#123, #212: Scyther & Scizor

Scyther in all its glory.

Oh man, these Pokémon.

Remember when Scyther was awesome back in the day? Yeah, it was one of the better-designed and most popular Pokémon, but it has lost its appeal a little over the last fifteen years or so. Even in the time of Red, Blue and Yellow Scyther wasn't all that, just because it didn't learn any STAB bug- or flying-type moves other than the weak Wing Attack, which was still a whopping 35 power back then... and that was only in Pokémon Yellow. Sure, critical hits were based on speed and Scyther was one of the fastest Pokémon the game, so you could just spam Slash. Crits galore! Fortunately, Game Freak have only improved Scyther since then, giving it the awesome Technician ability (which increases the strength of moves with 60 power or less by 50%) and some moves that can benefit from it, such as Bug Bite and Aerial Ace. In the second generation, Scyther even got an amazing evolution named Scizor. The problem is that Scizor is superior to Scyther in every aspect except speed: Scizor becomes much slower in exchange for a little more bulk, a better attack stat and the ever-so-useful steel type. It even retains Technician, and from X and Y onward it even has been able to Mega-evolve.

Fan art of Scyther and Scizor. This image suggests that they are
equals, as they have roughly the same height and take the same
stance. 

Both Scyther and Scizor have a base stat total of 500, which is highly unusual in an evolution line; Pokémon typically get stronger when evolution triggers, but apparently this doesn't seem to apply to Scyther and Scizor. In fact, Scyther is the only pre-evolutionary form that has the same base stat total as its evolution. It does evolve by having it hold a Metal Coat and trade it away, but this is hardly the reason why Scyther and Scizor's base stat total is exactly the same; even Steelix's is much higher than Onix's (just like Scizor, though, it has lost some of its speed). My theory is that Scyther had good stats for a basic Pokémon already and that it didn't particularly need to become stronger; Scizor would have been way too overpowered - close to legendary status - if it had kept Scyther's excellent speed stat upon evolution. Great attack, great speed and decent bulk? Nigh impossible to take down, I'd say. Instead, you should see Scizor as an alternative to Scyther: the former has the all-important steel typing (this makes Scizor 4x weak to fire, but it's its only weakness) and is stronger and bulkier, while the latter has a STAB Technician-boosted Aerial Ace or Wing Attack and can make use of the Eviolite. By the way, I am not even counting the fact that I think Scizor is much more awesome than Scyther. When I was a kid, Scyther was one of my favorite Pokémon, but this shifted to Lugia and Scizor instead, and that hasn't changed much over the years.

Fan art of Scizor showing off its badassery.

Why, let's take a look at their Pokédex entries, shall we? Scyther is obviously based on the praying mantis and the mantidfly, and while the blades of mantises aren't that sharp, Scyther's are: they are able to slice through logs and become even sharper when used to cut through hard materials. With ninja-like agility and speed, it can create the illusion that there is more than one of them or become too fast for the human eye to track. And how about Scizor? Well, despite its name and its Gen. II classification as the 'Scissors Pokémon', which Game Freak corrected in Gen. III, its claws are more like pincers instead of scissors. Scizor can't rely on its dismal speed, so it uses its eye-patterned pincers instead to swing them and create the illusion that it has three heads. The pincers can crush any hard object to bits (even concrete when Scizor gets a chance to Mega-evolve). And while Scyther barely uses its wings to fly, Scizor is completely incapable of flight. It uses its wings to adjust its body temperature instead, because apparently its steel body can't handle its own hotness, ha ha ha.

Anyway.

Watch out, because Scizor is coming at you!

Competitively, Scizor is a pretty straightforward Pokémon: it is supposed to hit anything with tremendous strength, especially since it has a Mega. And as Scizor isn't very fast to begin with, you might want to max out its massive attack stat by running one with an Adamant nature, while an Impish nature focuses more on Scizor's defensive side. An ideal moveset might consist of Swords Dance, Bullet Punch (STAB and boosted by Technician), Bug Bite (ditto) and Roost for healing purposes. U-Turn can be used to gain momentum, as switching out after doing some damage is better than hard-switching, while Defog removes entry hazards and Knock Off can knock off the foe's item. This move isn't uncommon in competitive play lately, as it has been upgraded from 20 to 65 power since the days of X and Y. It is also capable of learning some fine coverage moves like Night Slash, X-Scissor, Iron Head, Brick Break, Superpower and Acrobatics (has a base power of 55, but this doubles when the user isn't holding an item). Want some Technician-boosted moves instead? Well, how about Aerial Ace? 60 power, never misses. Or Fury Cutter, a rather unreliable move with a base power of 40 that doubles every time it is used, which renders Technician useless most of the time. Metal Claw (50 power), Pursuit (which has 40 power and doubles when the opponent switches out on the turn you use it, in which case Technician doesn't trigger), Double Hit (hits twice for 35 power a pop, and with Technician it hits harder than Return) and Thief (60 power) are moves to consider as well. Don't like Mega Scizor? You can give regular Scizor a Life Orb or a Choice Band and still be good.

