Pokemon Sword
Why the Sword version? It's more or less tradition for me: for the odd generations, I would pick the second of the versions (e.g. Blue, Sapphire, White, Moon), whereas for the even generations, it would be the first of the versions (Gold, Diamond, X). As it happens, Generation 8 is an even generation, so it's the first of the versions for me, which in this case is Pokemon Sword. This is despite how the Shield version has the preferred specialists (Alister and Melony) and a few exclusives like Corsola.
My party consists of the following:
- Rillaboom: My starter. As per the last three generations, I picked the Grass starter. I imagine it will be the same for Generation 9, because while I usually picked a bird starter, Quaxly did not appeal to me. Anyway, as a starter, Rillaboom is decent, and eventually I gave it two TMs to make it more of an all-out attacker: U-Turn and Acrobatics. The former is incredibly useful, while the latter meant that I had to forgo an item to make full use of it.
- Obstagoon: I did not plan for this member, but since the member that I want are generally spaced far apart, I decided to use it as a second member of the team. It worked out decently for having good defences and being of a different type, and for Obstagoon, I gave it Thunder Wave as a status alternative. It also learns the elemental punches, which is good because I am lacking in certain coverage. Unfortunately, the TMs to do this are in the last city of the game. Still, its good defences and OK attack are great, but I wish I gotten one with Guts (it has Reckless).
- Sirfetch'd: Another that I did not plan, but since I selected Sword, I decided on an exclusive, and its Fighting-type comes in handy too. The critical abilities are also a godsend, even if the Pokemon itself does not learn a lot of moves to do this. Of the moves currently, Leaf Blade is the only one in the moveset that guarantees it (after equipping the Leek).
- Copperajah: This one is a tough find because it's the only one that I have to go all the way to the Wild Area to seek. But having a Steel-type is good for saving the team, not to mention how it's a good way to counter Fairy-types. The Pokemon is also quite powerful with Sheer Force (moves including Play Rough, Rock Slide, and Iron Head), even if not all my attacks took advantage of it (High Horsepower is the only move that doesn't).
- Polteageist: Most of my team are physical attacks, which is a bit too specialised, and since I decided I want a Ghost-type in the team, I decided that Polteageist will be it. The fun thing about this Pokemon is how powerful it is, with a great Special Attack. Eventually it learns Shell Smash, and that move goes very well with Stored Power.
- Cramorant: Another Pokemon that I wanted, it is to my surprise that it is a late-game encounter, though it may be able to be found in the Wild Area earlier but not frequently. Anyway, even though Cramorant has balanced stats, it too would be a Special attack for the same reason: not enough of them. The moves reflected that, what with Surf (for Gulp Missile), Air Slash, and Icy Wind.
The major attraction for this game is Dynamax, which is basically when a Pokemon could grow into a large size and use powerful attacks. This feature cannot be used for most of the game, as it's only reserved for the game's stadiums and select locations, so it's not really easily abused. However, Raid Battles heavily use this, and they are really cool because it's a co-op mode, which are always enjoyable since there's no player opposition. Raid Battles also come in star ratings, where the more there are (out of five), the more difficult the battles are. It is from here where it is possible to obtain high-quality battle Pokemon (Pokemon with generally good IVs). The CPUs are serviceable, but the fact of the matter is that if playing a 5* battle, they will not be able to pull their weight, and luck needs to be relied on for the battle to be won.
I have decided that, instead of using the Shift mode (option to switch Pokemon for each KOs on the opponent's side), I decided to use Set, where switches happen in real time. It does give the game a good sense of difficulty, and admittedly there were times where the game did feel rough. The roughest is the Champion Leon battle, because his Pokemon are of notably higher level compared to what was before, making his battle a tense one. I managed to pull through, which is a relief because I have officially completed the campaign.
Overall, I really enjoyed the journey of this game, and somehow the reduced pool of available Pokemon never was bothersome, probably because there are already so many of them at this point of history that it didn't feel like they were lacking. Would it be nice if every Pokemon could be available? Certainly, but I think that would only be fully enjoyed by the minority, such as the romhackers who can modify data to make every Pokemon available.
