Gyarados
Chance: 1%
Easily one of the most famous and most popular Pokemon out there, famous for the fact it evolves from what many consider to be the weakest Pokemon in existence. As one of the iconic Pokemon around, Gyarados also gained a Mega Evolution in the 6th generation games. It could fill the niche of a serpent-type of fighter that would consist of coiling its foes, though I think much of its moveset would also revolve around the use of powerful water attacks and Hyper Beams.
But here's the issue. Gyarados is a Pokemon that is designed to move around in the water. Fish Pokemon and water serpent Pokemon would make for rather hard inclusions for Pokken because they don't have the suitable body type that could really work for the fighting environment Pokken provides; it could be hard to create them as full fledged fighters from a developer standpoint. You could just put a large, movable puddle of water underneath Gyarados so that it looks it's emerging out of the water, but I think that would look rather silly. It's also too big of a Pokemon when compared to the ones in the roster and other Pokemon you commonly hear being suggested for Pokken.
Want: 20%
I'm sure it'd be pretty epic with all the Hyper Beams and Hydro Pumps it would use, but I would much prefer Milotic for the water serpent kind of fighter.
Hydreigon
Chance: 35%
A very popular generation 5 Pokemon distinguished for its evolution line being yet another example of a Pokemon with multiple heads (although with Hydreigon's case, those extra heads are more so used as hands; Hydreigon's Pokedex entry states that those extra heads don't have any brains at all), and it's also infamous for being Ghetsis's signature Pokemon in the 5th generation games (seriously, his Hydreigon can destroy your entire team with its killer Special Attack stat and killer moveset if you don't have a good answer to it) as well as Champion Iris's lead Pokemon in the sequel games. Unlike other pseudo-legendaries, prior to Goodra's inclusion, Hydreigon is more of a special-attacker than a physical one. With its evil-like design, along with its Dark/Dragon typing, I can see its moveset highlighting itself as a really brutal dragon, one that would have very vicious and angry movements and aerial attacks coupled with destructive moves like Dark Pulse, Dragon Breath, Hyper Beam, Flamethrower, etc.
Unfortunately, Garchomp has made it in before Hydreigon not only as the first pseudo-legendary but also the first real Dragon-type attacking on the roster. Hydreigon even has to compete with the likes of Salamence if it wants to be the second real Dragon-type fighter; compared to Hydreigon, Salamence could utilize a somewhat similar moveset with the aerial attacks and nature of executing its moves (perhaps it would use beam-like attacks as well), and Salamanca is a more popular Pokemon who also has a Mega Evolution as well. Even for a special-attacking Dragon, it has to compete with Goodra, another pseudo-legendary.
Want: 70%
I still remember the first time I fought Ghetsis's Hydreigon in Pokemon Black. I had a Samurott with Megahorn ready to take it down, but it was able to dish out a huge amount of damage every single turn with its Dragon Pulse attack combined with its killer Special Attack and STAB; it even scored a critical hit a few times to deliver a OHKO when I least expected (and let's not forget that Ghetsis could use Full Restores when his Pokemon fall into the yellow bar). I also had a Sawk on my team as backup, but I wanted Samurott to take care of it because I thought it had the strongest chance to stand up and live against Hydreigon, but looks like even my main Pokemon couldn't stand a chance.
At one point in the battle, it seemed like I was going to lose to it, but then I pulled out my Sawk and hoped for the best. Hydreigon went first, and it delivered a killer Dragon Pulse... I thought Sawk was going to be KOd and it would all be over. But then, Sawk miraculously survived, and it delivered a Brick Break to KO the Hydreigon once and for all. My experience against Ghetsis's Hydreigon was one that I'd never forget. In fact, I'd say this was one of the few Pokemon battles I remember when my heart was really racing due to how challenging it was, the other being Cynthia's battle.
So yes, I'm pretty interested in seeing Hydreigon in Pokken. It would be really epic to see fly around and demonstrate how much of a terror it is with all the Dark Pulses, Flamethrowers, Dragon Breaths, Hyper Beams, etc. it would launch, though when it comes to my most wanted aerial Dragon Pokemon, I'm more interested in seeing Salamence make an appearance.
