I love good guys

Like most adults, I don't get to raid often during the work week, and less and less as oncoming autumn contracts the days (raids start sunrise to sunset only, it seems). But I am making more of an effort to spend my free daily raid passes to keep my Mewtwo options open since that mechanic was announced. Even if only on a Level 1 or 2 raid by myself before work, at lunchtime, or a really quick afternoon break, whenever I'm lucky enough to have (and notice) a raid pop nearby, I check my schedule.

On one of the 3 raids I managed to complete this work week, I dared a Level 3 alone. And I did it! I met my longstanding game goal of taking down a Level 3 raid boss by myself! It was close. And it was just an Arcanine with pure fire moves (no bite, crunch, or wild charge). But still! I solo'd a Level 3 raid boss! It took 4 pokemon: my 3 leveled-up Golemns with 2 rock-type moves each, and my biggest, best Vaporean. (Obviously, wild charge would've destroyed my Vaporean.) Shiny Gyarados with hydro-pump was my anchor, in the sixth slot, but we didn't get to her.

Previously, I'd tried soloing Arcanine and Flareon bosses with ground types (which are common around here). I've concluded that the ground-type moves will never be fast enough to solo them, not at any level.

Do you get tired of the game auto-recommending your high-CP Blisseys and Chanseys for raids? What you really want, of course, are pokémon with the type advantages to deal the most damage per second, thus getting you more rewards, and your team more premier balls! For that, I learned this great tip at a raid yesterday, and will try it at the first opportunity:

To keep the game from default-suggesting certain pokémon, assign them as gym defenders, let them faint, and then don't revive them until you want to use them on purpose. The game won't recommend fainted 'mon!

(Blissey, with her unmatched endurance, is the best defender by far! But she's often a marginal attacker. She's slow and lacks super-effective same-type attack bonuses. So it's not considered best form to raid with Blissey/Chansey-heavy squads. It kind of suggests that either you don't know about type advantages, or you expect to be carried by the other trainers' expenditures of effort, revives, and potions.) (I'm so embarrassed when I don't have time to pick all my squad — because of connectivity, lag, app restarting, players already in the lobby, whatever — and the game default sticks me with a wall of pink.)

I was at my desk at work at 7:30 PM when the Discord app chat pinged. There was a legendary raid across the street from my home. Was I coming? You bet! How fast did I turn off my work computer and dash to my car? How far did I push up against the speed limit?

I'd been on 4 previous legendary raids: 1 Articuno (flying/ice), 3 Lugia (flying/psychic). The first was on Saturday night (as previously related), and the others on Sunday (one in the park across the street from my church after mass, one near my home in the afternoon, and one not far from my work in the evening). Each time, those gathered had beaten the raid boss together! Each time, my individual post-raid legendary had fled.

This time, I was down to 3 premier balls when a fellow trainer started helpfully offering advice. I was a little grumpy with him, I'm afraid. (That is not the moment a trainer wants to reconsider her ball-throwing style.)

With my second-to-last premier ball, the Articuno stayed in! 96% IVs. Front breath & Blizzard. I am very lucky!

I understand that Niantic announced this afternoon that Articuno will be around for only a week, at which time Moltres will get a week, and then Zapdos. Lugia will apparently stick around permanently, but get less common...? We shall see. One of each would be perfect! :-D

(Oh, and the bonuses are extended until 5 PM Pacific on Thursday!)

Fellow pokémon trainers! As you know, Saturday is GoFest. And GoFest is not only for the lucky few in Grant Park in Chicago. We around the world will also play our parts in releasing the legendaries!

Per Niantic, those in Grant Park can unlock rewards (like double stardust) for everyone globally, while we outside can extend the length of these rewards (like for more days). If we all — inside and outside — win our challenges, then the mystery challenge will unlock. Everyone believes that the mystery challenge is legendary raid bosses! The only question is which.

(Golem with 2 rock moves is the go-to counter for all the legendary birds, as Tyranitar with 2 dark moves is for Mew and MewTwo. If you don't have those, try Omastar and Houndoom, or Sudowoodo and Gengar.)

During the worldwide challenge windows, if you can, go out and catch! Every capture counts. Check your time zone on GoHub. In Pacific Time, the windows are:

• Challenge #1  9:00 AM to 9:30 AM
• Challenge #2 11:00 AM to 11:30 AM
• Challenge #3  1:00 PM to 1:30 PM

Have fun!

(Sources: TrainerTips, Mystic7, Reversal, ProdigiesNation, GoHub, The Silph Road, GamePress, PokéAssistant, Niantic, Forbes...)

There's a Level 40 player in my neighborhood gym. Is she visiting someone? Or spoofing her location? I've never seen her avatar's name here before.

My Princess Blissey — Queen Blissey has slightly higher CP, but a slightly less strong defensive moveset — recently held the top of the neighborhood gym for 7 days in a row. New personal record! Now, after the gym changed teams a few times at the weekend, she's just #5 below the pokemon of several high-level players whose avatar names I don't recognize, including this Level 40 trainer. Whose avatar wears a mask.

Peculiar.