#250: Ho-Oh

Ho-Oh as seen in the very first episode of the anime series.

You know, I don't mean to offend anyone who loves Ho-Oh, but this Pokémon is nowhere near as sick as Lugia. Ho-Oh is the first Gen. II Pokémon to be shown in the anime, and in the very first episode at that, but it didn't get the attention Lugia got: it doesn't have its own movie or anime arc and the appearances it has made so far are merely cameos. And even though Lugia doesn't have the power to resurrect Pokémon like Ho-Oh does - the latter revived Entei, Raikou and Suicune during a war that caused the Tin Tower and Brass Tower to burn down - Ho-Oh got nothing on Lugia. Game Freak even took Ho-Oh's signature move Sacred Fire and gave it to Entei, who makes far better use of it, while Lugia is still showing off what I call Aeroblast awesomeness. Poor Ho-Oh; it's as if Game Freak knows Lugia is more loved and popular than Ho-Oh and that they're deliberately putting it in the spotlights on a continuing basis because that's what the audience want. Of course, Ho-Oh is the mascot of Pokémon Gold and Pokémon HeartGold, but Lugia even got its own GameCube game in Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness. I absolutely LOVE Lugia and I fully understand why it is getting more attention, but that doesn't mean I don't feel sorry for Ho-Oh.

Flaming homo Fearow. :')

Like, it's not as if it's a bad Pokémon or something. It has the same base stat total as Lugia, sitting at 680, so it should obviously do something right. Right? Right, so its base 154 special defense is by far its best stat, which means you could easily run a specially defensive Ho-Oh, right? Wrong. It's not even necessary to invest in some HP EV training, because its base 130 attack and base 110 special attack make it more of a mixed attacker. At least, that's what Ho-Oh could be used for, as it learns some nifty special-based moves aside from its excellent physical-based coverage, although it is more common to run an Adamant-natured Ho-Oh holding a Choice Band or Life Orb. Naturally, its moveset should consist of STAB Brave Bird, STAB Sacred Fire (which is a physical move, strangely), Earthquake and a fourth and final move that fits your needs. You see, Ho-Oh resides in Smogon's Uber tier, like Lugia. When you know for a certainty that the opponent is bringing a Darkrai to the battlefield, you can also be sure that it's going to put you to sleep with Dark Void. So in order to counter that, you can give Ho-Oh Sleep Talk, which is a move that selects any of its other moves to attack with and makes sure you hit the Darkrai or any Pokémon your opponent switches out into. However, if you feel safer with an extra coverage move, Zen Headbutt and Iron Head are both viable options.

Ho-Oh does have its flaws, though: it has a quadruple weakness to rock and thus it's heavily damaged by Stealth Rock - and any physical-based rock-type move for that matter, due to its relatively low base 90 defense stat. Even its hidden ability Regenerator, which heals Ho-Oh when it switches out and is an amazing ability otherwise, won't do much for it then. And, to top it off, this bird's base 90 speed makes it slower than a flying beluga whale. Go figure.

Ho-Oh in front of the Bell Tower, a.k.a. the Tin Tower. This
tower was rebuilt after the war that meant the destruction of the
Brass and Tin Towers, but the former was never renovated or
rebuilt.

Yeah, while Lugia's design is just plain fabulous, Ho-Oh's design, typing and origin actually make a lot more sense. While it looks like it's based on phoenixes in general - hōō is Japanese for 'phoenix' - its Cantonese and Mandarin Chinese names of Fuhngwòhng (鳳凰) and Fèngwáng (鳳王), respectively, refer to one specific phoenix called the fenghuang, a mythological bird from Chinese folklore that reigns over all the other birds. As it often replaces the rooster in the Chinese zodiac, it is often referred to as the 'August Rooster'. While in the West it is commonly called the Chinese phoenix, mythological similarities with the Western phoenix are superficial, although the fenghuang was often depicted attacking snakes with its talons and wings spread. Anyone who has seen or read Fawkes attack the basilisk in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets knows what the fuck I'm talking about. Ho-Oh may also be based on the Huma, a mythical bird from Iranian legends and fables that is said to never alight on the ground and instead to live its entire life flying invisibly high above the Earth. In several variations of the Huma tale, the bird is said to consume itself in fire every few hundred years and rise anew from its ashes. Apparently, it can do the same thing with others, which is an obvious wink to Ho-Oh's power of resurrection: it was seen to be reborn from its own ashes and had a hand in resurrecting the legendary beasts. Also, anyone who catches a glimpse of the Huma, or even its shadow, will be sure to be a happy motherfucker for the rest of their life. Same for Ho-Oh, because the rare pure-hearted few who bear witness to it are promised eternal happiness.

Additionally, the fact that Ho-Oh leaves a trail of rainbows and myths in its wake when it flies the skies continuously on its magnificent seven-colored wings (that's another Huma reference right there) in search for Trainers with a pure heart may mean it's based on Achiyalabopa, a bird god of the Native American Pueblo peoples. It is described as being extraordinary in size and having rainbow-colored feathers that are as sharp as knives.

Okay, this wallpaper is kind of lit.

Oh, Ho-Oh... There is absolutely nothing wrong with you, it's just that Lugia gets more love. And I'm guilty of paying all of my attention to your counterpart as well, because I absolutely ADORE Lugia and I don't think you're as interesting as my second favorite Pokémon. Lugia is unique, one of a kind; this whole phoenix thing, however, was done with Moltres before you came, and has been done all over with Fletchinder and Talonflame recently. Ho-Oh, you have been deprived of being put in the spotlights by Game Freak and Nintendo over and over again, while all the love went to Lugia. You know what? I'll give you a 4.5-star rating, maybe that'll cheer you up.

Ah, who the fuck am I kidding? Ho-Oh will spend its life hiding itself until it gets faith in humanity again, and I don't see that happen anytime soon.

Rating: 4.5/5

#249: Lugia

Film poster for the second Pokémon movie.

