#522 - #523: Blitzle & Zebstrika

Adorable little Blitzle.

Those of you who have been reading my blog long enough know that I love any animal belonging to the felidae family: tigers, lions, leopards, cougars, servals, lynxes, domestic cats... you name it, I love them all. Oftentimes, feline Pokémon don't quite capture the feel of real-world cats. Persian, Luxray and Liepard are perfect examples of feline Pokémon done well, while Delcatty and Purugly completely miss the mark and Meowstic hasn't yet won a spot in my heart, either. It's a hit-or-miss kind of situation and I have to say it frustrates me to no end.

In any case, the ermine - a common name for the stoat when it's in its pure white winter coat - is my second favorite animal, while the zebra closes out the top three. And that's where the relevancy of this introduction kicks in: Blitzle and its evolution Zebstrika are the first and currently only zebra Pokémon in the franchise (there are three species of zebra in the world, but they all look pretty much the same, so I don't expect new Pokémon based on this animal to pop up anytime soon), and Game Freak have done a phenomenal job creating them, at least design-wise.

Blitzle as seen in TCG.

Of course, we start off with the cute but feisty Blitzle, actually available to players pretty early on in Black and White. While the stripes on Blitzle's body are few and far between compared to a real-life zebra, it is undeniably based on one, with a spiky white mane running up its neck that culminates on its forehead in a long extension shaped like a lightning bolt. Blitzle's mane serves as a lightning rod, because this Pokémon can actually catch lightning with it and store the electricity afterwards, only to discharge said electricity via its glowing mane again. The frequency and rhythm of these bright flashes are in turn used to communicate with each other. But while Blitzle probably has no trouble containing itself, Zebstrika is an ill-tempered Pokémon that can be dangerous when angry, shooting lightning from its mane in all directions. It is as fast as lightning and releases deafening, reverberating thunderclaps when at full gallop. Zebstrika's irritable nature falls in line with how difficult - nigh impossible, even - zebra are to tame and how awfully dangerous they are to ride due to their extreme unpredictability and aggression; they have the tendency to bite, kick, flail and buck much more than other equids do.

Zebstrika is ready to charge at something.

Unfortunately, these characteristics aren't conveyed in Zebstrika's stats and movepool. Its flavor indicates that it's a physical attacker, and that's absolutely true, but the problem is that it lacks the physical attacks to be competitively viable. Base 100 attack and 116 speed stats are nothing to sneeze at, and they could have been good in combination with a Choice Band or Choice Scarf... if only Zebstrika had something to choose from. Sure, Wild Charge is a decent 90-power move, but it deals recoil damage and isn't as strong as similar moves like Flare Blitz, Brave Bird, Head Smash and Wood Hammer, while the only competitively viable move seems to be Pursuit in case you predict a hard switch on the opponent's part. It is therefore better to use it for in-game purposes, as its special attack isn't terrible in that regard and the fire-type Overheat actually hits quite hard; the special attack penalty from that move doesn't even matter if you just click on Return or Wild Charge during the next turn. Life Orb sets on Smogon even revolve around Zebstrika's specially offensive presence, with moves like Volt Switch, Thunderbolt, Overheat and Hidden Power backed up by a Timid nature, but neither a Life Orb nor the ability Lightning Rod (which raises the special attack stat of the user by one stage upon switching into an electric-type attack while granting it immunity to them; Motor Drive does the same but with the speed stat) will be able to save Zebstrika's subpar special attack. Its hidden ability Sap Sipper makes it immune to grass-type attacks and even boosts its attack by one stage when switched into one, but a physical competitive set is not a good idea and the special attack raise from Lightning Rod will come in handy much more.

A good portion of Zebstrika fan art shows how badass this Pokémon actually is.

In the end, Zebstrika's physical movepool is just too shallow for it to be a good Pokémon to use, but that is hardly the reason why I love it so much. I love it because it's a fucking zebra, goddammit! At the time it was released, a zebra Pokémon had been long overdue, and I immediately fell in love with the damn thing. It just looks so badass! And while real zebra seem to be evenly black and white, Blitzle and Zebstrika are mainly black with white lightning-shaped stripes on their bodies, which is a genius tie-in with their electric typing. I was even lucky enough to obtain a shiny Zebstrika during one of the rare occasions I was actually shiny-hunting for a specific Pokémon. You probably suspect me to give Zebstrika a 5-star rating by now, and you would be absolutely correct, because there is nothing about this Pokémon design- and flavor-wise that I don't love. Heck, even its name is cool!

Rating: 5/5

#479: Rotom

No, you didn't miss anything; between Abomasnow and Rotom there's a large batch of Gen. IV evolutions of Pokémon introduced in previous generations, and I've already reviewed them accordingly. All the better, because the huge gap in the National Pokédex makes me feel I have made some progress at least, ha ha ha.

Regular Rotom surrounded by its five alternate forms. Clockwise
starting from the top left: Frost Rotom, Fan Rotom, Wash Rotom,
Mow Rotom and Heat Rotom.

Anyway, as I've mentioned before, today's Pokémon is a curious little critter called Rotom. It is unique in the fact that it is the only electric/ghost dual-type Pokémon and the only Pokémon to have its type changed into a type that wasn't newly introduced. Introduced in Diamond and Pearl as a Pokémon with the ability of possessing several household appliances, Rotom can change its appearance in order to correspond with the design of the appliance it possesses from Platinum onwards, and for in-game purposes this means it has no fewer than six different forms. The default form is its regular electric/ghost-type form that resembles a lightning rod; the others are a microwave oven, a washing machine, a lawnmower, a refrigerator and an electric fan. These alternate forms didn't have a different type than regular Rotom when they were first introduced to us in Platinum, but this all changed in Gen. V: Heat Rotom became electric/fire, Wash Rotom electric/water, Mow Rotom electric/grass, Frost Rotom electric/ice (even though it's a refrigerator and not a freezer, it must have a built-in freezer unit), and Fan Rotom electric/flying. This opened the path for brand new competitive strategies, as a few of these type combinations are extraordinarily useful in the competitive metagame, especially when you consider all forms come with the ability Levitate and thus aren't weak to ground-type moves due to their being part electric - although this ability is quite redundant on Fan Rotom due to its flying type making it immune to ground in the first place. But I'll talk some more about Rotom's competitive utility later on in this review.

