The 'Shroom:Issue 160/Strategy Wing
Director Notes
Written by: Hooded Pitohui (talk)
Welcome, all you readers of The 'Shroom! As you can see, here in Strategy Wing, we currently have an infestation of some pests. Don't worry about us, though! We're doing what we do best in this team, reading the facts about Megavitamins and coming up with a strategy to get rid of these pesky viruses. I hear Yoshi876 even brought in a nurse to the team this month, to help make sure everyone could get their sections in. I'm sure you can read more about that in Pokédex Power, and you can enjoy all of the other great sections we have in the team this month.
Please do remember that, if you would like to join us, all you have to do is take a look at the sign-up page and follow its instructions. As you can see, we've had a variety of sections in the past, so if you want to spill out strategy or historical analysis related to something you're passionate about, join our team! As long as you're thinking about signing up for things, consider filling one of our remaining Awards presentations. You don't need to be spectacularly talented to make a good presentation, and every one you sign up for helps our annual Awards ceremony run smoother by taking work off the backup presenters!
Don't forget to vote for next month's Mach Speed Mayhem when you're finished reading the sections below, and, if you're wondering if we managed to conquer that dastardly Roserade in the 'Shroomfest, well... I'll let you see what Ninja Squid has to say about that for yourself.
Section of the Month
Going back to the original technicolor challenge seems to have earned Yoshi876 (talk) some attention this month! His look at the staff kart from the SNES Rainbow Road earned him first place. Keep on voting to show your thanks to all of our writers!
| STRATEGY WING SECTION OF THE MONTH | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Place | Section | Votes | % | Writer |
| 1st | Racing Like the Staff | 9 | 47.37% | Yoshi876 |
| 2nd | Mach Speed Mayhem | 4 | 21.05% | Superchao |
| 3rd | Pokédex Power | 3 | 15.79% | Yoshi876 |
| 3rd | Koops, Your Emblem is on Fire | 3 | 15.79% | ManKoops |
F-ZERO! Wait? Mario? Oh, we're looking at Mute City's Mario Kart 8 staff kart.
[read more]
Rising from the ashes of the... future? Find out more about F-Zero's Phoenix!
[read more]
Koops, Your Emblem is on Fire
Part 10: Lyn outdated, long have we waited, Eliwood activated.
Aye, everyone! How're you doing today? Good? Well guess what I DON'T CARE we'll be doing this section regardless of your mental or physical state, and you will have to suffer through it (or scroll past it, whatever suits you best)! Muahahahahahahahaha!
Um... So we finished Lyn mode last time. But this is not the end of the game, far from it in fact! We still have 20+ chapters to go through, not counting all the gaiden chapters, so don't just sigh in relief yet, we still have an entire damn war to fight.
We will be starting Eliwood's journey today, and Hector mode next time. Just to clarify:
- Both tales have the same story, except each mode focuses more on the chosen lord.
- Hector mode adds a few chapters, making it longer than Eliwood mode. Eliwood mode does have maps exclusive to it, though. And it is the mode the game defaults to on your first playthrough.
- Hector mode is harder than Eliwood mode. Hector Hard Mode is this game's hardest difficulty (Fun fact this LP will be the first time I actually play it, so you'll have my thoughts on it live).
Anyway, the way this'll work, is that I will be focusing on Eliwood for this LP (partly because I like its map themes more but moreso because it's the basic storyline of FE7), and will be switching to Hector Mode when there's two versions of one chapter that I wanna show off, or a Hector mode exclusive chapter/scenario. Both modes will be played through simultaneously.
Without further ado, let's just get into it!
We got a whole new party of units + Dorcas! Let's take a look at the new guys.
Eliwood
Marquess Pherae's young son. Just and honorable.
Level 1 Lord
HP: 18 (80%)
Str: 5 (45%)
Skl: 5 (50%)
Spd: 7 (40%)
Luck: 7 (45%)
Def: 5 (30%)
Res: 0 (35%)
Con: 7 (+2 Upon promotion)
Move: 5 (+2 Upon promotion)
Eliwood time! Remember him? He helped us in Lyn mode? Well now he's our main character so we gotta get used to him! And... there's certainly things to talk about here.
