How I would Fix Psyduck in Pokemon Black & White 2

[@danielhpcarvalho4348]

Maybe Psyduck could get an special equivalent of belly drum, called "headache". It could cut its HP in half, but maximize its special attack.

[@Yfighter2]

That makes so much sense! Alternatively, it could be an ability of Psyduck: when it’s HP falls below half, the power of Psychic attacks is doubled. I think limiting it to Psychic would keep Psyduck balanced (a +6 Special would fall into the setup/sweep trope that we don’t want this series to become)

[@dominicmoras4283]

@@Yfighter2 Or maybe it confuses it in exchange for the stat boost?

[@Yfighter2]

@@dominicmoras4283 that would be a fine way to balance it while also keeping with the lore. Something that people would overcome with a lum/persim berry

[@gigastrike2]

So it's using flatter on itself?

[@dominicmoras4283]

@@gigastrike2 Yes but better?

[@dominicmoras4283]

I feel like your Psyduck is missing Metronome. It seems like the perfect move to illustrate "uses powers in a frenzy that it can't remember how to use later"

[@gigastrike2]

I don't know. As much as they loved to make a big deal out of metronome in the gen 1 anime when pokemon knew it, it would be weird if psyduck was only added to that list now.

[@BeyondTrash-xe1vs]

​@@gigastrike2not that weird, Pokémon gain access to new moves all the time in new generations.

[@Irishlozcat]

I love that "fixing" a pokemon is more about making them more fun rather than competitive. If psyduck had the ability you gave him, I'd probably use him just for the memes. I'm also really glad you give narrative context to the moves to try to keep them in the main theme of the pokemon. I saw one guy saying to be careful of setup moves and I agree, but in context of why you gave golduck calm mind I think it works perfectly in character

[@blackheart2728]

I would personally tweak the ability so that instead of confusion(in single player); the first turn after it proc's, the opponent's move selection is determined by the pokemon you intended to send out, rather than psy/golduck.

[@Yfighter2]

I probably would’ve increased the odds of Psyduck coming out just a little bit more. 20 or 30 percent.

[@residentgrey]

This actually made them way more competitive so it is a win-win. It became a solid alternative to Slobro with its own advantages.

[@js739]

I love the Improvise ability for Psyduck, especially if it confuses the opponent. For Golduck I think it'd be fun to have a variant ability, maybe 'Impromptu', where instead of confusion it boosts the Golducks Speed and/or Special Attack; most of its dex entries mention how fast it is, so it could be jumping out in front, and how its gem sometimes glows at full power (maybe this interferes with the pokeballs) On top of that, I would maybe give the line a Signature Move that works with this gimmick. Some options might be: Outflow: An attack that uses the secondary type of the pokemon the user replaced in battle. (if the Golduck is the first in battle or swaps in from a Abra this is Psychic, if Psyduck Improvises a Growlithe this is Fire, if a Scyther U-Turns into Psyduck this is Flying, etc) Imposter: Uses a random move known by the pokemon the user replaced in battle. (Kind of like Assist but more controllable, maybe too powerful) Misremember: On entering battle, this move is temporarily replaced with one randomly chosen from the pokemon the user replaced.

[@js739]

Oh, you know what might be fun? Improvise: When confused this pokemon uses a random move known by the previous pokemon instead of hurting itself. 10% chance this pokemon is sent out instead when switching. i.e. this is effectively a soft Confusion Immunity alongside the random swap in chance. You could then have a signature move that capitalises on it like: Muddle: Psychic; 50% chance for this attack to have the user's Primary Type, confuses the user. or Headache: Sharply raises the user's Special attack while lowering their speed and confusing them.

[@michaelvisosky743]

You know, a Psyduck was a mainstay on my team in Pokémon Legends: Arceus, and if my one data point is anything to go by, Psyduck/Golduck are INSANELY good in that game. Stood up and won so many fights that no one else on my team could, and singlehandedly humiliated most of the nobles.

[@CoffeeFlavoredMilk]

I think Mightyena in Gen 3 could be an interesting one. It has use as a relatively early Intimidate pivot but ultimately can't do much more than that. I'd actually like to see how it'd fare if its Dark-type moves were physical instead of special.

[@goGothitaLOL]

Bonus points if iin Gens 6-7 (or Radical Red) where Strong Jaw exist

[@The_Red_Drifter]

Unova is perhaps the region that's most balanced around having a full team that are close to the same level as the next important trainer battle. Especially with how the exp works in this generation in particular. I wouldn't feel too down about Golduck not being the star here, and he was still a solid team player. The gimmick ability was fun too!

[@that-guy-pearce]

I love the idea of Improvise as an ability but I might suggest making it so that when the enemy uses phasing moves like roar or dragon tail (especially considering the Drayden fight in B2W2), Psyduck is more likely to come out, or even guaranteed to come out. I think this prevents its signature ability from being a complete hindrance while also adding some cool potential for strategies in nuzlockes and things like that

[@bananaforscale1283]

Psyduck's psychic coverage and lack of psychic type is an advantage and fits lore as it's supposed to be a surprise, it would be better if only Golduck was Water/Psychic

[@tijnvannelmen5832]

Also both of Roxie's pokemon in Normal Mode have dark moves anyways 😭

[@chrisholcomb7066]

I would be careful with the distribution of setup moves. I don't know if each video is its own separate entity or a collective, but it could easily become "weak pokemon get calm mind weak pokemon now strong". I would lean more on abilities for changes cause of how much they can change a mons playstyle. Love the videos though keep it up Edit: It could be a cool idea of taking these changes and then making a complete rom after a certain amount kinda like a drayano rom

[@ZenModeYT]

I get what you mean. Didn’t help that I did it 2 vids in a row. I’ll probably be more hesitant going forward, but Golduck can at least learn it by TM so I don’t think it’s too egregious. The next couple of Pokémon I’m trying to make good without specifically turning them into sweepers.

