Pidgeot: Gamefreak's First Mistake?

[wraith89]

"Pidgeot sucks, go get yourself another f***ing favorite bird!"
~ GGFan

Introduction

This is an article discussing the issues regarding Pidgeot, the majestic bird Pokemon who has roughly the speed of Mach 2 and the ability to conjure a storm out of its mighty wings. Note that this is a revamp of an old article I was writing regarding Pidgeot, but I was rather unhappy with it because it looked disorganised and not very concise. I think cleaning it up this way makes it a lot easier to read.

The Issue

I will say this bluntly: Pidgeot sucks, in relative and absolute terms.

And now here comes the objection from most people: Pidgeot is awesome! I have one in my team and it kicks the enemy trainers' butts!

Sure... that's in-game but even in-game you may sometimes find its powers rather compromised in comparison to other birds you are able to get.

Comparison With Other Birds

Of course, we would like to know how well Pidgeot compares to its other avian colleagues. Very well, here is a little comparison between Pidgeot and its fearsome rival Fearow.

Spoiler

Pidgeot
Type: NORMAL / FLYING
Ability: Keen Eye / Tangled Feet
Dream World Ability: Big Pecks
Base Stats:
HP: 83
Attack: 80
Defense: 75
Special Attack: 70
Special Defense: 70
Special (RBY): 70
Speed: 91
BST: 469


Fearow
Type: NORMAL / FLYING
Ability: Keen Eye
Dream World Ability: Sniper
HP: 65
Attack: 90
Defense: 65
Special Attack: 61
Special Defense: 61
Speed: 100
BST: 442

Yes, it seems Pidgeot has the upper hand when it comes to defence and base stat total, but not by much. However, where it matters most (which is attack and speed), Fearow surpasses Pidgeot, making Pidgeot's other stats rather redundant. And mind you, Fearow is just one of the lower birds, and from that point, the other birds completely outclass it in terms of stats and abilities.

Spoiler

Farfetch'd
Type: NORMAL / FLYING
Ability: Keen Eye / Inner Focus
Dream World Ability: Defiant
HP: 52
Attack: 65
Defense: 55
Special Attack: 58
Special Defense: 62
Speed: 60
BST: 352

This guy is obviously the best bird out there. Like totally; what other Normal/Flying bird learns Leaf Blade and carries a Leek? In all seriousness, even though there is no chance of it ever receiving one, at least it has the possibility to evolve.


Dodrio
Type: NORMAL / FLYING
Ability: Run Away / Early Bird
Dream World Ability: Tangled Feet
HP: 60
Attack: 110
Defense: 70
Special Attack: 60
Special Defense: 60
Speed: 100
BST: 460

Dodrio just makes the other Normal/Flying birds jelly... at least in the first and second Gen. He completely outclassed Fearow up until Gen V. Fearow now has Sniper and Drill Run, but Dodrio's attack power is superior and it also has access to Brave Bird and Acupressure. It is only in its second stage so it still has a possibility of evolution, though I doubt that will happen.


Noctowl
Type: NORMAL / FLYING
Ability: Insomnia / Keen Eye
Dream World Ability: Tinted Lens
HP: 100
Attack: 50
Defense: 50
Special Attack: 76
Special Defense: 96
Speed: 70
BST: 442

Noctowl isn't that great competitively, but it has a recognised niche as a defensive bird, and it is not bad at it. Pidgeot's defences are only middling in comparison so it gives it no specialisation whatsoever. It is only in its second stage so it still has a possibility of evolution, though I doubt that will happen.


Swellow
Type: NORMAL / FLYING
Ability: Guts
Dream World Ability: Scrappy
HP: 60
Attack: 85
Defense: 60
Special Attack: 50
Special Defense: 50
Speed: 125
BST: 430

Low BST? Pfft, so what? That speed is totally unfair, and STAB Facade with Guts is just about the scariest thing out there, when Swellow is under some status condition. 85 base attack is 5 points stronger than Pidgeot's 80, just for reference. Quick Attack at level 8? Wing Attack at level 13? Good grief. It is only in its second stage so it still has a possibility of evolution, though I doubt that will happen. Even then, Swellow is a monster.


