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 Frost's Unova Rankings (100-91): Walk Like a Unovan 

Which top 100 is superior?
IGN's because Frost's is too gay 19%  19%  [ 8 ]
Frost's because IGN's is too predictable 81%  81%  [ 34 ]
Total votes : 42

 Frost's Unova Rankings (100-91): Walk Like a Unovan 
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Dragon Tamer
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I don't want Farfetch'd to evolve, mainly because of this article: http://bulbanews.bulbagarden.net/wiki/O ... Farfetch'd
I think if it became too usable in battle (stupid, I know), it might ruin the authenticity of its origin and reason for creation.

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Mon Aug 02, 2010 3:31 pm
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Frost wrote:
Cloyster also greatly resembles a vagina


Main reason why I dislike Cloyster so much. It makes me the favor of reminding me of my Gynecology and Obstetrics classes. Rather unhappy memories.

Also, it does look like a perverted-looking Gastly trapped in its way out of a giant vulva to me. "Hey, guys, I'm stuck, but don't worry, I like it in here, lol"

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Mon Aug 02, 2010 3:34 pm
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While I tend to give Pikachu a lot of crap, and I think that's because I have a general dislike of the various "poster boys" of franchises out there, but I still like the little rat. I still have my two fairly large Pikachu plushies from when I was younger, one's really dirty (it has several stains on it) from being played with too much and the other I got later but it's missing the tail. I still love the older one as it was my favorite doll when I was growing up, I remember me and my cousin would always have our Pokemon plushies "fight" (he had a Charmander plush, if I remember correctly) by throwing them at each other and into the dirt and such. I'm not really afraid to say that I've gone out of my way in many games to get a Pikachu or one of it's family members, just to say I have one.

I'm a proud owner of at least one card of each legendary bird though the Articuno and Moltres have been through hell and back, my Zapdos, Lugia and Ho-oh are all still in relatively good condition though the foiling on them is starting to peel off a little. I remember trying to build a three-type deck when I learned to play so I could use all the legendary birds and beasts, though I never did get a Raikou card, which makes me sad since he's my favorite of the beasts. :/


Mon Aug 02, 2010 5:37 pm
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Dragon Tamer
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I'll be honest, I used to be one of those people who disliked Pikachu because I thought the show was total crap. However, I've been giving the show a second chance (and I'm 21.. lawl?), and ya know.. it's actually entertaining. I've also done a complete 180 on Pikachu because I find it SO ADORABLE ZOMG..... :P

In fact, if I did rankings like these, I bet that Pikachu would be higher on my list than yours. Go Pikachu!

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Mon Aug 02, 2010 9:39 pm
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Psychic Trainer
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Well, Farfetch'd beat out Pikachu, and Lapras is still in. Yay!

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Mon Aug 02, 2010 10:25 pm
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Pokemon Ranger
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I don't want Farfetch'd to evolve either.

Also... Pikachu's elimination marks the elimination of ALL of my Top 10 Pokémon. :(

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Tue Aug 03, 2010 4:19 pm
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InstantBacon, thank you for sharing that article. I wasn't aware of any of that backstory at all. I'd still like to see Farfetch'd evolve, but at least now I know there's some justification for it to not. And Krisp, thanks for sharing your story about Farfetch'd too. :3

Update Title: "The President," referring to #196.

200. Beautifly Image
(Generation: III; National Dex: 267)
It is probably ironic that I slam so many Hoenn Pokemon for being Kanto "replacements," yet probably the most blatant example makes the top 200. Beautifly is quite obviously the "Hoenn Butterfree," but it rises above its rehash status and horrible family members to be a good Pokemon. For one thing, while they share a basis, I can commend GameFreak for actually TRYING to make Beautifly unique. It has much more vibrant and intricate color patterns than Butterfree's, and it's logical for both to exist because they are WAY more than one kind of butterfly in the real world. And, unlike Dustox, Beautifly distinguishes itself while still being CUTE, rather than being a total acid trip eyesore. Appropriately, Beautifly was May's version of Ash's Butterfree, being her first capture and "release," but it received an even MORE unceremonious write-off, all so May could add Squirtle to her team instead. Lame. Either way, now that both co-exist peacefully, and even though they both suck in battle, I appreciate Beautifly as a different spin on Butterfree, and I was upset when my first Beautifly card was "Bengched."

199. Skarmory Image
(Generation: II; National Dex: 227)
Since Steel was a new type in Gen II, it inevitably would be paired with Flying, and thankfully Skarmory was way more viable than the other new type's Flying Pokemon. With astonishing Defense and one of the best types ever, Skarmory was a utility fortress, with its battle popularity exploding as half of the infamous "Skarmbliss" tandem. When I finally became competitive in Gen III, I created a team of staples in which the members were named after the Scissor Sisters, giving me a metal bird named Babydaddy, forealz. I do think people overrate how "broken" and "overused" Skarmbliss was, since tons of casual players don't use either, and thankfully the whining died down a bit in Gen IV. Anyway, while Skarmory was exclusive to my main version, I didn't use it in Japanese Silver while I did use Mantine in English Gold, so it's a rare occasion where I prefer the "other Pokemon." It's weird that they made a baby Mantine and not Skarmory, but Baby Pokemon suck, so I'm fine there. Skarmory's design is effective, but it's got some Steel-type blandness going on, so I really like but don't love it.

198. Pinsir Image
(Generation: I; National Dex: 127)
As Gen I's "best" Bug-type, Pinsir's totally absent movepool was an early reminder of GameFreak's hatred for the type. Granted, Pinsir HAS improved with each game, and its patience for usable STAB was finally rewarded in DP, but it was too little too late, considering Gen II brought the far-superior Heracross. I've always hated how Scyther overshadowed Pinsir because the latter had a WAY cooler basis and, while its true that those are pincers on its head and not horns, I see no reason why Pinsir couldn't have learned Megahorn when they're WAY more intimidating than the wimpy horn that Rapidash is packing. It was even a total joke in the anime, losing to Ash's Heracross and METAPOD of all things, but I've always appreciated Pinsir as a fan of neglected Pokemon. I caught a female in the Bug Contest in Gen II and named her Rose, although nothing compares with DM's Pinsir's nickname that produced the battle text "Go! Stop! Go!" Pinsir is a great design and I wish it got a Bug/Dark-type evolution opposite Scizor in Gen II, but that opportunity is LONG gone now and it's stuck as Minicross.

197. Pelipper Image
(Generation: II; National Dex: 279)
Since I used Wingull in my first Sapphire run, I kept it on my team as a Pelipper. It actually became my in-game team's MVP, as it completely owned Drake's team with Ice Beam and was logged in the Hall of Fame about five levels higher than everybody else on that team as a result. Somewhere along the way, Pelipper "lost" me, though; it had an episode in the anime in which a Trainer used Pelipper's big mouth to cheat and store small Pokemon inside to use illegal elemental attacks, for example, and I thought its voice was really annoying. (Side note: I don't think it's that bad now.) As time went on, I started hating Pelipper more and more for little legitimate reason. I hated its stupid pill-shaped eye. I hated the mangled shape of its "lips" in the DP sprite, which somehow reminded me of Pikmin 2's hideous Fiery Bulborb. I even hated its name because, hello! It's a BIRD; it doesn't have LIPS!

