Is there a major disparity in Gen 9's version of choice?

[TheMantyke]

A whole bunch of anecdotal evidence has been piling up in my peripheral vision lately. I go to my local Pokemon League and we have two Scarlet players vs six Violet players. I try and round out my Pokedex using the version exclusive trade codes and getting Scarlet Pokemon feels like pulling teeth, with reports of similar gripes on the main smogon discord. I go to Target and there are stacks of copies of Pokemon Scarlet on hand, but none of Violet.

Is there a major disparity in Gen 9's version of choice? Are people far and away picking up Violet more than Scarlet?

This seems like an unprecedented preference choosing one version or the other. The closest I can think of something like this happening is Sword and Sheild, but even then, it felt more like people laughing at the stark difference in power between Zacian and Zamazeta. To be fair, the nature of the co-op play of that game doesn't make which version you chose all too important, so it might just be these huge differences have existed for a bit and are only really super tangible now.

A simple poll doesn't really prove anything, but it might be able to get a better pulse on a small subsection of the community. On top of that, I've got some questions to discuss:

• Did you pick up Scarlet, Violet, or Both?
• Why did you choose one or the other?
• What have your friends been picking?
• Do you think there's a difference in the games' popularity? Why do you think that is?

For my personal answers to these questions, I picked Violet. I personally stick to a few ancient rituals buying new Pokemon games; when I was young, my sister got the version listed first, and I got the version listed second. It's stayed that way for 20+ years now. I'm growing suspicious there might be a major difference in the popularity of both versions a few months out. Why? I'm actually not too certain. The best I can think of is like... I guess Miraidon is cooler to most people? I do remember people on twitter being a little miffed Koraidon didn't roll around like a bike like Miraidon does, so maybe that's part of it?

 

[Whitephoenixace]

Personally when the games originall got announced I was going to go with scarlet based on the design of koraidon. However when the charcadet evos got announced I felt more inclined to go with violet instead for ceruledge and was somewhat unsure. Datamines came around and honestly weighing out dislikes and likes between paradox pokemon, I found that I prefered the future mons more (sorry my beloved slither wing). After getting the game as well I dont even regret my choice, especially when seeing that we are stuck clothing wise, purple just looks waaaay better to me than orange.

 

[Pineapple1001]

I picked violet because I heard it had more ghost types. I also prefer Cerulegde over Armarouge, and purple uniforms instead of scarlet.

 

[War Incarnate]

Picked Violet mainly because of Miraidon & Ceruledge. The Future Paradox mons are also quite nice too, and purple screams more immediately appealing than orange.

Looking back on Pokemon Scarlet, however, I'd say it probably had more unique Paradox mons as well as better version exclusives [it still baffles me why they made the Deino line exclusive to Scarlet but the Dreepy line exclusive to Violet], but really both games are great overall. I don't see too much difference between the games' popularity overall.

 

[gupdoo3]

I picked Scarlet because I liked Koraidon's design better (and Sada's design). I figured any other version exclusives i easily could get via trades but i might only ever get one legendary so i better pick my favorite.

 

[misterdarvus]

I think there's a lot of trivial distaste about why Koraidon's sac that looks like wheel; but doesn't works as wheels. A lot of comments be like "Why Koraidon uses its legs like Flintstone? I preordered Violet instead!"

 

[DreamPrince]

Both technically, I won a free copy of Scarlet, but I initially chose Violet. Gave the free copy of Scarlet to my brother for Christmas.

As for “ Why”, well, it’s traditional for me to choose the second version over the 1st because my brother chose Diamond and I chose Pearl as my first game, and it’s stuck ever since. Second versions include: Soulsilver, White, Y, Moon etc.

 

[Hugin]

Violet. I generally pick the blue version, and every time I haven't I've disliked the game. Yes, it's superstition, but it works.

Also, the orange uniforms are a crime against fashion.

 

[Antihaxxer]

I picked Violet due to the hotness of the professor.

 

[PokePoindexter]

I went with Violet for two reasons:
1) Other than Dragalge and Roaring Moon, Violet's version exclusives easily eclipse Scarlet's for me (e.g. Salamence > Tyranitar, Dragapult > Hydreigon, Ceruledge > Armarouge, Iron Moth > Slither Wing, Miraidon > Koraidon).
2) I like purple more than red and future themes more than past themes.

 

[bdt2002]

I actually did a funny thing to go along with Scarlet & Violet’s “Past Vs. Future” theme. By this point everyone knows digital distribution is the future of gaming, right? So in my head, when I realized I had never actually bought a main series Pokémon game digitally up to this point, I came up with an idea.

I got Violet digitally on the eShop while asking for Scarlet specifically on cartridge for the holidays. It just felt fitting.

