(Hey! Did you know that this is the 100th article on The Contrarian Corner? Kinda hard to imagine, isn’t it? It really doesn’t feel like I’ve been writing for that long. Well, thanks for sticking with me, and here’s to the next 100 articles!)
I didn’t really officially get into Pokémon until I was in high school (prior to that my Pokémon knowledge came from the animated show that I watched almost religiously, and from spin-offs like Pokémon Snap and Pokémon Stadium). Well, thanks to finally owning a handheld system I could experience the games on, I bought a used copy of Pokémon Diamond (Gen IV) from my good friend and began my journey to become the very best, like no one ever was.
Now, years later, I’ve played the majority of the mainline Pokémon games, and definitely have my favorite ‘mons’. Here’s a Top 10 list of those favorites!
10) Greninja ~ Gen VI
Dual-Type Pokémon are some of my favorites across the series, and it’s hard to get a lot cooler on a conceptual level than a WATER-DARK ninja frog. And I’m not the only one who thinks Greninja is cool, considering he made it into Super Smash Bros and he was Ash’s ace Pokémon in the Pokémon X and Y anime. He’s pretty good in Pokémon Masters EX too. Thanks to his cool design, unique abilities, and powerful WATER and DARK moves, Greninja stands out as one of the best starter mons in the entire series.
9) Leavanny ~ Gen V
Whenever I play Pokémon, there are some consistencies across all my playthroughs, and one of those consistencies is using each game’s starting GRASS type all the way to the end of the game. Leavanny is the starting area GRASS type for Pokémon Black 2, though she is also part BUG type. GRASS and BUG moves are effective through the entire game (like against the WATER gym leader or DARK elite four member), and she can also learn some GHOST moves through TMs. Leavanny and her Leaf Blade attack are a menace to the Pokémon world, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
8) Venusaur ~ Gen I
On the whole, I’d consider myself as one who prefers selecting the WATER starter at each game’s beginning, and yet Venusaur appeals to me the most out of the original trio. Maybe it has something to do with Venusaur having effective damage against the first and second gyms, allowing it to catapult to powerful levels early. It could be Venusaur’s tankiness, owing to its defense stats and healing moves like Absorb and Leech Seed. Or (and this one applies to me personally) it could be because of the enhanced power and availability he was given through Pokémon X and Y. Whatever the reason, I love this little back-tree dude.
7) Eevee ~ Gen I
How can anyone not love Eevee? I mean, come on? Not only is Eevee heckin’ adorable, but it can also evolve into eight different awesome variations with their own unique designs, typings, and movesets. Every single trainers Eevee can be uniquely their own, and I love that about this mon. The franchise as a whole loves Eevee too! This Pokémon received a super powerful Z-Move in Pokémon Sun and Moon, a destructive Gigantamax Form in Pokémon Sword and Shield, and was the star of the game Let’s Go Eevee. It’s not wonder that one of the central characters in the most recent series installment even bases their entire team and visual aesthetic off of Eevee!
6) Talonflame ~ Gen VI
Pokémon X and Y frequently feel extremely overlooked, which is a shame, because they brought some incredible new mons to the table (see Greninja, above). Talonflame carves out its own special place by being the first eye-catching and noteworthy Route 1 bird mon (a cliché in all games in the series). Nothing against those other birds, but NORMAL-FLYING gets a little stale. Why take that when you could harness the power of flames with a FIRE-FLYING type instead? Talonflame is fast, deadly, and carries enough moves to more than earn a spot on your team for the entire game.
5) Lopunny ~ Gen IV
It’s kinda hard to make an argument for NORMAL types, as they are Pokémon with no particular strengths and a crippling weakness to FIGHTING. But when you’ve got a sassy bunny that specializes in devastating kicks and bonus FIGHTING type moves, can be caught and trained early in the game and levels up based on its friendship, possesses a Mega Evolution form, and appears across multiple games in the series? Yeah, I couldn’t resist after enough games of seeing this boisterous bunny bruiser crop up amongst enemy trainer teams.
4) Zoroark ~ Gen V
DARK types are one of my absolute favorites across the entire franchise, and nowhere is that exemplified more than with this sly little wolf-thing. It’s got a lot of the DARK type trademarks going for it, like a shadowy, edgy design and color palette, a plethora of sneaky powerful moves, and effectiveness against several crucial types (namely, GHOST AND PSYCHIC). It’s also given to you for free in Pokémon Black 2, making it even easier to use and love. Plus, it has a unique gimmick of transforming itself visually into another of your party’s Pokémon, which is hilarious to pull off against a human opponent and opens up great strategies.
3) Mawile ~ Gen III
Pokémon X and Y introduced the best gimmick the franchise has ever seen (Mega Evolutions), and the mere presence of these heightened states of power elevated tons of Pokémon across the board. Mawile is one such Pokémon to receive a Mega Evolution form. Well, I loved Mawile even before it’s new form, since I think the design is extremely unique and eye-catching, and I love the STEEL and FAIRY moves this little powerhouse can dish out. I’ve had a Mawile before with three different punching moves that were effective against Pokémon types normally effective against her! Add in the boost in strength from her Mega Evolution Form, and Mawile is amazing, to the point where she was actually banned from competitive play a few years ago!
2) Gardevoir ~ Gen III
If you have even a passing interest in the Pokémon franchise, you’re probably well aware of the fandom’s (and the internet’s) obsession with Gardevoir. It might be a pretty ‘normie’ take coming from me, but yeah, I love her too.
There’s so much working in Gardevoir’s favor. On the surface, there’s the elegant and gorgeous design that looks like some sort of spectral woman gliding over the battlefield. Then, there’s her powerful PSYCHIC-FAIRY moveset that allows her to beat down a wide number of foes (and basically invalidate FIGHTING mons entirely). She received a Mega Evolution too that further defines her aesthetic and bumps up her power considerably. She’s a summonable Pokémon in Super Smash Bros, playable character in Pokkén Tournament and Pokémon Unite, and just all around cool to look at and cool to use on a team!
1) Staraptor ~ Gen IV
I’ve used Gardevoir in no less than three different Pokémon game playthroughs, and I’ve never touched Staraptor since that very first ever Pokémon game I played, Pokémon Diamond. And yet, as I’m sure many of my fellow trainers can attest, you simply don’t forget your first favorite Pokémon, that one that carried you through the game and never let you down. For me, that’s Staraptor, who I caught as a lowly Starly less than two hours into my playthrough, and he ended the game at level 100, on a whole other plane of existence from the mere mortals around him.
My love of Staraptor isn’t wholly unfounded, of course. On a purely statistical level, there’s probably no other Pokémon better than him in Pokémon Diamond. As a FLYING mon, he’s effective against both the GRASS and FIGHTING gyms, as well as the BUG elite four member. He can also learn a STEEL move and a FIGHTING move, allowing him to take on the STEEL gym, ICE gym, and GROUND elite four member. Plus, since he’s also part NORMAL, he’s immune to the GHOST gym leader. It is hilariously easy for Staraptor to quickly surpass the entire rest of your team in levels and strength.
Plus, on top of all of that, I named every Pokémon I caught in Pokémon Diamond after my real-world friends and family. So, seeing one of my best friends (in the form of this cool as heck bird) wrecking my opponents and carrying me to the title of ‘Champion’ was something I still remember fondly to this day!
But hey, that’s just my opinion!
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