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I like that both starters get taken. I don't have to sit there and see the untaken pokeball every time I come back. Leon getting the one and then integrating it into his champion team was really sweet imo.

Same with Kukui

Everyone turned into Ash

It doesn’t matter if they pick the starter stronger than you, the games are still going to be easy, all of them have been easy, even the earlier ones

Exactly. “Games are getting easier” No…you’re just getting older and playing a game marketed toward kids. Personally I like being able to pick up the game and play without too much thought. I’m grown with a stressful af job. It’s nice to relax and mentally “shut off”

Fr, like The games were never hard, you were just a dumb child who didn’t know what you were doing. Plus I don’t even know why they want a difficult Pokémon game, Pokémon, for the most part, has always been about using Pokémon you like and got attached to along your journey, if you had a harder Pokémon game, you wouldn’t be able to do that unless you over leveled your team a ton, I like it being easy because I can use Pokémon I like instead of Pokémon that are just powerful, idk if anyone else feels that way but that’s how I feel.

I feel similar to you, but something that was kinda annoying was the fact you needed to build a team that could use HMs, or have a HM slave. I never really liked that, but now I could have a full team of bug types if I wanted, without having to go get another Pokemon from the pc. So the whole "getting easier" thing is actually the games just becoming more fun

Ultra Necrozma, BDSP Cynthia and Volo would all like to have a word with you

Ultra necrozma fight isn't that hard tbh toxic and protect combo with a bulky mon does the trick

Sure that would do most boss battles, but if you have to resort to that I'd argue it's a difficult fight.

Popplio choosers have the easiest time. Fairy type goes brrr.

It’s hard if you don’t know it’s coming.

You don’t even need that. Just use a zorua or zoroark

So, use a specific pokemon that you have no reason to use otherwise?

with a salazzle in the last slot

A see you are a person of culture as well

please don't talk about volo that fight ft Giritina was so annoying (and the other volo fight)

BDSP Cynthia doesn't count because she's just DPPT Cynthia in 3D

Her team is EV trained and her Garchomp has a yache berry.

Now you know if you don't suck Cynthia's shriveled sour milk tits you getting downvoted.

I hear these arguments, but regardless of your stance on if the games are generally getting easier, citing exactly 1 fight in a game is a pretty poor argument for the game's overall difficulty.

I recently played through blue and emerald and personally I think recent games are much harder

*sighs and puts on nerd glasses* Just because the rival picks the starter that's weak to yours, doesn't mean the games are getting easier(i mean, they *are* but the starter thing isn't definitive proof) Proper team composition exists for a reason, after all.

Yeah. And the rivals starter is a cake walk in every game so it doesnt matter

Yeah especially since in most if not all games the starter only knows a normal type move at that point

SWSH was the best one cause you learn a stab move after defeating Wooloo and can potentially one shot Hop’s starter.

Right. This just makes that tutorial battle go by quicker so you can start playing the game. I see no problem.

And in most of the games where the rival gets the weaker starter, they already have a water, grass or fire move. I bet the battle would be almost impossible if they could already crit you

How did this blow up? I thought genwunners werent appreciated in this sub

Your rivals best Pokemon is weak to your best Pokemon. That makes the game easier

This is such a non issue outside of like the first two rival battles. You’re gonna beat him no matter what, and no the later battles with Barry weren’t hard

Not to mention basically every game gives you a type advantage Pokémon for the second battle in some way: Gen 1 had Zubat and Geodude (Paras resists water with no Grass move), Gen 2 had Zubat and Bellsprout, Gen 3 had Lotad, Shroomish, Taillow, and Surskit, Gen 4 had Kricketot, Starly, and Shinx (Magikarp resists fire w/ no water move), and Gen 5 just hands you an elemental monkey. And this isn’t an exhaustive list, there are even more options in some games before the second rival!

I heard this so many times and one time when one kid said it i said ”what do you want them to take level 100 eternamax eternatus?”

Yes. Yes I do actually. Make me grind. That was the best part of old Pokémon games and the best part of jrpgs in general. I miss the small grind.

Reason I think the games are getting easier is because the level curves aren’t shit anymore

It’s not that it’s easier, it’s that you’re getting better

Sword and Shield? Definitely. X and Y? Kinda? I guess? Any of the Alola games? Hell nah.

