Item Runs in Pokémon Shuffle

Before starting a stage in Pokémon Shuffle, a player may have the choice to use any or all of a selection of items to assist playing the stage. Depending on the limitations of the stages and the Pokémon that one has available for playing the stages, sometimes the items may be absolutely necessary, and other times they might not. The usage of these items gives rise to a specific term: "item run", which refers to the way the usage of items is carried out. The term is of linguistic interest to me, but it is also of interest to discuss its realization. 

There are two common ways that this may be realized. The first is a "full item run", by which all available items are used to play the stage. Those with underpowered Pokémon are likely to opt for these runs for some stages, as it may be to clear the stage in question. The second way it might be realized is as a "no item (or itemless) run", which is clearly not using any items whatsoever to play the stage. Those who possess Pokémon that have been fully powered up and/or enhanced are likely to play some stages in this way and be able to save some coins for other endeavors, including other "item runs". Of course, playing a stage with just a few items is quite possible, but in many cases, "item runs" come down these two cases. 

What slightly complicates matters is that not all items are available on every stage. For example, some Competitive Stages may have only a small subset of items available for use, and other Special Stages - most notably the unlocked Ultra Beast stages - disallow items from being used. While it may be hard to consider a run as being "itemless" when no items can be used in the first place, the limited available items in some stages may still constitute a "full item run" so long as as the items are being used. Aside from these complications, "item runs" can virtually take place on any stage in any condition. 

As an aside, but still somewhat related, there is a facility that makes a "full item run" not only feasibly possible but also convenient. For stages with a number of available assist items, an Item Bundle option is available that essentially allows the use of all of those items. Instead of using coins to pay for them or using up spare items, one pays for all of the items with a Jewel. It might seem costly to use up a Jewel for this purpose, but it may be even more costly to spend coins or item stocks, especially if coins are hard to come by and it is desirable to save up item stocks. Usage of this option essentially entails a "full item run" as all available items are put into play, but it works well in that regard.

Players of Pokémon Shuffle will always have to contend with the items available for use on a stage, and this leads to "item runs" for the relevant stages. They may be "full item runs" to take in all the necessary items (with or without an Item Bundle) to help out the Pokémon as much as possible, or they may be "itemless runs" to go through the greatest challenge with the best Pokémon available. Beyond the term being a simple linguistic descriptor, there is quite a bit that goes into the consideration of how it's to be executed for the myriad of stages in Pokémon Shuffle.

One year ago: Remember, Remember

Two years ago: Community Raid Days?

Three years ago: Pokémon and Party Games