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That is an unpopular opinion I can get behind.
Resisting Ice, Fire, and U-turn is useful. Also, the immunity to burn is amazing, especially for the several Physical Fire-type attackers.
And it's also a decent in-game type, where you don't have to worry about Stealth Rocks.
Therian Landorus is far from my favorite Legendary Pokémon or Ground-type Pokémon, but I have to say: T-Landorus is overhated. No OU or VGC-dominant Pokémon except I guess Toxapex and Incineroar got as much flak overall as T-Lando.
I get why though. That stupid tiger is competitive's daddy since 10 years. Never fell off in OU or VGC. Pex and Incineroar are worse in my eyes but they exist since a bit more than half of Lando's reign
Resisting Fairy is also huge, as is Heavy-Duty Boots fixing one of the biggest weaknesses that many defensive Fire-types had. I'm not going to call Fire one of the best defensive types in the game or anything but I think it definitely has legitimate merit as a defensive type now.
Therian Landorus is far from my favorite Legendary Pokémon or Ground-type Pokémon, but I have to say: T-Landorus is overhated. No OU or VGC-dominant Pokémon except I guess Toxapex and Incineroar got as much flak overall as T-Lando.
it also has a quad weakness to Fire, and worse special bulk
Yes the resists and decent attack are great (Body press is a Godsend) , same with iron barbs, but Toxapex is honestly a better wall given recovery
Either way, both are distinct for their own role
Despite their name, electric eels are not closely related to the true eels (Anguilliformes) but are members of the electroreceptive knifefish order, Gymnotiformes.
The most annoying part is that a 4x weakness isn't even a necessarily a huge detriment, especially on frailer offensive Pokemon which are often easily OHKO'd by 2x supereffective moves anyways.
The most annoying part is that a 4x weakness isn't even a necessarily a huge detriment, especially on frailer offensive Pokemon which are often easily OHKO'd by 2x supereffective moves anyways.
Ironically I'm thinking that Poison/Fire actually has the potential to be a fairly decent defensive typing should we ever get something bulkier than Salazzle. Yes it has its weaknesses but resisting eight types ain't bad at all. But that's by the by.
Many Pokemon manage to transcend their bad typings. Bug/Fighting isn't all that good on the face of it but all the Pokemon of that type manage to be pretty decent.
Anyways to go off on a complete tangent my unpopular opinion of the day is this: though I'm not fond of the Galar starters, I appreciate Game Freak being ballsy enough to give us another trio with no secondary types/ Johto's starter trio being the only pure-typed trio was a fun niche while it lasted and I love that for them (though Hisuian Typhlosion is lovely) but starter typings in recent gens have gotten crazy.
If Paldea's starter set do turn out to have secondary types it'd be nice to get a similar situation to Sinnoh, where each starter's secondary typing helps it against the starter it's weak to. Namely:
Torterra's Ground-type has an advantage over Infernape
Infernape's Fighting-type has an advantage over Empoleon
Empoleon's Steel-type hampers the effectiveness of Torterra's Grass-type attacks
As you can see, it's not a perfect match (because there are very few other trios that have the relationship Grass, Water, and Fire do) but it works well enough. Dark-Psychic-Fighting isn't a perfect trio (and obviously has already been done in Kalos) but there are some other combinations that do work:
Ferrothorn is less min maxed, what are you on!? View attachment 457156
it also has a quad weakness to Fire, and worse special bulk
Yes the resists and decent attack are great (Body press is a Godsend) , same with iron barbs, but Toxapex is honestly a better wall given recovery
Either way, both are distinct for their own role
Arkm, please stop
1: posting random type change ideas with very little to no justification
2: discussing competitive balance in the strictly ingame subforum
I get why though. That stupid tiger is competitive's daddy since 10 years. Never fell off in OU or VGC. Pex and Incineroar are worse in my eyes but they exist since a bit more than half of Lando's reign
Eh, not completely correct. Lando-T has actually all but disappeared in the final bit of gen 8, since well... without Z-moves, it really demands you to invest the Dynamax for him if you want him to do anything, and well, in the restricted format, you're really better off investing Dynamax into something else like... idk... the restricted mons, or G-max charizard/venusaur.
Arkm, please stop
1: posting random type change ideas with very little to no justification
2: discussing competitive balance in the strictly ingame subforum
Ironically I'm thinking that Poison/Fire actually has the potential to be a fairly decent defensive typing should we ever get something bulkier than Salazzle. Yes it has its weaknesses but resisting eight types ain't bad at all. But that's by the by.
I really thought the number would be like a third of this when I started, tbh. The numbers chosen were arbitrary, I was just trying to quantify "Lots of defenses, low hp, can't go offensive". But there's still some interesting patterns there.
First, Umbreon is the only one with more than 80 HP, so they clearly have some guiding lines they adhere to. Most have a speed of LOL, but Deo, Uxie, Orbeetle, and Fini all have usable speed. A decent chunk also have usable attack*. But no one ever runs them with offensive sets except for a couple ones that are clearly not actually fit for this list(Scrafty). I can't quantify typing quality, but none of them have a bad defensive typing except Orbeetle.
