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Pokémon Change

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Revision as of 15:50, April 9, 2018 by Ben Hall (talk | contribs) (→‎Stamina: Fixed a typo I made)
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Pokémon Change
Pokémon change
Pokémon Change
User Pokémon Trainer
Universe Pokémon
Article on Bulbapedia Pokémon Change
“ Call Charizard back and swap it for a different Pokémon. Damage carries over to the next Pokémon. ”
—Brawl's instruction manual (Charizard)
“ Call Squirtle back and swap it for a different Pokémon. Use a Pokémon for too long and it will tire. ”
—Brawl's instruction manual (Squirtle)
“ Call Ivysaur back and swap it for a different Pokémon. Removing a tired Pokémon from battle lets it grow strong again. ”
—Brawl's instruction manual (Ivysaur)

Pokémon Change (ポケモンチェンジ, Pokémon Change) is Pokémon Trainer's down special move. It is one of only two moves that all three of the Trainer's Pokémon have in common (the other being their Final Smash, Triple Finish). It switches between his three Pokémon - Charizard, Squirtle, and Ivysaur. If Charizard is currently in use, it will switch to Squirtle. If Squirtle is in use, it will switch to Ivysaur. If Ivysaur is in use, it will switch to Charizard. Using this move too little will result in the Pokémon's stamina being drained. Only one Pokémon needs be knocked out to score against Pokémon Trainer.

If one Pokémon is KO'd, Pokémon Trainer will summon the next Pokémon in the rotation to the revival platform. Pokémon Change cannot be used again until the starting invincibility has worn off. Pokémon Change also cannot be used in midair.

While changing, there is a little time in which the Pokémon have invincibility frames. Thus the switching animation, which takes some time, can be used to "dodge" various attacks, most notably certain Final Smashes.

Notably, using Pokémon Change ends nearly all status effects on the Pokémon, both positive and negative. This includes super or mini size, Starman invincibility, metal form, Franklin Badges, Screw Attacks, etc. The exceptions to this rule are slowed-time, healing in progress, and Smash Ball readiness, all of which remain through the change. Any held item is immediately dropped.

Like Zelda's Transform, the next Pokémon to appear must be loaded from the disc before the switch can be completed. Pausing can shorten the in-game switch time (since the game loads during the pause), as can lag when online. If the switch time is artificially shortened as such, replays will temporarily freeze at the point the switch is made (since it must take the full time to load). Forcing the game to load the next character through an SD card via hacking will result in a near-instant switch time.

Stamina

All three Pokémon's idle animations in prime condition and fatigued condition.

Stamina is a measure of how much energy the Pokémon Trainer's Pokémon have.

At the start of a match, each Pokémon has 100 points of stamina. When a Pokémon is in battle, its stamina drops by half a point every second, equating to 3 minutes and twenty seconds of stamina. The Pokémon also loses half a point of stamina for every attack it attempts. Once a Pokémon's stamina drops to below 40, its standing animation switches to signal fatigue. During this time its attack damage is multiplied by 0.7 + (0.3 * Stamina / 100), with a corresponding reduction in knockback as well. Thus its attack damage multiplier will range from 0.779 to 0.7 as stamina continues to decrease. Pokémon regain 0.8 points of stamina per second when not being used, requiring 2 minutes and five seconds to fully replenish. When a Pokémon is KO'ed, its stamina is set to 100 - (0.3 * (100 - previous stamina)), so it will be 70% closer to full. This has no effect on the other Pokémon.

The concept of stamina is generally detrimental towards Pokémon Trainer's competitive usage. As a clear attempt at forcing players to utilize the group character's full array of options instead of sticking to one of the three Pokémon for an entire match, Pokémon Trainer mains are forced to learn three different characters just to stay on top of the game, and are penalized for using a single form for too long. This can also cause problems in terms of matchups, where, for example, one Pokémon may hard counter a certain opponent, but the player may be unable to take advantage of this due to being forced to either switch to switch to this different Pokémon, or suffer a significant strength reduction, giving the opponent openings to strike back. This is in clear contrast to other transforming characters, such as the Transform mechanic for Zelda and Sheik, which has no such penalties to the characters.

