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[Boss Doggie]

Oh, the ring girl? Why didn't you just say that, then?

Sadako is her name

 

[Watch Da Birdie]

#712 - Bergmite
Ice

And here we are, our last (for the purpose of this review) Ice-type Pokemon---and it's a slow, defense-oriented pure-Ice Pokemon. This illustrates a huge problem with Ice-type Pokemon, and it isn't simply their lack of resistances and multiple weaknesses but rather the fact that Game Freak seems to almost struggle when it comes to creating new Ice-type Pokemon that are mechanically interesting. Don't get me wrong, I really like Bergmite as a Pokemon, but hadn't its style of Ice-type been done enough at this point to try something a bit different especially with such a limited amount of New Pokemon? It just bothers me how the Ice-type has been so inconsistent over the years, like in Generation I and Generation II bar Articuno none of the Ice-types really gave off the impression of "ice" at first glance, then we got some Pokemon based on living ice in Generation III and Game Freak really never looked back and tried to mix both styles together, now most of the Ice-types feel, and play, rather similar to one another. Though Generation VII is introducing two new Ice-type combinations in Ice/Fairy and Ice/Steel, I'm honestly a bit worried that our only new Ice-type Pokemon so far are literally recolored classic Pokemon. I guess the element of "ice" is a bit specific and not as open-ended as some of the other Types, but there's plenty of animals that live in cold places for them to utilize

Anyway I consider Bergmite to be the successor to the Snorunt line, that late game Ice-type Pokemon that many people probably didn't even use because they already have their team set at that point---though unlike Snorunt, who you had to actually look for in Ruby and Sapphire, Bergmite is far more common and appears in a mandatory dungeon. I wanted to use Bergmite through my original Y playthrough and obtained one via the GTS early on and then quickly bred my own so it'd share the same OT as the rest of my squad, and it was really easy to have it catch-up to everyone else thanks to how Generation VI's experience point mechanics work. So I guess a Pokemon appearing late in the game isn't a bummer as it once was (so annoyed how many classic Pokemon in the Virtual Console release of RBY I just didn't use since I'd have to wait till the game's almost over to grab them), but we really need some more early-game Ice-type Pokemon because right now the only people who probably use them are those who specifically love the Type. Once more Sun and Moon doesn't seem to be turning this around, with the revealed Ice-type Pokemon looking like they won't pop up till around the third island.

Bergmite's really not all that exciting either, it's probably one of the most generic Ice-types there is and plays more or less how you'd expect a block of ice to play---decent HP, Attack, and Defense, everything else though is really bad and that's a big issue when you have four weaknesses. You'll get the usual benefits of the Ice-type like having a nice counter against Dragon-type Pokemon (as long as they're not packing a Fire-type move), but other than that don't expect Bergmite to be one of those great splashable Pokemon you can have as your lead and win every fight with. I remember mine doing well enough, thanks to how it was usually a few levels higher than the opponent, but it certainly wasn't a standout member of my team. Its moveset is fairly predictable, though learning Surf is cool though it can't actually make use of it whatsoever as a move due to its low Special Attack, and for Abilities you've got Ice Body and Own Tempo which probably won't come in handy too often since in-game you probably won't be running a team based around Hail. Too bad Sturdy is the Hidden Ability, because that'd certainly be pretty useful for the adventure by ensuring Bergmite gets a hit in before getting KO'd.

But as I said before I do like Bergmite, it reminded me of my old favorite Snorunt when I first saw it and I had to use it. Now it's not a super creative idea, it's basically a living snow creature (some think bug due to the "mite", but that's only in the English name) covered with an icy shell and could be called "the tip of the iceberg", literally, but I think it's rather adorable and a nice addition to the series, even if it does honestly feel like filler in a PokeDex that really didn't need filler. I also have to give props to Sugimori for how he drew the ice looking transparent, it gives Bergmite a cool look that helps it stick out somewhat from the rest of the Ice-types who lack that detail. One element of the design that confused a lot of people is the line between its eyes, which looks to be a mouth, but as far as I know isn't---I don't think it has a visible mouth though, or at least in Pokemon-Amie it eats without using any visible hole and I don't recall the show giving it a mouth either. I think the intent of the design was for the jagged edges of the ice protruding over its face to give the impression of a mouth, but then that line ruins that illusion somewhat where it ends up making you see a mouth.

