Pokemon Spotlight: Grass starters

 

Aaa Spring is in the air, birds are in the air, bugs are buzzing and trees are (oh dear god) pollinating ugh. (I hate allergy season.) Anyways, speaking of getting in the mood of spring, it brings me to a brand new spotlight! I think given the blooming of flowers it’s only appropriate to cover Pokemon’s Grass starters.

There are over 95 different grass type Pokemon in the games, and a majority of them share dual typing. While it’s not as big of a category as some of the other types there is something that grass has consistently brought to the table – a starter. While a water type is more useful, and a fire type is almost always more powerful, the grass type to me has always represented balance. Often not as strong as a Charizard nor as swift as a Greninja, but tough enough to take a hit from the former and survive to do its own damage.

So as I did in Starting birds, let me break down each type then rank them.

Bulbasaur Family: one of the original three of Gen 1 and often times one of the most overlooked of the three starters, it doesn’t grow cannons on the back like Blastoise, nor does it turn into a “dragon” like Charizard. However it is one of the most consistent; balance is the name of the game when it comes to this starters. As I have mentioned before, it was Ash’s Bulbasaur I really fell in love with, along with the fact it helped stick up for weaker Pokemon and refused to change when others did. For me however its poison typing was a bit of a setback for the Pokemon, due to its weakness to the highly over-powered psychic type. The years however have been very kind to this Pokemon – with the introduction of fairy typing in gen 6 plus a new mega evolution this little one’s future is looking very bright.

Chikorita Family: I have a confession to make. While technically Bulbasaur was my first grass starter, since I chose Yellow as my first Pokemon game I didn’t really choose to play him (I collected him, not played him). So it wouldn’t be until Gen 2 that I would make my very first starter choice, and again influenced by the show I picked Chikorita which even I admit is one of the hardest starters to run in Gen 2.  While I will admit right now I don’t believe I ever completed Gen 2 with Chikorita, I did run her for more than half of Johto. When you struggle so much in the early gyms, you grow fond of your starter. However despite all of this…I do admit Chikorita is one of the more forgettable starters. Like I said before, the gyms in this game actually work against this Pokemon. Bird, bug, normal, ghost, fighting, steel, ice and dragon….none of these gyms would this starter or its moveset have an advantage in. Sorry Chikorita…

Treecko Family: I honestly do not have too much experience with this particular family. Gen 3 was the generation I went with fire…but I will get to that maybe one day. This is not a bad family though, and the generation has more balanced gyms so there are opportunities to really shine. Like Chikorita, Treecko is a solid grass type,  with solid grass moves. There just isn’t much that makes this starter stand out in my opinion. I had really stopped watching the show by this point so it is all personal experience and I am afraid I just don’t have it with Treecko. Hey at least he has a mega form.

Turtwig family: I have a special fondness for this family. I love turtles and this one was the very first that was a totally uninfluenced decision. Turtwig is the first dual type since Kanto, picking up the the ground typing in its final evolution Torterra. Having the ground typing can be both a blessing and a curse. The blessing is it makes getting through Gen 4 easy; I love multiple typing and Pokemon that can learn a variety of moves. However, it now becomes four times weak to ice types, making it not as successful in the competitive world. Still Turtwig is adorable and one of my favorite designs and I played him though not only Pearl but Platinum as well, bonding me pretty tightly to this little guy. I wait long for the day that Torterra can mega evolve!

Snivy Family: Poor Snivy, it’s not its fault that Gen 5 was the generation I drifted away from Nintendo and Pokemon. I did eventually return, and when I did Snivy was my choice.  Snivy is another grass starter that I think is destined to be forgotten. Like Chikorita and Treecko it is another solid grass type. I always love Snivy’s final snake-like design; there are really not enough snake Pokemon in the game. The sad fact of the matter is that Snivy’s move pool is limited, and with pure typing there is just not much other than design going for it. I fear as we move further and further into Pokemon this family will grow to be forgotten like the other solid grass types.

Chespin family: Chespin is what happens to chipmunks when they eat too many acorns and they become one. That being said, I think poor Chespin like the rest of Gen 6 starters did not have the chance to shine in game. The reason I say this is before we even get to gym two we get to pick another starter, this time from Gen 1. On top of that, these Gen 1 starters have mega evolutions. Gen 6 starters were overshadowed in their own game, with so many old school Pokemon that I didn’t really give this one a chance. Also I want to note with Chespin that this is the fourth generation to include fighting as part of the dual typing.

Ok so that is the 6 starters, so where would I rank them from worst to best….

Snivy: I love Snivy’s design, but this starter has little going in its favor; it’s not as fast as Treecko’s family nor as defensive as Chikorita’s family. Its move pool is fairly shallow as well leaving little chance to really let this well-designed Pokemon shine.

Chikorita: another pure-blooded grass type, at least unlike Snivy its move pool is slightly deeper, and it’s the more defensive then Snivy. Still I find this starter just as forgettable as Snivy and nothing really makes her stand out to me. Its own generation fights against her as there are no gyms that really allow her to shine until the second half of Gen 2.

Chespin: Poor adorable Chespin, it could not even shine in its own game because a second starter was added. While I am generally in favor of dual typing, Chespin’s dual typing just makes it so weak to flying and psychic. While I am sure it has its pluses since almost every starter that got fighting typing did well, I just never really got to use it…sorry Chespin one day maybe.

Turtwig: I love this cute adorable starter, you guys know I love this little guy. While it rocks through Gen 4, I cannot and should not ignore the fact it’s four times weak to ice. While its move set should make up for this fact, the sad fact is that a good chunk of ice users will likely out-speed Turtwig’s final evolution before it could do any damage. However Turtwig does have access to a wide range of moves making it a diverse fighter, and unlike the later three Pokemon at least its own game Turtwig can shine in.

