Dear fellow gamers, now’s the time to talk about Sword&Shield. I have a lot to say about that pair indeed, and I’ll do that soon enough in a series of dedicated posts; for now, suffice it to say that I friggin’ love those latest of canon Pokemon offerings, and that I somehow can’t get enough of them.
The opener of my S&S roll is none other than the resident Fire Starter, which I would totally have nicknamed ‘Bend It Like Beckam’ if not for the annoying 12-letters limitation. The link with England’s most beloved sport is pretty blatant in Cinderace’s design; and despite my utter lack of interest for said sport, I’m extremely fond of the fiery rabbit’s looks. The fact that we’re dealing with a bipedal ‘Mon doesn’t bother me in the slightest this time around, because we’re not running with the overdone wrestler theme. And thank Arceus, Cinderace is pure Fire Type! I was dreading the usual Fire/Fighting combination, or another uninspired mix that would have smothered the creature’s flame; but GameFreak blessingly let Fire burn bright and unhindered this time around.
‘Mons with sky-high Attack and Speed are always stellar solo run material, and Cinderace was no exception. My own Firecracker was blessed with a Brave nature, which meant an even delightfully higher Attack; and well, his other stats weren’t too shabby either. Cinderace’s only real crappy stat being his Sp. Attack, making my Firecracker a pure Physical attacker was a no-brainer. The thing is, I quickly realized that I wouldn’t have much to work with. Cinderace’s ‘natural’ learnset is kinda shallow, and infested with low-power Moves to boot. Let me tell you: I was stuck with Flame Charge, Fire Fang, Headbutt and Double Kick for roughly three quarters of my run. Those are Moves under 70 Power, folks! I needed a pool with a little more oomph; and so, I went out of my way to snatch Fire Punch (75 Power), Iron Head, Low Sweep and Zen Headbutt (80 Power). Upon the last fight, I replaced Fire Punch with Cinderace’s signature Move Pyro Ball, and finally got an uber-powerful Move. That’s 120 power for you; combine that with a boosted Attack and a Charcoal, and you get a Move that can burn everything to a crisp. The only reason I didn’t use Pyro Ball sooner is its ridiculous 5 PP, which is totally unfit for solo run purposes.
As limited as Firecracker’s Move pool was, it worked incredibly well in Galar. I destroyed Team Yell’s Dark ‘Mons over and over again with Double Kick, I obliterated Hop’s Corviknight and Rillaboom with my Fire Moves, and I generally made mincemeat out of everything. That’s not to say there weren’t roadblocks, starting with Nessa’s Water Gym and Raihan’s Dragon Gym (I’ll have more to say about Raihan, trust me); but in the end, it was still a smooth and fulfilling run. I spent 13 hours cruising through Galar; that’s a mighty fine playing time as far as I’m concerned, and I have good hopes of going under the 12-hour, or even 10-hour mark, with fast-leveling ‘Mons and a better knowledge of the region. Long story short: Cinderace is a kickass Fire Starter, and I cannot wait to cruise with Inteleon and Rillaboom and see if they’re as dope as him. I’ll see you soon with my own private paean to Galar, dear fellow gamers; until then, keep playing like the wind and take care!
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