#5) Scizor – Scyther seemed to be a fan-favorite when I was growing up and the Pokémon franchise was brand-spankin’-new. Imagine, then, just how excited young players became when they learned of Scizor, the Bug/Steel evolution of Scyther. Scizor’s dual-typing offers what is a decently useful buff, though it has a glaring weakness to Fire-type Pokémon, and doesn’t fare too well against Fighting-types either. However, the real appeal for my using Scizor during one of my Soul Silver replays lay in his widely varied moveset, which was key in taking down Grass, Psychic, Ghost, and fellow Bug Pokémon. He even fared quite well in the post-game tournaments of Black 2 once I transferred him over to the fifth generation games, and still proves quite useful for friendly competitive bouts in the sixth generation scene.
#4) Steelix – Another generation II evolution of a gen I Pokémon, Steelix is the bigger, badder, and generally cooler-looking evolution of Onix. It does what all good Steel Pokémon do in playing a defensive role, and then ups the ante with its secondary Ground typing. I relied quite heavily on Steelix during one of my replays of Soul Silver, and while Steelix performed wonderfully against the likes of Blaine and Lt. Surge, his crowning achievement was laying the smack-down on Red’s prized Pikachu while a snowstorm swelled atop Mt. Silver.
#3) Mawile – One of the more bizarre humanoid Pokémon designs, Mawile has two mouths - one on its proper, smaller face, and another gaping venus-flytrap mandible attached to the back of its skull. Depending on who you ask, people may describe Mawile as a cute and cuddly Pokémon, or one of the most lethal-looking things to come from the generation III titles. Either way, Mawile is a beast, both offensively and defensively. It can takes hits like a champ, and can learn Flamethrower, Brick Break, Shadow Ball, Ice Beam, Flash Cannon, Solar Beam, and more versatile moves to make it a wonderful jack-of-all-trades.
#2) Genesect – Once upon a time, Team Plasma decided to resurrect an ancient Bug Pokémon. They then decided that, in all his splendor, his physical form was not good enough, and so they decided to strap a giant cannon to his back. Genesect’s origin is probably the most perfect example of a terrible idea birthing something so awesomely dangerous since Team Rocket concocted Mewtwo in their own laboratories. The ability to give Genesect different drives that allow him to attack with Fire, Electric, Ice, and Water blasts respectively only adds to his diverse moveset, and his Bug/Steel dual-typing is certainly a welcome addition to the generally Psychic-heavy representation in the pantheon of legendary Pokémon.
#1) Aegislash – Perhaps some of you were curious as to how Aegislash, one of my all-time favorite Pokémon, was omitted from the top five Ghost-type Pokémon listing – after all, I only made mention of it and its pre-evolved forms in nearly every journal entry that accompanied my playthrough of Pokémon Y. The simple fact is that I was reserving it for this list, as trying to choose between Aegislash and Chandelure as my all-time favorite Ghost Pokémon would have been too close to call. From the moment I learned of Honedge’s dual Steel and Ghost typing, I knew I had to try my best to make it an integral part of my team, and boy did that decision pay off in spades. Aegislash’s moveset is incredibly versatile, his stats thoroughly impressive for both offensive and defensive, and his typing grants him unique additional defensive properties. Plus, his design – and those of his pre-evolutions – are so ridiculous, yet somehow intimidating, that it is awesomely perfect.
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