Showing posts with label Game - Pokémon Unite. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Game - Pokémon Unite. Show all posts

Friday, August 28, 2026

Championship Journey on a Cable Car

Then, there's the event of the World Championships itself. As usual, much of its highlighting occurs on the Friday of the event as in previous years (this one was last year's), which may not necessarily be on the same date since the days and weeks shift. Coupled with PokémonXP for this year as the convention "arm", both events - even by themselves - may be construed to present a "journey", which will become evident soon by their explanation. That can also be deemed as significant in more ways than one, especially with what's being offered.

I mention "cable car" in the title of this post for a reason: both events are being held at San Francisco, California, and that vehicle is representative of the city. This year's location is also only somewhat farther removed from last year's, which may or may not bear any comparative significance. Regardless, Pikachu leads the pack this year (two of them) with a cosmic outfit inspired by Cosmog and a royal outfit that shows supremacy, and they represent the "double-sided" event as it occurs for the edition of this grand year in the grand seaside city.

Along for the ride (or journey) are the same members of the "pantheon" as last year: VGC, TCG, Pokémon Go, and Pokémon Unite. However, it has to be said that Pokémon Unite will "get off the ride" after this year, for it plans to hold a separate championship tournament from the World Championships instead next year. Whether this has something to do with the current "state of the game" for that game (or not) could be anyone's guess, but it's clear that the journey for next year could also change in more and further ways as well.

Meanwhile, as usual, there's still a local entourage - that is, of my local area - with several more representatives now, including two teams for Unite. This also includes some who will be at the 
PokémonXP side of things, for which they are representative of various and diverse Pokémon interests as well. This journey is a continuing one, and if it happens that I can participate in the entourage somehow, then it could make for a very great time with them.

San Francisco is a city where it can be construed that a lot of the old meets the new, and this year's execution of the Pokémon World Championships has a few old things and new things going for it. For many, it's also the "gateway" city to the United States - I can attest this one myself - and this year's World Championships edition may thus also be considered a "gateway" of sorts for prospective players and fans who wish to experience things in the best ways.

On that note, the experiences, the players, the fans, and everything else that ties into both competition and convention are all getting on the cable car, and its bell has sounded for the journey of the next three days ahead. That's also the point at which I wish good luck to all of the participants above for the journey of this event as usual, and then more beyond that.

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Thursday, July 23, 2026

Pokémon Research in Pokémon Unite

Stepping back from the "turmoil" I discussed for the fifth anniversary of Pokémon Unite, one of the game's more recent aspects is something that deserves discussion. It's an event framework that essentially builds upon one I discussed just over a year ago, which since then has also applied to non-Legendary Pokémon. The new framework, which I call "Pokémon Research", becomes another novel way for players to obtain Unite Licenses as certain Pokémon enters.

With this framework, players collect research "tokens" that when used, they fill a gauge with item rewards, for which the last item is the Unite License for the Pokémon. To collect research "tokens", players complete missions that award one "token" each, which comprise Daily Missions (new tasks each day, one of them is a simple login one), Weekly Missions (new tasks each week, updated Mondays as with Battle Pass tasks), and Special Missions (one-and-done tasks for the event). It's definitely more task-based than the other framework but the ultimate goal remains the same, being to earn that Unite License during the event if possible.

Because of the task requirements, the framework can be a bit burdensome, especially since the "tokens" can only be collected by the framework, and that some tasks - notably Daily Missions - are tougher than they seem. For that, as with the other framework, Aeos Gems can be used to alleviate the burden: an individual task can be cleared for just a meager 5 Gems, while the whole gauge can be filled with a good number of them, depending on how far along a player is. This, of course, should be considered as a last resort if a player missed several days.

Now, I was about to call this "Legendary Research", but then I'm reminded that it has been similarly used for Mega Evolution Unite Licenses, thereby making it not-so-Legendary. Furthermore, the "research" bit is also a bit of a misnomer, as the framework can also appear with it being applied as "training" instead of "research" for both Legendary Pokémon and others. Like the other framework, the application potential of this to certain Pokémon is diverse, although it has only become strongly connected with some strong examples.

Different ways of getting certain Pokémon as Unite Licenses in Pokémon Unite at the least keeps some of the game engaging, amidst all the "turmoil" it currently faces. The "Pokémon Research" framework satisfies a need for that, and its task-based approach remains wide open to however way one plays the game. And "play" is exactly what one needs to do to keep up one's progress in this particular game and keep it relevant with all its new and old things.

Three years ago: Cosplay: Shokumatsu
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Wednesday, July 22, 2026

Pokémon Unite 5th Anniversary

As with past years, I'm covering the anniversary of Pokémon Unite on this day. This year's anniversary also happens to be a bit of a special or notable one, as it is its fifth anniversary - a half-decade of its presence. That said, the special quality seems to be less evident recently, and in lieu of that, there is what could be called "turmoil" instead, which implies quite a bit of not-so-good things. Yet there are still good things to speak of, so for this anniversary, I would like to discuss that "turmoil" in both of the sides that it presents.

The greatest "turmoil" would be the elimination of one of its main currencies and its partial conversion to a system that may or may not afford a lot of freedom in its elements. In fact, the deadline for converting that currency has recently passed, and players may or may not have gotten all that they can from the conversion and subsequent dealings with the new system. After this many years with the game, it may not necessarily be what players need, even if they can deal with the new system just fine and the intricacies of the game after.

