Tag: Favorite

Pokémon Top 5: Favourite Ice Types

Hello my sweet island guests, get a fruity little drink! Today I’ve got the ice!
The Ice type  is commonly seen as one of the worst two typings in the entire game. While good against the Grass, Flying Dragon And last weeks ground type, it’s weaknesses to fire, steel rock and fighting make it quite a struggle to use these things. Their defences are usually very flimsy while many are built like tanks.. Today we look for a little ray of sunshine amongst the ice types. Let’s hope they don’t melt!

If you have been keeping tracks of these list by now you do know the rules. No pokémon from earlier lists and only one entry per evolution line which in this case is much less of a problem because there is only one good unevolved ice type pokémon and even then I do not mean it in the viable sense. The only good, non fully evolved ice type is of course Snom! He’s so adorable!He also feels like an ice type because of well his name.. and his colour! He’s precious we should all protect snom! A single pebble can kill him so he’s no list material but still!

The second rule I always wield is.. the pokémon has to feel to me like it’s typing and ooh boy.. does the ice type miss that mark a lot. Of the 53 ice types out there 9 do not feel like ice types at all to me. That would arguably be more if I count the cold water pokémon. Lapras however I do count among the list that do not feel like ice types to me. Perhaps because the anime branded it as native to tropical islands but yeah that doesn’t feel icey to be.. it’s gigantamax does. Then again I think it would be better as a water-sound type. I do not like Lapras though.. so it would not make the list regardless. Sneasel and Weavile also don’t really feel like Ice types to me! I love using them and I run them with ice moves but why is it an ice type?! I don’t really see it. Same goes for Jynx . 

A final shout out goes to Zen Mode Galarian Darmanitan. I really don’t like the design of it’s normal mode.. but when it goes into Zen Mode using its ability I love the design. The fire and ice typing is fun as well.. but SO much ice types have quad weaknesses and this on does as well.  Given that Zen Mode Galarian Darmanitan needs to be  below a certain amount of health to transform into his ice and fire state, it is a temporary form pokémon and thus not eligible for this list. Still a great design though. 

I am gonna get strung up for this by the Pokémon community but I LOVE Vanilluxe! The ice cream pokémon it looks so Happy! The idea of a snow cone pokémon  I find perfectly okay! People complain that it’s ice cream and say Gen I pokémon were better no stupid objects. We had a Pokéball  that evolved into an inverse Pokéball.  We had a stick in the ground that became three sticks in the ground and we had two magnets on an eyeball! The whole idea of Pokémon is seeing creatures you have never seen before. If you just want cats in varying colours go play that cat mobile game.  Vanilluxe is great!  It deserves love! It is probably THE pokémon that everyone would look at at say “Now THAT’s an ice type”  along with very few others.  Along with about half the full ice types.  My test for this would be.. imagine a black and white picture of the pokémon.  No colour.. could you still say it’s an ice type? Heck yeah I could!

Vanilluxe comes into existence when two Vanillish (it’s pre-evolution) partially melt in the sun! When they go out to play at night together they freeze up together and now are one entity! This gives them the ability to cause powerful blizzards that can freeze just about everyone. However this ice-cream is also a bit of a hot head! It gets angry a lot and when both heads get angry it will cover the land in a huge snowstorm regardless if friends or foe are in there! It just throws a tantrum! An Ice type that is a hot head! I love it! Of course Pokémon Sun and Moon had to add some darkness to it’s pokémon entries by stating that both it’s head have separate brains that can agree and disagree with each other.. making it’s power alternate! It also was stated there that it can occur that one of the heads is lost! If that is so the other still can live in relative comfort! How said! You just got a forever friend and then it’s head is blown off and you live with just the body of your friend. Basically.. it’s just Dio then I guess

In combat Vanilluxe is not bad either! It has an okay base speed of 79 but it can learn the ability weak armor which easily allows you to crank that up! It also has some speed boosting moves. Ice body and Snow Warning as an ability can come in clutch as well. It’s attack being at 95 which is also fairly high makes it that it’s Explosion move can also hurt like heck! It’s defences are quite okay as well! Not great but not trash either so it could possible take a hit and if it’s too damaged you just blow it up and take your opponent with you.  It gets powerful ice moves such as blizzard and ice beam but it also learn Flash Cannon a nice steel type special move to give it some weakness-covery against rock! It gets the move Sheer Cold as well which can knock your opponent out in a single hit. .if luck is on your side!  It was a great addition to my  princess tea party team in Galar (An Apple Pie, With some Whipped Cream, A scoop of Ice and Some hot tea, all with a fairy princess and her magical unicorn)! 

A pokémon that is both an ice type and a fairy type. That looks super pretty and is inspired on the nine tailed fox? Of course that would make the list! This pokémon is probably the most pretty Alolan form across the line!  I wish I could have made this my favorite but unfortunately it has two major flaws. It’s stats aren’t all that great with everything but speed hovering at around 75, only being specially defensive. It is quad weak to steel type moves though.  It’s great for killing dragons though! Also have I told you it looks pretty?! This definitely is the prettiest pokémon on the list.. heck I think it might be one of the prettiest pokémon ever! What it lacks up for in battle aptitude it  makes up for in style.  Many times over! During my fairy only type run in Alola,  Shirona  was my Alolan Ninetales and while I noticed she lacked the ability to hit hard.. she made my team look pretty and helped me deal with a bunch of peky types! Sometimes style does go over substance.

This design is reflected in the  pokédex lore it has been given. Due to it’s looks it has been revered as a deity before it was identified as a regional version of Ninetales. This has to do with the fact that in the mountains these majestic pokémon dwells there lives a deity. When seeing a snowy beautiful pokémon like this of course it was given divine qualities. This also is in part because Alolan Ninetales will guide lost hikers back to the foot of the mountain. However it does not do this out of kindness it does this because it wants the hikers gone from it’s mountain to protect the deity! Other deities seem to visit the areas they live in as well making it even more important that they are left alone. Those who damage the nature in the areas they live in.. do not get the kind treatment to safety. It will never forgive anyone who scars it’s mountain.  So there you go! This is a pokémon that is above humans it rather plays with deities! That’s top 5 worthy!

In battle Alolan Ninetales does not have a lot of oomph! It’s attack stats are just to poor. It usually is made to be into a supportive wall setter. Equipped with the ability Snow warning and the Light Clay Item, this pokémon can set a unique barrier that shields against both physical and special moves (it needs to be hailing for it to do so though.. hence the ability which sets up the snow/hail) This means you give it the move encore as well to prevent your opponent from setting up or force a switch if they set up weather to counter you.  Very important to carry that move then! Offensively there are two main types of pokémon that can set up the weather in your disfavor in general,  Grass types set up the sun while Water types set up the rain! (Rock and Fire types can set weather but you switch out against them anywya) By taking the move Freeze-Dry you have super effective special moves against both grass and water so that is a good shoutout to take as well. For a fourth move you should let it know Sheer Cold. Random One Hit Knock Outs can be good since when the shields are up, Ninetales becomes a tad throwaway.

A penguin that has a block of ice on it’s head that is also a head already sounds like a perfect pokémon for me! So adorable and derpy!  This is the type of design I love! I am fairly alone in that because some people seem to hate this pokémon despite of how cute it looks!  When it is hit by a physical move the ice cube shatters and it becomes penguin with a super tiny head that has turned all blue from the cold! I love it so much! In the Crown Thundra DLC trailer we have seen recently we see an Eiscue in the water.. it’s floating there because it’s head is just a big ice block! It looks so fun! Squeee! I just imagine the little feet trampling at all their might underneath the water to get anywhere but it just doesn’t work! So it has to let the current take it where it wants to go! If you read any of my lists before you know I really appreciate clunk in Pokémon.

Since this is a Gen VIII pokémon we do not have a lot of pokédex entries yet ..but what we have is super cute! It does indeed mention that it likes to drift in the ocean to keep its head super cold! It likes the big head it seems! When it breaks it reveals a slightly worried expression that has enamoured many people in the pokémon world and I totally get that! I love that face I just want to squeeze it in it’s tiny cheeks and tell it’s a good boy and I will help it get it’s favorite head back! Yes I will! Mamma will put a block of ice on your head! When it is drifting about the ocean it uses it’s little hair that grows out of the ice block as a fishing rod.  When it’s in it’s small faced form the single hair reacts to it’s thoughts. The hair is in straight connection to the brain so  when something is on it’s mind the hair emits a cold aura. I just want to put a little ribbon in there! 

In battle Eiscue can be amazing! It learns Belly Drum.. and combining that with a hp recovery berry, and it’s ice face ability this pokémon is rather amazing. Belly Drum boosts it’s physical attack stat from a base 80 attack to a base 320 attack. If it moves into its tiny face form by being hit physically it’s speed stat becomes 130 too. Which means it hits fast  and REALLY REALLY hard. If you combine it with a Dynamax it can even set up the hail and get it’s square head back to be bulky in defence over speedy! The only problem.. it doesn’t really matter it has bulky defence as the head shatters if it’s hit with a physical move and the head shattering negates any damage! So … in the ice head form it has a lot of wasted stat points, which is a shame and prevents it from being higher up this list. Liquidation avalanche and facade are good physical moves to run on this good boy!  The ability Ice face is kinda tricky to understand and I do not have the room to go into detail.. so google if you need.. but if used properly this penguin can kick some ass.

