Pokemusings, week 40

We have tons of respect for the artists and designers that have worked on all the Pokemon games over the years. Coming up with new and exciting Pokemon is not easy, but the designers have managed to keep things fresh with most of the 493 critters they've concocted. That said, there are a number of Pokemon that are just boring, banal, and redundant. This week's Pokemusings focuses on Pokemon that leave you with a profound sense of "meh."

Above: It's the Pillsbury Dough Pokemon.

Quagsire
Here's a Pokemon that's especially disappointing. When it starts off as Wooper, it's pretty cute, as most things with twigs sticking out of its head tend to be. Its Water/Ground typing gives it all kinds of potential as a combatant. When it evolves into Quagsire, it absolutely fails to live up to its potential, both in terms of looks and battling prowess.

While Quagsire looks like a jolly fellow, it also looks kind of like Godzilla's illegitimate child with the Pillsbury Dough Boy. That's more than a bit disturbing. Although it has high Special Defense and Hit Points, Quagsire is ultimately doomed by its speed (base 35!). Overall, it ends up being a poor man's Swampert. Any sound strategy you can pull off with a Quagsire can be executed exponentially better with a Swampert. It has better stats, a more diverse move pool, and actually looks kind of threatening.