Official DLC Speculation Discussion Volume II

[Michael the Spikester]

I wish I had your confidence

I wouldn't call it confidence to be honest. It's more of being wary and cautious after how many times we've got burnt out whether a leak being real or Crash, Geno, Dante, Ryu Hayabusa, and such that seemed to be a lock given supposed evidence or proof supposedly was certain to be next.

 

[Brother AJ]

I wouldn't call it confidence to be honest. It's more of being wary and cautious after how many times we've got burnt out whether a leak being real or Crash, Geno, Dante, Ryu Hayabusa, and such that seemed to be a lock given supposed evidence or proof supposedly was certain to be next.

I understand that. I just can't be sure yet.

 

[N3ON]

I wouldn't call it confidence to be honest. It's more of being wary and cautious after how many times we've got burnt out whether a leak being real or Crash, Geno, Dante, Ryu Hayabusa, and such that seemed to be a lock given supposed evidence or proof supposedly was certain to be next.

Ngl, if any of those characters ever seemed like an actual lock and not just a maybe, let alone to be next, then you absolutely over-invested in the hype.

But better being wary and skeptical now than never. Almost every claim that floats around the Smash sphere is indeed nonsense.

 

[Michael the Spikester]

Ngl, if any of those characters ever seemed like an actual lock and not just a maybe, let alone to be next, then you absolutely over-invested in the hype.

But better being wary and skeptical now than never. Almost every claim that floats around the Smash sphere is indeed nonsense.

Especially Concert Leak.

Which is certainly 100% automatic fake.

 

[Sysreq]

I wonder if we'll finally get the Mallow and Cacodemon Mii costumes at Pyra/Mythra's presentation

 

[chocolatejr9]

I wonder if we'll finally get the Mallow and Cacodemon Mii costumes at Pyra/Mythra's presentation

DON'T EVEN JOKE ABOUT THAT!

 

[N3ON]

Especially Concert Leak.

Which is certainly 100% automatic fake.

Well it's not 100% automatic fake, but any leak that doesn't have a real reason to believe isn't a lucky guess is worth dismissing. And guessing a single character is not sufficient cause for keeping it active.

If it gets the next character right, let's talk. It's not like it'll be lost to time if we don't discuss it now. Until then, there's just no point focusing on these kind of leaks until they've progressed past the point of dumb luck. And even getting the next character right wouldn't necessarily elevate it past luck.

And if it somehow turns out that leak is correct, then alright. We'll bring it back and add it to the relatively small folder of correct text leaks from 4chan as we enjoy one of the most rushed concerts in history. And it's not like we'd ultimately know what's what until the actual concrete info was in front of us anyway. At which point, the leak holds no further value.

 

[Idon]

Garchomp odds are on the rise so allow me to plug the Garchomp support thread.

The Mach Pokémon, Garchomp Digs In!

Garchomp Fighter Thread WHAT IS GARCHOMP? HOW WOULD IT FIGHT? [/SPOILER] WHERE WOULD IT FIGHT? WHICH MUSIC CHOICES? WHO SUPPORTS IT?

smashboards.com

If he gets in, we might even get Brilliant Diamond/Shining Pearl Sinnoh remixes, eh?

Hell, if he comes in a hypothetical pass 3 late in 2022, we might even see some Legends things.

 

[SharkLord]

something against the concert leak: wouldn't there be two XB2 songs, because Pyra and Mythra have separate numbers? I think the guy was just predicting Rex and Pyra and got kinda lucky.

Maybe? Depends on how they're counting Pokemon Trainer. Not sure if we actually saw their numbers, though.

 

[Perkilator]

Maybe? Depends on how they're counting Pokemon Trainer. Not sure if we actually saw their numbers, though.

33-35, IIRC.

 

[SneakyLink]

Maybe? Depends on how they're counting Pokemon Trainer. Not sure if we actually saw their numbers, though.

For Pokémon Trainer, the trainer doesn't have a number, rather the three Pokémon are 33, 34, and 35. Pyra and Mythra are considered 79 and 80 on the site but have a way of transforming into each other.

