Highlights

  • A new variant of the classic rock-paper-scissors game has been created by Pokemon Scarlet and Violet players using only Hitmonchan.
  • The Indigo Disk DLC for Scarlet and Violet introduced a new legendary Pokemon and familiar Pokemon from the Kanto and Johto regions.
  • The Hitmonchan variant of rock-paper-scissors relies on the priority of attacking moves, creating a series of mind games and predicting opponents' moves.

Some creative Pokemon Scarlet and Violet players make a fun new variant of the classic rock-paper-scissors game using only Hitmonchan, the Punching Pokemon. The Indigo Disk DLC for Scarlet and Violet was dropped earlier this month, expanding upon the ninth generation titles. This DLC would introduce a new legendary Pokemon, Terapagos, along with allowing a bunch of familiar Pokemon to be caught in the Indigo Disk DLC. These include critters that originated from the Kanto and Johto regions.

Tyrogue and its evolutionary line can be caught in Scarlet and Violet's Indigo Disk DLC, with all three of its final stages having specific evolution requirements and stat lines. Hitmonchan, for example, evolves from Tyrogue when it reaches level 20 and its defense stat is higher than its attack. Some creative fans have created a fun variant of rock-paper-scissors using Hitmonchan's new move set in Scarlet and Violet.

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This game of rock-paper-scissors was originally posted on Twitter by Japanese user Takoyaki, who shared a Pokemon Scarlet and Violet clip of a battle between two Hitmonchans. Their Hitmonchans only knew three moves, all fighting type physical attacks: Mach Punch, Focus Punch, and Upper Hand. These three moves had specific properties that relied on the priority of attacking the opponent, such as Mach Punch always allowing the Pokemon using it to attack first. This can lead to a series of mind games where each player has to out-predict which move that they will use, as one has an advantage when used against another. In this game, Upper Hand beats Mach Punch, Mach Punch beats Focus Punch, and Focus Punch beats Upper Hand.

A tweet responding to this clip by user SoulSurVGC or Jeudy complimented the activity, as it takes out the elemental rock-paper-scissors and other competitive aspects of Pokemon and boils it down to something simple and fun. They considered that it would be a fun regional side event, even trying out the format on the Pokemon Showdown simulator site.

Some noted that this variant was pretty similar to Pokemon Stadium's mini games. Others raised concerns about how this format in theory sounds balanced, but in practice, could be unbalanced considering the element of speed ties, with players going for the hardest hitting attack with Focus Punch. Jeudy noted that this format still captures the essence of the Pokemon series, which is a game of rock-paper-scissors with unbalanced rewards. Many thought that this variant's mind games also made for a thrilling challenge of predicting their opponent's next move.