Treecko: While a pure-blooded grass type, Treecko has one thing the last four do not have – mega evolution. while I can honestly say I have never played this grass Pokemon, I do however acknowledge that this grass type may be the best of the three pure grass Pokemon. Like Turtwig, it does have access to a diverse move pool, however unlike Turtwig it can mega evolve, although for the life of me I cannot explain why it becomes part dragon….really now it is also 4 times weak to ice. Still the mega evolution adds a nice boost in stats.

Bulbasaur: Before mega evolution and fairy typing Bulbasaur might have been lower on the list, however now I say it’s the number one of all the grass starters. Now it has the stats, the moves and the mega evolution to take this grass starter all the way, of course game freak has also had 20 years to perfect Bulbasaur.

Well what’s your opinion? who is your favorite grass starter?

 

 

 

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pokemon spotlight: starting birds

The pokemon world is vast, with many many different pokemon to pick from, from strong to weak, many battles to a world that you as the player must save. We all start off our journeys small however, When you turn on that pokemon game for the first time, you are given a choice of thee starters, always fire, water, and grass. Then you are sent on your journey with a pokedex and balls to build your team up. It never fails though your first few grassy patches on your own you will encounter one of three guanteed types. a normal pokemon, a bug type and a bird. for the latter two you will likely out level there usefullness as you progress but the world is large and a reliable flyer will likely stay at your side for a long while. With this Spotlight instead of talking about one starting bird, i decided to do all of them, from pidgey to fletchling and all that fall in between. I have two rules that allow this flyer on this list, one it must start off as a bird, no bugs that evolve into flying. Two you must be able to catch them before you arrive at your first gym.

So who quailifies, i think most of you know, From gen 1, you have pidgey and spearow. From gen 2 we add in hoothoot, (pidgey and spearow appear again here. In gen 3 we add tallow and wingul to the mix. Gen 4 is starly, gen 5 we have pidove, and finally in gen 6 we have fletchling. I am going to try and not make this article two big but before we get to the ranks, maybe we should take a little stroll down discription lane first.

Pidgey’s family: Pidgey is probably the most famous out of all the birds on the list, well known to fans of the anime and gamers alike. Pidgey is the only bird in this group of starter birds that not only gets two evolutions (pidgeotto at 18 and pidgot at 36) but it also gets a mega evolution. That is high praise in deed, from both fans and the pokemon company to give one of the first bird types that most players run into a mega. The train doesn’t stop there either for pidgey, no this birds fan base grew even more when earlier this year Twitch played pokemon. A whole lore built around the game and Pidgey became so much more to people. it became bird jesus…the protector of the helix. I tell you out of all the starter birds here…pidgey’s fame beats all of them.

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Spearow: poor forgotten and neglected Spearow. This bird was released the same generation in the same areas as Pidgey, but this guy is often neglected and forgotten for one of two reasons. One likly reason, gen one is oozing with birds and it just gets worse after. two Pidgey has two evolutions Spearow just has the one fearow. dispite all this, fearow is a really decent flyer who learns one of my favorite flying moves drill peck. This is a ferce bird type that deserves just as much love as pidgey. Sadly though…i think pidgey got a better agent.

Hoothoot: I honestly don’t have much to say about this guy, all my playthoughs in gen 2 i rocked spearow all the way though. I really can’t think of single time i really played with this guy. i will say this though, i really like owls so i have always been a big fan of the design. Its kind of sad though that this is the only instance of owls in the game. I have used this bird to breed with snorlax though, Noctowl learns zen headbutt, one of my favorite psychic moves, breeding it with a snorlax (holding a full incense) you will get a little munchlax born that knows this move. It is a difficult process but to me makes this starter bird worth having around.

Wingull: Oh wingull so cute…so damn annoying. Its only when playing oras did i remeber how annoying this bird is, and how much fun it is to electrocute the crap out of it when i run into it. Most starting birds have it rough with electric, ice and rock out to get them, but add water to the mix, wingull can’t even look at an electric pokemon with out fainting. Do not even get me started on Pelipper, I just have never been a big fan of its evolution. Sure its nice the game gives you a water type, especially since the first gym you come across is a rock type, but no.

Taillow: this is another generation 3 starting bird and honestly the better of the two. Taillow has a little more durbility then wingull ever had, but i am afraid unlike wingull if it wasn’t for ruby and sapphire rerelease this might fall into to the forgotten bird catigory. like wingull and hoothoot this little one only has a single evolution. I honestly forgot this pokemon existed until i was trying to complete my dex in Y, that is really sad, because taillow was also featured in the anime as on of ash’s pokemon. the problem here i think is its move pool is very shallow and the first three gyms where starting birds can really shine. Hoenn is just not a good place for starter birds with shallow move pools and gyms that don’t really take advantage of thes starting critters, gen 3’s starter birds just get obscured. so while design wise taillow is one of my favorites, it never really makes into a party.

 Starly: in gen 2 and gen 2 the starting bird types have ranged from not choosen because there were better and more familer options there, to competly useless and forgetable. When Pearl and diamond rolled around i think many pokemon fans were looking for a change in this trend, and what we got was starly. For me at least this little bird impressed the heck out of me, staying on my team though the elite four (five). This was the first starter bird in a long while that had pretty unexpected natually learned moves. I mean it learns close combat, then it has a pretty nice arrary of teachable moves as well. Plus this little guy is tough, i played though gen 4 twice, and both times i had a starly at my side. This one is one of the few starter birds you can take to the elite four and know they will be right there till the end. This is the only one on this list, i want to have a mega evolution to.

