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where-does-the-heart-lie · 1 year

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East Blue Crew modern au!

Ive been working on this on and off for a while now.

There’s a lot here so [rings dinner bell] come get y’all’s meal

ASL Modern Au Post

Grand Line Crew Modern Au

Friends We Made Along The way post

Friends We Made Along The Way Part 2 post

Additional Headcanons:

Nami needs her own episode on extreme couponers. Sis has an entire binder dedicated to it.

Zoro cannot for the life of him beat Luffy in an arm wrestling match. No matter how much he lifts or trains, he always loses.

Zoro is actually pretty good at grilling. Sanji was pleasantly surprised when the burger that was presented to him wasnt a pile of ash/ so raw its still walking around. One day the two will have a grill off.

Usopp and Luffy love playing yugioh with eachother. Neither of them actually know the rules of the game, they just make it up as they go.

Nami used to collect american girl dolls and she keeps them in a closet in her apartment. One day when usopp luffy and chopper were snooping around, they found the accursed closet and were scared shitless.

Usopp has an ant farm and luffy thinks its the coolest shit.

In this modern au, sanji takes the place of that one guy on tiktok who makes duets with cooking videos, and films until they put the entire block of cream cheese in the crock pot.

Sanji is also this guy

Even though nami has scary dog privilege when walking with zoro, its not just beneficial to her. In fact nami has outlawed zoro from going on walks in general alone, as he would get lost and need nami to walk to him to direct him home. Nami has scary dog privilege and zoro has sense of direction privilege when they walk together

Sanji and Nami rewatch Pretty Little Liars/ Gossip Girl/ Glee/ and other CW drama shows together.

Nami and Usopp always be shit talking someone/something. They are hateful bitches.

How luffy meets each of them:

Zoro- they met each other because the 24 hr gym Zoro works in is right down the street from Luffy’s apartment and one day Luffy was walking by at around 3 am and noticed Zoro in there. Luffy asks him if he wants to join him fucking around at 3 am on the streets of this city area they live in and Zoro accepts after a little convincing from Luffy. When they get outside Zoro’s like

“where’s the rest?”

“Of what?”

“Of your friends”

“Its just you rn”

“… :| i mean, i had assumed you werent alone”

“Nope!”

“HA OkAy”

Nami- they took the same economics course together. They were paired up in a project and hit it off after that and often had study sessions together. Their defining friendship maker though, was they teamed up to steal the answer key to the test they were both definitely going to fail because the class was bullshit.

Usopp- they had taken a graphic design course together. Luffy had no idea what he was doing the entire time and Usopp was very happy that he could impart his wisdom uponst this newcomer to the arts. Although luffy did already have some… incredible(?) art skills of his own already. It was instant chemistry for them honestly, their synergy just clicked and before they knew it, they were besties.

Sanji- works in the restaurant thats underneath the ASL brothers’ apartment complex. Their fist encounter with the restaurant was not of them going in to eat there, though. The trio were throwing around the ol’ pig skin in the street in front of their complex when luffy failed to catch the ball, and accidentally ricocheted it into the front window of the Baratie, through the eating area, over the counter, and into Mr. Zeff’s face. Zeff stormed out of the eatery and asked which of them destroyed his glass and hit him in the head

And luffy looks over and notices his brothers selling him out and is like “HEY!!! D:” So luffy was stationed as the place’s chore boy and met sanji while working there. 2 years later the debt was repayed, sanji and luffy are friends, and the Baratie is ASL’s fav eating place due to the great food, delightfully violent vibes, and great company.

thats all for now, hope you enjoyed!

#my art #one piece #one piece fan art #monkey d. luffy #headcanons #east blue crew #roronoa zoro #sanji #vinsmoke sanji #usopp #nami #one piece modern au #straw hat crew

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riacte · 4 months

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I feel like having established duos frequently team up in MCC was cute because we had a constant to rely on. And it shifts the focus to the friendship / fun times instead of being hyperfocused on team synergy and coins and strategies which ultimately predicts what performance they might have. But if you have the established duo teaming up, their fans are gonna be like “yayyy duo content :)” and they’ll be somewhat satiated no matter what place they get.

Also from a MCC perspective, having two people team up time and time again gives the vibe of “it’s just you and me against the whole word, let’s win together and we’ll try until we do it”. It’s consistent, comforting, and gives us a storyline to be invested in— a storyline that is more compelling than a solo player trying to win because woohoo power of friendship. The established duo also automatically guarantees a comfortable 2-person dynamic within the team. As much as it’s fun to see new people team up, there’s a reason why the classics work. And having a bit of both is nice— both comforting yet stepping out of the comfort zone a little :)

#mcc #ria.txt #y’all know what i’m talking about #or who #but it applies generally

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silvernyxchariot · 3 months

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Slowly.

I'm slowly building my teams.

And it's working.

For context, follow this link to my previous Abyss post.

It's one more star than the previous Abyss run.

For more context: "Hi. My name is Nyx, and I am a Kavetham shipper. Subsequently, I am determined to make Kavetham WORK. It's mostly because I love them both dearly. . ." Aaaaaaaaand to prove the meta-players¹ wrong, that they CAN be on a team together.

The team is almost perfect. Shinobu is almost perfect, I just need to level up her artifacts. And if I could just r5 all their weapons, that would be greaaaaat.

YES. I KNOW IT'S NOT FLOOR 12, so it's not a "real measure of my teams' strength." (I'm not sure how else to word that sentence. That's just kind of the vibe I get from the "hardcore gamers" and meta-players of the Genshin community.) Tbh, I'm trying to get full stars on floors 9 through 11 first. That's how I'm judging if I'm "ready" for floor 12. You can still get rewards just by surviving a chamber.

On a later note, aside from Thoma for burgeon, I'm building Yao Yao because I was inspired by one user on HoyoLab using a mono Dendro team (Baizhu, YaoYao, Kaveh, and Alhaitham) to create my own mono Dendro team. I don't have Baizhu though, so I'll keep Xingqiu in. Free quicken against Electro enemies./hj Xingqiu is at C4 thanks to Lantern Rite, so his Hydro application is getting better.

¹ Full disclosure, I do not despise the meta. I believe it is a good outline or guide to making easily built and strong team comps. But I do dislike the meta-players who disparage others for choosing characters that they want on a team and claim they're "wrong for doing so." Or telling others it's "spreading misinformation to say X and Y character can be played together." Then tend to disguise their disparaging comments behind "worry" for your team's synergy and damage count.

#Genshin Impact #Kavetham #haikaveh #spiral abyss #Ayato main #Kaveh my beloved #OKAY so I got a little ranting in #No I don't take “advice” or “help”#Ask first but I still won't consent #Your game

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24hourtickets · 7 months

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Here are my thoughts on each contestant so far (spoilers up to ep. 9). These are just my impressions of their roles in the limited context of the show, not as actual people.

- Lee Si-Won: The mad scientist! My favorite, though not necessarily my favorite to win. Sharp, strong-willed but loyal, and most of all, persistent. She and Seok-jin have incredible synergy. If the competition comes down to the two of them, though, I feel like she wouldn't have the heart to beat him...

