#sp season 15

[methinmycoffee]

Okay, I’m back with more thoughts on season 15. This episode has some of my all time favorites, namely The Poor Kid (ep. 14). I also like Crack Baby Athletic Association (ep. 5) and Bass to Mouth (ep. 10) a little more than I should. But it also has the worst start of any season ever, with four absolute flop episodes in a row. There’s also City Sushi (ep. 6) which is really bad. And also You’re Getting Old and Assburgers (Eps. 7 and 8). Which I don’t actually care for, because I think that it does Kyle dirty and isn’t good at what it’s trying to be. It’s not the worst, but it’s just not my favorite of the more emotional episodes. So Season 15 is really hard to judge because there’s so much that I like, and so so so much that I don’t.

[fennecfiree]

this episode hurt me

[spookymultimedia]

The only time these two were in an episode together lmao

[candysims4]

CC DROP | MARIA HAIR (+TWO RECOLOR ACCS) + EDUARDA DRESS + CECILIA TIGHTS + 2 RECOLORS

A set with three new items and two recolors. Adorable and colorful, these items have been inspired by spring, my favorite season of the year, and it's a good theme for clothes and hair for toddlers. 

Also, it is my first set for toddlers, and if I see that it receives good feedback, I'll do some more.

TODDLER ONLY

DISALLOWED FOR RANDOM

THUMBNAILS + HAIR’S 360º GIF (HOSTED IN IMGUR)

MARIA HAIR

7.985 POLYGONS

110 SWATCH COLORS - 15 plain colors from EA Color Palette - 95 plain colors from my Candy Color Palette

YOU WILL FIND IN LONG HAIR OR/AND UPDO 

FLOWER CROWN RECOLOR ACC

30 SWATCH COLORS - 5 color combinations - 5 duo color combinations - 20 single colors

YOU WILL FIND IN HAT

HEADBAND RECOLOR ACC

55 SWATCH COLORS - All plain colors

YOU WILL FIND IN ACCESSORIES/BROW RING (LEFT)

EDUARDA DRESS

5.422 POLYGONS

110 SWATCH COLORS - 15 plain colors from EA Color Palette - 95 plain colors from my Candy Color Palette

YOU WILL FIND IN LONG HAIR OR/AND UPDO

CECÍLIA TIGHTS

55 SWATCH COLORS - All plain colors

YOU WILL FIND IN ACCESSORIES/LEGGINGS

RECOLORS

BASE GAME MARYJANES RECOLOR

NO MESH NEEDED

55 SWATCH COLORS - All plain colors

YOU WILL FIND IN SHOES/FLATS

TODDLER SP MARYJANES RECOLOR

TODDLER STUFF PACK NEEDED

55 SWATCH COLORS - All plain colors

YOU WILL FIND IN SHOES/FLATS

A small explain how the early access will work for these items. 

As usual, I do only one week of early access with small projects, so I decided to do one week for the recolors.  "Maria Hair" and its recolor accs, "Eduarda Dress" and "Cecília Tights" will be released as a new item so that it will be the usual three weeks of early access.

I hope it's ok for everyone and you'll enjoy all the items on this set.

MY SITE (NO AD.FLY): 

MARIA HAIR (+ RECOLOR ACCS) | EDUARDA DRESS | CECÍLIA TIGHTS - Free release on 13th February 2023

BG MARY JANES RECOLOR | TODDLER SP MARY JANES RECOLOR  - Free release on 30th January 2023

PATREON EARLY ACCESS (+ MERGED OPTION):  ALL ITEMS | ONLY RECOLORS

TERMS OF USE | SEND YOUR FEEDBACK | REPORT AN ISSUE

Thanks to all the cc creators that I used in the pic. And thanks to @maxismatchccworld, @love4sims4, @s4library​, @wewantmods​, and everybody who reblogs this post!

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With your help, more people can know about my work! 💖 Love you all, XOXO <3

[locke-n-k3y]

15 Questions for 15 People

Thank u @sp-ace-twinkk for the tag :] I love questionss

1. Are you named after anyone?

Locke is not anyones name as far as I knoooww but! My other name Connor I got from my own oc, someone asked me for my name one time and I thought they wanted my oc's name so I told them that, NEVER corrected them and it stuck (It's been seven yrs since then, I don't even talk to that person anymore)

2. When was the last time you cried?

Yesterday! I relistened to episode 61 of season 1 of dungeons and daddies

3. Do you have kids?

Nope, I have baby cousins but I don't really want my own

4. What sports do you play/have you played?

I used to love hockey and netball but my teachers never let me on any teams bc I suck at sports

5. Do you use sarcasm?

Very frequently but I'm also autistic so will almost always indicate if it is or not!

6. What's the first thing you notice about people?

Their most prominent colour, everyone is a colour to me, as in like hair colour, clothes colour ect

7. What's you're eye color?

Blue/grey, get told I have the blue eyed stare by friendsand family

8. Scary movies or happy endings?

I always prefer a happy ending bc movies give me adrenaline and if it ends poorly I crash, but I do love analogue horror

9. Any talents?

Perfect dolphin impression.

10. Where were you born?

Dorchester!

11. What are your hobbies?

Drawing, reading, playing dnd, cycling and feeding pigeons r the big ones, working on crochet and origami tho as well and started learning how to juggle recently!!

12. Do you have any pets?

Three cats, Zeus, Indie (Short for Indiana Jones) and Oscar Boscar, my sweet, sweet stupid boys

13. How tall are you?

5'7 I think?? I don't check

14. Favorite subject in school?

English and Psychology I looovvedd my psychology teacher in college

15. What is your dream job?

Currently about to go to art uni but eventually want to be a clown, therapist or farmer

Tag 15 people (No pressure! I offer thee): @itsbrucey @flowercrowns-n-punks @iersei @alexaatla @basicallyrj @maxwellamus @marbletheunworthy @paedenstigereye @raemeh @ike-mcswains-mortician @piss-wizard-ao3 @babacontainsmultitudes @guess-how-i-stole-this-body @chemicaleater @thedndgoblinwholivesinyourwalls

[mantequillamcwhoremick]

Hi! I ended up reading through Choas Plan in pretty much two days (your writing is actually phenomenal) but I was actually curious on your inspirations to write it? Did it come from any other particular works or maybe episodes from sp?

WHAT NO WAY😭😭😭😭😭😭WHAT THE HELL THAT'S SO NICE HOLY SHIT THANK YOU SO MUCH <33333

You can't just ask me shit like that dude I will respond with a huge fucking essay I LOVE questions like that!!!!

I honestly have several inspirations, many come from the show itself and some I've drawn from cyber crime documentaries and books I like (namely the Six of Crows duology by Leigh Bardugo, you might recognize the scene with Mysterion and Harris in chapter 3 is very VERY similar to the one between Kaz and Jan Van Eck at the beginning of the book), but if you've read the notes in the fic you might have seen that the story idea was initially born when I was playing TFBW.

The Idea

The U-Stor-It scene where Butters/Chaos locks the C**n and Friends in the facility and talks to them through a screen was just so fascinating to me, it reminded me a lot of Jinx from Arcane and the Joker in The Dark Knight (especially because of the flashy decorations and graffiti). Mainly the story evolved from the question I posed to myself in that moment, which was: "What needs to happen for Butters to become someone like Jinx?" and that's how I started brainstorming the backstory.

The Backstory

Obviously that was inspired mainly by Linda's behavior in Butters' Very Own Episode, but it features elements from stuff all over the series and the games that prove just how fucked up Butters' parents are and treat him.

(Remember when in TFBW he mentioned that they bought an electronic lock system to keep him in his room because he left the bathroom once while grounded? yeah, that convinced me Butters' home life probably would only get worse with the years, especially with him entering his teens & puberty, and Post Covid honestly just confirmed that.)

The Villain/Hero Concept

I hadn't yet watched much more of South Park than up until seasons 15/16 so I didn't know about Post Covid's Vic Chaos yet, I mostly just wanted to do something with Mysterion and Chaos that had a darker and serious tone without either of them having any Marvel-esque powers or tech-organizations aiding them, something closer to the South Park lore at hand and realistic enough to feel like it could happen in our world.

Chaos' Methods

With Butters having a knack for Internet-related shit and him being able to hack into a baseball stadium screen to broadcast his evil plans in the Professor Chaos episode, and ofc his whole thing in TFBW and the episode of him becoming a pimp, I figured he has the stuff to be a hacker and entrepreneur.

I started getting spoilered a lot on the whole Vic Chaos and NFT scammer thing so even though I hadn't watched Post Covid I drew a lot of inspiration from that as well. I've been watching a lot of documentaries on Cryptocurrency scams and other cyber crime related stuff, so yeah all that shit also gets my brain generating a bunch of ideas as well.

Mysterion

As for Kenny/Mysterion's side of the story- I'm a huge fan of the "criminal who gets paid by a shitty pig/capitalist who would normally never hire them to take on a job" concept in Six of Crows, so that's how I got Harris involved, later further fueled by his Thin White Line arc in TFBW.

The way Kenny used his death powers in the C**n & Friends episodes I found very intriguing, and I absolutely LOVE playing around with them, so I included my own interpretation & spin of it as an active "superpower" he uses in order to be successful enough as a vigilante to be taken seriously. His canon powers separate him from your average humanbeing. It's a way to show the audience "hey look, Kenny really is just some guy, but also no one else could take on this role, ever. He may not have super strength or speed or money for equipment backing him, but he can get into places and out like no other person ever."

