How I Would Fix Delibird in Pokémon Black & White 2

[@FancyMcSchmancy]

Changing Delibird’s gimmick from “1 RNG move” to “Forcefully shoving Christmas down your oh so jolly throat + RNG Hell” is so fitting and funny.

[@InsertFunnyThingHere]

"one of the worst things about Christmas has to be the mall Santas. Every year these vapid tokens of an overly commercialized holiday pop up all over like clockwork, intending to spread joy and cheer but doing nothing but delivering lackadaisical performances and djssapointment. Many a kid's holidays have been spoiled by these mundane avatars of Kris Kringle in what can only be described as a ritualistic assassination of childhood innocence. Truly, they are a blight upon our cultural landscape, and only when they are washed from our social consciousness can some form of dignity begin to return to Christmas Everything stated in the above paragraph also applies to delibird" -Delibird BW smogon overview

[@Mienshaos]

smogon descriptions were so funny to read back in the day

[@theroyalwraith]

I would have put Delibird as an encounter in Castelia Park. It’s a circular patch of grass surrounding a tree, like a Christmas tree. It would have been cool if it was a winter-only encounter.

[@BramLastname]

That's definitely a good location, I like the idea of it being seasonal, As that part of the game felt a bit underutilised.

[@jmac28211]

It would be balanced as a winter encounter throughout the region. I feel like a seasonal “reward” would have been great on second playthroughs

[@whatthefrancium]

Now, if Delibird has Unburden/Belly Drum, it only makes sense for it to hold a Sitrus Berry. However, if I'm running Santa Bird with Milk Drink, best believe he's holding a Lava Cookie.

[@croma3375]

Local specialities don't work if held by Pokémon, the Lava Cookie isn't a Lum Berry.

[@antoniocalado7101]

Flavour>Mechanics. It works in our hearts@@croma3375

[@Julford]

@@croma3375 with the power of game editing, it *can* function as a Lum Berry :)

[@hatster401]

Metronome works unbelievably well for Delibird because the finger wagging imagery of the move is supposed to invoke choosing an item off a list. Y'know the list that Delibird is checking twice, to see if we're naughty or nice.

[@okidogi796]

I literally had no idea this is what metronome was referencing 😵

[@a-s-greig]

I thought it was that it was "hypnotizing itself to use any move."

[@appelofdoom8211]

Honestly present is the most baffling move in the series to me. It doesn't even really work as a funny holiday joke move as what kind of santa delivers people pipe bombs more often than potions? If delibird was made one gen later it'd be a double battle support move and that would make way more sense

[@Hyper_Drud]

They could’ve at least made it work like Pollen Puff and always heals when used on a teammate in double battles.

[@LoudWaffle]

They've had over 2 decades to just change how Present works, like they've done with many other moves. GameFreak just don't care unfortunately.

[@shardtheduraludon]

“What kind of Santa delivers people pipe bombs more often than potions?” I mean, Jack Skellington tried to be Santa and he fucked that up, so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[@Blue_EmeraldX]

Y'know, it would be kinda fun if Present was a support move that kept the randomness, but changed behavior depending on the target-random buffs for your doubles partner, or random debuffs for the opponent. Kinda like a combination of the "Trick" and "Treat" moves from _Cassette Beasts._

[@conansglasses2645]

Small nitpick , Belly Drum isn't a " + 6 " , belly drum " maximizes your attack stat , so even if your pokemon is at -6 using belly drum won't just bring back to neutral, it'll bring it all the way up to +6 , so Belly drum is actually a +12

[@sejt23]

is it the same with anger point?

[@a-s-greig]

​@@sejt23 crit me and find out (⁠◉⁠‿⁠◉⁠)

[@DM-of5sl]

@@sejt23yes

[@bettyunicorn6132]

@@sejt23 yes

[@SnowPeaGames]

Good info, but to nitpick your small nitpick with an even smaller nitpick the way he phrases it in the video: "Brings the attack stat to +6" is technically correct whether or not this was taken into account.

[@grunkleg.2934]

Belly Drum really took this from 'Silent Night' to 'Violent Night'

[@B1GB1RDB4G3L]

Why is the story so compelling I love it. Came for the game design chat, stayed for the christmas miracle

[@gabrielox5110]

All the moves are well thought but I love the milk drink choice, it fits so well. Also I like to imagin that when delibird uses punishment, he pulls out a chunk of coal and throws it to the enemy for being naughty and raising its stats

[@lullelulle32]

I have an idea to "solve" the early game availability: On Christmas Eve a mysterious old man will appear in the Pokécenter. When talked to he'll tell you about a young kid who wishes for a Pokémon for christmas, but whose parents are too poor to afford one. You can give him any Pokémon. He'll assure you that the kid will recieve it and thank you. On Christmas day when you heal your Pokémon nurse joy will say that someone left a present with your name on it. Inside the present is a Delibird. Bonus points if you can later meet the kid as a Rising Star class trainer in the post-game with a fully evovled version of the Pokémon you gave them.