First of all, Eliwood's bases aren't very high. With stats that barely go over 5, and a speed stat low enough to not double most enemies who aren't inherently slow to begin with. His base bulk isn't that great either, as he only has 5 defense and 18 HP (Not that Lyn is much better in that regard). To further rub the salt into the wound, his growths aren't amazing either. They're not bad, but they're also potentially very unreliable, most likely resulting in very lopsided stats later. His highest non-HP growth is skill, at 50%, and hitrates are usually not a problem for him. To make matters even worse, he is swordlocked, something that you don't want in FE7, because of the abundance of 1-2 range, lances, and generally low might of swords either way. Needless to say, Eliwood's kinda bad.
But thankfully, not irredeemable. It is very possible to get lucky with his growths early on, which can exponentially alleviate his earlygame and let him snowball if given the opportunity. And like I said, none of his growths are bad, so he will have some semblance of stats across the board either way, meaning that stat-wise, he won't have any real weakness as long as he's still levelled consistently. He also has a nice C rank in swords and 7 Constitution, allowing him to wield Killing Edges at base without speed penalties, which definitely helps him. The one potential edge that Eliwood gains tho, is his promotion. Although it comes pretty late, especially on his own tale, it turns him into a Knight Lord, giving him a horse, and lances, two assets that patch up his problems. If by that time, his stats are good too, he'll easily become a really solid unit at the least. The problem is putting up with him before then. Eliwood is far from a great unit, but he still has some unique things to him that do count in his favor. Although not always worth the investment, if there isn't anyone who really needs any stat-boosters, you should give them to him since Eliwood may always be struggling in at least one area. Now you can also be content with not using him, but it may make your life easier if he gets good since he's always force-deployed on his own route.
Marcus
A paladin serving House Pherae. A skilled veteran.
Level 1 Paladin
HP: 31 (65%)
Str: 15 (30%)
Skl: 15 (50%)
Spd: 11 (25%)
Luck: 8 (30%)
Def: 10 (15%)
Res: 8 (35%)
Con: 11
Move: 8
Marcus. Just, fucking, Marcus. People back in the 2000's would often trash this guy and continuously treat him like one of the worst units in the game, a predicament prior Jagens have also suffered. Previously regarded as an "Exp Thief", or a waste of a slot, Marcus certainly is an interesting character to talk about when you're trying to introduce Mario fans to the series, which, lo and behold is exactly what I'm stuck here doing.
If you were caught using Marcus back then, people would tell you that he's a trap. Using Marcus prevents you from investing much needed exp into weaker units. Except that... not using him is actually the real trap here. Marcus is a powerhouse, and very easily one of the best units in the game, if not THE best unit in the game. Marcus starts with amazing bases for this point in the game. And bases, ladies and gentlemen, are important. A unit with great bases and bad growths is often better than a unit with bad bases but good growths, simply because growths NEVER guarantee what your stats will look like, meanwhile bases are already there without investment. Also, contrary to what people say, using one such unit can actually benefit your party's exp gain, but that's a bit hard to explain how exactly does that make sense. Now, enough of that, and let's go back to Marcus.
Marcus starts with enough stats to one-round pretty much any thing he gets his mitts on in the earlygame (Unless it's a Mercenary, but no one one-rounds those early on anyway because of how fast they are), and has the magical ability to basically purge full maps from any living being coated in red paint. Marcus's speed may start to look somewhat obsolete later on, but even then, enemies suck in this game and scale slowly, so he'll still be able tp double just about everything going into the midgame, at which point enemies will weigh themselves down even further with steel weapons. And Marcus's enormous strength stat will take a very long time to become stale, and even then, he might still get that occasional extra point in some random level-up. And if that wasn't enough, he has amazing weapon ranks, being A in swords and lances, B in axes, allowing him to use pretty much almost any non-bow physical weapon he wants, in the off-chance that he doesn't kill with other things already. Simply put, Marcus is always here for you, and is very reliable. Maybe, just maybe he's not a great pick for the endgame, but that does not at all invalidate everything he can do to make your life easier before then. And for sure, one thing that he will never fall behind in is the fact that he is a Paladin. He can rescue, he has movement, he has canto, all of which he has access to regardless of how good his stats are holding up, and things that some units who may surpass him in stats may never get access to, no matter how good they get (unless those units are Kent or Sain or Lowen, at any rate).
Now get out there and kill things, Marcus, you King.
Lowen
A knight in service to House Pherae. A fresh recruit.
