My Picks for Gen II: The few, the underdogs and the failures

Welcome back. We return to the list of Pokémon that stand out to me, this time from Gen II!

Typhlosion

I don’t like Typlohsion. I’m only mentioning it because it’s just Charizard, stat-to-stat. That’s it. A pure Fire-type Charizard. I thought its fire mane was pretty cool, and I picked one in Gold. But that was it. The only reason I’m mentioning it is because while Typhlosion can be Charizard without wings, Infernape and Emboar get shit on for being Fire/Fighting-types despite have different stats and methods of usage. I hate nostalgiafags.

Feraligatr

The only starter that’s worth a squirt of piss in Gen II. The one I got in SoulSilver was a female, and adamant at that. Now either I lucked out, or that was the game’s way of rewarding me with picking it. She was a leading force in my team, and I like the thought of having a very large starter. Feraligatr stands at 7’07, and that’s just awesome. Plus, I love reptiles.

Noctowl

As far as regional birds go, Noctowl is unique. It utilizes Confusion and other Psychic moves and such and it has a nice special defense stat to fall back on. It helps that it looks like an actual owl compared to its pre-evo.

Ledian

And here, Gen II’s problems begin. Well, Furret did that already, but Ledian is in a state of turmoil. First, it has a good design. Second, it has access to punching moves. Third, it can utilize them better than Hitmonchan could prior to Gen IV. So, what’s the problem? Well, its special attack is trash, its attack is even worse, and it only has a high special defense stat to fall back on. And even then, its HP is very low. And even its speed won’t make a difference. Nothing should fall to a Ledian. NOTHING. I wanted to like Ledian, but it’s the poster boy for bad Pokémon, and moreso one of the many blunders Gen II has. Furret is bad, but Ledian’s potential is so wasted Furret doesn’t even exist. If you picked Silver, I’m so sorry for you.

Ariados

And if you picked Gold, you had this instead.  Not that Ariados is any better, but it actually is better compared to Ledian. But that still isn’t saying much. It’s slower, and a Poison-type to boot. Psychics can floor it with no problem. But with Gen IV, it got some viability, but it’s still underwhelming. Underwhelming, but better than Ledian.

Crobat

Crobat is fucking awesome. Great design, great movepool, fantastic speed and the very first cross evolution in the National Dex line. And what a fantastic addition to an old line. The design is definitely a vast change from Golbat, and this is the only time where I can say that Crobat doesn’t resemble its previous forms. Even the Gen IV evos, which people complain about look like their past forms.

The Babies

I’m dedicating this whole section to the baby Pokémon. They were added for egg moves, moves their older counterparts can’t learn, and mainly to make a connection to adult Pokémon. You had Pichu, Igglybuff, Cleffa, Togepi, Tyrogue, Smoochum, Elekid and Magby. The first was an attempt to cash in on Pikachu’s success and instead of giving Raichu an evo, it started the trend of making a cute Electric-type rodent with each gen. Marill was doing it right. That Firepika was also doing it right. Making a whole circle of rodents with each type would be great, but for whatever reason, GameFreak wants to keep copying Pikachu’s success. Babies aren’t worth using in battle, just slap an EXP Share on one, and look for the moves you want and evolve it when you’re ready.

Ampharos

When I first saw it in that magazine, I thought it wasn’t related to Flaaffy and Mareep. It’s a really cool Pokémon, and its Japanese name is a pun on electricity and dragon, Denryu. Much later on in Gen VI, it would get a mega that made that pun a reality.

Azumarill

I love Azumarill. Its Huge Power ability makes it a great Pokémon to have early on, and even better since it evolves pretty early. It gives you a reason to have that cute Marill and see it become a force to be reckoned with, unlike that awful addition Pichu.

Sudowoodo

I also remember Sudowoodo in the magazine, and mentioning it wasn’t a Grass-type. And thanks to the anime, as mentioned in part 1, I thought it was immune to Electric attacks. It’s fairly slow, and it can’t take hits, but it can do some decent damage. And its name is pretty cool.

Politoed

I thought this one was a Grass-type when I first saw it. It’s also the first Pokémon I forgot existed. I had a Poliwhirl ready to evolve with the right nature, but I released it. Honestly, Politoed is okay, and I see the resemblance from it to its previous forms but Poliwrath has more to it, design-wise. Even as a frog, it doesn’t really appeal to me.

