"Meet Sinnoh! :D (Part 2)"

#PokemonGO: Meet Sinnoh! :D (Part 2).Heya, TSR!Now that the benevolent powers-that-be have deemed fit to loose more than two new Pokemon, it's time to post the official Part 2!.And yes-- mah boi has finally landed. ^(> ᗜ <)If you missed either Part 1 or Part 1.5, you can read them before or after this one-- the order won't matter much..boilerplate/So, as I said at the outset of this endeavor, my wife and I recently completed our first playthroughs of Pokemon Platinum to familiarize ourselves with what's to come, and that's as far as I've been; I am clueless from Gen 5 onward.This guide is purposed to be an approachable introduction to the Pokemon of the Sinnoh region.Therefore, it will likely impart little on hardcore Travelers who already know all there is to know about Gen 4 and the lore attendant to it. Instead, I hope to share the spirit of these new Pokemon with those who may not know all the things, and give even the greenest Travelers the knowledge to face the unown what lies ahead..As a quick aside: such undertakings are herculean by nature-- no words of mine can encapsulate fully what it is to truly know these Pokemon. It therefore remains my recommendation that if you've the time and the means to play it, you should give one of the Gen 4 games a go./boilerplate.So let's get to 'em!..---Some Familiar Faces---Gen 4 includes Baby forms and brand new evolutions of Pokemon you already know. Lots of them, in fact. What's more, many of these evolutions have the potential to be top-tier attackers and/or defenders in PoGo. Indeed, in most cases they outclass the new Pokemon families introduced in Sinnoh..#406 Budew {buh-DOO} |Grass/Poison|#407 Roserade {ROSE-rade} |Grass/Poison|Those of you who read my previous post will remember that Roselia's new family members each have somewhat problematic evolution requirements [were Niantic to have replicated them accurately]. Beyond mechanics, though, the evolution gained in Roserade is notable for another reason: she's good.Roserade--whose name is a hybrid between Rose- and Masqu-erade [for its masked visage]--is arguably the best Poison-Type attacker in all of Gen 4. And though the utility of Poison types are rendered largely useless by PoGo's current battle system, that's not to say we'll never see their true potential realized with changes down the line. For now, however, folks can lean into her more useful typing: Grass.In playing through the Gen 4 Main Series Game (MSG), one has a handful of options for Grass attackers. Some are a bit more tanky, and some have higher stats overall, but none can match Roserade's Special Attack stat-- her claim to fame. For this reason it has been speculated that she may well be a contender for highest Grass-Type Damage Per Second (DPS) as she starts to become available to more and more players in PoGo..#429 Mismagius {mis-MAG-ee-us} |Ghost|Mismagius is our next new evolution for an old line, and is evolved when Misdreavus is exposed to a Dusk Stone.As with other pure Ghost-Types, Mismagius has several defensive advantages that make her particularly useful when battling physical attackers. In the MSGs, specifically, she is immune to all Normal, Fighting and Ground-Type moves. Sadly for her, though, unless Niantic completely overhauls the battle system, this will translate to merely reduced damage from these types in PoGo.Despite this limitation, however, Mismagius' fairly high [and perfectly-balanced] Sp.Atk, Sp.Def and Speed stats might mean she still finds utility in some match-ups.As a fun aside: Mismagius' base HP, Attack and Defense stats remain unchanged when evolved from a Misdreavus; it's only her other stats that increase.Edit: It seems that despite being given the best possible Ghost-Type moveset available to her, Mismagius is far-and-away outclassed by the likes of Gengar in PoGo. As such, her usefulness in this medium will likely amount to that of a neat 'Dex entry for now. :/.