Good morning everyone, and welcome back to me reviewing every Pokemon in Generation 7! Yesterday saw a fair share of Pokemon who just were not cut out to stand the test of time, but ended with arguably one Gen. 7’s best Pokemon that is not a Starter or Legendary in Salazzle. Today will have 5 Pokemon, going from Stufful to Tsareena.
Stufful – So Stufful is another take on the teddy bear, kinda like how we had one back in the Johto days with Teddiursa. I have seen animations of Stufful flailing its front legs around and I do think that’s cute, but the whole way its mouth is shaped in the design kills the cuteness factor for me, and if you’re trying to give me a Pokemon based on a stuffed animal of a teddy bear, that’s not good at all. Now, this Pokemon isn’t overly forgettable because its evolutionary line is actually sought out a few times in-game. In Poni Island, its evolution is sought out by an in-game trainer, and there is a scientist who wants to hear what a Stufful sounds like from what I remember, but I can’t place on who that scientist was and where they were located. Also, this is one of the evolutionary lines Lusamine has in her party although this is the evolution we’re taking about in this case. To be honest, I don’t see much special about this particular Pokemon, BUT I will say that if you can come across a Stufful, it might give you some good coverage with its Fighting-type and because it evolves at Level 27, although it would not be my first choice to carry around with me, if you want your team to have a Bewear, you will at least get the chance to know Stufful before it evolves since where you get it is still some ways before it should evolve. So all-in-all, while Stufful isn’t anything special, it’s a pretty fair Pokemon on its own.
Bewear – Bewear has already gained some notoriety with its Pokedex entry where its hugs can kill people. Oh great, even more reason why I shouldn’t listen to any advice Jessica from Until Dawn, the one who suggests out of humor to “go hug a bear”. I swear. Fuck Green Inferno! Running away from a bear who literally hugs you to death would make for a horror movie you won’t soon forget! What makes this even more deadly is that Bewear is actually cuter than its pre-evolution, and that’s something you don’t always get in Pokemon, so if we ever needed a suitable nickname for a Bewear, “Death by Cuteness” is about as accurate as you’re going to get. In-game, this does have its hassles, like being weak to its own typing with it being Normal/Fighting, the fact that you will need to breed a Stufful to evolve into a Bewear if you want to make that Poni Island trade while still having a Bewear on your main team, and both its STABs are absolutely useless against the Ghost-type. It also doesn’t help that its Abilities are bad. One Ability, although it does have a resistance against physical moves, makes it weak to Fire, an offensive typing that is used competitively a LOT! Another is, well, Klutz, and we all know how bad THAT Ability is with it not being able to receive the benefits of held items minus those that affect experience. It is kind of slow, BUT its high Attack Stat is well utilized thanks to its diverse movepool. You would think with my complaints that I don’t like this Pokemon, but in actuality, these complaints are rather minor and it is easily one of the more memorable Pokemon introduced this generation, so it is actually Fair.
Bounsweet – Now remember when I said with Lurantis that that evolutionary line wasn’t going to be my first choice for a Grass-type had I not picked Rowlet? Well, it’s because of THIS evolutionary line. It just appeals to me so much more. Anyway, prior to the game’s release and reveal of Bounsweet’s evolution, I remember the speculations that this would become a Grass/Fire Pokemon based on a red pepper, which honestly, I would not have been against as long as it didn’t suck design-wise and did Bounsweet justice. That’s because this is actually a cute Grass-type in its own way. It’s like Hoppip if Hoppip couldn’t fly. But yeah, this was the Pokemon that, even with Decidueye on my team, I went back to catch and train up for a secondary Grass-type. It’s a neat Pokemon and I can see myself choosing this over Fomantis and Morelull any time.
Steenee – This is the mid-stage of Bounsweet. It definitely was not what I was expecting for an evolution to the bouncy little fellow, but it’s passable. I will say though that if Steenee was going to look like this, I’m glad it still has one more evolution to go because having this as a final form would just have been disappointing. That is because it lowkey has that awkward mid-stage Syndrome that many Pokemon get criticized for, especially the Starters and Psuedo-Legendaries. The face kind of gives that away that it is still growing. Now, with that said, the face isn’t all bad. If it opens its mouth with a big smile, it can actually look quite affectionate. If you want it to evolve though, you HAVE to teach it Stomp! Thankfully, you get that at Level 29, so you can conceivably get the final evolution ready just in time to have be a good travelling companion. It is my least favorite of the evolutionary line, but I still like this one.
Tsareena – Now Tsareena is a final evolution I can really get behind! You can tell just from its appearance that it one of the classiest Pokemon you are ever going to meet. The fact that it knows Stomp coming into this form should tell you that, and with its long legs, it will really have fun not taking anyone’s shit. Its high Attack Stat is very justified here as she is a fighter through and through, but glad she stayed a pure-Grass type to avoid the 4x weakness to Flying. She also has alright defenses to help it be able to put its high Attack Stat to use. Also, it has a pretty funny Pokedex entry that reads “Its long, striking legs aren’t just for show but to be used to kick with skill. In victory, it shows off by kicking the defeated, laughing boisterously.” It really does accentuate that beauty can be a cruel thing, but at the same time, if you show the Pokemon affection in Pokemon Amie, it will also look like someone you could have some tea with or otherwise really get to know it. I know a lot of people were disappointed with Tsareena, but I absolutely adore it! Easily one of my favorite Pokemon in Generation 7.
Love (in order of review):
Rowlet
Decidueye
Litten
Incineroar
Rockruff (Borderline with Really Like)
Lycanroc (Both Forms)
Mudsdale
Salazzle
Tsareena
Really Like (in order of review):
Dartrix
Torracat
Pikipek
Toucannon
Mudbray
Bounsweet
Like (in order of review):
Popplio
Vikavolt
Sensu Oricorio
Wishiwashi (Borderline with Really Like)
Toxapex
Lurantis
Steenee
Fair (in order of review):
Primarina (borderline with Like)
Grubbin
Charjabug
Crabawler
Crabominable
Pom-Pom Oricorio
P’au Oricorio
Baile Oricorio (not too far from Like)
Cutiefly (not too far from Dislike)
Ribombee
Mareanie (not too far from Like)
Dewpider
Araquanid
Fomantis
Morelull (close to Dislike)
Stufful
Bewear (not too far from Like)
Dislike (in order of review):
Brionne
Trumbeak
Yungoos
Shiinotic (close to Fair)
Salandit
