Your Overall Thoughts on the New Pokémon

[Adam Levine]

This thread might overlap with other existing threads in this forum, but I wanna hold a discussion that not only talks about Pokémon designs or Pokémon during leak season. Now that the game has been out for about two weeks and we've sunk our teeth into Scarlet and Violet, what do you think of the new Pokémon so far? Any favorites/least favorites? Any trends you've noticed in Game Freak's design philosophy? Some Pokémon you simply think are interesting in terms of concept/gameplay?

I'll be talking about certain Pokémon I feel strongly about in order of index number (not dex order, because the index number order is kind of a mess and we'll have to wait for HOME compatibility for an official dex order). Spoilered just to be safe, and because boy are my thoughts about the Pokémon loaded.

Spoiler:

Paldean Tauros
Well, Tauros comes before everything else in dex order so...might as well start here. Of course this region has regional forms for Tauros. Three of them. It was such a no-brainer, and I'm glad it happened. The fact that it has multiple breeds, each with its own type and movepool, is cool too, and it's a smart way to liven the region a little without filling in a separate dex slot.

Sprigatito, Floragato, and Meowscarada
It's funny how this is the second Protean starter in a row (Cinderace counts) whose second stage I prefer over the first and third. I don't hate Meowscarada, certainly not as much as Cinderace, but Floragato just tickles my fancy for some reason, and Sprigatito looks far too generic.

Fuecoco, Crocalor, and Skeledirge
Ever since Scarlet and Violet were revealed, I immediately fell in love with Fuecoco because it was a crocodile and it looked like an apple. Crocalor is a rather awkward second stage, and while I don't hate it per se, I can see why people do. I really like Skeledirge, even if it looks like it's trying to incorporate too many things at once. I'm just glad we have a fully evolved Fire starter that doesn't look so anthropomorphic after seven generations. I will say it's weird that Skeledirge looks more Mexican than Spanish, though.

Quaxly, Quaxwell, and Quaquaval
I like Quaxly too, but boy is it hard to like after it evolves. Quaxwell is just Prinplup 2 in how forgettable it is, and Quaquaval is...too much. Don't get me wrong, I like how it's animated, but its color scheme just looks awful to me and its feet look strange. Funny how they had to specify that Quaquaval isn't based on Spanish tradition. I find it strange that, overall, only one of the fully evolved starters (Meowscarada) is undoubtedly Spanish in inspiration.

Dudunsparce
I can see why people would be beyond disappointed that Dunsparce's new evolution, which it had been begging for for about 22 years, looks like Dunsparce but longer. But honestly I was a little bummed out when a leak revealed Dunsparce was getting an evolution in the first place, because I thought part of Dunsparce's novelty and charm was that it was awful and useless. But Dudunsparce...I kind of love it because of how disappointing it is, fitting for Dunsparce already being such a disappointment from Generations II to VIII. You can't tell me Game Freak don't have a sense of humor. I love a good joke, and Dudunsparce is one of Game Freak's funnier ones.

Spidops
There's a silly joke I see in the competitive VGC community that Spidops is the most overpowered new Pokémon this generation or something, and that's because Spidops is disappointing on all fronts. A secret-agent spider sounds cool but they dropped the ball here (literally too, because Spidops forgoes the cute spherical design Tarountula has), and its stats are AWFUL. Seriously, who at Game Freak decided to make a Bug-type bad again?

Espathra
I'm so glad we finally have an ostrich Pokémon. And to be honest, this wasn't a bad way to introduce one. I do find it weird that its actual mouth is below where I thought it should be, but I still like it regardless. Like real ostriches, however, I'm scared of Espathra because Geeta's punished me hard for using Shift Gear.

Wiglett and Wugtrio
I love that Pokémon is pulling out all the stops when it comes to biology. Convergent evolution was a no-brainer for the franchise to explore, and I especially love that Wiglett is based on a garden eel (and that we finally have an eel Pokémon, since I don't count the Tynamo line). Wugtrio having the exact same color scheme as a red Among Us crewmate, whether intentional or not, is hilarious to me.

Dondozo
You know, rarely do I care about fish Pokémon. But this generation is making me somewhat partial to them now. Sometimes I just love a giant, dumb catfish, and Dondozo really scratches that itch. I'll discuss Tatsugiri once I get there, because I love that these two elevate each other.

Veluza
Veluza is one of my favorite new Pokémon, and considering that it's a fish that's a pretty big achievement. The idea of a fish that fillets itself is metal as hell, and using it in my own playthrough is quite fun.

Finizen and Palafin
It's one thing for Generation IX to finally introduce a dolphin Pokémon, but I'm glad they didn't stop there. The fact that Palafin looks almost exactly like Finizen at first is funny, and I love its Zero to Hero gimmick. While Hero Form Palafin is far from my favorite design (the fact that it doesn't have thumbs bothers me more than it should), I love Palafin on a conceptual level.

Varoom and Revavroom
My mind's a little split on these two. On one hand I love that we have more Pokémon based on transportation, and that it's a Poison/Steel-type, I feel Varoom and Revavroom are emblematic of why people dislike object Pokémon so much: they look too inorganic. Varoom in particular looks obtuse (from which angle am I supposed to look at it?). I do love the Starmobiles as bosses, though, because those things are tough (flashbacks to Mela's Starmobile). One thing I will say is that the average Pokémon is getting more difficult to draw.

Orthworm
Orthworm is another one of my favorites. We finally have a proper annelid Pokémon, and the fact that it takes cues from subway trains is really cool too (eat your heart out, Coalossal). I don't know, I just love my funny worm guy.

