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Electrike/Manectric
Type: Electric
Ability(s): Static/Lightningrod
Probably the first electric type you'll come across, unless you got lucky with finding Minun or god forbid Plusle. Of course, Electrike is a far more efficient option than either of these two, if only for the fact that his stats are overall better than theirs once he evolves.
He does, however, have a rather middling start. Starting at Lv12-13, Electrike doesn't learn Spark until Lv20, basically forcing him to rely on Tackle, and 4-5 levels later, Quick Attack for damage, which blows far harder than you think since it's running off his vastly inferior 45 attack stat. This generally means he's quite unhelpful until he gets Spark, at which point, he finally starts becoming decent with 65/65 special offenses, though his durability is lacking. He only gets truly good once he evolves, with above average 75/105/105 offenses turning him into a glass cannon. For this reason, you may want to hold off collecting him until after you get Surf, since you can get pre-evolved Manectric on Route 118.
The electric type isn't the greatest typing to have around during midgame, but there's always the stray water or flying type to gib with Spark. Just don't think he will be helpful in the midgame gyms, though he starts showing his true worth lategame, when he finally has flying types to nuke in the Fortree gym, then later on after Lilycove, there are lots of water types on the high seas for him to rape, which makes him automatically good against Juan (he doesn't want anything to do with Whiscash), and I guess he can do something against the twins once Claydol's down. He is also great against the elites as a whole, hitting Sid's Crawdaunt, 3 of Glacia's Pokes and almost everything on Wallace's team (again, stay the fuck away from Whiscash) with cold, hard super effective damage.
Manectric kind of got shafted as far as movepool goes. He doesn't get access to his next electric attack, Thunder, until Lv45, and you sure as hell will be able to buy the TM for that before then. Not only that, but you get the Thunderbolt TM earlier as well, on top of that being more accurate than Thunder. As for his coverage, he gets Bite at Lv39 and can get Crunch through breeding (but fuck breeding), and assorted normal moves, but that's where his coverage ends. He really wishes he got Flamethrower like he does in 4th gen.
In a nutshell, Manectric is a niche Pokemon that can handle most of the lategame all by himself.
7/10
Plusle and Minun
Type: Electric
Ability(s): Plus (Plusle), Minus (Minun)
I'm rating these two in the same post because the only difference between them is minor stat distribution and one move in their level up movepools. Basically, what I say about one will usually apply to the other.
Like Electrike, Plusle and Minun can be found in the grass leading to Mauville City, but unlike Electrike who is a common sight, Plusle is a major rarity, with only a 2% chance of encounter, which makes him very elusive. Minun, on the other hand, is "only" uncommon with a 15% encounter rate. Once you do find your rat, you will find out that he has a similarly bad start like Electrike does, being caught at Lv12-13 and having to wait until Lv19 for Spark. So, once again, you have a Pokemon that is quite unhelpful until he learns his first STAB, then you can notice a difference in his usefulness, though neither Plusle nor Minun are that great even after getting Spark.
Their stats are mediocre at best. 95 speed is good, their special stats are decent for midgame, everything else is terrible. Now, while this is better than Electrike, remember that Electrike has a somewhat early evolution to look forward to, not to mention a slightly better movepool than Plusle and Minun, so he ends up better than these Pikachu ripoffs. It should also be noted that Plusle is more offensive than Minun, who is more defensive, so Plusle ends up being the superior one in the long run.
Their movepools are a total joke. The best way to summarize their learnsets is that the only damaging moves they learn are of the electric and normal types, which is quite uninteresting. The only other coverage they get is Iron Tail, but that is unobtainable until after you beat Juan (which I will admit, they are effective in), not to mention that steel gives off terrible coverage. These rats wish that they got Brick Break or Dig access, but nope. And even if they did, their attack stats are too low to make use of either move (Plusle has 50 attack while Minun has 40).
Of course, they do learn Baton Pass, but the only thing they can do with that is pass Agility boosts. Going back to the offensive vs defensive thing, Plusle gets Fake Tears and Minun gets Charm. While both can have their uses, Fake Tears is slightly more useful since it allows Plusle to kill things faster (as opposed to Minun being able to survive a fluke physical hit, which is not very useful since he has a harder time killing things lategame than Plusle).
Their abilities seem good on paper (gives them a 50% SpA boost when paired with each other), but in practice, the requirements to get the boost is retarded, as it requires you to have both a Plusle and a Minun (I can't fathom why you'd want to use both), and you have to be in a double battle. Granted, double battles are a bit more common in Emerald due to the ability to face two trainers at the same time, but still. Also, a haiku from a user who had a little more time to waste than me in regards to this strategy:
Type: Electric
Ability(s): Plus (Plusle), Minus (Minun)
I'm rating these two in the same post because the only difference between them is minor stat distribution and one move in their level up movepools. Basically, what I say about one will usually apply to the other.
