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POTW Pokemon of the Week #12: Exeggcute and Exeggutor

Enzap

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In the World of Pokémon, there lives a vast number and variety of amazing creatures to befriend and collect. Every week, we will be focusing on a single one of these Pokémon or evolutionary line and talking about what makes it special. This week's Pokémon of choice is Exeggutor!

250px-102Exeggcute.png

250px-103Exeggutor.png
alolanexeggutor.png
Exeggcute and Exeggutor are a peculiar set of Pokémon premiering in Generation 1. They were the first Grass/Psychic Pokémon in the games, although they were shortly joined by the Legendary Celebi. In Gen 1 Exeggcute was exclusively found in the Safari Zone, which made it a late addition to the player's team, but this was counteracted by the fact that it could be immediately evolved into the powerful Exeggutor through using a Leaf Stone. Their typing gives them access to a fairly wide range of moves, including strong STAB moves such as Psychic, Solarbeam, and Leaf Storm and stall moves such as Leech Seed and Hypnosis. They also have a unique signature move in Barrage, although this move is next to useless because of its lack of STAB damage and its base power.

Exeggcute has been the source of much confusion for many fans (and those within the Pokémon world according to its Pokédex) due to its egg-like appearance, despite it being physiologically more similar to seeds. Its evolution into a three-headed tree is also unorthodox by average standards.

Recently, Exeggutor took another unexpected turn. It was one of the first Pokémon revealed to have an "Alolan Variation," which means it has a form currently only accessible in the Generation VII Alola region. This new Exeggutor boasts the surprising Grass/Dragon typing, and will have a new moveset to reflect this typing. Exeggcute, on the other hand, does not have a new form, so regular Psychic type Exeggcutes will still become Dragons upon evolution. According to the Alolan locals, all Exeggutors originated in Alola and their version is the true form of this classic Pokémon. This falls in line with a Pokédex entry stating that Exeggutor migrated from the tropics.

Here are some questions to consider to get conversation rolling. You don't have to answer all of them or any of them in your post as long as you're staying on topic and within global forum rules. (there are a lot of questions this time, seriously don't feel like you have to answer all of them)
  • Do you like or dislike this Pokémon? Why?
  • How is this Pokémon in-game?
  • How is this Pokémon in competitive play? Are there any interesting strategies you like to use for them?
  • Do you like this Pokémon's representation in the anime? Are there any moments or qualities in particular you enjoy/dislike?
  • How do you think this Pokémon would interact with our world?
  • If given the power to, would you change anything about this Pokémon and if so, what would you change?
  • How does Exeggutor compare to other Grass or Psychic type Pokémon in the games it appears in?
  • Did Exeggcute's evolution into Exeggutor ever confuse you when you were new to Pokémon? How do you think a multi-bodied Pokémon evolves into a single-bodied one?
  • Do you prefer Exeggutor's classic design and typing or its new Alolan variation?
  • Do you buy into the theory that Alolan Exeggutor is the "true form" of the species?
  • How do you think Alolan Exeggutor's stats and moves will differ from the classic version?
If you have any suggestions for Pokémon you'd like to discuss in the future just leave your ideas at the bottom of your post. Make sure you give your thoughts about the current Pokémon first!

Thanks to @Zeb for suggesting this Pokémon of the Week!

Previous Pokémon of the Week:

 
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  • [*]Do you like or dislike this Pokémon? Why?
    [*]How is this Pokémon in-game?
    [*]How is this Pokémon in competitive play? Are there any interesting strategies you like to use for them?
    [*]Do you like this Pokémon's representation in the anime? Are there any moments or qualities in particular you enjoy/dislike?
    [*]How do you think this Pokémon would interact with our world?
    [*]If given the power to, would you change anything about this Pokémon and if so, what would you change?
    [*]How does Exeggutor compare to other Grass or Psychic type Pokémon in the games it appears in?

    [*]Did Exeggcute's evolution into Exeggutor ever confuse you when you were new to Pokémon? How do you think a multi-bodied Pokémon evolves into a single-bodied one?
    [*]Do you prefer Exeggutor's classic design and typing or its new Alolan variation?
    [*]Do you buy into the theory that Alolan Exeggutor is the "true form" of the species?
    [*]How do you think Alolan Exeggutor's stats and moves will differ from the classic version?
1. Like cause they look funny.
2. Fun to use. Psychic typing is cool and adds to the fun.
3. Don't play competitive.
4. No. Ash should have had one or at least Gary.
5. I do not know. Probably would be edible.
6. Nope.
7. Well it has a Psychic typing which is cool to use v. Poison. It does well I guess. I dunno.
8. Nope and Pokemon logic.
9. Classic
10. Well it would have more Dragon moves and maybe less Psychic. Would be maybe weaker in Special Attack? I dunno but would struggle badly v. Ice and Ice attacks aren't that rare as they used to be with TMs and Water Pokemon learning them. I guess?
 
