Screenshot Galar Commentary Sword Shenanigans

[RubyClaw]

Great job! That cursed Obstagoon took out one of my pokemon.

Umm, I don't feel it is an obligatory addition, however perhaps for certain characters or events? Don't know, I don't feel too strongly about it either way.

 

[Dustox]

Nice going on the Gym battle!

Hmm. On one hand, voice acting can definitely be hit or miss and it's never gonna be any guarantee that everyone loves it. However, I think if they're going to keep pushing scenes like Piers "singing" or Gen 9 Ryme "rapping", not having voice acting is a disservice.

There's definitely enough talented English VAs, as shown in Masters and the anime, that I think they can do a good job. And they can even do FE3H or Persona style where only important cutscenes are voiced and the rest are just sound effects so it's not too distracting.

 

[Skarmizard]

Today we see what the "trouble" on Route 9 is and start preparing for Raihan.

Spoiler: Replies

@ActiveTransport: That is an incredible opinion, I love it 🤣
And now that you said that, I can't unsee it ._.
Yeah, Foul Play is a heck of a move. It saved me against Iris in a White locke once, but...I'm surprised more opponents don't combo it with Swagger, that would be very dangerous
"As long as it's done well" is pretty much how I feel about it-if it happens, I'm worried it'll be meme-tier instead of actually solid.

@RubyClaw: I remember that! Freaking Counter
I don't think it's necessary either-if they want to, fine, as long as it's optional or only used in cutscenes.

@Dustox: Thanks 🎊
I do think Piers "singing/Ryme "rapping" should at least have had lyrics attached, although yeah those scenes probably should've been fully voiced.
That would be a good medium too, especially so that it's more special/less annoying (I feel like voicing the entire game would get annoying really fast).

Question: I don't really feel like Pokémon needs voice acting, since a lot of it would be extremely repetitive and probably get annoying very quickly, especially if it's bad quality. There are certain scenes I could see it working for (Piers singing, important cutscenes like the Gym Challenge opening ceremony or Clavell announcing the Treasure Hunt), but only if the voice acting is good-otherwise it'd just get memed to death like Hotel Mario or the CD-I Zelda games. I wouldn't really mind it as long as it was optional though.
So basically: I don't think it's necessary, but it could be good for cutscenes, as long as the quality is there.

Spoiler: Part 38: The Calm Before the Storm

So what's the "trouble" that guy was talking about?

You get dragged out of Spikemuth, but I think you get healed off-screen.

Ugh, what exploded now?
*snort*
I mean at this point, I can't really be surprised tbh.

Oh, hi Leon. Where's best Pokémon?

Are you sure about that?

I just want to know what's going on.

Sure, but we both know I'm gonna have to get involved at some point because protagonist.

Yes, and I'm dreading that fight
*rolls eyes*
Trust me, Raihan's not easy.

And that's why I'm worried. Even if he's never beaten you, he's still pretty terrifying.

I'll give Leon this-at least he tries to take care of regional crises unlike certain other useless champions *cough*Diantha*cough*.
*snort*
You have no idea just how useless she is. I think Hop might actually be more useful than her.
*jaw drops*
I know, she's that useless.

Tbh Leon gets more involved with the plot than most of the champs, not that that's a very high bar to pass.

We should probably be at least a little concerned, but I'm really not...

That could actually be serious if it collapses the tunnel.

I was right, you do get offscreen healed. Although it doesn't really matter since (spoiler) you don't actually fight anything.

I guess we'll leave Leon to it for now and see if there's anything new in Spikemuth now that the shutter's open.

Same-I still wish they'd scramble the other every so often. But that would involve level scaling, and apparently they don't want to do that.

Would more challengers actually help? Wouldn't it need more actual residents/businesses?

Very true.

I hate you for that pun, but I respect you for taking the position.

That's nice of you 😊

...are you encouraging Piers to punch somebody? 🤨

Very true. One of the nice things about Team Yell is that they aren't like other "evil" teams that don't give a shit about their Pokémon. But to be fair, they were never really "evil", so it makes sense.

I'm watching you.

Don't hiss at me :c

I'm a little confused-half the time they say you "can't" Dynamax here, but then they say things like this, so I'm not sure which is true. It's true that there isn't a Power Spot here, but did Piers choose to be the leader here for that reason, or did he get stuck here?

And that further complicates it. I get why Rose would want to move the gym since a flashier gym battle means more $$$ (and also ties into later plot stuff), but at the same time, having one unique gym that doubles as a concert arena could also mean more $$$, so...

Yes it was-I understand why you did it though.

Not sure if I respect your loyalty or want to cringe at it since she's like 14.

Meanwhile it looks like Piers is having another concert.

And the grunts are still fangasming.

I feel like these lyrics don't fit Piers' aesthetic...
*headbanging to the song*
At least Ozzy likes it.

Wanna get this group some levels before Raihan and finally evolve Drake.

Also Serena needed an item. The King's Rock has always been handy for me, and hopefully that'll continue here.
*happy hiss*
...you don't have to thank me

Pretty sure you'd just fall anyway.

Who else wears a big ass cape?

I thought the noise was coming from the tunnel? Plus there's a whole route between it and Hammerlocke, so it should be fine.

People are still starstruck in the middle of a "catastrophe" apparently.

Maybe, but I don't actually see any...

What is? I have no idea what you're talking about.

...oh. About time someone finally mentioned it.

That is actually an excellent question.

Cute 🥺

Back to Route 7, and...oh hell no. Not him again, please no...

Get the fuck out of my sight.

Yeah, it's ridiculous that you haven't gone home and withdrawn from the challenge.

Oh, you were talking about whatever's going on. Fair enough.

That does sound serious. I'm surprised (and a little disappointed) you didn't get squished by one.
*gasps*
Oh right, you haven't been around him enough to think he's annoying. Don't worry, I didn't really mean I wanted him to get squished.
*makes an 😒 face*
...was it that obvious?

What follows is one of the biggest missed opportunities of the game:

They could've/should've actually showed Leon and Zard fighting this Perrserker, but instead we just got this...I don't know what they were thinking here, and it's a huge waste.

I'm not too surprised since they had a type (and presumably level) advantage.

What I am surprised at is that I didn't have to get involved. It's nice to see a halfway competent adult for once, even if he is directionally challenged.

