#559 - #560: Scraggy & Scrafty

Scrafty (right) being pissed with its young.

Okay, I think it's time for me to make a confession: I am a sagger. I don't wear my pants below my butt or crotch like you see a lot of people of color doing all the time, especially men, but I still sag my pants and I've done that ever since I was a teenager. Today's Pokémon seem to encapsulate stereotypes that stem from various urban youth subcultures of the past few decades (namely hip-hop and punk), like giant mohawks, ill-fitting hoodies, bad behavior and, indeed, sagging or baggy pants - although it has to be said that the latter isn't exclusively associated with hip-hop or punk culture anymore due to popularization by skaters and rappers as well as the manufacture of brand underwear and boxers/boxer briefs with bright colors or patterns. However, it leaves no doubt for what reason Scraggy and Scrafty are actually dark/fighting types; this type combination perfectly summarizes their tendency to cause mischief and get into fights and implies that they're partly based on juvenile delinquents or gangsters. To justify creating Pokémon based on teens with sagging pants, Game Freak gave Scraggy and Scrafty a lot of reptilian features. The yellow substance around Scraggy's legs resembles a pair of trousers but is actually a tough rubbery piece of skin that it has shed - like lizards regularly do - and subsequently put back on. This pelt can be pulled all the way up to the neck in order to reduce the damage from attacks, and the saggier Scraggy's skin is, the more respect it garners from it.

A whole gang of Scraggy fucking up a kitchen. 

Any foe that so much as meets Scraggy's gaze will immediately have an unpleasant encounter with its massively thick cranium, as Scraggy is extremely short-fused. You'll probably also remember Ash's highly incompetent Scraggy - at least initially - that Ash hatched from an egg, requiring him to train it from scratch. The Scraggy liked to show its toughness to any Pokémon it met before trying to Headbutt them, but its overconfidence often got it into trouble as it believed it was much stronger than it actually was. Scraggy's English name really suits it, then, because it is most likely a combination of 'scrappy' (referring to its tendency to start fights out of nowhere) and either 'saggy' or 'baggy' (in reference to the molted skin 'pants').

"Wassup, dawg?"

Scrafty looks a lot scarier than Scraggy, flashing a ridiculously trendy mohawk, some fabulous eye shadow and a baggy hoodie - or rather just the hood - made of the same skin as its 'pants', which look even saggier than Scraggy's. If anything, Scrafty looks like a punker, although I'm sure anyone above the age of 30 is more inclined to call it a punk instead - which wouldn't be all that surprising considering Scrafty's Pokédex classification as the 'Hoodlum Pokémon'. It is able to expel an acidic liquid from its mouth in order to taunt opponents, which is no doubt an analogy for all the bullcrap those rude punks spit out nowadays in order to insult or taunt innocent passersby. Scrafty is known to display gang activity, living in groups with members of its species and beating up any Pokémon or human being who dares enter its territory. Gangs determine hierarchy by the size of one's crest; the bigger the crest, the more respected a Scrafty is, and the Scrafty with the largest crest becomes the gang leader. However desperate their need to rebel against the system is, though, Scrafty is shown to take very good care of its family, friends and turf. They're just misunderstood! Perhaps there comes a day when society won't treat them like total outcasts, but with a name like Scrafty ('crafty' means being skilled at deceit to achieve one's goals), I don't think the people in the Pokémon world will easily come to terms with a bunch of mohawk-sporting thugs.

I'm sure the fight this Scrafty just got out of was a
matter of life and death.

The Pokédex mentions that Scrafty is powerful enough to smash concrete blocks with its kicking attacks, although its physical attack stat leaves a lot to be desired in that regard. I mean, base 90 attack is fairly decent, especially since Scrafty has amazing defenses to boot, but it's still nothing compared to the likes of Darmanitan and Excadrill, to name a few. However, Scrafty has a very unique and useful type combination (dark/fighting) and access to a few moves that can raise its attack. The first is Dragon Dance, which raises the attack and speed of the Pokémon that uses it by one stage each, although Bulk Up raises attack and defense and plays more into Scrafty's defensive capabilities. The ability Moxie, which raises Scrafty's attack stat every time it gets a knockout, ties in perfectly with the Dragon Dance tactic and requires a Jolly nature as well as a strength-enhancing item like a Life Orb or some kind of Z-Crystal, while getting rid of status ailments with Shed Skin or lowering the opponent's attack stat with Intimidate works best when taking on a defensive approach - a Careful or Impish nature in conjunction with Bulk Up is not uncommon, and the Leftovers really help extend its durability on the field. In any case, no moveset is complete without some actual attacks. High Jump Kick and Crunch are amazing moves, and very few Pokémon resist both of these (only fairy types and Heracross, if I'm not mistaken), but moves like Iron Head, Iron Tail and Poison Jab - all very useful against said fairy types, because Scrafty is four times weak to them - as well as Head Smash, Rock Slide, Stone Edge, Thunder Punch, Ice Punch, Fire Punch and Zen Headbutt provide some neat type coverage. There are still some STAB moves like Knock Off, Drain Punch, Power-Up Punch and Brick Break for you to choose from, especially since High Jump Kick has a chance to miss and cause crash damage equal to half of the user's maximum HP as a result.

This is still a better love story than Twilight.

I don't particularly feel a connection with Scrafty just because I'm a sagger. If anything, I should feel a disconnect with it because its official art and in-game sprite show it holding the waist of its 'pants' as if it's constantly pulling them up. I don't even have to do that - though I've been told to pull my pants up millions of times - and I'm not even wearing a fucking belt. Nevertheless, Scrafty is a cool and original Pokémon with fascinating origins, versatile competitive utility and an interesting design, albeit with some simplified facial features; Bogleech here suggests Scrafty looks like an awkward notebook doodle that has accidentally come to life one day, or that Game Freak designed it with the graffiti art style in mind. I wouldn't put it past them, but I feel like this Pokémon was a half-assed attempt by Game Freak to connect with a broader audience and draw more people to the franchise. Honestly, if I hadn't been a die-hard Pokémon fan already, this Pokémon wouldn't have brought me back to the franchise at all. Still, I like Scrafty well enough, and like all Gen. V additions, this Pokémon isn't getting a bad rating from me by any means.

Rating: 4/5

#551 - #553: Sandile, Krokorok & Krookodile

I've always wondered why Basculin comes before the desert Pokémon in the Pokédex, but today I realized there is a patch of water to be found on Route 4 where I thought you could find the goddamn things. After a bit of reasearch I found out you can't find them there. Like, at all. So, confusion ensued and now I still don't know what Basculin is doing so early on in the Pokédex. Oh well, at least we're kicking off the new year with two amazing and generally beloved Pokémon.