In retrospect, I probably just didn't like Pelipper because I blindly hated RS and Pelipper was common in those games, which is a pretty stupid attitude to take. Thankfully Pelli became a regular in #psypoke and, since he was the only one like me who was crazy enough to rank and rate all of the Pokemon, we became friends. As such, my opinion about Pelipper went back up because Pelipper is his favorite Pokemon, and the top favorites of my friends ALWAYS get cool points with me. Now I think Pelipper is a pretty cute and effective pelican design, and I particularly like how its delta type was Lightning. It's not a Gyarados or even a Mantine in battle, but that's forgivable since it was so personally useful in-game. Oh, and no, swan does not evolve from Pelipper, and they have almost NOTHING in common besides being birds, so people posting in the Talkbacks on the main site need to stop suggesting that.

196. Abomasnow Image
(Generation: IV; National Dex: 460)
Like Snover, Abomasnow is the amalgamation of my two favorite types, Grass and Ice, but it's also got better stats and feels more fully realized than its pre-evolution, so that's why I like it more. Abomasnow is a cool mixture of a snow-covered tree and a shaggy yeti, so it's definitely one of the more creative designs of Sinnoh, effectively portraying both of its types, although the poor thing does seem to have bloodshot eyes. People don't like Abomasnow for stupid reasons like "it's ugly" or "it has too many weaknesses," but I disagree on point one and it has the same number of weaknesses as Exeggutor and Celebi, so what's the big deal? It looks angry but in a crazy, funny way, and it's a staple on Hail teams. As much as I love Ice-type teams, Hail teams would be horrible, so I've never used Abomasnow for that reason, but I have trained in the game and I liked it. Also, I worked on a lot of this in the second half of 2008, so therefore:

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195. Buizel Image
(Generation: IV; National Dex: 418)
Buizel was one of the earlier Sinnoh Pokemon revealed to the public and I pretty much liked it from the start. We didn't have any otter Pokemon before, so I thought it was a solid addition and pretty cute to boot. I did ask my friend why she didn't like Buizel and she noted that the giant neck buoy and the fin-like structures on its paws wouldn't be very practical, concluding that the series' designs were only getting worse. I do kind of agree about the buoy being awkward, but I don't share the rest of the analysis. Buizel was also important in the anime, where Dawn caught one despite already having Piplup, and the fandom roared with disapproval until she traded it to Ash, who didn't have a Water-type. I would say that it was all good planning if I didn't have such little faith in the writers to actually plot things out in advance. Ash's Buizel is pretty much the token tough, unevolved Water-type on his team; it can kick ass but it's kind of boring, so whatevs. The real thing that holds Buizel back is that it's a first stage and I have a great distaste for its evolution, but Buizel is still cute.

194. Torterra Image
(Generation: IV; National Dex: 389)
Since Turtwig was the reject of the Sinnoh Starters, Torterra is also the UTR member of its trio. However, Torterra is actually one of the reasons why I started to like Turtwig more, because it's a completely fresh design that has NOTHING in common with Blastoise or Torkoal except its general species. While its classification as the "Continent" Pokemon is an overstatement, it's awesome to see a badass snapping turtle with a giant tree growing on its back. These aspects reinforce Torterra's unique Grass/Ground-type, which I find a very interesting dual type that a lot of people won't even consider because BAWWW IT HAS A 4X WEAKNESS! A lot of things have one these days, so get over it. Another reason why I love Torterra is that it has a movepool that makes other Grass-types jealous, and it was the most fun to use of all four Grass-type Starters in Diamond because it offered something NEW instead of the umpteenth pure Grass or Grass/Poison. I'm also glad that Ash was able to evolve his Torterra, especially when Infernape evolved too, because Torterra deserves the screentime. I just wish it wasn't the only Sinnoh Starter for whom I lack a LV. X card lol. ;(

193. Yanma Image
(Generation: II; National Dex: 193)
Once again, you have to look at Yanma's basis as "dragonfly" and wonder why GameFreak stuck it as yet another awful Bug/Flying-type. Granted, it's a bit better than the typical early-game Bugs in stats, but it's still not great, and its movepool was really bad as well. It does have two GREAT abilities, at least, but it doesn't make sense that they gave Compound Eyes to YANMA and Tinted Lens to its EVOLUTION when the reverse seems more appropriate. I have always liked that Yanma had okay Special Attack, though, because so few Bug Pokemon are Special-oriented instead of Physical-oriented. From a design aspect, Yanma is very docile and timid looking, so it's pretty cute, and it's kind of a shame that the innocence is thrown out in favor of THE YANMEGANATOR after it evolves. As a swarming Pokemon in Gen II and a Great Marsh Pokemon in DP, Yanma is a bit forgettable overall but I still like it, and it was lame how Jessie caught and evolved Yanma in the SAME episode since it's gotten so little screentime.


192. Nidoran M Image and 191. Nidoran F Image
(Generation: I; National Dex: 32 and 29)
While they don't seem particularly special today, the Nidoran were a completely original idea when the series began, as Pokemon were technically "genderless"; out of 150 creatures, only the Nidoran and their evolutions had 100% undeniable genders, as they demonstrated sexual dimorphism. And yet, surprisingly, it took the anime writers until the Orange Islands to feature these unique Pokemon: "Wherefore Art Thou, Pokemon?" was pretty cliched storyline, but the Nidoran were so freaking adorable that I can forgive that. I guess the idea of having male and female Nidoran was successful enough that the creators went ahead and gave genders to EVERYTHING in Gen II; they also had Shiny Nidoran take on the colors of its regular counterpart, which was a nice touch. For better or worse, the Nidoran set all of the stereotypes followed by later male- and female-only Pokemon: the male is bigger with higher offensive stats, while the female is diminutive and has better defensive stats. While I do wish Gamefreak would break these stereotypes, I won't hold them against the originators.

In any game with Nidoran, the two have always appeared together, so I have always used them together; they were good team fillers in Gen I and two easy Pokemon to nab in Gen II. In particular, I remember hatching Nidoran eggs in Silver while riding the plane home from Cancun in August 2001; the weather was sunny when the girl was born and cloudy for the boy, so I named them appropriately. They did require the monstrosity known as the PokeRadar in Gen IV, but I caught the female and bred for both. By the way, Nidoran F is the ONLY female member of her family who can breed, and that's actually kind of creepy, but I prefer her over Nidoran M. Throughout the years, she has always been more common in my preferred versions (Blue, LeafGreen, Diamond), so she was easier to find, and in later games she can give birth to either gender, which is nice. I also preferred Nidoran F for being a safer alternative to high risk Nidoran M in the early TCG, too, and she's slightly cuter, but BOTH are adorable bunny-like things. They are an original, groundbreaking and cute pair of Pokemon.

Highlight to view spoiler.
-Four Flying-types altogether. Each one has a different second type.
-A Pokemon that could be used in either of Saffron's Gyms.
-One of the evolutions of a useless fish: Gyarados, Seaking or Octillery?
-A Normal-type who ISN'T all over its native Region.
-A Pokemon with its own unique held item.
-Does ___ dream of electric mice?

5 Kanto, 4 Johto and 1 Hoenn. All of the Sinnoh Pokemon survive another update.

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Tue Aug 03, 2010 7:17 pm
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I thought the Pikmin 2 enemy was a Fiery BulbLAX.

My prediction for next round- Lickitung and Magnemite

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Hamiforbeeterra's credit to Rocket's Game Corner.
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Last edited by Nosepass on Wed Aug 04, 2010 11:00 pm, edited 1 time in total.



Wed Aug 04, 2010 1:45 am
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dont you think that {torterra} looks a lot like {venusaur}? i jus think that its really annoyin to have 2 starters final evolution looks so similar. thats why i dont use torterra a lot

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Wed Aug 04, 2010 8:32 pm
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dark_charizard15 wrote:
dont you think that {torterra} looks a lot like {venusaur}? i jus think that its really annoyin to have 2 starters final evolution looks so similar. thats why i dont use torterra a lot

I'd rather have the walking park as to the frog with the flower off of Animal Crossing that appears when your town is extreamly ghetto on it's back.


