Pelipper

Using Pelipper in a Playthrough

Wingull evolves into Pelipper at level 25, producing a Water/Flying Pokemon with strong physical Defense, a Ground immunity, useful resistances, and reliable Water offense. Pelipper's base 100 Defense makes it much sturdier against physical attacks than its appearance suggests, while Water/Flying STAB can handle Fire-, Ground-, Rock-, Fighting-, Bug-, and other common targets depending on the move used. Its largest defensive flaw is a quadruple Electric weakness, joined by a Rock weakness, so opponents carrying unexpected Electric coverage can turn an apparently safe matchup into an immediate emergency. Generation VII dramatically improves Pelipper by raising its Special Attack and giving it Drizzle, which automatically summons rain, strengthens its own Water attacks, weakens opposing Fire attacks, and enables rain-focused teammates without spending a turn on Rain Dance. Roost, U-turn, Defog, Scald, Hurricane, and other utility options have also made later Pelipper much more versatile than the straightforward coastal Water-type found in the original Hoenn games.

Pelipper in Competitive Pokémon

Pelipper underwent one of the most dramatic competitive reinventions of any ordinary Hoenn Pokemon. Before Generation VII it was primarily a lower-tier physically defensive Water/Flying type with Roost, Defog or other utility, but the addition of Drizzle immediately turned it into a premier automatic rain setter. In Sun and Moon OU, Smogon described Pelipper as the best rain setter in the tier because Drizzle, U-turn, Roost, Defog, and useful defensive typing allowed it to establish rain repeatedly while safely bringing in sweepers such as Mega Swampert. Rain also boosts Pelipper's own Water attacks and makes Hurricane perfectly accurate, allowing even a support-oriented set to threaten meaningful damage rather than functioning as a passive weather button. The quadruple Electric weakness, Stealth Rock vulnerability, mediocre special bulk, and reliance on repeated switching remain serious problems, but Drizzle permanently changed Pelipper from a niche defensive Pokemon into one of the central enablers of modern rain offense.

Pelipper in Nuzlockes

Wingull is common and accessible in many Hoenn areas, and Pelipper can become a useful Nuzlocke defensive Pokemon once it evolves at level 25. Base 100 Defense, a Ground immunity, and resistances to Fire, Water, Fighting, Bug, and Steel create many favorable physical matchups, while Water STAB gives it dependable neutral offense throughout the region. The quadruple Electric weakness is the major danger and should be treated as potentially lethal even when the opposing Pokemon is not itself Electric-type, because unexpected coverage can bypass Pelipper's otherwise respectable durability. Drizzle is excellent if available because stronger Water moves can shorten fights, but automatic rain can also strengthen opposing Water attacks and affect the rest of the team, so it is not universally beneficial. Pelipper is safest as a planned physical pivot and Ground-immune Water type rather than as a blind switch into unknown special attackers.

Pelipper's enormous throat pouch functions as a combination hunting net, nursery, and transport compartment large enough to hold Eggs, small Pokemon, and even a small human child. It skims over the ocean surface and scoops prey and water into the bill in a single motion, with accounts claiming that one Pelipper can swallow more than thirty Wishiwashi at once. The species builds nests on steep sea cliffs, and young males are specifically responsible for gathering food and carrying it back to the rest of the colony. Pelipper also carries its own young and other small Pokemon to safety, which has given it a widespread reputation as a natural courier or messenger. When not flying or feeding, it rests by bobbing on calm ocean waves, using the sea itself as a place to recover its wings.