So ever since legends Arceus came out with arguably the best set of regional forms overall, I’ve been thinking about making my own original forms. So I took my top ten favorite pokemon and decided to give them all regional forms and/or evolutions based on my home state of North Carolina.

1. Shuckle: it’s come to my attention that we don’t really have a proper earthworm pokemon, and I think this would be a decent opportunity to do so. Carolinian shuckle would trade its rock typing for ground, ditching the shell to live in the dirt. I wouldn’t polarize its stats like the regular one does, but lean more into a fast, frail, mixed attacker, with a heavy lean towards the physical side of the attacking spectrum. I’d give it the dry skin ability as a representation of actual worms preferring things moist and to get rid of one of its weaknesses

2. Cramorant: so I wouldn’t change cramorant itself that much. We have cormorants here so it would make sense. However, I would give it a new evolution called hiren (a combination of haron and siren) this pokemon would be a mixed attacker with decent special defense and mediocre speed. It would trade the flying typing for the dark type. As the name implies it would be based on a haron, namely a great blue haron with a pure white shiny form based on an egret. This pokemon would have a signature ability called watered down, this ability turns all of the user’s flying moves into water moves with a boost. Alternatively, this pokemon could have the liquid voice ability to drive in the siren aspect

3. Ursaluna: ursaring has always been in my top fifteen and its new evolution launched it into my top ten. However, I think in the Carolina region ursaring would evolve differently. Carolinian ursaring would be based on a black bear and be a lot faster but considerably weaker. Its typing would go from normal to grass/dark because black bears are mostly herbivorous and nocturnal. In this region, it would have an evolution called pollursa (combination of pollute and ursa) this pokemon would be a dark/poison type, evolving from ursaring after it eats five berries that confuse it.

4. Yanmega: not much needs to change about these guys, just slap on the dragon type. I would make them based on the native dragonflies and make them more of a blueish color, their stats would be near identical. Finally, I would give yanmega and evolution called yanmonster. This pokemon would be based on a native insect, I don’t know what’s it’s called but it has a bright blue body and dark black wings, and this pokemon would use them to intimidate opponents, giving it a darker, more draconic outline when it flies. The abilities would stay the same

5. Galalde: this pokemon would be based more on firearms, and thus this pokemon would have fire jutting from its elbows instead of blades (get it fire arms). Its hands would become blasters to fire off flame bursts and aura spheres and would resemble rifles. Its helmet would resemble those worn in the US military, and finally, it would have fire jutting from its feet to allow it to jump much higher, almost like a jetpack. It’s stats would change into a fast special attacker with physical bulk. As for an ability, sniper sounds appropriate

6B. Gardevoir: so I couldn’t just do gallade without doing its counterpart so consider this a bonus. Gardevoir would swap its psychic typing for the ground typing. It would have a plumper, softer form, its colors would swap from white and green to pink and orange. Its stats would make it bulkier all-around at the cost of speed and its attack and special attack would swap. Since I’m already kinda making fun of an American stereotype with Gallade’s form I thought I might as well do the same with gardevoir as well

1. Arcanine: I would base arcanine and growlithe off of hound dogs. Growlithe would be based on a basset hound, becoming longer and stubbier, while arcanine would be based on a bloodhound. Growlithe would be normal/ground, but arcaine would swap the normal type for fighting. It would sacrifice special bulk to improove its attack and HP and would have the signature ability bloodscent this ability would raise the user’s attack and accuracy when weather of any kind is active.

2. Muk: muk would be based on the muddy, clay-filled dirt of NC. thus it would become poison/ground type. Its stats likely wouldn’t change and it would gain a signature ability dehydrate, where the user would revert to its “dry form” when in the sun or hit by a fire move. The dry form would be mono ground and would lower its special defense to raise its physical defense. It would revert back to normal in rain or when hit by a water or poison move, if the user is burned they will permanently stay in the dry form, and if the user is poisoned the user will permanently stay in the wet form.

3. Blastoise: I know we have dreadnaw but I wanted to base Blastoise off of the alligator snapping turtle, it’s typing would be dragon/dark and would gain a dark, near-black, brown color scheme and its cannons would look like dragon heads with pink teeth. Its stats would make it into a bulky special attacker with low HP and very low speed and attack. It would gain the mega launcher ability to fire off stab dark pulses and dragon pulses

4. Excadrill: excadrill would take inspiration from the star-nosed mole, gaining more realistic claws, and of course a starry nose. It would trade its steel typing for the water type, its special attack would drop even lower to boost its speed. Finally, it would gain the swift swim ability

5. Gliscor: I decided to base gliscor off of the ghost crab, its wings would disappear and would be replaced with tiny needle-like legs to lift itself upon and its color scheme would become a mixe of ghostly blues and yellows. It would swap the flying type for the ghost type. Its stats would reduce its special defense and HP to boost its speed. It could have regenerator or stamina for the abilities, or it could have a signature ability called mirage, this ability would boost the user’s evasion whenever the user is attacked.