802+ Pokemon Retrospective - Gen 3 (Part 2)

#315 / #406 - 407: Roserade Family
Type: /
Ability: Natural Cure (1st) / Poison Point (2nd) / Technician (Hidden)
Appearances:

• Budew (Breed using Rose Incense)
• Roselia (Level up with Happiness)
• Roserade (Shiny Stone)

Stats of final evolution: 515 (60, 70, 65, 125, 105, 90)
Additional forms?: N/A
Thoughts:

• I adore this little thing. Roselia has an enchanting design by itself thanks to its delicately crafted red and blue rose hands and green leaf "clothes". Every petal is drawn, and that's just lovely.
• The funny thing is that Roselia is actually really teeny - it's the same size as a Plusle or Minun. With that in mind, it's effectively an action figure yet can murder 7 foot tall Rhyperiors in a single attack. That is amazing.
• Roserade is an excellent evolution but I still have my gripes with it. On one hand, it is an amazing superhero vigilante evolution to Roselia with a ton of power and an elegant disposition...
• But on the other, it sort of loses a major part of why I like Roselia - the hands become these weird puffy things with camera shutter bits and drop the individual petals. Like I know it's supposed to be a bouquet for each hand, but I don't really see it.
• The mask could also be better, as it doesn't seem to really be connected to Roserade's face. I dunno, it's pretty glaring.
• That said, Gen 4 really beefed them up! Technician plus Sleep Powder and that crazy special Attack? Even with Serperior being outright blistering and Mega Venusaur being a thing, Roserade is still one of the best Grass types out there.

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

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#316 - 317: Swalot Family
Type:
Ability: Liquid Ooze (1st) / Sticky Hold (2nd) / Gluttony (Hidden)
Appearances:

• Gulpin
• Swalot (Level 26)

Stats of final evolution: 467 (100, 73, 85, 73, 83, 55)
Additional forms?: N/A
Thoughts:

• So... we have a Pokemon based off of the concept of gluttony. Gulpin and Swalot are surprisingly adorable despite their disturbing tendency to swallow everything and their poison typing.
• Liquid Ooze is only really dangerous to Pokemon who use draining attacks as they will be damaged if they try to steal health from Swalot. I like the idea, but given how they're effectively an inferior counterpart to Muk in every way but charm, it's... not that worth it.
• Speaking of which, their Hidden Ability is appropriate as Gluttony lets them eat pinch berries earlier than normal. You know those weird berries nobody uses? Figy, Wiki, Micle and so on? Yeah, that's what it's for. I can at least understand Custap Berries because those add a speed priority to your next attack, but... yeah.

Overall rating: ******

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#318 - #319: Sharpedo Family
Type: /
Ability: Rough Skin / Speed Boost (Hidden) / Strong Jaw (Mega)
Appearances:

• Carvanha
• Sharpedo (Level 30)
• Mega Sharpedo (Sharpedonite)

Stats of final evolution: 460 (70, 120, 40, 95, 40, 95)
Additional forms?: One

• Mega (Introduced in Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire): +100 (70, 140(+20), 70(+30), 110(+15), 65(+25), 105(+10))

Thoughts:

• A piranha that evolves into a friggin' shark torpedo? Hell yeah, dude!
• I'll admit, I would like Sharpedo a bit more if it were a full shark and not just the stubby head of one, but am I really going to argue with a shark that plays dirty?
• Rough Skin is actually a really bad idea for this thing as it's not bulky enough to utilize it, but it's still truth in fiction - shark skin is full of hard scales that you can get cut on.
• Any Pokemon can be instantly improved if you give them Speed Boost of all abilities, though.
• Mega Sharpedo is where things get really badass. So it gets a ton of scars to prove that it's a salty sailor and has an underbite powerful enough to chew through metal thanks to Strong Jaw. It's so threatening that even when I have something to counter it, it still intimidates me.

Overall rating: ********

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#320 - 321: Wailord Family
Type:
Ability: Water Veil (1st) / Oblivious (2nd) / Pressure (Hidden)
Appearances:

• Wailmer
• Wailord (Level 40)

Stats of final evolution: 500 (170, 90, 45, 90, 45, 60)
Additional forms?: N/A
Thoughts:

• Balloon whales! Wailmer is so cute since it's a dopey whale, although it makes me wonder how you can even fish one of those up. Actually, Awkward Zombie has the answer.
• Wailord, on the other hand, makes me question so many things about life that it's not even funny. They're effectively the largest Pokemon in the series, standing at a mind-blowing 47 feet! This is because they're based off of the blue whale, one of the largest animals known to exist.
• Wailord have an incredible HP stat to reflect this and a powerful move in Water Spout, an attack that does more damage the more HP you have left.
• It gets wackier when we pull out the old "Hot Wailord on Skitty action" bit. Yes, to the uninitiated, Wailord and Skitty can breed despite their species and Grand Canyon levels of disparity in their sizes. It's fucking nuts!
• That said, I like them quite a lot for this... although I'm still scratching my head as to what they have to do with unlocking the Regi Trio.