Pidove: this derpy thing, I can’t blame its design, honestly unova is more of a city scape, and supposdily designed around good old NYC. You can’t go a block in nyc without running into a pigion, so to have one in the game espeically in gen 5 must have been a no brainer to the designers or unova. My complaint with this isn’t pidoves design even though i really hate the male design, but thats ok i primarily go female anyways. My complaint with this guy, is more to the fact given how awesome starly was in gen 4 pidove is kind of a let down. no where near as strong as its predecessors i think pidove is doomed that as the years drag on to be forgotten like little taillow and hoothoot. Unlike hoenn though, unova has a few more bird types later game, so if you havn’t ditched by then you likely will by the end of game. its design is great its just if your a player like me who has been there for every generation, to see how stater birds can excel then the following generation we return to mediocrity. poor little pidove.

Fletchling: Well we have seen it all with starting birds, from gods, to forgetable and everything in between, but until gen 6 we hadn’t seen a starting bird quite like this one. Until fletchling all starting birds were normal flying with wingull being the only exception, now we have this one that as it evolves gains fire typing. None of these birds had been featured in a story. this all changed with the latest entry into the pokemon universe. the game starts off with as i would call it a smart ass little fletchling waking up out character, and when the game closes out we see probably the same smart ass fletchling flying away, talk about a good agent, (must be using pidgys). For a starting bird fletchling is probably the most useful bird on this list, not only does it gain a fire typing, it gets flame body, making talonflame the perfect pokemon mother(or father) to what ever pokemon you might be trying to hatch. Example pick up five eggs from the breeder, fly to Luminous city to bike around in a circle, until the five hatch, (hatching faster due to flame body) then taking flying to the next city to check on your new babies potential, just to start the process over again.

So now you have met, or reintroduced yourselves to the starter birds how would i rank them.

1 Fletchling, for its ability to help with breeding and its decent combat skills.

2 Starly, decent move pool, access to fighting and some of flyings best move sets.

3 Spearow: Fogotten by many, but not by me. a decent all around bird with the potential to take you end game

4 Pidgey: while a star in its own right with being dubbed Bird Jesus and getting a mega stone. compared to the others pidgy is just average bird.

5 Hoothoot: learns some intresting moves, but overshadowed in its own game by two birds from the previous generation. great for breeding move zen headbutt into other pokemon

6 Pidove: doomed to be forgottened, just an average bird with nothing really special going for it besides having two forms based on gender.

7 Taillow: Forgotten warrior of hoenn, and taillow was in the anime. Just an average starting bird with nothing to really make her stand out

8 Qingull: falls way to easily in battle, while it might be able to beat fletchling in a fight due to typing, in the end wingulls frailitys just makes it the worst of the starting birds.

What do you guys think, am i being fair. How would you rank these guys an why? Anyways until next time.

Oh and on operation hoenn christmas day, this week i am going to start breeding turtwigs to send over, who will you choose/

Omega Ruby: Final reactions and thoughts.

I have been enjoying the post game a lot, but have decided not to go into details about the final game because i want to leave some surprises left for you guys. so let me go over some of this.

Pros

-hoenn is beautifully redone.

-flying on latios/latias is a dream come true, always one of my favorite features in final fantasy was free flying, to see it here is amazing. Its a new feature i really really want to stay

-the little omages: when you talk to random npcs, they will sometimes mention other regions, kalos, unova, johoto shinnoh and kanto. it makes the game feel more global. Its a little thing but it helps.

-finding non hoenn pokemon from later games in hoenn. I cannot tell you how surprised i was to find Deino of all creature hiding at meteor falls.

-return of contests. i know i have ralled against the contests in the past, but its a nice break from all the battling you do. I didn’t really focus much here on it, but i have sapphire in the wing, i plan on doing contests more.

-secret bases. this is another element i plan on focusing more on the other game but i am very please to have this back again.

-bigger post game. thank you this was the one thing that really hurt x-y the post game was so small. hoenns is much bigger with contests the battle zone coming soon and the delta episode, it just pays off the player

Cons:

-Regis’ and the lake trio are still a pain in the ass to catch.

-sneaking, while i liked this element i found points in the game this just did not work for me. I am still working on what happened here but until i figure out why this didn’t work i will not be a fan.

-missing elements: there are some elements that players of the orginal games really missed whether it was the bathing grannies or the running the ash off the leaves, those few little tweaks broke some hearts.

-Camera angles we are still dealing with is not perfect yet.

– customization. i understand that kalos was Paris and fashion and hoenn doesn’t have that elements.  Often these games are made very close to each other so its possible the customization wasn’t added in because it was never part of the original game.

-the change in pc option order, Organize boxes was always the third one down this game the changed it to the first spot. after years of being the same spot they move it!! Are they trying to drive me crazy.

Anyways i hope you guys have enjoyed hoenn as much as i am. I will later once i really get sapphire going will post up my base.

My New Top 10 pokemon

Every player of pokmon has a group of stand by pokemon, ones that have always relied on, or have come to rely on as the years past, for some its a matter of how they do in battle outside the game, for others its that old friend they can always rely on in the game. For others such as me there are just ones that no matter what comes our way we admire them, we use them, we  love them. That’s right little peices of computer programing we spent so much time with that we feel even artficually if we cheer loud enough for them we know that pokemon as weird as it sounds will come though for us in a pinch. For players such as me who has been playing the series as long as i have, i have found creatures i have come to rely on.

How they got to my team each one has its own story, whether i fell in love with there looks, or relablity or just as i was working with them i fell in love with the shear deterimation it some times take to raise one up right. to some are harders then others to put on this list and after much struggle i narrowed it down to 10 Pokemon who will always find a home somewhere on my team. (and in some cases my bed if i can find there stuffed forms)

10: Scizor: Somehow this guy always finds his way on my teams. its no secret that i like bugs i always have ever since i was a little kid, so finding a praying mantis pokemon like Scyther was a real score. In generation 2 it evolved into Scizor and with that often found a place on my team. Its a tough bug and has proven itself at my side over and over again. I know it will always be there an now with a new mega evolution i know it will continue to have my back.