 

[StrangeKitten]

For Pokémon Trainer, the trainer doesn't have a number, rather the three Pokémon are 33, 34, and 35. Pyra and Mythra are considered 79 and 80 on the site but have a way of transforming into each other.

Was there a song for each of PT's Pokemon? If not, then Pyra and Mythra sharing the same song makes sense.

Speaking of, one thing I forgot to mention about the Pokemon Direct: Route 201 is my favorite song in all of Pokemon and hearing the re-orchestration of it today was chef's kiss

 

[DarkFalcon]

I know earlier I said I'd only be OK with another Pokemon rep if it's another trainer like Cynthia, but I'm pretty bummed my favorite generation in gen 3 didn't get a fighter.

 

[ARandomZoomer]

I'm all for supporting human characters from Pokemon. A set of 3 pokemon consisting of at least one really popular one and couple other less popular but with interesting designs, yes please!

 

[Idon]

I dunno about Cynthia being Pokemon Trainer... 2.

Given the option of 3 Pokemon from across the generations vs 1 Trainer with a Pokemon I like and 2 pokemon I'm merely alright with, but are staples of the character, I think I'd go with the former option.

And besides, ideally a "Cynthia" Pokemon Trainer for me would be a duo character between Lucario and Garchomp, the 2 aces of Cynthia's team. After all, she's even wearing Lucario-style accessories.

 

[Ivander]

I dunno about Cynthia being Pokemon Trainer... 2.

Given the option of 3 Pokemon from across the generations vs 1 Trainer with a Pokemon I like and 2 pokemon I'm merely alright with, but are staples of the character, I think I'd go with the former option.

You know, Cynthia almost fulfils that former condition. Garchomp, Lucario, Spiritomb and Togekiss are Gen 4 while Milotic is Gen 3. Aside from Milotic, all of the Pokemon she uses, especially the ones she commonly uses, are exclusively Gen 4 except for 2 oddities in Black & White. They are Braviary and Eelektross. And Black & White is the only time she uses any Pokemon from a Gen that isn't 4 or Milotic.
She would not use another Pokemon from a different Generation until guess which game? Pokemon Masters, in which in one of her alternate versions, she uses Kommo-o, the Pseudo Legendary from Gen 7.

 

[Knight Dude]

I think we could see a double dip from Microsoft this pass. I could really see Master Chief being one of the last 2. It would be one of those characters that we considered “disconfirmed” because of another character in the pass that would pull the rug out from under us and shock us and that’s something that Sakurai/Nintendo would absolutely do.

Master Chief? Maybe you should Master these Counter Breakers and land your Ultra Combos, Cheif.

MC would be fine. Fulgore would be that real **** tho.

 

[ahemtoday]

You know, Cynthia almost fulfils that former condition. Garchomp, Lucario, Spiritomb and Togekiss are Gen 4 while Milotic is Gen 3. Aside from Milotic, all of the Pokemon she uses, especially the ones she commonly uses, are exclusively Gen 4 except for 2 oddities in Black & White. They are Braviary and Eelektross. And Black & White is the only time she uses any Pokemon from a Gen that isn't 4 or Milotic.
She would not use another Pokemon from a different Generation until guess which game? Pokemon Masters, in which in one of her alternate versions, she uses Kommo-o, the Pseudo Legendary from Gen 7.

So what, we get Milotic, Garchomp, and Braviary, and that not only gives us Cynthia but a rep for the 2 skipped generations? That would actually be pretty cool.

 

[Pillow]

Personally I’d rather another pokemon than a 2nd trainer. I don’t really think the gimmick warrants a 2nd character, and even then Cynthia seems like a random choice despite her popularity, especially considering one of her main pokemon is Lucario (though I suppose we do have Red separate from Pikachu). The starter elemental trio also just has a better cleaner feel than a random assortment of Cynthias pokemon.

I’d be all for Garchomp solo though, slim as those chances are.

