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Filed under: SG Choice, Super Bros. Smash For 3DS, Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, Super Smash Bros. Series

SourceGaming Choice #7 – Pokémon Newcomers

SG Choice Pokemon alt

Well, it’s time for another SourceGaming Choice. Last time we looked at Mii Fighter costumes. However, this time we will be looking at Pokémon Newcomers! We are excluding the Pokémon veteran characters Pichu, Ivysaur and Squirtle to make this more exciting.

As usual, this is an opinion-based article and should be treated as such.


TheAnvil
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Articuno
While I’m sure Articuno is quite a controversial choice, I couldn’t really think of a more ideal Pokémon to add. In terms of wanting something as unique as possible, I believe that a non-anthropomorphised bird would not only be entirely different from the 6 other current Pokémon characters, but would also from every single other character currently in Smash Bros. Add to this that Articuno specialises in Ice attacks, this would also help to further segregate it from the rest of the cast now more than ever with the absence of the Ice Climbers.

Pokémon hailing from Generation 1 will always appeal to a wide array of game fans. Perhaps more than most post-Generation 1 Pokémon, and it would be a treat for a Pokémon fan like myself to get another playable legendary.

2015-10-03
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Snorlax
Snorlax isn’t the most requested Pokémon, but I feel he has a couple of unique attributes that really sets him apart. Despite not being the “most requested”, Snorlax (and the Pokeflute item) from 1st generation Pokémon is well known. In addition, he would be a very unique Pokémon in terms of body size and moveset potential. Many fans feel that heavy weight characters are far and few inbetween in Smash, and that’s a sentiment I would subscribe to myself. Snorlax would fill in that gap. I understand many people would want an representative from the other Pokémon games, but 1st generation Pokémon are arguably the most well known Pokémon.

Nantendo
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N
The Pokémon Trainer represented an aspect of the Pokémon series that the other characters do not: the actual training and catching of Pokémon. Unfortunately, due to technical reasons with the 3DS, the Pokémon Trainer was cut and so was this part of the Pokémon series. However, I think that there is another way to do this and that is by having a trainer who fights alongside his Pokémon. For the regular attacks and tilts they do punch and kicks whereas the smash and specials involve the Pokémon coming out of their balls and attacking instead. If anyone has played Jump Ultimate Stars then just imagine how Yugi Moto plays in that game. The character that would make the most sense in this role is N as he believes in equality between humans and Pokémon so it is not out of his character to fight with them. N would use Pokémon he had in Pokémon Black & White such as Klinklang, Zorua, Darmanitan and either Zekrom or Reshiram for his final smash. N is a major Pokémon character in the series and one of the more characterised characters in the whole series and so i think he would make a lot of sense.

Wolfman_J
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Hawlucha
While I stand by my belief that Marill is the ideal choice for a new Pokémon character, repeating that wouldn’t be fun. You know what is fun, though? A hawk that’s also a luchador. Reviewers in the lead-up to the release of Pokémon X & Y were under an embargo to hide several of the new characters, among them both Greninja and the wrestling bird. As the leaks started pouring in, Hawlucha immediately suplexed its way into fans’ hearts, both for its unique traits – it’s the first Fighting/Flying type, and has a cool, unique move – and its impeccable design (plus, the whole part about it being a bird luchador). While I’ve long doubted the plausibility of the character being chosen, I can’t deny how potentially exciting it could be.

Wrestlers and grapplers are a staple of fighting games, and while Smash has had characters who’ve gotten into that spirit (Bowser and Charizard, for example), it’s never really had one geared almost specifically for that. Hawlucha would allow the series to play with the archetype’s tropes, with a top-tier air game and loopy, theatrical moves like Flying Slam, Acrobatics, and High Jump Kick. Think Meta Knight mixed with Ryu, mixed with Bowser, mixed with…Wario-Man? It could even play with radical kinds of stat distributions, like getting both higher attack and lower defense in the air to play up its risky play style. I can’t really justify the little avian solely on its general coolness, but just from a gameplay perspective it could be amazing.

And if that nothing else, then at least we’d get Smash one step closer to the goofy, 1950s Mexican wrestling movie it by all moral and logical reasoning should be.

Frostwraith
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Gengar
First of all, I love Ghost types and what better choice for Smash other than the original Ghost type family? I would also choose Chandelure, but I feel Gengar has more potential in regards to moveset.

Of course, this being Smash, physical attacks would affect it, but it would have animations such as dodging that would involve it vanishing to emphasize his ghostly nature and how it can make itself immune to physical attacks in the first place.

It would be a lightweight with high mobility and jumping ability. It would also have high attack compared to most of the cast. Similar to Mewtwo and Ganondorf, plenty of its moves would have darkness attributes, but it would also have trickier moves such as Will-o-Wisp that would cause gradual burning damage upon hitting for a few seconds, a Shadow Ball move similar to Mewtwo, a Shadow Sneak move that would allow it to hide and move as a shadow briefly and strike after sometime or when inputting the move again and finally a poison-like move that would inflict a flower on the opponent’s head causing gradual damage as well.

