802+ Pokemon Retrospective - Gen 4 (Part 2)

#436 - 437: Bronzong Family
Type: /
Ability: Levitate (1st) / Heatproof (2nd) / Heavy Metal (Hidden)
Appearances:

• Bronzor
• Bronzong (Level 33)

Stats of final evolution: 500 (67, 89, 116, 79, 116, 33)
Additional forms?: N/A
Thoughts:

• Bronzong is a Pokemon that I quite like. It's this strange bell-mirror monster that's actually pretty good for setting up trick rooms and just taking punishment in general.
• Now, would you believe me that Bronzong has quite the history attached to it? Not development-wise (although beta stuff would be kickass) but instead regarding its origins: Bronzong itself is based off of the dotaku, a Japanese bell that's used to pray for good harvests.
• It gets even more interesting/morbid with Bronzor, as it's based off of a folk tale where some priests wanted to forge a bell for their temple. They asked the local women to donate their bronze mirrors, but one of them regretted their choice.
• By some cruel twist of fate, the mirror wouldn't melt in the furnace until the woman killed herself. She promised that if someone could break the bell, her ghost would make them incredibly wealthy.
• So yeah, that's the origin of Heatproof and why Bronzor evolves into Bronzong. It's really dark but damn if it's not cool.

Overall rating: ********

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#438 - 440: Bonsly, Mime Jr. and Happiny

Already covered in both Gen 1 and 2 with the Sudowoodo, Mr. Mime and Blissey families.

Additional thoughts:

• Bonsly evolving when they learn Mimic is incredibly clever because well... they've learned how to mimic trees! It only makes sense.
• Mime Jr. is far more appealing than its evolved form. I would have originally groaned in discontent and moved on, but it turns out there's actually a place for little baby Pokemon to go fight - the Little Cup.
• Basically, the gimmick of that metagame is that everyone is level 5 and you're playing with the first evolutions of certain Pokemon. I didn't know it existed before my friend showed a replay of it when they played Showdown.
• Happiny, though... They're, without a doubt, the cutest baby Pokemon to me. Their curly hair/ponytail, their round shape, their little egg, it's just... oh my god. I'll take an omelette's worth of them.

Individual ratings:

• Bonsly: *******
• Mime Jr.: ********
• Happiny: *********

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#441: Chatot
Type: /
Ability: Keen Eye (1st) / Tangled Feet (2nd) / Big Pecks (Hidden)
Appearances:

• Normal

Stats of final evolution: 411 (76, 65, 45, 92, 42, 91)
Additional forms?: N/A
Thoughts:

• I like Chatot's design and their overall motif of being a little music parrot... along with the gimmick their signature move had.
• Chatter is a 65 power Flying move that had the wonderful application of letting you record actual sounds to replace Chatot's cry. The louder the sound, the more of a chance it had to confuse the opponent, which I find incredibly fascinating.
• However, they removed the "voice recording" aspect of Chatter after Gen 4 and instead made it a move that confuses 100% of the time. As disappointing as it is to get rid of a cool gimmick like that, it got so bad that Chatot had to be banned from Gen 5's Global Battle Union.
• So yeah, they're a neat Pokemon.
• The Chatot from the Mystery Dungeon games, however... they're easily one of the most annoying characters to come out of the Pokemon franchise.
• Not only are they lethally stupid (oh yeah dude, trust the obvious thugs over your actual guild members), they're also cruel and petty (he straight up says that your character should give up on going on the big expedition just because they couldn't get a perfect apple... which was because said thugs stole them first. I don't think he ever apologized for that, either.)
• That's not gonna impact the score of the actual Pokemon themselves because that'd be beyond stupid, but man they were not a good character.

Overall rating: *******

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#442: Spiritomb
Type: /
Ability: Pressure / Infiltrator (Hidden)
Appearances:

• Normal

Stats of final evolution: 485 (50, 92, 108, 92, 108, 35)
Additional forms?: N/A
Thoughts:

• Alright, you know what? Here's one of the most wonderfully messed-up Pokemon in the series - the closest Pokemon has to an actual eldritch horror from the depths of the abyss. The sickening purple and green color scheme combined with that nasty smile make this thing a joy to look at, and that's just appearance-wise!
• Spiritomb is an amalgamation of 108 souls, although it's never explicitly stated if those are human souls or other ghost Pokemon fused together. Or both.
• The number 108 itself has a significant influence as it represents many things - in China, there's a story called Water Margin that depicts a marshal accidentally unleashing 108 demons from a stone monument. Centuries later, the same spirits are absolved of their sins and are reincarnated into 108 outlaws that would serve as heroic defenders to China.
• In Japan, there's a Buddhist tradition revolving around ringing a bell 108 times. It's usually rung at New Years Eve to drive away temptations and ascend to Nirvana - aka. hella neat stuff.
• Spiritomb is also the only non-legendary to get an event solely dedicated to themselves and requires completing a lengthy sidequest to unlock... oh, and it's also explicitly referred to as the Forbidden Pokemon on top of everything else.
• When your reward is a rock full of demonic spirits, I can gladly say that everyone wins here.
• (Oh and something something about battle capacity but who gives a caramel)

