The 'Shroom:Issue 153/Strategy Wing
Director Notes
Written by: Hooded Pitohui (talk)
Hello and welcome to December, readers of The 'Shroom. It's been a good year here at Strategy Wing, hasn't it? We've had a number of new sections, and we've a steady twelve months of solid sections like Mach Speed Mayhem and Pokédex Power. I want to offer sincere thanks to anyone who has written for the team over this past year, and I encourage more of you readers out there to join us as we head into 2020.
Before the year ends, though, Strategy Wing's team of writers have some gifts for you this holiday season. Superchao (talk) and Yoshi876 (talk) have prepared some special themed editions of Mach Speed Mayhem and Racing Like the Staff to celebrate Donkey Kong. Pokédex Power comes not only with its usual coverage on one Pokémon's entries over the year, but a collection of new Galarian entries for some species which have previously been covered. We also welcome back ManKoops (talk), who brings Koops, Your Emblem is on Fire back with a new format. You'll want to check out his video covering the most recent piece of his Fire Emblem playthrough. Go on and enjoy the hard work of our writers here, and make sure to give them gifts in return by voting for the Section of the Month, and, if you're feeling particularly charitable this season, reaching out to tell them you appreciate their sections.
Remember, you can alwayshead on over to the sign-up page and follow the instructions printed there if you want to join the Strategy Wing team. Before you go off to apply for The 'Shroom, though, keep scrolling down and read the sections our team has prepared for you this month!
Section of the Month
To end out the year, I get to congratulate Superchao (talk) and ArchagentEverlasting (talk) on taking first and second place with their informative articles on Mighty Gazelle (or is that inexplicably Roy Hughes again...?) and the Ability Scrolls. Historical analyses swept the Section of the Month podium this month, it seems. Will that trend continue, or will the return of Koops' strategy-focused section change that? Make sure to show your appreciation for our writers by taking the time to read and vote.
| STRATEGY WING SECTION OF THE MONTH | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Place | Section | Votes | % | Writer |
| 1st | Mach Speed Mayhem | 6 | 33.33% | Superchao |
| 2nd | The Anatomy of a Kirby | 5 | 27.78% | ArchagentEverlasting |
| 3rd | Pokédex Power | 4 | 22.22% | Yoshi876 |
Can you get the blessing of the spirits? Find out in Chapter 2...
[read more]
Move over Diddy. It's time for Donkey Kong Racing through Thwomp Ruins.
[read more]
You'll go ape when you find out how Billy cheats on the F-Zero racetrack.
[read more]
Yoshi876 gifts us with Snom and a whole host of new entries from the Galar Pokédex.
[read more]
Koops, Your Emblem is on Fire
Part 3: Not so Peerless Challenges...
Hello, boiz and grills! I sincerely hope you're having a great December, and that Christmas is looking to be the most wonderful time of the year!
I have a bit of an announcement to make here today, on this issue... from now on, this playthrough will be done in videos! You can actually see the game in movement and enjoy the amazing GBA FE animations!
You won't have to scroll down tons of photos and zoom into them to read! You can just watch the videos themselves!
You can get a load of the game's amazing soundtrack!
You get to hear my voice! That's right, guys, Voice reveal time!
Anyway, last time, we took out more bandits with our news buddies Kent and Sain, and we just learned that Lyn is plot twist the granddaughter of a Lycian Marquess! What more revelations await our peerless pristine warrior princess? Find out in the next episode of my LP!
Anyway, I hope I got your attention... let's just get into the video. We'll be doing "Chapter 2: Sword of Spirits".
And with that, we're done for this month! I'll see you guys next time for the next episode of "Koops, your Emblem's on Fire!" This has been Koops, signing off...
Also how was my voice?
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.
Today we're back on Mario Kart 8 Deluxe but you might be a little surprised by the choice of track. I did want to do DK Jungle, but as it transpired, I don't have the Varmint unlocked, and that was a necessity, so instead we're headed to Thwomp Ruins, as he is the 150cc staff ghost there. I love Thwomp Ruins, one of my favourite tracks from 8 and I think it also has one of the best music trakcs to be racing on.
The combination for normal staff for Thwomp Ruins is Donkey Kong with the Standard Quad, Monster tyres and Super Glider, and the stats are as follows:
- Speed – Five bars
- Acceleration – Just under two bars
- Weight – Five bars
- Handling – One and a half bars
- Grip – Four bars
Mario Kart Stadium
The race got off to a pretty good start, and I was up to second by the first set of Item Boxes. Following a Mushroom boost across a grassy plain, I was in first before the anti-gravity section. Despite a Red Shell, I kept this lead, but on the second lap I found out that I wasn’t a Banana ahead of Isabelle as she overtook me when I collided with one in the anti-gravity section. I was able to get back before the first set of Item Boxes on the final lap, and she fell away as the rest of the race went on.
