3rd Gen Wallace, Gym Leader or Champion?

In Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire, Wallace appears as the 8th Gym Leader. Later in Pokémon Emerald, he reappears as the champion of the Hoenn region. So my question to you all is: do you think Wallace made a better gym leader or did he make a better champion? Also discuss what could've been changed to make him a better gym leader/champion.

For this answer, I'm going to use my initial feelings from my first time playing Sapphire and later Emerald. They're both easy now that I know how to play the game better and I know what to expect and prepare for. So, moving on...

I think Wallace is better as a gym leader. He posed a great final gym battle with his team, especially Milotic, and he is more memorable for me as a gym leader rather than a champion. I felt no need to swap him with Steven in Emerald. When compared to fighting them the first time in their respective games (as champions, of course), I found Steven generally more difficult. Cradily can be tricky to take down, and Metagross is a powerhouse if you're not ready for it. The only real threat that I found on Wallace's team was a Milotic, and one threat seems a bit lacking, especially when you're told "hey wallace is the champion now" and for anyone that played Ruby or Sapphire first, you already know "oh hey i bet he has milotic, better prepare" and even then, it's made obvious he has Water types so you know to prepare for that with Grass and Electric. Unless you're like...five...and don't read well...idk.

And in general, Wallace doesn't have much Champion "air" to him like Steven did. Steven was mysterious, helpful, and has a classy design. Wallace was helpful, but also...I can't get over his question in Emerald where he asks where Rayquaza is. You're obviously in the Cave of Origin, you were already at Mt. Pyre a while back and know there's nothing there, and the only place you haven't been to at this point in the game is the Sky Pillar. So um...DUH. Plus he seems more like he's the keeper of Sootopolis City, and I don't like the idea of him leaving such an important place, given what happened there.

Basically, I don't care for Wallace as a champion and I feel he suits the gym leader role more.

I never really liked Wallace in the role of Champion, so I'd say he was better suited as a Gym Leader. I also have a hard time seeing Wallace beat Steven to become Champion, unless he left his position, and Wallace was awarded it by default thanks to being the top Gym Leader. Still, just like Lance in Gen II/IV, I'm not a big fan of the single-type Champion, as it's easy to sweep through them if you're moderately prepared. If he had switched up his team a bit to fit his new role, I would have been more accepting of him, but even then, I would have preferred to face Steven in Emerald than Wallace.

I agree with Brendino on the single-type champion. Especially with a Water gym leader in Juan, the idea of a Water Champion made no sense, especially since they didn't explain it at all. I mean Steven was monotype, but at least he had random fossilized Pokemon that weren't Steel.

I never liked Wallace to begin with to be perfectly honest. I was thrilled when I found out that he wasn't going to be a gym leader of Sootopolis City, but as soon as I found out he was the Elite Four Champion, my face went sour again. If I had to chose one, I am glad that he was a champion because he made my Manetric easier to train to higher levels. I still until this day do not understand why he is a champion for;he is not even good.


:t354:TG

I think Wallace made a pretty good Gym Leader, although his design looked better as a Champion (cape ftw). He made a much better gym leader than a champion. Water doesn't feel like a champion's type and his team was rather good for a gym leader.

He made a great Gym Leader but a horrible Champion, why because he had to compete with Steven who used multiple types just look Rock, Ground and Steel has more capabilities than just Water.

Wallace was much better as a Gym Leader cos he failed as a Champion due to being a single-type specialist... and those with Grass and Electric-types can wipe out most of his team (except Ludicolo) and also, I think Steven was the better Champion.

Also, I don't think Water is a good specialty type for Champions.

For me personally, I think he made a better champion solely for the reason that after the hard task of taking down the Elite Four you find yourself with this guy who just hits you so hard and all of his pokemon have tank like statuses to them!

I remember when I first played emerald and I got all the way through the Elite Four without a electric or grass type because one wasn't needed, then when I came up against Wallace he floored me something good! (You find out the hard way).

If you look at it in terms of the previous champion from R/S Steven, you would of had a fire type with you because of the first E4 member, so his steel types will drop easy, whereas that same fire type is rendered useless against Wallace.

I prefer Steven as the Hoenn champion but, Wallace makes a pretty epic champion too. Steven seemed to have more of a counter of his teams weakness to fire than Wallace has of his team's weakness to electricity, which is why I think Steven is more of a challenge and should be champion of Hoenn while Wallace remains a gym leader.

