SwSh Sword & Shield: Expansion Pass

[Matthew Clerkin]

No thanks. I prefer playing 1-on-1.

I'd be ok with it sticking primarily to singles, but I'd rather have consistency between the main game and competitive PVP if the postgames continue to want to be PVP driven. If the balancing changes and new mechanics aren't balanced around the primary battling mode then what is the point of keeping singles as the primary battle mechanic?

 

[Despada]

Interesting how they’re Alolan Digletts rather than than the regular kind. This might mean that we’ll see more Alolan variants on the Isles (and perhaps the non-Galarian variants of Galar forms as well?).

Also spelling y’all as ya”ll bothers me way too much.

We'll need a way to evolve Alolan variants whose base forms remained the same. I know, I know, "Regional" Variants are supposed to be only obtained in their regions, but they could have backtracked on that.
I wouldn't mind it, at least.
I think A-Diglet is cuter tbh And y'all is fun to say and spell so don't @ me

Game Freak: Let's balance all of our Pokemon game around doubles and make it our official competitive game mode,

Also Game Freak: * Makes 95%+ of the main game based on singles.

People: * Would rather play singles than doubles*

GameFreak: *Surprised Pikachu Face *

I'm not saying that they're going about it the right way, but that doesn't stop them from making Doubles their e-sports mode.

 

[Matthew Clerkin]

I'm not saying that they're going about it the right way, but that doesn't stop them from making Doubles their e-sports mode.

True, but the disparity between main story and pvp gameplay just makes VGC unnecessarily uninviting. For all their innovations in making it easier to get Pokemon for PVP, it seems like they can't be bothered to properly prepare people for their own official format. When a 15 year old sidegame does a better job of introducing players to your meta game mode then the games where the meta takes place, you know that priorities needed to be re-evaluated.

 

[prog rocker]

Okay, then I'd rather stay where we are... Sorry, but competitive is not my thing definitely, and I prefer that Pokémon let's you use what you want instead of what works, which is something I dislike from other monster-catching games.

 

[Matthew Clerkin]

Okay, then I'd rather stay where we are... Sorry, but competitive is not my thing definitely, and I prefer that Pokémon let's you use what you want instead of what works, which is something I dislike from other monster-catching games.

Me too. That's why I want a battle Frontier or something like it

 

[KiranTheWitch]

So, night before the Presentation, what's everyone's final predictions, both for the Presentation and for the actual IoA DLC?

 

[Shib]

I also find that really interesting. It opens the regional variant idea up even more... as in, imagine you can find Alolan Sandshrew in the next game’s icy area, even though we think of it as being an Alolan variant.

I had thought this when we first saw regional variants - my thought was particularly if we get Sinnoh remakes they might use a regional variant or two like Shellos to the east/west divide

We'll need a way to evolve Alolan variants whose base forms remained the same. I know, I know, "Regional" Variants are supposed to be only obtained in their regions, but they could have backtracked on that.
I wouldn't mind it, at least.

I’m hoping for a held item or something - they could always retcon the Strange Souvenir to work like that - give it some “it’s bathed in the mystic light of Alola” description and job done. Also it could be that the Isle of Armor will act as an area that will allow Alolan evolutions.

 

[bulbasaur99]

For me regional variants was never specific to a single region. For example you can encounter Zubat in Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh but it is with other Kanto Pokemon in the national Pokedex because it was discovered first in Kanto. But Crobat is in Johto because it was discovered first in Johto. For me this is same for the variants. For example any Vulpix near a cold area could turn into a alolan Vulpix in time. They call it alolan vulpix because it was discovered there. But it isn't specific to just alola.

I had an idea before the games relese. I wanted to see mixed regional forms for galar. For example you can encounter alolan Sandshrew in icy areas but since galar isn't tropical you can't encounter alolan exeggutor. Maybe next game we can encounter galarian corsola because the new region has pollued waters but we can't encounter galarian Meowth cuz they didn't had to fight that hard.

What i am trying to say is they should mix the variants in the game, and shouldn't make them a region specific.

 

[AngryBinacle]

For me regional variants was never specific to a single region. For example you can encounter Zubat in Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh but it is with other Kanto Pokemon in the national Pokedex because it was discovered first in Kanto. But Crobat is in Johto because it was discovered first in Johto. For me this is same for the variants. For example any Vulpix near a cold area could turn into a alolan Vulpix in time. They call it alolan vulpix because it was discovered there. But it isn't specific to just alola.

