Pokemon Shuffle

[The Warden]

So, we just got ourselves a Winking Audino, whose mega can have a max of 15 Speed-Ups. Their ability is the same as M-Sal's, which erases 10 of 1 normal mon from the board. Seems we might have ourselves a new mega for the Arceus Normal Boost teams.

[Flame Dragon]

That actually sounds solid. Don't know how good the mono-normal teams are, but that would certainly be a big help.

 

Anyway, totally forgot to do the Mega Comp. Welp, there goes 2 or 3 RMLs and Speedups. OTL

[The Warden]

Well, if you have a team of M-W-Audino, Arceus, Slaking, and Snorlax, you'd have some solid damage once you trigger Arceus' double normal ability. Arceus is pretty legit with his natural 110 power, and neither Slaking or SNorlax slouch either. The only weak one would be Audino.

 

Of course, this team only functions in timed battles.

[evilfusion]

Still seems pretty potent, though.

 

I did manage to squeeze into the 2nd tier, so I got 4 of each...and immediately spent all the RMLs to buff up some of my Pokes that had "partial" Level up status, but needed to be tided over. I'm currently sitting on 7 Speedups, because T-tar is fully candied now and I don't have any other Megas I feel MUST get the candies (although Garchomp could probably use it. It's 3/10 right now).

 

And I'm pretty much bankrupt, so I'm grinding coins this week, apart from grabbing the new Winking mons, and needing to grab Enamored Pikachu (who I overlooked was once a day, otherwise I wouldn't have gone after it with only 700 coins).

[The Warden]

M-Camerupt is seeing some use, so if you haven't candied him he only takes 7, so he could be worth it. As for the mega comp, well sadly M-Ampharos and I have a sheet relationship (and I still need to get to M-TTar), so I only got 2 of each item with only a 51k score.

 

As for my RMLs, I've been putting them into Lucario, Mewtwo, and Salamance. I've maxed the first and third, and am now working on getting them to level 15; Salamance especially since having him at level 15 with his mega form will be nice. Mewtwo Imma let sit at 5/10, since level 20 will probably be overkill for him.

[The Warden]

So, new update, with a bunch of new content. We now have a Happy Pikachu (making about 8 damn Pikachus now) that costs hearts, a brand new safari with a SHINY (and perhaps flying type) Rayquaza, also Volcanion has made an appearance as an escalation battle. Also M-Gardevoir, continuing the creator's continued attempts to rape my gold wallet since I just spent a lot of gold catching Hoopa-U and getting M-TTar.

 

Also, I just got a flipping amazing Enamored Pikachu run. In no short order I got 3 red chests, containing a Mega Speedup, 20 free hearts, and 2000 gold. This is amazing too since the last times I did this event, all I got was 3 hearts each time.

[evilfusion]

So, new update, with a bunch of new content. We now have a Happy Pikachu (making about 8 damn Pikachus now) that costs hearts, a brand new safari with a SHINY (and perhaps flying type) Rayquaza, also Volcanion has made an appearance as an escalation battle. Also M-Gardevoir, continuing the creator's continued attempts to rape my gold wallet since I just spent a lot of gold catching Hoopa-U and getting M-TTar.

 

Also, I just got a flipping amazing Enamored Pikachu run. In no short order I got 3 red chests, containing a Mega Speedup, 20 free hearts, and 2000 gold. This is amazing too since the last times I did this event, all I got was 3 hearts each time.

 

I feel like the Enamored Pikachu's prizes today is scripted. Because I ALSO got 3 reds, containing those exact items. And I've previously only gotten 3 hearts, as well. I currently have 46 extra hearts now.

 

Yeah, TON of new content. It's insane. New Escalation Battle (Volcanion), M-Competition repeat (M-Gardevoir), new Safari (it's a pain), new main stages with I believe, M-Aggron being the end boss of it.

 

Confirming that S-Rayquaza is Flying type. It has base 80 power (compared to regular Ray's 70) It's a "Tap 2" Mega with 15 Speedups. I'm skeptical that it'll be "better" than M-Salamence, though. Good ability for sure, but not quite on par with regular Ray (at least, definitely not as "generic") and Flying's niche is kind of limited with M-Salamence and Sky Blast teams.

 

What I did is I used a Jewel to give me infinite hearts for a half hour. Then I tore through the Safari. Almost everything has about 17% catch rate, which is a pain. S-Ray is obviously super rare, the others not so much. After catching about half of the Pokes, I started rapid-fire quitting stages when I knew S-Ray wasn't in it, so that I could continue using my infinite hearts. Finally got him, too, about 1 minute left in the timer. Which means it literally took me about 50-70 hearts, considering the rapid-fire quitting I was doing for about 10 minutes.

 

So with that huge heart sink out of the way, I can focus on the Escalation Battle or the main stages.