I am going to have so much fun writing this. This is even going to be the article I'm having the most fun writing since Togetic's entry, because Lugia is my second favorite Pokémon in existence. Of course, I fell in love with this thing when I saw the second Pokémon movie, Pokémon the Movie 2000: The Power of One. This movie also made me grow more affective towards Articuno, who is one of my favorite Pokémon ever and by far my favorite Kanto legendary. The plot is fairly simple: Lawrence III, a wealthy collector of the world's most valuable antiques, is out to capture the legendary birds Articuno, Zapdos and Moltres, but only in order to capture the more powerful Lugia. After Lawrence provokes Moltres by shooting ice cannons at its habitat and succeeds in capturing it on Fire Island, the world's climate begins to change. It seems that a prophecy, guarded by a talking Slowking, is about to come true and a disaster is on its way:

"Disturb not the harmony of fire, ice or lightning, lest these titans wreak destruction upon the world in which they clash. Though the water's great guardian shall arise to quell the fighting, alone its song will fail, and thus the Earth shall turn to ash. O Chosen One, into thine hands bring together all three. Their treasures combined tame the Beast of the Sea."

Lugia being awesome in the second Pokémon movie. It is using
Aeroblast in order to repel the iron triangles Lawrence III used
for capturing Moltres and Zapdos.

Meanwhile, Ash Ketchum and his friends Misty and Tracey - the latter of whom temporarily replaced Brock in the Orange Islands saga - end up in the middle of a storm, after which they get washed ashore on the beach of Shamouti Island. There, they meet the islanders, who are celebrating their annual festival following the prophecy's tale. When Ash is introduced as a Pokémon Trainer, the islanders become excited because they think he is the Chosen One spoken of in the prophecy (the "And thus the Earth shall turn to ash" part). Ash sets out on a mission and tries to retrieve the three glass orbs also spoken of in the prophecy, bringing them back to Shamouti's shrine where a girl called Melody will play the same tune she played at the festival - a tune similar to Lugia's cry. Of course, nothing goes as planned and Lawrence III even manages to capture Zapdos on Lightning Island, after which Ash teams up with Team Rocket in order to free Zapdos and the already captured Moltres. Once freed, the birds start to fight each other and venture out let Articuno, whom Lawrence is trying to capture at that moment, join the fight, destroying Lawrence's ship in the process. Lugia, noticing the commotion from the very bottom of the ocean, ascends and attempts to interrupt the fight. The rest of the movie shows Lugia getting injured, the legendary birds fighting each other, Lawrence III frustrating Ash's plans and Ash succeeding in bringing the orbs to the shrine. Peace returns and Articuno, Zapdos and Moltres return to their respective caves and Lugia returns to the bottom of the ocean.

Ritchie and Sparky (left) and Ash and his own Pikachu (right)
with the baby Lugia dubbed Silver, an obvious reference to the
game.  

I was absolutely awestruck by the appearance of Lugia when I first watched the movie, and when I caught it in the first game I ever played (Pokémon Silver) I trained it all the way up to level 100. It was the first Pokémon of mine reaching level 100 and I was mighty proud of it, goddammit. From then on, my love for Lugia became kind of an obsession, and I was absolutely ecstatic when Lugia appeared in an anime three-parter, consisting of the episodes "The Mystery Is History", "A Parent Trapped!" and "A Promise Is a Promise". In these, Ash and his friends bump into Ritchie, a boy whom Ash befriended earlier on in the Johto saga. Ritchie says he was told about a mysterious Pokémon and that he had spent extensive time researching the area. His story soon proves to be true when they meet a young boy called Oliver, who is acquainted with a baby Lugia he dubbed Silver. However, the young Lugia is accidentally discovered by Team Rocket (a scientist called Dr. Namba and a Rocket grunt, not Jessie and James), who capture it by luring it with a decoy. They hope to capture the parent Lugia soon, and they succeed when the furious parent whips up a storm upon hearing the news from Ash and Ritchie and falls right into their trap when it tries to rescue its child. Ash and Ritchie try to warn it, but are interrupted by Butch and Cassidy and ultimately end up in a cage in Team Rocket's underwater base themselves, along with Misty and Brock.

Lugia cuteness overload.

The last episode is probably the most action-packed one of the bunch, or at least the most suspenseful one. Dr. Namba enters the room where Ash and his friends are held and explains his evil plan: the head items Butch's Houndour and Cassidy's Hitmontop were wearing earlier in their fight with Ash and Ritchie are actually devices that enhance a Pokémon's energy, and Namba wants to use one of these amplifiers on the parent Lugia. Meanwhile, Oliver is still out and about and decides to go rescue the bunch. Upon entering Team Rocket's base he is helped by Jessie and James, who tell him where Ash and the rest are. Just as Dr. Namba is about to test his amplifiers on Pikachu and Sparky (Ritchie's Pikachu), Oliver quietly breaks into the room and punches in the lock code of the cage, enabling Ash to break out and slam himself into Namba.

After that they try to flee, but Namba sets off an alarm and the bunch is forced to fight Butch and Cassidy again. Luckily, Ash and Ritchie now know what the head items are for and order their Pikchu to destroy them and finish off Houndour and Hitmontop. As Butch and Cassidy flee the scene to ensure the parent Lugia doesn't go anywhere, they run into Jessie and James trying to set the Lugia free. A battle ensues and a dodged Flamethrower from the Houndour destroys one of the supports for the energy barrier that is keeping Lugia in. While Ash and Ritchie are stopped by Namba and his amplified Electabuzz when they try to rescue the baby Lugia, the parent Lugia severely damages the base, causing it to float to the water surface. Meanwhile, Ash's Pikachu distracts the Electabuzz so that Sparky has a chance to electrify Namba and his little controller for the energy amplifier.

Of course, the gang manage to free the baby Lugia and escape the base, but not before persuading the parent Lugia to stop going rampant and gaining its trust. This is demonstrated by a piece of debris falling on the gang, which is stopped by the parent Lugia when it sees they saved its child. In the evening, Lugia and its child head for the ocean, probably never to return.

Shadow Lugia from Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness.

You guys don't understand how much I ADORE Lugia. The three-episode Lugia arc is my favorite part of the anime, the second movie is my all-time favorite Pokémon movie, and the Crystal Lugia I have - although I have to say that I don't collect the TCG cards anymore - is the best card I possess. For the longest time Lugia was my favorite Pokémon ever, until Luxray came along in 2007 and Lugia was pushed back to a solid second place. Although... it might lose that spot to the recently revealed Torracat, because I am absolutely IN LOVE with that Pokémon already. Anyway, can you blame me for loving Lugia? Lugia manages to maintain a certain air of beauty and majesticness while still looking savage. It also seems to get more love from Game Freak, Nintendo and The Pokémon Company than its counterpart Ho-Oh, and rightfully so: it gets a movie and an anime three-parter, and it is the mascot of three games, making it the record holder of most number of times used as a game mascot. Silver and SoulSilver are obviously two of them, but a Shadow Lugia is proudly occupying the cover of Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness, the GameCube follow-up to Pokémon Colosseum. In Gale of Darkness, the criminal organization Cipher have rekindled their desire for world domination and created a Shadow Lugia codenamed XD001, claimed to be immune to purification. Naturally, it is your objective to thwart Team Cipher's plans and rescue this Lugia.

