• A new LGBTQ+ forum is now being trialed and there have been changes made to the Support and Advice forum. To read more about these updates, click here.
  • Hey Trainers! Be sure to check out Corsola Beach, our newest section on the forums, in partnership with our friends at Corsola Cove! At the Beach, you can discuss the competitive side of the games, post your favorite Pokemon memes, and connect with other Pokemon creators!
  • Due to the recent changes with Twitter's API, it is no longer possible for Bulbagarden forum users to login via their Twitter account. If you signed up to Bulbagarden via Twitter and do not have another way to login, please contact us here with your Twitter username so that we can get you sorted.

POTW Pokémon of the Week #94: Type: Null & Silvally

Joined
Nov 29, 2012
Messages
3,544
Reaction score
5,698
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...

250px-772Type_Null.png
250px-773Silvally.png

Type: Null and its evolution Silvally!

Meet Type: Null, the final result of years of genetical engineering and DNA manipulation done by Aether Branch Chief Faba and his crew. Just like Mewtwo was created to be the strongest Pokémon ever and Genesect was revived from a fossil and enhanced with technology with the same purpose, this Pokémon as well has been created with a reason: to be ultimate Anti-UB Fighting lifeform, or "Beast Killer".

This creature has been built together by splicing and merging cells from Pokémon of all types, which is evident by its chimera-like traits: insect-like front claws, dark mammalian fur on its body and feet, fin-like tail, white wing-like mane on its head and a strong beak-like muzzle. Originally known as Type: Full, this Pokémon has been engineered to be able to adapt and change type according to circumstance, but just like every crazy experiment from human's fiction, this ended up as a failure as well, as all three specimens of Type: Full rejected the RKS System that would have allowed them to change type and went berserk. As a result, they were given limiter helmets to suppress the effects of the rejection and put in cryogenic stasis, after which they were labeled Type: Null.

Despite this Gladion, son of Aether's leader Lusamine, managed to free one of those specimens in order to find a way to free the Pokémon from the helmet and to use the RKS System. And he managed to do so by giving to the chimera and obtaining back from it what its creators hadn't given it: friendship. Thanks to the power of love trust, Type: Null has gained the power to break free from its limiting Battle Armor and to fully master its type-changing skills, and the boy gave to it a more meaningful name: Silvally.

With its power unlocked, Silvally gains more Speed compared to its limited form, making it a quite unique kind of evolution. Now able to swap type and change the properties of its cells thanks to special disks called Memories, this Pokémon can show to be really versatile and to be easily tailored for multiple purposes, thanks to its balanced stats and moves at its disposal. The main weapon used by this Pokémon is its Multi-Attack, a signature move that becomes of the same type of the equipped Memory, in a way not too different from Arceus's Judgment and the Plates.

Aside from its signature attack, Silvally can also use a variety of offensive and supportive moves. It's able to use all kinds of fang-based attacks (Poison Fang, the elemental fangs, Crunch), many wind-based techniques (Tailwind, Razor Wind, Air Slash, Defog), some varied special attacks (Thunderbolt, Ice Beam, Flamethrower, Surf, Shadow Ball, Flash Cannon) and other rare or mixed moves (Swords Dance, Parting Shot, Iron Head, Zen Headbutt, Explosion, Punishment, etc). The only thing it truly lacks is recovery, which can hamper visibly Eviolite sets with Type: Null.

Regarding its role in the anime, it has a lot of similarities with its game counterpart, as it is owned by the anime counterpart of Gladion and it's his main Pokémon. It has shown to be a really powerful Pokémon, capable of taking out Ash's out-of-control Lycanroc while still wearing its helmet and to make quick work of Totem Kommo-o as Fairy Silvally. It was also the cause of Lillie's trauma that resulted in not being able to touch any Pokémon, but it ended up being also the cause of her getting over her fear once she managed to recover her memories from the past.

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?
  • What's your favorite Silvally's type?
  • What are your thoughts about Pokémon made by humans and the implications behind said practice?
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!

Previous Pokémon of the Week:
 
As someone who sticks to the games ("anime"? what anime?), I love how this is a very lore-centric Pokemon.

I kept myself away from as much Sun/Moon prerelease info as I could, so when Gladion pulls out Type:Null in your first battle, I was amazed. Granted, it wasn't too difficult to face down (in any of the encounters), but as surprises go, it was one of the best. Not to mention, by the time you're climbing Mount Lanakila at the endgame and Gladion shows up for one final battle, the fact that it's now a Silvally (with a type advantage over your starter) was another surprise, despite that by then I was aware of the Pokemon's name (thanks GTS).

If I have one complaint about it, it's that you can only acquire one for yourself after becoming Champion, so there really isn't much to do with Null or Silvally if you're not into PVP. Sure, you can take him Ultra Beast hunting but it's not the same as having a Pokemon on your team for a majority of game time.

