Pokémon: Cala Maria
Franchise/Origin: Cuphead
Intended Tier: UU
Type: Water/Ghost
Ability: Cute Charm, Marvel Scale (Hidden)
Notable moves: Whirlpool, Aqua Jet, Water Gun, Chilling Water, Flip Turn, Water Pulse, Brine, Scald, Octazooka, Waterfall, Surf, Hydro Pump, Water Spout, Soak, Water Sport, Aqua Ring, Life Dew, Confuse Ray, Curse, Grudge, Spite, Astonish, Ominous Wind, Hex, Shadow Ball, Charge Beam, Electro Ball, Thunder Wave, Thunder Shock, Eerie Impulse, Shock Wave, Discharge, Thunderbolt, Thunder, Charge, Growl, Disarming Voice, Baby-Doll Eyes, Sing, Encore, Hyper Voice, Charm, Attract, Round, Draining Kiss, Dazzling Gleam, Perish Song, Icy Wind, Ice Beam, Blizzard, Fake Tears, Snarl, Foul Play, Taunt, Dark Pulse, Nasty Plot
Signature moves:
- Petrify (Ghost, Status, 24 PP max, 80% accuracy) - Inflicts paralysis and a trapping effect for 3 turns if successful. Has +1 priority; if the opponent was about to use a move before being affected by this move, the attack will fail.
"You dare to gaze?! How 'bout stone boots so you can swim with the fishes!"
Mega Evolution: Based on her appearance during Phase 2 of her boss battle, seen above, Cala exchanges her Water type for Electric, gaining 40 points for Special Attack, and 30 points each for Defense and Special Defense. Her ability is now
Intimidate.
Stats: 110 HP/60 Atk/90 Def/100 SpA/90 SpD/50 Spe =
500
Reasoning:
One of the most well-known and honestly best-designed bosses from
Cuphead, Cala's Water-type is obviously due to her being a mermaid, while the ghosts of sailors she's eaten, which she spits out as one of her attacks in her first stage, justifies the Ghost type somewhat, but more importantly, there's also the fact that her scary-looking, monstrous second stage is a freaking
gorgon, as well as the fact that she becomes a disembodied head in her third stage... is she some kind of undead creature, perhaps? The electric eels she uses to transform into her second stage justify her Mega Evolution's Electric typing, and the fact that she can learn a variety of Electric attacks is because she uses the eels themselves as her primary means of attack during this stage, as well as a bunch of Ice-type attacks as the closest thing to the petrification effect of her gorgon gaze (Water-types in canon can learn plenty of Ice attacks anyway), topped off with a couple of sound-based moves in the vein of Primarina given the connection between mermaids and singing in popular culture (and indeed, she does get
a song of her own in the Netflix cartoon). Her abilities are obvious picks based on her appearance and behavior in all of the stages in her boss battle, though I had to pick only the first two because there was only enough room for the normal form and the Mega Evolution. Her high HP, special attack, and defenses but low speed and physical attack reference the fact that she remains in one place throughout her boss fight, attacks from a distance with projectile volleys straight out of a bullet hell, and takes a
lot of punishment before finally being forced to hand over the soul contract she made to the Devil (hence the Dark-type moves she can also learn), the latter of which is common to all the other bosses of the game.
Slate Bonus: Gorgons are as spooky as the usual ghosts, ghouls, and goblins - at least to me anyway.
Competitive Info:
Cala Maria is a slow but hefty special tank with a powerful special attack stat and just enough durability to actually make use of it despite her terrible speed. Her Water-type STAB options are largely on the special side with Hydro Pump, and Surf as her most obvious picks, although Scald's burn chance and Octakazooka's accuracy reduction may also be worth checking out if you can afford to max out her special attack EVs; her only Ghost-type option is the obvious Shadow Ball but with quite a bit of power to back it up, it's likely she doesn't mind. Coverage options include Normal, Electric, Ice, Dark, and Fairy, though only the latter three are useful against three of the four types she's weak to and she has no answer to Electric. Her support options include Taunt, Confuse Ray, Perish Song, and especially her signature move, Petrify, which can easily turn even the fiercest foe into setup or cannon fodder. With her low speed leaving her unable to avoid faster enemies cutting in before she can get anything done, however, it's a lot harder for her to take up a supporting role than her defensive bulk may suggest, especially given that she'd often be forced to run Life Dew just to stay relevant.
Upon Mega-Evolving, Cala doesn't gain any speed at all, but her defenses are increased alongside losing two of her previous type weaknesses (though she also has just five resistances compared to the six of her normal form), making her even harder to bring down, although she also gains an added Ground weakness that may force her to run an Ice-type attack in case of emergency. More importantly, her special attack stat is now through the roof and backed up by an extremely dangerous offensive STAB type on top of decent coverage in the form of said Ice type, allowing her to unleash the famous BoltBeam combo with little fear of reprisal. Her nigh indestructibility with regards to actual attacks shouldn't be an excuse to get overconfident with her, however - Cala has no way of handling entry hazards or status effects on her own, the chip damage from burning and poisoning especially, and while her Mega form is immune to paralysis, she can still be frozen, put to sleep, or subject to any other status that can hobble her offensive prowess at the worst possible moment. As such, making full use of that vulnerability, as well as taking out any team support that can clear hazards away and give her room to be at her most lethal, might be just enough to turn the tide against her.