Overall rating: *********

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#443 - 445: Garchomp Family
Type: /
Ability: Sand Veil (1st) / Rough Skin (2nd) / Sand Force (Hidden)
Appearances:

• Gible
• Gabite (Level 24)
• Garchomp (Level 48)
• Mega Garchomp (Garchompite)

Stats of final evolution: 600 (108, 130, 95, 80, 85, 102)
Additional forms?:

• Mega (Introduced in X and Y): +100 (108, 170(+40), 115(+20), 120(+40), 95(+10), 92(-10))

Thoughts:

• Let me just preface this one by saying that I love my big dumb landsharks.
• Gible, Gabite and Garchomp are some of the best Pokemon out there from both a strength standpoint and a design one.
• Gible has a set of chompers that put Carvanha to shame and is just round enough to be appealing. Meanwhile Gabite is only the middle evolution and is already good enough thanks to their imposing physique.
• Garchomp, on the other hand, just flips the whole table with how awesome they are. They are a mantis shark dragon with scary yellow eyes and enough power to make the very earth tremble beneath their feet. Like no joke, I can definitely see why Garchomp is part of the overused tier when they're so notoriously strong.
• They are the only dragon I would have problems switching a fairy or an ice type in, seeing as Garchomp is just strong and fast enough to murder them without remorse. Oh, and they can set Stealth Rocks too. Nice.
• There's only one issue I have with this otherwise impeccable beast - the weird missile ears.
• I know Garchomp is a shark dragon, but if they really wanted to go hammerhead on this mother then they should have probably put the eyes on the "ears". But then that would look kind of silly.
• I would have been perfectly fine without talking about Mega Garchomp, but here they are.
• Mega Garchomp is terrifying in many ways - their strange human-like jaw, their fancy scythe blades turning into sharper bloody ones and their outrageous Sand Force ability.
• Sand Force increases the power of Rock, Ground and Steel moves by 30% when there's a hailstorm... combine that with Mega Garchomp's mind-bendingly high 170 attack and you have an relentless mass murderer.
• I mean sure, they're allergic to ice and other dragons... but if it weren't for that, they'd be unstoppable.

Overall rating: **********

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#446: Munchlax

Already covered in Gen 1 along with Snorlax.

Additional thoughts:

• I like that you can find Munchlax when you pour honey on certain trees. Gluttony goes a long way, people!

Individual rating: ********

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#447 - 448: Lucario Family
Type: / / (Lucario)
Ability: Steadfast (1st) / Inner Focus (2nd) / Justified (Hidden) / Adaptability (Mega)
Appearances:

• Riolu
• Lucario (Level up with Happiness during the day)
• Mega Lucario (Lucarionite)

Stats of final evolution: 525 (70, 110, 70, 115, 70, 90)
Additional forms?: One

• Mega (Introduced in X and Y): +100 (70, 145(+35), 88(+18), 140(+25), 70, 112(+22))

Thoughts:

• Hooooo boy, how do I talk about this one? I'm practically sweating just thinking about it.
• So... Riolu is a precious little bab. I could never hold any form of animosity towards them and I love the aura-fighter angle that the Lucario family has.
• ... Lucario, on the other hand? I'm just gonna start this one off by saying that as much as I personally love Lucario, everything about it culminates into a hurricane of weird design decisions.
• First off, the blue douchebag shorts built into their body and the tail looking like a bent blue pipe more than anything else.
• My real gripe with Lucario's design, however, is that it's Fighting/Steel. Like fucking really? Just because they have some stupid random-ass spikes coming out of their body? That's like saying Empoleon is immune to Electric types because they have metal spikes that can serve as lightning rods.
• It's also weird because they talk more about the Aura and how it can sense things, yet nope - steel type. You'd think that it would be the prime candidate for a Psychic/Fighting type instead.
• It doesn't help that there's a spike coming out of their chest. That's like the one design aspect I find unfortunate about Gardevoir and it sure as hell applies here too.
• I think the worst part about Lucario is that they're not as "Anubis"-like as I would have hoped - they're more geared towards being a blue boxing dog on their hind-legs than an actual Anubis look, to be honest.
• By far the most damning thing about Lucario is their massive popularity. Listen, I enjoyed Lucario and The Mystery of Mew too, but that doesn't mean you get to have an an entire arc dedicated to the damn thing in Kalos. Korrina's insistence in giving you a free Lucario (when I already have one that I lovingly raised) doesn't help matters because god damn it why can't you just say no?
• *Deep breath*
• That massive roast aside, I cannot help but like Lucario. It's just not in me to hate the dumb edgelord jackal thing. I'm fully aware of all the flaws they have, but can't help but find something endearing about them. Maybe it's the whole "trying so hard to be cool" thing.
• Mega Lucario is still convoluted but they're streamlined in a way that makes them look pretty badass. As much as I'll moan about the Steel/Fighting typing, the stats and Adaptability don't lie - they are very powerful. I am a power-hungry nut and I love having more of it, so there's a point for me too.
• I guess I'm just weird that way.
• In hindsight, after giving it more thought, I can at least see why they're part steel. Lucario's name is based off of orichalcum/aurichalcum, a mythical metal that's supposed to come from Atlantis. Maybe their skeleton is made out of aurichalcum, but I still don't really see it.

