Save 100% L35 Shelgon for December CD?
It seems a crazy long time to wait. The 100% L35 Bagon was my best catch ever. No scanner. But now that I finally almost have enough candy, I am wondering if I should wait. If I am guessing right, Bagon CD would be December.
I have a DT/Outrage Dragonite and a DT/Draco Meter Dragonite.
Would you wait?
Answers
And Salamance with outrage would be a slightly different flavor of Rayquaza with outrage or Dragonite with outrage. Whereas Salamance with Draco Meteor is a unique thing, even if it doesn't do the same DPS as Rayquaza.
What's the opportunity cost of not evolving. Do you have a stack of good Salamances already? Or would you get use from a perfect one between now and December? Finally, I have no clue how people are projecting what will be featured in community days six months from now. Sure, you can guess, but whatever patterns you're basing a guess on aren't even close to a sure thing.
Maybe they'll add something else unique for Salamence, who knows? All I'm saying is it's probably best to save it.
That's all the projections are, best guesses based on the trend set by previous community days. They could throw us a curveball and have Bagon right after Squirtle for all anybody knows.
Personally, yes, I would wait. Especially if those two Dragonites you mention are powered up. I'm not familiar with other moves Salamence could get, but so far, CD moves tend to be pretty amazing (with Ampharos being the one exception), so if you're alright being patient, you could end up with a Salamence with a pretty amazing move. Plus it's highly unlikely you're going to find a better candidate than a lvl 35 hundo.
Do you need a Salamence for anything right now? It packs high neutral damage, but chances are you have better counters for most raids.
Since we know it has a fair chance at getting a CD and there's an available move in the game that would make it better (Outrage), I would hold onto it unless you find yourself in dire need of more dragon attackers. Reasons for that could be reruns of Latis (unlikely in a while) or Gen 4 and Palkia.
The pattern so far is that every second month is a non-nesting 3-stage evolution. That would mean August - Ralts, October - Slakoth, December - Trapinch, February - Bagon, April - Beldum. It could be argued that Trapinch is getting skipped because it's only biome limited instead of being rare everywhere and is getting a spawnboost event during the summer already, as well as not being that interesting to the community. So that's how I would also arrive at December as a likely possibility for Bagon CD.
> Would you wait?
Yes. I have a 100% Bagon and I am waiting.
Salamence has only one good offensive charge move so risks needing several charge TMs to be usable. And all of its charge moves are one-bar, so none are very good on defense. Most importantly though, I already have several dragon-types powered up so not in a rush for another dragon.
Is it of use to you now? If yes, evolve (especially if you need a deep dragon team should Rayquaza return imminently). If not, hold off. I understand the reluctance to evolve a 100/L35, so here's my logic:
1) You do not know how long it will take to get this community day, or even if they will continue being a thing. A lot can happen in 8 months. It has value now; it may not have value then.
2) You do not know what the move might be. It might be a novelty move like Surf or a game-changer like Frenzy Plant. Salamance is already strong. Similar to how Niantic, rather than create a whole new move for Dragonite or bring back Dragon Claw, just borrowed a roughly equivalent move, I suspect they will try to do something similar for Salamance, leaving you no better or worse off in terms of usefulness either way.
3) If you evolve it now (assuming a good roll on the moves), it has immediate use. Otherwise, you're stuck waiting months to use a mon that has lasting value.
tl;dr I don't understand why people hoard for hypothetical community days months off when they put what they're hoarding to good use NOW.
But does it have immediate use? That's the question. A deep ice bench can make dragons less necessary for Rayquaza's rerun. Outside of a few specific raid bosses, a Salamence in addition to 2 powered up Dragonites doesn't seem crucial. I haven't used mine even once since Latis left because I'd rather use a DC or OR dragon for gyms when I do. It will just sit there until a target comes along, just like many other specialists.
I don't think people should hoard things that would be good immediately either, but honestly most potential CD mons aren't that useful. Starters without their special moves are pretty lackluster as attackers, and there's no real need for multiple Slaking, Metagross or Salamence. Gardevoir is one where I could see having use for several (I have 3 and use all of them frequently).
Part agree; part disagree. For the damage balls, especially in a large group, dragons seem to do better. I would recommend one full dragon team (mine is something like 4 Dragonites and 2 Rayquaza, so no Salamance at all, to be honest). Agree that most CD mon are novelties; however, two Metagross, one with each set, could be *theoretically* useful. I never use my Gardevoir, personally, but I certainly see its value.
