Author Archives: dahubbz
Daily Blog Challenge: January 7th
Today’s Theme: Favorite Anime Character
Note: This is the original anime so origin does not count.
It might be easy for the old schoolers to think of Ash. Ash was always one of my least favorite. He just seemed to get outclassed by most of the others he met. From Todd to Ritchie, they all just seemed a little cooler.
Most of my anime knowledge stems from the first two generations though I did see some of Hoenn.
So who is my favorite character? Gary.
Gary was the coolest dude ever. Gary was a good trainer. Gary had the pokemons, the cheerleaders, the car, the badges. He was everything Ash was not, remember the Krabby comparison
.
Gary did not have people skills and did not relate to his pokemon quite like Ash, but he was the reason you wanted to become a pokemon trainer.
I always wanted more Gary in the anime. He had Squirtle and Eevee and Arcanine and loads other.
Did I mention Squirtle was his starter? Just saying. He knew what was up.
So who is your favorite character? Why? Good backstory? Attitude? Pokemon? Design? Let me know in the comment section.
Thanks for taking the time to read this!
Check back tomorrow for more daily post!
Daily Blog Challenge: January 6th
Today’s Theme: Which Region Had The Best Starters?
This might be the hardest one I’ve done so far, because I genuine feel like every generation has had great starters.
So which generation do I pick? Hoenn.
It was hard to pass to up the original three off nostalgia alone. Squirtle is my favorite and Charmander is everyone else and well…, Bulbasaur is there.
Or Johto, where Swagigatr was boss and everyone loved Typhlosion.
My most memorable set of starters were Sinnoh’s. I put the most time into the Sinnoh games and that was when I when I was coming into my own as a pokemon trainer. Great times.
So why do I give it to Hoenn? A region I frequently rate as one of the weaker regions? I like that they finally made the grass pokemon relevant. Treeko and his family line are some of the coolest pokemons in the whole series. Blaziken is super overpowered and who can forget “I heard you liek mudkips”? It was the first time I felt l had to think about which starter I wanted instead of just picking water by default. Treeko set a bar for grass pokemon that I dont think has quite been reached. Snivy was cool though.
So while none of the starters are particularly the best or even the coolest starters. I feel like Hoenn gave you a challenge for a change. Yes, Blaziken was incredible powerful, but Treeko’s line and Mudkip’s line were great as well.
What’s your favorite generation? The OG’s or maybe you’re into the new ones. Let me know in the comments!
Thanks for taking the time to read this!
Daily Blog Challenge: January 5th
Today’s Theme: Lamest Pokemon Design
I do not like being negative, but Pokemon is not all gold. Sometimes it just misses the mark. Today were going to look at the lamest pokemon design.
Now, the community seems to hate on Jynx, Vanillish, Garbodor, and a handful of others. I dont necessarily hate any pokemon. If you read into the lore and Japanese culture, most pokemon make sense or, at least, become a little more reasonable to defend.
My beef lies in the pokemon that just seem like utter copy cats. Namely: Dedenne.
So, why dedenne specifically? Now, I may be incorrect, and feel free to correct me if I am, but most of the electric mouse pokemons that came after Pichu just seem like Gamefreak cashing in on Pickachu’s fame. I’m fine with ever generation have a pidgey-esque character, but Pikachu and his line should’ve been a one and done. His shoes are just to big to fill and I dont think any of the rip-offs have touched me the same as the original yellow haired rodent.
This wasnt the first example of ripping off previous pokemon either. Hoenn gave us a ton of new and awesome pokemons, but it also gave us some blatant rip-offs with slight spins. Wurmple’s line were copycats of caterpie, but I’m willing to let this pass because it was some of the early examples of evolution depending on gender(which is pretty cool.) Seviper, Plusle and Minun, and Feebas didnt help the cause either.
I find this to just be more lazy than bad or stupid. I mean, some of these example they tried to spice up a little, but Dedenne seems like they just made Pikachu a little smaller, orange, and gave him antenna whiskers and called it a new pokemon. At least, X and Y was able to give him a fairy typing to help try and make him a little unique.