Tandemaus and Maushold
I can see why people dislike these Pokémon (especially their Shinies, seriously why do they look like that), but Tandemaus and Maushold are incredibly interesting to me. The fact that they evolve randomly and under normal circumstances never show you its evolution process is funny (Everstones don't prevent their evolution either, which is the icing on the cake). Dudunsparce and Maushold are some of my favorite jokes.

Tatsugiri
Now we're at Tatsugiri, and I can confidently say that it's my favorite new Pokémon this generation. I love that it's a cute little sushi dragon that comes in three different colors, each with their own animations, and more symbiotic Pokémon are always a good addition. Its relationship with Dondozo is really cool (even if it's almost busted), and I love that Dondozo's Order Up has different animations depending on the kind of Tatsugiri in its mouth.

Wattrel and Kilowattrel
It's funny how Game Freak basically abandoned the early-game regional bird trope. Wattrel is the closest we have, and even then you normally first see it near Levincia (unless I'm just stupid and Wattrel can be found in South Province Area One or something). Glad we have more Electric/Flying-types too, and that these two represent birds we didn't have Pokémon based on previously.

Squawkabilly
Shortly after Legends: Arceus released I was disappointed that Generation IV Pokémon themselves didn't get much love, especially Pokémon like Chatot and Kricketune. I remember wishing that we has another parrot Pokémon, and when I saw the weird parrot Pokémon icon in one of the reveal trailers I didn't have high hopes. This feels targeted: I wanted another parrot Pokémon, perhaps an evolution to Chatot or something, and the fact that we get another mediocre single-stage Normal/Flying-type parrot disappoints me. It's not even that colorful, and I hate its ill-fitting pompadour too. The fact that people employed it over, I don't know, something like Kilowattrel for the Flying Taxi is weird to me. At least it has a cool name.

Flamigo
Flamigo is weird. It's too simple yet it somehow has too much going on as well. It's a flamingo...but also a lawn ornament and a balloon animal and a boxing glove? Yeah. Weird.

Nacli, Naclstack, and Garganacl
We need more Pokémon like the Nacli line. I don't mean we need more blocky Pokémon (although that would be cool), but Pokémon with substantially unique interactions with the type chart are in short supply. We have type-immunity abilities and such, but the Nacli line almost don't feel like Rock-types with how unique they are when it comes to type interactions. Their signature move does more damage to Steel- and Water-types, which otherwise are awful matchups for Rock-types, and Purifying Salt turns them into the only non-Dark-types to resist Ghost moves. We really need more Pokémon like these!

Glimmet and Glimmora
While I'm not the biggest fan of their designs, Glimmet and Glimmora interest me because of their lore implications. It's rare for non-legendary Pokémon to have such a substantial role in the lore, let alone the generation's new gimmick. The Glimmet line being strongly connected to the Terastal phenomenon is interesting, and there's no shortage of evidence that stimulates the imagination: Glimmet and Glimmora spawn everywhere in the depths of Area Zero, where the Terastal phenomenon originates from, their dex entries imply they're related, and crafting TMs for Tera Blast requires Glimmet Crystals. Say what you will about Pokémon's story/lore, but I find myself drawn to it nowadays.

Bramblin and Brambleghast
As weird as it is to say, I really like that we have a tumbleweed Pokémon now. However, Bramblin makes me feel uncomfortable when it's close up (maybe its twigs look too thick for a tumbleweed?), and Brambleghast's "face" isn't doing me any favors either. But hey, the last Grass/Ghost Pokémon with a weird physiology (Dhelmise) grew on me, so maybe these ones will too. They do look like real tumbleweeds when they move, so that's cool I guess.

Gimmighoul and Gholdengo
Even if hunting Gimmighoul Coins isn't exactly that challenging or engaging, I like that they're really tying open-world exploration to obtaining Pokémon, and that finding 999 Gimmighoul Coins is much less tortuous and much more rewarding than finding 900 Koroks.

The Paradox Pokémon
Game Freak really went, "what if we made Alola but again?" As someone who loves the Ultra Beasts, Paradox Pokémon were the perfect compromise for me. Although I much prefer the Ultra Beasts in terms of design, I prefer the Paradox Pokémon in concept and execution. They feel more like monsters from any other JRPG than actual Pokémon, which I really like, to be honest. My favorite of these has got to be Sandy Shocks, though, just because of how absurd it is on all fronts (so you want to make an ancient relative for the Magnemite line of all things, and of Magneton, not even Magnezone, and you make it look like...that?). I'm a sucker for Pokémon that confound me. I hope we get more of these, especially because the Scarlet/Violet Book is giving us some pretty interesting teasers.

The Treasures of Ruin
Yup, "what if we made Alola but again?" strikes again. This is our second animal-themed legendary quartet with a shared type and signature move that cuts your current HP by half. That said, I love the Treasures of Ruin simply because of how mysterious they are. They never show up in the main story, and the only way you'll know about them without looking them up is either roaming around the open world and finding them yourself or taking Raifort's class and having her mark the locations of the shrines for you. I just like Legendary Pokémon who are...you know, legendary, in the sense that their very existence is a legend until you find out for yourself. Kind of like Mewtwo in Generation I.

Koraidon and Miraidon
I've already talked about Koraidon and Miraidon in this forum before, but long story short they might just be my favorite boxart legendaries, simply because they're such a breath of fresh air in terms of story presence and execution. They're present throughout the entire game and you treat it like a beast of burden and a companion during all this, which paradoxically (get it?) makes them seem less legendary, but I like it when the Pokémon on the boxart is there the entire game. They're not even guardians or anything, they're just past and future versions of a Pokémon that already exists and they just so happen to be really strong. They're kinda like Reshiram and Zekrom, funnily enough (and you can draw quite a few parallels between the pairs).