An amazing drawing of all Rotom forms gathered together. Even
the electrical auras of the different forms look different; Wash
Rotom's looks like a clothespin, Heat Rotom's is reminiscent of
oven mitts, Mow Rotom's resembles splintered wood, Frost
Rotom's bears resemblances to lightning bolts, and Fan Rotom's
look like wind currents. 

First off, how is Rotom able to enter and control these electronic devices in the first place? Well, it has a body of plasma with a whitish aura of electricity around it that forms lightning bolt-shaped appendages, and it appears to be based on uproarious and disrupting ghoul-like creatures called poltergeists. While poltergeists are generally believed to be responsible for physical disturbances such making loud noises, moving objects around (by levitation, if necessary) and sometimes even possessing certain objects, folkloric creatures called gremlins are more notorious for causing malfunctions in aircraft and other machinery. I want to believe poltergeists are the actual inspiration for Rotom here, as indicated by its specific ability to possess home appliances and the fact that ball lightning, an unexplained atmospheric electrical phenomenon involving luminous spherical objects bouncing about, might often cause the spooky movement of objects blamed on poltergeists. Also, poltergeists tend to wander about in urban/suburban areas and cause disturbances in the homes of middle-class families when depicted in popular media - or maybe I have that idea because I watched the 1982 supernatural horror film Poltergeist a couple of times, although the same could be said about the 1984 movie Gremlins. In any case, you first encounter Rotom in a creepy old mansion called the Old Chateau, inside of a defective TV, of all things. Go figure.

Official artwork of the Rotom Pokédex. The right image demonstrates how the
device actually works.

However, while Rotom is a mischievous creature and takes over electronic devices in order to play practical jokes on people, causing all sorts of problems, scientists continue to conduct research on this Pokémon because they think it could be the power source of a unique motor (Rotom is 'motor' spelled backwards, probably a reference to the fact that motors make many appliances function while Rotom makes them fail). While this specific Pokédex entry appeared in HeartGold and SoulSilver first, Game Freak surprised us three generations later by introducing the first ever Pokédex inhabited by a Pokémon: Rotom! Positioned on the lower screen of your 3DS, the Rotom Pokédex gives you unwanted advice, asks you stupid questions, rambles on about nothing in particular and sometimes makes lame-ass jokes, but also helps you out in sticky situations by granting you another chance to perform a Z-Move, gathers and stores data of all Pokémon found in Alola and shows you the way by almost continuously displaying a map of the region on its screen. It is kind of a double-edged sword, as the Rotom Pokédex can get pretty annoying at times, but I like its cheeky personality and the features it provides.

Holy shit, think about it: your Pokédex is a living, sentient being that talks to you and helps you out on your journey to becoming a Pokémon Master. Pokémon is getting more awesome every day, I swear.

Rotom having fun with a microwave oven. 

We now know what Rotom is based on and what this Pokémon encompasses, but I said I would talk about its competitive prowess; and to tell you the truth, its regular form isn't anything worth mentioning. Although the encounter music that is played when encountering Rotom in Gen. IV is the same music used with legendary encounters, its stats are all but legendary. I urge you to find the place wher you can change Rotom into one of its other five forms and do just that, because its 'measly' 440 base stat total will rise notably, exchanging a little bit of speed for significantly more bulk and slightly more offensive presence. Heat and Wash Rotom are the most popular forms to use in the competitive metagame, which isn't surprising, as fire is one of the best offensive types in the game and Heat Rotom's otherwise terrible quadruple weakness is nullified by Levitate, while Wash Rotom has literally only one weakness (also due to Levitate) and is therefore a great defensive asset to any team. Frost and Mow Rotom don't really have that defensive presence, and Fan Rotom doesn't have a STAB move that is strong enough - Heat, Wash, Mow and Frost Rotom get Overheat, Hydro Pump, Leaf Storm and Blizzard, respectively, while Fan Rotom will have to do with the much weaker Air Slash.

Looks like Rotom is having some fun in what looks like a
control room.

As for complete sets for some of these Rotom forms, I am not going into detail for all of them, especially not Fan Rotom. For Wash Rotom, however, I would definitely recommend a defensive set consisting of Hydro Pump, Volt Switch, Will-O-Wisp and Defog, to cripple physical threats and remove entry hazards. Pain Split is often used for some recovery, although it is not always a very reliable way to restore HP; an Iapapa Berry or Sitrus Berry will do the trick more effectively. More options are Substitute, Rest and Sleep Talk, as well as the Letovers as a very solid hold item and a Bold or Calm nature to boost one of its defenses. It's your call whether you want to make it physically or specially bulky. You could actually go the same way with Heat Rotom and be just fine, although an offensive moveset might do more in this case because of Heat Rotom's amazing offensive typing: a Timid or Modest nature lets it be slightly faster or specially offensive, respectively, while a Firium Z (the fire-type Z-Crystal) can change its Overheat attack to an insanely strong Inferno Overdrive. Choice Specs aren't bad either, and might even be more reliable in the long run, as a moveset consisting of Overheat, Volt Switch, Thunderbolt and either Shadow Ball or some type of Hidden Power doesn't seem all that strong in the first place and a Choice Specs might just be the item Heat Rotom needs to give its moves a little bit more oomph.

Frost and Mow Rotom aren't used as frequently as Heat and Wash Rotom, but ice and grass are pretty good offensive types, which mean you could slap the Choice Specs or an Icium Z on it (Grassium Z in Mow Rotom's case), but I reckon you should just use the Rotom of your preference. I mean, my favorite form is Mow Rotom and that's not a popular one at all - I even think it's the second least favorite form behind Fan Rotom among Pokémon fans. I don't know if it's its typing or its maniacal grin that is putting people off, but that's exactly what I like about it in the first place.

All of the Rotom forms doing what they can do best.

One more curious thing about Rotom's origins is that Bulbapedia suggests that this Pokémon is based on the main character from the 1994 Sega game Pulseman, on which Ken Sugimori (responsible for all of the Pokémon's official artwork), Satoshi Tajiri (the creator of Pokémon) and Junichi Masuda (director, producer and composer for many Pokémon games) all worked on. Aside from the spike on Pulseman's head and the fact that it was designed by Ken Sugimori, I really don't see the resemblance with Rotom. However, Pulseman is half human, half AI and I guess his subsequent power to channel electricity through his body and use it as both a weapon and a means of quick transport might be reminiscent of Rotom's ability to permeate household appliances as well as it being made up of plasma and electricity. There's a whole list of references to Pulseman in the Pokémon games, but I personally think it's a little bit of a stretch to compare the two franchises, even though the same people worked on both of them (honestly, Pulseman isn't even a franchise, just a stand-alone game).

