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.
Pokémon recently celebrated its 18th anniversary. Shortly after Red and Green's release in Japan, it became a worldwide phenomenon and the rest is history. I have
no idea what my life would be like without Pokémon. I met some of my best
friends through it and learned a lot from the series. So of course, it's only appropriate I give 18 cheesy, cliched reflections from the wonderful world of Pokémon.
1. Never give up, no matter how many times you fall
You ever met Ash Ketchum? This kid has the dream to become the very best
like no one ever was. Out of the current 721 Pokémon, how many has he obtained?
72. If "to catch them is [his] real test", Ash is about 10% done. He's
managed to collect the badges in each region, but falls short of being the
League Champion (except in the Orange Islands). And yet, he keeps at it.
We can't all stay 10 forever, but we can learn something from this idealist.
I mean, if you like Muk go right ahead.
2. With over 700 creatures, you got to have a favorite!
Pokémon has variety. Maybe floating magnets or living piles of
sludge aren't your forte. But there are so many to choose from, you got to like
at least one! As weird as it may sound, Pokémon is kind of like life. Even
though there are aspects that are less than favorable, there's so much to enjoy.
3. We can take a different path to reach the same goal
I start with Bulbasaur, you choose Charmander. We'll catch different
Pokémon to complement our team, have a different strategy to defeat each Gym
Leader, and maybe even choose a different Eevee evolution (or none at all)! But
at the end of it all, we will both collect the 8 gym badges, defeat Team
Rocket, and eventually become the champion. It just goes to show that there's
no singular way to play the games. Which brings me to my next point.
4. The world isn't black or white
5th generation will always have the best story in my opinion. It was the
first to raise the issue of the ethics behind Pokémon battles, and while N, the leader of Team Plasma,
didn't meet a clear resolution, he learned to value others' opinions. When
ideals clash, a new truth emerges that we can learn from.
5. The rules change from time to time, but the fundamentals stay the same
With the addition of held items, abilities, new moves, new typings, and new
battle formats, Pokémon battles have changed a lot since Red and Green.
Regardless, the basic principles behind battles stay the
same. Pokémon battles is like rock-paper-scissors with
elements of chess. Water beats Fire, Fire beats Grass, and Grass beats Water.
But Water can move in a way that let it beat Grass. The rules of life
change constantly with new technologies and discoveries, but the fundamentals like honesty and humility remain steadfast.
6. A journey with friends beats a journey alone
If I had to summarize what the overall message of the Pokémon series is,
it's friendship. Ash and Pikachu's travels across the land show the deep,
emotional bond these two share. What I enjoy most about Pokémon is how a
seemingly single-player game can transform into the greatest multiplayer
experience thanks to trading and battles. And now with online trading and
battles, I feel part of the bigger worldwide community. I can't begin to tell
you about the countless hours me and my friends spend talking about Pokémon.
It's a powerful tool that breaks down barriers and connects people. What other game could unite an entire community to simultaneously play and beat it?
When thousands of people gather to play Pokémon, Omanyte becomes a God.
7. There are some things you just can't explain
What is underneath Diglett? How does a Wailord and Skitty create an egg? Why
was Hulk Hogan chosen to be the spokesperson during Pokémon's 10th anniversary?
The world may never know.
I got to keep training brother!
8. Don't be surprised if you run into a surprise
Right before my management class, I pulled out my 3DS thinking I could get some training down before the lecture began. Three battles in, I run into a shiny Eevee! I ran out, hugged a random girl, and apologized saying it was "Pokémon business." Granted, I caught 10 or so shinies before, but it was still exciting! Always have those Pokéballs ready, you never know what you'll run into the wild.
9. Old Arcanines can learn new tricks
Charizard has always been the laughing stock of competitive battling since
Red and Green. Now, he's one of the biggest threats thanks to his Mega
Evolutions. It took him 18 years, but by Arceus he did it! Other Pokémon have also broken from obscurity since their debut. Blaziken went from
being good, to just average, to being banned TWICE! Wobbuffet? He got a new
ability and bam! Straight to Ubers! There are so many Pokémon that got better
over time, so never say it's too late to learn something new.
10. "It's Super Effective" doesn't necessarily mean it's
effective
Just because Blissey is weak against Fighting-type moves doesn't mean Aura
Sphere is the best choice. Brute strength alone can only take you so far.
Different strategies such as putting your opponent to sleep or slowing them
down through paralysis can easily turn the battle in your favor. Analyze the
situation and come up with a plan; don't go charging head first.
