#74 - #76: Geodude, Graveler & Golem

Fan art of the Geodude line: Geodude (top left), Graveler (bottom
left) and Golem (right)

There is nothing more tedious than a Pokémon that explodes in your face when you're trying to catch it.

Yes, I am looking at you, Graveler.

Geodude and its evolutionary line are yet another species Pokémon that never failed to be in any regional Pokédex up until Gen. IV. Therefore, Geodude is a common Pokémon that is often found in caves and on mountains, which is its ideal habitat because it is literally a rock. With arms and hands, that is, but its looks provide it perfect camouflage. No wonder people and other Pokémon step or trip on you, Geodude. There's no need to be so pissed about that. Anyway, when it wakes up in the morning, it rolls downhill to look for food. Also preferring rolling over walking is Graveler, who literally eats rocks (preferably those that are covered in moss) all the time on its way to the peak of a mountain and rolls down when it is done being weird. It evolves into Golem by trading, so you won't find Golem in the wild. That is something to be happy about, because if that thing blows up in your Pokémon's face with its 120 base attack, your Pokémon is dead. And guess what? Golem likes to withdraw its head, arms and legs into its rock-hard shell (which may be based on the tectonic plates of the Earth, as Hindu, Chinese and Native American mythology state that turtles are believed to carry the world on their backs) and dangerously roll at high speeds, crashing into and running over anything in its path. Well, rolling over anything in its path, rather.

'Cause that's how they roll.

TCG art of Golem.

But the question is, 'How does it roll in the video games?' Well, an in-game Golem only needs Earthquake, either Rock Slide or Stone Edge, Heavy Slam, and Double-Edge (when its ability is Rock Head, which means Golem won't get recoil damage from this move) to wreck anything that comes its way. Just be cautious of grass- and water-type moves, as Golem has a quadruple weakness to both of them due to its rock/ground typing and its very mediocre special defense stat; most moves of these types tend to be special. If you're really scared of Golem getting destroyed by Surf or Giga Drain, it would be wise to go for one with the ability Sturdy, which prevents it from getting knocked out in one hit when its HP is full. Competitively, Golem is often used as a Stealth Rock setter, which does damage to any of the opponent's incoming Pokémon accordingly to their weaknesses and resistances. Explosion is actually a must-have last-resort move for Golem, as it does MASSIVE damage to anything that is somewhat frail, especially if Golem is holding a Choice Band. If you get the chance, you might even slap Rock Polish on it, which practically doubles its speed and makes it a decent late-game sweeper. That could work out very well if you invest some EVs in its speed stat as well, especially combined with a beneficial nature.

Golem's flavor may not look like much, as its design makes it already quite obvious that Golem likes to roll, but don't let that fool you: it is actually a powerful Pokémon, especially considering the fact that Golem got an attack boost in X and Y. Besides, its design is not that bad. It's just a shame Golem's name is so unimaginative; it is derived from the mythical creatures called golems. Exactly.

They see 'em rollin', they hatin'.

Rating: 4/5