You do that-I have a lot of grinding to do first.

I can still get catches in these two sections of the Wild Area, but the 'mons in them are still way too high leveled to catch right now. I'm so happy that mechanic's gone in SV (thanks @Dustox for confirming!)
But we can still explore them for items as long as we avoid the Pokémon.

Serena did a good job taking out something seven levels higher.

Which got us some huge EXP.
(This wasn't in either of those sections btw.)

Found some money 💰

That would be more useful in Shield for the Allister rematch, but it might still have some use.

Gyarados is very tempting, but I have enough Water-types and I've used Gyarados about 100 times now. It's one of my favorite 'mons, but I won't be using it here.

More money~

That could be very useful.

Luckily these guys are too slow to catch us.

You can also find one of each evolution stone (except Sun and Moon) around that ring of rocks. I don't think I'll need any of them this late, but if you ever do, this is a great place to look.

What's this?

!!!
That is incredibly useful! Maybe not against Raihan since most of his team is physical, but looking at the endgame...it might just save lives.

Another great find.

Want 🥺

Drake finally won a fight on his own! Granted he had the Eviolite and a 12 level advantage, but hey, it's progress.

Candice got a nice upgrade (replaced Razor Leaf).

And since Wulfric came at such a high level...

He already gets to evolve.

Avalugg would make an excellent coffee table if not for being so freaking cold.

...and weighing 1100 pounds o_o
Also the 'dex entry is a cute image to think about.

That could also be useful.

A 30% chance of paralysis + better accuracy + no recoil >>>> 5 extra base power.
Also, look at that Defense 👀
He will definitely be useful for Raihan.

Then Drake learned Roost, which I figured was more useful than Super Fang since it has a chance to miss.

I also went back and beat the shit out of this guy again. That's what he gets for being a death trap 😠

I skipped this for now, especially since he can set it up anyway with Max Rockfall. Might put it back on later though.

😲
I didn't know she could learn that!

I probably should've dumped Poison Fang, but I figured the poison chance was more useful. Again, might shift moves around as we get closer to the end.

Eventually, after about an hour and a half of grinding...

Oh yes~

Our first dragon finally rises~
*overjoyed screeching*
I still say Noivern should've been the Gen 6 pseudo. It just needed a middle form so that it was actually usable before getting to 48.

For some reason, I didn't imagine it to be overly aggressive 🤨
That sounds more like Hydreigon tbh.

And he gets a nice new move!

...for some reason I thought keeping Fly made more sense
I think my brain was fried at this point-everything from the Hop fight in Circhester to here was one long play session...I think it was like 5 hours?

Anyway, he's so much stronger now! Noivern is one of the only 'mons I can think of whose BST more than doubles when it evolves (245 -> 535). I know Gyarados and Milotic do as well, and I'm sure there are a few others, but those are the only other two I know of off the top of my head.

Obviously Clair needs the Eviolite now.

Originally I was gonna grind her to 50 so she'd evolve for the gym, but then I realized Eviolite Zweilous still probably wouldn't be that useful for it. I ended up putting DJ in that slot since he's a tank and Ground is surprisingly useful for Raihan.

And then I remembered to give Connor Ice Beam.

At this point, I figured there wasn't much else I could do, and I was tired of grinding. But I couldn't bring myself to face Raihan yet, so I decided to take a little break and enjoy what I was convinced would be some of the last time the team would be intact.

We've made it so far-seven badges in and everyone's still alive. Several close calls, but we pulled through every time. But I just couldn't shake this horrible feeling...

...that despite how happy everyone was at the moment...

...and how close we all were after this long...

...no matter how strong everyone had become...

...I just knew it was all about to fall apart when we headed into Hammerlocke Stadium.

That no matter how much I planned and strategized and prepared...I just knew someone was gonna go down in that fight.

Call it paranoia, but my gut just told me I was overdue for something to go horribly wrong. Between it being a double and Raihan using weather strats and four very solid Pokémon...I didn't see it going well at all.
*gently nudges my leg*
*pets Stormy* And I wanted us to enjoy this last nice moment...
*tilts head*

...because I genuinely don't think everyone will come out of that stadium alive...
*pats reassuringly*
You say that, but I just have a terrible feeling...so it'll have to wait until next time.
*offers a hug*
*accepts*
Connor really is nice when he's not being sassy 🥺

Spoiler: Teamshot

Next time, we begin the final gym.
Question of the update: what fight were you the most terrified of in one of your runs, and did it end up going better or worse than you feared?

 

[ActiveTransport]

Hey now, Avalugg would be a great coffee table...for iced coffee!

"I don't know what they were thinking here, and it's a huge waste." Granted, I still have not played these games for myself, and I'm afraid I'm starting to sound like a raging pessimist, but from what I can tell this seems like all of SwSh in a nutshell.

I have to agree with you that it's cool to see Leon as a champion who's out and about doing things for his region, but I've also heard a lot of people complain about how that changes the experience for the player. They say that the player is never really given a chance to do much of anything because, contrary to previous entries, some adult is always showing up to solve the problem and say "Nuh uh uh, you naughty boy, back to the Gym Challenge for you! No fun here, not today!" Have you ever felt that way, Skarmizard?

QOTD: I always worry about these kinds of things, so it'll be tough to narrow down! I think I'll go with a classic and say the final fight with Cyrus in the Distortion World, from my no-items-in-battle Platinum Wedlocke. I prepped like crazy and it actually ended up going a little better than I thought, which is not to say it went entirely well. I lost the quite epic pair of Spiritomb and Porygon-Z but no other deaths aside from that. Runner-ups for most terrifying include Crasher Wake and Flint from that same run.

 

[RubyClaw]

Oh god I know this feeling all to well... I really hope you are wrong but Raihan sure has the potential to be deadly.

Q: Most terrified assumes prior knowledge so I can't count any of my blind runs. There are two battles that come to mind, both in very similar circumstances, and in both I was very right to be afraid as things were very close still they had happy endings. The first was my revenge run of Pokemon Sword, after losing my blind run to Leon all went well in this attempt and then I was about to fight Leon again and I knew how deadly he was. I was as prepared as I could, studied this battle well, and still I lost my entire team expect my starter who survived an won the battle slaying his Charizard, it was very epic. The second was my revenge run of Brilliant Diamond, again after losing my blind run to Cynthia this time. I also made it to very end, this time with a team of 5 survivors, and I was extremely terrified. Still I managed to win this battle and only lost two pokemon against her. Again, very scary, which made it all very epic. Oh, and like every time before the Clair battle.

