Make Our Buddies More Valuable #3 – Give Souvenirs Value/Use

At Buddy Level 3, we get Souvenirs from our Buddies. These little trinkets are practically useless. I understand that the Lone Earring allows the Trainer’s avatar to wear earrings. That doesn’t do much for me and I have rarely seen any other fellow Trainers avatars with them on. Also, the Challenges to Level 48 include collecting 10 souvenirs from your Buddy. At least they do not take up any item space. I would like to see these Souvenirs mean something.

I would like to see these Souvenirs used in a “Buddy-Mart”. The Souvenirs can be traded for “Buddy Coins” which can be traded in for specific cool items. I would like to see as an item a specific type incense for a Trainer for a day. The number of Buddy Coins needed may vary based on type requested. Example, Dragon only Incense is far more expensive than Normal, but somewhere in the middle is Ghost. This would also be reduced if the specific type is ‘in season”. This would help with the various type Badges and be an interesting concept for the game. I would also like to see a specific Pokemon incense among some selected specific Mons. How about Pikachu one where you have a 1 in 4 chance of your incense spawns being a Pikachu (Pikachu Fan Badge) or another favorite that you are working on? Another idea would be the ability to buy specific items. Example: I want Pineapp Berries and I want a lot of them for Community Day… I can specifically buy Pineapp Berries in bulk. Enough torn tickets can be exchanged for possibly a Community Day ticket (I can understand why not if it cannot be used for something that has actual money value and no other alternative) or some other sort of special ticket or experience.

This would only be allowed if you have multiples from the various buddies. The buddy would retain credit for giving it to you in the souvenirs page. Just that we would know how many of each and give them a value instead of just being… unknown and uncared for.

This Beginner was not in Paradise

Over Easter, we had the “Beginner’s Paradise” Day which was supposed to gently get people into PvP. For me, it was a reaffirmation of why I am not really into PvP, especially at the lowest levels.

The game said that the Lightweight and Bantamweight Divisions (Great and Little Cup) are “beginner friendly”. I have to disagree. I can’t find any 0/14/14 or similar Pokemon that are ever low enough to qualify. I have found maybe 1 or 2 that are that way for Middleweights, but they are ultra rare. Usually it’s a mediocre Mon (which hasn’t been transferred on 2x Candy for Transfer Night aka Garbage Night) that get the call. 4* are a lot easier for me to find. Give me the Heavyweights!

Yes, I consider myself a beginner. I don’t play PvP in Pokemon in general. Considering I don’t play with Lightweights generally, am only exploring Middleweights for due to the L50 challenge, and only really focus on Heavyweight, I don’t have much of a chance to play. I don’t follow what week it is much, so trying to find the times to play isn’t on my priority list. I don’t enjoy PvP in general so I don’t play much.

The Timed Research was more of a… do it or you lose out. Not paradise for me. Just no.

I would have liked to have seen this as an Open Day where Bantam, Light, Middle, and Heavy were all available for one day. Let “beginners” see what they like and not just the smaller ones. Pair people who are beginners together.

Go Fest 2021 Gets a B-

Go Fest 2021 ended on Sunday after a full weekend of Pokemon action. There were highlights, lowlights, and some in between. Please remember, this is based on my experience only, your individual experience may have been different.

Very Excellent: I saw more Wailmer on Saturday than I have in a VERY long time. That alone made my Saturday, in spite of other issues discussed later. Can we please see more Wailmer in regular game play?

Excellent: The sheer number of raids made the game feel totally worth it. I was in an area where I could access 10 gyms pretty quickly between live (in-person) and remote raids. The 20 minutes was enough in this environment, especially when the live raid was close enough to where I was. I could make quick decisions with the various groups I was in that I could get there and not worry. There was definitely not a shortage of raids to choose from while I was there. (Note: this is not an endorsement of 20 minute raid times during regular gameplay. This is for special days that are announced with multiple weeks notice)

Excellent: The variety of T5 raids was off the charts. I would say that one way or another, everyone got at least one chance at their favorite(s). I did, and some that were not my favorite. This should be a staple of marquee event like this. Future T5 Days like this would be welcomed, even if independent of a bigger event and the raid passes are not doled out in such a larger quantity.

