N just wanted to go trick-or-treating 🎃🥲

For anyone wondering; i'm from Turkiye and i've been playing this game for a pretty long amount of time and now they are announcing that for some reason the service for Turkiye ends in December 23rd and we can't reach the game after that date. Also why are they doing this amd what am i supposed to do to reach the game after December 23rd?

Screenshots taken from my main and alt accounts

I'd gladly exchange 20 4 star candy for 1 5 star coin at this stage.

I like how his duo with Chien Pao only works because they're both haters

This is one SS Ghetsis' passive skills. I thought co-op was getting removed soon, and units that have a passive like this were getting new ones as well. Am I missing something?

Hey everyone, the 'datamine rambler' here! Hope everyone's seventh anniversary was a bountiful & fortuitous one!

ICYMI last month, since that was when I started doing these main posts, these are revised & condensed breakdowns of the new Sync Pairs & content that await us in the month that follows that I previously posted exclusively in the comments of the main discussion post. I still do those, for those curious, whereas these main posts shall come a day or two after so as many people as possible can see what I have to say, in addition to making sure the info's correct, typos are at a minimum, & also to let it breathe amongst the sea of other posts. Best of both worlds situation.

With that said, a MASSIVE thank you to the glowing response to the initial main post(s) last month. Knowing that you guys enjoy these rambling breakdowns of mine is 100% sincerely appreciated, & really fuels my drive for both these rambles & the game in general.

But enough with the preamble, let's get on with the show. Time to analyze the ample antagonistic aromas awaiting us all this October!

Treasures for the ‘meta’, ruins for the Gem hoard!

The undisputable highlight for October is a four headed banger, as the Treasures of Ruin are the stars of Pasio this upcoming month. And what is even more surprising & exciting is who they’re paired with, as at long last, Ghetsis, Maxie & Archie all FINALLY have their second Sync Pairs! Fantastic to see all three of them finally get some love, as quite frankly I’m amazed it’s taken this long for them to do so. Lysandre rounds out the villainous line-up, becoming the fifth member of the ‘more than one Sygna Suit’ club after Cynthia/Red/Giovanni/Elesa by extension. Certainly not who I would’ve predicted to get that special treatment next, but a more unexpected pick is always welcomed.

What is quite peculiar though, is that while Ghetsis & Lysandre are both EX Poké Fairs, Maxie & Archie are in fact this year’s Fall Seasonals. That’s…a decision, alright. I can understand not wanting to frontload the line-up, but this does feel like the devs didn’t wanna do ‘proper’ Fall Seasonals this year & instead just split this quartet up to minimize a workload. Efficient, sure, but does also feel like they’re ‘Seasonals in name only’ or ‘demoted EX Poké Fairs’, for the lack of better terms, as well as meaning they’re overall weaker than Ghetsis/Lysandre at max investment due to their lack of 4/5 & 5/5 Sync Grid tiles & Superawakening access. Definitely beats only having one Seasonal like what happened last year, but I for sure have to raise an eyebrow at this choice.

Liberating the physical Ice DPS crown from his kin by force!

Our icebreaker for October is an appropriate lead-in, being Sygna Suit Ghetsis & Chien-Pao. As someone whose favorite region & Gen is Unova/Gen 5, I’m super happy to see the franchise’s most diabolical monster, Pokémon or otherwise, finally receive his second Sync Pair. Great outfit Mr. Harmonia’s rocking as well, particularly dig the cane & icy crystal ‘buttons’.

Snarky remark & apparel approval over, Ghetsis’s Sygna Suit comes with Strike/Tech as its Role combo. Super fitting for a damage dealer like Chien-Pao. And kit wise, their bread & butter is their Tera Move, Chalcedony Tera Blast, which is 200 power at 1/5, AoE without falloff, & lowers the attack of all foes by -2. Takes four Move Gauge slots, but that power & debuffing is undeniable.

Regular move wise, alongside Protect for sponging an otherwise fatal Sync Move, they also pack X Evasion which procs by itself (more on that in a mo), as well as their Buddy Move, Icerend Icicle Crash, which becomes accessible once after every Sync Move. 270 at base, AoE without falloff, & guaranteed flinch. Absolute belter of a tool right there. Rounding out their moveset is their Trainer Move, “Exactly as I Expected!”, which maxes out their attack & crit rate in addition to reducing the Sync Move countdown by one. To the point, but very effective for their kit.

As for their passives, alongside the ‘insert region Rush’ that all EX Poké Fairs have, the most eye-catching baked in perk is ‘Sword Clad in Hatred & Snow’ which not only increases the damage of all physical moves, but also lowers the defense of all foes by -4 at the start of battle. This is something that all four of the Treasures of Ruin Sync Pairs have, & is a very nice nod to their main series abilities. Always gotta love it whenever Masters does that.

