-
Welcome to Smogon! Take a moment to read the Introduction to Smogon for a run-down on everything Smogon, and make sure you take some time to read the global rules.
-
Congrats to the winners of the 2023 Smog Awards!
Little things you like about Pokémon
- Thread starter Kurona
- Start date
I've said it before, but I really want to say it again: the Smogon forum (especially here in the Orange Islands) is one of my absolutely favorite things about Pokémon. Especially since the vast, overwhelming majority of those here are intelligent and well spoken and there are virtually no trolls. I've been on other non-Pokémon forums (especially a Star Wars forum that I'll have enough tact not to name) where there are large amount of people who are so infuriating that it sucks the fun out of the thing I'm there for. I don't encounter that here and I am very thankful of that.
This. You hit the nail so hard on the head I'm pretty sure it's a crime. In all seriousness, Smogon is one of the only forums I can stand to be on mostly due to how well everyone seems to act towards one another.
Agreed. Which just makes the complaints that we are elitist more baffling. Especially since typically those who say that are usually being elitist themselves.
Funny considering Smogon's reputation everywhere else lol.
But then again, it's not exactly the forum's users that have that reputation :P
Last edited:
Really I'd argue that that reputation probably comes from a combination of bad experiences with competitive players (I've had a few run-ins with people who took Pokemon just a bit too seriously) and correlating Smogon, which to my knowledge is one of the biggest competitive communities, as being the kind of place that breeds (haha get it?) that sort of person. In my experiences, however, I've usually seen users who treat competitive as a fun hobby rather than some all-encompassing lifestyle which is the stereotype of Smogon goers as I know it. It may also have to do with certain people, of whom I will not identify for the sake of not starting a flame war, who have personal grudges against the site.
I don't post in this thread nearly enough. Gotta be more positive!
And one thing pokemon always delivers on is some pretty great tunes! The standard battle theme, the Kanto League theme, wild pokemon, even the first anime opening are all really really great!
But I want to draw attention to a few of my favorite lesser-recognized tracks:
1. D/P/Pt's Legendary Fairy battle theme
I think what I love most about this song is the first 20 seconds of intro before the main beat picks up. Really fits their mysterious nature!
2. Team Galactic Grunt battle theme
For a generic grunt fight, why does Team Galactic have to sound so epic? This would still work as a boss theme!
3. Team Plasma Colress
I loved fighting this guy for his interstellar battle theme. I think they made him available for rematches in B2/W2 just so you could listen to this again and again!
4. Wally (ORAS remake)
Okay, this one isn't really a "lesser recognized track" but you can't deny that Wally's theme is awesome like a bad 80's movie soundtrack. Makes me want to run up stairs and punch meat in a freezer!
5. Frontier Brain (HG/SS)
Surprisingly peppy for a leader fight track, but that just makes me love it all the more!
6. Gym Leader theme (X/Y)
I guess it isn't fair to push older gym leader tracks aside for advancing hardware and sound, but this is my favorite gym leader theme so far!
7. ORAS Wild Pokemon theme (and R/S/E too)
Cue the trumpets! Definitely my favorite after the good 'ol original, managing to reference it but still adding it's own unique style.
And one thing pokemon always delivers on is some pretty great tunes! The standard battle theme, the Kanto League theme, wild pokemon, even the first anime opening are all really really great!
But I want to draw attention to a few of my favorite lesser-recognized tracks:
1. D/P/Pt's Legendary Fairy battle theme
2. Team Galactic Grunt battle theme
3. Team Plasma Colress
4. Wally (ORAS remake)
5. Frontier Brain (HG/SS)
6. Gym Leader theme (X/Y)
7. ORAS Wild Pokemon theme (and R/S/E too)
Let's not forget this beauty: http
Just to remind everyone we do have a thread discussing favorite music themes.
Yeah, I've joined fairly recently ( long time lurker, though ) and I can already tell discussions on this subforum go more or less like this : "I disagree, now let me tell you—politely and categorically—why I think you're wrong". Case in point, this is the healthiest community I've seen yet.