 

[Esserise]

Technically both, since I got one for myself and one for my wife, and obviously it just made sense to get both versions in that scenario. But the one that I play, and would have chosen if I could have only picked one, is Scarlet, mostly just because I really love Koraidon’s design. That really was the only major factor for me (although I do think Violet got the better uniforms).

I actually did a funny thing to go along with Scarlet & Violet’s “Past Vs. Future” theme. By this point everyone knows digital distribution is the future of gaming, right? So in my head, when I realized I had never actually bought a main series Pokémon game digitally up to this point, I came up with an idea.

I got Violet digitally on the eShop while asking for Scarlet specifically on cartridge for the holidays. It just felt fitting.

I’ve been doing this for every Pokémon game on the Switch, but funny enough, for Scarlet & Violet I bought them in the orientation opposite yours. Your version is cooler.

 

[Lectrys]

My sister asked me for advice for which Gens 8-9 main-series Pokemon games to buy (the Switch is hers, not mine), and I said that Sword has the stronger box legend, Scarlet has prehistoric-themed version-exclusives and a box legend 4x weak to Fairy, and Violet has futuristic-themed version-exclusives and a box legend not 4x weak to anything.

She picked Violet and Sword.

She must be more into futuristic things than prehistoric things. (Nobody in my sister's family seems aware of any of the Gen 9 mons, and I've barely given details about any of them to them. The closest I've given are cracks about the Gen 9 starter final evolutions' bulk and offensive power to my nephew when he was picking his Sword starter, along with advice along the same line about the Gen 8 starters.)

 

[Suspicious Derivative]

Great idea for a thread, I'm interested in this as well. Below are my answers.

Did you pick up Scarlet, Violet, or Both?
Only Violet. Physical, I rarely get games digitally. From the 18 Switch games I own, only 3 are digital.

Why did you choose one or the other?
In the past, I used to get both games from all pairs. From R/B to US/UM, I bought every single main series game. That changed for the Switch, now I only get one game from each pair. The reasons being that it didn't feel worth getting both games anymore, my interest in Pokémon has been on a steady decline during the past 8-9 years, and I have no plans to get a second Switch just to trade with myself (which I used to do for the past consoles).

Originally, I was going to pick Scarlet. Neither red nor purple are among my favorite colors, but I thought the word "Scarlet" sounded much cooler than "Violet". But when the cover legends were revealed, I became unsure. I thought Miraidon looked much cooler than Koraidon, and after a while, I changed my mind and ended up going for Violet. It is also the "blue" version from this pair, and I like blue better than red in terms of colors. I have also gotten or started with more of the "blue" games throughout the generations. Since I only get one game from the pairs nowadays, I have no plans to get Scarlet.

The version exclusives did not influence my choice, but looking at them now, I prefer the version exclusives of Violet. The most notable are Mismagius, Salamence, Clawitzer, Passimian and Miraidon, which I prefer over their Scarlet counterparts. I think all of the Paradox Pokémon are awesome, Iron Valiant is my favorite from Violet while I like Flutter Mane the most from the Scarlet ones. Though, Scarlet has two Fairy-type Paradox Pokémon, while Violet only has one. But on the whole, I like the version exclusives of Violet better. In fact, I can't think of a single instance where I prefer a Scarlet exclusive over its Violet counterpart. I either prefer the Violet exclusives or find the exclusives to be about equal.

I also find myself liking the future theme of Violet. I guess this goes along with my own visions for the Pokémon games: I want the games to move forward into the future, not be stuck in the past. Which is also one reason as for why I'm not fond of Pokémon remakes, but that's for a different discussion. I have no real preference for the colors of the academy or the clothes the characters wear. As for the professors, I have no preference there either, I think both of them are okay. I have seen several people say they find one or both of the professors attractive (like Antihaxxer did in a post above), but I don't. I am a straight man, yet I don't really find Sada particularly attractive. As far as the female professors go, I'm more into Sonia and Juniper.

What have your friends been picking?
I have no IRL friends who play the modern Pokémon games, and the one online friend I have who plays Pokémon also picked Violet.

Do you think there's a difference in the games' popularity? Why do you think that is?
Yes. From what I have seen around the internet, Violet seems to be more popular. For instance, I remember seeing an image on a gaming site where a person had been to a game store and seen that the store was completely sold out of physical copies for Violet, while there were several copies of Scarlet left. I can try to go back and find that image if anyone wants to see it. I'm not really sure why though, and I can only speculate. Hopefully this thread can at least give us some clues.

 

[RocketSurgery]

I went with Scarlet because on balance I liked the past paradoxes better than the future paradoxes, though this was still very close and was it mostly due to flutter mane. I do like Koraidon's wings better than miraidon's glide mode. I otherwise like the violet version exclusives better, but I made my choice before we knew those, but since they're breedable it wouldn't have affected my decision (though I wish I had wild dreepy and drakloak).

