Currently, there are over a thousand Pokémon, and only a few are in the select club of being unable to play in the competitive scene. Mewtwo, Deoxys, Blaziken, Aegislash, Dragonite, Mega Gengar, or, of course, Arceus, are just some of the creatures that, in a competitive match, would break the game too much in their favor. Today, another Pokémon joins this group, and if you’re a casual fan, it’s very possible that you’ve never even heard of it.
I don’t choose you
We’re talking about Gliscor, a Ground/Flying type Pokémon that was introduced in Diamond/Pearl, back in 2006. It’s the evolution of Gligar, which itself requires patience to obtain: it must level up at night while holding a Razor Fang. For 17 years, it’s been used in battles, but some players have complained that its hidden ability tilted fights unfairly in its favor. Is this true?
Yes and no. But mostly, yes. You see: in one-on-one battles (though most competitive battles are two-on-two), Gliscor often seals the deal. This wasn’t the case until Generation 5, when Hidden Abilities were introduced. Follow along, it gets a bit complex: this creature has the ability Poison Heal, meaning whenever it’s poisoned, it automatically heals itself.
The issue arises when you equip Gliscor with a Toxic Orb – usually used to poison a Pokémon and gradually reduce its health. However, with Gliscor, the opposite happens; it heals a sixth of its health after each turn. Essentially, it can use Toxic on its opponent and wait for them to faint while steadily recovering from incoming attacks.
This ban leads to more problems. Some argue that the Pokémon that should have been banned is Gholdengo, which when paired with Gliscor creates an almost unbeatable team. But that’s not all: creatures like Landorus-Therian, without the threat of Gliscor, can regain dominance in the competitive scene, creating another issue for the organization. Ash Ketchum never dealt with these kinds of situations, did he?
