Official Pre-Pokémon Sword & Pokémon Shield Speculation & Leaks thread

[Esserise]

Decidueye has everything you just mentioned.

On what planet? Decidueye’s line is an almost entirely conceptual progression; it shares hardly any physical traits with Dartrix or Rowlet. It keeps the bowtie and the chevron-like marks on its wings, and returns to Rowlet’s color scheme after going dark-brown with Dartrix, but that’s about it. There’s very little in the way of a natural progression akin to the Gen 1 and 2 Starters. But of course, that’s kind of inevitable in this case - the Robin Hood theme means it’s bound to abandon its middle stage’s “pampered rich boy” persona.

(For the record, I don’t really have a preference between the two Starter design philosophies, and I like Decidueye’s line.)

 

[Arylett Charnoa]

I really don't care myself as to whether or not the starters are bipeds or not, as long as they are well-designed. The issue with the Fire-starters lately, at least to me, is that they've kind of had an ugliness to their aesthetic for some people. (A giant brawny cat, a bulky wizard fox, a large pig wrestler. Of course, I still like Delphox, but admittedly not as much as Braixen.) I don't really care what they do though, as long as I like it. Both approaches have created awesome Pokemon for me, and with both, you'll always lose something in the evolution process anyway. Because even if it ends up being a "bigger version" of the starter, it still can't be exactly the same design. Some people might just like the cuteness of Charmander over Charizard. It's just the nature of things evolving in the Pokemon series.

Anyways though, I'd like to go back to the topic of Dragon-types, and how I agree that I like to see them sort of stretch the concept of dragon because there are many, many varieties of dragons in mythology. So many that the concept of them is a bit nebulous at times. So to that end, I'd like to see a proper kirin Pokemon as a Dragon/Fairy type. Of course, what my REAL dream has always been is a Dragon-type based on the myth of Quetzalcoatl, a green feathered serpent which could make an absolutely beautiful Pokemon. It or the kirin would make great psuedo legendaries in my opinion.

 

[PkmnTrainerV]

type. Of course, what my REAL dream has always been is a Dragon-type based on the myth of Quetzalcoatl, a green feathered serpent which could make an absolutely beautiful Pokemon. It or the kirin would make great psuedo legendaries in my opinion.

Even though it doesn’t have feathers, Rayquaza fits the bill quite well. Even Bulbapedia notes it might be based on Quetzalcoatl.
Rayquaza (Pokémon) - Bulbapedia, the community-driven Pokémon encyclopedia

Alternatively, Rayquaza matches the description of the Aztec god Quetzalcoatl, who was depicted as a flying serpent, and created the boundary between the earth (including the oceans) and the sky.

 

[Oriden]

Even though it doesn’t have feathers, Rayquaza fits the bill quite well. Even Bulbapedia notes it might be based on Quetzalcoatl.
Rayquaza (Pokémon) - Bulbapedia, the community-driven Pokémon encyclopedia

I think it fits it more spiritually than design-wise, though. I could also go for an actual feathered serpent Quetzalcoatl design.

And as far as dragons go- the non-dragon dragons are great, but we could use some more actual-dragon dragon designs too? There's an imbalance lately where for dragons we're getting slugs, turtles and trees instead of a good dragon and I'd like to see it be more of both. Especially since there are so many different kinds of dragons in mythology. How about more feathered dragons? More chinese dragons? More wyverns? Fairy dragons, amphitheres, hydras, kirins... there's plenty to work with.

Really, nothing against the non-dragon dragons- I absolutely adore Alolan Exeggutor- but what passes off as a dragon lately seems to have become more of a joke and I'd just like to see a balance to it.

 

[Poke Dragon]

I prefer more European Dragon Pokemon at this point if they are going to be Dragon-types.

 

[KrisiChiki]

Sorry to bring back a topic from a few pages ago, but I wanted to make a comment on it.

