Starter Discussion & Thread

[Orphalesion]

Yeah, definitely sounds like something that's just there to try to make the bond you have with your Starter choice more meaningful-sounding. Too often it's easy to forget that the Starter Pokemon is your toon's first Pokemon. The Professor and your mother will mention how attached it is to you at the beginning of every game, but then not much else is brought up about it for the rest of the game. So that definitely sounds like a nice little attempt at making the Starters relevant.

Yeah it will be like the Mega Evolution with the Kanto starters in X/Y which also, theoretically, had plot importance.

Rival: I sure look forward to you showing me how you have mastered Mega Evolution in this battle we are about to have!

Me: Weeeellll....I kinda wonder traded that Kanto starter right after Sycamore gave it to me and haven't picked up any of the mons that can mega evolve so....

 

[B. Thunder Tiger]

Aw, that's so adorable!

I want Litten even more now.

Same here!

Obviously not going to disagree with their analysis of the scene, but it does seem weird that there's a scene that asks whether the starter wants to go along with you on the Island Trial Challenge. Especially since we know from other reviews that you get sent to the Trainer School right after, and not the first Island Trial. I find that weird. It's as if the starter doesn't want to go with you on Island Trials at first, but then after succesfully completing the Trainer School, Ilima comes at you and you're allowed to partake.

It's really weird.

You start your game. You apparently meet Tapu Koko. You go to the Island Festival. You pick a starter. You fight Hau with said starter (considering the type-advantage, you'll likely win). There's a cutscene where Hala asks the starter if it wants to join you on the Island Trial Challenge. SOMETHING HAPPENS.. and then you get sent off to Trainer School. Why? What happened? What did you do wrong? Why does Ilima only invite you after you've beaten the Trainer School's students (4) and the teacher, IF the starter already agreed with you to go on the Island Trial Challenge AND Hala aka the Kahuna, already kinda invited you to do such when he let the starter make that decision: "Yeah, I'm letting a starter pokémon choose your career path, but I'm so gonna not invite you to partake regardless of what it chooses" <- Seems ridiculous.

It kinda makes it seem as if the endresult of that cutscene would be that the starter joins you, but isn't yet satisfied with your skills and that's why you get sent to the Trainer School before being allowed to partake. Which is really weird as I thought that you already seem to have been chosen by fate and have seen Tapu Koko because of that as well. It seems really weird even after all that to be sent to Trainer School and to let that be the reason why you're invited to start the Island Trial Challenge.

Maybe its so they are trying to tie a actual story plot this time, hence why the beginning is so different....at least that is what I think anyways.

Well it better not, haha, that would be one change that would not go down well with a LOT of people.

Oh, but didn't you know? Your starter, once chosen, will bond to you at a genetic and spiritual level, thus resulting as such that if you attempt to box your starter, you first have to box yourselves too!/s

 

[noakai]

They've made a point this time around of giving a lot of Pokemon summaries that specifically mentions how bonds with trainers, or lack of a bond, affects them. I'm not sure how much they can actually DO with that in the game, since they made a big deal of mega evolution being about bonds but you can do it with any Pokemon even if you've just met as long as you have the stone, but maybe they're trying to do stuff that gives the impression that it's more of a two way street now. It's probably just flavor text that doesn't actually amount to much gameplay or story wise but it can change the feel of things in my opinion.

 

[BlitzGirl41]

They've made a point this time around of giving a lot of Pokemon summaries that specifically mentions how bonds with trainers, or lack of a bond, affects them. I'm not sure how much they can actually DO with that in the game, since they made a big deal of mega evolution being about bonds but you can do it with any Pokemon even if you've just met as long as you have the stone, but maybe they're trying to do stuff that gives the impression that it's more of a two way street now. It's probably just flavor text that doesn't actually amount to much gameplay or story wise but it can change the feel of things in my opinion.

I think that it's about time they put more focus on the Starters and try to make them feel more relevant.

 

[Chimchar15]

Litten3 Signature Ability: Run In. Speed+50% on first turn after switching.
Litten3 Signature Move: The Pedigree. 80 Physical Fire, 30% chance to paralyze.
Litten3 Signature Held Item: Steel Chair. +30% to Fire and Dark attacks.

Really hope they go whole hog on this wrestler gimmick.

I would go nuts over this as I'm a wrestling fan. Seeing Litten3 using a Pedigree or another wrestling move would be awesome.