Staraptor
Type: NORMAL / FLYING
Ability: Intimidate
Dream World Ability: Reckless
HP: 85
Attack: 120
Defense: 70
Special Attack: 50
Special Defense: 50
Speed: 100
BST: 475

OKAY. THIS. IS. UNFAIR. Scary attack power? Base 100 speed? Intimidate? Natural Brave Bird just so other birds can depend on it to learn it via breeding? CLOSE COMBAT?! This guy was just designed to put the other birds into shame; this is what Pidgeot should have been. Oh yes, it also has access to Level 5 Quick Attack and Level 9 Wing Attack! Yes, it is in its final form, but this is exactly what a final form bird should have been. Perfect example of a power creep; there's just no other Normal/Flying birds that parallels the monster that is Staraptor.


Chatot
Type: NORMAL / FLYING
Ability: Keen Eye / Tangled Feet
Dream World Ability: Big Pecks
HP: 76
Attack: 65
Defense: 45
Special Attack: 92
Special Defense: 42
Speed: 91
BST: 411

Chatot is not spectacular, but it seems like Pidgeot could have used stats that resembled something like this instead. It is primarily a special attacker with Pidgeot's speed and abilities. At least this guy has a niche and has no evolution yet, which leaves open possibilities.


Togekiss
Type: NORMAL / FLYING
Ability: Serene Grace / Hustle
Dream World Ability: Super Luck
HP: 85
Attack: 50
Defense: 95
Special Attack: 120
Special Defense: 115
Speed: 80
BST: 545

Yeah, this one is an odd one, but I will put it in here nonetheless to show you that there are strange Normal/Flying birds out there as well. We all know how annoying Serene Grace + Air Slash flinch is. It's bulky, it's powerful, and learns a plethora of moves. Whatever Pidgeot's bulk was, it does not compare with Togekiss's, who does not even specialise in that niche.


Unfezant
Type: NORMAL / FLYING
Ability: Big Pecks / Super Luck
Dream World Ability: Rivalry
HP: 80
Attack: 105
Defense: 80
Special Attack: 65
Special Defense: 55
Speed: 93
BST: 478

I don't think Pidgeot would have minded these stats, but this guy was made to troll on Pidgeot. It is not because it outclasses Pidgeot; in fact, this one may be the worst Normal/Flying ever designed. It's just that they put the wrong stats on the wrong Pokemon! It has a high attack stat and a speed stat trolling on Pidgeot's 91, but its movepool consists HIGHLY of special attacks, and no usable physical Flying move to speak of other than Pluck, or if you are gutsy: Fly and Sky Attack. What the heck? In fact, it is in its final form as well; it was deliberate, I am sure.


Braviary
Type: NORMAL / FLYING
Ability: Keen Eye / Sheer Force
Dream World Ability: Defiant
HP: 100
Attack: 123
Defense: 75
Special Attack: 57
Special Defense: 75
Speed: 80
BST: 510

He is simply amazing. If you want a bird that defines brute force, it would be Braviary here with his savage movepool including Brave Bird, Superpower, Crush Claw, Rock Slide, and others. He also gets boosting moves in the form of Bulk Up and Hone Claws. Although... he would want a speed booster of some kind and Close Combat instead of Superpower. Nonetheless, he is bulky, decently fast, and incredibly powerful, something Pidgeot would want too. Also he looks like a final form Pokemon, but has one slot left for evolution (if they ever did that they would make a baby form of Rufflet that evolves into Rufflet or Vullaby depending on its gender... *facepalm*).

In-Game

"Pidgeot needs a haircut!"
~ SkyFormeSheimi

At least Pidgey would be useful in-game, right? I suppose it has some sort of a niche by spamming Sand-Attack, but do we really need that? Pidgey appears quite early in games that have Kanto or Johto, or they plain mock it by placing Level 51 Pidgeys in areas with larger bugs like Ariados or Venomoth (Pokemon DPP). But usually whenever Pidgey is in the game, so is its rival Spearow, who is meaner and vicious. You head to the side route of Viridian City in Kanto or head north in that little gatehouse at Route 29 for Johto for the better bird.

Right from the start, Spearow has the better STAB move Peck while Pidgey has the lame Tackle, which was not buffed until Black/White, where it is inconsequential anyways as Pidgey is not an early game Pokemon there. Pidgey evolves at Level 18 into Pidgeotto, who looks awesome but results will soon prove to be disappointing. Asides from additional bulk and one extra point in speed (which may be lower if Spearow's IVs/EVs are higher to begin with), Pidgeotto's stats are very similar to Spearow's! Yes, even its attack power is the same. It is understandable regarding Pidgey's and Spearow's stats due to the former's timid nature and the latter's savage nature, but the change from Pidgey to Pidgeotto is rather a radical change, as Pidgeotto assumes the predatory niche and should continue becoming more powerful, especially as Pidgeot.