Awesome realistic art of Lugia, who resembles a plesioaur in
this picture. No wonder, as it is probably based on one. 

But Lugia's origin plays a big role in my love for this Pokémon, too. As demonstrated by the image on the left, Lugia is probably based on the extinct plesiosaur, although the name could be a reference to the beluga whale. It could also come from 'lutetium', a silverish element, and the Latin lugeo, which means 'to lie dormant', alluding to the way Lugia lies at the bottom of the sea. Speaking about that, Lugia may be based on the Japanese Shintō god of the sea, the dragon Ryūjin, as the two have similarities in mythology and Lugia's shiny colors even match those of the coral Ryūjin's palace was made of. And the ocean floor seems to be a big part of the mysterious 'Guardian of the Seas': it isolates itself in a deep-sea trench and tends to sleep in solitude, because the storms it could hypothetically spawn by flapping its wings can last as long as 40 days and could potentially inflict devastating damage. It is said that even a light flutter of its wings is capable of causing winds powerful enough to tear down cliffs and blow apart regular houses. Because of these traits, many people believe Lugia should have been a water/flying type instead of a psychic/flying type, and I am inclined to agree with them. It doesn't take anything away from my love for it, but psychic is kind of a weird type for Lugia and I think it should have been a water type. Even some TCG cards erroneously depict it as a water type. Go figure.

This artist used Lugia's official art for their work,
but it looks absolutely amazing!

In the games, Lugia is not as powerful. Its base attack and special attack are 'only' 90, which are decent for common Pokémon but seem to be disappointing on a legendary Pokémon with a base stat total of 680. Luckily, base 90 special attack is very decent to work with, although its base 106 HP, 130 defense and 154 special defense make it more of a wall than an offensive threat. With base 110 speed it is even quite speedy, and you don't see a lot of tanks that can move fast in the competitive metagame. Lugia has access to Multiscale, which is an ability that lets Lugia take half the damage from an incoming move when it is at full HP, making it even more defensive. A Bold nature makes it physically defensive, while a Calm nature makes it specially defensive; both make sure its special attack isn't hindered. It is used to set up screens like Light Screen and Reflect, making your whole team take one hit after another. It can use Toxic or Thunder Wave to inflict a status condition on the foe, Whirlwind to remove opponents that are setting up from the battlefield, and Recover for some reliable healing - alongside a little Leftovers recovery every turn. The Smogon set mentions Roost, but I'd recommend Recover; it is easily learned by Lugia at level 71, heals the same amount of HP as Roost does, has more PP and doesn't make Lugia vulnerable to ground-type moves the following turn. And if you do want an offensive Lugia, I'd recommend a Timid nature and the held item Choice Specs, because its special movepool is better than its physical movepool - although on both sides of the spectrum it learns conspicuously many water-type moves. Hmm...

Lugia (left) battling Shadow Lugia (right). And there is even more amazing fan art to
be found on the Internet; I'd recommend you go check it out.

Man, man, man. This Pokémon will probably never lose its spot as my second favorite Pokémon (the Torracat comment was a joke, although I'm absolutely fanboying over that adorable Pokémon already); I thought it was harsh to let Luxray dethrone Lugia as my favorite Pokémon, but I cannot control my feelings for certain Pokémon. This is also one of the longest articles I've written - Pikachu and Eevee's are longer, I think - but Lugia is worth every second I've spent writing about it. Although it has been pushed back to a second place, that second place is still nothing to sneeze at; and in any case, it is still my favorite legendary Pokémon ever. Just sayin'.

Rating: 5/5

#227: Skarmory

Skarmory being savage in its natural habitat.

So next up we have a steel bird. How do you come up with a steel bird exactly? Well, you take a look at a few myths from different cultures and combine them. The Stymphalian birds are a group of birds in Greek mythology and have bronze beaks, sharp metallic feathers they can launch at their victims and poisonous dung. They were the pets of the goddess of the hunt, Artemis, and were ultimately defeated by Heracles. The Russians speak of Gagana, a miraculous bird with an iron beak and copper claws and is often believed to guard other mythical creatures. Finally, there's the alicanto - or allicanto - which is a bird of Chilian mythology that is said to let its wings shine with bright, metallic colors during the night. The alicanto lives in caves in hilly areas containing minerals and feeds on gold and silver. It is said to bring luck to any miner who sees it; if the lucky miner follows an alicanto without being caught, he can find silver or gold, but the bird will guide the greedy miner off a cliff if it notices him following it. Aesthetically, though, Skarmory shares some traits with pteranodons (a genus of pterosaurs), paper cranes and hand fans. And let's be honest here: instead of being born as a whole, Skarmory looks like it came straight out of a building kit.

Skarmory being savage in TCG art.

But how did Skarmory get that armored hide? Well, it lives and is raised in very harsh environments, often building its nests in thorny bushes called briers, where continual scratching of their skins will eventually harden the chicks into an iron-like state. Skarmory engages in battles repeatedly, and because of that its blade-like wings become tattered and bashed in and eventually grow back after a year. They may look heavy, but they are actually hollow and light, can be moved independently and allow Skarmory to fly at speeds up to 190 miles per hour, according to Ruby and Omega Ruby (D/P/P and B/W/B2/W2 mention it goes 180 mph, but that's just a minor detail). Because its wings are so sharp, people in the past used feathers that had been fallen off to make knives and swords.

A more realistic approach of Skarmory. It looks savage.

