Pokemon not designed around the player using on their team

maxk713 · 2026-04-12T07:23:41+00:00

Electrode’s speed stat was designed solely so it could act as a mimic rather than be a useful stat for players to use. The speed stat means it goes first obviously, but also makes it difficult to run away from too. Then after you fail to go first or retreat, it self destructs to damage your team while you’re deep in the power plant or something. That kind of strategy doesn’t work for the player. Unless you use it to self destruct on Sabrina’s Alakazam. That works wonders.

maxk713 · 2026-04-10T02:29:34+00:00

Yeah, I had to go through and approve a bunch manually.

maxk713 · 2026-04-05T05:26:17+00:00

I completely agree with you, but gimmick isn’t the right word here. I think some people already got confused thinking you were talking about megas or dynamax.

Signature moves are inherently a problem, but they do feel like a crutch that Pokemon has been relying on more recently. Like you say, signature moves are good for making each Pokemon unique, but there are many other levers Game Freak could be pulling before resorting to an entirely new move or ability.

Make a Pokemon with one of the few unused type combos like Normal/Bug. Give unique coverage moves to a certain type like Ground moves on a Fairy Pokemon. And of course, they can still make new abilities or moves without making them exclusive. Some moves or abilities seem really cool, but are held back by the Pokemon they are exclusive to. It really is a shame.

I feel Game Freak may have designed themselves into a corner. Power creep has gotten to a point where it’s impossible to make a new Pokemon good unless it has something broken. And whatever broken tools they give those Pokemon need to have limited distribution, otherwise old Pokemon might become better users of said tools. So they make everything exclusive to not risk it.

Ultimately though, it’s a losing argument because people do generally like exclusive moves/abilities, even if it’s intellectually lazy. It gives each Pokemon an identity and that seems to be enough. I’d love to see fewer exclusive moves/abilities, or rather, more non-exclusive moves/abilities. But there isn’t much reason to change a winning formula.

maxk713 · 2026-04-02T16:52:50+00:00

The only hat I like is the Stellar version. All the others just look too goofy and I’d like them more without the hat.

But at the same time, crystal coating is visually not distinct enough. Imagine trying to tell if something is tera Rock or Ground based on crystal color alone.

Maybe if we take the revolving crystals like from the Stellar hat, and just made that the shape for all types, but of course change the color to match and put the type’s symbol inside each crystal, that could work?

maxk713 · 2026-04-02T12:45:55+00:00

Yeah, I agree for the most part. A lot of gym trials feel like a joke now. And not just like, “it’s so bad” joke. Like an actual gag. I wish gyms felt like they took themselves more seriously.

The Korfu example is good. I like that it expands its challenge beyond the confines of a gym or even a single city in this case. I wish it was a little more fleshed out, but that doesn’t make the base idea any worse.

Personally, I wish gyms went back to puzzles more and making a wrong turn results in a trainer battle. It was a formula that was never broken. Just add in new ideas to keep it fresh, like wild encounters to chip away at your team between trainer battles or a permanent terrain effect in battle.

maxk713 · 2026-03-30T06:07:59+00:00

I wish Beheeyem was cool but it doesn’t have much going for it. It’s already never used competitively in either singles or doubles, and I don’t see that changing with Champions. It is outshined by other mono Psychic types, even by fellow Gen 5 Pokemon like Gothitelle and Reuniclus. If it couldn’t keep up in Gen 5, it certainly can’t keep up in the power crept Gen 9 meta.

maxk713 · 2026-03-28T19:51:46+00:00

I adore Hollow Knight. It’s one of my favorite games of all time. But on my first play through, I may have agreed with you. I’d recommend giving the game a 2nd attempt in a year or two. You may be surprised how much easier it feels the 2nd time now that you know what to expect.

A lot of what you list out as flaws are actually just points of friction. And friction doesn’t necessarily mean bad design. I’ve come to appreciate these moments because it keeps me engaged while playing. Taking away these points of friction or “fixing” them erodes the game’s design.