Water Park
I expected Isabelle to overtake at the start, and that is precisely what she did, but I managed to overtake her just as we entered the water, and a Banana saw her off. I was worried with my lead due to a host of red shells, and running into the ticket booth, but thankfully I kept the lead throughout.
Sweet Sweet Canyon
After managing to fend off Isabelle at the start, I thought this would be plain sailing, but the second lap decided against this. A Boo took my Green Shell just before I was hit by a Red Shell, and then a Spiny Shell hit me, allowing Isabelle past. Thankfully, straight-line speed was not her forte, and I passed her just before heading to the doughnut section. Another Spiny Shell just before the water section allowed Bowser to take my lead, but I overtook him on the pink path when he went blue, and I kept a lead.
Thwomp Ruins
This course through everything at me to try and make me come second – I mean this literally, at a conservative estimate I was hit by at least 11,000 Red Shells. Wario surprisingly got past me at the start, but my Red Shell saw him off, but this was the start of many, and I mean any Red Shells. I swear the only item anyone got behind me was Red Shells, or maybe Triple Ones so they could break through my barrier before hitting me. This led to Wario leading at times, and Bowser got ahead as well. I thought I had Bowser after we were shrunk, but he came back at me. Honestly, a Mushroom in the gliding section was what got me ahead in the final cms.
I didn’t really like using the ATVs from what I had used before, but this combination really worked. Racers like Isabelle and even Wario were easy pickings with the speed that this thing gave out. My only worry was Thwomp Ruins and that was solely down from a tonne of Red Shells. I have honestly never seen so many in a race before, it would put races where they were the only item to shame.
The 200cc combination is Bowser with the Badwagon, Normal tyres and Bowser Kite. The stats are as follows:
- Speed – Five bars
- Acceleration – Just over two bars
- Weight – Five bars
- Handling – Just under two bars
- Grip – Just over three bars
Mario Kart Stadium
In Thwomp Ruins I joked about there being around 11,000 Red Shells in play, this time my estimate is more around 15,000. I was literally hit on the second lap three times in a row by Red Shells. My race started off well though, was up into second place easily, and then boosted around Pink Gold Peach. Thought I'd be fine, even when hit by a Red Shell in the gliding section as I managed to get to ground. But then the onslaught began, and Pink Gold Peach, Mario and Luigi all passed me, with even Lakitu putting in an attempt. Mario and Luigi were easy to pass, but I had to wait for a Spiny Shell to get rid of Pink Gold Peach. But it came, and I at least protected myself from Red Shell after Red Shell after Red Shell until the end.
Water Park
I thought I'd kept the lead until Pink Gold Peach sailed past me just after the Item Boxes. I managed to regain the lead, but guess what Item she used? If you said Red Shell, give yourself some points, thankfully I had a Banana to defend myself with. After this, waters were calm, and even though I was hit by another Red Shell, I did keep the lead and didn't have to worry about my competition.
Sweet Sweet Canyon
I had to hold off Mario briefly at the start, and I managed to do so until exiting the cannon, when I was hit by the ever-present Red Shell. Mario and Pink Gold Peach passed me, but on the blue path I overtook them both, and wiped Mario out with a Banana for good measure. Despite losing two Items to a Boo, I was never bothered by the Red Shell, or another racer for the rest of the race.
Thwomp Ruins
Once again, Mario out accelerated me on the line, but this time it was my turn to get the Red Shell, although that victory would've been sweeter if Pink Gold Peach didn't then take me out with the Bananas. However, it was easy to pass her, although Mario proved a bit more difficult and a Green Shell allowed Pink Gold Peach and Luigi past. This didn't bother me, as I had a Mushroom, plus I overtook Pink Gold Peach and Luigi with no worries. I had an immense lead after the shortcut, and while Red Shells and a stray Bob-omb I threw shortened this lead, it was still a victory.
I was preparing a whole monologue about how the Badwagon was bad, but honestly I really enjoyed racing with this, bar the onslaught of Red Shells. I would easily recommend this combination, especially since you can still win with it despite being hit by close to a million Red Shells – and again that's a conservative estimate.
I hope you enjoyed this section, and I'll see you next month where I'll take a look at a combination hopefully from Mario Kart 8. If you've got a combination you'd like me to review next, feel free to private message me on the forums.
