Monday, June 15, 2026

Unite Licenses: My "Final Frontier"

The last update to my progress of obtaining Unite Licenses in Pokémon Unite occurred around one and a half years ago, when I detailed about the ones I had obtained and my prospects for them. Since then, the way of getting them with relatively no payment has changed, and there have been quite a few more Unite Licenses for different Pokémon added. Now, it seems well to do to update on that progress by those changes, and it seems like this will be the "final" update for that, as suggested by the title, due to reasons that will be explained shortly.

First up is that progress. Right now, I am proud to say that I have every Unite License except for a few. Those few are Tinkaton (which is currently being progressed through the License Journey system), Dhelmise (which will be progressed next after Tinkaton is complete), and Quaquaval (which is not yet playable but will be so in a few days' time, along with its associated Unite License event). Incidentally, the first two of these are of the All-Rounder role, which also means the other roles are also essentially complete for what they have to offer.

Such a feat was accomplished by using the selection gift boxes for some of the ones I didn't have and exchanging my Aeos Coins for a few others before the method changed. Meanwhile, for some others, they came with their own Unite License events and as a result were obtained through those, with some diligent effort and a little bit of assistance along the way. Then, after the method changed, it was a matter of starting the progress through the ones I didn't have; prior to Tinkaton, I had in fact just obtained Tyranitar through the License Journey system.

With that, it can be ascertained that I'll have my hands on future Unite Licenses somehow. Being that now they're likely to come with their own event, participating in that will likely allow the Unite License to be obtained for free (or relatively as such). Even if that doesn't happen, the License Journey system will surely become the fallback for the process of obtaining them sooner if not later. This situation, along with the state of affairs as presented above, makes it the "final frontier" for me in obtaining the Unite Licenses to come, at least while still playing.

Now that I have almost every Unite License in the game, and things are established for me to obtain the rest and future ones in some way, the progress is assured to be updated as more Unite Licenses are added to allow other Pokémon to join the fray that Pokémon Unite is still continuing to present. That in effect will (and does) make it the "final" update I'll make in the manner as above, but things are never final for as long as the Pokémon game remains as captivating as ever to me and all other Pokémon fans who choose to partake in its affairs.

Two years ago: Pokémon Calendars
Seven years ago: Code Affairs
Eight years ago: Number One for...
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Sunday, June 14, 2026

Referencing Pokémon Lineage

Pokémon fans are well-versed in the fact that many of the eponymous species have a certain lineage, being the way that they relate by way of evolution. This is a part of what makes them fascinating, but it also leads to the issue of how they can and should be referenced by virtue of that aspect. It's an issue that I'm now tackling in a discussion to consider various points of view that relate to it and what ultimately can and should work best.

For that, TCG and Pokémon Go may provide the answer. Many Pokémon of lower evolution stages in the former are called "Basic" Pokémon, and that makes for a sufficient reference for them. Meanwhile, in the latter game, evolution lineages depend on the Candy of a certain species, and they roughly correspond to Basic Pokémon, which would affirm them being called as such. As for later evolution stages, they would be sufficiently referenced as "Stage 1" and "Stage 2", following what the TCG outlines.

As for further evolution forms on top of that (Mega Evolution, Gigantamax, and onwards), they can be considered just further "extras", since the games deal with them in different ways, including both games mentioned above. Yet they also correspond in seemingly being able to be considered as "ultimate" forms - a consideration that will be discussed shortly - to the Stage 2 species. Inasmuch as they are dealt with differently and even exclusively, there too is an apparent commonality. 

It should be noted that other people and parties can and have referenced Stage 1 and Stage 2 forms differently - for example, treating them as ordinals in their respective evolution lines (which is still valid to some extent), or treating the Stage 2 forms as "final forms" (which is also in a way still true since a line has a "maximum" of three). These references have to be weighed alongside the above considerations and certain games, as well as the fact that there have been many developments for Pokémon and its species.

Then, there's that "ultimate" form consideration, which also implicates a consideration of "baby" forms (which is also still existent for some Pokémon) along with ordering according to age. These considerations would mostly be for shoehorning analogues to a certain other series primarily for an extent of understanding, and the real way of understanding things would be in the other ways as mentioned above.

Understanding Pokémon species and the ways that many of them are related by evolution lineage can be considered an important part of appreciating Pokémon in general, and a way of referencing this consistently is always nice to have. Fortunately, according to certain facets of the franchise, this is quite doable as per the above, and the understanding that is carried in this way can put the viewpoints of many Pokémon fans on the same page.

Three years ago: Gimmicks in Café Remix
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Saturday, June 13, 2026

Changed Shiny Handling in Pokémon Go

Shiny Pokémon have been a phenomenon in Pokémon Go since they were introduced many years ago to great reception, and in fact, Trainers are still receptive to them even now. Even though they're easier to get than even in the main series, the many ways that Pokémon can be caught in the game (particularly now) can make it mind-boggling to get certain Shiny forms of specific Pokémon with different characteristics. For that, the "handling" of Shiny Pokémon has had certain changes, some of which actually occurred last season. 