Meanwhile, the continued competitive presence of the game presents a "turmoil" in and of itself, but it seems that the "turmoil" might go deeper, given the state of the game. I've already outlined all the concerns about that a month ago, but it bears reminding and repeating. In this fifth year of the game, those concerns still need to be paid attention to, even as the game continues to "make it" - and hopefully not "break it" somehow.

On the good side of the "turmoil", the anniversary event is (or has been) in full swing, and it offers the usual bonuses and brings about a different kind of "turmoil": one of a Legendary kind. A bunch of Legendary Pokémon are joining the game, not as "pit bosses", but as actual playable Pokémon; two have already done so, and two more are incoming. Whether or not that's a sign of more impending "turmoil", that may be up to the players to determine.

Half a decade is not a very long time, but it isn't short either. In that span of time, Pokémon Unite has demonstrated its capacity for a novel kind of Pokémon battling and competitive spirit. It makes for a good "turmoil", even if that is marred by the not-so-good aspects. The hope is always that everything will resolve, as is the case with matches here.

Even now, some of that "turmoil" is still felt in some way. For now, happy fifth anniversary to Pokémon Unite.

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Friday, June 19, 2026

Keeping Pokémon Unite Relevant

There is a floating discourse about Pokémon Unite, and it's not necessarily a good one. In fact, it could be said that the discourse has floated since the time a certain important change befell a key part of the game. The discourse, as hinted by the title of this post, is that the game is becoming irrelevant, and that is evidently disconcerting for those who consistently play even now and enjoy it. It's such an important matter that I have to address it now before other relevant matters to that discourse also emerge to the surface.

So, besides that important change, there's always been the matter of players misbehaving, whether they're human or not-so-human. Meanwhile, that important change and a few other elements in the game (like Holowear and associated methods to get it and other items) seem to remain in a "cash grab" position that may or may not be rewarding, like for the monthly subscription. It's also seemingly hard to get teams of players going, both on and off the game and partially due to the above. All of these seemingly contribute to the apparent irrelevance.

Having outlined the possible contributions to the irrelevance, the problem now is considering ways to sidestep the issues and maintain relevance. Revolutionary ways to play might help in this regard (if Electrode Volleyball hasn't already proven as such, which also may need to be built on) and especially to improve Ranked play; a different system for it may still need to be considered. That, along with continued promotion of the wonders of the game, might just be the necessary burden to keep relevance at hand.

For other ways to keep relevance, big-time events (such as one that's going on now, which I might just explain later on) could have its contributions somehow. If the game could also recycle interest from other realms of Pokémon - almost all of which are now present on the same platforms of the game itself (both Nintendo Switch and mobile) - it could have a shot at gaining some new interest. Yet that also implies that the older interest from the longer-term players also needs to be kept as much as possible, which is likely the challenge.

Pokémon Unite has been around for a few years now - something I'll get to soon enough - and it has gone through a roller-coaster ride, for both its game cycles and its fans. That then reflects on its relevance, which has evidently also become a struggle. Just as the apparent lack of it is emerging as a discourse, the discourse of trying to furnish it also needs to emerge in order to keep the game in its place among fans and even competitive players. For them, Pokémon is always relevant - the hope is that Unite can be so as well.

Four years ago: Say You Love Me (Not)
Five years ago: Earthing with Pokémon
Seven years ago: LINE Pokémon Emoji
Eight years ago: The Super Incubator
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Monday, June 15, 2026

Unite Licenses: My "Final Frontier"

The last update to my progress of obtaining Unite Licenses in Pokémon Unite occurred around one and a half years ago, when I detailed about the ones I had obtained and my prospects for them. Since then, the way of getting them with relatively no payment has changed, and there have been quite a few more Unite Licenses for different Pokémon added. Now, it seems well to do to update on that progress by those changes, and it seems like this will be the "final" update for that, as suggested by the title, due to reasons that will be explained shortly.

First up is that progress. Right now, I am proud to say that I have every Unite License except for a few. Those few are Tinkaton (which is currently being progressed through the License Journey system), Dhelmise (which will be progressed next after Tinkaton is complete), and Quaquaval (which is not yet playable but will be so in a few days' time, along with its associated Unite License event). Incidentally, the first two of these are of the All-Rounder role, which also means the other roles are also essentially complete for what they have to offer.

Such a feat was accomplished by using the selection gift boxes for some of the ones I didn't have and exchanging my Aeos Coins for a few others before the method changed. Meanwhile, for some others, they came with their own Unite License events and as a result were obtained through those, with some diligent effort and a little bit of assistance along the way. Then, after the method changed, it was a matter of starting the progress through the ones I didn't have; prior to Tinkaton, I had in fact just obtained Tyranitar through the License Journey system.

With that, it can be ascertained that I'll have my hands on future Unite Licenses somehow. Being that now they're likely to come with their own event, participating in that will likely allow the Unite License to be obtained for free (or relatively as such). Even if that doesn't happen, the License Journey system will surely become the fallback for the process of obtaining them sooner if not later. This situation, along with the state of affairs as presented above, makes it the "final frontier" for me in obtaining the Unite Licenses to come, at least while still playing.

Now that I have almost every Unite License in the game, and things are established for me to obtain the rest and future ones in some way, the progress is assured to be updated as more Unite Licenses are added to allow other Pokémon to join the fray that Pokémon Unite is still continuing to present. That in effect will (and does) make it the "final" update I'll make in the manner as above, but things are never final for as long as the Pokémon game remains as captivating as ever to me and all other Pokémon fans who choose to partake in its affairs.