Overall rating: ********

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#449 - 450: Hippowdon Family
Type:
Ability: Sand Stream / Sand Force (Hidden)
Appearances:

• Hippopotas
• Hippowdon (Level 34)

Stats of final evolution: 525 (108, 112, 118, 65, 72, 47)
Additional forms?: N/A
Thoughts:

• Hippos are naturally deceptive creatures in real life. They look like silly and harmless grass munchers... until you realize they're bulletproof to anything smaller than a rifle and can chomp people to bits without even trying. They're aggressive enough to do it for no reason, too.
• Hippopotas and Hippowdon encapsulate this perfectly, as they're not only strong but come with enough bulk to put brick walls to shame. The most dangerous thing about a Hippowdon, however, are not their giant chompers or their control over the earth but instead yawning of all things.
• A delayed sheep count is incredibly dangerous because, unless you have Sleep Talk, you can't do anything to fight back. It's easily one of the worst status effects in the game for a reason.
• No wonder why this monster is up there with Garchomp in the overused tier (as of the time of writing, anyway.)

Overall rating: ********

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#451 - 452: Drapion Family
Type: / (Skorupi) / / (Drapion)
Ability: Battle Armor (1st) / Sniper (2nd) / Keen Eye (Hidden)
Appearances:

• Skorupi
• Drapion (Level 40)

Stats of final evolution: 500 (70, 90, 110, 60, 75, 95)
Additional forms?: N/A
Thoughts:

• When I first saw Skorupi, I wondered what it would grow into. I mean, it has to be something cool, right? Thankfully, I was not disappointed.
• Drapion is one badass scumbag scorpion and their unique typing only leaves them weak to one thing - Ground types.
• Admittedly, they could be stronger/faster and are one of the many Will-O-Wisp victims, so I can't properly utilize them... But imagine how cool it would have been if they got Flame Boost as an ability instead of Drifblim.
• I mean, damn.

Overall rating: ********

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#453 - 454: Toxicroak Family
Type: /
Ability: Anticipation (1st) / Dry Skin (2nd) / Poison Touch (Hidden)
Appearances:

• Croagunk
• Toxicroak (Level 37)

Stats of final evolution: 490 (83, 106, 65, 86, 65, 85)
Additional forms?: N/A
Thoughts:

• Two good Poison types in a row? It must really be Christmas. Croagunk and Toxicroak are charming ideas - poisonous fighting frogs that get seedier-looking when they evolve. (Which may or may not be based off of the hairy frog, a variant of frog that intentionally breaks its own toes to form bone blades)
• Dry Skin is a great ability because it combines Water Dish (regeneration in rain) and you get free heals from Water moves... at the cost of losing health in the sun and taking increased damage from Fire.
• Sucker Punch and Gunk Shot from Toxicroak really hurt. They get annihilated by Psychic types, but when you can seriously threaten any fae or rock in your way, you know you've got it good.

Overall rating: ********

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#455: Carnivine
Type:
Ability: Levitate
Appearances:

• Normal

Stats of final evolution: 454 (74, 100, 72, 90, 72, 46)
Additional forms?: N/A
Thoughts:

• Carnivine both makes me giggle and gives me a chill. It's a flying venus fly trap with googly eyes... but at the same time real life venus fly traps terrify me because of how determined they can get to snap onto something, even if they can't really do anything to your meaty human fingers.
• Now make that same plant the size of a person (4 feet tall, so close enough) and I scramble to the hills while screaming my head off.
• All joking aside, I like Carnivine even if they're a middling Grass type.

Overall rating: ******

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#456 - 457: Lumineon Family
Type:
Ability: Swift Swim (1st) / Storm Drain (2nd) / Water Veil (Hidden)
Appearances:

• Finneon
• Lumineon (Level 31)

Stats of final evolution: 460 (69, 69, 76, 69, 86, 91)
Additional forms?: N/A
Thoughts:

• Finneon and Lumineon get a lot of flak for being forgettable Pokemon. While not all of it is undeserved (those stats could definitely see some improvements), they're absolutely gorgeous!
• I love how the purple and shades of blue compliment each other and how the entire thing forms a flowing dress design complete with a stripe that makes it look like it's wearing a ribbon.
• Like yo, you want proof of how this thing can be amazing? Just check out this fusion between a Lumineon and Xerneas made by a person called Sylvaur.
• (If I weren't for their looks and origins as a freshwater butterflyfish, I'd actually hate them. Funny how that works.)

