Thursday, October 15, 2026

New Pokémon Go Feature Update: Making Sense of Things

Recently, Pokémon Go put in an update to the game as usual, but it contained several more updates to features than usual (or what is usually perceived). The update was also highlighted in a news bulletin on the game's web site, which effectively also highlighted its significance. With that being the case, I thought I'd also highlight that significance by covering the update in a single post; additionally, it would serve to "make sense of things" related to the update.

Some of these feature updates pertain to usability. Zygarde Cells are now collected by a pop-up at the end of a Route instead of hunting them around the map, which had been somewhat dicey by Trainer experience; it is still a chance regardless and not a guarantee. A confirmation warning now also shows for Pokémon with perfect (100%) IV, and they are integrated into the warning system as well, which should be useful for those who might be dealing with Pokémon of this kind from time to time, including if they happen to be captured by accessory devices.

Then there are the feature updates related to the map. The compass and weather icons are now one; the latter is the default while the former appears when a map action is performed. They retain their functions... but it seems the former might be a bit too fast for some to catch when it appears, and this may need to be rectified in a future update. Meanwhile, if encounters happen to overlap waypoint features, the spacing has been rectified so that the encounters can be activated - this last point being very important for Incense users on a regular basis.

Lastly, check-ins to Community Ambassador meetups are now facilitated through the game map (accessed from the Nearby tab or game web site) by tapping on the meetup pin on the map and choosing "Check In", though the normal requirements of doing so (15 minutes prior to the start) still needs to be met. This simply serves as an additional facilitation to checking in by the Campfire app, but it may still be helpful in some ways regardless for certain Trainers.

While some aspects of the above changes make their benefits evident, yet others may not be immediately as such, each of them show their significance in a sensible way. As such, that also affirms the sensibility of them being rolled up together as a single package and informed to Trainers in that manner. After this point, they can find their own sensibilities for each aspect.

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Wednesday, October 14, 2026

Buying a Magikarp

In the first-generation games, a shady guy in the Pokémon Center at Mt. Moon would offer a Magikarp for sale, which the player Trainer can choose to buy if they do so. Even so, by many respects, the offering can be considered a "scam" because Magikarp can be commonly found through fishing in many areas, and therefore one doesn't need to buy it. Yet the offering still remains, and it's a curiosity that can be discussed from certain sides - the above being one.

Those who watch the anime will know that James was presented with the same offer at the start of the "SS Anne arc", and he took it up for all it's worth, essentially meaning that he bought into the "scam". After all the turmoil of the arc, however, it did evolve into Gyarados... and that also brought about the arc's conclusion (for best perceptions, please watch that arc directly). Thus, there is a certain "power" in actually buying into the offer or "scam" as it is.

For that, it seems that buying into the "scam" may just be worthwhile to try to obtain different IVs or other aspects. And then there is of course the fact that Magikarp evolves into Gyarados - which essentially puts the "scam" perception into question. It seems that it could only be considered a "scam" if the money is considered simply lost, while if it is considered to be an "investment" for the better things above, then at least some value may still be placed upon it.

With that consideration, I've essentially "bought a Magikarp" recently, though it wasn't a total nor severe loss. In fact, it did essentially amount to a Magikarp (or a few) for the recipient, so it was essentially, like the above, an "investment" in it. While I will most probably never see the "return" on my investment - or even the Magikarp evolve into Gyarados - the value that I perceive as being inherent to it keeps me from thinking too much otherwise about it now.

Although I wouldn't suggest that others venture to buy Magikarp of the realistic or imagined kind, I would say that at times it might be necessary to consider that things have happened essentially amount to as such. Meanwhile, the shady guy at the Mt. Moon Pokémon Center continues to peddle Magikarp for those looking to buy into his "scam"... or put in a sort of "investment" for bigger and better things, at least when said Magikarp can and does evolve.

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Tuesday, October 13, 2026

Unite Is Now Mar-Vee-Lous

Although Pokémon Unite is in a state of decline, it's worthy to try to salvage and improve that state, especially by putting in things that the game has needed. Presently, that has been done by making the game "mar-vee-lous", as stated in the title of this post... with "vee" being the operative part, which would certainly refer to Eevee as the Pokémon with a multitude of evolved forms and becomes key to the current effort. In fact, it's so key that the effort makes things "complete", in a manner of speaking.

That's because the last two Unite Licenses for the "Eeveelutions" have been implemented in the game, being Flareon (as an All-Rounder) and Jolteon (as a Speedster). Vaporeon (as a Defender) had been implemented on its own some time ago (with two forms preceding it), and they complete the run of the evolved forms of Eevee as I had posed, with all of them now present in the game. Whether Eevee itself might appear as a separate Unite License with "specific evolution" is not known with certainty, but it could be a possibility.

