No Nonsense Pokemon Masters Tier List

NOTE: This Tier List will is currently going under reconstruction to account for the new mechanics like the Sync Grid. When reconstruction is complete, this note will disappear accordingly.

 

First released on 25th July 2019 to Singaporean players and resourceful Android users, Pokemon Masters has quickly expanded on its original 65 man roster with multiple useful Sync Pairs. As a Gacha game, each Sync Pair comes with a unique feature meant to deal with different scenarios. As players jump into the game and learn the ropes, a tier list becomes highly useful to optimize resource management, especially if players do not have a lot of time and/or money to invest into the game.

This tier list is a combined tier list across roles (Strike, Tech, Support) and metagame (Single-Player, Co-Op), in an attempt to help newer players quickly understand which Sync Pairs they should invest in first. As a result, this Tier List will not feature every Sync Pair. Instead, only the most useful and notable members will be exhibited here. This does not imply that unlisted Sync Pairs are bad. They generally have operational niches that either take too much work to excel or are too situational to be useful. Players who has favorites that are not featured here are still encouraged to train them, and use this list to find the best complementary Sync Pairs to support their main unit. That said, this list seeks to be as objective as possible. Readers are highly encouraged to provide constructive criticism in the comments as to which Sync Pair should get a different ranking.

 

Tiers in this tier list are decided upon by how well each Sync Pair performs in the following three categories:

 

• 1. Self Sustenance
  • This refers to how well the Sync Pair can function as a solo unit. The less support it requires from its allies, the higher it scores in this section. This usually implies a slight bias towards Strike roles, which is reasonable as they are always the focal point of any proper team construction. This becomes extremely important when one eventually starts to grind co-op levels. The rubrics for this category are as follows:
    • Self Boost
      • How well this Sync Pair does at boosting its own offensive stats like Attack, Sp. Attack, Accuracy, and Critical Hit rate.
    • Damage Output
      • How much this Sync Pair has in its Attack and/or Sp. Attack. The higher this number, the better.
      • How much Base Power this Sync Pair’s highest damaging move has. The higher this number, the better.
    • Move Gauge Refill
      • How well it compensates for its drain on the Move Gauge. This usually favors Sync Pairs with ways to boost and/or retain its Speed.
    • Rebuff / Anti Debuff
      • How many turns it takes for this Sync Pair to regain its lost stat boosts, or how resistant they are to stat debuffs. For the former, the lesser this number, the better.
    • Autopilot compatibility
      • How well this Sync Pair functions on autopilot mode for repeated material farming purposes.
• 2. Efficiency
  • This refers to how well the Sync Pair performs in the game in general. Strike and Support roles are ranked on different criteria here.
    • Strike
      • Battle Villa
        • How efficient it is at handling Battle Villa Halls. Sync Pairs that can do massive damage without delving deeply into its limited usage Trainer Moves tend to fare better here.
      • Very Hard Supercourses
        • How efficient it is at clearing the Very Hard Supercourses. This is important for grinding the Gym Leader Notes and Elite 4 Notes that are necessary to unlock the final Level Cap.
      • Very Hard EX Challenges
        • How efficient it is at clearing the Very Hard EX Challenges. This is important for grinding 2 Star Gear and its corresponding level up material.
    • Tech/Support
      • Bulk
        • How bulky the Sync Pair is. The bulkier the Sync Pair, the more firepower it draws to itself, which is pivotal in keeping the team’s Strike Sync Pair alive. The higher this number, the better.
      • Team Support
        • How well the Sync Pair supports the team, like the refilling of Move Gauge and boosting of the team’s stats. The higher this number, the better.
    • All
      • Flexibility
        • How well it can fit across most of the team archetypes.
• 3. Availability
  • This refers to how easily the players can obtain this Sync Pair, in descending order below:
    • F2P
    • 3*
    • 4*
    • 5*

 

The tiers are as follows:

 

• Premier Tier
  • This tier houses the cream of the crop. The top Sync Pairs that either serve as the focal points of any team that they are on, or the best representative of their respective role category reside in this tier. Players can stop their re-rolling immediately if they obtain any of the Sync Pairs featured in the top most rung of this tier.
• A Tier
  • This tier houses highly valuable Sync Pairs that are further split into A+, A, and A- according to the relative importance and irreplaceability on one’s team for the role that it plays. Most of these Sync Pairs fare exceptionally well in the co-op stages, especially the EX Challenges.
• B Tier
  • This tier houses valuable Sync Pairs that are either a less expensive alternative to the entries above, or lack a proper metagame to heighten the demand for their services. Likewise, it is also split into similar sub-tiers.
• C Tier
  • This tier houses the rest of the useful free Sync Pairs that all players will receive from the game’s story, as well as a few notable Sync Pairs that have operationally useful niches.

 

 

 

Premier Tier

 

Strike

 

Sygna Suit Red & Charizard (MX)

• High Self Sustenance
  • Self Boost
    • My Destiny! > +3 Sp. Attack and Speed, +3 Attack (if used as Mega Charizard X)
      • -1 Defense and Sp. Def (Fix through X Defense All, X Sp. Def All or similar support from ally).
    • Dire Hit + > +2 Critical Hit rate.
    • Propulsion 1 > Chance to reduce Sync Move meter by 1 per each successful move.
  • Damage Output
    • High Base Attack and Sp. Atk (Highest natural Base Sp. Atk after Mega Evolution).
    • High raw power of Heat Wave.
    • High raw power of Blast Burn.
      • Heat Wave and Blast Burn do not have perfect accuracy (Fix through Piercing Gaze).
      • Blast Burn costs a whopping 4 Move Gauge slots (Fix through Move Gauge Refresh 4 on self or similar support from ally).
    • High raw power of Sync Move (Living Legend Blast Burn).
    • Damage can be boosted through Weather Condition (Sun).
  • Move Gauge Refill
    • Move Gauge Refill 4 has decent chances of restoring Move Gauge by 1 per successful move.
• Efficiency
  • Heat Wave is one of the most powerful spread moves in the game, allowing for faster clearing of the board.
    • Heat Wave suffers from drastic spread damage reduction: x0.5 against 3 foes, x0.67 against 2 foes (No Fix).
  • Battle Villa
    • Best Powerhouse
      • Dire Hit + MP Refresh on Sync Grid helps maximize Charizard’s damage output throughout the Halls.
  • Very Hard Supercourses
    • Fantastic Single Player Powerhouse
  • Very Hard EX Challenges
    
    • Fantastic for Fire weak EX Challenges.

 

Giovanni & Mewtwo

• Good Self Sustenance
  • Self Boost
    • Nowhere To Hide! > +2 Critical Hit rate, +1 Evasiveness
  • Damage Output
    • High Base Sp. Atk.
• Moderate Availability
  • Free
    • Takes a lot of grinding to get the Base Sync Version, even more so to fully level his Sync (No Fix).
• Unique Feature – 2 Types
  • Being able to deal damage from 2 different Types makes Giovanni flexible as a choice across different stages.
• Unique Feature – Raw Power
  • It is currently the only Sync Pair that naturally breaks the 400 mark in Sp. Atk without having to go through Mega Evolution or Potential Upgrades. This allows it to pretty much nuke from the get go once brought to its highest Level Cap.

 

Brendan & Treecko – Grovyle – Sceptile

High Self Sustenance Self Boost No Turning Back! > 1 Turn > +2(n) Attack and Sp. Attack; (n) refers to the number of filled Move Gauge slots upon use. Dire Hit + > +2 Critical Hit rate. Damage Output High Base Attack and Sp. Atk. High raw power of Leaf Storm Leaf Storm does not have perfect accuracy (Fix through X Accuracy All or similar support from ally). Leaf Storm drops Sp. Atk by 2 per use (Fix through X Sp. Atk All or similar support from ally, can be reinstated through No Turning Back!). High raw power of Sync Move (Leaf Blade of Sundering). Move Gauge Refill Haste > Prevents Speed Drop – Speed boosts are permanent, meaning that it can consistently shave around 5 to 6 seconds per Leaf Storm at +4 Speed. Lithe > Prevents Paralysis – Cannot be slowed down even through Paralysis, guaranteeing the aforementioned Speed advantage. Rebuff No Turning Back! > 1 Turn > +2(n) Attack and Sp. Attack; (n) refers to the number of filled Move Gauge slots upon use. High Efficiency Very Hard Supercourses Fantastic Single Player Powerhouse Very Hard EX Challenges Absolute must have for EX Brock. Absolute must have for EX Barry. Unity Pushing Ability to push Unity Attack faster through Dire Hit + setup. Flexibility Can attack from both Attack and Sp. Atk with its Sync Move and Leaf Storm respectively. Fits easily onto any team composition. Unique Feature – Potential Sceptile already has pretty phenomenal stats and subsequent damage output, as one of, if not the Pokemon with the highest Base Special Attack before Mega Evolution. Throw in the potential access to Mega Evolution, and Sceptile becomes even scarier of a prospect. It’s biggest drawback in Leaf Storm accuracy can be patched by Breathtaking! from an allied Sygna Suit Elesa’s Rotom. Unique Feature – Basic Power Treecko has stellar Base stats, which means players do not have as much of a need to fully evolve it, unlike the other Sync Pairs like Ethan and Kris. Unique Feature – Dire Hit + One of the few fortunate beneficiaries of the Dire Hit + update (13th September 2019), Brendan & Treecko is now capable of guaranteeing each hit results in a Critical Hit, which makes charging of Unity a lot more consistent. This also applies to its Sync Move, which is especially scary after No Turning Back buffs its Attack to +6. Unique Feature – Unity Attack Brendan & Treecko, when stacked at +6 Attack and +3 Critical Hit rate, has one of, if not the highest damaging neutral Unity Attack during the early game, where players may not have enough time to bring in and set up their super effective units. This makes 3x Brendan leads very powerful and can be used to set up for its teammates who rely heavily on Sync Mega Evolution for damage output.

