Board 8 > Favourite evolved pure ground pokemon? (2-stage)

(+) Yeah! (+)

B8's favourite Pokemon
Basic early rodent: Zigzagoon > Bidoof >> Sentret
Evolved rodent: Furret >> Raticate > Linoone
Basic early bird: Starly > Pidgey > Hoothoot
Middle bird: Pidgeotto > Fletchinder > Corvisquire
Fully evolved bird: Corviknight > Staraptor > Talonflame
Larval bug: Caterpie > Venipede > Sewaddle
Middle bug: Swadloon > Charjabug > Whirlipede
Fully evolved 3-stage bug: Scolipede > Butterfree > Beedrill
Basic early 2-stage bug: Cutiefly > Spinarak > Combee
Evolved 2-stage bug: Shedinja > Ribombee > Centiskorch
Pikaclone: Mimikyu >> Emolga > Pachirisu
Basic 2-stage primary ghost: Misdreavus > Drifloon > Pumpkaboo
Evolved 2-stage primary ghost: Mismagius > Trevenant > Cofagrigus
Basic 2-stage pure grass: Skiddo > Tangela >> Petilil
Evolved 2-stage pure grass: Lilligant > Gogoat > Lurantis
Basic 2-stage primary fire: Vulpix > Growlithe >>> Slugma
Evolved 2-stage primary fire: Arcanine > Ninetales >> Alolan Marowak
Basic crustacean: Dwebble > Krabby > Clauncher
Evolved crustacean: Clawitzer > Golisopod > Kingler
Basic 2-stage pure ground: Cubone > Sandshrew > Phanpy

Over 90% of the support yesterday was with gen1+2, and Cubone came out on top of the pile. Will today be any different?

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/7/2/5/AANyLIAAC3SF.jpg

Shotgun snake time

Marowak > Sandslash > Hippowdon > Donphan > Sandaconda > Dugtrio > Mudsdale

My ranking is largely unchanged. Just swapped the third and fourth and the fifth and sixth placements.

Voted Donphan

Marowak is a top 10 Pokemon for me, maybe even top 5.

Donphan rules, but I gotta give the nod to Cubones Mother.

Voted Donphan (anime factor).

Again a lot of cool ones, but now I'm leaning Donphan.

Both threads combined:

Cubone > Sandslash > Mudsdale > Sandshrew > Hippowdon > Silicobra > Donphan > Hippopotas > Mudbray > Phanpy > Marowak > Sandaconda >> Diglett > Dugtrio

Mudsdale is such a huge improvement over Mudbray that it's... wonderful.

Although I always nicknamed him "Clodsdale" because I am eternally a manchild and remember my time on a farm.

Donphan > Marowak > Hippowdon > Sandslash > Mudsdale > Sandaconda > Dugtrio

Marowak and Sandslash are both among my all time favorites

Man these pure ground days are weird. Voted Donphan who is a classic tuff stubby boi.

But the others I'm all very mixed on.

The Gen 1s aren't bad but they're all worse than their prevos. I still like Sandslash quite a bit but the other two are mid.
Hippowdon has a stellar design concept that just never seems to look good? I hate this art that's all mouth, the 3D models look pretty goofy. Just an awkward type of guy.
Mudsdale is a horse with dreads. No disrespect to Mudsdale/horse fans: this is a great design. I'm just ambivalent to horses, they're cool enough but I lack an inner horse girl.
Sandaconda is right on the line between stupidity and genius and I can't make up my mind. It feels just shy of greatness - however GMax Sandaconda is wonderful and meets that standard.

HeroDelTiempo17 posted...

Hippowdon has a stellar design concept that just never seems to look good? I hate this art that's all mouth, the 3D models look pretty goofy. Just an awkward type of guy.

Yeah I think I agree with this, the original sprites don't have great angles and it looks pretty silly in modern games without the sand pouring out. I still like it quite a lot but they haven't figured out how to transition it to 3D yet.

Honestly I blame actual hippos, which are dopey yet terrifying monstrosities. So in that regard this is an accurate design.

Marowak > Sandaconda > Sandslash > Dugtrio > Donphan > Hippowdon > Mudsdale

I think... Marowak. I like all of these except the weird snake though.

Hippowdon >> Sandslash >> Donphan >>> Sandaconda > Marowak > Mudsdale >>>>>>>>> Dugtrio

Hippowdon is one of my favourites, full stop. I love the design and I used one on a sand team back in gen 4 because everyone and their dog was using Tyranitar and I wanted to be cool. Sandslash is pretty great too, but the rest are kinda meh. Big fan of ground types but I'm here for the dual typings. The mono-grounds are fairly brown and bland, like everyone else said.

I like most gen 1 designs well enough and there's not a lot of shockers, but there's something which constantly pisses me off about how uncreative Dugtrio and a few other evolutions (specifically Magneton and Dodrio) are. Magneton I can kinda understand because it works thematically? But Dugtrio is the most bland and uninspired design ever, probably in my top ten least favourite mons. Why exactly did there need to be three separate lines with their evolution basically being "stage one but now with more heads!"

Stuff like Vanillish and Deino I get (and the latter has a great design which actually changes very notably between evos!), and with Magneton it's at least thematically appropriate. But why would you take what is already possibly the simplest design in the entire series and think "let's just add two more and call it a day"?

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/0/0/9/AAbtIzAAC3Wh.jpg

Mudsdale purely for the memes.

Wait, why did I think Donphan was steel type?

I think the only one of these I like less than their base form is Donphan. Sandslash is one of my favorites and I really like Marowak but can't vote against the hippo.

Hippowdon > Sandslash > Marowak > Dugtrio > Sandaconda > Donphan > Mudsdale

ChaosTonyV4 posted...

Wait, why did I think Donphan was steel type?

Ha, steel would fit it going off of appearance and gen 2 could've done with more steel types so it would've made sense! They did eventually get around to a steel type elephant in gen 8 at least.

Sheep007 posted...

Hippowdon >> Sandslash >> Donphan >>> Sandaconda > Marowak > Mudsdale >>>>>>>>> Dugtrio

I don't disagree with any of your comments but I still do kinda enjoy Dugtrio >_> It's definitely a super lazy design though, and gen1 was obsessed with 'more heads' as an evolutionary trait for some reason.

ChaosTonyV4 posted...

Wait, why did I think Donphan was steel type?

you're not alone, that one gets me all the time

Went with Donphan. But I might vote differently on another day.

Color scheme is to blame here.

Every pokemon up there is dominantly brown and then donphan is entirely grey and bluish grey, generally a steel type colorization.

Actually kinda tough here. I think they are all actually good designs....which usually doesn't happen in later generations!