balladofwindfishes
Member
And yet only one bug is consistently used and it's the old standby whose been around since Gen II
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RTTP: The Pokemon. All 721 of them, and counting.
- Thread starter Watch Da Birdie
- Start date
I seriously love Joltik. I've been searching for a cute plush toy of that Pokemon, but they're either too small or are too lumpy.
I'm also the kind of guy that thinks Delibird is adorable, despite being completely useless in a competitive sense.
pirateluigi
Member
Eh, Galvantula, Volcarona, and Scolipede are all viable in competitive battling. Durant even has his uses, and is amazing in Battle Frontier.
Yep, nothing else comes close.
that'sapenis.jifff
Well I didn't mean competitvely, I just meant cool bug Pokemon that aren't complete garbage to use ingame
TriggerShy
Member
Unova's Bug types are great and all, but shouldn't we save that talk for when we get to them?
balladofwindfishes
Member
Well, it might be worth bringing up now because Sinnoh's bugs are garbage.
Kricketune makes Butterfree look top tier. Mothim, Wormadam and Vespiquen aren't far behind. And then there's male Combee.
Yanmega is the only one worth anything. And it's an evolution of an old Pokemon who wasn't too bad (compared to other Bug/Flying).
TriggerShy
Member
I don't really mind, but when we start posting fan-art that could be used when it's more relevant, I start to think we're going overboard and might run out of things to say when we get to Unova.
Did you mean Battle Tower or is there some other software called Battle Frontier I'm not aware of?
Genesect would probably see the most play if it weren't mythical.
pokemonsquared
Banned
The generation 5 bugs are quite flashy, but other than Genesect most of the better ones got powercreeped right out of the meta once 6th gen rolled around.
On another note I personally think the Treecko line gets a ton of praise for reasons I don't quite understand,at least in the 3rd generation. It's levelup moveset is pretty horrid overall with nothing but normal moves, leaf blade, and pursuit. Before 29 it can't really do much of anything really and it never felt that good even with TMs. Meanwhile Combusken starts kicking ass as soon as it learns double kick at 16 and never lets up, similarly with Marshtomp and mud shot. Even in ORAS with expanded movepools and mega evolutions I still feel like its quite outclassed by the other two. Yeah it had a good showing in the anime, but I liked Infernape, Charizard, and Greninja better.
On another note I personally think the Treecko line gets a ton of praise for reasons I don't quite understand,at least in the 3rd generation. It's levelup moveset is pretty horrid overall with nothing but normal moves, leaf blade, and pursuit. Before 29 it can't really do much of anything really and it never felt that good even with TMs. Meanwhile Combusken starts kicking ass as soon as it learns double kick at 16 and never lets up, similarly with Marshtomp and mud shot. Even in ORAS with expanded movepools and mega evolutions I still feel like its quite outclassed by the other two. Yeah it had a good showing in the anime, but I liked Infernape, Charizard, and Greninja better.
pirateluigi
Member
I actually should have said Battle Maison, but I suppose my hopes for Pokémon Z having a Battle Frontier got the best of me.
Speaking of bugs, I just defeated Koga in Pokémon Yellow his Venonat are no joke with Sleep powder and using the Pokéflute to wake them doesn't help as you will get stuck in a loop.
But I managed to defeat him thanks to Zeni, my Wartortle, Sand, my Sandslash, Saur, my Venusaur and Char, my Charmeleon though he fainted he didn't go down without a fight.
But I managed to defeat him thanks to Zeni, my Wartortle, Sand, my Sandslash, Saur, my Venusaur and Char, my Charmeleon though he fainted he didn't go down without a fight.
When we were kids we were willing to look past all of that because Sceptile is a badass.
TriggerShy
Member
Somebody made excellent use of their time.
They're great looking Pokemon, so of course they're going to be popular. It personally never bothered me that they didn't have great movesets. I mean the games are easy anyway, so that never really matters tbh, at least outside of competitive play - and I don't pick my favourites based on how viable they are.
Watch Da Birdie
I buy cakes for myself on my birthday it's not weird lots of people do it I bet
Is Shinx actually a lynx? Or is it simply a lion? The answer, coming hopefully tonight or tomorrow, will surprise you.
pokemonsquared
Banned
I suppose the looks may have had something to do with it. I see Sceptile as similar to Luxray as it gets praised a lot on the internet despite its less than stellar ingame uses. Although if I had to rate the grass starters based on how well they did ingame it would be so.
Chesnaught>Torterra>Venusaur>Sceptile>>Serperior>>>>>>Meganium.