I don't know whether this is an action figurine or 3D art of Mega Scizor (the official
art is embedded in the original image for comparison), but it looks awesome! :D

I'd still recommend the first moveset I first mentioned, though, even for Scyther (except Bullet Punch; Scyther doesn't learn it and it should be replaced by Aerial Ace instead). However, a Jolly nature is very common on Scyther, especially combined with a Choice Scarf. It greatly benefits from the Eviolite as well, buffing up its defenses a little while still hitting like a truck. But Scizor's awesomeness can't be denied and that is exactly why I recommend it over Scyther. No, honestly, I fell in love with this thing when Gold and Silver came out and my love for it has only intensified when I saw its Mega form, and that's why it easily gets a perfect rating from me. Go, Scizor!

Rating: 5/5

#84 - #85: Doduo & Dodrio

Doduo can run extremely fast, but there is no way it's faster than
Dodrio...

So, here we have 'em: Doduo and Dodrio, the first Pokémon that are completely based off of an extinct animal.

Well, the Bulbasaur line could very well be based off of a dinosaur, but the suffix -saur is probably derived from the same Latin word, meaning 'lizard'. I think that's plausible.

Anyway, while dodos didn't really have two heads, let alone three, Game Freak are known for bending the rules a little. Besides, this is Pokémon, so it doesn't hurt making an extinct bird a little bit more interesting. Right? Well, the FireRed Pokédex says that Doduo was discovered as a sudden mutation, so that explains something. Having two heads is useful anyway, because while one head is always awake and alert and keeping an eye out for enemies, the other head sleeps for two. It is theorized that this is possible because the heads have identical brains and communicate with each other through telepathy. Despite the fact that Doduo aren't particularly good fliers (they run on their strongly developed legs instead, being able to reach speeds up to 60 miles while leaving four-inch footprints wherever they go), they are capable of learning Steel Wing, Fly, Brave Bird and Sky Attack. One could argue that Doduo and Dodrio are still birds, which is why they can learn these moves in the first place, but that makes no sense, as they have no wings. Come to think of it, dodos had wings, even though they were tiny and couldn't be used to fly with. Therefore, Duduo and Dodrio have more in common with modern-day ostriches, and possibly moas (an extinct species of flightless birds endemic to New Zealand) and emus.

Proud Mom Dodrio watching its cute little baby Doduo hatch
from the egg.

Dodrio, however, is where Game Freak show a little inconsistency. While Doduo's Pokédex entries mention that it can run up to 60 miles per hour, Dodrio's entries tell us that it can run up to 40 miles per hour. Yet Dodrio's base speed (100) is higher than Doduo's (75), which makes sense, as a Pokémon's base stats usually improve upon evolving. My guess is that mistakes were made when Dodrio's Pokédex entries were written and that Dodrio are actually capable of running 140 miles per hour. Yeah, let's go with that. One specific characteristic of Dodrio backs up my theory as well: Dodrio has three sets of heart and lungs, which allows it to oxygenate and pump blood through its body, giving it increased endurance to run vast distances without rest. I bet it can also run extremely fast because of that. One thing is certain, though: Dodrio is a whole lot different than Dodrio. Each head now has its own working brain and distinct personality, respresenting joy, anger and sorrow respectively, although I mainly see two pissed-off heads and one bored one (see Dodrio's official art below to compare). The brains collect data, formulate and then execute complex plans and strategies, but Dodrio may sometimes over-think and -analyze a situation, causing itself to be immobilized and unable to carry out any action whatsoever. If the heads squabble with each other, they won't stop until at least one of them gets to eat, which will also satisfy the other two heads. Like Doduo, Dodrio likes to keep one head awake to stand guard and look out for enemies while the other two heads are asleep. That is a whole set of characteristics worth mentioning, which gives this Pokémon a little dynamic, personality and originality.

