Welcome to Pokemon of the Week! This week we'll be focusing on a Pokemon that has been swarmed with controversy since it's introduction. This week, we're focusing on Jynx.

Oh boy, where do I start with this powder keg. Let's try... avoiding this until the My Thoughts section as much as possible. Jynx is a unique Pokemon, to say the least. It's got unique typing in Ice/Psychic, has a good signature move all to itself (shut up, Smeargle, you don't count) that can shut down most counters reliably, and has reasonably good offensive typing. However, it has quickly fallen from grace over the years, and not just because of the controversy. Absolutely terrible defensive typing combined with the Defense stat of soggy bread has made the possibility of Jynx rising to the ranks of the big hitters practically impossible.

In the NU tier, Jynx is a force to be reckoned with. Not only does it possess a fantastic base 95 Speed (fantastic for NU, anyway), but it comes with base 115 Sp. Attack, a pretty reliable Sleep move and an immunity to Water through Dry Skin, which makes it the best counter to Gorebyss in the NU tier. Furthermore, Jynx lacks any real hard counters in the tier, which make it even more threatening. With the ability to shut down Pokemon, boost it's Sp. Attack and launch wonderful STAB moves, Jynx is always a Pokemon to watch out for in NU.

Jynx@ Life Orb Dry Skin Timid nature (+Speed, -Attack) EVs: 252 Sp. Attack / 252 Speed / 4 Sp. Defense Lovely Kiss Ice Beam Psychic / Psyshock Focus Blast

This is by far Jynx's most dangerous set, and it's easy to see why. Lovely Kiss has the potential to immediately shut an opposing Pokemon down, which is pretty invaluable in any tier and in any metagame. Ice Beam is Jynx's best STAB attack, providing wonderful coverage, power, and a 10% chance of Freeze, which can make for some VERY frustrating luck if you Freeze their switch-in after putting the last Pokemon to Sleep with Lovely Kiss, but don't rely on it. Psychic is the STAB of choice, hitting Pokemon like Sawk very hard, as well as doing more damage to most Pokemon in NU. Psyshock, however, gives Jynx the ability to batter special walls as they switch in, such as Lickilicky and Munchlax, which aren't even seriously concerned about Focus Blast, due to their high Sp. Defense, so the choice is up to you and what you worry about. Focus Blast gives Jynx the coverage to damage Steel types, but the shaky accuracy should be noted when using it.

Jynx always appreciated entry hazards on the opposing side of the field, but this one more than any other almost needs them for her to be successful. Stealth Rock along with even a single layer of Spikes on the opponent's field turns many 2HKOs into OHKOs, as well as turning 3HKOs into 2HKOs. On the opposite end of the spectrum, removing entry hazards is something Jynx appreciates, but given the lack of good spinners in NU, it can be tough to find a spot. Torkoal and Wartortle do a good job at keeping them off the field, and Torkoal can even set Stealth Rock if necessary, while drawing in Water attacks for Jynx to absorb. Wartortle, however, can spin even Ghosts, due to Foresight, and isn't weak to Stealth Rock, so the choice is up to you.

Jynx@ Choice Scarf Dry Skin Timid nature (+Speed, -Attack) EVs: 252 Sp. Attack / 252 Speed / 4 Sp. Defense Ice Beam Psychic Trick / Lovely Kiss Lovely Kiss / Focus Blast

Choice Scarf Jynx is one of my favorites in the NU tier, and I actually used it quite a bit back when I played competitive NU. The Speed granted by the Scarf allows Jynx to outrun nearly the entire tier, including Gorebyss and Carracosta after a Shell Smash, and KOing both of them (2HKOing Gorebyss, 1HKOing Carracosta, both with Psychic). Ice Beam and Psychic form Jynx's STAB core on this set, and both are extremely important. Psyshock is not an option for this set, as Psychic allows Jynx the aforementioned OHKO on Carracosta after it has Shell Smashed, while Psyshock does not.

The third slot is purely utility, but is an important choice to make. Trick allows Jynx to potentially cripple special walls, such as Eviolite Lickitung, Lickilicky, and Probopass, should you opt out of Focus Blast. Lovely Kiss remains Jynx's main sell, even with a Choice Scarf, as it can completely shut down a counter. It may seem counter-intuitive to use it on a Scarf set, but it actually presents new opportunities that non-Scarf sets don't have, such as shutting down Pokemon that have gained a Speed boost, or naturally faster Pokemon.

The last slot leaves you two options. If you want to run both Trick and Lovely Kiss, these two can work very well on the same set, as you can potentially cripple two Pokemon over the course of the game. Focus Blast, however, gives Jynx extra coverage, allowing her to hit Steel types, as well as hitting Rock types much harder. It's also the best move you have to hit Lickitung and Lickilicky as they switch in, though it will not 2HKO without heavy entry hazard support.

Jynx@ Leftovers Dry Skin Timid nature (+Speed, -Attack) EVs: 252 Sp. Attack / 252 Speed / 4 Sp. Defense Nasty Plot Ice Beam Lovely Kiss Substitute / Psyshock

Nasty Plot Jynx is by far the most risky set to use, but also the most dangerous. Lovely Kiss gives Jynx the opportunity to setup her boost, forcing the opponent to switch out or waste turns sleeping. From here, Jynx can launch her boosted Ice Beams, or setup a Substitute. Psyshock is an option over Substitute for a secondary STAB attack that also serves the purpose of hitting special walls much harder than Ice Beam would, 2HKOing Lickilicky after a Nasty Plot boost, provided you have Stealth Rock setup.

Rain support is appreciated most on this set, as it allows Jynx to recover from the Substitutes she makes much faster than she would without it, due to Dry Skin healing an extra 12.5% in rain. Jynx also appreciates a Pokemon that can remove Toxic Spikes from your side of the field, as they prevent her from setting up and sweeping. Poison types, such as Skuntank and Garbodor can remove them upon switching in, but if those don't fit on your team, Torkoal or Wartortle can Rapid Spin all haards off your side of the field, which Jynx also appreciates.

Jynx can be obtained in Giant Chasm in Black and White, but cannot be found in Black2 or White2. If you're playing Black2 or White2 and want one, my suggestion is the Dream World, as it provides Jynx with her best of the three abilities, Dry Skin, which gives her a useful immunity to Water type moves. Smoochum can be found in the Spooky Manor in Dream World.

In-Game, Jynx functions pretty well if you've got a team that works well with her. As a stand-alone Pokemon, she can't take on everything by herself, but if you surround her with Pokemon that can deal with her counters, she'll shine as one of the stars of your in-game team. Physical Fire and/or Fighting types make good teammates, as they draw Water and Psychic attacks, both of which Jynx can handle (provided Dry Skin ability), and they can also beat down special walls that would stop Jynx cold.

Jynx Ice Beam Lovely Kiss Psychic / Psyshock Focus Blast

In-game Jynx works pretty much the same as the first suggested Jynx set. Ice Beam is your main STAB move, hitting a vast majority of Pokemon neutrally or Super-Effectively. Lovely Kiss shuts the opponent down completely 75% of the time, which is reliable enough for it to warrant a move slot on your team. Psychic is Jynx's second best STAB move, though Psyshock can be used to hit special walls. In my opinion, Psychic is the better way to go, while just using other physical attackers on your team to get by special walls. Focus Blast hits Steel types and Dark types that give Jynx trouble.

Here we go... Jynx was one of the first, if not the first controversial Pokemon ever. Her design has been accused of being a racist stereotype of "blackface" (Google it or something, this ain't history class... it's Pokemon history class). It has been argued that Jynx is not based on blackface, but rather, her design is based on ganguro, a Japanese fashion where women tan heavily, bleach their hair, and apply large amounts of makeup. Regardless of what the design was based on, Nintendo took this accusation into consideration, and since Crystal Version, Jynx's black face and hands were recolored to purple, in international versions of the game, though she remained black-skinned in Japanese versions of Crystal. From generation 3 onward, Jynx became purple in all versions of Pokemon games, and has never seen another color change since.

Now, this is the /my thoughts/ section, so I'll tell you what I think. When I first heard of the controversy, I didn't really understand it. I was around 12, and I'd seen Jynx for 2 or 3 years without thinking much of it, aside from how odd it was that she disappeared into her hair upon fainting in Pokemon Stadium. I don't know if she was or wasn't based off a racist stereotype, but I do know that I like her redesign to purple more than I liked her when she had black skin, just from a visual standpoint. No, not because I don't like black skin (I can see the PMs coming now), but because it just looks more like a Pokemon now. Purple's a cool color and I think it makes her look interesting. I like Jynx, I think it's a very underrated Pokemon, and I never pass up an opportunity to get one in RBY or FRLG. With so many people hating her, and so many others avoiding her entirely, it's not hard to see where that Ice type comes from - It's a cold world out there, and she's endured an avalanche of negativity.

Digg this! | del.icio.us | Reddit | Stumble Upon | Facebook

Tags: None!

There are currently 0 comments on this story... you could be first!