#396 - #398: Starly, Staravia & Staraptor

Staraptor carrying Eevee on its back.

Starly is the 'early bird' of Gen. IV and nobody expected this thing to evolve into an actually usuable monstrous entity. Pidgeot, Noctowl and Swellow all proved to be pretty underwhelming in the past, so when people found out Staraptor has an amazing base 120 attack stat, great base 100 speed and access to the strongest fighting-type move introduced that very generation (Close Combat), they were ecstatic. Staraptor's defenses aren't worth shit, but one thing had to be given up for the other, and with Close Combat being one of Staraptor's staple moves it may just as well have been its defenses, anyway. This does make Staraptor more of a hit-the-foe-and-get-outta-here kind of Pokémon, with Brave Bird and Double-Edge also being moves that may leave opponents crying in a corner. I normally wouldn't recommend two moves that cause recoil damage on the same moveset, but Staraptor's hidden ability Reckless increases the base power of exactly that kind of moves by 20% and both Brave Bird and Double-Edge provide Staraptor STAB due to its normal/flying type. As Brave Bird, Double-Edge and Close Combat all have a base power of 120 to begin with, this 'early bird' is a real powerhouse. Staraptor doesn't learn any other worthwhile physical moves with comparable power, so I'd further recommend U-Turn, a move that deals moderate physical damage but allows the user to switch out immediately. If Staraptor is faster than the opposing Pokémon, you can make another Pokémon on your team take the incoming blow. Finish your entire set off with an Adamant nature combined with a Choice Scarf or a Jolly nature in conjunction with a Choice Band (if I were you, I'd steer away from the Life Orb this time; that thing is way too dangerous with Double-Edge and Brave Bird around) and your Staraptor will be a force to be reckoned with.

Some great 3D fan art of Staraptor.

Also, many Smogon movesets for Staraptor include Final Gambit, a move that makes the user faint but deals damage to the target equal to how much HP the user lost. It's a nice tactic on a bulky Pokémon with a lot of HP to 'share', by lack of a better word, but it's beyond me why someone would include this on a moveset that also contains two moves that cause recoil damage. Brave Bird and Double-Edge wear Staraptor down quickly, leaving it with less and less HP as it goes, and you requiring to use Final Gambit immediately won't occur all that often, either. Unless you ditch U-Turn in favor of Roost, Final Gambit doesn't work as well on Staraptor as it should be, but even then this Pokémon really doesn't have the defenses to heal up and take a hit afterwards. In my opinion, it's better just to go with Close Combat. But hey, I'm just a casual player, so what do I know?

Staravia is really not all that intimidating, and Rare Candy
Treatment completely agrees with me, apparently.

I think I'd better talk about this evolutionary line's flavor texts. Staraptor may be exceptionally strong and definitely borrows some traits from birds of prey - or raptors - such as hawks and falcons, but its pre-evolutions Starly and Staravia are primarily based on the fairly common and uninteresting white-cheeked starling, also called the gray starling. With their dark gray-brown plumage and white patches, the resemblance to the gray starling is too obvious (although Staravia bears some aesthetic resemblances to the northern lapwing as well), so it's a good thing Game Freak have managed to make Staraptor more like an intimidating raptor of some sort. Speaking of which, Staravia and Staraptor both get Intimidate for their regular ability - Starly's is Keen Eye - but I really don't understand what's so intimidating about Staravia. Aside from its not-so-menacing appearance, this Pokémon is well aware of its own weakness and cries noisily when left on its own. The flocks it forms of its own kind are territorial, and squabbles over territory occur when flocks collide, but being territorial doesn't automatically mean you're intimidating. And Starly? Starly is even weaker on its own, relying on strident cries and annoying tunes and forming large flocks in which individuals will begin to bicker if the group becomes too large.

They can't even hold their own in a flock, goddamn.

Starly (left, holding an Enigma Berry), Staravia (middle) and Staraptor (right,
whipping up some kind of storm with its wings).

A good thing it evolves into Staraptor, then... Although, even Starly's final evolution is not without its flaws, as it is extremely fussy about the shape of its comb, which it uses to appear larger and frighten enemies. Then again, Staraptor has a ferocious nature and an aggressive temperament that contribute to it courageously challenging even opponents that are far bigger than itself, no matter how ill, injured or scarred it is.

This bird just keeps going as if its life depends on it, goddamn. 

Honestly, though, it was about time we had a kick-ass bird. Noctowl and Swellow didn't quite hit the mark, and Pidgeot only gets 5 stars from me because of its beautiful Mega, which it got roughly eight months before I reviewed it. Staraptor isn't one of my all-time favorite Pokémon, but it definitely exceeds Noctowl, Swellow and Unfezant in competitive and in-game utility and sheer awesomeness.

Rating: 4.5/5

#384: Rayquaza

I have no idea whether this piece of art is actually official, but
Rayquaza sure as hell looks savage here.

Oh man, I don't even know where to start with this one. There is a whole lot to be said about Rayquaza and the majority of that is dedicated to how fucking awesome this goddamn thing actually is. I mean, if you manage to break up Groudon and Kyogre's apocalyptic confrontation just by showing up and roar a little, as was demonstrated in Pokémon Emerald, you deserve respect. It was literally all Rayquaza had to do, meaning Groudon and Kyogre are probably scared shitless of this guy. And let's be honest here: Rayquaza looks like a wise old dragon with a certain degree of authority over its minions, while managing to maintain a look that says it will show you no mercy. Its Mega is even worse, mind you - or better, in this case, as all of the additional horns, orbs and glowing tendrils actually give it more grace, beauty and an air of importance, power and might. That's a difficult feat to pull off when too many additional doodads on stronger forms of certain Pokémon such as fusions and Mega evolutions are sometimes regarded as redundant or occasionally make them look overdesigned. White and Black Kyurem are good examples of that, but Zoptimus Prygarde probably takes the cake. I love the Transformers movies, and I have fond memories of the times when I still enjoyed Power Rangers, but creating a Pokémon that looks like an Autobot or a Megazord is really pushing it a bit, Game Freak. And remember when I talked about Mega Venusaur's butt flower way back when? Yeah, I already regret bringing that up again...

Fortunately, no such fate has befallen Rayquaza, and it so happens this thing is the one I'm actually talking about, so it's no use to keep lingering in such negativity.

I used a GIF of Kyogre from the same artist over a week ago, just because I think
this guy's style is just so freaking awesome! 

