• Hi all. We have had reports of member's signatures being edited to include malicious content. You can rest assured this wasn't done by staff and we can find no indication that the forums themselves have been compromised.

    However, remember to keep your passwords secure. If you use similar logins on multiple sites, people and even bots may be able to access your account.

    We always recommend using unique passwords and enable two-factor authentication if possible. Make sure you are secure.
  • Be sure to join the discussion on our discord at: Discord.gg/serebii
  • If you're still waiting for the e-mail, be sure to check your junk/spam e-mail folders

Thoughts on Dynamax so far?

DSDark

Breeder
D-max is interesting in competitive play however G-max is simply pointless. I don't think there's one G-max move that's worth the investment.
 

Captain Jigglypuff

Leader of Jigglypuff Army
I find it to be a very interesting concept but I do wish a few more Pokémon got one. Particularly Mimikyu, Eldegoss, Kommo-o, Galarian Weezing (think of it being much bigger and attached to the roof of a building like body), Cloyster, and Polteageist (even larger teapot with hot steam puffing out of the spout occasionally and it’s G Max move is based on the concept of hot tea and will cause burns and also be super effective on Fire types despite being a Ghost type attack).
 

GAK Attack

Member
I like it more than I thought I would, it's less like a cheap gimmick than it came off as pre-release. But I do wish they had stuck with mega evolution and would just continue giving megas to more and more pokemon, rather than interesting a new, similar and only slightly different, mechanic with each game. It makes crossing between game lines that much harder.

It is making gym battles a lot more interesting and challenging at times, though, which is nice. But they could have amped up gyms with Megas or just more difficulty in general so meh.
 

Divine Retribution

Conquistador de pan
Well, I did say I'd make a longer post, so here goes...

As I mentioned in my previous post, the chief (but not sole) reason why I dislike Dynamax is that it doesn't act as an equalizer in any circumstance. The Pokemon who benefit most from Dynamax were already really good before its debut, and lower tier Pokemon that aren't really viable are not going to be lifted into viability by it. There's simply no reason to use them when you can Dynamax a better Pokemon altogether. This is part of the problem with Dynamax, and it stems from the one aspect that people seem to praise the most; its inclusivity. Almost any Pokemon can Dynamax, but only a select few can Mega Evolve. On the surface, this makes it seem like Dynamax is a great idea. What if my favorite Pokemon isn't viable by itself, and wasn't graced with a Mega Evolution? Surely Dynamax is a better mechanic for me, as it benefits all Pokemon? Well, no. Dynamax may benefit all Pokemon equally, but the playing field wasn't equal to begin with. Generally, the same Pokemon are still going to end up better than the others.

Now let's take a look at Mega Evolution. While Mega Evolution may be much more limited in its distribution, it is a huge buff to nearly all Pokemon it does get distributed to. Unlike Dynamax, which offers a uniform HP increase and powered-up moves to all Pokemon affected by it, Mega Evolution offers stat overhauls and possible new typing and abilities to its recipients on a case-by-case basis. This makes it possible to take Pokemon like Beedrill, Kangaskhan, and Pinsir, who are competitively garbage, and transform them into actual threats. While there's no guarantee that a Pokemon I want to use receives a Mega Evolution, if one does happen to receive one, it's almost guaranteed to be a viable addition to my team. Even the more obscure Megas such as Abomasnow and Camerupt have uses in the more inclusive formats.

The fact that Dynamax only truly benefits Pokemon that were already viable is just one issue I have with it, though. Another is that Gigantomax is almost completely pointless as a mechanic. When it was first revealed, I was sure that Gigantomax forms would receive some kind of stat changes akin to Mega Evolution, if not as drastic. They didn't. The only difference between Gigantomax and Dynamax is access to an exclusive G-Max move... which is usually inferior to its regular Max equivalent. Why would you ever Gigantomax your Charizard so you can use G-Max Wildfire when you can Dynamax it and use Max Flare, whose effects are far better in nearly every circumstance? Save for a few exceptions such as Gengar and Copperajah, why would you ever use most Pokemon's Gigantomax forms over their Dynamax forms? One possible solution for this would have been to tie G-Max moves to specific moves (such as Blast Burn for G-Max Wildfire), allowing you to use the standard Max Move of that type if you wish, but even then, you're just left with a fancy looking Dynamax Charizard.

