Fossil Pokémon Reimagined: Sword & Shield Fan Art

A Pokemon Sword and Shield player took to social media to share their work on what the Fossil Pokemon of the Galar region could look like in their original forms, rather than the mismatched ones seen in the games. The Pokemon Sword and Shield fan artist received praise from other players, who also complimented the abilities and types granted to the restored Pokemon.

Since the franchise's beginning, Fossil Pokemon have been a recurring element across different game generations. In Pokemon Red and Blue, players had a choice between the Dome and Helix Fossils, which would restore the Pokemon Kabuto and Omanyte to life after reaching specific parts of their journey. While Pokemon fossils usually appear in a complete state, Pokemon Sword and Shield bucked the fossil trend by tasking trainers with recovering fossilized segments of creatures such as fish and birds. Two Pokemon fossil fragments can then be taken to the NPC called Cara Liss, which will grant trainers either Arctozolt, Arctovish, Dracozolt, or Dracovish, depending on the segments used.

Though no new Fossil Pokemon have appeared since the eighth generation, that has not stopped Pokemon fans from thinking about Galar's ancient creatures. A Reddit user named IridescentMirage created some art of what they believed the Fossil Pokemon of Galar would look like in their original forms and shared their work on the r/Pokemon subreddit. The new Pokemon were called Lyzolt, Razovish, Dracosaurus, and Arctomaw, with the respective secondary types of Electric, Water, Dragon, and Ice. Each Pokemon was given abilities like Strong Jaw and Adaptability to compliment their appearances and enhance their battle prowess. Arctomaw had the highest base stat total of the fan-made quartet at 560, with 150 going into physical attack alone.

Pokemon Fan Art Recreates Galar's Original Fossils

IridescentMirage also gave their recreated Fossil Pokemon an original type called the Primal type, which was taken from a Pokemon action RPG fan project they were involved in. According to IridescentMirage, the Primal type was inspired by the Past Paradox Pokemon of Pokemon Scarlet. This Primal typing made the recreated fossils of Galar effective against Grass, Fire, Flying, Ground, and Electric Pokemon, but also rendered them weak to Ice, Ghost, and Water attacks. In response to IridescentMirage's handiwork, Pokemon fans complimented the artist for their work. One comment exclaimed that Lyzolt was an improved Pokemon design compared to Arctozolt and Dracozolt, and other fans expressed their curiosity over the Primal type.

While the original appearances of Galar's Fossil Pokemon remain a mystery, the artwork of Pokemon fans like IridescentMirage have filled in the gaps. Only time will tell what the Fossil Pokemon of the tenth mainline generation will be.