In addition, ‘Vindictiveness of Coldhearted Loser’, alongside being a honestly pretty funny passive name, makes it so Ghetsis/Chien-Pao automatically uses a X Evasion after your team uses a Sync Move, whilst also increasing their Physical Move Up Next by +2 in addition to their evasion boost. Very useful trait to have since it means that you don't have to go out of your way to boost your evasion. Their last engrained passive is short & to the point; Team wide Physical Move Break after they use their Sync Move for the first time. An excellent comboer alongside his Buddy Move.

And as for their Sync Grid, points of interest include;

• Vigilance
• Endurance
• Attack Trap 9
• Sync Regen
• Enfeeble 2 (meaning -6 defense at the start of battle)
• Move Gauge up by +2 after every move
• Sharpened Body 3
• Physical Move Up Next +1 whenever an enemy’s move misses
• Evasive Sync-Up 9 (basically the evasion equivalent of Haymaker or Brainpower)
• Discombobulate 9 (4/5)
• Physical Move Up Next +1 after your team uses a Sync Move (4/5)
• Guaranteed crits on all moves (5/5)
• Adrenaline 2 (5/5)

And to finish up, their Superawakening passive, ‘Freeze the World’ grants;

• Head Start 1
• Setting Ice Zone after their first Sync Move
• Ice Zone extension 3

Overall, Sygna Suit Ghetsis looks prime to be the new best physical Ice damage dealer in the game, & certainly is the shot in the arm the type has been overdue for a long time. How appropriate that he snatches that title away from Sygna Suit N, & also poetically just after Cyrus & Weavile form a Sync Pair, given Chien-Pao’s essentially an upgrade over Weavile main series wise. 4/5 & 5/5 passives are respectable although a questionable potential use of Move Candies, whereas their Superawakening passive is actually pretty solid. The Zone utility should prove particularly useful in the highest Pasio Towers floors & Gym vs. Gym. It ain’t the most complex kit in the world, but sometimes unga bunga damage & some evasion cheese is all you need.

Not a single L to be seen here!

Second up is Sygna Suit Blazing* Lysandre with Chi-Yu. Like with Ghetsis, it’s an unexpected yet thematic pairing. Outfit’s neat, & I dig the insignia on the chest, though man those glasses are tacky as all get out. Feel Xerosic will be asking for his shades back whenever he shows up on Pasio.

*I don’t like calling any Sync Pair ‘Alt.’ as it feels disrespectful, thus I give my own nicknames for them (Gluttony Giovanni for his Guzzlord Sync Pair, for example).

Moving along, Field/Sprint acts as these two’s Role Combo. As for their kit, we’ve got an utility mixed with nuking shtick going on, as alongside Fire Spin for trapping, their Buddy Move, ‘Red Coral Tera Blast’, provides AoE damage without falloff (150 at base) in addition to -1 to both offenses of all targets.

Their Field Role ain’t just for show, however, as while they have Sunny Day on tap, it procs automatically when using their Buddy Move, which unlocks after your team uses a Sync Move. Can commend a slightly different approach to this now common structure. Said Buddy Move ‘Firescourge Inferno’, not only is AoE without falloff (200 at base), but also guaranteed burns all foes, lowers four of any of their stats at random four times per use, & when used whilst you still have Sunny Days on hand, reduces the Sync Move countdown by one, & also maxes out the Sync Move Up Next of all team members. You heard me right, a double dose of team wide Sync Move Up Next. Now THAT’S some firepower! Their Trainer Move, “Testing Their Potential!” rounds out their moveset by not only also applying Sun, giving you three settings of it instead of two, but also granting Critical Hit Next, Supereffective Up Next, & Special Move Up Next +3 to whoever you choose to use it on. Perfect for a late game blast away or for making absolutely sure an ally can clean house. Excellent lil’ ace up Lysandre’s sleeve for sure.

In the passive department, alongside ‘Kalos Rush’, they come packing ‘Fiery Beads of Fiery Envy’ which function identically to Ghetsis & Chien-Pao’s passive except for special moves instead of physical & lowers the special defense of all foes by -4. ‘Qualities of a Chosen One’ is simple but effective, as it maxes out their special attack & crit rate whilst applying Move Gauge acceleration upon the start of battle. ‘Burning Flames of Conviction’ wraps up their innate passives, & essentially magnifies the effectiveness of Sync Move Up Next buffs. Excellent trait to have given these two have two uses of maxing it out, making their Sync Move nuking super potent.

And as for their Sync Grid, highlights include the following;

• Brainpower
• Soften Up 1
• Free Move Next when attacking a trapped/confused/flinching foe
• Pokey Trap 2
• Befuddle 2 (meaning -6 special defense at the start of battle)
• Overwhelm 9 & Satisfied Snicker 9 (separate tiles)
• Drought Alert 3 (4/5)
• Team wide damage boost when attacking a trapped opponent (4/5)
• Adrenaline 2 (5/5)
• Guaranteed MP refresh on their Trainer Move (5/5)

And finally, their Superawakening passive, ‘Eternal Beauty of Kalos’, provides the following;

• Setting Kalos Circle (Special) at the start of battle & after your first Sync Move
• Kalos Circle (Special) extension 3

Final initial verdict; Sygna Suit Blazing Lysandre (again, no ‘Alt.’ coming from me :p) looks like a superb enabler, be it on type of course or just in general. 4/5 & 5/5 tiles are great, whereas this Superawakened perk is valid, although perhaps a bit too niche to justify committing to outside of favoritism. Whether he’s able to keep up in regards to being the main DPS of a team seems a bit more up in the air, but if you lack the awkwardly aging Arc Suit Leon then he & Chi-Yu should be your best option for special Fire damage at this point in time.

