Ultra Unlock: Research Day gets an A-

Sunday June 12th’s Ultra Unlock: Research Day was a great event, based solely on my experience. Overall, I would like to see more things like this in the future, but with some small changes.

The special research aspect was fun. I have access to a park that has a great number of Pokestops, so I was able to get a larger number of researches and chances at getting the shinies. Had I have to play this at home, I would have not have anywhere near the opportunity to play. So for rural areas, this would get a much lower grade. I would have to agree with those players who do not get the opportunity that I did.

The number of shinies I got was fair for what I did. I believe I did about 50 researches and I got 1 shiny Shieldon and 2 shiny Cranidos. I also did get a perfect Cranidos from the research, which for the purposes of this is equivalent to a shiny, since they were only available from the research. I do feel for those who got shut out though, which is a pain. There should be better odds on a large scale event like this.

The “Evolve 2 Rock Type” and “Power Up Pokemon 3 Times” can just be eliminated. I saw about 5 of each, which were a pain. To me, forced evolution and power ups are just a waste of candy and stardust, both of which are limited resources. There again, I know this will never happen, so I try to stack them as much as possible so I don’t have to do them multiple times.

Overall, this was a better event than I expected, but I would say that for more rural trainers this was another event where chances were limited. I would like to see this event with an adjustment so that rural trainers can get multiple chances from a stop if they do not have the opportunity to spin to get them as much.

Go Fest gets a C- at best!

I paid for the ticket. My expectations were for at least double digit shinies per day – 20 on day 1 with great rates and 10 on day 2 with good rates, great raids, good times with friends and my Fiancee, and the days being worth the ticket. In many ways, it wasn’t. For the record, I played hardcore for 14 hours of the 16 where I was walking around with some resting and the other two were lunch where it was catch what I can. This focuses on the things in Niantic’s control.

Let’s get this first point out of the way… it was not even close to a good shiny weekend. I got 10 total, which is better than 2 years ago, but is certainly disappointing at best. 2 of these really doesn’t count since one was a hatch (Galarian Ponyta) and the other was a new to me Kyogre. Both of these are not specific to the weekend. So really, down to 8. Of the new to the game shinies, I only got Numel. The only other new to me shinies I got were Galarian Weezing and Rufflet. Otherwise I got duplicates of Larvitar, 2 Mudkips (didn’t we just recently have a CD for this?), Wingull (which I evolved into another Riptide right away!), and Swinub. Yes, all favorites, but I was expecting to get others too. I do not know of anyone who found shiny Karrablast. Definitely an EPIC FAIL on this end. I was concentrating on mostly shiny – the only non-shinies I was clicking on were: Golett (rare), Bergmite & Vanillite (out of season and I know Vanillite is not common), and Galarian Mr. Mime, Torkoal, and Tropious (Regionals – more later!). I would believe that a lot of others who are not in the regions where these mons are found played similarly. After the collection challenges, I focused on the known shinies. For a pay event, it should be RAINING shinies. I sometimes get more shinies on Community Day, which is about 20% of the time I played concentrated over the weekend. I am hearing that others experienced miserable rates. This certainly should not happen.

I was also very disappointed in the handling of the incense. Yes, it was great that the incense was back to full strength and then some for ticket holders. There were problems aboud though. City hour had no regional. Galarian Weezing, though rare, is not a regional. Klink, though a great T1 raid, is not a regional. Galarian Darumaka (7 k eggs) and Pancham (12 k eggs) were curious choices at best. I know I hatch enough from those eggs that they are at least semi-common for me. Also, the 45 seconds per spawn was way too fast. I know at least 10 times I missed a desirable incense mons (Axew, Galarian Mr. Mime, Tropius, Torkoal, Unowns) since I didn’t recognize them right away and they despawned before I got a chance to identify and click on them. There was also multiple times where a lesser desirable mon and a desirable incensed mon were stacked and the lesser desirable mon was selected first. Then Sunday’s incense was very undesirable. I could count on one hand the number of the more desirable Pokemon on one hand each. So, maybe 5 Tropius, Unown, Torkoal, etc… I was hoping to have a full chance at getting a good one of each, but that was disappointing.

