Review JN124: The Semifinals III: "Valor"

[puddleths]

I do find the timing of Cynthia's Stealth Rocks perplexing from a writing standpoint. The two Pokémon Ash had in the back resist, and they only damaged Sirfetch'd since Ash never switched at all this battle.

As I said earlier, Sirfetch'd unconventionally removing them was a fun little nod to Infernape's Flare Blitzing Toxic Spikes away against Paul, but when you consider all of Ash's Pokémon besides Pikachu were poisoned in that battle, this just didn't have the same impact.

 

[Sai]

Anyone find it funny both times Milotic wrapped a Pokemon, both Iris' Dragonite and Dracovish, Cynthia never actually said the attack, "Wrap?" It's like Milotic got an extra attack in without it being the real move.

Sorta reminds me in Raihan's battle, Gengar used its tongue to knock Goodra off its surf but Gengar doesn't know, "Lick." I always like when the anime has pokemon use their natural body do things even when not knowing the moves they're based on. Mewtwo did the same thing sweeping Lucario/Cinderace with its tail...like that's not even an attack...lol

 

[-PokemonBattleFanatic-]

This battle is like a combination of Ash & Paul's two full battles in DP,Cynthia has been in control of most of this match,it's lasted 3 episodes,there's been mentionings of Cynthia's Spiritomb being the Drapion of the team.There's strategies being displayed in the match that you seen from DP,I expect for there to be a dramatic finish in the following episode.The fact that the Sinnoh League battle is being replicated just proves that Ash vs Paul is still the GOAT.

 

[cricketlaxwolvesbandy]

Ash's Dracovish is very determined in winning battles for him and Sirfetch'd is hardcore. Ash's Lucario is the true MVP of his team and probably the only one who has had a strong bond with Ash. Looking forward to next week's concluding episode of Ash vs Cynthia.

BS strong aura bond

 

[KrspaceT]

I do find the timing of Cynthia's Stealth Rocks perplexing from a writing standpoint. The two Pokémon Ash had in the back resist, and they only damaged Sirfetch'd since Ash never switched at all this battle.

As I said earlier, Sirfetch'd unconventionally removing them was a fun little nod to Infernape's Flare Blitzing Toxic Spikes away against Paul, but when you consider all of Ash's Pokémon besides Pikachu were poisoned in that battle, this just didn't have the same impact.

Mid-game stealth rock is a strategy in singles. I would see it as a new way to create disruption, albeit one less effective than Spiritomb

 

[cricketlaxwolvesbandy]

The Virgin Lucario who needs Aura and Mega Evolution to shine vs the CHAD DRACOVISH AND SIRFETCHD who need no gimmicks to deal major damage to Cynthia’s team and Garchomp. Goats.

 

[nickdt]

The Virgin Lucario who needs Aura and Mega Evolution to shine vs the CHAD DRACOVISH AND SIRFETCHD who need no gimmicks to deal major damage to Cynthia’s team and Garchomp. Goats.

Yup, thats my issue with people ranking Lucario highly. Dracovish, Sirfetch'd and Dragonite (And arguably even Gengar), have way better feats than Lucario.

Another probleam for Lucario is that it needs to rely on its gimmick to take down stronger opponents, while the other four of the Journeys team don't need it.

As it stands for current power ranking
1. Pikachu
2. Mega Lucario
3. Sirfech'd
4. Dragonite
5. Dracovish
6. Gengar
7. Base Lucario

 

[Kurolegacy]

Yup, thats my issue with people ranking Lucario highly. Dracovish, Sirfetch'd and Dragonite (And arguably even Gengar), have way better feats than Lucario.

Another probleam for Lucario is that it needs to rely on its gimmick to take down stronger opponents, while the other four of the Journeys team don't need it.

As it stands for current power ranking
1. Pikachu
2. Mega Lucario
3. Sirfech'd
4. Dragonite
5. Dracovish
6. Gengar
7. Base Lucario

Lucario literally just took down a G-Max Duraludon in base form in its previous battle. Hell, out of all the battles it’s had in this series, it’s only had Mega Evolution for 2 of them. It sounds more like you simply don’t like Lucario and are just making up facts to support that especially when, by that same logic, Gengar has to rely on G-Max and Pikachu has to rely on its Z-Move.

 

[nickdt]

Lucario literally just took down a G-Max Duraludon in base form in its previous battle. Hell, out of all the battles it’s had in this series, it’s only had Mega Evolution for 2 of them. It sounds more like you simply don’t like Lucario and are just making up facts to support that especially when, by that same logic, Gengar has to rely on G-Max and Pikachu has to rely on its Z-Move.

Lucario did so with a power-up.... Giant Aura Sphere. His other 4 don't need Power-Ups to defeat powerful opponents... so because of Giant Aura Sphere, base Lucario is still the weakest because it needed to resort to it... now it it was an ability, then it was a different matter.

 

[FinnishPokéFan92]

This battle is like a combination of Ash & Paul's two full battles in DP,Cynthia has been in control of most of this match,it's lasted 3 episodes,there's been mentionings of Cynthia's Spiritomb being the Drapion of the team.There's strategies being displayed in the match that you seen from DP,I expect for there to be a dramatic finish in the following episode.The fact that the Sinnoh League battle is being replicated just proves that Ash vs Paul is still the GOAT.