Up: Sunglasses Sandile. Down: The same Pokémon as a
Krokorok, who is eventually 'caught' by Ash.

First up on the list are Sandile and its evolutions Krokorok and Krookodile. Sandile is a funny-looking crocodile, but it doesn't possess any powers related to water (aside from Aqua Tail) because Game Freak have made it a ground/dark dual type. It's not the first time they turned animals that are usually aquatic into desert creatures; the whole thing was done with Hippopotas and Hippowdon before, but I have to say they did a far better job with Sandile and its kin. The little croc looks like it's permanently wearing a pair of shaded binoculars, which actually isn't all that far from the truth, as the black area around its eyes is a membrane that prevents sand from getting into its eyes and shield them from the glare of the harsh desert sun. Sandile usually burrows under the surface of the desert like a sandfish (a type of skink), with only its nose and eyes sticking out from the sand, which has a purpose: it allows the heat from the sand to regulate its body temperature, and it allows Sandile to freely move around in the desert while seeing where the fuck it's going and staying hidden from its enemies at the same time. The reason why Sandile is such a beloved Pokémon nowadays, however, is what the Pokémon community affectionately refers to as Sunglasses Sandile. This Sandile wearing sunglasses was first seen as the leader of a group of wild Sandile causing trouble at a spa resort, but it was revealed that they were merely trying to save the Pokémon there as a result of a geyser about to erupt. Of course, Ash and his friends save the day and, as such, Sunglasses Sandile gains the utmost respect for Ash and starts following him around the Unova region. It took a couple of episodes, in which one was revealed that Sandile loses its confidence when its sunglasses go missing and becomes quite timid and cowardly, but in the end Ash invites a then Krokorok to join its team, which it happily accepts. 

An especially vile 'dile, if I may say so.

Aside from having a prominent anime arc, Krokorok has interesting origins as well. Like Sandile, it is based on a couple of crocodilians, more specifically the spectacled caiman, whose species' common name comes from a bony ridge between the eyes that gives it the appearance of wearing a pair of spectacles, and the slender-snouted crocodile. Given the fact that Krokorok looks like it's wearing a pair of shades (aside from Ash's Krokorok actually wearing sunglasses), this is kind of an obvious reference. It also draws inspiration from baryonyx, a slender-snouted and bipedal dinosaur that heavily resembled a crocodilian and is not seldomly depicted as having a reddish skin with stripes on its back, just like Krokorok and especially its evolution Krookodile - the latter of which has a snout that resembles the long, thin snout of a gharial. The main aspects of the entire evolutionary line's design, however, lie in the mask-like eyes and the stripes; Sandile and its evolutions are all based on criminals, as supported by their dark typing, and the stripes may even be a reference to convicts back in the day - you know, when many prison uniforms were black-and-white striped (I believe most US prison uniforms nowadays are either orange, khaki or yellow). Krookodile may also be based on a gang leader, as the markings around its eyes bear great resemblance to triangular sunglasses, which are often associated with manga and anime criminals. Additionally, it could also be a reference to Sobek, an ancient half-crocodile deity from ancient Egyptian mythology who is often associated with violence and even robbery.

Krookodile being a true crook.

When it comes to Krokorok and Krookodile's Pokédex entries, the only interesting part lies in the development of the eyes as the evolution line progresses. Krokorok's membrane not only protects its eyes against sand and heat, it also acts as a thermal detector and allows Krokorok to see the heat of the objects around it, which gives it excellent night vision. Krookodile can adjust the focus of its eyes over an incredible range, enabling it to view objects and prey in the far distance as if it were using binoculars, even in the midst of a sandstorm. Although I'm not sure if I should believe Sun and Ultra Sun when they say that Krookodile can detect small prey more than 30 miles away and swims through the desert as if it were water, only to jump out and chomp them. Ultra Moon even contradicts that, saying that this Pokémon waits patiently in a sandstorm for prey to appear.

Krookodile jumping out from beneath the sand. 

Krookodile is undoubtedly a very violent Pokémon that tries to clamp down on anything that moves with its powerful jaws and never allows its prey to escape, which really shows in competitive, the area in which this Pokémon really shines - at least it's in the UU tier, which is by no means a tier with Pokémon to be taken lightly. You'd wish Krookodile was a bit faster, but it isn't slow by any sense of the word, and aside from its physical strength it has some suprising bulk behind it. I mean, with an excellent HP stat, decent physical defense and access to the Intimidate ability, Krookodile could seriously serve as some kind of physical tank. Supported by a Jolly nature and the Rocky Helmet as a held item, this Pokémon is an excellent Stealth Rock setter and a complete and utter annoyance to your opponent when it's trying to get rid of their Pokémon's held items with Knock Off, which is also a quite powerful STAB dark-type move. Taunt makes it even worse, as it forces opposing Pokémon to use directly offensive moves and prevents them from using support or set-up moves, while a STAB Earthquake is always a thing to be wary of.

You could always go all-out offensive with a Choice Scarf set, which also makes Krookodile instantly faster but locks in into using only one move at a time until it's switched out. A moveset consisting of Knock Off, Stone Edge, Earthquake and Superpower has proved to be as effective as ever, although they're not the only moves that Krookodile learns: its vast movepool consists of STAB moves like Pursuit, Crunch, Throat Chop (only if you're worrying about sound-based moves), Bulldoze and Stomping Tantrum, but it also has access to nifty coverage moves like Aqua Tail, Iron Tail, Fire Fang, Thunder Fang, Rock Slide, Brick Break and even a good amount of dragon-type moves - considering Krookodile's alleged baryonyx origins, this is not surprising in the slightest. You could always stick with the Intimidate ability when taking the offensive approach, although Moxie boosts Krokodile's attack stat by one stage every time it kills something, which allows it to build momentum. Pair this ability with a Life Orb or Choice Band, and Krookodile really hits like a truck.

Krookodile being a sheer badass.

I absolutely love this Pokémon. Its design is original, its origins are fascinating and its pose is badass; and aside from that, it isn't half bad as a competitive Pokémon, nor as an asset to your in-game team. To top it off, Krookodile is much better and more badass as a crocodile - be it design- or flavor-wise - than Feraligatr, who is actually an honest-to-goodness water type rather than a ground type (I know Feraligatr is based on an alligator, but that's also a crocodilian, amirite?). I've used Krookodile on multiple occasions and it has honestly never let me down, because it's such a good Pokémon to use - although I have to say that I often chose Excadrill over Krookodile when I wanted to use a ground type on my Gen. V teams. Still, Krookodile is worth every star I'm giving it.

