On Trying to Decide Who My Next Buddy Should Be – Pokemon GO

After a day of being excited from Team Rocket battles during GO Fest, I finally became Best Buddies with my Tyranitar Wondershadow. It took me just over a month to get to Best Buddies, mostly because I’ve not been as active as normal. Well, outside of events like GO Fest. But I managed to get Wondershadow to be excited after constantly battling with him, and the extra hearts I earned were just enough to push me over the edge and get to Best Buddies.

But with Wondershadow the Tyranitar satisfied, I wondered who I should walk next. After all, that Tyranitar had been stuck by my side for 34 days. He was probably sick and tired of me. He needs some alone time, and I need company. So I need to pick someone to be my friend.

But who do I pick?

Option 1: A Pokemon I need candy for

The obvious option is to make my buddy a Pokemon that I am candy poor-with. There’s quite a few newer Pokemon that I simply don’t have enough candy for. I did start walking an Archen a while back, but I got bored of them. I only have about 15 Archen candy though, because the only one I have is one I hatched from an egg.

I’ve already done that though. I got one Axew, which I got via a special trade, and I walked it until I had 125 candies. It took me a month and I also got Best Buddies with it. It wasn’t particularly fun though, mainly because it constantly reminded me that I only had one Axew. I still only have one Axew, and I still don’t have a Deino.

Option 2: A Pokemon who I need candy for but have multiples of and can also be used in raids and stuff

My next thought is that I should walk someone useful. Someone I regularly use in raids and PvP. I mean, I always need more Beldum candy, right? And I need more Dialga candy for the billion dragon types we’ve had in raids as of late. It’s less boosting one Pokemon and more beneficial for a whole species of Pokemon by supplying extra candy.

This has the added benefit of more easily getting that Battle with your Buddy heart. Then again, those are so easy to get just by battling Spark, Candela and Ice Bitch.

Option 3: A Pokemon with a Mega Evolution

Honestly, I am pretty much convinced that Mega Evolutions will be tied to either raids or the buddy system. While raids are easy to prepare for (I just need to save coins and buy raid passes), buddies need planning. Part of the reason I began walking Wondershadow was because Tyranitar has a Mega Evolution, and he’d be a good candidate to mega evolve.

But that doesn’t narrow down my options. After all, Houndoom has a Mega Evolution, and my lucky, shiny Flafflebutt is begging to be fed candy and head pats. Mega Houndoom actually promises to be the best Dark Type, with slightly less attack than Mega Absol but much more bulk and better attacks. At the same time, I a Metagross in need of walking and powering up, and that can also mega evolve.

I could even walk my Scizor, since not only does it have a Mega Evolution, but it’s also great in PvE Team Rocket Battles.

Option 4: That Shadow Mewtwo I just got from GO Fest

You know what else has a Mega Evolution? Mewtwo. You know what every GO Fest player just got? A Shadow Mewtwo. With a minimum of 67% IVs. And you know what is now theoretically the best generalist attacker in the game for pretty much everything? A Shadow Mewtwo.

Unfortunately, I just spunked all my Mewtwo candy on my 100% lucky, shiny Mewtwo. So I’m gonna have to get more Mewtwo candy somehow. Walking a Shadow Mewtwo seems like a good choice, but a long-term investment. One I kinda just finished, considering that my 100% lucky, shiny Mewtwo is also a Best Buddy. Do I want to repeat that again?

Option 5: Someone I like

I mean, I could just forget everything I just mentioned and walk something I enjoy. I have no real reason to walk a shiny shadow Sneasel, but I could. There’s tons of cool Pokemon that can be my buddy. Anything from cool and rare and shiny to simply vaguely amusing. I caught a shiny Unown and a shiny Heatmor during GO Fest, they’re rare and interesting buddies. But I could also walk the 98% Persian I spent 20 Pokeballs trying to catch back in August 2018. Because why not?

Also, a shout-out to the guy on my friends list who has been walking a shiny Dratini for about a year now. That’s impressive.

Option 6: All of the above?

At the end of the day, I settled on my shiny Charizard, kindly named Not A Dragon. He quite clearly matches pretty much all of these options. A cool-looking Pokemon with a use in PvP and PvE who has a mega evolution coming soon.

Okay, sure, I have like a thousand Charmander candy, but Not A Dragon will do for now…