I'm the only one to see Pokémon as something that was created to be casual but then people made things complicated? Or is it because most of the competitive players I found treat it so seriously that I can't find that fun anymore?

My opinion is that it's never a good idea to remove options and variety. Things like difficulty settings, post-game content, side quests and even the use of gimmicks like Z-Moves and Mega Evolution are optional. Casual players can choose to play on easy mode, enjoy the story and ignore the things they are not interested in.

However, when Game Freak does things like outright removing content in the name of simplifying or "casualizing" the game, then it doesn't sit well with me. I say this as someone who is more of a casual player; I don't do competitive battles, I don't breed Pokemon outside of completing the Pokedex and I mostly ignore battle facilities after I try them for a couple of times (Emerald's Battle Frontier was the only exception).

Different people like Pokemon for different reasons and, likewise, people may play the games for different reasons. Some like exploring to find rare Pokemon, others rush through the plot to get to the competitive stage and others want to enjoy a nice little story with the Pokemon they catch (and befriend) along the way.

This is why I hope Let's Go becomes a staple to the franchise so Game Freak can make the cute, simple and casual Pokemon games there while keeping the classic series with the option of a more challenging experience with richer content. I support giving people the option to choose how the play.

 

[Knightwolf09]

Sorry to bring back a topic from a few pages ago, but I wanted to make a comment on it.



My opinion is that it's never a good idea to remove options and variety. Things like difficulty settings, post-game content, side quests and even the use of gimmicks like Z-Moves and Mega Evolution are optional. Casual players can choose to play on easy mode, enjoy the story and ignore the things they are not interested in.

However, when Game Freak does things like outright removing content in the name of simplifying or "casualizing" the game, then it doesn't sit well with me. I say this as someone who is more of a casual player; I don't do competitive battles, I don't breed Pokemon outside of completing the Pokedex and I mostly ignore battle facilities after I try them for a couple of times (Emerald's Battle Frontier was the only exception).

Different people like Pokemon for different reasons and, likewise, people may play the games for different reasons. Some like exploring to find rare Pokemon, others rush through the plot to get to the competitive stage and others want to enjoy a nice little story with the Pokemon they catch (and befriend) along the way.

This is why I hope Let's Go becomes a staple to the franchise so Game Freak can make the cute, simple and casual Pokemon games there while keeping the classic series with the option of a more challenging experience with richer content. I support giving people the option to choose how the play.

I doubt that. Let's Go was meant to be a bridge not just a game for the casuals. Meaning if casual fans enjoy this game, they might feel more comfortable moving into Gen 8, meaning the games will probably feel just as casualised as before. So I wouldn't hold my breath.

 

[Icy Wind]

I doubt that. Let's Go was meant to be a bridge not just a game for the casuals. Meaning if casual fans enjoy this game, they might feel more comfortable moving into Gen 8, meaning the games will probably feel just as casualised as before. So I wouldn't hold my breath.

Well, they said gen 8 was going to be “in the style of XY and SM”. I really doubt it’s going to be as casualized as Let’s Go.

 

[Esserise]

Even though it doesn’t have feathers, Rayquaza fits the bill quite well. Even Bulbapedia notes it might be based on Quetzalcoatl.
Rayquaza (Pokémon) - Bulbapedia, the community-driven Pokémon encyclopedia

Eh... Bulbapedia’s “origins” sections say a lot of things that are just echoes of fan speculation and theories.

The feathers are one of the most distinguishing features of Quetzalcoatl, so it would be quite an odd choice to adapt that deity without them. And as far as the actual entity in myths goes, Rayquaza matches it in the sense of being a sky deity and... nothing else. Besides, there’s certainly no shortage of flying serpents or snake-like dragons scattered throughout the world’s various mythologies; it’s not a distinctly Middle American idea.