Mach Speed Mayhem
Hello, 'Shroom readers! Welcome to the Donkey Kong issue of the 'Shroom! And since we're celebrating the king monkey of the jungle, we should talk about the fastest ape in the universe! That's none other than #11: Billy - if you put infinite monkeys behind infinite wheels, one of them will eventually learn how to race!
Main Series
Like many others (seriously, there's 26 from that game total), Billy made his debut in F-Zero X, helping to expand the roster to the size F-Zero is known for on the N64. Like usual, we didn't get to learn that much about Billy other than his basic traits - he's the very first monkey to participate in F-Zero, and similar to Bio Rex, he's doing so to demonstrate the supremacy of monkeys over their fellow primates. Wonder if he and Bio Rex ever argued? He's also only 6 - monkeys age faster, it seems. Then again, there's an 8-year-old human in F-Zero... When Billy returned for F-Zero GX, his fur changed from black to brown, and his biography expanded. He's not just any monkey now - he's descended from the first monkey to fly into space under their own power, a trained rocket pilot! We don't know if Billy's own high-level piloting skill is genetic or not, but it was enough for him to be raised by a special laboratory, teaching him language skills, human communication, and literacy... as well as capitalism, apparently. We'll get into that in a bit. The lab also made his F-Zero machine and set up his tour in the Grand Prix. What a help they were!
On the note of capitalism, when F-Zero GX allowed Billy to talk in the interviews, it turns out that his life philosophy is along the lines of "show me the money, baby!" Of the sixteen questions Mr. Zero can ask him, a whopping fourteen of them revolve around money. Becoming a racer for the money, focusing on the one billion space credits in prize money, dreaming of cash in the future... You can't say he doesn't have focus. He'd like to open up a cutthroat banana business for money, he'll give you his autograph for money (50,000 space credits a pop!), he'll loan you his money at brutally high interest rates - just don't expect him to donate even a single credit to charity. The two non-money questions are how he found out about F-Zero - he discovered it though a TV commercial, where Falcon says "Let's try" at the end... which makes you wonder how the F-Zero Committee got Falcon to do an ad for them - and his opinion on drivers who break the rules. Billy finds the latter question quite rude because of what Mr. Zero is implying, but if the F-Zero GX story mode is any indication, the interviewer has a reason to imply some implications!
In story mode, cash-loving Billy makes an unsurprising appearance in Chapter 3, as one of the 12 competitors of the casino's Bet Race. The reason I mention Mr. Zero's comments is because compared to everyone else? Billy cheats. This is not simply a "he's hard to beat" comment, but he actually plays by different rules than Captain Falcon or the rest of the AI racers, possibly from his sheer desire for the money. Unlike everyone else in the race, Billy has infinite boost power (or at least far more than normal), and he's happy to use it - you can confirm this by watching the icons on the side. Super Arrow, Zoda, Bio Rex... All the other competitors will flash red as they drain their boost and run low on energy, but Billy never shows any signs of low power. He's the most annoying part of the chapter on Hard and Very Hard, but he does have a weakness! Namely, there's a particular jump plate (launches your car into the air) right after a healing strip that can give you a good shortcut but that needs careful angling to avoid crashing. Billy has a tendency to take that jump plate at the wrong angle and hurl himself off the track half the time, eliminating himself and making your life on Chapter 3's higher difficulties quite a bit easier. The money-hungry monkey returns for Chapter 7 as one of the 30 racers there, but without the infinite boost from Chapter 3 he's really nothing more than an extra foe to have on your tail. When he's not chasing the money, Billy doesn't seem to care as much.
The Mad Wolf is Billy's personal ride, made by the same group that raised him in their laboratory. The aptly named Mad Baboon Research Facility constructed the Mad Wolf around Billy's driving capabilities, meaning that the machine's controls are tailored to his strengths. He's not good with written language, so instead the car uses a combination of pictures, colors, sounds, and smells to provide all the information he needs in a race. The cited example is the smell of bananas - they're Billy's favorite thing (even more than money!), so the machine sprays the smell in the cockpit when it's time to work the accelerator, in order to get Billy wired up and cranking the throttle. In gameplay terms, the Mad Wolf in F-Zero X... well, it isn't anything special. B body, B boost, C grip? That's a pretty middle of the road ship, and all the gameplay discussion I've found says "it sure is average". F-Zero GX plays with the actual stats, and the Mad Wolf becomes a lot like the Wild Goose! The same handling trick of turn strength determined by speed you move the stick applies to Billy's car the way it does Pico's, with the difference being in the other stats - Pico's body is much tougher, but Billy's got better acceleration and a stronger booster, with top speed about the same for both cars. It really depends on your strengths and preferences which of the two weird saucer-like ships you'd like to go with.