Onto the more recent reviews
The starly line is definitely my favorite com mon bird line and I've used one in every playthrough of a Sinnoh region game. It was the very first pokemon I caught in Diamond and stayed with me to the end of the game and was easily the best bird I ever used even to this day. I'm aware that talonflame is better competitively but that's only because Gale Wings is broken as hell and not that good ingame where you outspeed most of the time with anything decently fast.
I always thought Bidoof was pretty dumb from the first DP leaks and completely overlooked its large HM compatibility until probably my second playthrough of Platinum. However a moody Bibarel saved my ass many times over in a Blazeblack playthrough and I've had a more favorable impression since.
Chesnaught>Torterra>Venusaur>Sceptile>>Serperior>>>>>>Meganium.
Onto the more recent reviews
The starly line is definitely my favorite com mon bird line and I've used one in every playthrough of a Sinnoh region game. It was the very first pokemon I caught in Diamond and stayed with me to the end of the game and was easily the best bird I ever used even to this day. I'm aware that talonflame is better competitively but that's only because Gale Wings is broken as hell and not that good ingame where you outspeed most of the time with anything decently fast.
I always thought Bidoof was pretty dumb from the first DP leaks and completely overlooked its large HM compatibility until probably my second playthrough of Platinum. However a moody Bibarel saved my ass many times over in a Blazeblack playthrough and I've had a more favorable impression since.
Was Chesnaught that good in game? Legit asking. But otherwise your list is spot on.
NipplesAndToes23
Member
Which generation added more than 100? This looks like it has less, but one gen had to if we're up to 721 with only 6 generations.
Black and White. They had 156 Pokemon.
NotDreamcast
Member
pokemonsquared
Banned
Chesnaught was my starter in X and was incredible. I know not many people picked him since Greninja was all the rage and fire starters always tended to be popular but Chesnaught has a pretty decent movepool that only gets better with TMs, he can tank pretty much anything short of a STAB brave bird on the physical side, has decently high attack power to back it up, and isn't too slow either. Then again X was the easiest pokemon game I've ever played with Omega Ruby being a very close second so it may be biased due to the game being so easy, but it's definitely a top 3. While I wouldn't say it's design is as cool as Sceptile or as badass as Torterra it's definitely a beast ingame.
Chespin's got an absurdly good in-game learndex for the early game. Some crazy coverage moves with Rollout, Pin Missile, and Bite, to the point that the first gym is hilariously easy even though you have type disadavantage just because of Rollout.
It levels off after that, but as long as you have a Fighting type TM for its evolution you're solid. I'd say it's easily top three in-game Grass starters alongside Torterra and Venusaur.
Watch Da Birdie
I buy cakes for myself on my birthday it's not weird lots of people do it I bet
It's hard to judge though since you also have infinite TMs, EXP All, and Super Training plus the easier difficulty.
Yes it is. I was so disappointed when they made it a male only starter in Explorers of Sky.
frozenmeatpopsicle
Neo Member
I got the 4" Banpresto one. It's adorable. I think it's perfect as it's basically life-sized.
Watch Da Birdie
I buy cakes for myself on my birthday it's not weird lots of people do it I bet
#403 - Shinx
Electric
Shinx is a pretty cool Pokemon, because early-game Electric-types aren't all that common outside of Pikachu, and being able to catch a three-stage Electric-type line fairly easily at the beginning is a great way to mix things up as opposed to the usual birds, bugs, and beavers. And if you're an Electric fan, Shinx is pretty much your best option in Diamond and Pearl unless you want to go with Pikachu or the new Pika clone---thankfully Platinum fixed things up quite a bit with the Magnemite and Elekid lines becoming available, complete with new evolutions, but like Fire Electric got a rather poor showing this time around in terms of the Regional Dex. Thankfully, Shinx is a pretty good Pokemon who does a good job at serving as a Physically-based Electric Pokemon, Game Freak making sure to give it a decent Physical Electric-type attack early on in Spark, and also has the always useful Intimidate as an Ability, or the new Rivalry Ability which raises its Attack if the foe is the same gender. If you happen to go with Rivalry, I believe the majority of in-game Pokemon happen to be male so you'll probably want a male Shinx. Either way, I imagine many players---myself included---used Shinx during their first playthrough of Sinnoh because it has a rather eye-catching design, is quite unique, and is very easy to come by. I also used him as my Partner in Mystery Dungeon Explorers of Sky alongside Phanpy. I miss when you could be non-Starter Pokemon in Mystery Dungeon.
