Hello fellow Pokemon trainers! I am Marcel! The current reigning Pokemon Champion, five times in a row! I’m sure you’ve heard that Pokemon will be entering its 6th generation on October since it’s introduction in 1998. While specifics are a long ways away, I’m sure many of us trainers will be itching to see how our beloved franchise will evolve! Which is why with the help of several leading experts, including the original Pokemon Professor, Samuel Oak, PhD in Interpersonal Pokemon Relationships, I have compiled a list of popular theories and predictions that trainers can hope for in the the new 6th generation for Pokemon X and Y!
Training transparency
Many Pokemon Professors agree on the mysterious concept of effort value points, or EVs. In short, Pokemon gain strength subtly according to the Pokemon they do battle against. For example, fighting many wild Kadabras can grant Pokemon an increase in their special attack attribute. In recent generations, Silph Company has made great strides in their Pokedex advancement to identify unique personality traits in Pokemon and how it affects their overall growth. However, EV points continue to be an untracked value in Pokemon Trainers unless they make an effort to keep track of it themselves.
While many trainers, including myself are hoping research continues at the Silph Company that they’ll include data tracking for the EVs earned from training, Silph has made no confirmation on the existence of such a project. I think I can safely speak for many trainers however, that such an advancement in Pokedex functionality can open up and even out the playing field for a broader range of unique trainers. Only the most dedicated trainers can create a powerful team that is a result of countless hours of carefully selective training. If an EV tracker were to be added to Pokedex functionality, entries for more competitive Pokemon battles would explode exponentially!
A reduced emphasis on offensive metagame
The increase in discoveries in new Pokemon moves and abilities have had a steady hand aimed towards rapid and quick offense while the options towards defensive play has been largely underplayed. Moves like Bullet Punch, Agility, Swords Dance, Shell Smash, and Quiver Dancehave all glorified the strategy of powering up as much as you can and attempt to sweep, that is, to score enough 1-hit kills to wipe the enemy team.
In the second generation, there was an excess of strategies that were more defensive in nature, especially with the advent of Snorlax using Curse, or Curselax. But ever since then, strategies that involved taking hits and bulkiness have fallen by the wayside in favor of surviving the possibility of a 1-hit KO and going for a sweep.
There are a lot of ways to bring back defensive play. Finding new attacks which promote defense would be a start. Quiver Dance is the holy grail of sweeping, boosting attack, special attack, and speed in one turn by one stage. Stockpile is one such move but its effects are primarily meant to go with Spit Up and Swallow.
Another suggestion would be to introduce more interesting field hazards like Spikes and Stealth Rock. Stealth Rock singlehandedly decided the tiers when it was introduced, making types weak against rock a detriment with the very existence of Stealth Rock. In fact, if Stealth Rocks makes bug, flying, fire, and more such a liability, introducing a comparable attack of a different type can increase the viability of defensive maneuvers while also opening up the stage if Stealth Rock’s influence becomes consolidated due to similar attacks, like a fire-themed Stealth Rocks.
More interesting items
Most of the time, when trainers want to give their Pokemon a useful item but can’t decide on one, the fallback is Leftovers. 1/16th health recovery is hard to ignore in true battles that can go on forever due to several lucky moves. Even though items like status healing berries, type attack boosters, and the Choice series of items are legitimately useful, they can often times also be situational in use. Meanwhile, Leftovers is always useful as long as the Pokemon is even marginally bulky.
Personally, I’m a big fan of the ability, Rough Skin. This ability inflicts damage equal to 1/16 the opponent’s health whenever they make physical contact through moves like Tackle or Close Combat. There is a similar item already but it’d increase diversity to have an item or ability but for special attacks instead. The idea is mostly to make a comparable challenger to the dominance of Leftovers, since that item is universally helpful to any team. And while it can be predictable, there’s no real way to prepare for it besides from knowing you need to inflict damage at a constant pace before they find time to recover.
The introduction of Wise Glasses and Muscle Band were good, but the items of the 6th generation should be going further in what they do during a battle.
Planned compatibility with previous generations
In the 4th and 5th generations, features were included to allow for the transfer of Pokemon from previous generations to the current one. Specifically, they made use of the GBA slot for generations before the 4th and DS to DS communication transfers during the 5th. Now that the 6th generation will be on the brand new 3DS Pokedex system, and increase in flexibility for transfers and storage can be called for.
I remember a time when the Silph Company introduced My Pokemon Ranch for the Wii storage system. I stored upwards of 300 Pokemon at once before forgetting to offload them back before formatting my Wii for sale. While the Ranch was made specifically to only work with one Pokedex game ID at a time, the concept could be expanded upon with the 3DS’ increased output. Instead of going through the trouble of doing perhaps a 3DS to 3DS communication process, Silph Company can release an additional storage app for standalone use on the 3DS, which can double as a transfer system from previous gens.
Thus far, transfers have been heavy handed processes that were slow and troublesome. You’d either need two systems on hand or the transfer process would only allow a certain number per transfer, requiring multiple transfers.
The 3DS system allows for a lot of potential in external cross-play support. The 3DS system already has a current Pokedex application for sale and a Dream Radar for additional training. This could be a chance for Pokemon to expand outside of the lines of its game software and memory.
Streetpass and Spotpass integration
As well as being the reigning five time Pokemon Champion, I’m also an owner of a 3DS and I must say I’m very impressed with the wireless features it offers to all software built for it. A Pokemon game with interesting Streetpass features would certainly be an extremely interesting idea.
One idea put forth by Oak himself was the idea of storing a Pokemon for a Streetpass trade. By compressing the data storage of a single Pokemon as far as it can go, you could theoretically do an instantaneous trade with another trainer with Streetpass active with his own Pokemon. This feature could be limited by one Streetpass trade at a time due to the logistics of compressing even a single Pokemon for an instantaneous trade, but having it available would encourage trading and foster bonds between trainers and Pokemon alike.
The ideas are limitless as Pokemon is all about personal identity among your friends and rivals, and Streetpass can potentially help show off your own identity.
New Eeveelutions
We’re due.
Speaking for the press and experts who helped me compose this message to everyone across the Pokemon world, I thank you for reading my thoughts. As the current five time Pokemon Champion, this is Marcel, saying goodbye on behalf of Professor Oak, Elm, Birch, Rowan, and Juniper. Happy hunting out there!
One day in 1994, a child traveled to Fresno to visit his relatives when, on his birthday, he was given a Sega Genesis. Thus started a chain reaction that began a life of video gaming and skyrocketing oil prices (probably). In all seriousness, Strider has been reading video game journalism for the better part of 17 years of his life and what does he have to show for it? A BA in journalism and contributed articles everywhere from Bitmob to Destructoid. Currently looking for his dream writing job.
I just almost lost a fight due to my friend hving a choice scarf, and me no items, so yeah less offense.
they should also make new evelutions for these pokemon jynx, pinsir, dunsparce, qwilfish, shuckle, corsola, delibird, smeargle, sableye, mawile, spinda, torkoal, kecleon, pachirisu, chatot, basculine, emolga, stunfisk, and durant