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pillowbugs · 4 months

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The Peak of Bug Types: An Appreciative Primer on Unova's Bug Pokémon

Introduction

Until Unova, Bug types weren’t known for being particularly popular. Despite the regional bug being a common archetype in every mainline Pokémon game, available from the start of the game, it was seen as the equivalent of a Jagen in Fire Emblem: a crutch ‘pre-promote’ (it evolves early) with horrible stats that is meant to help you survive early on, meant to be dropped from the team once more options were available.

While every Pokémon game has bugs that don’t fit that mould, with varied stats and roles, the fact that Bug as a type is considered lacklustre offensively and defensively, with its three weaknesses all being common types ingame, made bugs difficult to use most of the time. The rare standouts included Scyther and its evolution Scizor, as well as Heracross.

"Holy shit" - Exeggutor, probably

Generation 5 introduced a whopping 9 Bug-type evolutionary lines in total!

For reference, Generation 1, a similarly large generation, has 6 lines. Gen 2 introduced 6 new lines as well (and added Scizor to Gen 1’s Scyther). Gen 3 effectively introduced 8 with Wurmple’s split evolution as well as Shedinja/Ninjask. Gen 4 effectively introduced 6 full lines (and added Yanmega to Gen 2’s Yanma) with 4 possible evolutions for Burmy, and had the Poison/Bug Skorupi lose its Bug typing upon evolution into Drapion.

All of Unova’s bugs are more than usable ingame, which is more than most regions can say. It makes sense, then, that Unova has not one, but two (and arguably three) separate notable Bug-type trainers, those being Burgh (Gym Leader), Alder (BW1 Champion, albeit postgame; generally considered multitype but has 3 bugs) and Emmet (Facility Head). How else are they going to show off all their incredible bugs?

The 9 evolutionary lines that will be covered in this primer are: Leavanny, Scolipede, Crustle, Escavalier, Accelgor, Galvantula, Durant, Volcarona and Genesect.

(All artworks from the Pokémon Global Link)

#540 - #542: Sewaddle, Swadloon, Leavanny

Sewaddle is the very first Bug type you meet in BW1 and BW2, coming right after the second gym in BW1 and shortly before the first gym in BW2. It evolves into Swadloon at Level 20, then into Leavanny with high friendship. It is a Bug/Grass type, similar to Parasect in Gen 1 and Wormadam (Plant) in Gen 4.

Swadloon is one of the bulkiest Pokémon found around the time you obtain it, with 55/90/80 defensive stats. This would be about the time you fight Castelia City’s Bug-type Gym Leader Burgh (who also happens to have one on his team in BW2). Combined with the fact that you also obtain the Eviolite in the same city, Swadloon becomes a veritable tank for quite a while until evolution.

Leavanny sheds its previous defensive role for a harder-hitting, faster one, albeit still with similar defensive stats, only losing 10 Defence (and 10 Special Defence in its debut generation). With 103 base Attack, and a decent 92 Speed, it relies mostly on STAB Razor Leaf and Bug Bite, and TM27 Return off of aforementioned high friendship (bought at Nimbasa City in BW1 and received after the first gym in BW2) from the very start. Unfortunately, most of the time, both its STABs are resisted – but when they aren’t, Leavanny can deal heavy damage. This is further boosted by it naturally learning Swords Dance later on, which doubles its physical damage output. Leaf Blade and X-Scissor are also good moves to have later on, and it learns both relatively early at Levels 36 and 39 respectively.

In all, Leavanny is a Pokémon that is available early and can continue being useful, even in a game where the ethos is to keep updating your team as you go along.

Notable Trainers: Burgh (BW1, BW2, Masters)

Leavanny is the Bug-type Gym Leader Burgh’s ace Pokémon in all the games he appears in. In addition, Swadloon is also the first Pokemon he sends out in BW2 on Normal and Easy modes. In his pre-battle quote in BW2 + some lines in Masters, he brags about Leavanny and how it makes clothes for other Pokémon. He’s proud of his bugs!

