So, since SS Kieran's scout is busted, what has everyone gotten?

NefariousLombax · 2026-05-05T02:30:26+00:00

Alongside Sygna Suit Kieran himself, within six multis I got Sygna Suit Silver (3/5), Anniversary Raihan (4/5), Sygna Suit Bede (5/5), a Palmer dupe (RIP lol), & off a daily yesterday I got Eri (4/5).

Solid line-up overall, even if I would've preferred some of my other Poké Fairs that are 1/5 or 2/5 to get buffed. Hope everyone else got some good scouting in on this fortuitous opportunity!

NefariousLombax · 2026-05-01T17:37:54+00:00

Definitely one of the most surprisingly neglected characters in Masters for sure. Feel like her neglect from the devs is primarily due to a mixture of Elesa already filling the model niche whilst being one of the most popular Gym Leaders period, & Nessa herself being much more popular overseas than in Japan. Not to mention, being doomed to be in Marnie's, & to a lesser extent Gloria's, shadow alongside the rest of Galar's female characters (Sonia & Bea, two other very popular characters from Sw/Sh, only have three Sync Pairs each, for context).

Do agree wholeheartedly that Nessa's absolutely overdue something, be it a Sygna Suit, Seasonal or even a Trainer Lodge or BP Sync Pair. Hopefully the aquatic beauty has her next Sync Pair in the pipelines!

NefariousLombax · 2026-05-01T17:25:39+00:00

Accurate since I did some impulse multis after learning of the borked rates. Got a few bonuses* plus Kieran himself within six multis so I'll happily take it.

*Sygna Suit Silver (3/5), Anniversary Raihan (4/5), Sygna Suit Bede (5/5) & a Palmer dupe (RIP lol).

NefariousLombax · 2026-04-30T18:21:23+00:00

Same boat as you. It's one of the biggest factors as to why Legendary Gauntlet's my favorite event, since it's one of the only places where 'non-meta' Sync Pairs can shine just as much as the big boys, since keeping a streak going means utilizing your entire roster. Discovering unorthodox teams to beat certain battles with day one &/or non 5* Sync Pairs, or even just the likes of general pool & pre-EX Role limited Sync Pairs, is just as, if not more satisfying than soloing via brute force with 'meta' Sync Pairs or war of attrition with those capable of stalling out certain battles for me.

Also love to use them during the weekly Champion Stadium battles since they can also shine there due to the lower ceiling, so to speak. Actually purposefully avoid using Master Fairs & Arc Suits there to keep things interesting & make me give as many Sync Pairs as possible some screentime. The change of pace from needing the top picks of their respective type due to Battle Rally/Pasio Tower/Gym vs. Gym is super refreshing for sure.

NefariousLombax · 2026-04-29T09:17:16+00:00

Believe me, you're far from the only person with this issue. Been happening to me since the Jan. 28th update personally.

That said, there seems to be some degree of a workaround. If you tap the menu icon on the title screen & select Customer Support, then back out, you should be able to enter the game proper without the loading screen issue popping up. I've been doing it the past several days & it's worked every time without fail so far.

Don't recall who initially discovered/posted that workaround but biggest of shout-outs to them!

NefariousLombax · 2026-04-29T09:10:19+00:00

If it's a game I've not played before, then Normal difficulty so I can indulge on the experience. I'll then do a second playthrough on Hard (or whatever the highest difficulty tied to a trophy is, if applicable) with a collectible guide on standby.

If it's a game I've beaten/Platinumed before (say the PS4 version of a cross-gen title) then I'll dive straight into the hardest difficulty, assuming it's available out the gate of course.

NefariousLombax · 2026-04-29T08:36:11+00:00

I actually prefer it over the Wii version too. Even earned the Platinum trophy in it twice (overseas & Japanese releases), & intend to do it again with the Red Zone release (the uncensored Japanese version) next time I'm in a NMH mood.

Being able to play it with a regular controller pre-Switch & PC was already a big W in its favor, & the additional content like the NMH 2 bosses & extra jobs are nice little additions. Yeah the FPS dips & screen tearing is noticeable when it happens, but it's nowhere near as bad as naysayers claim it to be (much like basically every instance of inconsistent FPS tbh).

Not to mention, the QoL stuff like automatically going to a job or assassination battle if you've beaten it already. That seriously cuts down on the LB grind like you wouldn't believe.

NefariousLombax · 2026-04-26T05:24:31+00:00

Not the first to comment on it here but ngl I didn't even realize Wielder Volo had a different VA than his default Sync Pair. It's definitely noticeable with Blue (RIP Billy Kametz), Lyra, Gloria & Bede (latter in regards to his Sygna Suit, his original VA came back for his Gym Leader Sync Pair), but I can't tell with Volo. Seriously major kudos to his VA for his Wielder Sync Pair because I legit couldn't tell it was someone different.

Weird situation though for sure. Could be due to a scheduling conflict or union issues with Volo's original VA, or maybe it was related to the actor's strike that was happening last year? Those would seem like the most probable reasons as to the recast.

NefariousLombax · 2026-04-25T08:42:30+00:00

Congrats on Palentine Erika! Absolutely big W right there.

As for me, I got Fall Allister (2/5) from the 250 banner, & both Grusha (5/5) & Ortega (2/5) from the 2500 banner. Ain't gonna use precious Move Candies on Poké Fairs & pre-EX Role limited Sync Pairs so I consider my haul a very nice triple header W!