Oh man, I can't wait until I get to review Darmanitan!

Rating: 5/5

#509 - #510: Purrloin & Liepard

Conveniently enough, the dog and cat Pokémon of the fifth generation can be found back to back in the Unova Pokédex, but the deceptive and miscreant Purrloin and its evolution Liepard couldn't differ any more from the timid and trustworthy Lillipup and its evolutions Herdier and Stoutland even if they wanted to, which I think is doubtful at best.

For some stupid-ass reason, Purrloin is always seen standing
upright in media other than its official art and Gen. V in-game
sprites.

You see, Purrloin is all about getting its victims to let their guard down by putting up a cute act so that it can steal their possessions, just to see the looks on their faces. Due to its charm, it is even forgiven easily when it is caught in the act, so it probably doesn't even see a reason to change its behavior anytime soon. It's just the nature of the beast. Even most of its names across the globe are a play on the word 'steal' - or a synonym thereof - and Páshǒumāo (扒手貓), literally 'pickpocket cat', is by far the most ingenious. Meow. It's a shame Purrloin's felonious nature is dropped when it evolves into Liepard, who gets more of a generic wildcat flavor. As it could draw inspiration from leopards and possibly other spotted wildcats like the leopard cat, ocelot, serval and even the black panther due to it being a dark type and having a dark coloration, it is unsurprising that Liepard's beautiful and slender physical characteristics are at the center of its Pokédex entries. Many Trainers are drawn to its fur and its beautiful form, the latter of which comes from the muscles it has developed and allows it to to run silently in the night, stealthily sneaking up on its target and striking from behind before its victim has a chance to react. It's even been known to vanish and reappear without a warning.

No need to act all haughty, Liepard. What's the problem,
didn't your Trainer provide you the right brand of cat food?

But however cunning Liepard may be, you know you're having a hard time in the competitive scene as an unscrupulous and merciless dark-type cat when you're easily outclassed by a timid and loyal normal-type dog. While Stoutland isn't fast, it is at least able to take a hit and retaliate appropriately, but the only redeeming quality Liepard has is its speed. Its base 88 attacking stats aren't the worst in the metagame, but you should at least have a bit of bulk to back up relatively mediocre offensive stats like that, which Liepard doesn't. That's a problem. I know it has access to its hidden ability Prankster, which lets it act first when it's using a status move, but you'll probably only be able to get off one attack due to Liepard's atrocious defenses. If anything, I would go for a set including a Jolly nature and a Focus Sash, with moves like Fake Out, Knock Off, Thunder Wave and something like Taunt, Encore or Copycat. Fake Out is a weak normal-type move, but it always goes first and some chip damage could turn the game into your favor in the end; Knock Off is pretty much Liepard's best STAB move, as it also knocks off the foe's held item (duh!); Thunder Wave paralyzes the foe and is affected by Prankster; and Encore locks the foe into an undesirable move if played right. Taunt and Copycat are options as well, but Taunt limits the foe to using only offensive moves, which is exactly what you don't want for Liepard unless you specifically meant for it to be death fodder, and Copycat is a status move that lets Liepard copy the move an opponent used last in order to revenge kill them if they're faster. It's gimmicky, but if you can manage to make it work, more power to you.

TCG art of Liepard. It is beautiful and it damn well knows that, too. 

Smogon also mentions weather utility sets (with Rain Dance or Sunny Day while holding a Damp Rock or Heat Rock, respectively) and even a Choice Band set, but... meh? I guess a weather set has its uses, but a Choice Band set isn't particularly recommended due to Liepard's mediocre physical attack and cardboard defenses. You don't even have to worry about its regular abilities, because you won't even need them. Unburden doubles Liepard's speed when its held item is used up (not knocked off), but Liepard doesn't really get anything that it can use effectively this way, aside from maybe a Focus Sash. Limber prevents Liepard from getting paralyzed, but opponents will want to attack it and get rid of it as quickly as possible anyway, so this ability is pretty much useless. Liepard does excel in playthroughs, though. While it has access to both Nasty Plot and Dark Pluse, its physical movepool is actually so much better, and when I did an all-feline playthrough of Omega Ruby I used a Liepard rocking Night Slash (I would totally replace that for Throat Chop now, but that move wasn't around back then), Play Rough, Gunk Shot and Seed Bomb. It is able to learn a few more coverage moves as well, but I just wanted to give you an idea of how diverse its physical movepool actually is and how good it can be in-game. I honestly had so much fun using one in Omega Ruby.

Badass TCG art of Liepard.

It genuinely sucks that Liepard sucks competitively, because I absolutely love this Pokémon. While I like Delcatty and Purugly to some extent, they are kind of bland, and Meowstic hasn't really found a place in my heart, either. Liepard is absolutely one of the better feline Pokémon in the game design-wise: its slender body, its graceful stance, its purple color scheme, its blood-red shiny form and its subtle body features such as the pink 'mask' and the sickle-like tail... my goodness, Game Freak have really stepped up their game with the fifth generation. I could go on like this, but I think I'd bore you to death if I did so, so I'll just conclude this review by awarding Liepard a perfect rating.

Rating: 5/5

#491: Darkrai

Darkrai is such a creepy Pokémon, which in turn makes it very
popular. I had no difficulty finding some awesome fan art of it.

Out of all 807 Pokémon, who else feels like Darkrai is kind of the odd one out? While Absol is often chastised for being the bringer of natural disasters even though it only wants to warn people of impending danger, Darkrai is known to 'inhabit' dreams and causes its victims to have never-ending nightmares that can be stopped instantly with Cresselia's Lunar Wing. Like its ability to turn into a shadow and escape danger or contact with humans, its nightmare-causing ability is actually a defense mechanism rather than an intentionally malicious act. As shown in the 52nd and last episode of the 11th season of the Pokémon anime, "Sleepless in Pre-Battle!", Darkrai doesn't only cause nightmares; it is also attracted to the nightmares the people of Canalave City were having due to Team Rocket's nightmare machine, which they had built to scam people into buying their fake Lunar Wings. That this Pokémon fails to be understood by humans is demonstrated once more in the movie Pokémon: The Rise of Darkrai, in which the people of Alamos Town are plagued by terrible nightmares and damage to property. A dashing but arrogant douchebag of noble descent called Alberto - whom I immediately disliked upon seeing the movie, not in the least because he has a goddamn Lickilicky - doesn't hesitate to put the blame on Darkrai, until a scientist fellow named Tonio proves it is in fact a disturbance in the space-time continuum caused by a fight between Palkia and Dialga. Eventually, after being chased and attacked by Alberto on multiple occasions, Darkrai manages to hold off Dialga and Palkia from destroying Alamos Time, giving Ash and Dawn some time to put an ancient music disk with a song called Oración in the Space-Time Tower music player so as to calm down the two brawling Pokémon.

