Unpopular opinions

[KalosianPorygon]

*snip*

Okay, hear me out.

What it we have the Platinum teams... plus DP Pokémon?

Candice's Froslass with Evasion hax + Medicham?
Volkner's Fire Punch Electivire + Octillery?
Flint's Thunderbolt Magmortar + Drifblim?
Heck, Quagsire could have been a good addition to Pt Bertha's team if its Ability was Water Absorb.

 

[QuentinQuonce]

Okay, hear me out.

What it we have the Platinum teams... plus DP Pokémon?

Candice's Froslass with Evasion hax + Medicham?
Volkner's Fire Punch Electivire + Octillery?
Flint's Thunderbolt Magmortar + Drifblim?
Heck, Quagsire could have been a good addition to Pt Bertha's team if its Ability was Water Absorb.

Yeah, Platinum didn't have to completely rewrite all the teams it did but I guess there was such a backlash against the non-standard team picks that they went all-in on having full teams that matched the type specialty. Hence Flint's (really quite dull and very easy to defeat) Platinum team. Non-standard picks are fine if they're done well - not saying DP's were necessarily (though I think it's generally agreed BDSP made them better).

Funnily enough, a while back I wrote a thing for my own amusement where each gym leader+elite four member has a full team of six unique Pokemon fitting their type specialty using that region's native Pokedex listing. Obviously you have to be creative with the species that are there and think laterally when it comes to team picks, but the interesting thing is that it's just about possible to make it work in Kanto, Johto, and Hoenn, but not in Sinnoh. There just aren't enough Pokemon to go around even if you double up on different forms and suchlike. This is the case whether you're using the DP or Plat dex.

 

[Sonikku A]

Shoutouts to Stadium having none mono Gym teams

 

[QuentinQuonce]

Shoutouts to Stadium having none mono Gym teams

This was largely where the idea came from

 

[Pikachu315111]

I just don’t internally see Silvally as a legendary Pokemon. Obviously it officially is.

That's a bit different then simply stating "Silvally isn't a Legendary". One if false according to official sources, the other is an opinion, and an opinion I totally get.

Honestly Kubfu also feels like it's on the same boat. You don't catch it, you're given it. And the lore of Kubfu doesn't make it sound like it's this powerful Pokemon which is rarely seen by humans, but rather is just an aloof Pokemon: while they now live in mountains far from Galar, they used to live there and helped people on their travels.

Silvally and Kubfu feel like "Legendaries" which are specifically made to play around with the idea of what that means. Which is kind of odd, as you could argue it would also be hard to define Mewtwo as a Legendary as its a recent creation. Which is odd, because Mewtwo felt like it too was made to play with the idea of what a Legendary is. In Gen I you have the Legendary Birds which have some loose lore to them, but you got an idea people knew they exist or are said to. But then you encounter Mewtwo, which the only thing known about it are some forgotten science notes and rumors a powerful Pokemon has taken residence in a secluded cave. Yet, without really having a legend, Mewtwo is counted as a Legendary. It's like GF was challenging you to think what is meant by "Legendary"; if it doesn't strictly mean having a legend associated with you, could it be something more perspective like this Pokemon COULD have a legend about it if people knew, a "Modern Legend". But then, Gen 2 until Gen 7, GF seemed to have forgotten that thought and all Legendaries until Silvally were Pokemon which had legends connected to them. Them making Silvally was like them re-discovering the mystery of Mewtwo. And, with that idea re-discovered, and them having also made the Ultra Beasts which a Legendary adjacent but their own group, in Gen 8 made Kubfu, maybe going off the idea of it being some kind of "folk hero", which is a "legend" but not like how its been with other Legendaries before. Hopefully we see this continue in Gen 9, maybe we've already have with the Mascot Legendaries!

 

[Divine Retribution]

Almost like GameFreak is becoming based and beginning to understand that legendary is an arbitrary label that doesn't really mean anything anyways and we should probably just do away with it. It would be nice to stop hearing people whine about legendaries in competitive, because their opponent having an Articuno or a Regigigas is definitely the reason they lost.

 

[QuentinQuonce]

Mew: so rare, so mysterious, you can count the number of people who've seen it on half a hand

Celebi: the master of time, an elusive and powerful creature spoken of in forest myths

Jirachi: only appears once a millenium, imbued with the power of a shooting star, can grant wishes

Zarude: ayo well this thing's a big angry monkey and there's hundreds of them

 

[Worldie]

Almost like GameFreak is becoming based and beginning to understand that legendary is an arbitrary label that doesn't really mean anything anyways and we should probably just do away with it. It would be nice to stop hearing people whine about legendaries in competitive, because their opponent having an Articuno or a Regigigas is definitely the reason they lost.

I'm a big fan of the fact that people are still convinced that "a meta without legendaries is a better meta because you see more pokemon", which is hilarious false as you still get exactly same result, people end up using mainly the same 15-20 pokemon, you just change which.

