General Community Day Prospects

About a year ago, I discussed about prospects - as the things that might just happen - for Community Day in Pokémon Go and specifically its Classic edition. Lo and behold, two of them (Beldum and Ralts) eventually became realized, with the third still waiting for its turn. With such a state of affairs, I then thought about discussing the prospects for Community Day in general, and now that's exactly what I want to do - to see where the monthly event might be headed and what to expect for it.

The Classic edition still serves as a good place to start. Based on the editions that have taken place thus far, an obvious prospect would be Chikorita as another gap filler, considering its kin from Johto have gotten the treatment. Then it would move on to the ones from Hoenn (Treecko, Torchic), and then... perhaps oddities like Weedle, Abra, and Gastly - all of which have final evolved forms with Mega Evolution - could stand to be repeated as one or more Classic editions. Given time, they all could be fair game.

Meanwhile, for the regular edition, it is almost certain that this year will see all of the starters or first partners from Paldea, with the last of them (Quaxly) due for its turn any time. Next year, then, the ones of the remaining region present but not represented (Galar) will be featured - certainly to get things rolling. Then, it will be all for these Pokémon... unless they, like Charmander, get a second turn with an unexpected move, but that is rather a last resort, and not exactly what Trainers may want or need - in contrast to "dragons in June".

Some unusual fodder could also be at hand for the regular edition. Since there have now been a few rounds of dual-region lines, something unusual like the Grimer family might just pop up - though this too is a last resort. Less of a last resort would be the Applin family with its wild evolution line, but the family has only been fairly recently introduced, so it would take some time. Most unusually, the Cosmog family could pop up since it's composed of three stages... but the thought of this is as outlandish as it is sensible.

If any of these general prospects for Community Day have anything in common, it is that they all follow certain sorts of patterns, and those patterns are maintained after eight years of the monthly event - even with a few hiccups along the way. And where the patterns lead, there lies the prospects of the future, all waiting to be realized in some way, sooner if not later. They are what they are, and with time, anything can be possible, including their realization as had been outlined even for a specific sub-edition.

One year ago: Driving and Loving with Pokémon

Two years ago: Possible Silph Successors?

Three years ago: I Love You, As Long As You Are

Four years ago: Trainer Rank in Pokémon Shuffle

Five years ago: Pokémon Go Community Day, 6/20/2020

Six years ago: Thematic Battles

Seven years ago: Losing Touch and Keeping in Touch

Eight years ago: Pokémon Exclusivity

Held Items in Pokémon Unite

In all the times I've dealt with Pokémon Unite and wrote about its facets on this blog, it seems unbelievable that I haven't directly covered the facet I'm about to cover and I only had mentioned it indirectly, as in the case of "builds" for specific Pokémon. And yet, it's also so key to the workings of the game, not to mention having other particularities of its own that are worthy of discussion even now. It is therefore fitting to make that discussion and delve into the facet into some (and greater) depth for its understanding.

The facet is certainly that of held items, which all Pokémon in the game can carry three into battle. Some of these items are based on items in the main series games, like the Focus Band (previously mentioned), Weakness Policy, and Amulet Coin (recently introduced). Others are unique to the mechanics of the game, such as the Score Shield (previously mentioned), Slick Spoon, and Rescue Hood. New items are certain to be introduced to keep the dynamics of the game changing and fresh, alongside the Pokémon.

Each item is upgradeable to level 30 ("Max Grade") with the use of Item Enhancers that can be either earned or purchased - likely the latter if one is serious to get more than the earned ones can provide. If one is unsure, though, one can use a 7-Day Trial Coupon for this purpose to see if the upgrade works out. For other items that work out, one can also use the Super Item Enhancer to upgrade an item to Max Grade and recoup the Item Enhancers used for that purpose. Judgment of these three situations remains the discretion of the player.

Such is also true of the usage of the items, which constitutes the "build" for the Pokémon as mentioned. Those who are certain might have already made their "builds" by trying things out, but for those who are less certain, they can use sets made by other players through the Example Sets feature in the Held Items menu. This also offers exploration potential and a quick way of accomplishing that - especially for Pokémon that fewer players use, yet others need to get up and running for certain purposes.