Bergmite would've been cool to see with Ash, following in the footsteps of Snorunt, but it was saved for the battle with Wulfric---actually his second battle with Ash, as it was completely absent from the first fight despite Wulfric using its evolution. That's a bit odd after the previous episode had Ash go up against its evolution but Bergmite proved to be a decent match for Pikachu due to how it used the arena to move around super fast (theory time---what if in the game all Ice-type Pokemon got a speed boost in Hail?) but was eventually taken down with Iron Tail. A couple other Bergmite also hung out at the entrance of the Gym as the welcoming committee.

#713 - Avalugg
Ice

At only Level 37 Bergmite evolves into Avalugg, which is surprisingly low for an end-game Ice-type---if this was Generation V that would likely be ten levels higher at the very least. Avalugg's stats are the same pattern as Bergmite's, but more exaggerated with its Attack and Defense exceeding 100, the latter reaching the very high 184 making it the single most Defensive Ice-type in the entire series. But of course that doesn't mean much when you're a pure Ice-type Pokemon with three common weaknesses and no resistances, and your Special Defense is a laughable 46. If you're up against Avalugg and you don't have a move to take advantage of its weak points, yeah you'll be in trouble, but in most situations you can probably whittle it down quite easily with some fast Pokemon able to take advantage of its flaws. The PokeDex mentions its body is as hard as steel, so perhaps they should've made it Ice/Steel? That Type Combination isn't perfect, of course, but at least you get some resistances out of it! We'll be seeing in Sun and Moon how that Type Combination will work in practice, but I really wish they used it here just to give Avalugg a better way to standout from the crowd.

In the competitive scene Avalugg works as well as you'd expect, a Pokemon with such an amazing strongpoint in its Defense hindered by everything about the Ice-type itself being frankly terrible and thus ending up in the lower-tiers. It's not the worst Pokemon there is, but really its one niche is serving as a Rapid Spinner with decent offensive presence and physical bulk plus access to Recover, but its vulnerability to every entry hazard in addition to its poor Speed means it has trouble fulfilling that purpose and it can be easily countered by a decent Special Attacker. People joke that its one saving grace is that it can actually stand up to Talonflame with its amazing defenses capable of countering its Brave Bird and Flare Blitz, but then your opponent is probably running plenty of other equally broken Pokemon who will then proceed to effortlessly destroy the poor iceman.

If Bergmite was the tip of the iceberg, Avalugg is the rest of it---technically it'd be a "tabular iceberg" due to having a flattop---and now looks more animal-like, resembling some kind of icy turtle or dinosaur monster. Of all the Pokemon Bergmite undergoes the largest jump in weight upon evolving, and though Avalugg is only 6'07" tall its usually portrayed as being quite wide and easy enough for an adult to ride on. I recall there being some concept art of Wulfric riding one around a lake and it's a shame it didn't get its own Surf model + overworld model in XY demonstrating that because that's such a cool idea, here's hoping it ends up being a Pokemon you can ride on in Sun and Moon perhaps around some sort of frozen lake. I also love how the artwork uses the lighting to make it look "icy" and the unusual perspective that was needed to properly show off its body, it's just such a neat Pokemon to look at when modern Sugimori art tends to be rather bland and a tad lifeless. It also seems to be based on an aircraft carried as Bergmite ride atop it like one, Bulbapedia mentions in World War II there was actually a project designed to create a pseudo-ice aircraft carrier or something along those lines but I don't think Game Freak had such an obscure military venture in-mind when designing this Pokemon. Still, Avalugg is such a neat looking Pokemon it's a shame it ended up being mechanically stale. Thinking things over this line may be my favorite Kalos family overall.

In Ash's first battle with Wulfric Avalugg was easily his strongest Pokemon, taking down Hawlucha, Talonflame, and even Ash-Greninja quite easily all while constantly recovering thanks to Hail + Ice Body. Then in its second fight it, uh, wasn't that strong and Talonflame managed to win despite Ash not being shown training with it after the loss (he was crying in the woods over Ash-Greninja not being strong enough) and not really doing anything different from the first fight, but this was all so Wulfric could pull out Mega Abomasnow for a (admittedly awesome) showdown with Ash-Greninja.

