Sunday, December 5, 2010

Preliminary Evaluation of Generation V Pokemon

Bonus

#000 - Victini (The Pokemon of Victory! - Psychic/Fire): Absolutely no reason not to use him once the event for him comes out. Classic 100-across-the-board balanced stat spread, two great signature moves, and a solid ability: this Pokemon is pretty much a given.

The Starters

#003 - Jalorda (This snake is a royal pain in the Grass - Grass): Generally speaking, the Starters this time around do not impress. The types are all repeats, and the Pokemon themselves have little to redeem themselves. Jalorda is one of the few exceptions, and it's not because of what it has as a starter, but rather, what it gets in the Dream World: Perversity. This ability, combined with Leaf Storm, allows Jalorda to dish out base 140-power (90 accuracy) attacks and get a Nasty Plot boost at the same time. Ouch.

#006 - Emboar (In Soviet Russia, pork barbeques you - Fire/Fighting): This Pokemon is yet another Fire-Fighting type. With Blaziken even better than before and Infernape still very solid, Emboar has little to its name worth pulling out. Its Dream World ability Reckless helps with Flare Blitz, but that's about it. It'll probably be one of the starters we pick, just because.

#009 - Daikenki (Not quite what I had in mind for a sword-wielding Pokemon - Water): With so many Water-types already in the game (albeit not as many in this particular generation), it's hard to recommend Daikenki for any particular reason, other than the fact that it'd probably be a good mixed sweeper. It'll probably still end up one of our starter picks, just because.

"Normal" Pokemon

#011 - Miruhog (Like Furret but creepier - Normal): Nope. Not even in consideration.

#014 - Murando (Help control the ComMon population: have your pets spayed or neutered - Normal): For once, a ComMon normal-type I don't have to feel guilty about using! This Terrier actually has solid stats, a decent enough movepool, and... heck, it's a giant Malty-Shizi that evolves from a Scottish Terrier! What's not to like about it?

#016 - Lepardas (Temptation to nickname as "Kuroneko" is high - Dark): Well, for once, the obligatory cat Pokemon isn't a Normal-type! That said, Dark-types are also in high competition, and while Lepardas has some decent things to go with it, it needs the help of its Dream World ability, the excellent Mischievous Heart, to be worthwhile... and there will be a better Mischievous Heart user later on. Still worthwhile, though, for secondary status.

#018 - Yanakkie (Them monkeys be swinging in trees - Grass): Yanakkie will likely have solid in-game utility, but the competition among Grass-types is fairly fierce, and while this grass monkey has solid stats, it has very little in its movepool worth talking about.

#020 - Baokkie (Didn't we already have a fire monkey? - Fire): Same problem as Yanakkie: solid Pokemon, but lacks the distinction needed to make it a main team member.

#022 - Hiyakkie (Green monkeys, red monkeys, blue monkeys... but no Yellow Monkeys - Water): Same deal here, and it has to compete against the massive wave of Water Pokemon, too.

#024 - Musharna (Like Hypno but much less creepy - Psychic): The competition among Psychic-types is second only to Water, and needless to say, this rather indistinctive one isn't even going to get any consideration.

#027 - Kenhorou (This Pokemon has gone to the birds - Normal/Flying): Meh. Total meh.

#029 - Zeburaika (When a herd of these are together, it's hard to tell where the stripes end and the electrocution begins - Electric): Electric zebra? With high Speed and solid Attack? I'll take it!

#032 - Gigaith (Mother Earth needs friends to trade with - Rock): Meh, this Rock-type doesn't impress me much.

#034 - Kokoromori (Like Golbat, but less annoying; also, apparently the Pokemon representation of shipping - Psychic/Flying): With low stats in anything not named Speed, Kokoromori will have a hard time finding its way through the game. However, a Dream World ability could be enough to use it: Simple + Calm Mind + Assist Power can get dangerous extremely fast.

#036 - Doryuzu (An underground denizen with a drill to pierce the heavens... why does this sound familiar? - Ground/Steel): Already, the menacing power of this Pokemon in sandstorm is being known, and all other things considered, it looks to be a great Pokemon here as well.

#037 - Tabunne (Maybe... - Normal): So... um, it's like Chansey, except much less bulkier? Meh... next.

#040 - Roobushin (Most fighters break concrete. Roobushin makes them, then breaks them on you. - Fighting): Base 140 Attack. Powerful Fighting moves with Rock support. This Pokemon is, to put it simply, deadly.

