Pokemon of the Minute: Jumpluff

It's no surprise to anyone who knows me that I'm a big fan of cute things. An animal could be the most deadly creature ever discovered, and could poison the entirety of my friends and loved ones, and it's likely that I'll still look at it and say "aaaaaaaaaaaw!" And if cuteness could be made into a weapon, Jumpluff, the Cottonweed Pokemon, would have enough to reduce the eastern U.S. to dust.

Honestly, how can you look at a sky blue, spherical, constantly smiling creature and not want to have hundreds of them as friends? Picture it: you're feeling down, having an awful day where nothing's gone right, and all you want to do is give up. Suddenly, a soft breeze picks up all around you, and from the sky a mass of fluffy little sprites rains down upon you, smiling and dancing, speaking sweetly with their adorable high-pitched vocalizations. Don't pretend you didn't smile reading that. Oh, and did I mention that it has seed-heads for hands (and one on it's head)? You remember those plants you used to pick and blow for countless hours as a small child? They're built in to this creature!

But aside from its ridiculous cuteness, Jumpluff has a special place in the games, including my own files, as a fantastic support Pokemon. Sadly, it sadly can't be said that Jumpluff is particularly strong, having rather low Attack and Special Attack stats. Neither is it bulky, possessing mediocre Defense and Special Defense. Despite this, Jumpluff is saved from Poke-Limbo by it's fantastic speed and versatile selection of support moves. It can learn both Sleep Powder, and Stun Spore, and the ever-useful Leech Seed. It also has access to Reflect, which will raise the Defense of the entire team.

But perhaps Jumpluff's most useful role is comes when equipped with Sunny Day. In sunlight, its abilities Chlorophyll (which doubles its speed), and Leaf Guard (which prevents status effects in sun) are active, and the sunlight will power other team members abilities and attacks.

In the end, Jumpluff lacks raw power, but it has its own niche in the game, and a particularly useful one. An did I mention it was cute?

Sample Build:

Held Item: Heat Rock

Nature: Jolly

Ability: Chlorophyll

EVs: 252 HP/252 Speed/4 Attack

Moveset:

-Sunny Day

-Sleep Powder

-U-Turn

-Encore