- Addendum [9/9]
DeNA made a problem with Towers is now selling solutions. All I can say is that it's a permanent game mode and it shouldn't steer you one way or the other.

December is a very busy time of the year for me so it's unlikely I'll be climbing Gauntlet this month. Until next time, gang.

- Expansions [8/9]
Royal no longer requires offensive Support and became a veritable unit. He always had a solid range so Strike EX *could* turn him into a legitimate Tower contender. As it stands Royal dominates Gauntlet and can be detached from Phoebe or the like.

- Trainer Lodge Hilda [7/9]
There are premium Supports who would kill for TL Hilda's consistency. This kit is mostly missing modern amenities like offensive debuffs, WTZ, Circle and Flinch to pass for a Poké Fair. Hilda has the sauce to carry early Tower floors and to solo some Legendary Arenas.

- Holiday Arven [6/9]
Arven's goal is setting-up for stronger pairs. His midgame sync acceleration gives Fire-types a level of speed they lacked. Arven also has a commanding nuke for 3v1 DC and Staggering for broader content reach. Shame he is breaking into a bloated type.

- Variety Lance [5/9]
If NC Hilda wasn't a clear indicator, Lance here fulfills a Tower niche. Lance's output is brutal and he never relents. Outside of raw gimmick-checking he has a very complete kit. Dare I say he is in line with the TCG pairs before him.

- SS Carmine [4/9]
"Irida already has SS Roxie" versus "improved tempo." Which way modern man? Carmine is reminiscent of Arc Blue in that she is a redundant pick, but a strong one at that. Her poor role combination is made up by her big B moves a la Arc Alder.

- NC Hilda [3/9]
Bland burst pair. Hilda's kit is sprinkled with helpful little things like the Master passive, constant CD reduction... and then a Giga Impact miss reminds you of the reality. My gut is telling me Hilda is easy to outclass. DeNA is counting on player demand for Tower options.

- NC Hilbert [2/9]
Hilbert's kit is largely stunted but he has the brute force between Piercing Blows and EX Ice Zone. What Hilbert needs is an NC Selene-esque partner who supplies sync acceleration and WTZ uptime. Ice-types can't realize Hilbert's full potency at the moment.

My power rankings for this datamine [1/9]

*monkey's paw curls*

All the writing ideas I accumulated over the years are escaping containment. The room will be painted in cringe do not test me

Y'know what? It'll take a while to shake off the compulsion of looking for this old man every single day. The things you do for your niche side-characters...