Wonder Launcher

[Blazen]

A new feature in the games is the Wonder Launcher (AKA Miracle Shooter in JP). We used to be unable to use items in battle. However if you turn on the Wonder Launcher option for multiplayer modes then each turn you will receive 1 point. You may use one of your turns to purchase and use an item. You can never have more than 14 points at a time. The items are:


All info obtained from Serebii, and Bulbapedia. 14 point maximum was stated by Guest on page 7.

1 point: Item Urge (activates the Pokemon's held item)

2 points: Potion

3 points: Ability Urge (activate the Pokemon's ability), Dire Hit, X Accuracy, Attack, Defend, Sp. Def, Sp. Attack, and Speed

4 points: Super Potion, Ice Heal, Antidote, Awakening, Burn Heal, and Paralyze Heal

5 points: Item Drop (Pokemon loses held item), X Items 2

6 points: Full Heal

7 points: X Items 3, Dire Hit 3

8 points: Hyper Potion

9 points: Reset Urge (returns Pokemon's stat changes to normal)

10 points: Max Potion

11 points: Revive

12 points: X Items 6

13 Points: Full Restore

14 Points: Max Revive

This option may be turned on, or off. I feel that this will bring a huge change to the metagame. Particularly the use of the X items for late game sweepers. Having a max revive on standby in case your star sweeper is taken out too early. I feel that they found a fairly good balance for this, but only time will tell.

 

[Ash Borer]

WOuld be cool to have this as an alternate ladder mode

 

[Not Scicky]

Honestly plenty of battles don't last more than like 30 turns, so it's pretty balanced. That being said I don't know if I really like this. :/

 

[Athenodoros]

Each of the ones which needs to be confirmed seems bizarre. How can held items not activate automatically? And abilities? If these are not automatic, I don't think people will like it. On the other hand, it does seem the most balanced way of having items, and could add a completely new dimension to the game. I'd also be interested to see whether more people use stall because of the longer battle times.

 

[KokoaKiwi]

Personally, Im planning to turn this off immediately.
It's already annoying as fuck to see, Elite Four whatever used Full Restore!. I don't intend to see this in my competitive battles as well.
Then again, everyone and their mom said similar stuff about Shandera. If this turns out to be REALLY balanced, I may give it a shot.

 

[DDRMaster]

The activating a Held Item/Ability thing might just be something like you get an extra healing of Leftovers for the turn or you get Intimidate to activate again. Odds are, between the vague in-game descriptions and Serebii's bad translations, it will work absolutely nothing like anyone can predict.

Semi-Stall and Stall teams are going to love this. Stall long enough to get the more powerful X-Items, phaze any boosts your opponent tries to get with them, and send in your sweeper and give it +6 Def, SpDef, and Atk/SpAtk. The same thing can be done on full stall teams with a fast wall that can phaze things.

 

[Hospy]

I like how it adds another dimension of gameplay...and it certainly gives stall more tools to play with in dealing with some of the more offensive juggernauts in V.

Of course, testing will flesh this out more. I'm liking it, though.

 

[Karoda Gai]

I don't like it but that my be because I've never played with it. its just I'm a little worried if bliss can be revived in the middle of my late game special sweep XP
but, on the other hand I could revive my Mix ape and take it out, I just don't know about this whole legal item thing...

 

[MarsVolta]

Well this certainly makes protect a lot more useful. Also, weakens status and lowers the need for heal bell/aromatherapy. With this kinda gameplay, stall will be a lot more prominent, and so will using stockpile/cosmic power, since with just defense boosts, you can stall out for some xattack/spattack.

Also, when I read it, I thought item call meant activate items like pinch berries, and ability call activates pinch abilities and one time use abilities like intimidate again.

 

[Stylish Interval]

Imo, this is pretty game changing. based on just speculation, it seems like a feature that will be disabled on pl and for major tourneys. Just think about it. Possibly, 14 turns in, after you've worked hard to defeat a DDNite from sweeping your team, it comes back at full health ready to do the same thing again, except this time you can't stop it because it weakened you so well. This makes dual [insert type / archetype here] pokemon teams more potent.

This also is very useful for stall teams. +6 def / sp.d possibly? no thanks! (even +6 evasion !!!!) Plus, they could heal key members of their teams very easily as stall matches can easily last more than 40-50 turns. jesus ._.

i mean, even if it's 28 turns....full health gyarados / dnite / heatran could mean winning or losing. and have nothing to do with skill (besides stalling out that long)

 

[Jace the Mind Sculptor]

Imo, this is pretty game changing. based on just speculation, it seems like a feature that will be disabled on pl and for major tourneys. Just think about it. Possibly, 14 turns in, after you've worked hard to defeat a DDNite from sweeping your team, it comes back at full health ready to do the same thing again, except this time you can't stop it because it weakened you so well. This makes dual [insert type / archetype here] pokemon teams more potent.

