Pokémon Go 5th Anniversary

Today's post has to be obvious because of all the posts from the previous years (see below). That would be because it's the fifth anniversary of Pokémon Go, which as far as Pokémon games go is uniquely significant. This anniversary once again takes place while the world grapples in its current situation. As life goes on in the real world and people tinker for ways to recover, so too life goes on in Pokémon Go and certain parts of the game are tinkered with in order to improve things as they are now and will be in the future. Once again, it is important to recap a few of those tinkered things to establish how far things have come since last year's anniversary.

Go Battle League, introduced a couple of years ago, now has proven that it can deal with tinkered formats (example), having done so over the past year. Team Go Rocket tinkered with overhead invasions, and this has been welcomed before being staved off again. Collection Challenges become a form of tinkering with Timed Research to show prowess in one of the "four pillars" of Pokémon. A new kind of global "touring" event - another kind of tinkering - also made its debut earlier this year with great fanfare. Furthermore, friends expanded with more new ones and more help for older ones, and things expanded in general, including toward the level cap. Many things were indeed tinkered to improve and/or expand them.

What may be the greatest tinkering and expansion, though, without a doubt involves the species of Pokémon. A good portion of the species from the sixth generation have made it in, including the two "box legends", and these are significant to be sure, as they mean more Pokémon to go around. What's even more significant, and in fact as grand as its name suggests, is the inclusion of Mega Evolution, the forms of Pokémon with massive capabilities for certain species. Even so, the Mega Evolution system has often come under fire, and it still is so even today, for all its imperfections. Though much of them have been fixed, there may be a sense that some are still not satisfied. Time will continue to tell whether they can be alleviated - certainly with more tinkering.

For tinkering Trainers, there is the traditional anniversary event, which starts today instead of ending soon after this point in time like last year. This year, the highlights are starter Pokémon of six generations with a Collection Challenge featuring them, a slightly different Flying Pikachu, the debut of Shiny Darumaka, the return of Shiny Meltan from the Mystery Box (if one is lucky), the Special Research set of Jump-Start Research for those who haven't gotten or completed it, and loads of other nice and beneficial complements that everyone may or should benefit from.

Despite the world not being so awesome right now, Pokémon Go has remained more or less awesome after five years, especially with the above. As Pokémon itself becomes more awesome, the awesomeness has to be passed on to Pokémon Go as well, and evidently many of those elements from the past have been taken in. Of course, that also meant a lot of tinkering to get them in and more tinkering to make sure they're the best they can be. It looks like everyone is due for a lot of tinkering in the coming times, both in real life and Pokémon Go, to keep things awesome.

Happy 5^th anniversary to Pokémon Go.

One year ago: Pokémon Go 4^th Anniversary

Two years ago: Pokémon Go 3^rd Anniversary

Three years ago: Pokémon Go 2^nd Anniversary

Four years ago: Pokémon Go One-Year Anniversary

Poké Ball Luggage Tag

There are a few things that I love about obtaining Pokémon merchandise. One is that I love serendipitous finds just as much as intentionally looking for them. Another is that I love getting them at a discount, especially a great one. Lastly and most importantly, I love if they (can) function as intended. All three of these things apply to the piece of merchandise that I've just recently obtained. 

As can be seen clearly from the picture along with its packaging, this is a luggage tag, and a Pokémon one at that, in the form of a Poké Ball. I found this while I was shopping for daily needs - incidentally at the same place from where I obtained a certain blue drink bottle some time ago - and I just had to get it. Fortunately, the merchandise was being sold at a discount, and a steep one at that, so I could obtain it cheaply and immediately, and particularly for my collection as well as to review it on this blog.

The luggage tag is a disc with the front having a Poké Ball depiction in relief, and the back having the tag portion. The tag is connected to the piece of luggage, likely a suitcase or bag of some sort, by way of the black strap or belt; the belt is secured by way of a couple of pegs on the back of the strap that are not visible in the photo. The design of the strap or belt is typical as far as luggage tags are concerned from what I've seen, but the tag itself is atypical yet pleasing for a fan like me.

Still, I have noticed a few potential faults with the tag. The tag card is 6 by 3 cm but the visible area is only 5 by 2.5 cm, and the pre-made tag content wasn't designed well. That means I'll have to customize the tag, but that could stand to be great. One of the pegs in the back is also slightly bent and has the potential to break at a later time, which means I'll have to prepare a backup for that. Otherwise, this luggage tag is still pretty good, and with my own additions, it will be even better.

