Blame it on random topic generation or a lack of creativity on my part, but hey - you still get your (entertaining) blog entry for today; I get my word quota matched as well; there's a new tag for you to look at in bewilderment!
Right-o! Let's get a move on this blog!
CURRENT MUSIC:
Soichi Terada - "Crumbling Castle"
Ape Escape Originape Soundtracks
Ape Escape was influential in the PlayStation years - notably because it was one of the first games (if not the first) that required the DualShock analog controller. Plus, it was a great game, to boot - it's one of my favorite games from that console.
Anyway, I love the soundtrack to this game - partially because it differed from level to level (little to no recycling was used for stage music - which impressed me off the bat), and mostly because the tracks are specially designed so that when using a simple audio editor, you can loop them as much as you want without having to cut anything from the data streams.
"Crumbling Castle" is played in one of the later stages of the game, taking place in a crumbling castle (gee, I couldn't tell) that Specter, the primary antagonist, has set up as one of his bases in his attempt to alter history so that monkeys are the dominant primate. Between how precarious the stage was set up (traps and holes everywhere) and the tone the music sets up for you (a sort of "cautious blitz," if you'll pardon the oxymoron), it fits the situation quite well.
Hans Zimmer - "Show Me Your Firetruck"
Backdraft: Music from the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Not many people have seen Backdraft (I'm amongst those people), but from what I've heard from the soundtrack, it's gotta be pretty good. I mean, it has to be - everyone who's seen Iron Chef (the original one) knows the music from this movie. The opening title sequence for the Japanese cooking show? "Show Me Your Firetruck."
Hello, everybody! Here to look at my Top Ten Pokémon because it has a "Pokémon" tag on the entry, or were you "forced" to when I slapped that link on my Facebook? =P
Well, regardless of your reason for showing up on here, I bid you welcome to my humble blog, and thank you for reading today's (geeky) entry.
I thought to myself earlier today about what to write about (yet again I'm suffering from "nothing's coming to mind" syndrome), and a conversation arose. It looked something like this:
----- BEGIN FLASHBACK -----
Josh is seen sitting as his computer desk, staring at his laptop screen yet again.
THE UNNAMED MUSE that REPRESENTS JOSH'S THOUGHTS:[1] So... here we are again. Another staring contest against your laptop that you're going to lose. Isn't there anything I can say to get you to stop?
JOSH: Another "A for effort," perhaps?
THE UNNAMED MUSE: Ha. No, not this time - I think you've met your quota for the month.
Josh turns away from his laptop and stares at the books in his shelf.
JOSH: "Quota?" I don't recall us agreeing on setting a limit.
THE UNNAMED MUSE: Well, I did. Frankly, you need to stop staring and get to typing.
JOSH: And type what? I got nothing.
THE UNNAMED MUSE: There's always something. You just need to learn to stop focusing on how you supposedly have "nothing" for your writing...
Josh goes back on his laptop and begins rifling through the many open tabs he has open on Google Chrome. One by one he begins closing them in an attempt to de-clutter his screen.
THE UNNAMED MUSE [cont'd]: ...and focus on what you do have in front of you.
JOSH: [disbelievingly] Like what?
The Unnamed Muse rolls her eyes as Josh mindlessly removes the tabs. Suddenly, she points at the screen and pushes Josh's hand off the mouse.
THE UNNAMED MUSE: Like that.
Currently open on Chrome is a tab from Bulbapedia regarding...
JOSH: ...a wiki page on Espeon. What about it?
THE UNNAMED MUSE: Why did you have it open?
JOSH: Well, I was bored and I decided to just look up things on Eevee and their Eeveelutions.
THE UNNAMED MUSE: Would you consider Espeon to be one of your favorite Pokémon?
Josh blinks as he looks at The Unnamed Muse.
JOSH: Uhm... yeah. I mean, I'm pretty fond of Psychic-types, and I wanted to breed one for that Eevee army I never got around to training.
