Battle or Design

[Gravy]

Recently, I've seen a lot of people stating they like a Pokémon, purely because it can do something worthwhile in a battle. Like, I've seen people say they think Rayquazza is the best because its got decent attack stats or whatever. Or people prefering one pokémon over the other because its got higher special defence.
So its making me wonder if people even care about having certain favourites without having to judge it by what it can do in a competative battle.

So, what makes you favour various pokémon more? What they look like or what they're capable of? Or is there another reason?

 

[Twitch]

;227; Both, but otherwise design. Take Skarmory. He's useful in battle, and has a really cool design. (IMO) Typhlosion and Xatu have really cool designs too, but aren't that useful in battle.

Just my two cents.

 

[Volteon]

I never though about that, I like jolteon because it´s special, in some competitive battles my jolteon could take out 3 pokémon (one dragon(/flying), one ground and one psychic) without faint! also I love cats, that´s because suicune, meowth and jolteon are my favorites!

 

[Pokemaníaco Desesperado]

Many times I choose them just for their looks, and other times, for that and because of how useful they've been to me in the game (almost every pokémon can manage so with good IV). Finaly, sometimes I have a pokémon in my team without any reason so lang that I feel attached to it.

 

[TeddiUrsa]

Yes, it´s true. good stats are more important than a cool/interesting design for many people here, and I don´t understand it.

I, for example don´t want to train a starme or an alakazam because it doesn´t appeal to me. He thought of training one alone is absurd for me ^^;
same with skarmory...god, I never liked this thing. never ever.
( no offense to skarm, starme or alakazam fans, I´m sure many of my favourites aren´t ever a choice for some other people as well)

My favourite Pokemon are

Corsola ( I like it since the first japanese GS roms were out and I fished one, it looked so cute, and I like the idea of a corall pokemon)

Whischash ( My first level 100 pokemon ever, . I like its colour-sheme, its funky beard and the fact that it resembels one of my favourite Yoshi´s Island enemies so much ^^)

Tropius ( my sapphire HM slave at first, because it can learn a wide variety of HM move, but I like its dinosaur like design as well as the banana part of it. soooo good for dojinshis or fanfics ^^)

and Ursaring ( mainly because it is a bear and I run a comic series featuring a bear since I´m 11 , but also because of the cute pre-evo, well, I haven´t a good reason to like it ^^

I like them because of their design, that´s true, but also because I associate great times playing my game with them.

Sure, having a Pokemon like Corsola in your team will hinder you sometimes, because some pokemon are just better, but that´s not important for me.

I also won´t evolve my haunter ever, because I dislike Genga, same with combusken and my meowth ( and for pickup ^^

I hate it that many pokemon fans say that they dislike a certain pokemon because it isn´t useful for competetive battles.

 

[Kabuto]

I chose other because I like both. You need good stats to win battles, but then again if I like a pokemons appearance, I may decide to use it. So I like using pokemon with cool looks and good stats.

 

[PDL]

I prefer the pokemon's designs more then battling ability...

the monster's individual personalities is the one of the reasons why I like the pokemon in the first place, in fact, it's the biggest factor when I choose pokemon for teams, rather then ability in battle...

take my very first advanced team:

Altaria
Manectric
Aggaron
Cacturne
Milotic
Blazkien

I mostly chose these pokemon solely on how good they look with the Female player (yeah yeah, I chose May for my sapphire game)

I could have very easily replaced Altaria with Salamence, but since May bonded with that Swablu in "True Blue Swablu", it'd be a crime not to have it.

Manectric was because it was the only 3rd generation electric type that can be used in battle well

Aggaron was because Sapphire had an Aron/Lairon in the ***** (plus Savhanna used one in an anime contest)

Strangely enough, I chose Cacturne for this team well before Harely was introduced into the anime. I chose it because James had a Cacnea and Cacturne has an awesome style to it. Of course, now it's also Harely's signiture pokemon.

