Wednesday, September 7, 2022

Rising to the Occasion: Theia Sky Ruins

Throughout the first year or so in Pokémon Unite, Trainers were entertained by the goings-on of the Remoat Stadium battle arena (also called a "map"). There are its high points and low points, but they had to be conquered for success, especially at the highest level - the World Championships, in a glorious first time of its kind. Now, they are effectively demanded to do just that (all over) again, this time rising possibly ever higher than before with a completely new battle arena, for which the venue is high in the sky - most literally.

Enter the Theia Sky Ruins. This new sky-high battle arena or map replaces Remoat Stadium as the venue for Standard and Ranked matches as of the start of the new season earlier this month. Instead of the futuristic environment of Remoat Stadium, Theia Sky Ruins is set in the shambles of a bygone civilization, elevated up high in the heavens. The Magnemite encircling the arena with cameras and information panels should already be an indication that one will really have to elevate gameplay, as does the heroic musical accompaniment.

Overall, the mechanics are mostly the same as Remoat Stadium, but there are both minor and major differences. Bunnelby and Baltoy litter the map, along with Indeedee and Xatu in certain positions; others in regular roles are Accelgor and Escavalier instead of Ludicolo and Tauros, as well as the Swablu family instead of the Combee family as the "herd" group. The arena also has a pathway network that may be described as being more open than its predecessor while being more intricate, even with the similarly-placed and structured objectives.

As for major differences, those concern the Pokémon in the middle. On the lower middle, there are the first three of the "titan" Pokémon (Regirock, Regice, and Registeel), one of which is selected randomly with each appearance and boosts a stat when defeated. On the upper middle, there is Regieleki, which fulfills more or less the same role as Rotom, and in the middle, there is Rayquaza who grants temporary scoring invincibility rather than defenseless goals when defeated, which may be said to be a fairer alternative.

Being that the new battle arena or map is part of Ranked matches right off the bat, Trainers will also have to get used to it straight away or as soon as possible, most likely through several plays of Standard matches. The random appearance of the "titans" in the lower path also introduces a luck-based element that may or may not have to be taken advantage of, depending on who appears. Even going for the middle might be rather dicey and ultimately may have to depend on the will of the team, further underscoring coordination.

Pokémon Unite has only entered its second year, and gameplay only has ramped up since that first year. That said, Trainers may really have to be challenged anew and to greater heights in this second year, and the new Theia Sky Ruins battle arena or map appears to be able to fulfill that nicely with a blend of familiar targets as well as new challenges that should befit Trainers and the Pokémon that they can and will play. Given the situation up to this time, it really is not much of a stretch to say that they need to "rise to the occasion" toward the Theia Sky Ruins.

Three years ago: TCG, Order and Chaos
Four years ago: Artistic Routine

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