A very close to number one second this time around in the form of the Gen 3 pokémon Walrein. While I have used one on my team in my first playthrough of Pokémon Sapphire, I really warmed up to the pokémon trough my playthrough of Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness. There is something about seeing a Walrus in 3d with animations that makes it more charming. I also really needed it on my team as it destroys Salamence which I saw often in that game.  Designwise it’s about as much as you can do with a Walrus I guess. While I do not like that all water pokémon are blue, or most of them at least,  the blue on this one along with the white really does well to sell the cold qualities it possesses. It looks kind of dopey which I do like.. it doesn’t feel as ugly and mean as some other stage 2 pokémon. It keeps that beloved pet vibe more than say Tyranitar or Exploud for example. 

It’s pokedex entries do not state to much interesting facts about this pokemon, other than that it is very fat! There have been 12 pokedex entries of Walrein  to date and 11 mention it’s thick layer of blubber. The only one that doesn’t mentions that when a Walrein is the leader of a herd it will battle anything that invades it’s territory and it will continue to fight to keep it’s herd safe regardless if that means it’s own death. It can even lose it tusks in these battles.  All the other pokédex entries state that it is protected by it’s large amounts of blubber. The blubber shields it from both the cold and enemy attacks. The real impressive feat however is that it can break 10 tons of iceberg with a single attack with its tusk! Now that is an effective ice cube maker!  I bet it would be neat to use at parties! Crushed ice for everyone!

In battle it’s quite okay! It’s hindered by the poor stat average most ice types have.. with only a very high hp count and the other stats being okay! However.. due to its ability Thick Fat it is so bulky it makes up for that weakness. It can just tank! It will not die easily!  As for movesets.. that is a bit tricky! I ran my most beloved Walrein, Hoomphrey on a coliseum game, which means 2 v 2 battles. Moves like Surf and Blizzard are great shout outs for that.  It’s special attack is capped at 95 which is really quite alright certainly given it’s high hp, so special moves are your bread and butter. I personally run it with rest for a full recovery and sleep talk. But Snore is also a okay move to put on this pokémon. There are plenty ways to play but I do really prefer to break this one out in 2v2 battles. In 1v1 I kinda see how it does not deal as much damage as it could. Still it’s  also nice PvE playthroughs as it learns a nice amount of HM’s and is able to use them in combat rather effectively. A great allrounder that I wish would have gotten just a little more punch.

Even now I feel like .. should this be here? Does it feel enough like an ice type?! Heck there was  time I didn’t even know it was an ice type! It was only when I started playing competitive battles with my friends that i discovered skill link, kings rock Cloyster using ice type attacks with stab.. murdered EVERYTHING. I always liked Cloyster quite a bit as it had one of the most interesting designs in Gen 1 for me. I loved that black pearly little head in that spikey shell. Of course in Gen 1 this was a rather terrible pokemon. A good looking but terrible pocket monster. It lacked some good moves, it lacked anime support. Shellder being involved in Slowpokes evolution and having such an iconic but annoying cry in the anime made me aware of this pokémon .. rather than the pokemon itself . However since the invention of the ability skill link and the move Shell Smash.. killer oyster is exactly my battle style! The kings rock item makes it so much better even!  I really love it!  I have since used that spec in a playthrough with my main guy Hurl-Pearl. 

For some reason this pokemon seems rather hated in the pokémon-world.. well or at least they think there is a pearl inside and they want to reach it.  As it is stated that once a Cloyster closes its shell no one can open it.. not even someone with superior strength. It is also stated that not even bombs can open it! Mentioning no one managed to get inside to take a look at it’s interior .. It can “swim” by swallowing up water and shooting it out the back…. that sounds kind of dubious and kinda clunky but well it’s a shell  so I am sure it doesn’t poop out water or anything… “it uses this same system to to shoot its spikes a it’s opponent”.. Uhm wait.. it shoots spikes out of it’s ass?! That’s kinda cool! Do shells even have asses though?! It has a hole in the back that expel excess material at least. Sounds like an ass! The spikes on its body are its main method of attacking. They are so hard that old tribes used the spikes that Cloyster lost.. by shooting them away as their weapons.  The spikes are even so hard that even missiles can’t break them! Why are humans shooting missiles at cloyster and why do they try to blow them up! You meanies!

In combat this by far is one of my favorite pokemon to use ever! Skill Link, as an ability makes your pokémon always hit the maximum amount of times a move can hit.  Icicle Spear and Rock blast are both offensive moves that hit up to five times and the coverage amongst them is quite solid. Shell Smash will boost your speed Attack and Special Attack in trade for your Special Defence and Defence.. but with a White Herb that first skill down step is negated.  Or like me you could give it a Kings Rock! Which grants an attack a 10% chance ability to flinch. However due to skill link you now have five 10% chances.  That makes the chance of flinching pretty high! A flinch means a pokémon can not move that turn. So this pokémon can deal massive damage with a huge chance to stun your pokémon! I know there are better builds like the herb..but Kings Rock is just so funny!! Hurl-Pearl and me.. we are Nakama! I think this pokemon is very nICE!

What is your favorite ice type? I am predicting a lot of Articuno answers here, but proof me wrong?! Do you use the ice type a lot?! Let me know! Next week we will discuss the other “weakest” type, the rock type! Which Pokémon do you think will be on there?! Since Rock Types are super effective against the ice type..some ice pokémon are already coming up with a counter! See you next time!

Pokémon Top 5: Favourite Ground Type Pokémon

Island Guests! It has happened! I have a top five of typed Pokémon for you where Iridium Eye probably knows like 80% of these Pokémon! That’s like super special! That also reveals to you there is probably not a lot of Pokémon of later generations on this list! They really started the series strong with this type!  So prepare for my eight out of 18 typing lists. With the only typing that is super effective against the electric type ! The ground type!

Like Always we will follow the rules of only one pokémon per evolution line and no duplicates of previous lists to reduce redundancy. This leaves Krookodile out who already made it to my dark type list. If a pokémon’s evolution is something I strongly dislike it’s previous evolution can be given a demerit for evolving into something I dislike. Drilbur is one of these cases. It’s evolution just looks so incohesive and meshed together to me that I actually really dislike  using it. Since Drilbur on it’s owe will not be that useful in playthroughs nor does it have any other way to use it.. it gets no further than a mention here.

Pokémon also have to feel like a Ground type to me to qualify for this list. Oddly enough the Ground type is rather weak in this department. Nincada, Gligar, Gliscor, Gastrodon and of course fan favorite Flygon are all pokémon that I quite like but would not associate with the ground type just by looking at it.  Gastrodon is a sea slug, Gligar and Gliscor are flying scorpions and Nincada is just a bug… from the faintest distance I still see why they belong to that type but then there’s Flygon. A flying green dragon that gets the ground type bestowed up to him because he evolves from a Sand Trap Pokémon. I get why the first evolution gets it but there should not be ANY flying Ground types  besides for Landorus. It just doesn’t feel right to me. I guess It’s nice to have a Dragon that is not a Dragon Flying type, unlike so many before it.. but they have the same weakness. Nothing shouts to me that this is an earthquake user other than that it gets STAB boosts.. so it will not make the list.

By that same sort of standard there is yet another honourable mention i wish to mention and that is Quagsire. Which is a great Pokémon that I deeply love for how derpy and joyful it looks but teaching it ground moves is SUCH a hassle. It learns 2 in it’s natural moveset and one of them is totally worthless as it has low base power and uses it’s rather bad special-attack stats to deal damage. The second it learns at level 52, which in Gold and Silver basically is end game. It’s so hard to run this with a decent ground  type move unless you breed that you basically will be using this as a pure water type that switches out it’s electric weakness with a double weakness to grass (and Freeze Dry) that it is just a very defensive Water Typing that can feel like a ground type… but on average not so much.

Cubone has the “honour” being being the very first ground type on this list whom I have never really (actively) used during a playthrough of the main games , yet I still love the  heck out of. It doesn’t have great stats and Marowak is a bit lackluster in its ground shape. Yet Cubone made it on my list for another reasons. Cubone for example is one of the most significant lore driven pokémon of the earlier games. The whole story of Lavender Town?! Where it’s mother gets killed by team Rocket and it wears the skull of its mother as her final protection. It is so sad and it left an early impact on me! We always saw it depicted crying and in a way it is one of the very few things that have ever appeared to something I thought I would never have. Motherly instincts.  I just wanted to take care of it , hug it and tell it everything was going to be alright! It’s the exact emotion you have to feel about the pokémon as well so it really landed.  To this day it’s design is one of the most unique looking pokémon out there and I adore it.  It feels cute and cold at the same time.. cold as in..distant. Which.. again is rather as intended. 

