 Pokémon Go's Smeargle has proven to be one of the game's most elusive creatures.
Smeargle has been conspicuously absent from the Gen 2 line-up for around two years, until the arrival of the game's Snapshot feature. As a result, the steps for how to get Smeargle in Pokémon Go are among the most unique in the game - and requires a dose of luck before it can appear. And, for a limited time only, there is the chance to get an Ash Pikachu photobomb for April Fool's too. How Pokémon Go's April Fool's photobomb feature with Ash Pikachu works Developer Niantic is doing something different for April Fool's this year - whereas 2018 offered sprites from the main games as part of the Pokédex, this year makes use of the recently-added Snapshot feature with more photobombing participants. Previously the domain for Smeragle, for April 1st only you can be photobombed by two possible other characters - Ash Pikachu and Ash himself. Here's how it works:
That's about it - it's assumed Ash Pikachu and Ash will only appear on April 1st, so make sure you try it out while you can. There is, the possibility April 2nd will give you another opportunity, so be sure to try again. If you miss out though, then don't worry - Ash Pikachu has appeared in previous events and will almost certainly do so again, and the likelihood of you encountering a shiny version is incredibly rare anyway. How to get Smeargle in Pokémon Go in brief Catching Smeargle centres around the Snapshot feature, and in brief, involves the following steps:
That's essentially it - keep using the Snapshot feature until Smeargle appears. There is a little more nuance to it, though, which we'll explain now. How to open the Pokémon Go Snapshot feature and get Smeargle First, you need to take pictures with Pokémon Go's Snapshot feature. This allows you to place any of your caught Pokémon in the real world using your camera. There are two ways to access this mode. One is in your item inventory - scroll down to the Camera, then select it, followed by a Pokémon of your choice. Alternatively, enter your Pokémon box and select the Camera icon in the upper right corner. Your camera will then be active, and you'll presented with a view of in front of your phone with the Pokémon laid over the top. Position the Pokémon however you like in the world - it doesn't have to line up with anything - and snap away. If you have AR+ on your phone, then turning that off will make it more likely Smeargle will appear. When you've taken enough, exit the mode with the door icon in the upper left corner. This will present you with the photos you have just taken. It's at this stage that Smeargle can appear. If it does, it'll appear in the bottom corner, as if photobombing the scene, and the game will pause to highlight its presence. Now when you back out of the mode, Smeargle will appear in the wild. Tap it, then catch it like any other creature. If Smeargle does not appear, then you must reopen the Snapshot mode and try again until it does. To our knowledge the Pokémon you use and the amount of photos you take doesn't influence when Smeargle will appear, so take as many or as few photos at a time before backing out of the mode and cycling through your snaps. How many photos does it take to get Smeargle in Pokémon Go? Based on early impressions, the amount of attempts it takes to get Smeargle in Pokémon Go varies widely. For us, it's ranged between 30 photos across 10 attempts for Smeargle to appear, the very first attempt for a lucky member of the Eurogamer team, and after hundreds of photos taken, not a single appearance for another. This appears to line up with a lot of other players' experiences too. The key is to simply keep trying - and if Smeargle isn't showing up, take a break and try again later. Remember since you can catch more than one Smeargle, there's no rush at all. If it takes took long, considering using the Snapshot mode casually until Smeargle appears. It will show eventually! Other things you should know about Smeargle in Pokémon Go There are a few other non-essential things to know about getting Smeargle in Pokémon Go, too:
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 Giratina Origin Forme has emerged from the Distortion World and is ready to test your strength until April 29. If you clicked on this article’s link, it was most likely because you wanted to know how the Origin Forme performs in the current meta and how it compares to the Altered Forme. Don’t worry; you came to the right place to know that (and more!). If you also want to know the best PvP moveset for the Altered Forme, you can go with Dragon Breath or Shadow Claw as fast moves (both get STAB and are excellent in PvP) + Dragon Claw. If you want to unlock a second charge move, Shadow Sneak gets STAB, and Ancient Power does not, but it could get you a nice ATK & DEF boost when used. Both are mediocre charge moves, but you decide if you want to risk going for the boosts or go for the STAB option. We don’t need to discuss Giratina-A’s best PvE moveset, because it’s not a PvE-oriented Pokémon. Now let’s go back to the Origin Forme. Regarding its fast moves:
