Climbing the Pokemon Unite ranked ladder is not easy. But it is more than possible to find success with some dedication and proper item building. The following tier list will provide insight on the best Pokemon Unite held items to use as of the end of October 2021.
Image from Rankedboost
This tier consists of strong Pokemon Unite held items for just about any character. Buddy Barrier and Focus Band are universal items. Each of them focuses on one of the most important aspects of Pokemon Unite’s gameplay. That of course is high sustain during team fights.
Just by using a Unite move, Buddy Barrier gives shields to one’s teammates in the area. The timing of those barriers could be the difference between winning and losing the final fight of a game.
On the other side of it, Focus Band provides general sustain with a healing effect and extra defenses. The healing effect kicks in around the 25% HP threshold and can be the difference between life and death. This item can be especially potent on tanky characters who are difficult to kill.
Image: Pokemon Unite
The next set of items are not universal picks but are all still very effective. Muscle Band is strong on any character that is dependent on basic attacks. To put it simply, this item gives buffs to attack speed and damage. Any attacker, speedster, or all-rounder can be effective with it.
On the other hand, Razor Claw and Choice Specs are powerful depending on the type of Pokemon. Physical attackers should make use of the Razor Claw. It increases attack power and critical hit rates. Razor Claw is also beneficial for melee characters as it decreases the movement speed of enemies, allowing for easier kill confirmation.
If a trainer is using a special attacker, Choice Specs are the way to go. While it lacks the slowing effect of Razor Claw, it makes up for it with a higher damage multiplier. The connection of any move will result in massive damage to quickly eliminate enemies.
Image from Rankedboost
The next set of items all have their purposes but are not a must-use every game. Score shield is a great item for those struggling to score points. It can be a very powerful item during the early game to give one’s team a quick lead. However, it loses its value later in the game which doesn’t always make it worth using.
Energy Amplifier also has its strengths. Characters who charge up their Unite move fast such as Blastoise may find decent success with this item. The buffs it provides are no joke. However, the buffs are temporary and the item is only effective on select characters.
In addition to Energy Amplifier, Scope Lens is also limited to specific characters. Pokemon with high critical hit rates such as Absol and Machamp make good use of this item. The same applies to fast attackers like Cinderace and Cramorant.
Attack Weight and Special Attack Glasses are two sides of the same coin. Attack Weight gives permanent bonus attack power each time the user scores and can stack up to six times. Meanwhile, the Special Attack Glasses have the same effect for each score but for special attack stats instead. The drawback is these items will not be effective if the user struggles to score.
Image from Rankedboost
The items in this tier have their strengths but tend to be viewed as niche picks. EXP Share has its perks for supporting teammates and providing movement speed and health buffs. The drawback is it lacks a huge impact during team fights.
Float Stone allows for a player to get back into battle faster. But the movement speed buff does not work in combat, making it useless during team fights.
Shell Bell gives decent healing and sustain but is a weaker version of Focus Band. It does not have the same potency as other more powerful special attacker items either.
The Wise Glasses became far less useful after Choice Specs got released. Choice Specs offer the same special attack increase as the Wise Glasses but with a bonus effect that makes it more powerful.
Weakness Policy is mostly strong for pokemon that deal decent damage but also tank hits. It is a decent item for the all-rounder class but that is about it.
Image from Rankedboost
These items do not have much use in competitive play. Assault Vest’s effects are strong on paper but mostly involve being outside of battle. Meanwhile, the healing effects of Leftovers and Aeos Cookie are quite minimal. They are a waste of an item slot when Eldegoss and Blissey can be utilized instead. Finally, Rocky Helmet’s damage and other effects are too insignificant to make a difference compared to other defensive pokemon unite held items. It lacks the sustainability or damage threat to make it useful in its current state.
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