History VideoGame / PokemonShuffle

* AchievementSystem: In the newest update on the 3DS version, the title screen changed and there is now a "Trainer Rank" system. The more Pokemon you catch, the more your gauge fills, and when it fills up, you can get a cool reward, like Jewels, event-exclusive(usually) Mega Stones like Pidgeotite, Gardevoirite, and Charizardite X, Coins, and Enhancements.

** Recently, Escalation Battles now drop Personalized Skill Boosters for that Pokémon.

*** Shiny Mega Gyarados. It has the same effect as the almighty Mega Gengar, but it takes much longer to mega evolve starting out. It is faster then Mega Gengar, believe it or not, but SMG takes 10 Mega Speedups to get down to 9 icons, while Gengar only takes 1 to get down to 10. Due to the reduced presence of Mega Speedups in more recent events, it's highly unlikely for someone who recently started to get enough for them to make it viable, considering Mega Rayquaza is considered the second best thing to use the speedups on. And in the case of type effectiveness, it's generally considered unimportant due to the fact that Mega Gengar/Shiny Gyarados' purpose is to ''not'' be on the board.

** The pause button trick for timed stages. Before that, there was the more unfair "Home" button trick (3DS only; fortunately, this was patched out), which allowed you to decide on your next move, allowing you to gain an insane score (this was notable in Mega Banette's competition). For this one, the more recent trick, it involves using one hand to reach the pause button, while the other makes quick matches when the pause menu begins to show up or disappear, and you have to keep doing this repeatedly, very quickly, and in near-perfect timing for best results. This is as difficult as it sounds, and not many people can master it, but once you do, get ready to rocket up through the ranks (for the first-time competitions, at least, as the repeated ones are move-limited). This strategy is usually combined with a (mostly) single-type team that involves damage boost from same-type mons during a combo (including Arceus+Normal-types as mentioned above), with most cases having a not-so "disorienting" Mega like Mega Blaziken or Mega Gengar.

** Shiny Tyranitar is a free giveaway for players who Checked/Logged In between July 25, 2017 and August 22, 2017. New players can take advantage of it better than the veterans due to Shiny Tyranitar having a base attack power of 80, something that can carry new players through early stages faster (it helps that it carries Barrier Shot, which is useful for stages that feature Barriers, at least during early-game), despite its Mega Stone being obtainable far later in the Main campaign (though one can try their luck in getting one via a limited-time competition that rewards Tyranitarite if that player wants it early).

** Pretty much every unreleased Pokémon, Mega Stone, Skill and Mega Effect are this until they're finally released in a later update. They can be found in the game's code but are unusable. However, if one manages to hack the unreleased (at the time) Pokémon in, they'll possess an index number of 999 and non-final typing/Skill/attack power/all of them[[labelnote:*]]For example, Keldeo Resolute Form being a [[MakingASplash Water-type]] instead of Fighting, having 70 base attack power instead of 60, and possessing Last-Ditch Effort instead of Power of 4+ as its Skill.[[/labelnote]]. As for the latter's case, most of the time the "yet-to-be-released" Pokémon ended up possessing stock base power and/or Skill not matching with the Pokémon at all (like, hilariously, a 50 BP Kyurem with Vitality Drain(?!)). If a Pokémon can Mega Evolve but the Mega Stone is yet to be implemented, the [[SuperMode Mega Evolution]] will still work but it can only function like Mega Audino (erasing all icons within one space of a match) and even shares Mega Audino's type after Mega Evolution ([[NonElemental Normal]]).

** A glitch newly-introduced in version 1.3.3 (3DS version) affects stages where the target Pokémon is supposed to disrupt before you make your first move and said disruption involves replacing your Pokémon with another depending on the target Pokémon (like Donphan using its own icons, Mismagius with Misdreavus icons). If the first match is caused by the replaced Pokémon and then triggers a Skill that freezes the disruption countdown (Astonish, Quake, etc.) before you can make your first move, as long as the target Pokémon isn't defeated, the stage pretty much softlocks as you're unable to interact with anything on the puzzle area. The only way out of this is by quitting the stage, as the pause button can still work.