 

[Idon]

Personally I’d rather another pokemon than a 2nd trainer. I don’t really think the gimmick warrants a 2nd character, and even then Cynthia seems like a random choice despite her popularity, especially considering one of her main pokemon is Lucario (though I suppose we do have Red separate from Pikachu). The starter elemental trio also just has a better cleaner feel than a random assortment of Cynthias pokemon.

I’d be all for Garchomp solo though, slim as those chances are.

You and me both.
join the support thread.

Anyway, this gives me a chance to plug this moveset I made for him.

Spoiler: Moveset

Spoiler: Moveset Overview

Garchomp is a large heavy-weight Pokemon that has a greater emphasis on speed and mobility than its peers. With its trademark offensive pressure it can trap you in a disadvantageous position the likes of which is usally reserved for the faster combo-oriented characters. The setups it's able to do and the almost unfair percentages at it can kill are only balanced out with its lackluster and predictable recovery. Even with this weakness, Garchomp is given more than enough tools to completely demolish and bury his competition.

Spoiler: Miscellaneous

01 Introduction
Garchomp erupts from the earth and lands on the stage, being one of the few Pokémon that don't appear from a pokéball.

02 Stance
Assumes his natural predatory stance

03 Crouch
Hunches over and leans forward.

04 Idle 1
Glares at the opponent menacingly

05 Idle 2
Sniffs at the air

06 Sprint
Barrels down the stage stomping at the ground like Bowser

07 Double Jump
Does a flipping jump

08 Wall Cling
Rock Climb
Stabs his claw into the wall and temporarily hangs on

09 Taunt 1
Swagger
Beckons the opponent to come over with his claws

10 Taunt 2
Swords Dance
Swings his claws wildly at the air before posing with the light glinting off of one

11 Taunt 3
Roar
Roars out, sending a shockwave of sound outwards

12 Victory 1
Earthquake
Leaps into the air and slams into the earth causing it to shatter after which he lets out a loud roar.

13 Victory 2
Dragon Rush
Flies onto the scene, landing and skidding on the earth.

14 Victory 3
Garchomp lets out a boastful cry of victory

15 Defeat
Frustration
Repeatedly stomps the ground in rage at its defeat being that competitor that doesn't take losses very well.

16 Victory Theme
The first 8 seconds of the Sinnoh Champion Victory Theme

17 Kirby Hat
Has the 2 hammerhead shark vestiges on.

Spoiler: Defense

01 Shield
Protect
Puts up his fins as a shield

02 Parry
Scary Face
Has both fins down and exhaling into the air, eyes red (due to already posessing golden eyes)

03 Shield Broken
Confused
Has his arms down and is looking at the sky with a dazed look on his face

04 Sleeping
Rest
Curled up in a ball with Zs trailing from his head

05 Forward Dodge
Sand Stream
Digs into the ground and then leaps out skidding on the ground

06 Backwards Dodge
Sand Stream
Leaps back dragging a claw along the ground to slow his momentum

07 Spot Dodge
Rough Skin
Arches his back down and leans down

08 Air Dodge
Sand Stream
Arches his back and leans into the background

09 Ledge Attack
Payback
Slams the ground with his claw while simultaneously scrambling back onstage

10 Get-up attack
Revenge
Spins around slapping both sides with his tail

Spoiler: Specials

01 Neutral Special
Dragon Breath, Dragon Pulse, Draco Meteor
A multi-charge move that can not be held ala Hero's Zap line of spells or Sephiroth's line of Flare spells.
Firstly, Dragon Breath is a short range burst of flame that comes out fast but only covers the area in front of him.

Then, Dragon Pulse is a medium range laser beam fired at the ground which then travels up.

Finally, Draco Meteor has Garchomp blast a fireball directly above him which explodes and summons 4 meteors to rain down at a diagonal angle onto the opponent, with the last one exploding and sending the enemy up.

02 Side Special
Dragon Rush
Spins forward dealing a large amount of damage and knockback. Can be angled up or down as well.

03 Down Special
Dig
Leaps into the ground and enters dig stance wherein he can temporarily move around. From there he can come back out normally with shield or attack with a rising attack with their back fin. If in the air, he digs straight down.