Thank you for reading.
Why the Sword version? It's more or less tradition for me: for the odd generations, I would pick the second of the versions (e.g. Blue, Sapphire, White, Moon), whereas for the even generations, it would be the first of the versions (Gold, Diamond, X). As it happens, Generation 8 is an even generation, so it's the first of the versions for me, which in this case is Pokemon Sword. This is despite how the Shield version has the preferred specialists (Alister and Melony) and a few exclusives like Corsola.
My party consists of the following:
- Rillaboom: My starter. As per the last three generations, I picked the Grass starter. I imagine it will be the same for Generation 9, because while I usually picked a bird starter, Quaxly did not appeal to me. Anyway, as a starter, Rillaboom is decent, and eventually I gave it two TMs to make it more of an all-out attacker: U-Turn and Acrobatics. The former is incredibly useful, while the latter meant that I had to forgo an item to make full use of it.
- Obstagoon: I did not plan for this member, but since the member that I want are generally spaced far apart, I decided to use it as a second member of the team. It worked out decently for having good defences and being of a different type, and for Obstagoon, I gave it Thunder Wave as a status alternative. It also learns the elemental punches, which is good because I am lacking in certain coverage. Unfortunately, the TMs to do this are in the last city of the game. Still, its good defences and OK attack are great, but I wish I gotten one with Guts (it has Reckless).
- Sirfetch'd: Another that I did not plan, but since I selected Sword, I decided on an exclusive, and its Fighting-type comes in handy too. The critical abilities are also a godsend, even if the Pokemon itself does not learn a lot of moves to do this. Of the moves currently, Leaf Blade is the only one in the moveset that guarantees it (after equipping the Leek).
- Copperajah: This one is a tough find because it's the only one that I have to go all the way to the Wild Area to seek. But having a Steel-type is good for saving the team, not to mention how it's a good way to counter Fairy-types. The Pokemon is also quite powerful with Sheer Force (moves including Play Rough, Rock Slide, and Iron Head), even if not all my attacks took advantage of it (High Horsepower is the only move that doesn't).
- Polteageist: Most of my team are physical attacks, which is a bit too specialised, and since I decided I want a Ghost-type in the team, I decided that Polteageist will be it. The fun thing about this Pokemon is how powerful it is, with a great Special Attack. Eventually it learns Shell Smash, and that move goes very well with Stored Power.
- Cramorant: Another Pokemon that I wanted, it is to my surprise that it is a late-game encounter, though it may be able to be found in the Wild Area earlier but not frequently. Anyway, even though Cramorant has balanced stats, it too would be a Special attack for the same reason: not enough of them. The moves reflected that, what with Surf (for Gulp Missile), Air Slash, and Icy Wind.
The major attraction for this game is Dynamax, which is basically when a Pokemon could grow into a large size and use powerful attacks. This feature cannot be used for most of the game, as it's only reserved for the game's stadiums and select locations, so it's not really easily abused. However, Raid Battles heavily use this, and they are really cool because it's a co-op mode, which are always enjoyable since there's no player opposition. Raid Battles also come in star ratings, where the more there are (out of five), the more difficult the battles are. It is from here where it is possible to obtain high-quality battle Pokemon (Pokemon with generally good IVs). The CPUs are serviceable, but the fact of the matter is that if playing a 5* battle, they will not be able to pull their weight, and luck needs to be relied on for the battle to be won.
I have decided that, instead of using the Shift mode (option to switch Pokemon for each KOs on the opponent's side), I decided to use Set, where switches happen in real time. It does give the game a good sense of difficulty, and admittedly there were times where the game did feel rough. The roughest is the Champion Leon battle, because his Pokemon are of notably higher level compared to what was before, making his battle a tense one. I managed to pull through, which is a relief because I have officially completed the campaign.
Overall, I really enjoyed the journey of this game, and somehow the reduced pool of available Pokemon never was bothersome, probably because there are already so many of them at this point of history that it didn't feel like they were lacking. Would it be nice if every Pokemon could be available? Certainly, but I think that would only be fully enjoyed by the minority, such as the romhackers who can modify data to make every Pokemon available.
Thank you for reading.