The Hoppip line

I like this whole line. It’s great if you picked Cyndaquil or Totodile. Chikorita has no reason to be picked when you consider Johto’s distribution of Pokémon. You have Oddish, Bellsprout and Hoppip, all who can be obtained early on. Hoppip adds something new at the time and can mix things up a bit. Synthesis can benefit it due to being weaker than most of your team more than likely.

Quagsire

The first time a Water-type was anything but, and ultimately proved that Rock-types weren’t immune to Electric-types. Unfortunately, it isn’t a spectacular Pokémon, and Gen II seems to have a lot of Pokémon in the middle area and even more in the lower/bottom area with literally a handful at the top.

Umbreon

Ah, the Dark counterpart to Espeon. No disrespect to Espeon, but Umbreon appeals to me more. I like its heavy defenses and its overall set up of moves and strategies. Granted, it’s not as good as it used to be, but Blacky still has a place in my heart.

Slowking

As I mentioned before, Slowking was a strange Pokémon to me. It was Slowpoke, but smarter. And to Slowbro’s defensive capabilities, Slowking is a showcase of Sp. Def. The two are interchangeable and there’s really no definitive choice to pick between them. One could say Slowbro gets the edge with its mega evolution, and some may just want to use Slowking for the sake of using it. It’s all up to you.

Wobbuffet

I didn’t know what to think of this one. I saw it in the anime and it only used Counter and seldom Mirror Coat.  When I finally fought one, I saw what purpose it served: An all-or-nothing Pokémon. You had to take it out in one hit, or risk getting KO’ed if it used the proper attack.  And even then, Destiny Bond could seal your fate. In Gen III, it got Shadow Tag. You REALLY had to take it out in one hit and hope you got lucky otherwise. On another note, its pre-evo, Wynaut was shown near the end of Gen II’s run. Wynaut add it and Azurill in Gen II? Too many babies? Or did they want to keep it an even number of Pokémon added? Who knows.

Girafarig

A Giraffe is a badass standing almost twenty feet in the air, with a large neck capable of killing a human in one swing. Girafarig is an oddball standing less than five feet and is overall unremarkable. Its design is its only strong point, and don’t get me started on its earlier concept. I want a real giraffe, not some caricature. Same with Donphan, but we’ll get to that later.

Forretress

I like Forretress. One of the new Steel-types at the time, and a Bug-type to boot, it lacks speed, but it has great defense. Though it can be taken out by most Fire-types, unless you have a Fire-type, you’ll have a hard time taking one out, and Sturdy gave it an edge just in case.

Steelix

Steelix has the same problem Onix has: It’s great with defense, but it lacks real oomph with its offensive stats. Steelix at least has more defensive pros, but it’s still the same as Onix, and when you see what it can’t take, it becomes a pushover. However, with its mega evo, it finally gets something to fall back on. I say  that Gen II’s Pokémon need evos, but overall, some of them need a boost, and for the ones who aren’t exactly in need of evos, Megas fit that bill. This is what Megas should be used for.

Granbull

It’s a big softie and it’s powerful. It’s also slow. But I like it. I always get a male in spite of its gender ratio. With Gen VI, it finally becomes a Fairy-type, referencing its species name and more than likely actual fae origins. They weren’t cutesy eight-inch women, and they weren’t pure of heart. I’d love to see some more Fairy-types that aren’t pink and cuddly.

Scizor

The poster bug for Gen II, it’s the evolved form of Scyther. I didn’t see the relation to Scyther but I liked it. I didn’t know if it was a crab or an insect. What I did know was its trading card at the time had a black border around it. At the time, I didn’t know that was the Steel-type until I saw it in the anime. It’s a beast and still holds up today.

Shuckle

Another oddball. Was it a turtle or what? I liked its mechanic with making a berry into juice and then rare candy and I’m wondering why said mechanic was never reintroduced in SoulSilver. They went out the way to add those redundant apricorns, too. Its gimmick is tricky to pull off, but when it works, it works!

Heracross

My top favorite Pokémon from Gen II after Smoochum, it has amazing attack and a great typing. Every opportunity I get to have one on my team, I take it. I struggled to get one in Pearl and it stood on my team almost always. Its mega form isn’t too bad either, another example of doing the concept right: Help a great but flawed Pokémon get an upper hand.

Ursaring

If you didn’t have Snubbull, or Gold you could grab Teddiursa. It’s the bulky Normal-type, slow but powerful. One thing I noticed is in the anime it’s a really aggressive and angry Pokémon but in the games it’s more gluttonous and lazy. It has the power on it, though so I guess you still wouldn’t want to fuck with one.