04 Special Up
Rock Climb
Does a rising spinning saw knocking anyone inside upwards. If next to a wall this move travels much further.

Spoiler: Normals

01 Jab
Slash
Does a left jab with his left claw, a right slash with his right fin, and then spins slapping them with the tail

02 Forward Tilt
Dragon Claw
Slashes an X with both claws while moving forward.

03 Down Tilt
Sand Attack
Slashes at the ground with his right fin launching sand into the opponent's face.

04 Up Tilt
Brick Break
Does a headbutt slamming his head down on the opponent covering the area above him which launches the opponent downwards for the second hit where he flips them back up with his head.

05 Dash Attack
Double-Edge
Kicks the opponent upwards and then follows up with a haymacker downwards, sending them horizontally away.

Spoiler: Smashes

01 Forward Smash
Outrage
3 Part Forward Smash that claws at the opponent one after the other. Begins with a left overhead slash, follows with a right overhead slash, and then does an outwards X-slash with both claws. Exceedingly powerful and can heavily damage shields but is extremely unsafe if missed or blocked.

02 Down Smash
Earthquake
Leaps into the air and smashes into the ground causing a localized earthquake that sends enemies flying. Covers a huge area

03 Up Smash
Sandstorm/Twister
Summons a spinning tornado that sends enemies near and above him into the sky. At max charge, summons 3 smaller twisters that circle around himself

Spoiler: Aerials

01 Neutral Aerial
Aerial Ace
Does a forward spin, hitting enemies with the back fin. Covers a huge area and is great for general use.

02 Forward Aerial
Dual Chop
An overhead slam with both claws that sends the opponent flying downwards. A bit slow, but covers a large area and is devastatingly powerful

03 Back Aerial
Iron Tail
Slaps the opponent with a horizontal swing of their tail. Relatively quick and covers a large amount of horizontal space and has decent killing power

04 Down Aerial
Giga Impact
Flips over and slices downwards with his tail spiking anyone caught inside the sweetspot. Slow but is very large, especially for a move that spikes.

05 Up Aerial
Iron Head
Spins and headbutts the opponent launching them forward and up.

Spoiler: Throws

01 Grab
Return
Uses both his claws to stab into the opponent .

02 Pummel
Crunch
Bites the opponent repeatedly.

03 Forward Throw
Bulldoze
Slams the enemy into the ground and runs forward dragging the enemy through the earth tossing them up after a short distance.

04 Back Throw
Fling
Punches the enemy in the gut with his right claw and then throws them over his shoulder bouncing them off the ground.

05 Down Throw
Stone Edge
Slams the opponent bouncing them on the ground, wherein a spike made of rock launches the opponent up.

06 Up Throw
Sand Tomb
Whips up a sandstorm and traps them in it sending them up. Doesn't go very far, but its consistent knockback sets up for combos up.

Spoiler: Final Smash

01 Final Smash
Sand Force
Mega evolves into Mega-Garchomp and whips up a humongous sandstorm, trapping anyone caught in the center top of the screen. Garchomp them dragon rushes up above any enemies caught and claws them downward with his scythes, traveling down to the ground and releasing a massive explosion of kinetic energy on impact.

 

[ahemtoday]

Personally I’d rather another pokemon than a 2nd trainer. I don’t really think the gimmick warrants a 2nd character, and even then Cynthia seems like a random choice despite her popularity, especially considering one of her main pokemon is Lucario (though I suppose we do have Red separate from Pikachu). The starter elemental trio also just has a better cleaner feel than a random assortment of Cynthias pokemon.

I’d be all for Garchomp solo though, slim as those chances are.

Honestly, while I'm warming to the idea of Cynthia, I stand by my previous belief that I would rather just have single Pokemon. Not only because it feels cleaner and better to me, but also because, like... it takes three times the effort of a regular character to do that, yeah? Maybe 2.5x, being generous. I think I would rather have additional fighters from different series than three Pokemon simultaneously.