Rayquaza's origins lie in the Hebrew legend of Ziz, the unconquerable primal master of the sky, as opposed to Leviathan being the primal master of the sea and Behemoth being the primal master of the land. While Rayquaza has significant dominance over Kyogre and Groudon and is able to break them up when they're fighting, Ziz seems to be an equal of Leviathan and Behemoth rather than their 'master', meaning Game Freak and Nintendo have shown some imagination in favor of Emerald's storyline. In fact, Rayquaza's signature ability Air Lock eliminates the effect of weather conditions, and back in the day that rendered Kyogre's ability Drizzle and Groudon's ability Drought completely useless. But Ziz is also often depicted as a giant griffin-like bird, which Rayquaza definitely has nothing to do with, and this means it is most probably inspired by other mythical creatures aside from just Ziz. Looking at its dragon typing, it may well be based on the lindwyrm, in British heraldry a two-limbed and wingless dragon with a serpentine body. The word is actually a cognate, deriving from the Norwegian linnorm, the German Lindwurm and the Swedish lindorm (all meaning 'dragon'), as well as the Danish lindorm ('serpent'). It's a little confusing, because in Norwegian heraldry the lindorm also exist, but rather than a serpent or a dragon in general it's actually the same as a wyvern is in British heraldry.

Mega Rayquaza hanging around in what is apparently the
stratosphere.

Not that any of this can be found in Rayquaza's name. It is probably a reference to raqiya, the Hebrew word for 'firmament', which in biblical cosmology is the structure above the atmosphere, conceived as a vast solid dome. Speaking of which, Rayquaza's Japanese name is the same as in most other languages and the word combination of retsu ('violent' or 'furious'), kū ('sky') and za ('seat' or 'location') can be taken to mean "one that sits in the ferocious heavens". Being a dragon/flying type, it makes sense; however, it's most likely a reference to Rayquaza being able to live in the ozone layer for hundreds of millions of years, where it feeds on water and meteoroids. This is actively demonstrated in Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire's Delta Episode, a post-game episode in which it's your objective to prevent a meteorite from colliding with Earth. In order to do so, a character called Zinnia (who's a bitch, by the way) summons Rayquaza and tries to pursuade it to Mega-evolve using an organ inside its body filled with energy from the meteoroids it eats as it flies through the stratosphere. Hence why Zinnia stole all of the Key Stones she could find. The energy stored within this organ is practically nonexistent at that point, however, which is why it devours the Meteorite the player character had obtained and safely stored in its bag after their encounter with Team Magma/Team Aqua at Mt. Chimney earlier in the game. A battle with Rayquaza ensues, and you have to catch it in order to make a trip to space on Mega Rayquaza's back and destroy the meteorite threatening Earth.

And hidden within that meteorite is... well, I'll talk about that when I get to the last Pokémon in the Hoenn Pokédex.

Don't fuck with Mega Rayquaza, because it'll screw you over big time.

Alternatively, Rayquaza's name could be a combination of 'ray' (a term in geometry of which I don't understand the definition at all) and 'quasar'. The latter is an abbreviation of 'quasi-stellar object', an active galactic nucleus - called that way because it occurs in the center of a galaxy - consisting of a supermassive black hole surrounded by an orbiting disk of gas. Quasars have a very high luminosity - the total amount of energy emitted by stars, galaxies or other astronomical objects per unit time - and because they were first identified as sources of radio-wave emission and resembled point-like stars in photographic images at visible wavelengths, the term 'quasar' originated as a contraction of 'quasi-stellar radio source'. It's not as if any of this doesn't make a lick of sense, and Rayquaza is very powerful in its own merits, but I doubt it can be considered the center of a galaxy or something like that. Space always kind of intrigued me as a child, so it's still cool to learn about all this stuff.

A shiny Rayquaza in Pokémon the Movie: Hoopa and the Clash of Ages.

Again, like I did with Kyogre and Groudon, I will omit Rayquaza's competitive capabilities from this article - that is to say, you won't see any suggestions for possible movesets here. I mean, you can just slap any move on it and wreak havoc, especially in Mega Rayquaza's case: because it doesn't require a Mega Stone for you to Mega-evolve Rayquaza, Mega Rayquaza can hold something else, like a Choice Band or a Life Orb or any other item that either increases its attacking stats or strengthens its moves. Therefore, it was even banned from Smogon's Uber tier, being the only Pokémon to date to have been banned from being used in a competitive setting within Smogon and Pokémon Showdown at all. That's how strong it really is, especially when you consider its ability Delta Stream eliminates all weaknesses it would otherwise have had as a flying-type (because it's a dragon type, it is still normally weak to ice, but this makes electric-type moves not very effective now) and prevents all kinds of weather from taking effect apart from the Desolate Land and Primordial Sea abilities.

I already thought Rayquaza was a very cool Pokémon, but I've really taken a liking to it when its Mega evolution was revealed. It's one of the most most well-designed Megas out there; so beautiful, so elegant, so powerful. And damn, its shiny. Black shiny Pokémon are almost always some of the best shinies out there, and Rayquaza is absolutely no exception. Everything summarized, Rayquaza's design, flavor and origins are just so awesome I'm giving it a perfect rating.

Rating: 5/5

#371 - #373: Bagon, Shelgon & Salamence

While Game Freak really had a thing for medieval bowl cuts during the Johto era, they took a huge leap forward in time and reinvented the mullet when creating their Hoenn Pokémon. Shiftry was one of the two unfortunate souls to have gotten this terrible '80s haircut, but the first Pokémon I'm going to discuss today is so fortunate not to be obliged to stay this way, unlike Shiftry.

Bagon jumping off a goddamn cliff because it wants to fly.
Yeah, it is that boneheaded - quite literally, too. 

Bagon looks like a feisty little baby dragon living in rugged terrains, and in Hoenn it is indeed found in the deepest cave of Meteor Falls. It harbors a never-ending dream of one day soaring high in the skies and hurls itself off of cliffs every day in doomed efforts to fly. When it is frustrated at its inability to fly, however, it smashes its head against huge rocks and shatters them into pebbles or powder. This activity of continually bashing its head results in it becoming as hard as tempered steel, which implies that it shares some traits with the pachycephalosaurus - thick-skulled dinosaurs known for their extravagant skull roofs - even though we would get a full-fledged pachycephalosauridae family with Cranidos and Rampardos one generation later. Bagon's Sun entry even takes Game Freak's dumbness to the next level by stating that its desire to fly is assumed to be the influence of information carried in its genes. NO SHIT, SHERLOCK! Bagon's final stage is Salamence, which is a dragon/flying type and actually is able to fly and - here it comes! - produce other fucking Bagon. Surely baby Bagon are taught by their Mommies and/or Daddies that they will fly one day if only they would have a little bit of PATIENCE, right? Surely.

Oh Game Freak, I just flat out love your stupidity and ignorance sometimes.

Bagon, Shelgon ain't likin' this shit. Go jump off a cliff
or someting, but get off of there at once.

