#556: Maractus

Maractus with a pair of maracas in its hand. Honestly, I think
this Pokémon is kinda cute.

Not long after Basculin we get to take a look at another unloved Pokémon: Maractus. We've already come across a scarecrow cactus when visiting Hoenn, but it seems Game Freak thought it was a good idea to include a cactus based on percussion instruments called maracas seven years later. Because, y'know, apparently Maractus can dance; when it moves its body rhythmically, it emits sounds reminiscent of these so-called rumba shakers and creates up-tempo songs that should scare and drive away bird Pokémon that prey on its flower seeds. Maractus is obviously based on a flowering cactus (opuntia littoralis, commonly called the coastal prickly pear), but Game Freak decided to incorporate traditional Mexican dress styles and several Spanish dances into Maractus's design and flavour, specifically the Mexican version of a dance called son cubano. This perfectly ties in with Maractus's French name Maracachi, which is essentially the same as its Japanese name and contains a reference to a Mexican style of music called mariachi. Migrations from rural areas into Guadalajara and the Mexican government's cultural promotion in the 19th and 20th centuries caused this music style to be re-labeled as son jalisciense, with the 'urban' form being referred to as mariachi instead. Additionally, the German name of Maractus, which is Maracamba, refers to an exclamation used in the Spanish language to denote surprise, usually in a positive manner.

¡Ay, caramba!

A more realistic interpretation of Maractus in what seems to be
its natural habitat. Petal Dance away, Maractus!

Granted, Maractus has some interesting cultural origins, especially when you consider Unova is based on New York City and the USA is known for harboring millions of Latin American refugees (even though the current government under Donald Trump directly threatens their asylum status - DACA recipients in particular - and Maractus's origins could be explained as cultural appropriation), but it is a single-stage Pokémon that doesn't have anything that sets it apart from other Pokémon. To tie in with its design, two of Maractus's abilities revolve around how a real-world cactus stores water with great efficiency: Water Absorb absorbs direct damage from water-type moves to restore health from them as well as making it immune to them, while Storm Drain even draws in water-type moves directed at another target, raising its special attack by one stage while still granting it a water-type immunity. Unfortunately, Maractus is a grass type and really doesn't need an immunity to water; it would have been nice if Game Freak had given it an ability negating sandstorm damage, especially since Maractus is only found in the Desert Resort where a permanent sandstorm rages. Sand Rush would have been excellent, because that would raise Maractus's speed when a sandstorm is brewing on a battlefield and scare the shit out of rock and ground types coming its way (it does get Chlorophyll, but a bunch of grass types get that ability, so you'll be left wondering why you didn't just pick a better grass type in the first place). However, Maractus is still frail and slow and susceptible to sandstorm damage, so rock and ground types don't have to be scared of it all that much - neither do water types, for that matter, as a fast Ice Beam would blow Maractus out of the fucking water before you can say, ¡Caramba!

It's a mystery to me as to why Game Freak made Maractus's physical attack - sitting at a decent base 86 - its second best stat, because its special attack is far superior and it really needs these wasted base points in its speed and defenses. Sadly, Maractus only learns a couple of normal- and grass-type special moves and has no access to interesting or useful support moves other than maybe Spikes. Honestly, I don't know why you would use a mixed Maractus with Knock Off or Sucker Punch when there's a dark-type cactus available for you that can hit harder with both of those moves due to STAB and higher offensive stats - two traits that make Cacturne a much better Focus Sash-holding Spikes setter. Sure, Maractus gets Endeavor, but that's hardly a competitively viable move under normal circumstances and you won't knock the opposing Pokémon out with it, anyway.

Maractus in the anime, all three of them holding a pair of rumba shakers. They're
called - and I kid you not - Marra, Racca and Tussy. My God...

Maractus is nothing more than a dancing cactus making sounds similar to a pair of maracas. Honestly, there's not much to Maractus as a Pokémon other than its design and origins; even its in-game use leaves a lot to be desired, which can be attributed to its relative frailty and painfully lackluster movepool. Maractus is so obstinately cute and cheerful that it's drastically different from the sinister and predatory Cacturne, which is why I don't feel like we have a mere copy-paste situation on our hands - although there's no doubt that Game Freak deliberately made Maractus the exact opposite of what Cacturne's supposed to be. I actually like Maractus as a Pokémon; while not an overly useful addition to the Pokédex, it is definitely a very fun addition to the Pokédex, so yet again I'm giving this universally unpopular Pokémon a positive rating.

¡Ay, caramba!

Rating: 4/5