Toedscool and Toedscruel
Yay, more regional fakes! Seeing a Tentacool-like Pokémon run around on land is hilarious, and overall I just think they're neat. I don't have much else to say about them, but I'm always a fan of mushroom Pokémon (and it's funny that they introduce mushroom Pokémon every odd-numbered generation).

Kingambit
The first thing that came to my mind when I saw Kingambit was Dark Fantasy by Kanye West (if you were on specific circles on the internet, you know what this means). I was a little weirded out when Bisharp of all things got an evolution, but they really nailed this one. It's just sitting there menacingly, and Supreme Overlord is such a cool ability as well.

Annihilape
monkey

 

[Sheep]

Gotta say, I'm fairly positive on them so far. A lot have been memorable, notably (spoilered just in case someone playing hasn't seen all of them yet):

Spoiler:

Tinkatink line - adorable! One of the best ones even if the final evolution's stats are subpar.

Pawmi line - again, adorable. I really like Pawmot even if its cry drives me nuts after a while with how often I used it haha.

Sprigatito line - was worried about this one, but the middle and final form are both great despite standing up. One of the cutest first form starters ever.

Charcadet line - not a fan of Charcadet itself, but the two evolutions are incredible. Love Armarouge since he reminds me of Protoman and Ceruledge is just amazing overall too. :')

Smoliv line - Arboliva is incredibly good, not what I expected! Great to have an early grass wild mon as good as this.

Tandemaus - they must be protected at all costs

Fidough line - didn't expect Fidough's evo to be as good as it was, but it's great. Cute and good boy/girl. Also good in raids against fire/dragons (like Charizard)!

Scream Tail - lovable!!

Koraidon - fell in love with this sweet boy. He's like an innocent puppy. share him sandwich

The ones I'm not so keen on:

Spoiler:

Orthworm, Cetitan, Capsakid line, Flittle line, SPIDOPS ugh.

They just don't look good to me. :(

 

[LilyGardy]

It's a mixed bag. (Spoiler tagged)

What I really like:

Spoiler:

Arboliva
- Grass Type with a white face that starts as an adorable form with limited coverage. Is this the Gen 9 Lilligant or Tsareena?

It's neither. Based on olives this line starts as the adorable Smoliv before becoming a similarly adorable Dolliv which looks a bit like a Lilligant form before becoming an angelic Olive Tree which sets Grassy Terrain when hit. It also comes with Terrain Pulse which changes on the terrain. Whilst it is very slow, it was the star of my team and was effective once fully evolved.

Note that similar to Gardevoir and Tsareena it is very weak in its pre-evolved forms. My favourite Gen 9 Pokemon and I successfully shiny hunted one.

The starter lines

- The first Generation since Alola where I have liked all three starter lines and their final forms. My favourite of the 3 is the Quaxly line which becomes an energetic dancer and gains the fighting type. I really like Sprigarito's final form too although am not overly pleased with the added dark type.

Paldean Blaze Tauros

- Very effective in my playthrough with Fire and Fighting type stab. Normal Tauros was among one of the most forgotten Pokemon and the Paldean forms are a nice redemption.

Tinkaton

- A nice evolutionary story and great for raids.

Koraidon

- A fun design and was heartwarming in the story. A genuine companion Pokemon and a Pokemon I look forward to using.

Flutter Mane

- An ancient re-imagining of the Misdreavus line and a much needed Fairy typing. Said to be great in competitive and its shiny matches its present day counterpart. I plan to Shiny hunt this one eventually.

Honorary mention - Pawmi line - Very cute and a great type combo in Electric Fighting. Nice shiny too.

My least favourite new Pokemon

Spoiler:

Spidops line - A spy spider sounds like a fun idea but the design leaves a lot to be desired but Tarantura is cute. It has poor stats too.

Nymble line - This Pokemon and its evolution seem to appear on every route and I have accidentally ran into it several times. Bug is my least favourite type and Gen 9 does not help change that although the ancient Volcarona I do like.

Greavard line- A dog Pokemon with a candle on its head which evolves to a bigger dog with a gravestone on its head. Just a bad design.

Kingambit - It just feels overdesigned to me. Sitting on its hair is a strange one although it does sort of match the Champion of the region.

 

[Corveone]

Favorite:

Spoiler:

Espathra, Fuecoco, Mabosstif, Farigiraf, Lokix, Tinkaton, Cetitan.

The whole Fuecoco line is one of my favorite Fire starters all around in terms of design.

Least favorite (mostly for being lazy and uninspired, because what looks good or bad is pretty subjective, but you can't argue what was done with zero effort so for me that's worse)

Spoiler:

Pawmot, Dudunsparce: Barely anything changes. Have to look twice to distinguish them from their previous stages.

Default Tauros: Open Tauros pic in Photoshop, decrease saturation by 100, decrease brightness by 50, and that's it, new regional form.

Tandemaus/Maushold: Two generic mice that aren't even appealing to begin with, evolving into three or four generic mice. Please, next gen add a third stage with eith or ten mice and call it Mausociety. I never liked Pokémon that are two or more copy-pasted creatures fighting together, but this one takes the cake.

Squawkabilly: Don't know what's even the purpose of this. It's basically Chatot without the Chatter.

 

[Sweet Serenity]

This thread might overlap with other existing threads in this forum, but I wanna hold a discussion that not only talks about Pokémon designs or Pokémon during leak season. Now that the game has been out for about two weeks and we've sunk our teeth into Scarlet and Violet, what do you think of the new Pokémon so far? Any favorites/least favorites? Any trends you've noticed in Game Freak's design philosophy? Some Pokémon you simply think are interesting in terms of concept/gameplay?

