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Ok, I'm on board with Mega Feraligatr's design now. Its attacking animation just makes it look like a big red and blue Totodile, and I fucking love it :totodiLUL:
"original" like I can't SMELL the blatant attempt to cash in on another iono. alas, seems only the previously revealed returning characters are the only ones... and Lysandre..? ( censored story spoilers)
Ok, I'm on board with Mega Feraligatr's design now. Its attacking animation just makes it look like a big red and blue Totodile, and I fucking love it :totodiLUL:
is it just me or is mega gatr's hood helmet thing totally different in this picture? like i know that the model changes somewhat in totomode because the spikes on the arms technically don't fit right normally, but that's something entirely different than the awful spiky lump thing in the other pics
Strong Jaw would be a very bad Ability for Mega Feraligatr since it only has Crunch and Ice Fang as usable biting moves. It'll probably stick with Sheer Force.
For reference:
+1 252 Atk Sheer Force Feraligatr Liquidation vs. 248 HP / 252+ Def Corviknight: 220-261 (55.1 - 65.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
+1 252 Atk Feraligatr Liquidation vs. 248 HP / 252+ Def Corviknight: 169-201 (42.3 - 50.3%) -- 1.2% chance to 2HKO
OK I need someone who has access to the USUM, SWSH & L:A zukan files something fierce because trying to parse the Gen 7 (& 8) alt form listings and am going insane
There are way more tagged entries than I think Gen 7 has forms of and its making it hard to try and narrow down things. I feel like I'm missing obvious things but you can see that I'm desperate enough to lean on the scrapped celesteela form. Like that can't possibly be one.
Still, those are the tagged ones. Those arent' as relevant to our actual discussion, only my sanity.
Before trying to give my guesses as to the scrubbed entries, here's what the supposed gen 7 scrubbed Pokemon are. I think the only GEn 7 in Z-A is Drampa itself?
Crabrawler
Crabominable
Wimpod
Golisopod
Sandygast
Palossand
Mimikyu
Magearna
Marshadow
Zeraora
Meltan
Melmetal
-Scrub #1 seems "early" on, when you consider all the early game Pokemon that have forms that would be tagged. As such I think this might be Mega crabominable
-Scrub #2...So I am making a BIG assumption that the long stretch of tags are the Silvally & Minior Forms. If this assumption is true than the first tag has be someone before Silvally which would have to be Mega Golisopod or Palossand
-Scrub #3...on the same assumption that it's after Minior, and obviously before Drampa, then the only option left would be Mega Mimikyu.
-I think the tagged one at the end has to be GMax Melmetal.
Apparently gmax forms are all in a separate section with form index 999 (e.g., melmetal would be 890_999), so it may not be gmax melmetal. Possibly mega melmetal. This is according to a poster in soulsilverart's discord who is trying to do a similar analysis.
We know Mega Zeraora is in the cards and the only gen 7 alt form left is GNax Melmetal. In otherwords, the 4 scrubs preceding it can't be something like Mega Corviknight.
-With that tag in mind, then the things those 4 can be are very limited. One of them has to be Mega Zeraora, one has to be Original Color Magearna. Marshadow's "zenith" form (it's the thing that happens when it lights up while attacking) isn't a true form, so it can't be here. Meltan has no forms. Therefore...2 of them have the potential to be Mega Magearna, Marshadow &/or Melmetal (with Zeraora & OC Magearna slotting in appropriately). Alternatively, we should remember, these could be extra alternate forms not locked to Megas; perhaps "Zenith" gets upgraded to a proper form and has no mega to go with it as an example.
Gen 8 (much less 9) is likewise looking very confusing. I'll probably try posting that tomorrow after sleeping on it.
If it makes you feel better I suspect that a certain marshadow fan will be asking for my location after this post. My time on this earth is growing more fleeting....
Oh, don't worry. While the idea that zenith form might get upgraded to a separate form and there is no mega marshadow did a little bit of psychic damage, I have a bolder prediction (read: unnecessary hopium) that instead of Magearna getting a mega, Marshadow will get X and Y megas. And then when that doesn't come to pass I can only be upset with myself for daring to dream of such a perfect world.
Apparently gmax forms are all in a separate section with form index 999 (e.g., melmetal would be 890_999), so it may not be gmax melmetal. Possibly mega melmetal. This is according to a poster in soulsilverart's discord who is trying to do a similar analysis.