 

[brinstar]

As a connoisseur of quadruped, tank-like Pokemon, this guy is probably one of my favorite Ice-type designs but he ended up coming too late in my X playthrough and lost his slot to a Durant. These are also some of the small handful of Gen 6 Pokemon I had no idea existed until they popped up in my game, so I'll also always remember them for that.

 

[The Technomancer]

and now looks more animal-like, resembling some kind of icy turtle or dinosaur monster

Uh...am I the only one who has always thought that Avalugg clearly looked like a bear?

 

[brinstar]

Uh...am I the only one who has always thought that Avalugg clearly looked like a bear?

if I had to put any animal to it it'd definitely be turtle before anything mammalian

 

[WPS]

I wonder if Avalugg was designed to show off Inverse battles? It might be a co-incidence, but defensive ice types work pretty well there.

If Bergmite had only one eye it would be a Zelda enemy.

 

[gardfish]

In recent games, I've gotten into the habit of putting together a "B-team" of Pokemon I was interested in trying out, but didn't end up making the cut for the main story to tackle the post-game sidequests. Avalugg was one of those guys for me. He has a pretty cool movepool, but the fact that he melts from an Ember makes him a little more situational than I'd really like. Still though, not a bad design, as played out as "nondescript creature made of ice" is--I like the aircraft carrier motif.

I actually like Bergmite more, though, something about it is kinda cute to me. Plus it reminds me of an enemy from Metroid Prime!

 

[Mr-Joker]

Bergmite/Avalugg are okay but crippled by their typing and the fact that Game Freak doesn't get that making an ice type physical wall is a terrible idea. In fact Ice type is such a bad type that Wulfric an ice gym leader mocks how weak they are.

Ice type sorely need a buff.

Anyway a cooler Pokémon coming up next.

Also we are nearly at the end. ;_;

 

[Toxi]

Bergmite reminds me of the Crystallites in Metroid Prime, so I immediately find it adorable.

 

[Boss Doggie]

I also like Avalugg and have one on the team. I love how it can surprise people that it could tank its weaknesses as long as it's physical.

 

[CazTGG]

Good design, bad typing, not that any Pokemon besides Weavile and Mamoswine can make use of the Ice type's major advantage: Ice works great as an offensive type and can hit a lot of type combos for super effective damage, especially with the advent of Freeze Dry in Gen VI (which is frankly long overdue since...well, water freezes in cold temperatures), but most Ice Pokemon are slow and bulky, which doesn't work with the type combinations they're given as they have weaknesses to common attack types like Fighting, Rock and Fire.

Also, most Ice Pokemon have horrible movepools, so that doesn't help..

 

[balladofwindfishes]

༼ つ ◕_◕ ༽つ SAKURAI GIFF POKEFLOATS

He'd make a nice Omega for Pokefloats.

Bergmite reminds me of the Crystallites in Metroid Prime, so I immediately find it adorable.

As soon as I saw it I assumed it was based on that. The resemblance is uncanny.

 

[jnWake]

Ice just needs a buff and, as you say, better concepts for their stats. Weavile is great mostly because it's speedy. Mamoswine could survive thanks to Thick Fat.

 

[TriggerShy]

 

[Toxi]

As soon as I saw it I assumed it was based on that. The resemblance is uncanny.

I'd chalk it up to coincidence, but I'll still name all my Bergmites and Avaluggs "Phendrana".

 

[ajim]

I love avalugg. Such a great looking pokemon.

 

[Boss Doggie]

Also sad that the game really reduced its imagined size. In the sheet art, it was supposed to be massive, like an actual carrier

 

[Trey]

we're nearing the finish line, folks. Are you planning on wrapping up around the launch of S/M, birdie?

 

[CassSept]

We are so close to the end.


I really, really like Phantump/Trevenant. Great set of Pokemon, one that I appreciate a lot even if I had never had an intention to use them. Maybe Trevenant looks a tad too like a jRPG enemy, but Phantump is totes adorbs.