Two years ago: Pokémon Calendars
Seven years ago: Code Affairs
Eight years ago: Number One for...
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Wednesday, May 27, 2026

License Art in Pokémon Unite

In the interface updates to Pokémon Unite that I covered around half a year ago, I mentioned License art as one of the updates in the form of an added customization. As noted, the new customization lets players change the appearance of the Unite License they use in battle, particularly in its display as a battle starts. Yet that only scratches the surface, and now it seems that the topic is worthy of a fuller discussion, which this post serves to do.

Earlier, I addressed the usage of this customization with Holowear, and that still remains true: if players choose to equip a Pokémon with a License art, that art will take precedence over the "art" that applies for the Holowear of choice. So, the choice to use a License art can become a stylistic one, especially when a Holowear is also equipped for the Pokémon. Regardless, it's still a choice that most often will come by way of payment, to be discussed shortly.

Quite a few Pokémon by now actually have a License art of some sort (in fact, some already also have a couple), but others are still without one. That means, like Holowear, many of them will eventually have some sort of selection for License art. Many of the ones that currently have License art are predictably the most popular ones, the likes of Pikachu, Charizard, Lucario, and more - but certainly there will be more to go around for less popular Pokémon.

Obtaining License art is most likely done through the in-game shop through one of the customization sub-sections, which also necessitates exchanging Aeos Gems, which I don't have to say means payment by real cash in proxy. Some special occasions (tournaments and so on) may award License art by participation, but those are far and few between. Then, it's also likely that current and future in-game events may afford the chance for License art.

Now, I'd also like to give my impressions of the License art that are currently present in the game. From what I've seen, the art styles are (or at the least can considered to be) quite different from the art used for Holowear display, yet they still complement the Pokémon nicely - and in the case of special-occasion art, can show off achievements. License art then may be considered a "budget" option to characterize players in lieu of Holowear.

License art in that respect is still a pretty neat addition to the game as another approach or option to customization that can complement existing ones or stand on its own. While its availability is still applicable to only a good number of Pokémon, the ones that are already as such have proven at least some of their effectiveness, and others can benefit later on... and so too can the players for having an artful way of showing off their Pokémon.

Three years ago: Introducing Shadow Raids
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Sunday, May 10, 2026

The Aeos Shooter in Pokémon Unite

For some play modes in Pokémon Unite, the player or players may need a boost in their battle efforts, particularly if they're going to be repeated many times over for particular achievements or tasks. That boost is provided by a feature that becomes an "adjunct" to them, which is called Aeos Shooter, and it's one that players will deal repeatedly with as they deal with the battles repeatedly, and for that, some explanation is in order.

This feature most often accompanies (or accompanied, in the past) an edition of Panic Parade, which although it involves collaboration with multiple players, they'll still need to boost the Pokémon to deal with the intensely difficult upper-level modes. Most recently, this feature has been incorporated into the new Solo Mode, which also eventually ramps up in difficulty and will necessitate players to make use of the feature on their own.

In order to boost the Pokémon, players essentially buy boosts of stats with currency earned from the play mode in question. The stats are reminiscent of ones from the main series, for those who play - Attack, Special Attack, Defense, Special Defense, HP, and Damage (instead of Speed). They'll start by buying low-level boosts, and as more currency is earned and they go to higher levels of play, they'll buy the higher-level boosts for that.

Aside from boosting Pokémon, the earned currency in past editions had also been used - outside of Aeos Shooter purposes - to be able to buy useful items like dice for a Unite License "challenge" event or even a Rename Card, which otherwise would have to be purchased with Aeos Gems that not everyone may have. But this is more of an "adjunct" to an "adjunct", yet it does deserve a mention for what it is in relation to the above.

Given the feature, it partially goes without saying that boosts should be purchased as soon as possible, and especially so if players are to be dealing with play efforts of higher difficulties. Having some boosters for each of the stats is also helpful, as is focusing on leveling up the most important stats for certain efforts - Attack, Defense, and Damage being important. Of course, some things may still depend on specific progressions.

Even though the Aeos Shooter feature is specific to secondary play modes of Pokémon Unite, the feature does hold some unique aspects of its own, for which the above explanation should be helpful in shedding light to those unique aspects. The stat-booting aspect is a major one in this regard, especially as it applies to allowing higher-level play for those play modes and players to go above and beyond what is typically mustered.

Seven years ago: Trading Styles
Eight years ago: The No's of Go
Nine years ago: Site Design
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Monday, April 27, 2026

Regional Festival Maps in Pokémon Unite

This year's Pokémon anniversary has to bring out the best of and from Pokémon, including as they are identified by the regions they hail from. Pokémon Unite has embraced this idea, and with that, the game created special maps for celebrating the anniversary by bringing out the Pokémon from specific regions. Accordingly, the special maps are called "festival" maps with regard to their celebratory nature of Pokémon in general and the species that are already featured in the game specifically - something that should now be discussed.

Earlier, around the time of the first introduction of the "Legendary Flight" as full-fledged Unite Licenses, the game had the "Kanto Festival" map, which allowed Unite Licenses for Pokémon that hail from that region. Similarly, with the current approaching introduction of the first partner trio from Johto as Unite Licenses, the game now has the "Johto Festival" map, which by implication thus allows Unite Licenses for Pokémon of that very region. Both also come with respective events. The idea is simple, but there's quite a bit more to it than the above.

