#556: Maractus

Maractus with a pair of maracas in its hand. Honestly, I think
this Pokémon is kinda cute.

Not long after Basculin we get to take a look at another unloved Pokémon: Maractus. We've already come across a scarecrow cactus when visiting Hoenn, but it seems Game Freak thought it was a good idea to include a cactus based on percussion instruments called maracas seven years later. Because, y'know, apparently Maractus can dance; when it moves its body rhythmically, it emits sounds reminiscent of these so-called rumba shakers and creates up-tempo songs that should scare and drive away bird Pokémon that prey on its flower seeds. Maractus is obviously based on a flowering cactus (opuntia littoralis, commonly called the coastal prickly pear), but Game Freak decided to incorporate traditional Mexican dress styles and several Spanish dances into Maractus's design and flavour, specifically the Mexican version of a dance called son cubano. This perfectly ties in with Maractus's French name Maracachi, which is essentially the same as its Japanese name and contains a reference to a Mexican style of music called mariachi. Migrations from rural areas into Guadalajara and the Mexican government's cultural promotion in the 19th and 20th centuries caused this music style to be re-labeled as son jalisciense, with the 'urban' form being referred to as mariachi instead. Additionally, the German name of Maractus, which is Maracamba, refers to an exclamation used in the Spanish language to denote surprise, usually in a positive manner.

¡Ay, caramba!

A more realistic interpretation of Maractus in what seems to be
its natural habitat. Petal Dance away, Maractus!

Granted, Maractus has some interesting cultural origins, especially when you consider Unova is based on New York City and the USA is known for harboring millions of Latin American refugees (even though the current government under Donald Trump directly threatens their asylum status - DACA recipients in particular - and Maractus's origins could be explained as cultural appropriation), but it is a single-stage Pokémon that doesn't have anything that sets it apart from other Pokémon. To tie in with its design, two of Maractus's abilities revolve around how a real-world cactus stores water with great efficiency: Water Absorb absorbs direct damage from water-type moves to restore health from them as well as making it immune to them, while Storm Drain even draws in water-type moves directed at another target, raising its special attack by one stage while still granting it a water-type immunity. Unfortunately, Maractus is a grass type and really doesn't need an immunity to water; it would have been nice if Game Freak had given it an ability negating sandstorm damage, especially since Maractus is only found in the Desert Resort where a permanent sandstorm rages. Sand Rush would have been excellent, because that would raise Maractus's speed when a sandstorm is brewing on a battlefield and scare the shit out of rock and ground types coming its way (it does get Chlorophyll, but a bunch of grass types get that ability, so you'll be left wondering why you didn't just pick a better grass type in the first place). However, Maractus is still frail and slow and susceptible to sandstorm damage, so rock and ground types don't have to be scared of it all that much - neither do water types, for that matter, as a fast Ice Beam would blow Maractus out of the fucking water before you can say, ¡Caramba!

It's a mystery to me as to why Game Freak made Maractus's physical attack - sitting at a decent base 86 - its second best stat, because its special attack is far superior and it really needs these wasted base points in its speed and defenses. Sadly, Maractus only learns a couple of normal- and grass-type special moves and has no access to interesting or useful support moves other than maybe Spikes. Honestly, I don't know why you would use a mixed Maractus with Knock Off or Sucker Punch when there's a dark-type cactus available for you that can hit harder with both of those moves due to STAB and higher offensive stats - two traits that make Cacturne a much better Focus Sash-holding Spikes setter. Sure, Maractus gets Endeavor, but that's hardly a competitively viable move under normal circumstances and you won't knock the opposing Pokémon out with it, anyway.

Maractus in the anime, all three of them holding a pair of rumba shakers. They're
called - and I kid you not - Marra, Racca and Tussy. My God...

Maractus is nothing more than a dancing cactus making sounds similar to a pair of maracas. Honestly, there's not much to Maractus as a Pokémon other than its design and origins; even its in-game use leaves a lot to be desired, which can be attributed to its relative frailty and painfully lackluster movepool. Maractus is so obstinately cute and cheerful that it's drastically different from the sinister and predatory Cacturne, which is why I don't feel like we have a mere copy-paste situation on our hands - although there's no doubt that Game Freak deliberately made Maractus the exact opposite of what Cacturne's supposed to be. I actually like Maractus as a Pokémon; while not an overly useful addition to the Pokédex, it is definitely a very fun addition to the Pokédex, so yet again I'm giving this universally unpopular Pokémon a positive rating.

¡Ay, caramba!

Rating: 4/5

#548 - #549: Petilil & Lilligant

Petilil (left) and Lilligant (right).

While Cottonee and Whimsicott are dual grass/fairy types, the pure grass-type Pokémon Petilil and Lilligant look more like fairies than their counterparts do. In reality, though, Petilil is just a plant bulb and prefers living in soil abundant in moisture and nutrients - in short, it's a plant that needs rich and fertile soil to grow. How incredibly enlightening. Granted, the leaves on its head have revitalizing effects and drive away weariness, even to the point that they're very popular with the elderly, but they taste so bitter that they can presumably cause dizziness. Petilil is based on a plant bulb from the liliaceae family; most of its foreign names suggest that the tulip was the inspiration for Petilil, but its evolution Lilligant (who can be obtained by using a Sun Stone on Petilil) is clearly based on a lily instead. Lilies are often considered pretty and elegant yet fragile flowers, and it's no surprise that Lilligant was designed to be beautiful and regal-looking as a result, donning a scarlet flower on its head complete with yellow filaments and red anther resembling a crown in the middle. Lilligant's beauty makes it very popular with female celebrities, and the 'crown' and 'dress' derived from 18th-century Western high-class women's fashion definitely contributes to that, although it is suggested that the 'dress' actually resembles a ball gown and Lilligant is based on a dancer instead - which isn't such a farfetched theory to begin with, as several of the moves it learns by leveling up (Petal Dance, Quiver Dance and Teeter Dance; it also learns Swords Dance by TM) are about dancing. To coincide with the lily's apparent fragility, the flower on Lilligant's head is very difficult to coax into bloom even for veteran Trainers and will wilt if Lilligant is neglected, but once it does bloom it emits a sweet-smelling aroma that has a relaxing effect on those exposed to the scent.