This serendipitous, discounted, and functional find is a unique one, as most merchandise I come upon rarely have all three qualities at the same time. Though it's not exactly perfect, this Pokémon merchandise and others like it is still a blessing for any fan like me, and with a few tweaks, it could be even more perfect. That's as valuable as being presented with the opportunity to obtain it in the first place.

One year ago: YouTube Pokémon Highlights - Mewmore Edition

Two years ago: The Art of Pokémon Adventures - 20th Anniversary Illustrations

Three years ago: Variegated Pokémon Patterns

Four years ago: I Side with Pokémon

Searching for Myself... with U.S. Included

It's July 4, and it's hard to deny that it means the occasion of the independence day of the United States, a place that I have connections to (see last year's post below). There's a song out there about one searching for what it might be, though I'm not familiar with it and it may or may not apply to my case or even this post. Regardless, the U.S. represents a part of the journey of searching for myself, which eventually led to Pokémon and everything else that followed it, so there is some worth in discussing it in this manner.

I went to the U.S. actually not with the intent of searching for myself; it was intended for other things. Yet in a way, the "secondary quest" of that process remained on the table, and I essentially completed it when I discovered Pokémon. As for searching for myself in other ways, quite a few of those efforts were cut short when I left the U.S. - in some ways unwillingly - although I then made other efforts of searching for myself and those were fulfilled, even including Pokémon, in other ways. While the moment that I left is now behind me, at least the process occurred and even wrapped up by my going there.

I've already detailed a bit of the background of my first Pokémon moments in a post related to the things that made them happen, and now it seems pertinent to detail a bit more of them. Some of those first moments occurred at school, and specifically at benches. It may then be considered that I was "searching for a place" with the benches being present, and by being able to try out the games on the spot, I managed to make that "searching" process happen. It's obvious that things have come a long way since those benches, and now the benches are not so much physical but metaphorical in the sense of searching for others to "sit (and play) with me", perhaps no matter where they are.

In a post a few weeks ago, I also discussed about "pursuing my true self", which is also quite related. Considering my Pokémon background and my U.S. background as above, as well as what happened at the point in time when that post was made, it could be said that the process is never fully complete - at least, some partial achievements may be completed, but the entirety of the process may never be. But that may be a good thing, since that may leave room for other partial achievements to be completed in other ways, quite possibly even with a trip to the U.S., even if it's just temporary.

In a way, I've found the U.S. I'm searching for, thanks to my connections with Pokémon. Yet it may be that I could stand to search for more, especially when current conditions have died down and I'm able to make my way there again. With everything that has happened, it may also be considered that I was looking for my "independence", as the means and the freedom to express myself, which happened thanks to a great deal with Pokémon. And that brings things back to now, on this particular day.

It's a great day for independence. Happy independence day - the Fourth of July - to those in the U.S.

One year ago: A Few Words about U.S. (Us)

Two years ago: Welcome to the Jungle

Three years ago: Metal Reversed Cap Pikachu Keychain

Four years ago: The Subdued Hometown Themes

Pokémon Go Community Day, 7/3/2021

Often, when Community Day occurs (really) early on in the month, there is usually a bigger agenda on tap, and there is for this month. But that's to be dealt with later, and right now there is this regular event. And regular it is, for this month's edition seems to affirm the return of a sense of regularity that had been lost since current conditions took effect. That includes the featured Pokémon and the rest of the "bones", which structure not only the event but also the regularity.

For this month, Community Day features Tepig, the Fire-type starter Pokémon of the fifth generation. As expected for a starter Pokémon (at least on the first time), the special or exclusive move is the respective strong move for its type, which would be Blast Burn as a Charged move for the final evolution of Emboar. As with its Grass-type counterpart Snivy from April, the bonus is tripled Stardust from captures, once again a boon for those who seek it. The paid Special Research, which has now become something regular of its own, is titled "Roasted Berries", owing to the love of the species to put fire to fruit, plus an inspiration from that. These are all par for the course and thus regular.

Then there are also other regularities, the particulars that make Community Day possible and fun, such as extended Incense. They remain regular, and so does one thing: the extended Lure Modules from the previous edition. Trainers in some parts of the world that are showing signs of settling into what could be more or less described as a "normal" state should benefit from the addition as with last month, while those in other parts of the world may have to settle for the extended Incense, depending on the area and condition. Yet, it may still be possible for both to work together.