Turboblaze said:

I prefer Steven as the Hoenn champion but, Wallace makes a pretty epic champion too. Steven seemed to have more of a counter of his teams weakness to fire than Wallace has of his team's weakness to electricity, which is why I think Steven is more of a challenge and should be champion of Hoenn while Wallace remains a gym leader.

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Unless you allow his Luciolo to set up :S

I prefer Steven as the Hoenn champion. In effect, Wallace should stick to being a Gym Leader. I mean I like his type specialization better than Steven's, but as a character, Steven is just more awesome (across all Pokémon media even). I didn't like Juan as the final Gym Leader in Emerald, too, because I thought he was just a Wallace 2.0 (even though he was apparently his mentor in concept and in canon) and felt wrong being in Wallace's place. Plus the champion's typing repeats with the eighth Gym's typing, which I don't really like. Although that did happen in Johto, but Lance was in the final battles from the start anyway.

Had they chosen a different type specialization, a different character preferably not linked to Wallace, and created a completely awesome eighth Gym Leader for Emerald, then I might have preferred Wallace as the champion for bringing forth this awesome hypothetical character.

Cid said:

I prefer Steven as the Hoenn champion. In effect, Wallace should stick to being a Gym Leader. I mean I like his type specialization better than Steven's, but as a character, Steven is just more awesome (across all Pokémon media even). I didn't like Juan as the final Gym Leader in Emerald, too, because I thought he was just a Wallace 2.0 (even though he was apparently his mentor in concept and in canon) and felt wrong being in Wallace's place. Plus the champion's typing repeats with the eighth Gym's typing, which I don't really like. Although that did happen in Johto, but Lance was in the final battles from the start anyway.

Had they chosen a different type specialization, a different character preferably not linked to Wallace, and created a completely awesome eighth Gym Leader for Emerald, then I might have preferred Wallace as the champion for bringing forth this awesome hypothetical character.

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What about Drew? or Harley? I know he is an Anime character and I know he is into contests he still would have made a good gym leader, His pokemon are balanced and apart from Butterfree all of his pokemon are from Hoenn (Which he could replace with Dustox/Beautifly). I understand they wanted to use a water type gym for the last gym in Emerald because of where the Gym is located and I agree that Wallace had the same type pokemon, However you don't really expect to have to face another water trainer so some people might of boxed there grass/electric pokemon before doing the E4 as they are not need anywhere else.

I think that he is better off as an Ice Type Gym leader since he would've probably failed as a Champion since he is only using Ice Types. He is also pretty busy with contests in the anime series so I think he wouldn't really do good as a champion.

I whooped wallace when he was a champ and gym leader but thats because I used good old sceptile.

I say he should be a gym leader, I prefer Steven as his design and type better, although Wallace does make sense to be Champion since most of Hoenn is water xD

I prefered him as a gym leader, because he didn't really give me as much as a challenge as Steven as a champion. Steven posed a greater threat to my team especially that metagross. (i didn't catch Groudon to battle the E4 i went back after the E4)

I preferred Steven as Champion. I think Wallace was a better character than Juan and should've stayed gym leader, as the guardian of Sootopolis. I don't remember Wallace's team very well, but I think a good Electric Pokémon should solo him easily. Granted, Blaziken owns Steven's team (something I wasn't really aware of until the last fight...), but Wallace's weaknesses are more glaring IMO.

Anyway, the canon of the games past Emerald is quite confusing, considering the change in gym leader and champion. In HGSS, which is known to be later in the timeline than Emerald, Steven calls himself the champion of the Hoenn region, which is weird considering the protagonist of Emerald already beat the champion by that time. Yet in B2W2, both Wallace and Steven participate in the PWT Champion League, denoting Emerald is canon after all. So who's supposed to be champion?

I believe the change happened as a nerf to Blaziken. Blaziken's both types could maul Steven's Pokémon, whereas there were things in Wallace's team Sceptile couldn't get past easily.

Wallace was definitely better as a gym leader. Having just experienced 5 of his pokemon fall to my Manectric (Beautifly took out the Whiscash), I would think he would at least had a Lanturn or something, to throw me off, but no.

I only ever experienced him as Champion in Emerald, I agree that he doesn't have the same aura as Steven but I liked it cause I had strong Electric and Grass types lol plus, I really liked the whole passing on the Gym to Juan thing :)