Advice for "Hardcore" Trainers (Level>30)
I mean no harm by this, just calling a "spade a spade," so take no offense. With the update, I know it took a lot of work getting to where you are, and to get the "rare" mons you have. And you may/may not feel upset of the current situation in this game. Here are some thoughts I have found to be helpful:
1) Raids - this may be upsetting that this has given rare pokemon away, to casual trainers for instant gratification. But think of it this way, the current situation has left us with a lack of dust, a casual player, or a recently "back from the dead" trainer isn't level 30, nor the has the strive to get there and beyond. A level 25 anything isn't scary in the gyms. Also, with the grind to get these once rare mons, came a lot of XP. I believe my first pokemon was a charmander, I got my first charizard at level 31, lol! Don't expect a casual player to be able to put up +1million XP with instant gratification.
2) Rare Candy - if you are still in it, save all of these, ALL OF THEM! You don't need to evolve/ power-up anything, because you have them. Obviously you know the benefits in saving, and with most going for instant gratification of evolving everything, powering up all the rare mons, you will have the advantage when the legendaries/gen3 come out. Also, you know how to walk a buddy ?
3) TMs - I would also use these sparingly. Maybe use 1 out of every 2 you get. I have to set rules in place, (don't spend dust till next level) or i will not reach my goal. TMs could be rarer going further, and I would save some of them for when the kinks are worked out, or even a new update happens. Everyone is transforming their defensive mons into attack mons. If the gym system changes, which will happen at some point, you may need a defensive setup.
4) Take time off, or find something for you to do that keeps the fun/drive going:
*Leveling up trainers - I am not level 40, and got suckered into using my coins for the discount lucky eggs, then to have "leveling trainers" nerfed at the moment. I did the math, and have enough to get me +2 levels. That's what I'm doing, catching pidgeys,rats,etc... and mass evolving from time to time, while also collecting dust (the rareness).
*If you are level 40, or close to it, and don't want to do that. Then focus on a gym badge. Easily attainable, defending 1000 hrs. I also use this to piss off other trainers, by sticking the 2999 defensive mons, with no double weakness, in gyms. That is a fun goal, with all the easy mons in other teams gyms, i just force other teams to fight harder by taking majority gyms, and placing better defensive mons. Also, if you want to keep it competitive, try locating enemy gyms with low time defending. Make them work for the coins they love in the new system, if they are in there for days, or the 8 hrs needed, pass it by. I have found myself becoming a bit of a "heel" in this game.
*Play for free, and save majority of coins. I know that spending coins have got you where you are, but there is almost no need, except incubators for dust. With the current cap at 50, and raid passes being 100, i have found that some people buy/waste raid passes on level 1/2 raids. If you spin for the free pass, but skip the raid, the next day you have two free raid passes, although you will have to use the one in inventory first, then spin right after. Now, you can play every other day (just open app for free raid spin, first pokemon, first pokestop spin, on off days).
*Become a casual player, until the next update, you already have the XP, no real need to continue "grinding" with the casual update, get the coins here and there, save them, and don't worry about the "casuals" catching up, hard for that to happen with a casual update. No XP.
Answers
Then don't, i don't know your level, but leveling up isn't casual. If you are +38 already, then focus on inflicting as much pain to the casuals as possible. Take over all the gyms, replace with real defenders, that don't have double weakness, and make the casuals fight to hang on. You have the advantage here, level +35 mon is hard for a level 25 mon to take down, regardless of typing advantages. Make them use revives and potions, etc. Also take advantagr of free raids... save the items you've earned from them, max your storage again, with the 50 a day... etc. You have to find what will make this work for you at the moment, it will change again
Take over all the gyms, replace with real defenders
, stuck in gyms and get 0 coins daily.
level +35 mon is hard for a level 25 mon to take down, regardless of typing advantages
But still easy for 2+ persons regardless of pokemon and level.
After rework I don't bother to fight gyms, I just put some mons in empty slots. I think you'll make trouble to someone mainly in your imagination. If you take over 20 gyms nearby people will just put mons in gyms near work, friends or so.
Obviously if i take over all gyms, i will run out of defenders. I don't like the ease this game has produced in the update. Keep in mind, that if you take down "all" gyms, and place your best defenders in 80%, and put these new "top of the line" defenders in 20%, then you will see that the 20% will come back quick, and likely bring 50 coins collectively, the other 80% will come back in a more spread out, bringing 50 coins (if not met that day) on the days they do decide to return.
Further, casual trainers are normally solo, they dont seek out groups. So if a solo level 25 trainer wants to take a gym, he can easily run through all 6 pidgeys, or battle 2900CP Snorlax, Blissey, Eggs, etc... which will cause him to not go through all 6 at once, and cause damage to his inventory.
