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 Anniversary

Wow 20 years….man I feel old. 20 years ago Pokemon roared into all of our lives, I was the mere age of 14 (good god I was just a babe…..this article is going to make me feel so old).  So I thought I would talk about my history with gen 1, and then because everyone likes a countdown list I thought me with my co conspirator pianoelf (who will be in red) would list our top 5 favorite gen 1 Pokemon.

When Pokemon came out I was in junior high school, I didn’t even know there was a game until I started watching the anime. After the anime and a babysitting job I got to play the game a little bit on my on my own.  It wouldn’t be until Yellow launched that I really showed a strong desire for the game, I liked getting all three starters and Pikachu, I didn’t like having to make the choice at the beginning. It would be my birthday that I would get my first Game Boy and Yellow. I loved the game and played it a lot, coming to rely on other Pokemon not featured in the anime. Yellow would start my Pokemon journey, I would go on to play every single main series entry, and a few side ones.

I don’t remember how old I was when Pokemon first came out, but I remember getting Game Boy Pockets with my two brothers and each of us got to choose Red or Blue. I chose Red, although I really wanted Blue because I loved the color blue. I think at least one of my brothers chose Blue, but at any rate, the next thing we knew, we were in the living room together choosing our first Pokemon. We all chose a different one of course, so that eventually we could see each one. I loved the variety in the different Pokemon seen in the originals (even though the original designs don’t age too well), and caught everything I saw. Since then, I have played at least one entry in each generation of games. While there are things I love in the later games, I will never forget the first one I played.

So on to my top five gen 1 Pokemon (or Pokemon family)

 Diglett & Dugtrio: I loved these little ground dwellers. I remember reading in my first Pokemon walkthough a Versus book (which sadly doesn’t exist anymore) that speed wins battles and if there is one thing this little mole Pokemon has, it’s speed. During the course of gen 1 this little guy would more than earn its place on my team. It is also one of the only Pokemon i can consistently draw and when I get bored you can find one or two on the page of a notebook.  I wished it aged as well as my love for it because as the generations grew this Pokemon fell out of favor in my teams, to stronger ground types. However, Diglett will always hold a special spot for me. 

    Pikachu: So cliche, I know, but Pikachu was the first “rare” Pokemon I ever caught. I remember the first one I saw in Viridian Forest, being surprised at never having seen one before (and how cute it was), and then quickly realized how rare it was to encounter one. This little electric mouse may have never made it as a permanent member of any of my teams, but its charm and personality have stuck with me from the very beginning. (Ash’s Pikachu is infinitely adorable too.)

 Zapdos: Out of all of the legendary Pokemon in this generation, Zapdos was by far and away my favorite. This wonderful little electric Pokemon would be a firm fighter for me. With Zappy (yes that’s what I named it) by my side I always knew I would make it through. In game Zapdos is truly the key to getting the other legendaries, We zapped Moltres and Articuno and drill pecked Mewtwo. Whenever I see the Zapdos in future games my heart jumps a beat because I know with this bird at my side…nothing will stop me. 

Pidgey, Pidgeotto & Pidgeot: Pidgey was one of two bird Pokemon you could catch at the very beginning of the game, and I always liked Pidgey’s design better than Spearow’s. As this little bird evolved, he became my Flyer and a very reliable member of my first team. In a recent playthrough of Soul Silver, I made it a point to use one, and while he had a period where he was close to useless, now he has proven himself to be a core member of the team. There have been many new bird Pokemon introduced since Gen 1, but they will never replace the Pidgey family for me.

  Rapidash: When I was looking over the list of the original 151, and looked at good Rapidash and Ponyta I got this warm happy feeling. Like most little girls, I grew up loving horses. I can’t tell you how it absolutely blows my mind after 20 years and 722(?) Pokemon that there are only 3 horse type Pokemon. Rapidash is too often overlooked in my opinion as a fire Pokemon, but it has something that is so key, the same reason i love Dugtrio: speed. It’s not only that. I loved encountering it in Snap. It is beautifully designed, and has the moves and the stats to be a great Pokemon, and she really is.  

