SwSh Sword & Shield: Expansion Pass

[AngryBinacle]

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZsiU5evn6AY&t=259s


Okay, I'm not a fan of Pokétubers in general (except for you, Austin John, you're the boss), but this caught my eye. I'm usually sceptical about rumours like these, as they're usually fake or fanwank-y.

It was presumably posted before the latest trailer hit us and supposedly shows all of the 220-230 Pokémon of the upcoming DLC (Isle of Armor as well as the Crown Tundra). The odd thing is, it correctly lists all the Pokémon revealed in the latest trailer and subsequent discoveries (Amoonguss and Skarmory).

Besides the confirmed Pokémon it also shows us:
- Sandshrew/Sandslash
- Igglybuff/Jigglypuff/Wigglytuff
- Abra/Kadabra/Alakazam
- Tentacool/Tentacruel
- Cubone/Marowak
- Lickitung/Lickilicky
- Smoochum/Jynx
- Pinsir
- Omanyte/Omastar
- Kabuto/Kabutops
- Aerodactyl
- Dratini/Dragonair/Dragonite
- Dunsparce
- Heracross
- Porygon/Porygon2/PorygonZ
- Miltank
- Treecko/Grovyle/Sceptile
- Torchic/Combusken/Blaziken
- Mudkip/Marshtomp/Swampert
- Carvanha/Sharpedo
- Lileep/Cradily
- Anorith/Armaldo
- Bagon/Shelgon/Salamence
- Buneary/Lopunny
- Spiritomb
- Lillipup/Herdier/Stoutland
- Audino
- Venipede/Whirlipede/Scolipede
- Petilil/Lilligant
- Tirtouga/Carracosta
- Archen/Archeops
- Clauncher/Clawitzer
- Tyrunt/Tyrantrum
- Carbink
- Klefki
- Comfey
- Sandygast/Pallosand

- All the Ultra Beasts
- Regigigas
- Some mythicals: Victini, Genesect, Volcanion and Diancie

Some points:
- It seems 'realistic' and it's conform the 200+ 'mons we'll be getting.
- It might have been an edit after the trailers, or something like that. And just fake.
- It's purposefully vague, which might give it more credit.
- It doesn't show Pokémon with no updated movesets in Home (TR's and TM's). (UPDATE: Except for the Clauncher-line)
- V-create, Victini's signature move, is already in the game.

Anway, we'll see very, very soon.

View: https://twitter.com/Pokekalos/status/1272548565072691200


Confirms the Tentacool/Tentacruel and Buneary/Lopunny families.

The rumour I linked is almost certainly true. Maybe not for the full Crown Tundra dex, but at least for the Isle of Armor.

 

[RK9]

Megas are irrelevant now, anyway.

You and me in the alleyway. 6 on 6 Pokémon Battle. Be there in an hour.

 

[AngryBinacle]

You and me in the alleyway. 6 on 6 Pokémon Battle. Be there in an hour.

Bring. It. On.

 

[BackSet]

I like Megas.

 

[Despada]

I miss Megas so much...
if they had to nerf them by making it so the transform only lasts a few turns, then I'm fine with that.
Just outright removing the forms seems like a complete waste.

 

[Oshakpop]

Mega Evolution is definitely the mechanic that should of continued past XY/ORAS. Such a shame they've not continued - as I'd of thought they'd of loved the option of releasing less new Pokémon in favour of releasing more Regional variants and Mega Evolutions.

 

[Despada]

Yeah, the one thing I like about Dyna/Gigantamax as a mechanic is that it gives every Pokemon a multi-turn power-up, which Mega Evolution didn't.
Honestly, in my world, I would have integrated Z-Moves and Megas into a single mechanic. Megas would last a handful of turns, but you could end it early by using a Z-Move. Additionally, any Pokemon could get a multi-turn power boost that could also end early for a Z-Move. Would it be perfect? Maybe, but I'm not a GameFreak dev, so I don't know the logistics, but I still would have pushed for it since it meant we wouldn't have lost Megas.

 

[BackSet]

All I want is Mega Blaziken. He is my boy.

 

[nickdt]

I hate Mega's (Not for the concept, but for the execution). Pokemon that didn't need Mega's (Already OP mons, like Psuedo's, Legendaries, Lucario got them - starters get a pass because they are starters) but Pokemon that did need them, didn't get them. They are unbalanced. I think Gamefreak realized this and decided to make another feature that is Mega's and Z-Moves combined and are balanced (Because every mon has acces to them).

So i don't want to see Mega's return until gen 6 remakes (I mean, you cannot have Kalos without Mega's know, can you).

But back on-topic: So Buneary line is in. So is Tentacool line (Great, another gen 1 line in).

 

[BackSet]

They are unbalanced. I think Gamefreak realized this and decided to make another feature that is Mega's and Z-Moves combined and are balanced (Because every mon has acces to them).

