After thePokemonseries finally crossed the 1,000-creature threshold withPokemon Scarlet and Violet, it’s clear the franchise is going to have to reckon with an ever-growing Pokedex in future titles. While this enormous National Dex size has caused issues in the past, such as the “Dexit” controversy in Gen 8, futurePokemongames can lessen the impact of a massive Pokedex by following an already popular trend within the series. With the rise of regional variants in recent generations,PokemonGen 10 could lean on this concept to avoid overloading the National Dex with too many wholly new mons.
Since their introduction in Gen 7, regional variants have been a great way to give older mons a new lease on life with a new design and typing to refresh players' interest in them. While each gen that has featured regional variants has mainly focused on adding brand-new critters, it’s common for some of the regional variants to outshine the other mons in a generation since they are a great way to capitalize on nostalgia while still feeling new. As such,PokemonGen 10 could place a greater emphasis on regional variantsand introduce fewer brand-new mons as a way to conserve Pokedex space while still crafting a new experience for players.
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The main benefit of adding more regional variants than brand-new mons is that Pokedex considers regional variants to be a part of their original version’s entry. As such, regional variants don’t extend the total size of the Pokedex, which would help in keeping thetotal size of the National Dexas close to 1,000 as possible. With the exception of Gen 9, most recent generations have kept the number of brand-new mons to under 100, and doubling down on Regional Variants would help Gen 10 stick to this pattern.
Gen 8 in particular is a good model for Gen 10 to follow, as it featured 25 new regional variants and their evolutions inPokemon Sword and Shield, and then added another 19 inPokemon Legends: Arceus. Gen 9 has strayed from this pattern by including over 100 brand-new mons with only 3 regional variants: Paldean Wooper, its evolution Clodsire, and Paldean Tauros (though, this mon does have three different forms itself). WhilePokemon Legends: Z-Acould add more regional variantsto Gen 9, it would still be wise for Gen 10 to take the opposite approach and add a number of regional variants closer to that of Gen 8 to help cut down on the total size increase of the National Dex.
Regional Variants Strike the Perfect Middle Ground Between Unique, New Designs and Classic Critters
While somePokemonfans might be disappointed by a generation with fewer brand-new critters, going all-in on regional variants could offer players the best of both worlds. Regional variants have the potential to completely change how players perceive certain creatures, as evidenced by the turnaround in usefulness mons such asAlolan Muk and Alolan Ninetaleshave over their original counterparts. Giving more forgotten critters a chance to shine with a new form would be a great way to honor the legacy of the franchise going into Generation 10.
Recent generations have also placed a heavy emphasis on spotlighting mons from early gens as a way to appeal to fans nostalgic for the early days of the franchise. Giving these critters a new design via a regional variant is a great way to balance their classic feel with a new twist.Gen 3 and Gen 4 mons have been somewhat of a blind spot for regional variants, so Gen 10 targeting these generations for new forms would be a logical way for Game Freak to help the generation feel fresh without going overboard with brand-new designs.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet
WHERE TO PLAY
The school that you’ve enrolled in as you playPokémon ScarletandPokémon Violethosts a special independent study project. The theme of this assignment is “A Treasure Hunt.” Explore the world and seek out your very own treasure!Three stories will be woven into your adventure while traversing the sprawling Paldea region. Along Victory Road, you will go to Gyms in different locations in order to to achieve Champion Rank. On the Path of Legends, you can join Arven in search of rare ingredients. And in ★ Starfall Street ★, you’ll challenge Team Star, a group of delinquents causing trouble for the school.These stories are set in an open world, so where you go is all up to you. A world teeming with Pokémon and people to meet is waiting for you—traverse the Paldea region wherever you heart desires.
