That's just part of their lore. Like it's been written canon since Gen 1, when breeding wasn't an in-game mechanic.
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Unpopular opinions
- Thread starter antemortem
- Start date
I sorta understand the appeal of generically learnable moves, but I tend to think movepools were more interesting back when having good coverage (or even good STAB) was more unusual. Idk sometimes it feels like what a lot of people really want is a 90/100 "[type] Slam" and "[type] Beam" for every type and to me that's extremely boring
i know this, but that's exactly my point - it doesn't add anything to the in-game, and the lore is...? there isn't really an actual built lore about this other than word of god, so it could be retconned.
then again i acknowledge it's a minor detail that most people don't remember one way or the other, axing incenses was an actual mechanic retcon
To add onto this: abilities. They routinely change up the mechanics of moves that didn't really need it (Wish, Feint, Surf, et al) and I'd like to see more inter-generational ability changes, even when they aren't massively needed. They've done a bit of this recently with the likes of Gallade and Empoleon but it's so rare when it happens. Give Snorlax Poison Heal and Salamence Aerilate as their new HAs! Give Sableye Wonder Skin instead of Keen Eye! Give Hitmontop Speed Boost instead of Steadfast! Idk! Go nuts!
Yeah, having played a lot of the older games in the last couple of years, feeling this a lot. Everything atm seems to get powerful moves, and usually at really early levels. It's one of the things that made ORAS incredibly unsatisfying for me - everything had much wider movepools than in RS and the difference was incredibly noticeable. I felt like I was steamrollering over everything. The range of TMs available doesn't help either: I mean, before the third badge you're already able to purchase Venoshock, Facade, Bulldoze, Charge Beam, Dragon Tail, Aerial Ace, and Low Sweep. I don't like that I have to deliberately not use TMs to maintain a semblance of challenge: part of the challenge of the older games, particularly the first three gens, is deciding what the best investment of that single good TM you have is.
Sneasel is a classic example of something that generally gets quite good, interesting options, just rarely its own STAB. I've just bred one in Crystal and it has a much more competent moveset than I remember - Shadow Ball, Metal Claw, Iron Tail, Dynamicpunch, Slash, Strength, (and obviously Hidden Power to round it off). It even gets Surf if you're absolutely desperate to do a fully special moveset with Ice Beam/Punch and Faint Attack.
It operates differently pre- and post-Gen IV - and obviously generally for the better later on - but I like that there are a lot of Pokemon like this in the first two or three generations which need a bit more thought to their movesets than just, as CE said "90/100 "[type] Slam"+"[type] Beam"+coverage 1+coverage 2.
This might be unpopular, but I actually like Drayden's main STAB move being Dragon Tail. Is it optimized? Absolutely not. Could you argue that giving his mons a more reliable STAB move should happen at the last (or seventh) fight? Sure. But giving a Dragon Dancing Outrage Haxorus to an AI is just asking for absolutely stupid levels of difficulty, and especially considering the champion fight in Black and White 2 features a full on Dragon Dancing Haxorus, I can appreciate the restraint in the prior match. Plus, it means you have to deal with pivoting, and that introduces a new element to the gym fight because you really can't set up on anyone.
There’s the fact that the in-game opponents doesn’t take advantage of such wider learnset than before, making the Trainer bosses outdated the moment you even face them, so it’s no wonder they keep getting streamrolled. If they were using the expended or permanent TMs for coverage or powerful moves at the time, it will encourage the player to do the same.
I’m not sure if striping down learnset would be the best move, as we run risk into similar issues to RBY if not done carefully. I do agree that we do not need widely available 90 BP special move for every type, and we definitely do not need a widely distributed Close Combat or widely powerful / potent move, and doesn’t need earlier obtention 70 BP moves that would be too powerful at the time of obtention.
I think before gen 7 they weren't really considering actually changing abilities.
Gen 7 is when they started seriously looking into competitive balance, most of the moveset, stat and ability changes have been done with competitive in mind rather than just "in game fun" perspective.
I think it's not so much a case of them "not being willing to retcon" but rather them only recently realizing that they need to do more than "just add new pokemon and gimmicks" to spice up competitive metagame to get it become a real e-sport.
Gen 9 has also been the first time they've shown they are willing to tamper with movesets as well. While yes, outside of smogon, transfer moves have never been allowed, outside of moves strictly not appearing as tutors/TMs at all in a given generation, they used to be more or less consistent with returning ones: if you could learn move X in the previous generation, and it returns as TM (or equivalent), you were still able to learn it the next generation. Gen 9 has shifted, where even moves that were in gen 8 (like Scald) or were actually introduced in gen 8 (like Grassy Glide) have seen a shift in distribution / power in order to spice up or alter the competitive scenario.
Considering this has mostly been received positively by the VGC players, I'd expect the trend to continue.
Mf forgot the tapus happened yeah those were totally balanced.
whoosh
Nuh uh
Please help this "mf" understanding and iterate instead of funny oneliners.
Tapus have not had any change in gen 7>8 other than terrain multipliers nerfed (and the nerf had more to do with Dynamax providing a free setting of the terrain to every pokemon rather than the tapus as none of the tapus was overbearing in competitive setting).