And yes, when you look it from the top down, those are bananas on the sides of the car.
GP Legend series
Billy made the jump to F-Zero GP Legend like everyone else from the main 30 racers... and, uh, he got a bit of a weird makeover in the transition. Normally I don't talk about the design changes in the text because they're not that drastic, but Billy now looks like an ape-man rather than just a monkey, primarily due to the redesign of his face to be flat instead of having a protruding mouth like his game version. It's rather strange. Anyhow! Billy is another character of the day, though he's worse off than most of them, since he's not even the focus of his episode. Episode 31 of the anime starts off with Jody Summer investigating the death of her brother, Andy Summer, only to find that his body is missing and information on him has been deleted from police databanks. While Jody sets up for the next race, Billy approaches her to ask for help, explaining that he's working for Miss Killer and assigned to eliminate her competition... and he knows something about her brother! The race starts, though, cutting them off, and Mr. Zero confirms that this is Billy's first race in F-Zero!
In said first race, Billy makes an impression by aggressively attacking Jody, only for Rick Wheeler and Jack Levin to force him off the road in return. Once he goes off-road, Billy is promptly accosted by a trio of Dark Soldiers, the generic foot troops of Dark Million, and in an effort to learn the information about her brother Jody and Rick drive off the course. They force the machines away from Billy, and allow him to meet the Mobile Task Force in the garage to hear him out. Billy explains that he's one of several trainees forced to work for Dark Million, learning from brutal methods in their pilot training course - and there's no holds barred, Billy says he lost several friends that way. One of his pals is still there, and he might know stuff about Andy! It's up to the Mobile Task Force to save him - or not, declares Jody. She doesn't trust his story, and declares that they won't do anything beyond keeping him safe. Rick disagrees, and heads to the location mentioned - alone. Jody deduces from Billy's refusal to help rescue his friend that the big lug is lying, and she leaves him to sit in a corner while she takes the Mobile Task Force out to help Rick. It's a good thing they did, since the location Billy sent Rick to... was an ambush by Blood Falcon!
At least it ends well for Billy - after their return from the fight with Blood Falcon, Rick and Jack lecture him for a bit (and learn that Billy just wanted to get away from Dark Million), and then Jack tells him he has the potential of a good pilot. We see the big ape in one more cameo that shows Jack may have been right on the money - in the race in episode 40, when Mr. EAD wins and Pico gets second, Billy is the one to claim third place. The F-Zero GP Legend video game doesn't do anything special with Billy, though you can tell they didn't incorporate the GX lore - there's multiple characters unlocked by collecting lots of money in the story mode, and Billy is not one of them. His F-Zero Climax mentions that he was raised to draw out natural talent that lets him surpass humans, and right now if he beats anyone, the TV and newspapers will gleefully point out that they lost to a monkey. It also mentions that the Mad Wolf is astoundingly average, but if Billy has all that natural talent, perhaps he can put it to use for victory?
Billy and the Mad Wolf are a good opportunity for me to mention something about the anime in general - namely, a bunch of the machines, despite taking some design cues from GX (such as the single-digit numbers being prefaced with 0) are closer in style to the much more polygonal machines of F-Zero X. An intentional design choice to remind watchers of a particular game, or just going with simpler models for the early 2000s CGI? ...I'm going to assume the latter, considering even the new cars are all simple shapes. But we'll talk about those new cars in the future!
Other Information
In F-Zero GX, Billy's belt buckle becomes a shout-out to another franchise! While in F-Zero X it's just a blank buckle, GX gives it a decal - the head of AiAi from the Super Monkey Ball series. This might seem like a non-sequitur addition, except for the fact that GX was developed by Amusement Vision, the same people who developed Super Monkey Ball. In fact, GX is built on Super Monkey Ball, the game having Monkey Ball leftovers in the code (including a model of AiAi himself) that were used to test various things during development. So it's really not a surprise that they'd use F-Zero's monkey to reference their own monkey. That about sums up everything I've got to mention for Billy, so I'll see you next month for my writeup then. Reader voting is back after this issue, so who is it? That's up to you!
Pokédex Power
Hello everyone, it's me, Yoshi876 again with a new edition of Pokédex Power, the section written by the person really looking forward to Christmas this year, mainly because I know that Pokémon Shield is on its way, and I can't wait to get some of that Galar region goodness.