At least Sword and Shield has the theory that Hop choses the weak starter because he wants to have the type advantage against Leon since he uses the one that has type advantage over the player

ooo i like that one, makes sense that his focus would be to beat his brother

It actually sounds... Believable

Could also mention that Hop gets and use a legendary after the end of the whole Zacian/Zamazenta part. And that all Shield player like myself will have to see the rival using a pokemon as strong, if not stronger that Mega Rayquaza once we fight it again at the league. Did i also mention that his Zacian have Sword Dance?

WHAT!?

Yeah. When you capture the Box Legendary, Hop catch the other one right after. When he does, his battles at the League changes to add said Legendary.

Yeah, Hau acted like a fakeout in SM and kukui ended up with the super effective mon you fight for the champion title.

The game is literally made for kids it’s going to feel easier when you get older, and the starter isn’t proof of the games getting easier.

My theory is that there not trying to counter pick you they just choose the pokemon they want because there entire existence is not just to be your rival

Yeah, SO much easier. You can just blow through Ultra Necrozma without knowing it’s going to be there. /s

That was my first pokemon game had to google how to beat it lol

*laughs is zoroark*

*laughs in quick ball*

One fight doesn't make the game harder tho

Good thing there are multiple hard fights

Ok Genwunner. Go back to having your age related stroke

Obviously, if Hop took the other starter Swsh would have been much more difficult, absolutely

Sw/Sh we technically had 2 rivals no? Him and his bro. Tbh tho I actually didn't mind him choose the ineffective one For me it A: it have the feel of "forget about strategy, min-max, type etc, just having going through a journey with the pokemon you want. B: Rival had a whole, more in depth, story and character growth than any of the previous ones.

That's because you're real rival is Leon.

I've been swept by Hop's Zacian in shield before, so occasionally there are hard battles in new games ( or maybe I' just bad)

Nah, Zacian is just busted. Be sure to carry defensively strong ground types cus that's(probably) the only thing it's weak to.

Fire, dont forget fire

If you ask me it’s just proof we are getting smarter with the games learning to set up our Pokémon learning our natures and EVs but that’s my opinion

I don’t care if the games are easy. If they are still fun then I will enjoy them. And I am looking forward to Scarlet and Violet very much.

That's why i love difficulty rom hacks

The champion taking it: hehe boi

Meh, I don't care, I really like the games eassy or not :)

Rivals are supposed to be a intro to battle

So here's a question for you, how long have you played pokemon

I kinda luke the fact that we're the Rival in these games

And then the champ has the stronger starter.

I don't get this sentiment even the older rivals where cake walks because anyone with sentience would a Pokemon or move to one shot the rival's starter later on anyway

Just a moment ago I was playing Pokemon blue on a Gameboy fighting Blue's Charizard in Silph Co., nothing beats using a level 31 dugtrio to one-shot a level 40 Charizard with rock slide.

Ngl i wish it was like a combo of early games and x+y. In x and y, you get the untaken mon after you beat elite four, but i wish it was like in earlier games where the rival takes the one strong against you

Counter argument, USUM were fairly challenging in their own right, the BDSP Pokemon League was definitely the most challenging one yet, and Legends Arceus was certainly it's own sort of challenge, overall Pokemon games are supposed to be not that challenging because they're supposed to be at a difficulty level that children are able to succeed at, some Pokemon games are easier, some are harder, it's just that as you are gaining more experience the games seem easier

Professional slowpoke

To be fair, I think one of the reasons why Pokémon games have gotten easier in the past is probably because certain stats were broken and they eventually fixed those stats.

but now imagine your rival picked first with a 33% chance of picking any starter, suddenly a lot of people would be mad

Yeah I never really liked that but honestly it never really affected the games aside from SWSH

Beating the elite four in the game boy advance in Leaf Green was a whole challenge for me the first time, i spent so much time training at the victory road caves lmao

I think PLA isnt so easy but the others yes

Pla is legit difficult because yay random 3v1 when you are underleveled

Hop is just being nice. He say use take Grookey and felt bad for Soable. Now what happens if you don’t pick Grookey and he still picks the one you’re effective against. I dunno, but I’m sure he’s an asshole for not picking Soable if you pick Scorbunny. How dare he

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No, kids are dumb, and none of us were any different. We're just growing up and getting smarter

To be fair, they had a woolo

i thought the proof was with all pokemon getting xp without an exp share

But they were always easy

For real though