#043 - Gamageroge (Plays dating sims for a living - Water/Ground): The next obligatory Water/Ground, and honestly, it doesn't have much to distinguish it from past Water/Grounds. Still, this generation doesn't have a whole lot of Water-types, so...

#044 - Nageki (No Ki? - Fighting): Not bad, but as one will see, the Fighting-type is extremely competitive this time around.

#045 - Dageki (With Ki? - Fighting): See Nageki.

#048 - Hahakomori (The Pokemon representation of the Team Mom - Bug/Grass): It's cute how it makes clothes for smaller Pokemon, but it has a bad typing and lacks anything to really distinguish it from Parasect.

#051 - Pendra (At 8+ feet, it beats Yanmega for Bug Pokemon I Would Most Hate To Meet In Real Life - Bug/Posion): All things considered, it's not that bad. Great Speed, decent Attack... bad typing, though. Could be worse, really.

#053 - Erufuun (Cutest little bundle of trouble ever - Grass, Black only): So... freaking... cute... and, if that wasn't enough, Mischievous Heart is guaranteed to cause opponents headaches, especially with the massive number of support moves it can learn. Guaranteed to find itself a spot on our team.

#055 - Doredia (Like Belossom but all-female - Grass, White only): Doredia is also cute, and potentially powerful with Butterfly Dance to boost a whole lot of its stats at once. However, the lacking movepool hurts. Might end up on the main team regardless.

#056 - Basslao (Two kinds - Water): Meh. There are other better Water-types.

#059 - Waruvial (Who the hell do you think he is?! - Ground/Dark): Yet another cool Pokemon with plenty of battle utility.

#061 - Hihidaruma (What Daruma Mode? - Fire): Another Fire-type for the team. Massive Base 140 Attack and an awesome natural ability makes Hihidaruma a dangerous force that can tear through the opposition.

#062 - Marakacchi (Dance Cactus, Dance! - Grass): Another meh Pokemon. Ignore.

#064 - Iwaparesu (Like one of those bug monsters in Zelda that hide under rocks and move along with them - Bug/Rock): Solid Pokemon, and could become deadly quickly with Shell Break. Not much else.

#066 - Zuruzukin (Basically, the Gangsta Pokemon - Dark/Fighting): The... heck... is... this... Pokemon...?! Well, whatever it is, it's good. Nice typing, solid defenses, great abilities, and a wide movepool should make this one a fun Pokemon.

#067 - Shinbora (When Totem Poles Attack - Psychic/Flying): One of the Pokemon to be blessed with Magic Guard (making it the only Flying-type immune to Stealth Rock), Shinbora is a Pokemon with great in-game utility and plenty of fun to be had. A keeper for sure.

#069 - Desukaan (Walk like a mummified Egyptian - Ghost): Mummy is one of the creepier abilities out there. Anyways, this generation doesn't have a huge number of Ghost-types, and Desukaan has nice defensive stats (including a massive Defense stat) and a variety of ways to shut down opponents (including its ability), so I see no reason not to put it on my team.

#071 - Abagoura (Blastoise's ancient predecessor - Water/Rock): Again, there aren't a whole lot of Water-types this generation, so this one will probably have a place, especially with Shell Break.

#073 - Archeos (The Cowardly Fossil - Rock/Flying): Great offensive stats, but that ability is just downright crippling...

#075 - Dasutodasu (First Muk, now this? Is GameFreak trying to make us lose our lunch? - Poison): Doesn't have much, and somehow, using a garbage bag Pokemon just doesn't appeal to me...

#077 - Zoroark (Lucario's partner in... er, sketchy Pokemon fics - Dark): Illusion is an interesting ability, and it has great offensive stats, too. Should be interesting to play with.

#079 - Chillaccino (Provides its own scarves - Normal): Ack... so cute... and also quite deadly. Both its natural Technician ability and its Dream World Skill Link ability combine well with its multitude of multi-hit moves; Skill Link, of course, means they will always do 125 Base Power damage, while Technician gives those moves at least 75 power, on average 112.5 Base Power, and going up to 187.5 power. Killer stuff.

