6th Gen Gym Leaders and Elite Four

[Pepperton]

Brawly's design is a huge step up from what it was originally, love the clothes. So far, Game Freak's doing a fantastic job with the redesigns. Can't wait to see Winona, one of my favorites in Pokemon. I think it's okay for the elite four to each have an ace Mega, but I think the gym leaders having one would be going a bit overboard.

 

[OmegaRuby and AlphaSapphire]

After a lot of zooming, I see a very faint DNA-like helix on a ball nestled on his bracelet.

EDIT:
I was looking at Phoebe's official RS pic. She already had that leg bangle thingy on her.

Maybe they'll turn it into a Mega item. One can't see the Bangle (well at least) in her redesign due to there being letters obscuring her left foot and bottom of that leg.

 

[Hikamaru]

Great, now I'm worried about Norman's team after reminding of Wattson's Magneton, because in the original games, it's only a team of the Slaking line with no other normal types despite the presence of Linoone, Spinda, and Exploud.

I was reeling for you when I realized Wattson was retaining Magneton as his ace instead of using Manectric like he did in Emerald and B2/W2, but I guess they mainly wanted to stay true to the originals.

Aside from that, I love Flannery, Wattson and Norman's new designs so far. Guess none of the Gym Leaders have disappointed me aside from Wattson having Magneton as his ace again. Sidney's new outfit looks pretty nice, but Phoebe looks like she's wearing the same clothing she had in the originals but makes up for it by now having a Dusknoir as her ace, which will probably be what was her higher-leveled Dusclops in the originals.

And yeah, Norman only used the Slakoth line in the original games yet in Emerald he did mix his team up a bit. I do hope he can retain his Emerald team or else I know the negative thoughts you'll give due to the redundancy. And I guess Phoebe having Dusknoir pretty much confirms 4th Gen evo and pre-evo relatives of Hoenn Dex Pokemon have made it into the updated Hoenn Dex.

 

[OmegaRuby and AlphaSapphire]

Phoebe's design was already perfect as is, so it didn't need changing <3
Now to see if Glacia, Drake, Wallace, Liza & Tate, and Winona look any different.

I don't feel as bad about Magneton being Wattson's ace anymore. It's been in all his teams, and is common in New Mauville too.

 

[Kieran]

I like the new Brawly!
I was like awwh when I saw him!

 

[Altius]

I have a feeling that Winona plus Tate & Liza will get huge design changes.

 

[blue]

Ah right, I've only just seen the scan of Norman now. I've gotta say they look pretty much identical to their original designs, except of course a little fresher and colourful. :)

 

[Expro]

Steven's Brooch is in plain sight. I see a Mega Ring around Sidney's wrist, and two possible locations of Phoebe's. If you look closely, you can see a spherical shape on her neck behind the blue text. That's what I believe to be her Mega Necklace. Also, if you look VERY closely, you can see by her ankle bracelet, what appears to be a pear-sized jewel. Perhaps that's her Mega Anklet???

We'll have to wait for clearer images.

 

[OmegaRuby and AlphaSapphire]

I need to see clearer images as I can't make out a Helix on Sydney's bracelet. Phoebe had an ankle bracelet in the originals irc. Though they could've made it into her Mega item.

 

[Rivvon]

BRAWLY LOOKS SO CUTE OH MY GOD.

His fighter pose, the muscle shirt, the goggles.. he looks so much better wow. He actually looks like someone who would use Fighting types now!

fdkhjls This is the greatest.

This is it.

Steven's new design is great, don't get me wrong, but Steven already had a great design to begin with.

This?

Brawly's original design was quite literally "meh," not bad but not anything special.

This is a great new design. I love it to bits!


And wow, Sydney's bracelet and Phoebe's hidden ankles. I'm getting more hyped about this than Phoebe's confirmed Dusknoir (granted, that's amazing news, too! Hopefully she won't have mostly Duskull and Banette this time around...seriously, if she could have more than just a Mega Stone held by her Pokémon, she could totally have an Eviolite Dusclops in addition to Mega Dusknoir!).

 

[Altius]

I love all the redesigns so far for gym leaders. Roxanne looks super cool, Brawly definitely looks more fun to be with, and Norman's outfit kinda fits his gym better since it resembles a Japanese dojo.

Hopefully they'll give better designs for the next few leaders. To be honest, the original outfits of Tate and Liza were pure "meh" and Winona looks... weird.

 

[OmegaRuby and AlphaSapphire]

I hope that Winona still has the same pose as before. I also don't want them to make her look like Skyla in terms of clothes. Liza and Tate could use something more awesome, their original clothes were quite simple. Wallace...wonder what he'll get.