[@JaharNarishma]

​@@ZenModeYT I like the part you highlighted from Fire Emblem, how fun it is to use them. A lot of Pokémon have some niche where they are amazing. Butterfree with early game strength and mid game utility by abusing Compound Eyes, Ludicolo with super restoration of health despite being quite weak, and Spinarak to conquer Sprout Tower are a few examples of the utility of weak Pokémon. Early game Spinarak being replaced with Eevee in Goldenrod City in Johto is one example of how a bad Pokémon is fun to use. Just don't keep using it when new Pokémon start appearing.

[@giratina6665]

​@@JaharNarishma Wait, Butterfree is a Jagen? How did I never notice?

[@emblemblade9245]

Oh my god Butterfree is a Jagen

[@marioluigijam3612]

@@emblemblade9245 hehe Fire Emblem

[@shadowmarauder6033]

Psyduck is one of those gen 1 pokémon that no one knows why it doesn’t get buffs. It deserves at least a stat boost & the psychic type.

[@ZenModeYT]

You’d think if it were REALLY Masuda’s favourite he’d give it a regional form or SOMETHING cool…

[@shadowmarauder6033]

@@ZenModeYT true, just look at other personal favorites of the company like the Gengar line, Poliwhirl line, and of course Pikachu

[@xrn769]

Getting nasty plot in gen 9 is a small start

[@Yfighter2]

Especially considering the gen 1 pokemon that got updated with the fairy type. Would be so easy to change Psyduck…

[@shadowmarauder6033]

@@Yfighter2 yeah, that way it would help as a jack of all trades against lower tier dragons

[@gamerguy0084]

I feel like a equally derpy evolution with the psychic type would fit Psyduck better than boring Golduck

[@ZenModeYT]

Honestly true! But I’m no artist lol and probably won’t be adding/changing any Pokémon designs with this stuff.

[@j_g_t6091]

I would say Golduck works fine if it just gets the psychic type lol

[@Dell-ol6hb]

Golduck is a pretty cool design though

[@JaharNarishma]

They really push Golduck as a water Pokémon. It is a super fast swimmer (why not higher speed stat or ability to reflect that?), has no mentions of the psychic powers that Psyduck had (nor the head aches), and is all around very much _not_ a Psyduck. Psyduck should have been a Psychic type, and Golduck should be more like Psyduck. The clumsy kid with migraines and psychic powers (Eleven from Stranger things, ET or any other psychic individual) grows up to be Michael Phelps, fastest swimmer in the world. There is a mismatch here. Only their looks and names suggest any connection.

[@mamutepeq]

Golduck is cool too, and the evo makes sense. Psyduck is what people usually think of ducks (stupid, annoying, clumsy, weak, dull platypus-like beak, with that classic rubber ducky/cartoon duck look) and Golduck is what ducks actually are in real life (smart, fast, powerful talons, strong muscles, a little nail at the end of the otherwise flat beak to catch fish underwater, streamlined). I have pet ducks and geese, and the males are incredibly powerful like Golduck is, they're all tame and docile but you certainly wouldn't want to get on their bad side, and even the smaller females are pretty strong too, their talons are nasty and their muscles would make a bodybuilder blush. They could've focused more on Golduck's psychic powers, yeah, but as a duck Pokémon line overall I think they did a pretty good job. Maybe Golduck could get an evo that mastered its psychic powers and now it can use them to levitate so it can fly like a real duck despite lacking the flight feathers on its clawed arms, but with the overall design still focusing on physical strength and swimming capabilities.

[@pookiegaming75]

Nasty Plot would've been a good move for Golduck, He's partially based off a Kappa and theyre known to be mischievous so i think it would fit I also think that Unaware or Own Tempo would also be a fitting ability for psyduck, as i feel Improvise, while conceptually cool, would just make most people hate using psyduck, no matter what buffs it may add(not that anyone uses it anyways) EDIT: Upon further thinking, i think if Improvise gave Golduck a +1 priority on turns it accidentally gets switched in to it would be a good enough boost to warrant the switch in, but help to solve the issue of Golducks speed (and i enjoyed the video btw, i can't wait to see what content you release inthe future)

[@lonefire333]

The guaranteed confusion on Improvise like he wanted would be cool enough to use for me.

[@whiteeeveeangel]

The Improvise ability concept could potentially have some very interesting synergy with Zoroark's Illusion ability too.

[@javelin4646]

I'd be really interested in seeing a video on Castform, I think it has a lot of missing potential like with its really lame stats and lack of a sandstorm form for some reason.

[@ZenModeYT]

Yeah I actually started working on a castform vid but am putting it on hold until I figure out how to play with some mechanics to REALLY let it shine. I was thinking the exact same thing regarding the lack of a sand form - really sucks! From what I can tell, the reason behind this is because castform’s design is actually a water molecule, so it can only transform into forms of water (steam in the sun, liquid in rain and ice in hail), but sand isn’t water, so no sand form.😢

[@Yfighter2]

@@ZenModeYTit should have a “Mud” form then…

[@matthewbird1067]

​@@ZenModeYT would be nice to see Castform as a support to its side like an improved Utility Umbrella, that is just pure upside: in sun you deal more Fire damage, but don't take more; take less Water damage but your water attacks are normal power; reverse in Rain. For Snow (and Sand if a form comes) your partner gets the Def boost regardless of type, ignores Def boost that would apply to opposing Ice types.

[@nunyabiznes33]

I also loved the gift Castform in RSE but the stats is really just bad. I don't mind not having a Rock-type form for Sandstorm (funny that Weather Ball do change type) I just want it to have decent stats. I forgot where it is available in Sinnoh but it'll be interesting if you fix it there, that's the only game it gets stabbed Normal-type Weather Ball from Fog.