- Ha Seok-jin: ...while he would have no such qualms. Crafty, independent, and observant, a real genius when it comes to scheming to an almost scary extent. He's definitely most at home in a "villain" role where he doesn't have to protect anyone. He and Si-Won give me the vibes of a natural talent and a hard worker teaming up instead of fighting over their differences.

- Seungkwan: Actually pretty interesting. Whether he intended to or not, he's the only one who has managed to strike a balance between being a threatening contestant and an exploitable one. He leans more towards the latter, but not to the extent that people are targeting him. In fact, everyone likes him a lot. That's an idol for you.

- Guillaume: Just smart in general. It was especially sly of him to play dumb throughout the first game. Seemed like an all-rounder. It wasn't his or really anyone's fault he got eliminated. His team just had to decide on a strategy early on that they weren't able to change later.

- Kim Dong-Jae: Very similar to Seok-jin. Schemers, the two of them. The main difference is that while Seok-jin is fine with keeping a tight circle or even flying solo, Dong-jae wanted to build trust with others. His fatal mistake during Secret Number was not committing to either closing ranks or cutting off contact with Seok-jin and Si-Woo. I'm very interested in what the writing test for this show was like, for him to be one of the two to get a perfect score.

- Lee Hye-sung: She didn't get to do much. I like that she trusted Dong-jae, but she was too trusting. I think she should've stood her ground and compared numbers with Yu-min first, then leveraged that information to ensure Dong-jae's loyalty. That might have helped Yu-min feel secure enough to not betray them later.

- Seo Yu-min: Way too dependent on others, though she seems to have taken the results of Secret Number to heart. She has the right idea about taking advantage of other people's sympathy for her, but the helpless act only works in the long term if it's just an act and not, you know, real. Also, Seungkwan has already filled the niche she wants. She should make more use of her greatest asset: Joon-bin, who clearly still feels guilty about Secret Number.

- Park Kyeong-rim: She's so sweet. If I had to choose, she's the one I'd want to meet in real life the most. But in the show, she's way too much of an open book and bleeding heart. I like that she's more cautious of Yu-min after Laying Grass, though that just means she'll divert more of her attention to helping Seungkwan.

- Kwak Joon-bin: He's funny because he talks a big game about wanting to turn traitor and cause chaos, but he's a huge softie who refuses to exploit weaker contestants. I don't think he's crafty enough to take down stronger opponents either. He's proven himself as an active participant in the games, which is really all it takes to not be marked as exploitable even if your most of his ideas go unused. But people don't trust him because of his big ol' mouth.

- Seo Dong-joo: Also smart in general, bold. The Si-won to Orbit's Seok-jin, kind of. She's more of Orbit's second-in-command than his partner, though that's only because Orbit is that much of a force of nature while she's content to play a supporting role. She's pretty loyal to Orbit, but she doesn't care that much about the others and only helps them because he does. Even then, she's been having doubts about him since Zoo. I think she could go head to head with Orbit if it comes down to the two of them.

- Orbit: Love him or hate him (looking at you, Si-won), he's incredibly influential. He's so much of a leader that it's kind of stifling. Extremely smart in a technical way, the best at coming up with group strategies based on actual game theory. This complements his "protect the weak" ideology, though that has been breaking down. He can't save everyone, even at the expense of the other team. I think he first realized that after Zoo and then truly accepted it during Laying Grass.

- Cho Yeon-woo: She was too passive, exploitable. But while Seungkwan is loveable and Yu-min is pitiable, she never found an approach that would make someone hesitate about targeting her. I wish she got the chance to show her strengths, but Seok-jin's robbery was frankly a brilliant move so I'm not that mad. I think she should've cozied up to Si-won more, especially by telling her about the safe. Seok-jin would've disapproved but Si-won would've stood up for her.

#the devil's plan

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rainia · 6 months

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I really wish all the teams could capture the unhinged energy of red team, because from a slimecicle viewers pov we've had more content than we EVER normally get, so many jokes/bits/breakdowns/devious schemes, and fucking amazing group synergy. It's been content overload. I wish that the other teams were also on a "fuck it we ball" arc, everyone vibing together for five hours just trauma-bonding, with a mad rush at the end. Like hell, it's clear that red's chemistry has carried them to be the most formidable team so far, completely unexpectedly as well. And if the other teams could capture a similar state of frenzied energy, then it would be all over for red. They'd be fucking stomped, and I'd be ALL for the passionate monologues it would bring out lol. And it would be absolutely incredible for all the viewers too, if every team was having such a good (bad) time. I just hope that forever+roier can get on soon, because they are people I'm positive can make this change.

#qsmp #rain rambles #just some thoughts because #as a slimecicle viewer this event has been incredible #since WHEN do we get back to back 5 hour streams #unreal. I wish that every pov could be having a similar experience

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salemoleander · 7 months

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Ideal Life Series Teamups, per my own inscrutable criteria (assuming Ren returns, Bdubs stays, and Gem joins):

Cleo, Tango, Joel: Most loyal team possible. Incredibly murderous; not actually very good at murder. Excellent roleplay synergy; voted most likely to make dick jokes.

Martyn, Ren, Bdubs, Scar: MESSIEST possible team. "My ex, my ex, my ex, and me" vibes. The roleplay and innuendo would be off the charts. At least one person would stab another in cold blood by episode 2.

Jimmy, Skizz, Bigb: It Just Works (alternatively, team 'even worse at murder than Cleo's group'). Skizz + Jimmy have been doing great in streams, Jimmy + Bigb already know each other, I think their humor would all click.

Grian, Impulse, Scott: This is like your D&D party that has 1 person who people will even kind of trust. The angel and devil on his shoulders bickering as they try to get Impulse to victory. Extremely good at murder.

Etho, Gem, Pearl: I think if Gem joins Etho should just play into the jokes and get an extremely powerful ally out of it. They all have good energy together and I know Etho prefers teaming with more familiar people. Pearl balances the team, and I just want the life series to pass the Bechdel test. Pearl on this team or the first would be fine by me lmao

#salem tag #life series #life series 5 #will it happen? probably not #but these combos are so fun #im also tempted by martyn grian impulse and scar: team 'i would sell you to satan for 1 corn chip'

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blueikeproductions · 7 months

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An attack study of the Loyal Three for the anipoke Paldea AU. I figure all three have at least one Poison Type move, with Venoshock, Cross Poison and Poison Jab respectively. Okidogi is the more versatile one, using his fist or chain for Poison Jab.

My notes have the main Team Star reps being a trio analogous to Team Rocket like the trio used for Team Skull. In this case, it’s a bratty, if slightly prissy, brother and sister team, with an Impidimp as the Meowth counterpart. He can speak as well, being among the rare non telepathic Pokémon that can like Gastly and Slowking in the classic era. The boy has Krookodile and Houndour, while the girl has Espathra and Gothorita. Impidimp just sort of vibes with the duo, and doesn’t belong to either sibling, similar to Meowth.