Official art of Dodrio.

That is definitely not the case in the games, especially in the competitive scene. There are a lot of other normal/flying-type birds that are better than Dodrio, including Pidgeot (who has a Mega evolution), Swellow and Staraptor, but that doesn't mean Dodrio is useless. Its base speed compared with a Jolly nature, EV investment in speed and attack, and a Choice Band as hold item makes it hit its opponents fast and hard (although the Choice item limits it to using only one move until it switches out, after which the item will reset). When it comes to moves, Dodrio doesn't learn a whole lot of useful moves, but just enough to fill in a decent moveset: Brave Bird is a strong STAB move but deals recoil damage, Return hits for 102 base damage when Dodrio's friendship level is maxed out, and Quick Attack finishes off opposing Pokémon that don't have much health left. As for the last slot, Dodrio has access to a move that the likes of Swellow and Staraptor can only dream of (Pidgeot has been a special attacker ever since it has a Mega, so it doesn't benefit from it): Knock Off. This is a dark-type move that deals double the damage (its base power is 65) when knocking off the opposing Pokémon's item. It's a shame Dodrio doesn't have any abilities that help it. Run Away makes it run away from wild Pokémon, but it has no effect in battle and is practically useless anyway, as Dodrio is already fast as is. Tangled Feet raises its evasion when it is confused, but is way too situational; besides, it is advised to switch out confused Pokémon before they hurt themselves and whittle away at their own health. Early Bird, which causes Dodrio to wake up early when it is put to sleep, is the only good option.

This fan art of Dodrio shows the distinct personalities of the head - anger, joy and
sorrow - better than its official art.

Dodrio is an interesting Pokémon with a fascinating set of characteristics and a funny design. Unfortunately, even though it is far from a bad attacker, it's not really a popular Pokémon to use. And although it's not useless, it isn't a particularly useful one, either: there are plenty of Pokémon that can do a better job at what Dodrio can do. On the other hand, with its three heads and a design based on an extinct flightless bird, Dodrio is probably the most original normal/flying type out there. Hey, I just like it a lot, and that's why I'm giving it a four-star rating.

Rating: 4/5

#83: Farfetch'd

Official Ken Sugimori art of Farfetch'd.

Oh, man. THIS thing.

Okay, first things first: let's take a look at Farfetch'd's concept. It's a duck. That much is obvious, at least. It's a tasty duck at that, because Farfetch'd is a delicacy and makes for a delicous meal, especially when cooked with leek. Now, let it be the case that Farfetch'd is always carrying a leek stalk or a spring onion with it in its wings, sometimes fighting over the best sticks with other Farfetch'd. In fact, it is unable to live without one, as it serves as a weapon, nesting material and emergency food source. And its own garnish, apparently, because Farfetch'd is almost extinct due to it being hunted down for food in the first place. Survival of the fittest? Well, Darwin's evolution theory definitely does not apply to Farfetch'd. It does leave food for thought, though (pun intended). I mean, think about it: this means that the Pokémon world is pretty much like our world, in which we keep animals as a pet but also slaughter them in order to consume them. If we assume that there are no ordinary animals in the Pokémon world and the people there also eat other kinds of meat than just Farfetch'd, there is a big chance that Pokémon like Miltank and Tepig are also kept for slaughter. However, with the exception of the occasional wacko, nobody in our world keeps a cow or pig, usually animals kept as livestock, as a pet. Nor would anybody eat their dog, cat, hamster, goldfish or canary, while we're at it. Pokémon, on the other hand, are often regarded as people's friends, pets and even fighting tools. If you take that into account, I'd figure it is hard, and even somewhat callous, to eat a Pokémon you know you can have a strong bond with or you know can be useul in battle. Like I said: food for thought.

Farfetch'd repeatedly beating Psyduck on the head with its stick.
And the poor thing already suffers from severe headaches. 

