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POTW Pokémon of the Week #80: Rockruff & Lycanroc

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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.

To celebrate the Chinese Year of the Dog, we'll be featuring the canine family from the Alolan archipelago. And this family is made by none other than...

240px-744Rockruff.png
240px-745Lycanroc.png
240px-745Lycanroc-Midnight.png
240px-745Lycanroc-Dusk.png

Rockruff and its evolutions Midday Lycanroc, Midnight Lycanroc and Dusk Lycanroc.​

Rockruff is a quite unique Pokémon, as it is currently the only Pokémon with time-based version-exclusive evolutions, with Midday Lycanroc being exclusive to Sun / Ultra Sun and Midnight Lycanroc being exclusive of Moon / Ultra Moon. The recently added Dusk Lycanroc can be obtained in both Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, but it requires an Own Tempo Lycanroc and can be obtained only by evolving the little puppy between 5:00 PM and 5:59 PM in the games. Beware when your doggy is close to evolution, as it is known for growing more aggressive the closest it is to evolving into its lupine shape!

Unlike most Rock-types, Rockruff and its Midday and Dusk evolutions are mostly geared toward speedy offense rather than rock-solid defense, which is evidenced by their access to the elusive priority-based Accelerock and high Speed stats. Aside of this, they tend to differ slightly, as Midday is more focused on its actual Speed - which it can increase even further under a sandstorm with its Sand Rush - and Dusk is more focused on its Attack, which is bolstered by its Tough Claws.

Dusk Lycanroc, instead, goes against the theme of its quadrupedal comrades and favors a slower fighting style based on Countering to opponents' assaults and breaking through their guard with incredibly accurate Stone Edges, as well as eventually striking them with elemental punches, taught to it by Tutors.

Despite their differences, there is something that they have in common aside of their single Rock-type: they all can use the exclusive Lycanium Z, which allows them to turn their Stone Edge into the powerful...

300px-Splintered_Stormshards_USUM_Dusk.png

Awoooh!

By bombarding the battlefield with sharp rocks, Lycanroc can inflict heavy damage and dissipate any form of terrain from the arena, removing random Electric Terrains, Grassy Terrains, Misty Terrains and Psychic Terrains once per battle.

In the Pokémon show, Lycanroc got many significant appearances: Ash obtained a neat freak Dusk Lycanroc who goes berserk if it becomes even slightly dirty, Gladion opted for the edgier and wilder Midnight Lycanroc and Olivia picked the elegant Midday Lycanroc as her ace. Also, they all can use the powerful Continental Crush, with which they can flatten their opponents under a massive rock. Another Midnight Lycanroc appeared under the ownership of Cross, who proved to be a powerful opponent for Ash in the movie "Pokémon, I Choose You!".

Now that we have talked a bit about these canine creatures, 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 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?
  • Midday, Midnight or Dusk?
  • Do you think this evolution line is getting too much or too little focus?
  • How does this Pokémon compare to other dog-based Pokémon?
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!

Thank you to @CynthiaLover for suggesting this Pokémon of the Week!

Previous Pokémon of the Week:
 
-Do you like or dislike this Pokémon? Why?
I can't say that I'm a fan, with me being more of a cat person irl.

-How is this Pokémon in-game?
Never really gotten to try them since I only have Ultra Moon but don't like the stat distribution of Midnight.

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

Dusk is the only one I've heard about in competitive teams. Midnight's Stone Edge with No Guard... Ahh, I love that combo!

-Do you like this Pokémon's representation in the anime? Are there any moments or qualities in particular you enjoy/dislike?
Ash's Lycanroc, well... nearly lost me when that neat freak side began to rear its ugly head. I can't help but feel as though it's an unsubtle attempt to show off the "special snowflake" status of Dusk in general. Otherwise, I like the dog, especially the sparring with Litten.

Olivia and Gladion's Lycanroc, I'm ok with, but my issues are with the status of their trainers within the series. I'll continue that train of thought in another question.

-If given the power to, would you change anything about this Pokémon and if so, what would you change?
I'm satisfied with Midday and Dusk but the elephant in the room is their bulky wannabe of a brother. The speed drop here is just not worth the cost if you ask me, especially when you still have lower Defense and Sp. Defense than Corsola.