Also in response to the way back rateing of Sableye I found some backstory on the Pokemon wiki, http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Sableye.
It is apparently a version of a creature called the Hopkinsville Goblin, I find this interesting because I live within driving distance of Hopkinsville yet never heard of it untill I was looking up Pokemon. The reason I bring this up is you mention that backstory influences your rateing and I dont think Sableye recieved a fair due to be eliminated so soon.

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Thu Aug 05, 2010 2:10 am
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Update Title: "Pink Ranger Power!," referring to #183.

190. Magnemite Image
(Generation: I; National Dex: 81)
People always bitch about Magnemite while claiming that Kanto isn't creative and, sure, it's not particularly original, but I still prefer simplicity, thanks. That being said, just because they're both small metallic objects, GEAR IS NOT A MAGNEMITE RIPOFF. Christ. Magnemite was most notable for "Sparks Fly for Magnemite," the dub title of "Do Coil Dream of Electric Mice?", explaining my last clue; this episode had Ash hilariously claim that Magnemite was following Pikachu around "like a streaker or something," and it's likely why Magnemite appeared in Snap, where it became ADORABLY HAPPY at the sight of Pokemon food, even though it has no mouth with which to eat in the first place. As a kid I always misspelled the name as "Magnetmite," but it's still better than the Japanese and English beta name, Coil, which is too bland and inappropriate for a Pokemon that doesn't even have coils. While Magnemite has too freaking many cards, it is cute and evolves into a member of my "dream team." Plus, Gamefreak did the right thing and CHANGED ITS TYPE when they invented Steel, so I like it a lot.

189. Gligar Image
(Generation: II; National Dex: 207)
With Gligar's creation, nobody should have ever complained about potential type combinations "not making sense" again. How can you get more contradictory than GROUND/FLYING? And yet, despite being completely nonsensical, Gligar actually pulls off this ridiculous typing well. As a "flyscorpio" Pokemon, Gligar really should have been part-Bug, but it gets a pass in this case because 1) we don't need MORE shitty Bug/Flying-types and 2) Bug/Ground is alright but not as good as Ground/Flying. I liked Gligar right away, using it in my English Gold file; while it had decent stats and a groundbreaking type, I was conflicted because it had NO LEVEL-UP OR TM STAB! Breeding just for Wing Attack was a joke, and standing on my head in Stadium 2 for Earthquake was even worse. Thankfully, Gligar got a better movepool and a vampire-based evolution in later games, evolving at night while holding the Razor Fang, and it's definitely another one of those Pokemon that works better when it's not a final evolution. Ash's Gligar was also adorable and fabulouthly pink in the anime, so bonus points!

188. Sentret Image
(Generation: II; National Dex: 161)
Quick, name a common Normal-type in Kanto! Rattata. Now name a common one in Johto! Sentret RATTATA. It is so annoying when people group Sentret together with the other early rodents, as it only appears on TWO routes in its debut game, while Rattata ran wild across both Kanto AND Johto. As such, it's no surprise that Sentret is my favorite of its archetype, since it breaks the mold and isn't as beaten into my brain; it's also adorable, sitting comfortably between a raccoon and a tanuki, and all while looking much more pleasant than the explosion known as Zigzagoon. Sentret's line were Johto's early "neglected favorites," and I like that a slow Pokemon like Sentret can learn Quick Attack, if only for the hilarity of cheap shots on weak opponents. Sentret also earned its name as a "sentry" in a cool episode in which a mother Sentret protected her family, and its Japanese name, "Otachi," always stood out due to the O on its chest. While Sentret isn't very notable overall and even lacks many cute cards, I must reiterate that it's cute and not annoying, and that's all that matters.

187. Octillery Image
(Generation: II; National Dex: 224)
Again, Remoraid becoming Octillery is one of the series' most nonsensical evolution chains, as a remora and an octopus are completely unrelated, but it does make me wonder if Octillery is supposed to be Johto's "Gyarados" or "Milotic," being the randomly powerful evolution of a much weaker, unrelated fish? Either way, I do like the weaponry theme going in Remoraid and Octillery's names, and Octillery's stats even support this, since it's one of the few Pokemon who can break 300 in BOTH Attack stats. In addition to learning just about every Beam ever and having a stellar learnset in general, Octillery also gets Suction Cups to prevent forced switches. As such, Octillery's disuse baffles me, since it seems perfect for Baton Pass teams with those Attack stats and that movepool. As an aside, I do wish Octazooka's English name included Octillery's name like it does in Japanese. I like Octillery in general because I used it back in the day, despite its in-game rarity, and it's even cute in an oblivious way, particularly in the TCG. Plus, an Octillery almost killed Max once, and that was awesome.

186. Meditite Image
(Generation: III; National Dex: 307)
While many Hoenn Pokemon are criticized as "rehashes," Meditite's line is completely fresh, as a Psychic/Fighting-type meditation-based Pokemon was both original and strangely logical for this series. And, although yoga is mainly known as a form of meditation and relaxation, there is at least one other video game series that created a character with a yoga-based fighting style, so I'll give Meditite points both for being a Fighting-type based around a "fighting style" and for reminding me of Dhalsim, who is awesome. Meditite looks like a living plush doll, so it is kind of cute, but it does look a little creepy, weird and borderline-stereotypical at the same time, which prevents me from ranking it higher based on cuteness. Meditite does evolve WAY too late, which is annoying, but at least Pure Power makes it usable until then. I have used Meditite and Medicham in both Gen III and IV, the latter for reasons that will discussed in Medicham's write-up, so I do appreciate both for bring new ideas to the series. Also, what is up with Meditite appearing via SINNOH Sound in HGSS? Seriously.

185. Marowak Image
(Generation: I; National Dex: 105)
In Generation I, Marowak was an outclassed Ground-type, with TWO outclassed exclusive moves, known mainly because a ghost of one attacks the player in Pokemon Tower. Marowak's beta name is "Guardia," and the in-game characters noting how the ghost was a mother justifies the name, but I'm glad they changed it to something more suitable for a morbid Pokemon who wears a skull on its head. While the series has referenced the Marowak ghost occasionally, and Amphy practically NEEDED one for his Phoebe team in PPC2 (rofl), Marowak didn't have much else going on until GSC, in which GameFreak granted the Thick Club to double its Attack. Marowak is still the only final evolution with a unique held item WORTH anything (p.s. lol Farfetch'd), and its Attack could indeed become so high with Swords Dance and Thick Club that it would ROLL OVER GSC's bit limit to leave an Attack stat of 24, lawl. While Marowak is too slow and lacks recovery in today's metagame, it has remained consistently badass, including the anime's "Bad to the Bone," in which a Marowak turns on his Trainer, who lost his Gym Badges. However, I do recall making a lot of gay jokes about Marowak back in the day, probably because it waves around a giant phallus, and I even named one after a gay Survivor contestant in a Crystal team back in 2001. Still, Marowak is a cool and competent fighter, but it technically lacks a face and isn't cute enough to go higher.

184. Raticate Image
(Generation: I; National Dex: 20)
Back before I knew anything about competitive battles, I used Raticate all the time in-game, where it always has been decent due to its good Speed and Attack, along with its signature move, Super Fang, which halves the target's HP. It's actually disappointing that Generation IV whored out the move to just about anything with teeth, even to GLALIE, because losing its exclusive move makes Raticate that much less special. Raticate was always one of the biggest "Neglected Pokemon" icons back in the day, and I used it on so many of my teams, including countless GS runs and TCG GB decks, since Super Fang was useful even in the TCG, and I even incorporated Raticate's Super Fang against Mewtwo in Pokemon Stadium. It was even the first Pokemon icon that I made for the forums, although Amphy accidentally replaced it a couple years later. ;( While Raticate's design is basic, I do think it's pretty cool, and it even can look cute despite its horribly ugly real-life basis. While I don't like Raticate AS much these days, I still appreciate the design and good memories, and I still do really like it.