#082 - Gothiruselle (When Gardevoir decided to go Elegant Gothic Lolita - Psychic, Black only): Another girl-like Psychic-type? I'll take it... maybe. Not much to speak of with its stats and moves, but... in Dream World, it gets Shadow Tag. Not the most threatening Shadow Tagger, but not something to discount entirely.

#085 - Ranculus (The Pokemon representation of the pro-life movement - Psychic, White only): Great special movepool, really low speed... Trick Room, anyone? Magic Guard pops up again, too.

#087 - Swanna (This ugly duckling becomes a... kinda beautiful swan - Water/Flying): Kind of a hard sell with those mediocre stats. It has one and possibly one thing going for it: Dream World Hydration and Windstorm might make it an interesting Rain team Pokemon.

#090 - Baibanira (I scream for this Pokemon - Ice): Few Ice-types this time around. This one has solid all-around stats and particularly good Special Attack, but it doesn't really have much else going for it. Still, with the general lack of Ice Pokemon and Breakable Armor to help it sweep, there might still be hope for this Pokemon...

#092 - Mebukijika (A Pokemon for all seasons - Normal/Grass): Another cool Grass-type this new generation throws at us. Mebukijika has nice additional coverage in its secondary moves, making it surprisingly threatening even without particularly standout stats.

#093 - Emonga (The Electric Rodent decided to grow wings - Electric/Flying): Aside from decent Speed, there really isn't much to recommend this Pokemon over the other Electric types.

#095 - Shubarugo (Meta Knight, the Pokemon - Bug/Steel): Defensively strong, killer Attack, great typing... and horrible speed. Do the words "Trick Room" ring a bell? That said, there are an awful lot of Bug/Steel types this time around, so this one is borderline.

#097 - Morobareru (Like Voltorb, but poisons you instead of blows up on you when you think it's an Item Ball - Grass/Poison): Honestly, not much to recommend it here. There are better Spore users out there.

#099 - Burungel (CLARA! - Water/Ghost): A type that's been long-awaited, this jellyfish Pokemon makes a great special wall. With fewer Water-types and even fewer Ghost-types this generation, this Pokemon is pretty much guaranteed to have a spot on our team.

#100 - Mamanbou (Why don't I evolve from Luvdisc? - Water): Defensive Water-type, but has pretty much no offense to speak of whatsoever. It's definitely a team supporter with Wish, although it's hard to say if it's worth it with Pokemon like Vaporeon and Blissey to compete with.

#102 - Denchura (Its pre-evo is the cutest baby tarantula ever - Electric/Bug): Cool type, and cool Pokemon. Good speed, and it gets Compoundeyes... which mean 91.5%-accurate Thunders! Awesome stuff, and it gets plenty of other cool moves, too. Definitely a keeper.

#104 - Nattorei (Super-effective against Mega Man - Grass/Steel): Another type that is long-coming, the amount of stuff that Nattorei resists is crazy, and it has great defensive stats, so anything that isn't Fire or Fighting can't touch it. Its low Speed only helps its Gyro Ball, and it has STAB Power Whip, meaning it makes a fearsome attacker, too. It has all sorts of crazy other moves like Thunder Wave, Leech Seed, and entry hazards. Awesome Pokemon and guaranteed a spot on our team.

#107 - Gigigiaru (Gi-Gi-Gi-Gear Change! - Steel): Eh, I might use it if it ever gets a physical movepool beyond Gear Saucer and Return...

#110 - Shibirudon (Electric Eel In The Sky - Electric): A pure Electric-type with Levitate? It's no-weak! That can mess with opponents, and it has various other moves to play with, along with stats that allow it to strike physical, special, or mixed. A thoroughly cool Pokemon.

#112 - Oobemu (Created with alien technology - Psychic): Eh, it needs more than it has in order to compete with the various other Psychic-types.

#115 - Shandera (The true phantom of operas with chandelier-falling problems - Ghost/Fire): Another cool Ghost-type and Fire-type. Base 145 Special Attack hurts... a lot. Fun typing, and great abilities, especially its Dream World... wait, Shadow Tag? Yikes.

#118 - Ononokus (It's... some kind of a dragon - Dragon): Base 147 Attack?! Ouch. And it gets Dragon Dance. And Mold Breaker Earthquake, so levitating Steels can't evade it. This Dragon hits, and it hits hard.