For these maps, they are played as Casual matches using the latest iteration of Theia Sky Ruins as their base. The wild Pokémon that are present in that map are the same as for the regular version of that map, so they remain as generational "outliers", in a way only "supporting" the actual celebration by what players play. As well, they allow multiple players to choose the same Pokémon, which is evidently currently needed as there are very few Pokémon to use for the Johto Festival map, at least until the first partners fully show up.

Since not all Pokémon from these featured regions have shown up in the game, these maps can definitely stand a chance to be repeated at some point in time, when more of them do show up as Unite Licenses. Furthermore, the two maps as introduced above also provide a base framework for future regional "festival" maps - a Hoenn map comes to mind and may be scintillating to think about, especially since a few Pokémon from the region has shown up. Yet that's only for the future to consider.

It's only natural to consider the regions of particular Pokémon species in featuring them, as that is a non-removable part of their identity. Considering that, Pokémon Unite has a good thing going with the regional "festival" maps to celebrate and play with the Pokémon of select regions, even if the celebration only exists in this specific form. Still, that should be a good thing for this Pokémon anniversary and beyond, as great Pokémon hail from great regions, and both deserve a rightful celebration in their play.

One year ago: Cosplay: Nakama Fest
Four years ago: TCG, My Past and Future
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Friday, March 27, 2026

Electrode Volleyball Rises to Prominence

Last year, Pokémon Unite introduced the Electrode Volleyball play mode as a limited-time offering to celebrate its anniversary. This year, said play mode is on a roll and even climbing to new heights - a "prominence", so to speak, which is why I've described it as such in the title of this post. The rise to that "prominence" is a fascinating one for what it means for the play mode and this game as a whole, and it can stand to be explored.

The biggest thing for that is a World Tour featuring the play mode: a series of competitions that will take place online in the next month or so, for the top regions where the game is played. Competitors can even enter individually (and then team up later on) and certainly as already-formed teams. The competitions are being promoted with fanfare that rivals the standard competitive mode, which makes it truly a peak for the play mode.

Meanwhile, the play mode itself has essentially been available indefinitely as a Quick battle map in addition to the usual daily map rotation and any other special event maps, of which at this present time there are in fact two of the latter. Since the play mode tends to go much quicker, it presents itself as an alternative to other Quick battle maps, which is a good side benefit other than now being able to support the above competition.

For additional support of the tournament, there are two accompanying game events. Both of these involve taking part in and/or winning matches of the play mode; one has the ultimate reward of a Platinum emblem for Electrode and the other has rewards of items and temporary Unite Licenses every five battles won up to 101 of them. Both of these events need at least some grinding effort but are certainly worth it to an extent.

Having described Pokémon Unite as a "sports game" earlier, the Electrode Volleyball mode becomes a real testament to that. The new competition takes the mode to new heights and shows off a different competitive potential for the game in addition to the existing one. That may just allow the game to have a "sticking" factor in addition to a "smashing" factor by the above, for enabling another kind of Pokémon competition to take place.

One year ago: When Two's a Crowd...
Two years ago: On Pokémon Valuables
Seven years ago: Ingress and Out
Eight years ago: Pokémon in Common Terms
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Monday, March 23, 2026

Making Sense of the Unite Style Holowear

Players of Pokémon Unite are likely to recognize the Unite Style Holowear for some of the included Pokémon in the game, but they're also likely not to pay serious attention to it. One of the reasons may be as I've explained some three years ago, in that the Holowear is too plain, making it not worth its value even in monetary terms. With that, I thought about discussing this family of Holowear and the aspects that pertain to it in order to understand it better and see why the justification above applies to it.

The basic two styles of the Holowear family are the Orange and Purple styles. These two colors have a strong representative basis, in that they refer to the two sides of a team-on-team match in the game - purple being for the left-side team (and customarily for the active player), and orange for the right-side team (therefore also indicating the opposing team by the above). As such, the colors are fundamental, yet still just seem too "basic"; even the Holowear does simply look like a basic kit, which is OK for real sports but maybe less so for MOBA.

Recently, some Pokémon have also obtained new styles of this Holowear family, the Red and Blue styles. Now, these colors should be familiar to many and especially longtime Pokémon fans for their duality across different Pokémon games (including main series ones), being put into opposition as two extremes of the spectrum of certain games. Even with the addition of these, they still look simple, as with the other two styles. While that is certainly for the purpose of maintaining commonality, the simplicity becomes more pronounced.

With that, the value of the Holowear in and of the family becomes evident, supporting the view of them being plain. Even so, it may still be neat to have them, just not for and by their intrinsic value; in that regard, the cost of the Holowear in the family can stand to be reduced or be made attractive to be obtained through means that don't involve (direct) monetary spending. The older Orange and Purple styles can benefit anyhow by everyone having them, since they're already "long in the tooth" as far as this game is concerned.

Being that Pokémon Unite is essentially a Pokémon "sports game" (especially with some recent facets) in addition to being a MOBA, having something like the Unite Style Holowear does make sense in that regard. Still, in light of the above, the plain aspect is a bit of a detractor for the Holowear itself, its value, and where it fits in the game. Being able to just have it in simpler and cost-effective ways may be the fairest approach, and that fairness can then continue to be reflected in the various play modes of the game.

Four years ago: Crazy for Pinap Berries
Eight years ago: The "Generals"
Nine years ago: Pokémon Food... For Us
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Thursday, March 19, 2026

The Legendary Flight, Unite License Style

Players of Pokémon Unite will recognize the "Legendary Flight", as the three Legendary birds of Kanto and the first generation, in their appearance in "legend pits" on certain maps and for their partial playability in the Catch 'Em map. Now, though, and as a part of commemorating the 30th anniversary of Pokémon, players can (or will) be able to enjoy them in full playability, certainly through the game's system of Unite Licenses and by earning them through a game event... aside from paying them outright and immediately with Aeos Gems, also as usual.