With their entry, the Eevee Festival (in a reduced capacity) and the Eevee Appeal-O-Rama map (with all forms playable) are brought back, the latter also needing to be played to get the new Unite Licenses for practically minimal effort. A few goodies can still be earned as well by putting in effort into the event, but other than that, getting the new Unite Licenses is the big priority of the current event while taking advantage of the celebration.

Now that the "Eeveelutions" are all in the game, a milestone could be said to have been achieved with the game having this large and quite renowned species family. Yet it also does give a pause with the game's state of decline as mentioned above, with considerations of whether its entry can keep the game sustained. At least, it may sustain fans of this rather large species family and allow them to experience the game with it.

If anything, Pokémon Unite is at heart still a marvelous game, and the presence of every one of the evolved members of the Eevee species family becomes a manifestation of that "mar-vee-lous" quality through what the game can stand to include. Now, the inclusion of all of them has to try to make the game stand up even in what seems to be the most dreary of days.

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Monday, October 12, 2026

Quickies: Spinning the V-Wheel (Win-Win)

The last time I mentioned the V-Wheel was a very long time ago when this blog had only just proceeded into its second year and I was looking for some Pokémon humor. The curiosity belongs to the Mythical Pokémon of Victini, and it's present in Mystery Dungeon: Gates to Infinity. It also seems to make for a good talking point - in the particular case of this blog, yet again - and I'd like to frame it around more of my experiences as well as the experience of dealing with the Pokémon for whom the wheel spins.

Victini as the aforementioned Pokémon and possessor of the characteristic item has a certain repute of being victorious even if the situation may not exactly warrant that to happen. Thus, spinning the V-Wheel may just make one feel victorious no matter what the results may be. Still, for the game in question, it may take quite a bit of time before players feel a true sense of victory, and that comes way later after they deal with the V-Wheel for the first time. That's a situation that many would like to be in or feel.

Meanwhile, as for the "win-win" part that is referenced by the title of this post, that may just be taken as the above situation and the related perception, in addition to other situations where two parties achieve favorable and amiable results. Yet that may be challenging at times  - especially now - because life situations (and even Pokémon ones) don't necessarily come out in this way. But if they do, then it could be considered that the V-Wheel has been figuratively spun, and the results are acceptable for the concern of all parties.

Some Pokémon have a way of consolidating and making evident their repute, and Victini could be said to be one of those Pokémon, in particular with the specific item for the specific game above. The sense of humor is still there about the item, but now so does the perception of being able to achieve a victory by interacting with it... and taking into stride whatever results were gotten by the results of the interaction. Victini may just be glad of whatever impact its V-Wheel has made possible to occur for the truest "victory".
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Sunday, October 11, 2026

New TCGP Battles Incoming

Previously, I had mentioned in my preview of the latest "summative" expansion for TCGP that big things are coming for the game, and that is in fact happening - in more than one way. One of those ways is changing up a few things related to battles and their execution, which is intended to make them more intuitive and attractive. That is also due to occur as the game paves the way for future updates after the expansion, and since a few things have "settled" from being "up in the air" - also as mentioned - it becomes necessary to write about them.

First, the battles in the "Step-Up Battles" section will change at the end of the month to a different form with a different difficulty progression, and the ones currently available will be removed along with all their rewards. Therefore, this write-up becomes a bit of a PSA as well for players who actively seek rewards, in order to partake and/or complete those battles and earn as many rewards as possible; the end of the month is not that far away, and much can still stand to be gained by dealing with as many of the predetermined battles before they change.

Then, there will be a few changes to deck building and usage. Community Decks are to be implemented to let players build (or rather, "copy") decks from other players to simplify deck-building further. Rental Decks are also to be made available as soon as new expansions appear and will be unlimited in usage, unlike the current limit of 10; they'll also be able to be used more broadly. Currently existing Theme Deck Lists and Rental Decks are also to be phased out, however, so there is a bit of an urgency in using and preserving these as well for future use.

Some other additions and changes will also complement the ones I've explained above. A new "limited battle" event is planned after each expansion with restrictions on card usage are to deliver fresh experiences for new and old players alike, with attractive rewards. Meanwhile and most importantly, the cycle between new expansions are to be lengthened to six weeks (about one and a half months) compared to the current standard of four weeks (or one month). This should also resolve "pack fatigue" issues in addition to giving players more time to battle.

Having been around for close to two years now, it can be argued that some of the workings of TCGP are getting stale, and that would seem to apply to the ones related to the card battles in the game. As such, the refresh of those workings by the upcoming changes that have been detailed above is something that is very much needed, in addition to fixing the problems that may be associated with them. Players ought to be able to look forward to new experiences of battling in the game as they look forward to future expansions and the cards that they bring.