THE UNNAMED MUSE: I see. One of your top ten favorites, then?
JOSH: [after a bit of thought] Yeah, I suppose it'd be.
Josh turns back to the screen as he continues removing tabs from Chrome.
THE UNNAMED MUSE: I see. Well, then, I have a question.
JOSH: Ask.
THE UNNAMED MUSE: Who're the other Pokémon on your top ten list?
Our hero freezes in thought, pondering his muse's question. A devious grin slowly forms on his face.
JOSH: ...liiiiiiiiiiight bulb.
The Unnamed Muse rolls her eyes and smirks as Josh rushes to open a new tab on Blogger and furiously types.
----- END FLASHBACK -----
Yeah, I know: overactive imagination. Can't help it. I like bringing things to life.
As (un)true as this flashback is, the end result is true - an in-depth look at ten Pokémon that I consider my favorites.
DISCLAIMER: High dosages of Pokémon nerdism from here on out. I'm authorized to warn you. I've even wearing an identification badge on myself to prove it. What, you don't believe me? Let me take it off and snapshot it...
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| According to this, Target sponsors my Pokémon training. That, and I apparently picked an Aipom as my starter. |
I began analyzing all 649 species of Pokémon (yes, there are that many now) and tried to find out which ones I loved the most. I went over virtually everything I had access to that was related to Pokémon. Games, pics, profiles, websites, friends' rosters...
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| My Pokemans (cards)! Let me show you them.[2] |
- how popular they were
- their in-game power and versatility
- their versatility when applied to a fictional real-life perspective
- physical attributes[3]
- how broken and/or over-hyped they are
- other miscellaneous attributes I'm too lazy to list
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| As much as I liek Mudkipz, I didn't choose the little mud fish. SHOCKER. |
And of those ten, I analyzed the group and figured out which ones I favorited the most.
So, without further ado, I give you:
Josh Blanco's Top Ten Pokémon!
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| Do not disturb this Xatu. It sees the past... the future... and YOU. |
(#178 - Psychic/Flying)
Cards on the table: I wasn't as fond of the Psychic-types when the games first came out.
Back then in the Red/Blue/Yellow days, when Psychic-types were the dominant Pokémon, I leered away from them, thinking that it takes real skill to use someone who wasn't overpowered. Then came Gold/Silver/Crystal, and the Dark-types were introduced. As the balance was created, I decided that I'd give them a shot. So, as I trekked through Johto with my trusty Cyndaquil, I ended up catching a silly little Natu that evolved into a Xatu.
Now, while Xatu in general don't possess the strength necessary to take on the big leagues in tournament gameplay, they had enough to help you take on all but the strongest of opponents in the story. That was a good thing - it was quite the Pokémon to behold. It was the first Psychic/Flying species ever seen, and it had decent stats to boot. While its move pool wasn't that surprising (Psychic and Flying attacks... who would've guessed?), the fourth-generation games added to its usefulness by allowing it to use Shadow Ball and SolarBeam. (wat.)
In a real-life setting, Xatu would be one of the coolest Pokémon to have. Silver Version and SoulSilver Version both had a PokéDex description saying that there were sayings about them in South America - so if they were to exist, they'd already be well-known! Its psychic abilities, while not as strong as other Psychic Pokémon, are still something to mention. the psionic power Xatu primarily deal with involve visions of the past (seen with its left eye) and visions of the future (seen with the right). Plus, their natural precognitive abilities would be very handy to have in a variety of locations - sports events to protect the participants and spectators, government facilities to safeguard national security, and maybe even at crime scenes to see what happened at the time the whole thing went down.
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| This Xatu knows how cool its species is. Look at it bowing all humble and what not... I want one! (Picture made by "Pairon" and found on DeviantArt.) |
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| The beloved mascot of an electrified mouse. I can has? |
(#025 - Electric)
It's not surprising how the mascot of the Pokémon franchise shows up on my Top Ten, but for the electric mouse to not hit the top five? Interesting. Anyway, Pikachu is here on this list for a variety of reasons.