So, there's a big debate over what animal the Shinx family is based on---is it a lion, or a lynx? Now, awhile back in this very thread, Boss Doggie shot down the notion that they're lynxes, but I'm here to tell you he's wrong. Now, to be fair, I don't think people seeing it as a lion are necessarily crazy---I remember when a silhouette of Shinx was first posted on the Japanese "Pokemon Garden" site, everyone noticed how it basically matched the classic "Kimba the White Lion"---but all evidence points to it mainly being a lynx, and I hope to show you here what that is. The fact that Generation VI introduced a straight-up lion Pokemon, who looks noticeable different than the Shinx line, only supports my point of view in my mind.
Well, you look at Shinx's dub name and you go, "hey, it rhymes with lynx!". But don't forget that the dub names are created separately from the designs by the Japanese Game Freak staff, and can sometimes be misleading---however, Shinx's Japanese name is "Kolink", and while there doesn't appear to be any reference to the lynx at first the way the Japanese language works "links" and "lynx" are both "rinkusu", so personally I believe like usual Game Freak was going for a dual-pun so those claiming that the localization invented the lynx connection aren't necessarily correct. Visually, while Shinx admittedly doesn't look necessarily like a lynx, it does have the trademark "bow-tie" ruff of fur that lynx are known for, as well as their bright-yellow eyes. In fact the word lynx derives from the Indo-European root-word for light, "leuk", in reference to their glowing eyes, and this may be why Game Freak was inspired to make them Electric-type Pokemon. Pay attention to the eye motif, as it becomes very important in regards to Shinx's final form and the main reason why I definitely believe it's meant to be a lynx.
Shinx played a semi-important role in Diamond and Pearl under the ownership of Angie, a rather interesting reoccurring character. She was basically a gender-swapped Ash, with Shinx serving as her Pikachu, and was a rather fun yet oddly underutilized character. Like, you know fans love to ship Ash with all the female leads, but he legitimately had good chemistry with Angie and their relationship felt very natural to the point that if I cared about romance in Pokemon, I would say that she was Ash's soul-mate. And then, after like a few episodes, she totally disappeared for good and was never mentioned again, in a season that actually seemed to care about continuity and character development. It was certainly odd, and to this day I'm not sure what the point of her character was. For Shinx, though, this wasn't the end of its importance to the show---in fact the line ended up becoming part of the main cast years later, as we'll see with its evolutions.
#404 - Luxio
Electric
At Level 15, Shinx evolves into Luxio. It's an all-around solid line that grows fast enough to never get left-behind, and in Diamond and Pearl it's at this stage that the line gains the solid Spark---though in Platinum it was bumped up to Level 13, Bite being switched around with it, and has remained this way ever since. The biggest issue with Luxio though is that beyond Spark, or Bite, it doesn't learn any other attack moves until it evolves and might become somewhat of a limited member when faced with Pokemon it doesn't have a Type Advantage against. Speaking of the Shinx line and Mystery Dungeon, in the original Mystery Dungeon Explorers Time/Darkness, Luxio and its evolution played a role as a boss during the story. But when Shinx was made a playable character in Explorers of Sky, I guess they thought it'd be weird using it to take on its evolutions and thus Luxio and co. were switched for Electrike and Manetric.
Well, with this stage, the jury over whether or not it's a lynx or a lion is still out---the name, "Luxio", which it shares in both the localization and the original seems to be a combination of "lux" and "leo", though visually I think Luxio is the one member of the line who definitely resembles a lynx due to how its ruffy mane looks, that's certainly not the usual lion-style mane. But just wait for the next form, that's when sparks will fly! One element the localized name of Shinx and Luxio introduces is a connection to Sphinxes, with Shinx of course seemingly referencing the creature by name and the "Lux" in Luxio possible being seen as referencing the Egyptian city of Luxor known for its "Avenue of Sphinx", though this seems a coincidence as the reference to "lux" as in light seems to make the most sense, and apart from being a cat there's nothing really Sphinx-like about it. But if you wanna read into it that way, I won't stop you.
In Diamond and Pearl, Luxio had a rather weird filler about it rescuing a stranded Wailmer from a sewer. And then, two series later in XY, it became a member of the main cast when Clemont caught one, an old childhood friend of his that he had accidentally abandoned back when it was a Shinx. Needless to say, this shocked a lot of folks. When it comes to Pokemon joining the main cast, typically they're either new Pokemon, or have a new evolution, or Pokemon related to a remake such as May getting Bulbasaur around Fire Red and Leaf Green or Dawn getting Cyndaquil around Heart Gold and Soul Silver. Luxio, on the other hand, was completely irrelevant---it is not a new Pokemon in XY, it doesn't have a new evolution nor does its line have a Mega, it's not from Hoenn and thus can't tied into ORAS, and in fact the line isn't even in the Kalos Dex, nor does Clemont use one in the games. In all fairness, he really should've caught Electrike who fits all those requirements bar the last one, but it's kind of cool to see a random old Pokemon get added to the main cast, and I'd love to see that happen more.