#430 Honchkrow {HONCH-krow} |Dark/Flying|YAAAS!My moniker finally finds its Pokemon equivalent in Honchkrow-- the "Big Boss Pokemon."Also known as the "Summoner of Night," its call summons a murder of henchmen, Murkrow, to gather. And, in keeping with the Mafioso theme, they are known to lounge and imbibe their days away while their Murkrow underlings do their dirty work, bringing food and tribute to the boss as a show of respect.Honchkrow's infamy extends beyond his mobster bent, though. With his towering Attack stat(s), Honchkrow (at least in the MSGs) is widely used as a "Sweeper"-- a Pokemon who relies on its offensive capabilities to one-shot members of the opposing team before itself succumbing to status afflictions and/or traps (waaay oversimplified, I know-- but you're smart; you get what I'm after).What's more, Honchkrow has an Ability known only to himself, Murkrow, and Absol-- Super Luck.This ability increases the ability-bearers critical hit ratio by one stage. In the MSGs, the base critical hit chance for most moves in battle is 6.25%. Meaning every time you use that attack, there is a probability of 1 in 16 that it will "critically hit"-- dealing (at least in Gen 4) double its normal damage. Additionally, there are certain moves that have an inherently higher chance to crit, doing so at a rate of 1 in 8-- a 12.5% chance.Without getting too much further into the weeds with this...Honchkrow's Super Luck ability, combined with a crit-chance-increasing hold-item (such as the Razor Claw) and the use of moves with inherently-high crit chance (such as Night Slash), mean it can reliably deal 200% damage a full third of the time it lands an attack.With access to the most powerful Dark-Type moves--namely Night Slash--available in Gen 4, its ability to learn Fly, and a decently-diverse movepool besides, Honchkrow was a dear staple of my Sinnoh lineup.As with Mismagius, one obtains a Honchkrow by exposing their Murkrow to a Dusk Stone.(Quick tangent: I don't yet know how they've ported-over the cries of these new Sinnoh 'Mon, but I hope Honchkrow's is exactly the same as the MSG; it's dark and ominous and suits him perfectly.).#461 Weavile {WEE-vile} |Dark/Ice|Another welcome addition to the list is Sneasel's new evolution, Weavile. And what an addition it is!Their family is based on the Kamaitachi (鎌鼬). As with many of the Yōkai (妖怪) of Japanese folklore, the specifics of the Kamaitachi tend to vary by region. Most, however, tell tale of a capricious spirit (or band of spirits) that blows into town with the wind, especially in cold, snowy regions. Said to take the form of a weasel with sickles in place of paws, these devilish beings are known for inflicting large, papercut-like wounds so fast and so clean that their victim doesn't notice, feeling nothing but the blowing snow. Before long, however, the pain sets in and the previously-unnoticed scratch begins to bleed profusely.Still other legends speak of the Kamaitachi working in groups to confound their target; one will summon a strong gust of wind to knock the man or woman off their feet while the others steal their things and administer their trademark incisions..If any of this sounds familiar, it's because this is exactly the sort of behavior Weavile's line is known for.Equal parts mischievous and dangerous, this highly-intelligent family is known for their well-coordinated ambush tactics. Between their blinding speed, razor-sharp claws and surgical precision, these Pokemon make for excellent partners, but deadly enemies.Relying overwhelmingly on their Speed, a Weavile's success in battle depends wholly on making sure the first strike is the last. Like Honchkrow, Weavile are considered to be "Sweepers" in the MSGs (or "Glass Cannons" in gaming generally); Pokemon like this often excel offensively, but do so at the expense of their defense.Just so; Weavile is incredibly frail and cannot take a hit. Couple its poor defenses with typing unique to its line (giving it a x4 weakness to Fighting-Type moves), and this is one Pokemon best not left to defend gyms.Still, Weavile's stats are nothing to sneeze at. Between its famous Speed and excellent Attack, it might just join the likes of Gengar as a top-tier attacker in PoGo.In order to get a Weavile in the MSG, one must cause their Sneasel to level-up at nighttime while they are holding the rare (read: impossible to find) Razor Claw-- an item not found until most of the way through the game.The long friendship with my Weavile began with a less-than-friendly encounter on the perilous trek to Snowpoint City, on Route 217....Trudging through waist-deep snow in a blinding gale was difficult enough without being ambushed by packs of Sneasel. A lesser Trainer might've avoided the foliage entirely, choosing instead to beg the hospitality of the scant locals-- warming themselves by the fire in their cabins. But ducking forever the storms