[The Warden]

Clever idea, but I'm avoiding that stuff for now, since I have to regather all my cash. It wouldn't be that much of an issue if that dick Hoopa-U didn't make me use all items TWICE to beat him. Plus also a Great Ball as well, so, y'know, he was a sink of about 30k gold. He's pretty strong though, like, jeez. Power 90 and Risk Taker isn't anything to sneeze at.

[evilfusion]

Oh yeah, Hoopa-U is amazing. Tons of help in all the recent Psychic Escalation Battles.

 

Got to stage 85 of the Escalation Battle at present. I'm...slightly frustrated by it. I feel like for stages without a ton of HP, I'm just not doing much damage. Maybe it's because the best Megas are neutral effective (Beedrill, Camerupt, Tyranitar, Rayquaza, etc), and the super effective ones just take too long to evolve. And Volcanion in a good number of the stages either starts with a few icons on the board or disrupts a few. Nothing crippling, and Volcanion as a support helps with that, but then you're using a not-effective support and that doesn't fix my "issue" of feeling like I'm not doing much damage, even though I'm winning fairly easily.

 

For reference, Volcanion is a base 80 Water with Risk Taker. Kind of meh, but whatever. I only feel that way because Water has so many amazing Pokes with great abilities that I don't think Volcanion offers much.

[The Warden]

Well, would he have offered much as fire either? Considering fire teams subsist entirely on Pyre, his Risk Taker would be completely moot in the grand scheme of things, and at best he'd just be a decently high fire attacker that would be out DPSed by max RMLed Entei and Charizard anyways.

 

Also, is it just me, or is this new Safari awful in like, every possible way? Incredibly low catch rates, low additional catchability (seriously, 2% per move for a funking Zigzagoon?), low available moves, and Linoone's board is really funking dumb.

[evilfusion]

Well, would he have offered much as fire either? Considering fire teams subsist entirely on Pyre, his Risk Taker would be completely moot in the grand scheme of things, and at best he'd just be a decently high fire attacker that would be out DPSed by max RMLed Entei and Charizard anyways.

 

Also, is it just me, or is this new Safari awful in like, every possible way? Incredibly low catch rates, low additional catchability (seriously, 2% per move for a funking Zigzagoon?), low available moves, and Linoone's board is really funking dumb.

 

I told you it's a pain.

 

Seriously, one of the most unenjoyable Safari by far, because there was ZERO incentive to replay a stage once you caught the mon (and Great Balls will be needed for pretty much everything). Linoone's board is dumb in a way where you can't really get the coins reliably without randomly having a Block Smasher that none of the other stages really need (other than maybe Whiscash), replaying a stage has no drops, not even coins or Exp boosters, the catch rates are terrible, the mons themselves aren't really that good.

 

That's literally why I gave myself infinite hearts and rapid-fire quit stages until I found S-Ray, once the other 5 were taken care of.

 

And no, Volcanion wouldn't have offered much as Fire, either. I love Risk Taker...but Water is usually best as anti-disruptors, and they have two Flash Mob Pokemon, so...in raw firepower, Volcanion could be worth a slot, but....

[The Warden]

I did the same and spent a jewel for 30 minute infinite hearts to get to Ray, but I did fight a couple others along the way, with minimal success. I had to great ball Linoone just so I have no reason to do its stage anymore.

 

Also Flash Mob is amazing. I used a Skill Swapper to give it to Steelix, and the damage is obscene.

[The Warden]

Okay, were the makers of this game actively TRYING to make this release funking awful? I'm sorry, but there is NO excuse for Volcanion's level 15 stage to have 14,000 HP with only 12 god damn moves. There is NO excuse for this horseshit.

[evilfusion]

Yeah, Stage 15 was kind of dumb considering it was literally the first prize of the battle, and super early on. Honestly, the rest of the stages, even the boss stages, aren't nearly as dumb, although I still tend to use Attack Power Ups on those.

 

I've gotten up to like Stage 212, and I'm currently going through the main stages just to grab M-Aggron. But I'm also pretty much completely broke, coin wise, so I'll have to do a little bit of grinding.

[Flame Dragon]

I wish I could move past the safari. Taking forever to have Ray show up and I'd rather not use my Gems here. Since I want the best odds for Ray, what Pokemon would you recommend I bring. I've already caught everyone else and want the best odds for when Ray does show up.

 

As for M-Aggron from what I've heard it is really good in the competition this week. Shame I won't be able to use it since I've spent all this tie on the safari that I won't be able to get to the end of the main stages.

[The Warden]

I used M-Rayquaza, Regice (Swap++), and Mamoswine. I did what Evil did and spent a jewel on infinite lives, then rapid-fire quitting until I got to S-Rayquaza. Zigzagoon was the last catch.... This safari was so ridiculously taxing for no real reason.

