[DISCUSSION] Gen 8 Pokémon That Have Grown on Me! - with 0kamii

[0kamii]

 

Legends in making! I am 0kamii, and welcome to my second ever post regarding Gen 8 and the mythical region of Galar!

So, Pokémon Sword and Shield have been out for about two months now, and our opinions of the new games have certainly begun to take their final forms. I was luckily able to afford both games on launch, and I have been playing them a ton. As a result, my opinions of many Galar pokémon have changed since the games first arrived. I realized that many of the mons I was initially indifferent towards or disinterested in actually turned out pretty good, so I thought I'd honor their achievements. Make sure you let me know which Gen 8 mons have captured your attention in the thread below.

And thank you very much to artist CanyneKhai for the awesome thumbnail. Link to their Twitter page right here. They do great artwork for more than just Pokémon, so be sure to give them a follow. And now, without further ado...

 

Gen 8 Mons That Have Grown on Me! - with 0kamii

Per the usual, I'm going to start with some honorable mentions. These are mons that I initially misjudged, but grew to like (not love) over time. As the list gets to the bottom, it'll start to include mons that I disliked the most but grew to love over the past 8ish weeks. Such honorable mentions include:

  

 

I'll keep it brief with these three. In the case of Toxtricity, I already liked it once I'd obtained it as a Toxel, and the more I used it, the more I grew to like it. It did begin to fall off in usefulness towards the endgame, but I still love its design and for a large chunk of the game it was a valuable team member. Also, I prefer the Low Key forme. Centiskorch was kind of the opposite. When it first joined, I was unsure of its capabilities as a physical attacker, especially since my playthrough team at the time included a Coalossal. Centiskorch was eventually dropped from the team, but it made an impression despite fierce competition. Also, I love its Gigantamax forme. Even though it's a Bug-type, it looks like a giant, fiery dragon, and that's awesome. Sandaconda is a mon that very quickly lost my interest. I thought the Donut Snake looked goofy, and its stats were generally underwhelming. However, by the midgame I was in desperate need of a Ground-type, and Sandaconda proved more useful than Runerigus. Even though it wasn't on my team long, it had what it took when it mattered, and I thank it for that. You're alright in my book, ol' Donut Snake.

Now, onto the mons that really made an impression...

 

12.) Barraskewda

 

At first, Barraskewda was just another Fish Pokémon who, in my eyes, was only distinguishable by the fact that it was based on a barracuda. To me, it was like how Bruxish was only notable for its origin as the humuhumunukunukuapua'a. As such, I barely used it past Kabu's gym, and it was swiftly replaced. However, upon finishing the postgame and getting into the Gen 8 competitive scene, my tune changed. While it's barely used now, I've heard talks that it's one of the most underrated mons in the meta thanks to its high Attack and HA Propeller Tail. Couple that with the prevalence of rain, and Barraskewda may make me bite my tongue. So for now, it has my attention.

 

11.) Orbeetle

 

I didn't hate Orbeetle at first, but it definitely went under my radar. I hadn't seen Blipbug at all prior to finding one in the wild, and I figured that as this generation's Route 1 Bug-type, it wasn't going to hold up very well at all throughout the game. I was wrong. Orbeetle turned out to be the MVP of several major battles during my first playthrough, the most notable of which being Milo's gym. Orbeetle had fully evolved by then, and while going up against my first Dynamax mon was kind of daunting, Orbeetle took the hits no problem and swung the battle in my favor. I was actually kind of sad when it got outclasssed, but for the weight it pulled early in the game, I can't hate it. Plus, its Shiny is one of the few I actually really like this gen. So that's a winner to me.

 

10.) Copperajah

 

Even making this list, I'm conflicted about Copperajah. My intial impression of it was good. It was a more consistent Steel-type than Perrserker, and held its own much longer throughout my initial playthrough until eventually I booted it from the team. It performed fantastically against Opal and Gordie, and after the postgame, it was one of the first mons I bred for use in the Gen 8 meta. It was even the first mon I EV trained. That's how much I liked it. My affection for it has dwindled some due to its lack of use, indicating that it might not be as good as I initially believed. I still like it though, and if given the chance, I'd love to see it succeed.

