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3rd Gen Root Fossil vs Claw Fossil

vaporeon7

My life would suck without you
5,143
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13
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So we have a thread for the Kanto fossils, but none for the Hoenn ones. In the Hoenn games, you are given the choice between the Root Fossil or Claw Fossil, with the one you don't choose sinking into the sand, never to be seen again (unless you're in Emerald). The Root Fossil restores into the rock/grass type Lileep, and that evolves into Cradily and the Claw Fossil restores into the rock/bug type Anorith, and that evolves into Armaldo. So which fossil did you choose (choose first in Emerald)? Did you regret your decision? Do you prefer the Lileep line or the Anorith line? Did you use them o your team?

Discuss

Spr_3r_273.png

So cuddly~
 
3,801
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14
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  • Age 31
  • Seen Jun 29, 2019
I went with the Root Fossil in Emerald since I needed something that could take both Drake's Salamence and a good portion of Wallace's team and for me Cradily fit the bill perfectly.
 

Sydian

fake your death.
33,379
Posts
16
Years
Root Fossil, especially since this is in gen III. Cradily is a great tank with a unique design and type combination. It's rough to train Lileep up 20 levels before evolving, but it's so worth it in the end. Great Pokemon. Armaldo on the other hand I have always had a rough time with. Last time I used it though, my TMs were restricted so maybe that's why I'm not feeling so keen on it. :( But even still I prefer Lileep and Cradily to Anorith and Armaldo.
 

Sirfetch’d

Guest
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I chose the Root fossil, but I was happy cuz I love Cradlily.
 

Zorogami

WUB WUB
2,164
Posts
11
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I picked the root fossil first, and i have to say i wasn't disappointed. Lileep or his evolution never were a regular entry in my team, but i think the Pokemon has a lot of potential and i did use him every now and then. I like his type combo, bein the only Grass/Rock pokemon so far, which is actually a pretty good mix! As design goes though, i think Armaldo looks way cooler, but back then Bug didn't really have any good moves, so yeah...
 
50,218
Posts
13
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I picked the Root Fossil in Ruby since I liked Lileep's design better than Anorith's.

Both are pretty good Pokemon anyway, so I equally like both of them but Lileep's typing cancels out most of Grass's common weaknesses like Fire, Bug and Flying.
 

ProfessorBeeching

Professor Of Fail
20
Posts
11
Years
Root Fossil for me, keeping in mind at the time I had no clue what you could actually do with Fossils or what Pokemon you get. Lilleep was a nice Pokemon that I love, and Cradily is just plain awesome and weird, almost like it bloomed out of a Dr Seuss book. Anorith just feels dull and boring to me. Lilleep is my favourite of all the fossil pokemon.
 

Kikaito plush

Angeline plushxKikaito plush
5,557
Posts
14
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I always when For the Root fossil in any playthrough of pokemon Sapphire. Only because I think Anioth and evo is so over-rated.
 

PokeLordAndrew

Emulation Noob
93
Posts
11
Years
  • Age 29
  • Seen May 4, 2013
Went with the root, ha ha ha hahahaha (Sorry)
Cradily will always be a favourite of mine, he's just so awesome.
Plus I was always happy that his rock typing canceled out so many of grass's weaknesses
 

Golden Warrior

Pokemon Professor
375
Posts
12
Years
This makes my decision seem very lonely... I chose the Claw Fossil. In my first play through, I had no idea what Pokemon would come from it and claws sounded cooler. Ever since, I have still chosen it. Anorith has been the only bug type I've ever used frequently if I recall correctly.

Oh, also, I had too many plant types already, I needed to balance it out!
 
8,571
Posts
14
Years
The first time I played, I chose the Root Fossil. Maybe I just got really unlucky that time, but my Lileep/Cradily always seemed to be very weak, and was always the weak link in my party when I was using it. When I've chosen the Claw Fossil, though, I've found that Anorith/Armaldo prove to be useful members of my team, so I always choose the Claw Fossil now (being a fan of Bug type Pokemon helps, too).
 

Feebas

Unevolved
31
Posts
11
Years
When I first played Ruby, I chose the Claw Fossil, not knowing what to expect. I was one to favor Pokemon with high attack then, but once I got Anorith extracted, I was disappointed. It just looked shabby, and I didn't really have an interest for Bug-types. For the rest of my time playing Ruby, I left Anorith in a box in my PC and only used it for cute contests.

When I first played Emerald, I came upon this decision again. I thought back to my disappointingly weak Anorith, which I used only for contests. I thought about it for a while, then I decided this time that I would choose Lileep instead. As I watched the Claw Fossil sink into the sand, the thought entered my head, Should I have done that? I mean, Anorith was kind of cute. Will Lileep be equally as cute?, and Lileep was cuter than Anorith, and had adequate stats to become a part of my team. So, I kept it and it's still in my team in Emerald to this day.

Spr_3e_345.gif
 
139
Posts
11
Years
  • Seen Jul 17, 2016
Another vote for the Root fossil.

Cradily's Ingrain and healing moves as well being an incredible wall just make it amazing. My favourite Fossil Pokémon by far.
 

orangeralts21

Newfound Respect for Wobbuffet
130
Posts
11
Years
........almost completly alone here.....
Claw Fossil....
I always used to use Armaldo when I played sapphire mostly because i already had a pretty balanced team with a lack of strong physical sweepers. Anorith(more likely Armaldo) was pretty good and I didn't need any grass type pokemon soooooo....
yup anorith
 

Wobbu

bunger bunger bunger bunger
2,794
Posts
12
Years
I used to prefer Cradily, but I like Armaldo more now. So, it's the Claw Fossil for me. Armaldo looks more powerful, whereas Cradily would seem like the kind of Pokémon that you would keep as a pet.
Trozeiani348.gif
 

Ace.

Love Yourself
324
Posts
11
Years
  • Age 25
  • Seen Dec 29, 2015
I chose the root fossil. The first time I played Emerald I didn't know which fossil was which so I just chose a random fossil. Cradily was a really bulky Pokemon but I hated the fact that I had to use TMs for it. I also prefer Cradily's design over Armaldo. Armaldo just looks like an ancient bug instead of Cradily. It looked something from the past.
 
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