One of my favourite ghost types, and for good reason. It's long, flowy hair trails behind it like ghostly wisps, doing what Ghastly failed to emulate too literally a generation ago. The gem necklace around its neck provides a clear focal point where it stores all its power. Its colours are also just great, I love the combination of this blue and red with the pink and yellow highlights
Mismagius
The actual witch Pokémon is here. The spiky, big-brimmed hat encloses its head in shadow, giving it an air of mystery. The body resembles a long, flowy robe to which the power gems are attached to as accessories. It does look like it has a football stuck in its throat, but trust me, it would look weirder without that lump there. We can presume it's supposed to be the collar of the robes anyway
Flutter Mane
It's GORGEOUS with its big quadruple wings. It looks cocky with that fanged smirk, and I can't blame it. It's like the most powerful Paradox Pokémon in competitive. The slitted eyes and the spikes on its back give it a feral edge. And there's something about that eyeshadow these prehistoric Mons really like, this is the second past Paradox form with it
This line is lowkey terrifying in a cosmic sort of way. If it wasn't drawn in this simpler, cartoony style, it would be an eldritch horror. It's a starfish with a giant power gem in the middle acting as its eye, and mouth, and face, and basically entire being
Starmie
Starmie does not beat the eldritch allegations at ALL with its extra limbs and larger gem. It's even a psychic type now, if it wasn't already obvious to being an all-seeing, all-knowing entity of unknown origin
I love Eevee. I have always been an Eevee fan ever since I was young, and its adorable face brings me joy. I want to snuggle into its neck fluff and feel its bushy tail. This is the ultimate friend, and you sure as hell know I bought Let's Go! Eevee to experience the joys of having it as my partner Pokémon. It is the Creature of all time
Gigantamax Eevee
It's perfection. The exaggerated neck fluff and tail was all it needed. It has an air of subtle sass with the upturned paw on its chest
Vaporeon
My personal favourite of the original three Eeveelutions. It's got gills all over and a mermaid tail. They couldn't have made it look anymore aquatic. I think it represents its typing the best out of the three. It would definitely do well in aquatic performance shows as the centre attraction, it feels built to be noticed. And its seal-like face makes me smile
Jolteon
This Eeveelution always feels overlooked, and to be fair, I can see why. It's all spikes and yellows. It doesn't have much going on past that. You can definitely tell what type it is, so it succeeds there, it looks like it got electrocuted. There's certainly a charm to it, I know Jolteon has a group of dedicated fans. But that doesn't stop it from being a little bit boring
Flareon
I find it very cute that they went with a warm, cuddly fire instead of the easier direction of setting it ablaze. Sure it stands out less, but I give it props for going in a more unique direction. And I really want a Flareon to sit on my lap in the middle of winter
Espeon
The most cat-like of the Eeveelutions for sure. Its personality SCREAMS "standoffish and takes a while to warm up to you". I'm just noticing it has the teeniest paws too. It's elegant and knows more than it should. The twin tails and gem on its forehead gives it an aura of mystique. And I just love how the tufts of fur beneath the ears frame its face. It creates such a distinctive silhouette
Umbreon
It's sleek and simple, and that's all it needs to be. It was bathed in moonlight and darkness to evolve, and the rings on its body evoke a full moon, or an eclipsed sun. Its red eyes stand out against its all black body. It's recognisable, iconic and one of people's top favourite Eeveelutions for a reason
Leafeon
It's such a cool and pretty Pokémon. The leafy appendages and colour scheme make its typing super obvious. It's like a forest spirit who's also your companion. You feel calmer looking at it
Glaceon
It's really silly to me how bald it is if you view it from any other angle than the front. Those bangs do not extend to the rest of the head, and for the life of me I can't understand why. Anyway, its primary shape is diamonds to connect back to its ice typing, which works. It's simple, but effective. To be honest, I feel like they could have done a little more with it
Sylveon
Perfect, no notes. It's fairy as hell and very whimsical. It looks like it evolves through friendship. It's the magical girl of all time who will beat you to death if you talk bad about its trainer. There is a reason Sylveon is my profile picture, it's my favourite Eeveelution and one of my favourite Pokémon of all time. It's carefree, it's trans, it has bowties. I cannot speak ill of it
I don't know what it is, but I like it. It's got tippy tappy paw nails and an infectious grin. It does indeed look like it only has 2 braincells, and they occasionally fire a small spark to each other. Its name is very apt. This is how it feels after you get very overstimulated and can't speak proper English anymore
Slowbro
Thank goodness this Pokémon cannot properly register pain, because the teeth of that deranged "Shellder" are digging into its tail very hard. And if that thing is truly what a Shellder looks like evolved with another Pokémon, then maybe it was always doomed to look ugly after evolution. Also kill it with fire. Slowbro might not mind it, but I sure do
Also yes, the only difference in the Pokémon itself being that it stands up is very funny. Then it stares at me like I'M the problem, the audacity lmao
Mega Slowbro