Gengar’s strength would be on racking up damage quickly and finishing them off easily with powerful moves. It would also be mobile and proficient in the air. However, it would be a very light character: being made of gas would make it even lighter than Jigglypuff, so it could be defeated as quickly as it could defeat opponents.

The Final Smash would be the Mega Evolution, turning into Mega Gengar, followed by a powerful Ominous Wind attack that would devastate opponents in a surrounding area.

Do you agree with our picks? Which Pokémon newcomers would you enjoy seeing join Smash Bros. in the future? Let us know in the comment section!

15 comments
  1. I’m a Gen-Wunner only, so I may be at a bit of a disadvantage on this topic.

    The most interesting one I can think of if Eevee with on-the-fly evolutions similar to Shulk’s Monado Arts. We’d obviously need a system that would be able to handle character transformations again, but I think it’d be an interesting idea.

    Honorable mentions from me include Meowth, Poliwhirl, Plusle & Minun, Pikachu Libre, and Machamp (Poke-Goro FTW!)

    N and Snorlax are my two favorites of the staff picks, though.

    Winturwulf (@winturwulf) on October 27 |
  2. How about Delphox? Magic users tend to be really popular, and this particular one’s been getting more popularity and prominence within the Pokémon series. A mix of wand swings, firebending, and a few psychic attacks could create something completely unique! Maybe even a rare female character, if they decided to?

    They could even do some amazing things if they were willing to make small creative leaps the way they did for Greninja’s water swords. Multicolored fire, anyone?

    Although if we’re talking long shots, Absol is my favorite Pokémon ever…

    Delzethin on October 27 |
  3. Nobody said something about sceptile,the Most requested pokemon? SMH

    Mikael Fernandes on October 27 |
  4. OMG, Gengar is PERFECT. Seeing him in action in Pokkén makes me think his moveset would be flawless. Plus, he’s a ghost type, something new to a pokémon representative in smash.

    cothero on October 27 |
  5. Although I do disagree adding more Pokemon fighters for Smash 4 since the Pokemon reps are in the second place of having so many characters than others (while the first is the Mario reps for having 7 playable characters, or 14 if you’re gonna add the Koopalings), this article is an interesting thing that we could imagine and discuss about. I do wish to see my favorite beloved Pokemon like Gardevoir and Weavile to fight, but I just got some idea which may make sense of choosing which Pokemon is best to join.

    In Smash, Pokemon reps have these types…Pikachu: Electric, Jigglypuff: Normal/Fairy, Charizard: Fire/Fly, Lucario: Fight/Steel, Greninja: Water/Dark, Mewtwo: Psychic…the only types that was never used in Smash are Rock, Grass, Poison, Ground, Bug, Ghost, Ice, and Dragon. Also among these characters, the only generations that weren’t used are the 2nd, 3rd, and 5th. So, we could think which Pokemon from the three generations should join within the unused types. I’ve got some ideas…

    -Sceptile: As first debuted from the 3rd gen and being as Hoenn’s grass type starter Pokemon, fans has voted for this Pokemon more than Blaziken. The reason why is they wanted to connect with Charizard and Greninja as part of the three elements of starter Pokemon, which the main three elements are grass, fire, and water in the actual game. Plus due to the reveal of Sceptile having the Mega Evolution other than Blaziken, with the addition of the dragon type in this form, fans began to vote for Sceptile in the Smash Ballot. It does make sense if Sceptile joins Smash as being the first 3rd gen Pokemon to become a fighter and being the main grass type among the fighters other than the rejected Ivysaur. However, if it did join Smash as an DLC, I guess it’ll end up being Charizard’s clone, using grass type moves rather than fire types, being faster but cannot multiply jump as it has no wings, and a bit weaker in power but tougher in durability. Also, as Mega Evolution seems to be a perfect fit as being a Final Smash, turning into Mega Sceptile may make sense, which can use Leaf Storm or Frenzy Plant as it’s ultimate attack..

    -Serperior: As I also love this Pokemon alongside with Gardevoir, Absol, Weavile, etc., this Pokemon has first debuted from the 5th gen as Unova’s grass type starter Pokemon. Although this Pokemon isn’t the most requested, I think Serperior is more unique than others. This Pokemon can be the first character to fight without arms and legs as its a snake, and only uses its tail to fight. It can move faster, but rather weak in power instead. Using Solar Beam as the charging regular move, Seed Bomb for forward move, Growth to power up as down move may be interesting; and although it doesn’t have an ability to Mega Evolve, using powerful moves like Leaf Storm or Frenzy Plant may work better as Final Smash, rather than making something original that didn’t even exist in the actual game, like Greninja’s and Jiggly’s.