of life does not a Pokemon Master make!One of the Sneasel I fought was particularly pernicious--Perfect.Facing great resistance, I finally captured him with a Luxury Ball-- a special red, black and gold Pokeball that stimulates the growth of deep friendship with the Pokemon inside."Just you wait, friend," I said. "Together, you and I are gonna wreck some face."Some days, a long slog and dozens of crushed grunts later, I finally got the elusive Razor Claw from the Team Galactic headquarters building. That same night we traveled back to Snowpoint-- to the mountainous home of my impish friend. There, 'neath the blanketed summit--the stillness broken only by the crunch of snow under our feet--we picked a fight.The borders of their turf challenged, a whirlwind of wild Sneasel attacked. Relentlessly they rushed forward, wave after wave of them, only to be rebuffed. Mine was the alpha, and having felled his final foe, they knew it.It was there, in a field of worthy fallen--clutching tightly the Razor Claw entrusted him--that Sneasel evolved..Many miles and a crushing victory over the Elite Four later, my hall-of-fam(ous) Weavile and I are inseparable./raiseglassHere's to all the opponents we crushed-- and to hoping you're not rendered completely worthless in PoGo, my friend.Prost..#464 Rhyperior {ry-PEER-ee-er} |Ground/Rock|If reactions to Weavile and Honchkrow at all represent what folks love about the long list of new additions to old Pokemon lines, Rhydon's new evolution represents, well... missing the mark.If there exists a fan of Rhyperior, I've never met them.Even folks who truly like its previous form do not seem to care for its "updated" look [or super clever name].To brass tacks, though:Rhyperior makes for an interesting addition to Pokemon. And enough has been said [just about everywhere] about its terrible design that [except for my cheeky intro] I will forego kicking the proverbially-late equine.Folks in-the-know--especially those here on the Road--have made a big to-do about Rhyperior's debut in PoGo because of its stats. If you've played PoGo for any amount of time, you're no doubt familiar with Rhydon and its ubiquity in gyms. Well, that's because Rhydon specializes well; it has terrible Sp.Atk, Sp.Def and Speed, but its HP, Atk, and Def are all pretty darned good. So instead of being a jack-of-all-trades-but-master-of-none (lookin' at you, Flygon), it finds itself with abnormally-high CP and therefore some utility in PoGo. So even though Rhyperior is barely an upgrade from its pre-evolution (+10 to everything except Speed), that bump is enough to push it from "usable" to "good."Given the right moves, therefore, it's possible that Rhyperior could dethrone PoGo's best Rock- and/or Ground-Type attackers.Touching again on its overly-busy facade, though, the reason that Rhyperior looks so different from its pre-evolution line is due to its evolution mechanics. As with others on this list, Rhydon only evolves under specific conditions. Specifically, it must be traded while holding a Protector in order to evolve. This is the reason for Rhyperior's safety vest-- the so-called "Protector" is a small pile of OSHA-orange armor plates that get hot-glued onto a Rhydon. Ah, the wonders of evolution...Oh, and it apparently shoves random Geodude into its hand-orifices...--But don't worry! It's not weird. See, it only chambers sentient rocks like a musket so that it can fire them back out again as deadly projectiles.What did I tell ya? Not weird...---Meet the Twins---These next two have been counterparts since their Gen 1 debut all the way back in '96, and share many qualities between them. From their Baby forms onward, each of these family's three tiers share nearly-identical stats (with their HP and Defense always being exactly the same as their analogue); they each evolve at the same levels and using the same mechanisms (each having a unique "-izer" evolution item); both families sport similar Abilities; and they are both borne of Japanese folklore.But let's take a closer look--!.