This is the one time this Pokémon looks at all distressed, and I cannot blame it, given it's trapped in the sea version of an iron maiden. That's pretty damn hard to ignore. As a Mega, it prioritises defense, at the host's own discomfort. A very goofy entry in the otherwise serious first wave of megas
Slowking
The intelligent counterpart to Slowbro's stupidity, all acredited to the Shellder on its head. Which is much less of an eyesore in this iteration, by the way. But it comes at the cost of its sentience, I think. The shell has no eyes to speak of. Either way, the most interesting aspect of this design to me is the clown-like frill collar around its neck. It implies it still plays the part of the fool, even with its heightened intelligence. As if the king needs no court jester, because it already fills both shoes
Galarian Slowpoke
It's got some yellow put into it, nothing that exciting. It does the bare minimum to distinguish itself from the original, and it's a pretty boring change
Galarian Slowbro
It has my personal favourite key art because it's looking at the Shellder on its arm like "huh. That's not supposed to be there, I think" and it's funny. It's a neat re-interpretation of the Shellder's role in the evolution, by making it a poison cannon instead of a tail accessory. Though I shudder to think of what kind of fucked up shit went on inside the Shellder to reform an entire hand into a blaster nozzle...eugh
Galarian Slowking
This is the evil king's advisor Pokémon that whispers awful ideas into the ruler's ear and somehow never gets fired because of its cunning. Unlike base Slowking, the Shellder on its head is very much alive and very much in control. And it also went to a Claire's for eyeshadow. I am a fan of how its neck frill is more of a draping robe to hide underneath. This Galarian variant recontextualises everything into something more sinister
A delightful and shy Studio Ghibli sprite with vaguely fleshy tendrils around its body. I don't know quite what it is, but it's a friend
Tangrowth
It's a perfect evolution, lengthening the body and turning into the forest's gentle giant. Its teeny stubs at the bottom are endearing. I also like its curly hairdo that circles its eyes, and I'm glad it can hold things now with its vine appendages
The guy of all time. It's permanently in a state of awe at the world, and here for vibes. There are no thoughts behind those eyes, and we love it for that. It has a subtle wi-fi theming to it, from the pattern on its body to the way its antennae call to mind electrical pylons. It doesn't do anything with this theming though. Much like Hoothoot, it chooses to drop it in its evolution for no discernible reason
Quagsire
A BIG thoughtless fellow who should be the mascot of the Unaware hidden ability. It's one of those huge salamanders that look like mythical creatures, but are actually real. Check them out, they're weird. Most of its details are actually on its backside, and you can't see them that well in its key art. There's a big thick spine going down from its back to its tail, with a wavy purple pattern following it. It adds some much-needed detail to this blue blob of a creature
Paldean Wooper
This is perfect re-contextualisation of Wooper's features. The antennae become cross bones and the pattern on its chest a simplified ribcage. It emphasises its new poison type and the fact it lives in mud
Clodsire
It is a perfect creature, no notes. It's even more lovable on all fours, and you can see the details on its back more clearly. It uses its freaking ribcage to attack, as foreshadowed by the purple spots, and the ribcage pattern on its prevo. How cool is that? And of course, it is used by the best Elite 4 member, Rika (she is SOOO gender)
Why does it look so sad? Who hurt it? Who hurt the teeny mouse with the tail as big as its body? I will fight them. I will get revenge. It's just a little guy, how could they? Look at it, it doesn't even have arms with which to defend itself
Marill
Ah, Pikablu (I wasn't alive when people were calling it that, I have no right). If the rumours are true, this is the only Pikaclone that isn't an electric type, and I want more of that variety, honestly. There's only so much you can do with the electric rodent concept before you're out of ideas. As a design, it's the perfect mouse. It's round and bouncy, and the tail acts as a buoy to keep it from drowning
Azumarill
Ah, part 2 of the funny trend with cute Pokémon evolutions I like to call "I don't know, just make it a rabbit". It's got nothing else going for it besides the species change, but Marill needed to evolve into something, right? The pattern across its body remind me of boiling water, but the design doesn't do anything with that
It's the mascot for Pokémon breeding, a mechanic introduced in gen 2. As such, it's an egg. Not literally an egg, but stuck inside one. It's vaguely dinosaur-y with the the pointed head crest, but it could be just about anything. The possibilities of what it could evolve into are the main attraction of this line
Togetic
Togetic makes sense, though I can't believe they originally stopped here. I would have been so pissed if the baby Pokémon I'd been grinding levels for had evolved into a child, and that was it. It's got cherub vibes, with the little wings and chubby body. The long neck makes it have awkward anatomy, as if it's got a lot to grow into. It reminds me of how baby birds look when they first hatch out their eggs
Togekiss
It's the goat for providing a satisfying conclusion to the line. Its body expands outwards as it takes flight, having a jet-like build. It still retains its happy demeanor, which is something we should all strive for. The reds and blues sprinkled in provide nice pops of colour against the white. Now it can enjoy the skies as a proper adult!
