What if all Pokemon were viable?

[Panaxiom]

This is a bit of a daydreaming topic, but here goes. I was playing around in Pokemon Y with the online battles. I quickly came to realize that I couldn't really use my favorite Pokemon like Butterfree due to their poor base-stat totals. The majority of my favorites are not in the high-end tiers, so I'm stuck using Pokemon I'm not really as fond of in online battles and Battle Maison.

That got me to thinking: what if base stat totals for fully evolved Pokemon didn't have such drastic variances?

Wouldn't that mean that stat distribution, abilities, typing, and move-pool would be the primary determining factor for when and where a Pokemon is used? Seems to me that this would be great and help with the problem of seeing the same Pokemon used all the time.

 

[Swagmander]

Every Pokemon has its strengths and weaknesses, it's just some are way too overpowered (hence the OU tier). I don't see how we'd properly "balance" base stat totals, as base stats are not the main determinant for viability. For example, the Grass/Dark type Cacturne could be given a workable Speed stat and still be doomed by its low defenses and six different weaknesses. Rotom's new forms were not made substantially better than its normal form until they got better defensive types. With slightly incompetent stats and typing, Talonflame would be awful competitively if it weren't for its priority Flying attacks. Politoed would be overlooked if it weren't for Drizzle. Aside from improving the fully-evolved Pokemon with very low base stats (like Beedrill and Delcatty), a base stat balance really wouldn't do much.

 

[Panaxiom]

Oh I agree that this alone wouldn't fix everything. Some Pokemon like poor Cacturne were doomed at concept. I was just speculating on how many Pokemon this would help that would otherwise be held back by their base stats. I've run a lot of pen-and-paper games so seeing the stats be so unbalanced kinda makes me twitch inside.

 

[Zevn]

There are a lot of NFE pokemon that I love, with not really caring for their fully evolved forms..

Haunter
Dragonaire
Charmeleon
Grovyle
Metang

 

[Panaxiom]

There are a lot of NFE pokemon that I love, with not really caring for their fully evolved forms..

Haunter
Dragonaire
Charmeleon
Grovyle
Metang

You know, aside from Metang, I totally agree with you. Those mid-stages are pretty awesome aesthetically.

 

[Tigurtz]

Something SERIOUSLY needs to be done to Aurorus lol. Were they even thinking? Worst defensive typing with the most weaknesses ever, poor defense stats and speed lol. I do like it for Refrigerate though!!

 

[Panaxiom]

Something SERIOUSLY needs to be done to Aurorus lol. Were they even thinking? Worst defensive typing with the most weaknesses ever, poor defense stats and speed lol. I do like it for Refrigerate though!!

I think Ice\Dragon would have been interesting for Aurorus.

 

[AnyRandomName]

I know what you mean. I was battling online n everybody had like 3,Gengars.

 

[Rakurai]

The metagame would be a lot less stale, that's for sure.

People have already settled back into using the same few Pokemon from gen 5, with a handful of gen 6 additions like Talonflame and Mega Kangaskhan.

 

[Mew The Gato]

This would actually make some Pokemon absolutely overpowered, like Mew and Smeargle. Especially since the only inherently bad thing about the latter is bad stats.

 

[Ditto B1tch]

There are more factors that base stats total. Typing, abilities and movepool matters a lot and can make up for low base stats total.

 

[Sethern]

Well they only do that so early on Pokemon won't be as tough as say victory road pokemon. Though thinkin about it it would be fun to be able to play with your favorites, instead of a winning team. So maybe a side game where they all are equal

 

[fitzy909]

There are more factors that base stats total. Typing, abilities and movepool matters a lot and can make up for low base stats total.

so true. a pokemon can be ruined by a bad typing or a bad movepool. there are plenty of pokemon that have fairly low stat totals that are viable.

 

[ModelT]

In some respect, all Pokemon have their place. The reason Bug types are "weak" is because you catch them early on and can get them to their final forms easily. This helps you in the early game as your mons have higher base stats and some better moves. After awhile, they phase out as you get better mons that have better stats/moves etc. Some mons are there just for utility, like Watchog is an excellent capture pokemon, w/ Hypnosis and other useful abilities that make it fun. Some Pokemon, like Pidgey, are there to be with you the whole game. They learn fly, have woefully average stats (as usually your first play through you don't EV train every mon you use) which benefit the woefully average EVs you get in a normal play through, and can remain a useful part of your team the whole game.
The stupidly difficult to train, breed, and evolve mons are there TO FIGHT OTHER PLAYERS, that's why they're Pseudo Legends.

Every Pokemon has SOME niche that it fills, even if sometimes it only really makes sense to a child, a brand new player, or somebody trying something in game that's weird.

As far as everything being "Viable" in competitive play... that's really impossible. The reason things are "Competitive" is because some Pokemon are better than others at beating up other pokemon, countering those really good pokemon, and runnnig interesting synergistic strategies by virtue of move pool, stats, typing, or even just some dumb gimmick. Example: Take away Talonflame's Gale Wings ability and suddenly it drops out of competitive play, and all its good for is sitting as the only mon in your party as you breed and hatch eggs quickly w/ Flame Body and fly around in game and get it to Lvl. 100 to fight everything w/ Level advantage. Another example: If as many things could learn Rapid Spin/Defog as could learn Stealth Rock / Spikes, or Rapid Spin had different type copies or was stronger, Strategies involving Spikes/Rocks would be a whole lot weaker, and the list of Viable pokemon should shift signifigantly.

 

[EonMon]

Oh boy. Having every Pokémon being viable for competitive play... That would be neat. That way, trainers could always use their favorite Pokémon, and competitive teams that win tournaments would be what they are by CHOICE and not NECESSITY. That would be pretty cool, on paper. I'm sure that it would have major problems, but wouldn't it be cool to use your in-game team in a tourny? And win?

 

[Treacl]

Team of 6 stunfisk or bidoof every game.

 

[dirkac]

Then it would mean my dream of a Party of Surskit, Chinchou, Cubchoo, Drifloon, Phantump, and Budew OHKO'ing the Chimchar line, Charizard, and Mewtwo would come true.

In all seriousness, it would mean Masquerain's niche would become usable.

 

[Mew The Gato]

Then it would mean my dream of a Party of Surskit, Chinchou, Cubchoo, Drifloon, Phantump, and Budew OHKO'ing the Chimchar line, Charizard, and Mewtwo would come true.

In all seriousness, it would mean Masquerain's niche would become usable.

Although Stealth Rock shall remain a problem for it. Besides, those Pokemon becoming viable does not mean the Chimchar Line, Charizard and Mewtwo shall fall weak.

 

[Old Man Rocket]

I would bring Leafeon, Glaceon, Flareon and any rarely used eevolution that I've forgotten to mention.

Besides what would splash do if Magikarp is viable in competitive gameplay?

 

[EonMon]

I would bring Leafeon, Glaceon, Flareon and any rarely used eevolution that I've forgotten to mention.

Besides what would splash do if Magikarp is viable in competitive gameplay?

We could finally have our dream of an OHKO Splash.