I know a lot of people like Pumpkaboo/Gourgeist but they're rather meh to me, especially the latter. I don't see a problem with there being two Ghost/Grass families but I just don't find these two interesting from visual standpoint.

Bergmite I like but Avalugg... is a complicated one. In theory I should like it, but there's something off... not even about the design itself, but the way it's presented? For example that official Sugimori art, the angle it's presented at makes it really hard for me to grasp how it really looks like. That's been generally my biggest problem with Avalugg, there is something too awkward, too un-sapient about it.



Oh yeah and Klefki is totally overhated. It's so weird for me how much ire it had received over the last 3 years, totally undeservedly so. But well, that's just how it is.

 

[Mr-Joker]

I also like Avalugg and have one on the team. I love how it can surprise people that it could tank its weaknesses as long as it's physical.

If I ever end up using Avalugg on my team I would make him hold the Assault Vest to buff up his Special defense.

 

[NEO0MJ]

This was a favorite of mine.

If I ever end up using Avalugg on my team I would make him hold the Assault Vest to buff up his Special defense.

Considering ow low it is I can't imagine it helping much. You're better off boosting its attack and defense. Plus you'll lose access to recovery which is one of the reasons why it can do its job at tanking.

 

[Boss Doggie]

yeah, max out defense is much better, it's hilarious to see a super effect fighting move never killing him and then you counter

though I guess HP investment is good too, so you can do a surprise counter on special based attacks

 

[Vermillion]

Vulpix and Growlithe have actually grown closer since their debut. They're both pure-Fire canine Pokemon inspired by mythological Japanese creatures, have opposite gender distribution (Vulpix is 75% female, Growlithe 75% male), belong to the same Egg Group, have the same Ability, and even have similar Shiny colorations. I say this now and watch one of them get a Mega Evolution to break this...

Or an Alolan Form

 

[Hawkian]

holy crap that's a lot of pokemon.

 

[GoldStarz]

The most forgettable line in the KalosDex, possibly the entire PokeDex. I played the entire game without knowing Bergmite was a thing and the only reason I knew Avalugg existed was because Wulfric had it and when he pulled that one out I was like "Where did this thing come from?!"

 

[Watch Da Birdie]

#713 - Noibat
Flying/Dragon

After almost a year we come to our final non-Legendary Pokemon family, Noibat and Noivern! These two are a familiar Type Combination, but unusually flipped around and thus the only dual-Flying Pokemon that is primarily Flying, though why this is I couldn't tell you---I've heard it's because they're flying creatures first-and-foremost and dragons second, but it seems there's plenty of other Pokemon who would qualify as being primarily flying creatures who don't have Flying as their primary Type like Zubat and Skarmory. Anyway, so far there's no mechanic that distinguishes between a primary and secondary Type so it doesn't really matter but this sort of bugs me. Another thing that bugs me is how weak Noibat it is, its BST is literally the same as Zubat except with the Attack and Special Attack switched and thus it truly is the weakest Dragon-type Pokemon, more so than even Goomy, despite being one of the last Pokemon you'll likely encounter in Kalos. And unlike Zubat, who evolves rather quickly and then can evolve again almost immediately if you've been boosting its Happiness, poor Noibat won't evolve till Level 48 making it quite a difficult Pokemon to use in-game. I really wish they gave this line a middle evolution just so there wasn't such a big gap between a really weak Pokemon and a decently strong one.

Noibat doesn't really have any stat in specializes in, Speed is its highest at only 55, and the most reliable move it naturally learns until evolution is Air Cutter. It learns absolutely zero Dragon-type moves naturally prior to evolving nor can it learn any through a TM, though it can learn Outrage as an Egg Move plus a few more Dragon-type moves through the ORAS move tutors, plus the Draco Meteor one available in XY, and it makes me wonder if originally it was designed to lack the Dragon-type until evolution. I recall when it was originally revealed on the official site, post-release though, it was accidentally said to be a pure-Flying Pokemon and I have to wonder if that could've been the original intent but for whatever reason they decided to tack on the Dragon-type despite not resembling one whatsoever at this point. In addition to having a pretty poor movepool the only Ability really worth using is Infiltrator, Frisk being pretty pointless for an in-game run, and its Hidden Ability is Telepathy, something that is also pretty much useful only in competitive Doubles. And even then the main ally-hitting move people tend to use is Earthquake, and Noibat already is immune to that thanks to being a Flying-type so there's no real need for it. Using Noibat in-game can be rather frustrating, your best bet if you really want to use one is keep it in the back and use the Exp. Share to tunnel points into it with your other team members the entire run till it evolves around Gym 7 or so.

