Highlights
- Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's expansions, The Teal Mask and The Indigo Disk, will introduce new critters and break traditional rules in the base game.
- The new Pokemon, Poltchageist, breaks three rules set by Toedscool and Wiglett, such as retaining its original name and type.
- Poltchageist's evolution is still a mystery, and its addition of the Grass type raises questions about the future of regional fake Pokemon after Toedscool and Wiglett.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are soon receiving two expansions in the form of The Teal Mask and The Indigo Disk, with the former releasing on September 13 and tackling a story in the land of Kitakami, far away from the region of Paldea where Gen 9 games take place. Kitakami, much like its real-world namesake, is land inspired by Japanese culture and folklore, with examples coming from the relationship between the Loayl Three and Ogerpon or the recently revealed Poltchageist. A regional fake of Gen 8's Sinistea, Poltchageist is an interesting Pokemon thanks to its gameplay features and type combination, but more importantly, it breaks three rules that Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's Toedscool and Wiglett had set for these convergent species.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet broke multiple traditions in the base game, and the DLC expansions are set to achieve the same - albeit with different results and methods, with an example being The Indigo Disk's approach to starter Pokemon. Not a lot is known about either DLC, but both are adding new critters that could reshape the competitive meta, introduce new interactions to the franchise, and revolutionize the written and unwritten rules of the series. As such, Poltchageist could play a critical role in The Teal Mask DLC, and it could break even more rules with its evolution.
How Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's Poltchageist Changes Regional Fake Rules
With only four regional fakes in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, being the Toedscool and Wiglett lines, players didn't have many rules to expect from future iterations of this concept. Still, both these evolution lines shared the same principles, and those made future regional fake Pokemon more likely to abide by them for continuity's and consistency's sake. However, Poltchageist in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet breaks three of those rules already, with the first being its name.
Pokemon Sword and Shield's Sinistea and Polteageist were among the fan-favorite critters from Gen 8, and it makes sense that Gen 9 is adding a new line that draws inspiration from them. Unlike Toedscool and Wiglett (and their respective evolutions), which slightly change the original critter's name to better reflect their new design, Poltchageist is the regional fake or convergent species of Sinistea, but it uses Polteageist's name. This is odd because it makes its identity blurrier compared to the Toedscool and Wiglett evolution lines, and it also poses the question as to what exactly will the critter be called once it evolves.
Furthermore, Poltchageist is the first regional fake Pokemon to retain its original type, something that both Toedscool and Wiglett didn't do. Originally, Tentacool and Tentacruel were Water/Poison critters, whereas Diglett and Dugtrio were Ground-type Pokemon. Toedscool and Toedscruel in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet had their types changed to Ground and Grass, with their design being based on mushrooms. On the other hand, Wiglett and Wugtrio are creatures akin to beach worms, and their original Ground type changed to Water. This also shows the third rule that Poltchageist breaks, which is that Toedscool and Wiglett had their types changed to the originals' opposites on the spectrum.
Water and Ground are antithetical, with Ground being weak to Water. Likewise, Poison and Grass are also opposites, with the former being supereffective against the latter. What follows is that Toedscool and Wiglett both had convergent species that were on the opposite side of the spectrum of types in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet and the series as a whole. Instead, Poltchageist not only retains Ghost as a type, but it also gains Grass, compared to Sinistea and Polteageist being monotypes. One could argue that with Ghost being weak to itself it makes sense for Poltchageist to still be a Ghost-type, but it doesn't explain the addition of Grass. Overall, there's still a lot that could change with the DLC's release, and Poltchageist's evolution remains the biggest mystery of all for regional fakes.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are available now for the Nintendo Switch.
