Galarian Pokemon That Should’ve Been In Scarlet & Violet

Summary

Galarian Pokemon like Nickit & Thievul, Clobbopus & Grapploct, and Yamper & Boltund would have been nice additions to Pokemon Scarlet and Violet.
Some of these Pokemon have unique abilities and stats that could have added more to the gameplay.
The developers likely excluded these Pokemon to focus on promoting the new Pokemon introduced in Scarlet and Violet.

With over 100 brand-new Pokemon added to the franchise in Pokemon Scarlet and Pokemon Violet, it's only natural that every Pokemon debuting in Sword/Shield couldn't make the cut. Paldea is home to Gen 9-exclusive Pokemon as well as familiar faces from past generations.

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However, there are some Galarian Pokemon that would have been at home in Paldea's environment. While it's likely the Galarian Starters and Legendary Pokemon will eventually cross into Scarlet & Violet via 7-Star Tera Raids (like Cinderace), the following Pokemon would have been nice to see at launch.

Updated on January 22, 2024 by Renri Seong: With the full release of Pokemon Scarlet & Violet's expansion pass, Pokemon from previous generations have made a return to Gen 9. This includes those that made their debut in Gen 8's Pokemon Sword & Shield. The Blueberry Pokedex of the Indigo Disk DLC adds 243 entries for trainers to fill out. The majority of these Pokemon are actually the returning Pokemon from Gens 1-8. Before Indigo Disk dropped, the following list featured Galarian Pokemon that were unobtainable in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet. It has now been updated to replace some pre-existing entries as well as add more information on each species listed below.

7 Nickit & Thievul

Fox Pokemon

These vulpine Pokemon are pure Dark-type that are quite distinct from the other foxlike Pokemon: Vulpix and Fennekin. Nickit could be caught as early as Route 1 in Sword/Shield with a 5% chance of appearing as a visible encounter. Once Nickit reached level 18, it would evolve into Thievul. Both Nickit and Thievul have average - meager stats with low Attack and Defense, but solid Special Attack, Special Defense, and Speed. However, what makes Thievul stand out is its Ability, Stakeout. This will double Thievul's offensive stats against an opponent Pokemon that has been switched out.

Nickit and Thievul are known for being cunning Pokemon that steal food and eggs from others. Scarlet/Violet's new Picnic feature would be ideal for the Nickit-family. From a gameplay-standpoint, Thievul and Nickit both suffer from a learnset built of mostly Physical moves, when their Special Attack greatly outweighs their Attack stat. Making some adjustments such as adding Dark Pulse to its learnset, could've done these Pokemon some good.

Super-effective against:	Ghost, Psychic
Weak to:	Bug, Fairy, Fighting
Resistant to:	Ghost, Dark
Immune to:	Psychic

6 Clobbopus & Grapploct

Tantrum & Jujitsu Pokemon

pokemon sword shield clobbopus grapploct-1

Despite being based on an octopus, Clobbopus and Grapploct aren't a Water-type, but rather a Fighting-type Pokemon. Their Attack, particularly Grapploct, is at a base stat of 118 with Speed being their weakest stat. Clobbopus will evolve into Grapploct once it learns Taunt (level 35). Alternatively, players could teach it Taunt much earlier if they had TR 37. Grapploct gains the unique, Fighting-type move Octolock, which prevents its opponent from switching out and will lower their Defense and Special Defense by one stage at the end of every turn.

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These Pokemon are known for crawling on land in search of a challenge, and in Sword/Shield, they'll confront the player character if they spot one. Since Scarlet/Violet is open world with no shortage of water, it would've been interesting to see Clobbopus and Grapploct swimming around in the waters of Paldea. While Grapploct's arch-enemy, Golisopod, doesn't appear in Paldea either, Grapploct could be a frustrating Pokemon to face in battle, or a solid addition to the team.

Super-effective against:	Normal, Ice, Rock, Steel, Dark
Weak to:	Flying, Psychic, Fairy
Resistant to:	Bug, Dark, Rock
Immune to:	N/A

5 Yamper & Boltund

Puppy & Dog Pokemon

Scarlet/Violet has no shortage of canine Pokemon with newcomers Fidough/Dachsbun and Maschiff/Mabosstiff. However, Yamper has made quite a name of itself since its debut, particularly Professor Cerise's Yamper in the Pokemon Journeys anime. Once it evolves into Boltund, it has amazing Speed and good Attack and Special Attack, making it a great battler if it's well-trained.

Boltund's stated in the Pokedex to break 50mph, so imagine seeing Boltund... Bolting across the open fields of Paldea. Or even Yamper running up to the player character. While Boltund itself doesn't appear in Scarlet/Violet, it does appear as the mascot for Capbourg, a hat store in Mesagoza, Cascarrafa, and Levincia. It's very likely Yamper and Boltund were excluded because the developers didn't want them to overshadow the new dog Pokemon: Greavard, Maschiff, Fidough, and their respective evolutions.