I really enjoy Alolan Marowak as an evolution as well! It was the Alolan form I was the most excited about and felt the most clever of them all. It stayed with me! A fire dancing ghost.. worked so well. Yet Cubone and Pikachu have never changed their basic forms (Yes Pikachu is still a basic form not Pichu.. as to gain that little tyke you need some incense) which shows how great it’s design is. It made me laugh and cry .. but mostly cry.  I am not a big fan of the Let’s Go Games but their rendition of the Cubone story was so beautifully animated. How Trace accompanies it.. how Cubone sees it’s mother one more time and tries to embrace her right as she ascends to heaven.. it showed very clearly..pokémon can truly die. Pokémon have families to.. and some pokémon deserve to be taken care of , even if they aren’t always the strongest. Had Trace not taken the little Tyke I would have done so myself but it was a nice reminder that Pokémon .. isn’t always about using the strongest like Agatha says.. it’s about using the pokémon you love.  Unfortunately I have always been really unlikely when it comes to finding one and I usually only add it to my team in the actual gameplay phase.

The real reason why I have this added to my list though is because it was the pokémon I reincarnate as in the first Mystery Dungeon game. I knew the story a tiny bit and playing through the game as a Cubone made so much sense given the story and the main character that gets turned into a pokémon by a mysterious force, then finally finds some friends in their brave little adventure club! While the game surely is not easy to run as a Cubone.. I had a blast being this little monster and seeing it’s epic journey .. growing into one of the coolest club around .. taking on other squads and solving mysterious was just so great and unique. If I ever get around to playing Pokémon Mystery Dungeon DX I am sure I want to be a Cubone again. It will ALWAYS be the mon for these type of games. In a way I really felt I could relate to Cubone. To odd for the real world but bound to friends by this mysterious thing called pokémon.. a sentiment that could have easily made it my number 1..but this week I decided to follow a bit of a different route. Because there is sentiment throughout!

This is the only pokémon on this list that does not belong to gen I. It is my favorite Pokémon typing combination being Ground and Water.. but it beats out Swampert as my favorite because I really like the way it evolves. Swampert I prefer to leave as a Mudkip.. so cute! Mudkip of course doesn’t have the ground typing yet or that would actually be on this list. Seismitoad also has such a cool name. It’s an earthquake making frog, that uses it croaks to establish it! How cool is that?! It looks pretty darn cool as well. I love it’s design and evolution line so much. This walks the perfect line between clunky and cool to me. It feels sluggish and derpy yet also something that can hit you hard and without mercy. I like frog Pokémon in general and we have a surprisingly nice variety on them as well. Most are water types of course, but we have fighting, poison , dark and ground types to boost the roster.. one frog can even change types! Woop! This Ground one is a very good addition as a warted toad. 

Seismitoad is popular with the elderly (in universe) .. while I am not that old… it’s  appeal its not lost on me. It’s warts constantly vibrate constantly which the old folks love to use for massages. I would love a massage from a big frog pet! Even if it’s vibrating Warts. It can also harness these vibrations to throw powerful punches that can turn rocks to dust or even create earthquakes. Not that’s some multi functional warts.  I wonder how I can get vibrating warts! Think about  how relaxed I would be!  ..  Maybe they can swell up really bad and they would be pink too! Seems like a win! Just kidding , of course I would not want any warts as big as this pokémon but it’s design is among the most  toad like of the whole series.. It has this uniqueness that I really love. Most other frogs are a bit streamlined. This feels like the pokémon of a Witch.. not sure why but I also really love the colouring.. it’s just a blue with a lighter blue.. but the red eyes.. the dark rings and the deep blue base tone really makes it something I love to see.

With the abilities Poison Touch and Water Absorb this Pokémon already is  though to deal with.. but it’s main Bread and Butter is the Swift Swim Ability. Due to the way that Dynamax Works setting up rain is now easier than before and if you run it on a rain team it can deal massive damage. Ground Types usually are slow but this one with a base speed of 74 is already fairly okay speed wise but can easily become blisteringly fast.  That 74 is it’s lowest stat as well. Which means that this pokémon is quite okay in everything. It’s not great at anything but you can customise it in anyway you like. It keeps your opponent  guessing. Assuming it is Swift Swim while it is actually Water Absorb.. can hurt.  Since you can run it with both special and physical set it is capable of catching your opponent of  off guard. Earthquake and Surf are great multi-target moves  Best on a rain team, this combines great with Drizzle Pokémon like Pelipper for maximum damage.  A boosting combination that  that is a landslide of earth and water that will wash your enemies away.

This is it guys and girls, the first pokémon that ever existed. Rhydon was the first pokémon to ever be programmed into the game. A fact that many people did not even know. Of course that already makes this Pokémon special to me! It’s one of my favorite pokémon designs ever to boot. Sure it got its evolution later  on that also is pretty great..but this look was something so special. I am normally not a fan of grey pokémon and the ground type is far from my favorite, yet this Pokémon .. was so stunning ever since I saw it come to live in 3d in Pokémon Stadium. The version in that game.. at least one of them.. that knew Surf. It was truly amazing. It was the first time I knew looks could be deceiving. The way it was depicted in the anime! Pikachu using the horn to conduct electricity to it, the whole proud face and the tough skin.. I would love a little statue of this pokémon! It’s so magnificent! Words fail me to describe why..but whenever I see it.. I just go.. that’s a good looking pokémon. It might even be my absolute favorite design wise….and it’s grey! Sylveon of course is amazing as well but that’s pink I was bound to like that.

With an armor that can withstand temperatures up to 3600 degrees fahrenheit it can swim in Lava.. or hide in it as well!  As soon as it left it’s quadruped phase of Rhyhorn it became intelligent and also the ability to punch holes into rocks by  simply jabbing it with it’s horn. When he uses the horn as a drill he can turn even uncut diamonds into dust. Suck on that Shiva! He’s a rock type ..which is super effective against ice types.. so it kinda makes sense.. though ground types lose to ice .. so it would be a 50/50 on Shiva vs Rhydon. That’s a Final Fantasy reference by the way.  The fact that it can swim in lava is a bit of an underestimation. Lava is around 1250 degrees Centigrade at its hottest.. that weird Fahrenheit thing .. means it it can withstand 1900 ish degrees centigrade.  The less confusing temperature standard. Basically this means that this Rhino could even swim into melted platinum! The only metal on Earth that would kill it in its molten form would be Osmium ..which melts at 2700 degrees centigrade. Makes sense Rhydon is quad resistant to the fire type then!

Rhydon is still quite usable in battle! It hits with a whopping 130! Base stat in attack and it’s Defence is 120. This kinda makes it a more favorable option in combat than it’s fully evolved counterpart! Who buffs the attack up to 140 and defence also goes up a notch but no longer can use Eviolite! Since Rhydon usually functions as a hazard Setter and you combine it with moves like Sword Dance, Stone Edge, Earthquake and aforementioned Stealth Rocks.. the non evolved version is actually the bulkier option of the two. This means in pvp battles it is nice as a pokémon to swap in with and take a hit as well. It’s lighting Rod ability even makes it quite nice for double battles.  With a 130 base stat in attack you also do not have to worry this pokémon is lackluster in terms of gameplay playthroughs. I can even learn surf and strength which are the two HM’s that are quite usable in battle for older generations. It gets elemental punches as well including Ice Punch. That and it’s Stab Rock moves basically make it super good against Dragon Type elite four members, because of so many dragons being quad weak to ice.. and plenty of them being flying types so also being weak to rock! In general this pokémon is really good against the elite 4. At least against the majority of them.

I was thinking of classifying this among my favorite rock types..when I realised it would not make the top of that list! So it’s actually safe to put on here! Because it is among my favorite ground types… I do not know why I favor the weaker typings in general. Fairy being a major exception. Golem is another one of those pokémon whose design I really really love. It’s that thing Indiana Jones always runs away from.. but this time it has a face! Yet another pokémon I cam to adore trough Pokémon Stadium.. and spoiler, number 1 will have that as well.  My first time meeting this pokémon however was quite an experience. I was always bullied in school  because due to my motor issues and muscle trouble I walked weird. I never had many friends.. yet Golem is a thing that got me a friend.. or sort of at least.. I was just going to middle school. Thirteen years of age and I had zero friends. To pass the time I brought my gameboy to school! It wasn’t really allowed.. but I’d find a quiet corner to crawl away and since going to the cafeteria usually meant people started throwing food to me .. and the school had to clean it up.. it was sorta allowed. One day one of the bullies snuck up to me and looked nervous.

