Ironbound

You pleb, what're you doing? Get back here!

Spines are broken. Titanium bonds with broken bone. Titanium is a metal, like steel. Hence steel, hence proved. Spine?

Pokémon evolution is not like Darwinian evolution, since it deals with a process more akin to metamorphosis. The form change on individuated Pokemon is most like insectoid complete metamorphosis, perhaps best compared to the 'evolution' line of the route 1 bugs on every game. Pokémon being beings of energy and not really the same kind of matter as humans seems to support this feature, as Energy can convert itself to other forms to assume different properties. And as for all this alolan form muck, I don't know and I don't want to. I'll be back in DPPt if anyone wants to find me.

I don't own a 3DS either, haven't played anything beyond Platinum and SoulSilver because Gen4 Master Race, and I'm quite seriously going to regress back to the good ol' days when OU was fun and TM64 was everywhere. Beyond Gen4, the meta game in competitive got worse and more unbalanced with each successive generations, what with Gen5 bringing weather wars and Scald (and more borked mons like Keldeo and KyuB), gen6 basically going bonkers with megas and fairies and the ungodly nerf to the noble Steel type and a crapload of ugly stuff, and gen7 looking like it's gonna add yet another massive mechanic and metric tonne of Pokemon and abilities. Bah! Besides, I can't stand the fact that we actually have the atrocious Ice/Steel Sandslash now. You there! Yes, you, with the jazzy fur. Show up!

Steel > sissy lizards I see Bing and Yahoo down there. What is this sorcery?

What? It's sherberthday? Inconeceivable! Have a great year ahead!

FIRE! BURN IT! First of all, Ice and steel should never be thought of as a buff for Ice but rather as a terrible nerf for Steel, since Steel is the only type among the two that should ever be considered from a defensive standpoint. You do NOT want to consider Ice from the defensive view, since we all know it sucks in that regard. Next up, let's look at the typing itself, be it from any standpoint. It is in every way a terrible typing that is worse even than Steel/Rock! It has a huge weakness to fighting and fire, does nothing to alleviate the ground weakness of Steel and in fact takes away the Steel type'S resistance to Rock and Steel itself, while adding absolutely no significant defensive bonus (hurr, it resists ice even more now, what a great trade-off, hurr). I fail to see even one way in which ice and steel can be considered a good defensive typing, even in PU. Hell, pure Steel is infinitely better. Now, I say nothing against the offensive merit of the combination. Ice STAB is always fantastic, and Steel is also good enough now to hit Rock and Fairy types, as well as enemy Ice types. But, and here you must follow me, Alolan Sandslash is NOT primarily an offensive Pokemon. It is stated to be even slower than regular Sandslash, does not enjoy Sand Rush to even entertain the idea of being an offensive sweeper, and is in every way looking like another addition to the long list of sucky defensive ice types that GF likes to make. Wormadam, I forgive you. You may also be a terrible mockery and a useless, badly-designed gimmick, and you may also insult the Steel family by not even being a Steel type in all your forms, but at least you have a good typing for your role as a defensive mon in your realm. Alolan Sandslash is hereby decreed to be the worst steel type in the history of steel types, and I shall persecute it until it dies of brittling and rust from the salt of its own frozen tears! (Disclaimer: this is my opinion only. Therefore it is law.)

Hello? I clearly stated that my next guess was to be KH. Though I see why the phrasing might've mislead you. Micky?

Nah, KH Also I'm gawn again, so bye indefinitely.

Steel master race. Stop trying to buff ice defensivy or try to make defensive ice types, they all suck. Why can't we just have more offensive Ice types like Weavile and Mamoswine and Kyurem? Play to your strength, people. Ice is a great offensive type but it sucks defensively. Micky.

