Pokémon Winds & Waves Quietly Abandoning Controversial Type

Just like the roster of Pokémon themselves grew over time, so did the way those Pokémon were categorized. While Pokémon have always been sorted by types, new ones have been added over time, and certain Pokémon have even seen their original type changed, or have had a second type added to their identifier. For the most part, when a new type is introduced, it sticks around and becomes part of future games, having a significant impact on the balance of Pokémon titles, given there is a new factor to consider in terms of strengths and weaknesses.

Now, in the Pokémon Trading Card Game, we have seen a Pokémon type be abandoned before. After a short introduction of the Fairy type in the game, later sets simply changed Fairy-type Pokémon to Psychic-type instead. However, it is much rarer to see a Pokémon type be abandoned in the video game series. The only type removed previously was the ??? type assigned to the move Curse. Now, however, it looks as though the next generation of Pokémon will be ditching another type: Stellar.

Stellar is a Pokémon type only given to Terastallized Pokémon, so there are no Pokémon that started out as Stellar. Stellar moves are super effective against other Stellar Pokémon, and have no other special interactions with other Pokémon types. This somewhat insular and uncommon Pokémon type is therefore one of the easier ones to remove from the games without making a major change.

Ditching Stellar Pokémon Isn’t A Big Change To Battles

Were you to remove a major Pokémon type like Fire or Water from the games, there would be a massive change to how Pokémon are balanced based on how types interact with one another. However, since Stellar Pokémon had no special type advantage over other types of Pokémon, removing them from the game doesn’t throw off the balance in any meaningful way. It simply means that there won’t be any Terastallized Pokémon in Winds & Waves.

While Terastallized Pokémon had some cool designs, I’m not too torn up over their exclusion from the next generation of games. They feel very tied to the lore of Pokémon Scarlet & Violet, so their inclusion in a different region would feel off-base. Since they can easily be discarded without messing up the balance, and it fits the story better, it only makes sense not to have any Stellar Pokémon in the Pokémon Winds &Waves.

This Isn’t The First Time A Pokémon Gimmick Has Been Dropped After One Game

Plenty of Pokémon generations have had their own unique gimmicks that get dropped later in the series. We’ve had Mega Evolution, which appeared in three mainline games before getting relegated to spin-offs, and Gigantamax Pokémon, which have only appeared in Pokémon Sword & Shield so far. Although losing those gimmicks didn’t mean axing an entire Pokémon type before, it isn’t surprising to see Terastallized Pokémon go the same way.

I tend to prefer when these special types of Pokémon stay exclusive to just one or two games. That gives the generation they were introduced with a unique identity, but stops the rest of the series from having to include an ever-growing number of mechanics. It would be exhausting if every Pokémon mechanic from over the years appeared in every game, and the gameplay experience would feel overstuffed. I think dropping the Stellar type makes sense for Winds & Waves.

Video Game(s)

Pokemon Red and Blue, Pokemon Yellow, Pokemon Gold and Silver, Pokémon Crystal, Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire, Pokemon Sapphire, Pokemon Diamond and Pearl, Pokemon Platinum, Pokemon Black and White, Pokemon Black and White 2, Pokemon X and Y, Pokemon Sun and Moon, Pokemon Sword and Shield, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, Pokemon Winds and Waves, Pokemon Legends Arceus, Pokemon Legends Z-A