Pokemon Fans Are Ecstatic About Guzma's Return in Pokemon Masters

Since the release of Pokemon Sun and Moon back in 2016, Pokemon fans have been in love with Guzma, the leader of Team Skull. Pokemon games have never been really known for their stories, but fans were immediately taken with Guzma's distinct personality. As such, the character has become a bit of a legend with fans. Today, The Pokemon Company announced that the character will be returning in the mobile game Pokemon Masters, alongside his trusty Goliospod. Unsurprisingly, Pokemon fans were ecstatic about the character's addition, with many pledging to play the game for the very first time, as a result.

Are you a fan of Guzma? Are you happy to see the character return in Pokemon Masters? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!

Keep reading to find out what fans think about the return of Guzma!

He definitely has one of the more unique designs in Pokemon. Birthday wishes do come true. The gacha struggle is real. It's all about priorities. To say he's been a fan favorite might be an understatement. Sometimes, good things end, but Team Skull is forever.

Did you know ComicBook.com has a Pokemon podcast? That's right folks, A Wild Podcast Has Appeared is available every Thursday bringing you the best breakdowns of the week's biggest news from Jim Viscardi, Megan Peters & Christian Hoffer. Catch the newest episode right here or subscribe on iTunes today!

Disclosure: ComicBook is owned by CBS Interactive, a division of ViacomCBS.

Pokemon Sword and Shield DLC detailed in surprise Nintendo Direct: G-Max moves, Legendary Kubfu evolution, and more

Today's surprise Nintendo Direct Mini dropped some new information about the Pokemon Sword and Shield expansion pass.

The first part of the pass, The Isle of Armor, will launch by the end of June, so it was the focus of today's showcase. We were already acquainted with Kubfu, the new Fighting-type Legendary coming in The Isle of Armor, but today's update gave us a better look at its evolution tree. 

The Isle of Armor is home to a central dojo, which is where you'll receive Kubfu from master Mustard. It also features two gym-like towers, and while you can choose whether to take on the Tower of Darkness or the Tower of Waters, you can only clear one Tower. 

The Tower you clear will affect how your Kubfu evolves. It will turn into Urshifu either way, but its fighting style will match your Tower. Clearing the Tower of Darkness will grant Urshifu the aggressive Single Strike Style, while the Tower of Waters will unlock the more defensive and reactive Rapid Strike Style. 

Kubfu aside, today's showcase highlighted some of the new moves and cosmetics coming in the expansion pass. The final evolutions of the Galarian starters are all receiving Gigantamax forms, and today we saw the G-Max moves of Rillaboom, Cinderace, and Inteleon in action. Respectively, those are G-Max Drum Solo, G-Max Fire Ball, and G-Max Hydro Snipe. 

The expansion pass will also add several hair, clothing, and Pokemon League Card options, and if you purchase the pass before August 31, you'll receive a bonus outfit emblazoned with a sword and shield theme. 

Ahead of The Isle of Armor in June and The Crown Tundra this fall, Pokemon Sword and Shield will update its Wild Area to make certain Pokemon easier to catch. Starting today, Pokemon Sword players will have a higher chance of encountering the Gigantamax forms of Copperajah and Duraludon, while Pokemon Shield players will see more of G-Max Garbodor and Charizard. 

Pokemon Sword and Shield recently added a new Mythical Pokemon: Zarude. 

Pokémon Sword and Shield DLC trailer shows what to expect in The Isle of Armor

Nintendo has revealed more about its upcoming Pokémon Sword and Shield DLC in a Nintendo Direct Mini. The near-four minute featurette goes into detail on what you can expect from the first of the two expansions, called The Isle of Armor. 

You can obtain the legendary creature Kubfu from training with the dojo master Mustard, for example. Kubfu is basically an adorable bear with the ability to do martial arts. You will then take Kubfu into one of two towers on the Isle of Armor, where he'll evolve into his next form, Urshifu. Which tower you pick will affect the fighting style of your new Pokémon, and once you've chosen one, you can't enter the other. 

Check out the video for details on this and other elements of the DLC. You'll want to watch from the 25:30 mark:

Completing The Isle of Armor gives your starter Pokémon a new Gigantamax form. There'll also be new cosmetics for you to customize your trainer with.

The Isle of Armor will release before the end of June. 

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This is the first official expansion for Pokémon, and as well as giving you a new area to explore, the idea of a one-off challenge to reshape your creature's abilities is no doubt exciting to players.

The existence of this expansion pass shows how comfortable Nintendo has gotten with releasing DLC for its games. Maybe it's time Mario Kart 8 Deluxe got some new tracks, eh?

Pokemon Sword and Shield Expansion Isle of Armor Dojo Details Revealed

March 26, 2020 11:37 AM EST

New details for the Pokemon Sword and Shield expansion The Isle of Armor was announced regarding a new dojo and the Towers of Two Fists challenge.

Announced during today's Nintendo Direct Mini (March 26, 2020), a new dojo will be located at the Isle of Armor allowing trainers to master their pokemon battle skills. If you decide to train at the dojo, master Mustard will give you the legendary pokemon, Kubfu, a cute little bear-like fighting pokemon.

Training with Kubfu will allow you to take part in the Towers of Two Fists challenges. There are two towers to choose: Tower of Darkness and Tower of Waters. However, you can choose only one and it must be done with Kubfu. Once you've completed your chosen tower, Kubfu will evolve into Urshifu.

Depending on the tower you chose will determine Urshifu's fighting style. Choosing the Tower of Darkness will give the pokemon Single Strike Style while completing the Tower of Waters will give it Rapid Strike Style. Additionally, your partner pokemon (Rillaboom, Cinderace, or Inteleon) will be rewarded a gigantamax form for exploring the Isle of Armor.

Lastly, the Pokemon Sword and Shield expansion The Isle of Armor will add new outfits, hairstyles, league card backgrounds, league card effects, and league card frames.

The Pokemon Sword and Shield expansion The Isle of Armor will launch by the end of June. The second expansion, The Crown Tundra, will be available this Fall. Anyone who has already purchased the expansion pass, you'll earn a new outfit for grabbing the pass early. This offer is available until August 31.

If you want to begin your quest to catch em' all now, Pokemon Sword and Shield is currently available for the Nintendo Switch. You can check out our review to see what we think of the Galar region and the new pokemon.

March 26, 2020 11:37 AM EST

Xbox Fans Argue That Halo's Master Chief Is Gaming's Best Character

Xbox fans are arguing that Halo's Master Chief is gaming's greatest protagonist. Twitter had the prolific shooter avatar trending this afternoon as many fans flocked to celebrate the green armored soldier. There were some other names put forward, but the Xbox community wasn't trying to hear of any substitutes. Some Doom Eternal fans tried to sneak in there and put Doomguy in as a substitute, but the Halo fans would not let it stand. When it comes to longevity and dominating the popular consciousness, it's hard to argue with Master Chief.

In more somber news, 343 Industries recently released a statement that the coronavirus pandemic is affecting their work on Halo Infinite. Like so many around the world, their community was hit hard. Seattle functioned as a bit of a flashpoint for the United States as concerns grew there quicker than many other cities. 343 is exercising an abundance of caution and asking their fans to understand where they are coming from.

"This virus has been dominating the news and has worked its way into almost every aspect of our lives," wrote the developer. "We are not immune to this global pandemic and we're fully aware of the danger it poses to us as a individuals, as a team, and as part of the larger Seattle community."

"As the situation began to take a turn for the worse in our area about two weeks ago, Microsoft and 343 leadership gave our studio guidance to work from home. Seeing as safety is the most important thing during a time like this, we took the advice and have been working from home ever since. It hasn't been a vacation though, as every team is adapting and getting creative to make sure they can do their best from outside the studio. Both 343 and Microsoft's leadership teams have been providing constant updates with how the COVID-19 situation is progressing, how our projects are progressing, and recommendations on how best to stay safe during these unprecedented times."

Halo Infinite is in development for PC, Xbox Series X, and Xbox One. At the moment of publishing, there's no word when the game will release, but we do know it will be at the launch of the Xbox Series X. For more news, media, rumors, and leaks on the game, be sure to take a second and peruse all of our past and recent coverage of the title by clicking right here.

"Do you think Master Chief should get the crown? Let us know in the comments!

Did you know ComicBook.com has a Pokemon podcast? That's right folks, A Wild Podcast Has Appeared is available every Thursday bringing you the best breakdowns of the week's biggest news from Jim Viscardi, Megan Peters & Christian Hoffer. Catch the newest episode right here or subscribe on iTunes today!

Disclosure: ComicBook is owned by CBS Interactive, a division of ViacomCBS.

VA of 'Pokemon' star Ash Ketchum sends out coronavirus PSA

Iconic anime character and would-be Pokemon master Ash Ketchum normally concerns himself with catching Pokemon rather than catching diseases, but fans of the video game, anime, movie and trading card franchise don't have this luxury. As the coronavirus outbreak continues to spread across the world, many celebrities and influencers are trying to help encourage their fans to stay safe and healthy. And now, Ash Ketchum is one of these celebrities. Taking to Twitter, voice actress Veronica Taylor, the original voice of the iconic character, put up a short PSA video using an Ash Ketchum prop to spread awareness of the coronavirus. "Okay trainers, Ash Ketchum here, it's time to work together!" Taylor says in character. "As this coronavirus spreads worldwide, we can battle it by staying home – especially if you're sick." Taylor also encouraged Pokemon fans to practice social distancing and, of course, washing their hands. "We need to stand together as a community," she continued. "Often symptoms don't show up for five day, and you're actually more contagious during this time. You can actually pass on COVID-19 to two, three or more people without even knowing it. So, take care of others by taking care of yourself." The video concluded by saying that "It's better to catch Pokemon than to catch this virus." In related news, the franchise's major foray into the mobile gaming market, Pokemon Go, has made updates to the game to allow users to spend as little time as possible outdoors and still be able to enjoy the game to its fullest. var cont = `Sign up for The Jerusalem Post Premium Plus for just $5Upgrade your reading experience with an ad-free environment and exclusive content

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Will Pokemon's Anime Have Ash Skip the Galar League?

