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This user identifies as male.
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About Me
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This user uses Eastern Standard Time, which is UTC-5.
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During the northern Hemisphere summer, daylight saving time is in effect, which is UTC-4.
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This user's favorite color is blue.
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This user has an obsession with Cars.
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Mons
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☆ This user's favorite Pokémon is Magnemite. ☆
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☆ This user's favorite Pokémon is Magneton. ☆
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☆ This user's favorite Pokémon is Magnezone. ☆
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GAMEZ!!
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This user likes to mess with glitches in the Pokémon games.
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Introduction
I am a former Editor-in-Chief of Bulbapedia. I joined on December 9, 2007, worked hard enough to get nominated for a staff position, and clawed my way up from there. That's right, you too can be EiC. All it takes is hard work, dedication, and all those other inspirational things you hear about getting ahead in life. After being EiC for a while, I decided that I wanted to focus on the user experience. My main goal as EiC was to make everything easier to understand and help my fellow user find the page they want as efficiently as possible, and when they get there, I want it to be full of all the juicy info you need organized around some fancy and colorful templates.
I've been a fan since Generation I, but near the end of Generation II, I lost interest. After seeing Beautifly, I figured Game Freak had run out of original ideas, so I skipped Ruby and Sapphire, but the remakes of Gen I brought me back. Thanks to FireRed and LeafGreen, I also invested a little time checking out Generation III Pokémon and came to the realization that some of them were actually pretty original. As for Generation IV, I wasn't going to jump in, but after a friend of mine did first, I decided to check it out. I had to investigate the all new Magnemite evolution and get in on that Wi-Fi action. While looking for info to educate myself on what I missed during my Poké-hiatus, I found Bulbapedia. The rest is history.
On December 9, 2012, exactly 5 years after joining Bulbapedia, I decided to step down from my position as Editor-in-Chief. You can read about my decision in this message from the editor. Thanks to all the staff and fans for helping out during my tenure. I'm not leaving though, so don't worry, I'll still be around.
On March 9, 2015, I published my first proper Bulbanews article regarding a retrospective of Ruby and Sapphire as well as Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire. I put a lot of effort into it and got a lot of positive feedback from people. You can check it out right here.
Contact
E-mail - MAGNEDETH@bulbagarden.net | Bulbagarden Forums - MAGNEDETH | Twitter - @MAGNEDETH
Interesting Stuff
Teams
My teams follow a simple pattern.
- Starter
- Flyer
- Magnemite
- Surfer
- Earthquake-er
- HM slave/Powerhouse
Certain Pokémon get placed in the same position. However, Flygon on my Sapphire team is a good example of how this isn't always the case. I don't know why or how I started doing things this way, but, it's nice to be organized. It should be noted though that this doesn't mean I'm going to send the same Pokémon out first every time if you battle me online.
Gen I
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Blue
Back in the day when legendaries we're the only way to go and if you didn't have a Mewtwo, you were a nobody. I had an Articuno (named "Icy") which was mostly for Flying, but, also good for beating Lance. Megamite is a Level 100 Magnemite, and the rest are what you'd expect.
Level 255
Thanks to the Missingno. glitch, You can get one hell of a team by trading with friends.
Red
THIS GAME HAS BEEN LOST. I started with Squirtle.
Yellow
I had never played Yellow version before 2010. Namely because I hate Pikachu. Well, a friend was cleaning his place, and found 3(!) copies and gave them all to me. I gave away two of them, and decided I might as well beat Yellow.
But fate would not have it, as after I got my sixth badge, the game failed to retain my save, bringing my journey to an early end. But then Yellow on 3DS Virtual Console finally gave me a reliable chance to beat the game, so I did.
I made Pikachu an HM slave and Submission user on any weak Normal-type I came across and used a Vulpix as my new starter. Back in Gen I, before the Special split, some Pokemon were a lot more powerful than after the split. If I was gonna run Gen I, I wanted in on that, so I decided to grab Ninetales and Tentacruel, both of which got really screwed in the Special split (more Ninetales than Cruel). And it shows. Tentacruel is a beast, and Ninetales is totally usable (and huggable). Magneton is standard, although now packing a tank-worthy 120 Sp.Def. I chose Dodrio for two reasons. I don't get to use it as much as I'd like, but more importantly, in Gen I, Speed is key, and it has it (also, the Gen I Tri Attack animation is AWESOME!). Nidoking is just plain great.
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Gen II
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Silver
With the introduction of a new generation, we got the opportunity to play with 100 new species of Pokémon. Buuut, I was a naive young boy who still insisted on using legendaries...however, I did move up to a Magneton. Ho-oh had Fly and T-tar was pretty crappy. But it was cool looking.
Gold
This game was lost for the longest time, but I found it February 15, 2009. But, sitting under the dresser for a few years hasn't done it any favors. So I restarted it! You wouldn't think restarting and playing an ancient Pokémon game would be fun, but it seems to have really shown me how good these older games were.
Aerodactyl and Horsea were traded in, and Heracross kinda-sorta has a hacked moveset.
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Gen III
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Sapphire
This is actually the second team, as this game was restarted. The first time around was pretty bad, but I made sure I knew the score this time around. I planned the team ahead of time, and then left a spot open for a Crawdaunt knowing 4 HMs. They all do their jobs quite well, even Walrein, the weakest.
LeafGreen
Like above, there was a second team. This was my first Pokémon game since Silver, three years prior. I knew nothing about natures and EVs, so, it was a mess. Second time around, I had Blastoise, a hacked Scyther with Fly, Magneton, Arcanine, Nidoking, and a Kingler with any HM I didn't want on the main team. Super hacked Scyther bothered me a little, and I wasn't really satisfied with Blastoise or Arcanine either, so I restarted it again!
This is the new team. Would you believe its 100% legit? Well it is! I guess it evens out the hacked Emerald team... This team is great. I could have used Hitmonlee instead of Primeape, but i just used Hitmonlee in SS, so I decided to give Primeape a go. Also, as a sort of boycott, I had never used a Charizard before (granted, its special stat in Gen I was abysmal) so I gave it a go here.