Excellent: The community. I was able to live raid with old friends and new friends where I was. I could probably find a team to raid with for just about every raid. It does help that where I normally play is a hub. It was great getting my Fiancee a Zekrom, which she missed when it was out. There were other newer players who were excited for getting the T5 bosses they missed out on for whatever reason. Seeing veterans going after their favorites, myself included, was great. I also had some great remote friends who were sending me remote raid after remote raid. I know I missed a bunch of them due to a live raid and taking a remote from whomever called first. This was amazing for me, and I look forward to next year based on this.

Mediocre: With the sheer number of gyms I had to access, I thought that there would be a more even number of raids. I do not recall a single Azelf locally. I remember during the last hour not seeing any live Rayquaza. I was expecting that there would be more coordination of the raids. There were times where there were 3 or 4 raids of one particular raid! Yes, I know I could have done remote raid site raids for some these if I wanted. I was hoping to do more raids with people I knew (live or remote) since that method is a lot easier than trying to fight for a spot on a remote raid site.

Meh: The fact that there were T1 and T3 raids during the T5 Raid Hours. I don’t think anyone was out on Sunday during the Go Fest Hours were going for anything but T5. Those could have been promoted on during Saturday and before 10 local and after 6 local.

Poor: Shiny count was pretty poor for me at least. Not as bad as last year when I got 4 throughout, but 14 all event is pretty low. I was expecting Community Day rates and thensome on Saturday. As I told a friend, I was expecting it to rain shinies. I got a dozen over 7.5 hours of solid play. That is not even 2 per hour. This is sub-CD rates. My Fiancee got 3 in 4 hours of play, not even 1 per hour! One of my friends said she got 52 on Saturday… that’s the better end. I certainly would not expect 6.5 an hour, but I don’t think 4 per hour is unreasonable for a marquee pay event like this. I also have to ask where the shiny magic was on Day 2. Granted, I was committed more to Raiding, but I would have thought shiny rates would have been much higher. I got 1 shiny from raids (hour 1 Latias) and a Shiny Pikachu in a hat from research (a consolation prize, IMHO). I didn’t hear too many people talking up getting shinies as I raided live – we all know people get excited over shinies. I was hoping for more shinies that day. I got no wild shinies either… was expecting about CD rates on Sunday. Very disappointing.

Overall, the B- is deserved. Sunday was an A… there were hiccups that hopefully get ironed out for a future global Go Fest. Saturday got a solid D+. The shiny rate was better this year, but still far below expectations. Also, WAILMER!

Gyms – An Overlooked Part of the Game

Gyms seem to be a forgotten part of the game. Yes, the 50 coins for 8+ hours of defending (daily cap) is a nice bonus and I want to get them as I can. However, if I need coins, I will buy them normally. Admittedly, I have a hard time getting to gyms as none are overly convenient. This is a byproduct of where I live and my driving/walking patterns (especially on weekdays).

When I see a blue gym, it seems like more often than not that it is filled with all 6 Pokemon. Sometimes they are all at or near full strength, but usually they are down near the end of their strength, but have been there for a day (way more than what is needed for the 50 coins). When I play in an area with multiple gyms, it seems like many are all filled up with the same people (I look since sometimes I can see who might be around to talk to). Without a same color challenge system like I mentioned in one of my first ever posts, this just clogs many gyms. If there is not a decent enough force of the other teams around, many gyms just sit with the same 6 Trainers in them. This is common where I play on weekends. Sometimes I see where there are one to three (of 10) opposition color gyms. I do not always fight them since then the entire area would go my color and that is not fun either. I remember how little fun it was when an opposition color was the dominant color in gyms and commonly had all of the gyms locked down (mostly due to one Player… even some on the same team noted this behavior) where I play and my color couldn’t make any inroads. The third color has never been dominant as far as I know, though they are making some in-roads now. In fact, they are now the main opposition team and have been about 50/50 at times.

Platinum Badges have been a part of Pokemon Go for a while now. These give another level to the common tasks and actions we do as Trainers. I have earned 27 of these so far. I enjoy these for various reasons and I can see similar fun for Platinum Gyms.