* HoistByHisOwnPetard: Disruptions that cause icons to transform into Pokémon icons can cause this. Depending on the disruption pattern and which Pokémon are disrupted, the transformed tiles may result in a match and may possibly start a combo on their own without any player input. This is particularly prone to happening on more recent competition stages, where at least one particular Pokemon is prominent among the disruptions and it's always one that is super-effective against the opponent, encouraging the player to include it in their team to increase the chance that the disruption will cause matches. It can also happen on some non-competition stages; most often against opponents of a type that is super-effective against itself, like Ghost or Dragon.

* LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters: UpToEleven. Being a {{Mon}}-collecting game, this is expected, but consider the other individual Pokémon varieties that are treated as a separate, individual Pokémon of its own (has its own level and Skill). Yes, this game takes account of alternate Formes, mons with distinct appearance between genders (the Meowstic duo) and other unique varieties (Rotom and its appliance-based forms, Deerling and Sawsbuck that are season-based, Ash-Greninja, etc.). And this is before taking account of "alternate expression" varieties (like Angry Pikachu), as well as new and upcoming Pokémon that weren't present in ''[[VideoGame/PokemonTrozei Pokémon Battle Trozei]]'' (Diancie, Hoopa, Volcanion, [[VideoGame/PokemonSunAndMoon Gen VII]] Pokémon).

* ThatOnePlayer: In the competitive events, starting from the Blazikenite one, pretty much anyone at the near-top (or outright number one) ranks whose Pokémon consist of simply a Gengar (a common Pokémon capable of [[SuperMode Mega Evolution]] used to score lots of points), [[OlympusMons Arceus]], and two strong Normal-type mons. This combination is considered DifficultButAwesome because you need to think fast (especially getting Double Normal to work without breaking your combo), but once you've mastered it, you'll soon become this type of player and the "Optimize" button means nothing anymore (that is, unless the target Pokémon is resistant against Normal-type). For a somewhat specific example, one Japanese player used this exact strategy and managed to score around ''150,000'' points! Assuming that Attack Power ↑ is used (making the base score around a still-whopping ''75,000''), such score is near-impossible to achieve (even if the RandomNumberGod is friendly towards you) unless you're using a "Home" button exploit that no longer works in the more recent versions.

** After a long drought, a new and very easy Mission card was added on May 9th, 2017. This allowed anyone who missed the Blaziken Competition to get the Mega Stone. Blaziken was also heavily pushed as the main Pokémon to use in the Decidueye Competition at the same time. A new mission card for Swampertite was made available May 16th, and the Sceptilite card follows two weeks later after that.

*** Starting in the v1.4.15 Update, Hitmonchan can be Skill Swapped to get the abilities Burn, Freeze, and Paralyze, referencing his longstanding ability to learn Fire Punch, Ice Punch, and Thunder Punch.

*** [[DittoFighter Ditto]] being the only Pokemon to have the skill Transform, as well as it being its only Skill.

* EpicFail: Meta example from Creator/GeniusSonority themselves. At February 2018, during the tenth Check In/Log In, that month's Celebration Pikachu has landed... with DummiedOut info[[note]]Index no. 999, [[NonElemental Normal-type]], 30 base attack power, Opportunist as its only skill[[/note]]. [[SarcasmMode How satisfying.]]

* FinalBoss: Primal Kyogre more or less is this, on the game's 700th and final stage before the UX Stages.

** The ability Unity Power grants its user a massive damage boost with a relatively low activation rate, but there are no Pokémon that have it initially, requiring Skill Swappers to unlock it. The first Pokémon to receive it? Ash-Greninja. Later recipients include Rowlet, Goodra and Rockruff, establishing a clear pattern among its recipients: Pokémon that belonged to [[Anime/{{Pokemon}} Ash Ketchum]]. And Unity Power is synonymous with "[[Anime/Pokemon2000 the power of one]]"...