The raids were overall better than average. Having Axew around was really great. Having the new Nihilego around was fun. It made the second day different and fun. I wasn’t much of a fan of having Groudon around, especially considering that we get two raid Wednesdays with Groudon versus only one with Kyogre. Who’s bright idea was it to put the middle Alolan starters in Tier 3? Those should never have been out in the first place and were a gigantic distraction for me. They displaced more desirable raids and getting invites from them took my eyes away from what I wanted to do a few times. Even if on Day 1, it was just T1 and T5, that would have been fine.

The regionals should have been shiny. I was clicking on them as I saw them to try to get a few extras to see if I could get a good one now or later in trade. At least give us a chance to get a shiny and some glory there as well.

Friends and I were wondering, where’s Relicanth? The other Hoenn regionals were around and so it seemed very strange not having the other one around. This could be part of the grand finale plan, but it just seemed odd.

The Collection Challenge, much like the Alola to Alola Challenge was WAY too easy. Like I was able to finish in 50 minutes total actual time after factoring in wait time between environments. When I saw that it was spaced over the two days, I was thinking I would need them both to finish and was not concerned, except for maybe one uncommon per environment, like usual. I was surprised the first time through that with some minor concentration on what I needed, it was over quick. Maybe I shouldn’t be complaining too much, but I would have liked a bit of a challenge.

The choose your own adventure was fun. I chose exploring since it fits me the best, though catching would likely have been fun as well. The biggest problem I have is that there was no real reason to challenge oneself other than… stickers… STICKERS! Frankly, I don’t see the big deal over stickers. I would have liked to have seen tiered rewards so those of us who chose the tougher path could get better rewards. I don’t consider stickers to be a better reward. I would have also liked commemorative medal in my collection. Something that would be a nice reminder of the day I had. Stickers are not it. Hopefully this will be back in other events, tuned up to give better rewards.

Hopefully the grand finale will be worth it. We shall see come August.

Alolan Geodude Community Day… C- at best

Alolan Geodude Community Day was this past weekend. This Community Day will not get a high rating for reasons, but wasn’t all that bad.

First, I have to discount the fact that it was blistering hot over this weekend here in the New Jersey. First time it’s been 90 degrees since last summer. I know that’s out of Niantic’s control. To me, it’s too much too soon. If it was 15-20 degrees cooler, it would have been so much better. Granted, I avoided the mall and other indoor venues since I believed everyone would be in and that would have been just too much of a crowd for my liking.

I liked having “Cheetodude” as a rare Shiny. It was rare enough from a common mon to still be a status symbol. The coloring reminded me and others of a Cheeto, a well known snack food. Thay bright orange dude was fun to have and show off once in a while. Though Cheetodude is still a fun shiny, it’s lost a lot of its luster.

Having a double evolver was a great nod to the original ideas of Community Day, so I will give that a positive grade. I prefer the 125ers for Community Day. Usually we get candy bonuses on these to make the 125 much easier. Also, Pineapps are usually free flowing from research, so the double candy isn’t as much of a problem.

For those of us who enjoy 7k Eggs, this was also a negative as Alolan Geodude is currently a 7k egg hatch. It just doesn’t feel very special for that reason. Usually the focused Pokemon isn’t as highly featured in season. I like being able to catch something pretty special.

Having regular Geodude in the rewards for the Ticketed Research was a nice touch. We could at least have a chance at the non-featured version. In a way, this was better than the Sandshrew CD where both were out and it was just messy. The main focus was the hunt of Alolan Geodude.

Overall, this wasn’t the best day, but certainly better than others that have happened in the past.

Remote Raids should be Returned to what they were

The recent de-emphasis on Remote Raids has been an epic failure on Niantic’s part for those of us in rural areas and who cannot get out. There so many fronts on which Niantic’s recent moves have been terrible for all Trainers.

