#dynamaxing

I really think megas will win, but I'm curious. Maybe prove me wrong?

The Unthinkable

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The first and final time he did it, was a last resort to bring down a dynamaxed Toxel who was rampaging blindly in the direction of Spikemuth. (She later became a prominent part of his main battling team.) The practice never did sit well with him, yet there is a certain... ... Eerie familarity to it that he could not place.

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Piers © Pokémon Sword & Shield

Out of this entire event this is the only thing I care about.

Well that’s not true. I’m genuinely angry. As I imagine Piers would be.

Pokémon just fucking Dynamaxing on Pasio?? Simply because eternatus showed up???? Does that also mean that Dynamax stopped in Galar because he’s gone???? Do we even know why he showed up?! Probably and I just didn’t pay attention. I really hope dynamaxing doesn’t become a regular occurrence and it’s an eternatus exclusive thing. (Not to mention if it’s exclusive it’s a very unfair advantage for Leon.)

Do you so happen to know the safety measures they’ve got in place seeing as they have moves that quite literally tear the ground apart? I was planning on asking Leon when Red and I head to Galar but my curiosity got the better of me

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Also! Because neither Red or I specialize in non-organic Pokémon, I’ve actually handed them over to a friend who knows a bit more about the Magnemite line since they’ve cared for one and experienced a few similar cases. I’ll try to keep you updated on the situation

Hello again!

Yes I have. Though probably not as many as you’d think. I live in Motostoke now but most of my time in Galar was spent living in Spikemuth, which has no active Dynamax spots. Though I’m not an official battler and never undertook the Galar League Challenge, I have participated in a few in Dynamax battles too and can absolutely understand how chaotic they must look from the outside!

You should know, for starters, that Dynamaxing and Gigantamaxing are partially cognitive in nature. What I mean by that is, while the changes they undergo do make a Dynmaxed pokémon and it’s moves incredibly dangerous, they are affected by the pokémon’s own desires - a pokémon that doesn’t want to do any collateral damage won’t.

That doesn’t mean that there aren’t any safety precautions though. For one, Dynamaxing is limited to stadiums and areas where space is in abundance – such as the Wild Area. Our stadiums are also much, much bigger than those outside of Galar – for obvious reasons. The stadiums are built with the range and strength of G-Max moves in mind. Structurally, they have a lot in common with buildings in areas that regularly experience extreme weather and/or natural disasters. Cross-bracing, shock absorption zones, flexible foundations, adjustable flood gullies – it’s very comprehensive. The exact specifications vary from gym-to-gym in order to accommodate repeated use of certain moves by the gym leader as well as whatever moves they are weak against.

(This is why the fallout between Gordie and Melony was such a huge deal. MacCos had to make major modifications to Circhester Stadium in order to accommodate both Leader’s preferences. If you go now, they have these huge safety warnings that basically explain that, in the event of a Max Quake, the building is supposed to sway and please don’t panic.)

Also, the three turn limit on Dynamax usage and the structure of the League itself play a role here too. Three turns means that only a certain number of Max/G-Max moves can be used per battle. The League only happens at a certain time of year too and ALL of the down-time is spent checking and re-checking the stadiums for damage and implementing new measures.

There are also a lot of safety precautions in place for the audience. Seating areas are very well-shielded, in the event of an attack going astray. There are also systems in place to completely shut down the flow of Dynamax energy – should it be deemed necessary. There are a lot of technicians and medics on the side-lines in the event of an accident too. It’s mostly a joke but stadiums widely considered to be the go-to destination an event of a disaster.

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So out of....pretty much nowhere today, we got a new Sword and Shield trailer! It showcased new Pokemon, new characters, and a new battle mechanic called Gigantamaxing.

Pokemon

One of the ones they officially revealed was Yamper, but I’ll skip over him since I talked about him before. Of the new ones, my favorite is Alcremie. It’s a Fairy type with the ability Sweet Veil. It’s known for producing a soothing, tasty cream which it can also use in battle

Then there’s Rolycoly, a Rock-type Pokemon with the abilities Heatproof or Steam Engine, a new ability that raises the Pokemon’s Speed stat drastically when hit with a Fire or Water type move.