[@TheAzulmagia]

And then you beat that poor kid in a battle and take their money? 😢

[@leonardobarbosatelles2779]

Fun fact, Delibird’s BST is so so low, that if you look up BST on Pokémon Showdown going from lowest to highest, you’ll see Delibird’s is comparable to LC Pokémon, and even then, it’s not on the high end of it

[@chaosbug7]

Unburden + Belly Drum definitely is the gift Delibird needed to shove the spirit of Christmas down the stockings of its opponents. It was definitely a beautiful sight to behold.

[@invenblocker]

Can you do Maractus? Even when Sword and Shield buffed it with Weather Ball, that just kinda made it a discount Venusaur. I'd love to see my funky dancing maraca cactus get more of an identity of its own.

[@nyambrosial1244]

Lets be real most of the grass types are discount venusaur in some way, maractus needs to have some better typing and probably iron barbs or water absorb or something

[@pikminman13]

@@nyambrosial1244 it does get water absorb

[@sfxdlwsrs]

couldve made delibird a winter exclusive pokemon to find on certain routes, this way, its more natural than just replacing a starter

[@badger273]

I know these videos are about fixing the Pokemon and not the moves, but I have an idea to make Present actually usable: make it a combination of Magnitude and Pollen Puff. Make it so the HP restoration only happens if you target an ally (and that would be the only thing that happens when you target an ally) (and since we're feeling spicy, bump the 120 base power to the 20% slot that the healing was using, and then give a chance to OHKO in the 10% slot :) ) (it still has a 10% chance to miss though) A lot of Pokemon can actually learn Present as an egg move, so I'm sure this would help their viability too, but most importantly I think it would be very fun and balanced to have Iron Bundle running around in VGC with a side healing move that also has a chance to OHKO you 👍

[@YumiSparkles]

My idea was just to make Present an Ice type Pollen Puff, the RNG elements are unnecessary in my opinion But that's just me, though I do think RNG can be really fun (Metronome is very fun in this sense)

[@thoughtprism2963]

If you ever do Unown, I had an extremely stupid idea for it: give each form access to every move which starts with the same letter the pokemon is. The ! and ? ones are just shafted, I guess.

[@thoughtprism2963]

Apparently somebody on reddit already fielded this, and one thing that came up is that Unown-S probably shouldn't get Sketch, which would defeat the whole point.

[@NokoTheTaco]

@@thoughtprism2963 ! gets every status move while ? gets every signature move (besides Sketch).

[@justinnzamora5366]

You've certainly finished 2023 strong, Jack! We're all looking forward to what heights your channel will soar in 2024! Merry Christmas, good sir!

[@techknight3753]

Would be cool to see you do a run with "fixed" elemental monkeys. Could be a trio run since they are 3 pokemon intended to work in the starter type triangle. I imagine that their stats could be shuffled around a bit to give them some more personality, along with a new ability for each.

[@a-s-greig]

Simipour at least is ok. I used it in Gen 6, and having a Water type with a strong Flying move in Acrobatics was really dang fun.

[@techknight3753]

@@a-s-greig Yeah it's the alright one, but still they all have the same base ability and stat spread. Give the poor things some identity. Simisage could have reckless (speak no evil*) woodhammer + high jump kick and a more physical spread. (*Doesn't wait to ask questions) Simisear could be bulky with lava plume for the better burn chance or something and have soundproof (hear no evil) Simipour could have unaware (see no evil) and be frailer

[@vaughnrudy8084]

Simisear is pretty damn good tho. Fire blast via level up is no joke, especially in b2w2 where you catch him at a pretty nice level

[@braidonsaelens5174]

A) Just got through the reworks, looking forward to the actual run! Great job adding character to a pokemon pretty devoid of one. B) Great way to close out the year! Lovely C) Something something, Cranidos in gen 4

[@mr.cheese8097]

Rock Head?

