Summary
Recent leaks suggest more new playable mons are on the way toPokemon Unite, and they are set to give the game morePokemon Scarlet and Violetrepresentation. So far, the only Gen 9 critter that is playable inPokemon Uniteis Meowscarada, but a recent datamine of the game’s public test server reveals that Miraidon and Ceruledge are on the way as well. While it’s great to see more Gen 9 mons becoming playable characters inPokemon Unite, the addition of these mons shows that the game seems to be favoring one version of the Gen 9 games over the other.
Coming off the heels ofPokemon Unite’s latest addition, Magikarp, seeing leaks suggesting two popular Gen 9 creatures are coming to the game should have fans excited. Alongside Miraidon and Ceruledge, this datamine also revealed that Gen 8’s Falinks is planned to joinPokemon Unite’s roster as well. However, the addition of Miraidon and Ceruledge demonstratesPokemon Unite’s bias for one Gen 9 game over the other, with both of these critters being available exclusively inPokemon Violet.
Pokemon Unite’s Miraidon and Ceruledge Leaks Suggest the Game is Favoring Pokemon Violet
Why Pokemon Violet is Getting More Representation than Scarlet
ThePokemonfranchise has always utilized version-exclusive creatures as a way to encourage players to trade with each other, going back as far as the original Gen 1 titles, which utilized the Game Boy Link Cable to facilitate trades between players. However, there often ends up being one version of a generation’s games that is more popular than the other, usually due to the critters that can only be caught in that version of the game. ForPokemon’s Gen 9 games, it would appear thatPokemon Violetis the more popular version, with the popularity of mons likeMiraidonand Ceruledge being confirmed by their addition toPokemon Unite.
Sales data forPokemon Scarlet and Violetalso confirms thatPokemon Violetis the more popular version of the two, with the game just barely outsellingPokemon Scarlet. Part of the reason for this disparity in sales could be the tendency forPokemonversions with a cool-toned color palette to be more popular than ones with a warm-toned color palette. By this same logic, the cool blues and purples of Miraidon and Ceruledge would make them more popular than the warm reds of theirPokemon Scarletcounterparts, Koraidon and Armarouge.
Other Pokemon Violet Exclusives that Could Join Pokemon Unite
Compared to pastPokemongenerations,Pokemon Scarlet and Violetdon’t have many version-exclusive Gen 9 mons, with the main exception being Paradox Pokemon.Pokemon Unitehas yet to feature anyParadox Pokemon, which is surprising given how popular they are among fans, to the point where many fans are designing their own future and past Paradox Pokemon. While Miraidon will technically be the first one to joinPokemon Unite’s roster, there are a lot of other popularViolet-exclusive Paradox Pokemon that could be added in future updates.
Following the theory that mons with cool-toned color palettes are more popular, Paradox Pokemon like Iron Jugulis and Iron Crown seem like obvious candidates out ofPokemon Violet’s line-up. Although they break the color theory, mons likeIron Bundle and Iron Handsare already popular within the competitivePokemonscene, and they would make great additions toPokemon Unite’s roster as well. AsPokemon Unitecontinues to fill out its roster with more Gen 9 critters, it will be interesting to see if this trend of favoringVioletexclusives overScarletones will continue, or ifPokemon Unitewill shift to focus on adding non-version exclusives in the future.
