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Little things you like about Pokémon
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Yung Dramps
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Poltergeist. Just... Poltergeist.
Everything about this move is simply perfect. Its flavor is perfect. Its function as a strong, highly distributed physical Ghost move and how it executes that function is perfect. And the distribution? Oh my god, the distribution. When this move was first revealed the cynic in me was like "Ok looks good bet they're gonna fuck it up by skipping out on things that desperately need it or giving it to mons that are already very good without it" but no, they got it completely spot-on, I would genuinely change nothing aside from maybe giving it to Mimikyu although skipping it is justifiable seeing as it's already super good in Battle Stadium Singles. Also Banette but that's not in the game rigth now.
It's been what, 2 weeks since IoA launched? And I still can't fully grasp the fact this move exists. This is the best, most well-thought-out buff to a specific offense type since the Knock Off buff making physical Dark types amazing. After 4 and 1/3 generations of total horseshit, Physical Ghosts get this masterpiece of a move. Now here's to hoping Physical Electrics can get a redemption arc of this calibre
Everything about this move is simply perfect. Its flavor is perfect. Its function as a strong, highly distributed physical Ghost move and how it executes that function is perfect. And the distribution? Oh my god, the distribution. When this move was first revealed the cynic in me was like "Ok looks good bet they're gonna fuck it up by skipping out on things that desperately need it or giving it to mons that are already very good without it" but no, they got it completely spot-on, I would genuinely change nothing aside from maybe giving it to Mimikyu although skipping it is justifiable seeing as it's already super good in Battle Stadium Singles. Also Banette but that's not in the game rigth now.
It's been what, 2 weeks since IoA launched? And I still can't fully grasp the fact this move exists. This is the best, most well-thought-out buff to a specific offense type since the Knock Off buff making physical Dark types amazing. After 4 and 1/3 generations of total horseshit, Physical Ghosts get this masterpiece of a move. Now here's to hoping Physical Electrics can get a redemption arc of this calibre
I see your points but raise you an idea that it may have been even better, flavor-wise, for it to function more like Psyshock (a Special Ghost move that hits Physical Defense). Sure, it's a better option to expand movepools as it is, but I have a really hard time thinking something like Golurk could be better at manipulating an item than, say, Gengar.
Golurk's the biggest outlier IMO (I've also never felt the "spooky" Ghost-type flavor was especially strong on Golurk) but it just doesn't feel like it should be running off of Physical Attack to me. Hitting Physical Defense is perfectly logical, though.
Maybe the idea is that the Pokemon is sending out its soul in order to possess the opponent's held item, and with it its stats. So, since Golurk is a physical fighter, its soul would better enforce the item and know how to whip it around to cause massive damage compared to Gengar who is a special attacker so isn't as solidly fused and doesn't know the best way to bash against the opponent.
It's definitely a possibility. Rotom is literally a poltergeist (a plasma-based, relatively nice poltergeist, but still) but a special attacker nonetheless.
I think it's a great move and a good addition to the Ghost type but think its execution is probably made simple deliberately. My brain wants to interpret its base power as similar to Fling, but using the target's item instead. It's funny how using the target's, say, Iron Ball to attack it is going to do the same damage as using its Weakness Policy.
The very definition of a poltergeist is a ghost that can create physical disturbances, frequently including hitting, pinching, tripping and (as is the case with this move) throwing objects around. In that sense, I would think of it as just as physical as, say, Rock Throw or Rock Slide. It's not a form of telekinesis in the way that some Psychic moves are - it's as if the user is actually up close and doing the action in person, but by virtue of being a ghost (and a poltergeist) it doesn't need to be.
There's perfectly good flavor for it to be a physical move - honestly, when being called a poltergeist means causing "physical disturbances," I would be annoyed to heck and back if it were classified as special.
As someone who is very cynical about how GF distributes attacks/abilities/etc to different Pokemon, I DO very much like that the move Poltergeist - an attack that has been associated with Gengar thanks to the TCG since 2004 (but mostly 2009 due to a notoriously powerful card) - was given to Gengar at all, even though competitively it'll never use it.
EDIT: And it even involves using the opponent's items against them! Even better!
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I really enjoy that bronzong has the nickname "bringer of plentiful harvests" because it can summon rain clouds, and that it is often seen in dpp OU being a rain setter. Its used exactly how gamefreak intended it seems 
Sometimes the TCG will use a normal trainer type or character as a basis for a card, ones who typically don't get full or partial artwork. Which means we, well, get to see that!
For an old school example think of Bill, or how from gen 5 this
was tsomehow the only official "finalized" artwork of the shadow triad (otherwise it just had concept art)
Anyway stuff like that. The PC management in particular gets a nice boost from this.
Thing that made me think more about it was a new card for....
Cara Liss, everyone's favorite committer of science crime
For an old school example think of Bill, or how from gen 5 this
was tsomehow the only official "finalized" artwork of the shadow triad (otherwise it just had concept art)
Anyway stuff like that. The PC management in particular gets a nice boost from this.
Thing that made me think more about it was a new card for....