The three birds are given the roles of Defender for Articuno, Attacker for Zapdos, and All-Rounder for Moltres. At present, the Zapdos event is about to end in a few days, having started a couple of weeks ago, and the Moltres event is in full swing with it having started just a few days ago; the one for Articuno will certainly start in due time. The game's login screen is also showing these three birds above Theia Sky Ruins for the purpose of promoting the events and occasion of getting them to be able to play with them in all the game's modes and maps.

Having the three birds in fully playable form certainly increases the number of fully playable Legendary Pokémon in the game, and by quite a bit with the successive additions as in this case. As for the three birds having the above roles, they are the "standard three" that are expected in a usual five-on-five battle, so any of them can be used to meet the expectation; obviously not all three at once are expected in the same battle for a team (especially if other restrictions are in play), but any or all of them could be handy for players with role experience.

With their presence now in full playability and not just partial as with the presence in the Catch 'Em map, the "Legendary Flight" takes to a much greater height in Pokémon Unite, particularly with the potential that they hold, if the partial playability (for Articuno and Zapdos) is already an indication of that. Moltres then completes the trio and its dimension in actual gameplay, and players will have to prepare themselves for the potential tricks that they may hold in that regard. Yet that may be a good (and major) thing for the context of the major anniversary.

One year ago: 3000 Posts!!!
Three years ago: Cosplay: Culture Festival
Six years ago: No Sight, No Mind
Eight years ago: PokéTerminology
Nine years ago: Cosplay Hair
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Sunday, March 8, 2026

New Takes in Pokémon Unite

Recently, Pokémon Unite has introduced a few new elements in the game that change up existing ways of doing things in the game. Consequently, for the purpose of this post, I'm referring to them as new "takes" for all their ways of offering novelties - and of course, the post serves to discuss them to allow players like me to take advantage of them. The new "takes" may also be considered significant in their regard.

One of those is the addition of a "Solo Mode". This is essentially an expansion of the previous iteration of Solo Challenge, and now it consists of many challenges arranged in paths and stages. Each challenge has a battle with one player and the rest CPU players, to be played like a regular five-on-five battle; each challenge also has tasks to be completed and might even restrict the selection of Pokémon. This new mode becomes a diversion from the regular all-human battles while also presenting players something to grind.

Because of the addition of Solo Mode, battle selection has been changed up. Now there is a mode selection screen with six buttons, for which Ranked play and Solo Mode are made front and center. The rest of the battle modes (Quick, Custom, Standard, and Practice) are all half-size buttons beside the two buttons for Ranked play and Solo Mode, the former also showing the current rank of the player and the season deadline. The new battle selection process now becomes a way of showing the game's diversity of play modes.

As well, move selection in battle has been changed. Now most Pokémon with branched move selections (often two at certain levels) will need to have their moves pre-selected from the available options prior to the start of the battle. This gets rid of the chance that a move may be wrongly selected - even if the other is already pre-selected - and may even allow for making considerations in the selection, although this means more effort in setting up the Pokémon. It may just be something welcomed with the way the game is now.

These new "takes" do have their ways of changing things up for the game, with some benefits to be had while keeping a lot of things relevant. While other efforts still need to be made in order to set one up for playing the game, the new "takes" can help the setup in other ways, and that may be the most important thing right now - aside from making sure that the players can still play the game as intended in all of their ways.

Four years ago: On the Planning of Posts
Six years ago: Pokémon Conferences?
Seven years ago: Add Hope and Tears...
Nine years ago: Pokémon and Music Games
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Tuesday, March 3, 2026

One by Air, Two by Sea: Pokémon Presents, 2/27/2026

Where February's Go Tour follows, Pokémon Presents does too - although that's more of a consequence of Pokémon Day rather than the mentioned game event. My discussion on the matter, as in many of the past years, has been tied to a certain theme that may or may not directly pertain to the contents of the feature, but it's still useful anyway as a guide to some of those contents at the very least. This time, the theme may be construed as means that some things may be delivered, but it's also relevant to a very important part of the feature.

That important part can be saved for later, so as usual, the discussion starts with updates to some current games. Pokémon Go had the festivities for Go Tour as well as on the road ahead, which promises to be exciting. Pokémon Unite had the three Legendary birds of Kanto as well as the first partners of Johto coming as Unite Licenses, which will surely fill up the field further. Physical TCG has something special on tap given this Pokémon anniversary, but that is a matter that will take more time to deliver and determine. 

For lesser games, Café Remix is on a celebration of first partners, TCGP has a new Themed Booster Pack (like clockwork, and for a few days now - something that I may need to get on soon), Masters EX is going back in time to deliver Trainer characters from bygone eras, and Pokémon Sleep is bringing in a famed Mythical Pokémon of origin and two Legendary Pokémon of sibling attachment - something that should be very clear. They're all delivering in drops and rounds, almost as if by the above means.

Next up was some news on the rather expected "battle client" game of Pokémon Champions. The game is shaping up, and in fact its release on Nintendo Switch has been set for April this year, with the mobile version to come later. Furthermore, once it's released, it's also set for use in the World Championships... which will also be the case this year (the World Championship preview itself, as usual, will come when it comes close at the end of August). This has many, many implications that can't all be covered here.