So it takes until Level 18 for Pidgey to even catch up to Spearow, who evolves at Level 20. Oh look, Level 17 Aerial Ace for Spearow! That gives Spearow an amazing STAB attack to work with for a long time, and to add insult to injury, Fearow learns Mirror Move at level 23, MUCH earlier than Pidgeot. It's not like the move is all that useful, but that was supposedly Pidgeot's signature attack, but Fearow gets it much earlier. Whoops. So basically, what is the use of getting a bird that needs to reach Level 36 to reach its final form that is not too great when there is already a bird that reaches its final form at Level 20, and it is better than the Level 36 one? There is a huge imbalance here... and Fearow isn't exactly the best bird out there!

Oh get this. You know how some Pokemon get a new attack when they evolve? It doesn't look like Pidgeot gets one at all. What's this? Level 38 Wing Attack? LEVEL. 38. What the heck mate? So we have a Level 17 Aerial Ace from Spearow, Level 13 Wing Attack from Taillow, and Level 9 Wing Attack from Starly. And this great majestic birds learns it at level 38? Give me a break!

A Small Analysis

: One day I will be a beautiful Pidgeot!

It is understandable when Gen I Pokemon were not really programmed with competitive viability in mind, but it is clear that Pidgeot lacks the specialisation the other birds get... and they did NOTHING to improve this. I feel when they did the Special stat split in Gen II, Pidgeot's Special Attack should have been buffed so it would at least have some sort of a role. Back then, a special attacking Normal/Flying bird was non-existent except for Noctowl or Togetic, none of which were not too powerful anyways. It would have been horrid until Gen IV with the addition of special Flying attacks, and more moves would have been added to its movepool.

Now why do I say this? It is because it appears that Pidgeot's specialty based on its movepool and Pokedex is blowing strong gusts of wind. It is not the savage tear-em-apart type of birds most of the other birds are; this one is more like a noblesse and prides in its plumage and majestic wings. In fact, Gen V supports this by giving the relatively exclusive attack Hurricane to Pidgeot, which is truly awesome. Okay, so it is supposed to go on Mach-2 speed, which is faster than Garchomp, but Pidgeot is slower than Gliscor! Something like 110 Special Attack would have been enough to suffice. However, since base stats are pretty much permanent, I don't think there is much they can do. They did do the unthinkable by adding a new ability in Gen V via Dream World, but Pidgeot's ability was not too helpful in helping create a specialisation.

Then what? I suppose the only thing they can do is give Pidgeot the Marowak treatment. You know, a unique hold item that can at least compensate for its relatively low stats? Since trainers all enjoy the bright plumage that Pidgeot possesses, it would not be such a bad idea by giving it a hold item that can double its Special Attack, similar to Marowak's Thick Club. And I don't believe it is broken either, since Pidgeot's special movepool is rather barren, consisting of Hurricane, Air Slash, Heat Wave... and not much else.

In fact, I think this would be one of the most efficient ways to give Pidgeot some sort of a specialisation. A final form bird that has no other ways to give itself a meaning would have to find any way to salvage itself. And Pidgeot is not the only victim of lack of specialisation or not fulfilling its intended purpose properly. There are many other Pokemon out there (particularly some from Gen I) that need some sort of fixing. Pidgeot may be one of the first, but it is not by any means the last.

Conclusion

That is it for now. I made this article much more concise than its predecessor and hopefully, my thoughts are easier to read now. So what do you guys think about Pidgeot? Please discuss...

Though it was luck based, I have had two instances where I had Pidgeot sweep unexpectedly.

[DanteKoriyu]

Who cares about any game outside the main game? =P

I've never understood competitive battling with all the rules and regulations. Play the game the way it was meant to be played, broken as hell. lol

Pidgoet IS my favorite normal type bird. He has my favorite design compared to Swelliow, Staraptor, Noctowl and the like. Even if the other birds maybe better off in the competitive scene, I'd still choose Pidgeot. Hell, I've trained a Pidgey on all my main in game teams since the original Red. Nothing can compare to him IMO. Sure it might be nice for Gamefreak to fix him up, and they can do that next Gen (Not that they will), nothing is stopping them from doing whatever they want, not even the fans. But I personally don't care if they do or don't. The bird has got my love even if he is considered competitively useless.