And regarding its charge moves…
Giratina as a Raid Attacker This article will only consider the Origin Forme of Giratina for the PvE analysis and both formes for the PvP one. Giratina-O can be used both as a ghost and dragon-type attacker for raids and gym battles. However, its performance as a ghost-type attacker is significantly better. The following flow chart will summarize how to use it in raids effectively:  So, to sum up:
Psychic & Ghost-type Attacker Examples The chart above was made after running plenty of simulations, as always on Pokebattler. Are you curious to see a few examples? Below you can find some of them. As you can see, against a Tier 6 Mewtwo with Psychic, Giratina-O‘s performance is outstanding, whereas Gengar ranks a bit lower and up to four other Pokémon have better estimator and overall better performance (Gengar has 78 deaths to win!).  Now, if Mewtwo has Focus Blast instead (which Gengar TRIPLE resists), things change. Gengar is now much more reliable to use, faints fewer times and can fire off more Shadow Ball moves to show its true offensive power.  If you are curious to see how both Pokémon perform against other raid bosses (with different movesets), here is a short recap. Deoxys-D is included in the mix but as an outlier. Due to its lower-tier offensive power, Gengar does not faint as much and can showcase its potential a bit more. Dragon-type Attacker Scenario Two aspects hold back Giratina’s performance as a dragon-type attacker, its dragon-type moveset and its attack stat (225). The following graph will be a perfect example to show that, and we even included SC/SB Giratina-O to show how different movesets yield very different results (both dealing SE damage against this raid boss):  Altered or Origin Forme in PvP?
Here comes the big question: which forme should I use in PvP? This question, believe it or not, is not difficult to answer.
Giratina-A looks better for the lower leagues, but the Master League is where things get exciting, and Giratina-O shines. Which one will you choose? You decide! Conclusion
 From March 28th at 1 PM PDT through April 2nd at 1 PM PDT, Giratina (Altered Forme) returns to Tier 5 Raids to be immediately followed by Giratina (Origin Forme). Because the two Formes have the same typing, the same moves are super effective against them both, but as they have different base stats and movesets, the effectiveness of their counters do vary. We’ve produced both a Giratina (Altered Forme) Heat Map and a Giratina (Origin Forme) Heat Map, but as Altered is only with us for a week, you could be forgiven for just setting up Battle Parties for Origin and using them to counter both Formes. If you’re planning on battling a lot of the Altered Forme and/or battling it with smaller groups, then making specific parties for both Formes would still be a good idea. What’s a Heat Map? Most Raid Boss counter lists assume that you have maxed out versions of each Pokémon on it, but in reality, the majority of people do not. With our Giratina (Altered Forme) Heat Map, however, you can identify whether for example, a lower level Pokémon will do more damage to the Raid Boss than a higher level one, due to it having a better and more effective moveset. An excellent example of this is how a level 30 Rayquaza with Dragon Tail and Outrage will do more damage to a Giratina Raid Boss than a level 40 Rayquaza with Air Slash & Outrage (given the same amount of time). There are several different methods for ranking Raid Boss counters, but the one we’ve selected to use is TTW, which stands for ‘Time-To-Win.’ This metric tells you which Pokémon would potentially beat the Raid Boss in the shortest amount of time so if you’re short of Trainers, this will give you the best chance of beating the Boss before the time runs out. Not only that, but doing more damage can mean more Premier Balls with which to try and catch the Raid Boss! So to supplement our Giratina (Altered Forme) Raid Guide, here’s the Heat Map that we’ve made. Below, we’ll explain how to read and use the Heat Map to get the most out of your Raid squads: Giratina (Altered Forme) Heat Map  *This data assumes that you don’t know the moveset of the Raid Boss, that no moves will be weather boosted, and that you aren’t getting a friend damage bonus, so basically, almost the worst case scenario; unless the weather boosts the Raid Boss’ moves, things can only get easier.
