Recently announced on the Pokemon Company website, there will be a second Pokemon release event this year, this time for the Hidden Ability Johto Starters! Following up to the Unova Starters, the Johto Starters will be the last starters to be released with their Hidden Abilities and will be released via Pokemon Bank starting on February 27, 2015. Three fully-evolved Johto starters complete with their Hidden Abilities will be available to players using the Pokemon Bank service any time between the release and November 30, 2015. Meganium, Typhlosion, and Feraligatr complete with their Hidden Abilites, Leaf Guard, Flash Fire, and Sheer Force, will be added to the account when the player accesses the service during the event, and are limited to one of each per account.
First released in Pokemon Gold, Silver, and Crystal, Meganium, Typhlosion, and Feraligatr will be moving into the new generation with the extra utility from their new Hidden Abilities. These new abilities will bring out the true power of the beloved Pokemon both in the game and in competitive battling.
Leaf Guard prevents Meganium from status conditions like Poison and Paralysis while the harsh sunlight weather condition is in effect, making it a great partner for a Pokemon with the ability Drought or as a singles battler with Sunny Day.
Flash Fire raises the power of Fire-type moves by 50% and prevents Typhlosion from taking damage from Fire-type moves, making it a great sweeper with its naturally huge Fire-type move pool.
Feraligatr's Sheer Force raises the power of moves with secondary effects by 30% but cancels out their secondary effects. So if Feraligatr uses Ice Punch which also has a 10% chance to Freeze the target, the base power of the move will be raised by 30% but the chance to Freeze will not go through. A great swap if used with an item like Life Orb or Choice Band to give Feraligatr an even bigger boost to its power.
Pokemon Bank is a paid service that allows players to easily store and sort through Pokemon in different games, as well as move them between other ones. Its annual cost is $4.99
This event is to start on February 27, 2015. Players will have to log into the Pokemon Bank with Pokemon X, Pokemon Y, Pokemon Omega Ruby, or Pokemon Alpha Sapphire. After they do, the three starters will be placed into their Pokemon Bank account and can be moved to any of the Generation 6 games.
Are you excited for the Johto Starters Hidden Abilities release? What do you think of the Pokemon Bank as a means for distribution? Do you think companies should do promotions with paid tie in apps? Tell us in the comments section below!