Rotom is without a doubt one of the most unique, creative and popular Pokémon Game Freak have ever created. It's a fan favorite for a reason: there are a lot of Pokémon that are based on contemporary animals, extinct creatures, mythical entities and/or inanimate objects, but a poltergeist able to take control of electronic devices must be one Game Freak's most genius inventions. Aside from that, Rotom is pretty viable in the competitive scene, so I'm sure that contributes to its popularity as well. I have to say that Rotom is not one of my personal top favorites, but I still think it's damn worthy of a 5-star rating from me!

Rating: 5/5

#417: Pachirisu

I shall never underestimate Pachirisu in my life ever again, that's for sure.

Adorable little Pachi running around in an open field.

While Plusle and Minun served the purpose of showing the synergy between certain Pokémon in Double Battles, Pachirisu seems to represent Gen. IV's connectivity to the Internet: its color pattern matches that of the official Nintendo Wi-Fi logo, its face marking and the spikes on its tail both bear resemblances to a W, and it appeared on the Wi-Fi connection screen on Diamond, Pearl and Platinum. Characteristically, Pachirisu is nothing more than an electric-type squirrel doing squirrel things... with a creative twist. Pachirisu sheds its fur, which it shapes into statically charged furballs. It hides its favorite foods -mostly berries - in these furballs, after which it proceeds to store them in tree holes. If a human or another Pokémon tries to take the food, they will get shocked from the static, so it does so to protect the food. Pachi is more than just a bunch of fluff making furballs crackling with electricity, though; it also rubs its cheek pouches against those of others of its kind in order to exchange stored electricity, it grooms its fluffy tail with the utmost precision, and it uses its impeccably spotless tail as a pillow by curling it around the front of its body.

D'awww, isn't it cute? 

There's nothing overly exciting about Pachirisu, other than the fact that the audience went wild when Sejun Park (officially Park Se-jun; in South Korea - as well as in quite a few other Asian countries - the family name comes before the given name) won the 2014 Pokémon World Championships with none other than Pachirisu on his team. He even took a small Pachi plushie onto the stage with him as a lucky charm. That is not to say you can freely create a competitive set for Pachirisu and expect it to work as amazingly as it did for Park, as the Pokémon World Championships are played in a Doubles format and that is exactly the format in which Pachi has a chance to excel. I usually talk about Singles when I mention competitive sets in my reviews, but I guess talking about Doubles is unavoidable in this case. Pachi's job is to lead incoming attacks away from its ally and draw them to itself with Follow Me, even healing some HP with a Sitrus Berry in a pinch, only for the more powerful ally to hit the two opposing Pokémon hard and fast without getting hurt. Surprisingly enough, Pachirisu possesses some substantial bulk to pull that off, but only when it has a defense-boosting nature and most EVs are invested in HP and defense. Rounding out its moveset are Protect for stalling, Super Fang to take away half of the opposing Pokémon's remaining HP, and Nuzzle to paralyze the foe. The latter even deals some damage, potentially breaking a Focus Sash or Sturdy, which is why this move is only available to Pikachu clones. In a one-on-one format, however, Pachirisu is considerably less usable. Its bulk works perfectly in Doubles, when attacks that hit multiple opponents are significantly weaker, but in Singles it still can't take a full-power STAB Earthquake from a Garchomp to the face.

Pika and Pachi rubbing their cheeks together. Look at these bundles of sheer
adorableness! 

I'm impressed Sejun Park actually managed to win the Pokémon World Championships due in large part to Pachirisu, catching opponents off guard and this way gaining momentum because they were unprepared, but there's just no way in hell that this Pokémon can be used effectively in-game or even in the Singles metagame - in-game because its base 45 offensive stats render it too weak, and in Singles because its bulk and utility moves fall too short in order for them to be effective. Pachirisu has the lowest base stat total of any Pokémon that was part of a winning team at the Pokémon World Championships, and that shows when using it in any way other than Doubles. It's still cute in its own right, though.

Rating: 4.5/5

#403 - #405: Shinx, Luxio & Luxray

What's not to love about Luxray's shiny form? Its beautiful
black-and-gold color scheme mixed with orange is so... perfect!

When I started this blog a little over two years ago, I did it with the intention to review every single Pokémon in existence. Ever since, I couldn't wait until I would arrive at my favorite Pokémon of all time, and today is finally the day that I can gush about it all I want. Those of you who have been keeping up with this blog long enough will already know that Luxray is my favorite Pokémon, as I said it a couple of times in other entries, not to mention that some of you may have been bold enough to read my previous blog (which, by the way, is muy cringy) despite my warnings. Those of you who have not been around for that long at all should've seen this coming as well: in the introduction text at the top of my blog I clearly present myself as The Shiny Luxray, which is the name of this Blogger account and the most obvious indication of which Pokémon actually is my all-time favorite. I fell in love with Luxray the very moment I first laid eyes on it in my very first Pokémon Diamond playthrough in 2007. Like many first-time players of this game, I was using Shinx, who was available on one of the first routes after receiving your mandatory set of Poké Balls from the Professor. I knew Luxray would forever be my favorite Pokémon from the moment it had evolved from Luxio, even knocking the majestic Lugia from the throne. And while my fairly recent love for steel types caused Steelix to have been elevated to a solid second place, not even a giant metal snake will be able to dethrone this awesome electric-type lynx.

I'm so happy Luxray got a recurring role in the anime as Clemont's most important
team member. At least it didn't make a one-time appearance like most Pokémon
do. Also, look at how big it is; Clemont could hop on its back and make a ride on it.

So now I have to sum up everything I love about Luxray, right? Here goes nothing.

1. The animal it's based on
Cats - or felines in general - are my favorite animals, and I have to say Game Freak have done a decent job creating some interesting Pokémon based on them so far. Luxray is the biggest and baddest of them all, though, with one of the most interesting designs as well. While it looks a bit like a lion, it is actually based on a lynx; in European mythology, the lynx was said to have the power to see through solid objects. It'll make sense in a bit, I promise.

2. Its typing
Persian, Delcatty, Purugly and even Pyroar... All of these cat Pokémon got the generic normal type, and Luxray is one of the few felines deviating from that. Shockingly, it's an electric type, with also just one weakness but far more elemental benefits due to the abundance of water- and flying-type Pokémon in the franchise.