 

[Dustox]

Sure, but we both know I'm gonna have to get involved at some point because protagonist.

I will say I do appreciate how the adults are doing something and it's not just the kids that are doing all the work. I understand that means you being left out of some crucial things, though. Maybe make it so that you're still watching what's happening or helping on the sidelines. Like you could be dealing with some feral mons while Leon's taking care of the Dynamax mons.

I'll give Leon this-at least he tries to take care of regional crises unlike certain other useless champions *cough*Diantha*cough*.

Yeah... I love Leon because of that. He genuinely cares for his region. The only other Champion who does anything successfully was Lance, and that was like once. Like, okay Lance, thanks for helping me with this Rocket base. Now, how about the Radio Tower takeover?

I probably should've dumped Poison Fang, but I figured the poison chance was more useful. Again, might shift moves around as we get closer to the end.

Honestly, I really appreciated they made the Move Reminder free to use here and later on in ScarVi, accessible almost anywhere. The fact that it's easy to shift movesets around when the situation calls for it has been invaluable.

Yeah... good luck with Raihan. I love him, but he's so scary to deal with.

In terms of hard challenges, I... actually do not remember. Not that there's been none, but I feel like after the battle I'm just mentally putting it in a vault so I won't think about it again. One that comes to mind is Olivia in one of my mono-bug runs in Alola just because her Lycanroc has a Rock Z-move. I had mons like Araquanid and Parasect for super-effective damage, but they still were weak to Rock anyway.

At the very least, the battle went well with some setup and generous use of X Defense.

 

[Mr Spaz]

They could've/should've actually showed Leon and Zard fighting this Perrserker, but instead we just got this...I don't know what they were thinking here, and it's a huge waste.

I think they should've done a Max Raid Battle here with Hop, Leon, and some NPC as allies, but Leon just outspeeds everyone and OHKOs it.

 

[Skarmizard]

Today we begin the final gym.

Spoiler: Replies

@ActiveTransport: True, but then your coffee would be frozen solid and not drinkable 😐
I think part of the problem is that they release the games too quickly and don't have enough time to fully develop them. I also think part of SwSh's problem was they lost development time because of Let's Go, which was a big waste-that time should've been used to fully flesh out SwSh, because then things like that scene could've been done better and the DLC-which is generally looked at more positively (price excluded)-could've been part of the base game as well.
(Curious what your opinions on Legends and Scarlet/Violet are-have you looked at any runs/game footage of them?)
I'm kind of 50/50 on it-I like that Leon is actually fulfilling his responsibilities as champion since the last few really haven't (I assume the champs are/should be responsible for whatever's going on in the region since they're the de facto strongest trainer of the region (Paldea excluded since it's more of a rank there)), but it does get kind of annoying/patronizing when he keeps shoving you away from stuff (especially since we know we're gonna end up involved anyway because protagonist). But it's kind of refreshing to have competent adults at least trying to be useful instead of everything getting dumped on the teenage protagonist.
Ooh, Distortion Cyrus is such a scary fight, even more so with no items and in a wedlocke??? Also O_O at you having a Spiritomb.

@RubyClaw: Tbh I was so scared of him that I actually put the game down for like a month 😓 (And because I was shiny hunting in Legends.)
yeah, I can definitely see revenge runs like those being scary, since you don't want to go down a second time, especially at the final boss. Glad you pulled through both, and I love that your starter was the one to finish Sword (gutted for him/her being the lone survivor though). And Clair is just the worst, especially in HGSS with Sniper and actual Dragon moves...

@Dustox: That's a really good idea-not only does it still let Leon actually do something, but you still get involved without it feeling patronizing/contrived. Plus then there'd actually be stuff to do between Piers and Raihan.
Right? Meanwhile Steven and Wallace just dumped everything on you and Iris/Diantha didn't even get involved at all 😒
At least Alder was story-relevant (but ineffective). And I don't get why Cynthia didn't stomp Cyrus in the Distortion World.
It's such a great change! I thought it was just nice to combine it and the Move Deleter, but not having to go to one particular place for it is 10/10. They've done a really good job with QOL upgrades, even if some are a little ridiculous (*cough*perma-Exp Share*cough).
Fair, and...fighting Olivia with only bugs sounds terrifying, even though they've gotten buffed over the gens. Huge props for pulling it off (was this the kahuna or E4 fight (or both?))

@Mr Spaz: I like that idea 👍
Maybe make Raihan the fourth since he's close by?

Question: there've been a few fights that scared the hell out of me in runs-Tate and Liza in Emerald were probably the biggest one since I'd heard/seen so many horror stories of them straight-up sweeping teams, and I was using a "starter death = game over" rule since that run was told from my Sceptile's POV...although I ended up not even using him in that fight thanks to a couple of clutch performances from my Mightyena and shiny Exploud who had Shadow Ball. Cynthia in my first Platinum run was also terrifying since I'd already lost one 'mon to Lucian...I did win, but lost two more 'mons in that fight. And Totem Mimikyu always makes me nervous since it gets an omniboost with a busted ability and typing.

Spoiler: Part 39: Into the Dragons' Den

I guess it's time to head toward Hammerlocke Stadium...

Looks like a party over there. Gonna try to ignore it...

Fuck.

Duh.

Not surprised they're still talking about that.

Not sure, but it can't be good.

Couldn't the same person have said all of this rather than randomly bouncing from person to person?

I feel like something like that would be extremely noticeable.

Suddenly Magnolia reappears after being absent for 80% of the game.

Did they just remember she existed and were like "oh shit, she needs more screen time"?

Also, it's interesting that Rose wanted to talk to her. Makes you wonder if she was secretly involved with later things...she isn't, but that might make a cool story idea.

Oh, he's a doomsday prepper?

🤔

I feel like you'd be better at it than she would, even if she knows more about it.

That seems obvious to me.
*mouths "duh"*

Maybe I could help, but your useless ass won't do a damn thing but get in the way 😒
Also, cringe at both the options being the same thing 🙄

Let me guess, "but we shouldn't get involved"?

