We don’t know what the January 8th announcement will be, but it’s a pretty sure bet that no matter what Generation 6 will be launching this year or the next. All of us here at PokeJungle are pumped for the newest set of Pokemon games and we’re sure you are too! Before we get any hard facts, let’s take a look at what we think might happen, both in this article and through your comments!
Today, let’s look at the starters that we’ll have to choose from in Gen VI!
Grass Starter
[spoiler]As the grass starter always seems to be number one in the trio, it seems pertinent to tackle it first. The first five generations it’s had two sub-types; Poison in Generation 1 and Ground in Generation 4. Poison was an advantage for the most part as it eliminated some of Grass-type’s weaknesses, but the Ground pairing ended up giving Torterra a 4x weakness to Ice-type attacks. Ouch.
For the next generation, there are two type combinations that I’d love to see for the Grass-type starter that I’ll inevitably use: Grass/Rock or Grass/Electric. Both of these combinations reduce Grass-type’s weaknesses and also grant it some offensive OOMPH. Unfortunately, Rock is strong against Fire and designers may feel that it would give the starter too much of an edge. The electric sub-typing is good against Water, but so is Grass, so there’s not that much difference there. I think it could be a very interesting type combination that’s currently only held by Mow Rotom.
As far as the design goes… Grass-type starters have all shared a dinosaur-derived/reptilian look. Following my very hopeful Grass/Electric typing, I think an Apatosaurus may be a good design cue. It’s name was even originally derived from ‘Thunder Lizard’, it goes perfectly! Meganium does share a somewhat similar look, but there’s a lot of room to incorporate different plant species which could totally change the design from Generation II’s Grass-type starter.[/spoiler]
Fire Starter
[spoiler]The Fire-type starters have had a 3 generation run of Fire/Fighting typing. That needs to change. Although it really isn’t all that bad, it’s gotten really really stale. Charizard also had the interesting Fire/Flying typing, but it did get a painful 4x Rock-type weakness.
What would be best going forward? I think if it has a sub-type (plain ‘ol Fire would be fine with me) the best options would be Fire/Steel or Fire/Dark. The first does have a disadvantage, a 4x Ground-type weakness, but does get a lot of resistances. A nice trade-off in my opinion. The second typing would give the starter no double weaknesses and a pretty decent spread for coverage.
So what may the design be based off of…? Fire-type starters actually have a running theme of the Chinese Zodiac. We’ve seen a Dragon (Charizard), Rat (Typhlosion), Rooster (Blaziken), Monkey (Infernape), and Pig (Emboar), but what we don’t have are an ox, tiger, rabbit, snake, horse, ram, or dog. I would have to assume that one of these animals will be featured in Generation 6. A steel sub-type could be added in to fit almost any animal, as could dark. I see a tiger as being the most logical choice as it fits the aggressive look of most of the fiery starters.[/spoiler]
Water Starter
[spoiler]Water has had two very interesting sub-types; Ground and Steel. Otherwise it, out of the three types, has remained without a sub-type the most (3 out of 5 Generations). Ground was beneficial as it left it with only one weakness, but it was a rather painful 4x weakness to Grass-types. Steel was even better, leaving it with only 3 weaknesses and a host of resisted types.
In Generation 6 I think that there definitely needs to be an interesting sub-type combination to keep things fresh. Water has a host of types it works well with and I think the three best would be Water/Bug, Water/Dark, and Water/Poison. None have more than 4 weaknesses and all could help the type in certain situations. Out of these I think the Poison sub-type would be most interesting.
Why do I think that? Because it’s a perfect opportunity! It’d be a great excuse to use the only venomous mammal, the platypus, as design inspiration for the line. Water starters have been a varied bag in their designs and I couldn’t come up with any solid line that connects them all (feel free to show me otherwise though!) so something like a platypus could fit in with relative ease. Their beaks also offer an interesting design element that goes very well with an aquatic theme.[/spoiler]
Can’t wait to hear your thoughts on the subject… so please leave a comment!
<3 pokejungle
[styledbox type=”general” ]Featured Thread: 6th Generation Pokemon by Dan[/styledbox]
I would like a pure typing like in Gen 2.