[@Celon549]

@@ZenModeYT I've always felt that Castform's Forecast ability should be a weather-setting ability that changes based on if you're holding a Heat, Damp, or Icy Rock. That would immediately give it fantastic utility.

[@houselemuellan8756]

A move similar to that big Psychic explosion Psyduck did from the Defective Pikachu movie would be really cool too. An attack that hits everyone in a double/triple battle and wakes up sleeping Pokémon

[@thedimedropper9601]

Got your name for it. Psychic Awakening.

[@commonpepe2270]

It could be a psychic type version of Blacephalons Mind Blown, with the recoil representing the resulting headache.

[@rrrr-im9oz]

@@thedimedropper9601 Its 1 letter too long, character limit is 16 still for some reason

[@thedimedropper9601]

@@rrrr-im9oz hit them with that feraligatr level of spelling.

[@apo313]

Loved the use of Bopper's Unit Feel to describe Pokémon. It's something I think a lot of people miss when discussing Pokémon. People will be biased to interesting or standout Pokémon rather than bland filler like Golduck.

[@John-jc3ty]

psyduck was set in the anime to be psychic as his second tipe, but in 1st gen this type was so op they left it out. should have added it in second gen

[@DrCoeloCephalo]

I had recently made a video essay about how bad the overlap is between monsters in Pokemon games. I like how you actually back up your theories with footage.

[@ZenModeYT]

Thanks! Another comment put it well - I’m just testing my hypothesis. My changes won’t always be as good as they seem in theory, no reason not to show the results!

[@zeoxyman]

Improvise is an interesting ability, but the randomness is a hard sell if anyone's trying to build a competitive (or at least strong) team. What do you think about adjusting it like this? 1. Whenever psyduck switches in (intentionally or not), confuse the opponent. Or if it's a double battle etc, confuse a random Pokemon (so it could hit your ally). 2. And, because the confusion is stronger, bump up the chance of replacing another switch to 20%. So with this, it's like your team has a priority Confuse Ray, but it makes other switching risky until the duck is KO'd. And of course you can't spam the confusion every turn or make it stick permanently, so you still have to play strategically. It's mostly going to be an answer to an opponent setting up without substitute. And I think this modified version would be just as fun for in-game.

[@scarlett285]

I love the application of unit feel to pokemon. It translates really well from FE and is great way to explain why some pokemon may be used more or less than you'd expect based on their power level

[@punknerdvee]

I like how Golduck's largely physical moveset was one of the first things about it you criticized, but it was a physical water move that won you the run.

[@olefredrikskjegstad5972]

Small suggestion: give Psyduck the move Psywave at an early level, its variable power seems like a good fit for the theme of its psychic powers being inconsistent and out of control.

[@phantompop3192]

It’s super funny seeing this because I actually did use a Psyduck in my BW2 playthrough when I first got the game. Just kinda looked at him and I was like: “You. You’re coming with me.”

[@theamazingmorris]

A video improving goldeen and seaking could be interesting since they’re so easily obtainable in most games but also forgettable

[@geodude671]

An easy fix could be to make it easy to get Goldeen with its hidden ability, Lightning Rod. It could be a decent niche as an electric-immune Water-type, especially if it can also get Swords Dance.

[@videorelaxant2780]

Seconded on the fish.

[@MishKoz]

Give it No Guard and let it learn Horn Drill, just to get some of that gen 1 jank back in its moveset

[@MLPIceberg]

2 weeks late... but Azurill is Normal type, not Water. Gen 6, it gets Fairy as a secondary typing. So when it evolves into Marill, it becomes a Water/Fairy Type, which it keeps even when evolving further into Azumarill.

[@IgnitedQuils]

In the Alakazam one, you showed its old BST 1:59 But I do agree. Also, Pokemon for some reason makes BSTs multiples of 5, so they wanted to make sure stat values are specific to fit that. All I can say is, at least it got Nasty Plot, Grass Knot and and Power Gem in SV. It should get a boost to special attack and speed, 15 points each so it should reach a BST of 530, which is on some of the highest ends for regular Pokémon.

[@ZenModeYT]

Yeah I showed it’s stats from gen 5 - the Gen I was playing

[@weisstofall2615]

I remember that, I've always had headaches every so often as a kid, and it reminded me of Psyduck. I was kinda hopeful I would eventually get psychic powers, and it made me a little happy. Even if it hurt, eventually, It'd be good for something. It wasn't tho

[@patricklynch4074]

I have an idea for an ability. "If this pokemon is confused, maximize its special attack" Like anger point, maxing an attacking stat if a rare occurance occurs. But with the added balancing of only being active while confused, and therefore meaning it can always hit itself. (Note, I'm imagining this like tangled feet where the stat is only increased DURING confusion, so curing confision resets the stat)

[@lman0089]

I think that if this was implemented, Psyduck with improvise that evolve should get a new ability. I call it “Controlled Chaos”, and it takes the positive aspect of improvise, confusing the opponent when Golduck switches in, but doesn’t risk the 10% chance of an accidental switch.

[@MaxBurnHeart]

Oh, I thought that the next pokemon could be Sandslash. Bummer. It's my favorite pokemon, and I had a lot of ideas over time to improve it, but I'd love to see more takes on that topic, yours included. :) To this day, I don't get why Psyduck is not a psychic type. I could even argue that the psychic type fits it more than the water type. It's a pokemon that is all about having headaches due to its psychic powers. Then again, it's gen 1 Pokemon, they do have their own share of weirdness when it comes to pokemon's stats design. Not to mention, we all know that psychic type was quite bonkers in gen 1. It would give Golduck at least that generation to be good, but oh well. One piece of advice I'd like to share is to not give setup moves too freely. Yes, Calm Mind is a move that could fit Golduck well, but it's not a good idea to just give these kinds of moves to every pokemon. Now I know that you only have two videos so far, so I hope it won't become a trend. :D Oh, by the way. We see the Psyduck line in every generation because it's the favorite Pokemon of Masuda. So long as Masuda has anything to say about new pokemon games, we can be sure the Psyduck line will be in the next generations. Thanks for a video, hope the next one is even greater!