I have a renewed interest in some of the badged tasks due to the Platinum Badges. I was thrilled with the Fighting type focus when that happened, as I gained my Black Belt Platinum Badge during this time. Steel (Rail Staff) helped get Meltans/Melmetals get back into focus. Even finishing the Pikachu Fan Badge put some focus and upped my desire to catch one of my least favorite Pokemon creatures while on the chase. I kept track of my Rocket fights to get to 2000 fights (Hero). Even when playing with friends, I sometimes mention how a certain raid can be towards multiple Badges: Rising Star Duo (raid with friend), either Champion or Battle Legend (Non T5 and T5 Count) possibly Rising Star (Different Species), and/or whatever type badge(s).

Platinum Gym badges would likely renew interest in many of the gyms. Make the goal XP high enough that most gold gyms will not go automatically Platinum. I would like to see a significant XP jump. Gold requires 30,000 XP. I would think 100,000 Gym XP would do good to get at least a few Platinum Gyms out there for Trainers to see that the goal exists. However, a minimum 250-300,000 Gym XP would not be out of the question. Many of the currently badged tasks have a significant jump from Gold to Platinum status. Some have a 10-25 times the between Gold and Platinum. 25x (750,000 XP) would be outrageous based on the point system. It currently takes about 3 weeks of defending a Gym without Raids, 30 raids without defending activities, or a combination of the two major types of Gym activities (Defense and Raids). Yes, taking over the Gym, feeding, and spinning the Gym Photodisc count give Gym XP, but those avenues are normally I know I would want to revisit my current Gold Gyms to work on them and turn them Platinum.

I was also surprised that gym attacking and defending was the only major discipline not represented in the Level 41-50 Challenges. Yes, you can prove your gym skills through getting the 3 gym based Medals a part of the 5 Gold and eventually 35 Platinum Medals you need to get to Level 50. However, none of the levels require you to say… defend a gym for a time frame (not necessarily in a row, can be x hours over any number of gym defense periods, like the Gym Leader Badge) or fight so many gym battles. Every other discipline is represented… from catching to Rockets to PvP. Why not gyms?

Why, July?

July 2021 seems to be heavily focused on Go Fest, but there are regular events that are missing that are a fun part of the game. This is doubled since there are Medals for some of these that cannot be brought anywhere near Platinum because of this.

Giovanni is among the missing parts of the game in the month of July. I cannot fathom why. I understand that for many that 17 days may not be enough. It is a tight squeeze, especially if a day or two are completely lost. However, 2 1/2 months between Giovanni appearances is WAY TOO LONG. I figured it out by step and 17 days is about the length of time it takes for veteran Trainers who know the Giovanni Quest to take from start to finish. This assumes two balloons a day as well. Not everyone can play two balloons a day though, so 17 days is tight. I can understand why many Trainers can’t finish that quickly. Giovanni was established as a one month questline in the beginning. This was the best as it allowed for most Trainers to obtain all of the needed Shadows without too much hoarding. This also allowed for the frustration of not finding Giovanni right away. Over the last few months, the frustration of finding Giovanni has been missing as well. The full month also allows for planning and allows Trainers the opportunity to take a bit of time away when needed. At least give us a new Quest in August.

Unless there is a surprise, there are no new Megas being introduced into the game this month. This will be the first month since Megas were introduced that there are no new megas. There are still 31 different Mega eligible Pokemon left without a mega – remember Mewtwo has an X and a Y form. This does not count Diancie which has not been introduced into Pokemon Go as of press time. Even if Niantic introduced one new Mega a month, they have enough to last into the beginning of 2024. This also excludes the two Primals – Groudon and Kyogre. These two are associated with the Megas in the main game, but are presumably not part of the Pokemon Go universe as of press time. The math isn’t there. This projection also does not contemplate that there may (should) be more Megas since all but one are currently from the first five Pokeregions. At an average of 9 megas per region, there should be about 26 new megas being introduced into the game… which buys Niantic into 2026. Add the 7 side game Pokeregions, we are easily into the 2030’s.

