One last review before the game meets its end!
As Pokémon Duel’s final days approach, I thought it would be a good idea to do one last review as a final goodbye to one of my favorite games of all time. And what better way to do so than to come full circle and review Shaymin Land Forme as a reference to the first ever review I did of Shaymin Sky Forme. So today, as one last tribute to the game, let’s analyze Shaymin Land Forme and put this chess piece to the test.
Shaymin Land Forme is an EX figure with an MP of 2. It has the ability, Flower Carpet, which means that while this Pokémon is not affected by a special condition and is on an entry point, Mega Evolution does not end via passage of turns for the Pokémon of the player whose entry point it is.
Shaymin Land Forme’s dial is very different from its Sky Forme counterpart, allowing it to play more of a support role than a quick strike role. It has two size 28 purple attakcs: Synthesis and Flower Heal. When Synthesis becomes active, the user’s Grass-type Pokémon deal +20 damage to your battle opponent while on the field. Flower Heal allows you to choose one Pokémon in your P.C. and move it to the bench. They are one star and three star moves respectively. Shaymin Land Forme also gets access to the size 28 white attack, Seed Flare. This move multiplies in damage for the amount of pokemon that are poisoned or noxious on the field, then cures this status for all Pokémon. They also have a size 12 miss tile and gets access to the power 120 Z-Move Bloom Doom, which removes all special conditions from your Pokémon.
While at first Shaymin Sky Forme saw a lot more popularity due to its ability to soar over other players and quickly reach other end and goal points, Shaymin Land Forme has seen a lot more popularity in recent months. It’s very common component on mega evolution teams, especially with those running Mega Sableye, Mega Sceptile, Mega Charizard, Mega Venusaur, and Mega Ampharos, since its ability, Flower Carpet, allows them to maintain their mega evolution status for as long as they are on the field. In addition, it’s also a common pair with pokémon like Salazzle which are able to poison lots of opponents to power up Seed Flare. It’s especially common to be paired with Mega Venusaur for this reason, since Synthesis would give Mega Venusaur a power boost and Venusaur’s move, Acid Downpour, allows to multiple potential poisonings per turn.
That said, Land Forme Shaymin is also fairly easy to take out since a simple Gold Attack is usually enough to shut it down. It’s best playing a support role for a grass or poison mega themed team, because otherwise it will not be of much use. Its purple attacks make it somewhat useful of a goal guard, but it’s really better off resting on an entry point. All in all, while it’s not a great figure, it’s got its own unique niche that make it a fairly popular choice in the last few months.
As we come to a close in our last Duel Figure Review, I thank you all for taking the time to read these. It was fun to review some of the figures I used frequently and try out the ones I didn’t just to get my hands dirty with a new figure I had never tried before. We may never see the end of the story mode of Pokémon Duel and find out what the last hotel holds for us, but in the end, it’s the friends we made along the way and the battles that we both won and lost that really made the game special. Let this Shaymin be a symbol of my gratitude to everyone I battled against. Thank you for letting me be a part of this community from beginning to end.