I had an idea before the games relese. I wanted to see mixed regional forms for galar. For example you can encounter alolan Sandshrew in icy areas but since galar isn't tropical you can't encounter alolan exeggutor. Maybe next game we can encounter galarian corsola because the new region has pollued waters but we can't encounter galarian Meowth cuz they didn't had to fight that hard.

What i am trying to say is they should mix the variants in the game, and shouldn't make them a region specific.

Doesn't that defeat the purpose of regional variants? They're called 'Alolan' or 'Galarian' for a reason.

A new generation will probably have its own regional forms, anyway.

 

[bulbasaur99]

Doesn't that defeat the purpose of regional variants? They're called 'Alolan' or 'Galarian' for a reason.

A new generation will probably have its own regional forms, anyway.

I don't agree with you. Purpose of the regional forms is making old Pokemon relevant/interesting again. And also i think they lose their charm when they treated like a region specific. Because they had new abilities, new moves, really really good designs... Why waste them for just one game. What's the point of all the effort if they won't appear ever again.

And also we call them "alolan/galarian" not because they are specific to there because they were discovered there. ( This just my opinion by the way not facts )

 

[Shib]

For me regional variants was never specific to a single region. For example you can encounter Zubat in Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh but it is with other Kanto Pokemon in the national Pokedex because it was discovered first in Kanto. But Crobat is in Johto because it was discovered first in Johto. For me this is same for the variants. For example any Vulpix near a cold area could turn into a alolan Vulpix in time. They call it alolan vulpix because it was discovered there. But it isn't specific to just alola.

I had an idea before the games relese. I wanted to see mixed regional forms for galar. For example you can encounter alolan Sandshrew in icy areas but since galar isn't tropical you can't encounter alolan exeggutor. Maybe next game we can encounter galarian corsola because the new region has pollued waters but we can't encounter galarian Meowth cuz they didn't had to fight that hard.

What i am trying to say is they should mix the variants in the game, and shouldn't make them a region specific.

I’m completely with you on this - only thing is I figured that at least the first couple of games with regional variants they’d probably want to keep each region’s special variants as relatively exclusive to make them more special for that region.

Zigzagoon sort of breaks the regional variants thing a little though as it’s Shield Pokédex says:

“Thought to be the oldest form of Zigzagoon, it moves in zigzags and wreaks havoc upon its surroundings.”

So Galarian Zigzagoon should just be referred to as Zigzagoon and the other form should be Hoennian Zigzagoon.

 

[prog rocker]

Zigzagoon sort of breaks the regional variants thing a little though as it’s Shield Pokédex says:

“Thought to be the oldest form of Zigzagoon, it moves in zigzags and wreaks havoc upon its surroundings.”

So Galarian Zigzagoon should just be referred to as Zigzagoon and the other form should be Hoennian Zigzagoon.

So it's the same situation as Exeggutor, right?

 

[Shib]

How so? All the info I can see on Exeggutor implies that the Kantonian is the original but life in Alola changed it.

 

[Esserise]

I’m hoping for a held item or something - they could always retcon the Strange Souvenir to work like that - give it some “it’s bathed in the mystic light of Alola” description and job done. Also it could be that the Isle of Armor will act as an area that will allow Alolan evolutions.

Though that calls into question what sort of object would be used for Koffing and Mime Jr. to evolve into their Galarian regional forms. Alola has the whole "mystical Necrozian light" excuse but I don't know, I think "Eternatus energy" seems less applicable for that purpose since that's linked far more directly to Dynamax whereas they were more vague about the spectral Legendary energy in Gen 7.

Honestly I don't know why they didn't just link it to origin markers. They keep track of which game a particular Pokémon came from; why not make it so that Pikachu that were caught in an Alola game evolve into Alolan Raichu, even if transferred to a different region?

So it's the same situation as Exeggutor, right?

No, people commonly misinterpret what they meant with Exeggutor. The Alolan one is a mutation of the original, it's just that Alolans take pride in its tall stature and say that's how it should look.

(Though it is interesting in that Exeggutor was said to have "originally come from the tropics" in Gen 3's Pokédex and it only appears in Kanto in the Safari Zone, which somewhat implies that it's from somewhere else. So "Kantonian" isn't the right word for it, but Alola isn't its original home either. If anything, its nickname of "The Walking Jungle" or "The Walking Tropical Rainforest" suggests that it's from somewhere more like the Amazon.)

