My First Pokémon Go Raid: Remembering Why I Loved This Game

Raiding in Pokémon Go is an entirely new experience. When the update originally launched, you needed to be level 35 in order to be a part of a raid, a multi-person battle where trainers need to take down a giant boss. I was livid that my sorry level-25 ass couldn’t try the feature out and I complained to anyone around me. Eventually, Niantic started to lower the level cap, eventually hitting my level and allowing me to play.

For the past week, I’ve been secluded on Long Island, outside of the hustle, bustle and heat of New York City. Pokémon Go changes when you leave a metropolis — there’s a lot less going on. As the game only allows only one raid pass a day, I had to be picky about what my first Pokémon raid was going to be. I didn’t want to end up fighting a Magikarp for my first AR-team battle. I represent Team Valor, meaning I stick to my guns no matter what.

Suddenly, a new notification popped up on my phone saying that a raid battle was starting soon. It was a two-star, meaning that I wouldn’t be fighting a legendary Ho-Oh or Lugia, but I also wouldn’t be seeing some crappy 7-foot-tall Charmander in my fight. I dragged my girlfriend out of bed (even though it was at noon and she’s only level 22) and we both headed down to the fight. We made it just as the timer ticked down to zero and I watched in amazement as the giant, pink egg on my screen became an…. Exeggutor. It’s not a Dragonite, but at least it can’t use Splash.

We seemed to be the only two trainers attempting this fight, until someone else showed up with no time to spare. Dressed in the uniform of the pizza place down the block, he seemed just as excited to try a raid as I was. I joined the lobby, picking my Fire and Ice Pokémon with the highest CP and watched as the lobby counter ticked down to zero. We got ready to face off against a 12,000 CP beast, it’s time to du-du-du-duel!

A Pokémon Go raid is exactly like an old gym battle. You tap the screen for your basic attack or hold it down for your secondary. One by one, I sent my Pokémon into the fray, knowing that pizza guy was by my side. Cloyster, Rapidash and Magmar all fell before Executor only lost a third of its health and I thought we were done for. Thankfully, My Rhydon put in work and the mighty palm tree fell.

For winning the fight, I got one rare candy, four Golden Razz Berries and a few Premier Balls to try and catch Exeggutor with. With a flick of the wrist and some ball spinning, I managed to snag a 1612 CP Psychic egg-plant. I turned to the pizza man and said, “good job, thanks for the help,” and he said, “you did great yourself.”

It’s rare that I play a videogame with people who don’t constantly yell at me or share their favorite swear words. This was one of the reasons I was so excited for raids, I miss the sense of community that Pokémon Go had during it’s original release, where thousands of trainers gathered in Central Park to play. I met tons of Pokémon fans of all shapes and sizes, all bonding over their love of the game that shaped my childhood.

Until Legendaries start to appear around me, I’ll be hoarding Pokémon Go raid passes. It doesn’t matter where I am, I’m stopping everything to catch a Celebi.