Gen 7 Your thoughts on the SOS system?

It's my favorite shiny hunting method (I got my first hunted shiny with it), but it's annoying when you're trying to catch a wild Pokémon. Also if you're just trying to level up a weak Pokémon but it gets killed because the wild one called for help... (#truestory)
Though apparently in USUM wild mons can call only one time for help if you don't use an Adrenalin Orb, so that's great.

 

I thought it was a neat new feature, but I personally liked Horde battles much more. In Horde Battles it's 5 mons each time after sweet scent, but with SOS battles you have to encounter the mon, set up the chain, lower it's hp/set up adren orb, and then make sure the calling mon doesn't get statused or loses its PP OR KOs itself... it just seems like a lot of extra effort when Hordes seemed much more efficient and easier to deal with (in regards to EV training and shiny hunting).

 

The Sableye-Carbink thing is beautiful, and totally logical. Sure, an injured animal might call for help, but those cries for help also advertize to predators that there's easy prey there. Sableye-Carbink, Mareanie-Corsola, there might be a few others, but I was astounded by the thought that went into it.

Game mechanics wise, I think SOS battles actually make the game difficult (for once). Double battles are complex and more fun than an ordinary 1-on-1 wild, but fighting an uphill battle against outnumbering opponents? Now that has potential to be difficult, and for me, more fun.

 

I agree with some other people, its the best Shiny Hunting method imo. But it's super annoying when catching wil Pokémon.

 

I really like the SOS system, makes training a bit easier and it is great shiny hunting method when you can set it up.

 

I personally don't much care for it, but I suppose that for shiny hunters it's a real gem.

 

I really like the SOS system! It's really usefull while shiny hunting and leveling too!

 

It's really cool, adding to how Pokémon depend on one another for support. My personal favorite way to go shiny hunting because you can set up a team specially designed for chaining. Combined with the walkthroughs and Summer Scramble, I actually got a few to contribute.

What I don't like about it was the fact that there were some battles you'd get roped into and the wild Pokémon ALWAYS calls for help. Golbats were especially annoying since they'd have a high SOS rate and 9 times out of 10, it seemed to get answered. Doesn't help they're fast and if you've got a slow 'mon with your back against the wall, it becomes more of an attrition battle than anything.

Glad in USUM that they reduced it to one answered call unless you have Intimidate/Pressure/Unnerve or use Adrenaline Orbs.

 

I think that it makes the game challenging, also annoying, but it makes it easier to find shiny Pokémon in the wild

 

Absolutely the best way to EV train. What used to take several hours can now be done in maybe 20 minutes or less.

 

For Totem Battles and EV training, it's really useful and a good addition. Regular wild battles can get annoying with it, but I find it adds a bit more need for strategy to the game, since it's two on one.

 

I like the SOS it’s cool to get hard to evolve Pokémon however it can be really irritating sometimes when I try to get some of them. Like today I tried to get a Crobat because it’s annoying evolving with friendship for me it’s gets too exhausting to get their friendship level up from nothing and the Lomi Lomi massage thing doesn’t work too well. Of course though I didn’t get Crobat the Golbat I was using used Struggle and made itself faint.

 

I like how it makes the game more challenging, especially in Totem battles. I can't say no to the extra EXP from defeating another opponent, too. On the other hand, it can be incredibly frustrating if I just want to catch a Pokémon and it keeps calling an ally. So, I suppose I have mixed feelings on the matter.

 

They're a great addition to the Totem battles, and make them a little bit more difficult.
But, in nrmal battles against wild Pokémon, they're only annoying me. At the start of my journey, where my team was literally nothing, I couldn't 1 hit K.O the mons, which caused them to call for help. This streched battles so much.

 

For the totems, I thought they were a fantastic edition, making various totems such as Wishiwashi (SM), Lurantis, and Mimikyu that much more of a challenge to take on. I think shiny chaining this way is also better than how you'd chain in Gen 6. Finding mons with Hidden abilities is much easier this way as well IMO, as every time you'd get in a horde battle, you'd basically have to skill swap multiple times in one battle for a lower chance of them appearing than in this game. For EV training, however, I'd have much preferred the horde battles since they're significantly easier to control and you gain EV's much faster this way.

Overall I think they're good additions to the series.

 

I like SOS battles mainly because they make EV training go a little bit faster at times, not only that, but it allows you to get Pokémon with decent IV's too.

However, outside of the competitive stuff, it did make things a little more challenging, especially in Totem battles. Not only that, but I felt like Pokémon should've been able to do something like this in the past (Call for help whenever they needed it).