Pokémon is a wonderful and mythical world of fantastical creatures that has survived for a quarter century in the form of anime, playing cards, collectible toys, and of course, a role-playing video game. Longtime fans can name a large percentage of the 896 creatures that either have been released or announced for release with the next round of DLC for Sword and Shield. Some people’s knowledge of Pokémon begins and ends with Pikachu. There is nothing at all wrong with that kind of casual fandom, but I feel like I must do a service and at least let you know about the other wonderful creatures you can raise in the universe where these monsters do battle, play, work, and keep people company. It’s time to play WHO’S THAT POKÉMON???!?!?
MIMIKYU (No. 778)
Evolution Line – NONE
Type – Ghost/Fairy
Introduced In…Pokémon Sun and Moon
Mimikyu has no other line. They are a mysterious creature that you encounter first in the sunny Alola region. However, they don’t like to hang out on the sun-soaked beaches or among the peaceful palms. Mimikyu is first encountered in an abandoned PokéMart on the third island of four in the game. You have to get a ways into Sun and Moon in order to meet them for the first time.
Aesthetics and Biology – Mimikyu is known as the Disguise Pokémon for good reason. No one knows what they look like. They’re always out in shabby cover dressed as the franchise’s mascot, Pikachu. It’s not out of admiration either. That’s right, Mimikyu is a HATER.
At least they’re a hater according to the anime, where in Alola, Mimikyu is a frequent companion of Team Rocket. More recent entries in the PokéDex suggest the haggard mimicry is an attempt to look less scary. See, no one has ever seen Mimikyu under their disguise and lived to tell about. Several Dex entries across both Sun, Moon, Sword, and Shield suggest that humans who gaze upon their true form die painfully. If you think that’s hardcore, you should see some of the Gengar line’s Dex entries. Ghost-type Pokémon do NOT mess around.
Their form is petite, much like Pikachu and their many cute counterparts created in an attempt to catch lightning in a bottle twice. While Marrill, Pachirisu, Emolga, Dedenne, Togedemaru, and Morpeko all have tried to be Pikachu II in the cuteness department, Mimikyu is the first as an inversion on the inherent cloying nature of the ol’ mascot. In other words, Mimikyu is Pikachu for goth kids. I’m sure all the dark and brooding young’uns who played the original games years ago both appreciate the gesture and curse that it came so late.
In the Games – Mimikyu is a shy Pokémon. They’re not abundant like Pidgey, nor do they have a regular patrol like the Gallade strutting around like he owns that little island in the crook between the two bridges in the Wild Area in Sword and Shield. You really need to search one out to get a chance to catch one. In Alola, they haunt, literally, the busted old store, but good luck sniffing one out with all the assertive Gastly and Haunter flying around. Don’t get me wrong; Gengar is one of my favorite Pokémon ever. There’s no finesse in trying to catch a Gastly though since where they live, they’re EVERYWHERE. In Galar, you have to wait until the fog rolls in in specific subsections of The Wild Area. You’d think that a region based on England would have a lot of fog, but it is among the rarest weather conditions. Mimikyu really doesn’t want you to find them.
However, when you do find a Mimikyu, you are rewarded with one of the most intriguing type combinations in the game. For starters, Ghost/Fairy gives you three immunities right off the bat. Given that Fighting and Dragon are two types favored by strong trainers in the games, you’d do a lot worse than spend the effort rolling around spooky, abandoned stores or foggy lowlands. The Ability, Disguise, is a nice bonus as well, as it virtually gives you one free hit before you start taking damage for real. That being said, for seasoned players, it shouldn’t come down to even activating that ability in battles. That’s more for…
The Nerd Section – Mimikyu won’t knock your socks off as an attacker or a wall, but they’ve got enough tricks up their sleeve to serve you well as a gimmick attacker. Fairy and Ghost both have useful same-type attack bonuses (STAB), which means you can run a set consisting only of those moves and perhaps get by. The standard set, given by Pokémon metagame/battling strategy site Smogon, is as such:
Standard Set – Swords Dance and STAB
Jolly or Adamant Nature (Speed or Attack ↑, Special Attack↓)
Ability – Disguise (Mimikyu has no other Ability, hidden or otherwise)
EVs – 252 Attack/4 Defense/252 Speed
Hold Item – Life Orb
- Shadow Claw
- Shadow Sneak
- Play Rough
- Swords Dance
The above holds a rough template for any attacker in the metagame worth their salt. The double Ghost STAB combines power and precision. Shadow Claw is the big attacking option, while Shadow Sneak picks off weakened enemies with priority before they can do anything in desperation. Play Rough hits hard from the Fairy side, giving the Hater Ghost a two-pronged assault that will make a huge chunk of Pokémon regret switching in on it, as long as they’re not Steel types with high defense. A Swords Dance or two plus the boost from the Life Orb, an item that boosts attack power at the cost of a few hit points per turn, might even take a dent out of someone like Skarmory or Bronzong if the stars are aligned correctly. However, the Life Orb really feels ill-fitting with the other tools available. Here’s my refined Mimikyu set:
My Set – Hater’s Ball
Adamant Nature (Attack ↑, Special Attack↓)
Ability – Disguise
EVs – 4 HP/252 Attack/252 Speed
Hold Item – Weakness Policy
- Shadow Sneak
- Play Rough
- Drain Punch
- Swords Dance/Shadow Claw
Mimikyu’s Ability allows them to take an attack and not take any damage if it’s Sun/Moon and only take minuscule damage in Sword/Shield. Basically, you can switch Rachet Ghost Pikachu into battle, take a free super effective hit, and boom, the Weakness Policy activates giving you a free Swords Dance boost. It’s for that reason why that set doesn’t necessarily need Swords Dance and can run with the double Ghost STAB like the normal set. Otherwise, I prefer running with Ghost priority only while supplementing with Drain Punch. Mimikyu is surprisingly stout on the Special Defensive side. It’s not going to be able to take a super-effective Flash Cannon or Shadow Ball from a psyched out Aegislash or Gengar after Disguise has been activated, but it’s also not getting one-shotted from a random Flamethrower here or there. Drain Punch gives it access to some recovery, and it also gives Mimikyu the ability to surprise some Steel types who might be able to wall it otherwise.
Finale – Mimikyu is perhaps the best addition from Generation 7 in an otherwise strong cadre of new ‘mons from the Alola region. Maybe they’re not the best in metagame battling (although I love using them), but their utility and edginess combines to make one heck of a cool Pokémon, worth of becoming a staple whose popularity keeps it in the ‘Dex in every generation to come.