[wraith89]

Who cares about any game outside the main game? =P

I've never understood competitive battling with all the rules and regulations. Play the game the way it was meant to be played, broken as hell. lol

Pidgoet IS my favorite normal type bird. He has my favorite design compared to Swelliow, Staraptor, Noctowl and the like. Even if the other birds maybe better off in the competitive scene, I'd still choose Pidgeot. Hell, I've trained a Pidgey on all my main in game teams since the original Red. Nothing can compare to him IMO. Sure it might be nice for Gamefreak to fix him up, and they can do that next Gen (Not that they will), nothing is stopping them from doing whatever they want, not even the fans. But I personally don't care if they do or don't. The bird has got my love even if he is considered competitively useless.

You too? Awesome! *high fives*

But to people who do want to play competitively, this is an issue =/
I've always wanted to use Pidgeot in Wifi battles... but of course, the only thing stopping me was that whole "it is outclassed by the others" thing.

[HottSushiz]

AHHH TOO MUCH READING!!!

Well i didn't forget about Pigeot, he was the one who always flew me to the desired town. And i use Pigeot because people always seem to use Staraptor instead, so when i throw out a Pigeot, they are acquire a shocked face..... But Pigeot ends up dying.

Long Live Pigeot!

[Greencat]

Sorry, but I sorta' ignored the wall of text fallowed after.
I always thought of it OK because Sperrow/Farrow was always big and menacing and picked on Pidgeys.

[DanteKoriyu]

You too? Awesome! *high fives*

But to people who do want to play competitively, this is an issue =/
I've always wanted to use Pidgeot in Wifi battles... but of course, the only thing stopping me was that whole "it is outclassed by the others" thing.

*return high five* =P

True, true, you people and your competitive scene. lol

Taking all the other normal birds leaves you with (not just for the competitive scene):

Fearow - He reminds me of an 80's rock band costume. The furry looking collar and the wings look like tassels.
Dodrio - The whole three heads thing is a turn off. I some times have a hard time deciding things myself, I don't need to more heads on my shoulders to make it more difficult.
Farfetch'd - My 2nd favorite bird for sure. Who couldn't love the bird that can beat the hell out of you with a leek?
Noctowl - Probably my 3rd favorite bird. Nothing more creepy than an owl rotating his head backwards to see you.
Swellow - I can understand how people like him, but he seems too plain to me.
Staraptor - Who wants a bird of Prey that always has a boot on his head...come'on.
Chatot - Hm, a parrot. I give credit for the creativity, but he annoys me...

Pidgeot wins out. He can rock the mullet.

[ALCHEMIST]

Personally, Pidgeot has always been amongst my most favorite pokemon, and I too have managed to include him in all of my in game teams at some point or another, and most of the time he became a permanent member. But seriously, there are so many things that can be done to give him a much needed boost, whether it be a few more moves, or as wraith already said: a new item just for him. I seriously hope gamefreak just does not screw him over again in Gen. 5 by adding yet another bird, instead of giving him a much needed boost, but hey, he's still the best bird in my book.

[wraith89]

Sorry, but I sorta' ignored the wall of text fallowed after.
I always thought of it OK because Sperrow/Farrow was always big and menacing and picked on Pidgeys.

But... this is important

Well, here's the thing. Lorewise, true, Spearow and Fearow pick on the Pidgey family, for Pidgey is docile, but that shouldn't mean Pidgey should be completely defenseless. Here's what I mean by being outclassed:

Fearow: faster and stronger and has Drill Peck (but Pidgeot now gets Brave Bird =P)
Farfetch'd: this guy will one day evolve, just watch...
Dodrio: better than Fearow, but that automatically means it's better than Pidgeot
Noctowl: meh... this bird plays a COMPLETELY different role from the others, so let's not list him
Swellow: Guts abuse + STAB Facade + incredibly fast... outclasses Pidgeot by a lot
Staraptor: acceptable stats, Intimidate, Brave Bird and CLOSE COMBAT, this bird must be the king of them all... although slower than Swellow and does not have Guts, but still outclasses Pidgeot
Chatot: Looks small, but shares the same speed tier as Pidgeot, not to mention he has a decent special attack to use Heat Wave and all. Yes, sadly even CHATOT outclasses Pidgeot
Togekiss: Paraflinchhax, awesome movepool, and incredibly bulky, this thing outclasses Pidgeot by a mile, even if it doesn't share the same role

Notice how some are even only on their second stage and already outclass Pidgeot... poor poor birdy. =(

Nothing's gonna stop me from using it, however. =P

And thank you, Pidgeot supporters! Long live Pidgeot!

