#487: Giratina

I am terribly annoyed and frustrated with Google at the moment, because they display Blogger in English while the language on both of my Google accounts is clearly set on Dutch. And here I am, trying to write a review about a creepy ghost-type Pokémon that was banished to the Distortion World for being too violent. I feel this will not have a positive effect on my current state of mind, but my goal is to have finished the Gen. IV legendaries plus Victini by the end of May, so here goes nothing.

(Disclaimer: Yes, I know that Victini is technically from the fifth generation, but this Pokémon comes before Snivy and after Arceus in the National Pokédex, so please cut me some slack here.)

Shiny Giratina in its Altered Forme. Isn't it gorgeous?

Giratina is the box-art legendary of Pokémon Platinum in its Origin Forme and is supposed to be Dialga and Palkia's counterpart, but it is separated from the other members of its trio in the Pokédex by Heatran and Regigigas. This is not an uncommon occurrence, however; Cresselia and Darkrai aren't found next to each other in the Pokédex either, no fewer than three legendary Pokémon would be found separately from the other members of their respective groups exactly one generation later as well, and a couple of Ultra Beasts prevent Necrozma from chilling with Solgaleo and Lunala. At the end of the day it doesn't really matter, because it's all about the Pokémon themselves and not about their position in the National Pokédex. In that regard, Giratina may be the most interesting of the Creation Trio flavor-wise, even though some of the references are clearly biblical in nature. Some of Giratina's Pokédex entries claim that it was banished to the Distortion World for its excessive violence, which may be based on the story of how the Devil was once an angel who was banished to Hell for attempting a revolution. Furthering this are the possibilities that Giratina's Altered Forme is based on a basilisk and its Origin Forme on a serpent, two creatures that the Devil would often take the form of in the Bible.

Amazing art of Giratina emerging at Spear Pillar from a portal leading to the
Distortion World.

But the two forms of Giratina seem to be based on entirely different things altogether. Bulbapedia claims that Giratina's Altered Forme may be based on a giant centipede from the Japanese fairytale "My Lord Bag of Rice", which was said to be as large as a mountain and prey on dragon hatchlings. It doesn't really make sense to me, because Giratina is a dragon type itself. Sure, its six legs make it look somewhat insect-like, but not overly so; if anything, I am of the opinion that it has more saurian and draconian features. When in its Origin Forme, Giratina shares physical traits with a creature called an amphiptere, a European dragon-like creature with bat-like wings and a serpentine body but no legs. Too bad the bat-like wings are a feature of Giratina's Altered Forme, as its Origin Forme possesses six black ghostly streamers protruding from its back, and the red spikes attached to the tips of those streamers are reminiscent to scorpion stingers or spider legs.

Also, in interviews Junichi Masuda and Takeshi Kawachimaru did with G4, they said that Giratina and the Distortion World were created to be personifications of antimatter, which Cynthia also states in HeartGold and SoulSilver. I'm guessing antimatter isn't the exact opposite of time and space, but I'll buy it. It's better than having to listen to the trifecta-of-matter theory for the umpteenth time, however solid this theory may be.

Giratina's Origin Forme chillin' with its creator, Arceus. 

Too bad Game Freak cannot be consistent when it comes to creating certain Pokémon's characteristics, because Giratina still seems to be able to travel through and control dimensions besides those of time and space. The movie Pokémon: Giratina and the Sky Warrior shows that it can pass through dimensions at will by emitting a whirlwind from its mouth, thereby creating a portal. Traveling to the 'normal' Pokémon world, it ambushed Dialga and dragged it to the Reverse World - the Distortion World in Pokémon Platinum - in order to exact revenge against it for causing damage to said Reverse World during its fight with Palkia in Pokémon: The Rise of Darkrai, which shows that Giratina is a highly aggressive and territorial Pokémon protective of its home and capable of kidnapping. In Pokémon Diamond and Pearl it can even be caught in its Altered Forme - its default form when not in the Distortion World or holding a Griseous Orb, due to the change in gravity between dimensions - in an ancient cemetery in Sinnoh called Turnback Cave, which is not even in the Distortion World and so it has no business being there in the first place. The point I'm trying to make here is that, ultimately, banishing Giratina to the Distortion World didn't seem to have had any effect whatsoever, as it is still able to travel between all kinds of different dimensions. Great consistency there, Game Freak.

While I'm at it, I should add that I think Giratina's Origin Forme should be called its Altered Forme and vice versa. The way I see it is that Giratina had to alter its body in order to adapt to a different environment after it was banished to the Distortion World, thereby taking on the form of a serpent rather than a centipede of some sort. I think. But what do I know, right?

Giratina's Altered Forme.

