Big shoutout to Skuntank, he's right up there but I'll have to give this one to Krookodile.
To start I think everyone can agree his design is badass. A crocodile with some naaaasty shades and cocky attitude is always welcome. I like how they found a way to make Sandile's shades evolve alongside the rest of the design. They blend in very well with the overall look of the Pokemon. In the anime this was further played with when the Krokorok that Ash caught was wearing some actual shades which then grew bigger alongside Krokorok when it evolved into Krookodile.
Its typing is very nice offensively. Its ground/dark typing is exclusive to itself and will likely remain that way for a few more generations since it's such an obscure combination. I'll admit defensively it's not all that great, with ground and dark failing to compliment each other in any way, leaving Krookodile with 6 weaknesses including some common attacking types like Water, Ice, Fighting and Fairy. Offensively though it has the lethal stab combination of 2 of the best moves in the game, Earthquake and Knock Off.
Stats wise it's clear to see what Krookodile's role on a team should be. A high base 117 attack gives it the punch it needs to dish out a lot of damage with its lethal stab combo, while base 92 speed gives it the edge over a lot of Pokemon it preys on. Also a very ideal speed tier to apply a choice scarf on, making you faster than almost the entire metagame. It has a nice 95 base HP with 80/70 in defenses so it can usually take at least one hit without any bulk investment.
Now ability wise is where we see Krookodile really start killing it. It has three good abilities, though its Hidden Ability Anger Point is more of a gimmick. Upon getting hit by a critical hit you go to +6 attack instantly. Kind of nice and there are ways to utilize this, especially with the Urshifu single strike running around in gen 8. Not sure for how long though. Its other two abilities really defy what sets it runs. Intimidate is always a nice ability to have as it instantly gives you a massive defensive boost over physical attackers. Krookodile can neuter a lot of offensive threats this way and hit back hard with Earthquake, or getting useful support and damage through Knock Off or Pursuit. Moxie is just one of the greatest abilities out there period. Getting an attack boost every time you kill something on the field is absolutely amazing and with a stat spread like Krookodile it's very easy for it to clean up late game and sweep. Also works wonders with the earlier mentioned Choice Scarf, giving your opponent a very limited window of opportunity to deal with Krookodile before it becomes unstoppable.
It was overlooked for a while but in recent years managed to win the World Championships so clearly it's doing something right. Any time I've used a Krookodile I've loved it and it just feels so nice to use. I like gimmicky and unique Pokemon but sometimes a hard hitting crocodile is where it's at.
Big shoutout to Skuntank, he's right up there but I'll have to give this one to Krookodile.
To start I think everyone can agree his design is badass. A crocodile with some naaaasty shades and cocky attitude is always welcome. I like how they found a way to make Sandile's shades evolve alongside the rest of the design. They blend in very well with the overall look of the Pokemon. In the anime this was further played with when the Krokorok that Ash caught was wearing some actual shades which then grew bigger alongside Krokorok when it evolved into Krookodile.
Its typing is very nice offensively. Its ground/dark typing is exclusive to itself and will likely remain that way for a few more generations since it's such an obscure combination. I'll admit defensively it's not all that great, with ground and dark failing to compliment each other in any way, leaving Krookodile with 6 weaknesses including some common attacking types like Water, Ice, Fighting and Fairy. Offensively though it has the lethal stab combination of 2 of the best moves in the game, Earthquake and Knock Off.
Stats wise it's clear to see what Krookodile's role on a team should be. A high base 117 attack gives it the punch it needs to dish out a lot of damage with its lethal stab combo, while base 92 speed gives it the edge over a lot of Pokemon it preys on. Also a very ideal speed tier to apply a choice scarf on, making you faster than almost the entire metagame. It has a nice 95 base HP with 80/70 in defenses so it can usually take at least one hit without any bulk investment.
Now ability wise is where we see Krookodile really start killing it. It has three good abilities, though its Hidden Ability Anger Point is more of a gimmick. Upon getting hit by a critical hit you go to +6 attack instantly. Kind of nice and there are ways to utilize this, especially with the Urshifu single strike running around in gen 8. Not sure for how long though. Its other two abilities really defy what sets it runs. Intimidate is always a nice ability to have as it instantly gives you a massive defensive boost over physical attackers. Krookodile can neuter a lot of offensive threats this way and hit back hard with Earthquake, or getting useful support and damage through Knock Off or Pursuit. Moxie is just one of the greatest abilities out there period. Getting an attack boost every time you kill something on the field is absolutely amazing and with a stat spread like Krookodile it's very easy for it to clean up late game and sweep. Also works wonders with the earlier mentioned Choice Scarf, giving your opponent a very limited window of opportunity to deal with Krookodile before it becomes unstoppable.
It was overlooked for a while but in recent years managed to win the World Championships so clearly it's doing something right. Any time I've used a Krookodile I've loved it and it just feels so nice to use. I like gimmicky and unique Pokemon but sometimes a hard hitting crocodile is where it's at.