[@l6ki]

sandslash is also my favourite :O

[@aimix93]

As a fellow sandslash enjoyer, I'm curious what your fixes would be

[@l6ki]

@@aimix93 enchant your sandslash with Thorns, those spikes on its back gotta do some dmg

[@alheimianservant1499]

Same here. Sandshrew needs some love😊

[@bertinernie31]

Fun Golduck story from my Diamond playthrough. We're up to Cynthia. Golduck has been my MVP since i caught it in a cave early in the game. Cynthia and i are trading pokemon all through out the battle, while Golduck usually finishes them off. We get to Garchomp. Golduck is in the red hp and he's all i have left. Golduck is equipped with blizzard. I contemplate for a good couple minutes before firing it off, wondering if we're fast enough AND if it'll hit. (What other move would i use?) Bam, i click blizzard, we OUTSPEED, and it hits. That slow gen 4 ho bar drains, and drains, and drains. OHKO. scariest moment of my pokemon career and i love Golduck now more than ever. So clutch

[@milkywilky123]

I saw your first video and instantly subscribed. If you keep at it, you definitely have a career in KZbin. I'm super excited to be one of the first ones here! Thank you absolutely PUMPING out this awesome content!

[@ZenModeYT]

Thanks a lot! Wouldn’t be as motivated to do it without the kind support from people like yourself! Glad you like it!

[@milkywilky123]

@@ZenModeYT Keep it up man, I'm glad to be onboard!

[@armorelarmadura7807]

The new ability was cool, I was originally thinking you'd just give it Unaware, but that makes less sense for Golduck

[@Mr_BrokenKeyboard]

Half a party with Improvise Psyduck, and another half with Emergency Exit Pokemon. Because yes.

[@grunkleg.2934]

The reason for Psyduck in every region is 100% because it's Masuda's favorite Pokemon. It was almost gonna be Let's Go Psyduck instead of Let's Go Eevee, but Psyduck was deemed too yellow to be a Pikachu counterpart

[@ZenModeYT]

I learned this while making this vid! Let’s go Psyduck would’ve been so funny! But probably not have sold as well.

[@valentinoluna9480]

This channel seems like it's been around forever. Awesome content, maybe one day you can collaborate with someone to make a rom hack with a whole bunch of the pokemon reworked.

[@Pragorius]

Amazing concept and great video, that's an instant subscribe. I personally love the Psyduck line and I've used Golduck many times in my playthroughs. It has never failed me. Being average means it can do anything, and that's a quality ! But I love the improvements you made. I think that regular Golduck has its moments tho, for example in Gen 6 it was maybe the biggest counter to one of the strongest Pokemon of this generation, Primo-Groudon, because he could kill it with a Water-type move thanks to Cloud Nine !

[@thepsyshyster]

Man started talking about unit feel and I knew this was the channel for me! It's a bit of a later encounter, but I'd love to see a video on Magcargo in Emerald.

[@ZenModeYT]

If a mon isn’t available till later I’ll probably try to make up an earlier location for it. So no worries!

[@LazurBeemz]

Fun ideas here, and I like the format of the videos! Fixing pokemon for in-game use (not competitive) and sticking to move pool edits makes for more interesting ideas than just buffing stats.

[@robertocorti9845]

Golduck was actually my 2nd best member in a white 2 nuzlocke. As a rule i can t use in battle items or overlevel. Being average made him able to patch a lot of holes. Sure the star of the team was umbreon. Also golduck has a pretty good movepool

[@antirepurp]

unironically i'd love to see a vid on unown, it's conceptually such a cool little guy and every day i wish it had more viability lol

[@ZenModeYT]

I was just thinking this yesterday. Unown would be tough for sure but at least it has good availability. No reason hidden power has to be its only move.

[@piku2able]

@@ZenModeYT I think that, while Hidden power shouldn't be his only move, their movepool should be limited to a few moves. Unironically, I think HGSS could have given Unown judgement lol

[@ZenModeYT]

Honestly I don’t know anything about the Unown lore. I’ll probably have to watch the movie for research or something lol. I’ve actually used an Unown before in a HGSS play thru where I used what I considered to be the 6 worst Pokémon in the Dex. And he wasn’t the worst on the team lol cuz at least u get Choice Specs in those games - perfect for Unown!

[@JanderStrahd]

One of the ROMhacks gives each Unown access to every Move starting with the same letter, but it really wasn't the same as making Unown... useable. There has to be a middle ground between _realistic_ stat buffs and a generally viable Moveset, like if coverage and utility Moves were spread across some/each Unown which spell(s) it out (D, A, R and K get Dark Pulse, C, A, L, M, I, N and D get Calm Mind, etc.).

[@Zoroarkarceus123]

​@@ZenModeYT Unown are really weak alone but fantastic when grouped together. If you'd wanna buff it, I say give it all the "Power" moves, like Ancient Power or Cosmic Power or Stored Power. And if you ever get good at making abilities, maybe an ability that gives it an omniboost for every Unown you have in the party would work? Unown are the arms of Arceus, and even just a few can distort reality around them, able to conjure illusions that can compare to the real thing, such as their Entei illusion in the third Pokémon movie.

[@shinywhimsicott3047]

As my Pokemon spirit animal,good to see the duck get some love. On a side note,the improvise ability could be interesting if it takes place AFTER hazards and abilities happen.

