Ditto just had to be here. It was the gimmick Pokemon before we even knew about the concept of gimmicks existing in Pokémon at all. Speaking of the ability to change into anything the Pokemon wants, you gotta feel sorry for Kecleon. It started the concept of being able to change into different types but because of its awkward stats and how its signature ability works, it ends up getting overshadowed by Castform and when gets its hidden ability, Greninja and later, Cinderace, eclipses its reputation for simply being way better users. XD Anyway, great topic Emperor Cubone! This is a very unique topic that I’m surprised no one brought up until now. Props to your continuous originality, my friend!
Ditto is also the prefect breeder in that you also get to raise its level while using it in the Daycare without needing to worry about it forgetting any moves you want to keep when learning new moves.
Emperor, to this day, I am still so impressed with your creativity when it comes to video topics, and the diversity of your opinions! I never know what to expect from you, and that's a great thing! I don't usually comment, but I wanted to show you how grateful I am. Keep up the great work!
Thank you very much!! This time it really just came from when I glanced at Smeargle on my Johto poster and thought about how it was totally consumed by its gimmick and I wondered, "How many other Pokemon are like that?"
You can tell GF loved Mimikyu’s gimmick so much because they remixed it for Eiscue. And they balanced it by giving it to an ice-type pokemon, which is a very difficult type to be.
@@emperorcubone Can I just say that you’re one of the best RUclipsrs for replying to comments? And your fans’ comments are so good, thoughtful, and kind, I can’t help but read them when I finish a video (most YT comment sections I completely avoid lol). You’ve curated a great climate here!
Erm, ice face works completely differently, it only works on physical moves but negates 1 but is reset every turn in hail (and Eiscue has different stats in each form), disguise takes 1 attack and negates it but mimikyu takes 1/8 of it's health but this can be a special move too, plus it cannot be reset
I got my Shedinja by accident as a kid playing ruby as a kid...I evolved my nincada and had extra space so when I went to check it out I noticed Shedinja and was like where the heck this come from and actually used it quite a bit
@@jaidamwhi4589 When I first got Shidinja it genuinely made my play through ok Pokemon 10 time more fun, not only did it give me time to plan for my next moves, get so pretty cool reads on my opponent, having it actually be a useful Pokemon for alot situations despite of its typing, but it also allowed me to give it my favorite Pokemon nickname to date: La Coqui.
Another honorable mention should be Spinda. It has over 1 million spot combinations for its sprite. So it is almost impossible for any 2 people ( or a group ) to have the same spot pattern Spinda. Great video though.
Just having a unique gimmick =\= one of the best gimmicks. been playing since gen 1 and I didn't even know about this, so I'm not sure how well it worked.
Honestly this one just came to mind when I glanced at Smeargle on the Johto poster I had, and I thought "Which other Pokemon are defined by their gimmick?"
I liked the video overall but I don’t agree with Sudowoodo. You said at the start that Applin didn’t count because he is a dragon (or wyrm) that is an apple, but Sudowoodo is just a rock shaped like a tree.
@@stupidabc4331 Yeah I know, but just being shaped like something else doesn't seem like a gimmick to me. It like saying that solrock is a gimmick because it is shaped like the sun but isn't a fire type.
I don't think the gimmick is looking like it I think it's sudowoodo looking like a cuttable tree in the overworld like voltorb and foongus looking like pokeballs
@@ivorobotnik26 I just don't see that as a gimmick. you walk up, you dont cut it and done. To me a gimmick pokemon is something defined by its gimmick, not a one time two second confusion
A great aspect to Smeargle's gimmick is the rare ability Technician, which makes weak moves (60 or less) stronger (x1.5) this can be used to make unassuming moves deadly, like Water Pulse, Aerial Ace, or Storm Throw.
Well it still has extremely mediocre stats and these moves aren't stabs, so it's still a pretty mediocre strat. Smeargle is almost always used as a support pokemon to compress multiple roles with its movepool, generally being a sleeper, redirecter, a trick room or sticky web setter, ...
@@artimist0315 I know, but I love the idea of a pokemon that can make any weak move formidable because those moves either have no drawbacks like Cut, or has a benefit like Rapid Spin. And this qualifies on multi-hit moves which makes Double Hit effectively be a Triple Hit, and if want to gamble a little a 4 hit Tail Slap is the same as a Giga Impact, and the least it can do is still stronger than a Slash. All of which are STAB, but a couple newer non-STAB moves I like are Flip Turn, Dual Wingbeat and Triple Axel. Flip Turn is now U-Turn, but 20 points stronger for Smeargle, Dual Wingbeat is like Double Hit but a strong counter to his Fighting weakness, and Triple Axel is like Triple Kick, but twice the power and potentially broken on a Smeargle due to resulting in a free 180 base power with some mini-crit potential.
Admitting I'm biased because he's my favorite Pokemon of all time (even before he became the franchise's second mascot), I think Eevee should be here for his evolution gimmick. It's perfect for filling out any type matchup holes your team might have, and you can breed him to get the other evolutions too. Plus they're all either cool or cute. There's something for everyone with the Eevee family
It's a very fun aspect/gimmick for the Pokemon, but if you look at the rest of this list, the are all in-battle gimmicks. Eevee's variable evolution options don't really turn the tide in a battle.
I’m going to be completely honest here I love your scripting! It’s not too over the top, but it’s intriguing enough that I’m not bored. On top of that, it’s *not loud enough to wake up the entire house,* unlike some other Pokémon RUclipsrs, _which I won’t name._ Keep on making man, it’s great!
Disguise doesnt reduce the damage, when it breaks u always take 1/8 of damage. That nerf was done cause in gen 7 every mimikyu could live 3 hits no Matter what. Disguise is a quasi substitute and u give it a sash to live any hit afterwards, with sd and shadow sneak it was actually threatening.
I love many gimmick pokémon, but my main problem is that GF doesn’t care about them and even tend to nerf them later on. They’re treated as just products.