As for other aspects, there are but a couple. Zacian is notable for having a permanent held item, the Rusted Sword, which is also already at Max Grade, and so it only can (and needs to) bring two other held items. Longtime players also will likely - or rather, should - have had all their held items upgraded to Max Grade, which also becomes another prompt for the continued addition of new items alongside just challenging players anew with combinations that they may never have thought of before and have great battle potential.

Held items have been a longstanding concept or facet in the main series games, so it was natural to bring it to Unite, itself being a part of the MOBA games family for which others have similar implementations. Likewise, though, they all require some understanding of the aspects that may be involved aside from the functions of the items themselves, which might take some time... just like for this post to be made about the ones in Unite. The essentials as above may just point players and their Pokémon in the right direction in battle.

One year ago: Saving (Preserving) Pokémon Locations

Two years ago: The Flurry of Unite Team Creation

Three years ago: Say You Love Me (Not)

Four years ago: Earthing with Pokémon

Five years ago: Taking Pictures of Pokémon

Six years ago: LINE Pokémon Emoji

Seven years ago: The Super Incubator

Eight years ago: The Badge Arcade Hit Its Limits

Cosplay: Amphoreus Cup 25 - Futsal and Cosplay

Me: Welcome to an instance of "midweek characters".

Goh: Right in the middle of the week, huh. I remember you and Ash dealing with this. 

Ash: Yeah! This one from way back and the one from years ago. [See below for the latter.]

Goh: But those were on Saturdays. What's one doing in the middle of the week?

Me: Well, I'm sure some people are free today at this time of year, like the students who compete in the same tournaments like from back then.

Goh: Oh, there must have been one. Right? 

Ash: Right! Just like those times.

Pikachu: Pika pika chu! ["A tournament!"] 

Ash: Oh yeah, the place was in the same one from years ago.

Goh: Aren't there many places for people to play the sport?

Me: Sure! But like for food, some people (players in the case of sports) might go to a usual place, and this would be one for the person behind it all.

Ash: The "ninja teacher"! Yup, he was there and did it all like last time.

Goh: He must teach sports - or I think the correct term for your world is "physical education". 

Me: By all reports, that he does.

Goh: How'd the tournament go?

Ash: I didn't get to look really close, but the students all had fun - and they won for their teams and themselves.

Goh: I see, individual and team awards.

Ash: Yeah, that's it. And... I guess I also got sidetracked by other students on another field playing a sport with a ball and sticks.

Pikachu: Pi pika - pika pika. ["Me too - looked neat."] 

Me: Oh. They must have been playing field hockey. I'd actually prefer playing that compared to soccer, myself.

Goh: They can do that at the same place?

Me: This is the first time I've had this report, but I guess it works.

Goh: So... where did characters come in?

Ash: At the end, with a parade. I was one of 10.

Goh: OK, so post-game entertainment.

Me: I guess the students were busy enough that they couldn't fit in a "halftime show".

Ash: For the parade - with my Alola outfit - Pikachu and I tried playing soccer together with a spare ball that was lying around.

Goh: My guess is that it would be like if you were invited to play with the students - like that real Pokémon sport thing.

Ash: Yeah, that's what I was going for. And hey - we got the "Best Action" award for it.

Pikachu: Pika pika! ["Very nice!"]

Me: See, this is what I like about Pokémon: it really blends into our lives.

Goh: Hey, you said it.

Ash: But after everything, I went out to see if your other friends would battle nearby, and I didn't get anything. 

Me: Well, it can't all happen the way we would expect.

Ash: Other than that, today was great!

Goh: I'm sure it's not like the conventions or festivals you send Ash to on weekends normally, but it did seem to work out for a break in the middle of the week.

Me: It's a good break, and one that's filled with some sporty things - so why not.

Ash: You might just take it up.

Me: Who knows. And hopefully there will be Pokémon alongside. 

One year ago: Community Day Classic Prospects

Two years ago: Beachside with Pokémon

Three years ago: Cosplay: Mini Futsal Gathering & Cup 2022

Four years ago: Pokémon Words from the Coach

Five years ago: Pokémon (PKMN) Presents, 6/17/2020

Six years ago: On Copyrights

Seven years ago: Boxes of Go-Goodies

Eight years ago: There Is Only One Ball

Switching Up (and Upgrading)

For those who haven't heard the news, the Nintendo Switch 2 has been released recently, along with a certain race-driven launch title that isn't quite related to Pokémon but may cause similar stirrings for its fans. Even so, this "(not-)successor" will coexist with its predecessor - as addressed previously, and for some foreseeable time ahead - and in some sense, players are to "upgrade" to it. That also applies for some of the current games for the predecessor, which also includes some Pokémon games.