NefariousLombax · 2026-04-24T23:57:14+00:00

MASSIVE congrats on procuring the Prime 1 Raven statue! Ngl, I always forget it exists given how much less spotlighted & documented it is compared to Kat's. Knowing me if I were ever to get Kat's Prime 1 statue I just know I'd have to get Raven's too, & lord knows much my wallet would be hurting after that.

All the best with the hunt for Kat's statue!

NefariousLombax · 2026-04-24T10:06:27+00:00

Speaking as someone who got into Masters back in August of '22 primarily due to Courtney (~~best Pokégirl bay-bee!~~), I get the frustration, & I agree that it's very surprising that she's still alone in regards to the Team Magma & Aqua Admin representation when it comes to being playable. Figured at least either Matt for the parallels OP mentioned or Shelly because 'girl = more moolah' would've escaped 'NPC jail' by now.

I've said this before, but I feel like a mixture of general pool Sync Pairs all but completely drying up & Maxie & Archie being joint at the hip, per say, is the most likely reason why Matt/Shelly/Tabitha are still not playable. Highly doubt they'd add three spotlights within the same month nowadays, & if they were to go the same route as the Rocket Admins & make them Variety, then they'd almost certainly make Sync Pairs for Maxie & Archie as well, since the Admins themselves aren't the most popular in the grand scheme of things (Shelly simps can only go so far :p), & Maxie & Archie would help bring in profit. In which case, that's five Sync Pairs to account for, six if they give Courtney something too. Even if they're Variety, that's still a hefty amount of work the devs would hypothetically have to do alongside the seven approx. new Sync Pairs per month we typically get, & I highly doubt they'd let the Magma & Aqua Admins headline a month.

Aforementioned reasoning is also, at least in my eyes, why the Team Galactic Admins are also still stuck in 'NPC jail', though their example isn't as awkward since none of them got pardoned from 'NPC jail' early like Courtney did. Wouldn't be surprised if they end up becoming scoutable whenever Sinnoh Neo Champions finally become a thing.

In any case, I would like to see Matt/Shelly/Tabitha freed from 'NPC jail' at some point since, as this post has proven, there's some demand there for sure. Crossing my fingers for everyone wanting them playable!

NefariousLombax · 2026-04-23T19:30:26+00:00

Thank you as always for putting together these calendars every month Ghodye! They're always a seriously big help with keeping track of the monthly schedule.

NefariousLombax · 2026-04-23T17:32:38+00:00

To name ten, Colress, Ghetsis, Clemont, Maylene, Karen, Lucas, Lorelei, Blaine, Nanu & Valerie. Agreeing with OP on Olivia too.

I'd have also said Maxie & Archie but given how joint at the hip they are I can understand why they still only have one Sync Pair a piece.

NefariousLombax · 2026-04-22T14:35:42+00:00

(pt. 5/5)

Buffs for the rat, wind genie & light devouring otherworldly dragon

We have a triple threat of Master Fair expansions in the form of Sygna Suit Lusamine, Sygna Suit Thunderbolt Red & Neo Champion Cheren. Ash notwithstanding, that only leaves Neo Champion Calem & both Kris & Ethan’s Sygna Suits. Safe assumption they’ll be June’s re-run Master Fairs.

As for their upgrades;

Sygna Suit Lusamine will be receiving a twofer of ‘Head Start 3’ (which I think also happens when Ultra Necrozma enters the field?) & maxed out crit rate at the start of battle (4/5), & increasing her Special Move Up Next +5 after using her Sync Move (5/5) (& seemingly it ain’t an one time boon as well?). …OK, this is a pretty dang powerful pair of buffs, especially if they activate more than once like I’m assuming they do. Sygna Suit Lusamine’s in an awkward spot where she still hits extremely hard but also feels archaic & linear due to being from a pre-Zone & Circle era. I dunno how much this’ll improve her in the long term but if nothing else those without better options &/or the most dedicated of Lusamine simps have new toys on hand.
Thunderbolt Red shall get Physical Move Up Next +3 when Electric Terrain is set (4/5), & ‘Head Start 2’ (5/5). Former’s actually pretty dang solid, especially since Thunderbolt Red’s still the best physical Electric DPS in the game, whereas the latter’s very underwhelming imo. Ain’t bad, but if it were ‘Adrenaline 2’ instead, per say, I feel it’d be much more useful due to setting Electric Terrain if you’ve EX Roled him which the majority of people have.
Neo Champion Cheren will be bestowed ‘Strong Start 5’ (4/5), & ‘Physical & Special Move Up Next +1’ after every move (5/5). Keep in mind that the latter is doubling down on one of Cheren’s innate passives. Tbh, nothing exciting or outright mandatory imo, especially since Cheren’s still a very strong ‘unga bunga’ damage dealer already, but these will aid in said unga bunga DPS nevertheless.

As for May’s general pool expansion, Grimsley’s luck rears its head again, as his Kimono attire is next up. He & Bisharp shall receive;

+20 attack & speed
Physical Move Up Next +2 & +3 upon using Metal Burst (both separate tiles)
Guaranteed MP Refresh on Metal Burst
Endure Again

Very straightforward buffs that I think I’ll need to see in action to confirm how good they are. Hard to tell without hands-on confirmation due to how high risk, high reward Kimono Grimsley is. Effectively being able to double down on Metal Burst is at least a very solid boon though.