I didn't lie when I said I had no problems finding terrific Darkrai fan art on the
Internet. This piece really makes you believe this Pokémon is pure evil and I think
it's absolutely fantastic! 

While stories in the movies and TV show always have a happy ending - i.e. the people actually coming to understand and respect the misunderstood Pokémon - Darkrai will always bear the stigma of being a Pokémon that actually causes pain and discomfort. There is a part in the Diamond and Pearl post-game that includes finding a Lunar Wing for a Sailor's son, who is having bad dreams and constantly mumbles "Dar... Dark... is watching me" in his sleep, indicating Darkrai is causing his nightmares. In the Pokédex it is even portrayed as evil, as its Diamond and Pearl entries state that on moonless nights (nights of the new moon) it will lure people to sleep and unleash horrific nightmares on them. It's only a legend, but Darkrai chasing people and Pokémon from its territory by causing them to experience deep, nightmarish slumbers really doesn't improve its bad rap. How do you chase someone away by letting them experience nightmares, anyway? I'm sure sleeping people don't move, barring the occasional sleepwalker here and there.

Again, amazing drawings of Darkrai, this time by the same artist.

In any case, these abilities that Darkrai doesn't want to use to do harm but uses anyway are detrimental to its reputation. The question is how this reputation came to be. I mean, what is it protecting itself from exactly? Humanity? As it is drawn to nightmares, I am inclined to believe this isn't the case at all. It may mean no harm, but its Bad Dreams ability takes away ⅛ of opposing Pokémon's health in battle when they're asleep and indicates that the nightmares it causes are in fact harmful. Does Darkrai like the nightmares people have, or are they essential for it in order to stay alive? Does it feed on them? Questions, questions, questions...

Regarding Darkrai's aesthetics and flavor, it is probably based on the Oneiroi - or Ὄνειροι - which are various gods and demigods in Greek mythology that ruled over dreams, nightmares and oneiromantic symbols (oneiromancy is a form of divination based upon dreams; it is a system of dream interpretation that uses dreams to predict the future), specifically Phobetor. Phobetor is the personification of nightmares and appeared in dreams in the form of animals or monsters, which is exactly what Darkrai reminds me of, although it cannot have eluded anyone that shadows and jinn (genies) lie at the basis of Darkrai's design.

More awesome Darkrai fan art. 

Though Darkrai may be the king of darkness and nightmares, it is by far not the king of the Uber tier anymore. Sun and Moon saw the nerf of Darkrai's signature move Dark Void, which had an 80% chance of putting a foe to sleep (both foes in a Double Battle) but now only has a terrible 50% chance of doing so. This has caused some players to resort to Hypnosis - which has a 60% of putting a foe to sleep and is therefore only slightly better than Dark Void now - in order to activate Bad Dreams instead. I understand why Game Freak have decided to nerf Dark Void; Darkrai is a mythical Pokémon with a base stat total of 600 and isn't actually banned in Sun and Moon's Battle Spot, so Dark Void in combination with the ability Bad Dreams would have been way too overpowered. Fortunately there's still a solid Nasty Plot set to work with, and with base 135 special attack and 125 speed Darkrai is the perfect candidate to pull that off. A set consisting of Nasty Plot and three strong attacking moves - STAB Dark Pulse and two coverage moves such as Ice Beam, Focus Blast, Sludge Bomb, Psyhic and Thunderbolt - is backed by a Timid nature and a Life Orb or Darkinium Z as a held item, just because the Leftovers won't accomplish much on a relatively non-defensive Pokémon like Darkrai. Base 70 HP and base 90 defenses are nothing to sneeze at, sure, but for Uber-tier standards it's actually quite frail and I think you'll just want to add some extra oomph to Darkrai's attacks, anyway.

TCG promotional art for Darkrai.

Look, I know I said in Cresselia's entry that Darkrai's design is weird and that I'm not particularly fond of Pokémon that tend to be portrayed as purely evil, but the more I come to know about this thing, the more I'm starting to think that it's actually quite an intriguing Pokémon. Even though it looks like a pretty evil creature, it is just a protective Pokémon and doesn't seem to want to do anyone harm. It's even regarded as a hero in The Rise of Darkrai after helping stop the destructive fight between Dialga and Palkia. There are still certain elements in its design that don't make a whole lot of sense to me, including the red collar-like growth around its neck (honestly, it looks like a gaping mouth full of teeth with a hairy eye protruding from it), but Darkrai is supposed to be a nightmarish creature, so maybe some parts of its design aren't supposed to make sense in the first place.

People, me giving 4.5 stars to a Pokémon I didn't even think was anything special is exactly the reason why I started this blog.

Rating: 4.5/5

#451 - #452: Skorupi & Drapion

TCG art of Skorupi.

Skorupi and Drapion are an odd bunch, to say the least. There's a pair of pincers on Skorupi's tail where a stinger should originally be, while stingers act as its claws instead of two pairs of pincers. Strangely enough, after burying itself in the sand and lying in wait for a while, Skorupi grips its unsuspecting prey and injects a savage poison into it with the pincers on its tail rather than its stingers. It seems to be a patient little scorpion in the first place, as it waits some more as it tenaciously holds onto its prey until the poison takes effect. While the suggestion that this Pokémon, due to some similarities in characteristics, is also based on a scorpion-like arachnid called the vinegaroon - called that because it emits a volatile acid with a vinegary odor when attacked - isn't entirely out of left field, it is more likely that Skorupi's 'Water 3' egg group designation is a reference to the ancient group of arthropods of the order eurypterida (also known as sea scorpions) that used to inhabit the oceans and may have been the ancestors of modern-day scorpions. Of course, being based on an arachnid justifies Skorupi's bug typing, but it drops this typing in favor of the dark type upon evolving into Drapion at the distant level of 40, making Drapion the second poison/dark-type Pokémon introduced this generation.

Props to the artist for making an already menacing Drapion even
more manacing. 

