By Emily
Both Minccino and Emolga share top spots as the cutest Pokemon from the fifth generation, with Cinccino trailing behind by just a little. While their strengths and attacks may not be perfect, their overwhelming cuteness and flood of merchandise more than makes up for it.
Emolga is a bit harder to find than Minccino since it only in shaking grass. Both Pokemon can be found on multiple routes, so you can get one at a relatively high level if you so desire. Despite needing an evolutionary stone to evolve, Cinccino can also be found in the wild where Minccino is normally found, but like Emolga it will only be in the shaking grass.
Since Emolga has equal attack and special attack, it can use almost any type of move. Acrobatics and Discharge give Same Type Attack Bonus and both are learnable through normal level up. Electroball is another good option due to this character’s speed, as the attack’s damage is greater for Pokemon with high speed. TMs such as Aerial Ace and Thunderbolt are good, though U-turn may be a better idea since it will be able to cover more types. Air Slash and Iron Tail are some possibilities if you want to breed egg moves into Emolga, though Covet may be a good idea if you want to steal items from opponents.
Minccino’s higher attacks means it is best learning only physical moves. Sing and Wake-Up slap make a good combo since the opponent will receive extra damage from Wake-Up Slap if it is asleep. U-Turn or Dig would make good attacks since Minccino will be able to defeat more types of Pokemon, and both can be taught by TM. Its best egg move is Aqua Tail due to the type and strength of the attack, though Iron Tail is also very good, despite the lower accuracy. When if evolves into Cinccino, teaching it Bullet Seed is almost a necessity, though Rock Blast is another option.
Even though Motor Drive is the better ability for Emolga, it has not had a Dream World event, so currently Static is the only option. Static is somewhat difficult to use to its fullest since it requires a physical attack be used on Emolga and the chance of the opponent becoming paralyzed is very low. Even though Minccino and Cinccino also have no Dream World event as of yet, Technician is still a very useful ability, though maybe not as much as Skill Link. The two Pokemon need to be able to deal a lot of damage, and boosting attacks with a low base power is a good way to do so. This ensures that Wake-Up Slap will be a cornerstone for Minccino, and Bullet Seed will be the same for Minccino.
While a lot of merchandise has been released featuring Emolga and Minccino, the Chinchilla Pokemon has received a somewhat larger share. However, Emolga will have a bigger role in the anime now that one is owned by a main character, so many more plush and accessories featuring it will be available soon. Cinccino has not had any major merchandise releases, though it will have at least one plush thanks to the My Pokemon Collection series by Banpresto.
Though all three are mostly novelty Pokemon for teams, they make up for that with their incredible cuteness. That novelty may also make using one more challenging, which may be exactly what you want.
Tags: Cinccino, Emolga, Generation V, Minccino, Nintendo DS, Pokemon Black & White