 

[Guynamednelson]

it takes three times the effort of a regular character to do that, yeah?

Pyra and Mythra prove they can go through the effort of making a transforming fighter after 4 cut them, but even then it seems like they cut corners by having them reuse animations. So I guess the only way to have another PT would be to have one of their mons be a semiclone of another fighter.

 

[Ramen Tengoku]

Pyra and Mythra prove they can go through the effort of making a transforming fighter after 4 cut them, but even then it seems like they cut corners by having them reuse animations. So I guess the only way to have another PT would be to have one of their mons be a semiclone of another fighter.

3-in-1 Unova Wise Monkeys fighter, make it happen

 

[Mushroomguy12]

1996年のきょう『ポケットモンスター 赤/緑』(Pokémon Red and Green)発売!!
伝説のはじまり。
151体目のミュウを受け取るには、イベントに赴き、専用のマシンにつないでもらう必要がありました。
私はなぜか4匹持っていたなあ。#スマブラSP pic.twitter.com/jKrXf9BF74

— 桜井 政博 / Masahiro Sakurai (@Sora_Sakurai) February 27, 2021

1996 Released "Pokémon Red and Green" today !! The beginning of the legend. To receive the 151st Mew, I had to go to the event and have it connected to a dedicated machine. I had four for some reason. #Smash Bros SP

 

[zumaddy]

Sakurai crashing the Mew economy, for shame.

 

[Mushroomguy12]

Sakurai crashing the Mew economy, for shame.

Well he does love Me[o]ws.

それとは関係ないけど、うちのキャットにおやつをあげているところです pic.twitter.com/zeiIOnAw9p

— 桜井 政博 / Masahiro Sakurai (@Sora_Sakurai) February 26, 2021

 

[Ivander]

3-in-1 Unova Wise Monkeys fighter, make it happen

Eh.....I don't think the monkeys are a good option for Unova reps.

That said, when I think about it, N would be a good option for any random assortment of Pokemon because that was literally how he functioned in Black & White. He didn't have certain Pokemon in all his battles with him like the rivals. Aside from Reshiram or Zekrom, which he kept, all of his other Pokemon were gotten and then immediately released after his battles, meaning all of his Pokemon were random each battle. Although even then, you could give him Zoroark due to him using Zoroark in his last battle in Black & White and that same Zoroark was supposedly following him around in Black & White 2.

And in Black & White 2, N used a following of Pokemon depending on what the season was and he used Pokemon from the previous 4 Gens, so he used Pokemon from all 5 Gens at the time. Heck, he even used Scizor. So if any Pokemon trainer were to get a specific, yet still kinda random, set-up that can have 3 different gens, N would be very fitting for it, since Reshiram and Zekrom are part of his castle stage. Heck, Reshiram or Zekrom could be used for his Final Smash.

 

[ARandomZoomer]

That's fair on preferring a single 'mon over a 3 in one. Personally I happen to like a lot of Pokemon that would have trouble getting in to begin with if look at them solo

 

[Ramen Tengoku]

Eh.....I don't think the monkeys are a good option for Unova reps.

I don't either, I was meming

 

[luke_ario]

I have returned from the future inform the boards that Sora will never be in smash.

 

[chocolatejr9]

I have returned from the future inform the boards that Sora will never be in smash.

Did you manage to find who is?

 

[epicmartin7]

So... I have a random hypothesis. It's pretty baseless, but I figured I'd post it here to see what ya'll think. It has to do with 8.1.0, and the reveal of Pyra/Mythra.

If you remember, pre 8.1.0, it was projected that after Vol. 2 was done, there'd be around 6 spots left on the Stage Select Screen. Which... made sense since the team was just adding on to an existing layout. However, post 8.1.0, the Stage Select Screen was tweaked to have 3 random icons and Small Battlefield. Which means after Vol. 2, the number of icons is now reduced to 3. Now, at the time, I personally didn't think much of it. It's just a stage layout and such. However, one thought got stuck in my head.

