Have you ever wanted to get one version of a game, but bought the other version instead because of the exclusive pokemon?

[WinterArcanine]

Have you ever wanted to get one version of a game, but bought the other version instead because of the version exclusive pokemon? I was recently thinking of playing USUM for the first time sometime soon, and I would of gotten ultra moon since I prefer the nighttime/moon atmosphere over the daytime/sun atmosphere and I like Lunala even more than Solgaleo. But then I looked at the exclusive pokemon list and found out that two of the pokemon I wanted to use (Alolan Ninetales and Tyrantrum) were exclusive to ultra sun. So if I do play USUM, I'd play ultra sun instead.

I'm curious if anyone else on here has ever wanted to get one version but got the other version instead because of the version exclusive pokemon.

 

[Sheep]

I had this to an extent with Sword and Shield! Think I wanted Sword originally but went with Shield since it had Galarian Ponyta, one of my very favorites introduced in that gen and honestly the series overall. Thinking back I could have just asked a friend to trade me one instead but figured I'd try shiny hunting it at some point, so I assumed being able to find it myself in the wild would have been preferrable. But I just...didn't do that in the end, and probably would've opted for breeding for a shiny in the long run anyway lol.

 

[Chicorii]

No, never. No, when it comes to non-Legenendary Pokémon.
In old days, it could have mattered, but not anymore since a long time. Since online trading exists, it's extremely easy to get every single breed-able Pokémon. Though in Sword/Shield it's a bit harder because of lack of GTS in-game which is dumb (especially for me, I still use a very old phone on which I can't install Home app, so GTS is totally unavailable to me, they should have at least added this to the Switch version) . So you need to ask someone to trade with you or wait until you got it from Surprise Trade (which should happen sooner or later).
I always choose a game based on which box Legenendary I like more, though that's possible I will make a exception in the upcoming generation. I like Violet Legendary more, but based on the trailer, it seems they could have some differences in music themes which is always a very important part of the games to me. Koraidon in of the trailer was associated with some acoustic percussive instruments, while Miraidon had electronic rhythm (which makes sense as this Pokémon has more futuristic design). And personally I would prefer to play the game in which I hear fully orchestral theme without electronic elements.

 

[Aulos]

I did this with Shield. Before then I had always just went with the "first" or "left" version without thinking much of it (that is: Red, Gold, Ruby, Diamond, etc.) but then they came out with Galarian Ponyta and Rapidash and said they were Shield exclusives.

It's a shame because Zacian is my favorite of all legendaries... Wish Galarian Ponyta and Rapidash had been in Sword.

 

[Lucifer Morningstar]

I've only ever ended up with the opposite version of the one I wanted once that I can recall and no, it was not for that reason.
I ended up with Pearl when I wanted Diamond because Circuit City was out of Diamond.

 

[Fairy Wind]

No, the box legendary is usually the version exclusive I care about most, and if I really want another version exclusive, I can trade for that Pokemon or buy both versions. Though with the price increase since Pokemon moved to the Switch, I'm less inclined to buy both these days.

 

[Harryghost]

I choose the version I want to play based on one simple factor, and that's not the version-exclusive Pokémon. So, no.

 

[Yuunagi]

I have done so in recent generations, probably since Ultra Sun; even for the current generation, my plan to get Violet is based almost entirely on the version exclusives available when initially I’d considered Scarlet instead.

This actually comes up all the time for me when picking games to replay, too - I grew up playing Silver more than any other game, but these days if I’m playing Gen 2 and it’s not Crystal, I tend to spring for Gold instead due to species like Arcanine being exclusive.

 

[Yeoch]

I want OR more than AS but AS has Clawitzer and Kyogre.

 

[Gengarzilla]

There's been some moments where I had a conflict between game and opposite-title exclusive Pokémon, most especially with Ultra Moon and Kartana, but in all these cases I just got the game I intended to get and then got the Pokémon by trades. My sister is a big help on that because in a funny trend we keep ending up with opposite versions through total unplanned flukes.

 

[Chidamari Sketch]

Literally the entire reason why I chose Pokemon Scarlet at all was because of the Paradox Pokemon, which I learned of through leak season. Out of the two: Scarlet had variations of Jigglypuff and Misdreavus; Pokemon that I'm greatly fond of, and the fact that Paradox Pokemon in general are essentially a successor of Ultra Beasts both stat-wise and role-wise (I always enjoyed the Ultra Beasts and I prefer them conceptually over Legendaries/Mythicals in general), it was a no-brainer. And even if it weren't for Scream Tail and Flutter Mane's existence, I happen to have an interest in paleontology; so I probably would've stuck with Scarlet in the end because I liked prehistoric animals, like dinosaurs.