It seems Game Freak has taken an interest in bat-based Pokemon, we only had the Zubat line a few years back (Gligar and Gliscor are debatable though) but now we've got three Generations of bat-based Pokemon in a row in Woobat/Swoobat, Noibat, and recently Lunala. Well bats are pretty cool so I don't mind, and it hasn't gotten as overdone as moth, monkey, frog, or turtle Pokemon at this point with each bat-line being a different Type Combination so people probably don't mind. At first glance Noibat looks like it takes after a megabat species, such as a fruit bat, though the focus on echolocation is closer to microbats as fruit bats don't normally utilize echolocation nor are they known to suck blood, but Noibat is all about sound-based attacks and can also use Leech Life. I guess biological accuracy doesn't really matter when it ends up evolving into a wyvern, though. As the Sound Wave Pokemon they can emit ultrasonic waves of 200,000 hertz which far exceeds the range a human being can hear and is the peak of even what an actual bat can hear. Furthermore real bats emit waves that only reach about 100,000 hertz and do so through their mouth or in some cases their nose, not their ear. The sound that Noibat emits is so powerful that even a robust wrestler may feel dizzy---you know, it kind of bothers me how these Dex entries use humans or real animals in some cases as a point of comparison rather than an actual Pokemon. I feel like saying "even an Exploud can become dizzy!" would be a much cooler way to indicate just how powerful these waves are rather than using an abstract human example.

My opinion on Noibat is mainly indifference, it's really hard to follow up the classic Zubat, for better or worse, as we saw with Woobat but that one at the very least I found to be extremely cute and quirky, Noibat is kind of a let down as a late-game Pokemon and rather forgettable to me until it popped up in the show. Consider how small the Kalos Dex was, and we already had a Dragon-line in Goomy, I would've rather seen these two spaces go to a more unique and interesting Pokemon, once more another Bug, Ice, or Ground Pokemon would've been nice, instead of yet another Dragon/Flying Pokemon, bar with the Types reversed, that doesn't really bring anything new to the table whatsoever. One thing that always bugged me about Noibat's design, which I'll say is solid enough, is that the way its fur is arranged gives it somewhat of a ninja appearance, or is this just me? Every time I look at it I see a little ninja bat, and that would've been pretty radical if they followed up on that, but nothing in its lore or abilities supports this interpretation so I guess it's just a coincidence? Poor Noibat reminds me of many of the late-game Unova Pokemon where I wonder how it will fare outside of its introduction with its high evolutionary level, you can't really put it in a future game any earlier to fix things because you're still be waiting forever for it to evolve.

In the anime Noibat was the final Pokemon Ash obtained in XY, more or less replacing Goodra shortly after its departure much like Gible did for Gliscor in Diamond and Pearl. It was painfully telegraphed and just highlighted to me how forced Ash's Goodra was and people weren't too thrilled at Ash getting yet another Flying-type and another Dragon-type, and when Goodra returned in time for the Kalos League it left Ash with what I consider to be a rather stale and uninteresting team overall, but considering the Kalos League became the Ash-Greninja show basically I guess at that point the writers didn't care to distinguish everyone else. Like Phanpy in Johto Noibat was found as an Egg and quickly hatched, a cute little baby Pokemon who had a few quirks such as being unable to fly and emitting a supersonic scream when frightened, plus it struck up a "little brother" relationship with Hawlucha which was fun as well. That's pretty much Noibat in an eggshell, all it really did prior to evolution was train with Hawlucha to learn how to fly and use its echolocation here and there to help the gang out when they needed to locate something. I'd like to tell you that once it evolved it became a cornerstone of Ash's team, but that'd be lying---Noibat ended up being pretty much the most pointless part of XY when all was said and done.

