#366 - #368: Clamperl, Huntail & Gorebyss

See? Clamperl's head is not actually the pearl on Spoink's head;
it produces an entirely separate pearl when it's on the brink of
evolution. 

Clamperl is one of two Gen. III Pokémon that can be found exclusively in the underwater areas of Hoenn, which you can reach by using the Dive HM. This Pokémon is only really interesting because it can evolve into two different deep-sea fish, which bivalves seldomly (that is to say, never) do in real-life; however, it would have been exceptional for an invertebrate mollusk to change into fish if only it hadn't been for the fact that this is the Pokémon franchise, where a remora becomes an octopus and dragons and dinosaurs have pupal stages. Then there's Clamperl's head, which looks like a pearl but doesn't actually become a Spoink's prized possession. In Spoink and Grumpig's entry I already mentioned that Spoink adores its pearl and even gets weaker when it's not holding on to it, but I also mentioned that the pearl on top of its head doesn't seem to be Clamperl's own head: Clamperl produces only one magnificent pearl in its entire lifetime, which is when its body becomes too large for its nicked and scratched shell and the Pokémon is on the verge of evolving. The pearl is said to be infused with a mysterious energy, which simply means it amplifies psychic powers, especially Spoink's.

Huntail as seen in TCG. I'd swear the tip of its tail resembles a Gorebyss's head.

When traded holding a Deep Sea Tooth, Clamperl evolves into Huntail. This oblong, eel-like fish uses the white spot on the tip of its tail - which resembles a small fishie with a single dorsal and pectoral fin - to entice pray before snapping it up with its large jaw. This is very reminiscent to biological and behavioral features of the gulper eel or pelican eel, which is known for having a giant mouth larger than its body. The tip of its tail is equipped with a light-producing organ known as a photophore, which turns pink through the process of bioluminescence, and is believed to be used by the pelican eel to lure its prey with because its body isn't built for hunting - though, ironically, the Pokémon it is based on is called Huntail. Huntail's spine is thick and sturdy because it has to live in the deepest depths of the sea, but I guess all deep-sea fish (or Pokémon) have found a way to withstand the crushing pressure deep under the sea.

Even though Huntail looks frail, it is actually surprisingly defensive stat-wise, but only in its defense stat: its HP is garbage and its special defense isn't all that. Its base 52 speed also doesn't make it very fast, but Huntail has one trick up its sleeve to get around that, which is Shell Smash. Obviously, this move is learned by Clamperl, but as Pokémon can retain the moves it has learned as its pre-evolutions, Huntail also has access to it. Shell Smash raises its attack, special attack and speed by two stages each, while its defense and special defense are both lowered by one stage each, but Huntail can hold a White Herb to restore its defenses. As this Pokémon is mostly a physical attacker (104 base attack v. 94 base special attack), a physical moveset consisting of Crunch, Ice Fang and either Waterfall or Aqua Tail is recommended, as is an Adamant or Jolly nature and its hidden ability Water Veil. Burn prevention is a good thing for a physical attacker, trust me.

TCG art of Gorebyss.

When traded holding a Deep Sea Scale, on the other hand, Clamperl evolves into Gorebyss. Bulbapedia offers quite a few suggestions on Gorebyss's origins, but I found exactly one animal that is the spitting image of this Pokémon: the long-nosed chimaera - and I am not talking about that mythological lion/goat/snake hybrid creature. Like Gorebyss, the long-nosed chimaera - or rhinochimaeridae - is a deep-sea fish living in the abyssal depths below 3,000 feet. These creatures stem from normal chimaeras and, like its cousins, they are commonly called rat fish or ghost sharks, even though they are not technically sharks; they are merely distant relatives of sharks and rays, having branched off from them nearly 400 million years ago and having remained a distinct lineage that has been basically unchanged ever since. And as if the resemblance with Gorebyss wasn't enough already, long-nosed chimaeras take on a pinkish hue when fished out of the water.

Huntail and Gorebyss.

Flavor-wise, Gorebyss is far more savage than Huntail. It uses its long, pointed snout to stab prey and siphon their body fluids... which oddly reminds me of a certain Gen. I fossil Pokémon called Kabutops, if I'm not mistaken. Many of its Pokédex entries mention its elegance and beauty, but all I can think of when I see it is that it's kinda weird. Again, Gorebyss is described as being able to withstand the enormous pressure of water at incredible depths. Therefore, its body is unharmed by ordinary attacks, giving it a very defensive touch. Like Huntail, however, its HP is booty and its special defense is mediocre, making its defense yet again its best defensive stat. But whereas Huntail can be both physical and special, Gorebyss really is more focused on special attack rather than physical attack: its special attack is a nothing-to-sneeze-at base 114, while its base attack is a less viable 84. Moreover, Gorebyss doesn't learn any physical moves of significance, which means you'll have to fall back on its decent special movepool. A White Herb set with the move Shell Smash is evident here - Gorebyss, too, can obtain this move through its pre-evolution Clamperl - and the rest of its moveset is filled up by Hydro Pump, Psychic and Ice Beam, although it can also learn Shadow Ball, Scald, Surf and Signal Beam if you're desperately in need of these moves (probably not). Naturally, Gorebyss fares better with a Modest or Timid nature rather than an Adamant or Jolly one. It doesn't have access to Water Veil, and if I may be honest, neither of the two abilities it does have are overly viable. Swift Swim doubles its speed in rain and Hydration makes it get rid of a status condition in rain, so putting it on some kind of rain team is definitely an option. If you don't, either is fine; like Huntail, Gorebyss can need the extra speed, although getting rid of pesky status conditions like that may help your cause as well.

Jesus fuck, I wouldn't want to encounter this thing underwater. Goddamn. (This
piece of Huntail fan art is awesome, though.)

Clamperl and its evolution are an interesting bunch, to say the least. I hate the 'holding an item' kind of thing when trading off a Pokémon in order to evolve it, but I'm pretty sure I have both Huntail and Gorebyss in my possession now. Thing is, I will probably never use these things, whether it be in-game or competitively, because they're too much of a hassle to obtain and I'm not really a huge fan of these Pokémon in the first place. I can get behind Huntail's design; Gorebyss's, not so much.

Rating Huntail: 4/5

Rating Gorebyss: 2/5