One complaint about Drapion I've heard way too many times is that it would look better without its accordion-like limbs attached to its head, but - and I agree with Bogleech here - not only would that be anatomically incorrect, it would also look incredibly basic and generic. Drapion looks so cool to begin with because its arms are stuck to its head like that, which also makes it such a weird and unique Pokémon. It could do without the mandible-like protrusions from its mouth, however, because they look strange on it and I don't think they serve any purpose, but I guess that's just a petty thing to mention. Drapion is an aggressive Pokémon who takes pride in its strength, anyway, defeating opponents without the need for the deadly toxins its claws give off and turning trucks and automobiles into scrap iron in a matter of only seconds. It doesn't have a good rapport with humans and other Pokémon, attacking them when they cross its territory, which has only furthered its bum rap. The weirdest thing about Drapion, however, is that it can rotate its head 180 degrees like an owl (including its arms, I assume?) in order to eliminate blind spots, and I imagine that would be a crazy scary thing to behold. As Drapion is a giant scorpion standing 4'03" tall and has a tendency of getting belligerent, it is crazy scary in the first place, so that says a lot.

Sinnoh Elite 4 member Aaron and his signature Pokémon
Drapion. 

The thing is... Drapion's stats don't add up to its flavor text. Its best stat is its base 110 defense, followed by its base 95 speed and 90 attack, which aren't bad but are sadly a bit subpar in a competitive setting. Fortunately, Drapion has access to two helpful abilities: the first is Battle Armor and prevents critical hits from landing on Drapion, which could definitely come in handy when it is trying to set up, while Sniper increases the chance of Drapion landing critical hits on opponents. Especially the latter is run on this Pokémon, often in combination with a Jolly nature, STAB moves like Night Slash and Cross Poison - which have an increased critical hit ratio - and an item like the Scope Lens. It also learns Swords Dance and a wide variety of physical moves, among which the almighty Earthquake (although you could opt to go for moves like Brick Break, Iron Tail, Rock Slide, X-Scissor, Aqua Tail and the elemental fangs, as long as you keep its primary STAB moves on it). However, an Adamant Drapion with a Choice Scarf and other STAB moves like Poison Jab and either Knock Off or Crunch could be potent enough to your taste, or maybe you could run one with the same nature but with the move Agility rather than Swords Dance and the held item Black Sludge instead. Perhaps you could let it hold a berry that covers its only weakness (ground; it's called a Shuca Berry) or run Taunt and/or Toxic Spikes if you want to go the supportive way. You could even Pursuit-trap certain Pokémon if that's your style.

There are some crazy talented artists on the Internet, wouldn't you say?

Maybe Drapion will leave you somewhat underwhelmed with its battle prowess when it comes to its competitive use, but it is not a bad Pokémon to use by any means and I reckon it would be a great asset to your team in a regular playthrough. At least Drapion is undoubtedly a very cool Pokémon and it's honestly a shame I've never used it before, so I wouldn't be opposed to using one should the opportunity arise. The fact that it's two different shades of purple that alternate between each other doesn't hurt, either; and while there are a ton of Pokémon with my favorite color, Drapion is just one of the most well-executed examples of a purple Pokémon. I absolutely love this beast.

Rating: 5/5

#442: Spiritomb

Every year more Dutch people celebrate Halloween, which is the influence of American culture on our down-to-earth society. I personally hate Halloween, mainly because it reminds me of a certain Dutch event that is celebrated in the southern part of my country five days in a fucking row. Honestly, I think both carnaval and Halloween are dumb and should be done away with (at least in the Netherlands), but I admit today's Pokémon fits the Halloween theme perfectly. Plus, if there's one thing I'm good at, it's writing, so I guess the least I could give you today is a goddamn review of one of the creepiest-looking Pokémon in existence. It's better than leaving my apartment and socializing, right?

There's a lot of creepy fan art of Spiritomb to be found on Google
Images, but this is by far the creepiest!

Spiritomb is formed by the collection of 108 spirits trapped in an Odd Keystone 500 years ago as a punishment for their misdeeds. This is not the only affiliation of Spiritomb to the number 108; it also weighs exactly 108 kilograms (which is roughly 238 pounds), its number in the Sinnoh Pokédex is 108, both its defense and special defense base values are 108, and in ORAS it is found at Sea Mauville - which lies wrecked on Route 108. This has everything to do with a Buddhist tradition performed on New Year's Eve in Japan, when a bell is rung 108 times to chase away the 108 temptations one must overcome in order to achieve Nirvana. Another inspiration for Spiritomb may be one of the Four Great Classical Novels in Chinese literature, Water Margin, which is also very well-known in Japan and tells the story of a group of 108 outlaws forming a sizable army before they are eventually granted amnesty by the government and sent on campaigns to resist foreign invaders and suppress rebel forces. In the first chapter of the novel, an army lieutenant orders the removal of a stone monument that had been guarded by monks for many generations, and by doing so he releases the spirits of 108 demons sealed therein. Having atoned for their sins, the souls become the 108 Stars of Destiny and are reincarnated centuries later as the outlaws mentioned earlier.

TCG art of Spiritomb.

Finally, Spiritomb isn't just based on myths and stories; the fact that it is bound to a fissure in the Odd Keystone due to a mysterious spell makes it likely it is based on a jibakurei, a spirit bound to a single place. It's an interesting concept, and I am surprised Game Freak actually managed to make this Pokémon so comprehensive. The little details, like everything that has to do with the number 108 and only one eye having a swirl in its official art, really make Spiritomb complete as a Pokémon to some extent. It isn't just there; a lot of thought was put in this thing, even in later generations, and I can only praise Nintendo and Game Freak for that. They even made Spiritomb somewhat difficult to obtain in Diamond and Pearl: you have to place the Odd Keystone you received from an NPC on Route 208 in the Hallowed Tower on Route 209, enter the Underground to talk to other people a total of 32 times (that's the only flaw I can find here, honestly; Game Freak could have made that a total of 36, as a reference to the 36 Heavenly Spirits among the 108 Stars of Destiny - the other 72 being the Earthly Fiends) and then interact with the Hallowed Tower - which is basically just a heap of stones - in order to encounter Spiritomb at level 25. You'd almost think you weren't supposed to get Spiritomb that easily in the first place, and sure enough, its Pokédex classification is the 'Forbidden Pokémon'. Neat.

Pretty quirky fan art of shiny Spiritomb.