Pokemon's newest anime is no stranger to major changes in the anime's formula with several new shake ups such as the return to Kanto, a second protagonist, Ash getting three new additions to his team before the 20 episode mark, and much more. We could be seeing the biggest change in action yet, however, as the latest episode of the series just might have teased that Ash will be skipping the Galar League altogether simply because there's no reason to. Although Ash has his eyes set on the Galar Champion Leon as his rival, he's got a much different route to get there than expected.

After losing his battle against Leon in a previous episode, Ash was introduced to the Pokemon World Championships. In order to get his rematch, he'll have to rise through a set amount of ranks and face off against thousands of other trainers trying to rise in the ranks to make it to a final tournament featuring the eight top trainers. Meaning, Ash doesn't really need to get the eight Galar badges.

The latest episode of the anime explains the concept of the ranking system once more as Ash needs to make his way to the Master Class by fighting strong trainers in the Normal, Super, and Hyper Classes. The major wrench in this, however, is that the Pokemon World Championships makes all trainers equal. While the League challenges have trainers face off and earn badges against these leaders, the leaders are also all entered in the Normal class too.

Meaning that Ash doesn't have to face off against gym leaders in order to rise in the ranks, just opponents who have higher rankings than him. There's a chance this could involve the various trainers of the Galar League down the line, but Ash won't be winning badges from them. Even the first example of this had Ash taking on the Vermillion Gym Leader once more, and walking away with a new ranking rather than a badge.

With Ash heading through every region, this actually opens the door to all kinds of fun rematches with older gyms. Meaning that Ash will probably take on lots of actual gym battles, but he's not going on the standard eight badge route this time around. Then again, with the new protagonist Go there's still an opportunity to do it the classic way.

But what do you think? Does Ash taking on the World Championships mean he's skipping out on the Galar League? Which gyms would you want to see if that's the case? Let us know your thoughts in the comments or talk to me directly about all things anime and other cool things @Valdezology on Twitter!

Did you know ComicBook.com has a Pokemon podcast? That's right folks, A Wild Podcast Has Appeared is available every Thursday bringing you the best breakdowns of the week's biggest news from Jim Viscardi, Megan Peters & Christian Hoffer. Catch the newest episode right here or subscribe on iTunes today!

Disclosure: ComicBook is owned by CBS Interactive, a division of ViacomCBS.

Niantic Offers ‘Rotating’ Bundles For ‘Pokemon Go’ Players At Home

KEY POINTS

Niantic is offering rotating 1 PokeCoin bundles for "Pokemon Go" players

This week's bundle consits of 100 Poke Balls for 1 PokeCoin

The contents of the bundle with change weekly 

The idea of "Pokemon Go" is to send players and aspiring Pokemon Masters to explore the outside world while at the same time, having fun collecting Pokemons and battling other Trainers. It became a worldwide phenomenon up until the outbreak of COVID-19.

While other countries are requiring residents to remain indoors, some are more strict and have put certain cities on lockdown to prevent the spread of the virus. As such, "Pokemon Go" players can't go outside to do what they're supposed to do game-wise. 

Fortunately, Niantic came up with a plan to supplement players with enough Pokeballs to catch those elusive monsters. According to Engadget, the developer has started selling a 100-Poke Ball bundle for 1 PokeCoin in the game's official shop. 

Pokemon Go sparked a global frenzy as users of the gaming app hunt for virtual cartoon characters Photo: AFP / ISAAC LAWRENCE

To put things in perspective, "Pokemon Go" players will indulge in "rotating" 1 PokeCoin bundles that will change each week as one-time purchases. The contents will vary and for this week, the promo comes with the aforementioned 100 Poke Balls. 

Niantic will also give "Pokemon Go" players with three times the Stardust and XP for their first catch of the day, while the number of gifts that they can open per day was maxed in to 30, 20 of which they can carry in their inventory. 

Engadget also pointed out that Niantic has launched a new feature called Today View that shows players the latest in the "Pokemon Go" world such as upcoming events and spin and catch streaks, among others.

Pokemon Masters Improves Co-op Play In Latest Update

Pokemon Go may have changed up its gameplay to keep you from venturing into the real world, but fellow mobile game Pokemon Masters doesn't require any physical travel. The game's latest update, summarized in its patch notes, added several features that improve cooperative battles.

Available with the game's version 1.8.0, Pokemon Masters' latest update gives single players the ability to form a team of nine sync pairs when in cooperative battles, letting you play on your own. It also adds more emotes for these battles, so they should be more engaging and personal when playing with friends.

Other quality-of-life changes in the update include an improved display for the "increase text speed" button, as well as adjustments to trigger conditions for certain skills. It's also easier to see which sync pairs are on a team when on the Edit Team screen, and a selection of other bug fixes and tweaks were also included in the update.

Pokemon Masters flips the standard Pokemon formula on its head by taking the focus off the Pokemon themselves and putting it on the trainers. Pokemon are still included, but they're tied to the classic trainers from the series, including Red, Blue, Misty, and Brock. A simple battle system makes it easy to play on a mobile device, as well, and it also includes a full story.

At launch, Pokemon Masters didn't have that much content. The game's producer Yu Sasaki even apologized, pledging to continue improving the game in the future. Despite this, the game started off with impressive download and revenue numbers, hitting the top free game chart spot in the United States and Japan.

Pokemon Masters patch notes

Added feature to cooperative battles that lets single player form team of nine sync pairs

Made it easier to see which sync pairs are on a team in the Edit Team screen

Added new emotes for cooperative battles

Improved display and behavior of "increase text speed" button

Adjusted trigger conditions and names of certain passive skills

Other bug fixes and improvements

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Why you wouldn't survive life in the Kanto region

Pokemon become more powerful through battling; fortunately, there are plenty of trainers on the routes between cities just itching for a fight. Most of these people appear to be significantly older than the 10-year-old protagonist, and these battles are essentially to the death, each and every time.

Trainers battle until they have no more usable Pokemon — that's brutal to begin with. What's worse is that these adults expect payment upon winning. It seems kind of wrong for these grown people to shake down kids for their lunch money. 

Adults clearly have no concern for the well-being of kids in the Kanto region. This is best exemplified by the dastardly Team Rocket, whose members are happy to attack kids. Natives to the Kanto region must deal with dangerous Pokemon, the brutality of nature, and cutthroat trainers and villains who won't take no for an answer.

Maybe you should just stay home.

Demand for services up, says coach of S’pore’s young e-sport champ

E-sports are gaining popularity in Singapore, and with seven-year-old Simone Lim's win at the Pokemon Oceania International Championships Junior Division in Melbourne last month, the demand for coaches is also rising.

E-sport coach Melvin Keh told The New Paper that requests for his services has grown after Simone's win.

The 26-year-old Pokemon player who is also a competitive gamer began coaching Simone in June last year every week for two hours. He is now preparing Singapore's youngest e-sport champion for the world championships in August.

Competitive Pokemon sees two players face off with squads of six Pokemon each. The goal is to defeat all of the opponent's creatures.

Mr Keh teaches his students to master a team with flow charts. They take notes and ask questions before battling on a Nintendo Switch.

Simone's father, Mr Ernie Lim, an IT consultant, told TNP he introduced gaming to Simone and his sons Theodore, 13, and Alvin, 10, to instil a hunger for winning.

Mr Lim, 45, said: "These games require strategic thinking..."

He added that his children's passion for gaming can bring discipline to their school work, as they know they will lose the privilege of playing if they do poorly in studies.

Mr Lim said engaging an e-sport coach is similar to the tuition teachers his children have for academics.

He said: "I also engage a swim coach for my children; they have tuition teachers for their academics, and a coach for weiqi.

"A coach is required if we as parents do not understand the game but want to support them in their endeavours and also to fine-tune their techniques."

Mr Lim intends for Simone to continue attending international Pokemon events so that she can catch up with friends she has met outside of school.

Mr Keh said video game training is not that different from physical training, and his diploma in sport and wellness management helped him prepare psychologically and physically for long-hour contests.

Despite the growing interest in e-sports and the possibility of making a full-time career out of it, it is not part of Mr Keh's plan yet.

He told TNP that while his parents support him and tune in to his live-streamed matches, they would prefer he move on from gaming.

He said: "I have considered quitting, but (the number of) players are on the rise and the potential for growth is there. So I am excited to see where it goes."

Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: What to Do After the Main Story in Rescue Team DX

Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX has made an astounding return to a beloved franchise. For the past few weeks, players have once again been able to embark on heartwarming quests as their assigned Pokémon alongside their chosen partner as they complete this heartwarming game.

However, after the main story is complete, there's still plenty for players to do. Like other Pokémon Mystery Dungeon games, Rescue Team DX has a good amount of post-game missions and story content to enjoy. Finishing the story also unlocks several new features, equipping your rescue team with many new benefits at their disposal to reach their maximum potential.

Continue scrolling to keep reading Click the button below to start this article in quick view.

RELATED: Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX is a Lovely Return to Form

Evolve Pokémon

Upon returning to Pokémon Square, the team is informed that their friend Snubbull now looks different, as they have evolved into a Granbull. Whiscash goes on to explain the wondrous magic of Evolution in the Pokémon world, which can be achieved by entering the newly opened cave north of Pokémon Square.

When viewing your recruited Pokémon list, there is new information that shows the required conditions to achieve a Pokémon's evolution. This will increase a Pokémon's stats, allow them to learn new moves or even change their typing and ability. You can immediately begin evolving any Pokémon that meet the requirements, including your player and partner Pokémon.

