On Light and Sound Pokemon
In response to this post.
Which, while very well thought out and interesting, brings up some rather unfortunate problems for the games as a whole.
Even as a kid, I remember it being popular to discuss the addition of new types into the world of Pokemon. After the introduction of Dark and Steel in Gen 2, it seemed like the door had been opened for the inclusion of just about every concept known to man.
Now, in Gen 6, rumors are apparently resurfacing regarding the addition of two of, admittedly, the most solid of the "fan types," Light and Sound.
I'd like to take a bit to discuss how the additions of these types would affect the games, and whether or not they'd actually be viable, both on their own, and in a game together.
So... let's begin with Sound type.
Just looking over the existing Pokemon up to the 5th generation, there's a lot of Pokemon who, conceivably, could be Sound types. Exploud, Kricketune, Chatot, etc.
Indeed, if there were ever to be a retyping, Sound seems the most likely candidate.
Unfortunately, I'm pretty vehemently against this. So, let's look at how the addition of a Sound type would play out.
First of all, we need to look at how the type itself would interact with the other, already existing types.
What, exactly, would Sound be effective against? Or ineffective? Well, sound travels more quickly through solids than liquids or gasses, so let's say that "solid" types are weak to Sound.
So... Rock, Steel, Ice, and Ground.
But Sound also constitutes noise, so one could make a case for Sound being strong against Psychic types.
So now Sound is super effective against Rock, Steel, Ground, and Psychic types.
Next, let's reapply our first assumption, and say that Sound types should be Not Very Effective against Water, Poison, and Flying types (liquids and gasses).
And since soundwaves can cancel each other out, we'll say that Sound is immune to itself, making it the first type able to completely wall itself out.
So... now let's look at it defensively.
What would Sound be weak to? Well... here's where our logic breaks down. As an offensive weapon, Sound has very measurable effects, but what really affects Sound?
Well, Lightning always precedes thunder, right? So one could make a case for Electric types having a super effective advantage.
If we stretch the definition a bit, we could give ghost types (who are incorporeal and thus operate on another plane) an advantage, but at this point we're just grasping at straws.
So let's look at what we've got so far.
Sound types:
Attacking-
2x Ground, Steel, Rock, Ice, Psychic
1/2x Water, Poison, Flying
0x Sound
Defending-
2x Electric, Ghost
1/2x Ice, Steel, Psychic
0x Sound
Alright. So, looking at that distribution, it quickly becomes apparent that Sound is an overpowered typing. Offensively, it is super effective against five relatively common types, while being resisted only by the generally uncommon (metagame-wise) Poison and Flying types. While Water is a common defensive type, it still does little to curb the imbalance.
Defensively, it still possesses more resistances and immunities than weaknesses, and while Ghost is a somewhat common STAB to encounter, Electric really is not. So, again, the imbalance persists.
And while one is free to add or subtract from the list, this little exercise should have made it apparent that, when trying to decide how Sound interacts with its fellow types, the logic is shallow at best, arbitrary at worst.
But for the sake of argument, let's assume that the type functions as listed above. The next question we should ask is "what necessary function is this type providing."
In generation 2, when Dark and Steel types were introduced, they came in for very specific reasons. The Dark type was intended to balance the vastly overpowered Psychic typing, and would eventually become an excellent offensive force for many pokemon in later generations. Steel types were intended to be defensively powerful, and still serve that function to this day, being one of the premier typings for walls and the like.
Sound types... wouldn't really serve any meaningful function.
While the ability to hit Steel types supereffectively would be a plus, common types such as Fire, Fighting, and Ground do that already. And since almost every team (at least, the well prepared ones) are going to be running some kind of fire move (flamethrower, usually and Earthquake, this is generally a non-issue.
Ground and Rock already share a weakness to both Grass and Water, so in that case it would be completely redundant, and useless for building coverage.
Ice and Psychic types are already dangerously frail, especially the former. As such, there really isn't any reason to bring it even lower.
So... to answer our original question, no. Sound type really isn't that necessary. It wouldn't fulfill any outstanding roles or fix any balance issues. If anything, it would just throw off the delicate balance we already have.
So... what would happen if it were introduced?