Overall rating: *******

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#322 - 323: Camerupt Family
Type: /
Ability: Magma Armor (1st) / Solid Rock (2nd) / Anger Point (Hidden) / Sheer Force (Mega)
Appearances:

• Numel
• Camerupt (Level 33)
• Mega Camerupt (Cameruptite)

Stats of final evolution: 460 (70, 100, 70, 105, 75, 40)
Additional forms?: One

• Mega (Introduced in Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire): +100 (70, 120(+20), 100(+30), 145(+40), 105(+30), 20(-20))

Thoughts:

• Numel is a combination between a camel and a volcano - I can't help but find it endearing.
• Camerupt is... well, I never hated it, but I never straight up liked it either. It was always just there to me, even if the shiny was this cool shade of black.
• Mega Camerupt turns that completely on its head and I love it to pieces. It's cartoonishly fierce and it straight up has a volcano on its back now. I dunno, I just think it's better like this.
• It helps that they're usually a pivotal member of a Trick Room team as that 20 speed gets twisted into one of the highest speed stats in the game. The power they have combined with the boost from Sheer Force is blistering, to the point where you could burn someone down to the bone if you really wanted to.

Overall rating: ********

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#324: Torkoal
Type:
Ability: White Smoke (1st) / Drought (2nd) / Shell Armor (Hidden)
Appearances:

• Normal

Stats of final evolution: 470 (70, 85, 140, 85, 70, 20)
Additional forms?: N/A
Thoughts:

• Have another Pokemon that was secretly boosted in Sun and Moon thanks to getting Drought! I mean, I would have never noticed the buff because I don't really pay that much attention to Torkoal.
• I mean, I like them, but not enough to really make a big fuss over like Mawile or Gardevoir. A fiery tortoise Pokemon is cool, but I do wonder why it's not counted as Fire/Rock like the Magcargo family.
• Access to Drought makes them more useful because now they can serve as a defensive counterpart to Drought Ninetales... on top of being able to set up Stealth Rocks.
• It's good stuff.

Overall rating: *******

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#325 - 326: Grumpig Family
Type:
Ability: Thick Fat (1st) / Own Tempo (2nd) / Gluttony (Hidden)
Appearances:

• Spoink
• Grumpig (Level 32)

Stats of final evolution: 470 (80, 45, 65, 90, 110, 80)
Additional forms?: N/A
Thoughts:

• Okay, Spoink is both really cute and really tragic at the same time. If this little guy ever stops bouncing, their heart stops and they die. Like damn.
• I'll admit, when they evolve into Grumpig, I get both relieved that they're not going to die of heart failure and disappointed that they took the unique-ness of this Pokemon away in favor of a more standard pig Pokemon.
• ... One that's bipedal and has psychic powers, but that's pretty common around here.

Overall rating: ******

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#327: Spinda
Type:
Ability: Own Tempo (1st) / Tangled Feet (2nd) / Contrary (Hidden)
Appearances:

• Normal

Stats of final evolution: 360 (60, 60, 60, 60, 60, 60)
Additional forms?: N/A
Thoughts:

• Spinda is... certainly creative. They're an adorable little panda with completely balanced stats all across the board, only none of them are impressive and it has swirls for eyes.
• Their true call to fame, however, are the randomized dot patterns on their face. The way it's set up, there is no Spinda out there that shares the exact same dot design... this can be attributed to the fact that there are millions, if not BILLIONS of differing designs.
• That's a lot to take in for an otherwise average Pokemon!

Overall rating: ******

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#328 - 330: Flygon Family
Type: (Trapinch) / / (Vibrava and Flygon)
Ability (Trapinch): Hyper Cutter (1st) / Arena Trap (2nd) / Sheer Force (Hidden)
Ability (Vibrava/Flygon): Levitate
Appearances:

• Trapinch
• Vibrava (Level 35)
• Flygon (Level 45)

Stats of final evolution: 520 (80, 100, 80, 80, 80, 100)
Additional forms?: N/A
Thoughts:

• Trapinch is actually kind of precious despite the fact it's mostly a mouth with a tiny body. Trapinch is based off of the concept of the antlion, a bug that lives inside of sand that eventually grows up into a dragonfly-looking thing.
• This is the reason why it grows up into Vibrava and Flygon, as they reference the growth cycle of the antlion. It doesn't make much until you see that they did their homework.
• Although... I am kind of peeved that Flygon didn't get a Mega Evolution or is Bug/Dragon in the first place. Like that's a great and unique typing that nobody's done yet but... nope.
• I've heard that Mr. Sugimori was originally going to do a Mega form for Flygon in X/Y but stopped due to artists block. Shame, because it would have been a great boon to Flygon - it's a terrible thing being left behind in Garchomp's shadow.

Overall rating: *******

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#331 - 332: Cacturne Family
Type: (Cacnea) / / (Cacturne)
Ability: Sand Veil / Water Absorb (Hidden)
Appearances:

• Cacnea
• Cacturne (Level 32)

Stats of final evolution: 475 (70, 115, 60, 115, 60, 55)
Additional forms?: N/A
Thoughts:

• Cacnea is cute, but Cacturne genuinely creeps me out. It's this demonic cactus person that lurks around deserts and snatches exhausted explorers to do... god knows what to them.
• It deserves that Dark typing because christ almighty.
• That said, I like it when something can creep me out - it's damn cool looking even without the whole abduction angle. It has impeccable offense but not much else, unfortunately.

Overall rating: *******

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#333 - 334: Altaria Family
Type: / (Swablu) / / (Altaria) / / (Mega Altaria)
Ability: Natural Cure / Cloud Nine (Hidden) / Pixilate (Mega)
Appearances:

• Swablu
• Altaria (Level 35)
• Mega Altaria (Altarianite)

Stats of final evolution: 490 (75, 70, 90, 70, 105, 80)
Additional forms?: One

• Mega (Introduced in Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire): +100 (75, 110(+40), 110(+20), 110(+40), 105, 80)

Thoughts:

• Altaria is one of the strangest dragons to ever grace the Pokemon world. It's light and fluffy, not very powerful and evolves from a little cotton swab bird.
• The funny thing is that Altaria is based off of the concept of the Peng, gigantic legendary birds from Chinese mythology that are able to travel roughly 900+ miles with one flap of their cloud-like wings. I don't even have the slightest clue as to how this translates into Altaria being a dragon, though.
• Mega Altaria is peculiar because it becomes Dragon/Fairy of all things, complete with Pixilate and a giant poofy cloud-wing bonnet. It's super cute, I'm not gonna lie.
• It helps that they get a massive boost in practically everything to go along with their new fancy unique type and powerful moveset.

