Unpopular opinions

[Detective Barricade]

I actually agree with this for the most part. The plethora of Fighting-types make either Kyurem form trivial, especially Kyurem-B (tho I used Magnezone for that). And I found several Totem fights to be a matter of pumping up the poor sap you sent out with enough XDefs/XSpDs to take the opposing hits... in a few noteworthy cases this left them free to go and obliterate them (for example, my Pikipek's Rock Smash 2HKOd Totem Raticate unboosted, and I purposefully waffled the fight with Totem Salazzle since otherwise Mudbray OHKOd it. Said Mudbray would go on to OHKO the Nihilego encounter.)

Something that fights like these have demonstrated to me is that the challenge of Legendary fights isn't defeating them - it's capturing them. It's easy to steamroll a singular Pokémon with a team of six; but getting that same Pokemon down just low enough to be able to start throwing Poke balls, and keeping your Pokemon alive in the process while the Legendary keeps attacking, that takes actual skill.

It really doesn't help that both Kyurem forms, while extremely powerful stat-wise, are crippled by their own respective signature moves (Freeze Shock and Ice Burn) being two turn attacks. And are completely vulnerable during the charge up turn. Heck, neither move breaks Protect like Giratina's Shadow Force, just a chance to paralyze or burn. Darmanitan can easily crush this "scary" legendary with the ridiculous power of Sheer Force Flare Blitz.

Granted, your examples with Totem Salazzle and Nihilego are a bit unfair, since both have tissue paper for Defense and are X4 weak to Ground while Mudbray is a little monster with its Attack stat...

Still, some of the USUM Totem fights are cleverly set up to at least allow them to call in a partner and get their strategy off the ground. The fact these fights have any strategy at all is kind of astounding considering most gym leaders, and even several Elite Four members, don't tend to have any real strategy to their teams beyond sticking a bunch of Pokemon of the same type together.

 

[Worldie]

That has a lot to do with the general improvement of AI in USUM: bosses/totems do mimic the Battle Tree / Facility AI where they do go for coded tactics, supereffective moves (on top of actually having stat advantage for the boss/totems being 6x31 with 252/252 evs and proper moveset) rather than the mediocre AI that most ingame fights use.

 

[Codraroll]

I think Game Freak actually dropped the ball on Double Battles this generation.

Totem battles really showcase how two Pokémon can battle alongside each other in synergy, and how a somewhat mediocre Pokémon can be really threatening by giving support to a good one (or vice versa). Players are shown strategies such as weather set-up, healing moves, Helping Hand, crippling moves, or the Pokémon covering each other's weaknesses. An understanding of these synergy effects is also vital for success in VGC, or the Doubles facility in Battle Tree. Some Pokémon are even designed for use in Doubles, such as Comfey or Mega Audino.

Yet players are given way too few chances to actually practice Doubles strategies themselves. Double battles are exceedingly rare. If this is due to technical limitations, then the blame can be passed directly to bad design. They knew what console specs they had to work with, and if the graphics were too nice to run Doubles smoothly, then the graphical ambitions were too high to begin with. It worked in Gen VI with the same hardware, so there was no reason why it should fail in Gen VII. And if the lack of Doubles was a gameplay issue ("Maybe it's too complicated for players to understand!"), that's not good design either. Then they should have made a decision at the start, to teach Doubles better or to remove it entirely. VGC, totems, all. If you think your primary player base won't understand your primary competitive format, you're either designing for the wrong player base, or you have the wrong competitive format. This half-and-half approach strikes me as really lazy. Especially since the Totem battles involve two Pokémon. "Look how cool this is! Oh, and we're only giving you a couple of tastes of it. Sorry for showing how these crapmons can be an excellent asset in battle, yet not allowing you to use then in that role."

 

[ChrystalFalchion]

I actually don't have a problem with how easy the main series Pokémon games are. Some people say Gen 1 was challenging - it wasn't, it was just not as easy. Psychic types were OP as fuck, and it's the most glitch riddled game I've played apart from Sonic 06. The thing is, the games are meant for young children. If you want something harder, there are some fan games you can play (Volt Black is one I'd recommend) or you can try a Nuzlocke.

 

[Siggu]

Yet players are given way too few chances to actually practice Doubles strategies themselves. Double battles are exceedingly rare.

It's quite ironic that Double Battles have become rarer and rarer ever since they became the official format.

These battles were everywhere in Emerald, but come Diamond and Pearl, their frequency has been lower and lower. Even in ORAS, they were not that frequent.

 

[ChrystalFalchion]

I'd like an option where you can set the default battle to either singles or doubles. Obviously every trainer would need at least 2 mons though.

