Pokémon Winds and Waves aren’t arriving until 2027, and in the meantime, we have a lot of speculation, rumors, and leaks to contend with. Quite a bit of the speculation has been pretty fun, especially regarding the new regional variants that are potentially coming when the Gen 10 games launch. So far, no regional variants have been officially confirmed, but considering they’ve been a part of all recent mainline games, we expect to see quite a few in Winds and Waves.
From alleged leaks of a new Slugma to rumors of some Gen 1 fan-favorites getting makeovers, there’s been a lot to parse through. And that’s not even including rumors of a new type, or the whispers that we’re getting a new Eevee evolution. Whether all of those leaks and rumors are true, it’s still fun to dream up what kind of new regional variants we’ll see in Pokémon Winds and Waves.
10
Arcanine
Fans will know that Arcanine has had its own regional form before, of course. In Pokémon Legends Arceus, players can meet Hisuian Growlithe and Arcanine, a Rock/Fire Type evolutionary line. But, Arcanine being as popular as it is, who could begrudge us another new form? According to recent leaks, Arcanine is one of the many classic Pokémon said to be getting a new form in Pokémon Winds & Waves. The exact type combo hasn’t been confirmed, but if I had to guess, I’d go for Fire/Psychic. It just feels right, y’know?
9
Psyduck
Poor old Psyduck is said to be getting a new Ice/Psychic regional evolution line when Winds & Waves releases, which would be a nice little treat for a Pokémon that has long been denied the honor of actually being a Psychic type. The in-universe explanation is that our ducky little mate has latent psychic abilities, but it can’t control them. It’s about time we changed that.
8
Arbok
Arbok’s Team Rocker counterpart, Weezing, has already gotten a regional variant in Galar, and it’s time for this snake Pokémon to get its own time in the limelight. Arbok is one of the more popular Pokémon from Gen 1, so it’s no coincidence fans are hoping for a regional variant of Arbok in Gen 10.
A Water-type that lurks in the new region’s oceans would be pretty cool, and it could feature a new pattern and color scheme as well. It wouldn’t be much of a stretch to see a new form of Arbok drifting through the waves.
7
Lapras
Traveling the seas in Pokémon Winds and Waves on the back of a Lapras sounds fun, right? It’s also a nice callback to some earlier games and the anime. But do you know what would be even cooler? A regional variant of Lapras that also lets us fly. Maybe I’m just dreaming here, but a new Lapras that can take to the skies while also speeding through water sounds like an ideal Pokémon to me.
Lapras has been a pretty regular part of Pokémon games for 30 years, but it hasn’t been given much love in terms of new designs or gimmicks. There’s no evolutionary line for Lapras, no Mega Lapras, and outside of a Gigantamax form, Lapras doesn’t have much to work with. A regional variant in Gen 10 would remedy that.
6
Florges
Florges has been a popular Pokémon since it debuted in Gen 6. And while it technically has a few different forms due to color changes, a regional variant could give this long-time favorite the edge it needs. Eternal Flower Floette was back in Legends: Z-A, which was nice, but it’d be cool to see a Florges with a different color scheme, design, and typing.
5
Snorlax
Snorlax has gotten different forms thanks to things like Gigantamaxing in Gen 8 and the Mosslax design in Pokopia, and it’s precisely because of how cool those designs look that it’d be awesome to see a regional variant for Snorlax in Winds and Waves. Traditionally Normal-type, Snorlax would also get the opportunity here to have some interesting new typing as well. It’s an exciting prospect that I’d love to see pay off in Gen 10.
4
Arboliva
Is it too soon to have regional variants of Gen 9 Pokémon? I’m going to say no, because a new form for Arboliva would be really cool to see. The Gen 10 games could give Arboliva a different local fruit to be a part of its design (which, yeah, might contradict its name, but whatever) while also toying with its typing. We know jungles are a part of Winds and Waves, and a more jungle-fied version of Arboliva would be really fun to see.
3
Jigglypuff
Jigglypuff is one of the most iconic Pokémon from Gen 1, and it’s also one of the most popular. It’s kind of wild that we haven’t gotten a regional variant of Jigglypuff and its evolution Wigglytuff yet. A lot of Gen 1 favorites have gotten regional variants over the years, including Meowth in both Galar and Alola, so it’s about time Meowth stopped hogging the spotlight.
The possibilities are pretty much endless with a regional variant of Jigglypuff. Perhaps we’re given one with an emo edge that has Dark typing, or maybe there’s a folk rocker, flower child version of Jigglypuff lurking out in the jungle with Grass moves. Winds and Waves could have a lot of fun with this one, which is why it’d be a shame if Jigglypuff gets ignored again.
2
Vanillite Evolution Line
Vanillite and its evolutionary line has kind of gotten a bad rap. They were part of Gen 5’s controversial designs that fans complained about. Some thought the designs were lazy, while others thought they were just kind of lame. Regardless, these Pokémon have since appeared in a number of later games, and a tropical setting would be the perfect place to give them their own regional variants.
Instead of being based on ice cream (and Ice-types), designs for Vanillite, Vanillish, and Vanilluxe could be themed around a tropical drink. Maybe an edgy slushy that doubles as a Poison-type or one that offers an Electric-type jolt. A number of Pokémon have gotten different color forms, like Squawkabilly and Oricorio, so it’d be cool if regional variants for Vanillite and its evolutions did the same thing based on flavors. Different flavors could have different color schemes. Sounds pretty cool, right?
1
Eeveelutions
Pokémon fans are hungry for a new Eevee evolution, and despite myriad leaks for a new Eeveelution in Gen 10, there’s nothing official to suggest it’s really happening. Offering regional variants of Eeveelutions, however, could be an interesting way for the Pokémon games to give us new forms while not necessarily introducing new Pokémon.
New regional variants of the original three — Vaporeon, Jolteon, and Flareon — could function in a similar way to the Galarian versions of the Legendary Bird Trio. If we’re really dreaming big, give us regional variants for all the Eeveelutions. Only time will tell if that really happens, but it’s a fun idea for Pokémon Winds and Waves that we’d love to see play out for real.
- Released
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2027
- Developer(s)
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Game Freak
- Publisher(s)
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The Pokemon Company, Nintendo
- Multiplayer
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Online Co-Op, Online Multiplayer
- Number of Players
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Single-player