Pokémon That Most Deserve Regional Variants (But Never Got Them)

In the Pokémon games, there are many monsters that deserve to get regional variant forms but for some reason haven’t. Most of the regional forms that have been released are cool and fun, but others such as Stunfisk are disappointing. The upcoming Pokémon Scarlet and Violet have already shown a new variant of Wooper, and hopefully will have even more regional forms for players to capture and raise upon their release on November 18.

Regional variants are a feature introduced relatively recently in the Gen 7 Pokémon games. They’re new forms of returning Pokémon that have adapted to fit a new region after migrating from their home one over time, similar to real-life evolution. They were an instant hit, and have returned in Gen 8 and the spin-off Pokémon Legends: Arceus. Sadly, they don’t typically cross over to new Generations, but there are ways that future Pokémon games can reintroduce regional variants from past titles. The prospect of more is always exciting, however, so hopefully there will be a healthy balance of new and returning regional forms in future Generations.

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As fun as regional variants are, there’s also the possibility for new concepts of different forms that could give deserving Pokémon that have been passed over a variant. The past few games have proven that regional forms are here to stay, but Pokémon experiments with new gimmicks and forms almost every Generation – be it Mega Evolution or the Terastallizing that Scarlet and Violet‘s third trailer revealed – so they’re not the only way Pokémon can gain new forms. There are rumors that new variations called Paradox Forms and Convergent Species will come in SV. They’ve sometimes been referred to as “Regional Fakes” since they supposedly appear incredibly similar to existing species, but are in fact their own separate Pokémon. How the rumored Regional Fakes will change Pokémon SV can’t be said for sure since they’ve yet to be confirmed, but they sound very exciting and will hopefully prove true.

Heracross Deserves A Regional Variant Form In Future Pokémon Games

Heracross is a Gen 2 Bug/Fighting-Type that does not evolve from or into any other Pokémon. It gained a Mega Evolution in Gen 6, the Kalos region, making it one of the first species to be able to Mega Evolve. It has a good Attack stat in its base form, but most of its other ones are low to middling. In its Mega form, its Attack becomes even stronger and it gains some Defense and Special Defense, but loses Speed. Heracross eats primarily tree sap and honey, which it enjoys greatly according to most of the Pokémon mainline game series’ Pokédex entries, all of which are chronicled by Pokémon Database. Its main fighting strategy is to scoop up its opponents with its horn and fling them away, which it is strong enough to do to enemies 100 times its own weight.

If Heracross did get a regional variant, there are a few different possibilities for it. It’s based on the rhinoceros beetle, whereas Mega Heracross is based on the Hercules beetle, so a regional form could be based on a different species; a Bug/Ground-Type Heracross variant that’s based on scarabs and lives in a desert area, for example. An even better one may be the Atlas beetle, an insect with three horns that’s strong enough to lift objects up to 850 times its body weight. What Type a Heracross variant based on the Atlas beetle would be is tough to say, but Bug/Steel has potential, as does Bug/Dragon, which is an as of yet unused Pokémon Type combination. Since Atlas beetles have differences between males and females and are known for their exceptional strength, just like Heracross, they may be the best basis for a future regional form.

Buizel & Floatzel Haven’t Gotten Regional Forms In A Pokémon Game Yet

Buizel and Floatzel are a pure Water-Type evolutionary line of Pokémon introduced in Gen 4’s Sinnoh region. Their Speed and offensive stats are good, but they have poor defensive stats, making them something of a glass cannon. The yellow rings around their necks are flotation sacs that are capable of filling with air to allow them to float on top of the water, and deflate when they dive below the surface. Buizel’s Pokédex entries say that it is also capable of rotating its tails like a screw to propel itself through the water – much like the famous Miles “Tails” Prower of the Sonic the Hedgehog series – though Floatzel’s make no mention of this.

Related: Gen 7 Pokémon You’ve Probably Forgotten About AlreadySo far, no Gen 4 Pokémon have gotten regional forms, but Buizel and Floatzel certainly deserve to. There are a few different directions they can go in – with Water/Dark and Water/Fighting being promising ideas – but the best is perhaps Water/Flying-Type, for a few different reasons. The line’s flotation sacs mean that they already have a method of buoyancy, which can translate to floating in midair given a few tweaks. Floatzel is also known for rescuing people in the water, so a transition to air rescues could be a great explanation for the new Type combination for either it or a new evolution of Buizel. Finally, an episode of the Pokémon anime, Mounting a Coordinator Assault, showed Buizel using its tails to fly, so there’s some basis for it being able to take to the skies.

Both Nidoran Deserve Regional Variants In Pokémon

Male and female Nidoran are two different species of Pokémon introduced in Gen 1, both of which are pure Poison-Types that gain unique Type combinations among Pokémon when they fully evolve. Male Nidoran evolve into Nidorino and the Poison/Ground Nidoking, and females evolve into Nidorina and Nidoqueen, which is also Poison/Ground. Both Nidorino and Nidorina evolve with a Moon Stone, meaning that players can theoretically obtain them at any time after their first evolution at level 16. Despite their reputations as powerful monsters and their descriptions as such in their Pokédex entries, most of their stats are middling.

Both forms of Nidoran along with their second evolutions are good as-is, but the line could benefit greatly from new forms of Nidoking and Nidoqueen. Nidoqueen are very protective of their young, and it would presumably protect them from the conditions of the new environment they find themselves in, so this would make sense. Since Nidoking and Nidoqueen are somewhat apex predators, a rivalry with another formidable species could be the best explanation for new forms. One of Generation 3’s best Pokémon, Aggron, for example, could cause it to shift to Ground/Fighting or some other primary Ground combination. Alternatively, being forced out of their natural habitats and into new ones due to the expansion of human population centers could be another good way to give them new Types and skill sets. Regardless of what form they take, alternative forms of Nidoking and Nidoqueen, or indeed any members of their lines, sound very exciting, so hopefully they’ll appear in future Pokémon games.

Source: Pokémon Database

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