Elegant and innocent Lilligant.

Competitively... well, I wouldn't recommend using Lilligant in a competitive setting, but should you insist, you'll have to rely on the move Quiver Dance. This is a move with the powerful effect of raising your Pokémon's special attack, special defense and speed stats simultaneously, and only butterflies, moths, a bee fly family and one powerful-ass cockroach can learn the move - as well as Lilligant and Bellossom, apparently. Lilligant already kinda stole Bellossom's dancing shtick and improved on it, as it is faster and stronger than Bellossom, making it a more effective sweeper. The downside to using Lilligant over Bellossom is that it isn't as bulky or versatile; while Bellossom can quite effectively live a hit and then use Quiver Dance and fire away with moves like Energy Ball/Giga Drain, Sludge Bomb and Moonblast, which fill up the rest of its moveset, Lilligant literally only has grass-type special moves in its offensive arsenal and nothing else. Pokémaniacal sums it up perfectly: "Lilligant, unfortunately, doesn’t have a nagging gap in her offensive coverage so much as nagging offensive coverage in her gap." With base 110 special attack and 90 speed, Lilligant could have been a decent sweeper, but it's just no use using a moveset consisting of Quiver Dance, Giga Drain, Petal Dance and Energy Ball, just to come up with something. Sure, there's Hidden Power (rock covers a few of its weaknesses), but that move isn't strong enough for Lilligant to compensate for its lack of offensive moves, and the Sleep Powder/Dream Eater combo is simply too... laughable. Sleep Powder is horribly inaccurate to begin with, and an opponent can always withdraw a sleeping Pokémon at any given moment, making Dream Eater way too unreliable.

Oh, you want set details? Uh huh, well, how does a Timid nature sound? It's a way to make Lilligant as fast as possible, at least. And you want it to have the Chlorophyll ability as well, you say? I mean, if you want to make Lilligant extra weak to fire, go right ahead. It's usually redundant in combination with a move like Quiver Dance and I'd recommend Own Tempo instead, an ability that prevents confusion and therefore works great with Petal Dance. What did you say you want Lilligant to hold? A Life Orb or Grassium Z? Grass is one of the worst offensive typings, but sure... why not? It's not like Lilligant has anything better to make use of, right? There's the Focus Sash, but Lilligant isn't that frail and it outspeeds quite a few things after a Quiver Dance boost anyway, so most of the time it doesn't have to worry about getting hit first.

This artist has done a great job portraying Lilligant in different states and positions,
including a completely withered one. They even threw a Petilil into the mix as well.

Man, man, man, I really wish Lilligant would be a better Pokémon. The worst thing is that Game Freak designed this thing with the intention to make it good in battle, judging by the fact they gave it Quiver Dance and Petal Dance as well as the Own Tempo ability. Lilligant just turned out to be a huge disappointment competitively - or just offensively in general, because even in a playthrough it's just okay. Not that its offensive presence and strong STAB in Petal Dance makes it the worst Pokémon by any means, but its lack of versatility just completely kills the potential it had - and still has, as it's not too late to give Lilligant some sort of type coverage. Come on, Game Freak, Bellossom looks just as fey as Lilligant does, and it has access to both Dazzling Gleam and Moonblast - and Sludge Bomb, for that matter, but that can be attributed to its pre-evolutions Oddish and Gloom being poison types.

But granting Lilligant access to even Dazzling Gleam is just too much to ask, as Game Freak couldn't even get Lilligant's flavor right: Lilligant's Moon entry states that the flower on its head darkens, droops and withers away as soon as it finds a male to be its partner - and Lilligant is a female-only species. I mean, it could get a Pokémon from entirely another species as its partner, but I don't think that's what the Pokédex meant. It's such a shame Lilligant wasn't thought through all that well, because I absolutely love its design and concept, but in the end I'll have to subtract half a point from it. I cannot in good conscience call Lilligant a perfect Pokémon and thereby call it one of my absolute favorites. Not with so many things about it that I critiqued.

Rating: 4.5/5

#546 - #547: Cottonee & Whimsicott

Cottonee drifting on water.

Cottonee and Whimsicott are curious Pokémon. While these Pokémon don't look like any living being in particular, their designs and flavor revolve entirely around cotton. Being a little ball of such lightweight fluff, Cottonee is easily blown around by the wind, and the only instance in which it stays grounded is when it is soaked by rain, which weighs it down and makes it soggy. This Pokémon gathers in large groups during mating season, and when enough of them have collected, the mass resembles a cumulonimbus cloud - and let's be honest, the fact that it travels around wherever the wind carries it is more similar to clouds and dandelion seeds than cotton. But Cottonee wouldn't be as interesting as Jumpluff - or differ as much as it does from Jumpluff in the first place - if its cotton didn't have some useful applications. When attacked, Cottonee shoots cotton from its body to distract the attacker and uses the diversion to escape the dire situation it is in. However, the most useful application of its cotton can be found entirely in its Pokémon Moon Pokédex entry: "Pillows and beds stuffed with cotton exhaled by Cottonee are soft and puffy, light and airy - altogether top quality." Yeah, I can just imagine the fluffy cotton automatically causing the pillow to take on its original shape after each night it's used, which would definitely help me get rid of the annoyance I have with my own fucking pillows sometimes. I wonder if that's the reason why Cottonee and its evolution Whimsicott are apparently based on sheep, although it is not hard to combine sheep with cotton: both are fluffy, both are used to produce garments, both have origins in a legend I will elaborate on when discussing Whimsicott, and both are commonly associated with the concept of sleep (cotton that is used in pillows, counting sheep to help you falling asleep... you name it).

The shiny Whimsicott seems to be confused about why it's here.

