After school, my friends and I would take our Pokémon
binders up to my treehouse and marvel at our collection. Mainly buying packs to
look at the pretty pictures, we hadn’t the faintest idea how to actually play
the Pokémon Trading Card game. Usually we’d put down cards and yell out attacks
without any regard to energy costs, evolutions, or prize cards. For years, I’d
continue to buy packs just to look at the pretty pictures until Pokémon
released TCG Online back in the Black and White era. Realizing how much fun the
actual game was, I quickly gathered my stockpile of old cards to build decks.
Needless to say, there aren’t many players that stick to the old base set. The
best place to get my old-school fix was with the Gameboy Pokémon TCG game, but
was more elusive than Mew thanks to its rarity and unusually high price. That
is, until now thanks to its release on the 3DS Virtual Console this past week.
Pikachu, the Science Pokémon.
The story of the Pokémon TCG game is pretty simple. You’re a
card player sent on a journey to collect the 8 medals from club leaders to
challenge the 4 grandmasters and eventually defeat your rival to inherit the
legendary cards and become the champion. Wait…isn’t this basically the same
story as Red and Blue? At least there’s no evil team trying to steal people’s
cards, but Imakuni’s creepy enough to be considered evil in my opinion. And
what the heck is up with the Science Club? Every other club is based on a
Pokémon type, but I can’t wrap my head around why they would have a
science-themed club. Don’t tell me they plan to release a new Science-Type
Pokémon.
Navigating the menus takes some getting used to.
The Pokémon TCG game serves as a decent intro for the card
game. At the beginning, Sam the lab assistant plays a practice duel with you.
The practice duel goes through the basic steps of how to win, but since I
played the card game before I just breezed through it. One thing I noticed was
that the tutorial wasn’t as thorough as I’d expect. For instance, the practice
duel doesn’t go into details about special conditions like paralysis and
poison. There are some guides outside the practice duel that you can read
in-game, but who wants to do that! The practice duel is mainly handy to
familiarize yourself with the interface. The Gameboy can’t fit the entire play
area onscreen, so it’s somewhat harrowing to navigate through menus without
some practice.
Like my adventure in Pokémon Red, I started my journey by
picking Bulbasaur…or in this case the Bulbasaur and Friends deck. Fun fact,
this deck contained Venusaur, my all-time favorite card. I mentioned it on a
past post but I have a Base Set Venusaur in real life that I got from the same friend I use to have treehouse battles with. Originally, the idea was to get
Venusaur out as quickly as possible and abuse Energy Trans to switch Grass
energies around. Unfortunately, evolution wasn’t the solution as setting up
took way too much time. I’d find myself on the receiving end of Blastoise’s
Rain Dance infused shenanigans before I could even evolve to Ivysaur. I’d have
to adopt a new deck, and that meant abandoning Venusaur.
It's not me, it's you. Sorry buddy.
You can't escape my Special Punch!
A while back, I remember reading about a “Haymaker” deck and
thought about building one for myself. Basically, Haymaker decks consist of big
basic Pokémon like Scyther, Electabuzz and Hitmonchan. While it might seem like
an odd combination with no real type synergy, a Haymaker deck is quite
devastating thanks to its quick setup time. Pokémon in a Haymaker deck feature
strong attacks with very little energy cost, so Hitmonchan can start hitting
right off the bat for 20 damage. While that might not sound as impressive as
Charizard’s Fire Spin for 100, keep in mind it takes a minimum of 2 turns if
you got all the right cards in hand. By the time your first Charizard is ready
to go, Hitmonchan knocked out 3 other Pokémon and you now trail significantly
behind in the prize card count. Because of their aggressive playstyle, Haymaker
decks pretty much shut down
every other strategy. The early metagame of the TCG was dominated by big
basics, which is kind of a reflection of today’s metagame with cards like
Mewtwo-EX. While there are better cards and new rules to help counter big basics, the early
metagame certainly wasn’t balanced. Pretty much every Pokémon was Hitmonchan’s
punching bag. And to think, back in the day I had every card needed to make a
formidable Haymaker deck in real life!
You're lucky you have a good theme, jerk!