Going back to that, it was made so that if an evolved Pokémon can be Shiny (by virtue of the basic form having its Shiny form available), it too can be Shiny from the wild, and the chance for this would be greater from a raid capture or Egg hatch. Then, if a Pokémon can be Shiny, it too can be Shiny when rescued from Team Go Rocket, and likewise the chance for this would be greater from the leaders or the boss (Giovanni) compared to the Grunts. In this way, it becomes clear that things all - and now only - depend on the basic form being Shiny.

Previously, for the Team Go Rocket case, it was possible to get the Shiny form of a Shadow Pokémon if the species had first been featured in the lineups of the leaders before going to the Grunts. With the newer update as above, the role of leaders is now no longer to furnish the Shiny Shadow form for Pokémon species, but to try to make them more easily available to Trainers - being that the Shiny Shadow form no longer depends on the introduction of that specific form, just for the species (family) itself.

Even farther back, it had become the case that after the first few editions of Go Tour, the Shiny forms of Pokémon from the featured regions would become generally available - and that is still the case... at least mostly. More recent regions are subject to other restrictions that make this impossible (like Phione and Manaphy still not being in the game, and Victini still being Shiny locked in Pokémon Global Link). At least, the cases still represent an instance of Shiny handling being changed for broader availability for others.

After nearly a decade of its presence, Pokémon Go has become a treasure trove for hunters of Shiny Pokémon, whether or not they're already well-versed in their appearance and availability in the main series games. That treasure trove has evidently been updated or changed with regard to its handling for even greater and broader availability rather than less, which affirms the "treasure trove" aspect. With that, there is also less of a mind boggle and more enjoyment to be had, knowing that Shiny forms can easily manifest where they're wanted.

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Friday, June 12, 2026

Present Challenges of Pokémon Artists

Art is always a nice topic to discuss in connection with Pokémon, certainly because of the great inspiration that the franchise furnishes for artists who relate to it. This time, I thought of writing up a discussion on another aspect of Pokémon art, with the inclusion of some "challenging" qualities. They would pertain to the artists creating the Pokémon art, and the challenges they present can also be considered "problems" in some way. As such, it becomes an enigmatic as well as somewhat necessary topic to discuss.

The challenges concern both fan artists as well as official artists, two ends of which I had put into another discussion tied to a controversy nearly a year ago. It can then be said that the issue raised previously therein still has some relation to the challenges that I will be discussing, which in many ways also involve the aspect of creation. For both of them, the relation (as I've noted before) is cordial but in a way also tenuous, and that becomes reflected in the form of the challenges that pertain to them.

For fans, they have great freedoms (again, to a certain extent as I've noted) in creating art that involves Pokémon - which can be affirmed with a certain hashtag and certainly shouldn't be disparaging. Even with those great freedoms, there is also still the sense that beyond the expression that the art achieves, it may or may not be possible to gain a lot of recognition for them, perhaps if one is not of "Trainer K" caliber in style and speed. That's a challenge for which solutions may not come easily or quickly enough.

Meanwhile, official artists (in collaboration with the designers) have a slightly different issue: with the proliferation of fan art, including ones for hypothetical forms - for example, currently non-existent Mega Evolution forms - they also have to be cautious in some respects and not conceive something that resembles specific pieces of fan art in any way or form, lest the controversy as above can manifest itself again in a different form. This challenge reflects how Pokémon is very diverse these days and the difficulty it creates.

It's not always easy to create art of any kind, and that may be even more true when Pokémon art is involved, apart from the "challenges" as presented by the above situations. With official art on one side and fan art on the other that get along yet sometimes conflict, the situation can be perceived as actually being more complex than many people (fans) associated with Pokémon think it may be. Regardless, great art can and have resulted, and the ultimate challenge may be to keep them great in their ways.

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Thursday, June 11, 2026

Expanding the World of Pokopia

I'm sure many Pokémon fans are still enjoying the Pokopia spinoff game for building worlds, making creations, and fulfilling pleasures in general. There are going to be more of those actions, for an Expansion Pass (certainly, as DLC) has been announced for the game. As with any kind of DLC, it would add content and value - in a way, also burden - to the game, but it's also particularly interesting for this new spinoff game with it being somewhat popular recently. With that, even without me (potentially) playing the game, it's still fascinating to cover it on a post here, according to the information I've received.

The DLC content will come in parts, the first of which will be a free update for everyone (which makes it technically not a part of the DLC, but it's regardless relevant to the DLC content and mentioned in the bulletin for it) coming this August. Then, the content of the DLC proceeds with Part 1 just shortly after that, Part 2 sometime later this year, and Part 3 next year. As for purchasing the DLC, that can already be done now - making it like a "preorder", and in fact there is actually a bonus for purchasing now before the end of August - and all of the parts will come with the purchase as they are released.