Keeping in line with the original idea, I would push up those two stats further by taking points from the Sp. Attack that nobody would miss, and then give it Sturdy (obviously) and Sandstorm (for the Rock type buff to Sp. Defense). Maybe Metal Burst too, but I'm not certain about that one.

-Midday, Midnight or Dusk?

I really want to like Midnight more, but I'll have to go with Midday. +10 to your HP and defenses don't instantly make you a fat tank like Snorlax.

-Do you think this evolution line is getting too much or too little focus?
Many say this Pokémon is the Greninja of its generation and I do agree with them where Dusk is concerned, but the distribution of anime screentime specifically between Midday and Midnight is starting to remind me more of Charizard and how the physically imposing one of its two Mega Evolutions totally took more than its fair share of focus and left the slender one with table scraps. Gladion will be showing up more often than Olivia as he's a current rival to Ash, and naturally we'll be seeing more of his Midnight Lycanroc than her Midday Lycanroc. I do wish they'd stop playing favourites when it comes to popular pairs like these.

Overall, I do believe Lycanroc is overexposed, but not entirely in a Greninja-esque way. We'll have to wait and see how the rest of Gen VII goes.

-How does this Pokémon compare to other dog-based Pokémon?
None of them come close to beating Houndoom, my chosen Fire type and Mega Evolver in UM. It won't happen.
 
Rockruff is the absolute cutest dog Pokémon in my opinion, and all three forms of Lycanroc are really cool (Dusk and Midnight especially so)! It's also one of the few mammalian Rock-types we have, so that's neat. I've enjoyed raising my Dusk Lycanroc on Ultra Sun, and she always gets taken with me when I travel somewhere new in the game so that she can lead every trainer battle with Happy Hour, haha. (Plus, she's still very fun to pet.) I was definitely befuddled to find out that Midnight Lycanroc isn't part Dark-type, but I look forward to using it anyways, especially with its hidden ability and Stone Edge.
 
-Do you like or dislike this Pokémon? Why?
I love Rockruff and Lycanroc. Easily one of my favorite Gen 7 Pokemon and one of my favorite Pokemon in general. Rockruff was immediately one of my favorites as soon as it was originally revealed. Dusk form, while a slightly lazy recolor, is my personal favorite of the three. Though I also really like Midnight and hope to use it, too, eventually. Dusk was my ace mon in Ultra Moon and I had a blast using it. One of my favorite team members of all time. Its Z-move is great, its cry is pretty cool, it has a really cool design, and it has a great personality (also, I really like how Dusk has a sort of bipolar personality). My Dusk Lycanroc's name is Roxas, which is also one of my favorite nicknames I've given to a Pokemon: 1) Roxas is my favorite Kingdom Hearts character, 2) Roxas has the "Rocks" pun in it, 3) Roxas is often associated with Twilight (his appearance on the title screen and his "hometown" is always paired with an orange sunset-like background) in KH. Suffice to say, Roxas is a perfect name for my Dusk Lycanroc.

-How is this Pokémon in-game?
Pretty dang good, at least in USUM. It has a relatively sparse movepool in SM, but USUM move tutors turn it into an absolute BEAST. Drill Run, Iron Tail, Stone Edge, Crunch is a fantastic moveset for it. Its Z-move is pretty awesome as well. Used it in UM and I give it a 10/10.

-Do you like this Pokémon's representation in the anime? Are there any moments or qualities in particular you enjoy/dislike?
I don't watch the anime much at all, but it seems to have gotten a pretty good spotlight!

-If given the power to, would you change anything about this Pokémon and if so, what would you change?
Only a couple small things:
1) I would consider making Midnight Lycanroc Rock/Dark
2) I would've slightly altered Dusk's design to include the "rock ribs" and a slightly shorter tail to be more of a halfway point between Midday and Midnight

-Midday, Midnight or Dusk?
Dusk! Midnight close second.

-Do you think this evolution line is getting too much or too little focus?
Slightly too much, but hey it's a good Pokemon!

-How does this Pokémon compare to other dog-based Pokémon?
Definitely my favorite, up there with Arcanine.
 
