Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon

[andromedae]

I'm hoping to get Ultra Moon for Christmas or my birthday. Reading everyone's experiences with the game has made me anticipate it a little more. In spite of the fact that I didn't want to try these games for being too similar to Sun or Moon, I can't ever resist a new Pokemon game.

[kryztyn127]

On 12/3/2017 at 10:32 AM, 888888 said:

I'm hoping to get Ultra Moon for Christmas or my birthday. Reading everyone's experiences with the game has made me anticipate it a little more. In spite of the fact that I didn't want to try these games for being too similar to Sun or Moon, I can't ever resist a new Pokemon game.

 

Well they have a parallelism when it comes to the mechanics, only additional for ultra sun and moon. I have reached the end of e4 and let me tell you, this has more content than sm did. I could list all the stuff they differ but i would not want to spoil you even if i put the spoiler tag on it. 

 

 

And as for Necrozma, that guy knock out 2 of my mons. but hey my highest level was 5 from him, managed to faint him by trapping him on fire spin 

[Lightstorm12000]

Gotta love how, when you post the majority of version exclusives to the GTS, they're snatched up in minutes, but if you post a Pheremosa, you're bound to wait for days before anyone even bites at it.  It doesn't matter if it's a fair trade for Sun and Moon (Pheromosa for Kartana) or for USUM (Pheromosa for Buzzwole) -no- one seems to be biting.  T_T

[Beldarius]

I'm kind of disappointed in USUM, to be honest. There are so many things GF could have done better, like allowing us to actually explore Ultra Megalopolis, making the Rainbow Rocket storyline more than just battles, anything. Now it just feels like they copied SM, slapped a few gimmicks on it and sold it as a "new" game. I actually liked Sun and Moon better since at least the Looker & Anabel arc was more fun to play than the Rainbow Rocket one. *facepalm*

 

It's also kind of funny how overpowered Mudsdale is - back in SM, I could solo the entire Elite Four with my level 80 Mudsdale. I can nearly do it in USUM, too. (My Ultra Sun post-game team is Primarina, Mudsdale, Tyranitar, Salamence, Volcarona and Dawn Mane Necrozma.)

[Dragon_Arbock]

@Beldarius

Not like third versions have ever been anything more- well, usually anyway. B2W2 was the only one I'd call a truly new game.

I have complaints about gen 7 as a whole, but I've already outlined them in this thread. Here's to hoping the Switch game goes in a different direction and has focus.

 

Meanwhile, want to breed a Lucario, and just noticed how it learns Meteor Mash. Smeargle is the only parent for that. They did it, they finally used the loophole in the field egg group.

[Jet Raptor]

Sooo I got Ultra Moon for Christmas...haven't played it yet, but I have a question.

I've drifted out of the Pokemon loop after X/Y. How do HM moves work in Sun/Moon now? Like...HMs are now TMs...but do I still, for example, need a Pokemon that can learn Fly in order to, well, Fly? I read something about "summoning Pokemon" to use stuff like Fly and Surf, but I'm confused.

[Dragon_Arbock]

@Jet Raptor Only some HM moves are now TMs, and teaching them to your pokemon does nothing. You get an item early on called the 'ride pager', and you use it to summon very specific pokemon that act in place of HMs. They're not your pokemon.

[ShinyShinx]

So I was about to start chaining for a Shiny Cottonee on Ultra Sun. 

 

Guess what my first encounter was. 

Shiny Cottonee, Gender, Nature, and Ability I wanted. 

 

Sheer. Luck.

[Dragon_Arbock]

Wow. I want that luck. No idea if it needs egg moves, but nice.

 

I need to get back to breeding, but distracted am I. I also find it really funny Mienshao has higher attack and speed than Lucario. For such an iconic pokemon it's actually not that good without its mega.

[KrazyKarp]

Not only Lucario; Charizard, too. If Charizard isn't mega, you're better off with... almost any other fire Pokemon. I've been meaning to try out the timid Blacephalon I caught, I forgot to SR for it to have HP grass though. I meant to do that, oops. Fingers crossed then!

[Dragon_Arbock]

I guess I excuse Charizard cause its megas aren't banned to Ubers.. so I can use them. I can't use Lucario's mega, so it's laughably bad. (I know VGC isn't Smogon, but for the first year of VGC for SM, all megas and non-alola regional pokemon were banned), Lucario was also made to be promoted and shown off as the first DP pokemon ever, and keeps being put in things to this day, but they didn't have the foresight to make it good.

 

I guess what gets me more than anything is they've shown that they're willing to buff pokemon's base stats- they buffed Masqurain and Mantine just this gen. Why not actually buff more pokemon to make them more usable?

They buffed Ariados too, but it was only 10 points to special defense.. which really did nothing.

[KrazyKarp]

For some reason they buffed Electrode's speed, because apparently it needed to be faster? Sorta the way things go, though. Not everything is gonna be competitively viable; some thing still wouldn't be, even with a buff.

[Dragon_Arbock]

It gets to the point though, that they clearly favor all these crazy legends they come out with. Almost all the UBs are good- which is meh cause I don't like any of their designs.

Not every pokemon has to be OU, it just has to be usable. Flygon is RU, but I can still use Flygon. I can't really use Flareon or Ariados 

 

To that same extent- giving things like Metagross and Tyranitar a mega is a big waste. Megas should have gone to weaker pokemon. Beedrill deserved it.. but no mega for Ariados, Butterfree.. Fearow.. any of the route 1 or 2 pokemon of the older gens that were designed to be awful.

