#couldn't get into it (+ ran out of steam for pokemon in general around that time)

[antirepurp]

i didn’t get very far in usum yet bc of all the hassle i experienced just getting the game to run but i still have those familiar mixed feelings on it. the graphics are neat with the right filters, the UI’s lovely as all hell, and sure the story does get a bit overbearing when it wants to but there’s still a feeling to these games that keeps bringing me back, at least for melemele island if nothing else

like there’s plenty to appreciate here. the cutscenes where the characters don’t just stand there performing default animations are nice, pokemon refresh is just about the streamlining amie needed, and the concept of regional variants is kinda fun. but the handholding, oh the handholding, whatever happened to the chaos of being a 10 y/o who forcefully barges their way out of town and almost gets mauled by rats before the adults give them a pokemon to go haywire with? the world-ending evil organizations that are thwarted by that same kid who also somehow captured a god? scouring your way through the wilderness with the power of your own pokemon? the pokerides do eliminate the problem of HM slaves sure, but they make the whole adventure seem less like an adventure and more like taking the bus downtown to go shopping. and the ride gear does not help the cause whatsoever

alola has good concepts, hell i don’t even mind the trials they’re fine for the most part. but i feel like it started this trend where you’re no longer exploring the world of pokemon and discovering creatures and going to uncharted locations full of mysteries, you’re just... walking across the neighborhood, politely obeying the street signs. even kalos felt more untamed, and that region came with the biggest city pokemon had ever seen to date. i don’t mind the attempt at making the world feel more lived-in or featuring up-to-date technology, but there are too many concrete roads and too many comfortable street signs and metal fences that keep the wild pokemon at bay. and too much goddamn safety gear i cannot emphasize how much that breaks the illusion of any adventure you could be having here

i’ll have to play more to really hone these thoughts, this is just first impressions mixed with my previous opinions on the games and the region in general. im hoping to gain a new appreciation for all this now that time’s passed and we’ve experienced the linearity of galar and the region where you clip through the floor or whatever it’s called

[pokemon-card-of-the-day]

Pokemon Card of the Day #2894: Deoxys (Celestial Storm #67)

Deoxys was a Pokemon that had two different sides. One was the Deoxys that tried to punish Pokemon with Psychic Weaknesses that had too much Energy attached, though with a generally low damage ceiling. The other side was a Psychic deck exclusive that provided a single Prize attacker with reasonable damage. This provided some potential for use, though it was almost entirely tied to the success of a couple of types in the game. Good thing one of those was the ever-present Psychic.

120 HP wasn't bad for a Basic Pokemon by any means. There were a lot that were lower than this, but 120 was still just low enough to be Knocked Out by a wide variety of Pokemon from nearly any top deck that focused on attacking. Even something like Lycanroc-GX, which hit 110, had ways to get there even after Strong Energy was gone due to Diancie Prism Star. The Psychic Weakness could be a little annoying due to the prevalence of the type, even if it helped Deoxys see play. The Retreat Cost was just 1, useful in case the opponent didn't have an answer ready after Deoxys got a Prize or 2 off of whatever it was attacking.

Psychic was the first way Deoxys could contribute. The cost was 2 Colorless Energy, which made it accessible to any deck already using Double Colorless Energy. It did 20 damage for each Energy attached to the opponent's Active Pokemon, and it was useful in specific situations. The big one was against Malamar decks using Marshadow-GX, as it was common to put 3 Energy onto one. A Choice Band Psychic from Deoxys got a KO against a Marshadow-GX due to Weakness. It tended to be used to get a quick chunk of damage on something in other cases, almost always targeting Weakness since the attack was too weak otherwise.

Power Blast didn't rely on the opponent at all, instead requiring 2 Psychic and a Colorless Energy. It also required the discard of a Psychic Energy attached to Deoxys, and this made it exclusive to Malamar decks. 120 damage was actually rather good, as it took out pretty much anything in 2 hits outside of Tag Teams, which just needed a Choice Band (though with that unavailable in UPR-On Malamar was quite a bit less useful in that format). Having good damage while only giving up that single Prize was a pretty nice role, and some Malamar decks of the era ran a couple of these as a result.

Malamar could fit into Malamar decks to use both of its attacks as well as decks running Zoroark-GX or Tapu Koko to hit Psychic Weaknesses from Pokemon that needed a few Energy to do their jobs thanks to needing just Double Colorless Energy for that attack. There was some limit to Deoxys' use as there were plenty of GX Pokemon that were quite a bit stronger, and if it couldn't access Power Blast it was only going to hit some very specific Pokemon, mostly to avoid using something with 2 Prizes that had a Fighting Weakness. The result was a rather solid card that saw a good amount of play in the late BKT-On and early in the SUM-On formats before slowly losing steam over time. The game around it was built in a way where its strengths were generally useful.