PKMN of the Week: Regigigas
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It's Memorial day weekend and, before we get into Pokémon of the week, let's take a moment to reflect on those who have served and sacrificed to protect us and our country. I have many friends who are currently active in the military and know that there are numerous Pokéfans in the armed forces. I hope you all know that Pokémon of the Week respects and values the work that you do.
Now that you've done that, I'll ask for another favor. In either Pokémon Black or White, walk, run, bike, or fly to Celestial Tower. Make your way to the top and ring the bell for all of the Pokémon who have been sacrificed in pursuit of truth . . . or ideals. This goes double for all you Nuzlockers out there.
OK, let's get into the real deal. Which Pokémon has been discussed on the podcast and never had a write up on the site? Which Pokémon may actually be the most difficult for SBJ to pronounce? Which is the only Pokémon in the 600 club that I haven't written up? Which is the one Pokémon to rule them all?
Why, it's none other than Regigiggles!
Alright, dude's name isn't Regigiggles. It's Regigigas, the Colossal Pokémon. He is tied with Slaking as the most powerful and competitively viable Pokémon having base stats that total 670. He is hindered by his Slow Start ability but, just like the Colossus of Rhodes, may be the wonder of the Pokémon world you are looking for.
Was Regigigas an afterthought? Keep in mind that the other Regis - Regirock, Regice, and Registeel - were introduced in Generation III while Regigigas is a Generation IV Pokémon. The story of the Regis is, basically, an earth creation myth. Regigigas pulled the continents into place and was worshipped by an ancient people. He crafted the other Regis to assist him in managing order, but, over time, their power was seen as a threat to people. They sealed Regigigas in Snowpoint Temple and sent the other Regis far away to Hoenn, which is why you encounter them first. Much like Landorus, Regigigas can only be woken when the other Regis are present together. That's a tough Pokémon to get! Add a catch rate of 3 and you'd really better have a big supply of Pokéballs prepared.
How does Regigigas stack up against Slaking? Regigigas has significantly lower HP, same Attack, slightly higher Defense, lower Special Attack, significantly higher Special Defense, and equal Speed. I would say that Regigigas is a defender where Salking is an attacker but the spread between their point totals isn't sufficiently significant to make that differentiation. I also find Regigigas's lower HP distressing when comparatively thinking of his abilities as a defender. I suppose, if you have to choose - focus on Slaking if you are specifically looking for a physical attacker and Regigigas if you are looking to design against a more evened out point spread (Slaking is very low in the Special stats).
Regigigas is somewhat hampered by his ability - Slow Start. Attack and Speed are halved during the first five turns in battle. I say "somewhat" because Slow Start can be removed with Skill Swap, Gastro Acid, and Worry Seed. Of these I like Gastro Acid the most. Also, if you are building your Regigigas as a defender you may not be as concerned with his Attack and Speed stats. Finally, if you have the right nature and EV training on your Regigigas you may be able to bulk him up enough that the temporary halving won't be such a huge drain. Honestly, I'd rather have half stats than a do-nothing like our homie Slaking.
Given the way I like to build my Pokémon, I would focus on evening out Regigigas's stats as much as possible. Then again, he really doesn't learn any Special attacks - almost all Physical. Possibly an Adamant nature to raise up Attack and hinder Special Attack. Put as many EVs towards HP as it will hold and then split between Defense and Special Defense.
At this point, I will apologize if there is a change in tone. My mother is visiting for the long weekend and we went to a special exhibition on Hawaiian culture at the National Museum of the American Indian. We saw some great Hula (reminded me of my elementary school days in Kaneohe) and some very interesting and unexpected exhibits. I highly recommend you walk over after you get bored of seeing your tenth space capsule over at the Air and Space Museum. Back to Regigigas . . .
Being a Normal-type, Regigigas's biggest weakness is Fighting-types. This should inform the move set you choose for him. He doesn't learn a lot of moves through leveling up, but you can get your usuals through TMs. He can learn only one Psychic-type move, Zen Headbutt, and one Flying-type move, Aerial Ace, for leverage against Fighting-types - both Physical moves. You pick your trade-off: Zen Headbutt gives you more power, less accuracy, Aerial Ace assures accuracy but drops down some of the power. Up to me? I'd choose Aerial Ace. I like Crush Grip as another attacking move (power is based on the HP of the targeted Pokémon), Giga Impact is a natural alternative but has the awful recharge. I'm a bigger fan of Revenge - especially if you can't get Slow Start off of Regigigas. Slower speed will actually benefit this move. Give him something defensive (Wide Guard?) and you're good to go.
Your go-to for taking down Regigigas is Terrakion. That sturdy dude is going to get right in there with some delicious Close Combat action and boom boom Regigigas until he's lying on his back. Will you have enough time to Gastro Acid your bro and hit back with a Zen Headbutt to take out ole Terrakion? I have faith, you can do it!
I think you guys should know me by now - yeah, you could toss a Choice item on Regigigas and he'd boost up to unbelievable but I am just too scared of those Choice items. Don't lock me into any moves, bro! A good berry for Regigigas is the Chople Berry, which is also my favorite one to say out loud. It might be cute to have him hold a Psychic Gem to boost that Zen Headbutt or a Flying Gem to boost Aerial Ace and get those nasty Fighting-type bros out of the way.
Well, chicks and dudes, can you believe this is the end of the 600 club series? I'm sure I'll be getting back around to some of these Pokémon when I actually learn how to play - but it will be a while. If you are cooking out this weekend don't overdo the burgers and hot dogs, maybe have a DC half-smoke and think of me. Next series - super power pink Pokémon (A.K.A. Gym Leader Gabe's team). Enjoy!