It pleases me to see another naive soul crushed under the cold iron foot of reality. I nevertheless wish you success in your travels, and hopefully you'll return to have something more fruitful to do in this delightful paradise known as Reborn. Micky, stop feeding a dying flame. Let it wither away, and something better might grow out of the ashes. (Before you take me seriously, give my inner trollishness a regard)

What should never be a Pokémon? Why, an atrocity like, oh, I don't know... ICE AND STEEL, maybe? Oh wait.

Only after you beat the Poison gym and get the ability to use Strength. You need to go through a very long Strength+Flash puzzle in the wasteland to get to an area that gives you a Solosis as well as an item called the Yureyu Key, which unlocks the back room in the Ghost gym/old power plant. You need to start from the greenish crystal puzzle in the blown-up part of Tanzan mountain, where you last talk to Sapphira. There ought to be a guide or two that illustrate that fiendish puzzle. Still, it's worth the trouble, because Magnezone is easily the best electric type in the game, and one of the best steel types as well, definitely the best special attacking steel type. And you'd better do it now, because it's confirmed that Ame is moving the Yureyu Key to an even later stage in ep16.

Where are my spatterdashes? I foresee a need for their extensive use as I wade through a host of AMAs. Micky, show yourself.

I know next to nothing about you, but that also means that you have done nothing to displease me, as far as I know. Good job?

What's that? In the sky! Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it's--OH GOD NO, RUUU--...*crackling static noises* Mmh idk, maybe spine.

Surprise! I had some time so... Mega Flygon, I suppose. It was fun to do this again after what, 45 days at least? More like two months since I actually drew anything. Poor Flygon deserved one, at least. Flygon was always a good Pokemon theoretically, but it suffered from mediocre stats, lack of set up moves, and being completely overshadowed by Garchomp and even Zygarde, to the point where having a wonderfully wide movepool on both spectra, access to Roost, Syealth Rock, Defog and U-turn, as well as a great typing augmented by Levitate (theoretically also making it one of the best defoggers, since it has no Pursuit weakness, a resistance to Rock and immunity to spikes and Toxic spikes) still doesn't cut it for it in higher tiers. Mega Flygon fixes all of that. From a rather paltry 80/100/80/80/80/100 it goes to a well rounded 80/120/90/120/90/120, gaining a significant boost to speed and power while also improving its bulk marginally. It retains the Dragon/Ground typing and Levitate. This alone makes it play the role of a fast pivot with Defog very well, and a mixed set with high powered moves like STAB Draco Meteor and Earthquake hurts even from a rather modest (for a mega) base 120 offensive stats. Fire Blast, Stone Edge and Boomburst only make it better. Aesthetically, this is my tamest Mega yet, in the sense that no drastic change from the original has been implemented (but then, nothing needed to an overhaul. i believe that the modest alterations in the design emphasize that Mega Flygon is an upgrade and not a remake.) It's better to enumerate the small differences rather than the similarities in this case. Flygon's crest has three points, with a large central one, instead of two longish ones that it has in its base form. It has an additional set of gem-like compound eyes embedded in its forehead. Its body is more clearly segmented and has more striations, brown and gold now instead of greenish. Its rhomboid wings are now dark coverts rimmed with glod and tipped in bright red. Flight is instead achieved by a pair of translucent folding inner wings, with red triangles framing the edge. Flygon's arms and fingers have receded, only being golden nubs with long red nails, whereas its hind legs have developed: it now has armored thighs and has four curved talons on each foot, two at the toes and two at the heels. Now for the real change. I wanted to break the game so I gave it a set up move. Dragon Dance? Eh, doesn't quite fit. It is more of a bug anyways, so wynaut give it Quiver Dance? It goes much better with the whole mirage-of-the-desert thing. See how glorious it is as it rises out of the sand, whipping up a cascading shower of particles as it flutters! Yeah, now it's broken I guess. GG. Anyway, it's been fun drawing this. I doubt I can do another anytime soon, but for now I've had enough fun playing truant. Until later~ PS: big thanks to everyone here, and all that good stuff.

It's me, one last time. Goodbye now, and a big thank-you as well. The next person will not be me.

