Card of the Day: Base Set Charizard

Charizard #4 (Base Set)

HP:  120   Retreat Cost:  3   Weakness:  Water   Resistance:  Fighting

It has the highest HP and a resistance, so it’s understandable that it has a high retreat cost.  However, if you have the power to fuel a retreat cost, you can destroy whatever is forcing you to retreat.   But if you don’t have the energy, your Charizard will unfortunately be caught in the line of fire and you’ll lose your powerful weapon.

Pokémon Power:  Energy Burn

Without this power, Charizard would still be pretty fierce, but with the ability to turn any Energy Card into Fire Energy makes Charizard amazing.  You could hypothetically put Charizard in any type deck and it could still fight, since Charmeleon and Charmander each have an attack that doesn’t require Fire Energy.

Fire Spin (4F):  100

Fire Pokémon in Base Set are known for their powerful attacks that require you to discard Energy Cards.  Giving up two for 100 Damage is a fair price, and thanks to Energy Burn, you can discard whatever you want.  Double Colorless Energy Cards help provide quick ammunition for this attack.

Strategies Against Charizard

Water Pokémon are your best bet against Charizard.  If you manage to build your Blastoise first, Charizard will present no threat.  If you don’t have Water on your side, your best bet is to use Energy Removal to eliminate Charizard’s power.  Chansey is the only other Pokémon that can withstand a Fire Spin, so if you manage to get a little bit of damage in before Chansey comes out, Double-Edge will come in handy.  Whatever you do, pray you don’t have mostly Grass or Fighting Pokémon in your deck.

Charmeleon Overview

HP: 80   Weakness: Water   Resistance: None   Retreat Cost: 1

Once Charmander has evolved, it is only a matter of time until Charizard is coming thanks to Charmeleon’s high HP. It can stick around for a long time on its own, dealing adequate damage with Slash or heavy damage with Flamethrower. However, the discarding of Fire Energy will slow Charmeleon down a bit. Still, you could easily get by with only using Charmeleon to support your Fire deck, as long as you have plenty of Energy Retrievals. C+

Charmander Overview

HP: 50   Weakness: Water   Resistance: None   Retreat Cost: 1

Charmander has high HP for a Basic Pokémon that evolves twice, which makes it ideal for early combat. Scratch is pitiful, dealing only 10 Damage, so if there is no Fire Energy in your deck, you are severely hindered. Ember is much better, but again, it’s not fun to discard Energy so early in the game. Taking hits is the best job for an early game Charmander. On its own, it won’t support a Fire deck very well; only use it if you plan to evolve it. D

Sample Charizard Deck

Charizard's best friend is Venusaur.  By combining Venusaur’s Energy Trans with Charizard’s Energy Burn, Charizard can have an endless supply of ammo. All of the Grass Energy that gets transported to Charizard will become Fire Energy. If Blastoise’s Rain Dance didn’t only apply to Water Pokémon, the starter trio would be a force to be reckoned with.

2 – Charizard
3 – Charmeleon
4 – Charmander
2 – Venusaur
3 – Ivysaur
4 – Bulbasaur
3 – Magmar
3 – Doduo
2 – Pokemon Trader
2 – Bill
4 – Energy Retrieval
4 – Double Colorless Energy
10 – Fire Energy
14 – Grass Energy

Final Grade: A+

Charizard is famously powerful and unstoppable. It takes a while to set up, but once it is prepared, it can decimate entire decks. It is the focus of whatever deck it is in.  Everyone loved it when it came out for good reason.

Pocket Monsters: PM001 and PM002

PM001 - Introducing the Pokémon Clefairy!!

Introducing the Pokémon Pippi!!

Synopsis: Two boys from Pallet Town, Isamu Akai (a.k.a. "Red") and Kai Midorikawa (a.k.a. "Green") collide on their way to Professor Oak's laboratory for a special meeting.  Green challenges Red to a race to the lab and Red accepts, opting to take a shortcut through the wilderness.  He encounters a group of wild talking monsters led by a Nidorina* who threaten him with their powers. Fortunately, a nearby Clefairy manages to accidentally knock them all unconscious while gathering coconuts from a tree.  Red assumes that the Clefairy is a powerful monster and thanks him for his help.  Red then makes his way to the lab where Oak asks the boys to finish his quest to complete his Pokédex for research.  He offers the boys their very own starter Pokémon.  Green chooses a Charmander while Red chooses the Clefairy who followed him to the lab, despite Oak's warnings that the Clefairy is a foolish blockhead.  Red tries to prove Clefairy's strength in a battle with Green's Charmander.  Unfortunately, Clefairy's earlier victory is proven to be just a fluke as he quickly finds himself on fire and manages to destroy the lab in an attempt to extinguish himself.