I've always kind of liked Exeggutor - pity it's got such a pain in the arse typing in the games. If I had my way the standard model would have heads all round the body, rather than the standard three, but oh well. The Alolan subspecies is absolutely hilarious and I love it. The idea that the Alolan form is the "original" (Or that Exeggutor is originally an Alolan native species) makes perfect sense - obviously a population somehow managed to travel to Kanto and adapted to the different conditions there, becoming nativised. It happens in the real world all the time, just look at Galápagos finches.

One of these days I'd like to find an excuse to write about a grove of wild Exeggutor in my fanfiction. It might be fun to figure out to what extent they're social pokémon, and why they choose to stand around in groups.
 
  • Do you like or dislike this Pokémon? Why?
It exists, that's all I have to say. It's just one of 721+ Pokémon to me. Don't like it, don't hate it.

  • How is this Pokémon in-game?
I haven't gone out of my way to try one out over other Grass or Psychic types.

  • How is this Pokémon in competitive play? Are there any interesting strategies you like to use for them?
I didn't play competitive back then, but Exeggutor was a titan in Gen I OU. I'd be up for a Harvest set but the problem is that Trevenant does it better.

  • Do you like this Pokémon's representation in the anime? Are there any moments or qualities in particular you enjoy/dislike?
I don't like its first major incarnation thanks to this YouTube video and don't remember any other appearances.

  • How do you think this Pokémon would interact with our world?
I'd imagine it being quite docile for some reason. I doubt it would be a potential problem Pokémon like Houndour and Houndoom from last week.

  • If given the power to, would you change anything about this Pokémon and if so, what would you change?
Guys, stop having double weaknesses.

  • How does Exeggutor compare to other Grass or Psychic type Pokémon in the games it appears in?
Considering that its only competition is with Celebi in direct typing, it falls flat. Exeggutor feels a bit sluggish too. For a Psychic type anyway...

  • Did Exeggcute's evolution into Exeggutor ever confuse you when you were new to Pokémon? How do you think a multi-bodied Pokémon evolves into a single-bodied one?
I didn't see an Exeggutor until I played Blue Rescue Team and could never get a Leaf Stone. Exeggutor's heads make it feel more like a multi-bodied Pokémon to me.

  • Do you prefer Exeggutor's classic design and typing or its new Alolan variation?
Classic. I'm not really sold on the idea of Alolan variations in general.

  • Do you buy into the theory that Alolan Exeggutor is the "true form" of the species?
It makes sense, but I really couldn't care either way.

  • How do you think Alolan Exeggutor's stats and moves will differ from the classic version?
It's gonna keep all of it's Psychic moves due to Exeggcute being unchanged. Dragon Rush indicates a more physical focus, but the stats could easily remain as they are with Dragon Pulse as another addition.


My suggestions for Pokémon? Gastly line. I can't be the only one here wanting to talk about it, surely?!

Edit: Looks like there's an error in the title, this should be Week #12.
 
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  • Do you like or dislike this Pokémon? Why?
  • How is this Pokémon in-game?
  • How is this Pokémon in competitive play? Are there any interesting strategies you like to use for them?
  • Do you like this Pokémon's representation in the anime? Are there any moments or qualities in particular you enjoy/dislike?
  • How do you think this Pokémon would interact with our world?
  • If given the power to, would you change anything about this Pokémon and if so, what would you change?
  • How does Exeggutor compare to other Grass or Psychic type Pokémon in the games it appears in?
  • Did Exeggcute's evolution into Exeggutor ever confuse you when you were new to Pokémon? How do you think a multi-bodied Pokémon evolves into a single-bodied one?
  • Do you prefer Exeggutor's classic design and typing or its new Alolan variation?
  • Do you buy into the theory that Alolan Exeggutor is the "true form" of the species?
  • How do you think Alolan Exeggutor's stats and moves will differ from the classic version?
1. It can be a bit annoying in game play so I don't really like it. However, I don't really dislike it either.
2. Didn't play Gen1, not really sure.
3. In showdown, rIght now it's BL4, meaning this pokemon wont' be used that much. The harvesting set seems nice but is outclassed by trevenant and it's not bulky enough. The main set is the sun sweeper set and the wallbreaker set. It's a decent sun sweeper in NU and can be a wallbreaker but that's pre much it.
4. It lost to a freaking bulbasaur in the anime.
5. Delicious
6. Alola exeguttor's typing makes no sense. I would change the dragon typing to something else depending on what it's moveset gonna be.
7. Didn't play gen1, shouldn't judge XD
8. nope, didn't have a exeguttor XDXDD
9. I like the classic design better. But by typing itself i like alola's typing better. Tho alola one makes no sense whatsoever cuz pokemon logic. But to be honest, grass/psychic is probably better competitively because it has a lot more resists.
10. "The true form is the one that have longer neck?" No, I don't buy it.
11. It might have more dragon moves like dragon pulse or draco meteor. Not sure about stats tho :eek:
 
