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October 4, 2013

Top 12 Pokémon That Could Get New Evolutions

Well, well... This is October. The perfect time to release our inner beast, watch horror movies until midnight, listen to not-quite-Satanic music and have a little Treehouse of Horror marathon. Well, it's better as you approach the end of October, anyway. However, this year, it's even more special. In case you're following the Nintendo news, you probably noticed that something will happen this month. Yes, guys and gals, I'm speaking of Pokémon X and Y, the SIXTH GENERATION! Oh yeah, Pokémon gets even more complicated now! And since it's such an awesome occasion, I dedicate October to Pokémon!

So, Game Freak revealed once in a while a new Pokémon from Generation 6, starting with the starters (Chespin, Fennekin and Froakie), a new evolution for Eevee, and two legendary Pokémon. And since then, we've had many great news. More new Pokémon, the all-new Fairy type (which I think will add an interesting aspect to the games, I mostly wonder if more Pokémon from Gen 5 and previous will have a change of typing) and the Mega Evolutions (a new strategic aspect that I'm not a big fan of, but I'll explain why later).

Just one of a few examples of new evolutions.
Anyway, if you know the Pokémon Dexes well, you know the even generations had a lot of pre-evolutions and evolutions of Pokémon revealed in the preceding Generations. Gen 2 had baby forms of many Pokémon, as well as a few evolutions or additional forms. Generation 4 did the same, except it had new evolutions for Pokémon from all three preceding gens. Generation 6 will be the same way. I hope. This means only one thing: Many Pokémon will get new forms, might it be an evolution or a pre-evolution. Even if it isn't the case with this Gen, some Pokémon still DESPERATELY need some love from the development team. And for today's article, I list 12 of the preceding Pokémon families that really should get new forms someday or in this new Gen.


For this, I got the help of my friend the Poké-addict friend Laura, who knows more about Pokémon than all my other friends combined, as well as the Brawl In The Family forum. I also listened to a dozen Youtube videos on the subject. Hopefully you'll enjoy this list! Also, remember that this is all opinion-based. You can disagree with any of the choices on here. Also, please remember that Generations 2 and 4 had a lot of pre-evolutions to previously-existing families, so I'm going to mention a few examples of possible pre-evolutions. Last but not least, Pokémon with Mega Evolutions were confirmed not to evolve again, therefore theyre not on the list (sorry Absol, Mawile and Kangaskhan).

Remember that this article contains a number of links to pictures by fans, therefore unofficial material. I congratulate those fans for their wonderful imagination. Those pictures of Fake Pokémon aren't mine; credit goes to their artists.

12. Tauros and Miltank
Now, now, Tauros is already a good Pokémon! Except, I said not even two sentences ago that I included possible pre-evolutions. What do Tauros and Miltank have in common? They're bovines, one a bull, the other a cow. Plus, Tauros can only be male, Miltank can only be female. Clearly, those two NEED to have something linking them together. That's why some creative fans came up with a species that would have equal chances of being either gender (50/50), and the baby Pokémon would evolve into a Tauros if male, or into a Miltank if female. Additionally, both bovines would be able to breed together at the DayCare. I believe it's a brilliant idea that Game Freak should include. Personally, I'm hopefully waiting for such a re-veal (pun!). They could then do the same for, say, Volbeat and Illumise!

11. Zangoose and Seviper
Those two were enemies in Gen 3. Neither of them gained anything in Generation 4. There are Pokémon who just end up forgotten after a while, because of all the new releases. Yet, Zangoose and Seviper have a lot of potential that ends up wasted! ...They need evolutions that will make them look even more awesome. I'm sure that's possible. And maybe not just that; we could also get pre-evolutions for them. Imagine a smaller Seviper or a baby Zangoose. Would those pre-evolutions be good at competitive battling? No! But Pokémon is also about taking care of your companions, evolving them and discovering new species. Not just battling. Expect this message to come up very often this month. Whatever, I think Zangoose and Seviper could get a buff, and I'm far from the only one thinking that.