He asked me if I played Pokémon and if I would trade his graveler with him so it could evolve it was the last pokémon needed but his little brother kept his first one and would not trade it back.I did not know about trade evolutions yet so in trade I got all 4 as he explained to me. When that Golem was send over I thought it looked so cool and I bonded with my bully! The fact that he also snuck a gameboy to school did not even occur to me .. but he saw me do it .. so should be fine.  We talked about pokémon for an entire recess.. he could let a part of him out he could not show in front of the other kids.  Every now and again .. he would return if something happened in the tv series that was cool. Because of that kid I also had the courage to go to a pokémon competition hosted on tv to meet other fans.. my first geeky community thing. He of course became an ass again as soon as he lost interest in the game after but he never really bullied again.. like he laughed as others threw tacks at me.. he  was there when people stole my lunch..but he never  was active against me anymore.. all because of a Golem!

In combat the pokemon is about the opposite of Rhydon.. Physical defences and physical offence are swapped. The rest is  about the same.  Yet since this boulder does not benefit from an Eviolite.. it is the lesser choice to use in battle. I tend to run it with Rollout , explosion and earthquake .. more as a flavor team member as too seriously use it in combat. Also dig on it is quite fun because how it looked in Pokémon Stadium! Also since Gen I did not have abilities and held items yet.. Golem was a bit better in those games.  Golem’s main ability is Sturdy.. which is a good ability for it two have since it has two quad weaknesses so usually I run it with a normal gem and explosion  as a revenge killer. That’s fun and though I would of course never use it like that in a Nuzlocke because I would not  want it do die..  it is always fun to know if an opponent can do nothing to stop a normal gem boosted explosion.. as long as they don’t have a ghost type or Protect on a certain set. Using this creature is much more of a gamble but that is what makes it fun. Essentially if you do not misplay it can get rid.. or close to get rid of anything you do not want to deal with by sacrificing itself.. such a good friend! 

Hail to the king baby! While I could easily see this as a Poison Type it is because of it’s counterpart Nidoqueen that I actually both identify them more with the Ground type. She doesn’t get that much good poison moves.. in fact.. I originally planned her to take this spot and give the King the top spot in the poison list.. but Nidoqueen kinda sucks! Well not really she is okay at everything but it feels like the wrong stats have been averaged. She lacks a great offensive stat and makes it up with a bit more bulk.. but her defence isn’t that good anyway. Her special attacks a borderline bad. I love both these designs though .. but I do favor Nidoking’s more Kaiju-esque.. vibrant purple design over Nidoqueens sleaker one.  Nidoqueen if defencive where Nidoking is offensive.. yet Nidoqueen’s bulk can get her less far than King can do with his offence. I still really love them both though! They shaped pokémon! Big time!

In the lore department Nidoqueen is kinda bland She’s just hard.. that’s like rephrased seven different times or so and bam that’s all we know about Nidoqueen. she protects the nest, she has hard scales with phrasing differing just a mild bit every time.  Nidoking has at least some cool stuff like destroying radio towers, horns hard enough to break diamonds… I guess in the Pokémon Universe Jojo’s part four would be REALLY short.  Anyway it also destroys telephone poles. Now there is an entry that did not hold up all that well.. well that or there are A LOT more Nidokings than we think there are in real life. I bet some conspiracy guys would love to get their hands on a Nidoking right about now!  5 Great balls required to capture it. All in all though there isn’t all that much special about this pokémon.

Then why do I love it so much?! I do not know which seems a theme about these ground types. I love using earth power on Nidoking even if Earthquake is more effective. I love random trivia about the pokémon! For example did you know that Nidoqueen is the undefined Egg Group.. that means she can’t breed! The first gendered Pokémon.. the two species that started a trend for gold and silver and all the games onward to become the breeding game we all know and love. .and one part is sterile! This also again.. makes Nidoking factually better.. as it that can be IV bred. Also their secret ability “Sheer Force” is  their best ability.. you can get that by breeding.. so …..there is problem for one of them.. still these two pokémon are icons in the pokémon world.. they reshaped the pokémon world for generations to come.. yet they can not “play”with each other. It’s so wonderfully odd. Nidoking looks better though, learns better moves, is easier to use in combat and bascily does everything a little bit better. The fact that what they do isn’t anything special makes just all the more credible that I actually love this Pokémon! Sometimes there is no reason.. but I just have some heavy Nido in the kokoro.

What is your favourite Ground Type? Did you know Rhydon was the first pokémon?! Did you play Pokémon Stadium as a kid?! Let me know! Let’s hope next week it will be nice and hot outside, because I got another top 10 list waiting for you to cool you off as we discuss the Ice Type.
Now I have to Dig into some more writing for my DnD games so I will be off! See you next time.

Pokémon Top 5: Favorite Electric Types

The electric type in Pokémon is a bit of a weird one. Super effective against only the water and flying type, and weak only to ground. As a result it is one of my least used typings. Since I mostly start with a grass starter I tend to start with a grass and rock/ground core rendering this typing a rather ineffective addition to my team. Yet there are so many great electric pokémon. So today let’s look at the ones that are SO special they won a spot on my team anyway in this week’s top 5.

The same rules like always would apply to Pokémon… but.. I have a problem here. Hardly any of the rules are applicable here! Normally I’d say only one entry per evolutionary line where if the evolution and its necessity is factored in should I dislike where forms go. Yet every single electric type has amazing evolutions. There isn’t a single one I’d disapprove off. The only one that kinda meets this brief is Yamper. I adore Yamper and do not feel very strongly about Boltund. It’s a good dog but I liked the clunkiness of the first form a lot more.. like the whole “loaf” feeling it has going. Boltund is only a type of dog I prefer slightly less.. but hey since I need honorable mentions it counts.

Pokémon that featured on other lists do not count either,since I love Galvantula so much and it was on my bug list, it will not feature on this one. Otherwise it would most likely be in the number two spot yet again. The honorable mention goes to it’s pre-evolution Joltik whom I love dearly as well.. technically it could make the list because it’s not Galvantula..but since I have the one entry per evo line rule as well it still felt wrong. Still it is so adorable so it deserves more shoutouts than I can give it!

In every other list I managed to mention a pokémon that did not feel like it’s typing to me.. the electric type doesn’t have that to me! All of them feel tied to their given element. The Psychic type gave me trouble with this as well but with these ones.. I am convinced I could even show the biggest pokémon non believers a picture of a pokémon and ask what type it is and you’d all guess correctly.  Luckily I also made a rule that disallows  temporary forms because of how situational it is .. which gives me my final honorable mention Pop Star Pikachu.  Just because it is because.. It’s Pikachu in pink.. This one would be disallowed either way because….

The Pikachu line in Pokémon has always been a bit lackluster except for the whole mascotte thing of course. Kantonian Raichu wasn’t all that good. While normally I say that an entry in the anime is beneficial this applies to me for everything but the Pikachu line.. and to a lesser extend Greninja and even Charizard. All the Pokemon Ash made hype.. kind of let you down in the games. The final evolutions less than Pikachu ..but if you saw Ash first.. they still feel lacking in oomph compared to how they are build up. Raichu was always one of those for me.. We see Pikachu do such epics things and ours.. fizzle.. as if we are playing with a bootleg. However this all changed when Alolan Raichu came along.

While it stats do not change , it addresses the generic looks of the original Raichu and they give it an additional typing in the form of the Psychic type. Electric Psychic is a great offensive typing!  It is super effective against flying, water, poison and fighting which actually makes it great to use next to Rowlet or Popplio, who both have a weakness to poison and Litten which has a weakness to water.  Regardless of the starter you choose this is a great accompaniment to them all. In Kanto, Normal Raichu doesn’t help you much when you pick Squirtle and if you start with Bulbasaur going with Geodude would be a better way to cover your flying weakness.  But let’s back up a bit and talk a bit more about the looks. Original Raichu was originally meant to be a midway station between Pikachu and Gorochu and in a way you feel that. Alolan Raichu has much more finality to it’s design. The surfing on it’s tail with electromagnetism, the tanned look, keeping Pikachu’s cuteness. I really adore it’s looks.

Statwise this Pokémon still feels like a relatively weak end station. It’s main offensive stat is only 95 which is okay enough but something you can easily find a better answer for. For reference the area between 70 base stat and 100 is deemed okay and above 100 a stat is great. So 95 is good enough. However here is where it’s new typing comes into play. Since Generation VII Raichu can learn Calm Mind.. the best set up move for special attackers. It raises special defence and special attack. Prior to this Raichu had no proper setup for offence, only evasion so even if it made it hard for an opponent to hit it could never really hit back hard either. It’s move pool has also vastly expanded. Same Type attack bonus boosted psychic hits harder and more reliable than most electric moves and using the ability surge surfer it’s speeds can reach insane levels so even in its core moveset it already deals a lot more with it’s own weaknesses.  It can set up defensive screen which half damage, it can set up terrain and it can set itself up to hit hard.  While it’s still frail it reviced a lot of weaknesses with the originals and when you look so adorable when dealing a fair amount of damage as well as be Hau’s best buddy! You are doing something right!