#714 - Noivern
Flying/Dragon

At Level 48 Noibat finally evolves into Noivern, a Pokemon with the same BST as Crobat---a Pokemon you can obtain as early as Level 23. It actually has the same HP and defenses as Crobat but is seven points slower and its Attack and Special Attack are opposite Crobat's, bar those seven points from Speed going into its Special Attack. Considering its Typing, appearance, and location in the PokeDex quite a few people have mistakenly believed it to be the Pseudo-Legendary of Generation VI, especially when it was first revealed at E3, and perhaps at one point it was intended to be but it ended up being a rather ho-hum Pokemon when all was said and done that falls short of the Pseudo-Legendary requirements with only 535 BST. That being said when you finally obtain one in-game, likely around the very end, you have a pretty solid Pokemon with great Speed and nice Special Attack in addition to learning some good moves like Hurricane, Dragon Pulse, and Boomburst, the latter being one of the strongest penalty-free moves in the game. If you have Heart Scales it can immediately learn all three through the Move Reminder as soon as it evolves, otherwise you'll need to grind to 62, 70, and 75 respectively to obtain all three. So raising one isn't a waste of time really if you really like the design, but a bit more time consuming and a species you'll probably only use if you specifically decide to use one from the beginning.

Noivern isn't a bad Pokemon competitively, but considering its stats you can imagine it ends up being less used than many of its far stronger Dragon/Flying counterparts. In the lower tier it does inhabit however it can be quite powerful thanks to its Speed and has a decent set of moves to make use of its nice Special Attack like Draco Meteor and Hurricane allowing it to break through walls, and its Wallbreaker status is enhanced thanks to Infiltrator allowing it to break through screens and substitutes. It has a lot of obvious weaknesses, such as struggling against Pokemon faster than it such as its "counterpart" Crobat and requiring the support of its team to ensure that it isn't weakened by Stealth Rock, but it can do some pretty decent damage if your opponent doesn't have a counter for it and is probably one of the best non-Pseudo/Legendary/Mega Dragon-types out there. It also has some surprising utility thanks to Taunt and Roost, and in the VGC serves as a rather nice support Pokemon with Frisk allowing you to get the insight on any item-based strategies the opponent might be planning.

Though it still kind of resembles a bat somewhat, Noivern lives up to its Dragon-type and draws from the mythical wyvern, a dragon-like creature (though technically not considered a real dragon) with a dragon's head, a reptile's body, two wings, and a forked tail, in addition to only having two legs whereas true dragons are typically depicted with four. It also usually is unable to breathe fire (Noivern can't naturally learn any Fire-type attacks), though sometimes are said to have ice or poison attributes, and are generally seen as weaker and less intelligent than the typical four-legged dragon but still revered and often seen in the heraldry of European countries. Wyvern pretty much fits that bill, being one of the weaker Dragon-type Pokemon, but keeping the sound attribute from its origin as a bat-like Pokemon. It's a solid enough concept and design, but like Noibat Noivern just feels a bit dull to me---and honestly I think if it came earlier in the PokeDex I wouldn't judge it so harshly, but as the last non-Legendary Pokemon in Kalos I was definitely expecting more out of it. I will add that it has an awesome name in German, UHaFnir, though.

Noivern was revealed during E3 2013 and got a decent amount of promotion, its model being used to demonstrate the future-proof 3D models the team had developed to use in future titles, but outside of the E3 showing I don't recall it being particularly widespread in promotional material. When it was first revealed, and this was shortly after Sylveon was and before Mega Pokemon, quite a few people thought that it was related to Swoobat due to its design and theme though in retrospect this is a rather odd leap in logic to make honestly, and this is coming from someone who briefly considered that possibility. People also thought it was the Pseudo-Legendary, thus like Haxorus it seems to me Game Freak likes to throw out a cool looking Dragon-type during pre-release who looks to be the Pseudo only to pull the rug out from under us when the game is released and it ends up being a different Pokemon---I almost guarantee you that none of the revealed Dragon-type Pokemon for Sun and Moon are Pseudo-Legendaries.

