What Pokemon would you like to see the Masters 8 use?

[Ghost Diplocaulus]

There's been a lot of talk about the Masters 8 lately, and why wouldn't there be? Not only will this phase of the PWC give us a chance to see the Champions of every region to date in action, but the fact that Alain is among them means we might very well get a redemption for the Kalos League loss.

However, something that has been on my mind for a while is the possibility that we might get to see at least some of these guys use other Pokemon besides their obvious aces, and if that is the case then it could be a neat opportunity to either give a bit of spotlight to Pokemon that were underused in their debut Generations, showcase Pokemon that haven't appeared yet (namely from Galar, which has gotten the shortest end of the stick when it comes to its species getting appearances), or even just bring back some old favorites that haven't gotten a lot of attention in a while.

To give a few examples of what I mean, here are some Pokemon species I'd like to see some members of the Masters 8 use:

Lance- Flapple. Well, he's a Dragon-type specialist, so he does need to have Dragon-types on his team. Flapple is one of the Gen 8 mons that hasn't appeared yet, which is why I picked it over Appletun despite me liking the latter more. I also just think it'd be neat if Lance caught himself a Gigantamax-capable species as a result of his previous battle with Leon inspiring him to train with the battle gimmick.

Alain- Orbeetle, Obstagoon, Boltund, Perrserker, and Poliwrath. I get the feeling that, with the obvious exception of his Mega Charizard X, Alain will use a completely different team in the Masters 8 than the one he used in the Kalos League, so he's by far the best candidate to showcase some new Pokemon that have yet to debut and/or bring back some neglected classics. The first four I picked simply because I felt they fit Alain's general aesthetic and personality and because they reference some of the Pokemon that were used in the Kalos League (such as Orbeetle referencing Metagross, Obstagoon referencing Weavile, and Perrserker referencing Bisharp. Boltund is just because I can see Alain wanting to get himself a speedy Electric-type after witnessing how much trouble Pikachu caused for his team). Poliwrath is a bit of an oddball pick, but it's been a long while since it's had any prominence imo, and besides I could see him catch one as a show of respect to Ash's Greninja since, hey, Poliwrath is also a warrior frog. Also, Poliwrath's pre-evolutions are catchable in Kalos's Frost Cavern, which is where Alain was last seen at the end of the XYZ series.

Diantha- Chesnaught, Dubwool, Frosmoth, and Hatterene. Of the Kalos starters, Chesnaught is the one that got the least spotlight by far, and overall is arguably the most neglected fully evolved starter right behind Typhlosion and to a lesser extent Rillaboom. Having the Kalos Champion of all people use one would help even out it screentime issues a bit. Besides, Chesnaught is based on a knight, and I've always felt that Diantha has an overall fairy tale theme to her in-game team, so Chesnaught would actually be a great fit! As for Dubwool, Hatterene, and Frosmoth... not only are they Galarian species that have yet to get an anime appearance, but I feel like they generally suit Diantha very well for various reasons: Dubwool has a lot of similarities with Furfrou, a Kalos-native Pokemon, what with both of them being pure Normal-types geared towards using their natural fluff as a defense; Frosmoth is an extremely elegant and regal Pokemon whose color scheme and overall design match Diantha's own quite well; and finally there's Hatterene, who not only serves as a counteraprt to Diantha's Gardevoir, but also fits nicely into the fairy tale theme by playing the "wicked witch" role to Chesnaught's knight and Gardevoir's princess. Of course, it's higly unlikely that Diantha's gonna have three Galar mons in her team due to her being the Kalos Champion, so it'd make far more sense for her team to be predominantly Kalos mons. But I'd be happy with her having Chesnaught plus just one of the Galar mons I listed.

Cynthia- Togekiss. To be honest, I didn't feel like any of the yet-to-be-showcased Galar Pokemon fit Cynthia, so my only real hope for her is that she has a Togekiss because that species barely even exists outside of Dawn's, so it'd be nice for it to get to appear in someone else's team for a change, and Cynthia's game counterpart uses one, so why not?

Leon- Mega Swampert and Raichu with Stoked Sparksurfer. Because I'm still super attached to my dream team for anime Leon even though I'm aware it's monumentally unlikely to be correct. Still, Swampert is the only Hoenn starter who's Mega form never got to formally appear in the anime proper while Stoked Sparksurfer is the only Signature Z-Move not belonging to a Legendary or Mythical that hasn't been showcased, so it'd be nice if these two got their debuts under the command of the reigning World Champion.

