Hypothetical Meta Changes

So here's hopes at prompting some theoretical discussion around the ever changing beast we know as the pokemon meta. A thread for "what if's" and "if it were this way's" - obviously not to be taken too seriously since it's all hypothetical- but maybe you think there's a change that would really help things, or a small tweak that could totally break things to a laughable point?

Anywho enough babbling, the reason this started is my talking with someone about how terrible Ice typing is asides from a nice offensive stab. 1 resistance? To itself? Really???

I would think it would make sense for ice to resist dragon, and / or flying - it's already super effective on both and just those 2 resistances to its 4 common weaknesses would help a lot of ice types actually be usable.

Thoughts? I don't think it'd be bad if they gave Ice a flying and dragon resist.

i don't think it'd make sense for ice to resist dragon (haxorus could probably still punch a hole in an iceberg) but definitely flying and ice, a bird's got nothing against it really and ice only makes sense. also i feel like water types shouldn't be able to get burned kind of...

I think that Electric could use another weakness, and Dragon would be a great starting point, because it's only super effective against itself. Would certainly do more to check the Rotom spam in the meta right now.

Although I can't logically explain what would physically make electricity vulnerable to a giant lizard.

skyburial said:

I think that Electric could use another weakness, and Dragon would be a great starting point, because it's only super effective against itself. Would certainly do more to check the Rotom spam in the meta right now.

Although I can't logically explain what would physically make electricity vulnerable to a giant lizard.

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i've always thought poison should be super effective on electric, or fire but that'd make fire op (and actually, water makes perfect sense too but for the same reason as fire that's not a good idea lol). anyways poison imo

also about dragons, i feel like dragon is such a unique typing that it kind of makes sense concept wise that it's only SE on itself. i can't think of anything else that would fit concept wise.

Imagine if Scald's burn rate would go up to 50%, on par with Sacred Fire.

AmourPearlShipper said:

Imagine if Scald's burn rate would go up to 50%, on par with Sacred Fire.

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Step 1: Volcanion release
Step 2: Suicune gets Steam Eruption in Gen VII
Step 3: ???
Step 4: Profit

skyburial said:

Step 1: Volcanion release
Step 2: Suicune gets Steam Eruption in Gen VII
Step 3: ???
Step 4: Profit

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That would be good for offensive Suicune, as CM variants wouldn't appreciate Steam Eruption's shit PP.

Steel types still having their Ghost/Dark resistances. Mega Meta would probably be banned, considering how close the suspect went even without those resistances. Aegislash would probably have no chance to return to OU and Knock Off might be less useful, considering that basically every team has at least one Steel type+Mega.

AmourPearlShipper said:

That would be good for offensive Suicune, as CM variants wouldn't appreciate Steam Eruption's muk PP.

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AV Suicune would appreciate it too. Dunno if you've ever run one, but it's typically a combo of Scald, Ice Beam, Snarl, and Mirror Coat these days.

skyburial said:

AV Suicune would appreciate it too. Dunno if you've ever run one, but it's typically a combo of Scald, Ice Beam, Snarl, and Mirror Coat these days.

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Don't like AV Suicune at all. It's weak as hell and has pretty bad coverage, and I wouldn't seriously use it over AV Azumarill.

Yoshikko said:

i don't think it'd make sense for ice to resist dragon (haxorus could probably still punch a hole in an iceberg) but definitely flying and ice, a bird's got nothing against it really and ice only makes sense. also i feel like water types shouldn't be able to get burned kind of...

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My rationality for ice resisting draagon is the same as flying, birds can't handle the cold, even passively. They can't very well fly in a blizzard much less most species even live in cold climates. If the idea behind dragon being weak to ice is the same, and given that dragon is primarily physical (or at least it was before physical / special split) it'd make sense (to me lol) dragons would have a harder time attacking a freezing something. That's how I rationalize it anyways lol - headcanon aside though; I really just want ice to have another resist :c And flying / dragon made the most sense to me. Ice needs reistancesssssss

AmourPearlShipper said:

Imagine if Scald's burn rate would go up to 50%, on par with Sacred Fire.

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Lol NU and UU patrons weep

Isn't scald already an issue for them? It'd basically be every water type carries scald then.

And whoever said water types should be able to be burned; that reeeeeeally makes sense. You can't poison poison types OR steel types; you can't paralyze electric types - or thunder wave ground at least, Fire types being immune to burn really makes sense.... Water types would make sense too. I mean, kinda. You can burn fish lol But things like rain castform, corsola, relicanth, Carracosta, Jellicent, Wash Rotom... how, how would you even burn those lol

Lemme tell ya though things like Gyarados would sure as hell love water types not being able to be burned. Idunno that might be too much for them, waters already pretty advantageous for a number of reasons. And only two weaknesses. If I had to make poison super effective against something else, or give water another weakness, water weak to poison would be my first change. It makes sense yo. Pollution and dilution and stuff.

well if you want a logical explanation to water mons getting burned, boil up water (as that is what happens when u put fire on water, since the energy from the fire is transfered to the water in the form of heat considering a considerable amount of it doesnt get wasted in the atmosphere) now take this water and put it in a balloon. what do u think will happen to the skin?

I would like to see what would happen if they added a new entry hazard that allows people to switch only every other turn. So you could put it up, later when they switch in use a move or set noone expects, and they have to wait another turn letting you KO them or set up.

I would also think it would be intresting for some new useful items, instead of the same few over and over again. buff the absorb bulb and cell battery, if a pokemon with sturdy is brought down to anything more than 1%, than focus band has 95% chance to activate next hit. Also, special version of the rocky helmet.how about a magic mirror? Also, Hidden power fairy.

Some new pokemon I would like to see would be more specially defensive one that resists the combination of fire, air, and flying, (like another fire/electric), a pokemon that has all it's ice type moves priority to kill Lando-P, and so on.
also, more weathers and weather setters. poisonous wind, purified atmosphere, firestorm, and fairy breath (though I don't know what these would do). Who knows, maybe it would be weather dominated like gen 5, but also weather balanced?

Sri / Static, I get why water types can get burned. I mean, most of them aren't actually literal water, they're just fish or fishlike. And you can still definitely burn fish. I could see them not getting burned too tho; but again that may shift some balances.


EvanGalea; I liked your post for the idea of an entry hazard that would prevent switching for one turn alone. That; is such a neat idea lol. I would LOVE to see how that affected the singles metagame. Like, that would be something I would think would become as much or more mandatory than stealth rocks in singles. No doubt it would upset many a player as well; or just flat out be banned by the swaglords. But nonetheless; interesting.

yes plz to a fire/electric type too (that's not heat rotom) ground weakness be damned.

I could also stand for more weather effects. Grassy, Misty, and Electric terrain are all very nice additions in sixth gen, and I do appreciate them (grassy terrain in particular. Guaranteed nobody here knows all the effects grassy terrain actually has. And trust me, there's a pretty fair amount)