I also feel like Deoxys Defense as the 5* Raid Boss for July 1 (post Bidoof Day) until the 16th just does not fit. There is no new Shiny. This cannot really be used (in my mind) for anything other than a Pokedex entry. I can’t use it to defend gyms. It has low offense, so any use in Raids or other similar scenarios is very limited. It seems only useful for GBL, which I don’t do, so I don’t care. It won’t grow into a heavyweight contender, so I don’t care about it. That and the difficulty is much higher than the rest of the T5s in recent memory. Just a bad pick to me.

All this said, I just hope that Go Fest is really great. I want it to rain shinies (I got a grand total of 4 last year) and have a decent shot at multiple hundos. If nothing else, this should be worth all the negatives I have seen so far in July.

My Bidoof Week Review

Bidoof Week had its ups and downs. There are elements I would like to keep and elements that I would like to get rid of…

Good: Bidoof Day on July 1. The complete take over for one day was fun. Seeing Bidoof everywhere, even in the raids was actually quite fun. I will admit that I thought going in that the Bidoof take over of all raids (including 5* and no megas) was going to be a negative. Turns out that the one day break from Megas was actually nice and having the somewhat easier 5*s than normal made for a refreshing change. This also helped many with the Rising Star badge, as most probably never fought Bidoof in a raid. The mini research was fun and not taxing. This was great since many people do not have a weekday off regularly and it was easily finished with one incense. (Side note: this is also a special event where incenses should not be nerfed, especially as a weekday event.) I liked the choose your own adventure style research in the middle. The rewards were nice and the hat is funny. That and the introduction of the shiny was nice (though more during the week, the day itself was a focus to maybe get the shiny).

I would like to see something like this happen again. Like on the 1st of the month or the 1st non-Wednesday weekday of the month where we get a random weaker Pokemon that is the center of attention for the day (10 AM-8 PM). I would like to see Pokemon that even when they are evolved are weak regardless if they are liked (Caterpie) or get no love (Wailmer). This would also be a great day for the Starters to get out unless they are the ones that turn into Megas. This could also be a nice way to introduce shinies for some of the weaker Pokemon as well and/or get more shinies out for those that are not seen very often. Overall, I think this was a great idea that can use a little tweaking to make it a great monthly event.

Good, but needs improvement: It would have been nice for the game to state exactly what the choices entailed as to what you are choosing in game. Granted, it did not matter so much this time. The biggest difference was what kind of berries and if you wanted red balls or mega potions. There was no difficulty difference. Also, if Trainers go to content creators like Leek Duck, Trainers could find out the details of the choices and what the consequences are. Not a big deal this time, but if the choices are of greater consequence, there should be in game clickable explanations of what the choices entail.

Meh: The Bidoof Breakout event was way too long. The different charged attacks thing didn’t do it for me at all. The increased Bidoof was boring after a day, especially since Bidoof is one of the weaker Pokemon. By the time the 4x XP was going on, I was tired of this event. I enjoy diversity amongst the catching pool, and this was lacking. I was fatigued with the spotlight on Bidoof for way too long. Just felt like it was too much on only one Pokemon. The rewards were nice with the extra XP, but just wasn’t as much of a motivation for me. At least the new shiny was nice, and having a focus on the new shiny was nice, but I would have appreciated a more concentrated effort. The shiny odds could have also been lowered some more. I am not thinking CD rates or the Snubbull special day, but at least much better than normal. I’ll give A for effort though… they are trying something different. Just compact it.

Nothing was truly bad. Even the negatives were counterbalanced by some good positives. Good job, Niantic.

Please Do Not Nerf Remote Raiders

As previously mentioned, there are many changes that are related to the global situation that are being reviewed and decisions were made. Remote Raids were addressed very briefly. I did not see any real decisions. Remote Raids allow people who do not have near by gyms to raid with friends without having to go in person. It is reasonable to believe that most Trainers have been in a Remote Raid be it as a host, invitee, or a raid where another Trainer invited someone else at a raid you are attending in person. Potential changes to the Remote Raids is especially scary for many reasons.