Not always. Some like Castform and Shedinja have remained constant, while Ditto (with the Imposter Hidden Ability) and Rotom actually got buffed later on. The priority is to maintain competitive balance with the gimmicks, and that's a good thing.
09:50 But Ditto has a fatal flaw: It does NOT copy the opponent's HP stat, and its own HP stat is pretty bad (only 48 base HP), so Ditto always takes more damage than he can dish out.
However it also has a great advantage being holding choice scarf, meaning that if the opponent isn’t holding choice scarf themselves, ditto *will* outspeed. That is especially useful to against mons who boosted themselves because ditto copies the stat boosts there for not only destroys the menace but might also turns into the menace
@@galvsparks6295 Well, for me personally, unfortunately, the only games I ever play are Gens 1-4, where Choice items and the Imposter Ability don't exist yet. Also, so far, I've only done Casual play, no Competitive.
I just realized I come by your vids often and tend to watch them every time, and then it finally hit me- WHY AM I NOT SUBSCRIBED TO THIS MAN YET?! Take my sub, King.
love the video! Gimmick Pokémon can be hit or miss. Ditto, Wobbuffet, and Smeargle have unique playstyles. Unown, Shedinja, Castform, Chatot, Furfrou, Wishiwashi, Pyukumuku, and Oricorio all have their quirks. Some succeed, others are forgettable. Keep it up, and shoutout to Ridge Wallet for sponsoring!
Another great video as always! I think Eelektross is interesting. It was used on almost every competitive team back in gen 5, then people never talked about it again. I even saw a comment here that said that they didn’t even know Eelektross existed.
Although, it's not as good as it initially appears, as the lack of weaknesses is balanced by its mediocre defensive stats (85 HP, 80 Def, 80 SD) and terrible speed stat (50).
It was used a lot due to going 'viral' due to the 'having no weaknesses' hype. I think the issue is that, yes, it has no weaknesses but... So what? It doesn't have the stats to be a good tank, it has a bad 50 speed stat which is too slow for normal teams and too fast for Trick Room. It also has a mediocre 105 special attack, and a not very useful 115 attack. Why would you want to use it over Magnezone, or even Raichu?
@@ashblossomandjoyoussprung.9917 eelektross’s offenses are fine really the problem is it’s bulk, 85/80/80 is a good bulk for a fast mon but for a slow mon is severally lacking and compound that with its lack of resistances and reliable recovery and you have a pokemon who despite wanting to be a great rank because no weaknesses, ultimately you have an ok bulky attacker with a great coverage and good user of assault vest which is fine but is nowhere near one of the best electric types some would claim it is
Personally I don't like Sudowoodo because it's gimmick doesn't extend beyond it's first appearance. That may have been alright for Gen 2, but it I feel that it should have gotten more thematic abilities in Gen 3 or at least something interesting as a hidden ability.
I wouldn't consider Sudowoodo a gimmick mon whatsoever. It's name is also extremely on the nose: pseudo wood. Kids that don't know the definition of Pseudo probably don't know much about type strengths or weaknesses either.
There's also the messed up lore implications of Dittos, being that you can only catch them in red/blue in the burned lab on cinnabar island where they were conducting cloning experiments on Mew. Being the only other pokemon to learn Transform.
Yeah, and both Mew and Ditto have the same color palette, which is identically blue when they appear as shiny. It's disturbing to think that Mew could be the bad byproduct of terrible cloning experiments, but the effect is cool.
Smeargle and Ditto have always been two of my favorite Pokemon because they, alongside Mew, are not only serve as personifications of the player's imagination, but also embody two aspects of the franchise I really like: the sheer variety of moves/pokemon. I sometimes imagine myself as a pokémon trainer from the anime that has a special smeargle able to permanently remember any and all moves that it ends up copying. Imo, it would be really fun seeing a trainer that has the dream of teaching their pokemon every single move there is. Think about the level of strategy Ash would have to use to fight against a trainer that could ask their pokemon to use (weaker versions of) legendary signature moves! 🤩
I still remember the episode "Problem with Ditto!" (I could be way off the mark on the episode title XD) where ditto was having trouble transforming it face, and at the very end, it transforms into a freaking cannon to launch pikachu at team rocket! It can canonically transform into just about anything!
Shedinja is one of my absolute favorites in terms of design and gameplay as well as how much it makes sense. Think about when something goes through metamorphosis or sheds its skin. The leftover shell is basically a crunchy leaf and isn't hard to squish. Shedinja is a perfect representation of that. A hollow shell which is why it only has 1hp
While the voltorb and foongus lines looking like items in the overworld in earlier games has been a nice spin I always fell for thinking they were actual items until the battles started
@@emperorcubone To help keep people cool in the warmer months! 🤪 fr though would love for Rotom to get more battle forms in the future. These out of battle forms are cool but lemme use the bike to use extreme speed or something!
@@emperorcubone It should be mentioned that, in case you may have forgotten, back in gen4, every single one of Rotom's forms was an electric/ghost type Pokemon, but this was changed to have each of them replace ghost with another type from gen5 onwards
This might be an unpopular opinion, but i think zoroark could've been in the same spot as ditto. (granted zoroark is my favorite Pokemon of all time.) it is kind of similar to ditto in the sense that technically it can turn into any Pokemon, just more limited in that that Pokemon has to be in your party and once it gets hit the illusion wears off. But it can be useful as it can be fast and hard hitting and you could put a fighting type in the last slot to trick other Pokemon into using psychic moves on it (idk if my reasoning made sense or not)
also Illusion blocks Ditto's Transform move and Imposter ability if the illusion is still in effect so a full team of Zoroark's full stops a full team of Ditto's
When he talked about the breeding ditto part to get more starters or to be able to have all the eeveelutions Makes me realize Legends makes you do these things but you don’t need to trade, it’s just tedious or easy
Dittos are also good Pokemon Home GTS trade systems currency. I got a random Shiny Anorath from the deal, a level 60 Eevee and most of the Kanto Starters. With just Dittos.
