Unveiling Pokémon Scarlet and Violet's Evolved Form of Polteageist: A Revolutionary Transformation!

Highlights

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet introduced new ideas that will likely continue in future games, including the upcoming DLC expansions.

The leaked evolution of Poltchageist in The Teal Mask DLC is a disappointing missed opportunity. It goes against expectations by breaking several established rules for regional fake Pokemon in the Gen 9 games. Rather than being a different Pokemon altogether, the evolution, Sinistcha, is simply Polteageist with Sinistea's name.

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet brought a fresh perspective to the beloved franchise, introducing innovative ideas that should continue to be incorporated in future generations, including the anticipated DLC expansions. These games broke away from the traditional formula by featuring Professor Sada and Turo in dynamic roles, as well as abandoning the concept of tall grass that had been a staple in previous mainline games. The pressure is already mounting for the upcoming titles, even before their official announcements. The recent trailer for the first DLC, The Teal Mask, revealed the introduction of a new critter called Poltchageist. However, the leaked evolution of this Pokemon, unfortunately, falls short of the promising potential it initially hinted at. In Generation 9, the introduction of regional forms, known as regional fake Pokemon, was met with mixed reactions. These new creatures, although sharing similarities in names and appearances with existing Pokemon, offered a lukewarm addition to the gaming experience. Only two of these regional fake Pokemon were included in the base games: Toedscool in Pokemon Scarlet and Wiglett in Pokemon Violet, inspired by the Tentacool and Diglett lines, respectively. Poltchageist was anticipated to be a groundbreaking addition in many ways, but its leaked evolution fails to meet those expectations.

Poltchageist's Leaked Evolution Sinistcha Missed a Big Opportunity in The Teal Mask

Rumors surrounding the Pokemon Poltchageist have been circulating for some time now, primarily fueled by Pokemon insider Riddler Khu. Khu is well-known for their insights into the Pokemon world and they initially sparked speculation about an edible Pokemon with a Scarlet and Violet regional variant. These rumors centered around four specific Pokemon - Weezing, Swalot, Drifblim, and Spiritomb - who were said to be gaining the Grass type in exchange for their Ghost or Poison types. Khu even posed a question to fans, asking if any of these four would be the actual regional variant. However, they later hinted that it would be Sinistea with a matcha tea theme.

When Poltchageist was finally revealed, it matched exactly what fans had anticipated. However, it went against three regional variant rules that were deduced by looking at Toedscool and Wiglett. In fact, both Toedscool and Wiglett retained similar names to their original forms, but they not only changed their original types, they obtained new types that were the complete opposite - Toedscool became Ground/Grass instead of Water/Poison, and Wiglett became Water instead of Ground. Therefore, when Poltchageist was announced as Grass/Ghost and also as a regional variant of Sinistea, it defied these established patterns.

The leaked evolution for Poltchageist in Pokemon, known as Sinistcha, is an interesting twist as it reverses the original Pokemon's name while maintaining its Grass and Ghost types. Instead of simply combining Sinistea and Polteageist, the evolution could have merged different creatures to create a unique concept. Some fans even envisioned the evolution as a Spiritomb regional variant associated with matcha tea, which would have subverted players' expectations regarding Gen 9's gimmick.

In future generations, if regional variants continue to exist, they could follow different rules once again. Game Freak has numerous possibilities for creating new Pokemon inspired by existing lines, and combining them could bring a refreshing approach compared to regional variants like Toedscool and Wiglett. Such innovation could also introduce new gimmicks, such as the community-made concept of Pokemon fusions, allowing for endless creative possibilities.

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are available now for the Nintendo Switch.