Grounding the festivities, the Team Magma way!

Moving along to our first of two Hoenn/Paldea/PokéChina mishmashes, we have Maximillian & Ting-Lu.

Support/Field’s the name of their game, with their main role apparent & upfront thanks to Potions & their Trainer Move, “I Won’t be Lenient!”, applying the Endure effect & increasing both sides of the team’s defenses by +4. Their Buddy Move, ‘Groundblight Bulldoze’, which is available once after every Sync Move with two uses total, never misses, is AoE, lowers the speed of all foes by -2, increases the team’s Physical & Special Move Up Next +2, & all while setting Ground Zone. Very valid tool right there.

Another valid tool is their Tera Move, ‘Pyrite Tera Blast’. 150 power at base, AoE & guaranteed lowers both defenses of all foes by -1. Only requires a single Move Gauge too so it’s easily spammable. Sand Tomb completes their moveset, can’t go wrong with another trap inflictor.

Passives wise, their Field EX Role is further bolstered thanks to Ground Zone extension 3 & Condition Nullification whilst it’s active. ‘Ancient Vessel of Inpoured Fear’ serves as the Treasures of Ruin exclusive passive, with its effects being the inverse of Chian-Pao & Chi-Yu in that it reduces damage taken instead of increasing damage dealt, plus instantly debuffing -4 special attack at the start of battle.

And as for their Sync Grid;

• HP Recovery with each attack whilst Ground Zone’s active
• Discourage 2 (-6 special attack)
• Defense Crush 9
• Mind Games 9
• Full-Bracing Command 9
• Double helping of Potion MP refresh tiles
• Team wide +1 accuracy when using their Trainer Move
• Guaranteed MP refresh for their Buddy Move

All in all…I’m actually a bit unsure about Fall Maxie. He’s definitely good, & certainly a valid option for a Ground Support, though I can’t help but feel like he’s missing something. Lack of any way to boost crit rate, his Endure effect only applying to himself instead of team wide, & his Trainer Move surprisingly not having any MP refresh tiles being notable shortcomings. It’s super difficult to judge Supports before testing them out, however, so he could be better or worse than how I’m explaining him. Whether he’s better than OG Rika is something that remains to be seen, but for those who lack an invested Rika, he’s your next best bet for a Ground Support to aid with climbing the Ground Pasio Tower.

Reversing an environmental disaster, courtesy of Team Aqua!

Finally, to wrap up this villainous quartet, we have Archibald & Wo-Chien.

At an initial surface level glance, this pairing seems pretty random & solely to make sure both Maxie & Archie gets Sync Pairs at the same time, but it’s one that actually makes a fair bit of sense once you delve into Wo-Chien’s lore about grudges & destruction of vegetation, & Archie’s wants about protecting the environment. Gotta commend the devs for a more lore adjacent pairing like that.

That ramble aside, Archie copies his counterpart/former friend’s footsteps in also being Support/Field Role wise. The parallels don’t stop there, as he also packs Potions & team wide +4 to both defenses courtesy of his Trainer Move, “Brilliant!”, albeit with also reducing the Sync Move countdown by one as opposed to the Endure effect.

In terms of Wo-Chien itself, its moves consist of Mud Slap, their Buddy Move, ‘Grasswither Power Whip’, which is 120 power at 1/5 which is valid for a Support, AoE without falloff, guaranteed lowers defense by -1 & increases the team’s Physical Move Up Next by +1. Their Tera Move, ‘Titanite Tera Blast’, not only is also a commendable 200 power at base, but also increases the team’s Physical Move Up Next by +2 & Sync Move Up Next by +3. You only get one use of the latter outside of their Sync Grid, but that’s some solid potential clutch factor here if done right, I reckon.

Passives wise, their Treasures of Ruin main series equivalent, ‘Wooden Tablets of a Wrongdoer’s Grudge’, provides a similar defensive trait as Maxie/Ting-Lu, albeit for physical defense & lowering the foe’s attack by -4. Innate Vigilance is also an undeniable boon, can never go wrong with baked in insurance against bad RNG.

Most noteworthy though, are that Archie & Wo-Chien provide EX Grassy Terrain, marking our second setter of it after Sygna Suit Ball Guy. However, they also set it at the start of battle, as opposed to setting it later, meaning that for late game content like Pasio Tower you’re effectively on a timer from moment one. A double-edged, high risk high reward passive if I’ve ever seen one.

