>>57579291>smack in the middleThe trio of starters wasn't as successful as its predecessors. Serperior was the exception.
>de up for with the darmanitan lineDarmanitan doesn't replace the monkey trio; it just covers the fire type.
>those are no where near as hated as you thinkIt's not that they're hated, it's just that they're SO ugly and forgotten.
>not only did you repeat heatmor, but even if all of these fall into that category (they don't) that's still only 27 out of 156 pokemon I you include the whole evo line of those you mentioned. that's a great percentageHeatmor and the others remain forgettable and noteworthy. And things like Watchog, Unfezant, and Amoonguss were missing.
>these still feel legendary unlike everything after them and on par with shit like dialga and palkiaNo matter the lore, they are still designs beneath their predecessors. They are mainly driven by N. If it weren't for N, they would be nothing in the fandom.
>made up for with mandibuzz and braviaryWhat you mentioned about birds boils down to this: they're late, way, way late. Unova's best features (Bisharp, Golurk, Hydreigon, Braviary, etc.) are so late and evolve at ridiculous levels that people can't really connect with them. In the early and mid-game, most of the options tend to be very boring and lacking in impact, and by the endgame, you're left with some great Pokémon that are practically unplayable. You can enjoy things like Whimsicott and Crustle, but overall, they're not stellar designs that people are crazy about, and that's their problem. While Unova has better dex than Sinnoh and Kalos, it still lacks stellar designs like Piplup, Garchomp, Luxray, Staraptor, Roserade, Greninja, Sylveon, Talonflame, and Aegislash.