And that's all I can really think of for now, but I'll probably have some other ideas. Anyway, what do you guys think? Are there any underused/neglected Pokemon that you would want to see and feel might have a chance to shine under some of the Masters 8? If so, which ones, and which trainer do you think would they fit?

 

[FelipePR]

I would like Lance to use his Dragonite, which has been overlooked by the anime's production, but which is his main Pokémon in all other media.

Honestly, I'd like to see Iris' Dragonite vs Lance's One, and Iris's Haxorus vs Lance's Gyarados.


OBS: I don't think Alain will use any of these aforementioned Pokemon. He should use Pokemon that look cool and strong, just like his team in XY, and, I'm sorry, but I think most people don't put the aforementioned Pokemon at that baseline, except Obstagoon. However, I could be wrong.

OBS 2: It would be nice if Alain appeared with some of Hisui's Pokémon, since these were not yet paired to the anime. I can see him with a Sneasler, with an H-Arcanine or H-Goodra and H-Braviary (as a replacement for Unfenzant)

 

[Sai]

Gonna assume their teams will mostly be the same as their game incarnations.

 

[Ghost Diplocaulus]

Gonna assume their teams will mostly be the same as their game incarnations.

I don't think we can count on that too much, though: Iris's team for example shares no Pokemon with her game counterpart's bar Haxorus, and it'd be pretty silly if Lance used use three whole Dragonites. Besides, the anime does have a bit of a history of altering game characters' teams. Kukui from just last saga being a good example, as the team he used shared only two Pokemon his his game counterpart, and one of them is only present if the player picked Rowlet as their starter.

 

[Rath]

Leon: Charizard, Dragapult, Rhyperior, Mr. Rime, Seismitoad, Rillaboom

Basically a composite of his game teams which change depending on which starter the player chose. I removed Aegislash because the referee rides around on one, and Haxorus because Iris already has one. Rillaboom because it doesn't look like Goh's Grookey will ever evolve, so this gives Rillaboom a proper showcase.

Cynthia: Garchomp, Gastrodon, Glaceon, Kommo-o, Roserade, Eelektross

The five Pokemon she's confirmed to have in the anime + a Pokemon from her BW game team.

Steven: Metagross, Aggron, Skarmory, Armaldo, Cradily, Carbink

Metagross and Aggron are Pokemon he's confirmed to own in the anime, the rest are from his game teams.

Lance: Gyarados, Aerodactyl, Salamence, Hydreigon, Flapple, Tyrantrum

Yeah, it feels weird for Lance not to use Dragonite, but there's already two other ones here.

Diantha: Gardevoir, Gourgeist, Aurorus, Hawlucha, Florges, Galarian Rapidash

Let's be honest though, Diantha isn't making it past the first round.

Alain: Aside from Charizard, his team should be all new.

Iris: Her current team (maybe with Gible evolved) + Goodra

Ash: If the battles are 3v3 like has been implied, then we'll just get his current team. If reserves happen, any Pokemon will do until the final battle with Leon, where it's the Journeys team's time to shine.

 

[Sai]

I think only Cynthia and Leon's battle will be 6 on 6. Keep in mind most champion vs champion battles will probably be off-screened or just see the last match of it like the Flint match to save time. There's not many episodes left.

 

[Mrnothing]

i would be interested to see the general reaction of lance showcasing a charizard because then half the masters 8 would have one

 

[FelipePR]

i would be interested to see the general reaction of lance showcasing a charizard because then half the masters 8 would have one

Most likely he doesn't use one, although charizard is one of his Main Pokémon in the games. And honestly, I'll be glad if he doesn't use a Charizard, since I'm too tired to see another Charizard with no personality. The only one I want to appear is the "original".

 

[Blob]

Lance:
Dracozolt - Hasn't been seen yet properly and if Ash really DOES fight Lance, it would be fun to see fossil against fossil.
Gyarados - Seen in promotional material.
Flapple - Another Pokémon that hasn't appeared in the anime yet. It can also show off the GMax form. I'm not picking Dragonite because Iris and Ash already have one.

Alain:
Charizard - For obvious reasons, though may be saved for round 2.
Sandaconda - Strange choice, but this could be a Pokémon Alain found in the wild area and uses its GMax form in the first round.
Runerigus - Another Pokémon that hasn't been seen in the anime yet. Possibly saved for round 2
Tyranitar - Round one only. There's not much point of Alain using Pokémon Ash has already fought.
Bisharp - Same has Tyranitar.
Barraskewda - Yet another Pokémon that hasn't appeared up until this point.