Grass
Fire
Water
I’d love to see Grass/Fire Fire/Water and Water/Grass, repeating each of the types as a secondary type, even if its final form.
Grass fire could go down the dragon route, like being based off a snap-dragon flower, or else, something volcano based.
Fire water would obviously be a steam based pokemon, and could be based off of Dogū statues or possibly a Lion with a firey and watery mane
Water grass is again something that could be based off anything. Like a reed by a river. that would be awesome.
The grass type is always a reptile; that means that I’m looking forward to it the most!
Man, I might do a special Pokeology article if they reveal starters or a Pokemon like that.
Yayy the international sites have stated to check their sites on Jan 8th! This pretty much confirms a new main game announcement. The question now is; R/S remakes or Gen 6?
Grass idea
My idea is a Pangola grass/dark. It has an average speed and health but defenses and attacks are high.
Fire idea
Keeping in the zodiac i would choose rabbit there is no many rabbit pokemon and maybe it is fire/ghost. Snake was already in gen v and i don’t want a snake starter again.
Water idea
A squid or platypus. Types is poison/water.
I would love a Grass/Fighting Koala line, a Water/Psychic Dolphin line, and then a Fire Rabbit line.
I haven’t even finished B2W2 and it looks like I won’t till like Summer time. Busy busy busy. And I hope it’s that and not that I’m losing interest in Pokemon, never!
well on a completely different note from the types everyone wants i think that the types should be this:
Water: Well for one I would want a Vaquita (look it up) it is like a shark and is endagered but really cool water dark would be a cool typing for it.
Grass: a flying gecko. grass flying this animal are much like flying squirrels and can pretty much any surface. even smooth glass.
Fire: a ligon as the biggest evalution it gose from tiger to tiglon to liger the biggest cat and also a hybrid cross between tiger and lion would be cool
This is just making me more excited. I just can’t wait!
Maybe game Freak will mix the starter types with rumor starter types (Fighting, Psychic, Dark). It could go like this:
Grass/Fighting
Fire/Dark
Water/Psychic
Or something like that.
Definatly this would make me happy 😀 Good typing and it shows that theres a little bit of input to please some fans out there that wanted to mix it up 😀
So Starter!
Water: It’s about time we get a Dolphin starter! Water-fighting type!
Fire: Lion or Tiger would be good! Fire-dark or steel
Grass: Koala or Bunny-rabit or Pegasus type! str8 grass or grass-flying 😀
Okay now a serious comment on the matter.
I see the approach this article took was by pondering about secondary types first and then tack on what could fit. While I tend to do that myself, I’m pretty sure that is not how it works at Gamefreak xDDD
The design and inspiration are priority, also a sense of balance contrast an diversity between the three as a group.
The secondary types are probably rather just added where appropriate or where it doesn’t feel forced but adds a bit of epicness.
IF THEY ARE THERE AT ALL.
I mean, sure. After Sinnoh went full party on this bit, people have been going wild with proposing combinations that would be the main attraction, especially the waaaay overused (in the fakemon community) Psy/Fight/Dark thing, which I find utterly boring to see on anyones fake starters at this point. Its been tried to death and its not even that great in practice.
Lets take a look at what really went on til now:
GEN I : Poison – Flying – /
Poison on Grass was almost a norm at the start and a combination that is quite self-explanatory.
If something gains wings, obviously you’ll make it Flying.
So basically nothing fancy here, no special thoughts invested into whether there should be extra types.
GEN II: / – / – /
Ah the one gen that had all pure. I don’t think it’s a special case however. It just wasn’t necessary. What I mean is, if Meganium gained wings theyd have made it Flying, so Im sure the mindset about this was still the same as gen I.
GEN III: / – Fighting – Ground
Suddenly, exotic types.
Here did we get types that people actually notice. I tend to think of them as a counter to having Grass/Poison in GEN I like its the most obvious and complementing combo said type could have.
I mean, Fire and Fighting, the word that comes to mind right away is offense, while Water and Ground feel like the most natural thing to combine just the same.
So yeah, things got interesting, but in a symbiotic manner..just adding the fitting “physical” side to the elemental main type.
GEN IV: Ground – Fighting – Steel
HERE secondary types became a main attraction. Each of the starters getting one, each of them an awesome one. I mean Steel is a viable option? It didn’t even exist at the beginning lol.
