Ep. 533 - Ella in the Middle: Pokemon Is Still Unfair

·1 hr 16 min·5 clips

Kanye West's UK festival is cancelled after being denied entry for anti-Semitic hate speech.

Mike and Matt start with music. They check the Hot 100, where Ella Langley's "Choose in Texas" moves back to number one, while BTS drops to two. The album chart comes next, with BTS at number one and Ye's "Bully" close enough to park for later. The pace stays quick: chart notes, small corrections, little jokes, and sideways references before Pokemon takes over. The concern is simple. Will the new battle platform let players use the Pokemon they actually like, or will favorites get boxed out? Mike and Matt come at it from both casual and competitive sides, especially if the roster feels built around meta needs. Pre-evolved forms become the sticking point. Pikachu and Raichu are there, but that does not fix the frustration of wanting to start small and build upward. The VGC piece makes the complaint matter more. If this platform replaces battles in the newest mainline game, its limits stop being a small annoyance. To them, that feels unfair. Their ideal version would serve relaxed players who just want battles and competitive players who need rule hooks. They are not asking for chaos. They want enough flexibility for VGC approval without turning the whole thing into a narrow list of approved picks. They close with video, podcast services, Blue Sky, Twitch, email, and next week's talk: The Pitt finale, the Masters, and the NBA and NHL playoff picture.

As heard by us

A quick chart rundown turns into a sharper Pokemon discussion about favorites, competitive play, and what the new platform needs to balance.

Media Boat Podcast episode 533 opens with a brisk Billboard check-in before settling into Pokemon's next competitive home. The early music stretch notes Ella Langley's "Choose in Texas" returning to number one, BTS keeping the top album spot with "Errorang," and Ye's "Bully" at…

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Why you'd press play

You get chart movement, Pokemon battle talk, and a small crisis over whether favorites can survive the new meta.

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