Does this potentially hurt the chances of a "conventional" third pass? What I mean by "conventional" is something that is in line with the previous 2 passes. So, full on challenger packs.

As many probably know, after Vol. 2 is done, there would've been 4 placeholders left in the param files (or commonly referred to as the "WOL placeholders") for Smash Ultimate. When you take this into consideration, with the 3 stage select screen spots left after Vol. 2 is done, there's a major contradiction. If there were to be a third pass with four fighters, at that point, it would have to be "unconventional" since it wouldn't have enough spots left to fill that role.

Now, obviously, the team could always add another row to the game. However, imo, that would be kind of weird since there'd only be one stage at the bottom and that's it. Not to mention, if they really wanted to use all four placeholders for a full-on fighters pass, they would've most likely consolidated the random icons into one button since you can already toggle between stage types.

So to me, the fact that they made the stage layout like that kind of made me think another traditional pass wasn't coming... until Pyra/Mythra were revealed.

To me, that reveal threw every thought I had out the window and tipped everything upside down. Mainly because, those fighters will most likely take 2 placeholder entries. Meaning... there's going to be only 3 placeholders left when it's all said and done. Which lines up with the stage select spots left.

Now... I'm not saying this correlation is because I like rectangles. I mean... everyone loves rectangles, y'know, he she he... rectannnngles. Obviously, it would be awesome for the SSS to be filled evenly, but to use that as a reason for correlation would basically make everything fall apart.

My reason for correlation is ironically, the same reason I thought there wouldn't be another conventional fighters pass. Why did Sakurai and the team put in three random icons, instead of relying on an already present function in the game to cycle through modes? To me, that's the weird part.

And when you add Pyra/Mythra taking up two placeholders to make the remainder of placeholders three... things get real eeerrriieee.

So... yeah. This explanation takes a lot of leaps and stretches, but.... I've had this thought all day and I had to at least talk about it. Do you guys think we'll actually get stuff beyond Vol. 2? Let me all know what you think.

 

[Shroob]

So... I have a random hypothesis. It's pretty baseless, but I figured I'd post it here to see what ya'll think. It has to do with 8.1.0, and the reveal of Pyra/Mythra.

If you remember, pre 8.1.0, it was projected that after Vol. 2 was done, there'd be around 6 spots left on the Stage Select Screen. Which... made sense since the team was just adding on to an existing layout. However, post 8.1.0, the Stage Select Screen was tweaked to have 3 random icons and Small Battlefield. Which means after Vol. 2, the number of icons is now reduced to 3. Now, at the time, I personally didn't think much of it. It's just a stage layout and such. However, one thought got stuck in my head.

Does this potentially hurt the chances of a "conventional" third pass? What I mean by "conventional" is something that is in line with the previous 2 passes. So, full on challenger packs.

As many probably know, after Vol. 2 is done, there would've been 4 placeholders left in the param files (or commonly referred to as the "WOL placeholders") for Smash Ultimate. When you take this into consideration, with the 3 stage select screen spots left after Vol. 2 is done, there's a major contradiction. If there were to be a third pass with four fighters, at that point, it would have to be "unconventional" since it wouldn't have enough spots left to fill that role.

Now, obviously, the team could always add another row to the game. However, imo, that would be kind of weird since there'd only be one stage at the bottom and that's it. Not to mention, if they really wanted to use all four placeholders for a full-on fighters pass, they would've most likely consolidated the random icons into one button since you can already toggle between stage types.

So to me, the fact that they made the stage layout like that kind of made me think another traditional pass wasn't coming... until Pyra/Mythra were revealed.

To me, that reveal threw every thought I had out the window and tipped everything upside down. Mainly because, those fighters will most likely take 2 placeholder entries. Meaning... there's going to be only 3 placeholders left when it's all said and done. Which lines up with the stage select spots left.

Now... I'm not saying this correlation is because I like rectangles. I mean... everyone loves rectangles, y'know, he she he... rectannnngles. Obviously, it would be awesome for the SSS to be filled evenly, but to use that as a reason for correlation would basically make everything fall apart.