I think the designs this generation are some of the strongest we've seen, and I'm really looking forward to getting all of my hands on them. That said, have looked at some of those evolution requirement, I think some are a bit dumb, especially Farfetch'd instead Sirfetch'd, something better could have been done on that.
As I haven't played Pokémon Shield yet, I can't say much about the Pokémon I've chosen for this edition, which is Snom by the way, other than that I've seen a lot of memes around it on Instagram, so I'm figuring it's a popular choice, even if that moveset looks diabolical. Let's hope the moveset isn't indicative of its Pokédex entries though!
Generation VIII
| Pokémon Sword | It spits out thread imbued with a frigid sort of energy, and uses it to tie its body to branches, disguising itself as an icicle while it sleeps. |
| Pokémon Shield | It eats snow that piles up on the ground. The more snow it eats, the bigger and more impressive the spikes on its back grow. |
Snom actually has quite an interesting set of entries for its debut generation. I love how this Pokémon uses disguises itself as an icicle to sleep, I'm presuming that it does this to protect itself from predators, but what sort of things would be targeting them in the icy regions of Galar, is an Eiscue really a predator there? As for it eating snow, I can't say I'm surprised given its composition, but the fact that it uses this snow to make it spikier seems to somehow make it a bit more endearing. The only thing I'd want to know is what is the energy that Snom uses to make itself an icicle, but hopefully future entries will reveal that.
Conclusion There's not a lot to really discuss given how Snom only has one set of entries, but this is a very strong start. It's not just generic general stuff – although those are always needed – but a host of things that you might not have thought looking at it, like how the snow it eats make the spikes, or how it disguises itself as an icicle to sleep at night.
But with Sword and Shield out, there's a lot of new entries to look at, so let's do that! And if I missed any entries from Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee, I'll be showing those off as well.
Vulpix
| Pokémon Let's Go Pikachu | Both its furs and its tails are beautiful. As it grows, the tails split and form more tails. |
| Pokémon Let's Go Eevee | Both its furs and its tails are beautiful. As it grows, the tails split and form more tails. |
| Pokémon Sword | While young it has six gorgeous tails. When it grows, several new tails are sprouted. |
| Pokémon Shield | As each tail grows, its fur becomes more lustrous. When held, it feels slightly warm. |
Sadly, we learn nothing new about Vulpix in this generation. The tails fact has been hammered into us since Vulpix debuted, and the Shield entry is just a rehash of the one from Pokémon Black 2
Alolan Vulpix
| Pokémon Let's Go Pikachu | It looks like snow come to life, and the breath it exhales is -58 degrees Fahrenheit. Another name for it is Keokeo. |
| Pokémon Let's Go Eevee | It looks like snow come to life, and the breath it exhales is -58 degrees Fahrenheit. Another name for it is Keokeo. |
| Pokémon Sword | After long years in the ever-snowcapped mountains of Alola, this Vulpix has gained power over ice. |
| Pokémon Shield | If you observe its curly hairs through a microscope, you'll see small ice particles springing up. |
Alolan Vulpix doesn't really get new entries for the Let's Go games, but its Sword and Shield entries do throw up some new things. The Sword fact might not be too interesting, but it's interesting that this Ice-Pokémon is cold enough for its Shield entry that it freezes the air around it. At least that's what I presume given the ice particles coming from it, unless the Pokémon is able to produce its own ice from within.
Snorunt
| Pokémon Sword | It's said that if they are seen at midnight they'll cause heavy snow. They eat snow and ice to survive. |
| Pokémon Shield | It can only survive in cold areas. It bounces happily around, even in environments as cold as -150 degrees Fahrenheit. |
Snorunt's Pokédex entries are just a re-run of the entries from HeartGold and Moon disappointing given how Gen VII had new entries for all Pokémon there.
Leafeon
| Pokémon Sword | Galarians favour the distinctive aroma that drifts from this Pokémon's leaves. There's a popular perfume made using the scent. |
| Pokémon Shield | This Pokémon's tail is blade sharp, with a fantastic cutting edge that can slice right through large trees. |
While Snorunt had no new entries, Leafeon actually has brought new entries to the field. I love this idea of people using the scent from Leafeon as a perfume, and while we've seen plenty of times facts detailing how it has a sharp blade, the fact it can slice through trees is interesting, and I wonder whether lumberjacks use them for help in doing so.