183. Aerodactyl Image
(Generation: I; National Dex: 142)
Aerodactyl is easily my favorite Kanto Fossil Pokemon. While Kabutops looked cool but sucked in battle and Omastar doesn't look threatening at all, Aerodactyl was a single-stage Pokemon that looked ready to kick ass from the get-go. Granted, Aerodactyl did suck in the first two Generations due to its non-existent movepool, which was so bad that they had to give an illegal move to Lance's Aerodactyl in GSC (HAX), but it eventually became the fierce fighter that we know today. I like that Aerodactyl breaks the bland mold of the Rock-type, being FAST and having LOW Defense and a unique dual typing, spiting so many other ho-hum Rock/Ground-types that are slow with huge Defense. The different stat alignment is definitely more geared for my style, and Aerodactyl now capitalizes on it with a wide movepool. While getting Aerodactyl was a total bitch in GSC, I did get mine up to Level 70ish, which was one of my highest in-game Pokemon, and I used Aerodactyl in my most recent teams for both LeafGreen and Diamond. It's definitely a cool Pokemon, thanks in no small part to it being a pterodactyl.

182. Hoppip Image
(Generation: II; National Dex: 187)
Hoppip is one of those low-key early game Pokemon that isn't very notable, but I like it because it's cute and I have good memories about it. When I got my English copies of GS, I used Hoppip's line in one because I made a team of new Johto Pokemon with weird typings like Grass/Flying and Fire/Rock. While Hoppip did suck in the beginning because they gave it wonderful moves like SPLASH and SYNTHESIS, it did get better over time and became an awesome final evolution, so that helps it in my eyes. As the token cute, useless first stage Grass-type of GSC, Hoppip showed off its cuteness in both the TCG and in the anime episode "Foul Weather Friends," a bland filler only made bearable due to Hoppip being adorable. I also remember finding a Level 5 Hoppip while Surfing around the Sevii Islands in LeafGreen and feeling bad because the poor thing must have been traumatized. :p Hoppip is much cuter than a weed Pokemon has the right to be, and therefore I really like it.

181. Fearow Image
(Generation: I; National Dex: 22)
In the war between Fearow and Pidgeot, I have always preferred Fearow. Back then, it was because Pidgeot had more fame as "Ash's Pokemon," and I hated Ash, while Fearow was the "neglected" villain who attacked him. Today, I prefer Fearow because it evolves faster, is more distinguished from its pre-evolution and is better in battle than Pidgeot. While Dodrio beats either, Fearow's decent Attack and Speed, in combination with the best Flying-type move for years, Drill Peck, trumped Pidgeot easily. Unfortunately, Generation IV wasn't as kind to Fearow, who didn't get Brave Bird and lost Physical Hidden Power types in the move split. However, I still have plenty of good memories about using Fearow in-game and on competitive teams in the first two Generations; it is very much the Normal/Flying-type Raticate in that regard. It was one of my strongest in-game Pokemon in terms of level, since I used the Spearow that the guard gives you in GS and trained it up to Level 70ish in my first Silver file. I also admire Fearow's crane-like design, since it balances majesty and power in a way that other early-game birds don't. While it's fallen down my ranks a bit over the years, I do still really like Fearow.

Highlight to view spoiler.
-Two "alternate" forms: only three Castform and two Rotom remain.
-One of the remaining Baby Pokemon: Igglybuff, Happiny or Riolu?
-Two Pokemon that are only acquired after they evolve through trading.
-A final Starter evolution: Blaziken, Infernape, Feraligatr and Torterra are out.
-A Pokemon found in the forum header.

5 Kanto, 1 Johto, 1 Hoenn, 3 Sinnoh.

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Sat Aug 07, 2010 11:55 am
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isn't there a way to make a magnet by wrapping copper coils around something..... god, i'm not sure, but i know for sure that guitar pickups (which are magnets) use coils. so maybe this explains the "coils" name??
EDIT: what InstantBacon said.

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Last edited by rex09 on Sun Aug 08, 2010 12:50 pm, edited 1 time in total.



Sat Aug 07, 2010 1:17 pm
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rex09 wrote:
isn't there a way to make a magnet by wrapping copper coils around something..... god, i'm not sure, but i know for sure that guitar pickups (which are magnets) use coils. so maybe this explains the "coils" name??


I think its referring to coils, as in the coils of wire used to make electromagnets

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Sat Aug 07, 2010 3:13 pm
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InstantBacon wrote:
rex09 wrote:
isn't there a way to make a magnet by wrapping copper coils around something..... god, i'm not sure, but i know for sure that guitar pickups (which are magnets) use coils. so maybe this explains the "coils" name??


I think its referring to coils, as in the coils of wire used to make electromagnets

Tesla coils.

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Sat Aug 07, 2010 11:20 pm
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This makes me laugh every time i read these. They are pure genius! Thank you Frost.


Sun Aug 08, 2010 12:49 pm
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Thanks.

Update Title: "Do You Like... Pie?," referring to #178.

180. Persian Image
(Generation: I; National Dex: 53)
As a card carrying Team Rocket stan, Persian was one of my favorite Pokemon back in the day. In addition to being Blue and Silver-exclusive, which were my games of choice, I had a Siamese cat in real life during the first two Generations and Persian, contrary to its name, more resembles my old cat than the actual Persian breed, although the forehead jewel is oddly stereotypical. As such, I used Persian in both Blue and Silver, as well as in the TCG, where Jungle Persian was one of my favorite cards. I also loved giving it an Amulet Coin and Pay Day in Silver because, hey, free monies! It was an awesome fighter in Gen I, what with Slash's insane CH rate and Bubblebeam for Rocks, but the changes to the Crithit formula after Gen I have left Persian as a shadow of its former self. It was also kind of a jerk in the anime: whether it be a Persian fighting Meowth over his girlfriend or Giovanni's completely useless Persian, he's always been a thorn in Meowth's side. Despite this jerkiness, I still like Persian because I've always been a cat guy and Persian itself is adorable, reminding me of long-lost Siamese.

179. Sun Castform Image
(Generation: III; National Dex: 351)
I already explained much of why I liked Castform in the Normal form's entry, but I'll note that I like how Castform's trademark move, Weather Ball, changes types and doubles power with a form change, giving all three a strong STAB move. While I like Fire less than Ice or Water in general, Sunny Castform definitely fits the bill of a sun-based Pokemon MUCH better than the stupid Psychic/Rock-type monstrosity known as Solrock, as Sunny Castform is actually... you know, a FIRE-TYPE. Go figure! Design-wise, Sun Castform is a cute little guy, although I really don't think it should have that little cloud underneath its head because Sunny Day implies clear weather. Like all of three weather forms, Sun Castform doesn't have a shiny form (big loss there), but demonstrates the concept of weather nicely and has some adorable TCG artwork. I'm also glad that each form gets its own cards, by the way. Like its counterparts, Sun Castform isn't particularly strong or noteworthy, but I love the idea and the designs nonetheless.