In any case, real-life references and name origins are almost never downright confirmed, so we could only guess where Giratina's name comes from. It almost feels like a Japanese corruption of the world 'guillotine', but that can't be the only thing. Bulbapedia suggests that Giratina's name may be derived from girasol opal, a term that is often mistakenly used to refer to red-, orange- and yellow-colored fire opals, but true girasol is a type of translucent hyalite opal that exhibits a bluish glow or sheen that follows the light source around and is sometimes called water opal when it is from Mexico. No, let's go the 'guillotine' way instead and throw some purachina (Japanese for 'platinum') in the mix as well. As Giratina is the game mascot of Pokémon Platinum, I guess the latter isn't such an over-the-top assumption. Lastly, when it comes to Giratina's competitive utility, it actually works quite differently from Dialga and Palkia, who mainly serve as strong special attackers. In its Altered Forme Giratina is a defensive wall sporting an annoying support set consisting of at least Defog, Toxic and Rest, while its Origin Forme swaps some base defenses for some more base offenses. It still won't be knocked out easily though, not even by another legendary Pokémon. Do think twice before sending this thing out to other dragon or ghost types (as well as fairy, ice and dark types), two types Giratina is weak to, which makes it the only dual-type Pokémon that is weak to both of its own types. Ouch.

Palkia (left) and Dialga (right) facing off against Origin Forme Giratina (middle).

I love this thing. It's a creepy yet cool Pokémon to look at, and I can understand why Pokémon Platinum - and by extension also Giratina and the Distortion World - enjoys so much popularity. The fourth generation isn't my favorite by a long shot, but Sinnoh is home to some of the most amazingly designed Pokémon, including my all-time favorite, Luxray. While I'm not a big fan of religious references in Pokémon, I can certainly see the irony in a Pokémon that might be the very embodiment of the Devil, especially since the franchise receives so much backlash from Christian parents. Giratina definitely gets no less than a perfect rating from me!

P.S.: I have now tagged all of my blog posts. From now on, every review will receive labels with the respective Pokémon's typing and rating, as well as the generation it's in. This way, it'll be easier for you to search for Pokémon in certain categories, should you so desire.

Rating: 5/5

#479: Rotom

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Rotom having fun with a microwave oven. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Rating: 5/5

#442: Spiritomb

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

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

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

TCG art of Spiritomb.

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

Pretty quirky fan art of shiny Spiritomb.

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

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

Hey Spiritomb, leave my darling Pikachu alone!

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

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

Rating: 4.5/5

#425 - #426: Drifloon & Drifblim

Oddly vibrant and pretty art for a such a ghastly Pokémon.

The first proper balloon Pokémon - and no, the Igglybuff line does not count - are an interesting duo, to say the least. Of all things, Game Freak decided to give them the ghost type and the result is nothing less than terrifying. Drifloon may look cute, but it has a tendency to tug on the hands of children to steal them away, only for it to get pulled around instead. That is its Pokédex entry for Pokémon Pearl, however, as later ones mention it abducting children and dragging them away to the afterlife. Game Freak don't shy away from a little body-shaming either, as Drifloon's Sun Dex entry says it dislikes heavy children. I guess Tierno has nothing to worry about, then. Not that I'm opposed to there being a real-life counterpart of Drifloon if that were possible, because I absolutely hate kids. They smell bad, don't listen to their parents, tend to get in your way whenever you have to be somewhere, make a complete mess out of everything, and as teenagers they're just a bunch of stuck-up, ungrateful know-it-alls. But above all, little kids are loud. I am hard of hearing and I absolutely loathe the agonizing sound of screaming children. The worst thing is that parents don't even know how to restrain their kids anymore nowadays, or they simply don't care; as a result, they just let them be and it irks me to no end. Drifloon would be doing us all a favor by taking them away from us, I swear. Too bad it dislikes heavy children, because those are the ones who tend to easily get spoiled by their parents.

TCG art of Drifloon that seems to fit its typing and flavor much better than the
piece of fan art above. 

Anyway, Drifloon's lightness causes it to float about aimlessly, earning it the nickname of "Signpost for Wandering Spirits", especially because its body is formed by the spirits of people and Pokémon. It can expand or shrink to express its feelings, but its soul will spill out with a screaming sound if its body bursts. Yikes. Its evolution Drifblim is even stronger, carrying full-grown people and Pokémon as it flies. However, it has no control over its flight and as a result of it only being able to drift, people tend to go missing. Even while under careful observation, large flocks of Drifblim flying at dusk will inexplicably disappear from view. I like to believe Drifblim are making themselves and those bad parents vanish while their baby Drifloon are taking care of the parents' annoying children, which would be a wonderful solution for human overpopulation if these Pokémon did indeed exist in real life.

Oh, if only Pokémon were real...

This fan art of Drifblim is strangely tranquil.