3. Its design and color scheme
These two go hand in hand, and I must say Luxray should be one of Game Freak's proudest achievements. It has a very streamlined design with a brilliant black-and-blue color scheme that is not used often enough on electric types. There are hints of yellow in its design, of course, and because I'm not a big fan of yellow in the first place, I'm glad this color was toned down in Luxray's design.

One big happy family. 

4. Its facial features
Dammit, how can you NOT love those eyes? Elaborating on the design argument, Luxray's gold eyes with red sclera are quite unique even for Pokémon standards and make it look like a lunatic. It's not really that maniacal, of course, but its eyes definitely give it a much more menacing look. Also, it can do a special little something with its eyes that I'll talk about later. And then the cute oval-shaped ears and that red button nose... I CAN'T EVEN!

5. Its mane
There is only one way to describe its mane: majestic. And it looks so good on it, goddamn.

6. Its shiny form
While I'm not a shiny hunter per se, I literally did everything I could to obtain a shiny Luxray via the GTS when Pokémon X and Y came out. I wanted one so badly, and eventually I even managed to obtain a competitive one with its hidden ability Guts. That black-and-gold color palette with some orange touches is just... perfection! And yes, I consider shiny Luxray's skin color gold rather than yellow.

7. Its name
There's no other word for it, its name just sounds so incredibly cool. And while I think most Japanese Pokémon names sound silly, I have to admit that even Rentorar (レントラー) - which is derived from the inventor of x-rays, Wilhelm Röntgen, and the Japanese word for 'tiger', tora - has an intimidating sound to it; it almost sounds like 'roar'.

Luxray letting everybody know it's the only true heir
to the throne. "Hear me roar!"

8. Its posture
Can you say Luxray is beautiful? I definitely think so, and as I'm gushing about it I might as well say it looks incredibly royal and elegant somehow. In fact, I'm starting to think sphinxes might have been the inspiration for Luxray as well, giving it a somewhat Egyptian appearance.

9. Its characteristics
What makes Luxray so incredibly awesome is its extraordinary eyesight. It can see through most object and walls, like x-ray vision, so there's practically nothing that can go unseen by it. Being a predatory Pokémon, it even spots prey hiding in the shadows, but when tamed and trained correctly it can become very domestic and loyal, protecting its Trainer from danger. It does need a lot of compassion and praise to maintain its satisfaction, as Luxray tend to be proud and stubborn creatures, and abusing it can make it very antagonistic and vengeful towards its Trainer. I would love to have a Luxray by my side, but even then I don't understand why you want to abuse one in the first place. Like most sane people I am against animal cruelty, which is obviously a given, but I guess in this case I think you have to be deserving of Luxray's attention and loyalty as well. When you give some love, you get some in return. Also, Luxray can administer extreme amounts of power through their electricity, but as it's an electric type that's kind of a cop-out.

10. It tries to break the mold
Luxray is unique in the fact that it's one of only few physical-based electric types, introduced right when the physical/special split occurred. While a great in-game asset, it wasn't much of a competitive Pokémon until it got better moves and an awesome hidden ability in Guts one generation later.

11. Its role in the anime
While originally getting just a couple of cameos in the Gen. IV adaptation of the anime series, it got a recurring role as Clemont's main Pokémon in the X and Y saga, saving it from obscurity. I'm glad it got a little bit of attention, at least. And let's not forget about Volkner's Luxray, who definitely gave Ash a run for his money.

This Luxray in Pokémon Conquest sure looks menacing and intimidating. In the
Netherlands, we have a proverb that sums it up very well: Het is geen katje om
zonder handschoenen aan te pakken is basically the equivalent of 'to treat
someone or something with kid gloves', but literally translates to, 'It's not a cat
to handle without gloves.'

12. Its appearance in Pokémon Conquest
This one might be stretching it a little bit, but just look at Luxray's stance in its official artwork for Pokémon Conquest. It's just ready to kick some fucking ass, goddammit! Conveniently, you can actually recruit the warrior owning a Shinx after defeating her and taking her kingdom by meeting a few requirements, but once you've done that she's ready to help you invade other kingdoms in Ransei with what will eventually be a kick-ass Luxray!

13. The fan art
Have you taken a look on Google Images already? Only by inserting 'Luxray' you'll find the most awesome and badass fan art of this Pokémon. The design of a quadrupedal electric-type cat lends itself well to fan art like that, too. There's definitely no shortage of Luxray fan art on the Internet and I am having a hard time choosing from amazing drawings for my article as I'm writing this.

LOL. Whoever drew this reference to The Lion King is a genius!

And now we've reached the end of 13 Reasons Why. All jokes aside, though, Luxray is not without its flaws. Competitively, it is not used by an awful lot of people, and the reason for that is because it's tricky to use. Base 80 HP and base 79 defenses aren't extremely useful on a relatively slow Pokémon, but with a little luck your Luxray will survive at least a couple of hits before it goes down. The problem is that you definitely want one with the Guts ability, which increases the user's attack stat by 50% when suffering from a status condition, and the only way to reliably activate it is by giving Luxray a Flame Orb to hold. The Toxic Orb is possible too, but burn has been nerfed in Gen. VII and now takes equal to 1/16 of a Pokémon's health every turn, which is half the amount of damage poison would cause. Another problem is that Luxray should definitely rock out with Wild Charge, a physical-based electric-type move that also causes recoil damage. Along with the Flame Orb and its low speed stat, that's going to wear Luxray down significantly. You'll be lucky to dish out a couple of hits, but at least Luxray's base 120 attack stat allows it to do just that. With an Adamant nature, it can hit even harder, but you could also opt for a Jolly nature to make it as fast as possible. At least it doesn't lack the movepool to complete a Flame Orb set, having access to nifty moves like Ice Fang, Fire Fang, Superpower, Crunch, Iron Tail, Facade, Protect and Night Slash.

Two Luxray beating each other black-and-blue.

Also, you could make Luxray somewhat physically bulky in exchange for some power by using one with the Intimidate ability, which lowers the opponent's attack when Luxray enters the battlefield. This still leaves it susceptible to special sweepers, but I guess you can't have everything. The other regular ability it has access to is Rivalry, which lets it deal more damage against Pokémon of the same gender but less damage to Pokémon of the oppositie gender, which is naturally not the preferred ability for Luxray and I would even try to avoid it in a regular playthrough.