 

[shadowF]

Seeing that the pokemon do seem to have bonding with the characters then I wonder if we will have a ritual that will have our starters evolve to their final evolution? It really does feel that we will at least have a cutscene of our pokemon evolving to their final evolutions, since these games seem to be much more involved with the story.

 

[B. Thunder Tiger]

Seeing that the pokemon do seem to have bonding with the characters then I wonder if we will have a ritual that will have our starters evolve to their final evolution? It really does feel that we will at least have a cutscene of our pokemon evolving to their final evolutions, since these games seem to be much more involved with the story.

Oh, that could be pretty cool. Gives even more relevance to the starters.

 

[knightwolf09]

I now got an idea. What if Gladion is also your rival, but instead of having the stronger starter, he'll change Silvadi's type to the one stronger against your starter. Though still believe Hau is your main rival.

 

[BlitzGirl41]

I now got an idea. What if Gladion is also your rival, but instead of having the stronger starter, he'll change Silvadi's type to the one stronger against your starter. Though still believe Hau is your main rival.

That is a possibility. I just hope that we get to "see" the other Starter's evolutions somehow, since we've been able to in one way or another in past games.

 

[lemoncatpower]

I now got an idea. What if Gladion is also your rival, but instead of having the stronger starter, he'll change Silvadi's type to the one stronger against your starter. Though still believe Hau is your main rival.

I wonder who gets the last starter then because that seems quite legit imo. I wonder if it'll just stay with the prof or something

 

[.Aerodactyl.]

I wonder who gets the last starter then because that seems quite legit imo. I wonder if it'll just stay with the prof or something

They might be going back to days of old where no one gets it!!! I'm honestly okay with that, with the GTS it will still be much easier to follow the Pokédex.

 

[Endless]

Hasn't seen this posted here yet. But additional art for the starters was posted in CoroCoro, why it hasn't been posted on the official pages since the mid evolutions reveal I don't know.

 

[knightwolf09]

I heard some people say thanks to this picture someone notice that from behind, the black parts on Torracat's back resembles a wrestling singlet. I can totally see that.

 

[lemoncatpower]

I heard some people say thanks to this picture someone notice that from behind, the black parts on Torracat's back resembles a wrestling singlet. I can totally see that.

Definitely see that as well.

They might be going back to days of old where no one gets it!!! I'm honestly okay with that, with the GTS it will still be much easier to follow the Pokédex.

lol yeah that could work too. Although with them talking about pokemon and happiness and bonds, itd be a little weird for it to just disappear without explanation, but in the end it doesn't really matter

 

[BlitzGirl41]

Hasn't seen this posted here yet. But additional art for the starters was posted in CoroCoro, why it hasn't been posted on the official pages since the mid evolutions reveal I don't know.

I kind of like that action pose that Dartrix has there! Just still find its "hair" and perpetually closed eyes odd.

 

[knightwolf09]

I kind of like that action pose that Dartrix has there! Just still find its "hair" and perpetually closed eyes odd.

I think the reasons it's eyes are like that, is because it's based off the Closed-Eyes character in anime. Like this one http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Ichimaru_Gin2.jpg .

These characters almost always have they're eyes closed to give them a friendly or happy appearance, but they more threatening or scary when their eyes actually open, except when they do it for a silly expression. So basically, while Dartrix has the upbeat and happy look on his face, it still give you that threatening aura because it's still basically carries knives in its wing and can probably kill you if it wanted. And that's pretty cool.

 

[Rowlet]

Torracat is so wearing a wrestlers leotard

I love the extra art for the starters its a shame they didn't add them to the website

 

[Happy Hydreigon]

If the starters do end up getting split evolution forms, the middle evolutions do give the vibe that they do go either way, I could see Dartrix going into a knife throwing butler of sorts as well as the archer, IMO Torracat can either go really muscular or stay on 4 legs and keep itself sleek and lean in design. Brionne's entry on the website does give itself some credibility as it does say it slams bubbles into it's opponents which kind of hints at a physical fighting type as well as the Mermaid.

 

[yuoke]

Hmmmm....a mid evolution starter that has orange and black and red with a wrestler leotard....pretty unique design concept.

 

[clbgolden12]

Hasn't seen this posted here yet. But additional art for the starters was posted in CoroCoro, why it hasn't been posted on the official pages since the mid evolutions reveal I don't know.

Geez, that artwork feels like it confirmed the leaked starter evos even more.