***

#543 - #545: Venipede, Whirlipede, Scolipede

Venipede is the very first Bug type you meet in BW1, sharing the position with Sewaddle. It comes right after the second gym in BW1 and shortly after the first gym in BW2. It evolves into Whirlipede at Level 22, then into Scolipede at Level 30. It is a Bug/Poison type, similar to Beedrill in Gen 1, Ariados in Gen 2 and Dustox in Gen 3.

Like Swadloon, Whirlipede is bulky for the time you get it, trading a later evolution time, 8 less Atk and 1 less Special Def. for 9 more Def. and a better defensive typing. With the Eviolite, it becomes incredibly tanky, and is immune to Poison to boot.

Scolipede also becomes fast and offensive upon evolution, but has a worse offensive typing and 3 less Atk (13 in Gen 5) in exchange for 20 Speed and a better defensive typing.

Technically, the one thing Scolipede is known for now didn’t exist in full in Gen 5, as its hidden ability then was Quick Feet rather than Speed Boost. Still, it had the niche of Baton Pass by level-up as well as multiple boosting moves, such as Swords Dance by TM and Iron Defense by level-up as a Whirlipede. Scolipede is also able to learn both Spikes and Toxic Spikes (albeit by breeding), making it a fast hazards setter.

In all, despite its statline, Scolipede can be more of a support Pokémon with a lot of tools at its disposal.

Notable Trainers: Burgh (BW1), Roxie (BW2, Masters)

Whirlipede is one of Burgh’s team members in BW1, alongside Dwebble and Leavanny.

Come BW2, it appears with Roxie instead, and serves as her ace Pokémon. Roxie’s bass is styled after the evolutionary line. As her ace, all of Roxie’s Pokémon World Tournament (PWT) teams feature a Scolipede, as does her base in Masters.

***

#557, #558: Dwebble, Crustle

Dwebble is first available to the player in the Desert Resort, accessed after the 3rd gym in both BW1 and BW2. It evolves into Crustle at Level 34. It is a Bug/Rock type, similar to Armaldo in Gen 3, but with much better availability.

Dwebble carries Smack Down as Rock STAB from the very start, and learns Bug Bite for Bug STAB soon after. Its Rock moves can be useful for the upcoming Nimbasa Gym, as Rock attacks are the only way to hit Emolga super effectively at this point in the game. Stealth Rock at Level 24 can also be used to punish Elesa’s strategy of constantly using Volt Switch, removing ¼ of Emolga’s health (and Joltik on Challenge Mode; ⅛ for Zebstrika and Flaaffy) every time they switch in.

Crustle does mostly the same things even after evolution. It gets Shell Smash at later levels and can use it to set up a sweep, being able to survive a hit with Sturdy.

Notable Trainers: Burgh (BW1, BW2), Ingo + Emmet (BW1, BW2)

Dwebble is one of Burgh’s Pokemon in both games, punishing anyone who thought they could roll up with a Fire or Flying type and get an easy win. In BW2 in particular, Burgh brags about how cute Dwebble is. He also uses Crustle in his PWT teams, using 2 for the Driftveil and Mix Tournaments and 1 for the postgame-exclusive tournaments.

The Subway Bosses also use Crustle on their teams for the regular lines.

***

#588, #589: Karrablast, Escavalier

Karrablast is first obtained right before the 5th badge, at Route 6 in both games. It can be evolved straight away when traded for a Shelmet. Escavalier is a Bug/Steel type, similar to Forretress and Scizor in Gen 2 and Wormadam (Trash) in Gen 4.

Escavalier turns from a relatively faster attacker into a much slower, but bulkier and harder-hitting one. Its typing gives it 9 (8 in Gen 5) resistances and only 1 (albeit 4x) weakness to Fire.

Karrablast and Shelmet are the only two Pokémon that need to be traded with a specific Pokemon to evolve as of Gen 9. Canonically, Karrablast steals Shelmet’s shell and uses it as armour as an Escavalier.