Of course, because Skarmory is clad entirely in steel-hard armor, it is insanely defensive in competitive play. Basically it's Mantine's counterpart: whereas Mantine excels in special stats, Skarmory shines when it comes to its physical stats. First off, it's base 140 defense makes it a physically bulky bitch, while its base 80 attack is its second best stat and is decent enough in order for Skarmory to fight back. However, more investment is usually put into its HP and one of its defensive stats - its physical defense is high enough to pay attention to its special defense instead - and a support set is the most common set you'll find on a Skarmory. Whirlwind removes any Pokémon that try to set up and sweep from the battlefield, while Taunt prevents setting up at all and limits the opposing Pokémon to using only damaging moves. Skarmory has access to Defog, a move that removes all entry hazards on your as well as the opponent's side of the field, while Spikes puts an entry hazard of up to three layers on the opposite side of the field, thereby damaging Pokémon that come in - barring any flying types, that is, so for those you could use Stealth Rock instead. Roost is used for healing, but as this moves makes Skarmory lose its flying type, its steel typing leaves it vulnerable to ground-type attacks. Leftovers is used as a held item for some additional passive recovery, although a Rocky Helmet could be used against Pokémon that hit Skarmory with direct attacks and Shed Shell is an alternative against Pokémon with the Magnet Pull ability. Speaking about abilities, Sturdy prevents Skarmory from being OHKOed when at full HP, which is handy when you don't see a Fire Blast coming your way. It is inarguably the best ability for it.

And if you really want to go weird, a Choice Banded Skarmory with Iron Head, Brave Bird, X-Scissor and Rock Slide might do the job. In any case, one of the two STAB moves (Iron Head and Brave Bird) should also be on a support moveset so that Skarmory can fight back, so you're gonna have to choose which support moves you want on it.

Skarmory being a transporter for Steven Stone, which is... not all that savage,
actually. But it's still very cool.

I'm not quite done with this thing yet. In all hurry to explain Skarmory's origin and competitive use, I completely forgot to mention how much I adore this thing. I already thought it was cool, but it was never one of my favorite Pokémon. It also didn't make my top 50 of favorite Pokémon (seriously, don't read that blog; it's bad, worse, worst), but I warmed up to it in a Pokémon X Wonderlocke. It was one of the first Pokémon I received over Wonder Trade - I'm 100% sure it was before the first Gym, as I remember it completely walled Vivillon - and it stayed with me until the very end, contrary to other Pokémon I use in Nuzlockes or a variant thereof. Yes, I'm bad at Nuzlockes; my Pokémon die very often, especially when I'm trying to grind, but Skarmory stayed a part of my team until I beat Diantha, due to its bulk and excellent typing. I love this thing and it has easily become one of my favorite Pokémon to date.

Rating: 5/5

#458, #226: Mantyke & Mantine

As so many manta rays, Mantyke lives underwater.

Another baby Pokémon. Yay.

Fortunately, though, there is nothing special about Mantyke other than the fact that it only evolves into Mantine with a Remoraid in your party. As Mantine is always depicted with a Remoraid under its wing-like fins, this makes sense. In Remoraid and Octillery's entry I explained that attaching itself to a Mantine is an easy way for Remoraid to travel, while at the same time Mantine isn't bothered by the Remoraid on its wing in the slightest and just ignores it, so I guess these Pokémon are dependent on each other at times or at least willing to lend each other a hand (or a wing) when it's needed. This is a beautiful example of interdependent Pokémon relations, because we often see Pokémon as independent creatures that apparently don't need each other and Game Freak are doing little to nothing to change that image. At least when it comes to the core series games; I haven't watched the Pokémon anime in ages.

Official art of Mantine. While based on a manta ray, it looks like a
fighter plane with that Remoraid on its fin. 

But Mantyke is not where it's at. Mantine is where it's at; and to be honest with you, I think this Pokémon is kind of weird. First off, its secondary flying type leaves many people dazed and confused, but it's actually quite simple: like real-life manta rays, Mantine can fly up to 300 feet over the surface of the ocean when it builds up enough speed. Also, the Remoraid on its wing gives Mantine the look of a fighter aircraft, which further adds up to its flying type. Being water/flying instead of pure water, however, leaves it very vulnerable to electric-type attacks, as it has a quadruple weakness to them. It doesn't really matter, because Mantine is a bulky bitch. Its HP leaves a lot to be desired, but EV training solves that problem, and its natural special bulk allows you to invest some EVs in its defense instead. It's obvious Mantine is supposed to be a support Pokémon, but the thing is that it's not very good at it because it doesn't learn anything useful to go with its occupation. The best option is has is to poison its opponent with Toxic or burn it with Scald and then stall with Protect, or put up a Substitute against a specially offensive foe in order to get a free Toxic off. Of course, this set is best run on a defensive Mantine holding the Leftovers, although a specially offensive Mantine (Modest nature) with Choice Specs and moves like Hydro Pump, Scald, Signal Beam and Air Slash might get the job done as well.

Mantine above the surface of the ocean water, with Smeargle, Hoppip, Mantyke
and Wingull in the background.

When used right, Mantine can be a good Pokémon on any team. Too bad Mantyke and Mantine's flavour is a little bland, although the latter's design jacks up my rating a little. That means my eventual rating is going to be 4 stars, which is more than enough for Mantine; I think 3.5 stars is just a little bit too few, so then I'll just give it the benefit of the doubt.

Rating: 4/5

#225: Delibird

It would be a wise decision not to accept that present, even though
it's alluring. And no, that is not just a bag behind Delibird; that is
its tail.

Santa Claus, my asscrack.

That red-and-white color scheme looks nice and all, and it may give Delibird the appearance of Santa, but Santa doesn't give presents that explode in your fucking face. And Delibird tends to do that. Like, a lot. However, the bag-like tail contains not only exploding presents, but also food it collects for its chicks. It has been known to share its food with humans stranded in icy mountains, and there was once a famous explorer who managed to reach the peak Mount Everest and managed to survive because a Delibird shared its food with him. It's curious Delibird likes to live on mountain cliffs, because penguins are usually native to the southern hemisphere and live in the southern parts of South America and southern Africa and along the coast of Antarctica - they don't even live in the Arctic area. They usually stay in the vicinity of the ocean, and there is a good chance they'll never even get to come near a goddamn mountain in their 20-year lifespans. The 2007 documentary Encounters at the End of the World even contains footage of a lone mentally deranged and disorientated penguin waddling toward the mountains, heading to a certain death. As far as anyone can tell, the penguin is aware of what it's doing, so basically that means it's committing suicide. Harsh.

The feels, man. The feels.

You gotta love this art, only for the fact that Delibird is riding an
Arcanine. That's awesome. 

