Pokémon gets a new type after 10 years, but it will only be playable in the games of the ninth generation, Scarlet and Violet.
On Sunday, August 13, 2023, the finals of the Pokémon World Championships took place in Japan. As part of the celebrations, there was also a new gameplay trailer for the upcoming DLC “The Treasure of Zone Zero”.
The trailer featured some battles, including the new paradox Pokémon “Furienblitz” and “Eisenhaupt”, as well as a new mysterious Pokémon type.
What kind of type is this? The new type is known as a Tera type. This is a mechanic introduced in the ninth generation of Pokémon with Scarlet and Violet.
The Tera type of a Pokémon allows it to change its actual type. For example, a water Pokémon can have the fire type after using Tera crystallization once in battle.
However, until now, the Tera type had to correspond to one of the 18 known Pokémon types. With “The Treasure of Zone Zero”, there will now be a new, 19th Tera type.
What characterizes the new Tera type? The exact name of the type and its characteristics are currently unknown. However, as it is a new, independent type, it will also come with new attributes.
It can therefore be assumed that the new Tera type may have its own type-specific strengths or weaknesses.
Additionally, during the new trailer and on images, the logo of the new Tera type was already visible, with a rainbow-colored background.
The composition of the various colors in the logo of the type, as well as the “crown” that Pokémon wear when activating the Tera type, suggest that the new Tera type could be a combination of the 18 known types.
Why will the new type only be available in 2 games? Since the sixth generation, Pokémon games have received new mechanics that only appear in the games of that generation. In X and Y, there were Mega Evolutions, in Sun and Moon the Z-Moves, and in Sword and Shield the Dynamaxing.
The generation-specific mechanic of Scarlet and Violet is Tera crystallization. Since none of the mechanics have been adopted in subsequent generations, it is very unlikely that the new Tera type will be available in games other than Scarlet and Violet.
However, it is conceivable that the type could be playable in a remake of an old generation, as was the case with Mega Evolutions in Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire.
When was the last new type introduced in Pokémon? So far, the fairy type is the latest addition. It was introduced 10 years ago (2013) with the release of Pokémon X and Y in generation 6 and has since been known primarily as a counter against dragon Pokémon.
The fairy type is also considered one of the strongest types in the game.
In the past, there have been numerous speculations and wishes from fans that a new type could be introduced with Scarlet and Violet. With the new Tera type, this is at least partially the case.
Originally, parts of the community hoped for a sound type:
