POKEMON OF 2007

Back in November I held a vote to see who people wanted to see as our Pokemon of the Year. Many votes came in for many different Pokemon including Charizard, Mudkip and even Weavile but the winner was a Pokemon who has won the hearts and infuriated Pokemon Trainers around the world concurrently, Bidoof.



Bidoof is available right at the start of the Pokemon Diam,ond and Pearl and is part of the “rodent” line along with Ratatta, Sentrent and Zigzagoon. Bidoof is known as the Plump Mouse Pokemon but obviously is a Beaver and since Bidoof live close to water, the Water type characteristic is added to its description once it evolves. Bidoof evolves into Bibarel at level 15; since it evolves early, it makes a great Pokemon for rookie trainers to capture not to mention Water Gun is very effective against the first gym. Bidoof is number 399 in the PokeDex or 13 in the SinnohDex and has an even chance of being male or female. Bidoof weighs 19.95 kilograms and is 33 centimeters tall.

--(Level 15)-->

According to Bidoof’s PokeDex it is a very active Pokemon that builds nests close by water and bites on logs to wear down its teeth and stop them growing excessively large. Interestingly the PokeDex claims that Bidoof has nerves of steel and nothing can upset it, however this is contradicted in Bidoof’s first anime appearance in Pokemon episode #484 “Faced With Steelix Determination!”. This episode aired in Australia on Friday December 28th and shows a colony of Bidoof terrified because of a Steelix which is on a rampage after Team Rocket stuck three shovels in its head.



Bidoof can possess one of two abilities, one of which is limited to only Bidoof and Bibarel, the same goes for the other with the exception of Numel also being able to acquire it. The first ability is called “Unaware” which causes any changes made to the opponent’s stats to not effect Bidoof. The second is called “Simple”, in this ability the opposite takes place, any changes made to Bidoof or the opponent’s stats is doubled. These abilities are very effective and helps slightly make up for Bidoof and Bibarel’s low stats. Baton Pass Ninjask and Speed Boosting Yanmega can be stopped dead in their tracks. Bidoof rewards those who defeat it with one Hit Point effort value.



Trainers have no difficulty encountering Bidoof in Sinnoh as it is found in the following locations: Routes 201, 202, 203, 204, 205, 208 and 211, to the west of Lake Verity and in the Great Marsh. When breeding Bidoof, 3840 steps need to be taken in order for the egg to hatch or 1920 steps when a Pokemon with Flame Body or Magma Amour is in your party. Bidoof can breed with a large selection of Pokemon either from the Water 1 or the Ground Egg Group.



Once evolved, Bidoof should be fully trained in Attack and HP with the six leftovers in Speed. Certain Trainers may want to allocate more EVs to Speed to get a quick and powerful attack in before Bibarel suffers from its poor defense. The problem is since Bibarel’s maximum speed is 265; there are still quite a few Pokemon with that can out run it. A good move set would include Super Power, Super/Hyper Fang, Yawn/Pluck and Waterfall with an Adamant nature with the “Unaware” ability. Super Power will cause major damage with a boost from STAB (same type attack bonus) though this move lowers Bidoof’s Attack and Defense so it should only be used on a final Pokemon or in emergencies. Super or Hyper Fang can be used more casually and once again gains power from STAB. Yawn can be quite helpful putting stronger Pokemon to sleep while Pluck can fight off those Fighting types which can cause major damage. Waterfall is a powerful attack which gains power from STAB once Bidoof evolves to Bibarel, not to mention it is Physical so your EV training will come into effect.


Male / Female

Above are the male and female shiny forms of Bidoof. The male Bidoof have an extra lump on their tails that the female Bidoof don't. Shiny Bidoof have a lighter shade of brown on their fur which seperates them from the basic form, Shiny Pokemon also send out a circle of stars around them as they are sent into battle.

Well there you have it, all the information you could possibly need on Pokemon Aus24’s Pokemon of 2007. I hope you enjoyed this feature article and have a great and prosperous new year. Before you go remember we have a Bidoof MySpace layout you might like to use to show your support towards the Pokemon you voted for!