Pokémon Classifications

In the Core Series, many Pokémon are classified as either Pseudo-Legendary, Legendary, or Mythical. Tofrug's Swamp uses a few extra terms on top of these as part of the Pokémon Reclassification Project. A list of Classifications can be found below.

## History

In December of 2020, long before Swirling Seasons was anywhere near a real project, Snow, the Lead Writer of Swirling Seasons, was frustrated with the vague, seemingly-arbitrary nature of those classifications. So, he decided to write his own system to classify Pokémon under, expanding and repurposing the aforementioned definitions, and inventing several new ones. Later, during the development of Swirling Seasons, the UI Lead, and wiki admin, Chroma, loved the idea and discussed it with Snow. Ultimately, the two came together and worked the system into its current form, and Chroma decided to begin using it as an official-unofficial Pokémon and Lockémon classification system on the Tofrug's Swamp wiki.

## Standard Pokémon

###  Scarce Pokémon (Starters)

Pokémon that stand out from the crowd of their compatriots, or are just somewhat rarer. They make good beginner Pokémon for aspiring young trainers and they often grow to reflect their trainer in temperament.

### Semi-Apex Pokémon

Pokémon that hold a particular amount of power, prominence, and prestige, but are not exceptional in terms of ability. These Pokémon can also often be mistaken for Core Series Pseudo-Legendaries.

### Apex Pokémon

These Pokémon are the most powerful of their home region, but are not exceptional in the grand scheme of the world, or noteworthy for any reason beyond their sheer strength. These are typically referred to as Pseudo-Legendaries when in reference to the Core Series games.

### Preserved Pokémon

These Pokémon, without human intervention, would be extinct or endangered in the modern world. This includes Pokémon revived from fossilized DNA, Pokémon that just barely survived into modern day and now require conservation efforts, or evolutions that would've been lost to the sands of time without human help.

#### Honorable Mentions:

While these Pokémon fit one of the definitions of Preserved Pokémon, their status is contended. For one, the Galarian fossils never actually existed in their present forms, and as such their current existence cannot be deemed "preserved." Those 4 fit better in the Construct category. The 3 Hisuian starters don't seem to be natural evolutions, as Rowlett, Cyndaquil, and Oshawott are not native to Hisui. It is unknown how many of these Pokémon ever existed in the first place. As for Kantonian Lapras, its population has successfully come back to the point of making it off the Preserved species list.

### Extraterrestrial Pokémon

These Pokémon are not of Earth, however they aren't of Ultra Space either— the Pokémon in this group hail from the space outside our world. Whether that be in the upper atmosphere or the depths of space, none of these Pokémon originated on the sands or seas of our planet. As such, this group is among the most diverse on the list, and while some of them come in peace, not all of them do.

#### Dual-Indigenous Pokémon:

While these Pokémon do oftentimes live outside the comfort of our planet just like all the Pokémon listed above, they originate from Earth and have simply shown capability of living in outer space.

#### Honorable Mentions:

Baltoy and Claydol do not directly fit into this category, as they were original sculpted by ancient peoples on Earth. However, those sculptures were given life by rays of extraterrestrial origin.

### Construct Pokémon

Pokémon created by human beings through either technology or ritual. Their power is comparable to that of your average Pokémon, and besides their artificial nature they possess no notable differences when compared to similar natural Pokémon.

### Human Influenced Pokémon

While not directly created by humans, these Pokémon have had their forms changed or lives altered by the influence of human beings on their habitat. Paradoxically, Alolan Grimer is part of this list, as it was additional human influence that caused its form to change.

## Legendary Pokémon

### Invader Pokémon

These Pokémon hail from the space outside our world and possess power equal to that of some Legendaries. However, these Pokémon do not have benevolent intentions with our world.

### Chimera Pokémon

Pokémon created by human beings through mad science. Their power rivals that of True Legendary Pokémon.

### Elder Pokémon

These Pokémon hold qualities similar to True Legendaries, but were not created directly by Arceus. They possess little to no connection with the cosmology of the universe, and they ultimately don't have a seat in the proverbial "Pantheon" of the world. They are typically extremely rare, if not one-of-a-kind.

### Guardian Pokémon

These Pokémon have power slightly weaker than True Legendary Pokémon. They do not have a connection to the wider universe’s cosmology, but they do have a desire and purpose to protect people, Pokémon, and the world at large, from threats both foreign and natural.

### Minor Aspect Pokémon

Like True Legendary Pokémon, Minor Aspect Pokémon were created by Arceus, or a similar compelling force, to preside over a specific domain— typically a minor aspect of the universe at large. As such, they are not as powerful as True Legendary Pokémon, and their connections to the cosmology of the universe are less advanced than the True Legendaries.

### Herald Pokémon

There is some debate as to whether or not Herald Pokémon can be considered Legendary themselves, as it seems their main purpose is to serve a being higher than themselves. While it is unclear what some Herald Pokémon's place in the cosmology of the universe is, each one has a clear master it serves.

#### The Lake Trio:

The three Lake Spirits of the Sinnoh region occupy a strange grey area. Whilst they serve the Creation Trio, it would seem they also possess the power to control the Creation Trio. If it is true that the Lake Spirit's purpose is to help keep those deities in check, that would qualify them as Herald Pokémon. However, their dominion over Knowledge, Emotion, and Willpower is not to be laughed at.

### Illusory Pokémon

These Pokémon are extremely rare, and only appear before choice individuals on very specific occasions. No region is known to have any more than 2 native Illusory Pokémon. Their wider connection with the universe's cosmology is an enigma, mainly due to their elusive nature.

#### Pixie Pokémon

The Pixie Pokémon possess a stronger and more well-known connection to universal cosmology than their Illusory Pokémon counterparts, and are more strictly similar to one another. They are all extraordinarily rare and have uniquely balanced capabilities.

### Ultra Beasts

These entities are not from the same universe as Pokémon, and are incredibly powerful. Certain subjects possess power that matches even the True Legendary Pokémon. For documentation purposes, each Ultra Beast was given a Codename before their true names were discovered.

### Ultra Emissaries

These creatures are a subcategory of Ultra Beasts. They come from Ultra Space, just as the Ultra Beasts do, but are significantly more powerful, and bare a connection to the cosmological aspects of both Ultra Space and our own world. Unlike the Ultra Beasts, these creatures were given codenames to prevent public paranoia and mass hysteria.

### Paradox Pokémon

These Pokémon bare resemblance to modern day Pokemon, although they appear to be variations from the past and future. Whether this is true or not is unknown, but they each appear to hold a significant amount of power when exposed to solar radiation or electricity respectively.

#### Past Paradox

Paradox Pokémon with a potential relationship to the distant past. Their power is derived from the sun, and they appear beastly in nature.

#### Future Paradox

Paradox Pokémon with a potential relationship to the distant future. Their power is derived from electricity, and they appear robotic in nature.

### True Legendaries

These Pokémon were either created directly by Arceus or close to it, and possess an immense amount of power. They preside over a specific domain, and are often worshipped as, or play the role of, deities themselves.

#### Super Ancient Pokémon

These Pokémon were created directly by Arceus and played a direct role in the creation of the world itself. Their power is unmatched by any Pokémon other than Arceus itself, and the only beings they're known to answer to are Sinnoh's Lake Spirits.

### Creator Pokémon

The Pokémon that gave birth to all, the creator of the universe. Arceus, the alpha and the omega, is in a league of its own.