From the sublime......

OK, this will be a little different. These are all pokemon that a lot has been announced about, in fact in some cases virtually everything. Movepool, we don't know, so I'll assume each pokemon has moves typical for its typing, and may talk about any move they have announced. Also, this will be a countdown, from my favourites to my least favourites. In this post will be the 5 I liked most.

1) Litleo-Classification Unknown

Height:1"12 (isn't that 2" ?)

Weight:13.5kg

Type:Fire/normal

OMG I WANT ONE I WANT ONE! Is that unprofessional? OK, fine. I think it is utterly adorable. It is a really nice design, incorporating perfectly the looks of normal types (recognisable animal, neutral colours, soft lines) and fire types (spikes, sharp lines, orange, and cuteness in the first evolution.) In fact, it's just overtaken Houndour as my favourite ever non-legendary design (yes, I like fire, black and dogs.) Its typing.....well, it's unique, which is good because as you'll see later I'm tired of the same old typings. But I'm not sure it's necessarily good typing. Instantly violating my rule of not speculating on movepools, I suspect it may have access to a fairly large one, including STAB fire moves and some hugely powerful STAB normal moves. But that's about it. I mean, with a defensively vulnerable primary type like fire, especially considering fire type's generally poor defences, the last thing it wants is normal's fighting weakness. Also rock type isn't any less deadly for either type. Steel is helped along. And the ghost immunity.......may be useful, if.... No. Its typing is terrible. If it wasn't SO cute I'd have dropped it straight down to the bottom half of the list. But anyway, I'm hoping it may evolve to shed its normal type in favour of a more useful type, much like Fletchling has been revealed to do.. I'm pretty sure it will evolve, and that it'll have a flaming mohican. How cool is that? Punk-rock fire puppy may be even cooler than Litleo.

2) Pancham-The Naughty Pokemon

Height:2"

Weight:8.0kg
Type:Fighting

OK, this was one of the original 4, and my favourite of them. It's a KUNG FU PANDA! It's also really cute, and again I just wanna give it a cuddle, which isn't like me at all. Again (count how many times I say it) I love the black and neutral colouring, I like the face it's making for a baby fighter, and love the concept that it's a little troublemaker who evolves into a serious fighter. I love one line of the bio, where it says "It tries to intimidate its opponents by glaring intensely (although this is rarely successful.)" How cute is that? And the leaf is a nice touch. It may evolve to get a second type-grass one would assume, and I'd be fine with it doing that or with it not. I'd actually maybe rather it didn't if grass is the option. A friend said it may evolve to fight with a bamboo sword, as in Kendo. While I really like this idea, I also think martial arts are a bit played out, and would hope this would be the last. But yeah, I can see Pancham being a favourite.

3) Helioptile-The Generating Pokemon

Height:1"8

Weight:6.0kg
Type:Normal/electric

Again, really nice design. Yellow is my least favourite colour, but I can't object to it being used to represent the electric type, even if it would be nice to see them break out of the colour=type rut with certain types (fire being the other big one.) Again it incorporates recognisable normal elements as well. I thought before any designs were announced that reptiles were really what was left to do. The almost rabbity elements take it to a more cute and Pokemon-y (it's a word now) place. Also with them having announced Parabola Charge as a new move (a great idea, given the nature of electricity I'm surprised they didn't do a healing electric-type move long ago) I like that the shape is a bit like a parabola, but not so much that it looks ridiculous. You're expecting me to hate the typing. Well, I don't. Like I said, I don't like the idea of adding normal typing to defensively vulnerable types. But with the electric type having only one weakness, and above-average defenses, it would be considered a pretty good type defensively, at least by me. So adding one weakness in exchange for a new, albeit fairly esoteric, resistance and the ability to get STAB on hyper beam and giga impact really works for me. I mean, a normal/dragon pokemon (why not Altaria?) has been high on my list for that very reason for a while. Also it gets STAB normal-effective hits on all 17 existing types. It may evolve, but if it doesn't I wouldn't be "shocked." That said, I heard grass/electric somewhere, and it's a nice idea. Maybe not a great pokemon, but I'm keen to see some more new-typed pokemon, especially with the fairy type looking likely to take prominence here.

4)The Fletchling Line

Fletchling-The Japanese Robin Pokemon

Height:1"

Weight:1.7kg

Type:Normal/flying

Frankly disappointing. The last thing ANYONE wanted for gen VI was a new normal/flying bird evolution line. I mean, wasn't Pidgey, Spearow, Farfetch'd, Doduo, Togetic, Taillow, Chatot, Rufflet, Hoothoot, Pidove and Starly enough. Fletchling becomes the 25th pokemon with this typing. IT'S NOT EVEN GOOD TYPING! It's just laziness, that they couldn't come up with proper flying pokemon that weren't birds. It's really cute, maybe the best of the typical bird-y pokemon. The red-orange and grey looks nice, and the arrow theme in the tail and name (Fletch makes me think arrows) intrigues me. But I was still really bored and not all that interested to see what was coming next. Until this happened...

Talonflame-The Deterioration Pokemon

Height:3"11

Weight:24.5kg

Type:Fire/flying

Now this is cool. It looks great, like a fiery bird of prey. The arrows are still there. It looks really strong. Again, I'm gonna mention movepool. It's been revealed to have Brave Bird. That's not a surprise. What interests me more is that the details mention kicking. Fighting moves? That's cool. And it'll have fire moves, including Flame Charge, to play with. It's been confirmed to have high speed, possibly very high speed, which is good news for a pokemon with this typing. In fact, if Fletchling wasn't so pathetic it could be higher on the list, because it's pretty kickass. Fire/flying means it joins two other pokemon, Ho-oh and Moltres. Yes, they're two of the least used and least popular legendaries but still. The arrows are still there, which makes me really curious. But there is one other thing that really creeps me out, and that is its classification as "Deterioration pokemon." That should surely be a ghost. It could be a carrion-eater, in which case maybe, but it doesn't look like one. That's full-on creepy.

5)Flabebe-Classification unknown

Height:0"04
Weight:0.1kg
Type:Fairy

Yes, it's super cute. I like the idea of it having the flower, and the idea that they have different flowers, although I wonder how far they can take that in practice. It also suggests some connection between the fairy type and the grass type, which makes sense. Apparently it can draw power from the flower. That sounds like a new move to me. Cool. It also has Fairy Wind, another new move, and that's pretty expected. Flabebe will be the smallest pokemon ever, and is tied for lightest with Gastly and Haunter. It looks weak though, and worse, it doesn't look like it's likely to evolve. It's a nice idea, and a good harbinger that the fairy type will be cool and innovative, but it's all a bit too cutesy for me.