Not that Farfetch'd (whose name may be inspired by a Japanese saying that can be translated as 'a duck comes bearing green onions', which means as much as 'something suprising but convenient') is much of a fighting tool, anyway. In fact, its stats are awful. Terrible. Horrendous. Disastrous. Dreadful. Horrible. Horrific. Abominable. You name it, goddammit. Its defenses are mediocre at best, but they won't help it, because its HP stat really doesn't back them up. Farfetch'd's speed is awful; it would have to take a hit from its opponent before it can make a move, which it isn't capable of in the slightest. Of its attacking stats, its physical attack stat is the best, although it still isn't all that. Farfetch'd has access to one nifty move that can raise it by two stages, though: Swords Dance. And if you manage to have the opponent lower one of Farfetch'd's stats, which I don't recommend at all, its hidden ability Defiant will raise its attack by two stages as well. Combine that with its signature item Stick, which increases its critical hit ratio, and physical moves that have a high chance to crit, such as Slash, Night Slash and Leaf Blade, and you might have a somewhat decent Farfetch'd. No success guaranteed. It's a shame Farfetch'd isn't a little bit stronger, because it also learns some nice STAB moves like Acrobatics, Brave Bird and Fly, along with Poison Jab, Steel Wing and U-Turn. That is some nice type coverage; too bad it can't make use of it well.

Farfetch'd is a terrible competitive battler. Heck, it's even disappointing when you use it in a regular playthrough. It does have an interesting flavor to it, though (in this case, pun most definitely intended), and its design and concept are funny enough, so I won't give it a bad rating because of the fact it is absolutely worthless in battle. Now, if you'll excuse me, I suddenly have an inexplicable hunger for Peking duck.

Rating: 3/5

#41 - #42, #169: Zubat, Golbat & Crobat

Zubat is probably the most hated Pokémon. 

Next up to discuss is the most beloved Pokémon of all time... Zubat!

Wait a minute...

I think I got confused with another Pokémon; Zubat isn't loved by many at all, save for those people whose favorite Pokémon is actually Zubat and/or its evolution line. If anything, this Pokémon is probably the one Pokémon that is most hated on. This, of course, has everything to do with how frequently Zubat shows up while you're roaming the caves all over Kanto, Johto, Hoenn and Sinnoh. To be honest, Zubat and its evolution Golbat show up more often than you'd want 'em to, and in almost every goddamn cave at that, too. Yeah, I get why everyone is so upset about this eyeless freak bat (they gradually grew shut because they're constantly hiding from the sunlight in dark places), especially since Game Freak saw fit to let these bat Pokémon return to practically every cave in Hoenn and Sinnoh as well. I absolutely agree that's overkill, but personally I don't have a problem with Zubat and Golbat at all. And even though I do understand everyone's annoyance with this Pokémon, I don't understand those who whine about it. I mean, just slap a goddamn Repel on and get done with the area if Zubat annoys you so much.

Official art of Golbat by Ken Sugimori.

When you proceed through the games, though, you're more likely to run into Golbat instead of Zubat. You might think that would be just as annoying as running into Zubat, but at least Golbat isn't actually Zubat. One downside of encountering Golbat is that it is actually a vampire, because it feeds on blood from both Pokémon and humans to such extent that its blood type will change to that of its victim following a feed (300 cubic centimeters per bite!). It will then become too heavy to fly. What gluttonous little monsters they are, aren't they? Now, Zubat's description on Bulbapedia doesn't say anything about them being bloodsuckers as well (I suppose they are), but they can't be as bad as Golbat is described to be. On the other hand, in-game Golbat don't really suck your blood and they are, quite obviously, stronger than Zubat. They also have better moves. Therefore, it is battle-ready right off the bat.

Get it?

Yeah, lame. I know.

Anyway, that's not all regarding Golbat. Gold and Silver actually saw the introduction of Crobat, Golbat's evolution. While Golbat's attack stat is decent, it isn't very strong on its own. Prior to Gen. II, you didn't have a choice but to use one if you wanted to use it in the first place, but as of Gen. II, you'd do better to evolve it into Crobat immediately. Well, immediately... Golbat evolves when it has a high friendship level, and that friendship level is high enough after having run around like a madman for 30+ minutes.

Crobat by night. Well, it's a bat, what did you expect?

But the hard 'work' pays off! Crobat isn't much stronger than Golbat, but that little extra strength is very much appreciated, especially in the competitive scene. An in-game Crobat's moveset is sufficient enough with just attacking moves like Cross Poison, Acrobatics and X-Scissor, but in the competitive scene, people use completely different moves. See, Crobat resides in the UU tier (underused), which, despite the name, can be a popular tier to play in. To mess with opposing walls, Crobat has Taunt to prevent opponents from setting up, Defog to clear any entry hazards like Stealth Rock and Sticky Web, Roost for some reliable healing, U-Turn to freely switch in to another Pokémon while still doing damage, and the ability Infiltrate to bypass screens and substitutes. Crobat has decent bulk to pull all that off, too. An all-offensive Crobat isn't unheard of either, especially not in combination with maxed out attack and speed stats, the hold item Choice Band, and egg moves like Zen Headbutt and Brave Bird (or maybe TM move Acrobatics for massive damage without the recoil damage Brave Bird does; but that doesn't go well with a Choice Band).

