iTechGuides is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Learn more
What do Striker, Support, Tech, and Field do in Pokémon Masters EX? They describe a Sync Pair’s official battle role and, in some cases, the effect gained when that pair reaches 6★ EX. Strike (the formal label; players often say Striker) makes a 6★ EX Sync Move hit all opponents. Tech raises 6★ EX Sync Move power. Support doubles the stat increases applied after its 6★ EX Sync Move once. Field pairs manipulate field effects, and a 6★ EX Field pair extends its own pair-specific field effect before its first Sync Move in each battle.
Those labels are not complete descriptions of a pair. Moves, passives, type, target rules, gauge cost, field effect and the battle itself determine how useful a pair is. A Sync Pair can also have an EX Role in addition to its starting role, creating combinations such as a Strike pair with a Tech EX Role.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
|
Pokémon Pokopia - Nintendo Switch 2 | $69.00 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
|
Pokémon Legends: Arceus - US Version | $54.00 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
|
Pokemon Shining Pearl - Nintendo Switch Shining Pearl Edition | $52.49 | Buy on Amazon |
| 4 |
|
Pokémon: Let's Go, Eevee! - Nintendo Switch | $53.99 | Buy on Amazon |
Quick reference: the four base roles
| Role label | What the role is associated with | What changes at 6★ EX | What the label does not establish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Strike (often called Striker) | Offensive Sync Move targeting | The Sync Move attacks all opponents | That every attack is area-of-effect, or that the pair is the best damage dealer for every battle |
| Tech | Enhanced Sync Move impact | Sync Move power increases | Whether the pair is a damage dealer, debuffer or field setter |
| Support | Team durability and stat assistance | Stat increases applied after the Sync Move are doubled once | That every Support pair should be targeted first, or that all Support pairs have the same buffs |
| Field | Manipulation of field effects | The pair-specific field effect lasts longer before the pair’s first Sync Move in each battle | Which field effect the pair creates, or how long it lasts after later Sync Moves |
The 6★ EX effects in the table are upgrade effects, not permanent descriptions of the base role. The official English role name is “Strike”; “Striker” is common player language.
Strike (Striker): the all-opponent Sync Move
A Strike Sync Pair’s defining 6★ EX benefit is targeting. Once the pair reaches 6★ EX, its Sync Move attacks every opponent instead of being restricted to one target. This is especially valuable when a battle has several enemies, because one Sync Move can contribute damage across the entire opposing side.
#1 Best Overall
- Shape the world and build a cozy new life with Pokémon as a Ditto transformed to look like a human.
- Use other Pokémon’s moves, like Bulbasaur’s Leafage, to revitalize and navigate the world around you.
- Meet and befriend more Pokémon as you help nature flourish.
- Gather materials to create items and furniture, till the fields to grow delicious crops, build homes for the Pokémon you meet, and more—there’s so much to do!
- Experience a world with varied weather, real-time days and nights, and other surprises.
The effect applies to the Sync Move, not automatically to the pair’s ordinary moves. A Strike pair may still have single-target attacks, spread attacks, status effects or utility actions in its individual kit. Check the move descriptions before assuming that every action can hit multiple targets.
When the Strike effect matters most
- Multiple-opponent encounters: An all-target Sync Move can remove side enemies or reduce them simultaneously.
- Sync-cycle planning: If your strategy is built around a first or second Sync Move, the 6★ EX upgrade changes how much value that timing creates across the field.
- Target-count restrictions: A single-target damage dealer can still be preferable when a battle rewards concentrated damage on one boss. The role label alone does not decide that choice.
Tech: more Sync Move power, not one fixed play style
At 6★ EX, a Tech pair receives increased Sync Move power. That is a direct improvement to the Sync Move’s damage or impact, but it does not define the rest of the kit. Tech pairs can be built around debuffs, status conditions, disruption, field interaction or damage, depending on their moves and passives.
Do not read “Tech” as a promise that a pair is a pure attacker. A Tech pair that lowers an opponent’s defenses may increase the team’s total damage without being the strongest individual attacker. Another Tech pair may specialize in a condition or a particular battle mechanic. The pair’s details screen is the authority for those functions.
Free tools Windows power users keep installed
One-click scans. No signup required.
Questions to ask about a Tech pair
- Does its Sync Move benefit from the conditions your team can reliably create?
- Do its debuffs or status effects work on the encounter’s opponents?
- Is the Sync Move power increase useful at the point in your rotation when you can actually use it?
- Does the pair need a particular weather, terrain, zone, stat stage or team tag to reach its intended output?