They could have just rebalanced megas. There was no need for Dynamax other than as a cash grab selling point that looks really cool but doesn't actually have much use outside of certain situations (I mean, you can beat gyms and raids without ever dynamaxing).

 

[Nicolas721]

It's cool that we'll see some trial-like features and not just battles in the Isle of Armor campaign. However, the part where they say the armor only has three parts and that one is a fetch quest makes me afraid of the story only lasting like two hours.

Okay, I'm not a fan of Pokétubers in general (except for you, Austin John, you're the boss), but this caught my eye. I'm usually sceptical about rumours like these, as they're usually fake or fanwank-y.

It was presumably posted before the latest trailer hit us and supposedly shows all of the 220-230 Pokémon of the upcoming DLC (Isle of Armor as well as the Crown Tundra). The odd thing is, it correctly lists all the Pokémon revealed in the latest trailer and subsequent discoveries (Amoonguss and Skarmory).

Anway, we'll see very, very soon.

The Alola Dex looks great...

Please, not all the fossils again. I like some of them and I know that a couple have already been confirmed, but that equals to twenty slots that go wasted because those Pokémon can't appear in the wild naturally. Wasn't a whole generation (Alola) with that problem enough for them? I would forgive them if these fossils are revived by a scientist who makes a big rant about all the inconsistencies present in the Galarian fossils' stories though.

Gen 3 starters being priorized above the others makes me smile.

 

[Phosphene]

(I mean, you can beat gyms and raids without ever dynamaxing).

Gyms you definitely don’t need Dynamax; I never used it and beat most gyms pretty handily.

However, I disagree that you can beat raids without ever using Dynamax. Maybe in 1-3 star raids, and possibly even some 4 star raids, with high level Pokémon you won’t have to use it (though even then it’s very helpful in making the battle go by much faster), but for high level raids it’s definitely a necessity.

 

[BackSet]

Gyms you definitely don’t need Dynamax; I never used it and beat most gyms pretty handily.

However, I disagree that you can beat raids without ever using Dynamax. Maybe in 1-3 star raids, and possibly even some 4 star raids, with high level Pokémon you won’t have to use it (though even then it’s very helpful in making the battle go by much faster), but for high level raids it’s definitely a necessity.

That's fair.

 

[Esserise]

Honestly, in my world, I would have integrated Z-Moves and Megas into a single mechanic. Megas would last a handful of turns, but you could end it early by using a Z-Move. Additionally, any Pokemon could get a multi-turn power boost that could also end early for a Z-Move. Would it be perfect? Maybe, but I'm not a GameFreak dev, so I don't know the logistics, but I still would have pushed for it since it meant we wouldn't have lost Megas.

This isn't a bad idea at all - it could probably do with some balance testing, but it's not a bad compromise.

Ultimately I think it's clear that GF are aware of Mega Evolution's flaws and limitations, hence the existence of different mechanics since then that have attempted to refine the concept of a one-use, in-battle power-up. But I suspect that they would rather just create a new mechanic outright that tries to account for those problems rather than changing the fundamental workings of Mega Evolution itself. I don't think that's an inherently better or worse approach, but I do think it would be nice if they could find some way to preserve Mega Evolution if they aren't willing to alter its functionality, because people are obviously fans of some of the designs. They can always just ban it from official tournaments if they're worried about balance issues.

(Of course, we should note that the generation isn't over yet - I think it's entirely possible that Mega Evolution could come back, and that it just hasn't been a priority compared to developing Dynamax and getting all of the old base Pokémon taken care of.)

They could have just rebalanced megas. There was no need for Dynamax other than as a cash grab selling point that looks really cool but doesn't actually have much use outside of certain situations (I mean, you can beat gyms and raids without ever dynamaxing).

I mean... you can beat Gyms without ever Mega Evolving and trials without using Z-Moves, too, so I'm not sure what point you're trying to make there.

Conceptually, Dynamax has a lot going for it that sets it apart that you're not accounting for. A fundamental limitation of Mega Evolutions that a general rebalancing could never fix is its accessibility - they simply cannot design a Mega Evolution for every fully-evolved Pokémon (and that in itself is another limitation - nothing that isn't fully-evolved gets access to it, period). Aesthetically, Dynamax avoids this issue by simply enlarging the Pokémon. Like with Z-Moves, no new design is required, and so every Pokémon can take advantage of it regardless of evolutionary stage, which also lets them introduce it to the player much earlier on in the game.

But then unlike Z-Moves, it also doesn't preclude the possibility of cool new marketable designs, hence the submechanic of Gigantamax. Which I would say has a clearer and more uniform artistic direction (reimagining certain Pokémon as if they were able to have giant proportions) than Mega Evolution (which is just consciously over-designing an individual Pokémon), as well as, I would argue, a more sensible distribution, because rather than cucking all but one Mythical from the roster of new Pokémon that came along with the introduction of Mega Evolution, there are as many Gen 8 Pokémon that receive Gigantamax forms as there are old Gen 1 favorites (and Garbodor lmao). And to me it seems that many Gen 8 Pokémon were in fact designed with Gigantamax forms in mind, which I think helps it feel more organic.

