#124+ #238: Jynx and the blasted baby Smoochum

Well, there's another frustrating baby Pokemon here, but more infamously a big heap of controversy/rapper.

Smoochum is the baby, so we'll thrash that one first. Yeah, it doesn't look good. 45 HP, 30 attack, a woeful 15 defence, 65 in speed and special defence and an admittedly good 85 special attack, but you're ice/psychic with the abilities oblivious (prevents infatuation and taunting, the former quite key due to 100% female split of the species), forewarn  (points out the highest power move the foe has) and the hidden ability hydration (the rain can cure status afflictions). You don't evolve until level 30 (between fake tears and lucky chant below).

Everything here looks like a skinny Honey Boo Boo...

Pound (base 40 normal physical) and lick (base 30 ghost physical with chance to paralyse) will basically do as much damage as if you cough at the houses of Parliament in Westminster. Sweet kiss confuses the target and sing can put them to sleep. Between these two moves you get access to powder snow (ice special base 40 with a 10% chance of freezing the target, able to hit both foes in a double battle), and confusion (base 50 psychic special that can confuse), both offering damage aligned STAB. Heart stamp is a base 60 psychic physical move that carries a 30% chance to flinch the foe, mean look locks the opponent in and prevents voluntary switching, and fake tears lowers the target's special defence by two stages.

The other side of the evolving level is lucky chant, which prevents the foe from landing lucky hits on the team for 5 turns, whilst avalanche comes in after as a base 60 physical ice move with a very low priority, allowing you to be hurt, at which point it doubles in power for the turn to base 120. Psychic is the same great move it always is (base 90 special psychic), copycat is the annoyance it always is (copies the foe's last move), perish song starts a counter so that every Pokemon in play that hears the song will die after the counter ends (so couple with mean look, maybe), and blizzard is a base 110 ice special move that has 70 accuracy unless in hail, where it gets 100.

The TM list offers psyshock, hail, ice beam (in my book this is better than blizzard as the 100 accuracy and 90 power is nicer), shadow ball (base 80 ghost special), psychic again, grass knot, dream eater and frost breath (base 60 ice special that results in a critical hit unless hitting a foe under lucky chant or with certain abilities like shell armour) in addition to the standard fodder. Fake out is one of the better choices from the breeding list, which is a little sad, though that said, nasty plot offers its huge boost to special attack, and wish is good for teammates.

The tutor actually offers a lot. Sadly, ice punch, zen headbutt and covet are all physical and won't do much for you. Icy wind is a base 55 special move that can slow the foe (if you need me to tell you what type this is, then please sit in the corner and have a think for a few hours), signal beam, snore, uproar and water pulse make yet another appearance each, helping hand helps an ally in a multi-battle, trick swaps held items, skill swap swaps abilities, heal bell heals all party members of status issues, role play copies the foe's ability as your own, magic coat reflects status inducing moves and things like leech seed, magic room suppresses held items, and recycle recycles consumed berries.

Jynx has been labelled as a racist mascot, a portrayal of the gyaru/ganguro subcultures in Japan, something that is trans-phobic, and more recently, Nicki Minaj. Jynx starts with 65 base HP and 50 attack, coupled with a dreadful 35 base defence. On a slightly lighter note, you get a nice 115 special attack and 95 special defence, and your speed is ok, not great, base 95. Abilities-wise you get oblivious, forewarn and the hidden ability dry skin (you take more damage from fire moves and lose HP in the sun but get healed by rain and water attacks). You notice the boosted damage from fire moves? Yeah, you're already ice-type (with psychic, too) so that's a monumental risk...

"Starships were meant to fly-y-y!"

Draining kiss is like a fairy special version of drain punch, hitting at base 50 and draining their health to heal you. Perish song, pound, powder snow and lovely kiss all survive as initial moves along with most of the others. Joining the ranks are: double slap, wake-up slap (could have been bred in), ice punch and body slam all as useless physical moves. Wring out is normal special and hits a foe harder the higher percentage HP that foe has left.

The TM list is bolstered by hyper beam, giga impact, payback, hidden power, focus blast and energy ball, whilst the tutor now also offers drain punch, focus punch and hyper voice.

There's nothing here to like, really, other than decent but unspectacular special stats and a slightly above pedestrian speed stat. If you like Jynx, then by all means use it. If not, you probably won't have been convinced to like it.

(All artwork presented by Ken Sugimori, taken from the Bulbapedia image archives)