178. Heat Rotom Image
(Generation: IV; National Dex: 479)
Going out right after his spiritual Hoenn counterpart, Heat Rotom has the same problems as many of the other appliance Rotom forms. In particular, it's lame that they wasted an oven design on a Ghost/Electric-type when Ghost/Fire or Electric/Fire would be fresh and cool dual typings instead. However, a toaster oven is definitely one of the better implied ideas for an appliance, and Heat Rotom looks a hell of a lot LESS awkward than the three forms who have been eliminated so far. Overheat is a useful and appropriate trademark move, and the Pokemon's plasma hands even resemble oven mitts, which is hilariously ironic. I also love Heat Rotom's only TCG artwork so far, which randomly and humorously shows us that it can bake a mean pie. As such, it is my second favorite Rotom overall, but it's just not quite as cool as the awesomeness known as Mow Rotom.

177. Machamp Image
(Generation: I; National Dex: 68)
While it meant little back then, Machamp was the "best" Fighting-type in Generation I, with generally solid stats and a passable movepool. Unfortunately, Psychics walked all over Fighting-types in RBY no matter how solid their stats were, so Machamp fell into the land of the unused, with nothing to show for itself besides having one of the most hilarious Green sprites. With that said, Fighting received a massive buff in Generation II, and Machamp finally got its chance to shine. It's taken the opportunity and run with it, getting just as many new toys as it needed to remain viable throughout each game, with the awesome ability No Guard being its latest trump card. Even when I used mostly neglected Pokemon, I did have a GSC standard team back in the day, and Machamp was on that team, named after Jack Tripper from Three's Company. It also returned for my RSE OU team, this time named after Paddy Boom from the Scissor Sisters; regardless of the game, Machamp was a solid fighter.

Granted, the existence of female Machamp is a bit weird, providing yet another of this series' baffling gender puzzles. I don't mind female Machamp being muscular, but... shouldn't she at least have a sports bra, so she's not running around topless? Even female Wobbuffet got some lipstick! ;( Beyond the gender weirdness, it also completely blew my mind that you could trade a Cubone for a Machoke in Pokemon Yellow, at which point it evolved. That was a HUGE deal to me back then because I didn't have a Link Cable and couldn't get the trade evolution Pokemon normally! As such, it was the only one of the four that I didn't use in Silver when I got my cord. Machamp was also special because every print of its Base card was first edition, meaning that it was the only Base Set Pokemon that could be non-shadowless AND first edition, lawl. While Machamp's four arms are kind of random and I'm sure they've produced scary hentai out on the internet, Machamp is still a cool, powerful Fighting-type design. Oh, yeah, and its beta name was "Ju-Doh." Again, thank god they changed that mess.

176. Alakazam Image
(Generation: I; National Dex: 65)
In a lot of ways, Machamp and Alakazam are counterparts. They're both third-stage evolutions from Generation I who can only be acquired through trading; they have some of the largest scores overall in their respective offensive stat, with Alakazam tied for the highest non-Legendary Special Attack; they are placed next to each other in the National Dex; and they have opposing types. However, even though they go hand-in-hand, Alakazam was always going to beat Machamp in this ranking due to a well-known saying called "brain over brawn"; it just wouldn't be true to myself to place the buff fighter over the crafty mastermind. Alakazam was also always going to get a good ranking -- and, yes, I consider #176 as good, considering there's 500+ Pokemon -- because I'm an admin of PSYpoke and Alakazam has always been one of the most featured Pokemon on our site. If you need prove of this, here're a few examples.

In battle, Alakazam was probably the best unbanned Psychic-type in RBY, and that's saying a LOT. However, it's taken enough hits with subsequent games that it's no longer OU in Generation IV, which is a little bit sad and a constant reminder of how much they OVERnerfed Psychic after RBY. Despite losing its status as a top-tier powerhouse, I've still used Alakazam whenever it was available to me, including the aforementioned Silver run in 2004 with trade capabilities, as well as in my Diamond team in 2007. It also had some interesting cards in the TCG, continuing to make appearances there despite the controversy with Kadabra, even though it was the very LAST Kanto Pokemon for which I got a card. :( Base Set's card had entire decks built around abusing Damage Swap, but I was always partial to Sabrina's Alakazam and you might know why if you clicked one of the banners in the last paragraph. Overall, Alakazam is a cool Pokemon with an effective design that reflects its role in battle, looking smart and powerful but simultaneously fragile.

175. Ambipom Image
(Generation: IV; National Dex: 424)
Since Aipom was one of the worst battlers known to man, I was pretty happy to see Ambipom because it's always nice for the rejects to get an upgrade. And, even though I ~get~ that Ambipom is "just a bigger Aipom," it's also a completely natural evolution, since Aipom has ONE tail hand while Ambipom has two and a clever name to boot. While her nose does tend to look like a giant eyebrow, Ambipom is also pretty cute, especially in the TCG and in the anime. However, I simply have to mention Dawn's Ambipom's exit from the show... which is probably the WORST write-off EVER. You see, Ambipom had a lot of history, starting as Ash's and then being traded to Dawn, after developing interest in contests, and evolving. The writers needed room on Dawn's roster for Mamoswine, so they had Ambipom leave to... train in playing ping pong. What. the. FUCK. Despite the anime's stupidity, I used Ambipom in Diamond and found it to be a cool UU Pokemon, with great tricks like Technician Swift and Double Hit, Nasty Plot, and more. It's definitely the cutest final monkey evolution, but not my favorite.

174. Venusaur Image
(Generation: I; National Dex: 3)
As usual, I like the mascot of my preferred game more than its counterpart, and in this case I like LeafGreen's Venusaur more than FireRed's Charizard. Venusaur was probably the second best Grass-type in RBY, due to Razor Leaf's ridiculous critical hit formula, but the Poison-type held Venusaur down at the time. With Psychic-types getting a meganerf after RBY, Venusaur has remained a consistently solid UU fighter ever since, serving as a decent Special attacker, sponge and utility Pokemon all in one. However, Venusaur isn't that cute, and it's in fact kind of an ugly fatty, especially in Jabba the Hut's its Base Set card. However, said card was awesome and is the basis of any Grass-themed deck that I make in TCG GB, so at least it's cool. While it's not particular cute, it does have a creative design, since it's a toad-like creature with nice, fully-bloomed flower on its back, and I have plenty of nostalgia for Venusaur since I've probably started with Bulbasaur more than the other two. May also ended up getting a (female) Venusaur in the anime, which is weird because Ash's Bulbasaur STILL hasn't evolved. Also, anybody who names his or her Venusaur "Bruteroot" in the games deserves a swift kick in the face. :P So yeah, a pretty cool Pokemon overall, but not super amazing.

173. Cresselia Image
(Generation: IV; National Dex: 488)
When DP first came out in English and everybody in the #psypoke chatroom was talking about it, I remember how we all used to call Cresselia "spaceduck," although upon further research "spaceswan" would have been more appropriate. Either way, Cresselia has an AWESOME design, juxtaposing a standard swan with otherworldliness that nicely reflects the moon aspect of her backstory. Unfortunately, Cresselia IS just another stereotypical Defense-oriented female-only Pokemon, and her trademark move, Lunar Dance, is absolutely horrible. I can see where they were trying to go with it, but Cresselia KILLING HERSELF is overkill, especially when Gen IV introduced a xerox copy of the attack named Healing Wish. I also never hunted her down in Diamond because I was too OCD about IVs to bother, and I HATE that GameFreak gave her a rivalry with Darkrai because he's Dark and she's Psychic, and unbalanced rivalries like that suck. However, even though she is just a boring wall, having another female-only Legendary is cool with me, and she's not awful in battle. Her design and vibrant colors also make for some great TCG artwork, including one of the coolest LV. X cards. It's just a shame that she's one of the least-utilized Sinnoh Legendaries across the canons of the series.