 

[ShadowSlashz]

To be honest,i wanna see if they make Glacia anymore interesting as she is often overshadowed by the rest of the E4.

 

[Poke_Spirit]

Pheobe has Dusknoir.. the hoenn dex has changed then..

 

[OmegaRuby and AlphaSapphire]

Pheobe has Dusknoir.. the hoenn dex has changed then..

They did say they were going to be Pokémon in Hoenn that weren't before. It may have meant the evolutions to Hoenn Pokémon, or maybe more.

Glacia had two female Glalie. I see one becoming a Froslass instead while the other will be a Glalie still. So her team will be Froslass, Glalie, Sealeo, Walrein, Walrein...

 

[Expro]

They did say they were going to be Pokémon in Hoenn that weren't before. It may have meant the evolutions to Hoenn Pokémon, or maybe more.

Glacia had two female Glalie. I see one becoming a Froslass instead while the other will be a Glalie still. So her team will be Froslass, Glalie, Sealeo, Walrein, Walrein...

Since new Pokemon are to be in this pokedex, I'm hoping for a 4-mon diverse team for Glacia. This team will include: Froslass, Glalie, Walrein, and perhaps a Dewong (Wishful thinking)
A Dewong just because Glacia was such a calm peaceful E4. This would reflect her personality, and I haven't seen a Dewong in a long time.

 

[Pokefan203302]

BRAWLY LOOKS SO CUTE OH MY GOD.

His fighter pose, the muscle shirt, the goggles.. he looks so much better wow. He actually looks like someone who would use Fighting types now!

fdkhjls This is the greatest.

I really like this new design. He seemed like he had a pretty bland design, though it's still weird they made the island inhabiting, surfing gym leader a fighting type user though...

 

[OmegaRuby and AlphaSapphire]

Since new Pokemon are to be in this pokedex, I'm hoping for a 4-mon diverse team for Glacia. This team will include: Froslass, Glalie, Walrein, and perhaps a Dewong (Wishful thinking)
A Dewong just because Glacia was such a calm peaceful E4. This would reflect her personality, and I haven't seen a Dewong in a long time.

The Hoenn E4 had 5, and hopefully they have 5 still. But I guess two Walreins and one of each of the others could work. I even forgot Dewong existed...It would fit her but it's not all that strong.
If they don't add any that aren't Hoenn Pokémon evolutions I imagine she'll have a Thick fat Evolite holding Sealeo, an Ice Body Glalie, an Ice Body Walrein holding Icy rock, Froslass, and a Mega Walrein.

Crasher Wake seems like the opposite of Brawley, being a wrestling water type gym leader who lives by a marsh. I think GF made Wake as the foil to him.

 

[fenyx4]

Aagh, Nintendo, stop making me switch hype trains so much! First the new July 2014 Corocoro information for Pokemon, coupled with a possible Super Smash Bros. 4 announcement on Sunday and Monday...? My head can only take so much.. XD

Anyways, commenting time! And just to knock this out of the way, I'm more preferential towards Pokemon Emerald line-ups (initial match and rematches); I've hardly seen any Pokemon World Tournament teams from Pokemon Black 2/White 2, but they seem to be faithful from the glimpses I've gotten.

We got our first look at a gym leader in the E3 conference.

Roxanne's redesign looks terrific, wow. She looks just like a school teacher now!

Roxanne:
I love Roxanne's redesign, it just seems so refreshing and blissful! I'm glad we finally get to see her entire pretty outfit! The slight remark I have is that I feel there should be more blue coloration in the outfit somehow, to reflect her classic design...

Uh, can we all take a moment to appreciate Roxanne's gym redesign?

Yeah, my jaw dropped too. There's a high chance Roxanne becomes more involved to the actual plot line of Hoenn this time around, considering she is a Rock specialist and the legendary mascots of her region have recently discovered ancient forms. This screenshot is making me so impatient to see the rest of the gyms, though. *__*

The Rustboro Gym interior looks amazing (unsure about the fossils as it reminds me of Lenora's Gym a bit much, but I'll see...). The dual "Gym entrance pillar" look cool, although I keep thinking that the "Gym symbol" will tip over at any moment!

Lastly, I hope she gains a Probopass (either during the initial match or during rematches).

Remarks on other designs:
SOURCE: https://bulbanews.bulbagarden.net/wiki/CoroCoro_reveals_Mega_Metagross

Brawly: Love the design...I was fine with the Ruby/Sapphire design, but Brawly's redesign oozes so much edge.. Fingerless gloves FTW! The black coloration helps the outfit look cool, too. {:3} But the facial expression just bothers me; it seems to be as much of a derpface like OR/AS Brendan's facial expression! -_- Great to see that Makuhita (and I'm hoping that it's a Hariyama later) returns!