Meanwhile, this coverage continues with some upcoming content, both partial to an existing game and for a new game itself. Mega Garchomp Z is coming to the Legends: Z-A game by way of the DLC and Mystery Gift, another exciting addition to the main series "alternate". Then, Pokémon Pokopia is set for release on March 5, and more of its content continues to be divulged, including DJ Rotom and a Greedent chef named "Dente". Its "timesink" quality seems to be shaping up even shortly before its release.

Lastly, it's time to make the "delivery means" clear and to fill in the blanks I left in Pokémon Day. "Blowing air" refers to the winds and "riding sea" refers to the waves... and they'll be the subtitles of the next main series games, Pokémon Winds and Pokémon Waves, which are due out next year. The "first look" or teaser shows an island region (name coming later) with vibrant islands and seas, and the first partners of the region and games have also been revealed alongside to start the hype for them.

Delivering new content updates is definitely the role of an edition of Pokémon Presents, and this particular edition for the 30th anniversary of Pokémon delivers (ahem) on that with what is set to be a fun-filled time with current and future Pokémon games and experiences. With that, the delivery means may not be all that important so much as it is the (essence of the) content that is important; whether they come by air or by sea, the best Pokémon happenings are those that will stoke and delight fans, and those from this edition may be some of the best yet.

Two years ago: Cosplay: Utsuru 8.5
Eight years ago: Investing for PokéCoins
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Thursday, January 22, 2026

I Miss My Unite Friends

What I like about Pokémon Unite, as its name suggests and just like other games of its genre (MOBA), is the way that it can bring together various players and have them connect as friends. In fact, that is now something I long for, with the seemingly recent forced "downturn" of the game and the fact that it seems many of my in-game friends seemingly have been inactive for a very long time (even if they're active when I'm not and vice versa). I've thought about that "longing" and have decided to make it into a discussion point here, certainly.

I have recently made some new friends in and for the game, yet I haven't had a chance to play with for a major timescale - and just when I do want to, they go and play other games instead, making them "seasonal" gamers - and that makes me miss them somewhat. The feeling of being so close and yet so far to these friends is a frustrating one as well, which adds to the feeling of longing, especially for those who I can trust to get things done in the game, and if they can be met in person, to do just that with additional communication.

Then there are friends who have publicly announced they'll stop playing the game due to the forced "downturn", and those for whom the downturn might have affected them by making them play the game rather erratically. Incidentally, I might be considered to fall into the latter camp due to my sometimes regular and sometimes erratic times of playing the game, so some friends on the other end might miss me for that. All the same, I do miss them for what they may or may not bring to the game with their current way of dealing with it.

As for other friends, I've made more than my fair share of "one-off" friends, those who I encounter just once in a match and then almost never after that, with either them befriending me or me accidentally befriending them. Depending on who they are and how they played with me, I might miss them just a little, or perhaps even more than a little. What is clear is that some longing is established for them, though the same might not be true on the other side, which could mean that I may just need to move on from them as they probably should also.

Now, friends are always important in any game, especially those that require a team of players to play as in the case of MOBA games in general and Pokémon Unite as a specific case. Such an importance then lends itself to any player longing to play with their friends, as I do for the friends on my Pokémon Unite friend list. It's a longing that may or may not be satiated by further play with other people, and it'll just have to be a feeling that remains there while I continue to deal with the game, at least before a real "downturn" occurs.

Two years ago: A Journey's Anthem
Seven years ago: Fan Art... for Me!
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Thursday, January 8, 2026

Ranked Play Updates in Pokémon Unite

Along with the update to how Unite Licenses are procured in Pokémon Unite a while back, its Ranked play mode also received a few updates, specifically to the all-important aspect of how players would progress in it. The updates are somewhat significant to both prospective ("new") players as well as existing ("old") players, so they've got to be discussed and explored for all their worth to all of those players, including what they can do with them.

First up, the system of match win medals and Performance Points is gone... or rather, the former is removed, and the latter is reworked into a new system, just called "Rank Points". In order to advance through the ranks, a player now has to purely earn points by winning the matches (and hopefully not lose), although bonus points are still awarded for certain achievements during a match, which are quite helpful in any case.

Then, there is the addition of a new rank. That new rank is the Legend rank, which is placed above the Master rank and is earned with extremely high ratings. Players of a certain "next-door" MOBA might recognize its similarity to that game's rank, and therefore this could be an incentive for them to try playing Pokémon Unite. Of course, they surely won't be able to get there immediately, but they can keep trying with great efforts.

Meanwhile, there is also a slight but significant change to the Theia Sky Ruins map: the central "Legend pit" now features Kyogre with similar effects to Groudon, with the rest of the map more or less the same as the previous update. This makes it a "deepwater" edition instead, and the variety that the map updates give seems to be rather welcoming, at the very least to keep the map from being perceived as boring and stagnant in a way.

Of these updates, the most intriguing one would have to be the rank update, again due to the semblance of "parity" that it gives with other similar games. There also may be concerns that the new progression system might make things slower and/or more boring than before, but it may have to be admitted that the new system is simpler in some respects. That may be the most important thing, given the state of the game today and to come.

If these changes - including the previous ones - are of any indication, it is that certain efforts still need to be made by players and the game alike to make them as best as they can be, and not to slip further into a "rut". The least that they can do right now is still to continue their efforts in Ranked play with whatever they can muster while awaiting further changes to make it and other parts of the game even more conducive to "united" efforts.