Overall rating: ******

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#458: Mantyke

Already covered in Gen 2 along with Mantine.

Additional thoughts:

• Mantyke is a little baby manta ray. They're precious, but that's all I can really say about them.

Individual rating: ********

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#459 - 460: Abomasnow Family
Type: /
Ability: Snow Warning (Normal and Mega) / Soundproof (Hidden)
Appearances:

• Snover
• Abomasnow (Level 40)
• Mega Abomasnow (Abomasite)

Stats of final evolution: 494 (90, 92, 75, 92, 85, 60)
Additional forms?: One

• Mega (Introduced in X and Y): +100 (90, 132(+40), 105(+30), 132(+40), 105(+20), 30(-30))

Thoughts:

• Behold, the abominable snow-tree. Snover is humble enough, but then we have Abomasnow and their incredibly silly-but-great design. They always look like they're mad at something and it makes me giggle.
• Snow Warning is an annoying ability because only Ice types resist Hail, but they're not much of a threat otherwise. Being an ice-covered tree monster makes you very weak against being set on fire, you know.
• However, Mega Abomasnow is a thing and by god does it deserve it. Their design is made more feral thanks to the hunched-over pose and the giant icicles growing out of their back, which I find super neat.
• The most powerful thing about Frosty over here is that they're a great boon for a Trick Room team, as their reduced speed and incredible buffs make them as much of a pain to deal with as Mega Camerupt.
• Fire and brimstone Hell or the icy depths? You decide.

Overall rating: ********

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#461: Weavile

Already covered in Gen 2 along with Sneasel.

Additional thoughts:

• There's not much about Weavile that I haven't already said - it's an incredible Pokemon in many regards.
• ... However, the way to get them in Sun and Moon really pisses me off. There are no Razor Claws lying around anywhere and you can't really buy them using BP like you could in the previous games.
• You have to go and hunt down Jangmo-o and trigger an SOS battle to get Kommo-o to appear, as they have a 50% chance to hold a Razor Claw.
• It's such an obtuse and stupid way to get one that it makes me wonder why they couldn't just give you a free one somewhere around the place. (To rub salt in the wound, this is the same game where the first shiny Pokemon I got was a Sneasel I found on Mt. Lanakila.)

Individual rating: **********

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#462: Magnezone

Already covered in Gen 1 along with the Magnemite family.
Additional thoughts:

• It's a flying saucer that shoots lightning bolts! I have to bring it up every time I see them. An odd detail I've noticed is that Magnezone's red "eye" is only for show, and that it's more the the Magnemites on the side that form the real eyes.
• It's interesting, that's for sure.

Individual rating: *********

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#463: Lickilicky

Additional thoughts:

• I actually find Lickilicky cuter than Lickitung despite the whole "tongues and saliva are icky" thing. Woops.

Individual rating: ******

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#464 - 467: Rhyperior, Tangrowth, Electivire and Magmortar

Already covered in Gen 1 along with the Rhyhorn, Tangela, Electabuzz and Magmar families.

Additional thoughts:

• I'm clumping these idiots together because they're all big and fat. Like no, seriously, they're all portlier and bulkier than their original forms and come with the appropriate amount of THICK STRENGTH.
• Rhyperior has an amazingly named unique move called Rock Wrecker - they summon a boulder of such strength that it annihilates everything its path... and tires them out from using it. Funnily enough, if you have Bulletproof as an ability, you can block it altogether. Too bad, old friend.
• I find it incredibly appropriate that Electivire and Magmortar are here because you know, they're rivals, but Tangrowth is the one nobody expected. The fact they're actually the deadliest of the bunch is hilarious.

Individual ratings:

• Rhyperior: ********
• Tangrowth: ********
• Electivire: *******
• Magmortar: *******

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#468: Togekiss

Already covered in Gen 2 along with the Togepi family.

Additional thoughts:

• Togetic was fine, but this is something else.
• The funniest part about Togekiss is that they're the Jubilee Pokemon yet they're the same Pokemon that will gladly use Serene Grace Air Slash on you. Flinching people to death makes them happy, right?

Individual rating: *********

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#469: Yanmega

Additional thoughts:

• Dudes, imagine Mega Yanmega. Not only would that be super badass, it's sure to twist some tongues. I challenge all of you to say Mega Yanmega five times in a row.

