Ranking the Pokemon: #29- Golem

Golem is one weird lookin' thing. It's like a turtle, but the shell is made of boulders. It actually reminds me of those expandable orb toys, which brings back some good nostalgia. And ironically enough, Golem's got three claws per hand, but apparently five per foot, including a rear one for some reason. I guess when you're out line dancing, you might need to let the person behind you know when they're getting too close.

Aside from being another Pokemon that I disliked because you had to trade in order to obtain it, Golem has some pretty fantastical stats. The Attack and Defense are both absurd--in fact, both stats are in the top ten of all Generation I Pokemon. Defense is actually third best, behind Onyx and Cloyster. But Onyx is a joke, otherwise, and Cloyster...well, we'll get to it when it's on this list (hint: it's not the next Pokemon).

Any Rock/Ground type that can should learn Earthquake and Rock Slide, and Golem is no exception. Might as well have the strongest moves possible for STAB. The golem also learns Fire Blast, randomly, which you could throw on to give a fighting chance against Grass-types. I'd rather go an alternate route, though, and put Double-Edge on Golem instead. Normal-type moves aren't strong against anything, but they also really aren't weak against anything, so it's a nice alternative when your opponent can resist Ground or Rock-type moves. As a last resort, Explosion can do heavy damage, albeit at the expense of killing Golem. But, on the plus side, it's funny when Pokemon explode in Pokemon Stadium. 

Of course, Golem's major weakness, like any dual Rock/Ground type, is its 4x weakness to both Water and Grass. Water especially is too common, so chances are you'll face an opponent that can kill your Golem LIKE DAT, as Stat Quo once said. Or I guess said several times, since it was in the chorus in his song.  But if you're not facing a Water or Grass type (or to a lesser extent, Fighting, Ice, or another Ground), you should do just dandy with Golem.

Battling Grade: A- (OUR FIRST "A" SCORE!)

Previously: #30- Kadabra