And that's exactly what happened with me today and my experience in my local area. Since my local area is restricting activities, I could not do much outside, but I did need to run a couple of errands, so I ran those while getting some exercise and play time. I used up an Incense at the start before meeting a fellow Trainer to use up a couple of my Lure Modules, after which I then wrapped things up. Altogether, I captured many Tepig, 17 of which are Shiny, and I evolved the best one overall, best Shiny, and two more for Great League and Ultra League. I also ended up with an immense Candy stock thanks to the help of Mega Charizard X, as well as an Emboar from the Special Research with very good stats.

Much can be said about the regularity of Community Day, from the Pokémon that are featured and in the ways that they are featured. It can be taken advantage of to ensure that regularity goes on in the world of Pokémon Go. It also may be a prelude to bigger and other regular agendas on tap, which I should be detailing soon enough. But to start off the month with Community Day, that may be as regularly affirming as one may get, especially for whatever is to come.

One year ago: More Pokémon Go "Goofs"

Two years ago: I Splurged, for Once

Three years ago: Pokémon Yellow Pikachu Shirt

Four years ago: Spicy Tamato

The Element Cup of GBL

Last month, Go Battle League (GBL) of Pokémon Go implemented a format with type-based restrictions, though only few types were restricted, and most of the other types were free to make themselves present. Such a format can obviously be restricted further, and this has been true in the past for various PvP battling implementations. That seems to be the frame of mind for a recently implemented format, and restrictions are followed through, not just for types but also the mechanics of the Pokémon that may be involved, resulting in a little something called the "Element Cup".

And little it is. For this cup format, only Pokémon with at least one type of Grass, Fire, and Water may be put into battle. Those are the exact basic types of the three starter Pokémon that any Trainer starts with, which becomes the "elementary" aspect of the cup format, involving the basics. It's also little in another way, as the restrictions of the Little Cup from way back in November of last year also fully apply for this format (CP 500 or less, first Pokémon of one that has an evolution line). This also further ensures that the "elementary" aspect of the cup is followed through and through. Of course, moves of other types and additional secondary Pokémon types are still fair game and are the determinants of complexity for this format.

As for what to expect with this cup format, a few starter Pokémon do make it in as frequent picks, and they may be good to build from as a base, especially if options are limited. By and large, however, Trainers may want to opt for non-starter Pokémon with those other moves and secondary types, some of which can really make a difference. Ducklett, for example, is Water and Flying, and may know the exceptionally powerful moves of Aerial Ace and Brave Bird, making this a threat for all types and especially Grass. Other threats to watch out for are speedy Charged moves and ones that can or do alter stats of Pokémon on either end.

I've had the chance to battle with this cup format since it became available last Tuesday, and for an "elementary" cup, it is extensively dynamic. The choice of Pokémon as above will definitely matter, but what will also matter is the way one battles. If one has experienced the prior unrestricted Little Cup, one will know that the pace of battling is very different compared to even a regular Great League format. One has to quickly decide whether or not to use Charged moves or to switch, and one may even have to potentially hold back on Protect Shields for attacks that may come on the back end of the battle. Then there are the type restrictions that make this "elementary"... or not at all depending on what Pokémon one has and the opponents have.

This cup format may be considered as a way of "going back to basics", and the name of the cup format pretty much says it all. With the implications of a very minor subset of types and a "miniature" battle format, Trainers are forced to think about what really matters for themselves and their Pokémon team. The results may become rather complicated, but they're also what comes out of the "basics" that are put into play. Every format aside from a truly basic format will always have restrictions of some kind, but if one looks hard enough, one may just find the "elementary" side of things - they're just that, as a certain character would say.

One year ago: Descending into the Catacombs

Two years ago: Fast Captures in Pokémon Go

Three years ago: Let's Go Trade

Four years ago: Speedblogging Like a Ninjask

It's... Bidoof Day?

Last I looked at the calendar, it wasn't April 1. Strangely enough, however, that was how it felt like today. By all accounts, today is called (or rather, has been called) "Bidoof Day", which means a heaping helping of all things related to this Pokémon species, which goes by the identifier of Plump Mouse Pokémon and the National Dex number of #399. It's a nice Pokémon species, but that doesn't really explain how this day came about. Instead, it is apparent that it came about at least in part by way of a phenomenon on social media.

I've noted in my rollup of last month's events in Pokémon Go that there exists a "Bidoof phenomenon", and it really is true. Some people or fans talk about Bidoof as if it were godly, even "Legendary". One thing that supports this is the fact that most players of the main series games had in the past utilized Bidoof as an "HM slave", and it works well for this purpose, even with a variety of HMs. The result is that a lowly Pokémon with not much use other than to assist with field moves gets glorified in a rather tongue-in-cheek way to become even more than it is among certain groups of fans.

