icycatelf

Gens. 1-6. Wanting to know for a thing.

Here ya go:

Lookit!

Art by SmittenRainbowKitten on GaiaOnline. I love it!

Dunsparce: Inspired by childhood memories of trying to evolve one into a Gligar in Silver Version and having recently learned about chaining, I decided to try my luck one Christmas when Dunsparce were swarming in Pearl. Despite having no repels or knowing all the tricks I know now, I got it on my first try! By sheer chance, it also had the perfect Nature-Ability combo (Adamant + Serene Grace). I waited until HGSS to start training him and considered him my “mascot” for years.

Tyrogue: I like how it felt like a “secret” Pokémon in GSC/HGSS, tucked away in the depths of Mt. Mortar.

Mothim: I adore moths IRL and spent nearly a year hunting my Shiny Mothim in HGSS. I consider it my "most prized" in-game Pokémon.

Nidoran-M: Mostly because I found a Shiny one in Fire Red years ago (my first “cool” Shiny), plus I legit think it’s the cutest Poison-type.

Sandshrew: My first toy from Burger King’s first movie promotion.

Omanyte: I remember seeing a book about fossils in my elementary school library and immediately made the connection between Omanyte and ammonites. I also got a Japanese Omanyte (Fossil) card from a friend in 5th grade and it's really nostalgic. Finding a goniatite (small relative of the ammonites) fossil a few years ago may have also shot it up the list.

Shedinja: I've always thought it was interesting with its unique ability and obtaining method, but it wasn't until having an outbreak of periodical cicadas and finding their shells all over the place that I made the connection and really fell in love with it. Turning something that looks like an insect corpse into a Bug/Ghost Pokémon is just perfect! I also dig its aesthetic, reminding me of some kind of ancient relic.

Misdreavus: It’s pretty cute, but it really shot up my list after I found a Shiny one in VC Gold.

Alolan Sandslash: A remake of one of my original favorites as my favorite type (Ice)? Sign me up!

Flareon: Its Jungle artwork is really nostalgic and one of my favorite illustrations in the entire TCG. It was also my first full-odds Shiny Eeveelution (but only because I'd already gotten all the others I liked via other methods).

Wartortle: Currently my favorite Pokémon. It has a great aesthetic and, between writing a short story about it with my mom and my dad getting me a bootleg sticker card of it from the gas station (I love those bootleg sticker cards), it’s also really nostalgic.

Leafeon: My favorite Eeveelution. I love its cat-like aesthetic and natural yet mystical feel. I cloned the Shiny Eevee I SR’d in VC Gold and transferred it so I could evolve one into Leafeon and find myself wanting to use it almost all the time!

Magneton: Mostly because of Pokémon Snap, but it also stuck out to me being one of the first Shiny Pokémon to appear in the anime. I also remember daydreaming about having a flying, remote-controlled Magnemite toy as a kid.

Mew: We never got the binders around here to my knowledge, but I was fortunate enough to pull a Southern Islands Mew as a hidden bonus card from a third-party blister pack. Mysterious and considered the rarest Pokémon at the time, I was tickled to bits! It’s one of my favorite Pokémon cards.

Frosmoth: I adore moths and consider Ice my favorite type, so it’s like it was made for me!

Dragonair: It’s just really elegant and pretty. It also takes me back to the first movie Burger King cards (and my grandma exclaiming “Eww! It’s a snake!” when I showed it to her xD).

Sneasel: It’s a pretty cool design, but I think it sticks out most due to my cousin flaunting his OP Neo Geneis Sneasel card back in elementary school. I’ve also made a few Sneasel cards over the years (recycling the same two artworks), so it—especially Shiny Sneasel—has come to be associated with me among fellow fakers.

Togetic: Remember evolving Togepi into Togetic in GSC for the first time? So nostalgic!

Lickitung: My first card from Burger King, IIRC. I remember keeping it in the front of my binder and showing it off in class like it was the coolest thing. I even wrote a short story inspired by it for an assignment.

Gallade: It’s basically an elf. Elves are cool.

Ho-Oh: My “original” favorite and still my favorite Legendary. I’d always looked up to my cousin (the Sneasel-flaunting one) for his video game skills, so I was thrilled when I beat his Blue Version team on Pokémon Stadium 2, wiping out most of it with my Ho-Oh from Silver. I’d had trouble beating Red on Mt. Silver too, but my cousin told me that I could probably beat him now with my Ho-Oh, so I tried again and it worked! Its appearance in the first episode of the anime was also really neat and mysterious.

Weedle: It was one of my very first Shiny Pokémon and I remember Pokémon Zeo making a really cool glow-in-the-dark Weedle card back in the day. I kind of dig the simplicity of its design.