The reason is that some games now have upgrade packs (free for many, paid for some) that will provide enhancements and/or new features for the console, and two of these games happen to be the ninth-generation Pokémon main series games of Scarlet and Violet. In fact, the upcoming Legends Z-A game will also be in this state, being playable on both consoles but having enhancements for the newer one. This latter game will also have more info out soon, but at least improvement is welcome for the former.

As for certain people upgrading to the console - me specifically - conventional wisdom may dictate that it may not be wise to adopt such a new console early on except to deal with the novelties, which are not too numerous at the moment and especially for Pokémon. I myself am apt to give the new console some adaptation time before deciding to take it up, especially for certain pertinent Pokémon matters. In the end, it would be for when "the time is best", not "the time is now" as many would have it.

If the new Nintendo console is of any indication, however, the best of things (as the original Switch) does not need something completely new to become something better - it just needs a better version of itself, which is practically what the Switch 2 is. That also goes for some of the existing and upcoming games, including Pokémon ones, for which "good" and "better" versions are (due) to exist for play on both consoles. In that respect, to switch up and upgrade may very well be in the futures of many sooner if not later.

One year ago: Not Alone... But Alone

Two years ago: The Mystique of 151

Three years ago: Knotting Destinies and Love

Four years ago: The Mystique of the Slowpoke Well

Five years ago: Good Storage Limit Counts

Six years ago: I'm a "General"!

Seven years ago: Viewpoints and Preferences

Eight years ago: Hounds and Hyenas, Canines of the Dark

The Expressive Ditto

The award for the blandest Pokémon species could be considered to go to Ditto. It's plainly obvious, given that it's just a "blob of purple goo"; even Pokémon with similar transformative abilities as this Pokémon have far more attractive appearances. Yet what might not be so bland about it is the expression on its face - or the part that might be considered its face - and how that expression becomes emblematic of the Pokémon even as it takes on different guises, and evocative of it without it actually being present.

Usually, the telltale Ditto expression is the colon-end-parens smiley face just like the classic emoticon, which is retained in a transformation and in particular for individuals with imperfect capabilities for doing so. It becomes a sure sign of a masquerading Ditto, making it emblematic in that manner. Of course, its other expressions (delight, surprise, and a few others) are also distinctly characteristic, even if they are in the same plain-symbol style as that basic emoticon smile. They're all still expressive by any means.

As for its "presence" without its presence, some time ago, the host of a very popular TV show made a somewhat recognizable mistake during taping, and in the process made a face that may be considered to resemble the Ditto expression. Even without the Pokémon being actually involved, the facial expression seems rather evocative of the Pokémon in this way. Come to think of it, that specific person is rather transformative in many ways, so the Ditto aspect may be quite evocative for that person beyond facial expressions.

While "expressive" may be somewhat of a weird term for describing the transformative purple blob that is Ditto, it's still rather obvious that the purple blob has a face of its own that can make a few usual and unusual expressions. That includes that emoticon smile that may just persist in its transformations, which for the observant will be a dead giveaway of its presence - perhaps for its expressive nature as well. In that sense, the purple blob may not be all that bland and has something to show for its own.

One year ago: Cosplay: Gold Generation

Two years ago: Possibility of Bottle Caps in Pokémon Go?

Three years ago: Voice Acting, for Me and...

Four years ago: Personal Social Media Experiments with Pokémon

Five years ago: Go with the Flow

Six years ago: The State of Officialness

Seven years ago: Pokémon Go Community Day, 6/16/2018

Eight years ago: Limited Editions

Frustrated by Café Remix Score Missions

In Pokémon Café Remix, a few of the game's Mission Bingo boards sometimes - OK, often - contains a task that states that the player has to earn a specific score on an event puzzle, one that ends with a certain digit. This sounds easy until it is considered that the score must be the one obtained after bonus points are taken into account, which can sometimes make the score shift by one or many points in any direction. This has the potential to cause frustration, and in fact, it already has for yours truly; for that, I've decided to make a discussion out of it.

