Well, dragon tamers, the time has come to spotlight a dragon Pokemon. This month featured a plot twist! I wanted you folks to find a good dragon for us to pay homage to that we haven't highlighted yet, and happily you obliged! I got over a half dozen private message just this weekend, suggesting amazing dragon pokemon after dragon pokemon. I promised I would pick the first one I received, and this month that dragon is the great...
Flygon, Also known as "The Mystical Pokemon."
This exotic ground/dragon was recommended by Hyzenthlay at precisely July 26th, 2020 at 9:50 AM. Thank you for your contribution to Dragon Ascent this month. You made a great choice, and I'm happy to close out the month of July flying on this Pokemon's back.
How would you rate Mr. Flygon on a scale of 1-10? 1 being a disaster, worst of the worst, 10 being phenomenal, the pokemon to end all Pokémon.
I would rate Flygon a respectable 7.5 or 8. I think it's an interesting Pokemon, it's not my all-time favorite dragon--an honor that goes to Dragonite. However, I do like Flygon. I think it has a striking design, and it's pre-evolution Vibrava is also very beautiful. The region of Hoenn is such a wondrous place where Pokemon are often more complex than they appear at first glance. Just as a frail Feebas evolves into the bewitching Milotic, I think Vibrava and Flygon are exciting transformations from the innocuous Trapinch scattered everywhere throughout the desert.
The back story for this pokemon is pretty cool. According to it's Pokédex entry for Pokemon Sapphire,
"FLYGON whips up a sandstorm by flapping its wings. The wings create a series of notes that sound like singing. Because the "singing" is the only thing that can be heard in a sandstorm, this POKéMON is said to be the desert spirit. Being known as the elemental spirit of the desert is quite the moniker!
This pokemon also has the distinction of being the first ground/dragon type Pokemon. While other stronger Pokemon have since come along, before there was Garchomp or Zygarde, there was Flygon. And this Pokemon has some tricks of the trade up it's sleeve that allow it to carve out a place for itself if you are creative. It can scout by U-turning in and out. And while he doesn't have the raw power of Garchomp as a physical attacker, he can set up with dragon dance. He can heal himself with roost, and has a useful ability with levitate to soar over the entry hazards with full immunity to any ground move like earthquake. He has a lot of coverage moves like the elemental punches. I've been hit by some of that diverse move pool before, and remember getting crushed by a nasty stone edge from an enemy Flygon after it's teammate Ninjask had batonpassed it's sword dance and speed boost. So I don't underestimate it.
Sword and Shield players, have you ever gone on a Flygon raid or dynamaxed your Flygon?
According to Ken Sugimori Flygon was slated to receive a mega evolution, but was dropped when the team failed to find the right design.
In your opinion should Flygon have received a mega in gen 6 like it was supposed to?
**If yes, what would you change about this Pokemon upon mega evolving? I.e which stats would increase? Would it get a new ability or typing? How would mega flygon look differently from a regular Flygon?
While I feel curious about what a Mega Flygon could have been, at the same time I think Flygon's design is so good that it is hard to improve upon. I understand the artist's not wanting to mess with this design if they did not immediately have the inspiration.
I also think Flygon as a Pokemon has been given enough tools to make use of that it's not in bad shape. It's stats are moderate across the board with 100 base attack and speed being it's highest, and every other stat being a balanced 80, but I favor giving priority on the mega evolution waiting list to fully evolved pokemon with base stat totals of less than 500. In Altaria's case it was do or die. But in the case of Flygon I don't think it needs to be completely overhauled to be good, and you could make more subtle modifications.
A lot of Pokemon in gen 7 received stat buffs of an extra 10, 15 or 25 points here or there without actually going mega like exeggcutor. I think adding just another 10 points to it's physical attack would dramatically strengthen this Pokemon. Alternatively leave it's attack the same and instead increase it's special attack 20 points to make it a mixed attacker. Flygon learns a lot of interesting moves like Draco Meteor, giga drain or heat wave that could really make it an really unpredictable Pokemon.
Jirachi Wishmaker! Have you ever watched the 6th Pokemon movie. How did you like it, and how about Flygon's role? Forina valley there's a noble Flygon there trying to protect Jirachi and the other Pokemon living there, who serves as an ally to Ash.
Jirachi Wishmaker is one of my favorite Pokemon movies. It's in my top 5 with Celebi 4ever, Spell of the Unown and the Rise of Darkrai. I love the theme of the Pokemon carnival and think the Great Butler the magician and his lover Diane were really cool characters of the day. I loved experiencing the gorgeous wilderness of Forina valley and all the mysterious Pokemon that lived there like Absol, Tropius and of course Flygon. You care about Flygon as he undertakes a suspenseful escape from Groudon with Ash, Max and Jirachi. Butler takes it to the next level with a dragon of his own, and we get an epic race against time with Salemence and Flygon vs a dark magic Groudon. For me these are some of the most memorable scenes in the history of Pokemon anime.
Bonus: Post flygon fan art if you like this mon to celebrate Flygon day!
I hope I was able to begin a worthwhile discussion about this pokemon. Would you guys like the chance to pick Dragon of the Month again in future? If so then I would be down for sending you guys messages in your inbox on random months for Dragon of the Month selection. I like the idea of it being a surprise opportunity to seize just when you least expect it :)
