Pokemon Scarlet and Violetcould be in danger of making a mistake with its new DLC Pokemon if it doesn’t learn from a largely ignored past species. The announcement of new Pokemon in the upcoming DLC is going to make fans excited, however, the game also has to deliver on that hype in order to keep from disappointing players. In order for that to happen,Pokemon Scarlet and Violet’s DLC Pokemon need to be accessible and worth the effort to find. Otherwise, the games run the risk of repeating a tragic tale from generations past.
Introducing new Pokemon has been a tradition since Generation 2 unveiled 100 new Pokemon species. The repeated expansion of the Pokedex serves several purposes. First, and most obvious, is that each new generation introducing new Pokemon helps to keep the series fresh, alongside the new attacks and abilities that they bring as well. Newly released Pokemon can also provide more characterization of the region where they debuted.Pokemon Scarlet and Violetis no exception in this regard, with its own slate of new additions even before the release of its DLC. Likewise, the upcoming Pokemon will help players get an impression ofKitakami and Blueberry Academy.
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Alomomola’s Scarcity Doesn’t Need to be Shared by Scarlet and Violet’s DLC Pokemon
Alomomola is not a particularly popular Pokemon despite being the focus ofPokemon GO’s Valentine’s Day collection eventin 2021. Originally expected to be an evolution to fellow heart-themed Water Pokemon Luvdisc, Alomomola instead turned out to be a standalone critter. Unfortunately, that was only one reason why Alomomola never managed to gain much traction. Its stats were also unimpressive for a single-stage Pokemon aside from its massive 165 base HP. On top of that, being a Water-type Pokemon means that it has a lot of other Pokemon to compete with, so it can be hard to find reasons to choose Alomomola over the many other options.
Alomomola is further hurt by how difficult it can be to find, moreso than most of thebest Water-types inPokemon. In most of Alomomola’s appearances, it can only be found by either searching bubbling spots in the water, or by using a Super Rod, which players don’t receive until the late game. Even when those circumstances aren’t true, it frequently has a low encounter rate. Even though Alomomola has been around sincePokemon Black and White, it has historically been difficult for players to find. As a result, a lot of players haven’t had the chance to experiment with it on their team.
When it comes to the new Pokemon forScarlet and Violet’s DLC, Alomomola should be seen as a cautionary tale. ThePokemon inScarlet and Violet’s DLCwould suffer if they had the same lack of availability that Alomomola has displayed throughout the series, especially in Gen 9 itself. A Pokemon’s debut generation is often the most important when it comes to establishing itself and gaining a fanbase, and making a Pokemon difficult to find is a major obstacle in that regard, as past examples have shown.Pokemon Scarlet and Violet’s DLC critters shouldn’t have to be stuck behind those same obstacles that have troubled previous species.
The history of Alomomola’s appearances is only made worse by its hiding underwater in the open-world Paldea, often making it one of the critters that players are missing to complete their Pokedex. While there is still plenty of time to go beforePokemon Scarlet and Violet’s DLC is released, these mistakes should be kept in mind in oder not to repeat them. The way that players have almost always had to deal with extra obstacles when encountering Alomomola means that the DLC for Gen 9 should try and make critters in the water (or underwater) easier to target if it wants to avoid the same issues that have been plaguing this particular Pokemon.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violetare available now for Nintendo Switch.
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