Another problem with Dynamax is how heavily biased the mechanic is towards offensive Pokemon. I had a similar problem with Z-Moves, and if I'm being 100% honest, even Mega Evolutions tend to be more inclined towards offensive Pokemon than defensive Pokemon (but at least Pokemon such as Mega Sableye, Mega Slowbro, and Mega Venusaur existed to give you some defensive options), but Dynamax is by far the biggest offender in this regard. While offensive Pokemon have access to a myriad of high-power moves with a variety of different effects, on the defensive side of things you have exactly one move; a reskinned Protect. No recovery while Dynamaxed. No support moves while Dynamaxed. The only thing you can do is be a glorified meat shield for your opponent's Dynamaxed Pokemon to wail on for 3 turns. While defensive Dynamaxing is a legitimate strategy in some cases, it's more of a reactive strategy than a proactive one, whereas a defensive Mega Evolution such as Sableye can be used very proactively. The very least they could have done would be to have given us a Max Recover that recovery moves transform into.

In general, I really just wish they had stuck with Mega Evolution. Z-Moves were a farce but at least they had some positive aspects as well. I can't really think of anything good to say about Dynamax. It's not creative, it's not healthy, it doesn't bring any sort of balance to the metagame, and it seems in general poorly thought out. I seriously hope they reconsider the decision to axe the only gimmick they've introduced so far that actually brought some balance and variety to the metagame.
 
Last edited:

Ophie

Salingerian Phony
Dynamax, as a mechanic, I think exists mainly to help sell the game. Ever since Mega Evolutions were introduced, it seems that the general public who buys Pokémon game demands a new major source of spectacle for each game; otherwise, they may accuse it of being what TV Tropes calls a Mission Pack Sequel, which is the same game but with new areas and new characters, and there'd likely be complaints of "Why didn't they just make it DLC?" (Though that probably would've been more pronounced with Sun and Moon, as it was released on the same system as the previous generation.)

That being said, I still like it because I thrive in being unpredictable in Pokémon battling, and this is one more thing I can be unpredictable about. If people use Dynamax on the same Pokémon over and over, then I should be able to accurately predict when that will happen and plan accordingly. Certainly, I was able to do that with Mega Evolutions and Z-Moves; for those reasons, I have won many battles in Generations VI and VII by using thought-judo on my opponents. They were stuck on their routines and couldn't deal with a circumstance when it wound up not working. (I mentioned Mega Kangaskhan before; another thing people do is refuse to switch her out for any reason, which I'm guessing is Sunk Cost Fallacy from the Attack boosts from Power-Up Punch.)

Mega Evolutions and Z-Moves existed, also, to help sell games, to provide people a reason to play this one instead of a pre-existing one. And to that end, both Mega Evolutions and Z-Moves were given to Pokémon that were already popular, whether that meant adored by the public (Charizard, Lucario, Pikachu) or used frequently in competitive play (Mimikyu, Incineroar, Island Guardians).

All in all, the games have been out for a week and a half. Time will tell if there will be any shifts later on. I mean, the Generation VII Pokémon were widely brushed off as useless that weren't Legendary or Ultra Beasts except for Mimikyu and Toxapex; it was later on that more of them started finding more use and the ratio rose up to become comparable to the other generations. The fact that anything with a Water-type move gets to set rain, anything with an Ice-type move gets to set hail, anything with a Psychic-type move gets to set Psychic Terrain, etc. could make viable more Pokémon later on, even if they're not the ones to use Dynamax. Of special note, Aurora Veil has been distributed to a bunch of Ice-types who didn't get them before, suggesting they expect people to use Max Hailstorm for further setup.

