Alolan Raichu, Wishawashi, Pyukumuk, Morelull Revealed in Early Leaks!

[Scoop]

Still no sign of megas, thank goodness...


Anyways,I think I'm obsessed with Team Skull. I mean, it might not be a Team Plasma, but, at least from what we know so far, the idea of them being a gang of street thugs and whatnot is kinda fresh to me. Sure, they'll likeley have a big "use (insert legend here) to take over (insert region here)" plan, but at least the idea of Team Skull's theming is nice. The character design is great too, especially Plumeria. Did I also mention that they have the best theme song ever?

The Alolan forms aren't bad. Nor are the Pokemon. I really like Alolan Raichu, and Wishiwashi is pretty cool too. No Pokemon I don't like this generation so far...Hopefully they keep this up (and keep up avoiding Mega Evolution.)

...Oh, how I sense the backlash of my mega statements coming.

 

[Zielo]

In a nutshell, Alolan forms are based a little more on real-world evolution, whereas normal Pokemon evolution has always been more like metamorphosis. When something undergoes metamorphosis it often doesn't occupy the same ecological niche anymore - things go from being aquatic to walking on land, and so on. But a species that adapts to a new environment doesn't necessarily change at every stage of its life cycle. So you have subspecies of frog that look different, and live in different areas, but still look the same when they're tadpoles, for instance.

In this analogy you might say Alolan Exeggutor is the new subspecies, and Exeggcute is the tadpole form. Exeggutor looks different because the strong sunlight of Alola allows it to grow taller. That doesn't mean it will look different when it's still in "seed" form. Exeggcute isn't affected by its environment in the same way as Exeggutor, because they're different pokemon with different niches.

Now, I think it's kinda funny that they don't even try to explain what made Alolan Raichu diverge from normal Raichu. And I'm a bit disappointed that Cubone didn't get a new form, because I thought there was lots of potential there for a Fire or Ghost Cubone, and it's literally unprecedented for a pokemon of X type to evolve into a pokemon of Y/Z type. And I hope Alolan Meowth doesn't evolve into Normal Persian. But there's nothing wrong or inconsistent about not filling out the rest of evolution lines with Alolan formes. I'm glad they're taking it case by case.

Also, I think people are getting too hung up on the evolution animation. Yes, they don't show Pikachu or Cubone complete the animation. They also don't show Alolan Sandshrew or Alolan Vulpix complete the animation. They don't show Grubbin or Charjabug complete the animation. That doesn't mean they're hiding something. Showing a pokemon start to evolve and immediately cutting to a new pokemon that's NOT its evolved form would be quite the bait-and-switch. The Pokemon Co isn't that sneaky. It just saves trailer time and lets players enjoy the full evolution moment for themselves.

I don't mean for this all to be @ you, Zielo, I've just seen people post about Alolan forms and evolution for the last few pages.

No, thank you. I appreciate your input on that, its the best explanation Ive seen thus far on the subject. Not saying anyone else's isnt good, but this is the most valid reason I can see. I love the idea that they have another sort of evolution in the Pokemon world, and this makes sense. Exeggutor is one that makes the most sense to me, but I still dont understand Pikachu or Cubone. One other thing too is the "reason" they gave for Raichu to have an Alolan form. If they can come up with something like that, they can technically give a reason for anything to have or not have a form. I still think its off for them to not complete it, and I still think its definitely possible that they just havent revealed them yet. Maybe its the OCD in me screaming, but I also wouldnt be entirely surprised if they DIDNT do forms for everything now at least.

 

[EthanLac]

So, last night, I was turning the new Pokémon over in my head, thinking about any potential competitive applications they might have. The first thing that sprang to my mind was combos with Innards Out. If self damage can trigger the ability, then Pyukumuku could use either Final Gambit to do 2x its health in damage, or Memento to do heavy damage and weaken the target. If not, then just switch it into a powerful Grass- or Electric-type move, and enjoy the 1-for-1 trade.

 

[Zygarde]

So, last night, I was turning the new Pokémon over in my head, thinking about any potential competitive applications they might have. The first thing that sprang to my mind was combos with Innards Out. If self damage can trigger the ability, then Pyukumuku could use either Final Gambit to do 2x its health in damage, or Memento to do heavy damage and weaken the target. If not, then just switch it into a powerful Grass- or Electric-type move, and enjoy the 1-for-1 trade.

If it triggers the same way as Aftermath, you need to be hit by your opponent just before fainting for it to work. Self damage or passive damage like poison and weather don't trigger it.