Emerald
A friend of mine has been shipped off to Iraq. Godspeed to him. He gave me his Emerald. This team was used to beat his game and harvest legendaries: Sceptile, Xatu, Magneton, Golduck, Dugtrio, Machamp.
Hoenn sucks in terms of Pokemon choice. I milked it for all it was worth with my Sapphire team, but when I was given an Emerald, I had to quick think of a team to fill it in. Very few of the Gen III Pokemon flow well enough with Swampert to make a good team of them. Granted, that's a giant opinion, but either way, I cheated a little. First, Swampert can't effectively use Water-type attacks, and secondly, there's too damn many Water-type HMs in Gen III, so Ludicolo is used to handle that stuff and Swampert is used as the Grounder. Ninjask is hacked with Fly and Signal Beam (why didn't they give it to it in the first place?), Breloom is used as Fighting only, and Typhlosion was imported because Fire-types don't exist in Hoenn (aside from Blaziken whom i already used).
XD
TEMP TEAM - Game is slated for restart.
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Gen IV
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Diamond
This is my team for used in the story. Beating gyms, E4, etc. I have rarely used it in battles against anyone. Magnemite and Porygon had to be traded over because they aren't in the Sinnoh Dex. I don't really like any of the Sinnoh starters (Torterra is cool, but, I'd never use him) but I chose Infernape simply because it was useful and fit into the team. However, thanks to that annoying monkey sound, I almost replaced him. Very annoying. Magnezone and Garchomp are used in other teams and Porygon-Z does see occasional online use.
Platinum
I had run Platinum shortly after it came out but made a mess of it. Used mostly old Pokémon and used Empoleon as an HM slave. Shame on me. So I restarted it and punished myself with not being allowed to heal in a Pokémon Center. Was only allowed to heal through items. How did that challenge go? Pretty well actually. Added an additional strategy to battles in needing to conserve HP and PP.
As for Platinum, if you don't know this already, it's a million times better than Diamond and Pearl, so if you've not played a Sinnoh game, Platinum is the one to get, hands down. As a whole, DPPt are upper middle in terms of Pokémon game quality to me. Definitely worth playing.
But what Pokémon did I take on my adventure?? Had to use proper, regional Pokémon, but that's ok, there's plenty of good options.
- Empoleon is great if a bit slow. But it takes hits and deals it back.
- Mothim was surprisingly usable. Too bad its movepool is terrible. Still, in the right situation, it works.
- Rotom is always a delight. I used regular Rotom for the extra Speed and I don't really like any of the formes that much.
- Rapidash was an odd choice, but to those that have played Diamond and Pearl, you know why. It's fast and strong. Works nicely.
- Garchomp wrecks. The end.
- Toxicroak is cool, but again, horrible movepool. Thankful for TMs.
SoulSilver
For the record, HGSS are awesome. Yea, there's some stuff here and there that could be better, or maybe some stuff that was removed from the originals that shouldn't have been removed, but it's still awesome. Started with Totodile, just like my old Silver, and with the Phys/Spec split, it's even more awesome than ever. I wanted to try some "new" guys, so I finally decided to try a Crobat, and surprisingly, training a horrible little Zubat was actually pretty fun, and Crobat is proving very useful. Swinub was quite a challenge, but all in all, Mamoswine is strong enough to make you forget. Hitmonlee is also proving very useful. Meanwhile, Houndoom in Johto? Feels good. Magneton can't evolve? Not a problem.
Titanium Gym
This is my old IPGL gym team. When I left the league, my overall tally for this team is an awesome 65 wins, and only 6 losses. I always lead with a Steel-type, but it changed depending on who I was facing. Now that I'm not battling anymore, I can openly say that both Lucario and Scizor run Swords Dance sets (although, I had alternate sets in my early matches) and when they were on the field, they nearly guaranteed me at least one, probably 2 kills each. Magnezone was a revenge killer, Steel trapper, and generally used for killing anything that was already damaged. It may sound weird, but basically, everyone knew I had Zone, but no one knew when they would see it. And as they pondered this, that's when it would surprise them. Metagross was just brute force. No real strategy on it except an unconventional moveset. Worked awesome. Skarmory and Empoleon rarely proved useful and were rarely used as a result. Our rules allowed 2 non-Steel-types allowed, so I chose Gliscor and Gyarados because they resisted a lot of the types that are strong against Steel. I didn't have much time to give them proper movesets, but they proved confounding enough that even with fairly straightforward attacking sets, they did exactly what I needed them to and cause the opponent to switch.
| Lucario
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OIRACUL
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| Skarmory
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YROMRAKS
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| Magnezone
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MAGNEDETH
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| Empoleon
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NOELOPME
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| Metagross
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SSORGATEM
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| Scizor
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ROZICS
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| Gliscor
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ROCSILG
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| Gyarados
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SODARAYG
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Gen V
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White
Gen V is here! WHAT?! NO MAGNEMITE?! It's true. For the first time since Gen I, I didn't use a Magnemite (before Megamite, I had a Raichu). Galvantula is pretty damn cool though, and with Compoundeyes it throws a mean Thunder. Granted, its a hell of a lot less powerful than Zone, and noticeably more frail. In this gen, I don't really like any of the starters. Game Freak really screwed this all up making Emboar another Fire/Fighting because really, Samurott should absolutely be Water/Fighting. Not to mention Samurott's really stupid stat spread, but regardless, it did a pretty good job. Sigilyph is just plain cool. It looks, sounds, and acts ridiculous, and with Magic Guard, it just doesn't care what you think. Good stat spread and great movepool. Chandelure and Mienshao were Pokemon I wanted pretty bad, but you only get late in the game. Thankfully, Umeko and Jo The Marten respectively traded me a bred Pokemon. Specially bred IV made them both killing machines. Then there's Excadrill. As soon as it was revealed I wanted one, and I searched FOREVER in Wellspring Cave for a good Drilbur. Can't tell you how long it took, but it payed off. By the way, in the interest of learning names, I didn't nickname anything. The nicknames listed are simply names they I called them myself.