In The Subspace Emissary, the stamina stat is removed, allowing exclusive usage of one Pokémon.

Zero Switching

A technique known as "zero switching" can be performed on horizontally moving platforms, which allows a Pokémon to switch out while leaving the player free to react immediately after the next Pokémon is switched in. To perform the technique, the player must initiate Pokémon Change while standing on the edge of a platform that is moving out from under them (such as the right edge of the Smashville platform that is moving left). If done properly, the next Pokémon will appear in the air, leaving the player free to immediately input any aerial action. The zero switch also gives Squirtle and Ivysaur two midair jumps instead of one upon reappearance. Zero switching is commonly used competitively to avoid the high ending lag that results from switching normally (since the move cannot be started in midair, but this technique allows it to at least be ended in midair).

  • Squirtle Zero Switching to Ivysaur.

    Squirtle Zero Switching to Ivysaur.

  • Ivysaur Zero Switching to Charizard.

    Ivysaur Zero Switching to Charizard.

  • Charizard Zero Switching to Squirtle.

    Charizard Zero Switching to Squirtle.

Origin

While the phrase "Pokémon Change" itself is not an official term in the Pokémon universe, it describes the act of switching out a Pokémon mid-battle. It is a crucial tactic in the games, both in-game and competitively, and takes place before all other actions for that turn (with the sole exception of the move Pursuit, which is designed to counter switching). In the games, as switching takes up the user's turn, the benefits of switching in a Pokémon to face a target it is effective against must be weighed against the risks of being hit hard, setup on, or simply out-predicted by the opponent.

In the Pokémon games, switching out a Pokémon cures minor status effects and all temporary stat modifications, but major status effects (such as paralysis and sleep) and HP will remain unchanged. This can be compared and contrasted to Brawl, where a switched-out Pokémon retains damage, but regains stamina and has almost all status effects removed.

The concept of stamina as Brawl uses it does not exist in the Pokémon games. There is no mechanic that naturally makes a Pokémon less effective the longer it remains in play, unless one counts the fact that moves have limited uses and a single Pokémon used too long will eventually be unable to do anything. Even then however, these limited uses do not replenish while the Pokémon is switched out.

Gallery

  • The three available Pokémon in order (counterclockwise): Squirtle, Ivysaur, and Charizard.

    The three available Pokémon in order (counterclockwise): Squirtle, Ivysaur, and Charizard.

  • Pokémon Trainer cycling through his Pokémon.

    Pokémon Trainer cycling through his Pokémon.

  • The mid-battle Pokémon swap screen in Pokémon Red and Pokémon Blue.

    The mid-battle Pokémon swap screen in Pokémon Red and Pokémon Blue.

  • The animation for sending out a Pokémon in Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon.

    The animation for sending out a Pokémon in Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon.

Trivia

  • With precise timing, the invincibility frames during Pokémon Change can be used to avoid all three of Tabuu's Off Waves.
  • Only one character can be loaded at once, so if multiple Pokémon Changes or Transforms occur at the same time, they must each wait for the previous one to complete.
  • If two Pokémon Trainers are using the same palette swap (through team battle or a glitch), transforming into the other player's active character will be essentially instant as the data is already loaded.
  • In Pokémon FireRed & LeafGreen, the Pokémon Trainer's Poké Balls are in his right bag pocket; however, in Pokémon Change, the Pokémon he's switching to comes out of a Poké Ball the left side and the one he's calling back goes to the right.
  • If Pokémon Change is used in The Subspace Emissary before Ivysaur is caught (so the player only has Squirtle), the Pokémon Trainer will just stare down at his Poké Ball and toss it up in the air twice.
  • The Poké Balls used in the move are smaller and darker in color than the Poké Ball item, likely to prevent confusion between the two.
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