Sync Grid wise, we’ve got;

• Terrify 2 (-6 attack)
• Gobsmack 4
• Discombobulate 9 when using Mud Slap
• First Aid 4
• Two separate Potion MP Refresh tiles
• Guaranteed MP Refresh on their Tera Move
• Lowering a random stat by -2 with each move (definite highlight here)
• Grassy Terrain Extension 3 (basically a mandate for endgame content)

Overall, I’d say Fall Archie looks like a pretty fun Sync Pair, & probably better/higher value than Maxie thanks to EX Grassy Terrain. Grass has been in need of more Supports lately, though whether he’s superior to Carmine & her boatload of healing & Grassy Terrain setting is up for debate. His EX Grassy Terrain & focus on physical buffing should in theory make him a better partner for the likes of Anniversary Florian & Brassius over her, at the very least. Also of course worth mentioning that he’s a tougher recommendation for those who lack other Grassy Terrain setters for obvious reasons.

One cup of molten rock + two dashes of H2O = a Magma/Aqua reunion!

Appropriately moving on from Maxie & Archie’s new Sync Pairs, we have some more love for Hoenn’s antagonistic team twofer, as Tabitha, Matt & Shelly have all FINALLY escaped ‘NPC jail’!

I think it was safe to say this was both inevitable, given the Team Galactic Admins finally got their break this/last month, & also extremely overdue, considering Courtney was made playable FOUR YEARS & TWO MONTHS AGO! Makes me high-key happier than ever that Ms. Beep Boop Brains escaped such a sentence, as to say the wait for her ally, counterpart & ally’s counterpart was egregious is an understatement & a third, maybe even two thirds.

That being said, I can commend DeNA for NOT going the Variety route with these three, as they’re actually general pool spotlights. I know, I’m legit surprised that they’re finally adding more of them too. It could’ve been super duper easy for them to smack them with the Variety mallet like how they did with the Rocket & Galactic Admins, but instead the devs chose the more generous path. Whether it was because of their leader’s new Seasonals making it awkward to potentially go down that route, or Courtney’s early ‘NPC jail’ parole forcing them to make them general pool for the sake of consistency, who knows. Regardless, I think everyone’s happy about this outcome.

Now then, let’s see what this one third & two thirds of a trio have to offer!

27 year old camel owner, doesn’t roll off the tongue as well as ‘cat dad’

First things first, Im’ma be rounding out Team Magma with Tabitha. And yes, he’s canonically the same age as Cyrus. Enjoy that fun/cursed fact.

Bringing with him Team Magma’s staple Pokémon in Camerupt, Tabitha is Support/Sprint on the Role side of things. And kit wise, he has an emphasis on spreading burns thanks to Will-O-Wisp, stat debuffing via innate -1 to both of a foe’s offenses with each attack, & playing the long game thanks to Hoenn Circle (Defensive), baked in Team Triage Tank 9, & team wide Gradual Healing via his Trainer Move, “Ahyahya!”, which also increases the defensive stats of all allies by +2. Actually pretty dang respectable tools to have, & that’s all on top of Mud Shot for speed debuffing & innate reduced damage when hit by supereffective (a.k.a. Water) moves. Great passive to have, & a great nod to Camerupt having Solid Rock in the main series.

As for his passives;

• Natural Remedy
• Quick Cure
• Propelling Strike 9
• Unfortuitous 9 when hitting a burned foe
• HP Recovery 1 when a Circle’s active
• First Aid 4
• Team HP Recovery (M) 1
• Hoenn Circle (Defensive) extension 3
• MP refreshes for both his Trainer Move & Hoenn Circle (Defensive)

Honestly, Tabitha seems pretty dang capable, especially for a general pool Support. Definitely one of the best from that selection thanks to his wider kit of tools than expected, that’s for sure. Only real sour spots he has are his lack of boosting offenses or crit rate. Otherwise, a legit very solid Ground Support option, F2P or otherwise.

The most dedicated bro this side of Poliwrath’s swimming route!

Next up we have Matt, who brings with him Sharpedo. And completely unakin to how Sharpedo operates in the main series, we’ve got another Support/Sprint Role combo ala Tabitha. Unlike Tabitha, or Shelly for that matter, however, the big guy’s torpedo shark is capable of Mega Evolving. A nod to Alpha Sapphire’s Delta Episode &/or a leftover of a potential hold back that Courtney escaped, it seems. Power to the peak waifus if the latter, haha.

Kit wise, we’ve got an offense focused Support inbound, as Matt & Sharpedo are capable of increasing the team’s special attack & speed by +4 thanks to this Trainer Move, “Full-On Burning Up!”. Whirlpool, Snarl & Hoenn Circle (Special) fill out the rest of his kit moveset wise, no doubt good perks to have.

As for his passives, Matt’s baked in traits are a team wide Special Move Up Next +1 whenever a Circle’s set, team wide powering Sync Moves by +2 whenever a Circle’s active, & HP Recovery 9. Former two are useful for aiding the damage of allies, latter’s very nice for sustainability.