I remember my first time playing Gold version and getting to Sudowoodo. I used a water move to weaken it thinking it was grass and wouldn't be effective... OHKO.
Komala is one of my favorite “gimmick” mons, but it’s also my favorite normal type. It and Purugly. Anyway, it’s a ton of fun to use with it’s “comatose” ability
I love Oricorio. We need more dance moves. It’s a fun Pokémon! I want more forms too but I doubt we’ll ever get that. Great for performer characters. I think a flock of oricorio would be among the worst kind of Pokémon horde to make angry in an anime or roleplay setting, because for every one time a single bird attacks with revelation dance, the rest of them copy and bombard you with attacks without using up their own turn.
@@emperorcubone perhaps Plusle and Minun.. they were created to showcase doubles...in a generation where they didn't have much doubles (until emerald). Plus, would anyone REALLY use both together in a doubles? 😅
I love that Smeargle’s ability translated to Pokémon go as well. If you have a Smeargle appear in a photobomb, it will copy the move set of the Pokémon you’re taking a pic of.
I honestly don't believe that Castform should have a sandstorm form. Counterpoint: Since Castform is based off of a water molecule, it would make sense if it got gradually healed in sandstorms instead. Since water molecules absorb dirt, dust & even salt partials along with other water molecules when they're in clouds so they can grow big enough to leave the cloud and become raindrops! This can function as ether an addition to forecast or as a brand new hidden ability.
That's honestly the best defense of its absence I've seen, most people just say something like "Clouds don't make sand XP" I get that, but they made a Pokemon to interact with their weather condition mechanic, and they added sand, that's not our fault, it should be on them to make it work somehow!
I still wouldn't agree with Eelektross being here since as you said for Aegislash, the pokemon would still be perfectly fine without its gimmick and it's more a combination of unic traits which every other Pokémon is, rather than a unic gimmick. For me one big characteristic of a gimmicky pokemon is that it's generally a single stage super weak and rather small pokemon you wouldn't put on your team with a one trick poney concept that would only work for it. So things like ditto, smeargle, kekleon, castform, ... I generally also consider every small pokemon with a stupid and oversimplified concept that's not meant to be taken seriously like Polteageist gimmicky but that's a bit more subjective.
The reason why shedinja just appears when you evolve a Nincada is because it's design is based on a cicada shell, implying that to evolve, Nincada shed its shell, and what was left behind became it's own pokemon (or maybe was possessed of something hence the ghost type?? Idk)
@@emperorcubone I wanted to mention this, since one time I caught a nincada and tried to evolve it (i did leave an empty party slot for the ritual), but only had higher quality pokeballs (why carry normal Pokeballs if you can easily afford better ones?), so I only got Ninjask. I had to catch ANOTHER Nincada after I found out my mistake.
@@Compucles I was playing Inclement Emerald, which updated a lot of things to Gen 7, which includes Shedininja's evolution method. Fun ROM hack, though. Definitely recommend.
I have loved Ditto since Gen 1; not only was it cute, but the strategy of becoming my opponents was always fascinating. To this day I'm still trying to obtain a ditto plush.
1:30 actually they are based on lampreys mixed with electric eels! Lamprey are invasive fish in the Great Lakes so where Unova is based on the lamprey design makes great sense. The overall design actually takes more from the lamprey half of the inspiration while the typing takes from an electric eel
Personally I’d include wobbufett, trapping pokemon and only being able to use counter and mirror coat. I wild have chosen it just because it was so broken from gen 3 onwards that it was banned to Ubers
No, smart people like me look up the new Pokémon online before they start playing the games. It's basically expected nowadays. Do you really expect players to figure out certain more modern gimmicks like Inkay's evolution method on their own?
Sableye is my favorite pokemon. it had no weakness because its based off the Hopkinsville Goblins. A IRL paranormal event where lil goblins attacked a farm house, the people shot at the goblins and it had no effect on them. hence sableye having no weakness"
Ive literally never heard of elektross??? Was it alolan? Im so confused how I missed it 😬😬 Also, Smeargle comes up in GO in a different way that a gimmick
I think I like Mew's gimmick. It's basically Smeargle but with better stats but access to less moves. It was also my first Mythical - I discovered it by accident when I went onto X any Y's Mystery Gift. It was also my first level 100 as well. I told by brother about it and he immediately went to Mystery Gift and curbstomped the endgame of ORAS. But, yeah, Mimikyu is definitely my favourite gimmick 'mon. High speed and attack, great typing, and a built-in Focus Sash. Plus, I feel sorry for it. I used it on my lategame Sun team, where I frequently used it for what's basically revive cheese. I could get in a Shadow Sneak and a Revive, and it made the final fight even more tense.
Other Gimmicks: Mew Learn any moves as the ancestor. Arceus be any type, event one creates a spare giratina/dialga/palkia for you in hg/ss. Shelmet/Karrablast being the best trade evolution gimmick, eevee with the evolve gimmick which can continue to evolve as the generations progress. Shuckle as a minmax gimmick after they added the move to switch def with att. Slaking as a negative "balancing" ability, where you do get the power at a hefty drawback whereas slow start is just unachievable.
Smeargle carried my Nuzlocke team in the beginning of my Normal Type Nuzlocke in Pokemon Moon until I lost her. Overall a good Pokemon with a unique move that can copy other pokemon moves.
I think calling Eelektross and Sudowoodo gimmick pokemon is a bit of a stretch. I think most people would consider a gimmick pokemon to have some kind of unique gameplay element. Wobuffet definitely should have been here. No other pokemon can only deal damage solely thorugh trapping and counterattacks. It's even been banned to ubers before. Other good choices are Zoroark for its unique illusion ability, Dhelmise for effectively having 3 types, or in my opinion the ultimate gimmick pokemon Eevee and it's 8 split evolutions.