In order for Bagon to be able to fly, though, it has to go through an odd pupal stage for no less than 20 levels. There are bone structures covering Shelgon's body, which repel enemy attacks but make it extremely heavy, causing it to neither drink nor eat. Sucks for Shelgon, as it is trapped inside a musty cocoon and limited in its movements when it really, really, really wants to fly. Therefore, cells in Shelgon's armor-like shell are in the midst of transformation to create an entirely new body. Shelgon's wish to fly comes true when it finally reaches its final stage at level 50, evolving into a mighty flying salamander. And powerful it is, as it's prone to completely losing its shit, whether it be out of joy (flying around spouting flames from its mouth, making it bear a liking to archetypal fire-breathing European dragons) or rage (locking itself into an uncontrollable rampage, destroying everything around it until it tires itself out). And all because its desire to fly triggered a mutation that allowed it to grow large, red wings reminiscent to those of a manga character called Devilman - which I have never heard of, by the way. It becomes even worse when Salamence Mega-evolves, when it becomes even more brutal than ever before, up to the point where it is liable to turn against the Trainer who raised it. Anything and anyone in Mega Salamence's path will get sliced in two by its blade-like wings, posing no interruption to its flight, which earned it the notorious nickname of "the blood-soaked crescent". Yikes.

Some badass fan art of Salamence.

And you know what? Salamence is a monster in competitive play, as it is fast and strong and has decent bulk to it. The only downside is that it has a quadruple weakness to ice, making it unable to take even a non-STAB Icy Wind from a Gengar. That's quite alright, though, as you'll have other Pokémon to counter such things. Just try to compose a moveset to the best of your ability, for there are several different ways to utilize Salamence's strength. The first is a Life Orb set supported by a Jolly nature to maximize its speed and the move Dragon Dance to raise its speed and attack by one stage each every time it is used. The second is a Choice Band set supported by a Jolly nature and nothing but attacking moves - preferably physical, although Salamence's base 110 special attack allows it to fire off special attacks quite well, should you be looking for a mixed attacker. You could also opt for a Choice Scarf set, which allows you to potentially run an Adamant nature instead of a Jolly one. For a regular Salamence, the ability Moxie - which increases Salamence's attack by one stage every time it knocks out a Pokémon - is favored at all times, although the attack drop from Intimidate could put opposing Pokémon at a disadvantage at first.

Big, bad Mega Salamence.

When running the Salamencite set, Intimidate is pretty much required. You want to Mega-evolve Salamence as soon as possible, and not just when you've knocked out another Pokémon first in order to get a Moxie boost, so the attack drop from Intimidate before Mega-evolving could give you an edge. Moreover, Mega Salamence is crazy strong anyway; so strong, in fact, that it was banned to Smogon's legendary Uber tier. And if you're up against some insanely powerful legendaries, lowering their attack first could greatly benefit you, especially when you still have to set up with a move like Dragon Dance. After that, though, it'll be fairly easy for Mega Salamence to sweep - or at least leave huge dents in the teams of opponents, allowing you to finish them off quickly. The biggest difference with a regular Salamence's set is that Mega Salamence has Aerilate - I often hear other people butcher it to "Aerialate" for some reason - which is an ability that changes all normal-type moves into flying-type moves and even gives them a 20% boost, meaning Mega Salamence fares greatly on moves like Return and Double-Edge all of a sudden. Mega Salamence does still receive recoil damage from Double-Edge, so if you're going to abuse it, a move like Roost to heal its HP mid-match wouldn't be a luxury.

This image is all kinds of awesome! 

I am not as big a fan of pseudo-legendaries as I probably should be (Pokémon like Dragonite, Tyranitar, Salamence, Garchomp and Goodra are fan favorites, but I don't find them nearly as appealing or exciting as certain other Pokémon), and I'm probably one of the few not giving Salamence a perfect rating - if other people would also rate Pokémon, that is. Now, I think regular Salamence is a little bland design-wise, but I quite like the kite and/or aircraft design on its Mega form, earning it at least 4 stars out of 5. Not bad.

Rating: 4/5

#357: Tropius

Tropius in company of Brendan and May. 

For a region that's considered tropical, Hoenn introduced suprisingly few tropical Pokémon. Tropius is basically the only one, and it's... why, what is it? It's obviously based on a sauropod, which were big-ass herbivorous dinosaurs with long necks and thick, pillar-like legs. But Tropius has big leafy wings growing on its back, as well as banana-like fruits beneath its chin. Apparently, Tropius continuously eats only its favorite fruit; it loves it so much, in fact, that it resulted in its own outgrowth of fruit, which is considered a deliciously sweet tropical snack that is especially popular with children. The large wings are used for flight - despite its bulky appearance, it is suprisingly maneuverable in the air - and for sugar production via photosynthesis. Whether the latter is to be 'blamed' for the sweet flavor of its own fruits is unclear and debatable, but I can't think of any other reason why its fruits are so incredibly sweet.

Pansage (on top of Tropius's head), Panpour (left) and Pansear
(right) enjoying Tropius's delicious fruits.

In short, Tropius's banana tree design is hilarious, although most people tend to forget it's there in the first place. At any rate, I haven't seen anyone using this Pokémon in a playthrough. That's not surprising, as its stats aren't anything to write home about. It has some very good HP and defenses, making it pretty bulky, but its attacking stats are lacking and its speed is just downright terrible. Even Dragon Dance, which is an egg move, won't give it a sufficiently significant speed boost - or attack boost, for that matter, as its base 68 attack is really mediocre. That doesn't make it a reliable counter to all these bulky water and rock types out there. The fact that it has weaknesses to rock and ice - the latter is even a quadruple weakness - doesn't help either, as rock types counter it right back and almost all water types can learn Ice Beam and Blizzard. It's a shame, really, because Tropius's physical movepool allows you to create a pretty neat moveset consisting of Dragon Dance, Leaf Blade, Earthquake and Aerial Ace. It also has Steel Wing, Outrage and Body Slam for type coverage (well, coverage... Body Slam isn't super effective on anything, but it's a moderately strong normal-type move that has a higher chance to paralyze the foe) and a decent ability in Chlorophyll, provided you set up the sunlight first. Thing is, it makes it even more vulnarable to fire-type moves, which it already has a weakness to, and its speed and mediocre attacking stats won't allow it to take a hit first very often or hit very hard in the first place. A Life Orb set with the ability Solar Power - which increases its special attack by 50% in harsh sunlight but makes Tropius lose ⅛ of its maximum HP at the end of each turn - will only wear it down, which only takes away from its moderate bulk.

A more realistic approach of Tropius.