While Attack Forme Deoxys and Haunter were both high on the list of TTW counters, they’ve been omitted from the heat map due to their fragility – both will be knocked out way too quickly to warrant using the excessive amounts of resources needed to power them up to a useful level. How to use our Heat Maps As detailed at the bottom of the graphic, to use a Pokémon GO Hub Heat Map, you first need to identify which of the listed Pokémon you have, whether they have the specified moveset (If not, you can of course use some TMs) and what level they are. As a rough guide:
Try to identify your 12 best counters so that you can fill two Battle Parties because if Giratina defeats your first Party and you don’t want to use Max Revives, you’ll then have your next-best-optimized one ready to go straight back into battle. Once you know which of these Pokémon you have and roughly what level they are, it’s time to put them in order of best to worst; The numbers in the grid represent how long that counter, at that level, with that moveset would take to beat the raid boss if the counter had unlimited HP. So the lower (and greener) the number, the better. When you have ordered your Pokémon from best to worst, you can make a couple of battle parties so that you’re ready for every encounter you have with the Raid Boss.  Now that March is nearly behind us and April is just around the corner, Niantic has shared the first details for April's Pokemon Go Community Day. The monthly event is scheduled to return on Saturday, April 13, and this time around it'll feature a rare Dragon Pokemon: Bagon.
All throughout the Community Day, Bagon will appear in the wild in greater numbers than it normally does, making it much easier to add some to your collection. Considering that Niantic typically introduces the Shiny form of that month's featured Pokemon during each Community Day, you'll also presumably have your first chance to catch a Shiny Bagon during this month's event. Bagon is the base form of the powerful Dragon/Flying Pokemon Salamence, so you'll want to catch as many as you can during April's Community Day. If you manage to evolve any into Salamence up to an hour after the event ends, it will also learn an exclusive move, although Niantic hasn't revealed what that will be just yet. Like March's Community Day, April's event will take place from 3-6 PM local time, rather than the usual schedule it followed. As an added incentive to participate, Niantic is also offering triple the usual amount of XP for capturing Pokemon. You can read more details about the event on the official Pokemon website. That isn't the only event happening in Pokemon Go next month. From April 2-9, Niantic is also holding a Bug Out event. During that period, Bug Pokemon will appear more frequently than normal, and Incenses will last twice as long. You'll also be able to find special limited-time Field Research tasks revolving around Bug Pokemon from Poke Stops. In the meantime, the Gen 4 Legendary Giratina is set to return to Raids beginning March 28. It will initially appear in its standard Altered Forme until April 2, when it'll transform into its Origine Forme. A new Limited Research event is also scheduled for March 30. During that, you'll find special Field Research tasks focusing on Lotad, and you'll even have your first opportunity to catch Shiny versions of Lotad and Castform.  Earth Day is only a few weeks away, and Pokemon Go developer Niantic is encouraging players to go out and help clean up the environment. The company announced it is once again partnering with Playmob for its second annual Earth Day campaign, an initiative to get players to tidy up their community--and potentially unlock some bonuses in Ingress and Pokemon Go.