Overall rating: ********

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#335 - 336: Zangoose and Seviper
Type: (Zangoose) / (Seviper)
Ability (Zangoose): Immunity / Toxic Boost (Hidden)
Ability (Seviper): Shed Skin / Infiltrator (Hidden)
Appearances:

• Zangoose
• Seviper

Stats of Zangoose: 458 (73, 115, 60, 60, 60, 90)
Stats of Seviper: 458 (73, 100, 60, 100, 60, 65)
Additional forms?: N/A
Thoughts:

• I find the rivalry these two have to be really badass. One's a scarred mongoose and the other is a wicked-looking snake that puts Arbok to shame, and that's saying something.
• I'll admit, Seviper looks really cool but it doesn't have much to separate it from other Poison types.
• Zangoose, on the other hand, is by far my favorite of the two. Not only do they look tough, they're one of the most powerful Normal Pokemon in the entire series!
• Toxic Boost is the name of the game here, as being badly poisoned not only prevents Zangoose from getting hit by other more crippling status effects (like Burn or Paralysis) but gives an exponential boost to an already great Attack stat.
• Facade from this thing is able to brutalize anything that has health and defenses lower than 100 - it's a guaranteed one-hit kill on everything except ghosts and Pokemon that resist it. That's bonkers, especially for a common Pokemon you encounter in one area and forget about later on!

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

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#337 - 338: Lunatone and Solrock
Type: / (Both)
Ability: Levitate
Appearances:

• Lunatone
• Solrock

Stats of Lunatone: 460 (90, 55, 65, 95, 85, 70)
Stats of Solrock: 460 (90, 95, 85, 55, 65, 70)
Additional forms?: N/A
Thoughts:

• I can't be the only person that was disappointed when they didn't do anything with Solrock and Lunatone in Sun and Moon of all games. I mean come on, it was perfect.
• That said, the psychic rocks are strange and mystifying creatures. Solrock is more physical while Lunatone is a mage, but their designs are where they win me over.
• Solrock gives me freaky alien vibes, as it's supposedly a "new species of Pokemon from the sun". (Fun fact: It is also one of the few shiny Pokemon I've encountered in the wild so damn.)
• Meanwhile, Lunatone scares me in a different way as it has red eyes with pitch black "sclera" and a low, droning cry that makes it feel like an eldritch abomination. That shit has haunted me ever since I was a kid.

Overall rating: *******

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#339 - 340: Whiscash Family
Type: /
Ability: Oblivious (1st) / Anticipation (2nd) / Hydration (Hidden)
Appearances:

• Barboach
• Whiscash (Level 30)

Stats of final evolution: 468 (110, 78, 73, 76, 71, 60)
Additional forms?: N/A
Thoughts:

• Not much to say about Whiscash other than they're based off of a catfish in Japanese mythology that has the ability to cause earthquakes. Although I do find it curious that there's three Water/Ground Pokemon now, even if Swampert is like the best one out of them.

Overall rating: ******

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#341 - 342: Crawdaunt Family
Type: (Corphish) / / (Crawdaunt)
Ability: Hyper Cutter (1st) / Shell Armor (2nd) / Adaptability (Hidden)
Appearances:

• Corphish
• Crawdaunt (Level 30)

Stats of final evolution: 468 (63, 120, 85, 90, 55, 55)
Additional forms?: N/A
Thoughts:

• I've always liked Crawdaunt more than Kingler, and that's before I realized that they were a real badass! It's an evil-looking crab (er, crawfish) with a great hidden ability (Adaptability boosts the damage of same-type-attack-bonus to 2x, making them incredibly deadly) and an intimidating design.
• Aqua Jet and Crabhammer from this thing hurt.

Overall rating: *******

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#343 - 344: Claydol Family
Type: /
Ability: Levitate
Appearances:

• Baltoy
• Claydol (Level 36)

Stats of final evolution: 500 (60, 70, 105, 70, 120, 75)
Additional forms?: N/A
Thoughts:

• I'm a real fan of the Dogu doll aesthetic, and Baltoy fits.
• Claydol, on the other hand, goes straight into weird just like Lunatone and Solrock. It's a multi-eyed dogu creature with multiple beaks - it's really surreal to look at, but damn if it isn't cool. Could have worked on the name a bit more, but I'm not gonna make a fuss about it.
• It's got Rapid Spin and is decently bulky, but not much else.

Overall rating: *******

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#345 - 346: Cradily Family
Type: /
Ability: Suction Cups / Storm Drain (Hidden)
Appearances:

• Lileep
• Cradily (Level 40)

Stats of final evolution: 495 (86, 81, 97, 81, 107, 43)
Additional forms?: N/A
Thoughts:

• Alright, you want to know the one Pokemon I never remembered the type of? Lileep and Cradily are the only Rock/Grass types in the entire game and are usually rare, so forgive me if I don't remember what they're weak to.
• The most annoying part about dealing with Cradily is that it can't be forcibly switched out thanks to Suction Cups. That matters in this case because that means it will be free to stockpile its defenses and stall you out if the other person feels particularly trollish.
• I mean, granted, it's not that hard to actually beat one but you never want to let the stockpiling happen.
• Appearances-wise, they're really neat as they're based off of the concept of sea lilies - underwater plants with little feathery petals.