My reason for correlation is ironically, the same reason I thought there wouldn't be another conventional fighters pass. Why did Sakurai and the team put in three random icons, instead of relying on an already present function in the game to cycle through modes? To me, that's the weird part.

And when you add Pyra/Mythra taking up two placeholders to make the remainder of placeholders three... things get real eeerrriieee.

So... yeah. This explanation takes a lot of leaps and stretches, but.... I've had this thought all day and I had to at least talk about it. Do you guys think we'll actually get stuff beyond Vol. 2? Let me all know what you think.

Didn't someone prove that some characters made use of the WoL placeholder slots, and others didn't?

TBH, the old placeholder slots seem a bit shaky after hearing that.

 

[epicmartin7]

Didn't someone prove that some characters made use of the WoL placeholder slots, and others didn't?

TBH, the old placeholder slots seem a bit shaky after hearing that.

That was me who did that (ironically)! Yes, the WOL file [spirits_campaign_enc_foto_param.prc] has a very inconsistent file history for whatever reason. With some placeholders being added and deleted at random. You can even see a diagram of it's file history in the spoiler below.

Spoiler: spirits_campaign_enc_foto_param.prc_REVISION_HISTORY

However, it's definitely been proven that the 16 placeholders was an intended amount as they do exist in another file in the game (I believe the air attack param file) which has a very consistent file history.

And the number of Max CSS spaces the game can handle before it crashes, minus the existing base roster nets the same amount of spots as the already existing param placeholders. So the devs definitely had the number in mind, it's just that this one file just has a weird revision history.

Although, to say there are no contradictions wouldn't be accurate. Because in the executable, there are 29 placeholders in there. Which contradicts the 16 placeholders. (Although, the 29 placeholders could be a remnant of an expanded Max CSS the team had at some point in development, since adding another row to the existing 91 Max CSS nets you the same amount as the executable placeholders (note, linked image is not to scale and is only an artist mockup). But... that's relatively unproven at this point.)

So... yeah. They definitely had the 16 placeholder number in mind, but there's definitely some contradictions that could be brought up.

 

[Michael the Spikester]

Mythra has likely taken up one of those slots.

 

[Otoad64]

so I've been thinking, we might not get a Pokemon this pass, but if there's a pass 3, the timing will be just right to get a Pokemon to promote a Pokemon from Legends Arceus.

...

I will now take the time to plug an unrelated support thread for a character who's chances certainly aren't slightly increased by this

Everyone's Favorite Otter Starter, Oshawott Surfs Into Battle!

(tell me if "Surfs Into Battle" has been taken) This is the support thread for Oshawott, the Sea Otter Pokemon. WHO IS OSHAWOTT? Oshawott first appeared in Pokemon: Black & White for the DS, filling the usual role as a Water-Type Starter Pokemon, he would also receive a prominent role in the...

smashboards.com

 

[Sigran101]

Why is everyone just assuming Lloyd will come back with Pyra? I'm not exactly banking on him being playable, but just because it would fit doesn't mean it's more likely to happen. If he's a mii costume he'd have been a mii costume regardless of whether or not there was an appropriate character to bring him back with. I mean somehow Terry came and went with no Heihachi only for him to come back with Min Min of all characters.

 

[Mushroomguy12]

なんか、不正な方法でゲットしたと思われている節がある…
ちゃんとイベントでもらったんですよ？　親はヨッシーとか。

— 桜井 政博 / Masahiro Sakurai (@Sora_Sakurai) February 27, 2021

Somehow, there is a section that seems to have been obtained in an illegal way ... Did you get the event properly? My parents are Yoshi.

 

[Otoad64]

なんか、不正な方法でゲットしたと思われている節がある…
ちゃんとイベントでもらったんですよ？　親はヨッシーとか。

— 桜井 政博 / Masahiro Sakurai (@Sora_Sakurai) February 27, 2021

My parents are Yoshi.

Sakurai is a Yoshi confirmed!

 

[Mushroomguy12]

Seems someone's got a little 'splaining to do.