But the closest thing we come to 'real' Pokémon are immobile, inanimate plushies and action figures, otherwise we're restricted to using pixelated characters on a handheld video game console. In that regard, Drifblim is kind of a strange Pokémon. Its stats are unevenly distributed, with massive HP and decent special attack, but with mediocre attack and speed and absolutely terrible defenses; one strong super-effective attack is all you need to make this hot air balloon pop. The best you can do is to use it as a special attacker, rocking a Calm Mind set with moves like Shadow Ball, Thunderbolt and Psychic boosted by a Life Orb and a Modest nature (Timid isn't bad, either). Maybe you could replace one move with Rest and give Drifblim a Chesto Berry to hold so it wakes up immediately after using that move, which isn't a bad idea when you're facing a special attacker. It can even get a speed boost from consuming the berry due to one of its regular abilities, Unburden. If that's not your style, Will-O-Wisp is an option to badly cripple opposing Pokémon, as a burn causes an attack drop on the foe and renders Drifblim's defense somewhat passable. Hex instead of Shadow Ball works well in combination with Will-O-Wisp, but it's risky and tricky to pull off with Drifblim specifically.

Smogon mentions a physical Liechi Berry set, of course with Unburden, but Knock Off is literally the only good physical move it gets aside from Acrobatics, which only does massive damage after it consumes the berry in question. It's backed up by Substitute, Destiny Bond and possibly Tailwind, but I don't think it's all that effective. As far as special-attacking options go, a Calm Mind set is really the only way to go. Flare Boost is a hidden ability that raises the power of Drifblim's special moves by 50% when it's burned (probably a reference to its hot air balloon aesthetic), and while burns have been nerfed as of Gen. VII, the risk of burning your Pokémon with a Flame Orb when you can easily set up a Calm Mind is just not worth it.

Fan art of Drifblim as an actual blimp. This is hilarious!

I feel like a lot of the Gen. IV Pokémon don't really meet my expectations. Driblim has an interesting design and an awesome concept behind it, but it just isn't executed well stat-wise. I mean, its HP and defenses make sense, as balloons aren't really that sturdy to begin with, but why isn't it slower and physically weaker? With such few options in Diamond and Pearl (evolutions of Pokémon introduced in earlier generations weren't available until the post-game content or in Pokémon Platinum), you'd think Game Freak would kick it up a notch. Granted, Drifloon can only be caught in the Valley Windworks on Fridays - comparable to Lapras in Pokémon Gold and Silver - but no reason is given for that. It doesn't make a whole lot of sense, especially since Drifloon and Drifblim can't control their movements according to their Dex entries, but I guess we'll have to make do with it. I really like Drifblim's design and flavor, though, so I guess a four-star rating is well-awarded here.

Rating: 4/5

#361 - #362, #478: Snorunt, Glalie & Froslass

So only now we've bumped into the first true Gen. III ice types - and no, I do not count Castform's Snowy Forme as such. Hoenn is a tropical region with too much water and it is hard to implement ice types into such a region in the first place, so they were put away in a remote salt cave at the northeastern edge of the region, which - with a little bit of bad luck - would be completely overlooked by the player if they were in a rush to complete the game. Route 125 and Shoal Cave are just north of Mossdeep City, but there is nothing else to find beyond these places, so they're not mandatory for the player to visit. And even though the Snorunt and Spheal lines are the only ice types you can find in the games (not counting Regice as of yet because it is tricky to obtain, and definitely not counting Castform), by the time the player arrives in Mossdeep City they will probably have a full team of six already.

Snorunt plushies, the middle of which is that of a shiny Snorunt. 

Another drawback for players to put a Snorunt on their team is the fact that this little critter evolves at level 42, which is way too damn high for a Pokémon that isn't worth the hassle. Don't get me wrong; Glalie is great and all, but base 80 stats across the board isn't worth waiting until level 42. And with base 50 stats Snorunt can't do an awful lot by itself, either. Instead, I think we should admire what Snorunt is supposed to represent: a small, child-sized Pokémon based on a couple of different yōkai. The zashiki-warashi, or "guestroom child", is a mischievous Japanese spirit in the form of a five- or six-year-old child that is often sighted in Iwate Prefecture, somewhere in northern Japan. Those who see it are said to be visisted with good fortune, which is the exact same thing the Pokédex says about Snorunt, too. Another inspiration for Snorunt might be the yukinko, a childlike spirit said to emerge when it snows, often depicted as elf-like and wearing a yuki mino - the latter being a traditional type of winter wear from the snowy parts of Japan that consists of a conical snow cloak made of straw. Snorunt seems to be stylized version of a yuki mino, which is probably why it can stand temperatures of -150°F. From Pokémon Platinum on, Snorunt's Pokédex description of gathering under giant leaves and living together in harmony with others of its species is a reference to the Koro-pok-guru, a race of small people in the folklore of the Ainu people. They are said to live under the leaves of plants in harmony, and their name seems to support that: Koro-pok-guru literally means "people under the butterbur plant". The only problem is that Snorunt doesn't look the part and that it doesn't fit its design and typing, either.

Official Sugimori art of Glalie.