Like Electrike, Plusle and Minun can be found in the grass leading to Mauville City, but unlike Electrike who is a common sight, Plusle is a major rarity, with only a 2% chance of encounter, which makes him very elusive. Minun, on the other hand, is "only" uncommon with a 15% encounter rate. Once you do find your rat, you will find out that he has a similarly bad start like Electrike does, being caught at Lv12-13 and having to wait until Lv19 for Spark. So, once again, you have a Pokemon that is quite unhelpful until he learns his first STAB, then you can notice a difference in his usefulness, though neither Plusle nor Minun are that great even after getting Spark.
Their stats are mediocre at best. 95 speed is good, their special stats are decent for midgame, everything else is terrible. Now, while this is better than Electrike, remember that Electrike has a somewhat early evolution to look forward to, not to mention a slightly better movepool than Plusle and Minun, so he ends up better than these Pikachu ripoffs. It should also be noted that Plusle is more offensive than Minun, who is more defensive, so Plusle ends up being the superior one in the long run.
Their movepools are a total joke. The best way to summarize their learnsets is that the only damaging moves they learn are of the electric and normal types, which is quite uninteresting. The only other coverage they get is Iron Tail, but that is unobtainable until after you beat Juan (which I will admit, they are effective in), not to mention that steel gives off terrible coverage. These rats wish that they got Brick Break or Dig access, but nope. And even if they did, their attack stats are too low to make use of either move (Plusle has 50 attack while Minun has 40).
Of course, they do learn Baton Pass, but the only thing they can do with that is pass Agility boosts. Going back to the offensive vs defensive thing, Plusle gets Fake Tears and Minun gets Charm. While both can have their uses, Fake Tears is slightly more useful since it allows Plusle to kill things faster (as opposed to Minun being able to survive a fluke physical hit, which is not very useful since he has a harder time killing things lategame than Plusle).
Their abilities seem good on paper (gives them a 50% SpA boost when paired with each other), but in practice, the requirements to get the boost is retarded, as it requires you to have both a Plusle and a Minun (I can't fathom why you'd want to use both), and you have to be in a double battle. Granted, double battles are a bit more common in Emerald due to the ability to face two trainers at the same time, but still. Also, a haiku from a user who had a little more time to waste than me in regards to this strategy:
Go play with Minun,
Build up your special attacks,
Then get owned by 'Quake.
Plusle: 4/10
Minun: 3.5/10
Oddish/Gloom/Vileplume/Bellossom
Type: Grass/Poison, Grass (Bellossom)
Ability(s): Chlorophyll
The last new grass-type for a while, Oddish has one of the poorest starts. He starts with Absorb, which as I've already explained, does craptastic damage unless you are targeting a 4x weakness, even with a great 75 base Special attack (like that's gonna make a huge difference at this point). While the Bullet Seed TM can help a bit, remember that midgame as a whole isn't kind to grass types. Until he evolves at Lv21, he does pack powders, which can help a bit, but his offensive prowess leaves a lot to be desired. Lv24 Acid sounds cool and all, but he's not doing much other than sleeping something and switching out to something else otherwise.
Note that this is only applicable if you caught your Oddish on Route 110 or Route 117. It is possible to catch one at a significantly higher level on Routes 119-123, thus allowing you to evolve him into Gloom right away. From there, you can use either a leaf stone (acquired through dowsing machine on Route 119) to get Vileplume or a sun stone (acquired from the Mossdeep Space Lab or from a wild Solrock) to get Bellossom.
Unlike in G/S/C, Vileplume/Bellossom isn't really hurting for a good grass attack. While both Vileplume and Bellossom get Petal Dance through level up, they have to wait until Lv44, which isn't happening until around the time you face Juan. Until then, they can grab the Giga Drain TM, or if you have Bellossom, you can get Magical Leaf through relearner. If you're really adventurous, they can utilize the Solar Beam TM, but you will need Sunny Day to make the best use of it, but that goes without saying.
Which evolution would you pick? While the first obtainable leaf stone is found earlier than the first easily obtainable sun stone, you'll find yourself wanting to evolve him before you get the first sun stone anyway. But both evolutions have their merits: Vileplume has more special attack and STAB on Sludge Bomb, but Bellossom doesn't have a psychic weakness as well as better special bulk, allowing him to deal with the twins better. Both are equally slow without sunlight support (they have Chlorophyll) and both have decent physical durability, so there you go.
It is also worth nothing that they can troll Juan and Wallace badly if they run Sunny Day. Just use the move as they use Rain Dance (you're slower than them, so you'll get your weather up last), and start blasting them with Solar Beams while you outspeed them. The only real obstacles to such a strategy are Wallace's Ludicolo and Tentacruel, but you can simply use Sludge Bomb on Ludi and put Tenta to sleep so you can kill him easier.
Overall, this line can do some serious damage lategame if utilized properly, but has a midgame rut if caught too early. Keep that in mind when using Oddish.
