User:Disaster Flare/Shadow Pokémon

This page has my opinions on the Pokémon Colosseum and XD Shadow Pokémon and whether they were good to be in or not. There will be two pages. One for Colosseum and one for XD. They both will also have opinions on the regular Pokémon that appear in it too and whether they should've been in it or not. NOTE: I am NOT trying to rip off MAGNEDETH's list of Pokémon Green sprites. These are my full honest opinions and it only takes inspiration from the pages.

This is for the list of Colosseum Pokémon. See page 2 for XD Pokémon.

Shadow Pokémon

Pokémon	Menu	Model	Opinion	Good for a future sequel?/Extra Notes
Makuhita			While Makuhita and Hariyama are good when it comes to Attack, they're not great on Speed. I found Makuhita to be quite frustrating in both Colosseum and XD, but if you play your strategies just right, Makuhita can be a good ally.	Makuhita was in both Colosseum and XD, so if they ever do another game, I'd say why not? Also, what would happen if you untie that knot on its head?
Bayleef			Bayleef is more so great when it comes to a defensive party rather than an offensive party, due to its high Defense and Sp. Defense. I didn't choose Bayleef as the first one mainly for that reason.	Starters have always been a big part in Pokémon, though I'd say Bayleef and the gang would be better off as either their evolutions or pre-evolutions. Starting with the middles isn't very smart sometimes in my opinion.
Quilava			Quilava is the best one to get first in Colosseum, mainly because it's balanced in terms of Attack and Defense. I found Quilava easy to train because of that reason, and only runs into trouble in Super Effective situations and higher leveled Pokémon.	Read Bayleef's for what I think.
Croconaw			Croconaw is only good if you want to go for offensive rather than defense or a mix of both. Feraligatr is a good Pokémon, but I'd say Quilava has the win on this one.	Read Bayleef's for what I think.
Slugma			Here's where things start to go downhill. Slugma and Magcargo are both pretty bad Pokémon in general, unless you're looking for a wall, and even then, that's only when it evolves, but of course, this isn't XD, so long story short, you've got a bad Pokémon that's not worth anything at all unless you have the patience to evolve it.	Heck no. Genius Sonority could've done much better than Slugma.
Noctowl			Noctowl has the same issue as Umbreon. Really cool looking Pokémon, but they both have stats that don't fit their play style. Noctowl is high in Sp. Attack and Sp. Defense, but not in Attack and Defense. Since most of its attacks are physical and not special, at least until Gen IV, Noctowl was pretty much useless back in the Gen III days.	It could work nowadays because of the special moves it has now, but the damage is done. Thanks a lot Genius.
Flaaffy			Flaaffy was actually a pretty decent one in my opinion. I use an Ampharos as part of my main party in XD, so I don't see how Flaaffy is a problem. Silly name though.	All good from here.......still a silly name.
Skiploom			The Hoppip family in general is only good for those who want a fast and defensive Pokémon, though in my opinion, it's rather stupid. Stupid Pokémon, stupid stats, end of story.	No, no, and no.
Quagsire			Quagsire is..........something. High Attack, high Defense, but low Sp. Attack, Sp. Defense and Speed. I only recommend it to those who have enough patience for this one. It can become a bumpy ride if you're not careful. However, if you equip it with a Mystic Water that you could've gotten if you chose Croconaw, you'd have a really beefed up Surf.	The judgmental part of me says no, but the nice part of me says yes. I'll let others decide I guess.
Misdreavus			While Misdreavus is another one of those Pokémon that have mainly moves that don't fit their play style, Misdreavus is great to have in your party in Colosseum for three reasons: 1. The AI is so stupid in the game, it's highly likely opponents (Especially Dakim) will use moves that are completely ineffective against it (i.e. Earthquake, any Normal or Fighting type move, etc.). 2. It can learn Pain Split which is great for weakening, or healing, Shadow Pokémon. And 3. It holds a Spell Tag, which will help beef up its Ghost type moves.	While Misdreavus was great to have in Colosseum, I don't think it would work as well in later games, since the only reason it was useful in the first place was because of the game's AI, which was improved "sixfold" in XD.
Furret			Overall good Pokémon to have in terms of pretty much every stat. I personally don't use it, but still, good Pokémon to have.	Looks fine to me.
