"Gen 4 - Everything you need to know about the troublemakers of Sinnoh"

#PokemonGO: Heya, TSR-- Long-time-lurker, first-time-poster, so please forgive any formatting errors or Reddit faux pas I may be ignorant of. :S.I just played through Pokemon Platinum (Generation 4 of the Main Series Games (MSG)) to familiarize myself with what's to come, and at 130 hrs in, I feel I've gotten at least a rudimentary grasp on what all's there and I think what I've learned could be helpful to others as Gen 4's PoGo release looms. Specifically, I wanted to create an exhaustive compilation of all the strangeness attendant to Sinnoh and the Pokemon native to it.As I see it, there are a few potentially problematic critters that I can see Niantic having trouble releasing "as is" and keeping true to the spirit of individual 'Mon (as they've made known they wish to do). Most are evolution-related, but there are others as well. I've tried to categorize them the best I could, but there are so many combinations that it's a mess no matter how I do so. lolFinally, I write this post solely to inform; I am no game creator and offer no solutions as to how some of the potential problems listed herein may or may not be handled. That said, it may be the case that some or none of those listed will be held back from initial release due to changes being necessary for their doing so..But without further ado, here's everything you need to know about the non-conformist troublemakers of Gen 4:.--- Item-Dependent Evolutions ---Since Niantic has--as yet--decided not to add many of the MSG evolution stones into the PoGo, they may just ignore these ones as well. If not, however, we will need to collect some new ones before we can add these guys to the 'Dex.Roserade; TogekissThese two require a Shiny Stone to evolve from Roselia and Togetic, respectively.Honchkrow; MismagiusThese two require a Dusk Stone to evolve from Murkrow and Misdreavus, respectively.FroslassThese two require a Dawn Stone in order to evolve from [female] Snorunt and [male] Kirlia, respectively. And speaking of which.....--- Gender-Dependent Evolutions ---Generation 4 introduced gender-dependent evolutions-- some to old Pokemon lines, and some to new.GalladeOnce Gen 4 drops, Kirlia will gain an additional Stone- and gender-dependent evolution in Gallade.Froslass; GlalieIn the same way as above, Snorunt will gain a new Stone- and gender-dependent evolution in Froslass.The Combee lineCombee is unique in that only the females evolve [into Vespiquen]; males remain in the base form forever...--- Move-Dependent Evolutions ---There are a handful of Pokemon that evolve only when they've learned a certain move, some of which are learned by normal leveling-up, while others must be taught using in-game Move Tutors.AmbipomAipom only evolves into Ambipom when it learns the move Double Hit at level 32, but one could choose to forego teaching their Aipom this move and keep it in its base form indefinitely.Bonsly; Mime Jr.Respectively, Bonsly and Mime Jr. are Sudowoodo and Mr. Mime's new baby Pokemon, and they only evolve after they learn the move Mimic (level 17 for Bonsly and level 18 for Mime Jr.). Just like Aipom, however, one could choose to skip teaching them this new move and preserve their baby status indefinitely.LickilickyIn the same fashion as those listed above, Lickitung's new evolution can only be reached if/when it learns the move Rollout at level 33.Tangrowth; YanmegaThese two only evolve from Tangela and Yanma, respectively, if/when they learn the move Ancient Power at level 33 (get it? because they are primeval-ish representations of their species? #clevergirl)MammoswineThis one's a bit different as it cannot happen without a little prescience and legwork. Piloswine only evolves into Mammoswine once you take it to either a Move Tutor--specifically the Move Reminder who can help your Pokemon "re-learn" old moves that it has forgotten (or was too young to remember)--and teach it Ancient Power (#clevergirl), orrrr by breeding.....(It's also worth noting that interactions with Move Tutors require payment in the form of Heart Scales, a somewhat rare in-game item.)..