Anyways, back on topic.
1 - I appreciate the fact that my character can now actually sit. It has always bugged how they never sit down in earlier games. Starting with XY I always bench my character before saving the game and turning the system off, it's a silly habit I've developed.
2 - I really, really, really dislike gen 2, but I'll give credit where credit is due: the pokegear is an absolutely fantastic feature. It really helps with the immersion since it makes the game actually feel 'alive' to some extent, with NPCs calling you completely out of the blue for no reason at all. The Xtransceiver and Holocaster don't have the same feeling to them because you're only called when the plot demands so it feels really robotic imo.
I've seen it on other portions of Smogon. The discussions on banning or unbanning particular 'mons is amazingly civilized and well thought on on both sides of the debate.
Also, I've often saved on the swings on Route 14 while it was raining.
Great thread, love the positivity!
As for me, and i'm not sure if this has been mentioned already, but I absolutely love Shiny Pokemon and would call myself a Shiny Hunter. Some would argue and say Shiny Pokemon aren't exactly a 'little' feature, especially with the addition of the Shiny Charm in recent generations, but I feel like a majority of people who play the Pokemon games don't even know they exist. I'm always a big fan of very rare collectibles in video games that allow you to show off all of the time you've put in on your journey. While Shiny hunting might not exactly be hard work and technically anyone can get lucky and run into one, building up a collection of them is no easy feat. To acquire a Shiny Charm, one must complete the National Pokedex, which is already one of the most impressive achievements in all of Pokemon. But then the 'fun' really begins through hours of breeding/soft-resetting. Those two are really the only methods I use to assure good IVs, though as of Generation VI there are 7 different methods to Shiny hunt including Horde Hunting, Chain Fishing, Radar Chaining, Friend Safari, DexNav Hunting and the previously mentioned Soft-Resetting (mainly for Legendaries) and Masuda Method breeding. Of course there's also the old-fashion way through random encounter. Either way, there's no better way to show off your favorite Pokemon than bringing them into battle and seeing sparkles surround them with a different and much, much rarer color scheme. Thanks for reading :)
As for me, and i'm not sure if this has been mentioned already, but I absolutely love Shiny Pokemon and would call myself a Shiny Hunter. Some would argue and say Shiny Pokemon aren't exactly a 'little' feature, especially with the addition of the Shiny Charm in recent generations, but I feel like a majority of people who play the Pokemon games don't even know they exist. I'm always a big fan of very rare collectibles in video games that allow you to show off all of the time you've put in on your journey. While Shiny hunting might not exactly be hard work and technically anyone can get lucky and run into one, building up a collection of them is no easy feat. To acquire a Shiny Charm, one must complete the National Pokedex, which is already one of the most impressive achievements in all of Pokemon. But then the 'fun' really begins through hours of breeding/soft-resetting. Those two are really the only methods I use to assure good IVs, though as of Generation VI there are 7 different methods to Shiny hunt including Horde Hunting, Chain Fishing, Radar Chaining, Friend Safari, DexNav Hunting and the previously mentioned Soft-Resetting (mainly for Legendaries) and Masuda Method breeding. Of course there's also the old-fashion way through random encounter. Either way, there's no better way to show off your favorite Pokemon than bringing them into battle and seeing sparkles surround them with a different and much, much rarer color scheme. Thanks for reading :)
Last edited:
I have something to say about my experience on that matter.
Some of you might have read my post in the "How did you get into Pokémon/Smogon" section, and I mentioned that I didn't like OU because of the people in there. So I recently decided to say this in the "Simple Questions, Simple Answers Thread":
A moderator replied with:
This intelligent, well-thought-out response got me back into OU, where I have my own thread and a bad stall team I made that peaked 1650 on the ladder, and I think of myself as a much better player. I still don't understand Firebot, though. -\_(' '/)_/-
It's true that in a heated debate, Smogon can seem unfriendly. But after reading that post, I know that Smogon wants us to have a good experience. And right now, I'm enjoying myself!