The two leaves on the side of Cottonee's body do give it the appearance of a lamb, but Whimsicott (evolves from Cottonee by use of a Sun Stone) obviously has more physical features that make it resemble a whole-ass sheep, even though the woolly coat and ram's horns are only the beginning. Whimsicott's association with sheep is reinforced by its inclusion in the Unova horoscope, in which it represents the zodiac sign of Aries, a.k.a. the ram.* Moreover, Whimsicott may draw inspiration from the Vegetable Lamb of Tartary, a mythical plant that was believed to grow sheep as its fruit. Aside from the fact that this legendary zoophyte - an animal that visually resembles a plant - was used to explain the production of cotton in the Middle Ages, as the plant was unknown in Northern Europe before the Norman conquest of Sicily and travelers who saw it thought wool was growing from it, it also shows that people from 1000 years ago really were blithering morons. Goddamn. Anyway, that's roughly where the comparisons to sheep come to a halt. Whimsicott likes to sneak into houses through the tiniest cracks and cause all sorts of mischief, such as moving furniture and leaving fluffy white puffs in its wake. To quote its Pokémon Sun Pokédex entry: "After it has turned a room into a cotton-filled mess, it giggles to itself and takes off." Very mature. By any means, Whimsicott's fey appearance, trickster personality and ability to ride on whirlwinds are akin to the characteristics of an impish creature from Brazilian folklore called Saci, a one-legged, brown-skinned youngster that lives in forests, rides on the winds and is considered an annoying and incorrigible prankster in most parts of Brazil - there is literally no little harm that he won't do.

*(Personally I'm a Gemini and the corresponding Pokémon in the Unova horoscope is a Klink, which only confirms and invigorates my love for steel types, despite the fact that I really don't believe in this horoscope shit in the first place.)

Wipe that mischievous grin off your face, Whimsicott.

This trickster thing is exactly Whimsicott's shtick in competitive play as well. It's an utter pain the fucking ass if you don't have an answer for it, because its Prankster ability (how fitting!) allows it to move first when it's using any kind of status move. This means that even when your Pokémon is holding a Choice Scarf and should move before most other Pokémon, Whimsicott outspeeds your Pokémon and could paralyze it with Stun Spore (which is a bit inaccurate) in order to prevent it from moving at all. Or Whimsicott could bait your Pokémon with Taunt to prevent it from setting up on its own, use Encore to lock your Pokémon into an unfavorable move, create a Tailwind to increase its entire team's speed by 50% for a couple of turns, or use Defog to remove all entry hazards before it is hit. More uncommon is the use of Leech Seed to get a bit of health back every turn, although it's a status move and allows you catch your opponent by surprise, especially in combination with Substitute. Whimsicott is hit. Of course, Whimsicott needs an offensive move so that it isn't entirely passive, and Moonblast is the best move it gets that provides it STAB. Giga Drain could be preferred over Moonblast because of its effect to drain some of the opponent's HP while still dealing considerable damage, but Moonblast is generally better because grass-type moves aren't that great offensively. To go along with its trickster tactic, people often use a Timid-natured Whimsicott, and its fragility is oftentimes an incentive to give it a Focus Sash in order for it to live a hit at full HP.

Smogon also suggests an offensive moveset consisting of Moonblast, Energy Ball, Psychic and either U-Turn or Defog, along with the Choice Specs to bolster Whimsicott's firepower on the special side of the spectrum or a Life Orb to give a boost to its attacks in general. It's just suggested because Whimsicott has the Infiltrator ability to bypass Substitute and screens and could therefore do 'normal' damage - if you don't count the Choice Specs boost - but its base 77 special attack doesn't make it much of an offensive Pokémon, anyway. And when it comes to its hidden ability... well, Chlorophyll doubles its speed in sunny weather, but Whimsicott is pretty speedy in and of itself and it doesn't really need the boost. Just ignore Chlorophyll (and Infiltrator, while you're at it) and go with the Prankster tactic; it's what Whimsicott is made for.

Whimsicott and its counterpart Lilligant.

Whimsicott is an interesting Pokémon combat- and flavor-wise, and the sheep origins make total sense, but I'm not particularly a fan of its design. It could have been executed a lot better than it was, and if I could redesign it I'd get rid of the old-fashioned hairdo for sure - though with the tale of the Vegetable Lamb of Tartary in mind, the hairdo is not illogical. My light disappointment of it mainly came with the one time I did a fairy mono-type playthrough (with Clefable, Azumarill, Mega Mawile, Togekiss, Whimsicott and Aromatisse), in which it was by far the least offensive Pokémon on my team and fell behind in every aspect except speed. Please note that I don't hate Whimsicott for it; it's just a specific Pokémon to use competitively and it should only be considered if you know exactly what you're doing, while it is just an average Pokémon to use in a normal playthrough. Whimsicott receives some points for its cuteness, as well as for its flavor and origins, and the end result is a decent rating of 4 stars.

Rating: 4/5

#540 - #542: Sewaddle, Swadloon & Leavanny

Pinsir, Scyther and Armaldo aren't bad, Scizor and Heracross are even better, and Game Freak did Beedrill and Yanma a huge favor by giving them a respective Mega evolution and regular evolution (Yanmega). On the whole, though, there aren't that many good bug-type Pokémon to be found in the earlier generations, which is partly due to said bug types being such early-game trash: Caterpie, Weedle, Ledyba, Spinarak, Wurmple, Surskit, Kricketot and Burmy turned out to be nothing good offensively and even Paras, Venonat and Nincada are useless to some extent. Heck, Pineco shouldn't be that bad, but Forretress doesn't learn shit for offensive moves and is used as a wall more than anything else, which makes it tricky to use in a playthrough.

Admittedly, Sewaddle is pretty cute for a caterpillar.