--- Location-Dependent Evolutions ---These Pokemon evolutions are tied to specific, geographic locations within the game.MagnezoneMagneton evolves into Magnezone only when it levels-up in a Magnetic Field area-- that area being Mt. Coronet in Gen 4's Sinnoh region.ProbopassSame as above-- Nosepass only evolves into Probopass if it levels-up in a Magnetic Field.Leafeon; GlaceonIn Sinnoh, you can find a Mossy Rock in Eterna Forest and an Icy Rock on the snowy Route 217, each surrounded by grass where you can encounter/fight wild Pokemon. If you level-up your Eevee while training in said grass, it will evolve into Leafeon or a Glaceon, respectively.The Burmy lineThese may be tough one for Niantic to implement because a male evolves into Mothim at level 20 no matter what, whereas a female will evolve into one of three [different-looking and different-typed] Womadam, depending on the type of location you evolve it (in caves, in buildings, or in grass)...--- Trading-Dependent Evolutions ---There are a handful of familiar Pokemon in Gen 4 that require trading in order to evolve. Specifically, one needs to have the pre-evolution species traded to them while that Pokemon is holding specific items.RhyperiorRhydon's new identity-crisis evolution requires that he be traded while he is holding a Protector.MagmortarMagmar's new evolution requires that it be traded while holding a Magmarizer.ElectivireElectabuzz's new evolution requires that it be traded while holding an Electirizer.DusknoirDusklops' tanky new evolution requires that he be traded while he is holding a Reaper Cloth.Porygon-ZPorygon's third and final evolution actually stacks our trading problem; he was supposed to be traded while holding an UpGrade in order to evolve into Porygon2. Well, in the same way, in order to evolve into Porygon-Z, Porygon2 needs to be traded while holding the Dubious Disc.~As every previous generation of the MSG has included trade-dependent evolution lines--and they haven't done anything with the mechanic so far (see Porygon above)--it's likely a safe bet that Niantic will just continue to ignore this requirement. Though what they plan to do about all the new evolution items remains to be seen...--- Babies ---Gen 4 brings a whooole lotta babies, and they each have some odd evolution mechanic.HappinyThis is Chansey's new baby Pokemon, and evolving it requires that it be holding a new evolution item, the Oval Stone, and that it level-up during in-game daytime hours.MantykeThis is a fun one. Mantyke is Mantine's new baby, and it only evolves if you level it up [regardless of what level] while you have a Remoraid in your party. (If the correlation escapes you, quickly check out the Remora fish that Remoraid is based on. Fun, right? :)ChinglingThis is Chimecho's new baby, and in order to evolve, it must level-up during in-game nighttime hours when your Friendship level with it is "high" (≥220 on a scale of 0-255).BudewThis is Roselia's new baby Pokemon, and evolving it requires that it level up when your Friendship with it is maxed-out (255).MunchlaxSnorlax's new baby, Munchlax, evolves much the same way as these others: once you hit "high" Friendship and level it up.RioluLike a hybrid of some others above, Riolu evolves into fan-favorite Lucario not at a specific level, but once you level it up during in-game daytime hours with a "high" Friendship level.~We don't know how Niantic will handle Pokemon's Friendship mechanic going forward; it may be handled like Golbat/Crobat and some of the babies we already have in PoGo, where Niantic just chooses to ignore the requirement entirely; like Umbreon/Espeon, where you are required to walk them a certain distance as your buddy; or a new method altogether...--- Hybrids ---Beyond the babies, there are other evolution lines with a blending of the above requirements:WeavileSneasel gets its long-awaited evolution in Weavile, but not without some difficulty. It requires that Sneasel be holding the item Razor Claw and then level-up at night.GliscorIdentical except for the held item involved, Gligar evolves into Gliscor when leveled-up at night while holding the item Razor Fang...