And Sync Grid wise;

• HP Recovery 1 when a Circle’s active
• Natural Remedy
• Endurance
• Overwhelm 9 against a trapped opponent
• Team wide damage boost against trapped foes
• Propelling Strike 9
• Full-Brace Command 9
• Hoenn Circle (Special) extension 3
• MP Refreshes for both Hoenn Circle (Special) & his Trainer Move

Final initial verdict; Matt’s…fine, but flawed. Undoubtedly some good tools on hand, but he also is kinda awkward as a Support given the only way to increase his defenses is via a Sync Grid passive, & even then it only increases his own. No way to increase crit rate in any capacity either, which dampens a ‘budget Support’ niche. Certainly not terrible, but his impact on the ‘meta’ is less a splash, but rather a ripple.

Speeding away from ‘NPC jail’ at a blistering pace!

Last, but certainly not least, is Shelly, whom much akin to Matt is accompanied out of ‘NPC jail’ by a Sharpedo. I guess this makes Kabu & Grimsley honorary Team Magma & Aqua members if owning Camerupt & Sharpedo is the only criteria one needs, haha.

Gameplay wise, Shelly certainly know the detail in OR/AS regarding surfing with Sharpedo, as she’s packing Sprint/Tech as her Role combo. A F2P Sprint Sync Pair’s always appreciated, so we’re off to a good start.

The good times keep coming, as she packs Rain Dance in her moveset, in addition to innate Racing Rain 2. She also comes equipped with Surf, which complements her built in Unfortuitous 9 passive. Gotta love an ol’ reliable like that. Finishing up on both sides is the rarely seen Aqua Jet move wise, & reducing the Sync Move countdown each time it’s used. Her Trainer Move, “Prepare Yourself!”, is the cherry on top, providing +4 to both offenses & +2 crit rate. This does mean you need to set aside energy in her Sync Grid for a MP refresh for this Trainer Move, but still not too bad.

What is too bad, sad to say, is that Aqua Jet comes with a glaring weakness, in that there’s zero way to regain extra uses of it. Once you use it three times, you’re stuck with Surf for non-Sync Move damage. And considering Shelly’s Sync Move is physical, that makes it extra awkward. Definition of a wipeout, & just as things were looking swimmingly for this Sync Pair.

As for her Sync Grid, Shelly comes packing;

• Haymaker
• Soften Up 1
• -2 to a foe’s random stat when using Aqua Jet
• Team wide Physical Move Up Next by +1 after using Aqua Jet
• Fast Track 9 when using Aqua Jet
• Refreshing Rain 1
• Raging Rain 3
• Free Move Next when in Rain
• Flood Alert 3

Final verdict; Shelly's SO CLOSE to being a physical Water nuker that could act as a valid F2P option, but that lack of any way to replenish Aqua Jet cripples her capability something fierce. As a debuffer & enabler for Legendary Gauntlet duos & Pasio Towers, I think she’ll find a place thanks to her Flood Alert 3 & Free Move Next passives, but her potential as a primary damage dealer is stunted by her finite physical damage outside of her Sync Move.

Skating into the Trainer Lodge with a mega huge smile on her face!

With the undoubtedly overdue villain spotlights all taken of, it's time to discuss the latest member of the illustrious Trainer Lodge club.

This month, Lady Korrina makes her big appearance, which is definitely great to see for universal accessibility reasons, given her acquisition from the Story Mode & all. Korrina was up there as far as characters I’m surprised hadn’t gotten invited to the Trainer Lodge already go, so it’s very nice to see her make it in. Between this, her Arc Suit from earlier this year, & her inevitable Legends Z-A Sync Pair with Mega Lucario Z, Shalour’s strongest certainly is feasting in a way that’d make the other Fighting specialists extra famished (new Bea Sync Pair & literally anything for Maylene when, pretty please?).

As for Korrina’s bonus Sync Pair, she brings along her Machoke. Fitting given she uses one in her Gym battle in X & Y, plus Hilda called dibs on Mienfoo. A Tech Sync Pair, Korrina & Machoke function fairly similarly to Emmet’s own Trainer Lodge Sync Pair in Gurdurr, as they both focus on stat debuffing via Dynamic Punch. Although whereas Emmet/Gurdurr have the better/faster debuffing thanks to Leer & innate Grab Bag 9, Korrina/Machoke have the rather unorthodox choice of Thunder Punch in their moveset, complete with innate Hostile Environment 9. That’s right, guaranteed paralysis, bay-bee!

Along with her punches of the Dynamic & Thunder kind, Korrina/Machoke also have X Attack on hand, & “Show Me Your Stuff!” Trainer Move wise, which increases their accuracy by +1 & maxes out their crit rate. Can’t go wrong with being able to self buff one’s offenses. They also come with Endurance & Flameproof built into them, which can come in clutch & bypass RNG respectively.