 

[newseeds]

I got Violet because I prefer all of its exclusives except for Iron Treads (Slither Wing is pretty close but I love Iron Moth a little bit more). Nearly everyone I know got Scarlet, though

 

[Rain Moon]

Did you pick up Scarlet, Violet, or Both?
Violet, but planning to also pick up a copy of Scarlet eventually.

Why did you choose one or the other?
Well, I foolishly committed to Violet long before we got to see any of the version exclusives. My reason was because I absolutely hated how Koraidon didn't use his wheels while running, and figured that if I was to be staring at this bicycle dragon for many hours then I'd best choose the one I like better. In retrospect, this was a mistake. I failed to realize that Koraidon's goofy gallop probably was made to look ridiculous on purpose, since this duo of legendaries were considerably more friendly and charismatic than what we've seen in the past. Also, I vastly prefer Scarlet's version exclusives, especially Slither Wing who I absolutely adore. Gonna have to buy Scarlet so I can assemble an army of friend-shaped moths without having to rely on co-op.

What have your friends been picking?
WHERE are the Scarlet players hiding? Goodness knows I haven't seen em.

Do you think there's a difference in the games' popularity? Why do you think that is?
Honestly not too sure. Most people I talked to like Violet better, however I don't think I do. As of my writing this post, there are more Scarlet players than Violet ones who voted in this poll, which surprised me greatly!

 

[adman2]

I actually picked Violet to spite the nickname censor from Pokemon X. Supposedly one girl couldn't name her character Violet, and one of her parents mentioned it on some forum (GameFAQS)?

 

[Worldie]

• Did you pick up Scarlet, Violet, or Both?

I've got Violet. I was originally thinking to get both, then I realized that without Home I can't trade with myself anyway so that may be delayed or not happen anymore.

• Why did you choose one or the other?

I like colors tending to purple or pink, and even without that, I just liked the jet-bike design of Miraidon more

• What have your friends been picking?

Outside of a irl friend of mine who always picks the opposite of what I take, I did notice a very heavy Violet majority. 7 of my friends have Violet (or have both but consider Violet their main one and only did Scarlet to get the other exclusives), with only 2 of them actually picking Scarlet (or both with Scarlet as their main)

• Do you think there's a difference in the games' popularity? Why do you think that is?

Honestly I think people may like the jet bike and "robo-paradoxes" more.
As you may expect, there's part of the weeb community who has weird fetishes for Sada, but I wouldn't be surprised if, if a disparity is there, is just cause "robot cool"

 

[Perriechu]

Did you pick up Scarlet, Violet, or Both?

I always buy the games in pairs, because I am nothing if not a capitalist monster I'm afraid. Plus I just like having both, even if I have no intention of replaying through vanilla Scarlet/Violet ever again but I digress. My main version is Violet.

Why did you choose one or the other?

I chose Violet to main because I liked the look of Miraidon better. Red and Purple are my favourite colours but the "Scarlet" used in Scarlet looks like a really diluted orange colour, whereas Scarlet is very vibrant, it's such a pathetic reason lol but it just looks so ugly to me. So Violet also won that case. If the colour looked nicer I probably would've went with Scarlet, because the Paradox Pokémon in Scarlet are just.. a lot cooler.

What have your friends been picking?

A few of my friends opted for Scarlet, I'm not sure why - Koraidon has a lot of appeal and I think people see it as a big dumb dog who likes sandwiches, so I think there's more of a realistic appeal, as opposed to Miraidon who is robotic and doesn't appeal to people who like traditional Pokémon designs. Koraidon looks like a Pokémon that would fit well into other generations, whereas Miraidon slots probably only into Gen 9 due to being a Paradox Pokémon. If Gen 5 focused more on past/future than truth/ideals then Gen 5 would be a good fit for both (foreshadowing perhaps?)

Do you think there's a difference in the games' popularity? Why do you think that is?

My echo chamber doesn't represent true popularity - so I'm not sure about a huge difference but I do see more people talking about playing Violet more than Scarlet, but I see a lot of regret because I think the Scarlet Paradox Pokémon are a lot more appealing to players because they look like true evolutions/primal versions rather than just robotic. And Mega Evolution is something that brought a lot of players on-board and I think the Scarlet Paradox Pokémon remind people of those. If they revealed the Paradox Pokémon sooner I think the scales would have tipped over to Scarlet, but I don't think there's such a huge popularity gap. It would be interesting to see individual sales of both.