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Saturday, October 10, 2026

Pokémon Go Community Day, 10/10/2026

October is always a captivating month for Community Day, since the featured Pokémon have been quite different over the years, from thematic (that is, to the month's prime event) to less thematic ones. The one for this year's occasion can be considered quite thematic by its abilities, yet it may also be considered less so by way of its greater relations to the Pokémon world. Yet it's still what is being served for this month, so life goes on with apparitions that may not always be what they seem.

That is, in fact, a big clue, since this month's featured Pokémon is Zorua. It evolves once to Zoroark, and for the purpose of this edition, it gets the Fast move of Sucker Punch. Now, those familiar with recent Pokémon discoveries will know that the species has a Hisuian regional form, and based on prior editions, the variant could have stood to be included... but it's not, so the Unova form is just here for that purpose. That's the "less thematic" aspect about it for this Dark-type species family that is so thematic for the present. Meanwhile, Zorua still has its transformative apparitions for any Buddy Pokémon one has (even Zorua itself), which is kind of odd, but perhaps makes things even.

And then, there are the usual bonuses. The primary bonus this time is triple XP catch (for the ones still seeking it) with the usual double Candy and Candy XL chance, three-hour Incense, one-hour Lure Modules with the "extension bonus", photo bombs, an extra Special trade, and discounted trades. Research also has the usual Field Research offerings, Timed Research sets from community meetup check-ins, and the extra paid Special Research - this time being titled "Trickster's Trail" - that contain Zorua directly with no transformation trickery, even if that is what makes them what they are.

Meanwhile, this edition has prompted a "trickster trail" of my own in order to get the featured Pokémon going, not to mention other things. As usual, that involves a person I know well, someone associated with that person, and a conversation among the three of us for what's relevant to today's happening...

Goh: Zorua, huh?

Ash: Hey, I've dealt with a friend's once!

Pikachu: Pi pika pika! ["I remember that!"]

Goh: That's a neat story.

Me: I'd agree. So, how'd you do today?

Ash: I just got one Shiny. Some of the others didn't many either...

Me: I'd heard. Well, at least the resources should be great for whatever you got.

Ash: Sure! I got an almost perfect one.

Goh: There you go. Oh, by the way, you're here, and...

Ash: With my Unova outfit in the faraway place.

Goh: There must have been something planned.

Me: There was, but unfortunately Ash can't be in two places at once this time. (Neither can I.)

Goh: Well, I'm sorry. Maybe Ash can be there next time.

Me: I hope so too. And it won't have to be a Zorua or Zoroark illusion.

Ash: Yeah. And I'm sure it'd be just as fun as that time.

Pikachu: Chu pika. ["Looks fun."]

Zorua and Zoroark are all about their transformative trickery, making them thematic for this month's Community Day edition - albeit their Hisuian alternates will have to wait for another edition, from the looks of things. At least, the part of the Community Day that has to deal with catching the right ones remains appropriate, regardless of edition and thematic quality, for the right transformations to be found.

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Friday, October 9, 2026

More Ways to Earn Macarons - Possible?

Some three years ago, as part of its third anniversary, Café Remix introduced Macarons, a new item to uncap Pokémon at level 20 and allow them to reach level 25. Since then, the pace of obtaining the item has been steady... at a low rate, that is. That pace may seem to need some help somehow, and for that, I'd like to discuss how these items could stand to be earned (as well, possibly in greater amounts) to allow even more Pokémon that are hired as staff to reach those high levels.

Currently, the items are earned through daily missions that reward two or three of the items (different kinds), which totals 20 of the items, five of each kind, over the course of a week. It can already be surmised that the amount is low, so I would propose a "weekend special" that rewards another - that is, one more - of the items for each kind on the weekend, and that would accelerate the earning of the items, even just a bit, for old and new players alike to help the leveling progress.

Meanwhile, as an alternative (or addition) to the above, current and future Pokémon visit events could be made to allow more of the items to be earned. Presently, the ones with Slow Cooking allow one to be earned for free, but the ones with One-Minute Cooking require a Mighty Menu purchase, and even then only one can still be earned. Two free and two paid would perhaps make for a better alternative for both kinds of players while allowing some freedom in earning.

It should be noted that the monthly goals right now do allow the items to be earned - but this is only for those who have paid for the Premium Pass, which means that free players are at a disadvantage. Of course, this can and should be rectified to allow free players to obtain some of the items, even if just a little bit, to even out what they may have obtained (or not) from the current daily efforts. Whatever efforts will certainly have to wait for the game to update its state to a better one.

Even though many Pokémon can and have already been prepared to level up with whatever Macarons have been earned in the game up to now, it does seem that it's still limited, in a sense, especially with the multitude of Pokémon that are already in the game. Adding more ways to earn Macarons may be helpful in that regard for all current players in any state, and it may make up for the current deficiencies as outlined above; not to mention, the Pokémon won't be deficient.

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