Level 2 Cavalier
HP: 23 (90%)
Str: 7 (30%)
Skl: 5 (30%)
Spd: 7 (30%)
Luck: 3 (50%)
Def: 7 (40%)
Res: 0 (30%)
Con: 10 (+2 Upon Promotion)
Move: 7 (+1 Upon Promotion)
Lowen, as I said in the video, is the cavalier with better bases, but worse growths. I already just established that bases are more important than growths, but in Lowen's case, his bases are not much better than Kent and Sain. And he is often regarded as the worst cavalier in this game.
While this is true, Lowen is far from a bad unit. His help is, regardless, very much appreciated in the earlygame. He has better stats than Eliwood right now and can dish out decent damage to enemies, not to mention his good bulk for this point in the game, with a very good 23 HP combined with 7 defense, so he's hard to take down. That, and out of the cavaliers, he has the highest defense growth of all, potentially turning him into a pretty tanky unit. And even if he has 30% growth in almost every other stat, his bases are good enough to where those are pretty much kinda sufficient, what with how weak the enemies in this game are. He looks underwhelming compared to Sain who gets ridiculous strength or Kent who can get pretty fast, but Lowen is not to be slept on. Also, reminder that a cavalier, is still a cavalier, in other words a good unit to have around if you need to get to places. Lowen is just doing his best to help you, and you should thank him for that.
Thanks Lowen.
Rebecca
A youth from Pherae. Very helpful and bright.
Level 1 Archer.
HP: 17 (60%)
Str: 4 (40%)
Skl: 5 (50%)
Spd: 6 (60%)
Luck: 4 (50%)
Def: 3 (15%)
Res: 1 (30%)
Con: 5 (+1 Upon Promotion)
Move: 5 (+1 Upon Promotion)
Rebecca... Yeah, ok. She's... she's pretty bad.
She's an archer. We already know how these are. Can't counter on enemy phase most of the time, and can barely damage enemies. And this is especially the case with Rebecca. Very low base strength (On par with Lyn's), Low base speed that doesn't double anything, and very fragile as well. She is definitely worse than Wil, since the latter has Lyn mode to potentially grow, that and Rebecca leans more on speed than strength, and due to the nature of this game's enemies, that doesn't mean much since anyone can double at some point, including Wil. So... she pretty much has almost nothing going for her. I guess she does have good growths. Her strength growth is shaky at best tho and nowhere near enough to compensate for her base.
If you do commit to using her tho, you'll have to slow down your pace considerably to even have a chance of making her worthwhile, and no matter what she does, or how good her stats get, she will never be able to attack from 1 range. Ever. Rebecca might just be the single worst unit in the game... or maybe not. There's contenders, but even then, like pretty much anyone else in this game, it is very much within the realm of possibility to make her somewhat potent at best, and flat-out mediocre at worst with enough investment, even if said investment usually isn't worth it. But hey. I like using Wil, so I'm no better. Do be sure that you're always careful with Rebecca if you elect to use her. That said, have fun, if you do wanna use her, but I sure won't in this playthrough.
Bartre
One of Eliwood's guardsmen. Duty is everything to him. (Wait really?)
Level 2 Fighter.
HP: 29 (85%)
Str: 9 (50%)
Skl: 5 (35%)
Spd: 3 lol (40%)
Luck: 4 (30%)
Def: 4 (30%)
Res: 0 (25%)
Con: 13 (+1 Upon Promotion)
Move: 5 (+1 Upon Promotion)
Oh boy. Well... for his credit, he's not as bad as Rebecca, as low a bar as that might be.
But still... 3 base speed. Perhaps the most disgusting stat that you can see upon looking at his stat sheet. He has a 40% growth in it, which is marginally better than Dorcas, but that doesn't mean anything since his base is so shit and 40% is not an amazing percentage for your important stat to increase per 100 exp. I mean, he cannot even double soldiers or knights, who are KNOWN for the fact that everyone doubles them. No one else in the game has this flaw. He is more durable than Dorcas, if anything, but that doesn't count for much when you get doubled early-on and not later on when you're equipped to that sort of retaliation. He does use axes tho, which is definitely a good thing in FE7... sadly, that's about all the good you can say about this unit.
You will need to train him in Hector mode if you want to unlock a "secret unit", keep in mind. He'll have to be a Level 5 Warrior, and that's about all the beans I'm spilling on that for now. He does have the qualities of a fighter too, so if you're into people with good strength, then I guess you could use Bartre, provided you don't mind having 3 speed for a while. He will need significant investment in order to start doubling a few things. If you thought Wil's case was bad in that department, well I have news for you.