I'll be talking about certain Pokémon I feel strongly about in order of index number (not dex order, because the index number order is kind of a mess and we'll have to wait for HOME compatibility for an official dex order). Spoilered just to be safe, and because boy are my thoughts about the Pokémon loaded.

Spoiler:

Paldean Tauros
Well, Tauros comes before everything else in dex order so...might as well start here. Of course this region has regional forms for Tauros. Three of them. It was such a no-brainer, and I'm glad it happened. The fact that it has multiple breeds, each with its own type and movepool, is cool too, and it's a smart way to liven the region a little without filling in a separate dex slot.

Sprigatito, Floragato, and Meowscarada
It's funny how this is the second Protean starter in a row (Cinderace counts) whose second stage I prefer over the first and third. I don't hate Meowscarada, certainly not as much as Cinderace, but Floragato just tickles my fancy for some reason, and Sprigatito looks far too generic.

Fuecoco, Crocalor, and Skeledirge
Ever since Scarlet and Violet were revealed, I immediately fell in love with Fuecoco because it was a crocodile and it looked like an apple. Crocalor is a rather awkward second stage, and while I don't hate it per se, I can see why people do. I really like Skeledirge, even if it looks like it's trying to incorporate too many things at once. I'm just glad we have a fully evolved Fire starter that doesn't look so anthropomorphic after seven generations. I will say it's weird that Skeledirge looks more Mexican than Spanish, though.

Quaxly, Quaxwell, and Quaquaval
I like Quaxly too, but boy is it hard to like after it evolves. Quaxwell is just Prinplup 2 in how forgettable it is, and Quaquaval is...too much. Don't get me wrong, I like how it's animated, but its color scheme just looks awful to me and its feet look strange. Funny how they had to specify that Quaquaval isn't based on Spanish tradition. I find it strange that, overall, only one of the fully evolved starters (Meowscarada) is undoubtedly Spanish in inspiration.

Dudunsparce
I can see why people would be beyond disappointed that Dunsparce's new evolution, which it had been begging for for about 22 years, looks like Dunsparce but longer. But honestly I was a little bummed out when a leak revealed Dunsparce was getting an evolution in the first place, because I thought part of Dunsparce's novelty and charm was that it was awful and useless. But Dudunsparce...I kind of love it because of how disappointing it is, fitting for Dunsparce already being such a disappointment from Generations II to VIII. You can't tell me Game Freak don't have a sense of humor. I love a good joke, and Dudunsparce is one of Game Freak's funnier ones.

Spidops
There's a silly joke I see in the competitive VGC community that Spidops is the most overpowered new Pokémon this generation or something, and that's because Spidops is disappointing on all fronts. A secret-agent spider sounds cool but they dropped the ball here (literally too, because Spidops forgoes the cute spherical design Tarountula has), and its stats are AWFUL. Seriously, who at Game Freak decided to make a Bug-type bad again?

Espathra
I'm so glad we finally have an ostrich Pokémon. And to be honest, this wasn't a bad way to introduce one. I do find it weird that its actual mouth is below where I thought it should be, but I still like it regardless. Like real ostriches, however, I'm scared of Espathra because Geeta's punished me hard for using Shift Gear.

Wiglett and Wugtrio
I love that Pokémon is pulling out all the stops when it comes to biology. Convergent evolution was a no-brainer for the franchise to explore, and I especially love that Wiglett is based on a garden eel (and that we finally have an eel Pokémon, since I don't count the Tynamo line). Wugtrio having the exact same color scheme as a red Among Us crewmate, whether intentional or not, is hilarious to me.

Dondozo
You know, rarely do I care about fish Pokémon. But this generation is making me somewhat partial to them now. Sometimes I just love a giant, dumb catfish, and Dondozo really scratches that itch. I'll discuss Tatsugiri once I get there, because I love that these two elevate each other.

Veluza
Veluza is one of my favorite new Pokémon, and considering that it's a fish that's a pretty big achievement. The idea of a fish that fillets itself is metal as hell, and using it in my own playthrough is quite fun.

Finizen and Palafin
It's one thing for Generation IX to finally introduce a dolphin Pokémon, but I'm glad they didn't stop there. The fact that Palafin looks almost exactly like Finizen at first is funny, and I love its Zero to Hero gimmick. While Hero Form Palafin is far from my favorite design (the fact that it doesn't have thumbs bothers me more than it should), I love Palafin on a conceptual level.

Varoom and Revavroom
My mind's a little split on these two. On one hand I love that we have more Pokémon based on transportation, and that it's a Poison/Steel-type, I feel Varoom and Revavroom are emblematic of why people dislike object Pokémon so much: they look too inorganic. Varoom in particular looks obtuse (from which angle am I supposed to look at it?). I do love the Starmobiles as bosses, though, because those things are tough (flashbacks to Mela's Starmobile). One thing I will say is that the average Pokémon is getting more difficult to draw.

Orthworm
Orthworm is another one of my favorites. We finally have a proper annelid Pokémon, and the fact that it takes cues from subway trains is really cool too (eat your heart out, Coalossal). I don't know, I just love my funny worm guy.

Tandemaus and Maushold
I can see why people dislike these Pokémon (especially their Shinies, seriously why do they look like that), but Tandemaus and Maushold are incredibly interesting to me. The fact that they evolve randomly and under normal circumstances never show you its evolution process is funny (Everstones don't prevent their evolution either, which is the icing on the cake). Dudunsparce and Maushold are some of my favorite jokes.

