Quote Originally Posted by Depression Moon View Post
The new forms of vulpix and sandshrew will have a different movelist and maybe stats too, so I don't understand why they made them. They might as well been new pokemon.

I thought the new forms were jokes at first, especially when you start out with that exeggutor. The new pokemon are just whatever to me. The most interesting news is the removal of gyms for trials, but these trials might just be an in name change only. We won't know until further information.
They are confirmed to have new stats, as the website specifically discusses the new Sandshrew/Sandslash being much bulkier, but slower, than their original form versions.

Interestingly enough, though, there may be a point to it.

End-game systems like the Battle Maison prevent you from having duplicate Pokémon in your team. Even if they have different forms, the species itself is restricted to one on your team. So making them the same Pokémon will mean that you can't have both the new ice fox, and the old fire fox, on the same team. They're both Vulpix, so you have to pick which you want.

Granted, with well over 700 Pokémon before Sun/Moon adds its new additions, you aren't exactly suffering from a lack of options, but it does technically have some gameplay effect.



Personally, I love the new designs, though. A lot of the old Pokémon have kind of been forgotten or cast aside. When was the last time you were actually excited to have a Sandshrew on your team? It allows them to breathe new life into old Pokémon in a way that is even more effective than Mega-Evolution. It also allows them to create new Pokémon without having to rack the total count up even higher, as well as reuse particularly strong or popular designs, instead of having to strain people's patience with designs that are not particularly well received, but exist just to be new.

Heck, Delta Pokémon have been a thing in the card game for ages. I love what I see coming out of the new forms.