Recruit Shiny Pokémon

Players have the opportunity to face off against Strong Foes in dungeons. Almost every dungeon has the chance of having, which are essentially a mini-boss randomly scattered through the journey. For the first time in Pokémon Mystery Dungeon, these Strong Foes have the chance of being Shiny, a very rare status that gives the Pokémon an alternate color scheme.

RELATED: Every Pokemon You Can Play As in Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX

While the recruit rate for Shinies is low, doing so becomes a bit easier in the post-game due to one item: the Friend Bow. After completing the main story, the player is rewarded with many new and difficult dungeons to explore, one of them being Solar Cave. After descending the 20 floors of Solar Cave, the player is rewarded with TMs and items, one of which is the Friend Bow. Equipping this to your leader will increase the chances of recruiting Pokémon in dungeons, boosting the chances you'll obtain that elusive Shiny.

Mega-Evolve Pokémon

While evolving is a phenomenal way to grow a rescue team's strength, some Pokémon can temporarily take this a step further through Mega Evolution. Like the Friend Bow, the Empowerment Seeds required for this transformative boost is not obtainable in the main-story.

Like other Seeds, these are a one-time use item, but they allow any Pokémon to achieve the Awakened status in any given dungeon. Awakened Pokémon are much stronger than average, gaining incredible stat boosts. But if a Pokémon is capable of Mega Evolving, consuming an Empowerment Seed takes this a step further. Mega Evolution is a great way to defeat Strong Foes and take down challenging bosses.

Recruit Legendary Pokémon

After facing the legendary bird trio, Groudon and Rayquaza, players will have the opportunity to face these mighty beasts again, this time in hopes of recruiting them to their rescue team. Players must scale through their respective Dungeons and, upon reaching the end, a boss battle will begin to test their newfound strength. Dungeons that have a Legendary Pokémon waiting for a challenge will have a VS icon indicated in the Dungeon Selection screen.

Players will be able to find not just the Legendary Pokémon they have already faced, but new Legendary Pokémon to conquer and recruit as well. But be warned -- Legendary Pokémon are much more powerful after completing the main story, including those already defeated. Players should come prepared with plenty of Reviver Seeds and other useful items to aid them.

RELATED: Pokemon Mystery Dungeon DX Wonder Mail Codes: How to Get Free Gifts

Reach Grand Master Rank

Rescue Teams are given a rank based on their overall completion of missions. Easy missions will reward a small increase in this rank, while more difficult ones will yield larger gains. As players continue their adventuring, they will achieve higher ranks for their efforts, awarding them larger camp capacities, more jobs to accept at any given time, more pre-saved teams to choose from when entering a dungeon and an increased number of items they can carry on their team. Achieving Grand Master rank awards players with the maximum amount of all these values, allowing them to bring plenty of items on quests, fulfill as many jobs as possible and have plenty of Pokémon ready to embark on an adventure.

Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX's post-game is full of incredible opportunities and challenges to face. Players can truly put themselves to the test in new dungeons. There are even more story-driven elements for players to follow as they continue their adventure, tying the original duo into an even larger story. Players can also always save other players by picking up Friend Rescue missions, furthering their progress while helping out a friend. Rescue Team DX truly allows for players to test what they've learned and achieve incredible feats after the main story is completed.

KEEP READING: Pokémon Should Keep Remaking Mystery Dungeon Games

Tony Stark's Latest Iron Man Armor Is His WORST Ever - and Also His Coolest

About The Author

Kenny graduated Summa Cum Laude from Rochester Institute of Technology with a Bachelors of Science, focusing on a Video Game Design and Development Major, along with a Creative Writing Minor. Kenny has experience as a UI/UX Designer, along with having a passion for writing in his free time. Due to his experience in the game industry, he enjoys keeping up with the latest gaming news, capturing fine details and being able to share this information with the world. His writing skills also tie into world-building, narrative-based pieces and dialogue, mainly for video games. Kenny's all-time favorite games include the Pokémon series, the Borderlands series, the Kingdom Hearts series, and Overwatch.

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Best Cobalion movesets in Pokémon Go

Pokémon Go has a variety of different legendary Pokémon in the game. Capturing them is difficult because you usually have to obtain them during a limited-time raid, and then they take forever to return to the game. Cobalion is one of these Pokémon. It's a Fighting and Steel-type Pokémon, and it can know a variety of different moves, but it does have a specific moveset you want it to know.

To keep in mind, Cobalion is weak to Fighting, Fire, and Ground-type attacks. It has a max CP of 3,022, an attack of 192, a defense of 229, and a stamina of 209. It has a more robust defensive build, but it still has a considerable attack range and capabilities. If you don't raise it too high, it's a great Pokémon to use in the Ultra league, but it falls short in the Master league. It can know the following attacks:

Fast

Metal Claw (Steel)

Zen Headbutt (Psychic)

Charge

Iron Head (Steel)

Close Combat (Fighting)

Stone Edge (Rock)

Sacred Sword (Fighting, and limited)

Of these combinations, the best available to you include metal claw with iron head or sacred sword, and zen headbutt with sacred sword. The problem with acquiring sacred sword is it's only available on Cobalion for a limited-time during the special raids taking place from March 17 to the 23. If you capture Cobalion during this time, it has the chance to know sacred sword, which is a powerful three-bar charge attack. We don't know when Cobalion with this move, or when other Pokémon can learn it, will return to the game. Make sure to grab it during those raids, and wait to hear from Niantic when it will become available again.

You can expect to see Cobalion's overall meta slightly charge for the better with sacred sword. It's the Pokémon's signature move, so it's great to see it added to the game.

Pokemon: Twilight Wings Will Make You See Hop in a New Light

Pokemon: Twilight Wings has been a spin-off anime that has given us a brand new look at the Galar Region that was introduced in Nintendo's Sword And Shield game, and this latest episode has shown us a brand new side to Hop, the rival character of the game. Hop, for those who might not know, is the brother to the current Galar Champion, Leon, who is attempting to become the champ himself by beginning his Pokemon training journey. While the Switch exclusive gives you a nice breakdown of Hop and his character, the latest installment of Twilight Wings takes things one step further!

Warning! If you have yet to watch the latest episode of Pokemon: Twilight Wings, we'll be diving into some spoiler territory with this one so you may want to steer clear of the rest of this article!

Episode Three of Twilight Wings doesn't necessarily feature Hop for the majority of the latest installment, but rather, it focuses on Hop's Pokemon, Wooloo, the sheep type pocket monster that appears far cuter than it is deadly. Wooloo, who feels jealous of Hop's unbridled love of his brother's Charizard, ventures out on his own in order to escape the endless admiration and in doing so, finds itself lost from its master. Luckily for the sheep type pocket monster, it is found by the grass-type gym leader, Milo, who assists in bringing him home.

Hop is shown here in a brand new light in that he is frantically searching for his Hop, informing the Pokemon, once he returns home thanks to a Corviknight's flight pattern, that he wouldn't want to become a Pokemon champion without him. His love and admiration for his pocket monster is clear from this latest installment, and while this is certainly shown every once in awhile during Pokemon: Sword And Shield, it hasn't been shown to this degree.

In the main anime series, Hop's brother Leon has already made an appearance and is hinting at being an upcoming opponent for Ash Ketchum himself. Perhaps, Hop himself, who has shown a number of similarities to the young trainer Ketchum in this recent episode of Pokemon: Twilight Wings, will face off against Ash as well in the future.

What do you think of Hop's character after this latest Twilight Wings? Feel free to let us know in the comments or hit me up directly on Twitter @EVComedy to talk all things comics, anime, and Pokemon!

Did you know ComicBook.com has a Pokemon podcast? That's right folks, A Wild Podcast Has Appeared is available every Thursday bringing you the best breakdowns of the week's biggest news from Jim Viscardi, Megan Peters & Christian Hoffer. Catch the newest episode right here or subscribe on iTunes today!

Disclosure: ComicBook is owned by CBS Interactive, a division of ViacomCBS.

Pokémon GO will expand online PvP battles with a new ranked league in 2020 (Update: First season March 13)

Battle other Trainers globally soon—the GO Battle League has started rolling out!

Niantic and The Pokémon Company International are beginning to roll out the GO Battle League to Trainers worldwide in Pokémon GO this week.

Trainers,

The GO Battle League is on its way! This week, the GO Battle League will start gradually becoming available to Trainers based on Trainer level. Game features are rolled out in this fashion in order to maintain stability. At launch, the first preseason of the GO Battle League will kick off. During preseason, we will continue to optimize and tune the feature so that Season 1 can be the best season that it can be!

**What is preseason?**

Preseason is a period of time before a season of competitive play begins. With your help, we will be able to optimize and balance the GO Battle League feature during this time. We will also be taking this time to learn about how the GO Battle League is being used in order to determine things like ideal length of seasons, rating thresholds for ranks, and more. In a previous blog post, we mentioned some details that have already been decided: Trainer Battles within the GO Battle League will rotate between the three leagues, you'll be able to rank against your fellow Trainers, and you'll earn rewards for ranking.

For the preseason, the GO Battle League will begin with the Great League, then move on to the Ultra League and the Master League. Leagues will rotate every two weeks. You can still rank during preseason, but your rank will be partially reset at the beginning of Season 1. You will still earn rewards for battling and winning, so this is a great time to practice and earn some cool rewards as well.

The GO Battle League's preseason kicks off now with the Great League. The preseason will rotate formats to the Ultra League on Monday, February 10, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. PST. The Master League will follow on Monday, February 24, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. PST, with the Great League returning once again on Monday, March 9, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. PST. Stay tuned for more details on when the preseason will end and Season 1 will begin.