9: Greninja: When X and Y initially came out i was on team Chespin being someone who almost always picks grass starters it seemed only natural for me to continue down this path. To say i was disappointed in little Chespin is an understatement. fortunately for me i decided to play both versions of the game, and the second go around i got to know froakie. Boy did this froggie ever make an impression on me. i named my first one Kitt after a bullfrog i had had in my youth. I have since gone on to breed a competitive one that knows the annoying to go up against but super fun when its on your side ability protean. It being a frog doesn’t hurt its case either, for me this is the stand out starter of and X-Y and you better believe when i play smash its also one of my go to characters.

8: Chandelure: To say i am not a big user of ghost (or fighting) types is an understatment. It in most cases is because i never really take the time to get to know them the case with most fighters there is never a design i really like. For me I have always thought myself as someone who likes to go against the crowd as well so i tend to for this reason stay away from popular and over used pokemon such as gengar. i am not really sure what it was about litwig that i really liked. For some reason it apealed to me and to be honest i wasn’t really that disappointed. In most generations Fire types are often few and far between so when you find one you stick with it, and when you find a good one you are rewarded. I have used this guy a couple of times now both in game and casual compitition and i have yet to be disappointed. A lot of generation 5 pokemon are overlooked for no good reason and Chandelure is very much a hidden gem.

7: Espeon and Umbreon:  I always seem to cheat a bit when it comes to these two. I like most eeveelutions but for me these two are hands down my favorite. When it comes to battling however it is almost always my espeon that is by my side, back in the day it was one of the best Psychic pokemon out there, and even today a lot of other blogs and players still use this guy in competitions.  I use it because it really is still to this day one of my favorite psychic pokemon, and it doesn’t hurt it reminds me of a cat. So if I use Espeon all the time, why does it share the number seven spot with Umbreon.  For me Umbreon is more of an emotional attachment. Some of you know and can see in my icon a black cat, that’s my buddy blizzard, and for some reason when i see Umbreon i think of him. I can’t help it, and blue i have always loved its design even its shiny as rare as that is to find. So for me i cannot separate these two, you can’t have light with out darkness, nor darkness without light after all.

6: Inkay: Inkay is different then the others i have featured on this list so far. Its not really on here because of its battling skills or its ever so weird type combination, no its on here because i am completely and utterly in love with its design. I am a huge fan of squids and octopus’s so when i met Inkay in the wilds of X I fell head over heals in love with this thing. While i am not as impressed with its evolution malamar, the way it evolves is kind of fun for me too. No Inkay is one of the few pokemon who earn a spot on this list because I just think its adorable.

5: Bulbasaur: As I have stated in the past my first pokemon game was yellow, making pikachu my first pokemon, but for me my first love is really bulbasaur. This little guy without really knowing it would set the stage for my starter choices for years to come, with me almost all the time picking a grass type starter with a small hiccup here and there, but i get ahead of myself. I just love this guy and to be honest when i got to pick again in Y I followed my heart not my head and picked it again. I think i had forgotten how much i loved this little guy until i saw him again. To be honest i think still even today bulbasaur is to often ignored for its more flashy turtle with the cannons or dragon but not really a dragon brethren.  He has been there since the beginning and I am happy to award my old friend with a place on my list.

4: Torchic: remember that hiccup I just mentioned, yeah Torchic is that hiccup. How could i resist such a cute little pokemon, i mean really. Torchic would mark the first and pretty much only occasion i would wonder away from the grass starter (for the first round of play) line. This little guy has never disappointed me, with a great move pool and lets be honest so few fires to pick from in gen 3 this was my best option and never one i was disappointed in. In every game i have had this guy in, it has come though for me, sure we have lost a few times to friends but i always had a good time. Lets be honest here Blaziken Torchic final evolution just keeps getting better as the years pass, and with ORAS around the corner i look forward to kicking ass and taking names once again with my little orange chicklet by my side.

3:  Crobat: Crobat didn’t even make the list last time, because honestly i forgot it, years away from the game i had forgotten my history with this little bat. it wasn’t until X-Y did i get a reminder of why i like this creature so much. Since i mentioned it recently in another post i will try to keep it brief. Crobat has speed, and some power behind it. more importantly its a bat, and as you guys have gotten by now i was a weird little girl who like creatures most girls did not, and one of those things were bats. So of course Zubat once again falls into the catagory of weird creatures i should like but i do so there. Crobat has earned its time in the sun and a place on my list, with a promise to never forget it again.

2: Lapras: this one should come as a surprise to no one who has read my blogs before, i just love this pokemon. Lapras has been at my side since the beginning and in almost every single generation i have depended on her to get me though the end of the game and the elite four. Lapras only drops to number 2 on my list because the years have not been kind to my old friend. while in game she always helps me, in the world of competitive she just has to many flaws to ignore. I am just starting to break into this world, and i would love to have my old friend at my side, but to use her would be a mistake, so i am forced to sideline her with the hopes that one day maybe with a mega Lapras will rise again.

So who did it, who unseated the once mighty contender for my heart.

1: Joltik: Yup that’s right this adorable tiny bug pokemon has unseated lapras from the number one spot. How the heck did that happen you might be wondering. after all me and lapras have had a decade with one another and this little upstart just showed up about four years ago. Well here is how it happened, as it probably quite clear to you all by now i love bugs and other weird little things, So when i met joltik about a year ago i fell instantly heads over heels in love with this thing. However unlike the ultra cute inkay, Joltik quickly set about proving its worth in my team. Its Evolution galvantula is touch and its excellent in the world of competitive. no one knows what to make of this little eletric tick, and the fact i think the generation five is so unpopular makes this little guys a bit of a surprise when the meet it. Joltik just fits all my needs for eletric, bug, grass and what ever else i need in one adorable package. In the short time i have known this little bug it has proven itself over and over in game and in the competitive field. That is why joltik has earned a number one spot on my list.