As far as grass-type sauropods go, Meganium beats Tropius by a very large margin. Tropius is more versatile offensively, though only slightly, and competitively and design-wise Meganium kicks Tropius right outta the sky. It sucks Tropius doesn't have a better support movepool, because the only good combo I can find right now is Substitute/Leech Seed - Roost and Air Slash nicely rounding out its moveset - with the Harvest ability and a Sitrus Berry to hold. Neither is Tropius a good Pokémon to use for in-game purposes, for that matter, because its moveset is pretty lacking: Air Slash is amazing to have, but the best grass-type moves it gets are Solar Beam and Leaf Storm. The former requires a turn to charge up and the latter harshly lowers its special attack, which at a base 72 is already less than average. As the Energy Ball TM is only available late- or post-game and Leaf Blade is an egg move, it'll have to make do with the 65-power Leaf Tornado, which is... bad for a relatively weak Pokémon like Tropius. Rather, Tropius is one of the few Pokémon that is terrible to use in any context but should be appreciated for its uniqueness: it's an interesting and pleasantly designed Pokémon and just a nice addition to any collection. Moreover, it's the only Pokémon that really fits Hoenn's tropical theme, so I'll let this one slide.

Rating: 4/5

#333 - #334: Swablu & Altaria

Do you remember that in Flygon's entry I said I like the other not-so-dragon-like Pokémon in Hoenn better? Yeah? Well, this is what I was talking about.

It's an uncommon occurrence that the first image in a review is a
realistic take on a Pokémon, but I had to include this. It's just so
nicely drawn. 

Granted, Swablu is yet another bird with the generic normal/flying typing, but it certainly doesn't look the part. Incomparable with actual generic birds like Pidgey, Spearow, Starly, Farfetch'd, Pidove, Taillow and a whole bunch of other plain-looking birds I'm probably forgetting right now, Swablu seems to be based on a combination of real-life avian creatures. Its blue skin indicates it might be inspired from the bluebird or the blue jay, while its tendency to land on people's heads and pretend it's a hat might be a reference to the gray jay, as both wild Swablu and the gray jay get easily accustomed to humans. Swablu's wings look like clouds but are actually made of a cottony substance, which manifests itself in the fact that Swablu learns the grass-type move Cotton Guard, which increases its defense stat by a whopping three stages. Fun fact: I solemnly believed Cotton Guard was introduced in Gen. III and that it used to be Swablu and Altaria's signature move until it was given to other Pokémon in later generations. I was wrong, because it was introduced in Gen. V and given to quite a couple of Pokémon right away. The things you learn when doing research for review articles, goddamn... Cotton Guard or no, Swablu dislikes dirty surroundings, so it will wipe and polish something dirty with the cotton tufts it has for wings, which it then cleans in streams and freshwater. In that regard, Swablu's name is a nice reference to the cotton swabs used for sanitary purposes.

A heap of adorable little Swablu. Cuteness overload. 

Interestingly, Swablu's Japanese and French names of Tyltto (チルット) and Tylton, respectively, refer to entirely different things. For starters, Tyl is an alternative name given to Epsilon Draconis, a star in the constellation Draco, and is often used in the literature. Draco is Latin for 'dragon' and the fact that Swablu's Japanese and French names refer to this specific constellation may be a forshadowing of what typing it gets upon evolution, although I'll get to that later. Also, Tyltto and Tylton may be a reference to the play L'Oiseau Bleu ("The Blue Bird") by Belgian playwright Maurice Maeterlinck, a story about two siblings - Mytyl and Tyltyl - who are tasked with finding the 'blue bird of happiness'.

Also, Swablu's Mandarin Chinese name Qīngmiánniǎo (青綿鳥) literally means 'blue cotton-flossed bird'. I can't even...

A mother (or father?) Altaria with her adorable baby Swablu.

Swablu doesn't always stay an adorable little Swablu, however, and it evolves into Altaria at level 35. Altaria looks like it could have been yet another normal/flying type, if it weren't for the fact that Game Freak actually granted it the dragon type upon evolution. Pretty much like Flygon, it doesn't look like it's a dragon type, but its typing does come with a couple of benefits - and disadvantages, too, while we're at it. More on that later, though, as I want to start with Altaria's origin, which is a little bit more complex than Swablu's. First and foremost, its name is derived from alto or altus - the respective Italian and Latin words for 'high' - and aria, which is Italian for 'air'. The thing is that Altaria likes to use its buoyant wings to catch updrafts and soar across the sky, gracefully gliding through the clouds - its coloration provides it perfect camouflage, I'd dare say - and singing or humming tunes in a gorgeous soprano voice while doing so. In addition, its voice seems to have special properties that induce a dreamy state in listeners. Therefore, its name might be a reference to an aria, originally a term for any expressive musical melody but now a term used exclusively to describe a self-contained piece for one voice, usually in opera.

Altaria soaring through the skies, accompanied by a bunch of Swablu. There is even
a shiny Swablu thrown into the mix (bottom right). And let's be honest here: Swablu
and Altaria definitely have some of the prettiest shinies out there. 

But I'm not done yet. Altaria is clearly derived from Altair, the predominantly literary name for Alpha Aquilae, the brightest star in the constellation Aquila. This becomes apparent when you take a look at Altaria's Mandarin Chinese name Qīxìqīngniǎo (七夕青鳥), which is a reference to the before-mentioned stage play by that Belgian dramatist and the annually held Qixi - or Qiqiao - Festival. This festival originated from the tale of The Weaver Girl and the Cowherd, a love story featuring the two titular characters symbolizing the stars Altair and Vega - the latter being Alpha Lyrae, the brightest star in the constellation of Lyra.

Now, I need to stop with these stars and constellations before I start seeing stars myself.

Official Sugimori art of Mega Altaria.

Let's move this review forward by discussing Altaria's competitive utility. In itself, Altaria isn't very good. Its great base 90 defense and 105 special defense are backed up by an alright base 75 HP stat, which makes it a moderately bulky Pokémon, but its attacking stats are mediocre and its speed isn't very high, either. Smogon mentions several offensive sets, but I wouldn't use Altaria for that at all. You see, its bulk, Natural Cure ability and movepool allow it to be used as a very handy support Pokémon: Heal Bell cures all status conditions your team has caught, Tailwind doubles the speed of your entire team for four turns, Roost can be used to heal half of Altaria's HP, Haze resets all stat stages of both Pokémon on the battlefield to 0 again, Cotton Guard raises Altaria's already good defense stat to ridiculous levels (especially with a Bold or Impish nature), Substitute creates a substitute in exchange for 25% of its HP, and the Toxic/Protect combo is a classic stalling tactic. Altaria becomes a real star - excuse the pun - when it Mega-evolves, gaining yet another type combination: the unique dragon/fairy. This time, however, it has good offensive and defensive stats, meaning the damage output when you let Altaria Mega-evolve is significantly higher than when you're using a regular one. Its speed stat stays the same, which is kind of a shame, but you'll have Dragon Dance to take care of that, anyway. Moves that go with that are Earthquake, Return (the Pixilate ability of Mega Altaria turns every normal-type move into a fairy-type move) and either Outrage or Dragon Claw, and the preferred nature to back up this moveset is Jolly or Adamant. It has some steel-type coverage in Steel Wing and Iron Tail, and while I think the steel type is rad, these moves are barely worth it.