Nor does Glalie look like a logical evolution of Snorunt, for that matter. It's like the head of a goblin with nothing else attached to it, but basically Glalie consists of a black rock core covered by ice that will not even melt under a direct flame. If that is the case, why wasn't it made part rock type? Glalie would have benefited from that if it hadn't been for these two bad weaknesses to fighting and steel it otherwise would've had, but the latter type wasn't as prevalent in competitive play as it is now with all those fairy types around. Instead, we just got a Pokémon based on a hockey mask whose name is a combination of 'glacier' and 'goalie'. Indeed, 'goalie'; how fucking obvious do you want to make it, anyway? Even its Japanese name Onigohri (オニゴーリ) bears a phonetic similarity to 'goalie', while the word Torwart in Glalie's German name Firnontor means 'goalkeeper'. It doesn't even remotely resemble anything from Japanese culture anymore, aside from maybe a standard type of oni (an ogre- or troll-like creature) with horns. And what about that flavor? It can freeze moisture in the atmosphere... - yeah, no shit; it's a fucking ice type - ...into any shape it desires.

Okay, that's actually pretty cool.

And as if Glalie didn't look ugly enough, it has an ugly personality as well: it actually enjoys putting its prey in a frozen state with its icy-cold breath and gobbling it up afterwards. What's more, Glalie got a Mega evolution that no one saw coming, and it can now temporarily float around with a dislocated jaw. I can almost hear it scream in agony. It's tragic, really, as Mega Glalie can instantly freeze its prey but cannot eat said prey because its jaw is destroyed.

Some pretty cool (get it?) fan art of Froslass.

Glalie's Korean name Urumkisin (얼음귀신) - from eol'eum ('ice') and gwishin ('ghost'), so literally 'ice ghost' - would have fit Snorunt's alternative evolution Froslass a whole lot better. Froslass, evolved from a female Snorunt by use of a Dawn Stone, is the franchise's only ice/ghost type, and for a good reason, too: it is based on the yuki-onna, a ghostly woman in Japanese folklore often associated with winter and snowstorms. I already mentioned these spirits in Jynx's review, but as Froslass is a ghost type and the yuki-onna is supposed to represent a female ghost (which is also the reason why only female Snorunt can evolve into Froslass), it makes much more sense that the latter was the inspiration for Froslass rather than Jynx. However, none of the legends about the yuki-onna are as lurid as Froslass's Pokédex descriptions. It's all very interesting to read that it has cold breath (so does Glalie), that it has a hollow body (so does Dusclops) and that legends in snowy regions say that a woman who got lost on an icy mountains was reborn as a Froslass, but let's take a look at the entries it got in Pokémon Sun and Moon recently.

Pokédex entry Sun:
"When it finds humans or Pokémon it likes, it freezes them and takes them to its chilly den, where they become decorations."

Pokémon entry Moon:
"The soul of a woman lost on a snowy mountain possessed an icicle, becoming this Pokémon. The food it most relishes is the souls of men."

Why, excuse the living hell out of me? So, in the hypothetical case that I'm roaming about in the snowy mountains and just by happenstance encounter a Froslass, I'm pretty much screwed? I don't know about you guys, but I am 100% certain I'm never going on a skiing holiday.

A Froslass image with yuki-onna elements in the forefront. The
red band it's wearing is reminiscent of an obi, a sash worn with a
kimono or with the uniforms used by practitioners of Japanese
martial arts.

Trainers should be cautious when being around this thing, but on the off chance you decide to use Froslass in competitive play, you'll have yourself a speedy special att... wait, what? Its special attack is only 80? Damn, I always thought it had amazing speed and special attack and terribe everything else, but I guess I was wrong. Well, it's no use making it defensive, because it won't live a hit, so be clever and go with the specially offensive approach anyway. I was going to recommend a Timid nature, but I guess it can use the special power boost from a Modest nature. And a Life Orb, for that matter, which will make moves like Ice Beam, Shadow Ball, Signal Beam, Psychic and Thunderbolt hit foes just this little bit harder. As it's fast to begin with, a utility moveset might not be bad; Taunt is to prevent foes from setting up with stat-boosting moves, Spikes lays a layer of - you guessed it - spikes that hurt incoming Pokémon on the opponent's side of the battlefield, Will-O-Wisp burns foes and thus inflicts residual damage every turn, and a fast Destiny Bond might be beneficial if a certain Pokémon proves to be an issue. Of course, a utility moveset calls for a Focus Sash rather than a Life Orb. The only thing left to discuss is its ability, but it has only two. Its regular ability Snow Cloak boosts Froslass's evasion when it's hailing, which it almost never does, so ignore that one. Its hidden ability is Cursed Body and has the power to disable certain moves when Froslass is hit by one, which could definitely come in handy.

It's pretty hot in the Netherlands right now, but this image
spontaneously gives me the chills.