**GO Battle League rewards**

We'd like to share some info about the rewards you'll be receiving for taking part in the GO Battle League.

* **Rewards will be determined by rank and battles won.** Trainers will be asked to walk five kilometers in order to earn entry into the GO Battle League and unlock five online matches, and this can be done up to three times a day—keep in mind that you'll need to complete those five matches before you can earn progress toward the five-kilometer goal to unlock the next set. As you battle, you can receive a large amount of Stardust depending on your rank and how many of the five battles you win. More wins earn you more Stardust! You'll also be able to earn important battle-related items (like Rare Candies and TMs) and exclusive Pokémon encounters!

* **Pikachu Libre and avatar items inspired by it will be GO Battle League rewards!** Clad in a wrestling-themed costume, Pikachu Libre was first featured in _Pokémon Omega Ruby_, _Pokémon Alpha Sapphire_, and _Pokkén Tournament_. It'll be making its Pokémon GO debut as a Pokémon that can be encountered exclusively via participation in the GO Battle League. As you rise in the ranks during the preseason, you can also look forward to avatar items inspired by Pikachu Libre as exclusive rewards. Be sure to dress up with some of those items to show off your battling prowess, since only participants in the GO Battle League can obtain them!

**Premium Raid Passes are now Premium Battle Passes.** This pass might look familiar—it's the Premium Raid Pass but with a new name! This pass can be used to enter Raid Battles or to enter the premium track in the GO Battle League. Trainers might find winning on the premium track even more rewarding! The Premium Battle Pass will allow you to receive better rewards each time you win, and it will also lower the number of wins needed to earn certain Pokémon encounters. Using a Premium Battle Pass does not affect your rank or rating—the only way to improve those is to win.

* **Use Battle Now to gain early access to the GO Battle League.** Just finished your walk and realized you still have one kilometer left to walk before you can battle? The Battle Now feature gives you the ability to spend PokéCoins to enter the GO Battle League early. The cost decreases as you get closer to the five-kilometer goal. Note that you still need to walk at least two kilometers before you can use this option. There's no substitute for getting out and walking! You can always walk the full distance to enter the GO Battle League without spending PokéCoins.

Make sure you're subscribed to receive push notifications to find out when the GO Battle League will become available to everyone! In celebration of the release of GO Battle League, your first set of GO Battle League battles is on us, so you won't need to walk five kilometers to try it out! Follow our social channels after the feature rolls out this week to stay updated as the preseason progresses, and share your favorite battle moments with #GOBattle.

Now, Trainers—let's GO battle!

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'Pokémon Go' Prepares For Its Next Evolution with Battle League Season 1

What? Pokémon Go is evolving?!

What began as a simple AR experience to simulate the feeling of catching Pokémon in the "real world" has become so much more. Now players can trade, battle Team Rocket and even capture Legendary Pokémon in Raids.

This week, Niantic is ready to unleash the Pokémon Go Battle League, a competitive PVP mode that lets trainers from around the world fight one another in real-time battles to move up in rank and earn prizes.

Starting March 13, the first Season of the Pokémon Go Battle League runs just short of two months and offers players of various skill levels a chance to compete.

"We're proud of the way the game has gone. Fundamentally, we treat Pokémon Go as a sort of AR fantasy," Matthew Slemon, Product Manager for Pokémon Go told Newsweek. "We made [good on] the promise of 'what if Pokémon were in the real world alongside us?' Battles, Team Rocket, Snapshot... All this stuff is intended to further that AR world. And there are more options for players, whether they are interested in battle or not. We're happy with the way the game has evolved over time."

THE EVOLUTION OF POKEMON GO BATTLING

Real-time battling has been a highly-requested feature since Pokémon Go launched four years ago, but, as Slemon points out, PVP was always in the cards. It was just a matter of timing and getting the feature "right."

"I can actually point people towards the original announcement for Pokémon Go. I think that's a good illustration of what the team envisioned Pokémon Go could include, and PVP was in there. So I think from the outset we always thought we'd do something with PVP. We had to figure out what's the right way to make it feel right and [create] a system that still rewards that outdoor aspect of Pokémon Go that makes people want to interact."

The Pokémon Go team now feels they have that system, but it took some time and its own steady evolution process.

Battling in Pokémon Go began exclusively in Gyms where trainers could fight AI-controlled Pokémon of other trainers. By tapping the screen, Pokémon would attack using a Quick attack to build up energy to unleash a more powerful Charged attack. Trainers could also swipe their fingers to have their Pokémon avoid attacks. This feature would migrate to Raids, where a group of players would fight one "boss" Pokémon in real-time.

This system became the base for battling in Pokémon Go, as developers looked for ways to improve it. They made it a more cerebral game with the implementation of a set number of shields to block charged attacks and added mini-games to strengthen moves and keep players engaged throughout the battle.

"I've always been a fan of PVP and competitive games in general, so I think it's really cool for us to evolve the basic gym system to where combat is now, where you're playing-mini games and using the protective shields," Matthew Ein, Senior Game Designer said. "To say, 'oh I think those guys can use a super effective attack on me I should probably block it;' all these mind games."

The Pokémon Go team also adjusted how certain attacks function in the game, adding effects and changing the amount of damage they deal. The implementation of a second charged attack has given Pokémon more offensive options and plays into the mind game ingrained in the real-time battles.

To Ein and the rest of the team, making sure the Go Battle League is still accessible is a top priority, but he didn't rule out that more mechanical changes to PVP could come down the line.

"What we knew we wanted to do is build a form of Pokémon battles that was really accessible," Slemon explained. "So one of the reasons we steered away from doing something like a turn-based system is the number of decisions that you can make is sometimes fairly small. And understanding why one choice that plays out over 30 seconds is the correct or incorrect choice [can be difficult]. Sometimes it's hard for players to understand or frustrating, and so we wanted to bring a little bit more of the intuitiveness of real-time to our battle system.

"I think we tried to keep a lot of what makes Pokémon, Pokémon - being very focused on type matchups. But we wanted to make it also feel somewhat intuitive. So if it feels right when you tap your Pokémon attacks or making it so the charge games feel like there's something dynamic and engaging, as opposed to waiting for your opponent to make a decision. So I think that's a lot of the philosophy that went into it. We wanted to feel like the battle system itself was engaging and always sort of asked you to be thinking about the battle."

POKEMON GO PVP LAUNCHES

First introduced in December 2018, real-time battles in Pokémon Go let trainers take on nearby opponents or approved friends. Players were also able to take on the leaders of the three Pokémon Go teams to practice their skills and earn items.

The real-time battles were taking off enough that an invitational was a part of the 2019 Pokémon World Championships.

Ein, who was at the three-day event last August, was happy with the response to the invitational.

"It was really eye-opening, but there's so much passion behind this, and it was really heartwarming to see that the people who were there for the trading card game and for the main series game were so welcoming to us," Ein said.

With the Pokémon Go Invitational behind them, it was time to look toward launching the Battle League.

A preseason began at the start of February to test a variety of aspects like connectivity and balancing before the Go Battle League would start. For weeks, trainers battled with others around the world to gain experience and provide insight to developers.

"There's lots of feedback that we got, and we've been trying to figure out what we want to address immediately [and what] we can address a little bit later," Slemon said. "The first set of things we're looking to address are technical issues, trying to keep a handle on why things aren't working and trying to get fixes out for those as soon as we can."

From a gameplay perspective, Slemon says they hope to respond to feedback on the ratings system. The team wants to make it more clear why a player ends up at a certain rank, and they hope to address the feeling of it being too "hard" to rank up.

Currently, participating increases your Pokémon Go Battle League Rank, starting with Rank 1 and ending with Rank 10. Each Rank has different requirements to progress based on the number of battles and victories.

POKEMON GO IS STILL A WALKING GAME

The main feature set of Pokémon Go involves players going outside and walking, and that philosophy is still evident in PVP. Players will have five "free" battles each day, but can unlock five more by walking three kilometers - down from five kilometers when the preseason first began. This number continues to grow even if players haven't used up their five battles previously. In other words, they are always working, or walking, toward their next set.

"We're fairly happy with three. That three to five range still feels right fundamentally," Slemon explained. "The important part for us is that people can't sit at home and battle all day. That's what we wanted to avoid, because that's not really in line with what the value of our game is."

With Pokémon Go being a game so focused on real-world interaction, the current coronavirus global pandemic has changed the mobile game in some areas. Countries like Japan, Italy and South Korea have had certain in-game events changed, but Slemon doesn't see the Go Battle League being affected by the illness.

"For now we see this as a unique situation. We don't see the coronavirus affecting the launch," Slemon said. "But if we feel the situation gets important enough, we hope players don't feel the need to risk their personal health, because Pokémon Go is a game about being healthy. For now, the countries that are most affected have special settings set up so that they feel they have things to do without feeling the risk."

GO BATTLE LEAGUE LAUNCH & FUTURE

With weeks of preseason play data, the Pokémon Go Battle League is ready to launch.

Players who have tried it out from the beginning or are jumping in now can enjoy this feature in a variety of ways. The first implementation is the League's three-tiered system through which Pokémon can fight. Separated into Great, Ultra and Master Ball League, each division boasts a different pool of Pokémon to viably choose from based on a Pokémon's Combat Points (CP). While there are Pokémon that have emerged as favorites in some Leagues, the meta will remain fluid.

"[The meta] is something we're constantly keeping an eye on. The way we set up leagues is pretty good for having a diverse cast of Pokémon," Ein explained. "I can use some legendary Pokemon like Dialga or Kyogre in Master League, but then only see Swampert or Whiscash or something like that. If you have a favorite Pokemon, you can at least try and fit it in somewhere in one of these Leagues."