Thank you for endulging me, and i should note, even though no generation 4 Pokemon made my list doesn’t mean i hate the generation, i just simply just don’t have any stand outs from that generation i continually go back to…yet. Also note Legends are not on this list because they already got there own special list.

What are your top ten, write yours in the comments down below.

Pokemon Spotlight: Gligar family

Gligar was first introduced in gold and silver, and being how i was primarily a silver player i only really encountered him in combat as he was a gold exclusive meaning i never really got the chance to play with the little mon, but his typing had always intrigued me. i mean a ground/ flying its sort of a weird mix but clearly not the first (or last) weird typing this game would receive. ( i am looking at you Inkay) however truth be told i would come to like many Pokemon in this game forget. Honestly it would not even be at Generation four would i take notice, by then i had moved on from y two year college to my four year and my friend who were playing the game with me were starting to drop off.

It would not be until last year as my interest in pokemon started to reignite, i picked up the anime right where i believe i dropped off (right around the end of gen 3), It was Ash’s little goofy gligar that got me really interested in it. i watched it go from Gligar to Gliscor and by then X-Y had hit the shelf. I dabbled a bit with the little creature, but it became in valued part of my team set ups when i started challenging people all over the world with the system. It was there battling against others that i saw the true potential of a Gliscor. Suddenly to me this doofy little pokemon went from cute to powerful. I had unlocked finally its true potential on the world stage and unlike my poor little Crobat this one actually holds up without a mega evolution, (not that i would turn one down.) The best ability with this little guy is poison heal which you can get breeding or catching a Gligar with immunity.  I have not been let down but this little pink flying scorpion and if you give the family a try i doubt they would fail your either.

Whats your favorite Gligar memory.

Don’t forget to vote on my poll on my previous post to help decide my next article

Pokemon Spotlight Part 1: Zubat family.

Welcome to my new series. its hard to make a top 10 list sometimes because you leave out so many other special Pokemon, and lets face facts at 700+ pokemon there is a lot of positives and negatives to each family. since there are alot of pokemon to cover i may not get to all of them, and now there are some top lists that are way past overdue. I just wanna try this for a bit and see how it goes.

“Zubat zubat, zubat, zubat, zubat everywhere this is dumb” Anyone who has ever ventured 20 inches in a cave in pokemon is fermiler with this bat. One of the most common pokemon in the game since gen one. In gen two Zubat became a force to be recconded with, as its third evolution crobat was finally revealed. So why is zubat the first one of my pokemon spotlight series. Well the reasons very but honestly my friend and I just traded stuffed critters and i got my beloved stuffed zubat who is happily sitting on my desk watching me type.

my adventures with zubat didn’t really start off until gen 2, in gen one i mostly ignored the little off looking bat. with a new evolution of crobat, it was no longer a matter of simpling leveling up the creature, it was about making it like you. to get there you need to actually spend some time with it. by trying to make it happy i grew to love and appreciate the strike power and speed. however with the mountain of other pokemon out there it was easy to forget what this little bat was capable of. XY one again showed me the power that is inside of a zubat.

Approaching a level cap i knew i would have to soon bench one of my big pokemon so they didn’t overlevel and stop listening to me. I swapped out my fletchling for a zubat i had just caught, and this little think became a solid rock on my team though the elite four. Gen 6 is a blessing for this little bat because one finally its poison typing becomes useful, with addition of fairy pokemon Poison in my mind become relevant. I wish however it got more of a power boost because outside of the game it still can become irrelevant, which is too bad.

Golbat, Zubats middle form i think is safe to say at this point in its evolution its going though those awkward teenage years. its head is a little over-sized and so is its upper wings, its tail bits are shorting a bit giving it feet and in a lot of photos its tongue is hanging out (at least its not lickylicky bad). Golbat has it rough for its teen years. there are a lot of awkward mid evolution out there before the final stage which in most cases look the pokemon either look more powerful or more intimidating.

 

In zubats good fortuine crobat makes it look tougher. It swaps colors moving its blue to the inner flap of the wings and purple becomes its primary body color. On top of that those akward feet are now replaced with an additional set of wings. I say this makes it looks like crobats specialty will be speed, which it is. According to one poll that i saw crobat is among the top 100 fastest pokemon.  Speed can win battles and that makes Crobat a powerful strike fighter that if used correctly could cause some discomfort against an opposing pokemon.

 

Little zubat has come a long way, from the kanto to kalos. its seen ever region out there and should get a little more respect. I woke up this morning to learning that beedrill and pidgot got a mega evolution, were is crobats? it is well past time that this little bat get the love it so despertly wants out there and give it the mega it needs and deserves.

 

 

 

So what pokemon do you think i should feature next time? What is your favorite zubat moment.

 

Gen VI Review

Well its about time i finish these pokèmon game reviews, and Pokèmon X-Y is the final one. With the delay of the bank and transporter, it seems like as good of time as any to give my thoughts on the latest entry into the pokèmon universe.

                              

While i did my version of a play by play with Pokèmon X giving you guys an idea of my team and my general thoughts along the play. After i finished X i still hand an hankering for some more Pokèmon, so i picked up Y and it quickly became my favorite version of gen 6, while they are practically twins, i think the pokèmon available in Y are far better. Like Team Rocket there are a lot of things this game nearly flawlessly, but in some cases ended up blasting off again instead.  But i will get to that later. For now let me start with the review.