I knew it.

Again, I like that Leon's at least involved with the plot unlike a lot of the champs.

But this is starting to get a little patronizing. Maybe I just feel like that since I'm 31 instead of the game's target age, but it's kind of annoying, especially since we both know I'll have to get involved anyway because protagonist.

🙄

I would certainly hope she would help you since she's your grandmother and all.

Yeah, yeah 🙄

You still haven't beaten him? That's it, I'm kicking you out of the challenge myself.

Don't remind me

So I have to be honest: I actually set the game down for quite a while because I was so worried about this gym. (Also I did a lot of shiny hunting in Legends because I really wanted a shiny Riolu/Lucario...it took a while, but I did eventually get the gold doggo.)

Spoiler: Here he is! (with a couple other shinies cameoing in the corner)

Eventually I realized SV were releasing soon and I was like "oh shit, I need to finish the run" and here we are.

I don't wanna do this, but...
*pulls toward the stadium*

Like I said last time, I was originally going to bring Clair as a Zweilous with the Eviolite, but I figured she might not be as useful as DJ since a good Ground-type is equally useful for Raihan. So here's the gym team.

Handing out more items. Gave Drake the Assault Vest since he's weak to Dragon, Wulfric got the Wide Lens since Blizzard's accuracy sucks (I couldn't find Avalanche), and Connor has the Safety Goggles to avoid weather damage.

Duh.

*gulp*
*rolls eyes and drags into the stadium*

Normally I love dragons, but right now they terrify the fuck out of me...
*sad chirp*
*pets Drake* It's just this gym, Drake-Dragon's still my favorite type.

Yes-several types are immune to sandstorm, and Ice-types are immune to hail.

Also a good strategy-in fact, it's a big part of mine.

I guess we'll find out...

Which means they probably aren't the best choice for this gym, especially since Dragon resists them.

That's because his team is just as much Ground as Dragon. His ace also has Fighting coverage.

I think you're more confident than I am tbh.

I bet they're excited since Raihan doesn't get to have too many matches.

In terms of time or challengers left in it?

Nope, not at all...
*rolls eyes*

I'm not daring at all, so is that a bad omen?

I guess we should tell him yes now.

...where exactly is the changing room? I don't see one anywhere...is it hidden?

If you say so...

...that's new. Why the heck are we going to the vault?

A very colorful transition~

Seriously, why are we in the vault? This is a terrible place to battle!

👀
We have myself, Marnie, Hop apparently still hasn't withdrawn for some stupid reason...how many others are there?

And I bet most of the remaining ones won't get past you. I'm not even sure if I will...

Cringe at calling yourself that.

Does it have something to do with the tapestries?

...huh, the last gym has the simplest mission. But again, battling here is a terrible idea-what if the tapestries get damaged?

At least we don't have to do random bullshit, even though most of them were pretty fun.

Yeah, we just established there's no more than 9 challengers left out of the however many started.

Double battles scare me, since there are so many things that can happen. Just look at that battle from part 35.

Sounds good.

Bring it.

*holds back a "duh"*

They definitely are.

Like what?

Rude. At least have the decency to make eye contact 😒

One of those is not a dragon! And the other doesn't deserve to be one.

Raihan isn't the only trainer who uses weather-each of the gym trainers does as well.

Time for Drake to show off his new power.
*shrieks*

Nice! And you can guess what that'll do to the Pelipper.

Yep.

Copycat.

Pathetic.

And that finishes it up.

They are, but also nervewracking.

That's nice of you 😊

He says that, but you don't have to fight them back-to-back-to-back.

You can swap your team around, heal, etc. between trainers.

BIG duh.

You can also talk to Raihan if you want to leave.

I'm scared of battling you though

And to get rid of the bigger threat first.

She looks like a librarian

Drought time!

You might say Connor is a bad option here, but neither of them has Solar Beam, so it's fine.

Meanwhile Drake continues doing his thing.

He's so strong now 🥺

Every extra level could be a lifesaver for this fight.

And considering Drought, that's not bad damage on Connor's part.
*scowls*

...instead of attacking? 🤨

Of course it hit 🙄
Not that it really matters since it's 2v1 and both of mine are special attackers.

Because of Drought, Drake does more damage, so I used Connor's turn to heal the burn and Drake gets the KO.

Good, good.

I suppose that's true.

I appreciate that, but didn't the other guy say almost the same thing?

One more to go...

Depends on the matchups and the situation.

Let's go.

Obvious hail is obvious. Also, these people are copying me-first not-Kristen, now not-Candice.

DJ might seem like an odd choice, but he's close to leveling and I'm sure he can tank at least one hit.

For now, Connor continues obliterating stuff.
*smirks, flexes*

He also got a level, which is good.

And DJ does a decent chunk to not-Candice.

That's actually perfect, since the damage gets split.

See?

But I might as well pull DJ back to be safe.

Rocky is a 100% safe switch, while Connor does another solid chunk.

And it continues trying to get speed control, while the damage is negligible.

Finishing it in style~

And DJ got the level after all.

It certainly does-we learned that from Legends.

Just like that, it's done.

But I don't want to

Unfortunately, you're immediately taken to the stadium...

*deep breath* Okay, we can do this...
*smiles*
...no no no, I can't do this.
*frowns, tilts head*
Ican'tdothisIcan'tdothisIcan'tdothisIcan't-*bolts out of the stadium*
*chases*

Spoiler: Teamshot

Next time, the scariest fight of the game...
Question of the update: how do you feel about Double Battles/other variants (Rotation, Triple)?

 

[ActiveTransport]

Bah, you had to go and tease us like that, didn't you?

You talk about Magnolia being absent for 80% of the game and needing more screen time, but...that seems pretty par for the course as far as Pokemon Professors go. The more recent Professors (Juniper, Sycamore, Kukui) have been a little better, especially the latter two since you can battle them, but I don't know if there's a single instance where Oak, Elm, Birch, and Rowan do anything between the first five minutes of the game, and the Hall of Fame.

As far as Double, Triple, and Rotation Battles go, I don't have much to say. They're a fun concept for casual playthroughs and competitive battling, and absolutely terrifying in challenge runs, as you pointed out.