Tatsugiri
Now we're at Tatsugiri, and I can confidently say that it's my favorite new Pokémon this generation. I love that it's a cute little sushi dragon that comes in three different colors, each with their own animations, and more symbiotic Pokémon are always a good addition. Its relationship with Dondozo is really cool (even if it's almost busted), and I love that Dondozo's Order Up has different animations depending on the kind of Tatsugiri in its mouth.

Wattrel and Kilowattrel
It's funny how Game Freak basically abandoned the early-game regional bird trope. Wattrel is the closest we have, and even then you normally first see it near Levincia (unless I'm just stupid and Wattrel can be found in South Province Area One or something). Glad we have more Electric/Flying-types too, and that these two represent birds we didn't have Pokémon based on previously.

Squawkabilly
Shortly after Legends: Arceus released I was disappointed that Generation IV Pokémon themselves didn't get much love, especially Pokémon like Chatot and Kricketune. I remember wishing that we has another parrot Pokémon, and when I saw the weird parrot Pokémon icon in one of the reveal trailers I didn't have high hopes. This feels targeted: I wanted another parrot Pokémon, perhaps an evolution to Chatot or something, and the fact that we get another mediocre single-stage Normal/Flying-type parrot disappoints me. It's not even that colorful, and I hate its ill-fitting pompadour too. The fact that people employed it over, I don't know, something like Kilowattrel for the Flying Taxi is weird to me. At least it has a cool name.

Flamigo
Flamigo is weird. It's too simple yet it somehow has too much going on as well. It's a flamingo...but also a lawn ornament and a balloon animal and a boxing glove? Yeah. Weird.

Nacli, Naclstack, and Garganacl
We need more Pokémon like the Nacli line. I don't mean we need more blocky Pokémon (although that would be cool), but Pokémon with substantially unique interactions with the type chart are in short supply. We have type-immunity abilities and such, but the Nacli line almost don't feel like Rock-types with how unique they are when it comes to type interactions. Their signature move does more damage to Steel- and Water-types, which otherwise are awful matchups for Rock-types, and Purifying Salt turns them into the only non-Dark-types to resist Ghost moves. We really need more Pokémon like these!

Glimmet and Glimmora
While I'm not the biggest fan of their designs, Glimmet and Glimmora interest me because of their lore implications. It's rare for non-legendary Pokémon to have such a substantial role in the lore, let alone the generation's new gimmick. The Glimmet line being strongly connected to the Terastal phenomenon is interesting, and there's no shortage of evidence that stimulates the imagination: Glimmet and Glimmora spawn everywhere in the depths of Area Zero, where the Terastal phenomenon originates from, their dex entries imply they're related, and crafting TMs for Tera Blast requires Glimmet Crystals. Say what you will about Pokémon's story/lore, but I find myself drawn to it nowadays.

Bramblin and Brambleghast
As weird as it is to say, I really like that we have a tumbleweed Pokémon now. However, Bramblin makes me feel uncomfortable when it's close up (maybe its twigs look too thick for a tumbleweed?), and Brambleghast's "face" isn't doing me any favors either. But hey, the last Grass/Ghost Pokémon with a weird physiology (Dhelmise) grew on me, so maybe these ones will too. They do look like real tumbleweeds when they move, so that's cool I guess.

Gimmighoul and Gholdengo
Even if hunting Gimmighoul Coins isn't exactly that challenging or engaging, I like that they're really tying open-world exploration to obtaining Pokémon, and that finding 999 Gimmighoul Coins is much less tortuous and much more rewarding than finding 900 Koroks.

The Paradox Pokémon
Game Freak really went, "what if we made Alola but again?" As someone who loves the Ultra Beasts, Paradox Pokémon were the perfect compromise for me. Although I much prefer the Ultra Beasts in terms of design, I prefer the Paradox Pokémon in concept and execution. They feel more like monsters from any other JRPG than actual Pokémon, which I really like, to be honest. My favorite of these has got to be Sandy Shocks, though, just because of how absurd it is on all fronts (so you want to make an ancient relative for the Magnemite line of all things, and of Magneton, not even Magnezone, and you make it look like...that?). I'm a sucker for Pokémon that confound me. I hope we get more of these, especially because the Scarlet/Violet Book is giving us some pretty interesting teasers.

The Treasures of Ruin
Yup, "what if we made Alola but again?" strikes again. This is our second animal-themed legendary quartet with a shared type and signature move that cuts your current HP by half. That said, I love the Treasures of Ruin simply because of how mysterious they are. They never show up in the main story, and the only way you'll know about them without looking them up is either roaming around the open world and finding them yourself or taking Raifort's class and having her mark the locations of the shrines for you. I just like Legendary Pokémon who are...you know, legendary, in the sense that their very existence is a legend until you find out for yourself. Kind of like Mewtwo in Generation I.

Koraidon and Miraidon
I've already talked about Koraidon and Miraidon in this forum before, but long story short they might just be my favorite boxart legendaries, simply because they're such a breath of fresh air in terms of story presence and execution. They're present throughout the entire game and you treat it like a beast of burden and a companion during all this, which paradoxically (get it?) makes them seem less legendary, but I like it when the Pokémon on the boxart is there the entire game. They're not even guardians or anything, they're just past and future versions of a Pokémon that already exists and they just so happen to be really strong. They're kinda like Reshiram and Zekrom, funnily enough (and you can draw quite a few parallels between the pairs).

Toedscool and Toedscruel
Yay, more regional fakes! Seeing a Tentacool-like Pokémon run around on land is hilarious, and overall I just think they're neat. I don't have much else to say about them, but I'm always a fan of mushroom Pokémon (and it's funny that they introduce mushroom Pokémon every odd-numbered generation).