But is Spiritomb worth the hassle battle-wise? The answer is yes, as its base 108 defense and special defense stats make it a bulky Pokémon mainly used for... mixed movesets! Yeah, while its base 50 HP doesn't really back up its excellent defenses, said defenses are good enough that Spiritomb can take a few hits before it goes down, so it's best to look at offensive moves alongside support moves. It can be used as a physical attacker, rocking moves like Sucker Punch, Pursuit and Shadow Sneak, but its options are limited in that regard. Foul Play, a move that uses the opposing Pokémon's attack stat rather than Spiritomb's, is an option as well, but it's tricky to use: you could end up attacking the wrong Pokémon if the opponent decides to switch out. A Nasty Plot set with Dark Pulse, Shadow Ball and Psychic is generally better, although I think Calm Mind will be more useful than Nasty Plot because it also raises Spiritomb's special defense instead of only its special attack. Just keep in mind that those moves are its only special-attacking options. Therefore, a combination of offensive, support and set-up moves isn't unheard of: Will-O-Wisp, Pain Split and Taunt are often used next to moves like Shadow Sneak, Pursuit and Foul Play, while Rest and Sleep Talk complement Calm Mind and Dark Pulse very well. Additionally, Infestation is a move that prevents the opponent from switching as long as Spiritomb is in play, if that's your style. Secretly, Spiritomb is very versatile without actually being overly versatile, if you know what I mean. The moves mentioned above definitely indicate that it is supposed to be a sneaky Pokémon capable of pulling off a couple of suprise attacks.

To let it hit as hard as possible, you could give Spiritomb an Adamant or Modest nature, depending on whether you want to go physical or special. However, a defensive nature (Bold or Calm if Spiritomb has special moves, Impish or Careful if it has physical moves, and Relaxed or Sassy if you decide to use a mix) is generally a better idea, as are the Leftovers, just to ensure its longevity on the battlefield. It's entirely up to you, but I do recommend the latter. At least give it its hidden ability Infiltrator, which ignores the effect of Reflect, Light Screen, Mist, Safeguard and Aurora Veil and allows it to bypass Substitute.

Hey Spiritomb, leave my darling Pikachu alone!

I think I said everything I wanted to say about Spiritomb. While I think its design, concept and origins are fascinating, it is not one of my absolute favorite Pokémon... yet. I've honestly never used it, and the only time I caught this thing was on Sea Mauville in Alpha Sapphire - I didn't even take the trouble to go back to that place in Omega Ruby and catch it on that game. I'll give it 4.5 stars for now, but who knows what'll happen when I actually get to know this thing a bit better...

P.S.: Happy Halloween to whoever might be interested in getting Halloween wishes from someone who hates the fucking holiday.

Rating: 4.5/5

#434 - #435: Stunky & Skuntank

TCG art of Stunky.

Do British and American people have any idea how cool 'skunk' sounds? We Dutchies call this critter a stinkdier, which literally means 'stinking animal', and I have to say that's pretty unimaginative.

Aside from that, Game Freak went the obvious way with Stunky and Skuntank's poison/dark typing, because God knows skunks are noxious and evil little creatures. Their butt-like faces make their flavor even more ambiguous, even though Stunky's Pokédex entries explicitly state that the foul-smelling liquid it secretes to drive attackers away comes from its rear, which is exactly how a real-life skunk does it (although Stunky and Skuntank's cries do sound like wet farts). The stench can be smelled from over a mile away and lingers around for approximately 24 hours, so in other words, there's nothing overly special to say about Stunky here. There's its feline appearance, but that isn't all that suprising if you think about it: baby skunks are often called kits or kittens, and sometimes the Americans refer to skunks as 'polecats', even though skunks and actual polecats are only very distantly related.

Skuntank is nothing but a larger and nastier Stunky, with a more noxious and dreadful-smelling liquid for it to spray around over distances up to 160 feet; and the longer it allows this liquid to fester within its body, the more powerful the smell. The foul-smelling fermented substance comes from the tip of its tail rather than its rear, and as its tail is bent over its head, Skuntank's name makes a whole lot more sense to me now.

Some examples of Skuntank in TCG art.

Unfortunately, it isn't such a tank in the competitive scene. Sure, it has a good amount of HP and some decent attack and speed, but everything else is mediocre. Skuntank learns Flamethrower by level-up - which, by the way, should honestly say it all - but it can't make use of it effectively due to that mediocre special attack stat. While an in-game moveset can be filled up by Crunch, Play Rough, Iron Tail and Poison Jab (about the only good physical moves it gets, and two of them are egg moves), Sucker Punch and Pursuit are more viable competitively, while Taunt is used to prevent the foe from setting up with anything and Defog can be used to remove hazards like Sticky Web and Stealth Rock from the battlefield. Additionally, the move Haze resets the stat stages of all active Pokémon on the field, which could come in handy if the opponent decides to go full kamikaze on you. That isn't to say that Flamethrower and Fire Blast are unheard of in the competitive metagame, though, especially because they provide excellent type coverage. They're among the few good special-based moves Skuntank can learn as well, although Crunch and Poison Jab are preferred over Dark Pulse and Sludge Bomb due to Skuntank's superior attack stat. Should you decide to go special anyway, Modest is the preferred nature, but Skuntank is more of a physical attacker and I recommend a physical moveset backed by an Adamant nature and maybe something like the Black Glasses as a held item. Some item for utility might be worth your while, too: a Lum Berry heals any status condition whenever Skuntank gets one, while Black Sludge is exclusively for poison types and works exactly like the Leftovers for them. Just make sure Skuntank has the Aftermath ability at all times, as it does some damage to the opposing Pokémon whenever they knock out Skuntank and because the other two abilities just aren't very useful.

Skuntank reimagined as a 'real-life' skunk. This is amazing.

I have absolutely no idea why I put Skuntank on number 42 in my top 50 favorite Pokémon four years ago; if I were to make a top 100 now, it wouldn't even be in it. Conversely, the next Pokémon on my review list (Bronzong) made its way to my top from rock bottom. Funny how that goes sometimes, huh?

Anyway, my statements above don't mean I have come to hate Skuntank all of a sudden. On the contrary, I still think this Pokémon is worth at least 4 stars; I just don't think this Pokémon is anything special and I definitely don't understand how I could love Skuntank to such an extent that I put it on friggin' number 42 in my top 50 back then.

Rating: 4/5

#359: Absol

With Absol being a clear fan favorite, there's bound to be plenty
of cool fan art to be found on the web.

Has anybody ever had the feeling your intentions were completely misinterpreted? Poor Absol must feel that way all the fucking time. Using the horn on its head, Absol is able to sense even the most subtle changes in the sky and land to predict when a natural disaster will occur, and it will try to warn people of impending danger. However, people often misinterpret his warnings and think Absol is in fact the bringer of doom, which fed a hatred of it. No wonder Absol lives its 100-year life in seclusion in the mountains, far from civilization, and rarely ventures down from its alpine home; I guess it's sick and tired of humanity blaming unfavorable natural occurrences on its species when it's only trying to alert people of earthquakes or tidal waves. The rage among those people must have been big when they found out Absol can actually change into a stronger being, if only temporarily: Absol can Mega-evolve, and the energy that courses through its body from the transition makes it fur bristle and makes Mega Absol look as if it has a pair of wings on its back. This does give it an angelic appearance, but Mega Absol can't actually fly, nor does it get the flying typing on top of its dark typing.

