Part 41: You could at least mention that I was involved in some of that planning, Giver!

: Why isn't there a BLACK version?

There is in Japan, shut up.

Excellent.




In a world where maps have alternate palettes...



: Did this place get a new paint job? It looks a little different!

: What are you talking about? You've never been here before.





In a world where colors of the opposite version ALSO reign supreme...

: How come I have a blue PET? I thought I had a white one.

: But you don't have a white one.





In a world where standard S-ranks give different rewards...

: Isn't this supposed to be SoniWave S?

: Lan! That was the last game, stay focused!





In a world where the Custom Style S-ranks SOMETIMES differ in rewards...

: But that isn't ShokWave R!

: Lan, please shut the fuck up.





In a world where kangaroos were wiped out and replaced with frogs...





: What the hell happened to my soccer poster!?

: Dex might have to something to do with it.

: Fuck you, blue boy. Always blamin' me 'n' shit.






In a world where... ah, fuck it.

Oh good. I couldn't actually find anything to commentate on that, so I went straight to backup commentary. It was a little more time-consuming than normal.

In White Version, all of the shops are different. This naturally changes the game a little bit as now you can't get Areagrab * right off the bat immediately.

: At least my Zenny is still out of control.





There isn't 3 copies of Invis * here. Makes sense since Shadow Style is really for Blue version. Instead, we get the far superior GrassStage *. And better yet, there are three copies of it!
BambSword is now the biggest early-game buy, which will take out 280 of FlashMan's HP. Damn. And while White Version does not get Areagrab * in its first shop, it instead gets three Areagrab * in Yoka Square's Shop.

Huh, that's an interesting difference. I can also assume you buy out every shop in this version, just 'cause?






No AntiDmg this early, but StepSword isn't a bad replacement by any means.

I won't be examining every shop, but let's cover some of the pivotal ones. Before I move onto the BugFrag stores, let me just say that White Version's Beach Area Shop sells motherfucking GodStone. Instead of Anubis, Higsby sells Old Wood. And Instead of RedWave J, it's Recov80 J.

Can't complain about buying a MegaChip, really.





Not bad. Blue's version of this store is probably a bit better. While it's not listed here, this is also where you get NaviRecycle. My BugFrags were also out of control.

You say "my BugFrags [are] out of control", I hear "Dex is my BEST BRO"

So let's do a Folderbak vs. NaviRecycle comparison. Back in the earlier updates, I said White version players get "jipped" by having an inferior GigaChip. Well, every GigaChip is essentially inferior to Folderbak if you ask me. No chip comes close to that kind of utility. But, that does not mean NaviRecycle is bad.

In fact, from a PvP standpoint, I would argue NaviRecycle is superior. Controversial? Not really. Think about it. Folderbak gives you back your entire folder including itself, yes? NaviRecycle revives the last NaviChip used with any and all Atk+ augmentations applied to it. Still don't see why? Which is better: getting your entire folder back or ending the match immediately? The answer is obvious. Of course NaviRecycle is superior in PvP!

If you powered up a BubbleMan V4 chip, you could hit into the quadrouple digits of damage. Now, if your opponent is somehow still alive, that NaviRecycle will re-use that chip and all of its damage again! That basically gave you the match. Now, yes, Folderbak does the same thing, but there is no guarantee that your next chip draw will have that death combo again. You're taking a risk by prolonging the game with someone who just wants to get to their one combo that can deal upwards of 900 damage. That is no good.

Worse yet, when any player uses Folderbak, both players get their entire folders back. If you are playing Blue Version and you are playing against a White Version player, be very, very, very careful about using Folderbak. Because I can guarantee that if a 900+ damage BubbleMan V4, repeated WITH NaviRecycle hasn't killed you yet, then by using Folderbak, you just handed your opponent the game. Provided the White Version player knows what he's doing.



Yes, Folderbak gives you infinite sustain and infinite damage and pretty much allows you to ROFLBBQSTOMP your way through anything, but from both a boss S-ranking and PvP standpoint, I have to give it to White Version.








In fact, White Version has the better standard chip selection out of the two versions. A measly one Areagrab * in Blue becomes 3 in White. Barr100 comes in * code a shown in the screenshot. We have LavaStage * for sale, and as well as those 3 copies of GrassStage * at the start of the game. Not to mention Blue only gets 1 GrassStage * and 3 GrassStage R.

Now that's a bit of alright



Everything White Version does isn't better. Instead of Mr. Famous, we get his assistant, who doesn't have a Navi to battle. One of the biggest selling points of Blue is the extra boss, even if he doesn't drop any chips.

Ummm excuse me, Mr. Famous's assistant has a way better face than Mr. Famous.



And whereas Mr. Famous had cool, obscure hints to help you get the most out of your chips, Mr. Famous' assistant gives either really, really, obvious hints that you should have found out by now.



What a great guy.





Or hints that are just plain wrong! This guy sucks, moving on.

Ummm press down+b when the pokeball flashes is perfectly sound advice



: Lan, buy some HP already.

: But chippssss!!