  Butterfree: Yet another Pokemon found close to the beginning of the game! I loved Butterfree even though she was always swapped out later for something more useful. I think it’s because I loved butterflies as a kid, and hated bees (Beedrill is the Pokemon opposite Butterfree). Leveling up a Caterpie or Metapod and then seeing this beautiful Butterfree emerge was always immensely satisfying.

 Bulbasaur: Ok let’s be straight here ppl, yes Charmander grows into Charizard which even I will admit is kind of badass, Squirtle grows into a giant turtle with cannons on his back, In comparison Venasaur is not that impressive, even when we got mega this Pokemon got shafted, but to me it will always have a special little place. It was the anime that sold me on him, not willing to change when everyone one else like him did, protective of the weak and friends, tolerant of ones who annoy him and loyal to his friends. Bulba was the one out of Ash’s Pokemon that I identified with, and that’s why I love him. 

 Eevee & Flareon: Ok, another cute choice, but this Pokemon is not found until much later in the game. You can only get one Eevee, and then you find that Eevee can evolve into one of three Pokemon depending on what kind of stone you give to it. Eevee is cute enough already, but Flareon’s design always attracted me more than the other two options. Flareon just looks so fluffy! Eevee has consistently been a team member in later games, sometimes as its original form, and much more often in one of its now EIGHT evolution choices.

Lapras: By now are you really that surprised to see Lapras here? If you have read my past blogs you know I absolutely love this Pokemon. She has carried me through so many games, but it was Yellow where I first met her. Once I had her by my side I dropped my Blastoise for her and I have never looked back. Lapras has been at my side since the beginning, My love for this Pokemon goes longer and deeper, met in gen 1 and by my side until the end. Beautiful, serene, defensive and strong this one has gotten me though many Elite Fours. 

 Charmander: I’m sure you can guess by now which Pokemon I got while my brothers got the other two. Charmander has always been my favorite Pokemon, partly because he was the one that started it all. I remember that I didn’t want to evolve my first Charmander, but eventually gave in and Charmeleon and Charizard became heavy hitters as I faced the Elite Four. But in every game since then, I have tried to have a Charmander on my team and never evolve him. There is something about this cute little lizard that makes me happy to have him by my side. Perhaps part of it is seeing Ash’s Pikachu and wanting my Charmander to be the same kind of friend. Ash’s Charmander may have evolved into a stubborn Charizard, but my Charmander will always be my faithful companion.

Well there you have it,  our top fives. We both enjoyed revisiting our past, and look forward to replaying the original games in the not so distant future. In the meantime please enjoy the video below, done by natewantstobattle, It seems appropriate to end the article with it.

 

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Pokemon Go

a few days ago i woke up to the exciting news of a new Pokemon game. My friend sent me the video which i will happily include in this post. These are my initial thoughts

• Pokemon has returned to its root. (remembering your roots Pokemon, very cool) what do i mean by this. The old trading system had users face to face with one another actually talking to one another. Something that over the years of technology developing it the way it has, trading has become very impersonal. This seems to bring pokemon back to is original social features, with us getting out and talking to one another.
  • the down side to this could be for the people like me who live in more rural areas, where there are not a while lot of people around, of if there is another player around they could be a distance away. i would like to see how they would go about implementing something like this so that everyone feels included and its not something like only people who live in nyc can get a Mewtwo but people out in the boonies only run into Hopip.