[SkyFormeSheimi]

"Pidgeot needs a haircut!"
~ someone

That was me! :B

Anyhow, I agree to all of this. Pidgeot is my favorite most commonly seen birds (out of Fearow, Swellow, etc.)

I also find it ridiculous how lousy it's stats are. I mean, show some love GameFreak.

[Guested]

I use Pidgeot pretty successfully in my 2vs2 competitive team.

[randomspot555]

I'm going to contest that, even in-game, Pidgeot sucks.

I used him in both Red and Fire Red. I ditched him as soon as I could in Red, and I tried to grind through in the remake, but he was just a pain to level up wit a pathetic move pool

So even in-game, he sucks.

Look at the other Pokes you encounter early:

Mankey, and then you run into those mega punch and mega kick move tutors

machoke and geodude and stuff

pikachu

the bugs

starter

Magikarp salesman

So yeah, even in-game, there's no reason to use it.

Competitively?

Well, in OU, we've got offensive bird Staraptor, and Togekiss, the flinching bird and can play defense.

In UU, those roles go to Swellow and Noctow, respectively.

Farfetch'd gets a ridicoulously awesome move pool but no stats to make it worth it.

So what can Pidgeot do that Swellow and Noctowl can't?

Eh...besides the gimmicky "give it it's own item/ability", nothing.

Pidgeot sucks. I know, i hated to admit it, but it's true

[SilentFox]

care to join the crobat fan club..... no i guess not :P
two words
ROAD KILL
thats a pidgeiot to me
crobat > pidgeiot
four wings and a stylishly cool look :P

[wraith89]

I'm going to contest that, even in-game, Pidgeot sucks.

I used him in both Red and Fire Red. I ditched him as soon as I could in Red, and I tried to grind through in the remake, but he was just a pain to level up wit a pathetic move pool

So even in-game, he sucks.

Not to mention it takes up to level 18 to get Pidgey to become Pidgeotto... and Spearow becomes its final form Fearow at LEVEL 20! To become Pidgeot will require an additional 16 levels... with offensive and speed stats that parallel SPEAROW'S (seriously check Pidgeotto's and Spearow's stats and you'll see what I mean). Even Fearow is better, not because it gets Mirror Move 20 levels earlier, but because it evolves earlier AND gets a better stat distribution AND gets Drill Peck and stuff. That's seriously messed up... poor Pidgeot

[Relyte]

I did like pidgey, up until about Mt. Moon area...
It just didn't stand up to the other pokemon that I found that outclass it (better moves, stronger, more useful, etc.), although it generally remained in my party (to Fly :P)

It looks so good, though! Why, gamefreak?

[Goldgross]

I cant believe i missed this thread......but honestly i LMAO reading that long thing XD I swear, i like how Pidgeot looks, its a total hottie, but the stats make it underpowered. If you gave it an item like Thick Club, it would become Broken, kinda like a Raichu using Light ball. Attack doubled, and stab Brave Bird would make it freakishly uber, not to mention, with that 91 base speed stat, it would be faster than most Ubers That and quick attack for anything faster......helloooo! remember whats going on with Arceus?

Gamefreak did make a huge mistake with Pidgeot. Honestly, i judge many pokemon through their stats and obviously their use in battle, but i also go for looks on Pokemon. BTW most of the pokes i look really awesome. Yeah its a 3rd Evo and it has a crap ability.....wait.....Tangled Feet? Dynamic punch and Confuse ray anyone? it can boost his evasiveness in confusion. But again -_- only a 50% chance to attack and your opponent still has 80% chance to land a hit right? or does it raise it by 50%.........i wouldnt know Me no Pidgeot fan, so me wont know what new ability Gamereak slapped onto it.

My opinnion, an item would most definitely fix the problem, but make it an Item which boosts atk and speed by 50%. That would make it similar to the Latis. No double boost in atk for the above reasons. A dragon dance like boost would make it a really nice revenge killer for a few pokemon and it would most certainly be OU.