Pokémon evolutions: a guide for the crossword
Half of PokèVerba’s clues talk about evolutions: “evolves from”, “evolves into”, “the final form of its line”. Understanding how evolutions work lets you solve many words at the first attempt. Here are the basics, and how to read them in the clues.
What an evolution line is
A line is a Pokémon’s family: the basic form and every form it can become. Bulbasaur, Ivysaur and Venusaur are a three-stage line. Some lines have a single stage (Tauros doesn’t evolve), others split into several branches.
In the clues the stage always takes the same form:
- “it is a basic form”: the first stage, the one that then evolves (Bulbasaur);
- “it is the 1st evolution of its line”: the second stage of a line that goes on (Ivysaur);
- “it is the 1st evolution and the final form of its line”: the second stage of a two-stage line (Arcanine, which comes from Growlithe);
- “it is the 2nd evolution and the final form of its line”: the third stage (Venusaur);
- “it does not evolve”: a line of a single Pokémon (Tauros).
Ways to evolve
The most common is level: the Pokémon grows by battling and at some point changes form, like Charmander becoming Charmeleon. Then there are evolution stones: with a Fire Stone Vulpix becomes Ninetales, with a Moon Stone Clefairy becomes Clefable, with a Thunder Stone Pikachu becomes Raichu.
Some Pokémon evolve when traded between two players (Kadabra, Machoke, Haunter), others through friendship with their trainer, like Pichu becoming Pikachu. For the crossword the method matters little: what matters is knowing who comes before and who comes after.
Lines with many branches
Some Pokémon have several possible evolutions. The most famous case is Eevee, which has eight, one per type, from Vaporeon to Sylveon. When a clue says “has 8 different evolutions”, the answer is almost certainly Eevee. Other classic branches: Gloom, which becomes Vileplume or Bellossom, and Poliwhirl, which becomes Poliwrath or Politoed.
Pre-evolutions that came later
With later generations some famous Pokémon received a smaller form: Pichu before Pikachu, Cleffa before Clefairy, Munchlax before Snorlax. So a Kanto Pokémon can “evolve from” one from Johto or Sinnoh: don’t be fooled by the region of the name you know.
How many stages a line has
Most lines have two or three stages. Starter lines always have three, and that’s a huge help: if the clue says “the 2nd evolution and the final form” and mentions a Grass, Fire or Water type, think straight away of that region’s fully evolved starters, from Venusaur to Inteleon.
Three-stage lines are also where the clues fit together best: the basic form, the middle evolution and the final form almost always have similar names (Charmander, Charmeleon, Charizard). If you’ve already written one of the three in the grid, the other two often start with the same letters.
Regional forms
Some Pokémon have a different version in another region, with different types: Alolan Vulpix is Ice type, Galarian Meowth is Steel type. In the crossword we use the data of the original form, the one from the region where the Pokémon was born: if a type looks odd for a name you know, check you’re not thinking of the regional form.
How to read the clue
If the clue names a relative (“evolves into Melmetal”, “evolves from Haunter”), that name is the key: think of who comes right before or right after in the line, not two stages further. If it only tells you the stage, match it with the type and the region: a Fire type “final form” from Kanto leaves very few choices.
Put it into practice in today’s crossword, or go over the five strategies to complete it.