Also, considering a special moveset supported by Roost might not be a terrible idea, either. Altaria's special movepool is wider than its physical one, boasting moves like Dragon Pulse, Moonblast, Dazzling Gleam, Flamethrower, Fire Blast, Heat Wave, Hyper Voice, Ice Beam, Solar Beam and all types of Hidden Power, but such a moveset is inarguably less effective than a Dragon Dance set.

Altaria looking savage ain't bad, either...

That doesn't take away from Altaria's awesomeness, though, and it certainly doesn't hold me back from loving this thing to death. If I could, I would keep one as a pet. Because, y'know, who wouldn't want a friendly, fluffy and huggable dragon, right? It will envelop someone whom it has bonded with in its soft, cottony wings and then hum with a warm, soothing voice, and I would lie if I said I wouldn't want to experience that. The following rating of 5 whole stars shouldn't be a surprise to y'all, should it?

P.S.: For some reason I kept misspelling Swablu as 'Swablue' throughout the whole article, and I have no idea why. I've known its name since 2003, so it shouldn't have been a problem spelling its name.

P.P.S.: Bulbapedia states that Altaria is based on Peng birds, ginormous birds from Chinese mythology capable of flying 3000 li (Chinese miles) in one flap of their mighty, cloud-like wings. I don't think Altaria resembles those creatures at all, especially when you consider these Peng birds are usually portrayed having a fish's head and whiskers.

Rating: 5/5

#290 - #292: Nincada, Ninjask & Shedinja

Nincada as seen in the anime. 

So today we have a couple of ninja cicadas. The basic stage is Nincada, whom I always thought was quite forgettable because it looks boring. It's a bug - a blind one at that, too - and because it cannot withstand sunlight it lives in underground nests at the roots of trees for the majority of its life. Yeah, your blindness is to blame entirely on you, Nincada, so the fact that you have a pair of whisker-like antennae with which you can probe your underground surroundings is a blessing in disguise. I just don't understand how Nincada's evolution Ninjask can see. Not only that; with its base 160 speed, Ninjask is the fastest non-legendary Pokémon in existence and is outsped only by Speed Forme Deoxys (base 180 speed). Ninjask is in fact so fast and moves around at such a high speed that it cannot be seen, even while its cry can clearly be heard. For that reason, this Pokémon was once thought to have the power of invisiblity. Moreover, Ninjask is apparently a bitch to train, as it will disobey its Trainer and cry loudly continuously if it is not trained properly. Not a desirable situation, as hearing its cries for too long induces a headache.

If a Pokémon seems to come from two different directions, you
know that it's fast. 

On top of that, it is kind of terrible in the competitive metagame. It may be fast, but it doesn't have the bulk to take a hit and it doesn't have the attack stat to hit very hard. Its attack is decent, but nothing to write home about, and a Swords Dance boost won't do much for it if it is hit by an attack in the same turn. To prevent losing a turn on a set-up move, you could let it hold a Choice Band, but Ninjask doesn't have a whole lot of coverage moves to make use of. U-Turn is used to gain momentum, whereas Leech Life (this move got a boost in Gen. VII) does quite a lot of damage and heals Ninjask at the same time. Aerial Ace is a move with 60 base power and it's the only physical flying-type move Ninjask has access to, while Night Slash is barely worth considering because it's rather weak. You could consider running an Adamant nature over a Jolly one if you want a little more power behind its attacks, but I don't think that would matter much. A Life Orb will even wear it down faster than you'd prefer, even when of your moveslots contains Leech Life. Finally, both its normal Speed Boost and its hidden ability Infiltrator aren't all that useful; Ninjask is already super fast and the ability to bypass the effects of moves like Substitute, Reflect and Light Screen isn't as useful as you'd think. So whatever situation you're in, you're better off with another Pokémon entirely. It's too bad, to be honest, because I really like Ninjask's design.

Sheddy, you better drop your 'holier than thou' attitude. I'm not
falling for it. 

So is it better to look at Nincada's other evolution, Shedinja? That's right, Nincada has another evolution you could potentially use; in fact, Nincada is the only Pokémon that evolves into two different Pokémon at the same time. If you have an empty slot in your party and a Poké Ball in your bag, Shedinja will magically appear. Well, magically... it is actually the shed exoskeleton of Nincada come to 'life', with an extra halo added to its design. Its unique ability of being a floating carcass incapable of movement makes its secondary typing the ghost type rather than Nincada's secondary ground typing or Ninjask's secondary flying type, but even exoskeletons can be scary: there's a hole in its back that reveals that the inside of its body is actually hollow and dark, possessing no internal organs whatsoever, and it is believed that staring into the black void Ninjask emerged from will cause Shedinja to steal your spirit. You know what the problem is with that? In battles Shedinja's backside is turned to the player character and you're staring straight into the hole on its back. I guess even in the Pokémon world it's merely a superstition, but it's still pretty darn creepy.

However, Shedinja is nowhere near as scary in the competitive scene. Instead, it has the lowest base stat total of all fully evolved Pokémon and it's even the only Pokémon to have a lower base stat total than its pre-evolution. That is due to its unique stat distribution: it is the only Pokémon with only 1 HP - either base HP or actual HP - and because of that trait it has no need for defenses. Shedinja does have base defenses, but they're absolutely useless on it, unless it receives a substitute through Baton Pass and its defense and special defense are factored into damage the substitute takes. Unfortunately, it is also quite slow, but I wouldn't expect anything else from a shed exoskeleton that is only capable of floating, has no fine or gross motor skills and doesn't even breathe.

The entire Nincada family, with Shedinja at the left, Ninjask at the
right and Nincada on top of Ninjask's head. 

But if its stats are so terrible, is Shedinja even usable? Yes and no. Shedinja has the Wonder Guard ability, which renders it immune to 13 of 18 attack types (16 of 18 when it is turned into a water type by using Soak on it, which may be a neat strategy in Double Battles); only moves that are super effective on it - rock, fire, flying, ghost and dark - can knock it out, as well as damaging weather and status conditions, entry hazards, and Leech Seed. Furthermore, it is difficult to determine whether an opposing Pokémon is packing a move that Shedinja is weak to, so it's a gamble using it on any competitive team. Parts of the problem are its base attack stat of 90 - it's decent at best - and the lack of coverage moves. However, it can make better use of status moves like Protect and Will-O-Wisp (burn stalling) and has a priority move in Shadow Sneak. There's also the same option you have with Ninjask - namely, set up a Swords Dance and fire away with STAB moves like Shadow Sneak, and X-Scissor (Shedinja doesn't benefit from the healing element of Leech Life; moreover, this move has less PP) - but there's the risk your opponent counters you and then the entire set-up was for naught. That's alright when you have a bulky Pokémon doing that, but Shedinja can take only one hit with a Focus Sash attached, so you'd do better using it for burn stalling and priority. If played on a team with Pokémon that can change the weather or remove entry hazards, Shedinja might become the pivot of your team. Might.