@@emperorcubone I see where you're coming from with eelektross but personally don't agree since it doesn't make the pokemon function any differently than other pokemon. I think we just have different definitions of gimmick. I see it as more of a function thing. And I don't think regular branching evolution is a gimmick but it is for Eevee. Being able to evolve into 8 different pokemon with 8 different typings is absolutely a gimmick. I hope I'm not coming off as hostile, I just think what constitutes a gimmick is an interesting discussion. Every other pick I think is spot on.
@@commandacrunch Yeah, but the evolution is still permanently stuck to the one form you pick for each individual Eevee. As such, they don't function any differently in battle compared to any other evolution (aside from Mega Evolution), branched or not.
Does Toxapex count as a gimmick Pokémon? I personally love how it's basically designed around abusing the poison status effect. Just make sure it has the Merciless Ability, slap on some Black Sludge, and enjoy annoying the heck out of everything that isn't Poison nor Steel type nor has the Immunity Ability.
Ditto just had to be here. It was the gimmick Pokemon before we even knew about the concept of gimmicks existing in Pokémon at all. Speaking of the ability to change into anything the Pokemon wants, you gotta feel sorry for Kecleon. It started the concept of being able to change into different types but because of its awkward stats and how its signature ability works, it ends up getting overshadowed by Castform and when gets its hidden ability, Greninja and later, Cinderace, eclipses its reputation for simply being way better users. XD Anyway, great topic Emperor Cubone! This is a very unique topic that I’m surprised no one brought up until now. Props to your continuous originality, my friend!
Are you saying that the mimic is a gimmick?
Ditto has also been a menace since imposter was introduced.
@@professionaltrashcan6758 sus
And Zorua and Zoroark too.
Ditto are lifesavers. Anyone who is a Breeder. Whether or not for Shinies or for Competitive, Ditto will be extremely helpful regardless.
I'm a big Dex filler so it helps immensely with that! Breeding fossils to trade for the other one, etc...
Ditto is also the prefect breeder in that you also get to raise its level while using it in the Daycare without needing to worry about it forgetting any moves you want to keep when learning new moves.
Emperor, to this day, I am still so impressed with your creativity when it comes to video topics, and the diversity of your opinions! I never know what to expect from you, and that's a great thing! I don't usually comment, but I wanted to show you how grateful I am. Keep up the great work!
Thank you very much!! This time it really just came from when I glanced at Smeargle on my Johto poster and thought about how it was totally consumed by its gimmick and I wondered, "How many other Pokemon are like that?"
Plot twist. Man uses comments to choose what he makes a video of next 😂😂😂😂 gave him to much credit. But good videos regardless
Ditto
You can tell GF loved Mimikyu’s gimmick so much because they remixed it for Eiscue. And they balanced it by giving it to an ice-type pokemon, which is a very difficult type to be.
Yeah, Eiscue isn't as bad as people seem to think, but pure Ice doesn't help...
@@emperorcubone Can I just say that you’re one of the best RUclipsrs for replying to comments? And your fans’ comments are so good, thoughtful, and kind, I can’t help but read them when I finish a video (most YT comment sections I completely avoid lol). You’ve curated a great climate here!
Erm, ice face works completely differently, it only works on physical moves but negates 1 but is reset every turn in hail (and Eiscue has different stats in each form), disguise takes 1 attack and negates it but mimikyu takes 1/8 of it's health but this can be a special move too, plus it cannot be reset
I got my Shedinja by accident as a kid playing ruby as a kid...I evolved my nincada and had extra space so when I went to check it out I noticed Shedinja and was like where the heck this come from and actually used it quite a bit
That's what I'm saying; it's just a fun extra surprise!
@@emperorcubone definitely agree
@@jaidamwhi4589 When I first got Shidinja it genuinely made my play through ok Pokemon 10 time more fun, not only did it give me time to plan for my next moves, get so pretty cool reads on my opponent, having it actually be a useful Pokemon for alot situations despite of its typing, but it also allowed me to give it my favorite Pokemon nickname to date: La Coqui.
Another honorable mention should be Spinda. It has over 1 million spot combinations for its sprite. So it is almost impossible for any 2 people ( or a group ) to have the same spot pattern Spinda.
Great video though.
Imagine having same pattern shiny spinda
Oh my god impossible
Yea . Astronomical chances.
Just having a unique gimmick =\= one of the best gimmicks. been playing since gen 1 and I didn't even know about this, so I'm not sure how well it worked.
Thats not a gimick. Thats a design choice.
I would genuinely be interested to see your planning process where you are able to come up with unique topics so consistently
Honestly this one just came to mind when I glanced at Smeargle on the Johto poster I had, and I thought "Which other Pokemon are defined by their gimmick?"
@@emperorcubone fair play mate 😅 good work
I liked the video overall but I don’t agree with Sudowoodo. You said at the start that Applin didn’t count because he is a dragon (or wyrm) that is an apple, but Sudowoodo is just a rock shaped like a tree.
Pretty sure Applin wasn't the apple. It's just the worm inside of the apple while sudowoodo is rock but shape like a tree
@@stupidabc4331 Yeah I know, but just being shaped like something else doesn't seem like a gimmick to me. It like saying that solrock is a gimmick because it is shaped like the sun but isn't a fire type.
@@johntaylor1189 no, applin is INSIDE the apple
I don't think the gimmick is looking like it I think it's sudowoodo looking like a cuttable tree in the overworld like voltorb and foongus looking like pokeballs
@@ivorobotnik26 I just don't see that as a gimmick. you walk up, you dont cut it and done. To me a gimmick pokemon is something defined by its gimmick, not a one time two second confusion
A great aspect to Smeargle's gimmick is the rare ability Technician, which makes weak moves (60 or less) stronger (x1.5) this can be used to make unassuming moves deadly, like Water Pulse, Aerial Ace, or Storm Throw.