#120 - Tsunbear (Urusai! Urusai! Urusai! - Ice): Okay. This Pokemon has a lot of problems, particularly with its bad defensive typing and speed. But I don't care. It's a Tsundere polar bear. There's no way it's not going to be on my team. >_>

#121 - Furiijio (No two snowflakes are exactly alike... oh wait - Ice): Meh. Not liking that base 30 Defense.

#123 - Agirudaa (Ninjask, eat your heart out - Bug): Base 145 Speed... this is a truly fast ninja, and it even has attacks to run off base 100 Special Attack. Watch out for it.

#124 - Maggyo (Like an electric land mine - Electric/Ground): Unique typing, decent defensive stats, good type coverage... but not much else.

#126 - Kojondo (In the future, monks will be scouts - Fighting): Solid speed, great attacking stats (particularly Attack), and solid movepool... and it's pretty cute, too. Who knew monks could be so cool?

#127 - Crimgan (You'd think America was just full of dragons - Dragon): Not bad, but there seem to be a lot of dragons this time around, and this one works better on Trick Room teams anyways with its low Speed...

#129 - Goruugu (Living Armor to the max! - Ghost/Ground): I think GameFreak is really trying to make Trick Room a viable strategy, what with all these slow, powerful Pokemon wandering around. Goruugu definitely has potential in The Room, but outside of it, its speed really hurts it...

#131 - Kirikizan (*shiiing* - Dark/Steel): Strange type that mixes the two types introduced in Generation II. Cool Pokemon, though, by all means. Decent movepool of attacks, and a great ability in Competitive Spirit that makes it good against Intimidate-users.

#132 - Buffalon (Now everybody move, can you get a little something, got to do... - Normal): Heck. It's a bull. WITH AN AFRO. And it also has great abilities, high Attack, and good defensive stats, too. But, that's all secondary to the fact that it's a bull... WITH AN AFRO.

#134 - Wargle (Because I'm the President of the Great United States of America! - Normal/Flying, White only): Access to Superpower helps it out a lot, and makes it above-average overall.

#136 - Barujina (Because the other spelling of its name is too vulgar - Dark/Flying, Black only): Great defensive stats... and absolutely no offensive power whatsoever. It does have its uses, though.

#137 - Kuitaran (How do Aiantos survive with these guys running around? - Fire): Eh, there are better Fire-types.

#138 - Aianto (These ants are harder to crush... but easier to incinerate - Bug/Steel): Now, this is an interesting fellow. High Speed and Attack, great Defense but low HP and Special Defense... just a bit barren in its movepool... Oh, and GameFreak? Its Dream World ability is... Traunt? Really?

#141 - Sazandora (THE HYDRA OF DARKNESS - Dark/Dragon): The obligatory pseudo-Legendary. This time, it's a Dark-Dragon, with very balanced stats. It's definitely strong and worth using, although is somewhat lacking in the raw power of past pseudo-legendaries. All that said, though, it is the Dragon of Darkness, and should not be underestimated.

#143 - Ulgamoth (Like a moth to a flame... literally - Bug/Fire): A dangerous special sweeper, with access to Butterfly Dance to make it even more dangerous. Just watch out for that x4 Stealth Rock weakness...

Legendaries

#144 - Cobalon (All for one... - Steel/Fighting): The first of the Musketeer Trio. Compared to its Steel/Fighting compatriot, Lucario, Cobalon is more physically defensive, and also faster. It's offensively not a whole lot to speak of, but it definitely works, and as far as the Musketeers go, there's no point in using one without using them all.

#145 - Terrakion (...and one for all! - Rock/Fighting): Here's a unique typing that gives this Pokemon great coverage. Based on Porthos, Terrakion has powerful physical attacks, great speed, decent defenses, and the ability to power up and tear its way through the opposition.

#146 - Virizion (We are... the Musketeers! - Grass/Fighting): And another Grass/Fighting type appears on the scene. Based on Aramis, Virizion has to be wary of Flying-types (it does get Stone Edge to hit them, though) and is somewhat weak defensively, but makes up with great Special Defense, still has good Speed, and various moves in its movepool. All in all, it is a fun little Pokemon to work with.

#147 - Tornelos (Gone with the wind... - Flying, Black only): Yep, a natural, pure Flying-type. Tornelos has powerful attacking stats, great Speed, and Mischievous Heart for all your support moves to be even faster. Definitely a threat. However, it is a bit too monstrous for our liking, and according to standards set in the past, monstrous Legendaries cannot be part of the main team. That said, due to general lack of Flying-types on the main team, I will likely end up regularly using the version exclusive one anyways.

