A sync pair (Japanese: バディーズ Buddies) is a pair consisting of one Pokémon Trainer and one Pokémon in Pokémon Masters EX. Each sync pair has one of five roles:
A list of all sync pairs can be found here.
Mechanics
Moves
Main article: List of moves in Pokémon Masters EXSync pairs can know four moves at a given time, though the available moves can change based on certain conditions, such as after activating Mega Evolution or using a sync move.
Sync pairs have access to two broad categories of moves:
- Pokémon moves: These require a specific amount of move gauge slots to be used. Status effects that would activate after an action is taken, such as damage from Poison, will activate after using a Pokémon move. Pokémon moves that deal damage are classified as attacks.
Buddy moves: Powerful Pokémon moves that can only be used when certain move-specific activation conditions are met. These moves also have deactivation conditions that will make the move unavailable for use if met. Some sync pairs have buddy moves with a limited number of uses.
- Trainer moves: These are unique to Pokémon Masters EX, and act similar to items in the core series. They do not usually require the use of move gauge slots, but can only be used a set number of times in a battle. Trainer moves can be used even if the pair's Pokémon is unable to act due to status effects. Effects that would activate after a Pokémon takes an action will not activate in response to a Trainer move.
Sync pairs can take other actions during battle that contain "move" in their names. However, these are not considered moves, instead being classified as attacks.
Max moves: Powerful moves exclusive to Dynamax sync pairs. These do not expend move gauge slots and can be used at any time, but only once per battle. If a sync pair has multiple max moves, only one can be used per battle.
Sync moves: Powerful moves that can be used once a certain amount of moves have been used in battle. Each sync pair knows one sync move, though the sync move can change if the pair's Pokémon reaches its final evolutionary stage. Some sync moves will activate Mega Evolution.
Moves, sync moves, and max moves can also have one or more effect tags that correspond to their effects or properties.
- Absorbs: A move that restores the user's HP based on the amount of damage dealt to the target or targets.
- Berry: A Trainer move that is a Berry.
- Bouncing: An attack that causes the user to begin bouncing, making the user semi-invulnerable for a few seconds.
- Flying: An attack that causes the user to begin flying, making the user semi-invulnerable for a few seconds.
- Heals: A move that restores a defined percentage of HP.
- Multistrike: An attack that hits the target multiple times.
- OK While Frozen: An attack that can be used even while the user's Pokémon is frozen. Upon using this attack, the frozen condition is removed from the user.
- One-Hit KO: An attack that causes the target to faint instantly on a hit.
- Phantom Presence: An attack that causes the user to take on a phantom presence, making the user semi-invulnerable for a few seconds.
- Quick Move: An attack that does not consume any move gauge slots to use.
- Recoil: A move that causes damage to the user.
- Shadow Presence: An attack that causes the user to take on a shadow presence, making the user semi-invulnerable for a few seconds.
- Sure Hit: An attack that bypasses accuracy checks to always hit.
The power of Pokémon moves can be increased by obtaining duplicates of the same sync pair, through events or scouting. Moves initially start at level 1, and each duplicate increases the power of the sync pair's moves by one level, up to level 5. At level 5, the power of the moves is increased by 20% relative to level 1.
If a sync pair duplicate is obtained after they have already reached move level 5, then a power-up item corresponding to their initial star rarity is received instead. In the case of Legendary Adventures sync pairs, despite starting at 5★ rarity, the power-up item received will be 3★.
Skills
See also: Skill (Masters), Lucky skillSync pairs can also learn passive skills, which are similar to Abilities in the core series. Sync pairs can know anywhere from one to three passive skills by default. Certain conditions such as Mega Evolution can change a pair's passive skills, but cannot exceed the limit of three.
Master sync pairs can know four passive skills instead, with the fourth being a master passive skill that affects the entire party.
One additional "lucky skill" slot can be unlocked by using lucky scrolls. Skills for this slot can then be learned at random by using lucky cookies.
Additional skills not subject to the above limits can be unlocked on a sync pair's sync grid. Some of the skills unlocked in this way will only activate when specific moves are used.
Level
Sync pairs gain experience and level up by winning battles or by using Level-Up Manuals. Leveling up increases a sync pair's stats, with them being identical in their role to the stats of the core series games except for Speed, which instead affects the rate at which the move gauge fills.
Sync pairs have level caps, initially starting with a level cap of 100. The player can use items to increase the level cap to 110, 120, 125, 130, 135, 140, and then one level at a time up to 150.
