My Thoughts on Community Days with PvP-Orientated Moves
Over the last year or so, pretty much every Community Day has been the same. It’s a not very new shiny, that gets a move designed for PvP. The last Pokemon that got a move useful for PvP was Rhydon with Rock Wrecker, back in February 2020. Before then, we had a basic pattern of “cool Pokemon” then “Starter Pokemon”. But 2020 changed all that by bringing back repeat candidates and having… unusual moves.
Of course, this hasn’t made everyone happy. And, of course, I’m going to give my opinions on the matter.
To be fair, there’s only so much more you can do for PvE content.
While I understand the complaints about all these PvP moves, it’s worth considering something first: there are already plenty of PvE-ready Pokemon. There are only so many Pokemon you can buff to be useful in raids
Then again, that’s easy for me to say. I’m level 40, I have tons of Pokemon at my disposal. Someone leveling an account in 2020 would have trouble filling out a full team. Aside from Rhyhorn and Piplup (the old pattern), only Gastly was viable for PvE stuff, and Gengar is a massive glass cannon. Machop and Roselia on the other hand are much better picks for both PvE and PvE since they are useful for both. But in 2 months, 2021 has already proven to be more useful for both sets of players than 2020 was.
This brings me onto my next point.
Some of these PvP moves are kinda shit.
I understand wanting to offer other options, but sometimes these options just don’t work. For example, Alakazam got Counter. Which does absolutely nothing for it. The idea is that Counter would do great against Dark types, which are super effective against Psychic types. But Alakazam is a glass cannon and has very little health, so Counter is useless. Oh, and it’s also resisted by Ghost types, so you might as well just use a Psychic move – that’s still resisted, but at least Alakazam gets STAB for it.
Plenty of 2020’s moves had the same issue. Shiftry already has plenty of good moves in its arsenal. Porygon-Z is too squishy to ever get Tri-Attack off. Dragon Breath on Charizard is incredibly niche since it doesn’t get STAB unless it Mega-Evolves. And even then, there are plenty of other Dragon types available.
2021 improves on these a little. Roserade gets some interesting alternate play styles, while Machamp at least has a chance to use Payback. That being said, Machamp’s other weaknesses Fairy and Flying are far more common, and Rock Slide is already an amazing cover move.
On the flip side, other PvP moves are huge buffs to a Pokemon.
Gengar with Shadow Punch and Gyarados with Aqua Tail really boost them in PvP. These moves charge fast and hit hard and have STAB, all perfect for PvP play. Gyarados in particular is a strong pick for Ultra and Master League, so missing out on Aqua Tail can set you back. And in PvP, any advantage you can get will take you a long way. So if you didn’t manage to evolve a Magikarp during the 6 hour Community Day or a single weekend in December 2020, you kinda have to burn an Elite Charge TM or be satisfied with a worse Gyarados.
You could say the same thing for PvE. If you missed out on Rock Wrecker Rhyperior, then yes, you’re losing out on one of the best rock types available. But in PvE, unless you are constantly short-manning raids or challenging yourself, you don’t always need the best of a certain type. Instead of Rhyperior, you can get away with using a large array of Pokemon, like Rampardos (which is actually better than Rhyperior), Gigalith or Terrakion. Many raid bosses also have multiple weaknesses too.
2021’s Community Days have been alright.
Well, I can’t speak for the upcoming Fletchling Community Day, but at least Machop and Roselia give some balance. Their evolutions are useful in both PvE and PvP. And, really, that’s probably the best way to go, because then everyone’s happy.