Legendary distributions are an expected part of any game in the Pokémon franchise. In recent years, however, these events for rare and powerful Pokémon have gone from actual, in-game events that often required catching the Pokémon to simply being handed the Pokémon and nothing else. While the latter is certainly convenient, the loss of gameplay and additional story from the former is distinct. With Scarlet and Violet's Paradox raids of Legendary Pokémon, however, there's a potential return to form.Although the Tera Raids for Walking Wake and Iron Leaves initially seem to have more in common with merely downloading Legendary or Mythical Pokémon and not having to do anything else, the ideas and implications for these Raids are a positive step toward the more interactive events of the past. With Paradox forms of previous Legendaries being the possible first of many future Legendary raids, the potential for expanding Scarlet and Violet's most mysterious location is obvious.
The Challenge of the Catch Is a Necessity
Having Legendary or Mythical Pokémon handed to the player after inputting a code has more negatives than positives. While the convenience is nice for some, the interaction misses one of the crucial features of Pokémon: catching the titular creatures. Actually battling and capturing the rarest of these monsters presents both a challenge and an opportunity for some customization of the Pokémon.
Requiring the player to properly defeat the Legendary in a Raid adds a level of difficulty, while also being different from previous games where fainting the Legendary would end any chance of capture. The ability to capture is wonderful too, and deciding what Poké Ball a Pokémon can be is just as fun as capturing the Legendary itself. Considering almost all gifted, event Legendaries are found in Cherish Balls, giving players the choice as to how this particular Pokémon will fit into their game. The same applies to the Paradox Pokémon since their climactic battle is set within the format of Tera Raids. Fighting these Pokémon in a Raid is far more memorable than typing in a Mystery Gift code for them.
Tera Raids Are an Imperfect Improvement
The other highlight of old Legendary events was what they added to the game in terms of story. While these additions didn't change or usually continue where the story ended in a previous Pokémon game, the additional depth to the region was a welcome treat for fans of the franchise. Battling Arceus high above Spear Pillar on an ethereal platform, searching for Mew on a strange island in Hoenn, and traveling to a nightmarish island for Darkrai add even more to the games the events feature in, and these Paradox Pokémon Raids have the same potential.
The current Tera Raids for Walking Wake and Iron Leaves missed an opportunity to further expand the story surrounding Area Zero -- the most mysterious region of Scarlet and Violet by far. The promoted Paradox Pokémon already exist in the lore of Area Zero, which would have made a tie-in with the Raids in Area Zero perfect. With these only being the very first Paradox Raids of assumedly many to come, potential changes or expansions to the current Paradox Raid system are very possible. Regardless, with the upcoming DLC being named after Area Zero, additional information about this place out of time is almost guaranteed.