The Rite of the Island Challenge Discussion Thread

[Aromatic Mist]

Hey at least Kanto didn't have an Ice Gym.
Unlike Electric and Water which have 6 and 7 Gym Leaders each

Don't you mean 5 (Vermillion, Mauville, Sunyshore, Nimbasa, Lumiose) for both? (Cerulean, Sootopolis, Pastoria, Striaton, Humilau)

Or are you counting one more for water because Juan? To be fair, he wa just the exact same Gym with a different leader. And at least Water has moved around a bit. I mean:

Electric is mostly around the mid game:

Vermillion: 3rd
Mauville: 3rd
Sunyshore: 8th (outlier)
Nimbasa: 4th
Lumiose: 5th

Pretty static, right?

Whilst water is a bit more fluid:

Cerulean: 2nd
Sootopolis: 8th
Pastoria: Meant to be 4th or 5th, but can be done 3rd or 4th
Striaton: 1st (If you picked tepig)
Humilau: 8th

Tbh, I think we're already doomed to have a Water Gym, the resort/hotel in the trailer has a banner with Water-Types on it.

 

[dirkac]

Yes, I counted Juan, but just added one to both for the sake of Lt. Surge and Misty being in multiple Gens.

(Water has 9 if you count Siebold and Wallace's Champion incarnation too).


And yeah, I'm aware Electric is rather static in placement, while Water is more fluid.
... god it almost feels like they did it intentionally just for those puns.

Anyway, I feel Water is handled better, especially considering the latge amount of Water Pokémon, but the problem is that for Electric, its commonly in the same place and every single one of them has either a member of the Pikachu line or Magnemite line (except Elesa).

Fighting is no better, being battled as the 5th, 2nd, 3rd, and 3rd Gym Leader, a membr of the Machop line being used by literally every Fighting GL except Chuck, which is basically compensated by Bruno of course having a Machamp in the same game.


I'm just saying that I feel that Electric and Water are vastly overused in comparison to Types like Bug, Steel, Poison, and Ghost, which had 2, 2, 2/3, and 2 Gyms respectively. (Not bringing up Dark brcause I don't believe it will ever get a Gym, or Fairy because it only got introduces last Gen).

 

[Aromatic Mist]

Yes, I counted Juan, but just added one to both for the sake of Lt. Surge and Misty being in multiple Gens.

(Water has 9 if you count Siebold and Wallace's Champion incarnation too).


And yeah, I'm aware Electric is rather static in placement, while Water is more fluid.
... god it almost feels like they did it intentionally just for those puns.

Anyway, I feel Water is handled better, especially considering the latge amount of Water Pokémon, but the problem is that for Electric, its commonly in the same place and every single one of them has either a member of the Pikachu line or Magnemite line (except Elesa).

Fighting is no better, being battled as the 5th, 2nd, 3rd, and 3rd Gym Leader, a membr of the Machop line being used by literally every Fighting GL except Chuck, which is basically compensated by Bruno of course having a Machamp in the same game.


I'm just saying that I feel that Electric and Water are vastly overused in comparison to Types like Bug, Steel, Poison, and Ghost, which had 2, 2, 2/3, and 2 Gyms respectively. (Not bringing up Dark brcause I don't believe it will ever get a Gym, or Fairy because it only got introduces last Gen).

Yeah, they're definetley underused, but seriously I think the repeated Pokemon problem is worse than having more than one of the same type. Both Fantina and Morty used Gengar, both Jasmine and Byron used Steelix until Platinum, etc. Also, Bug's had three GLs

Tbh, I'm hoping they skip out on all the types used for gyms in XY with the exception of Bug and Fairy, but shuffle those around. Maybe something like this? (In no particular order)

Flying (Only had three gyms)
Fairy (New, but I think it might be an E4. If A GL, it should be early.)
Dragon (Again, early)
Bug (Later on, we've had bug as the 1st-3rd GLs)
Steel (Only 2 Gyms)
Poison (Only 2 Different Gyms)
Dark plz gamefreak
Fire (Haven't had a dedicated one since RSE, only counting original games and not remakes)
Water (Practically confirmed with the hotel/resort unless that's actually some sort of themed hotel)

 

[dirkac]

I totally forgot Burgh existed.