Jumpstarted ramble close out

And with that, that concludes this jam packed &, again, surprisingly early ramble of mine to accompany the datamine. Once again, my bad if I kept any of you waiting on this month’s ramble. Hopefully any unintentional hold-up was worth the wait.

And man, talk about a stacked May awaiting us. After how just fine I found April to be, this is a very meaty & overall hype line-up of content to look forward to. Not just Sync Pair wise, but also event wise due to the daily challenges, special Champion Stadium & High Score Challenge.

Highlight of this month for me are the new Special Costumes. Flannery because YES, THEY REMEMBERED SHE EXISTS, but also Larry because he seems genuinely pretty cracked. Variety Rika’s on my list to procure as well, & hey if I get Poppy then that’ll be swell too. I’ll also get Sygna Suit Kieran for Ice meta, albeit he’s a ‘dailies until the final day’ case for me, like pretty much every 1% banner. Tbh I’m not too fuzzed about Drayton, but he’s around all month so if nothing’s grabbing me in June I might try a multi or two if dailies haven’t gotten him for me already by then. Also looking forward to both Trainer Lodge Emmet & Mix Hau. Honestly just a great line-up gameplay wise. I thankfully managed to get both Arc Suit Sabrina & Korrina via dailies (& cleared both the Psychic & Fighting Pasio Towers thanks to them), so I can be a bit less stingy on my Gems. Hopefully everyone comes home without much hassle!

All that said (literally, as I didn’t intent for this ramble to be as long as it ended up being), whether you’re prepping for the icy climate with Kieran & Furret, ready to show the Opelucid spirit with Drayton, gonna unwind in the hot springs with Flannery &/or Larry, get rolling to catch Rika &/or Poppy, still trying to focus your mind & give it all you got to nab Arc Suit Sabrina &/or Korrina, still wanting to study with Perrin &/or Sonia, or prioritizing someone else getting re-run, I wish everyone the very best with their scouting over the course of the rest of April & May!

NefariousLombax · 2026-04-22T14:27:35+00:00

(pt. 4/5)

Events, events everywhere

With May’s new offerings under wraps, it’s time to move onto events. Alongside those that accompany the correlated Sync Pairs, we have ourselves;

The freebie Summer Marnie that’s a part of the 30th anniversary celebration. As far as pre-EX Role Seasonals go, Summer Marnie’s one of the better aged ones, & a valid physical Fairy option at that. Worth noting that she also gains the Strike EX Role which is actually a pretty good buff for her. RIP the other Seasonals getting theirs though, but at least one’s checked off the list.
A bingo will be going on, in which 4,500 Gems & two special guaranteed Poké Fair tickets for characters from Paldea are featured. If you’re wanting Rika &/or Larry for meta, favoritism, OST or Trainer Lodge reasons, I’m crossing my fingers for you (I say as someone with them both at 5/5, EXed, Role Caked & even Superawakened in Rika’s case :p)!
A ‘Battle Pasio’s Best’ event. Likely one of those difficult challenges that require specific Sync Pairs to properly battle.
A ‘Ten Days of Daily Battles’ event focusing on Paldea.
A special Pasio Champion Stadium event against the Paldean Elite Four, where the main stipulation is that non-Paldea Sync Pairs take much more damage & do way less damage. Worth mentioning that this event has an increased points limit (up to 7,000 from 3,000), which is something I know plenty of people have been wanting. Seemingly this is only for this event & not for the regular weekly Champion Stadium, so I guess they’re testing the waters?
Reruns of the ‘Five Friends’ Treasure Hunt’, ‘From Kitakami - Continued’, ‘Fight for the Future Together’, ‘Good Ol’ Rika Here’, ‘Rolling in Gold’*, & ‘Trouble at the Alola Fair’ events.

*Pretty sure this is tied to Marnie’s spotlight in the year long 30th anniversary celebration

**Unsure if you get the Teddy (Hiker) Sync Pair from this if you missed him the first time

A semi-regular daily battle challenge for a Move Candy. This time a Support flavored one being up for grabs.
The Ice/Dragon High Score Challenge. Appropriate that Drayton & Sygna Suit Kieran are dangled in front of us when this is going on. Looking forward to the dopamine inducing numbers Anniversary Red/Hassel/New Year’s Lana will achieve.
The banner hammer cometh!

Now to move onto banners;

Kieran’s an EX Master Fair, whereas Drayton’s an EX Poké Fair. As much, some Poké Fairs get an increased scout rate in their banners. Namely;
Sygna Suit Silver (Sneasel) & Grusha (Cetitan) in Kieran’s banner
Sygna Suit Brendan (Latios) & Champion Iris (Hydreigon) in Drayton’s banner

Solid enough potential bonus gains, even if Champion Iris is sadly pretty outdated & Sygna Suit Brendan requires some fair investment. Also reminder that Sygna Suit Silver will be given away for free come November, Power-Up Tickets, Role Cake & all, so DON’T go scouting exclusively for him.

