The first major balance patch is officially live for Pokémon UNITE, bringing changes for 14 Pokémon, including many that have been ruling the competitive meta since day one.
TiMi Studio detailed a majority of the biggest changes in the patch notes, but the one fans will be most excited to see is Gengar’s Hex being nerfed heavily. This was arguably the most powerful move in the entire game and will now be less effective, while Gengar’s other moves were pumped up a bit.
Talonflame, Charizard, Venusaur, Absol, and Wigglytuff all got some major buffs. Specifically for Venusaur, Sludge Bomb, Petal Dance, Solar Beam, and its Unite Move all received boosts to try and make it a more viable option as an attacker in the game.
Along with Gengar’s best move being nerfed, Cinderace is the biggest loser of the patch. Outside of Pyro Ball getting its damage output increased, Blaze Kick, and Feint were nerfed, along with a general Attack stat decrease for the Pokémon.
Zeraora’s powerful Unite Move was nerfed, Machamp players might be moving off of Cross Chop builds since it has been nerfed, and Eldegoss could be less effective at providing shields to teammates with Cotton Guard and its Unite Move being hit too.
Along with all of the changes, TiMi pushed several bug and test fixes to the main servers. The team is also testing a Spectate Mode for a limited time. This can be accessed from Aug. 4 to 6 before it is removed and reworked for a potential full release in the future.