Slemon reiterates that type matchups are key in Pokémon Go PVP. Rayquaza, a powerful Legendary Pokémon, can still be taken out by a non-Legendary Ice-type because of its weaknesses. It's those interactions that teach players how type matchups sometimes supersede raw power.

Pokémon Go also helps players with certain in-game events like Community Days. These timed events offer certain Pokémon exclusive attacks that are fast and powerful. Players have already seen the effects of it, with many fully evolved Starter Pokémon like Swampert being used frequently.

Ein himself uses a Swampert, Skarmory and Meganium team and ranked in Great Ball League during the preseason - no Legendary required.

As for the future of the Pokémon Go Battle League, don't expect a team preview or selection feature like the one seen in VGC.

"For Battle League we actually deliberately didn't choose a system like that. We believe the battles are quick enough that if we increase the battling by 50 percent with a system like that, it would actually end up slowing down the feature and being less fun overall," Slemon said. "That's the balance we are trying to strike, making sure Go Battle League is accessible, fun and quick and easy to play is the top priority. I think for tournament play in the future, we might revisit systems that are a little bit more competitive instead."

So what can you do to get started? Well, just playing helps.

"Try it out. [Playing] doesn't cost anything to get started. You're already walking to play Pokémon Go, so you're already there," Slemon said. "Just trying it out and using a bunch of different Pokémon, getting through those first few ranks, which only requires you to play matches. It doesn't even require you to win, so [keep] playing around, getting a feel for it and even getting some rewards as you go. It's the best way for people to get started."

5 ‘Pokemon Go’ March events worth your time and money

If February was all about hatching eggs in "Pokemon Go," March will be focused on raids.

Recently, Niantic revealed its monthly schedule for the game and it's chock-full of special raids for the weekends. March will be dominated by Thundurus, which is a decent legendary raid boss. Its Therian forme has the potential to be better, so it's best to save raid candy for that.

Although the current legendary boss isn't raising the needle, the weekends' tier 5 raid bosses definitely will. That's what trainers should concentrate on this month. If players don't get the Pokemon they're looking for, they shouldn't worry or have fear of missing out aka FOMO. As Niantic has shown, these Pokemon and their shiny versions do return occasionally. With that said, here are the top five "Pokemon Go" events that are worth your time and money for March.

1. Team Go Rocket Takeover/Darkrai Raid Weekend — 8 a.m. March 6 to 10 p.m. March 9This is the big one. Darkrai came out last October and it is arguably the best Dark-type Pokemon currently in the game. (Let's not cover shadow Pokemon yet.) Its second time around will feature a shiny variant that looks gorgeous. Being a mythical Pokemon, it can't be traded (as far as I know) making this even more valuable to catch. For the best chance at beating Darkrai make sure to have a lineup heavy in fighting-type Pokemon such as Conkeldurr, Lucario and Machamp. In addition, the Team Go Rocket takeover will happen and that means more poison- and dark-type Pokemon will appear, including the debut of shiny Skorupi. Absol, a Pokemon that only appeared in raids and eggs, will be available in the wild, and yes, they can be shiny, too.

2. Altered Forme Giratina weekend — 8 a.m. March 13 to 10 p.m. March 16When Altered Forme Giratina came out, there was collective shrug from the community. Sure, it was a creepy-looking pocket monster, but it's place in the meta wasn't that great. With the advent of the Go Battle League, it has turned into a much-desired Pokemon, especially when it comes to the Ultra and Master league divisions. Once again, the shiny version of this Pokemon will be available and it's gold and blue coloring make it stand out. Have a team of dragons such as Rayquaza, Palkia, Dragonite and Salamence ready with dragon moves. They have the bulk to keep up the attacks.

3. Psychic Spectacular Event/Lugia weekend — 8 a.m. March 27 to 10 p.m. March 10This event has something for everyone. It will introduce several Unova Pokemon, including Solosis and Gothita. In addition, Pokemon such as Drowzee and Baltoy will be available. Both have rare shiny versions with the laternate color of Baltoy having its debut. The Pokemon that players should get is Lugia. But wait, hasn't that boss been out a few times? Yes, it has but it never had its signature move Aeroblast. In this weekend's event, Lugia will have that move available, making a dominant Pokemon in Go Battle League's Master division even more powerful. It will be worth it to grab a least one of them. Plus, this will be another chance to catch the shiny version.

4. "Mysterious"/Cobalion Raid weekend — 8 a.m. March 20 to 10 p.m. March 23Niantic was vague with this event. That knocks this down a peg, but what we do know is that the shiny version of Nincada will be debuting. It's not a must-have Pokemon but it is something to keep an eye out for if you're a completionist. The bigger news is the double catch and hatch stardust. This will happen after the launch of season 1 of Go Battle League, and right about then, players will be needing some dust to power-up Pokemon for battling. In addition, Karrablast and Shelmet will be availabe in 5km eggs. This event will also see the debut of shiny Cobalion. The Iron Will Pokemon will make its return and though it wasn't sought-after in its first go-around, the addition of the exclusive move — Sacred Sword — could bump up its place in the rankings.

5. Rocket Take-over Day — 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. March 7With the advent of shadow-boosted Pokemon, this three-hour event has a higher importance than the Abra Community Day on March 15. During this window, players can find more Team Go Rocket grunts to battle as well as opportunities battle the Team Go Rocket leaders — Sierra, Cliff and Arlo. This is a chance to catch dark Pokemon you may have missed, including shiny versions and advance the quests to get shadow Entei this month. All of this makes this event is a must for collectors. Lastly, players will be able to use their charge TM to replace a Shadow Pokemon's exclusive move, Frustration. The shadow boost that was just introduced makes some shadow versions more viable and increases their importance in the ranking, but at the same time, the drawback with these Pokemon is that they cost a ton of stardust to evolve and power-up.

Pokémon championship canceled as coronavirus cases swell

The Pokémon Company announced on Friday that it would postpone the Pokémon Europe International Championships, citing health officials' recommendations due to rising concerns about the rise in cases of the coronavirus. The championships were for Berlin on April 17-19.

The Pokémon Company didn't rule out future postponements but did say that current plans for the North America International Championships on June 26-28 in Columbus, Ohio, and the world championship Aug. 14-16 in London remain the same for now.

"For the events directly organized by The Pokémon Company International, we examine each event on a case-by-case basis, informed by the latest updates issued by appropriate government and World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations," the company said in a statement. "Currently, there are no plans to postpone or cancel the 2020 Pokémon North America International Championships or 2020 Pokémon World Championships."

More: Final Kombat to play out with no audience | Hearthstone Masters goes online-only as virus spreads | LEC relocates spring final; LCS "carefully monitoring" outbreak

Like similar esports events that have been impacted by the spread of the virus, the Pokémon Company stated it would be forgoing player handshakes during matches, make sanitizer readily available and sanitize and clean surfaces in between matches in their LAN events.

The 2020 Pokémon Europe International Championships are the latest in an ever-growing list of esports and gaming events impacted by COVID-19. On the same day, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive tournament organizer FLASHPOINT cancelled an April playoff event in Stockholm, Sweden, citing travel concerns.

There have been over 100,000 cases and 3,400 deaths related to COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, according to The Associated Press. Most have been centered in China's Hubei Province and the city of Wuhan, where the virus was first discovered.

Pokemon Go's Battle League Adds a Whole New Layer to the Game

Pokemon Go's GO Battle League officially launches its first season today after a lengthy test session. Battling has always been a core part of Pokemon Go, dating back to the game's earliest weeks. While players initially battled each other in proxy at gyms, Pokemon Go eventually launched a PvP system for live battles back in late 2018. After introducing AI opponents to face in the form of GO Team Rocket, Pokemon Go is now diving into ranked online battles through its new GO Battle League. The GO Battle League setup is simple - players can choose from one of three leagues, each of which has a cap on Pokemon strength. Players then compete in sets of five battles, with rewards given out based on the number of wins. As a player stacks up wins in the GO Battle League, their rank rises, and they face off against stronger trainers and receive more guaranteed rewards.

"We think the response to GO Battle League has been great," said Matt Slemon, the lead product manager on Pokemon Go, in a phone interview with ComicBook.com. "Players seem to really enjoy it. We've gotten a lot of useful feedback that we're going to use for season one, but overall the reception has been great. Usage of the feature is very healthy. So we're pretty happy with how it's going so far."

One major change made to GO Battle League was the addition of Legendary Pokemon as potential rewards for players. After completing a set of five battles, players who win either four battles (in the free track) or two battles (in the premium track, which requires a Premium Battle Pass) can encounter Pokemon like Thundurus and other Legendary Pokemon that would otherwise be available in raids. For players who struggle getting a raid group together, the GO Battle League offers a chance to get those Legendary Pokemon and even have a way of powering them up.

When asked whether adding Legendary Pokemon made an impact in the number of players who tried GO Battle League, Slemon confirmed that it led to a boost in players. "We have seen more people playing," Slemon said. "We're trying to find the right balance and we don't want people to feel like the battles are just for rewards. The competition aspects are important too. But, we've seen a really good response from introducing Thundurus and Darkrai to Go Battle League as sort of an alternative."

Although GO Battle League will have different seasons that reset rankings, the seasons themselves won't have different rulesets that limit the types of Pokemon used...at least at first. While the Pokemon Video Game Championship Series often has a "ban list" of Pokemon that can't be used during different seasons of competitive play, Matt Ein, the senior designer of Pokemon Go, acknowledges that building a competitive team in Pokemon Go takes a lot of time. "Having a viable team in Great, Ultra, or Master League is a very time and resource intensive thing, so we'd like to have things pretty stable for a few seasons at least." Ein did note that there's a possibility that new formats will be added to the GO Battle League in the future.