After cutting the competition with Scyther, clobbering my
way to the top with Hitmonchan, and (insert dumb electric pun) with Electabuzz,
I managed to beat the 4 Grandmasters when SURPRISE SURPRISE, my rival Ronald
already beat them and I have to defeat him to inherit the legendary cards. I used to think Gary was a jerk, but this guy takes it to a whole new level. Seriously
dude we’re playing a children’s card game, no need for the smack talk. I kicked
his sorry butt anyways thanks in part to his wide array of Normal-Types that
are extremely weak to Hitmonchan. After about 10 hours of my weekend, I claim
the overhyped legendary cards for myself and my journey is over.
Looking back, Pokémon TCG felt a little too easy. Granted, a
Haymaker deck really is overpowered, but I just didn’t feel satisfied with my
victory. With Virtual Console titles on the 3DS, a lack of multiplayer features means you’re stuck challenging the
same computers so there’s not much variety in battles. Still, it was a joy to visit this blast from the past. I gained an appreciation for the fun, albeit broken, origin of the Pokémon TCG.
Namco and Pokémon officially announced their marriage of
fighting games and Pokémon, two of my favorite things in video games, and I
couldn’t be more excited! Pokkén Tournament, a mix of Tekken gameplay with
Pokémon, is planned for an arcade release for Japan in 2015. There’s no
confirmation of a console release yet, but judging by Namco’s history of
releasing fighters like Tekken on arcades first, it’s safe to assume a console
release is inevitable. Worried that Pokkén Tournament will remain a
Japan-exclusive? Pokémon Conquest was a cross-over between Pokémon and Nobunaga’s
Ambitions, which is a rarely known series outside of Japan. If that got an
international release, I’m sure Pokkén Tournament will.
The first trailer
show Lucario and Machamp duking it out in the countryside. A flurry of punches
an Aura Spheres are thrown in this otherwise peaceful backdrop. While Pokkén
Tournament’s fighting style is similar to Tekken, there also seems to be a hint
of Dragon Ball Z fighting games like Raging Blast. In one scene, Lucario’s back
is completely turned to the camera as he wales on Machamp. While characters in
Tekken can circle around an opponent, their back never turns completely against
the camera. Taking cues from DBZ fighting games might be a good way to balance
the projectile-based attacks used in Pokémon.
Side-by-side comparison of Pokkén Tournament and DBZ Raging Blast
Ready to bust a move! Credit to Zweilous on Tumblr
Character selection make or break a fighting game, which
Namco in the past has handled well. We already know that Lucario, Machamp, and
Blaziken (teased at the Pokémon Game Show in 2013) are confirmed, so there’s definitely
an emphasis on Fighting-type Pokémon. With that in mind, Hitmontop and
Heracross would be my top choices for contenders. Yes, I’ll admit my choice is
biased due to being my favorite Fighting-types, but they would bring welcome
diversity. Hitmontop just screams Eddy Gordo! Heracross could play a mixed set, utilizing
physical contact moves like Close Combat in his normal form, and then Mega
Evolve to use more projectile attacks like Pin Missile.
If he can fight in Smash Bros, he can fight here
Hopefully, Pokkén Tournament will expand its roster to
include more than Fighting-type Pokémon. It’d be a shame to miss out on
powerhouses like Charizard and Tyranitar. It wouldn’t even take much to imagine
their moveset. They got claws, they got a big tail, Charizard can fly and
breathe fire, Tyranitar can throw rocks and cause earthquakes, they got all
they need to be perfect fighters. Other hopefuls for me include Greninja,
Mewtwo, and Shiftry.
*UPDATE: Pokkén Tournament producer Katsuhiro Harada
confirmed via Twitter that other types besides Fighting will be
represented. There's hope for Charizard!
Tekken does a great job of including joke characters like
Kuma and Roger Jr. and still making them play well. At first, I couldn’t think
of a Pokémon that would work well in this game while being somewhat of a joke.
Then it hit me, like a stick to the head.
Farfetch'd!
It’s not a farfetched concept to imagine. Farfetch’d could
use his stick to attack, kick up dirt with Sand-Attack, and peck things with
his bill. The hype would be unreal if Farfetch’d won EVO! While the final
decision of characters is up to Pokémon and Namco, a man can dream. But Farfetch’d
would be pretty sweet.