Remote Raids help during Wednesday Night Raids to allow for smaller Trainer groups to band together to play. My group is only 4 Trainers, which is just barely enough to defeat the T5 Bosses. We invite additional trainers to help us who are not able to make it to our site to play, but like to play with us. Sometimes I get return invites from these Trainers when I am not in a Raid. Also, we get others who are otherwise unable to raid for whatever reason. These additional Trainers are key to our game on Wednesday night and make it a better experience.

Niantic has also promoted playing with (and making new) friends as a part of the Pokemon Go experience. I have friends that I have actually met in real life through Pokemon. I also know others pre-Pokemon that I like to raid with in different places. It is nice to be able to connect to them though gameplay and uniting to defeat a common foe. They also help me when I get a T5 or a Mega at my local gym that I want to be able to defeat. I do know a couple Trainers who live very close to me, but I do not know when they are available or not for a local raid. Besides, we would need 5+ for a T5 raid to win comfortably, and we are only 2 or 3 people. We can take down T1 or T3, but those are not always desirable Pokemon. I like being able to call in some extra Trainers to help take down a larger T3 (Lapras for example), a T5, or Mega.

I know that a Trainer can invite 10 others, but most stop at 5 due to inefficiencies. The invite system does not always process invites in a timely manner and I know I have lost several opportunities since the invite comes last second and I cannot react in time. This becomes more acute for the second set of five invitees. We cannot add the second five until someone gets in, and that does not help at all.

Nerfing remote raiders would also severely limit the global T5 Remote Raid market, which is the lions share of the Remote Raids. My conservative estimate is at least 85% of the Remote Raids I see are T5. Most the remainder are Mega Raids (especially when there is a new Mega offered). Usually for a remote raid, we gather 4 or 5 others to take down a T5. Any nerfing of remote raiders would make a fight with 4 total Trainers likely impossible (unless all Trainers have perfect counters). 5 and 6 total Trainers would likely be so difficult that unless the raiders have the higher friend bonuses, it would likely not be worth the raid. I see T1 and T3 only on occasion for raid “guaranteed” exclusive T1 raids like Timburr or Galarian Zigzagzoon or a harder T3 like Lapras. Yes, the two T1 Mons come in eggs, but they are in a pool, so no guarantee that we will get them. At least a raid guarantees the desired Mon.

I also recall the Lake Trio (all T5) where Azelf could be found only in raids in the Americas and Greenland; Mespirit could be found only in raids in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and India; and Uxie only found in the Asia-Pacific region. When I was playing and hosted those, most of the people were coming in from the two other regions where the target Lake Trio member was not from. Chances are great that most do not know each other in game or otherwise going in. Nerfing the remote raiders could make it where the team are not strong enough to defeat the Bosses. I know I would have a hard time justifying a pass if most of the team is nerfed. Double if it is from an area where communication may be limited.

Where a Trainer lives is also is a major factor in remote raiding. Many of us do not live in or near a city or somewhere we can get to multiple gyms quickly, easily, and safely. I have one gym that is local to me, but it is along side a 50 MPH (80 KMPH) highway and is generally not overly safe to access. Otherwise, I have to travel to get any sort of raids and hope that area has what I want from the raids. When I am visiting a family member’s house I can see no gyms, and that is common for other places too. Remote Raids are an equalizer for those of us who do not live near multiple gyms. Nerfing Pokemon based on where Trainers live would be a major deterrent to me and many others, and would curtail the fun of this game.

My Take on Pokemon Go Situational Rollbacks

When the current world situation began, we all had to change a lot of our daily lives. There were many restrictions on movement, closures of many establishments, and a general prohibition on most social activities. In some areas, the situation is now much better and many restrictions have been rolled back. With this in mind, Pokemon Go is rolling back some of the changes that were placed in the game at the onset of the situation and keeping others. Some are good. Many are bad (and I propose a compromise for each bad). One is in my mind completely contradictory.

The 1 hour incense is very good. It allows for a very good amount of time to get the extra Pokemon without it being too long. This is also the same amount of time as the Spotlight Hour, which is great. The stretch for Community Day is also a great thing, as it allows for Trainers who want more chances to catch the selected Pokemon.