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And with this next Pokemon, I think it makes sense to play some fitting music. Not only is this track originally from Hoenn just like the Pokemon we are going to rate, but it also perfectly captures the very tense situation this Pokemon is in right now.
Swampert
Chance:
60% --> 60%
The latest hint... oh boy. We know that the next fighter that will be revealed on the 15th has ラ in its Japanese name. Swampert has that very letter in its Japanese name (
ラグラージ), and considering that we now have two of the three Hoenn Starters in the Pokken roster with Sceptile's inclusion (not to mention Swampert is a very popular Pokemon on its own), it seems like Swampert is the most obvious reveal for this Friday.
However,
this poll was posted on the Pokken website shortly after the hint came out.
50 staff members attempted to predict the Pokemon and their reactions were polled after knowing the result. Here are the results of that:
>– My prediction is correct! I’m really happy! – 1
>– My prediction missed, but I’m still glad – 13
>– My prediction missed, I’m salty – 31
>– I’m actually perplexed, so I can’t answer – 5
Considering that most of the people predicted wrong and were salty about, it looks Swampert may not be the most likely reveal for this Friday. Heck, as TehEpicAnna pointed out,
GoldenYuiitusin over at the NintenZone Social pointed out something very interesting.
Long story short, for those that don't want to click on the link, another hint lies in the color of the aura surrounding the question mark. With the last reveal, Sceptile's hint actually had a green aura around the question mark (fitting because of Sceptile's color design and his type), while in this hint, we can find a blue aura. This could imply that Swampert is still more likely, but again, look at the poll. That blue hue could also be implying this Pokemon could be an Ice-type (due to its association with the light blue color), and considering how most of the developers reacted with salt and were wrong with their predictions, that could mean the fighter for this could be someone like Jynx or Vanilluxe, two Pokemon that would really create salt over their inclusions.
Now, there are different ways this poll could be interpreted: perhaps not everyone predicted Swampert and were salty because it wasn't a Pokemon he/she wanted (and with the sheer number of Pokemon, it could make sense); personally, I think there's a reason why this poll was posted - to imply that the next fighter reveal will likely be a surprise that no one will see coming despite the circumstances that seem to point at one Pokemon that will likely be the reveal.
Transition time...
...But even with that hint, I've decided that it wouldn't be the main factor influencing my score. In this past week, I found myself rating Pokemon like I usually do and not taking the hint into the account. I was more so looking at the chances of said Pokemon being included
at some point, not specifically for January 15. If I did take the hint account, Pokemon like Aggron, Kangaskhan, Gliscor, and Hydreigon, would've had much higher chance ratings than what I've given them. Thus, with this rating, I decided that I'll disregard the hint once again and look at the chances of Swampert being included at some point; the new chance score I've given Swampert is a reflection of that.
Let's look at what I said the last time Swampert was rated.
Swampert is one of the more popular Water Starters from all the generations combined, and he has been getting some spotlight in the Pokemon world again thanks to getting a Mega Evolution recently. Unfortunately, he faces the same issues as Feraligatr is dealing with at the moment. Suicune can already be seen as the Water fighter in this game, and for the sake of uniqueness with this fighting style in mind, Swampert isn't a priority to include. He would also have to compete with Blastoise, Feraligatr, and Greninja (who is a very likely inclusion at this point) if he will be the next Water Pokemon to join the roster.
Of course, like all the other Water starters, he definitely has some traits that could make him stand out from others. For one, the Ground type is yet to be represented in the game, and Swampert could be another candidate for a quake-style moveset. Perhaps most interestingly of all, he could use a mud-based moveset with moves like Muddy Water, Mud Sport, Mud Shot, and Mud Bomb, as Swampert is known for being a mud-lover. With that in mind, he would have to compete with Gastrodon and Seismitoad since they could use a similar moveset, but out of the three, Swampert is the most popular.