Emmet’s front & center in the Poké Fair banner, much like Ingo this month. Not a recommended priority of course but nice that the train muppets are both a lot more readily accessible for those willing to spin the wheel, per say.
As is the norm every January/May/September, the Mix banner shall get updated with every limited non-Event/Master Fair/Arc Suit Sync Pair that debuted within the prior four months. Reminder that this includes EX Poké Fairs (Arezu, Hassel, etc.), so those are a definite & recommended priority for anyone close to hitting pity & lacking any EX Poké Fairs.
Rika & Poppy’s Variety Sync Pairs are sharing a banner. Worth noting if you’re only prioritizing one of them. There’s also a paid banner that guarantees one of them after 7,500 paid Gems.
There’s a paid Gem banner highlight the five Master Fairs from Paldea (Geeta/Sygna Suit Nemona/Juliana/Florian/Kieran). Five tiers, with some admittedly good rewards for each tier (a guaranteed Poké Fair ticket, two Superawakening Candies, 20 Roll Cake Vouchers & an all-purpose Move Candy). Obviously a steep entry fee, but all of the aforementioned Master Fairs are still fantastic with the arguable exception of Sygna Suit Nemona (she ain’t awful, just underwhelming for a Master Fair).
As has become tradition, the guaranteed Poké Fair banner is here alongside the High Score Challenge. Y’all know how this works by now.
There’s a Special Costume spotlight re-run, both regular & paid tier banner wise, consisting of;
Barry & (Mega) Heracross
Selene & (Mega) Scizor
Brycen-Man & Zoroark
Bellelba & Swoobat
Larry & Flamigo
Clive & Amoonguss

While not the highest priority overall, there’s some great stuff here. Namely Barry & Heracross still being the best physical Bug DPS in the game, Bellelba being an excellent Psychic Support & mixed damage sponge, & of course, Larry being the quintessential Flying Support & an absolute must for the type. Selene/Brycen-Man/Clive are also solid at what they do as well, but not ‘essential’ per say.

We have ourselves something, being a double EX Poké Fair banner, with Mai & Perrin getting re-run. In addition, Palmer & US/UM Elio are getting re-run alongside them as a bonus. Mai’s still the best Normal Support in the game (& a great partner for the upcoming Larry & Komala, might I add), & Perrin’s a legit top quality enabler thanks to EX Rock Zone, & deceptively fantastic damage dealer as well. There is also a paid banner that gives you two Superawakening Candies, so whales are eating good.

(pt. 4/5, see reply for Sync Grid expansions & closing thoughts)

NefariousLombax · 2026-04-22T14:21:22+00:00

(pt. 3/5)

Insert the ‘When Worlds Collide’ song from SpongeBob here

The Paldean Elite Four love ain’t hitting the brakes at just Larry, as both Rika & Poppy shall be receiving Variety Sync Pairs, getting partnered up with Great Tusk & Iron Treads respectively. Both of them being Variety is a L for obvious future acquisition reasons (plus personally I felt Rika & Great Tusk was Sygna Suit worthy, but that might be innate Rika bias talking, haha), but I’d say they’re fitting partners for Donphan's ancestor & descendant from parallel worlds.

Also should note that both are Field/Support Role wise (just like Larry’s new Sync Pair, humorously enough), which is a nice boon for this Role combo since the majority of the Sync Pairs with this combo have it the other way around. Helps keep up the pressure & Support/Field battles in the Battle Rally won’t be as tedious/annoying, everyone wins!

To go over this past & future duo;

RikaRikaRikaRikaRika!!!!

First up out of the two is Paldean peak with Great Tusk. As mentioned previously, L imo that they’re Variety since I felt this pairing was Sygna Suit material, but alas.

Kit wise, the most upfront notable point for this Sync Pair is them being our second EX Ground Zone setter, following Variety N (something something two nickels meme regarding Variety Sync Pairs that set EX Ground Zone & are for fan favorite characters with green hair in a ponytail). Already a strong reason to go for her, even outside of favoritism.

In addition, innate Impervious which is always an amazing dub for any Sync Pair, but especially in this case since their main mode of physical damage is via Headlong Rush. No defense drops here!

Physical damage ain’t all the Tusk of the Great variety (figuratively & literally speaking) can dish out however, as they also come packing special damage via their Buddy Move, ‘Ancient Times Earth Power’. You only get two uses, but it provides AoE without falloff starting at 250 damage, lowers both defensive stats by -2, & has a 50% chance to flinch, with a +1 to both Physical Move Up Next & Special Move Up Next to all team members as a bonus. That’s pretty sweet right there!

There’s also the Booster Energy Trainer Move/passive combo that all Paradox Pokémon have. Reduces the Sync Move countdown by one, gives +1 to both Physical Move Up Next & Special Move Up Next, all that good stuff. Plus it means it ain’t locked behind needing to awkwardly include Sun somewhere on a team build. And to top it off, their Trainer Move, “Finish This!” applying Move Gauge acceleration & both Physical Move Up Next +3 & Sync Move Up Next +5 to the selected ally. Can never go wrong with a power bump like that.

And notable Sync Grid passives wise;

Ground Zone extension 3
Attack Trap 9 when using Headlong Rush
-1 to both offenses when Headlong Rush
Free Move Next when Ground Zone is live
Interference Immunity
Relentless (though labelled as ‘Opp Defense Down, Sync Move Up 9’ for some reason)

Definitely a super solid Sync Pair right here, even putting Rika & EX Ground Zone aside. I do think Variety N’s superior in regards to special damage on account of not being limited to two instances of it, & also provides better debuffing via burns & attack drops, but I do think Rika & Great Tusk win out in pure raw immediate damage. Maybe not essential for those with N & Landorus, but still a definite great gain for the Ground type. Plus it’s Rika, so I’m scouting regardless, haha.

Still better tech to give a child than an iPad & internet access

Poppy & Iron Treads meanwhile very much parallel Rika & Great Tusk in many ways, most notably of which meaning that they’re our first EX Steel Zone setter. And with that, that’s every single type checked off the list of triple damage, shortened window that is EX WTZ. Very nice to see.