 

Olivia & Lycanroc (Midnight)

High Self Sustenance Self Boost X Attack > +2 Attack. Hard as Diamonds! > +2 Accuracy, +1 Critical Hit rate. Damage Output High Base Attack. High raw power of Stone Edge, which already has an increased Critical hit rate. Stone Edge does not have perfect accuracy (Fix through Hard as Diamonds on self). Move Gauge Refill Its Passive Skill buffs Speed for each Critical hit landed, which is more or less every hit once set up. Stone Edge is a huge Move Gauge drain (Fix through X Speed All, instant Move Gauge refill, or similar support from ally). High Efficiency Very Hard EX Challenges Great one size fit all powerhouse for all EX Challenges stages. Unity Pushing Critical Hit centric set makes charging the Unity Attack a breeze due to the bonus it provides. Flexibility Top self reliant Physical Strike Sync Pair Fits easily onto any Co-Op team composition. Unique Feature – Raw Power It is currently the one of the only Sync Pairs that naturally breaks the 400 mark in Attack without having go through Mega Evolution or Potential Upgrades. This allows it to pretty much nuke from the get go once brought to its highest Level Cap.

 

Support

 

Phoebe & Dusclops – Dusknoir

High Efficiency (Support) Bulk High bulk rating > Opponents target it instead of the team’s Strike role. Team Support Dire Hit All + > Team Buff Critical Hit rate (+2). Unbreakable Bonds! refills move gauge and buffs all allies’ Attack (best done at low HP), which helps to maintain the availability of high Bar requirement moves like Leaf Storm, Stone Edge and Mega Kick. Lower utility value during the early game set up phase (No Fix). Lower utility value when used in single player (No Fix). Passive Skill is only usable in Co-Op (No Fix). Passive Skill only triggers upon fainting (Fix by accelerating self faint through Double Edge). No way to self boost passable stats bar Attack (No Fix). High reliance on additional support to boost Strike Sync Pair ally (No Fix). Flexibility Top Overall Redirector cum Support. Fits easily onto any team composition. Unique Feature – Dire Hit All + One of the few fortunate beneficiaries of the Dire Hit + update (13th September 2019), Phoebe and Dusclops is now extremely powerful in co-op where it can guarantee both of its teammates’ attacks land Critical Hits after 2 turns. This is extremely useful in charging the Unity meter.

 

Sygna Suit Elesa & Rotom

• High Efficiency (Support)
  • Fantastic Bulk
    • Highest Combined Bulk Rating (March 2020)
    • Look Alive 9 > Increases evasiveness when hit
  • Team Support
    • X Sp. Atk All > Team Buff Sp. Atk (+2).
    • Breathtaking! > Reduces Sync Move countdown by 2, +1 (+2 if Sync Buff active) Accuracy and Critical hit rate.
  • Battle Villa
    • Best redirector for Battle Villa.
  • Flexibility
    • Top Overall Redirector cum Support.
    • Fits easily onto any Special Strike team composition.

 

3* Sync Pairs

 

Main Character & Torchic

Moderate Self Sustenance Self Boost Flame Charge > Damage, +1 Speed. High Efficiency (Support) Bulk Moderate bulk rating. Team Support X Attack All > Team buff Attack (+2). Blazing Hope! > Team buff Critical Hit rate (+1) and Sp. Atk (+2). Haste > Prevents Speed Drop – Speed boosts are permanent, meaning that it can consistently shave around 5 to 6 seconds per 3 Bar move at +4 Speed. Flexibility Fits easily onto any team composition. Not as move efficient as other Mixed Support Sync Pairs like Liza & Lunatone. Good Availability Free (Post Co-Op)

 

Roxanne & Nosepass – Probopass

High Efficiency (Support) Good Bulk Good Bulk rating Low Base HP (No Fix). Team Support Study Buddies! > Team Buff Sp. Atk and Speed (+2). X Def All > Team Buff Defense. Wide Guard is slightly niche but much welcomed countermeasure against spread moves like Rock Slide. One use only (No Fix). Flexibility Best budget Special Support. Fits easily onto any Special Strike team composition. Good Availability 3* Gacha Unique Feature – Potential Upgrade As a 3* Sync Pair, Roxanne’s Probopass gains a lot more bulk when its potential is upgraded. At 4*, Nosepass’ Defense and Special Defense outstrip many 5* bulky support Sync Pairs at the same Level. Its main flaw in low Base HP can be mitigated through Potential Upgrading.

 

 

A Tier

 

A+ Strike

 

5* Sync Pairs

 

Kris & Totodile – Croconaw – Feraligatr

Moderate Self Sustenance Self Boost X Attack > +2 Attack. Pick Up The Pace! > +2 Speed, makes the next move a guaranteed and critical hit. Damage Output Moderate Base Attack. High raw power of Mega Kick. Mega Kick has horrible accuracy (Fix through Pick Up The Pace! on self). Pick Up The Pace! can only be used twice (Fix through X Accuracy All or similar support from ally). Damage can be boosted through Weather Condition (Rain). Good Efficiency Very Hard EX Challenges Good to have for EX Brock. Absolute must have for EX Flannery. Unique Feature – Water Shift Water Shift turns Feraligatr’s Mega Kick into a Water Type move. This allows Mega Kick to be powered up by Rain, which further increments Feraligatr’s damage output.

 

Steven Stone & Metagross (M)

• Good Self Sustenance
  • Self Boost
    • X Attack > +2 Attack.
    • Best There Is! > +1 Defense, makes the next move a guaranteed and critical hit. If used after Mega Evolution, gives Endure.
  • Damage Output
    • High Base Attack
    • Power Chain 3 > Boosts the power of moves when Unity bonus is in effect (From 1.25x to 2x).
  • Rebuff/Anti-Debuff
    • Impervious > Prevents stat drops – Stat boosts are permanent, allowing for better abuse of set up play against opposing debuffs.
• Unique Feature – Fast Move
  • It is one of the few Sync Pairs that gains access to a Fast Move, in this case Bullet Punch. While it can only be used 3 times, it does not drain the Move Gauge, allowing Mega Metagross to maintain damage output while waiting for its Move Gauge to refill after using its Sync Move.

 

Cynthia & Garchomp (M)

• Moderate Self Sustenance
  • Self Boost
    • X Attack > +2 Attack.
    • This Match Is Too Fun! > +1 Speed and Critical Hit rate, (+2 when used under Sand).
    • Surging Sand 5 > Powers up moves in a Sandstorm.
  • Damage Output
    • Good Base Attack (High Base Attack after Mega Evolution).
  • Move Gauge Refill
    • Its Passive Skill buffs Speed occasionally, allowing for faster replenishment of Garchomp’s Move Gauge.
      • Earthquake is a huge Move Gauge drain (Fix through X Speed All, instant Move Gauge refill, or similar support from ally).
• Good Efficiency
  • Earthquake is one of the most powerful spread moves in the game, allowing for faster clearing of the board.
    • Earthquake suffers from drastic spread damage reduction: x0.5 against 3 foes, x0.67 against 2 foes (No Fix).
  • Battle Villa
    • Decent powerhouse.
  • Very Hard EX Challenges
    • Good to have for EX Hau.
• Unique Feature – Ground Shift
  • Ground Shift turns Mega Garchomp’s Slash into a Ground Type move. This synergizes well with This Match Is Too Fun! to give Mega Garchomp a strong single target move after Mega Evolution.

 

4* Sync Pairs

 

Noland & Pinsir (M)

High Self Sustenance Self Boost X Attack > +2 Attack. Damage Output High Base Attack Fury Cutter only costs 1 Bar, reaching 72 in Base Power on its fourth and subsequent consecutive use. This turns Fury Cutter into the highest damage per Move Gauge cost move. Highest Damage Per Second Fastest Sync Move Charge Unhindered (its second Passive Ability after Mega Evolution) negates the effects of filters like Reflect, Light Screen, and Aurora Veil. Move Gauge Refill Bring It On! > +2 Speed Impervious (after Mega Evolution) blocks stat drops – Speed boosts are permanent, meaning that it can consistently shave around 2 seconds per Fury Cutter at +4 Speed. Rebuff Impervious (after Mega Evolution) > Prevents stat drops – Stat boosts are permanent, allowing for better abuse of set up play against opposing debuffs. Good Efficiency Great Very Hard Supercourse powerhouse. Flexibility Top Physical Strike Sync Pair Fits easily onto any Physical team composition. Unique Feature – Potential Upgrade As a 4* Sync Pair, Noland’s Mega Pinsir can get even more powerful when it gets upgraded into a 5* Sync Pair. While the stat increase is minute, it quickly snowballs when multipliers like Attack buffs and Critical Hits are applied. Unique Feature –  1 Bar Machine In Battle Villa, where MPs do not refresh per battle, having a fast way to push Sync becomes very useful for damage output. Noland & Mega Pinsir are the strongest example in this aspect, getting a Mega Evolution to further boost its damage output.

