Now that I'm finally back on my old hard drive (at least for now), I'm comfortable enough to wrap up my Battle Strategies for Various Monsters series, about 10 months after I started it. These last two, Worm and Monol, don't seem to have much in common, but there is one shared trait in my experience- their lifespans are much longer than advertised! When I saw DP's lifespan posts, I thought there might have been some flaw in my other Worm experience, but after raising another one (Hare sub-type) out past 8 years, going from 5 to all 15 techs, and having stats to squish Most with (but, admittedly, with both Peaches), I think I might not have been mistaken after all. My last Monol ended up with a 7-year lifespan, all techs (many generations, LOTS of fighting), and some durn good stats (Gali sub-type), the results are also quite impressive, even with the Peaches (if not for the peaches, this would seem impossible). But anyway, as for how ANY Worm or Monol stacks up- read on!

*Worm- Good ol' dependable Worm. My Nightmare (Worm/Monol) in MR1 was a great cash cow, and in MR2 a Worm unlocks Beaclon for me, and another one helps to create a solid base for a line of Monols (see my post "The Hidden Power of Worm"). They have a great lifespan that is very hard to bring down with stress or fatigue (they seem much more resilient in these areas than most other monsters in the game), an easy-to-learn list of moves, and a pretty fair statistical set-up. Good Power, excellent Life, average Skill and Intelligence, below-average Speed, and as for the Defense...well, the same bug that applies to Gaboo and Undine makes a welcome return appearance here (Swim drills give three times the gains as Endurance drills). And while they make great Expedition monsters, they can put up a good fight in the ring, as well. Only three tech chains are required to max out its move list, and for that matter, the chained techs are pretty worthless, so even a Worm with barely any battles under its belt can work at full efficiency (provided you learn all the unchained moves). Of these moves, Wheel Attack, Somersault, Pinch-Throw, Injection, and Tusk Slash are your best bets. Plus, anyone who's ever had Robeneal open a match with a successful Poison Gas spray knows how nasty that attack can be. Strategically, a Worm is natural-born tank. However, it doesn't suffer the same hideously-low Guts Regen and expensive moves as Dragon, Golem, Baku, or Monol, so you can afford to miss a few times and still come out on top. If all else fails, just get in the enemy's face and use a steady stream of Sting and Bite until the time runs out- that Speedster can't dodge forever. Oddly enough, this is exactly the kind of strategy you want an enemy Worm to use on you. The computer-controlled ones (like Robeneal) don't have Somersault or its sequel, so all they can do in short-range is Bite. They don't seem to realize their disadvantage at this position (none of them have too terrifyingly high Power or Skill), and will be happy to chomp at you over and over. Tanks will just laugh off the hits, and even a Speed-oriented monster should be able to take a few Bites before submitting. If you're fighting a human-controlled opponent, however, it's much more likely that they have Somersault, so Speed Demons should back off into far range or beyond where the Worm keeps its more potent but less-accurate moves. Tanks can remain in the same spot before delivering the death blow. Heck, unless you're facing a fellow trainer's Worm, you probably won't even have to bide your time. One or two good hits with your favorite move should probably send you on to the next match without a scratch.

*Monol- Although their reported suckiness is legendary in many circles, a few brave souls have ventured forth to try to discover their hidden power. Lo, and behold the might of Messiah (Monol/Gali). In terms of stat-acquisition, it rivals the greats (Hound Knight, Undine, Phoenix), with an obedient temperment, as well. But woe be those who raise many of its other forms (Naga, Pixie, or pure), for they shall be met with a bratty pain-in-the-@$$. In its pure form, the Monol boasts very high Defense and Intelligence, with good Power, average Skill and Life, and sluggish Speed. Its Guts Regen leaves much be desired, as well, and in order to have a truly butt-kicking wall, one must work through several Tech Chains. Perfectionists be warned, though- there's no point in getting all of a Monol's moves other than to just look at them. While Double Ray and Two Knocks are certainly worthwhile (Two Knocks is one of the Instant Death attacks like Fire Wave or Water Cannon), Triple Ray and Three Knocks are not really much of an improvement. The full Beam series is a good investment, but you can forget the Flattening line- they're just too overpriced to be worthwhile. Power-based Monols should definately pick up all the Heavy techs, though, and a high-Power, high-Skill, evil wall can wreck havoc with Tentacles (this attack screwed me up SO many times in MR1). Heck, pretty much every non-chained attack makes for a good find here, and if you collect 'em all, your opponents will have no safespots to hide in. The trick is going to be executing those attacks. With a Guts Regen as slow as a Dragon's, Monols share the same need to work on their mediocre Skill ratings to stand a chance. Two Knocks and Double Beams can earn you several instant victories, but if you miss you can be in big trouble. A smart opponent (or a Mocchi) will never let your Guts recover by hitting you with a string of minor withering moves,. And while the Monol does have great Defense, its Life rating is nowhere near as high as other Tanks, so it can't just shrug off attacks forever. Obviously, this is all thinly-veiled advice on how to beat down the wall monsters- they have lots of great moves, but if you never let them USE those moves (either by an Antagonizer strategy or good ol' rock'em sock'em aggression), they won't mean anything.

*Takes a bow* Thanks to everyone for all the outpouring of support I've gotten as I pieced together these strategies! If anyone ever has any questions (or requests for more clarification, or more probing looks at the first batch of monsters I reviewed) just drop me a line, and I'll be glad to ablige. *Whistle* Now maybe I can raise critters at my own pace once again!