For rural and semi-rural Trainers, this is was another punch to the gut. I have no idea of anything in my neighborhood that I could turn into a Pokestop and therefore maybe a gym. Even though Niantic promised to work on rural areas, there are only so many places in rural and rural suburban where all the possible gyms are accounted for. I know in my area, there are no other landmarks that can be used that are not on private property. There are two iconic (for this area) business signs which are local landmarks. One of these is even a gym. However, these are on the side of a 50 MPH highway and are dangerous to get to. The gym is also very difficult to get to if I was to drive to it. So I would use a Remote Raid Pass for a local gym in order to participate in Raids. The other local iconic structure is on the corner on a 40 MPH two lane main through street. The other stop is a local church on the other side of the street. Yes, as an adult, this is not overly dangerous to me. I can make sound judgments and am fast enough to get across the road. This game is meant to be a game for all ages. Kids should not be subjected to these dangers either. Yes, the distance means that I could stand on the side of the road. However, this is like being a sitting duck hoping that people see me. There are no curbs or sidewalks that are safer to stand on. This can be a problem.

The change in price for Remote Raid Passes was also arbitrary, capricious, uncommunicated, unfair, uncalled for, and otherwise just wrong. The new discounted box contains regular passes which are already a part of a discounted box and only two remote raid passes. A lot of Trainers are going to end up with a bunch of unused and unwanted in person raid passes, since they cannot get to in person raids. Consider also that at press time, COVID rates are climbing again. Some areas are starting to discourage group outings and reinstituting masking. In person raids will likely be affected by these events. This was also sprung on Trainers with the change that 1 remote raid pass will no longer be a feature of the 1 coin boxes. That was the main reason for getting these boxes for me. Otherwise, they usually not very attractive and not worth anything to me. The timing was also quite poor. The change was not at the end of the season or at least on a Monday when trainers would have a final weekend to do remotes at a discount. Usually bundles have a discount to them to encourage people to buy more than they might normally. There is no bundle discount to the Remote Raid Passes. What a pain! We also had no idea going into the day that the Remote Raid Pass bundle would go up. Without warning, we had a 20% hike in prices for Remote Raid Passes. This really doesn’t help anyone, especially since prices are skyrocketing.

Remote raids help to ensure that there are enough Trainers in raids. This is especially helpful in situations where there are multiple desirable raids. Examples include: Mega Latias/Latios (and eventually others) being 6* Mega Raids, the upcoming Island Guardians 5* week where all four of them are out at the same time, Rockruff and other raid-only mons being out, and multiple desirable support (1* and 3*) raids. I know at my Raid Hour, if we did not have Remote Players that it would be very difficult to win.

The worst part is that instead of a carrot, players who enjoy Remote Raids for various reasons are getting a rod. Don’t punish us for enjoying Remote Raids. Especially when there is little in the way of in person raids that a Trainer can do. Niantic knows where we are… give us a break.

Air Adventures gets an A

This past week was Air Adventures in Pokemon Go. I really enjoyed this event and give it an A.

Positive: Wednesday Night Raids almost felt like the old days. People were not live where I was, but at least 10+ people were in my raids during Wednesday Night Raids. I saw someone I did not know playing in a separate raid once. I saw a few named multiple times in Raids I did not know. Even if this is one day only, there was a greater sense of community last Wednesday. I also welcomed the new Megas as there are still plenty left that we could roll out Megas on a more frequent basis and have material for years.

Positive: The support raids were all top notch. Charles, Lapras, and Togekiss are all highly sought after, by me at least. Charles is one of my favorite Megas and a favorite Starter. Lapras is the tank that is a lot of fun to fight since it can be touch and go. With a good Lapras, you can use it in so many different ways. Togekiss is currently one of the top Fairies in the game right now, if not the top (until a Fairy Mega is released).

Positive: These three support raids also did not distract from the feature raids, the new Megas. It was also a nice break to only have 3 other Raids out there. Sometimes the sheer volume of T1/3 raids can be highly distracting and disruptive. The support raids can take over the numbers and make finding the feature (and other desirable raids) difficult. This should be used only once in a while though… like a new Mega or something else that is highly sought after is in the T5/Mega Tier. Example: If Mewtwo was ever released in T5 or when Mega Mewtwo is released as a fine example.

