Double post, but it turns out
this next update is pretty dang huge.
- The final evolutions of the starters are revealed, and indeed they are the same as in that old Chinese leak, which means no Fire/Fighting starter! Yay! I'll split them up since there's quite a bit to go through:
- Decidueye is Grass/Ghost, losing its old Flying type, and has that badass archer design we were all hoping for. It gets a signature move called Spirit Shackle, a physical move that also prevents opponents from switching out, which is quite unusual (though not unheard of since Thousand Waves exists).
- Incineroar is Fire/
Dark (
hell yes), matching that "heel wrestler" depiction, and gets a signature move called Darkest Lariat, which ignores the opponent's stat boosts, like a built-in Unaware. Quite useful since Dark should still be a good attack type this gen, unless there are any more type balance changes in store. Can I just say I love the "bring it" pose it has too? :V
- Primarina is Water/Fairy and looks like a really elegant mermaid. Really, all three starters look amazing this gen, so I'm sure fans of each starter will be satisfied. Primarina's signature move, Sparkling Aria, is also unusual in that it heals targets of burns, so this will likely only see use in doubles.
- After being stuck with Tapu Koko for so long, we finally have info on the guardians of the other islands as well!
- Akala Island's guardian is Tapu Lele, a Psychic/Fairy type whose ability, Psychic Surge, automatically summons the brand-new Psychic Terrain, which boosts the power of Psychic moves and prevents grounded Pokemon from being hit by priority moves.
- Ula'ula Island's guardian is Tapu Bulu, a Grass/Fairy type with an auto Grassy Terrian ability, Grassy Surge.
- Poni Island's guardian is Tapu Fini, another Water/Fairy type with an auto Misty Terrian ability, Misty Surge.
- Also, all four guardian deities get a unique Z-move called Guardian of Alola (I foresee many Voltron jokes here lol), which is basically Super Fang on steroids, dealing
75% of the target's current HP.
- In other Pokemon news, Alolan Persian was formally revealed, as was the brand-new Pokemon Cosmog, a Psychic type with Unaware as its ability. No word on how strong it is to take advantage of that though.
- Finally, we got some info on what the potential end-game and post-game might be like.
.
The full release is only three weeks away, so I'm not sure if there'll be any more updates (or if there are, they'll likely be small), but the lead-up has certainly been quite interesting. I'm still super pumped for what else might be in store, especially given how much of a different take they're doing with Gen 7.
EDIT: Just got around to watching
the Japanese trailer, which provides a couple more answers to things.
Spoiler:
Turns out Cosmog is the Pokemon in Lillie's bag, and it's the same Cosmog that the player character sees get attacked by Spearow on a rope bridge in the beginning of the game, as GameXplain alluded to in
this video. I guess it makes sense to be Lillie's Pokemon since it's so small, but really, poor thing, being stuffed in a bag like that.
