Pokemon Gen 10’s Starters Should Avoid the ‘Sword and Shield’ Route

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One significant feature that sets each Pokemon generation apart is its starters, as they’re typically among the first creatures unveiled and serve as emblems for the new games. The basic form of a game’s starter trio is only the beginning; the other stages of their evolutionary line should also captivate players, given that they usually accompany trainers throughout the game. Some final starter evolutions from past generations have garnered more attention than others, and it would be prudent for Gen 10 to emulate a specific pattern to achieve success in this area.

In the evolution designs of Pokemon’s final starter creatures, there have been points of debate throughout its history, such as moving towards more bipedal Pokemon. However, the typing (or elemental attributes) is often seen as the most contentious aspect. For instance, the uproar over three consecutive generations of Fire/Fighting starters was finally quelled by Gen 6’s Fire/Psychic starter Delphox. Similarly, the starters in Pokemon Sword and Shield face a similar issue, as each of them is a single-type Fire, Water, or Grass creature respectively, which makes them less distinctive among the series’ initial companions.

Gen 10 Can Make its Starters More Interesting Than Pokemon Sword and Shield’s Mono-Type Ones

Sword and Shield’s Mono-Type Starters Held Back Their Potential

The duo of Cinderace and Inteleon from Pokemon Sword and Shield, along with Rillaboom, represent the latest instance of starter trios lacking a secondary type. This omission can potentially diminish a starter’s longevity in competitive play. Although Rillaboom has managed to carve out a strong competitive role among Pokemon in VGC, this is not the case for Cinderace and Inteleon. Because they lack a secondary type, their overall usefulness on a player’s team is significantly reduced compared to other creatures that possess a second type, which is unfortunate given their status as mascots for the game.

In my gaming world, I’ve only come across one other generation where all three final evolutionary forms of the starters share a single type – that’s Generation 2, featuring Meganium, Typhlosion, and Feraligatr!

Before Cinderace’s final type was officially revealed, many fans had concerns it might follow the same pattern as other Fire-type starters by having either Fire or Fighting as its primary type. Having a secondary Fighting type would provide Cinderace with extra functionality, helping it overcome Fire’s weakness against Rock. The introduction of Gigantamax forms for starters partially addressed this lack of dual typing, but since Gigantamax only appears in Generation 8, these monsters have become less significant in Generation 9.

Pokemon Gen 10 Has the Lion’s Share of Starter Type Combos to Choose From

In the latest generations of Pokemon, it has become a trend for starters to have distinct secondary typings. The upcoming Generation 10 should follow suit and not deviate from this pattern. There are several types that have yet to be used as secondary types on starter Pokemon, such as Rock, Bug, Ice, and Dragon. By equipping the Generation 10 starters with unique type combinations like Fire/Rock, Grass/Bug, and Water/Ice, they will be able to differentiate themselves from the nine generations that have come before them.

A captivating idea could be to classify all ending starter evolutions as Dragon-types; this underutilized type has a weakness against itself, but by making all three share the same type, it creates balance. On the other hand, it’s advisable for Generation 10 to refrain from providing one or two starters with a secondary type while leaving out the third. This practice was more prevalent in earlier generations and can lead to one or two starters being considered superior due to type synergy with the trainers players will encounter. To ensure fairness among the starters and make them appealing for long-term use, Generation 10 should equip each final starter evolution with a secondary type.

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2025-01-07 01:13