Ash's Noibat evolved into Noivern while rescuing Hawlucha from a rampaging Zapdos and then put up a nice fight against it using its echolocation powers to navigate through a dangerous valley and surprise the Electric bird---then it proceeded to suck for the rest of the series basically losing every fight it took part in. I legitimately do not even understand why the writers gave Ash Noivern only to have it end up being one of his weakest Pokemon ever, its DP counterpart Gible ended up basically winning Ash's battle against Conway for him having Tobias compliment its strength mentioning that its Draco Meteor could seriously hurt Darkrai. Noivern in the Kalos League literally had a scene where it faints and Hawlucha comes out and promises to avenge it, it was just such an embarrassing Pokemon all around. Who knows if they'll give it something cool to do before XY ends, or will it just be tossed into Oak's Lab for the rest of its life. Way before Ash's Noivern it was one of the first Generation VI Pokemon to appear in the show during Best Wishes, another Pokemon owned by Alexa. It didn't appear much in Best Wishes and had a brief moment in XY where it helped Ash train, but it probably has a better win record than Ash's I'd wager.

 

[Ezalc]

Disappointing since Noivern looks so much better than Goodra and it got the short end of the stick in basically everything. Stats, show appearance, and in game usage.

 

[CazTGG]

Honestly, Noivern could've used a three-stage evolution line because the jump from its first to final form is...jarring. Not quite as weird as going from Golbat to Crobat, but it feels like there's a step missing between the two. Still, they are decent designs when taken on their own.

 

[Mr-Joker]

I really wanted to use Noibat/Noivern but he appears so late in the game and trading him early into a new game is pointless as he evolves so late.

I don't know if I will ever get to use him but maybe I can if Noibat appears earlier in the game around level 30-35.

Considering ow low it is I can't imagine it helping much. You're better off boosting its attack and defense. Plus you'll lose access to recovery which is one of the reasons why it can do its job at tanking.

It will be fine for an in-game team as I don't do the meta game.

The most forgettable line in the KalosDex, possibly the entire PokeDex. I played the entire game without knowing Bergmite was a thing and the only reason I knew Avalugg existed was because Wulfric had it and when he pulled that one out I was like "Where did this thing come from?!"

It also doesn't help that older Pokémon grossly outnumber the Kalos Pokémon.

I really wish they gave this line a middle evolution just so there wasn't such a big gap between a really weak Pokemon and a decently strong one.

Agreed, Noibat really needed a mid evolution.

Ash's Noibat evolved into Noivern while rescuing Hawlucha from a rampaging Zapdos and then put up a nice fight against it using its echolocation powers to navigate through a dangerous valley and surprise the Electric bird---then it proceeded to suck for the rest of the series basically losing every fight it took part in. I legitimately do not even understand why the writers gave Ash Noivern only to have it end up being one of his weakest Pokemon ever, its DP counterpart Gible ended up basically winning Ash's battle against Conway for him having Tobias compliment its strength mentioning that its Draco Meteor could seriously hurt Darkrai. Noivern in the Kalos League literally had a scene where it faints and Hawlucha comes out and promises to avenge it, it was just such an embarrassing Pokemon all around. Who knows if they'll give it something cool to do before XY ends, or will it just be tossed into Oak's Lab for the rest of its life. Way before Ash's Noivern it was one of the first Generation VI Pokemon to appear in the show during Best Wishes, another Pokemon owned by Alexa. It didn't appear much in Best Wishes and had a brief moment in XY where it helped Ash train, but it probably has a better win record than Ash's I'd wager.

Agreed, I wasn't too happy that Ash final Pokémon would end up being another flying type and Noibat just didn't seem interesting to watch and when he evolved he continued to be unremarkable even right down to his evolution episode being a copy and paste of Fletchinder evolving into Talonflame.

Honestly Ash's Kalos team just didn't really stand out aside from Hawlucha and the star of the team Super Greninja.

I mean while Infernape was the star of Ash's team the writers did at least shine the spot light on his other team members.

 

[SatelliteOfLove]

Wyverns were said in myth to breathe poison so having Sludge Wave would be great against Fairies.

 

[Mael]

Watch da birdie,
I just discovered this thread and it's actually awesome!
I know you're near the end and everything but great work you're nearly done with the 7 of them....till november that is.
You avatar is fantastic for this thread btw.
Now if you'll excuse me I'm going to sink my teeth into the thread and try to catch up!