The angelic-looking Mega Absol. The pair of wings is actually its fur; the increased
energy coursing through its body upon Mega-evolving is what makes the fur at the
back of its mane stand on end.

This time I do have to commend Game Freak on their consistency here: in the main series games, Absol can often be found in places where disasters occur or occurred, supporting its description as a doomsayer. Let's ignore the fact that not all of these disasters are natural occurrences, because that is damn near impossible in Pokémon games.

- In Diamond and Pearl, Absol appears on Route 213. This route is close to Lake Valor, which was drained by Team Galactic in order to illegitimately capture Azelf. Also, the route number contains the number 13, which is universally considered to be an unlucky number.

- In Platinum, Absol can be found on Mt. Coronet in places that one can first access when heading to Spear Pillar, before Giratina is summoned by Team Galactic's Cyrus.

- In Black and White, after the player finished the main game, Absol appears at the Giant Chasm - the home of Kyurem and said to be a place where disasters befall Trainers - and Route 13. In the sequels to Black and White, unoriginally named Black 2 and White 2, Giant Chasm is where the 'new' Team Plasma makes their stand.

- In X and Y, Route 8 is Absol's home base. While the route number isn't even close to 13, Absol is found on the higher side of the route, right on the cliffs. You also encounter this Pokémon right before the player character meets Team Flare for the first time.

- In Sun and Moon, Absol is found in Tapu Village, which was destroyed years earlier by Tapu Bulu because it took offense to the grocery store that was built on Route 14. Plus, have you noticed how Tapu Village connects Routes 13, 14 and 15? Nifty.

It isn't found in disaster areas in every game, though. Being an alpine Pokémon by nature, it would have made no frickin' sense for Game Freak to make Seafloor Cavern - an underwater area where, depending on which version you're playing, Groudon and Kyogre are summoned by Team Magma or Team Aqua, respectively - Absol's natural habitat, so in Ruby and Sapphire it is found on Route 120 instead. Hoenn really does have too much water, goddamn. However, it was a missed opportunity not to put Absol on Route 10 in Pokémon X and Y, because this route is actually found beneath Geosenge Town, the town where AZ's ultimate weapon is excavated by Team Flare and intended to be used by Lysandre in order for him to destroy Kalos.

A pair of Absol parents with their shiny child. 

But what makes Absol so connected to such catastrophes in the first place? I mean, what are its origins? Well, aside from the obvious black cat superstition - Absol does in fact look somewhat feline - there are a whole lot of creatures it may have been based on, whether they be mythical or not. The first are sphinxes, winged monsters with a woman's head and a lion's body, noted for killing anyone being unable to answer its riddle. Whereas sphinxes are often associated with ancient Egypt, they're actually from Greek mythology, and the 'wings' on Mega Absol are actually more reminiscent of Greek portrayals of these creatures, which are more often depicted with wings than not. The Chinese legend of the Baí Zé, generally described as a white beast with extraordinary intelligence, might be another inspiration for Absol's design and flavor. This Baí Zé creature was gifted with the ability to understand human speech, as well as the knowledge on the forms and habits of exactly 11,520 types of supernatural creatures in the world and how to overcome their hauntings and attacks. While the Baí Zé is known as the hakutaku in Japan, a related legend speaks of an almost identical creature called the kutabe, which predicted that a deadly plague would sweep through the Japanese population in the next few years and prescribed that its own image be used as a talisman to ward off the disease. While known as a bovine creature, it is also commonly depicted as a creature with a lion's body, one horn on its head and an extra eye in the center of its forehead. Sounds familiar, doesn't it?

This way - and not entirely coincidentally - Absol's head looks like a tàijítú or yīnyáng symbol, which is usually a representation of how seemingly opposite or contrary forces may actually be complementary, interconnected and interdependent in the natural world, and how they may give rise to each other as they interrelate to one another (e.g. light and dark, fire and water, expansion and contraction, matter and antimatter). This concept would be expanded upon in Gen. V with Reshiram and Zekrom, but at least it makes for some interesting speculations and discussions about Absol's origins, especially since it's a favorite among long-time Pokémon fans. With its ability to sense oncoming natural disasters Absol is, after all, a creature close to nature, and the concept of yin and yang fits its flavor and white-and-blue design perfectly.

Official art of Mega Absol. Drawn by Ken Sugimori,
courtesy of Nintendo and everything. 

One big question remains, though: how well does Absol do in the competitive scene? Uhm... not great. Absol sports some amazing attack, but it is quite frail and not very fast, which they fixed with its Mega. Well, at least the speed part; Mega Absol is as frail as ever, but it got a boost of 40 base points in both its speed and special attack - both ending up at a solid 115 - and an increase in its attack by 20 base points. While at 150 its attack is still superior to any of its other stats, it is able to dish out some special damage as well, and quite frankly it has such a large movepool that you don't even know where to start with this thing. Mega Absol is a pure dark type and has access to some nice utility moves that it receives STAB from, such as Pursuit, Sucker Punch and Knock Off. Type coverage can be found in moves like Zen Headbutt, Ice Beam, Thunderbolt, Flamethrower, Fire Blast, Stone Edge, Rock Slide, X-Scissor, Dark Pulse, Megahorn, Play Rough, Iron Tail and Superpower. If you want to run a physical moveset and boost its attack, Swords Dance is right there for you. This even allows you to run a Jolly nature (lowers special attack, increases speed), although a Naive nature (lowers special defense, increases speed) is required if you want to run a mixed Mega Absol. As far as abilities go, Magic Bounce is a great ability that reflects the effects of all stat-lowering and status condition-inducing status moves - as well as entry hazard moves and moves like Torment and Taunt - back to the user, effectively making it immune to moves like Will-O-Wisp and Thunder Wave. That makes it very hard to weaken it or slow it down, which is exactly what you want.

When it comes to regular Absol's ability before you Mega-evolve it, Justified is the way to go: if you get hit by a dark-type move when you switch Absol in, you might as well get an attack boost from it first, making Mega Absol a little bit more dangerous for your opponent. Super Luck increases the chance of getting a critical hit, while Pressure drains some extra PP from the moves your opponent's Pokémon is attacking Absol with, but both are more viable for the long run and fit more on a regular Absol's Life Orb set or something.