This also is very useful for stall teams. +6 def / sp.d possibly? no thanks! (even +6 evasion !!!!) Plus, they could heal key members of their teams very easily as stall matches can easily last more than 40-50 turns. jesus ._.

i mean, even if it's 28 turns....full health gyarados / dnite / heatran could mean winning or losing. and have nothing to do with skill (besides stalling out that long)

Except, you can do it too.

It has everything to do with skill. It's, yet, another aspect implemented that now requires more thought than just "let me get rid of X so i can sweep with X".

I am all for this change and I cannot wait to actually play a match with this new never before seen part of competitive battling, AS WELL as having each players teams revealed before the matches.

There is no 'right' or 'wrong' answer as to the competitive nature of Miracle Shooter. You will love it or hate it during the speculation phases now, and then you will love it or hate it once its available to use and test and manipulate and have fun on a simulator some months from now.

I applaud GF for finally figuring out a way to make in-battle items competitive.

I am ECSTATIC.

 

[Blazen]

How I see it, waiting 12 turns for a +6 boost, or 14 for a Max revive is fairly balanced. This means that for those turns you didn't use a single heal, or boost before hand. Timing will definitely be key here.

 

[King Yoshi]

As per usual, samefags are gonna hate this, and everyone else is gonna find it an interesting new concept to add to competitive battling.

Nothing new here when it comes to something new. =3

 

[KokoaKiwi]

As per usual, samefags are gonna hate this, and everyone else is gonna find it an interesting new concept to add to competitive battling.

Nothing new here when it comes to something new. =3

Not being a samefag, but this gives, imho, some advantage to Stall teams. That's pretty much my only problem with it atm.

 

[XienZo]

This might actually give Embargo some use.

 

[Fisdunction]

As per usual, samefags are gonna hate this, and everyone else is gonna find it an interesting new concept to add to competitive battling.

Nothing new here when it comes to something new. =3

Oh yes, this will bring such amazing changes to the metagame.

WATCH ME STALL FOR A FREE +6 BOOST
I AM SO GOOD AT THESE HERE VIDYA GAMES

 

[XienZo]

Oh yes, this will bring such amazing changes to the metagame.

WATCH ME STALL FOR A FREE +6 BOOST
I AM SO GOOD AT THESE HERE VIDYA GAMES

Note that you get the +6 boost at the exact same time your opponent does, regardless of who was doing the stalling.

 

[KokoaKiwi]

What do the X Status (number) items do? Im assuming they increase stats by (number) levels at once?

 

[Fisdunction]

Note that you get the +6 boost at the exact same time your opponent does, regardless of who was doing the stalling.

Just because both players get access to broken game mechanics doesn't make it balanced.

 

[XienZo]

Just because both players get access to broken game mechanics doesn't make it balanced.

But it does make it harder to predict what the metagame will look like if both players get access to mechanics that overturn a lot of how the normal metagame works. So, I'd just say that we'd best have some experience with this before we make guesses as to how this metagame will look like.

 

[King Yoshi]

Just because both players get access to broken game mechanics doesn't make it balanced.

That sounds like a contradiction right there.
Besides, you could wait another 2 or so turns and get a free fully revived Pokemon.

Not to mention boosting your mon +6 is just asking for Ditto to come in and proceed to take advantage of it.

 

[Drakhun]

Oh yes, this will bring such amazing changes to the metagame.

WATCH ME STALL FOR A FREE +6 BOOST
I AM SO GOOD AT THESE HERE VIDYA GAMES

Watch me Roar/WW/Haze that turn. Stalling for boosts like that will probably be quite obvious and counterable.

 

[Misty Swims]

A new feature in the games is the Miracle Shooter. We used to be unable to use items in battle. However if you turn on the Miracle Shooter option for multiplayer modes then each turn you will receive 1 point. You may use one of your turns to purchase and use an item. The items are:

...

13 Points: Full Restore
14 Points: Max Revive

I feel that they found a fairly good balance for this, but only time will tell.

This is probably the worst pokemon idea I've ever heard. Everyone would just be stalling. Those items are not meant for competitive battles. Thank goodness you can turn it off.

 

[Screw-On Head]

This could change the way things like sleep clause are implemented. It could be exactly what the metagame needs to counteract the hyper-aggressive Pokemon introduced this generation.

 

[Ryanide]

Just because both players get access to broken game mechanics doesn't make it balanced.

Not if you're playing MvC2.

p.s. Miracle shooter sounds really really cool and I hope we embrace it along with triple and rotation battles.
Also, you know that stalling isn't so easy any more, right?