    What other Pokemon we could think of that’s from the unused gens, and uses the unused types for Smash?

    zoniken on October 27 |
  6. I am a Sceptile supporter, but I also think that Scizor would be an amazing choice to represent Gen 2. For Gen 5 representation, while not very original, I think Oshawott should inherit Squirtle’s moveset. While the idea of Snorlax and Gengar being playable Smash Bros fighters is interesting, I personally feel like there are enough Gen 1 Pokemon and don’t really want any more to be honest. If any more were to be added, I wouldn’t get pissed or anything. I just won’t have any strong feelings one way or the other

    BanjoGeek on October 28 |
  7. Gengar, N (with Zoroark, Darmanitan, and Pidove), Hawlucha, and Sceptile.

    pokeshulk on October 28 |
  8. “Pokémon hailing from Generation 1 will always appeal to a wide array of game fans”

    4 out of 7 Pokemon – Charizard, Pikachu, Jigglypuff, and Mewtwo – are already there to appeal toward nostalgia. Including even more Gen1 isn’t going to do add anything new. Current Pokemon fans desperately want different generations represented, Gens 3&5 have never had a rep, and it would help both Nintendo and GameFreak out to show that “Yes, we have been doing a lot with this franchise since the 90’s, there’s a reason to come back.”.

    Javelin on October 28 |
    • Thanks for reading!

      However, I don’t genuinely believe that Gen representation is particularly a thing that exists, at least not in Smash Bros. While I made a point that Gen 1 Pokemon are more appealing (because of exposure) I think it’s a different beast entirely than simply putting a Pokemon in because of the game it debuted in.

      If Generation representation really mattered, I think that it’s safe to say that we wouldn’t have 4/6 Pokemon in Smash that debuted in the 1st Gen. It’s also worth noting that Pokemon are always available in the following iterations. Hell, the Kanto starters have been strongly prevalent in at least 3 different Generations of Pokemon games. In my opinion, the design and moveset potential of a Pokemon being as unique as possible is more enticing than selecting or omitting characters purely based on the game they debuted in.

      That said, I wouldn’t oppose anyone from any of those Gens as long as they played well.

      TheAnvil on October 28 |
      • Pulling too many characters from one part of the series is not an accurate representation. That’s like if half the Fire Emblem characters were from Mystery of the Emblem.

        Igiulaw on October 29 |
        • I don’t think that’s an accurate comparison. Fire Emblem characters are generally one and done (bar certain exceptions). The Pokemon cast only increases, Pikachu and co appear in the 2nd Generation and beyond.

          It’s completely different that Sacred Stones has no playable characters in Smash, whereas Generation 3 still has characters that were just as prevalent in Gen 3 as they were in Gen 1…

          TheAnvil on October 29 |
          • New entries and regions to the Pokemon franchise are most identifiable by the new Pokemon they introduce. Charizard may be transferable to Hoenn, but it in no way represents the region or those games.

            (On that note most Pokemon don’t even reappear unless you transfer them. X&Y had room to fit all 700+ Pokemon, but only a fraction of those Pokemon were native.)

            Javelin on October 30 |
    • Gen 5 was one of my favorite Pokemon games, but there is no denying the Pokemon with the most fans and “all-star” recognizability come mostly from Gen. 1 with a few exceptions like Lucario. It really comes down with trying to please the most people alongside keeping Gamefreak/The Pokemon Company happy and the Pokemon with larger brand power make more sense in a franchise with hundreds of characters. It has less to do with trying to focus on Gen 1 and more to do with Gen 1 has more fans/are more iconic. I am surprised Eevee and its many generation-spanning Eeveelutions haven’t made an appearance outside of a Pokeball Pokemon, but they still skip Gen 3 and 5- I personally think that items, stages, assists, etc. are just as important as playable characters in terms of series representation and are often forgotten so I personally wish those categories were further fleshed out before getting another Poke/Mario/FE playable character.

      DonkaFjord on October 29 |
      • I’m not going to deny Gen 1 is the most identifiable, but I argue it’s already hit it’s saturation point. People who haven’t played the games in so long that they only recognize Gen 1 Pokemon are also the same people who probably feel Pokemon has enough representation as is. Many aren’t going to be very excited by further entries. Furthermore, more Gen 1 characters aren’t going to excite many current Pokemon fans compared to other popular Pokemon such as Sceptile, Blaziken, Gardevoir, Absol, Zoroark, (our Lord and Savior Goomy,) etc.

        Javelin on October 30 |
  9. Having another Pokemon in the roster would be interesting yet controversial since there are enough reps already, especially from gen 1. In Smash there only gen 3 and 5 that have yet to show Pokemon as fighters. I would agree that Sceptile is a viable option, even if I didn’t vote for him. But from me, it would be between him and Breloom since it is capable of using various spore-based moved. That mixed with sky uppercut, leech seed, bullet seed and others would make it very unique but have the moves completely needed. For a 5th gen rep, I would choose archaeops since it’s a more risk/reward fighter regarding it’s ability, defeatist. For those unfamiliar, the more HP it has, the more damage it can deal. In Smash, the idea would seem like an opposite Lucario, however with more damage it can increase it’s “rage smash” more than the average fighters. I’m not sure what else is there that doesn’t include Pokemon of different types or outside of Gen 1, but I do like the experimentation of what makes a fighter unique and fun in Smash. Great post.

    Chris.W on October 28 |