One year ago: The Year of Eevee
Six years ago: Locks on Shiny Forms
Eight years ago: The Three-Count
Nine years ago: On the Subject of Go
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Saturday, December 13, 2025

The Journey of a License

Going back to game matters after nearly a week not discussing them, now I need to deal with a recently pertinent matter for Pokémon Unite. As I mentioned in my post warning about the expiry of Aeos Coins and their usage for purchasing Unite Licenses, they would then be obtained in a new and different way aside from outright purchase with Aeos Gems. That way is called "License Journeys", and it's a radical way that is to some extent also still oriented to payment; now, its tale also needs to be told. 

Each existing Unite License is now placed in tiers (or they perhaps could be said to be "levels"), and to earn them, players now have to earn what are called License Points. Once all the License Points for one Unite License are earned, the tier or level is cleared, and players move on to the next License Journey. Some tiers, though, allow a selection of a Unite License that would be earned later, and they'd essentially move down to that tier. Pikachu also happens to be the first, and the rest go in a unique order.

How are License Points earned? Presently, they can be earned through the Battle Pass; the free and premium tracks contain set amounts, the latter certainly more than the former. In lieu of Aeos Coins, the daily missions now award prize boxes that when opened also sometimes give out License Points. Speaking of that former currency, if a player still has that stashed away, they can also be exchanged for License Points... although that will likely only happen once the more attractive rewards have been gotten.

The new system admittedly has a few (but not too many) advantages. Through the system, the game now does expect players to branch out and get new Unite Licenses periodically instead of perhaps becoming stuck indecisively, in part through the hoarding of Aeos Coins when the currency was active. Then, for new players at least, the system also ensures (some) gradual progression through existing Unite Licenses and to try some things before committing to certain roles. Yet that may be all there is.

On the other hand, the disadvantages are also rife. With this system, gone is a lot of the "free choice" that had been previously afforded, especially for not spending any amount of real money (by way of Aeos Gems) to get specific ones, particularly for "specialization"; so, it's either "pay up" or "deal with it". In fact, lots of negative reactions have been generated with the new system for the reason above, with regard to payment or dealings. In that respect, the old system may have been more functional.

With the new system for obtaining Unite Licenses, the path may be rather strict and not wide open as with the old system, which is certainly regrettable. All the same, it becomes the current journey for making one's way through the possible Pokémon players can play in this game. It's also still a relatively young journey, which means the path can change yet again as it has changed to go down this path, and hopefully for the better. It may be the wildest journey yet for this game, now unfolding before all.

Four years ago: The Bugs of Unite
Seven years ago: Trainer Battles Are Go!!!
Eight years ago: Will You Be There?
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Friday, November 21, 2025

Unite "Currency Reform" On the Way

The information in this post is a bit early, but it's also in the progress of happening, so I need to "get it out" and write about it; it also doubles as a "public service announcement". So, since its inception, Pokémon Unite has pretty much maintained its currency system, but that is about to change within a couple of weeks, as one of its pillar currencies is about to change - more specifically, it's about to "bow out" and disappear.

Aeos Coins would be that very currency, which as explained has a few roles to play. Many players will currently use it to purchase new Unite Licenses at the shop after they were made available initially with Gems. It can also be used to upgrade emblems in one's collection, which is also a frequent present action for many players. Apart from that, its other uses may be considered to have become "niche", which might explain its retirement.

On December 4, the currency will no longer be given out, and its related boost items will also become unusable. An exchange center will then be opened up to allow exchanges of the remaining currency (and boost items related to the currency) for certain items up until early next year, after which there will be no trace left of the currency. As such, particular efforts to use the currency before that happens is certainly in order.

Its usage to purchase Unite Licenses is a big one. Before the retirement, it is highly suggested that players use the currency mostly for that purpose; that's also because Unite Licenses will then be able to be obtained through a different way, aside from paying Aeos Gems. Its details are still scant and will be explained later on when it actually comes to fruition, but it's clear that there is the necessity to use the existing currency prior to the transformation.

Retirement of the currency also carries other implications. One of them is that the other pillar currencies will certainly take up the role of the currencies, for which Aeos Tickets are being used in lieu of the currency for a present event. It also means that the game is now simplifying its currencies, for which the complexity may have been apparent then and now, which makes this change a welcoming one.

With the way things are and will be, the retirement of Aeos Coins is definitely an important matter, given all the aspects that are attached to it. Particularly, the looming deadline of only a couple of weeks away as of this post makes it necessary to be announced now so that players (like me) have the time to plan things out. Meanwhile, the planned "currency reform" could just be the start of a more "united" future.

Seven years ago: Traveling All the World
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Friday, November 7, 2025

Pokémon Unite Interface Changes Rollup

Over the most recent times, Pokémon Unite has changed somewhat, not only in terms of the content being added to the game but also in terms of the features of its interface. And there have been quite a bit of those during that time, both big and small. Even then, I felt that I could not put some of them into their own dedicated writeups (here as posts) due to their scope. Now that there has been a lot of them, though, I can roll them up into a single post and finally have my say on them. 

A big change is that the previously separate shops (apart from Aeos Gem purchase) are now integrated into a single screen, though the background may still bear the mark of their old respective shops. The shop categories have also been rearranged and reorganized, with ticket exchanges for both fashion and Holowear grouped together and other shops clustered roughly closely. As a functional one, this entire body of changes seems to be both sensible and attractive to all players who use them.

Prize machine selections have also improved - and multiplied. Many past customizations, which include Holowear, have become available to pick and earn in and from their sets, for which sometimes in the past two sets at the same time have become available. Now, even more than two could - and have - become available, and the selection screen is expanded for that purpose. Yet it's still a matter of luck (and certainly buying Aeos Gems) if players still desire most any or all of the offered customizations.