172. Igglybuff Image
(Generation: II; National Dex: 174)
It's pretty well-documented that I normally hate Baby Pokemon, but Igglybuff is one of the few that I actually find CUTE, plus it evolves into two of my favorite Pokemon, so I give it a pass. I didn't regard Igglybuff highly during Generation II because its sprites were kind of fat and fail, but I definitely ~got~ the cuteness after I saw an anime episode called "Same Old Song and Dance." In that episode, two Igglybuff twins sing and dance together, which is adorable, and Jigglypuff, who doesn't take kindly to other Pokemon singing, hilariously slaps those bitches good. Smaller and cuter sprites in the games after Gen II, as well as some completely adorable artwork in the TCG, also raised my opinion of Igglybuff. On the flip side of the coin, Igglybuff's name is pretty stupid, since it's the antithesis of "buff," and the Odd Egg in my main Crystal file hatched an Igglybuff with all 0 DVs. Ouch. Still, Igglybuff is cute and I've used it frequently to get its evolutions, so I do like it a lot.

171. Dragonair Image
(Generation: I; National Dex: 148)
As Swift's favorite Pokemon and also one of darkmind's top favorites, I've noticed that a lot of Dragonair fans seem to prefer it over Dragonite, claiming that Dragonite is too goofy and cutesy for a final evolution and that it doesn't make much sense as an evolution for Dragonair. Of course, I don't think the first argument makes much sense considering Dragonair and its fairy headwings look just as cutesy, except in its creepy and ghostly RB sprite, but whatever. While Dragonair is much better than a typical middle stage, it does have a little middle evo syndrome going on because Dratini is cuter and Dragonite kicks more ass, while Dragonair gets some flavor text about altering weather, which it can't do without TMs, and trivia about being the third-longest Kanto Pokemon.

However, it WAS completely screwed in Pokemon Snap, where you could evolve Dratini straight into Dragonite, while Dragonair was completely MIA from the game. It was also in probably the most unbalanced in-game trade ever in GSC, because why would you ever trade something that could evolve into Dragonite for a Dodrio or Rhydon? In the anime, Dragonair debuts in the banned Safari Zone episode, where it WAS cute and had a nice story with the Character of the Day, and it also has some pretty TCG artwork, including Base Set's card, which I always wanted as a kid. Dragonair also has a very pretty name, which I definitely prefer over its lame English beta name, "Dragyn." Seriously, could that be anymore generic? I do like Dragonair a lot, but it just isn't completely amazing to me in the same way that it is to Swift, especially when Dragonite is one of my favorite Pokemon.

Highlight to view spoiler.
-Complete starter slaughter in the next update:
--One first form, and all but Treecko, Chimchar and Turtwig remain.
--One middle form, but only Wartortle and Bayleef are still in.
--THREE of Blastoise, Meganium, Typhlosion, Sceptile, Swampert or Empoleon.
-One of the last Baby Pokemon hits the road.
-One family has all of its members eliminated at once.

3 Kanto, 1 Johto, 3 Hoenn and 3 Sinnoh.

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Sun Aug 08, 2010 5:48 pm
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I don't always agree with the rankings (especially igglybuff being this high up afkdjfkaj) but this is a pretty solid read. Also yes the dragonair card was really cool and I never ended up getting one.


Sun Aug 08, 2010 7:19 pm
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Hope its not Wartortle! I always did think it was strange why Dragonair evolved into Dragonite. Is there some background to this or did the creators create Dratini and dragonair, and just stick on dragonite for kicks?


Sun Aug 08, 2010 10:21 pm
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Not Venasaur! =(. Anyway, i actually have that card, and its pretty damn cool.


Sun Aug 08, 2010 11:40 pm
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I've really changed my impression on this. It's,as many others have said, awesome and pretty true, even by others opinions.I'M ROUTIN' FOR YA, GENGAR!!!

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Mon Aug 09, 2010 6:36 am
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Hope Gardevoir still there, to the top 100.


Mon Aug 09, 2010 7:00 am
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Sometimes I feel like Frost is reading my mind when he writes these write ups. Alakazam's and Machamp's write ups is an example of it. Alakazam has always been one of my favorite Pokemon. So seeing it get this far makes me happy. Though I think that No Guard can be incredibly broken at times, though incredibly helpful to Machamp, I mean being able to hit a Gyarados in mid Bounce attack with Stone Edge is kinda lame.

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Mon Aug 09, 2010 4:27 pm
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Hoping to see the new ones in soon. Seems to me that Frost might have to speed up with the write-ups if he wants to be done before BW's release... Just saying.

I'm showing them off to friends now I enjoy them so much!

AEPMT :mrgreen: ;) 8-)

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Frost wrote:
...even though it was pretty nonsensical that its scent, which could take out GRIMER and KOFFING, would be used to make PERFUME THAT PEOPLE LOVE!

Ambergris is a grease-like product made mostly of cholesterol secreted by a sperm whale's digestive tract that smells quite rancid but is used in making some of the finest perfumes. I'm assuming the effluvium Gloom emits is like the Pokéworld's ambergris.

I'd also like to bitch, if I may, about Gastrodon's name, since I just thought of it for the first time reading these reviews:

<rant>Since Gastrodon is supposed to be a sea slug, we can assume that the name is borrowed from the animal kingdom class that includes snails and slugs, Gastropoda, a greek word which literally means "stomach foot," referring to its locomotion. So when I read Gastrodon, I immediately thought that it was a portmanteau of Gastropoda and mastodon, a large, prehistoric mammal. Then does that mean that -odon is a suffix occurring in loanwords from Greek to denote size or age? No, it means tooth! ):< Wtf is that?! Does GameFreaks think it's being clever alluding to its size or perhaps age by forming a name from others that blatantly do not suit the Pokémon?

Maybe I'm wrong; maybe they're not really creating a combined word from mastodon. Perhaps they're using some other suffix or name, but could anyone tell me what that might be? I sure as hell can't. Not all the names in the game have to make perfect sense, but if you're going to make a name by portmanteau, it better have some fucking correlation. Jesus!</rant>

OK, so there may be more out there like that, but this one just happens to be one I know off hand.

Also:

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Mon Aug 09, 2010 9:19 pm
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Quote:
Seems to me that Frost might have to speed up with the write-ups if he wants to be done before BW's release... Just saying.

No, I don't. I have sixteen updates left after this one and I do an update every 2, or rarely 3, days on average. You do the math.

Quote:
Ambergris is a grease-like product made mostly of cholesterol secreted by a sperm whale's digestive tract that smells quite rancid but is used in making some of the finest perfumes. I'm assuming the effluvium Gloom emits is like the Pokéworld's ambergris.

I suppose, but it's still odd for the anime to allude to a complicated process like that when this is the same show that has bubbles of water explode on contact with each other. :p I'm not sure about Gastrodon's name. Bulbapedia speculates that it's gastro + don (Spanish for king in particular, according to them), but I think Nintendo of America just saw that the Japanese name was "Toritodon" and went with something similar. And the Suicune thing went over my head entirely, sry2say.

Update Title: "DAAAAAAAH!," referring to #164 and #161.

170. Squirtle Image
(Generation: I; National Dex: 7)
Despite Blastoise being my favorite Kanto Starter final evolution, Squirtle is my least favorite of the first stages. I guess the problem with Squirtle is that it's not particularly special since there are so many Water-types, and it's also defense-oriented when I generally prefer offense. Squirtle is probably the second most popular Kanto Starter after Charmander, and I think Ash's Squirtle in the anime plays a role in that. It baffles me because he had one great episode ("Here Comes the Squirtle Squad") in which it had a practical joker personality, and then he just became a generic fire hydrant with NO personality at all. So while Charizard leaving in Johto was a BIG DEAL, Squirtle's departure episode was all very blasé because it didn't have Charizard's story nor Bulbasaur's personality. Still, I'm glad Ash can call Jenny anytime to have her send Squirtle back. Pokemon Trainer also has Squirtle in Brawl and I would have much preferred to see Bulbasaur and Wartortle instead Ivysaur and Squirtle since I don't find Squirtle convincing in a game like Brawl, probably because it's small and defensive.

