What makes a good Pokémon?

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet are now with us, and the series has passed a milestone that’s been on the horizon for some time – there are now more than 1,000 creatures to catch and train. But given that your party is still limited to just six slots, choosing which ones to include on your team is harder than ever. That got me thinking, as someone who has played Pokémon in every generation – what makes a good Pokémon? What kind of things attract me to a Pokémon, and, conversely, what will make me send one straight to the box?

I’ll be the first to admit that, in my case, nostalgia plays a large part in assembling my teams. Sure, new Pokémon can and do catch my eye – playing Moon, I knew that I had to catch a Mimikyu, while Toxtricity became a key part of my team in Shield. But often, many of the six are old favourites. I had Blue, but my first real memories of playing were with Silver and Sapphire, so the Pokémon of Johto and Hoenn hold a special place in my heart. If a region can give me an Ampharos, it’s likely to make the cut.

I’m a fan of adorable creatures and ones with interesting mechanics and backstories, whether or not they’re technically good

Some players like the challenge of a monotype playthrough, but I’m always thinking of balance. If I opt for the Water starter, say, it’s very unlikely that another Water-type will be on the team (and the starter is important because I never drop them). I’m not particularly biased against any of the types, but looking back at my old games, it seems that I never really have a Fighting or Dragon-type Pokémon on the squad. It’s not a conscious choice, but I expect the reason for this is something else that matters quite a lot – the design.

I like cute Pokémon. I don’t buy into all the tier list nonsense of which Pokémon are technically the best – I don’t subscribe to the competitive scene, but I’ve seen enough to know that most of the top players use the same teams of identikit creatures, and that feels like a depressing approach to me. I’m a fan of adorable creatures, and ones with interesting mechanics and backstories, whether or not they’re technically good. And it’s possible that my unconscious decision not to use Fighting and Dragon-types is because they’re rarely ever cute.

By any technical standard, this is a bad team – but it’s my team

Let’s return to Hoenn, and you’ll get a sense of what I mean. The starter stayed on the team, of course – it was Mudkip, before he was a meme. I picked up a Minun, because it was a tiny, adorable mouse, and Spoink, because a pig on a spring is hilarious. When the people at the Weather Institute gave me a Castform, a Normal-type that changes shape based on the weather, that was a must-have. Shedinja, a Ghost/Bug-type with a single hit point and immunity to anything that wasn’t super-effective, was a cool addition – and then the nostalgia in me had to wrap up the team with Grimer (I know, poison muck isn’t technically cute, but he has such a dopey smile). By any technical standard, this is a bad team – but it’s my team.

And really, that’s been my mantra throughout my Pokémon journey. That’s not to say that it’s right or that it’s wrong, but that’s the joy of the franchise – we all have our own approaches, and they can all be winning ones. Based on the sketchy reviews and the disappointment I felt with the previous games, I don’t know if I’ll get Scarlet and Violet. But if I do, I’ll look forward to seeing what my new team will look like.