First The Dislikes:

-I feel like compared to what we have gotten game wise in the past, that X-Y feel very small. The end game content especially you have the looker quests, the battle chateau, battle Maison, and the rival. sorry that’s much to keep going on. Then again everything after gold and silvers post game seems small.

-I hate to say this because the whole game feels so small, i would welcome something like the pokèmon contests, or movie or something else to do. I know i have railed against the contests the last few posts, but it made the game feel more epic and gave players something different to do with their pokèmon besides battle.

-Team Flare: I know i have said in the over views how much i disliked Flare in comparison to last gens plasma’s just seemed like this ones motivation was phoned in. Maybe its time to change up the game formula a bit if you can’t keep up a compelling reason read the dialog. there comes a point where you just stop reading it and play like you always play.

-To many Recycled story lines. Honestly this is the biggest flaw with the game, Team rocket stole Pokèmon for profit, since then however you have had the last four generations in it to destroy the world (of Course) and Rebuild it in their image. Think about it go back to each gen, think about that team and what their goals are. Other then Plasma which N’s Motivation was a little different (which is why i like this group) They have had the same goal. In this same stroke you have the Snorlax blocking the road, while you didn’t have to get and keep the pokè flute on your own, we have seen this done to death. Its either him or Sudowoodo, I beg of you give me something different.

-To many starters. To be honest I understand, but in a way having not one but two sets of starters (and a torchic to boot). The fact you get these three if you play starters straight though you have slots only open for three -four others random pokèmon. I can almost guarantee most players opted for an original more known Pokèmon rather then a new untested ones.

-this one is a two fold one, To few new Pokèmon and too many old ones. I went though this game twice, and twice i made it though a good chunk of the game without using any of the new guys. I know we are at 700+ Pokèmon, but one of the attractions honestly to black is i was allowed to explore old and new. Because of this a player like me is faced with a choice, Try something new or stick with what i knew. in my case i tried to in Y at least to pick team members that maybe from older gens, but i rarely or never used. hey like i said 700+ Pokèmon, there is no way i know the details of each one.

-How come non of Gen V’s pokèmon got a mega evolution. I understand that some fans considered Black and White to be the black sheep of the Pokèmon family, but every game has its good and bad pokèmon. that has always been the charm of the game, to figure out who is a good one and the bad one. Black and White has great Pokèmon in it, some even deserving of mega forms.

-Speaking of Mega’s How come the Generation we are currently in gets no Mega’s either? You are just stacking up reasons to ignore Kalos Pokèmon when you don’t bother to give the newest Pokèmon that something special. Especially the starters, I feel honestly that either give all starters a mega or none at all. Look i love Gen 1’s starters too who doesn’t but to ignore the other five gen starters except for Blazikin seems a little unfair don’t you think?

Now the Positive stuff.

-Now that i have some time to Digest Mega, it is sort of growing me, And if can keep terrible evolutions like Lickylicky and Rhyperior from coming into existence then i am for it.

-Customization: Ok i really like being able to pick out outfits for my character and the hair cut as well. My only protest is do i really have to keep waring a hat?

-New Pokèmon, Honestly we have only a handful of new ones, but i don’t think there is really a bad one in the batch. making my bottom 6 really hard to pick.

-Fairy types: I was a little unsure about this at first, but now i have some time to digest it, i have really become a fan of this. The ones Who changed over to Fairy were for the most part needed. (especially if reduces the number of normal out there.) My favorite changes honestly is Togepi’s family and Ralts family. (i have never been a fan of Clefairy or Jiggly) I am also pleased they left Blissey alone, it is now the sole pink puff ball that is not a fairy, Thank God because i think it would have lost something if it moved over.

-Wonder Trading: This is how i know i should never gamble in real life, because of pokèmon. I could never stop playing with the game corner (which i want back!) and now with Wonder trading, its sort of addictive, send a random pokèmon out, and get a random one back, of course you get a lot of um…sorry crap pokèmon. but Occasionally you get a real gem or a pokèmon you haven’t seen before.

-The Legendary before the final gym, so i get a chance to really check my new legendary out. I also love the fact i get it while fighting the final boss and switch it out for for me at least a team member who fought the good fight but needs a good rest in the PC, allowing you to go into the final boss battle with at least one fresh pokèmon.

-Free Pokèmon, I got Lucario and Lapras pretty darn early in the game. And we all know by now how i love my lapras.

Ok On to the pokèmon, This post will also include my favorite mega’s and pokèmon who need mega’s. I know this is a long post already, but here we go.

My bottom 6 least favorites. because this is such a small group, i for a lot of them is nitpicking.

6:Carbink: Part of the problem with this group being so small, is there a Lot of good idea just poorly executed, its pretty darn cute, but sadly i just could not find a place for it.

5: Spritzee: So many new faeries, so many useless additions, here is candidate number 2. this isn’t the worse looking one. just not one of the useful ones.

4: Klefki: Ok i am sorry i maybe one of the few that actually like Klefki, my problem with it because it doesn’t feel complete. It needs and evolution or a power boost or something to really make this something to watch out for. This also feel like instead of a fairy maybe this should have been a ghost type. Something that steels a keys i will buy that.

3: Swirlix: No Game no, bad game. Stop making food based pokèmon. This one is a little more on the disturbing side.

2: Bunnelby: I have not seen such a disturbing evolution in quite a long while. Diggersby is the reason i don’t like Bunnelby. its not a bad starter but just..(shudder).

1: Furfrou: I don’t understand why this was necessary, to have a pokèmon who you can change its looks with. Then again i have said it before there seems to be one gimmick pokèmon per gen, this one is it. Do yourself a favor and box it.