Kingambit
The first thing that came to my mind when I saw Kingambit was Dark Fantasy by Kanye West (if you were on specific circles on the internet, you know what this means). I was a little weirded out when Bisharp of all things got an evolution, but they really nailed this one. It's just sitting there menacingly, and Supreme Overlord is such a cool ability as well.

Annihilape
monkey

Spoiler:

Paldean Tauros
Horrible. Another lazy regional variant that is a waste of space that could have been used to put in more new Pokémon or at least include better older Pokémon such as other starters or even normal Tauros.

Sprigatito, Floragato, and Meowscarada
Sprigatito is cute, Floragato is a good middle evolution that does what looks like yoyo tricks when attacking, and Meowscarada is so awesome and is slowly becoming one of my favorite Pokémon. She's my starter through and through. I love its stats, movepool, and Flower Trick is awesome for always landing critical hits. Much love for Meowscarada.

Fuecoco, Crocalor, and Skeledirge
Fuecoco is cute, Crocalor is disappointing looking, but Skeledirge is so old school. It seems like a callback to Pokémon that looked more like animals and I love the cry! It also has a great hidden ability, stats, and moves for being a good staller.

Quaxly, Quaxwell, and Quaquaval
Quaxly is cute, Quaxwell reminds me of Donald Duck with nice hair, and design wise, I hate Quaquaval with a burning passion. However, those stats, that movepool, and hidden ability are great. I might include one on one of my competitive teams.

Dudunsparce – Lazy and doesn't really have much going for it.

Spidops
Has absolutely nothing going for it and every time I look at its face, I see Squidward. I can't unsee it.

Espathra
I love this Pokémon. I put this one my tertiary team for my playthrough, bred as a Flittle with it hidden ability. It is a Speed Boosting special sweeper and will definitely be on most of my competitive teams.

Wiglett and Wugtrio
Pure laziness on part of the developers.

Dondozo
I haven't gotten that far in the game yet I don't think, but based on how it looks, I am liking the design. It looks like a huge scary catfish and I like it. Yet, design doesn't mean anything in terms of battle. Thus, when I catch and use it, I would update this.

Veluza
Amazingly good, nothing else needs to be said. It is definitely going on my competitive teams going forward.

Finizen and Palafin
Both are very cute. Palafin is amazingly good and good and op. I have Palafin on my tertiary team and it is a great physical attacker on par with legendaries. Much love!

Varoom and Revavroom
Pokémon are not animals. People need to understand that. This is exactly how I expected a Poison/Steel type to look and it's not bad at all. I like it.

Orthworm
Orthworm has a cute, goofy looking muppet face and its an earthworm that isn't a Ground-type. That's weird, but nonetheless, it's great defensively and really good at stalling. Thumbs up!

Tandemaus and Maushold
Neither have much of anything going for them. For Maushold, I don't know, maybe Technician/Population Bomb can work in some way?

Tatsugiri
Seems like it has an interesting gimmick going on for it with Donozo. I am not too familiar with it, but when I try it out for myself, I will update this.

Wattrel and Kilowattrel
I love this line with all my heart, Adam. You know, Zapdos was always my favorite Electric-type Pokémon for a long time. During the old days when I used to play Pokémon using my Action Replay, I would always make a Zapdos for myself to begin my adventure. I knew it was illegal, but I wasn't playing competitively at the time. However, when I started, I wanted to play legally, so I always begin my adventure with Elekid. Kilowattrel is the closest thing we have to Zapdos that I can actually begin my adventure with legally and it didn't disappoint. It is a member of my tertiary team that I started my adventure with. Much love for the Zapdos wannabe!

Squawkabilly
They replaced something as cool as Corvinknight with these goofballs? Weak!

Flamigo
Just a flamingo with its neck tied in a knot. I'm not impressed. Lazy! However, I am liking that Costar hidden ability. It is like Psych Up upon switch in. I might put this bland flamingo on my Doubles competitive team!

Nacli, Naclstack, and Garganacl
This is what Stonjourner wishes it was! Amazingly great Pokémon with an op ability. I can't wait to use this thing on one of my Trick Room teams!

Glimmet and Glimmora
Not bad, not bad at all. I might try it out sometime.

Bramblin and Brambleghast
They don't really seem to have much going for them, it seems. Ghostly tumbleweed, I like the concept a lot, but can you win a lot of battles with them? That remains to be seen!

Gimmighoul and Gholdengo
One thing that I hate in games is when I have to find things scattered across the map. That was never fun for me. However, I hear that Gholdengo is so broken that it's worth the money! Gimmighoul is really cute.

The Paradox Pokémon
I believe Paradox Pokémon highlights the laziness of Game Freak. Because nobody spoke out about the laziness with regional variants, they took it to the extreme and made completely broken versions on par with legendaries. While I do respect that they are good and are dominating competitive as we speak, it is lazy and invalidates other Pokémon. For example, why use Mismagius when you can just use Flutter Mane? Very stupid in my opinion and this, along with regional variants, are the worst thing to ever happen to Pokémon.

The Treasures of Ruin
I haven't gotten that far in the game yet, but when I do, I would definitely update.

Koraidon and Miraidon
I'm not at the point where I can use them in battle yet, but I think Koraidon sucks, which is why I picked Violet. Koraidon is only going to get wrecked by Fairy-types. In fact, I faced a friend in a competitive battle and I absolutely wrecked his legendary with just my Gardevoir. Miraidon was definitely the smarter choice and I'm glad I picked Violet. If I do get to use the other one day and it actually turns out to be good, then I would update, but until then, I am team Miraidon. It has a better typing and is a special sweeper, something this generation has a shortage of right now.

