Opinion: Pokemon: Which Generation Rules Part 2: The Pokemon

Hello everyone and welcome to part two of a blog that takes a look at the generation of Pokemon that I believe rules them all, generation two! Last time I looked at the games that came out in this generation in regards to what they brought to the series and why I love them so much. Today will be a continuation of that blog as I take a look at some of the more influential Pokemon that came out in that generation. Before looking at those Pokemon I want to just reiterate one of the biggest changes in these games was the introduction of two new types, Dark and Steel. Today these two types are quite powerful when combined with other types such as Psychic or Ghost. The combinations have gotten pretty crazy including the Dark/Ghost typing that literally has no weakness. Fortunately though the only couple of Pokemon with that typing are not that crazy to deal with. In generation two though, the Steel and Dark types were a bit more tame. That being said I may address a Pokemon or two that had it's type changed from Red/Blue/Green/Yellow to Gold/Silver/Crystal. So without further delay, lets look at some of the more interesting Pokemon that generation two brought to the game.

#81 Magnemite/ #82 Magneton

    In the first generation, Magenmite and Magneton were both pure electric types. They were weak to ground moves, resisted electric and flying, but everything else did normal damage to them. Being the first Pokemon to undergo a type change (and the only until the fifth generation where Rotom gained another form allowing for a new type) Magneton and Magnemite gained several resistances and a couple more weaknesses as well. It became even more weak to ground, which in generation two where abilities did not yet exist, was it's ultimate weakness. In addition to ground it became weak to fire and fighting as well. The trade off though is that it became totally immune to poison while resisting every other type with the exception Dark, Water, and Ghost type attacks. This significantly changed the way that Magneton was viewed and for me personally it pushed it to my go to electric type thanks to all those new resistances combined with a now sturdy defense and great special attack. 

The Starters

    I just want to note something about the starters in this game. The evolved forms of Chikorita (Grass), Totodile (Water), and Cyndaquil (Fire) all maintain the basic grass, water, and fire typing. This means the Gold/Silver/Crystal are the only games in which all three starters have one type and do not gain another. I just find that as a fun fact as every other generation has at least one starter that either starts with a second type or gains one as it evolves. 

#169 Crobat 

    Crobat is very interesting for a couple of reasons. On reason is that numerically, it is the first of the generation two Pokemon whose previous evolutions are from generation one. Crobat evolves from Golbat, but not by traditional leveling means. In the last blog I talked about how you could get Pokemon to like you more through a few different means. Well, once Golbat likes you a ton and levels up, it will now evolve into Crobat. The effort to raise Zubat and Golbat pay off huge here as Crobat is one of the fastest Pokemon in the game and can cause serious problems if left unchecked. Despite it's speed though it does still have the same weakish typing of poison and flying which means electric, psychic, rock, and ice all wreck it's day. At least ground types can't hit it...

The Babies

    

    I feel like starting with generation three there were just some Pokemon that just seemed like the creators ran out of ideas or something. That being said, generation two had a few Pokemon, that while cute and fun, just never really appealed to me. That being said, these Pokemon do serve a purpose in the greater Pokemon story since breeding was introduced in this game. I am talking about the baby Pokemon. Yes, Pichu, Elekid, Magby, and the rest are all cute, but outside of them being able to gain egg moves through specific breeding combinations, they really will never be the go to Pokemon. I guess that doesn't matter much since they evolve and in some cases those baby egg moves can be quite powerful. 

#196 Espeon and #197 Umbreon

    

    Gold/Silver/Crystal brought us two new evolutions of Eevee. The way you could evolve your Eevee into Umbreon or Espeon depended not on which stone you used, but what time of day you leveled it up with max happiness. If Eevee evolved during the day, it would become Espeon. During the night, Umbreon. Umbreon got the privilege of becoming one of the first Dark types, while Espeon joined a group of already strong Psychic Pokemon. Both are still incredibly popular in both competitive play as well as casual play alike. While Espeon focuses more on speed and attacks, Umbreon can become a tank capable of incredible stall and effect damage from poison and confusion. As straight Psychic and Dark types, the two only run into a couple weaknesses. Espeon gets put down by Ghost, Bug, and Dark types while Umbreon has a tough time holding up against Fighting, Bug, and as of Pokemon X and Y, Fairy. Speaking of Umbreon, it is totally immune to Psychic attacks making it a pretty big counter to Espeon. Odd how that turned out. Either way though, both are always an awesome option in and Generation two team!