Notable Trainers: Alder (BW1, BW2), Burgh (BW2 Challenge Mode, PWT), Emmet (Masters)

Alder uses an Escavalier on his team in both games, though he switches it out during the PWT.

Burgh uses a Karrablast on Challenge Mode in BW2, replacing his Swadloon along with Shelmet. He also uses 2 Escavalier in his PWT teams for the Driftveil and Mix Tournaments, and 1 for the postgame-exclusive tournaments.

Emmet uses an Escavalier in Masters, to match his brother’s Accelgor, referencing how both Pokémon rely on each other to evolve.

***

#616, #617: Shelmet, Accelgor

(skipped ahead in line to be with Escavalier)

Shelmet is only obtained right before the 7th gym in BW1, and much earlier right before the 5th gym in BW2. It can be evolved right away when traded for a Karrablast. It is a pure Bug type, similar to Pinsir in Gen 1 and Kricketune in Gen 4.

As an Accelgor, it turns from slow and defensive to a fast special attacker, with a whopping 145 Speed. It gets U-Turn via level-up, as well as Giga Drain for coverage against Rock types and Recover (which it’ll probably never use) and Final Gambit (could be hilarious cheese with its high speed).

Karrablast and Shelmet are the only two Pokemon that need to be traded with a specific Pokémon to evolve as of Gen 9. Canonically, after getting its shell stolen, Accelgor becomes understandably grumpy, which explains its perpetual sulking expression.

Notable Trainers: Alder (BW1, BW2), Shadow Triad (BW2), Burgh (BW2 Challenge Mode, PWT), Ingo (Masters)

Alder uses an Accelgor on his team in both games, though he switches it out for the PWT.

In BW2, one of the Shadow Triad (the Triple Battle one) uses an Accelgor in all his battles.

Burgh uses a Shelmet on Challenge Mode in BW2, replacing his Swadloon. He also uses an Accelgor in his PWT teams for postgame-exclusive tournaments.

Ingo uses an Accelgor in Masters, to match his brother’s Escavalier, referencing how both Pokémon rely on each other to evolve.

***

#595, #596: Joltik, Galvantula

Joltik is obtained shortly before the 6th gym in both games, in Chargestone Cave. It evolves into Galvantula at level 36. It is the very first Bug/Electric type, with only Vikavolt in Gen 7 following its example. Joltik was the smallest Pokemon upon debut, and still shares this title with 6 other Pokémon introduced in subsequent generations.

Its Electric typing neutralises its weakness to the upcoming gym’s Flying types and gives it super effective STAB against them, turning a normally disadvantageous matchup for Bug types into an advantageous one. It gets Energy Ball via TM for coverage, as well as Giga Drain in BW2 through a Move Tutor. It also gets Sucker Punch via level-up for priority, albeit off its weaker attacking stat.

As a Galvantula, it is a reasonably fast special attacker with a workable Atk and good STAB moves. Its main draw is Compound Eyes, which allows it to use the strong but inaccurate Thunder with much better accuracy, removing its main drawback.

Notable Trainers: Emmet (BW1, BW2), Elesa (BW2 Challenge Mode, PWT)

In both games, Emmet uses a Galvantula for his Multi Line battle. Funnily enough, his Galvantula is a physical set (as opposed to the usual special) with Cross Poison, which is only available via breeding in Gen 5. This has not been lost on fans, which is why a lot of fanart of him depicts him with some outrageous number of Joltik. (Breeding for perfect IVs does take a lot of Eggs...)

Elesa uses a Joltik in her Challenge Mode battle in BW2. She also uses 2 Galvantula in her Driftveil and Mix Tournament teams, and 1 for the Unova Leaders Tournament.

***

#632: Durant

Durant is obtained at the very end of the game in BW1, being found on Victory Road right before the Elite 4. It is locked to postgame areas in BW2. It is single-staged. Like Escavalier, it is Bug/Steel type, giving it multiple resistances and only 1 weakness.

