Series fans have leveled plenty of criticism towardsPokemon Scarlet and Violetsince their release, particularly around the games' rough technical performance. While these criticisms are valid, they fail to address another poor precedent thatPokemon Scarlet and Violethave set ahead of the inevitable Gen 10 games. The addition of Tera Raids as an extension of the new Terastal Phenomena mechanic is a welcome addition to the series, but they introduced a concerning trend of locking certain mons like Walking Wake and Iron Leaves behind limited-time events, one which Gen 10 will need to address.
ThePokemonseries is no stranger to limited-time giveaways for certain special mons. Longtime fans will recall the days of receivingMystery Giftmons from in-person events, which were later replaced by special download codes, and are now starting to be phased out in favor of online distribution. However, these events were usually reserved for special occasions like shiny Legendaries or the Mythicals of each generation that couldn’t be otherwise obtained within the games, but the status of Paradox Pokemon falling just outside these classifications makes this new trend more troubling.
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Gen 10 Needs to Avoid Locking Non-Legendary Mons Behind Limited-Time Events
Pokemon Scarlet and Violethave been pretty consistent with offering players new limited-time Tera Raid events in the period since the games launched. Many of these Raids had given players access to critters not available in the game prior to the addition ofPokemon Homefunctionality. It was exciting to see popular mons likeCharizard, Greninja, and Cinderaceappear as limited-time Tera Raid opponents before they became available to be transferred to the Gen 9 games viaPokemon Home, but introducing brand-new creatures and locking them behind these events is another story entirely.
During the Pokemon Presents broadcasted as part of the Pokemon Day 2023 celebration, two brand-new Paradox Pokemon were revealed to be coming to the games as new Tera Raid Bosses. While the introduction ofWalking Wake and Iron Leaveswas an exciting surprise, their exclusivity to a limited-time Tera Raid event made catching them ultimately more stressful than enjoyable. The initial event ran from February 27-Jul 12, 2025, meaning that players who purchased the game after the end date would not be able to access the mons, an unfortunate punishment for late adopters ofPokemon Scarlet and Violet.
To make matters worse, these two mons were version exclusive, meaning players without a Nintendo Switch Online subscription would not be able to access one of the two new mons at all.Version exclusivity is nothing new toPokemonwith each entry requiring player to trade with one another to complete their Pokedex, but it only added further obstacles to a pair of critters with limited accessibility. The way Walking Wake and Iron Leaves were distributed also made it very difficult for competitive players to catch a competitively viable version of one of these mons since they were beholden to the limitations of a timed event that featured unbreedable creatures.
Although Walking Wake and Iron Leaves did return to Tera Raids from May 1-14, 2023, locking any non-Legendary mon behind a timed event is still a bad precedent to set. TheseParadox Pokemonshould have been made permanent additions to the Tera Raid line up on top of the rotating event spotlight mons. Even if they were only available through Tera Raids, they would still be accessible to new players who purchased the games after the event dates. Game Freak and The Pokemon Company should take note of this issue heading into Gen 10 as the games are likely to include a similar multiplayer component featuring the new generational gimmick.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violetare available for Nintendo Switch.
