How old were you when you learned that giant isopods were real animals that exist in this world today? It was quite a shock for me too, but while those things require eye bleach after viewing, at least they gave us the awesome Golisopod design! I was pretty equally surprised to learn that barnacles are not actually related to things like oysters, clams, or anemones, but crustaceans and arthropods! This gives us two Bug types that live in the sea, with sharp, foreboding claws and powerful defensive shells. Pretty cool, and I want to make sure that these two feel different enough that you can easily bring both on your team without getting bored.
1. Stats
Barbaracle really has one very specific niche. It smashes its shell, and it wrecks everything else it can get its four hands on. It's going to be a late game addition in Bugmerald, so I have given it a small buff to Sp. Defense and Speed to make it more appealing even if a player already has a full team or close to it by that point in the game. It's not fast, but it is fast enough to outspeed almost everything after a Shell Smash.
Golisopod on the other hand is not ever going to be very invested in boosting its speed. Instead, it relies on its higher Attack stat and priority moves to hit hard and fast while still being incredibly strong on the defensive side. I've provided a small buff to HP to help it do its job just a little better. But stats aren't telling the whole story for either of these two, so let's hop over to abilities
2. Abilities
Golisopod has always been defined by its signature ability, Emergency Exit. It was a cool idea in theory, providing a free switch-out when it starts to get low on HP, but in practice it just means that Golisopod is never allowed to use any boosting moves that similar Pokemon can throw out at will. Your opponent essentially gets to decide when they want Golisopod to switch out instead of you, which is not always so fun. I don't want to get rid of Emergency Exit, but we'll finally be allowing Golisopod some other options.
- Emergency Exit
- Super Luck
- Stalwart
Super Luck pops in to build around Golisopod's many high critical ratio moves and as an option for people who don't want to work around Emergency Exit switches. Stalward is available as a Hidden Ability for a late game option if your team struggles with redirecting moves against some of the harder late-game trainers. It's always a bummer if your one-use First Impression hits the wrong opponent.
Barbaracle will just be swapping out Sniper for Regenerator. That will take the Hidden Ability slot while Pickpocket gets moved to a standard ability. This should provide a lot more use than Sniper for our barnacle boy. Plus, Pickpocket looks to be a pretty amusing ability when its not locked away as a Hidden. Now Barbaracle will be able to hit decently hard all the time with Tough Claws, disrupt foes with Pickpocket, or get a big boost in survivability with Regenerator.
3. Movepool
To play nicely with Golisopod's new Super Luck ability, we're throwing in Crabhammer and Cross Chop to complement its existing Shadow Claw, Drill Run, and Slash. We'll also be grabbing Wide Guard, Aqua Jet, and Pain Split from its Egg Moves and Tutor list to add somewhere in its learnset. While not new, Bulk Up and Swords Dance will finally be eminently use-able by Golisopod that are not running Emergency Exit.
Barbaracle has a pretty fantastic movepool, honestly. There are good options to use on both the physical and special side which is great for a Shell Smash user. It just needs some support to get a boost off and survive. We'll throw in X-Scissor to utilize its new Bug STAB, but otherwise Barbaracle is very well off here. I think I may give it Ingrain just for the laughs even though I can't honestly see anyone using it.
Conclusion
Golisopod is going to be really scary now that is staying in battle longer. You can throw it into a Trick Room team or just it let tank hits as a slow bulky juggernaut. But all the while your foe is going to have to watch out for First Impression and Aqua Jet. Barbaracle will be pretty familiar for those who have used it before, but it will hit a bit harder on the special side and trend a little faster to help out its sweeping capabilities. Overall, these are some powerful late game forces that you can bring into your team for great effect.
You'll have to find them first, though! Both of these Pokemon will be caught hiding in some unusual spots. You'll need to enlist the help of some NPCs to give you the lowdown on where to search. Happy hunting!
No comments:
Post a Comment