Do you like or dislike this Pokémon? Why?
Like. Nice design and concept, useful too.
How is this Pokémon in-game?
Very cool, I did use on early on in Moon and even the Midnight Form, which is a bit less hyper-offensive and thus not as in-game efficient, was super good. I can only imagine how broken Midday and Dusk should be :)
How is this Pokémon in competitive play? Are there any interesting strategies you like to use for them?
Accelerock is a pretty cool move, Rock-type priority. I'd base my strategy around that.
Do you like this Pokémon's representation in the anime? Are there any moments or qualities in particular you enjoy/dislike?
Ash's Lycanroc is pretty cool. I just don't like how its character development either happens all too quickly or there is a big lull.
How do you think this Pokémon would interact with our world?
People would like it but probably be afraid especially of the Midnight form.
If given the power to, would you change anything about this Pokémon and if so, what would you change?
Better stats and, most importantly, a secondary type for each of the three Lycanroc forms. Else they're all too similar.
That said, picking appropriate types doesn't seem to easy.
Midday, Midnight or Dusk?
Dusk > Midday > Midnight
Do you think this evolution line is getting too much or too little focus?
At some point it was getting too much, when Dusk Lycanroc was the new thing that was being shown everywhere. Now it's starting to die down again, and might actually remain so because I unfortunately don't think it can stay relevant over several generations.
How does this Pokémon compare to other dog-based Pokémon?
Well there are lots of them, but I feel like Lycanroc is a bit better than your average fully-evolved dog Pokemon, even though I like several of them a lot too.
 
My favorites of Generation VII along with the Litten-line! Also, the first true wolf Pokemon in the series (I never really considered Mightyena a wolf). Rockruff is an adorable puppy that I was dying to catch when it was first revealed. Lycanroc's three forms are great designs! At first I was iffy on Dusk Lycanroc but it grew on me, since it seems to have both qualities of Midday and Midnight forms. In-game they are useful. Accelerock is one of my favorite moves to use. They are on the weak side in terms of defense, but great for attacking! Using them competitively is a bit harder. With so many weaknesses and a low movepool, there are better Rock-types to use. I love Lycanroc so much I want to find a way to use one of the three forms in competitive play somehow.

Ash's Lycanroc is adorable! Loved it when it was a Rockruff, too! Midnight form lives up to its reputation as being menacing.

These Pokemon would live in our world like real dogs and wolves but with a more feral side. I don't see Lycanroc making good pets, much like real wolves. Give Rockruff an Everstone and it'll stay cute and less aggressive, making it perfect to have as a dog around the house.

I would give these Pokemon better movepools. I would also make a version of a game where you can get all three in the same game depending on the time of day. Don't know why Midday and Midnight evolutions are version exclusive. I know they can be caught in Poni Island, but I want to evolve my Rockruff that I breed into whichever form.

As mentioned before, I love all three forms. If I had to choose, maybe Midday form. The color scheme of brown fur and blue eyes look nice.

I maybe biased since I love this line, but nah. There are worse Pokemon that have gotten much more focus than the Rockruff-line. Being my favorites of Gen VII, I am going to enjoy their focus while it lasts.

Compared to other dog-based Pokemon, they're pretty good. As much as I love dogs and canine Pokemon, they are not really all that great for competitive play with Manectric and Arcanine being the expection. My problem is that most of them have low defenses and their movepools are bad. While they can be fast, they are not speedy enough to avoid some real dangers and their attack power lacks a bit of a punch. Sorry doggies. At least you are dogs and people love dogs so that makes them instant popular!
 