Todd is here because I saw him reuniting with Ash in Kitakami on assignment to snap some rare Pokémon spotted in the region. He’s also since become a proper Pokémon trainer, inspired by Ash, becoming a Normal Type specialist (suggested by a friend). His primary Pokémon are Kecleon and Smeargle, who assist him with his photography. Noctowl, Persian, Ditto, and, a bit surprisingly, G-Linoone, who evolves into Obstagoon, make up the rest of his team. Todd and Perrin know each other and have a playful frenemy kind of relationship, trying to outdo each other. The stipulation here is while Todd is clearly an adult in New Pokémon Snap, he’s still a kid here, just wearing his NPS clothes for synergy.

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f0point5 · 7 months

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is it a French thing to talk shit but not be able to back it up? lol just kidding but truly it seems to be the case with the French drivers on the grid and the French team on the grid.

it seems to me like Esteban and Pierre are perpetually hung up on their potential for greatness that was lost for an unending number of excuses they have for it, instead of considering maybe they just… aren’t great.

and Alpine’s culture in general to me has always come off as thinking they are the best midfield team on the way to be a top team, but always manage to never show up for it

anywho that’s my rambling and i love ur opinions lol

I don’t think it’s french, I feel like it’s a sportsmen thing. To be at that level of an elite sport you do kind of have to have a colossal ego, it’s just a matter of reining it in when people can hear you.

I will say, and this is just a random vibe, I do get the sense that Pierre says stuff because he can’t help but say it, whereas Esteban says it because he thinks it will make people agree with him. That is not a fleshed out thought at all more of a gut feel I get from hearing them both speak.

But yeah I mean F1 drivers are famous for looking at every reason they don’t succeed before they look at themselves, because if their first thought is self doubt they wouldn’t have got very far. That said, in the words of those priests from The Prince of Egypt (underrated masterpiece), “you’re playing with the big boys now”. And I just feel like, believe in yourself always, but you have to know that from the outside the results aren’t bearing out evidence for that belief so if there’s an opportunity to say less, I would take it. Then again, I’m not an F1 driver so I have a different mindset. I just don’t like the way either of them come across most of the time.

Alpine’s culture has been a headline these last couple of days haha. I’ll just say I feel like there’s a lot of synergy between the team and the drivers and leave it there. But announcing your TP is leaving on a race weekend Friday is indisputably shambolic I’m sorry.

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nerdyenby · 9 months

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Aqua time :D I’m watching Impulse

This team’s chemistry is wild, their practice stream was so much fun, I’m so hyped :))

They’re all so confused and silly goofy, I love them

“I’m twerking” “Ok, you can twerk if you want to” already so chaotic I’m so excited

Rocket Spleef

Sneeg being one of Illumina’s first big twitch follows :))

Already bullying the drunk team, as they should lmao

Impulse saying they should target pink and accidentally killing Jack in the first round 😂

“I genuinely can’t remember the names of any of the maps, to be honest” “… wait there’s names?” Illumina 😭😭😭

Impulse top ten!!!!

A whole team of ethogirls calling noxcrew fanboys 🤨

Hole in the Wall

“The platform!! The platform’s a fish!!!!” “Looks more like a squid, to be honest” “It-… I hate this team” 😂😂😂

“We can just hate each other, that’s really good for synergy” Sneegsnag my beloved

Joel popping off!!!!!!!

This team’s vibes are so great, they’re so funny and so supportive, everyone’s so happy for Joel :))

“I got severe adhd, I have to make noises, man. The medicine doesn’t stop that, it stops the worms in my brain” REAL

I don’t think I knew Sneeg had adhd, like, I ~knew~ but I don’t think I’ve heard him say it (I have adhd and am a psychologist lmao)

Did they all get top 15 there????

Good comms and comm appreciation :))

JOEL IS A GR HATER???!?!! It’s okay everyone has flaws /lh

Impulse calling Sneeg old my beloved

“Let’s game til we die” being an almost entirely serious response to this conversation is so /pos

Sky Battle

Sneeg is giving such a good and thorough run down, what a guy

Rip Impulse

Sneeg hyping up Sniff :))

“You’re scaring me, bud” “I’m scaring myself” Illumina is so real for this, honestly

Impulse doing a lil sing-song after killing Etho

Joel using they/she for Sniff <33333

Meltdown

They’re doing so well!!

Sneeg popping off!!!

Aw rip, got sandwiched but kept morale high

Them being playfully upset at how well cyan are doing :))

*Tubbo falls into lava* “That’s what alcohol does to you, kids” JOEL 😂

Impulse 21st after the first half!!!!! That’s my streamer!!!!

Battle Box

This isn’t going great lol

Yeah, this map is rough

Ace Race

Sneeg’s deadpan “wiggle wiggle wiggle” is way funnier than it should be lol

“Imma vibe” “Imma vibe, too. I might yell, but it’s alright” I love this team so much

I BLINKED and impulse recovered from 40th to 17th, he’s doing so well!!!!!!

Iirc, Impulse has been neck and neck with every one of his teammates, they could all get top half!!!!

Impulse slipping up the exact same way Sneeg just did 😭😭😭

Holding hands in the early 20s <333

Grid Runners

Sneeg being so excited about the new pig room :D

THE GOLF COMPLETION OF LEGEND!!!!!!!

That was a smooth dunk tank

“OH my boy!!! Get at it!!” “What are we doing?” “You’re redstoning, you’re redstoning!!!!!” Sneeg hyping up Impulse my beloved <333

“THATS MY REDSTONE MONSTER!!!!! DUDE, ATTABOY, LETS FUCKING GO!!!!” “Swearing!!” “SORRY” I love this team so much, you guys don’t understand

FIRST OVERALL THOSE ARE MY GUYS!!!!!!!

Everyone had their moment to shine :)))

Easily one of the best gridrunners of all time

No one else knew repeaters could go through walls, same here bro

“Very convenient gridrunners for us, I gotta say: trident for me, redstone for you, whacking people for Illumina,… Joel was here”

“This team has some freaking synergy” “Aw dude, I just really love playing minecraft with good people” I DEMAND more Sneeg and Impulse teams

Joel sot hater????? Smh

Sands of Time

“I’m such a lil menace for sands, bro” Sneeg is so based you guys

The new sound 😭😭😭

Impulse is such a chill sandkeeper, it’s really nice

Illumina taking one for the team

First out, ruh roh…. It’s not necessarily a bad sign but it’s a bit demoralizing

Impulse tossing all the tomatoes so other people can’t throw them at Illumina <33

“Wait, we’re aqua” Sneeg 😂

IMPULSE 23RD!!!!!!! MY STREAMER!!!!!!!!!