White 2
With the unexpected changes brought by B2W2, I finally had myself a Magnemite in Unova! But what about the rest? I insisted on staying with Gen V Pokemon for the rest of the team. Emboar proved to be powerful, but lacking a friendly movepool. Rather aggravating having to gain BP to earn Brick Break just to give it something to use. Archeops had to be traded in (thanks Jo the Marten), but it is a beast. Give it Acrobatics and it will tear teams apart. Its defenses are terrible, but it was usually fast enough to OHKO anyway. The moveset changes were kind to Magnemite, giving it Flash Canon, but the TM changes meant Shock Wave was no longer available. Volt Switch is annoying to use in single player. Simipour had to be traded in (thanks again to Jo) because there's no way I'm going to wait for the tiny chance for one to pop-up. It proved to be just fast enough and just strong enough to provide the power I needed. Krookodile is awesome. Defenses were terrible, but it didn't care, it would rock the earth or just eat its opponents. The last spot changed hands a few times, but I eventually settled on Leavanny. I used it for a while, but I didn't want to saddle anyone with Cut and Dive. Basculin initially rounded out as an HM slave and never saw battle, but once I found out that Dive wasn't necessary at all, I brought Leavanny back. It is quite handy for dealing with Water/Ground Pokémon and is classy as hell (while it tears opponents in half).
Black 2 Nuzlocke
After much prodding, I finally got around to doing a Nuzlocke challenge. It went very well. Too well in-fact... I only lost ONE Pokémon (which you can read about in the next section).
Rules used:
- Can only catch the first encounter of every route
- If a Pokémon faints, it is dead and placed in the PC
- Dupes clause (can't catch anything that has already been caught, including evolution family members)
- Shiny clause (any encountered shiny may be caught and used, regardless of area catch)
- No legendaries
- Challenge Mode
The run got off to a rocky start. My first catch was Purrloin, which died in the gym battle against Cheren. After that loss, which was carelessness on my part, I decided to focus more. I must have done a good job because aside from a close call here and there, it was business as usual. The main issues were gym leaders. On challenge mode they have more Pokémon and better tactics. Easily, the biggest challenge was at the very end. The Elite Four each put up their own challenge, but Iris gave me a heart attack with her Haxorus with a damn Focus Sash. It used Dragon Dance which could have been a big problem. Thankfully, Iris (for whatever reason) opted not to heal, so one Aqua Jet and it was all over.
Samurott was solid, but I still don't think it's a very good Pokémon. Crobat was SHINY. Yes, I encountered a shiny Zubat in Castelia Sewers. I used a Zubat in SoulSilver and it was just as solid here. Magnezone was awesome (see below). Magmar was a nice addition that I didn't expect to go all the way, but it did, quite nicely. Sandslash proved to be just powerful enough, and just tanky enough to become a real clutch here and there. Scrafty was a bit of a pain. Very slow and very weak, but mine had Moxie which helped. Not sure I'd use one again though.
- A quick side note: There's a pattern among Nuzlockers of Magnemite failing to make it to the end. I chose to run B2W2 so I could have a good chance at getting an early Magnemite. I did, and it proceeded to essentially be an MVP. Tanking hits, dishing damage, and Thunder Wave support. If you lose a Magnemite during a run, then you are doing something wrong.
Notable members
- Poor Purrloin got smashed by a +2 Tackle from Cheren's Lillipup. I got overzealous and figured Cheren wouldn't be an issue, but after a few Work Ups, Lillipup brought me back to reality.
- Herdier was an early catch that proved very reliable. STAB Normal moves early in the game and solid stats had me thinking I may keep her, but when I got Scrafty, I decided that STAB Fighting-type moves would prove more useful and Herdier was put on the bench.
- As a Sewaddle and Swadloon, Leavanny was an early game tank, surprising as it may sound. But, not only had I already used one in my main W2 run, but it didn't really fit into the team, and I swapped it out for Sandslash.
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Gen VI
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Y
Well, after the arguable disappointment that was Gen V, Gen VI came to life in 3D!! However, what they gave us in fancy graphics and inappropriate Pokémon touching, they forgot to actually give us some Pokémon to play with. Building an all Gen VI team proved nearly impossible with my requirement to have a Ground-type, and there only be TWO....TWO released, one of which was legendary, but I found a way around it. More on that in a moment. Unlike Gen V where all the starters sucked, Gen VI has three great starters (even Grass!). After much hemming and hawing, I chose Froakie. I later regretted it after deciding a liked Delphox more, but Greninja proved to be a worthy team member. Fast and just powerful enough. Next was Hawlucha who was pretty fun, albeit a little underpowered. Heliolisk is a bit of a mess, but it works. Decent stats and Dry Skin is very handy for an Electric-type, but why is it part Normal? Why not part Ground or Rock? Anyway, Pyroar is awesome, if limited in its purpose due to a shallow movepool. Diggersby is one of the ugliest and most useless Pokémon ever created, BUT I nabbed one with Huge Power which makes it a complete beast. Then there's Aegislash whom I think is kinda cool, but gimmicky and a real pain to use. Overall, this team is pretty meh (three Normal-types!) but I had a pretty limited list to work with. Really Game Freak? Only 69 new Pokémon? C'mon... Those lame Mega Evolutions don't count...
Alpha Sapphire
Instead of my usual mini-review of the game, I went full on and wrote an actual article on Bulbanews which you can read right here. I got a ton of positive feedback from people. Even those that disagreed with me. I'm really happy with how the review turned out, but a big thing I forgot to mention is the lack of character customization. Masuda says it's because Brendan and May have set designs, but I don't see how at least offering skin, hair, or clothing color changes would have been out of the question. But anyway, the review can be heavily summed up as, the game was disappointing for me. It's a near 1:1 remake with very little changed.