Magcargo

Oh, my word. If Gen II had a master of disaster, it would be Magcargo. At least Ledian is expected to be underwhelming, Magcargo has too much going wrong with it to even be considered a useful Pokémon. Slow speed, a typing that’s not only doubly weak to Water, but Ground as well and a cool design. It was bad then and it’s bad now. Not even an evo or a mega could salvage it. Some people thought Magcargo was a Gen III Pokémon.

Octillery

Amazing. The concept alone sells itself and I was dumbfounded when I found out why a remora turns into an octopus. It can use Flamethrower, Ice Beam and Signal Beam, covering a lot of ground. If its special movepool isn’t enough, it can get physical and do a lot more damage.

Skarmory

 Its cry makes it seem robotic. It’s an amazing Pokémon, and one of Gen II’s top picks. While it doesn’t have anything to talk of physically, it’s one of best defensive walls you can use, after Blissey(Well, not physically anyway). Skarmory is perfect as is, and I think even GameFreak knows it. Some things never change. It took a bit of a blow in Gen VI, but it still fits the bill.

Houndoom

If you need a Fire-type, this is the go-to Pokémon if you didn’t pick Cyndaquil or if you were hoping for something good from Magcargo. Why do you have to wait so long to get a Fire-type in Gen II? Gen IV ended up with this problem until Platinum. Anyway, it’s pretty good in both attack stats and very good speed. Speedy enough not to get floored by Slowbro of all Pokémon(What the fuck were they thinking with Magcargo???).

Kingdra

I knew this was Seadra’s evolution. It’s the prime definition of a defensive Pokémon, and still is: Water/Dragon means you need a Dragon-type Pokémon and you need a STAB to really get some damage in. Unfortunately this is the only Dragon-type introduced in Gen II, and this was a kid that didn’t have anyone to trade with. A force to be reckoned with.

Donphan

Ah, Donphan. The anime makes it faster than it is. Now it’s got power and defense at least. But that speed keeps it down. Then again, at least it’s not Golem or Magcargo. But, my main problem is not only is it fairly slow, but as an elephant, and the only Pokémon based on one currently, it’s an embarrassment. I get it’s a tire and a wheel more than an elephant, but still. If we can have multiple butterflies/moths and two of the same mythical creature (Baku), we can surely have another elephant and giraffe? Same with a Kangaroo.

Porygon2

I like its concept, and I just now realized what it is at the time of writing this: Porygon was early 3D, Porygon2 is early Dreamcast/6^th generation graphics. Even in the 3D games, 2 was smoothed out nicely. It has its own gimmicks and tricks to use, so it’s not really a straightforward Pokémon to use in my opinion.

Hitmontop

I didn’t know what the hell this was. When I found out it was a member of the Tyrouge line, it confused me a little. It’s a little bit of everything (Hitmonlee, Hitmonchan and its own elements), same with Tyrogue. It’s a good Pokémon, with some nice defenses and attack. It’s an alternate take on Hitmonlee, and at worst a rehash of it.

Miltank

The casual filter of Gen II, it’s a female-only Pokémon, so your predominately male Pokémon had a problem with Attract. It’s fairly fast, so you get floored by its STAB moves. And if that wasn’t enough, you had to endure with Rollout’s gradual power. So, what do you do? Female Machop can negate that problem and possibly win the match right there and then. Female Geodude can get rid of that strategy, along with resisting Normal-type moves. You need a little more to do with this one unlike Onix, but it’s not hard to do.

Blissey

Some of the evolutions were obvious when you see them, this being one of them. It has the highest HP stat of all Pokémon, and the highest special defense of all Normal-types. And even with its horribly low defense, all of that HP balances it out. In Pearl, it was a force to be reckoned with, and it has access to a nice pool of moves and its family’s signature move, Softboiled. It got knocked down a peg with Eviolite in Gen V(And a lot of other final forms at that). But it still has an edge. Seismic Toss is not a joke with Blissey.

Tyranitar

Last but not least, we have our pseudo-legendary: Tyranitar. It boasts stats on par with legendaries alongside Dragonite and it takes a long time to evolve from a Larvitar.  Sand Stream gives it an edge, and even in Gen II it had a lot to be worried about. Now, it’s easy to take one out with some strategizing, but it can still deal some damage. Its Pokedex entries even dictate how fearful and tyrannical it is.

And, we are at the finish line. I didn’t mention the cat trio due to none of them really appealing to me, and the legendaries, I really don’t use. I do like the connection with Lugia and the bird trio, and of course Ho-oh being the first hint of Gen II coming soon. Celebi is pretty cute as well, but I don’t really use legendaries.