Hey, Trainers! Who’s ready for May’s Community Day starring none other than Torchic!?
The day is May 19, starting at 3:00pm PST and running for three hours till 6:00pm. That’s local time.
So, what surprises are in store? Let me spoil them for you…
So, let’s take a look at the star of the show.
Spotlight on Torchic
Torchic is the adorable, orange, bobble-headed chicken Fire type Starter for Generation 3. Being a chicken and a fire type, I tend to name mine Buffalo. You can claim it as your own after rescuing Professor Birch from wild Pokemon and start your adventure with it from there! It’s an especially valid choice being that Generation 3 is dismally underpopulated with Fire type Pokemon in the wild. Its various Pokedex entries tell us that it sticks to its Trainer, following along behind them and that it’s super warm when you hug it. Aww! It shoots fire of up to 1800 degrees.
There are a couple of things that set this Pokemon apart. First of all, it’s the first avian Starter Pokemon. Interesting, considering it’s a Fire type and the Fire type Starter from Generation 2 also broke the mold by being the first mammal. Its evolutionary line is also the first instance of the, currently somewhat maligned, Fire/Fighting dual typing to later be replicated by Chimchar’s family and then Tepig’s. Honestly, it’s a solid type combo, giving coverage against rock types and playing to Blaziken’s massive Physical Attack stat. Generation 3 has an abundance of Fighting type monsters, it’s true, but Blaziken does a great job standing out in that crowd.
There was a special edition Torchic given out upon the release of Generation 6, X and Y versions. It came with its hidden ability (Speed Boost, upping your speed by one level after every turn.) and an attached Blazikenite stone, which allows for the use of its Mega form. We don’t know if Megas will ever be allowed in Pokemon GO, but we can hope.
Now, let’s take a look at how this translates into Pokemon GOs metagame.
Blaziken’s stats are average for a Fire type Starter, with a maximum CP of 2848, Attack of 240, Defense of 141 and Stamina of 190. Its type coverage gives it a total of four weaknesses (Water, Ground, Psychic and Flying) and a great number of resistances at six (Fire, Grass, Ice, Bug, Steel and Dark.) which is useful, but unfortunately not as useful as it could be. This Pokemon is a bit of a glass canon. It’s here for a good time, not a long time.
Like most Starters, this Pokemon does an alright job of attacking Gyms and working against Raid Bosses who have a type disadvantage, but you won’t see it defending many Gyms. Its moves are pretty nice, with Fire Spin and Counter for Fast moves, giving it STAB bonus on both. Its current Charge moves are Stone Edge, Brave Bird, and STAB options are Focus Blast and Overheat. The new move for community day is Blast Burn, as is usual for Fire type Starters on these events. Evolve your Torchic or Combusken into Blaziken during the three hour event or up to one hour after to receive it. There is one additional thing though; Blaze Kick is being added to the roster of moves available for Blaziken from community day onward and is obtainable by using Charge TMs. And if you want to use it in PVP or just want extra type coverage you can purchase an extra charge move for only 25 candy and 10,000 Stardust. A deal at twice the price considering how many good moves it can use. (Stone Edge is a legacy move and therefore unavailable for purchase or via TM.)
Shiny Torchic is a reversal of the usual color scheme; it has a light orange body and head, while its wings and crest become darker orange. Nice and easy to spot.
Good luck this community day, Trainers! Are you excited to catch your Shiny? What do you hope Niantic will release next Community Day? Feel free to comment below!
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