 

9.) Alcremie

 

"What's this, 0kamii?" I hear you asking. "One of the poster children for Gen 8 is on your blacklist?" Well, dear reader, at first...yes. When I first laid eyes on Alcremie, I thought it was going to be a gimmicky pokémon with no real value outside of its cuteness. I've since been shown otherwise. Alcremie has good bulk, and its signature move, Decorate, has a very interesting effect when used in Doubles. For those that keep up with VGC veteran Aaron "Cybertron" Zheng's YouTube channel, you'll know that he recently discovered that Decorate can be used through Max Guard. This came as quite a surprise, for he as well as I. That, coupled with its good movepool and respectable bulk, could make Alcremie a tour de force this meta in the proper hands. That is certainly one way to make a mon stand out. Well done, Nintendo.

 

8.) Coalossal

 

I mentioned Coalossal when I was talking about Centiskorch earlier, favorably I might add. My opinion on Coalossal bounced back and forth through the run. At first, I thought for sure that it would be Gen 8 version of Gigalith. A large, objectively cool chunk of rock combined with some kind of steam engine. I was partially right. I was right about the steam engine, but objectively cool? Well, admittedly, I was disappointed by Coalossal's design, but if you know me at all, you know that battle prowess is what makes or breaks a mon for me. And yet another VGC player, James Baek showcased his uniquely powerful (if a bit gimmicky) set on his channel. It reinforced my initial feelings for the Coal Pokémon, and I've since produced an exact replica of his set and I intend to use it in recs. It may not have been what I wanted, but it still really like it.

 

7.) Grimmsnarl

 

Let me clarify something before I go further: at no point did I dislike Grimmsnarl. On the contrary, I think he's easily one of the best new mons we have. The reason he's on this list is because I expressed doubts of its ability to stand out during my first run of the game. For those of you unaware, Grimmsnarl joins around the time of the fifth gym, and that gym happens to be a Fairy-type gym, making him an ill-suited choice. What saved Grimmsnarl in the game's second half however were two things. It has super-effective damage against two of the subsequent gyms, AND it has Prankster + Light Screen + Reflect + Light Clay. This gives it the ability to function either as an offensive mon or a supportive one. And VGC players have made the supportive set a staple of the early Gen 8 meta. My doubts about Grimmsnarl were unfounded, and I couldn't have been happier. Also, needs to be said, it easily has the best Gigantamax forme in the game. Fight me.

 

6.) Hatterene

 

Yes, the Gen 8 waifu herself, Hatterene needed to prove herself. Believe it or not, Hatterene was actually in a race with Alcremie for the Fairy-type slot on my final team during my first run of Sword. When push came to shove however, even though she was slower, she hit harder, and ultimately proved to be the better mon. And the meta seems to agree, Hatterene is a very strong mon under Trick Room, and while the community can't seem to agree on how to pronounce its name (I personally think it's HAT-ER-EEN, hatter + serene), I look forward to seeing what else everyone's favorite waifu is capable of.

 

5.) Appletun

 

Oh, yeah. Now we're getting into the ones that made a near 180 for me. Every mon I've discussed so far at least had the benefit of the doubt when I first saw/used them, but the top five here? Not so much. I expected virtually nothing from these guys, but the first to break that expectation was Appletun.

This Grass/Dragon-type is one of the most dichotic mons in the entire generation. Applin is available as soon as you enter the Wild Area, but its evolutions aren't available until well after the midway point in the game. This is around the time your final team is taking shape, and seems too late for any mon to make an impression. But Appletun must've said, "Too late? Pft, hold my Potion..." In the short time I used it, Appletun was the MVP of several major battles in the second half of the game, including both Marnie battles, against Raihan, Hop, and the entire subplot with Macro Cosmos. Appletun, while not a offensive pokemon, hit extreme hard, and I'm absolutely smitten with it now. I can only hope it's just as good in VGC. We'll just have to see.