As for my team, I carefully chose this team around a lack of Flying-type, because Hoenn lacks any good ones. It also contained three Pokémon I had never used before. I was curious how it would turn out. Well, it turned out...ok. Not great, but not bad. Blaziken lead the team as awesome as always. I was planning to use a Flygon, so Jo_The_Marten hooked me up with a really well-bred Trapinch. A really great team member. In my recent attempts to use other Electric-types, Manectric was put on the team. It turned out ok and did its job, but Speed aside, couldn't compete with the power and durability of Magnezone. Sharpedo was a gift from SharKing and was the biggest problem member of the team. It was beastly in attack power, but the super low defenses were an issue at times. However, the biggest issue was simply being a Physical Water-type. Rock and Ground-types have high Defenses, and a lot of Fire-types have Flame Body. Sharpedo can be fun to use, and is awesome to Surf on in ORAS, but by no real fault of its own, proved to be a bit of a hassle. I'm really going to lessen my use of Physical Water-types in the future. Next was Gardevoir. After finally evolving from Kirlia, Gardevoir was just a monster, killing most things in one hit. Not much else to say. Gardevoir rocked. Also, Roserade was a beast. I rarely find places for Grass-types on my teams, but I wanted a Poison-type to handle the new Fairy-types in the game, and Roserade was awesome. Fast, powerful, and even able to take some Special Attacks.
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Gen VII
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Moon
The hype train for Gen VII was huge. The reveal alone proved that X and Y were merely test beds for a Pokémon game in 3DS. So with Gen VI out of the way, they could really flex their muscles, and they went all in on making a new and unique experience. Gone were gyms, badges, HMs, and instead we got Totem Pokémon and a rich story that takes center stage featuring an all new kind of Pokémon. Ultra Beasts! So how did it go over? Was it the amazing new direction that the fans were dying for? Did my cold, dark heart get turned on by the rich landscapes and deep character progression?
Not really.
Most fans were mixed. Some praising the changes, other loathing them. I'm right in the middle. I certainly didn't hate the games, but I personally found all the changes pretty redundant. Totem battles are a little more challenging than gym battles, but the lack of gym and trainers really took the feel of grandeur away from the experience for me. Also, the story, while a lot deeper than previous games, was interesting, but I personally feel like Ultra Beasts are just legendaries by a different name. I did like a lot of the new characters, so that's a plus.
On the downside, a LOT less Pokémon. Take out Ultra Beasts and legendaries, and we are left with 62 Pokémon. Seriously?? Take away the starters and version exclusives and you get 51 new, available Pokémon. To supplement this, we got Alolan regional variants. They're ok, but they're too few to make a big difference. Overall, I was slightly disappointed with Sun and Moon, but it was definitely worth them trying new things, so I'm not too mad about it.
But making a team out of only 51 Pokémon proved a little difficult, but I managed to do it.
- Popplio is not a design I liked too much, but the evolution line makes up for it in sheer battling ability. Primarina is a fantastic Pokémon. Takes hits and dishes huge damage in return.
- Toucannon is really straightforward. Normal/Flying with usable Speed and massive Attack. Compliment that with a fantastic ability (Skill Link) and you get a solid, reliable Pokémon. Also, I love how continuously angry it is.
- I actually didn't plan to use Magnemite, but I caught a Modest one with amazing IVs in Hau'oli City and had to use it. Decided to keep it as a Magneton to take advantage of the higher Speed. Magneton worked great as always.
- Took a while to find a good, female Salandit, but worth it. Salazzle is a bit weak in defenses, but has the power, versatility, and speed to make up for it.
- Wasn't sure about Mudsdale, given it's atrocious Speed, but with it's Stamina Ability continuously bolstering it's awesome Defense, and huge Attack, Mudsdale could take pretty much any hit, shrug it off, and slam right back. Solid Pokémon.
- Bewear is an odd Pokémon. Massive size, massive power, tiny Cry. Also, it's pink. It does what it does, and what it does is deal massive damage. It's almost too straightforward for me to truly love it, but I was glad it was on my side.
Ultra Sun
In the previous section, I basically described Sun and Moon as an experiment in trying new things. When they announced UltraSun and UltraMoon, I was intrigued. Black 2 and White 2 proved that they could make a fantastic sequel to a Pokémon game and I was really hoping they would do it again. Sun and Moon were all about new, and fresh ideas. It would have been awesome if they could make sequels that built on the introduced material.
They didn't.
USUM are, in my opinion, hugely disappointing and borderline pointless. They are basically Sun and Moon with some tweaks to the story and minor quality of life improvements. It took me quite a while to beat these games because I simply didn't feel like it. They're so similar to Sun and Moon that I tell people, if you haven't played SM, play USUM instead. If you have played SM, then don't bother with USUM as it's basically the same game. They feel like remakes of a game released in the same generation, rather than whole new games. Disappointing and pointless games.
As mentioned in my Moon rundown, the number of regional Pokémon was very limited, so I had to get creative. The results were decidedly mixed.
- Decidueye was my first Grass starter since Bulbasaur. Yea, I rarely pick Grass starters and...I now know why. Decidueye is very good, but wasn't nearly as versatile as Primarina was in my previous run. But I love it's design.
- I bred for a Modest Oricorio that had Hidden Power Fire because Oricorio, while good, has no non-Flying STAB moves available to it. Did the effort pay off? Eh... It's reasonably fast and strong but stupidly limited. Why such a bad movepool, Game Freak??
- I was very hesitant to use a Ribombee. It seemed too cutesy to be usable, but I was very wrong. Can't take a hit, but it's fast, powerful, and versatile. Can't get hit if you OHKO the opponent first!
- What?? Lunatone?? Hell yea. It's typing fit my team perfectly and I briefly used one in Sapphire years ago. With it's Gen VII stat boost, I traded one in and it worked so well!! A true underdog and unexpected delight. Great Pokémon.
- Alolan Dugtrio get the award for biggest disappointment. Yea, it's fast and strong, but it can't take a hit at all and has surprisingly limited moves. Also, never was a fan of the long hair. Tangling Hair was pretty useful, though.
- Kommo-o was brought in from my Moon game. Takes forever to train it, but is extremely rewarding. It takes so long to train but didn't frustrate me. I grew really attached to it and am glad I gave it a shot.
