Ideas for Pokemon Evolution Methods

ReKoil

ReKoil

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    Not sure if this is the right section tbh, but I feel like it doesn't necessarily have to be an evolution from/for in-game, so this would be the better section?

    Sword/Shield introduced a couple new evolution methods, for example: galar yamask needs to take 49+ damage in one battle and then you need to take it to the big rock thing to evolve it into runerigus. Galar Farfetch'd needs 3 critical hits in one battle to evolve into Sirfetch'd.

    So my question is as follows: what do you think could potentially be a new evolution method in the future, be it in pokemon games or just the pokemon universe in general?
    Or perhaps you'd like to replace a current evolution method with a new one? For example: replace trade evolutions with a method that does not require trading? Replace certain (or all) level up evolutions with time of day or location or affection evolutions? Go crazy =)

    Personally I think a mon that would evolve based on a status condition could be cool. It could start out, say a pure Grass type. It gets poisoned in a battle and survives the battle and evolves to become a Grass/Poison type! However, if it were to have been paralyzed, it would evolve into a Grass/Electric type instead! Burn? Grass/Fire! Frozen? Grass/Ice! Asleep? Grass/Dark!
    Also feel like the current evolution stones have gone underutilized. Most evolve only a handful of pokemon. Why not make, for example, Milotic evolve by Water Stone?
     
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    With the absurd evolution method they gave Galarian Yamask (which should be replaced with...almost anything else, really) I definitely think there are lots of possibilities. Hopefully none that stressful but based on status condition as you said would be interesting, and maybe a few based on having less friendship/learning Frustration? Though that probably won't happen since it's encouraging being mean to your Pokémon haha. But I did see a fanmade Pokémon in a fangame recently that had split evolutions depending on if it learned Return or Frustration and that was a really cool concept! Though I don't know how to rework it so Frustration continued to stay viable, since leveling anything up naturally gives it friendship and reduces Frustration's power.

    Also, a Pokémon in your party evolving only if you catch another specific Pokémon would be neat and unique!
     
    -A spirit (Probably Ghost type) Pokémon designed around the concept of draining energy. It would evolve after draining more than XX HP from a single opponent in battle (and defeating it). It could evolve into different forms depending on the type of the opponent it absorbed energy from, but of course limited to a few specific types (for example Dark or Fairy)

    -A Pokémon that evolves after receiving a critical hit that takes 90% or more of its HP. It would acquire Battle Armor or something similar upon evolving.

    -A (Fighting?) Pokémon that evolves after single-handedly defeating three or more opponents in a single battle.

    I would get rid of trade evolutions because they just never made any sense. Pokémon are supposed to evolve upon achieving something, like reaching a certain level, or a strong friendship bond with their trainer, learning a specific move, etc. or by being exposed to an energy source that powers them up. But what's even the lore explanation for why a Pokémon evolves upon abandoning it and giving it away to someone else?. All these games' speech about raising your Pokémon with love and care goes down the toilet the moment you have to give a Pokémon away so that another person can get its evolved form. The fact that Happiness drops all the way down once a Pokémon is traded is an obvious sign that they don't like to be traded at all.
     
    For Pokemon like Munchlax or Milcery: Feed them a berry three times in one battle.

    For Pokemon like Sneasel and Nickit: Steal a held item

    For a Fighting type Pokemon: Max out its Effort Values

    For friendly Pokemon: Use Celebrate a total of 15 times

    For Pokemon like Inkay: Reach +6 OR -6 in any stat. Evolves very differently based on which occurs. (Could see this as a precursor to Plusle and Minun too.)
     
    Sheep said:
    Though I don't know how to rework it so Frustration continued to stay viable, since leveling anything up naturally gives it friendship and reduces Frustration's power.
    Click to expand...

    Just a thought that immediately popped into a mind upon reading this: the games have an item called Soothe Bell, which helps your pokemon grow friendlier to you faster. maybe add an item that does the opposite? While it holds it it will grow more frustrated until reaching rock-bottom and it stays there. Even if it gains some happiness from leveling up it can be undone again by such an item.
     
    Sheep said:
    Also, a Pokémon in your party evolving only if you catch another specific Pokémon would be neat and unique!
    Click to expand...

    We do kinda have that. Mantyke needs to level up with Remoraid in the party, and Accelgor / Escavalier need to be traded with each other.

    In a broader sense I'd either try to keep away from the more quirky methods like "Flip the game system upside down", "Trade with this specific Pokémon (and they're version exclusives)" or "Take 49 HP damage then go to this place", or go balls to the walls with them.

    Like, if we're going quirky, we're going quirky. Why not steal from Digimon and have "knockout X Pokémon of Y type" as an evolution requirement, or "be bred in captivity + have Pokemon of Z type as a father", or even have "faint in battle" as an evolution method into the Ghost type. Heck, I'd be down to go all the way to "dance around a stone during the full moon" with QTE.

    Is it very weird and different from traditional Pokémon, yup? Could it be awesome and help set the tone of New Pokémon (since they're clearly trying to usher a new era of Pokémon games with different expectations here)? Also yup.

    That said, I do love the status idea given, I think it could be super fun. I'd also suggest that hypothetical Grass Type to evolve into a carnivore plant if they end the battle under Infestation.
     