New Character and Pokémon Breakdown

The Trainers, Red and Green

At the moment, there is very little distinction between the two main trainers.  Red comes off as more accident prone and dim-witted, but both are hot-headed and prideful boys always looking to win.  Green's arrogance is usually justified through his skills as a trainer, making Red a bit more annoying than a protagonist should be.

"Blockhead" Clefairy

When I first heard about the manga with the "crass, crude Clefairy," I was afraid of what I might find.  Fortunately, I really like the introduction to this character.  As you may know, Clefairy was intended to be the face of the franchise, and had this manga existed internationally, that might have very well been the case.  Unlike the cute and sweet Pikachu (or even other Clefairies in the series), the dumb Clefairy has a very human personality, making him a great joke character.  Although this version ultimately got a cameo in the anime with a high fairy voice, I can't help but read Clefairy's lines in a deeper, Seth-Rogen-ish voice.  It just fits the character better and make it funnier to me.  He always seems to be in way over his head.  I particularly enjoy the above panel in which Clefairy takes a long pause and drink of fruit juice and then sarcastically responds to Red's question of him being a Pokémon.

Professor Oak

Oak is very annoying in this incarnation.  He seems to suffer from rapid mood swings, as he jokes around one second and then intensely yells at the boys the next.  His jokes are terrible as well, like, in a "I think something got lost in translation" way.  For example, the big news that he shares with the boys upon their arrival is that he's bald and he takes off his wig.  Maybe there was some pun in there, but I couldn't fathom what it would be.  Then he starts screaming at the boys to follow his orders.  I'm kind of glad Clefairy burned his lab down.

The Starters, Charmander, Bulbasaur, and Squirtle

Charmander is the only one who gets any major story time as he is Green's main Pokémon.  He serves as a rival to Clefairy, confident in his strength and abilities and ready to take on any battle.  The other two look equally fierce and it seems as if Red would have been better off with one of them.

Wild Pallet Town Pokémon: Nidoran/Nidorina*, Caterpie, Kakuna, Pidgey, and Pikachu

I keep putting an asterisk next to "Nidorina" because, despite every online summary describing this creature as a male Nidoran, it seems pretty obvious to me that this is a Nidorina.  You can even see that in the panel where Red hops over the Pokémon, the Nidorina has devolved into a female Nidoran for the joke (Pokémon can devolve and evolve at will in this manga, I'll get into it later).  Kosaku Anakubo, the author and illustrator, does take some liberties with the designs, but since the monster never states its name or gender, I'll assume it's a Nidorina.

Anyway, this is our first encounter of wild Pokémon and it's worth mentioning that nearly all creatures can talk in this manga.  This was before the anime, remember, so there was not really a standard for the limitations of Pokémon communication.  I feel it makes this universe funnier.  Also, in case you're wondering, that is not Red's main Pikachu.  He'll come into the story later.

Oak's Random Pokémon

In these early stories, Anakubo likes to create his own Pokémon to fill in as "extras."  You can even see some of his butterfly Pokémon on the title page.  I'm unsure how much Sugimori material he was given access to at the beginning of the series or whether or not he wanted to just create his own creatures, but it's fun to imagine all of these other creatures beyond the original 151 that exist in official Generation I material.

Setting

Pallet Town

In the very first panel, we get a sense of how Anakobu views the Pokémon world.  The buildings and vehicles suggest an suburban, futuristic setting.  Pallet Town is a much larger city, with a large population and enough space for Red and Green to run all over the city (and for Red to get lost in a nearby field).  It is definitely an improvement on the two houses and a lab layout from the games.

Overall Review: A-

As an introduction to the Pocket Monsters series, the first chapter manages to set its own tone while embracing the world it originated from.  Because this manga is the first official spinoff from the games, there is a lot of creative liberties taken with the character design and plot.  Most of the new variations work for the sake of the comedy, since that is the author's primary concern.  There are a few confusing/groan-inducing jokes put in to pad out the story, but the main plot works very well to introduce our characters.  Red and especially Clefairy are built up to be unlikely heroes who will fail more often than they succeed.  And I look forward to seeing where their adventures take them.