Dodgebolt

Them being happy for whoever wins :))

Love how you can tell Joel and Oli are genuine, irl bffs because of how they talk, it’s all smack talk, they’re kinda brothers-coded

Hyping up and then immediately bullying Oli lol

Impulse said shit!! Technically “shat” but same thing

“There was an a in there” “Yeah, it’s different, guys”

Great times, great vibes, incredible team <333

#ignore that I’m over a week late pls #I’ve been busy consuming an abundance of live action lgbt content #we make the vods last here #mcc33 #mc championship #impuslesv #smallishbeans #sneegsnag #illumina #cw caps

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tiger-balm · 2 months

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goodmorning I just remembered how horrible the vibe shifts have been with some of these trades.. sending a guy to reunite with a bunch of his friends: vibes +5 ! ripping away a guy beloved by a team and a core part of their culture and shipping him to the mountains bc you're scared we will be too expensive in the future: vibes-20. Sending a guy you just got this year, beloved by fans, and perfectly fits in with the team synergy, and shipping him to a team on a downward trend, for a rental who doesn't even want to be there: vibes-10

#sometimes trades are good !#but not when they ruin the intrapersonal aspect of the team relationship to “get better at hockey”#i hate you gms this is ruining my day!!#and i know theres only more to come 😭#tradedeadline24

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zablionsea · 1 year

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I went on the tangent in the shower of trying to decide what Puzzle & Dragons Z teams NOISZ characters would have. So… yeah?

(NOISZ Ignition and re:||VERSE spoilers ahead)

(Puzzle & Dragons Z main story and post-game spoilers ahead)

Remora

(Leader) Stormy Sea Dragon, Levia (Water) - Levia is a recommended lead for defensive mono-Water teams. Why a defensive (basically) mono-Water team, though? Besides the fact that it fit Guivre Chimera well? After what happened with Stornel, Remora has to be cautious. Considering the devastating consequences for upsetting Gaius or Arietta too much, she can't afford to act ethically until the end of re:||VERSE. She has to prioritize her survival over doing what she feels is right. So, I think a defensive team fits well for that reason.

Dark Blue Skydragon, Nirai Kanai (Water) - A Skydragon given life by cursed technology and filled with hatred? Hmmm, that kinda reminds me of Void Beasts.

Guivre Chimera (Water) - I hope it's obvious why I'm giving Remora, the character who transforms into a chimera when you fight her, the chimera monster.

Death Scissors (Water) - Death Scissors was used by Team Paradox members, and Antiphon gives me a Team Paradox vibe. Plus, we've already got a few water monsters going on here, so why not complete the mono-Water defensive team?

Guardian Dragon, Avalon Drake (Wood) - Avalon Drake, formerly protecting the Skydragons, was defeated and manipulated by the Dragon King Avalon. In this evolved form, it was forced to absorb energy from Orbs extracted from the earth. The process of obtaining these Orbs destroyed the lands greatly. The Orbs granted Avalon Drake twice its former power, but it broke its spirit. Being manipulated around by a defeat and forced to hurt people? That sounds familiar…

Its lack of synergy with the other monsters on the team? Of course, that just happened to be that way, but it could represent the conflict between wanting to help her friends and being under blackmail.

Beyond

Beyond seems like the kind of person to try to have a well-balanced team (like, 5-color) and then pick what monsters based on personal preference.

(Leader) Mui-Mui (Flame) - Beyond is the character associated with Dancer Style, which is an assistive style meant to help those who struggle with timing the shot/shield inputs or pressing buttons repetitively for long periods of time. Mui-Mui's skill shows you how to make combos, providing somewhat equivalent assistance.

Tree Dragon, Kukunochi (Wood) - Morigon, one of its preevolutions, is described as having a big appetite (note Beyond's seemingly infinite metabolism and love for sweets). It's a bit of a daydreamer but very reliable, like how Beyond, according to the re:||VERSE art/lyrics book, is a bit naturally silly but shows a colder, tougher side of her personality in tricky situations. Kukunochi is a kind monster, seeking to uphold peace in the woods and bring new life wherever it goes. Beyond wants to bring peace to her and Arietta's chaotic lives.

Deep-Sea Dragon, Abyss (Water) - Another True Dragon whose preevolution is described as kind-hearted in some way. Abyss is rather reclusive, living far out of reach of any human being. This reminds me of the RE:||PARATION ending of re:||VERSE, in which Beyond becomes extremely isolated, shutting people out for days at a time, and even for someone she cares dearly like Remora, shuts her out occasionally too. (As well, Abyss pairs nicely with Remora's Levia, I think. The two are, like, halfway to being considered a couple. They deserve matching monsters at that point.)

Viciousdragon Helheim (Dark) - This monster is very frequently used by Dogma, the leader of Team Paradox, the villainous organization of Puzzle & Dragons Z. It turns out that Dogma was ultimately being manipulated by Enigma, who uses what Dogma set up to seize power and return to his role as the Dragon King Avalon. Although, he was separated from his body long ago and inhabits a different form.

I feel like that has some parallels to Beyond's getting manipulated by Alpha in the form of Arietta's body and being so insistent upon her goals that she didn't realize something was wrong until far too late.

Dark Shining Divinegon (Light/Dark) - Representing Beyond's tragic, misguided heroism in Ignition and re:||VERSE. Someone whose light that pierces through the endless darkness has been steered into darkness itself. Beyond, so desperate to help her sister achieve her dreams, put their lives in danger. And desperate again to right that tragedy, followed a heartless, callous being without even realizing the sister she loved so much was no longer in control.

(or, instead of Divinegon) Life Skydragon, Zerclea (Light/Light) - I think it fits well with re:||BIRTH. Plus, it pairs nicely with Arkvelza. I can't have Zerclea in the same team as Divinegon because that's not allowed in PaDZ.

Arietta

Although her color scheme works great with mono-Fire, I'm actually going to have to go with mono-Dark for a few reasons.

(Leader) Dark Night Skydragon, Elysium (Dark) - Elysium's skill grants a turn of invincibility, which reminds me a lot of Arietta's Crash Style. Plus, she fits well with a few other dark monsters. Dark Elysium's lead skill multiplies attack for Dark monsters, being attack-oriented like Arietta's Mega Style. Dark Elysium was created with terrible technology, like the Void Beasts. Arietta was the one who insisted on using the NOISZ Beast technology on Noise Beasts, after all.

Immortal Dragon, Cursed Wyrm (Dark) - Cursed Wyrm's skill does more damage at higher HP, which fits well with Crash charged shots doing more damage at higher combo.

Anubisis (Dark) - Enigma uses this monster. Enigma has some parallels with Arietta in terms of their roles in the narrative. Also, its skill deals 4,444 damage. Haha, funny STARLIVHT number. And Arietta's the person that recruited them in NOISZ SL. Anubisis is the Producer theory confirmed/j.

Drawn Joker (Dark) - It has a mischievous look to it that fits Arietta's playful and impulsive personality well. (I would also like to add “Arietta is Joker character” theory as a justification for this)

Lightning Dark Tiamat (Dark/Light) - Representing Arietta's redemption arc in re:||VERSE. She's someone who's done terrible, horrific things who's now trying to correct those mistakes. A light finally breaking through a sea of seemingly never-ending darkness. Plus, a Dark orb changer is an essential member of a mono-Dark team. It's no good not to have enough Orbs to clear. You need those for damage and skill points.

