Once again, we find ourselves talking about a game that can
be played competitively but our list isn’t subject simply to the rules of
competitive play. This will be the start of our best and worst lists for
POKEMON. Kicking things off, we’ll be talking about the top twelve BEST Pokemon
in the series These are just solely my opinion and not all reasons behind them
are based on competitive play but also personal preference or any
special/significant meaning beyond the stats. Because Pokemon are more than just
numbers… to me anyway. It was the first game I ever owned and beat and that’s
something special in ways that can’t be expressed with just statistics and
tiers.
But… there’s 719 Pokemon… and I have to narrow it down to
just 12? I know that some posts should require a bit of work… but I have
trouble nailing down a top 25 (and I’m not doing a top 25. That’s ridiculous).
Well… here goes. I had a lot of ways I attempted to make this list. I
eventually just narrowed it down to two per generation of Pokemon (yeah, and I
didn’t even like that). However… ONE generation is actually down one so another
could get an extra bonus…. Let’s see if you can guess which ones.
#12 – Golurk – Start off at the bottom is the towering and
imposing figure that is Golurk. A very unique type combination, Golurk had to
make the list because I just like the name and concept of the character (ie, a
large clay or stone golem). I also have a fascination with ghosts types (not as
much as steel or fighting) and Golurk is probably my favorite of the bunch. So
why not ranked higher? Golurk can’t breed. No egg moves of any kind and it
makes it that much harder to get hidden abilities. A cool looking Pokemon and
cool idea indeed, but limited in terms of competitive play.
#11 – Skarmory – In competitive play, Skarmory is one of the
most reliable physical walls in the game with decent speed and excellent
defense. While not an unstoppable threat, Skarmory is certainly a troublesome
for to face. It also boasts another unique combination of steel and flying.
Again, competitive limitations keep Skarmory low on the list. Fact is, while a
good wall, the one moveset for walling Skarmory has is really it’s only claim
to fame. Sure, there are slight variations, but most every competitive moveset
you’ll see for Skarmory will have Whirlwind, Toxic OR a Stealth Rock variation,
Roost, and the last slot is where the variation comes into play. I get it.
Skarmory plays a role on your team and does so very well. Just a shame it isn’t
more versatile.
#10 – Tyrantrum – Competitively? Not great. It’s slow. It’s
defensive typing is TERRIBLE against many common threats, especially since it’s
weakness to fighting and steel types is also hampered by priority moves. It’s
ability (Big Jaw) is worthless unless you breed it to get the Bite-based moves
(which is just frustrating). Tyrantrum could be so much more but it just isn’t…
so why is it on the list? It’s a fucking T-Rex, that’s why! In all seriousness,
Tyrantrum is a very powerful (physical attack) Pokemon and certainly has
potential to be quite good in the right hands… and if move tutors in future
games offer decent moves for Pokemon to pick up.
#09 – Heracross – This is one bug that will wreck your
world. When introduced, it came with one of the most powerful attacks in the
game and bolstered one of the higher offensive stats itself among a fair number of Pokemon. It was, and
still is, a formidable force to be reckoned with. It’s Mega Evolution takes it
to another level, offering the Skill-Link ability (at a cost of valuable speed)
to make multi-hit moves do their maximum damage potential. While not able to
keep up with faster threats and having a double weakness to flying types,
Heracross is still just a fun powerhouse Pokemon to play around with.
#08 – Electivire – Another one of the slower Pokemon on this
list, but many refuse to see Electivire’s true untapped potential. It is,
without a doubt, one of the most powerful (if not the most powerful) electric
Pokemon in the game (outside of legendaries). All it takes to make up for its
lack of speed is some speed investment in training AND a boost from its Motor
Drive ability, increasing its speed exponentially when hit with an electric
type attack. In doubles, this feat is easy to pull off. In singles, you have to
work a little to trick your opponent into that kind of maneuver. But if you can
make that happen it will certainly pay off. I had a match that I got
Electivire’s ability to kick off and I destroyed EVERY SINGLE POKEMON on the
opponent’s team with JUST Electivire alone. Not even his Staraptor or Dragonite
could keep up with it. And having a diverse movepool doesn’t hurt either
(improved thanks to Wild Charge).
#07 – Charizard – Haters gonna hate that I consider
Charizard cool, fun, or good. But you know what? He was one of our first
dragon-like Pokemon. He was one of the two best starter Pokemon. You can claim
I’m unoriginal… or you can keep reading past #07 to see how wrong you probably
are. But I think Charizard is a standout in generation one for the above
reasons and more. Hell, we got TWO different Mega Evolutions that now make
Charizard viable in a competitive environment. We haven’t had that level of
Charizard play IN YEARS!!!! Charizard broke off from the Pokemon trainer to be
its own fighter in
SUPER SMASH BROS 4.
Like I said, haters gonna hate, but Charizard is clearly a good and fun Pokemon
and you just need to accept that at this point.