[@tkc5980]

I would say to continue with the full team runs, playing alone really doesn't emulate the real experience of playing a pokemon game and finding interesting synergies with the newly changed pokemon is half the fun. So continue making full on teams, solo runs are just more boring and even in a full team Golduck really had it's time in the spotlight.

[@921tensazangetsu]

"Strong Pokemon. Weak Pokemon. That is only the selfish perception of people. Truly skilled trainers should try to win with their favorites." - Johto Elite Four Karen. I like Psyduck but it always felt outclassed by many other water types. Would love to see more forgotten pokemon get some love.

[@spore4ever91]

I do agree with most of your changes, but personally I’d make psyduck start water/normal, and gain the psychic type when it evolves. STAB for scratch and fury swipes will certainly help it before it evolves

[@MortenLongbottom]

What about playing with Psyduck in Red/Blue/Green original games ? However with encounters in Mt Moon or around Misty's City. Another generation 1 to give some spotlight could be Oddish, Oddish in first game have some character, having Absorb since level 1 and then learning it's exclusive Petal Dance attack, however in later generations Oddish/Gloom/Vileplume were overshadowed by Bulbasaur/Ivysaur/Venusaur.

[@chrischristiansen6204]

I think some of the older pokemon may have stats that are a bit wonky as a carry over from before the physical special split. I really like the adjustment to move sets with the purpose of improving the feel of their attacks to emphasize the character of the pokemon.

[@zeke7076]

Loved your first two videos! As someone who loves a lot of weaker and underused Pokémon, this is an awesome video series idea. A couple Pokémon I’d love to see on this series are Ledyba and Spinarak, which both suffer from “early series bug type” syndrome. I asked a friend too and she suggested Ninetails and Dewgong.

[@ZenModeYT]

Appreciate the comment! Will definitely get to a lot of bug types in this series, including those. Same with vulpix as I feel Growlithe is better in almost every way, super unfair since they’re version exclusives. I think I’ll do dewgong one day too since it’s been suggested so much, but the reason I haven’t is cuz I actually think Dewgong is decent! Stab Ice is definitely a niche, he’s basically the Lapras at home, which is still something!

[@JaharNarishma]

​@@ZenModeYT Before gen 4 I think Ninetales is way better than Arcanine. Arcanine is just a Fire move user with double damage Quick Attack, a.k.a. Extreme Speed. Ninetales is a mystic with Confuse Ray among other fun moves. Arcanine's "Fire, strong" mood is not at all as entertaining as the disruptive Ninetales.

[@jorgegonzalezavila9376]

​@@JaharNarishma the thing is that Arcanine's movepool went from “nearly inexistent” in the earlier generations to “bullshit” in the newer ones.

[@Yfighter2]

Ladyba/Ledian really needs something!

[@Yfighter2]

Looked at Ledian’s Pokédex entries and I see a lot about it being powered by starlight… but nothing in its moveset, besides Swift, connects to that… Idk about stat or ability changes, but move-wise it should naturally learn: Wish, Flash, Moonlight, Cosmic Power, Moonblast, Dazzling Gleam, Aromatic Mist (based on Ladyba’s entries) Tail Glow (careful with this one) and Charge (this one’s kinda fun because it has synergy with Ledian’s high Sp.Def stat, and Iron Fist/Thunderpunch) 😅😅❤❤ Love this series

[@SummonerArthur]

I always thought Golduck needs either an ability like darmanitan's or an evo where it fully controls its psychic powers, where it learns more buff moves AND is a psychic water type mon (yes, at this point, it becomes a psychic type *first* rather than a water type). It could look like a purple duck with a genormous gem on its head, which floats in the sky, rather using its psychic abilities instead of flying.

[@superzenmodeman]

I overall like the level-up learnset tweaks in this one, and also glad to see making use of Golduck’s existing learnable moves. I feel like if you’re going to add the Psychic type to this line, it should be just for Golduck, as I Psyduck I wouldn’t feel has notable enough Psychic mastery. Personally, I opt to go with the Steelworker / Transistor / Rocky Payload approach where rather than getting a type change, Golduck has an ability that gives it the equivalent of Psychic-type STAB. I think this is more cerimonious because it doesn’t warp Golduck’s defensive type matchups, but gives it the perks of the Psychic type regardless. Being a pure Water type is a nice trait to have, compared to gaining all the weaknesses that Psychic has, and this also gives it something standout compared to Water/Psychic types. And regarding Golduck’s existing abilities, yeah Damp is the weaker link, but the situational utility of Cloud Nine / Damp can be quite funny. It can especially come up in kaizo-esque types of romhacks where the player has no way to manipulate the weather but has to deal with permanent weather. Those sorts of games also tend to have Explosion roadblocks at certain points of the game, through items such as Focus Band, Bright Powder, and Choice Band, and Damp becomes a convenient way of circumvating that without having to force yourself into a Normal immunity / bulky normal resist. Granted, neither of these abilities come up too much in vanilla play, but they’re very much abilities that can be relevant depending on the “meta” of the game (Unnerve is another such ability). And of course, Damp is less relevant after the gen5+ Explosion nerf. As for the custom ability, it certainly is funny, but firstly I don’t think it’s that in-tune with the evolutionary-line in-game (given that it was partly anime-inspired), and it feels a bit too awkward as an ability to justify it being designed, especially given that it doesn’t have much interesting effect payoff, being an ability to workaround rather than to make work for you. It is certainly amusing, but it feels a bit forced to me. As for the assesment of Golduck in general, yeah that’s overall true. Golduck is just an overall solid pokemon that can do what you need it to do but isn’t overly flashy. I wouldn’t say Golduck is as underused as this video claims; I have used it a decent few times and have seen it used enough, because it just does what it has to: fast enough to outspeed things casually when you rack up EVs; strong enough to land KOs when paired with boosting items; good enough coverage. For a Platinum Nuzlocke E4, it would probably be my third water type choice after Floatzel and Tentacruel, because it has the speed tier and power Threshold to Choice Specs sweep Bertha and Flint. I’m glad Golduck’s balanced stats were preserved, because I do think balanced pokemon have an appeal of their own. It’s nice that there’s a wide variety of pokemon distributions, and amidst overtuned monsters, being just solid all around can be humbling. Some potential things to help Golduck standout might be access to some other moves it gets, some of which it doesn’t get until the distant future, such as Power Gem in gen 9. And its ability to get Cross Chop is amusing too. Another thing worth mentioning is that Golduck is the only water-type that can learn Synchronoise, which doesn’t matter much for gen 5, but in gen 6+ where Synchronoise is buffed, if it has Psychic as its secondary type or a Psychic-type Transistor, this gives Golduck a free 120 base power STAB move against Water-type opponents. Naturally, there are many splits of pokemon games that are centered around water and water-type pokemon, so this can be a funny intermediate applicaiton for certain sections of a game. Golduck, like many pokemon, have a lot of amusing moves available to them throughout the generations, and alongside a way to get Psychic-type STAB, having a more steamlined approach to tapping into its standout options could help distinguish it from the other water types out there.