Something funny that occurred to me, and I've mentioned this elsewhere, but I figured this is also a good place to bring this up, I don't think Game Freak/Nintendo was really thinking things through when they designed Alolan Exeggutor.
Several of Exeggutor's PokeDex entries mention how, occasionally, one of Exeggutor's heads will fall off and become an Exeggcute.
If the head falls off of an Alolan Exeggutor, I think it just becomes scrambled.

Interestingly enough, though, Exeggutor is one of the few Pokemon to mention "devolution," another notable one being Slowbro. Both are psychic types and involve multiple bodies or Pokemon fusing together in order to evolve.
I suppose it stands to reason, then, that if the evolution was caused by multiple bodies fusing together, that if the bodies become "un-fused" that the Pokemon would "devolve."
In Slowbro's case, defusing literally involves the separation of the two bodies entirely, which means that the Slowbro should "devolve" into a Slowpoke and a Shellder.
However, in Exeggutor's case, only one head falls off, so the lost head becomes one part of an Exeggcute, while the rest of the Exeggutor remains fully evolved.
It's also telling that both of the above evolution Pokemon are from Gen I, considering breeding was not yet an introduced mechanic in the game, so there had to be some way for evolved Pokemon to "devolve" into their base forms to keep the evolution cycle going.

Eh. Don't mind ME. Just a few incoherent thoughts from the resident mad scientist.
 
And then becomes Grass/Ghost, amirite.
That would be pretty funny, actually.

The spoilsport in me wants to point out that Exeggcute are seeds ;)
Exeggcute's PokeDex entries are actually rather conflicted about that. Some say they're seeds, others say they're eggs. A lot of them mention how they can survive being cracked, so I suppose falling from great heights won't be too big of a problem. Still, eggspect a lot of scrambled Exeggcutes in Alola.
 
I was being a bit of a jerk anyway xD

Although, from the perspective of a writer, you could turn that problem into a more interesting story. Coconut seeds are pretty hardy things in themselves - it's not at all impossible for a seed to have fallen into the sea somewhere in Trinidad to end up on the coast of Wales, entirely viable and fertile - but suppose Exeggutor in Alola have developed behaviour to exploit that?

If their longer trunks present a danger to falling heads/seeds, then it would make sense for Alolan Exeggutor to deliberately drop them into the sea. That would also explain why they're found in Kanto - the new Exeggcute drift off on the currents until the eventually wash up in Fuchsia. Perhaps many don't make it that far, perhaps only a small population of Exeggcute were ever established in Kanto in the first place ... that would explain why they're mostly found in the artificial Safari Zone
 
