Pokemon Shuffle

[Flame Dragon]

I use Salamence purely because the "no 4th Poke = Pidgey by default" trick combined with Lugia's Eject+. Also, I like Salamence having Mega Boost on its own, so that if if it activates on a match, it essentially counts as double.

 

And with Fighting types where damage is prioritized, I currently tend to use BOTH Machamp and Meloetta-P.

 

That is totally fair. I have access to both so I can mix it up and see which gives better results.

 

I could do that. If you want damage, going all in on it is powerful.

 

I can't say I'm terrifically fond of Meloetta-P, if just because Nosedive has an awful activation rate. I'm lucky for a 4-match to activate even once per board.

I generally have pretty decent luck with the ability. Though part of that is I have it at level 3 where it has 30, 55, 85 odds. It maxes out at 45, 70, 100 so it is a good ability to go in on.

[evilfusion]

I actually completed all 300 stages of the Escalation Battle, motivated to do so because I started the week off with over 80k gold. Do I recommend trying to do this? No, no, I wouldn't. It's a Time Escalation, and one of the crucial MVPs is something with Last Ditch Effort.

 

On the flip side...I'm broke now, and only in Tier 3 in the Competition, and could very well get bumped to Tier 4 (but I currently think I won't). I guess it sort of evens out. The extra Speedups and RMLs from the Escalation Battle makes up for the lack of prizes I'll be getting from the Competition.

[Flame Dragon]

Did two items run for the competition since I have a nice pile of gold. First got mid 60K. Figured I could do better and in the second hit 88K. I'm just under the tier 3 rewards, but this is good enough for me since I don't think I'm TOO likely to fall down to tier 5.

 

I also have touched the Escalation Battle so I should do some of that.

[The Warden]

I scored 89k, but that was still only good enough for 4th tier.

[Flame Dragon]

New main stages. Just as I had rebuilt most my gold pile. O well, time to get back to the grind. But first, an updated safari.

 

Got it super fast. And now main stages.

 

Also, was there a free reward we got for playing today? I wasn't looking at the game and I feel like I missed being told about it.

[evilfusion]

New main stages. Just as I had rebuilt most my gold pile. O well, time to get back to the grind. But first, an updated safari.

 

Got it super fast. And now main stages.

 

Also, was there a free reward we got for playing today? I wasn't looking at the game and I feel like I missed being told about it.

 

2 RML and a Skill Swapper.

 

Because a bunch of Pokes got a boatload of RMLs. Seriously...

 

Mewtwo can now take TWENTY RML (up from 10). Lucario can now take TWENTY RML (up from FIVE). No idea what their max power is now. Lugia can now take 10 RML (up from zero). Camerupt and Garchomp can now take 5. Beedrill can take 5 (up from 3), both Shaymin forms can take 5. Dialga and Palkia can now take 10 (up from 5). *sigh* And others that no one cares about. And a bunch that we probably do care about, but I can't remember.

 

I currently have fifteen RMLs, because I got place 301 in the competition (eyeroll) so I got 6, plus the 6 from last week's competition, plus I had 1 left over from the Escalation Battle, plus the 2 today. NO IDEA what I'm going to use these on.

[Flame Dragon]

2 RML and a Skill Swapper.

 

Because a bunch of Pokes got a boatload of RMLs. Seriously...

 

Mewtwo can now take TWENTY RML (up from 10). Lucario can now take TWENTY RML (up from FIVE). No idea what their max power is now. Lugia can now take 10 RML (up from zero). Camerupt and Garchomp can now take 5. Beedrill can take 5 (up from 3), both Shaymin forms can take 5. Dialga and Palkia can now take 10 (up from 5). *sigh* And others that no one cares about. And a bunch that we probably do care about, but I can't remember.

 

I currently have fifteen RMLs, because I got place 301 in the competition (eyeroll) so I got 6, plus the 6 from last week's competition, plus I had 1 left over from the Escalation Battle, plus the 2 today. NO IDEA what I'm going to use these on.

So I did miss something before the Swapper. I'm at 14 RMLs so I can max out something. Might also max out Beedrill since its so few I need.

 

 

Meloetta was upped to 10. GAH!!!!!!!!!

[The Warden]

Oh no, being in the third tier must be simply funking awful Evil.

 

I don't see much point in investing 20 into Mewtwo. Those who take more RMLs really don't scale as much as those that don't, since I'm sure at level 30 his power will probably be just 150 (up from 25).

[evilfusion]

Oh no, being in the third tier must be simply funking awful Evil.

 

I don't see much point in investing 20 into Mewtwo. Those who take more RMLs really don't scale as much as those that don't, since I'm sure at level 30 his power will probably be just 150 (up from 25).