#148 - Voltolos (Ooh, a storm is threatenin... - Electric/Flying, White only): Like Tornelos, but with an Electric-typing. It has extremely threatening moves along with Mischievous Heart-boosted support moves, but again, it's too monstrous to be used on the main team; it will be regularly used anyways, though.

#149 - Reshiram (Flames burn of pure white - Dragon/Fire, Black only): The main Legendary of Black version, this is the first time we actually have a real, fire dragon. Again, too monstrous for main team, but definitely a massive powerhouse.

#150 - Zekrom (It's... greased lightning! - Dragon/Electric, White only): The main Legendary of White version, another powerhouse we won't be using on principle.

#151 - Landlos (Sand control volunteers needed - Ground/Flying): Odd Pokemon, with odd typing; ironically, it's the only one of the Legendaries or pseudo-Legendaries this time around with 4x Ice weakness (usually we get about 5 of those per generation >_>). Again, it's rather monstrous, but the somewhat lack of Ground and Flying types means I might go ahead and use it anyways.

#152 - Kyurem (Ice, ice, dragon - Dragon/Ice): And here's the dragon to complete Fire/Ice/Lightning. Same deal here, really. Needless to say, it's a beast.

Event Legendaries

#153 - Keldeo (The fourth Musketeer - Water/Fighting): Here's the fourth of the Musketeer "Trio", the one based on the author avatar, d'Artagnan. It actually lacks physical Attack power, but makes up with high Special Attack, as well as a unique Special move that hits Pokemon on their Physical defense. By all means, a force to be reckoned with.

#154 - Meloetta (A Pokemon of song and dance - Normal/Psychic -> Normal/Fighting): Here's an odd Pokemon, capable of transforming itself after singing... Well, it's basically the music-based Pokemon we were hoping for, so we'll take it, eccentricities and all. It can be fairly powerful, too, in either form.

#155 - Genesect (Because we don't advocate genocide here - Bug/Steel): One more for the road. This Pokemon is basically a weapon; as such, it's probably not going to see use on the main team. It has great attacking stats on both sides. However, it has a somewhat limited Physical movepool, limiting its potential there.

Preliminary Evaluation Results

Main Team:
1. Victini (Psychic/Fire)
2. Murando (Normal)
3. Zebruaika (Electric)
4. Doryuzu (Ground/Steel)
5. Roobushin (Fighting)
6. Erufuun (Grass)
7. Waruvial (Ground/Dark)
8. Hihidaruma (Fire)
9. Zuruzukin (Dark/Fighting)
10. Shinbora (Psychic/Flying)
11. Desukaan (Ghost)
12. Abagoura (Water/Rock)
13. Zoroark (Dark)
14. Chillaccino (Normal)
15. Mebukijika (Normal/Grass)
16. Burungel (Water/Ghost)
17. Denchura (Electric/Bug)
18. Nattorei (Grass/Steel)
19. Shibirudon (Electric)
20. Shandera (Ghost/Fire)
21. Ononokus (Dragon)
22. Tsunbear (Ice)
23. Agirudaa (Bug)
24. Kojondo (Fighting)
25. Buffalon (Normal)
26. Sazandora (Dark/Dragon)
27. Ulgamoth (Bug/Fire)
28. Cobalon (Steel/Fighting)
29. Terrakion (Rock/Fighting)
30. Virizion (Grass/Fighting)
31. Keldeo (Water/Fighting)
32. Meloetta (Normal/Psychic or Fighting)


Dream World Main Team:
- Jalorda (Grass)
- Kokoromori (Psychic/Flying)
- Gothiruselle (Psychic)

Borderline:
- Daikenki (Water)
- Gamageroge (Water/Ground)
- Doredia (Grass)
- Ranculus (Psychic)
- Shubarugo (Bug/Steel)
- Mamanbou (Water)
- Landlos (Ground/Flying)

Secondary Team:
- Emboar
- Lepardas
- Yanakkie/Baokkie/Hiyakkie
- Nageki/Dageki
- Pendra
- Iwaparesu
- Archeos
- Swanna
- Baibanira
- Maggyo
- Crimgan
- Wargle
- Barujina
- Aianto
- Tornelos
- Voltolos
- Reshiram
- Zekrom
- Kyurem
- Genesect

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