It feels to me like one of those times where the fandom is trying way too hard to nail something specific to it (especially since fans also try to say that Groudon and Kyogre are direct adaptations of the behemoth and the leviathan from Judeo-Christian myth, which, okay, maybe, but then when you try to situate Rayquaza as their “ziz,” you run into the issue that Rayquaza looks nothing like the ziz (a giant bird), prompting people to fall back on, of all things, “they shaved a Mesoamerican god and used that instead”).

Personally, I always got much more of an eastern feeling from Rayquaza.

And as far as dragons go- the non-dragon dragons are great, but we could use some more actual-dragon dragon designs too? There's an imbalance lately where for dragons we're getting slugs, turtles and trees instead of a good dragon and I'd like to see it be more of both. Especially since there are so many different kinds of dragons in mythology. How about more feathered dragons? More chinese dragons? More wyverns? Fairy dragons, amphitheres, hydras, kirins... there's plenty to work with.

Really, nothing against the non-dragon dragons- I absolutely adore Alolan Exeggutor- but what passes off as a dragon lately seems to have become more of a joke and I'd just like to see a balance to it.

I actually think we’ve gotten a good mix of dragons as of late. It is true that Gen 7 gave us a turtle, a palm tree, an alien wasp, and whatever the fuck Guzzlord is, but it also gave us Drampa (a very eastern dragon), Ultra Necrozma (not quite a traditional western dragon, but clearly a dragon crossed with a star and little else), and the Jangmo-o line (a more dinosaur-like interpretation).

The generation before that; sure, there was a slug, a leafy sea dragon, and a sheep based on a naming pun, but there was also Tyrantrum (dinosaur), Noivern (wyvern), and Zygarde (more in the vein of what’s usually called a wyrm, although admittedly its other forms go extremely liberal what with being a dog and a humanoid king, but then again, dragons and snakes are common symbols in heraldry, so having the king being literally adorned with serpents is pretty nifty).

That generation before that was a dragon-palooza. The box mascots were all dragons, and the others introduced were another dinosaur, a more traditional western dragon, and a hydra.

 

[Knightwolf09]

Well, they said gen 8 was going to be “in the style of XY and SM”. I really doubt it’s going to be as casualized as Let’s Go.

Well yeah not as much as Let's Go, just as much as previous gens.

 

[Oriden]

Eh... Bulbapedia’s “origins” sections say a lot of things that are just echoes of fan speculation and theories.

The feathers are one of the most distinguishing features of Quetzalcoatl, so it would be quite an odd choice to adapt that deity without them. And as far as the actual entity in myths goes, Rayquaza matches it in the sense of being a sky deity and... nothing else. Besides, there’s certainly no shortage of flying serpents or snake-like dragons scattered throughout the world’s various mythologies; it’s not a distinctly Middle American idea.

It feels to me like one of those times where the fandom is trying way too hard to nail something specific to it (especially since fans also try to say that Groudon and Kyogre are direct adaptations of the behemoth and the leviathan from Judeo-Christian myth, which, okay, maybe, but then when you try to situate Rayquaza as their “ziz,” you run into the issue that Rayquaza looks nothing like the ziz (a giant bird), prompting people to fall back on, of all things, “they shaved a Mesoamerican god and used that instead”).

Personally, I always got much more of an eastern feeling from Rayquaza.



I actually think we’ve gotten a good mix of dragons as of late. It is true that Gen 7 gave us a turtle, a palm tree, an alien wasp, and whatever the fuck Guzzlord is, but it also gave us Drampa (a very eastern dragon), Ultra Necrozma (not quite a traditional western dragon, but clearly a dragon crossed with a star and little else), and the Jangmo-o line (a more dinosaur-like interpretation).

The generation before that; sure, there was a slug, a leafy sea dragon, and a sheep based on a naming pun, but there was also Tyrantrum (dinosaur), Noivern (wyvern), and Zygarde (more in the vein of what’s usually called a wyrm, although admittedly its other forms go extremely liberal what with being a dog and a humanoid king, but then again, dragons and snakes are common symbols in heraldry, so having the king being literally adorned with serpents is pretty nifty).