Wattson: Vacation!Wattson's outfit is alright (sheesh, everyone's going tropical, it seems >.>), although I kind of like the old outfit's "prepared for battle!" look better. I'm really irked at the fact that Magneton is resuming the position as Wattson's ace Pokemon, as opposed to the Hoenn-native, just-as-common-as-Magnemite Electrike/Manectric line.. I was hoping that Wattson would have Manectric and Magneton like the Emerald team (with Mega Manectric and Magnezone for rematches). Even though Magneton's status is faithful to Ruby/Sapphire, it seems that liberties are already being taken (potentially) with Sidney's Shiftry shifting from secondary Pokemon to ace Pokemon and Phoebe having a Dusknoir on her own team. Then again, it's just pictures of Pokemon next to people (I can't tell whether they mention the terminology of "ace/signature Pokemon", though), so I'll still wait until the release of Pokemon OmegaRuby/AlphaSapphire.. My main hope is that the Emerald line-ups get utilized, with updates as necessary. As for Wattson's case, I'm hoping that Magneton is just for promotional purposes and Manectric remains as Wattson's true ace Pokemon.

Flannery:
As one Redditor put it: {XD}

Ungh Flannery

Source: https://www.reddit.com/r/pokemon/comments/2afcc6/gym_leaders_and_e4_members/ciuna7y

And here we get to the lovely Flannery, my favorite Hoenn Gym Leader! ♥ This was probably the redesign that I was looking forward to the most. :3 So relieved to see that Flannery has retained her trademark hotness, spunk (seemingly), midriff, denim jeans, and red hair! In particular, I'm relieved that the midriff and jeans stay.. I like the white belt that she's rocking as well as her battle stance, although I'm still wondering about the jeans (Roxanne's hair is blocking out a portion of it, and I can't tell whether the red adornments look cool or tacky..). Someone mentioned that she might have a "derp tooth" in the redesign (along the lines of XY's Sana), but I'm hoping that's just an image quirk. :x It's a nice sight seeing Torkoal again! I'm hoping that Flannery maintains the "Overheat+White Herb" strategic combination from before!

I'm a little surprised that Flannery kept the jeans, seeing that a lot of Hoenn Trainers seem to have a "tropical/athletic?" look with less clothing, and it makes more sense for Flannery to be wearing less layers (primarily from a health viewpoint, although probably from a fan perspective as well :P) if her Lavaridge Gym still has sauna-like conditions. Finally, I'm hoping she makes a cameo at the Lavaridge Hot Springs outside of the Gym (I mean, they are mentioned in her Trainer's Eyes/Match Call entry)!

Additionally, here's a great picture I saw some weeks ago on Reddit that would've worked nicely..

Source: https://www.reddit.com/r/pokemon/comments/28cmmu/a_flannery_redesign_i_found_on_vp

Norman:
He looks great, although I'm still waiting to see his shoes properly (they look rectangular and dojo-like from what I can tell; slippers of some sort?) Haha, and the titanic Slaking returns to teach Trainers the true terror that can be felt like a towering tempest in tumultuous Gym battles!

Great, now I'm worried about Norman's team after reminding of Wattson's Magneton, because in the original games, it's only a team of the Slaking line with no other normal types despite the presence of Linoone, Spinda, and Exploud.

Same here; I'm hoping that the diversity is retained from Emerald (not to mention the Skill Swap combinations on Slaking during Double Battles).

Sidney (if I had a nickel for every time that I've seen the spelling "Sydney" today..): I love the design and how the colors hearken to the original Ruby/Sapphire design, although I feel like he should have socks of some sort or maybe his pant legs should be positioned lower...his pants look a little highwater-ish for me! That smirk/mouth expression just look so..quirky; I have mixed reactions towards it.. His punk side is really showing its true colors now, after being restricted to his Trainer's Eyes/Match Call entry! XD LOL at Bulbagarden's comment about Sidney's "botched rhinoplasty" (ugh, why did people have to mention the perceived lack of a nose.. T_T).. {XD} I'm hoping his wristwatch/bracelet thing holds a Key Stone.. I am hoping that his team consists of Mega Absol and Shiftry; at least be consistent with the ace Pokemon.. >_> In another light, Shiftry does seem more "ace-ish"...Absol typically falls prey to strong physical attacks and wastes turns using Snatch (and situationally, Swords Dance), but Shiftry seems much more notable on his team due to:
-its eccentric design
-neat type combination
-the fact that it usually wastes one of the player's turns by using the move Fake Out
-making players go "Oooh!" at the pur-ty Generation 3 animation of the move Extra-Sensory, and
-freaking DOUBLE TEAM, DOUBLE TEAM, DOUBLE TEAM! >:( >:( >:(