I was trying to decide whether to put the final evolution of the magnemite line in the Steel Type top five or the electric top five. In retrospect I should have put it in the other one as I like a lot less of those.. but since in Gen I the line was still pure electric I always see it as that first. Magnezone is on this list because it lets me combine two of my least used typings in a pretty amazing pokémon that is very weak to ground type moves though. Magnezone came to me via a trade in Gen V, it was a very random trade but there it was. A magnet Ufo that to me.. had some cop vibes/patroller in it as well. I did not know that Magneton could evolve. It was named Kilowatt. The original trainer was LeLouche all of people.. I never figured he would be into pokémon! Kind of makes sense though with all the tactical battling.

While I never really was appealed by balls and magnets sticking together they already looked very gleefull in Pokémon Snap when you fed them apples.. I always remembered those happy eyes. I imagined this Ufo like thing do the same thing and I was immediately sold. A magnetic Ufo who doesn’t want that?!  These pokémon are so Magnetic they attract each other and then become unable to move! That sounds clunky! I like that as well! Implications that this pokémon has alien contacts were made in Sun and Moon.. when all pokédex entries were particularly ominous and it added to it’s mystery. While made by man scientist kept trying to evolve it again.. could it be that in the future this will be the first pokémon we see get a stage 3?  <Pinkie Explains: A first form is called a basic.. the second form a stage 1 evolution.. if that evolves it’s stage 2>  Will it call something from out of space like a new legendary tied to it?! Kind of like Carbink and Diancie? Mysteries keep surrounding this pokémon, along with the unique and fun design I think Kilowatt is a keeper.. Had I not sold that game for convention money back in the day.

In combat having using steel and electric moves are basically it’s entire bread and butter. It also gets hyper beam which then can do big damage with the Analytic ability. Since Magnezone is a fairly slow Ufo with a base speed of 60 so the ability is quite usable as well.It will outspeed ground types.. but unless you equip it with a Balloon you’ll want to swap out when those come out and threaten your space ship anyway. It’s special attack being at 130 as a base value is amazing and really makes this a floating attilery thing. It’s best when paired with big damage moves such as Zap Cannon, Flash Cannon and Hyper Beam, I either run it with Magnet Rise ..which makes it immune to ground type moves with a Life Orb as held item or I put it on a Balloon and give it Signal Beam  as well for some extra type coverage and possible confusion. The first set is usually better though. It also makes sense that it floats on it’s own abilities..being a Ufo at all.. why would a Ufo be on a balloon? That is just silly.

What’s up with my favorites  and quad ground weaknesses. This is yet another that could look at a patch of soil and die in agony! Yet poison electric is such a cool typing. I really like the poison typing as well. Much like my Pokémon flying list though.. this would have been an ideal candidate for the sound type! Which funnily.. I would make weak to ground types.  This pokémon is all about playing air guitar.. or Keyboard as some version of this pokémon would.  Toxtricity has two forms, the Low Key form and the Amped form. This is on Toxel’s (its basic stage)  nature. If it has an energetic nature like Rash or Bashful  it will become Amped and if it has a more tranquil spirited nature.. for example Modest or Mild. That is SUCH a great idea. Letting a pokémon evolution look differently based on their character. Amazing!  I really love the colours of the Amped form myself.. but the Low Key version is pretty neat itself. Competitive it’s mostly Low Key though since the Modest Nature fits it the best. That’s a bit a let down in that system for me. 

Lorewise there isn’t that much known about the pokémon yet except that is quite arrogant and it plays air guitar or Electric organ to generate up to 15.000 volts on electricity. It’s poisonous nature is never really mentioned anywhere..but I think it comes from being a punker.  Or from being purple! In the world of pokémon the colour of your skin quite oftenly depicts your typing. I wonder if Lucario gets bullied for being blue but not being a water type?! The design however looks so friggin amazing, this is one of the coolest designed electric types out there. Tying it’s theme to the electric guitar was a briljant stroke that we untill now have only seen in a trainer type. I can just imagine  it singing the Sex Pistols version of I did it my way while frying it’s opponents with its electric waves or tossing some goop their way! This is a rebel and for once I like that.

In combat you mostly would like to rock out with a Low Key… Mild Toxtricity. It’s defences aren’t good at all and you really want to capitalize on it’s special attack of 117 without compromising it’s speed and preferably not it’s attack either since that being close to a 100 at 98 can allow you to run it as a mixed attacker.  It should be decked out with the ability Punk Rock which boosts sound type moves by 30% offensively while reducing damage taken by 50% defensively. This one definitely needs it’s own signature move Overdrive to be good, but if you equip it with Boomburst it might even be scarier. The last one has a base power of 140 so boosted by 30% that is one of the most powerful moves in the game. Though still not coming close to a fully boosted Fisheous Rend.  As a third move and fourth move I’d run it with Toxic and Venoshock, but that is mostly when I have other toxic users or stallers as well.  There are other options as well like some physical attacks like Gunk Shot.. or Throat Chop to give it something to defend against the psychic type. As an item you definitely want to give it some Throat Spray. As a side node why are some many electric type pokémon names so hard to spell?!

Ah the moment I begin writing this entry I realised how big of a whole I have dug myself. I normally blab on movesets and designs and Rotom.. has six forms, six typings and six designs. This is going to be a tricky one. Technically this one even has nine forms, if we count the pokédex, phone and drone form as well. It’s also the weakest pokémon on the list of today..but I can’t help but to love Rotom. It’s such an amazing concept. Basically he is the poltergeist that make your electric devices go bump in the night. It’s very mischievous as well. It loves to ruin your day. If it possesses the microwave it gleefully burns your favorite clothes, if it possess your fan it giggles why blowing away important documents and if it’s a freezer it will freeze your bath  water or give you a very cold shower. When it possesses a lawnmower it will destroy all your flowers and when it possesses the washing machine.. well you probably have a good idea what happens then! Let’s hope you don’t have any wooden floor.

The concept of a ghost pokémon animating things is great of course and since it is a ghost electric type animating devices makes so much sense! The fact that it loses its ghost typing and replaces that with the element it possesses even more so. If you have the ability to swap devices this pokémon can be incredibly versatile, although a bit of a hassle to set up. Will you run it as a lawn mower for the water type gym or will you run it as a  fridge to defeat that guy who has some strong ground types? The sky is the limit.  Having access to water-fire-grass-flying-ice OR ghost typing as a secondary STAB is an unparalleled feat for a pokémon. I know temporary forms do not make the list but these are semi permanent and I count this pokémon in its entirety so it’s all good! If your game does not have an area to swap rotom tools you’ll just have to work with the one traded to you. I like the idea of customisable pokémon and it doesn’t get much more customisable than this.

In the competitive scene Rotom Wash is the most popular form to use. Water Electric is a great typing and since Rotom has the ability levitate it doesn’t have all that many weaknesses. Rotom is mostly used as a trickster. Use Will O Wisp to burn your opponent and lower their attack stat. It’s a bit in that “float like a butterfly sting like a bee” segment of things. I like Rotom Wash the most myself as well.. the square design with that pipe as some form of weird tale is adorable. It can be a bit more offensive due to learning scald. You can get those burns while attacking, yet each Rotom is fun to use in it’s own way. I had a blast when trying Rotom Freeze uit for the first time. Rotom Mow i’d say is the most tricky form to use but if played well it can be hard for your opponent to deal with as well. Rotom Fan i’ve seen a lot in Showdown battles and now that Dynamax Air moves boost speed it has quickly become much better than it was before!  Maybe a full Rotom Playthrough would be fun.. it would be pretty balanced at least.

The first electric type I ever actively  used and my strongest pokémon in my favorite pokémon game. At least in main line Pokémon games! In Pokémon Stadium I used Pin Missile Jolteon to take down my sisters all Mewtwo team. I am not sure why that worked so well back then because I never was able to reproduce it. Ampharos though I can make good time and time again. I am using it again on my Pokémon Reborn playthrough..but that games runs so much more horrible now than it did before.. so much lag.. so now I only play it when someone is live streaming and I need some side content.  Still Ampharos is there for me. My first one did not have a name, I needed to remember the new pokemon names still. The second one was called Apple, I think, I used it during a Soul Silver playthrough I named things after fruit. I used one in my main team in Gale of Darkness XD  named Shaun and my custom shiny Ampharos in Reborn is called Choked Sheep (because it turned blue, and my nicknames are descriptions)

I also played the crap out of the pokémon in Pokémon Stadium 2. If I can get  the monster early on I will use it. Now it took me way longer than I am willing to admit to discover that this one has a pink shiny… oh no.. I admitted it!  So now that I know that it makes this pokémon even better though I only have a few pink ampharos (pokemon plural is the same as singular) on Pokémon Go due to community days. I never had a pink Amphi in a fun game though.  I am always drawn to it no matter what media it appears on almost as if it’s a beacon drawing me in.. what do you know! Pokémon Lore bride.. Ampharos only lore is that it can store electricity in it’s tale to shine very bright. So it functions as a lighthouse. This light is so bright that it can even be seen from space. It seems to hurt it’s own eyes though so it doesn’t really like using it.. the way it moves.. is also kinda clunky and it isn’t exactly elegantly shaped. I begin to see why I like this.

