Ever since Pokémon Sun and Moon abandoned the national Pokédex, it has become a trend for the series. Pokémon Sword and Shield will continue the trend while also taking it one step further. Now, it has been confirmed that the new generation of games will not contain all 800+ Pokemon for you to collect. Even though Sun and Moon didn’t have a national dex, you could still transfer all of your old creatures from previous games. This feature will still be present, but not all Pokemon will be eligible for immigration. I would make a joke about Brexit, but I’m not from the United Kingdom (or Europe for that matter).
Honestly, it makes a lot of sense for this to happen. With so many Pokémon, making 3D models with unique attack animations was always going to be a challenge. That doesn’t mean leaving out certain Pokémon will be easy. Every single one is unique and special in their own way. In an ideal world, we would have all 820+ Pokémon in the game. Since that isn’t possible, some hard decisions will have to be made. In order to make Game Freak’s job easier, we’ve compiled a list of 10 Pokémon that should be cut from the newest generation. There will be NO Generation One Pokémon on this list. They are the original 151 and should be in every game. Also, the actual number will end up being larger than 10. With how certain Pokémon are linked (through evolution or other means), it is rare that you can leave out only a specific one. For example, if you want to get rid of Pikachu, then it’s evolution, Raichu, will also have to go. As for the ones on the list, they are Pokemon which most people wouldn’t miss if they were left out. Except for maybe a couple, but you’ll see soon enough.
No. 10: Basculin (Generation Five)
The standard fish Pokémon from Pokémon Black and White. There is nothing special about this little fish. It has no evolutions and is fairly weak in battle. This is the sort of Pokémon you forget even existed after playing for a while. You might catch it if you’re looking to complete the Pokédex, but after that, you’ll never see it again. It’s hard to understand why Game Freak bothers to make so many useless, “filler” type Pokémon. At least give these guys an evolution to help them stand out a bit more. That way, Basculin could’ve been more memorable and even have some use in battle.
Imagine if Carvanha didn’t evolve into Sharpedo. You wouldn’t give it a second look, right? Well, that’s the exact case with Basculin. There is no reason to use it,and it’s easily one of the most forgettable creatures out of a list of 820+.
No. 9: Elemental Monkeys (Generation Five)
Pokémon Black and White tried a strange gimmick with a trio of normal Pokémon: Pansage, Panpour and Pansear (plus their evolutions). They act as a second trio and mirror the types of the three starters. These monkeys are also entirely pointless and don’t really bring anything extra to the table. Giving the player a second starter of sorts isn’t a bad idea. It’s just been done better in other games. Like in Pokémon X and Y, where you get to choose a Generation One starter. Or even in Pokémon Emerald, where completing the Pokédex allows you to pick a Generation Two starter.
At the end of the day, there’s no reason to program these guys into the game. Unless they receive another evolution, the elemental monkeys will always remain inferior to the starters of each generation. I would always prefer to receive one of the starters in place of these guys. It’s for the best to just leave these six Pokemon out for the next few games.
No. 8: Klink/Klang/Klinklang (Generation Five)
Another Generation Five entry, this time it’s the gears. Now, I don’t have an issue with inanimate-object Pokémon. The same generation of games brought us Chandelure, which has an awesome design and is powerful as well. The Klinklang line just feels uninspired, even more so than similar concepts like the Magnemite line. At least Magnezone looks awesome and feels like a final evolution. Klinklang is too similar in design to the previous forms. There was no epic final stage transformation. All they did was add a gear or two. Not many people will miss having Klinklang on their team, so Game Freak should retire it for now.
No. 7: Bruxish (Generation Seven)
Let’s take a break from bullying the poor Generation Five critters and pick on a Pokémon that is truly ugly. Bruxish is hard to look at. Game Freak went overboard with the color palette on this guy and it really shows. It’s way too overbearing. And that’s before we even get to those massive lips. Much like Basculin, Bruxish also doesn’t have any evolution. It’s a lot stronger, sure, but that isn’t saying much. Overall, Generation Seven didn’t have too many stinkers, but Bruxish is easily the worst of the bunch. I don’t think many people will mind if we didn’t get to catch a Bruxish in Pokémon Sword and Shield.
