Thwackey

Small macaques and other monkeys inspire Thwackey’s bipedal silhouette, while the drumsticks, rhythmic strikes and leafy crest push the design towards that of a percussionist ape. The branches it holds also bring clubs to mind, as well as the sticks some primates use to hit objects and mark their position within the group.

Its behaviour revolves entirely around rhythm. It practises constantly, walks swaying to the beat and uses its two drumsticks to create faster and faster beats. Pokédex entries say that specimens capable of maintaining a more forceful rhythm earn greater respect among their own kind. Its concentration reaches such a point that it may not realise its opponent has fainted and can even ignore its Trainer’s commands.

It occupies the middle stage of the evolution line that begins with Grookey and ends with Rillaboom. When it evolves, Grookey’s single stick splits into two, while the leaves on its head take on a crest-like or mohawk-like appearance.

Thwackey is not a general-purpose competitive choice. Its 70 HP, 85 Attack, 70 Defense, 55 Special Attack, 60 Special Defense and 80 Speed make it a fairly fast physical attacker, but one with little room to switch repeatedly into heavy hits. Its Special Attack is clearly neglected: its best tools rely on contact and physical moves.

Grassy Surge is the Ability that defines its use. When it enters battle, it creates Grassy Terrain, which strengthens its Grass-type attacks and helps restore HP to Pokémon touching the ground. It also reduces the damage from Earthquake and similar moves, opening turns to attack or switch. Overgrow offers a power boost when its HP is in trouble, but provides less utility for the team.

The Grass type lets it pressure Water-, Ground- and Rock-types, and it resists Water, Electric, Grass and Ground. In return, it piles up weaknesses to Bug, Fire, Flying, Ice and Poison. Knock Off removes items and punishes switches, Wood Hammer hits extremely hard, and Swords Dance lets it turn a passive turn into a physical threat. It can also use Grassy Terrain to support the team.

Its problem is its lack of broad coverage and the difficulty of getting past opponents that resist Grass. In a regular playthrough, it works best as a support attacker: it comes in to activate Grassy Surge, wears foes down with Knock Off and uses the terrain to make things easier for Ground-type teammates or other physical attackers.

Thwackey belongs to the Field and Grass Egg Groups. The gender ratio is 87.5% male and 12.5% female, so obtaining a female requires more attempts than with a species with balanced proportions. Its Eggs need 20 cycles to hatch, equivalent to approximately 5355 steps.

Its notable Egg Moves include Leech Seed, which provides chip damage and recovery, Fake Out, useful for gaining a turn when coming in, and Hammer Arm, a physical Fighting-type option for punishing foes that resist Grass. Strength provides a simple and reliable attack, while Growth improves its offensive capabilities if it finds a free turn.

It has a catch rate of 45: it is not an easy species to catch, although it is not at the extreme reserved for the most elusive Pokémon either. In Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet, it can be obtained through its evolution line or by transfer, and it evolves from Grookey. It evolves into Thwackey at level 16 and evolves into Rillaboom at level 35.