CrossImpact

it's been a while but I remember using Drought Ninetales once (I think her behaviour has improved against that? or does she still kick herself onto the rainbow field?) then just regular battling cuz AI was oofing against that ...and one other time (in singles?), a Sturdy Donphan with Heat Rock + Sunny Day into a maxed SP DEF Roserade that also held the according Seed and thus could take an ice beam ; use growth to +6 during sunlight (or maybe +4 first and needing to extend sunlight once more -with- Roserade? there was something going on there) and then giga drain everything

Nice observations concerning the player character. It surely is still mysterious, and it'd finally make for a game in which the whole "you're no ordinary trainer, are you!!" comes back all the way round. There are also implications that the events are of a cyclical nature, though I've seen enough of that kind of story in the past decade. Post-game might be a "what-if". I was expecting to see Titania on that list somewhere, given that she's been a big source of misery for at least 50% of her supposed high school clique (Julia still seems very "shallow" (as in, -actually- untroubled too much?!) in comparison to the other three, which just might be her exact thing all the way through to the end? it's telling they haven't had any actual interaction yet), and 50% of the time killed someone specific in blind rage, and 100% of the time killed a lot of people in blind rage, and there could be some sort of "atonement" (she's not particularly blind to what she does, but it'd be disingenious character development, since she's already been moving... somewhere into a whole other direction) for the folks who appear like they actually should be her friends (yet she could manage to cut them down one by one somehow), in one of those heated moments in which she just seems to falter in. It's still her turn to really do something "good", a flicker that there's an actual heart beneath the steel. ...though I'm sure the most likely scenario is that she'll find a way to blame everything on everyone else and then skedaddle the hell out of there cuz it's just "too much trouble" to actually work things out. Solaris/Taka (if both still alive) might be in a position to show just that. Though I'm afraid one of them will pay with their life for it, or both independently, though that'd wipe out the genetic line of known guardians (where's El been at?). Solaris stands strongly behind his viewpoints, yet as his ways cost him everything and don't work on top of that, I see him as the type of character that can really think things through to another end. If Sirius doesn't simply turn off the lights for him, I can totally see him getting through. (...There's actually an odd point about him not directly related to surviving, that is, when you meet him when freeing Victoria underneath the Grand Stairway. I faintly remember his dialogue implying/saying that he'd be cool with everyone knowing about the holy site, that the player should even tell people about it. That's an idea he never seemed to have tried? Like, just go to city managament, "Hey, there's this awesome Arceus temple down there, I'm in the bloodline of its protectors, don't do dumb shit (again), and we good". Given that the late city management could have been expected to be quite cool with it... It's certainly nothing the story was ever meant to consider, but with all the animosity he creates, it feels like he missed out on some steps to reach his goal in better ways. Then again, actually talking to people has always been frowned upon by humans, it's just better to insult them and kick them out of places you perceive to belong to you, etc.)

you may certainly count that as an exception rather than an expectation for anyone going into it. alas, you didn't even answer the question of the topic! Shift or Set? personally I've been playing Set mode ever since finding Reborn (and thus, in Rejuvenation, which I started on Intense mode, playthrough is on ice, so far I collected 5 or 6 badges... idr.) it makes for a much more natural flow of battle, and it makes sense to use it in games that are actually made to provide some challenges (which is quite different from the official games). I know of people playing either mode, I might imagine it's just individual habit. or if the game is hard enough for someone on Shift mode, turning it to Set might make advancing quite frustrating. and no, the Nuzlocke sounds like a nuts idea, not good for your mental health. consider it thoroughly

imo the thing is dynamax seems to equal z-moves, just that you can use 'em for 3 turns making the ball and models bigger and having some flashy light is a mere eye candy to sell it as amazing cuz "WOOOW SO BIGGUUU DESUUU" idk. where the creativity at it's like they are desperately searching for fresh things, but so far they have squeezed all of them so hard into the existing boundaries that it's just really not impressive and I also can't imagine they are not aware so I wonder what keeps these creative minds on such a narrow track.

if they actually took inspiration from Reborn or Rejuvenation, maybe they'd end up making good games

heh. that's always the same with anything great you got to enjoy over a long period of time. and for Reborn it might be especially so. reality always kicks in soon after, so don't fret.