 

[brinstar]

Noivern was my bro in X. Still is actually, I use its Boomburst to clear out hordes while EV training.

 

[Toxi]

Noivern is basically a Monster Hunter wyvern as a Pokemon. Except somehow Monster Hunter hasn't had a bat-themed wyvern yet; it seems like such an obvious idea, especially when we've already had wyverns based on cats, whales, blind cave-dwelling animals, owls...

 

[balladofwindfishes]

You got some Monster Hunter in my Pokemon

But Noivern is a pretty awesome looking Pokemon. It's certainly different looking than other Pokemon designs

 

[Daemul]

Ah yes, Jobvern, even more disappointing than Torterra.

 

[Caelus]

When the page loaded and I saw Bergmite I thought it was a new Alola Pokemon, holy shiet . For the longest time I thought Avalugg was single stage. Poor Kalos, you still have some of the best Pokemon designs ever (like Noiverrrrn).

 

[Macka]

Noibat is absolutely adorable, and Noivern is amazing looking - easily my favourite Dragon type Pokemon ever, and one of my overall favourite lines of all time.

I agree that it comes too late, but I can forgive that based on how fantatic the design is.

 

[Deleted member 231381]

Should have been a psuedo line - Gen 3 set the precedent for having more than 1. Stick a middle evo in there and boost the stats and job's a good 'un. Still, great designs on both, really like them. Shame that such a good design got such a poor end of the stick in terms of stats and movepool - it's Flareon all over again.

 

[Busaiku]

We need more non-Dragon ones.

 

[SciencePilot]

Avalugg and Noivern are both really awesome. I don't have much to say about them other than that. But both top tier Pokémon designs for sure.

 

[TriggerShy]

 

[Boss Doggie]

Noibat and Noivern a cute! And it looks like the relevant GIFs are already there.

Also it did beat one mon after Zapdos - Doublade.

Sadly as much as I love it, it really is just a special based Crobat. It should have given more power and have Aerilate to make use of its Boomburst.

 

[Butane123]

Noibat/Noivern will probably be my most memorable in-game pokemon ever.

Just starting out the game (literally it was the first day it was available), I decided to try out Wonder Trade. I traded whatever junk I had and got back junk of course. After a few times, someone sends me over a level 40-something Noibat. Considering I liked the way Noivern looked, I decided to breed my own since all my 'mons were around level 15 and use it as my flying type.

So get a few eggs, figure I would hatch them all and see which one had the best nature. I think it was the 2nd or 3rd egg, and a shiny one hatched with a modest nature. So it became the one I used for the rest of the adventure.

Holy crap Noibat was bad. Couldn't do a thing to anyone, but dammit I was determined to get him to a Noivern. Didn't help that I refused to use exp.share. Anyway, he was fine once he evolved, but man was that a grind to use him.

 

[TriggerShy]

Source

Source

Source

Source

 

[Boss Doggie]

if only it was a mexican bird than a chameleon, it would have been perfect

 

[Malrend]

Chameleons will forever be better than birds.. And bears.

 

[Cute Dragon Here]

There's me!

*apologises profusely for failing everyone*

I'm kind of a Noivern nut at this point and it does feel like every other moment I'm thinking of that froofy batwyvern thingy... And now I kind of wish I had plushies of the nois.

I always have a Noivern in my team at all timed, be it single or online play... And I probably will try to get a noi in Moon as soon as possible.

Spoiler

ItriedsohardtonotjobtoAlainbutstill

 

[Darhkwing]

Couldn't believe it was 721!

I made a video , about my experiences with the pokemon games and how Pokemon Go became so popular.

Hope don't mind me posting it.

https://youtu.be/uhI0o1f9HMo

 

[NEO0MJ]

This is a pretty cool line that's also decent competitively. Kinda surprised Smogon doesn't recommend using Boomburst much, though I guess competitively you'd rather have coverage over a reliable move. If Noivern was stronger it would have maybe been different.

 

[Boss Doggie]

This is a pretty cool line that's also decent competitively. Kinda surprised Smogon doesn't recommend using Boomburst much, though I guess competitively you'd rather have coverage over a reliable move. If Noivern was stronger it would have maybe been different.

or Aerilate