In Galar my troupe of sheep isn’t that special when it comes to stats.  It has a special attack stat of 110 which is great but it is on par with most the electric types here that take less work to evolve.Yet in this last generation my baby got robbed of its mega evolution. In its mega form my sweet hairless sheep had an amazing 165 base special attack and gain the dragon typing as well as a bunch of wool back as fancy luscious locks. It’s so good as a Mega, even though the hair kinda looks silly, that’s what made it so sexy to me! Not as in Bomchikawawa sexy but non sexual sexy! That is a thing! Mega Amphi is kinda like my Totoro! So I was robbed! I can’t even put it to words but this pokémon is so charming to me! If I only could make one pokémon real this would be a consideration. It would probably be Sylveon in the end.. but the whole flesh ribbon things is kind of off putting. I am not going to make a battle set because all my Amphi’s were different and I love them all and I feel one of them might cry if I favor the other and I just can’t bear to imagine that!  Given the fact that I consider the feelings of digital picture I resetted over twice, and that they are still with me in spirit tells something on how much I love this pokémon! A deserved number 1.

What is your favorite electric type?! Did you ever use one of these in your team?! Do you use the electric type a lot? Leave your thoughts in the comments and let’s start talking Pokémon! Don’t forget to subscribe to my blog if you want to make sure that you catch nexts weeks Earth Shattering top 5! That’s right! Bring your balloons cause there will be earthquakes! Now I have to go to the store because my Joltik drained all my batteries!


My Favorite Isekai: Konosuba

Today I shall talk to you about my favorite Isekai show. To be fair I have only gotten into the genre fairly recently so there is plenty I missed out on but among all the Isekai I have seen so far there still is a clear cut winner for me. Something that is so ridiculous that it is more a spoof on the Isekai genre maybe yet it has still won my heart.  I am talking of course about Konosuba.

STEALing the spotlight

Konosuba follows the misadventures of Satou Kazuma, whom upon his untimely death gets to choose one item to take into a fantasy world with him. He choose the snarky goddess Aqua and together they move into a wonderful world. Yet I assume you all know this and since the plot basicly is “this is an Isekai” I will not be going into it to deep! Watch the show! It’s great! “But Pinkie,  how could you pick that one, the animation quality of the second seasons is so bad” At least that’s what my somewhat money hungry chinese friends keeps telling me when I praise this show. So let me make this clear, I don’t really care about animation all that much. I see it more as a bonus that oftenly I even hardly notice. I didn’t even notice how badly drawn the Goku versus Beerus fight was in Episode 5 of Dragon Ball Super the first time around. I get caught up in a story and since I don’t read manga all that much , I don’t need to pay that much attention to it anyway. This is all still new so I can fully enjoy the wondrous adventures for a first time. I am not watching my favorite manga come to live in a somewhat wooden way. It’s like how I do not read the books of a western movie I really wanted to see (though I really wish I did with Twilight) because I am setting myself up for disappointment. As long as it is not Spawn’s live action cgi levels of bad, I am mostly fine with these sort of , what I think are petty gripes. 

(Live action CGI …now this is bad animation!)

Konosuba is not a show that has to shine around it’s animation anyway. I can see a racing anime or something with cyberpunk ninja’s having a need for very fluent/sleek animations.. even something like the devil may cry anime. Yet this is a show about a party fighting a horde of cabbages, loudly arguing in a dungeon or lewd dreams induced by a succubus.
Konosuba is a comedic and lighthearted show that shines through it’s jokes and whimsy.  That is where a show like that should shine and to be honest, I don’t think I laughed harder with any anime show than I did with Konosuba. Marking it down strictly on it’s animation feels like buying one of those family cars.. you know the minivan things, and then criticizing it that is not very fast. Konosuba doesn’t try to dazzle you with epic fights.. in fact Konosuba has some of the lamest fights I have ever seen and I love it.

(This made me spill my drink.. RIP my drink)

During the first big encounter , when facing a Dullahan named Bedlia, who is one of the generals of the big bad Demon King, they tease him, play soccer with his stolen head and the entire fight is just him whining.
Why did they fight him in the first place? Because Megumin , the groups archmage trained her magic and blew up his house day after day after day. The build up for this had great comedic timing, the anti climatic encounter is hilarious and the conclusion and jokes satisfying from beginning to end. The show knows it’s strengths and what to highlight and I rather have the budget be allocated to extra episodes as making something look cool, what does not need to look cool. Comedy is where this show shines so much and some clunkiness to the looks kind of improve that experience for me even.

(How players look when they are about to *beep* the DM)

EXPLOSION of Laughter

Konosuba is extremely relatable to me as a regular DM in a fantasy world. When we play D&D people pretend they would like to play cool knights that slay dragons and woo a princess heart. We would love to pretend we are a skillful mage that is knowledgeable and wise. We think people play a strapping young lad, who was once a thief but has now find a calling that makes him use his skill for the greater good. That is the image people get of people playing D&D. In actuality virtually every game of D&D I ever mastered AS WELL as the games I played in end up more like Konosuba than an epic fantasy adventure. Sure the series might exaggerate it a little bit, but in honesty not all that much. That fight where the Dullahan gets completely dominated and people play soccer with its head.. it happens in all D&D campaigns where players get to make their own character. At one point the  DM will forget about an ability of one of the characters that completely renders a boss or dungeon useless. If you create a fantasy world at one point this WILL happen to you.

(When you have spend hours on a plot character and the mage comes along)

The entire concept of when Kazuma takes Aqua to this magic world with him as his chosen item seems like something a D&D player would do. He basically dragged the DM into her own game and now the game is DMed by someone else. As a result we get a super salty player in the form of Aqua that is portrayed brilliantly. Aqua makes choices a player who has DMed would have made. It feels just so right when connected to the hobby of D&D. We see Kazuma obtain a legendary weapon once, but since he is not proficient with it.. he just sells it off for a measly amount of cash.  THIS happens in D&D as well. You as a DM create something very cool for the party to have and they don’t recognise it right away so they just toss it away for coin they will spend at the tavern.

(How DM reacts when players trade plot items for beer)

Every episode had me rolling on the floor with laughter because of how it reminded me of the adventures we had in the past. To me Kazuma, Aqua Megumin and Darkness are so much more real than most Isekai characters not because they actually feel like “real people” but like relatable characters. This really is your average D&D party and it makes the adventure that much better. This is just really cleverly written throughout.

Nature’s Beauty

Isekai to me is a bit of a hit or miss genre. Sword Art Online for example I find atrocious myself despite the good reviews it’s not for me. Rise of the Shield Hero was okay but never really gelled with me. Didn’t I tell you to make my abilities average in the next life, I really enjoyed myself with. I do not like it when an Isekai takes itself to serious. For example let’s take Isekai Cheat Magician as an example of this. Putting an overpowered hero in a serious situation like a war doesn’t work particularly well as there is no real tension arc. Deaths that happen feel even worse when a character is overpowered. It feels extremely avoidable and often like lazy writing. Yet so many shows do this, Sword Art included. We see Kirito duel some vagrants who can’t even hit him because he is so high leveled that they don’t do actual damage yet in an earlier dungeon his party still wipes because of a trap. It feels weird.It’s like you are reborn in the world of dragon ball as a super saiyan 2, yet you still can’t stop Frieza from killing Krillin. That’s not dramatic that is just dumb.

(This image is so fitting right now)

Isekai often relies on game like world building or a skill system or has a character rise above the occasion because they are familiar with these tropes. Many of these elements do not work with a serious tone.
Konosuba is aware of this and just has fun with the way it’s world works. Showing us what we want to see in a fantasy world without having to create too much logic behind it.The show manages to pull my heart strings by creating the cutest creatures imaginable, like the cabbages they fight in season one , or chomusuke and the snow sprites in season 2.  These creatures are all adorable in design and would not work as enemies in a serious Isekai. Yet EVERY VIDEO GAME EVER that is set in a fantasy world has enemies like this. At least in my beloved JRPG’s . To me an Isekai show needs to have that kind of thing these tributes to what we know in fantasy. We want to feel we are in another world in a fantasy world or a video game world. Shows like Didn’t I say to make my abilities Average and Konosuba use that trope well.

(Aren’t they just adorable! I want one!)

Take Re:Zero for example and we see Subaru doesn’t really HAVE to be from another world.  It adds very little to the plot. Sure he is unfamiliar with his situation but he just might as well have amnesia and the show would remain largely the same. Danmachi for example knows that it doesn’t have to be an Isekai. The world is somewhat serious and makes sense to the characters so there is no real need to have a protagonist be aware off the whole fantasy world aspect. Konosuba would not work as well if it was not an Isekai. Kazuma’s style of thinking is rather unique in this world define by culture, the world is too“odd” to be inhabited by just people  of that world. Both Kazuma and Aqua come from a different world and use this in their train of thought. In a way they even Meta-game pestering a god to be brought back to their world so they can do insane suicide strategies. This fits and we get a world that gels together nicely even in its stupidity.