To summarize, Luxray is - unfortunately - not the best Pokémon in the competitive metagame, which is why I didn't mention its battle prowess as one of the reasons why I love it. That is not to say that stops me from loving Luxray altogether, I just wish Game Freak had made it a little bit better competitively so that it would have been a more popular Pokémon. Then again, my love for Luxray feels so special that I'm wondering whether I really want it to become as popular as Pokémon like Charizard, Mewtwo and Lucario. It's still a great asset to any in-game team, though, so definitely don't hesitate to use it!

This is Clemont's Luxray when it was still an adorable little
Shinxie.

But enough about Luxray for a minute; didn't I say I would be talking about all Pokémon? Luxray has pre-evolutions as well, and I'm not sure if I've mentioned them yet. Of course, it all starts with cute little Shinx. To be honest, I don't think I would've used it if it hadn't been so adorable to me the instant I laid my eyes on it, and my love for Luxray would have come much later (or maybe wouldn't even have been this strong in the first place) if that had been the case. I actually developed a bond with the very first Luxray I had, and that definitely fueled my love for this Pokémon to a great extent. I was actually sad once the adventure was over. Anyway, Shinx bears resemblance to a lynx kitten or a lion cub, but considering Luxray's flavor it is probably the former. If Shinx senses danger, its fur gleams brightly to blind predators so it can flee, and this electricity is produced by the extension and contraction of the muscles in its forelegs. The only one I'm not big on is Luxio, who honestly kinda looks awkward to me, but at least it evolves from Shinx at level 15 and evolves into Luxray at level 30, so I never have to put up with it for long. There isn't much to say about it, either, apart from the fact that it communicates with others of its kind by electroreception via its claws, generating the necessary electricity by gathering their tails together.

Luxray BREAK, one of the TCG cards in my possession. This art is just flat-out
AMAZING! I'm sure you don't want to deal with this little kitty. 

Luxray is - and will always be - my all-time favorite Pokémon. My love for this Pokémon runs so deep, in fact, that I kept on collecting TCG cards of Shinx, Luxio and Luxray and put them in a special binder, even though I quit TCG approximately nine years ago. Yep, that's how much I love Luxray. This Pokémon will forever hold a special place in my heart, and I doubt any new Pokémon will ever take over. At the end of the day I'm just biased, of course, but isn't every Pokémon fan when they're talking about their favorite Pocket Monster?

Anyway, guess what my rating's gonna be...?

Rating: 5/5

#311 - #312: Plusle & Minun

Normally I would rate Pokémon like Plusle and Minun separately because they are not related by evolution or breeding or what have you, but if I did that, I would end up having two very short reviews. Plusle and Minun are essentially the same fucking Pokémon anyway, because their designs are the same, their characteristics are the same, their movepools are the same and even their base stats don't differ all that much, with only slightly different stat distributions between the two Pokémon: Plusle leans more towards offense, while Minun has a more defensive touch to it. Not that it matters, because the difference is only 10 base points per stat, so both of them are still weak and frail and aren't used at all in the competitive scene as a result. They're both getting the exact same rating as well, so there is absolutely no reason why I wouldn't put them together in one review.

GIF of Plusle and Minun cheering for their teammates with sparkly pom-poms.

Plusle and Minun were initially created to introduce the concept of Double Battles, just like Volbeat and Illumise - the next Pokémon in the National Dex, in fact. It didn't work out very well, because both Plusle and Minun are quite weak (Plusle has base 50 attack and base 85 special attack, while Minun has base 40 attack and base 75 special attack; for their defensive stats it's the other way around) and will barely get a chance to set up with support moves like Helping Hand and Encore, anyway. They could have been pretty viable in one-on-one battles because they both have access to Nasty Plot, but their lack of special coverage is a huge drawback. The best they get aside from STAB Thunderbolt is a Hidden Power of any type, which depends on their IVs, so you're pretty much screwed if their Hidden Power turns out to be electric. Grass Knot is sorta unreliable, because the power varies depending on the opponent's weight, and Signal Beam isn't an option in Pokémon Sun and Moon anymore, being available only through a Move Tutor in Hoenn's Battle Resort in ORAS. Hardly worth the hassle.

Fan art of Plusle and Minun with actual pom-poms.

Double Battles are still around, but Plusle and Minun have done nothing to establish themselves as masters of that kind of battles - for that matter, nor have Volbeat and Illumise done anything of the sort, either.

So, will Plusle and Minun's flavor bring them redemption? Well, as you can see in the GIF above, Plusle and Minun often act as cheerleaders for their partners and teammates and create sparkly pom-poms to cheer them on. Minun cares more for its partner than for itself, giving off an increasing amount of sparks when a partner is about to lose, while Plusle just starts to cry loudly. So basically they create showers of sparks when a teammate puts out a good effort in battle and when a teammate is in peril. At a convention for Pokémon academics, it was announced that simultaneous exposure to electricity from a Plusle and Minun will promote your blood circulation, relax your muscles and boost vitality.

A nice wallpaper of Plusle and Minun playing on the beach, joined by a couple of
other Pokémon. Too bad that this piece of trash called a Pelipper has to ruin the
picture. 

And, um... that's it, I guess? I understand where Game Freak is coming from, creating Pokémon based on positive and negative electrical charges to properly introduce Double Battles, but even with Plus and Minus - when Pokémon with either of these two abilities stand side by side in a Double Battle, their special attack will get a 50% boost - Plusle and Minun aren't very good and I wouldn't recommend using them. What's more, they are the very first electric-type Pikachu rip-offs, something the Pokémon community would soon grow really tired of, but later generations would continue the trend regardless. I am yet to review Pachirisu, Emolga, Dedenne and Togedemaru, but I can tell you now that they are pretty much as competitively viable as Plusle and Minun.

(Not at all, in other words. If that wasn't already really obvious.)

For what they are, though, Plusle and Minun ain't bad. They're pretty cute as is and the concept of positive and negative electrical charges is something that hadn't been done before Ruby and Sapphire came out, so I wouldn't say it's unoriginal. It's just that Plusle and Minun could have been executed much better; they still feel like the same damn Pokémon, while technically they belong to entirely different species.

Rating: 3.5/5

#309 - #310: Electrike & Manectric

Look at Electrike's face. No doubt this thing has mischief on its
mind. 

