Luxray, a beloved Pokémon since its debut in Pokémon Diamond & Pearl, has struggled to maintain relevance in competitive play. However, players are now rallying for changes to be made to enhance its potential. One popular suggestion is to give Luxray the Dark-type, which would greatly improve its effectiveness.
In the Pokémon the Series: XY, Luxray played a prominent role as part of Clement’s team. Its origins can be traced back to its initial form, Shinx, which could be found early on in the Sinnoh region. Fans were drawn to Luxray’s design and many developed a strong connection to it through its evolutions.
Unfortunately, Luxray failed to impress competitive players. Its ability, Rivalry, was considered one of the worst in the game, while its good ability, Intimidate, was harder to come by. Additionally, Luxray’s move pool limited its potential as a Physical Electric attacker, despite its impressive 120 base Attack stat. The addition of the Dark typing would provide Luxray with powerful STAB moves, such as Bite and Crunch, making it a more formidable threat.
Some players argue that Luxray’s Speed and Special Attack stats should be swapped instead of changing its typing. This would allow Luxray to have better turn order priority and make better use of moves like Wild Charge. However, this solution still leaves Luxray vulnerable to counters due to its limited move set flexibility.
Regardless of the proposed changes, it is unlikely that Luxray will receive any tweaks. The last major typing shake-up occurred in 2013 with the introduction of the Fairy type. If Luxray were to evolve competitively, it would likely receive a similar treatment to Pokémon like Azumarill.
| Original | Paraphrased |
|---|---|
| Luxray has long been one of those iconic Pokémon that never really sustained relevance beyond its debut generation. | Luxray has struggled to maintain relevance in competitive play since its debut. |
| Now, in a Reddit thread posted Nov. 27, players are rallying for something to be done about its mediocre potential, and giving it the Dark-type top of everybody’s list. | Players are now calling for improvements to Luxray’s potential, with the Dark-type being a popular choice. |
| Luxray’s origins date back to the release of Pokémon Diamond & Pearl in 2006. | Luxray was introduced in Pokémon Diamond & Pearl in 2006. |
| It can be found relatively early on in the journey across Sinnoh in its initial form of Shinx. | Shinx, Luxray’s initial form, can be encountered early on in the Sinnoh region. |
| The creature’s design was a hit with fans and was recognized as a favorite of casual players who grew a connection to it through two evolutions. | Fans loved Luxray’s design and casual players formed a strong connection to it through its evolutions. |
| Unfortunately, for competitive players, Luxray failed to make a good impression. | However, Luxray did not impress competitive players. |
| Back in the day when nature changes and IV training were far more difficult, finding the perfect version of this Pokémon was highly frustrating. | In the past, it was extremely frustrating to find a perfect version of Luxray due to the difficulty of nature changes and IV training. |
| Intimidate was its good ability, Rivalry was one of the worst in the entire catalog. | Luxray had the good ability Intimidate, but its other ability, Rivalry, was considered one of the worst. |
| Past this initial annoyance came the truth that Physical Electric attacks are heavily restricted by limited move pools. | Furthermore, Luxray’s potential as a Physical Electric attacker was limited due to its move pool. |
| This is a shame since Luxray’s 120 base Attack stat is actually pretty darn good. | It is unfortunate because Luxray has an impressive base Attack stat of 120. |
| If Dark typing were to be given to Luxray, its threat would become far more potent thanks to the addition of great STAB moves. | Giving Luxray the Dark typing would greatly enhance its threat level by providing powerful STAB moves. |
| STAB stands for same type attack bonus and boosts a Pokémon’s attack if it is of the same type as its user. | STAB, which stands for same type attack bonus, boosts a Pokémon’s attack if it matches the user’s type. |
| In Luxray’s case, it naturally learns both Bite and Crunch which offer flinch and defense debuffs respectively. | Luxray naturally learns both Bite and Crunch, which can cause flinching and lower the opponent’s defense, respectively. |
| Thief also becomes more viable with itemization a foundational element to competitive play. | Additionally, Thief becomes a more viable move in competitive play where item usage is important. |
| There are a few who aren’t so fussed about the proposed change, however. | However, there are some who are not concerned about the suggested change. |
| “Luxray’s problem isn’t really its mono-Electric typing,” stated one opponent, “its problem is that its Speed and Special Attack stats should be swapped.” | Some argue that Luxray’s mono-Electric typing is not the issue, but rather its Speed and Special Attack stats should be switched. |
| A fascinating solution to be sure, giving Luxray a far better chance to earn turn order priority and utilize Wild Charge more effectively. | This solution would give Luxray a better chance to have turn order priority and make better use of moves like Wild Charge. |
| However, this still runs into the issue of lacking move set flexibility thus making it highly susceptible to counters. | However, this solution does not address the lack of move set flexibility, leaving Luxray vulnerable to counters. |
| Whichever side of the argument you fall upon, it seems unlikely that Luxray will be tweaked in any case. | Regardless of the argument, it is unlikely that Luxray will receive any changes. |
| The last typing shake-up landed back in 2013 with the addition of Fairy transforming some classic Pokémon into dual types or the new type altogether. | The last major typing change occurred in 2013 with the introduction of the Fairy type, which affected some Pokémon’s typings. |
| If Luxray were to evolve in a competitive sense, one would imagine Game Freak giving it a similar treatment to the likes of Azumarill. | If Luxray were to receive competitive improvements, it would likely be treated similarly to Pokémon like Azumarill. |
Source: DOTESPORTS