Coming up with a kryptonite-type weakness was also super fun, because I didn't want things to just be too easy. Mainly it's his need to remain anonymous, but the biggest reason for that need is because he needs to keep up his ability to financially support Karen. That, I obviously got from the show-, namely episodes like Mysterion Rises, The Poor Kid and City Part of Town, but his dynamic with Karen got increasingly more interesting and influenced in the fic after I played the TFBW DLC From Dusk Til Casa Bonita. The fact that he's so obsessed with keeping her safe the best way he knows how but completely overlooks to consider letting her have a say in it, is absolutely delicious. Like fuck yes, let's go complicate these character relationships (rubs hands evilly)

TL;DR

Inspirations come from all over, but of course the main ones do come from the show and games. Kenny and Butters have always been increasingly fascinating characters to me the more I watched the show, so the fact that Kenny canonically is the only kid Butters respects (source: s16, Ep "Going Native"), to an extent that in the future Butters funded his entire career, I thought had a shit ton of potential. Hence their friendship in the fic before "the incident", and the way Butters goes about Kenny now that he's taking over the town >:)))

Thank you SO SO MUCH for the ask!!!! I hope I didn't ramble too much for what you actually wanted to know, but I just absolutely love sharing my inspirations for this fic. Really gets my brain go brrrrr heheheh I'm so so grateful that this interests you <33333

[whimsylueur]

SPOILERS FOR SKULDUGGERY PLEASANT (EVERY BOOK)

Since I have caught up with the entire series thus far I would like to provide some commentary in the form of incorrect quotes.

Skulduggery Pleasant Books 1-16, basically:

SP 1- Sceptre of the Ancients

Skulduggery:

Stephanie: You son of a bitch, I’m in

SP 2- Playing with Fire

Skulduggery to Derek: I’ve seen enough, give her Billy-Ray Sanguine.

SP 3- The Faceless Ones

Solomon to Valkyrie: I may have an idea to help you get Skulduggery back, all I want-

Valkyrie, already shaking his hand: Anything.

SP 4- Dark Days

Valkyrie, holding Skulduggery’s skull towards him: Need head?

(🚨🚨THIS IS A JOKE🚨🚨)

SP 5- Mortal Coil

Skulduggery, after Valkyrie spills the beans about Darquesse: (Quietly) Look at us, just two murderous peas in a pod.

Valkyrie: What was that?

Skulduggery: Huh?

SP 6- Death Bringer

Skulduggery to Lord Vile about Darquesse: Oh deuce, the silly goose is loose

SP 7- Kingdom of the Wicked

Kitana to Valkyrie: 6 feet of dirt would look good on you <3

SP 8- Last stand of Dead Men

Billy-Ray to Ghastly about Tanith: If she’s your girlfriend, why is she playing with my mullet?

SP 9- The Dying of the Light

Valkyrie to Skulduggery: I literally love you, you’re everything to me. Don’t do this

Skulduggery, after the most devious prank of the decade: Oh cheer up

SP 10- Resurrection

Valkyrie: It’s so over bros

SP 11- Midnight

Valkyrie: The dog in me has been euthanised

SP 12- Bedlam

Valkyrie: My favourite thing about me is my girlfriend

SP 13- Seasons of War

Valkyrie: WE ARE SO FUCKING BACK

SP 14- Dead or Alive

Valkyrie: Uh

Cadaver, hugging her tightly: Shhhh, I need this

SP 15- Until the End

Darquesse: Today, I’m a serious goose. (Revamps the entire fucking universe)

SP 16- A Mind Full of Murder

Skulduggery to Valkyrie: You mean the world to me. I love you, you make me strong.

Valkyrie: Cornyyyyy

[sona-verse01]

Timing PAC

In this pac, you will get some dates, months, seasons, zodiac seasons & no. of years.

Means, you can get answers to your "when" type questions here.

How to get answers:

Think about your question, choose your pile, check your answers.

For entertainment purpose only.

Take it as a guidance, or leave it.

Images are not mine, only moodboard is made by me.

Like and reblog for support.

Follow for more.

Feedback is appreciated.

Pile 1:

Dates: 5, 7, 12, 15, 19, 20, 30

Months: March, April, June

Seasons: Autumn

Zodiac seasons: Gemini ♊, Virgo ♍, Scorpio ♏

No. of years: 3 yrs (imp.), 8yrs

Pile 2:

Dates: 2, 21, 26, 27, 29

Months: January, July, November

Seasons: Winter

Zodiac seasons: Aries ♈, Taurus ♉, Pisces ♓

No. of years: 2 yrs, 8 yrs, 10 yrs

Pile 3:

Dates: 3, 5, 7, 10, 23, 30

Months: January, October, December

Seasons: Summer

Zodiac seasons: Virgo ♍ (imp.), Capricorn ♑

No. of years: 2 yrs (imp.), 6 yrs

Pile 4:

Dates: 9, 12, 13, 21, 28

Months: April, June, October

Seasons: Spring

Zodiac seasons: Aries ♈, Gemini ♊, Capricorn ♑

No. of years: 3 yrs, 9 yrs, 10 yrs

~SP 💐

[batsplat]

hi batsplat! i would like to say that you are an absolute pillar of the motogp community on here, like you are truly so so appreciated. both for your knowledge and also for the way you write about things (i think you could write 3000 words on a grocery store trip valentino took in 2003 and still make it super interesting reading)

i was reading your post about your favourite rivalries that didnt include one of the aliens, who would you personally include as part of that list? (versus who is really good but not quite alien status) id also really like to know if (and who) youd count as aliens from the pre-motogp era, and if theres been a difference over time about how often we are seeing aliens or if theyre easier/harder to spot as technical developments have sped up

hope you have a great day!

that's so sweet... thank you that's such an incredible compliment dsdkhfkhfd

about the aliens, the way I use the term is entirely as a historical descriptor, not as a qualitative assessment of any riders. it's a useful shorthand for a specific riders in a specific era, but to me it has limited relevance outside of that era. so to be clear we're talking valentino, casey, dani, jorge and marc - and according to common wisdom this usage originated from colin edwards' 2009 comment:

“But as I’ve said before, I’ve got to be pleased to be finishing next best behind those four guys, or should I say aliens. “They are riding out of this world and to be right behind them means I’m doing the best job I can and that’s about as good as I can hope for at the moment.”

(jorge discusses valentino as an alien in 2007, see here. which might be complete coincidence, but has always made me kind of curious whether the word was floating around in the paddock in some capacity before edwards 'coined' the term)

the thing is, right, it made sense to treat those four (and later -casey +marc) as distinct from the field, because they were winning almost everything. one reason for this was that they were very good, very skilled riders. another was that from 2007-15, only four to six bikes were capable of regularly challenging for wins at any one time. it was a massive field disparity that quite frankly was partly enforced through machinery. that's why it makes sense to include marc in that term: it's not just the fact that he was very good, it's the fact that he was riding a repsol honda that was the best or second best bike by a long way for his first three years in the premier class. in 2016, motogp returned to michelins and introduced new technical regulations - and for all intents and purposes, the alien era ended. it ended when eight different riders won in eight races that season. yes, marc, valentino and jorge were still the top three in the championship... but it's the difference of whether you go into a weekend convinced you know the winner will come from a list of four riders, or if you very much do not know that. between 2008 to 2015, apart from the aliens, a grand total of two riders claimed wins - dovi on a repsol honda in 2009 and ben spies on a factory yamaha in 2011. both of those were wet races (which of course are generally more open than dry ones). so just to reiterate: a greater number of riders won in 2016 alone (9) than in 2008-15 combined (7). (in 2007, a further two different riders won races - capirossi on the championship-winning factory ducati and vermeulen on the suzuki.) yes, obviously the aliens were very good riders, nobody is going to argue with you over that... but those numbers? they're only possible in a specific version of motogp - one that only existed for a few years

honestly, I don't even really use the term 'alien' to describe valentino pre-2006 or marc post-2016. it's just not that useful to me... aliens to me is a 'pack hunter' thing, where even if some of them are injured or are having a bad day or whatever, at least one of them will basically always be there to pick up the pieces. marc and valentino might have dominated the sport as a whole - but not all of their championship seasons were completely dominant, and there's only so much any one athlete can dominate in the sport... you're not going into every single weekend thinking 'oh yeah they're definitely going to win' (yes, yes, there were two times per year where you did very much do that with marc). which is different when you compare it to the aliens as a pack, where you could be confident that ONE of them would end the weekend on the top step of the podium

which is why I just don't apply the alien term to anyone pre-valentino - it's not because I think they were less good or less talented or less anything, it's because for me it's a term that's more about an era than it is about individual riders. you have to treat each era on its own, and I'm not really a big fan of inter-era comparisons. it's just kind of impossible to say whether a rider in the 1970s is more talented than one in the 2020s, whether ago's numbers are more or less impressive than marc's and so on... the sport has just changed in so many ways over the years. of course, in sports you do generally have this upward momentum where each generation is 'better' than the last. sports has gotten more professionalised, there's been massive advances in terms of pedagogy and sports medicine and exercise science and all of those things - all of which already affects how athletes train from childhood onwards. the young aren't more 'talented' in the sense that they were born with an innate superior ability to compete at the sport, but they are more 'talented' in that their ultimate ceiling will be higher as a result of all these gradual changes over time. these things can change quite quickly even (and if other sports is anything to go by, I wouldn't be surprised if the nineties/early noughties brought some big changes in that regard) - so already between, for instance, valentino and marc there'd probably been a real shift in how young talent is being nurtured