(or, instead of Tiamat) Death Skydragon, Arkvelza (Dark/Dark) - Pairs nicely with Zerclea, which I think Beyond has. Arkvelza's skill lowers foes HP by a set percentage. But I mainly picked Arkvelza for theming. I can't have Arkvelza in the same team as Tiamat because that's not allowed in PaDZ.

Leader Monsters Only

Unfortunately, I didn't have enough ideas to make full teams for these folks. My apologies.

Stornel

Dimensional Guardian, Hellgate (Wood) - Stornel's soul guards one of the NOISZ's most powerful secrets: imprinting souls. He acts as both the gateway and guardian of imprinting, similar to how Hellgate is both a portal and monster.

Immortal Dragon, Cursed Wyrm (Dark) - It's a deceased dragon who was reanimated by dark magic and trapped in the shell of its body. “Now I'm trapped inside this shell, the world has turned to black around me” as Stornel might say in Quicksilver, I suppose.

Sora

Phoenix Knight, Homura (Flame) - It goes on with its blue flames? Yeah, sounds like Sora in his beast form.

Garuda (Flame) - A very powerful phoenix that requires the rarest evolution material in the game (Ifrit Chip).

#PaDZ #Puzzle & Dragons Z #Puzzle and Dragons Z #NOISZ #NOISZ re:||VERSE #Look I spent way too much time trying to figure this out you all are going to see it #(but you don't have to read it if you don't want)#but I feel justified in tagging it #ok? cool #Doing this for STARLIVHT? not right now but maybe in a few weeks #id in alt text

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riacte · 1 year

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Late night MCC rambles:

To preface this I want to say I’m not very familiar with Dave Krtzyy, but he’s been in MCC long enough that I vaguely know of his vibe and skillset through osmosis.

Okay, so I’ve heard Aqua29 be compared to Blue9 in the mythological sense (in particular with the whole “proving self as S tier” / getting a long awaited win / H + PvPer) and Yellow20 in the practical sense. And I kind of agree with Yellow20. This does seem like a team that can get to Dodgebolt (and lose it) with a Yellow20ish trajectory. (If they actually lose Dodgebolt I’m gonna be real miserable about FalseCub losing DB again but anyways—)

Aqua29 is seen as a weaker Yellow20 because… I mean yeah it’s Illumina and SB. But one of the unique features of Yellow20 is that it’s a quiet competitive team. Illumina to a lesser degree, but I think the other three have been called one of the quietest / chillest POVs in MCC lol. Which can lead to communication issues such as MCC20 Sky Battle, in which False takes charge and they perform well in the last round. While False does occasionally take charge in Rivals, from my experience of watching her she doesn’t do that as much in MCC? However I think she did it a bit more in Yellow28, again 3/4 of Aqua. I think Yellow28 is a nice team for False because I think it’s a team she feels comfortable taking charge in, because Cub historically always backs her up and ofc HBomb’s around. (Stopping before this becomes another Blue9 H + False post)

Which leads to the question of leadership in Aqua29. Obviously, HBomb. We all know and love him. I’ve seen a Reddit post talking about Krtzyy leading in PvP games and I don’t know him well enough to discuss that, and the post mentioned not knowing about his synergy with the hermits so it could affect the team’s performance at first. Fair enough, but then again, H’s there, H factor and all that, he acts as a bridge, and the hermits are pretty good communicators (even if Cub is a little quieter). H’s presence is what differentiates Yellow20 from Aqua29. Coin wise, Yellow20 is probably stronger, but team wise, H factor could do wonders for Aqua29. So long they all listen to each other, I think they’ll be fine.

And also, don’t forget that the two hermits can be sweaty. Especially the specific combination of False + Cub. They’ve been in so many esport tourneys lmao (although usually not together T-T). And they know they have a good team this time, specifically with the blessed combo of H + PvPer. H is a great team player and strategiser, and knows how to “reign” in others (PvPers). A PvPer can make up in terms of raw skill, and H’s coordination can allow said PvPer to flourish. It’s why H and Fruit were so scary together (their skillsets and styles compliment each other particularly well, but I’m not gonna let this spiral into yet another Blue9 post).

So yeah, I think this team will be Interesting. It’s even more Interesting that it’s not just H + hermits, or Krtzyy + hermits, or H + Krtzyy, but all of the above together. It’s probably gonna be competitive. It’s probably gonna be fun. It’s giving Yellow20 but H factor. It’s giving Blue9. I’ve also heard someone say Orange10 but I can’t really see that lmao since to me Dave resonates more with Fruit’s arc, but I’m open to interpretations yay

Honestly, if they practice and get their comms / synergy sorted, I think they can slay. Like, genuinely. For the narrative. For Krtzyy’s win after five million years. For Aquabomb. For False and Cub’s DB redemption.

TLDR: I believe in Aqua29. They can do it.

#mcc #aqua29 #ria.txt #back to my consistently wrong mcc predictions #no really they’re all consistently wrong… ive only been right about orange17 but that was an easy one tbf #you can see me restraining myself from talking about blue9 (again)#long post #it’s not that long but tagging

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bluewillowedart · 1 year

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your magical girl au is so silly /vpos. that time frame where toya had yet to join but akito has sounds so goofy.. he really just has the Some Guy vibes (with the same powers as the other two but). i would love to hear your ideas so far on how he gets himself into that without toya because 99% of the time in canon he gets himself into weird shit because toya said "please 🥺" LMAO. also do you have any ideas about how other prsk characters would play into this (especially tsukasa, rui, and the vivids)? also also any specific scenes in your brain?

hehe thank you anon :)

and yeah YEAH the interval isnt too large but it gives that time for akito to have more one on one interactions with emu and nene and its so silly :]

ill nestle everything else under the cut bc im going to ramble again wagh

TBH that piece where touya can easily sway akito as such made me consider it to be more logical for it to be the other way around where akito is last to join initially but i chose this order for the sake of the fun dynamics LOL

emu kept asking and begging akito to team up with her and nene (as nene just sat there and watched this all occur) until he reluctantly accepted. giving them one chance and all. hes very strong and emu believes hes more than worthy for the role despite his own personal opinion. when touya eventually joins tho he finally confidently accepts working as a team bc touya gave him the pleading face. and you Know akito cannot turn that down or smth. yeah <3

tbh the team dynamic as fun as it is, it doesnt start out as cohesive as one would hope bc theres so much clash and it takes them time to be able to obtain that synergy (i want them to build up to having a badass unity attack to wrap that little arc hehe).

the idea of them having the double life between performances and saving the god damn city is chaotic but thats how it is being a magical girl!!

i havent given too much thought abt tsukasa, rui, an, and kohanes role in this au but im debating between letting them be normal surpporting roles OR they get to be the silly ""rival"" team to aktyemnn bc that would already be such a fun dynamic between those four,... and adding in the usual meta of not recognizing their mg counterparts would make this even funnier LMAO

actually wait.. this is really fun i like this... i want rui to have a giant bazooka as his weapon of choice, it makes sense in my heart. and then tsukasa would have a pegasus partner. kohane a hamster partner. ohhhbh i am letting my train of thought dictate my answer here as. you can see.

i wish i could draw bc i would have loveed to include little doodles to accompany my thoughts here bc the visuals would help better emphasize my points haha,,, but when i can. i DEFINATELY want to doodle for this au again,, i miss it so dearly since i got so busy with school..