Edit:

Spoiler: Responding to your question from the replies

I've looked at a bit of gameplay from Legends Arceus, but my knowledge of ScVi is pretty much limited to the trailers, since I'm trying to go spoiler-free as long as possible for no real reason. They seem like improvements? PLA is just fun because the gameplay is so different from anything Pokemon had done before. From what I can tell based on talking to my friends, both of them have superior stories to SwSh, ScVi vastly so.

 

[RubyClaw]

Ah! What will happen next? How can you leave us like this 🙂?

I love double battles. In many ways they are superior to singles (as competitive had shown us). They are extremely scary in Nuzlockes, still I'd love to see more of them. Giving at least one gym leader a double team plus adding a few along the way is great, and I'd be ok if they'd add a bit more even (though not a whole lot more!). Rotation battles/triple battles were ok, a fun gimmick but nothing more, and hell in Nuzlockes as well. I also like it when you and an NPC fight someone, especially for story reasons it feel really cool.

 

[REDalchemist]

Feels like just yesterday this run was just starting and now it's about to wrap up

QOTU #1 - I almost started but never got the chance to do a Ultra Sun/Moon run but eventually facing Ultra Nekrozma would've been quite the uphill battle. You simply don't walk away unscathed.

QOTU #2 - I think they're very interesting when implamented in the games and at their best when used by a boss. Tate & Liza will always be an iconic gym battle for this reason.

 

[Skarmizard]

Today we take on Raihan for the last badge.

Spoiler: Replies

@ActiveTransport: Hey, it was the perfect cliffhanger
That's a very valid point...I just wish they made the professors a little more relevant. I would love one game's twist to be either the professor was involved with the evil team/legendary or they're the champion/final boss like Kukui was. (SV kind of does that, but...spoilers)
Pretty much-I'm glad there's never been a gym leader who used Rotation/Triples
Yeah, I was really surprised with how much I enjoyed Legends. I was leery at first because it was so different, but it actually worked really well-it's arguably my favorite game since Smash Ultimate, which is massive praise from me. And your friends are right about both having great stories-from what I've seen/heard, SV might have the best story of any game.

@RubyClaw: Hehehe >:)
I'd love there to be one or more major Doubles specialist per game just so you'd have to plan for it at some point. Honestly hoping one day the champion is a double...but yeah, you don't want to oversaturate the game with them.

@REDalchemist: You say that, but we still have all the plot stuff to go...I'm thinking it'll probably be 10-15 more updates before we take on Leon, depending on how long they are.
I still haven't played the Ultras either...I meant to start them before SV dropped, but I thought it'd be longer before they came out. Ultra Necrozma is another level of bullshit from what I've seen/heard though. Heck, I think most runs here straight-up don't count that fight...
Definitely agree, although I feel like Tate and Liza only really got scary in Emerald since you could whoop them in two turns in RS (possibly one if you're lucky/overleveled). Still happy they were a double though.

Question: despite how stressed out I was about fighting Raihan, I actually like Double Battles for being more complicated than singles. I kind of wish they were more common like they were in Emerald/Gen 4...the last few gens have really made them scarce (I haven't seen a single one in SV yet unless you count the Titan fights' second phase where Arven helps you, and the only one I think exists is the fight against Ryme).
I also thought Rotation Battles were kind of neat, and I'm kind of surprised they never reappeared after Gen 5 (aside from that one lady in ORAS). Triples are kind of meh though-way too complicated and easy for one 'mon to get ganged up on and obliterated. I have seen them used in hacks to devastating effect though (BBVW Skyla...*shiver*)

Spoiler: Part 40: Dragons' Bane (vs. Raihan)

Since Connor is much faster than my character, he easily catches him before he can leave the stadium.
*grabs DJ's Pokéball and sends him out*
*floats*
*points at my character and makes a lifting motion*
*telepathically lifts my character into the air*
AaaaaputmedownIwannagohome-
Will you calm down?!
...why the hell can I understand you?
DJ's projecting my thoughts into your head.
...not gonna question that. Will you tell him to put me down?
Not until you agree to go fight Raihan. We figured out an almost perfect strategy, now you need to go execute it.
Well if you're so sure it's gonna work, why don't you go fight him? You're smart enough to do it.
Sure, but do you really think they'll let a Pokémon fight the gym leader?
Maybe? It might get extra viewers.
Really? 😒
I know, but...I'm scared...
*pat* It's gonna be all right. The plan should work, unless he just has the most ridiculous crit luck, which wouldn't be your fault.
I guess...
Unless I go down, because I swear I will haunt you forever 😈
...*snort*
All right, let's see what happens.
It'll be fine. *motions for DJ to put my character down, then gives my character a hug*

You aren't healed before Raihan, so make sure you heal up first.

Swapping a few items around. Raihan's team is all physical attackers, so the Assault Vest won't help here.

And I gave Candice this just in case my plan didn't work.

And then I realized that Wulfric won't need an accuracy boost if my plan works, so extra health is more valuable.

So here's my plan: Raihan relies on sandstorm, which his Gigalith sets up immediately. So I want to get Candice in to set up hail, then get off an Aurora Veil...but she can't come in first, since she's faster than the Gigalith (which isn't exactly hard).
The dangerous thing is, every one of Raihan's team can hit Candice supereffectively. And if she gets doubled up on...
What I'm hoping happens-and why I'm leading with Rocky-is they'll try to double up on Wulfric instead, so she can get in, set up, and get out. As for the Dynamax slot...that's actually going to go to DJ-you'll see why.

If this works, everyone might actually survive. But there's a very real chance someone goes down here.

Here we go...

You must have been getting bored.

...rude. Who did you expect to battle? If you say Hop, I swear I'll lose all respect for you.

Exactly.

I'm not even worried about beating Leon yet-I just want to actually reach him.

Did Leon consent to you being his rival?

Don't remind me-that's why I'm scared of you

*gulp*

*deep breaths* Here we go...

Sad news: this is the last time we get to hear this music.

Not sure how he held both of those in one hand.

Cool leads though.

And there's the sand.

Which he feels the need to comment on.

Time to immediately pivot.

And swap the weather.

He'll also comment on that, which is a nice touch.

That's...actually not terrible, since it's not super effective and the damage is reduced since it hits both 'mons.

Oh goddammit, why couldn't that have been on Wulfric?