The remote challenge via QR Code is something I do not understand. I would think that two players would still need to be nearby to challenge each other to scan the QR Code. If someone could explain how this works to me, I would appreciate it. At least this would help with the challenge a fellow Trainer researches.

The 20 gits in the item bag without costing storage and the 30 gifts to open are both appreciated. Also, the bonus stardust and XP is a nice touch for the first catch of the day, and is appreciated. Good to see this carried on.

Any changes to Remote Raids are not known at this time. I will cover this in a very near future post, as I have a stand alone blog post worthy amount of material.

Also not specifically mentioned is the guaranteed spawn of the day. I remember when this used to be very important to me, as I never got spawns at home. This was true even if I used an incense. I do get some home spawns, but I do like getting the guaranteed spawn. If this goes, that is OK though as well. I just hope that my home spawns continue.

I am not in favor of the reduced effectiveness of the incense at home. There are many times I am unable to get out when I want to throw an incense due to various issues. I get that this is a game of “exploration” and going outside. However, there are times when outdoor exploration is difficult. I would like to see where when it is raining or snowing (especially snowing) and/or when a Trainer has to click the “I am Safe” button that the incense is at full walking strength. This is more a player safety issue than anything. Also, I would like to see the walking spawn rate during Spotlight Hour, as a promotion of the spotlighted Pokemon. Not everyone can devote two days in a row at the same hour outside the home and I imagine most choose Raid Night.

Frequency of buddies bringing gifts needs to remain the same. Not all of us live in a city or next to a Pokestop and are able to get gifts on a regular basis. I can only get to 2 Pokestops on a regular basis without driving anywhere… and even those are a 10 minute walk away…. so that is over an hour commitment at minimum if I want to get 20 gifts. I know of neighborhoods where there are all residences and no Pokestops whatsoever. Then there would need to be travel to a place where there are Pokestops. This is not easy on the weekdays… especially when it gets dark in the winter. I don’t like feeling like a gift mooch and not being able to give a lot of gifts, especially since I have many friends in the game that give me gifts. Let those of us in the rural and rural suburban areas access gifts too. Allow those of us who are affected show their photodiscs and state their cases as to accessibility issues.

I do like the increased interaction distances. It gives us a chance to play the game and not draw attention to ourselves. For me, those 2 Pokestops I mentioned last paragraph at at the corner and along side of a 40 MPH two lane busy main road. At least having the extra space to get the Pokestops allow for a larger buffer zone where I can at least pay attention to the traffic whipping around the corner. There are also gyms that are in similarly dangerous areas, especially when there is a congregation of Trainers. There are others where the issue is optics and gathering in a large number is suspicious or just looks bad. This is true during the EX-Raids, where there are a larger number of people gathered together for a period of time.. I remember at times being 10-20 strong in a small area. To an outsider, a group of people that large just hanging around can be strange and draw negative attention to us and Pokemon Go. At least allowing us to be more well disbursed, we can play and not draw the negative attention.

The no walking for Go Battle League requirement is COMPLETELY CONTRADICTORY. When Go Battle League was first introduced, there was a 3 km per set walking requirement. If other things that promote walking are being returned, then the Go Battle League walking requirement should be returned. GBL with no walking requirement is bad optics, especially when seen through the lens of those of us who do not like and participate in Go Battle League. I feel like this part of the game is getting a free pass, but many other things I enjoy about the game are not. Make it AT LEAST 1 KM of walking per battle set requirement so that the optics of this are better. When the gripes come, remind Trainers that initially it was 3KM per set, but that since this came right before the current situation, many may not remember.

YOU CANNOT BE SERIOUS

John McEnroe said it best…

I thought that this was resolved a while back. Harken back to my post where I suggested reasonable minimums for various Pokemon. I guess somewhere this was missed. 10/11/7 on Giovanni’s Ho-Oh. 1*. This is the taste in my mouth I am left with until September when Giovanni returns. I would not be complaining as much if it was a 10/11/10, though it would be my 2nd poor Shadow Ho-Oh, at least it would be 2*. I am not seeking 3* or better every time. That is greedy. I do not mind if I get a Giovanni Shadow that is not the best every month. However, fighting Giovanni is like fighting 3 low end T3 Raids in a row, not knowing the middle raid until you get there. Plus, even with top counters, it usually is very close, sometimes a bitter defeat. This is all on top of all the work that is done to get there. A decent Shadow reward is all that is requested!