(the most blunt illustration of this is that young valentino's lifestyle was completely different from that of young riders today, in terms of how much time he spent training in the gym, sleeping habits, nutrition etc etc. athletes now can't get away with that much deviation any more, and indeed valentino had to massively change his approach in the 2010s to remain competitive - but of course it's different if you haven't been doing this stuff since you were a kid. I think we can safely assume valentino's 2003 supermarket trips looked rather different from marc's 2017 ones)

being good in pro sports may in some ways be harder now than it was in, say, the eighties, and the level of competition you're facing might be higher now - but of course, it would also by extension be unfair to judge those athletes by the standards of today. also, different eras are going to lend themselves to different profiles of rider depending on competitive trends, type of machinery and so on - even very basic stuff like how tall you are might have helped you in a certain era and hindered you in another... so what does that mean for talent? if we're discussing 'talent' at all, how can we possibly treat it as anything other than relative to the era we're discussing? to me, it just makes these comparisons between different generations pretty pointless... or well, I like talking about some of this stuff in a more holistic 'isn't this interesting' kind of way, not a 'this is why xyz is better than xyz' approach... this kind of thing is also why I finds goat debate such a uniquely boring way to spend your time, incidentally

this is a very long way of saying, I don't have a metric by which I judge athletes pre-2000 as 'alien' or 'not alien'! I think you have similarly dominant athletes, though again it is so tough to decide how much of that is down to talent and how much of it is down to bike advantage. if you take doohan's title winning seasons for instance:

yeah, look, sure, you can call him an alien as far as I'm concerned - if I'm watching these races live I will be expecting doohan to win in any given weekend. I'm still kind of missing the pack hunter feel in some of these seasons, so I won't know for certain the winner is going to come from a very short list. like take 1998:

not really one group vs the field, is it? and yeah, even if I consider doohan an 'alien' in some of those seasons, I'm still not going to call him that - because the term was essentially coined in 2009 for a specific group of guys that one other guy was later added onto. the competitive landscape and demands of doohan's era were so different that it feels off to try and go back and label him or any other past riders aliens... they were phenomenally talented, yes, they were great champions, yes, they can be called as good as the aliens, sure - but why wrench the term out of its historical context? is it still an analytically useful concept if you do so, except as a way to generically refer to a rider as 'very talented'?

which is also why I personally don't describe anyone since then as an alien. this doesn't mean I don't think fabio or now pedro aren't as good as those guys were, I just don't think they've been given the opportunity to have that kind of hold over the sport. fabio won five out of eighteen races in 2021 - and he did so on a yamaha that basically only he was able to consistently get a high level of performance out of. which is deeply impressive - but unlike say casey in 2007, he didn't have those other riders to dominate all the other races. eight riders won a race that season! it's just a fundamentally different competitive landscape. personally, I'd be perfectly content if we don't get another alien era. of course 2007-15 isn't all bad, but for good reason most fans' most fondly remembered eras are either 2001-06 or 2017-19... yes, at times one rider was too dominant, but it still felt like more riders had a shot at victory - and most importantly the quality of the racing was generally very high. this kind of domination by a few mega talents on the best machinery can get drab pretty quickly (though of course a lot of the blame for decreased race quality needs to be assigned to the 800cc era 2007-11, not to any of the aliens themselves)

I'd be quite happy to retire the term alien going forwards... except as a useful shorthand for a specific group of guys who have mostly retired. it shouldn't be used as a way to bash the young stars, as if they just can't measure up to the legends of the past. which would be dumb! again, plenty of ways in which motogp is harder now than it ever has been, though the most important thing is that it's just... different. not better, not worse, just different. sure, maybe we'll get another equivalent to the alien era, even though I personally think it's quite unlikely. if it happens, yeah, let's discuss cranking the term out again (and, yes, if you look at the current season and ignore sprints... if this current trend continues then we can have the debate at the end of the season. pecco and jorge despite all their apparent inconsistencies are currently building a pretty solid case for themselves) (now I've said that they're both gonna crash out of assen huh)

that being said! I don't exactly neatly follow this principle myself, because sometimes I do use something like the term 'alien-like talent' to refer to fabio or pedro... obviously, you can argue this is basically the same as calling them aliens in everything but semantics. so what's the criteria there? when do I use this term? I think to me it's just... instant, 'in your face' talent. they arrive to the premier class and they shine basically immediately. valentino got a relatively sedate start to the premier class by alien standards - which is fitting, because he's not really about that blistering raw pace. still, he wasn't far from being a rookie champion, got ten podiums, two wins... not too bad. casey was on a satellite team, but he got pole in his second ever race and came painfully close to winning his third. dani got a podium on debut and fought for the championship for almost the entire season. jorge got pole in his first three races and won his third. marc won the second time out and of course secured the title in his rookie season. compare that to fabio - pole in his fourth ever race on satellite machinery, fighting for wins in his first season. pedro got a podium in his second ever race and is handily outperforming everyone else on that bike

so it's about how quickly these guys pick this stuff up, how quickly they make that step from one level to another - though again, it's important to stress you can't just neatly compare these achievements! valentino's first two seasons were on 500cc bikes, which were notorious for being kind of evil. some of these riders started on satellite bikes (we're not counting valentino here), and there's also plenty of talk about how the bikes have become more complicated to ride now, making pedro's rapid adjustment even more impressive. but in every case, there is just this ability to 'be fast immediately', whatever the circumstances... and it's worth pointing out that even though pecco had a mediocre rookie season, he was incredibly quick in 2019 pre-season testing. jorge martin secured his first pole position and podium at his second race in motogp

speaking of, those two were already a touch older when they joined the premier class. there does generally seem to be something to the idea that in motorcycle racing, if you are not already very fast at a certain age, you will have a quite definitive ceiling... and from valentino onwards, the age by which you need to already have reached that standard of 'very good' seems to have gone down. when we're talking about talent and throwing around the term alien, this feels like another important change to mention - doohan was not winning his titles as a 22 year old! neither was rainey! or schwantz! or lawson! or... actually spencer was very young, yeah. but I think you get the point. I cannot tell you definitively why this changed, but it clearly has changed. in the 21st century, only two riders have won titles when they were older than 26: valentino (29-30) and jorge (28). valentino and marc were both 27 when their dominance over the sport ended (even if valentino secured titles after that point and marc will very probably do so as well). casey was 27 when he retired. (fun fact: pecco bagnaia is currently 27 years old.) so overall it's pretty rare in grand prix motorcycle racing to operate at the top of the premier class for more than a certain number of years - but the precise age window in which you are likely to be at your best does seem to have shifted pretty radically this century. which should demonstrate how hard these things are to compare... like I said, talent is often assessed by how quickly you are good at something - but if we called mick doohan a late bloomer, it would be wildly ahistorical

and yeah, look, this idea of 'you have to be good young or you will have a certain ceiling' is hardly unique to motogp, lots of sports are like that... another measure of this precocity that's perhaps more useful than just 'age' is looking how long it took them to win a title from when they joined the premier class (if they did so at all, of course). it's generally very fast! marc year one, valentino, casey and joan year two, jorge and fabio year three... and, well, pecco and hayden year four. of course, there's exceptions to this 'be fast immediately' rule - athletes who ended up being very good and title contenders who had slightly different paths getting there. the sete's and dovi's of this world - and to a lesser extent hayden too, who unlike those two was only even really a title contender in a single season... but generally speaking, those riders seem more heavily reliant on circumstances playing out just right to have a shot at a title

or perhaps! perhaps it's going to change! especially if you look at repeat champions, pecco does become a bit of an outlier in how he got there this century, doesn't he? compare the numbers he was posting in his rookie season vs valentino, casey, jorge and marc. and in some ways, you can extend this even further and say he's a massive historical outlier in terms of any premier class champions. there was an article about this in late 2022:

and some more about how historically unusual he is:

isn't that great? you don't become premier class champion with that kind of a rookie season, but pecco did! hey, aleix was a serious title threat in that season, which is a far more remarkable story still! and the thing is, right, if you're studying the current era and are labelling some riders aliens but leaving out pecco... then no offence but what's the point? look, who knows, maybe marc and pedro and david alonso are going to dominate the next twenty titles and pecco will have been a weird blip. but isn't there something fun about believing that a bunch of different riders could eventually develop into title threats? wouldn't it be kind of cool if you don't have to just write someone off age 22 any more? I don't know, I think it's a neat development! I hope it sticks around! there'll be plenty of alien-level talents in the future, but personally I wouldn't mind at all if there were no more aliens

[armoredisopod]

New Event PV

New Operators

Lutonada, 4* Juggernaut Defender

Stopping strife is a better consolation than mourning.

Odda, 5* Welfare 撼地者 Guard (new branch, translates to "Earthshaker")

Don't get too close. The flames will spatter.

Aroma, 5* Blast Caster

Just in time, i'd also like to test out a new foam formula.

Ascalon, 6* Ambusher Specialist

Fate, i've chased it, faced it, killed it.

And so have you.

Operator Skins Update

4 new additions for the Epoque brand

Pinecone's Season of Travel

Cement's New Business

Corroserum's Leisure

Qiubai's Courtesy

Announced skin reruns

Series XXIV Epoque skins (Horn, Heidi, Harmonie)

Series II Raythean Striker skins (Siege, Indra, Scavenger)

Heavyrain's Tranquil Moss

Skadi's The Next Afternoon Tea

Operator Modules Update

Lutonada, Aroma and Ascalon being part of branches with modules immediately get their modules

UNY-X module base effect makes Lutonada take 15% less damage from enemies she's blocking

BLA-X module base effect increases Aroma's ATK when attacking enemies further away from her position

AMB-X module base effect reduces the movement speed of enemies inside Ascalon's range by 20%

Tactician Vanguard branch gets 2 module types

Module 1 given to Beanstalk

Module 2 given to Muelsyse, Vigil and Blacknight

Ho'olheyak gets her second module

CCR-Y module base effect grants Ho'olheyak 1 SP when attacking Elite or Leader type enemies

Events and Stories

Babel, a side story event

O wandering one, how should i tell you this past event?

People walk together in unity of purpose, but are separated by difference in beliefs.

Go on, remember, remember—

Witness how people love, betray and die.

Remember this, and don't forget it.