 

• the idea of going out to the world and finding real pokemon, is really exciting to me. I am the first to admit that i am not exactly healthy and could use motivation to exercise. it seems like pokemon over the years has seemed to accepted responsibility of trying to get its players up and moving. It seems to had started with Gen 4 and the rerelease of of soul silver and heart gold with the pokewalker. I loved that thing and until the battery died and i lost it in the black hole that is my bed room, i used it a lot. I loved taking my pokemon for a walk and it inspired me to move more. I think that the idea of going out to the world and finding my favorite pokemon. I might even get myself some hiking boots.
  • the downside here could be people who live in the city. if this is implemented like certain pokemon only show up in certain spots, someone like me who has access to a verity of different landscapes, (mountains, lakes, rivers, plains and caves if i wanted. Folks in the city may only have access to city and maybe one kind of body of water.
  • another downside or possible potential hazard is the people in rural. i don’t care how good of pokemon might be ahead of me if i am in a situation where i am driving and a pokemon appears on a busy rode i will pick life over mon. They will have to be really careful to make sure pokemon don’t appear on major interstates or intersections or where going to find some injured or dead pokemon fans.
• I also love that this will be available, on a phone rather then a 3ds and here is why. I have found over the years is much easier to stuff a phone into a purse or pocket then a 3ds. Its bad enough that now a days that taking the size of the 3ds into consideration when buying a new purse.
  •  however the phone could lead to its own separate trouble. particular with data costs, or if it becomes like shuffle is now, where you have pay for certain items in the game. I think price for this new little add on may also me a major factor too, hopefully its only a one time cost but who knows.
• In some ways i feel like this game has a posiblity of giving fans something we have been asking for a very long time, a massive multiplayer game. It may not be in the way that fans had dreamed but i think it is so much more then what fans dreamed, bringing pokemon into real life.
  • my concern is they will stick to only one generation, while i am excited for go there was one thing i noticed in the trailer…all the pokemon featured were gen 1 pokemon. now i am not sure if this is because gen one pokemon are pretty much the most well known or that they are only sticking with gen 1. If its the later your leaving out 568 other pokemons. (yes i did the math…well i used a calculator.) I really hope they allow all of the pokemon to be found, i would love to find a little joltik.

There is still much to learn and i am sure as the weeks pass, we will learn more about how this works. I am sure like others i have a lot of questions, questions which i am sure will be answered as time passes. In the mean time lets just enjoy the possibility of pokemon in the real world

 

Pokemon Spotlight: Zigzagoon

Pokemon is nothing if not consistent, we know over the years when we start up any game, that a few things will always happen. We will always get a starter pokemon, we will always have a mom that we leave behind who supports us, And the first catching areas we will always find a bug pokemon, a bird pokemon and one normal swiss army knives pokemon. From ratatta, to bunnelby and all in between. there have been good ones, terrifying one (looks at patrat and shudders). For me my favorite starter normal is really zigzagoon, i squeed that’s right i squeed when i started X a year ago and found this little guy in the beginning areas. My original one way back when when sapphire was still new was named bandit, future ones were names lil’theif and current one is named ziggy.

So what makes this little guy so special, Honestly like most beginning level normal’s you will out grow this little guy by gym four or five, but for be its that ability pickup that makes him so unique. When you start the game you can find you run though pokedollers really quickly. Zigzagoon picks up random potions, pokeballs, status heals, even berries as you travel along. Most of these items are very useful, and sometimes even life saving if your going though a forests or a cave. Early game before you get the full heals and full restores these extra little status saves are quite useful. Your little pickpocket turns out to be a real butt saver.

Zigzagoon  and Its evoluton linoone  can also be very useful learning four different hm moves, so if you need someone to carry the hm burden for your team this is a good choice learning, cut, strength, surf and rock smash. The can also use non hm but field moves like dig and rock climb. Also like most normal pokemon they are swiss army knives learning a veriaty of different type move sets, so if you decide to actually work with one longer then gym five i have a feeling you will be rewarded. however nither i nor  smogon recommend this guy outside your own game, its not built for competitive just to get you though the beginning of the game.