Milotic is beautiful, often associated with contests, and is an excellent battler... why shouldn't it be on my team?

and Blazkien because Torchic was May's starter... and it's the most chosen one as well.

 

[Komedic Konservationist]

I go for designs every day of the week. Nearly all my favourites are favoured because of aesthetics. They are.........
Breloom.
Donphan.
Ursaring.
Relicanth.
Snorunt.
Sure, most of these guys are decent battlers, but I would never have discovered there potential if I hadn't been compelled to use them because of there cool design.
Also, I hate alot of Pokemon because of aesthetics. Take Swampert for instance. Sure, it has a great type combo and awesome, balanced stats, but I still loathe the thing with an unrivalled passion. Why? Because it is the most abnormally hideous image to curse my retinas with it's mind-numbing unattactivness since I was born. Same goes for Alakazam, Mewtwo, and many others.

 

[Yamato-san]

my favorite Pokemon is Hakuryuu, a middle evolution. What do you think I prefer? Yes, design is my reason for liking most Pokemon. In fact, it's the first thing I'll ever see of a Pokemon. Not stats, not movepools, not even types, just the picture. Given, this argument fails in a few instances.... particularly when the game sprites/Sugimori artwork sucks and I only start noticing the Pokemon's charm later on through the anime or 3D battle installments like Stadium/Colloseum (the entire Kimori line being a prime example. Also Tyltalis, which I started to appreciate after seeing its 3D model in Colloseum).... but still, the point is that the design is what matters to me.

Now, there are still quite a few times in which I'll base my preference for a Pokemon somewhat off of their strengths.... however, it's hardly from game stats, or how well they perform in-game (I don't even do Netbattling. I've always been a 1-player gamer). More like the strengths portrayed in the anime and such, which usually means I'll still have somewhat of a bias towards evolutions (thus why it p*ssed me off how barely anything was evolving back in Kantou/Jouto). Lugia's a good example. Several aspects of the franchise, be it the anime or XD cutscenes, portray it as this ultra powerful Pokemon, one of the strongest in the world. In the games, however, its the defenses that are so great, while its offenses are just slightly above average.

Interestingly enough, though, I've taken a liking to Pokemon that are always portrayed as extremely weak and pathetic. Koiking, Himanuts, the worms, the cocoons. They intrigue me because, in the games, even if they're weak, they can reach level 100 just like any other Pokemon, and when they do that, they can kick a lot of as*.... at least to the early opponents. It's interesting to try and picture that in your head, being played out in a more realistic setting. A level 100 Koiking flopping around dealing 1-hit KOs to wild Poppo and Koratta.

 

[PDL]

Interestingly enough, though, I've taken a liking to Pokemon that are always portrayed as extremely weak and pathetic. Koiking, Himanuts, the worms, the cocoons. They intrigue me because, in the games, even if they're weak, they can reach level 100 just like any other Pokemon, and when they do that, they can kick a lot of as*.... at least to the early opponents. It's interesting to try and picture that in your head, being played out in a more realistic setting. A level 100 Koiking flopping around dealing 1-hit KOs to wild Poppo and Koratta.

strangely enough, whenever a new set of games is finally released, and the new pokemon get compared to older ones, they always seem to assume that looks=strength

Take Magikarp, Feebas and Luvdisc, Magikarp is considered weak, because in the games, it is weak, considering that the programmers only gave it a movepool of only 3 moves, one of them not doing a thing. When Feebas was introduced, it was assumed that because it plays a role simlair to Magikarp, it must be equally as weak, and it gets bashed often, dispite having a much much larger movepool (it is able to learn TMs, move tutor and Egg moves, unlike Magikarp).

Luvdisc receives the most amount of bashing, dispite being able to actually battle (in NU circut mind you) all because of it's rather unfortunate design.