Yanma			Again, another serious case of the useless. Sp. Attack stat doesn't quite fit with a Pokémon that's moveset consists mostly of Normal type moves, at least until the higher levels, but still. Yanma is a stupid Pokémon and I don't recommend using it in a party.	I could find a better use for a Shadow Magikarp that only knows a Shadow move similar to Splash.
Remoraid			While Remoraid is pretty useless, it can be a great ally if you have the patience to evolve it. If not, then purify it, dump it in your PC and leave it there.	Octillery would be better in my opinion.
Mantine			It's a wall.	'Nuff said.
Qwilfish			Yet another case of Umbreon. I don't recommend this to anyone unless they want pure rage in their playthroughs.	I guess we have to wait for XD to get some good Shadow Pokémon.
Dunsparce			SERIOUSLY?! Was Genius even trying when they decided this would be a good idea?! Terrible. Just terrible, though I guess it's okay if you were to EV train it in Attack and Defense.	Don't ever pull a stunt like this again Genius. This was just awful.
Meditite			Meditite and its evolution both aren't that great in terms of attack. It's more so a wall than anything. The TwistedSpoon it holds is great for Espeon though.	If anything, I think Medicham deserves a go, no matter how bad that sounds.
Swablu			While Swablu and Altaria aren't that great in stats, they can be good for a wall that you need to attack too when need be.	I don't think so. It's fine if you can get it in a trade or by Poké Spot, but not as a Shadow Pokémon for either of them.
Sudowoodo			Sudowoodo's pretty confusing. It's a strong Pokémon, and that's good, but at the same time, like Makuhita, it's a very slow one. So Sudowoodo's only reliable if you play your strategies just right just like Makuhita.	I think Bonsly might be better, but only as a Poké Spot Pokémon.
Hitmontop			Hitmontop is pretty balanced in Attack and Defense. The only issue I found with it was the low Sp. Attack. Long story short, it's a wall, but a darn good wall to have.	Maybe Tyrogue next time, since the other two were already used.
Entei			This one I'm actually kinda disappointed about, mainly because Entei's another case of Umbreon. Entei would've been awesome to have in your party, if its stats could fit its play style.	No, The Legendary Dogs have run their course as the "Top Dogs."
Ledian			Now this is another drunken mistake from Genius. Ledian, of all 386 Pokémon they could've chosen at the time, they had to choose that. Ledian's only decent use is for being a wall against special moves. That's it. And then they put Ledyba in XD? UNNACCEPTABLE!	Definitely not.
Suicune			Suicune is a little better than Entei. It's still a wall, but it's good with special attacks. I'd recommend this one for your team.	Read Entei's for what I think.
Gligar			Gligar is okay in terms of attacking and Defense, but not one of the best in Colosseum. I don't know whether I'd recommend this or not.	I think Gliscor should have a shot at it.
Sneasel			Like Entei, I'm disappointed by how poor Sneasel is in terms of stats. I honestly don't know what to call Sneasel. It's definitely not a wall. I know that much.	No, Sneasel was a bad idea. Weavile might work I guess.
Piloswine			Piloswine is.....well.....interesting in terms of stats. High HP and Attack, medium Defense, Sp. Defense and Sp. Attack, and low Speed. I wouldn't recommend this unless you have the patience to deal with such a failure.	No. Mamoswine won't work either.
Stantler			Stantler is very odd with stats, though still pretty decent stats altogether. But even with the limited selection of Pokémon that Colosseum had to offer, there were still ones a lot better than Stantler.	No. Needs more room for Gen IV, V and VI Pokémon.
Ariados			There are no words to describe how terrible Ariados is as a Shadow Pokémon.	I can make a better Shadow Pokémon with Jynx. That's pretty bad.
Aipom			Same issue as Ariados.	--
Murkrow			Murkrow is a good Pokémon, IF, you EV train it in its Defense stats.	GIVE HONCHKROW A CHANCE!
Forretress			It is a wall. One of the best walls there are.	No comment on this one.
Granbull			Granbull has a lot of issues. It's good when it's attacking, but beyond that, it's basically a pile of turd.	No. Just no.
Vibrava			I found Vibrava to be pretty decent actually. It can't handle major battles, at least until it's purified, but it's good for the small jobs.	I think Flygon deserves a chance.
Raikou			Yet again, wall, but pretty good with certain attacks. Guess we have to wait for Gen V to get some decent Legendaries.	Read Entei's for what I think.
Sunflora			Sunflora I found to be one of the most frustrating Pokémon to battle, alongside Sigilyph and Cradily. They both are pretty big walls and they're not easy to take out if you don't have the right Pokémon. I only recommend Sunflora for situations where you know you'll need it.	No. Not Sunkern either. I've had enough frustration with Sunflora for a while.