[@haidynwendlandt2479]

Honestly Cranidos isn’t horrible on in game playthroughs. I’ve used it for almost every Sinnoh playthrough

[@mr.cheese8097]

@haidynwendlandt2479 I've used it on a playthrough too, and I agree it isn't trash, but it could definitely be better (ie: altered stats and Rock Head)

[@braidonsaelens5174]

I’ve used it in Platinum as well! It’s my favorite rock type. I just think the game is working against it. You get it right before the grass gym, you don’t get physical stab naturally until Lv 52 (43 if you delay evolution). You lose to Gardenia, Maylene, Wake, Byron, and Bertha, while only beating Candice, Aaron, and Flint, who all have ways of dealing with it. I’m not saying it needs a massive overhaul, but Rock Head, a few switched around moves, etc etc would help it so much. If you WANTED to stray away from the norm a bit more, you could add dragon type. I just want to see that meathead character fleshed out.

[@k2ggers961]

Literally just give it rock head and reckless fixes 50% of its problems (99% in a casual playthrough)

[@rhodey_37]

As a Delibird enjoyer, thank you for giving my boy some love. I'd love to see a gen 4 Wormadam run in the future

[@BrianStorm742]

Yes! Or Mothim.

[@a-s-greig]

Make the Wormadam a three-for: Grass in Pearl, Ground in Diamond, Steel in Platinum.

[@ultimapower6950]

Did you know that 4/6ths of of Nice’s Jolly Platoon are apart of the “wait it doesn’t evolve” Friendship Forever Group. Also congrats on making Delibird a quite powerful being in the late game.

[@guillemtb1671]

I think they gave the poor bird Insomnia precisely to make it redundant, since Delibird being terrible is kind of a meme. Unburden fits really well, but I think it should be its hidden ability. Vital Spirit fits his flavor more and Unburden feels like a more special ability.

[@noel.gonsalves]

Every time I see a new Zen Mode video in my sub feed, I audibly go "f*** yes"

[@flintlocke1344]

I think Delibird (and many other gimmick Pokemon) makes more sense if you look at Pokemon as an RPG instead of a competitive battle sim. It’s a rare random encounter with a silly attack that occasionally helps the player.

[@lamentedharp]

But it isn't an RPG. There are no roleplay elements to Pokémon. You can create a cute story onto your character or team as you play with your imagination, but the game does not encourage or support roleplay. Even the latest game, where you can choose which path through the game you'd like or go to school, doesn't really have RPG elements.

[@assortmentofpillsbutneverb3756]

​@lamentedharp id disagree. Its more online with jrpg than western rpg, but a great deal of the gameplay motifs follow traditional rpg motifs and have been in the game series since the start. All that said, I do think a pokemon game that leaned more heavily into the rpg zone would be a fun idea. I've always thought a "morrowind" approach would be great for pokemon. Keep gyms and the elite 4 as the mainline quest but add the trainer themes as factions with story lines that give you access to pokemon, items, and outfits

[@sanfransiscon]

True! But I still like when gimmicks can be somewhat useful in the hands of a player who knows what they're doing or wants to try it for fun/challenge.

[@berserkerciaran]

​@@lamentedharpIt's clearly a JRPG. E.g. Chansey is pretty much a less well-executed Metal Slime

[@gallalameblook9911]

"pokémon as an RPG" only really works as an analysis grid up for Gen I and II. Which, for Delibird, fair enough. It has absolutely pathetic stats, but you're not meant to use it anyway.

[@AlexLucienConstyTristanDmitrii]

The way you fix these pokémon is amazing, but I absolutely LOVE the little narrative you create for your journey through the game. I'm really glad to have found your channel. Merry christmas, man!

[@cobrachicken1869]

I think one of the biggest shocks in my adult life was finding out that Delibird is actually pronounced "delivered" but with a 'b' instead of the 'v'

[@sfxdlwsrs]

delibered

[@joshuadee7423]

I’m still pretty sure we were supposed to pronounce Arcanine like “arcane + canine” but we’re like 25 years too late to fix it

[@mamutepeq]

A Delibird pronouned as deli bird would be an Unfezant in the deli meat section at a grocery store

[@DUKEHadToDoItToEm]

Dell-E-Bird Arc-Uh-Nine These are the correct pronunciations and I don't care what you think

[@AverageEggmonEnthusiast]

You’re absolutely correct but I will point out: not stressing any vowel feels unnatural to me (American English with a north bay, west coast accent). It’s kinda subtle, but I do pronounce delivered like Del-IH-verd. Hence: Del-IH-bird.

[@nilmx3763]

Dancer really pulling through with that Christmas spirit and holiday cheer for Unova 😤

[@ignisbad9158]

I think you should have gone more Christmas with Delbire, giving him pickup for random gifts and maybe wish/sweet kiss/nightmare (for Christmas wishes, mistletoe kiss and both the Krampus and Burton references)

[@CaptainUnown]

Chatot and Magcargo have become recent underrated favorites of mine, so I’d love to see a video on them. Chatot has bad stats and a single move-based gimmick, and Magcargo evolves way too late and is way to weak. I’d love to see how you fix them.