However, Squirtle is by far the cutest turtle-based Pokemon, especially in its Gen III Sugimori art with those adorable eyes. Since I started with Gen I, I do have plenty of nostalgia for Squirtle. I'm pretty sure it was my starter in my Red ROM playthrough, and I used Squirtle countless times in Yellow, whether for emulating Ash's team or mono Water-type teams. While I preferred Rocket's art, Base Set Squirtle, even though it looks like it's choking on bubbles, is a staple in any of my Water decks in TCG GB. I also think the Kanto Starters have the best synergy of any Starter trio, since they're all reptilian and survive with help from an aspect of their design: Squirtle, for example, has a shell in which it can hide from danger. In the anime, May's tiny baby Squirtle was more appealing and had more personality than Ash's; Gary also started with Squirtle, but the anime stupidly neglected to tell us this for 275 episodes. Despite some complaints, Squirtle was at point my favorite Kanto Starter, and today I do still think it's a good (and, to reiterate, cute) Pokemon overall.

And hey, at least it's no longer my least favorite Water starter... sorry, Wotter. ;(

169. Wartortle Image
(Generation: I; National Dex: 8)
Wartortle is one of last "regular" middle evolutions of this list, meaning it was intentionally designed as middle stage instead of BECOMING one later on, and I definitely think it's the third-best of its kind after Bayleef and Machoke. Wartortle manages to look both cute and cool with none of the typical puberty awkwardness found in most middle stages. Its design is a nice progression from Squirtle's, with the ears fitting nicely with the squirrel tail, and Wartortle's color provides another link between Squirtle and Blastoise beyond just being bigger than Squirtle. Wartortle didn't get much screentime in the anime since Ash's Squirtle never evolved and Gary's was already a Blastoise when we first saw it, but at least May showed up with Wartortle for a couple of episodes, and it was cute. I also used Base Wartortle extensively in TCG GB Water decks, although I cut back on it a bit after discovering the power of Pokemon Breeder. Overall, Wartortle is a great exception to the middle evolution rule, and it totally deserved to be in Brawl over Ivysaur.

168. Happiny Image
(Generation: IV; National Dex: 440)
Like Igglybuff, Happiny is a cute Baby Pokemon who evolves into two of my favorites. To be honest, I pretty much loved Happiny as soon as I saw her because she was adorably happy, but I've cooled toward her a bit because no Baby Pokemon is necessary. However, at least unlike the others, Happiny's design actually reinforces the "Baby" aspect, with a pouch that could pass for a diaper, and Chansey IS a more appropriate Pokemon to give a pre-evolution. They really should have given Happiny base 0 or 1 Attack and Defense though, lulz. Brock also has a Happiny in the anime and I love her because she's hilariously strong, which is a nice change from a certain other Baby Pokemon, and ironic considering her base stats. Two more stories about Happiny in Diamond: first, I always rematch Pokemon Breeder Amber and beat up her Happiny for a quick 1000 EXP points; second, when I spent like two weeks trying to get a competitive Blissey in 2007, I hatched a shiny, Bold Happiny with good IVs. Disgusted, because I hate shiny Pokemon, I released her to screams of terror from shiny collectors all over the world. Trufax. Due to cuteness, Happiny is one of the best Baby Pokemon, but one other is a bit better...

167. Parasect Image
(Generation: I; National Dex: 47)
Once upon a time, when there were only 151 Pokemon, Parasect was somewhat infamous for being the only Pokemon who could learn Spore, the most accurate sleep-inducing move in the game. Ridiculously, Parasect was hailed as a Psychic killer during RBY, even with an article that Abra K. wrote on the original Psypoke.com, because: 1) it was a Bug-type who was not part Poison; 2) it learned a Bug-type move, which was the only type that beat Psychic in Generation I; and 3) It learned Spore and Swords Dance to give Parasect a chance to power up that STAB move. In reality, this is all a joke in hindsight, because Leech Life is laughably weak and even Parasect's Slash would do more damage against things weak against Bug. Also, Parasect has the dubious honor of being the only Pokemon with THREE 4x weaknesses, since Poison was Super Effective against Bug in Generation I, as well as the only Pokemon who can have an 8X WEAKNESS due to Dry Skin in Generation IV. Ouch.

However, Parasect was an important Pokemon in my own personal history. As I've said before, during the first couple of Generations, I was very pro-"neglected Pokemon," and this movement started on a web page named Neglected Pokemon Lovers Unite, maintained by a woman named Zarla whose favorite Pokemon was Parasect. Her shrine to Parasect made the Pokemon become my old internet BFF's new favorite Pokemon, which in turn caused me to catch use Parasect myself. Hers was named "Mintyfresh," so mine was naturally "Spearmint," and I used Parasect a LOT in Yellow and GS. It was on my mono Grass-type file in Yellow, my LeafGreen run and COUNTLESS Gold and Silver files, including Stadium 2 rosters. And, even though it looked like a walking tumor in its R/B sprite, Parasect has a very interesting parasite/host design and it was even kind of cute in the anime to boot. So while it was kind of overrated as a "Psychic killer" in Generation I, Parasect is a relevant, meaningful Pokemon to me, even though I don't like it QUITE as much as I did ten years ago.

166. Swampert Image
(Generation: III; National Dex: 260)
Swampert was easily the most useful Starter in battle from the first three Generations, and it's still the top-tier Water/Ground-type today. In RSE, Swampert was one of the textbook definitions of a "Bulky Water," and one of the most used Pokemon in competitive battles because it had a perfect stat alignment. With great Attack, good Defenses and HP, decent enough Special Attack that could be used to smack threats around with Ice Beam, and a type combination with only one uncommon weakness, Swampert was probably the best Curse user since Snorlax in GSC. GameFreak must have REALLY liked Swampert because it has the highest overall stat total of ANY Starter and has better Attack than its CROCODILE PREDECESSOR! While other Bulky Waters and more common Starter Pokemon came along in DP, namely Empoleon and Infernape, Swampert held its ground as one of the better Water-types in the game thanks to its wonderful combination of stats, movepool and typing.

While Swampert's biggest boon is its competitive worth, I do like it for other reasons. Mudkip was my ~real~ first Hoenn Starter; as such, my Swampert, Slushie, was a superstar on my first in-game Sapphire team, laughing at Gym Leaders and Elite Four members alike. However, Swampert does look goofy occasion, especially in its Ruby and Sapphire sprite, so it's definitely one of those Hoenn Pokemon that looks WAY better in DP or the TCG. DP's Swampert sprite, seen above, doesn't have as much beady-eyed derpface going on, and it looks tidier in drawing technique and more threatening, so good job to the Generation IV sprite designers. And, while none of the Hoenn Starter final evolutions are "cute," Swampert probably comes the closest to fitting that bill, but it's a stretch. It also had the least screentime in the anime, sadly, because Brock's Marshtomp never evolved even though Ash and May's Starters reached their last stages. Lame. Swampert is a cool Pokemon overall and, considering it gets this high mostly due to its battle worth, that's saying a lot.