Well it still has extremely mediocre stats and these moves aren't stabs, so it's still a pretty mediocre strat. Smeargle is almost always used as a support pokemon to compress multiple roles with its movepool, generally being a sleeper, redirecter, a trick room or sticky web setter, ...
@@artimist0315 I know, but I love the idea of a pokemon that can make any weak move formidable because those moves either have no drawbacks like Cut, or has a benefit like Rapid Spin. And this qualifies on multi-hit moves which makes Double Hit effectively be a Triple Hit, and if want to gamble a little a 4 hit Tail Slap is the same as a Giga Impact, and the least it can do is still stronger than a Slash. All of which are STAB, but a couple newer non-STAB moves I like are Flip Turn, Dual Wingbeat and Triple Axel. Flip Turn is now U-Turn, but 20 points stronger for Smeargle, Dual Wingbeat is like Double Hit but a strong counter to his Fighting weakness, and Triple Axel is like Triple Kick, but twice the power and potentially broken on a Smeargle due to resulting in a free 180 base power with some mini-crit potential.
Admitting I'm biased because he's my favorite Pokemon of all time (even before he became the franchise's second mascot), I think Eevee should be here for his evolution gimmick. It's perfect for filling out any type matchup holes your team might have, and you can breed him to get the other evolutions too. Plus they're all either cool or cute. There's something for everyone with the Eevee family
It's a very fun aspect/gimmick for the Pokemon, but if you look at the rest of this list, the are all in-battle gimmicks. Eevee's variable evolution options don't really turn the tide in a battle.
I’m going to be completely honest here
I love your scripting! It’s not too over the top, but it’s intriguing enough that I’m not bored. On top of that, it’s *not loud enough to wake up the entire house,* unlike some other Pokémon RUclipsrs, _which I won’t name._ Keep on making man, it’s great!
Well thank you! I'm glad you can appreciate the formatting so much, most people just focus on the content. Haha!
You talking about Adrive or TyranitarTube?
Disguise doesnt reduce the damage, when it breaks u always take 1/8 of damage. That nerf was done cause in gen 7 every mimikyu could live 3 hits no Matter what. Disguise is a quasi substitute and u give it a sash to live any hit afterwards, with sd and shadow sneak it was actually threatening.
I wish they never nerfed it though.
They probably thought it needed to be nerfed because of how dominant it was in Battle Spot Singles, because it definitely wasn't broken anywhere else.
@@randomstranger9306 Pokémon with mold breaker can attack it without worrying about the disguise.
@@omarpride3021
Disguise + Focus Sash = 2 attacks that you will survive
A.k.a. (without Mold breaker)
Disguise + Focus Sash = Guaranteed 3HKO minimum
My favorite gimmick Pokémon is probably wishiwashi
That's a good one! No other Pokemon schools like that...
I never realized before, but yeah, Rock type resists Fire, Flying, and Poison, while having supereffective moves against Ice, Bug, Fire, and Flying!
That's part of what made it so tricky!
But having a rock typing leaves you open for many weaknesses. Grass, water, ice, and fighting. 3 of the 4 are very common.
I love many gimmick pokémon, but my main problem is that GF doesn’t care about them and even tend to nerf them later on. They’re treated as just products.
Yeah, some of them are even hard to pull off again, like Sawsbuck season changing...
Not always. Some like Castform and Shedinja have remained constant, while Ditto (with the Imposter Hidden Ability) and Rotom actually got buffed later on. The priority is to maintain competitive balance with the gimmicks, and that's a good thing.
@@Compucles true. Unfortunately, Gamefreak doesn’t maintain said balance with the gimmicks.
@@emperorcubone That's really sad; I reaally loved the winter form...
09:50 But Ditto has a fatal flaw: It does NOT copy the opponent's HP stat, and its own HP stat is pretty bad (only 48 base HP), so Ditto always takes more damage than he can dish out.
However it also has a great advantage being holding choice scarf, meaning that if the opponent isn’t holding choice scarf themselves, ditto *will* outspeed. That is especially useful to against mons who boosted themselves because ditto copies the stat boosts there for not only destroys the menace but might also turns into the menace
@@galvsparks6295 Well, for me personally, unfortunately, the only games I ever play are Gens 1-4, where Choice items and the Imposter Ability don't exist yet. Also, so far, I've only done Casual play, no Competitive.
@@TomAmit42 Choice scarf came from gen 4
@@noahtaylor1721 yes but ditto only got imposter in gen 5 and before that, ditto was pretty useless
@@galvsparks6295 I know, but they said impostor and choice items didn’t exist in gen 4
I just realized I come by your vids often and tend to watch them every time, and then it finally hit me- WHY AM I NOT SUBSCRIBED TO THIS MAN YET?!
Take my sub, King.
Why thank you! Don't get me wrong, I love that people watch, but a great many do repeat views without actually committing...
love the video! Gimmick Pokémon can be hit or miss. Ditto, Wobbuffet, and Smeargle have unique playstyles. Unown, Shedinja, Castform, Chatot, Furfrou, Wishiwashi, Pyukumuku, and Oricorio all have their quirks. Some succeed, others are forgettable. Keep it up, and shoutout to Ridge Wallet for sponsoring!
Not to mention, Fairy/Ghost is an extremely powerful type combination
love me some emperor cubone content on a boring day like this
Today Is My Birthday 😶
@@ZimVerse who cares
@@aaravdiwakaristhebest Yeah I Honestly Wondor Who Would Care Lmao.
Boring? The day just started…
@@ZimVerse I care, have a happy birthday! Whats your favorite Pokemon?
Another great video as always! I think Eelektross is interesting. It was used on almost every competitive team back in gen 5, then people never talked about it again. I even saw a comment here that said that they didn’t even know Eelektross existed.
Yeah, that one kinda surprised me, but it can still show up to wreak havoc in the lower tiers!
Although, it's not as good as it initially appears, as the lack of weaknesses is balanced by its mediocre defensive stats (85 HP, 80 Def, 80 SD) and terrible speed stat (50).