While different Seasons of GO Battle League won't have different rulesets, Slemon did note that the rewards would help provide some variation between seasons. For instance, Season 1 has a light theme with Steven Stone, the champion of the Hoenn region. Players can earn a guaranteed encounter with Metagross, Stone's Pokemon partner, as well as avatar items and poses inspired by the fashionable champion.

Although GO Battle League is a purely online function, the developers of Pokemon Go see it as a potential on-ramp for in person tournaments and community events. "We do see Go Battle League as sort of the first step of opening doors to everyone," Slemon said. "To show that battles are accessible to you no matter where you are, and it's something you can learn to do." Slemon even hoped that GO Battle League would help raise interest in more community events, like the in-person tournament held at Pokemon Go Fest last year. "Those are really where we feel like the magic of Pokemon Go comes out, is when you're able to play people face to face."

Of course, face-to-face battles may have to wait a while, due to ongoing coronoavirus concerns. The launch of GO Battle League comes at a fortuitous time, as COVID-19 has forced Pokemon Go developers to delay events and discourage some of the more social aspects of the game. GO Battle League provides an alternative way to play Pokemon Go, and Slemon noted that some of the tweaks made to the GO Battle League rewards were due to COVID-19. "One of the reasons Legendary Pokemon showed up to Go Battle League was to make sure the players had something to do and a little bit more motivation if they didn't feel safe to go out and raid," Slemon said. While GO Battle League isn't intended to replace raids or other social aspects of the game, it does help players keep playing even if they don't feel safe about public interactions.

For players interested in trying out the PvP functions of Pokemon Go but might be intimidated by the idea of ranked battles, Ein recommends giving the Team GO Rocket battles a shot to test out teams and strategies before diving into the GO Battle League. He also notes that the matchmaking system will prevent them from battling world champions in GO Battle League right off the bat. "Players will have to slowly prove their way up, and I think that's a good experience for them," Ein said.

GO Battle League's first season starts at 1 PM local time on March 13th. Good luck to everyone who sets out to become a Pokemon master!

Did you know ComicBook.com has a Pokemon podcast? That's right folks, A Wild Podcast Has Appeared is available every Thursday bringing you the best breakdowns of the week's biggest news from Jim Viscardi, Megan Peters & Christian Hoffer. Catch the newest episode right here or subscribe on iTunes today!

Disclosure: ComicBook is owned by CBS Interactive, a division of ViacomCBS.

Pokémon: Red Said His First Words - and They're Perfect

The protagonist and champion, Red, has finally made his way into Pokemon Masters alongside Blue and Professor Oak. A man of few words, Red maintained his silence over the years, speaking only in punctuation. Other characters in the Pokemon universe seem to have accepted this, possibly because he has a powerful team at this side. But now, the silence has been broken.

For the first time in Pokemon history, Red has said his first words, and they perfectly capture how he's been portrayed throughout the series. Upon obtaining Red and his Charizard as a Sync Pair in Masters, players will also unlock his Sync Pair Story "A Day with Sygna Suit Red." In the story, the player and Flint of Sinnoh Elite Four run into Red. When Flint and the player ask how Red gives his commands to his Pokémon without speaking, his response is, "Words are unnecessary!"

Continue scrolling to keep reading Click the button below to start this article in quick view.

Related: Pokémon Masters Teased Sync Pair Is 24 Years in the Making

Red's silence makes sense given his history as the original game's protagonist. Back when he debuted in Pokémon Red and Green, he is implied to speak on some occasions (such as his interaction with the Copycat who mimics everything he says), but he is never actually shown speaking in the games or in his subsequent main series appearances. Silent protagonists are common, especially in older games, as they allow the player to project their own identity onto the character. Other iconic Nintendo characters, like Link and Mario, also fall into this trope.

Instead of Game Freak deciding who Red is, the player gets the opportunity to flesh him out from themselves by deciding what kind of Pokémon he trains and how he goes about his adventure. This is mostly continued for player characters throughout the main series with some minor deviations.

However, since Red is only a playable character in the initial Kanto games and their remakes, his later appearances in the series have been as an NPC. When Red made his return in Pokémon Gold and Silver as a final, post-game boss, he has no words for the new player character when he is approached on Mount Silver. His only dialogue is "...," beginning what has become a running joke in the series. By maintaining the silent protagonist device with Red, players could continue to give him their version of his identity while also adding a bit of mystery.

RELATED: Pokemon: Mewtwo is STILL Anime's Most Sympathetic Villain

After a long hiatus in the mountains, Red returned in Pokemon Black 2 and White 2 for the Pokémon World Tournament. The games released over a decade after Red's previous appearance in Gold and Silver and took place several years after. Still, Game Freak chose to continue Red's silent streak, solidifying it as a part of his character. In Pokémon Sun and Moon, where players get to encounter older versions of Red and his former rival, Blue, it is clear that everyone in the Pokémon universe has accepted this as a part of who he is. Blue even asks, "What do you say Red?" when the pair meet the player, knowing full well Red won't say anything, and adding "Still as silent as ever, eh?" after receiving the expected lack of response from his friend.

Even though he speaks in Pokémon Masters, Red still mainly gives the player and Flint the silent treatment. His singular line perfectly captures who he's been over the past 24 years, and Red makes it clear that "Words are unnecessary" when you let your Pokémon do the talking.

KEEP READING: What Pokemon Go's Battle League Lacks That the Main Games Have

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About The Author

An avid gamer with a poochy sidekick living just outside of Ottawa, Ontario. When not gaming she dons capes for writing, creating digital art, and sometimes game development. Games she's worked on can even be found on the app stores. Also loves metal music, horror movies, and a good book.

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Pokemon Designer Reacts to a Special 'Sword and Shield' Cosplay

Within the anime fandom, there is a joke which we all know well. Plenty of shojo anime has carried on the meme of "Notice Me, Senpai" since it cropped up on the Internet, and it has yet to go away. These days, if you can get your role model to look at you, then you are doing a good job. But for one cosplayer out there, they managed to get none other than Junichi Masuda to notice them and their Pokemon look online.

And yes, the fan is still alive and well. The shock didn't take them out, and if anything, you can bet Masuda's praise has only made their love for Pokemon even stronger.

Over on Twitter, the fan LERDC hit up followers to share their latest cosplay based on Pokemon Sword and Shield. The fan said the latest generation title inspired him to pick up cosplay, and his costume was impressive enough to warrant some love from Masuda.

"AMAZING," the game director wrote, and his all caps speak for themselves. There is no denying that Masuda is a fan of the look, and Pokemon fans were quick to join in with the franchise icon in supporting LERDC.

Of course, you can see why Masuda's praise would go a long ways. He is a video game designer for Pokemon, but he is best-known for being the franchise's steward. Masuda has been part of Game Freak since 1998 which he helped found with Satoshi Tajiri and Ken Sugimori. The trio are often regarded as the real Pokemon Masters given their influence on the franchise, so it is no small feat earning his praise.

Clearly, TERDC and his love for Pokemon got through to the creator, and fans are glad to see Masuda engaging with the fandom. As Pokemon prepares to expand its eighth generation with DLC packs and its ongoing anime, it's more than nice to hear from the designer every now and again.

Which one of Galar's Pokemon would you be willing to cosplay as? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to talk all things comics and anime!

Did you know ComicBook.com has a Pokemon podcast? That's right folks, A Wild Podcast Has Appeared is available every Thursday bringing you the best breakdowns of the week's biggest news from Jim Viscardi, Megan Peters & Christian Hoffer. Catch the newest episode right here or subscribe on iTunes today!

Disclosure: ComicBook is owned by CBS Interactive, a division of ViacomCBS.

Pokémon Mystery Dungeon Adds a Feature That Was Absent from the Originals

Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Teams DX is the latest release in the Pokémon franchise. A remake of the original Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Blue Rescue Team and Red Rescue Team, the new game comes with several new additions, including auto-save, auto-mode and Mega Evolution. But one exciting addition in Rescue Team DX is the inclusion of Shiny variations of certain Pokémon.

Though Shiny Pokémon existed in the franchise back when the original Rescue Team games released, they couldn't be found in the game. In Rescue Team DX, There are 27 Pokémon capable of spawning as a Shiny, and each can be found and potentially recruited in the various dungeons of the game.

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Related: Every Pokemon You Can Play As in Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX

Recruiting a Shiny Pokémon is not as easy as recruiting a regular Pokémon. First, like in the main series games, a Shiny Pokémon is a rare spawn in a dungeon, so it is all up to luck if one shows up at all. On the rare chance one spawns, it is going to be a lot tougher battle than normal because Shiny Pokémon in Mystery Dungeon have higher stats than regular Pokémon.

Even if the Shiny Pokémon is defeated, there is a chance that it will choose not to join the team. Plus, if the Shiny does join the team, it must be kept alive while completing the dungeon, and the player must have the correct camp type when the dungeon ends. Equipping the Friend Bow will increase the chance that a defeated Pokémon will ask to join the team, but the chances of encountering and recruiting a Shiny Pokémon are still low.

Related: Pokemon Mystery Dungeon DX: Every Single Wonder Mail Code

Despite what Rescue Team DX may suggest, Shiny Pokémon in the main series do not have inflated stats. They are simply Pokémon with a different color palette. They are referred to as "Shinies" because of the sound effect and animation that occurs when one is encountered in battle.

Shiny Pokémon were first introduced in the Generation II titles, Pokémon Gold and Silver. As Shinies are incredibly rare and there was no way to influence the appearance of one, the only Shiny most players ever saw in those games was the Red Gyarados found at the Lake of Rage. The Odd Egg item unique to Pokémon Crystal also had a higher-than-usual chance to hatch into a Shiny, but the chance was still relatively small.

In the Generation III titles Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen, players can encounter three different trainers that have Shiny Pokémon on their teams; one has a Meowth, another has an Espeon, and the last has a Seaking. As the games broadened the presence of Shiny Pokémon, players became more aware that there was a chance they could add a Shiny to their teams.