#466 Electivire {ee-LEK-tuh-vire (“vire” like “wire”)} |Electric|First is the finalized Electabuzz line, the design for which comes from the Oni (鬼) of Japanese lore.Though stories vary (don't they always?), typical characterizations of these monsters see them depicted as hulking beasts with one or more horns, sharp fangs, and wild hair. Sound familiar? Not to leave a picture half-painted, however, Oni are also said to garb themselves in tiger pelts...Mix all that together and make it an Electric Pokemon, and boom-- you have Electabuzz!Its final form continues to sport Tesla coils instead of horns, but shares little else with its predecessor. In evolving, Electivire fills-out, eschewing the tiger aesthetic almost entirely and adopting traits more in-line with those of a gorilla. Combined with its new tail(s) (designed to mimic exposed leads on live electrical wire) and clear Power symbol markings on its back, it seems TPC (The Pokemon Company) decided to move away from Electabuzz' antiquitous roots, opting instead to have its modernized evolution change with the times.(For the record, TPC has never stated such a notion officially. In fact, going all the way back to Pokemon's inception, commentary on the company's design inspirations have been famously absent. But, to me, this Pokemon's transition--which sees a shift from the old world to the new while preserving some historical elements (such as Electivire's Kabuto (兜, 冑)-shaped head)--makes perfect sense as an allegory for Japan's own "evolution" in the last 200 years.)In the MSG, one obtains an Electivire in the same way as several others on this list-- they must trade for an Electabuzz that's holding an Electirizer, which one can obtain in Platinum as soon as they get the HM Surf. The first obtainable one in the game is [appropriately] hidden on an isolated shoreline near the Valley Windworks power plant.Even if you hurry to nab your 5th Gym Badge and obtain Surf, however, you cannot find wild Electabuzz to catch/evolve until Route 222 near the end of the game. So--as with most of Gen 4's new evolutions for old lines--I didn't have one. Because by the time I caught a wild Electabuzz, I already had Electric-Type coverage in Luxray (whom I had trained-up from a wee level 3, and whom I was therefore loathe to part with).In addition to its great stats and movepool, Electivire has a neat Ability in Motor Drive, which temporarily raises the Speed of the bearer each time it's hit with an Electric-Type attack.Lastly, Electabuzz and its ilk are known for their industrious relationship with man, and are found working side-by-side with humans at power plants the world over.In PoGo, it seems Niantic held nothing back and gave Electivire Thundershock and Wild Charge (which isn't nearly so wonderful in the MSGs (see the link for yourself)... but I digress). While I haven't run numbers like others on the Road no doubt have/will, this means Electivire now competes with the very best Electric-Types available (yes, even Legendaries... -__-).So love 'em or hate 'em, Electivire will be almost certainly be a staple of competitive [Electric] match-ups for some time..#467 Magmortar {mag-MOR-ter} |Fire|Next is Magmar's final evolution, Magmortar [whose naming scheme is obvious enough that I can ignore it completely]. n__nLike Electabuzz, Magmar's design comes from Japanese lore. In this case, from the mythical Karura (迦楼羅)-- a divine, fire-breathing humanoid with the head of a bird.And also like Electabuzz, Magmar's evolution to Magmortar sees a symbolic relinquishment of the old (organic design and weaponry (claws)) in favor of the new (streamlined, mechanical mortar tubes).Not terribly fond of sharing, it is said that a single, monogamous pair of male and female Magmortar inhabit a given volcano, violently evicting trespassers by launching molten slag from their mortar-arms. According to the 'Dex, however, should these Pokemon fire said volleys too rapidly, their arms will glow white and actually begin to melt.If you're at all like me, you might ask how these Pokemon can withstand living in an active volcano and yet be subject to such melting. Well, it's first worth noting that of the Magmar line, only Magmortar live in/around the molten pools proper. Magby, whose internal temp hovers around 1,100°F, and Magmar who measures-in at 2,200°F, only live around volcanoes, not in them. And since lava only reaches ~2,200°F (1,250°C) (even magma only gets up to ~2,400°F), Magmortar--which have internal temperatures of nearly 3,600(!) degrees--are more than capable of withstanding the harsh conditions of their native environment. (For reference, the surface of the Sun is ~10,000°F.)And if that sounds conspicuously perilous, it's because it is.In fact, even Magmar run hot enough that sending them into battle is all but guaranteed