And, if your team is really being threatened by one or multiple damaging weather conditions, you might have the presence of mind to give your Shedinja the Safety Goggles instead of a Focus Sash. That way, it is at least protected against weather conditions like hail or a sandstorm. Alternatively, a Lum Berry heals any status condition instantly, saving Shedinja from fainting to poison or a burn.

An actual cicada husk, the thing Shedinja is based on. When the adult cicada
emerges from its shell, it flies away and leaves the hollow husk behind. One
thing I learned from writing this article is that cicadas are big bugs. They freak
me out, goddammit!

Shedinja is a remarkable Pokémon and it used to be one of my favorite Pokémon, solely based on its design and flavor. However, when I compare it to other (and new) favorites of mine, I find myself being a tad bit underwhelmed by it, especially since I'm gaining more knowledge about competitive battling. I'm not much of a competitive battler, I have to say, but I've learned a lot since starting this blog and I am positive I could compose a decent team. Ninjask is bad and Shedinja is... a complicated case. I realized I wouldn't even use one in a normal playthrough, so I'll have to deduct at least half a star from its rating, at least for now. What about Ninjask, you ask? Well, I already mentioned that I really like its design, but it's too bad Ninjask is such a frail and relatively weak Pokémon. If only its attack stat was just a little bit better... right? And the same thing goes for Shedinja, too. That means no separate rating; both Pokémon get a solid 4 stars.

Rating: 4/5

#283 - #284: Surskit & Masquerain

For the longest time, Surskit was the only bug/water dual-type Pokémon in the franchise. That is, until Gen. VII came around, in which no less than two new bug/water evolutionary lines were introduced (Wimpod and Golisopod, and Dewpider and Araquanid). Surskit doesn't even evolve into a bug/water Pokémon; instead, Masquerain has the much more common and less interesting bug/flying combination. Weird, but evolving from a bug/water type makes Masquerain have some interesting features.

Look at Surskit happily walking on water! 

More on that later, as I'll discuss Surskit first, a water strider Pokémon that also vaguely resembles a curling stone. Too bad Game Freak never actually did something with that curling stone design, because every bit of Surskit's character seems to be based on the water strider: the antenna on Surskit cap-like head secretes a thick, sugary syrup or a sweet scent, the former as a defense mechanism (although it sometimes doesn't work, as some Pokémon love to eat the syrup) and the latter to attract prey. Oil is secreted from the tips of its feet, which enables it to skate across large bodies of water. It would have been nice if at least one Pokédex entry mentioned that people often grab some Surskit by their antennae and push them across the water in order to see which ones comes farthest. It's cruel, but people have no conscientious objection to throwing Pyukumuku back into the ocean, so this shouldn't be a problem either, right? Right? 

Masquerain flaps the four wings on its lower body to freely fly in
any direction - even sideways and backwards, as if it were a
helicopter. Masquerain's Sapphire Pokédex entry mentions that
the 'eyes' on its antennae are droopy and appear sad when heavy
rainfall is on its way, but normally they look kind of angry and
intimidating.

Anyway, it's weird that Surskit's evolution Masquerain isn't even a water type: its head is shaped like a tear- or raindrop, and for heaven's sake, there's 'rain' in its name. Once Surskit evolves, though, it starts flying, so it trades the ever-useful water type for the less interesting flying type. There are a lot of bug/flying Pokémon already, but it has to be said that Masquerain is one of the most interesting ones out there. Despite having a water-themed flavor, it actually cannot fly when its wings are wet and its antennae (yes, the intimidating 'wings' with the eye-like patterns are actually antennae; the rhombus-shaped things on its lower body are its wings instead) become heavy and droop when it's raining. It still creates its nests along the water's edge, but as Masquerain is based on some sort of mosquito, this doesn't surprise me. Another interesting feature of Masquerain is that it's the only bug-type Pokémon to learn Scald - prior to Gen. VI, anyway - and the only bug type aside from Genesect to learn Ice Beam, while it still learns some 'standard' moves like Bug Buzz, Shadow Ball, Air Slash, Energy Ball, Signal Beam and Giga Drain. It even learns Hydro Pump, Aqua Jet and Water Pulse... If only it had the water typing to make good use of those moves, right? Why, its staple move is Quiver Dance, which boosts its special attack, special defense and speed by one stage each and soon makes Masquerain an unstoppable mosquito wiping the floor with everybody. In-game, that is, as using Masquerain is kind of risky to use in the competitive metagame. Its base 70 HP, 62 defense and 82 special defense leave it kind of vulnerable prior to a Quiver Dance, but at least it has some decent speed to set one up reliably - as of Sun and Moon, that is, in which it got a boost of 20 base points in speed, going from 60 to 80. Thankfully, Masquerain also got a boost in its base special attack in Sun and Moon, going from 80 to 100, so it should hit a lot harder now. Especially after a Quiver Dance.

Masquerain.

It's interesting how these Pokémon's behavior towards water turns a full 180 upon evolution. I still think Masquerain looks more like a mosquito than a moth, even though Bulbapedia states that its Japanese, Korean and Chinese names of Amemoth (アメモース), Binabang (비나방) and Yǔchì'é (雨翅蛾) all contain the word 'moth' in their respective languages. It's a small detail, and I think that Pokémon like Venomoth, Dustox, Mothim and Volcarona look more like moths than Masquerain does, but whatever. I like Masquerain primarily because I used it in a playthrough once. Once it had Quiver Dance, it didn't disappoint me. What's more, I think its design is actually more interesting and appealing than those of the other moth Pokémon (aside from Mothim), so I'm giving Masquerain a well-deserved rating of no less than 4 stars.

Now, I probably won't post anything during my playthroughs of Pokémon Sun and Moon, which should arrive tomorrow, so I'll see you all back in December. I hope. I'm going on a hiatus, at least, so take that into account when you're visiting Pokémon By Review. Thank you.

Rating: 4/5

#278 - #279: Wingull & Pelipper

Ugh. Why does this thing exist, exactly?

Official art of Wingull by Ken Sugimori.

