At A Glance
- The anniversary Super Sparring event began September 13, 2026 at 11:00 p.m. PT and ends September 22 at 10:59 p.m. PT.
- Scores are based on inflicting high damage, so offensive tempo matters more than a slow survival strategy.
- Build separate teams around each battle’s weakness and reserve your strongest compatible field effects for the best scoring attempt.
Super Sparring is a Pokémon Masters EX Ranked Damage Event built around producing as much damage as possible rather than merely defeating an opponent. The current post-Marvelous Mega seven-year edition increases quantities for some rewards and contains three battles. Ranking data may take time to update, so a new personal best might not appear globally at once.
The event runs from September 13 at 11:00 p.m. PT until September 22 at 10:59 p.m. PT. Participation requires completion of Main Story Chapter 1: The More the Merrier on Normal difficulty. Event completion data will not carry into a future rerun.
How Ranked Damage Events Work
Your objective is to turn a limited battle window into the highest possible score. That changes normal priorities. Healing and extreme defence have less value if the team already survives the attempt, while sync acceleration, type rebuffs, weather, terrain, zones, circles and Next Move effects can multiply the damage delivered before time expires.
Read the live rules for each battle because opponents in the event can have abilities different from the recruitable versions. Check weakness, physical or special preferences and any conditions that modify scoring. Save a separate team for every battle rather than forcing one general lineup across all three.
Building a High-Scoring Team
Begin with one primary damage dealer that matches the weakness and has a powerful sync move or repeatable attack. The second slot should amplify that damage through a matching zone, weather, terrain, rebuff or circle. Use the final slot for fast stat setup, move-gauge support, debuffs or sync-countdown reduction.
Avoid duplicated buffs. If the attacker reaches maximum Special Attack and critical-hit rate alone, a support that only supplies those stats wastes valuable turns. Choose a partner that adds a different multiplier or lets the attacker begin dealing damage sooner.
Champion Lucas and Origin Forme Dialga can accelerate the team after syncing through Brilliant Diamond Roar of Time, while also providing EX Dragon Zone and teamwide Next Move boosts. The Champion Lucas build guide explains the timing. Champion Dawn and Palkia are a strong Dragon-weak damage option, detailed in the Champion Dawn build guide.
Sync Timing and Move Order
Map the opening turns before attempting a serious score. Apply essential buffs and field effects with as few actions as possible, then queue attacks immediately. Time the strongest sync move while all relevant multipliers are active. If a zone or circle expires just before syncing, the entire attempt can fall behind.
Use low-gauge moves only when they advance the sync countdown, trigger a passive or preserve gauge for the main attacker. Otherwise, every support animation consumes part of the scoring window. Manual play is preferable while optimising because automatic move selection rarely understands your intended burst sequence.
How to Improve a Plateaued Score
Change one factor at a time. First confirm that offensive stats and critical rate reach their intended levels. Next check field-effect uptime, then examine whether the main attacker ever waits for move gauge. Finally, test different sync users or grid presets. Controlled changes make it clear which adjustment produced the improvement.
Do not spend rare upgrade items solely to gain a small ranking movement unless the sync pair will remain useful elsewhere. Secure attainable event rewards first, then treat leaderboard improvement as an optional challenge. The True Time and Space guide covers the other major Sinnoh content running alongside Super Sparring.
Visit the Pokémon Masters EX guides hub for the complete cluster.
Final Thoughts
Super Sparring rewards focused team construction and a rehearsed opening sequence. Match the stage weakness, avoid redundant setup and preserve every major multiplier for the most valuable attacks. Once a team survives reliably, additional defence usually contributes less than faster syncing, stronger field effects or cleaner move-gauge management.