It was used a lot due to going 'viral' due to the 'having no weaknesses' hype.
I think the issue is that, yes, it has no weaknesses but... So what? It doesn't have the stats to be a good tank, it has a bad 50 speed stat which is too slow for normal teams and too fast for Trick Room. It also has a mediocre 105 special attack, and a not very useful 115 attack.
Why would you want to use it over Magnezone, or even Raichu?
@@Compucles Yeah, that’s why I never used one on my team.
@@ashblossomandjoyoussprung.9917 eelektross’s offenses are fine really the problem is it’s bulk, 85/80/80 is a good bulk for a fast mon but for a slow mon is severally lacking and compound that with its lack of resistances and reliable recovery and you have a pokemon who despite wanting to be a great rank because no weaknesses, ultimately you have an ok bulky attacker with a great coverage and good user of assault vest which is fine but is nowhere near one of the best electric types some would claim it is
I wonder how many people, if any, in the Pokémon world were born as the result of a Ditto impersonating a human
Yup, in HeartGold I was so confused why I couldn't take Sudowoodo out with Fire moves
I adore a lot of gimmick Pokémon like Eelektross, Aegislash and Mimikyu: they just feel incredibly unique and different from most Pokémon!
Mimikyu? More like Gimmickyu! I’ll see myself out…
Haven’t been on RUclips in a while- looking forward to catching up on your vids, legend!
You really had me with Cramorant on the thumbnail. Well played.
I almost put the version with the Pikachu in its mouth.
Personally I don't like Sudowoodo because it's gimmick doesn't extend beyond it's first appearance. That may have been alright for Gen 2, but it I feel that it should have gotten more thematic abilities in Gen 3 or at least something interesting as a hidden ability.
Agreed. Sudo shouldnt be on that list. But wobbuffet should have.
I wouldn't consider Sudowoodo a gimmick mon whatsoever. It's name is also extremely on the nose: pseudo wood.
Kids that don't know the definition of Pseudo probably don't know much about type strengths or weaknesses either.
There's also the messed up lore implications of Dittos, being that you can only catch them in red/blue in the burned lab on cinnabar island where they were conducting cloning experiments on Mew. Being the only other pokemon to learn Transform.
Yeah, and both Mew and Ditto have the same color palette, which is identically blue when they appear as shiny. It's disturbing to think that Mew could be the bad byproduct of terrible cloning experiments, but the effect is cool.
Smeargle and Ditto have always been two of my favorite Pokemon because they, alongside Mew, are not only serve as personifications of the player's imagination, but also embody two aspects of the franchise I really like: the sheer variety of moves/pokemon.
I sometimes imagine myself as a pokémon trainer from the anime that has a special smeargle able to permanently remember any and all moves that it ends up copying.
Imo, it would be really fun seeing a trainer that has the dream of teaching their pokemon every single move there is. Think about the level of strategy Ash would have to use to fight against a trainer that could ask their pokemon to use (weaker versions of) legendary signature moves! 🤩
Ditto is always underestimated, despite its massive power
I was honestly shocked when I saw it so useful in multiple battle leagues!
@@emperorcubone it’s very useful
I still remember the episode "Problem with Ditto!" (I could be way off the mark on the episode title XD) where ditto was having trouble transforming it face, and at the very end, it transforms into a freaking cannon to launch pikachu at team rocket! It can canonically transform into just about anything!
@@porakiyadraekojin3390 even humans. That's canon
I always thought the hat on smeargle was a vanilla hershey kiss
Shedinja is one of my absolute favorites in terms of design and gameplay as well as how much it makes sense.
Think about when something goes through metamorphosis or sheds its skin. The leftover shell is basically a crunchy leaf and isn't hard to squish. Shedinja is a perfect representation of that. A hollow shell which is why it only has 1hp
While the voltorb and foongus lines looking like items in the overworld in earlier games has been a nice spin I always fell for thinking they were actual items until the battles started
Glad to see mimikyu on here. It's actually been my favourite pokemon since Sun and Moon came out
Loving the list and glad Mimikyu made it on! However, to exclude Rotom is pure blasphemy 💔 😭
Rotom is a unique case for sure, but I decided not to include it because not all of the forms are that great; like why does the Fan one even exist?
@@emperorcubone To help keep people cool in the warmer months! 🤪
fr though would love for Rotom to get more battle forms in the future. These out of battle forms are cool but lemme use the bike to use extreme speed or something!
@@emperorcubone It should be mentioned that, in case you may have forgotten, back in gen4, every single one of Rotom's forms was an electric/ghost type Pokemon, but this was changed to have each of them replace ghost with another type from gen5 onwards
It was intentional for Sableye. Sableye (with the best type combo) was the counterpoint of Mawhile (with the best single type).
Well then you'd think it wouldn't die so easily, relatively speaking to the likes of other Hoenn Pokemon...
@@emperorcubone Yeah, both of them probably should have evolved if they were going to be particularly relevant.
Nice video mate!
I'm gonna nickname my Mimikyu "Gimmickyu" now
I may or may not have had an outtake where I accidentally called it that...
This might be an unpopular opinion, but i think zoroark could've been in the same spot as ditto. (granted zoroark is my favorite Pokemon of all time.) it is kind of similar to ditto in the sense that technically it can turn into any Pokemon, just more limited in that that Pokemon has to be in your party and once it gets hit the illusion wears off. But it can be useful as it can be fast and hard hitting and you could put a fighting type in the last slot to trick other Pokemon into using psychic moves on it
(idk if my reasoning made sense or not)
also Illusion blocks Ditto's Transform move and Imposter ability if the illusion is still in effect so a full team of Zoroark's full stops a full team of Ditto's
I like that mantyke only evolves to mantine if there's a remoraid in the party
When he talked about the breeding ditto part to get more starters or to be able to have all the eeveelutions
Makes me realize Legends makes you do these things but you don’t need to trade, it’s just tedious or easy
Hi I have no idea why but this video made me happy thank you for making this
You're most welcome! I'm glad you enjoyed it.