Throughout April, Niantic and Playmob will hold cleanup events in communities around the world. Players will be able to search and sign up for these events through the official website, or nominate an NGO to organize their own local cleanup. Just as last year, Niantic will offer special bonuses in Pokemon Go depending on how many players turn out for the cleanup events. These rewards range from increased Ground-type Pokemon spawns to the first appearance of Shiny Diglett. You can see the potential bonuses below, while additional details about the Earth Day campaign can be found on Niantic's blog. Pokemon Go Earth Day 2019 Bonuses
In the meantime, Niantic has a few other events planned for Pokemon Go. Beginning March 28, the Gen 4 Legendary Giratina will return to Raid Battles. It'll appear in its standard Altered Forme until April 2, but after that it'll assume its Origin Forme--the serpent like appearance it takes in Pokemon Platinum--until it leaves Raids on April 29. Niantic is also holding another Limited Research event on March 30. This time, players will be able to find special Field Research tasks focusing on Lotad, and Pokemon that are affected by weather conditions like Castform will appear more frequently in the wild. On top of that, players will have their first chance to catch the Shiny forms of Lotad and Castform during the event.  Pokémon Go Research quests were a major addition for the game in 2018, introducing new activities for players to accomplish. Multiple challenges can be completed per day as part of undergoing Field Research quests, providing unique rewards as part of Research Breakthroughs, while Special Research quests chance to uncover never before seen Pokémon, including the elusive Mythical Pokémon Mew. Research quests and rewards change every month, but now there are plenty of additions to that monthly cycle, with many special events and limited features getting their own Research quests, too. The monthly one's continue alongside them though: the first three months were based on the original Legendary Birds for instance, which were the Research Breakthrough reward for that month, with quests to match - so with Moltres as the reward, we saw Fire-themed quests and rewards, for example. Below, you'll find the current Equinox Research and March Pokémon Go Research detailed specifically, alongside plenty more. Pokémon Go Equinox Research quests and rewards The Equinox Event is currently live in Pokémon Go, bringing boosted Grass-type spawns, some new moves and, perhaps most usefully, new Research quests for a limited time. The Equinox research quests will be available until the ususal reset time of 1:00 p.m. PDT (8pm GMT) on Tuesday, March 26th 2019, although quests can be completed and rewards can be claimed at any point after that if you've picked up the quest before the event ends and keep hold of it. There are only a handful this time, but the Venusaur reward is the really notable one. Being a third-stage evolution it'll reward 500 Stardust on catch, so if you're into the more hardcore side of Stardust grinding then you should stack as many of these as you can (up to a total of 99) by claiming the reward then running from the encounter, and then combine a Star Piece consumable with a future bonus Stardust event, like a community day, and catch them all at once to get a huge amount of 'dust! Pokémon Go Equinox Research quests and rewards
Pokémon Go March Field Research quests and Research Breakthrough rewards The March Field Research in Pokémon Go is the same as both January and February - and has the Research Breakthrough reward of various Legendary Pokémon from previous appearances in Field Research throughout the year. Those March Research Breakthrough reward Pokémon are: Entei, Raikou, Suicune, Ho-Oh, Lugia, Regirock, Regice and Registeel. Usually, the rewards from PokéStops are based on the reward Pokémon's Type, but with so many available, there's no fixed Type for now. As for the individual March Field Research rewards (via MilumiGermany on reddit), which also includes a new form of Spinda, they are as follows:  Pokémon Go Field Research quests explained Field research are daily missions collected one at a time by spinning a PokéStop, and will involve finding certain creatures, engaging in battles and more. Every day PokéStops will give you a new quest, and each type of quest can have one of many different rewards, from previously Raid-exclusive consumables such as TMs and Rare Candy and common items such as Poké Balls. Examples of quest types include:
Some of these quest rewards even give you the chance to catch a mystery Pokémon. There's nothing exclusive here, but there does include uncommon and rare Pokémon, such as Tangela and Chansey, depending on the quest in particular. It's also worth knowing that the quests and associated rewards on offer rotate in a monthly basis. Additionally, some quests can have different rewards, so 'Make 5 Nice Throws' could offer you Balls or the chance to catch a mystery creature. So if you are after a particular Pokémon, make sure you get the variant that has the creature catch as a reward. Finally, it's also worth knowing that if you pick up a quest, you are free to delete it and catch another by spinning another Pokéstop. You can also complete as many as you like in a day - so when you have space in your inventory, return to a PokéStop to start quest. Spin the same Pokéstop and you'll just get the same quest again though - Pokéstops give out set rewards, that are generally tailored to their location, which refresh every day at midnight. So if you want a new quest you'll need to spin another stop. Research Breakthroughs explained Completing one Field Research quest per day will give you a stamp. Get seven stamps - which will take seven days - completes something known as a Research Breakthrough. These have even greater rewards - including Stardust and Mystery Items - as well as an encounter with a very rare or Legendary Pokémon. You'll also receive plenty of other items too - including a chance at Rare Candy, Pokéballs, Berries, 2,000 Stardust, 3,000 XP, and a Sinnoh Stone.  The best news about these Research Breakthrough catches is they cannot run away - it has a flee chance of 0 per cent - so the pressure is off. However, it has the same catch rate as normal, so be prepared for it to break out of your balls.