If you don't watch out, Crobat is a force to be reckoned with. My own experiences with Crobat have been nothing but positive and I actually like this Pokémon enough to give it a 4-star rating, to which Zubat and Golbat don't even come close.

Rating: 4/5

#21 - #22: Spearow & Fearow

Official art of Spearow.

Yeah, what is there to say about Spearow? Nothing much, to be honest, except that it's another of so many Pidgey clones. Well, it's not exactly a clone, but these normal- and flying-type bird Pokémon are nothing short of unimaginative, to say the least. That does not necessarily mean that they shouldn't be existing or that they're bad. On the contrary, there are some awesome 'common' normal/flying-type bird Pokémon. For example, Staraptor's shtick is the fighting-type move Close Combat and with its crazy attack stat it can pull it off quite well, while Talonflame's primary typing isn't even the normal type anymore, even though its most basic form - Fletchling - certainly is. Spearow and Fearow, on the other hand, aren't all that amazing. Their designs are pretty nice, nicely fitting in into their flavor (vicious prey birds), but that's pretty much it. There is absolutely nothing Fearow can do that other birds of later generations cannot. And most of the time, those other birds are better at it, too (with the notable exception of Unfezant, but I'll get to that one much, much later). Well, Fearow can fly for an entire day without landing due to its large wings and tremendous stamina, but I'm sure there are some real-life birds who can pull that off as well.

Fearow and Ho-Oh share quite a few features: the long necks, the thin faces, the
'mohawks', the talons, the bushy tails and their feather pattern are what they have
in common.

One thing that roams around the Internet is the suggestion that Fearow should somehow evolve into the legendary Pokémon Ho-Oh. I can't even blame the people who argue that it should, because Ho-Oh is basically a more extravagant and 'fabulous' form of Fearow, as they share quite a few features. Above image sums it up pretty well, even though it might be a little bit offensive towards the LGBTQ community. (I am gay as well, but this definitely made me chuckle, so...) By the way, I'm pretty sure most people, including me, will continue to see Ho-Oh as a stand-alone legendary Pokémon. That's what we're all used to, anyway.

Official Ken Sugimori art of Fearow.

But the big question is whether or not Fearow is capable for Pokémon battles, right? Yeah, so is it a good Pokémon? Well, it is... and at the same time it isn't. Fearow is moderately strong, as its attack is an acceptable 90, and with a base speed stat of 100 it is even faster than it is strong, but nobody in their right mind would use it in competitive battling. It is decent for in-game purposes, as it learns just enough moves to fill in a decent moveset: Drill Run, Drill Peck or Fly, and Return are must-haves. The weird thing is that it cannot learn the flying-type move Brave Bird in any way, so you'll be stuck with Drill Peck or the two-turn move Fly. Drill Run is nice ground-type coverage for electric types that comes its way, while Return hits hard for STAB (same type attack bonus) damage. The remaining spot could be filled in by either U-Turn or Steel Wing. The latter covers fairy types and, more importantly, ice and rock types as well, while U-Turn (which is a bug-type move) only covers grass, psychic and dark. Grass should be covered by Drill Peck, and Fearow is better off using Return against dark and psychic types, anyway. The thing with Fearow is that its defenses are complete and utter crap; it can live one hit, maybe two, but that's pretty much it.

I once used a Fearow in a playthrough and I was all but satisfied with it. I can't say I had good experiences with this Pokémon, but maybe I just had a Fearow with bad attack IVs (a Pokémon's invidual values that indicate how well a Pokémon's stats grow; my Fearow's attack stat didn't even surpass 100 at level 50). I would like to give it a bad rating because of that, but that wouldn't be entirely fair, because I don't dislike Fearow in any way. On the contrary, I actually like its design well enough to give it a 4-star rating.

Rating: 4/5

#16 - #18: Pidgey, Pidgeotto & Pidgeot

Fan art of Pidgey.