--- Hodgepodge ---In addition to everything above, there are a bunch of other, random mechanics that don't fit cleanly into the other categories.DrifloonNow-- it isn't at all necessary that Niantic to anything special for Drifloon in PoGo, but it is worth noting that in the MSG, Drifloon can only be encountered on Fridays outside of the game's Valley Windworks-- a wind-generated power plant in Sinnoh. If Niantic decides to do something fun with that, Drifloon's PoGo spawns might be worth keeping an eye on.CherrimThis isn't evolution-related, but Cherrim has two forms that are dependent on the weather (sort of similar to Castform). It is a flower bud that blooms when the "sun is out" in battle (see Sunny Day), and reverts back once the battle ends.ChatotChatot is another interesting one in that it learns a unique move called Chatter, where the player could record their voice and have that recording played-back every time the move was used. (As the link will tell you, this feature of Chatter was later removed, which makes me think Niantic will likely just skip this particular gimmick, but who knows.)The Shellos lineShellos [and its evolution Gastrodon] are the first in-game "regionals" introduced to the MSG. Their appearance changes depending which hemisphere (East or West) in Sinnoh you encounter/catch them in.The Buneary lineSimilarly to how some of the babies work, Buneary only evolves into Lopunny when you reach a "high" Friendship level with it and then level it up [regardless of time of day]...--- Breeding ---PoGo's current lack of breeding mechanics has been the subject of speculation and chagrin alike here on the Road, and this generation may yet add more fuel to the fire.PhioneThis is an interesting one. Manaphy, another mythical Pokemon whose own appearance was tied to a limited-time, event-specific release in the MSG, is also the vehicle by which one gets a Phione. Manaphy, unlike other mythicals, has the unique ability to breed. And when one breeds their Manaphy with a Ditto, the resultant egg hatches a different mythical entirely: Phione...--- Abilities ---Even more than the lack of breeding, nothing [it seems] gets Travelers more fired-up than the PoGo's lack of Pokemon Abilities. This generation will be no different, as there are several species whose abilities define their usefulness (or lack thereof), their character, or their novelty.RegigigasThe legendary creator of the Regi-Trio has a couple quirks that makes him special. When you find him in-game, he is in hibernation mode-- where he's been for millennia. Only when you interact with his slumbering form with Regirock, Regice and Registeel (in that order) at the front of your team does he awaken. (This is itself a pain as the Regis are not native to Diamond, Pearl or Platinum, and must be traded or imported into your Gen 4 account from your Gen 3 one in order to do this.)Regigigas is then encountered and caught at a whopping level 1-- ostensibly because he's been withering away from centuries of sleep.None of that, however, is what makes people worry about the Regi-King. It's his Ability--Slow Start--that does that. This ability halves Regi's massive Attack and solid Speed stats for five whole turns. It's almost identical to Slaking's Truant Ability-- it is an intentional hindrance that prevents an otherwise overpowered 'Mon from ruining the meta (and they add neat nuance to the background and character of these Pokemon).Hippopotas/HippowdonWhen either Hippopotas or its evolution Hippowdon enter battle, their Ability--Sand Stream--whips-up a Sandstorm automatically, with no input from the trainer and no ability to turn it off. This, and the next move on the list, cause small amount of damage to unprotected Pokemon at the end of each turn (as well as other things but let's not get too far into the weeds..)Snover/AbomasnowWhen Gen 4's new Grass/Ice Type Pokemon, Snover or its evolution Abomasnow enter the battle, their Ability--Snow Warning--automatically whip up a Hailstorm.~These last two are likely to be ignored outright since comparable Abilities can be found in Gen 3's Groudon and Kyogre, who each sported similar weather-inducing Abilities (Drought for the former and Drizzle for the latter) in the MSG and nothing of the sort in PoGo...