Gen. V took a turn for the better when the early bugs were repositioned and weren't even available to you until after beating the second Gym Leader, Lenora. Even then, Sewaddle and Venipede are both excellent options for your in-game team, despite them being the first bug types you happen to run into in Pokémon Black and White. I've actually never used Sewaddle in particular, but I have to say this grassy caterpillar is one of Game Freak's most original bug designs. There's a big, broad, bitten leaf enfolding its head like a hood, which it chews up and then sews using a sticky, thread-like substance extruded from its mouth. This leaf is used by Sewaddle to hide from enemies or gets eaten when food is scarce, but its ability to make its own 'clothes' (or Leavanny does when it just hatches) makes it a popular mascot for fashion designers nonetheless. Sewaddle, then, is of course a combination of 'sew' and 'waddle' (the manner in which a baby walks) or 'swaddle' (to wrap a baby in cloth), with similar references in Sewaddle's Japanese and other foreign names. It shares characteristics with the larva stage of weaver ants, which are arboreal and are known for their unique nest-building behavior where workers construct nests by weaving together leaves using larval silk. However, this Pokémon appears to be based specifically on the caterpillar of the silver-spotted skipper (epargyreus clarus), as they fold leaves over themselves for shelter as they age and, when cocooning, produce silk to stick the leaves together and form its chrysalis.

So perhaps Swadloon is a little bit shy after all, huh?

Speaking of which, Sewaddle's cocoon-like evolution Swadloon definitely looks like its leaves are stuck to its body. A blanket or cloak of leaves is draped over its entire body except for its face, which Swadloon does to protect itself from the cold. It prefers dark and damp places and spends the entire day eating fallen leaves, which it uses to make nutrients that nourish the plant life in the forest. According to Bulbapedia, the appearance of Swadloon hiding in its blanket bears some resemblance to the stereotypical portrayal of people suffering from hikikomori syndrome (a term often used to refer to suddenly reclusive adolescents or adults who isolate themselves from social life in their homes for an extended period of time) in Japanese media, and its evolution into Leavanny being caused by friendship may be a lesson. However, nothing in Swadloon's Pokédex entries points to itn being such a loner, and it's definitely not the only Pokémon that evolves by friendship. Sure, it's based on a cocoon of some sort, but that's hardly a satisfying explanation for the so-called hikikomori origins Bulbapedia claims Swadloon has. Besides, its evolution Leavanny is a very nurturing and parental Pokémon that uses its arm cutters and a sticky silk it produces to create leafy clothing for small Pokémon, which is hardly a trait that can be attributed to people with an acute social anxiety disorder. What makes it more confusing is that Leavanny's Japanese name is actually Hahakomori (ハハコモリ), but komori means 'babysitting', something that is undeniably in Leavanny's nature to do. Additionally, its English name suggests that it was inspired by Levana, the ancient Roman goddess involved in rituals pertaining to childbirth. Go figure.

Amazing 3D art of Leavanny.

Leavanny itself looks a bit like an ant, which harks back to Sewaddle's possible weaver ant larva origins, although it's more likely that its design is derived from phylliidae, a family of not-so-little bugs that look like walking leaves and are more commonly known as leaf insects. Some sources suggest that Leavanny may be based on mantises, choeradodis in particular because of their laterally expanded thoraxes and abdomens, but true leaf insects actually fall under the order phasmatodea and are stick insects rather than mantises - the latter belong to the order mantodea, in fact, and are thus completely unrelated. However, Leavanny's primitive clothes-making skills and aesthetics ('dress', 'collar' and 'paned sleeves') point to it being designed after fashion in the early 1600s.

Leavanny doing some kind of ballet dance... or something.

However interesting Leavanny's origins may be, though, it is by far not a goddess in a competitive setting. It has mediocre HP and defenses, which makes it incredibly vulnerable, and its speed and attack stats don't actually make up for that entirely. Grass and bug are two of the worst offensive types in the arena and that means I don't recommend using it at all. But wait a minute, I said it was an excellent bug type to use, didn't I? Well, yeah, for in-game purposes it is actually an amazing Pokémon that can set up with Swords Dance and annihilate things with a base 103 attack stat and a moveset completed by Leaf Blade, X-Scissor and some kind of type coverage move; Steel Wing works well against fairy and ice types, the latter of which Leavanny is weak to, although Poison Jab isn't bad at all, either. Shadow Claw and Throat Chop are there as well, but both are primarily used against psychic types, and Leavanny has X-Scissor for that. Should you want to use this Pokémon in competitive despite my warnings, I'd recommend a Jolly nature to make this thing as fast as possible and the Swarm ability to make its bug-type moves hit even harder when it has less than 33% of its original HP left (ignore Overcoat and Chlorophyll, you won't need those abilities in the slightest). Let Leavanny hold a Focus Sash so that it can live a hit at full HP and pull a Sticky Web off (or perhaps even a Swarm-boosted X-Scissor after the Focus Sash is used). You should even teach Leavanny Knock Off aside from its STAB moves Leaf Blade and X-Scissor, so that it can get rid of opponent's annoying held items. Smogon even suggested some special sets involving Leaf Storm and Bug Buzz, among others, but Leavanny's base 70 special attack is abysmal in a competitive setting and there are much better special attackers out there. Galvantula, whom I have yet to review, is an excellent bug-type special attacker that can also set up Sticky Web, so I would advise you to just slap physical moves on Leavanny and be done with it.

Leavanny making clothes for its young with a sewing machine in the form of a
Mawile. I love this.

The first Unova bug type may not be the greatest in terms of competitive usage, but at least it's far better in-game than many bug types that preceded it. Leavanny is relatively strong and fast and has one of the most original designs (and origins) I have seen for a bug type so far. Honestly, I'm surprised there isn't that much more to say about this thing other than the fact that it completely deserves the high rating I'm gonna give it. In the end, Leavanny isn't one of my absolute favorites, but a rating of 4.5 stars is still nothing to sneeze at. Unfortunately, though, it is completely overshadowed by the other bug type that can be found in the interior of Pinwheel Forest...