There is also a very good chance these will be buffed later on. For instance, G-Max Centiferno may be changed so it sets intense sun AND its current effect. (Aside from that, I really like how Gigantamax Centiskorch arranges itself into a radiator before it attacks.) Pokémon games heavily favor buffs over nerfs; to that end, it's best for them to make new stuff purposefully underpowered so they can figure out how to make them better.
 

shoz999

Back when Tigers used to smoke.
One of the first things that came to mind when I checked out the new chapter of Pokemon Adventures SwSh is that... Damn Dynamax, you scary.

Like be honest here. When we think of Dynamax, we think of these re-used 3D models that are ten times enlarged in the video games right? Get that image out of your head. Actually imagine if the world of Pokemon was real, you visited Galar for the very first time and in the fog somewhere, you see a giant breathing living Pokemon that is as tall as the mountains themselves and instead of staying in one place, it is moving around slowly across the landscape. That is how Dynamax is depicted in the manga lol. Giant Pokemon are actually pretty intimidating until your reminded that they are just holograms.
 

Prof. SALTY

The Scruffy Professor
Not a fan... max moves don't really feel like they do much and as for defence... I beat almost every gym's dynamaxed mon without dynamaxing at roughly a 5 level advantage in my favour. Gigantamax forms visually are hit or miss depending on the pokemon. At least it wasn't as in-your-face as Z-moves felt which is nice.

I think my biggest issue with it is how utterly stupid every character looks throwing the dynamax ball. It completely ruins a tense battle to see a character throw what is essentially a heavy, cumbersome beach ball. And the stupid explosion when you beat a dynamax pokemon? Ugh no thanks.

I just feel like Kaijumon could have been handled a lot better.
 

Ophie

Salingerian Phony
@Dragalge The Cufant line is also based on construction/demolition vehicles, which is why they have a boxy shape in general. Cufant and regular Copperajah are based on (standard) excavators, and Gigantamax Copperajah may be based on a wrecking ball or a high-reach excavator.
 

shoz999

Back when Tigers used to smoke.
I just want to know how Copperajah goes from an elephant to some fat, weird wall thing with stubby arms that stands on two feet. Is this supposed to reference something related to elephants?
SPMMuth.png


Reminds me of Muth from Super Paper Mario, best platforming RPG in the house of Mario! 8.8/10! 8.9/10! 9/10! 9.5/10! Top 10 Wii Games Ever! 2.28 Million Sales! Greatest Story of the Paper Mario series!... Oh yeah. Does G-Max Copperajah reminds anyone of Muth by the way?
 

Pokemon Fan

Knuckle Trainer
Giant Pokemon are actually pretty intimidating until your reminded that they are just holograms.
I'd say that they're still pretty intimidating. Keep in mind that they aren't "just holograms." More specifically they are warping space to appear larger without actually increasing in mass, but at the same time they gain the ability to interact with the world around them as if they really had become giant in size.
 

Ophie

Salingerian Phony
SPMMuth.png


Reminds me of Muth from Super Paper Mario, best platforming RPG in the house of Mario! 8.8/10! 8.9/10! 9/10! 9.5/10! Top 10 Wii Games Ever! 2.28 Million Sales! Greatest Story of the Paper Mario series!... Oh yeah. Does G-Max Copperajah reminds anyone of Muth by the way?

Oh my goodness, I never even thought of that! Though perhaps they look closer to Mega Muths, as they have a darker shade (though not as dark as Dark Muths, of course).
 

Eternalfalcon

Unova champion
I think this video sums up the stupidity of it perfectly,
it also just shows how bad the camera is in these games, they should have stuck with megas the only good generational gimmick so far
 

Dragalge

"Orange" Magical Girl
I think this video sums up the stupidity of it perfectly,
it also just shows how bad the camera is in these games, they should have stuck with megas the only good generational gimmick so far
*Sees a video who's avatar is weird cartoon version of their irl self*

hatching-chick.png


Look I'm not a huge Dynamax fan but let's not give these silly people views for bad videos!
 

