Em Stonham
The Pokemon Company
Being part of the Pokemon community means getting to see incredible fan art and creative theories on an almost daily basis. Whether you’re more interested in the games, the cards, or the show, there’ll be a slew of artists putting out content that resonates with you on almost every platform.
One exciting trend that’s popped up online lately is the idea of Ability-based Pokemon forms, highlighted by artist n0rtist on X. This trend looks at how a Pokemon’s natural Ability, like Torrent or Thick Fat, could theoretically impact its design and aesthetic.
Other Pokemon creators immediately jumped on the trend and it’s been doing the rounds in the community ever since – with many praising the original artist and saying that they were “really loving this concept” in the process.
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What if abilities changed the appearance of a Pokemon?
Something like #AbilityForms#pokemon #fakemon #fanart #dog pic.twitter.com/Sbe4JmYYu2— n0Rtist (@n0rtist) June 7, 2024
The original post features Breloom as the star of the show, giving Effect Spore Breloom a veil of poison and putting a subtle poison apple design onto Poison Heal Breloom.
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The Technician design is much more geometric and angular than the standard form of Breloom, with one fan comparing it to a Xenomorph, saying, “Idk if this was intentional but it gives me the creeps. Reminds me of Alien”.
Another artist named birdoodles unveiled their own spin on the creative Pokemon trend, picking the ever-popular Piplup as their Pokemon of choice.
Ability Forms – Piplup Version! [OC]
byu/birdoodles inpokemon
The literal take on the plucky penguin’s powers went down a treat with other Pokemon fans in the community, with one person praising the artist by saying, “These are adorable. I think competitive is my favorite.”
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Some Pokemon art trends are intriguing yet unrealistic, but this particular trend feels feasible enough for a mainline Pokemon game. It could arguably rival popular gimmicks like Tera Pokemon or Mega Evolutions in terms of creativity and aesthetic appeal.
As one Pokemon fan pointed out, though, it would be a nightmare to have Ability forms in Pokemon VGC tournaments. They noted, “Cool concept but it would suck for competitive. You’d be guaranteed to know the abilities of every Pokémon you encountered” before praising the idea as “neat” regardless.
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While it’s unlikely that we’ll see Ability forms in a mainline Pokemon game any time soon, it’s not impossible. The arrival of Pokemon Legends Z-A marks the return of fan-favorite Mega Evolutions and with it, the potential for new, creative takes on popular critters.
Related:
Fan made Pokemon art gives Scyther “Jazz Hands”
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