Pokémon Masters EX’s Four-Year Anniversary is under way and the villain arc is finally reaching its grand conclusion. Paulo and Tina have come a long way as Trainers, and they and their Pokémon partners are now available to scout as sync pairs for the first time! Some of the worst minds behind Team Rocket are also making debuts, including a new sync pair featuring none other than the boss himself, Giovanni.

The co-op battle villain event “Stop the Evil Mastermind!” is also live in conjunction with the conclusion of the villain arc. You can battle alongside players across the world and take on special missions that unlock during the event period to earn amazing rewards, including a Strike Move Candy Coin, a Support Move Candy Coin, a Tech Move Candy Coin, and a Team Rocket Executive Scout Ticket. This ticket can be used to randomly team up with either Archer & Houndoom, Ariana & Arbok, Petrel & Weezing, or Proton & Golbat. Check out the in-game news for more details.

The villain arc is coming to an end, and Paulo & Lycanroc and Tina & Flareon are at the center of the action. You can scout sync pairs featuring these Trainers for the first time as they appear in their own Poké Fair Scouts from September 3, 2023, at 11 p.m. PDT to October 3, 2023, at 10:59 p.m. PDT.

• Paulo & Lycanroc
  Paulo & Lycanroc are a Rock-type sync pair ready to start fresh as a battling duo. As a sprint sync pair, they can speed up the pace of battle by reducing the sync move countdown with their passive skills Paulo’s Resolve and “Quick Move”: Sync CD ↓9.

  Paulo’s Resolve reduces the user’s sync move countdown by one after using their max move, Max Rockfall. It also extends the duration of a sandstorm that is caused while this sync pair is on the field and protects all allies from damage by a sandstorm. “Quick Move”: Sync CD↓9 reduces the sync move countdown by one whenever Paulo & Lycanroc use a move that has the Quick Move tag—such as their always-speedy Accelerock.

• Tina & Flareon
  Tina & Flareon are a Fire-type support sync pair that can boost the physical damage dealt by allied sync pairs while reducing the physical damage dealt by opponents. Their Trainer move, We’re Going Too!, evokes the duo’s go-getting personality by raising the Attack, Defense, Sp. Def, and Speed of all allied sync pairs by one stat rank.

  Tina & Flareon’s Charm can reduce their opponents’ Attack by two stat ranks while also triggering two passive skills that activate the first time Tina & Flareon use a status move—Catalytic Infliction, which applies the Move Gauge Acceleration effect to the allied field, and Team Mind-Bracing Infliction 2, which raises the Sp. Def of all allied sync pairs.

If villains are more your vibe, now’s a great time to team up with the evildoers at Team Rocket. Giovanni & Rhydon, Archer & Houndoom, Ariana & Arbok, Petrel & Weezing, and Proton & Golbat will all be available to scout from the Team Rocket Variety Scout from September 5, 2023, at 11 p.m. PDT to September 26, 2023, at 10:59 p.m. PDT. Read on to learn more about these nefarious sync pairs.

• Giovanni & Rhydon
  Giovanni & Rhydon are a Ground-type field sync pair with a unique move set that covers three different types—Ground, Ice, and Water. They can really bury the opposition with Crushing Earthquake, which does more damage the more their Sp. Atk stat is raised. Crushing Earthquake also whips up a sandstorm the first time it is successful each battle, which is key to getting the most out of Giovanni & Rhydon’s Trainer move, Do Not Defy Me!

  Do Not Defy Me! applies the Critical Hit Next effect, Supereffective ↑ Next effect, and Free Move Next effect to an ally. If used during a sandstorm, it can also increase the ally’s Physical Moves ↑ Next effect and Special Moves ↑ Next effect by one rank. This makes Giovanni a surprisingly good team player, able to buff any of your sync pairs depending on the situation.

• Archer & Houndoom
  Archer & Houndoom are a Dark-type sprint sync pair that excel at slowing down their opponents. Their passive skill Archer’s Proposal lowers the Speed of all opposing sync pairs by one stat rank whenever their attack move is successful and by two stat ranks after they use their sync move. This sets up Archer & Houndoom’s passive skill Hunter’s Instinct, which powers up their moves the more the target’s Speed is lowered.

• Ariana & Arbok
  Ariana & Arbok are a Poison-type tech sync pair that love to wear down their opponent’s stats with their passive skills Ariana’s Coercion and On a Roll 9. Ariana’s Coercion lowers the Attack and Sp. Atk of all opposing sync pairs by two stat ranks at the start of battle. On a Roll 9 greatly raises the chance of lowering stat values with the secondary effects of moves. This practically guarantees that Ariana & Arbok’s Acid will lower their target’s Sp. Def by one stat rank, making them an excellent partner for sync pairs that deal special damage.

• Petrel & Weezing
  Petrel & Weezing are a Poison-type strike sync pair that deals solid damage while disrupting the opposition. Petrel & Weezing’s passive skill Petrel’s Ploy gives each successful attack they make a 30% chance of lowering the target’s Sp. Def by one stat rank and a 30% chance of making the target flinch. And that’s not all—their passive skill Piercing Blows allows them to ignore a slew of defensive passive skills, helping their moves do maximum damage.

• Proton & Golbat
  Proton & Golbat are a Poison-type support sync pair that love to accentuate their cruelty with Stop Hitting Yourself 5. When their opponent is confused, this passive skill raises the chance that they will end up attacking themselves. This can buy you time to leverage Proton & Golbat’s passive skill All Ramped Up, which raises the Sp. Atk of all allied sync pairs each time their move is successful. A third passive skill, Proton’s Plan, charges the move gauge by one each time they use a move, making it even easier to sling attacks and strengthen your team.

Enjoy the drama of the villain arc’s thrilling climax, Trainers!