Top 100 Pokemon #97: Kabutops

Prehistoric Pokemon are fairly interesting, some perhaps moreso than others. The first generation's trio of de-fossilized Pokemon are all among the better designs and concepts of the first generation, and while I do like all three of them, only one of them managed to slice his way into the top 100.

Not what I expected when I asked for someone to cut the lawn.

#97: Kabutops

Meet Kabutops, the Shellfish Pokemon. Kabutops is based on the eurypterid, a prehistoric creature that already looks pretty darn cool.

That is a "Put me in a Pokemon game or I will chew out your throats" look right there.

Of course, GameFreak decided Kabutops wasn't quite intimidating enough as he was, so hey, let's give him some scythes for arms!

The official art is all I need to illustrate just how awesome of an idea that was.

Make no mistake, Kabutops looks downright badass. He looks like someone you do not want to cross paths with, lest he rip you apart and suck out your body fluids. Oh yeah, did I mention that Kabutops's Pokedex entry says he rips apart his prey and sucks out their body fluids? Of course, just how accurate Pokedex entries are is always up for debate, but still... dang. Definitely one of the most ferocious Pokemon to come out of Gen I.

Competitively, Kabutops has always been a ferocious physical threat with Base 115 Attack and Base 105 Defense, plus Swords Dance for a massive attack boost. However, starting out, Kabutops didn't have much in the way of STAB attacks; Water-type attacks were all Special before Gen IV and while Rock was physical, Kabutops for some reason did not learn Rock Slide, for Arceus knows what reason. And all Gen II did was give him Ancientpower, which was something, I guess.

Gen III did give him access to Rock Slide, though, and also gave him a neat ability in Swift Swim. Kabutops's Base Speed of 80 is okay, but having that speed doubled in rain makes him incredibly fast, and means he can tear through teams with STAB Rock Slide, among other potent physical attacks. Still, Kabutops definitely appreciated the physical/special split of Gen IV, allowing him to add a physical Waterfall or Aqua Tail to his arsenal. (Though, Kabutops does not really have that much of a tail...) Stone Edge is a cool new physical Rock attack to use, as well. He also got Aqua Jet, which is a cool Water-type priority attack to hit first if rain is not there or if the opponent also has priority to hit with.

Finally, in Gen V, a Drizzle Politoed arrived on the scene, proving the perfect partner to go with Kabutops and Swift Swim... at least as long as you weren't playing in the competitive community where Drizzle and Swift Swim on the same team is banned.

A partnership that was too much to handle.

Due to that ban, Kabutops is now a resident of the RarelyUsed (RU) tier, and he has more roles than just a Rain Dance sweeper. He can learn Rapid Spin to clear away entry hazards, and his offensive power is such that he can tear past most Ghost-types that try to stop him after a Swords Dance. (Alternatively, he can use Foresight to ensure that he can spin even against Ghosts.) In any tier, though, if rain is available, he can be threatening, and yes, that means he can buddy up with Kyogre and take on the legendary Ubers.

Eat Stone Edge, Rayquaza.

So yeah, Kabutops is an awesome Pokemon, and honestly, all I can really say for why he is only at #97 is that there are 96 other Pokemon I like better.

As a parting shot, I'm sure some have thought of trying to make Kabutops even more awesome, like, say, encasing him in metal and giving him a blaster cannon on his back...

...oh crap.

Next time: This Pokemon communicates by clawing signs into boulders.