Individual rating: ********

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#470 - 471: Leafeon and Glaceon

Already covered in Gen 1 along with the egregiously large Eevee family.

Additional thoughts:

• Leafeon has a cute cry. It's like a purring fox in the middle of the woods. It's also explicitly described as a pacifist, and I can accept that because they're not really much of a fighter.
• Glaceon is arguably the most adorable out of the Eevelutions that aren't Sylveon. (They are in an entirely different league.)
• Their little forehead hair reminds me of a Russian snow hat - in fact, their entire body gives me the mental image of a fox wearing a coat. They're precious.
• I'll admit, I'm not a fan of how they evolve. I can understand Glaceon because there wasn't really an Ice Stone before Gen 7, but there already exists a perfectly good Leaf Stone that Eevee could have used to turn into Leafeon.
• What, types are okay to retcon but methods of evolution aren't? Like come on.

Individual ratings:

• Leafeon: *******
• Glaceon: ********

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#472 - 473: Gliscor and Mamoswine

Already covered in Gen 2 along with the Gligar and Swinub families.

Additional thoughts:

• I'm counting these two together because they're both Ground types and Johto Pokemon.
• I like how both of them are competitively viable and a pain in the ass in their own ways - from being a Choice Scarf'd Earthquake machine to a Substitute Troll, they really know how to cause some damage.

Individual rating:

• Gliscor: ********
• Mamoswine: ********

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#474: Porygon-Z

Additional thoughts:

• You've been messing around with them Badass Mafia Toolbars, haven't you?
• In all seriousness, Porygon-Z may not be as stable or as defensive as their pre-evolution, but they make up for it thanks to their psychotic design and by being insanely powerful.
• I find them an incredibly fascinating concept as they've been designed to explore alien dimensions but got all glitched up in the process... Given how Sun and Moon introduced Ultra Space, could it be possible it saw what was inside and flipped its shit at the concept of Ultra Beasts? Food for thought.
• Z-Crystals also served as a great boon for Porygon-Z, astonishingly enough. Z-Conversion gives them a boost in every stat and changes their type to the last move in their moveset.
• See, that's what a new Gen should be doing - giving old Pokemon more interesting tricks and abilities even if they're not the best at the end of the day.

Individual rating: ********

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#475: Gallade

Already covered in Gen 3 along with the rest of the Gardevoir family.

Additional thoughts:

• I've already said my piece with this one. Female Gallades should have totally been a thing.

Individual rating: *******

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#476: Probopass

Already covered in Gen 3 along with Nosepass.

Additional thoughts:

• Imagine if this thing got a Mega Evolution and a signature electric move that was literally just a volley of electric rings. That'd be way too tongue in cheek to actually put in, but just imagine it.

Individual rating: ********

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#477 - 478: Dusknoir and Froslass

Additional thoughts:

• Froslass is the only example of the Pokedex being accurate thanks to that one mission in Mystery Dungeon Explorers where you fought an evil Froslass that kept a Scizor encased in ice. She was pretty twisted.
• I have fond memories of Dusknoir thanks to their escapades in the Mystery Dungeon games too, mostly because of how convincing their nice act was until the very end when they just decided to snatch you and your partner into a desolate future land.

Individual rating:

• Froslass: *********
• Dusknoir: ********

[Theme for Rotom: Vs. Legendary (Sinnoh)]

#479: Rotom
Type (w/o appliances): /
Type (with appliances): / (Heat) / / (Wash) / / (Frost) / / (Fan) / / (Mower)
Ability: Levitate
Appearances:

• Normal
• Rotom-Heat (Stick Rotom into an oven)
• Rotom-Wash (Stick Rotom into a washing machine)
• Rotom-Frost (Stick Rotom into a freezer)
• Rotom-Fan (Stick Rotom into a fan)
• Rotom-Mower (Stick Rotom into a lawnmower)
• Rotom-Dex

Stats of final evolution: 440 (50, 50, 77, 95, 77, 91)
Additional forms?: Six

• Appliances (Introduced in Platinum): +80, Changes typing and gives Rotom a unique move based on the type. (50, 65(+15), 107(+30), 105(+10), 107(+30), 86(-5))
  • Heat: Overheat
  • Wash: Hydro Pump
  • Frost: Blizzard
  • Fan: Air Slash
  • Mower: Leaf Storm
• Pokedex (Introduced in Sun and Moon): Not a battle form as it's used as the Pokedex for that game.