Rating: 4.5/5

#511 - #512: Pansage & Simisage

The Striaton City Gym Leaders with their elemental monkeys.
From left to right: Cress (from 'watercress') with his water-type
monkey Panpour, Chili with his fire-type monkey Pansear, and
Cilan (from 'cilantro', which is what Americans call coriander)
with his grass-type monkey Pansage.

Holy crap, why does everybody despise these monkeys so much? I mean, I know Pansage, Pansear and Panpour aren't the most original Pokémon in the franchise, but Gen. V basically served as a sort of reboot of the series and a couple of elemental monkeys was Game Freak's brave attempt to teach new and inexperienced players the basics of the type system. While the first Gym usually revolved around rock types prior to Black and White (Brock in Gen. I, Roxanne in Gen. III, and Roark in Gen. IV), the Striaton City Gym had no fewer than three Gym Leaders and you had to fight the one who had the elemental monkey with a type advantage over your starter Pokémon. However, there's an area next to Striaton City called the Dreamyard, where an NPC would give you the elemental monkey that was strong against the one of the Gym Leader you had to fight. More complex type advantages were yours to figure out as the game progressed, but it was a great way to introduce this basic concept to people who were new to the franchise. Of course, this has more to do with gameplay mechanics and less with the designs and origins of the monkeys in question, but even then there are Pokémon that are far worse than Pansage, Pansear and Panpour and their evolutions, so I'm wondering whether the hate for them is justified even a little bit.

Even though Simisage is a grass type, it does look the most
intimidating compared to its counterparts.

I guess the biggest issue most Pokémon fans have with the three elemental monkeys - well, six, but there are three evolutionary lines - is that they're basically the same Pokémon, design-wise and competitively. The fans aren't entirely wrong: Simisage, Simisear and Simipour all have the same base stats and pretty much the same movepool, aside from the different elemental attacks specific to their types. Simisage, the grass-type monkey, therefore works the same way as its elemental counterparts, only with other weaknesses, resistances and type advantages. I don't know if I would recommend Simisage in a competitive setting, because it's quite frail and not very strong, but its base 98 attacking stats aren't so bad you can't do anything with them and its base 101 speed makes it pretty fast. It's better to use it in-game and give it the best physical attacks possible, especially since its special movepool is quite lacking, but I guess a Life Orb or Choice Scarf set with a Jolly nature should do the trick... for a while. Seed Bomb is a strong physical grass-type attack that will hit anything that doesn't resist it quite hard, Gunk Shot is handy to have for fairy types and other grass types, Knock Off is never bad as it gets rid of a foe's item aside from Mega Stones and Z-Crystals (although Crunch or Throat Chop might be more reliable in the end), and Superpower - as well as Low Kick and Brick Break - is a nifty fighting-type move that deals with steel types. Should you have a need for it, Simisage also learns Iron Tail, Rock Slide and Acrobatics, the latter being a base 55 move that gets doubled if the user isn't holding any item.

As for abilities, all of the elemental monkeys get Gluttony as their regular ability, although they could get the starters' signature abilities as their hidden ability depending on their type. As Simisage won't be holding any berry to use up prematurely anytime soon, Overgrow - which boosts grass-type moves by 50% whenever Simisage's HP is at 33% or lower - is the preferred ability here.

Speak no evil.

However, I don't agree with the fans when they say the elemental monkeys all look the same. Sure, it is obvious some design aspects of Pansage and Simisage were reused in Pansear, Simisear, Panpour and Simipour's designs, but this was done to all make them heavily associated as a group. The fact of the matter is that the three evolutionary lines all have different color schemes, hairstyles and flavor texts, which is exactly why I'm reviewing them separately. Even Latias and Latios, who are frickin' legendary Pokémon, look more alike than the elemental monkeys do. They do all share the same origins, though, as they are based on the Japanese tale of the three wise monkeys that together embody the proverbial principle of "see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil", often used to refer to those who deal with impropriety by turning a blind eye. Pansage and Simisage are based on the latter, which becomes apparent when you look at their names: the suffix -sage is probably derived from the German word sagen, meaning 'to say', although 'sage' may as well refer to a type of plant or a wise person, the latter possibly relating to the 'three wise monkeys' motif all elemental monkeys share.

Simisage looking ready to kick someone's ass.

But the idea here is that Simisage, Simisear and Simipour all failed their assigned roles as wise monkeys, with Simisage failing to speak no evil, which is why it is suggested that they are all modeled after Japanese delinquents. I'll talk about the other two later this month, but Simisage seems to be based on yankii (indeed derived from 'yankee'), a Japanese subculture and suburban youth movement that embraces American trashiness, hence Simisage's pompadour haircut and appearance of wearing a leather jacket. Loud, rude and foul-mouthed, yankii openly reject the rigidity of societal norms and welcome rebellion and class distinction, which is probably why Simisage also looks the most like a ruffian compared to Simisear and Simipour and why it is definitely my favorite of the three.

Pansage starts out innocent enough, as it often offers other Pokémon the leaves on its head, which have the power to alleviate exhaustion and relieve stress. Upon evolving into Simisage by use of a Leaf Stone, it grows ill-tempered and fights by swinging its thorn-covered tail around wildly, while the leaves that grow on its crest become incredibly bitter. Oh Pansage, where did you go wrong?

3D art of Simisage.

While I have to admit that Simisear and Simipour look quite silly, it is not really the reason why I love Simisage so much more. I've actually quite bonded with Simisage when I did a grass mono-type playthrough of Pokémon Y, to be honest. I nicknamed my Pokémon after characters from The Walking Dead, but as my Chespin was a lady, it was the Pansage I caught shortly after the start of my adventure who got named Rick and actually carried the team through the entire game. It was a true leader. But the most important reason why I love Simisage so much is that I think it just has a better design overall. Like I said before, it looks more like a ruffian and less like a goofy caricature than its elemental counterparts do, and its intimidating looks make it look cool in some way. Goofiness has its charm, but in this case the cool kid takes the trophy home.

Rating: 5/5

#495 - #497: Snivy, Servine & Serperior

Snivy and Servine.