 

[Pikachu315111]

Bringing this discussion over here from the Event Discussions thread:

You know I actually like the fact that Apricorn Balls are so rare, it makes having a pokemon in one feel special

Mainly want to talk about the Apricorn Ball opinion because that could be an interesting discussion. Do you like the Apricorn Poke Balls being limited/rare?

While I understand the sentiment if the Apricorn Balls were always limited like the Master Ball or Dream Ball, to me it doesn't as in some games the Apricorn Balls aren't limited. Granted, this is only for the games taking place in Johto, but that still means there's a whole slew of Pokemon spread across Gen I to IV who isn't surprising to see in the Apricorn Poke Balls.

Though I'm not saying they should be sold in stores. I like the idea of making them into Poke Balls. They can still make them rare by limiting the amount of Apricorn you can get from the plant, but if you have the patience there's a way for you to make more. I don't feel that'll devalue the Pokemon in it.

Also, another thing about the Apricorn Poke Balls is that they have effects which alter which Pokemon they're better to use on. That makes it feel like you're suppose to be able to have multiple of them like any of the other special Poke Balls you can buy from marts. Limiting them to one now just makes them feel like a pretty Poke Ball you don't want to use instead of an option where their effect could be helpful in catching.

 

[yourDeadGrandad]

I, personally, don't use apricorn balls, because they aren't guaranteed to work, and I can't get any more.

They're rare, so I don't want to use them, and kind of useless, so I don't want to use them.

Johto had the right idea.

 

[Detective Barricade]

Bringing this discussion over here from the Event Discussions thread:



Mainly want to talk about the Apricorn Ball opinion because that could be an interesting discussion. Do you like the Apricorn Poke Balls being limited/rare?

While I understand the sentiment if the Apricorn Balls were always limited like the Master Ball or Dream Ball, to me it doesn't as in some games the Apricorn Balls aren't limited. Granted, this is only for the games taking place in Johto, but that still means there's a whole slew of Pokemon spread across Gen I to IV who isn't surprising to see in the Apricorn Poke Balls.

Though I'm not saying they should be sold in stores. I like the idea of making them into Poke Balls. They can still make them rare by limiting the amount of Apricorn you can get from the plant, but if you have the patience there's a way for you to make more. I don't feel that'll devalue the Pokemon in it.

Also, another thing about the Apricorn Poke Balls is that they have effects which alter which Pokemon they're better to use on. That makes it feel like you're suppose to be able to have multiple of them like any of the other special Poke Balls you can buy from marts. Limiting them to one now just makes them feel like a pretty Poke Ball you don't want to use instead of an option where their effect could be helpful in catching.

They never had any real value as you could just collect a bunch of the same color Apricorns to give and get a bunch all at once. A Cherish Ball is special. The others? Not so much. If they didn't want them to be available in just any Poke Mart, why not make them purchasable through Festival Plaza's Ball Shops? Maybe something like a set of five of a given kind for a few hundred FC that can be purchased once per shop per day if they really wanted to limit them. But no, just one entire set per game, with a second set available if you show a Pokemon from VC GSC.

 

[Hugin]

I like the Apricorn ball method in Gen 2 and wish it was better done, rather than being dropped. It wasn’t actually great, but it was at least interesting, whereas now even specialty balls are generic. I just really don’t like the current “spend 1000 each on Dusk/Lure/Repeat/Timer balls, spam on any tough captures” approach, honestly. Gen 2 the odd balls at least felt special and like something to save for a key moment.

Also, I really hate the TM system they use now. They’re too expensive to buy early-game and you think nothing of teaching a mon a random coverage move for a single tough trainer. I know people were tired of not using rare TMs because you only get 1 EQ, but this system makes them so meaningless.

 

[Hyper Cutter]

As someone who almost always uses Pokeballs other than Poke/Great/Ultra given the chance, I really like the other kinds being so available.

Also they should have sold apricorn balls in the festival plaza ball shop because what even is its purpose as-is?

 

[Detective Barricade]

I like the Apricorn ball method in Gen 2 and wish it was better done, rather than being dropped. It wasn’t actually great, but it was at least interesting, whereas now even specialty balls are generic. I just really don’t like the current “spend 1000 each on Dusk/Lure/Repeat/Timer balls, spam on any tough captures” approach, honestly. Gen 2 the odd balls at least felt special and like something to save for a key moment.

Also, I really hate the TM system they use now. They’re too expensive to buy early-game and you think nothing of teaching a mon a random coverage move for a single tough trainer. I know people were tired of not using rare TMs because you only get 1 EQ, but this system makes them so meaningless.

I don't think it really matters if they're too expensive early on because the really good ones (EQ, Ice Beam, Thunderbolt, Flamethrower, Scald, etc.) are usually reserved for late game finds. Scald was found stupidly early in SM and Game Freak clearly regretted putting it there as USUM saw it moved to Poni Island. They're not supposed to have much actual meaning. You're supposed to consider teaching some coverage moves to help get past a tough trainer; that's why Bulldoze is available for purchase in Mauville in OR/AS.