PM002 - Big Battle in the Viridian Forest!!

Big Battle in the Tokiwa Forest!!

Synopsis: Red and Clefairy make their way to the Viridian Forest, arguing over their next move.  Red wants Clefairy to be a strong fighter and teammate like he had thought he was, while Clefairy would rather avoid battles altogether and maintain a peaceful life, capturing Pokémon through humane methods.  Upon entering the forest, the two are accosted by Mewtwo and his gang of wild Pokémon.  Mewtwo taunts the duo as a pair of weaklings and Red orders Clefairy to defend his honor and attack the creatures.  Clefairy only manages to beat up a nearby bug Pokémon allowing Red to capture it. Mewtwo still continues to challenge Red but none of Clefairy's defensive attacks are clever enough to best his opponent.  Mewtwo easily beats Clefairy and Red is forced to rush him to the Pokémon Center to heal him.  There, Red runs into Green, who shows off all the Pokémon he's captured, mocking Red's haul.  While Clefairy is in the healing machine, an accidental power surge shocks him, causing him to knock Red's bug Poké Ball to the ground, allowing it to escape, and bringing Red's team back to one.

New Character and Pokémon Breakdown

The Viridian Forest Gang (Mewtwo, Parasect, Golem, Gengar, Persian, Weedle)

The caricatures of these Pokémon are a little confusing.  Persian has a third eye instead of a jewel, possibly due to the Red/Green sprite's lack of detail and the Parasect creature is shown to be bipedal in some angles (which is made all the stranger when an official looking Parasect shows up later).  But at any rate, these are just supposed to represent wild Pokémon in general.  Mewtwo is the unofficial spokesman and it's unclear if this is actually supposed to be the legendary Mewtwo with the back story from the games.  I think Anakubo just picked him because he looked menacing.  It's fun the way Mewtwo picks on Red's skills though, so he would have made for a great recurring antagonist.

The Bug Pokémon

This may be the most prominent "non-Pokémon Pokémon" in the official canon.  It looks like a Diglett, but is referred to as a bug.  Maybe this was just a mistake on Anakubo's part but for a supposedly weak and common Pokémon, Red may have captured the rarest creature of them all!

Green's Pokémon: Golbat, Omanyte, Psyduck, Ditto, Poliwrath, Parasect, Jigglypuff, Oddish

I don't know how he managed to catch any of these between Pallet Town and Pewter City, but as we can see by Mewtwo's gang, vastly different Pokémon co-exist in this universe's version of Viridian Forest.

Hypothetical Peaceful Pokémon

In Clefairy's mind, all Pokémon co-exist peacefully.  And apparently most are some sort of teddy bear.

Setting

Viridian Forest

Unlike the games, Viridian Forest is home to much more than a few bug types.  All sorts of strong Pokémon dwell within these woods.  But I particularly enjoy the addition of giant mushrooms.  It gives it an otherworldly feel and it explains the presence of the Parasect-like creature.  If it weren't for the Mewtwo that was trying to kill all those who enter, this Viridian Forest would be a great destination.

Overall Review:  B+

This chapter is the primary reason the manga never saw an overseas release.  There is more emphasis on the humor in this chapter and not only does comedy have a difficult time crossing translation barriers, so do the limits on what's considered appropriate.  There are two major jokes that focus on the genitalia of our heroes.  The first one I found to be funnier and could have easily been edited with a strategic shrubbery addition.  In the middle of Red and Clefairy's fight, it looks as if Clefairy's feelings have been hurt as he turns away dramatically.  When Red goes to check on him, we see the Clefairy had just stopped to take a leak.  The second gag involves Clefairy instructing Red to catch a Pokémon using "the balls attached to his waist," and he attempts to oblige literally.  That level of sophomoric humor is to be expected from this comic, but also alarming to one not familiar with Japanese culture.

It's a shame too, because once again, the main plot of this story is pretty good (with Clefairy trying to find non-violent means to win a battle and still losing horribly) but then he gets put in the electric chamber for more slapstick and the message of the tale is lost.  Here's hoping the rest of the series maintains the strong plots and opts for some better jokes!