I personally prefer Ash vs Kukui, but I can't deny, Ash vs Paul still holds up incredibly well too and is up there in my Top 3 favorite battles in the anime's history. Maybe even Top 2.

 

[Ghost Diplocaulus]

Lucario did so with a power-up.... Giant Aura Sphere. His other 4 don't need Power-Ups to defeat powerful opponents... so because of Giant Aura Sphere, base Lucario is still the weakest because it needed to resort to it... now it it was an ability, then it was a different matter.

Didn't Gengar need to use Gigantamax to even the odds against a gimmickless Flygon that had already taken damage while Lucario was fighting a fresh Gigantamax Pokemon?

 

[Blob]

I can't tell, but did Sirfetch'd KO two of Cynthia's Pokémon or just one?

 

[Queen Cynthia]

So, I knew it: Ash can only win against Cynthia if the mightiest Champion is forced by the plot not to go full power at him. Thank you writers, what you did in fact was making our Oueen Cynthia undefeatable for all eternity!
The Dynamax-Togekiss scenario actually turned out to be true...Well, in that case I guess I'll apply an old philosophical principle which claims to see something good in anything, no matter how bad it looks at first glance. And the good thing, whether you like it or not, is that we Cynthia fans will now be able to claim forever that Ash could only "win" thanks to massive support by the writers. I'll say it here I will repeat it whenever necessary:

Cynthia would definitely have won if she had been allowed(!) to use Mega-Garchomp!

Despite the sad (and unrealistic, forced) fact that Ash will have to defeat them all, I want to thank the writers for doing us that massive favor by invalidating Ash's "victory" that way. Now Cynthia will stay an undefeated legend and queen forever!

My second complaint is that Ash's victories in this episode were simply terrible Ash-pulls, screaming "Plot Armor" through and through. Reading through this thread I realized some of you don't like that term. However, that doesn't change the fact they were so forced that it hurts.
Here are the worst Ash moments in my eyes:

• Dracovish and Sirfetch'd rushing up against any attack Cynthia was throwing at them and staying completely unfazed. Plot Armor at its worst! . If this is how Ash defeats champions (simply making his Pokemon more or less immune) then shame on you writers!
• Jaw bite hitting Milotic although Dracovish and his mouth in particular were completely immobilized and blocked
• According to the Pokedex, Stealth Rock creates invisible(!!) rocks. So, Sirfetch'd magically destroying them was not only an insult to every fan taking the battle mechanics seriously but , what's even worse, it's also nothing but impossible nonsense that's still outraging me. And no, Ash's crazy tactics do not count as an excuse here because outright nonsense has nothing to do with tactics.
• Last but not least, what angered me the most was the fact that neither Roserade nor Garchomp were allowed to dodge but simply had to stand there and wait for the impact. For God's sake, writers, do you think our great Cynthia isn't actually smart enough to order her Pokemon to dodge? Seriously? How insulting! Roserade could have used Wine Whip to jump and Garchomp could just have soared into the sky... no, what happened instead was the writers were realizing their "golden boy" needed some victories now, no matter how stupid, far-fetched or cheap. Plot Armor says hi once again...

To sum up: Not only is Cynthia not allowed to go full power at Ash, no, the latter can only win with Plot Armor and cheap, forced defeats. Frankly, I had the feeling this would happen but by doing so, the writers also gave us that invaluable argument that Cynthia would have won if she had been allowed to go full power.
So, Ash' s "victory" is already invalidated and no matter how that battle ends, what's incredibly satisfying is that Cynthia's legend will live forever!

 

[Daren]

Dracovish and Sirfetch'd rushing up against any attack Cynthia was throwing at them and staying completely unfazed. Plot Armor at its worst!

Cynthia was literally introduced with her Pokémon no selling a high power 4X effective move.
Her plot armor is just as bad as his, possibly worse.

 

[PkmnTrainerV]

RE: Cynthia using a different gimmick, I’ll excuse it as while it would’ve been cool to see Mega Garchomp, using Dynamax Togekiss makes more sense since it’s the most resistant to Lucario's Anti-Dynamax Aura sphere. It seems like a classic Cynthia move. However I think Dynamaxing Garchomp would've served better to the story to maintain the spectacle and keep the fans satisfied to give Garchomp an endurance boost.
I don’t have very strong feels on the matter, but I must say this is the first time I’ve actually been shocked by the anime in a good way.

 

[FinnishPokéFan92]

I can't tell, but did Sirfetch'd KO two of Cynthia's Pokémon or just one?

Just one.

So, I knew it: Ash can only win against Cynthia if the mightiest Champion is forced by the plot not to go full power at him.

I personally don't think her using Dynamax with a Pokémon other than Garchomp instead of using Mega Evolution makes her any less strong. Garchomp has already taken a heavy hit, so Cynthia probably wanted to reserve her gimmick for a Pokémon that wasn't as badly hurt. Not to mention, it plays into her strategy of subverting Ash's expectations regarding her strategy. Also, Garchomp is super strong even without Mega Evolving. That's been proven many times.

