Your first and second favorite villain team

[Dragoncat]

There's been a thread about which team is the best before, but I was curious about everyone's favorites. Feel free to discuss and back up your choices. I'll discuss my reasons and then share my headcanons and briefly describe my OCs that belong in that team. I know not everybody does fanfic, so you don't have to do that part. But if you do, by all means share it with me!

 

First favorite: Skull

At first I was like, "Team Skull? They already used that in Mystery Dungeon". I went into my copy of Sun being meh about them. The first Guzma encounter, I thought he looked like a goof, but his theme music was catchy. His battle theme is good too. I had no idea they would end up being my favorite. They grew on me because they're just so hilarious at times, and how could you not love a team with no real goal? Uniqueness wins.

I ship Guzma and Plumeria, after a little while when I shipped him with Lusamine because they looked like they had chemistry. I even had an AU headcanon where Ya Boy was Gladion and Lillie's biological father! But I started thinking rationally, and really, the two Skull leaders appear to be made for each other and destined to be soulmates. Their son is named Tyrone, partly because of the "shit Tyrone get it together" meme, partly because it sounds like a gangsta name. The kid looks and acts like a miniature Guzma at times (so he got his messy white hair and gray eyes) but can be a momma's boy. And he uses his pet scolipede as his noble steed when he's older.

And then I have four OC Skull grunts: Marco, Wayne, Nick, and Cora. Nick and Cora are the Pokecenter rapping duo you can find ingame, fleshed out and given their own designs of course. They're a couple with a daughter named Misha, who is like...10 months younger than Tyrone. Marco is the self proclaimed "stud" of the team, can't keep it in his pants, constantly having one night stands. Wayne is his "brother from another mother", sometimes he borrows one of Marco's girlfriends, but is more likely to commit to a relationship.

 

Second favorite: Galactic

Pre Sun/Moon, they were my first favorite. They got bumped down to my second favorite. Cyrus is the only team leader who actually succeeds, although not to the extent he wanted, he still got a "world with no spirit" in Platinum. The Galactic admin battle theme is awesome and kicks butt. Cyrus' battle theme could be better though imo, it doesn't sound sinister enough. Maybe it's nostalgia talking when I say Maxie and Archie's battle theme is better, but yeah.

I headcanon that the admins weren't born with those names. They only get the space names when they get promoted into that position. Makes sense right? My Galactic ship is Slater "Saturn" and Marion "Mars". During the attack on Valley Windworks, Mars was freshly pregnant. Didn't even know it yet. Cyrus, among hearing there would soon be a "little brat" running around, separated the lovers. He put Mars in Snowpoint and Saturn in Veilstone, but because a friend convinced him to, Saturn disobeyed orders and went to Snowpoint to meet his new son. The kid was named Merc, short for "Mercury". He already had his space name. Normally like I said, the space names are given upon promotion, but this was a special case.

Cyrus had some time to think in the Distortion World, so by the time he got out later, he decided to give the kid a chance. Didn't talk to him until he was around 10. But gave him the "junior admin" rank eventually. He's still a bit of an asshole. He's most likely asexual, so he just doesn't get why his admins are interested in romance and kids. It probably adds to his ego too: "I'm superior to them because I don't have primitive biological urges". Totally in character for him.

 

 

Yeah. I can discuss the fanfic stuff more if anybody asks.

[Dragoncat]

Accidental double post, delete please

Edited August 6, 2017 by Dragoncat

[Anacybele]

Galactic is my first favorite. They have the coolest music and character designs. They're also the only team whose leader technically succeeds in reaching his goal. Cyrus says the Distortion World was just what he wanted. I also applaud them for actually having a pretty understandable and realistic goal in mind. A world with less strife. Less conflict and such, basically. They just went about it the wrong way.

Magma is second, despite being from a region I dislike. I think they have the coolest uniforms and I like the idea of more land. Tabitha is also pretty sexy in the anime. It's just too bad ORAS ruined him. Seriously, what made GF decide to go from a hot guy to a fatass dork?

[Rezzy]

First: Rocket, because I'm a filthy Genwunner

Second: Magma, because I like Fire types, and Team Flare had a disappointing lack of Fire types for some reason.