Operator Archives update for Penance, Spuria, Lunacub and Verdant

Record Restore update for Stultifera Navis

Misc Stuff

Annihilation #25 - "Eccentricity" Lab, annihilation mission set in Columbia

SSS New Season #5, Clamour Zone Security Service - The Noise Correction Band & Box Inc.

[imasallstars]

sSSR【Songs of the Day】Mano Sakuragi

availability: 　SEASON PASS 　until 2024/09/28 23:59 JST Best Room: SHOPPING TRIP (RESTAURANT)

SUPPORT EFFECT (at level 80)

Increase MENTAL when in the same appointment with MANO

Increase chance of SHOPPING TRIP appearing

Decrease chance of Trouble on ALL APPOINTMENTS

Increase STAMINA RECOVERY when in SHOPPING TRIP (RESTAURANT)

Increase VOCAL&DANCE&VISUAL when in SP LESSON

Increase STAMINA RECOVERY when in DAY OFF

Increase chance of MANO appearing in SHOPPING TRIP (RESTAURANT)

Increase chance of SUPPORT CHARACTER appearing

Increase STAMINA RECOVERY when in SHOPPING TRIP (COSMETICS)

Increase VOCAL&DANCE&VISUAL when in the same appointment with MANO

Increase STAMINA RECOVERY when in SHOPPING TRIP (RESTAURANT)

SUPPORT SKILL (at level 80)

Increase INITIAL PLAY POINT in LESSONS by 3

Increase INITIAL PLAY POINT in SP LESSONS by 3

Increase INITIAL PLAY POINT in AUDITIONS by 3

Recovers 20% MENTAL for every CARD/IDOL SKILL activated

Increase INITIAL MENTAL GUARD by 15

[cityof2morrow]

Bella Brand: Bella's Secret Remix

Published: 11-6-2023 | Updated: N/A SUMMARY “Inspired by the wealth of Bella Goth lore from the Sims/SimCity franchises (aka the “simsverse”), the Bella Brand Series includes more than a dozen sets and 230+ new business-themed items. Lore suggests that the wealth/influence of the Gilman, Crumplebottom, Bachelor, and Goth families increases considerably under Mortimer and Bella Goth, especially the latter. So, this series imagines what a prestigious Bella-based brand might look like…” Select items from the original Bella’s Secret set (HChangeri/WR/Retail Sims, 2006 via LiquidSims Archive) re-imagined – now with functional apparel! Sims can purchase hosiery in single, double, and seasonal (pretend this is a themed “multipack” of some sort) packages which can be used to add to their wardrobe or recycled for up to §100.

DETAILS Requires ALL EPs/SPs. You need Mesh Set 001 (Simmons, 2023) and the Display Counter (BellasSecret_Counter_Somedaythesun) from the TS2 Maxis Match Lingerie Store Set (SomedayTheSun, 2023) – these items are required for all textures to display in-game. The counter uses recolors from the Bosenklavier Model B grand piano (Bon Voyage EP). Find recolors for the counter interior in the Bella Brand: Retail Floor Set (Simmons, 2023). Recolors may include swatches for items in other Bella brand sets such as signs, packages, cosmetics, etc. Objects in Sims 2 are limited to two recolorable parts, so not all items are recolorable in the same way. Find additional recolors for Bella Brand sets on this site under #ts2recolors, #co2recolors, and #co2bellabrand.

ITEMS Bella’s Secret Counter (256 poly) Bella’s Secret Counter Desk (244 poly) Bella’s Secret Debug Display (42 poly)—place w/ move objects and grid on/off cheats Bella’s Secret Display Case 001 (138 poly) Bella’s Secret Display Case 002 (94 poly) Bella’s Secret End Table (90 poly) Bella’s Secret Hosiery (Double/Seasonal) (144 poly) Bella’s Secret Hosiery (Single) (~15 poly) Bella’s Secret Hosiery Mannequins 001-003 (262-318 poly) Bella’s Secret Hosiery Rack (360 poly) Bella’s Secret Mini Shelf (92 poly) Bella’s Secret Neon Sign 001 (2802 poly, HIGH) Bella’s Secret Neon Sign 002 (900 poly) Bella’s Secret Sign - Large/Small (3569 poly, HIGH)

DOWNLOAD (choose one) from SFS | from MEGA *A known game bug may disable some shelf slots. If you cannot access more than 2 slots on the hosiery/lingerie racks (the ones with 4 or 6 bars), download ONE these fixes: MORE_Custom-objects-placeable-on-shelves (Numenor, 2006) MORE_Custom-objects-placeable-on-shelves+LOCKEDTILES (Numenor, 2006) Object Freedom 1.02 (Fway, 2023)

Functional Apparel Objects Apparel objects are debug items and show up as “clothing pile” in the catalog (Misc > Dressers). They must be placed on one of the DEBUG displays/shelves or they’ll float. Once purchased, take them out of the sim’s inventory and choose from one of the following: Purchase Clothing. Select an outfit (or several) of any type. Each apparel object is worth §100 towards the TOTAL cost. Sims save more money (and your businesses make more money) if they use one apparel object per new outfit. Sell. Recycle the object for §100 simoleons.  If you exit the Buy Clothing window without adding anything to your shopping cart, §100 will be added to the sim’s household funds instead. Apparel objects are worth §100 regardless of how much sims pay for them on OFB/community lots. Pricing an item below this amount can function like a discount sale (i.e., pay $75 in-store and §100 towards the purchase or a 25% “discount/rebate.” You can decide whether this counts as cheating). Pricing it above this amount is not recommended since sims will end up losing extra money. Debug objects have slots which “catch” fellow clones if you place them too close. To prevent this when trying to clutter them close together, turn “snap objects to grid” OFF and “move objects” OFF.

CREDITS No copyright infringement intended. All trademarks belong to their respective owners. CCA = Creative Commons Attribution. Thanks: @catherinetcjd, @gayars, @gummilutt, @haziewhims, @kashmiresims (Rach’), @somedaythesun, whoward, Easy Shine Removal Kit (PF Forest, 2023), Reducing GUIDs/OBJs Tutorial (HugeLunatic, 2022), Sketchfab and Blender Communities. Sources: SEE CREDITS (ALT).

[southconfessionpark]

I got into South Park because of the SoT/FBW games, but prior to that I saw two episodes (Tweek x Craig and Put It Down because I didn't believe South Park actually Did That). I started watching and got to Season 4 Episode 15 and I just kinda. Stopped. Not because of the episode but because despite being incredibly interested in SP I am not at all interested in watching it. I'm not sure what I'm doing here now.

[myjunkisyuzuruhanyu]

Personal recap GPF 2023 Men SP

Not that anyone cares for this but I bring this back anyway, also it's a personal opinion so if you don't agree that's completely fine with me. 😊 I usually posted recaps on @jennibeultimate but for some reason it saved it here 🤷

Congratulations to Ilia, Shoma and Yuma for posting scores above 💯! 🥳

Shoma Uno - What an amazing SP from Shoma! 😍😍😍🔥🔥🔥🔥Shoma is on a totally different level of skating when it comes to choreography, emoting to an audience and the step sequence was glorious. 🔥🔥🔥Also Shoma 3 out of 3 SPs with a 💯+ score and 4T3T when he didn't manage to include 4T3T last season at all. This is already a huge success and shows you some unknown consistency. 106,02 is also his 2nd highest SP ever at almost 26 years. It's his 9th senior season, but he looks as confident as never before.

I think though that Shoma's PCS were too low. Yeah I am aware he had the highest PCS of the 6 competitors but yet how can they all be within just 4 points??? I mean if Ilia is getting 44 Shoma should get 50!!!

Scoring aside Shoma showed he didn't come to play and that he won't go down without a fight! Everything else - scores or placements - aren't in his hands!

Ilia Malinin - Ilia's 4A was so casual wow 🔥🔥🔥Ilia with a world record BV🔥...that x on the TES box had me shook, but ok judges did it right (besides that Belgian judge with the -5 GOE 💀)...not sure if the 4A was really worth it (Shoma's PB TES score is 62,36 from Worlds 2022, Ilia's today was 62,53 with a 4A) but I mean today it did win him the SP and a personal best score... Ilia's PCS however wtf💀💀💀 I am ok with Ilia winning the SP though I personally would have seen Shoma in first but well...good job Ilia! 👏👏👏

Yuma Kagiyama - I love Yuma's SP. And his 4S is chef's kiss 😍 The best 4S of the business! I am sooo happy Yuma is back in form! I also think the point difference is ok. Still yeah Yuma's PCS in comparison to Ilia's...just no...

Kevin Aymoz - An artist on the ice! 🩵 Shame about the 3A. He only has outsider chances at a medal but I think he's just happy to be there. And I am glad he is there, he brings such a different style to skating and such unique movements!

If we talk about uniqueness we have to talk about Adam Siao Him Fa! Such a shame about the popped Lutz. In this field this mistake can cost you the Gold but there is still the free skate and when CoC teached me any lesson, then that Adam can skate brilliantly in the free to make up for it and that a 15 point lead means nothing. But ofc it's going to be much harder for him. I think his PCS suffered from the mistake, apart from the mistake I liked his performance. 😊

Kao Miura also made a costly mistake but much less a problem than Adam's mistake. I think skating after Shoma and Yuma wasn't helpful for his PCS. He is a very energetic skater and I really like his program. I just think that of the ppl in the field (apart from Ilia) his skating isn't as refined and looks a bit rushed. His speed is tremendous. 🔥 He has a new season best, which was a bit surprising considering the mistake...but I am not complaining, judges weren't stingy with anyone in particular...

Nothing is decided yet and this will be an exciting free skate! Ofc the skaters leading atm have a much better position but they are close together and one mistake can change the order.

