SwSh Starters Discussion

[Peridorito]

Right now I think I will choose Sobble but I love Grookey too. That will most likely change after the evolutions are revealed though.

 

[RK9]

I certainly hope they're not similar, I hate Torchic's evolutions. Charizard is okay, Typhlosion is okay, but all Fire/Fighting starters look like shit.

I think that's part of why Fire/Fighting is hated. The designs for them are uniformly bad.

I actually think Blaziken and Infernape look amazing. Emboar, I can see what you mean. Not the first thing I think of either when someone says "nice design".

 

[Guzma]

I mainly just want Grookey to be the big bruiser of the trio so I can finally get an actual gorilla. I also really can't see Sobble becoming the big bruiser of the trio.

Of course, considering we've only had two generations of the "buff, edgy and femme" trios, it might not actually be a trend and we're overthinking things. I'm sure one starter (most likely Sobble) will evoke Greninja and Decidueye, but Grookey could evoke Incineroar without being a big bruiser; they could just make it a really mean/grungy-looking mandrill with facial markings that evoke glam rocker makeup. Similarly, Scorbunny could be a bit more gender neutral than Delphox and Primarina while still being cute.

 

[NinjutsuSen]

Prediction:

Grookey:
I think it will become the slow, more muscular starter for the simple reason that I think the sleek and fast guy will be Scorbunny's final evolution and we don't need two of them in one generation. Not as slow as Torterra, but about the same or a bit faster than Chesnaught. A buffy Gorilla Pokemon is something we still need. Something like a silverback with a brutal Attack stat (the highest out of all final Starter evolution) Slow but deadly. Mediocre defense. Typing would be Grass + Steel, Rock or what I fear Fighting. Steel could be possible if the final evolution is based on a Silverback because the silver in the name could indicate Steel. Rock would be also good. Both typing would compensate the mediocre defense stats. Rock is also somehow teased in the trailer (Stick drumming on a rock/stone)

Scorbunny:
Based on a bunny which I think will mean a speedy sleeky Pokemon with bad defense and high attack. Could end up being some kind of kicker Pokemon (similiar to Blaziken). Stats similiar to Infernape but with a higher speed, worse defense. Fire/Fighing is the main concern of me, but I hope for Fire/Fairy or especially Fire/Steel. Latter would immensly push the defense capabilities and balance out the bad defense stats. Steel is also teased in the trailer (Scorbunny walking up some wheels made of iron/steel)

Sobble:
Will probably look similiar to Swampert or ends up being quadruped (Imagine it looking like Aurorus, but a bit sleeker). The special attacker here with an also high special defense. Not as slow as slow as Grookey's final evolution (about 80-90 speed). Ghost was teased in the trailer when Sobble came out of the water (looks like he was tarning as water -> Typical for chameleons), but the whiny and shy characteristic of Sobble could lead up it becoming Dragon (like Goomy). So either Water/Ghost or Water/Dragon.

Also another possibility I think could happen would be a triangle of secondary types effective and being weak against another, which would be Fighting (Grookey), Steel (Sobble) and Fairy (Scorbunny). Scorbunny gaining Fairy and Grookey gaining Fighting is something I can totally see. For Sobble not so, but based on some fanarts I saw it's definitely possible.

 

[SerenaToAlola]

Emmm
If there is a company or a sports team, pikachu is defined as the alpha man and pikaclone is defined as the beta man.
No one will overshadow the other one, bcuz they take different duties.
For pikaclones, what GF wants to sell to the fans is the Similarity.

But for starter trio and Pikachu, they are like Fantastic Four. They are four alpha men.
What GF wants to sell to fans is their difference on nature, characteristics, patterns, colors and so on.

The original animal of Pikachu is pika, who looks like a rabbit. The origins of Pikachu and Scorbunny are already so close. It's better to make more difference on other aspects of them.

Absolutely agree with this. Thanks for explaining with such clarity. Also, Fire/Electric is just speculation with little to no basis. Let's not get too fixed on that idea.

 

[SerenaToAlola]

Same could be said for Pikaclones.

No the same could not be said for the Pikaclones at all. As explained, the Pikaclones are the beta to Pikachu's alpha. They do not fill the same niche.

