Second verse, same as the first!

No introduction today–you know the deal.

Let’s do it!

 

Sandslash

Sandlash gets a huge nostalgia boost here, for being the very first Pokemon that I can remember seeing. It was one of the promotional toys that Burger King gave out for the First Movie. And of course, since I didn’t know its name, I would refer to it as the only Pokemon I knew at the time: Charizard.

But even today, the Ground mouse is still one of my favorites.

It might be because of how its movepool compliments its awesome claws, with attacks like Crush Claw, Slash, and Swords Dance.

Or, it’s because of how its pre-evolved form, Sandshrew, is relatively obtainable in almost every generation. So, if you want a Sandslash—you can have one.

The main reason in my book, though, is its resemblance to a Super Saiyan 3 from Dragon Ball Z. Naturally, I’ve nicknamed every Sandslash that I’ve ever had “Gotenks”.

Others considered: Cubone, Donphan

 

 

Wobbuffet

Some of you might be surprised here, since the extent of Wobbuffet’s mainstream exposure is serving as an annoying member of Team Rocket in the Anime.

But others who have dabbled into the world of competitive Pokemon battling know very well just how hilariously devastating Wobbuffet actually is.

Its high HP combined with a trollish Counter/Mirror Coat/Encore movepool can derail an opponent’s entire gameplan.

“Oh, but I can just switch out, right?”

Nope. Wobbuffet’s ability is Shadow Tag, which prevents you from withdrawing.

And let’s say you’ve worn it down, and are on the brink of knocking it out? Surprise—Wobbuffet can learn Destiny Bond, which instantly KO’s any Pokemon that can take it down.

Absolute. Troll.

Fun fact: The actual Pokemon isn’t the blue punching bag you see, but the black tail with two eyes!

Others considered: Espeon, Alakazam

 

 

Kabutops

Kabutops is another one of those “Tough Pokemon”, along with Nidoking, Rhydon, and Aggron.

However, Kabutops is a prehistoric Pokemon, making it the likely granddaddy of every “tough” Poke that has come since.

Choosing the Dome Fossil instead of the 8 million or so other options that are available these days will result in your command of this armored Grim Reaper and its unique Rock/Water typing.

Granted, its type combination renders it weak to common types (Fighting, Ground, Grass, Electric).

But we don’t come to Kabutops for practicality—we came because it has scythes for arms.

Now that I think about it, its arms lacking any sort of ability to pick things up is probably why Kabutops went extinct to begin with.

I bet it looked cool doing it, though.

Others considered: Rampardos, Golem

 

 

Delibird

Delibird is a hilarious Pokemon.

Not only does it look goofy, but its uselessness despite it being the “Delivery Pokemon” makes it seem like a creature spawned out of pure spite for players.

It doesn’t evolve, has an interestingly low catch rate (45), and possesses a pathetic total base stat of 330.

To make matters worse (humorously so), the only move Delibird learns on its own, Present, has a 20% stat of healing the opposing Pokemon.

This begs the question: why the f*ck does Delibird exist?

Easy: it exists so the creators can laugh their asses off while we try to figure out the utility of a Pokemon as insanely futile as Delibird.

Good one, Game Freak.

Others considered: Froslass

 

 

Scyther

“Oh, but Scizor is so much more useful”

True, but Scyther’s evolved form has been so thoroughly abused by the competitive battling community that it’s lost a lot of its luster.

That being said, there’s always been something special about Scyther.

Whether it’s the limited availability to Safari Zones and Bug Catching Contests, its effectively minimalist original Pokemon Card, or the badass appearance it makes in Pokemon Snap, Scyther has never lost the “wow” factor that Scizor no longer possesses.

Now, if it could only learn Fly….

Others considered: Ninjask, Beedrill

 

 

 

 

Dragonite

The OG Dragon Pokemon.

No—seriously. Dragonite was the first and only fully evolved Dragon type Pokemon in Gen 1.

It was also the first of an impressive line of “Pseudo Legendary” Pokemon that would follow in later Gens. Its successors include Tyranitar, Salamence, Metagross, and Garchomp.

For setting the standard for strong non-legendaries to come, Dragonite has held up well over time. It’s gained new moves and abilities as we’ve gone through the Generations to keep up with new trends.

Its most recent gift—the ability Multi Scale, which cuts any super effective attack’s power in half when Dragonite is at full health—is almost downright unfair, since it allows you to get at least one Dragon Dance in and destroy an opponent’s entire team.

Of course, all of Dragonite’s power is made even better because of its relatively docile look. You’d never guess that such a playful looking Pokemon could be so outrageously powerful.