While there isn’t much information, I’d expect in the coming
months to hear more about Pokkén Tournament and what the King of the Pokémon
Fist Tournament will bring. I’m excited about the first Pokémon fighting game,
and know it’ll do well in Namco’s hands.
Pokémon Worlds. In a sense, it’s like challenging the Elite
Four and Champion at the Pokémon League. The countless hours training are put
to the test fighting against the best of the best. There’s no turning back, you
can only hope for the best with the team you brought and just keep moving
forward. While I didn’t attend this year’s competition, I enjoyed watching the
stream and seeing how much the community has evolved since my last foray in
2011. Pokémon Worlds offers the highest level of play, so how does one prepare
for the biggest battles and become a Pokémon Master in real life?
The coveted Worlds trophy. They even give you a card!
Know the game. This goes beyond knowing what moves are super
effective. It’s about knowing the trends of the metagame and what to expect
before the first Pokéball is sent out. Looking at player statistics from Pokémon's Global Link, Charizard
ranks as one of the top used Pokémon in doubles. Thanks to its useful Mega Evolutions, Charizard is a force to reckon with. When building
your team, ask yourself “what do I have to take down this threat?” If you don’t
have a good answer, go back to the drawing board. It’s impossible to deal with
every threat, but be prepared for the common ones like Charizard, Kangaskhan, and
Garchomp. Plan on using a Charizard of your own? Know ways people tend to
counter it and address those issues. Maybe have a Wide Guard user to stop Rock Slide, speed control like Icy Wind or Tailwind so Charizard
outspeeds opponents, Pokémon like Marowak who can switch in and redirect Electric moves that threaten Charizard, things like that.
Do you have a plan in case of Charizard?
Once you know the metagame; take past assumptions and
turning them upside their head. A great example of this is Germany’s Markus Lie
and his Machamp. When one sees a Machamp in Team Preview, they’ll most likely
come to the conclusion that:
·Machamp will abuse No Guard and Dynamicpunch to
spread confusion with a strong move
·Machamp will support his teammates with Quick
Guard and/or Wide Guard
·Machamp will be slow yet bulky and physically
strong
Markus’ Machamp went against convention to emphasize speed
over power and support. By holding a Choice Scarf, Machamp was able to outspeed
threats like Charizard before they could hit first. Many Charizard players,
including myself, are familiar with Wide Guard stopping Heat Wave. One way to
stop this is to single-target Machamp, letting it waste its turn with Wide
Guard while I knock it out. With Machamp out of the way, I can continue to spam
Heat Wave for game. So you happily hit the Air Slash or Overheat button only to
have Machamp knock you out before you can move.
Look how fast he goes!
But the surprises don’t stop
there. Instead of No Guard and Dynamicpunch, Markus’ Machamp uses Guts and
Close Combat. While usually an inferior choice, the current metagame makes it a
superior option. As I mentioned earlier, Kangaskan is a huge threat. One of the
ways to deal with physical hitters is to deliver a burn to half their attack
power. For this reason, Rotom is a prominent Pokémon thanks to Will-o-Wisp and
other support moves in its arsenal. Naturally, one would burn Machamp to weaken
it, and this is true if it was the No Guard variant. However, Guts actually boosts Machamp’s attack when afflicted
with a status effect. Players will instinctively burn Machamp, only to make
Machamp even stronger. A hindrance for physical attackers becomes an advantage
for Machamp, and the choice of Guts over No Guard is a great metagame call from
Markus.
Competing in live events differs from online competitions
due to human interaction. While it might seem weird to have a “strategy” for
it, human interaction can prove either helpful or hurtful depending on the way
you look at it and should be something to keep in mind before going into
battle. For one thing, you don’t want to go blabbing your mouth about how
trainers won’t anticipate your “Choice Specs Gyarados” only to have your
strategy fall flat on its face.
Quit your blabbing and start battling!
That example seems obvious, but even subtle
hints before you fight can be detrimental. During VGC Nationals 2013, one
trainer I fought was talking up about one Pokémon on his team no one really
expects. During Team Preview, I saw an Electabuzz and thought “he’s probably
means that.” Sent out my Landorus first turn and “surprisingly”, he led with Electabuzz
who immediately ran tail.