 

[Max1996]

So, I knew it: Ash can only win against Cynthia if the mightiest Champion is forced by the plot not to go full power at him. Thank you writers, what you did in fact was making our Oueen Cynthia undefeatable for all eternity!
The Dynamax-Togekiss scenario actually turned out to be true...Well, in that case I guess I'll apply an old philosophical principle which claims to see something good in anything, no matter how bad it looks at first glance. And the good thing, whether you like it or not, is that we Cynthia fans will now be able to claim forever that Ash could only "win" thanks to massive support by the writers. I'll say it here I will repeat it whenever necessary:

Cynthia would definitely have won if she had been allowed(!) to use Mega-Garchomp!

Despite the sad (and unrealistic, forced) fact that Ash will have to defeat them all, I want to thank the writers for doing us that massive favor by invalidating Ash's "victory" that way. Now Cynthia will stay an undefeated legend and queen forever!

My second complaint is that Ash's victories in this episode were simply terrible Ash-pulls, screaming "Plot Armor" through and through. Reading through this thread I realized some of you don't like that term. However, that doesn't change the fact they were so forced that it hurts.
Here are the worst Ash moments in my eyes:

• Dracovish and Sirfetch'd rushing up against any attack Cynthia was throwing at them and staying completely unfazed. Plot Armor at its worst! . If this is how Ash defeats champions (simply making his Pokemon more or less immune) then shame on you writers!
• Jaw bite hitting Milotic although Dracovish and his mouth in particular were completely immobilized and blocked
• According to the Pokedex, Stealth Rock creates invisible(!!) rocks. So, Sirfetch'd magically destroying them was not only an insult to every fan taking the battle mechanics seriously but , what's even worse, it's also nothing but impossible nonsense that's still outraging me. And no, Ash's crazy tactics do not count as an excuse here because outright nonsense has nothing to do with tactics.
• Last but not least, what angered me the most was the fact that neither Roserade nor Garchomp were allowed to dodge but simply had to stand there and wait for the impact. For God's sake, writers, do you think our great Cynthia isn't actually smart enough to order her Pokemon to dodge? Seriously? How insulting! Roserade could have used Wine Whip to jump and Garchomp could just have soared into the sky... no, what happened instead was the writers were realizing their "golden boy" needed some victories now, no matter how stupid, far-fetched or cheap. Plot Armor says hi once again...

To sum up: Not only is Cynthia not allowed to go full power at Ash, no, the latter can only win with Plot Armor and cheap, forced defeats. Frankly, I had the feeling this would happen but by doing so, the writers also gave us that invaluable argument that Cynthia would have won if she had been allowed to go full power.
So, Ash' s "victory" is already invalidated and no matter how that battle ends, what's incredibly satisfying is that Cynthia's legend will live forever!

If Cynthia is as sore about her losing as you are, then I'm not sure just how much longer that legend would live on...

 

[-PokemonBattleFanatic-]

To sum up: Not only is Cynthia not allowed to go full power at Ash, no, the latter can only win with Plot Armor and cheap, forced defeats. Frankly, I had the feeling this would happen but by doing so, the writers also gave us that invaluable argument that Cynthia would have won if she had been allowed to go full power.
So, Ash' s "victory" is already invalidated and no matter how that battle ends, what's incredibly satisfying is that Cynthia's legend will live forever!

Now where have I seen this before?

 

[Kurolegacy]

Lucario did so with a power-up.... Giant Aura Sphere. His other 4 don't need Power-Ups to defeat powerful opponents... so because of Giant Aura Sphere, base Lucario is still the weakest because it needed to resort to it... now it it was an ability, then it was a different matter.

Now you’re just moving the goalposts. Aura is a natural part of the Lucario line and the giant Aura Sphere is a matter of it making use of said aura to strengthen its attacks, a skill it had been taught by Greninja. The giant Aura Sphere had no external factors to it, it was all from Lucario’s own power. Going by your logic, Infernape is weak because it had to resort to Blaze, Greninja is weak because it had to resort to AG in its time and Tarrocat is weak because it had to absorb a Blast Burn to become stronger.

 

[LeonMagnus]

RE: Cynthia using a different gimmick, I’ll excuse it as while it would’ve been cool to see Mega Garchomp, using Dynamax Togekiss makes more sense since it’s the most resistant to Lucario's Anti-Dynamax Aura sphere. It seems like a classic Cynthia move. However I think Dynamaxing Garchomp would've served better to the story to maintain the spectacle and keep the fans satisfied to give Garchomp an endurance boost.
I don’t have very strong feels on the matter, but I must say this is the first time I’ve actually been shocked by the anime in a good way.

I think in show Garchomp was just too beat up for any gimmicks. Both power ups would basically make her Garchomp slower. She gets more utility out of Dynamaxing Togekiss.

Cynthia messed up by not sending Togekiss on Sirfetch’d. My head canon is that she is simply not familiar with a Galar exclusive version of Farfetch’d line, got spooked at its showing and called out her ace Garchomp, to make sure it went down. The duck made sure it left a parting gift as he stared at her in his fainted state lol.