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Gen VIII
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Shield
Sword and Shield suck and I can't be bothered to make a fancy table for my team. These games are so boring and lifeless. Some of the music is good, though.
The Pokémon here all did great, but these games are pretty easy. Never used Dynamax because it's dumb as hell.
PLA
Legends: Arceus showed us what a proper open world Pokémon game could be. It looks pretty bad, and it's fairly straightforward, but the gameplay is fun, and that's what counts. It isn't perfect, but I enjoyed these games more than any Pokémon since Gen 5. I can only hope we get more games like this with some expansion in how the progression, the setting, and features.
My team in this game had a lot of swapping as I progressed, but these are the ones I ended up using to the end.
BDSP
These are the laziest, lifeless, most half-assed games that Pokémon has gotten and are an insult to the originals, the franchise, and players. I intentionally refrained from evolving some of my Pokémon, or giving them their best moves, until after beating the E4 just so I could have any semblance of a challenge, and even then, only Cynthia posed any real threat. I hope and pray that the Pokémon franchise never has to experience the embarassment of a game even remotely as bad as these. I will never give this game a fancy table.
It isn't my Pokémon's fault. They did their job. Albeit, they didn't have to work very hard through the cakewalk that is BDSP's version of Sinnoh.
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Gen IV
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Violet
If Game Freak can't be bothered to make a properly functioning game with consistent framerate and some semblance of direction, then I can't be bothered to make a fancy table for my team. Some of the characters and writing are good, though. At least we got a new Magnemite family member.
The team did great, but thanks to the total lack of a proper progression system, there wasn't a lot of difficulty, compounded by Geeta being the easiest Champion in series history. I admit, Nemona put of a decent fight at the end, though. Special mention to Lokix for unexpectedly being a great little house cleaner. Would mop up anything the rest of the team didn't want to.
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Favorite Pokémon
All Pokémon listed below are in order of Pokédex, not the order I like them.
Gen I
I like a lot of Gen I Pokémon, but I fully admit that it's based heavily on nostalgia. I grew up with these Pokémon, so there's very few I actively dislike. Some will argue that Gen I had some boring designs, but I argue that it was their first outing. It was a simpler time. Besides, there's nothing wrong with a simple design. Moreover, there are plenty of completely original designs as well. I swear some people just look for reasons to hate on Gen I.
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| Pokémon
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Original sprite
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Current art
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Why?
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| Venusaur
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No real story here, it was my Blue starter, liked it since. I think it can best be described as "quiet attitude." Haven't used it much since Gen I, but it doesn't matter. You never forget your first. Statistically has the best stats in Gen I, but Grass and Poison are fairly useless types in the grand scheme. However, the Physical/Special split gives it a lot of new versatility and the new Fairy-type being weak to Poison gives it a new target to destroy. Venusaur has been a silent hero for years, but with these changes, it's all looking up for ol' Venusaur....
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| Nidoking
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He's just AWESOME. You can get the king early in any game he's in and could use him to the very end. Ridiculously versatile with solid stats and a movepool that stretches around the world....twice. Got a nice bump in power in Gen VI, too! But let's not forget, just look at him, look! One of the most straightforward and badass designs in Pokémon. ANGER. SPIKES. FANGS. CLAWS. NIDOKING HAS IT ALL. Whether it be quick brutality of Earthquake or the slow HP sap of Poison, Nidoking rocks. Nidoking is my next favorite Pokémon behind the Magnemite family.
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| Primeape
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I am not generally a fan of monkey Pokémon because I'm not really a fan of monkeys in general. But Primeape doesn't care. Primeape is too angry to care what I think, and I respect that. Hits fast and hard with utter simplicity. There's not much to say about Primeape because it lays all its cards down at all times. It goes into battle with no care for its own self. It just wants to win.
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| Magnemite
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What is Magnemite? No one knows. Some people just say "it's a Magnet" but that would ignore the sphere, eye, and screws. Magnemite can not be properly described. That is one of the reasons I love it. I have been a fan of Magnemite since I first saw it. This ridiculous looking Pokémon with it's equally ridiculous cry. I am genuinely annoyed that with every update to in-game cries, Magnemite's gets worse. But that's ok. It isn't jsust the look or the sound, it's also the sheer power this little guy has. It's super durable and can deal massive damage. All this combines is why I love Magnemite. It takes hits, fires back twice as hard, and all the while simply not giving a damn. Magnemite is what it is and nothing else. Except no substitutes, Magnemite will always be my favorite.
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| Magneton
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Ok, even I admit, Magneton is not the most complex Pokémon. It really is just three Magnemite stuck together. But I'm ok with that because it means we get three times the Magnemite! Magneton demonstrates the fundamentals of magnetism in the most basic way possible. While it comes off as a slightly lazy design, it does lead to some fantastic animations in whatever game it happens to be in, and that's where Magneton shines. Watching the three Magnemite spin around and organize powerful attacks in whatever game you're playing is always a treat. If you don't like Magnemite, you won't like Magneton. But I do, so I do. Respect the magnet trio because if you don't, just remember, 120 Special Attack.
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| Dodrio
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I overlooked Dodrio for a long time, but when I finally noticed, I realized it is really good. Fast, hits hard, and it has three heads! Its almost like a bird version of The Three Stooges if you think about it. The combination of easy to use and ridiculous design is a winning combination every time. I wish I had more to say about a three-headed bird that can't fly, but I don't. Dodrio is just a damn good Pokémon.
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| Kingler
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Giant Crab. Giant claws. And it walks sideways! Weeee!! THANK YOU GEN IV SPLIT!! As soon as I heard of the Physical/Special split, Kingler was #1 on my mind. Always a cool design, but when it was able to start using Physical STAB attacks, I knew it would be great fun to use. Power aside, this giant, cookie loving crab is often overlooked. But that just means less people see it coming when it smashes their faces in.