4.5/10
Gulpin/Swalot
Type: Poison
Ability(s): Liquid Ooze/Sticky Hold
Caught at Lv13 in the grass on Route 110, Gulpin looks like a promising enough Pokemon to train, and his start isn't too bad since he gains Sludge one level after being caught, giving him a powerful nuke despite his low 43 base attack. Considering that most other Pokemon on this route don't get good moves until a bit later, this is good. Granted, poison isn't a great offensive type to begin with and it gets resisted by quite a few things during the trek to Lavaridge, but it is an advantage that he has over his competition. And as an added kicker, he evolves at the same level as Electrike, even gaining Body Slam in the process.
Swalot's 73/73/55 offenses are good enough for midgame purposes, but they start to falter lategame when things get better offensive stats, but they remain decent, especially considering the coverage he gets, including Ice Beam, Giga Drain, and Shadow Ball, which allows him to deal with certain gym leaders and elites (stay the fuck away from the twins). His only real gripe is that he wishes he learned Sludge Bomb earlier than Lv48, though the TM exists so he can enjoy a good STAB move all through the lategame.
While Swalot maintains good enough offense against mooks with his decent selection of moves, his prowess against the various gyms... isn't great to say the least. While he can do something to Watson and Flannery offensively, he really cannot stomach their attacks, and he should probably avoid Norman for more or less the same reason. He does alright against Winona due to Ice Beam access as well as his good bulk (100/83/83), though Skarm will undoubtedly give him some issues and Altaria hits him hard with EQ. While he should avoid the twins at all costs, he's a decent choice against Juan and Wallace if you failed to raise an electric type, and is great against Drake if he has Ice Beam (except against Flygon, but that goes without saying since EQ will OHKO you).
In a nutshell, while Gulpin isn't the best Pokemon around, he is a decent filler choice if you need one.
5/10
Volbeat and Illumise
Type: Bug
Ability(s): Illuminate/Swarm (Volbeat), Oblivious (Illumise)
Well what do you know? More shitty early-mid bug types. And while they aren't the worst Pokes I've reviewed, they still are not very efficient choices. Also, doing the dual rating here like with the rats and Wurmple's evos because of how similar they are (the only difference here are atk/spa distribution and level up movepools).
Volbeat:
The first of two fireflies to be found on Route 117, Volbeat is one of the most elusive bastards in the game, with a whopping 1% encounter rate, tying with Seedot and Kecleon for rarest wild Pokemon in the game (not counting Lati@s since that is postgame). But this rating isn't about how rare something is, but rather how well Volbeat performs in battle. Starting at Lv13, Volbeat has issues catching up to your level thanks to a moveset consisting of Tackle and later Quick Attack until Lv25 when he gets Signal Beam, though he does have a decent 73/85 physical offense, so it isn't all bad, but lack of STAB until Lv25 hurts.
One of Volbeat's more interesting moves is Lv21 Tail Glow, which he can use to boost his crappy 47 base SpA to a level usable for special attacking. And he's not hurting for a good special movepool, either: Early on, he can be taught Shock Wave, which solves some of the issues regarding his coverage, and later, can wield Thunderbolt. Water Pulse is another option as well, but that comes too late to have any significant use, and Giga Drain doesn't blend well with Bug coverage wise, but remains an option to hit Gravelers. Aside from that, he does get access to Brick Break, Shadow Ball, and Aerial Ace to round out his physical coverage.
Volbeat's boss performance is quite sad to say the least. He's not doing anything significant to Watson at all, and gets utterly raped by Flannery and Winona (and doesn't want anything to do with Maxie or Norman). He's somewhat interesting against the twins and Sidney due to being the only bug with access to strong STAB throughout the game (Heracross doesn't get Megahorn until Lv53), but otherwise, his ability to deal with bosses is quite bad.
Volbeat isn't as bad as what you might expect, but there are way better options out there.
4/10
Illumise:
Illumise is like Volbeat, if Volbeat had worse attack, no STAB, and a shittier level up learnset.
Illumise is a lot more common than Volbeat, but in exchange, she has a much shittier start. Like him, she has a moveset consisting of Tackle and Quick Attack, but unlike him, her attack is only at 47 and she doesn't get any STAB moves through level up, instead getting a movepool consisting of relatively worthless support moves, which have no real bearing on a Pokemon's battle performance, which implies being able to kill shit fast, and Illumise really fails at that.
Her offense isn't completely hopeless, though, as while her attack is terrible, 73 SpA is actually decent, and she does get a fairly vast special movepool. She pretty much demands the Shock Wave TM early on to deal any meaningful damage, and later on, wants Thunderbolt for more or less the same reason. Water Pulse and Giga Drain can serve as ways of killing the ground types that stop Thunderbolt, but take note that WP comes late and there's relatively heavy competition for Giga Drain. She also wishes she got Tail Glow like Volbeat did.
Remember when I said that Volbeat has a poor gym performance? Illumise has it a lot worse, lacking the STAB to reliable deal with the twins/Sidney nor having the attack stat to make Shadow Ball/Brick Break a decent substitute. I guess she can gib Juan and Wallace's Pokemon with Thunderbolt, but seriously. Even Minun kills them faster, and that's due to him actually getting STAB on Thunderbolt.
In a nutshell, I wouldn't touch Illumise with a 39.5 foot long pole.
2.5/10
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