DeNA and The Pokémon Company’s highly anticipated mobile game Pokémon Masters has officially launched today (29th August)! Surely if you’re reading this you already know what the game is mostly about, so I’ll skip the introduction and jump right into it. Here are 10 things tips that will help you sail through the early to mid-stages of the game.
▍1. Binding Nintendo Account
In most cases, when you start playing a mobile game with gacha elements, binding you account right off the bat is not recommended, however, in Pokémon Masters, you don’t really lose anything in doing so. Save data can be deleted with ease, meaning the same account can be used to reroll even if you bind right at the beginning.
▍2. What to Aim for When Re-Rolling
In Pokémon Masters, players roll for Sync Pairs in the gacha, a duo that consists of one trainer and one Pokémon. Whilst many of the game’s 3-4★ characters are decent in the game, the highest rarity players can obtain from the gacha is 5★, and so, it is recommended that you aim for a 5★ character.
Which 5★ you obtain don’t really make that big of a difference, so go with your favorite trainer or Pokémon.
▍3. Why Can’t I Evolve my Pokémon?!
Just because a Pokémon is not in its final evolution form in Pokémon Masters doesn’t mean you can evolve them later on in the game (as of right now).
If a Sync Pair has the ability to evolve, at level 30 and 45, a special Evolution Mission will be unlocked. Clearing this mission will unlock the ability to evolve the Pokémon in that Sync Pair. However, Evolution Crystals are required to evolve a Pokémon.
▍4. How do I know If My Pokémon can Evolve?
There’s an easy way to find out which Sync Pairs have the ability to evolve. When looking at the Gacha rates, if a “*” appears at the end of the Sync Pair, that means they have the ability to Evolve. The PokeDex (Dex) will also show you the same information. Make note that not all the different forms shown in the Dex are Evolutions. Some are special moves that result in temporary form changes and Mega-Evolutions.
▍5. Main Story Free Sync Pairs, Good?
Through clearing the main campaign, players will be rewarded with a few Sync Pairs. Some of these can be extremely useful if you don’t have a natural 5★ Sync Pairs. In the pool of free Sync Pairs, Rosa & Snivy, Skyla & Swanna, and Hau & Raichu (Alolan) stand out particularly. Here’s why:
Snivy – Team X Sp. Atk buff + Great Stats
Swanna – Team Defense & Speed Buff + Potion
Raichu (Alolan) – Self Sp Atk Buff + two AoE Attacks
▍6.Buddy Move
During combat, in the middle of the skill panel, you will find the Buddy Move icon. A the beginning of the battle, the icon will be grey and a number will be shown next to it. The number represents the number of tuns (actions) required before the player can unleash the Buddy Move.
Buddy Move is a great way to deal additional damage to your opponents. Certain Sync Pairs will also be able to Mega-Evolve after using their Buddy Move.
Just as you have Buddy Moves, your opponent also has them. Timing your Buddy Move is crucial to secure victory over strong opponents.
▍7. How Do I Make My Team Stronger?
There are several ways to make your team stronger. First is raising the Sync Pair’s level. Additionally, you can also unlock new moves for your Pokémon.
As you progress in the game, you will be able to increase the potential of your Sync Pair, raising their level cap.
To quickly raise your team’s power, you can farm the special courses in the Training Area. these courses will drop that items and materials required to level up your Sync Pairs as well as teaching your Pokémon new moves.
Additionally, you can also earn gold depending on the Training Course Schedule.
▍8. When Do I Unlock Co-Op?
If you’ve played past the tutorial, you will have already seen the co-op tab. Co-op is unlocked after the 11th chapter of the main story.
Co-op in Pokémon Masters pairs players with two other players. Each player will still have three Sync pairs, however, they will only be able to use one at a time during the battle. They can tag in a different Sync Pair during the battle. Through using different moves, a bar for a devastating combined attack can be unleashed.
▍9. Budget Team?
If you don’t have any natural 5★ Sync Pairs, fret not! With just the free Sync Pairs you can get from the main story, you can still make a decent team. Here’s an example:
Rosa (L) x Hau (C) x Erika(R)
The idea behind this composition is simple. First of all, all the Sync Pairs are given to players through clearing the main story. Second, the main damage dealer is Raichu (Alolan) which uses Sp Atk. With Snivy’s buff, you will be able to deal more damage with Raichu’s double AoE moves. For survivability, Vileplume has Stun Spore that can paralyze targets.
▍10. First Priority?
Though this should really be higher up on the list, your first priority in the game should be to clear the main story up until you get stuck. The reason for this is because clearing the main story will unlock different features in the game that will be incredibly useful when strengthening your team.
Certain items are also locked in the shop until you clear certain chapters in the main story. Whilst it is important to raise your Sync Pair’s level and unlock new moves for your Pokémon, you’ll hit a cap early in the game if you don’t clear the Main Story.
If this list helped you at all, give it a like and share it. More may come in the future!