Yeah fair. I'm not a particularly competitive player so I'm more just thinking actual game mechanics. Pre-Gen 9 they basically just added abilities to Pokemon as a way of "filling in" species who only had one regular ability, but there were occasional balance changes like Scolipede getting Speed Boost or Gengar getting Cursed Body. I was purely thinking in terms of "what changes would make certain Pokemon more fun/interesting to use than they currently are" and "who could use a shakeup". But as you say, they're seemingly taking more notice of the competitive metagame now.
Realistically, Nintendo and/or TPCI realized how much money you can make off the e-sports scene and are investing development time into it.
(For both Pokemon mainline, TCG, Unite and Go, bare in mind)
Remember when it was a miracle if we got worlds finals streamed? Now we get regionals and even with localized streams...
calling greedent ugly is so funny to me. this is just generic mammal design, the same as eevee, snorlax etc. theyre like brothers.
As for an unpopular opinion, i guess I talked about it here but legendaries should be uncatchable. idc abt competitive arguments because half of them are straight up ass and cheeks, but lore and writing wise I find it much more interesting to interact with legendaries by treating them as legendaries, one off mons with their own plot points, personalities and stories to tell.
you can still keep some of the legends that are better off by being catchable like ogerpon by downgrading them from legendary into just special goobers anyway, like bloodmoon ursaluna.
also because i think itd make ppl mad and thats funny
As for an unpopular opinion, i guess I talked about it here but legendaries should be uncatchable. idc abt competitive arguments because half of them are straight up ass and cheeks, but lore and writing wise I find it much more interesting to interact with legendaries by treating them as legendaries, one off mons with their own plot points, personalities and stories to tell.
you can still keep some of the legends that are better off by being catchable like ogerpon by downgrading them from legendary into just special goobers anyway, like bloodmoon ursaluna.
also because i think itd make ppl mad and thats funny
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Once again, that goes completely against the spirit of the franchise.
Ever since 5 years ago the "spirit of the franchise" has been completely ignored in a duo combo of "pokemon wont be guaranteed to be present in the game and some of their formes will be completely unobtainable" and "the main game boss is an uncatchable form you can only see in a cutscene"
Also i don't really care. catching legendaries sucks and is lame anyway
It's the fucking face. The stupid cheek shape, beady eyes, and "bearded" color arrangement, and flat humanoid face that evoke more of a cartoon fat guy look than even a superficial Squirrel (Pachirisu preceding it by 4 Gens was much more convincing).
Not hating the design is an opinion, but you cannot objectively tell me that's the same "generic mammal" design as Snorlax (the fat vaguely Bear-based Mattress). It's a Mammal alright, but that Mammal is Peter Griffin's fursona, not a regular Squirrel.
I'm sorry I genuinely am but reading this and then looking at this mon is just really funny to me
Thats just a squirrel to me. It's a funny kinda fat squirrel but it truly is the most Just A Mammal off all mammals.
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Bringing up a reference it's the stupidly big muzzle, lack of a snout, and massive proportion of its head to its body that makes it hard for me to see a Squirrel. Pachirisu has a more simplified head shape and face, while exaggerating the tail proportion more.
Greedent also has the issue where I think the face is too detailed, with the extra muzzle, dimples/freckles, and longer-proportioned arms invoking too much of an uncanny valley feeling vs Pachirisu as a cartoon squirrel. Eevee gets away with its design for the same reason, mostly being a bunch of simple round shapes.
I think it's weird you mention the tail when greedent def has a larger tail to body proportion. The rest are opinions of course, but jumping from "it's design is a bit of a mess" to "this peter griffin idiot is the ugliest thing in the franchise" is making me giggle.
I'm not interested in defending greedents honor, this guy gives me 0 feelings and I only know it exists because I have pokémon autism and I love knowing all pokémon, but to me this is some of pokemons most inoffensive, safe, generic designs theyve made since like gen 1 seel and raticate. Ultimately its all opinions but the vitriol is what makes me laugh. I'd rather greedent get hate than my homie bruxish tho
The ugliest pokemon is by far dustox. Not only it is ugly, it has nO use neitger in game nor in strategy. Firstly the inspiration is a moth, my most hated animal, I almost broke my back because of one, And it commited the war crime of having the worst ever shiny!
That is An outrage! I bet 50%of you just tought it was just a regular one at night. I will never regret trading mine for another shiny. Here is regular one:
this one is Even better. Shiny is unacceptable And should be changed the sooner the better
Dustox is goated. I love drawing this goober
I don't love Dustox, but I don't mind using one. It's useful in-game against Brawly and its eyes look like cheese. (I love cheese.)
Personally I would like to experience the opposite, i.e., being able to play with formerly boss-only Pokémon like Eternamax Eternatus or the Starmobiles. I don't care if it's unbalanced, I want to use Master Hand and the Torque moves, darn it!
I read on Bulbapedia that it's a possibility Dustox's Shiny coloration is based on the Japanese silk moth, but it's unknown if that is an intentional reference or not much like with most other Shiny Pokémon. I'm not going to go on record and say this Pokémon is OP by any means, but I personally think it's at least better than Beautifly in most areas. Gen 3 is really when defensive Poison-Types started to become relevant in my opinion, with the buff to Toxic and the expanded distribution of Sludge Bomb, among other things. It's a perfectly fine earlygame support Pokémon that doesn't overstay its welcome.
Just because it's an unpopular opinion doesn't mean it has to be incorrect
https://www.smogon.com/dex/rs/pokemon/dustox/