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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 the Rowlet line!
Rowlet is one of the starter Pokémon in the newest additions to the franchise, Sun and Moon. It is a Grass and Flying type owl, making it one of only two starter Pokémon that be dual-typed from the first stage. It is also noteworthy for being the lightest starter Pokémon and being tied for the smallest starter with Froakie, standing at only one foot (.3 meters) tall. Rowlet evolves into Dartrix at level 17, and into Decidueye at level 34. In its final stage, Decidueye replaces the Flying type of its previous stages with the Ghost typing, making it the only Ghost type starter Pokémon and the only starter that changes its type upon evolution. Having access to three types throughout its life cycle gives Decidueye a fairly wide variety of powerful moves such as Leaf Blade, Brave Bird, and its signature move Spirit Shackle. Stat-wise, it has fairly high Attack and Special Attack, as well as Special Defense, while its other stats are somewhat mediocre but not necessarily crippling. In battle it functions most similarly to a specially defensive tank with mixed attacking options, which is mostly made possible by its access to the healing moves Synthesis and Roost, the set up moves Swords Dance and Nasty Plot, as well as the increased priority move Sucker Punch.
Decidueye, along with the the designs of the rest of the final stage starter Pokémon, were leaked well before their official reveal. This resulted in weeks of speculation on typing and stats. Decidueye was perhaps the biggest surprise in both regards. Few people anticipated the Ghost typing since its pre-evolutions were part Flying and its design did not seem to be hinting at this type change. Many fans also suspected Decidueye would be fast with high attack, as most sneaky, rogue-like Pokémon such as Weavile and Accelgor tend to be. Fans are still questioning the stat spread of Decidueye, but its Ghost typing, while atypical, can be explained. Approaching from a biological standpoint, owls are known for being silent stalkers who hunt primarily at night. This image of floating undetectable through the darkness earned the barn owl the nickname "ghost owl," and it's likely no coincidence Decidueye essentially bears the same title, albeit more literally. Owls are also often associated with magic, spirits, and bad luck across cultures, from Greek Mythology to Harry Potter. In Hawaiian mythology (Hawaii of course being the real world equivalent to Alola), the pueo owl is said to be the physical form of ancestor spirits. This physical and behavioral resemblance to ghosts and the cultural connection between owls and the spirit world likely both served as the inspiration behind Decidueye's typing.
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.
Thanks to @Dustflier for suggesting this Pokémon of the Week!
Previous Pokémon of the Week:
Rowlet is one of the starter Pokémon in the newest additions to the franchise, Sun and Moon. It is a Grass and Flying type owl, making it one of only two starter Pokémon that be dual-typed from the first stage. It is also noteworthy for being the lightest starter Pokémon and being tied for the smallest starter with Froakie, standing at only one foot (.3 meters) tall. Rowlet evolves into Dartrix at level 17, and into Decidueye at level 34. In its final stage, Decidueye replaces the Flying type of its previous stages with the Ghost typing, making it the only Ghost type starter Pokémon and the only starter that changes its type upon evolution. Having access to three types throughout its life cycle gives Decidueye a fairly wide variety of powerful moves such as Leaf Blade, Brave Bird, and its signature move Spirit Shackle. Stat-wise, it has fairly high Attack and Special Attack, as well as Special Defense, while its other stats are somewhat mediocre but not necessarily crippling. In battle it functions most similarly to a specially defensive tank with mixed attacking options, which is mostly made possible by its access to the healing moves Synthesis and Roost, the set up moves Swords Dance and Nasty Plot, as well as the increased priority move Sucker Punch.
Decidueye, along with the the designs of the rest of the final stage starter Pokémon, were leaked well before their official reveal. This resulted in weeks of speculation on typing and stats. Decidueye was perhaps the biggest surprise in both regards. Few people anticipated the Ghost typing since its pre-evolutions were part Flying and its design did not seem to be hinting at this type change. Many fans also suspected Decidueye would be fast with high attack, as most sneaky, rogue-like Pokémon such as Weavile and Accelgor tend to be. Fans are still questioning the stat spread of Decidueye, but its Ghost typing, while atypical, can be explained. Approaching from a biological standpoint, owls are known for being silent stalkers who hunt primarily at night. This image of floating undetectable through the darkness earned the barn owl the nickname "ghost owl," and it's likely no coincidence Decidueye essentially bears the same title, albeit more literally. Owls are also often associated with magic, spirits, and bad luck across cultures, from Greek Mythology to Harry Potter. In Hawaiian mythology (Hawaii of course being the real world equivalent to Alola), the pueo owl is said to be the physical form of ancestor spirits. This physical and behavioral resemblance to ghosts and the cultural connection between owls and the spirit world likely both served as the inspiration behind Decidueye's typing.