Support: one doubled post-Sync stat increase
A Support pair’s 6★ EX effect doubles the stat increases applied after its Sync Move, once. The wording matters: this is a one-time doubling of the post-Sync stat increase, not a permanent doubling of every buff the pair provides and not an effect that repeats after every Sync Move.
Support pairs can still differ radically. One may raise attack or special attack, another may focus on speed, defenses, healing, damage reduction or gauge management. The role effect should be considered alongside those individual tools.
Target-order advice is encounter-specific
An official battle-tip example recommends considering a Support pair with higher HP, Defense or Sp. Def as the first target, and an offensive Strike pair as the third target in that particular challenge. This is tactical advice for that encounter, not a universal rule that every opponent should attack Support first or that every team should place a Strike pair third. Enemy passives, target priorities and your team’s win condition can change the correct order.
Rank #2
- Action meets RPG in this new take on the Pokémon series
- Study Pokémon behaviors, sneak up on them, and toss a well-aimed Poké Ball to catch them
- Unleash moves in the speedy agile style or the powerful strong style in battles
- Travel to the Hisui region—the Sinnoh of old—and build the region’s first Pokédex
- Learn about the Mythical Pokémon Arceus, the key to this mysterious tale
Field: manipulating effects that change the battle environment
The Field role is built around field effects. The official introduction describes Field Sync Pairs as excelling at manipulating field effects during battle. A field effect can alter the conditions under which attacks, defenses or other mechanics operate, but the exact effect is pair-specific.
What’s actually slowing this PC down?
Pick the symptom - the matching free tool is one click away.
At 6★ EX, a Field pair deploys its own field effect so that it lasts longer before the pair’s first Sync Move in each battle. “Its own” is important: there is no single universal Field effect shared by every Field pair. Read the Sync Pair’s details to see whether it creates a zone, terrain, weather or another named effect, and to learn the conditions attached to that effect.
How to evaluate a Field pair
- Identify the exact field effect and which allies or moves benefit from it.
- Check whether the pair can activate the effect immediately, after a move, or only through a passive.
- Plan the first Sync Move around the extended pre-Sync duration instead of assuming the effect remains unchanged for the whole battle.
- Verify whether the encounter can overwrite, remove or ignore the effect.
Base role versus EX Role
A pair’s base role is the role it starts with: Strike, Tech, Support or Field. An eligible pair may also contain an EX Role, which is an additional layer rather than a replacement for the original label.
| Feature | Base role | EX Role |
|---|---|---|
| Where it appears | The pair’s normal role designation | A separate role shown for eligible Sync Pairs |
| When it applies | The pair’s kit and its normal role rules apply as designed | Unlocking it grants a stat boost; at 6★ EX it adds the Sync Move effect associated with that EX Role |
| Can the labels differ? | Yes | Yes. A Strike pair can have Tech as its EX Role, for example |
| How to judge it | Read the pair’s moves, passives and role effect | Read the additional role effect and decide whether it complements the existing kit |
The official example of a Strike pair with a Tech EX Role illustrates the interaction: at 6★ EX, that pair can have the Strike benefit of hitting all opponents and the Tech benefit of increased Sync Move power. The two effects describe different layers of the same pair.
Another official example, Ethan (Champion) & Raikou, is a Support pair with Field as its EX Role. That combination shows why the two labels should not be treated as synonyms: Support is the starting role, while Field is the added EX Role.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsHow to unlock an EX Role
The resource and eligibility requirements can change as the game is updated, so confirm the current menu text for the pair before spending materials. The announced process has these core requirements and steps:
Rank #3
- Revisit the Sinnoh region from the original Pokémon Pearl Version game and set off to try and become the Champion of the Pokémon League
- The Pokémon Shining Pearl game brings new life to this remade classic with added features
- Explore the Grand Underground to dig up items and Pokémon Fossils, build a Secret Base, and more.
- Test your style and rhythm in a Super Contest Show
- A reimagined adventure, now for the Nintendo Switch system
- Finish Main Story Chapter 1, “The More the Merrier,” on Normal. The official EX Role announcement lists completion of this chapter and difficulty as the unlock requirement for the system.
- Open an eligible Sync Pair’s details. Look for the EX Role information and confirm which role is assigned to that pair. Not every pair necessarily has the same eligibility or EX Role.
- Obtain the matching Roll Cake. Use the Roll Cake corresponding to the pair’s EX Role. A Roll Cake for a different role is not a substitute.