This means you can use Pinap Berries, or even use it as a chance to rack up some of the harder throwing-based Special Research streaks, without any risk of it running away. It also comes with strong IVs, too, as if the Pokémon was appearing in a Raid encounter or Egg. It always appears at level 15, which is the same for all mystery Pokémon caught from Field Research rewards. If you're curious, here is all the Research Breakthrough rewards so far: Research Breakthrough rewards in 2018:
Finally, the question is - when do the special reward Pokémon change in your Research Breakthrough progress? It's when you claim the reward for your final Field Research task. So, you can complete the task, but just don't claim the reward for that task before 1pm PST / 9pm UK time of the first of the month, as doing so will activate the arrival of the Special Research reward at the top of the screen. If it's before then, it'll be the reward for the month before (so in October, this was Suicune). Wait until after, it'll be the next month's (so in November, this is Shedinja). To clarify further, this is when you complete the task, not open it. Even if you then open it after the change, it'll be the prior month's Pokémon. To be safe, wait until it's the new month if you want to get the latest creature. What are Special Research quests? Special Research quests, meanwhile, are story-based questlines with unique rewards. Unlike Field Research quests, these are fixed objectives that every player will face, and appear in the game infrequently. The first available is 'A Mythical Discovery', with the arrival of the game's first Mythical creature - Mew - as the end reward. Our A Mythical Discovery explains the eight steps required to unlock Mew, which includes finding specific Pokémon, participating in Raid and Gym battles, and reaching a certain Trainer level. The arrival of Gen 2's Celebi suggests this is how other Mythicals - such as, we assume, Gen 3's Jirachi - will be released in the game, but as we've now seen with Spiritomb they won't always be restricted to Mythical Pokémon only. Everything else you need to know about Research quests in Pokémon Go Though the quest features are well explained in the game, there's some nuance that will help you get the most out of each objective you undertake.
 Most Raid Boss counter lists assume that you have maxed out versions of each Pokémon on it, but in reality, the majority of people do not. With our Defense Forme Deoxys Heat Map, however, you can identify whether, for example, a lower level Pokémon will do more damage to the Raid Boss than a higher level one, due to it having a better and more effective moveset. An excellent example of this is how a level 25 Gengar with Lick & Shadow Ball will do more damage to a Deoxys Raid Boss than a level 40 Mewtwo with Psycho Cut & Shadow Ball (given the same amount of time). There are several different methods for ranking Raid Boss counters, but the one we’ve selected to use is TTW, which stands for ‘time to win.’ This data tells you which Pokémon would potentially beat the Raid Boss in the shortest amount of time – if you’re short of Trainers and are trying to beat the clock, this will give you the best chance of doing so. Not only that, but doing more damage can mean more Premier Balls with which to try and catch the Raid Boss! So to supplement our Defense Forme Deoxys Raid Guide, here’s the Heat Map that we’ve made. Below, we’ll explain how to read and use the Heat Map to get the most out of your Raid squads: Defense Forme Deoxys Heat Map  *This data assumes that you don’t know the moveset of the Raid Boss, that no moves will be weather boosted, and that you aren’t getting a friend damage bonus, so basically, almost the worst case scenario; unless the weather boosts the Raid Boss’ moves, things can only get easier.