Overall rating: *******

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#347 - 348: Armaldo Family
Type: /
Ability: Battle Armor / Swift Swim (Hidden)
Appearances:

• Anorith
• Armaldo (Level 40)

Stats of final evolution: 495 (75, 125, 100, 70, 80, 45)
Additional forms?: N/A
Thoughts:

• I don't understand how I can look at Anorith and think it's cute, but when I go to look at a real-life model of the thing it's based off of I want to scream my lungs out in sheer terror.
• That said, Armaldo is rad. It's effectively a arthropod dinosaur with a crazy good attack stat and access to Swift Swim... but this may be the one occasion where that doesn't necessarily work thanks to the piddly 45 speed. Not every hidden ability is great, after all...

Overall rating: *******

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#349 - 350: Milotic Family
Type:
Ability: Marvel Scale (1st) / Competitive (2nd) / Cute Charm (Hidden)
Appearances:

• Feebas
• Milotic (Evolve with Max Beauty or trade with a Prism Scale)

Stats of final evolution: 540 (95, 60, 79, 100, 125, 81)
Additional forms?: N/A
Thoughts:

• Talk about your ugly ducklings. Feebas is intentionally designed to be as homely as possible so the growth into Milotic would be more impressive. How do I feel about this?
• It really works, hot damn!
• Milotic is both gorgeous and deadly, as Competitive turns Intimidate users into a liability thanks to a 2x boost in Special Attack for Milotic themselves. Then there's the Mirror Coat strategy - you'd have to breed with a Corsola to get it, but wow when you actually get it...
• Milotic has the bulk necessary to survive something as crazy as a Thunderbolt from... well, a legendary like Thundurus. Mirror Coat would return the damage but twice as strong, effectively doing 160% damage to Thundurus at the very least.
• I love Milotic and while it's obnoxious to actually get one either through trading or maxing out Beauty, it's well worth it.

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

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#351: Castform
Type: / (Sunny form) / (Rainy form) / (Snowy form)
Ability: Forecast
Appearances:

• Normal
• Sunny form (Activates during Sunny Day)
• Rainy form (Activates during rain)
• Snowy form (Activates during hail)

Stats of final evolution: 420 (70, 70, 70, 70, 70, 70)
Additional forms?: Three, I guess

• Forecast (Introduced in Ruby, Sapphire and Emerald): Changes typing depending on the weather.

Thoughts:

• Castform is a Pokemon that's based off of the concept of the teru teru bozu, a Japanese charm doll that's used to wish for good weather. That said, don't be the idiot that uses the charm doll to fight people.
• It is not very good beyond its gimmick of changing forms based on the weather - Snowy Castform is the best looking out of all of them, but they're all equally "not good".
• Design-wise, I've seen a lot of people compare Castform to a butt or a pair of well... balls. I attribute this to its incredibly unfortunate design choice of having its little feet so close together. I guess when you have Shuppet you really can't copy the same design but paint it white.

Overall rating: ****

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#352: Kecleon
Type:
Ability: Color Change / Protean (Hidden)
Appearances:

• Normal

Stats of final evolution: 440 (60, 90, 70, 60, 120, 40)
Additional forms?: N/A
Thoughts:

• Kecleon is... well, I like them despite their middling applicability in fights. Color Change forces them to become the same type as the move they were attacked with and makes sense as they're a chameleon.
• This comes with the unfortunate side-effect of being weak to virtually everything, and given their stats it's not helping their case one bit.
• It wasn't until their astonishingly appropriate Hidden Ability came out when they finally got to use Color Change willingly. Protean is excellent and always improves a Pokemon that has it, so it's great that Kecleon got it.
• If there's any Kecleon worth talking about, though, it's the one from the Mystery Dungeon games. The innocent shopkeep and his brother that supply the player with goods... until you steal from their shop and they turn out to be level 90 murderbeasts with a million clones and double speed HOLY FU-
• So yeah Kecleon is cool.

Overall rating: ******

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#353 - 354: Banette Family
Type:
Ability: Insomnia (1st) / Frisk (2nd) / Cursed Body (Hidden) / Prankster (Mega)
Appearances:

• Shuppet
• Banette (Level 37)
• Mega Banette (Banettite)

Stats of final evolution: 455 (65, 115, 65, 83, 63, 63)
Additional forms?: One

• Mega (Introduced in X and Y): +100 (65, 165(+50), 75(+10), 93(+10), 83(+20), 73(+10))

Thoughts:

• Shuppet is interesting enough on their own being a little puppet with crazy psychedelic eyes... But when they evolve into Banette, hooo boy!
• Not only are they really creepy being a possessed doll animated by the grudge of being discarded by their past owner, but the big zipper smile they have and the red eyes aren't very comforting. That said, I adore their design and their overall motif but hate how they're not very fast to compliment their incredible attack.
• Mega Banette sports a ridiculously kickass redesign and god-like attack, but... that speed is still not very good. In fact, I feel they're one of the few Megas that didn't really improve on much.
• Prankster and priority Destiny Bond is good and all, but you could have made this far more badass! I mean come on, man.
• That said, the Banette family is one of my favorites.