#noct.doc #anon #once again. please PLEASE pick at my brain over this au #bc i seriously could talk abt this particular one for a long time if given the opportunity and permission #i am so normal i promi-

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blazehedgehog · 6 months

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Does Sega saying that they're “targeting high review scores” really mean anything? It's basic PR speak, and they've been saying that since Sonic 06 bombed with barely anything changing, to the point that they released crap like Sonic Boom. The one game that was considered higher than a six out of ten was made by contractors, and Sega did nothing to keep them around for the long run.

I mean, no, not really, they haven't been saying it. They've been trying to sell us games, sure. But you cite "since Sonic 06" and to me, the highlight of Sonic 06's marketing was specifically the phrase "going back to his roots." That's something Sonic Team said a lot. Like, a lot a lot. If you google "Sonic going back to his roots" you can find it being used for everything from Sonic Lost World to Sonic 4.

I remember it being particularly ironic with Sonic 06, because I think I first heard it used with Sonic Adventure 2, as a way to describe how that game was different from Sonic Adventure 1. See, they were going to make SA2 more like the Genesis games by getting rid of the hub world and simplifying the gameplay. Sonic 06 was basically Sonic Adventure 1-2, so for them to say it was "going back to his roots" felt dead stupid to me. The snake eating its own tail.

Anyway, like I said, I'm sure they've tried to convey that newer Sonic games were going to be better than the old games. That's just business. But they have never, actually, specifically said:

“We have set internal targets, as the correlation between the scores of external evaluation organizations and sales is high in Europe and North America,” [Sega Sammy's CEO Haruki Satomi said during an investor Q&A session]. “If the game gets a high score, it can become a must-buy game, and possibly generate synergy with sales, so we are currently working hard to improve the quality of the game toward its sales for the holiday season.”

What you're describing is PR. It's marketing. It's members of the press interviewing sales people and regurgitating hype intended to generate increased sales figures.

Investor earnings calls are not necessarily that. It can do that, sure, but generally it's a different vibe. Suits talking to suits about potential numbers. Not "We want you to buy our game" and more "This is our proven success and why you should give us extra funding."

You can't call a shot like that to investors and not back it up. Or you can, but I feel like it probably hurts the company a lot more.

The tone at Sega feels like it's starting to change. I mean Kishimoto is out there on Twitter talking to fans directly, something that has never, ever happened in the history of the Sonic franchise. Just today, Famitsu put up an article to celebrate the game's one-year anniversary, and in their interview with Kishimoto, he admits that The Final Horizon was intended to be their response to the PC modding community.

Look at it however you want, and maybe it will turn out to be bunk in the end, but at the very least, something about what they're doing is appreciably different.

#questions #Anonymous #sonic the hedgehog #sega #sonic team #sonic frontiers #the final horizon

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crystalelemental · 1 year

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I know I’m in a bad mood, but I am going to try to be judicious with their overall performance and kits. Because while I’m not happy, these kits are...enticing.

SYNGA SUIT HAU Hau got a Sygna Suit with Tapu Koko, and is an Electric Tech unit. He gives Electric Terrain on entry and Extension 5, powers up moves of all allies while under Electric Terrain, and +1 special moves next when setting a field effect. Moves are Dazzling Gleam, Fairy Wish, Buddy Electroweb which is AoE and doubles in power under terrain then hits -2 speed on foes and +2 speed for allies, and a trainer move that's +4 special attack and +2 crit for himself, then reduces sync countdown by 1 under Fairy Zone. Instantly, this kid is trying to compete with SST Red, and while I appreciate his moxie, it's never going to work. Red beats the game solo. Thankfully, I like Hau better, and he offers what Red cannot: actual team support. At 1/5, Hau is offering perfect Cakewalk/Inertia support in just three actions. Adding in Fairy Zone support that speeds up sync cooldown is nice too. This is great for a 1/5 pair.

Grid offers Adrenaline 1, Unfortuitous 9 which is great with his AoE moves, Fairy Wish Brain Gain 1 which is actually good this time because it means +2 stacks, Team Altered Field Dodge for evasion boosting when a field effect is set, it says Weird Vibes but I'm guessing it's the electric version, Whimsical Sync 5, MIND GAMES 9 HOLY SHIT, Shock Recovery, Power Plant to apply terrain again after sync, and Cakewalk. His 5/5 nodes are Brain Gain 9, Quick Tempo, Unfortuitous, and Adrenaline. Which...Unfortuitous is okay, but Brain Gain is the big bonus if you care.

Okay yeah, I actually like this one a lot. He supplies some insanely useful tools for both Electric and Fairy pairs, but has unique tools broadly. Having a move that can be spammed right away that hits -2 foe speed and +2 team speed? That's Inertia and Cakewalk simultaneously. Gordia and Lodge Serena are weeping with joy. To say nothing of the Electric types that need those skills, like Sophocles. And having Fairy Zone with -1 cooldown is ideal for SS Wally and Diantha. And the special moves up next? That's just icing. Hau is actually great, at just 1/5, as a supportive boy for his team. I am particularly stoked for Eevee Kris. Nonstop infinite Terrain, with Mind Games at 3/5, is fantastic utility. I really like this. Definitely getting 1/5, 3/5 debated. SYGNA SUIT MINA Mina. Why did Mina get Fini? I just...ugh, I guess this is better than Hapu. Anyway. Fairy Zone on entry and extension, so there's our answer: Misty Terrain isn't real. I agree with this decision. 30% special damage reduction under Zone. Ooooh, okay, +1 to both defenses for the team when any field effect is set. Slow, but nice. Draining Kiss, Rain Dance, Buddy Protect to give damage guard next to the team and restore 20% of their HP (30% if Fairy Zone) then resets stat debuffs, and trainer move gives crit defense +4 special attack and Gradual Healing to the team, alongside +2 more special attack if it's rainy. Instantly, there is a problem. We need crit rate.

Grid offers Team Sharp Entry which is great, Flabbergast 4 which is nice synergy with Wally and Bede, Sync Wall which is one I'm a personal fan of, Whimsical Immunity which is pretty nice, Fairy Kingdom which is the sickest entry skill ever for Fairy Zone, Barricade Buddies on Rain Dance, and Refreshing Rain. 5/5 nodes are Catalytic Kick on Rain Dance, Master Healer 1, Adrenaline, and Synchro Healing.

