With Cranidos in 10K eggs, I'm just wondering if there's good reason to hold off on evolving high IV Cranidos. Is there a move they could introduce to improve upon Ramparados?
Doubt it, since he's not a 3 stage evolution. Pikachu was an exception as the face of the franchise. Eevee for the let's go games. Cranidos has no such reason to get one .
Even if he does, at 50 candy per evolve instead of 125, you'll do fine just evolving on CD. No reason not to evolve now / as soon as a rock attacker becomes useful in raids again.
We are two. I also don't think he will get a CD, he already has the best rock moveset and is highly unlikely that he might receive a good move now.
But he can be a good investiment now even without SE damage, since Rampardos is on Rayquaza-tier for neutral DPS and is not as glassy as Gengar. There are better options, of course, but since Rampardos is a non-legendary and has the best moveset of its type (rock) not limited for CD, I don't think we can overlook him as a good investiment.
On one hand, maybe. Head Smash wasn't a signature move, but you pretty much never had a Rampardos in the handheld games without it. As a 4th gen pokemon, if Cranidos does get a CD, it'll be way down the road.
However, Rampardos' rock-type move set is pretty much the best you can ask for at this time. Personally, I think the niche Rampardos already fills is too good to pass up on in light of a potential CD. On the flip side, if you have a number of CD Tyranitar, there's no immediate need to evolve.
I think part of Papa's point, that he didn't spell out, is that if Cranidos gets a CD, it will be so far down the road that between now and then, you'll likely get another really good one you can save for the CD. That in addition to the opportunity cost of sitting on a good one now instead of using it to wreak havoc on stuff weak to rock.
I dont think so, all CD pokemon aside from eevee (which most agree was just there for lets go eevee cross promo) were 3stage lines and cranidos is a two stage line.
I could see it getting an evolution event like what shroomish got. I wouldn't recommend evolving one right now if you dont need it, its DPS is good, but its not super effective agaisnt palkia with its STAB set, (it has outrage, but theres a lot better options as its not STAB and its a glass cannon) but I dont know how relevant rock its for your gym scene
Thank you for mentioning Breloom. I laugh every time a "Potential Community Day" question comes up in the forum and everyone dismisses the chances a certain Pokémon will be given a CD, yet totally forgets that Niantic has set precedents for Pokémon getting exclusive moves through raid days (see Gengar, the legendary birds, and probably all future legendaries) and as perks for a holiday/season/random-themed event (see Breloom, as mentioned).
It wish it wasn't the case, but the truth is that any Pokémon could be given an exclusive move. It's up to the individual player to judge how much they want to let that fact affect their gameplay.
I don't think we're going to get a Cranidos Community Day... but I think that Niantic is going to shake things up for Community Days in the future.
Arguments about "Best Moveset!" are no longer quite as valid as they were, now that you get Stat Boosts in PvP. "Ancient Power", without the Stat Boost, is an abysmally crappy ability in Pokémon Go, even for Pokémon who benefit from STAB. But you put in the Stat Boost, and it's suddenly an awesome ability that deserves a Community Day.
So what moves can Rampardos learn that give it Stat Boosts in the other games and which it can't learn in Pokémon Go right now? Or that aren't yet in Pokémon Go, or which are currently in Pokémon Go but do not yet give Stat Boosts? (Or something like Dig, which in Let's Go seems to give the Pokémon 1 full dodge (turn 1, goes underground - can't be attacked that I've seen), before attacking on Turn 2. Maybe there can be a Charged Attack like that which gives an "Auto-Shield"? Or other ones in Let's Go where there's a rampage for 2 attacks then confusion after? I could see that brought in with the idea that the Pokémon gets a Stat Boost for X seconds, then can't use something after for the rest of the battle.) Etc.
If there are, then Cranidos is a viable candidate for a Community Day. But right now, all of our understanding of why a Pokémon gets a Community Day are being re-written.
A community day is unlikely. It could receive an exclusive move otherwise similar to Breloom receiving Grass Knot as explained previously.
Of the moves that exist in Go currently, it already has the single best rock type moveset it could have asked for. Maybe Ancient Power to help it in PvP thanks to the inclusion of stat boosts, but being as offensively oriented as it is I don't see it surviving long either way. While not exclusive to Rampardos, it is the poster child for the move Head Smash, a powerful rock type attack in the main series.
All in all I wouldn't worry about it.
