Unpopular opinions

[Sceptilian70]

Sorry I'm late to the whole battle discussion, but I figured I'd throw in my two cents.
I felt that the PLA battle system kind of cheated you by giving certain bosses a free turn and letting their faster Pokemon troll you, and Volo having 8 Mons is just mean. And using three Pokemon at once, even when they're underleveled, makes the fights really hard, and I've thoroughly enjoyed all of them so far.

 

[Nitro Indigo]

It bothers me how they got rid of multi-target moves in a game where it's common for you to be outnumbered. Other games with Combatant Cooldown Systems like Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth do have multi-target attacks, so why not Legends? Also, I was disappointed when I discovered that the action elements weren't taken further; your Pokémon's elevation has no effect on battle, for example.

 

[Sceptilian70]

It bothers me how they got rid of multi-target moves in a game where it's common for you to be outnumbered. Other games with Combatant Cooldown Systems like Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth do have multi-target attacks, so why not Legends? Also, I was disappointed when I discovered that the action elements weren't taken further; your Pokémon's elevation has no effect on battle, for example.

Except when they repeatedly fall of a cliff.

 

[Sonikku A]

They already ruined the Johto starters by giving Typhlosion a dual type that doesn't at all follow from its prevos. I'd rather they not also ruin the family whose entire shtick is their typing

Personally I'd make Typhlosion Fire Ground, Fera Water Dark, and Meganium Grass Psychic (Pre Gen 6), or Grass Fairy for general rebalance
Don't really see why late stage dual typing is bad

 

[DrPumpkinz]

Personally I'd make Typhlosion Fire Ground, Fera Water Dark, and Meganium Grass Psychic (Pre Gen 6), or Grass Fairy for general rebalance
Don't really see why late stage dual typing is bad

Late stage dual typing isn't bad, but in the case of Typhlosion, it's more that the Johto starters were for a long time the only batch of starters to all be monotype for their entire evolutionary lines, and also that Game Freak pulled Ghost completely out of their ass.

Decidueye to Hisuian Decidueye, it's Decidueye but stockier and now it prefers close quarters combat
Samurott to Hisuian Samurott, it's Samurott but an asshole
Typhlosion to Hisuian Typhlosion, it's Typhlosion but now it can see ghosts and is a psychopomp I'm sorry what the fuck

Laventon speculates that it has something to do with energy from Mt. Coronet, but like... no. That's such an obvious hand wave. Literally nothing about Cynaquil, Quilava, or Typhlosion suggests some innate connection to spirits that would be amplified by Mt. Coronet.

 

[Imperial Magala]

The point of regional forms are Pokemon adapting to their environment, not revealing some latent power of their own. With the background of the starters, Decidueye went from being based on a Hawaiian owl with cultural significance to native culture to a Hokkaido owl with cultural significance. Samurott turned into a Ronin, a dishonored samurai, being far from its homeland and becoming a dark-type. Typlosion is an amalgamation of various Japanese spirit motifs and figures, such as hitodama lights, magatama beads, shinigami, and perhaps the main inspiration, Kamuy-huci, an Ainu deity of the hearth and gatekeeper between the realms of humans and deities.

TvTropes posits that the Hisui starters are a reference to the starter Pokemon available in base Sun/Moon, with Rowlet as the regular starter, Cyndaquil showing up in Melemele's island scan, and Samurott in Poni's island scan.

As for the why Mt. Coronet changed the starters, I'll sooner believe a sacred mountain that PokeGods visited has mystical powers unknown to humans that changes Pokemon with its presences than accept that pancakes give Pikachu telekinetic powers.

 

[DrPumpkinz]

The point of regional forms are Pokemon adapting to their environment, not revealing some latent power of their own. With the background of the starters, Decidueye went from being based on a Hawaiian owl with cultural significance to native culture to a Hokkaido owl with cultural significance. Samurott turned into a Ronin, a dishonored samurai, being far from its homeland and becoming a dark-type. Typlosion is an amalgamation of various Japanese spirit motifs and figures, such as hitodama lights, magatama beads, shinigami, and perhaps the main inspiration, Kamuy-huci, an Ainu deity of the hearth and gatekeeper between the realms of humans and deities.

TvTropes posits that the Hisui starters are a reference to the starter Pokemon available in base Sun/Moon, with Rowlet as the regular starter, Cyndaquil showing up in Melemele's island scan, and Samurott in Poni's island scan.