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| Hitmonlee
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Another Pokémon I overlooked for a long time, but better late than never I guess. The design of it is baffling, but that doesn't matter when it can kick you from across the room. This is another Pokémon that doesn't need crazy gimmicks to work which is why I like it. Huge Attack with powerful attacks. Being such a rarity for years, it holds a special place in my mind. It's just plain fun to use.
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| Pinsir
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IT'S A WALKING GUILLOTINE!! If it were real, I bet it would murder people for fun. You do not mess with Pinsir. Thanks to Gen IV, it explodes out of the gate thanks to X-Scissor, and can commence a serious beat down. I've never used a Pinsir on any of my teams, but the design of it is so awesome that I don't have to.
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| Porygon
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Similar to Magnemite, the sound it makes was the real attention grabber. Then the appearance. Those sharp edges, pointy tail, and duck face. Finally, the sheer hilarity of it all. Sadly, it got completely ruined by Pikachu in EP038, so Game Freak will never give it any sort of attention. Yea, it got evolutions, but Porygon itself is usually left behind. If you don't like it for it's silliness, then at least feel bad for it.
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Basically, Pokémon I really like, but don't have enough to say to warrant a full explanation.
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Gen II
Similar to Gen I, I like a lot of Gen II Pokémon based on nostalgia, but you can tell that some of the Pokémon inclusions were starting to walk the line between originality and gimmicky. You can also see some of the designs get a little more complex. But still, some great Pokémon, albeit, not a very powerful generation...
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| Typhlosion
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Another awesome Pokemon given to you for free, and it doesn't have that nasty Flying-type to bother with extra weakness. Thanks to Typhlosion only being seriously available in G/S/C, I've found it to be a "want what you can't have" and that makes me like it more. Didn't wear out its welcome. Big and mean when it needs to, but warm and fuzzy otherwise. Typhlosion is just a solid design and friend to everyone (except to enemies WHO MUST BURN).
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| Feraligatr
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Although hindered by being a physical Water-type, Feraligatr doesn't care. Whether it's crushing opponents in it's jaws, or dancing the night away, Feraligatr does it all. My first Gen II starter, so I am slightly bias, but even through the years, my adoration for this big gator is still strong. Besides, Feraligatr and I both share an affinity to misspelled names.
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| Flaaffy
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SHEEP!!! It's a sheep, AND a Pokémon!! Flaaffy and Mareep, the look, the sound, just hilarious. On a strict novelty basis, oh yes. Flaaffy is still a sheep, and it still sounds hilarious. But, when it evolves, it's all over. I have been a fan of Mareep and Flaaffy ever since I laid eyes on them. They don't need to be good in battle to win my heart.
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| Unown
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I don't know why but I was always obsessed with these things. They are so weird and funny. If only they were useful. I always wonder if they could form together and make a super Unown or something. Regardless, I always enjoy when they pop up.
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| Pineco
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It's a pine cone, AND a Pokémon!! WHAT A HILARIOUS CONCEPT!! Seriously, Pineco is awesome. Between this, the sheep, Unown, and many others, Gen II had some amazing designs for Pokémon. I'm being half-sarcastic with that, but I refuse to elaborate. Just accept that Pineco is cool and move on.
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| Steelix
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Being the intro for Steel, Nintendo needed a good first show, and here it is. A giant snake made of Steel. Looks awesome, sounds awesome, and is way better than Onix. It will wall the hell out of physical attacks, but just keep those Water Guns away from it.... Still, Steelix looks and sounds good.
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| Scizor
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Another crazy new Steel-type, and they pulled it off. Excellent stats except Speed, but if it did have more Speed, it would be unstoppable. Even so, when I did a lot of competitive battling, Scizor was a huge asset to the team. Speed is useless when you can abuse increased priority and Technician. Scizor had some growing pains by way of crap moves in Gen II, but these days, it's a proper beast.
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| Heracross
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This big, bad, bug with a giant horn is an odd one. You'd be forgiven to think it's just a gimmick, but Heracross can deliver quite a beatdown. It took a couple generations before they gave it any properly useful moves outside of Megahorn (and Reversal I guess) but regardless, it's a fun design. I helps that hercules beetles are just plain cool.
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| Houndoom
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Another Gen II type intro. This time, the Dark intro. Hellgar is one of those Pokémon that I don't understand anyone not liking. Aside from being a good boy at heart, It can rip threw opponents with ease thanks to solid moves and stats. Great design, stats, and moves. This evil pup is just fantastic.
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Gen III
Here we have the first Generation that I had no nostalgia goggles on. While I like far fewer in general, I still like a solid amount overall. You can clearly see the increase in design complexity overall, but some of that is what helped define Hoenn's overall motif.
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| Blaziken
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Unique type combo (at the time) and great stats. It's also the most useful Fire-type in Hoenn (that may be a matter of opinion). Flaming kick to the face. BAM!! Infernape tried to dethrone, but failed (in my opinion anyway). Blaziken is just plain cool. The fact it's a beast in battle just adds to the spectacle.
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| Lotad
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Lotad gets the coveted Magnemite Award for a Pokémon that offers instant gratification to any who lay their eyes upon it for the first time. Similar to Magnemite, the moment I saw Lotad, I loved it. It's a clever design done as straight as possible. The name alone makes me smile as well. Lotad wins on all fronts.
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| Gardevoir
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There's a respectable elegance to how Gardevoir, if it were real, would likely battle with a smooth flow, while also dishing out massive damage. Some may like Gardevoir for rather unsavory reasons, but I always liked it for it's simple battling prowess and design. It's a surprisingly straightforward design if you think about it.
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| Breloom
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The fact it evolves from a pod-like blob of grass is great. Go from this horrid little nothing to...whatever Breloom is supposed to be, but with immense Attack and you win! When I first played, Sapphire, I already knew what it was, but I wish I could have had this evolution surprise unspoiled. Breloom has a silly design and a ton of power to let people know it doesn't care what you think.
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| Trapinch
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Similar to Lotad, the moment I saw Trapinch, I loved it. This tiny ant with a giant head. You'd feel sorry for it until you realize it has a massive Attack stat. It's about as slow as molasses in the winter, but don't run from little Trapinch. Take it as your own and you shall be rewarded...
