[First Impressions] Pokémon Omega Ruby, P1

Oh hey, it's that time again. You're going cross-eyed, you're practically glued to the screen of your handheld-- yup, the new Pokémon game is out, and this time, it's Pokémon Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire.

My two favorite Pokémon games were Silver/Gold and Sapphire/Ruby. I loved those games. I played the shit out of those games. I did intense breeding experiments in Sapphire/Ruby, which is one of the reasons that I'm so unhappy they changed Mauville's layout - too many loading screens in the hub town right next to the Day Care Center, and also it's just stupid looking, like a giant mall. Silver/Gold I was just flat out in love with. I still remember entering the forest at night and seeing my first HootHoot. It was magical.

I'm just getting back from the volcanic wastes of Fallarbor and need to go pursue my next Gym Badge at Lavaridge. I've reached the point where I'm about ready to murder if I don't get Fly ASAP. I'd kill to have a decent Electric Pokémon on my team, since I refuse to use that ridiculous Cosplay Pikachu. (Seriously, what the hell is wrong with that thing?) Fortunately, Flannery, the Gym Leader of Lavaridge, uses Fire Pokémon, which is going to be fairly easy, given that two of my Pokémon in my current team are part Water, and only one of the rest are weak against Fire.

Current Battling Team:

Ricardo (Marshtomp, L23)
Ability: Torrent

Bide
Mud Shot
Water Gun
Mud Bomb

I've never used Swampert before, so picking Mudkip as my starter was a new experience for me. I was very impressed by how the Water/Ground combo played out, meaning that he is completely immune to Electricity-- color me impressed! I will probably leave him as my Water choice for the game, but I'm not convinced yet. His current attacks deal some damage while also draining stats, which can be an interesting play-style.

Sinatra (Nuzleaf, L21)
Ability: Early Bird

Beat Up
Razor Wind
Growth
Razor Leaf

I had Sapphire originally, so getting access to Seedot/Nuzleaf/Shiftry couldn't have made me happier. I immediately fell in love when I started using this little guy. His Beat Up move deals a decent amount of damage, despite taking a long time since it has to hit 6 times. Razor Wind and Razor Leaf are both great moves as well, and overall, Sinatra deals a decent amount of straight damage. I'm still trying to pick my parties for both first and second run-throughs on the Elite 4, but I like this guy so much I might build one party or the other around him entirely.

Lucille (Kirlia)
Ability: Trace

Heal Pulse
Magical Leaf
Confusion
Double Team

Here's the thing. I prefer Kadabra/Alakazam. Don't mean to hurt anyone's feelings, but this Kirlia was a bitch and a half to raise. It dies one shot most of the time, and isn't quite powerful enough to one-hit KO, which is what you need in a Psychic. The Heal Pulse is only useful in Doubles and it can't heal itself, but Lucille is always the one that needs the healing, since it's so weak. I think it could make a great Doubles Pokémon, if its partner has a move that can draw attacks away from it (essentially making it a healer/magic unit guarded by a tank). Unless some things change, I can't see taking this one with  me to the League. (Note for later-- if I can get a Riolu and breed it to a male Clefairy with Follow Me, I could use Riolu as the tank; chance of male Clefairy is 1:4)

Gable (Mightyena, L22)
Ability: Quick Feet

Fire Fang
Howl
Snarl
Bite

I've always loved Mightyena. Mightyena was part of the breeding program I ran in the original Sapphire/Ruby. I have some grudges against this particular Mightyena, since I neglected leveling it, and then had a tough time and just expected it to rock with opponents the same level or higher than itself. That might be part of my problem with my Kirlia as well. This Mightyena, Gable, has served me well, since it had Fire Fang when I caught it. Fire moves are damn hard to come by, and I don't know what I would have done sometimes without it.

Makit (Hariyama)
Ability: Guts

Force Palm
Vital Throw
Fake Out
Arm Thrust

I can't say I've ever used Hariyama. I had a Torchic in the originals for my fighting type, and when I don't have Torchic, Machop tends to be my go-to. Hariyama is great, though. Makit is an in-game trade, meaning it gets a nice boost for EXP, and Mariyama has one of the highest HP stats in the game. Fighting Pokémon require a lot of strategy and planning to use, since all of their attacks are fighting moves that do damage based on different things (the weight of your opponent, your own weight, whether you go first or last, etc). I really like using them for this reason. Definitely taking this one with me to end-game.

007 (Wingull, L23)
Ability: Keen Eye

Water Pulse
Air Cutter
Supersonic
Wing Attack

This is the fun thing about sneaking in ORAS (Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire): you can occasionally get a dud. This happened a few times for me, actually, before I figured out how the DexNav feature worked. I would normally use the pure Flying Taillow, since it's the first Flying type you can catch. Pidgey is my preference, and I love Starly as well, but in this game, it would be Taillow. Instead, the Taillow I caught had no offensive moves, meaning I had to level it way slower than my other Pokémon, and Wingull ended up way outstripping it. Water Pulse is a great attack with a Confused side-effect, Supersonic can aid that confusion, and Wing Attack is a great Flying move. This one is going to stick with me for a while until I find my perfect Zubat. Pelipper is unfortunately too slow to be adequate in the long-run, but I am pretty fond of 007 regardless. I expect to drop it shortly after I gain access to Fly, and can easily train a lower-level Pokémon up, potentially Skarmory.