We have arrived at the first official Unova starter Pokémon, and now we truly get to dive into the fifth generation. Snivy is a serpent-like grass-type creature, although with hands and feet and a snooty disposition. Its smug appearance and self-contented grin may throw you off a bit - in fact, when this Pokémon was first released and no official name was known yet, people were quick to give it the fan-made moniker 'Smugleaf' - but flavor-wise this Pokémon is honestly nothing more than just a photosynthesizing grass snake, basking its tail in sunlight in order to make its movements swifter. Even though Snivy and its middle evolution Servine are classified as the 'Grass Snake Pokémon', they may have been inspired by a variety of green vine snake species with a pointed snout, including oxybelis fulgidus, ahaetulla nasuta and ahaetulla prasina. Snivy's cool, calm and collected demeanor carries on to its evolution Servine, who tends to sink into the shadows of thick foliage before retaliating, although it fusses about staying dirt-free because its leaves are only capable of photosynthesis when they're clean.

Lastly, before we proceed to discuss Snivy's final stage Serperior, there's something to be said about the words 'snide' and 'snicker' being present in Snivy's English name, even though it's honestly more likely to derive from 'snake' and 'ivy'. I refuse to believe, however, that Servine comes from 'servant'. Ken Sugimori has stated that the whole evolution line is based on French royalty (wrong region, anyone?), specifically mentioning the anime The Rose of Versailles as inspiration, which is only backed up by the fact that some of Servine's physical features resemble the acanthus leaf motifs popularized during the Renaissance.

Frankly, I think Serperior is very beautiful and majestic, which
is why it's one of my favorite starters to date. Its royalty
aesthetics and regal disposition makes it quite the interesting
Pokémon, really.

The whole royalty aesthetic is most eminent in Serperior's design, too. This Pokémon radiates power and authority and can stop its opponent's movements with just its piercing glare, while foes unfazed by the glare from Serperior's noble eyes will get attacked by it at full force, indicating that it only gives its all against foes that it deems worthy battling with. Its Pokédex entries state that it is also capable of amplifying solar energy within its body, something I guess all grass-types can do by simply using Solar Beam, but this fact may very well be an allusion to King Louis XIV of France, who infamously referred to himself as the 'Sun King'. Serperior's white face alludes to the skin-whitening fashion mostly used by the European aristocracy in the 17th century, while the dark green mark on Serperior's chest seems to form a fleur-de-lis, a French insignia that is used on many European noble families' and nations' coat of arms. Aside from the ongoing French royalty theme, Serperior's design and flavor may also be inspired by several species of snake, specifically the emerald tree boa, the royal python or - as indicated by its paralyzing stare - the basilisk, the king of serpents in European legends (just watch Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets if you want to know what a basilisk does exactly). Finally, Serperior may also originate from an Aztec serpent deity called Quetzalcoatl, revered for its wind and wisdom.

Serperior whipping up a Leaf Storm.

Unfortunately, Serperior is a very one-dimensional Pokémon in the competitive scene. It has excellent speed and decent HP and defenses, making it one of the rare cases of a Pokémon being a speedy wall. Well... semi-wall, because its base 95 defenses aren't anything near perfect, which - for a Pokémon that I guess was supposed to be defensive - leaves a lot to be desired in combination with its base 75 HP. Sadly, Serperior lacks the support movepool to go with the utility strategy, which probably makes you wonder what exactly Serperior is used for? Strangely enough, it's an offensive Pokémon. Its base 75 attack and special attack are nothing to write home about, especially for a fully evolved Pokémon, but with its hidden ability Contrary and the move Leaf Storm, Serperior can actually sweep. Leaf Storm usually lowers the user's special attack stat by two stages after use, but Contrary inverts all changes to the stat stages of a Pokémon with this ability - e.g. a foe's Intimidate ability would raise Serperior's attack rather than lower it, and a move like Coil would lower its attack, defense and accuracy rather than raise them. This means Leaf Storm actually raises Serperior's special attack by two stages, making it increasingly dangerous to switch into. This strategy is fairly straightforward and very easy to see coming, although it has proved to be very effective when backed up by a Timid or Modest nature. The problem is that Serperior isn't very versatile when it comes to special moves; the best it has access to are Leaf Storm, Giga Drain and Energy Ball - all grass-type moves - and some type of Hidden Power. Substitute and Leech Seed (and Leftovers as a held item) are the only good support options to go with Leaf Storm, since it allows Serperior to build up strength and momentum without taking too much damage.

Additionally, one Smogon set mentions a 200-power Breakneck Blitz coming from Hyper Beam to counter Pokémon that otherwise wall Serperior, which could legit be an option to consider for the fourth move slot. You could even ditch Leech Seed and Substitute and go with a moveset consisting of Leaf Storm, Hidden Power, Hyper Beam and a status move such as Glare or Taunt. It isn't recommended if you don't know how to utilize that moveset, but maybe it'll work out just fine for you.

Holy shit, this creepy realistic art of Serperior is amazing!

I absolutely love Serperior. At one point in time, it was even my favorite starter Pokémon, until I got a newfound love for Sceptile during a couple of ORAS playthroughs and Empoleon because of my fairly recent admiration for steel types. I am currently doing an Ultra Moon playthrough with solely starter Pokémon (a physical- and special-based attacker for every type) and Serperior is my grass-type special attacker. To my disappointment, the Contrary/Leaf Storm set doesn't work as well in an in-game setting as in the competitive metagame, but at least it is competently bulky and it can take down Trainers with multiple Pokémon just fine. And seriously, though, Serperior is just a sight to behold, so I don't mind seeing it in battle.

Rating: 5/5

#492: Shaymin

Let me start off this review by saying that the Shaymin from the movie Giratina and the Sky Warrior is a conceited little asshole; its stuck-up attitude did not make the movie very enoyable to watch, especially since this Pokémon plays such a crucial part in it. The fact that a Pokémon known as the 'Gratitude Pokémon' was such an ungrateful brat didn't really make any sense to me (and to this day it still doesn't), but maybe the whole thing was done on purpose. It's just not very cute on a Pokémon that is supposed to radiate cuteness, though, and it's still a mystery to me as to why Ash didn't just leave it to its fate. Celebi, Jirachi, Manaphy and especially Mew were much more likeable in their respective movies, if I have to be honest.