Weavy

I come and go suddenly
First things first, I'm going to mention that I did not care for Mega Evolution or Z moves for the most part. So let's see how this one holds up now that the games are out...

I honestly like the fact that every Pokemon can use it rather than a select few with Mega Evolution. The fact it's not shoved in you face either and is restricted is also refreshing. That being said though, this mechanic has the potential to very overpowered despite that. Even though you only have 3 turns, you can do so much in that time; setting up weather, creating terrain, stat boosts and so on, and these have a lasting benefit even when Dynamax is over (Stat boosts especially). While it is disappointing that it only boosts HP, that can sometimes make a big difference if a Pokemon survives an attack or not.

As for Gigantamax, I honestly feel this one didn't need to exist at all. The only difference between Dynamax and G-Max, aside for an appearance change, is an exclusive G-Max move, which for the most part are worse than the max moves. That and the fact they're locked behind Max Raid battles makes them an absolute chore to get and the low catch rate doesn't help. That being said, I did think it was a missed opportunity not giving the Galarian starters one; I thought they'd one given how much starters are marketed.

I'm leaning towards not caring, like with Mega Evolution and Z moves. But the fact this mechanic could end up being more broken than both leaves me more suspicious than normal. I'm keeping an eye on this mechanic...
 

shoz999

Back when Tigers used to smoke.
First things first, I'm going to mention that I did not care for Mega Evolution or Z moves for the most part. So let's see how this one holds up now that the games are out...

I honestly like the fact that every Pokemon can use it rather than a select few with Mega Evolution. The fact it's not shoved in you face either and is restricted is also refreshing. That being said though, this mechanic has the potential to very overpowered despite that. Even though you only have 3 turns, you can do so much in that time; setting up weather, creating terrain, stat boosts and so on, and these have a lasting benefit even when Dynamax is over (Stat boosts especially). While it is disappointing that it only boosts HP, that can sometimes make a big difference if a Pokemon survives an attack or not.

As for Gigantamax, I honestly feel this one didn't need to exist at all. The only difference between Dynamax and G-Max, aside for an appearance change, is an exclusive G-Max move, which for the most part are worse than the max moves. That and the fact they're locked behind Max Raid battles makes them an absolute chore to get and the low catch rate doesn't help. That being said, I did think it was a missed opportunity not giving the Galarian starters one; I thought they'd one given how much starters are marketed.

I'm leaning towards not caring, like with Mega Evolution and Z moves. But the fact this mechanic could end up being more broken than both leaves me more suspicious than normal. I'm keeping an eye on this mechanic...
A lot of what you say is pretty much true. I don't know why but there is a lot of Gyarados's and Excadrills in online multiplayer and most of them almost always get defeated by my Coalossal thanks to Dynamax boosting its tanking/counter attacking potential and even after it is over, I surprise a lot of my opponents by revealing the reason why the Intimidate ability doesn't work, it's a special attacker as Dynamax does not show which stat my Coalossal is specializing in and when the opponent realizes this and sees that Max Flare has set up Sunny Day, I've notice they become more cautious of sending out certain water-types like Gastrodon as my Coalossal has Solar Beam.
 

Missingno.Fan

Well-Known Member
Now that I played the game more, Dynamaxing just seems pointless. I battled Hop and my Inteleon knocked his Dynamaxed Cinderace out with one Snipe Shot. It was hilarious to see a lizard shoot and kill and 100-foot rabbit.
 

shoz999

Back when Tigers used to smoke.
Now that I played the game more, Dynamaxing just seems pointless. I battled Hop and my Inteleon knocked his Dynamaxed Cinderace out with one Snipe Shot. It was hilarious to see a lizard shoot and kill and 100-foot rabbit.
What about the online experience though? That's where you really get to play around with Dynamax.
 
Top