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| Flygon
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A big, friendly killer. There's a lot to like about Flygon. Fast, strong, some respectable versatility, and when the battle is won, you can fly to your next destination on it. It's the sort of excellent design that can be either cute or fearsome. This is another Pokémon that I can't see people disliking.
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| Lunatone
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What we have here is a crescent moon with a giant eye and pointy mouth in the middle. I love Lunatone. Although part of a duo with Solrock, I briefly used one in a Sapphire run to tank hits, and enjoyed its company. Thanks to a nice boost in HP as of Gen VII, it's even better at doing that. All the while, it has a great Special Attack. More people need to give Lunatone a chance. Well, after they remember it exists, I guess.
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| Metagross
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Huge Pokémon with huge popularity. I can't blame the masses for liking Metagross. It's a big beast with a super high IQ and ability to fly. It takes hits, it deals hits, and can do it all day. Just an awesome design overall and tons of fun to use.
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Gen IV
A weird generation that gave us a mix of all new and refreshed classics. There's not as many here that I like in terms of the completely original additions, but the new evolutions gave some much needed help to classics while also complimenting a fair number of the new Pokémon. Designs of this generation I'd say are arguable the best with a nice mix of complex and clean designs all around.
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| Empoleon
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Although I'd still greatly prefer Empoleon as a part Ice instead of Steel, it doesn't make a huge difference. Solid bulk and power make Empoleon a surprising powerhouse. I say surprising because for some reason, people don't seem to realize that Empoleon packs quite a punch. All the better to surprise opponents with...
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| Staraptor
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A regional bird done very right. We haven't seen a Normal/Flying bird this deadly since Dodrio, and not even Dodrio can hold up to Staraptor's 120 Attack power and great coverage. I think with some tweaks, Staraptor could have been part Fighting, but it wasn't meant to be. Still, it could easily tear through unprepared opponents while maintaining fantastic hair.
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| Garchomp
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Garchomp was an instant favorite of mine as soon as I knew it existed. A literal shark on land, it has the power to back up the looks. I don't really have much to say about it. I feel like it's so obvious how awesome Garchomp is.
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| Lucario
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I wasn't as sold on Lucario as easily as everyone else was. It had to prove to me that it was as good as everyone said. So it did. When I used one online, it may have been my MVP. My Lucario ripped through not just Pokémon, but sometimes whole teams with ease. Lucario earned my respect, and I didn't have to watch a movie to understand the appeal.
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| Weavile
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It was awesome when they did the Physical/Special split and made Sneasel useful, but then they cranked it up to 11 and gave us Weavile. Quite a glass canon with it's awesome speed and power with paper defenses, but who cares? It's arguably one of the coolest Pokémon around.
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| Magnezone
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When Gen IV was announced and people told me Magneton got an evolution, I was very hesitant. Even after I saw Magnezone for the first time, I was a little put off. Is this some kind of UFO or something? That doesn't make sense. I was frequently asked what I thought about it, and for a while, I wasn't sure. But a few things happened. First, I saw it's stats and used one. The sheer power Magnezone has combined with it's even greater bulk makes for an awesome combo. (Still not sure why they nerfed the Speed though.) But second, and most importantly, I simple grew to appreciate the design. It's basically a hugely overgrown Magnemite. Talk about more to love. Similar to Magneton, I can see why some would be put off, but I have grown to really like Magnezone and welcome it to the family.
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| Togekiss
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One of the first Gen IV Pokémon I trained for online battles was a Togekiss. I liked it's well distributed stats and huge movepool. These attributes were well founded as Togekiss became a really reliable team member for me. Appearance wise, I think it's a bit bloated, but it doesn't bother me too much. And when it's shooting Aura Sphere's through opponents, or getting Serene Grace flinch hax, it doesn't matter what it looks like.
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| Yanmega
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Take innocent little Yanma and drop radioactive ooze all over it, and you get Yanmega! I loved the design the moment I saw it, and I still think it looks great. Amazing ability and fantastic stats mean it's also super useful. Not a lot else to say here. Dragonflies are cool and Yanmega is too.
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| Gliscor
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Another Pokémon that got a properly angry makeover with its evolution. Doesn't get the huge Attack I would expect, but it's usable enough and has options for days with high Defense, Speed, and some great moves. Again not too much to say other than, it's great.
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| Mamoswine
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Piloswine was a real unfortunate case. Powerful, but too many weaknesses to overcome it's horrid Speed. So now we have Mamoswine. Just fast enough to outrun some baddies, and a massive attack stat to make sure that they don't get a second chance to attack. It's a bit of a doofy design, but I sort of instantly liked it when I saw it the first time.
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| Porygon-Z
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Porygon is cooler, but Z has so much Special Attack, it could spare some for the poor. But it won't. What Z lacks in charm, it makes up for in sheer insanity. It's design is literally broken, but with Adaptability and a massive Special Attack, it could blast holes through just about anything in its way.
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| Gallade
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A somewhat unexpected split evolution, but very welcome. Take the elegant dancing of Gardevoir and make it a swordsmen instead. Gallade wasn't expected, but makes perfect sense. It's a lot of fun to use and makes some cool noises, too. Would have been nice to get this in Gen III so we're not left with such an awkward evolution split, but whatever. At least we got Gallade in the first place.
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Gen V
The first Generation since...the first to include enough new Pokémon that they didn't need outside additions. This was a huge thing and with it a lot of cool new Pokémon. Some people take issue with the originality of some revealed in this generation, and I understand that, but look past them and at the real gems of this generation.
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| Excadrill
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Fast, hard hitting, metal mole. That is a recipe for awesome. I searched forever when I first played White to find a good Nature Drilbur in those damn dust clouds, but I'm glad I did because Excadrill is just pure destruction. Great Speed and tons of Attack power.
