"The Latest Raids Cycle: A Step Towards the Right Direction"

#PokemonGO: The recent cycle of new raids is very promising. I believe it bodes well for the future of Pokemon Go's raiding scene.I feel that the current raid lineup is the most balanced lineup to date, and it also accommodates a variety of player interests well. I'll explain why:According to this megathread, these are the current pokemon available in raids:T1: Swablu, Snorunt, Wailmer, MagikarpT2: Dewgong, Cloyster, Sableye, MawileT3: Jynx, Azumarill, Piloswine, MachampT4: Feraligatr, Lapras, Tyranitar, Absol, Aggron, SnorlaxT5: Rayquaza, KyogreSwablu, Wailmer, and Magikarp all require 400 candies to evolve. Having them accessible via raids hugely benefits players who live in areas where these Pokemon are rare. For example, in the area I live, Magikarp are nearly nonexistent outside of nests.Swablu, Snorunt, Magikarp, Sableye, Mawile, and Absol all have shiny variants. This helps shiny hunters, because through raids, players are more likely to obtain a shiny with good IVs.Dewgong, Cloyster, Jynx, Azumarill, Piloswine, Lapras, and Feraligatr all have movesets that counter Rayquaza. For many players, Pokemon like Jynx are extremely rare, and having these Pokemon accessible through raids will help players build a more optimized army. (I think this also benefits suburban/rural players, as many of these raids can be completed with just 1-2 players. With proper counters ready, Rayquaza is much less daunting for these players.)Machamp, Tyranitar, and Snorlax are fan favorites and are also very meta-relevant. (Machamp is the top Fighting-type, Tyranitar is the top Dark-type with incredible stats, and Snorlax is a commonly-used gym defender.) I'm sure there are players out there who think having highly coveted Pokemon available through raids "devalues" them. However, I personally think having them is a boon to newer/more casual players. EX raid next weekend? It's much easier for a casual player to find a few Tyranitar raids than a ton of Larvitar and Houndour. If Niantic were to pull these raids out of the raid lineup, I imagine there would be more backlash from players who wanted them to stay than praise from players who wanted them to leave.Aggron was recently released, so pulling it out of the raid lineup this early would be strange, as not every player had a chance to catch one yet. It also counters Rayquaza reasonably well.Finally, Rayquaza and Kyogre are legendaries. There isn't really much to be said here.I know people are going to grow tired of all the Ice-type raids soon. Piloswine has value due to Gen 4's Mamoswine, and Azumarill and Lapras are decent gym defenders. Admittedly, the others don't serve much purpose beyond being Rayquaza counters and perhaps dex fillers. However, that's fine! I think Niantic will likely cycle out the raid lineup alongside Rayquaza's departure.There are plenty of other candidates for raids; Niantic could continue the pattern of introducing counters to the current legendary, or they could cycle in new Pokemon like Pinsir or Beldum, or they could bring back old raid bosses like Exeggutor, or a combination. Regardless, as long as Niantic continues to cycle out raids with some degree of consideration while keeping certain fan favorites (e.g. Machamp), I think the raid scene will continue to be fresh and enticing for players of all levels. via /r/TheSilphRoad http://ift.tt/2EtrgDx