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Do you like or dislike this Pokémon? Why?
I like it because it has some strange characteristics and an interesting typing.
How is this Pokémon in-game?
Haven't used it.
How is this Pokémon in competitive play? Are there any interesting strategies you like to use for them?
I remember reading that it was good enough in Generation 1 meta. Of course it would, being a Psychic-type. Perhaps the best Grass-type of its time.
Do you like this Pokémon's representation in the anime? Are there any moments or qualities in particular you enjoy/dislike?
The only representation I remember comes from the episode Ash's Charmander evolved. That episode was nice although it wasn't because of this Pokemon for the most part. Except that scene where it was hypnotizing someone which was something I didn't expect in that episode.
How do you think this Pokémon would interact with our world?
Not sure. Some people would find it weird, others may have found it fun, others may be afraid of its powers...
If given the power to, would you change anything about this Pokémon and if so, what would you change?
I'd keep the Alolan form Grass/Psychic I feel like it is better typing than the Grass/Dragon one.
How does Exeggutor compare to other Grass or Psychic type Pokémon in the games it appears in?
I think it was the best Grass-type in Generation 1. I was tired of seeing Grass/Poison there, Tangela and Parasect felt worse than Exeggutor as well.
Did Exeggcute's evolution into Exeggutor ever confuse you when you were new to Pokémon? How do you think a multi-bodied Pokémon evolves into a single-bodied one?
Not too much, if anything Exeggute's biology is stranger than Exeggutor. I guess they are all synchronized and one of the "eggs" forms the body which then binds itself to the other "eggs"? Something like that, idk.
Do you prefer Exeggutor's classic design and typing or its new Alolan variation?
I would rather have the Alolan design with the classic typing :) Otherwise I guess Alolan is a bit better because design wins by a small margin here.
Do you buy into the theory that Alolan Exeggutor is the "true form" of the species?
It is OK to assume that as Exeggutor is tropical after all, just like Alola, so its form there might be more "true".
How do you think Alolan Exeggutor's stats and moves will differ from the classic version?
I think it will be more offensive-oriented and perhaps a bit fast. That's how lots of Dragon-types have been, too.
 
Exeggutor is pretty great. I feel it works well being a modern interpretation of the human-faced tree, Jinmenju. Psychic-type is a really good fit seeing how each head, or fruit as it may be, is sentient, show emotion, and can communicate with each other telepathically. There may even be a hive mind thing going on especially with how Exeggcute bunch up and are driven to each other. Becoming a Dragon-type isn't too clear as it looks like the most we have at the moment is that the type of trees it resembles are in the Dracaena genus which I feel isn't too strong a reasoning. Fortunately we still have much to learn about Alolan Exeggutor and it exists as it does.
 
Do you like or dislike this Pokémon? Why?

I like the regular form but LOVE the Alolan form. I have a bit of a soft spot for the majority of Grass-types, so I suppose it's not too surprising. It's a weird line and it's appealing in that sense because they stand out.

How is this Pokémon in-game?
How is this Pokémon in competitive play? Are there any interesting strategies you like to use for them?

I only recall using one in-game in a mono-Grass run in HG and it did pretty well. Having a special nuke on the team was always handy and Psychic was good for Team Rocket's Poison-types.

Honestly haven't used it competitively much. I have a Choice Specs one which I used in one battle and it KO'd something with Leaf Storm before being KO'd itself xD Harvest has potential for some fun quirks I guess, but I haven't used one.

Do you like this Pokémon's representation in the anime? Are there any moments or qualities in particular you enjoy/dislike?

Was it involved in Charmander evolving? That's only part I can recall and my memory is hazy. That's all I remember... except for this.

How do you think this Pokémon would interact with our world?

Probably terrifying tourists and little kids when they go on holiday xD Walking trees with faces on their fruit seem like nightmare potential.

If given the power to, would you change anything about this Pokémon and if so, what would you change?

I like it how it is mostly. Though I'd probably make the brown body more... brown in the games that use the 3D models. XY onwards it looks very washed out and it's kinda disappointing because it makes it look dull rather than vivid. But this is true for a lot of the older Pokemon who had brighter sprites and now have dull-coloured models.

Do you prefer Exeggutor's classic design and typing or its new Alolan variation?

Alolan by far. It's absolutely hilarious and slowly becoming one of my all-time favourites. It's nice to have less "serious" Dragons too. The type has a bit too many... tryhard? "cool" designs for me (even though I do like some of them obviously) so more silly designs are appreciated to give the type a bit more variety.

How do you think Alolan Exeggutor's stats and moves will differ from the classic version?

Probably more Attack and Def, less Sp.Atk. With it using Wood Hammer, Dragon Hammer, Seed Bomb etc a more physical inclination seems likely. It could be pretty fun with Swords Dance! Though it'll have to watch out for Ice moves with it being quite slow D: Though maybe it will get Dragon Dance!
 
I don't really like regular Exeggutor and Exeggcute, but Alolan Exeggutor is derpy in a funny way. It is slower, too, making it more useful on a Trick Room team. It is also one of very few Grass Pokemon that can learn Flamethrower, and it has enough Special Attack to use it well.
I don't remember the line being much in the anime. Melvin was an annoying character, but I liked how Ash's Charmander actually evolved after defeating a whole herd of Exeggutor, similiarly to the level grinding in the games.
 
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