I like Sivally's design, chimeric as it is -- it's the closest thing the series has to a gryphon (a favorite mythical creature).
 
I think the idea behind Type: Null and Silvally is a great one. I love how it’s pieced together with different design elements incorporated into its body, and that giving it friendship allows it to control its powers and shed its mask. The type change gimmick is cool, along with the aesthetic of its crest and fin lighting up in the corresponding color to its type. I also like the lore behind Silvally being created to change types as a way to imitate Arceus. Me being me, I did want a Type: Null specimen to keep unevolved, so I obtained a couple off the GTS a while back...one of them, I intentionally got Italian, because its name in that language, “Tipo Zero,” just sounds awesome to me. I haven’t used this Pokémon in battle yet, but I know I’ll have some fun with it. :3

Oh, and in Gen 8, they should probably fix that bug I read about where a player can only teach Silvally Grass Pledge when it’s meant to have access to all three Pledge moves.
 
Do you like or dislike this Pokémon? Why?
I LOVE IT!
Great design, very useful in battle, awesome Ability, what more can I say?

How is this Pokémon in-game?
Fantastic. RKS System is a great Ability.

How is this Pokémon in competitive play? Are there any interesting strategies you like to use for them?
Amazing. I always give it a Memory that best suits the rest of the team in a competitive match.

How do you think this Pokémon would interact with our world?
I guess it'd be a pretty rare Pokémon, used only by select Trainers.

If given the power to, would you change anything about this Pokémon and if so, what would you change?
NO.

What's your favorite Silvally's type?
Dark.
 
-Do you like or dislike this Pokémon? Why?
I'm really not sure, if I'll be honest. It's another Pokémon who I don't have a lot of strong thoughts towards.

-How is this Pokémon in-game?
This question probably doesn't apply here since the game doesn't give you a Type: Null before the credits. Not to say it's bad though; RKS System is a neat ability.

-How is this Pokémon in competitive play? Are there any interesting strategies you like to use for them?
Silvally is one of those sad, sorry cases where a Pokémon typically sees less competitive usage than its pre-evolution thanks to the totally-not-broken Eviolite. I can't help but wonder what Game Freak think about Type: Null doing better in this area, considering the emphasis placed on its mask shattering when it trusts the trainer enough.

-Do you like this Pokémon's representation in the anime? Are there any moments or qualities in particular you enjoy/dislike?
What I love most of all about their anime representation is how Gladion has always called the Pokémon Silvally, even before it evolved. This is something I believe the games should had done.

-How do you think this Pokémon would interact with our world?
Uhh... I'm legitimately lost here. What sort of place could Type: Null and Silvally possibly have in our world? It definitely wouldn't be your garden variety creature, not by a long shot.

-If given the power to, would you change anything about this Pokémon and if so, what would you change?
I wouldn't change anything about Silvally, but rather its Memories by adding the same type boost as Arceus's Plates. On a lesser scale though, like 10%. The biggest downside to changing Silvally's type is, I feel, that it takes up the item slot with no further benefits.


Since we're on the subject, what do you like to think ultimately happens to the third Type: Null that Gladion and the player don't get? My favourite idea for USUM canon is that Colress obtained it after his help with the events involving Team RR. I could see it fitting him somehow.
 
-If given the power to, would you change anything about this Pokémon and if so, what would you change?
I wouldn't change anything about Silvally, but rather its Memories by adding the same type boost as Arceus's Plates. On a lesser scale though, like 10%. The biggest downside to changing Silvally's type is, I feel, that it takes up the item slot with no further benefits.
Alternately, make it like Oricori's Nectars where you 'use' the item on Silvally to specifically change its type, leaving the item slot open for other things.
 
Silvally to me has always kind of been like a mini-Arceus type of Pokemon, which I don't really mind! I love how it had its own little backstory in SM too; how it was basically kind of experimented upon and the poor thing ended up as Type: Null. :\ It's no wonder you needed to get its friendship level maxed in order for it to evolve.
 
Silvally is easily my favourite Generation VII legendary. It looks awesome, has an intriguing (and somewhat disturbing) backstory, good movepool, and a nifty Ability. I love the fact Type: Null starts with the friendship of 0 and requires a strong bond with its Trainer to evolve, it makes perfect sense given its origins. I think the Memories should be more similiar to Arceus' Plates, i. e. boost the attacks of their respective type by 20%, in addition to changing Silvally's type. I'm also slightly annoyed by the fact you can't obtain Type: Null during the main storyline.
I liked Gladion's Silvally in the anime, especially when it took Gladion and Lillie to Poni Island after Lusamine had been captured by Nihilego.
 
Please note: The thread is from 6 years ago.
Please take the age of this thread into consideration in writing your reply. Depending on what exactly you wanted to say, you may want to consider if it would be better to post a new thread instead.
Back
Top Bottom