Oh, don't worry. While the idea that zenith form might get upgraded to a separate form and there is no mega marshadow did a little bit of psychic damage, I have a bolder prediction (read: unnecessary hopium) that instead of Magearna getting a mega, Marshadow will get X and Y megas. And then when that doesn't come to pass I can only be upset with myself for daring to dream of such a perfect world.
it is gmax melmetal, the text dump of the form names confirms it. there still could be a mega mel though cause of the 999 thing. i kinda think it could be interesting if they end up making it so that all of the gen 7 mythicals get megas, since there's enough scrubbed entries there for all of em
actually wait i should probably put what i found from the form names in this post so it doesnt get buried in all the actually cool news shouldn't i
Edit: Here's what I've found. As a disclaimer, it's entirely possible that some or all of these are not actually mega evolutions, and are some other sort of new form, like a regional or something. It's also possible that the order isn't what I think it is and all of these form IDs belong to other pokemon, whether new or old. And most importantly, it's very much possible that this is all meaningless junk data and the only new megas in the DLC are the Mega Raichus. But probably not.
Raichu X (confirmed)
Raichu Y (confirmed)
Mega Chimecho or Mega Tropius
Mega Wynaut? (Could be a second Mega Absol, actually)
Mega Something Sinnoh (After Deoxys, so it is a Sinnoh pokemon, but one before Burmy. Staraptor? Luxray? Roserade?)
Mega Munchlax? Second Mega Garchomp?
Mega (Lucario 2/Hippowdon/Drapion/Toxicroak/Carnivine/Finneon)
Mega Heatran
Mega Darkrai
Mega Mienshao/Golurk (I know someone on r/stunfisk who'd be happy about that)/Bouffalant
Mega Meowstic (unless it's mimi evolving into a secret third meowstic or something)
Mega Vikavolt (pleasepleaseplease) or Mega Crabominable (its gonna be the crab goddammit)
Mega Something Between Salazzle and Silvally
THE WEIRD PART: There are 5(!) scrubs in between Original Color Magearna and GMax Melmetal. If one of these is Mega Zeraora, then the others might be the other gen VII mythicals (including Magearna) + Naganadel. I feel like it'd be weird to have something for Stakataka or Blace but not both of them (or any of the other regular ultra beasts), but if there's one thing game freak's good at, it's not following a pattern.
THE WEIRD PART 2: Right after Crowned Zamazenta, there's an entry that's scrubbed like the rest of these, but it has a tag, unlike everything else in the document. Notably, GMaxes (including Eternamax Eternatus) are considered the 999th form of their respective pokemon, so it might be something funky related to that. I never played Sword or Shield myself, so I don't really know if there was like a cutscene exclusive Eternatus form or something.
Mega (Arboliva/Scovillain/Bellibolt/Revavroom/Orthworm)
Mega (Maushold/Cetitan/BIG BAX)
THE WEIRD PART 3: There are another 6 mystery entries between Tatsugiri and Squawkabilly, going by the SV internal order. The part about this that's weird, though, is that there only 5 fully evolved pokemon possible for that even if you count Tatsugiri. If these really are all mega evolutions, then we would be getting another set of X/Y megas (possibly even two!) with Tatsugiri, Cyclizar (one based on Koraidon, one based on Miraidon?) Pawmot, Kilowattrel, and Bombirdier as candidates.
Lastly, there's one more scrubbed entry between White Squawkabilly and Roaming Gimmighoul. This could be a lot of things: Flamigo, Klawf, Garganacl, Glimmora, Grafaiai, Dachsbun, Mabosstiff, Brambleghast, or of course something for Squawkabilly itself.
Also, all of the SV DLC pokemon are listed after all of the alternate forms, with their own alts (plus bluna) listed after that.
I do think I'm on to something here, though. Other leak stuff indicates that Z-A was intended to release a lot earlier, so it makes sense that there'd be fragments of what they developed for the DLC in its code since it can be hard to fully scrub everything. To give a comparison, Monster Hunter Wilds had a similar thing happen with it just under a year ago, where its open beta test (made from a development build with scrubbed data) ended up not only having data on all of the monsters and areas in the final game, but major story beats as well. And Pokemon is of course no stranger to this, either, what with the Sun & Moon demo fiasco and all. Also, excluding the different WEIRD PARTS (aside from part of the first one), the total list seems to come up to 15 megas, which matches perfectly with the DLC teaser.
and you know its important when i bust out the proper grammar
This one I also see as being odd given the whole gimmick of this mon is that its swollen with a bunch of its acid, and said acid is a lot more potent. I do think its might have an ability to do with poisoning as a result. Poison Touch, Merciless, Corrosion come to mind, and tbf its not like they're opposed to given formerly regular mon signatures to Megas. (Refrigerate for example)
You've all heard of "Blue's Raticate died and was buried at Lavender Town". Now, get ready for "Lysandre's Mienshao and Honchkrow died in the Ultimate Weapon's explosion"
it is gmax melmetal, the text dump of the form names confirms it. there still could be a mega mel though cause of the 999 thing. i kinda think it could be interesting if they end up making it so that all of the gen 7 mythicals get megas, since there's enough scrubbed entries there for all of em
actually wait i should probably put what i found from the form names in this post so it doesnt get buried in all the actually cool news shouldn't i
Regarding the 801-809 range possible megas, naganadel, blacephalon, and stakataka don't have scrubbed dex entrees, so it seems like they are unlikely (as much as I'd like a mega naganadel too). So it seems likely that at least one of the gen 7 mythicals gets 2 megas. Maybe one for each of Magearna's forms (though as per my post above I'll be dreaming of double mega marshadow :P)
You don't want to rely on BP for its sole damage source. Both the option for grass STAB and use of Knock Off are helped by the boosted attack. Knock Off especially because it lures in so many ghost and psychics to be hit
On Feraligatr, I def think its going to be the weirdest Pokemon to figure out if it has the "sauce" to be good or not. Especially since we don't know if its ability will be changed. Assuming it does keep Sheer Force, it will be really lame that its kit won't be synergistic with its new Dragon-type STAB, as most Dragon-type moves aren't boosted by Sheer Force.