11. Learn from the stupid mistakes you make at the beginning
I am guilty of only training my Venusaur when I first played Red. He was the
backbone of my team at level 97. I prided myself on the fact I didn't use a
Rare Candy. My second highest? Pidgeotto at level 32. You can tell I knew what
I was doing. But hey, how else can we learn if we don't make our own mistakes?
It's always a laugh to look back and see how much of a noob trainer I
was.
12. Patience is a virtue
Have you ever hatched eggs in Pokémon? It takes bloody forever! You’re moving back and forth for 30 minutes only to realize the
baby has the wrong nature or ability or whatever. Sure, shortcuts like
having a Pokémon with Flame Body in your party exist, but I
remember going through countless eggs in Firered just to hatch a decent
Totodile. If I already hatched over 400 eggs in X alone, I shudder to think how
long I spent in Pearl. But if I’m still at it after all these eggs, then I must
have learned a thing or two about patience. Which reminds me, I probably need
to go back and finish hatching those Machop eggs. That will be fun…
I've listened to the bike theme plenty of times.
13. With teamwork, even Magikarp can sweep a team
The videos are absolutely hilarious, but given the right circumstance, the
flopping fish has what it takes to take the world. To pull this off,
Magikarp requires teammates to help give it a boost to sweep. It
just goes to show that the power of teamwork can overcome all.
14. There’s a time and place for everything. But not now!
Yes Professor, I know I can’t ride my bike indoors. Yes, I also know I can’t
use the Helix Fossil during battle. Yes, I know I can’t use the Super
Rod in the middle of the city. It’s an annoying reminder, but Oak’s got a
point.
Riding your bike indoors? He'll know...
15. The world is a big place to explore
From the majestic snow peaks of Mt. Coronet to the glistening shorelines of
Cianwood City, the Pokémon world offers breathtaking scenery. There are so many places to see and things to do, so stop being cooped up and get out there! After you finish reading this post of course :)
16. Sometimes, it’s just luck
You might have the winning strategy that can take on the biggest threats,
but a stray Ice Beam could freeze your Pokémon and all hope for victory is frozen. It happens.
You just got to accept that luck might play a role in determining a battle, so
don’t take it personally. It’s not all bad though, sometimes luck might get you
out of a bind when you need it most. How else can you explain Ash winning the
Boulder Badge?
Thunderbolt sets off the fire sprinklers, soaking Onix. That's dumb luck right there.
17. Follow what you love regardless of what other people think
As my good friend Terral once told me, “middle school is the worst version
of yourself.” For a time, I left Pokémon because I didn’t want to seem uncool
or nerdy. I remember asking a pair of 8th graders with their Gameboy
Advances out if they were playing Pokémon. “Yeah we’re playing,” they
responded. “So what?” They were probably used to people mocking them, but they
didn’t care. They had guts and I envied them. It only matters what you think. Nothing else matters.
18. If you’re not having fun, you’re doing it wrong!
Seriously! I don’t say Pokémon is my favorite video game series for nothing.
It’s an expansive game with thousands of hours of replay value. It’s a universal
language where everyone from die-hard Pokémaniacs to moms with kids that play
have something to say. It’s a strategic game that challenges you to use
prediction and smarts to overcome your opponent. It’s a collector’s hobby with
an expansive community full of traders. It’s a shared experience which
solidified so many of my friendships and helped forge new ones. But most
importantly, Pokémon is just plain fun, and I wouldn’t still be playing if it
wasn’t.
Back when I went to my first trading card prerelease in 2011, I wanted to take my brother to one. I had a blast last time and wanted to share that experience with him. Plus, bringing him along would mean more cards for our collection :P. So yesterday, we attended the Pokémon X and Y prerelease over at Strikezone.
Basically, a prerelease is a tournament where you pay $30 for 6 packs of cards from the upcoming set. From there, you build a 40-card deck and play 3 matches. Afterwards, you receive 2 more packs and a promo
card. I highly doubt the $5 entrance fee increase from last time was due to inflation, but what can you do.
We arrived at Strikezone around 12:30 and signed in. Mike, the event coordinator, surprisingly recognized us. It took me a second, but I realized he knew us because of my brother's back-to-back VGC regional titles.
When we received our cards, Mike suggested new players to go to the far table if they needed help. I looked over at my brother, and he just gave me a sly smile and stayed seated. A few minutes later, I had to walk over and helped him build his deck. Why is that boy crazy?