As far as mixing things up go, I'd rather they introduce more Types to the E4. We've had more than enough Fighting, Dragon, and Ghost E4 Members, and frankly I'd like to see Grass, Fairy, Rock, and Flying (or something to that effect) get representations in the E4 first before trying to balance out the Gyms, as the Elite Four is even more horridly lopsided.

 

[SlowPokeBroKing]

And yeah, I'm aware Electric is rather static in placement, while Water is more fluid.
... god it almost feels like they did it intentionally just for those puns.

I am a big fan of this whole thing right here.

 

[Orphalesion]

My only wish for Gym leaders is a male Fairy gym leader. Come on gamefreak, this is the 21st century

 

[Aromatic Mist]

My only wish for Gym leaders is a male Fairy gym leader. Come on gamefreak, this is the 21st century

I want them to try and subvert some tropes, make him 'macho' as hell but then subvert that by showing he's comfortable doing whatever he likes, regardless if it's 'feminine' or 'masculine'. Like, have his team be Grandbull, New 'Macho Fairy', and then have his ace be the 'girliest' thing ever.

 

[clbgolden12]

Maybe a dude Fairy gym leader could be a fantasy writer or something. That could probably work.

 

[Aromatic Mist]

Maybe a dude Fairy gym leader could be a fantasy writer or something. That could probably work.

In that case, I'm hoping for a team with at least a Fairy/Dragon or a knight like Fairy/Steel or Fairy/Fighting. A Gardevoir would suffice, I mean it is known as 'Sirknight'.

 

[Orphalesion]

I want them to try and subvert some tropes, make him 'macho' as hell but then subvert that by showing he's comfortable doing whatever he likes, regardless if it's 'feminine' or 'masculine'. Like, have his team be Grandbull, New 'Macho Fairy', and then have his ace be the 'girliest' thing ever.

Maybe a dude Fairy gym leader could be a fantasy writer or something. That could probably work.

I like both those ideas. I appreciate the breaking of stereotypes in your suggestion @Aromatic Mist, but the macho man with the feminine side is also fairly conventional, almost a stereotype by itself at this point.

I think I like the fantasy writer a bit more, or a poet. Perhaps have him, to some extend, based on Friedrich Schiller in appearance and personality, the famous German poet/playwright. He was part of the romantic movement which loved nature and nature spirits like fairies.

A fairy gym leader based on the Romantics could even have an ace based on the "Green Fairy" though that might be a bit too adult.

 

[clbgolden12]

I like both those ideas. I appreciate the breaking of stereotypes in your suggestion @Aromatic Mist, but the macho man with the feminine side is also fairly conventional, almost a stereotype by itself at this point.

I think I like the fantasy writer a bit more, or a poet. Perhaps have him, to some extend, based on Friedrich Schiller in appearance and personality, the famous German poet/playwright. He was part of the romantic movement which loved nature and nature spirits like fairies.

A fairy gym leader based on the Romantics could even have an ace based on the "Green Fairy" though that might be a bit too adult.

If he were to be a romantic person, it'd be awesome and creative for the gym to be a ballroom. Gym puzzle would be based around rotating tiles.

 

[Aromatic Mist]

I like both those ideas. I appreciate the breaking of stereotypes in your suggestion @Aromatic Mist, but the macho man with the feminine side is also fairly conventional, almost a stereotype by itself at this point.

I think I like the fantasy writer a bit more, or a poet. Perhaps have him, to some extend, based on Friedrich Schiller in appearance and personality, the famous German poet/playwright. He was part of the romantic movement which loved nature and nature spirits like fairies.