Ah, yes. Pidgey. This docile little bird was the first of many normal/flying-type bird Pokémon to come, of which two evolution lines will be discussed very soon, as they are part of the first generation of Pokémon. But when you step into the tall grass upon entering Route 1 in Red and Blue, Pidgey was one of the first two Pokémon you were able to catch, the other one being Rattata. And while Rattata evolves into Raticate quite early and Raticate is slightly stronger than Pidgeot is (although not by a landslide; Raticate's physical attack is just one base point higher than Pidgeot's), it was worth waiting until level 36, when Pidgeotto evolved into Pidgeot. Not only does Pidgeot looks cooler than Raticate, it is also more reliable due to its slightly higher defenses and its ability to learn Fly, which is always handy in a Pokémon game. Strangely enough, Ash didn't catch a Pidgey early on in the anime series, but a Pidgeotto, which would turn out to be one of his most reliable partners (although it has to be said that Ash attempted to catch a Pidgey before that, but failed miserably). However, like with Butterfree, Ash released his freshly-evolved Pidgeot, this time to protect a Pidgey flock nearby Ash's hometown Pallet Town from a flock of vicious Spearow led by the Fearow Ash encountered as a Spearow in the very first episode.

Pidgeot depicted as (Bird) Jesus from 'Twitch
Plays Pokémon'.

But don't we all remember Pidgeot from the disaster that is called 'Twitch Plays Pokémon'? Streaming service Twitch set up a digital version of Pokémon Red for everyone to play... simultaneously. Due to everybody inserting multiple commands at the same time (A, B, up, down, left, right, you name it), it soon became a mess and progress was made very slowly, and sometimes not at all. When Jay Leno the Rattata and starter Pokémon Abby the Charmeleon were released, the Pidgey caught at the beginning of the game became the team's leader and savior, sent by Lord Helix (Omanyte) to guide Red through the game. Especially after the second massacre, when eleven Pokémon were released by the Twitch Plays Pokémon crowd, Bird Jesus (as Pidgeot is so commonly referred to) bacame the mainstay of the entire team. Ingenious, making up a storyline for a Pokémon game played by tens of thousands of people at the same time. Of course, it was a 'historic' event in the eyes of many Pokémon fans, an event that many will always remember. Especially when you consider the fact that, of all Pokémon, a Pidgeot was the most important Pokémon that eventually led the team to sweet victory!

Official art of Mega Pidgeot.

However, Bird Jesus had been at an insanely high level throughout half of Twitch's playthrough. Can a regular Pidgeot lead a team to victory when a team is more balanced out? Well, when your team is more balanced out, you're likely to let your other Pokémon fight as well. That is not to say that Pidgeot wouldn't be a good addition to any team, especially as a Mega Pidgeot. That's right, it got a Mega evolution in Omega Ruby and Sapphire, and with a little patience you can just catch a Pidgeotto in the Safari Zone after beating or catching Kyogre or Groudon and evolve it into a Pidgeot after a little training. The Mega Stone necessary for Mega-evolving is obtainable long before that, anyway. But is Mega Bird Jesus good? Hell yeah! Whether it has a diverse movepool is a completely other matter, but it is fast and super strong, gaining a gigantic boost in its special attack and even some speed as well (which matches its flavor much better, as Pidgeot are capable of flying at Mach 2 speed). It also acquires the No Guard ability, meaning that both its own moves and its oponent's moves will never miss, not even when they have low accuracy. That effectively makes Hurricane, which normally has 70% accuracy, one of its staple moves.

In fact, Hurricane is its only staple move, as the rest is just for a bit of coverage. Heat Wave is almost always used in the competitive scene, while Hyper Beam can be handy for strong normal-type damage when nothing else is available to you (although it requires a turn to recharge). Defog, for getting rid of annoying entry hazards like Toxic Spikes and Stealth Rock, and U-Turn, for switching out while causing chip damage, are a thing as well. I even rocked out with a Mega Pidgeot who had Twister when doing an Omega Ruby playthrough, but I don't recommend using it competitively (unless you're really desperate).

The entire Pidgey line: Pidgey (up), Pidgeotto (left), Pidgeot (right) and
Mega Pidgeot (middle).

Personally, Mega Pidgeot is my second favorite Mega evolution, just because of its awesome streamlined design. It is one of the most subtle Megas design-wise, but man, does it hit the mark! Well, that depends on how you look at it, but there is absolutely nothing that keeps it from getting a perfect rating!

Rating: 5/5

#10 - #12: Caterpie, Metapod & Butterfree

Caterpie and Metapod.

I would like to start this review with saying that Caterpie was the first of the mandatory caterpillar-cocoon-butterfly evolution lines every generation, but I'd be lying if I did that: the second and fourth generation don't have such evolution lines. Neither does the fifth generation, strictly speaking, because Leavanny and Scolipede certainly aren't butterflies...

