Usually, when you ask somebody what their favourite Pokémon is, they can give a pretty good reason for their choice. If you love one of the starters like Bulbasaur or Piplup, it's probably because they're one of the cutest creatures ever committed to code. If you're a Garchomp fan, it's probably because a speed-boosted Garchomp with Earthquake, like Cynthia's in Gen 4, has the the power to end all of human history in less time than it takes for your average smoke break.
But what about those Pokémon that you have a real soft spot for, but you just cannot explain why? What about those Pokémon that you always take the time to level up and evolve, not because they're cute or strong, just because you kinda like them?
Well this nebulous category of pocket monster is my subject of discussion for today when I'm going to break down the 6 Pokémon that I like, but I'm just not sure why...
1) Bastiodon
Now, full disclosure. Gen 4 was when I first picked up a Pokémon game and so I will concede some nostalgia points on this choice. However, even as a grown man playing Shining Pearl on my Switch, I still love Bastiodon.
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While he may not be an offensive machine like a Garchomp, Bastiodon boasts healthy defensive stats that match his appearance and it is that appearance that won me over. There are few Pokémon that are so straightforwardly clear on their purpose as Bastiodon. This boy is a wall who will not only tank any hits that are thrown at him (as long as it's not Fighting or Ground type), but he will do it with his face!
It's a shame that so many people on forums and in other places refer to Bastiodon as being ugly or silly-looking because, to me, everything about him that looks dumb as hell makes him all the more endearing. Bastiodon not only is happy to be beaten up for a living but he's also not afraid to show it by having a brick wall for a face. On some level, I think that we can all aspire to be more like Bastiodon with that level of commitment to his purpose.
2) Goomy
Moving on to the world of Gen 5 we have Goomy. Now, let me be blunt. Goomy is kind of gross. He looks like a particularly slimy piece of ham slapped on top of a tennis ball. Furthermore, in terms of utility, Goomy is particularly weak with low attacking stats and only somewhat okay special defence. To make matters worse, you'll have to wait all the way to level 40 for him to evolve into a Sliggoo which means he'll spend a lot of time on the bench.
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| (Image belongs to Nintendo) |
However, as time has passed, Goomy has managed to slide his gooey self into my heart. The first way he did this was only a little bit of cheating by becoming my first ever shiny Pokémon in Legends: Arceus (Yes, I'd never gotten one before) and while his stale-looking beige shiny colour didn't exactly improve his visage, I did end up using him a lot more and I started to gain an appreciation for him.
While Goomy is weak, he does have some decent bulk, especially with that special defence. What's more, as I used him more and more, I started feeling less like he was a liability there to mooch Exp off his teammates and more like a goofy little cheerleader who'd occasionally help the squad by swapping in to tank a couple of special hits every once in a while. So, while Goomy may not be the perfect Pokémon, it did show me how Pokémon can grow on you over time no matter how slimy they are!
3) Carkol
Carkol is one of a long list of recent Pokémon that fall into the category of being based on random objects. In its case, Carkol is designed after a minecart full of coal. Coal that is, for some reason, already on fire.
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On first impressions, Carkol is pretty silly-looking with its stubby little wheel-feet and its cheesy little face sticking out from a stack of smouldering coals. What's more, it suffers from a couple of red flags including a huge weakness to Water that means that it could be effectively wiped from the face of the earth by a cool drizzle.
However, after using him for some time in my first playthrough of Pokémon: Shield, I started to like the little guy. Its access to the move Flame Charge allows it to both dish out decent fire damage while also increasing its lethargic speed stat with each use. This is not only good for its utility but, in combination with that devious grin on its face, made me imagine Carkol as the kind of Pokémon that would roll itself down a hill, getting faster and faster before crashing into an unsuspecting Blipbug. Once I had that image in my head, I couldn't not like Carkol, its goofy grin and its assumed lack of self-preservation.
4) Cyclizar
Cyclizar is a weird Pokémon. In case you haven't had the chance or have chosen to avoid Scarlet and Violet, Cyclizar is effectively a lower-stat, Normal-type version of the two box legendaries, Koraidon and Miraidon. That in-and-of-itself is odd seeing as Game Freak like to keep their legendaries, you know, legendary and you'd think that making a devolved version of them would go against that. Furthermore, there has only ever been one Normal-Dragon type before Cyclizar, Drampa from Gen 7.
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However, despite its quirks, Cyclizar is great. As a member of your team, it benefits from powerful Dragon type moves like Dragon Claw as well as being able to travel at 70 mph while carrying a person on its back which means it would be at home on a motorway, let alone in a Pokémon battle. If that wasn't enough, it also has access to the busted Shed Tail ability which allows for you to not only switch a Pokémon from your party into battle quickly but also sets up a substitute to tank any damaged dished out in the process.
Above all else though, my favourite thing about Cyclizar is its design. While it does look like a downgrade of the box legendaries, it still has a pretty slick design. Moreover, if you look at it in the face, it looks intelligent member of societ. This looks like a lizard that you can have a conversation with down at your local pub. And I bet it would have some wild stories to tell seeing as Scarlet's Pokedex alleges that its been around for 10,000 years!
5) Cloyster
One of the original Gen 1 Pokémon, Cloyster has been around for a long time. In that time, it has always been a fairly solid defensive choice without setting the world alight.
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However, with the introduction of the ability Skill Link, I have grown a new appreciation for Cloyster. Skill Link is an ability that makes multi-hit moves like Icicle Crash or Rock Blast always hit the maximum number of times. In combination with Shell Smash, which greatly boosts Cloyster's speed and attack in exchange for lowered defences, Cloyster can be an absolute monster to fight against flinging icicles like its an unfair snowball fight.
This was the reason why I first started using Cloyster. However, after that initial impetus, I started to appreciate Cloyster's design as well. The extra layer of shell that Cloyster has compared to its pre-evolution Shellder makes it look like a defensive unit and that look of smug confidence on its face says that it knows it. Between its shells, its grin and the spikes and ridges that Cloyster is coated in, Cloyster looks like the kind of pokemon that doesn't just think it can tank your hits, it wants to watch you try.
6) Glimmora
Like Cyclizar, Glimmora is one of the most recent additions to the world of Pokémon with Gen 9. While Glimmora's design is not in dispute, it has copped some flak in recent months for being the signature Pokémon to one of the most criticised champions in the whole series, Geeta. Despite this though, Glimmora deserves a hell of a lot of appreciation.
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| (Image belongs to Nintendo) |
Being referred to as the "Ore Pokémon" Glimmora boasts to super cool and very unique Rock-Poison typing which goes a long way towards making it stand-out and is probably one of the reasons that it boasts one of the coolest colour-pallets in the whole National Dex.
However, my soft-spot for Glimmora goes beyond just cool design and uniqueness because, while Glimmora carries both of those in spades, it also has a slight edge to it that few Pokémon have. As a rock/ore Pokémon, Glimmora can be expected to be encountered in caves. Now, if you image one of these floating towards you, yellow empty eyes surrounded by writhing glowing appendages reaching for your face, this Pokémon that was once pretty becomes pretty terrifying! For me, this nightmare-fuel image elevates Glimmora from a good pokemon to one of my favourites of the most recent generation.
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