Competitive Pokemon History - Kecleon Quiz

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. One of the things that arguably makes Kecleon a wildcard pick for third generation standard play stems from its ability, which has remained exclusive to only itself, Color Change. What does Color Change do?

Answer: Changes Kecleon's typing to that of the move it was hit by

This move actually gave Kecleon some interesting defensive utility. For example, it could take a Metagross' Meteor Mash and eat about 70% of its health for the hit, use Rest, and then, with its newlyfound Steel typing and resistance to the move, resist repeated uses of the move from the pseudo-legendary, and thus take a lot less damage from it until Metagross switched moves. On the other hand, if it came onto the field as a Venusaur used Giga Drain, the follow up Sludge Bomb or Hidden Power Fire would hit it for super effective damage, so it was definitely inconsistent, but could produce amusing results in some situations.

2. On the whole, Kecleon's base stats are mostly actually really low. There is one exception, and that's with its Special Defense, which is actually very high. What's Kecleon's Special Defense stat?

Answer: 120

Kecleon wasn't exactly tanking hits like Blissey could, but it was actually somewhat formidable at taking a stray Thunderbolt from Gengar, Fire Blast from Salamence, or Surf from Suicune. With a low Base 60 HP and no immediate recovery coming its way just yet, it was more of a low-end Tank if anything.

3. Kecleon actually became a passable Specially Defensive wall of sorts, thanks to its ability, great Special Defense, and a new move it gained access to in the fourth generation. What move was this?

Answer: Recover

Recover, alongside heavy investment in Kecleon's HP, made a special walling set viable. Color Change was the catalyst, as it let Kecleon endlessly wall a lot of Choiced attackers in the tier. For example, Moltres' Choice Specs boosted Fire Blast, a move to be feared, does not scare Kecleon at all. After tanking the initial hit, Kecleon would then resist Fire thanks to its own Color Change-induced Fire typing, and would be able to force Moltres to switch lest it waste its PP, and its health, aimlessly hacking away at Kecleon.

It wasn't standard play viable anymore, but this set was definitely good for something down in UU.

4. Perhaps Kecleon learned how to haggle with the eggheads at Nintendo, because it really got a nice set of new utility options in the fourth generation. Which of the following is an example?

Answer: Stealth Rock

With its decent defensive capabilities and reliable recovery, Kecleon made for a good Stealth Rock setter in fourth generation UU. It could even be partnered with Blissey to relieve the pink blob from having to run the move itself.

5. In the fifth generation, the nagging elephant in the room regarding Kecleon's ability began to rear its ugly head, and this set Kecleon back very far. Which of the following is an example of one of Color Change's drawbacks?

Answer: Kecleon cannot reliably get STAB on any of its moves

Most Normal type Pok�mon get large movepools, and Kecleon is no exception. However, all Normal type Pok�mon can start their offensive movepools off with a Normal type STAB move, and then go from there. Kecleon cannot even reliably do that. If it gets struck by a non-Normal type move, 1/4th of its movepool would instantly become worthless.

As such, Kecleon has never really been remotely close to viable as an offensive Pok�mon thanks to its ability holding it back in that regard.

6. Naturally, Kecleon attracted the attention of a hard counter in the fifth generation. As a counter is defined as a Pok�mon who can reliably switch in and win, which of the following fit that distinction?

Answer: Probopass

Most Fighting types in general would rather not switch straight into Kecleon, because a timely Thunder Wave can cripple them all. Yet, Probopass does not have reason to care for Thunder Wave or any move Kecleon can reasonably run. Moreover, it can start off by using Power Gem to change Kecleon's typing to Rock, then Earth Power to hit for super effective damage, and it can alternate between these two moves while taking next to no damage from any counterattack Kecleon can muster. Thus, Probopass was a great counter to Kecleon.

7. Kecleon finally got a far better ability in the sixth generation, a boon for its offensive firepower at that. What ability was this?

Answer: Protean

While it was nowhere close to putting the fear of Arceus into trainers like it was adventurers in the Mystery Dungeon series, Protean gave Kecleon a gasp of life on the competitive scene in the sixth generation. The ability to change its own typing means that, suddenly, it now got STAB on everything it ran, rather than almost never getting STAB on anything.

This was huge and gave it legitimate value as a wallbreaker in sixth generation NeverUsed.

8. Making the best use of Kecleon's new ability was key. Fittingly, it plucked out a move to base its offensive sets around that, in "Pok�mon Mystery Dungeon" games, has often been used by Kecleon to pick off thieving parties that steal its precious merchandise. What move did sixth generation Kecleon base its offensive sets around?

Answer: Sucker Punch

Use of Sucker Punch would immediately change Kecleon's typing to Dark. If, say, Kecleon had just used Power-Up Punch to boost its Attack, and a Jynx came in to use a Psychic move, which would be super effective, Kecleon could use Sucker Punch to not only inflict heavy damage, but change its typing to Dark, and be immune to Jynx's retaliating Psychic move of choice.

The priority aspect of the move was what gave it value, enabling Kecleon to change its typing before the opponent struck it in an emergency such as in the aforementioned case.

9. Kecleon did drop to PartiallyUsed in the seventh generation, but it inherited a new role that changed up its dynamic significantly. What role was this?

Answer: Tank

With an Assault Vest and its great Special Defense, alongside its access to two priority moves and Knock Off, Kecleon made for a passable Tank. It could heal itself semi-reliably with STAB Drain Punch. Sucker Punch and Shadow Sneak gave it revenge killing utility, while Knock Off hindered a great deal of opponents which relied on their item, giving it the utility it needed to be a true Tank.

10. Sadly, it was all for naught and Kecleon ended up being Untiered at the seventh generation's end. Which of the following is an example of one of its weaknesses that caused it to receive this negative placing?

Answer: Being horribly weak to status

Kecleon was awfully weak to being burned, which would render it just about totally useless. If it got poisoned, it would also be unable to adequately "tank" hits since its HP would decline dramatically quick. Finally, paralysis could stop it from changing its typing when it needed to, thus allowing the opponent to turn Protean against it in such scenarios.

As such, Kecleon was fringe-viable in seventh generation PU, the lowest tier in the game, at best.

Source: Author cavalier87

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor kyleisalive before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

Competitive Pokemon History - Kecleon Quiz

Let's celebrate the release of "Pokemon Mystery Dungeon DX" by talking about the competitive history of the menacing merchant, Kecleon! See if you have the gift of the gab for these ten questions, generations 3-7!

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