So, one could wonder why Game Freak made the mountains Delibird's habitat, while penguins apparently can't thrive in mountainous areas. However, they've made some questionable choices in the past, so I wouldn't worry too much about it. What matters is that Delibird - a rockhopper penguin in aesthetics, but a puffin (a penguin-like bird capable of flight) in characteristics - is a terrible Pokémon: it has a base stat total of 330 and its base 75 speed is the best stat it has. And prepare for some more horseshit, because Delibird doesn't even evolve, so you can't get any better; what you see is what you get. Unless you're clever enough to steer away from Delibird and choose another hazard lead, that is. I mean, the combination of Spikes, Rapid Spin and Destiny Bond seems like an interesting tactic, but Delibird's defenses are so ass that it's not even funny anymore. If Delibird had packed a punch, that tactic would have been worth it, but right now Delibird isn't even good enough to use in-game. And I know what I'm talking about, because I was forced to use it in a Pokémon X Wonderlocke once; what's more, it was the first Pokémon I obtained through Wonder Trade and - surprise! - it was the very first Pokémon to fall.

I love Delibird's design, but I hate how useless it is in battles, even despite its good physical movepool - including Fly. It even has two different abilities that do the exact same thing; both Insomnia and Vital Spirit prevent it from falling asleep in battles, and the only difference between the two is that the latter has an overworld effect. It's not even a significant one at that. I would like to give Delibird a perfect rating because I love its design so much, but I just can't. I have to subtract at least half a star because it's just a mere gimmick Pokémon, which means my final rating is a 4.5. Not bad either, right?

Rating: 4.5/5

#207, #472: Gligar & Gliscor

Ash is clearly doing something wrong if
his Pokémon is crying. Then again, if I was
a Pokémon, I wouldn't want Ash as my
Trainer, either.

Gligar seems to look like a combination of a bat, a scorpion and a gargoyle. The latter would be quite ironic, because gargoyles are building ornaments and usually tend to convey water from a roof and away from the side of a building, preventing rainwater from running down masonry walls and eroding the mortar between. And while they also have the function of frightening off evil spirits or demons and protecting the building it guards (most commonly a church), it is most often intended as a waterspout. Why it's ironic Gligar seems to be based on one, you ask? Well, Gligar is a ground-type Pokémon - with flying as its secondary type - and it's weak to water, so I wanna bet it can't convey it. The bat and scorpion elements are more eminent in its design, however, which is demonstrated by its Pokédex entries: it uses its membrane wings to glide from tree to tree or to fly directly to its prey, startling it then clamping onto its face with its clawed legs and pincers and finally injecting it with venom from its stinger. Gligar's typing has always been a little tricky, in my opinion, and I find it hard to see why it is a ground type. Because it's partly based on a scorpion, I think the bug type wouldn't look bad on it, but the type that would really fit it perfectly is the poison type. While it learns quite a few bug-type moves (U-Turn, Fury Cutter, X-Scissor, Struggle Bug and Bug Bite), it actually capable of learning a plethora of poison-type moves as well: Poison Sting naturally, a couple of TM moves like Sludge Bomb and Venoshock, and Cross Poison and Poison Tail through breeding. But ground? So, is the only distinction that it builds its nest on the edge of a cliff? Interesting, but it's hardly enough to define it as 'ground', so no, I can't say I see it.

Happy-go-lucky Gligar and Gliscor. I think that's just a façade and
that they're really ferocious motherfuckers. There, I said it. 

Of course, I mainly remember Gligar from the anime, in which Ash owned one that was quite a crybaby and was scared of heights and facing other Pokémon. It became somewhat clingy to Ash when it was gliding along with him and accidentally crashed into a boulder. Its fears disappeared when it had to evolve into a Gliscor in order to save Ash from a fall, but it was still the goofiest Gliscor I've ever seen, which I love. In reality, Gliscor isn't such a goofy Pokémon at all: it is a nocturnal Pokémon that emits a sort of sound wave in order to detect obstacles and fly around them - similar to echolocation - and it likes to sleep ot hunt for prey upside down; in short, it behaves very much like a bat. While it is capable of soundless flight, it uses winds and updrafts to glide from place to place, being able to circle the globe on just a single breeze. It even climbs to the top of tall trees to slide from tree to tree when there is no wind. Gliscor's legs don't seem to be suitable for walking, so on the ground it likes to... hop around? Goddammit, Game Freak, you don't make such a Pokémon do that. It's dumb. It's more evidence that Gligar and Gliscor shouldn't have been ground types in the first place, but at least ground/flying is a unique typing that only Landorus shares with them.

This is a very scary take on Gliscor. It doesn't
look quite like Game Freak intended it to, but
that's why some fan art is so awesome! 

While Landorus is a legendary Pokémon and is more of an offensive threat, Gliscor benefits from an excellent defense stat and respectable HP, which makes it a tanky Pokémon. Because it is already naturally physically bulky, you could go for a Careful nature to boost its moderate special defense instead of an Impish nature for its defense. However, the latter is a very viable option as well, and in the end it doesn't really matter which one you choose. What does matter, is its ability. Both Gligar and Gliscor have access to Hyper Cutter and Sand Veil; the former prevents their attack stat from being lowered, while the latter raises their evasion in a sandstorm, but neither are great. You want to have their hidden abilities: while Gligar has Immunity, which prevents it from being poisoned, Gliscor has an even better hidden ability in Poison Heal, which heals Gliscor a little every turn when it is poisoned. That's why competitive players often give it a Toxic Orb to poison Gliscor at the end of the first turn it's in play, and that prevents the opponent from inflicting another status condition on it, as Gliscor can't suffer from two status ailments at the same time. Basically, it's handier than the Leftovers. There are a couple of movesets you could run with Gliscor, but a support moveset is the more common one: Taunt is used to bait foes and lets them use only damaging moves, Toxic badly poisons an opposing Pokémon, Roost is handy to let Gliscor heal half of its HP, and Earthquake or Knock Off are viable options to inflict damage (the latter knocks off the opposing Pokémon's item, but Earthquake provides STAB). You could also go for a Swords Dance set and wreck house, especially when you use an Adamant or Jolly nature, or the Substitute/Protect combo. The Swords Dance set isn't quite as common, but Substitute/Protect has proved to be a very reliable combo for durability. It's your choice, I'm just mentioning all the options.

And just for the record, Gliscor learns a ton of attacking moves of many different types, so if you want to use it for in-game purposes, go ahead. It has the attack stat to hit relatively hard and the defensive stats to tank hits.

Another thing I love about Gliscor is that there is plenty of astonishing fan art like
this to be found on the Internet. It sure looks merciless...