Overall rating: ********

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#355 - 356 / #477: Dusknoir Family
Type:
Ability: Pressure / Frisk (Hidden)
Appearances:

• Duskull
• Dusclops (Level 37)
• Dusknoir (Trade while holding a Reaper Cloth)

Stats of Dusclops because it matters: 455 (40, 70, 130, 60, 130, 25)
Stats of final evolution: 525 (45, 100, 135, 65, 135, 45)
Additional forms?: N/A
Thoughts:

• Now we're getting spooky. Duskull and its evolutions are great, ranging from a little skull ghost, a cyclops mummy and last but not least, the Grim Reaper themselves. (Aesthetically, anyway - Yveltal is the real reaver of souls)
• I put up the stat difference between Dusclops and Dusknoir because as badass as the Grim Reaper design for Dusknoir is, it pales in comparison to the bulk of an Eviolite Dusclops.
• It would have been amazing had the line gotten a Mega Evolution to become even more fearsome, but when you look at those defensive stats as it is? It'd be even worse than Mega Sableye.

Overall rating: ********

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#357: Tropius
Type: /
Ability: Chlorophyll (1st) / Solar Power (2nd) / Harvest (Hidden)
Appearances:

• Normal

Stats of final evolution: 460 (99, 68, 83, 72, 82, 51)
Additional forms?: N/A
Thoughts:

• It's a banana tree mixed with a sauropod. Cute, but if you plan on using this thing to win fights then you've got another thing coming.
• It has lopsided stats in everything but health and a horribly vulnerable typing that makes it weak to a lot of common threats.
• Now that I've sat down and thought about it, how do you fly with leaf wings? It's weird, man!

Overall rating: *****

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#358 / #433: Chimecho Family
Type:
Ability: Levitate
Appearances:

• Chingling (Breed while holding Pure Incense)
• Chimecho (Level up with Happiness at night)

Stats of final evolution: 455 (75, 50, 80, 95, 90, 65)
Additional forms?: N/A
Thoughts:

• Not gonna lie, the first time I saw Chimecho I thought the red smear on its body was blood. Given that you encounter it at the graveyard of the Hoenn region and I wasn't shy to the idea of blood being in Nintendo games (I'm looking at you, Shadow Temple), could you blame me?
• Dark childhood thoughts aside, Chimecho and Chingling are precious. They're psychic wind chimes with little faces.
• I would actively avoid putting them in fights just so they don't get hurt - good thing too, because they're not very good.

Overall rating: ******

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#359: Absol
Type:
Ability: Pressure (1st) / Super Luck (2nd) / Justified (Hidden) / Magic Bounce (Mega)
Appearances:

• Normal
• Mega Absol (Absolite)

Stats of final evolution: 465 (65, 130, 60, 75, 60, 75)
Additional forms?: One

• Mega (Introduced in X and Y): +100 (65, 150(+20), 60, 115(+40), 75, 115(+40))

Thoughts:

• Absol is one of the best and most tragic Pokemon out there - they're these badass-looking white beasts that are often blamed and shunned as the harbingers of doom despite the fact they're there to warn people of the danger, not cause it.
• I just want to take one home and care for it, you know?
• They get even better when they evolve into Mega Absol. They grow a pair of useless but cool looking wings and gain a bunch of great boosts that make them really powerful.
• There's also Magic Bounce, the ability that I fawn over regardless of who actually gets it.
• Mega Absol radiates elegance and are practically an angel of death if you know how to use them correctly.

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

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#360: Wynaut

Already covered along in Gen 2 with Wobbuffet.

Additional thoughts:

• Everything about this little guy gets me to love them. That big eager smile, the bump on their forehead and the little feet make them so cute to me.
• Since I'm here, I should talk about Mirage Island. Basically, at a specific point in time that's randomized based on your main Pokemon's personality value, you would get to go to a secret Island full of Wynaut and a Liechi Berry tree. I was never able to find it, so I just gave up trying.
• However, ORAS re-introduced the concept of Mirage Islands but implemented it in a far more comfortable way - when you go soaring with the Mega Latis, you would occasionally get a Mirage Island that hosts certain types of Pokemon it.
• They change depending on the time of day, but don't require a weird second thing that prevents it from showing up. I am eternally grateful for the change, as this means I get to grind Audino in the one spot they appear in.

Individual rating: *******

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#361 - 362 / #478: Glalie and Froslass Family
Type: (Snorunt and Glalie) / / (Froslass)
Ability (Glalie): Inner Focus (1st) / Ice Body (2nd) / Moody (Hidden) / Refrigerate (Mega)
Ability (Froslass): Snow Cloak / Cursed Body (Hidden)
Appearances:

• Snorunt
• Glalie (Level 42)
• Mega Glalie (Glalitite)
• Froslass (Dawn Stone)

Stats of final evolution (Glalie): 480 (80, 80, 80, 80, 80, 80)
Stats of final evolution (Froslass): 480 (70, 80, 70, 80, 70, 110)
Additional forms?: One

• Mega Glalie (Introduced in Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire): +100 (80, 120(+40), 80, 120(+40), 80, 100(+20))

Thoughts:

• Snorunt is a Pokemon that's always caught my eye whenever it showed up. It's this little shivering friend that can evolve into two things - a honking snow ogre or a ghostly snow woman. Both of which are actually pretty violent when you get down to the brass tacks.
• Glalie is a floating snow monster that's explicitly described to leisurely eat anything it freezes. That's, uh... pleasant. That said, I like it in the same way I would like Electabuzz - it's a friggin' ogre. I also appreciate how its stats are all equally balanced at 80 a piece.
• Mega Glalie is something I didn't expect but damn, that is terrifying. The power this thing gets with Refrigerate makes it a pain in the ass to deal with - an icy Explosion is nothing to laugh at.
• Its giant mouth may seem funny or at the very least silly until you realize that, depending on the Pokedex entry, it's revealed to be broken or dislocated. Now that, my friends, is pretty fucked up.
• Froslass may not have the raw power that a Mega Evolution grants, but she's always been one of my favorite designs regardless.
• The beautiful snow woman look is really clever when you realize that the yuki-onna was originally portrayed as malicious and that Froslass freezes people to keep them on display... something that, to be honest, would not be out of left field for the actual yokai they're based off of.
• Excellent all around, although I wish Froslass got more of a boost in special attack than anything else.

