Pokémon Masters EX updates to Version 2.29.0 - Developer update previews Palentine's event, new Villain Arc content, and upcoming 3.5 year anniversary

A new version of Pokémon Masters EX game, Version 2.29.0, is now available to download. This relatively minor update will enable players to invite Morty to the Trainer Lodge, starting from January 31st. The monthly message from the producers of Pokémon Masters EX however provides a much more substantial update, revealing details on a new Palentine's seasonal event and sync pairs coming to the game in March, as well as information about the second half of the Kalos Chapter of the Villain Arc, upcoming revamps to the Trainer Lodge and Pokémon Center, and rallies to celebrate the run-up to the game's 3.5 year anniversary. The next developer letter is slated for late February, and will include more information regarding planned anniversary celebrations, as well as new events and sync pairs coming to the game in March.

Morty Arrives at the Trainer's Lodge
From January 31st, at 10:00pm (PST), a new trainer will make his mark and enter the Trainer's Lodge: Morty. Players will be able to invite Morty as a guest to the lodge if they've been able to team up with Morty & Drifblim from a Sync Pair scout.

Following the previous patterns of Trainers joining the Trainer Lodge, we expect Morty & Drifblim to be a featured sync pair for a future Monthly Poké Fair Scout, however no formal announcement on this has been made as of yet.

Palentine's Story Event and Seasonal Sync Pairs
Mallow and Elesa will star in Chef's Heartful Delivery, a new Palentine's story event which will go live in game on January 30th at 10:00pm (PST). Both trainers will be appearing in new Seasonal sync pairs, with new partner Pokémon. Players will be able to unlock special stories featuring these two trainers by completing event missions.

Mallow (Palentine's 2023) & Appletun are a 5★ Dragon-type support Sync Pair. Focused on boosting and healing their entire team, the pair's Order Up! move charges the Move Gauge, and raises the Defense of all allies by three stat ranks. Their Passive Skills meanwhile allow them to restore the HP of their allies after successfully attacking with a move, as well as after the first time they use their Sync Move. They can also restore their own HP by roughly 50% of maximum the first time their HP is reduced to half. In addition to supporting their own team, Mallow (Palentine's 2023) & Appletun can reduce opponents ability to endure attacks, with their Apple Acid move lowering opponent's Sp. Def.

Elesa (Palentine's 2023) & Togetic are a 5★ Flying-type strike Sync Pair. The primary attack of this somewhat chaotic Sync Pair is Metronome, which uses one of several different moves at random for the cost of only a single slot of the move gauge. Their Passive Skill increases both Physical Moves ↑ Next and Special Moves ↑ Next effects by one rank each when Togetic uses a status move, meaning this pair can be prepared for whatever move they may pull out. Trainers who are lucky enough to pair up with Elesa (Palentine's 2023) & Togetic will also unlock a special Friend Snapshot for the pair in the Trainer Lodge.

Additional story content and sync pairs coming with Part 2 of the Villain Arc's Kalos Chapter
The second part of the Villain Arc's Kalos chapter will be available in game beginning February 12th. This latest arc will feature Looker and Malva teaming up to capture traitors within Team Flare and foil the plans of Lysandre. Three new sync pairs will be appearing in special Poké Fair Sync Scouts in conjunction with this event. Two of these sync pairs will feature trainers making their Pokémon Masters EX debut.

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A new Villain Event will also be running alongside the launch of the second part of the Kalos Chapter, in which players will be able to earn Xerneas Crystals, which can be used to strengthen Professor Sycamore & Xerneas, expanding their Sync Grid with additional tiles. These will include a selection of tiles which can be unlocked for 0 energy, as well as tiles featuring powerful Grid Skills.

Other Upcoming Updates and Events
Run-up to the Three-Year Anniversary
A number of special events and rallies will be coming to the game starting in mid-February with the start of the Run-Up to 3.5 Years Celebration. Along with a log-in bonuses and new Mission Bingo, players will also receive an opportunity to partner with a returning Master Sync Pair, who'll be receiving upgrades as part of this update.

Redecorating the Trainer Lodge
Together with the game's next planned update at the end of February, players will be able to redecorate their Trainer Lodge to show off Friend Snapshots, and other in-game collectables. These will include in-game posters with images taken from Pokémon Masters EX artwork that was previously posted to the game's official social media channels, as well as past Pokémon Masters and Pokémon Masters EX title screens. While only a limited selection of these in-game collectables will be available at first, more will be added in future updates.

Pokémon Center Refresh
In a future update, the Pokémon Center that serves as the game's main lobby will be receiving a refresh and revamp, with a new bulletin board installed behind the central counter. Players will be able to tap the board to see detailed information on current in-game events.

New Jukebox Songs
A selection of new songs are being added to the Jukebox from January 29th, at 10:00pm (PST). Players can acquire the newly added songs in the Unlock Songs menu of the Jukebox, or via the Exchange Items menu in the shop.

Increase to the number of preset teams
Recognizing that the current number of preset teams has been insufficient given challenges like the Legendary Gauntlet, Champion Stadium, and region rotation battles, which all require diverse teams from the player, the developers are planning to increase the number of preset teams from 30 to 100. No word has yet been given on when we can expect this particular update to go live.

Other Bug Fixes and Quality of Life Changes
A range of bug fixes and improvements are being implemented. Amongst other minor elements not elaborated on in detail in the update announcement, the update specifically notes:

• A bug with the Check Successful Teams feature, which prevented replays of certain battles from being viewed, has been fixed
• The Ally Healing ↓ 5 option in Champion Stadium was excessively reducing recovery amount. This effect has now been adjusted.