A Taste of the Poison Paradise

While still on the subject of "toxic" things, there is one more of these to explain. As I've explained in the previous post, the concept of "Toxic" very much applies in the main series of Pokémon games; however, this is not so the case in its revolutionary brethren of Pokémon Go. That is, except for this month, for which it becomes the theme of the Silph League Arena. It does seem kind of strange to hold this theme right now when things are really dicey (which I may or may not discuss in a separate post), but this theme beckons regardless.

For this theme, the inclusions and exclusions are very simple. What's in (the former) are Pokémon that are of the Normal, Bug, Ground, Grass, and Poison (surprise!) types. What's out (the latter) are the three species of Tropius, Noctowl, and Vigoroth, as well as any Pokémon that have both Water and Ground types (Quagsire, Swampert, and so on), the last of which are playfully referred to as "mudbois (mud boys)" since soil and water combine to make mud. The theme also appears to be similar to the Jungle theme from last year, almost like an expanded version of it. With these inclusions and exclusions, there is really no need for an "approval list" like most of the more recent themes, but one is available regardless for convenience and certainly administrative purposes.

With this theme, it's easy to see how things play out in a general sense. Bug types play into Grass types, Grass types play into Ground types, Ground types play into Poison types, and Poison types play into Bug types, forming a square loop. Poison types additionally play into Grass types, while Ground types additionally at the very least hinders Bug types, taking care of the "diagonals". The inclusion of Normal types allows for the inclusion of many Pokémon with secondary types that can play into or hold back any of the above, such as the Pidgey family with their secondary type of Flying. This is certainly a general overview and does not preclude specific happenings, especially with multiple types in the mix.

Indeed, a good number of Pokémon having these types have been shown to be very well suited for this theme, and many of them have secondary types that can complicate the general relationships above. Deciding which ones to include, though, may still depend on the whims of Trainers as well as what Pokémon are generally conveniently available. The exclusion of the so-called "mud boys" is in fact beneficial as they have tended to be major contenders in past themes, and the void that they have left becomes neatly filled in by the Pokémon that wouldn't otherwise be viable for usage. What's left is to see which ones can work with Trainer styles and resources in order to make it to the top.

As noted above, this theme comes at a time when some sort-of related things are up in the air. Even with that, there is still quite a bit of intrigue for it regarding its stipulations and how things can play out. Trainers regardless seem happy to snap up this theme just like they do for all other themes. While it isn't the same "Toxic" as for the main series games, it has its own appeal, which as the lyrics of a certain related song that is also referenced in the title of this post describes, is a certain "addiction" and "love" - hopefully also not of the same kind of bad behaviors.

One year ago: Everybody, Polkamon
Two years ago: Action or Strategy?
Three years ago: Thank Heaven for Little Boys