 

4.) Dracozolt

 

Dracozolt was something of an anomaly for me. I liked its design the first time I saw it, but the moment I glimpsed its stats I thought for sure it was bad. Still, Electric/Dragon is a really cool typing, and it's easily my favorite of the Gen 8 Fossil Pokémon. What really turned my Dracozolt however was its appearance on Se-Jun Park's winning World Championship VR Invitational Team. After seeing that, I knew that my freakish boi here could in fact emerge from the shadow of its more popular brethren, Dracovish. As such, my shaky feelings skyrocketed, and now it's one of my favorite mons in the new generation. Plus, I have to say, even though he's an abomination...he just looks so happy! Like, he's wearing really big pants! Oh, come here you adorable little aberration. Let's be best friends!

 

3.) Weezing (Galar)

 

Only one mon other than Galarian Weezing can surpass the amount of ridicule received from me prior to the games' release. I maintain that Galarian Weezing looks utterly ridiculous, that much has not changed. However, this is a post about mons that have grown on me. So what exactly changed? Simply put, consistency. While I do not like its design, Weezing proved, both in playthroughs and in VGC that it has the tools to succeed. I used it sparsely throughout my first run of Shield, but by the end it had no competition for the Fairy-type slot on my League Team. To say I was surprised would be an understatement. It's common usage in VGC has also shown me that, like Klefki, sometimes a mon can't be judged solely based its appearance. A lesson as true in Pokémon as it is anywhere.

 

2.) Duraludon

 

Speaking of the sole mon that received the most abuse from me prior to the games release...we have Duraludon. Ah, man. This mon definitely had the last laugh, and I concede defeat on that front. I never, NEVER liked Duraludon's design and I still don't. What added insult to injury was that this mon is a Steel/Dragon-type, i.e. my favorite type combination in the game and something I'd wanted for years. I knew this typing on a non-legendary pokemon could do some serious damage. And I was right. As of writing this, Duraludon is the 8th most used pokemon in the Gen 8 VGC meta. And, as I've already said, a pokémon's battle prowess is what makes or breaks it for me. And Duraludon can win games. My first impression of this dorky lighter may have been in the pits, but I'll be damned if it isn't strong. Touché, Duraludon. Touché.

 

1.) Mr. Mime (Galar)

 

In case you wondered what pokémon inspired this list, think no more. It was Galarian Mr. Mime. Unlike the other mons on this list, Mr. Mime had pretty much everything against it. A bad join time, a bad typing, an unimpressive design, major outclassing by mons like Grimmsnarl, virtually no VGC presence, an underwhelming Shiny, and even its Gen 8 exclusive evolution, Mr. Rime, did nothing to smooth over this guy's terrible debut. So, what changed? Honestly, it was a combination of several small miracles that eventually led me to loving Mr. Mime. For one, because it joins so late in the game, and has underwhelming stats, you're given no incentive to use it. What I discovered however, was that Mr. Mime is a phenomenal candidate for Eviolite. While Corsola-Galar is better, Mr. Mime's ability to switch between offense and defense so late in the game let it stand out in a way no other mon could. This, coupled with its unique ability Screen Cleaner, is what initially intrigued me. And so, down the rabbit hole I went. After reviewing its movepool and devising a strategy, I've grown not only to love Mr. Mime's new forme, but even defend it. While I doubt it'll surpass Grimmsnarl as the premier screen setter in the meta anytime soon, no mon made me swing my opinion so violently as Mr. Mime. I intend to playthrough Galar at least two more times, and I guarantee that Mr. Mime will be on my team both times. Congratulations, Nintendo. It took eight generations, but I finally love Mr. Mime.

Well, there you have it. A solid 15 mons that, despite a rocky start, eventually managed to catch my eye. While I think Gen 8 only has a handful of truly good mons, I think this list shows that regardless of first impressions, there's always the potential for turn-around. Be sure to let me know which new mons have grown on you in the thread below, and don't forget to converse with each other instead of just me! Now, if you'll excuse my ramblings, I have a HA Indeedee-F to hunt. I'll catch you all next time.

Thanks so much for reading, everyone! Battle onwards, friends!

- 0kamii