And that’s probably the best part.

Others considered: Haxorus, Garchomp

 

 

Haunter

While the clear Ghost of choice for many players will always be Gengar, I’m sticking with Haunter here for the simple fact that I’ve owned more.

Getting a Gengar meant needing friends who also played Pokemon—a scarcity after the Pokemon hysteria died down following Gen II.

As a result, it wasn’t uncommon to see another player with a level 100 Haunter.

But after spending an entire game with the mid-evolved Pokemon, Haunter actually grows on you. It stil, possesses levitate as an ability, and still has a sneakily diverse movepool with attacks like Thunderbolt, Energy Ball, and Sludge Bomb.

In fact, when I was actually able to finally evolve a Haunter—at the young age of 20—I was more sad than satisfied, since it meant letting go of one of my favorite Pokemon.

Even Ash got attached to a Haunter in the Anime, for what it’s worth.

…wait, that actually might not be the best person to get grouped in with, since Ash is an idiot. Oh well…

Others considered: Mega Banette, Duskull

 

 

Hydreigon

Hydreigon coming along in Gen V had us all scratching our heads and asking “what took so long?”

It’s a three-headed beast with a Dragon/Dark type combo and an emphasis on Special Attack—all three of which had never been done before in Pokemon.

Hydreigon’s uniqueness embodied Gen V’s successfully accomplished mission to take Pokemon into new territories.

When compared to other Pseudo Legendaries (Dragonite/Tyranitar/Salemence/Metagross/Garchomp), Hydreigon might be the most fun to raise. Not only is its pre-evolved form, Zweilous, genuinely  tolerable, but it also doesn’t evolve into Hydreigon until level 64—setting up one of the most satisfying evolution experiences that Pokdmon has to offer.

Not only does Hydreigon look sinister, but it has the stats to back it up. Its astronomical Special Attack and access to a bevy of attacks can help you win a battle before it even begins.

Unfortunately, Hydreigon was heavily nerfed in Gen VI thanks to the Fairy type. No matter—it still looks awesome.

Others considred: Absol, Weaville

 

 

Aegislash

If you thought Wobbuffet was a hilariously broken Pokemon, just wait until you meet Aegislash.

The possessed Sword/Shield combo grants Aegislash both Steel and Ghost typing—effectively tying with with the Magnemite family as the most type-resisting Pokemon ever.

That’s just the tip of the blade (see what I did there?), though.

In its default Shield Forme, Aegislash is an impenetrable wall with sky-high Defense and Special Defense.

It also has the signature move King’s Shield, which is a version of Protect that lowers the attack of any Pokemon that tries to use a direct physical attack.

However, when an attack move is selected, Aegislash morphs into its Blade Form, and its high defensive stats get transferred over into Attack and Special attack.

Using Swords Dance will keep it in Shield Forme, allowing you to boost its attack while still being able to absorb hits.

To compensate for its low speed, Aegislash also can learn Shadow Sneak, a priority move that always goes first.

This basically means that Aegislash is both a bulky defensive Pokemon that can also turn into a sweeper within the same battle.

It might actually be the most broken non-lengendary, non-mega, in the entire game—which is why it’s been banned to Ubers.

But using one during the main game is downright comedy. I swept Kalos’ entire lackluster Elite Four and Champion using only Aegislash.

Others considered: Skarmory, Metagross

 

 

Togekiss

Everyone has always loved the Togepi/Togetic line. Togepi was the first Gen II Pokemon that many of us became acclimated with, serving as Misty’s version of Ash’s Pikachu.

Togetic had a great design and was a rewarding Pokemon to acquire, since it demanded maximum happiness in order to evolve.

In Gen IV, the creators continued the trend of giving fan favorites major upgrades by introducing Togekiss.

Togekiss keeps all the charm and allure of both Togepi and Togetic, but with a new wrinkle—it’s an absolute beast in battle.

Its ability Serene Grace doubles the secondary effects of any attack Togekiss uses—meaning that its Air Slash has a 60% chance of making the opposing Pokemon flinch. Keep in mind that you can also use Nasty Plot to boost Togekiss’s Special Attack before spamming Air Slash and making your opponent flinch every other turn.

That’s just cheating.

Adding to that, its bulky defensive stats, newly acquired Fairy typing, and access to Roost makes Togekiss a real pain in the ass to knock out.

Trust me—I’ve tried many times. And failed.

All in all, Togekiss’s many upgrades are oddly satisfying for many older fans, because now we can see one of our favorites mop the floor with Pokemon like Garchomp and Hydreigon.

Thanks for reading!