Oh and also shoutout to Incineroar apparently being more legendary than every legendary

 

[KalosianPorygon]

I'm a big fan of the fact that people are still convinced that "a meta without legendaries is a better meta because you see more pokemon", which is hilarious false as you still get exactly same result, people end up using mainly the same 15-20 pokemon, you just change which.

Oh and also shoutout to Incineroar apparently being more legendary than every legendary

It's almost as if standard Pokémon are not made equal and some of strictly better than others.
Incoming rant about Pokémon balance in 3... 2... 1...
Top-tier Pokémon have several good traits among the following:

• good typing, offensively (for STAB) and/or defensively;
• good offensive movepool;
• access to good supporting moves;
• great offensive and/or defensive stats;
• and at least one useful Ability.

Excluding any kind of Legendary Pokémon, major VGC threats include the following:

VGC watchlist

• Incineroar has decent bulk and above-average Attack, decent offensive and defensive typing, a solid Ability in Intimidate, and key support moves like Fake Out, U-turn, Knock Off, and later Parting Shot.
• Other Intimidate users also saw use... if their stats are also good. Arcanine and Gyarodos can be spotted in earlier Series.
• And thanks to Intimidate, Competitive (or at least Gothitelle and Milotic) saw some use.
  • Curiously, Defiant is less popular, and Contrary is MIA. It's almost as if base stats matter.
• Tyranitar has a notoriously bad defensive typing, but also a solid offensive movepool, great Attack and bulk, and benefits from its summoned Sandstorm.
• Other pseudo-legendary Pokémon like Hydreigon or Metagross were also popular in VGC thanks to their high stats and varied offensive movepools.
• Any Pokémon who summon weather or a Terrain upon hitting the field is going to see some use, at least in earlier Series up until Legendary Pokémon are allowed, because stats matter. By the time Groudon and Kyogre came back, only Rillaboomsurvived thanks to Grassy Glide and a high Attack stat.
  • At least early on, weather abusers like Excadrill saw use.
• Amoonguss has good bulk and two great support moves: Rage Powder and Spore.
• Trick Room setters are decently popular if they also have good bulk, e.g., Evoilite Porygon2, Eviolite Dusclops.
• Prankster is popular, haha priority status and walls go brrr
• Gastrodon saw use thanks to Storm Drain, I'm guessing it's the only good option with this Ability. (RIP Maractus)

 

[Shedinja-43152]

Mew: so rare, so mysterious, you can count the number of people who've seen it on half a hand

Mew is not that rare, you can easily catch one in the original game via a glitch and have a event in the remakes to catch it, in the Faraway Island.

 

[QuentinQuonce]

Mew is not that rare, you can easily catch one in the original game via a glitch and have a event in the remakes to catch it, in the Faraway Island.

I was talking about the lore. The Pokedex literally describes Mew as "so rare only a few people in the world have seen it", while describing Zarude as "living in a pack with others of its kind".

Being able to catch a Pokemon via a glitch the developers did not intend to be part of the game does not make it common. Nor does an event that was only available once seventeen years ago in a single country.

 

[Shedinja-43152]

Nor does an event that was only available once seventeen years ago in a single country.

There is also a cheat in Gameshark to unlock this event, I caught my Mew in my cellphone emulator via this code.

 

[QuentinQuonce]

There is also a cheat in Gameshark to unlock this event, I caught my Mew in my cellphone emulator via this code.

...literally ignoring my point but go off

 

[KalosianPorygon]

There is also a cheat in Gameshark to unlock this event, I caught my Mew in my cellphone emulator via this code.

Okay but you can get anything with emulation and cheat codes, including illegal move combinations.

I was talking about the lore. The Pokedex literally describes Mew as "so rare only a few people in the world have seen it", while describing Zarude as "living in a pack with others of its kind".

This is one of several reasons Legendary and Mythical Pokémon are so confusing. Some Mythical Pokémon are confirmed not to be one-of-a-kind, others are implied to be unique. Same with Legendary Pokémon.

 

[QuentinQuonce]

Okay but you can get anything with emulation and cheat codes, including illegal move combinations.

Pure Power V-Create Regigigas isn't illegal because you can obtain it using a cheat code







(/s, in case that wasn't obvious)

This is one of several reasons Legendary and Mythical Pokémon are so confusing. Some Mythical Pokémon are confirmed not to be one-of-a-kind, others are implied to be unique. Same with Legendary Pokémon.

Legendaries and mythicals being one-of-a-kind is a long-debated issue that no one ever agrees over (though I think that when the anime shows multiple Shaymin, Mewtwo, Deoxys, and Genesect that would settle things) but I don't think that makes them confusing. They're legendary because there's a lore around them that says they are; I don't think it's as confusing as it's made out to be.

The distinction between legendary and mythical was always clear to me though - mythicals are legendaries which cannot be obtained in normal gameplay. This has obviously become muddy since several mythicals have since become available normally (Keldeo and Deoxys, for instance) but it still applies when you consider that initially mythicals are not obtainable through normal gameplay. No mythical was ever regularly obtainable in its debut generation (Celebi in VC Crystal doesn't count). Magearna is a semi-exception to this, it just depends to what extent you consider QR codes "additional gameplay" to the 3DS titles.