So, we've discussed Froslass, but what about Glalie? Well... my advice is to not use it unless you go Mega. Regular Glalie is just not good enough and can't get anything done, so you'd be wise to Mega-evolve it. Mega Glalie has Refrigerate for its ability, which turns all normal-type moves into ice-type moves, effectively making them STAB. This means a decent 102-power phsyical-based ice-type move in Return, as well as an ice-type Explosion. It's what most people use Mega Glalie for, anyway: doing some moderate damage to opponents with moves like Return and Earthquake, only to cause a gigantic and unexpected climax and blow it up for a whopping 250 power. That's one almost guaranteed OHKO right there, so Explosion is perfect to remove a specific threat from the game. Sure, you'll lose your own Mega Glalie in the process, but sometimes you gotta make sacrifices in order to advance the match. If blowing Mega Glalie up is unfavorable, you could also run a moveset consisting of Return, Ice Shard, Earthquake and Iron Head, of course supported by a Jolly or Adamant nature - or a Naive, Hasty, Lonely or Naughty nature if you decide to use Freeze-Dry instead of Iron Head in order for you to super-effectively hit water types as well. Nonetheless, Mega Glalie is pretty much one-dimensional and therefore very predictable.

I wish I could like these Pokémon more than I currently do, but Mega Glalie is a little too weird - even to my taste - and Froslass is unimpressive when it's not about its flavor. That doesn't stop me from giving both Pokémon a good rating - the same one at that, too - and to be quite honest, 4 stars are nothing to sneeze at. I don't know exactly what it is that could make them sneeze, because I doubt these Pokémon can catch a cold, but that is not the point.

P.S.: What's with Froslass's classification as the 'Snow Land Pokémon'? I really don't understand the 'land' part...?

Rating: 4/5

#355 - #356, #477: Duskull, Dusclops & Dusknoir

Official art of Duskull by Ken Sugimori, courtesy of Nintendo
and Game Freak, blah blah blah, yada yada yada... 

While Shuppet's appearance is reminiscent of common depictions of ghosts, especially those that are basically floating white sheets, Duskull is a stylized personification of the Grim Reaper, the embodiment of death: its body is a black robe with two bones on its back, its mask is basically a skull, and it has a single eye that floats between its eye sockets. The only thing that's missing is the scythe, but that's a minor detail. The question is whether Duskull behaves even remotely like the Grim Reaper. I'd say no, as it chooses a target in the dead of night and doggedly pursues its intended victim until it abandons the chase at the break of dawn, which the Grim Reaper doesn't. It's just an alternative name for the Angel of Death and has come into use as to allow us to embody the concept of death into a tangible creature. The truth is that death is imminent, and when it's your time to go, the Angel of Death - or Grim Reaper - will come and get you. It's not supposed to be a mean-spirited being; rather, the Angel of Death is impartial and just guides you to the hereafter when you pass away, whether this is at dawn, day, dusk or night. Personally, I don't believe in this spiritual/religious bullshit, but I think I understand the concept of the Grim Reaper and I doubt it spirits away disobedient or misbehaving children, let alone enjoys the crying of children. Correct me if I'm wrong.

Duskull can pass through walls no matter how thick they are, but I've seen other ghost-type Pokémon doing that, so I'm not impressed. I mean, I'm sure everyone here remembers the Gastly, Haunter and Gengar from the "The Tower Of Terror", the 23rd episode of the very first season. Right?

Dusclops in the anime. When you compare it to its official art, it is
actually much creepier: these hands actually look more human,
which is unsettling, but they're also in a much paler shade of gray,
making them stand out more than those of its official art. 

As for Dusclops... well, let's say Hoenn really likes the subject of black holes, as Gardevoir is known to create them and Dusclops pretty much acts like one: its body is said to be hollow and can absorb anything, no matter how large an object may be. Dayum. Also, Dusclops hypnotizes its foes and makes them do its biddig by moving its hands about in a macabre manner and bringing its single eye to bear. Dayum. It also likes being weird, as it seeks drifting will-o'-the-wisps and sucks them into its empty body. (Wait, does that mean it's consuming its kin? Duskull's German name is Zwirrlicht, which is a combination of Zwielicht and Irrlicht, meaning 'twilight' and 'will-o'-the-wisp', respectively.) Up till today, it remains a mystery what happens inside its body, but it is speculated that a spectral ball of fire is burning inside it. Not that anyone who has found out the truth can tell it through, as peering into Dusclops's body to see whether there actually is a mysterious fire burning inside its hollow body will only result in your spirit to be sucked into the void. Dayum. Contrary to Duskull, however, Dusclops is based on something much more uncommon than the universally recognized Grim Reaper: the chōchin-obake - literally a 'paper lantern ghost' - is a one-eyed haunted paper lantern, as its name implies. Dusclops even has some similarities to mummies, although this concept would be executed much better later on in the franchise in the form of Cofagrigus (have fun pronouncing that name). It has to be said, though, that Cofagrigus is in fact a sarcophagus rather than a mummy, but I cannot deny its cool design. And I don't want to know (yet) what houses inside it.

Brrrrrr, the realistic aesthetics make this Duskulll art very creepy. 

