{"id":5714,"date":"2016-03-16T08:00:27","date_gmt":"2016-03-16T13:00:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/torrentialequilibrium.net\/?p=5714"},"modified":"2016-03-16T22:36:19","modified_gmt":"2016-03-17T03:36:19","slug":"the-pokken-dilemma-the-top-tier","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/torrentialequilibrium.net\/?p=5714","title":{"rendered":"The Pokk\u00e9n Dilemma: The Top Tier"},"content":{"rendered":"

There are only two days left until the worldwide launch of Pokk\u00e9n Tournament<\/strong>, and I am still struggling to decide which of the sixteen playable pok\u00e9mon I’m going to choose as my partner for the single-player campaign.<\/p>\n

Over the last two days, I rand down the lists of which ones I’m not overly interested in, and which ones may make the cut if they’re fun enough to play. Today, it’s finally time to go over the five pok\u00e9mon fighters that I am most likely to choose from.<\/p>\n

BLAZIKEN<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"I knew from the moment that I first saw the starters in Pok\u00e9mon Sapphire that Torchic was absolutely going to be my choice. The adorable little fire-type chick melted my heart, and I had no idea about the awe-inspiring powerhouse that it would eventually evolve into. Blaziken is another one of those pok\u00e9mon that is considered to be overpowered, and it shows. Blaziken has incredible speed and strength, and its mega evolution only serves to amplify those traits even further.<\/p>\n

Blaziken and I go way back. Like, way way back. I have a special attachment to this pok\u00e9mon not only because it was super powerful in the game, but because I have a lot of really good memories tied to my first playthrough of Pok\u00e9mon Sapphire. I purchased the game at a point in my life when I wasn’t really interested in Pok\u00e9mon any more, but decided to play it because my brothers were playing and it was a great way for us to connect. Also, I bought it while on a trip to Disney World, and it was a great way to pass time in the hotel at the end of each day. Finally, it is one of those games that really floods me with memories of summer spent out at the cottage, so we’ve got a triple dose of strong sentimentality there.<\/p>\n

But Blaziken doesn’t get by on nostalgia alone. No, I think that it’ll make for an incredibly solid fighter, what with it actually being a fighting-type pok\u00e9mon and all. Plus, it’s just totally badass in every way, even though it’s a chicken<\/em>.\u00a0And you just can’t ignore that.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

CHARIZARD<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"If you know anything about Pok\u00e9mon, you probably know Charizard. It was one of the headliners of the original Game Boy games, and the final evolution of Charmander, one of those games’ starter monsters. The orange dragon pok\u00e9mon has always been a fan favourite, and it’s not hard to see why. In a sea of 150 weird\u00a0critters, the huge dragon with a flaming tail definitely stood out. Even in the accompanying anime, Charizard had a key role for a couple seasons, and even came back for more\u00a0after it had been sent to Professor Oak’s Lab.<\/p>\n

While I’ve always been more of a Blastoise type of guy, there’s no doubt that I have a strong respect for Charizard. In several of my Red\/Blue playthroughs, I have picked Charmander in lieu of Squirtle, and often would have one traded over otherwise because Charizard is a great pok\u00e9mon to have. In Super Smash Bros Brawl, it was a bit underwhelming as one of Pok\u00e9mon Trainer’s cyclable pok\u00e9mon, but really came into it’s own when it became and independent character in Super Smash Bros 4. I love playing Charizard in Smash, even though it’s incredibly slow. The sheer power that it exudes is frightening in the hands of a skilled player, and I think that will probably hold true in Pokk\u00e9n. Time will tell if it handles as well in a more serious fighting game, but I’m willing to put money on Charizard being one of my faves yet again.<\/p>\n

LUCARIO<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"I don’t really know why, but Lucario was essentially the face of the fourth generation of Pok\u00e9mon. There was even an entire movie dedicated to Lucario. The fighting\/steel-type seemed like an odd choice as a new mascot to me at the time, but I’ve really come to like this pok\u00e9mon. The fans seem to agree, as Lucario remains immensely popular. It was featured\u00a0alongside Blaziken in the very first teaser of Pokk\u00e9n, which I’d say was a fairly obvious choice.<\/p>\n

Lucario didn’t really jive with me until it earned a spot on the roster of Super Smash Bros Brawl. Even then, it took a while for me to\u00a0come around\u00a0on, but once I really\u00a0put my mind to learning its play style, Lucario quickly ascended to the top of my list of favourite Smash fighters. I fought and fought against all the nay-sayers who suggested that it would get cut from Smash 4, only to be proven right when it was\u00a0revealed to be back and stronger than ever.\u00a0Lucario’s mix of speedy attacks and aura-fuelled special moves feels so right to me in Smash, and I can’t imagine that it’ll be any different in Pokk\u00e9n.<\/p>\n

Truth be told, Lucario is definitely the first fighter I try out when I play Pokk\u00e9n, even if it doesn’t end up being the one that I like playing the most. I think it’s got a really strong chance of becoming my main, though.<\/p>\n

PIKACHU<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"From the very beginning, Pikachu has been the de facto mascot of the Pok\u00e9mon franchise, as well as one of the two main characters of the long-running Pok\u00e9mon anime. At this point, this little electric mouse is probably as well-known as a certain other beloved cartoon mouse. Over the years, Pikachu’s popularity has stayed strong, so there was never any doubt that it would make it into Pokk\u00e9n. I was never really taken with Pikachu for a long time, but somewhere along the line I warmed up to it, and these days I do have a greater appreciation for it.<\/p>\n

Pikachu is not one of my favourite characters to play as in Smash. In fact, if I sorted them out, it would probably rank somewhere near the bottom. So why am I looking forward to playing as him in Pokk\u00e9n? Honestly, I think it’s just because I’ve really come to like the little guy so much lately. Plus, he just looks so intense in this game, I feel like he’s really earned a shot. Pikachu is by far the smallest fighter in Pokk\u00e9n, and if the electric-type tendency to have a high speed stat holds true, he’ll likely be one of the fastest fighters in the game. I can definitely see zipping around the arena and hammering the enemy with thunderpunches being a lot of fun.<\/p>\n

PIKACHU LIBRE<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"It’s Pikachu, but this one is dressed up as a luchador, and uses wrestling moves as its primary means of attack. Do I really have to justify this choice?<\/p>\n

I don’t really remember where she comes from, but at some point in Pok\u00e9mon Omega Ruby\/Alpha Sapphire, you’re given a special Pikachu (known as Cosplay Pikachu) that can wear a selection of different outfits that bestow it the ability to learn a corresponding move that Pikachu would not normally be able to learn. Pikachu Libre was one of the five available costumes, and definitely tied for my favourite with Pikachu Rock Star.<\/p>\n

I have no idea how differently Pikachu Libre plays from normal Pikachu, but the idea of a Pikachu dominating much bigger monsters with leg drops and suplexes is very appealing to me. If you aren’t convinced, here, have a trailer!<\/p>\n