    ReKoil said:
    Just a thought that immediately popped into a mind upon reading this: the games have an item called Soothe Bell, which helps your pokemon grow friendlier to you faster. maybe add an item that does the opposite? While it holds it it will grow more frustrated until reaching rock-bottom and it stays there. Even if it gains some happiness from leveling up it can be undone again by such an item.
    Click to expand...

    That would be cool! Or maybe they can just evolve and never gain happiness as one of the Pokémon's gimmicks. Probably not the hardest thing for GF to work around.

    Radio said:
    We do kinda have that. Mantyke needs to level up with Remoraid in the party, and Accelgor / Escavalier need to be traded with each other.
    Click to expand...

    Yeah, I meant more actual catches triggering evolutions, not having the required Pokémon already in your party. Those two methods are cool though, and I think it'd be neat to see more of that style!

    faint in battle
    Click to expand...

    This is a really interesting concept for a ghost type and I'm surprised I hadn't thought of it until now.

    Evolution methods differing depending on nature would be interesting to consider too. 👍 A Rash Pokémon could be more likely to evolve via fainting things for example, and a Timid one might be more leaning towards something like leveling up via x number of rare candies since it doesn't like to battle much itself.
     
    The Mantyke/Remoraid situation is what I've always liked, and I think there should be more scenarios like that. With so many Pokes to utilize now, I think that many connections could be made between any two from any generation to work out an evolution condition.
     
    CALL ME OLD FASHIONED, but I believe every Pokemon should evolve by level up, stone, or trade and I'm barely on board with trading. I find all the other methods to be gimmicky or needless.
     
    True. Those three methods are the original Gen 1 methods. Obviously the trading was to encourage people to get out there and interact with each other. GF hasn't really leaned into that over the years as much as I thought they would, instead branching out into a bunch of new, crazy ways to evolve in your solo game.
     
    I've always had the idea of a Pokemon evolving after being hit with a certain kind of move - e.g. a Pokemon with a cocoon evolving after being hit with Cut, Slash, Fury Cutter, etc., because it cut open the cocoon.

    WAIT WAIT WAIT - I have an even better idea: a bug Pokemon that has the "normal" stages of larva, cocoon, bug all achieved through level-up, but then if the cocoon stage gets hit by a cutting move, you get a creepy, half-melted (in a cartoony, Grimer/Ditto way because this is still Pokemon) bug Pokemon, because it got cut out before it was ready!
     
    This is literally an idea factory for my fangame. Thank you all, I will credit you if I steal one idea of yours
     
    Well i have been hearing talk all over the internet of how to make a ghost type eeveelution but i think i have come up with one that would work best within the pokemon world.

    The evolution method would require getting eevee to low friendship and then leveling up eevee while its fainted, this would result in a ghost type eeveelution.

    I am leaning toward the name zombeon but not 100% sure on it.
     
    ReKoil said:
    Not sure if this is the right section tbh, but I feel like it doesn't necessarily have to be an evolution from/for in-game, so this would be the better section?

    Sword/Shield introduced a couple new evolution methods, for example: galar yamask needs to take 49+ damage in one battle and then you need to take it to the big rock thing to evolve it into runerigus. Galar Farfetch'd needs 3 critical hits in one battle to evolve into Sirfetch'd.

    So my question is as follows: what do you think could potentially be a new evolution method in the future, be it in pokemon games or just the pokemon universe in general?
    Or perhaps you'd like to replace a current evolution method with a new one? For example: replace trade evolutions with a method that does not require trading? Replace certain (or all) level up evolutions with time of day or location or affection evolutions? Go crazy =)

    Personally I think a mon that would evolve based on a status condition could be cool. It could start out, say a pure Grass type. It gets poisoned in a battle and survives the battle and evolves to become a Grass/Poison type! However, if it were to have been paralyzed, it would evolve into a Grass/Electric type instead! Burn? Grass/Fire! Frozen? Grass/Ice! Asleep? Grass/Dark!
    Also feel like the current evolution stones have gone underutilized. Most evolve only a handful of pokemon. Why not make, for example, Milotic evolve by Water Stone?
    Click to expand...
    This reminds me of an evolution method I had for tauros in my project where at a certain location you could find a new item called the Old Battle Axe - you have to give it to a male tauros that has anger point (if that is one of its abilities) at i wanna say level 30 or 36 (i forgot what i set its level too in writing) to become the minotaur pokemon Wrathaur. I just had visions of the Tauros running around angrily in a maze like environment as it evolves,its horns grazing against the walls almost like sharpening them to a point in a way etc etc.
     
    Idea : Some Pokémon who would only achieve a new evolution (like, a permanent, fourth stage) in specific events in the game's story :
    Like a Gardevoir in the trainer's team who would save them from a danger, then evolve into a third, new evolution called Farseeraph (yes, could not resist putting that evolution name idea here ^^).
     
    Among the current concepts I have are evolution lines with a unique form of evolution: Tainted/Shadow Mutation. Certain species of pokemon could mutate into entirely new species of pokemon either during a process of purification from a Shadow state or during the process of immense stress inflicted upon their heart/spirit. The process would often be irreversible and the end result could be quite chaotic & dangerous.

    The whole idea for this had inspiration taken from the Distortion Phenomenon & E.G.O manifestation of the Project Moon games, where mental toll can either result in a physical transformation of the individual during the process of mental breakdown should the person give into their underlying emotional instincts, or E.G.O forming if the individual is capable of clinging on to their true egoistic desire. Thus, this form of evolution/mutation would be limited to pokemon that are closely related to their mind or their spirit.
     
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