Thoughts:

• Not gonna lie, I love this little shit. Rotom might be my top favorite Sinnoh Pokemon thanks to their mischevious personality, incredibly clever concept and viability through their forms.
• The appliances really bring Rotom to life since they give it different types, moves and even a stat boost so it's not left with a piddly 440 BST.
• The Wash form is easily the best/worst as they now have bulky stats and remove a lot of weaknesses thanks to Levitate and being part Water. The only thing they're weak to in this form are Grass types, and even that can be easily solved thanks to being smart with what Pokemon you switch in with.
• The Fan form is just redundant because they're already... floating, so why do they have levitate? I mean that's some Delibird shit.
• The Pokedex form they introduced in Sun and Moon was so adorable, and it helps that they're a snarky little helper all the way through the game. The map helped quite a bit and the Pokefinder was a nice throw back to Pokemon Snap... a game that I actually still own in cartridge form.
• Rotom is the best even if they like to exaggerate the Pokedex entries to make themselves look cooler.

Overall rating: **********

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[Theme for this bit: Vs. The Lake Trio]

#480 - 482: Lake Trio
Type: (All)
Ability: Levitate
Appearances:

• Uxie
• Mesprit
• Azelf

Stats of Uxie: 580 (75, 75, 130, 75, 130, 95)
Stats of Mesprit: 580 (80, 105, 105, 105, 105, 80)
Stats of Azelf: 580 (75, 125, 70, 125, 70, 115)
Additional forms?: N/A
Thoughts:

• The Lake Trio are interesting from a concept perspective. They're the physical manifestations of knowledge, emotions and willpower, and if you touch any one of them, you lose one of those aspects for god knows how long. I've always thought that was such an insanely creepy bit of lore for what are otherwise cute little djinn creatures.
• Uxie really gives me the willies because if they open their eyes, they can erase your memories... it's not brought up often, but telepaths in the Pokemon universe have to be some of the most disturbing parts of it.
• The only one I see in the competitive scene is Azelf for some reason, though. I think it's because of their high attack and speed, but they're also infamous for being Taunt and Stealth Rock pushers... so you got me.

Overall rating: ********

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[Theme for this bit: Either the actual battle theme used in the main games or Primal Dialga's theme]

#483: Dialga
Type: /
Ability: Pressure / Telepathy (Hidden)
Appearances:

• Normal
• Primal/Dark Dialga (Unique to Mystery Dungeon)

Stats of final evolution: 680 (100, 120, 120, 150, 100, 90)
Additional forms?: N/A
Thoughts:

• Dialga is a metal dragon with a Xenomorph head that controls the very essence of time itself. Now that, my friends, is an interesting concept.
• Honestly, while Dialga is a bit overdesigned and silly looking, I can't help but like it. It's such a powerful creature and anybody that has mastery over time control is a cool dude in my book.
• Primal Dialga from the Mystery Dungeon games is an example of what would happen if Dialga ever snapped and reverted into an animalistic rage - everyone suffers as a result.
• It's also good that Dialga is an excellent wall in the metagame, because they can tank virtually anything that doesn't involve the words "Primal" and "Groudon" in it. Steel/Dragon is a great typing and I wish there were more Pokemon that have it.
• Not exactly one of my favorites, though, but still great.
• (Primal Dialga's theme is also amazing, holy crap.)

Overall rating: ********

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[Theme for this bit: Since Palkia shares the same song as Dialga in the main series, have Palkia's Onslaught from the Mystery Dungeon games]

#484: Palkia
Type: /
Ability: Pressure / Telepathy (Hidden)
Appearances:

• Normal

Stats of final evolution: 680 (90, 120, 100, 150, 120, 100)
Additional forms?: N/A
Thoughts:

• I like Palkia's design for the same reason as Dialga's - they're rather overdesigned and silly-looking, but they're still really cool. Palkia's looks in particular remind me of someone wearing a big suit of armor stolen from an anime complete with stiletto heels, weird oversized shoulder bits and useless wings.
• For the longest time I didn't understand the Water/Dragon typing other than giving Palkia a rare and powerful typing that leaves them only weak to other Dragons (and Fairy today)...
• But then my friend explained to me a really neat theory about the flexibility of water and how that correlates to bending/warping space. Psychic would have done alright too considering that's universally decided as the "cosmic" type, but I guess they didn't want to retread Lati territory.
• Palkia is way stronger than Dialga thanks to Spacial Rend being really badass both from how it looks and how strong it is, along with their naturally higher Special Attack...
• Personally if I had to pick to use one and only one, I'd go with the anime-as-fuck space dragon.

Overall rating: *********

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#485: Heatran
Type: /
Ability: Flash Fire / Flame Body (Hidden)
Appearances:

• Normal

Stats of final evolution: 600 (91, 90, 106, 130, 106, 77)
Additional forms?: N/A
Thoughts:

• Heatran is a Pokemon I... didn't quite like back in the day, actually. I wasn't a fan of their design and thought they weren't all that useful due to a lack of knowledge for the competitive scene.
• How wrong younger Dan was. Heatran is a fantastic Pokemon in terms of utility and I've even grown to appreciate their strange iron turtle furnace look.
• A Ground move of any kind would ruin them and they're oftenly held up by... well, themselves, thanks to how popular they are in the metagame.
• Not much else to say aside from "they're great."