[@multilang8624]

I like the idea of psyduck having a new ability that turns confusion into a positive where when confused instead of doing damage to oneself it does the equivalent damage to the opponent. You still cant land a move when it triggers but its a consolation prize and reflects the destruction psyduck accidentally causes to those around it during its headaches

[@thenerdbeast7375]

Funny thing is Improvise could be argued to work for Golduck as well after its premier episode in which due to a mix up Misty thought a wild Golduck was her Psyduck evolved.

[@SMAnthonyW]

"People don't label their Poké Balls...how do you know which is which?" Wow. I've literally been playing Pokémon for 20+ years and that has never once crossed my mind lmao. I'm shook.

[@silvapop9666]

DAMN that Tail Whip tho!? Early game Psyduck too goated with the sauce

[@RavensaursRex]

Not sure I completely agree with that ability, but it does make for great content.

[@Zenith2863]

This is such a fun concept for a series. I'd like to see you take on someone like Ledyba or Spinarak.

[@pauljohnong5924]

I usually don't like these kinds of fantasy buffs.... But dang, you got me hooked with your concept. Especially with that Calm Mind Evolution move. It's outright perfect, it feels like a crime that doesn't happen normally.

[@justadummy8076]

I think Psyduck/Golduck could greatly benefit from a Psychic secondary typing, giving it STAB Psychic In fact I used a Golduck in my recent playthrough of Volt White 2 where they actually gave it the Psychic secondary typing and some excellent additional moves like Petal Dance for coverage Golduck actually helped me a tonne in the Battle Subway alongside my Ampharos (which they gave Tail Glow!) & Emboar It could also use a few stat changes, namely loaning some points from attack into special attack & speed, it’s already decently fast so turning it into a fast special attacker with STAB Water & Psychic moves can be what it really needs to create a niche for itself & give us an alternative to Starmie

[@tokuyou3811]

this series is like the pokemon version of making characters that didnt get into smash, actual characters this is dope as hell

[@ShadySableye77]

I don't think that Psyduck needs to be a Psychic type, it talks about its psychic abilities being mostly dormant but fully awakening upon evolving into Golduck. I can see Psyduck being pure water but evolving into a Water/Psychic type like Staryu into Starmie.

[@neemiasleal9773]

I used a Golduck in platinum and he was my last line of defense against Cynthia. I used items in battle but even so, he pulled his weight

[@D1zzySpin]

Honestly seeing those Pokemon being at least decent make me happy, you're doing an awesome job and your videos are really fun to watch, and since you're making some Pokemon at least decent, please make Noctowl, it's my favorite regional bird and i always wanted to see it shine (which honestly is something i wasn't able to do myself in a playthrough).

[@ZenModeYT]

I’ll for sure get around to Noctowl as well. It’s the worst regional bird by quite a bit imo. But it’s so different from the rest that I’d love to give it a better niche!

[@evawhite1144]

Oh, doing Psyduck and Golduck was such a good idea. I don't think they're bland tho. Yeah, there's lots of much better water types, but I think Psyduck is kinda cute. He's just a little guy who never has an idea what's going on around him. Kinda relatable tbh. Also let's not forget it's a gen 1 or 2 design? So it's no wonder the design is so simple. Regarding the changes made, yeah, it makes perfect sense for it to be psychic type. The pokedex talks about its psychic powers. Golduck even has the weird mystic gem on its forehead, that other psychic types have, like Espeon. Perhaps the psychic type isn't good in Unova, but maybe it's better in other games? The ability you gave it is so funny too. Also pretty fitting, even if it's not all that good. All in all, the changes as you said didn't really make it all that good, but at least you made it usable. About the next pokemon, perhaps Sandslash or Marowak? They're pretty mediocre pokemon that could really use some improvements. And I don't think Marowak's Alola form should count as an improvement, cause that thing's a fire/gosht type, and the one who needs the help is the og ground type one. But yeah, really liked the video and looking forward for more, so keep up the good work 👏!

[@poke2981]

Og marowak really isn't that bad it's a good physical attack with great capability against physical attacks

[@CoffeeFlavoredMilk]

IMO I think Marowak would benefit from slightly better Speed and a move to boost or mitigate its Speed like Rock Polish or Sucker Punch. It'd help it out as a wallbreaker more.

[@evawhite1144]

@@poke2981 I'm aware that Marowak was a really decent ground type in gens 1 and 2, especially with a thick club attached. An item to be held by only Cubone or Marowak that boosts their attack. But it stopped being good after gen 2, so he could perhaps come with a way to make it better and more usable in the later gens.

[@rike971]

Speaking of Sandslash, it's also in regional dex in BW2. Ya know in the same dex than powerhouses like Excadrill, Flygon and Krookodile.