[@youtube-kit9450]

Like, in gen 1 you can excuse some idiotic evolution levels because there was no breeding so every base stage pokémon *had* to be in the game. But why they insist on doing so with some two-stage pokémon having evolutions only in their mid-late thirties or the complete dumpsterfire that is Unova's evolution levels is baffling. Like, Volcarona would warrant an evo level in the late 30s (59 is still stupid as hell), but why Magcargo, a pokémon with like, 410 BST where like, over half the BST increase from Slugma goes into defense, a terrible stat for it because of its fighting, rock and 4x ground weakness?

[@noel.gonsalves]

Seconded

[@carlossantana9645]

Give Magcargo Drought and remove the Rock type. Drought is self explanatory, Magcargo is so hot that it evaporates rain around it instantly, so setting sun is not that far off. Its pokedex entries say the shell is just hardened skin that might crumble just by touching it. As the main reason for its detrimental Rock type, I find it quite weak. I would would even go as far as to make it Fire/Water, which could be justified as Magcargo having to periodically come into contact with water to cool off and harden its shell or something like that.

[@o-poppoo5117]

​@@youtube-kit9450 the reason magargo evolves so late is because the first time you can get slugma in GSC is in Kanto aka after the elite 4

[@youtube-kit9450]

@@o-poppoo5117 Almost like that also was a stupid as hell idea and a weak pokémon like that belonged in the early game like union cave and evolve at level 20 or something.I'm saying with breeding, there's no justification for that nonsense anymore.

[@silverhabit6727]

Seviper would also be a good candidate for the next episode

[@inQuemand]

I just want to say I love that you gave it Milk Drink. It's hilariously cursed, yet perfect. It makes me realize what a crime it didnt get it to begin with

[@DocDoesGamingTV]

I think that Delibird having a pretty normal TM/HM learn list and a miniscule level up learn list is very interesting, since it implies that domesticated Delibird are basically infinitely more capable than their wild relatives, more so than with any other pokemon

[@rmt3589]

Delibird was one of my favorites in Coliseum. Never had an issue with the movepool, but glad it's getting the love it deserves. I was a child, and rarely nicknamed my pokemon, but nicknamed him Santa.

[@jaybeans981]

Excellent video - I was hoping for adding Fling or Trick to actually focus on “giving” items, but it’s still better than I would have ever expected from Delibird. As for the next video, looking at some least-often used Pokémon, perhaps Luvdisc? I saw a Smogon post saying that virtually nobody used it for Gen 6/7, and you haven’t really done a sea-like Pokemon before (Psyduck is more for rivers and lakes).

[@justinchoy476]

Ice types get pushed back because of Pokémon’s progression. You start out near a forest, urban, or back yard routes then progress to caves or snowy mountains where the dragon and ice mons live.

[@dc_dachi]

Yes. It’s also done in consideration of single-player balance. In the 2D gens, where basically every Dragon is incredibly rare and powerful, Ice-types are meant to serve as the player’s answer to lategame Dragons. These earlier gens had a specific design philosophy where they would introduce new Pokemon shortly before you would encounter a challenge where they could be helpful, with the original RBY being the biggest example of this (Butterfree for Brock, Diglett for Surge, Growlithe/Vulpix for Erika, Snorlax for Sabrina, an entire Surfing route for Blaine, and of course Lapras for Lance). I don’t think it’s a coincidence that as the Dragon type is becoming more common and the mainline games are moving towards less linear structures, Ice-types are also increasing in availability.

[@cyberdarkturtle6971]

That's dumb. You should be able to get ice, fire, water, electric, psychic, grass, steel, and dragon types in the tall grass at the start

[@jacksonhorrocks4281]

​@cyberdarkturtle6971 Especially since ice types aren't often fantastic, and dragons are trash until about lvl 40+

[@StarBittys]

Unironically, I want to implement this version of Delibird in my romhack, I was already planning on it being available early on and this would elevate it to being a legit pseudo-starter option

[@DUKEHadToDoItToEm]

Delibird starter sounds awesome but who do you make the other 2 starters to balance it?

[@SnowPeaGames]

@@DUKEHadToDoItToEm If Deli is now super item based, maybe something that represents TMs and Evo stones to make the trio? TMs would be Smeargle, but if we went Eevee for evo stones I think it would be way too popular to work with the other two.

[@jakenbakery3540]

you missed fling!! also a little surprised you didn't add pickup as an ability! i love unburden too, though, plus i think keeping hustle is funny. maybe pickup as a hidden ability instead of insomnia? great video, very cool concept and fun execution. i always love your stuff.