#208 Steelix

      The first time I saw Steelix I went into a panic. This thing I thought meant serious business. Then I calmed down and realized that at the end of the day, Steelix just looks really cool. It's the evolved form of Onyx and much like it's previous evolution, has glaring problems. First off, Steelix has an odd typing of Ground/Steel. While the Steel typing removed it's weakness to grass, it was only replaced by fire. It also picked up a weakness to fighting. The combination of Ground and Steel did give it complete immunity to both poison and electric, but in these games, there were not many effective poison moves to begin with. Steelix was and is still great on defense, but much like Onyx, doesn't deliver the attacks it looks like it should. Nonetheless, Steelix is certainly a Pokemon that everyone remembers first appearing in Gold/Silver/Crystal. 

#212 Scizor

    Both Steelix and Scizor actually evolve from their previous evolutions in a new manner that debuted in the second generation of Pokemon games. In order to evolve Onyx into Steelix, or Scyther into Scizor, you needed to trade the respective Pokemon while it was holding a metal coat. Unlike Steelix, Scizor was and still is one hundred percent worth the effort in obtaining. It keeps Scyther's Bug typing, but adds Steel to the mix. This strong typing bears weakness to only fire. It's surprising speed and power along with a pretty good defense has made Scizor a force to be reckoned with since these games were released. 

#227 Skarmory and #242 Blissey

    Few combinations of Pokemon are as famous as the duo of Skarmory and Blissey. Right from the first time these two Pokemon were seen they had a solid purpose. Defense. These two on the same team used to be nothing short of a nightmare. Skarmory, with it's Steel/Flying type had one of the best defense stats in the game and boasted eight resistances (nine today) and immunity from both Ground and Poison. Access to Curse, Whirlwind, and Drill Peck made this bird very hard to deal with. On that same page Blissey boasts one of the best Special Defense stats in the game while having one of the highest HP totals in the game as well. Blissey has access to moves such as Heal Bell that help the team while also able to heal itself with Softboiled. Throw something like Toxic on it and it is a very large wall that can be a nightmare. Switching back and forth between the two given the situation can be overwhelming. Today their uses have dropped a bit, but both Pokemon are still far from useless.

The Legendaries

    To wrap up this portion of the blog I just want to mention the legendary Pokemon in this game. While Raikou, Suicune, and Entei are basically dog versions of the legendary birds, they do have something special about them. These were the first roaming legendary Pokemon. They would randomly run about the world map. Running into them was pretty much up to chance. In addition to them we have Celebi, which is basically this game's version of Mew, and the two new legendary birds, Lugia and Ho-oh. Ho-oh is another fire-flying type and is the Pokemon that Ash sees at the end of the first episode of the anime. Lugia on the other hand is known as the guardian of the sea and had a major role in Pokemon the movie 2000. In the game it boasts a strong special defense and defense, making it virtually the perfect single Pokemon wall. That is something that has remained fairly consistent to this day.

    Well there you have it. Those are what I think are some of the most noteworthy Pokemon that were introduced or fixed for Pokemon Gold, Silver, and Crystal. I'm sure there are others I did not mention that had an impact as well, but these are the ones I remember the most and in some cases are still the ones I gravitate to. With that being said I just want to say one final thing.

    Pokemon is a series that has continued to expand and grow. Is generation two the best? I think it is personally, but I honestly can't say that that's fact. Other generations brought all kinds of new stuff to the table. In fact Pokemon has become quite complicated over the years and now things like EV training and IV breeding are huge deals and new forms and mega evolutions seem to pop up everywhere. For me though, if I had to pick one last Pokemon game to play it would be one of these three. With a fantastic story, awesome new innovations from the original, and a slew of really cool new Pokemon, Gold, Silver, and Crystal are the generation of Pokemon that in my opinion, rules them all. 

    As always, thanks for reading. I love the Pokemon series of games as a whole so be sure to check back for more Pokemon blogs in the future. For now though I am prepared to begin my Horror Marathon! Expect the first of these blogs to be out around the middle of the month and for them to be pretty regular from there on. The first game I will be taking a look at is A Nightmare on Elm Street for the Nintendo Entertainment System!