#06 – Gardevoir – So I didn’t take to fairy-types as much as
I wanted. But Gardevoir, a Pokemon I outright ignored until generation six, has
shown me what a good fairy-type Pokemon can really do. Offensively, Gardevoir
is pretty tops with some excellent special attack options and decent enough
speed to back it up. A Mega Evolution also lets it stand apart from the rest,
allowing for it to have even more power Fairy-Type attacks with the ability
Pixelate (making normal-type moves Fairy). Gardevoir is very versatile as
either an offensive force, defensive wall, or your team cleric (like most
fairies). And did I mention Gardevoir looks like a fucking princess? Seriously,
put her next to Zelda, Peach, and Rosalina and she’d fit with then so
naturally. Definitely one of the prettiest Pokemon with a badass arsenal of
moves to back them up.
#05 – Bisharp – It’s a name that’s funny the first time you
hear it and slowly gets less funny every time you hear it… Ah… the Bisharp… In
all seriousness, Bisharp is one basass motherfucker. The ability Defiant is
among my favorites, especially for fighting against foes like Aegislash. It’s
steel typing makes it one of the best Pokemon ever (because Steel types are
radical). And it’s got a surprisingly robust set of moves to pick from for
offensive strategies. Again, Bisharp isn’t the quickest weapon to work with,
but it’s good enough to take on foes like Aegislash (who are BIG trouble for a
lot of other Pokemon) and is able to carry on after the fact. Also, looks like
an amazing amalgamation of samurais and Power Rangers… good stuff.
#04 – Hawlucha – Aside from one other… Hawlucha is just the
best fighting Pokemon… period. Competitively, no. He’s a glass cannon with some
issues to work out. But otherwise he’s just fun. His design is absolutely
beautiful in ways only one other Pokemon is capable of topping. His type is the
most unique in the game as it is shared by NO ONE ELSE. He even has a signature
move, Flying Press, that takes advantage of his unique dual-typing. Even the
name, Hawlucha, is just fun to say. To sum up Hawlucha would be to say he’s a
fighter of blinding speed and decent offensive powers, just not enough to take
down the bigger foes on his own. To use him requires a decent team to back him
up. But damn that is a beautiful bird.
#03 – Infernape – The only other fighter I can say is above
Hawlucha in terms of having good speed and power. But Infernape’s blend of
speed and power is better as it’s still one of the fastest fighters in the game
and just has more powerful and robust moves to work with. It’s even capable of
outspeeding Blaziken (non-speed boosted) which can mean all the difference in
that first turn. And if you want versatility, few are better than Infernape.
You can build him to be an anti-lead Pokemon that deals with common lead
opponents. You can have him be a sweeper, a revenge-killer, and if a sweeper you
can do physical attacks, special attacks, or BOTH. Defensively… yeah… he won’t
be walling anyone anytime soon. But with access to so many good offensive
moves, you won’t have time to think defensively with this guy.
#02 – Aggron – Now if you want defense… Aggron is your go
to. Yes, Shuckle has more defense without needing to Mega Evolve… but Shuckle
doesn’t have the muscle to back it up. Mega Aggron’s defense are second ONLY to
Shuckle and he can hit back hard when he needs to. Adding to that, he comes with
the ability, Filter, making every attack in the game hit him for significantly
less damage (including super effective hits) making it even HARDER to kill this
steel wall of power. And the iron-armor shell he’s wearing in his Mega
evolution looks, again, like samurai armor. Of all the steel types in the game,
Aggron is basically the king and can take more punishment than most are capable
of dealing out. That being said, don’t rely on him to withstand everything.
Even the best wall has a breaking point… just ask the Soviets.
#01 – Roserade – Two words… Tuxedo Mask. That’s what
Roserade basically is. It’s the Tuxedo Mask of Pokemon, even having a little
mask on its face. Yes, Roserade isn’t the most powerful… or the fastest. And
there are plenty of grass Pokemon more capable of taking a beating than
Roserade. But Roserade is just fun and one of the coolest looking Pokemon in
the game. I mean, it looks like a little super hero (even comes with a cape).
But on a competitive side, while Roserade isn’t taking home any prizes, it
isn’t a slouch either. It has a very formidable special attack stat, a fairly
good pool of moves to work with, and decent speed to let it destroy in the
lower tiers and kind of keep up in the middle and higher tiers. On top of that,
it comes with the ability to use entry hazards like spikes and toxic spikes,
making it just that much more of a problem. But again, when it comes right down
to it… it’s all about the mask.
That’s it for the top twelve Pokemon of the series. I didn’t
get to include all of my favorites, but maybe someday we’ll do an expanded list
to cover ALL of the best Pokemon in the game. Tune in again soon for a “Worst
of” List… AND a best and worst list for Legendary Pokemon (yes, I’m counting
them as separate things for reasons). Until then, see ya next time.
No comments:
Post a Comment