#405 - Luxray
Electric
At Level 30, Luxio evolves into Luxray. Now, I like Luxray, but surely I'm not the only one who looked at him and wished he could've ended up as Electric/Dark, am I? He has the look, and he has the moves, and that'd be a rather cool Type Combination, yet sadly it wasn't meant to be. In-game, Luxray is pretty good with a high Attack and some nice moves, though sadly in Generation IV Spark and Thunder Fang are the best STAB he has available to him, but it's basically Electric and Dark-type moves (unless you breed/tutor), and nothing else really, so he's good when you need him, worthless otherwise. In the competitive scene, he's an all-around average Electric-type Pokemon as while he's very powerful and can learn a decent set of Physical moves to take advantage of his Attack with the right breeding, he's also surprisingly slow at only 70 Speed which feels very off and an odd design choice given how sleek he appears. But I had fun using him in Pearl, so don't overlook him for an adventure due to some of his flaws.
Now, with Luxray, I can see how people look at it and see it as a lion---I did at first when I first played Diamond and Pearl. In fact, it seems it's meant to be rather ambiguous as a mix between multiple large cats including the lynx, the lion, and even a tiger as its Japanese name, "Rentorar", includes an elongated "tora", "tiger", at the end. However, in terms of motif, Luxray does indeed borrow elements of the lynx due to its superior vision which allows its golden-eyes to see through solid walls! Though the actual lynx isn't capable of such extreme visionary feats, according to Wikipedia mythological interpretations of the lynx often suggest its glowing eyes are capable of seeing through solid objects and is seen as a symbol of unraveling hidden truths. Game Freak really did their homework for this one, huh, because I had no clue about that element of the lynx until I read up on Luxray. So, well, I guess you could say it's inspired by the mythological lynx, kind of looks like a lion, and is named for a tiger originally---everyone wins this way, huh? But if I'm forced to pick just one animal, sorry Doggie, but I feel I've made it clear that the lynx appears to be the main design motif. One other neat little bit---while English calls them X-rays, other languages call them "rontgen rays" after their discoverer, the German physicist Wilhelm Rontgen. In Japan, this is rendered as "rentogen" and that's where the "ren" in "Rentorar" comes from.
In Diamond and Pearl, Luxray first appeared in a filler episode that was kind of cool since it featured a young Officer Jenny named "Marble"---I forgot if it was ever explained why she had a different name from the rest, but this seems to point that Jenny isn't a first name, but rather a surname. It makes a bit more sense in Japan where they're known as "Junsar", basically a pun on "junsa", "police", which sounds more like a surname or simply a casual term to refer to them as. It also served as Volkner's strongest Pokemon, fighting with Infernape and being taken down when the latter finally mastered Blaze. In XY, Clemont's Luxio eventually evolved into Luxray during a battle with Team Rocket and became his strongest Pokemon perhaps, using him as his ace against Ash in their much-hyped Gym Battle. Luxray did not disappoint as while it lost (c'mon, Ash had to win!) it put up a great fight. While Clemont in XY keeps all of his main Electric-type Pokemon at his Gym, Luxray continues to travel with him and I imagine with the plot pumping up for XY&Z, will get to battle again soon.
balladofwindfishes
Member
Don't be fooled by the names. The line are totally lions.
Luxray is on the short list for Pokemon I'm going to use in the eventual Diamond and Pearl remakes. I'm not sure why I never got around to using it
Luxray is on the short list for Pokemon I'm going to use in the eventual Diamond and Pearl remakes. I'm not sure why I never got around to using it
This is a misconception that is among the top of rustling my jimmies.
Cloud Strife
Member
Why Gamefreak, why is Luxray not Electric/Dark? Why.
balladofwindfishes
Member
Luxio's name has Leo in it, Luxray clearly has a prominent mane. They all also have the tail tuft of fur that cartoon lions always have. Lynx have stubby little nothing tails.
pokemonsquared
Banned
I remember being seriously dissapointed by the Luxray line despite being really hyped to get one for myself when Diamond comes out.
I'm still hoping it'll get Volt tackle one day.
I'm still hoping it'll get Volt tackle one day.
