Evolution Methods

[Hiatus]

Currently, there are about four or five ways to evolve Pokémon in-game, with few of the most notable ones being leveling-up, trading, happiness, and using evolutionary stones. Of all these methods, which is your most favorite? Which would be your least favorite? If you were to introduce something of your own, what would it be? How would it work, exactly? :o

 

[Aeroblast]

I'd have to pick the bread and butter level up to evolution as my favorite. You don't have to worry about the agonizingly slowly rising friendship value, you don't have to have a 2nd 3DS or wait until you meet your friends, and you don't have to scour the game for evolutionary stones (rarity depends on the game). But I think having so many different methods of evolution just goes to show that Game Freak was really creative when they came up with them.

Having said that, the Inkay evolution where you turn the 3DS upside down is something else.

 

[Imperator161]

My favorite evolution method is traditional leveling up. I don't really like evolutions that rely on hard-to-get or one-of-a-kind items, as I don't like to use said items unless I've bred a perfect Pokémon to use them on, and that isn't very practical during my initial play-through. Leveling up is straightforward and predictable, and can be done anytime, anywhere, with just a single game and system.


As I mentioned above, I don't really like rare-item-based evolutions, and in particular, I don't like trade-while-holding-an-item evolutions. These involve not only using up a valuable item, but also require you to find another player to trade with. While trading is easier than it once was (I recall having to wait until my only Pokémon-playing friend came over and having to carefully hold the link cable in place during trades), it's still tedious, and for players who don't have multiple systems, depends on trusting strangers on the internet. I know Pokémon is supposed to be social, and that's part of the reason for trade evolutions, but realistically, I don't know that many people who play Pokémon, and even when it was all the rage, very few people I knew actually wanted to spend lots of time trading anyway.


If I were to create a new evolution...hmm, I'm not sure. There could of course be expansions on GameFreak's existing ideas (e.g., new stones, evolutions at different times of day (perhaps more precise than the existing ones, though that would be frustrating), evolution based on relative stats at a certain level a la Tyrogue, new trade evolution items, etc.). There could be evolution when some particular stat exceeds a certain value for the first time, although that wouldn't be that different from level-up evolution (it would just happen over a range of levels rather than at a single one). There could also be evolution that depends on catching a certain Pokémon while having a different Pokémon in the party (i.e., while Pokémon A is in the party, Pokémon B is captured--> Pokémon A evolves). There could be task-based evolution (e.g., Pokémon A evolves when it successfully solos the Elite Four, or completes some other task). There could be Daycare-based evolution (put Pokemon A in the Daycare with Pokemon B--> Pokemon A evolves when withdrawn. I'm sure that there are lots of other ways GameFreak could have Pokemon evolve, but I'm not sure that they're any better (or even as good as) most of the existing methods we have for evolving Pokemon.

 

[Sydian]

I love leveling up. Stones require planning, which I dislike, especially with Eeveelutions in GSC. Not only are stones hard to get, but if you want a STAB move, you need to go breed that Eevee you get from Bill, cause you'll miss your chance for a LONG time if you evolve it immediately.

Anyway, I had a ton of fun completing my Pokedex in X, and that's mainly cause I was getting out there and leveling up all of my Pokemon. I tried my best to get the first stage of the family if possible so I could train it up by myself.

Although my favorite Pokemon, Umbreon, is obtained through happiness (and AT NIGHT UGH), I think it's a terrible way to evolve. It's just tedious. And as for trade evolutions, I dislike having to rely on others to help me do something like evolve my own Pokemon. I love trading, don't get me wrong, but not for this reason. Plus, I can't use trade evos when I play old games because I don't have the equipment to use them, so that sucks. No gen I Gengar for me. :( Trade evolutions are made worse by adding held items to them. So you can't just trade your Pokemon to a friend whenever you're ready, no, you gotta wait til you get the appropriate item too.

The worst method, imo, is leveling up with a certain move. It just doesn't make sense to me, and it's really annoying when you have to waste a Heart Scale because that move is a level 1 only and for the SECOND STAGE so you can't get it bred onto the first.

 

[Treecko]

Leveling up because it's the easiest and takes the shortest amount of time. While some Pokemon take forever to level up, stones and one-purpose-only items are hard to get. I have to go to some guy to get them or do some task, or find it by chance. Ain't no body have time for that! Same for evolution via trade especially in gen 1. I never had the time or things needed to get these Pokemon .

 

[Hikamaru]

I find leveling-up the easiest evolution method, even if some Pokemon evolve at pretty late levels. Stone evolutions are also easy if you know when your Pokemon will learn the moves they need before you evolve. Those two have to be my faves, but I also like the more interesting methods we've gotten lately, like Inkay needing the 3DS held upside down to evolve into Malamar, or doing Pokemon Amie to get Eevee to evolve into Sylveon.

As for my least fave, definitely anything that requires trading. My wi-fi doesn't recognize my handheld so that effectively rules me out of using stuff like PC's own Trade Corner section, and I don't have real life friends who play Pokemon and given my brother hasn't got a second 3DS right now, I can't trade evolve anything in X/Y right now.

I would have so used Swirlix on my X team had it not required trading, so yeah I had to go with Sylveon as my Fairy-type instead.

 

[Drayton]

Evolution Stones and Friendship, it gives me more time to grid my pokemon to it's potential also waiting for right move to be learn by said pokemon. I also like evolution through certain moves or certain area containing certain elements of the landmark.

If I come up with a unique way of evolving; I would make more evolution method just like Panchamp which need certain type to evolve

 

[Zorogami]

My favorite would have to be the classic level-up. There is just something special about catching a Pokemon in its most basic form, and seeing it evolve when it hits a certain level, getting stronger and stronger. I always feel kinda anxious when there are only 1 or 2 levels left for my Pokemon to evolve, and i love that feeling. Especially when your starter is at level 35!!

As for least favorite i would have to say Trade evolutions. Now that we have the internet and communities like these, trade evos have become a lot less of a pain, but they are still kinda annoying to execute. You need someone you can trust, take the time to trade the Pokemon back and forth and all that. Also, if you are playing on an emulator, bye bye trade evos.

The most original one imo has to be the location evolution. I actually really like the idea that certain Pokemon can only evolve in certain places, and i wouldnt mind to see more Pokemon use this type of evolution.

 

[Blastin'Tyruntz]

Leveling up. I like to earn my way to the top...

 

[Puddle]

Leveling up is easily my favorite. It's simplistic and that's really how it should be. Pokemon stop learning moves with stones, so I hate the evolution stones. I play on the computer so those trading Pokemon suck. And honestly, I've never put in the time to evolve with happiness.

 

[Aelita Schaeffer]

I would have to say my favorite method is leveling up, if stones were easier to come by then stone evolutioning would be a close second, as for other methods me and a friend came up with "at any level between 30 and 50, at full happiness, hold the system at a 47 degree angle while facing north, have it hold a yache berry and knock out a level 14 smeargle, as it faints put in the konami code just before leveling up to evolve"