Anyway, at this point I'm just beating a dead horse. Bartre bad. All you need to know.
And that does it for today, gamers! Next time, we'll be starting off Hector's side of the story, as well as progressing with Marcus Eliwood a little bit. See Ya!
Racing Like the Staff
Hello readers and welcome to Racing like the Staff, a section where I do 150cc on different Mario Kart games, but the twist is, I take on the Grand Prix by using the combination that a staff and expert staff member used in that Cup. If you're still a little confused, by this I mean if the track is in the Mushroom Cup, then that's the Cup that I race in. Unfortunately, I don't have copies of the Mario Kart games before Mario Kart 7, so it's only that, 8 and Deluxe that will be getting this treatment.
I have finally moved on - don't worry, not to another realm – and I am back to my Switch and Wii U, so we can continue with Mario Kart 8 and Deluxe. We were supposed to be looking at a Deluxe track this time however many months ago, so we will be. Sadly, Racing like the Staff can't do too much on a Dr. Mario theme, as despite having about 400 different Mario options, Dr. Mario wasn't one of them. So, instead you're stuck with Mario and Metal Mario, as we steal Superchao's thunder and go all F-Zero for this section as we take a look at the 150cc and 200cc staff combinations for Mute City.
The combination for 150cc staff for Mute City is Mario with the Blue Falcon, Roller tyres and the Super Glider, and the stats are as follows:
- Speed – Three and a half bars
- Acceleration – Just under four bars
- Weight – Two and a half bars
- Handling – Three and a half bars
- Grip – Just over three bars
Yoshi Circuit
Having not played this game for a while, I was pretty excited to get back into the swing of things. With Mario Kart 7, I'm used to writing how I was only up to about fifth by the first set of Item Boxes, but this time I was up into second, and just behind Baby Rosalina. And I got past the unpopular baby princess before we even entered the tunnel. I was expecting some smooth sailing, but a Spiny Shell threw a spanner in the works, and Baby Rosalina got past me, and a Lightning strike slowed my pursuit down even further. However, due to some skilful driving – note missing the corner and driving across grass but still having a good enough drift boost to be mostly unaffected – I passed her again. Sadly, the Items then failed to be on my side for the final lap, only gifting me Coins, and a Red Shell allowed both her and Bowser past after the Piranha Plants. I thought I got past them, but Bowser's Red Shell locked onto me near the final corner, and although I was able to get past Princess Peach and Baby Rosalina, it was Bowser who took the win.
Excitebike Arena
I don't think I had a terribly great start, but I didn't lose any places, and Bowser decided not to touch the Boost Panels, so I easily got up into first place. This time, the race was pretty smooth sailing, although a Spiny Shell showed up to ruin the fun on the final lap, I still had that much of a lead that it wasn't an issue. Had I lost the invincibility frames, and that Red Shell hit me, then this could be a different passage, but it as it stands, I convincingly won on Excitebike Arena.
Dragon Driftway
The Blue Falcon really lived up to its F-Zero pedigree this race. Although there was a small challenge from Baby Rosalina on the first corner – no, I wasn't expecting it either – this challenge went nowhere, and I sailed to a comfortable victory. Definitely a Spiny Shell ahead of the rest of the competition.
Mute City
Much like Dragon Driftway, Mute City was another dominant win when it came to the Blue Falcon. Baby Rosalina got past me at the start, as she focused on the Boost Panels, and I focused on getting my Coins filled up, but then using the Boost Panels, I easily passed her before the first set of Item Boxes. It wasn't until the final lap that things looked uncertain, as I was hit by a Spiny Shell and Princess Peach got past. Thankfully, I overtook her within a corner or two and got another win, while she got stuck somewhere and passed by Bowser.
The Blue Falcon combination should've won on Yoshi Circuit, and it was only bad luck on the Items side that kept it from being that way. I loved this combination a lot more than I thought I would, as I generally lean towards bikes, but this combination could easily become one that I regularly race with online – at least until I finally unlock the Yoshi Bike again.