Of course, one could argue that someone could bluff
you with prebattle talks, so it’s best to avoid those mind games to begin
with. I find it helpful to introduce myself, shake hands, and maybe throw in
light banter to help people relax. During battles, it’s all focus. I don’t say
much and tend to just look at my screen when making moves. At the end, I’ll
extend my hand for another hand shake and compliment my opponent (Good
prediction with your Abomasnow’s Safeguard!). When you’re less nervous, it’ll help you think
clearer in battles, so have a plan to go in with a calm mind. Raise your
Special Attack and Special Defense by one stage!
Be calm young one.
Probably the most helpful advice I can give is practice. A
LOT. Coming up with winning strategies doesn’t happen by only reading articles
online or watching a few matches. You can only level up through experience. In
a previous blog post, I mentioned how Kangaskhan caused significant problems
for my team. So I battled and failed, multiple times, until I could finally secure a
strategy to effectively take her down. I might not have a trophy of my own, but I don't plan on giving up anytime soon. It took Se Jun Park, the current World Champion, five years to
finally claim his title. Any champion can tell
you their success comes from their failures. So never give up! Go out there and
battle to become the very best like no one ever was!
It's a normal day in Pokemon X. I hatch some eggs, Wondertrade, battle online, and hatch some more eggs. Just as I'm about to grab more eggs to hatch, I get a challenge from Andy, a person I recently Wondertraded with. My main team was built for doubles, but I usually don't get challenges so I say what the heck and accept his singles challenge.
It was a back-and-forth match and I'm about to deliver the final blow to his Gyarados. Right before my Conkeldurr lands the final Mach Punch, I get this:
Yep, Andy couldn't handle the loss and disconnects on me. I spent 20 minutes in a battle only to have some jerk disconnect on me. Now, I've had my fair share of disconnects from trainers in the past, but this particular match infuriated me.
First off, why the heck are YOU initiating the challenge if you're just going to quit before the match officially ends? That's like someone challenging you to a game of chess and knocking the board over after a checkmate.
Not only that, but you had Darkrai on your team! I hate how some trainers assume that an Uber
legendary will carry their whole team. All Pokemon have weaknesses that can be played around. If you knew Darkrai was going to be your key to victory, you should have taken care of it. I knew that Conkeldurr was a key player in taking out your team, so I kept him in the back until the opportune moment. I'm sorry I played around your Dark Void shenanigans.
And don't go crying to me that I won due to hax. Greninja waking up the turn after Dark Void hit was lucky, but you my friend had a great amount of luck on your side again. My Charizard's Heat Wave missed 4 times in a row against your Aegislash WITHOUT King's Shield up. Immediately after, my Venusaur gets off a Sleep Powder, and you wake up the next turn. Did I disconnect after that stream of bad luck? In Pokemon, there's a factor of luck. Deal with it. If I really wanted to quit, I could have ran and formally gave you the win. You could have easily done the same.
It's right there! How hard is it to hit "run"?!
It's aggravating that players think it's ok to act like a poor sport just because it's a video game. Every competition has a code of respect. Whether that's shaking hands before and after a match or see a match through, you owe it to every player to facilitate a fun environment. I felt that disconnect was a spit in the face. Andy of New Mexico, you should be ashamed of yourself. It's players like you who take the fun out of online battles. But you can be a better player than that. Take your losses in stride, learn from mistakes, and become stronger. Pokemon's a game, and part of that is accepting defeat gracefully. Quitters never win and winners never quit.
Getting off of work early, I rushed to my room and turned on my 3DS. Yeah, sounds like any other day. But the 2014 April Friendly, an official Pokémon battle competition, was already underway and my team wasn't ready yet! After a 4-hour grind session, my Pokémon were ready to proceed online. I could only pray that my hastily built team could pull some victories.
My team for April Friendly. I didn't have time to nickname them.
The rules of April Friendly differ from previous VGC rules. Each battle is singles, where trainers choose 3 out of 6 Pokémon per battle. Every Pokémon in the Kalos Pokédex were eligible. Yep, that means legendaries like Xerneas, Yveltal and Mewtwo were permitted to wreck havoc on unsuspecting trainers.