 

No, no, you see...I missed out by 1 place. If I had gotten place 300, I'd be in Tier 2. But I ended up as 301.

 

It doesn't BOTHER me, but the tiny margin is eye-roll worthy.

 

In any case, I was waiting to get information on what a Poke's max power is when fully RMLed, since so many got such absurd RML additions.

 

Mewtwo's max at Level 30 is...145. Up from 130 @ 10 RML.

 

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

 

No. Not remotely worth it. I get the feeling this is going to be the case for a lot of Pokes that got up to 20 RMLs. It was already a thing where 5 RMLs if you had base 80 (100 at Level 10) was BARELY worth it (max of 115), depending on the Pokemon. Lucario probably got mocked even worse. His max is 140 power @ 20 RML (up from 110 @ 5 RML)....HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! So each RML is worth 2 base power?! And you need 15 of them?

 

EDIT: Okay, so my understanding is that at Level 20, Lucario's power is 125. That part is okay, considering Lucario is actually GOOD. But the comically small increase between Level 20 and 30 is stupid for the investment.

 

The Pokemon I immediately see as being legitimately worth the RMLs among the new update,

 

-Braviary for Sky Blast. 5 RMLs = 110 power (up from 90@0)

-Camerupt because it's Camerupt. 5 RML = 110 power (up from 90@0)

-Shaymin - Land because it's amazing and Sleep Charm. RML = 110 power (up from 90@0).

 

Noticing a pattern here?

 

Also, Ninetales FINALLY got RML (5 RML = 110 power). It also got Skill Swap for Burn+

 

Also, apparently this update pissed a lot of people off, and it's possible a lot of people are quitting the game as a result of this. BUT...since I found out that the major RML additions offer almost NOTHING...I actually don't care enough to be mad about it, other than how ridiculous the very idea of giving 20 RMLs to something is, and even worse if the buff isn't even worth the investment.

[Flame Dragon]

Also, apparently this update pissed a lot of people off, and it's possible a lot of people are quitting the game as a result of this. BUT...since I found out that the major RML additions offer almost NOTHING...I actually don't care enough to be mad about it, other than how ridiculous the very idea of giving 20 RMLs to something is, and even worse if the buff isn't even worth the investment.

What the hell got them to want to stop playing? I mean, if you want to win contest you'll need to bite the 20 RMLs bullet, but that isn't really a goal worth chasing anyway. I mean, it is a FREE game. Blarg.

 

Also I realized the Meloetta that got the buff was the Psychic one. Less salty.

[The Warden]

I always knew the pattern really. Mons that use 5 RMLs tend to get a 20-30 BP boost depending on base BP at level 10, with weaker ones gaining more power than stronger ones. It seems nonsensical, but it makes sense.

 

And if people quit, that's good for me. Less people to compete with, since I only made it to tier 5 for the most recent comp.

[evilfusion]

What I understand from what I've seen is that the extra RMLs not only require an absurd number of relatively limited enhancements, but that the game has also been spiking in difficulty to the point where only top people can perform well. Meaning they get more prizes. Meaning they continue being super strong. Meaning the game has to spike the difficulty so that the top tier people don't lose interest because content is too easy. It's a vicious cycle, and to this, I understand the complaints.

 

But the amount of Exp grinding to bump Pokemon to the higher levels is also greater. Even with Victini and a willingness to spend jewels, it's not that easy to accomplish, and for some of the competitions, you have to achieve this within a limited time frame.

 

Not to mention how some challenges are putting much more emphasis on Skill Levels (like the Mew Escalation Battle pretty much needed you to have an RMLed SL5 Last Ditch Effort Dusknoir), and how many runs of special stages are needed to farm skill levels. The Charizard X Competition wanted you to have Unity Power Goodra, and use Dragonite. And if you didn't RML Dragonite (I didn't, because Dragon-type is awful in this game)...that was a lot of score you could be missing out on because Dancing Dragons, plus tons of combos, plus that extra BP...it adds up. I just barely missed Tier 2.

 

People are also really pissed about the Survival Mode update a couple weeks ago, because apparently the difficulty is TOO high now, making it almost unplayable. And people liked the old Survival Mode to farm Exp Boosters after completing it the first time.

 

But I think overall, people are coming to feel that the direction the game seems to be going in is just not fun anymore. New players have almost no shot at any of the better prizes, and due to the ramping difficulty in Escalation Battles and special stages, and competitions, it's difficult to get the items and such that are becoming almost NECESSARY to do anything.