Toedscool and Toedscruel
Absolutely horrible and lazy.

Kingambit
How can you not love this thing? Everything about it is just awesome. I am definitely going to put on my Trick Room team. Watch out for Fighting-types though!

Annihilape
Primape finally died from being too angry, huh? I like it! Great typing. It's like Marshadow without being mythical. Thumbs up!

 

[NoobMaster_6ix9]

Ceruledge is my favorite Mon from Gen 9

https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Ceruledge_(Pokémon)

Other Favorites
https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Armarouge_(Pokémon)
https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Sprigatito_(Pokémon)
https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Tinkaton_(Pokémon)
https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Kilowattrel_(Pokémon)
https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Palafin_(Pokémon)
https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Iron_Moth_(Pokémon)
https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Iron_Thorns_(Pokémon)

 

[Superfox]

Now that I've played the game, a lot of them have grown on me. Palafin has quickly become one of my new favorite Pokémon. I love the box Legendaries. Dachsbun has grown on me significantly. Tinkaton intrigues and could see it becoming a favorite of mine. Glimmora takes getting used to, but it can be pretty awesome looking. Espathra is great.

And I like the starters for the most part. Everyone dunks on Meowscarada but I think the design rocks and I can't wait to get Protean on mine so she can rock it in competitive. And I think Quaquaval has the best design of water starter we've seen in a while.

That being said, on average, the designs from this gen are a SIGNIFICANT downgrade from Generation 8. The early bug and bird lines especially.

It's so upsetting to see Corviknight and Orbeetle (two phenomenal examples of those lines done right) followed up with well...the ones we got this Gen.

Killowattrel needs and evolution badly as its looks and its stats both scream middle-stage to me.

And the bugs. Well, I don't know which one is the "main" bug-type. Spidops looks goofy as hell. Rabsca is decent.

Lokix looks badass, but it needs its stats boosted asap. It would have been much better if Lokix was the last of a three-stage line, so they could beef up its stats and make it at least somewhat viable competitively. Also, why do only hear about its Showdown Mode but we don't ever see it (except for half a second when it attacks).

Baxcalibur is very cool and its behavior in picnics is adorable, but it's disappointing to have another godzilla clone and Dragon-type as the psuedo-legendary this Gen.

Pawmot is such a disappointing first-ever Electric/Fighting type. Like, it literally looks like Pawmi just stood up. I've seen literal fan-made concepts for Electric/Fighting fakemon that are so much better.

Also, I'm glad we finally have a Poison/Steel type, but why are Varoom and Revavroom just literal engines??

Also, hot take: I think Skeledirge is actually the worst of the three starters. The bird on its head makes it derpy as hell and honestly it serves no function. It's a neat concept, but I don't think they executed it well. And I mean, did we REALLY need another Fire/Ghost type? They must really like that typing since we've gotten four lines with it in the past three generations: Alolan Marowak, Hisuian Typhlosian, Skeledirge, AND Ceruledge. And of course there's Chandelure as well.

So, in conclusion, Gen 9 has some good designs, but overall, they've been a downgrade from Gen 8.

 

[PageEmp]

Favourite and least favourite Gen9 Pokémon?

I'm sure there was another thread for this but I think it was only discussed on before the games came out, so here, let's discuss Gen9 mons! So basically post the ones you like, ones you don't like, or even some misc. categories if you'd like.

As for me:

Good: Pawmot, Houndstone, Rabsca, Primeape's evolution, the starters that aren't the duck, Clodsire, etc.

Reasons are simply because I either like their designs or because they seem useful, or I actually tried them out and they were really fun to use

Bad: Scovillain. Personally, I think it looks like two chilli pepper heads that tried to pull of a creepy chin, only to get the face freeze from a certain modern SpongeBob episode. And to think I waited years for a Grass/Fire mon only for it to not have a good design (or stats…). Although honestly it's weirdness made me kind of attached to it.

The other mon I'll also mention isn't bad for being bad, but for being extremely disappointing. Quaquaval. Some kind of parade dancer thing? Neat! So why does it not look as neat? Why does it literally look like some dude in a outfit? Or all those random stuff slapped on it? I know many other starters have too humanoid designs but I think this one takes it way too far, to the point it doesn't even look creaturelike anymore! If I could list all the ways to make it look batter I'd be here forever.

So bad it's good: Flamigo. I stopped complaining about mons that are really just cartoon animals for a long time now, but… a literal balloon flamingo is a mon now? And has a name that just removes a letter from the basis? And by the way, this guy actually has a significantly better japanese name, that actually sorta indicates it being part Fighting. And yes I also question the Fighting typing too. And the best part: you can get it super early in the game where it has monstrous stats compared to everything else. In fact, it's actually really good in general! I mean, with Scovillain and duckster, at least you can ignore them because they aren't great in battle (or at least I heard duckster isn't) but what's really just a random flamingo ornament is actually very useful for the game despite the weirdly simple design.

Best shiny: Conveniently, the one gen9 shiny I actaully have, Cetitan! I was just wandering around and found it out of nowhere, not even realizing he was shiny. Overall, I feel like it's shiny colours should have been the actual colours as it's more interesting to be multicoloured rather than just white like the original Cetitan.

 

[Sweet Serenity]

There is another thread that already exists as we speak that covers overall thoughts on the new Pokémon so far. The original poster even directly asks what your favorites and least favorites are. Because of that, I would merge this post with that one and we can continue the conversation there.