[@robertlupa8273]

@@rike971 At least it got its moveset updated to be useable.

[@BHox01]

Ironically, I feel psy/golduck's niche is the non-stab psychic flavor moves it learns. Obviously not great for the unit feel, but i think just handing out the psychic type hurts thier uniqueness in the grand scheme of things personally.

[@Drowzee64]

Fun video! I was feeling pretty burnt out on Pokemon challenge runs, but I like your unique take on that genre of video.

[@NicholasTSilveira]

I had a Psyduck on my team during one of my first playthroughs of Pearl. After he got zen headbutt and evolved into Golduck I really liked using him in battle. Grew pretty attached and I think it’s a great design because of how simple it is. I always tried to imagine what further psychic power psyduck and golduck had stored within waiting to be unleashed, and how they came to possess such abilities. Many more people would definitely use a psyduck if these changes were implemented in the real game

[@yurei4414]

6:01 I defeated Ultra Necrozma in my Ultrasun playthrough with Lumineon so I 100% agree I'd love to see also Lumineon covered sometimes soon also

[@lewyn4k]

one of the interesting things i think these balancing changes could also start accounting for is how enemy trainers can also make use of them. so far it's a starter and a mon i don't think any notable boss trainer has, but as you do more of these there will surely be cases where it matters. really looking forward to future vids

[@adambenson4204]

okay i might be the only person in history to have a somewhat interesting story regarding the psyduck family in b2w2. so a couple years ago i decided to do a nuzlocke on white 2 and i played really shit. like, so shit that i didn't have a full team of six pokemon until AFTER SKYLA. granted some of that is because b2w2 are really hard and are really harsh with encounters for nuzlockes, but it was mostly me playing badly. even when i did get a full team, it didn't last long. but when i got to village bridge, i managed to catch a golduck in the dark grass, which just so happened to be the first pokemon i had caught since getting hm03 that could even learn surf. this meant that i could backtrack and get a bunch of extra encounters, like staryu, frillish and boldore, and from there the playthrough became a lot easier. plus the golduck itself was one of the only pokemon in the entire playthrough that managed to survive for more than two gyms, and it even managed to survive the champion fight. sorry for the ramble but when i saw that you'd made a video talking about such an obscure combination like psyduck and b2w2 i felt like i had to say something

[@ShaunaSiegel-qu1tz]

Another great video! It never really made sense to me that Psyduck wasn't psychic so I think this was a great idea, can't wait to see who you do next!

[@Tony_AM009]

It occurred to me while watching this video that the reason Psyduck & Golduck aren't part Psychic type is because, in the original 2 generations, they had Starmie, Slowpoke, Slowbro, and Slowking. Back then, they probably thought the Dex would be over-saturated with Water/Psychic types. While I can understand that, I think them gaining the secondary Psychic typing, especially for Golduck, is overdue. Psyduck & Golduck could also make use of learning by level up Psybeam(from its egg moves), Brine(from Dream World), Work Up, Power Gem(Golduck gets this in Scarlet & Violet), and Hypnosis(from its egg moves). It's a good thing that they gained access to Calm Mind and Nasty Plot in future games. I enjoyed watching this and the Chikorita video, including seeing you use them in various battles. I like how Aqua Jet helped out.

[@EinSilverRose]

I'd take 40 points from its attack and distribute it to its special attack and speed evenly. Yes yes I know. GameFreak has stated that base stats are how a Pokemon's design is also based around it but I don't like that reasoning as it makes would be cool and fun to use Pokemon just bad options to consider. Another thing I'd like Golduck specifically to get is a brand new ability that grants STAB to Psychic without giving it the Psychic typing with the added effect of ignoring moves and abilities that grant priority of any kind. Not only would it get the full benefit of STAB Psychic moves it would also play into how it is no longer plagued by horrible headaches and now makes full use of its latent psychic powers. Suddenly a pure Water type with 115 special attack and base 105 speed that can sneak in a powerful STAB Psychic or Psyshock AND ignoring priority is something you have to worry about.

[@kjdubs5877]

A fun thing is that in the Adventures Manga, the pokeballs are semi-transparent, can be labeled, and there's also a zombie psyduck

[@SurrealKeenan]

With the ability "improvise", I think it would be nice if psyduck and golduck learned flip turn and maybe u-turn and parting shot early. Improvise would be a serious annoyance and would prevent people from keeping him on their teams, but with good pivot options, they mitigate the damage it causes

[@silverkyrie4714]

I think Damp would be a more interesting ability if moves like self destruct and explosion were just more common throughout a story playthrough. It is a unique tool that sets it apart from other Pokémon, except that it just never comes up

[@a-s-greig]

It ends up fine for certain shiny hunts and other very niche combat uses.

[@shades5614]

I've always loved the Psyduck line, no matter how terribly average they may be

[@G0ATFAC3]

Improvise was such a cool idea. I love the idea that it would confuse the opponent. I think that could be a lot of fun!

[@Manavine]

"that would imply it even had its day in the sun" PMD Rescue Team:

[@skierunner]

These videos are so much fun. I love the way you edited the battle against Iris, definitely baited me into thinking the run stopped there before hyping me up with the comeback kid!

[@thepuppet4321]

I just stumbled upon this video via the recommendations tab, and I’m not disappointed. Great video fixing up Masuda’s favorite mon.

[@pineappleudh6561]

Personally I don't think having an actively bad ability is a good idea (excluding cases like slaking where its a nerf) I'd say improvise should (fitting with it's name) have some of psyducks stats raise when it's randomly switched in (2 stages of special attack for example) This would only happen on random switches. I feel like that would make it fun rather than just annoying, yeah the wrong pokemon came out but its stronger so it might work anyway! You'll just hav3 to improvise! Overall, tho7gh I have been enjoying your videos, really unique and well made.