 

A+ Support

 

5* Sync Pairs

 

Leaf & Eevee

• High Efficiency (Support)
  • Team Support
    • Potion heals an ally and keeps it on the field for a longer period of time.
    • Let’s Go! refills Move Gauge by 2 and self buffs Attack (+2).
    • Endless Possibilities Extreme Evoboost
      • Refills self’s Move Gauge by Sync Move level.
      • Team Buffs Attack, Defense, Sp. Atk, Sp. Def, and Accuracy (+2).
        • Can only be used as a Sync Move
    • Benefactor
      • Passes all accumulated boosts when switching.
    • Impervious > Prevents stat drops – Stat boosts are permanent, allowing for better abuse of set up play against opposing debuffs.
  • Flexibility
    • Superb Overall Redirector cum Support.
    • Fits easily onto any team composition.

 

Hilbert & Oshawott – Dewott – Samurott

Moderate Self Sustenance Self Boost X Speed All > Team Buff Speed (+1). In This Together! > 1 Turn > +(n) Attack; (n) is dependent on the amount of HP left, the lower the HP, the better. (n) starts off at 3. Rebuff Impervious > Prevents stat drops – Stat boosts are permanent, allowing for better abuse of set up play against opposing debuffs. High Efficiency (Support) Bulk Moderate bulk rating Team Support X Speed All > Team Buff Speed (+1). In This Together! > 1 Turn > +(n) Attack; (n) is dependent on the amount of HP left, the lower the HP, the better. (n) starts off at 3. Impervious > Prevents stat drops – Stat boosts are permanent, allowing for better abuse of set up play against opposing debuffs [SINGLE PLAYER] Flexibility Top Physical Support. Fits easily onto any Physical Strike team composition. Unique Feature – Potential As a Basic Pokemon, Oshawott’s stats are in line for a huge boost when it is eventually allowed to evolve. Unique Feature – Strike Compatibility Its stats are comparable to Totodile, with better bulk and self buffing, the latter benefitting greatly from Impervious. This makes Oshawott a great alternative, especially if players do not have enough materials to evolve Totodile into Feraligatr. Lacks a powerful 3 Bar move like Mega Kick on Totodile to properly hurt foes (No Fix).

 

Rosa & Snivy – Servine – Serperior

High Efficiency (Support) Bulk High bulk rating > Opponents target it instead of the team’s Strike role. Self recovery through Giga Drain. Team Support X Sp. Atk All > Team Buff Sp. Atk (+2). Time to Energize! refills the team’s move gauge, which helps to maintain the availability of high Bar requirement moves like Leaf Storm, Dark Pulse, and Discharge. Flexibility Top Special Redirector cum Support. Fits easily onto any Special Strike team composition. High Availability Free Available as early as Chapter 1.

 

Rosa (Holiday 2019) & Delibird

• High Efficiency (Support)
  • Good Bulk
    • Good Bulk rating
      • Low Base HP (No Fix).
  • Team Support
    • X Attack All > Team Buff Attack (+2).
    • All The Presents! > Move Gauge Acceleration, Team Buff Speed (+1), Team Random Buff (+2).
  • Flexibility
    • Fits easily onto any Physical Strike team composition.

 

A- Strike

 

5* Sync Pairs

 

Main Character & Solgaleo

• High Self Sustenance
  • Self Boost
    • Bright As the Sun! > 3 Bars > +3 Attack, Sp. Attack, Accuracy.
  • Damage Output
    • High Base Attack, Good Base Sp. Attack.
    • Sunsteel Strike ignores all damage reduction effects.
    • High raw power of Focus Blast
      • Focus Blast does not have perfect accuracy (Fix through Bright As the Sun! on self or similar support from ally).
    • High raw power of Sync Move (Shining Friendship Sunraze Smash).
  • Rebuff/Anti-Debuff
    • Impervious > Prevents stat drops – Stat boosts are permanent, allowing for better abuse of set up play against opposing debuffs.
• High Efficiency
  • Very Hard Supercourses
    • Fantastic Single Player Powerhouse
  • Flexibility
    • Can attack from both Attack and Sp. Atk with its Sunsteel Strike and Focus Blast respectively.
    • Fits easily onto any team composition.
• Good Availability
  • Free
    • Only available via Legendary Event (No Fix).
• Unique Feature – 2 Types
  • Being able to deal damage from 2 different Types makes Main Character & Solgaleo flexible as a choice across different stages.

 

Blue & Pidgeot (M)

High Self Sustenance Self Boost X Sp. Atk > +2 Sp. Atk. Smell Ya Later! > +1 Accuracy, Evasiveness, and Critical Hit rate. Damage Output High Base Sp. Atk (Highest natural Base Sp. Atk after Mega Evolution). High raw power of Hurricane (decent chance to inflict confusion). Hurricane does not have perfect accuracy (Fix through Smell Ya Later! on self, or Rain Dance support from ally). Hurricane is only available after Mega Evolution (Fix through Sync Move meter charge). Low overall damage output until after Sync Move (Fix through Sync Move meter charge). Move Gauge Refill Haste > Prevents Speed Drop – Speed boosts are permanent, meaning that it can consistently shave around 5 to 6 seconds per Hurricane at +4 Speed. Rebuff Acuity > Prevents Accuracy Drop –  Accuracy boosts are permanent, meaning that it can consistently fire off Hurricane without fearing its lacklustre accuracy, bar the opponents’ evasiveness boost. High Efficiency Very Hard Supercourses Fantastic Single Player Powerhouse Very Hard EX Challenges Good to have for EX Rosa. Unity Pushing Ability to push Unity Attack faster through Air Cutter + Smell Ya Later! set up. Flexibility Top Special Strike Sync Pair Fits easily onto any Special Strike team composition. Unique Feature – Mega Evolution Currently one of the only natural 5* Sync Pairs to get access to Mega Evolution. This grants Pidgeot even more Sp. Atk and Speed to sweep foes with. Unique Feature – Spread Critical Hit Assurance After 2 uses of Smell Ya Later!, the spread move Air Cutter is guaranteed to land a critical hit, which can be used as a reliable method to secure the Unity Attack charge bonus.

 

Karen & Houndoom (M)

High Self Sustenance Self Boost Dire Hit + > +2 Critical Hit rate. Entertain Me! > 1 Turn > +(n) Sp. Attack;(n) is dependent on the amount of HP left, the lower the HP, the better. (n) starts off at 3. Damage Output High Base Sp. Atk. High raw power of Dark Pulse (decent chance to inflict flinch and is more reliable in terms of accuracy when compared to Leaf Storm and Stone Edge). Dark Pulse is only available after Mega Evolution (Fix through Sync Move meter charge). Low overall damage output until after Sync Move (Fix through Sync Move meter charge). Rebuff Entertain Me! > 1 Turn > +(n) Sp. Attack;(n) is dependent on the amount of HP left, the lower the HP, the better. (n) starts off at 3. High Efficiency Very Hard Supercourses Fantastic Single Player Powerhouse Extra points against Special Strike teams, with Snarl enhancing overall longevity. Very Hard EX Challenges Good to have for EX Barry. Absolute must have for EX Barry SOLO. Unity Pushing Ability to push Unity Attack faster through Dire Hit + setup. Flexibility Top Special Strike Sync Pair Fits easily onto any Special Strike team composition. Unique Feature – Mega Evolution Currently one the only natural 5* Sync Pairs to get access to Mega Evolution. This grants Houndoom even more Sp. Atk and Speed to sweep foes with. Unique Feature – Defensive Support It can buff the team’s Special bulk through Snarl, which improves the team’s longevity. This allows the team to function better in longer matches. This element is not applicable in the Very Hard difficulties of EX Challenges (No Fix). Unique Feature – Passive Skill Its Passive Skills prevents it from being burned or put to sleep. Unique Feature – Dire Hit + One of the few fortunate beneficiaries of the Dire Hit + update (13th September 2019), Karen & Houdoom is now capable of guaranteeing each hit results in a Critical Hit, which makes charging of Unity a lot more consistent. This also applies to its Sync Move.

 

3* Sync Pairs

 

Flannery & Torkoal

Good Self Sustenance Self Boost X Sp. Atk > +2 Sp. Atk. Too Hot to Handle! > +2 Defense, +1 Critical Hit rate. Damage Output Sync Move raw power is increased (doubled) when the target is poisoned. Mediocre Base Sp. Atk (Fix through X Sp. Atk on self, or similar support from ally). Lacks a powerful 3 Bar move to properly hurt foes (Fix through Sync Grid). Heavily reliant on Sync Move for proper damage output (Fix through Sync Grid). Damage can be boosted through Weather Condition (Sun). Rebuff Impervious > Prevents stat drops – Stat boosts are permanent, allowing for better abuse of set up play against opposing debuffs. Moderate Efficiency (Support) Team Support Will O Wisp burns the target and halves the damage they deal with Physical moves. High Availability Free Available as early as Chapter 3 Unique Feature –  1 Bar Machine In Battle Villa, where MPs do not refresh per battle, having a fast way to push Sync becomes very useful for damage output. Flannery & Torkoal serve as a nice free option with Ember and Will O Wisp, with a Sync Move that doubles in power when the target is burnt.

