Every six months Pokemon Masters EX makes us prepare our hearts (and wallets) for a new set of powerful Sync Pairs to coincide with the half-year celebration and subsequent anniversary. Each event features two to three Sync Pairs and sometimes a surprise unit that appears later as the cherry on top.
While it is hard to compare Strikers, Techs, and Support units directly, some Sync Pairs distinguish themselves as must-haves and transcend the game's typical categorizations. From damage dealers to debuffers to weather and zone setters, these duos stand out with some of the most outstanding outfits and masterful movesets available.
14 Anniversary Steven And Shiny Rayquaza
What Steven lacks in strength, he more than makes up for in suave swagger with shiny Rayquaza. Despite a Mega Evolution and one of the most gorgeous designs, this duo leaves a lot to be desired regarding Sync Move damage.
Rayquaza unfortunately only gains Speed with its Mega, making it a better option to just Sync with your EX Support for the extra Sync Move Buff instead of wasting your Sync for paltry damage and a minor statistical boost.
13 Leon And Charizard
The perpetually lost champion finds himself among some of the strongest Fire-types around, offering one of the best kits for tackling the Battle Villa that still holds up well after his initial release. However, that is Leon's most notable attribute as he faces stiff competition among his fellow Fire-type damage dealers.
Leon is an excellent jack-of-all-trades unit, but a master of none as his ability to burn is niche, and his raw damage via both Sync Moves and regular moves leave something to be desired.
12 SS Leaf & Venusaur
SS Leaf doubles as both a Support and Tech, despite being classified as the latter. Her Razor Leaf provides a deadly combination of AoE poison alongside Defense and Special Defense debuffing via her Sundering 9 passive.
Leaf comes prepared with AoE gradual healing through her Mega Healing trainer move as well as Potion for a more immediate solution when you're on the brink. No matter the situation, SS Leaf provides the flexibility to slot into almost any team, unlike a more limited pick such as Leon.
11 Anniversary Lillie And Lunala
Lillie's claim to fame comes in the form of Lunala's signature move, Moongeist Beam, which completely ignores opponents' damage-reducing passives. This inherent attribute ensures that Moongeist Beam will deal maximum damage, easily eliminating Ghost-weak competition.
In addition to her powerful attacks, Lunala comes with a one-press trainer move that maximizes her attacking stats and even has Potion to assist with healing duties. This unique kit enables some amazing solo possibilities for those who want to take on all comers without a full team of three.
10 Anniversary May And Latias
May and Latias transcend roles with exceptional damage, Psychic Zone setting, debuffs, and top-notch move gauge management. May's role largely depends on her teammates as she can fall back and support her fellow Psychic-types with her Psychic Wish or shine front and center as the damage-dealing leader.
Part of Latias' impressive flexibility is due to her Mega Evolution, which enables her to debuff a foe's Special Attack by two ranks at once via Mist Ball. Add in her X Special Attack All, and it's clear how she can seamlessly pivot from Support to Tech to Striker.
9 Anniversary N And Reshiram
N and Reshiram take notes from fellow Tech units Venusaur and May, as this duo provides support via Move Gauge Acceleration and both Attack and Special Attack debuffs via Noble Roar. Reshiram also boasts the illustrious Piercing Blows passive, which ignores all damage-reducing effects, similar to Lunala's Moongeist Beam.
Factor in N's other excellent passive, Extend Range, which makes his Blue Flare hit all opponents without the standard AoE drop-off, and you have an excellent unit worthy of his Anniversary status.
8 SS Blue And Blastoise
The game's first must-have Support unit still hangs around with some of the best more than two years after release. Blue's excellent bulk keeps him relevant, and his exceptional healing and smorgasbord of buffs cement him as a top-tier Support.
Blastoise can buff every major attribute save for accuracy and evasiveness, but these are rarely necessary for success in most battles. Make sure to invest in raising Blue to EX as Syncing to transform into Mega Blastoise is essential.
7 Anniversary Raihan And Flygon
Raihan and Flygon represent another Tech unit that simply isn't bound by the usual separation of roles, easily compressing several units into one powerful Pokemon. If you need a weather unit, look no further, as Flygon can set both Sun (up to twice) and Sandstorm multiple times, depending on MP refresh luck.
Raihan can keep Sandstorm up for an extended duration with his Sand Alert 5 passive in his Sync Grid. These qualities, combined with his AoE flinching Twister and explosive Sync Nuke damage, set him apart as one of the most flexible units available.
6 Anniversary Skyla And Tornadus
Much like her fellow flinching weather setter, Raihan, Skyla, and Tornadus roll some impressive abilities into one powerful package. While she specializes in Flying Zone, Skyla offers two forms of disruption in both AoE flinching and confusion.
However, Skyla exceeds Raihan in role compression as she can feasibly be built as a tanky Support unit via proper Sync Grid build, which improves her damage reduction along with healing via Mini Potion All nodes.
5 Special Costume Rosa And Shaymin (Sky Form)
This adorable Grass-type provides a terrifying debuffing package along with Support and Striker qualities. Shaymin can debuff Special Defense by two stat ranks with Seed Flare, increasing to three ranks with its full Sync Grid.
Shaymin's Shuddering Snarl 9 passive also debuffs an opponent's Special Attack by two stat ranks every time a move succeeds. You can lower every opponent's Special Attack at once using AoE Sweet Scent (which already lowers evasion by two ranks). If you're looking for a stat-lowering Pair, there may not be anyone better than Shaymin.
4 Cynthia (Aura) And Lucario
Cynthia stands alone as the tankiest Support in the game, boasting over 400 in each defensive stat when fully maxed out. Lucario bolsters its defensive capabilities with Cynthia's trainer move, which raises both defenses by six stat ranks for all allies with a single use.
Cynthia's kit also includes Fighting Zone (which can be refreshed with every Sync), physical and special move boosts, and two forms of healing via Team Fist Bump 3 and Potion, which can be augmented with multiple nodes in her grid.
3 SS Serena And Zygarde
Serena and Zygarde demolish foes with massive Ground or Dragon-type damage, making her one of the strongest Strikers. Both Thousand Waves and Core Enforcer provide top-tier damage, with the latter being instrumental to Dragon-type and off-type battles alike.
Once Zygarde transforms into Complete Form after Syncing, the battle is all but over, especially if you restrained the enemy, as Zygarde's damage increases against them due to Power Hold 5.
2 Ash And Pikachu
The legendary anime protagonist is finally playable in a Pokemon game and lives up to the hype with his famous 'anime plot armor' included. Ash and Pikachu's signature Thunderbolt helps introduce a new Buddy Move (B) feature, exceeding even SS Serena's single target damage.
While most Max and Sync Moves have a Base Power (BP) ranging from 400-600, B Thunderbolt reaches 1,000 if used while you have six move gauges, in addition to Ash's Sync Move which tops the Striker charts. Pikachu can also endure two hits at 1HP, bringing 'plot armor' to a new level.
1 Red (Thunderbolt) And Pikachu
The final boss of the first two generations of Pokemon returns with his ace, Pikachu, completely redefining power during the game's Third Anniversary. If you thought Charizard was strong, then be prepared for shocking results with Gigantamax (GMax) Pikachu and its B Volt Tackle.
Red and Pikachu do it all, providing extended Electric Terrain and team healing, self-sufficient set-up, and overwhelming damage via Sync, Gmax, and Buddy Moves. AoE paralysis and debuffing provide the icing on this cake celebrating three years of transcendent Pairs, with a Protagonist and Pikachu combination to stand alone as the very best.