#557 - #558: Dwebble & Crustle

To anyone who remembers: back in the day, Slowbro was categorized as the 'Hermit Crab Pokémon'. Now we get to discuss two Pokémon that are actually based on hermit crabs, although neither is classified as such; Dwebble is called the 'Rock Inn Pokémon', while its evolution Crustle is known as the 'Stone Home Pokémon'. Is this the game we're playing, Game Freak?

Cilan's Dwebble in the anime. In the second image you
can see it without it being tucked into its rock shell, which
it seems to be repairing.

A hermit crab is a crustacean with a soft, asymmetrical abdomen that is concealed in a scavenged mollusk shell carried around by the hermit crab, although hollow stones and pieces of wood are used by some species. Dwebble, the Pokémon that is based on this animal, was seen in the anime without its rock shell as well, with a hook-like tail that is possibly used to keep the rock in place or to carve itself a new home should its old one gets lost or destroyed. With the help of a corrosive spray expelled from its mouth to dissolve the rock after inspection, carving a new home shouldn't be much a problem for this little critter. However, if the rock indeed breaks, Dwebble becomes agitated and can't and won't calm down until it finds another rock to replace its old home with, which makes its French name Crabicoque even more fitting: bicoque is French slang for a ramshackle or dilapidated house, which seems to imply that Dwebble isn't picky at all when choosing a rock to live in - either that, or its acidic saliva really doesn't help improving the quality of its home. I'm not sure if the shell changes with it when it evolves into Crustle, but it seems odd that a spherical rock turns into what looks like a massive block of stratified stone (a stratum is a layer of sedimentary rock or soil formed at the Earth's surface, with internally consistent characteristics that distinguish it from other layers; each layer is generally one of a number of parallel layers that lie one upon another, laid down by natural processes) rather than an actual shell, although the design seems to resemble ornately-colored hermit crab shells.

An exceptionally mossy Crustle with an entire ecosystem on its back. It is even
graced by Shaymin's presence. 

These heavy slabs, which seem to consist of multiple layers of strata, are carried around by Crustle through arid lands for days on end due to the enormous strength in its legs. However, Crustle is very territorial and fights viciously in competitions for a habitat: the one whose boulder is broken first is the loser of the battle and will have to find another place to make its home, so its ability to travel long distances with heavy blocks of rock on its back comes in very handy, if I may say so. One of the most bizarre things about this is that, contrary to Dwebble, the giant block of stone on Crustle's back isn't actually its home, but something that seems to be more like a status symbol. It doesn't look like Crustle can retreat in its 'shell'; it just seems keen on lugging it around for no discernable reason other than the fact that it is able to do so in the first place. I wonder whether this boulder isn't physically a part of Crustle, because one Pokédex entry says that whenever it is broken in battles for territory, Crustle feels unsure and begins to weaken - plus, the rock changes color in its shiny form and turns into the same sickly shade of green as its body.

Another piece of fan art with an ecosystem on Crustle's back.

Competitively, Crustle doesn't have a lot of tricks up its sleeve. Its base attack went from 95 to 105 in the most recent generation, which is nice, while its base defense sits at an excellent 125 points, but unfortunately it isn't fast or specially defensive. The speed problem can be fixed to an extent by giving Crustle a Jolly nature as well as the move Shell Smash, which raises its attack, special attack and speed by two stages each, but keep in mind that this comes with a defense and special defense penalty. As a result of that, the White Herb would be a perfect held item for Crustle to have, because it reverts back all decreased stats to their original state. It has a one-time use only, so use it wisely. Of course, a set like that asks for a couple of strong physical moves for Crustle to use, and it seems Crustle has just about enough of them. Rock Wrecker is very niche and requires Crustle to recharge the following turn (which I don't think it can afford to do), but it has 150 power and hits like a truck after a Shell Smash. You're better off using Rock Slide or Stone Edge in the end, though, accompanied by X-Scissor and Earthquake, although Crustle also has access to Poison Jab and Knock Off - especially the latter could come in handy, if the opponent's held items are really bothering you. This White Herb set is perfect if you breed Sturdy onto Crustle, because this ability leaves Crustle with only 1 HP when attacked at full health and that basically means you'll have a free Focus Sash on your hand. Shell Armor prevents critical hits, which is a good ability if you want to go defensive with it and use it as an entry hazard lead, but I'd recommend the hit-and-run tactic. Shell Smash is such a fun move to use that it's hard to pass on it; not many Pokémon have access to it and Crustle is strong enough to utilize this move to its full extent.

TCG art of Crustle

I actually really like Crustle. This Pokémon is original enough to warrant its existence, especially when it comes to its design, although there are a few flaws that I would like to point out. First off, Crustle's Pokédex entries are as generic as can be, however fun it might be to speculate about the big boulder on its back. They only mention it violently fighting each other because it's extremely territorial, and I'm pretty sure I've already seen that coming up with a couple of other Pokémon in some way, shape or form before. Second, anime Crustle is way too red. Dwebble might be a brighter orange than its evolution, but Crustle's body is still (a shade of) orange rather than crimson, and I'm actually really bothered by the way it was colored in the anime. Fortunately, that is it. I like Crustle a lot, but it's by no means one of my favorite Pokémon. Perhaps I'll raise my score once I get more attached to it during a playthrough, but for now it just falls short of a 5-star rating.

Rating: 4.5/5