3rd Gen [Ruby & Sapphire] Root or Claw Fossil?

hstaff edit: stop by here to talk about what fossil you selected in Emerald!

Ah, well, when you go to Route 111, you'll notice a desert that you'll need googles to pass on through. In that desert, you'll eventually see two fossils in the sand: The Claw Fossil, and the Root Fossil. You have a choice between one or the other, since the one you don't pick will sink in the sand.



The root fossil can be restored into a pokemon called Lilleep who is a Grass & Rock type pokemon who evolves into a Cradily. It's a pretty defensive pokemon that packs really great moves like Recover, and you can add stuff like Double team or Toxic for it.




Anorith here can get restored from a Claw Fossil, and it's a Rock and Bug type pokemon who evolves into Armaldo. The family is more based on attack, so packing Swords Dance is a good idea as it can pack moves like Metal Claw and Rock Blast.


Which fossil do you remember picking up? Which Fossil pokemon is your preferred pokemon?Any other thoughts you can share here!

I have always picked the Root Fossil! Lilieep is just super cute and Cradily can also hold its own in battles--which is always a good thing! Anorith/Armaldo is pretty cool too, I guess, but they didn't really appeal to me much. Additionally, I oftentimes already have a physical attacker or two in my team by the time I get access to them which kinda makes getting another one redundant, haha.

Always pick root.

I picked up the Root on my first play through and was a great decision! I really enjoy Cradlily over Armaldo for not only looks, but typing as well. Cradlily is so fun to use as well haha. I honestly feel that this was the best generation in terms of fossils and the locations of them c: Now if only they could get a sweet mega evo...

I picked the Root Fossil, mainly because I like Lileep's design over Anorith's but I also like Grass-types better than Bug-types so it all fits. Also, Lileep's evolution line is very tanky and can do some interesting stuff.

I have picked them up both during different games. Since that makes it possible to breed both Pokémon, I don't really care which one to take in later runs. I think I picked the Claw Fossil on my first run. Nevertheless, I prefer Cradily over Armaldo. While its able to learn both Barrier and Amnesia (and Recover and Giga Drain) it can make a great tank in the Battle Frontier.

Looks like I'm of the only people who preferred claw! I picked claw as Lileep looked creepy back when I was 8. I didn't really like Anorith either, but it was the best one out of the two.

Lilleep scared the crap out of of me with those shiny yellow eyes in a face we couldn't even see. Plus, Anorith evolved in a pretty cool pokemon, but Lileep just got uglier and creepier. Thank god I never chose the root fossil, it has one of my least favourite pokemon. I don't get how some of you guys say it's cute.

Of the two, the Claw Fossil was the one I leaned more towards when I played the games, as Armaldo has quite a bit more Attack and physical Defense than its Grass-type counterpart. Even if its moveset is lacking a bit, it still has quite a bit to use, not to mention you can get it right before Norman and it can learn Protect to take on his Slakings with, if i'm not mistaken. Also, it has Shell Armor, which prevents critical hits and is good. Lileep is alright, but its lack of offensive capabilities is a setback for me.

I picked the Root Fossil in Ruby and Claw Fossil in Sapphire. I then traded Lileep to Sapphire.

I always picked the Claw Fossil no matter what, I always think for some reason that Anorith is much much better then Lileep, but honestly I have no idea! And I'm so stupid I only found out now that Lileep's glowing things in it's head or whatever are it's eyes. Wow I thought that for nearly 10 years lol

Claw Fossil is the one !!!

I woud pick Claw Fossil, Armaldo's design is cool !!! I like his looks and also his typing Rock/Bug his Rock Blast was a awesome move in the game..He has helped me defeat many opponents in RSE game...

At first I got Anorith.. just because Claw Fossil sounded so much cooler. But eventually I grew to love Lileep and trained it until it evolved. The 4x ice weakness was a pain in the butt but it still tanked well overall and was super fun to use. Armaldo is all right but it doesn't stand out much to me, sadly, and I don't think I've ever properly trained it. ;c

Claw Fossil, Armaldo is definitely one of the coolest Pokemon, let alone the fossil one.
The other guy wasnt very appealing as Im not really into plants and stuff.
I didnt use it though, I think I still have it on level 5.

When I was a kid, I would think "oooh claw fossil YEAH!" and picked it just cause claws sounded more appealing, but I later became more of a Lileep/Cradily fan. Fighting then in Colosseum and Gale of Darkness was always annoying and since I used to love annoying my opponents, I decided it was the Pokemon for me! So I usually go with the Root Fossil now, even if I don't plan to use it on the team. I've always had an easier time training Lileep as well? idk why. Anorith was always a pain for me.

I picked Root Fossil for the Sapphire version while Claw Fossil in the Ruby. I wish I had the fossil Pokémon part of my in-game team. Let's see if they can gain a spot on future RS replays!

Always picked the Root fossil for me! I absolutely love Cradily. Such a great Pokemon. I actually don't think I ever picked the Claw fossil tbh. Sorry Armaldo :3