Goodness, Viri, this is unusually sentimental for you. Cut out the redundancies and just go already! It's surprising to reflect I've been a member here for, what, a year and a half? Although that's nothing compared to relics of Reborn, and I wasn't even active for all the time. Anyhow, in recent times, I've begun to wonder what it is that I am actually doing here in this community. I've realized that it's unfortunately boiling down to almost the same story all the time: puns, taunting a few friends, Magnezoning, the occasional philosophy or serious talk, a few battles and then back again, ad infinitum. Why, I've become a mere meme, and a rather dead one at that. I myself have gotten bored of the same regular charade, and that got the gears into motion, really. So while I've been excusing the time I spent here as relaxation, the truth is that I've been tiring of myself here, not to mention the mounting pressure from my real-life obligations and studies. So I've come to the conclusion that it's a good idea to take a break. I don't doubt that that's the best course for me alone; I daresay public tolerance won't be floating my boat for much longer, really. Overexposure and stagnation don't do any good for anyone, so I'd say good riddance to Viri for a solid few months or more, if I were you. I'd like to clarify that I'm not leaving because of anyone or anything on this Community. "It's not Staryu, it's Starmie", if I can make one last cringeworthy pun. But yes, I do think it'll be in the best of interests for all parties, and for myself in particular. Of course, I know that I'll be leaving a few loose ends, so I'll address them here and now: First, my art thread, as stated there, will unfortunately have to die with me. I genuinely regret this, but I can no longer continue that endeavour for the time being, so I shall consider it suspended for now. Comments and criticism are always welcome, even if they are accumulative and historical, as they now shall be. I have great gratitude and respect for those who have supported me in this endeavour, and I take this opportunity to thank them again. The philosophy thread and others that I've initiated or have an interest in can always remain open, and anyone and everyone is free to continue them if they so choose in whatever manner they deem fit. To the Amazon Nation, I express my sincere thanks for having me on board; I apologize equally sincerely for having to leave, and I cry your pardon for the fact. It's a small mercy that I've not done any active battling. To all my friends in this community, whom I've already mentioned in various other places, this departure will not be very surprising, I wager. I don't even need to tell you all how much respect and affection I have for you. I thank you all for your support to me, and I commit myself to reconnecting with you all in the future. And that is all, in its fullness. I'll probably not be posting for a long while, and I will likely not keep popping in from time to time as I had during my other 'hiatuses'. Here's to the future, and fare thee well, Reborn.

Now would be a hilariously tragicomic time to break this to you, but you needn't worry about being away for the rest of this week. I will be making a nice looking goodbye thread as well, so I'm not repeating that unusually sentimental sop here. Tootles, folks, and see y'all in November or December or next year or next decade or whenever! To clarify: this thread is CLOSED. comments if any are welcome, though they will now be historical, and I'm grateful to all of you here for your support.

DULL is next (Divided-Upper-Lip-Loli)

Durant is a bullet ant though. And yeah, a fire ant would be cool (or actually not cool, but rather heated), but it would suffer because unlike Volcarona it wouldn't have QD to make up for that horrible defensive typing. And somehow I can't imagine it using Flare Blitz or Fire Punch Or Blaze Kick (ants, I mean, c'mon, they don't have the biological capability if they're properly structured like Durant was) so it's probably going to be stuck with Fire Fang and Bug Bite (Technician would make it cooler) etc. Design wise, yes, competitive wise, eh not so much. Especially since it would basically be a Durant rip-off with a much worse typing. And as for king crab, yes, kingler is one (a fiddler crab technically but eh who cares crabs are crabs); I got confused because I was thinking about horseshoe crabs, which are also crustaceans but are not actually crabs. In any case, those concepts are already covered by kingler and Kabutops. Personally I'd want a scorpionfly or a locust. We need scarier bugs. I also already said that I want a termite, an actually good Bug/Ground Pokemon. Also, a Water Beetle or something would be good, since we basically have no water bugs (surskit does NOT count)