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

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#363 - 365: Walrein Family
Type: /
Ability: Thick Fat (1st) / Ice Body (2nd) / Oblivious (Hidden)
Appearances:

• Spheal
• Sealeo (Level 32)
• Walrein (Level 44)

Stats of final evolution: 530 (110, 80, 90, 95, 90, 65)
Additional forms?: N/A
Thoughts:

• Walrein is a stronger, more creative counterpart to Dewgong that evolves from an adorable little ball-shaped seal. Not to bash on Dewgong, but I just think Walrein is a cooler design - like they came from Greenland or something.

Overall rating: ******

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#366 - 368: Huntail and Gorebyss Family
Type:
Ability (Huntail): Swift Swim / Water Veil (Hidden)
Ability (Gorebyss): Swift Swim / Hydration (Hidden)
Appearances:

• Clamperl
• Huntail (Trade with Deep Sea Tooth)
• Gorebyss (Trade with Deep Sea Scale)

Stats of final evolution (Huntail): 485 (55, 104, 105, 94, 75, 52)
Stats of final evolution (Gorebyss): 485 (55, 84, 105, 114, 75, 52)
Additional forms?: N/A
Thoughts:

• Clamperl is one of those Pokemon I would have forgot existed if it weren't for Pimpnite doing a sweep video with them. I swear, that video tempts me to get a shiny Clamperl just because I liked it that much. (That, and the coloring is pretty cool on the shiny)
• Huntail is a silly looking eel until you realize that it's a predator that hides and deliberately uses its tail to fool other fish to lure them in and ambush them.
• Gorebyss is even worse as it's a relatively gorgeous-looking snipe eel that uses its looks to fool people and drain their blood, hence gore. Vicious, if I can say so myself.

Overall rating: *******

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#369: Relicanth
Type: /
Ability: Swift Swim (1st) / Rock Head (2nd) / Sturdy (Hidden)
Appearances:

• Normal

Stats of final evolution: 485 (100, 90, 130, 45, 65, 55)
Additional forms?: N/A
Thoughts:

• Relicanth gets my respect for it being one of the oldest living common Pokemon. In this world of crazy apex predators that are able to cause earthquakes, shoot steel-melting fire, bend time and space and so on, Relicanth just... living through the eons is a massive feat in of itself.
• It's really neat, especially how it gets used as one of the pre-requisites for unlocking the Regi trio. Maybe there's a connection to the golems that makes it special? I dunno.

Overall rating: ******

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#370: Luvdisc
Type:
Ability: Swift Swim / Hydration (Hidden)
Appearances:

• Normal

Stats of final evolution: 330 (43, 30, 55, 40, 65, 97)
Additional forms?: N/A
Thoughts:

• Let me be frank - there's only two things Luvdisc is good for. Serving as the poster child for tacky valentine cards and Heart Scales.
• You don't fight with Luvdisc, you make love with it. (No, not like that, you weirdos.)
• Not acknowledging that would be fatal. You don't want to wind up with a broken heart, right? Right. Don't throw this muffin into a battle, please.

Overall rating: ****

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#371 - 373: Salamence Family
Type: (Bagon and Shelgon) / / (Salamence)
Ability: Intimidate / Moxie (Hidden) / Aerilate (Mega)
Appearances:

• Bagon
• Shelgon (Level 30)
• Salamence (Level 50)
• Mega Salamence (Salamencite)

Stats of final evolution: 600 (95, 135, 80, 110, 80, 100)
Additional forms?: One

• Mega (Introduced in Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire): +100 (95, 145(+10), 130(+50), 120(+10), 90(+10), 120(+20))

Thoughts:

• The story of Salamence is a humble one. It starts off as a little dragonling that just wants to fly... then retreats into its shell when it's ready. Once it's finally time, it emerges with its own pair of wings and soars its way into victory.
• Melodramatic description aside, Salamence is badass. No joke, when I saw this beast for the first time I was like "woaaaah". I had to have one.
• It's only just recently that I got to do doing so, and man I could not have picked a better time.
• Mega Salamence cranks it up into uber territory as they turn into a jet plane with crescent wings. I swear, the Aerilate on this guy is so excruciatingly powerful that I couldn't resist tapping into its power. Return or Hyper Voice? That is the question.
• They may be allergic to everything resembling an icicle, but that's a small price to pay.
• Their Mega Evolution entries make them out to be remorseless killers that only care about their opponents - it is a good thing I don't take those things to heart otherwise I would feel awful.