As for what the parts will contain, the free update will introduce a necessary move for that purpose (Dive), and the player will have to complete prerequisites for learning that move. Part 1 will then extend that with an underwater town (Bubbly Basin) and related niceties, while Part 2 will have new features but no new towns, and Part 3 will have a new town and even more new things. It'll be a long wait for all of these niceties as per the above schedule, but there's also plenty of time to prepare for them (hopefully).

Even with me not playing the game, I can say that the planned content for the DLC is already looking like a truly great expansion for the game. I'm sure that many players have been wanting the first feature of interest - the ability to go underwater and develop things in that environment - for many Pokémon do make the water their home, after all. The rest of the content is not yet known to anyone, but the spirits of the game have to carry on in them and become as good as it is in the main game. 

With all that the game has offered, fans are still reaping pleasure and enjoyment from this game - something that I'd also like to take part in even briefly as a Pokémon fan - and making the most out of the substance. The incoming DLC will (and should) provide yet even more substance for that purpose and becomes a testament to the power and popularity of the game for offering a world that can truly build up (and down).

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Wednesday, June 10, 2026

Changing Daily Discoveries in Pokémon Go

Last season, Pokémon Go introduced "Daily Discoveries" as a way of filling up the days of the week with great activities and special bonuses. After a round of those activities and bonuses, which constitutes one season, they are now prime for some changes... and that's exactly what this season offers for them. As such, now I'd like to discuss what has changed, both majorly and minorly, and what other changes I'd like to see for them.

For the changes, there are a couple of important and major ones. "Fast-Track Monday" has been changed to just a regular Max Monday, with no doubling of Go Pass progression on that day. "Double-Time Sunday" has been changed to "Scenic Sunday" with bonuses pertaining to Routes - being able to encounter more Pokémon on them, including by Incense, and meeting Mateo up to three times on that day. All other parts of Daily Discoveries remain the same as they are, but a few things also need to be noted for them...

...which are essentially the minor changes. Max Monday has actually since last season featured many more Power Spots as well, which continues to this day and is a welcome one. "Showcase Tuesday" now allows Trainers to put Pokémon in five of them, more than ever before, and more of them also show up. "Friendship Friday" now also has greater rewards and community check-in for even more of them. As for the "unofficial" one of "Community Saturdays", that may remain as such and be susceptible to other changes.

These changes are great in some ways and not in others, so now I want to bring up my own, personal takes on them. Even with changed Showcases and more of them, they may still be far and few between, so I'd like to see still more of them - and perhaps bring back Spotlight Hour in earnest rather than as a one-off like in March and April. The truly new "Scenic Sunday" of this season may be useful for those who venture out on that day and less so for those who don't, but the triple Mateo meeting can and should be useful.

Change is inevitable for Daily Discoveries, particularly given the dynamic nature of Pokémon Go itself, and they have presented themselves exactly one season after the implementation of the group of features. Though not wide-reaching, Trainers may still need to adapt their ways of playing to some of these changes and keep the "discoveries" going while still hoping that others could be made as future "discoveries" even later on.

Four years ago: Bots in Pokémon Unite
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Tuesday, June 9, 2026

Quickies: On the Pokémon World Stage

Sometimes, I'm reminded that as said by a certain figure, the world is all but a "stage", and everyone plays something on that. Since Pokémon exists in a world all its own, it would also represent (or be represented by) a "stage" of its own, by extension and consideration of the quote; that would then also go for the people in it and conceivably the Pokémon, since the latter can and have been proven to be quite sentient. As a respite from the objective posts that I've written up lately - and as partially indicated by the title - I thought I'd write up something that would consider that quote and do so in a (relatively, evidently) speedy manner.

With that, further according to the quote, the roles of everyone can be quite different. There would be leaders and followers (Captain Pikachu and the Rising Volt Tacklers come to mind - although they may also rotate among the roles at times), bosses and lackeys (Team Rocket and the other villainous teams), and even those with supreme power (Legendary Pokémon and others of similar kind). All of them play out on the world stage... and then there would be me and others as Trainers, breeders, and connectors (and even chefs at times) to try to relate to them all and mix things up every now and then, or even all of the time with daily interaction.

The way that the world is, it always needs the contribution of everyone to shape it (which would seem to be the case back when the quote was expressed and remains true in the present time). For that, both the real world and the Pokémon world have a great deal of "actors" on their "stages" who are ready to deliver life-changing performances for themselves and others who watch them. Further, the sights may not always be beautiful - as attested by an interpretative extension to that quote - but then that's how performances are, especially with the stories of Pokémon. Regardless, the "acts" on the stage continue to dazzle. 

(...perhaps hopefully in a quicker manner too?)

One year ago: Going through the 00s
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