Local EX Raid (and Rain, Again), 11/30/2018

The previous EX Raid that I participated in was plagued by weather problems, specifically those related to rain. The EX Raid that I participated in today was plagued by much of the same problems, even though the rain during the EX Raid was not as intense as it was in the previous occasion. And to an extent, the problems that occurred today could be anticipated. Even so, the results could still be considered to be less desirable.

This time, the EX Raid was scheduled for 3 PM. A few of my raid fellows theorized that this is the time when rain was most likely to happen, and they were right; though things were dry in the moments leading up to it, the sky was already a dreary gray by that time. Knowing that this would be the case, I made sure to arrive as early as possible. As it turns out, many of my raid fellows - the ones that also received the EX Raid passes - made sure to do so as well, likely because of the same earlier experiences. I also brought the biggest umbrella I had, taking cues from that previous EX Raid.

Shortly after the EX Raid began, the rain also began. Predictably, the scheduled battle flights went into disarray, particularly as many desired to complete the EX Raid as quickly as possible. Thus, some made alternate arrangements to try a limited private group, while others, including me, joined the earliest formed groups. My battle flight was originally supposed to be 13 minutes out from the start of the EX Raid, but that wasn't going to happen with the way things were going.

A quick shot, before capture.

Since this EX Raid happened at a Gym that is pretty much out in the open, there was hardly any covered place to stay under while the EX Raid proceeded. Fortunately, that big umbrella helped me to stay relatively dry... as well as a few of my raid fellows. Unfortunately, this and the rain also made things pretty hectic, if the EX Raid itself hadn't already been; the Gym was changed to a team that wasn't mine, and the group that served as my battle flight was pretty well-mixed in terms of people and teams. This resulted in only 10 balls for capture, 2 of which were provided courtesy of an Ultra Friend. After several failed attempts, I finally caught Deoxys on the second-to-last ball; it could be said that the 2 Ultra Friend balls saved this effort. This is clearly undesirable.

This EX Raid seemed to work out well enough, even with all the problems that the rain caused. It seems fair to say that many of us took note of many things that happened with the last rainy EX Raid and prepared. It also seems fair to say that a lot of things could have been prepared much better, such as alternative arrangements and support for those who brave the rain. We all (at least the ones who came) barely scraped this one, but that's OK. It'll be the next ones in the rain that will be of great concern.

One year ago: Feature Film 20 - "Pokémon The Movie - I Choose You!"