A BorderLine

 

4* Sync Pairs

 

Drake & Salamence

Good Efficiency (Support) Bulk Moderate bulk rating Team Support Terrify 1 > -1 Attack to all foes. X Sp. Def All > Team Buff Sp. Def (+2). Hard to Starboard! refills Move Gauge and team buffs defense by 2. High reliance on additional support to boost Strike Sync Pair ally (No Fix). Unique Feature – Set Type The only purely defensive Support Sync Pair. While it does not offer much going forward, it is useful for helping ensure that the team does not go down too early in harder match ups and longer battles.

 

Flint & Infernape

Good Self Sustenance Self Buff We’re On Fire! > +2 Attack and Sp. Atk. Dire Hit > +1 Critical Hit rate. Damage Output Good Base Attack and Sp. Atk High raw power of Fire Blast Fire Blast does not have perfect accuracy (Fix through X Accuracy All or similar support from ally). Good Efficiency Generally solo build allows for usage in both Very Hard supercourses and Co-Op. Good Availability Free (Post Co-Op)

 

3* Sync Pairs

 

Professor Oak & Mew

 

Pryce & Seel – Dewgong

• Best Ice Type Strike option in game.
• Good Efficiency
  • Icy Wind is a very good spread move, allowing for faster clearing of the board while simultaneously lowering the Speed on all foes.
    • Icy Wind suffers from drastic spread damage reduction: x0.5 against 3 foes, x0.67 against 2 foes (No Fix).
• High Availability
  • Free
  • Available as early as Chapter 8.

 

 

 

B Tier

 

B+ Strike

 

5* Sync Pairs

 

Lance & Dragonite

• Good Self Sustenance
  • Self Buff
    • Now or Never! > Move Gauge Refill (+6).
      • Costs 50% of Dragonite’s remaining HP (Fix through Potion on self).
    • Potion > Heals self.
  • High Damage Output
    • High Base Attack and Sp. Atk.
    • High Raw Power of Hyper Beam
      • Hyper Beam does not have perfect accuracy (Fix through X Accuracy All or similar support from ally).
      • Hyper Beam costs a whopping 4 Move Gauge slots (Fix through Now or Never! on self or similar support from ally).
• Unique Feature – Dragon Shift
  • Dragon Shift turns Hyper Beam into a Dragon Type move, allowing it to deal massive damage against Dragon weak foes. However, this is only a slight improvement, since Dragon Type is one of the worst offensive Types in Pokemon Masters, and unlike Water Shift, does not get any further power boosts from Weather.

 

4* Sync Pairs

 

Will & Xatu

Good Self Sustenance Self Boost Our Power is Limitless! copies and doubles all stat boosts on the target (foe only). Lack of proper and consistent way to control the self boost (Fix with X Sp. Atk All or similar support from ally). Damage Output Moderate Base Special Attack. High raw power of Stored Power when fully set up. Rebuff Impervious > Prevents stat drops – Stat boosts are permanent, allowing for better abuse of set up play against opposing debuffs. Autopilot Compatibility One of the most reliable options for autopilot on Very Hard supercourses. Heavy reliance on the inconsistent game AI for momentum, slower execution on autopilot (No Fix). Good Efficiency Great Very Hard Supercourse Tech.

 

Hau & Alolan Raichu

Good Self Sustenance Self Boost X Sp Atk > +2 Sp. Atk. Feel the Alolan Breeze! > +2 Speed and Evasiveness. Passive Skill: First Aid 4 > Heal when in a pinch. Damage Output Good Base Sp. Atk Good Efficiency Discharge is one of the most powerful spread moves in the game, allowing for faster clearing of the board. Discharge suffers from drastic spread damage reduction: x0.5 against 3 foes, x0.67 against 2 foes (No Fix). Good Availability Free (Post Co-Op) Easily replaceable by better Strike Sync Pairs from Gacha, like Brendan, Karen, and Blue, without changing too much of the team’s structure.

 

3* Sync Pairs

 

Korrina & Lucario (M)

Good Self Sustenance Self Buff Skate On Through! > +3 Speed, +1 Attack. Dire Hit > +1 Critical Hit rate. Power-Up Punch > Chip Damage and +1 Attack, Damage Output Good Base Attack (High Base Attack after Mega Evolution) High raw power of Close Combat Close Combat weakens Lucario’s defenses, making her more vulnerable to being KOed by the opponent’s Sync Move (Fix through X Def All, X Sp.Def All, Haze, or similar support from ally). High Efficiency Great Co-Op powerhouse Super effective against Sygna Suit Brock. Less useful against other co-op levels (No Fix). Increased Critical Hit rate helps in the charging of Unity Attack meter. High Availability Free Available as early as Chapter 6. Unique Feature – Mega Evolution It is currently the only free Sync Pair with access to Mega Evolution. This grants Lucario a hefty power boost after Sync to clean up the field.

 

B- Strike

 

5* Sync Pairs

 

Hilda & Tepig – Pignite – Emboar

• High Self Sustenance
  • Self Boost
    • Flame Charge > Damage, +1 Speed.
    • Try and Stop Us! > 1 turn, +(n) Attack; (n) refers to number of Speed boosts already accumulated on self.
    • Potion > Heals self.
    • Passive Skill: First Aid 4 > Heal when in a pinch.
  • Damage Output
    • High Base Attack
    • High raw power of Flare Blitz
      • Flare Blitz incurs a hefty 25% recoil (Fix through Potion on self or similar support from ally).
    • Damage can be boosted through Weather Condition (Sun).
• High Efficiency
  • Very Hard Supercourses
    • Fantastic Single Player Powerhouse
  • Very Hard EX Challenges
    
    • Good to have for EX Rosa.
    • Absolute must have for EX Korrina.

 

Elesa & Zebstrika

Good Self Sustenance Self Boost X Attack > +2 Attack. Electrifying! > Immediate Heal, makes the next move a guaranteed critical hit. Hit and Run > Occasionally raises Speed after executing a move. Damage Output Good Base Attack High raw power of Wild Charge Wild Charge incurs a hefty 20% recoil (Fix through Electrifying on self or similar support from ally). Move Gauge Refill Hit and Run > Occasionally raises Speed after executing a move. Good Efficiency Very Hard Supercourses Good Single Player Powerhouse Very Hard EX Challenges Good to have for EX Pryce.

 

4* Sync Pairs

 

Agatha & Gengar (M)

 

Gardenia & Roserade

Moderate Self Sustenance Self Buff Dire Hit + > +2 Critical Hit rate Trust in Nature! > Flips stat drops into stat buffs. Takes 5 turns of set up to get a highly perishable +6 boost to Sp. Atk (No Fix). Counterintuitive to team support until after usage (No Fix). Damage Output High Base Sp. Atk. High raw power of Leaf Storm Leaf Storm does not have perfect accuracy (Fix through X Accuracy All or similar support from ally). Leaf Storm drops Sp. Atk by 2 per use (Fix through X Sp. Atk All or similar support from ally, can be “fixed” through Trust in Nature!). Move Gauge Refill Speeding Sun 2 > Move Gauge Acceleration in Sun. Moderate Efficiency Very Hard EX Challenges Good to have for EX Brock.

 

B- Support

 

5* Sync Pairs

 

Glacia & Glalie (M)

Moderate Self Sustenance Self Boost X Regen All – Team Passive Heal. Attention Here! > Redirect to self, Team Buff Sp. Atk (+2). Good Efficiency (Support) Bulk Good bulk rating X Regen All – Team Passive Heal. Team Support Attention Here! > Redirect to self, Team Buff Sp. Atk (+2). Can only be used once (Fix through Mega Evolution). Flexibility Fits easily onto any Special Strike team composition. Better used for single player content. Unique Feature – Mega Evolution Glacia is currently the only 5 Star Support Sync Pair with access to Mega Evolution, which helps to increase Glalie’s damage output and Speed. With favorable RNG, Glacia can actually grind out its Sync Move at a pretty high Speed. Mega Evolution also restores the use of Attention Here!, which gives the team another +2 in Special Attack. Unique Feature – Martyr After Mega Evolution, Glalie gains a new Passive Skill that causes it to detonate upon being KOed. This allows Mega Glalie to literally go out with a (powerful) bang, which pairs well with its redirection set. Unique Feature –  1 Bar Machine In Battle Villa, where MPs do not refresh per battle, having a fast way to push Sync becomes very useful for damage output. Glacia and Mega Glalie has a bonus in this regard, combining 1 bar AOE with Fortuitous to greatly increase the chances of landing a Freeze.

 

3* Sync Pairs

 

Winona & Pelipper

High Efficiency (Support) Team Support Rain Dance > Sets up Rain, buffs Water Type moves and makes Hurricane a guaranteed hit. Also enables Racing Rain 2 on compatible Sync Pairs. Racing Rain 2 > Move Gauge Acceleration in Rain. Unity Pushing Ridiculously high Speed after Graceful Aerobatics and Rain Dance helps immensely with move chaining and the subsequent building up of the team’s Unity Attack. Good Availability 3* Gacha Unique Feature – Weather Abuse Winona & Pelipper is the only Sync Pair that can set up Weather and trigger its own respective Weather related Passive Skill, in this case, Racing Rain 2. The Speed boost from Racing Rain 2 benefits all team members, which is very useful as the Move Gauge refill speed is tied to the highlighted Sync Pair. It cannot be debuffed unless Rain ends or is replaced. When Rain is active, the time required to fill 1 Bar of the Move Gauge is reduced by 1.6 seconds. When extrapolated to Strike Sync Pairs that rely on 3 Bar moves to deal damage, it shaves around 5 seconds off each move. Unique Feature – High Power Rating For EX stages that are weak to Water Type moves, Winona’s high Power Rating makes her a good option to enable other 3 or 4 Star Sync Pairs.

