Stepping into the Marsh

I've covered a couple of Go Battle League initiatives that somewhat resemble those of the Silph Arena, and now it seems like the perfect time to dip back into the latter. The month has turned over after all, so it would indeed be time to discuss a new challenge by way of the cup or theme that the Arena has for the current month. And this time, the Arena has Trainers stepping into some murky territory with certain creepy things that may just spook out Trainers if they're not careful. That territory would be the marsh, and Marsh becomes the cup or theme for the month.

As is always the case, there are a few restrictions that are in play. They begin with the allowed types, which for this cup or theme are Bug, Ghost, Grass, Poison, and Water. Pokémon with dual types that have any of these types are still fair game, and no other types are excluded. However, there are two Pokémon that are on the ban list, which are Tropius and Abomasnow; both have been known to be meta fillers and dominators in the past, even with the status of the former as a regional Pokémon. Mega Evolution is also still disallowed to keep things evenly fair.

Now, for those who have just freshly "come off the boat" of the Halloween theme for GBL, it would be wise to prepare to "board it again" (though obviously under a different name and situation), for many of the big-name Pokémon that became meta then are still meta now, including Galvantula, which is even more of a key point. While a few Pokémon are excluded due to type restrictions, a few (such as the "mud boys" of Water and Ground types) become included due to them. In a pinch, some of the same teams of three Pokémon for Halloween with some modifications may just work, as in fact three of the included types are shared.

For a party of six that the Arena demands, things get a little more complicated. As above, Galvantula becomes practically the heart of the team, and is likely to be included if possible. The task becomes to include a defense and a counter for it, which includes the "mud boys" and a few others. That still isn't enough, as the defenders and counters also need to be defended and countered, and that becomes the task for the rest of the big-name Pokémon. Proper selections of defenders and counters should create a team that can resist other teams and/or quickly take them down.

The marsh may be considered a potentially spooky place with all the surprises that it holds. For this cup or theme, though, some of those "surprises" may be considered all too familiar from a recently-concluded spooky outing all its own. With that in mind, as Trainers step into the Marsh of the Silph Arena, they'll have to watch out for the "surprises" they know from before and others that are new grounds for the cup or theme in order to succeed. In doing so, they can then navigate through the murky territory, becoming prepared for whatever is inside or outside it.

One year ago: Tournament: Raid Group Ferocious Cup

Two years ago: 3D Printing and Pokémon

Three years ago: (Mid-)Generational Updates