The Pokémon I'm going to discuss now are a pair of weird-looking electric-type canines (wolves, perhaps?) of some sort, one of which - Electrike - is a green quadruped with an oblong headcrest. Remarkably many features are lightning-shaped, including the sides of before-mentioned headcrest and its tail. Electrike uses friction from the atmosphere to generate electricity, which it uses to stimulate its leg muscles and run faster than the human eye can follow and which causes its body to discharge showers of sparks in seasons with arid air or in the calm before a storm. Electrike has an evolution, Manectric, whose fur changed from green to blue with yellow manes and is a lot spikier than its pre-evolution's. Its flavor as much as you'd expect from an electric canine with lightning-shaped patches of fur: pretty generic. Manectric is constantly discharging electricity from its manes, sometimes causing forest fires; it builds nests in places where lightning has struck or where there's plenty of static; and it creates thunderclouds over its head in order to drop its lightning bolts. Okay, the last one is pretty cool, but that's as cool as you're gonna get: even Mega Manectric doesn't have its own distinctive flavor, not even something that elaborates on regular Manectric's characteristics. It's a shame, because this very Mega would have been the perfect opportunity to do something crazy with its flavor, especially as a cool-looking Pokémon like Manectric was obviously designed to be a fan favorite.

Mega Manectric vs Zinogre, a creature from the video
game series Monster Hunter. This fan art is SO COOL!

Mega Manectric was only created for no other purpose than to give it more of an edge in the competitive metagame: regular Manectric's special attack and speed stats, both a solid base 105, are both increased by 30 base points upon Mega-evolving and its defenses get a small boost as well. They're still nothing to write home about, but at least Mega Manectric can live a few hits that are not super effective on it; and because it is only weak to ground due to its pure electric typing, you only have to keep an eye out for incoming Earthquakes, which are fairly easy to predict. Too bad its special movepool sucks. A Mega Manectric moveset always consists of Volt Switch, Thunderbolt, Hidden Power (usually either grass or ice type) and either Overheat or Flamethrower, which makes it pretty predictable in return. What's more, above moveset is even regular Manectric's standard moveset, with the only difference that it should hold a Life Orb, Choice Scarf or the Choice Specs rather than its corresponding Mega Stone. Both Manectric even have their nature in common, as a Timid nature would be the smartest to run if you want them to outspeed your opponents - I mean, a Modest regular Manectric can still hold a Choice Scarf to quickly boost its speed, but Mega Manectric can by no means do that. It's a bummer you can't create a less predictable moveset for Mega Manectric, because it has access to quite some physical moves: Wild Charge, Crunch, Fire Fang, Ice Fang, Return and Iron Tail are some of them, and it can even learn Curse to boost its attack and defense by one stage each (at the cost of some speed), while it learns nothing to boost its special attack with. Unfortunately, its base 70 attack stat won't allow Manectric - Mega or otherwise - to make use of above-mentioned physical moves.

Manectric as seen in the anime, about to be discharging its electricity.

Manectric is such a cool-looking Pokémon, but it's a shame Game Freak never did anything special with it other than giving it a Mega evolution. Even the kind of yōkai Manectric is based on - Raijū, an elemental lightning creature that can take on the shape of various mammals, including a blue wolf wrapped in white and yellow lightning - has been the inspiration for electric-type Pokémon in the past. While I definitely don't think Manectric is some kind of rehash of existing electric-type Pokémon, I think Game Freak and Nintendo could have done a little bit better flavor-wise. Manectric's design is top-notch, though, and it's by no means useless in the competitive scene; it's just too bad it's so predictable due to the lack of special moves. However, its rating will turn out to be much better than you'd expect judging on the stuff I've written already.

Rating: 4.5/5

#243: Raikou

Raikou is the first Johto legendary, but it's not my favorite. Let's just get the least interesting of the legendary beasts out of the way, shall we?

Raikou (right) with its fire and water counterparts Entei
(middle) and Suicune (right).

Entei, Suicune and Raikou form the trio of legendary beasts resurrected by Ho-Oh after the burning of the Brass Tower (or Burned Tower) in Ecruteak City, Johto. While Raikou is said to represent the lightning strike that ignited the fire that consumed the Brass Tower, Entei is said to represent the flames that burned it and Suicune is said to represent the rain that quenched the flames. Apparently, the purple mane on Raikou's back resembles a cumulonimbus cloud, the type of cloud most often associated with thunderstorms, and allows it to shoot bolts of lightning. It likes racing across the land while barking a cry that sounds like crashing thunder, sends shock waves shuddering through the air and shakes the ground as if lightning bolts have come crashing down. That sounds God-almighty; and rightfully so, because legendary Pokémon should have more outlandish characteristics than other Pokémon (although you don't have to make flavors too bland; RIGHT, Game Freak?). At least 'God-almighty' is the right word to describe Raikou, because it seems to be based on a few thunder and lightning deities from different folklores.

Damn, some pieces of fan art are just plain AMAZING! 

First and foremost, there's the raijū - literally 'thunder animal' or 'thunder beast' - which is a thunder demon from Japanese lore and is said to be the companion of the Japanese god of thunder, Raijin. A raijū is said to be able to take the form of a tiger, like Raikou is obviously based on, but its white-and-blue wolf form wrapped in lightning is the most common depiction of it (in fact, the Pokémon Manectric seems to be based on this form). There's also the Taoist deity of Lei Gong - literally 'Lord of Thunder' - from Chinese mythology, which is even Raikou's Mandarin Chinese name: Léigōng (雷公). This translates to Japanese as raikō, which literally means 'thunder duke' but is also taken from the words rai ('thunder') and kō (emperor). And aside from some Eastern deities, Raikou is also based on a couple of normal animals, most notably Bengal tigers and the extinct species similodon fatalis, most often referred to as the saber-toothed tiger. Bulbapedia even suggests that the white ruff around Raikou's face is akin to the Siberian tiger's thick fur around its neck, but I think that's a little farfetched. Sure, Siberian tigers live in a part of Russia close to Japan, and some even reside in China and North Korea, but I just think the designers thought the white ruff was a cool addition. Personally, I think the 'puffy cheeks' make Raikou look a little baby-faced.

Talk about being baby-faced: check out Raikou's sprites from Gold and Silver. Damn, it just looks weird.

Also, despite all its feline traits, Raikou and its companions are still considered dogs rather than cats. It has to be said that Entei and Suicune sure look canine, but Raikou really doesn't... Oh, well.

Raikou just being regal on its rock. 