[Arcanite]

I only have one favorite because I never cared for anyone else besides Team Rocket 

Jesse and James are too much not to be your favorite 

[Rezzy]

I find it funny that no one likes Team Flare.  Much like Gen VI, it's the story of wasted potential.

[Punished Dayni]

First off, spoiling everything, hope that's OK. Second, I'll go into my top 3 and a team I think doesn't count as a villain team in the end.

First: Team Rocket

Spoiler

OK, sure, been playing since Gen 1, they're from a time where villains- Still favourites overall.

Unlike most of this lot, they don't have world-altering ambition. They don't have the same level of depth. They do have believable scale, act in a manner that fits their scale, they try and bring people in from early on and style. Of course they also have a high enough influence that Giovanni's a gym leader, run enterprises that fit a criminal group and are cruel in a fitting manner.

Also in Yellow Jessie and James are canon. Jokes they may be, but Jessie and James are good characters in their own right (as someone who's not watched since Jhoto), so they're a fine addition.

In GSC, they show more cruelty, one of the best plans to affect others and were able to come back from full disbandment. Its one real negative is their obsession with getting Giovanni back. And being so low level with dying off.

After the Elite Four, Rocket come back for one last time with one of the series's best grunts, who I will refer to as Russian grunt despite his likely not being Russian. He shows up, not realising you crushed Team Rocket, fails to not be suspicious, and leaves the thing he robbed in a Pokemon gym. A funny if ignoble end for them. Hell, Russian grunt comes back in BW. We've never seen a character so obscure come back from another game as far as I remember.

Hell the remakes expanded on what we knew. It confirmed Silver was Giovanni's kid, actually gave closure with Giovanni and gave more time to the admins, showing that Team Rocket at their lowest are still as you'd expect them to be.

Second: Team Plasma

Spoiler

This is NOT because of their plan: The series was on their third world remaking plan, it was getting old. This is because the villains here are the most interesting in regards to why. Many members, from grunts to some sages and N himself actually believe in their cause, and it drives what their members do. Of course, their plan is to divide people and Pokemon entirely, which actually fits with this game and what happens in it well. If only they weren't actually led by Ghetsis. In the postgame, the other sages have to be arrested too, which I found a neat touch. Raising N in and of itself has some impact too for Plasma, and N himself is pretty great for this series and if he were Plasma's real leader they might have been first.

Then BW2 happened, and the villainous Plasma grunts ended up generic for me. Well, it was always about the grunts who actually have a reason to do it, the sages and N anyway. Ghetsis was also a bit too obvious for my tastes and he never seemed like more than the obvious villain. He just goes "Whelp, time to control things again. Oh, and freeze things".

Plus, I headcanon that the Sages were criminal experts who would have taught N less legal matters for ruling Plasma as well, much as he likely didn't get round to it because plan Dragon Reset was acted on.

Third: Team Galactic

Spoiler

Galactic were the villains in the games that got me back into the series. As the first set of world-changing villains I saw, I think they're still the best for it overall too.

Simply put, they go the distance. Even early on, they are making plans and you see them in places where they'll matter later on. Then you get to Canalave and it goes down. They have a plan to take the Lake Trio simultaneously. And it works. Which includes a bomb that can be felt from the other end of the region. THAT IS BRUTAL. They then proceed to torture said legendarys to create an object to seal more powerful legendarys. This leads to them going up to ruins up a mountain and summoning the legendary. So that threatens the end of the world, and it has to be put a stop to. In Platinum, this involves a pocket dimension, which Cyrus will stay in to find his perfect, spiritless world. Silly on the ideology, but with what he's done it fits.

These were also the first villains where we actually got some understanding of why they did things besides their ideology. In postgame, you find a place where we learn Cyrus was raised, and an indication of why he came to his conclusions. We also see the admins still working without their boss, trying to change the world using different legendarys after seeing what happened to Cyrus. Of course, like Maqua, the third version is the best one for the villains.

Kinda disqualified: Team Skull

Spoiler

Team Skull: aka the goofballs. They're not a legitimate threat, and the real villains are elsewhere in S/M anyway. Every time they showed up, I was going to laugh at least once. Guzma is frankly great (And his is bangin'), Plumeria... is alright, I am clearly missing something with her besides shipping, Gladion is also pretty cool too (and is probably the most serious part of Skull. And he's not actually part of it!) and otherwise it's all about the grunts and the song that repeats their name. I'm off to find it online.

