With Sword & Shield set to release in a couple of weeks, we’re getting closer and closer to the first actual mainline Pokémon Switch games. If you would’ve gauged the fan bases excitement a year ago compared to now, you would notice that for some, their anticipation has turned to tepid indifference. Maybe some fans expected too much change out of a series that has historically been pretty conservative and formulaic. What seemed to rub a lot of fans the wrong way, however, was the whole Dexit fiasco, which saw a pretty sizable chunk of the fan base turn on Nintendo, Game Freak and The Pokémon Company after it was announced that not all of the 800 plus Pokémon would make it into the Gen VIII games.

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Whether or not that’s a deal-breaker for you, Dexit has brought over a considerable amount of anticipation regarding which Pokémon will and won’t make the cut. A bunch of Pokémon have already been confirmed for the game, with some new leaks expanding on that every so often. Let’s now take a look at some Pokémon we really hope are in the game, and some we wouldn’t mind being left out.

10 Hope For: Nidoking / Nidoqueen

With the Wild Area looking very promising, fans might have a wish list of Pokémon they hope to run into. Nidoking & Nidoqueen are probably on some fans' minds as we get closer to launch. Hey may not be the best Pokémon in the games, but that doesn’t really matter much.

Imagine walking around and seeing one of these two in the distance.  That would probably be a pretty great encounter and at least for older fans of the series, would probably serve as some great fan service.

9 Wouldn’t Mind No: Lickilicky

With all the potential Pokémon being cut from the games, one that you might not really miss is Lickilicky. The Gen IV evolution of Lickitung manages to out-weird its predecessor and really isn’t all that compelling of a Pokémon.

There are plenty of other Normal-type Pokémon to choose from already, and tons of better alternatives out there. If it wasn’t coming at the expense of other Pokémon being in the game, then why not. But as it stands this would be a bad call.

8 Hope For: Ursaring

This is another Pokémon we really hope makes it into the game due to how cool of an encounter it would be. Ursaring just seems like it was designed for the Wild Area. It’s a giant bear – it just works.

If added into the game, Ursaring would instantly be one of the strongest Normal-types on the roster. It’s not a popular type, sure but there are some pretty good ones. Here’s hoping.

7 Wouldn’t Mind No: Watchog

Speaking of Normal-types, here’s one we wouldn’t mind not running into throughout our Galar adventures. With one of the worst Pokémon designs in recent memory, Watchog wouldn’t be missed by most if it just so happened to have been overlooked by Game Freak.

Looking at its stats and moveset, Watchog isn’t anything special. It’s just another early game normal-type that doesn’t really stand out aside from its strange features. Is this Pokémon really worth including at the expense of a potentially superior one? Hopefully not.

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6 Hope For: Mewtwo

This one would be a bit of a bummer for some fans. If Mewtwo was left out of the games then a portion of the fan base would undoubtedly be upset. Since Mew is apparently in there, why not Mewtwo?

It probably wouldn’t be a random wild encounter, and that’s fine. In fact, that’s what most would expect. Be it an event Pokémon or whatever, people just want to see it in the game. Not having Mewtwo in there wouldn’t be the end of the world, but including it would certainly help move on from all the Dexit hate, at least a little.

5 Wouldn’t Mind No: Psyduck

pokemon go world championships producer psyduck

Well this may come as a bit of a surprise, but with the release of the Let’s Go games, we kind of got our fill of Gen I. That’s not o say that most of them should be ignored, but a few slipping through the cracks here and there wouldn’t be the end of the world. One that could potentially do so is Psyduck.

This quirky Water-type is certainly a fan favorite, and its inclusion in the Detective Pikachu movie may mean that it’ll be in these new titles. But for now, as things stand we just don’t know. If it was cut from the game, we have plenty of water-types to make up for it.

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4 Hope For: Aggron

Aggron in the Pokemon anime

Aggron has one of the most striking designs in Gen III. While a number of Gen III Pokémon have already been confirmed for the game, Aggron and its evolution line are absent. If that keeps true till the release of the game, then fans may have to start worrying.

At this point, we all know that we won’t get all of our favorite Pokémon in the games. But Aggron seems like it would be a lock for the Switch titles. It’s gotten love from Game Freak in the past and even has a mega evolution. Not including it would be a surprise.

3 Wouldn’t Mind No: Zygarde

Of all the Legendary Pokémon out there, Zygarde is the one that’s the least noteworthy. In terms of design, it feels pretty uninspired, and with the inclusion of other legendaries it won’t really be needed to pad out those numbers.

One thing that could potentially be cool would be going around Galgar, looking for cores. That could be one argument made as to why Zygarde should be included in the games. But Sword & Shield look like they’ll offer plenty of other features fans can engross themselves with, regardless.

2 Hope For: Gen 1, 2 & 3 Starters

So far, the only starter from the Gen I-III games that’s been confirmed is Charmander and co. With that, we can be pretty sure that at the very least, the rest of the Gen I starters will make it into the games. But with any luck, the Gen II and III gang won’t get left behind.

As it stands, we don’t know how the encounters will work for all of these Pokémon. But in regards to the starters, it would be amazing to see them added into the wild area with low encounter rates. That way they’d stay rare and desirable, while also serving as a sort of treat for players who like to scavenge for the best companions.

1 Wouldn’t Mind No: Dragonite

Pokemon dragonite

Alright, well this may not be how everyone feels about this particular Pokémon, but given how big the SW&SH roster is so far, we’re sure that there are going to be plenty of other Dragon-types out there to compensate if Dragonite doesn’t make the cut.

While the thought of spotting a Dragonite flying around the Wild area is admittedly exciting, there are so many of them to choose from. Gen I doesn’t have to be as predominant in Gen VIII and Dragon-type fans will have more than enough choice to make up for this potential snub.

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