That generation before that was a dragon-palooza. The box mascots were all dragons, and the others introduced were another dinosaur, a more traditional western dragon, and a hydra.

I guess I'd just like if more of the non-legendaries were more like traditional dragons in design? I mean sure, we got Drampa, but derp eastern dragon doesn't do a good job of balancing things out. Gen 5 certainly did a decent job with its dragons, but the past two gens have kinda been producing a lot of jokes.

Actually, the number of joke designs is almost becoming worrying, since jokes dominated the regional variant roster. Maybe we just need Game Freak to balance out the serious and goofy designs they make for each gen in general.

 

[Icy Wind]

Actually, the number of joke designs is almost becoming worrying, since jokes dominated the regional variant roster.

Fun fact: they said this was actually done on purpose.

"When the designers first came up with the idea, the background is that the sun in Alola is so strong, that [Exeggutor] just keeps growing and growing," Ohmori said.

I asked the developers if they designed creatures like Alolan Exeggutor just to mess or troll with people, and Game Freak collectively laughed. I was told that they felt it was important to have some fun with the designs because it was a special occasion.

 

[Esserise]

I guess I'd just like if more of the non-legendaries were more like traditional dragons in design? I mean sure, we got Drampa, but derp eastern dragon doesn't do a good job of balancing things out. Gen 5 certainly did a decent job with its dragons, but the past two gens have kinda been producing a lot of jokes.

I’d argue that Drampa’s “derp” quality is subjective - personally, I don’t really see it. It’s a softer, happier design than you’d expect from a dragon, but there’s a difference between that and something overtly silly like the Goomy line.

Other than that, I do get what you mean, though at the same time I really don’t want to see a lot of dragons introduced at once.

Actually, the number of joke designs is almost becoming worrying, since jokes dominated the regional variant roster.

I’m not really seeing that same disparity. From where I’m standing, I’d divide the Alola Forms as follows:

Serious/Neutral
- Raticate
- Vulpix
- Ninetales
- Sandshrew
- Sandslash
- Meowth
- Geodude
- Graveler
- Golem
- Grimer
- Muk
- Marowak

Funny
- Rattata
- Raichu
- Diglett
- Dugtrio
- Persian
- Exeggutor

 

[Icy Wind]

- Geodude
- Graveler
- Golem

Eh, i wouldn’t call rocks with facial hair serious or neutral, personally.

 

[Esserise]

Eh, i wouldn’t call rocks with favial hair serious or neutral, personally.

Technically, Geodude doesn’t have any. But regardless, I figured the facial hair on Graveler and Golem was meant to make them look tougher/more masculine. Like, with human characters, Archie and Lysandre have beards, but it’s not supposed to code them as silly. (Similarly, when you really get down to it, a living rock with biceps and “dude” in its name is already a pretty inherently silly idea, but it’s not really played up that way in the games.)

They’ve done the “magnetic rock uses iron shavings as a beard” joke in a silly way before with Probopass (with the silliness amplified by the comically enormous nose), but personally I get a different read from Golem than I do from that.

In any case, even if I were to relocate them to the other side of my list, it would still be a pretty even split.

 

[PkmnTrainerV]

- Geodude
- Graveler
- Golem

Funny
- Rattata

Eh, i wouldn’t call rocks with facial hair serious or neutral, personally.

I agree with @Icy Wind. It definitely leans more on the side of funny to me, specially when compared to ratatta.

 

[Knightwolf09]

Still pretty sure Raichu was an anime reference, just had a funny reason behind it

 

[SUP3RN0VA]

They really are going back to basics. I'm expecting this approach to continue into the 2019 game.

That literally makes no sense.

 

[SinnohEevee]

But, it would be unoriginal because Hoopa exists.

So?
What if GF makes a Middle Eastern region?

 

[RileyXY1]

So?
What if GF makes a Middle Eastern region?

That would be a bit too controversial.