Welcome to the twenty-fifth issue of the Johto Times! For this issue, I asked myself a question: Should official Pokémon distributions be done in person or online? I weigh up the pros and cons of each, and share my thoughts on receiving Pokémon at exciting in-person events, compared to the convenience and accessibility of obtaining them at home via Mystery Gift events over WiFi. As always, we have the latest Pokémon news, as well as more from our mailbag!

The main characters of Pokémon Horizons: Liko, Roy and a variety of Pokémon characters

The Pokémon Company took part in a panel at this year's San Diego Comic-Con International, sharing ten minutes of footage from the first episode of Pokémon Horizons: The Series English dub! At the time of writing, there is no English release date. Check out the trailer here!

The company also confirmed that the final episodes of Ash's journey would be called “Pokémon: To Be A Pokémon Master” and will air on Netflix in North America from September 8th 2023. A trailer can be found here.

Source: Pokémon

A special limited-time Grimmsnarl distribution event is currently taking place in Pokémon Scarlet & Violet

Two new distribution event Pokémon are currently available in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet for a limited time. Shiny Grimmsnarl with the moves Thunder Wave, Spirit Break, Reflect and Light Screen and the Prankster ability is available from now until August 18th 2023. with the code THA12022CHAMP. The second distribution is a Dark Tera Type Charizard, available now until August 31st 2023, with the code DARKTERA0006.

In addition to these two distributions, players can also obtain Sandwich ingredients using the code NATSUN0T0KKUN until September 30th 2023.

Source: Serebii

Feature: Event Pokémon Distribution: In-person or online?

Ever since Pokémon Red and Green launched in Japan, event distribution Pokémon have been a way to obtain some rare and exciting creatures. But the way in which those distributions have taken place has changed throughout the years. Many of the early giveaways were conducted in person via a Game Boy and Game Link Cable, a special distribution machine, or by mailing your game cartridge to Nintendo or Game Freak. Some were obtainable at large-scale events hosted by The Pokémon Company and Nintendo, or through toy stores and other retail partners. Since the internet became more accessible, many of these Pokémon have been obtainable online via WiFi events, meaning that players need not even leave their homes in order to obtain one.

A selection of swag and promotional material, including postcards and temporary tattoos from a EON Ticket event in the United Kingdom in 2004.

When I was younger, I had the good fortune to attend one of the EON Ticket events for Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire, in order to obtain a Latias for my copy of Pokémon Ruby. These sorts of distribution events would usually take place in large cities such as London, but I was fortunate that one of the venues chosen was in my hometown. On that day I spoke to lots of other Pokémon fans, received a goodie bag filled with some cool items, and even met a new friend there, one that I continue to speak with to this day. 

In my opinion, in-person distribution events are something very special, and offer a great atmosphere with opportunities to meet new people, obtain cool swag, and have something nice to look back on in the years that follow. It’s also great if you enjoy the bragging rights of owning a Pokémon not many others will have had the chance to receive.

However, I see the benefit of online distributions, especially if you live far away from larger towns and cities where events would usually take place, or are not situated in a country where any kind of distribution takes place at all. Many of the WiFi distributions over the Mystery Gift feature run for a longer period of time, rather than one or two days. I can also acknowledge how convenient it is for those who may miss out due to work, studies, or scheduling conflicts. This is even more vital for those who are not comfortable in crowds, or are not physically able to get to an event due to illness or disability.

Maybe the compromise is to offer everything as hybrid events, where these special Pokémon are initially an in-person event and are then distributed online at a later date for everyone? Those in attendance can claim the event Pokémon in person and can still have all the fun of meeting friends and obtaining merchandise, while those who aren’t able, or choose not to attend, can still receive something later. I feel it would be the fairest way to do it, and it ensures that everyone has an equal opportunity to enjoy themselves.

I want to end this feature on the topic of event distributions for classic games. When Pokémon Crystal was released on the Nintendo 3DS, Celebi’s Japanese-exclusive event was made available to everyone, which I thought was a neat touch. I am hopeful that if more classic mainline titles are released in the future, we will see these time-limited events become a part of the main game, meaning that a new generation will get to experience them.

Some of the items in the goodie bag I received at the EON Ticket event were two small plastic figures of Cacnea and Wurmple

As I finish typing this opinion piece, I am looking over to my shelf where I still have my Wurmple and Cacnea plastic toys I received in my EON Ticket goodie bag in 2004, and I am reminded once again of that special day. I think I’ll give that friend a call too…

Want to be a part of our newsletter? You’re welcome to submit content including (but not limited to) questions, fanart, short stories, your cherished memories, photographs of your collection, and anything else you think you want us to see. This week, we have a cool project by a reader from Australia, who has shared an infographic on Pokémon cards.

An infographic provided by one of our readers, Jay, showing the number of 'hits' in a box of Scarlet & Violet Paldea Evolved, which includes data taken from 132 randomly selected boxes from 26 cases

Jay, Australia

Hi Johto Times readers, my name is Jay from Australia. For Paldea Evolved I have collaborated with several online stores in order to collect data on box hits – which has been summarised in this infographic. My goal for this process has been to try and create a community of data sharing such that we can collect a large enough sample size for valid statistical analysis of set ratios, as well as correct some of the incorrect perceptions of probability that get posted. As boxes are not completely randomised, your probabilities are slightly better for finding specific cards compared to just opening loose boosters (hypergeometric vs binomial for those mathematically inclined).

It’s very nice to hear from you Jay, thank you for sharing your work with Johto Times! I was quite impressed to see such a professional looking infographic showing the results of box openings. It has been some time since I purchased trading cards; the last time was Neo Destiny in 2002. I hope this information will prove useful to anyone who is interested in purchasing cards from the Paldea Evolved set!

If people would like to see more from Jay, you can find him on Mastodon at @tetroe