Postive: The 7k eggs had a rare 50% highly desirable rate. Togepi is the baby Togekiss – highly sought after. Noibat is a rare dragon which is a 5k/candy to walk and therefore very difficult to evolve as it is 400 candies to evolve. Tough decision as to which was more desirable! Emolga is rare enough normally that it is a nice consolation prize. Mantyke well… at least in my humble opinion is not as good. Still, it is something that is not seen very often, so it’s at least OK.

Positive: The 1/2 egg hatch distance made it easy to roll those 7k eggs over a few times and get many chances at the sought after mons. Even after getting as many presents as a Trainer could, the 1/2 distance cut the other eggs shorter so that Trainers could clear out space for the next day. Well thought out!

Negative: With this being an A and not an A+, you knew there had to be something negative. The catch 10 Pikachu was poorly planned out., at least in my experience It was frustrating wondering where all the Pikachus were. Contrary to the 30 Flying which were dime a dozen, Pikachu was very difficult to find. I was expecting at least semi-common status for Pikachu. Considering that this was Timed Research in conjunction with the new Megas, I was shocked at how hard it was in my experience to find Pikachus. Getting a decent chunk of first Mega Evolution energy (16%) or most of the immediate re-evolution energy (83%) was important to many. We are still adjusting to the new Mega dynamics and being able to finish at least 2 full energy cost evolutions is very helpful.

Overall, this was as close as to a completely desirable event experience. Next Mega should have a similar event designed around one or both of the types.

Quality of Game Improvement – Start the Raid Now Button

Niantic has always been discussing Quality of Life Improvements and other beneficial changes for Pokemon GO. There have been some improvements to make the game more accessible overall. Guaranteed Daily Spawn, Research, and Gifts to send to friends, as well as Rocket Ballons and other similar features have leveled the playing field for more rural trainers and trainers who cannot get outside to play for whatever reason. 80 meter Pokestop radius made the game much safer on many levels. We all know the global situation, but the 80 meter radius also allows for less crowding (especially if Ex-Raids come back) and awkwardness from being in such a crowd. The 80 meter radius is also physically safer, especially in a setting where roads have to be walked without sidewalks. There is one quality of game improvement that can be implemented that would be a positive for many Raids and Trainers: a Start the Raid Now feature.

The way I envision this, the Start the Raid Now button would be something that would appear in the 1 and 3 star Raids. There are some high quality and highly sought after lower level raids. Rockruff has proven to be popular as a 1 star due to it being Raid only (at least for now). I like Alolan Exeggutor since it is a dragon in the 3 star level. Those are just two examples, but every Tier 1 and 3 Raid is attractive to a set of Trainers. I tend to believe that the overwhelming majority of Trainers can defeat a Tier 1 by themselves. Many Trainers, especially the more veteran Trainers can defeat a Tier 3 with proper counters by themselves as well. The only ones that are more difficult are Lapras and other tanky mons. I prefer a second Trainer on those if for no other reason than the odds shift to 100% as long as the other Trainer is equally motivated.

It would be counterproductive to put a Raid Now button in Tier 5 and Mega Raids. Except for Deoxys Attack (I have done this myself, so I can confirm), a special event (Bidoof Day T5s were easy), and possibly Mega Abomasnow and Genesect with high level Fire Counters in sunny conditions (so I understand), soloing these raids is not possible. Generally the more Trainers in a T5 or Mega Raid, the better. Less carnage is always better while playing these giant monsters. This also helps the lower level players who may not have all the best counters get these stronger Mons so they can get better. I am not trying to freeze out anyone here.

