Trainers of Might and Sorcery

The Silph League Arena is a popular way for Trainers in Pokémon Go to test their might and mettle while also having fun with the dynamics of its rotating monthly themes. Those dynamics can indeed be very funky, as is the case for this month. The theme this month is called "Sorcerous", and with that being the case, there is a certain magical aura that is present along with this month's testing of Trainers. It becomes wondrous, in a sense. 

As with past SLA themes, there are the restrictions to consider. For this theme, the Pokémon must have at least one of five types: Ice, Poison, Fairy, Psychic, and Normal. This becomes a fascinating mix of types, because considering purely these five types, the most dynamic interactions are from Poison to Fairy and from Psychic to Poison. This means that secondary types and moves of other types, including those of the other two included types as above, will have a major impact on the rest of the interactions that occur in the battles. They become even more important with this theme. 

These are not the only restrictions. In order to prevent them from "taking over" team compositions, Dewgong and Alolan Raichu are not allowed to be used. Shadow Pokémon, due to their extreme power and rarity, are also not allowed in order to level the field. Finally, the second Charged move Stardust restriction last seen for the Fusion theme is back, allowing only Pokémon species with second Charged moves that cost 50 thousand Stardust or less. This last restriction effectively disallows Legendary and Mythical Pokémon, which require 100 thousand Stardust, as well as strong contenders (including pseudo-Legendary Pokémon) that require 75 thousand Stardust. Overall, the list of allowed species boils down to around 200 species, about one-third of what is available now. 

The Stardust restriction forces Trainers to opt for budget options or "investments" as they did five months ago with Fusion, but that may be good since the last few themes may have goaded them to spend more than what may have been necessary. Still, with the core allowed types and their extension to the allowed species, some previous investments that have been made may come in handy one way or another. The dynamics of this theme may not become apparent at a glance or on the surface, but insightful examinations should reveal the perfect team setups.

Supposedly, what really matters is strategy. Though this arguably matters for any theme that the SLA offers, it seems to matter even more for this month's theme. That also comes with a side of magical things as indicated by the title of said theme and the restrictions contained within it. For that, this month is where Trainers on the SLA unleash their might and mettle with Pokémon based on restrictions and strategies that are as wondrous as they are intricate.

One year ago: Local EX Raid (Time and Again), 6/3/2019

Two years ago: Classical and New HP Heal Amounts

Three years ago: 3DS Pokémon Themes