As for the why Mt. Coronet changed the starters, I'll sooner believe a sacred mountain that PokeGods visited has mystical powers unknown to humans that changes Pokemon with its presences than accept that pancakes give Pikachu telekinetic powers.

In the case of full-line regional variants like Vulpix, you can get a lot more wild with the adaptations. But in the cases where the regular prevo evolves into the regional variant, the regional variant should be something the family could have plausibly always become.

Also, only Typhlosion is noted for having a connection to Mt. Coronet. Decidueye is tough and stout as a reaction to Hisui's "harsh environment" and I couldn't find any actual explanation for Samurott.

 

[Sonikku A]

As for the why Mt. Coronet changed the starters, I'll sooner believe a sacred mountain that PokeGods visited has mystical powers unknown to humans that changes Pokemon with its presences than accept that pancakes give Pikachu telekinetic powers.

It gets me that when I was a kid, I imagined a Psychic pikachu evo, then it actually comes true 6 years later...
But that IS a dumb reason

 

[Siggu]

Lore-wise, I'd have bought that Mt. Coronet turned Hisuian Typhlosion into Fire/Electric or Fire/Steel, given the strong magnetic currents in there.

But Ghost?

 

[DrPumpkinz]

It gets me that when I was a kid, I imagined a Psychic pikachu evo, then it actually comes true 6 years later...
But that IS a dumb reason

Honestly "I dunno maybe it's pancakes" is such an unapologetically stupid reason for why Raichu suddenly has psychic powers that I can't get mad at it. It knows it's an ass-pull and fully embraces it.

 

[Imperial Magala]

Lore-wise, I'd have bought that Mt. Coronet turned Hisuian Typhlosion into Fire/Electric or Fire/Steel, given the strong magnetic currents in there.

But Ghost?

It makes more sense if you take into consideration mountains, volcanoes, and other large rock formations being places of spiritual and mythological importance to cultures near them, usually as either being home to deities and/or spirits, or being a god/spirit itself. Mauna Loa (Mt. Lanakila), Mt. Fuji (Mt. Silver), Denali, Mt. Olympus, and Uluru to name a few. The Alola league was built on Lanakila as a way to show tribute to the Tapu, while Coronet adapted some of Fuji's myths, such as being the birth place of the gods that formed the world.

 

[Nitro Indigo]

I remember seeing someone on r/pokemon get uppity against the idea that Decidueye was based on the stilt owl. At least it was different from the endless torrent of "Lugia should be a Water-type, Luxray should be a Dark-type".

Also, Typhlosion is the Volcano Pokémon, so I guess that's a connection to mountains?

 

[Cobalt Empoleon]

If, as you put it, "haphazardly throwing together types without any consideration to how they would fit into the greater decasextet" means better designs, more realized concepts, increased utility in battle, and an overall higher-quality octet, I'd say that's a reasonable price to pay

Tbh I'm all for having 8 new Eeveelution variants with dual typings contrived to be as Cool and Special as possible, as long as it means adding 8 new and unique evolutionary methods that have to be awkwardly carried forward into every new gen or quietly deleted like the bond part of Sylveon's evolutionary requirement.

"Oh you want to evolve your Eevee into Auroreon? Just level it up under the aurora polaris out in the snowfields, but make sure you're at least 40 tiles east of that big rock out there otherwise it'll evolve into Glaceon instead. Ah and you might also want to wait until tomorrow evening because there's a meteor shower forecast for tonight and you wouldn't want to accidentally evolve it into the Rock/Dragon-type Nibireon."

 

[pika pal]

Is the Pancake thing even like a canon/legitimate explanation for Alolan Raichu? I always thought that was just an in-joke with the residents of Alola or something Raichu's Regional difference simply... is.

 

[Imperial Magala]

Is the Pancake thing even like a canon/legitimate explanation for Alolan Raichu? I always thought that was just an in-joke with the residents of Alola or something Raichu's Regional difference simply... is.

My two non-pancake related explanations are...
1. Pikachu that form bonds with surfers want to keep surfing, even on land, and eventually turned their preexisting electromagnetic powers into telekinetic powers.

Remember Puka, the blue-eyed surfing Pikachu with wave-sensing powers?
2. Raichu on beaches learned to levitate to avoid being eaten by Palossand.