The Expert Staff combination for Mute City is Metal Mario with the Blue Falcon, Azure Roller tyres and Parafoil. The stats are as follows:
- Speed – Just under four bars
- Acceleration – Just under four bars
- Weight – Three and a half bars
- Handling – Just over three bars
- Grip – Just under three bars
Yoshi Circuit
My start was worse than last time, only up into fourth by the first set of Item Boxes, but Pink Gold Peach and Dry Bowser quickly fell behind me, and I had overtaken Larry by the time we got into the tunnel. At the end of the first lap, I got hit by a Red Shell, but Pink Gold Peach failed to catch up, and another Red Shell on the final lap had no one even remotely near to me. At least we got the Blue Falcon its deserved win on Yoshi Circuit.
Excitebike Arena
Pink Gold Peach outsped me at the start, but then decided that driving into the mud was the best move for her – hey, who am I to judge? This allowed me right past, and like last time I soared ahead to a great lead, unassailable even by the might Spiny Shell, which did show up on the final lap.
Dragon Driftway
Pink Gold Peach once again overtook me at the beginning, but as this track doesn't have any mud, I had to rely on my own speed to get ahead of her by the first set of Coins. Once again, I made the mistake of believing this would be an easy race, and the final lap really threw a lot at me. I accidentally collided with a Banana, and then was subsequently hit by a Spiny Shell. This allowed Pink Gold Peach past, and a Lightning strike made it harder for me to catch up with her. Thankfully, hitting the double Item Boxes netted me two Red Shells, and I used once to dispatch of her, and Larry drove into my one trailing me, so I didn't have to worry about this gruesome pair as I crossed the finish line.
Mute City
What can I say about Mute City? Like last time, Pink Gold Peach got ahead of me as I focused on getting my Coins up, and although I wasn't past her at the first set of Item Boxes, the Mushroom they gave me was a sweet way past. And despite two Spiny Shells coming my way during the race, I had two Super Horns, and so neither affected me, and I won by a country mile.
Both Blue Falcon combinations worked perfectly, and I honestly couldn't choose between them. They flowed as well as I wanted them to, if I went off the track at any point, it was entirely my fault, and not something I could blame on poor handling or grip. Captain Falcon is definitely onto something with this, and you'd be on to something to if you picked this combination.
I hope you enjoyed this section, and I'll see you next month.
Mach Speed Mayhem
Hello, 'Shroom readers! Welcome back to the Year of AX, because what else can I call doing four F-Zero AX debuts in a row? For this month, the masses went with #40: Phoenix after a vote that came down to a tiebreaker! ...I had him lined up for Issue 165, too. That's the risk with a reader-decided section, I suppose! Anyhow, let's move on and read about Falcon's lookalike from the world of tomorrow!
Main Series
Once again, we've got a character who made a simultaneous debut in F-Zero GX and F-Zero AX. To play as Phoenix in the latter, all you had to do was walk up and use the arcade machine (if you can find it...) whereas for GX, your first choice is the usual memory card connectivity. Your second is to clear Chapter 1 on Very Hard, Captain Falcon's training race. Sure, the Normal mode is to collect 25 capsules across 3 laps in 80 seconds, a hilariously easy setup. Very Hard? 3 laps to collect 35 capsules in 60 seconds, where you have to pull off all sorts of careful twists and turns to collect several capsules in one move and even a winning run will come right down to the wire. But if you can pull it off? Phoenix and the Rainbow Phoenix come back from the future to join your playable roster!
Phoenix is a time detective - a time traveler from the 29th century, who has the job of ensuring that history isn't rewritten by other, more malicious time travelers. With a tipoff that an event in the F-Zero Grand Prix of this time would cause catastrophic change to the future, he's traveled back in the Rainbow Phoenix, his personal time machine and vehicle, in order to avert this before it could happen. QQQ was the one with the time travel technology, and Phoenix even created a car for QQQ to join the Grand Prix alongside him, having salvaged both QQQ and the Rolling Turtle from the junk heap. Why he needed QQQ's time tech alongside the Rainbow Phoenix's time machine status is unknown - perhaps it's a software/hardware combo?
In his interviews, Phoenix makes absolutely no secret of his connection to the future! He outright says he's here to catch some 29th century criminals, and that he's a member of the Time Patrol - he's even planning to go to the 32nd century and chase a different criminal once he's done here. He also learned how to race from a famous racer of the 20th century - Mario Andretti? Dale Earnhardt? Richard Petty? He's certainly not hurting for potential mentors, especially since the Time Patrol recruits from across time rather than just in the 29th century. Heck, Phoenix is even happy to make fun of the other racers for being from a different period, with the quip of "I'll see you in the 29th century, if you live that long!" Though considering some of the lifespans and natures of his fellow racers, several of his rivals actually could show up there... Not that they'd know what to expect. Phoenix tells Mr. Zero that he can't share any information about the 29th century that isn't vital to his duties. He miiight be bending the truth just a bit on that. But hey, he does like the 26th century, he just can't stick around!