[@ogopogoagogo]

I think Delibird should get at least one Rock Type move through level up as a gift to all the naughty children and Pokemon in the world. Preferably Rock Wrecker because the visual of that sounds hilarious. Also I would love to see a rework of Kricketot/Kricketune.

[@OdaSwifteye]

Delibird only exists because it had to replace Jynx as Santa's Little Helper due to Game Freak not realizing that a reference to Black Pete would not go over well in America. I can almost promise you that Jynx would be in almost all the Christmas Pokémon Marketing if Americans didn't bitch about Jynx being a black Kabuki monster.

[@Inquisitor_Redacted]

I think Delibird should learn a special move called "12 gauge." That way Delibird can deliver hot lead!

[@raikaria3090]

Gamefreak has actually been slowly making Ice-types more avaliable earlygame since Gen 7. You can catch some ice-types on Island 1 [include Delibird!] Gen 8 has some in the first wild area... weather permitting and Gen 9 has an in-game trade for a Snom in the town with the first Gym; and you'll reach the icy-type filled area after Gym 5 which isn't as late as usual.

[@Jiggelmeister]

That new Delhi line was criminal xD

[@knuxchux]

If you did a later game (SM or SwSh) I’d also give him Aurora Veil as a nod to Santa Claus’ association with the Northern Lights in Finland

[@CinnaSwirls]

The bag is actually their tail. You can't claim they carry a bag around as though they could have left it at home, it's part of their body.

[@FartingSpider12]

56:23 I almost commented on the fact that Colress got his gender changed to female in the narration at the beginning of his fight, but god dang it I just love that Cofagrigus got its ability upgraded to "Munny" instead of "Mummy". I mean, as an adult, all I'm looking forward to every Christmas nowadays is all the gift money I get from friends and family so I guess it fits

[@lorddelibird]

I’ve never been more excited in my life

[@DUKEHadToDoItToEm]

Today's your special day, congrats little bird

[@cowboytanaka509]

I know Delibird isn't directly based on a penguin, but male emperor penguins actually produce a substance for their chicks to ingest called crop milk, so milk drink is more fitting than you thought!

[@SolemnStormcloud]

My favorite video of yours yet! As for my suggestions: *Pikachu in Pokémon Yellow* - Basically the situation a starter with low stats that can't evolve as presented in this video, but official. And it's your _only_ choice for a starter. *Spidops in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet* - Yet another early-game Bug-type with mediocre stats. Leaning into the special ops agent inspiration could be fun. *Hisuian Lilligant in Pokémon Legends: Arceus* - This is an _extremely_ unorthodox idea. Since Hisuian Lilligant is already a great Pokémon, this would fall into more a "what-if" than a "fix". I'd like to see Hisuian Lilligant as an Ice/Fighting-type - to further lean into the ice skater inspiration, to better support the idea that this regional form developed from a life spent on mountains covered in deep snow, and to be a Pokémon that uses this glass cannon type combination better than the sluggish Crabominable.

[@flair4676]

Always a fan of the mix of game design and narrative that comes from these videos. I'm hoping to see Drowzee/Hypno on this channel at some point. Always came off as Alakazam at home and it never even gets Dream Eater. Bro is starving.

[@nyambrosial1244]

I've recently had a fantastic memory with Delibird in Violet, doing a mono ice nuzlocke run and I ended up losing a lot of things to atticus, including crucially cloyster and froslass. I didn't have really any damage ranges against Eri and obviously a fighting trainer is incredibly dangerous when everyone is weak to her pokemon. delibird was the one thing I had that was worth using an entry hazard with (as I wanted mamoswine to be at max hp for all of her pokemon) and giving it spikes, getting three layers thanks to her lead toxicroak's tendancy to try sucker punch on turn 1 and managing to live two sludge bombs with a sitrus berry, and then living to tell the tale about how it alone made a battle that was otherwise near impossible to win into what ende dup as one of the most free battles in the game, so glad to see other attempts for it to be usable.

[@genericcatgirl]

The point about snow being reserved for the late game is very interesting. They had the perfect opportunity to break that in both gen 4 and 5. Since there's snow in twinleaf town, they could have introduced some ice types earlier. And in gen 5, they could have added ice types across all the routes during winter.

[@riastarthay]

only just started but YES. YES. YES. YES. i cant wait to see how you fix delibird i love that incompetent little guy

[@Joulederschreckliche]

I also tried fixing Delibird, but by only changing Present output to be based upon the opponents frienship. The idea is to have the evil team to all have very low frienship (BP=120 while I would mod it to BP=210) and have your own Pokémon have very high frienship (heal). So this one move could fill multiple nieces. But your fix is easier to implement and doesn't require an omnipresent evil team.