As for the Apricorn balls in gen 2, the whole save for a key moment thing is a tad diminished when Friend Ball doesn't have an improved capture rate and both Love and Moon Ball don't work as intended IIRC. (Love ends up only being especially effective on Pokemon of the same kind and gender while they forgot to actually make Moon Ball more effective on Pokemon that evolve with the Moon Stone)

That being said, either the specialty balls aside from Premier and Heal should be a little more costly, or Ultra Ball should be cheaper. As it is, there's not much reason to purchase them over the others that are cheaper AND more effective. (then again, Quick is probably just fine since the boost only applies to the first turn; if it fails, you're going to move on to other balls once you've worn the Pokemon down)

 

[Pikachu315111]

As for the Apricorn balls in gen 2, the whole save for a key moment thing is a tad diminished when Friend Ball doesn't have an improved capture rate and both Love and Moon Ball don't work as intended IIRC. (Love ends up only being especially effective on Pokemon of the same kind and gender while they forgot to actually make Moon Ball more effective on Pokemon that evolve with the Moon Stone)

That being said, either the specialty balls aside from Premier and Heal should be a little more costly, or Ultra Ball should be cheaper. As it is, there's not much reason to purchase them over the others that are cheaper AND more effective. (then again, Quick is probably just fine since the boost only applies to the first turn; if it fails, you're going to move on to other balls once you've worn the Pokemon down)

I actually think they need to update their effect. Some are generations old and things have changed. Heck, some effects weren't really that useful when they were introduced:

Ball Pun

Level Ball: In order for it to be better than an Ultra Ball your Pokemon needs to be DOUBLED the Level of the Wild Pokemon your versing! When at any point other than post game when you're finishing the Pokedex are you going to be double the level?
How about if you're Pokemon is higher Level it's a 2x plus 0.1x for each additional level higher (max at 8x). Also, maybe have the Pokemon gain double Experience if its not the highest Level Pokemon in your party. Make it into the "catch up" Ball for Pokemon you want to use but you would have to grind since their Level is very low compared to your current party.
Lure Ball: Oh, they did update some! Lure Ball is now 5x for fished up Pokemon. Very nice... too bad we can only get at mos two...
Moon Ball: Only useful on Pokemon who evolve by Moon Stone. All of SIX Pokemon. Well, if they're all in the Regional Dex. Let's just make this the "night" ball. No, I don't mean useful for catching Pokemon at night, but rather Pokemon affiliated with the night as well as the moon: Pokemon who evolve via Moon Stone, evolve via Dusk Stone, evolve at Night, can naturally learn Moonlight or Moonblast, only come out at night, or are moon-related (Umbreon, Lunatone, Cresselia, Darkrai, Lunala). Granted, still very niche, but better than what it was. Plus I imagine these are the only Pokemon you'd use it on anyway (caught my Lunala Nebby in a Moon Ball).
Friend Ball: Sets Friendship to 200... it already has a limited us, might as well have it max out Friendship and prevent it from lowering. Would it also be too much to suggest it teaches Return upon capture?
Love Ball: Problem here is the ONLY effect is 8x against Wild Pokemon the same gender AND SPECIES. How about adding a 3x if the wild Pokemon is just opposite gender and 5x if opposite gender and same Egg Group. Also maybe extend the same Species to include the evolutionary family (and possibly related Pokemon, like it'll be x8 on a wild Tauros/Volbeat/Nidoran (m) if you're using a Miltank/Illumise/Nidoran (f) and vice versa). Also, maybe have the Pokemon sent out afflict Attract on opposite gender Pokemon in wild battles. Why not? As long as it doesn't alter Trainer Battles.
Heavy Ball: I never understood why its modification was addition and not multiplication. Worst, it's only useful on a small handful of Pokemon, even with SM's update of it. They just need to redo it. Use multiplication, and come up with a chart that's also a bit more lenient. Like below 10 kg is 1x, 10-24.9 is 2x, 25-49.9 is 3x, 50-99.9 is 4x, 100-199.9 is 5x, 200-399.9 is 6x, 400-799.9 is 7x, and 800 above is 8x.
Fast Ball: Like Heavy Ball, it's requirement is too high: base Speed needs to be 100 or above for 4x. That's not a lot of Pokemon, or at least Pokemon available in the wild. How about below 15 is 1x, 16-30 is 2x, 31-45 is 3x, 46-60 is 4x, 61-75 is 5x, 76-90 is 6x, 91-105 is 7x, and 120 above is 8x.
Premier Ball: Normally I think Premier is fine as is, a little bonus for buying 10 or more Poke Balls (though that should go for any type of Ball), but I thought it would be neat if maybe they gave it a "secret" catch rate modification: 8x on Shiny Pokemon. The Premier Ball is sort of like a Shiny Poke Ball, so why not?
Repeat Ball: 3.5x at catching Pokemon you already caught, ~whoo. First, make it 3.5x for a seen Pokemon and 7x for a Pokemon you caught. Also, maybe have it so that if the Pokemon in this Ball is the first in your party it's more likely the encounter will be the same species. Let's not waste time here, only reason you'd do this if the Pokemon you caught didn't have the Ability or Nature you didn't like or you'll looking for a Shiny.
Timer Ball: Fine as is but I don't think it should be capped.
Nest Ball: Works better lower level Pokemon, aka copy of Level Ball. Scrap that, just make it just 3.5x against Pokemon in the Flying and Field Egg Group.
Net Ball: Fine, though to not overshadow the Dive Ball I would suggest it caught Pokemon in the Water 1 and Bug Egg Groups instead.
Dive Ball: And it'll be 3.5x on Water 2 and Water 3 Egg Groups.
Luxury Ball: Copy of Friend Ball. To make it different, instead I would make it double a Pokemon's Affection, Fullness, and Enjoyment value in Pokemon Refresh.
Heal Ball: Fully heals, cures, and restores all PP of the Pokemon caught in it. How... useful... How about this, at the end of battle it'll cure the Pokemon of any status ailment (save a trip to Pokemon Refresh) and doubles the effect of healing and PP restoring items used on it. It's the resource conscious Pokemon.
Quick Ball: Fine as is, though if I were to make a change I'd have it decrease by 1 for every turn after the first until reaching 1x.