That doesn't matter though, since we're mainly special attackers.

Luckily she tanked it decently, while Wulfric fires off a Blizzard.

Not bad, considering that's off a whopping 50 SpA.

That could be annoying, but I'll take it over an attack.

Hopefully they target Wulfric instead of Candice

...on Candice, taking her all the way down to 24. That is...really fucking bad.

Luckily I did get the Aurora Veil up, but...I don't know if she can tank a hit from the Gigalith

Would love a crit or a freeze on the boulder...

But I get neither 😔
Although at least Flygon is down.

And Wulfric levels.

Oh no...no no no please don't do this!

*record scratch*
WHAT????
He didn't hit Candice? 😲

Thanks to his ability, Wulfric heals up a bunch of that damage, while Raihan sends out his third 'mon.

Holy shit, Candice is the luckiest 'mon in the world. But she needs to get off the field NOW.

Luckily, this is a good matchup for Connor.

*pained grunt*
Don't like that, though.

This was directed at Connor, but it actually missed, meaning Candice is even luckier than I thought.

Yet another Blizzard does some more solid damage.

It also reactivates the sand, which is okay since the Aurora Veil is already up.

He also comments on that, which is nice except he says almost the exact same thing as he did the first time.

This was directed at Connor for some reason, despite Wulfric being weak to it.

It did a scary amount too...

This is why I gave Connor the Safety Goggles.

Since Connor will take out the Gigalith this turn, I swapped out Wulfric for DJ since we're both gonna Dynamax next turn.

He resists that, so I don't really care.

Get eroded.

Nice.

Annoying, but not terrible. Kind of surprised it hit tbh.
*strained grumble*
I know, but you'll be all right.

And there's his ace, which IMO is one of the coolest new 'mons-it's Dragon/Steel with a really cool design. I want one 🥺

This is actually going really well so far. Gonna swap Connor out while DJ Dynamaxes and hopefully does some good damage.
Unfortunately, I can't chance U-Turn since he's paralyzed, although I don't think the little bit of chip damage would've mattered.

This time, Rocky will actually get to fight.

...that sounds incredibly dangerous

Raihan has one of the best Dynamax/Gigantamax animations:

Dude literally takes a selfie first, not to mention how overdramatic he is.

It's a fucking skyscraper! I love it.

Meanwhile I Dynamax DJ...and for once, my ears aren't suffering since he doesn't really make any noise.
...what would Claydol even sound like? 🤔

This looks even weirder in a double battle ._.

I don't like the sound of that...

It looks cool, but ow. Although its secondary effect (lowering PP like Spite) doesn't happen since he hasn't used a move.

My turn.

That actually did a lot more than I expected-about 85%. Wish this was raising our physical Defense though...

Meanwhile the snake continues being annoying by using this on DJ.

Which leaves me in an awkward spot. Either of my 'mons can take out Duraludon this turn, but it could also take out Rocky.

It did 45 damage last turn, but I don't know if that was a low or high roll. The sandstorm did 6, so...if 45 was a low roll and the next one does more than 48, Rocky dies to the sandstorm (or just dies instantly if it crits).
Of course, it could just target DJ instead, but I have no way to know. If it does, or if Rocky lives, he takes it down no problem.

DJ being paralyzed is really annoying-if he weren't, he could easily take out Duraludon while I heal Rocky. But since he is, I'd lose a whole turn healing both, and I hate to spend a DMax turn to heal. But I also don't want to lose one to paralysis...and if I heal, we could just end up in the same spot next turn.

So here's where we are-it's 50/50 who Duraludon attacks, an unknown chance that Rocky dies from a high roll or crit, and a 1/4 chance DJ can't move. I want to play it safe and heal, but considering Raihan derped once already...I really wish I could ask Connor what he thinks I should do, he's smarter and would know.
But my gut is telling me to have Rocky try to take the Duraludon down. If he does, DJ can still damage Sandaconda with a Max Move even if it Protects, and if Rocky goes down, DJ can still take Duraludon out as long as he doesn't get fully paralyzed.

I hate being in this situation, but what else can I do?

Of course it did 🙄

...Raihan, you fucking idiot!
That's twice he derped when he could have killed someone...

The rare instance of a non-DMax 'mon taking out a DMax 'mon.

And this still does some good damage through the Protect.

Not really relevant though.

Rocky actually healed 23 HP from that Drain Punch even though the Duraludon was so low.

Even if he pulls off a double Protect, this is over-DJ can still kill him through it.

But Rocky's faster than DJ even if he isn't paralyzed, so there's no need to heal. Besides, I think Rocky deserves the last kill.

And that's game.

Everyone but Drake leveled in that fight.

FUCK NO!

We actually did it!

*snort*
The millenials/Gen Z in a nutshell
(FYI, I'm 31 but don't feel like I belong with any particular generation. I think I feel closer to either my sisters' generation (40 and 39) or my parents' (both 61)...but I just don't feel like part of any generation.)

At least he's graceful.

I wouldn't say that-I really didn't except to win that fight, especially not flawlessly.

Did you throw that fight, or were you just being merciful? Who knows...not complaining though.

Best design of the bunch, don't @ me. And now our little medallion is complete~

Good to know, although it'll still be a pain in the ass if they're higher-leveled.

...jeez, Raihan is tall o_o

What's funny is, even though we have all 8 badges, we're not even halfway through the major battles, since so many of them are toward the end.

He says that like I'm supposed to avenge him, which is hilarious since we'll be fighting him again later.

How nice 🥺

?

Do you have something for me?

Ooh, thanks.

I wasn't aware it was a tail attack ._.
The -Attack is very useful though.

I actually kind of like this one, not that it really matters.

Yes we have~

Sounds like a plan, although we still have a lot to do before then.

...why is my annoying character radar going off?

Eww, go away. Although I would love to see Raihan destroy you, since you have nothing good against him.

Lmao he didn't even refer to him by name.

You say that, but I've beaten him...
*holds up seven fingers*
seven times now, and Bede beat him once before getting disqualified from the challenge, but he refuses to withdraw.
...in a weird way, I almost respect that amount of persistence. If only he weren't so goddamn annoying.

Yeah, that's not gonna happen.

AHAHAHA in your dreams 😆

Sounds good, just as long as it's not a double.

