Cobalt_Latios
Well-Known Member
Yeah, I've noticed that the writers are putting some effort into Ash's battle strategies this time around. Which is great; the Pokemon battles are the driving force of the games, and it's great to see that they be implemented just as well in the show.
However, what's even better is that he was able to adapt his strategy to fit the battle style at hand. Once Fantina realized what Ash was up to, she decided to counter his own shield to see how he would handle it. Once he figured out how to bypass that shield, he could win.
Well, let's not forget who used to own Chimchar first. Though he wasn't always treating Chimchar properly, Paul really did boost Chimchar's attack power considerably. Put that pre-canned power with Ash, and add what Ash is already capable of, and you'll see that he can do well with a fire type.
Being French myself, I didn't really mind it all that much. At least she was using French words when necessary (I really dislike how they did Paris back "Arriving in Style").
The first gen was incredibly basic. It was nearly a literal "rock, paper, scissors". Nothing more, nothing less.
After 3 generations, the battles have become much more complex, adding quite a bit of variation to things. So, it's only natural that the writers improve the battling with each generation adding the new elements to the battle as they go (of course, improving on things as they go along). The games are what determine the show, remember that. It doesn't mean that the show=games, but rather that the show takes from the game and uses what it can.
Ash has always had this; it's just that it changes depending on the gym he's up against and the scenario at hand.
This is interesting to note: the writers are toning down the use and strength of Pikachu despite being Ash's starter. Which actually makes a lot of sense.
What Pokemon does Fantina have on her team in D/P? Mismagius, Drifblim, Gengar. The writers simply took what Fantina had in her game team and used it in the show. Simple as that. And so far, gym counterparts have had nearly identical teams to the game, so that's something else to take note of.
Well, I'd have to say that this was by far one of my favorite gym battles. Sure, I enjoyed Wake's because Ash's entire team survived, Maylene had a Lucario
)), Aipom KO'd Gardenia's Roserade nicely, and Turtwig had an awesome battle against Rampardos, but Fantina's had a dosage of strategy that I haven't seen in quite some time.The strategy used in this episode was unique, but unfortunately, it was designed specifically for Drifblim; which was, inevitably, the point of using it. However, I was glad to see that they still used some kind of strategy mod near the end with Chimchar, which is showing us that Ash can adapt quickly to given challenge if given an opening.
*reads page* What the? Oh sure, we all know that Ash had a nice battle, but really, must we forget that Jessie singlehandly wins a ribbon in Hearthome? Am I the only one who remembers this. Sure, it wasn't given much screentime, but now we know that Jessie is actually starting to learn what will please the crowd/judges and can maybe actually perform decently next time.
Oh, and Barry is apparently beginning to learn a bit more about the various training methods and that you shouldn't take all advice from one source; it's best to diversify things. His reaction to Ash accomplishing the challenges was entertaining, to say the least. I like that they mentioned Iron Island, and that it's pronounced Ka-na-lay-v, not Ka-na-la-v (I'm talking about Canalave).
*C_L*