Grind more, chips less






Yes! In White Version, all of the mandatory fights differ. I won't be covering all of them, but just some of the hardest ones. Also, please ignore the chips. There is a reason for that which will be shown in about 11 screenshots.

Do me a favor and go back two updates from now to compare the fights. I'd say these two are about even. Note: The first four HeelNavis you fight in Undernet 3 are the same in this version, thus, they are not pictured.





Sorry, but I'd say the Slimers that are here in Blue Version make that fight harder. Spikeys are scrub viruses that can only hit straight. At least Slimers provide utility.

Spikeys: still look cool





I want to say this is harder, but the Mettaur2's in Blue Version can serve as a shield for the Ratty Omegas with their helmets. Secondly, you're pretty likely to get hit by a rat bomb, and not one by Ratty Omega.






White Version definitely takes the cake here. Bunny Omegas do 120 damage each, and with two of them comes the possibility of being paralyzed infinitely. No joke. Bunny Omegas can attack every 2-2.5 seconds. But their paralysis time lasts 2 seconds. If the bunnys even delay in their attacks just a little bit, then congratulations, you're screwed. The Metrod Omega would theoretically stop that with his meteors though, but not before you get combo'd for 600 damage.

I should hope Monty Python already told us to beware bunny rabbits.






HOLY FUCK

Infinite combos + a Dominerd Omega! THIS IS WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT! BRING ME MORE FIGHTS LIKE THIS!! Definitely harder than the one in Blue.

Hah. Fun.

Trying to go for bunnies means the dominerd will block your hit, so you move to dodge the dominerd's counter attack. Problem is, if you don't pay attention, a bunny will surprise you. And I've already talked about their ability to infinite combo you. This time, the 3rd virus won't break up the combo because Dominerd only counter attacks. Get hit once by a bunny who attacks at a different time from the first, and it will be Game Over.

Do you recall that Dominerd Omega also has Geddon1? Yeah, let him get that off and you will be trapped eventually. Provided you don't play extremely intelligent, you'll get paralyzed sooner or later. The Dominerd protects the viruses and the bunnies bait you into attacking them so the Dominerd can confuse you, thus letting you mess up and get paralyzed. They protect each other in a nice, little loop. If you are bad at these games, you will most likely die here. This is a post-game level encounter and I love it so much.

Totally stealing these for Chrono X

Giver you're a monster






I really, really have to applaud White. 1260 HP total in this fight. That is more than any boss you fought up until this point. Getting hit by the Yort Omega will total nearly 200 damage per virus. You can get very easily trapped in and die. Trading hits is not the answer as you'll lose way too much health.

But, now, let me show you why I made the folder this way.



HUEHUEHUE

god damn, that gif

By using CrsShield, we can have the Yoyo go pass over MegaMan's hitbox. Now, once the yoyo comes up behind us, we activate NoBeam, which as I've explained in an earlier update, will activate once something is behind you. Thus, we use the Yort's own yoyo to activate NoBeam to finish off the virus before the yoyo comes back around to hit us.

There should be a Giver Style. A style that only activates by regularing performing high level and creative plays.

So what, the opposite of Prog Style?

I wanted to show this off, obviously. The problem is, the only other virus this could work on is in the post-game, and any encounters with Yort Omegas are way past some of the secret bosses, so it was either show this now, or in a dozen updates. Once I made the GIF, I should have switched back to my non-powerful folder but I am so forgetful with that stuff.

An easy way to beat this encounter is to simply use Areagrab/Panelgrab/Metagel. One of those will disrupt the virus combo and lets you safely snipe down one of the viruses. And don't forget what I said about RockCubes destroying their yoyos!



Let's move onto part of the main course! One of the selling points of White Version is its exclusive style: Ground Style. It is damn good.



I set LavaStage * as my regular chip and then...





Easy triple delete in ACDC. Also, my style in this screenshot is Team Style, but don't worry about it. When the time is right, I'll explain it.

You get Ground Style by using lots of Stage-manipulation chips. PanlOut, Geddons, or any of the stage chips will do the job. Thus, LavaStage set as my Regular makes grinding take far less time.

How many S-ranks would that combo get you, god damn







I seriously just went from Heat Team to Heat Ground Style. I never retain the same element when switching styles. What the fuck happened

Haha, keeps your Lava Stage trick in vogue





Confusion aside, that textbox right there makes me VERY happy I got Heat Ground. Heat is the BEST element for this style!!



LOOK AT THAT

My buster creates cracked panels all on its own. Wood's buster will create a broken panel, but only one. That is free setup for your GodStones or OldWood. Aqua's can make two, but it has to connect with something, while Elec's has to hit something to begin with. These are all inferior to making 3 cracked panels at a time. Just one charge shot on the middle row helps you so much it isn't even funny.



Oh my, I can see why you like Ground Style.





Grinding is fun sometimes. SetGreen turns the entire field into Grass Panels. Very useful for obvious reasons.

And with your Fire Style? Realnice.