 

And that's my biggest complaint with the game, and always has been: Time-restricted events and availability is absurdly unfriendly to new players. You can't even afford to take breaks from playing for a couple days or a week, because you'll miss out on so much potential stuff...if you're a serious player. And you often need to grind coins when you have a free couple of days in preparation for the gold sink the following week, etc, etc, etc.

 

Now, to be perfectly honest, I do spend money on the game. Not tons, usually just about 12 Jewels a month. And I use the game primarily as a way to kill time, and have a secondary game that I play when I need to spend more time before something. If anything, I'm glad the huge RML boost is almost completely worthless. While a difference in BP CAN mean a lot...10 RMLs for 15 extra power is laughable. Sure, that 15 BP might add up and win you a competition...but I've gotten Tier 1 in some cases WITHOUT the maxed stuff. Like that one competition where I RMLed Heracross and Pokeball Vivillon, but got a good enough score for Tier 1 when doing a run where Vivillon was Level 7 and Heracross still Level 11. Luck factors into things so much that sometimes that little edge you had over the rest of the competition actually doesn't really matter. Yeah, I'm not likely to BEAT your score, but I don't have to beat your score unless you're at the bottom of the tier cutoff point. I don't need to be in the Top 5, and don't expect to.

 

In the long run, I think people are quitting because of the implications of what will come in the future, where the challenge is so inflated you can't reasonably do well without the enhancements...which you only get from doing well. And since this is a weekly thing, there's a very small feeling of progression, and the game is harassing you to give it money just to get by.

[The Warden]

What did you even score in the Char X comp? I could only manage 406k and that only got me tier 5.

 

I would've tried more, but 13500 gold per run is too funking much.

[evilfusion]

What did you even score in the Char X comp? I could only manage 406k and that only got me tier 5.

 

I would've tried more, but 13500 gold per run is too funking much.

 

My very first run, I got about 575k. I then discovered that this type of score only LOOKED easy. Too many luck factors at work, like Unity Power activating, how long a combo went on for, whether Dancing Dragons went off and THEN went on a long combo, etc.

 

My final score was something like 630k or thereabouts.

[The Warden]

630k would have gotten you mid to low tier 3 in Europe, possibly even tier 4.

[evilfusion]

Well, I'd be ranked by North America. Tier 1 was 1-100. Tier 2 was 101-300. Tier 3 was 301-600. Whereas Europe, Tier 2 was 101-200, and Tier 3 was 201-500.

 

So by Europe ranking, I was mid Tier 3. NA ranking, I was JUST BARELY Tier 3. Like, literally missed by 1 spot.

 

I don't remember the exact score, only that it was definitely above 600k, like 634 or something.

[The Warden]

You aren't accounting for the actual scores though, which were damn high I can tell you.

[The Warden]

Y'know, I legitimately expected Shiny M-Diancie to be crap, but crikey I was wrong. I was certainly not expecting her to erase blocks and rocks to match normal M-Diancie's barrier removal. Fairy officially has both kinds for their megas now, and... it's pretty welcome tbh.

[Flame Dragon]

Y'know, I legitimately expected Shiny M-Diancie to be crap, but crikey I was wrong. I was certainly not expecting her to erase blocks and rocks to match normal M-Diancie's barrier removal. Fairy officially has both kinds for their megas now, and... it's pretty welcome tbh.

I didn't even realize it was Shiny. Sweet Jesus, they have infinite content if they do shiny versions of all the Pokemon. But I REALLY hope they don't do that. Overall, easy weak. Means I get to focus on the old money grind before I get back to the new stages.

[The Warden]

Yeah, I almost thought it was normal Diancie until I noticed how the sprite was much darker than it should be. Still, I imagine shinies will be kept only for Megas, legendaries, and probably Pikachu.

 

Speaking of megas, I hope they create a tapper that only erases disruptions in a decent area. As nice as the current ones are, it doesn't help that they erase normal pokemon as well as the disruptions.

 

Oh yeah, we were given a shiny Mewtwo as well. Its megas are pretty underwhelming. Y does the Char Y, and X is a copy of Gengar. But his base form has Mega Boost, which is... something, I guess. He can't take RMLs though.

[The Warden]

Y'know, I really am sick of this game's cheating bullshit. I lost to S-Diancie, who had 10 HP left at most, because Steely Resolve FAILED to activate on a 3-match 3 times in a row. And this is a 60% chance to succeed. Had this shitty ability activated even funking ONCE outside of the 4-match on the last move, I would have won. But no, the game had to be a jabroni and rig it to fail, because that's what it does when a +5 tantrum is on the line.