The weirdness doesn't end with Dusclops, however. It evolves into Dusknoir by trading it while letting it hold a Reaper Cloth, and if that ain't a reference to the Grim Reaper then I don't know what is. The cyclops aspect in Dusclops's design is retained, but Dusknoir's flavor is much weirder than its pre-evolution's: its antenna allows it to receive electrical waves from the spirit world that tell it to bring people there, although the anime has demonstrated it protecting people from being taken to the spirit world as well. These transmissions are a clear reference to electronic voice phenomena (EVP), which within ghost hunting and parapsychology are static noises found on electronic recordings that are interpreted as spirit voices. Protecting people from the spirit world doesn't stop Dusknoir from opening the yellow band around its waist and take the lost spirits from people into its pliant body, however, just so to carry them home or as it travels to unknown places.

Dayum. Duskull and its evolutions are some of the scariest Pokémon out there.

This artist managed to make Dusclops look more mummy-like.
Pretty cool.

The most surprising thing is that both Dusclops and Dusknoir are very bulky Pokémon, sporting some amazing defenses. Their HP is trash, but by investing some EVs in this stat Dusclops and Dusknoir will be able to take plenty of hits. At least they'll survive long enough to do whatever they deem necessary before going down. As Dusclops doesn't have good attacking stats, it is better to use an Eviolite support set: the Eviolite buffs up both of its defensive stats by 50%, making it more bulky than it already is, while a Bold or Calm nature increases either its defense or special defense a little, depending on which one you want, really. Dusclops has access to some nifty status moves, too: Will-O-Wisp burns foes and especially cripples physical attackers, Destiny Bond makes it take an opponent with it when it gets knocked out, Night Shade lets it deal a fixed amount of damage depending on its level (in online battles its level is usually 50), and Rest lets it heal up fully but puts it asleep. Alternatively, Pain Split shares the remaining amount of HP between it and the opposing Pokémon, so if the foe has 151 HP left and Dusclops 21, both will end up at 86 HP... or at least that's how I think it works. It's a pretty good moveset and I'd actually recommend Pain Split over Rest, but both allow Dusclops to last on the battlefield longer than your opponent would wish. While aforementioned moveset works phenomenally, there's also moves like Curse, Substitute, Memento and Taunt to consider. However, Curse and Memento only make it harm itself to inflict some kind of status condition that fades away when the opposing Pokémon is switched out anyway, so they're hardly worth the hassle, while Substitute works better with the Leftovers, which Dusclops is not going to hold because it needs the Eviolite. The only good option is Taunt, which prevents Dusclops from being set-up bait. Smogon mentions a Calm Mind set, but that's just... bad. Dusclops's base 60 special attack is just really mediocre and even after one or two boosts it doesn't hit very hard. It's not supposed to, either, so just stick with the moveset I mentioned.

Dusknoir opening its hollow body in order to throw a Shadow Ball in its opponent's
face.

Dusknoir needs another approach. Not only does it have a higher base attack stat (100, as opposed to Dusclops's base 70 attack), it also has a good physical movepool. It can pull of a STAB Shadow Punch or Shadow Sneak and hit relatively hard or just with priority, while sporting some type coverage in moves like Earthquake, the elemental punches, Brick Break, Sucker Punch and Rock Slide. Give it an Adamant nature and the Leftovers as a held item - the Eviolite only works on Pokémon that are yet to evolve, so it's useless on Dusknoir - and you'll be sure it lasts long enough to cause some significant damage to the opposing team. Alternatively, a Life Orb or Choice Band can be used for some more oomph behind its attacking moves. Both Dusclops and Dusknoir are best off with the ability Pressure, which takes an extra PP point from the move it is attacked with (I'm pretty sure it only works on damaging moves), so ignore its hidden ability Frisk.

One big happy family... I guess?

While I love the Duskull line's flavor texts, their designs don't really appeal to me all that much. Duskull and Dusclops are alright, but the more rotund shape of Dusknoir just seems really off to me. I'm not a fan of fat-looking Pokémon in the first place, anyway. For example, I'm not as big a fan of Snorlax as I probably should be; it's a fan favorite and I just don't get why. And you'd better remember my review of Lickilicky, who is my least favorite Pokémon in existence and will be my least favorite Pokémon until the day I die - which, hopefully, won't be for another 70 years at least. Of all the 'fatty' Pokémon thus far, Dusknoir is still the one I like the most - not in the least because of its flavor - so I reckon a 4-star rating will suffice here.

Rating: 4/5

#353 - #354: Shuppet & Banette

In comparison to Gastly (left) and Duskull (middle), Shuppet is
kinda cute. 

Oh, you thought the Alola Pokédex was scary? Trust me, I'm sure Shuppet and Banette's Pokédex entries from Ruby and Sapphire will send shivers down your spine.

Granted, Shuppet isn't that terrifying. It's basically harmless, aside from the fact that it is attracted by and feeds on feelings of envy, vindictiveness, malice and sadness. According to its Ruby Pokédex entry, Shuppet will appear in a swarm and line up beneath the eaves of a vengeful person's home, which means they're basically the ghost equivalent of a wasp nest hanging under your roof. Shuppet actively roam the city streets in search of negative emotions and catch them with their upright horns. The biggest stumbling block here is Shuppet's origin. While its shape is more reminiscent of a teru teru bōzu than Castform's, it has absolutely nothing to do with the weather whatsoever. It seems to be based on a hand puppet; more specifically, a puppet used in shadow play, an ancient form of puppetry using flat articulated cut-out figures (shadow puppets) that are held between a source of light and a translucent screen of some sort.