There's no Gen 1 mons on the list at all(Blastoise came close, 79/100/105 defenses), likely due to the Phys/Spec split. A lot of these mons are gimmicks(Puke, Shuckle) or part of sets where they're the bulky one(Umbreon, Uxie). There's actually a surprising number of minor legends, given I expected there to be 1, but no major legends(because hitting those stats with 680 BST would be silly). Gen 3 introduced the most mons like this(5), I'm not sure exactly why. The next closest was Gen 7, but it's arguable 2 out of the 4 probably don't count.
I have no idea why I did this TBH, I was just planning to point out the parallels between Toxapex/DeoD/Carbink/Bastiodon's stat lines, but I decided to check if there were others and then this happened.
*I actually considered lowering my limit on attack stats to ~80, but keeping Ferrothorn in the list felt important, and also I'm lazy. **
**Similarly, I considered boosting my defense limit to 120 each, but eliminating Bronzong/Claydol again felt bad.
Personally, I like the idea of Surf Weavile supporting Steam Engine Weakness Policy Coalossal.
The problem you described is Thundurus, Tornadus and the Cottonee line. Just ban them from Paldea and bam, problem solved! TIL Thundurus can't learn Tailwind. Prankster Thunder Wave is annoying tho
I've said this many times before. Mega Evolution was a terrible mechanic from Day 1, and any Mega that wasn't assigned to a fully evolved mon was straight-up malpractice.
Glalie, Mawile and Sableye desperately needed their Megas to be cross-gen evos instead.
While I wouldn't say Megas are a mistake (I personally like them, though I agree they could have been handled much better), there were certainly Pokemon that shouldn't have gotten them and instead a normal evo. Mega Pokemon should have been restricted to Pokemon who had 3 stages or were a mono/2nd stage which was VERY definite. Also, it should have been used mostly for Pokemon that needed a boost rather than just the popular Pokemon. Got several more pages to go through, maybe if I remember/feel like it I'll make a list of Pokemon I felt should be on getting a Mega List.
I actually don't mind Lucario getting a Mega, the problem was in execution.
Honestly, it's not that I would restrict powerful/popular Pokemon, it's more that I would need a really good reason for them to get it. Like, spoilers if I ever made the list, I would very much be in agreement to give Champions ace a Mega. BUT, I would maybe then argue, instead of giving their ace even more love, why not give it to one of their other Pokemon, the sort of secondary ace to their team?
Instead of them making a Mega Metagross for Steven, and being we already had Mega Aggron, if they wanted a new Mega for Steven how about his Armaldo or Claydol (heck, I wouldn't be in disagreement if they gave him a Flygon)?
While I know Cynthia likes to start with Spiritomb, a Mega Spiritomb I feel would just be as fitting for her. Hey, she could still start out with Spiritomb and just Mega Evolve it right at the start of battle, which would make for quite a strong message.
I want to say that there's nothing stopping GF from giving the shafted Pokemon proper evolutions & saying the Megas for those Pokemon are now "extinct" (or adjusting their designs so that the new evo gets the Mega instead). But, sadly, this would require a miracle not even Jirachi holding a Micle Berry could grant.
From a gameplay perspective, I think everyone agree it's bizarre since Garchomp's speed was one of its most famous attributes. In terms of the design, the change of its appendages from Fins to more blades/scythes does make sense that it would be slower, as on top of being bulkier, it's less aerodynamic.
I think the main problem isn't that they decreased its Speed, but they only decreased it by 10 points. It feels so miniscule they might as well have kept it at 102 and just made its ridiculous 170 Attack to 160 Attack (or made its Special Attack 110).
"But if they decreased its Speed anymore that means they would need to find another stat to place it which might make it even more powerful".
Which goes back to one of the major issues with Megas, the stat increase should have been based on BST. Pokemon with 600+ BST don't need 100 more, just giving them like 25 and readjusting their stats (and giving them good Abilities) would be enough for them.
You know, between the artificial conditions and Generation VII's dark Pokédex entries, Mega Evolution has a bit of a "Dark Evolution from Digimon" vibe.
So it's strange that in-universe, a strong bond between the Pokémon and its Trainer is required.
I always felt the "dark" entries for Mega Evolutions was what would happen with the Megas if they DIDN'T have a trainer to from a strong bond with. That if the Pokemon had to endure all the Infinity Energy itself it would drive them insane equal to or possibly worse than turning into a Shadow Pokemon. However, with their trainer sharing the energy between them, the Infinity Energy becomes manageable plus has someone to guide their actions.
Mama Kanga is worried that all the Infinity Energy its child is channeling will only make it into a fighting machine, but thankfully they have a trainer cycling the energy between them and giving them direction so that the child simply got a power boost so it can fight alongside its mother.
We already know radiation in the Pokemon universe is basically just a magic force that causes evolution (and probably not cancer, otherwise my OR/AS character running around with dozens of Mega Stones in his backpack at any given time is dead as fuck), so it seems like as good a nebulous, hand-wavey explanation as any other.