And even if this is all in my imagination... these gyms are imaginary, the pokemon are imaginary, guess what, I'm really not a level 35 pokemon master ?
I mean if you don't live in a town with 10 gyms it make no much of impact on rival casuals. I'm almost sure they don't bother that much with taking over gyms. I don't recollect that good how it was at lvl 25, but definitely I was in need of good attackers which i could max out, so I used lower level attackers and it was tough sometimes. But now everyone could collect ttars/champs/venu/eggs on daily basis, and at least in my area spawn got way better than half a year ago.
And with new system where defenders loose cp when defeated and just over time, blissey could make trouble only once (ok, with completely bugged gyms twice). And you need to maintain all that gyms to keep your blissey's cp high enough to be able to timeout low-levels.
So it looks irrational to place so much effort just to possibly waste few minutes of rival casuals who will disappear anyway if game became competitive again.
Well the correct answer was prestige it, at least once. Which took a little more effort to waste a few more minutes of the rivals. And my suggestions are all positive, look for what pleases you, the individual. I put top defensive mons in high turnover gyms, and put good CP, not defensive mons in low turnover gyms. I win/win every time. Some come back same day, some a day later, 2 days 3 days... i will collect every day, and can say i played competitively in a not so competitive update. You seem to fall into the category of going with the flow, even if you don't like it, i dont like putting crap mons in gyms, nor do i like fighting crap mons...
Thanks for the advice (e.g., rare candy) and encouragement. I still love this game and won't quit. Some aspects of the changes are good (like raids, meeting and cooperating with other local players, same or rival team).
Personally, I thank Niantic for giving me reasons to spend much less money on coins :D
I think they will have to make changes.
I agree in everything totally but the TM part. I know you might want to save them. But before you start saving any I would take a good look at what pokemon you are looking to battle with for Raids or gym battles. Then see how many Fast and Charge TM's you need to change those pokemon, then save after that until you get a good 10 of each minimum for future Pokemon.
I can appreciate the positive sentiment here. I think the addition of raids has been a well thought concept but not fully well executed just yet. It has been a good experience to get together with 10+ people to take down a rare Pokemon and helps others who may be more introverted socialize and work together for basic problem solving.
Gyms still need some work and tweaking but have the potential to be better than what they are and less buggy. With all the small issues I currently have with the gym system, it's extremely refreshing to not see gyms of 10 Blisseys with 2500+ CP. ZZZZZZZZZ.
Nice advice, but at the end of the day, (I've said this before) after raids get old, people are just not going to care I think...My wife already seems to be bored and doesn't even care to use her daily pass really...unless it's something new/awesome she needs (like T-rex).
I still play and consider myself a casual (I don't grind), but there is simply nothing to really DO or work towards ANYMORE (Lvl 36+ free2player). I used to get 8-10 gyms and would go to stagnant gyms, far away, hiking trails, prestige quickly, etc, always defend and knock other teams out, etc...I would also tear down all my local gyms so the other teams can't build up if they try.
Yes, we can do raids and try to get 10 or 20 T-rexes, but that requires a group and driving around LOOKING for raids...It's also assuming you are a city guy since rurals aren't going to have enough people to do tier 4s regularly.
Territories are gone and with the new gym update, I don't even care/bother tearing down any gym...I just value my time more than kicking out the dominant team in my area or any area to not bother with doing 18 battles honestly...Especially when I will get kicked out in < 1 hour.
Stagnation will get worst as the casuals drop off after the raids/gyms get old and go back to hibernation. People are playing now since the update is still new/fresh...in a month, I think the stagnation will be worst and people will alt-account to collect daily (some already do).
Ultimately, I think when there are no more goals in the game, the game will just die off. Casuals or lower people like to just collect stuff and after getting a few T-rex/lapras, Snorlax, they will leave (all IMO).
Every gym is easy before, just time consuming, now it's even less time consuming, but taking it rewards the rival team so why bother?
Also, with no prestiging, resources are not limited anymore...I toss potions and my hundred+ mons are all getting healed now...No need to tear down gyms if you already got your 50 right? Esp when your gym will probably be torn down as well...
All this said, nice advice and all and I'm not really bitter or that upset really since I just play casually with my dog (but got 10 stagnant gyms for free coins)...and kept saying PoGo is for setup for casuals but mark my words that without more end game stuff to work towards, casuals will drop off since again, there really isn't that much to DO in the game and hardcore people (I'm sure MANY people here) are already playing less...(me included)...