Dittos are also good Pokemon Home GTS trade systems currency. I got a random Shiny Anorath from the deal, a level 60 Eevee and most of the Kanto Starters. With just Dittos.
In gen 6 you can find a sudowoodo in a horde of trevenant. Again disguising itself as a tree lol.
When I was shiny hunting for Trevenant I almost died laughing when it popped up, pretending like everything was totally cool...
Imagine being born an electric type with levitate the same gen Excadrill was introduced
Video idea: a Pokémon of each generation that you would like to buff with +100 overall stats and why.
I remember my first time playing Gold version and getting to Sudowoodo. I used a water move to weaken it thinking it was grass and wouldn't be effective... OHKO.
Komala is one of my favorite “gimmick” mons, but it’s also my favorite normal type. It and Purugly. Anyway, it’s a ton of fun to use with it’s “comatose” ability
Emperor Cubone: stay grounded! ^^
That one kid, who is grounded by their parents: 👺👺👺
Haha! Well it works then too; sneaking out will only get you grounded longer. Best get it other with!
Love your content!
Thank you!! It was a pleasure to make!
Nothing like a good video on a hot day !
I’m 27, I’ve been playing Pokémon games since gen 2, still the stupid sudowoodo gimmick gets me everytime when I finally go back to Pokémon games…..
The only poketuber (out of the very few) that actually make Original content~~
I was expecting to see oricorio and chatot just becuase. Good video!
I love Oricorio. We need more dance moves. It’s a fun Pokémon! I want more forms too but I doubt we’ll ever get that. Great for performer characters.
I think a flock of oricorio would be among the worst kind of Pokémon horde to make angry in an anime or roleplay setting, because for every one time a single bird attacks with revelation dance, the rest of them copy and bombard you with attacks without using up their own turn.
Now we need Top 6 Worst Gimmicks
Let me figure out which ones first...
@@emperorcubone perhaps Plusle and Minun.. they were created to showcase doubles...in a generation where they didn't have much doubles (until emerald). Plus, would anyone REALLY use both together in a doubles? 😅
I had forgotten Ditto can turn into people 🙃
It's official! In-game, confirmed! Which is fairly disturbing...
@@emperorcubone very disturbing indeed 😬🙂
It's also in the "Detective Pikachu" movie.
to this DAY i wonder why no sandstorm castform
great video idea!
It might just be my love of Ruby/Sapphire but I've always had a real soft spot for Kecleon. It can be surprisingly fun to use!
Finally electross gets some love! One of my favorite pokemon! Love the color and design!
I love that Smeargle’s ability translated to Pokémon go as well. If you have a Smeargle appear in a photobomb, it will copy the move set of the Pokémon you’re taking a pic of.
Oh wow, I didn't even realize that. I Guess I've never tried to use one there either, haha!
I honestly don't believe that Castform should have a sandstorm form.
Counterpoint: Since Castform is based off of a water molecule, it would make sense if it got gradually healed in sandstorms instead. Since water molecules absorb dirt, dust & even salt partials along with other water molecules when they're in clouds so they can grow big enough to leave the cloud and become raindrops!
This can function as ether an addition to forecast or as a brand new hidden ability.
That's honestly the best defense of its absence I've seen, most people just say something like "Clouds don't make sand XP"
I get that, but they made a Pokemon to interact with their weather condition mechanic, and they added sand, that's not our fault, it should be on them to make it work somehow!
Man, coming back to this video when you realize Shedinja+Electric Terastalize+Air Balloon could be broken
I'm surprised that Shuckle isn't on 1st place. That's great Pokemon.
I still wouldn't agree with Eelektross being here since as you said for Aegislash, the pokemon would still be perfectly fine without its gimmick and it's more a combination of unic traits which every other Pokémon is, rather than a unic gimmick. For me one big characteristic of a gimmicky pokemon is that it's generally a single stage super weak and rather small pokemon you wouldn't put on your team with a one trick poney concept that would only work for it. So things like ditto, smeargle, kekleon, castform, ...
I generally also consider every small pokemon with a stupid and oversimplified concept that's not meant to be taken seriously like Polteageist gimmicky but that's a bit more subjective.
11:00 what game is that?
The Eelektross line (despite the name) is actually based more on Lamprey with it's appearance
Arbok should have the gimmick of have multiple cowl desings and doesnth, also more male and female forms like nidoking, nidoqeen
Eevee could probably be on here with it having 6 unique evolutions.
8 unique evolutions
The reason why shedinja just appears when you evolve a Nincada is because it's design is based on a cicada shell, implying that to evolve, Nincada shed its shell, and what was left behind became it's own pokemon (or maybe was possessed of something hence the ghost type?? Idk)
8:36 Don't forget you need a standard pokeball in the bag too.
True, but I think most people have around 10-600 spare ones at any given time so it's not likely to hinder you...
@@emperorcubone I wanted to mention this, since one time I caught a nincada and tried to evolve it (i did leave an empty party slot for the ritual), but only had higher quality pokeballs (why carry normal Pokeballs if you can easily afford better ones?), so I only got Ninjask. I had to catch ANOTHER Nincada after I found out my mistake.
Although, the Pokéball wasn't needed when it debuted back in Gen 3.
@@Compucles I was playing Inclement Emerald, which updated a lot of things to Gen 7, which includes Shedininja's evolution method.
Fun ROM hack, though. Definitely recommend.
I have loved Ditto since Gen 1; not only was it cute, but the strategy of becoming my opponents was always fascinating. To this day I'm still trying to obtain a ditto plush.
I like Mimikyu, it only wants love.
I feel the same at school. No other kids love me and choose to ignore me completely, even though I need friends. Nobody sits by me at lunch either.
An Arcanine using Burn Up will transform into a ??? type, nullifying every offensive move.
