Day 24: Krookodile
(BGM: Chargestone Cave from Pokemon Black & White)
As stated before, the desert areas in the Black and White games have some of the best Pokemon in the game in my opinion. I've already talked about the likes of Sigilyph and Archaeops, and Darmanitan was an honorable mention for this marathon.
I don't know what it is but the Pokemon found here evolve into Pokemon with great moves, great stats, and have great type combinations and abilities.
Well, I can say right now that this is the last Pokemon from Generation 5's desert area that I'll be talking about. And not only do I view it to be the best Pokemon you can find here, but it's also the most common Pokemon you can find here, and the Pokemon I, as well as many others, think about when they hear the term 'Unova Route 4'. I'm of course talking about Sandile, which will eventually grow up to become the Ground-Dark type beast known as…
Krookodile!
(Insert Krookodile cry here)
(BGM: Battle! Team Plasma from Black 2 & White 2)
The Sandile line was some of the first Pokemon I remember seeing back when Black & White was released in Japan in 2010; we Americans had to wait until March of 2011 to get our hands on the de facto best Pokemon game. Anyway, I was more familiar with the evolution that came between Sandile and Krookodile, Krokorok. I just loved his look and how smug and badass it was; eat your heart out Snivy.
And then that BAMF of a Pokemon evolved into the monster we'll be talking about now.
So what is it that makes Krookodile so great?
Well, I'll tell you right now, it's not his type combo.
Being Ground-Dark type means that he has a total of six weaknesses to Water, Fighting, Fairy, Bug, Grass, and Ice. This could be a huge problem, but the good news is that he's immune to Electric and Psychic type attacks, which can be very useful.
And…that's honestly where the negatives end because Krookodile succeeds in every other department.
First and foremost, his stats and abilities. It has pretty decent HP and Speed, okay defenses, and an amazing 117 attack stat! And just about all of Krookodile's abilities cater to that attack stat in spades.
First let's go over the ability that doesn't help Krookodile's attack stat, Intimidate. Now, make no mistake, this is a very helpful ability as it lowers the opposing Pokemon's physical attack stat, which is useful as Krookodile doesn't have the best defenses.
What you really want is Moxie and his hidden ability Anger Point. I already talked about Moxie before, and that makes it so your attack stat gets a boost every time you knock out an opposing Pokemon; each kill basically makes Krookodile stronger. As for Anger Point, it raises Krookodile's attack stat to its maximum level when hit by a Critical Hit.
Of these abilities, I'd say Moxie is the most helpful, but for what it's worth Anger Point and Intimidate aren't terrible for Krookodile either.
Naturally, with a great Physical Attack stat, Krookodile learns some killer moves such as Crunch, Foul Play, Earthquake, Dig, Rock Slide, and even Outrage! And if you're looking for more diversity, Krookodile can learn Aqua Tail through breeding, and moves like Aerial Ace, Brick Break, Rock Slide, Shadow Claw, Dragon Claw, Gunk Shot, and Stone Edge through TMs.
Still need more proof that Krookodile is a badass through? Alright, in the anime, Ash's Krookodile is wearing some cool-ass shades. And sunglasses just make everything cooler.
And that's really all I have to say about Krookodile really. I love his attacks, his abilities that cater to his attacks, and his appearance most of all; those shades of red and black really go well together.
Also, is it me, or does the black part of his body around his eyes look like Kamina's sunglasses from Gurren Lagann?
…
Meh, I'm probably just seeing things.
