Summary
The recent announcement of Magikarp joining the roster of playable critters inPokemon Uniteis great news for fans of this Gen 1 fish. While it might seem like a strange choice for a new character given thatPokemon Uniteis a fast-paced MOBA title, Magikarp’s evolution Gyarados fits right in with the rest of the game’s roster. However, with this new addition,Pokemon Unitehas the chance to make one cosmetic change for this mon with its Holowear options to pay homage to one of the franchise’s most iconic incarnations of Gyarados.
Magikarp seems to be bringing with it some new mechanics that will shake upPokemon Unite’s gameplay. The biggest of these changes is howMagikarp evolves into Gyarados, needing to fill its effort gauge through the use of basic attacks and Magikarp’s moves like Flail and Splash rather than the standard level-up system that other characters use. With Magikarp already breaking the mold from a gameplay perspective, its addition toPokemon Uniteis also the perfect chance for the game to add its first shiny Holowear skin so that players can play as the iconic Red Gyarados.
Shiny Gyarados Holowear in Pokemon Unite Seems like a No-Brainer
Fans of thePokemonfranchise are likely familiar with Gyarados' shiny red form as it is one of the most memorable parts of the Gen 2 games. In the Johto games, players can catch a guaranteed shiny Gyarados at the Lake of Rage after having supposedly been forced to evolve by Team Rocket’s radio broadcast. Players can work withJohto’s Champion Lanceto soothe this raging beast and catch it to give them access to what was likely many players' first shiny Pokemon.
There are very few guaranteed shiny Pokemon in the series outside this Gyarados, making it all the more special. Others include a shiny Dratini or Gible gifted by Benga inPokemon Black 2 and White 2’s post-game, a shiny Haxorus that is a reward for seeing 300 mons in those same games, and a shiny Ponyta inPokemon Legends: Arceus.
This storyline in the Johto games has cemented theRed Gyaradosas one of the most iconic shiny variants in the entire franchise, so it only makes sense thatPokemon Unitewould honor this notable form with a Holowear cosmetic. InPokemon Unite, Holowear are cosmetic skins players can purchase for their critters to wear, and these cosmetics usually take the form of some type of clothing for the associated creature. While it’s cute to see the outfits available for mons to wear inPokemon Unite, the Holowear options for some critters could do a lot more to reference iconic incarnations of them from throughout the franchise.
Currently, there are no Holowear outfits that include shiny variants of theplayable mons inPokemon Unite. However, now would be the perfect opportunity to introduce the first of its kind through the addition of a Red Gyarados Holowear skin for the new playable character that is already introducing new mechanics to the game. Even if changing Gyarados' color to red to match its shiny is out of the question, giving it a red suit or something similar as a way of acknowledging its shiny form via Holowear without altering its base model would still go a long way in giving this critter the love it deserves.
With rumors pointing towards a potentialnew Johto game for the mainlinePokemonseries,Pokemon Unitewould be in a great position to further the hype surrounding these rumors by adding this Red Gyarados Holowear skin when Magikarp joins the roster later this month. The stars seem to be aligning for Red Gyarados to the point where it makes too much sense for its inclusion inPokemon Unite. Whether the game ends up capitalizing on this chance is yet to be seen, but it would likely be a smart move for building hype amongPokemon Unitefans.