The Raid Now button would pop up on each Trainer’s screen after 30 seconds if there is one Level 30+ Trainer in a Tier 1 or one Level 40+ in a Tier 3. That should be enough for a Trainer to win outright. Two Level 35+ Trainers should be good for a Tier 3 as well. Everyone would need to press Raid Now button in order to move ahead quickly, so this is optional. Trainers can still heal their Mons if necessary and if they are not bothered by waiting, they can choose not opt in. If any Trainer invites out Remotes, that will cancel the Raid Now button. Remote Raiders deserve a fair chance at attending a Remote Raid. I think most of us who have participated in Remote Raids have seen where an invitee misses or gets in very late where the Host has coordinated the Raid.

The Quality of Life portion of this idea is to make these smaller raids less of a stand around and wait experience. We cannot continue walking while waiting for these raids to start and I have noticed myself and other Trainers being frustrated because of this. I know I am unhappy just standing around for nearly 2 minutes waiting around on others to come out and play. This is doubled when I don’t see anyone around. This is also noted when my buddy is on a Poffin or in the natural bonus. These situations present a quandary… do I get a Raid I want or do I continue walking around when I want to get my buddy some extra candies. This would help many veteran Trainers who are going out and playing. We are supposed to be out and walking… let us get back to that as quickly as possible.

Sustainability Week Collection Challenge… a Failure on Multiple Fronts

I finished the Sustainability Week Collection Challenge right after Community Day on Saturday April 23. It took a lot more effort, questions to fellow Trainers, and other frustration to finish than was necessary.

There were only 6 mons needed this time around, a nice reduction of the total needed from normal of 8 or 9. None of them had those markers of this needed to be shadow or evolution or whatever else. That was nice from a standpoint of this would be straight up catching. No worries about anything else. That was until it was obvious that Weepinbell and Gloom were nowhere to be found in the Wild. So where are they?

It was also nice that Niantic gave us a Mossy Lure to play with. Those things are rare enough, I don’t usually spend my money on them. I have done my Leafeon for the L42 Challenges. Granted, there is a badge for how many mons fellow trainers catch because of your lures as well, but that is not something I pay much attention to. That is so out of my control and I have other badges to focus on that are in my control. I would save it for next time I have a perfect Eevee, as I already have the latest one I got pegged as a future Sylveon or if a fellow Trainer needed it for Grass badge and/or their own L42 Challenge. Always good to help out a fellow Trainer. I just wish it was communicated clearly by Niantic that this is how Trainers would get Weepinbell and Gloom for the Challenge. I had asked some others in my groups and got confirmation that yes, the MIA 2 came out with Mossy Lure. I wish Niantic would have made this clear from the get go.

Of course, this is also not helped by the fact that the lures are only active for 30 minutes normally. For some, even finding a Pokestop to place a lure is very difficult. The only four Pokestops I could place a lure near my home are 2 Churches (neither of which has a sidewalk in front of it, hardly ideal), 1 private commercial property which is along a main 40 mph street with no sidewalk (hardly ideal) or a restaurant along a divided highway and no sidewalk (Not doing that unless I am desperate and have some money for a lunch). So to the park I go for that. Except, that’s only good for the weekend. Maybe the mall, but I don’t have any other reason to go, and that is 15 miles each way. I would hate to be even more rural than I am now and/or not have friends who are fellow players whom I see on a semi-regular basis who could help out. Even worse are Trainers who are stuck at home for whatever reason and could not get out to use the Mossy Lure… and the incenses are nerfed, even if the MIA 2 were attracted to incense (I did not find out).

Fortunately, Community Day has 3 hour lures! Hopefully someone hasn’t already laid down regular lures on every Pokestop since the FOMO was high with a new Pokempn and only 3 hours of Community Day! I was fortunate to find a cluster of 3 Pokestops and had my Fiancee and a friend with me (I was not at my home park) to light these stops with Mossy Lures. We started them at 4:30 and came back a bit after 5 to make sure we were clear of Stuffuls and that the Mossy Lures were attracting grass types and not more Stuffuls. We were fortunate to get the missing in action duo within 15 minutes. I have heard others try before CD and were shut out in the 30 minutes… or maybe got only 1 of the two. To have to lay down multiple lures to get two mons for the Collections Challenge is insane. I just hope my other friends who had no luck prior to Community Day got their two.

