Vibrava · Holon Phantoms (HP) #54

9 comments

1. 

   Strč prst skrz krk

   (5 months ago)

   Cool that this bug-looking evolution line became bug-type as delta species
   

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     AmbassadorStrč prst skrz krk

     (5 months ago)

     Or Grass, or Poison! The cards do nothing to confirm or hint at the right answer – in fact, there’s only a handful of Delta Species Pokémon with ‘ambiguous’ colors that actually confirm the intended typing. (Incidentally, Flygon ex DF92 is one of the cards that does, since ‘Psychic Pulse’ clears up whether it’s intended to be Psychic or Ghost pretty cleanly.)

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       Strč prst skrz krkAmbassador

       (5 months ago)

       True! But I do think it’s likely bug-type, given that this evolution line is inspired by antlions.
       https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antlion

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         AmbassadorStrč prst skrz krk

         (5 months ago)

         That’s not really how it worked with Delta Species. Initially it was to help get a bit more variety in types that didn’t have a lot of Pokémon to represent them in the TCG – Lightning and Metal specifically; and because they had been using Magnemite and Magneton as cure-alls for the lack of options for both those types, by the end of Gen 3’s TCG block they were tied for fifth place insofar as how many prints they had.

         There isn’t really any correspondence to the type a Pokémon is given as part of the Delta Species mechanic. I’d guess it’s just as likely the line was assigned the grass type because Flygon’s body and wings are green, but, again, there’s also a Psychic Flygon line that doesn’t correspond to either – the focus was on variety.

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           AmbassadorAmbassador

           (5 months ago)

           (Another wrench in all this: if you take a look at Latios ex δ DF96, which has an Ice and a Water attack printed on the same card, there’s technically nothing stopping this Vibrava from being dual Grass/Bug, or Grass/Poison, or Poison/Bug.)

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           Strč prst skrz krkAmbassador

           (5 months ago)

           That’s a good point about water/ice Latios ex!
           But I disagree when you say there “isn’t really any correspondence to the type a Pokémon is given.” A few Pokemon with “hidden” types–that were explored in later gens as regional forms or mega evolutions–were first teased at/experimented with in delta form. (poison-type Wooper; darkness-type Meowth; ghost-type Typhlosion; dragon-type Ampharos)

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           AmbassadorAmbassador

           (5 months ago)

           Pedantic maybe, but those are most likely coincidental. For any regional form that happened to match a Delta type assigned to it, we’ve gotten plenty more that didn’t. Alolan Exeggutor isn’t Fighting, Ground, or Rock, Alolan Marowak and Raichu aren’t Steel types, etc. (To say nothing of there being much less overlap with any typings Pokémon gained on Mega Evolution.) I do think there’s something going on where Delta Species does seem to be an inspiration, on some level, for Gen 9’s impending Terestal gimmick, but I don’t think anyone was thinking “wow, remember when we made Wooper a grass type in the TCG? That was super neat, we need to specifically revisit that exact concept in the games.”

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           Strč prst skrz krkAmbassador

           (5 months ago)

           Wooper and Typhlosion could be pure coincidences. But I think Meowth/Persian, Ampharos, and Ninetales (psychic type) have all been dark, dragon, and ghost type “in spirit” since gen 1 & 2. And I think δ types gave the TCG an opening to explore that, further.
           But you’re certainly right that most of the typings are purely random! Fire-type Ludicolo δ is absolutely a riot, and I doubt we’ll ever see a fire-type Lotad line ever again.

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           AmbassadorAmbassador

           (5 months ago)

           Yeah, I’d concede Ampharos could well have been a deliberate nod to its name (Denryu – ‘electric dragon’).