While Attack Forme Deoxys and Haunter were both high on the list of TTW counters, they’ve been omitted from the heat map due to their fragility – both will be knocked out way too quickly to warrant using the excessive amounts of resources needed to power them up to a useful level. How to use our Heat Maps As detailed at the bottom of the graphic, to use a Pokémon GO Hub Heat Map, you first need to identify which of the listed Pokémon you have, whether they have the specified moveset (If not, you can of course use some TMs) and what level they’re at. As a rough guide:
Try to identify your 12 best counters so that you can fill two Battle Parties because if Deoxys defeats your first Party and you don’t want to use Max Revives, you’ll then have your next-best-optimized one ready to go straight back in with. Once you know which of these Pokémon you have and roughly what level they are, it’s time to put them in order of best to worst; The numbers in the grid represent how long that counter, at that level, with that moveset would take to beat the raid boss if the counter had unlimited HP. So the lower (and greener) the number, the better. When you have ordered your Pokémon from best to worst, you can make a couple of battle parties so that you’re ready for every encounter you have with the Raid Boss.  Giratina is coming back toPokemon GO, this time in both Altered and Origin form! Trainers will have the opportunity to raid Giratina (Altered form) from March 27 to April 2 (1 PM PDT), and then to raid Giratina (Origin form) from April 2 to April 29 2019 (1 PM PDT).
Origin form vs Altered form Giratina If you’re confused about Giratina’s two forms, worry not, you’re not alone. Let’s figure it out together! Origin and Altered Giratina have a lot in common: same Stamina, same fast moves and same charge moves. Their Attack and Defense stats are switched around: Origin has higher attack, while Altered has higher defense. Consequently, Origin form Giratina has slightly higher CP values. Giratina’s “Altered” form is actually its original form. In the main series games, Giratina could only activate Origin form if holding a Griseous Orb or while present in its home, the Distortion World. We found this excerpt to be an interesting read about Giratina’s design (source): The designers of Pokémon Platinum designed Giratina’s Origin Forme to be “opposite” of Dialga and Palkia as well as to make its existence “more fun, more interesting, cooler”.] They paid “meticulous attention” to the Origin Forme’s details; the designer “redrew Giratina’s image again and again” in order to make it “significantly different” and change its shape. The designers eventually decided to feature the Origin Forme on the cover of Platinum. Designer Junichi Masuda envisioned concepts of “reversed world”, “matter and anti-matter”, and “E = mc2” in designing it. Its location, the Distortion World, was designed by Takeshi Kawachimaru around Giratina, with the concept as “how Giratina fits in the world”. When designing its theme, Masuda “thought of the front/back, life/death” to make it cover “bipolar, opposite ideas”.  With the new Equinox event staring, it’s no surprise that Niantic has once again changed the Box Sales. This time, there’s something for everyone. The Ultra Box has finally been friendly for the hardcore raiders, and the new Adventure Box is there for those who still prefer the Incubators. Let’s get into the numbers and see how much you get out of each box.
Before the verdict, I would like to reiterate that I chose to not use the standard price of Lucky Eggs, Lure Modules, and Star Pieces since the comparison should be more on the price of buying in bulk. It would be misleading to compare it to the base price which is, in principle, designed to be more expensive than bulk to encourage consumers to spend more. That being said, I used the bulk price of these items when buying an 8-item bundle. Our Verdict Niantic has finally made different boxes for different purposes. While it’s not apparent in the last iteration of the boxes, the current boxes made it very clear that the Ultra Box is designed for the hardcore raider while the Adventure Box is geared towards the Egg Breeders/Hatchers. The most expensive boxes are the most cost-efficient as they should be, but there is still something to look forward to in the other boxes, specifically the Great Box Great Box While 4 Super Incubators and 3 Raid Passes already made this a decent deal, the real prize in this box is the Star Piece. If you plan on participating on PvP Tournaments, you’ll definitely need Star Pieces to farm for Stardust. Pair it up with Venusaur Reward in Field Research and you’ll get a lot of Stardust in a short amount of time. Ultra Box At 16 Raid Passes, this is already a steal. While there’s not much to raid during this time, unless you still haven’t caught that high IV Dialga, this is a great buy if you