Oh and whilst typing this I forgot about Professor Mommy and Daddy. Yeah, I feel like people are whores (in the best way) and wanted Professor Turo more than Sada. I know I did. and the hundreds of gay men who flock to these games

 

[Saahil78629999]

Thank you

 

[pika pal]

Did you pick up Scarlet, Violet, or Both?

Just Scarlet for me, Physically and quite a bit after the initial month's hype wave (though thankfully raids, shiny hunting, and competitive have kept at least the Pokemon section of a server or two I'm in active enough to talk and raid with for stuff like late-arrival to Greninja).

Why did you choose one or the other?

Disclosure that I was spoiled on some things beyond marketing since a lot of talk was past "Spoiler Block" time when I picked up the game. That said, my choice was based on the same thing as most people, I just like the exclusives better. Contrary to what one would think, I actually picked it because a lot of the Exclusives to Scarlet were strong, but not necessarily moreso than their Violet Counterparts. Trading and transfer eventually can sort out my acquisition of basically any exclusive besides the Box Legendary anyway, but I more enjoy the design of the Past Paradoxes and find many of them just occupy more interesting niches in battle, like Slither Wing having weird defensive utility that reminds me a bit of GSC Heracross, Great Tusk being "Landorus-T at home", and weird varieties of sets like Tera-Fly Acrobatics RM. The Violet Paradoxes are arguably stronger overall, but they feel more linear to play with stuff like Iron Bundle, Iron Hands, and Iron Valiant all being massive Beaters focusing more on offensive than defensive synergy.

Design-wise I also find the Past Pokemon more visually interesting, emphasizing traits like Donphan's tusks or Jigglypuff's Hairdo, whereas the Future mons feel kind of sterile and samey with "what if this Pokemon was CHROME?" defining most of them outside of Iron Valiant and Miraidon, though the latter is helped by more expressive cutscene animations that it shares with its counterpart Koraidon anyway. Even outside the obvious "Ace" Paradoxes, they remind me a lot more of the idea of Mega Evolutions or upgraded-but-recognizable Forms aesthetically.

And like most people, I've always had a "version" out of the pairings that I picked up if getting one, in my case the "first" version (Ruby, Black, X, Sun) save for some weird pick-ups (Gen 1 my brother and I just played a Blue and Yellow cart "collaboratively," Gen 2 we traded off a Crystal Cartridge until the Batteries died, and Gen 4 I just owned all 3 Sinnoh games because a friend stepping away from Pokemon sold me the missing pair-game Cheap). I still stick to this even though my brother doesn't play the games much anymore to pick up a matching version.

What have your friends been picking?

My friends generally seem to have picked up Violet or both versions based on the small number of people I interact with who have the game. One friend of mine picked up Scarlet but does not have online interactivity with the Switch so that wasn't an influence on trading or interaction anyway.

Do you think there's a difference in the games' popularity? Why do you think that is?

I do think there's a gap in popularity and pick-up between the two versions, which I kind of attribute to initial impressions followed by "self-fulfillment" of said impressions. Early trailers inclined a lot of players to Miraidon because of the sleek design and Koraidon's running-travel, and then post-release seeing more people buy Miraidon merch or pick-up Violet led some people to assume that was the preferred version and inclined to that one if they didn't get a pair.

 

[Coronis]

Violet > Scarlet. As colours at least. Plus Miraidon looked much cooler than Kuraidon to me. Only reason why I might end up grabbing Scarlet in the future is to complete my living dex on Home, but GTS and multiple Miraidon (from multiple profiles) should eliminate that need.

 

[P3DS]

Did you pick up Scarlet, Violet, or Both?
I bought Scarlet, but got Violet in a Raffle

Why did you choose one or the other?
I did no prior digging, and I ended up preferring Koraidon over Miraidon. Winged King over the Iron Serpent any day. The Version exclusives didn't sway me at all.

What have your friends been picking?
Surprisingly, a near even split, but when I went to a local meet up, there were far more Violet players than Scarlet players.

Do you think there's a difference in the games' popularity? Why do you think that is?
From what I could deduce, it was mainly due to preferences of Miraidon over Koraidon, and Ceruledge shifted a lot of people over to Violet.

 

[Absolclaw]

Did you pick up Scarlet, Violet, or Both?
I bought a copy of both, one for me and my nephew as an early Christmas present.

Why did you choose one or the other?
Nephew wanted to play Violet and I didn't feel strongly enough about either game to care. In hindsight I probably should have voted both instead of Scarlet, but whatever.

What have your friends been picking?
Kind of same answer as the above, though I mostly seem to come across people with Violet and Miraidon online during raids.
.
Do you think there's a difference in the games' popularity? Why do you think that is?
Sci-Fi is cooler then cavemen. Also Violet has stuff like Salamence and Ceruledge.