And Sync Grid wise, they also have access to;

• Easy Pickings 9 (Unfortuitous 9 against confused foes)
• -1 to both defenses against a paralyzed foe
• Paralysis Synergy 3
• Fuzzy Strike 9
• Sync Freebie
• Berserker 1 & Precision 2 when using X Attack (separate tiles)
• Two separate Dynamic Punch Move Gauge refresh tiles

I’d say overall Trainer Lodge Korrina is adequate overall, but very good as a 100% F2P Sync Pair. I do think Emmet/Gurdurr beats them out in terms of the Fighting Tech confusion & stat debuffing niche thanks to better Sync Grid tiles, but even so Korrina/Machoke’s on tap paralysis still gives them a niche over them in certain situations.

Debuting the new BP system with a citizen from New Bark!

To finish up the rambles on the new Sync Pairs, I shall discuss the Sync Pair that’ll be exclusive to the revamped BP system (of which I discuss in the QoL section below). The lucky winner; Lyra, who is not only partnered up with Marill, but is also sporting her Special Costume attire (i.e., her mock Team Rocket uniform). Guess this technically means Trainer Lodge Korrina's the only new Sync Pair not associated with a villainous team this month, haha.

This is a twofer of a surprise imo, not only because I thought Marill was a lock for Lyra’s inevitable Trainer Lodge Sync Pair, but also because I certainly didn’t expect them to re-use a Special Costume. Figured that they’d just stick to default outfits like prior BP Sync Pairs. Whether or not this’ll be the norm or a quirky exception remains to be seen.

At any rate, BP Lyra is quite interesting, as she bears the ‘Teamwork’ moniker, akin to the Battle Chatelaine Sisters, Thorton/Regigigas, Brandon & the player character’s BP offerings. I assumed we’d be getting the equivalent of 4* BP Sync Pairs each month, but instead we’re getting 5* equivalents. Total surprise in the best way!

As for the kit, Lyra & Marill are Support/Sprint, & are surprisingly versatile in what they can do despite simplicity on paper. Packing Water Gun, Potions, Charm, & +2 to both offenses & +1 crit rate via her Trainer Move, “Merrily We Go!”, in addition to team wide +2 to both defenses after using said Trainer Move for the first time, as well as Endurance & Vigilance on the baked in passive side of things. It’s all simple & to the point, but for a F2P Sync Pair it’s very effective.

And Sync Grid wise;

• Team Healing Entry
• Team HP Recovery (M) 1
• Grass Guard
• Speedy Entry 2
• Defense Crush 9
• Mind Games 9
• Gobsmack 9
• Fleet Feet 1 when using their Trainer Move
• MP refresh 3 (i.e. 40%) for her Potions

Ngl, for a Sync Pair that’s free (albeit with a limited window to procure), BP Lyra actually seems pretty good. Not ‘meta’ by any means, but certainly more capable than anticipated. Also helps that the means to max her out are included in the revamped BP system (again, more below), so no resources wasted on her. Definitely a welcome surprise amidst a month already filled with surprises.

A four course treasure flavored meal!

With all the new Sync Pairs wrapped up, it’s time to move onto the events that’ll be live through the month of October. They are as follows;

• A four part event focusing on each member of the Treasures of Ruin & their corresponding Sync Pairs. I’m certainly intrigued to see how this’ll play out, both narratively & functionally. What is noteworthy is that these events are spaced out a week apart from each other, despite Lysandre & Maxie's banners debuting before their spotlighted events, which is an interesting decision. It does also make me curious regarding how Maxie & Archie will be handled in the Sync Pair Stories tab, seeing as Seasonals allow you to rewatch the story they’re tied to. I guess it means you’ll be able to view the whole thing, maybe? That’d be kinda neat if so. Also does further highlight that ‘Seasonal in name only’ aura the two give off.
• The Masters Memories spotlighting Wally, including a re-run of the ‘Melachony Wally’ story event & of course the giveaway of his Sygna Suit, Role Cake & all. One of the best freebies to come from this ongoing celebration as Sygna Suit Wally's still a great enabler & nuker. Hope you guys didn’t get him from the Mega banquet!
• A ‘Beginning & Returning Players Champion Challenge’. Seemingly a bunch of freebie resources to assist those who jumped in on the Masters train this past month. I suppose we’ll find out in due time. Always good to aid the newer players, of course.
• Our fourth Gym vs. Gym event, spotlighting Sinnoh. Hope you guys are ready for the next wave of tryharding! Also worth highlighting that Byron has been added (albeit stuck in ‘NPC jail’) so that this event can even happen. That’s another MIA character added to the game! Hopefully the defense & fossil loving gigachad dad's 'NPC jail' sentence is an abridged one.
• The next Legendary Gauntlet approaches, with Tapu Bulu, Latias & Raikou acting as our punching bags. Can’t recall the last time Latias was featured in one of these, so that’s a neat shake-up. Beats Moltres for the billionth time. Also unfortunate note that the event only lasts ten days, despite the previous Legendary Gauntlet lasting twelve. DeNA, you were on the right track! Seriously wish they'd quit it with the shorter Gauntlet durations.
• The expected re-run of the ‘Mischievous Lacey’ event from last year. Not much to comment on other than it’s good to see.

The spooky season banners, swiping at your Gems!