Frankly, I am angry and disappointed at the same time. I was hoping for a good Ho-Oh considering it will be a while until I get another chance at Giovanni (more on this soon). However, with this, I am left with negativity once again after finding and defeating Giovanni.

Adventure with Your Buddy to Evolve: Fun, but Let’s Not Go Too Far

With Spritzee, Swirlix, and Pancham joining Galarian Farfetch’d as Adventure with Your Buddy to evolve characters, it seems as if this method is here to stay. I do enjoy some of these newer evolution extra steps prior to evolution. Each one of the Pokemon have featured a different style of evolution challenge. I present these in the order I completed the

The first type shown was with Galarian Farfetch’d – 10 excellent throws with buddy. This can get a little frustrating a throw is oh so close to an excellent with a regular Pokemon, but we either get a great or just miss the mark. I tried to avoid Legendaries since they are a much easier target. I found this to be a fun test of skill overall. I enjoyed doing the couple of Galarian Farfetch’d that I did turn into Sirfetch’d. This is a challenge type I would like to see again many times.

The second type I did was Spritzee – Use an Incense with buddy. I did this evolution to Armoatisse at Step 5 of the Luminous Legends X timed research. I did it, I got one, but I felt unsatisfied with the obstacle. Like I didn’t do enough to warrant the evolution. At least I knocked off two steps in the Timed Research – Use an Incense was straight up one step and that was my third Fairy type, so the empty feeling was partially satisfied. I probably won’t do this again unless I get a perfect or Use an Incense as a Daily Research. Keep this type of evolution challenge for weaker Pokemon.

The tgird type I did was the Swirlix – Give your buddy 25 treats. The only reason I did this was to get Slurpuff. Otherwise, this is a poor challenge. Berries are too valuable a resource to use in this way to me. Especially for a Slurpuff that is pretty weak. I got this for the Pokedex entry. Please never ever again.

There is a fourth type with Pancham, catch 32 dark type Pokemon. I like the idea since it “infuses the dark” into the future evolution of Pangoro. If the challenge is to catch so many of a different type, the target Pokemon should be limited to a role when the different type is in season or just before the different is in season so Trainers can react. At least Dark types are front and center for this challenge.

The final type that is partially known is future Sylveon, an Eevee evolution. This is earn a number of hearts as Buddy. I like this, this is what a Buddy should be for. I would hope that it is 70 for Great… make it an easy to track without looking at the particular Eevee. This also gets the first two permanent buddy perks, as we know. I am assuming that Sylveon will be a pretty strong Pokemon.

Other types that would be fun:

  • 50 Great Throws with Buddy and/or 100 Nice Throws with Buddy (variation on the Sirfetch’d theme)
  • For stronger Pokemon Ultra or even Best Buddy.
  • X Battles with Buddy – Buddy must participate to get credit. There must be a winner (cannot quit the battle). This can be either Leaders or with a fellow Trainer. NOT necessarily PvP. This is also different than the Buddy Hearts where the Buddy must be in your lineup to get credit. Buddy must participate can be monitored in game. Possible varient would be Buddy Must Lead Off in Battle.
  • Walk X KM with buddy (Yes, Espeon and Umbreon already do this. These are not the only way to evolve Eevee. Nor do they visually track like the way this version does.)
  • A combination of two of these steps. Trainers should be able to perform the tasks at the same time.

Of course, these should be all scalable depending on the strength of the Pokemon and the relative strength to the type. For example, a strong Rock type should be less of a challenge than a similarly relatively strong Bug type since the currently strongest Bug type is much weaker than the strongest Rock type (even taking non-Shadow/Mega/Legendary into account). See Pokemon GoHub’s Database for more info on what I mean by relative strengths.

All in all, I look forward to more of these kinds of evolution challenges…but keep it real with some of these.