Every other Ball is fine.

 

[Detective Barricade]

I actually think they need to update their effect. Some are generations old and things have changed. Heck, some effects weren't really that useful when they were introduced:

Ball Pun

Level Ball: In order for it to be better than an Ultra Ball your Pokemon needs to be DOUBLED the Level of the Wild Pokemon your versing! When at any point other than post game when you're finishing the Pokedex are you going to be double the level?
How about if you're Pokemon is higher Level it's a 2x plus 0.1x for each additional level higher (max at 8x). Also, maybe have the Pokemon gain double Experience if its not the highest Level Pokemon in your party. Make it into the "catch up" Ball for Pokemon you want to use but you would have to grind since their Level is very low compared to your current party.
Lure Ball: Oh, they did update some! Lure Ball is now 5x for fished up Pokemon. Very nice... too bad we can only get at mos two...
Moon Ball: Only useful on Pokemon who evolve by Moon Stone. All of SIX Pokemon. Well, if they're all in the Regional Dex. Let's just make this the "night" ball. No, I don't mean useful for catching Pokemon at night, but rather Pokemon affiliated with the night as well as the moon: Pokemon who evolve via Moon Stone, evolve via Dusk Stone, evolve at Night, can naturally learn Moonlight or Moonblast, only come out at night, or are moon-related (Umbreon, Lunatone, Cresselia, Darkrai, Lunala). Granted, still very niche, but better than what it was. Plus I imagine these are the only Pokemon you'd use it on anyway (caught my Lunala Nebby in a Moon Ball).
Friend Ball: Sets Friendship to 200... it already has a limited us, might as well have it max out Friendship and prevent it from lowering. Would it also be too much to suggest it teaches Return upon capture?
Love Ball: Problem here is the ONLY effect is 8x against Wild Pokemon the same gender AND SPECIES. How about adding a 3x if the wild Pokemon is just opposite gender and 5x if opposite gender and same Egg Group. Also maybe extend the same Species to include the evolutionary family (and possibly related Pokemon, like it'll be x8 on a wild Tauros/Volbeat/Nidoran (m) if you're using a Miltank/Illumise/Nidoran (f) and vice versa). Also, maybe have the Pokemon sent out afflict Attract on opposite gender Pokemon in wild battles. Why not? As long as it doesn't alter Trainer Battles.
Heavy Ball: I never understood why its modification was addition and not multiplication. Worst, it's only useful on a small handful of Pokemon, even with SM's update of it. They just need to redo it. Use multiplication, and come up with a chart that's also a bit more lenient. Like below 10 kg is 1x, 10-24.9 is 2x, 25-49.9 is 3x, 50-99.9 is 4x, 100-199.9 is 5x, 200-399.9 is 6x, 400-799.9 is 7x, and 800 above is 8x.
Fast Ball: Like Heavy Ball, it's requirement is too high: base Speed needs to be 100 or above for 4x. That's not a lot of Pokemon, or at least Pokemon available in the wild. How about below 15 is 1x, 16-30 is 2x, 31-45 is 3x, 46-60 is 4x, 61-75 is 5x, 76-90 is 6x, 91-105 is 7x, and 120 above is 8x.
Premier Ball: Normally I think Premier is fine as is, a little bonus for buying 10 or more Poke Balls (though that should go for any type of Ball), but I thought it would be neat if maybe they gave it a "secret" catch rate modification: 8x on Shiny Pokemon. The Premier Ball is sort of like a Shiny Poke Ball, so why not?
Repeat Ball: 3.5x at catching Pokemon you already caught, ~whoo. First, make it 3.5x for a seen Pokemon and 7x for a Pokemon you caught. Also, maybe have it so that if the Pokemon in this Ball is the first in your party it's more likely the encounter will be the same species. Let's not waste time here, only reason you'd do this if the Pokemon you caught didn't have the Ability or Nature you didn't like or you'll looking for a Shiny.
Timer Ball: Fine as is but I don't think it should be capped.
Nest Ball: Works better lower level Pokemon, aka copy of Level Ball. Scrap that, just make it just 3.5x against Pokemon in the Flying and Field Egg Group.
Net Ball: Fine, though to not overshadow the Dive Ball I would suggest it caught Pokemon in the Water 1 and Bug Egg Groups instead.
Dive Ball: And it'll be 3.5x on Water 2 and Water 3 Egg Groups.
Luxury Ball: Copy of Friend Ball. To make it different, instead I would make it double a Pokemon's Affection, Fullness, and Enjoyment value in Pokemon Refresh.
Heal Ball: Fully heals, cures, and restores all PP of the Pokemon caught in it. How... useful... How about this, at the end of battle it'll cure the Pokemon of any status ailment (save a trip to Pokemon Refresh) and doubles the effect of healing and PP restoring items used on it. It's the resource conscious Pokemon.
Quick Ball: Fine as is, though if I were to make a change I'd have it decrease by 1 for every turn after the first until reaching 1x.