If we're comparing level 30 Rayquaza counters, Rayquaza, Articuno, Dragonite, Piloswine, Latios, Cloyster and Salamence are all within 5% TTW with each other. At higher levels Salamence doesn't get much ahead and even at level 40, Piloswine has the same TTW. Hard to see a big incentive to have Salamence for that.
Of course against Latis and Palkia, it's a lot better.
I agree that two Metagross could be useful, but the psychic set honestly doesn't do much that other pokemon don't do much better.
multiple metagross do have a use, gen V's Kyurem and gen VI's Xerneas come to mind, 2 pokemon that will be very hard to compete with as most dragons are weak to ice (and many have double weaknesses) to kyurem, and Xerneas is onlt weak to steel and poison, two types that aren respesented well
if metagross gets even a 2 bar steel move, it will be able to put a serious dent in those two, that also not metntioning its use against the regi's, the prominence of steel week pokemon In gen V who will likely be raid bosses (such as gigalith) and assuming current bosses stay in, tyranitar.
Salamence with a better dragon move will make it a big contender against the plethora of dragon legendaries from here till the rest of the series, and if slaking gets an actual fast move, it could be a superb raid attacker
I feel like you kind of missed the point of my post. We aren't missing out on anything RIGHT NOW by holding those mons until their potential CDs. Yes, they all have good potential and yes, they could be good raid counters much later down the line. That's why I'm arguing it's probably smart to hold on until CD, because they aren't that useful currently, you lose nothing by holding on.
PS. Slaking gets amazing neutral damage with a good fast move (Rayquaza level with Pound), but it likely won't make any raid teams regardless because type specialists will out-DPS it, just like they out-DPS Rayquaza currently. Normal type is a bit cursed in that regard.
Man...who cares? The difference between an 90% and a 100% is almost invisible. I'm still at a loss to understand why anyone puts any more emphasis on a 100%IV vs. a 90% beyond vanity. Because practically speaking, it's almost the same performance. In fact, in most cases, you can't tell a difference.
So - If you play the game to collect Mon. Shiny, 100%, the alphabet of unowns, then yes - save it for a half year for a special move. If you plan to use it in any capacity, evolve it. Even if Sal gets Outrage, he's still not as good as stuff out there right now.
I have a number of 100% IV pokemon - I evolve them all. I play the game because I like to play. I immediately recognize that a 15 attack stat is about all that matters. To me.
Having been playing Pokémon Go since September of 2016, I have the luxury of having a LOT of great Pokémon - including a bunch of Dragonite and Rayquaza. And with the way Gyms work now, there isn't a great reason that anyone Must Have That Powerful Dragon Pokémon RIGHT NOW.
So that's why I'm going to advise you to wait for whatever Community Day will have Bagon. I would love to have that option - and I would take it in a heartbeat. Hell, every 100% Pokémon I get now that might have a Community Day I'm waiting on evolving until that Community Day.
If you do have an immediate need for a Dragon Pokémon RIGHT NOW... uh... sucks to be you, but I'd still say wait.
You have a great point.
Dragons v other dragons really isnt good right now, ice types can still do a lot more, theres spheal everywhere and most dragons are double weak to ice, I have a perfect iv walrein I got from an egg that im using and it goes a lot more than my 96 dragonite dragon tail/metoer because of the double ice weakness of salamence, dragonite and flygon that people love to have in gyms, and that rayquaza also shares.
If you have/get a Gardevoir, try it out against dragons. It still murders them fast (3 DG needed against full motivation Dragonite) and takes minimal damage from dragon attacks due to double resistance and high defense stat. The threat from dragon-type defenders is mainly consuming your potions and Gardevoir does a great job nullifying that threat.
Currently Salamence is a rare mon. You do other players a favor if you put him to gym defense, giving them some excitements desperately needed in a meta full of fat sandsacks. And if you use it during a raid you will stand out and be noticed - and not in a bad way. On Baggon Day this will change. Within hours Salamence will become a mon everyone and his sister has full teams of. Most players will have found a perfect one, too. Gyms will be flooded with them until everone is sick of it. On this day you will wish you had used yours while it was still cool.
I would hold off, at least until we see the august community day and see if it matches predictions for which mons it will cover.
If we think it's likely that bagon will get a CD in december based on that, I would save it until then. Bagon is very rare, and draco meteor isn't very good, and Salamence (regardless of what move it has from current pool) can be substituted with a Dnite or Ray, both of which are abundant (dnite because of CD and being gen1, ray from recent and long-lived T5 availability). It is possible (and would be really nice) if the community day move gave the salamence something to distinguish it from the other dragons...