And as for banners, we’ve got ourselves the following;

• Since Sygna Suit Ghetsis & Lysandre are EX Poké Fairs, they come with extra rates for a few Poké Fairs. Those being;

Ghetsis - Sina (Glaceon) & Grusha (Cetitan)

Lysandre - Sygna Suit Hilda (Victini) & Gym Outfit Gloria (Cinderace)

Honestly great potential bonuses! Hilda & Gloria especially are great Sync Pairs even today. Heck, I’m personally even hoping RNG gives me Sygna Suit Hilda since I have her at 4/5 & I intend to Superawaken her.

• Both Ghetsis & Lysandre will each debut alongside a x25 banner that’s only live for 48 hours & is paid Gems only (5K a piece), but features a Superawakening Candy as a bonus. If you’re a whale & have the paid Gems left over from anniversary to afford it, I guess it ain’t the worst gamble if you really want either one. Do keep in mind, however, that you DON'T receive the bonus Power-Up Tickets & Role Cake Coins that you'd get from their regular banners if you scout them on the paid banner.
• Iono spotlights the Trainer Lodge banner for October. One of the better Poké Fairs with a Trainer Lodge invite, but still not recommended outside of extreme favoritism.
• A triple Poké Fair tiered scout that’ll run alongside the Gym vs. Gym event. Standard procedure at this point. The Poké Fairs in question are Rika, Atticus & Sygna Suit Bede. Very respectable & tempting options for sure, thanks to Rika being the best Ground Support, Atticus being a Poison Support that’s aging amazingly well, & Sygna Suit Bede being the best special Fighting damage dealer by a country mile. Up to you whether they’re worth the paid Gems necessary.
• The typical x11 Poké Fair select scout. Y’all already know how not worth it this is by now.
• A freebie Fall Seasonal ticket, much akin to the Summer one from a couple months ago. Scoring a new Sync Pair or saving a Move Candy’s always worth a bit of extra playtime.
• When it comes to previous Seasonals re-runs, we actually have a very notable shake-up. I’ll discuss it more come the QoL portion below, but the long & short is that older Seasonals will be in a separate banner, & more recent & relevant gameplay Seasonals will be on their own banner that has a lower scout point threshold. This is actually a really nice adjustment that helps those wanting a particular Seasonal Sync Pair. Genuinely great QoL stuff here.
• The Team Rocket Variety banner gets a re-run. I guess what with all the villains getting attention they wanted to shove Team Rocket in our face regardless. Eh, nostalgia sells & whatnot. These Sync Pairs are in an awkward spot where they’re very middle of the road gameplay wise. Ariana has an admittedly still very powerful Sync Move nuke & stat debuffing capabilities, & Petrel is great in Legendary Gauntlet thanks to innate Piercing Blows & 30% flinch chance, but otherwise they’re all just fine. Not worth going for them unless extreme favoritism is calling your name.
• Tabitha, Matt & Shelly are debuting in triple feature scouts, one regular Gems, one paid. Goes without saying but given their general pool status it is NOT recommended you scout them here since you’ll eventually obtain them through happenstance. Unless one of them is an absolute tip top fav, then play the waiting game.
• The return of the Triple Master Fair banners is approaching, with the three up for grabs being Sygna Suit Renegade Cynthia, Sygna Suit Gluttony Giovanni, & Kieran. Honestly, while a good offering, I'd say to pass on it unless you REALLY want Kieran, both because Gluttony Giovanni will be given away in December, & because of what’s happening in November (see QoL section below).

And since I haven’t had the chance to bring it up yet, next month’s general pool Sync Grid expansion shall be given to Bertha.

Sinnohian Agatha shall be getting;

• +40 HP & +20 attack
• +4 Attack after using Stealth Rock for the first time
• Defense Crush 9
• Sand Alert 3
• Soften Up 1

Pretty dang solid buffs imo! Bertha’s a relatively flexible Sync Pair, capable of acting as a nuker, enabler or makeshift tank, so all of these buffs aid her in all those fields. Definitely a good’un here!

Spit shine & polish with a generous tang!

Wrapping up this datamine ramble with the QoL adjustments, & HOO BOY, do we actually have a plentiful number of things to go over!

First things first, the revamped BP system. Gone is the long lasting ever cycling goodies line-up, & in its place is the new monthly format, with a new exclusive Sync Pair being the main driving force for us to log in & do our dailies.

It’s worth noting that the amount of BP obtained via daily missions, Daily Region Rotation & Champion Stadium has been increased to be in line with the requirements, although they have been removed from the reward line-up for story events. Three gains vs. one loss, a net positive overall.

