So is Pokemon Masters Ex still worth investing time into in 2024? Pokemon Masters Ex is worth playing if players are a fan of the pokemon universe and characters and looking for something different in terms of the traditional pokemon gameplay. However, there are still some concerns about the game in terms of content and some mechanics, so players looking for a more serious gacha experience should look elsewhere.
Pokemon is a huge franchise, so it’s no surprise that their first foray into the gacha market is a bit of a controversial one. Let’s face it, everyone loves pokemon, and many people expected Pokemon Masters Ex to be a giant in the gacha market due to the rabid fanbase of pokemon.
When it launched, the game had a lot of interest, and many players tried out the new gacha game set in the pokemon universe. However, it seemed like the game had some problems due to certain mechanics and features that stunted its growth. Players lost interest quickly and only the most hardcore of pokemon fans stuck to it. However, since then, it has had a lot of updates and improvements.
Is Pokemon Masters Ex a Good Fit For You?
Pokemon Masters Ex is quite the departure from the typical turn-based pokemon gameplay. The player chooses a team of 3 sync-pairs (the trainer and their pokemon) to go through progressively harder story stages and events.
Each pokemon has its own moves, and players don’t need to wait for their turn. Players can activate abilities at any time as long as the players have enough ability-gauge for it. The game encourages using abilities as often as possible, rather than waiting and saving up the gauge.
The ability gauge (sky blue bar) fills up over time. Each character/pokemon will have 2 active abilities and one sync move (basically ultimate ability).
Players tap to activate and use the abilities. Elemental weaknesses and strengths are the same as the original Pokemon games.
The animations that are played for the sync move are quite well-done. The trainers associated with the pokemon also have the spotlight in the sync move animations.
They’re nice to look at at first, but some of them last a bit too long.
What Makes Pokemon Masters Ex Worth Playing?
Pros of Pokemon Masters Ex:
- Pokemon Masters Ex is a novel departure from the typical pokemon gameplay as it is a little more face-paced than the original games. However, the gameplay does get a bit repetitive later.
- Looking at the community (reddit, discord, youtube), the game still has a decent following and there’s still quite a few dedicated content creators for Pokemon Masters Ex.
- Pokemon Masters Ex now has skip tickets which allow players to grind resources quickly.
- The game is very character-focused, so players will enjoy the increased interaction with the characters in the pokemon universe. Also, for the first time in pokemon – all the characters have a voice.
- The sounds and music in the game are very nostalgia inducing. It definitely sounds like a Pokemon game, which is a selling point in itself.
- Pokemon Masters Ex has actual real-time Co-Op modes where players can team up to take down gym trainers.
- Players can obtain some of the most iconic pokemon and trainer pairs in pokemon history through completing the special events.
What Makes Pokemon Masters Ex Not Worth Playing?
Cons of Pokemon Masters Ex:
- Difficult to farm gems/premium currency to pull (after the initial one-time rewards).
- Pokemon fans might not like the stamina system as it limits playtime (if they’re new to gacha games).
- A lot of navigating through menus and buttons. No world or towns to explore.
- The pity system is hard to achieve, especially with the game’s stinginess regarding how many premium currencies given out.
- Rewards are quite underwhelming at times, even when completing some of the harder content in the game.
- The game has some balance problems – with some team compositions being too powerful or too weak.
Is Pokemon Masters Ex Free-to-Play Friendly?
In terms of content completion, Pokemon Masters Ex is free-to-play friendly as the game can be completed by just using the free sync-pairs in the game. However, the game does have some balance issues, with some gacha sync-pairs being much more useful than others.
Also, some sync-pairs and compositions are going to be much easier to clear content than others. This wouldn’t be a big issue if it were easy to pull or gather premium resources, but Pokemon Masters Ex is notoriously known for being stingy with it.
It takes supremely long to save up enough for the pity (guaranteed banner character) – about 134 pulls to trigger pity. Again, it wouldn’t be an issue if the game was generous, but after the one-time rewards, it would be a slow grind (which could take a few months after the initial stones are used).
Therefore, players should use most of their beginning stones to reroll and save for the sync-pair they really want or be strong enough to carry them through the story.
So while Pokemon Masters Ex is free-to-play friendly for certain aspects of the game, it doesn’t feel rewarding as a free-to-play player.
Compare that to other gachas (see my recommended gacha feed!), usually giving players enough premium currency income to pity in a month or less.
What is the Endgame in Pokemon Masters Ex?
In Pokemon Masters Ex, the endgame consists of challenging these modes:
- Legendary Arena – difficult events that pit your sync-pairs against iconic Legendary Pokemon. These battles allow you use up to 30 sync pairs to try to take them down for prizes and rewards.
- Champion Stadium – challenges that pits players against a region’s Elite Four in a series of 5 battles.
These modes require a lot of strategies and team compositions rather than just pure damage. Therefore, players will need to have a large roster. So to prepare for the endgame, maxing out as many sync pairs as you can is a must. For more team-building basics, the community at Reddit is always there to help!
Pokemon Masters Ex Verdict
Pokemon Masters Ex had a lot of hype and interest during the launch that unfortunately didn’t live up to what everyone was expecting for a game of this size and fandom. In the end, it could neither become a good pokemon game nor a good gacha game.
However, the game has been trying to win back the players through updates, and improvements to the community base have been growing. In the end, it’s definitely still a good distraction for players that are fans of the series and want something different, especially if they want to experience and hear all of their favorite characters in the Pokemon franchise.