10. Lapras
Lapras is one of the remaining few Pokémon from Gen 1 that still didn't get a new evolution at all. Yet, you'll tell me “But Lapras is already competitive!” I understand. I never meant Lapras to evolve, either. Lapras is a large animal, eight feet tall and a little longer than that. It's kind of hard to believe that this wonderful, gracious beast was born like this. No, there has to be a Pokémon that came before Lapras, maybe an animal similar to Lapras, except without that shell on its back... Even if it's only half a Lapras' size, it would still be an impressive creature. Okay, maybe four feet tall isn't THAT big, but hey, for a baby, it would still be pretty large. All I'm saying, it's that a pre-evolution to Lapras could be caught earlier in the game, and evolving it early could give the player a great, strong Lapras before the game starts getting hard. Make it happen, Game Freak!

9. Qwilfish
Quite a lot of Pokémon in the second generation were forgotten by time. The Sunkern family, the Wooper family, Shuckle, Corsola, Delibird, Skarmory, Stantler, Smeargle... Others were saved and got either a pre-evolution or an evolution in Gen 4. For this one, it's not the case. Poor Qwilfish, one of the most forgotten Pokémon of all, used in battle by only one trainer in some games. The fish flail needs some love. It really does. It needs a new badass look, maybe to look more like a steel flail. Because for the moment, it's kind of pitiful. Its stats are not exactly amazing either, so it could use that good boost. There's a lot of possibilities for an evolution! If there's one thing you gotta admit from the design team at Game Freak, it's that they come up with excellent designs most of the time. Other times, fans do that work for them. All you need is a little creativity!

8. Dunsparce
Another joke of the Pokémon world, Dunsparce is bizarrely rare in many games, and yet has next to no purpose. Its stats aren't terrible, but not really awesome either. He's like stuck as a lame snake-like entity with tiny wings. Come on, he needs to make those wings grow! If the design team and Ken Sugimori tried, they could come up with something really cool, such as, I dunno... A Japanese dragon style for it, in the same vein as Rayquaza (except not as strong, of course), a truly epic design with good stats that come with it. All this together should become a memorable beast. And we know there's been a lot of memorable beasts through the years, through the Generations. This 'Sparce could don a new appearance. (Gosh, I'm unstoppable with puns today!)
7. Pinsir
Pinsir and Scyther were a pair in the very first Generation, and then they got a third friend as Heracross in the second. However, out of all those, only Scyther gained an evolution! Technically, it's not an evolution (as the stats are not “really” increased), it's just a stat redistribution and a new typing, as adding all six stats for Scyther and Scizor results in the same amount. Say, why not give such an evolution to Pinsir? Its stats wouldn't change either, they would just get redistributed, and maybe Pinsir would get a different typing would the player decide to evolve it. Truly a marvelous idea that should be explored more. Unless the Mega Evolutions will be directed more toward (Oh, and if that's not asking for too much, maybe a pre-evolution for Scyther, Pinsir and Heracross? Yeah, I like pre-evolutions.)

6. Jynx
Up until the fourth Generation, Jynx was part of a trip with Electabuzz and Magmar. They were Pokémon mirrors of the legendary birds, having the same three main types (namely, Electric, Ice and Fire). In Generation 2, all three got a baby form: Smoochum, Elekid and Magby. Yet, in Generation 4, Jynx was suddenly forgotten as Electabuzz and Magmar got evolutions, Electivire and Magmortar respectively. This sucks for the poor Jynx, who was already the token “woman” of the three, and now is also the weakest. Jynx needs to regain her place with the two others. Maybe she could become a "prettier" Pokémon, to mirror Electivire and Magmortar, which are rather ugly... Plus, Jynx is one of the only Gen 1 Pokémon who still have a unique type combination. She deserves to regain her place among the Rival Trio.

5. Torkoal
The volcanic rock turtle always looks awesome. It's a very cool design, not to mention a great concept. Why was it forgotten in Generation 4? Nobody knows. But even though Torkoal is more recent than most of the others on this list, it has gained quite a fan base. ...Well, just like every Pokémon family out there. And it's quite sad that it didn't gain any new form. As such, Fakemon creators tried to imagine new evolutions, such as the turtle's back becoming a literal volcano. Epic. Considering its stats, it could also use a pre-evolution, but for this one it's nowhere as important as an evolution.
You know, one sad detail about those forgotten Pokémon families is that not everyone enjoys Fakemon, and as a result they won't accept fan designs. That's why those forgotten families need to come back into the new Generations. We need official designs!