The problem with the task is that its objective almost becomes totally dependent on luck - in the parlance of this and other similar games, gacha. Even if the Pokémon icons could be manipulated to earn certain point values, the kicker is still the bonus points, which are seemingly arbitrary in value in affecting scores as the above. I've had several runs where the point value I obtained was never the one I needed, whereas at other times, I got the required point value almost immediately. The results seem as arbitrary as the points.

For the case of One-Minute Cooking, it is possible to sidestep the effort needed for the task in some cases by clearing megaphone and skill icons (which give out bonus points), manipulating icons to the needed point value, then quitting the stage. Doing this will still allow the player to earn points for the task and the event, but hopefully in a quicker fashion; it might also take a few more stamina, but it's worth a try if the needed point value never seems to come up even with best play, which becomes the source of the frustration.

With Slow Cooking, the effort (and frustration) is magnified as one has to complete the entire sequence of puzzle stages to earn points for the task and the event, and quitting mid-way simply annuls the attempt. A player might try to rush through the puzzle stages and earn points wherever they can be earned while making progress, but this runs into the arbitrariness challenge of the bonus points, which are still earned during (and after) play of the stages. This situation might demand that a balance be struck between best play and rush play.

An appropriate saying for this situation seems to be that "sufficiently advanced technology cannot be distinguished from magic" - in this case, the former being Café Remix scoring and the latter being luck. Both might just play into the completion of the Café Remix score missions and the frustration that ensues when trying to complete those missions. Even so, at least some understanding can be made in trying to complete the missions properly, with a little luck for seasoning, and that may alleviate some of the induced frustration.

One year ago: Pokémon Calendars

Two years ago: Recent Visual Improvements in Pokémon Unite

Three years ago: For Discerning Kids and Adults Alike

Four years ago: Subspace Emissary Buddies Poster

Five years ago: Names, Markets, and Issues

Six years ago: Code Affairs

Seven years ago: Number One for...

Eight years ago: 15th Feature Film Mini-Figures

My Numbered Card Progress in TCGP

Well, it seems apt that I talk about numbers one more time, but not in relation to the National Dex as has been the case for the past several days. Instead, it's about the cards of TCGP, which like its physical brethren also has cards of the numbered and overnumbered sort. Of these, it's the former that I want to focus on with regard to my collection status. It becomes a practical way to gauge that status and to see which packs I want to or should focus on opening.

For the first major expansion (Genetic Apex) and the minor Themed Booster Pack (Mythical Island), I have 214 out of 226 of the numbered cards for the former and 67 out of 68 for the latter. With only 13 cards missing in total, it's a pretty good turnout for these, and I can stand to complete the missing cards with trades and/or point purchases; opening a pack of these can be reserved for a blue moon or when curiosity still strikes.

Next, there is the Space-Time Showdown major expansion, for which I have 141 out of 155 numbered cards. For the following Themed Booster Packs of Triumphant Light and Shining Revelry, I have 68 out of 75 and 67 out of 72 numbered cards respectively. With 26 cards across these three, I may need to go over these expansions to open up a few more packs before considering doing the same thing as with the previously mentioned expansions.

Then there is the major expansion of Celestial Guardians, of which I have 117 out of 155 numbered cards (38 missing), and the Themed Booster Packs of Extradimensional Crisis, of which I have 54 out of 69 numbered cards (15 missing). For these, it seems rather obvious that I need to open up quite a few more packs, especially for the former, and there will be some continued effort to get numbered cards in this manner.

Considering that the way of the TCG in any form is to get cards randomly from opening packs, there too might be an element of randomness in the progress of obtaining certain cards, especially the "common" numbered cards as above. From my progress, things appear to be close for some of the expansions and somewhat farther for the others, but all appear to be rectifiable by getting some more packs opened up to continue to follow the game's norms.

One year ago: The Unnerving Feeling and Pokémon

Two years ago: Gimmicks in Café Remix

Three years ago: Sending Champs to Be Champs

Four years ago: Remembering Missing PokéStops and Gyms

Five years ago: Pokémon Conventions?

Six years ago: Integration Prospects

Seven years ago: More Pokémon Paper Things

Eight years ago: Poké-Crafts Made out of Paper