Anyway, whats your least favorite design for a pokemon? Why? Did it look just plain dumb, or was there no originality to it?
Challenge: After you comment/think of your least favorite pokemon, see if it’s inspired by any Japanese legend or lore. You might be surprised what inspired some of those weird looking hooligans.
Thanks for taking the time to read this.
Check back tomorrow for more daily post!
Daily Blog Challenge: January 4th
Today’s theme: Which Pokemon has the coolest design?
Pokemon gets ripped on pokemon designe A LOT. and sometime it is well deserved. If you browse the library of pokemons you’ll learn there are actually a lot of cool ones. I self imposed the challenge of no legendaries because, honestly, Mewtwo, Deoxy, Darkrai, would easily win. So what everyday joe do I like most?
Magmortar. How I went about answering this question is “What pokemon would I not want to come bustling out of a bush on my adventure.”
Rather you like him not, imagine his hulking huge body covered in flames come tumbling out into the open where you are. He loads his two lava bazookas and… Bang.
You better hope you got a Squirtle.
There are others I love for looking awesome: Scyther, Blaziken, Bisharp.
Others for their lovable weirdness: Scaggy, Bouffalant
So what’s your favorite looking pokemon? Why do you like it? Awesome design, wacky charm?
Thanks for taking the time to read this.
Be sure to check back tomorrow for more daily post!
Daily Blog Challenge: January 3rd
Today’s topic: What Is Your Favorite Pokemon Evolution Line
I think the popular pick here is Syther and Scizor , but not to me. My favorite is Tyrouge’s line.
Tyrouge did a lot of cool things for evolution, much like a lot of Johto pokemon had done. Johto was full of experiments back in the day. It added breeding. This opened the door to baby forms that Kanto never had. Cleffa, Igglybuff, Smoochum, Elekid, Magby, and Tyrouge were baby forms added for preexisting pokemon. This element was so cool to me. They also took it a step further and added split evolutions, a characteristic previously only found in Eevee. Poliwhirl, Gloom, Slowpoke, and Hitmonlee and Hitmontop were the lucky few given split evolutions(Obviously, Eevee was given two more) .
Tyrouge’s line was the only given both.
Tyrouge would evolve into Hitmonlee if it’s attack stat was higher than it’s defense. Tyrouge would evolve into Hitmonchan if it’s defense was higher than it’s attack. Tyrouge would evolve into Hitmontop if it’s defense and attack were the same.
Tyrouge was extremely cool and I dare say has contributed the second most to experimenting with what we can do with evolution next to Eevee. The arguement could be made Tyrouge has done more, honestly.
Tyrouge is definitely one of the more interesting Pokemons.
Thanks for taking the time to read this and check back tomorrow for another post!
Daily Blog Challenge: January 2nd.
The theme of January is Pokemon.
Today’s Topic is Which Pokemon Would Be my Traveling Buddy
I like to think this question is asking if I were to randomly get a tv show cataloging my adventures in Pokemon, who would be my sidekick? The answer is Squirtle, but since I have already talked about him so much, I am going to give other pokemon a chance to shine.
So who would it be? Yanma!
I’ve loved Yanma ever since the good ol’ day, and really more so now that they are more available now that trading is easier than ever.
Yanma is precious to look at and can be ferocious in battle making him a wonderful partner.
The biggest drawback yanma has is not being able to learn a single HM. Not one. This was alarming to when I realized it. Just seems weird. I figured he could learn cut or, I dont know, Fly! But nope.
I am willing to overlook this because of his cuddly face and for the fact that I do not want to mess with something that see 360 degrees. No Thanks!
Check back tomorrow for another daily post!
January 1st! A New Year Update
Here we are! The first day of the year. The first blog of the year. The first update of the year. Honestly, I am super excited for this year. Why? Were trying something new here. I don’t want to call it a daily blog. No, it’s more of a challenge. Were going to do a 30 day challenges(Some months 28, some months 31). Each month will have it’s own theme. This month will be Pokemon. It’s one of my favorite topics and generally gets some response in the comment section when I do a pokemon post. So January 2nd through the 31st will be a daily post about pokemon. February will be the same style just a new theme.