Overall, once the challenge was won and over, it wasn’t so bad. Lack of communication certainly did not help. At least the 3 hours of lures helped since many do play a bit after CD is over as a cool down lap before going to find supper. Still, communication is key. Niantic has sure not been good at it in the past. Maybe this can be a lesson… and it sticks… communication is key!

Stufful Community Day was OK

Stufful Community Day was yesterday. I was unimpressed.

Yes, a brand new Pokemon is great. We’re all on even footing and any shinies are new shinies. I like getting new shinies. It also is a cuter Pokemon and attractive to the younger/family set (not that I care), though Bewear looks like a person in a bear costume. Good on Niantic for planting 100,000 trees in honor of those of us who finished 5k walking. The bonuses were fire. However, these few positives are much outweighed.

First, the 3 hour slot is not good. I liked the 6 hour slot much better. It gave more players a chance to play in the way they chose, be it that they were free all day or not. I do know at least one person who could not play at all due to the time slot. I imagine there are many others in the same situation. I played for 5 hours on a 6 hour Community Day normally, taking an hour for lunch around 1PM. I also took time to refresh and renew with friends during the 6 hours. The social aspect (which Niantic is pushing now) was helped greatly since during the 6 hours I could stop a while and not feel like I lost a significant amount of the allotted time. I enjoyed playing relaxed and not worried about if I was going to miss out on a great Stufful .I didn’t feel like I could stop playing much during the game to refresh without losing chances at a good Stufful or getting the amount of candies needed to get a couple good Stuffuls to Beware and to at least L40. The fact that this was a brand new Pokemon did not help at all with the negative feelings. I would give up a lot of the other bonuses other than 2x catch candy (this time since it was a new Pokemon) for 6 hours. (For a Pokemon that has been out a while which has the usual 125 among two different evolutions 2x dust or XP would be just fine). I felt like the extra bonuses were all window dressing to cover for the lack of time. FOMO is not the way to play this game. I was also very fortunate to play in a park environment where there are plenty of stops and places to go. I can only imagine for the more rural players who don’t have a reliable area with lots of stops and spawn points. Plus with the nerfed incense, that makes playing the game even harder on CD on days where the weather is sub-optimal.

The player rewards for the 5k challenge were extremely underwhelming. Cherubi have been plentiful in the wild during this stretch, so it was not much of a reward. Cherubi is a common daily field research reward during Sustainability Week. So it’s not like they were uncommon during this timeframe for the challenge. If they were overall more plentiful, they would be a starter type, at least by my definition. What about the missing in action two from the Collection Challenge – Weepinbell and Gloom? If not them, at least 5 different Pokemon so this way we could have a fun variety – even if they were all starters? Another thought that was given to me, how about Cherubi, the two Cherrim, then the MIAs from the Collection Challenge… or two of other Sustainability related – Trubbish and Grotle that are high stardust.

The special move is absolutely useless. I looked and Drain Punch is rated with Tackle is 4.7 damage worse in raid and 2.4 damage worse in PvP (for those who care about PvP) at L35 than Superpower. YIKES! I thought Special Moves were supposed to be great moves.

I am thrilled that some new trees were planted, but 100,000 trees worldwide seems a little short of the mark. I feel cheated in a way since I am 99.99% sure that enough people walked 5km well before I even started out for the day. If this did not happen by the time Japan finished their day, I would be surprised. In doing a little research on this, it costs 1 Euro per tree with the group they have partnered with. 100,000 Euros is significantly less than they have given to other projects that benefit only certain portions of society.

Wailmer and I would like to have a word with the CD selection team as well. Wailmer has been out for a long time and has not had very much in the way of much recognition throughout the game (at least what I have seen). Wailmer is still the only 400 candy/1 km walking per candy Pokemon that has not had a Community Day. This new Pokemon got one on its debut. Why? Wailmer is cute too… who can resist that smile?

Overall, Stufful Community Day was C-/D+ territory. Too many things going on negative for me to give it a better grade.