Finally, there’s Duraludon, a Steel/Dragon type (Pretty col typing IMO I think it’s the first ever one?) with the abilities Light Metal or Heavy Metal.

Characters

They revealed something interesting today regarding the gym leaders. For, as far as I recall, the first time, the gym leaders you face will be different depending on what version of the games you get. In Sword, you go up against the Fighting type user Bea (WHO IS ADORABLE BTW) and in Shield you go up against the Ghost-type user Allister (Ironically enough, I named my Decidueye last gen Allister 0_0)

How the gym challenge and Championship Cup operates were discussed as well. They are all televised competitions with plenty of sponsors. In fact you need to have some kind of sponsor to be involved in the gym battles at all. In the game’s story, Leon, the current Champion and local cool dude, sponsors you and Hop. Two characters introduced today were Chairman Rose, the head of a large, vague “company” in the Galar region who currently runs the competitions. He was the one who originally sponsored Leon to become the Champion. 

Also introduced was Rose’s secretary Oleana, a calm, cool, collected woman who does most of the work around Rose’s company.

I don’t know why but I’m getting like....”surprise twist villain” vibes from these two...Maybe I’ve been watching too many Disney movies. But something about them being so heavily involved in Dynamaxing and also being “obvious corporate” characters makes me think they’re gonna be up to something shady but....I guess we’ll see.

Gigantamaxing

The new mechanic introduced today, called Gigantamaxing, is actually a little confusing. Gigantamaxing is something like Dynamaxing, but not all Pokemon can do it. Hell, not even all Pokemon of a SPECIFIC SPECIES can do it! Take Corvinknight for example. Corviknight is a Pokemon capable of Giganamaxing. BUT NOT ALL CORVIKNIGHTS CAN DO IT! Only special ones that you get from Max Raid Battles will be able to do it, and even then apparently the ones that can be captured are rare. In short, all  Pokemon can Dynamax, only some species of Pokemon are able to Gigantamax, and only some members of those species are actually able to do it, and they are very hard to find. Got it? Good.

Once Gigantamaxed, the Pokemon will change size and appearance and their moves change to G-Max Moves. Corviknight, Drednaw, and Alcremie are the only Pokemon currently known to be able to Gigantamax. Corviknight has the Flying type G-Max Wind Rage move which deals damage and also removes field effects (Reflect, Light Screen, Spikes, ect.). Drednaw has the Water G-Max Stonesurge move which deals damage and puts sharp stones around your opponent (essentially dealing damage and setting up Stealth Rocks). Alcremie has the Fairy G-Max Finale move which heals Alcremie’s allies as well as deals damage to opponents. As stated before, their appearances change as well.

Exclusives and Pre-Order Bonuses

Finally, they revealed some Pokemon that will be in the games, but exclusive to one or the other. Larvitar and Goomy are exclusive to Shield, and Deino and Jangmo-o are exclusive to Sword. All of these Pokemon are found pretty late in their respective games. HOWEVER! If you pre-order the Double Pack, you will get a code for special items called Dynamax Crystals. By using those codes, you will be able to have access to Jangmo-o in Shield and Larviatar in Sword through Max Raid Battles. You will also be able to encounter them much earlier that usual. 

There are also Plush keychains that you can get with a pre-order of either Sword or Shield.

Thoughts

I’m really digging the designs of the Pokemon this gen so far. They have a kind of “original 151″ feel to them. I couldn’t describe what exactly that feel is so please don’t ask xD But they’ve all been creative and fitting to their type. I’m really liking the human characters too! Everyone is so gosh dang cute! I also love the idea of making the gym leaders different in the games too. I feel like it adds more weight to the increased price tag in purchasing both. They feel more like different games, and therefore gives the player more incentive to buy both. 

I hope I am wrong about Rose and Oleana though. It’d be pretty disappointing if I could guess their twist based only on the “Corporate = Bad” trope. 

Gigantamaxing is...interesting albeit confusing. I’m hoping the rarity of it keeps it from being too easily abused.