OMG, aren't they cuuuuute? 

I love Shaymin when it comes to its design, flavor, form change and competitive capability, however, so its whiny and ungrateful behavior is hardly a reason for me to start disliking/hating it. The cuteness of its hedgehog Land Forme is exactly one of the reasons why I love it so much, although the more canine or reindeer-like Sky Forme's superhero aesthetics (fur like a mohawk, a flower like a cape/scarf and wing-like ears) really made me fall in love with Shaymin. It looks graceful yet feisty, although I do have to say there's an air of arrogance surrounding it. Shaymin's personality is almost opposite with each form, after all: in its Land Forme it is shy and easily frightened, while in its Sky Forme it is courageous and playful, which is probably why it looks a bit superhero-ish.

Shaymin's Land Forme (left) is usually portrayed with just one Gracidea flower, but
the other lowers burst into bloom when it senses feelings of gratitude. I do prefer its
Sky Forme over its Land Forme, though.

There are no separate Pokédex entries for Shaymin's Sky Forme, however, and I am pretty certain the entries that do exist all apply to its Land Forme. Luckily, we still have the movie, in which it is explained that Shaymin gathers with others of its kind in some flower field each season and migrates from there. This practice is called Flower Carrying, because a new field of flowers grow where it lands. As for Shaymin's Pokédex entries... well, they state that it lives in flower patches, avoiding detection by curling up to look like a flowering plant, and dissolves toxins in the air to instantly transform ruined land into a lush field of flowers. The Gracidea flowers all over its body burst into bloom if it is lovingly hugged or feels comfortable around someone, although it rapidly hides it back when it senses danger. The Gracidea is also an in-game key item that is used to change Land Forme Shaymin into Sky Forme Shaymin, although this can only be done during the day.

Lastly, Shaymin's name may be a combination of xiè (Chinese for 'thanks' or 'gratitude') and harinezumi ('hedgehog' in the same language, even though it sounds Japanese), and it is possible it's merely a corruption of shamayim (Hebrew for 'sky'), correlating directly with Shaymin's Sky Forme.

I like well-drawn art like this that makes certain Pokémon look
different yet still distinguishable.

I was never able to obtain Shaymin prior to the year-long mythical event held by Nintendo and The Pokémon Company in 2016, but I am having so much fun using one in competitive play at the moment. While Shaymin's Land Forme has base 100 stats across the board, its Sky Forme has the same base stat total, although with boosts in its special attack and speed and drops in its defenses. Base 75 defenses are a tad mediocre, but they're backed up by a more-than-decent base 100 HP stat, so it will have no trouble living at least a few hits before it goes down. I only care for Sky Forme competitively, but both forms of Shaymin are largely used as fast special attackers. It really helps that this Pokémon has a couple of unique and/or devastating attacking moves in its arsenal, among which are Seed Flare, Air Slash, Psychic, Dazzling Gleam, Earth Power, Giga Drain and Energy Ball. I'd like to mention that Seed Flare and Air Slash are definite must-haves on Sky Forme, especially since its high speed stat and Serene Grace ability make it able to flinch opponents down with a 60% chance to flinch with Air Slash. Serene Grace also boosts the chance of dropping the foe's special defense with Seed Flare to a whopping 80%, which allows it to break down special walls. Attach a Life Orb to it and it'll do even more damage, although a Choice Scarf allows you to run a Modest nature instead of a Timid one and the Choice Specs aren't half bad, either. The last option is Healing Wish, which can be used in a pinch and lets Shaymin faint in order to fully recover an injured Pokémon on your team. It's your call whether you want to sacrifice a coverage move in favor of Healing Wish, but I personally don't run that move.

Sky confidently standing in a field of flowers. Don't you think its mohawk cut is
better than Scrafty's?

Land Forme is definitely bulkier than Sky Forme and is probably just as offensively viable as Sky Forme is (even though it is slightly weaker), but its ability is Natural Cure, which isn't as competitively useful as Serene Grace. Healing a status condition upon switching out is surely nothing to sneeze at, but it is merely situational, while the Serene Grace/Air Slash combo is an actual strategy that has proved to be more than effective on multiple occasions. A supportive approach might make Land Forme stand out a little bit more, as it is more suited than Sky Forme to run a moveset consisting of Leech Seed, Substitute, Protect and Giga Drain, backed up by the Leftovers as held item. It's just an example, so maybe you could ditch either Substitute or Protect and go with Synthesis for more reliable recovery instead. Perhaps you'll find yourself in need of Healing Wish because you need an injured teammate to go back to sweeping again; you never know.

GIF of Land Forme Shaymin drinking water from a pool. Adorable.

It's such a shame event Pokémon are just handed to you through a Nintendo Zone hotspot or the Nintendo Network; usually there isn't any challenging quest in the game in order to obtain them. On the other hand, without those Wi-Fi features I would never have been able to obtain all these event Pokémon and I can now safely say that my collection of legendary Pokémon is complete - with the exception of Zeraora, obviously. Shaymin is one of the best event-only Pokémon and I absolutely adore its Sky Forme for having such a sleek design, a courageous and heroic personality and amazing battling capabilities. Take one guess what rating I'm gonna give it?

P.S.: Bulbapedia suggests Shaymin may have gotten its inspiration from Chia Pets, small American-styled terracotta figurines used to sprout chia, where the chia sprouts grow within a couple of weeks to resemble the animal's fur or hair. While there was never a hedgehog Chia Pet, I can definitely see the resemblance, although I have to wonder whether Game Freak really created Shaymin with these distinctively American toys in mind. I don't know how popular - if at all - they are in Japan, but you rarely see them here in the Netherlands and I had never even heard of them prior to writing this article...