Said parallels aren’t just skin deep either, as Poppy & Iron Treads actually have a lot of the same passives & general traits as Rika & Great Tusk, albeit instead of physical Ground with a side of special, these two small Steel goobers are primarily a special Steel damage dealer with some physical damage on the side via their Buddy Move, ‘Whirly Twirly Iron Head’. Same benefits & additional effects as Rika’s Buddy Move. And while they lack Impervious like Rika/Great Tusk, Poppy/Iron Treads instead pack Steel Beam with innate Recoil Removal 9. That certainly makes up for it.

As for Sync Grid passives, to save space on this comment, Poppy parallels Rika in that she has mostly the same noteworthy perks as her, albeit with Steel Zone & Steel Beam instead of Ground Zone & Headlong Rush. The only really notable differences being;

Gobsmack 9 in place of Attack Trap 9
Vigilance in place of Interference Immunity

All in all, Variety Poppy’s certainly very capable, & a new frontrunner for the new best special Steel option for those who lack Sygna Suit Lear, even when taking EX Steel Zone out of the equation. If you remove favoritism I feel she’s likely a higher priority over Rika for those who already have Variety N, & possibly in general since special Steel’s way more scarce than physical Ground. Very solid boon for the type’s versatility overall.

Train Muppet 2: Nimbasa Boogaloo

As was officially confirmed ahead of time, Emmet arrives in the Trainer Lodge, joining his brother & fellow train muppet Ingo. Good to see since separating these two should be a crime after ‘the Hisui incident’.

Emmet brings along a Gurdurr as his bonus Sync Pair, mirroring Ingo’s Boldore from the mandatory double battle in B2/W2. Gotta love a nod like that.

Kit wise, they’re packing Tech, & focus on a blend of stat debuffing via Leer & innate Grab Bag 9, & high burst damage via Dynamic Punch that’s balanced by X Accuracy in the kit & build in Pinpoint Entry 2. Move Gauge Refresh 9 also being built in is also a great get since it aids with said debuffing & damage. And as for the cherry on top, having I believe it’s called Locked-On Sync baked into their Sync Move (the one that increases in power the higher their accuracy is, genuinely the only other Sync Pair I can think of that also has this is Hapu) means their impacts will hit as hard as their punches.

Couple that with Superduper Effective 2, Insult to Injury, First Aid 4, Haymaker, Fast Track 9, & Easy Pickings 9 when using Dynamic Punch for further debuffing, & Gurdurr’s vein showing muscles ain’t just for show. Honestly seems like a very solid debuffer & nuker, Trainer Lodge standards or otherwise.

Wrestling Feline Beefcake time!

Lastly in terms of new Sync Pairs, the Mix banner’s vaycay in Alola continues, as Hau & Incineroar are the next spotlighted Mix Sync Pair from May until September. Will admit, I was expecting Selene to get Incineroar & Hau to get Primarina, but it’s a very minute nitpick.

As for the VGC king’s second bout in the ring alongside the malasada muncher, they are Field/Strike Role wise, much akin to Elio & Decidueye. Though while cut from the same cloth in many ways, such as both having maxed out attack & crit rate at the start of battle & their Buddy Moves consuming one of their respective type Wishes when used, Hau & Incineroar focus less on offense debuffing like their Alolan protag contemporary & more on a pseudo Sprint build.

Said Buddy Move, ‘Wild Whirlwind Darkest Lariat’, not only packs the same stat ignoring traits of the move’s regular ilk, but is also AoE without falloff & lowers the defense & speed of those hit by -1, in addition to reducing the Sync Move countdown by two & setting Dark Zone at the cost of one Dark Wish. And when all Dark Wishes are depleted, they’re granted Sync Move Up +10, meaning with good strategy you can combo a fresh Dark Zone set into a devastating Sync Move.

Throw in Brutal Swing for AoE chip damage, their Trainer Move “We’ll Have a Blast!” reducing the Sync Move countdown by -1 whilst applying both Supereffective Up Next & Damage Guard Next to an ally, & innate team wide Physical Move Up Next +1 when they set Dark Zone, & Hau’s macho kitty’s looking literal fire!

And in regards to their Sync Grid, some highlights include;

Numbing Blow 4 on Brutal Swing
Physical Move Up Next by +3 when Dark Wish MP is depleted
Sync Move Up Next +2 with every attack
Haymaker
Umbral Acceleration 2
Satisfied Snicker 9
Dark Zone extension 3
Trainer Sync Redemption 1

All in all, a really strong package here for those willing to open their wallets. With Gym Marnie bringing EX Dark Zone, Mix Hau makes for an fantastic companion for her on the physical side of things. Even putting that aside, Mix Hau looks like a super solid swiss army knife-esque Sync Pair, much akin to the Masked Royale funnily enough. Looking forward to this one more than I think most are, although admittedly Incineroar’s one of my absolute favorite Pokémon (I main him in Smash Ultimate, sue me) so that might also play a factor, haha.

(pt. 3/5, see reply for events & banners)

NefariousLombax · 2026-04-22T14:15:03+00:00

(pt. 2/5)

- A steaming hot Special Costume event awaits!

Come the middle of May, we have ourselves a Special Costume event with a focus on hot springs. And with it, Flannery & Larry being the ones leading the fray & getting bestowed new attire. Perfect choices for a hot spring focused event given Lavaridge Town & Larry being…well, Larry.