to cause the battlefield around them to spontaneously combust-- a fact that has been exploited by Fire Pokemon trainers all over. Magmortar, on the other hand, run so hot, that their presence in a battle is just as hazardous to their own Trainer as it is to their foes; there's a reason they reside in volcanoes, where flammable materials are notably absent.Given all this, I'm sure it goes without saying that these Pokemon are exceedingly dangerous.But that's not to say humans and the Pokemon of the Magmar line don't get along. Indeed, just like Electabuzz, these fiery 'Mon have worked alongside man since time immemorial. Instead of working at power plants like their electric counterparts, though, Magmar turn their hands to foundry and smelting work. And since the industry is inherently dangerous as it is, no one bats an eye at the "Blast" Pokemon's prevalence in/around the furnace.Their treatment in PoGo, however, sees their scare factor greatly diminished by terrible moves. So unless they receive access to better ones in the future, Magmortar may be relegated to the B Class forever.In the Sinnoh, however, Magmortar is nearly bereft of competition as a Fire-Type attacker; the only one who outclasses it is Heatran-- the Fire/Steel Legendary that we'll get to when he's released. ;)In Platinum, ones options for solid Fire-Type coverage are so limited, in fact, that if you don't choose Chimchar as your starter, you're basically outta luck unless you want to use Ponyta/Rapidash (and to using Gen 1 Pokemon in a brand new region, I say "boooo!").For the exact reasons I didn't have an Electivire in my playthrough, I also did not have a Magmortar; by the time I could obtain a Magmar, I had already TM'd Fire-Type coverage into my team; it was too late to make changes without scrapping half my lineup.I did, however, exploit the Magmar family Ability, Flame Body outside of battle.In battle, Flame Body works like Electabuzz' Ability, Static-- if stricken physically, the bearer has a 30% chance to inflict the "Burned" status effect on its attacker. But outside of battle, this Ability helps hatch eggs.If you have a Pokemon Egg in your team at the same time as a Pokemon with the Ability Flame Body, it acts like an incubator, halving the number of steps required to hatch the egg. As you can well imagine, such utility is indispensable to the hardcore Pokemon Breeders out there. And though I did comparably-little breeding in Platinum, I, too, found myself with a random Magmar in my party on more than one occasion. hahaTime will tell what becomes of this walking inferno in PoGo, but for now I will be using my Sinnoh Stones on more useful 'Mon. (Poor Magmortar)..---Moar Familiar Faces---.#468 Togekiss {TOE-guh-kiss} |Fairy/Flying|Brace yourselves: the flying confetti-cake has finally arrived in PoGo!But, spoiler alert:There is no cake.The cake was a lie.I know, I know-- you're outraged. Well, join the club. We have jackets...I, too, was duped.Turns out, Togekiss is a Pokemon, and therefore significantly less appetizing. :/But as deceptive as fake cake is, this Pokemon's appearance has nothing on how deceptively useful it actually is.In Platinum, the process of obtaining a Togekiss is [nearly] identical to Roserade, the only difference being that its base form, Togepi, doesn't need to level-up during the daytime in order to evolve into Togetic [unlike Budew]. But this family's mechanics--like everyone else's--were dumbed-down by Niantic, and now require only Candy and the so-called "Sinnoh Stone" to evolve.Mechanics aside, Togekiss is a popular choice for one's team in the MSG. For starters, it can learn Fly-- making it an automatic contender to be your team's dedicated flyer--and a hugely-diverse movepool besides. Even though Fairy-Type didn't yet exist in Gen 4, Togekiss had no shortage of versatility and is capable of filling just about any coverage gaps one may have.Interestingly, Togekiss owes its name not to some clever adaptation of a mythical fairy, but to the spikes on its head [and those of its predecessors]. See, Toge (刺) means "spike" in Japanese. Odd, right? --And "kiss" just means "kiss." /shrugAccording to lore, this family is known for bringing good fortune to whomever it draws near. The thing is, they're only known to appear to those whose minds and lands are at peace; they cannot be found by those with hard hearts or in nations where there is strife.Though I didn't have a Togekiss in Platinum (since I had already chosen the head-honcho as my flyer ...and told the flying cake-pop to kick rocks... , I am ready to embrace its adoption in PoGo. There is a dearth of good Fairy-Types at the moment, and--given the right moves--this happy critter might just change that. But as many a Traveler before me has said: Pokemon like Togekiss will not see their potential realized until Niantic delivers on a Fairy-Type fast move..