Just want to point out that apparently when the Ultimate Weapon was fired and its death ball landed back on itself, everyone close enough to the disaster was irridated with Infinity Energy. Now, according to Sycamore, the player's Mega Ring absorbed the energy thus likely not affecting them (and though Serena/Calem didn't have their Mega Ring at the time, they did get one later so its possible it absorbed the energy from them; Lysandre had his Mega Ring but the building fall atop of him so moot point there). However, there is one trainer left unaccounted who got a full blast of Infinity Energy with nothing indicating they ever did anything to cleanse them of it: Shauna. And remember, exposure to Infinity Energy is what made AZ immortal.
Anistar City (after defeating Calem/Serena in Kiloude City post-game)
"Why, hello, <player>!"
"Running around all over Kalos is actially rather tiring, is it not?"
"Oh yeah, I'm the one making you do that, aren't I?"
"Terribly sorry about that!"
"Well, Calem/Serena may have already told you, but I found a way to power up the Mega Ring!"
"Before we get to that, however..."
"Let's talk about Mega Stones briefly."
"My theory is that they're special stones irradiated by the light--the energy of the Legendary Pokemon YveltalY/XerneasX--fired from the ultimate weapon 3,000 years ago."
"And that's what I think they are."
"It's even possible that stones like Fire Stones were what turned into these Mega Stones."
"So, what's the Mega Ring you are holding?"
"That mysterious stone transforms feelings felt towards Pokemon into some kind of wavelength."
"The Mega Ring works in a similar way to how this object over here works."
"It's an object that changes sunlight into a mysterious light."
"For one hour starting at 8 pm, this sundial starts emitting light."
"This mysterious object has towered over the city here for over 3,000 years."
"It's relationship to the Mega Ring isn't understood at all yet."
"Now, let's get down to the heart of the matter!"
"<player>! Try touching the sundial!"
After touching
"You were exposed to the Legendary Pokemon's energy in Team Flare's secret HQ."
"And the Mega Ring has absorbed the power of the sundial."
"These two powers have combined to upgrade your Mega Ring."
"Now, it will react to underground Mega Stones, but only when the sundial is emitting light."
"I'm sure these stones hide in every corner of Kalos! Use this power to find them!"
Nah none of the Megas look like regular evos or could be retconned into them for me, they literally are the Pokemon’s base design with an added or changed feature. A normal evo needs its own unique design.
For the most part I agree with Coronis, maybe not that a new evo should be "unique" but rather it should be a continuation of the themes of the prevo. Mega Evos were not a continuation of a theme but an exaggeration, they took what was there and amped it up to the Nth degree.
However, that doesn't mean the Mega Evo designs can't be used as a basis or parts of their designs can't be reused.
Wait, wouldn't that be a reason Blissey would want to be Fairy? Blissey (and Chansey) have non-existing physical Defense and its only Weakness, Fighting, is a Physical-focused Type. By becoming Fairy it'll not only resist Fighting (giving it SOME kind of cushion its high HP can make us of), the two weaknesses it gains are also less of an issue: Poison (which is as much as a Special Type as a Physical) and Steel (which is a defensive focused Type). Not to mention the additional resistance to Dark (and Bug) and immunity to Dragon is much more helpful than just its immunity to Ghost.
Hm, while I see your point, I do like seeing new Poke Balls (or at the very least the ideas I came up with). Poke Balls have been needing another lookover, notably effect/catch rate adjustments (and maybe a bit of customization too, like letting us change their colors). However, maybe it's also time to look into a new way of handling unique Poke Balls. Like, maybe instead of needing to buy them beforehand, give us a way to change Poke/Great/Ultra Balls we have into the Special Poke Balls (and depending what basic Ball was used affects their Catch Rate). We now have a portable PC, to me the Pokemon World is just a few innovations away from a portable Mart that can transport items directly to you (and if you purchase Prime you can save more on bulk purchases and get special offers). Getting back on track, doing that would make it feel less like Item Bloat and more just Poke Ball effect & design options.
I'm reminded of Subjectively's Temtem video, where Jack says that the biggest problem with Temtem designs is that each stage just looks like the previous one but with more things added to it. Someone in the comments said this was a good thing, because if you like one stage, you'll probably like them all. I remember loads of people on PokéFarm who loved Dewott, but hated Samurott.
I always felt the "dark" entries for Mega Evolutions was what would happen with the Megas if they DIDN'T have a trainer to from a strong bond with. That if the Pokemon had to endure all the Infinity Energy itself it would drive them insane equal to or possibly worse than turning into a Shadow Pokemon. However, with their trainer sharing the energy between them, the Infinity Energy becomes manageable plus has someone to guide their actions.
Mama Kanga is worried that all the Infinity Energy its child is channeling will only make it into a fighting machine, but thankfully they have a trainer cycling the energy between them and giving them direction so that the child simply got a power boost so it can fight alongside its mother.
It's worth noting that this is how Super MD handled megas. It has them as a temporary state that can do things like break walls, but the mon eventually becomes uncontrollable and just fires off attacks (potentially hitting allies as well) for the last few turns of the effect. MD DX didn't continue that implementation of megas, however. Maybe its energy sources are naturally more stable?
To 
this 
day, 
there 
are 
still 
many 
viable 
Pokémon 
with 
a 
4x 
weakness. 