Each level beyond level 140 requires 1 Certificate of Excellence to unlock, meaning a total of 10 certificates are needed for a pair to reach level 150.
Pokémon hatched from Eggs do not have level caps, and are thus immediately eligible for level 150.
Evolution
Reaching certain levels can allow the Pokémon to evolve; for example, at level 30, Barry's Piplup can evolve into Prinplup, at level 45 it can evolve into Empoleon.
Once a pair's Pokémon's reaches its final evolutionary stage, the pair's sync move will change. Extending the Barry example, the pair will learn the sync move Late Fee Bubble Beam once Prinplup evolves into Empoleon.
Some Pokémon will also change other moves upon evolution; for example, Elio's Popplio will change its Water Gun into Sparkling Aria upon evolving into Primarina.
To initiate an evolution, the pair must have reached the required level, and a sync pair story about the evolution must be completed. These stories cost evolution shards or evolution crystals, and each includes a one-on-one battle as well as story scenes.
Pokémon hatched from Eggs do not have sync pair stories, so they are instead evolved from the Affinity menu by using evolution shards and crystals. The item cost for evolving Egg Pokémon is lower than the cost for standard sync pairs.
| Evolution | Items required | Level required | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | Egg | ||
| First stage |  Evolution Shard ×5 | Evolution Shard ×1 | Level 30 |
| Second stage |  Evolution Crystal ×3 | Evolution Crystal ×1 | Level 45 |
Increasing potential
The player can also increase the stats of a sync pair by using power-ups. Each power-up increases a sync pair's potential by one, up to a maximum of 20.
If the sync pair is initially at 5★, then each rise in potential boosts their HP stat by 5 and their following stats by 2 each: Attack, Defense, Special Attack (or Sp. Atk), Special Defense (or Sp. Def), and Speed. For all other sync pairs, each rise in potential provides a +2 boost to HP and a +1 boost to each other stat.
The potential of a 1★, 2★, 3★, 4★, or 5★ sync pair can only be raised by using 1★, 2★, 3★, 4★, or 5★ power-ups, respectively. For example, a 3★ power-up can only increase the potential of a 3★ sync pair.
If a 1★-4★ sync pair reaches 20 potential, then their potential instantly resets to zero, and their number of stars automatically increases by one—all while their stats remain the same.
| Starting rarity | Stats gained per Power-Up | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HP | Attack | Defense | Sp. Atk | Sp. Def | Speed | |
| 5★ | +5 | +2 | +2 | +2 | +2 | +2 |
| 1★-4★ | +2 | +1 | +1 | +1 | +1 | +1 |
6★ EX
Main article: 6★ EXCertain sync pairs at 5★ and with 20 potential can be given 50 Champion Spirits (or Legendary Spirits for Legendary Adventures pairs) to be raised to 6★ EX. This allows the sync pair's Trainer to change their pose and switch to their EX style, which is usually based on their partner Pokémon's regular/Shiny colors. In addition, upgrading to 6★ EX enhances the pair's sync move in one of the following ways depending on their role:
If a 5★ sync pair cannot be raised to 6★ EX, then they can still receive 5★ power-ups to increase their stats, but without access to a costume change or an upgraded sync move.
Certain sync pairs that can be raised to 6★ EX do not have an EX style—this applies to sync pairs who have the same outfit as their original version. This includes pairs obtained from Battle Point rewards, Trainer Lodge rewards, and sync pairs that are exclusive to variety scouts.
If a sync pair involving Scottie or Bettie is raised to 6★ EX, the EX style is added to a list of outfits under Poryphone Menu → Profile → Edit Look → Clothes. If an EX style is applied here, all sync pairs involving Scottie/Bettie will wear the new outfit, even if those pairs are not 6★ EX themselves.
Type and resistance
Even though each pair has a single type, the resistances and defensive properties of the pair do not depend on it. Each sync pair has only a single weakness to a specific type and the resistances to status alterations, when available, are exclusively gained through passive skills.
Sync grid
Main article: Sync gridEach sync pair has access to a sync grid, where sync orbs can be spent to unlock various upgrades:
- Increase base stats (blue tiles)
- Increase the power or accuracy of moves (green tiles)
- Add additional passive skills (yellow tiles)
- Add special passive skills, which only activate upon using specific moves (red tiles)
- Increase the power of the sync move (rainbow tiles)
- Increase the power of a Max move (orange tiles) or G-Max move (purple tiles)
Power boost
Sync pairs obtained through Legendary Adventures can receive a pair-specific power boost from the villain event corresponding to their region.