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

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#374 - 376: Metagross Family
Type: /
Ability: Clear Body / Light Metal (Hidden) / Tough Claws (Mega)
Appearances:

• Beldum
• Metang (Level 20)
• Metagross (Level 45)
• Mega Metagross (Metagrossite)

Stats of final evolution: 600 (80, 135, 130, 95, 90, 70)
Additional forms?: One

• Mega (Introduced in Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire): +100 (80, 145(+10), 150(+20), 105(+10), 110(+20), 110(+40))

Thoughts:

• This was the other super rad one that I really wanted to have aside from Salamence. Metagross is a giant robot spider powered by ~magnetism~ and comes with a buttload of attack and psychic powers. It's also apparently a supercomputer that gets even more powerful the more Beldum and Metang latch onto it, as evidenced by its Pokedex entries.
• Mega Metagross came right at the time when Metagross was losing steam (due to the Steel type being debuffed to take neutral damage from Dark) and basically stuck two together to form this monster. The giant claws aren't for show, seeing as Tough Claws give more force behind that already sky-high Attack stat.
• The fact it gets faster instead of slower is ludicrous, but I am not complaining because it desperately needs the speed boost to keep up with all these fancy new threats.
• It's an amazing Pokemon that I'm glad Alola had as part of its available 300.

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

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

#377 - 379: The Regi Trio
Type: / /
Ability: Clear Body (All) / Sturdy (Regirock) / Ice Body (Regice) / Light Metal (Registeel)
Appearances:

• Regirock
• Regice
• Registeel

Stats of Regirock: 580 (80, 100, 200, 50, 100, 50)
Stats of Regice: 580 (80, 50, 100, 100, 200, 50)
Stats of Registeel: 580 (80, 75, 150, 75, 150, 50)
Additional forms?: N/A
Thoughts:

• (Regigigas will get its own proper entry because it's the master of them, after all. That, and just these three is enough)
• The Regis are mysterious golem creatures that are only unlocked by translating braille (a language entirely conveyed through grooves which is totally applicable on a flat screen, yes indeed) and bringing both a Wailord and a Relicanth to this one cave under the sea.
• Regirock is the fighter with a lot of defense... that essentially regenerates itself by stealing the rocks in a given area.
• Regice is the special tank and supposedly made out of some super-ice that can't be melted even if you dunk it in magma - that's a lovely image.
• Registeel is the one that utilizes both to a lesser degree and is described to be made out of some curious space material that's unlike anything in the world. Almost makes me want to carve a sword out of him.
• They're all interesting, especially given the mystery that surrounded them back in the day.
• The Sealed Chamber theme is also one of the best themes in all of Pokemon due to how mystifying it sounds.

Overall rating: *******

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#380 - 381: The Lati Twins
Type: / (Both)
Ability: Levitate
Appearances:

• Latias
• Latios
• Mega Latias (Latiasite)
• Mega Latios (Latiosite)

Stats of Latias: 600 (80, 80, 90, 110, 130, 110)
Stats of Latios: 600 (80, 90, 80, 130, 110, 110)
Additional forms?: Two

• Mega Latias (Introduced in Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire): +100 (80, 100(+20), 120(+30), 140(+30), 150(+20), 110)
• Mega Latios (Introduced in Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire): +100 (80, 130(+40), 100(+20), 160(+30), 120(+10), 110)

Thoughts:

• The Lati twins are an adorable brother-sister duo of psychic dragons that represent the passing of eons. Latias is the cuter, more defensive sister while Latios is the stronger, more responsible brother. (Who also appears a lot more in the competitive scene just to spam Draco Meteor and run away)
• I'll admit, I hated trying to catch either of them back in the day because of the whole "roaming" thing. Pokemon that run away from you is the worst thing ever.
• The best thing about the Lati twins is that they both get Mega Evolutions - Mega Latias and Mega Latios are functionally similar in appearance barring their eye color. Blue and Red mix to create purple, after all...
• The soaring mechanic they introduced in Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire was the best thing ever - it was like flying but you could actually see where you were going and you could visit places that weren't on the map. I love that they paved the way for the elimination of HMs in Sun and Moon in a sense.
• Battle-wise, the Mega forms are the same as their normal forms but stronger. Their unique Soul Dew item's been nerfed to only give a 20% increase in power instead of 1.5x, so oh well.
• There is an intriguing piece of artwork that depicts a beta version of Latias carrying a toga-wearing girl who doesn't appear anywhere else in the series - I find it incredibly surreal because it looks like a fusion between Blaziken and Latias more than anything else. It's really cool!

Overall rating: ********

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[Theme for this bit: Primal Kyogre/Groudon Battle]

#382: Kyogre
Type:
Ability: Drizzle / Primordial Sea (Primal)
Appearances:

• Normal
• Primal Kyogre (Blue Orb)

Stats of final evolution: 670 (100, 100, 90, 150, 140, 90)
Additional forms?: One

• Primal (Introduced in Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire): +100, activates immediately and doesn't take up Mega slot (100, 150(+50), 90, 180(+30), 160(+20), 90)

Thoughts:

• The Weather Trio play a greater role than legendaries in the past as they don't just guard or represent something - no, they're explicitly described to have shaped the very world of Pokemon as we know it!
• Kyogre, being a Leviathan-esque orca responsible for creating the sea, is an immensely powerful Pokemon as it rules over a great amount of the world in that regard.
• Primal Kyogre is ridiculous - Origin Pulse when combined with the rain and that kind of special attack is enough to kill anything in one hit! It doesn't help that Kyogre is really intimidating in this new form too, even more so if it's a shiny.
• Shiny Kyogre normally is pink, and that's... eh. Shiny Primal Kyogre, on the other hand, turns into this amazing black that makes it even more badass than normal.
• While not one of my outright favorites, it's still a really well-designed Pokemon with a lot of cool points going for it.
• It also does not take up a mega slot, so you could have this beast and something busted like Mega Salamence on the field at the same time. What a concept.