He managed to get good pulls, including a Venusaur-EX and Xerneas. While Venusaur is one of my favorite Pokémon, that card looks U-G-L-Y! His girth can't be contained in such a small card border. The trading card artwork never can capture Venusaur's grace. Regardless, it's a good card and helped my brother win 2 out of 3 matches.
I was equally lucky in my pulls. The first card I got was an Yveltal-EX. I then gotShadow Circle, a stadium card that takes away weakness if your Pokémon has Dark energy. Like my brother, I won the majority of my matches, but I never once pulled out Yveltal or Shadow Circle. So how did I win?
WIGGLYTUFF!
Wigglytuff has an interesting move called "Hocus Pinkus." For 3 energies, Hokus Pinkus inflicts 60 damage and prevents the opposing Pokémon from attacking next turn. 60 damage is good enough to knock out Basic Pokémon and is a great way to stun your opponent. Originally, Wigglytuff was meant to stall until I set up Yveltal, but she managed to win on her own. The only match I didn't get Wigglytuff was the time I lost. What can I say, you can't handle the power of Hocus Pinkus!
Afterwards, my brother and I traded some cards to help complete our collection. My personal favorite was Wobuffet. He looks just like an action figure! We then had a quick battle with some folks on the 3DS, traded some more, and left. It was great to bond with fellow Pokémon trainers and expand our collection, but I had the most fun because of my brother. Afterall, Pokémon is a shared experience. I honestly couldn't have asked for a better prerelease. Well...maybe if I got a Slurpuff card, that would have been sweet.
Back before X and Y hit stores, Game Freak gave details about Pokémon Bank, an application on the 3DS that allows trainers to store over 1,000 creatures in online boxes. In addition, Pokémon Bank comes with PokéTransporter, which allows trainers to transfer Pokémon from 5th generation up. The original release date was December 27th. It is now January 17th, and Pokémon Bank still isn't available.
So what happened? Initially, the original release date was postponed due to server crashes the Nintendo eShop suffered with so many new users logging in with their 3DS's and Wii U's they got for Christmas. Those lucky enough in Japan could download Pokémon Bank, but it was quickly taken down before the rest of the world had access. Since then, the eShop has been fixed but Pokémon Bank still remains unreleased, without even a new release date given at the time of writing. I usually wouldn't complain about a delayed launch; it's natural in the video game industry. But the Pokémon Company has put itself at odds with its fanbase for a lack of clear communication.
Does that mean no Pokémon Bank?
Much of Pokémon's communication through Facebook and Twitter is about anything but Pokémon Bank. There are updates on the released Heart Gold/Soul Silver soundtrack, the Mewtwo special airing on Cartoon Network, and even fun caption contests, but nothing about Pokémon Bank. The most information we've received is a cryptic tweet stating "more information will be announced in the future." I understand that the people managing the social media accounts might have just as much information as we do, but couldn't someone higher up cue them in so they can stop giving vague answers?
A tweet sent out by Nintendo on January 10th. There hasn't been an update since then (at the time of writing).
The greatest cause of frustration is the fact that those who already downloaded Pokémon Bank can still use its services. It's an obvious unfair advantage when some trainers can bring Pokémon unavailable in X and Y. Sure, you might get lucky and trade for a Totodile you can breed, but good luck facing Arceus and Lugia when you don't have your own. The video below shows exactly how Pokémon Bank works. Props to SqishyRina for the video.
The fact that Pokémon Bank still works for those who download it means there's not a functionality issue. At the moment, it takes some time to connect to servers, so I'll give Pokémon the benefit of the doubt and assume that's what they're working on. But if that's what they are doing, why don't they just say it?! My biggest fear is that the delay of Pokémon Bank's launch is meant to wait out the free initial trial period originally promised and start charging the annual $5 fee. Of course, that would be one of the most notorious moves in the video game industry, so it's highly doubtful. But fans are getting impatient, and rightfully so.
Whenever Pokémon posts anything on social media, they're met with angry fans clamoring for news on Pokémon Bank. Who can blame them? Nintendo and the Pokémon company have fell silent about addressing this issue and further alienates its fans with vague responses. Meanwhile, Pokémon still promotes everything else under the sun and trainers are receiving an unfair advantage online. It's understandable that Pokémon Bank is delayed, but fans are hanging on empty promises when a company fails to address issues head on.
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