I love this thing so much. From its stunning design, callous stance and vampiric looks to Ash's goofy Gliscor, all the breathtaking fan art from fans and its competitive utility, Game Freak have done a remarkable job creating Gliscor. Gligar needed an evolution and Gliscor is absolutely perfect. Even the evolution method isn't too hard to implement: just let Gligar hold a Razor Fang and level it up at night, and you'll have yourself a badass Gliscor. I haven't always loved it so much, but I'm glad to announce that I'm giving it a perfect rating now!

Rating: 5/5

#198, #430: Murkrow & Honchkrow

Murkrow.

So. Two more entries before I get to discussing Unown. Man, I can't wait to talk about Unown.

For now I'm gonna focus on Murkrow and Honchkrow, though. These Pokémon are obviously crows and Honchkrow is even the Lord Commander of the Night's Watch... oh wait, wrong franchise. Well, at least it is the Lord Commander of the Italian mafia, as it is not only based on a crow but on a mob boss as well. That's awesome. However, let's not jump ahead too much and take a look at Murkrow first. This bird can be taken to resemble a gang member under Honchkrow, although the crest on its head and its tail might also resemble a pointed hat and the bristles of a broom, respectively, giving it a resemblance to a witch in flight. Additionally, Honchkrow's tail looks like a besom broom, which, along with its hat- and beard-like feathers, give it the impression of a sorcerer or wizard. All this reminds me a little of Magica De Spell (in the Netherlands we call her Zwarte Magica, after zwarte magie, 'black magic'), who is a duck witch with a pet crow and continuously attempts to steal Scrooge McDuck's Number One Dime. It's all very innocent, of course, as it's Disney after all, but still...

Darker pieces of fan art are some of my favorite. This artist managed to make
Murkrow really ominous here, as seeing one is an omen of dark things to come,
although it is more of a prankster. 

And, lo and behold, Murkrow has a fondness for sparkly things and will steal objects such as jewelry to bring back to its nest, even when it comes directly from a woman's finger. Stealing glittering things is a trait that is more often attributed to magpies than to crows, but whatever. Contrary to popular belief, magpies and crows don't steal shiny things anyway, so it doesn't really matter. Murkrow does steal shiny things, and goes as far as to fight with other Pokémon that like them; Meowth and Murkrow even loot one another's stashes. Whenever it is chased, it loses its pursuer by leading it down a dark mountain trail, which it even does to other humans and Pokémon by way of a mean-spirited prank. People in the Pokémon world even get superstitious when it comes to Murkrow: they fear and loathe it and believe it to bring misfortune to those who see it at night.

Honchkrow acting as if it's putting a fedora on its head.

In short, Murkrow is nothing more than a criminal bird, which brings me to Honchkrow's origin. What, you want evidence that Honchkrow is based on the boss of a crime syndicate? Well, three leaders of villainous teams have had a Honchkrow on their teams so far: Giovanni from Team Rocket (who is a mob boss himself, which is a very nice touch Game Freak added there), Cyrus from Team Galactic and Lysandre from Team Flare. Its crest looks like a fedora hat, a piece of headgear often associated with mobsters, and its namesake screams it is based on a crime boss. Let's go:

English: Honchkrow is derived from 'honcho' - which in itself is derived from the Japanese word of hanchō - and means as much as 'leader' or 'boss'.

Japanese: Donkarasu (ドンカラス) is from don, Spanish for 'lord', and karasu, Japanese for crow. The Korean name Donkeurou (돈크로우) is a transliteration of Honchkrow's Japanese name and means exactly the same. This name actually makes the most sense, because 'Don' is a title many mafia leaders adopt.

German: Kramshef is a combination of Krähe and Chef, meaning 'crow' and 'boss', respectively.

Mandarin Chinese: Wūyātóutóu (烏鴉頭頭) is literally 'crow chief'.

French: Corboss is derived from the French word for 'crow', corneille (Bulbapedia says corbeau, but I'm going to contradict that because a corbeau is a raven), and 'boss'.

Still not convinced? Well, Honchkrow makes all Murkrow its bitches by uttering a deep cry, for which it is called the "Summoner of Night". It makes its Murkrow cronies bring it food and follow them when it wanders about at night. It is merciless by nature and never forgives the mistakes of its Murkrow followers. If that doesn't sound like a mob boss, then I don't know what does.

Honchkrow looks much more intimidating than Murkrow does.

Honchkrow is a great competitive battler as well. While Murkrow is just mediocre all around, Honchkrow gains much better HP and offensive stats and slightly better defensive stats when it evolves from Murkrow by use of a Dusk Stone (they're the only non-ghost types who can do that). Unfortunately, Honchkrow loses quite a bit of speed, so it is slower than its pre-evolution, which is never a good thing. Luckily there is a move that can get around that quite easily: Sucker Punch, which always hits first but fails when the target is not using a damaging move. Honchkrow has access to a great hidden ability, Moxie, which raises its attack by one stage when it knocks something out. Combine that with an Adamant nature and a Life Orb, and Honchkrow hits like a truck with moves like Brave Bird, Sucker Punch and Superpower (with Roost for reliable recovery). That's as far as useful moves go, though; it learns Steel Wing as well, but it's a rather weak move that's hardly worth the hassle. But fear not: there is another set that is worth your while. Honchkrow's base 125 attack is great, but its base 105 special attack is nothing to sneeze at, either. While it has no access to special-based flying-type moves, it does learn Nasty Plot naturally, with which it essentially doubles its special attack. In conjunction with a Modest nature and a Life Orb it can cause some serious damage. And it has access to just enough useful special moves, too: Dark Pulse, Psychic and Heat Wave are all viable options. It is advisable to go for Insomnia or Super Luck as its ability, though, as Moxie becomes useless when you decide to go for a special Nasty Plot set.

I think it's great Game Freak went for a mob boss Pokémon. It's such a unique concept; I don't think there are many animal Pokémon based on humans - in this case, a crow that resembles a crime boss. Well, there are humanoid Pokémon, but that's not exactly what I mean. While Honchkrow is not one of my all-time favorite Pokémon, it is definitely worthwhile of a 4.5-star rating. Honchkrow is a boss.

Rating: 4.5/5

#193, #469: Yanma & Yanmega

I guess the days that Yanma was the rare card in a TCG pack are
long gone. 

