Pokémon The 5 Best Bug-types In Gen III & 5 That Aren t So Great
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Pokémon The 5 Best Bug-types In Gen III & 5 That Aren t So Great
Which are the best and most underwhelming Bug-type Pokémon found in Game Freak's Generation III games? Let’s be honest, Bug-type are not many player’s favorites. In general, they have middling stats and Bug-type moves are typically not very powerful. Bug-types also have a long list of weaknesses to some of the more popular move-types – like Fire and Flying. That being said, there were some decent Bug-type Pokémon introduced in (Ruby, Sapphire, & Emerald). There was also the usual assortment of Bug-type Pokémon with below-average stats and weak move-sets in Gen III. This list will only include the fully evolved Bug-types available in the Gen III games, and will only consider the move-sets available to these Pokémon in Gen III. Pokémon will qualify for this list as long as they appeared in Ruby, Sapphire, & Emerald, regardless of whether they were introduced in Gen III or earlier. THEGAMER VIDEO OF THE DAY Not So Great – Masquerain
Masquerain is a Bug/Flying-type Pokémon that evolves from Surskit and resembles a white moth with pink eyespots. Other than Masquerain’s Special Attack, its stats are below average. Some Pokémon have low stats, but get a powerful list of moves to choose from – Masquerain is not one of those Pokémon. The best attack move this Pokémon learns via leveling-up is Silver Wind; which has a power rating of 60 and a 10% chance to raise all its stats (except hit points) by one level. In later games, Masquerain was given some better attacks to choose from, including Bug Buzz and Air Slash. Great – Shedinja
Shedinja is an odd Pokémon. Getting one requires evolving a Nincada into a Ninjask with an empty spot in the party and an empty Pokéball in the inventory. This Pokémon has rather low stats; it only has 1 hit point – ever. However, to make up for this weakness, the Shedinja has a special ability called Wonder Guard. Only Dark, Fire, Flying, Ghost, and Rock-type moves can damage Shedinja. So, against certain Pokémon, Shedinja cannot be defeated, despite having only 1 hit point. It also gets some useful moves (like Shadow Ball), but to be competitive a player might want to use a TM to increase its combat effectiveness. Not So Great – Illumise
Illumise is a humanoid-shaped that looks like a fairy but is not a Fairy-type. This cute little Pokémon has dreadful stats – its Attack rating is particularly low. Although it does learn some moves that are useful in Multi-Pokémon matches, these are not enough to make up for the lack of attack moves. Its best attack is Covet; which is useful for getting items, but not so much for making the opposing Pokémon faint. Moonlight is useful because healing moves are rare; however, Illumise’s lack of offense makes this a situation of diminishing returns. Fortunately, this Pokémon has some better attacks in later Pokémon games. Great – Volbeat
Volbeat very closely resembles Illumise, the only difference being its “hair color” and the pose they strike when encountered. Whereas Illumise is frequently encountered in certain areas of Gen III, Volbeat only has a 1% chance of appearing in the same area. This Pokémon’s stats are typical for a – slightly below average. It has the Swarm ability; this increases the power of Bug-type attack moves by 50% if Volbeat is at low health. What truly separates Volbeat from Illumise is the moves it can learn. Volbeat’s possible move-sets are actually pretty useful. It learns Double Edge (120 power) at level 37. Not So Great – Dustox
Dustox is the final evolution of the Wurmple/Cascoon evolutionary line. This Pokémon is not so great almost solely due to its abysmal Attack and Special Attack ratings. The only stat of Dustox’s that is not prohibitively low is its Special Defense. Dustox does receive some decent attack moves like Psybeam and Silver Wind, but those don’t even begin to make up for its low stats. Dustox also has a pretty good ability in Shield Dust. This ability shields a Pokémon from added effects from opponent’s attacks, like Confusion or Poison. Great – Pinsir
Pinsir is a Gen I Pokémon, made available in Gen III in the Safari Zone. Pinsir resembles a bipedal stag beetle with arms that end in three-fingered "hands." This is one Bug-type that has some surprisingly good stats; its Attack and Defense are both on par with many legendary Pokémon. It is Hyper Cutter ability prevents its Attack from being lowered by an opponent. Pinsir gets some strong attack moves to go along with its high Attack; most notably Submission and Revenge. Guillotine, another move Pinsir learns, is a move that causes a one-hit faint; this move was nerfed in though. Not So Great – Beautifly
Beautifly is the final evolution of the Wurmple/Silcoon evolutionary line. Beautifly suffers from the same deficiencies as Dustox in terms of stats – other than a good Special Attack Beautifly has very low stats. It has the Swarm ability; which pairs well with its strongest attack – Giga Drain. This Pokémon also receives the Attract move, which is very useful when facing a Pokémon of the opposite sex. Unfortunately, players must use a (or two) on Beautifly if they want it to turn it into a powerful glass cannon. Beautifly gets better in the later games when it’s given access to stronger attack moves like Bug Buzz. Great – Heracross
Gen II's Heracross is a Bug/Fighting-type Pokémon that resembles a humanoid rhinoceros beetle. There is maybe only one Bug-type better that Heracross in (entry #1); even then, the two are close enough for it to be a matter of opinion. Heracross has exceptional Attack and Special Defense ratings, and its Speed rating isn’t too bad either. Heracross also has access to some very powerful attack moves and some useful utility moves. Among the better attack moves are Megahorn (120 power), Take Down, and Brick Break. Counter and Reversal are useful against speedier Pokémon. Not So Great – Ninjask
Honestly, this Bug/Flying-type Pokémon made the “Not So Great” team only because of the lack of Bug-types in Gen III. Ninjask is not that bad, but there are several reasons not to use one. It has extremely low hit points, Defense, Special Attack, and Special Defense. Its Speed rating, on the other hand, is among the highest in the game and gets better during a fight due to Ninjask’s Speed Boost ability. Ninjask has a huge list of moves it can learn via leveling-up. The problem is that none of these moves are particularly powerful or useful. Great – Armaldo
Armaldo is a Bug/Rock-type Pokémon that evolves from Anorith and is gained by choosing the claw fossil. This is probably the best Bug-type in Gen III. Armaldo’s Speed rating isn’t especially good, but it does have incredibly high Attack and Defense ratings. This Pokémon’s Battle Armor ability is one of the best in the game as it prevents critical hits. The only major drawback with Armaldo is a list of available moves that leaves more than a little to be desired. Slash and Ancient Power are its best attack moves in . Its list of moves does at least feature a wide variety of move-types. In the later Pokémon games, Armaldo has access to much better attacks.