Pokémon masters weigh in on the lack of competitive modes in upcoming games

Fans got more information last week regarding the new Pokémon gamesBrilliant Diamond,Shining Pearl,andPokémon Legends: Arceus. We got to see new Pokémon and mechanics withArceusand returning functions such as Super Contest Shows and Capsule Decorations in the new remakes. Then, during the last moments of the Pokémon Presents, it was quickly announced thatShining Pearl, BrilliantDiamond, andArceuswill not have ranked battles.

This may not have registered for many people, as the competitive scene in the Pokémon series is relatively minor compared to the overwhelming casual play. However, this does have implications for those who play Pokémon competitively. This means that the next three games will not have a home for competitive players and that the scene will continue to exist exclusively inPokémonSwordandShieldfor at least another year.

What will this mean for competitive players? Will these games form their own grassroots competitive scene? Do players really want another full year of competitiveSwordandShield? Instead of trying to answer these questions myself, I decided to reach out to two of the best players in the world.

The next generation

WithShining PearlandBrilliant Diamond, one could argue that a new chapter of Pokémon is beginning — especially with the introduction ofPokémon Legends: Arceus, a completely new take on the Pokémon formula. With no competitive mode in these games, there’s always a fear that Nintendo could be deprioritizing competitive play. After all, recent Pokémon games likeSword,Shield,andLet’s Go Pikachuhave homed in on the more casual side of the franchise.

Davide Carrer and Wolfe Glick are two professional Pokémon players with a multitude of wins under their belts, and they faced each other in the VG Grand Finals of the Pokémon Players Cup II in 2020. For both players, the lack of ranked play in the upcoming remakes isn’t much of a deal-breaker.

“I don’t feel bad about ranked battles being excluded, to be honest,” Glick tells Digital Trends. “IfBDSP (Brilliant Diamond/Shining Pearl)were going to be full new Pokémon games, it would be devastating, but to be honest, playing the game with only the first four generations would probably get old really quickly. I’m especially grateful that we won’t have official tournaments usingBDSPas I don’t imagine the game would be super fun to play.”

Carrer has similar feelings regarding a lack of ranked battles in the upcoming games, saying: “I think it’s understandable, because it looks likeArceusand the remakes aren’t going to have a very large Pokédex. It makes sense to play gen-8 (Video Games Championship) on the only games that have every gen-8 Pokémon and also the old legendries (very much needed to alternate between regional, national and restricted formats). I’d just be glad if we had more series without Dynamax, like series 10, or also a third DLC to shake things up.”

Both players are less interested in ranked play appearing in every game and more invested in a competitive scene with an expansive Pokédex, which allows for a wide variety of teams and strategies. The upcoming remakes, as well as the newArceusgame, will not include the full roster of Pokémon, which would make creating a fleshed-out competitive team more difficult.

Despite not having a baked-in ranked system, this does not mean that players cannot create their own competitive scene. Glick thinks that a grassroots scene is possible, but is uncertain about the scope for it.

“I’m sure there are some people that will battle whenBDSPcomes out,” says Glick, “but I don’t expect there to be a serious competitive scene. We can probably expect a similar level of competitive play as we saw withLet’s Go Pikachu!andEevee!,if I had to guess.”

Carrer also shares the same feelings on the limited scope of the competitive scene forBrilliant DiamondandShining Pearl, though he notes that there will always be a place for new competition potential in any new Pokémon game, regardless of whether or not Nintendo bakes it in.

“I’m sure there will [be a scene], especially because the online grassroots tournaments have been increasing during the pandemic,” says Carrer. “In Italy, Francesco Pardini organized an online tour on theLet’s Gogames, and I expect many similar initiatives for the upcoming games.”

Live by the sword

Since the new games will not have a ranked system, competitive play will remain exclusively inSwordandShield, likely until the next mainline Pokémon game drops. That created some initial concern whenSwordandShieldfirst landed. Originally, theSwordandShieldPokédex was significantly smaller than previous generations, with only 400 Pokémon available to players. This caused a significant divide among trainers who were missing their preferred Pokémon. Fortunately,expansions have widened the rostersignificantly since then, making the situation less dire.

While the state of competitive Pokémon gaming is polarizing, pro players are willing to roll with the punches for now, though they think things will need to change to keep it from getting stale. Carrer believes that there is still life in the competitiveSwordandShieldscene, but Nintendo will need to show players a light at the end of the tunnel soon for it to remain viable.

“Without a third DLC, I expect that gen 9 will come out in fall 2022, since the last few gens are all three years apart, and I’d be perfectly fine with that,” says Davide. “If not, two more years onSwordandShieldwithout any addition would be too much.”

Glick seems to think thatSwordandShieldcompetitive play can still be interesting as long as Nintendo returns to creating live events to help shape the meta. He notes that much of the innovation in the series ultimately comes from those in-person competitions.

“It’s hard to say whetherSwordandShieldare stale or need something new, because we’ve had almost no live events, which is the driving force behind metagame development,” said Glick. “Pokémon continues to change the rules for competitive play, though, more than we’ve ever seen before, so I’m excited to see what new rule sets they still have planned.”

There’s also one last elephant in the room when it comes toPokémon Legends: Arceus: It seemingly lacks any form of trainer-versus-trainer content at all. It would be fair for fans to worry that this could mark the start of a new direction that Pokémon games will pursue, especially ifArceussells well. Glick isn’t worried about that, though, as he believes the mainline series is here to stay regardless of how wellArceussells.

“Legends Arceusis a spinoff game likePokémon RangerandPokémon Mystery Dungeon,” Glick says. “There’s no doubt in my mind Pokémon will continue to develop the main series games”