[@Pika250]

This Pokémon is the embodiment of the Christmas season. Literally just a penguin in what looks like Santa's outfit, complete with a sack for tail feathers. At least Scarlet and Violet gave us Iron Bundle, which is essentially this but souped up and with an emphasis on special attacks and support. Even has the speed to pull it off, too. Too bad, Smogon being Smogon, that they put it right into their Uber tier because they thought it to be way too broken for its own good, not to mention the OU meta on the whole. Not to mention its role in doubles as a support Mon, I mean NeilVGC picked Iron Bundle a sleeper for VGC regulation F! The Patrat/Watchog video was a case of pick your poison: Either take the blue pill and disallow pre badge 1 Lillipup (It's as if Tauros lived on Kanto Route 1 alongside the Rattata he outclassed) or take the red pill and make Watchog broken (Adaptability Fake Out into Last Resort!? Come on, man!) E: Wait a second, you said an early route in an icy tundra? Albeit technically a rom hack, Pokémon Unbound did exactly this, and yes, Delibird is on Borrius Route 1. And yes, the player character's hometown is literally called Frozen Heights, being the northernmost point (let alone settlement) in Borrius.

[@mariobenedicto3582]

You all know... I think Delibird just might be best improved into this: 1) Wild Delibird can carry ANY sort of item... even rare ones! 2) When you encounter a Delibird it uses "Fling" to throw that item at you. 3) Next turn: Delibird runs away. To top everything off; Some items, though rare but not necessary, can only be obtained from Delibird.

[@silencesteel5246]

I would love some Sunfloa redemption. Give my girl some equipment for sun strat🌻

[@dam777felover8]

Your video worked so well that in the future they fixed delibird and he became iron bundle

[@darby6588]

I adore Delibird… conceptually. Glad it got a much needed fix (and in my favourite games no less!)

[@N12015]

The worst part is that Present is overshadowed as gimmick by Polen Puff. A bug buzz who doesn't bypass substitute on enemies, a heal pulse on allies, sees usage in VGC Despite the gimmick.

[@adva1282]

I just thought... what if Present was deleted as a move and got turned into an ability? At the end of each turn, Delibird throws a present with the same odds as the normal move. This wouldn't make it good or anything, but it would be really fun, keep its gimmick, and thanks to that, be able to have a normal learnset

[@danball4163]

It’s been such a joy seeing your content take off this year and watching you develop your style. Love these videos and can’t wait for what’s to come in 2024 🎉

[@Tony_AM009]

I enjoyed the changes you made for Delibird, the story you made for this playthrough, and the fact that you used a male Combee on your team. I hope that you have a Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays, and a Happy New Year! I hope that some Pokémon that you'll consider making videos for in the future are: Dewgong, Noctowl, Lanturn, Xatu, Bellossom, Granbull, Johtonian Corsola, Octillery, Castform, Tropius, Cherrim, Purugly, Chatot, Carnivine, Lumineon, Glaceon, Probopass, Zebstrika, Maractus, Sawsbuck, Eelektross, Klinklang, Heatmor, Pyroar, Barbaracle, Dedenne, Gourgeist(at least if you were able to switch its base Attack stat with its base Special Attack stat so that it and Pumpkaboo are now special-attacking Grass/Ghost types; every Grass/Ghost type that exists as of the Indigo Disk DLC are physical attackers), Crabominable, Oricorio, Shiinotic, Thievul, Grapploct, Stonjourner, Lokix, Squawkabilly, Scovillain, and Wugtrio.

[@FrenzyFanboy]

Love the Christmas themed moveset you gave to Delibird!

[@Pudcup]

Merry Hanukkah! Happy Christmas! And a super new year, too!

[@Dolph1nRacer]

That joke before the dragon gym made me audibly groan. Well done both for the awful joke and the Delibird fix.

[@cestariviere]

man- the magic of setup is a thing, Delibird being this good in every fight because of the moveset??? i really wish hackroms have these moveset for the pokemon you had spend your time doing greatest videos with greateat stories ahalsosj :( tHE END? HELP KSKSKSKS

[@Horatio786]

I'd love to see you do Venonat / Venomoth. It feels like it has been mostly forgotten, but I like it, even if I don't run it in any games myself.

[@roamingnyiad]

Came for the game design theory, stayed for the Christmas Spirit. Loved the story honestly. X3 Anyway, it's been an amazing 2023 for your videos and so I look forward to seeing what else you do with this channel in 2024 though I understand needing a break for a bit. Hope it goes well for you, the much needed break.