To be honest, I'd say not much has changed from my lasting rating. Perhaps I might have overated Swampert then, but with its current situation not counting the hint, I'd say it has an above average shot. For me, I'd say it largely resides with Sceptile's inclusion. Thanks to Sceptile, we now have two of the three Hoenn starters on the roster. True, the whole "complete the trio" deal is a fanmade rule, but when you have two of an entire trio included while one is excluded, it seems rather unfair to exclude that other member from its trio.
Heck, from a developer's standpoint, let's say with the current roster we have now, we have both Suicune and Entei on there. Would you really want to leave out Raikou out of the fray, especially considering what it is capable of? Probably not. If we had only one of an entire trio included (say just Suicune), it obviously wouldn't create a major need to add in the other members of its trio compared to a scenario where only a single one was excluded. This makes me think that Swampert's inclusion will
probably (as in, there's still a chance the developers will ultimately disregard Swampert; it happened with Smash Bros where fans thought Sceptile could happen to complete the Grass/Fire/Water trio, but Sceptile ultimately didn't make the cut) happen at some point, especially when considering what else it has going for it.
When I look back at my old rating, I will admit Swampert has just gained another issue with today's news: Garchomp. Garchomp could potentially utilize a quake-style moveset just like Swampert, although I think the emphasis on mud attacks may well be enough to distinguish Swampert from the other fighters.
Want:
100%
Referring back to what I said from that day.
Pokemon Ruby was the first Pokemon game I've every played, and Mudkip was my first starter Pokemon ever. When I saw it's awesome-looking final evolution, Swampert became my favorite Pokemon of all time (before Gallade came into the picture). I really loved the fact that he had only one weakness, and his design looks awesome. When OR/AS came out, I picked Swampert as my starter in order to have a throwback to the good ol' generation III days. I didn't like its Mega-Evolution at first, but then it really grew on me once realized how it got some excellent buffs (not to mention he is one of the most muscular-looking Pokemon I have ever seen). A mud-based moveset would also be a great concept, along with some physical based Water moves thrown into the mix. One way or the other, I will be a happy man if I see Swampert get in, but not as happy compared to seeing Gallade get included.
Yep, my want rating has definitely not changed. Swampert is pretty high on my current top 10 most wanted Pokemon for Pokken list for reasons previously stated, and with Sceptile's inclusion, I'd say I want it even more than I previously did. I mean, come on, why would you want to leave Swampert out of all the Pokken fun and glory when its fellow friends from its own trio are currently enjoying it? Even when compared to other water starters, Swampert is quite unique since it's main focus largely revolves around mud, not limited to generic water. I think that alone will make it memorable on the roster if it's added.
If Swampert really will be revealed this Friday, it will be quite a happy day for me; that would be the first time a fighter that I'm really interested in seeing gets included into Pokken. Of course, since I'm well aware there's also the possibility that Swampert won't be the reveal for that very day, I am also completely ready for the worst.
I even reread a Dorkly comic recently that had quite the amusing portrayal of Mega Swampert that captures just how awesome it really is. If any of you read the Hoenn version of "Choose Your Starter Adventure", you know what I'm talking about. On that Mega Swampert note, who wouldn't want to see Swampert's Burst Attack where it Mega Evolves and it delivers some killer punches thanks to its awesome body?
Nominations (assuming we are still doing them for today):
Toxicroak:
x3
(rerate)
Salamence:
x2
As for how we should handle ratings in the future, I'd say that instead of continuing to keep this thread alive for the coming weeks, it'd be better to revive this thread in light of a similar event where we eventually get some sort of Pokken news that hypes us up for a fighter in some sort of way. For me personally, I'd find myself eventually becoming a little disinterested in writing up ratings unless some big Pokken news comes along that makes me feel excited for the game and thus makes me excited to write again.
)...anyways it seems agreeable that when it comes to representing the type beyond Gengar, Drapion is one of the frontrunners...
without that information my score would likely have been even lower, and even then I'm expecting the next reveal to just be an unexpected and not-super-popular but not unpopular either Pokémon.