Wingull is probably more boring than Taillow is, and Pelipper isn't that much better. It goes without saying that, with wings like those, Wingull has trouble keeping said wings flapping in flight and instead of that it rides on updrafts rising from the sea as if it were a glider. I also think it is common knowledge that seagulls build their nests on steep cliffs nearby the ocean, among other things. So... meh. Whereas Wingull habitually hides prey and valuables in various locations, though, Pelipper has the tendency to carry eggs and small Pokémon around in its massive bill over long distances, bringing them to safety (the prey it scoops up from the sea is usually swallowed in one gulp). It likes to act like a buoy, bobbing in the ocean while it's resting its wings. Yeah... meh. At the end of the day, it comes down to the fact that Wingull and Pelipper are two mundane sea birds without any excessively distinctive characteristics, and their designs and flavor are just nothing short of unimaginative. On top of that, Pelipper is a bitch and a half to fight in-game. Any time I'm battling an AI opponent with a Pelipper, I find myself struggling with it, for it generally has either Supersonic or a combination of Protect and Stockpile. Even worse, Protect always seems to succeed twice or even three times in a row when used by Pelipper, wasting my time and PP and pissing me the fuck off. I haven't met a single person yet who didn't hate - or at least strongly dislike - the likes of Pelipper, and I can't imagine anyone would go and say, "Pelipper is my absolute favorite Pokémon." Like, no.

Also, Wingull is a seagull and Pelipper is a pelican. Alrighty, then.

Official art of Pelipper, also by Ken Sugimori. Drawing this
thing must have been one of his least 

And in a competitive setting? Personally, I wouldn't want to use Pelipper competitively, but for some reason it has some moderate bulk behind it. Its HP is pretty mediocre, but when it is maxed out it can back up Pelipper's excellent base 100 defense stat, especially when it has a defense-increasing nature (usually Bold). Although it is therefore used as a support Pokémon in order to remove entry hazards with Defog or try to inflict a burn on an opposing Pokémon with Scald, it cannot handle offensive pressure: any electric-type move will quickly do it in and special attacks will leave a huge dent in its health, which forces Pelipper to use Roost instead. This move does take away its flying typing for one subsequent turn, though, removing the weaknesses it has as a flying type and leaving it with only two single weaknesses to electric and grass, which may save its life. Speaking about lifesavers, U-Turn makes use of Pelipper's abominable attack stat, but it lets it get the hell off the goddamn battlefield while still doing a little bit of damage. If you can set up the rain, its hidden ability Rain Dish will heal a little bit of HP, which works very well with the Leftovers. You can even build an offensive moveset around Rain Dance, because its base 85 special attack is quite decent: Scald is boosted in the rain and still has a chance to burn the foe, while Hurricane's accuracy is buffed from 70% to 100% when the rain is up. Pelipper can also learn Ice Beam, which is a strong move almost every water type can learn, so it's a good way to complete your Pelipper's moveset. You can even let another of your Pokémon set up the rain and ditch Rain Dance for Roost, so you can keep Pelipper somewhat healthy. It's necessary, because an offensive moveset requires a Modest nature rather than a Bold one, which leaves Pelipper more vulnerable than you'd desire.

Look at this motherfucker. It's looking at me like, "I'm gonna annoy you to no end
and I'm gonna have goddamn fun doing that."

However, I don't even desire to own a fucking Pelipper in the first place. I hate this thing for everything it stands for: being a nasty little bitch who likes to stall me out for no apparent reason - and, while we're at it, break out of its goddamn Ultra Ball time and time again, even when its HP bar is in the fucking red. Seriously, why does it have a catch rate of only 45?

Fuck this thing. May its soul burn for eternity in the deepest pits of Hell.

P.S.: Have you heard its cry? Irksome.

Rating: 0.5/5

#276 - #277: Taillow & Swellow

Top row from left to right: Fletchling, Pidove and Pidgey.
Bottom row from left to right: Hoothoot, Starly and
Taillow.

Only now, after a dark-type hyena and two grass-type yōkai evolutionary lines, we meet the generic normal/flying-type birds of this region. Taillow is a feisty and gutsy little bird inspired by - based on its forked tail, pointy wings and color scheme - a barn swallow. It essentially behaves like a newborn baby bird, as it will weaken and start to cry loudly when it gets hungry, probably asking mama or papa Swellow to bring it food. It migrates to warm lands when it gets cold, traveling almost 180 miles a day. God, could its flavor be any more boring? We know that birds migrate, and we know that hatchlings get squeaky when they get hungry or thirsty, but we don't need to see it in a Pokédex entry. It's dull almost to the point that it gets a bit irritating. You're creating magical creatures one after the other and this is all you can come up with, Game Freak? It doesn't even matter that Taillow is brave and never backs down even if it faces a tough opponent, because its evolution Swellow has the ability Guts as well (which is an awesome ability, but more about that later), which indicates that Swellow is as courageous as its pre-evolution. Its predatory behavior actually make it reminiscent of a swallow-tailed kite, a bird of prey that has the same forked tail as a swallow, hence its name. Just like a bird of prey, Swellow is a fantastic dive-bomber and never misses a target. It is also very conscientious about the upkeep of... its glossy plumage. And it occasionally cleans the feathers of others of its species.

So we have a vain predatory bird? I'm giving up already.

Swellow flying about with a flock of Taillow. 

Ash had a Swellow in the anime, and it could sometimes be overly stubborn and persistent, even to the point it was willing to take a Thunder from Ash's Pikachu in order to defeat Tate and Liza's Solrock and Lunatone in a two-on-two battle. This, and Swellow's Pokédex entries, leads me to think these characteristics are any Swellow's standard personality traits, which is why it has Guts. That brings us to the competitive scene, where it could either excel or be a total letdown. Swellow has a pretty low base stat total of 430, so it's a pretty straightforward Pokémon. Its excellent speed and decent attack are the stats you should invest in, as its attack gets a 50% boost when Swellow has a status condition, due to Guts. That's why most Swellow have a Jolly nature, holding a Flame Orb or Toxic Orb to burn or poison themselves, respectively, even though having such a status condition significantly wears them down fast. That is especially the case when Swellow is rocking Brave Bird, which is a 120-power flying-type move that deals recoil damage. On top of that, Brave Bird and Facade (a 70-power move that gets doubled when the user suffers from a status condition) are the only good competitively viable physical moves it has access to, although you could make use of U-Turn. As for the fourth slot, you could give Swellow Protect in order for it to stall for one turn and see what the opponent is gonna go for (and activate the Orb item it is holding if it hasn't activated yet), or maybe Quick Attack to finish off opposing Pokémon that are at low health. Additionally, Roost heals half of Swellow's HP, but that means it has to take hit afterwards unless the opponent is switching out.

For some reason there's also a special Choice Specs moveset for Swellow to be found on Smogon, but its abysmal base 50 special attack renders it kind of useless. Why in the name of God would you run a special set on Swellow when its much better physical attack can easily be boosted by letting it hold a Flame Orb? Guts even negates the attack drop from the subsequent burn. I don't understand, but whatever.

