#grotle

[raindrop-stimmies]

Grotle stimboard!

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[otiksimr]

Poorly drawn Turtwig line

[duplication-error]

Sinnoh Dex in DS resolution #2 Grotle

[poketcg-art]

Grotle -- Oswaldo KATO

[kindykotik]

Doodle dump 2

[bytesizedshorts]

I’ve always had a soft spot for Turtwig ever since I first saw them. I made a doodle with one and Torterra a while back and figured I should make one with Grotle too :)

Love the Sinnoh starters? Click below for the other two :3

Chimchar Doodle!

Piplup Doodle!

[myownsaddisco]

Poké-posting :))))

[pokemon-cards-hourly]

[sparrowmechanic]

Tortoises :)

[tbshorts]

Turtwig and Torterra are almost perfect. Grotle........ is also there.

Chimchar really doesn't look like much, but Infernape absolutely rips

Piplup is easily the best gen 4 starter, Empoleon is practically a legendary

Video scripts below the cut

Turtwig:

Ah, the worst gen 4 starter - I'm kidding! I'm kidding. It's only second worst. It's a simple concept, executed well: what if a tortoise was also the seed of a plant, and as the tortoise grows, so does the tree on its shell. It recalls the idea of world turtles, the best cosmological concept, which is also hinted at in Torterra's pokédex entries.

But, right, Turtwig - like most starters it's mostly designed to be cute, with its broad smiling jaw and oversized upper lip and chibi proportions. The lil' twig with the two leaves on the head is just adorable, it's the pokémon version of a propeller hat, and I'm really charmed by it.

As for Grotle, well, middle stages are often awkward, and with its weird almost caterpillar body shape and two… bushes(?) on the back, it looks a bit half-finished. It really could have done more to imply a flowering garden on its back, it looks too barren.

Torterra, though? Fuck yeah, Torterra, this pokémon is so fucking cool. A giant tortoise with legs like tree trunks and claws made of boulders, and hills and trees perched upon its back, that RULES. My only criticism is that it is way too small in-game. If it was Wailord sized, it'd be S-tier.

Grade: A

Chimchar

Chimchar is probably the weakest design among the starters, both it and Monferno never really transcend just being… monkeys with fire on their tails. Chimchar has the… well it's supposed to be the shape of a small ember on its head, but let's be real, it looks like a poop, and there just isn't enough THERE to make it more than what it seems on the surface.

Monferno at least has the blue and red face markings, slightly recalling the idea of a mandrill, which is cool, and a bit of that wild white collar, which, okay, that's something, but it still barely looks special - if anything it looks like a first-stage evolution, honestly.

Infernape, thankfully, makes up for a LOT of lost ground. The billowing fire hair gives it a sense of dynamism, the powerful red crest on the face makes it look tough, the bright white is striking and the decorative gold pads on its body recalls how divinity is often decorated in Asian art. It's trite to compare every mystical monkey to Sun Wukong, but it does feel like some of him or Hanuman is in here, the design has a ton of charisma. And I really like that it remains slim, it looks agile, quick, clever, and more than a little mischievous. Weak pre-evolution designs are worth it to get to here.

Grade: B

Piplup is easily the best gen 4 starter, Empoleon is practically legendary

Piplup is the cutest gen 4 starter and also the best designed, this lil' guy is such an instant and immediate charmer. Being a baby penguin, how could it not be, but also the way that its blue markings are "fastened" on its beak and cascade down into a cloak hanging over its shoulders gives it a real "preschool kid in a raincoat" vibe that I love, and the two "buttons" on the tummy like it's wearing overalls just… god it's cute.

Prinplup avoids the awkwardness of middle stage evolutions, looking both cute with its plump little body, buttons and tailcoat, like a kid wearing his first fancy suit, but also like it's fast and powerful, thanks to those sleek fins and the head crest.

Empoleon, meanwhile… like holy shit, this thing looks like a LEGENDARY. The beak extending into a shape which is both a crown AND a trident is genuinely brilliant design, the picture of a nautical ruler. The stippling on the white marking makes it look like a fancy cravat of a king or prince, the hard edges of its collar look at once regal and dangerous, like it could slice you to piece with it, and together with those shield-like hard fins gives it an air of invulnerability almost. This thing is INTIMIDATING, it's regal, it's powerful, it's amazing!

Grade: S

[cardspkmn]

Grotle — S&V Temporal Forces #164

Illustrated by: Oswaldo KATO

[pokemon-middle-evo-poll]

[batshaped]

torterra picnic

[front-facing-pokemon]

[poketcg-art]

Grotle -- Nisota Niso

[pokemonheritageposts]

I love your card rankings so much! Turtwig line, mayhaps? 👀

Haven't done a gen 4 starter yet and I've always loved this line, so sure!

10. Torterra EX (illus. PLANETA Tsuki, Scarlet & Violet - Temporal Forces 12/162)

9. Grotle (illus. Sumiyoshi Kizuki, Black & White - Plasma Storm 2/135)

8. Turtwig (illus. Naoyo Kimura, Diamond & Pearl - Majestic Dawn 78/100)

7. Grotle (illus. Uninori, Scarlet & Violet - Temporal Forces 11/162)

6. Torterra (illus. Oswaldo KATO, Sword & Shield - Brilliant Stars 8/172)

5. Turtwig (illus. Masakazu Fukuda, POP Series 6 17/17)

4. Turtwig (illus. Kouki Saitou, Crown Zenith GG31/GG70)

3. Torterra (illus. kawayoo, Sun & Moon - Ultra Prism 9/156)

2. Turtwig (illus. OKACHEKE, Scarlet & Violet - Temporal Forces 10/162)

1. Grotle (illus. Oswaldo KATO, Scarlet & Violet - Temporal Forces 164/162)