--- Form[e]s ---Another difficulty arises in the form of, well, Formes.GiratinaThe savage new Ghost/Dragon legendary Giratina sports two "Formes"-- Origin Forme, and Altered Forme. When you first encounter it, it's in its Origin Forme and has the Ability Levitate, something that's been long-missing from the arsenal of many Ghost and Flying types (or those who hover at all) in PoGo. Once captured, however, it sprouts legs and changes to its so-called Altered Forme where it loses the Levitate Ability and is susceptible to Ground-type moves. It remains in this forme unless given a special item--the Griseous Orb--to hold, at which point it reverts back to its Origin Forme. These two formes also change Giratina's stats:Giratina FormeHPAttackDefenseSp.AtkSp.DefSpeedBase TotalsOrigin Forme15012010012010090680Altered Forme15010012010012090680.ShayminShaymin is yet another in Sinnoh's long list of legendaries and mythicals, except this one also sports two formes-- Land Forme and Sky Forme. If you give the native Land Forme a Gracidea Flower, it transforms, and so do its stats:Shaymin FormeHPAttackDefenseSp.AtkSp.DefSpeedBase TotalsLand Forme100100100100100100600Sky Forme1001037512075127600.ArceusArceus is the end-all legendary for Gen 4, and has the highest stats of anything (720 Base Totals) until Primals and Megas are introduced in later generations. The oddity with Arceus is that its Type (and that of its signature move Judgement) changes depending on which Plate you give it to hold. As there are [eventually] 17 different Plates introduced, that would mean 17 different versions of Arceus.~Speculating about what Niantic will do with these different forms is about as useful as trying to figure out how they'll handle Deoxys from here on, so I won't bother. haha..--- Spooky Others ---RotomRotom is one of my favorite Sinnoh 'Mon. The lovable little guy has a charming backstory, a neat design (imho), and the unique ability to possess machines (so long as they have a M O T O R) (#clevergirl), and thereby take on different forms. After catching Rotom (whom you first encounter possessing a TV in the haunted Old Chateau) in its base form, you can take it to the Secret Room (using the Secret Key which was a limited-time, event-exclusive item) where you can read all about Rotom and have access to various machines for him to possess.By possessing these, he can change to various forms and types [which have different stats...]RotomPossessingTypingHPAttackDefSp.AtkSp.DefSpeedBase TotalsBase RotomNothingElectric/Ghost505077957791440Heat RotomOvenElectric/Fire506510710510786520Wash RotomWasherElectric/Water506510710510786520Frost RotomFridgeElectric/Ice506510710510786520Fan RotomElectric FanElectric/Flying506510710510786520Mow RotomLawn MowerElectric/Grass506510710510786520As you can see, the utility of Rotom will vary greatly depending on how they choose to implement his various forms. In the game, he can only take on one form at a time, and if you wish to change it, you have to take him back to the Secret Room, drop off the machine he's currently possessing, and let him jump in another..SpiritombAnother of my personal favorites from Gen 4 is the Ghost/Dark type Pokemon, Spiritomb. The problem with him, though, is getting him. First, you need an item called the Odd Keystone, which is the easy part as it can be obtained a couple of different ways. You then place the Keystone into something called the Hallowed Tower on Route 209.But then... gimmick intensifiesIn the Generation 4 games, they introduced The Underground, a maze-like series of tunnels as big as Sinnoh itself into which you could dig and do a bunch of [mostly useless] stuff. The gimmick here is that you could interact with other IRL players in these tunnels, which were a wi-fi connected network. Once you've placed the Odd Keystone in the Tower, you needed to have 32 interactions with other players in The Underground. Then, you return to the overworld and interact with the Hallowed Tower, at which point you encounter Spiritomb-- a Pokemon conglomeration of 108 spirits.Halloween event, Niantic...? ...please?..Phew.I'm not gonna lie-- that was way more ground than I expected to cover when I started writing this this morning. x__xAll told, 40(ish)% of Gen 4 are potentially problematic given the current state of play in PoGo.By my count, there are 20 "regular" families of Pokemon in all of Sinnoh that are neither legendary or special in some way. Everything else--should Niantic stay true to its intentions to preserve the "spirit" of individual and unique Pokemon--will require changes to PoGo as it exists today.Though intended to be an exhaustive list of "problem children" for Gen 4, I have undoubtedly made mistakes and/or omitted things. And as this is Reddit, I'd be disappointed if those omissions and mistakes went unchecked..Thanks for all you do, TSR.-TheGodfatherGus.Edit: Corrected a bit about Ralts' and Snorunt's evolution lines; thank you to the many people who jumped on my mistake :) via /r/TheSilphRoad https://ift.tt/2A4mtVS