Those who have opened Pokémon Go over the past day or so, particularly for a specific event, might have noticed strange raid boss eggs in certain Gyms that take a day to hatch, and then hatched today as raids with a Mythical and Legendary surprise. These new raids constitute something new for something a little old, as well as something beyond extraordinary - that is, "elite". Aptly, they're called Elite Raids, and they're the biggest and most intense things to happen yet to raids in Pokémon Go.
As it has become evident, the raids began life as raid boss eggs that became present in very specific Gyms over the course of the past day after the main part of Community Day ended, up to 24 hours after that. The raids then started the next day (today) at varying times, at 11 AM, 2 PM, and 5 PM. Though the time it took for the raid bosses to hatch was quite extensive, Trainers were only given a mere 30 minutes to take on the challenge and defeat the raid boss - of course, they can gather and should have already gathered parties over the course of that extended hatch time. Further, like recent raids that took place after the main part of Community Day, these raids are "Local" only, meaning that Trainers must be on the spot to raid, and remote passes may not be used.
Meanwhile, the raid boss of the day is (or was, at least in my local area) Hoopa in its Unbound form. For those who didn't obtain Hoopa during last year's Season of Mischief, today is the opportunity to do so, with the option to convert to the Confined form afterwards. Though they are stated to be Level 5 raids, they're more appropriate to be stated as Level 6 due to their toughness. This seems to be all the more true, given my experience with it - more to come shortly. The red "aura" and glowing clouds around the raid boss egg should have already been a clear and present indication that these raids are going to be more difficult than normal ones of similar metric.
Uniquely, there's something in common about all these raids: they are all situated in Gyms that are marked as EX Raid Gyms. It is known that since current conditions took effect, there have been no EX Raids of any kind (like the one I had four years ago - see below). Still, there have been more of these Gyms added since, including a few in my local area, and they await the return of proper EX Raids. These new Elite Raids may not really be considered as being that - they require no invitations and can be accessed by any on-the-spot Trainer - but it's still fascinating that they use the framework of these Gyms.
In my experience, these raids delivered on their quality, being "elite". I participated in one this morning with six Trainers and average counters, but it didn't work out; it was only when three more joined that things worked out. One would literally have needed to have all the proper counters (Bug in this case) including Mega Evolution and powered up as high as possible in order to reliably defeat this with fewer Trainers. It may be that the Trainers in one of my groups realized this, resulting in us backing out of an afternoon opportunity.
One final note: it was reported that by defeating Hoopa, the Legendary bird trio of Kanto would appear in the surrounding area depending on what time the raid was defeated (Articuno at 11 AM, Zapdos at 2 PM, Moltres at 5PM), as indicated by an on-screen timer. In my case, though, none seemed to appear, and of course there were not enough takers for everyone locally to verify - others may have (had) better luck.
While it is true that these new Elite Raids don't have the makings of a replacement for EX Raids, the fact that they peruse the system is still neat. Even so, Trainers will find these raids uncommonly challenging and will have to step up to the plate when the time comes (again) to battle in them. Those who can will likely certainly have proved their worth to be called "elite", just as these raids have proven to be as such in their state.
One year ago: Quickies: Real Interest in Pokémon Sweet Treats
Two years ago: Hunting for Rewards from the Go Battle League
Three years ago: Where I Want to Go
Four years ago: (Improving the) Local EX Raid, 10/16/2018
Five years ago: Trainer Fashion
No comments:
Post a Comment
Hi folks! Feel free to comment, but know that I'll be selecting only the most appropriate and relevant comments to appear. Think before you post.