Pokémon 5 Reasons To Choose Grookey & 5 Reasons Not To

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Pokémon 5 Reasons To Choose Grookey & 5 Reasons Not To

The starter Pokémon tend to get the most limelight, and it can be tough to make a choice between them. Today, we’re going to take a look at Grookey. With every new generation of comes a new cast of critters. New regions are usually populated by a mixture of returning Pokémon and brand-new ones, with the latter being a much more interesting prospect. What new Abilities will they have? Will we see all-new type combinations and exclusive moves? The starter Pokémon tend to get the most limelight, and Today, we’re going to take a look at the adorable Grookey, and some reasons why this little Grass-type should (and shouldn’t) be your companion. THEGAMER VIDEO OF THE DAY

Choose Grookey It ll Help You Out With Nessa

If you opted for as your Galar starter, you probably found that it made short work of Milo, the Grass-type Gym Leader. This is all well and good, but when it came to the second Gym battle, this mischievous little bunny might well have come unstuck. She represents much more of a challenge with her powerful Water-types. By contrast, if you have Milo covered (which you probably will with Rookidee), Grookey will be able to take down Nessa’s watery warriors with little difficulty. Her ace, Drednaw, is x4 weak to Grass, which is also very nice indeed.

Don t Choose Grookey It s Lacking In Speed

Inteleon and Cinderace are sleek speedsters, well suited to simply hitting hard and fast. Hyper offense has always been a brutally effective strategy in the series, and these two fully-evolved starters are geared towards delivering that. Grookey’s final evolution, Rillaboom, is a different case entirely. While it isn’t slow, exactly, its Speed is very average, making it quite awkward to use to its best potential. Whether competitive-wise or simply for the main game, you never really want to be taking your turn last, meaning that Scorbunny and Sobble may be better picks for offensively-inclined players.

Choose Grookey It s The Under-Appreciated One

Whenever a starter Pokémon trio is first revealed, the Internet… well, does its usual Internet thing. Favorites are immediately picked, fanart is drawn, memes are created and fan groups are formed. In amongst all of that, there tends to be a Pokémon that just doesn’t quite catch on as well as the other two. In this generation, that Pokémon was probably Grookey. Some of us get a real thrill from supporting the underdog. It always feels nice to go against the grain of popular opinion, and seeing this adorable little drummer prevail just hits that spot perfectly.

Don t Choose Grookey Grass STAB Is Far From The Best

As we know, Grookey, Scorbunny, and Sobble share a trait that makes them super unique among the starter Pokémon we’ve seen recently: they remain pure Grass, Fire and Water Pokémon respectively. Is this a good or bad thing? Well, in terms of coverage, it’s a bit of a shame. As we’ll see later, Rillaboom is quite the powerhouse, but it doesn’t have a whole lot to do with all that strength. Grass attacks are very lacking as a Pokémon’s only STAB, and while Rillaboom also learns excellent moves like Earthquake, there are many other critters that spam them much more effectively.

Choose Grookey Its Design Is On Point

It can sometimes be tough for the designs of Grass-type Pokémon to really stand out. When you’ve seen one leafy appendage, you’ve seen them all, right? The Grookey family offers something different. Thwackey’s design isn’t particularly ground-breaking, granted, but Grookey is an adorable little critter and Rillaboom offers something entirely new: part gorilla, part The Drummer Pokémon’s mighty drum appears to be part of its body, almost, and that’s a concept the series hasn’t really explored anywhere else yet. Just look at its upcoming Gigantamax form, too!

Don t Choose Grookey Its Hidden Ability Is Nothing Stellar

Yes, this is a concern for much later (we don’t know when or how the Galar starters’ Hidden Abilities will be released yet), but it bears mentioning. While Cinderace will get the fantastic Libero (simply Protean under a different name), Rillaboom is lumbered with Grassy Surge. Automatically setting up Grassy Terrain is handy on a defensively solid Pokémon, sure (just ask Tapu Bulu). It’ll lend even more power to Drum Beating as well. Ultimately, this Hidden Ability may not be as underwhelming as Inteleon’s (Sniper), but it could’ve gotten better. Come on, Game Freak, Gorilla Tactics was built for this thing.

Choose Grookey It s Surprisingly Tanky And Powerful

As we mentioned in the last entry, Drum Beating packs quite a punch. We’re not talking Tapu Bulu’s Wood Hammer levels of destruction, but with Grassy Terrain on the field, that’s sure as heck going to smart in the morning. It’s not just about the move itself, though. The important thing is that it’s backed up by Rillaboom’s potent base 125 Attack, which is actually the highest of all fully-evolved starters to date. With base 100 HP and base 90 Defense, it’s also quite a solid tank on the physical side, especially with Leech Seed to keep it topped up.

Don t Choose Grookey All Those Weaknesses

For the main story, of course, players are free to go right ahead and play with any team they like. Monotype Bug team? Why the heck not? Even with that being the case, though, stacking weaknesses can be deadly, which is where the Grookey line comes unstuck a little. Grass is resisted by far too many types, which is why it’s a liability when it comes to offense. Sadly, it also has five weaknesses (Fire, Flying, Poison, Ice and Bug), meaning you’ll have to switch Rillaboom out of battle much more than you might think in order to preserve it.

Choose Grookey It Doesn t Arguably Have Much Grass-Type Competition

So, yes. Fans are completely free to pick the team they want to conquer the Galar region with. A meticulously thought-out and competitive team? One you simply cobbled together from favorites without regard to typings and such? Anything goes, friends. You do you. The thing about Grookey in particular, though, is that it may be the most practical choice. There simply aren’t a lot of very interesting and unique Grass Pokémon in Galar, perhaps, when weighed against Fire and Water alternatives. Other Grass Pokémon, such as Eldegoss, are quite uninspiring.

Don t Choose Grookey Its Exclusive Move Isn t Great Either

Another trait the Galar starters have in common is that they each have an exclusive STAB move. Again, Rillaboom, gets a bit of a raw deal here. While Scorbunny has two exclusive moves (the super powerful Pyro Ball and the tricky Court Change), Inteleon just gets Snipe Shot. While this move has an increased critical hit chance and isn’t affected by Follow Me or similar effects, it would probably rather just have Scald. Rillaboom’s Drum Beating, meanwhile, is a physical Grass move with 80 base power, which reduces the target’s Speed. It’s certainly a good move, but it’s nothing spectacular.