- Use Roll Cake Coins when appropriate. The official system also describes Roll Cake Coins as an exchange route. Check the current exchange menu, costs and availability before committing coins.
- Unlock the EX Role from the pair’s menu. The stat boost is granted when the EX Role is unlocked.
- Reach 6★ EX to use the role-based Sync Move effect. The extra Sync Move effect tied to the EX Role is a 6★ EX benefit, so unlocking the role and having the pair at 6★ EX are separate milestones.
Menu names, item sources and requirements can be revised. If an option is missing, recheck the pair’s eligibility, your story progress, the role shown in the details screen and the current Roll Cake exchange screen rather than assuming the materials were consumed incorrectly.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How to compare roles when building a team
Role labels are useful filters, but they are not a tier list. Compare the actual battle function in this order.
1. Match the damage pattern to the encounter
Count the targets, identify whether the fight is decided by a boss or by several enemies, and check the opponent’s defenses. A 6★ EX Strike Sync Move changes target coverage; a 6★ EX Tech effect raises Sync Move power. Neither fact tells you whether the pair’s ordinary moves, type coverage or timing fit the encounter.
2. Identify the team-enabling action
Ask what the pair contributes before and after its Sync Move: stat increases, healing, defensive protection, debuffs, status conditions or a field effect. For Field pairs, confirm the exact effect rather than inferring it from the role name.
3. Check timing and investment
Determine whether the pair is already 6★ EX, whether the first Sync Move occurs early enough to matter, and whether the EX Role’s stat boost or Sync Move effect changes your plan. A role that looks attractive on paper may have little impact if the battle ends before the relevant effect activates.
4. Test the kit against the encounter’s rules
Some battles block status conditions, remove field effects, punish repeated attacks or force a particular target order. Read the encounter rules and the pair’s passive descriptions together. The same role can be excellent in one stage and awkward in another.
Rank #4
- Don the role of a Pokémon Trainer as you travel through Kanto
- Discover a new species of Pokémon with the Pokémon Lets Go series
- Catch Pokémon in the wild using a gentle throwing motion with either a Joy-Con controller or a Poké Ball Plus accessory, which will light up, vibrate, and make sounds to bring your adventure to life
- See the world in style by customizing Pikachu and your Trainer with a selection of outfits
- Connect to Pokémon GO* to transfer caught Kanto-region Pokémon, including Alolan and Shiny forms, as well as the newly discovered Pokémon, Meltan, from that game to this one
5. Build around complementary layers
A team might combine a Support pair for survival and buffs, a Strike pair for broad Sync Move damage, and a Tech or Field pair for debuffs or environmental control. That is a framework, not a mandatory three-role formula; a pair’s actual kit can justify a different combination.
Quick wins for a faster PC:
Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Common mistakes and how to correct them
Assuming every Strike move hits all opponents
Only the 6★ EX Strike Sync Move effect establishes all-opponent targeting. Inspect ordinary move descriptions for their own target rules.
Treating Tech as “the damage role”
Tech guarantees the 6★ EX Sync Move power increase, not a specific damage, debuff or status-condition kit. Read the individual pair details.
Expecting every Field pair to create the same effect
Field effects vary by pair. Confirm the named effect, duration and activation condition in the Sync Pair menu.
Confusing an EX Role with a replacement role
The EX Role is additional. Keep evaluating the original role and the pair’s full kit after the EX Role is unlocked.
The Tool Desk
Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Using one battle tip as a universal formation
The 2025 target-order example is tied to a particular challenge. Enemy behavior and stage mechanics determine whether that order works elsewhere.
Reading a 6★ EX benefit as a base-role effect
Strike’s all-opponent targeting, Tech’s increased Sync Move power, Support’s one-time doubled post-Sync stat increase and Field’s extended pre-first-Sync field effect are all tied to the 6★ EX state. A pair below that upgrade state does not automatically have those benefits.
What to check in-game before investing
- The pair’s formal base role and any listed EX Role.
- The exact Sync Move text at the current 6★ EX state.
- The field effect name, activation trigger and duration for a Field pair.
- The pair’s move targets, type, gauge cost, passives and team conditions.
- Your current Roll Cake and Roll Cake Coin requirements.
- Whether the next battle has target-order, immunity, field-removal or timing mechanics that change the value of the role effect.
The role system has been expanded over time: the core Strike, Tech and Support 6★ EX effects were announced in 2020, EX Roles were announced in 2023, Field was introduced on August 15, 2023, and official examples and battle advice continued through 2026. Because pair availability and requirements can change, the current Sync Pair details screen should take precedence over older notices.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
Recommended Free Tools