Men definetly weren't menning which is great. Just two minor mistakes and one big one! 👏👏👏👏

Good luck for the free skate everyone!

Chart by @ bigfanofskating (Twt)

[austerlitzborodinoleipzig]

Ranking Shoma's programs

I've never been a big Shoma fan. Not that I don't recognise his talent but i've no particular emotional attachment to him.

I have a lot of respect for his body of work. I think he's probably the most musical skater out there, and since he moved to Lambiel i've started to really enjoy his programs. They don't always move me, I don't rewatch them often (besides one or two exception), but everytime I've watched him skate during competitions they usually leave me thinking "Damn... This is good..." Objectively great but not my skater.

That said, and since I love doing that, here are all Shoma's competitive programs, from his senior career, ranked from least to best, according to my tastes.

16 - Moonlight Sonata, choreo by Mihoko Higuchi (2018/2019 FS)

Yeah, this was a big miss and tbh it's not wonder Shoma's season went middlingly well and that he missed the podium at home Worlds. This program is just not good. The music is overplayed, the choreo is a cut and paste from Shoma and Mihoko's then well established style. Lots of jumps-crossover-jumps-some choreo that consists in looking intense while moving the arms. A miss.

15 - Turandot version 2, choreo by Mihoko Higuchi (2017/2018 FS)

I rewatched it recently and the music cut is just bad. Why you would cut the "vincero" part I have no idea but here it is. Shoma does a good job with it, but it's nowhere close to the first version of this program.

14 - Winter, choreo by Mihoko Higuchi (2017/2018 SP)

I just really really dislike Shoma's packaging from late 2017 to early 2019. It's just a lot of warhorse with really mid choreo. Shoma's musicality saves it but that's about it.

13 - Ladies in Lavender, choreo by Mihoko Higuchi (2016/2017 SP)

It's still intensely Shoma, and by that I mean skate on two feet and move your arms choreo but the music choice is better. At least it's not a warhorse.

12 - Turandot version 1, choreo by Mihoko Higuchi (2015/2016 FS)

Gets bonus points for including Gira La Cote in the music cut.

11 - Stairway to Heaven, choreo by Mihoko Higuchi (2018/2019 SP)

The step sequence is very nice and Shoma's musicaly makes this program.

10 - Great Spirit, choreo by Shae-Lynn Bourne (2019/2020/2021 SP)

Gets deduction points because of some truly bad costumes. Honestly a bit of a let down. The choreo feels far too safe for the music.

9 - Legends, choreo by Mihoko Higuchi (2015/2016 SP)

Much better than any other SP Mihoko choreographed for Shoma. The step sequence alone is more interesting than anything Shoma skated to for the following three seasons. Unexpected like.

8 - Timelapse, choreo by Kenji Miyamoto (2023/2024 FS)

In retrospect, Shoma's farewell FS. Not that great. I love Spiegel im Spiegel but the other piece of music left me cold. The choreo wasn't anything special too, but the performances, especially the NHK one, were absolutely magical.

7 - Bolero, choreo by Stéphane Lambiel (2021/2022 FS)

First of all Bolero gets too much hate from the fandom and y'all lack taste. It's a truly great piece of music and I can think of at least half a dozen warhorses that need to be banned before Bolero. (Romeo and Juliet, Experience, Exogenesis...).

Second of all Sholero goes hard. It is a bit empty at the beginning, but the relentless pace of the music makes for an exciting watch, and in case of a clean program, it's exhilarating. The step sequence at the end is outstanding. Doesn't place higher because the choreo sequence feels almost like an afterthought and honestly Stéphane and Shoma could do better.

6 - Gravity, choreo by Stéphane Lambiel (2022/2023 SP)

Did not enjoy it last season (I thought it wasn't a good fit for Shoma, it felt too much like a Lambiel program). Has grown on me a lot since then. It's the most Lambiel-y Shoma has ever skated and it's good that he did it. Variety! Some diversity in the steps. Makes us of the whole body, not just the arms.

5 - Oboe Concerto, choreo by Kenji Miyamoto (2021/2022 SP)

Quintessential Shoma in that it feels close to a Mihoko program, like Winter, or Ladies in Lavender, but is so so much better. More variety in the choreo. It makes us of the whole body, not just the arms.

Shoma's skating with it's outstanding musicality and uninterrupted flow is a perfect match for Baroque music.

4 - Dancing On My Own, choreo by David Wilson (2019/2020/2021 FS)

My greatest regret, regarding Shoma's career, is that he did not get more programs from Wilson. Imho, given how musical Shoma is, he would have been a perfect fit.

That said DOMO is perhaps the most emotionally loaded program out of them all. Shoma went through hell and high water with it, and when it was performed cleanly, it sang.

3 - Mea Tormenta, choreo by Kenji Miyamoto (2022/2023 FS)

Glorious, iconic, it's a program I don't think anybody but Shoma could have skated. Just stunning work all around, and one of the best men's programs in recent years.

2 - I Love You Kung Fu, choreo by Stéphane Lambiel (2023/2024 SP)

Shoma at his most raw, emotional and soft. Great, great music choice, just magic on the ice.

1 - Loco, choreo by Mihoko Hiiguchi (2016/2017 FS)

I don't know what that says of a skater, when their most successfull program happened during their second senior season, and they've been chasing that high ever since (looking at you Kaori's Piano).

In any case, Loco is as good as the fans say it is, and then some. It highlights all the best aspects of Shoma's skating (the performance, the passion, the musicality) while being absolutely unhinged. Truly one of the highs of the sport.

[ohthehypocrisy]

Magnezone for Pokemon Unite!

Season 1

Season 2

Prev: Cradily - Hatterene - Tropius - Cacturne - Ditto - Weavile - Ogerpon - Coalossal - Gogoat - Galarian Slowbro - Luxray - Breloom - Uxie, Mesprit, & Azelf - Wobbuffet - Obstagoon - Lanturn - Castform - Dusknoir - Persian - Tatsugiri & Dondozo

Ah, Magnezone, one of my favorite new evolutions from Gen 4, having evolved from the quirky Magneton which ironically makes it the honorary Steel Type of Gen 1, before the typing existed. What a lovely pokemon with such a convoluted history, despite it's awkward magnet designs, I will always be there for Magnezone, much like how it will always be there for me.

Seriously, this thing is one of my go-to's for teambuilding, especially for Trick Room teams. It's so easy to use, I've grown fond of it. Maybe that's why I'm attracted to the idea of Magnezone for Pokemon Unite, and I'm not just saying that because of the metal implants in my body.

Of which there are none. I'm being facetious.

-

Well, onto the stats, and would you look at that. There's a reason I never hesitated to put a Magnezone on my teams. Extremely high Sp. Attack coupled with high Defense makes the magnet monster bulky enough to take hits and dish them back. The rest of its stats are serviceable, particularly the Sp. Defense is decent enough that Magnezone's bulk is only held back by its below average HP.

While it may appear to have the makings of a Defender, Magnezone is often specialized in taking on specific threats that hinder the entire team. Remember how effective it used to be at trapping opposing Steel Types and removing them from the equation? I mean, it still is, you just gotta watch out for Terastilization. Outside of that, it's hyper focused in a sense that it lacks any other optimizations, and as such it doesn't have many options in sustaining itself. Lack of recovery greatly hinders its walling capabilities, but as long as it eliminates the target, it will have done its job. Yes, this is one of those pokemon that desperately needs support from Supporters and Bulky All-Rounders. What does that make Magnezone? A...

Defender

-

Basic Attack - Ranged/Sp. Attack

The user generates a magnetic field around itself, slowly damaging all enemies within range. After dealing a certain amount of damage, affected enemies will be stunned and pulled towards the user.

The basic attack damages all enemies within range of the user. As damage is dealt, a magnet icon graphic appears over affected enemies that slowly fills. The magnet icon fills in when 15% of the opposing pokemon's HP is lost through the basic attack. When this happens, affected pokemon are Pulled a short distance towards the user.

The magnet icon disappears when the affected enemy is Pulled or leaves the range of the basic attack, or if the basic attack ends from releasing the attack button or when the attack is stopped forcefully through a hindrance. If it disappears from activating the Pull effect, the magnet icon will not reappear until the basic attack ends and restarts.

The magnet icon doesn't deplete if the target restores HP. The mark keeps track of how much HP the target has lost.

Now, the thing about magnets is that they're always on. You ever put a magnet in a small cup of honey, sprinkled in some metal fillings, and watched the particles slowly pull towards the nodes? I mean, aside from having made the world's worst snack, it's pretty fascinating to observe.

In Pokemon Unite, this is how Magnezone and its evolutions attack, by constantly filling the space around it with powerful electric currents. It deals weak damage, but the effect is powerful. If an enemy lingers in the area of effect for too long, they'll get magnetized and will be forcefully dragged towards the user. It's not a very strong pull, but if you coordinate with an ally, you can score some easy KO's this way.

Of course, once the magnetization takes effect, you have to wait for it to become active again. You can't magnetize an enemy multiple times, not unless you turn off the basic attack or let them leave the area of effect. Speaking of which, since you are holding the basic attack button to magnetize opposing pokemon, one disruptive hindrance is all it'll take to stop the magnet waves from taking hold. And there are some opposing pokemon you don't want to pull in, like Bulky All-Rounders. Remember what I said about Magnezone's lack of sustainability? Yeah, that'll become apparent much later on.

For now, work with your allies to make the most of your magnetization skills. You can improve your magnetism with your ability, Magnet Pull.

-

Ability: Magnet Pull

The user's Pull effects are strengthened the more Aeos orbs you have in your Score Pocket. Aeos Orbs on the ground are collected from further away.

Each Aeos Orb in your Score Pocket adds 1% to the power of your Pull effects. This maxes out to 30% from Level 1 to Level 7, 40% from Level 8 through Level 11, and 50% from Level 12 onwards.