No. 6: Druddigon (Generation Five)
Druddigon wins the award for being the worst looking dragon. Drampa comes close, but Druddigon wins out in the end. Before this guy showed up, the dragon type was one of the most consisftent, in terms of solid designs. You had great Pokémon like Dragonite, Garchomp, Salamence and Rayquaza. That trend came to a complete halt when Druddigon came into existence. The Lego-like structure doesn’t really do Druddigon any justice, not to mention the bright colors which make it look like it’s from a different franchise.
Aside from its looks, this Pokémon offers very little in battle and has no evolutions. Once again, we have a Generation Five Pokémon that is unimpressive on its own and has no evolution. There are far too many filler Pokémon in this region. It’s obvious that Game Freak was desperate to make 150+ unique monsters in a region, but it didn’t quite work out as well as they would’ve liked.
No. 5: Alomomola (Generation Five)
Another fish Pokémon with no evolution or special traits. At least Alomomola has a more unique design when compared to Basculin. Still, that’s not enough reason to make a newer 3D model for it. Instead, Game Freak should focus on making the models of good water types like Milotic. There really isn’t much to say about Alomomola. It’s a boring Pokémon that was only made to make up numbers in the Generation Five Pokédex, which is a shame, because time was spent on creating this Pokémon. The least they could’ve done is give it an evolution so it stays relevant in some form.
No. 4: Stunfisk (Generation Five)
This seems like another version of Dunsparce. A derpy-looking Pokémon with no evolutions or relevance in any way. It’s there to look funny and make a few memes, which is totally fine. But I think there are enough meme-worthy Pokémon as is. There’s also bound to be at least one new Pokémon that looks just as funny. So, might as well leave out Stunfisk and make way for the next top meme. Aside from being a joke, Stunfisk offers very little. Poor stats and a lack of evolution mean it’s the standard Generation Five fare. There’s no big loss here.
No. 3: Luvdisc (Generation Three)
The only use Luvdisc had was that you could farm heart scales with it. Those scales could be used to access the move reminder, which would allow your Pokémon to re-learn a forgotten attack. A pretty useful feature, but ultimately, not worth carrying Luvdisc over. Ever since the Generation Three games, there have been alternate ways of obtaining heart scales. You no longer have to spend hours fishing for the same Pokémon just to obtain a couple of scales. They can be found in more efficient ways, like the underground area from Generation Four.
Aside from that, Luvdisc is another Water-type with no evolutions and useless stats. Cutting out some of these extra Water-types might actually be a good idea. They make up the largest portion of the Pokédex, so having less of them can only be a good thing. Besides, we have to make room for all the “new” useless water types Game Freak is going to add in Pokémon Sword and Shield.
No. 2: Trubbish/Garbodor (Generation Five)
Garbodor is an awful-looking Pokémon, but you already knew that. It’s pre-evolution, Trubbish, doesn’t look too bad. It’s a simple design, but kind of cute, in a weird way. It’s nothing offensive to the eyes or anything like that. Garbodor, on the other hand, is an abomination. Once again, I have to mention that Pokémon based on inanimate objects can look really good. Take examples like Magnezone, Chandelure, Klefki and many others. Yet, Game Freak just had to make a Pokémon based on garbage. Of all things, they had to pick literal trash? Well, for the next generation, they should put it back in trash heap they picked it out of.
No. 1: Ultra Beasts (Generation Seven)
The Ultra Beasts are pretty cool, but I feel they should remain exclusive to Alola. Since the beasts are tied so strongly to the story of the Generation Seven games, it should stay that way. Now, I understand that legendaries are obtainable in most games, but they get a pass. The Ultra Beasts are so unique to Alola and form part of its identity. There’s also not much reason to have in them in newer titles. At least with legendaries, they are still part of the Pokémon lore. Even then, not every game has every legendary. In Pokémon X and Y, only Mewtwo, Articuno, Zapdos and Moltres were available from past regions. There’s no reason for the newest entries to have every single Pokémon in them. If some are going to be cut, then the Ultra Beasts are fair game.
GameLuster’s Tuesday 10 is a weekly column that highlights memorable, light-hearted facets of video games or the industry at large. The No. 1 is a hill no one should die on, but it’s a hill that should be admired from afar.