It's...okay. The good news is, that Team Sharp Entry and instant +6 under Rain is basically Diantha firing at full power on turn 2. Any special attacker with Dire Hit+ in their kit is getting full benefits from Mina regardless, which is pretty nice. I do think it's important to note that her max special is two turn, thanks to Rain Dance, but if your support acts first in the rotation (which they should), then this is free money. Turn 2 full power. As long as you can buff your own crit by 2. The main issue with Mina is that, unlike Acerola, Fairy Zone and Rain do not synergize. There aren't any sync pairs who need both. So Mina has to be relegated to one or the other. And Rain Support means competition with SS Kris. While Mina is faster for basic offenses, this is a fight she cannot win. Kris is miles ahead. And C!Calem helps physical Rain, so Mina's left without much niche there. Fairy Zone compression on support is really what she gains from this, and it's a pretty respectable niche. But again, just like Acerola, the Zone won't last until second sync, so she's reliant on DPS allies if she's taking first sync. Which, in Fairy? Is basically none of them. Certainly no one she wants. Diantha and/or SS Wally take first sync every time. Bede and Valerie have shit for DPS. NY!Lisia, the obvious DPS unit, is physical. Mina is a really cool support without much of a niche right now. SYGNA SUIT LANA UUUUGH. Okay look, I don't like Lana. She does absolutely nothing but chatter on about finding hunky swimmers, and listen. If I don't like it when the men are perverts, I assure you I will not like it when the girls do it. She's weird about it, and not in a good way. She's just offputting to me, and I'm pissed they gave her Lele. Literally anyone else would have been preferable, but this is my cross to bear. Oh, and she's a strike, so get ready for some real heavy salt.

Psychic Terrain on entry and extension. Powers up moves of all allies by 20% under Terrain. Increases both moves up next when any field effect is activated, but unlike everyone else, only for herself. Moonblast, Psychic Terrain, Buddy Psycho Cut which is sure crit and Piercing Gaze and costs 2 less gauge under terrain. Its power is fairly middling, and her offenses aren't great. Trainer move gives +6 to both offenses, and SEUN. Instantly, you can sense the problem, but I'll hold on to that for now.

Grid offers...I'm sorry is that Power Induction? Is Hau's thing with Psychic not incorrect? Weird. Critical Sync so she doesn't need crit support, On a Roll 2 on Moonblast which is a 90%, Terrain MPR which none of the others got for their effects, Weird Might 4 to get +1 Physical Moves Up Next every time she attacks under terrain, Weird Charge 9 to regain 1 gauge when she attacks under terrain, Haymaker, Weird World for a second terrain application on sync, Propulsion on trainer move, and Furious Brain. Her 5/5 tools are Adrenaline, Brainpower, Catalytic Kick on Terrain, and Impervious.

Okay, let's jump into the obvious: SS Lusamine has been waiting for Lele all her life. Unfortunately, she received it as a joke. Lele is stronger than Necrozma. Straight-up, its DPS and sync performance is far and away superior, with better self-sufficiency. Sure, it can offer the needed terrain forever, and provides -1 sync cooldown to complete Lusamine's setup. But who cares? Lele's EX Strike sync clears CS just fine, and it's not like you'd run both in one comp in Gauntlet. Lele wins even harder there, where everything is single-target, so Lusamine loses her only value as a no-penalty AoE DPS. This is always the issue with these kinds of units. They outshine the options they're supposed to be supporting, so they don't actually hold any value. In order to perfectly complement Lusamine, you need 3/5 for that Propulsion. Without it, Lana's just a minor 15% more move damage over Bianca. Half a Furious Brain, hope it's worth it. But on the other hand, if you want to just never run out of terrain, here's Lana with the steel chair. Even just entry and 2MP on Psychic Terrain with extension is a guarantee of a whole fight. So a 1/5 can't hurt, but it does come at the cost of variety like the other Tapu. SYGNA SUIT ACEROLA God, I know it's island-themed and appropriate but I hate the midriff exposing outfits so much. Anyway. Grass support, Grassy Terrain on entry with extension 5, reduces physical damage 30% under terrain, and physical moves up next +1 when anyone sets weather. Bullet Seed which should've been Horn Leech, Sunny Day, Buddy Swords Dance to give +2 attack +1 physical moves and +2 gauge under sun each use so have fun with physical damage, and trainer move with 1MP giving +2 defense +3 crit and +2 speed if sunny. And she's got gauge control. Hot damn. Acerola here is attempting to compress the roles of SS Morty and SS Lyra into one unit for the purposes of someone like SS Erika or SC Sonia. It's an ambitious goal, but I respect it.

Grid gives Bullet Seed No Quarter and Tripping Stirke 4 which are fine. Pep Rally on trainer move is fairly nice, +3 is about what you can expect out of SS Morty. First Aid 4 and Safety Tether are nice. Team Grassy Restoration approximates Morty as well. Green Thumb is the second application on sync. 5/5 stuff is Recharging/Punishing Strike, Vigilance, and Adrenaline.

I'd say Acerola does well enough as a compression of Morty and Lyra. It's not the worst job I've seen. The main issue is one application of terrain. Moreover, she's support. So she wants first sync when possible, but Terrain won't last to second sync. Extension 5 is double time, but if regular terrain won't last from entry to first, extended terrain won't last from entry to second. Which is why Adrenaline was key, it saved a turn. But it's 4/5, and at that point just take 3/5 with the second application man. There's also the issue of SS Lyra having the guaranteed flinch, so like...I don't think Acerola quite competes with that. Or with Morty's pop heal Potions. She's trying her best, but she literally can't duplicate all the nonsense those two throw out. If was an attempt though, I'll give her that. What she does do is excel at Grass-type strikers who need Sun. Because of SC Steven offering Rebuff, SEUN, and extra physical moves up next, and bottoming out defense. Those two are the response to Morty and Lyra. But it’s only for physical. LODGE ACEROLA Acerola is our lodge unit this time around. She comes with Banette, which I love, but cannot mega evolve. She's a support that emphasizes evasion. Uh-oh. Group Slapdash boosts team speed by 1 when she dodges, Fail Forward gives 1 gauge when she dodges, and Wide Awake prevents sleep. Her moves are Confuse Ray, X Atk All, Phantom Force, and trainer move buffs +4 evasion, +2 crit, and Gradual Healing but that last bit only for herself. Now, I believe that things like fail forward count when confuse denies an attack, and Phantom Force ensures a miss. So she has means of capitalizing on this stuff by default. What I'm hoping to see is Ridicure, Team Sharp Entry, and Stop Hitting Yourself. But she's free so...

Static Cling 2 is interesting if inconsistent; she's partially responsive to Uxie. Offensive Defense 4 on Phantom Force is...choices, but at least she gets MPR. Recuperation 1 is...fine. Stop Hitting Yourself 5! Okay, that's nice. Queue Cutter is a cute -1 sync cooldown 20% of the time when she dodges, too unreliable. Tighten Up 4 is odd, because it relies on her getting hit. Quick Cure is nice. Yeah, I guess 1/3 isn't the worst outcome, but this isn't good. She has no real staying power. Evasion play is high-risk high-reward, and most Gauntlet stages involve boosted accuracy, and eventually Piercing Gaze. Her kit also doesn't cap attack or crit, so like...that's a pain. Moreover, Hop exists, does her buffing job much better, and is more consistent. Acerola's pulled between getting hit and not getting hit for random chance effects that don't amount to much. I can't see this alt being particularly good.