This Pull strength multiplier is based on the power of the pull effect, not the distance. Otherwise, it might be possible to Pull an enemy all the way out of their Home Base after they escape into Hoopa's Hyperspace Hole.

Stray Aeos Orbs on the ground are drawn in to you from further away than normal. You will only attract stray Aeos Orbs if you have the space for them in your Score Pocket.

This ability affects only your own Score Pocket, and not the combined Score Pocket of you and an ally Comfey or other future effects.

There are weak magnets, and then there are strong magnets. And then there are really strong magnets, the kinds they use to pick up scrap in a junkyard, like a floating saucer. Hey, that's just like Magnezone!

Magnet Pull powers up your Pull effects by 1% for each Aeos Orb in your Score Pocket. This means that the boost is limited by the size of the Score Pocket, and the only way to increase it is to Level Up during the match. Now, that's easy enough, but when you make a score, you go back down to 0, which can cause moments of bad timing if you score during a hotly contested fight around a Goal Zone. Can't really pull anything without any power, huh?

Thankfully, Magnet Pull has a secondary effect of pulling in Aeos Orbs from further away than other pokemon. You ever find it tedious to manually walk over all the stray Aeos Orbs on the ground to collect them? Well, thanks to Magnezone's magnetic personality, you can just suck them all up like a hungry vacuum just by being nearby. It only works on the points you have space for, so don't forget to make a score with all those points you have.

One other thing to note is that, since it only pulls in Aeos Orbs, dummy Aeos Orbs thrown by Sableye's Feint Attack will be ignored, so that's a handy way of foiling that foolish folly.

Now, you'd think there are no downsides to this ability, and for the most part, there isn't. It's just that, Magnezone has some really strong moves with Pull effects that instantly become weaker if you were to score them all. It might be worth it to hold on to a full Pocket of Aeos Orbs for defending purposes, but don't forget to actually make goals when you need to.

It's a good thing we know how magnets work, in spite of the lack of knowledge in this field of science, nor the insistence of such ignorance.

-

At the start of the game, Magnezone will start out as Magnemite. You can choose between Magnet Bomb and Thunder Shock as your first move. By Level 3, you'll have learned both.

-

Move 1: Magnet Bomb (Ranged/Hindrance)

The user launches metal orbs that fly and stick to any enemy in range. Afterwards, the orbs explode, Pulling affected enemies towards the user. 8s cooldown.

Little metal orb projectiles are shot forward in a conical shape, sticking to enemies within range. This effect is purely visual, as even one hit will cover an enemy with the magnetically charged beads.

After 1.5 seconds, the beads spark and explode, Stunning for 0.25 seconds and Pulling the affected enemies a very short distance towards the user. The distance Pulled is lengthened by Magnet Pull.

I will never not be mad about moves that get cut in between generations, no matter how useless they may have been. I mean, a Steel Type move that never misses? How novel! It's just too bad that the signature user is a Sp. Attacker and that Move was decidedly Physical for whatever reason.

Well, we can remedy this injustice by turning it into an actually useful move in Pokemon Unite. Magnet Bomb is a short ranged move that causes little magnetically charged beads to stick to whatever it hits. The beads explode a short while later, causing Stun and Pulling the affected enemy towards the user. At the beginning of the game, this won't be all that strong of an effect, unless you diligently stockpile Aeos Orbs in order to maximize the Pull power of this move.

The short delay makes the move tricky to use, since opposing pokemon can easily just Dash away from you in order to minimize the impact of the Pull effect. You do threaten big damage, though, when Magnet Bomb is combined with your other move, Thunder shock.

-

Move 2: Thunder Shock (Area)

The user unleashes a bolt of electricity all around itself. The closer enemies are, the more damage is dealt. 6s cooldown.

Electricity is launched all around the user, damaging all enemies nearby.

The damage is multiplied the closer opposing pokemon are to the user. At the edge of the attack, the multiplier is 0.75x. Halfway it is 2.25x. Right next to the user, it becomes 4.5x increased damage.

With both your basic attack and Magnet Bomb being able to Pull enemies in, Thunder Shock is the coup de grace when the opposing pokemon is close enough. It deals pretty solid damage thanks to a proximity multiplier, which is intended to make up for Magnemite's lack longevity in a fight.

The idea is that you target a troublesome enemy like a frail Attacker, pull them in with your effects, then finish them off with Thunder Shock before they can escape. It's a solid plan, especially since ranged Attackers like to keep their distance in the first place. If an enemy Attacker is coming out of Central Area and into your Lane, you and your allies can amass a lot of EXP by coordinating a KO with your Pull effects.

And you're going to need to work together, since Magnemite is a bit of a late bloomer for a Defender.

-

At Level 4, Magnemite evolves into Magneton.

Since they make Magnemite hold a camera for these Unite Battles, do you think they ever get Magneton in on it? I mean, 3D Movies are a thing, and the multiple perspectives would make for a trippy viewing experience.

Yeah, I'm glossing over this section since Magneton evolves early, but you don't reach your full potential until Level 7, when you fully evolve into Magnezone.

At Level 7, Magneton will evolve into Magnezone. At the same time, Magnet Bomb becomes either Magnet Rise or Magnetic Flux.

-

Move 1a: Magnet Rise (Buff/Hindrance)

The user begins floating with electromagnetism, making it immune to damage and effects for a short while. At the same time, a blast of magnetically charged electricity is unleashed around the user, charging all enemies nearby. When the user crashes down, all charged enemies will be damaged and pulled towards the user. 9.5s cooldown.

At Level 12, Magnet Rise becomes Magnet Rise+.

Expands the area of effect.

A short ranged wave of electromagnetism is unleashed all around the user, marking affected enemies with a lightning bolt icon. Magnet Rise+ expands the range of this burst by 50%.

When the user floats into the air, it is completely invincible, similar to Talonflame's Fly, though it is clearly visible. It becomes capable of floating over walls and obstacles and ignores all field effects, whether they be friendly or from foes. Tall Grass also doesn't hide you anymore. This effect lasts only for 1.5 seconds.

When Magnet Rise ends, the user crashes down with a heavy thud, damaging enemies nearby. Those marked with the bolt icon will also be damaged, even if they weren't nearby, and will be Pulled towards the user a short distance. An arrow line is drawn on the ground between the marked enemies and the user, showing where the direction of the Pull effect is. Magnet Pull can increase this Pull strength.

Magnet Rise cannot Pull enemies through walls.

Apologies to Orbeetle, but Magnezone was the first flying saucer pokemon, what with its powerful magnetic tractor beam grabbing things from the earth and pulling them towards it. Don't be surprised that it floats just like a flying saucer as well. And yet, for some reason, it can't have the Levitate Ability...

Anyways, Magnezone is heavy, like ridiculously heavy. So much so, that when it turns on its magnetic powers to fly, the magnetic waves are powerful enough to fry you if you're standing too close to it. That's what happens to nearby enemies when Magnet Rise is used, as it marks them with a quaint little lightning bolt icon.

Now, while Magnezone is flying, it is completely immune to all effects, negative and positive. Yeah, it's immune to damage even, but allies can't affect it with buffs or healing moves either, just like Cinderace's Feint. Magnet Rise only makes you invulnerable for a short while just as well, only you come crashing down with a heavy thud.

The charged enemies you hit with the jump get their polarities reversed when this happens. What this means is, that those marked by Magnet Rise will suddenly get pulled towards Magnezone when it comes down, wherever that happens to be. Magnezone is only in the air for a very short amount of time, so it's not likely you'll get a lot of distance between you and the enemy.

However, it is a Pull effect, which gets strengthened by Magnet Pull, and it is a delayed Pull effect at that. If the enemy gets caught, they can expect to be pulled in the direction you're moving towards, which can be coordinated with your allies. There's a whole electric current drawn on the ground to illustrate this effect, so its their own fault if they let themselves get pulled like dumb little fish on a fishing line.

The invincibility effect is very useful too, as Magnezone lacks any way to heal or empower itself. However, this invulnerability means that you can't pull off any silly tricks like diving into Hoopa's Hyperspace Hole when it opens, since you are immune to all effects, harmful or helpful. You can't even hide in Tall Grass while floating. Being able to avoid Unite Moves is pretty nifty though, but the cooldown of the move means it'll be an extensive wait time if you miss the timing.

Plus, you're depending on a full Score Pocket to power up the Pull effects of Magnet Rise. You really need those Aeos Orbs. It's just too bad that you can't really steal them from opposing pokemon by magnetizing the orbs right out of their Score Pocket.

Or can you?

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Move 1b: Magnetic Flux (Ranged/Hindrance)

The user fires a beam of magnetically charged electricity forward, damaging all enemies in range. The affected enemies will have their Aeos Orbs taken and added to the user's Score Pocket. When the move ends, the enemies will be pulled towards the user. The user receives reduced damage and the affected opposing pokemon deal less damage to the user while Magnetic Flux is in use. 9.5s cooldown.

At Level 12, Magnetic Flux becomes Magnetic Flux+.

Expands the range of the magnet beam and increases the damage reducing effects.

A magnetic electro beam is launched forward in a conical shape, burning enemies within range with charged radio waves. Magnetic Flux+ expands the range of this beam by 40%. Magnezone can move while using Magnetic Flux, though the direction will maintain constant.

All enemies within range of the beam will have their Aeos Orbs taken from their Score Pocket and added to the users at a rate of 2 Points per second. If the user doesn't have room in their Score Pocket, the excess is left behind on the ground. This doesn't affect Wild Pokemon.

The user receives 15% less damage from opposing attacks and opposing pokemon affected by the magnet beam deal 15% less damage to the user while within the area of effect. Magnetic Flux+ increases both of these effects to 25% each. These effects stack.