Every other Ball is fine.

Luxury's not quite a copy of Friend. It doubles any friendship the Pokemon caught in it gains. Still...

 

[Suspicious Derivative]

I think Game Freak actually dropped the ball on Double Battles this generation.

Totem battles really showcase how two Pokémon can battle alongside each other in synergy, and how a somewhat mediocre Pokémon can be really threatening by giving support to a good one (or vice versa). Players are shown strategies such as weather set-up, healing moves, Helping Hand, crippling moves, or the Pokémon covering each other's weaknesses. An understanding of these synergy effects is also vital for success in VGC, or the Doubles facility in Battle Tree. Some Pokémon are even designed for use in Doubles, such as Comfey or Mega Audino.

Yet players are given way too few chances to actually practice Doubles strategies themselves. Double battles are exceedingly rare. If this is due to technical limitations, then the blame can be passed directly to bad design. They knew what console specs they had to work with, and if the graphics were too nice to run Doubles smoothly, then the graphical ambitions were too high to begin with. It worked in Gen VI with the same hardware, so there was no reason why it should fail in Gen VII. And if the lack of Doubles was a gameplay issue ("Maybe it's too complicated for players to understand!"), that's not good design either. Then they should have made a decision at the start, to teach Doubles better or to remove it entirely. VGC, totems, all. If you think your primary player base won't understand your primary competitive format, you're either designing for the wrong player base, or you have the wrong competitive format. This half-and-half approach strikes me as really lazy. Especially since the Totem battles involve two Pokémon. "Look how cool this is! Oh, and we're only giving you a couple of tastes of it. Sorry for showing how these crapmons can be an excellent asset in battle, yet not allowing you to use then in that role."

This reminds me of one more thing I don't like about the SOS mechanics. Wild Pokemon can call a partner to help them against you, but you can't do the same thing to them. The game can create a 2 vs. 1 situation where the opponent has 2 Pokemon, but it can't be changed to 2 vs. 2 (or 2 vs. 1 where the player has 2 Pokemon). Yet another reason I dislike the SOS mechanics.

I like Double Battles (and I even prefer them over Single Battles when it comes to semi-competitive environments such as the Battle Tree) but I agree that Game Freak haven't done a good job at actually letting you participate in them during the main stories in several recent games. Or for that matter, any casual environments in some cases. As far as I know, there are no Double Battles that can be done infinitely after beating the game in S/M, and the only one I know about in US/UM is the one against Morimoto and Iwao.

 

[Hyper Cutter]

Honestly, the only thing that annoyed me about SOS battles is that calling for help is a free action instead of taking up their turn.

Like, okay, let the totems do it, but regular Pokemon shouldn't.

 

[Curufinwe_wins]

I really really dislike the moves to "hawaii" and "france". There is doing it well, and then there is the half-baked crap they ended up with. Hoenn felt like a more realistic place than both of these two.

Also if you are going to do something like that, for f's sake, let us change language mid game.