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| Leavanny
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Leavanny looks harmless, but when you're not looking, it can slice you in half. Well rounded stats, a slick movepool, and early availability make it an easy choice for a team member. I didn't start using one until half-way through a run, just wanting something to fill a niche, and Leavanny was exactly what I needed. An unexpectedly great Pokémon.
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| Krookodile
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Two amazingly awesome Ground-types in one Generation. Krookodile lacks the drill on it's head but makes up for it with built-in sunglasses. I don;t know if any Pokémon can tough the cool factor of Krookodile. Not just a cool customer, it can also destroy opponents with ease. Huge Attack and great Speed make using it easy and fun.
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| Sigilyph
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What we have here is possibly one of the most ridiculous designs in the entire series. Of all the things to make a Pokémon on, Game Freak gave us a living embodiment of the Nazca Lines. No one saw that coming and if anyone says they did, they're a liar. Great thing about Sigilyph is that while opponents are trying to determine what it is, it can easily destroy them with great Speed, Special Attack, and Magic Guard. To me, Sigilyph is just plain awesome.
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| Archeops
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While Defeatist is annoying, when it ISN'T activated, Archeops is just insane. It looks like it tripped and fell into a bunch of paint, but don't let appearances deceive you. When at full power, Archeops delivers some of the hardest hits in the entire series. Ripping through the Battle Subway is almost too easy with Archeops.
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| Galvantula
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Here we have an electrified tarantula that evolves from a tick. Pokémon, man...it's great. Another crazy design but it works so well. I was instantly interested in Galvantula as soon as it was revealed. Great stats and a very useful Compoundeyes Ability makes Galvantula one of the few useful spiders seen in Pokémon. (Seriously, why do so many spider Pokémon suck?)
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| Chandelure
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Two sides to the coin here. On the face of things, it's an interesting concept. A ghostly chandelier. That alone is pretty cool. But a staggering 145 Special Attack makes it absolutely insane. When I saw the stats on this thing, I genuinely didn't believe it. But believe it. Chandelure is amazing. Simple and effective design with astronomical power to take out the haters.
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| Mienshao
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A textbook Fighting-type with a bizarre appearance. Fast, incredibly powerful, but frail. That's all it needs to be. Making it look like a cat in long sleeves that can't sit still just means you won't be expecting the destruction.
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| Golurk
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Big ghostly statue that causes earthquakes. What is this thing and why can it fly? It doesn't matter because Golurk has no time for your judgemental opinions. There's a lot to like here with it's unique typing and powerful Attack stat. Add this to the pile of Pokémon that people simply shouldn't dislike.
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Gen VI
The infamous Gen VI. A pitiful, and frankly embarrassing amount of Pokémon introduced in this generation. But to be fair, it's a case of quality over quantity because there are some awesome Pokémon in here. Just not a lot of them. There's even fewer because we never got an additional game, so it's the only generation I've only played once. If I replay it at some point, some opinions may change.
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| Pyroar
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Simple and effective. The king of the jungle comes to France...for some reason...and makes a name for itself as a reliable, if slightly unremarkable, Pokémon. It doesn't really do anything in particular better than others, but it's stoic and reliable in it's ability to destroy, just a lion should be.
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| Barbaracle
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I've never used a Barbaracle, and due to my dislike of physical Water-types, not sure I will. But while most people find it ugly and confusing, I think this thing is great. Barbaracle is all claws at all times. Any angle you approach it, you are going to have to deal with claws. It's just cool.
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| Tyrantrum
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I've never used a Tyrantrum, I just think it looks awesome. Maybe some day I'll find a use for one on a team, but until them, it's like a poster on a wall. I see it, I like it, but I can't have it.
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| Hawlucha
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This is the insanity I want. It fights, it flies, and has a crazy outfit to top it off. Slightly lacking in sheer power, but that doesn't stop it from flying around the battlefield smashing everything it wants. A lot of fun to use. So glad that they finally delivered a Fighting/Flying, and it was something as cool as Hawlucha.
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Gen VI
Gen VII...oh dear... I mean, there's technically more Pokémon to pick from, and having played through the region twice, I have a better understanding of Pokémon I do and don't like. But still, the disappointment is strong... Worth noting that if I really liked any Alolan variants, they'd be here.
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| Decidueye
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This whole evolution line have great designs. Decidueye in particular looks great. Using it's hood vines to tighten focus and launch precision bow shots is so cool. In battle, I'd say it's only a bit better than mediocre, but it get's the job done.
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| Primarina
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I was hesitant to pick Popplio with its goofy design, but I'm glad I did because Primarina is so damn good that it makes the short lived goofy phase totally worth it. Tons of power, bulky defenses, and great moves. It's almost like the Gardevoir of the sea in how it battles. Strong, but elegant.
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| Toucannon
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Talk about an angry bird! Ha Ha! Crappy mobile game... Yea, Toucannon is great for many reasons. It is perpetually pissed off, which I can totally relate to. It also has a ton of tricks in battle, be it Skill Link, Beak Blast, or just straight up using it's huge Attack stat. But at the end of the day, it is based on a toucan. And if you don't like toucans, then what's wrong with you?
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| Ribombee
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The underdog, er, bug of the Generation. Highly effective and rocking that stylish scarf on the battlefield with ease. I really didn't expect much from this little bug, but it impressed me a lot.
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| Mudsdale
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Big horse tank hits. It's odd because real horses a sort of fickle things. They can get sick and die fairly easily, but not Mudsdale. Absolute beast of a Pokémon. It shrugs off all physical hits, and even some special ones. Then after that, it hits back like a semi-truck.
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| Salazzle
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When not keeping its harem in line, Salazzle is on the battlefield, sneaking through defenses of unsuspecting opponents. It then has the decision of whether to burn them alive or poison them slowly. Either way, Salazzle gets the job done.
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| Kommo-o
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It's easy for people to like pseudo-legendaries, as they're usually super strong and cool. Kommo-o is as such, but when you find one in the game, it's already near evolution time. Do the right thing and raise one from the start. It's more rewarding. Starting with Jangmo-o makes you appreciate the bulk and power of Kommo-o even more.
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MAGNEDETH
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