The name 'legendary beast' sure does Raikou justice, though, because it is an absolute beast in battle. It is often hard to find a check for Raikou in competitive play, because its only weakness is ground and its defenses are very good. Well, its defense is quite mediocre, but its decent HP makes up for that and its base 100 special defense is good enough for it to take a few special hits. However, its special attack and speed, both a stunning base 115, are off the fucking charts. People often run a Calm Mind set on Raikou, to raise its special attack and special defense by one stage each and then annihilate the opponent with strong moves like Thunderbolt, Extrasensory, Shadow Ball and Signal Beam. Volt Switch can be thrown into mix for gaining momentum any time you need it, while Hidden Power provides some coverage of any type when you need it. The to-go nature for all Raikou sets is Timid, while a Calm Mind set can be accompanied by a held item such as a Life Orb or the Leftovers. Choice Specs or an Assault Vest are viable options as well, but both require Raikou to omit Calm Mind from its moveset. A 50% boost in special attack (Specs) or special defense (Vest) sounds nice, but it won't be able to get both with Calm Mind this way, although setting up requires the use of a valuable turn, so I understand the desire for instant power or bulk with the Specs or Vest.

There is a lot of awesome fan art of Raikou to be found on the Internet. I'd
recommend you go check it out. 

This is the same situation as with Articuno, Zapdos and Moltres: Articuno is my favorite legendary bird and wins from Zapdos and Moltres by a landslide (Team Mystic!), but I don't hate Zapdos and Moltres by any means, considering the fact I gave them both 4.5-star ratings. Raikou is nowhere near as interesting as Entei or even Suicune, but it'll get a 4.5-star rating from me nonetheless. And if I'm being honest, I might as well tell you guys that there aren't any legendary or mythical Pokémon that I hate and that most of them will get a 4-star rating or higher (although there could be one or two exceptions).

P.S.: I still have a little figurine of this thing, mind you. Not that I value it all that much, but I thought I should mention it just for the hell of it.

Rating: 4.5/5

#179 - #181: Mareep, Flaaffy & Ampharos

Apparently, Mary had three little lambs.

Okay, so these are some very peculiar Pokémon.

Electric sheep. Why, this is an interesting take on a common animal, although we've also encountered electric mice, grass dinosaurs, ice birds and fire foxes, dogs and horses so far. But this time, instead of the usual increase in aesthetic traits by evolutions, the Mareep line gradually loses something: its wool. It's a miracle Game Freak managed to make Mareep's evolutions actually look like they're evolutions. Their electric typing and their ability Static actually make sense, too, if you think about it: these traits are clear references to the science fiction novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick, which is set in a post-apocalyptic San Francisco and tells the story of bounty hunter Rick Deckard, who seeks to buy a live animal to replace his electric sheep and signs on to a new police mission in order to be able to do that. The 1982 movie Blade Runner, with Harrison Ford, is an adaptation of this novel and has since become a cult film.

Heh. Y'all know I'm a sucker for this kind of cute fan art. 

Also, wool builds up static charges and that is a very important aspect of Mareep's flavor: its wool grows continuously and stores electricity. When Mareep build static energy within its body the volume of its wool increases, and touching it will result in getting a static shock. Mareep are held in farms for their wool, of which quality clothing is made, but the fleece is only shed in the summer and it will grow back in less than a week. I like how the origin of Mareep's name is Mary, the 'main character' in the nursery rhyme "Mary Had a Little Lamb". This is also demonstrated in the 23rd episode of the anime's third season, "Mild 'n Wooly", in which a flock of Mareep is shepherded by a young girl named Mary. Coincidence? I think not, but it's a nice touch. Flaaffy, whose name might have been derived from 'baa' - the sound sheep make - or an AA battery, has lost most of its wool as a result of having stored too much electricity in it. Flaaffy has found a way of generating more electricty with less wool and effectively protect its rubbery hide from said electricity. It can even fire its hair at foes at will.

I laughed way harder at this than I should have. 

Ampharos's flavor, on the other hand, is entirely different from Mareep and Flaaffy's. The origin of its design remains roughly the same, but it is also clearly based on a lighthouse instead. Some traits, such as the stripes on its neck and tail and the gem on top of its head, refer to this, but it is also apparent in the Gold, Silver and Crystal games, as well as their remakes: at a certain point in the storyline, you'll have to visit the lighthouse in Olivine City, where you'll encounter Gym Leader Jasmine and her Ampharos named Amphy. Because the orb on an Ampharos's tail can shine so brightly that it can even seen from space, Amphy serves as the beacon of this lighthouse. However, it is apparently unable to continue doing so due to illness. The player is asked to retrieve the SecretPotion from a pharmacy in Cianwood City and bring it back to Jasmine, so that Amphy's disease can be cured. Must be a boring job, letting your tail shine every night without much to do. Well, at least saving lives by preventing ships from sailing against the cliffs is better than letting people use your tail's light by sending signals back and forth, as the people in the old days used to do. Oh, and before I forget to mention it: pharos, or Φάρος, is Greek for 'lighthouse'. Go figure.

Two Ampharos encircling their 'babies' Mareep and Flaaffy.

But the weirdest thing is still Ampharos's Mega evolution. Not only does Mega Ampharos gain a fabulous mane and a fluffy tail, it also changes into a dragon type. Why it obtains the dragon type upon Mega-evolving is beyond me, but at least it makes for an interesting typing only the legendary Pokémon Zekrom shares with it. Come to think of it, maybe its Japanese name Denryu (デンリュウ) has something to do with it, as it derives from denryū and den ryū, meaning 'electric current' and 'electric dragon', respectively. Anyway, with its amazing defensive stats overall - 90 HP, 105 defense and 110 special defense are absolutely nothing to sneeze at - and an increase in its special attack by 50 base points (from 115 as a regular Ampharos to 165 as Mega Ampharos), you'll have an absolute monster should you decide to put it on your team. Of course, its bulky and offensive capabilities come at the expense of its speed, which is nothing to write home about at all. On the bright side, this allows you to run a Modest nature to make full use of its off-the-charts special attack. And Ampharos's impressive coverage leaves you spoiled for choice: it has access to Signal Beam, Power Gem and Dragon Pulse, which it learns by level-up, as well as moves of its own type and TM moves such as Focus Blast. A defensive Ampharos with a support set isn't uncommon either, as Heal Bell gives it a niche over other electric types, while Rest and the held item Leftovers provide for some reliable recovery. And if you feel bold, you can even run an Agility set on a Timid-natured Ampharos, so that it will be able to outspeed some things out there at the cost of some special attack.