[@mesdecent8051]

And somehow, Delibird ended up as a late game boss sweaper. Not what I was expecting but I am glad to see it.

[@bigsmoke44gaming44]

Can’t wait for you to fix Luvdisc for Valentines Day

[@betabee1221]

I will say i do very much appreciate the dedication to not giving BST buffs but man some mons really need it sometimes. I hope you do consider buffing a BST as a last case situation, only if a mon is so unredeemable that there are no other options. Also I will say, i'd be really interested in the reverse version of this series. Taking OP pokemon and nerfing them down to actually be reasonable in a playthrough. Removing tools and moves they really dont deserve or that really don't fit them.

[@silverpumpkin1529]

Hi! I discovered your channel around when you made the Paras video and love your content style and execution! I'm excited to see what else you come up with next year :) (aurorus and toxicroak would be cool to see in this series)

[@evawhite1144]

Wow, that run was awesome. I would’ve never thought that it was possible to fix a gimmick mon like Delibird, but you did, and you did so beautifully 😍. Also, I really enjoyed the whole Christmas narrative you built around the run and how you built a team of really not good, rarely if ever used Pokemon. Like, male Combee? That's also one I would’ve never expected to see in a run before now. Belly Drum was really a game changer with unburden as an ability. Delibird was so good in this run, sweeping practically everything in the late game, so very well done 👏 ✔️. Thanks for the great content, and more than deserving of a break. So I wish a Happy Christmas to all those who celebrate. 😊

[@mewr11]

eviolite works on male combee. evolution confirmed. /s

[@zeldagal112]

There’s something so adorable about zen mode darumaka in front of a christmas fireplace ☺️

[@adrianroque6990]

Maybe its BST is too high for what you’re going for, but I’d like to see you tackle and fix Shieldon/Bastiodon. Giant tanks who can’t really do anything other than just sort of stand there and get hit, making them kinda “meh” to use even on a casual play through.

[@Blue_EmeraldX]

Yes! I was gonna suggest Bastiodon! I can't believe they never gave it Body Press after SWSH.

[@765craven4]

Would have been wonderful if Combet was given the gift of evolving after that performance in the Colress fight. Combet may have been a boy but was still an absolute Queen.

[@ryanciesiolka9435]

2:50 I've heard it said that James Turner revealed in an interview that designers don't get any say in a Pokémon's moves, stats, or shiny colors (at least, pre-gen 5)

[@owenK1100]

Your videos are literally top tier, love these ideas

[@BBSplat]

Unburden + Belly Drum is certainly a combo of all time

[@greendude44]

i hate to diss zen's methods, especially 'cause making this bird worth literally anything is a complete pain, but i feel like that core combo is busted as hell and can easily redeem any mon with more than 10 base speed, at least for the mid to lategame. i was hoping deli would be more of an item-centric supporter, giving bad items to enemies and delivering gifts to allies or something like that.

[@maverick5169]

Probably your finest work yet. In this series we have seen bad pokemon become good but not spectacular, we've seen good pokemon become great, we've seen okay pokemon become mvps or falling off. But you mad beast made endgame Delibird, broken. Delibird easily sweeping its way through the elite four + champion is more than what almost every mon on your channel have accomplished This is quite the opposite of good gen 2 mons like Heracross or Tyranitar, they have great stats but are held back by mediocre moveset. This Delibird has just what it needs to humiliate the top trainers in Unova. Christmas magic I suppose, bravo

[@martinhernandez222]

I'd like to see Present becoming an Ice type version of Pollen puff, damaging opponents and healing allies. That would be cool.

[@silverhabit6727]

I would Love to See an Episode on how you're trying to fix Druddigon, seeing as even in its Debut Gen it was outclassed by haxorous. Especially after seeing the luxray Episode

[@Blue_EmeraldX]

Y'know... if you wanted to give Delibird a really good in-game gimmick, I think it has the potential to be a better Metal Slime substitute than Audino. It could be an extremely rare wild encounter on every route, very elusive (like, it would try to fly away if it saw you), and could *gift* you with a bunch of XP if you catch up to it and beat it. Maybe it could even have a high chance to hold rare items like Nuggets and Rare Candies.

[@DemonMankeyMan]

I wish Delibird had recieved Regrigerate when that ability came along in gen 6. Actually gaining stab on its signature move should be standard

[@etbgames3011]

BEST VIDEO YET. I complained about your last one but this one had everything I wanted. Interesting movepool Excellent reasonings Fun gameplay You really made delibird a mon id LOVE to play with. Only the hideous slurpuff could unburden belly drum before this. And thinking about the moves wrap and milk drink are peek.