VARIETY LANCE *sigh* Lance and Dragonair. You know, I have this whole thing where I like to think Clair keeps Dragonair because she's trying to differentiate herself. And now that's gone. I'm not mad. Anyway, Dragon Shift, so Hyper Beam. Shocked Hit Freebie is a 50% chance for Free Moves Next when the foe is paralyzed, so already better than Caitlin. Afflict Dragon TR Down, which is just applying Dragon rebuff when his Thunder Wave hits. Dire Hit All+ is nice, and his trainer move is -1 sync cooldown, +4 special attack, +2 team speed, +1 team accuracy, and -20% of his own HP, because Lance cannot help himself. It's better support than I would have given credit for.

Grid gives paralysis synergy 3, Brain Gain 2 broadly which feels legitimately insane, Brainpower because fuck Caitlin in particular, First Aid 4, Ramp Up 2 on trainer move for max special attack, Static Shock 5, and Go Viral...4 for some reason. Yeah, this is good for what it is, and what it is is pure power. Lance is pretty easy to understand here. Self-setup, paralysis with potential spread, start firing Hyper Beam. The ability to boost his own special moves next is kinda nuts. I'm gonna be honest, I...might like this more than Dragonite. Not that I'll pull for it. Dragon isn't hard to come by. But you know. It's actually kinda decent, unlike a lot of the variety scouts with Kanto.

VARIETY AGATHA Variety Agatha is a Poison support with Arbok, which is...cute. She can heal all allies a bit when attacking a foe under status (50% rate), boosts her own defenses by 1 stage each when using a move, and has Hostile Environment 1. Moves are Acid, Wrap, Leer, and a trainer move with 1MP that boosts both offenses and crit rate by 2. 1MP. Are you serious?

Grid gets Hostile Environment 2, Team Sharp Entry, Hit And Heal (just for herself), All Ramped Up and Berserk Bunch for +3 to offenses, First Aid 4, Status Immunity, Quick Cure, and a 40% chance to heal with Leer. Listen. It's not that it's strictly bad. It's that it doesn't do anything useful. This is a stall mon. A stall mon that functionally accomplishes the same goal as BP Erika and Lucy. Sure, she's more defensive, and has more passive healing. That's not a terrible thing. But this isn't...needed. Like, the combination of BP Erika/BP Clemont accomplishes the same thing for free. So forgive me if I kinda feel like Agatha is a BP unit in disguise, given defensive stats above that weight class and locked to limited for no reason.

ETHAN Ethan got his grid expansion! He's literally the only one! For some fucking reason! No common EX, no other general pool, not even a PokeFair expansion! Just Ethan. Alola’s hated so bad that even Johto outranks them. But don't worry! He got Brainpower! Because fuck Caitlin! Oddly, his upgrade seems just as bad, if not worse. Critical Eye on X Sp Atk is okay but leaves him with three turn setup, while Caitlin got two. Initial Guard is fine but it's not like it's doing a ton beyond preserving Eruption damage slightly. And Recuperation 1 is fine, but given Lodge Lillie, I think Synchro Healing would've bee justifiable. Recuperation 2 at the very least, since he's a striker. I dunno, this is...kind of another stinker. I think they got us, guys. I think they found out the general pool upgrades were too good and started making them worse on purpose.

SOLGALEO Solgaleo gains an EX and expansion, and admittedly, I'm curious. Solgaleo sucks as a sync nuke, I'm curious what they'll give it. Critical Eye on its Trainer Move means Sharp Entry finishes the job, immaculate self-setup, called it. Haymaker good. BOGO on its trainer move is fantastic. Furious Brain is a delightful multiplier as well, considering how easy it is to cap. Solgaleo eatin good.

FINAL THOUGHTS I have many. The Tapu are interesting, I will credit them for that. Instead of just playing to their one role as a Terrain setter, they included some interesting variety that is...well, not good, per se. Only Acerola's double effect combo overlaps. Grassy Terrain and Sun are a venn diagram that is also a circle; grass types love this. But compared to the SS Morty/SS Lyra combo, the role compression doesn't offer anything truly substantial that isn't covered in the initial core. A major reason SS Kris and SS Morty and Ingo worked so well when they came out was that their buffing kits combined with the field effects opened up options for debuffers and the like. And that's still technically true, but SS Lyra's flinch and Morty's god-tier healing more than made up for the lack of Leer, you know? I don't find her essential. Hau and Mina, by comparison, and wildly bad, having almost nothing that appreciates the combination of their Zone and Terrain/Weather. No Fairy also needed Electric Terrain or Rain. So instead of being role compression, they're just...able to support two different styles. Which is fine, for the record. I think the other aspects they offer are sound. Really, it's Lele that loses this round hard. While infinite Psychic Terrain is a blessing, she struggles with the same thing as, say, Champion Hop. Everyone you could support is worse than you, so why would you bother being a support? You're a striker, and you're better at it than they are. Lean into that. So I actually think Lana has the least value of all four, which hurts my entire soul, because I was legitimately hopeful on Lele's introduction being a solid option. But I guess this leaves the door open for a Psychic Terrain support? Maybe Caitlin stands a chance after all (she does not).

The Variety scouts are bad. Lance has some nice tools, but isn't exactly going to break records. He's just better than the others, which is a low bar. Agatha is probably the worst of the set, offering basically nothing that I consider valuable. She'll be useful in Gauntlet as a general blanket check to basically everything, but I really feel like you can get the job done with free pairs and miss nothing. Additionally, Ethan's expansion is fairly poor, so even that's not all that exciting. At least Solgaleo is doing well for itself.

Do I feel like this month could be safely skipped? Probably.

Hau is good 1/5 for the archetypes he supports, so he's worth a copy.

Mina is okay at 1/5, but I think 3/5 is fairly necessary for Team Sharp Entry to save buffing turns, and the second application of Zone for her low DPS allies.

Acerola at 1/5 emulates the SS Morty/SS Lyra comp well enough, but isn't as reliable, unless you got SC Steven.

Lana is a greedy Psychic Striker whose "Support" is being stronger than her allies but at least she doesn't consume gauges so you have dual strike comps right? 1/5 is fine.

Variety Agatha is just BP Erika with Leer and some recovery, nothing BP Clemont couldn't do for stall. Good news is, 1/5 will get your needed tools just fine.

Variety Lance is solid DPS and Tech sync from what I can see, but isn't breaking any new borders with what he does. 3/5 kinda necessary for the tech, though Hyper Beam DPS is fine 1/5.

Ethan's upgrade is kinda butt.

Solgaleo is now self-sufficient and has real multipliers, which is nice.

I dunno. It's weird. I think everything has some utility, even though nothing is groundbreaking. What's odd is that there's an argument that all of them are fine 1/5. In the era of 5/5 PokeFair, it's odd to have so many that are like...yeah, 1/5 will do just fine actually. I dunno. Is anyone else weirded out by this? It's weird.

#unit viability speculation

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