want to save some Raid Passes for future Raids. The fact that Latias returned with a shiny can also mean that Latios’ return is on the horizon. If you plan on raiding for the EXP, the box also has Lucky Eggs. Adventure Box While 12 Incubators isn’t the best Niantic has offered, it is the best Box for hatching eggs in this current line-up. After all, hatching multiple eggs is one of the best ways to getting many Stardust in a short amount of time. If you plan on hatching eggs for the EXP, the box also has Lucky Eggs. Overall Thoughts If you plan on raiding a lot or want to prepare for the next Raid Boss, the Ultra Box is the best box you could buy right now. If you plan on hatching Eggs instead, the Adventure Box is the box for you. If you plan on preparing for the next PvP tournament and don’t have any Star Pieces left, the Great Box is the only one that offers them. If you still have Star Pieces, the Adventure Box is a great option since hatching Eggs with the Star Piece bonus is one of the fastest ways to get Stardust in a short amount of time, but you can also buy the Ultra Box if you need more Fast TMs Even if you don’t plan on hatching eggs or raiding during this event, you can hoard those Incubators and Raid Passes for future Generation IV Pokémon, since there is still 1 unreleased Baby Pokémon (Mime Jr.) which you will need to hatch in the future to complete the Sinnoh Dex, and the remaining Legendary Pokémon for Generation IV might be released via Raids as well.  At last, we got the information for both Acid Spray and Leaf Tornado. Exciting right?! Well… don’t get your hopes up. These moves seem to only play a special role in PvP. It is also worth mentioning that both moves are Charge Moves. Nonetheless, here’s a New Moves Analysis to look at how these moves compare to the others of the same typing that are already available in-game.
TLDR:
By NO means should you use Acid Spray as a move to take down a gym or raid boss. It is literally worthless. Although, it seems Niantic added this move to complement PvP battles. Which isn’t a bad thing. At least they are showing PvP some love and it proves they care to improve the overall meta. It is also worth noting that poison moves, at least at the moment, aren’t desired in raid battles. Until we get more grass and Fairy-type Pokémon introduced into raids, then we will see more of a poison raid meta. But for now, poison moves aren’t that useful. The only Pokémon that have this move available to learn are Arbok, Victreebel, Tentacruel, Muk, Alolan Muk, Quagsire, Qwilfish, Octillery, and Swalot. As you can already see, Leaf Tornado has no place in gyms or raids. Even Seed Bomb outperforms it having similar energy costs. If the cooldown was a lot faster, say 1.5, then there could be a use for it. Regardless, Solar Beam and Frenzy Plant will still be kings of the gym and raid grass-type meta for now. We have to remember that only Shiftry and Victreebel can learn Leaf Tornado. They both have decent attack stats, but overall there are plenty of other Grass-types that outrank them in terms of TDO in raids. Even IF Leaf Tornado was a great move, Shifty and Victreebel would more than likely still sit on the sidelines to the likes of Roserade, Venusaur, Tangrowth, Sceptile and when it is released, Leafeon. The one and only sole purpose Acid Spray seems to have is to allow your fast moves to deal more damage. Dropping your opponents DEF by 33% yields a great advantage of dealing more TDO overall. However, trying to build up 50 energy before your opponent can get off a charge move first is often unlikely. It also doesn’t help that Acid Spray does a measly 20 damage. The risk does not outweigh the reward. An easy fix would be to reduce the energy down to 45 (perhaps even 40). For now, there are just too many moves that cost less energy to activate, which means more shields burned, which in turn means more damage dealt in the long run. If you can make any tactical use of lowering the opponent’s DEF by 33% for 50 energy, go for it, but we don’t see when this would be a better choice than say Poison Fang or Sludge Bomb. Conclusion: we’re definitely not excited for Acid Spray. Leaf Tornado is the weakest grass charge move in the PvP scene, but it has the added effect of decreasing your opponent’s ATK by 20% (1 stage) per activation. Given that only Shiftry and Victreebel can learn it, this makes for an interesting shift in the meta. Leaf Tornado seems to be intended as a second charge move. Coupling it with Leaf Blade will result in a surprisingly sturdy combo, especially if you’re lucky to get an activation early on. Remember, debuffs still go through shields, so even if your opponent shields, it will still get the ATK reduction. In conclusion, Leaf Tornado is an excellent addition to the PvP scene for an extra layer of strategy on two different Pokémon that we haven’t seen in the meta before until now! |