Toxapex
| Pokémon Sword | To survive in the cold waters of Galar, this Pokémon forms a dome with its legs, enclosing its body so it can capture its own body heat. |
| Pokémon Shield | Within the poison sac in its body is a poison so toxic that Pokémon as large as Wailord will still be suffering three days after it first takes effect. |
Toxapex actually has a great set of entries for Generation VIII. The Sword entry contrasts its previous habitat of the waters of Alola with the predictably freezing waters of Galar, if the British seas are anything to go by. I wonder how warm it can keep in there though, and whether it'd be better for the Pokémon to be living on land, it might have been interesting for this Pokémon to have gotten a Galarian form. We had already had facts on Toxapex's poison in the last set of entries, but it's good to see how potent it can be, affecting Wailord up to three days later, I definitely wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of that!
Charizard
| Pokémon Let's Go Pikachu | When this Pokémon expels a blast of superhot fire, the red flame at the tip burns more intensely. |
| Pokémon Let's Go Eevee | When this Pokémon expels a blast of superhot fire, the red flame at the tip burns more intensely. |
| Pokémon Sword | It spits fire that is hot enough to melt boulders. It may cause forest fires by blowing flames. |
| Pokémon Shield | Its wings can carry this Pokémon close to an altitude of 4,600 feet. It blows out fire at very high temperatures. |
Sadly all Charizard got for this generation was a set of repeated entries from Yellow, FireRed and LeafGreen.
Mega Charizard X
| Pokémon Let's Go Pikachu | The overwhelming power that fills its entire body causes it to turn black and create intense blue flames. |
| Pokémon Let's Go Eevee | The overwhelming power that fills its entire body causes it to turn black and create intense blue flames. |
I'm sure many of us have always wanted an answer as to why Charizard changes colour when it evolves into its Mega X form, and now we have the answer, overwhelming power. Maybe that's why Saiyans have their hair turn yellow.
Mega Charizard Y
| Pokémon Let's Go Pikachu | Its bond with its Trainer is the source of its power. It boasts speed and manoeuvrability greater than that of a jet fighter. |
| Pokémon Let's Go Eevee | Its bond with its Trainer is the source of its power. It boasts speed and manoeuvrability greater than that of a jet fighter. |
I feel like many Pokédex entries for the Mega forms mention this bond between Trainer and Pokémon, so that section is a little boring, but given Charizard's size, it is mightily impressive that it can manoeuvre like a jet fighter, although looking at it is quite streamlined. I do feel that an entry like that could also have worked for Mega Salamence.
Gigantamax Charizard
| Pokémon Sword | This colossal, flame-winged figure of a Charizard was brought about by Gigantamax energy. |
| Pokémon Shield | The flame inside its body burns hotter than 3,600 degrees Fahrenheit. When Charizard roars, that temperature climbs even higher. |
Okay, that Sword entry is incredibly boring, and truthfully, Shield isn't much better as we already knew that the flames inside Charizard were hot, and I don't really care that it can get hotter. I would have much preferred to read about the effect that Gigantamax energy could have on Charizard, whether that be with its mood, strength or even appetite.
Trapinch
| Pokémon Sword | Its nest is a sloped, bowl-like pit in the desert. Once something has fallen in, there is no escape. |
| Pokémon Shield | It makes an inescapable conical pit and lies in wait at the bottom for prey to come tumbling down. |
Sadly, all Trapinch gets this generation is a repeat of its Generation IV entries.
Drifblim
| Pokémon Sword | Some say this Pokémon is a collection of souls burdened with regrets, silently drifting through the dusk. |
| Pokémon Shield | It grabs people and Pokémon and carries them off somewhere. Where do they go? Nobody knows. |
Shield isn't offering up anything interesting, we already know that Drifblim carries off a lot of people, but the Sword one is interesting. A lot of Ghost-type Pokémon, like Honedge or Spiritomb are made up of human souls, and it's nice that we now know that souls are also making my Drifblim. Perhaps this Pokémon targets regretful people to add to its ranks.
Tranquill
| Pokémon Sword | It can fly moderately quickly. No matter how far it travels, it can always find its way back to its master and its nest. |
| Pokémon Shield | These bright Pokémon have acute memories. Apparently delivery workers often choose them as their partners. |
This time, it's the entry for Sword that is boring us with nothing new, while Shield excels. We could have guessed the memory one from previous entries, but seeing how they work alongside humans in the Pokémon world is really interesting. Hopefully, they won't be replaced by drones delivering packages in the future!
Turtonator
| Pokémon Sword | Explosive substances coat the shell on its back. Enemies that dare attack it will be blown away by an immense detonation. |
| Pokémon Shield | Eating sulphur in its volcanic habitat is what causes explosive compounds to develop in its shell. Its dropping are also dangerously explosive. |
Overall, I don't think Turtonator has a great set of entries, especially since Generation VII focused so much on how explosive the Pokémon is. But at least we know not to go around picking up Turtonator poo, as that too could cause some damage. I can't imagine you'll be seeing these Pokémon in any kind of zoo.