Definitions of Certain Phrases & Names of Pokemon/Other Characters

I use a number of words differently than the normal Pokemon definition and use words that tie into my experiences that make a lot more sense to me. Here are some of them. This is a work in progress, and I will come back to it and add from time to time.

Definitions:

Battle and Training “Leagues”/Divisions: There are 3 main divisions plus 2 others which are used in GO Battle League as a special event. (Side note: I think this nomenclature is confusing… why couldn’t the “Leagues” be called Divisions for clarity as to what the Battle League is and what the various classes are in the Battle League?). I have been a fan of combat sports (boxing and mixed martial arts being two of the most well-known) for well over 30 years. In such sports, weight-based division names are well defined. These classes are something I can understand, so I use these names often. Sometimes I refer to the divisions as u(max CP) like how youth divisions are categorized by age. Example: u18 tournaments are for age 18 and under players. Both of these sets of terms that I use should be easily understood and to me is much clearer than what the official names are:

Bantamweight aka u500: Elemental and Little Cups, the special event 4th division used only in Go Battle League encounters. Participation has not been required to advance in the Go Battle League in any way, shape, or form and should remain this way. This also should never be used as a division for Training.

Lightweight aka u1500: Great League. The smallest (lightest) regular division.

Middleweight aka u2500: Ultra League. The middle regular division.

Heavyweight: Master League. The largest (heaviest) regular division. This should be capped where no Megas are eligible to participate in, especially during special events where causals are courted to play. Even in combat sports there is a 265-pound weight limit, and this would reflect a similar kind of limit.

Megaweight: Master League with Megas eligible. I’m not sold on this division at all as a very casual PVPer at best. I made the name up since it is descriptive of what it is as this is not a truly Open Division, as only one Mega is available. This could be a lot of fun for the competitive PVPers, so I won’t rule it out, as long as it remains optional when the Heavyweight Division is used during times to court casuals to participate (eg. Go Battle Days).

Garbage Day/Night: When Spotlight Hour has the Double Candy for Transfer Bonus. So called since I collect a lot of Pokemon and transfer them all since they are Sub 3*. They are literally all garbage. At least I get an extra candy for transferring each of them, and that adds up. I try to save CD ones that I like and usually other ones that I am working on a better mon for.

starter (my definition): Any Pokemon that you get a lot of and are not necessarily the strongest. This is regardless of what type it is, unlike the official definition. A great example is Rattata – it’s not a Pokemon definition starter, but it comes in high quantities, is relatively weak, and even when evolved, it’s still relatively weak (Raticate doesn’t even get to 2000 CP!). Dunsparce is an example of the ultimate starter in ways. It doesn’t even evolve and doesn’t get to 2000 CP either! Some Pokemon Definition Starters are not by my definition starters. Charles Zard comes to mind, especially Mega Charles. This is more of a Role Playing Game version of the definition versus the game specific version of the definition.

Starter (based on the official definition): Most know that this is for the first 3 Pokemon from each generation. I did not know this definition at first, since I used a more Role Playing verision as above. I add Eevee and Pikachu to the list of “official” Starters. They are featured in their own games based on the mainline, are used by a character in the Pokemon series as a Starter, and are as popular, if not more popular, than the official Starters. Eevee can transform into 7 forms (and possibly more in the future… it would be neat if it evolved into each of the types). It is a fan favorite for this reason and can be considered a Starter for its versatility. Pikachu is EVERYWHERE and is the main character’s Starter. Before I played, I recognized Pikachu as “the face” of the game. Before I knew the official definition, I thought Pikachu was THE Starter in Pokemon. In Pokemon GO, there are at last count at least 34 costumed versions between itself, Pichu (evolution stage before Pikachu) and Raichu (evolution after Pikachu) with 21 of them being Pikachu itself. Some of the other Starters are in my definition of starter depending on how useful they are/become. Note: I have no particular loyalty to Starters and do not see that they are a Starter as a compelling reason to feature them in any way, shape, or form. In fact, I see that as a hinderance in a way since they get a feature already by being a Starter.

