Though it missed the release of Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl by a few weeks, DeNA's mobile game Pokemon Masters EX is now celebrating the Sinnoh region. The second portion of its ongoing Villain Arc centers Cyrus and Team Galactic; including commanders Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn; who are causing havoc on the artificial island of Pasio. A special "Galactic Nightmare" prelude event kicked off December 26. While the full Sinnoh Chapter of this arc will not begin until January 12, the prelude introduces one of its main players: Champion Cynthia partnered with the Renegade Pokemon, Giratina.
The first part of the Villain Arc this September concerned the Kanto region's Team Rocket, with Giovanni getting the ability to Mega Evolve his Mewtwo while going up against Red and Blue in their classic Generation 1 outfits. Cyrus, who was introduced alongside Palkia as a Sync Pair partner some time ago, likely won't see as dramatic a shift regarding his in-game abilities. Giratina being added alongside Dialga, the Sync Pair partner for Lucas (despite Dawn being the Gen 4 "protagonist" in this continuity), is the main draw. It also happens that Giratina comes with a new "Zone" mechanic that could easily make its way outside of this mobile spin-off.
How Pokemon Masters Changes Battling
Before discussing the way this mobile game's mechanics could bridge into the main series of creature-collecting RPGs, it's important to note the way Pokemon Masters EX is its own beast. Rather than using turn-based battles between usually one or two Pokemon on each side, Pokemon Masters utilizes real-time three-versus-three battles. It also happens to be a gacha game, meaning new trainers with a given Sync Pair partner are introduced over time, but players will need to gamble using the in-game currency Gems if they hope to add that trainer to their team (with just a handful of exceptions).
Whether or not a trainer's attack can be used during battle is based on the amount of energy it costs. Attacks carry over from the main series, from the basic Psychic-type move Confusion to Palkia's Dragon-type signature move Spacial Rend, cost between one and four energy - with players having at most six bars to use at a time. PP is largely removed except on certain limited attacks, and each trainer also comes with passive effects and unique non-combative moves that typically raise stats, apply a field effect, or heal.
All six main stats from Pokemon games - as well as accuracy and evasion - carry over, with Speed now affecting how quickly one's energy recharges. Status conditions like Paralysis, Burn, and Sleep can still be applied; meanwhile weather and terrain effects are stackable on the field (and can be made indefinite under the right conditions). However, Pokemon Masters EX has introduced some new "screens" alongside techniques like Reflect, Light Screen, and Safeguard. Probably the most notable of these one-sided screen effects is one that drastically speeds up energy charging.
Alternate Costumes and Renegade Cynthia
As with most gacha games, Pokemon Masters EX introduces its fair share of special trainers who can only be scouted for a limited time, encouraging players to engage with microtransactions and avoid their fear of missing out (FOMO). Sometimes these are basic, stronger-than-average trainers like Champion Steven and Metagross, but more often there's a unique hook. Holidays like Halloween and Christmas come with seasonal trainers, and Masters' unique brand of alternate costume is the "Sygna Suit."
Within the game's lore, Sygna Suits are special outfits meant to increase the bond between one trainer and a signature Pokemon. In practice this allows DeNA to re-introduce a character using different Pokemon, sometimes one they might not use in the main games, with outfits tailored to match that monster. Unlike holiday scouts that appear during specific times of year, these Sygna Suit trainers are tied to in-game events and may be added to the general scouting pool. For example, Elesa and Rotom were added to take part in the game's first main story arc, meanwhile Leon and Eternatus were added for a Galar-centric Legendary event.
Giratina is Cynthia's second Sygna Suit partner, the first being Kommo-o introduced alongside Cyrus and Palkia. While every Sync Pair in Pokemon Masters EX fits a particular niche in battle, seasonal and Sygna Suit trainers are typically more powerful. Cynthia and Giratina are a "Master" pair, meaning they come with an extra passive that buffs all allied Sinnoh region trainers, and fill a Tech role - focused on getting off one gimmick when compared to the offensive Strike and defensive Support roles. For Giratina, this gimmick is activating a new Ghost Zone field effect.
Pokemon Masters' Zones Could Have Wider Use
While it may be a fun name for fans of Nickelodeon's Danny Phantom, the Ghost Zone field effect seems to just be the first in a new line. All Ghost Zone does is power up Ghost-type attacks in general, making Cynthia a potentially good partner for the second anniversary Lillie and Lunala released in September. However, what's significant about this is the precedent it sets.
There have only been field effects impacting a select few typings in the main Pokemon series over its 25 years. Weather moves like Sunny Day and Rain Dance are the best examples, as they buff Fire and Water-type moves, respectively. Electric, Grassy, and Psychic Terrain also power up their respective typings, with Misty Terrain debuffing Dragon-type Pokemon instead. Other typing-specific buffs have appeared in Pokemon abilities, such as Perrserker's Steely Spirit, but field effects are less common.
Having a "Zones" category of field effect for typings without obvious weather-related connections is a seemingly perfect solution to this issue. Ghost Zone, activated only by Cynthia's Ghost Wish move, will be followed up by Lucas and Dialga's Dragon Wish according to leaks for the upcoming Sync Pair. Pokemon Masters EX has adopted a lot of elements across the franchise, including Mega Evolution, Z-Moves, and Dynamaxing, but in this case it would make sense for Game Freak to take the Zones concept from DeNA as a way to further advance main game battle strategies.
Pokemon Masters EX is available now on Android and iOS devices.