Diantha:
Gardevoir
Cursola - Since she uses various types of Pokémon, her team is a lot less predictable. Cursola would be an interesting choice.
Goodra - I doubt she'd use Hatterene since Gardevoir is her ace and she has a Mega stone. As for Goodra... again, it's hard to know what she'll have. Could be a Goodra Vs. Goodra fight!

Leon:
Charizard
Mr. Rime - Had one in the games and it hasn't appeared yet.
Rhyperior - Again, had one in the games. I also think Leon should use all Pokémon that change depending on the starter.
Dragapult
Seismitoad
Aegislash

Cynthia:
Garchomp
Togekiss - About time someone else had one!
Hatterene - She could use GMax Hatterene over Mega Garchomp, if she doesn't get a Mega Stone by the tournament. I also think it suits her.

Steven:
Metagross
Perrserker - Doesn't really suit him, but since it hasn't appeared yet, he could have one.
Aggron

Iris:
Haxorus
Excadrill - Would be interesting if Iris used her non-Dragon Types.
Emolga - Same.
Dragonite
Appletun - Possibly as a counter to Lance's Flapple. It could also be her G-Max Pokémon.
Goodra - One was seen in a flashback when Iris fought Clair.

 

[Nicolas721]

Lance: Salamence, is one of the few dragons that hasn't done anything this series and fits his appearance to a T (specially the Mega). Dracozolt could be interesting. Flapple if it Gigamaxes right away (I'm a Flapple fan, but it is too small and could complicate the animation...).
Iris: I really want her to get something new, so I'd go for Tyrantrum (who only appeared for 5 minutes in XY...) or Drampa. The Archeops from the games would be interesting, specially if it has its ability.
Steven: Bastiodon hits two Pidgeys with one stone by showcasing his type speciality and his affinity for fossils. Its most important battle also had it showcased more offensively than defensively so this could be a good chance to fix that. Claydoll also had a great battle in one episode so it would be nice to see it again. Also, Aggron as a reference to the forgotten episode he was in, but more importantly because it's his second most recognizable Pokemon!
Diantha: Gourgeist has cool moves and typing, and hasn't been seen much outside Jessie's.. Eldegoss and Frosmoth are Galar Pokemon who fit her appearance and who have low chances of appearing otherwise. I thought about Hatterene too but it feels too similar to Gardevoir
Leon: Dubwool as a reference to Hop, Rillaboom as Goh's clearly not evolving.
Cynthia: Togekiss could have a fun cute-but-deadly thing going on. Hisuian Arcanine has a reference to you-know-who, in addition to Hisuian Braviary, Ursaluna or Sneasler, as an archaeologist it wouldn't be out of place for her to use ancient Pokemon. However, her DP Champion team is just too iconic and they have to make room for Kommo-o, so it's unlikely she has team changes.
Alain: Reuniclus has been soo forgotten it hurts, so I'm putting it here, could reflect his scientist side. Maybe Chesnaught borrowed from Mairin? As an original character not tied to anything I hope they go wild with him, by ignoring his XY team besides Charizard.
Ash: Reserves

 

[Emelie]

I like the idea of Iris having secretly caught that Rayquaza that she was chasing after. But then Cynthia reveals that she has a Giratina during their battle. Neither of them has z-moves, megas or gigantamax so they get legendaries to make up for it.

Also Diantha suddenly gets attacked by the roots in Kalos and ends up in the hospital, allowing Tobias or Paul to take her place lol.

 

[Enzo]

I like the idea of them using this opportunity to give some galarian mons that are yet to appear some spotlight, but JN taught me since the very beginning to always expect as little as possible.

 

[Rockapheller]

Thematically speaking, I would rather have all characters stick to their game teams as much as possible. In Lance's particular repetitive case, though, he could stick to Red Gyarados, Dragonite and Aerodactyl on a 3 vs 3 battle so we get it done.

 

[FelipePR]

Diantha: Gourgeist has cool moves and typing, and hasn't been seen much outside Jessie's.. Eldegoss and Frosmoth are Galar Pokemon who fit her appearance and who have low chances of appearing otherwise. I thought about Hatterene too but it feels too similar to Gardevoir

- Frosmoth, both in coloring and in style, really seems to fit Diantha like a perfect glove.