 

[SerenaToAlola]

My speculations for their final forms:

Grookey – Grass/Rock hippie Bob Marley monkey, the cute (androgynous) mage, moves unsure.
Scorbunny – Fire/Steel space rabbit, the cool edgy warrior with access to all the beam moves.
Sobble – Water/Ghost actor lizard, the tank with access to all trick/swap moves.

 

[PkmnTrainerV]

Scorbunny – Fire/Steel space rabbit, the cool edgy warrior with access to all the beam moves.

Also, Fire/Electric is just speculation with little to no basis. Let's not get too fixed on that idea.

Fire/Electric has more basis than this...

 

[SerenaToAlola]

Fire/Electric has more basis than this...

Because it's the type combo you always wanted?

 

[PkmnTrainerV]

Because it's the type combo you always wanted?

Because you can atleast tie the themes of lightning speed, and it’s Japanese name contains ‘spark’. And lots of people came up with Electric before me.
It’s my favourite type, but this time makes sense for the starter. I was neither suggesting nor expecting Litten to turn into an electric type.

What’s your basis for a steel space rabbit? That Astrobunny ‘leak’? That artist already came up and confirmed it as fake.

 

[Lunala]

Because you can atleast tie the themes of lightning speed, and it’s Japanese name contains ‘spark’.

The English word "spark" can mean either the fire kind of spark or the electric. Is this true for the Japanese word the English is being translated from?

 

[PkmnTrainerV]

The English word "spark" can mean either the fire kind of spark or the electric. Is this true for the Japanese word the English is being translated from?

I did some digging around, and apparently it can mean fire works too in Japanese. So it could probably be a coincidence.

Heat and electricity happen to be quite interrelated, and I personally think lightning theme is more likely than a steel space rabbit.

If a space rabbit concept is being explored, it’s going to be a fairy type.

In the end, make it speedy, not horrible looking and I’ll take it.

 

[Blaze Master X]

I might be on Team Sobble, but I need to see their final evolution first.

I'm going with Grass/Fairy (or Rock), Fire/Electric, and Water/Dragon (or Poison).

 

[Diamandis]

kinda going with either Scorbunny or Grookey, I hope Scorbunny is Fire/Fairy tbh im holding out hope

 

[blitzle stan]

Because you can atleast tie the themes of lightning speed, and it’s Japanese name contains ‘spark’.

'Spark' in terms of fire only, not at all spark in terms of electricity. FYI.

And also not 'fireworks', that is the two kanji that make up hibana 火花 reversed into hanabi 花火.

 

[Beer&Nyquil]

I certainly hope they're not similar, I hate Torchic's evolutions. Charizard is okay, Typhlosion is okay, but all Fire/Fighting starters look like shit.

I think that's part of why Fire/Fighting is hated. The designs for them are uniformly bad.

I know this isn’t quite the thread but I just gotta jump on here to agree with all this and say, although I do like it, typhlosion is a boring as hell design

 

[Matleo]

More interesting will to see their movesets. Maybe even showcast one of their fully evolved forms in movie or anime before Alola ends? That wheel on what scorbunny was running was a Electric generator.

 

[prog rocker]

More interesting will to see their movesets. Maybe even showcast one of their fully evolved forms in movie or anime before Alola ends? That wheel on what scorbunny was running was a Electric generator.

Maybe at the end of SM since they always do that, but the movie is possibly out of the question since it is apparently a 1:1 remake of the original movie.

 

[RileyXY1]

Maybe at the end of SM since they always do that, but the movie is possibly out of the question since it is apparently a 1:1 remake of the original movie.

Sinnoh and Kalos didn't have next gen Pokemon at the end of their respective sagas. So no, they did not always do that.

 

[Matleo]

Sinnoh and Kalos didn't have next gen Pokemon at the end of their respective sagas. So no, they did not always do that.

Would want to see once new fully evolved starters before game realese vs old-> Alolah starters in anime. Against their own type and against the type stronger then their self would be interesting. They could show some moves and typing. It would only help selling the games more in my opinion. People would faster get to like the starters and promote the games.