** The fiasco that was Mewtwo's Level MAX Challenge was super buggy. Good thing it's broken to make up for it. [[GameBreaker You would not BELIEVE the waste a maxed out Psyburst Mewtwo can lay.]]
* Exclusive to the 3DS version: When Mewtwo's Level MAX Challenge made its debut, for some reason 3DS players ended up crashing their game by just doing anything to that particular event stage (even by simply viewing the stage's info will trigger the bug). Apparently, switching to certain languages can bypass this problem, but that doesn't change the fact that 3DS players were basically screwed over that day until the bug was fixed in the next Check In.
* Yet AGAIN exclusive to the 3DS version: Around Thursday/Friday, some people weren't getting the rewards that were supposed to be given out on the levels reached around then. GS had to resort to shelling out 11 Level Ups and 9 RMLs to make up for it

** Exclusive to the 3DS version: When Mewtwo's Level MAX Challenge made its debut, for some reason 3DS players ended up crashing their game by just doing anything to that particular event stage (even by simply viewing the stage's info will trigger the bug). Apparently, switching to certain languages can bypass this problem, but that doesn't change the fact that 3DS players were basically screwed over that day until the bug was fixed in the next Check In.

** Exclusive to the 3DS version: When Mewtwo's Level MAX Challenge made its debut, for some reason 3DS players end up crashing their game by just doing anything to that particular event stage (even by simply viewing the stage's info will trigger the bug). Apparently, switching to certain languages can bypass this problem, but that doesn't change the fact that 3DS players are basically screwed over until the bug is fixed.

** Exclusive to the 3DS version: When Mewtwo's Level MAX Challenge made its debut, for some reason 3DS players end up crashing their game by just doing anything to that particular event stage (even by simply viewing the stage's info will trigger the bug). Apparently switching the language to German (for some reason) can bypass this problem, but that doesn't change the fact that 3DS players are basically screwed over until the bug is fixed.

*** The main games have the ability Swarm, which increases Bug-type moves' power if the Pokémon with this ability is nearing or in critical situation. This game's Swarm Skill works exactly the same. Appropriately enough, Scyther and Scizor are the only known Pokémon so far with this Skill.

*** The Astonish Skill is based on the main games' move of the same name, specifically its added effect of causing a flinch. Of all Pokémon that have this Skill, however, only Ghost-type Litwick, Misdreavus and Mismagius can learn said move in the main games.

*** Whirlpool (English name-wise[[note]]Its original Japanese name is Whirling ''Current'', different wording compared to the main games' Whirl ''Tide''[[/note]]) may be based on the main games' move of the same name. However, this Whirlpool is InNameOnly when compared to those games, unless one interprets "unable to escape/switch out" in the main games as "having its action delayed" in ''Shuffle''. All Pokémon that have this Skill except Oshawott can learn Whirlpool in the main games (in Kingdra's case, only possible in the [[VideoGame/PokemonGoldAndSilver Generation II games and their remakes]], while Seaking can only legitimately learn it in the latter). Bonus points in Kingdra's case for referencing its Pokédex entries that often mention its capability of generating whirlpools.

** [[DittoFighter Ditto]] being the only Pokemon to have the skill Transform, as well as it being its only skill.

** Another reference to the anime: The debut of a Great Challenge stage, Mareanie, is slated for release on the same week as the Japan airing of a ''Anime/{{Pokemon}} Sun and Moon'' episode featuring Team Rocket and their Pokémon. Also helps that the starting layout looks like [[http://vignette99.wikia.nocookie.net/pkmnshuffle/images/b/b7/Great_Challenge_-_Mareanie.png/revision/latest?cb=20171226083637 this]].

** In general, basically any free Pokémon giveaway means this if they're powerful enough for the new players. Aside from the examples mentioned above, special mentions go to Shiny Gardevoir (can clear many disruptions with its Stabilize++, though its Mega Stone is event-only as of this writing) and Shiny Ho-Oh (has the powerful Cross Attack+, a pattern-based damage-boosting skill).

** Another reference to the anime: The debut of a Great Challenge stage, Mareanie, is slated for release on the same week as a ''Anime/{{Pokemon}} Sun and Moon'' episode featuring Team Rocket and their Pokémon. Also helps that the starting layout looks like [[http://vignette99.wikia.nocookie.net/pkmnshuffle/images/b/b7/Great_Challenge_-_Mareanie.png/revision/latest?cb=20171226083637 this]].