Imagine Banette scratching at your window... A child who has
junked their doll in the Pokémon world must be having a hard
time, knowing Banette could come for them any moment.
Damn, this here image could have been a scene straight out of
a horror movie (or game). 

In short, Shuppet is based on some kind of toy, and this aspect blends perfectly with its evolution Banette, who is a whole lot scarier than Shuppet is. Banette is a doll-like Pokémon with a zipper that acts as its mouth and makes sure its life force is safely kept within its body. Whereas Shuppet mainly feeds on feelings of hatred, it becomes maliciously vengeful itself when it evolves into Banette: it lives on landfill sites and in dark alleys, where it seeks for the child that disowned it before it became a Pokémon (although it used to be a Shuppet first; great consistency there, Game Freak!). It even lays curses on people and other Pokémon by using its body as a voodoo doll and sticking pins into itself. My guess is that Banette is universally feared in the Pokémon world. I love this franchise, but even I wouldn't want to live in a world inabited by such capricious creatures, although I'd imagine a Luxray by my side to protect me if ever I were to live in the Pokémon world. Banette is almost realistically eerie - heck, its Gen. III sprites actually make it look like a possessed doll, before its sprites became more animated in later generations - and that makes me think it wouldn't feel out of place in one of those Five Nights at Freddy's games, which are undoubtedly to blame for a sudden increase in phobias about dolls and teddy bears. Inanimate objects coming to life is not a new thing, either: tools that have required a spirit are called tsukumogami in Japanese folklore.

For a discarded doll, Banette is actually pretty strong. Unfortunately it has inherited the trait of dolls being relatively fragile, although in terms of Pokémon stats it is actually very fragile. Banette can hit hard with its base 115 attack stat, but it can barely take a hit in return, nor can it take a hit first due to its equally low speed. Luckily, there's an answer: Mega Banette. Now, Mega Banette may not be that much faster than regular Banette, but the extra base points in speed help, as do the base points in its defenses. Of course, the biggest boost goes to its attack, which is now a base 165. However, Mega Banette has the ability Prankster by default, which means it'll always hit first with whatever status move you're throwing at your opponent. Almost all ghost types learn Will-O-Wisp, so burning the foe to whittle it down is a ridiculously viable tactic, especially since the 50% attack reduction heavily cripples physical attackers. And if a certain Pokémon poses a real threat to you, you can just click Destiny Bond and be done with it - obviously you'll lose Mega Banette as well, but you'll just have to strategize from there. That leaves two spots for attacking moves, and as one of them has to be STAB, I recommend Shadow Claw. The other could be Knock Off, which doubles in power when you manage to knock off the opposing Pokémon's held item, but ghost- and dark-type moves cover the same types anyway, so you might as well go for a priority STAB move in Shadow Sneak.

It's not as if you have any other choice, because the rest of its physical moves are ghost- and dark-type moves that are not worth mentioning and... Gunk Shot. It's not a terrible idea, don't get me wrong, but Gunk Shot doesn't have much PP and isn't very accurate, so it's nothing to get excited about. Banette's special movepool is much better, but if you're smart - and you probably are - you're running an Adamant nature to make use of that crazy attack stat. I mean, Banette didn't Mega-evolve just for you to make use of its base 93 special attack, right? And should you want to use regular Banette - make sure you have one with the ability Insomnia, which prevents it from falling asleep - I guess a mixed Life Orb set could do the job.

Mega Banette - obviously the one with zippers all over its body - and Shuppet.

I always forgot about Banette until it got a Mega evolution in the first place, which indicates that it's not really a memorable Pokémon. It's a shame, really. I mean, how creepier can you get than with a discarded doll possessed by a vindictive spirit, dedicating its life to finding the child that left it behind? This should be a bedtime story, period. Teach your kids to play with their toys in a respectful way, or let them think about whether they really need anything before it's bought and ultimately abandoned, or else their toys will come alive to take revenge on them.

Some lesson that would be, innit?

Rating: 4.5/5

#302: Sableye

Creepy fan art of Sableye. It uses its sharp claws to dig through
the earth and excavate gems, which it then devours.