[Interdimensional Observer]

I've only played Gens 1-5, and I haven't ever gotten to Black 2. I also played a little Coliseum and XD. From what limited Pokemon games I have played, Rocket takes the cake for favorite, followed by Cipher. Also, Magma vs. Aqua, Aqua has cooler Pokes and edges out on the design competition, but Maxie over Archie, and in goals, Magma > Aqua. So overall... Magma I'll say. Once I help them conquer Aqua, we'll convert it to into our navy and then conquer Hoenn.

While I liked N, I didn't like the rest of Plasma very much. The plot got to be a bit too much for its own good in B/W. Galaxy was much better and hit the peak for how far plot with villainous teams should go in Pokemon main games. Cipher works as well as it does in Coliseum and XD because there is no badge journey to the Elite Four in the GC games- it's made to be about the villain team from beginning to end.

 

I also wrote a Pokemon Kanto-Johto fanfict once where I had Apollo and Giovanni lead opposing factions of Team Rocket. Apollo grew up hearing from his dad, the former leader of Team Rocket who Giovanni usurped after the Mewtwo project went awry, how much he missed his days as leader of the evil organization. Despite his father's constant warnings not to join Team Rocket, Apollo did so, and then earned much favor from Giovanni by turning a tiny Johto branch into an essential part of the organization. By the start of the fanfict however, Apollo is working to splinter the Johto branch from Giovanni's control and put his father in charge of these "Rocket Renegades". His father's name? Pryce.

Edited August 10, 2017 by Interdimensional Observer

[MediocreLee]

My favorite is Team Plasma because they offered a completely different viewpoint on the Pokemon world that most of the other teams don't.  They wanted to separate people and Pokemon and essentially free them, but we all know what the true baddie's intentions were.  It was different and it honestly had me very invested in the story and wondering what they were going to do next.  N was cool and catalyzed the story really well.  I also feel like the presence of Team Plasma actually made use of the games' theme of ideals and truths.

Second favorite is Team Skull.  Not gonna lie...I like the way they look and their goofiness.  They definitely aren't the best villainous team, but they're entertaining.  I love going through their hideout and just how they pretty much took over Po Town.  They're territorial like actual gangsters and hoodlums.  I'm not a huge fan of Guzma, but I don't dislike him either.  He has an interesting backstory with Kukui and his partnership with Lusamine was pretty interesting, but that's about it for me.  The all-star player for me is Plumeria because I generally like her disposition towards her fellow Team Skull members and that she does seem like a person who will do the right thing when the time calls for it.

[Dragoncat]

On 8/7/2017 at 2:05 PM, Rezzy said:

I find it funny that no one likes Team Flare.  Much like Gen VI, it's the story of wasted potential.

Oh yeah totally.

@MediocreLee Plumeria is pretty badass, yeah. She can probably totally kick Guzma's butt in a fight and I bet she takes crap from nobody. Random male grunt mouths off? DICK PUNCH. Lol. But yeah, there's probably a good reason she's second in command. Ya Boy has the strength and she has the agility. They'd make a killer combo in any kind of fight.

@Interdimensional Observer AWESOME. A fellow fanficer. Manga inspired?

[Interdimensional Observer]

2 hours ago, Dragoncat said:

AWESOME. A fellow fanficer. Manga inspired?

Yeah, back when I would randomly explore Bulbapedia I stumbled on the Mask of Ice thing and decided to integrate Pryce as a traitor to the Johto Heroes.

His betrayal happens right after Apollo loses atop the Radio Tower and cries out saying he had done everything for him, then ending his cry with the word "Father", directed at Pryce. Pryce then complements his son, betrays the heroes, offers them a chance to join him, they refuse, and Pryce then arranges for the Rocket Renegades escape by using the icy powers of the Crystal Emblem- that headpiece which Suicune wears and which was torn off it earlier in the story at Cianwood, Apollo used it to fight the heroes at the Radio Tower, but could certainly not use it as well as Pryce. 