Not a bad idea tbh. Although not really possible if you're using level caps.

Thank you 😊

Yeah, it was...something...*violent shudder*
*tilts head*
*leans against a wall, crouches, puts head in hands*
*concerned chirp*
I'm okay, I just need a few minutes...I'm still shaking from that fight. I don't know how everyone survived...and it kind of feels like we didn't deserve to tbh.
*pats reassuringly*

Hopefully we will.

...damn it, that just reminded me of something.

I meant to give Candice this so the Aurora Veil would last longer...although thinking about it, the battle ended before it went away, so I guess it was fine.

Gonna give it to her now though in case we need it later.

Maybe you should focus on that part? The Steel-type nullifies all the Dragon weaknesses, so it's only weak to Ground or Fighting.

Somehow...

Don't say that :c
You may just need to spend a long time planning and grinding.

Cutting it here since my plot radar is going off. We'll leave the stadium and head on next time.

Spoiler: Teamshot

Next time, we grab our last couple Wild Area catches and start heading toward Wyndon.
Question of the update: do you wish there were more significant (gym leaders/E4/etc.) double battles? Would you ever want the champion fight to be a double?

 

[ActiveTransport]

Dude, way to go! Flawless victory!

Hahaha, did you catch the look on Raihan's Rotom Phone's face when he talked about taking a post-battle selfie? Even the Rotom thinks he's a bit full of himself. Also, why does he call you Challenger 6 just before Hop shows up? Was that your number at the start of the Gym Challenge, or were you the sixth person to challenge/defeat Raihan?

I am so freaking confused as to why Raihan didn't have a Torkoal. Doesn't he use both sand and sun strats? I could have sworn I saw that before. One of my competitive battling buddies even made a reference to being like Raihan when he saw a team with both a Drought and a Sand Stream user. Am I losing my mind?

 

[RubyClaw]

Not sure how he held both of those in one hand.

I'm not sure if it is still canon or not but the pokeball start small and grow bigger once you hold them, so perhaps he can control that and make sure they grow just as he throws them?

It also reactivates the sand, which is okay since the Aurora Veil is already up.

Interesting, I thought it still had to hail for it to work.

Wooho! That was awesome, great job. With a bit of silly A.I. and mostly a great strategy and great plays you pulled it through, well done!

Yep, as I said at least 1 gym trainer in every region being a double battle could be great. Evil team should also have more of these. The champion... man I don't know. Sure, why not, just don't make it a regular thing, instead you can make it a surprise for one specific champion. That would be cool. You can also make the entire E4 double battles for on region (And keep the champion singles), though that would be brutal.

 

[Dustox]

I am so freaking confused as to why Raihan didn't have a Torkoal. Doesn't he use both sand and sun strats? I could have sworn I saw that before. One of my competitive battling buddies even made a reference to being like Raihan when he saw a team with both a Drought and a Sand Stream user. Am I losing my mind?

Raihan has the Torkoal during the League Gauntlet!

Anyway, great job on the deathless Raihan battle! Some close calls with thankfully the AI deciding to be merciful, oof, but at least no one died so we take that!

 

[Mr Spaz]

What I like to do in SWSH Nuzlockes nowadays is to grab one mon level 20-25 from my PC and go to Nuzlocke the Isle of Armor with it after defeating Raihan. In-universe, I justify it as something like "there's another month or so until the Champion Cup, might as well explore this place" or have someone give you the Armor Pass after the Gym.

Also, Raihan has a special line if he sends out Duraludon after all of his other Pokemon have fainted (KO Flygon/Gigalith on one turn then double KO the other and Sandaconda on another turn):
"It might be impossible to pull off a combo going solo, but it's not impossible for me to still win!"

 

[Skarmizard]

Today we grab our last couple Wild Area catches and head to the northern part of the region.

Spoiler: Replies

@ActiveTransport: 🎊
Haha, yeah it's a pretty funny touch. I love the idea of his phone cringing at how extra he is 😆
Yeah, it's my challenger number-they go back and forth on using that/your name throughout the game.
Don't worry, you're not losing it-like Dustox said, he has a Torkoal in the fight later on (and a Goodra that uses rain because he apparently can't decide what weather to use).

@RubyClaw: Oh yeah, I forgot they could do that. I was starting to wonder if he just has really big hands since he's so tall...
I'm not sure if it did tbh-that was my first time using Aurora Veil. I was researching it before the fight and from what I could tell, it still stays up even if the weather changes from hail, but I'm not 100% sure.
We take silly AI if it means everyone survives 🎊
I agree-I'd love to see a champion use doubles just for the twist, and the idea of the E4 all being doubles is pretty great too (I like the idea of the league either insisting on it or encouraging it for whatever reason.

@Dustox: We happily take derpy AI 🎊
I always liked Raihan, so I'd have been really sad if he took someone out. Glad he was merciful...

@Mr Spaz: That's a really fun idea, I might use it next time I do a Galar run (since I don't think I'm gonna do the DLC in this one). I like the story justification too 👍
Huh, I didn't know that. I like that they have extra lines just in case some unusual scenario like that happens.

Question: I'd love to see more significant battles be doubles (maybe one gym leader per region?) just to add a little more challenge to the games, but I can't figure out how it would make sense in-game for an E4/champion to only use doubles. Unless you had a parent/child or married couple co-champions...but how would that work logistically? Although now that we have a literal child who's an E4 member, I guess it's not impossible.

Spoiler: Part 41: The Cold North Beckons

We left off heading out of Hammerlocke Stadium with all 8 badges and a fully intact team.

Told you my plot sense was going off.

Yay us~
*flexes*

Thank you 🥰

Like what?

Ah.

That doesn't sound good...

Especially if Magnolia agrees.

That seems irrelevant...

Never mind, it's not as irrelevant as it seemed.

I take it Sonia hasn't mentioned the wolf statues we saw in Stow-on-Side?

You mean legendary wolves who wielded the sword and shield.
*snores*
...and I thought I was bored.

...what. Why are you giving her your coat?

Not to mention you haven't gotten a PhD yet as far as I know.

I guess? It still doesn't make her a professor.

...where did Magnolia have a spare coat? You can tell she's still wearing it ._.

Yeah, I'm definitely not going with the first choice. And tbf it does actually look nice.