[@PelemusMcSoy]

Admittedly, the only reason why I gave Godluck any attention is because it was my first shiny that I ever encountered. Maybe I should raise one up now...

[@thelastfire]

This is a really cool series and I'm very excited to see where it goes. Keep up the great work!!

[@supersmeargle3716]

I think Grumpig would be a good candidate to fix. Love that pokemon (mainly cause of SaltyDkDan but still) it’s also always confuzzled me how it isn’t a dark type. Since you know the MANIPULATION pokemon.

[@connordarvall8482]

I weirdly enough quite like Psyduck and Golduck and he usually ends up in my team. I'm fully aware that his main feature is being average, but I just can't stop adding him. When my friend showed me his action replay, he pranked me by editing the shiny chances, but only for Psyduck, which caught me completely off guard. Another couple of moves that fit this agent of chaos version of Psyduck you made would be Tri Attack and Ominous Wind. Nothing says improvisation like a random status effect and tri attack can quickly change the situation in a battle. Ominous Wind is usually a middling special move, but sometimes it will just buff all stats.

[@Squirtlechu1]

Ay I see that Bopper reference!

[@lll1312-l4e]

I always loved Snowpoint city because there’s a random Psyduck in the Pokémon center

[@CallMeNoa]

Absolutely love your custom Psyduck ability. Super fitting and unique.

[@EpicPrawn]

This has quickly become one of my favorite series. Keep it up.

[@ultimaterecoil1136]

Funnily enough black white 2 is one of the few times I’ll actually use golduck. It’s got relatively low amounts of water type competition early on and the whole hone claws+ hypnosis thing is kinda nice ingame. To that end swapping its attack and special attack and maybe even bringing the attack even higher and giving it cross chop as a level up move as opposed to a egg move would help. Also it’s worth noting that in gen 5 you are probably gonna have higher attack on your golduck then special attack because attack evs are everywhere so you are maxing attack evs meanwhile special attack evs are very rare and the difference in attack and special attack is low enough that this would probably swing golduck into preference in physical attacks. Also it’s worth noting that you aren’t necessarily forced to run surf on your water. Water hms are very wide spread in those that can learn it and even if you were to run special golduck it really needs the extra power from hydro pump. Also disable swap for confuse ray is probably a nerf for it’s early game since if you are using psyduck outside of a nuzlocke you are using it so you can use disable in the early game in bosses ( for example using disable on cheren’s lilipup on the second turn to stop it from having access to stab will give you several more turns to attack as it needs to boost for longer) I get that confuse ray makes more sense but that’s like the only good use of it early on. Frankly quite often I’m not even running a water type in unova I’m often giving surf to my dragon. Honestly a split evolution path with one emphasizing attack and one special attack would probably be ideal ( golduck water fighting and special attack one water psychic)

[@jant.l.1647]

You have my respect. I am pretty sure that you put much effort in this. Psyduck really deserves better. I still don’t understand why it didn’t get the psychic type in gen 2

[@loudwhispre9406]

I hope you plan to do more of these, because these are really well thought out. I know someone's already pointed out not to rely too heavily on set-up moves but I want to reinforxe just how impactful other changes can be, specifically abilities. Slaking has the same BST as legendaries of 670, but is still awful thanks to its ability Truant. Azumarill has a base 50 attack and is forgettable if not for Huge Power effectively shooting its attack up to base 149. Blaziken was competitively outclassed by the faster Infernape until Blaziken got the hidden ability Speed Boost to give it +1 speed at the end of every turn, now it outclasses Infernape. Clefable's only ability was Cute Charm prior to gen 4 when it got Magic Guard. Obviously don't go around giving everything Speed Boost, Huge Power, Swift Swim, Drizzle, Moxie, and Intimidate. Anything could do well if you give it a truly absurd enough ability. But some pokemon really do hover on the edge of being fun or strong or being able to stand out if they just got a single change to make them worth looking twice at. You've been doing really well at keeping all your changes in theme or on brand for each pokemon, so I'm not really worried about you going and giving a pokemon like Lopunny the ability Desolate Land or whatever, so that's more of a cautionary tip than it is criticism.. But please do consider how to utilize more of the pokemon's template to make it good. Moves, ability, typing, and even BST (probably only for the ones truly beyond saving) are all there.

[@ultimapower6950]

I gave Magcargo a buffed Desolate land once.

[@privateritsu5597]

I love this video series! The two videos you have so far are really well put together! Towards the end I was pondering what other pokemon you could look into. Some that came to mind were: Sandshrew, Mankey, Surskit and Shinx. Hoping to see more from you in the future!

[@tortoiseknight8438]

Nice run, there are many Pokémon who are underwhelming, the success of rom hacks that overhaul the weaker pokemon is testament enough to this, so you have a lot of material to work with.

[@ggrarl]

I decided to take a Water-Type that's often ignored and make it better. I really wanted to see a blue duck...I mean, Golduck. Stop lookin' at me, Swanna!

[@Doliwhop]

I really love these videos and can't way to see more. it's such a refreshing and unique concept I haven't seen people make in the Pokemon KZbin scene.

[@northdakotagamer]

I think Golduck is better in Crystal with also early access, early special Ice Punch, earlier Surf, and being a not psychic type with a Psychic move is always nice for Morty. Plus the elite 4 doesn’t have any bad matchups for it, even if you were to make it Psychic

[@kimacabuag9161]

Just found you out today thanks to a comment on False Swipe Gamings “movepools are close to everything” video, and I already love your videos. I’ll stay tuned to your future videos

[@Lallunalapruna123]

When I first saw golduck in poke park I thought he'd punch me to death. He looks like a physical atacker,

[@sweetlou3572]

Leech seed support for the slow but study setup golduck seems like a really fun strategy! Loving this fixed videos!