Okee dokee, since I get the first new poll in this li'l spot, here 'tis.

Favorite monster(s). Now, I don't want to know about ANYBODY'S uber-powerful all 999 Joker/Durahan/Beaclon tri-crossbreed with 400 techs and super-death-ray with a prize at the bottom of the box. I want to know for STYLE PURPOSES ONLY.

This means, based on looks, the appearance of the moves themselves, the overall coolness of the monster, the bitter or comical ironies involved with certain things certain monsters did, and overall flavor text. Idon't wanna hear about how badly the M4 was smashed. I want to know, just for appearance and style points, peoples' favorites.

Here's mine so far:

1. Durahan/Dragon: I named (or rather, will name when I actually train him) Ariakus. Anyone read DragonLance? They'll recognize the name. Plus, the moves that Durahan has are a joy to watch, and the way the Vesuvius (or Dragon Highlord, as I call him) looks is pretty butch. Narrowly wins out the No. 1 spot from the Hound Knight and the Death Dragon in terms of pure appearance in my opinion.

2. Golem/Dragon: Named it Krag. Okay, there's obviously nothing truly special here, but I, quite frankly, about fell over and died when my evil demonic golem from hell gave Colt a flower. Shows that even demons only need a little lovin'. : ) I also liked how this evil-looking
thing happened to come of a Christian music group's Christmas CD, again, comical irony.

3. Jell/Golem: Named this one Jiggler. Now, after training this guy, I learned something. I like jells. They rank as one of (if not the) highest pure-style-point monster out there. I love the way the little glob communicates. That and his attacks, though not all of them are always effective, are all good for a laugh, and can put the fear of God in an opponent even when the attack is positively weak!

4. Arrowhead/Arrowhead: This one's actually my roommate's, called Forti. I thought the arrowheads were actually cool looking and even cute. That was before I saw their happy/sad animations. Watching that guy do the hulk hogan flex cracked me up, and to date the tantrum
that an Arrowhead throws when it doesn't like the drill its about to have to do is absolutely hysterical.

5. Kato/???: I got a Ninja Kato from Tenchu and named it Huanchi. I couldn't NOT have this guy. There's just a sick sad thing inside that makes me smile when I see what appears to be a Ninja Beaver (and I'm an Oregon State fan, so it was even funnier) walking around, scratching
himself, hocking loogies, chugging oil, blowing smoke rings, and generally being a fat furry pig. I LOVED IT!!! The best thing, however, was on his first birthday when Huanchi didn't like Colt's song and subsequently spat at her. That had me rolling!

6. Mew/Tiger: Okay, this one is obvious. I like cats. Period. The mewing is damn cute, and I about laughed my head off when he started flying around my ranch... we wondered if you held his feet still if his head would spin instead, a la the Exorcist. Meow! Meow!

Yeah yeah, I like Phoenixes, I like Pixies... but these are my favorite forays overall. What's some other opinions?

PezCat the Birthday Kitty

Gotta love Kung Fu Hare (Hare/???)

Henger(funny when they die ) be seein' ya

I think one of the most unique looking monsters in the game is the baku/dragon. It is sooo big and bright red, I thought it was kindof scary the first time I saw it. I have never raised it so don't know how it does in that.
I think your assesment of the ninja kato is pretty funny. Being from Oregon myself, (Go Beavers!) I understand where you are coming from.

PezKitty turned 22 last friday. : )

As for the Ninja Kato, my only regret is that I didn't know how to properly raise monsters (the Kato was my 3rd monster ever, and all of us here were trying to figure out how to raise the little nips... he was the first A-classer in our crew). I plan to raise another Kato, Mew, Hare and Mocchi eventually (since I have a better idea now how to do it). But, back to work now... : ( That and the Spring Game on Saturday... : )

PezCat the Beaver/Kato Fan (PezKato...?)