Well, first and foremost, we would see the biggest retyping to ever strike the series. Many Pokemon would end up gaining a type they didn't previously have, or shifting types entirely. Normal type Pokemon, in particular, would experience a loss of several Pokemon.
However, this shift would be... mostly necessary. While some, like Exploud, might experience a bit of a revival, most who receive the type are, frankly, sub-par anyway. Even with the ability to strike Steel and Rock types, Chatot is still not going to be a widely used Pokemon, for example.
Another, much bigger problem, would come from the fact that many moves would have to be re-typed.
Some, like Sing or Supersonic, wouldn't change either way, save that they would not be usable on other Sound types.
Other moves, like Hyper Voice, would benefit from losing their Normal typing.
But what about, say, Bug Buzz? It's definitely sound based, and it's affected by the Soundproof ability (which would have to be redistributed), so... would it become Sound type? If it did, Pokemon like Volcarona would lose their primary STAB.
Where are the distinctions drawn?
So... ultimately, I don't think that Sound should be a typing. Any benefits it might boast would be overshadowed by likely redundant coverage and an inadequate effect on the game itself. It would overcomplicate things, and honestly, if it's not fulfilling any required role, there's no real reason to include it.
So... no to Sound.
---
But what about Light?
While I am vehemently against the inclusion of our first new type, Light, in theory, could work.
However, in practice, that becomes less certain. So, let's approach Light in the same way we did Sound.
Light has always been a fan typing that I've heard tossed around. How cool would it be to have Holy Pokemon, right?
But while the Light type could work mechanically... concept-wise, it's completely unnecessary, not to mention downright dangerous.
Putting aside the obvious objections one might raise to introducing concepts like good, evil, heaven and hell into the game, there already exists two types that cover the idea of "good."
Psychic types are often seen as magical or mystical, and cover the "holy" concept. Pokemon like Chimecho are perfect examples of this. If we're talking about righteousness, then Fighting types do that already, as is evidenced by their power over Dark types.
So... long story short, there is not an actual need for a Light type.
But how would it work mechanically?
Well, obviously, Light types would deal supereffective damage to Dark types.
But Dark types really only cover trickery and foul play. It's actually Ghost types that represent things like malice, grudges, or shadows.
So, let's say that Light is supereffective against Ghost and Dark.
If we approach the idea from the angle that light is also Magical, we could say that it would have an advantage over Fighting as well, though this could be argued either way.
Naturally, things like Rock, Steel, and Grass types would not be very affected.
Ice types, as well, could be said to resist Light, as Ice is clear, and able to bend and reflect it.
As for defense, we could say that Light resists Ghost type attacks.
But as Dark and Light are always in contest, Light could be weak to dark attacks, preventing it from completely dominating in that respect, and secular Psychic types should have an advantage.
So... we end up with something roughly like this:
Light:
Attacking-
2x Ghost, Dark, Fighting
1/2x Steel, Rock, Grass, Ice
Defending-
2x Dark, Psychic
1/2x Ghost
Now... looking at this spread... some potential can be seen.
A type able to hit both Ghost and Dark types supereffectively would have INCREDIBLE coverage in the metagame. Adding on either a Ghost or Fighting type move would guarantee perfect coverage, with a lot of extra room for versatility. A Light type would also help balance out Ice, giving it another much needed resistance.
The coverage would be excellent, if a bit limited on its own. And Light type moves might find their way onto other Pokemon, even if not as STAB.
And, unlike Sound, Light would not really necessitate much of a retype.
Clefairy and it's evolutionary line would be possible candidates, and perhaps even Mismagius, if we stretch our logic. But ultimately it would open up the doors for a wide variety of new Pokemon based on concepts such as luminescence or spirituality.
If handled carefully, I think a Light type could, mechanically speaking, work very well.
But...
While it works mechanically, and could really reshape the metagame, the concepts behind the type are faulty. There's no need for it, it would bring up very unpleasant implications, and, honestly, the spectrum of Light type pokemon and moves would be rather small.
So do I think it could be a viable typing? Yes.
Should it? No.
---
Ultimately, additional typings are a tricky topic.
While undoubtedly they would make things more interesting, they have to be viable both as concepts AND as mechanics.
Just throwing in a type because it's cool isn't a good way to keep the game balanced, and could really hurt the franchise as a whole.
So... Light and Sound types?
They're probably better left to the fandom.