the user's other 3 moves to be used first.
Head Charge & Multi-Attack are Signature Moves.
Skull Bash needs to charge up.
Rock Climb can't be used anymore
Take Down is inaccurate and comes with recoil.
Hyper Fang wouldn't be bad... if something learned it in Galar (odd Skwovet family doesn't). Strength is also okay, but it's outclassed by Body Slam which all Pokemon that learn it can get. And after that we get all the moves below 80 Power.
Considering that other offensive types don't have the luxury to have 102 BP attacks with no downsides, I don't see why it would be a bad thing that Normal types are """forced""" to use an accurate 120 BP move with recoil as best option.
It's almost like 2 other types already been doing that for ages...
It would be nice if the new move tutors were just a bunch of new moves to help fill in gaps like this
An 80 BP physical electric move with wide distirbution
A 60 BP physical fairy move (that will be normally distributed in the following generation)
An 80 BP alternative to Drill Peck since that's still got pretty low distirbution for some reason.
and so on and so forth