A Trainer and his shiny Swellow.

It's such a shame Swellow's flavor is so bland, honestly, because I actually really, really like its design; and if played well, it can even be a powerhouse in competitive play. However, aside from these things there is actually nothing that makes Swellow stand out to other generic bird Pokémon. Because of that, I'll have to deprive it of a perfect rating or even a 4.5-star rating, but I guess 4 stars aren't bad, either.

Rating: 4/5

#265 - #269: Wurmple, Silcoon, Beautifly, Cascoon & Dustox

Two Wurmple and their brached evolution lines.

At first sight, Wurmple looks like a pretty unexciting Pokémon. Its design is based on nothing in particular, really, and it seems that it is nothing but your average caterpillar or larva. The fact that it spews some kind of silk that becomes gooey when exposed to the air makes me think of certain aspects of the silkworm, a worm particularly exploited for the fabric production of silk. While in some languages the adult form is referred to as a butterfly (the Dutch word zijdevlinder literally means 'silk butterfly'), it is actually a moth, which may be the reason why Wurmple can go two different ways when it evolves: it can change into either Silcoon or Cascoon, who then evolve into Beautifly and Dustox, respectively. What Wurmple is gonna evolve into actually depends on its personality value, which cannot be influenced or seen by the player, and thus it remains unknown whether it will become a Silcoon or Cascoon until it hits level 7. It's essentially random, so it's better to just catch a Silcoon or Cascoon in Petalburg Woods right away and save yourself the frustration of Wurmple evolving into the wrong goddamn thing. Silcoon and Cascoon share the exact same type, movepool, ability, body style, EV yield and base stat distribution, making them nearly identical, but they occupy two different slots in the National Pokédex nonetheless.

Beautifly (left) chillin' with Vivillon (middle) and Butterfree
(right). 

A silkworm encases itself in its own silk when it enters its pupal stage, and that is exactly what Silcoon is based on. Its official art shows spikes on it, but they're actually strands of silk with which Silcoon attaches itself to tree branches, where it quietly and motionlessly hangs while it awaits evolution. It was thought to endure severe hunger and thirst while waiting to evolve, but it is now known that it slakes its thirst by drinking rainwater and dew that collect on its silk. But as is the case with so many cocoon Pokémon its evolution comes fairly early on, and when it comes... Oh boy, brace yourselves, because there's nothing more terrifying than a territorial butterfly. Beautifly may be pretty, but it is an agressive Pokémon that will jab at foes with its long and curled proboscis if it is disturbed while collecting pollen, its favorite meal. However, as its Japanese name Agehunt (アゲハント) and Mandarin Chinese name Shòulièfèngdié (狩獵鳳蝶) suggest - shòuliè means 'to hunt' - Beautifly is also a hunter that will use its proboscis to drain body fluids from its prey (plus, agehachō and fèngdié both mean 'swallowtail butterfly', which is obviously the inspiration for Beautifly's design). Unfortunately, it is not so savage in-game, as its base stat total is a mere 395. Its base 100 special attack is actually very good, but Beautifly is awfully frail and isn't all that fast either. That's why the move Quiver Dance is a staple in any of Beautifly's movesets, because it raises its special attack, special defense and speed by one stage each when used. The rest of the slots can be filled with Bug Buzz and two other coverage moves. Air Cutter is STAB due to Beautifly's secondary flying type, but it isn't very powerful, so I'd go with Psychic and either Giga Drain or Energy Ball.

Also, should you want to Beautifly it competitively, which is risky as hell, a Timid or Modest nature and a Focus Sash are must-haves. A Timid nature gives it a slight boost to its speed while a Modest nature slightly raises its special attack, and a Focus Sash leaves it at 1 HP when it is attacked at full health and the attack would have knocked it out otherwise. It's a one-time use item, so be careful with it.

Dustox (below), Volcarona (right), Venomoth (top left) and
Mothim (bottom left) all hanging on to a Lampent, even though
it's a myth that moths are attracted to light.

And then we have Cascoon, who hides underneath leaves and inside the gaps of tree branches rather than hanging from them like Silcoon does. It is a grudge-bearing cocoon that will never forget the pain it endures during battles and seeks to get payback upon evolution, even though its silky cask is hard enough to endure attacks. You better hide, then, because you don't want to get chased by a 3'11"-tall moth. Dustox's name is apparent in the fact that its disc-shaped wings contain a noxious dust that, according to the Pokédex, will "even make pro westlers sick". Uhm... what? Since when is immunity to poison an aspect of professional wrestling? I know I don't know a whole lot about sports and the like (actually, I don't know shit about sports), but as far as I'm concerned, pro wrestlers are still human and thus as vulnerable to any poisonous substance as the rest of us. Weird. Anyway, Dustox is based on a Japanese moon moth, actias artemis, or the American luna moth, while its shiny form may be a reference to how moths mimic dead leaves. Dustox is nocturnal and apparently it is instinctively drawn to streetlights, even though actual moths aren't really attracted to light; instead, they navigate by it, operating under the assumption that the source is far away. In fact, the moon is their main source, although artificial lights - streetlights, for example - could mess up the internal navigation systems of certain animals, which is why it's understandable people would think moths are attracted to light when it will likely make them confused. Though that doesn't stop swarms of Dustox from wreaking havoc in towns and cities, where they strip the leaves off trees lining boulevards.

Again, nothing sounds more evil and savage than destroying beautiful trees that were so carefully planted ages ago, but Dustox's competitive utility is really nothing to write home about. Contrary to Beautifly, you'd do best to shy away from using Dustox entirely. Its base stat total is 385, which is only 10 less than Beautifly's, but whereas Beautifly got a boost of 10 base points in its special attack in Pokémon X and Y, Dustox got nothing. Its subpar base 60 HP doesn't make up for its mediocre defense and decent special defense and sure as heck won't prevent it from getting annihilated by a Flamethrower anyway. Its attack and special attack are both a base 50, which is just downright bad. They can't even be saved by Quiver Dance, whereas that move is actually Beautifly's saving grace if played well.

Family picture. Say 'cheese'!

Wurmple is interesting and unique in the sense that it is the only Pokémon with two branched evolutions that can evolve even further. While both second-stage evolutions don't look like much, I absolutely like Beautifly more than Dustox. I used both of them in a playthrough alongside each other and Beautifly was a real powerhouse for as long as it had a Quiver Dance up. Dustox, not so much; I boxed it after the fourth Gym and never looked back to it. I mean, there's an interesting concept behind Dustox's design, but even then I'm drawn towards Beautifly's design and flavor more than Dustox's. By and large, Beautifly is superior to Dustox in every aspect, even its shiny form; thus, I'm going to rate them separately, even though Beautifly's rating is higher by only one star.

Rating Beautifly: 4.5/5

Rating Dustox: 3.5/5