** In terms of Ultra Challenge Pokemon

*** Quirky++. Erasing 5 extra Pokemon on the field in one match sounds pretty nice doesn't it? Sadly, at a 10%/25%/100% spread starting out, and with a pool of Pokemon whose base attack ranges from 30 to 60, it's a bit of a tough sell. Even if you raise it to Skill Level 5 (with the fairly good spread of 85%/100%/100%), and level up the Pokemon after giving them Raise Max Levels, you'll usually have a better pool of Pokemon and abilities to pick from in most scenarios.

* BeatThemAtTheirOwnGame: Sometimes the best way to beat or S-Rank a stage that has a fifth support (or a fourth support in a three-Pokemon stage) and/or spawns them in is to bring in that same Pokemon. Keep in mind that this strategy doesn't work with stages that feature added Non-Support Pokemon, as taking one in will replace it with another in the Default Pokemon list, and if you bring ''that'' one they'll replace it with another, up to all four slots. So be aware when planning to use this strategy.
* Shot Out utilizes this. It erases any two Pokemon not in your party on the board to increase damage.

*** Mega Rayquaza's ability removes up to 10 Pokémon icons that ''aren't'' Dragon-types. Sounds cool... but without a Mega Start, it'll take a long time to experience said Mega effect as Rayquaza requires '''33''' icons of itself to [[SuperMode Mega Evolve]]. Max-candied? ''13'', which means you have to feed it ''20'' Mega Speedups to fully optimize it. Also, its base attack power at level 1 being 70 pretty much causes it to get overshadowed by the more powerful Dragon-types like Latios and Latias. Not only that, Dragon-types are only [[ElementalRockPaperScissors super-effective]] against other Dragon-types, which aren't common opponents. '''However''', when fed 20 Mega Speedups, it goes to being awesome yet practical, as its ability is good enough to offset its lack of super effectiveness, and is often used on 90% of stages for this very reason. And the Mega Speedups aren't even a necessity if you have Zygarde 10% on your side, because what it lacks in power[[labelnote:*]]a mere 50[[/labelnote]], it make up for in sheer usefulness[[labelnote:*]]It has Dragon-type [[ManaMeter Mega Boost+]] which can Mega evolve those pesky high-icon count dragon type megas, and mega Rayquaza, for that matter, in ''6 moves or less''. And the kicker? ''It gets a 100% activation rate at Skill LVL 1 on a match of 4,'' meaning you only need matches of four to guarantee the job will be done. And even then it only has a [[DeathOrGloryAttack half chance of failing on a match of 3,]] and that's pretty good compared to something like Mega Boost++, which fails 90% of the time.[[/labelnote]].
*** Mega Tyranitar suffers the same issue as Mega Rayquaza, having a ''very'' useful Mega Effect (removes icons depending on which spots in the puzzle area you tap, up to 3 spots), but is hampered by high icon count for Mega Evolving. At least it has more types[[labelnote:*]]Bug, Fire, Flying, Ice[[/labelnote]] to rape with due to its Rock typing. And just like Mega Rayquaza, it becomes awesome, yet practical when fully candied.

** Roseus Center (introduced in 1.2.24 in 3DS, 1.4.2 in mobile) is basically Rainbow Park, which is the fifth zone.
** Desert Umbra (first became available on February 15, 2016) is the much more difficult version of Sandy Bazaar.
** Violeta Palace (first became available on April 26, 2016) is the much more difficult version of Castle Noapte.
** Blau Salon (first became available on July 26, 2016) is the much more difficult version of Galerie Rouge.
** Graucus Hall (introduced in 1.3.21 in 3DS, 1.8.5 in mobile) is the much more difficult version of Silbern Museum.
** The formerly unnamed Nacht Carnival is the much more difficult version of Night Festival.
** Prasino Woods (first became available on April 25, 2017) is the much more difficult version of Jungle Verde.
** Zaffiro Coast (first became available on August 8, 2017) is the much more difficult version of Isla Asul.
** Marron Trail is the much more difficult version of Pedra Valley.