 

Liza & Lunatone

Moderate Self Sustenance Self Boost Of One Mind! > Team buff Attack and Sp. Atk (+2). X Sp. Def All > Team buff Sp. Def (+2). Damage Output Power Chain 3 > Boosts the power of moves when Unity bonus is in effect (From 1.25x to 2x). Liza & Lunatone’s natural Sp. Atk is too low to make it a proper damage outlet after boosting (No Fix). Rebuff Dauntless > Prevents Sp. Atk drops – Sp. Atk boosts are permanent, allowing for better abuse of set up play against opposing debuffs. Stalwart > Prevents Sp. Def drops – Sp. Def drops are permanent, allowing for better abuse of set up play against opposing debuffs. High Efficiency (Support) Bulk Moderate bulk rating. Low Base Defense (No Fix). Team Support Of One Mind! > Team buff Attack and Sp. Atk (+2). X Sp. Def All > Team buff Sp. Def (+2). Flexibility Fits easily onto any team composition. Good Availability 3* Gacha

 

Skyla & Swanna

Good Efficiency (Support) Team Support Potion heals an ally and keeps it on the field for a longer period of time. Take Flight! > Team buff Defense and Speed (+2). High reliance on additional support to boost Strike Sync Pair ally (No Fix). Haste > Prevents Speed Drop – Speed boosts are permanent, meaning that it can consistently shave around 5 to 6 seconds per 3 Bar move at +4 Speed. Flexibility Fits easily onto any team composition. High Availability Free Available as early as Chapter 5. Easily replaceable by better Support Sync Pairs from Gacha, like Roxanne and Rosa (Holiday 2019), without changing too much of the team’s structure.

 

B BorderLine

 

5* Sync Pairs

 

Sabrina & Alakazam (M)

 

Lyra & Chikorita – Bayleef – Meganium

High Efficiency (Support) Bulk High bulk rating > Opponents target it instead of the team’s Strike role. Low Base Defense (No Fix). Team Support Dire Hit All > Team Buff Critical Hit rate (+1). Sunny Side Up > Team Buff Attack, Sp. Atk, and Speed (+1, +2 if weather is Sunny). Light Screen > Reduces special damage done to the allied field of play. Costs 3 Move Gauge Bars per use (No Fix). Perishable over time (No Fix). Flexibility Very Useful Mixed Redirector cum Support. Fits easily onto any team composition.

 

Acerola & Palossand

Good Efficiency (Support) Bulk Moderate bulk rating Team Support Sandstorm enables Sand based team strategies, including Sync Pairs like Sygna Suit Brock. Over Here! turns Palossand into a guaranteed move redirector (for a short time), simultaneously granting it passive heal. This is useful in Co-op, where the aggro formula is thrown out of the window. EX Challenges runs can benefit from this to enhance the team’s longevity against single target moves. Good Availability Free (Post Co-Op)

 

3* Sync Pairs

 

Main Character & Pikachu

Moderate Self Sustenance Self Boost Jump Start! > +2 Sp. Atk, +1 Speed Damage Output Moderate Base Special Attack Moderate Efficiency (Support) Potion heals an ally and keeps it on the field for a longer period of time. High Availability Free Given at the start of the game. Easily replaceable by better Strike Sync Pairs from Gacha, like Brendan, Karen, and Blue, without changing too much of the team’s structure.

 

 

C Tier

 

C+ Strike

 

5* Sync Pairs

 

Silver & Ho-Oh

 

Fantina & Mismagius

 

Caitlin & Reuniclus

Good Self Sustenance Self Buff Don’t Bore Me! > +2 Sp. Atk, +1 Sp. Def. Damage Output High Base Special Attack Move Gauge Refill Move Gauge Refill > Move Gauge Refill (3 Bars)

 

C- Strike

 

4* Sync Pairs

 

Koga & Crobat

Moderate Self Sustenance Self Buff X Speed > +2 Speed Move Like a Shadow! > +2 Evasiveness, +1 Critical Hit rate Damage Output Moderate Base Attack and Sp. Attack. Poison Fang > 50% chance to poison target. Very Hard Co-Op stages tend to be resistant to Status afflictions (No Fix). Great raw power of Venoshock when target is poisoned. Sync Move raw power is increased when the target is poisoned. Move Gauge Refill Haste > Prevents Speed Drop – Speed boosts are permanent, meaning that it can consistently shave around 4 seconds per Venoshock at +4 Speed. Good Availability Free (Post Co-Op)

 

Bruno & Machamp

Good Self Sustenance Self Boost Hoo Hah! > +2 Attack and Sp. Defense. Dire Hit > Buff Critical Hit rate. Damage Output Moderate Base Attack. High raw power of Cross Chop. Cross Chop is highly inaccurate (Fix through X Accuracy All or similar boost from ally). High Efficiency Great Co-Op powerhouse Critical Hit centric set makes charging the Unity Attack a breeze due to the bonus it provides. Super effective against Sygna Suit Brock Less useful against other co-op levels (No Fix).

 

Siebold & Clawitzer

High Self Sustenance Self Boost X Special Attack > +2 Sp. Atk. The Definition of Art! > Immediate Heal + Passive Heal, makes the next move a guaranteed critical hit. Damage Ouptut High Base Sp. Atk. Lacks a powerful 3 Bar move to properly hurt foes (No Fix). Good Efficiency Unity Pushing Critical Hit centric set makes charging the Unity Attack a breeze due to the bonus it provides. Unique Feature – 2 Types Being able to deal damage from 2 different Types makes Siebold flexible as a choice across different stages.

 

Wikstrom & Aegislash

High Self Sustenance Self Boost En Garde! > +3 Attack, +1 Critical Hit rate (Sword Forme). Damage Output Moderate Base Attack Its Sync Move, Shining Knight Iron Head, increases in power the more the target’s Attack has been lowered. Good Efficiency Great across both Very Hard Supercourse and non EX Challenge Co-Op (Hard and Very Hard) Top Physical Strike team counter King’s Shield punishes Physical foes by lowering Attack by 2 per hit. Flexibility Fits easily onto any team composition. Good Efficiency (Support) Bulk High bulk rating > Opponents target it instead of the team’s Strike role (Shield Forme). Unique Feature – Stance Change Stance Change allows Aegislash to switch between offensive mode and attack sponge mode with ease. Players can set up 2 En Garde! while in Sword Forme, King’s Shield into Shield Forme, then have the team’s other Sync Pairs do their stuff until one’s Sync Move is available. The combination of King’s Shield and En Garde! turns Wikstrom into a fearsome self sustainable Sync Pair. Wikstrom & Aegislash is a lot less effective against Special Strike teams (No Fix). Wikstrom & Aegislash is a lot less useful in the Very Hard difficulties of EX Challenges (No Fix).

 

C- Support

 

5* Sync Pairs

 

Wallace & Milotic

 

4* Sync Pairs

 

Blaine & Ponyta

Moderate Efficiency (Support) Team Support Sunny Day > Sets up Sun, buffs Fire Type moves and nullifies the Freeze Status Condition. Also enables Speeding Sun 2 on compatible Sync Pairs. Fire Spin > Trapping Move, Passive Damage.

 

Thorton & Bronzong

Good Efficiency (Support) Bulk Good bulk rating Moderate Base HP (No Fix). Team Support Telekinesis > Makes the target unable to evade moves. Analysis Complete! > Self Buff Defense and Sp. Def (+1). Makes the user resistant to the type of the last move it was hit by. Unique Feature – Resistance It is as of writing time the only Pokemon that can have a Type resistance, which is very useful when trying to redirect attacks in the frantic metagame that is Co-Op. In stages where the Boss Pokemon uses Fire Type moves, players can use Bronzong to draw enemy fire (pun intended), then use Analysis Complete! to better take those otherwise super effective moves. Unique Feature – Telekinesis Telekinesis is immensely more useful as it lasts for a (short) period of time, as compared to Maylene’s Gloves Off! perishing once the boosted ally attacks. For EX Challenges stages that rely heavily on inaccurate moves like Leaf Storm and Mega Kick, Telekinesis can help reduce the chances of a run getting ruined by failing to connect a hit too many times.

 

3* Sync Pairs

 

Brawly & Makuhita – Hariyama

Moderate Self Sustenance Self Boost A Rain of Fists! > +2 Attack, +1 Defense and Sp. Def. Damage Output Arm Thrust of Mighty Waves > The more the opponent’s Defense is lowered, the greater the power of this move. Low Base Attack (Fix through A Rain of Fists! on self, similar support from ally, or Brick Break Defense drop on target). Good Efficiency (Support) Bulk Moderate bulk rating. Low Defense and Sp. Def (No Fix). Team Support Potion heals an ally and keeps it on the field for a longer period of time. Rock Smash > 50% chance to lower the target’s Defense. Brick Break > Removes Damage Reduction Effects and Screens. Good Availability 3* Gacha Unique Feature – Damage Reduction Clear Brawly & Hariyama is currently the only Sync Pair who can reliably remove the Damage Reduction effects that plagues the EX Challenges. This makes him a very useful addition for those who are struggling to do enough damage without relying on 5* Gacha pulls. Unique Feature – Exponential Sync Move Damage Increase Its Sync Move becomes scarily powerful when stacked against the Defense drops that Hariyama can deal reasonably consistently through Brick Break. This then stacks even further with self Attack boosts.