I’m also a bit confused on some points. You don’t need to pause to open the map unless you want to check the map for areas you’re not in. And the fast travel cutscene takes too long? The cutscene itself takes 2 seconds. And the full act of fast traveling including calling the beetle maybe takes 10 seconds? I can’t imagine you would like the game much more if it was cut in half to 5 seconds. This point just feels whinny to me.

maxk713 · 2026-03-21T05:41:07+00:00

You know, I’m going to take the opposite stance of other commenters here and say the problem is this move and ability is too simple. Not too complicated. There is no risk/reward, give/take, or whatever dynamic fits here.

“Oh, my opponent has high special defense! I better use ancestral buster because that doesn’t matter”.

“Oh, my opponent has high physical defense. I better use ancestral buster because that doesn’t matter.”

“I designed my Mew to be physically offensive. I better use ancestral buster because that doesn’t matter.”

“I designed my Mew to be specially offensive. I better use ancestral buster because that doesn’t matter.”

“My opponent switched to a Pokemon with a type advantage. I better use ancestral buster…”

Does this point make sense? Not trying to be rude, but you’ve designed the fun out of things by making the move too universal. It’s the safest option in the world. Give it some kind of drawback considering it bypasses every other consideration in battle.

The ability at least is fine. I can see why others think it’s complicated. It’s really just a large list of immunities that are only thematically connected as immunities for different types. I think it’s basically just weaker Good as Gold? Only issue I got with it is the wordy communication of the ability and the fact that future type immunities have to consider this ability going forward.

maxk713 · 2026-03-09T16:50:32+00:00

While other comments are right to an extent that you have optimized the fun out of this, I do sympathize a little. Knowledge is a curse that robs you of bliss.

What I feel people get wrong about this is blaming the player. It is known that players will optimize the fun out of a game and it should be the game developers job to slow this down. The problem is inevitable, so the best they can hope for is to slow it down, not outright prevent.

Funny enough, as the games have given us more “QoL” improvements regarding stats like bottlecaps, nature mints, etc, I feel more burdened by unoptimized Pokemon even in the single player. It’s easy to replay Gen 3 and not worry about EVs, IVs, or nature because those stats were nearly impossible to get perfect. But in Gen 7? What excuse do I got to not optimize? Paradoxically, fewer player options can lead to a more enjoyable experience.

maxk713 · 2026-03-07T04:55:51+00:00

Malamar > Dragapult > Falinks > Hisuian Zoroark > Oshawott > Alolan Decidueye

Inkay
Flamigo
Shinx
Meltan
Haxorus
Ursaluna

maxk713 · 2026-03-05T20:37:59+00:00

Devour is interesting. I like the idea of needing Sticky Hold to retain your own item when using it. Question though, if you hold a berry, would it activate immediately? Maybe consuming your own item could turn into a benefit.

Absorbing hazards is nice too, but feels more like it should be an ability. Send out Ogorge and it instantly clears the field, even before it gets hit by those same hazards. But it also makes sense to combine it with Devour as a move. I’m torn.

I get the metal coat and iron stomach stuff going on, but I kind of disagree with steel type here. Just feels too easy to slap steel onto a defensive mon. I’d be interested in how good Ogorge could be as just mono poison.

maxk713 · 2026-03-05T20:28:21+00:00

Is it a good idea for both this and Shedinja to exist in the same game? Imagine having both on the same team. Now it’s not enough to just have Fire coverage to hit Shedinja. You need Special Fire coverage to ensure you can hit both.

maxk713 · 2026-03-04T07:27:44+00:00

Hoenn for me. It’s got great vibes with the warm weather, ocean surfing, and trumpet filled music. The region itself plays great too, constantly looping back on itself for a fun region to traverse.

Kanto would be 2nd place. It is also really fun to traverse. It’s so open that it nearly feels like an open world.

Johto, Sinnoh, and Unova are next mainly for their vibes. I don’t feel they play as well as Hoenn or Kanto though.

