When it comes to the world ofPokémon, there is no Water-typequite as useless as Magikarpbutthat hasn’t stopped one talented fan from coming up with a unique regional variant that could be much more useful. Despite how popular it is amongst the community, Magikarp is one of the bigger “meme” Pokémon since its move set is particularly weak. Upon first catching a Magikarp, the only ability it has is Splash, which does nothing, but those who persist in leveling it will eventually unlock Tackle, which is only marginally better.
Over on Reddit, userqobrosiishared an image of their take on a Regional Variant of Magikarp and the artwork is so good, thatone can easily imagine it making it into the Generation 10Pokémongames.
The artist explains that they envision this Magikarp as a Normal/Ground-type, suggesting that whatever location it spawns in forced it to evolve away from needing water to survive.Qobrosii also explains that their Magikarp will evolve into a Ground/Dragon Gyarados, hinting that they’re already developing artwork to illustrate the change.
Regional Variants Are Very Popular
But Some Pokémon Players Aren’t Fans
Introduced inPokémon Sun & Moon, Regional Variants allowed developer Gamefreak to go back to the drawing board for older Pokémon and give them a fresh coat of paint, often even tweaking them mechanically. The Pokémon community generally received the twist well, leading to variants returning inSword & Shield,Legends: Arceus, andScarlet & Violet. Yet despite the popularity,many believe Gamefreak runs the risk of leaning too hard on the new designs.
While certain regional variants like Alolan Sandshrew and Galarian Pontya have garnered plenty of praise from players, some believe the changes were too extreme.Many designs, especially for Hisuian Variants, have been criticized for changing too many aspects of the original Pokémon, prompting users to question why a variant is needed when Gamefreak seemingly wanted to create a completely different pocket monster. Despite these concerns, regional variants aren’t going anywhere and will likelyfeature in the next game in the series.
As for Magikarp, the floundering fish is stillone of the most iconic Water-typesin the entirePokémonfranchise, meaning it would be theperfect contender for a new regional variant.One can only hope that Gamefreak recognizes Magikarp’s popularity and gives players something new catch. Even though it’s incredibly useless, one can’t help but adore the empty-headed stare of that splashing fish.