 

As for Volcanion, I got my first tantrum at stage 20. Yeah, it took me 20 stages to actually GET a boost for +8. It's just, ugh. This Escalation is pissing me off.

[evilfusion]

Yeah, I just used M-Ray, Regice, Mamo, and Glalie, I think.

 

For main stages, I'm like 2 stages away from M-Aggron, but will definitely need more coinage first. Sunday should net me enough to wrap things up and maybe do the M-Competition. I'm not positive what awaits me in the M-Competition, disruption wise, though. Almost all the top scorers seem to have been using M-Steelix, so either there's a lot of blocks there, or they don't have M-Aggron. Both seem likely.

 

EDIT: Looked it up. Apparently there are quite a few blocks in the early game, making Steelix viable, but Aggron is also allegedly awesome.

 

Also, apparently the competition will end SUNDAY night, not Monday night.

[The Warden]

Allegedly is right. According to Serebii M-Aggron has the same ability as M-TTar, but can only use 5 Mega Speedups, maybe meaning that he megas faster than TTar does uncandied.

[evilfusion]

Allegedly is right. According to Serebii M-Aggron has the same ability as M-TTar, but can only use 5 Mega Speedups, maybe meaning that he megas faster than TTar does uncandied.

 

Looked it up.

 

M-Aggron needs 18 icons to M-Evolve (13 if max candied). Tyranitar needs 30 (15 if max candied), so it's close.

 

BUT...Aggron has 10 less BP (70-90 vs 80-100). Both have Eject as their ability, and both have identical M-Powers.

 

Also, Aggron is Steel, which is only super effective against Rock, Ice, and Fairy. Tyranitar is Rock, making it super-effective against Bug, Flying, Ice, and Fire, with Ice being the overlapping point (Rock is also half-effective against Fighting, Ground, and Steel, with Steel being half-effective against Electric, Fire, Steel, and Water).

 

Needless to say, while Aggron has its niche, it's inferior to Tyranitar for the vast majority of situations. It has less base power, less coverage, and more types resist it. So...it makes sense that it's faster to evolve.

 

But...it will be VERY potent as a Fairy-killer, by being much less conditional than M-Steelix, and more consistent and powerful than Mawile. Not as strong as M-Metagross, but also much more consistently useful.

[The Warden]

So, quick question, but did you guys get a Mega Speedup, 20 Moves, and 2000 coins from Amorous Pikachu today?

[evilfusion]

So, quick question, but did you guys get a Mega Speedup, 20 Moves, and 2000 coins from Amorous Pikachu today?

 

Yes. All of those.

 

Also, managed to get M-Aggron and did a Competition run.

 

Observation #1 - I'm incredibly stupid. M-Aggron can tap 3 times. I did my entire run using only 2 taps. I didn't notice until later. Either way, M-Aggron seems inferior to M-Steelix for this competition, unless you're like...a god with the tap Megas.

 

Observation #2 - Only had 1 observation.

 

Did another run with M-Steelix. Did MUCH better.

[Flame Dragon]

I'm at over 60 extra hearts, wow. Part of me doesn't want to eat through them all another part is like what good does saving them do. I've started on the main stages (caught Volcanion and will grind up the escalation later) so I might use some of them there. Also, happy it is only 20 stages this time around. For some reason thought it was 30.

 

As an fyi we have a free 15 minute trial so if you haven't used it I would since the time period for use is limited.

[The Warden]

Welp, I've tried my hardest and got 75k points in this mega challenge thanks to a lot of RNG luck. Just 1000 below breaking into the next tier, but at least securing me a spot in the third tier anyways. I swear I have no clue how those people break into the 100k, especially when using Steelix.

[evilfusion]

Welp, I've tried my hardest and got 75k points in this mega challenge thanks to a lot of RNG luck. Just 1000 below breaking into the next tier, but at least securing me a spot in the third tier anyways. I swear I have no clue how those people break into the 100k, especially when using Steelix.

 

I assume the Pokes they're using are RMLed. They're using things like Mawile or Aegislash or Doublade, etc, which are RML compatible, and could have roughly 110- 120 power. That difference of 20-30 BP adds up a LOT. Plus, they might have better RNG, or have invested in skill activation boosts, which could result in a TON more damage on a good run.

[Flame Dragon]

I assume the Pokes they're using are RMLed. They're using things like Mawile or Aegislash or Doublade, etc, which are RML compatible, and could have roughly 110- 120 power. That difference of 20-30 BP adds up a LOT. Plus, they might have better RNG, or have invested in skill activation boosts, which could result in a TON more damage on a good run.

I honestly assume the top scorers all have the Pokemon at the highest level possible with full skill booster investment on the relevant ones. It sucks that the system ends up being self feeding since the people with the best resources do the best in these and get even more resources to keep doing well.