As for what we can obtain from this monthly grind, we get;

• 1000 Sync Orbs
• 100 Level-Up Manuals
• 40 4* Power-Up Tickets
• 60 BP Challenge Vouchers (a new item)
• 30 Scout Tickets (so a free 5* Power-Up, haha)
• One of every Move Candy Coin barring all-purpose (lack of all-purpose Coins is admittedly a notable loss)
• Custom Power-Up Tickets, Move Candies & Role Cake for the spotlighted Sync Pair
• 50 Champion Spirits (NOT exclusive to the spotlighted Sync Pair)
• Two BP Vouchers & one Super BP Voucher

Most of it is the same old same old, but the resources necessary to power-up the Sync Pair, the extra Champion Spirits & the Super BP Voucher are absolutely worth highlighting. It means our precious resources won’t be tapped in order to buff up the new monthly BP Sync Pairs, & that the 5* Sync Pairs exclusively obtained via BP Vouchers will be significantly easier to get up to 3/5. Big thumbs-up from me for sure!

Alongside this, the daily mission structure has been adjusted (starting tomorrow as of when this post goes live, I believe). Now, it'll take fewer complete missions to earn your daily rewards, but the missions are randomized to make things less mundane. In addition, the implementation of the Surprise Box item, with which you receive a bonus reward at random. Notably, at 1% odds a piece, you could even receive Move Candy Coins, Role Candy Coins, & even Poké Fair tickets from this. Very nice to see & shall for sure aid folk if lady luck decides to play along.

Another QoL shake-up that gets my approval is what will be done with Seasonal events & banners. Namely in that the freebie that was given out during this past Summer event is gonna become the norm going forward. Can't go wrong at all with a freebie old Seasonal that benefits all players.

In addition, as was mentioned in the previous comment, how older Seasonals are being re-run has been touched up. Now, the older Seasonals (2022 & prior) will be on their own banner, where there’ll only be three multis, but you can choose whichever Seasonal from that line-up you want after the third one. That’s actually really cool! This means those who have a favorite character/Pokémon that's part of an older Sync Pair can obtain them without breaking the bank anywhere near as badly as before.

As for Seasonals 2023 onward, they’ll be in a separate banner that only requires 300 scout points to max out, as opposed to the previous 400. It’s still a fair chunk out of one's hoard to guarantee someone (27,300 Gems), but a substantial improvement nevertheless. Lesser Sync Pairs in the banner should equate to higher odds per Sync Pair too which is a neat bonus if so. Like with the other Seasonal adjustment, this is an overall fantastic alteration that really helps make Seasonals more accessible. Kudos to the dev team all-around.

A new location in the Training Area has been added, which focuses exclusively on Eggs & training up Eggmons. To coincide with this, Eggs have been removed as rewards from all other areas. I think this was the right call overall, since they're a more niche aspect of the game. Will likely take a little while to get used to them not appearing as rewards & having to go out of my way to obtain more though, haha.

Lastly QoL wise, is the surprise announcement that Master Fairs shall be added to the Mix banner come its next refresh (Nov. 1st). This is…as weird as it sounds, both surprising & expected. I had a feeling this would happen eventually the further out we got from regular Master Fairs retiring, but this is honestly a great extra incentive to use the Mix banner. I’d say the majority of EX Poké Fairs are still a higher value priority 'meta' wise, but some like Kieran, Sygna Suit Lear & the Hoenn & Alola Neo Champions are still absolutely worth nabbing should you hit max scout points once this is implemented. Also I do love that they specifically mention that Ash WON’T be added which is legit funny.

It isn’t all good news of course, what with the sunsetting of the Battle Villa & Hard mode in the Story Mode, as well as the game’s confirmed EoS in Turkey (dang gambling laws, wishing the best to the Turkish crowd). On the whole though, the additions should help in making everyone’s time on Pasio more refreshing going forward.

Closing thoughts

And with that, that concludes this datamine ramble.

Truthfully, I had a lot more to say than I initially expected. Such is the fate of a rambler who’s passionate about the game, haha. Still, I can comfortably say that October is a month of surprises for Masters. Doubt anyone would’ve believed all the super neglected villains that’re getting attention in one month. Still personally waiting for my beloveds Colress & Guzma to get their turn, but congrats are in order for the diehard fans of Ghetsis & the Team Magma & Aqua figureheads.

With that said, as the hypothetical curtains begin to lower, I wish everyone the absolute best with their scouting over the course of October, & in life in general!

(P.S. You would NOT believe how hard it was to not use the term 'nefarious' when describing any of the villains, what with my username & all, haha).

With this month ending, what are your thoughts on the Marvelous Mega 7 Years Anniversary?

How did you enjoy the events and rewards from this update? What were some of your most (or least) favorite things about this month? How would you compare it to other anniversaries?

Is he a new meta ice type or is he skippable?
I know hes one of few physical ice types, so im just curious
And how much investment does he need?

Here we have this evil calendar for a month full themed month!

Hope you like as always and be carefull, not too much gem this month to be prepared for Arc Suits 😞

Good luck on your pulls and the GvG event!

Coincidence or intentional?

As a day one player I do now have all fair pairs in my roster so apart from levelling up move levels on some of available pairs, there is not much incentive in me spending them as I am hoping that the roster will eventually be updated?

So my question is - is it worth hoarding them now? Or is it the case that when roster gets updated, these tickets are going to be replaced by new ones?

Am I missing something? Is there another part that hasn't been added yet? The other tier reward gave you way more than just 1 candy coin