 

C BorderLine

 

5* Sync Pairs

 

Zinnia & Rayquaza

 

3* Sync Pairs

 

Norman & Slaking

High Self Sustenance Self Buff X Attack > +2 Attack. All Out Effort! > Heals self + Move Gauge Refill (2 Bars) Damage Output Good Base Attack High raw power of Double Edge Double Edge incurs a hefty 25% recoil (Fix through All Out Effort! on self or similar support from ally). Double Edge has no favorable Type match up (No Fix). High raw power of Unique Sync Move Easily accessible trigger for Power Reserves 2 Move Gauge Refill All Out Effort! > Heals self + Move Gauge Refill (2 Bars) Autopilot Compatibility Best free autopilot Strike Sync Pair. High Availability Free Available as early as Chapter 7.

 

Tate & Solrock

Good Self Sustenance Self Buff X Attack > +2 Attack. All as One! > Doubles existing accumulated stat boosts. Damage Output Good Base Attack Lacks a powerful 3 Bar move to properly hurt foes (No Fix). Zen Headbutt does not have perfect accuracy (Fix through X Accuracy All or similar support from ally). Power Chain 3 > Boosts the power of moves when Unity bonus is in effect (From 1.25x to 2x). Rebuff Headstrong > Prevents Attack drops – Attack boosts are permanent, allowing for better abuse of set up play against opposing debuffs. Good Availability 3* Gacha Unique Feature – 2 Types Being able to deal damage from 2 different Types makes Tate flexible as a choice across different stages.

 

Marley & Arcanine

Good Efficiency (Support) Bulk Good bulk rating Team Support X Speed All > Team Buff Speed (+2). We’re Standing Strong! > Status Block, Team heal Status Condition Good Availability 3* Gacha Unique Feature – Status Clear Marley and Arcanine is the most useful Sync Pair to have to deny Status Conditions, since its protection is a field effect and not immediately perishable. The protection it provides also includes the effects of a team wide Full Heal.

 

 

Honorable Mentions

 

5* Sync Pairs

 

Ethan & Cyndaquil – Quilava – Typhlosion

 

Cheren & Stoutland

Good Efficiency (Support) Bulk High bulk rating > Opponents target it instead of the team’s Strike role. Team Support Full Heal helps rid an ally of an unwanted Status affliction. Apply Yourself! > Move Gauge Refill (+2), Team Passive Heal. Outrun 4 > Move Gauge Acceleration when hit with Status Affliction. Flexibility Fits easily onto any team composition. Good Availability Free (Post Co-Op)

 

4* Sync Pairs

 

Clair & Kingdra

Moderate Self Sustenance Self Buff X Sp. Atk increases the damage output of Draco Meteor and its Sync Move Victory Is Mine! helps to undo Special Attack drops from Draco Meteor, as well as increase Kingdra’s Critical Hit Rate. Damage Output Moderate Base Special Attack High raw power of Draco Meteor. Draco Meteor does not have perfect accuracy (Fix through X Accuracy All or similar support from ally). Draco Meteor drops Sp. Atk by 2 per use (Fix through X Sp. Atk or similar support from ally, can be nullified through Victory Is Mine! Move Gauge Refill Racing Rain 2 > Move Gauge Acceleration in Rain. Racing Rain 2 requires Rain to be active for the player to enjoy the Move Gauge Acceleration (Fix with Rain Dance on Winona & Pelipper). Good Availability Free (Post Co-Op)

 

3* Sync Pairs

 

Crasher Wake & Floatzel

Good Self Sustenance Self Buff CRASH! > +3 Attack, +1 Sp. Atk. Dire Hit + > +2 Critical Hit rate. Damage Output Damage can be boosted through Weather Condition (Rain). Sync Move raw power is increased when the target is flinching. Mediocre Base Attack (Fix through CRASH!, Dire Hit+, and Racing Rain 2 on self). Move Gauge Refill Racing Rain 2 > Move Gauge Acceleration in Rain. Racing Rain 2 requires Rain to be active for the player to enjoy the Move Gauge Acceleration (Fix with Rain Dance on Winona & Pelipper). Unique Feature – Flinch Machine Aggravation 1 increases the possibility of inflicting Flinch on the target with Waterfall. When combined with Racing Rain 2, Floatzel can fire off a continuous stream of Waterfall to maximize the chance of flinching the target. Unique Feature – Dire Hit + One of the few fortunate beneficiaries of the Dire Hit + update (13th September 2019), Crasher Wake & Floatzel is now capable of guaranteeing each hit results in a Critical Hit, which makes charging of Unity a lot more consistent. This synergizes excellently with Racing Rain 2, which allows Floatzel to attack at a much faster rate when Rain is active. Unique Feature – Potential Upgrade As a 3* Sync Pair, Crasher Wake can improve his Floatzel’s Attack through Potential Upgrade. At 5*, Floatzel actually has higher Base Attack than Kris’ Feraligatr, with a better self buffing set.

Pokemon Masters Beginner Guide

Welcome to the world of Pokemon Masters, fellow aspirants. This article seeks to help new players to the game grasp the concepts central to its play, so as to help them better manage and ease their gaming process. A brief recap of the basic mechanics is listed below:

• Stats
  • HP
    • Represents how much energy the Sync Pair has. When this number reaches zero, the Sync Pair will faint.
  • Attack
    • Represents the Sync Pair’s Physical attack power. The higher the number, the more Physical damage the Sync Pair deals to an opponent with Physical moves (moves which category is represented by a red box with a yellow-orange star in the middle).
  • Defense
    • Represents the Sync Pair’s defense against Physical moves. The higher the number, the less damage the Sync Pair takes from Physical moves.
  • Sp. Atk
    • Represents the Sync Pair’s Special attacks. The higher the number, the more Special damage the Sync Pair deals to an opponent with Special moves (moves which category is represented by a blue box with a light ripple in the middle).
  • Sp. Def
    • Represents the Sync Pair’s defense against Special attacks. The higher the number, the less damage the Sync Pair takes from Special moves.
  • Speed
    • Represents the Sync Pair’s Speed. The higher the number, the faster the move gauge fills, allowing the Sync Pair to use moves more quickly.
• Roles
  • Strike
    • These Sync Pairs excel at attacking their opponent. Despite their high Attack and Sp. Atk levels, most Sync Pairs have low HP, making them vulnerable defensively.
  • Tech
    • These Sync Pairs excel at hindering their opponents by inflicting them with status conditions and weakening them.
  • Support
    • These Sync Pairs excel at assisting their allies by healing and upgrading them. Most also have a lot of HP, making them adept at withstanding attacks from opponents.

 

Understanding the mechanics above is necessary to understand the Dex of Sync Pairs (currently 60 man strong). A compilation of the first 39 Sync Pairs is available here. Experienced players will find that certain mechanics that they are used to in the main games have been altered drastically in Pokemon Masters. The notable changes are listed below:

1. Type Match Up
   • Remember how Electric Type moves were famous for doing a fat nada to Ground Type foes? Remember how Fairy Type Pokemon are immune to Dragon Type moves? Remember Steel Type Pokemon being notoriously difficult to eliminate due to their abundance of Type resistances? Well, prepare to throw all that information out of the window. Pokemon Masters has seen fit to discard the entire element completely in the limited version currently available, a trait that is likely to continue into the full release.
   • All Sync Pairs only have 1 predetermined Type Weakness now. Despite sharing the same Type, Pokemon can have different Type Weaknesses. For example, Serperior and Treecko are both Grass Type Pokemon, but the former is weak to Flying Type moves while the latter is vulnerable to Poison Type moves. Fire Type moves only do neutral damage to these Pokemon.
2. Battle
   • Battles in Pokemon Masters are no longer turn based, where you can take your time deciding on which move to use. Instead, moves are executed in real time, and possible to be chained in rapid succession. Here, chaining is referred to moves being executed in rapid succession without being interrupted by the opponent. Players can queue up moves from all three Pokemon and let the move gauge refill as the move executes to improve battle flow.
     • The chaining of moves will become an important factor in co-op missions, which are unlocked after Interlude 1, which is quite deep into the story line for the early access.
   • Each move has an “energy” requirement, costing anywhere between 1 Bar to 3 Bars on the player’s Move Gauge. The Move Gauge refills over time. Careful management of the Move Gauge is highly important, especially so when it comes to move chaining. Players start off with a maximum of 4 slots in their Move Gauge, though it can be expanded upon by exchanging a ton of coins (regular in game currency) in the game’s Exchange.
     • The Move Gauge is shared across all three Pokemon in single player, while in co-op it is independent to each participant.
   • Every Sync Pair starts off with their first two moves already unlocked, as well as their respective Sync Moves. To access the third and fourth slots, players must unlock it with farmed materials. The move in the bottom left slot, or Slot 3, is always easier to unlock than the move in the bottom right slot, known here as slot 4.
     • Moves unique to Pokemon Masters, as well as Item Moves, usually have a set amount of uses (2), that will restore after the end of each area. Most of them do not cost Bars.
   • Sync Moves function similarly to Z Moves, but can be used more than once in a battle. There is a countdown to when one can actually use it in battle, and that is determined by the number of moves used. For example, in a battle between the player character and Misty, i.e. Pikachu and Starmie, Pikachu gets to use its Sync Move earlier since it can spam a Thunder Shock (1 Bar) at a much faster rate than Starmie’s Bubble Beam (2 Bar). 1 Bar, 2 Bar, and 3 Bar moves all contribute 1 to the Sync Move countdown per use.
     • Certain Sync Moves have parameters that can increase its power.
     • Mega Evolution is triggered by Sync Moves
     • The opponent’s Sync Moves removes all buffs on the player’s side of the field, unless blocked by Passive Skill(s).
3. Pokemon
   • Each Sync Pair has access to at least one Passive Skill, which functions similarly to Abilities in the main games. However, these have to be unlocked as well. One notable difference is that Sync Pairs with more than one Passive Skill can enjoy the benefits of all the Passive Skills it has access to simultaneously, as long as they are unlocked.
   • The Level cap of Sync Pairs are determined by their Star Rating. 3 Star Sync Pairs only have a maximum level of 90, unless the player whales to get Star Power Ups.