Anyone remember these?
I spent hours just going through the dex and comparing the heights/weights of mons to the trainer as a kid. I remember putting Dialga or something on the scale and watching my trainer just shoot up, thinking it was the funniest shit ever. I really hope Sun&Moon brings this feature back. It was honestly an amazing way to gauge a Pokemon's size.
I spent hours just going through the dex and comparing the heights/weights of mons to the trainer as a kid. I remember putting Dialga or something on the scale and watching my trainer just shoot up, thinking it was the funniest shit ever. I really hope Sun&Moon brings this feature back. It was honestly an amazing way to gauge a Pokemon's size.
I used to play with this using Groudon and Snorlax when the Trainer just shoots up and never came back down. :-)
AFAIK all glitches can be replicated in the VC versions (Which means that with Charizard 'M/Q fusions you can get a Guillotine Machamp).
The glitchfests which the Gen I games are really fun, ranging from the incredible (Cooltrainer, Fossil Attack) to the stupid (The expending machine glitch), especially if you know some programming :P
So I find myself watching this trailer a lot. Warning you guys now, this is gonna be a sappy post.
This trailer made me really emotional the first time I watched it. Hell, it still does sometimes. It's obviously meant to make you feel something. I think one of those things is nostalgia. And the way the trailer is, you can feel that nostalgia no matter what your first pokemon game was. Also, just like with the pokemon games themselves, the theme in the trailer is connection. The games are shown in various languages, with various people playing and bonding over them. The music is also superb and contributes to the overall good feeling that the trailer brings you. In fact, I think this was the perfect way to introduce Sun and Moon. It's like GF is saying "Look at how much we've done and how far we come. And it's just getting better." It's hard to not get hyped for SM from this, or at the very least feel something. I guess what I'm trying to say is that things like this make me glad I've stuck with pokemon for so long. I like that after all these years, pokemon is something that consistently makes me happy.
And while I'm talking about trailers, this Pokemon Go one is also fantastic. Obviously the whole "catching pokemon in the real world" thing is something many people have dreamed about, but other highlights include:
- A daughter and father playing the game together. Even greater once you realize this is something that happens in real life.
- The way that girl throws her pokeball into the water to summon Gyarados, and the fact that both the Gyarados and Snorlax fall back into the water.
- The music.
- The entire Mewtwo part. The way everyone rushes to Times Square, the music builds, and everyone is fighting and cheering when they catch Mewtwo, it gets you pumped. To quote someone from TVTropes: "Just everyone dropping their shit and working together to catch Mewtwo. There's something to be said for people working together so flawlessly to achieve a goal, even if it's something like this.
This trailer made me really emotional the first time I watched it. Hell, it still does sometimes. It's obviously meant to make you feel something. I think one of those things is nostalgia. And the way the trailer is, you can feel that nostalgia no matter what your first pokemon game was. Also, just like with the pokemon games themselves, the theme in the trailer is connection. The games are shown in various languages, with various people playing and bonding over them. The music is also superb and contributes to the overall good feeling that the trailer brings you. In fact, I think this was the perfect way to introduce Sun and Moon. It's like GF is saying "Look at how much we've done and how far we come. And it's just getting better." It's hard to not get hyped for SM from this, or at the very least feel something. I guess what I'm trying to say is that things like this make me glad I've stuck with pokemon for so long. I like that after all these years, pokemon is something that consistently makes me happy.
And while I'm talking about trailers, this Pokemon Go one is also fantastic. Obviously the whole "catching pokemon in the real world" thing is something many people have dreamed about, but other highlights include:
- A daughter and father playing the game together. Even greater once you realize this is something that happens in real life.
- The way that girl throws her pokeball into the water to summon Gyarados, and the fact that both the Gyarados and Snorlax fall back into the water.
- The music.
- The entire Mewtwo part. The way everyone rushes to Times Square, the music builds, and everyone is fighting and cheering when they catch Mewtwo, it gets you pumped. To quote someone from TVTropes: "Just everyone dropping their shit and working together to catch Mewtwo. There's something to be said for people working together so flawlessly to achieve a goal, even if it's something like this.
