Maschiff

At 16 kg and 0.5 m tall, Maschiff looks like a sturdy puppy, but its design is based on a mastiff, specifically the Spanish Mastiff. Its quadrupedal body is covered in brown fur, with a developed jaw and a layer of fat under the skin that protects it. The yellow tuft on its head resembles a crest, while the one on its back and tail extends that somewhat scruffy silhouette.

Its behaviour revolves around appearances. It furrows its brow and tilts its head to look threatening, although the pose makes even crying children laugh. Its jaw is strong enough to crush rocks, but its bully-like expression is not very convincing. Groups of Maschiff form close bonds and move together.

It occupies the first stage of a short evolutionary line. At level 30, it evolves into Mabosstiff, whose design keeps the canine foundation and replaces the puppy-like air with that of an adult dog.

Maschiff is not strong enough to compete outside very specific formats, but it does have a clear place in Little Cup. Its base stats show the problem: 78 Attack is its highest figure, while it reaches 60 HP and Defense, 51 Special Defense and Speed, and only 40 Special Attack. It hits physically, but it neither takes hits nor outspeeds opponents well enough to prevail consistently.

Intimidate is its most useful ability: when it enters battle, it lowers the opposing Pokémon's Attack. Run Away allows it to escape from any wild Pokémon and contributes nothing in competitive battles. Stakeout, its hidden ability, doubles the damage against a Pokémon that has just entered through a switch; that pressure turns an opposing switch into an opportunity to use Crunch or Jaw Lock. It also has Reversal, whose damage increases when its HP is low, and Taunt to shut down status moves.

The Dark type gives it an immunity to Psychic and resistances to Dark and Ghost. In return, it takes super effective damage from Bug, Fairy and Fighting. Its 51 Speed and 40 Special Attack rule out fast or special approaches, while its defences do not make up for those shortcomings either. In a normal playthrough, it works best during the early stages, when its Attack and gradual access to Bite, Assurance and Crunch are enough to handle opponents vulnerable to the Dark type.

Maschiff belongs to the Field Egg Group and has an even gender ratio: 50% female. Its Eggs need 20 incubation cycles, equivalent to approximately 5355 steps. Breeding can produce Destiny Bond, Endeavor, Revenge and Play Rough; Endeavor fits a low-HP strategy, while Play Rough covers Fighting-type opponents that resist its Dark-type attacks.

Its evolution is straightforward: reach level 30 and evolve into Mabosstiff. It is only worth delaying the evolution if you want to keep the puppy's appearance or learn a particular move at a specific point, since the evolved form improves the line's physical role.

Its catch rate is 150, a fairly accessible figure. It does not require any special preparation to obtain in the wild, although a basic Poké Ball does not guarantee success in every encounter. Its base experience yield is 68, and it follows the Medium Slow growth rate.