The boost to 160 Attack is nice, but winds up not making a massive difference in its Water STAB's damage output if it keeps Sheer Force. At the very least, this does mean that all of Feraligatr's other coverage moves will be about the same power, but it also means that its mega evolution will not be drastically improving its power on its standard sets.
252 Atk Life Orb Sheer Force Feraligatr Liquidation vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Silvally: 212-251 (64 - 75.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 Atk Sheer Force Mega Feraligatr Liquidation vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Silvally: 220-261 (66.4 - 78.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
Dragon Typing does have some other benefits though. You get neutrality to Electric and Grass, Slightly better Defense, and Dragon STAB. I think that its Dragon STAB not being boosted by Sheer Force will be lame for sure, but another angle to look at it would be just treating it as a secondary coverage move you'd use for like, Water Resist like Raging Bolt and Ogerpon-W. And Even unboosted Dragon Claw will get the job done there, with Liquidation being the main nuking move of course. Compared to your other Sheer Force boosted moves, Dragon STAB also is stronger.
+1 252 Atk Mega Feraligatr Dragon Claw vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Raging Bolt: 492-582 (125.8 - 148.8%) -- guaranteed OHKO
+1 252 Atk Mega Feraligatr Dragon Claw vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Ogerpon-Wellspring: 264-312 (87.7 - 103.6%) -- 25% chance to OHKO
+1 252 Atk Mega Feraligatr Dragon Claw vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Samurott-Hisui: 276-325 (85.9 - 101.2%) -- 12.5% chance to OHKO
Overall, despite the lack of synergy with Sheer Force, I think Mega Feraligatr - if it kept Sheer Force - would still be a decent upgrade with the new neutral Dragon Coverage. That said, I am still hoping it gets a sizable buff like Tough Claws or something so this Dragon STAB also gets a nice power boost lol.
Keeping Sheer Force on Mega Feralitagr instead of replacing it with Tough Claws (same damage but you keep secondary effects and it applies to Aqua Jet and Dragon Claw, plus you can't abuse the Life Orb exploit anyway) would be low-key kind of lame ngl. But I can totally see Game Freak giving it Strong Jaw purely due to the design.
Keeping Sheer Force on Mega Feralitagr instead of replacing it with Tough Claws (same damage but you keep secondary effects and it applies to Aqua Jet and Dragon Claw, plus you can't abuse the Life Orb exploit anyway) would be low-key kind of lame ngl. But I can totally see Game Freak giving it Strong Jaw purely due to the design.
Mega Gatr gets STAB Scale Shot to pair with SD sets (provided it keeps that move come Champions), it will be at least decent as long as you have amazing luck with landing multi-hits.
You don't want to rely on BP for its sole damage source. Both the option for grass STAB and use of Knock Off are helped by the boosted attack. Knock Off especially because it lures in so many ghost and psychics to be hit
It's way too easy to get distracted by an Iron Press that rivals Dauntless Shield Crowned Zamazenta's on a Pokemon who gets Synthesis and Leech Seed to think about obvious problems. :P
Knock Off is going to be really nice off of Base 137 Attack, even if it's just using it for utility because of not thinking about Ghost types and goes with Impish 252 HP/252 Def/4 SpD.
This one I also see as being odd given the whole gimmick of this mon is that its swollen with a bunch of its acid, and said acid is a lot more potent. I do think its might have an ability to do with poisoning as a result. Poison Touch, Merciless, Corrosion come to mind, and tbf its not like they're opposed to given formerly regular mon signatures to Megas. (Refrigerate for example)
Honestly my initial thought was Corrosion but it's just such an odd fit for a relatively slow mixed attacker. Chlorophyll just seemed to take better advantage of the spread.
Keeping Sheer Force on Mega Feralitagr instead of replacing it with Tough Claws (same damage but you keep secondary effects and it applies to Aqua Jet and Dragon Claw, plus you can't abuse the Life Orb exploit anyway) would be low-key kind of lame ngl. But I can totally see Game Freak giving it Strong Jaw purely due to the design.
Idk why but with this design I'm imagining something defensive, like a Disguise clone or a new ability that would like give it a Free Substitute upon taking over 50% damage