I've ALWAYS loved the Kato. The bad-@$$ moves like chugging gasoline/beer/Nuts Oil (that's how my understanding of the attack progressed) and using it to breath out fire, or blowing smoke in the enemies face, combined with those awesome ninja claw techniques like Turn Claws, Aerial Claw, and Twister Claw just adds up to make this thing rule. And yes, I've had a Ninja Kato, too, and I named it Sasuke (anyone who knows Japanese history will either appreciate or despise its application here).

I also think Wrackies rule for how much they can freak people out (especially Satan Clause). The Head Spike attack is creativity at its best, Explosion rocks, and Sneak Attack is positively horror movie-esque.

Color Pandoras are also pretty interesting with all their team-up attacks like Delta Attack or Triple Shot, and the Antares rules all other Centaurs because that alien whinnying sound matches it perfectly (and it makes everyone's skin crawl the first few times they hear it).

Oh yeah, and I have to agree about Jells. The first time I saw Jell Copter my mouth was hanging open for several seconds.

And finally, on a side note, I have to say that the worst monster is Gaboos. With my problems about how they always screw me up (along with most of the people on the board) aside, I still hate how they have high Speed and low Defense. It just doesn't make sense. Not at all. Thank you.

Favorite? I think hoppers rate right up there. Mainly because people hate them do much, whereas I _adore_ the little dudes. They're type-A personality monsters. Anything that can look that cute and excited about having a big ROCK come rolling down on their head (and subsequently wanting to do it again after failing!)... I was splitting my sides laughing. And something about the poking their head up out of the ground after digging around is too cute to be believed. Cute in the good way. Not the Pikachu (sorry all you Pokemon fans out there) way. Besides, anything that can be that blase' about things (*shrug* oops. I guess I messed up!) has _got_ to be cool.

I agree with you, Kurasu! I treat all of my monsters equally, as a good gamer should, but I DO have a COUPLE of favorites.

1.) Garuda - The soul of a Phoenix, the purpose of a warrior. What can I say. I LOVE these knights! They are a little spoiled at first, but possess some of the best traits from both Phoenix and Durahan. Of course, I'm not even mentioning the numerous innovative ways to K.O. an opponent with a sword!

2.) Mint - I mean, COME ON PEOPLE! We all know that everyone has a favorite Pixie species to raise! This is mine. It is very calm and docile (rare for a Pixie), one of the best speed demons out there, and her Lightning/Bolt/Giga Ray techs...*AHEM* ROCK! First time I've used that word. I guess that means I'm loosening up?...NAH! Reluctantly, I admit the cute tail, okay?!? What can I say, I like foxes, and Mint has a blue fox-like tail.

3.) Hopper - Kurasu is right! Hopper is one of those misunderstood breeds. They are fair tempered, nothing phases them, they can attack almost non-stop using moves like "Jab" and "Flick," but have withering power with "Flame" and "Lightning." Also, have you ever fought a Hopper with high speed? You can BARELY touch the thing with a 999 skill! Hopper's one and true downfall is that they are mainly offensive monsters, which they aren't the best at. A Hopper with maxed power and skill will always do at LEAST 120 pts. of damage with 99% chance to hit using "Jab." They have little defense gains, and training Lif. for them is UNHEARD OF! They are very loyal, but don't live long. Still, I llike the Hopper because it is one of the most couragous, loyal, friendly monsters in the game. The deformed Kangaroo has heart, and I respect it for that!

I'm not gonna list a page long reson why I lik them, but here they are:

1)Selketo- Looks cool and evil with something about him sayin he'll kick your butt and then hand it to ya on a silver platter. I spent 2 months lookin' for an arrowhead type that actually looks cool and he answered my prayers
2)Joker- Has a cool axe and can crack a smile as he's gettin' his butt handed to him, plus his death cutter looks cool

1.Hound Knight- awesome looking armor and cool sword moves to boot

2.Skipper- too cool and stretchy arms (rapid flick)

3.Phoenix- what can I say. it's a burning chicken that can make tidal waves of magma
be seein' ya