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

#459 - #460: Snover & Abomasnow

Somehow I managed to take it upon myself to listen to every goddamn Eurovision song in existence during the past two and a half months. The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual song competition watched by more than 200 million people in Europe every year and has been around uninterrupted since 1956, with now over 1500 different entries, so it took a long time before I was done checking them all out. It totally explains my long absence from this blog, so I would like to apologize for that while I'm at it. But now I'm back, bitches! It's been a while since I posted a review - New Year's Eve, to be precise - so I wonder if I've still got it in me. Let's start where we left off, shall we?

Snover as depicted in TCG.

Today's topic is Snover, a cute little snow-covered tree Pokémon that is basically nothing more than a walking fir tree topped with a layer of snow. While its brown lower body resembles a pinecone of some sort, Snover is more likely to be the illegitimate love child of the Yeti and an evergreen tree. Sure enough, Snover live mainly on snowy mountains with little human contact, but they move to the lower reaches when the weather turns cold (Jesus fucking Christ, Snover, are you an ice-type Pokémon or what?) and returning to the summit in the spring, when it grows edible white berries with the texture of frozen treats along its midsection for some indiscernible reason. They are boldly inquisitive when it comes to humans, approaching them without fear and gathering around footsteps they find in the mountains. It's all very cute - even its 'hat' resembling three mountain peaks, which is a nice little touch - but Snover isn't nearly as fascinating as its evolution, as is the case with many basic-form Pokémon.

Abomasnow whipping up a blizzard. 

Abomasnow, whose name is an obvious play on the Abominable Snowman (a.k.a. the Yeti of Nepalese folklore), is where things start to get really interesting. This monstrosity is basically still a big walking tree, but the mustache-like appendages that cover its mouth remind me of Cthulhu, which is a classic creature within the pantheon of Lovecraftian cosmic entities for being a gigantic octopus worshipped by cultists. It gives Abomasnow kind of a creepy appearance, that's for sure. Like its pre-evolution Snover, Abomasnow prefers snowy mountains to live in and appears only when snow flowers bloom. Once the flowers wither, it retreats to isolated areas, where it creates blizzards to hide itself from humans, even creating the legend of the Abominable Snowman within the Pokémon universe this way. The most interesting part about this is that Abomasnow is based on a certain phenomenon called juhyou, in which harsh winters in the northern prefectures in Japan cause landscapes to become white and ghostly and the trees to get completely covered in ice. It's an eldritch but stunning sight, and as the phenomenon only occurs in Japan, I have no doubt juhyou (literally 'frost-covered trees') were the main inspiration for Abomasnow's design.

Abomasnow is also the only name that is a play on the common term for a folkloric creature, as all of its foreign names suggest it has royal blood in some way. Its Japanese name Yukinooh (ユキノオー) literally means 'snow king' (yuki no ō); in its French and German names of Blizzaroi and Rexblisar, respectively, roi and rex both mean 'king', with roi being French and rex being Latin; and its Korean and Mandarin Chinese names of Nunseolwang (눈설왕) and Bàoxuěwáng (暴雪王) both contain the word wang, which of course means 'king' as well.

You'll see the actual Mega Abomasnow in a minute, but I wanted
to include this amazing piece of realistic fan art here for the sole
reason that it is outright terrifying. 

However, Abomasnow is all but a king in competitive play. Even when the sprouts on its back grow into huge-ass icicles as Mega Abomasnow, this Pokémon is nothing short of underwhelming. This is partly due to Abomasnow's terrible typing, as its grass/ice typing gives it weaknesses to no fewer than seven different types, one of them being a quadruple one to fire. Even its solid bulk (base 90 HP as well as base 105 defense and special defense) won't make it live a Fire Blast or a Flare Blitz, and there are a lot of people that have at least one fire-type coverage move on one of their competitive Pokémon, because fire is such a great offensive typing and resists all of Abomasnow's STAB moves. Mega Abomasnow is also excruciatingly slow as its back now has to support enormous shafts of ice, and I can only assume it has taken a hunched posture in order for its back to carry the weight of these icicles. It's not a terrible Pokémon to use, however, and a Brave or Quiet nature allows it to attack on both sides of the spectrum. With both physical and special STAB moves like Blizzard (100% accurate due to its ability Snow Warning summoning a hailstorm in battle), Wood Hammer, Giga Drain, Ice Shard (always hits first unless countered with another priority move or cancelled due to certain moves or abilities), Ice Beam, Energy Ball, Ice Punch, Seed Bomb and Avalanche (does double damage when acting last, but that's a plus with Mega Abomasnow's abominable speed star), you can expect this Pokémon to hit very hard. All moves vary in power and effect and could be tremendously useful, so pick whatever suits your needs. You could even opt to throw a few coverage moves like Focus Blast, Iron Tail, Earthquake, Outrage, Rock Slide, Shadow Ball and Brick Break into the mix or give its Swords Dance to give a boost to its attack. This here variety is why Abomasnow's Mega form is often used as a mixed attacker.

As for regular Abomasnow, I would not recommend using it whatsoever. It is significantly less bulky and offensive while it is only slightly faster, and it'll go down quicker than you can say "Motherfucker!" Yes, it has Soundproof, which nullifies all sound-based moves used on it, but it really doesn't matter if you're going to use Mega Abomasnow anyway.

The 'real' Mega Abomasnow.

Abomasnow is certainly an interesting Pokémon, and I have to admit that I quite disliked it when it was first introduced to us: it looked weird and creepy and it made me slightly uncomfortable. I have come to like this thing, however, even though it left me quite underwhelmed during the one time that I used it and its Mega in an X or Y playthrough. Its origins are interesting, however, and its Mega is a significant improvement compared to its original design, as it now looks like a terrifying, shaggy fur monster you don't want to encounter in the wild. It won't get a perfect rating by any means, probably not even in the future, but 4.5 stars ain't bad.

And we're off to a good start, aren't we? Just you wait until I'll be reviewing the next Pokémon on the list.

Rating: 4.5/5