 

[Evanji Axu]

I love Pokemon based on design. I like Corsola, for example, even though it's NU, because she's so CUTE! I love Typhlosion for her simple, sleek design and that she was my first Johto Pokemon. In battle, she's actually a very good UU now that Emerald gave her Thunderpunch. I love Mightyena for being a wolf (don't give me any "brown hyena" crap), and I've grown a soft spot for Pidgeotto, Swellow, and many of the Pokemon I've had on my teams. I actually mildly dislike Salamence, but I was pressured into raising one --;

Of course it doesn't a bit hurt if they're good in battle too

 

[Orion-Sama]

Design. I always like a Pokémon because of looks, not Stats.

Still, I might have a darn good flair to choose Pokémon that both look awesome/cute IMO, and are also very good battlers. I also like final Evolutions most of the time. I just find the lowest stage's over-cutesy-ness sickening to no end, and the middle stages, if any, are rather meh-ish, save a few exceptions. Kirlia, Grovyle, Combusken are those few that I like as much as their final stage. Well... in Grovyle's case, I prefer it vastly over Sceptile...

I also have Pokémon growing on me if they prove useful in battles, as Colosseum can attest. Still, without that, my main choice is based on the design. Always.

 

[CyberCubed]

It's a combination of both.

I chose Gardevoir for my main team because I thought its design was fantastic. Finally a Psychic type that doesn't look like some kind of monster! But Gardevoir is also a fantastic Pokemon to use in battle as well, which is why I love it.

I also use Exploud mainly because of its looks. That thing looks like a madman ready to explode.

Starmie is another one I use because it's good in battle, design wise it's really nothing more than a simple starfish.

I also like using Absol, despite the fact that it kinda sucks in the game. :/

 

[Valkyrie X]

Okay, I admit it. Usually, I like a Pokémon because of its looks (but I love EVERYTHING about Latios and Latias, including their appearance, personalities, battling skills, etc.). I mean, unless I'm doing some real battling, such as taking on a Battle Frontier challenge, my team will be made of my favorite Pokémon, no matter what their fighting skills are. As long as I actually LIKE my team, I'm happy. =0

;381;SD;380;

 

[Horn Drill]

Using neat looking Pokemon is fun, but stats are by far the most important thing. Yeah, it's nice to use your favorites, but I'm not going to raise a Jigglypuff to level 100 and use it in the Battle Frontier just because of that. I'm stuck in the last round of Pokemon XD's Orre Colosseum right now, and I need to raise more Pokemon to level 100. If I need a Special sponge to improve my team, I'm just going to raise it. I'm not going to stick with a bunch of cool looking Pokemon that aren't working.

 

[Magma Grunt Alex]

Battling capabillities

 

[Bling King]

I voted other, however the first box was somehow also checked so I accidently voted for two things.

As I mentioned before, I voted other due to a lack of an all of the above option.

 

[SapphireL]

I look at stats, yes, but I do a little of the appearence thing too... sorta. At least for my ingame battles. Like... I was considering training a Tangela to lv. 100 in my Sapphire game, but I wouldn't use it in Colosseum/XD. :/ 's more about what the Pokemon can do, but there really isn't imo anything wrong with using favorites.

but anyway, whatever I need, I train. I need a physical sweeper that is strong, I'll pick Salamence over something like Seviper no matter how much I like both of them because Sala can 1) last longer 2) is faster 3)higher attack.

 

[≈*Virulent Tsunami*≈]

Chose all three, because they all apply.

For one, some of my favorite Pokémon are Glalie, Luvdisc, Nosepass, Chimecho, and Tangela. They're all NU or UU, but I still love them.

On the other hand, I sometimes choose favorites by battling abilities. Xatu, for example. It served me well in XD, and it can kill lots of things without much effort. If I hadn't tried battling with it, then I wouldn't have become a huge fan of it.

And other, too. Some Pokémon I end up liking because no one else uses them. Dustox, Plusle, Minun, and a handful of others top my favorites list because I gave them a chance when no one else does.

So I guess, in short, it depends =/

~*CB*~
The 8th Champion​

 

[Krod]

Design. I mean, absol sucks in battle, but it looks awesome, and is one of my favorite pokemon.