Cranidos

It knocks down trees and prey with headbutts, to the point of leaving behind fossils of shattered trunks. Cranidos was recreated from a spherical fossil and belongs to an ancient species that lived in the jungle 100 million years ago. Its skull is solid and resilient, although its brain is not quite as impressive. That combination explains both its straightforward behaviour and the way it feeds: it smashes trees aside to reach ripe Berries.

Its upright body and disproportionate head resemble those of a thick-skulled dinosaur. It is also said to be capable of taking on Aerodactyl thanks to its skill at delivering headbutts. Trees split apart are also found at sites where its fossils turn up, a clue to the force of its charges.

It occupies the first position in a two-species evolutionary line. It evolves into Rampardos when it reaches level 30, at which point its skull grows to an even greater scale.

Cranidos does not have a consistent competitive performance. Its 125 Attack is excellent for a species at this evolutionary stage, but its 40 Defense and 30 Special Defense leave very little room for taking hits. Its 67 HP help somewhat; its 58 Speed is not enough to make up for its defenses.

Mold Breaker is the Ability that defines its use. It allows its moves to work without taking the target's Abilities into account, so attacks such as Earthquake are not nullified by Levitate. Sheer Force is a Hidden Ability alternative: it boosts the power of moves with secondary effects and removes those effects, although its usable movepool does not turn Cranidos into a complete threat.

The Rock type gives it access to powerful physical STAB moves such as Head Smash, with a power of 150, as well as Stone Edge and Rock Slide. It also learns Swords Dance, Earthquake, Crunch, Fire Punch and Thunder Punch, so it can expand its coverage or set up a decisive blow. The problem is that the Rock type stacks weaknesses to Water, Grass, Fighting, Ground and Steel, while its defenses barely give it any way to compensate.

In a normal playthrough, it does serve as a physical attacker from the moment it appears, especially against slow or weakened opponents. Headbutt at level 1, Take Down at level 15 and Head Smash at level 46 mark a clear offensive progression, but the damage it takes and its reduced Speed mean it needs to come in with the opponent already under control.

Cranidos belongs to the Monster Egg Group and has a very uneven gender ratio: 12.5% are female. Its Eggs take 30 cycles to hatch, equivalent to approximately 7905 steps. Its catch rate is 45, so obtaining one takes more work than catching an easy-to-catch species.

The Egg Moves that expand its options the most are Roar, Stomp, Thrash and Hammer Arm. Thrash provides a physical move with a power of 120, while Hammer Arm covers opponents against whom its Rock-type attacks are not enough. Stomp can also be passed down, a less powerful attack but one that is useful during the early stages of training.

The evolution is exact: Cranidos evolves into Rampardos when it reaches level 30. It does not need a stone, a specific friendship level or a location-based condition. In battle, bear in mind that the Erratic growth rate requires an uneven investment of experience: it levels slowly at first and very quickly at the end.