#472 Gliscor {GLYE-skor} |Ground/Flying|Gligar fans rejoice-- your even-bigger scorpion-bat is here! :PBased on the real-life horror, the Scorpionfly (yea, how's that for nightmare fuel?)-- Gliscor is known for a several traits unique to its line.Its name is--appropriately--a hybrid of Glide and Scorpion. The first of these is because of its unmatched ability to glide. It is said that if a Gliscor catches even the faintest of breezes just right, it can circle the earth with nary a beat of its wings. Their flight is also silent-- making them deadly ambush hunters.And surely its 'scorpion' namesake is apparent; Giscor is able to deliver painful venom by jabbing with its pointed tail. Unlike its moniker, however, these Pokemon will use their long, prehensile tails to snatch-up and hold onto their stricken prey, instead dealing the death blow with their razor-sharp fangs.Considered the defensive parallel to Weavile, Gliscor have [roughly] similar stats, which total the same 510 base. Their evolution also requires the same mechanics. But where Sneasel must be holding a Razor Claw and level-up during nighttime hours in order to evolve, Gligar must be holding a Razor Fang and do so.Another noteworthy characteristic of Gliscor is its unmatched ability to deal Critical Hits. Don't worry, I'm not gonna rehash the whole crit chance spiel again. But if you haven't read it, I suggest going back through Honchkrow's section and studying-up. :]Anyhoo... Gliscor learns seven moves with increased critical hit ratios-- more than any other Pokemon. Combine these with its fairly-high Attack and Speed stats, and Gliscor makes for an interesting [albeit risky] addition to one's lineup.And finally, despite otherwise solid defenses [including immunity to Electric and Ground-Type moves], Gliscor--like its predecessor--shoulders a x4 weakness to Ice-Type attacks..Separately: This marks another Pokemon whose name I've been saying wrong; I always pronounced it "GLIHZ-kor". :/Oh well. Can't argue with official audio files; they're super stubborn..#474 Porygon-Z {POR-ee-gon ZEE} |Normal|The next Kanto family to get an upgrade (eh?) is Porygon.Actually-- technically speaking, the modification of Porygon2 that resulted in Porygon-Z wasn't designed or approved by the Silph Co.-- the patent-holders on Porygon proper-- hence the name of its "evolution item." The so-called Dubious Disc, is just that-- a data drive of questionable authorship and integrity ostensibly compiled to allow existing Porygon to operate in the theoretical dimensions concomitant to those with which we are familiar. It seems the resultant "evolution" owes its erratic behavior to the shoddy coding of its "upgrade."Sadly, the method by which Porygon are evolved epitomizes the troubling reality of these Pokemon's existence: though they once enjoyed the legal and physical protection of their powerful creator/patent-holder, Silph Co., Porygon's code was stolen and copied when the villainous Team Rocket commandeered Silph headquarters in Kanto. Since then, copies of these otherwise-amiable Pokemon [and disks to "upgrade" them] have changed hands in black markets the world over.Just so: in Platinum, one can only obtain Porygon's final form by trading for a Porygon2 that's holding a Dubious Disc. As the two existing discs are unobtainable until fairly late in the game, and by then I already had all the type-coverage I needed, I saw no use for a malware-laden Normal-Type, and was thus never acquainted with the final "Virtual Pokemon."My having passed this particular 'Mon by, however, does not mean it isn't good. On the contrary, Porygon-Z has the highest [base] Sp.Atk of all Normal-Types, and can therefore deliver the hardest-hitting Hyper Beam of any Pokemon. (Not that H.B. is much good... but that's another topic.)What's more, Porygon-Z, like its predecessors, has a really neat Ability in Download. With this, Porygon scan their opponent at the beginning of each battle, then, depending on whether the opponents' Defense or Sp.Def is lower, will boost the stat that allows Porygon to exploit the weaker of the two. Wild right?All told, this buggy little fella makes for an interesting addition to the Pokeverse. Despite its sad origins, there are those out there with nothing but love for this odd bird. So what if Normal-Types get the shaft in PoGo? With a fan-base as quirky as its subject, Porygon will always have someone to take 'em for a twitchy spin..