Starter Discussion & Thread

[LeoP2008]

In my perfect world, the typings for the three would be...

Rowlet -> Grass/Flying: Don't change a thing. We need more Grass/Flying types. BUT, if it has to change...
...........-> Grass/Rock: People keep speculating that it will lose its ability to fly as the owl Rowlet is based on could be flightless. If so, I'd prefer Grass/Rock over Grass/Ground. Grass/Rock is relatively unique AND awesome offensively. PLUS, imagine if it got the Hidden Ability Levitate (as a means of representing that some Rowlet final evolutions maintain their flight). I'd be in Heaven.

Litten --> Fire/Ghost: Farfetch'd, I know but I want an awesome Fire/Ghost...I mean, Chandelure was cool but not quite my style. I participate in Pokemon battles and contests so having a sleek, ghost tiger would be purrfect (sorry for the bad pun).
.........--> Fire/Ground: Imagine a speedy Camerupt. 'nuff said.

Popplio ---> Water/Fairy: Fairy is my favorite type. While I've been a fan of Pokemon since the original Red and Blue, I've never been able to pick just one type I loved most (Fighting or Dragon were the closest). But, with Fairy, I fell in love. So, having a Fairy Starter would be amazing or me. Yes, Azumaril is already covering the Water/Fairy gambit, but perhaps Popplio's final evo could bring something new to the table.
...........---> Water/Fighting: Simply because we have so few of the typing.

 

[Alexander18]

Yeah, I would like the Fire/Ground starter (if it happens) to be fast unlike Camerupt. Also giving it the hidden ability Drought and the move Solar Beam would really be great. I would like one more part Fighting starter which would be for Water since it is the only one who hadn't gained Fighting. However it could be Psychic, Ice or Fairy which all haven't been on the Water starter.

 

[knightwolf09]

Yeah, I would like the Fire/Ground starter (if it happens) to be fast unlike Camerupt. Also giving it the hidden ability Drought and the move Solar Beam would really be great. I would like one more part Fighting starter which would be for Water since it is the only one who hadn't gained Fighting. However it could be Psychic, Ice or Fairy which all haven't been on the Water starter.

I'm still wondering how Popps could become fighting. It can't move that well on land and has no feet so it can't kick, and it would be real weird if they gave it legs out of nowhere. Even weirder if they gave it fingers to punch, and I doubt flippers would work for fist without looking effective or silly. I learned to live with the Grass, Fire/Ground thing if it's true, but Fighting will forever bother me. That awesome oppurntunity for a water fairy, wasted.

 

[KKS-Lapras]

I'm still wondering how Popps could become fighting. It can't move that well on land and has no feet so it can't kick, and it would be real weird if they gave it legs out of nowhere. Even weirder if they gave it fingers to punch, and I doubt flippers would work for fist without looking effective or silly. I learned to live with the Grass, Fire/Ground thing if it's true, but Fighting will forever bother me. That awesome oppurntunity for a water fairy, wasted.

It could be a Fighting type that focuses mainly on slapping type moves, with it's flippers and tail, or long range attacks.

 

[knightwolf09]

It could be a Fighting type that focuses mainly on slapping type moves, with it's flippers and tail, or long range attacks.

It still doesn't sound like fighting to me, that sounds like a regular sea lion. Fighting types are usually associated with warriors and martial artists, even the musketeers fit the fighting type cause they can at least kick and sword fight.

 

[Locormus]

The Kalos starter just so happened to make a perfect double type triangle (Water > Fire > Grass // Dark > Psychic > Fighting); however, bringing us back to Sinnoh, where all starters also got a secondary typing as they fully evolved, you will notice that the secondary types were not built to make another triangle. Torterra's Ground type was effective against Empoleon's Steel type, and so was Infernape's Fighting type, but Ground and Steel had no direct effectiveness correlation with Fighting (although the former would be super effective against Fire and the latter would be resisted by Fire).

And in the other generations, where not all fully evolved starters ended up with a secondary type, you can clearly see that it was simply an additional treatment with no goal of making two perfect type triangles in mind. The idea behind the secondary types is not to balance things out.

I think the Sinnoh-types very much interacted with each other.

Torterra's Grass-type moves became neutral to the Water-type starter, because of Empoleon's Steel-type.
Empoleon is effective against Infernape, but the reverse is true as well. Same goes for Torterra and Infernape.

Each has an edge over the other two.
- Torterra: Ground > Fire and Steel.
- Infernape: Fire > Grass and Fighting > Steel.
- Empoleon: Water/Steel is neutral to Grass and Water > Fire. It also has access to plenty of Flying-type and Ice-type moves in order to have effective moves against Torterra.

So while not a direct triangle, these three additional types did make the starter trio a lot more interesting in relation to each other.

 

[CrusherTheFeraligatr]

It still doesn't sound like fighting to me, that sounds like a regular sea lion. Fighting types are usually associated with warriors and martial artists, even the musketeers fit the fighting type cause they can at least kick and sword fight.