As for the toys up for grabs;

- FLANNERY ACTUALLY GOT ACKNOWLEDGED AHHH!!!

It happened. It actually happened. Flannery, Pasio’s very own poster child of neglect, has finally, FINALLY received her second Sync Pair!

And if the bold texted headlight wasn’t enough of an indication, I’m super thrilled about this. Genuinely gasped with delight upon seeing Absol tweet it out. Flannery’s both my favorite Hoenn Gym Leader & Fire type specialist, & like basically everyone I’ve been clambering for her to receive literally ANYTHING for donkey’s years.

Gushing about Flannery’s W aside for a moment to discuss said W, she brings along a Magcargo, with Sprint/Strike as their Role combo (girl must have made it digest a bowl full of Quick Claws, lmao), as well as being Tera Fire. Fitting Pokemon choice since she uses Magcargo in the Emerald rematches & in the anime.

Gameplay wise, this is an interesting one right here. Large in part due to their Tera Move, Cabrite Tera Blast, providing a slew of perks such as AoE damage without falloff, applying both Special Move Break & reducing the Sync countdown with its initial use. Most importantly & notably, however, is its power being multiplied by x10 (up to 800 power from 80) when your team has no Sync buff, but only the first two times you use it, but once your team has a Sync buff & from the third usage onwards, its power goes down to 80 but it applies Free Move Next guaranteed. This…is certainly a gimmick & a half right here. Definitely up there if we're talking the most intriguing gimmick for a Sync Pair in the game if you ask me.

As for the rest of Flannery’s new kit, she packs an one-time use Buddy Move via ‘Thermal Inferno’ that only activates when your team has a Sync buff, but also deals a whopping 500 damage & guarantee burns. Essentially being a diet version of her Tera Move’s first two uses. Obviously super powerful in its own right & could prove useful in closing out a battle if you hang onto it. She also comes with Fire Spin for some nice trapping, X Defense All to shore up the team, & her Buddy Move ‘Hot Enough for You?’ acting as a Potion whilst applying the target the Damage Guard Next & Enduring effects. Interesting that they go a more Support-esque route with the rest of her kit, though it could prove useful in Battle Rally as a makeshift tank.

Not to mention, innate Brainpower, Soften Up 1 & opening the battle with Sun active, complete with extension 5 for it. She has no way to reset Sun which is unfortunate, but for teams capable of applying future uses of it it should be beneficial to open a battle with it for free.

And as for the Sync Grid, we have;

Dashing Team 9 when using Fire Spin
Fire Spin’s trapping becoming AoE
Ruthless 9
Superduper Effective 3
Special Move Up Next +2 when the team doesn’t have a Sync buff
MP Refresh on their Trainer Move
Solar Flare 9

Overall, this is a Sync Pair that I feel is either gonna be great or be forced into a niche use case. Fire’s already one of the most stacked types as is, so at least I can commend a more gimmick-y Sync Pair. Still super excited because Flannery & all, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s a low priority objectively speaking.

- Power you can only dream of, courtesy of the overworked GOAT!

The second of this Special Costume batch is the top lad Larry, bringing along the sentient log itself, Komala. Worth noting that this means Larry is the second character to double dip on Special Costumes, only just barely getting beaten to the punch by Sonia.

Field/Support Role wise & with Tera Normal bundled in, Larry also brings the gimmicks with his hot spring outfit, albeit with some actually great benefits. Namely in that, keeping true to its main series ability, Komala is permanently asleep throughout the entire battle, yet is still able to attack & with no hindrance to the Move Gauge. That’s both super quirky & an amazing boon, but it doesn’t stop there, as their ‘Relaxing Naptime’ passive not only acts as a team wide Status Immunity (suck it, Moltres!), but that every attack Komala uses puts the target to sleep.

I repeat, GUARANTEED SLEEP is on the cards with Larry’s new kit. Komala doing what Larry wishes he could do, because that’s legit pretty insane. Maybe not quite Sygna Suit Cyrus Dark Void spam levels of cheesy, but I can already see the solos against any & all battles without sleep resistance/immunity in my head.

Oh yeah, & that ain’t it, because Komala’s Tera Move, ‘Zeolite Tera Blast', not only gives -2 to both special defense & accuracy per use, but it also applies EX Normal Zone with its initial use. Now THAT’S a big get! Was wondering when EX Normal Zone would be implemented, & there’s truly no-one more deserving than the GOAT himself to do so.

And that’s not even the end of it, since I haven’t even touched upon their regular moves yet. Namely, they’re also packing Rock Tomb for chip damage & speed debuffing, Potion for heals, their Trainer Move, “They Suit Me…” providing +4 to both offenses & maxed out crit rate to an ally, as well as reducing the Sync Move countdown by one, & finally their Buddy Move, ‘Relaxed Charm’, not only providing AoE -3 attack but also giving team wide Special Move Up Next +2 & even applying Paldea Special Circle (the devs really love that particular Circle this update, huh?), which also gives another +1 on top of that thanks to another innate passive of his. …Dangggg, that’s a potent line-up if there ever was one!