Someone isn't used to compliments...

"-behind it all."
Fair enough, but I still want to know why you gave her a lab coat for basically nothing.

🙄

If you had omitted "or Hop" from that sentence, I actually would've fully agreed with you.

I'm sorry, but I really don't think so...
*gives a thumbs down*
I mean, she's not incompetent like Hop is, but 😬

Yeah, we should hurry so it leaves Hop behind.
*snort*

What exactly is something only a young person can do?

Maybe I'm just a jaded old man at the age of 31 🤔

Please don't tell Hop that.

I still can't believe we pulled it off with no deaths...

And that's where things really heat up.

Before we move on, there's something I need to take care of:

We've had a lot of cool catches in this run, some of which got used more than others. But we're getting close to the end, so I need to start narrowing it down. And frankly, I don't plan on adding anyone to the rotation barring some insane late-game catch.

So all of the second and third row are out. Nothing against any of them, but I just never had need for them since no one's died yet.

Which leaves us with these guys as the active rotation. I kept Benjamin and Dana in because they could possibly sneak on if someone dies, but I'm mainly just focused on the others. Still not sure how I'm gonna decide which 5 are gonna join Connor on the final team out of 15 Pokémon...
*pokes*
Oh, you want to help decide?
*nods*
Fair enough-you're smart enough for it. We still have some time to think about it though.

For now, let's go back to the Wild Area and grab our last two catches from it.

One of which is actually from the southern half, although we couldn't get here until getting the water bike.

...eh. I actually don't hate this line-the concept is so silly that I honestly don't mind. But the one time I tried to use one, it died without getting to do anything, so I'm not feeling too good about using it.

It's also extremely low-leveled for this point.

Hopefully this doesn't kill...

Okay, good.

Simple enough.

And Wulfric levels.

Obviously you'd struggle to find an Ice-type in summer.
...random question, but what does the shiny look like? Is it a different flavor?
*looks it up*
...Vanillite looks like strawberry, but then Vanillish and Vanilluxe are kind of purpley...and I've never heard of grape ice cream, so...?

That nature is 5⭐, but again, I just don't see him being that useful this late. Especially since we still have Candice around for Ice coverage.
(Named after the gym leader.)

Swapping out to catch the others up.

Had to run away from an OP Gallade. Speaking of, Gallade is an A+ design, but why is his middle so weird shaped? It looks like he ate an inner tube .__.

Anyway, our last Wild Area catch is in the far northwest section.

That's a lot of Noivern 😱

Mirror match! We have to be careful up here though-these 'mons are extremely high level.

As for the encounter:

👀
Oh hell yes! I fucking love Haxorus, even if we already have two dragons in the rotation.

...oh shit. Remember how I said these 'mons are incredibly high-leveled?

So I started off by burning him, which was good because he used Swords Dance. And after a couple of turns, things got worse when I found out he had Guillotine. So any time he used it, it had around a 40% chance to kill someone...luckily he only used it twice. But do we have any chance at catching something 10 levels higher without losing someone (or before he dies from the burn)?

...surprisingly, yes!

That's kind of gross 😖

Very nice! He's definitely an option for the final team, even with both Drake and Clair around. Heck, I could take all three and have a dragon showdown with Leon...🐉 🐲
(Spike has always been my go-to name for this line on account of the blades. Was really annoyed I couldn't use the name back in XY.)

For now, he can stay in the main box.

Stocking up before we head on.

And swapping out to catch the others up.

You guys are sweet 🥺

Motherfucker. I guess we should've went on ahead and saved the catches for later 😔

Literally how? Your team sucks against his.

I call BS, unless you have some other Pokémon I don't know about. Snorlax could maybe do it, but if it goes down you have no shot.

...oh I get it, Raihan just threw so he didn't have to hear any more of your annoying mouth.

Sometimes I wonder if they're actually related...

Raihan, stop lying-you and I both know he's fucking garbage. I refuse to believe he beat you legit.

You don't want to fight him? Or do you think I have better chances against him?

*record scratch*
Are you fucking serious? I've beaten you seven fucking times already! Bede even beat you-you have no damn shot! You're fucking delusional if you think you're the favorite, you idiotic useless pissbaby! Take your useless ass back to Postwick and stay out of my hair forever!
*concerned yip*
*concerned mew*
*seethes*
*nudges my leg, stares up with 🥺 eyes*
*pets Stormy*...sorry, that line just really pissed me off. I've been playing Violet so much lately and the characters there are so good, so coming back here and seeing that line from that idiot just really irked the hell out of me. Nemona is 1000x better-I liked her more within the first two minutes of meeting her, even if she is a little...obsessive.
*laughing in bird*
Glad someone thought that was funny. Too bad I swapped Connor out, he'd have lost his shit at that.

Actually, go ahead-we're gonna relish crushing you once and for all in front of thousands of people.

But I'm not going anywhere with you.

This doesn't make me cringe in social distancing like it did at the beginning of the run now that things have eased up, but now that SV are out, I'm kinda meh on riding a train compared to how cool riding Kor/Miraidon is.

...why am I stuck with this idiot? *aggressively stares at phone to ignore him*

It was pretty interesting to have the biggest city of the region as the last city you go to. And then one gen later, it was the first

You can't go there though.

Going to watch me utterly destroy you?

*staring intensifies*

Get the fuck out of my face.

Gonna hang back a little and hope he's gone.

That's actually a good question.

Hey, it's a mini-Candice!

Route 10 may be the longest route in Galar. It's also the most challenging.

Ugh, why are you still here?

No, really? 😒

No way! I totally thought it'd be full of Fire-types /sarcasm.

...for once he actually says something reasonable-this is another good grinding area, this time for Fire- or Fighting-types.

Sure! You just need to spend like 6 months here, then you might actually be decent.

Bye Felicia. Hopefully you fall in a snow bank and can't stay in the challenge.

Gonna stop here for now. We'll check out Route 10 next time.

Spoiler: Teamshot

Next time, we start down Route 10.
Question of the update: ever had one of your last catches in a run end up on your final team?

 

[RubyClaw]

A parent/child or married couple co-champions is actually a pretty brilliant idea, I'd love to see that!

For your question - Yep, mostly when one of my team members died in Victory Road and I had to grind a new pokemon to replace it, which happened to me A LOT.