 

And for that matter, why does Steely Resolve even exist? It's funking inferior to Last-Ditch Effort in EVERY funking way. It's a 60/80/100% compared to LDE's 50/100/100, so it fails a funking LOT when you need it most, even on a 4-match since 80% chances might as well be 50% chances considering how it's a funking rarity I EVER get two activation of Power of 4+ in a row. Not only that, but LDE has the same experience level tiers as SR does, but LDE has a greatly increased amount, with it being x6/7.5/10/15 from levels 2 to 5. It's actually reasonably good at level 3, but not SR oh no. It runs on x4.4/x4.8/10/14 at 2 to 5. So you ONLY see results at level 4, while you see them in LDE at level 3, which is the standard for most levels.

 

Seriously, why does SR even exist beyond funking over Steel types. It is literally inferior in every funking way. Every. funking. Way.

[evilfusion]

Pretty sure Steely Resolve was an early-game skill. Like, early into the game's life. I don't think they give it to anything anymore BECAUSE it's outclassed.

 

Just checked. Only 4 Pokemon in the game have Steely Resolve. Mawile, Steelix, Skarmory, and Honedge. And all the Pokemon that have it received Skill Swap options (Risk Taker, Flash Mob, Nosedive, and Risk Taker, respectively).

 

Yup...and about two dozen Pokemon have Last-Ditch Effort, some of them even having it as a Skill Swap option, which has the guaranteed activation rate on 4/5 matches, and a higher damage output.

 

And why does it still exist, period? Because they don't usually outright REMOVE skills and things. They either replace them (Last-Ditch Effort being LITERALLY Steely Resolve, but better, and not being Steel-type specific being an example) or give Skill Swap options to encourage them to be replaced.

 

Hell...I forgot Steely Resolve exists. I don't use Skarmory or Honedge, and Mawile and Steelix I Skill Swapped an eternity ago.

 

I beat Stage 200 of the Escalation Battle. That's as far as I wish to go, and 191-199 was a pain. It really wanted me to use M-Steelix, and it's not candied.

[The Warden]

It is literally not worth going beyond stage 200 anyways. Though I can at least say that aside from some sets of stages being glorious pains in the ass, this Escalation was far kinder than prior ones.

 

Also they can surely BUFF Steely Resolve instead of removing it. If it's inferior to LDE they could just as easily make it LDE's equal.

[evilfusion]

So, this week has a Shiny Mewtwo X competition. I did a run of it already, since I had the coins to spare for a full item run and had nothing more interesting to do at the moment. Noivern is recommended, but mine is not RMLed, nor Skill Swapped. I'm not sure off-hand what Noivern's Skill Swapped skill is, assuming one exists. But one probably does, because its default is Cloud Clear ++, which has no applicability in this competition. Regardless, I have no Skill Swappers, nor any way to acquire them. They've been so stingy with those lately, which is unfortunate, because I used to have like...6 of them just laying around.

 

I got like...101k on my first run using a Sky Blast team. I was in 8th place (out of like 580). No guarantee I'll stay there, obviously, but it's a good start, and means I can happily grind the Mewtwo stage (which, thank Arceus, costs 1 heart, instead of 300/400 coins, and could potentially drop RMLs in addition to Mewtwo Skill Boosters) in the meantime. 

 

EDIT: It's Shot Out. Makes sense why the Competition randomly disrupts Mew icons. Not tons of them, only like 4 at a time, so they're not that problematic, but Noivern having Shot Out would definitely be useful. But not mandatory, unless you also plan to RML it and grind its Skill Level.

[The Warden]

Yeah, I see why Stages 191-199 are awful. That's simply disgusting level design right there.

 

I'll stave off Mewtwo X until later. I'll use Mewtwo-Y, Deoxys-A, Mew, and Noivern for it I reckon.

 

EDIT: funk YOU GAME! funk YOOOOOUUUUUU!

 

This, is, BULLSHIT. funking BULLSHIT! Oh yes, fill the screen with bullshit amounts of barrier-blocks, that's TOTALLY fair after you funk me over and deny me M-Steelix drops. No, it's totally fair to do that on a monster that has 20k HP. Totally, funking, fair. Oh, and it's even SOOOOO funking fair that when I needed an ability to work the funking most, for it to finally give me a single funking sign that the game doesn't sheet on me, whoopsie doodle Risk Taker doesn't work and I lose yet another +5 tantrum. I even had M+5, but of course the sheet-jabroni game simply had too give me the worst fuckign drops ever! Oh yeah, totally fair to funk me over so funking hard like that. TOTALLY funking FAIR!

 

Oh, and it's totally not rigged that the 3 match of Jirachi's Mega Boost+, a 50% chance ability, should fail 6 times in a row. Because that funking happens doesn't it? Yeah, 50% chances totally funk up 6 times.