Phoenix's machine, the Rainbow Phoenix, is not just a time machine, but his personal vehicle in more ways than one! Despite being listed with an Unknown maker in the in-game statistics, the machine's bio confirms that Phoenix designed and built it personally, tuning it to make it friendly to new drivers. Since the Rainbow Phoenix is from the future, Phoenix has installed a limiter, meaning that it's cut down to 80% of its true power - sure, it makes it harder to win, but it keeps him from cheating and going down the wrong path. In in-game stat terms, it's displayed as B Body, B Boost, and C Grip, though in actual gameplay terms the grip and speed are the best, with the body the only potential weakness. The Rainbow Phoenix is a solid all-rounder, and a good pick for an early play... or at least it would be if it was easy to play it early. Regardless, it's a fun vehicle to pick, and I'd recommend it if you want to show off in an AX machine - especially because whenever you boost, the wings actually expand. It's a neat touch!
Other Information
All of the characters in F-Zero GX have voice clips listed under different names - Antonio Guster's is "guster", Michael Chain's is "michael", The Skull's is "gordon" from his old name of Arbin Gordon, etc. Phoenix's voice clips, interestingly, are named under "sherlock". Perhaps they just felt cheeky because he's a detective and they gave him a British accent? Or perhaps this is the mysterious deepest lore? I'm going to go with the first of those for now.
Some of the official F-Zero AX material really does its best to shill Phoenix as the face of the AX racers. Multiple pieces of AX promo art feature Phoenix, the Rainbow Phoenix, or both in a front and center position. The most notable is a big group wallpaper featuring all ten racers, with such things as a very evil-looking Don Genie or Princia and Lily getting closeups. Phoenix is presented as the star, getting the most focus and the most emphasis. Perhaps that's why he resembles Captain Falcon... but not much has come of that, thanks to the lack of F-Zero since his debut. Maybe someday, he'll get the significant role they seemed to want for him. Anyhow, that's it for Phoenix, and I need to know who to write about for August, so get in there and pick someone, and I'll see you then!
Pokédex Power
Hello everyone, it's me, Yoshi876 again with a new edition of Pokédex Power, the section written by the person who is bringing you a Kanto Pokémon, despite the fact that it is the Galar Pokédex that we should be looking at this month. This is because we've gone all Dr. Mario-themed for this month's edition, and I don't think any of the Galar Pokémon are particularly known for healing, while this Pokémon is. But don't worry, we'll just look at Galar next time instead!
I am assuming that you've looked at the big picture in the right-hand corner and noticed that this month, we are covering Chansey, a Pokémon that is probably everyone's first thought when it comes to healing Pokémon, due to its presence with Nurse Joy in the Pokémon anime – although Audino and Comfey took over for it in Unova and Alola. I also have a special history with Chansey, as in Pokémon Platinum a Chansey became the first ever Shiny Pokémon that I caught, I was only looking for a normal one. Sadly, my copy of Platinum has been lost to the winds of time, and although I've had a few Shinies since, Chansey will always be the first.
But personal nostalgia with a Pokémon doesn't mean that it will have Pokédex entries that are particularly interesting, and honesty, I fear that Chansey's won't be too good. But I could be wrong, let's find out…
Generation I
| Pokémon Red | A rare and elusive Pokémon that is said to bring happiness to those who manage to get it. |
| Pokémon Blue | A rare and elusive Pokémon that is said to bring happiness to those who manage to get it. |
| Pokémon Yellow | A gentle and kind-hearted Pokémon that shares its nutritious eggs if it sees an injured Pokémon. |
| Pokémon Stadium | Lays very succulent eggs every day. If it is treated with love and care, its eggs appear to become even more delicious. |
Our introduction for Chansey is pretty good. We learn about its eggs, and about its rarity, with the latter explaining why the Pokémon isn't seen outside of the Safari Zone; although it could drive people there to try and find it. What we don't find out this generation is why Chansey are so rare, is it the case of being too kind and they were taken advantage of? Another thing that bothers me slightly, is what's in the egg? Chansey are a female-only species, so one can presume that this is perhaps some form of asexual reproduction, but if that's the case why would it allow other people and Pokémon to eat this egg, especially since it's already a rare Pokémon? But if you are lucky enough to own one, not only do you get some tasty eggs, but it also seems like you get a lot of happiness, and that's certainly a reason to try and get one, maybe that's why she's Nurse Joy, because the Chansey has gifted her that joy.
