6th Gen Pokemon of the Week

[Richard and Blaziken]

Another week, another Mega! Gyarados's issue is up!

How do you feel this generation has effected Gyarados? Is his Mega great, or disappointing? Is the Water/Dark typing a beneficial change, or something that bothers you? Tell me what you think!

[Kerou 犠牲]

Haven't read the article yet but the typing really bothers me, Water / Dragon makes far more sense from a design aspect, plus battling wise no access to Crunch is somewhat frustrating

[Delicious_Scout]

Gyarados has always been a strange case. Some Pokémon do always get better or worse with time, but Gyarados fluctuates a darn lot. Say, it lacked Earthquake in Generations I and II (stay rekt, Alex!), and Generation III did not have the Physical/Special split. But then, in Generation IV, Gyarados gets even more useful... until Rotom-W is a thing. Generation V? Not so special, but in B2W2 introuduced Moxie, allowing it to go offensive with even Jolly, which is a nice feature. Generation VI? Gyarados is still there. As a heads-up, if going Jolly, 196 Speed IV allow to outspeed timid MegaManectric after a Dragon Dance, just in case it thinks it is the so-common Adamant version. Yes, the Mega Evolution is great, and it even has lot of use in Über, but... it sometimes falls short. With Pinsir one gets immediate results, but Gyarados requires smarter thought.

[Richard and Blaziken]

Hey guys, before we get to this issue, I've got a bit of an announcement and a few things I have to address. There are just under 8 weeks until OmegaRuby and AlphaSapphire are released in the United States, which means that, for the first time in Pokemon history, there will be a mid-generation influx of many new Pokemon forms. Because we're getting so many new Mega Evolutions, the metagame is going to change drastically, and I'd like to give it time to settle before going back to writing. After all, what good is an article on how to use a Pokemon in the current metagame when the metagame is unstable?!

This means that there will be 7 more issues of PotW this year ending on November 16th, and it will kick back up again around January. In the coming weeks, I'll be discussing the remaining relevant Mega Evolutions and Legendaries that are unlikely to receive Mega Evolutions. I hope you all understand that the break is so I can provide you with the best possible articles to keep you primed for the new OU we're sure to have after the release of OR/AS!

That out of the way, this week we're covering Alakazam! How do you feel Alakazam has transitioned over the years? Is he still the top threat he was back in the days of RBY, or is it time for this old fart to retire? What about Mega Alakazam, is it worth losing Magic Guard for Trace? Is Mega Alakazam worth your Mega slot when clearly broken things like Mega Medicham and Mega Pinsir are still OU? Let me know below!

[Richard and Blaziken]

Riveting stuff! This week we'll be focusing on one of my personal favorite Pokemon just in terms of design. Manectric's issue is up!

I know these have been a bit sparse, but I've got limited options until OR/AS comes out. Hopefully they're at least somewhat interesting!

[Kerou 犠牲]

I probably won't get chance to read the article until this evening but Mega Manectric from a design perspective is one of my favourites. It's really does look more threatening and powerful whilst being very true to the original

[Hahex and Oshawott]

Do you think it's every worth running flamethrower, or will manetric be switching so much it doesn't matter?

[Richard and Blaziken]

Flamethrower misses some important KOs, such as OHKOing Excadrill and even doesn't KO standard Ferrothorn somehow, which makes it the inferior option, and since Manectric switches so often it's better to deal as much damage as possible.

[Richard and Blaziken]

Well, it's that time of week again! Time to discuss the last OU Pokemon that can Mega Evolve until OR/AS. This week, we discuss Gardevoir.

What are your thoughts on Gardevoir? What about Mega Gardevoir? Is she worth using over other OU Megas? Are people going to constantly remind me that Gardevoir can be male? Will anyone say anything at all?! Discuss!

[SirBlaziken]

Oh oh me me me! Pick me! I know this one!

Anyways, I wasn't a fan of gardevoir, especially after my mega of choice one shot the champion's mega gardevoir. Then I trained one. I can see why Rich likes it so much now.

[Richard and Blaziken]

So guys, this is the last Mega Evolution I'm talking about until OR/AS, and I only did this one because Scout and Alex wanted to see it. I hope you enjoy Aerodactyl's issue!

I have to be honest, I didn't have much to say on this one. Aerodactyl's not the most viable thing to use in OU, so I apologize if this one's not so interesting, but nevertheless, I hope you enjoy it.

How do you feel about Mega Aerodactyl? You know the drill, discuss below!

[Kerou 犠牲]

Good article Rich, it's a shame it's not been great over the years because in design it's probably my favourite fossil Pokémon =[

[Richard and Blaziken]

Thanks Alex. I was always partial to Kabutops, but I will say that Aerodactyl saved one of my FireRed Nuzlocke runs once, so I grew to appreciate it because of that.

[Captain Jigglypuff]

I've always like Aerodactyl. I have always found it amusing that in GSC while the other fossil Pokemon weren't obtainable, you could get an Aerodactyl and breed as many as you wanted.

[SirBlaziken]

^Guess that was a little poetic justice there.