A Power Boost can enable a pair to perform Mega Evolution, or add six tiles to the pair's sync grid (but not both). Which is received will vary based on the pair.
Mega Evolution:- Additional sync grid tiles:
EX role
Main article: EX roleCertain sync pairs can use a roll cake to unlock their EX role—a secondary role that differs from the pair's original role. Doing so will give a stat boost depending on the unlocked EX role.
If the pair is also raised to 
6★ EX, they will gain a second role-based enhancement to their sync move - for example, a 
Strike sync pair that unlocks a 
Tech EX role will have their sync move both attack all opponents (due to the Strike role) and deal 50% more damage (due to the Tech role).
However, the EX role available to a given sync pair (if any) is pre-determined for that sync pair—the player cannot freely choose a role to be the pair's EX role.
Defunct mechanics
As the game has been updated over time, certain mechanics have been removed or otherwise function differently. These are included here for historical purposes.
Unlocking moves and skills
Moves and Skills menu prior to version 1.12.0Prior to version 1.12.0, each sync pair knew two moves when recruited, and could unlock additional moves, up to a maximum of four moves. Some passive skills would also not be available by default, and would need to be unlocked. Starting from version 1.12.0, sync pairs know all available moves and passive skills by default.
Moves and skills were normally unlocked using cap-unlock drinks and training machines. Sync pairs rewarded from legendary events also used custom training machines exclusive to their respective event. The amount of each item needed varied between these sync pairs.
- On Giovanni & Mewtwo's second run, the pair was updated to no longer use Custom Super Training Machines. This item became unobtainable for any players who did not get them during the event's initial run, as it no longer served a purpose.
The pair given as a log-in gift, Professor Oak & Mew, used only Custom Training Machines:
| Sync pair | Unlock | Items required |
|---|---|---|
Custom Training Machines | ||
| Professor Oak & Mew | Third move | 10 |
| Fourth move | 20 | |
| Passive skill | 15 |
Legendary event level caps
Sync pairs rewarded from legendary events used custom items exclusive to their respective event to unlock their level caps. The amount of each item needed also varied between these sync pairs.
- Starting with Zinnia & Rayquaza, and for any legendary event pairs re-run afterwards, Custom Drinks were used instead of Custom Training Machines to increase level cap.
- Starting in version 2.2.0, all legendary event pairs use normal level cap materials. Custom materials can no longer be used, though they can be exchanged for normal materials.
The pair given as a log-in gift, Professor Oak & Mew, used unique unlock costs that consist entirely of Custom items:
| Sync pair | Raise in level cap | Items required | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Custom Drinks | Custom Super Drinks | ||
| Professor Oak & Mew | 35 → 50 | 10 | N/A |
| 50 → 65 | 20 | N/A | |
| 65 → 80 | 30 | 20 | |
| 80 → 95 | 50 | 30 | |
| 95 → 115 | 100 | 100 | |
List of sync pairs
Main article: List of sync pairsMethods of obtaining sync pairs
PML Arc
Main article: PML ArcSeveral sync pairs are automatically recruited after completing certain missions over the course of the PML Arc.
Sync pair scout
Main article: Sync pair scoutThe sync pair scout allows players to spend Gems to obtain random sync pairs from various showcases.
Ticket scout
Main article: Ticket scoutA ticket scout allows players to scout for sync pairs using various types of ticket items.
Legendary event
Main article: Legendary eventVarious Trainers which form 5★ sync pairs with Legendary Pokémon can be obtained for completing the story of their respective legendary events.
Special sync pair event
Main article: Special sync pair eventSpecial sync pair events offer a sync pair for the player to obtain, and Event Vouchers gathered from battles can be exchanged for upgrades for the featured sync pair.
Eggs
Main article: Egg Pokémon (Masters)Eggs obtained from completing certain battles can be hatched in Professor Bellis's laboratory and form sync pairs with Scottie/Bettie.
Battle Points
Main article: Battle Point (Masters)BP Sync Pair Vouchers and BP Sync Pair Super Vouchers obtained as Battle Point Tier Rewards can be exchanged for various sync pairs.
Trainer Lodge
Main article: Trainer LodgeRaising a guest to Friendship Level 100 unlocks a new sync pair for that Trainer, which can be obtained using Lodge Stones.
In other languages
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