Onix
| Pokémon Let's Go Pikachu | Burrows at high speed in search of food. The tunnels it leaves are used as homes by Diglett. |
| Pokémon Let's Go Eevee | Burrows at high speed in search of food. The tunnels it leaves are used as homes by Diglett. |
| Pokémon Sword | As it digs through the ground, it absorbs many hard objects. This is what makes its body so solid. |
| Pokémon Shield | It rapidly bores through the ground at 50 mph my squirming and twisting its massive, rugged body. |
Sadly all Onix got for this generation was a set of repeated entries from Yellow, Crystal and Silver.
Celebi
| Pokémon Sword | This Pokémon has the ability to move through time. Records describing it as a forest deity can be found from many different eras. |
| Pokémon Shield | This Pokémon travelled through time to come from the future. It bolsters grass and trees with its own strength, and it can heal wounds, too. 
|
Celebi is a Pokémon I was expecting to make it into Galar, but I guess if it can time travel, it can go anywhere it likes! Sadly, Sword gives a predictable entry, but at least we know that Celebi takes it job a forest deity seriously if many different cultures have viewed it that way, I just wonder how far back the record dates. Shield seems to imply that Celebi is a Pokémon from the future, rather than our own time period or past, so I always have to wonder why Celebi decided to come here? Could it be as a warning?
Pancham
| Pokémon Sword | It chooses a Pangoro as its master and then imitates its master's actions. This is how it learns to battle and hunt for prey. |
| Pokémon Shield | Wanting to make sure it's taken seriously, Pancham's always giving others a glare. But if it's not focusing, it ends up smiling. |
Although we already knew about the relationship between a Pancham and a Pangoro, it is really cool to see that get expanded upon for this entry, as we learn about the relationship between them, sort of like how a cat teaches its young how to behave. Meanwhile, it's cute to see this Pokémon trying to act tough, but failing in a way, making this quite possibly the cutest Fighting-type Pokémon out there.
Shiinotic
| Pokémon Sword | Its flickering spores lure in prey and put them to sleep. Once this Pokémon has its prey snoozing, it drains their vitality with its fingertips. |
| Pokémon Shield | If you see a light deep in a forest at night, don't go near. Shiinotic will make you fall fast asleep. |
One issue I have with the Shield entry is that it doesn't explain why you should be avoiding a Shiinotic, while at least Sword does do that. That said, none of these entries are particularly good, as all of this was explained in Shiinotic's debut generation.
Cubone
| Pokémon Let's Go Pikachu | Wears the skull of its deceased mother. It cries echo inside the skull and come out as a sad melody. |
| Pokémon Let's Go Eevee | Wears the skull of its deceased mother. It cries echo inside the skull and come out as a sad melody. |
Just the entries from Pokémon Yellow.
Froslass
| Pokémon Sword | After a woman met her end on a snowy mountain, her regrets lingered on. From them, this Pokémon was born. Its favourite food is frozen souls. |
| Pokémon Shield | It spits out cold air of nearly -60 degrees Fahrenheit to freeze its quarry. It brings frozen prey back to its lair and neatly lines them up. |
It looks like regrets might be a theme with Ghost-type Pokémon this generation, after that Drifblim entry as well. And it seems that Froslass has changed its appetite, as it used to prefer the souls of men, but now its just any old soul, maybe Galarian men just don't taste as nice. But like with other Pokémon, although some rewrites, this is just regurgitating information we already knew.
Klang
| Pokémon Sword | When Klang goes all out, the minigear links up perfectly with the outer part of the big gear, and this Pokémon's rotation speed increases sharply. |
| Pokémon Shield | Many companies in the Galar region choose Klang as their logo. This Pokémon is considered the symbol of industrial technology. |
Klang might just have my favourite entries from this generation. Previous generations had spoken about how Klang battles, but the entry for Sword goes into such detail that I can now imagine this working when I use Klang in my game. Meanwhile, a link with the Pokémon and human world is always appreciated and although Klang might not be my first choose for a Pokémon-related logo, I can certainly see why and it's great to see this Steel-type being celebrated.
Combee
| Pokémon Sword | The members of the trio spend all their time together. Each one has a slightly different taste in nectar. |
| Pokémon Shield | It ceaselessly gathers nectar from sunrise to sundown, all for the sake of Vespiquen and the swarm. |
Combee sure is a hard worker, I would to be working those kinds of hours. But it's the Sword entry that I am entirely in love with. I would have thought that the three bees making up a Combee operated as a hive mind, but no they do have different thoughts as evidenced by their different tastes in nectar. I also find that it teases the fact that a Combee could break down into three different bee, and I wonder if any Combee was separated from the trio.