Beyond that, I also think people are too quick to sneer at the value of spectacle. You never want that to be your only motivation, of course, but presentation is undoubtedly a big part of art. Max Raid Battles are one of big new core ideas for this generation, and I just don't think they would be as convincing if it was four players ganging up on a regular-sized Pokémon. They've also clearly rethought the entire worldbuilding element of the Gym Challenge as something that people in-universe would be interested in viewing and engaging with as a spectator event, so giving Pokémon a transformation that fills those big stadiums up makes sense. And Dynamax is emblematic of what the Switch hardware has enabled the series to do - shifting from a small image on a handheld screen into a much larger image on a TV. And they've take advantage of that greatly increased visual fidelity by creating a mechanic that fills the big TV screen.

but for high level raids it’s definitely a necessity.

Being ludicrously overpowered, Zacian can sometimes cover for a lack of Dynamax (I took out a 5-star Lapras with Zacian and NPC partners earlier today), but yeah, I don't think most people will be taking out too many 5-star raids without one or the other.

 

[BackSet]

I mean... you can beat Gyms without ever Mega Evolving and trials without using Z-Moves, too, so I'm not sure what point you're trying to make there.

My point is that adding another mechanic that won't ever be reused is pointless.

I'd say that Gamefreak should stick to one mechanic but I'm not a fan of Dynamaxing and Gigantamaxing so I don't want them to stick to one mechanic in this place.

 

[Poke Dragon]

I too hated Mega Evolution. Burst mechanics, in general, have been so overused at this point, I don't want Pokemon to rely on them to sell the games, especially if they keep introducing new ones.

 

[SerenaToAlola]

I hate Mega's (Not for the concept, but for the execution). Pokemon that didn't need Mega's (Already OP mons, like Psuedo's, Legendaries, Lucario got them - starters get a pass because they are starters) but Pokemon that did need them, didn't get them. They are unbalanced. I think Gamefreak realized this and decided to make another feature that is Mega's and Z-Moves combined and are balanced (Because every mon has acces to them).

Dynamax and Gigantamax is just as unbalanced.

 

[ShinyPokemon inc.]

Dynamax and Gigantamax is just as unbalanced.

Not in VGC or BSS which is what they balance around. In 6 v 6 it's busted but that's not what they care about

 

[SerenaToAlola]

Not in VGC or BSS which is what they balance around. In 6 v 6 it's busted but that's not what they care about

IDK what VGC or BSS is but based on what I quoted, Pokemon that didn't need Gigantamax got them but Pokemon that did need them, didn't get them either. Besides, regardless of how it is implemented, there will also always be pokemon that are just better than other pokemon. Using distribution to find fault with a mechanic isn't very useful because the game is inherently unbalanced.

 

[ShinyPokemon inc.]

IDK what VGC or BSS is but based on what I quoted, Pokemon that didn't need Gigantamax got them but Pokemon that did need them, didn't get them either. Besides, regardless of how it is implemented, there will also always be pokemon that are just better than other pokemon. Using distribution to find fault with a mechanic isn't very useful because the game is inherently unbalanced.

VGC is the Video Game Championships which is the official competitive metagame that Gamefreak and Nintendo advertise and balance around. BSS is Battle Stadium Singles which is the only Singles format that Gamefreak balances around. I will say the basis for what "needs" a new form and what doesn't is entirely subjective. Unlike with Mega Evolution that just turbocharges everything it touches to varying degrees of brokenness. Dynamax and Gigantanmax are only used for 3 turns, can't be used after being switched out, can be countered by a defense use of Dynamax/Gigantamax, can be used by every Pokemon, Max moves, on the whole, are weaker than Z-moves and their secondary effects can be countered by switching/forcing your opponent to switch, haze, surge abilities, weather abilities, status and so on and so forth. Mega Evolution has no such counterplay and is entirely reliant on if your team can combat the level of power from a specific mega and if not you're screwed. A La Mega Ray, Mega Kanga, Mega Gengar, Mega Mence, etc. Even Pokemon with Gigantamax forms are not necessarily more powerful than ones with ones. G-Max moves are usually worse than their Max move counterparts. While Pokemon itself isn't balanced to the point where EVERY single Pokemon is viable Gamefreak's use of Dynamax and Gigantamax is not an example of it. They painstakingly made it so Dynamax works well and fairly in their competitive formats. This is unlike Mega Evolutions which were broken in every meta they touched because of the 100 BST increase, very strong stat distributions, and very powerful abilities. This especially the case for 2 of the 4 Psuedo legendaries that were given Megas. Overall Dynamax and Gigantamax are far more balanced compared to generational mechanics before it and do not exacerbate the inherent imbalance of Pokemon as much as other things in the games.