 

[Devalue]

Will make a tier list. Sticks to final evolutions, barring a notable deviation. Designates C Tier as neutral. Lists Pokemon in no particular order within a tier. Bases decisions largely off design. (May have been helped by using them, in some cases.)

Wound up with a huge C tier. Split it up with C+ and C-. Reflects willingness to upvote/downvote it in the Pokemon Race.

• S: None (no new favorites)
• A: Meowscarada, Dolliv, Naclstack, Armarouge, Ceruledge, Great Tusk, Iron Moth, Chien-Pao, Iron Valiant
• B: Skeledirge, Lokix, Pawmot, Dachsbun, Arboliva, Kilowattrel, Espathra, Cyclizar, Farigiraf, Scream Tail, Chi-Yu, Koraidon, Miraidon
• C+: Bellibolt, Mabosstiff, Klawf, Scovillain, Rabasca, Tinkaton, Palafin, Revavroom, Orthworm, Glimmora, Flutter Mane, Iron Thorns, Iron Bundle, Dondozo
• C: Maushold, Toedscruel, Wugtrio, Bombirdier, Houndstone, Flamigo, Cetitan, Clodsire, Dudunsparce, Slither Wing, Iron Treads, Iron Hands
• C-: Garganacl, Tatsugiri, Brambleghast, Veluza, Annihilape
• D: Oinkologne, Squawkabilly, Grafaiai, Kingambit, Iron Jugulis, Baxcalibur, Ting-Lu, Roaring Moon
• E: Quaquaval, Brute Bonnet, Sandy Shocks, Wo-Chien, Maschiff
• F: Spidops, Gholdengo

Would probably stick Iron Valiant and Chien-Pao in S Tier, if forced to have something there.

 

[Adam Levine]

If there's one thing that's evident throughout the new additions, you can tell that when it comes to gameplay, Game Freak really wanted these Pokémon to be good. I don't think we've had a dex so stacked with (competitively) at least decent Pokémon before; Generation VIII gave us a few new competitive staples such as Rillaboom and Dragapult, but on the whole, I don't think a vast majority of Galar's new debuts seemed fit for VGC or singles, and I doubt you can make a case for the ones in even earlier generations.

Generation IX however? You have broken moves from the likes of Annihilape, Houndstone, Cyclizar, Gholdengo, and Garganacl; absurd abilities from the likes of the Treasures of Ruin (except Wo-Chien, which just has a worse Intimidate), Gholdengo and Garganacl (yeah, those two again); three starters who are all really good; a big stupid catfish that's basically a physical Blissey that can boost all of its stats by two stages with the right partner (Dondozo); box legendaries that continue to bring to question whether Game Freak actively loves power creep; an amazing Grassy Terrain-setter (Arboliva); possibly the least crippled "Achilles' heel" Pokémon in existence (Palafin); a hazards setter that might even justify using hazards in VGC (Glimmora); an extremely good and flexible offensive support Pokémon (Maushold); there are just so many new Pokémon that Game Freak clearly actively designed to be good in competitive play; you can even make the same case for the PLA Pokémon once they're available, since this is their first appearance in a game with PvP, and those guys are ridiculous. The only Pokémon I can really think of at the moment that are downright bad in both VGC and singles are Oinkologne, Spidops (which has a ridiculous movepool by the way), Wugtrio, Squawkabilly, Bombirdier, and maybe Klawf and Brambleghast. Sure, powercreep from DLC and HOME compatibility might change this, but there's a surprising amount of competitively good Pokémon from this new roster.

 

[ReKoil]

Like:

Spoiler:

-Sprigatito, Floragato, Meowscarada,
-Crocalor,
-Quaxly, Quaxwell, Quaquaval
-Oinkologne Mainly thanks to the female form. Would be a neutral otherwise.
-Dolliv
-Charcadet, Armarouge, Ceruledge
-Mabosstiff
-Grafaiai
-Espathra
-Tinkaton
-Bombirdier
-Finizen, Palafin
-Cyclizar
-Orthworm
-Flamigo
-Cetoddle, Cetitan
-Tatsugiri
-Annihilape
-Farigiraf
-Arctibax, Baxcalibur
-Chien-Pao
-Chi-Yu
-Miraidon

Neutral:

Spoiler:

-Fuecoco,
-Tarountula
-Nymble, Lokix
-Pawmi, Pawmo, Pawmot
-Fidough, Dachsbun
-Arboliva
-Squawkabilly
-Tadbulb
-Wattrel, Kilowattrel
-Bramblin, Brambleghast
-Klawf
-Scovillain
-Rellor, Rabsca
-Flittle
-Tinkatuff
-Varoom, Revavroom
-Glimmet, Glimmora
-Dondozo
-Clodsire
-Kingambit
-Frigibax
-Ting-Lu
-Koraidon

Dislike:

Spoiler:

-Skeledirge
-Lechonk
-Spidops
-Tandemaus/Maushold
-Smoliv
-Nacli, Naclstack, Garganacl
-Bellibolt
-Maschiff
-Shroodle
-Toedscool, Toedscruel
-Capsakid
-Tinkatink
-Wiglett, Wugtrio
-Greavard, Houndstone
-Veluza
-Dudunsparce
-Gimmighoul, Gholdengo
-Wo-Chien

Left out the Paradox mons for now.

 

[Hashimi]

The starters, the dogs (Dachsbun, Mabosstiff and Houndstone), Dolliv/Arboliva, Charcadet/Armarouge/Ceruledge, Grafaiai, Tinkaton, ChocolateWooper/Clodsire, Revavroom, Glimmora, Flamigo, Farigiraf, Kingambit, Flutter Mane, Slither Wing and the two cover legendaries. These being my favourites.
A very good generation and region.