Generation II
| Pokémon Gold | It walks carefully to prevent its egg from breaking. However, it is extremely fast at running away. |
| Pokémon Silver | Few in numbers and difficult to capture, it is said to bring happiness to the trainer who catches it. |
| Pokémon Crystal | People try to catch it for its extremely nutritious eggs, but it can rarely be found. |
| Pokémon Stadium 2 | It walks carefully to prevent its egg from breaking. However, it is extremely fast at running away. |
The egg thing starts to get a bit convoluted for me now. It is more than happy to share this egg around, so presumably it's fine with others eating this egg, so why does it run away? Are these eggs explicitly for injured Pokémon and people? And if that's the case, why doesn't it have better ears in order to hear approaching creatures in order to stay away from them? That said, understanding that this Pokémon is fast does at least explain why it always runs away so quickly when it comes to the Safari Zone. Sadly, Silver and Crystal are near enough retellings of the entries about Chansey bringing a lot of happiness if caught, and how they're extremely rare to capture.
Generation III
| Pokémon Ruby | Chansey lays nutritionally excellent eggs on an everyday basis. The eggs are so delicious, they are easily and eagerly devoured by even those people who have lost their appetite. |
| Pokémon Sapphire | Chansey lays nutritionally excellent eggs on an everyday basis. The eggs are so delicious, they are easily and eagerly devoured by even those people who have lost their appetite. |
| Pokémon Emerald | Chansey lay nutritionally excellent eggs every day. The eggs are so delicious, they are eagerly devoured by even those people who have lost their appetite. |
| Pokémon FireRed | It lays several eggs a day. The eggs are apparently rich in nutrients and extremely delicious. |
| Pokémon LeafGreen | A rare and elusive Pokémon that is said to bring happiness to those who manage to get it. |
I'm not sure I like the entries for this generation. FireRed and LeafGreen don't introduce anything new, and perhaps it's just me, but I do not like the way the second sentence is written for Ruby, Sapphire and Emerald, it just doesn't read right for me. On top of that, I don't think it's a particularly strong entry anyway, Pokémon Stadium already told us that Chansey lays several eggs in a day, and while it's different that people without their appetites will wolf these eggs down, it's just not particularly thrilling; especially as we're three generations in, and we don't know why the Chansey can make these eggs that are so great. Is it because of the lifetime of happiness they bring, or other factors?
Generation IV
| Pokémon Diamond | It is said to deliver happiness. Being compassionate, it shares its eggs with injured people. |
| Pokémon Pearl | It lays several eggs a day and won't share them with those who have evil in their hearts. |
| Pokémon Platinum | A kindly Pokémon that lays highly nutritious eggs and shares them with injured Pokémon or people. |
| Pokémon HeartGold | It walks carefully to prevent its egg from breaking. However, it is extremely fast at running away. |
| Pokémon SoulSilver | Being few in number and difficult to capture, it is said to bring happiness to the Trainer who catches it. |
The only entry that is worth noting from this generation is Pearl. Up until this point, we'd been led to believe that Chansey shared these eggs with everyone, but now if it can sense evil in your heart, it avoids you. But, does this mean the Chansey will walk right on by this person, will it seek to avoid them entirely? And how does it sense this evil, it'd make sense for a Pokémon like Lucario or Audino which read auras and feelings, but there's nothing to indicate that Chansey has an ability like this.
Generation V
| Pokémon Black | A kindly Pokémon that lays highly nutritious eggs and shares them with injured Pokémon or people. |
| Pokémon White | A kindly Pokémon that lays highly nutritious eggs and shares them with injured Pokémon or people. |
| Pokémon Black 2 | A kindly Pokémon that lays highly nutritious eggs and shares them with injured Pokémon or people. |
| Pokémon White 2 | A kindly Pokémon that lays highly nutritious eggs and shares them with injured Pokémon or people. |
Initially, I thought these were new entries, but then I realised it's just the entry for Yellow, but with kind-hearted swapped out for kindly.