And now I'm kicking myself. I was running around Beach Area 2 with Untraps and I found this gem lying here. I could have shown off Guts Straight much earlier. The reason why this is important is because Guts Straight has a sequential PA like GutsPunch. Thus, any codes you find are immensely important for filling out the Library.



And this one, too! I guess I'll grind out 4 copies of these in my Blue version

Yayyy grinding! Yayyy completionism!!





This time its SetIce. Free Ice Panels? THE FLASHMAN FOLDERS. ALL OF THEM. SO. MUCH. BLIND.

Haha as if FlashMan needed to be more easily embarrassed.




Let's take a moment to experiment. I wonder what will happen if we glitch either one of the Set Programs. Ground Style can wear the same colors as Team Style. Also, SSSH! DON'T LOOK AT THE RIGHT SIDE! SPOILERS!



Why, we get a free SetPoison! Oh, this is dumb, you might be saying? Well, maybe, because it doesn't affect our opponent. However, what if we were to combine this with another chip...



Team1. I gave a description about this chip earlier that says this chip doubles in power if you get hit. I am an idiot. What this chip does is actually increase in SPEED if you get hit. But what's really interesting is that poison damage counts as getting hit for this chip!

It's GIF time!



Still only 10 damage. You're supposed to use Atk+ augmentations, but really, it isn't worth the investment. You're better off putting that elsewhere. And look how quickly it dies! It doesn't stay long enough to be worth the setup!

Bummer.



Now, let's try out Team2. Look very carefully at my HP in the next screenshot.



HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Team2 heals your HP if you are at 25% HP or lower. It will heal you by a whopping 500 HP. That is as much as a Program Advance! Who needs Recovery chips!? Team2 is all the healing you need!

Team2 sounds like a cool bro.





SetLava is dumb because LavaStage just screws you over from dealing high damage to bosses. It's fine for viruses, though.

Pity it makes 'em flinch, huh





OH YEAH BABY

GOOD THING WE DIDN'T LOOK AT THAT SCREENSHOT EARLIER

but also AAWWW YEAH



YESSSSSSSSS!! My whole field is now holy! I now take half damage for as long as I'm on a holy panel. COME AT ME! I DON'T

HAVE 120 HP! I HAVE 240!






Time to switch back to my noob folder. Since I'm not showing an advanced technique, there's no need for uber powerful chips. Plus, for the upcoming boss, I want to simulate what a reasonable person's folder would look like. You know, someone who doesn't let their collection go out of control?

Does such a person exist...? This thread is warping my perspective of what's normal.





This fight is definitely a little bit harder. The Gloomer throws down PanlGrabs, which screw up your positioning.



Remember these guys? In White Version, their second set of viruses changes.

Elephants always remember, man.



FUCK! RATTY3! Ratty3 is a post-game virus. This is not good.



Wait, what? The second encounter is the same? Why? I mean, the encounter is a bit of a headache, but still!



And the third is the same, too!? THEY LITERALLY JUST SWITCHED AROUND THE POSITIONS!

Hey, don't fix what ain't broke, or something.

Oh, and look, they managed to hit me once. The problem with 120 HP runs is that just about everything is going to one-shot you after the early-game.



Oh, NOW you switch it up? Fishy's are scrub viruses, really. I don't want to hear any complaining about Fishys because one obstacle chip essentially wins you the match. Fishys are screwed once you put down anything like that. Plus, the Trumpy Omega pretty much blocks the Fishys from hitting you. It should be another variant, something, that confuses or blinds. It would make this encounter much more of a threat.

You can't ever stop me complaining about Fishys, man.



You guys are worse in this game. Blue version's was probably easier, but they kept the fights varied. This was a copy and paste for 3 rounds straight with an easy finish.



Jumping ahead, remember that one guy that ambushed us last update? Well, instead of Spikeys, he has Fishys. Failwhale. Fishys are scrub viruses. You could at least put down a Fishy2!



Fishys are cool guys.






: Aren't you supposed to be made of bowling balls?

Wow, rude.







MistMan is honestly just a cool a Navi as BowlMan. The whole genie aspect is very unique.

The look of him coming out of his pot kind of reminds me of SnakeMan, but the way it works is very different to that.





Naturally, most of the dialogue is essentially the same.

But the image of a big ol' genie calling you a young punk is way more hilarious.





https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0B4krLjtIQ

MistMan is pretty fun. He has a nasty habit of blocking quite a few frontal attacks. Staying too long in his row will prompt MistMan to fire at you. While technically an enemy on the field, MistMan himself can't be defeated permanently -- so you have to aim for the lamp. If MistMan stays still, just attack him, and do it FAST! Failure to do so means he will be putting down PoisMist or SoulGang, the latter of which only happens at very low HP. But those shadow spirits will hold you down in place, sucking your life while MistMan wails on you.

We can already see that yoyos are a pretty viable tool against him, cutting through his body and hitting that lamp.





Ten years ago was a very important time in Battle Network's world, which we will see in the next scenario.

dunnn dunnn foreshadowing







And that's it, really. There are still a few more miniscule differences between Blue and White, but those are simply more GigaChips, so I need to save those for another day.