Overall rating: *******

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#486: Regigigas
Type:
Ability: Slow Start
Appearances:

• Normal

Stats of final evolution: 670 (110, 160, 110, 80, 110, 100)
Additional forms?: N/A
Thoughts:

• Regigigas astounds me. They have a masterfully crafted appearance - a regal gold and white look combined with some moss for that age effect and six other eyes to represent the other three Regis that work for it.
• The problem, though? Regigigas is just a fancier counterpart to Slaking, for god's sake. Slow Start is a horrendous ability that halves the Attack and Speed of Regigigas for the first four turns that it's out, and I'm just sitting here going... "why?"
• It's the master of the Regis! It's a legendary! Admittedly, removing Slow Start would make them hideously overpowered... but if that's the case then why not just dial back the attack a bit? I dunno.
• The most hilarious thing about them is that you can encounter the first Regigigas ever... at level 1. Yes folks, the master of the Regis is weaker than the common Rattata that you find at the start of your journey.
• I can't interpret this as anything other than one giant jape towards the poor thing.

Overall rating: *******
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[Theme for this bit: Vs. Giratina]

#487: Giratina
Type: /
Ability: Pressure (Altered Form) / Levitate (Origin Form) / Telepathy (Hidden)
Appearances:

• Altered Form
• Origin Form (Equip the Griseous Orb onto Giratina)

Stats of final evolution: 680 (150, 100, 120, 100, 120, 90)
Additional forms?:

• Origin Form (Introduced in Platinum): Swaps stats around (150, 120(+20), 100(-20), 120(+20), 100(-20), 90)

Thoughts:

• Now we're cookin' with antimatter. Giratina is as demonic as you can get, with them being a banished ghost dragon with an intimidating appearance and golden armor everywhere. The Distortion World it rules over is so mind-bending that I find it amazing, and that goes double for Giratina's serpentine Origin form.
• There's so many cool things going for Giratina that it's actually hard to decide what part of it I like the most. In comparison to the other two, I feel Giratina is by far the raddest looking due to just looking plain metal.
• When it comes to fighting, you can play them two ways - reckless but devastating or patient and diabolical. I prefer the latter because Giratina's ridiculous survivability makes them a prime candidate for Rest+Sleep Talk shenenigans.
• I like how they intentionally crafted Giratina to look arguably even more Black Metal Album-y than Houndoom... because if you count, Giratina has an open rib cage, 6 wing spikes and 6 legs. Get some black candles and skulls up in here already!

Overall rating: **********

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#488: Cresselia
Type:
Ability: Levitate
Appearances:

• Normal

Stats of final evolution: 600 (120, 70, 120, 75, 130, 85)
Additional forms?: N/A
Thoughts:

• Cresselia is an elegant and beautiful Pokemon, that's for sure. I mean they sort of have to be - they're representing the pretty side of the moon that reflects sunlight. Their cute face and their shiny pink rings are my favorite part about them.
• They are also known for being the most notorious wall in the entire game, to the point where they're virtually unstoppable if you're not prepared to get rid of one.
• Lunar Dance is Cresselia's signature move - they sacrifice themselves to restore all of the health and power points of the upcoming Pokemon, making them an incredibly powerful martyr figure.
• They're amazing and I love almost everything about them... you know, aside from the whole roaming Pokemon thing. (Yes, it's totally fine to waste my time by running away.)
• I wish Cresselia was at least part Fairy-type, though. Maybe they're saving it up for a horribly overpowered Mega Evolution.

Overall rating: *********

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#489 - 490: Manaphy Family
Type:
Ability: Hydration
Appearances:

• Phione (Breed with Manaphy)
• Manaphy

Stats of Phione: 480 (80, 80, 80, 80, 80, 80)
Stats of Manaphy: 600 (100, 100, 100, 100, 100, 100)
Additional forms?: N/A
Thoughts:

• Manaphy is absolutely precious, even if I consider them my fourth favorite of the "cute" Legendaries. They are a sea angel that's supposed to act as the prince of the seas... man, the sea has a lot going on if there's Kyogre who created it, Lugia who's its guardian and now Manaphy as the "prince".
• The little sea angel packs a ton of punch if access to Tail Glow and Substitute are anything to go by.
• Their signature move, Heart Swap, switches all the buffs and debuffs they have with their opponent. In the Temple of the Sea movie, Heart Swap switched consciousnesses, so that's hella neat.
• Oddly enough, Manaphy is also one of the only legendaries that can breed!
• The end result of a Daycare session will net you... Phione. A discount Manaphy that's far weaker and honestly doesn't have that much going for it.
• Despite this, I adore Manaphy and think even Phione is cute... but not by much.