A fairy gym leader based on the Romantics could even have an ace based on the "Green Fairy" though that might be a bit too adult.

Ooh, I never thought of a Romantic theme. That'd be interesting to see what GF pulls off with that.

I'm hoping at least some of the Gym Leaders have careers this time. That was really interesting in BW(2) because it felt like the Gym Leaders existed as more than mere obstacles, as people.

 

[Bus]

We've had 6 generations of elemental themed gyms (with the exception of Dark for some reason). Since they're pretty good about blowing our minds in way or another each generation (like horde battles one generation and the introduction of a new type; Fairies; in another) maybe it's time for a totally different approach to gym leaders. Instead of having 'Fire type' gyms or something, we could have a more thematic approach; something matching the tone the gym is in. It may lean heavily toward a specific element, but it won't be limited purely to that type. For example:

Industrial Gym- Steel & Electric Pokemon
Earth Gym- Ground & Grass types
Volcanic Island Gym- Rock & Fire types
Medieval Gym- Steel & Fighting types
Haunted Gym- (on a lone, long abandoned island; the gym is actually run by Pokemon disguised as humans)- Dark & Ghost types
Circus Gym- Fairy & Normal types
Cruise Ship Gym- (Similar setup to S.S. Anne; the town itself doesn't house the gym, but a Cruise ship just outside the port does)- Water & Ice types
Swamp Gym- Bug & Poison Types

I know the idea sounds a little redundant since all gyms naturally have a theme as is, but I mean more in the sense that the entirety of the town itself is based around this. Again, there are some towns already like this, but since one of the more common thoughts is that the region may be Hawaii or Polynesian Island based, it wouldn't be too hard to have each island kind of follow a theme and a gym along with it. I just thought I'd throw out something to get discussion going since there's so little to talk about at the moment lol.

Of course, the simpler approach to mixed gyms would be to take the idea from Gen 3, Norman's Gym, and just have gyms based on stats; like Gym 1 is comprised of a bunch of pokemon known for their Hp (Snorlax, Chancey, and Lanturn to name a few); Gym 2 is known for Speed (Ninjask, Electrode) and so on.

The Elite Four could be comprised of people who specialize in given stats or specific team builds just to throw a wrench in the works (and provide more challenge)
Battle 1- Trick Room Team
Battle 2- Sandstorm Team
Battle 3- Sunny Day Team
Battle 4- Rain Dance Team

E4 Champion- A strong team..I don't know; Im not competitive enough to name one lol

EDIT: Oh yeah, one last hope: I really don't like that easier E4 format we've had for the past two generations. Pick your own E4 path? That's kind of them and all, but it reduces the challenge since it means all 4 have to be of equal level to keep the challenge fair no matter who you start with. Please bring back the 'gauntlet' of E4 members version!

 

[Creyk]

EDIT: Oh yeah, one last hope: I really don't like that easier E4 format we've had for the past two generations. Pick your own E4 path? That's kind of them and all, but it reduces the challenge since it means all 4 have to be of equal level to keep the challenge fair no matter who you start with. Please bring back the 'gauntlet' of E4 members version!

They could just make them be between level 81-100 the second time we battle them and then it would be a nice way to challenge them

 

[Zoruagible]

First time I've done this.... ever for a region but this is what I'd like the Gyms to be like
Gym 1: Normal
Gym 2: Water (2-4 could be in any order)
Gym 3: Grass
Gym 4: Fire
Gym 5: Poison
Gym 6: Dark
Gym 7: Dragon
Gym 8: Mixed wildcard like Blue was

 

[Aromatic Mist]

Tbh, I don't mind the pick your own format, but it'd be nice if they levelled up by maybe two-three levels each time you beat one of them? I mean GF can change their dialogue depending on order, so why not levels?