I’ll try to keep Manga Mondays, Anime Reviews, Top Fives and Miscellaneous Reviews coming on a normal basis.
My school is starting back up and it should not interfere with the daily blog, but it might slow some of the other stuff down. I should also be starting my first semester as substitute this month.
Anyway, I know this is coming out on the 2nd EST. A late Christmas party had me out all day. Anyway, expect a new post later this day!
Magic Monday: A Beginner’s Guide to Magic- White
Wishing for white Christmas? I got you covered!
This week we end our Beginner’s Guide to Magic. Where does the time go?
White is honor and pride. White is about the army of many. It’s about justice and valor. White is all the little pieces that make the machine work. What’s the best creature type to represent white in this standard? Allies of course.
Here’s a mono White Allies Deck I threw together!
Lands 21
21x Plains
Creatures 28
4x Cliffside Lookout
4x Expedition Envoy
4x Seeker of the Way
4x Kor Bladewhirl
4x Serene Steward
4x Lantern Scout
2x Archangel of Tithes
2x Felidar Soverign
Other Spells 11
4x Gideon, Ally of Zendikar
3x Silkwrap
3x Valorous Stance
1x Radiant Purge
Summon as many allies as you can. The rally will trigger and give us sweet perks. Tithes and Felidar are the only non-ally triggers in the deck, so you should get them often. Remember Ultimating Gideon right off the bat can be the right play giving all our little guys +1/+1. If you can’t afford him put in Retreat to Emeria instead. Also, if you want the consistency of the Ally triggers over the finishing nature of Tithes and Felidar, add 4 of Hero of Goma Fada.
White are players who- like synergy with their creatures. Every creature works for the good of the whole. You will in no way have the biggest creatures, you will have no permission based cards, and no burn damage. You will, however, have creatures that go well together as well as solid removal. Kill and exile stuff that is in your way and then rally your way to victory behind first strike, double strike, etc.
Pros- Everything goes together. You get to play Gideon. You have access to some of the best removal in standard. What you like in size and speed you make up in your army. In your brotherhood valor and justice will always shine through.
Cons- You do not want to fall behind. Outside of maybe Soverign and Gideon, you do not really have a card that is going to just break the game. Be mindful of board wipes and know stabilizing might become more difficult the harder the hit, as a single creature will likely not win us the match by itself. No counter magic, no burn magic, and no pump spells(Outside of Gideon’s emblem) make us a little less exciting than the other colors but build your army and ruthlessly take down your opponent before they can mount a comeback.
Well there you have it!
Beginner’s Guide to Magic is through, but Magic Monday will make a return in 2016 down the road.
Until than check out more Magic Monday Here!
Top Five Pokeballs that should exist!
It’s been tooooooo loooong since we’ve done a Top Five, so here’s an easy one to try and get us in the swing of things!
Remember the good old days of just having 4(5 if you count safari) different types of Pokeballs? Yeah, I’ve never said that either. One of favorite aspects of Johto were new pokeballs. Albeit, I grew up and realized there really isn’t a point to buy anything other than ultra balls once you can afford them. That does not mean we cannot have some fun with wacky pokeball ideas. Right? Plus, I always buy out there balls to try and capture the legendary pokemons in funny balls.
So here we go.
#5-The Random Ball- Okay. You’re gonna have to hear me out here. It wouldn’t be a DaHubbz countdown if we didn’t have a wacky and and crazy entry on this top five. You know how early in the game you get a bunch of pokemons no one cares for? Well the Random Ball will take that pokemon you do not care for and turn them into a random pokemon. I love this idea because it adds a curve ball to the every day mundane task of dealing with those annoying early game pokemons. It would throw off the balance of the game, so I suppose you can make it only available after you beat the Elite For or maybe make it the semi-random ball.