Generation VI
| Pokémon X | It is said to deliver happiness. Being compassionate, it shares its eggs with injured people. |
| Pokémon Y | It lays several eggs a day. The eggs are apparently rich in nutrients and extremely delicious. |
| Pokémon Omega Ruby | Chansey lays nutritionally excellent eggs on an everyday basis. The eggs are so delicious, they are easily and eagerly devoured by even those people who have lost their appetite. |
| Pokémon Alpha Sapphire | Chansey lays nutritionally excellent eggs on an everyday basis. The eggs are so delicious, they are easily and eagerly devoured by even those people who have lost their appetite. |
I'm writing this without looking at my keyboard as I know I don't have to think about anrginf to write here due to Generation VI always repearing entries. And look, I only made two spelling mistakes!
Generation VII
| Pokémon Sun | The eggs laid by Chansey are rich in nutrients and a favourite food of many Pokémon. |
| Pokémon Moon | Not only are these Pokémon fast runners, they're also few in number, so anyone who finds one must be lucky indeed. |
| Pokémon Ultra Sun | It seems that other Pokémon's efforts to take its delicious, nutritious egg away from it caused Chansey to get faster at fleeing. |
| Pokémon Ultra Moon | Because the eggs on their bellies have been overharvested by people in the past, the Chansey population remains very small. |
| Pokémon Let's Go Pikachu | A gentle and kindhearted Pokémon that shares its nutritious eggs if it sees an injured Pokémon. |
| Pokémon Let's Go Eevee | A gentle and kindhearted Pokémon that shares its nutritious eggs if it sees an injured Pokémon. 
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The Sun and Moon entries would make for a very boring generation for Chansey if we didn't have the other two Alola games, as their entries are rephrasing of things we already knew, but UltraSun and UltraMoon do bring some new things to the table. Despite having so much information about these eggs, it had never crossed my mind that other Pokémon might try and steal it, without Chansey sharing it with them. Given that it's the favourite food of many Pokémon, I assume it's all kinds of Pokémon that attempt to steal the egg, but it could be more Pokémon that feed on eggs, like Ekans, as opposed to something like say, Weepinbell, which presumably has different prey? And we find out why Chansey are so low in numbers, and lo and behold, it's down to people overharvesting them in the past. It does make one wonder why if people in the Pokémon world have Miltank farms, why they didn't think Chansey farms would be worthwhile, perhaps if elder PokéMan had been smarter, we could be buying Chansey eggs in our Poké Marts instead of all the Moomoo Milk and Moomoo Cheese.
Generation VIII
| Pokémon Sword | The egg Chansey carries is not only delicious but also packed with nutrition. It's used as a high-class cooking ingredient. |
| Pokémon Shield | This species was once very slow. To protect their eggs from other creatures, these Pokémon became able to flee quickly. |
Part of these entries are good, other parts less good. The first part of Sword we already knew, and we also knew about the speed thing from Shield, but it gets a much welcome expansion. I do love a little evolutionary thing, and I wonder what this slower Chansey looked like, especially since I can't imagine an egg-shaped Pokémon is particularly great at fleeing, unless Chansey roll down hills to escape from those who are preying on its eggs. But I do like how the Sword entry sort of fits in with the curry and cooking mechanic that is in Generation VIII, while I haven't played the game yet, so I don't know whether a Chansey egg is an ingredient in the game, it would be neat if this is what it was referencing.
Conclusion Chansey starts off quite well with its entries, I think Generation I does a decent job at introducing us to what a Chansey is. But from there it gets progressively worse, until we get the turning point that is Generation VII, which starts expanding on some of the entries that we already have, which is exactly what I love in a Pokédex entry. I would like to know what makes a Chansey's egg so nutritionally great, as well as what Chansey itself eats. Does it dine in to the egg that it's carrying, or is it a Pokémon that favours things like nuts and berries? And with what Pearl gave us, I do wish we could know how Chansey feels this evil. Can it feel like Audino, perhaps with its frond-like ears, or is that good at sensing a person's intentions?
| The 'Shroom: Issue 160 | |
|---|---|
| Staff sections | Staff Notes • The 'Shroom Spotlight • 'Shroomfest Highlights • Poll Chairperson Address |
| Features | Fake News • Fun Stuff • Palette Swap • Pipe Plaza • Critic Corner • Strategy Wing |