The legendary deer in all its glory
I always say fight fire with fire...just make sure you have coverage against Fire-types. With that, I picked Xerneas as my legendary of choice. The set wasn't anything special, just the usual Power Herb+Geomancy combo. Geomancy is Xerneas's signature move that increases its Special Attack, Speed and Special Defense by 2 stages. It usually requires 2 turns to activate, but consuming a Power Herb changes that to 1. As this set was common, I had to prepare myself for counters like Scizor and Talonflame.
Mega Aggron, the Greatest Wall of Ever
And thus, I give you the star of my team, Mega Aggron. He's more of a "Super Ultra Mega Titan Behemoth" Aggron. Seriously, Close Combat tickles him. The idea was to use this Great Wall of Pure Steel to slowly wear down opponents until Xerneas could come in and proceed to sweep. When Mega Aggron's HP got low, I just used Rest and Sleep Talk. Very few Pokémon can reliably 2HKO him. I mainly paired Mega Aggron with Florges or Rotom-Wash to deal with really strong special attackers.
Besides that, I had a Greninja and Talonflame whose task was to break down walls. While straightforward, they did their job well.
Delirious, I recorded my first set of battles. I look quite pathetic, so feel free to laugh and cringe as I perform my rendition of "New York." First match in, I throw away a 3-1 lead by clicking Psyshock instead of Moonblast! I'll never live that down.
The next day, I managed to maintain a winning record. While most of the teams consisted of the same standard Pokémon, I was impressed by the few creative movesets I ran into. Rest Quagsire, a Greninja with King's Rock, and even a Pikachu! Unfortunately, Pikachu couldn't scratch Aggron, but it's the thought that counts.
Sorry Pikachu, you just don't mess with Mega Aggron.
The number of matches dwindled on the last day of battling. Don't get me wrong, I had fun competing. But after fighting match after match of faceless opponents and recording virtually every match, competing became a chore. With my Pokémon-playing friends out of town and my brother deciding not to play, it got lonely. This competition lacked the atmosphere and excitement of a live competition. There was one brief shining moment when I convinced my mom to commentate a battle with me. I felt bad though; I constantly talked over her and I could tell that half the things I said went over her head.
For throwing my team together at the last minute, I managed to squeeze in a decent record and placed in the top 9%. I earned a final rating of 1647 with 27 wins and 18 losses. The inclusion of legendaries was an interesting twist, but most trainers stuck with standard teams. This battle competition was fun, but maybe it's time I take a small break from Pokémon. My fighting spirit has all but vanished, and the time away might be just what I need to reflect and refresh myself for the next competition. At the very least, April Friendly gave me the opportunity to experience Mega Aggron's girth, and I look forward to using him in future teams.
My doctor warned me about taking in too much info about the next Smash Brothers game. Not one to heed advice from a medical professional, I watched the Smash Bros Direct anyways. A heart attack, trip to the hospital and transplant later, I'm back and fully recovered. While there was a good amount of general information revealed, Pokémon received generous attention and it all started with this cleverly teased picture.
Presents for all the good Pokémon fanboys and girls
In addition to the usual Pokeball item, Master Balls were introduced. Master Balls contain legendary Pokémon such as Arceus, Palkia and Xerneas. They might have a limitation similar to Assist Trophies where only one legendary Pokémon can be out at a time, but there hasn't been any word on
that yet.
Go Gogoat, Go!
Many Pokémon were recently revealed as Pokeball items. Out of the newly revealed ones, Gogoat is my favorite. As the goat that goes, Gogoat lets you ride on it as it rams into opponents. I was the guy who spammed Wario's bike, so this will be quite fun to exploit. Returning Pokémon like Snorlax, Entei and Metagross don't change from past iterations.
Imagine Shadow Lugia as a stage hazard
Besides the already revealed Prism Tower stage for the 3DS, the Wii U is treated to the Kalos Pokémon League as an exclusive stage. While it looks drop-dead gorgeous, I'm disappointed. I know X and Y are the most recent games, but where's the love for 5th gen!? I've always wanted to fight at N's Castle. Or what about Tin Tower from HGSS or Citadark Island from Pokémon XD? In my opinion, too much emphasis is placed on 6th gen in the new Smash.
Now, let's look at what everyone cares about: the characters. First, Lucario's Final Smash was revealed to be Mega Lucario. Makes sense. While Mega Evolved, Lucario's Aura is always at maximum strength. Lucario's Aura abilities also got a significant buff.