As you can tell from that, rather than seek Celebi, the Rocket Renegades seek out Ho-Oh and its beasts. Giovanni wants Mewtwo and Mew, Will and his OC cronies (or Snagem, but I'm thinking of saving them for the unwritten parallel story Orre Saga now) want Celebi, and Greevil wants the Lugia group (not all of Cipher features in the fanfict- only Greevil, Ardos and Eldes his sons, a female and a researcher in Lovrina, and Nascour- who serves as the intermediary between the Cipher Expansionary Force led by Greevil, and the Cipher Home Front led by Evice. Evice and Greevil don't get along- and each plans to overthrow the other- Evice wants to milk Orre to do so, Greevil wants legendary power from aboard to do so. Both in the end fail 'cause their evil and the Kanto, Johto and Orre Heroes defeat them. Lovrina is captured, Eldes betrays Cipher, Ardos stays by his father to the end, and Nascour flees Citadark to Orre after losing there (he kisses up to both Evice and Greevil out of self-interest)).

I also in the uncreative fanfiction made Lt. Surge, Sabrina, and Blaine all former Rockets. Well Surge and Blaine are former, Sabrina is a powerful current member, and Koga is a double agent who joined solely to help Kanto out- leaving his daughter in charge of the gym. His betrayal happens on the rooftop of Silph Co. after the heroes fight Giovanni, Sabrina, Mewtwo, and him altogether. Sabrina's betrayal from the heroes happens deep inside the Cerulean Cave, and is responsible for forcing Blaine to undo the last locks on Mewtwo's cryostasis (imposed by Pryce and Blaine (the sole survivor, by pure luck, of the day Mewtwo betrayed Team Rocket) to end the Mewtwo Incident and make sure no one would reawaken it). 

Lance also despairs about humanity and seeks Lugia late in the story- but the heroes stop him. Taking advantage of the infighting among the heroes Greevil personally steal Lugia at last, and Lance is reduced to a sobbing wreck. He recovers offscreen when Lorelei visits him and together they help the heroes stop Will from time traveling via Celebi, this is also revenge for Lance because Will deceived him and silently usurped control of Indigo Plateau earlier in the story, after which Lance then charged off to Indigo Plateau. The revelation of Will's betrayal happened after the battle in the Dragon Den where Lance, Raikou and the Blackthorn Elders fought the heroes including Clair (the heroes thought that Lance was going a bit crazy with his whole "We must seriously reform humanity for the sake of Pokemon- Ho-Oh decrees it!"), and after the battle Raikou thought Lance was too weak and then abandoned him- which took an emotional toll on Lance. Anyhow, when Lance got to Indigo Plateau, Will crushed him in battle in the Champion's Room with the Silver and the other Johto heroes arriving just after his defeat, symbolically marked by Will tearing off Lance's cape. Green/Blue and the Kanto heroes then bump into Lance in Victory Road, which is humiliating for him because he's sobbing from losing to Will, finds out Moltres has just been captured, and then charges off to the Whirl Islands to save Lugia and gets its help. (The union of the Kanto and Johto hero groups happens right after this- as the Kanto bunch walks towards to the front doors of Indigo Plateau to see what happened there, the Johto heroes walk out the doors to pursue Lance and Will. By pure chance, the heroes finally meet, discuss things, and unite.)

Yes, Lance is a big pain in my fanfict, but he isn't always so. Earlier in the story, during the Power Plant Panic when the Rocket Renegades yet to formally betray Giovanni (that happens at the Radio Tower Takeover) decide to sabotage the Kanto Power Plant, Lance hurries to the scene and arrives just after the New Plant is secured, and the heroes then need to investigate the abandoned Old Plant due to mysterious figures (Cipher led by Nascour going after Zapdos taking advantage of all the chaos happening) being seen heading there. Lance is at his finest here, and so he is during the Lake of Rage and Mahogany episodes. He's very serious about his duties and very devoted to Pokemon, but he's a little too brash by virtue of his strong devotion- kinda like a legendary Pokemon (Ho-Oh is very judgmental in the fanfict, and when it senses Lugia has gone Shadow, Ho-Oh makes itself the opposite- "Indignant". The final battle is the two clashing at Tohjo Falls with the heroes of Kanto and Johto split in three groups, using the other legendaries to purify Lugia and placate Ho-Oh).

 

Too much information? Yeah, not the best of fanficts, but its one I saw to it that I actually finished.

[Dragoncat]

@Interdimensional Observer That sounds completely awesome and epic. Almost like my RP Turf Wars, in which the teams from the main series try to take Orre. PM me if you want a link.