Summary
Some creativePokemon Scarlet and Violetplayers make a fun new variant of the classic rock-paper-scissors game using only Hitmonchan, the Punching Pokemon. The Indigo Disk DLC forScarletandVioletwas dropped earlier this month, expanding upon the ninth generation titles. This DLC would introduce a new legendary Pokemon, Terapagos, along with allowing a bunch offamiliar Pokemon to be caught in the Indigo Disk DLC. These include critters that originated from the Kanto and Johto regions.
Tyrogue and its evolutionary line can be caught inScarlet and Violet’s Indigo Disk DLC, with all three of its final stages having specific evolution requirements and stat lines. Hitmonchan, for example, evolves from Tyrogue when it reaches level 20 and its defense stat is higher than its attack. Some creative fans have created a fun variant of rock-paper-scissors using Hitmonchan’s new move set inScarlet and Violet.
This game of rock-paper-scissors was originally posted on Twitter by Japanese user Takoyaki, who shared aPokemon Scarlet and Violetclip of a battle between two Hitmonchans. Their Hitmonchans only knew three moves, all fighting type physical attacks: Mach Punch, Focus Punch, and Upper Hand. These three moves had specific properties that relied on the priority of attacking the opponent, such as Mach Punch always allowing the Pokemon using it to attack first. This can lead to a series of mind games where each player has to out-predict which move that they will use, as one has an advantage when used against another. In this game, Upper Hand beats Mach Punch, Mach Punch beats Focus Punch, and Focus Punch beats Upper Hand.
A tweet responding to this clip by user SoulSurVGC or Jeudy complimented the activity, as it takes out the elemental rock-paper-scissors and othercompetitive aspects of Pokemonand boils it down to something simple and fun. They considered that it would be a fun regional side event, even trying out the format on the Pokemon Showdown simulator site.
Some noted that this variant was pretty similar toPokemon Stadium’s mini games. Others raised concerns about how this format in theory sounds balanced, but in practice, could be unbalanced considering the element of speed ties, with players going for the hardest hitting attack with Focus Punch. Jeudy noted that this format still captures the essence of thePokemonseries, which is a game of rock-paper-scissors with unbalanced rewards. Many thought that this variant’s mind games also made for a thrilling challenge of predicting their opponent’s next move.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet
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Pokemon Scarlet and Pokemon Violet are the first games in Generation IX of the long-running franchise.
