The upcoming Gen 10 debut with next year Pokemon winds and waves has the potential to drastically change the franchise, marking the longest period of time between generational releases in the series' history. Therefore, high expectations are set Pokemon winds and waves deliver with both its technical performance on Switch 2 and its game design that builds on the foundations of an open world Scarlet and Violet laid down In an effort to modernize the franchise as a whole, the Gen 10 games have a chance to give some of the forgotten Pokémon a major boost, and one Gen 2 Mon needs a boost more than any other.
Besides Pokemon winds and waves First off, a handful of returning Pokemon have been confirmed for Gen 10 as well. This includes the critters featured in the reveal trailer, such as:
-
Pikachu
-
Special
-
Gloomy
-
Crabby
-
Tangela
-
Ledyba
-
Ledian
-
Slugma
-
Corsola
-
Taillow
-
Wingull
-
Wilmer
-
Wailord
-
Duskull
-
Tropius
-
Carnivine
-
Lumineon
-
Tympole
-
snazzy
-
Tynamo
-
Marenia
-
Toxapex
-
Sandygast
-
Swizel
-
Nymble
Of these confirmed returning Pokemon, Ledian needs the love the most, as the Gen 2 creature has a history of being one of the worst mons in the series.
Pokémon Winds and Waves starters already have a clear winner
A clear contender for the best starter in Pokémon Winds and Waves is emerging, even before the details of the game have been officially revealed.
Ledian is overdue for a Buff in Pokémon Winds and Waves
It is forgivable if some Pokemon players have completely forgotten Ledian's existence, as the Bug-type creature has never really established itself in any of the games in which it has appeared. Debut in Gen 2 as Silver Pokemon Exclusive, his pre-evolution, Ledyba, can be found early on Route 30, which connects Cherrygrove City and Violet City. Despite early development at level 18, Ledian is hardly worth using in play as it is weak to Falkner's flying types in the first Gym and is quickly outclassed by other bug types such as Heracross later on.
GameRant Quiz
Start
Easy (15s) Medium (10s) Hard (5s)
What makes Ledian such a historically bad Pokemon
|
HP |
55 |
|
Attack |
35 |
|
Defense |
50 |
|
Special attack |
55 |
|
Special defense |
110 |
|
Speed |
85 |
|
Total |
390 |
Even outside of Gen 2, Ledian remains an incredibly weak being. It has pitiful stats for a fully evolved Pokemon with a base stat total of only 390. Not only are these stats incredibly low, but Ledian also can't take full advantage of his best stats in Gen 2 because before the physical/special split, Bug was a physical type, meaning Ledian could only deal damage with a pitiful 35 base attack. Even after the Physical/Special split in Gen 4, things aren't much better, with Ledian's preferred Offensive stat still only being a basic 55 Special Attack and an incredibly fragile Defensive stat of only 55.
Other Pokémon with a base stat total of 390 include Graveler, Weepinbell, Yanma, Munchlax, Boldore, Gothorita, and Ariados, the only other fully evolved creature that actually got a slight buff to 400 BST in Gen 7.
How Pokemon Winds and Waves Can Enhance Ledian
Clearly something has to change for Ledian to be a useful member of the team going into Gen 10. Pokemon winds and waves he has several options to choose from when it comes to how to buff Ledian, and there is precedent for a new generation to embrace each of these potential changes for mons in the past. A Ledian wouldn't necessarily need all of these changes to become viable, but some combination would definitely improve the creature.
A new evolution for Ledian
First and foremost, the most obvious way to get a Ledian buff in Gen 10 is to give him a new evolution. Since most other Pokemon with 390 BST are mid-evolutions, giving Ledian a third evolution would be a natural progression. Past generations gave older Pokémon a third evolution to increase their viability, such as Kingambit Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. Because Ariados is Ledian's counterpart as a Pokemon baby exclusive, Ariados could also receive new developments to maintain this connection.
Improved Ledian stats
An alternative to a new evolution for Ledian is to simply increase his base stats, similar to what Ariados received in Gen 7. However, Ledian would probably need more than a 10 point boost to be viable, especially with how weak his defense stat is. Ideally, Ledian would get a boost to his Special Attack and Defense, increasing them to 75 and 60 respectively. 415 Base Stat Total might not seem like much, but it would make Ledian's STAB special attacks like Air Slash and Bug Buzz more powerful, while also giving him a slightly better chance of surviving super-effective physical moves.
Pokemon Winds and Waves DLC titles already clear
Even though Pokemon Winds and Waves were just announced, future DLC for the games may already have their names based on past patterns.
Giving the error type more benefits
Rather than improving Ledian specifically, Gen 10 could improve the entire Bug type to be better as a whole. Right now, the Bug type is only very effective against Psychic and Dark, while it is weak against Fire, Flying, and Rock types. To help balance Pokemon18 types making Bug strong against an overpowered Fairy type would give all Bug type Pokémon more utility, making Ledian a more usable team member overall.
Including Ledian in the new “Majin” mechanic
Although nothing concrete has been revealed about it yet, the new Gen 10 battle trick has been revealed under the name “Majin” and involves Pokémon gaining new forms based on the weather. The Pokemon winds and waves The trailer seems to tease the feature, but doesn't reveal well how it will work. If these Majin forms work like Mega Evolutions or Dynamax forms, then Ledian could be massively upgraded with one. A historically weak Pokemon like Mawile completely broke in Gen 6 when it got Mega Evolution, so there's room for generational battle tricks to give underrated mons a nice boost. Hopefully this Majin combat mechanic will be revealed soon along with some of the creatures that will be able to use it.
- Released
-
2027
- Multiplayer
-
Online co-op, online multiplayer