Although this creates a type disadvantage anyway with Raichu's newly gained Psychic type.

 

[PokePoindexter]

Just wait until Scarlet/Violet creates a cape that evolves new regional variants of Cubchoo and Skorupi into a matador Beartic and conquistador Drapion respectively.

 

[Scorpio]

Just wait until Scarlet/Violet creates a cape that evolves new regional variants of Cubchoo and Skorupi into a matador Beartic and conquistador Drapion respectively.

lol plz

One item capable of evolving two Pokémon? It ain’t 2000 any more old-timer.

 

[sasol]

Shinies are too easy to find, they made it even easier using modern tools, breeding mechanics, and increased chances, and now it's impossible not to find a shiny if you go looking for one.

But here's the unpopular part: They should make shinies a 1/32000 chance in my opinion. Make them impossibly rare. Bring back the excitement and value of a shiny. We have become spoiled.

 

[Hugin]

Shinies are too easy to find, they made it even easier using modern tools, breeding mechanics, and increased chances, and now it's impossible not to find a shiny if you go looking for one.

But here's the unpopular part: They should make shinies a 1/32000 chance in my opinion. Make them impossibly rare. Bring back the excitement and value of a shiny. We have become spoiled.

Make shinies rarer the further you get in the game. 1/10,000 before the first gym, 1/20,000 before second gym, 1/30,000 before third gym, etc. And no shiny charm etc, that's just the flat chance. This would make it harder to find powerful/legendary/pseudolegends that are shiny, easier for people to grind out shiny derps, and makes it more likely casual players find them early in their playthroughs. Shiny hunting would become about sequence breaking to reach an endgame dungeon with as few badges as possible.

And I'm pretty sure it would piss EVERYONE off.

 

[Sceptilian70]

I actually really like modern Shiny hunting mechanics. But I like the old mechanics too. I just like Shinies in general. I don't hunt them to flex on people for having more, I hunt them for how cool they look; for how much I like them; and because no matter which game I'm playing, I get an extreme adrenaline rush whenever I find a different-colored Pokemon, even if it's 1/100. That's the real reason I like them.

 

[Siggu]

I've never really understood the obsession with shinies.

So they are rare... and what? They don't provide any gameplay benefit, and most don't look better than the regular-colored mons in the first place. Sure, there are shinies I like and that I'd be happy to have, but the mere sparkling effect that comes with a shiny holds no value.

 

[Sceptilian70]

I've never really understood the obsession with shinies.

So they are rare... and what? They don't provide any gameplay benefit, and most don't look better than the regular-colored mons in the first place.

Most, that's true. But there are some that I really like, like Sceptile for example. And Zoroark (all forms). And many others. But another key element to Shinies is individual tastes. Like, I have no idea why someone would want to hunt a Shiny Garchomp. That is stupid. Meanwhile, hunting a Shiny Zorua, who has a beautiful new coloring, it just feels so great when you finally get it. And again, to me, it's less about a flex and more just that I like having Pokemon that are the wrong color.

 

[Bakugames]

My take is that Im tired of people fixing shinies by just making them black or white. It's lame and the more white and black shinies we get, the less special and stand out they feel imo.

 

[pika pal]

I think Shinies are more fun if you just think of them like a normal-but-less-common breed of the creature, akin to Black vs Yellow vs Chocolate Labradors. Something that people look at and think "oh that's neat, I don't see many of those" instead of "what lottery did you win to meet that?"

This particularly stands out to me since Shinies are a consistent color (game limitations or not), which would suggest they're more like a rare/recessive gene than something rarer such as a mutation which probably wouldn't recur quite the same way in too many individuals unless it was specifically advantageous.

So yeah, I'm cool with Shinies being rare but not mythologically scarce

 

[CPU]

I'm probably just a bit of an OG curmudgeon but I am also not a fan of how much easier they've made shinies to find in the last few generations. A flat-increased shiny rate, shiny charm... I don't mind chaining mechanics but I'm undecided on the lifetime encounter "chain" mechanics SwSh has (I think it might only affect special grass encounters?)

The shiny charm is probably fine as a dex completion reward, gives players a reason to continue catching after they've completed the dex.

On the other hand, I think shiny locking Pokémon, especially legendaries, goes against their push to make shinies easier to obtain. I'm not sure if it's done for story reasons or to let them use shiny giveaway pokes as promotional material. Probably both.