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

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#383: Groudon
Type: (Normal) / / (Primal)
Ability: Drought / Desolate Land (Primal)
Appearances:

• Normal
• Primal Groudon (Red Orb)

Stats of final evolution: 670 (100, 150, 140, 100, 90, 90)
Additional forms?: One

• Primal (Introduced in Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire): +100, activates immediately and doesn't take up Mega slot (100, 180(+30), 160(+20), 150(+50), 90, 90)

Thoughts:

• Groudon has always bit the shit end of the stick compared to Kyogre. It has a more vulnerable typing and was destined to become the loser to Kyogre just because it didn't have enough land to fight on.
• It's a shame too, because I love the ground behemoth appearance a bit more than the leviathan orca motif for Kyogre.
• Primal Groudon is a godsend, as they become Ground and Fire (as I would have originally hoped) and gain an ability that is actually far more useful than Primordial Sea - Desolate Land.
• It blocks an otherwise crippling water weakness, giving Groudon a far better chance of surviving the competitive scene and its old time-tested rival.
• Design-wise, it's something I would not want to cross, especially when it can summon giant bloody magma spikes from the ground to skewer people.

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

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[Theme for this bit: Sky Pillar theme]

#384: Rayquaza
Type: /
Ability: Air Lock / Delta Stream (Mega)
Appearances:

• Normal
• Mega Rayquaza (Must know Dragon Ascent and cannot be holding a Z-Crystal)

Stats of final evolution: 680 (105, 150, 90, 150, 90, 95)
Additional forms?: One

• Mega (Introduced in Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire): +100, requires no Mega stone to activate (105, 180(+30), 100(+10), 180 (+30), 100(+10), 115(+20))

Thoughts:

• Bow in reverence to the progenitor of Mega Evolution.
• Rayquaza is the mediator of the Weather Trio and tends to stick to the atmosphere until they are needed. They're a cool robotic-looking dragon serpent that possess a ton of power but get thrown down by Ice, Dragon and Rock types pretty easily.
• It wasn't until Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire that they decided that Rayquaza of all Pokemon should be the one to get a Mega Evolution! In fact...
• Mega Rayquaza is the "cheese the game" button. They have an amazing design, but as the lord is my witness, the stats on this thing and their new ability makes them so aggressively overpowered that you might as well be cheating.
• Delta Stream reduces the damage done to Flying types, so rock and ice types are suddenly less of a threat now. You're left with using a Fairy or Dragon type, but given the incredible power this thing has, they'd be lucky to survive one Dragon Ascent... aka. a 120 power Flying move as being used by a 180-on-both offenses mega evolved legendary.
• It was so bad they had to create a brand new tier just to contain this beast.
• I feel so bad for people who have to fight this thing.

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

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#385: Jirachi
Type: /
Ability: Serene Grace
Appearances:

• Normal

Stats of final evolution: 600 (100, 100, 100, 100, 100, 100)
Additional forms?: N/A
Thoughts:

• Jirachi is an adorable little genie combined with the visual flair of the Tanabata festival paper slips.
• They're arguably the third best of the "cute legendaries" to me because I'm a sucker for genies and the illusion of robed clothing, even if they tend to twist what you say against you.
• Jirachi is cute by itself, but they just... have a third eye on their stomach. Kind of creepy when you really think about it.
• I see them quite a bit when I go on Showdown... perhaps Serene Grace Iron Head is too tempting to pass up?
• Jirachi's signature move is Doom Desire, a more powerful Steel version of Future Sight that hits two turns later. It starts off with this incredibly unsettling "the opponent has chosen Doom Desire as their destiny" line and then shines an eerie light onto the opponent.
• It makes me wonder what the hell they even did to the opponent that wound up hurting them.

Overall rating: ********

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[Theme for this bit: Deoxys's theme]

#386: Deoxys
Type:
Ability: Pressure
Appearances:

• Normal Deoxys (Change at a Meteorite)
• Attack Form (Change at a Meteorite)
• Defense Form (Change at a Meteorite)
• Speed Form (Change at a Meteorite)

Stats of normal Deoxys: 600 (50, 150, 50, 150, 50, 150)
Additional forms?: Three

• Attack (Introduced in FireRed): Stats swapped around (50, 180(+30), 20(-30), 180(+30), 20(-30), 150)
• Defense (Introduced in LeafGreen): Stats swapped around (50, 70(-80), 160(+110), 70(-80), 160(+110), 90(-60))
• Speed (Introduced in Emerald): Stats swapped around (50, 95(-55), 90(+40), 95(-55), 90(+40), 180(+30))

Thoughts:

• Deoxys is both freaky and rad at the same time. Is it a virus? Is it just a traveler wandering their way through space? Nobody knows.
• They're incredibly powerful even in their base form, but what makes them particularly interesting are their different forms: Attack, Defense and Speed.
• Attack is... well, they're one of the most powerful non-Mega Evolved Pokemon ever in this form. 180 on both accounts is probably overdoing it, but it's cool because they have wet toilet paper defenses.
• Defense dials it back and beefs them up to take some punishment. The most annoying thing about having to deal with this form is that they can use Stealth Rocks and Recover... joy.
• Speed balances things out but focuses on that blast processing. Even Sonic would have a hard time catching up with this thing!
• Deoxys is a really interesting Pokemon that has an appealing-but-terrifying alien design and butts heads with Rayquaza in from time to time. It's one of the few rivalries that always gets shown in the series, whether in movie form or game form.

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

Hoenn was thick, yo. A lot of blue and green stars here, and I can't really find any fault with that because this Gen was genuinely pretty good both with its games and its selection of Pokemon.

No wonder people make a ton of Firered and Emerald rom hacks.