#477 Dusknoir {DUSK-nwar} |Ghost|Another of my favorite additions to the world of Pokemon comes in the form of Dusclops' new evolution, Dusknoir. Because while I loved Duskull's clever design, I never understood/liked that of his evolution, and therefore ended-up using Banette for my Gen 3 Ghost needs. With the introduction of this family's new evolution, though, my favor is again torn.My obvious affinity for Ghost-Type Pokemon notwithstanding, there is more to this jack-o-lantern's smile than meets the eye.Dusknoir's line is modeled after the Grim Reaper himself. And not unlike his namesake's bent, Dusknoir is said to receive otherworldly signals via the antenna on its head, instructing it as to which souls are ready to be taken from this life. It tracks its quarry until found. With its powerful arms, this Pokemon subdues its mark, laying bare the soul thereof. The macabre scene intensifies as Dusknoir's belly splits, revealing the seemingly-innocuous adornment for the cavernous maw that it is...Having gorged itself, Dusknoir returns to the spirit world where it unloads its spoils and awaits its next assignment..In the MSGs--as with other final evolutions introduced in Gen 4--Dusknoir cannot be obtained without trading. In this case, you need to have someone trade their Dusclops to you while it's holding a Reaper Cloth.Now, since he's not designed to be an offensive powerhouse [like most of his ghostly friends], you'll never see Dusknoir counted among the ranks of DPS monsters like Gengar. Conversely, Defense and Special Defense are where this boi shines-- meaning he might just make for a decent gym defender.But no matter the treatment given this monster in its conversion, I, for one, am glad to see him. (｀∀´)Ψ..---Released With No Friends :'(---.#418 Buizel {BWEE-zuhl} |Water|#419 Floatzel {FLOAT-zuhl} |Water|If you didn't choose the Water-Type Starter, Piplup, in Gen 4, there's a good chance that Buizel and its evolution Floatzel were longstanding staples of your lineup.Buizel is neat in that its twin tails spin like a propeller to move it through the water, and it has a collapsible floatie around its neck that lets it loaf with its head above water. Floatzel has a similar flotation sac and is known for using it to help rescue drowning people-- a sort of Pokemon lifeguard.When it comes to fighting, the first thing to know about Floatzel is that it's lightning fast, being outpaced by only a handful of (mostly) Legendaries and/or Mythicals in Sinnoh. Couple that with decent Attack, the ability to learn a handful of HMs and [arguably] the best Ice moves, and there was always a way to justify having one of these guys on the team.The "Sea Weasel" Pokemon are a fun pair, but in a meta already crowded with good-to-great Water types and a combat system that ignores Speed entirely, the likelihood that they will be mold-breaking in PoGo is slim. :/.And that's everyone for now!Did you catch any glaring mistakes? Let me know! I don't want to be a source of misinformation!Also be sure to keep an eye out for future installments, which I'll post just as soon as they roll-out to PoGo..Also, per everyone's request, I have been compiling/revising a [bookmark-able] master list of Sinnoh that I will release when the last wave has come and gone.As this project has evolved, though, so has its scope. Many [written-but-not-yet-released] entries have taken on lives of their own, spawning novellas on one hand and deep mathematical deconstructions on the other. Depending on ya'lls feedback for these varied delvings, I may modify the first wave(s) to be more comprehensive. We'll see..Enjoy!.-TheGodfatherGus.Edit: Corrected misinformation about Electivire; thank you all for catching my error!Edit2: Platinum?? O_oThank you for my first Platinum! I didn't even know there was something other than Gold/Silver. haha via /r/TheSilphRoad https://www.reddit.com/r/TheSilphRoad/comments/9xgby1/meet_sinnoh_d_part_2/?utm_source=ifttt