Phoebe: Well, the design is nice, since it barely changed! XD I'm surprised that they didn't do much to her design; the dress potential is staggering.. I'm ecstatic that she has a Dusknoir now! ^^ People have suggested "Eviolite Dusclops (for the unevolved one)" in conjunction with Dusknoir, which I wouldn't mind seeing (and it teaches Trainers exactly why Phoebe is deserving of the title of "Elite Four member"), although if I'm forced to use the Elite Four for Pokemon Training, that might suck to face during each run-through, considering how annoying Dusclops is already. I'm hoping that she uses either Mega Sableye or Mega Banette (I'm guessing the former will be used since it's being promoted specifically with OR/AS; my dream would be for her to use both and be like "screw it, I'm Phoebe, I do what I want because I'm just that great!" {XD}). If she has a Key Stone, the anklet would be a better, unique piece she could don (with a "Mega Anklet"), although I'm straining to see any such Key Stone at present.

Steven Stone: I kind of wish that the confirmation of him of Champion was saved until the games' release (even though many of us seemed to be anticipating it); at least we can look forward to what may happen with rematches.. Similarly, the existence of Mega Metagross should've been saved until the games' release (discovered during the final Championship battle); Game Freak is going to have to really wow us with surprises now.. Even still, MEGA METAGROSS! ^^ I hope Steven at least uses Mega Aggron for Mega Evolution tutorials, though.. I like Steven's alternate artwork, and that "Mega Lapel Pin" is classy as heck; probably tied with Mega Gauntlet (and Mega Earring?) for my favorite piece of Key Stone wear. {:3}

Wattson and Norman may still have their Emerald teams even though Wattson has Magneton as his ace (well it is his most consistent Pokemon, appearing in his PWT team too and in the original RS) instead of Manectric. There's still hope.

Hoping for this, along with Wattson's true ace being Mega Manectric.

Since new Pokemon are to be in this pokedex, I'm hoping for a 4-mon diverse team for Glacia. This team will include: Froslass, Glalie, Walrein, and perhaps a Dewong (Wishful thinking)
A Dewong just because Glacia was such a calm peaceful E4. This would reflect her personality, and I haven't seen a Dewong in a long time.

Glacia:
Dewgong for Glacia would be great replacement for the second Sealeo (although it reminds me of Lorelei a bit, since that's what Lorelei leads with during her initial Elite Four matches). On the subject of Glacia, I'm hoping she's retconned as being from Sinnoh, with it being a cold/wintry area and Glacia being from a distant land (a connection which some people speculated during Generation 4, as I recall; would work great for a wonderful "early-bird" mention, in my opinion). On the flip-side, Dewgong would mean yet another chance for Glacia to abuse Sheer Cold and Horn Drill (as Dewgong tend to do in Hoenn's Battle Frontier).. I don't think Mega Walrein is needed (I'm torn..I want more toughness, but it was irritating already merely trying to two-hit knock out (2HKO) Walrein in the Battle Frontier with the constant threat of Sheer Cold, and more bulk/strength will only worsen my Walrein nightmares XD), although if Salamence and Metagross are getting one (with Sidney and Phoebe already having viable Mega Evolutions introduced in Pokemon X and Y), I guess it fits.

The Hoenn E4 had 5, and hopefully they have 5 still. But I guess two Walreins and one of each of the others could work. I even forgot Dewong existed...It would fit her but it's not all that strong.
If they don't add any that aren't Hoenn Pokémon evolutions I imagine she'll have a Thick fat Evolite holding Sealeo, an Ice Body Glalie, an Ice Body Walrein holding Icy rock, Froslass, and a Mega Walrein.

Crasher Wake seems like the opposite of Brawley, being a wrestling water type gym leader who lives by a marsh. I think GF made Wake as the foil to him.

Those ice distributions could work, although I'd probably prefer Thick Fat Walrein..

I'm hoping that all Elite Four members have 6 Pokemon during any type of rematches; if the Gym Leaders fill up all of their party slots, surely the Elite Four should follow suit?

EDIT: Also, I'm hoping that all Hoenn League members make considerable use of Held Items for their Pokemon, like players do. This should be guaranteed during all rematches (and should be something that extends to rematches in future Pokemon games); if you're going to call yourself a Pokemon League member (particularly an Elite Four Member or Champion), you should be maximizing the capabilities of your Pokemon team in all manners possible, including Hold Item usage).

 

[blue]

They've done an incredible job with redesigning the Gym Leaders specifically so far, I thought that they may go overboard to the point where they look like completely new characters. If the rest carry on as they are, then I'll be pretty happy with the designs! I'm looking forward to seeing Tate & Liza particularly for obvious reasons.