Top 6:

6: Fletchling family: If Starly family was the number one starter bird before then this family is number two. It doesn’t have a single bad looking evolution in the family, and its flame body ability makes it an ideal partner when hatching babies.

5: Inkay: I fell instantly in love with this creature when i saw it. I love octopus and squids and meeting this guy. i name Bloop, After Blooper from the squid from Mario. This is probably one of the more odd type matches but i will take it.

4:Honedge family: about time we got a Sword Pokèmon, and this one is pretty darn good. This steel ghost is also a great false swipe user. Lust like Scizor this one is great for helping fight and catch pokèmon.

3: Flabèbè family: Here we go, now this is a fairy pokèmon, not only adorable but powerful. While not a fan of Florges the final evolution Flabèbè and Florette are real cuties. The fact they come in different colors also doesn’t hurt this little ones case. Pick a flower and she will be at your side until the end of the game.

2: Froakie family: It seems like in every generation there is that one starter that outclasses the other two, in this gen it is Froakie. I you manage to get one with Protean you can make life very difficult for your competitor. Not to mention its a frog and its adorable. In Round 2 of the game in Y, my frog named Kitt (that’s a long story.) was with me until the end.  Look at that face how can you not fall in love with this guy.

1: Yveltal: This big guy surprised me. going into this game i thought Xerneas would be the legend to beat, then i played Y. Yveltal just destroyed most things in it’s space. this guy impressed me from the get go taking out the final boss pretty much on its own, while Xerneas struggled. I look forward to the day when i can pair this dark beast with its cousin lugia. This is by far the best of the new legends and if you havn’t had a chance to play with this guy, do it.

best mega evolutions. top 6

6: Mega Charizard Y: I was never a charizard fan honestly at first but with this gen i became a fan and this is my favorite version of it.

5: Mega Scizor: So i have always been Scizor fan, so seeing a mega form to one of my top pokèmon made me excited. However its evolution i dunno i am not overly excited about this look, but it powers up a fav so i can’t be that offended.

4: Mega Venusaur: With fairy becoming a new threat having a kick ass poison as an ally is necessary. Plus i have always loved bulbasaur. i am not over the moon about this mega evolutions look, i mean it has a butt flower, i think this guy got shafted.

3: Mega Lucario: Before this game i never played with Lucario, i had seen it around but fighting in general doesn’t make it into my team very often. This game made me finally take notice of this guy and how powerful Lucario is both in mega and non mega forms. This is also one of the more sleeker new evolutions, i am a fan.

2: Mega Garchomp: This is another one i did not use until this game. Garchomp impressed me though out the game, and once i got her, her mega evolution i was impressed by the look and the power she got. (hey Game freak give sharpedo a mega too!!)

1: Mega Blaziken: One of my favorite pokèmon got a mega form. Blaziken has always been kick ass, and its even more kick ass, the design is great and it makes it look like more of a threat.
Boy this was a long post, X-Y is a great addition to the pokèmon universe. While i suspect our exploration of X-Y is just beginning, due to the fact they can now download additions to the game. We know from hackers that there are three other pokèmon hiding in the code as well.

What are you thoughts on this latest game, who are some of your favorites, what do you dislike about this game? Let me know in the comments down below.

My Top 6 Favorite Rock Pokèmon

Rock pokèmon are a nice sturdy members to anyone’s team. of course like any type i have my favorites, So like always no legends allowed in here, not that i would pick regirock if it was allowed. Stupid regis.

6: Onix: this Rock snake first came to my attention with the anime, first time i encountered in battle against Brock. Its been years since then but i still remember how powerful he became. like many early rock types this one shares the type with ground which is a nice mixing. Onix is an old early fav, and would not deny his spot on this list…(really i wasn’t going to put him on this list, but he insisted)

5:Tyrantrum: Most Anicent pokèmon are rock types, as a result there are a lot of really good ancients as a result, i picked two to be on this list. There was a lot of excitment when tyrunt was announced finally a ancient that was a t-rex, on top of that it got dragon attached to it. I must admit i was very impressed by this guy it has a nice move pool and yes having a t-rex on you team is king of cool…but it was not my favorite of the two that came out.

4: Aurorus: I have love brachiosaurs since i was a little kid. so when i spotted this as a new pokèmon i fell instantly fell in love. On top of that this one counters tyruntrum, as an ice type it has the type advantage so this nice peaceful looking pokèmon is a powerful ally.

3: gigalith: I became friends Roggenrola, early in the Pokèmon Black game, he was at my side though the elite four. Thanks to a friend i was able to swap my boldore all the way up to Gigalith. For me if a pokèmon earns its place on my team it gets to go though the elite four with me. This one helped me though two gyms and countless battles, holding steady for me allowing one more move in sometimes a rough situation. He earned his place in my team and my heart.

2: Tyranitar: This guy has been on my lists before on the top 6 Dark types. Funny he was number two on that list as well, poor guy. This is a powerful rock type and dark type, in fact he maybe the toughest and most powerful one on this list…however it doesn’t make him my favorite. Sorry bud power doesn’t always equal love in my eyes. it probably doesn’t help his case that i haven’t used him in almost 10 years.

1: Geodude Family: around since the first generation this family some how always finds its way into my team. However it really wasn’t until Gold and silver, did it really shine for me. I have been over this story, before. with my frist game silver the pick of my starter Chikorita the grass pokèmon. However this would prove to be a bad choice, however there was a little notch on the beginning route, i found my little geodude, a female named dudette. Dudette rolled over the flying gym, the bug gym and the normal gym. Surprisingly it even hanged tough in the fighting and steel gym. It has over the years continued to prove itself. i got mad at x-y for putting onix in so early in the game and only showing me graveler towards the end of the game because i am such a fan of these little guys. Geodude, Graveler and Golum have earned there place as number one on this list.