While its likely you will eventually outgrow the zigzagoon linoone family by the time you hit gym five, you cannot deny what this little guy does for you early game and should be recognized for that.

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.

 

Quick reviews and thoughts.

I am back, despite evidence to the contrary i am very much alive, although after a run in with a wall my brain hurts quite a bit. So lots of things to cover in this blog so let me lets go.

-Pokèmon omega ruby and alpha sapphire is right around the corner, a little less then two months away, so rejoice fellow pokemon fans, With the constant stream of new mega and content this promises to be the best remake yet.  of all the news i am excited about is of course the new mega/primal evolutions. Of all the megas i am excited for its sharpedos. i have always loved this little shark so to see it get some well deserved love is wonderful.  Of course with that comes the the most unexpected mega revealed, i have to go with slowbro, its a pokemon that already has two different evolutions (Slowbro and slowking) i am not sure why Nintendo found it necessary to give it another evolution.) Do i think all these mega’s will diminish from the game, maybe. I think for the first time in years mega evolution has got people really excited for Pokemon games, and is generating new and fresh buzz.

-Smash Bros 3ds: I am going to start off my saying, i am in general a casual player, and in general i am not really into fighting games, bust there is something very unique and special about smash brothers that makes even a causal player like me enjoy it. Maybe its the mix of characters from different series in the Nintendo world. maybe its the sometime beautiful soundtrack in the ground, or maybe its just because at the end of the day its nintendo. its going to be a fun fighter game that’s not going question my very soul for playing it.  At my core however i am a handheld game and up until this year, smash bros was a console game, meaning almost every time i had to have a console in order to enjoy these games. This year is different for the first time smash bros went to the 3ds, and i was pumped. i started putting a little money down at a time over the course of the year until yesterdays launch. When i went to pick it up it was already paid off. This afternoon i find myself enjoying the game, and honest it can be kind of casual too. You can pick it up play a round or two then set it down and do something like write for a blog that you have been neglecting for months.

-Tomodachi life: I am still not sure why i decided to get this game, probably a mixture or boredom and curiosity. I first downloaded the demo and fell in love with it. Its a fun quirky game that honestly can fill the addictive part of my personality well. check and feed them regularly, fill there needs get them to fall in love and have babies.

 

Well that covers what i have been up to for now, look for more blogs to come

 

Hoenn Confirmed: Predictions

Hoenn is coming and so is changes to our favorite gen 3 game. As shown in this weeks E3 and cora cora leaks the remaining gen 3 starters are getting a mega evolution as well as good old Sableye. What else does game freak have in store for us?

Well if you will indulge me i am going to make my first ever prediction blog of what i feel is going to come in this new (old) set of games.

1: We will see another group of starters also get a mega, either gen 2’s or gen 4’s some where towards the end of the game, likely after the elite four is beaten.

2: secret bases will make a return with the wifi feature enabled so you can rate your friends bases

3: Besides starters we will see at least 20 different new mega evolution’s and they will not be exclusive to gen 3’s pokemon. Some Pokemon that i predict will see megas will be, Metagross, Flygon, Gallade,  Rosade, Bellosom, Gliscor, (one of if not all of the bird trio or the dog trio) Mightyena, Slaking and Luxray.

4 We will see some of gen fives pokèmon get some love too.

5 we will see delta Emerald and her is why. Unlike past generations, Ruby Sapphire and Emerald all had distinctively different story lines. Combining it like they have in the past could ruin the integrity of the past games, so i think they will in this case release the third one.

6: the beauty contests will also go wifi so you can compete with friends.

7: the past mistake will be fixed, meaning day and night will return for gen 3 re-release, while absent in the original gen 3 Gamefreak has a great track record in listing to its fan and make sure what made fans unhappy with gen 3 will be fixed when its ready to go in November.

8: The game is going to be as pretty as x-y is

So those are my predictions what are some of yours. Do you Agree with mine, Do you have some of yours, let me know in comments down below.