Pokemon Masters New Year's Event

Pokemon Masters, the mobile spin-off game from DeNA, has gotten a New Year's update packed with new sync pairs, limited-time special events, and more in-game rewards.

To start, the game is offering special New Years versions of two sync pairs, Lillie & Ribombee and Lance & Gyarados. Both of the sync pairs can reach the 6-Star EX rating, which was introduced in a recent update that unlocked the EX ratings for some other existing sync pairs. Plus they're sporting new outfits.

An in-game story called Season's Greetings is now available. It features Lillie and Lance and will grant you some rewards as you make your way through the story. Both of the new sync pairs and the Season's Greetings story are available through January 13 at 9:59 PM PT.

Login rewards have gotten a boost as well. Some special timed missions available through January 13 can net you 1,200 gems, and simply logging in by January 31 gets you an additional 3,000. Daily login bonuses can net you a total of 3,000 more, for a grand total of 7,200 gems. That's enough to scout for 26 sync pairs in total, or more if you take advantage of bundles.

Meanwhile, a number of other in-game events are ongoing as well. The Champion Stadium is currently featuring the Johto Elite Four, presenting an ultra-hard challenge for experienced trainers. An Electric- and Steel-type Egg event starting January 6 will grant new species like Pichu, Elekid, and Magnemite from eggs. And finally, a legendary event called Pure Hearts and Rainbow Wings will let you form a sync pair with the legendary Ho-Oh.

DeNA changed the name to Pokemon Masters EX in August, when it issued the update that added the 6-Star EX sync pairs. That came alongside a new sync pair, as the studio has been adding them regularly. Unlike many Pokemon games, Pokemon Masters features "sync pairs"--famous trainers from the series with their associated Pokemon partners, along with a player-created character that can pair off with multiple monsters.