. . .let’s give it up for the water type gym leader of Seigaiha City, Marlon! This is by far my most favorite final gym in all of the Pokémon series. Why? Well, Seigaiha uses one of my favorite types; water. Water is an amazing type for both offense and defense. It comes with only two weakness (albeit common ones), and it’s useful Pokémon are plentiful. A water type is a great asset for any team!

Marlon also has one of the most aesthetically pleasing gyms in the series. The set up is much like a lake or a pond. You must traverse through a simple maze using lily pads to guide your path. The maze is riddled with trainers who use a wide variety of water types, so make sure to come with a decent stock of healing items. I won’t go into much with the preparation of teammates, since this is the end of the game and you have access to plenty of grass and electric types. My favorites, though, are Serperior, Ampharos and Eelektross.

Marlon is a rather interesting looking gym leader. He has a. . .how should I put it. . .well, an odd tan. Yeah, if you take a look at his character art, his midriff and feet are all fairly pale. His upper body is a hue of dark brown. I guess we can expect that with him being a water type gym leader at all. Other than that, though, his design emphasizes the rule “less is more” (no pun intended). There’s nothing complicated about his design; no flashy garments and no stand out-ish style. His look is pretty simple. I personally find it more endearing!

Alright, now that we’re done with the design, let’s get on with the actual fighting! Marlon uses an interesting combination of water types. He has two level 49′s; Carracosta and Wailord. His final teammate is a level 51 Jellicent. I personally think they could have done a better choice with his lineup (Wailord? Really?).  It would have been cool to see something like Cloyster, Lapras or Politoed instead of Wailord. I just wish the giant blue whale was just better. I’ll get to that in a bit. First, let’s discuss Carracosta!

I love all of the fossil Pokémon, and Carracosta is no exception. This interesting water/rock type comes with a mostly offensive build and move pool. It sports a fantastic base 108/133 attack and defense while also coming with a decent 83 special attack. The rest of its stats are mediocre at best, especially when compared to its blaring base 32 and 65 speed/special defense. Marlon’s Carracosta comes with the moves  Scald, Smack Down, Crunch and Shell Smash. Scald is a great water type move that can inflict the annoying burn status. Smack Down and Crunch are all decent in their own right. Then there’s the amazing Shell Smash, easily one of the most, if not THE most, powerful set up moves in the game. This attack raises the users’ special attack, attack, and speed by two stages while lowering its physical and special defense. This can make any Pokémon an instant powerhouse. Thankfully, Carracosta has a pitiful base 35 speed, so with the proper electric or grass type you’ll probably still be able to outspeed it, even with a +2 boost to its agility. Take advantage of its special defense to win the battle!

Next up you’ll face his level 49 Wailord, the pure water type Pokémon! Wailor is a lot of wasted potential. It has an enormous HP pool, capping at a whopping 170. It’s attack stats both reach 90, which isn’t bad. It’s defense and speed, though, are dead awful. Marlon’s Wailord comes with Scald, Rollout, Bounce and Amnesia. Nothing comes to mind as a threat with the exception of Scald. It’ll probably get knocked out with two super effective attacks (thanks to its mighty HP pool). Nothing to see here, folks!

Lastly you’ll face his level 51 Jellicent, the water/ghost type Pokémon! I was in love with Jellicent the first moment I laid eyes on it. It has an interesting typing and has a savvy look. Not only that, but it proves to be quite useful in the battlefield! Its stats give It decent versatility; it comes with 100/105 HP/special defense and a respectable 85 special attack. It has just enough bulk and prowess to fill a tank or offensive role. Its movepool is just as good, sporting moves like Will-O-Wisp, Surf, Scald, Pain Split, Recover, Shadow Ball and Water Spout. Marlon’s Jellicent has the moves Scald, Ominous Wind, Brine and Recover. Unfortunately, his jellyfish Pokémon doesn’t live up to the expectations of other Jellicent that are far more useful. Scald and Recover are great attacks, but that’s all Marlon has got going for him. It shouldn’t be too much trouble taking it out with a super effective electric attack or grass attack!

Challenge Mode brings added levels to Marlon’s team, altered moves and an extra teammate. His new party member is a Mantine, the water/flying manta ray. Yet another disappointing choice for his team. I think something like a Lanturn would have done just fine! Well, at least Mantine is ridiculously easy to kill. It’s built as a special tank with a huge 140 special defense stat and a semi decent 80 special attack power. However, it’s cursed with the water/flying dual typing, making it extremely vulnerable to electric types. It comes with the moves Scald, Air Slash, Ice Beam and Confuse Ray. Its moves aren’t bad, but regardless, 1HKO it with an electric attack!

Marlon’s team comes with some serious move changes. First off, his Wailord now uses Rain Dance, Ice Beam and Earthquake with Scald. Rain Dance can boost the power of water type moves, so make sure to take Wailord out before it uses it! His Carracosta comes with the useful Rock Slide instead of Smackdown, making it a bit more dangerous. Thank goodness it doesn’t have Aqua Jet! The Shell Smash and Aqua Jet combo is pretty nasty with its high attack power. Lastly, Marlon’s Jellicent uses Shadow Ball and Energy Ball instead of Ominous Wind and Brine. Both attacks are far more useful than its predecessors, so be cautious when you contend against them.