RaidsRewards Update 2
I started this experimental, free to play account on 10/7/2018, to see if you even have to catch anything in the wild to have a useful account - spoiler alert: you don't!
It's been more fun to play this account then I thought; usually able to send 30-40 gifts on weekends (much less during the week) and always open my 20. Just hit L38 (12M XP) with Ultra Friends only, and the first 40 Best Friends will get me to L40, should be in about 6-7 weeks. Not bad for a suburban, daily (but not hard core) player!
Biggest limitation is dust, I try to maximize by mass-hatching 10K eggs with a starpiece. Since initially powering 3 Mewtwo, 3 Ttar, 1 Dragonite and 1 Machamp all to L30 (mostly from weather boosted raids), I no longer wipe out in even 4-5 man raids and even get some damage balls. I've now saved almost 450K dust waiting for the best Kyogre/Groudon from this cycle. It was also a valuable lesson to just power up what I had, prioritizing weather-boosted over IV, unlike the obsession with IV in my main account...
Trying to complete Special Research has also been a fun challenge, targeting stops that hand out what I need. I had to walk my Bulbasaur a long time to earn enough candy to "Evolve an Evolved Grass Type" since I decided not to burn rare candy for that, it was a worthy goal. I've completed the Spooky Message but stuck on the others (Meltan 5th stage needs 5 slugma or gulpin; Mew 3rd stage needs Sun Stone to evolve Gloom or Sunkern, both just shadows in my Dex). One of my mini-goals is to have a complete shadow dex by the time I hit L40; should be easy if battling will trigger the "Seen: 1" entry, haven't tested yet. I also haven't traded anything of value since that would be a "back door" around the rule of no wild catch.
My key stats/Medals:
Backpacker: 4,775 stops
Berry Master: 4,809
Gym Leader: 3,905 (easy gym scene for coins)
301 Catches from 160 eggs hatched, 207 field research tasks, 350 km walked and 25 evolved PKM.
Thanks to all who are playing along, and letting me time up the gift opening when our levels are about to advance!