Pokemon/Other Character Names:

All names based on actual people/characters are meant to be an honor to the honoree. All other names are meant in fun only

Bacon Family – The various pigs/pig like mons in the game

BACON: Swinub/Piloswine/Mamoswine – just because I love Bacon and Swinub is a pig…
BACONSmokey: A Shadow BACON that I am working on
Bacon Hot: Tepig/Pignite/Emboar – they too look like pigs… and they are fire “hot” ones… so Bacon Hot
Bacon Spring: Spoink – Its tail is a spring
Bacon Grumpy: Grumpig

Zigzagzoon Family – Raccoons which due to their eye mask are known as “bandits”

Berthiaume: Galarian Zigzagzoon – Daniel Berthiaume was a goaltender most notably for the Winnipeg Jets in the mid-late 80’s. He was known as the Bandit. One half of “Pokey and the Bandit”
BurtReynolds: Zigzagzoon – Many know his role as the Bandit in the Smokey and the Bandit movie franchise. Fun Fact: Burt was a co-owner of the Tampa Bay Bandits in the original USFL and is why the team is called that.
KISS: Male Obstagoon – The evolutions of Galarian Zigzagzoon look like they were modeled after the Kiss band facepaint. Even Gene Simmons noticed and was flattered.
Morganna: Female Obstagoon – Morganna was known as “The Kissing Bandit” and was at the height of her popularity in the 1970’s and 80’s and was known for going onto the field and kissing many famous baseball and basketball players.

Charles Zard aka Charles: Charizard. I can’t spell this official name without cheating. I name my best/favorites after famous people called Charles. I have so far borrowed the last names of Charles Leclerc [Monaco born and based Formula 1 car racer], Charles Nelson-Reilly [American comedian], Charles Schultz [Peanuts Cartoonist] (the first three being perfects) Charles Darwin [very good shiny], Charles Manson [very good Shadow -This is not to condone his actions by any means, but we all recognize what he did.]

Dipsticks/Regular Rockets, Bozos and Bozette and The Pizza Boy/The Big Don: In order- Grunts, Leaders, and Giovanni. With Leaders it’s usually Bozo Arlo, Cliffy Bozo, and Bozette (since Sierra is the only female Bozo), so I know which one is which. Distinction is important since normally one or two are more desirable than the other(s). Sometimes it because one is particularly easy, others it’s because the reward Shadow is more desirable.

EldonReddic(k): Slopoke Family – The real Eldon Reddick was a hockey goalie who is most noted as being a teammate of Daniel Berthiaume’s in Winnipeg (Pokey and the Bandit) and has his name on the Stanley Cup as a backup in Edmonton. Eldon was called “Slowpoke” by his Father which eventually became Pokey. Even in context “dick” cannot be used in nicknames for Pokemon, hence the last letter being dropped. One half of “Pokey and the Bandit”.

Elvis (aka The King): Houndoom – Because it ain’t nothing but a Houndoom… crying all the time. (instead of Hound Dog… I know…)

Gary: Gyrados. This is not as well used as Charles. The only one I have named is Burghoff (the actor behind Corporal Radar O’Reilly).

Godzilla: My best Tyranitar.

Jim: Various Pokemon which are used in Gyms. Top ranked Slaking, Snorlax, Muk (especially Alolan), Blissey, Bouffalant, and Ludicolo are given this name. It just makes it easier to find “first Mon up” when wanting to fill a gym.

Orange, Floppy, and Useless (OFU): Magikarp. Yes, I know it eventually evolves Gary, but I have a pin that says I’m Useless and has a picture of Magikarp on it. I believe it. Sometimes it’s also called Magikrap when I don’t have to be so polite.

PUCKY: Wailmer – one of my favorites. So named after the former mascot of the Hartford Whalers (National Hockey League) club.

Swampy: Swampert… another favorite.

Tan, Floppy, and Useful: Slakoth. Meant to poke fun and Orange Floppy and Useless (see above).