First, I think Pikachu was one of the coolest starters ever, and if trained properly, a decent fighter. My first Pokémon game was Yellow Version and I loved how your Pikachu would just walk behind you as if it was the hit anime series. I'd train it, it'd be happy, I'd train it some more and watch it kick some butt, it'd be even happier - triumphant, even. Plus, everyone was fond of Ash's Pikachu from the anime - I don't think we'd want to evolve it. (It certainly didn't want to.) In later games it would prove to be an interesting competitor, even when compared to its evolved form Raichu. While it lacked the strength to take on tougher opponents, it possessed a varied move pool that could get it out of any trouble it got into. Also, if a Pikachu held a Light Ball in battle, its speed would double, which made it more agile than most Raichu.
Secondly, it's Pikachu. As mentioned before, it's the mascot of the series, picked out amongst the original 151 when Pokémon hit America by storm for being "the cutest" of them all. It's one of the most widely recognized characters out there - you say "Pokémon" to a person, and one of the first ones that pops into their heads is the little yellow electric mouse.
Third, and lastly: one of my mains in the Smash series of fighting games is Pikachu. Like in the Pokémon games, Pikachu is small, fast, and can easily beat the living daylights out of opponents if the player knows how to use it. I'm not the greatest with Pikachu (save the original Smash Bros.; Zelda's my current main in Brawl), but under the right circumstances (or if I've simply been practicing), I will tear you up.
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| Things that depress a Pikachu include: not winning, being sick, and broken bottles of ketchup. (screenshot from Pokémon S1E40: "Showdown at Dark City") |
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| How exactly does a ghost weigh 89.3 pounds? That's what I wanna know. |
(#094 - Ghost/Poison)
Ghost aficionados really didn't have much choice in the first few generations when it came to picking a Ghost team. It didn't really matter in Gengar's case - everyone flocked to the original final-form Ghost Pokémon with great gusto. It possesses a nasty special attack stat and is pretty fast to boot (though it won't outgun a few other tournament mainstays). The only problem was that in the first three generations, when the Physical/Special split wasn't present[4], Gengar lacked the power to use anything that would receive any "same-type attack bonus" (known as "STAB" in Pokémon jargon) - Ghost and Poison attacks were considered "physical."
The latter generations gave it the edge it needed to compete with moves other than Psychic, Thunderbolt and Giga Drain - and it ghosted its way to the hearts of competitors worldwide (see what I did there?).
Now, the nightmare-inducing Pokémon has been a favorite of mine ever since I learned of its power. In the first three generations, it obviously didn't have anything that could benefit from STAB (its physical attack was comparable to your average nerd's capability to punch through a single layer brick wall), but it had a move pool versatile enough to make it an interesting contender in the right hands. With the fourth-generation and its changes, it now has an improved and devastating arsenal in its sinister, incorporeal hands.
I wouldn't want a Gengar in real-life. I think it'd haunt my dreams and devour my soul, even if I was its trainer. Of course, it could do something more sinister... like prank my friends and troll me to death.
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| Just look at its pseudo-troll face! It's clearly waiting to do something devious! (Picture made by "Leliea" and found on DeviantArt.) |
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| And to think Captain Falcon played Pokémon... "Blaziken! Show me yo' moves! FALCON KNEE!" |
(#257 - Fire/Fighting)
When it came down to picking my starter on Ruby Version, I did some research and found that the Hoenn starters would make this experience interesting. Grovyle, the final form of Treeko, would possess speed previously unheard of for a pure Grass-type. Swampert, the final form of everyone's favorite little mudfish Mudkip, possessed a peculiar Water/Ground typing, making it quite formidable when given the right move pool.
And then there was Blaziken, which was the final form of the cute little fire chicken known as Torchic. What I found out astounded me. It would end up being a Fire/Fighting combination - one never seen before. Its stats easily made it a mixed sweeper, being able to use physical and special attacks with the same deadliness. Most important to me was the fact that it learned a move called Sky Uppercut - an uppercut so crazy it could even hit opponents using Fly. After looking those benefits over it was incredibly obvious who I'd pick.