165. Typhlosion Image
(Generation: II; National Dex: 157)
I already know that people are going to complain that Typhlosion is "too low," but let me remind you that A) it's #165 out of 512, which is not bad at ALL; B) it's in the 8/10 range of my list, which means that I REALLY LIKE IT; and C) Charizard, Infernape and Blaziken were all between one and three HUNDRED spots lower? As such, Typhlosion has nothing to be ashamed about, since it's easily the best Fire-type Starter, and it's not even the worst Johto Starter. Design-wise, I had issue with both Blaziken and Infernape; fandom-wise, I also have plenty of issues with Charizard. Typhlosion combines the best traits of the Fire Starters into one package: it has the most impressive design of the four BY FAR, looking simple yet powerful, and without as many batshit crazy fans or as much overhype as Charizard. This is because, even though Typhlosion is easily the most popular of the three, the Johto Starters were generally the forgotten rejects of the Starter trios until HGSS came along and now suddenly they're awesome again. Whatever.

It's actually kind of puzzling that Typhlosion is so low-key, actually. Since Charizard was so popular, I DON'T think it's a coincidence that Charizard and Typhlosion have exactly the same base stats, and yet Typhlosion in the anime was completely MIA, except for Jimmy's Typhlosion in the abortion special known as "Legend of Raikou." I always thought Typhlosion was cooler in battle, though, because it didn't have the excess baggage of the Flying-type and also because it got Thunderpunch before the movesplit and Eruption afterward. Eruption and Choice Scarf, in particular, made Typhlosion the most FUN member of my team when I used all four Fire Starters in Diamond, whereas I had used Typhlosion the least in Gen II because it wasn't particularly useful in-game beyond STAB. In between, I also had fun with Typhlosion on Gen III Netbattle, running one with Petaya Berry, Sunny Day and Fire Blast, and it completely WRECKED everything when Blaze triggered. Although it's usually GRR ANGRY, I bet Typhlosion could even be cute with the right artist. Overall, it's a good Pokemon.

164. Buneary Image
(Generation: IV; National Dex: 427)
I like fluffy bunnies, so Buneary was guaranteed a spot on my DP team as soon as I saw it. And, thankfully, Buneary is a much cuter bunny-based Pokemon than that abortion we got in Generation III, although it's not quite at Wigglytuff or Azumarill's levels. Dawn caught a Buneary in the anime and, like Dawn herself, she's pretty boring, although I laughted at how some people were SO deadset on Pikachu being female that they claimed Dawn's Buneary, who crushed on him, could be a lesbian, duh! Crack kills, guys. Another odd bit of trivia is that Buneary evolves through happiness, yet it's also the only Pokemon who learns Frustration naturally. Also, when I brainstormed a Region's worth of new Pokemon ideas last year, I figured a few Baby Pokemon would be realistic, and I wouldn't be completely against a baby Buneary because we don't have a baby bunny and Buneary seems like the type of promotional tool that would get one. But that's irrelevant. I just really like Buneary because it's cute, and here's a bunch of proof of that from the TCG, with the last one being my favorite.

163. Sceptile Image
(Generation: III; National Dex: 254)
Like Blastoise, Sceptile is odd because I prefer its basic stage the least of its Starter trio, but like Sceptile the most out of the final stages. At first, I didn't care much for Sceptile; when my Grovyle evolved in my first Sapphire playthrough (which did not happen), I was disappointed that the vague ninja-like aspects of Grovyle were nowhere to be found in Sceptile. It was also disappointing that it was pure Grass-type, when the other Hoenn Starters had dual typings and Sceptile surely looked like it could have been Grass/Dragon. In fact, Sceptile is extremely reminiscent of how Charizard was draconic, and is even in the DRAGON EGG GROUP, but still not an actual Dragon-type. However, I came around to Sceptile when I saw that it was OU in Gen III. Figuring "What the hell?," I added it to my Scissor Sisters team, naming it after lead singer Jake Shears, and used it in battle against TonberryKing. To my surprise, Sceptile did a LOT of damage against TK; even though I didn't win, it was probably the closest I had come to beating him at that point, so I was definitely impressed.

Sceptile was one of the few Pokemon that I bothered EV training in Ruby, and then DP came out and most of its good moves, including its trademark Leaf Blade, were changed to its lower Attack stat. It was also pretty annoying that they whored out Leaf Blade; Leafeon and Tropus needed it, sure, but Gallade can bite me because he shouldn't have gotten the move. However, not all was lost, since it was still the top competitive Subseeder, until Skymin came along and went to Uber just as quickly, and it did get Swords Dance to use those Physical moves. It was also one of MANY Hoenn Pokemon that had a better, stronger and more confident DP sprite than what it got in RSE. As such, I came to appreciate Sceptile as the best design of its trio's final stages, and I also like that it's the only bipedal Grass Starter for a change of pace. Ash's Sceptile in the anime was also important, because it symbolized that Ash's days of using unevolved, cutesy Pokemon were finally over. Overall, Sceptile is a great Pokemon, and his elimination means that Hoenn is the first Region to have all of its final Starters out.

162. Tropius Image
(Generation: III; National Dex: 357)
Tropius is SO frustrating. On one hand, it's one of Hoenn's most original, creative designs: a dinosaur/banana tree hybrid who just looks AWESOME. Even my friend who hated most of the Hoenn Pokemon referred to Tropius as "the awesome Grass thing." And yet, GameFreak must really hate it, because its stats are JUST bad enough to knock it out of contention. In particular, the base 99 HP irks me - it's like someone KNEW base 100 was the magic number for 404 Subs, but said "Nah, I'm allergic to bananas, so fuck Tropius." So we have an awesome, complete design that just screams the "new Lapras," meaning a single-stager who kicks ass, yet its offenses are just too low to work and, instead, its only notoriety is as an HM slave. Shame. I really only started to appreciate Tropius in Gen IV because its DP sprite is SO. MUCH. BETTER. and cleaner than its RSE sprites, like many Hoenn Pokemon, and I used it in Diamond where, contrary to what HELL.NET says, it doesn't appear in the Great Marsh. ;o It sucked in battle but using it confirmed that it was a cool Pokemon nonetheless.

161. Lopunny Image
(Generation: IV; National Dex: 428)
Even though Lopunny is a pretty transparent and desperate attempt to appeal to the furry members of the fanbase, I still like her due to my affinity for feminine Pokemon. She's also kind of funny due to the implication that she's based on the Playboy Bunny, so I've always casually called her "slutbunny." Like I said in Buneary's write-up, I knew from the start that I had to have Lopunny on my in-game team, and I did use her in Diamond. In reality, she wasn't that great, but she wasn't dead weight like Carnivine or Luxray were, since she got oddball attacks like Jump Kick and Switcheroo. The latter move is just about the only thing that makes the lame ability Klutz worthwhile, by the way. While Lopunny does have some really cute artwork in the TCG, she can just as easily look really weird, including in the anime, due to her super-anorexic build, giant fluffy ear tips, and the tuffs of lighter fur on her forehead that look like a second pair of ears. Also, while Flint having a Lopunny in DP is indeed a paradox, the bigger question is, of course, why male Lopunny exist. Cue picture:

Image Image Image
(The second and third ones were just bonuses I found while retrieving the first.)

Sixteen updates and 37-38 days to do them in. Only 150 remain after the next update and, no, they're aren't all 150 Kanto Pokemon. Highlight to view spoiler.
-Two Pokemon that have "similarities" with Pikachu.
-The second Eeveelution appears. All but Glaceon are still in.
-A feminine Pokemon who is part of a split evolutionary line.
-idk, my bff jill?
-*HORN ATTACK*

6 Kanto, 2 Johto, 1 Hoenn, 1 Sinnoh.

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Tue Aug 10, 2010 1:17 pm
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