Cara Liss, everyone's favorite committer of science crime
Another such example is Saffron City's Copycat, who got a card in e-Expedition. It was even drawn by Ken Sugimori himself. She was also one of the first Supporter cards ever made, since this sub-type of Trainer cards debuted in the set she was in.Sometimes the TCG will use a normal trainer type or character as a basis for a card, ones who typically don't get full or partial artwork. Which means we, well, get to see that!
For an old school example think of Bill, or how from gen 5 this
was tsomehow the only official "finalized" artwork of the shadow triad (otherwise it just had concept art)
Anyway stuff like that. The PC management in particular gets a nice boost from this.
Thing that made me think more about it was a new card for....
Cara Liss, everyone's favorite committer of science crime
Of an interesting note, She had a complete redesign in a HGSS-era set, but in a Sun-Moon era set she got a full card art that went back to her original look.
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The moving sprites from generation 5, the nostalgia of the 2d sprites mixed with the personality of the modern ones make them some of my favorites and I wish they got more love.
Clay artworks on cards, always my favorites as a kid
MOD EDIT: Double posts merged. Please don't double post.
Clay artworks on cards, always my favorites as a kid
MOD EDIT: Double posts merged. Please don't double post.
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Buzzwole is a big, buff, blood-sucking mosquito. A very masculine Pokemon to contrast with Pheromosa's feminine qualities.
Except... only female mosquitoes suck blood. I know Pokemon don't need to adhere by real-world rules, but I think it's way funnier if Buzzwole is actually a female species.
Except... only female mosquitoes suck blood. I know Pokemon don't need to adhere by real-world rules, but I think it's way funnier if Buzzwole is actually a female species.
Well their considered genderless, and woman bodybuilders have just as big muscles as men, so...
Also, technically, it's never said Buzzwole drinks blood. just ambiguous "energy".
It's mechanically genderless, but Solgaleo, Lunala, and maybe Zacian are said to be male or female, so
Right after that scene they feed Snorlax a few Berries and it re-inflates. If Buzzwole drank Snorlax's blood I doubt Snorlax would have been able to re-inflate that quickly.
Exactly my point. Who's to say the Buzzwole species can't be considered female?It's mechanically genderless, but Solgaleo, Lunala, and maybe Zacian are said to be male or female, so
I know, but the scene is still cursed.
Also allow me to throw my "logic and pokemon, choose one" cents again
No one. I just think it makes an already funny Pokemon even funnier, which is why it's my new headcanon.
It's worth mentioning that the feminine Pheromosa, who is supposedly based on a cockroach, has very long wings. Which is a masculine trait in cockroaches.
I was hoping something like that would be the case, but I didn't know enough about cockroaches to figure out what it might be.
if the UBs ever had gender they probably would've made Buzzwole male only & Pheromosa would be female only even if it'd be way more interesting to flip them. Sometimes masculine pokemon can get by with just an increased gender ratio but feminine pokemon get hit hard and fast with 100% female fairly often ,especialy lately. Bit of a bummer.
There are exactly two brand-new moves in Gen 8 that are teachable through TMs or TRs: Breaking Swipe and Body Press. Both are the last of their respective lists, with Breaking Swipe being TM99 and Body Press being TR99.
Although it wasn't explicitly acknowledged until Generation VI, Generation V was the first time the subclass of aura and pulse moves (Aura Sphere, Dark Pulse, Dragon Pulse, Water Pulse, Origin Pulse, Heal Pulse and Terrain Pulse) was mechanically distinguished.
The class's unique property - which it shared with Flying-type moves - was that it could be used to target non-adjacent opponents in Triple Battles.
Generation V also introduced a three-headed Pokémon, Hydreigon, that relies on moves from this category for both of its main STAB moves.
Generation VI highlighted this subclass further by introducing Mega Launcher, an Ability that boosted the power of moves in this category. The Pokémon that debuted this Ability, Mega Blastoise, was visually distinguished by having three cannons.
Mega Blastoise is considered one of the best Pokémon to use for Triple Battles in Generation VI, particularly in the Battle Maison.
I love the way Mega Evolutions in general playfully incorporate their Abilities and their fighting styles into their designs, but this one takes the cake for being so subtle - I didn't even notice it until just today.
The class's unique property - which it shared with Flying-type moves - was that it could be used to target non-adjacent opponents in Triple Battles.
Generation V also introduced a three-headed Pokémon, Hydreigon, that relies on moves from this category for both of its main STAB moves.
Generation VI highlighted this subclass further by introducing Mega Launcher, an Ability that boosted the power of moves in this category. The Pokémon that debuted this Ability, Mega Blastoise, was visually distinguished by having three cannons.
Mega Blastoise is considered one of the best Pokémon to use for Triple Battles in Generation VI, particularly in the Battle Maison.
I love the way Mega Evolutions in general playfully incorporate their Abilities and their fighting styles into their designs, but this one takes the cake for being so subtle - I didn't even notice it until just today.
That's... really cool! I knew Aura Sphere hit any opponent in Triples but didn't realise it also applied specifically to the Pulse moves as well. I really like this a lot; it's one of those unique little mechanics that's sort of hidden away but in a good way