Ehh, thought post time.
This is kinda the point with Eevee: All the Eeveelutions are just Eevee adapting to a certain type. Would it make sense that Eevee evolves into a bird? Of course not. It's pretty clear that Vaporeon turns into a better swimmer, Jolteon adapts to the fast Electric archetype, and Espeon fits into the powerful Psychic archetype. I think having a well-implemented motif can count as creativity.
That's not creativity. Any 4-year old that would know a tiny bit about elements could come up with that tbh. Creativity is well-thought monsters, which I don't find Eevee to be.
Competitvely:
I like Samurott. However, Samurott is NU. So does that mean I can't like Samurott anymore? Or Archeops? Or Sandslash?
What I'm saying is that competitive viability shouldn't affect why a Pokemon shouldn't be liked. Not everyone plays Pokemon for competitve purposes, it shouldn't affect everyone.
You're missing the point. The thing is that some eeveelutions have higher usage than other Pokemon in OU despite being completely outclassed. Glaceon for example is more commonly seen than Kyurem (?!), Espeon has higher usage than Cresselia and Reuniclus, Jolteon is more popular than Thundurus-T (-_-), Umbreon gets higher usage than Honchkrow and so on.
Liking eeveelutions has nothing to do with competitive viability but there are too many people who are just obssesed with it. I used to have the same problem with Weavile in 2012 or something but I got over it.
Ingame, though:
You mention Alakazam. And you also say,
That's actually a huge issue, in that in order to get an Alakazam, you have to catch an Abra, which can Teleport out of battle, somehow get it to level 16 without having a attack move (unless you want to waste precious TMs before generation 5), and get someone not only trade with you to evolve the Kadabra, but to give it back afterwards. And even Alakazam has its faults: its defenses are pretty low, and if it doesn't OHKO something, it risks being OHKOed back.
use an emulator, learn how to link cables and you can get 'Zam pretty easily. The same thing can be said about Espeon too tbh, as it has very low defenses as well.
So why go to all that trouble when someone gives me a free Eevee to use?
Up until recent generations, there would be people that would just give them to you. No going out on a goose chase, looking for that rare wild. No tossing balls endlessly. It's just sitting there, waiting to be found in RBY, GSC, FRLG, Platinum, and HGSS.
Good point.
Their stats are relatively high for something that's obtained usually before the third or fourth gym. 525 is comparable to even some of the starters. And bar Glaceon, which always has some ridiculous location for evolution for some reason, Eevee is evolved relatively quick upon obtainment. Sure, you might need lots of walking/vitamins for Espeon and Umbreon, but they technically can be obtained soon after receiving it (and you don't even need friends to do it). And their stats make them worth it: in fact, Espeon has a higher BST than Alakazam.
BST. IS. NOT. AN. ARGUMENT.
If it were, then Slaking would be a ****ing monster and everyone and their mother would be using it in-game and competitively it'd probably be Uber to hell and back.
It's also notable that many things that would otherwise outshine the Eeveelutions are available later, when they may be a pain to bring up to the rest of your team. in RBY, Vaporeon's available before the Super Rod's available. Jolteon's available before the Power Plant, before Electabuzz and Zapdos. While Flabebe's available before you can get an Eevee, the wait for a Shiny Stone for Florges (while sticking with the Inferior Floette) makes Sylveon a better option a bit earlier. Even if they arrive around the same level, they won't have as many EVs as their Eeveelution competition (even in the Floette example, as Sylveon is better battler than Floette, meaning it will likely get more experience/EVs due to experiencing more battles).
This makes the Eeveelutions very good Pokemon to pick up and place on your team. Thing is? If you replay the game, you can use Eevee again, even with a different team, because it's so darn versatile. Likewise, due to versatility, Eevee is likely to find a space on most teams where it can fulfill a specific role, so it your team needs another member, it can be an issue of "just add Eevee". This makes it a Pokemon people want to use over and play around with, which people like it.
Basically what I'm getting at here is it's actually pretty easy to use the Eeveelutions ingame (yes, even Flareon: it had 110 special attack due to the Special stat in RBY), especially in self-induced challenges like Nuzlockes, as Eevee usually doesn't take up an area's catch.
or you know you can just overlevel your Pokemon or trade (aka set up your emu) or something it's not hard
I don't see why not to like them. They have their motif, which is pretty unique among Pokemon, and they are pretty cute, which means that fans will gobble up what merchandise is thrown out. That's a plus for Game Freak. Sure, Mewtwo is marketable, but probably to a slightly different audience.
I don't really see why the gender matters. At all.
I don't see why not to like Tangrowth. It has its motif, which is pretty unique among Pokemon, and it is pretty cute, which means that fans will gobble up what merchandise is thrown out. That's a plus for Game Freak. Sure, Mewtwo is marketable, but probably to a slightly different audience.
I don't see why not to like Clefable. It has its motif, which is pretty unique among Pokemon, and it is pretty cute, which means that fans will gobble up what merchandise is thrown out. That's a plus for Game Freak. Sure, Mewtwo is marketable, but probably to a slightly different audience.
I don't see why not to like Phantump. It has its motif, which is pretty unique among Pokemon, and it is pretty cute, which means that fans will gobble up what merchandise is thrown out. That's a plus for Game Freak. Sure, Mewtwo is marketable, but probably to a slightly different audience.
See where I'm going?
Eevee and its evolutions might be a bit overrated. But it shouldn't be hard to figure out why: it's a unique concept, it's adorable, and actually not too awful when it comes to battling.
Only "a bit"? Damn it if it's not one of the most overrated Pokemon in existence. I like it and all but having entire sites dedicated to them and stealing the spotlight from other underrated Pokemon is just not cool.
They should just stop making Eeveelutions. It's not cool anymore.