1:30 actually they are based on lampreys mixed with electric eels! Lamprey are invasive fish in the Great Lakes so where Unova is based on the lamprey design makes great sense. The overall design actually takes more from the lamprey half of the inspiration while the typing takes from an electric eel
i agree with that thumbnail 😳
Personally I’d include wobbufett, trapping pokemon and only being able to use counter and mirror coat. I wild have chosen it just because it was so broken from gen 3 onwards that it was banned to Ubers
I'm trying to figure out why, is it because Wynaut added Encore to the moveset?
Nice choices
I thought the electross line were water types when I first fought it.
I think most people would! It's only natural, especially since the Gen 5 sprites didn't really convey them floating like the 3D ones.
No, smart people like me look up the new Pokémon online before they start playing the games. It's basically expected nowadays. Do you really expect players to figure out certain more modern gimmicks like Inkay's evolution method on their own?
Sableye is my favorite pokemon. it had no weakness because its based off the Hopkinsville Goblins. A IRL paranormal event where lil goblins attacked a farm house, the people shot at the goblins and it had no effect on them. hence sableye having no weakness"
I would like to see top six npcs who might secretly be dittos as a possible list in the future.
Who says there are only six...?
My favorite gimmick pokemon is chatot, existed only to showcase DS's microphone feature
I tried to get mine to say, "Show me your moves!" but it didn't really come out right...
*shows Cramorant in the Thumbnail, but doesn't talk about it*
Also Smeargle is one of my favorite Gen 2 Pokémon! 🖌️
I once beat a team with just Shedinja by using Soak to change it to a Water type, to which my opponent could do NOTHING
Ditto can't talk…. Red is Ditto, confirmed.
I love it, best Pokemon theory I've heard!
Anyone got a name for thar fan game @11:01?
Ive literally never heard of elektross??? Was it alolan? Im so confused how I missed it 😬😬
Also, Smeargle comes up in GO in a different way that a gimmick
Elektross is an Unovan pokemon (basically from Gen 5 Unova region, after Gen 4 Sinnoh region and before Gen 6 Kalos region)
Eelektross is from Unova; I don't blame you for not noticing it in that huge roster, it really only came up in the Electric gym...
@@emperorcubone I played B+W so I guess it just was one of the forgettable ones *shrug emoji* (idk why my emojis arent working)
I can’t believe you passed up the opportunity to say that Mimikyu has one of the best gimmikyus. 😂
I think I like Mew's gimmick. It's basically Smeargle but with better stats but access to less moves. It was also my first Mythical - I discovered it by accident when I went onto X any Y's Mystery Gift. It was also my first level 100 as well. I told by brother about it and he immediately went to Mystery Gift and curbstomped the endgame of ORAS.
But, yeah, Mimikyu is definitely my favourite gimmick 'mon. High speed and attack, great typing, and a built-in Focus Sash. Plus, I feel sorry for it. I used it on my lategame Sun team, where I frequently used it for what's basically revive cheese. I could get in a Shadow Sneak and a Revive, and it made the final fight even more tense.
Other Gimmicks: Mew Learn any moves as the ancestor. Arceus be any type, event one creates a spare giratina/dialga/palkia for you in hg/ss. Shelmet/Karrablast being the best trade evolution gimmick, eevee with the evolve gimmick which can continue to evolve as the generations progress. Shuckle as a minmax gimmick after they added the move to switch def with att. Slaking as a negative "balancing" ability, where you do get the power at a hefty drawback whereas slow start is just unachievable.
Don't forget that a Ditto also transformed into a human in the "Detective Pikachu" movie.
Shedinja with False Swipe is what got my Xerneas caught in X. I basically couldn't lose lol
Smeargle carried my Nuzlocke team in the beginning of my Normal Type Nuzlocke in Pokemon Moon until I lost her. Overall a good Pokemon with a unique move that can copy other pokemon moves.
Kind of wish it got buffed since it is clear that they could or restrict the Sketch move... but nope.
I think calling Eelektross and Sudowoodo gimmick pokemon is a bit of a stretch. I think most people would consider a gimmick pokemon to have some kind of unique gameplay element. Wobuffet definitely should have been here. No other pokemon can only deal damage solely thorugh trapping and counterattacks. It's even been banned to ubers before. Other good choices are Zoroark for its unique illusion ability, Dhelmise for effectively having 3 types, or in my opinion the ultimate gimmick pokemon Eevee and it's 8 split evolutions.
Oh come on, if branching evolution is gimmick worthy than surely Eelektross having no weaknesses is just as valid...
@@emperorcubone I see where you're coming from with eelektross but personally don't agree since it doesn't make the pokemon function any differently than other pokemon. I think we just have different definitions of gimmick. I see it as more of a function thing. And I don't think regular branching evolution is a gimmick but it is for Eevee. Being able to evolve into 8 different pokemon with 8 different typings is absolutely a gimmick. I hope I'm not coming off as hostile, I just think what constitutes a gimmick is an interesting discussion. Every other pick I think is spot on.
@@commandacrunch Yeah, but the evolution is still permanently stuck to the one form you pick for each individual Eevee. As such, they don't function any differently in battle compared to any other evolution (aside from Mega Evolution), branched or not.
@@Compucles that's why eevee is the gimmick and not the evolutions
@@commandacrunch It still doesn't affect the battle functionality of Eevee itself. It's not like you can choose to evolve it mid-battle.
Top 10 pokemon who probably have the juiciest dumptrucks
yay im in a video hahahah any shednija makes me happy
I like that Dhelmise basically has three types.
Does Toxapex count as a gimmick Pokémon? I personally love how it's basically designed around abusing the poison status effect. Just make sure it has the Merciless Ability, slap on some Black Sludge, and enjoy annoying the heck out of everything that isn't Poison nor Steel type nor has the Immunity Ability.
feels like regenerator and the huge defenses might hint at something else but you do you with offensive toxapex
I don't think it is a gimmick Pokemon but my favorite gimmick to use is a Tropius with Harvest and Natural Gift. Fun to play with the berries!