Delibird			Wow! I don't even know where to begin with this. There are so many faults with Delibird, including its signature move, stats, and just it entirely. Look is stupid, name is stupid, everything about this is stupid. One of Nintendo's worst Pokémon in my opinion.	This is almost as bad as Dunsparce. Genius must've started running out of ideas by this point.
Heracross			While its stats are good for its play style, I've never been big on Heracross, mainly because it gave me so much trouble whenever I'd try to catch it in Emerald. But still, good Pokémon to use, and I'd recommend it.	I don't see why not.
Skarmory			This is another I'm disappointed about. Skarmory has always looked awesome to me, but the thing is, it has good attacks, but low Attack and Sp. Attack. It's basically a wall against physical attacks. I recommend it if you need a good wall.	No, I've had enough issues with trying to catch a Shadow Skarmory.
Miltank			This one's the party pooper of the game. In fact, Whitney's Miltank wasn't far off that title either, especially when it would start rolling all over the place. Like Skarmory, it's a good wall to have.	No! I've had enough nightmares of it rolling on me!
Absol			EMO TIME! Absol isn't great in the Defense department, but it's really good in Attack. Once Gen VI is out, Absol becomes even more emo, but that's not relevant to this.	YES! ABSOL'S ONE OF MY FAVORITES!!!
Houndoom			Nintendo really went beyond the limits on this one, considering it's basically a hellhound, though when I hear that, I think of the ones from Supernatural. It's actually pretty decent and players should definitely use this one.	Again, don't see why not.
Tropius			Tropius is very odd in stats. I don't even know how to judge this one honestly.	--
Metagross			Metagross I have to say is pretty good. Its stats match its play style, it's in awesome Pokémon, the only fault I found with it is that it can't breed. Beyond that, good Pokémon to have.	Yes, even though it may not appear as one again.
Tyranitar			I gotta say I've been pretty excited to do this one. It's a good Pokémon with good stats. I recommend it.	Nah, Tyranitar's run its course. Also, while doing some research on Colosseum, I found some interesting things about Tyranitar: 1. Tyranitar is know as the 'Ultimate Shadow Pokémon' in the game, basically saying it shouldn't be possible to purify it. 2. Ein mentions in his files about him trying to eliminate the factors of purification. 3. By looking at these factors, I've come to the conclusion that Tyranitar is basically the XD prototype, or XD000 if you prefer that.
Smeargle			Smeargle's a bad aftergame Pokémon. It has a lousy signature move, it has lousy stats, Smeargle should've been found earlier.	No. I can't stress that enough.
Ursaring			Ursaring's a pretty decent aftergame Pokémon. Pretty strong with physical attacks, which is what its moveset mainly consists of, and then they gave another chance of getting an Ursaring in XD with Teddiursa. Smart idea Genius.	Yes, please Genius. Do us all a favor and bring it back for another round.
Shuckle			Shuckle's a pretty big wall if I do say so myself. All of its stats except for Defense and Sp. Defense are super low. I don't know if I would recommend this or not.	--
Togetic			Kind of an anti-climax to this list. Terrible Pokémon, mainly meant as a wall, and HIGHLY underleveled for it being the last Shadow Pokémon to get.	Togekiss would be okay, I guess.

Regular Pokémon

Pokémon	Menu	Model	Opinion	Good for a future sequel?/Extra Notes
Espeon			Espeon is pretty good compared to its counterpart Umbreon. I used it for my final party in Colosseum, but not Umbreon. I definitely recommend using this.	Well in both games they had a Pokémon related to Eevee, so yes.
Umbreon			Umbreon was a major disappointment. Cool Pokémon, but its moves don't fit its play style. I stopped using it after a while in Colosseum because it was redundant. I don't recommend using it.	Read Espeon's for what I think.
Plusle			Plusle wasn't all that useful in Colosseum. For one thing, it's underleveled, and another, without Minun, there's no point. Minun was originally slated to be a Shadow Pokémon in Colosseum, which is why Plusle's in it, but since they removed it, Plusle's useless.	Yes, as long as Minun's in it too.
Ho-Oh			Ho-Oh's a good idea for the last Pokémon you need to get in it, though it's hard to get it, considering you need to purify all 48 Shadow Pokémon and then complete the Mt. Battle Battle Mode in order to get it. I recommend it regardless though.	It'd be awesome as a Shadow Pokémon, since Lugia was one in XD.