Sandslash: One of the most nostalgic Gen. I Pokémon to me. Anyone remember getting/seeing this sticker?

Corsola: Most Rock-types aren’t that cute, Corsola being one of the few exceptions. It also has my favorite aesthetic Shiny and I was lucky enough to fish one up myself in VC Gold!

Yanma: It’s pretty cute. I especially enjoy its Neo Discovery card.

Froslass: A friend from school traded me one and she was awesome, inspiring me to start using a Mono-Ice team. I fancied myself an Ice-type Gym Leader for a while.

Jirachi: Cute! Cute! Cute!

Quilava: Nice balance of cool and cute.

Lapras: I liked using this one in Pokémon Stadium. It also has ties to Johto, my first and favorite region, appearing once a week in Union Cave. I also love its Fossil TCG artwork.

Meganium: My first Starter (fully-evolved) and, IIRC, my first Lv100. I also remember pulling a really cool Meganium card back in the day.

Luxio: IDK, there’s just something about it that makes me happy. I’ve seen some fan art of it that I really like and I remember being excited when I saw them all over the place during a storm on the Isle of Armor.

Chimecho: Object-based Pokémon have a certain charm. Chimecho sticks out for being not only hard-to-find in its debut game but also the last Pokémon programmed into its debut game. Makes you wonder if maybe it was originally going to be a Mythical Pokémon. I’ve got a Chimecho papercraft hanging in my room.

Glaceon: My MVP in Black 2. I’d actually disliked Glaceon but, when I MM’d a Shiny Eevee, I opted to evolve it into Glaceon since I ran a mono-Ice team and came to love it.

Latios: Probably my favorite Legendary in terms of design. It’s also one of the last Pokémon that gave me that new Pokémon thrill like the Johto-mon did. (I still enjoy seeing new Pokémon, but it’s just not as… fresh, I guess?) I remember when it and Latias were first revealed and how fans were speculating that they might be related to Togepi.

Umbreon: Though not my favorite Eeveelution, I’ve used Umbreon in more playthroughs than any other Eeveelution. I really enjoy its sleek, edgy aesthetic, though it’s a real shame that its 3DS/Switch models don't look as nice as its older models.

Alolan Ninetales: I loves me some Ice-types. I actually prefer Alolan Vulpix, aka the cutest Pokémon, but evolving my Shiny Alolan Vulpix from Ultra Sun into Alolan Ninetales since its Shiny colors were more noticeable on the evolved form made it grow on me.

Eevee: I was originally going to put Furret here, but Eevee has been creeping up my favorites these past few years—first after finding a random Shiny one in X, then finding a Build-a-Bear Eevee at a thrift store, and finally SRing a Shiny one in VC Gold, which I named after my cat since they're both grey and fluffy. I've even given my TrainerSona a Shiny Eevee to represent Ciel and find myself doodling it quite often.

Lucario: No real significance to me, just one of the nicer-looking Fighting-types.

Lugia: Silver was my first game (at least from the main series), so Lugia is pretty nostalgic.

Dragalge: Leafy sea dragons are cool! Although I haven’t used Dragalge much (on account of always choosing the game that doesn’t have it), the main character’s ace from a Yu-Gi-Oh-esque concept I came up with back in middle school was based on a leafy sea dragon.

Quagsire: That charming derpy face.

Midday Lycanroc: Probably the most attractive Rock-type.

Snom: Next to moths, caterpillars are probably my favorite things to look for IRL. And we know I like Ice-types, so…

Haunter: I always preferred using it over Gengar in the Stadium games. It’s a tough call between it and Lunala (I loved Nebby in Moon), but Haunter wins out slightly because of Pokémon Snap.

Scizor: Nice design.

Arcanine: Another one I can thank Pokémon Stadium for. Might also be why Dig is one of my favorite moves.

Vaporeon: My original favorite Eeveelution. I used to have a Topps card showing it melting into a puddle which I thought was neat. Also love its Stadium models and HGSS sprite, but I HATE its 3DS/Switch models.

Bayleef: The one I pulled from my first Neo pack is pretty nostalgic.

Raikou: It has a really nice design and its Neo Revelation holo is really nostalgic.

Meowstic-M: There are two things I tend to look for in new batches of Pokémon: Ice-types and cats. Meowstic-M is my favorite Gen. VI Pokémon, Avalugg a close second.

Vanillite: My favorite Gen. V Pokémon, barring Legendaries. Can’t say I’m as big a fan of its evolutions, though.

Kingdra: Though I got the other deck, Kingdra’s Neo Genesis card screams nostalgia.

Weavile: Used it on my mono-Ice team. Hits hard and fast.

Marill: Cute and nostalgic. I remember having a Marill backpack back in 4th grade.

Mine's the Leaf Stone!