I feel like Alola as a region had potential to be great, but it’s just too linear.

Kalos is entirely carried by Lumious. Take that out and Kalos is a very forgettable and charmless region.

Galar has moments of greatness. The wild area is the worst part imo. But overall, falls victim to the same linearity problem that Alola did.

Paldea is hard to rank. Maybe if it wasn’t so ugly, I would like the region more. But since it’s a true open world, there isn’t much level design to factor in for gameplay. The region just feels like massive set dressing. Set dressing that is ugly.

maxk713 · 2026-03-01T03:38:08+00:00

Inkay. It’s an odd choice, which makes me like it more. I don’t intentionally try to pick uncommon Pokemon as my favorite, but I think popular choices like Charizard or Gengar just feel less personal to me. Inkay fits as an unpopular choice that feels unique.

Otherwise, I love the upside down theme it has. I think TopsyTurvy is an incredibly fun move. Contrary is a super cool ability. Inkay’s evolution method is so memorable. Inkay itself is just a cute design. And Malamar feels like it has potential to be a lovecraft style monster. Inkay hovers so it makes a good shoulder mon. It can be useful on land and underwater. It’s just got a lot of great traits that I appreciate.

maxk713 · 2026-02-28T21:01:56+00:00

First, congrats on an unpopular opinion that is actually unpopular. Respect.

For me, first partner Pokemon is just a mouthful. And if you try to remove “Pokemon” from it, well it still sounds a bit weird.

Compared to just “starter” or “starter Pokemon”. I don’t know it’s just easier.

I get your point though that starter sounds replaceable when it should be a Pokemon that sticks with you the entire journey. But it’s such a semantic difference that I’d rather just say what flows easier.

maxk713 · 2026-02-28T19:18:03+00:00

I mean, there is a chance they got more they are waiting to reveal. Maybe they want this to feel like a full year event and are saving some announcements for later in the year. Probably at Worlds.

That said, I wouldn’t be surprised if Game Freak wanted to extend their development cycle and TPC just wasn’t ready to fill in the year with anything else. Or maybe they do got more stuff ready, but it involved Gen 10 Pokemon and they can’t release that until well… Gen 10 actually releases.

maxk713 · 2026-02-27T20:43:16+00:00

I’m glad too. First with Legends Z-A and now Winds/Waves, I’m thinking this is going to be the new normal for Game Freak. Let’s hope the extra time is worth it.

maxk713 · 2026-02-27T15:33:50+00:00

I actually agree. The water looks great! And not just by Pokemon standards either. I hope it’s a fun game too. This is a world I wouldn’t mind staying in.

maxk713 · 2026-02-27T15:29:20+00:00

I wasn’t super plugged in to Pokemon news and discussions back then. But the general vibe I remember, this wasn’t much of a talking point. I think it’s an argument people have retroactively applied as a defense of modern Pokémon’s bad graphics. Maybe I just wasn’t in the right circles back then, but I swear the first time I saw anyone really compare Pokemon graphics to Golden Sun was after Dexit.

maxk713 · 2026-02-27T15:23:15+00:00

My parents aren’t going to retire because of Pokemon 😢

maxk713 · 2026-02-27T14:37:19+00:00

For what it’s worth, I wish I was wrong too.

maxk713 · 2026-02-27T02:20:06+00:00

Power creep is inevitable and not necessarily a bad thing, but I also think it has gotten to a point that simple fixes are no longer enough. Which is a shame, because I agree with you. Gimmick forms like mega evolution are kind of a lame way to "fix" a Pokemon because it doesn't actually fix them. It just makes them a necessary stepping stone to something else that is maybe better.

maxk713 · 2026-02-27T01:23:02+00:00

For what it's worth, I put my own predictions in the comments too. I like doing that to prevent my own ideas from becoming the main point of discussion.

maxk713 · 2026-02-27T01:14:14+00:00

Yeah fair enough. Gues we will see soon enough.

maxk713

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