4. Banette
The odd-numbered generations had a lot of cases where Pokémon were part of unofficial rivalries or teams. Hitmonlee and Hitmonchan, the Jynx/Electabuzz/Magmar trio, the Zangoose/Seviper rivalry... Gen 3 was no exception to this. Two Ghost Pokémon appeared, Shuppet and Duskull. The two of them could evolve, into Banette and Dusclops respectively. Sadly, the even-numbered generations also brought in a VERY unfair case where rivals or teammates would gain new, powered-up evolutions while others were forgotten. Jynx, Pinsir... and Banette. You see, Dusclops gained a new evolution in Gen 4, a strong creature named Dusknoir, while Banette... got nothing. That sucks for the voodoo doll, which has so much potential and could become just as cool !

3. Farfetch'd
Farfetch'd was created almost as a joke. The whole point behind him is that he represents a proverb that goes somewhere along the lines of “ just because it's rare doesn't mean it's worth it”. Or something like that. The only way you could get a Farfetch'd in the original generation (minus Pokémon Yellow) was to give a Spearow to a village, and he'd give you the little stick-wielding duck. Farfetch'd has been forgotten ever since, and it's kind of sad, because he's kind of cute (never underestimate the cuteness proximity), and he has great potential, such as becoming a larger bird wielding one more stick and fighting with them! Once again, fans thought about this and came up with truly impressive designs. Actually, Farfetch'd has potential to become a Flying/Fighting dual-type Pokémon, which is a typing we haven't seen in the first five Gens. Here's not just one example, but three examples!

Special mention as well to all the other “joke” Pokémon: Delibird, Luvdisc, Spinda... and there's probably a few more that I forgot. All those are gimmick Pokémon before even being good Pokémon, and they all need a little something to take them out of the pool of lame Pokémon. That little something is usually an evolution.

2. Girafarig
The Normal-type Pokémon have always been an odd case; in the first generation, there was nothing else than pure Normal-types or Normal/Flying-type Pokémon. The later generations added new Normal/Something Else typings, but the first of all of them was Girafarig in Generation 2. Being a Normal/Psychic typing, Girafarig was the only Psychic-type who was protected against ghosts. And has been away from Game Freak's radar ever since.
And that's sad. Girafarig has potential, not only to get a pre-evolution, but also a cool evolution that puts that Chain Chomp head tail to use. I  saw some designs on Internet that are really impressive. I swear, Girafarig NEEDS a boost. And, like many other fans, I'm hoping this cute giraffe Pokémon gets one soon!

1. Sableye
One of the greatest injustices in Pokémon. Or, at least, I know quite a few fans who were enraged when they saw this strange case. Sableye appeared in the third generation, and he had a typing that removed all weaknesses. Also, he was a single-form Pokémon, no pre-evolution nor an evolution. However, his stats were pretty lame, which hinted at an evolution in the future, since it's a Pokémon that has so much potential. Comes Generation 4, with lots and lots of pre-evolutions and evolutions to previously existing families... and Spiritomb.
Spiritomb had the exact same type combination as Sableye AND better stats! Many considered this to be an injustice for poor Sableye, who had everything to deserve an evolution. Even if he is already relatively good with his lack of weaknesses and special ability, he could use a new evolution. Plus, I know the team behind the Pokémon series CAN make a balanced evolution for pretty much all the Pokémon that need one. They've done that for a number of Pokémon with the second and fourth generations, and Generation 6 will also have lots of cases like this. Hopefully. Give Sableye some love, Game Freak!

Well... That's all I got for the moment. Through my research, I saw well over thirty different Pokémon families that were suggested by fans, families from all the generations, families that needed a boost or, on the contrary, something to make them available earlier or more easily in the game. Some of those ideas, some of those Fakemon are brilliant. The Pokémon series is one of the series the fans have the most fun with, not only when it comes to battling in competitions or just collecting, but also when it comes to creativity. That's the best thing about the Pokémon fandom, in my opinion. I'm gonna dedicate a whole Fun Stuff article to those Fakemon soon enough.
Anyway, I hope you liked this list. Next week, barely ONE DAY before the release of Pokémon X and Y, I'll post a review of a Pokémon game. Which one, you ask? If you saw my schedule on the side bar, you know what game it will be: Pokémon Snap!

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