Magnetic Flux lasts for 5 seconds or until the attack is cancelled, manually or from a hindrance. When the attack ends, all opposing pokemon within range will be Pulled a short distance towards the user.

Magnezone's third eye, the big red circle in the middle of its face, is fully functional, despite the fact that it doesn't blink. That's because it's specialized to perceive magnetic waves and other strange wavelengths flying about in our world. Oh, and also because it shoots laser beams from it.

While Magnetic Flux is a passive status move, I've turned it into a sneaky little attack. Also, Magnetic Flux can only be learned by Magnezone, not Magneton, which is why Magnezone starts learning its moves at this Level and not at Level 5 as a Magneton.

Anyway, the magnetic waves launched out of Magnezone's eye magnetize the Aeos Orbs in the Score Pockets of opposing pokemon within range. What this does is that the loose change slips out of their pocket and floats into Magnezone's own deep coffers, completely of its own volition. It's not a lot of points passively, but any amount of points getting stolen is sure to illicit a violent response by the opposing team.

Normally Magnet Pull drags in stray points off the ground and towards you, but if there are none nearby, you can 'borrow' some from nearby enemies. It's too bad you get this move at Level 7 and not the early game, where it becomes much more lucrative to score and power up stacking items like Aeos Cookie.

Now, the move only runs for 5 seconds, but during that time, you get a small defense boost, reducing the damage you receive while the move is active. Those in range of Magnetic Flux will also have their damage output reduced, and these two effects can overlap, meaning that Magnezone gets a 30% total damage reduction from those it is directly harming with Magnetic Flux. That's enough to stifle most burst damage attacks coming your way. When upgraded to Magnetic Flux+, it comes out to 50% damage reduction, thwarting nearly all burst damage aimed at the giant magnet.

When the move ends, all opposing pokemon getting zapped by the beam will then get pulled towards the user. Because you are stealing Aeos Orbs, Magnet Pull will slowly increase in power. Magnetic Flux runs for 5 seconds, which totals 10 Aeos Orbs taken from each pokemon within range. More pokemon hit by the beam means more points taken, but that does naturally contribute to the risk of trying to affect the entire enemy team with this move.

While the defense boost is very nice, you can manually end the move early by using the attack a second time. Whether it ends from getting interrupted or the time has run out, Magnetic Flux pulls pokemon in when it goes away. Maybe a particularly twitchy enemy is liable to make a run for it to escape from your tractor beam. In that case, the defense boost of Magnetic Flux won't be all that useful to you since the enemy is choosing to flee instead of fight, so Pulling them in as soon as the beam hits is a great way to finish them off.

Just one thing to note. Magnetic Flux deals damage, but it doesn't hinder the enemy until it ends. You get a defense boost while using the move, but those outside of the beam's range can continue to pelt you with long range attacks like Decidueye or Inteleon, as they won't have to worry about the damage debuff. Speaking of which, hindrance resistance effects like Full Heal or Blissey's Safeguard can snub the damage reduction effects of Magnetic Flux, as well as the Pull effect if they time it right.

There's also the fact that, at this stage, your only other move is Thunder Shock, a pitifully weak move at your power level. Not to worry, as just one level later, you'll replace it with a much more impactful attack like Discharge or Flash Cannon.

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At Level 8, Thunder Shock will become either Discharge or Flash Cannon.

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Move 2a: Discharge (Area)

The user builds up a massive surge of electricity before unleashing it all around itself, Stunning nearby enemies. The closer they are, the more damage they receive. Affected opposing pokemon are more vulnerable to the Pull effect of your basic attack. 5.5s cooldown.

At Level 13, Discharge becomes Discharge+.

Decreases the charge time for the move.

Opposing pokemon are Stunned for 0.75 seconds when hit by Discharge.

The damage multiplies the closer they are to Magnezone, just like with Thunder Shock. The damage multiplier maxes out to 5.5x.

For 4 seconds afterwards, opposing pokemon receive a 150% stronger Pull effect from your basic attack. This stacks with Magnet Pull.

It takes Discharge 1.5 seconds to come out, causing the user the crackle with electricity right before it is unleashed. Discharge+ reduces this charge time to 0.75 seconds.

As a direct upgrade to Thunder Shock, Discharge has Magnezone let loose a powerful volley of lightning bolts all around itself. Not only does it hit hard, it also Stuns the enemy briefly, since electric attacks have a tendency to paralyze opposing pokemon that get hit.

It's not completely free to use, though, as Discharge has a short windup to it. It takes an entire second and a half for Discharge to come out when you use it, giving the opposing team plenty of time to try and dash away from your violent volt surges. Now, I would argue that limiting the space the enemy can play in is one of the defining traits of a Defender, as a direct hit can deal massive damage to slower enemies.

Just like Thunder Shock, Discharge has a proximity multiplier that increases the damage dealt to enemies too close for comfort. If they get hit at the edge of the attack, Discharge won't deal a whole lot of damage. In fact, it'll hit for a lot less than normal to those it just barely managed to graze. If opposing pokemon are shoulder to shoulder with Magnezone, however, Discharge will deliver a massive 5.5x damage multiplier to those directly nearby, potentially electrocuting frail Attackers and Speedsters.

Now, a powerful move like this would have some drawbacks, such as the charge time before the move comes out. However, Magnezone lacks the ability to empower itself with healing or shields, so it's putting itself at risk trying to maximize the damage of Discharge. As such, Discharge has a shockingly low cooldown of 5.5 seconds, which makes it ridiculously free to use at any point during a fight. Pokemon that lack sustainability need these sort of crazy cooldowns in order to be threatening to the opposing team as a Defender.

One last thing to note. The residual electricity of Discharge makes it so that your basic attack's Pull effect become much stronger, even if the attack just barely clipped them. If the move didn't successfully KO the opposing pokemon, you can have easier time Pulling the affected enemy towards you and your team with your followup attack.

Of course, you do need to coordinate with your allies to get this done.

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Move 2b: Flash Cannon (Area)

Let loose a brilliant light all around you, damaging enemies and makes it easier to Pull enemies with your basic attack. The closer they are, the greater the damage increase. 6s cooldown.

At Level 13, Flash Cannon becomes Flash Cannon+.

Movement Speed increases while Flash Cannon+ is active.

Flash Cannon scatters light particles around Magnezone that damage nearby enemies continuously for 5 seconds. The damage dealt increases the closer they are to the user. The damage multiplier maxes out to 4.75x.

The cooldown of Flash Cannon kicks in when the move ends.

While Flash Cannon is active, the basic attack only needs to fill in 10% of the magnet icon in order to Pull opposing pokemon closer.

Flash Cannon+ increases your Movement Speed by 25% while in use.

You ever wonder why Flash Cannon is a Steel type move? Because Steel types manipulate the light refracting off of their polished metal exteriors and focus it into an attack. I mean, that doesn't explain why the non-Steel types are able to use it, but at least it gives pokemon like Magnezone some way to deal Sp. Attack damage with their Same Type Attack Boost.

While Discharge lets loose a big wave of dangerous electricity all around itself, Flash Cannon is a bit weaker in exchange for consistency. It will deal small amounts of damage passively all around itself, which it will continue to do for 5 seconds. It can't even get stifled by hindrances, which is a weakness of Discharge if opposing pokemon are good at timing their attacks.

It also has a proximity multiplier, just like Discharge, though the maximum damage output is a bit weaker. Being able to deal continuous damage is effective, but it can be too weak when engaging opposing pokemon, as it may not deal enough damage to threaten them. It lets Magnezone float up to Wild Pokemon and get the last hit on objectives more often than not, so it's up to opposing Defenders to keep the area safe from this chromatic creature.

Since Flash Cannon is active at all times, it means that you can use other effects while the move is running. If you really want to abuse the proximity multiplier to its full effect, you should use Magnet Rise or Magnetic Flux while Flash Cannon is running to Pull the enemy closer towards you. Flash Cannon also makes the basic attack have an easier time of Pulling enemies inward, requiring only 10% damage to fill in the mark as opposed to 15%.

All these potential effects combined make Flash Cannon a very solid move with no downsides, though the low damage rate may be a deal-breaker for some players. It lacks the immediately threatening power of Discharge in exchange for passive safety, so it's up to you on how you employ Magnezone's defensive capabilities.

Admittedly, it is dangerous to always be pulling enemies towards you in order to Defend the team. Luckily, you have one final gambit to use to fulfill your true potential as a Defender.

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Unite Move: Polarity Swing

Launches an oversized magnet at the designated area. The magnet damages and pulls enemies inward, dealing more damaging the closer they are. Any Stun effects applied to enemies in range will strengthen the Pull effect. The magnet’s pull effect out-prioritizes your own.

The giant magnet damages enemies on hit, but it doesn't behave as an obstacle. It starts generating powerful magnet waves that damages enemies over time slowly in a large area around it. The damage dealt multiplies the closer they are to the center, maxing out to 7.5x.

While dealing damage, opposing pokemon are constantly being Pulled towards it. However, the Pull effect is very weak and can easily be moved away from. Magnet Pull strengthens the Pull effect.

If affected opposing pokemon are incapacitated by a Stun Effect, the Pull Effect increases drastically, more than tripling in power. This will only remain in effect while the affected opposing pokemon are Stunned.

Your own Pull effects stop working while within the area of effect.

Wild Pokemon are unaffected by Polarity Swing's Pull effect.

Polarity Swing lasts for 8 seconds.

When Magneton evolves into Magnezone, it goes from 6 horseshoe magnets to 3, so where did the other 3 go? Well, it turns out that these parts got disassembled into magnetic sand and float in the air around Magnezone, so that whenever it needs a big fat magnet to start pulling things into it like a localized black hole, it can just reconstitute it and throw it onto the ground. Please note that I am not a pokemon professor and that this is purely hypothetical, as I really don't know where that magnet came from.

