Day 8: Archeops

(BGM: Relic Castle from Black & White)

A few days ago I told you all that the Ice type was my least favorite Pokemon type, so much so that Mr. Rime is the only Ice type Pokemon that'll be appearing in this marathon. Well, I figured I'd tell you about another, the Rock-Type.

It's barely a step-up from Ice-Types in my opinion, but I think that's only because there are more Rock-Type Pokemon I prefer when compared to Ice-Types.

Now, like with Ice, there are some aspects about the Rock-Type that I like. Not every Rock-Type is bad, I'll be talking about one today and I enjoy Lycanroc quite a bit. I like most of the Rock-Type moves like Stone Edge and Rock Slide, and most Rock-Types have good defenses, especially in the physical department…but that's likely because pure Rock-Types like Gigalith, Sudowoodo, and Rampardos are weak to a total of five types, with three of those types being pretty common (Water, Grass, and Ground).

And on top of that, most rock types are as slow as molasses, so you'll be taking a hit before you can deal one yourself.

There may be some serious drawbacks to having a Rock-Type on your team, but there is one that I personally feel that you can never go wrong with. So, let's stop wasting time. My favorite Rock-Type Pokemon, and my favorite Fossil Pokemon, goes to the First Bird Pokemon…

Archeops!

(Insert Archeops cry here)


(BGM: Battle! Gym Leader from Black & White)

I'm well aware that Archeops isn't the first fossil Pokemon that's Rock-Flying type as Aerodactyl has been here since Generation 1. And while I fully admit Aerodactyl is a banger Pokemon, I just like Archeops more. But why is that? Well, let's go over his design, abilities, stats, movepool, and go more in depth with his typing. That should give me a concrete answer.

Being Rock-Flying type means that Archeops resists the Rock-types' weakness to ground.

Lyra: But in the process he gains a weakness to Electric attacks. It's not that much better.

Me: Any way I can get an immunity to dangerous moves like Earthquake is a way worth doing.

Now let's go over that design, and boy is it one of the standout Pokemon of not only the fossil Pokmeon, but all of the Pokemon in Generation 5. With its feathered body and snake-like head, Archeops is based on not only feathered maniraptoran dinosaurs, but the idea that modern day birds have a link to these proud giants that once roamed the Earth. What a cool and unique idea for a fossil Pokemon. It's also one of the more colorful looking Pokemon, IMO; it's bright color scheme being very eye catching.

Now let's talk about Archeops' stats and ability…which is actually why he ranks as low as he does in my marathon.

For starters, Archeops has amazing stats. Sure it's defenses may be seriously lacking, but given that Archeops' speed stat is 110 with an Attack stat of 140 and Special Attack stat of 112, it might be a safe bet that you'll have your opponent on the ropes before they can even lay a finger on you. And if you really want an awesome strategy, teach Archeops Acrobatics, which does double damage if the user isn't holding an item, and give it a Flying-Gem, which powers up Flying-type moves upon usage of one…utter wreckage…that is all.

Like I said about N's Archeops in my Pentultimate Boss Lent Marathon, Archeops is a Pokemon that moves fast and hits even harder. But here's the rub…Archeops ability is Defeatist. With Defeatist, Archeops physical and special attack stat gets cut in half, bringing them down to 70 and 56 respectively.

This greatly cripples Archeops, but at the same time it does give him a high risk, high reward feeling. The risk being any strong attack will NERF him, but the reward being, if you're good at using him, you can wreak armageddon on your opponents with its moves

Speaking of which, let's take a look at some of Archeops moves.

Naturally, Archeops learns some pretty good moves; Wing Attack, Rock Slide, Ancient Power, Crunch, Dragon Claw, and it can even learn U-Turn if you want to play strategically.

As for the moves he can learn through other means, there's the aforementioned Acrobatics, Stone Edge, Steel Wing, Earthquake, Shadow Claw, Heat Wave, Outrage, Dragon Pulse, and of course good old Hyper Beam and Giga Impact…all of which can decimate your opponents.

So yeah, Archeops, while his ability does hold him back in some places, his overall design, movepool, and stats at the start of a battle make him a Pokemon worth using on just about any team.

Here's to hoping Generation 10 gives us a fossil Pokemon of this caliber.