Guest artist Haduki Tohru created this fantastic illustration of Wallace and Clair, stars of the ongoing Story Event: Rising New Year’s Resolutions in Pokémon Masters EX

Anew year is dawning in Pokémon Masters EX, and Sootopolis City’s Wallace is at the forefront of Pasio’s festivities. This Gym Leader from the Hoenn region has decided to organize a mountain-climbing trip so everyone can witness the new year’s first sunrise in the most spectacular possible fashion. Find out how his plan unfolds in Story Event: Rising New Year’s Resolutions.

Clair (New Years’s 2024) & Drampa are a Dragon-type support sync pair that can provide all-around support to their allies with X Defense All and You’re Good! The former raises the Defense of all allied sync pairs by two stat ranks, and the latter raises the Attack and Sp. Atk by of all allied sync pairs by two stat ranks and increases allies’ critical-hit rate by three stat ranks. Clair (New Year’s 2024) & Drampa’s unique ability to raise both Attack and Sp. Atk make them a flexible fit for many different teams.

This Dragon-type sync pair also has the unique passive skill T-Move: Team Free Move Next 9, which applies the Free Move Next effect to all allied sync pairs when Clair (New Year’s 2024) & Drampa use a Trainer move. That means that each time they use X Defense All or You’re Good!, the next move each of their allies use won’t consume a single move gauge slot—making them the perfect partner to sync pairs with hard-hitting, high-cost moves.

For more details on this sync pair’s passive skills and moves, check out Clair (New Year’s 2024) & Drampa’s in-game sync pair scout screen. Clair (New Year’s 2024) & Drampa are available to scout until January 18, 2024, at 9:59 p.m. PST.

• Bea & Sirfetch’d
  It can be difficult to repeatedly use moves like Bea & Sirfetch’d’s Meteor Assault due to its high move gauge–slot cost. But Clair (New Year’s 2024) & Drampa’s T-Move: Team Free Move Next 9 patches that problem right up: just use either X Defense All or You’re Good! and Meteor Assault is free to fly, no move gauge slots needed. Clair (New Year’s 2024) & Drampa’s You’re Good! Trainer move also makes up for Bea & Sirfetch’d’s limited use of X Attack, ensuring the fierce Fighting-type sync pair will have their Attack stat maxed in no time. Bea & Sirfetch’d are available to scout from the general pool of 5★ sync pairs, as well as from the 5★-Guaranteed Ticket Scout and 5★-Guaranteed Galar Ticket Scout.
• Drasna & Dragalge
  As a skilled Dragon-type master, it’s only natural that Clair would want to team up with other dragon-loving Trainers. Drasna & Dragalge are new to Pokémon Masters EX and gain a hoard of sky-high stats when teamed up with Clair (New Year’s 2024) & Drampa. Drasna & Dragalge’s Simply Charming! can only raise their Sp. Atk by four stat ranks and their critical-hit rate by two, but Clair (New Year’s 2024) & Drampa quickly cap out Drasna & Dragalge’s Sp. Atk and critical-hit rate with a single use of You’re Good!Both sync pairs also have the Dragon theme skill, so they get stat boosts when teamed up together. Drasna & Dragalge are available to scout from the general pool of 5★ sync pairs, as well as from the 5★-Guaranteed Ticket Scout and 5★-Guaranteed Kalos Ticket Scout.

Wallace (New Year’s 2024) & Blacephalon are an explosive Fire-type field sync pair with moves and passive skills that are just as flashy as Wallace’s outfit. The duo have the unique Trainer move Hoenn Analysis, which applies Hoenn Circle (Special) to the allied field of play. Hoenn Circle (Special) powers up the special attack moves and special sync moves of all allied sync pairs and reduces the damage taken by allied sync pairs from special attack moves and special sync moves. These bonuses get even better with each additional Hoenn-region sync pair on your team!

And given Wallace’s and Blacephalon’s flare for the flamboyant, it’s unsurprising that their buddy move, Strange Flames Mind Blown, keeps the audience on their toes. When this Fire-type move is used, it increases the user’s Special Moves ↑ Next effect by zero to ten ranks at random. Will their next flaming performance flop in its own embers or burn bright in the night? There’s only one way to find out.

For more details on this sync pair’s passive skills and moves, check out Wallace (New Year’s 2024) & Blacephalon’s in-game sync pair scout screen. Wallace (New Year’s 2024) & Blacephalon are available to scout until January 18, 2024, at 9:59 p.m. PST.

• Silver & Ho-Oh
  Wallace (New Year’s 2024) & Blacephalon can have plenty of fun firing off Strange Flames Mind Blown, but their max move Max Flare—which makes the weather sunny—can set the stage for a further firestorm of damage if paired with the right sync pair. Sunny weather activates Silver & Ho-Oh’s Charging Sun 6 passive skill, enabling them to do even more damage. Silver & Ho-Oh can also return the favor thanks to their Solarize passive skill, which makes the weather sunny, thusly increasing the damage of Wallace (New Year’s 2024) & Blacephalon’s Strange Flames Mind Blown. Silver & Ho-Oh can be obtained after completing Pure Hearts and Rainbow Wings in the Legendary Adventures portion of the main story.
• Zinnia & Rayquaza
  Like Silver & Ho-Oh, Zinnia & Rayquaza love a sync pair who can command the weather. Wallace (New Year’s 2024) & Blacephalon can easily do just that with Max Flare, activating Zinnia & Rayquaza’s Weather Surge 3. Zinnia & Rayquaza also have the Hoenn theme skill, which means that the bonuses from Wallace (New Year’s 2024) & Blacephalon’s Hoenn Circle (Special) are further improved when these two sync pairs are on the same team. Zinnia & Rayquaza can be obtained after completing The Dragon That Rules the Sky in the Legendary Adventures portion of the main story.

Happy New Year, Trainers!