This popularity has evidently been noticed by Pokémon, and it has been subsequently picked up, resulting in the official declaration of today as "Bidoof Day". The announcement came about on the social media outlets, including Instagram and YouTube, complete with a profile picture switch of the official accounts there to a picture of Bidoof. The well-known and popular merchandise arm of Pokémon, Pokémon Center, also took the opportunity - actually, the day prior, even - to introduce a new clothing line to celebrate this particular day. Even for a jocular phenomenon that turned official, everyone went all out.

As expected, the phenomenon made it into some of the games as well. It becomes obvious that the "Bidoof Breakout" event became the lead-in to and for this day, and to that end, Pokémon Go went all out as well, though the details are quite immense and ought to be reserved for the event rollup due later this month. TCG (in the online client as well as a demonstration with physical cards) and Pokémon Masters EX also have a few special happenings for this oddly special day. The social media phenomenon thus benefits from direct celebrations in the games.

With a minor Pokémon coming out into the limelight on this very day, some happenings are bound to be classified as "weird" ("Bidoofery" being the official adopted term for them). But for an odd phenomenon that has taken a life of its own, that may be par for the course, especially when social media is concerned. For those still doing a double-take into calendars due to the sheer zaniness, the only advice that I can offer is to roll with things as the Bidoof roll in today for the festivities.

So, I guess... Happy Bidoof Day.

One year ago: The First of Us

Two years ago: Pokémon Go Custom Team Keychains

Three years ago: Cosplay: ENNICHISAI 2018 + CLAS:H/ICGP Nationals

Four years ago: My Offerings (or, What I Am Not)

The Reality of Pokémon Battles

For the average observer, Pokémon battles as the extension of the Pokémon world are purely imaginative. Fervent fans may beg to differ and consider them almost realistic. Regarding that matter, though, Pokémon battles have been depicted in various ways in the games and media. As a result, it may be hard to determine what is real about them, including how they would actually work. This post involves taking considerations from these various depictions and conjecturing an accommodative perspective for the realism of Pokémon battles.

The classic depiction of Pokémon battles, as in the main series games, is a turn-based affair where two Trainers decide on Pokémon moves and everything is processed based on the logic and interactions of the moves. The turn-based approach works, especially given that the main storyline is based on battles with the AI, but realistically, it has some flaws. It is hard to expect two people to give move commands at the same time vocally yet in secret, given the expected layout of Pokémon battles; a person can always react once information by another is given. It is more sensical to think of the turn-based approach as a "shim" to advance the main storyline at one's own pace, or as a strategic mode of virtual play, but not as a real-world framework, at least without special technology.

Active depictions like in Pokémon Go or Pokkén Tournament could be considered to be more realistic, and the latter itself could be considered as a special case where the Pokémon are active for themselves with little human input. For Pokémon Go, there is still quite a bit of human input in deciding whether or not to attack with the Fast move, which Charged move to use, and when to switch. And so for the former, the problem of competitive secrecy arises again, one that could be resolved with certain technology that links Pokémon and their Trainers and sequesters participants, but is otherwise unrealistic for a common Pokémon battlefield setting, even exactly as depicted in Pokémon Go.

The depiction of battles in the anime seem to be quite realistic and even "hyperreal" in some cases, the latter concern of which has led to flak from actual competitive game players and maybe even the viewers themselves. Yet, it does satisfy the constraint of Pokémon battles being out in the open with little secrecy as is commonly depicted. Without the bits that some consider "hyperreal" - perhaps as a form of "artistic license" - the realism is quite possible, even down to the Pokémon themselves having their own intents that hopefully do not conflict with those of the Trainers. This would be alongside the realism offered by battles in the style of Pokkén Tournament.

While people, fans or observers included, may never know how Pokémon battles actually work out in its reality, at least a few things could be gleaned from all their various depictions to conceive a viewpoint that accommodates a realistic (or if it could actually be realistic) point of view. Regardless, Pokémon and its battles remain as something that in the fabric of the real world is something stitched out of a vision of dreams. But for those involved with them day in and day out, even with footnotes, they may just be as real as can be.

One year ago: Aliens Among People and Creatures

Two years ago: Tournament: Raid Group Rainbow Cup

Three years ago: Gifts That Keep on Giving

Four years ago: After Six Months: Poké-Paradise in a Blog