In real-life, I think Blaziken would be banned from competitive boxing and track and field. Its legs are capable of springing it over 30 stories (which would probably explain how Sky Uppercut would work for it in a physics aspect) and when facing a worthy adversary, rings of fire begin to form around its wrists (which could set fire to a great many things inadvertently). That, and... well, it's a Fire Pokémon. How much do you wanna bet a Blaziken boxer would "accidentally" burn a world-class boxer? I personally like Manny Pacquiao not to be burnt, so... yeah. We're keeping the ban.
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| What'cha gonna do when the round begins? Shoryuken - er, Sky Uppercut! ...with fire. No idea where this originated, but it's obviously not my photo. Kudos to the original artist! |
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| It knows why kids love Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Why else would it have TWO SPOONS? |
(#065 - Psychic)
A classic staple of the old Red/Blue/Yellow days, Alakazam has always been a contender in many trainers' arsenals since the early days of the Pokémon francise. Matter-of-fact, it was due to Alakazam and their broken-ness that led to the development of the Dark-type. Far too many people were sharing the shared gripe that Psychic-types had far too much power. Add the fact that Alakazam have tremendously powerful special attack and very formidable speed and you have an unstoppable force to be reckoned with.
The second-generation introduced the Dark-types: Pokémon immune to virtually all Psychic attacks. While most would see this part as a hindrance, they soon realized that they could circumvent their new foes by another important game mechanic that was introduced: breeding. Clever breeders found out that Hitmonchan and Alakazam could breed, resulting in a baby Abra that could punch its foes with fire, lighting, or ice. Rather than making the playing field a bit even, it only led to Alakazam gaining more power.
However, with the changes made in the fourth generation battle mechanics, Alakazam lost a bit of its touch. The elemental punches it learned from breeding no longer held any value as they were converted to physical damage, which Alakazam (noting its painfully-obvious lack of physique) did not possess. Despite this, other moves widely used in tournament play became special attacks (the powerful Shadow Ball, a Ghost-type attack... and the ever-spammed Hyper Beam, a Normal-type attack) and while some doors closed for the Psychic-type, others began to open.
To this day there hasn't been a "dream team" of sorts I made that didn't have an Alakazam in the rotating roster. Its special attack and speed are virtually unrivaled (under normal circumstances, very few non-Legendaries can outpace and outgun the Psychic bugger). Its move pool is versatile enough for it to take on a myriad of opponents, and under the right leadership its power can be used to attain victory.
If Alakazam were to exist in real-life, I think it'd be quite amazing. A Pokémon with an IQ of over
Thing was, there was one thing that didn't make sense - a question that kind of scares me once in a while:
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| Uhm... uh-oh. Maybe this is why I don't keep spare Poké Balls on me. |
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| Balance isn't what this Pokémon had in mind. Maybe something involving slashing... |
(#359 - Dark)
Darkness, consume me as I talk about one of the coolest Dark-types in existence!
Absol are quite the fighters in the games. With a very high attack stat and a varied and seriously threatening move pool, they have the ability to sweep the floor with their awesome head-sword-scythe-thing. Add to the mix the ability to naturally increase its chances to crit and you have an offensive Pokémon that matches its intimidating look.
When I went through Ruby Version again, I decided to catch and breed an Absol (I had simply ignored them before... unless I was farming experience) before I went on my travels. I would not come to regret it - the Absol I raised gave every opponent hell like I've never seen. I mean, imagine a little baby Absol one-shotting other Pokémon a good five to seven levels over it. You can't? That's right - because Absol already wiped your team out.
In a real-life setting, Absol would be great to have. We already know that a number of animals have instincts that let them know when a disaster is going to occur, and when we see them flee, we are sure to see/hear/smell/feel something. Absol are the same way - except in the Pokémon world, their appearance is mistaken to mean that the Absol is the herald of destruction. This therefore makes it great for those in the geological and meteorological communities... and for pranksters and terrorists alike.