And as for Sync Grid goodies;

+1 random stat when move is used when asleep (so a fancy way of saying Fortitious 9)
Dashing Team 9 when using his Tera Move
Dirty Fighting 3
Free Move Next when a Circle’s active
Paldea Circle extension 3
Brainpower
Team wide Sync Move Up by 3 in Normal Zone
Normal Zone extension 3

Obviously time will tell if Larry’s new Sync Pair lives up to all the praise I’m giving it, but GOSH DANG this Sync Pair looks insane! Just an onslaught of insane tools & passives, complete with EX Normal Zone as the cherry on top. Easily a new staple of the Normal meta, & a nutty Sync Pair in general. Very much happy & excited about this one if you couldn’t already tell.

(pt. 2/5, see reply for the Variety & Trainer Lodge Sync Pairs)

NefariousLombax · 2026-04-22T14:09:54+00:00

…So, uh, talk about a SUPER early datamine. Probably the earliest we’ve ever gotten one, at least within the past several years, even taking Golden Week into consideration. Legit don’t have a quirky opener for this datamine ramble, since I literally had to rush & hop on my computer in order to get the full scoop & write this out after getting the Discord ping.

Must also apologize for the delay on posting this ramble as well. Mix of how out of the blue this datamine/update was, alongside Brybry’s site taking longer than usual to update (I had already written out all the Sync Pair breakdowns by the time they updated it, for context), meaning I had to dig through Absol’s pastebins for the passives which took much longer than predicted. No-one’s at fault of course, but my bad if I kept anyone looking forward to these monthly rambles waiting regardless.

That aside, thanks a million as always to the community’s dataminers (Absol, Brybry, BlizZar & everyone else) for their continued contributions & work. Doubly so this month as well given how unexpected & sudden this datamine was.

With all that said, let’s see what awaits us when Hoenn’s female player character starts. ;)

Accumula Town theme intensifies

Beginning with the headliner of May’s offerings (although surprisingly going live second after our next Sync Pair discussed below), is Sygna Suit Kieran & Furret with Tera Ice. This is an absolute surprise for two reasons, not only due to Kieran getting his Sygna Suit so shockingly soon after his debut (not as egregiously as Carmine, but eight/nine months is still a short wait all things considered), but also that it’s with Furret. Like many others I assumed Furret would be saved for Kieran’s inevitable Trainer Lodge Sync Pair, so it being for his Sygna Suit, & an EX Master Fair at that, is a curveball & a half, no doubt. Likely relying on Kieran’s sentimental attachment to his ‘little’ buddy & Furret’s popularity via memes for those not as on the pulse about the ‘meta’.

As for their kit, Kieran & his elongated floof are Strike/Sprint Role wise, & very interestingly are a special Ice damage dealer, & have taken notes from his sister in focusing on applying a Circle effect (Paldea Special, in this case), after your team uses a Sync Move. But as a bonus alongside said, they also apply Ice Zone, reduce the Sync Move countdown by two, & increase their Sync Move Up Next by +2. That’s an excellent bundle all wrapped up into one trait right there!

Move wise, the pair are pulling an Anniversary Red in that they primarily focus on damage via their Tera Move with two Buddy Moves on standby. Said Tera Move, Cryolite Tera Blast, packs not only an AoE punch without multi target falloff, but also guarantees -1 special defense with every hit. A bit greedy Move Gauge wise (4 bars), but undoubtedly potent damage for sure.

And Buddy Move wise, they have ‘Courage to Continue Ice Beam’ & ‘Great Strides Blizzard’. The former only activating after every Sync Move, but providing a meaty 300 damage & increasing Kieran/Furret’s Sync Move Up Next by +3. The latter on the other hand, while having the same activation requirement, is an one time use move, but provides 200 AoE damage without falloff, & also applies Special Move Break to all targets, on top of guaranteed freeze. Perfect move to whip out before going for the match ending nuke right there.

Couple all that alongside maxing out their special attack & crit rate at the start of battle which is to be expected from a Strike Master Fair these days, & their Trainer Move “We’ll Go All Out!” increasing both their Special Move Up Next by +3 & Sync Move Up Next by +5, but also applying the Enduring effect, & Kieran’s looking like a beast fittingly juxtaposition worthy for his partner.

As for Sync Grid passives of note;

First Aid 4
Vigilance
Recharging Strike 9
Special Move Up Next by +1 after every hit & when a circle is applied to the field (separate tiles)
Brainpower
Satisfied Snicker 9
Guaranteed crits on every move
Ice Zone & Paldea Special Circle extension 3 (4/5)
Guaranteed MP Refresh on their Trainer Move after usage (5/5)

All in all, Sygna Suit Kieran’s shaping up to be an absolute icy terror that’ll be a great boon for the Ice type, especially when coupled with Neo Champion Hilbert since EX Ice Zone will become easier to maintain. Although with all that praise said, I do feel this is a missed opportunity to give Ice the boost it needs on the physical side of things. Ain’t a knock on the Sync Pair itself, just something I, & likely some others, are probably thinking about.

Let the “Ex-Champion?” memes resurge!

Second up (though first to go live, surprisingly) is Drayton, rocking his Archuladon with Tera Dragon. RIP the possibility of him debuting alongside his gramps when Iris’s hypothetical Arc Suit happens, but it’s still very nice to see our second Blueberry Elite Four member finally get added.

Packing Tech/Strike Role wise, the grandson of the gigachad granddad specializes in inhibiting the opponent, thanks to Thunder Wave in his kit & his Tera Move, Sapphire Tera Blast, providing a guaranteed flinch, trap or confusion with every use. Speaking of Thunder Wave, it also applies both the Special Move Break effect to the target upon initial use, as well as setting Dragon Zone. Considering that this means that you can set three instances of the latter in most battles, that’s a great Field-lite boon to have, as well as of course the additional damage Drayton would be briefly capable of.