  • Do you like or dislike this Pokémon? Why?
    I like it. It's cute, even if it's based on a mammal.
  • How is this Pokémon in-game?
    Never used it.
  • How is this Pokémon in competitive play? Are there any interesting strategies you like to use for them?
    Dusk Lycanroc seems to be doing well in UU and is usable in OU. The others... Not so much.
  • Do you like this Pokémon's representation in the anime? Are there any moments or qualities in particular you enjoy/dislike?
    Don't watch the anime, so...
  • How do you think this Pokémon would interact with our world?
    Rockruff would probably be a pretty popular pet. Lycanroc would probably roam around in stray packs, sadly.
  • If given the power to, would you change anything about this Pokémon and if so, what would you change?
    Midnight Lycanroc would be Rock/Dark.
  • Midday, Midnight or Dusk?
    I'd go with Midnight, because it's a werewolf with crazy eyes.
  • Do you think this evolution line is getting too much or too little focus?
    I don't really care. It's not overrated like that big orange fire-snortin' lizard.
  • How does this Pokémon compare to other dog-based Pokémon?
    It's pretty cool. Nice to finally have an actual wolf-looking wolf after SEVEN GENERATIONS.
 
I like both Rockruff, and Lycanroc. I used midday form back in moon and it did rather well for me. Haven't used moon doggo or Dusk doggo though. Dusk Doggo seems to be the best of the three with its tough Claws, but the other two lag behind.. I still like the scarf Midnight set i used before Dusk form was revealed though..
Not as into the anime but from what I saw the Dusk form reveal was rather nice lol.
Both would Rockruff would be like a cute dog while midday form would be the most popular out of the three assuming they can't get their hands on an own tempo Rockruff..
Give Midday a better ability than it has and give Midnight the Rock/Dark typing song with a better signature move than Counter ever could provide.. I'd have to go with Orange Doggo, Midday, then Midnight. Not really getting too much attention tbh. It's nice to have one of the Forms being Werewolf like. Rockruff is also one of the cutest dog Pokémon.
 
Rockruff is adorable, and Midday and, to an extent, Dusk Lycanroc are sleek and elegant, but I don't like Midnight form at all, both for its colour scheme and its slasher smile. It doesn't help it is much slower and Counter is a pretty useless move. It definitely should have gotten a signature move, such as a Rock-type variation of Revenge/Avalanche.
 
  • Do you like or dislike this Pokémon? Why?
I love the design of midnight Lycanroc
  • How is this Pokémon in-game?
I don’t know how the midday form is but the midnight form is pretty solid i’d say.
  • How is this Pokémon in competitive play? Are there any interesting strategies you like to use for them?
Answer is above
  • Do you like this Pokémon's representation in the anime? Are there any moments or qualities in particular you enjoy/dislike?
I literally stopped watching the anime in 2008
  • How do you think this Pokémon would interact with our world?
Kill our livestock and become the subject of doggo memes
  • If given the power to, would you change anything about this Pokémon and if so, what would you change?
I can’t really think of anything
  • Midday, Midnight or Dusk?
MIDNIGHT <3
  • Do you think this evolution line is getting too much or too little focus?
I remember it was a favorite when it was announced and many people use it online so I mean I think its getting focus but I wouldn’t say too much.
  • How does this Pokémon compare to other dog-based Pokémon?
It’s the most interesting out of all the dog pokemon. Most of the dog pokemon are simplistic. Also the pokemon is based on a werewolf which is really cool.
 
Rockruff is adorable! As for the Lycanrocs, my favorite is the Midnight one. I don’t know why, but he looks so cool compared to the others.
 
Not a fan of Midnight Lycanroc too much, although to be far to it, it help loads on my original SM run and even against the E4/Champion! I'm just... not a huge fan of the design. :x I prefer Midday Lycanroc.

Also Rockruff is adorable and not much really needs to be said there.
 
I love Lycanroc! Dusk is my favourite form, followed my Midday. Impartial to Midnight. It just looks to much like an edgy Sonic OC to like it.

Used Midday in Sun and Dusk in Ultra Sun and damn. Did they put in work. Dusk was an absolute monster with Tough Claws.

As far as comparing them to other dog-based pokemon goes, yes, I admit, their designs might be simple/boring, but I think that's the charm of it as well. Actual dogs that look like proper dogs.

I do admit that while I'm fine with Dusk and Midday, I feel Midnight, battle-wise, got the short end of the stick (Get it? Dogs, sticks? Eh eh. I'll see myself out).

I'd give it the ability Solid Rock, at least. (Feel Sturdy would be the boring/obvious choice.) Then also take 10/20 points away from SP.Def and cut it in half and spend it on Defense and Sp.Defense.
 
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