#494: Victini

Victini about to blast off a Fusion Flare. This move
usually cannot be learned by Victini, as it's the
signature move of Reshiram, which is why Game
Freak made it an event-only move.

It feels strange ending the fourth generation on such a negative note, but even stranger is the fact that we're starting off Gen. V - my personal favorite generation in terms of Pokémon, gameplay features and storyline - with a mythical Pokémon instead of the usual grass-type starter. Like all so-called 'pixie' Pokémon, Victini is supposed to be cute and iconic, and I think Game Freak have done a fine job at that. The way Victini is implemented into the game comes across as quite odd, however. It could actually be obtained very early on in the main storyline through an event, by simply claiming the Liberty Pass that allows you to travel to Liberty Garden upon arriving in Castelia City and catch Victini hiding in the lighthouse standing smack-dab in middle of the island. It was at level 15, which should have been a couple of levels below the player's Pokémon and therefore it was perfectly viable to add to any in-game team. Of course, as Victini is a legendary it couldn't just incautiously be added among the peasant Unova Pokémon, which is why it got number 000 in the regional Pokédex and thus comes before Snivy, Servine and Serperior. It really doesn't make sense for Victini to come first in the Unova Pokédex, though; Pokémon Black and White saw the first time in which only the 150 normally available debuting Pokémon could be used throughout the main storyline, as Landorus and Kyurem weren't available until post-game and the other four - including Victini - are event Pokémon, and Victini could have easily been put somewhere at the end of the Dex. No biggie. But here I am, reviewing this Pokémon while I really wanted to be done with all these legendaries for a good while, especially after the disappointment that is Arceus.

A whole horde of Victini enjoying a full basket of macarons.
I don't know where the hell they got those from, but our local
supermarket here in the Netherlands asks €5,- for just ten or
twelve of these tiny motherfuckers. They're like the caviar of
confectionery, goddamn.

Unlike Arceus, though, Junichi Masuda's favorite Pokémon seems to be a bit more straightforward when it comes to its design and origins. Aesthetically, it seems to be based on usagi-ringo, a method of cutting apple slices to make them look similar to rabbits, while conceptually it might draw inspiration from the Greek winged goddess Nike and its Roman equivalent Victoria, both representing victory. I am not surprised Victini draws inspiration from these particular goddesses; it is a legendary, it is classified as the 'Victory Pokémon', it has a unique ability called Victory Star - which increases the accuracy of moves used by the user and its allies by 10% of their original accuracy - and it even possesses two wing-like tails that allow it to fly. Its pointed ears form the letter V, which might very well be a reference to the generation it was introduced in as well. Victini is usually a timid and caring Pokémon, although it will fight if its friends are in danger. Additionally, it is said to bring victory to Trainers that befriend it, producing an infinite amount of energy within itself and sharing this energy with others by touch. It can even become invisible, as demonstrated in Pokémon the Movie: White - Victini and Zekrom and Pokémon the Movie: Black - Victini and Reshiram. These two movies follow a similar plot with some major and minor changes, notably the Pokémon that appear and Resiram and Zekrom swapping roles as the main focus of the film.

Black and White promotional art for the Victini you
can catch in the lighthouse in Liberty Garden. 

When it comes to competitive play, Victini is one of the better mythical Pokémon to use on an offensive team. Like all other 'pixie' Pokémon it has base 100 stats across the board, which allows you to go several different ways with it, although it has to be said that an offensive approach is very much recommended. The reason I'm saying that is because Victini has a crazy powerful move in its arsenal: V-create. This event-exclusive fire-type move has a base power of 180, which makes it the third most powerful move in the game after Self-Destruct and Explosion. It does have the negative effect of lowering the user's defense, special defense and speed stats, but this could easily be solved by giving Victini a White Herb to hold or by simply switching it out for another Pokémon on your team. V-create is a must-have STAB move on a physical-based Victini, as is Zen Headbutt, and a Jolly or Adamant nature allows it to make great use of a Choice Band or Choice Scarf, respectively. Some neat physical coverage moves are Brick Break, Bolt Strike/Fusion Bolt (both are event-exclusive), Thunder Punch and U-Turn, but that's pretty much all Victini has to work with. Victini's special attack is as good as its attack, and its special movepool is honestly so much better, with STAB moves like Searing Shot, Fire Blast, Psychic, Psyshock and Blue Flare/Fusion Flare (again, both are event-only moves) and amazing coverage in Thunder, Thunderbolt, Energy Ball, Shadow Ball, Focus Blast, Dazzling Gleam, Signal Beam and even Glaciate (also event-exclusive). Special sets would have been much more prevalent in competitive if it weren't for V-create, but they're not terrible by any means and work well with a Modest or Timid nature in combination with the Choice items I mentioned before. A Life Orb can be used as well, on either a physical- or special-based moveset, and is recommended over a Choice item should you go with a mixed Victini instead.

Lastly, Smogon mentions a Timid set with the move Celebrate. Normally, this move doesn't do anything in battle - deal damage, boost stats, hinder the opponent, etc. - but powered up with Normalium Z it boosts all of Victini's stats by one stage each. This allows Victini to use Stored Power afterwards, a 20-power move that increases by 20 for each positive stat change the user has in any stat, doing a considerable 120 power after a Z-Celebrate boost. It's a little gimmicky and requires impeccable timing during a match, but if you can make this set work... well, more power to you. I would advise you to just go with one of the sets I mentioned earlier, though.

TCG art of Victini.

I like Victini well enough, but I've honestly never used it during a playthrough, really. Even stupid 20-year-old me couldn't figure out how to connect to the Internet with my Nintendo DS Lite - luckily I could around the time X and Y came out - and so I wasn't able to obtain Victini in the first place. While I haven't been able to warm up to it by carrying it around in my team, I must say that factors like its design, cuteness, flavor and competitive utility still made me give it 4.5 stars.

Rating: 4.5/5