I’m broken.. please BREAK ME some more!

Konosuba does something that very few Isekai do, although in a bit of a different direction one may expect. They make Kazuma and Aqua seem alien to the world. Their different way of thinking, their quirks from the other world often get them in trouble and as such like again in most D&D their worst enemies is actually themselves.  More often than not they are clearing up their own mess , we see them move from living in the stables to getting their own mansion and then losing it just to regain it again. A big part of this show is actually focussed about living in the other world. Plenty of Isekai have our heroes join a guild and then be carried of into a slipstream of a  huge adventure. They immediately become a part of this world.

(No Darkness I do not mean getting trampled into the ground.. becoming part!)

Kazuma and Aqua don’t do that as much, they much like their party are dysfunctional and do not completely gel in this world. The same can be said for residents of that world who join them in the form of Megumin and Darkness. A mage that only knows one spell and is an extreme oddball, and a noble lady that is utterly useless with a sword but trough her deep rooted masochism makes a great “tank” are so twisted, yet so close to actual fantasy adventures where we place ourselves in another world that it really keeps that Isekai feeling. You DO always believe these guys do not fit in this world. None of them, in part because some behaviour is spearheaded by Kazuma. This shown never stops being Isekai and I do think  others could take examples from this.

(They even stole god’s panties!..Several Times)

That same brokenness these characters share adds another strength to this show. That is the ability to surprise. Each adventure has a wacky outcome, that while predictably may not be in our heroes favor most of the time it still offers something new. I constantly found myself amazed by their clever solution to a self imposed problem or the after effects of an action. Oftenly in D&D we see a party burn a town down to stop a single thief to complete a quest. Oftenly these damages are taken for granted  but not in Konosuba. There is a deep level of consequence to your actions. Like when you teleport a bomb to a random part of the world…or a hidden reason why most adventurers do not bother with a seemingly easy quest. This show made me laugh out loud, feel extremely happy when Megumin finally was able to cast a second explosion spell and at every twist and turn I feel they are just enough on a leash so the show never really derails. I love everything about it, from the music to the entire cast and how it all comes back to my beloved D&D. God’s blessing upon this wonderful anime. 

My Favorite Shonen: Hunter x Hunter

When I started anime, I only know Shonen, I never knew there were different genre. I thought Sailor Moon belonged in the same genre as well. After all, transformations, fighting evil brightly coloured attacks. It all felt the same. It did not matter to me because I loved and devoured it all. Bleach, One Piece, Naruto, Dragon Ball Z Kai, Fate Stay Night, Sailor Moon. I loved it all to bits. Yet after  many hundreds of episodes that same, uniformity in the genre led me to fall out of love with it as well. I still love the tropes but I lost magic. It began to feel cheap and in retrospect None of these felt that great to me. Not a single shonen would make it even close to my top 10 anime ever.  Except for maybe one. No it’s not my Hero Academia, it is the delay plagued Hunter x Hunter that won my heart.

Shonen Fatigue

The weirdest thing about this show was that I watched it around the time my shonen fatigue was at its highest.  I dropped One Piece, dropped Shippuden and while I saw the end of Bleach I had little positive to say about the Fullbring Arc that ended the anime. Back than I was actually reading some shonen Manga though, mostly to read ahead and gain some closure on some of the series, except for One Piece. However Hunter X Hunter was very different to me. It felt fresher it felt more real. However this feeling did not immediately extend to the character of Gon. I didn’t really like his design nor his way fighting style was depicted. It felt so loose!

The episodes where he met the cast felt very generic and I was just about to drop it. However I decided to wait a few episodes after they had set up. I did like Leorio and Kurapika and Killua, just Gon felt a bit meh to me. The Hunter Exam was completely my type of shonen. I like those little competitions and tournaments. However throughout the entire first arc I never felt really impressed. I just stuck with it because despite of my Shonen Fatigue I usually liked this genre still that main character is soooo boring. For some reason I always have issues with a main character when they wear green. I have never been a fan of Yuseke from Yuyu Hakusho either and I am not the biggest Midoriya fan either. The nature of the challenges kept me invested and I thought Hisoka would be the first arc villain, which kept me interested enough.  The shounen fatigue was real though and sitting trough an entire arc that is soso might be a bit much for most but after that first arc ended , oh boy….

So many shonen

The short Zoldyck family arc  intrigued me, Killua was a much better character as Gon. Gon felt more like the “player” character. A main character made like a simpleton to be able to explain the world to both Gon and the viewers/readers in a less intrusive way. I really hate those other kind of exposure dumps “As you all know…… last night we have discovered …” If everyone knows there is no need to bring it up guys! Don’t talk to the audience if you don’t plan to break the fourth wall.  In a way Gon was like us viewers. Just his fishing rod as a weapon was sooo dumb, and his outfit was not very fashionable. I really liked the darkness of the second arc.  Then we got the Heavens Arena Arc and I was blown away. Wait.. now is the first time we get introduced to the ACTUAL fighting style of the world? That’s so interesting, sure I saw it in Katekyo Hitman before but this one felt more significant to me. As it changed something for me. Everything felt so earned in this anime. Never do we get a convenient power up, the main character doesn’t learn their first signature move until very late into the series. This show felt so much tinier and so much bigger at the same time. Rarely is Gon ever incredibly powerful or the strongest during the adventure. Except for one exception he is always just trying to catch up, close the gap or fight with the resources he has been trying to close the gap as well as possible.

Both the Greed Island and Chimera Ant arc felt like something completely unique as well, each arc had their own set of rules. Each arc was something different, showing that both Killua and Gon still only have had taken baby steps in the world of Hunter x Hunter. It made the world feel alive, and never had powers gone stupidly out of control. All powers , except for maybe the power of Netero and Meruem felt.. manageable.  Let me explain this by saying throughout the first few arcs basicly up until the end of the Chimera Ant arc it feels that powerwise we are more in the Dragon Ball area of power levels, compared to Dragon Ball Z. So many shonen now push their powers to mountain shattering punches in the first few arcs that the sense of progress is trivialised. Like how scaling from crushing a pebble to crushing a mountain is impressive, but from crushing a mountain to crushing a huge mountain… meh! Most Shonen resolve around the main character being one of the strongest after they learn some secret technique or gain some form of power. A bigger dog shows up, they need to gain a new technique , rinse and repeat. As if the world resets each story arc. Hunter X Hunter does it differently, it shows there are multiple tiers of skill , there is several levels and the main characters try to scale this, each time in a very new setting with a new atmosphere as if a series on their own! Which I find a great way to convey a challenge and to show diversity. They even switch up the protagonist. 

Hunter X Legos!

This show doesn’t shy away to take the focus away from the main character. The Zoldyck family arc already put a big emphasis on our favorite white haired assassin boy, the Hunter Chairman Election Arc, despite how flawed it is, took that a step further. We don’t do that “the hero is downed, lets insta heal him and see him return more powerful thing!”.. No! Down is down.. if a character is in the hospital or needs to recover it will take them actual time to recover. No sensu beans or chakra transfer in this one. As a result the stakes of this anime feel so much more real. .. except for when Badass hunters return as little chimera girls.  A cut, a broken arm, a bad night’s sleep. It all affects the characters so much more. Somehow Hunter X Hunter never pushes what seems to be completely impossible for humans. Sure they later develop the mystical powers of Nen, they still feel human. Compare this to Luffy, Ichigo or even Yamcha who still run while impaled a million times, can blow up the planet or gain new powers and transformations willy nilly. In Hunter X Hunter they use mini nukes to kill of their enemies because that is still more powerful. Thank you! That way all the powers feel earned and it is nice to see Gon’s compagnions gain the spotlight. This world feels about the closest to real life as Shonen go for me. 

Killua’s arc is a bit of a stinker though! However the same can’t be said about the Yorknew City arc which uses Kurapika as the main character. By Arceus, this is a great arc. Probably my favorite Shonen story arc along with the Chuunin Tournament and Katekyo Hitman Reborn’s final anime arc. In this arc we follow Kurapika as he seeks vengeance on those who wronged him. Given so much depth to his character, but also fleshing out the posibilies of Nen so well. Let’s compare this anime with Lego’s for a moment.  The Hunter Exam Arc is basically your standard lego build. You know those classic red and white bricks from the age of lego before everything was an overpriced movie scene or something with it’s own animated series. It’s some solid groundwork but nothing special. The Zoldyck family arc then had you build something with a lot less blocks. An anxious but quite fun build. During the Heavens Arena Arc we get shown.. “Hey did you know there is something called Lego Technic?  With a little engine you can make things move! Here’s how it works!
After you learned about the existence of those special lego’s the next arc takes you away from your journey for a moment just to highlight what is possible with Lego Technics. A showcase  of Nen Powers, a parade of colourful and powerful foes, with mental games, staying true to oneself and a charismatic big bad! All the while you expect Gon to show up having developed his own powers of screen like Kurapika did. .. but no! This is not his story. We see the potential of Nen , which allows us to wonder… what Nen Powers will Gon get? Well guess what! It’s extremely limited! Even Killa’s Nen is still very basic. Just like when you are playing with Legos. That guy that is really good at it can show you how it’s done to open your mind ..but you still gotta build a lot of basic thingies in order for you to understand the concept well enough to do something special. That’s exactly what Hunter X Hunter does for me. 