That is not to say, however, that Caterpie wasn't the first of many such evolution lines to come, the other ones being Weedle in Gen. I (in fact, Weedle and its evolutions will be reviewed right after Butterfree), Wurmple and its split evolutions in Gen. III, Sewaddle and Venipede in Gen. V and Scatterbug in Gen. VI. As for Caterpie, I can safely say that this Pokémon is nothing short of unexciting, to say the least. The only characteristic worth mentioning is that its antenna emits a horrible stench, which is something the larvae of papilio xuthus (Asian swallowtail) and papilio troilus (spicebush swallowtail) can do as well. It doesn't help that Caterpie looks exactly like those larvae. It evolves into Metapod early though, at level 7, just like all of the above-mentioned caterpillar Pokémon, with the exception of Sewaddle and Venipede from the fifth generation. No, Caterpie is extremely uneventful, utterly boring and ultimately forgettable indeed, but Metapod is where it gets interesting. Don't get too excited though, because Metapod isn't that fascinating.

The epic Metapod vs. Metapod battle in "Challenge of the
Samurai"; season 1, episode 4. 

However, there is one thing about Metapod that I will always remember: the epic battle of the two Metapod in "Challenge of the Samurai", the fourth episode of the Pokémon anime series. You all remember that samurai guy challenging Ash to a battle, right? Well, they both sent out their Metapod and all those Metapod could do was use Harden. I was eight years old when I saw that for the first time. Knowing that Pokémon was all about 'harsh' battles like the ones I saw in the previous episodes, this Metapod battle was so ridiculous to me that at first I looked at the screen with my dumbest stare for a few seconds and then started laughing. I couldn't stop with that for about five minutes, with some intervals here and there; my mom probably thought I had gone crazy or something. Well, the excitement of what has become the most boring as well as the most epic Pokémon battle in all existence didn't last long anyway, because Ash's Metapod evolved into Butterfree in that very same episode.

Ash's Butterfree (left) trying to impress the pink Butterfree
(right) with its colorful scarf during mating season.

Now, Butterfree is where things get moderestly interesting. An sich, Butterfree is not such a strong Pokémon and it isn't often used in the competitive scene. For in-game purposes, Butterfree is a decent Pokémon to use: its special attack got a boost in the sixth generation and it is capable of learning some very good special moves, such as Bug Buzz, Psychic, Shadow Ball and Energy Ball, along with Quiver Dance to give its special attack, special defense and speed a boost. You can even teach it Dream Eater if you want to play the Compound Eyes/Sleep Powder/Dream Eater combo (you might not want to bother with that though, as the TM for Dream Eater is only available post-game). So what is it that we'll all remember Butterfree for? Well... the anime, of course. And yet again it's Ash's Butterfree I'm talking about. In the 21st episode of the anime, "Bye-Bye Butterfree", Ash and his company come across the Butterfree mating season and Ash lets his own Butterfree try to find a mate. It's the pink Butterfree (which is not the official shiny form of Butterfree, mind you) Ash's Butterfree falls for. After some failed attempts to impress her, Team Rocket attacks and they are ultimately stopped by... right, Butterfree. Needless to say that Pinkie is impressed by Ash's Butterfree now, and Ash releases his Pokémon after an emotional good-bye.

It is that emotional good-bye that we'll always remember, but in the end, Butterfree isn't all that unforgettable. It's a decent Pokémon all around: its design is decent, its stats are decent and it's usable in a playthrough, but there is nothing about it that makes me want to love it. I don't hate it either, though; I like it well enough for a passing grade!

Rating: 3.5/5

#4 - #6: Charmander, Charmeleon & Charizard

Charmander and Charmeleon.

Oh yeah, cute little Charmander. From the moment Red and Blue came out, this fiery lizard has been many people's favorite Kanto starter. Some took a liking to Squirtle as well, while Bulbasaur was crying in a corner most of the time; at least that's what I think. This is not without a reason, though: we all unanimously and unhesitantly agree that Charmander's final evolution, Charizard, is awesome (except Ash's Charizard, who was a total jerk, like, ALL THE FUCKING TIME!). Charmander is already cute and interesting by itself (the flame at the tip of its tail is an indicator for its health and emotions; it burns intensely when Charmander is at good health, but when it goes out, Charmander dies), but Charizard is totally badass. And while Charizard's badassery has slightly decreased over the past ten or fifteen years or so, due to an increasing amount of new amazing Pokémon that were introduced every three or four years, Pokémon X and Y gave a boost to Charizard by giving it not one but two Mega evolutions. In fact, it is one of two Pokémon who actually got two Megas, the other one being Mewtwo. And with that, Game Freak have given in to many people who had been nagging about why Charizard should actually have been a dragon-type Pokémon by changing its typing from fire/flying to fire/dragon upon Mega-evolving (of course, this only applies to Mega Charizard X). This indicates that Game Freak know that Charizard has been a fan favorite from the very beginning.