 

[Worldie]

No mythical was ever regularly obtainable in its debut generation (Celebi in VC Crystal doesn't count). Magearna is a semi-exception to this, it just depends to what extent you consider QR codes "additional gameplay" to the 3DS titles.

To be fair, you can have that sentence become correct by just saying "No mythical is ever regularly obtainable in its debut generation with the game cart alone".
Magearna required a QR code and access to internet, Celebi in original crystal required that obscure jp-only thing to enable the GS ball.

As of now, Arceus, Manaphy, Keldeo and Deoxys are the only mythical pokemon that are legally catchable with just the cartridge of a game (albeith, not of the generation they got introduced in).
I did not include Shaymin and Darkrai for Legend Arceus, as they require to have game data of another game, thus conflicting with my "only the cartridge". Keldeo you could consider off if you don't include DLCs but I believe they do actually sell the "DLC including package" now as well.

 

[QuentinQuonce]

To be fair, you can have that sentence become correct by just saying "No mythical is ever regularly obtainable in its debut generation with the game cart alone".

Valid. This

Arceus, Manaphy, Keldeo and Deoxys are the only mythical pokemon that are legally catchable with just the cartridge of a game [...] I did not include Shaymin and Darkrai for Legend Arceus, as they require to have game data of another game, thus conflicting with my "only the cartridge".

was actually the logic I was going off in my thread about the rarest mythical. I was trying to find the right way to phrase it here but you nailed it.

 

[Shedinja-43152]

I think in another definition to a mythical pokémon, they are all pokémon who are banned from Battle Tower.

 

[pokemon4eva]

This is probably an unpopular opinion now thanks to the Pokemon anime fans just now remembering how awfully written their series has become, but...

Leon is a great character. Total bro to Hop and the MC. Despite being advertised constantly as 'the best' and 'the unbeatable champion', it never goes over his head and he does his best to give a good time to the galarian crowd. People complain at the shilling and the many sponsors in his cape, while failing to remember that Galar is heavily influenced by Pokemon battles, they're spectacles and part of their culture like soccer is here (altough I don't like soccer lol).

That being said, his tendency to get lost gets a bit grating, the game constantly remind you that fact like XY reminding us Tierno likes to dance. And SWSH doesn't explore his character as much. The 1st episode of Generations for example shows perfectly how Leon has accepted that his era has come to an end, as he marches to the battle vs the MC.

 

[Worldie]

I think in another definition to a mythical pokémon, they are all pokémon who are banned from Battle Tower.

Doesn't apply. Restricted pokemon are also banned from all facilities except the SwSh Battle Tower and USUM normal streaks.

 

[Shedinja-43152]

Restricted pokemon are also banned from all facilities

What do you mean with "Restricted" Pokémon? Can you give some examples?

 

[Dusk Mage Necrozma]

What do you mean with "Restricted" Pokémon? Can you give some examples?

Restricted legendaries in the official modern VGC format. You can only have 2 per team. Pokemon like Kyogre, Dialga, and Kyurem are restricted legendaries.

 

[Shedinja-43152]

Okay but you can get anything with emulation and cheat codes, including illegal move combinations.

I think is not that easy use codes to unlock certain moves. I just used it once in Yellow to teach my Pikachu how tu surf, and it was a very specific code.
To have the Surfist Pikachu in my games of the 3rd gen was a weird code who pop up a Pikachu in your box who knows moves as Surf and Iron Tail. (And it is in a Safari ball).

 

[Worldie]

I think is not that easy use codes to unlock certain moves. I just used it once in Yellow to teach my Pikachu how tu surf, and it was a very specific code.
To have the Surfist Pikachu in my games of the 3rd gen was a weird code who pop up a Pikachu in your box who knows moves as Surf and Iron Tail. (And it is in a Safari ball).

Sir I think you underestimate how easy it is to create any "legal" pokemon via hacked modern devices. There is a reason for which GF has been trying to make competitive more accessible and cut stuff like Hidden Power: it was to stop the rampaging amoung of genned pokemon around, since if you wanted to play competitively and wanted multiple of a given legendary or certain specific hidden powers, you really only had the option to gen them.

 

[Bakugames]

Sir I think you underestimate how easy it is to create any "legal" pokemon via hacked modern devices. There is a reason for which GF has been trying to make competitive more accessible and cut stuff like Hidden Power: it was to stop the rampaging amoung of genned pokemon around, since if you wanted to play competitively and wanted multiple of a given legendary or certain specific hidden powers, you really only had the option to gen them.

From Kurts tweets (where I still don't know if he's pro or against cheating) that show pokehex stats: this has not worked. At this point I feel like as long as it's not a showdown-like feature where you can just generate all the teams by yourself, people will just cheat mons in if they have to do work for them. Whether that's bad or good is up to yall