 

The completion of Chapter 1, i.e. the game’s tutorial, should give you the following Sync Pairs:

1. Player Character & Pikachu
2. Misty & Starmie
3. Brock & Onix
4. Rosa & Snivy
5. Whitney & Miltank

Out of these 5, the better ones that new players can rely upon are: Pikachu, Starmie, and Snivy.

• Pikachu is a very efficient Sync Move builder, since it is fast and starts off with a nifty 1 Bar move in Thunder Shock. In terms of move unlocks, it is advisable to get at least Jump Start! (Slot 4) if players intend to use it as one of their main attackers.
  • While it is quite useful in single player due to its efficiency at reducing the Sync Move countdown for slower and more powerful allies, its effectiveness drops drastically in co-op, as the Sync Move countdown is no longer shared. Its damage output is also rather low on its own unless a lot of dedication is used to turn it into a 5 Star Sync Pair. This can be problematic in coop missions where foes are at lot bulkier.
• Starmie is very useful as an early game defensive support, with X Sp. Def All in Slot 2 and Catch Us If You Can! in Slot 3. The latter sharply raises an ally’s evasiveness and provides that Pokemon with passive recovery that is not removed by the opponent’s Sync Move. This helps to ease the need to activate Potion early. If players unlocked Endurance on Pikachu (Pikachu’s Passive Skill), this can help to maintain the Passive Skill’s effect.
  • Starmie’s effectiveness in single player does not translate completely into co-op, because of its below average damage output and inability to raise its Sp. Atk. While players can help bulk up their friends, they are usually forced to switch into another Sync Pair to maintain offensive pressure, and doing so forfeits all the gains Starmie has acquired for itself (the boosts remain on friends’ Sync Pair).
• Snivy, being the first 5 star (and only one that is given to you for free) that players can collect, is one the the easiest 5 stars to pilot. Evolution into Serperior turns it into a fantastic pick for beginners, especially F2P players, to clear the main missions. Time to Energize! (Slot 3) increases the move gauges of all allied Sync Pairs by three, is very useful. Players are advised to at least unlock that for usage in tandem with X Sp. Atk all.
  • It serves as one third of the best F2P core, i.e. the core that requires no gacha whatsoever.
• Onix is the first Sync Pair players are recommended to drop, unless they really need it for its Potion, so as to free Pikachu for attacking. Because other Sync Pairs can do a better Tech role and still carry Potion, its utility value diminishes as players expand their Sync Pair roster.
• Miltank is decent on its own, but because you will be getting better Sync Pairs from the main mission, I personally do not advise spending much effort on it. While it is now no longer resisted or ineffective against anything, its inability to hit for super effective damage still hurts.

 

At this point, players should have enough Gems to pull the Gacha once. If not, clear Chapter 2 and recruit Barry. If players do not mind spending time rerolling (i.e.) resetting progress for a better pull, continue reading. Else, skip to the next section.

Good Sync Pairs to reroll for:

• 5 Stars
  • Brendan & Treecko
    • Brendan & Treecko is arguably the 5 Star Sync Pair with the highest potential come actual launch, with it already being very powerful in its own right despite being barred from Evolution (for the time being). Its main selling point is the ability to turn move gauge into offensive boosts in one single turn, and can be a quick way to raise its stats to the maximum. For example, players can use something like Study Buddies! (Nosepass Slot 3) in tandem with No Turning Back! (Treecko Slot 4) to radically increase Treecko’s damage output.
      • Treecko is fast, powerful, but frail. In co-op missions where margins of error are slim, it will take some set up for Treecko to be able to strike at maximum power before it gets taken out.
  • Karen & Houndoom (M)
    • Karen & Houndoom is as of now the only 5 Star Sync Pair with access to Mega Evolution. Its access to Snarl across both forms helps to quickly weaken Special teams and provide useful chip damage. When in a pinch, activating Slot 4 greatly increases her Sp. Atk, which further increments her firepower.
      • Access to Dark Pulse post Mega Evolution makes Mega Houndoom particularly scary after allied boosts, since it now has a proper damage outlet.
  • Olivia & Lycanroc Midnight
    • Olivia & Lycanroc Midnight is a Sync Pair whose operation revolves around dealing critical hits. This is especially useful against bulkier team compositions that make use of moves and Sync Moves to raise its bulk. While Stone Edge isn’t perfectly accurate, her skills can be used to reduce that risk.
      • Olivia’s arsenal shines in co-op, where her critical hits can tear apart the opposing forces rapidly. Critical hits also charge the Unity Move gauge faster (1 additional Bar), which is very useful for unleashing faster Unity Moves.
• 4 Star
  • Drake & Salamence
    • While you get the two other Dragon Type Sync Pairs (Clair and Iris) for free, they are only recruitable late into the game’s main missions (Clair in Chapter 13). Getting it early gives you a decent Dragon Type Pokemon support with Terrify 1 (Intimidate), that is weak to an uncommon Type (Fairy). With only one Fairy Type Sync Pair in the game, it is actually surprisingly good until the game introduces more characters to balance Salamence out.
      • Salamence is unable to Mega Evolve for the time being, but it is still very powerful in its own right. Its true calling lies in the Training Area, particularly fights against Clair, who is quite troublesome for new players on harder difficulties.
  • Bruno & Machamp
    • Fighting Type coverage is especially useful for anyone desiring easier grinding against Brock in coop. He can be considered to be a more powerful alternative to Korrina, with a nifty Passive Skill to boost critical hit damage. His play revolves completely around critical hits, though the one catch is that Cross Chop only has 80 accuracy.
• 3 Star
  • Roxanne & Nosepass
    • Comparable to Misty in terms of support utility. Its Study Buddies (Slot 3) sharply raises the Sp. Atk and Speed of all allied Sync Pairs, while X Defense All (Slot 2) boosts Physical bulk. For players struggling for damage output, Roxanne is a useful pick. She also gets a one use Wide Guard in Slot 4, which can help ward off any spread move (bar Sync Moves).
      • Nosepass isn’t the best option for damage output, and it is highly likely to end up sitting pretty after setting up its allies. In single player, that can be a momentum sink. However, on co-op teams that are inclined towards the Special spectrum, Nosepass can set up then Switch into a better positioned teammate to keep the pressure going.
  • Brawly & Makuhita
    • While players get Korrina & Lucario, another Fighting Type Sync Pair that not only deals more damage but also can Mega Evolve, Brawly & Makuhita is still a very useful lead. 50% chance to lower the target’s Defense for each hit is surprisingly useful when farming for Gym Leader Notes in co-op.
      • Lucario’s frailty, especially after Close Combat, makes it easy to be revenge killed. As such, having a Makuhita to soften up foes can help make sure that the opponent has no opportunity to land a hit on the more powerful teammates.
  • Winona & Pelipper
    • Winona & Pelipper are the only Sync Pairs that has access to both a Weather setting move and its corresponding Speed boosting Passive Skill. This would allow the team to refill the move gauge much faster than otherwise possible. For teams with a high Move Gauge requirement, this can help make those moves a lot more abuseable and maintain damage per second at a high level.
• Any other 5 Star
  • Kris & Totodile, Phoebe & Dusclops
• Sync Pairs not given for free
  • These would include Lt Surge, Blaine, Lorelei, Agatha, Bugsy, Janine, Will, Tate, Liza, Noland, Roark, Gardenia, Maylene, Crasher Wake, Candice, Thorton, Cheryl, Marley, Clay, Brycen, Roxie, Marlon, Shauntal, Marshal, Grant, Ramos, Wulfric, Siebold, Wikstrom, Sophocles, Mina, Kahili.
    • These aren’t as immediately useful as the Sync Pairs above them, but they are still usable and can help complete the Dex. Each Sync Pairs has their own appealing niches that can be explored upon.

 

Once players are happy with their first pulls, they can proceed with the Main Mission. It is advisable that players save up their Gems from this point on in anticipation of events, or build up for a 10 pull Gacha. Chapter 2 gives you Barry & Piplup. While players can evolve Piplup into Empoleon, it is not recommended because of its investment costs, as well as that there are a lot of Sync Pairs available that are better than it. He does have Full Heal, which can help against unwanted Burns and Toxic Poisons, but these are largely manageable without having to sacrifice a Sync Pair slot. Clearing Chapter 2 gives players access to the Training Area, which should be where they grind most of the time.