Watch the power of Aura!
You got to be quicker than that, Mac.
Character transformations were confirmed not to make an appearance. Zelda/Sheik are now separated as Zelda and Sheik. This means that Pokémon Trainer, one of my mains from Brawl, won't be coming back. It's only fitting that Charizard, the Pokémon I least used, will be returning without a trainer to boss it around. At least he won't have the tire out mechanic. The reveal trailer showcased some new moves including a stronger aerial attack. Mega Charizard X is also confirmed as his Final Smash. It's unknown yet, but hopefully Charizard Y will also be included.
Mega Charizard X is ready to battle!
And now, the biggest surprise and the last shock that triggered my heart attack.
Meowth, that's right! Greninja, the final evolution of Froakie, is a playable character. I'm still in disbelief. A while back, I made a list of likely Pokémon to be included as playable characters like Mewtwo, Zoroark and Blaziken. But never did I imagine that Greninja would be chosen. Greninja is one of my absolute favorite Pokémon and the main reason I picked Froakie, so I obviously welcome Greninja with open arms. It does make it difficult to decide whether I should play as Greninja or Little Mac my first match. Decisions, decisions...
The trailer showcases Greninja using swift water attacks like Water Shuriken and unorthodox moves like Substitute. What Greninja's addition means though is that the chance of Mewtwo returning became slimmer. Pokémon most likely won't overpass the Super Mario series in character representation, so I wouldn't expect more than 5 playable Pokémon. We already have 4 and I suspect Jigglypuff will be taking the 5th slot. Both Jigglypuff and Mewtwo are viable with their new techniques in 6th gen, but Jigglypuff has more history with Smash. I could be wrong, but my hunch says Mewtwo isn't coming back.
The Smash Bros Direct brought a ton of news for Pokémon fans. While I hope more emphasis will be placed on previous generations, the inclusion of new items and Greninja blew me away. Pokémon is going strong in the next Smash Bros!
With the latest generation of Pokémon out for a solid 5 months, the online battling scene has evolved into a harsh environment. The days that you can take your in-game team comprised of your starter, HM slave, and random assortment of creatures into battle are over. Thanks to the release of Pokémon Bank and breeding shortcuts, it's now easier to quickly prepare a team of battle-ready Pokémon. But with these new tools comes a more developed competitive scene, something I failed to keep up with.
After preparing a team I was comfortable with, I hopped online to challenge trainers from around the world. In 2 days, I had about 20 battles. I lost none. I even had trainers ragequit (meaning I was doing something right). I was so confident, I recorded live gameplay and posted it on YouTube. You can tell by the optimism in my voice that I haven't touched the cruel world of rated battles yet.
Spent 200 battle points to change it's ability...
So after my romp in free battles, I took my "skill" to rated battles. First match, I get wrecked. Second match? Equally bad. Third? I manage a win, and then get crushed in the fourth. I quickly realize that my strategy is not very effective and go back to the drawing board. I get back online and still can't manage to pull a winning record. Frustration gets the best of me and I continue to play recklessly. Simple prediction errors cause my team to struggle with me on the losing side. Bitter at my online experience (and Cloyster, whose lousy Twineedle only hits twice!), I took a small break and reflected on how to improve my game.
In doubles, Kangaskhan, Talonflame and Meowstic all pose a considerable threat. While I've successfully played around Talonflame, I still can't manage to break through Meowstic and Kangaskhan. While I hate to admit it, my team can't possibly be competitively viable if I don't have answers to deal with common threats. To improve my team structure, I've watched a good amount of battles online. I am by no means a Pokémon Master, so getting new perspective from trainers better than myself helped me come back with renewed strength. I got some new tricks up my sleeves, but I don't want to spoil them just yet. ;)
Don't let that baby fool you, it's a menace!
An important lesson I've learned time and time again is that Pokémon is a game. Victory Road is filled with hours of struggle, training and Exploding Gravelers. It's a mental game that requires you to outwit your foe to emerge triumphant. I've made stupid mistakes and will continue to make stupid mistakes. It should have been obvious that Twineedle only hits two times, especially with "twin" in its name! But regardless, I will learn from them and grow. Being a Pokémon Master doesn't mean you win from every battle, it means you learn from them.
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