Goal zone

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A goal zone is a key part of the stages in Pokémon UNITE. It determines the score count when an opposing Pokémon scores Aeos energy into it, and it also gives the ally team defensive advantages.

Functions

Scoring

When a Pokémon dunks Aeos energy into an active goal zone, it scores points for that Pokémon's team, heals it a bit and gives it experience (if 2+ points are scored), charges its Unite Move gauge and adds a stack to held scoring items, if such are equipped. Scoring can be blocked by an enemy or wild Pokémon's attack or a jump from a jump pad, and sped up through various means, such as defeating Zapdos or having several teammates stand on the goal (see #Goal zone interactions). Once enough points have been scored in a goal zone, the goal zone will be destroyed, with any additional points going towards the score count. Typically, central or neutral goal zones cannot be destroyed within a match. Separate stages have means of affecting scoring in various ways, detailed in #Stage specifics.

Other

In addition to being the areas for scoring, goal zones provide multiple benefits for the defending team:

• Defining lanes: in stages with multiple goal zones per side, they are positioned strictly within lanes. The outer goal zones form the first tier and layer of defense, dividing ally and neutral territory. Goal zones are connected by glowing speed-flux zones which boost their team's speed and slow opponents down.
• Health regeneration: a Pokémon standing on its goal zone will gain a small shield and slowly regain health. The recovery and shielding depends on the tier of the goal zone, with the base goal giving the most. Walking in and out of the goal zone further accelerates healing. Both effects are temporarily disabled when a goal zone is weakened. Additionally, if the first tier of goal zones is unbroken, two Sitrus Berries continuously spawn next to them.
• Wild Pokémon spawning: where goal zones can be destroyed, wild Pokémon spawn and despawn. Each lane starts with a set number of wild Pokémon necessary to grant player Pokémon experience for level 3. Depending on the first tier's status, additional spawn rules apply: if unbroken, groups of Pokémon (such as Altaria and Swablu, Vespiquen and Combee) spawn in between two lanes, and other Pokémon of lower experience yield surround it to facilitate the opponent's item stacking. Otherwise, wild Pokémon of a higher experience yield appear on the sides of the map to allow for a comeback, and groups of Pokémon can appear closer to the next tier of goals.

Goal zone interactions

Several Pokémon, both playable and wild, can cause goal zones to temporarily gain different properties:

• Mamoswine's Thick Fat: when Mamoswine uses a move on its goal zone, this ability slows down scoring for opposing Pokémon.
• Hoopa's Hyperspace Hole: when using this move on an active ally goal zone, the two active goal zones are linked by portals, allowing teammates to travel through them.
• Miraidon's Hadron Engine: when this ability is triggered, ally goal zones within its radius heal more, while enemy goal zones heal less.
• Goal Hacker: a Battle Item with an effect similar to Miraidon's Hadron Engine.
• Weakening and protecting goal zones: some wild Pokémon (such as Rotom, Regieleki or Zapdos) can leave goal zones defenseless either upon entering them (in the case of the first two) or simply being defeated (in the case of the latter). This means that scoring in the affected goal zones becomes instant, and said goal zones stop shielding and healing during this period of time.
• Score boosting: if several Pokémon from one team stand on an opposing goal zone, scoring is sped up for all of them, using the number of allies present to calculate scoring speed (with the biggest boost halving the scoring time).

Stage specifics

References

This article is part of Project Sidegames, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on the Pokémon Sidegames.