GEN V: / – Fighting – /
Back to basics, obviously.
They took a bold step back, and even with the only combo thats in there, it happens to be exactly the one thats just been repeated due to blending so nicely. Although I know by now every single pokefan is saying “jesus christ enough already.” But I think of it right now as “hey, it was probably just a matter of pure or Fighting, which was a 100% fit to its concept anyway.”
So gen V, did nothing breathtaking here, just like gen I/II.
Now…
If youve been reading along, you might have realized that they don’t just throw out flashy exotic types without a good reason.
While I think that what we’ve seen so far, have all been viable possibilities for any of the types they didn’t get used on yet
Poison, Flying, Fighting, Ground, Steel
I’m quite convinced that several types will not be added to this list anytime soon (along with Normal which is basically the default type and doesn’t make sense as secondary)
Namely:
-THATS A STARTER?
Bug, Ghost, Dragon
Because the starters are always land-dwelling great looking creatures. They have distinct personalities an something pet/bro-like about their appearance. A freaky insect, something undead, or as mythic as Dragons… will probably stay away from the first pokemon you choose to start your adventure with.
-FANCY ELEMENTAL SHOWSTEALING TYPES
Ice, Electric
The extra types have all been things that don’t clash with the main types for attention.
I’m not entirely sure how safe it is to assume this, but IMO Psychic falls into this category too.
One secondary type I only recently started doubting in is DARK.
(FYI: Dark is originally named the Evil type due to its focus being mean attacks, unfair and dishonest tactics, cheating etc.)
An argument for this might be Emboar. Being based on a pig-demon from the same chinese story as DBZ is based on, I would think they would have made it Dark if they considered that to be completely fine. But they went for Fighting another time instead.
So in the end, I guess the point I’m trying to make is, don’t get too excited for something crazy. Obviously they might really tack Fighting on Water or Grass for a change…but it all depends on what designs they picked first and foremost. Same for say Flying, or Poison. I’d love to see either of those on starters 😉
Now for a real comment here, I think they should mix it up a bit more. Sure they did poison – flying on a starter. That was all well and good,but they done it. Time to move on .Realistically having a decent secondary typing 99% of the time is something most fans want. I totally agree with you on the types you have listed as ones that seem as ”flashy” types bar the ice and bug type’s wouldnt fit on a starter pokemon.
The dark type being ”evil” has nothing to do with anything on a starter pokemon. People or kids are not going to not choose it due to a type that is considered evil. In fact the majority of people probably would enjoy the added dark type pokemon to the dex. And before any comments about dark pokemon not looking ”cute” or small and fuzzy, we have zorua and poocheyena who are considered mean yet are ”cute”.
I dont understand how you simply think that types are or arnt slapped onto a pokemon just because of what they are based on and chosen from. You cant honestly tell me when gligar was made then they thaught ok its going to be able to ”fly” so lets do a completly mad move and go for a flying/ground type. Then for your arguement to say flashy secondary types are not added unless they are necessery. Because come on flying/ground is not necessary.
Yea, I have had a fakemon starter that turns Dark for a long time myself. I’m not gonna say that its impossible we get a /Dark starter (unlike the other ones I mentioned), I just think that gamefreak would have done it already if they were okay with it, so I will assume it unlikely until I see it happen.
Not for pokemon per se man. I’m talking explicitly about starters here, because they come about in a much longer process and are given way more thought and care.
I’m not sure I get what you wanna say with the Gligar example.
But obviously they’ll make an Electric Pokemon for the sake of having more Electric Pokemon etc.
Oh and IVe also had this crazy idea lately about Grass starters and their constant reptile basis..
As you know, Fire changes to completely unrelated creatures in the animal kingdom (which happen to be featured on the chinese zodiac so far, but Im not sure whether that’s intention or just random) and simialrly Water is more versatile too.
What if they merely intended for Grass to change at a slower pace for some philosophical reason LOL
Like, imagine the next one being a bird-reptile link based, and then for 2 gens or so, two more birds as Grass starters, afterwards shifting further into mammalian kingdom perhaps etc
I don’t even take this serious myself, but thought Id share it anyway xDDD
The Water Starters have all been based on animals adapted to both land and water living.