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| Despite being harbingers of disaster, they can be litte furballs of cuteness. =D (Picture made by "BubbleLum" and found on DeviantArt.) |
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| Loyalty + Sunlight = Espeon This is factual math. |
(#196 - Psychic)
Who doesn't love the Eeveelutions? If you said you don't, then get out of here. You're not welcome.
Anyway, Espeon made it on here because I actually ended up training an Eevee army once I discovered that Eevee gained a Grass-type and Ice-type evolution in the fourth generation games. Although all seven of them can hold their ground in their own right, Espeon seems to be my favorite because - let's face it - I like Psychic types and there's nothing you can do about it. I think that's enough said on that.
As a Psychic-type, Espeon has access to two mainstay traits of most Psychics:
- excellent speed, and
- excellent special attack.
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| I couldn't find a silly Espeon picture, so I settled instead for what I thought to be the coolest-looking one. (Picture made by "Mewkitty" and found on DeviantArt.) |
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| "Those who have seen your face draw back in fear / I am the mask you wear... it's me they hear...!" |
(#407 - Grass/Poison)
It turns out that the top three Pokémon on here ended up being the most graceful of the ten. When I say that, I mean that there's an elegance to each one of them that makes them transcend above the other Pokémon that exist. Roserade performs brilliantly with grace, poise, and power - landing itself a spot on the Top Ten.
In terms of gameplay, Roserade are very formidable. Though it suffers from the traditional Grass-type "curse" in that it has a somewhat-limited move pool and sub-par defenses, Roserade makes up for this by possessing traits that most wouldn't expect a Grass/Poison Pokémon to have. For starters, it has an unusually-high special attack - amongst the Grass-types, it's the highest of them all. Ff bred properly it can use Extrasensory, a powerful Psychic-type move. Third, it's capable of manipulating the weather (via Rain Dance and Sunny Day) to take advantage of another ace-in-the-hole maneuver: Weather Ball. All these traits combine to give an adversary who would normally sneer at a Grass/Poison Pokémon some second thoughts about an easy fight.
If it were to exist in real-life, it'd be even more deadly than it is in-game. Behind each of those bouquet "hands" lies an array of thorny, toxic vines that can easily be used to strangle or slash at enemies and prey alike. Plus, it gives off a sweet aroma that lulls the defensive natures of its foes and even lures them in, lowering their guards until it's too late.
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| Don't let its calm, graceful exterior fool you - this Pokémon is lethal, both in battle and in the hunt. Wait, why do you think it's calm? Oh, God - don't give in to the sweet scent! Don't - ...uh... ...it's harmless. |
All in all, it's a strong, resourceful Pokémon of mystery. Maybe that's why it's got a bronze medal unlike the listed compatriots before it.
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| "The OD of the OG" had to evolve from someone... ...and that someone seemed to have more class. |
(#148 - Dragon)
No "top liked Pokémon" list is complete without some kind of Dragon on it. This list is no exception, but rather than pick the much-abused and overplayed staples like Dragonite, Hydregion, Garchomp, Haxorus, and Salamence, I decided to go for a different route. As elegance was one of the many factors used to decide the order of this list, the not-fully-evolved Dragon we in the English-speaking world know as Dragonair won a spot on the top ten and kept dishing out elegance in spades. While it may be outclassed by its evolved Dragon form and the others of their Dragon brethren, that doesn't mean it's fully outmatched.
Dragonair takes the second spot for a variety of reasons. They're powerful in their own right - though in competitive circles they'd probably be able to hold their own until they hit the Borderline tier. They have a varied move pool (able to learn Flamethrower and Thunderbolt, for example), which - combined with their typing - makes them a formidable opponent if trained properly. This garnered its use with wildcard players who liked fighting differently. Furthermore, it's a Dragon-type - and although I already mentioned that, the fact that it's an actual Dragon Pokémon pretty much locks it in place.
