When my nephew was eight, he told me Chandelure was his favorite Pokemon, and it made me realize that I’ve finally become out of touch with the youth of today. There are so many incredible Pokemon out there, from fire-breathing dragons to adorable electric rodents, to ancient gods and te🦄rrifying monsters. His first Pokemon game was Sword & Shield, so when I asked him his favorite I was bracing for Corviknight, Zacian, or Sobble, but no. He’s really into the spooky decorative light fixture. When faced with my own personal Principal Skinner moment, I decided that it is indeed the children who are wrong.
Admittedly, I have a bias against object-based Pokemon. This is a controversial topic among TG writers, but I struggle to connect with characters that are just keychains or a bunch of gears. I l𓂃ike cute and cuddly Pokemon that remind me of my cats, and ferocious beasts that look menacing and powerful. The only feeling Vanꦿilluxe gives me is hunger. I don’t think I’ve ever even seen a chandelier in real life, and I don’t think my nephew has either. Why would a little kid pick Chandelure over Arcanine, or Mewtwo, or Rayquaza?
Chandelure was added to Pokemon Unite this week, so out 🐼of resp🍷ect for my nephew (and the fact that he couldn’t shut up about it) I forked over 575 Aeos gems and took the Luring Pokemon for a spin. Pokemon Unite has always done an exceptional job of capturing the personality and playstyle of each Pokemon in their animations and move sets, and Chandelure is no exception. It only took a few rounds for me to come to the conclusion that the kids are right, actually. Chandelure is a top-tier Pokemon after all.
Chandelure is a blast in Pokemon Unite. It’s a ranged attacker that falls into the mage archetype, capable of dishing out sustained long-range damage while staying mobile. Chandelure has great damage potential and decent team utility, but my favorite thing about this Pokemon is the way it moves and attacks. It saunters around the battlefield with a bouncy, flowy attitude, and when it's time to engage, it unleashes hellfire on its enemies with all of its twisty, twirly arms working in unison. I love its Overheat move, which has it lob three giant balls of purple fire one after another that explode on the ground in a large area. The Pokedex says that Chandelure’s flames don’t hurt enemies physically, but instead burn their spirit. How did I never realize how metal this Pokemon was?
Chandelure is dual-type Fire and Ghost, and its Ghost moves in Unite are even cooler. I’m particularly fond of Poltergeist, which creates a phantom room filled with floating furniture that slows and damages enemy Pokemon. It may not be as useful as its other move, Imprison, which freezes enemies in place, but visually it's one of the most creative and interesting moves in the entire game.
I have been a Chandelure denier for far too long, and I’m a big enough man to realize when it's time to right my wrongs, apologize to a sixth grader, and lift up the haunted chandelier to the upper echelon of the Pokemon hierarchy where it rightfully belongs. A spooky lighting fixture that hangs out in haunted mansions and burns the souls of its victims is actually a pretty damn cool pocket monster.