I don't know what Ampharos is doing here, but it sure looks suggestive. Don't forget
we're looking at a kids' show here, though, so it's probably nothing to worry about.

I absolutely adore Ampharos. It is so cute for a stage 2 Pokémon, it has a fabulous Mega evolution, its shiny is enormously pretty and it is an absolute beast in battle. What more can you wish for? I have used this Pokémon several times in playthroughs and it never left me disappointed in the slightest. On the contrary, even, it always turned out to be the favorite on my team. Then again, electric is always a good typing, as it only has one weakness - to ground, that is - and as moves from that type often tend to induce paralysis, which slows opponents down. At any rate, Ampharos is 100% worthy of a perfect rating!

Rating: 5/5

#170 - #171: Chinchou & Lanturn

To those of you who think I just skipped number 169 in the National Pokédex: you haven't paid attention to my blog at all. I talked about Crobat along with Zubat and Golbat in a previous entry, because they're obviously related through evolution. Besides, it's bullshit not to discuss a certain evolution even though it was introduced in a later generation, right? Trust me, I will be 'skipping' quite some Pokémon in the future.

Old official art for Chinchou and Lanturn, drawn by Ken Sugimori.

Let's move on to the Pokémon with the unique water/electric-type combination: Chinchou. Of course, it owes its typing to its origin, as it is based on the anglerfish. More specifically, it is based on the footballfish, which can be seen in its name as well: Chinchou and its Japanese name Chonchie (チョンチー) are derived from chōchin, which is Japanese for 'lantern' and can be found back in the Japanese name for the footballfish, chōchin-ankō. The interesting thing is that it doesn't overly behaves like an anglerfish: in the anime it can be seen standing on its two little legs while on land, something an actual anglerfish can't do. I don't think the antennae of anglerfish have so many positive and negative charges flowing through them that it makes even them tingle, either. But, above all, Chinchou looks cute and friendly, as opposed to the predatory anglerfish with two rows of sharp, big-ass teeth visible in their gigantic mouths.

Adorable fan art of Lanturn. 

And its evolution Lanturn? Well, Lanturn is just as cutesy and huggable as Chinchou is, although it has more of an anglerfish body shape than Chinchou as well. Despite its adorable aesthetic, it shows the behavioral traits of real-life anglerfish: it uses its Y-shaped antenna to lure prey and gulp them down after blinding them with a flash of light first. The orbs on its antenna contain a colony of bacteria that create a chemical reaction, which can be compared with how a battery generates electricity, and the light Lanturn produces is so strong that it can illuminate ocean floors and even penetrate the sea's surface from the very depths of the ocean. That's why it is popularly nicknamed 'the Deep-Sea Star'. Otherwise, Lanturn is quite the interesting Pokémon. Too bad its namesake is a little unimaginative, as it literally derives from 'lantern', but whatever. I have never used Lanturn once in a playthrough and I would love to sometime, but the problem is that Chinchou is generally capturable late-game, and by that time I'll already have a full team of six Pokémon most of the time. Maybe Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon will provide us with a chance to catch Chinchou early on in the game, but for now I'm just really happy I can write an article about it.

Cute how Lanturns allows itself to be used as underwater
transportation for Manaphy.

I can hear you asking, "But what about its utility in the competitive scene; can't you just use it on your competitive team?" Well yeah, I could, but I'm not that much of a competitive battler and I really don't have the time or patience to breed a perfect Chinchou and start EV-training it properly. That is not to say Lanturn is not a good asset to any team: with its base 125 HP stat, it is an incredibly bulky Pokémon, even though its defenses are only mediocre. Its special defense is inarguably better than its defense, so you might as well make use of it by giving it a Calm nature and a support moveset. Heal Bell is a must-have in order to cure your teammates from a status conditions such as poison, sleep or a burn, while it can learn Toxic and Thunder Wave in order to induce poison or paralysis on the foe. You might want to consider Protect as well so that it can stall for a little Leftovers recovery, but Volt Switch and Scald should definitely be included in Lanturn's moveset. You'll find that Lanturn is very hard to take down, even with its low defense stat, although you can cheat a little by giving it a Bold nature instead of a Calm nature. It's not a terrible idea by any means, but it just generally better to make use of a Pokémon's best stats.

Speaking of which, Lanturn's special attack is tied with its special defense as its second best stat. Smogon lists some offensive movesets for Lanturn, but I'm second-guessing whether that would really be the best option. Correct, with a Modest nature, the Choice Specs or an Assault Vest, and a couple of good offensive moves, Lanturn can put in some work. Still, its base 76 special attack is not really suited for competitive play, at least in my opinion. Then again, Lanturn can endure quite some (special) hits naturally, so it might very well be a valuable offensive asset to your team. It learns a decent amount of coverage moves, too: Hydro Pump (can be replaced by Scald if you think it's too inaccurate), Thunderbolt, Volt Switch and Ice Beam is a very good offensive moveset, while Signal Beam and Dazzling Gleam aren't bad for some bug- and fairy-type coverage, either. Oh, and make sure its ability is always Volt Absorb, which renders electric-type attacks used against it completely useless while still healing some HP when hit by one. Its hidden ability Water Absorb does the exact same thing, but with water-type moves instead; however, Lanturn is already resistant to water and its water/electric typing makes it so that electric-type moves against it are neutral hits, as water is usually weak to electric. Illuminate doesn't even have any effects in battle, so you'd be smart to ignore that ability completely.

I guess this is not what Game Freak intended for Lanturn to look like.

In the end, Lanturn is a great Pokémon sporting a unique typing and design, and I would love to use sometime. It may not be the best battler in the world, but I think Lanturn is supposed to be more of a support Pokémon, anyway. I like how it is based on the anglerfish; it's such a unique animal. Some say Lanturn is also based on a dolphin and that its origin contains a small piece of the Greek legend of Apollo, who was the god of light and rode a dolphin, but that's a little bit farfetched. I don't think Lanturn is dolphin-like in the slightest; and besides, Pokémon freaks have been anticipating a true dolphin Pokémon for ages, which makes me think they don't consider Lanturn a dolphin at all. Dolphin or not, I still love this thing, and that's why I'm granting it an excellent rating of 4.5 stars.

Rating: 4.5/5