Related: Why Greninja Won Pokémon of the Year

Shiny Pokémon became an even bigger deal in the Generation IV games Pokémon Diamond, Pokémon Pearl with the addition of the Poké Radar key item and the introduction of the "Masuda Method" of breeding. These were the first ways to increase the odds of encountering a Shiny, and encouraged players to start what is now known as "Shiny hunting."

The increase in Shinies, plus the fact that Diamond and Pearl allowed players to connect using Wi-Fi, meant that players could easily show off their favorite Shiny Pokémon to their friends. Later games added their own methods to increase the odds of finding Shinies, and the rise of livestreaming has made Shiny hunting even more popular with fans.

As more Pokémon games are released, players who have caught Shinies can continue to transfer them forward, increasing the sentimental value and bond with these special Pokémon. Just like Ash and his Pikachu, many fans have their own special partner that they can bring with them on every journey towards becoming a Pokémon Master.

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About The Author

Luc Tran is a freelance writer for CBR focusing on video games, located just outside Dallas, Texas. When he's not studying completely random subjects for fun, he's spending way too much time playing video games or reading. Whatever free time he has left is spent day-dreaming about tabletop RPGs, working out, or yelling at his cat to stop eating plastic.

More About Luc Tran

Noah's Ark Exists in the Pokémon Universe - Which Raises a BIG Question

Who is the God of the Pokémon world? Arceus is often credited as the creator of the world, with other Pokémon, such as Palkia and Dialga, being responsible for other elements of the universe like space and time. However, the world of Pokémon has a few oddities that put into question this established lore. Specifically, the fact that the story of Noah's Ark also exists in the Pokémon world.

There are many cases in the early days of Pokémon where the lore would contradict later established canon. The most egregious of this, however, comes in Episode 16 of the Pokémon anime, "Pokémon Shipwreck." The episode references multiple ship-based disasters, most notably that of Noah's Ark. However, while this story might seem like a huge contradiction to the established lore, there actually may be a canon explanation for why the Biblical story exists in Pokémon.

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Related: Weird Pokémon That Still Aren't As Gross As Not Washing Your Hands

The Episode

"Pokémon Shipwreck" is the second part in a series of inter-connected episodes centered around the S.S. Anne. In the previous episode, the brawl between the members of Team Rocket sailing on the S.S. Anne (not just Jessie, James and Meowth, but the entire organization) resulted in the ship capsizing and sinking into the sea. While everyone else was able to escape, Ash, Misty, Brock, Pikachu, Jessie, James and Meowth are stuck on-board and presumed dead. Officer Jenny even holds a funeral for them.

However, the group survives and attempts to escape the ship. This leads to multiple references to famous maritime disaster stories, such as the Titanic and Noah's Ark. While the Titanic is a historical reference made by the series' narrator and thus isn't referenced in-universe, Brock actually references Noah's Ark specifically to describe their predicament. This indicates that the story of Noah's Ark exists in canon.

Why Does Noah's Ark Contradict Established Lore?

The story of Noah comes from the Judeo-Christian tradition. Noah is contacted by God and told that humanity, for its continued and egregious sins, is going to be destroyed in a massive flood. However, because Noah and his family are truly good people, he is tasked with preserving humanity by placing two of every animal into a massive ship he is to construct to endure the flood. He manages to preserve a seed of civilization before the flood comes.

Related: The God Problem: The 5 Best & 5 Worst Depictions Of God In Anime

While Judeo-Christian iconography is all over Pokémon (a few episodes after "Pokémon Shipwreck," Misty brandishes a cross on a Gastly), there is little direct reference to Biblical stories or figures. They do not reference God, Jesus, Abraham, Israel, Satan or any events relating to them. So if the belief system itself does not exist in Pokémon canon, where would an individual story from it arise from?

Furthermore, Noah would have had to collect every single Pokémon in the world twice over -- making him, effectively, the world's first Pokémon Master. Or perhaps just bought one of each gender and a LOT of Dittos.

So Who Made Noah's Flood?

However, let's remove the Noah story from Judeo-Christian ideology. Suppose there was a massive flood that required someone named Noah to collect the world's population of Pokémon on an ark. This begs the question: what caused Noah's flood?

Arceus has a very detached role in the lives of Pokémon and humanity, instead sending his various other Pokémon creations to manage life on Earth. Ergo, it's unlikely that Arceus itself conjured the flood. However, there is one legendary Pokémon that canonically can create a flood that can drown the entire planet.

RELATED: Why Greninja Won Pokémon of the Year

In Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire, we are introduced to Kyogre and Groudon. Both Pokémon have the ability to alter the weather patterns of the planet, with Groudon drying out the planet while Kyogre conjures a great rainstorm to flood everything. It's only when Rayquaza interferes in the two Pokémon's eternal war that balance is struck on the planet.

In canon, however, Kyogre did actually create a massive flood similar to the one Noah endured in the Bible story. Quoting its Pokédex entry from Sapphire, "Kyogre is named in mythology as the Pokémon that expanded the sea by covering the land with torrential rains and towering tidal waves." This right here establishes that Kyogre did indeed create a legendary flood.

If we come to understand that Noah endured a flood created by Kyogre rather than the Judeo-Christian God, the story of Noah's Ark seamlessly integrates with Pokémon lore. While it's unlikely the writers of the anime could foresee Kyogre's existence years before the release of the Hoenn games, this reference adds a sense of coherency, further mythologizing the legendary Pokémon in exciting, interesting ways.

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'Pokémon Masters' Update Adds New Evolutions - Full List & How to Evolve

The latest Pokémon Masters update brings with it not just new chapters in the main story but evolutions to older Sync Pairs.

There are 12 new evolution possibilities in Pokémon Masters, making Sync Pairs stronger and giving more strategy for players to utilize in single-player and co-op battles.

If you're looking to learn everything about the new evolutions in Pokémon Masters and how to evolve your Sync Pair in the mobile game, read on for a detailed look at the latest update.

HOW TO EVOLVE IN POKEMON MASTERS

Pokémon Masters follows some of the same rules of evolution as the main series games.

Unlike the main series games, however, every Sync Pair that can evolve can do so at the same level. If a Pokémon can evolve to a first-stage or Stage 1 Sync Pair, that Pokémon will need to be at level 30. A Stage 2 Sync Pair requires a level of at least 45.

Evolving your Pokémon increases their power and possibly introduces other benefits like getting a new powerful Sync Move.

It's not easy to evolve Pokémon in this game, though. Once you reach level 30 with a Pokémon, you'll unlock a special side story. To play through each story, you'll need a special item.

Trainers need evolution shards and evolution crystals to play through the story and complete the transformation. These items can only be found in the in-game shop by exchanging other items earned in battle.

When the mobile game was first released, coins were used in exchange for these items. Now, players need to exchange Daily Vouchers earned by completing certain tasks each day.

Players can exchange seven Daily Vouchers for one Evolution Shard. Each month, five Evolution Shards can be obtained in this manner.

For Evolution Crystals, 25 Daily Vouchers are required for just one crystal. Players can only exchange for three Evolution Crystals in this manner.

POKEMON MASTERS NEW EVOLUTIONS

There are 12 new evolutions in Pokémon Masters, and they add a lot of strength to Sync Pairs that could use it.

While the biggest changes after evolution are the increased stats, some Sync Pairs get an added effect to their Sync Move. Each evolution requires five Evolution Shards and for you to complete a battle.

These battles are one-on-one and can be difficult if your base level isn't high enough.

Here's the list of new evolutions added in Pokémon Masters with any changes to Sync Moves:

Lt. Surge and Electrode

Added Sync Move Effect: Increases the more the opponent's special attack is lowered

Roxanne and Probopass

No Additional Effects

Brawly and Hariyama

Added Sync Move Effect: The more the opponent's Defense is lowered, the greater the power of this move

Blaine and Rapidash

Added Sync Move Effect: Power increases if the target is trapped

Roark and Rampardos

No Additional Effects

Calem and Meowstic

Added Sync Move Effect: Power increases if the target is paralyzed

Phoebe and Dusclops

No Additional Effects

Clay and Seismitoad

Added Sync Move Effect: The more the target's Speed has been lowered, the greater the power of this move

Maylene and Medicham

No Additional Effect

Grant and Aurorus

Added Sync Move Effect: Its power increases if the target is flinching

Ramos and Victreebell

Added Sync Move Effect: Power increases if the target is asleep

Roxie and Scolipede

No Additional effects

What do you think of the latest Pokémon Masters update? Which new evolution is your favorite? Let us know in the comments section.

Pokémon Go Master League team recommendations

There is no one 'best' team you can choose - since, as mentioned previously, you don't know what you are up against - and not everyone has access to every type of Pokémon.

Instead, here is a general list of recommended Master League Pokémon to build a team from, with a wide range of sources that should suit all players, whether you've been collecting Legendaries since their debut, or have just started playing.

Remember, when forming a team, you are only allowed one of each in the Go Battle League, and ideally you'd want to build a team with different type strengths and defence.

Our Pokémon Go Master League Team recommendations in no particular order:

Giratina (Origin ideally, or Altered)

Type: Ghost / DragonGiratina Altered moves: Shadow Claw (Fast), Dragon Claw or Ancient Power (Charged)Giratina Origin moves: Shadow Claw (Fast), Shadow Ball or Ominous Wind (Charged)Giratina weaknesses: Dark, Dragon, Ghost, Ice, Fairy

Not only does Giratina rule the Ultra League, but it stands tall in the Master League as well.

Giratina is, put simply, incredibly powerful, leaning on its brute strength and ghost / dragon types to take down most other creatures in a straight match up. Though you'll want to go after the Altered forme if you have the option, Origin is still a welcome alternative.