And the Charizard hype was REAL, dude.

While playing Red and Blue, I always chose Charmander as my starter, even though I kept having trouble beating the first Gym Leader with it. But back in the day I was still a little kid and building a team around a starter proved to be a dificult task to me (today I can't even imagine not having a team of six equally leveled Pokémon), so that's why I always played through the game with one Pokémon only: my starter, which happened to be Charmander every single time.

The holographic TCG card of Charizard
everyone was so hyped about back in the days.

And that wasn't all of it. When there were only a few expansions to the official Trading Card Game, the holographic Charizard card from the base set was by far the card everyone desired to have in their possession. I got extremely lucky and pulled this Charizard from a booster pack, and when I showed it to the other kids in my class, they all wanted me to trade that card with them. Needless to say that I refused to do that. In the end, my 'popularity' was short-lived: eventually, other kids managed to get their hands on said card, too. I happened to be the first one with that holographic Charizard, that's all. And do you remember the Topps Pokémon cards? My brother and I collected them as well (even though I liked the TCG cards a lot more than these Topps cards) and once, while we were on a holiday, my brother traded all of his Topps cards for a Topps Charizard card. I personally thought my brother was crazy for doing so, but he loved Charizard so much that he did it anyway. All of this is proof how popular Charizard was back then. That has all changed, though. Kids nowadays aren't that engaged with Pokémon anymore, and the kids who actually grew up with it and still play it as adults probably have other favorites by now. I am no different: Charizard used to be my favorite Pokémon (which is no wonder, as there were only 151 Pokémon twenty years ago; now there are 720), but today it doesn't even show up in my top 50. So how well does it do compared to other, newer Pokémon?

My brother traded ALL of his Topps Pokémon cards for just this one Charizard card.

Pretty well, actually. Daenerys' dragons would be jealous as hell: Charizard can do more than just spit fire. Due to its newly obtained Mega evolutions, Charizard is often used in the competitive scene. And while I prefer Mega Charizard X over Mega Charizard Y design-wise, the latter is actually the better one to use competitively. Why? Well, the Tough Claws ability Mega Charizard X gains upon Mega-evolving is pretty neat, boosting direct attacks (most of those attacks are physical moves) on top of its heavily increased attack stat, but Mega Charizard Y gets the better ability: Drought. This conjures up the sun for five turns and increases Charizard's fire-type moves by 50%, not to mention the fact that Solar Beam doesn't need a turn to charge first. Mega Charizard Y can use this move right off the bat and that makes for some very decent type coverage.

Mega Charizard Y also has a higher attacking stat (159 special attack) than Mega Charizard X (130 attack). And yes, Tough Claws increases most physical moves, but the only physical fire-type moves worth mentioning are Flare Blitz, which does recoil damage, and Fire Punch, which has a base power of 'only' 75. Drought increases all fire-type moves, however, including the much stronger special-based moves Flamethrower, Fire Blast, Heat Wave, Overheat, and even Fire Pledge if you want to go combo (with Water Pledge and/or Grass Pledge, obviously). The only downside to Mega Charizard Y is that it retains its flying typing, which means it still has a quadruple weakness to rock-type moves.

Art of Mega Charizard X (left) and Mega Charizard Y (right)

In the end, either Mega makes for a very good battler. It really doesn't matter which one you choose, because they both have their uses, although Mega Charizard X is a little more versatile; Charizard learns a great deal of good physical moves and fewer special moves than you would think. Is it better than Venusaur and Blastoise? Well... let's say it's definitely better than Venusaur, but I guess that's just my own opinion. And Blastoise? He's the next one on my list to review, so you'll just have to be patient! Meanwhile, I'll give Charizard a full rating of 5 stars. It's a shame I started off so badly with Venusaur, but this excellent rating of Charizard should make up for that, right?

Rating: 5/5