Meanwhile, avatar display has taken a big step: in addition to displaying the player Trainer face, they can now display icons of Pokémon. A few of them have recently been made available through a special event - and one more through the Halloween event - and surely more of them are to come. It may seem like the addition of Pokémon icons alongside player Trainer icons makes the display a little more "generic", but at the least the options for them are expanded, and that may still be favored by certain players.

Then there are other customizations that can be gotten from the shop. License art allows a player to change the appearance of their Unite Licenses as seen in the pre-battle lineup display as an alternative to the generic Pokémon display without Holowear being equipped, though players can still display them even with Holowear equipped. As well, some custom notification appearances can also be obtained to make them stand out and look different, something that may be familiar to those who (may) have a Unite Club membership.

If all of these changes have anything in common, it is that interfaces matter just as much as content offerings and can be used to furnish even more of those content offerings as well. It seems Pokémon Unite has taken to this to heart with the most recent changes to some of the game's interface outside of battles, implementing them not only for added convenience but also for added flair. Whether this will continue to keep existing players engaged and/or attract new ones is still uncertain, but the appearance changes are certainly novel.

Two years ago: Six Places, Six Types
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Friday, October 24, 2025

Battle Ribbons in Pokémon Unite

Any aspect of Pokémon games or other media, whether big or small, is apt for me (by my consideration) to write about and discuss. The latter is applicable to one aspect of Pokémon Unite that some might overlook yet it has certain meanings of this own; it also may be of interest for certain players to achieve and then promote, which they likely will. As can be discerned by the title, that aspect is what is called "battle ribbons", which apply to the Pokémon, or more specifically the Unite Licenses they correspond to.

There are three of these battle ribbons: green, blue, and red. These ribbons are earned by earning battle points by playing with a Pokémon and its corresponding Unite License of choice, with green needing 30 thousand, blue needing 85 thousand, and red needing 165 thousand. Since earnings of battle points are slow, even with frequent play, it takes time for them to be accumulated and collected for the Pokémon; in fact, there is a sense that the system benefits players who specialize in one or a few Pokémon, since they'd need to keep playing and playing with those Pokémon in order to attain the ribbons.

My state is reflective of that condition and those efforts. I have three Pokémon with green ribbons and none with blue or red, although one Pokémon is closing in on a blue ribbon, and there are others closing in on a green ribbon. Still, the efforts to get them past the "close" stage certainly won't be minimal and will take a little bit more out of me. It also won't be a primary concern, although the concern of using the Pokémon is still primary and will surely aid in the achievement of the ribbons, sooner or later.

In the promotion side of things, the ribbons can be seen in the pre-battle matchup screen for the selected Unite Licenses by the players. They then may be taken as indications of players who specialize in playing with those Pokémon, and they thus may be the ones to be watched on the map and if necessary be dealt accordingly. Other than that, they are still signs of posterity and achievements of dedication for players.

While the battle ribbons in Pokémon Unite are indeed small and may go unnoticed, there's still something to notice and regard about them, in particular the way that they are to be earned and the possible meanings and implications they may have when they are visible for others. With the right efforts, attaining them would be a matter that is just as important as doing anything else in the game and figures into overall successes.

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Tuesday, October 7, 2025

The Charjabug Scuffle in Pokémon Unite

Though the anniversary celebrations for Pokémon Go for this year have already somewhat passed, that doesn't mean that the game can't experiment with new play modes as it had done for that very occasion, moreover ones that are similar to that. Recently, such a new mode has been implemented, and the dynamics of it are as similar as they are different to the previously implemented play mode, forcing players to enter a struggle to charge up their sides all the way to attain victory over the opposing side.

With that, the new mode is called "Charjabug Scuffle". This too is a 3-on-3 Quick Match, set in a "city garden" map. The Pokémon have to pick up the two Charjabug on the map in order to  charge their side's meter and earn points, with greater charging for those in the middle circular "terminal". There is no time limit; instead, the victory condition is whichever side charges up 300 points first. Obviously, teams will attack one another to knock off Charjabug and claim it to charge up their side, which will also demand some defending.

Further like the previous play mode, the Pokémon will have leveled up and need to have their moves chosen. Smart attacking and defending is then required for the Pokémon to keep the Charjabug close to the middle if possible and charging up their side. The "final stretch" moment occurs when a team has scored 250 points from picking up Charjabug, and it has a similar urgency. Of course, they also can and do have to take advantage of the entire map to try to retain possession of Charjabug and keep the scoring going.

Something that I didn't mention for Electrode Volleyball is that it also had a mini-event for earning points by completing daily battle tasks with the play mode and exchanging the awarded points for different and unique items. Charjabug Scuffle has a similar mini-event with similar tasks and a similar selection of items. Players will be challenged for these each day in order to earn the points and then the items.

Meanwhile, I have to say that my experience with the play mode has been hit-or-miss. When I play, it seems that either my team is doing really well and crushing it, or the other team is doing really well and crushing me and my team. This situation may also have something to do with certain team members that may be erratic in their movements or may not have a full understanding of the challenges of the map.

Regardless, it's those challenges that players can face right now in another fast play mode for the game that is different from the usual norms, yet still requiring the same skillset for those challenges. That skillset will demand players to charge things up to succeed with others while keeping the other side from doing the same; the results may be a jolt or a burst of energy that is as fresh as any development that has been made for the game.

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