Polarity Swing immediately starts generating a gravitational field all around itself, pulling in enemies on the opposing team towards the giant magnet wherever it was thrown. This pull effect can be increased with a full Score Pocket thanks to Magnet Pull, but it's still pretty easy for opposing pokemon to dash away from the magnetic field with moves. They are also just as easily capable of walking away, as the Pull effect doesn't stop them from moving.

The true power of Polarity Swing comes in its opportunistic behavior. While opposing pokemon are perfectly capable of walking away and out of the pull range, the Pull effect boosts dramatically if they are Stunned from any move, whether it be yours or your allies. This means that any Stunned enemy will be suddenly pulled towards the center of Polarity Swing, which can aid in defense, offense, or positioning for your team. Oh, and did I forget to mention that Polarity Swing is dealing damage continuously in its area of effect?

Just like with Discharge and Flash Cannon, Polarity Swing has a proximity multiplier that deals increasing damage to enemies caught in or near the center of the area of effect. The Pull effect is bad enough, but it is also hurting everything in range. This means that it is in the best interest of you and your team to unload all of your Stun moves at the opposing pokemon, since the longer they stay within the middle of the attack, the more damage they receive overall.

The only downside to this Unite Move is that your own Pull effects stop working, aside from the effects of Polarity Swing. If you try to Pull an enemy towards you while you're both in the area of effect, the Pull attempt will fail, since the giant magnet has a much stronger presence. You can Pull enemies that are outside the range of the Unite Move towards you into the area of effect, though. Although, good luck Pulling an enemy deep enough to be significantly affected by Polarity Swing, because if they want to leave, they'll more than likely escape.

It goes without saying, but try to avoid throwing Polarity Swing into a wall or obstacle. The move deals more damage when opposing pokemon are close to the center of the attack, but that won't happen if the center happens to be out of bounds within an object or big wall. Also, the Pull effect won't affect Wild Pokemon, which is actually a good thing in most situations, except for when you're trying to pull Regieleki away from your Goal Zone.

Biased magnets, how do they work?

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Achievements

Move the opposing team a total of 100 meters through your Pull Effects in a single battle.

Now, most achievements are easy enough to track, what with the formula being based on damage numbers, usually. But for Magnezone, the Achievement is based around the accumulated distance you pull enemies.

Now, everything that I've written down here, everything that I've written in the past, and everything that I will ever write about Pokemon Unite is based purely on conjecture, since I'm supposed to convince you of the idea of any one of these pokemon joining the game. As such, it isn't really possible for me to convey the distance and reach every single move may have, so you'll just have to take my word for it when I say, 'this move reaches far'.

Now, 100 meters is a lot of distance to cover, especially since your Pull effects cover about 2 to 3 meters each. Assuming you Pull each member of the opposing team, you'd have to drag each one for 20 meters to fulfill this achievement. In order to pull 100 meters, you'd need to maximize your Pull effects with Magnet Pull and a full Score Pocket.

The Unite Move, Polarity Swing, is big enough that it can pull the entire enemy team at once and will contribute to the Achievement. But you'd need to guarantee that it affects all opposing pokemon with good placement of the move as well as followup attacks used by you and your allies. Remember, any Stun effect causes Polarity Swing to intensify the Pull effect, so if Magnezone is on your team, give it a helping hand.

Gotta stick together.

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Holowear

Now, Magnezone is far from the typical body standards we adhere to when it comes to clothing, but that doesn't mean it can't be fashionable. Anything can walk the runway, even if they don't walk.

Starting things off, Movie Style Holowear gives Magnezone a big beret with a hole for its antennae to peek through, a director's clapper in one magnet, a megaphone in the other, a big projector light on one 'shoulder' and a big bulky video recorder on the other. Next, Cook Style Holowear gives it a tall chef's hat and apron, as well as spoons, ladles, pots, pans, knives, and a spatula all magnetically stuck to its body, which makes it always ready to cook. In Mechanic Style Holowear, it's wearing a baseball cap and is covered in wrenches, screwdrivers, and nuts and bolts. Similarly, Musical Style Holowear gives it a big hat that marching band leaders wear, along with an assortment of trumpets, big drums, cymbals, and an accordion stuck to its body. Finally, Space Explorer Style Holowear has it covered in star pins, starry veils, model exoplanets, and a pair of wriggly antennae headbands to give Magnezone an out-of-this-world look.

You'll notice that I like to give Magnezone costumes that has it covered in objects like an overpowered magnet. I'm a sucker for good visual jokes.

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Strategy

Remember what I said in the beginning? About how Magnezone is overly specialized in what it can do, it can do it well at the cost of general utility? Well, in Pokemon Unite, Magenzone is good at pulling enemies in, but that's it. It can't heal or sustain itself in battle and has to rely on its allies to follow up its Pull effects with burst damage or the like. It's kind of like Crustle and Mamoswine in this regard, as they're also really solid Defenders, but their potential is based on how well the team can back them up.

In order for Magnezone to be effective, you have to have smart teammates that can capitalize on the openings you provide with your Pull effects. Likewise, not every situation calls for a timely Pull, like say dragging an overleveled enemy towards your underleveled Speedster or Attacker. You gotta read the room and figure out how to best Defend the team in this instance. Usually it means to drag the enemy away from your allies, sacrificing yourself in the process, but if it gives your team some breathing room in order to catch up in EXP, it'll be worth the trade.

Starting a match off as Magnemite, your defensive capabilities are much stronger than normal. You have an automatic Pull attack with your basic attack, a ranged Pull move, and a short ranged area attack that deals increased damage to nearby enemies. This is almost unfair, but Magnemite is a bit of a late bloomer, so it's stuck with this moveset for the first 6 Levels. You evolve two times before you learn the first half of your end game moveset, so you need to focus on EXP while you're playing defense.

Because of the Pull effects you have access to at the beginning of a game, you're better off partnering with a bulky All-Rounder that is capable of dealing heavy damage up close, like Buzzwole or Azumarill. The idea is that you supplement your high EXP need with KO's scored against the opposing team, so you should target frail enemies like opposing Attackers or Speedsters. Do this enough times and you'll reach Level 7 fairly quickly.

If things go awry and you fall behind in EXP, it can be very hard to catch up. Losing the first Goal Zone may be your only recourse, since more Wild Pokemon spawn on your side of the map to compensate for the zone loss. Of course, this is assuming you can get this EXP unobstructed by the opposing team, but greedy pushes like this tend to result in a team wipe sometimes.

If you manage to make it to Level 7, then the fun can truly begin. You'd have to choose between Magnet Rise and Magnetic Flux, but both are very solid moves when playing Tag with the enemy team. Magnet Rise offers a very brief moment of invulnerability while also putting the enemies through magnetic shenanigans. It's also one of the safest ways you can grab multiples enemies at once, since you can move over obstacles while flying, though your Pull victims cannot be dragged through walls with this move.

Magnetic Flux hits a slightly wider area but offers two different boons over invulnerability. Firstly, there's the defense buffs you get from the move while it's running, which is arguably worse than invulnerability. However, the magnetic beam will also start stealing Aeos Orbs passively from those hit by the attack. It's not a lot of points, but any amount will passively boost Magnet Pull, increasing the power of your Pull effects. Speaking of which, when the move ends, whether manually, forcefully, or when the move duration runs out, all enemies hit by the beam will be Pulled towards the user, giving you a lot of dominion over how the attack works. You can either let the move run its course in order to steal the most amount of Aeos Orbs possible, or you end the move prematurely to drag those hit by the beam right away, which you'd prefer to do if you have a full Score Pocket anyway. The defense buff really helps out if you are boldly robbing the entire enemy team.

One Level later and you'll learn the upgrade to Thunder Shock, Discharge or Flash Cannon. Discharge is a little slower with the buildup charge, but it hits really hard, especially if you get an enemy nearby. Even the bulkiest opposing Defender will take a huge chunk of damage from an up close Discharge, so it's a matter of risk versus reward when engaging a Magnezone running this move. Of course, it is vulnerable to hindrances stopping the attack before it comes out, so Flash Cannon is a weaker but safer alternative to proximity damage.

Both of these moves also affect how your basic attack affects enemies. Discharge will make the Pull effect of your basic attack stronger, which stacks with Magnet Pull, so you can keep an enemy really close to you if you managed to land the attack. Flash Cannon speeds up the Pull effect taking hold, which is handy for keeping the enemy in range of the high proximity multiplier of the attack. It's all well and good, but the point of keeping your enemies close is that your friends also need to be close by to take advantage of the vulnerable enemies dragged in by your effects. You can deal high damage, yes, but not burst damage or KO damage. That's the job of your allies.

Speaking of allies, the best time for them to pull their weight would be during your Untie Move, Polarity Swing. As it constantly emits a Pull effect that gets stronger when enemies are Stunned, it's the best time for you and your teammates to unload all of their Stun attacks and burst damage at all enemies caught in the Pull. Of course, you can contribute too, but the giant magnet has a stronger Pull effect than you, so you won't be able to accidentally drag enemies away from the center of the Unite Move. Instead, you should use your moves to drag in enemies outside of the Unite Move's Pull range into it, so that everyone can get in on the magnetic waves.

When two opposing forces meet, the breaking point is at the point of contact. You're going to be pulling the enemy towards you to fight on your turf as Magnezone, so you gotta remember to stay positive.

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And that's Magnezone for Pokemon Unite! One of my favorite pokemon introduced in Gen 4, I always loved using this thing in battle, as it never disappointed. Of course, if it were to show up in Pokemon Unite, it'd be the most attractive pokemon for me to play, and not just because of the magnets covering its body. I favor playing Defenders if the team needs it.

That'll be it from me this week. Until next time, see ya!