Slow Burn

Hunter X Hunter is one of the best paced Shonen I have ever seen.  Where Naruto Bleach and One Piece have deeply flawed pacing this to me is a shining example how a narrative is paced. (Not talking about the manga production or health issues of the mangaka). The only other Shonen that comes close in terms of great pacing is Hero Academia. Yet that series I still find very tropelike. Midoriya and All Might are the good guys and they fight the evil guys. Hunter offers a bit more debt. Meruem ain’t that EVIL of a guy he just is bad for the world. In his own way he kinda makes sense. There was some kindness in his heart. Chrollo very much cares for his Troupe Members and even prefers to be arrested or killed if it safeguards the continuation of his organisation. Hisoka is a loose cannon. Rarely do we get an *evil laugh* type of villain. Maybe the Zoldycks.. but that’s about it. Never are the heroes THAT good as well. Most of the time they do badass stuff they are inspired by vengeance rather than saving the world. Which makes it all just so much more real. Again so much more human and on a smaller scale than we usually deal with in these Shonen. We follow people in a big world  but they don’t become a runner up world martial artist in season one! Most of them all small fish in a very big pond.

This results in a briljant Shonen anime that can tell a new story each time while it still feels fresh and plausible. While I do doubt we will see the series continue far enough to ever reach its full potentials, as long as you drop off after the Chimera Ant arc, this show will definitely give you some tingly and happy to be a fan. However you really have to wait until the Heavens Arena Arc to fully see that potential come to life. Which is kind of funny, the characters grow at a very mallow pace, the manga crawls forward in a snails pace and it will also take a long time to really get to the good stuff. So if you have that three episode rule this show will easily lose you. Give it a try anyway, don’t binge it just take your time and watch an episode whenever you know nothing to watch! I will tell you will find there is a lot of music in this one! And first comes rock.

Top 5: Favorite Pokémon Types

Since I aim to make this blog into a youtube channel one day, we can not escape clickbaity stuff. I am not sure if clickbait works for blogs but we sure as well might try.  I always think they are nice and fun reads. For a first one let’s discuss what Pokémon types I prefer raising.

Number 5: Fighting Types
The odd one out I guess would be my number five, I in general go heavy on the special attackers, those are generally less ‘mother-law-like’ when they evolve. Physical attackers tend to get very bulky and scary looking, much like my former mothers in law. But one of two physical types I actually really like is the fighting type. In Pokémon TCG it’s my main typing and there are some fighting types I truly adore. Mega-Medicham, Lucario and it’s mega Hawlucha and good old classic Hitmonchan are amongst my favorites of the type. Shiny Mega Lopunny as well..because pink! Yay! But the fighting type is such a good type, most fighting types learn elemental punches, giving them great coverage, and a lot of fighting type moves actually have quite unique mechanics. High Jumpkick for example is one of my favorite moves in the game, not just for its power but because of the high risk high reward. Moves like Low Kick, drain punch, power up punch , brick break and more result in so much possibilities with your fighting mons and you can just have so much fun with them. Easy to pick up, hard enough to master and featuring some very memorable designs this type certainly packs a punch. 

Number 4: Grass Types
No starter can ever beat Bulbasaur for me it was my first back, and whenever I can pick him now, I feel bad if I don’t. It gave me a big connection with the typing since I was just a sprout myself. It might be the type where I dislike the least amount of Pokémon in it’s typing line.
All grass types are quite enjoyable to me, I can hardly think of one. Perhaps Pansage and Simisage but in the latter’s case I quite enjoy it’s pompadour design.  Grass types are nice and versatile they being able to wall, status, heal, dot , weather or sweep. Their designs range widely and they often have some of the best shinies and take on nearly all secondary typings. In the Pokémon TCG, the grass type is usually widely supported with some interesting tactics as well and there are both cute and tough looking designs for everyone to enjoy. If you prefer sceptile like many or Lurantis like me?  In the world of Pokémon it IS easy being green.

Number 3: Normal Types
‘Okay Pinkie, you got to be kidding here? You actual favor the normal types? They are so lackluster, not super effective against anything and they are just soooo basic.’ Well yes, you are right, the normal type does feel a bit lackluster, but they are not useless they just need a little love. I love a lot of normal types, Ambipom, Blissey, Slaking, Snorlax, Exploud and Swellow belong to my all time favorites. They are just incredibly fun to run and raise in a gam. You can get normal types in all sorts and flavors. It’s not just plants and fish. From Gorillas to pink teddies, from a virtual duck to an ancient construct. Only weak to the fighting type they compensate by an immunity to the ghost type.  So they are quite safe to use. Not all of them are green or yellow, like the grass and electric type for example which makes all normal types feel a bit more unique and grounded, which is a nice change from your giant steel snake with spinning disks over his head or your christmas suited bird. Most normal types are speedy enough, and with moves like Return, there is some effort you need to bond with that Pokémon, you can’t just fetch it from your pc. Most normal types have a high level of a “pet” feeling I really appreciate in my mons. I also am very fond of ducks and this type holds some of the best duck with Porygon and Farfetch’d. Whitney is one of my favorite gym leaders, we both like normal types, both have pink hair , cry really easily and we both can use our Miltanks to totally destroy your team and devour your soul!

Number 2: Poison Types
While not very prevalent in any meta due to their ground and psychic weakness, the poison types have earned a place in my heart. I feel for Pokémon that are not very loved, and the poison type does not get a lot of love. Sure there is Gengar that is a crowd favorite, but no one cares about poor old Koffing and Trubbish is even hated by the community, this in itself endears it to me. I will show the world it’s okay to love a stunky or even a little trash bag filled with hopes and dreams to become  a strong mon one day. The poison type is all about damage over time, something only ghost and grass types can do as well, but the grass type is not as effective at it and the ghost types have to cut their hp in half for it and their hp is not their strong suit anyway. So if you go for dots, go for poison. The poison type also has some good combo possibilities in the form of Venoshock as well as being quite good hazard setters. Most poison types can learn at least some form of dark type moves which at least covers one of their weaknesses. Gen VII offered us some very interesting new poison types in the form of Salazalle , Poipole  and Toxapex which I all love to bits. Besides from my obvious number 1 type it would be the only type I would ever run as a mono type game.
With some of the best designs in the game and some of my favorite moves of all times, I can happily state that the poison type is not trash!

Number 1: Fairy Types
Even if you have not read my other posts up until now , I think it’s quite clear what is my favorite type. It’s the only type featured on my banner, and my entire site is coloured in their defacto tint. One of the best designed typings with only Aromatise as a bit of design fail. Jigglypuff , Xerneas, Mimikyu, Alolan Ninetales and of course my pal Sylveon, every single one of them looks so amazing. I love so much of them, I genuinely think Slurpuff looks delicious and Mega Audino, despite being somewhat useless looks very huggable.
With a whopping 7 legendaries of the type it’s represented well in the upper echelon of Pokémon as well, 8 if we count pixie plate Arceus. Having access to a vast array of secondary (or primary) typings, it’s very easy to run an all fairy type party, with Impidimp of gen 8 only increasing its viability even further. The fairy type being super effective against fighting and dragon .. and even immune to dragon make it so good and meta viable that only the steel type is a metagame usefulness , and the latter usually is just to slow in play for me.
So really there is no comparison. I love the Tapu’s , Magearna Soul Heart ability is great, Pixilate, though not very unique is so much more useful in the metagame then glaciate for example, though Aereliate is a stiff competitor , I just feel Pixilate would cause pink sparkles and those are so much better then some puffs of air…so there! The introduction of the fairy type also made no mon’s worse. They all became a lot better.  Where poison types weren’t that common and normal types did not fare well against steel before anyway.. none of them got worse. When the steel type was introduced it kinda made magnemite worse giving it a quad weakness rather than a double. The dark type was never given to a Gen I mon, so the fairy type has been the only typing that has enhanced old Pokémon, and in case of gardevoir even made some great again. Twinkle Tackle is easily the best Z move, mostly because of the activation dance and they are all just a treat to use. Fairy type is my dream type, and in my humble opinion one of the best typings there is in the game.
If Pokemon ever become real.. I will collect them all and snuggle them forever.

Now that you know what types I favor , feel free to challenge me to a battle on Pokémon Showdown, you know what types I am most likely to use! Leave a like on the post and let me know what your favorite type is, who knows we might pit them against each other in battle one day. But before that time comes, don’t hate on fairies, love the pokémon you love and most of all stay pink!
Untill we read again.