Okay, so this is one of those Pokémon whose typing American people are fussing about. Yanmega is clearly based on the dragonfly, so surely it should be a dragon type as well, right? Well, no. It makes perfect sense for Yanmega being a bug/flying type, as it is hardly based on dragons. English is one of only a few languages that adopts the word 'dragon' in the name of the dragonfly, the other one I could find being the Icelandic drekaflugur. The Dutch actually call the dragonfly a libelle, and this is by far the most common name, or variations thereof, I could distinguish, along with variations of the suborder the dragonfly belongs to, anisoptera. There are several other names to be found in other languages as well, but I'm not a polyglot (I only speak Dutch fluently, and I'd dare say I'm pretty good in English, too) so please don't quote me on all of this. All I know is that Yanma, at 3'11" and 83.8 pounds, is a big-ass dragonfly. Yanmega is even worse, sitting at 6'03" and 113.5 pounds, so I wouldn't want to encounter one in the wild. Both are probably based on a large prehistoric species of dragonflies that has long gone extinct, but especially Yanmega is based on this meganeura monyi. The fact that yanma is Japanese for 'large dragonfly' only backs this up.

Pretty nice, this piece of fan art. 

Yanma, who has some aesthetic traits with the red-veined darter, very much behaves like a common dragonfly: it makes sudden stops in midair and hovers in place by just flapping its wings. It can generate shock waves capable of shattering glass by flapping its wings very fast, something I doubt real-life dragonflies can do. Although Yanma doesn't have two arthropod-like eyes, it is capable of turning them 360° without actually having to move them around, very much like real compound eyes. Yanmega - into which Yanma evolves when it is leveled up while knowing Ancient Power, a move that both Pokémon have a quadruple weakness to - is a lot more terrifying. Both Yanma and Yanmega are predators, but Yanmega has immense jaw power, which allows it to bite apart its prey's head (decapitation?) while flying by at high speed, and its six legs can even transport a adult human being in flight. The shock waves it generates by beating its wings are even stronger than Yanma's: they cause internal damage to opponents and dislodge trees when Yanmega takes flight.

TCG art of Yanmega.

It proves to be just as terrifying in competitive play, as its quite capable base stat total of 515 doesn't exactly leave it vulnerable. Okay, it's defenses aren't all that - especially its special defense is awfully mediocre - but with 86 HP and defense it should be able to take a physical hit or two. I am going to dwell on two possible sets for Yanmega, the first being the Tinted Lens set. This set allows you to run Choice Specs, so to make sure Yanmega hits as hard as possible with its excellent 116 special attack: Tinted Lens lets all non-super-effective moves deal normal damage instead, while the Choice Specs increase Yanmega's special attack by 50% at the cost of limiting it to using only one move until switched out, so those are welcome boosts. Its other ability, Speed Boost, increases its speed every turn and works well in combination with a Life Orb and the move Protect, which prevents anything from happening to Yanmega. Although it is hard to use it twice in a row, just click Protect after you switch into Yanmega so that it can gain a free speed increase. Both sets should contain the moves Bug Buzz, Air Slash, and either Giga Drain or Ancient Power, while the Tinted Lens set fares better with something like U-Turn instead of Protect. A Timid nature is preferable in both sets, as it increases Yanmega's speed a little, but a Modest nature to focus on special attack instead isn't bad, either. Just know that a Tinted Lens set won't allow your Yanmega to outspeed many speedy Pokémon, while a few Speed Boost increases will.

Goddamn, that is a big-ass bug!

Yanmega is a weird thing that is suprisingly good in battle, especially when you consider it's an evolution of such a bad Pokémon as Yanma. While I'm not exactly fond of it, you can't say that I hate it, either. Its classification of the 'Ogre Darner Pokémon' looks quite confusing, but it's green and vicious - like ogres usually are - and it's based on the green darner dragonfly (its shiny form even on the less common blue female ones), so I won't question it. I have yet to use it on whatever occasion you can come up with - with other words, I have never used this thing before at all - so for now I'll give it 4 stars. Who knows, perhaps I'll max out its rating once I've gotten a chance to make use of it.

Rating: 4/5

#187 - #189: Hoppip, Skiploom & Jumpluff

One big, happy family: Hoppip (middle), Skiploom (left) and
Jumpluff (right).

I don't even have the faintest idea where to start with such insignificant Pokémon. It's funny I say that, too, because Hoppip might be derived from 'pipsqueak', which means as much as a person who's considered insignificant because of their small size or young age. That's not the reason why I'm calling Hoppip and its evolutions insignificant, though; no, the reason why I see them as such is because I don't think they're good Pokémon at all. Hoppip and Skiploom are actually terrible Pokémon: they have no attacking power whatsoever, and their defenses aren't anything to write home about, either. But if you think Jumpluff is where it's at, you're dead wrong. Okay, if you put some investment in its HP and one or either of its defensive stats, it might live two or three hits that aren't super effective, but it is generally a bad Pokémon. It's no good using it offensively, not even with its ability Infiltrator, which ignores the effects of Reflect, Light Screen, Safeguard and Mist and even bypasses Substitute. The only thing that Jumpluff could be used for, at least in my opinion, is for putting an opponent to sleep and then U-Turn the fuck out in order for you to switch into another Pokémon to finish that opponent off. Seems like as good a strategy as any, although there are other grass-type Pokémon who can do the exact same job for you while they're still packing a punch. They're probably not as fast as Jumpluff, but I guess you'll just have to accept that if you want a better Pokémon overall.

Cute Hoppip fan art.

Oh, you say there are better sets for Jumpluff? Well, it learns Swords Dance, and it looks great in combination with Seed Bomb and Acrobatics, but the latter only has a power of 110 when Jumpluff isn't holding any item, so that means you can't enhance its 'strength' even further with a held item if you want to use that move. And you might not have a choice at all, as it's the only good flying-type move it has access to and, above all, you're gonna need all the power you can get. What else should you run, a Bounce/Power Herb combo? It's better to just slap Memento (lowers the foe's attacking stats by two stages but causes Jumpluff to faint instantly) and/or Encore (locks the foe into an unfavorable move) on it and strategically try to maneuver another Pokémon of yours into battle and let it set up safely. Or just shy away from Jumpluff altogether.

I notice that this kind of art, in which cute Pokémon are thrown
on a heap, is fairly popular on the Internet. In this picture, a
shiny Hoppip is thrown into the mix. 

It's too bad I have to say that, because I absolutely LOVE Hoppip, Skiploom and Jumpluff's designs. They're based on the life cycle of a dandelion, which used to be my favorite flower when I was a kid, just because I would pluck them in the last phase of their life and blow the fluff away. The leaves on Hoppip's head, which have ragged edges, resemble those of the dandelion, while Skiploom's flower and Jumpluff's fluff are based on the middle and last stages of a dandelion's lifespan, respectively. Their names are a play on the phase , which means that something is just a short distance away. It's quite ironic, because Hoppip can drift away and uncontrollably fly long distances if they aren't careful, which is why they gather in clusters to protect themselves from strong winds that they can sense approaching.