Also I'm hoping the gyms number of Pokémon are either:

2-2-3-3-3-3-4-4
or
2-3-3-3-3-4-4-5
or
3-3-3-3-4-4-4/5

Then the Elite 4 have 5 each, maybe with a Mega(?) (definetley in rematches) and as per usual, Champion has 6 and if they follow Steven and Diantha, a Mega which hopefully isn't a Psychic-Type Hoenn Pokémon.

 

[npdargy312]

1) Dragon - Male
2) Ghost - Female
3) Fire - Male
4) Dark - Female
5) Ground - Female
6) Flying - Male
7) Poison - Male
8) Steel - Female

E4
Normal - Female
Ice - Male
Fairy - Male
Electric - Female

Champion
Rock - Male

 

[Wryteous]

What would be cool is if Gym Leaders could be programmed to always match the same number of pokemon as you. (Excluding perhaps the first two gyms for fairness)
Gym Leaders could have a set minimum number of Pokemon- but if they are challenged by a player with more pokemon in their party- the Gym Leaders team roster is also expanded. This would make them a bigger challenge- depending on the players own battling/type preferences. And might perhaps curb using "buffer" pokemon whilst spamming Revives/Potions for other team members.

 

[Aromatic Mist]

I'm going to put together my little wish list here, and then a 'what I think will happen' list.

Spoiler: Wish List

Gym 1: Dragon (2 Pokémon)
Gym 2: Fairy (3 Pokémon)
Gym 3: Poison (3 Pokémon)
Gym 4: Steel (3 Pokémon)
Gym 5: Ground (3 Pokémon)
Gym 6: Water (4 Pokémon)
Gym 7: Ghost (4 Pokémon)
Gym 8: Normal (5 Pokémon)

E4 (5 Pokémon)
Grass
Electric
Bug
Flying

Champion (6 Pokémon)
Various

Spoiler: Actual Prediction

Gym 1: Electric (2 Pokémon)
Gym 2: Fire (2 Pokémon)
Gym 3: Psychic (3 Pokémon)
Gym 4: Ghost (3 Pokémon)
Gym 5: Water (3 Pokémon)
Gym 6: Normal (3 Pokémon)
Gym 7: Dark (3 Pokémon)
Gym 8: Steel (3 Pokémon)

E4 (4 Pokémon)
Grass
Bug
Ground
Poison

Champion (6 Pokémon)
A Fire-Type, a Fairy-Type, Espeon, Umbreon, the Pseudo, Past Gen Mega Evolver

 

[Blackjack the Titan]

I'm going to put together my little wish list here, and then a 'what I think will happen' list.

Spoiler: Wish List

Gym 1: Dragon (2 Pokémon)
Gym 2: Fairy (3 Pokémon)
Gym 3: Poison (3 Pokémon)
Gym 4: Steel (3 Pokémon)
Gym 5: Ground (3 Pokémon)
Gym 6: Water (4 Pokémon)
Gym 7: Ghost (4 Pokémon)
Gym 8: Normal (5 Pokémon)

E4 (5 Pokémon)
Grass
Electric
Bug
Flying

Champion (6 Pokémon)
Various

Spoiler: Actual Prediction

Gym 1: Electric (2 Pokémon)
Gym 2: Fire (2 Pokémon)
Gym 3: Psychic (3 Pokémon)
Gym 4: Ghost (3 Pokémon)
Gym 5: Water (3 Pokémon)
Gym 6: Normal (3 Pokémon)
Gym 7: Dark (3 Pokémon)
Gym 8: Steel (3 Pokémon)

E4 (4 Pokémon)
Grass
Bug
Ground
Poison

Champion (6 Pokémon)
A Fire-Type, a Fairy-Type, Espeon, Umbreon, the Pseudo, Past Gen Mega Evolver

While the Actual Prediction makes more sense, I just immediately like this option over the Wish List because some Pokemon that appear in gyms occur around the city's routes, and I'd like to really have another early-game Electric type than an early-game Dragon type (either it's too hard to level up and get better moves, or it's really weak in some manner).