 

So What do you think? do You agree, do you disagree? Who are your top 6? leave your comments down below.

 

 

 

 

My top 6 favorite dark Pokèmon

Dark type has been a favorite type of mine since its introduction in gen 2. Picking just 6 proved difficult some times, but this one i found relatively easy. Again no legendaries allowed.

6:      Sharpedo: Sharpedo had to share the number three spot on my top 6 favorite water, but not here. Sharpedo is one of those dark horse pokèmon that are not used often but can be a powerful force to be not be ignored. i have said it before that gen III has some great candidates in every category and its pokèmon like sharpedo that make me look forward to a re-release of gen III’s Ruby and Sapphire.

5:   Malamar: Pokèmon has always been know to have known to make weird combos, Inkay is defiantly up thier with weird combos and weird evolutions. This Psychic/dark type is just a weird but a powerful little guy, i named mine bloop when i spotted it because it reminded me of the Bloober from Mario. Lets get this straight Dark was created to balance out the uber powerful Psychic types, Dark became weak to fighting, and psychic is strong against it. However both suck against bugs. This guy also learns some flying moves like peck making it a pretty decent critter. Besides evolving upside down this weird combo slide easily into my top 6.

4:      Houndoom Family: I think when most people think Dark Pokèmon this is the first guy that comes to mind. Houndoom is one of the original dark types that was introduced in gen II. He was known for his speed making him a great strike fighter. This guy hasn’t changed much, but did get a mega Evolution. Not the look people were hoping for but still anything to make this guy just a little more fierce is cool by me. Honestly it has never frighten me it had a great coloration, not the best defense in the world still i was happy to see it again.

3:        Hydreigon: This guy is another one that has been on my lists before, in fact was number one on the dragon list. He is also a dark type and a powerful at that. I won’t go on long  about this guy because he has been on the list. I said it before and i will say it again, you do not spend 64 levels with anything in this game without becoming attached to it.

2:    Tyranitar: This Powerful Pokèmon has long been a favorite of mine.
This was the high level evolver in Gen II and spends its first two levels as a ground/rock Pokemon. It is at 55 when it evolves to his final evolution the great and powerful tyranitar. This Rock/Dark type learns rock, ground and darks best moves naturally, plus with tms, can pick up ice, fire, dragon and eletrics best moves, making him a powerful and unpredictable beast. I just picked up a new larvitar today and look forward to making it as big and powerful as in years past…and to make life even better for fans of this guy guess who has a mega.

1: Umbreon: This guys has been on lists before as well, and as you have seen i am a huge eevee fan. Umbreon and Espeon are hands down my favorite of the family. Umbreon is a pure dark and all heart. It helps that both Umbreon and sibling evolve by affection towards you and time of day. It like all Eevee’s learns the stand by moves, shadow ball and bite. While not as powerful as my number two, i have been though a lot with this guy and its hard not acknowledge this Eevee with a dark type with a heart.

So what do you think? do you agree? disagree? is Their someone you missed. Next time Dark and Psychic’s nemesis Bug.

My Top 6 Favorite Flying Pokèmon

Flying is one of the more unique types in the game, its one of the few types that only has one pure type…that is right only one pure flying pokèmon. This type has mixed with just about every type out there. So there is another rule with this one besides no legendary here. It must be a bird of some kind.

6:  Pidgy family: this one almost didn’t make the list, but for a lot of players including myself this is one of your first wild catches. Honestly as much slack as this family gets, its not a terrible first family.  Considering over the years i have seen a lot worse starting  flyers. *Cough Cough pidove*. Excuse me. Pokèmon x has given me a chance to once again look at this first family of bird pokèmon on the skills it now learns are impressive. While still not my first pick for a flyer there is still no denying that that family is still a contender in the flying arena.

5:    Talonflame family:  This one the first Pokèmon on my lists from X-Y, and its deserving of the spot. You pick this guy up around the same time as you pick up pidgy. Fletchling is a adorable and its one of those pokèmon that to me doesn’t have a bad looking evolution, the middle one looks like a blue jay to me. My little Fe (what i named it) was a great team member and probably would have stayed with me to the end if i didn’t re-fall in love with Crobat. If you pick up this game pick yourself up a fletchling you won’t be disappointed by this little fire bird.

4:             Togekiss family: this Family first introduced to players before Gold and silver had even hit our shores, it was a normal type with one one evolution. In gen IV (Pearl and Diamond, heart gold Soul Silver) this Family gained a third more powerful evolution making it a real contender in competitive battle. Now with this current gen this family is once again undergoing a change, this time its type. That’s right this family is now a fairy type, while i current don’t have at a Togepi in the current game, i look forward to seeing what this little guy can do now.

3:   Aerodactyl: Let me start by saying, i hate his mega form, it just doesn’t do it for me. that being said i have always really liked Aerodactyl. For a flyer with a rock typing with it, this guy has always been really fast. Its a powerful ancient flyer that if raised right could put a serious cramp in everyone style. its one Ancient fossil that deserves its resurrection.

2:  Fearow Family: I really didn’t pay much attention to this bird in the first gen. However the second gen i managed to pick up this guy pretty early in the game. Spearow stayed at my side all the way until the end of the game. i never realized how tough and powerful this guy was until that gen. With a powerful learned move drill peck, which at the time i only though zapdos knew. While not as pretty as some of the other birds on my list, it should not be ignored.

1:             Staraptor family: Hands Down the best of the starting bird pokèmon you get, Gen Four has some great pokèmon in it, from previous entry Luxray to Staraptor a lot of truly greats were added too our dexs. Not only does this one has the standard moves most normal birds learn, what it learns naturally like close combat and Brave bird this is one tough bird and a dare say one of the greats. I have become a huge fan of this guy and its family and its hands down the top bird of flying types.