 

[ItalianBaptist]

I actually would have considered watching XY/Z if Iris and Cilan were still the traveling companions. Fairies and the Kalos region would have been perfect opportunities for character development for each of them. Axew could have evolved and Squishy could have been the new cute dragon. If they wanted to bring in Serena still she could have been a great foil for Iris. It practically writes itself.

 

[Pikachu315111]

I actually would have considered watching XY/Z if Iris and Cilan were still the traveling companions. Fairies and the Kalos region would have been perfect opportunities for character development for each of them. Axew could have evolved and Squishy could have been the new cute dragon. If they wanted to bring in Serena still she could have been a great foil for Iris. It practically writes itself.

Eh, Iris wasn't that popular and Cilan was still pretty much the same character at the end of BW as he was at the beginning. Them leaving was probably for the best, because honestly Ash's companions seem to be really improve themselves once they get away from Ash (Misty is a Gym Leader, Brock is a doctor, May is a top coordinator, Iris caught a Gible and is learning from Dragon Masters, and Cilan... well he's better as fishing? Also Misty and Brock and can Mega Evolve their Pokemon now).

However, Iris should have made a cameo in XY like all the previous female companions did. Doesn't matter if she was unpopular, she was still one of Ash's companions and had an interesting backstory and (potential) story arc. Plus with the introduction of Fairy-types it would have been a nice opportunity for some jokes. I thought of a good plot to do this:

Hide

Upon Ash & co. arriving to Laverre City they discover they're preparing for a festival dedicated to when a conquering army using Dragon-types were defeated by a small village who befriended Fairy-types which later became Laverre City. Ash & co. would also learn that over time, Dragon-type trainers would come to the festival to challenge their strongest Fairy-type trainers that it became a tradition to have an open invite to any Dragon-type trainers to come and challenge the city. In addition to the Gym Leader Valerie obviously participating, Elite Four member Drasna was also making an appearance and when she arrives Iris is with her! After meeting back up, Iris would explain she's going around to meet all the Dragon-type Masters when she was told about Drasna and this festival so she went to see and train with Drasna up until this festival. However, Iris isn't the only familiar face, suddenly Georgia wearing a furisode girl kimono appears saying gloating its times for her revenge (with Ash & co., especially Iris, not taking her seriously). Georgia will tell them she came to Kalos after hearing about the new Fairy-types, training under Valerie's as one of her furisode girls. And that's the set up, probably a two-parter (though Iris would stay another episode to watch Ash's Gym Battle before heading off herself).

Now sadly this would be after Ash leaves Goodra and before they acquire Sylveon of Squishy, but there's still comedy to be have. Iris, having never met a Fairy-type, would greet Ash's new friends kindly until being introduced to Dedenne where she'll for some reason feel contempt toward it. Upon discovering its a Fairy-type, she'll act high and mighty about proving Dragon-types are better and offer a friendly challenge with Dedenne vs Axew, Bonnie accepting as she's angry Iris doesn't like and insulted Dedenne. Also, with Iris would rub Serena the wrong way as Iris would still call Ash "a little kid" and other snide remarks (Ash will take them in stride with a shrug, "same old Iris").

Meanwhile, I'd say Dedenne and Axew become friends and, during Team Rocket's scheme to steal all the Dragon- and Fairy-type Pokemon, as Dedenne is being taken Axew will evolve into Fraxure and save it, both then working together as Fraxure cut opens the bag/container holding all the other Pokemon while Dedenne distracts Team Rocket and short circuits the machine sucking/grabbing all the Pokemon and then join in on blasting off Team Rocket. Also by the end, Iris chills on the Fairy-type hate and apologizes to Dedenne and Bonnie, Serena learns that though Iris makes fun of Ash it's all done on good terms, and Georgia sees Dragon-types aren't all that bad before realizing what she's saying and vows to continue her journey to become a Dragon Buster. Also, at some point Serena's Eevee would learn Charm or Baby-Doll Eyes to set up its future evolution into Sylveon.

 

[Pikachu315111]

New Unpopular(?) Opinion: I think Gyms should return, though take ideas/improvements from the Island Challenge.

The Island Challenge was a fun diversion, though looking at it closely the Island Challenge, I personally feel, didn't really fill the void Gyms left. Yes, the concept of the Gyms were becoming stale, that's why we needed the Island Challenge to bring some freshness to the franchise. However, if they do another Island Challenge-like feature it'll not only take away the uniqueness of the Island Challenge but also may start making it feel stale.

But that doesn't mean the improvements the Island Challenge did shouldn't be forgotten. Rather, I think Gyms could take some features from the Island Challenge which I felt was the reason the Trials were fun and refreshing:

1. Give the Gym and/or the Gym Puzzle a purpose. Gen V sort of did this with a batch of its Gyms, but the Island Challenge took it further by having most of the Trials you do not only being something to prove yourself but also help either the Trial Captain or the surrounding area. You not only felt you proved you were ready to take on the main challenge but helped out a little too.

