Why Pokemon Scarlet and Violet’s Indigo Disk May Have Cut Three Iconic Legendaries

Highlights

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet’s Indigo Disk DLC brings back many Legendary Pokemon missing from the base games.
The iconic Aura trio from Pokemon X and Y is noticeably absent from the DLC, possibly due to balance concerns.
It is speculated that the Aura trio may reappear in the future or have their Abilities reworked to fit the game’s mechanics.

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet‘s Indigo Disk DLC reintroduced tons of Legendary Pokemon that didn’t appear in the base games. In a tradition starting with Sword and Shield, with the eradication of the National Pokedex, the second part of each respective game’s DLC brings back all box-art Legends, from Lugia and Ho-Oh to Groudon and Kyogre. Scarlet and Violet seemingly followed suit, yet there’s an iconic trio of legendary Pokemon that is not available to catch or transfer.

There are quite a few groups of notable Pokemon missing from Pokemon Scarlet and Violet‘s Indigo Disk DLC. Pokemon Sun and Moon’s Guardian Deities and Ultra Beasts are nowhere to be found, but most Legendaries have found a home in the series’ newest generation. Fans immediately noticed an iconic trio from the 3DS era of Pokemon games that is also not included in the DLC, however.

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet’s Indigo Disk DLC Has One Big Question That Goes Unanswered

There’s an unsolved question in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet’s Indigo Disk DLC that could have implications for the series’ future.

The Aura Trio’s Exclusion From The Indigo Disk

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Pokemon X and Y were released in 2013 for the 3DS and marked the first time the mainline series made the leap from 2D to 3D. The sixth generation of Pokemon games also introduced the Aura trio, comprised of Yveltal, Xerneas, and Zygarde. They represent the natural cycle of life: Xerneas and Yveltal are symbols of life and death, respectively, and Zygarde exists to restore natural order whenever it has been disturbed. The trio was immediately praised for their design and philosophical approach to the series, yet, they are unobtainable Pokemon in Scarlet and Violet.

Why The Legendary Pokemon May Not Be Available

The reason for the Aura trio’s absence may be due to the Terastal mechanic of Scarlet and Violet. Yveltal and Xerneas’ Abilities are Dark Aura and Fairy Aura, respectively. These Abilities boost the power of Dark and Fairy-type attacks by around 33 percent. For context, when a Pokemon Terastallizes into a type that they already have, the respective moves for that type are granted an additional 50% damage bonus on top of STAB. This immense increase in power levels could have a very skewed impact on the competitive Pokemon meta, and it seems likely that developer Game Freak removed them from the game to maintain balance.

Pokemon That Exist In Scarlet And Violet With Similar Abilities

It’s important to note that there are several Pokemon that are currently available in Scarlet and Violet that have similar Abilities to Yveltal and Xerneas. Generation seven’s Araquanid has the Ability Water Bubble, which doubles the power of its Water-type moves, along with halving damage from Fire-type attacks and preventing it from being burned. Pokemon like Greninja and Cinderace possess the abilities Protean and Libero, which change a Pokemon’s type to the type of move it’s about to use, indirectly giving them STAB (Same Type Attack Bonus) in the process. These abilities were weakened in Scarlet and Violet, however, as they now only work once per switch-in. Regieleki and Regidrago possess the Abilities Transistor and Dragon’s Maw, which boost the power of their Electric and Dragon-type attacks by 30 and 50 percent, respectively.

The key difference in differentiating Yveltal and Xerneas from the rest of the Pokemon that possess corresponding Abilities is by comparing base stats. The legendary Pokemon of X and Y have offensive base stats of 131. Araquanid’s base attack stat sits at a measly 70, while Regieleki and Regidrago’s offensive are at a more respectable 100. Even still, the Aura Abilities also boost the power of Dark and Fairy-type attacks of every Pokemon on the field, which has an incredible impact on double battles, the official format of the Pokemon Video Game Championships, VGC in short.

Why The Legendary Trio May Reappear In Scarlet And Violet

Another potential reason why the Aura trio is absent from Scarlet and Violet is that their Abilities are being reworked to harmonize with the Terastal phenomenon. This could certainly take extra time, and since it is known that the game’s epilogue episode will be released this January 11th, X and Y’s iconic Legendary Pokemon may make a return at a later date.

What About Zygarde?

Zygarde’s in-game Ability, Aura Break, is nowhere near as overwhelming as Yveltal’s or Xerneas’. It simply negates the Abilities of its two counterparts, fitting in with its thematic role in the series. Thus, Zygarde’s absence from Pokemon Scarlet and Violet is self-explanatory, as its existence is not absolute without the rest of the trio.