Now, this Pokémon is a real gem, literally and figuratively. The dark/ghost Sableye is inarguably, indisputably, irrefutably an obscure and creepy but unique Pokémon. A goblin-like creature with sharp teeth and claws and eyes like diamonds that sparkle in the dark and allow it to see in low light, it is feared by many people because it's said that looking directly into its eyes will cause it steal one's soul away. Those eyes are not the only gemstones to be found on its body, though: it has a red gem on its chest, and on its back are a blue and green gemstone as well as another red one, which is probably a reference to the trio of games of the generation it debuted in. The diamond eyes and gem-like adornments on Sableye's body are the result of its diet, which consists of rock and raw gemstones. It even preys on Carbink, but it is apparently too slow to catch them, as they're usually taken by Gabite before Sableye can even do so much as to lay a hand on them. The whole gemstone thing extends through its Mega evolution as well: all the energy from Mega-evolving is concentrated into the red jewel on its chest, which detaches from Sableye's body and significantly increases in size, leaving a small hole in Mega Sableye's chest. Mega Sableye now shelters itself behind the large and heavy jewel, which is said to boast such incredible hardness that nothing even leaves so much as a scratch on it. Hiding behind the jewel comes with some benefits and disadvantages: Mega Sableye can take advantage of opening its targets leave exposed, but supporting the massive jewel makes it too slow to turn around, which makes it vulnerable from behind.

I especially like the lore behind Sableye's design, though. Brace yourselves.

Amazing fan art of Sableye picking its teeth after a delicious
meal consisting of rubies, sapphires and emeralds.

Sableye is based on the Hopkinsville Goblin, which is claimed to be an extraterrestrial being encountered in the towns of Kelly and Hopkinsville in the state of Kentucky (where the chicken comes from). On an August day in 1955, five immensely dumb adults and seven extremely gullible children arrived at the Hopkinsville police station claiming that small alien creatures in a spaceship repeatedly popped up at the doorway or peered through the windows of their farmhouse, attacking them. They had been holding the creatures off with gunfire for four hours, or so they said. Four remarkably clever city policemen, five unusually intelligent state troopers, four outstandingly bright military policemen from a nearby army base and three incredibly smart deputy sheriffs were concerned about a possible gun battle between local citizens and decided to take a look anyway, even though they found nothing but holes in window and door screens made by firearms. The story got widespread coverage in local and national press, although details such as "large pointed ears, claw-like hands, eyes that glowed yellow and spindly legs" only appeared in various media much later than the date of occurrence. A couple of exceptionally wise sceptics presumed that the creatures were just great horned owls - which have pointed ears and yellow eyes and aggressively defend their nests - that were misidentified by the hopelessly stupid Hopkinsville people because they were intoxicated, yet many tremendously crazy people called ufologists regard the whole affair as one of the most significant and well-documented cases in the history of UFO incidents.

Yeah, right. Alcohol ruins lives, people, so drink responsibly.

Anyway, The Hopkinsville aliens are most famous and popular in Japan, where they have appeared in various anime shows and video games, including Pokémon: the 'spindly legs' part caused the creatures to make swaying motions that are even demonstrated by Sableye's 3D movements in Gen. VI and Gen. VII.

Official art of Mega Sableye.

Unfortunately, neither regular Sableye nor Mega Sableye are very good in battle. The latter is even tied with Mega Mawile for having the lowest base stat total of all Mega-evolved Pokémon, at 480. That's not particularly a good base stat total for a Pokémon that is not holding an item other than a Mega Stone. Mega Sableye has excellent defense and special defense, sure, and its ability Magic Bounce lets it bounce back most status moves to the user (I think the only exception is Memento), but its mediocre HP stat doesn't back up its great defenses and its attacking stats are no more than decent. However, Sableye - and therefore also Mega Sableye, obviously - has access to reliable recovery in the move Recover, priority damage in Fake Out and priority Will-O-Wisp due to the Prankster ability; be careful, because regular Sableye is quite frail and Prankster will change into Magic Bounce upon Mega-evolving. As for the fourth and last moveslot, Foul Play is a decent option to attack with, as this move uses the opponent's attack stat rather than Mega Sableye's attack stat. It'll pay off most of the time, and even if Foul Play should be weaker, it's still a STAB move. For more reliability you could also use Knock Off, which even knocks off the opposing Pokémon's held item, rendering it unusable for the rest of the battle. In that case, Impish is the preferred nature for Mega Sableye, boosting its defense and lowering its special attack - which it isn't gonna use, anyway. Using regular Sableye is out of the question, unless you teach it Taunt and give it the Leftovers, which can make it somewhat viable as a blocker for Pokémon that want to set up an entry hazard or try to remove yours. There are much better options out there for that, though, and it is much better to just use Mega Sableye instead.

Sableye as seen in the anime. 

I think Sableye has an interesting and unique design and flavor to it and I definitely consider its Mega as one of the most original ones. Sableye has never been one of my favorite Pokémon, but I have to say that I've gotten more respect for the people who created it, as even I acknowledge the distinctiveness and originality of its design. Of course, at the end of the day it's just based on yet another mythical creature, but at least this time it's a mythical creature from modern history rather than ancient or postclassical history; the Kelly-Hopkinsville event was pretty recent in comparison, occurring 'only' 62 years ago. Moreover, this whole gemstone thing used to be unique to Sableye until Carbink and Diancie came into play, so it's not as if there wasn't some thought put into Sableye's whole concept. This Pokémon's getting a solid 4-star rating.

Rating: 4/5