Jumpluff.

Skiploom largely has its movements under control, though, and even tries to get closer to the sun in order to get some much-needed vitamin D. Nah, just kidding. It's just that the flower on its head opens and closes as the temperature fluctuates and blossoms when it gets warmer than 64°F. How much the bloom opens depends on the temperature as well, which is why Skiploom is often used as a thermometer by humans. Jumpluff very much behaves like a dandelion in the last phase of its life, as it drifts on seasonal winds to spread its spores and make offspring (yet in the games, Hoppip still hatch from eggs). Much like Skiploom, it hates rain and cold air currents, so it only rides warm southern winds. Even here, the phrase "Just a hop, skip, and a jump away" appears to be quite ironic, because Jumpluff uses these winds to cross seas and fly to far, foreign lands. I'm almost starting to think Game Freak's use of that phrase was meant to be ironic, but I don't think they're that clever, LOL. Also, it's a nice touch how Jumpluff's cotton-puff spores on/in its hands - I have no idea which one the fuck it is - resemble pom-poms; you know, those things that are often used by cheerleaders to cheer for high school sport teams. Maybe that's why Jumpluff is generally better to use as a support Pokémon, ha ha ha.

Okay, I'm lame.

I've always loved these Pokémon, but it's such a shame I found out they're not really good in battle, not even in-game. Skiploom evolves into Jumpluff at an early level (level 27), but that doesn't really help Jumpluff's cause, either: it might be good at the beginning of the game, but it'll fall behind on the other Pokémon in your team. Putting the foe to sleep with Sleep Powder and switch out afterwards is only useful in Nuzlocke variants, so I was very disappointed with it when I was doing a regular playthrough. That's why they're now a whole star short of a perfect rating, but I have to do this, however much I like these things.

Rating: 4/5

#177 - #178: Natu & Xatu

Natu depicted in a hieroglyph style. I approve.

Have you ever had the desire to see into the future in order to find out what your life is going to look like?

Well, I think you should be glad you can't do that, because Xatu is probably not happy with the ability to foresee the future - with its right eye, that is. It's just a theory, but Xatu tends to stand still and watch the sun's movement all day and it is said it does so due to fears of its visions of the future coming true. And its prophecies have a high degree of accuracy, so that's a terrible future Xatu sees, then. And the past isn't exactly all that, either, so as Xatu can see the past with its left eye as well, I want to believe the poor thing is being tormented 24/7. It wouldn't be a surprise to me if it has the desire to go back to being a Natu, notwithstanding the fact that even Natu is a cautious Pokémon that is easily spooked. And Natu has this outré characteristic that it stares at something until the thing moves. I know they're classified as the 'Tiny Bird Pokémon' and the 'Mystic Pokémon' and all, and Game Freak have not been incorrect by doing so, but I think classifying Natu and its evolution Xatu as the 'Staring Pokémon' would have been way more interesting and accurate.

Isn't this Natu totem pole cute?

Of course, their designs and their ability to foresee the future are both derived from the Mayans, an indigenous people of Central America known for their rich history, culture, art and architecture, as well as their infamous calendar. The misinterpretation of this Mesoamerican Long Count calendar was the basis for a popular Western belief that the Maya people had predicted that the apocalypse would take place on December 21, 2012, when it was simply the day that the calendar went to the next b'ak'tun (a cycle of 144,000 days, which is 20 k'atun cycles of 7,200 days). It was even the inspiration for one of my favorite movies, 2012. Despite the fact that the Mayans inhabited Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, Honduras and El Salvador, among others, Natu and Xatu's Pokédex entries state that they are mainly found in South America rather than Central America, which is technically the southernmost part of North America that connects with South America. And Xatu's design and name also refer to a xat (pronounced 'khat', although Xatu is pronounced 'ZAH-too'), a carved totem pole of Native American origin, while it certainly has some traits of kachina dolls as well; the Native American people believe that kachinas are spirits or personifications of things in the real world, and masked members of the community who represent these spirits at religious ceremonies are called kachina dancers, while the dolls are usually given to children as gifts. Even Natu and Xatu's Japanese names - Naty (ネイティ) and Natio (ネイティオ) - derive from the word 'native', although it doesn't necessarily refer to the Native American peoples. On the other hand, its behavior displays the ancient art of sungazing, which is a form of spiritual meditation practiced by the Mayans and Aztecs in the belief that it would give them supernatural power. It is not advised to try this yourselves, though, because the human eye is sensitive and prolonged exposure to direct sunlight can lead to cataracts, damage to the retina (solar retinopathy), and even blindness.

Xatu depicted as some ancient deity to the indigenous peoples of
Central and/or South America.

And how about Xatu's competitive utility? Well, it is a well-rounded Pokémon with a base HP stat of 65 and base defensive stats of 70. That makes it quite feeble, although not too frail that it can't take a hit. Its speed and special attack both sit at a solid 95, which makes them its best stats. Nevertheless, defensive Xatu do exist and the combination of HP and defense investment with a Timid nature and the Magic Bounce ability, which bounces back all status moves to the user, has proved to be quite effective. While an offensive Xatu often carries a Life Orb, defensive or mixed Xatu are better off with a Colbur Berry (weakens a super-effective dark-type attack) or the Leftovers. Should you indeed run an offensive one, you have the choice from numerous moves it can use: Psychic, Psyshock, Air Slash, Signal Beam, Heat Wave, Shadow Ball, Dazzling Gleam, Grass Knot and Giga Drain. On top of that, it has access to Roost so that it can heal half of its HP when necessary, while Calm Mind increases its special attack and special defense by one stage each and U-Turn lets it switch out so that it can gain momentum. It depends on what you want and what you're facing, but Xatu might be a decent asset to your team, if you know how to play it.

TCG art of Xatu.

I like how Natu and Xatu's designs and flavor are based on Native American and Mayan folklore, but these Pokémon never appealed to me that much. Don't think that I dislike Xatu and that I'll never gonna put it on a team, because I might just decide to pick this Pokémon up once I'm going to do an ORAS playthrough and start using it, but it never made me say, "Wow, this is such a great Pokémon!" But hey, other Pokémon have surprised me as well, so you never know!

Rating: 3.5/5