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.
- 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 it?
- 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?
- Do you agree with Decidueye's Grass/Ghost typing? If not, what would you suggest it be instead?
- Similarly, were you surprised by Decidueye's stat distribution, and if not how would you change it?
- How does this Pokémon compare to the other Alola starters and the other Grass type starters from previous regions?
- Do you like the new trend of making Ghost type Pokémon that aren't literal ghosts but instead represent other aspects of the spiritual world or shadows? What other directions could this be taken in in the future?
Thanks to @Dustflier for suggesting this Pokémon of the Week!
Previous Pokémon of the Week:
Pokémon of the Week #1: Bulbasaur, Ivysaur, & Venusaur
Pokémon of the Week #2: Scraggy & Scrafty
Pokémon of the Week #3: Gulpin & Swalot
Pokémon of the Week #4: Porygon, Porygon2, & Porygon-Z
Pokémon of the Week #5: Emolga
Pokémon of the Week #6: Rufflet & Braviary
Pokémon of the Week #7: Ditto
Pokémon of the Week #8: Wynaut & Wobbuffet
Pokémon of the Week #9: Sneasel & Weavile
Pokémon of the Week #10: Murkrow & Honchkrow
Pokémon of the Week #11: Houndour & Houndoom
Pokémon of the Week #12: Exeggcute & Exeggutor
Pokémon of the Week #13: Gastly, Haunter, & Gengar
Pokemon of the Week #14: Smoochum & Jynx
Pokémon of the Week #15: Beldum, Metang, & Metagross
Pokémon of the Week #16: Bidoof
Pokémon of the Week # 17: Deerling and Sawsbuck
Pokémon of the Week #18: Munchlax and Snorlax
Pokémon of the Week #19: Hoppip, Skiploom, and Jumpluff
Pokémon of the Week #20: Nincada, Ninjask, and Shedinja
Pokémon of the Week #21: Pumpkaboo & Gourgeist
Pokémon of the Week #22: Mudkip, Marshtomp, & Swampert
Pokémon of the Week #23: Froakie, Frogadier, & Greninja
Pokémon of the Week #24: Rattata & Raticate
Pokémon of the Week #25: Mimikyu
Pokémon of the Week #26: Mareep, Flaaffy, and Ampharos
Pokémon of the Week #27: Delibird
Pokémon of the Week #28: Espeon
Pokémon of the Week #2: Scraggy & Scrafty
Pokémon of the Week #3: Gulpin & Swalot
Pokémon of the Week #4: Porygon, Porygon2, & Porygon-Z
Pokémon of the Week #5: Emolga
Pokémon of the Week #6: Rufflet & Braviary
Pokémon of the Week #7: Ditto
Pokémon of the Week #8: Wynaut & Wobbuffet
Pokémon of the Week #9: Sneasel & Weavile
Pokémon of the Week #10: Murkrow & Honchkrow
Pokémon of the Week #11: Houndour & Houndoom
Pokémon of the Week #12: Exeggcute & Exeggutor
Pokémon of the Week #13: Gastly, Haunter, & Gengar
Pokemon of the Week #14: Smoochum & Jynx
Pokémon of the Week #15: Beldum, Metang, & Metagross
Pokémon of the Week #16: Bidoof
Pokémon of the Week # 17: Deerling and Sawsbuck
Pokémon of the Week #18: Munchlax and Snorlax
Pokémon of the Week #19: Hoppip, Skiploom, and Jumpluff
Pokémon of the Week #20: Nincada, Ninjask, and Shedinja
Pokémon of the Week #21: Pumpkaboo & Gourgeist
Pokémon of the Week #22: Mudkip, Marshtomp, & Swampert
Pokémon of the Week #23: Froakie, Frogadier, & Greninja
Pokémon of the Week #24: Rattata & Raticate
Pokémon of the Week #25: Mimikyu
Pokémon of the Week #26: Mareep, Flaaffy, and Ampharos
Pokémon of the Week #27: Delibird
Pokémon of the Week #28: Espeon