** The alternate formes of Rotom all have Mega Boost, which increases the Mega Gauge for a Pokémon of the same type. However, for quite some time, no Flying-type Mega Stone had been released yet for Fan Rotom to possibly work with. As of October 2016 though, Pidgeot finally has had its Mega Stone released. Salamence, Shiny Charizard Y and Shiny Rayquaza have since joined it in the Flying ranks.

** Some Skill Swappers give Pokemon some more...questionable abilities, despite their very high value. While some of them go from having one useless ability to another useless one (Celebi, for example, goes from Stabilize to Cheer, which gives a very mediocre 5% increase to other skills activating), one stands out in particular: Zoroark. It goes from the very useful Sinister Power (boosts Dark-type damage in a combo) to...Hitting Streak. A skill so useless that it's just barely better than not having one at all.(Though, to be fair, that sort of IS the niche Opportunist fills, so it just BARELY misses that low point.) A later update did the same thing with both genders of Meowstic, changing it from Mega Boost (which has incredibly synergy with Mega Mewtwo Y on weekend Meowth) to, once again, Hitting Streak.

** Encouraged even more so, but at the same time [[DownplayedTrope downplayed]] in the version 1.5.0 update (3DS). A Trainer Rank system has been added to the game, where it judges your rank based on the number of Pokémon caught. For every certain number of species caught, you'll get rewards ranging from in-game currency to Mega Stones. It's only downplayed due to the fact that the system only takes account of what Pokédex numbers you've filled, thus it won't count alternate forms ([[UndergroundMonkey emoticon-based]], [[PaletteSwap Shiny]], etc.), rendering the latter optional.

** Daily Pokémon stages may drop Coins. Helped even more in the version 1.5.0 update where the rewards info can be checked before you can start the stage.

** Version 1.5.0 finally added a feature that allows the player to set their team to the one last used in a stage, reducing the effort one has to go through picking new {{Mon}}s just to restore said previous team.

** Encouraged even more so, but at the same time [[DownplayedTrope downplayed]] in the version 1.5.0 update. A Trainer Rank system has been added to the game, where it judges your rank based on the number of Pokémon caught. For every certain number of species caught, you'll get rewards ranging from in-game currency to Mega Stones. It's only downplayed due to the fact that the system only takes account of what Pokédex numbers you've filled, thus it won't count alternate forms ([[UndergroundMonkey emoticon-based]], [[PaletteSwap Shiny]], etc.), rendering the latter optional.

** The version 1.5.0 update added daily rewards, encouraging players even more to keep coming back to the game to Check In/Log In. Rewards include in-game currency, items, and enhancements.

* MoneyGrinding: You pretty much have to resort to this if you want more coins without spending your jewels. Both regular Meowth stage (stage 37) and weekend Meowth event stage ("Meowth's Coin Mania") are perfect stages to gain more than just two-digit coins.
* Daily Pokemon are also an option to coin grind, as defeating them might net prizes containing coins, sometimes up to 2000. The most notable one is Christmas Snover, which guarantees at least 600 coins every win if you drag the starting coin to a certain spot, more useful than Meowth's main stage.

* AntiFrustrationFeatures: The third Safari event includes stages that yield high amounts of coins (Staryu) and EXP (Starmie). They aren't encountered frequently enough to be used for regular grinding, but they do make the hunt for the others (especially Garchomp and Phione) feel like less of a waste of time and Hearts.

** When the first Ultra Beast stage Nihilego was introduced, the entrance fee was 20000 coins. This was counteracted by the base catch rate being 70%
** Daily Pokemon stages may now drop coins
** Recently, Escalation Battles now drop personalized skill boosters for that Pokemon

** Defeating a Pokémon gives you a chance to capture it, then use it against other Pokemon.

** After a certain update, logging in a certain number of days in a month will net you a reward, like a new Pikachu form and a Mega Speedup.

** Encouraged even more so with the Celebration Challenge, as this requires the player to Check In/Log In enough times to claim rewards in a later date. The rewards depend on how many times you've Checked In/Logged In during the period.