In real-life Dragonair would be a wondrous Pokémon to behold. They have enough energy residing within to be able to change the weather at will as well as take on any opponents. Their wings on their head (yes, those are wings) can grow in size and allow them the capability to fly (though this is removed from game mechanics to possibly balance gameplay). Plus, a soft, gentle aura is emanated from them - and if I were to have a Dragonair, I'd own one just so I could calm down and feel a little bit at peace.
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| Kuwabara, kuwabara... let's just hope this Dragonair isn't pissed off at you. (Picture made by "xXShadowXGaaraXx" and found on DeviantArt.) |
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| Elegance, power, versatility - and a Psychic-type? This is a real-life example of an "automatic hire." =D |
(#282 - Psychic)
My number one favorite had to be a Psychic-type. Hey, what can I say - I love Psychic-types. (I said that before, and now I said it again). They're strong, fast, and can usually hold their own against a wide array of opponents, so it's no surprise how I came to be fond of them. Of course, I don't think I'm as fond of any other Psychic-type as I am with Gardevoir.
When I received my copy of Ruby Version, I was hard at work training my team and making a group that would be fearsome and awesome at the same time. I was taking on foes and paving the road in front of me with their tears of defeat, but while this occurred I noticed a problem with who I had.
- Blaziken
- Pelipper
- Flygon
- Swellow
- Raichu
- Golem
So I ran to the computer and tried figuring out who was available to me in Hoenn. Of the 200 possible Pokémon I could encounter in Ruby, 12 final forms (and their readily-available pre-evolutions, if any) pretty much applied. After looking them over, I narrowed it down to three options and crossed two of them off:
- Starmie
As fun as the Water/Psychic is, I already had Pelipper - and since he was my Flyer, there was no way I'd give him up. - Alakazam
Alakazam seemed like the go-to choice, but I already had two Kanto guys with me (Raichu and Golem), and adding a third seemed to be... bleh. I mean, here was a new generation of Pokémon and I wasn't trying them out? Shame. - Gardevoir
Raaaaaage. Eventually I managed to catch one - and it was more of a miracle because its nature[5] happened to be one I was looking for. I began training him and as I continued I found that he was quite the contender.
Because of this amazing discovery, Gardevoir has become a primary choice in my dream teams. Many trainers compare Gardevoir to Alakazam and find themselves torn. Alakazam are a bit stronger and faster, but they were as fragile as the Japanese fighters of World War II - one decent hit and you're bound to go down. Gardevoir on the other hand possessed a better durability rating and, if trained properly, could prove to give a trained Alakazam a run for its money. While it's technically a toss-up in my book, I choose Gardevoir for a general-purpose Psychic attacker.
Plus, if Pokémon were to exist in real life, I'd choose a Gardevoir as well. They have an elegance to them that seems to be lacking with Alakazam (and most other Pokémon, in general), and I like things that look cool and sophisticated. While most (if not all) Psychic-types are attuned with brain wavelengths and are capable of insane extrasensory perception, Gardevoir seem to be highly tuned towards emotion as well (even more so than its Psychic brethren) - and since I can (supposedly) read aura energy, I'd get along with a Gardevoir just fine. Oh, and I'm slightly taller than them! I'm about 5'6", and the average height of a Gardevoir is 5'3" - just a random fact I'd throw out there.
Furthermore, it is fiercely protective of its family and/or its trainer - at the point where it will sacrifice its own life if necessary. That's absolute loyalty right there, and I'm pretty big when it comes to loyalty.
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| I have no idea who made this - I just found it on Google one day and deemed it as awesome. I'm not sure if a Gardevoir would defend its trainer with what I'm assuming is a Bren, but... to each their own, right? |
FOOTNOTES:
1 ^ [Opening Paragraphs: Flashback]
Artists are sometimes known to have an imagination so vast they end up collecting the sub-conscious thoughts they pick up and forming them into an imaginary friend of sorts that they can converse to internally. Everyday folks, being as ordinary as can be, know these "voices" as that "inner self" they converse with to get through a dilemma. Psycho-analysts, for the most part, believe them to be fictional and instead refer to the person as a schizophrenic.