Cynthia: Togekiss could have a fun cute-but-deadly thing going on. Hisuian Arcanine has a reference to you-know-who, in addition to Hisuian Braviary, Ursaluna or Sneasler, as an archaeologist it wouldn't be out of place for her to use ancient Pokemon. However, her DP Champion team is just too iconic and they have to make room for Kommo-o, so it's unlikely she has team changes.

- With Ash's Lucario starring, I don't believe Cynthia will use one. Otherwise, I hope they find a space for the Champion of Sinnoh to use a Pokémon from Hisui.

 

[Ghost Diplocaulus]

Alain: Reuniclus has been soo forgotten it hurts, so I'm putting it here, could reflect his scientist side. Maybe Chesnaught borrowed from Mairin? As an original character not tied to anything I hope they go wild with him, by ignoring his XY team besides Charizard.

Well, you got one right, so congrats! I think it's pretty unlikely that Alain's Chesnaught and Mairin's Chespie are one and the same, but either way I'm just happy to see the most neglected Kalos Starter in a big role at last.

 

[Rath]

Cynthia has a full team confirmed now with Milotic.

Garchomp, Gastrodon, Glaceon, Kommo-o, Roserade, Milotic

Garchomp will 100% be used against both Ash and Iris, so at least one of her six will sit the tournament out.

 

[Ghost Diplocaulus]

Cynthia has a full team confirmed now with Milotic.

Garchomp, Gastrodon, Glaceon, Kommo-o, Roserade, Milotic

Garchomp will 100% be used against both Ash and Iris, so at least one of her six will sit the tournament out.

Seeing how Cynthia's teams vary at least a little bit depending on the games (and in BDSP she even replaces one of her Pokemon each time she's challenged, having Gastrodon in the first fight, then Togekiss, and finally Porygon-Z), it's highly unlikely that she only has six.

I personally don't think we're gonna see Gastrodon or Glaceon being used, since the former seems to be the most frequently replaced Pokemon in Cynthia's game teams (plus, I always felt that Milotic was a much more fitting Water-type for her anyway) while the latter only appears in her B2W2 teams, which are not only not really relevant at the moment, but also aren't as iconic as the teams she uses in DPP proper in my opinion (though granted, the fact that it's a Gen 4 Eeveelution might actually give Glaceon an edge).

 

[FelipePR]

Garchomp, Gastrodon, Glaceon, Kommo-o, Roserade, Milotic

Glaceon? I was hoping that the merchandising around the Pokémon favors a return of May. I didn't even remember that Cynthia had one, although briefly shown in her BW return.

Still, I thought the anime would honor the champion with the mysterious Spiritbomb, certainly one of her most iconic Pokémon in the franchise.

 

[Ghost Diplocaulus]

Glaceon? I was hoping that the merchandising around Pokemon favors a return of May. Didn't even remember that Cynthia had one, as briefly shown in her BW return.

Still, I thought the anime would honor the champion with the mysterious Spiritbomb, certainly one of her most iconic Pokemon in the franchise.

Yeah, I'm personally rooting for either Spiritomb or Togekiss to make an appearance. I love Glaceon and all, but the former two need the spotlight more (especially Togekiss), since Glaceon already got a major role in Joruneys due to Chloe's Eeveelution subplot.

 

[Alola]

Regarding the apparent third options for the initial Masters 8 battles...

• For Lance...I believe he is using Dragonite, Hydreigon, and his Gyarados. So, no need to speculate there.
• For Steven, I'd like to Armaldo or Claydol; I think Skarmory would be a bit boring and Aggron is overused as an antagonistic Pokémon in the anime.
• For Cynthia, there are a lot of fun options. But I think Spiritomb, Togekiss, Eelektross, and Glaceon would all be neat combatants - any of those four would be grand.
• For Iris, Excadrill and Garchomp. I really think Exacdrill should be in in some capacity while Iris should have another Dragon for representation of her character; 3 Dragonite would be a bit much, whereas we can balance with 2 Dragonite and 2 Garchomp. Or, give her either Archeops or Druddigon from her Champion team.
• For Diantha, I'd like to see either Goodra or Tyrantrum to go along with Aurorus; Hawlucha and Gourgeist have had a lot of battle screentime already.
• For Alain, I don't really care. But if I had to pick, then Bisharp - only so it can get KOed again for Guillotining Ash's Goodra
• For Leon, something tells me it'd be Dragapult, but nay I say. Bring out his Aegislash.