 

[AngryBinacle]

Though that calls into question what sort of object would be used for Koffing and Mime Jr. to evolve into their Galarian regional forms. Alola has the whole "mystical Necrozian light" excuse but I don't know, I think "Eternatus energy" seems less applicable for that purpose since that's linked far more directly to Dynamax whereas they were more vague about the spectral Legendary energy in Gen 7.

Honestly I don't know why they didn't just link it to origin markers. They keep track of which game a particular Pokémon came from; why not make it so that Pikachu that were caught in an Alola game evolve into Alolan Raichu, even if transferred to a different region?



No, people commonly misinterpret what they meant with Exeggutor. The Alolan one is a mutation of the original, it's just that Alolans take pride in its tall stature and say that's how it should look.

(Though it is interesting in that Exeggutor was said to have "originally come from the tropics" in Gen 3's Pokédex and it only appears in Kanto in the Safari Zone, which somewhat implies that it's from somewhere else. So "Kantonian" isn't the right word for it, but Alola isn't its original home either. If anything, its nickname of "The Walking Jungle" or "The Walking Tropical Rainforest" suggests that it's from somewhere more like the Amazon.)

Regional variants didn't come into existence because of Necrozma's energy.

 

[Shib]

Though that calls into question what sort of object would be used for Koffing and Mime Jr. to evolve into their Galarian regional forms. Alola has the whole "mystical Necrozian light" excuse but I don't know, I think "Eternatus energy" seems less applicable for that purpose since that's linked far more directly to Dynamax whereas they were more vague about the spectral Legendary energy in Gen 7.

Honestly I don't know why they didn't just link it to origin markers. They keep track of which game a particular Pokémon came from; why not make it so that Pikachu that were caught in an Alola game evolve into Alolan Raichu, even if transferred to a different region?

Galarian evolutions could be achieved with a held item said to be “imbued with Galar Particles” or something similar.

mid actually prefer it not be done by where a Pokémon was originally caught as I’d like to be able to breed Pokémon in future games and evolve them into the regional version that better suits what I want in that play through. So something like a Held Item seems the most user friendly option as it give more possible choices as to how to achieve different results.

 

[Esserise]

Regional variants didn't come into existence because of Necrozma's energy.

Wasn't saying they did, just that it's a convenient quasi-magical energy that they could use for a handwavey explanation if they wanted to.

"This talisman is coated in an energy that seems to remind certain Pokémon of their home in the Alola region. This may influence their evolution somehow..."

It's just that personally, Alola is so much about the harmony of life and nature that I can just about buy that, but Galar is a much more industrial place and Eternatus has a certain sense of wrongness about it. Before Necrozma got injured, it was in the business of filling worlds with mysterious special happy good times light with that encouraged growth and enrichment. Whereas Eternatus so much exists and shit goes to pot.

 

[AngryBinacle]

Wasn't saying they did, just that it's a convenient quasi-magical energy that they could use for a handwavey explanation if they wanted to.

"This talisman is coated in an energy that seems to remind certain Pokémon of their home in the Alola region. This may influence their evolution somehow..."

It's just that personally, Alola is so much about the harmony of life and nature that I can just about buy that, but Galar is a much more industrial place and Eternatus has a certain sense of wrongness about it. Before Necrozma got injured, it was in the business of filling worlds with mysterious special happy good times light with that encouraged growth and enrichment. Whereas Eternatus so much exists and shit goes to pot.

Aah, my mistake.

I don't think either Necrozma or Eternatus should be the reason for a handwave'able solution. I'm personally of the opinion that just trading them is fine (whether it's in-game or online).

 

[yudgefudge]

Oh my bad, just assumed that they'd add in all the Johto mons through let's go games.

Come to think of it, it would make more sense for the Johto mons to come in through DP remakes, given all the Gen 2 Pokemon that gained evolutions in Sinnoh, like Piloswine, Magby, Elekid, and others.

 

[Shib]

Aah, my mistake.

I don't think either Necrozma or Eternatus should be the reason for a handwave'able solution. I'm personally of the opinion that just trading them is fine (whether it's in-game or online).

my issue with the trading in is if you want say an Alolan Marrowak on your team but from your own trainer ID - I often like to breed teams for new play throughs so this is a situation I’m likely to encounter more often as new games come out of there isn’t a way to choose which evo you get.

a held item “glowing with the light of Alola” or “imbued with Galar particles” wouldn’t outright say that those legendaries are the cause of the evo even if those things are connected to them but then opens opportunities for people to get the evo they want.