Artists, on the other hand, commonly refer to them as "muses," and they're talked with on an almost-daily basis. My muse already has a name, but to safeguard both her identity and my fragile artistry, I won't reveal it. And yeah, my muse happens to be a woman - they tend to make better confidantes than men.
2 ^ [Opening Paragraphs: Pokémon Cards]
Before you start saying something on the lines of "Some expert you are; why's Lanturn after Chikorita?" I'm going to say that it isn't. My cards are stored in a binder and inside those classic card holder pages (in this case, 3x3 pages), and I used both sides as I organized my cards by National Dex number. As I never acquired a Bayleef or a Feraligatr, the lower-right page I photographed would therefore be blank, showing the next page's lower-right - in this case: Lanturn.
Oh, and Ancient Mew and promo Dragonite FTW. =D
3 ^ [Opening Paragraphs: Rating Factors]
This may sound horrible, but we're all vain in some way. Girls picked the cute Pokémon for their teams; boys picked the ferocious-looking ones; water trainers made all-water teams; crazy people used the "shunned" Pokémon - it's just like picking teams for sports in elementary school. With that in mind, I made it very clear that Bidoof would never be picked for this list...
4 ^ [The Top Ten Pokémon: Gengar]
In the first three generations (Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald and all games prior), the kind of damage an attack dealt was based on its type. For instance, Fire Punch was considered a Special attack because it dealt fire damage and Hyper Beam was a Physical attack because it dealt normal damage. This made Pokémon who could use these attacks (for instance, Hitmonchan with Fire Punch) relatively useless if their respective attack stats weren't high enough. (This made it even worse for Pokémon who had "mismatched" typings and stats - for example: Gengar's Ghost/Poison typing (both Physical) and its high special attack and low attack, or Sneasel's Dark/Ice typing (both Special) and its higher attack.
This changed in the fourth generation (Diamond/Pearl/Platinum onwards). Every attack was redone so that the kind of damage they dealt - Physical or Special - was now dependent on whether or not the Pokémon using the attack actually made physical contact with the opponent (or used anything physical to connect). Looking back on the previous examples, Fire Punch was now considered a Physical attack (come on, you're slugging the other dude in the face. With FIRE.) while Hyper Beam, being a projectile of sorts, became a Special Attack. This shut down some Pokémon but provided new gateways and opportunities for Pokémon to take advantage of. Gengar, now gaining same-type attack bonuses (STAB) from newly-made Special Attacks like Shadow Ball and Sludge Bomb (Ghost and Poison attacks, respectively), became even more of a threat in the competitive world.
5 ^ [Top Ten Pokémon: Gardevoir]
"Natures" are a game mechanic introduced in the third generation. Every Pokémon encountered has one of twenty-five random Natures assigned to it - things like "Adamant," "Brave," "Quirky," or "Serious." Originally thought to be flavor text to make the Pokémon seem more unique, it was soon realized that these Natures affected stat growth. For instance, an Adamant Pokémon would have more potential in its attack stat while somewhat hindering its special attack. As soon as this was realized, trainers and breeders all over the world made sure that their teams comprised of Pokémon whose Natures would benefit them in some way.
Of course, by the time I had learned about this, I was in the mid-game and my team (for the most part) had Natures that were either neutral or made their situation worse. Fortunately for me, I ended up getting a Rash Ralts (improved special attack; decreased special defense).
Well, that's it. I got stuffs to do, so I'll catch you all later. Ciao for now!
No Veporion?
ReplyDeleteGreat post. When I saw Roserade, my first thought was "Why not Gardevoir!?" Of coarse, when I got to the end, I then understood.
ReplyDelete