"They did Blanche dirty!": Pokemon GO players are unhappy with how Team Mystic Leader looks after recent update 

Pokemon GO has new models for its Team Leaders (Image via Pokemon GO)
Pokemon GO has new models for its Team Leaders (Image via Pokemon GO)

A recent Pokemon GO update has seen Niantic add an updated look to the Team Leaders present in-game to commemorate the ongoing Fashion Week 2022. While the developers may have thought that a refreshed look would be joyously accepted by the players, the end result is far from it.

The current iteration of Fashion Week began on September 27 at 10:00 am local time and will end on October 3 at 8:00 pm. The event features the debut of Mareanie and its evolved form, Toxapex. Several event Pokemon, including Absol and Diglett, are also available during the event.

Niantic stated that the team leaders appraised their own outfits during Fashion Week 2022 and have decided on a new style for this season. Pokemon GO players are less than happy with them.


Team Mystic Leader's updated appearance has Pokemon GO players upset

In Pokemon GO, new players get the option to choose from three teams that they can be a part of - Valor, Mystic and Instinct. Valor's leader is Candela, Mystic's is Blanche and Instinct's is Spark with the Legendary Birds being the mascot. When the updated looks were first added to the game, a number of players reported a bug that turned the characters into the stuff of nightmares.

Many pointed out that the bugged Team Leaders were straight out of any horror movie and the issue was later fixed by the developers. Even then, the community was not happy. One pointed out that it seems Candela's head is plastered onto a different torso and another stated that Spark has a creepy grin.

Players wondered "what 'market research' got spun into this being a good idea" with a comment joking that the design remake project was given to some young intern and nobody proof-checked it before giving it the final go-ahead. A common sentiment shared by many is that Niantic should bring back the previous outfits.

Furthermore, Blanche's new look gave rise to a plethora of memes and comparisons from Pokemon GO players. The bugged version was compared to Vecna from Stranger Things, with one comment noting it looked like the Team Leader had had her wisdom teeth removed. Other such comparisons kept cropping up.

Blanche looked the worst affected among the three Team Leaders, with various assets in her updated model seeming out of proportion to each other. One Reddit comment joked that this was Niantic's bid to sell more team change tokens.

Players also pointed out that Niantic's decision to tweak the character designs of the Team Leaders wasn't necessary because nobody was clamoring for the same. Even after fixing the bug, the redesigned models have not been able to find a favorable footing among the community.

Along with Fashion Week 2022, Season of Light is currently active on Pokemon GO for players to enjoy. Yveltal is appearing in 5-star Raid Battles along with Mega Lopunny being the Mega Raid Boss. The upcoming Spotlight Hour in the game will feature Purrloin with a 2x evolution XP.

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