2. Let the Gym Leader have a way to power-up their Pokemon (either all of them or just their ace). What's a Gym Leader then just a trainer with the highest level Pokemon (and maybe the most Pokemon in the Gym)? By giving them the ability to give their Pokemon a free Totem Boost it could be a way to show there's more to them than just being a good trainer, having honed their training so they can unlock a hidden power in their Pokemon.

Other suggestions to freshen up Gyms:

A. Use different battling styles. Almost all Gyms have been Single battle with only one being a Double. Have more Double battles, use the newest battling gimmick, maybe have the battle start with a certain weather condition active.

B. I think all Gym Leaders should use Z-Moves, Elite Four should use Mega Pokemon, and the Champion use both (and rematches has everyone using both Z-Moves and Mega Evolutions). Of course who knows what new mechanics I have but whatever it is they should find a way to not only include it by also old mechanics. And not just league trainers, have the rivals take advantage of these tools too to show they're growing development and parallel the player. As you gain access to new mechanics, they would obviously too and can be used to show the potential of the new mechanics (as well as other route trainers but at a lesser extent). Same with the villain team, Admins should use either Z-Moves or Mega Evolution while the leader should use a Mega and Z-Move.

 

[Siggu]

A. Use different battling styles. Almost all Gyms have been Single battle with only one being a Double. Have more Double battles, use the newest battling gimmick, maybe have the battle start with a certain weather condition active

I absolutely agree with the idea of more boss double battles.

I know I said this once but... it's disappointingly ironic how double battles barely get any presence nowadays even though Doubles is the official tournament format. Between both Sun/Moon and Ultra Sun/Moon, there's literally only one repeatable double battle (the Game Freak battle in USUM).

You'd think they'd want to show players what a fun, varied format Doubles is, but recently... it's like it doesn't exist. Even though Totem Pokemon were "Single vs Doubles" and showed many cool gimmicks... doubles were still very out of focus.

 

[Vengeance417]

I absolutely agree with the idea of more boss double battles.

I know I said this once but... it's disappointingly ironic how double battles barely get any presence nowadays even though Doubles is the official tournament format. Between both Sun/Moon and Ultra Sun/Moon, there's literally only one repeatable double battle (the Game Freak battle in USUM).

You'd think they'd want to show players what a fun, varied format Doubles is, but recently... it's like it doesn't exist. Even though Totem Pokemon were "Single vs Doubles" and showed many cool gimmicks... doubles were still very out of focus.

Funny you mention that because the anime doesn't showcase a lot of double battles, either, and the anime is essentially supposed to be an advertisement for the games.

 

[Magnus0]

I think all Gym Leaders should use Z-Moves, Elite Four should use Mega Pokemon, and the Champion use both (and rematches has everyone using both Z-Moves and Mega Evolutions). Of course who knows what new mechanics I have but whatever it is they should find a way to not only include it by also old mechanics. And not just league trainers, have the rivals take advantage of these tools too to show they're growing development and parallel the player. As you gain access to new mechanics, they would obviously too and can be used to show the potential of the new mechanics (as well as other route trainers but at a lesser extent). Same with the villain team, Admins should use either Z-Moves or Mega Evolution while the leader should use a Mega and Z-Move.

I disagree with this. Honestly, I think Z moves should have never happened, and mega-evolution had potential but it was almost entirely wasted on pokemon that were strong anyway. Both these features feel underdeveloped, and I hope they will be absent or at least improved upon in the new games.

I want the new gimmick to be that there's no gimmick. Or at least a well developed one like hidden abilities.

Give me passive out of combat abilities for every pokemon as substitute for HM's. Like, scyther with innate cut, bronzong with innate flash, aipom with innate pickup, and so on. Give me evolutions for pokemon that really need it, like gen four did. Give me an actual reason to 'catch them all' by making pokemon hunting more interesting and rewarding. But don't give me some half-assed unbalanced gimmick that's little more than a flashy animation and some stat boosts.

I'd rather have no gimmick if that means that GF can focus more on balance, new pokemon and moves, and things like actual sidequests and difficulty levels.

 

[Pikachu315111]

I disagree with this. Honestly, I think Z moves should have never happened, and mega-evolution had potential but it was almost entirely wasted on pokemon that were strong anyway. Both these features feel underdeveloped, and I hope they will be absent or at least improved upon in the new games.

I want the new gimmick to be that there's no gimmick. Or at least a well developed one like hidden abilities.

Give me passive out of combat abilities for every pokemon as substitute for HM's. Like, scyther with innate cut, bronzong with innate flash, aipom with innate pickup, and so on. Give me evolutions for pokemon that really need it, like gen four did. Give me an actual reason to 'catch them all' by making pokemon hunting more interesting and rewarding. But don't give me some half-assed unbalanced gimmick that's little more than a flashy animation and some stat boosts.