Pallet Town

Bulbapedia Article (All images borrowed from Bulbapedia)

Overview

 Pallet Town Theme Music

Ah, Pallet Town.  The starting point of every young Pokémon trainer in the late '90s.  While the layout is simple, it provides a charming atmosphere and suggests that a great journey is about to unfold.

We meet all of our key players here.  Red (or Ash or Satoshi) begins in his room for a quick chance to play his SNES and then is given his mother's blessing to go off on a journey (because Stand By Me is playing on television, and those boys don't encounter any horror whatsoever).  Next door, at the Oak residence, young Daisy (or May or Nanami) is checking out the Town Map while her brother Blue/Green (or Gary or Shigeru) is off at Professor Oak's lab awaiting his first Pokémon.  But Oak (or Orchid or Okido) won't show up until you try to leave town.

Oak's Theme Music

Where was he before this moment?  Since the only other way in/out of town is the south beach, I'll assume he just rode in on a Lapras, despite arranging to meet Red and Blue at the lab.  At any rate, you wind up at the lab (after Oak catches a Pikachu in the Yellow version) and from there you can select your first Pokémon.

Laboratory Theme Music

But who shall you choose?  Let's weigh our options:

Bulbasaur - Lv. 5 - Red/Green/Blue

Bulbasaur presents one of the easiest options of the four choices, since it can easily handle Pewter Gym and Cerulean Gym early on.  It does have trouble in Viridian Forest, however.  But, as with all of the RBY starters, Bulbasaur and its evolutions will become a strong main fighter throughout the game filling the grass slot on the team nicely.  And a Leech Seed/PoisonPowder combo is always great.

Charmander - Lv. 5 - Red/Green/Blue

Charmander is a popular choice, due to it's ability to become Charizard, but it will encounter the hardest obstacles in the early game.  Viridian Forest will be fine, but Petwer Gym, Mt. Moon, and Cerulean Gym will give it hassle.  But all of that persistence will pay off once Charizard is able to crush nearly anything in its path later on.  Plus, Fire types are rarer to come by.

Squirtle - Lv. 5 - Red/Green/Blue

Squirtle is the other popular choice for players.  It's more reliable that Bulbasaur as it's not only strong during the beginning, but it continues to be strong up until the final gyms as well.  In speed runs, Squirtle/Wartortle/Blastoise is often the sole Pokémon that gets the player through the game.  When I first got the Blue version of the game, Squirtle was my first choice.

Pikachu - Lv. 5 - Yellow

If you're playing the Yellow version, you are stuck with a Pikachu that doesn't evolve, which isn't great in terms of strategy.  The kid in me loves this choice though, and I recently tracked down a used copy of Yellow just so I could have him as my main team partner.  Although the unevolved Pikachu won't get stronger until Generation II, it still is a fun choice.  But Pewter Gym will give you trouble.

After making your selection, your adorable jerk of a rival challenges you to your first fight.  It shouldn't be too difficult, but it is a great way to suddenly learn the basics of this new world.

Rival's Theme Music

And with that, you're off!  Eventually you'll return to deliver a package, pick up your Pokédex and grab the Town Map from Daisy, but basically everything that needs to be done in Pallet Town is done.  Why you are in charge of chronicling all the species in the world is anybody's guess, but it's going to be a fun challenge!

Other Thoughts

- The grassy areas on the sides of Pallet Town have become the stuff of legends.  They are tantalizingly close and look as if they hold many secrets.  I would have liked to have seen some of the rumors become true, as an unlockable bonus after beating the game.  We could finally have a field to catch an extra Bulbasaur, Charmander, Squirtle or even a Mew!

- When the Yellow version was made, it mades some changes to reflect the anime's storyline, but I would have liked to have seen some additions from the mangas as well.  Instead of only having a Pikachu to start with, I would have liked a choice that featured a Clefairy and Jigglypuff as well (like in Pokémon Pocket Monsters and Magical Pokémon Journey).  Those three characters always go together in my mind.  Also, Nidoran and their secondary evolved forms seem to roam around Pallet Town in the manga versions.

- Oak's lab in the anime serves as a Pokémon sanctuary for his proteges' extra Pokémon   It would have been nice to expand the area beside the building to visit those other Pokémon which were not being carried in the player's party.

- Overall, Pallet Town is a lovely beginning to the game and entire franchise.  It's simple.  It's quaint.  And it fills me with great joy every time I return.