PotW: Empoleon

 

Hello, Ledybas and Jynx’s, and welcome to another fabulous installment of Pokemon of the Week! I’m actually typing this listening to Steve’s voice in the newest live show (which you guys totally should’ve listened to). And, in that chat, a Pokemon was suggested to receive the spotlight this week. That Pokemon is Empoleon!

Firstly, I’d like to take some time to say that I’m a huge huge huge fan of Generation four. In my opinion, Gen four easily trumps the previous three Gens, and Gen five is a close second. I’ve gotten darn near close to virtually stoned to death in a few poke-communities for this opinion, but I just really like Gen 4.

Alright. Well, I feel like I should start out the bulk of this by saying that Empoleon is a complete and total badass. Let’s take a look his Platinum Pokedex entry, shall we?

“If anyone were to hurt its pride, it would slash them with wings that can cleave through an ice floe.”

Ouch. C’mon, people. You know you don’t want to mess with a Pokemon that will attack, and probably kill anyone who so much as HURTS ITS PRIDE. I know I’d be pretty proud too, if I were as majestic and powerful as this fearsome flightless bird.

Empoleon is based on an Emperor Penguin, with a hint of Royal Penguin thrown in the mix. I’m sure you’ve all seen March of the Penguins, so I don’t really feel I need to go any more in depth on that one.

Empoleon’s typing is very unique, and very very good. With eleven resistances and three weaknesses, it’s pretty hard to hit this guy with a super-effective attack (Except Earthquake. That’s bad). He gets a STAB with Surf, which is a standard plus for most every water Poke, and he gets Flash Cannon with TM 91, which is also pretty nice. But, alas, like most starter Pokemon, his stats just aren’t spectacular enough to make it into the world of competitive play, and his weakness to Earthquake doesn’t help him.

In closing, Empoleon is an incredibly cool Pokemon that will be a great asset to your team when playing through any Generation Four game, but should be kept in the PC when the time comes for competitive battles. Like always, I really hope you enjoyed this article, and be sure to email me at davedwtho@gmail.com for any Pokemon of the Week suggestions!