I'd rather have no gimmick if that means that GF can focus more on balance, new pokemon and moves, and things like actual sidequests and difficulty levels.

My point was never whether Z-Moves was a good idea or not or how Mega Evos were ignored, it was mainly that more characters in the games, specifically the Pokemon League trainers, Admins of the villain team, and rivals should be using them more.

Like them or not, Z-Moves are here to stay, thus we might as well use them to give players a challenge by making otherwise normal battles have a slight danger whenever a notable trainer whips out a Z-Move or Mega Evolution.

As for them being underdeveloped, I agree with that. Z-Moves I'll give a pass FOR RIGHT NOW, as this was the generation it was introduced. However there's plenty of potential for Z-Move expansions, and I'm not just talking about making for species specific Z-Moves (and personally I'd rather there be only a few of those and for Pokemon they can think a creative Z-Move for, otherwise I'd rather the Pokemon get a Mega Evolution). Some ideas for where Z-Moves could expand would be basing Z-Moves off the Body Shape trait, certain Abilities that work with a category of Moves, some notable Moves in general, maybe even ones that depends on a Move having a certain effect like afflicting a status ailment.

Same with Mega Evolutions. ORAS I felt really showed the potential for Mega Evolutions by giving it to Pokemon like Beedrill and Pidgeot. Pokemon normally put in the PU tier suddenly jumping to OU territory! Now, Mega Evolution wasn't perfect, the flat +100 BST I felt either wasn't enough or sometimes too much, plus for Pokemon who got a Mega Evolution giving them any other item mostly felt like a downgrade (why give the offensive Pokemon who got a Mega Evo a Life Orb when Mega Evolving usually gives them a 30%+ offense boost plus increase to other stats and no recoil). If they focus on Mega Evos again I think they need a slight redo, instead of applying a flat +100 BST I think the increase should be percentage increase that doesn't go above 25% (that way other items still hold their value with these Pokemon).

And yes, for a change I'd rather the gimmick be them focusing on previous mechanics and expanding upon them. Not just Mega Evolutions and Z-Moves, but also Items and Move mechanics (such as entry hazards). Instead of throwing new toys into the pool, dig a deeper and larger pool so that what we have feels more fleshed out.

 

[Magnus0]

My point was never whether Z-Moves was a good idea or not or how Mega Evos were ignored, it was mainly that more characters in the games, specifically the Pokemon League trainers, Admins of the villain team, and rivals should be using them more.

Like them or not, Z-Moves are here to stay, thus we might as well use them to give players a challenge by making otherwise normal battles have a slight danger whenever a notable trainer whips out a Z-Move or Mega Evolution.

As for them being underdeveloped, I agree with that. Z-Moves I'll give a pass FOR RIGHT NOW, as this was the generation it was introduced. However there's plenty of potential for Z-Move expansions, and I'm not just talking about making for species specific Z-Moves (and personally I'd rather there be only a few of those and for Pokemon they can think a creative Z-Move for, otherwise I'd rather the Pokemon get a Mega Evolution). Some ideas for where Z-Moves could expand would be basing Z-Moves off the Body Shape trait, certain Abilities that work with a category of Moves, some notable Moves in general, maybe even ones that depends on a Move having a certain effect like afflicting a status ailment.

Same with Mega Evolutions. ORAS I felt really showed the potential for Mega Evolutions by giving it to Pokemon like Beedrill and Pidgeot. Pokemon normally put in the PU tier suddenly jumping to OU territory! Now, Mega Evolution wasn't perfect, the flat +100 BST I felt either wasn't enough or sometimes too much, plus for Pokemon who got a Mega Evolution giving them any other item mostly felt like a downgrade (why give the offensive Pokemon who got a Mega Evo a Life Orb when Mega Evolving usually gives them a 30%+ offense boost plus increase to other stats and no recoil). If they focus on Mega Evos again I think they need a slight redo, instead of applying a flat +100 BST I think the increase should be percentage increase that doesn't go above 25% (that way other items still hold their value with these Pokemon).

And yes, for a change I'd rather the gimmick be them focusing on previous mechanics and expanding upon them. Not just Mega Evolutions and Z-Moves, but also Items and Move mechanics (such as entry hazards). Instead of throwing new toys into the pool, dig a deeper and larger pool so that what we have feels more fleshed out.

So, you agree that the features are underdeveloped, but you still want boss characters to use them? That sounds counter intuitive.

There are so many other ways to make boss fights harder that are more interesting than boring stat boosts to a pokemon or a move. Gym challenges could utilize specific 'strategies' like weather teams, trick room, stall, you name it. If you think about it, the gym leaders don't even use regular items other than berries. Why not start with that?