Sawk
| Pokémon Sword | If you see a Sawk training in the mountains in its single-minded pursuit of strength, it's best to quietly pass by. |
| Pokémon Shield | The karate chops of a Sawk that's trained itself to the limit can cleave the ocean itself. |
I must confess, I find that Sword entry to be a bit dumb, nothing is parting the oceans like it claims that Sawk can, I wouldn't have minded this entry if it was something feasible like boulders or trees, but it you want to get a little surreal, why not just say it can create massive fissures by striking the ground, that would be somewhat believable. I wonder why Sword says you should leave it though, if you distract the Pokémon might it attack you? If that's the case, can I set it on the entry for Shield?
Diggersby
| Pokémon Sword | With power equal to an excavator, it can dig through dense bedrock. It's a huge help during tunnel construction. |
| Pokémon Shield | The fur on its belly retains heat exceptionally well. People used to make heavy winter clothing from fur shed by this Pokémon. |
Sword could've been an interesting entry, if it wasn't mostly just a repeat of the one from Y, but the Shield one is really good, moving us away from the excavating this Pokémon does, but still focusing on its interactions with the human world. Due to entries focusing on its skills, I never thought about the fur, especially how warm it is, but if we're waiting for it just to shed the fur, I'll be honest I think we might be waiting a while before we're able to get ourselves a Diggersby coat.
Disguised Mimikyu
| Pokémon Sword | It wears a rag fashioned into a Pikachu costume in an effort to look less scary. Unfortunately, the costume only makes it creepier. |
| Pokémon Shield | There was a scientist who peeked under Mimikyu's old rag in the name of research. The scientists died of a mysterious disease. |
Shield gives the old spooky fact of this Pokémon killing all who say its true form, while the Sword entry almost pokes fun at the Pokémon. When it was first unveiled, everyone loved it, but now it seems that we're meant to think this thing is creepy. All Mimikyu wants is love, is that too much to ask for the cutie?
Busted Mimikyu
| Pokémon Sword | There will be no forgiveness for any who reveal that it was pretending to be a Pikachu. It will bring the culprit down, even at the cost of its own life. |
| Pokémon Shield | Its disguise made from an old rag allowed it to avoid an attack, but the impact broke the neck of the disguise. Now everyone knows it's a Mimikyu. |
Yikes, I remember it resented those who destroyed the disguise, but not at that level of vengeance. Note to self, do not accidentally destroy a Mimikyu's disguise, otherwise I am toast. The end of the Shield entry would've been better if when Mimikyu appeared in the field it resembled Pikachu, and so you thought it could be one until the attack, but it is cool to see the entry reference Mimikyu's ability, Disguise.
The Anatomy of a Kirby
Written by: ArchagentEverlasting (talk)
Hello, my fellow members of the Mushroom Kingdom! Archagent returns, to inform you more about Kirby. In today's issue, we'll be discussing Copy Essences.
Copy Essences are objects that Kirby has found in numerous of his adventures. They are small pedestals that depict a certain creature, and when Kirby touches them, he gains the abilities of that creature, much like he would if he had inhaled and digested one. Though Kirby first came across the essences the second time King Dedede stole all the food in Dream Land, in the Nightmare War there were various museums which contained similar pedestals for abilities. After the Magolor War, all of the Copy Essences stopped being represented by their respective species of animal, and instead looked like the strange insides that Kirby would vomit when he vomits up these kind of abilities.
These kinds of essences have always been very common within Kirby's travels. Oftentimes, Kirby seems to conveniently find them before fighting a tough opponent, and the essences in question are usually particularly good against the boss in question. Prior to the discovery of Copy Essences by Kirby, regular species of animals would often appear before boss fights instead of Copy Abilities, though this was dangerous as Kirby could have been killed by them.
Copy Essences regenerate immediately regenerate after they are touched by Kirby in his adventures. This also makes it useful for Kirby, as he can experiment with different combinations of essences or creating Helpers out of them.
That's all the time we have for today, however! Your favorite host is desperately sick. Ciao for now!
| The 'Shroom: Issue 153 | |
|---|---|
| Staff sections | Staff Notes • The 'Shroom Spotlight • End-of-the-Year Awards • Director Election |
| Features | Fake News • Fun Stuff • Palette Swap • Pipe Plaza • Critic Corner • Strategy Wing |