[KrazyKarp]

I mean, I get why UBs, legends, and mythics are super powerful. And I support it. However, I don't support Tapus and UBs in VGC, everything seems to revolve around them and I'm kinda sick of it. Yeah I'm excited to use Naganadel, Blacephalon, and Stakataka but I don't want 'em in VGC. Especially not something as versatile and overpowered as Naganadel (Blacephalon, I've found, is rather one dimensional in terms of offensive sets; still too strong for VGC, though).

 

When it comes to route one and two Pokemon, you can make use of Raticate, a Guts build can be fun. But yeah I see what you mean. I like that Pidgeot, Aerodactyl, Beedrill, Absol, Abomasnow, and others got megas. And I get why Rayquaza got a mega; story purposes, and that's fine. Tyranitar, Salamence, Mewtwo, Alakazam, and others, though, I doubt needed it.

[orenjibonbon]

I wanted Ultra Sun, so I bought Ultra Sun, and sort of regretted that decision... in a way. well, at least it was Christmas money. and yes, I did get Sun. I bought Ultra Sun 95% because photo feature, all I want to do is pose with Buzzwole, honestly. ok, that's a silly exaggeration. but that was what really initially interested me, not gonna lie. I barely started it and then stopped because I don't like the beginning... besides that, I can wait a while to actually play it. got too into other games anyway. suppose that's a good thing, haha.

question, though: when do you get access to the ultra beasts?

Edited January 6, 2018 by orenjibonbon

[ShinyShinx]

1 hour ago, orenjibonbon said:

I wanted Ultra Sun, so I bought Ultra Sun, and sort of regretted that decision... in a way. well, at least it was Christmas money. and yes, I did get Sun. I bought Ultra Sun 95% because photo feature, all I want to do is pose with Buzzwole, honestly. ok, that's a silly exaggeration. but that was what really initially interested me, not gonna lie. I barely started it and then stopped because I don't like the beginning... besides that, I can wait a while to actually play it. got too into other games anyway. suppose that's a good thing, haha.

question, though: when do you get access to the ultra beasts?

It depends. Poipole comes in before the fourth trial. Every other UB is in the post game, or before the Fourth trial. It depends on how patient and willing you are to do that stupid Portal game thing. 

[orenjibonbon]

10 hours ago, ShinyShinx said:

It depends. Poipole comes in before the fourth trial. Every other UB is in the post game, or before the Fourth trial. It depends on how patient and willing you are to do that stupid Portal game thing. 

oh, ok. thanks for answering!

[Dragon_Arbock]

Portal game is less stupid than the Looker missions in SM. You get unlimited of the UBs in the portals, and they can be shiny.

[ShinyShinx]

3 hours ago, Dragon_Arbock said:

Portal game is less stupid than the Looker missions in SM. You get unlimited of the UBs in the portals, and they can be shiny.

True, but the motion sensor thing infuriates me. I was just angry because I saw a guaranteed Legendary portal and barely missed it, ending up in a portal that gave me a bliddy Swanna. 

[Dragon_Arbock]

Ah. To be fair, I haven't used it much, and am not a fan of the gyro controls either. An option to use normal controls would have been nice.
That being said, will probably go hunt for shiny Groudon at some point. Just hard to justify it when it's uber and I have other targets in mind as well.

[KrazyKarp]

You can change it so that you use the circle pad. You gotta talk to some guy in Heahea, I forget where he is. But he's there.

[Dragon_Arbock]

You can? Well.. it's not very helpful if it's something I have to use a guide for, game. Why is that a thing? *points to perfectly good options menu*

[Sesshomaru]

On 1/4/2018 at 9:46 PM, Dragon_Arbock said:

I also find it really funny Mienshao has higher attack and speed than Lucario. For such an iconic pokemon it's actually not that good without its mega.

 

Since Lucario is one of my favorite Pokemon that has proven itself time and again to be a sound choice in competitive battles, I have to say that sounds more like an opinion than a fact. For one, Lucario has better defenses than Mienshao. In a battle featuring two masterful examples of the breed standard (fully EV trained with 31s in all IVs), I can see them holding their own pretty evenly. Serebii also has a handy list of every mon's aggregate base stat that's been updated for the current generation. Lucario's still statistically superior to a lot of tough competition, including Mienshao.

[Dragon_Arbock]

@Miral I train competitively too, and sadly, speed is everything. Lucario needs to run Extremespeed and Bullet Punch if physical. It doesn't even have the room to make use of its new tool in Meteor Mash. Base 90 speed just doesn't quite cut it, and it doesn't quite have the time to set up agility. Higher defenses or not, they're not enough to make it survive super effective hits from the common attacking types of ground and fire.

Having a higher overall BST does not make it better. Mienshao hits harder, faster, and that's pretty much all that matters- and has a great ability in Reckless.

[Lightstorm12000]

9 hours ago, KrazyKarp said:

You can change it so that you use the circle pad. You gotta talk to some guy in Heahea, I forget where he is. But he's there.

The guy that changes the controls for the Ultra Warpride from motion controls to the circle pad is an Aether Foundation Scientist in the Game Freak office.  It took me a while to find him too.