Inside the Training Area are special levels that drop materials necessary for strengthening the team. There is Leveling Up courses, Role courses for Strike, Tech, and Support, as well as limited time super courses that are harder variants of the base courses. There are at least 2 limited time super courses at any one time. While they are harder, they offer better drop rates than the regular courses. However, each difficulty level within the super courses can only be played 3 times. Fortunately, failure to beat the level does not reduce the play count.

• It is highly recommended that players hit the maximum levels on the main team that they will be using.
  • For example, players using the starting team should try to have Pikachu, Onix, and Starmie all be at Level 30 before going back to the Main Missions.
• At this stage in the game, players should be able to comfortably handle the Normal and Hard levels of the regular courses, and the Normal levels of the super courses.
  • This usually means that players can only unlock Slot 3 on any of their Sync Pairs. However, there is no need to worry. The next point for revisiting will come after Chapter 4.

In Chapter 3, players get to recruit Flannery & Torkoal. While she is also a 3 Star Sync Pair, she is arguably one of the best freebies. Will-O-Wisp in Slot 3 puts the target on a counter and hurts the burned foe for each attack it makes. This ties in to her Sync Move, which increases in power when the target is burned. While initially unimpressive, Flannery becomes a strong battler when players unlock her Passive Skill, Impervious. Essentially Clear Body, this protects Torkoal against all stat drops, including debuffs from the opponent’s Sync Moves. Players can burn the central target early, use Pikachu to charge up their Sync Move while boosting Torkoal with X Sp Atk (Slot 2), buff her defenses with It’s Too Hot to Handle! (Slot 4), then finish off the burned target with her signature Sync Move. When Pikachu has all slots unlocked, this duo can share the offensive workload. Pikachu strikes when the foe cannot be burned or Will-O-Wisp misses, while Torkoal carries in the late game with its high bulk.

In Chapter 4, players recruit Erika & Vileplume, a 3 Star Sync Pair with Stun Spore in Slot 3. While a nice addition that has comparable (but slightly less) utility to Flannery and Misty, Rosa’s Snivy/Servine/Serperior arguably trumps Erika for utility. At this stage, the ability to unlock Sync Pair’s level cap (at intervals of 15 levels each time) is granted. This is where players should return to the Training Area to farm for the necessary materials to bring their main team to Level 45, then at least Level 60 by the end of Chapter 9, and finally Level 75 at Chapter 13.

With that said, this marks the end of the beginner phase of the game, as well as this guide. Players are highly recommended to develop their own battle strategies based on their play style and Gacha pulls. We hope that this article has helped new players navigate the game. Separate guides for higher level play will be released in due time. Do remember to tay tuned for more guides and articles on Pokemon Masters!

 

Pokemon Masters Early Access First Impressions

• Blue introduces you to the world of Pasio like his grandfather does in the Kanto Games
• The receptionist in charge of Explore is known as Trista (Pink)
• The first Sync Pairs you get are Brock and Misty. (Both 3 Star)
  • Brock is a Tech player, while Misty is a Support player
  • From personal experience and play style, Brock can be dropped in the early game for most other Sync Pairs, like Rosa, Flannery, or anyone you get from Gacha.
• In Chapter 1, you are introduced to Rosa, who is (along with Cynthia) being harassed by a Street Thug and Punk Girl. Your first two battles ensue, and they run away in defeat.
  • You challenge Rosa, and get to recruit her as a prize for winning. (Level 6, 5 Star)
  • Rosa is the first 5 Star Sync Pair that you can recruit.
• The battle is not turned based. You move as fast as your move gauge recharges.
  • While all three Pokemon share the main move gauge, if there are enough filled slots you can have more than one Pokemon attacking in rapid succession.
  • Each individual Pokemon has to cool down slightly after moving, regardless of slot availability.
• You encounter the regional Professor (Bellis) back at the Pokemon Centre.
• The receptionist in charge of the Shop is known as Tricia (Blue)
  • The shop is where you can scout for Sync Pairs with Gems (paid currency), purchase Gems, or Exchange Items
  • The tutorial scout gives you Whitney and her Miltank (Level 1, 4 Star)
  • You can exchange multiple duplicates of a regular item for a higher leveled one.
• The receptionist in charge of Team Management is known as Trinnia (Green)
• Team training receptionist is called Trinnia (Green)

That is the introduction stage. After this, the game restarts to download more data. Sync Pair Stories are now unlocked. The Sync Pair Stories serve to provide a bit of background on the Sync Pairs.

• In Chapter 2, you are introduced to Barry, who mistakes you as a member of the regional villain team (Masked variants of regular NPCs).
  • You are challenged by Barry, and get to recruit him as a prize for winning. (Level 8, 3 Star)
    • Maxing out Barry’s Piplup level (Level 30 as of this stage) unlocks the respective Evolution Sync Pair Story.
  • You later encounter your rival, Paulo (Possibly a hint at Gen IV remakes)
  • You encounter Lear back at the Pokemon Centre.
  • Missions are unlocked
  • Training Area is unlocked
    • Quests in this area give upgrade materials
• In Chapter 3, you are introduced to Blaine and Flannery. Blaine instructs you to help him train Flannery.
  • Defeating Flannery at the end of the chapter allows you to recruit her. (Level 15, 3 Star)
• In Chapter 4, you fight Erika for your first Gym Badge
  • You challenge Erika for the Tranquility Badge, and get to recruit her as a prize for winning. (Level 20, 3 Star)
  • The ability to raise your Pokemon’s level cap is now unlocked.
  • Battle Techinque Mission 1 is unlocked.
• In Chapter 5, you are introduced to Skyla, the 2nd PML Gym Leader
  • In your first meeting you reencounter Lear, who chides Skyla for remaining upbeat despite losing.
    • Lear’s Krookodile defeats your Pikachu in a scripted cutscene and he leaves while mocking you.
  • Beating Skyla earns you the Freedom Badge and her recruitment (Level 29, 3 Star)
  • Events are unlocked.
• In Chapter 6, you train with Korrina and is introduced to Brendan.
  • After recruiting Korrina (Level 29, 3 Star), you are “tasked” to investigate mysterious arrivals on Pasio through hoops (Hint at Hoopa)
• In Chapter 7, Brendan introduces you to his father, Norman, who is also the 3rd PML Leader.
  • Team Break springs a trap to trap Norman and the heroes inside a cave.
  • Having already defeated Norman, beating Team Break grants you Patient Badge and Norman (Level 29, 3 Star) recruitment.

OVERALL COMMENTS

• Battle is slightly laggy, but still manageable. Can be a bit more stressful for VGC players.
• Apparently the faster your Pokemon are, the faster your move gauge refills.
• Pokemon of the same Type do not necessarily have the same Weaknesses
• Pokemon are Mono Type
  • Sync Pair Pokemon only have 1 pre-determined Weakness in game. NPCs’ variants can differ, however.
  • There are no Resistances and Immunities
• You start off with 2 moves. The other two moves have to be unlocked.

SPOILERS BELOW:

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List of available sync pairs:

• Brock (3 Star) – Onix
• Sygna Suit Brock (3 Star) – Tyranitar
• Misty (3 Star) – Starmie
• Lt Surge (3 Star) – Voltorb
• Erika (3 Star) – Vileplume
• Blaine (4 Star) – Ponyta
• Lorelei (4 Star) – Lapras
• Bruno (4 Star) – Machamp
• Agatha (4 Star) – Gengar
• Crystal (5 Star) – Totodile
• Bugsy (3 Star) – Beedrill
• Whitney (4 Star) – Miltank
• Pryce (3 Star) – Seel
• Clair (4 Star) – Kingdra
• Janine (3 Star) – Ariados
• Will (4 Star) – Xatu
• Karen (5 Star) – Houndoom
• Brendan (5 Star) – Treecko
• Roxanne (3 Star) – Nosepass)
• Brawly (3 Star) – Makuhita
• Flannery (3 Star) – Torkoal
• Norman (3 Star) – Slaking
• Winona (3 Star) – Pelipper
• Tate (3 Star) – Solrock
• Liza (3 Star) – Lunatone
• Phoebe (5 Star) – Dusclops
• Drake (4 Star) – Salamence
• Noland (4 Star) – Pinsir
• Barry (3 Star) – Piplup
• Roark (3 Star) – Cranidos
• Gardenia (4 Star) – Roserade
• Maylene (3 Star) – Meditite
• Crasher Wake (3 Star) – Floatzel
• Candice (3 Star) – Abomasnow
• Flint (4 Star) – Infernape
• Thorton (4 Star) – Bronzong
• Cheryl (3 Star) – Blissey
• Marley (3 Star) – Arcanine
• Rosa (5 Star) – Snivy
• Clay (3 Star) – Palpitoad
• Skyla (3 Star) – Swanna
• Brycen (3 Star) – Cryogonal
• Iris (3 Star) – Haxorus
• Roxie (4 Star) – Whirlipede
• Marlon (3 Star) – Carracosta
• Shauntal (4 Star) – Chandelure
• Marshal (4 Star) – Conkeldurr
• Grant (4 Star) – Amaura
• Korrina (3 Star) – Lucario
• Ramos (3 Star) – Weepinbell
• Wulfric (3 Star) – Avalugg
• Siebold (4 Star) – Clawitzer
• Wikstrom (4 Star) – Aegislash
• Hau (4 Star) – Alolan Raichu
• Sophocles (4 Star) – Togedemaru
• Mina (3 Star) – Granbull
• Olivia (5 Star) – Lycanroc Midnight
• Hapu (3 Star) – Mudsdale
• Kahili (4 Star) – Toucannon