[@princerjdeguzman2854]

Honey, wake up. A new Zen Mode video just dropped

[@random66849]

2:33 bald spinda is unspeakably cursed

[@thenerdbeast7375]

I'm surprised you didn't swap the physical and special attack with that new moveset.

[@youtubecomments2740]

2:33 Wow, bald spinda is cursed.

[@JYD]

bro uploaded the day after i subbed lets goo

[@sagenod440]

How to make Delibird somewhat useable: Give it Hawlucha's strat

[@DUKEHadToDoItToEm]

Yeah unburden doesn't seem fitting to me. Santa's bag of toys is supposed to be endless/magic, assuming delibird follows the same logic that bag ain't ever getting lighter

[@sagenod440]

@@DUKEHadToDoItToEm I don't know if you've heard of a comedian named William Montgomery but I read "that bag ain't ever getting lighter" in his voice

[@DUKEHadToDoItToEm]

@@sagenod440 never heard of him but I'll look into him, I love comedy Look into Nick Mullen Year of the Dragon

[@edgarwin7155]

I just wanted to point out how perfect it is for a Delibird video to take place in Unova since the whole modern concept of Santa Claus has its roots in New York! Also, thanks for your videos! Happy Holidays!

[@billylin8800]

present would've been so much more viable if at some point it had been converted into a normal type Pollen Puff i feel like you could've added one of rock throw, rock blast or smack down, but honestly i'm amazed there isn't some kind of explicit coal-based rock-type move (which would possibly inflict burn) especially given that coalossal exists.

[@MaxBurnHeart]

While these changes are nice, I don't think it helps Delibird in the long run. I love the moveset changes, but it will barely matter if their availability stays so late in a game. Heck, even in the early game I would still be hesitant to use Delibird, unless it's a really hard grass gym leader waiting for me. It also makes it so there's a good chance Present won't be ever seen by the player, because it will be removed by the time the player encounters Delibird. Not to mention, it's... well, it's still Delibird. Any other pokemon with Belly Drum would do the same job, if not better. Happy Holidays!

[@k2ggers961]

Unburden belly drum is a super powerful gimmick that would make virtually any shitmon viable

[@rhodey_37]

I mean, yeah. Part of the premise of this series is not changing the stats, and with Deli's stats there's only so much you can do. Ofc it's gonna be reliant on something like belly drum. Idk what else you expected tbh

[@ultimapower6950]

Well I mean at least Delibird in this situation is a quite powerful EST.

[@MaxBurnHeart]

@@rhodey_37 Well, maybe I said it wrong. Let me say it again. I expected to go all in for the item gimmick, not turn Delibird into a sweeper with Unburden Belly Drum, which is effectively a mini Hawlucha. That's the lazy solution. Every pokemon would be busted with this combo, and this video is a perfect example of why. If its gimmick could be all about items, why not go all in? For instance, give Delibird Pickup ability. Why not give Delibird the ability to give presents to its trainer when it's their thing? Unburden is a great idea, but I could also consider Klutz ability. Speaking of which, I would definitely give Trick/Switcheroo over Belly Drum. I mean, Trick/Switcheroo gives an item (present) to the opponent, which is, like... just a perfect fit. Yes, it would compete with Lopunny on that gimmick. I think it's fine, though. Besides, now Delibird could either give presents to its trainer via Pickup, or have Klutz and give various gifts to its opponent, such as Sticky Barb or Toxic Orb. That's a decent choice. Now, would these changes make Delibird much more powerful? No, definitely not. Would it be useful for the player who wants to play around with items and potentially have access to better ones via Pickup? Definitely yes. Oh, and that would make the availability issue not that problematic, as the item gimmick is useful in all stages of a game. Not to mention, being in Fast Experience Growth is important, as it allows Delibird to gain levels faster, which equals easier access to better Pickup items. That's why I could consider moving Delibird into Erratic Experience Growth, which is the fastest Experience Growth. Fun fact: the only Pickup pokemon that one can get without in B2/W2 are Lilpup in Floccesy Ranch and Pachirisu in Route 3 Hidden Grotto. Every other choice is locked behind post-game trade. So unless the player wants to deal with Hidden Grotto mechanics or level up Lilpup like crazy, Delibird could be the only far more convenient choice.

[@geckohunter123]

Anyone else shocked he didn’t get a deerling along the way? 😂

[@elbarnes]

I forced a delibird on my team late into one playthrough by giving it fake out, freeze dry, spikes, and destiny bond… all by breeding/egg moves, I think. I just like it too much! Only 10 minutes in and excited to see the tweaks through the video.

[@kingofthemudkips445]

the king of the Mudkips was here

[@Gio-pb5rm]

Who could’ve predicted that unburden belly drum is super good