A Pokemon Scarlet and Violet player gave Baxcalibur a small visual upgrade to improve its appearance. The player posted a side-by-side comparison of the original Pokemon Scarlet and Violet pseudo-legendary dragon and their version to show off the changes.
The term pseudo-legendary Pokemon was invented by Pokemon fans to refer to Pokemon that have three evolutions, 1,250,000 experience at level 100, and a base stat total of 600. So far there are 10 Pokemon that fit those criteria: Dragonite, Tyranitar, Salamence, Metagross, Garchomp, Hydreigon, Goodra, Kommo-o, Dragapult, and Baxcalibur. Pseudo-legendaries tend to be Dragon-type Pokemon, although not always, and their high base stats mean that they are typically more powerful than other non-legendary Pokemon.
Monicabares posted a comparison image to the Pokemon Scarlet and Violet subreddit showing the original Baxcalibur design next to their upgraded version. Monicabares didn't change much when it comes to Baxcalibur's core features, but they added some small touches that give the Pokemon a bit more character. The Pokemon's head plating was extended up into two spikes to give it a more striking silhouette, and some small spike plates were added to the back of its neck and its tail. Monicabares also added some red bands to Baxcalibur's arms that match the red claws on its hands, and gave it an extra armor plate on each knee. This fan design was pretty well received. Pokemon fans doing fun redesigns of their favorite Pokemon is pretty common, and they often turn out to be really cool looking.
Overall, Monicabares' design seems to hit the mark. It doesn't change the main look of the pseudo-legendary Pokemon, but it does make it appear a little bit more imposing, and it adds some more cohesiveness to the smaller cosmetic parts of Baxcalibur's original look. Keeping the core look and general silhouette intact is the key to a good visual upgrade, since that's how players recognize different Pokemon. Of course, more significant changes can be fun, like a fan's shark version of Palafin, but for gameplay purposes it's often better to keep things closer to the original look of the Pokemon.
The Pokemon games continue to get new Pokemon with each entry, and even new evolutions of older Pokemon, and it's a toss up whether players will like or dislike the new Pokemon or new evolution designs. Because of this, it's inevitable that creative fans will keep making awesome redesigns or upgrades for their favorite Pokemon. Although Game Freak has never implemented fan designs into the Pokemon games, maybe it's time they reconsidered that stance.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are out now, exclusively for the Nintendo Switch.