If fighting is true, could be more obvious in later forms. Could end with more leg like flippers.

 

[knightwolf09]

If fighting is true, could be more obvious in later forms. Could end with more leg like flippers.

What, like Walrein's? I was at least expecting that.

 

[CrusherTheFeraligatr]

What, like Walrein's? I was at least expecting that.

I did see a decent design where popplio's evolution is bipedal, with a old timey swimsuit design.

 

[knightwolf09]

I did see a decent design where popplio's evolution is bipedal, with a old timey swimsuit design.

I think I know what know what you're taking about. But it's just not what I imagine what Sugimori would approve as a final evo for a starter.

 

[Starrke]

Though I can see Popplio's evolution line having fighting as the secondary type, Water/Psychic seems just as plausible.​

 

[CrusherTheFeraligatr]

I think I know what know what you're taking about. But it's just not what I imagine what Sugimori would approve as a final evo for a starter.

Saw this freaking awesome litten evo on reddit, I'd kill for that final from for him.

I'm team popplio now, but I'm rooting for litten as well, he's got tons of potential.

 

[knightwolf09]

Saw this freaking awesome litten evo on reddit, I'd kill for that final from for him.

I'm team popplio now, but I'm rooting for litten as well, he's got tons of potential.

What did that one look like? I saw one the looks like Sher Kahn

 

[CrusherTheFeraligatr]

You could have just worded out to avoid trouble, but I saw the first one, and watched the livestream for the second

Oh yeah? That's pretty cool.

Not a fan of owls, so its unlikely I'll pick rowlett, but depending on the final forms, I'm picking the other 2.

 

[knightwolf09]

Oh yeah? That's pretty cool.

Not a fan of owls, so its unlikely I'll pick rowlett, but depending on the final forms, I'm picking the other 2.

I'm not going for Rowlet either. It maybe adorable, but I'm not falling for the bowtie spell like everyone else is. Besides, I have personal reasons why I'm choosing Litten.

 

[CrusherTheFeraligatr]

I'm not going for Rowlet either. It maybe adorable, but I'm not falling for the bowtie spell like everyone else is. Besides, I have personal reasons why I'm choosing Litten.

I'm really hoping for a fire tiger, that'd be so cool.

 

[knightwolf09]

I'm really hoping for a fire tiger, that'd be so cool.

No doubt it's a tiger. The stripes give it away

 

[CrusherTheFeraligatr]

No doubt it's a tiger. The stripes give it away

The cheek fluff could too. Tigers have pretty notable cheek fluff.

 

[Squirtortoise]

I mean M-Pidgeot went from physical straight to special. Noctowl is more bulky than it is anything else, and has higher SpAtk than Attack. It's not entirely impossible that the regional bird could become Special Attacking or bulky.

However, I've now reconsidered my thoughts on them and I think we'll be seeing:

Rowlet: Slow, Bulky, Mixed Attacker.
Litten: Fast, frail, Special Attacker.
Popplio: Relatively quick, moderately bulky, Physical Attacker.

I wasn't counting M-Pidgeot, I just feel like Megas inherently are meant to be drastic changes in some form, plus M-Pidgeot wasn't introduced until after Pidgeot spent years as a physical attacker (even if its SpAtk isn't far behind). True about Noctowl, but its 1 out of the 6 regional birds which is why I said what I said. However, definitely the new regional bird could be something different. For all we know, they might make Rowlet a Speedy physical attacker, and that way they could make the regional bird something completely different stat-wise so that we have variety.

EDIT: I don't think I realized how close Talonflame's Atk and SpAtk are, but its still very fast, and predominantly used as a physical attacker.

I'm mildly surprised that it's the least popular of the 3 beginner Pokemon. Rowlet being at the top makes me scratch my head since it looks simple compared to Litten & Popplio Imo.

I'm not necessarily surprised that it's the least popular, but more so that they aren't all closer to each other in popularity. When I first saw them, I assumed the race would be pretty even with maybe Litten taking a small lead. Rowlet didn't stand out very much to me. I'm aware that a grass owl is a popular idea, but design-wise I didn't think that it would sell for a lot of people but I guess I was wrong.

 

[EmpoleonRules]

Alright, judging from social media, many people have been hating on Popplio but I have no idea why. I mean it isn't the best starter ever but there have been worse ones for sure. Maybe because it looks like a clown kind of and people don't like clowns? I don't know. It looks cute and cool to me. I feel like if any of these should be disliked it should be Litten. I feel like cat-like Pokemon have been overused. And it doesn't look at all special to me. I like Rowlet, it looks fun and new. That being said, I'll be picking Popplio in Sun which will be my primary game and then Rowlet in Moon. I just don't really like Litten, although it has a cool name. However, it's evolutions have a lot of potential and I might change my mind if they are awesome.