Overall rating: ********

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#491: Darkrai
Type:
Ability: Bad Dreams
Appearances:

• Normal

Stats of final evolution: 600 (70, 90, 90, 135, 90, 125)
Additional forms?: N/A
Thoughts:

• That feeling when you realize Game Freak put a G-rated Freddy Krueger into Pokemon... Darkrai is the dark side of the moon, the night terror, the force that haunts dreams... and honestly?
• Darkrai and Cresselia form one of the coolest duos in the entire series. (It is a damn shame that they didn't even get a passing mention in SUN AND MOON just like Solrock and Lunatone)
• Darkrai is an imposing dark figure whose body fluctuates like if they were made of some ethereal black fire... and they also have the creepiest spindly legs.
• Their signature ability, Bad Dreams is essentially a free Nightmare to any sleeping Pokemon... while Dark Void is a horrifying move due to how it's supposed to trap the opposing Pokemon in an endless nightmare... The best part about this? Darkrai has actually killed people with their nightmares.
• The most solid piece of evidence for this has to be the Strange House from Pokemon Black/White 2... where you find a ghost girl that almost straight up tells you that she died from her nightmares and didn't have a Cresselia to come save her. That's fucked up.
• No wonder they're the nightmare Pokemon.
• (Although, it's funny how Dark Void got dropped down to 50% accuracy in Sun and Moon. Not so scary now, are you?)

Overall rating: *********

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#492: Shaymin
Type: (Land form) / / (Sky form)
Ability: Natural Cure (Land form) / Serene Grace (Sky form)
Appearances:

• Land Form
• Sky Form (Use a Gracidea on Shaymin)

Stats of final evolution: 600 (100, 100, 100, 100, 100, 100)
Additional forms?:

• Sky Form (Introduced in Platinum): Swaps stats around (100, 103, 75, 120, 75, 127)

Thoughts:

• Shaymin in their Land Form is the cuddliest of the cute legendaries, being a little grass hedgehog that embodies the feeling of gratitude... But it's their Sky Form that actually wins me over.
• I mean come on, they become this rad flying dog with a red leaf scarf! Give them some sunglasses and it would be complete.
• The Sky Form is also far more powerful than the Land Form due to having a nasty amount of speed and special attack to compliment their Serene Grace-boosted Air Slashes.
• You could also be a scumbag and do a SubSeed strategy, but that's riskier.
• They're an excellent Pokemon and take a solid second place for the cute legendaries.

Overall rating: *********

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[Theme for this bit: Vs. Arceus]

#493: Arceus
Type (w/o Plate):
Type (with Plates):

• 
  (Meadow Plate)
• 
  (Flame Plate)
• 
  (Splash Plate)
• 
  (Sky Plate)
• 
  (Insect Plate)
• 
  (Toxic Plate)
• 
  (Zap Plate)
• 
  (Mind Plate)
• 
  (Stone Plate)
• 
  (Earth Plate)
• 
  (Dread Plate)
• 
  (Spooky Plate)
• 
  (Iron Plate)
• 
  (Fist Plate)
• 
  (Icicle Plate)
• 
  (Draco Plate)
• 
  (Pixie Plate)

Ability: Multitype
Appearances:

• Normal
• Meadow Plate
• Flame Plate
• Splash Plate
• Sky Plate
• Insect Plate
• Toxic Plate
• Zap Plate
• Mind Plate
• Stone Plate
• Earth Plate
• Dread Plate
• Spooky Plate
• Iron Plate
• Fist Plate
• Icicle Plate
• Draco Plate
• Pixie Plate

Stats of final evolution: 720 (120, 120, 120, 120, 120, 120)
Additional forms?: 17

• Multitype (Introduced in Diamond and Pearl): Changes type depending on what Plate is held. Also affects what type Judgment will take on.

Thoughts:

• Bow in reverence to the creator.
• How do I give God, of all Pokemon, a rating? I'm almost tempted not to and just leave it with some silly/lame purple joke score instead, but... nah, I'm gonna go into this hard.
• Arceus has a stunning ethereal design, which perfectly compliments their status as the creator of the Pokemon universe. They're a white equine figure with an alien face, golden bits and a distinctive ring around their body that give them an otherworldly feel.
• They are also the most powerful out of all the "balanced stat" Pokemon, seeing as they sit on a very comfortable 120 for everything. The most versatile and intriguing part about Arceus, however, is their Multitype ability.
• If they hold a certain plate, their appearance and stat changes... allowing for an infinite amount of possibilities. Me personally, I enjoy the Steel Arceus just so I can make a Kirby Planet Robobot joke (Star Dream OS is what I nickname them on Showdown).
• I like to imagine Arceus created the legendaries while Mew created everything else... it only makes sense.
• God is goooooooood~

Overall rating: **********

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Sinnoh was a doozy to get out in two days. Next time on the retrospective, we have the Unova Region to travel through.