- The Times Square climax perfectly encapsulates the core message of the entire Pokémon franchise: We are stronger together."
I really like how there are cool Pokemon, cute Pokemon, pretty Pokemon, ugly Pokemon, creepy Pokemon, boring Pokemon, just plain weird Pokemon...basically every kind of Pokemon that there could be, there is.
And each of those species Pokemon has different stats, abilities, etc., which gives them entirely different niches. And even if that means that they're not all stellar competitively, that's fine, because some are also great in game for catching Pokemon. Some are great for breeding. Some are great in the contests. Some are great for Musicals. Or the Pokeathlon. Or as a pet.
Some are great at getting stuff done. You have Pokemon that can learn a lot of HMs, which makes them great to take with you on journeys, even if they can't fight, as they can get you places you might not otherwise be able to make it to. Some are seen in game lifting boxes and such around, which is great because a lot of those boxes look way too heavy for humans to carry. In the Anime, the Mr. Mime in Ash's house seems to work as some sort of cleaner, making sure everything is spotless. Also in the Anime, you see people riding a lot of Pokemon like horses, which implies that there are great Pokemon for transportation too. In XY, you even get to ride a few yourself!
But I'm not done. Oh no, not even close. On top of THAT, even among the same species, there is STILL variation. There's Pokemon with natural variations, like the different kinds of Basculin and Shellos. Heck, Spinda has a nearly limitless number of spot arrangements it can have. Gender differences in some Pokemon also contribute to variation within a species as well. And I haven't even talked about shinies yet. Or Alolan Forms. Or the Delta Species from the trading card game.
And even if two Pokemon of the same species look the same, they're still very likely to have different natures, implying that even though they look the same, they don't ACT the same. They will also likely have different IVs, implying that they are better at different things. And then there's Pokemon that can have one of multiple abilities, showing that they're better at different things as well. And on top of even THAT, their EVs will likely vary as well, showing that they've trained for different things in ADDITION to the things they're naturally good at.
My point? Pokemon all look and act differently from each other, and all have at least one thing that they shine in. Just like us. And that's fine with me.
And each of those species Pokemon has different stats, abilities, etc., which gives them entirely different niches. And even if that means that they're not all stellar competitively, that's fine, because some are also great in game for catching Pokemon. Some are great for breeding. Some are great in the contests. Some are great for Musicals. Or the Pokeathlon. Or as a pet.
Some are great at getting stuff done. You have Pokemon that can learn a lot of HMs, which makes them great to take with you on journeys, even if they can't fight, as they can get you places you might not otherwise be able to make it to. Some are seen in game lifting boxes and such around, which is great because a lot of those boxes look way too heavy for humans to carry. In the Anime, the Mr. Mime in Ash's house seems to work as some sort of cleaner, making sure everything is spotless. Also in the Anime, you see people riding a lot of Pokemon like horses, which implies that there are great Pokemon for transportation too. In XY, you even get to ride a few yourself!
But I'm not done. Oh no, not even close. On top of THAT, even among the same species, there is STILL variation. There's Pokemon with natural variations, like the different kinds of Basculin and Shellos. Heck, Spinda has a nearly limitless number of spot arrangements it can have. Gender differences in some Pokemon also contribute to variation within a species as well. And I haven't even talked about shinies yet. Or Alolan Forms. Or the Delta Species from the trading card game.
And even if two Pokemon of the same species look the same, they're still very likely to have different natures, implying that even though they look the same, they don't ACT the same. They will also likely have different IVs, implying that they are better at different things. And then there's Pokemon that can have one of multiple abilities, showing that they're better at different things as well. And on top of even THAT, their EVs will likely vary as well, showing that they've trained for different things in ADDITION to the things they're naturally good at.
My point? Pokemon all look and act differently from each other, and all have at least one thing that they shine in. Just like us. And that's fine with me.