SatelliteOfLove
Member
Ah, the first now that we're in the main Gen 4 list to be a complete trainwreck looks-wise (we had a few evos from before). Stripes! Colors! Stars! Bands! There is no inate pleasing aesthetic! MORE MORE MORE!
Nothing wrong with that.
Yveltal is the edgiest Pokemon ever and I love it.
Electric/Dark Mega Luxray
plz Gamefreak
balladofwindfishes
Member
Luxray has three colors in its design, and a star on its tail referencing the constellation, Leo (or stars in general). The entire line has a light theme to it, and stars are obviously kind of important for light.
Of all the Pokemon to make this post for, Luxray's line is a strange one, considering they really aren't a busy design at all.
Luxray and co. are awesome. One of my all time favorites. Used them on my team in Diamond as a kid. Loved them then, love them now. How sweet is a Lynx Pokemon? And let me just add that sky blue and black is a cool color combo.
That said, Luxray not being Electric/Dark is a travesty that better at least be partially rectified by a mega evolution.
Also, it's pretty sweet that they'd bring back a Pokemon in the anime like that. It's not exactly like Luxray is a media-darling that Game Freak loves to push. I've noticed that the XY anime has been praised a lot throughout this thread. The more I hear about it the more I'm tempted to give it a look. Is it really actually good and worth watching?
That said, Luxray not being Electric/Dark is a travesty that better at least be partially rectified by a mega evolution.
Also, it's pretty sweet that they'd bring back a Pokemon in the anime like that. It's not exactly like Luxray is a media-darling that Game Freak loves to push. I've noticed that the XY anime has been praised a lot throughout this thread. The more I hear about it the more I'm tempted to give it a look. Is it really actually good and worth watching?
This is the best concept I've seen. I am not opposed.
balladofwindfishes
Member
Looking at them closely for the first time, there's some clever stuff they did between the evolutions.
It gains one leg stripe with each evolution
Its "pants" never get any bigger, so they get smaller as the line goes on, eventually appearing to "rip" once you hit Luxray.
Its neck fur grows larger and larger until it overtakes half of Luxray's body.
It's a more gradual evolution than a lot of Sinnoh's Pokemon, that sometimes change dramatically when evolving.
It gains one leg stripe with each evolution
Its "pants" never get any bigger, so they get smaller as the line goes on, eventually appearing to "rip" once you hit Luxray.
Its neck fur grows larger and larger until it overtakes half of Luxray's body.
It's a more gradual evolution than a lot of Sinnoh's Pokemon, that sometimes change dramatically when evolving.
Watch Da Birdie
I buy cakes for myself on my birthday it's not weird lots of people do it I bet
My idea for Mega Luxray is it getting more sleeker, with a goatee, and taking the eye motif further by forming electrical Kamina glasses that grant it Tinted Lens.
NipplesAndToes23
Member
Damn, didn't know each gen added more than except for 6.
It's weird seeing balladofwindfishes without the worm avatar.
I remember the very first time I played a Sinnoh game and I added Luxray to my team because he looked badass in that young Officer Jenny anime episode that Birdie talked about in the write up, and I thought he was alright. He really lacked a strong a strong physical electric move though, something which Gen V rectified, and he was also quite slow, so I ended up using Jolteon or Electivire on my replays of Platinum.
And yeah, Luxray learning crunch and yet not being Dark Type pissed me off.
And yeah, Luxray learning crunch and yet not being Dark Type pissed me off.
SatelliteOfLove
Member
If they ain't busy, then Ditto is invisible!
Xux
Member
Hey, I used a Luxray in Diamond! He was a cool guy. Intimidate + Thunder Fang for the win.
Retconing it to be Electric/Dark would be neat. Giving it anything at all besides Leer to reference its super eyes would be cool. Foresight (lol), Glare, Tinted Lens...I know the Pokedex is kind of an afterthought but c'mon!
I like how it's kinda theoretically balanced with Manectric BST wise. Like, Manectric has the way higher speed and good Sp. A. but Luxray has the better all around stats and better Attack. It's almost like they think about his stuff.
Next Pokemon's a neat dinosaur, I guess.
Retconing it to be Electric/Dark would be neat. Giving it anything at all besides Leer to reference its super eyes would be cool. Foresight (lol), Glare, Tinted Lens...I know the Pokedex is kind of an afterthought but c'mon!
I like how it's kinda theoretically balanced with Manectric BST wise. Like, Manectric has the way higher speed and good Sp. A. but Luxray has the better all around stats and better Attack. It's almost like they think about his stuff.
Next Pokemon's a neat dinosaur, I guess.
...I'm surprised they never did a Special Attack version of Intimidate.