#4- The Nurture Ball- So, the badges let you do a lot of cool stuff outside of battle. Get into the Elite Four, use HMs, and oh, use traded pokemon. This use to be such a hassle back when I was still starting out. Blastoise would be falling asleep or recharging for who knows why. This Nurture Ball would make that a little less demanding. If badge two lets Lv 30 obey, than if a Lv 30 Pokemon is caught with a Nurture Ball and traded to someone, that Pokemon would obey even if the second owner did not have the second badge.
#3- Luck Ball- I think this one is pretty cool. Its a pokeball that has a chance to raise one random stat. If these pokeballs are accessible early on this could be a huge boost to get by the first couple parts of the game. It’d be pretty awesome. Don’t think there is any other thing needed to say about it. Yeap.
#2- The Scatter Ball- You know how they’ve made horde encounters a thing? Well, if you ever tried to catch a pokemon while the entire horde is still alive, you cannot “aim” somehow. I have two ideas for this one. Either A). It bust into multiple balls and attempts to catch all of them. or B). You could call it The Scope Ball or something where it singles out a single Pokemon in a horde. I think this ball would be relevant since the horde seems to be sticking around.
#1- The Lead Ball- Maybe not the best name for it but I didn’t want to name it the sticky ball or the trap ball. I am not sure how this ball would function completely yet. Some ideas for it that I do have are A). As the namesake, it makes the pokemon like lead and unable to flee. This would prevent abra from teleporting or the legendaries from fleeing. Chasing the dogs or the birds or the lake spirits or whatever, were always some of the most dreaded parts of my experience and this would just be an option to keep them stationary. B). Maybe it could have a better catch rate against pokemon that flee.
So there ya have it. That’s my top five. Feel free to add your own in the comments!
Until next time, check out other Top Fives Here
Or more Pokemon Here
Magic Monday: A Beginner’s Guide to Magic- Black
In honor of the Star Wars movie, we join the dark side.
You know the stories they tell you about witchcraft and voodoo and necromancy? Well that were here to do! Black wizards use tricks and savage tactics to manipulate aspects of the game. Often, they do not care about their creatures and gain perks when they die. Black is very twisted, but it is very satisfying.
Here’s a mono Black deck I threw together for today:
Lands 23
23x Swamp
Monsters 29
4x Bloodsoaked Champion
4x Hangarback Walker
4x Zulaport Cutthroat
4x Qarsi Sadist
4x Carrier Thrall
4x Nantuko Husk
2x Drana, Liberator of Malakir
2x Smothering Abomination
1x Gurmag Angler
Spells 8
1x Bone Splinters
3x Alter’s Reap
2x Ruinous Path
1x Murderous Cut
1x Duress
1x Transgress The Mind
Creatures die! It’s part of the game, after all. Our deck just takes advantage of this. This deck is stylized in the form and aristocrats deck that runs cards that want to die. Were mono black and not fancy. So we do not run Rally The Ancestors. You want to be sac’n Bloodsoaked Champion because he can revive himself. Hangarback leaves tokens behind, which, in return, can sac’d themselves. Do this while Zulaport is on the field and you start to hurt your opponent. Sac’n as a result of Nantuko Husk can beef him up and just kill your opponent right there. Drana, Smothering, Gurmag are here to finish the deal. The spells are mix of goodies from removal to draw spells. Duress is good for control and Transgress picks stuff out that is bigger than us.
Black is for players who- want evil creatures and diabolical spells. If you have ever dreamed of playing the bad guy black is for you. You have access to some of the best straight removal, most of your creatures have abilities
Pros- Black cards give you some amount of say in what sticks around(In the form of removal). Like green, the little guys shine here. Though green pumps its creatures, black normally does not mind if it’s creatures die. You may not always have board presence because you are sac’n your creatures, but with all your removal they should have trouble establishing a board on you as well.
Cons- As mentioned, your creatures are small. Drana is a flyer which helps, but she’s still a 2/3 for 3. Gurmag is a welcomed addition because you can delve all your sac’d guys to get him out for 1 or 2. Remember, black with go faster, green will get bigger, and blue will try to deny you, but you are the most wicked one of them all!
Next week we finish the colors up with white!
Until then check out more Magic Monday here!
Da_Hubbz 