Fan art of Mega Absol being fabulous.

This article is becoming a little bit too long for just a single Pokémon, but I guess I'm willing to spend a lot of my time writing about Absol (seriously though, I've spent at least five hours doing research and thinking about how to formulate my sentences). It's such a fascinating Pokémon for a dark type, which normally tend to be more evil and malicious, and it's definitely one of the most unique Gen. III Pokémon introduced. I never realized how much I actually love Absol, and I certainly did not expect to give it a perfect rating. Yet here I am, gushing about a Pokémon I didn't know I love.

Good job on this one, Game Freak.

Rating: 5/5

#341 - #342: Corphish & Crawdaunt

Corphish in what looks like the wrong habitat. 

A common misconception I noticed among Pokémon fans is that that they think Corphish is based on some kind of crab or lobster, probably because these animals are more well-known than crayfish, the actual animal Corphish is based on - or, more specifically, the red swamp crayfish. Crayfish are a type of edible crustaceans that are similar to lobsters, sure, but they're something different: they are usually smaller, live in freshwater - Corphish live in ponds found in Petalburg City and Routes 102 and 117, and you can fish them up with a Good Rod or Super Rod - and are more commonly used for home cooking, as opposed to lobsters being considered an expensive delicacy you'll order when you're in a chic restaurant. Corphish, however, won't have none of this kitchen shit, lobster or crayfish. It's a violent Pokémon that will drive out the original inhabitants of a specific area and claim the territory for its own, subsequently defending it from anyone or anything who dares invade it, hence this Pokémon's classification as the 'Ruffian Pokémon'. The reference to a certain species of crayfish that is seen as an invasive pest and has been causing trouble for Japan's wildlife for decades couldn't have been more obvious here. Corphish were originally imported to Hoenn as pets, however, making these Pokémon the first exotic species in the National Pokédex. Eventually turning up in the wild, they quickly proliferated and adapted to any environment, whether it be polluted or not.

Ash Ketchum had a Corphish, too. The dumbass never evolved it. 

The only thing I don't understand about Corphish is the military theme in its English and Asian names. First and foremost, Corphish is derived from 'corps' - which is the term for a branch of military serviceman and is pronounced as 'core' - or maybe 'corporal'. As for the origin of its names in Northeast Asia, well... its Japanese name Heigani (ヘイガニ) derives from hei and its Korean name Gazegun (가재군) from gun, both meaning 'army' or 'troops', but its ridiculously lengthy Chinese name of Lóngxiāxiǎobīng (龍蝦小兵) originates from xiǎobīng and suggests Corphish is a foot soldier. It doesn't really make sense to me, because being a police officer or a military servant requires possessing a certain perception of obedience, reservation and discipline that Corphish - and definitely its evolution Crawdaunt - tremendously lacks. I don't get it and I probably never will, but at least Game Freak were going for something here...

Crawdaunt looks savage. 

However, Corphish is next to nothing compared to Crawdaunt. The latter is so violent and short-tempered that it is compelled to constantly challenge other living things to battle. No other Pokémon dare inhabit its territory because of this habit. Not that they get a chance to do that, because if Crawdaunt senses something venturing too close to it or its nest, it will pinch the trespasser and toss them out of its pond by using its sharp pincers or crash into them with full force. A veteran Crawdaunt that has prevailed in hundreds of battles has giant pincers marked with countless scars. It can be quite vulnerable, however, as it molts its shell on a regular basis and hides in its streambed burrow to hide from its foes when its new shell is still soft and tender. This shell may be based on Batesian mimicry in association with Sharpedo - another water/dark type introduced in the same generation - as it resembles an open shark mouth with a yellow star on the nose, just like Sharpedo's scar. However, Batesian mimicry is a form of mimicry where a harmless species has evolved to imitate the warning signals of a harmful species directed at a predator of them both, and Crawdaunt can by no means be called harmless. Oh, well... In general, though, Crawdaunt is a relatively big and powerful Pokémon extremely prone to malice, making it a perfect secondary dark type. Because of its size and type, Crawdaunt may actually be based on a lobster, which is comparatively big when you put them next to crayfish - although Crawdaunt still live in ponds rather than saltwater and its name is derived from 'crawdad' or 'crawfish', which are just alternative names for 'crayfish'.

Crawdaunt as seen in TCG. 

Some of Crawdaunt's flavor can be found back in its in-game stats, though, as it possesses an incredible attack stat and some moderate defensive qualities on the physical side of the spectrum. Unfortunately, it is not fast or specially defensive at all; instead, some of these much-needed base points go to its unnecessarily high special attack. It's not sky-high, but it's pretty damn good, which is a shame considering the fact you're only going to utilize its physical strength. It's inevitable, because its physical attack is so much higher than its special attack and its physical movepool so much better than its special one. First off, Crawdaunt has access to an egg move called Dragon Dance, a move that increases its attack and speed by one stage each when used. Secondly, Aqua Jet is a water-type priority move that hits relatively hard after a couple of Dragon Dance boosts. Next, Knock Off is a dark-type move that deals double the damage if the opponent is holding an item. For some STAB moves that are more reliable you can always fall back on moves like Crunch, Waterfall and Crabhammer, although you could opt for some nice type coverage: Crawdaunt learns moves like X-Scissor, Rock Slide, Superpower, Brick Break and Aerial Ace.

Because of Dragon Dance - or, alternatively, Swords Dance - and Aqua Jet, you can consciously run an Adamant Crawdaunt with a Life Orb (makes Crawdaunt lose 10% of its health each turn in return for a bit more power) or a Focus Sash (leaves Crawdaunt at 1 HP when attacked at full HP). As far as abilities go, its two regular abilities Hyper Cutter and Shell Armor aren't worth your while. Sure, no critical hits (Shell Armor) or decreases in its attack (Hyper Cutter) seem like nice little side effects, and the former certainly is, but its hidden ability Adaptability boosts the power of its STAB moves even further, which makes Crawdaunt a force to be reckoned with.

This is actually some nice realistic fan art of Crawdaunt and its little baby
Corphishies. The barnacles on its body are kinda inaccurate, though, as most
barnacles are saltwater crustaceans.

I absolutely love Crawdaunt and I think it is definitely one of the better Pokémon based on a crustacean - it's more appealing than fucking Crabominable, that's for sure. I even used one in an Omega Ruby playthrough and it was the true MVP of the team, rocking a devastating Swords Dance set. I'd say it's up there with Clawitzer, but the dark typing gives it a certain edge to it that I like.

Rating: 5/5