Durant is notable for being able to pull its weight well at the Elite 4 even right after capture; EXP-less challenge runs of BW1 use Durant to great effect for the E4, N and Ghetsis, using its incredible defensive typing and strong attacks off 109 Atk with Hustle. Its 112 Def and 109 Speed don’t hurt either.

Durant’s rampage does not end there; with the release of its Hidden Ability Truant, it is infamous for exploiting the AI’s reluctance to switch Pokémon out to break Battle Subway Singles. Using Entrainment to change the opposing lead Pokémon’s ability to Truant, it allows for another sweeper to set up unopposed just by using Protect whenever the opponent attacks.

Durant is so destructive, it canonically destroyed Victory Road between BW1 and BW2.

Notable Trainers: Emmet (BW1, BW2), Burgh (BW2 PWT)

Ironically for someone whose brother’s side of the workplace gets absolutely demolished by the Pokémon, Emmet uses a Durant in both his Doubles and Multi Lines teams. It unfortunately doesn’t have Truant.

Burgh also uses a Durant for postgame-exclusive tournaments in the PWT.

***

#636, #637: Larvesta, Volcarona

Larvesta can be obtained with Surf in BW1 (so after the 6th gym), but requires backtracking to the starting town and travelling to the optional Route 18. There, an Egg is obtained, which takes even more time to hatch. Even when it hatches, Larvesta’s base stats are mediocre for the time it arrives, at Level 1 to boot. It also only evolves at Level 59, which is higher than the final boss’ ace Pokemon.

For all that effort, when it finally evolves, Volcarona is one of the best Pokemon overall in Generation 5, and one of the most popular. It managed to gain 2 new forms in Generation 9, which is a honour previously only afforded to mascots (and Donphan, which had ties to SV’s theme of travel).

Thankfully, it can also be obtained directly in BW1 in the postgame in Relic Castle’s basement, and in BW2 it can be obtained as early as right after the 5th gym in the same place, as a Volcarona.

While Larvesta is a physical attacker, Volcarona is a specially-oriented offensive Pokémon instead, with high SpA, SpD and Speed. It has access to Quiver Dance, the best boosting move in the game. Its signature move is Fiery Dance, which can further boost its Special Attack to even higher levels, albeit only obtainable at Level 100. It even gets access to Giga Drain in BW2 via Move Tutor to counter its crippling Rock weakness.

Volcarona is quite potent competitively, despite its weakness to Stealth Rock. It is even somewhat infamous as a ‘matchup moth’ due to its ability to sweep unprepared teams thoroughly just by setting up a few QDs.

Notable Trainers: Alder (BW1, BW2, Masters)

Alder’s ace Pokémon is his Volcarona, which appears in all his teams. He is also said to have had another Volcarona in the past, which is currently deceased.

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#649: Genesect

Genesect is one of Unova’s Mythical Pokémon, which is said to have been revived from a fossil and altered by Team Plasma. Similar to Escavalier and Durant, it is Bug/Steel type, which is a valuable defensive typing.

Genesect is the first and only Bug-type mythical Pokemon, excluding Arceus holding an Insect Plate.

As a Mythical, Genesect has no trainer in its debut games, but is used by Hilbert, the BW1 male protagonist, in Masters.

***

Some Statistics

For obvious reasons, Burgh is the trainer who uses the largest variety of Generation 5’s Bug types, using 6/9 lines with the unused 3 being Galvantula, Volcarona (Alder’s ace + postgame-exclusive) and Genesect (mythical).

Emmet ranks 2nd, despite not even being known for Bug types; he uses 4 in total, those being Crustle, Galvantula, Durant and Escavalier. He implicitly has had a Shelmet before as well, mentioning that he traded with Ingo for Escavalier, which would make 5. If Masters is excluded, though, he ties with Alder, each using 3 lines.

The Pokemon most used by notable Unovan trainers is Accelgor, with 4 trainers using it; however, if Masters is excluded, it ties with Crustle with 3 trainers.

#pokemon #gen 5 pokemon #pokemon black and white #unova #pokemon bw2 #my first and possibly only analysis post #tw bugs #submas

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