Giratina is a Legendary and until it reappears in Raids or weekly Research, cannot be found easily without trading.

With the meta forming around Giratina, expect to come up against plenty of counters against it (which is most of the choices on this page) so though it's a popular choice for a reason, going against the meta by not using it also makes sense - so don't worry if you don't have one available.

Dialga

Type: Steel / DragonRecommended moves: Dragon Breath (Fast), Iron Head (Charged)Dialga weaknesses: Fighting, Ground

Dialga is another Legendary with the right moves, typing (steel is generally very useful in competitive play) and the strength to roll over the vast majority of Pokemon it comes up against.

You could argue Dialga is a better choice than Giratina. It's about as powerful, has fewer type weaknesses, and it being harder to find makes it a more predictable counter for the opposition.

That said, expect to see well-rounded teams with fighting or ground moves to still be a threat against it.

Togekiss

Type: Fairy / FlyingRecommended moves: Charm (fast), Ancient Power and Flamethrower (charged)Togekiss weaknesses: Poison, Steel, Rock, Ice, Electric

Togekiss is another Ultra League favourite which translates to a very strong Master League showing.

This is because Togekiss is an excellent Giratina counter - its fairy fast move Charge can take on a Giratina and fighting types such as Machamp with ease, while Ancient Power is a good counter to edge out another Togekiss.

Flamethrower, meanwhile, is helpful if you need to counter steel types - which it's weak against.

Togekiss is the best fairy type in the game, and also relatively easy to get your hands on - chances are you've hatched a few in Eggs over the years - and pretty cheap to level up and add a second charge move on provided you do it in its early evolution stages.

Dragonite

Type: Dragon / FlyingRecommended moves: Dragon Breath (Fast), Dragon Claw (Charged)Dragonite weaknesses: Ice, Dragon, Rock, Fairy

Having been subject to a Community Day and around since the start of Pokémon Go, Dragonite is a popular choice to add to your team.

It has one of the highest CP caps in the game, giving it brute strength few other Pokémon can match, and works as a very efficient Giratina counter with its dragon moves and typing.

Just watch out for Togekiss, a meta favourite, and other dragon types - including Dragonite itself.

Kyogre

Type: WaterRecommended moves: Waterfall (Fast), Surf (Charged)Kyogre weaknesses: Electric, Grass

Kyogre is another Legendary which stands out for its raw strength and bulk alone.

It's also, as far as Legendaries go, has been relatively common - so chances are you have one if you've been playing Pokémon long enough.

Though its water typing doesn't seem particularly useful in the current meta, outside powerful choices such as Dialga and Giratina, it should win out against the likes of Togekiss, Metagross, Snorlax and Mamoswine.

Mewtwo

Type: PsychicRecommended moves: Psycho Cut (Fast), Psystrike and Shadow Ball (event exclusive Charged)Mewtwo weaknesses: Bug, Dark, Ghost

Despite Mewtwo once standing as one of the most exclusive Legendaries in the game with its EX Raid debut, chances are you've gone out of your way to get a Mewtwo over the years, and unsurprisingly, it fares well in the Master League.

Ideally you'd have Psystrike and / or Shadow Ball (two event or legacy moves) to make Mewtwo the most effective it can be, but even without them, a powered up Mewtwo stacks as one of the most powerful attackers in the game.

Metagross

Type: Steel / PsychicRecommended moves: Bullet Punch (Fast), Meteor Mash (Community Day exclusive Charged)Metagross weaknesses: Fire, Ground, Ghost, Dark

With steel proving very effective in the Master league, having the best Pokemon of its type - Metagross - comes in handy.

Metagross will work well against Dialga, Togekiss, Dragonite and Mewtwo, but will struggle against fire types (Heatran), ground and fighting, as well as Giratina.

Though Flash Cannon is effective, to have Metagross at its best, you'll want Meteor Mash, its Community Day exclusive move.

Alternatively, the hard-to-get Melmetal is another great steel alternative, especially since it comes with fighting move Superpower and Thunderbolt, which is very quick at powering up, and useful for any Flying typings.

Pokémon Go in 2020 continues to add new features, such the arrival of the Go Battle League - which is currently highlighting the Master League - and soon, Clone Pokémon. We've also recently had the Buddy Adventure feature, which introduces a variety of perks - including finding Souvenirs - as well as a new trade evolution feature. 2019 saw the release of the first Gen 5 Pokémon, along with new regional exclusive Pokémon, Egg charts, and the introduction of the Unova Stone. Pokemon Go also sees regular events - including weekly Spotlight Hour and Mystery Bonus evenings, monthly Field Research rewards and Pokémon Go Community Day, plus a new Giovanni counters quest - the latest being The Shadowy Threat Grows.

Snorlax

Type: NormalRecommended moves: Lick (fast), Superpower or Earthquake or Outrage (Charged)Snorlax weaknesses: Fighting

As with other leagues, Snorlax is a great option because it's strong defensively; it's weak to very few other types, and has general bulk to stay the distance in a fight.

With Giratina also running rampant, Snorlax works as a good counter here with Outrage. But if you can, couple it with a second move - Superpower is great against another Snorlax, while Earthquake can handle steel types.

It is also, like Togekiss, one of the cheaper and easier to find Pokemon on this list simply because it's not Community Day move dependant or Legendary, and counts as a strong third choice if you're struggling to round out a team.

Mamoswine

Type: Ice / GroundRecommended moves: Powder Snow (Fast), Ancient Power (Community Day exclusive Charged), Avalanche (Charged)Mamoswine weaknesses: Fighting, Fire, Grass, Steel, Water

In a meta with Pokemon with several ice weaknesses (Giratina, Togekiss) and ground weaknesses (Dialga), Mamoswine's dual typing positions it as a very effective counter.

Mamoswine needs two charged moves to be at its most effective, ideally with Community Day exclusive move Ancient Power - though Stone Edge is also available.

Mamoswine's dual typing also has a disadvantage - more weaknesses. This means the steel types its strong against can damage it easily, as the mighty Kyogre, which you're likely to come up against.

Ultimately, it's a very good counter pick - especially when you factor in pre-evolution Swinub being a fairly common creature to make it a cost effective option.

Pokemon Masters' Newest Mode Offers an Interesting Challenge

The newest feature coming to Pokemon Masters is the Battle Villa, a tower of challenging battles that can knock out sync pairs for an entire day — but only in the Battle Villa. This new event likely won't be the thing that brings you back if you're a lapsed player (though maybe the new chapters and sync pairs added since launch can), but it is an interesting way to mix up daily in-game tasks.

If you are one of those lapsed players, here's a short rundown of all the other things added to Pokemon Masters since its launch last summer:

Chapter 19 to 24

Sync Grid

Weekly bingo missions

Sync pair level cap increased to 120

New sync pairs, including Legendary Pokemon

Interactable characters in the Dex

Pokemon Masters Battle Villa

The Battle Villa was definitely designed with longtime players in mind given how quickly it gets difficult. The challenge in this event space is to defeat as many of 25 "halls" of enemies as you can to earn tons of rewards before the two-week event is over. Each hall can have one to three rounds of opponents waiting, and you can scope out their Pokemon weaknesses through the Area Details menu like you can in any other battle.

But unlike the rest of Pokemon Masters, any damage your sync pair takes stays with them for the whole day and you can only select nine sync pairs to play within the Battle Villa for that day. You can heal during a battle and once out of battle if you have the right items. However, you can't heal any sync pair that have fainted within the Battle Villa, so you'll need to wait until the next day to get them back.

...any damage your Sync Pair takes stays with them

"

I went into the Battle Villa with several sync pairs of varying types at max level. At first I felt confident I'd clear the Battle Villa quickly. My recommended power was almost always vastly over what was recommended — at least for the first five halls. By the time I completed the fifth hall on the first day of playing, my sync pairs were starting to struggle to deal out enough damage to keep them in the fight. The Battle Villa did test my strategy, which was nice. I felt a bit more pressured to not only consider the obvious type matchups, but to also think about how my three sync pair's skills and moves work together to try and prevent pairs from fainting.

By the seventh hall, I lost significant momentum. Not necessarily in a bad way, but my sheer power wasn't really giving me much of an advantage anymore. Some days it felt like I was just throwing pairs at a Hall to weaken them enough until I could cycle in the real damage dealers back in the next day. Opponents don't recover health and any progress made in a hall persists between days. I do wish there was a way to revive at least one sync pair per day, though. If my sync pairs were all generally lower level, I feel like the Battle Villa would be more of me throwing sync pairs at battles with little chance for success rather than having options for tactics.

If you make it far enough into the Battle Villa (and have sync pairs at level 80) you can start earning a new item for the new Lucky Skills. These Lucky Skills are bestowed at random and can raise a sync pair's stats with a Crunchy Lucky Cookie or prevent stats from being lowered with a creamy lucky cookie. There's also a Crispy Lucky Cookie that shields sync pairs from status and "certain other conditions." There's also a Lucky Scroll for learning Lucky Skills. You can't earn too many of these is a complete Battle Villa run, so you'll want to save them for your favorite pairs.

The Battle Villa is an interesting addition to Pokémon Masters' daily offerings. I know if I want to attempt to make it through all 25 halls (and get the numerous rewards that come with it) I'm going to need to get to work to do some extra training with all my sync pairs. I do wish the final rewards were more appealing than more Lucky Skill, leveling items, and just enough gems for a few more pulls, but I do appreciate having a new challenge to conquer.

For more on Pokémon, be sure to check out our coverage of the newly announced Mythical Pokémon, Zarude.

Happy Pokémon Day! Miranda Sanchez is an executive editor at IGN and is celebrating the day with her Sobble, Pikachu, and her other favorite Pokémon. You can chat with her about Pokémon and other video games on Twitter.