Should You Pull? Adaman & Leafeon

What happens when the sky above cracks open and a Pokemon wielder from a long-lost age falls into the present? Aside from the game not actually showing it to save money on animation, you get the grand debut of the first representatives of the Hisui region, with the first pioneer from the past being the leader of the long-extinct Diamond Clan; Adaman. Now walking alongside his Leafeon on the artificial island of Pasio, one question must come to the mind of any who meet him: “Why isn’t this man wearing a mask? If he catches any of our 21st-century diseases, his old-school immune system is toast!”

When it comes right down to it, Adaman & Leafeon are a bit crazy. Right out of the box, this is a Sync Pair that summons the Sun when hitting the field, re-sets it on Sync and powers up their moves while the sun is active. This combo alone is generally only achievable via a mix of basic passive skills and Sync Grid nodes for other Sync Pair, but here we have Adaman & Leafeon just… doing it on their own. And we’re still not done! Then the time comes for Adaman & Leafeon to actually start doing things, they can insta-max their offensive stats with a single Trainer Skill use as they have an innate 100% Critical Rate on everything that they do regardless of buffs, can throw out B Razor Leaf twice per battle to drop the entire enemy team’s Defense by 2 stages and slap them with the Grass Type Rebuff effect, and then can literally attack without ever using the move gauge after landing a single attack. You read that right; Adaman & Leafeon mark the first offensive Sync Pair that can literally ignore the Move Gauge by constantly refreshing the Free Move Next effect every time that they land a Critical attack, which is every attack since they have that 100% critical rate skill! This means that basically any team can utilize Adaman & Leafeon. Have a strong tank/damage-dealer core? Throw in Adaman & Leafeon, as they will not mess with the team’s synergy unless you’re focusing on a weather other than Sun. Oh, but we’re still not done yet. Did you know that Adaman & Leafeon can tank? While not as bulky as many dedicated Support units, they have just enough bulk to pull it off after healing with Synthesis. They’re not the best in this role, but they can definitely wall out attacks for a while and keep the team safe.

So with all of these huge benefits, what problems, if any, do Adaman & Leafeon have? Not much, to be perfectly honest. It’s possible to argue that their attack damage output is a bit low, especially if used off-type, but this drawback is largely mitigated by the ability to score 2 stacks of the Grass Rebuff Down effect and -4 Defense on the opposing team at no tangible cost. Frankly, it’s hard to argue that Adaman & Leafeon have any stand-out weakness to speak of.

Sync Grid Considerations

Adaman & Leafeon are great out of the box, but like any other Sync Pair they’re going to need to be properly built. To start with, you’re going to want to roll for Weathered Warrior 3 for your Lucky Skill, though Critical Strike 2 is also an okay pick. Next, you’ll want to consider dropping Power-Ups to unlock their EX form. Since Adaman & Leafeon have a huge Sync Move and the ability to refresh the Sun on Sync, it’s definitely a good idea to make that investment. Finally, it’s time to build their Sync Grid.

• At ⅕, just pick up everything and move on.
• At ⅖, the stand-out tiles are Leaf Blade: Brawn Gain 2, Speeding Sun 2, and Insult to Injury, though Synthesis: Master Healer 1, Sunscreen 2 are also worth considering. Even Leaf Blade: Move Gauge Refresh 3 is worth a mention as it can potentially give the move a negative net average Move Gauge cost, though most teams shouldn’t really need the additional Move Gauge support.
• At ⅗ we get Haymaker, Critical Strike 2, Drought Alert, Solar Flare 5, Synthesis: MP Refresh 2… just… almost everything at this level is worthwhile.

In short, giving candies to Adaman & Leafeon is a very good idea, as each new Sync Move level brings some really good benefits that are definitely worth picking up.

Team Compositions

The ideal supportive partner for Adaman & Leafeon has to be Sygna Suit Acerola & Tapu Bulu thanks to their ability to effortlessly set Grassy Terrain and keep the Sun active as well as build up stacks of the Physical Attack Up Next effect for even more damage output. Sygna Suit Lyra & Celebi can also work as great partners for their ability to set Grassy Terrain and basically shut down the opposing team. 

Adaman & Leafeon excel when put alongside other attackers, in particular Grass types for additional on-type damage and the ability to capitalize on the multiple-layers of the Grass Type Rebuff effect that Adaman & Leafeon can inflict, or Fire types that can utilize the auto-set Sun. Examples include Victor & Rillaboom, Special Costume Sonia & Tsareena, Brendan & Sceptile, Sygna Suit Hilda & Victini, Sygna Suit May & Blaziken, Sygna Suit Red & Charizard, and Leon & Charizard. Among the obvious pairings, arguably one of the best partner for Adaman & Leafeon is Sygna Suit Erika & Leafeon, as they can capitalize on virtually everything that Adaman & Leafeon can do and in turn raise a brutal offensive alongside the Diamond Clan’s leader.

Sync Pairs that may otherwise struggle with the Move Gauge a bit like Halla & Crabominable, Steven & Metagross, Sygna Suit Leaf & Venusaur, or Raihan & Duraludon also appreciate having Adaman & Leafeon on their team, as they don’t have to share the Move Gauge with a 3rd Sync Pair.

Showcase Video

This is a Sync Pair that wears a lot of hats, and unlike most of the competition that tends to struggle to do everything at once, they slide right into their role and shine while doing it. Their entire kit flows together extremely well, and nothing feels like it upsets their gameplay flow. Honestly, if you’re new to Pokemon Masters and want a strong and easy to use Sync Pair that can fit on any team, then this is the one for you. They are able to fit onto a lot of teams while taking basically nothing and giving a lot back in return. Adaman & Leafeon are definitely worth pulling for, but remember that we also have two really strong Ice Types this month, which is a type that doesn’t have a whole lot of really powerful offensive options, so it’s worth weighing your options before making an investment.