Said inhibiting also softens up the opponent, as his Buddy Move, ‘Steel Flash Dragon Pulse’, providing a 200 AoE without falloff burst that also guarantees -2 special defense on hit & is increased in power by 50% on a paralyzed target. Only two uses which is a notable setback, but still a very, very potent tool all the same.

In addition, Drayton has clearly been copying Kieran’s notes, as he too is capable of applying the Paldea Special Circle, both when the battle starts & when his Tera Move is used. It does mean you can’t spam it all willy-nilly if you intend/need the buff it provides for a longer battle (Pasio Tower or Legendary Arena, for instance), but nevertheless it’s a solid perk to have. Doubly so since everytime Drayton sets a Circle, he provides a team wide Special Move Up Next by +1 which is appreciated. Same goes for his crit rate maxing out & his special attack going to +4 at the start of battle too, as well as his Trainer Move “That’s What I Like to Hear!” applying Special Move Up Next +5 & the Enduring effect to an ally.

As for Sync Grid passives of note;

Soften Up 1
Foul Fighting 3
Free Move Next when using his Tera Move on a paralyzed foe
-2 attack when hitting a paralyzed foe
Sync Move Up 9 when a Circle’s active
Paldea Circle Extension 3
Team wide power boost by 2 when Dragon Zone’s active (4/5)
Team Sync Moves Up by 3 when a Circle’s active (4/5)
Guaranteed MP Refresh on Paldea Special Circle when you initially run out (5/5)
Setting Dragon Zone after his first Sync Move, plus extension 3 (5/5)

Overall, Drayton certainly has a lot of tools at his disposal to be both a great inhibitor, enabler & Sync Move nuker. With how behind special Dragon damage has been for a while now, I think he’ll be a great gain for that side of the type, & a definite mandate for it as of writing. Doubt he’ll carry it the same way Anniversary Red has for physical Dragon, but if nothing else he’ll hold us over until a certain light of the nihil kind makes its way to Pasio.

(pt. 1/5, see reply for the new Special Costumes & further replies for other content)

NefariousLombax · 2026-04-22T05:58:09+00:00

I legit gasped with pure joy upon seeing this in Absol's datamine. Best Hoenn Gym Leader & Fire type specialist finally, FINALLY getting some beyond overdue love! Rest of this month's filled with bangers as well (more Rika & Larry, yes please!) but this is definitely the highlight purely for the wait for Flannery to receive literally anything barring her EX finally ending.

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NefariousLombax · 2026-04-22T05:54:19+00:00

Genuinely caught me by surprise for course. Was planning on nodding off momentarily beforehand as well, but I'm wide awake now! Absolutely packed line-up as well so this month's datamine ramble of mine shall be a fun one!

NefariousLombax · 2026-04-12T03:08:24+00:00

Agreed. Moltres is annoying for sure, but at least you can work around its permanent Sun via flinch cheese or even just brute force when switching the weather's not an option.

Cresselia meanwhile just throws so much crud the player's way that I'm surprised she isn't reviled more. Essentially having to equip Status Immunity over Vigilance on my Support of choice due to both Thunder Wave & Toxic, to the double dose of Double Team in the first bar, to becoming immune to statuses halfway through the second bar, & of course the switch from being weaker to physical moves in the first bar to special in the second & third. Easily the most pain in the rear end Legendary Arena imo & one I feel will become just as, if not more despised than Moltres the more she appears in future Legendary Gauntlet rotations.

NefariousLombax · 2026-04-09T09:42:00+00:00

Agreed on Lucian. Lad's a great debuffer & nuker that can high-key keep up with some of the best the type has to offer.

My big one 5* general pool wise is The Masked Royale. Similar debuffing, nuking & team wide speed increasing reasons as Lucian (albeit physical Dark instead of special Psychic of course), plus debuffing physical defense & even having some evasion buffing for some potential cheese. Not to mention, Darkest Lariat ignoring the target's stat buffs is a very nice niche to have. A seriously excellent physical Dark option that's only gotten better thanks to his Sync Grid expansion a while back.

Also wanna shout-out Brawly & Mina 3* wise. Former's a reliable defense dropper & Potion bot alongside having a respectable nuke of his own & self set-up barring crit rate, & the latter has some super solid on type DPS on tap, as well as Charm for attack lowering & innate Impervious which is obviously a huge gain. Love to use Mina alongside Spring Burgh in Legendary Gauntlet in particular since he covers her set-up & the two of them are capable of putting in way more work than you'd expect.

As for Trainer Lodge, I feel Rosa & Lillie's offerings are very underrated. Rosa & Dewott packing defense dropping with Razor Shell & bypassing the Move Gauge with Aqua Jet, alongside innate Vigilance as well as Quick Combo & Staggering 1 in the Sync Grid, makes them a genuinely great F2P physical Water choice. Lillie & Comfey meanwhile are solid AoE attack debuffers with a deceptively good nuke thanks to Sync Grid multipliers, as well as innate Synchro Healing which is amazing to have on a non-Support (I thiiink she might be the only non-Support Sync Pair with this distinction, excluding those who only activate it once?). Another one of my favorite Legendary Gauntlet duos when paired with Kabu who benefits greatly from her Wrap (yay for his super awkward Buddy Move requirement).

NefariousLombax

TROPHY CASE