Super-effective against:	Flying, Water
Weak to:	Ground
Resistant to:	Electric, Flying, Steel
Immune to:	N/A

4 Blipbug, Dottler, & Orbeetle

Larva, Radome, & Seven Spot Pokemon

pokemon sword shield blipbug dottler orbeetle-1

Blipbug served as the "early Bug-type Pokemon" in Galar. It would evolve into the Bug/Psychic-type Dottler at level 10, and then Orbeetle at level 30. Orbeetle itself was capable of Gigantamaxing into a UFO. Orbeetle is one of the few Bug-types with a base stat total that breaks 500. It may not be a great Physical Attacker, but it has incredible Defense, Special Defense, and is even fast enough to move before (most of) its opponents. Orbeetle is definitely one of the few Bug-types that can be caught in its first-stage, and remains on the team well into late-game.

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In Scarlet/Violet, the Scatterbug-line returns for the first time since Gen 7, and with the Fancy Pattern as a Vivillon to boot. Additionally, there's also Tarountula, a new "early Bug-type" that evolves into Spidops. Having Blipbug in the mix would probably be overkill. There's also the new Bug/Psychic-type, Rabsca, who evolves from Rellor via a unique evolution method. Like Yamper and Boltund, it's likely the Blipbug-line was excluded to not outperform the Rellor-line, particularly Rabsca.

Dottler & Orbeetle
Super-effective against:	Dark, Psychic, Fighting, Poison, Grass
Weak to:	Dark, Ghost, Flying, Fire, Bug, Rock
Resistant to:	Psychic, Fighting, Grass, Ground
Immune to:	N/A

3 Galarian Corsola & Cursola

Coral Pokemon

Corsola first appeared in Gen 2/Pokemon Silver & Gold, but it wasn't until Gen 8/Pokemon Sword & Shield that it gained a regional variant and an evolution. Galarian Corsola is modeled after dead coral, and it has a much more sinister nature than the Johto Corsola. Unlike the Water-type Corsola, Galarian Corsola and its evolution, Cursola, are Ghost-types.

At the time of Galarian Corsola's debut, it was an exclusive Pokemon to Pokemon Shield, meaning Pokemon Sword trianers would need to trade or transfer to get their own Galarian Corsola. The Coastal Biome of Terarium in Scarlet/Violet's Indigo Disk would be an ideal habitat for Galarian Corsola. While it's true the Coastal Biome is blooming with life and healthy waters, that hasn't stopped Alolan Grimer and Alolan Muk from prowling the shores or grasslands. In fact, Galarian Corsola being more or less dead coral wouldn't look too out of place alongside the garbage-eating Muk.

Super-effective against:	Ghost, Psychic
Weak to:	Ghost, Dark
Resistant to:	Poison, Bug
Immune to:	Normal, Fighting

2 Sizzlipede & Centiskorch

Radiator Pokemon

Sizzlipede and Centiskorch are Fire/Bug-type Pokemon, and Centiskorch even received a Gigantamax form in Pokemon Sword/Shield. Those who played the Gen 8 mainline games will remember Kabu, the Fire-type Gym Leader, owned a Gigantamax Centiskorch. Prior to Kabu, gym leaders only battled with Dynamax forms.

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The Sizzlipede-line wouldn't look too out of place in the Canyon Biome in Terarium. Its body temperature would make it a poor fit for the Coastal, Savanna, and Polar Biome, but the towering cliffs and caves of the Canyon Biome could have been a better fit for the Radiator Pokemon. A Centiskorch would also be a great help when battling Amarys, who uses Steel-type and one Psychic-type Pokemon in battle, both of which are weak to Fire and Bug-type moves respectively.

Super-effective against:	Grass, Bug, Psychic, Dark, Steel, Ice
Weak to:	Water, Rock (4x), Flying
Resistant to:	Grass, Bug, Fighting, Fairy, Ice, Steel
Immune to:	N/A

1 Galarian Farfetch'd & Sirfetch'd

Wild Duck Pokemon

pokemon sword shield galarian farfetch'd

Galarian Farfetch'd was met with all-around praise when it first appeared. Unlike the Farfetch'd from the Kanto Region, Galarian Farfetch'd is a Fighting-type Pokemon, and it can evolve, making it the "preferred" battler for some trainers. It also had a unique method of evolving: Galarian Farfetch'd had to score three critical hits in a single battle. If this was done successfully, it would trigger its evolution.

A fitting biome for Galarian Farfetch'd could be the Coastal Biome, as it wouldn't look too out of place among the Pikipek-family. However, thanks to its Fighting-type, it may be more at home in the Canyon Biome with all the Fighting-type Pokemon (i.e, Scrafty, Tyrogue). According to their Pokemon Sword dex entry, a Galarian Farfetch'd that has evolved into Sirfetch'd is proof of the Sirfetch'd's battle prowess. Being full of Fighting-types, the Canyon Biome could be an ideal environment for Galarian Farfetch'd.