Thanks to the developers hard work towards evolving the game, Pokemon Unite is more balanced than its ever been. In essence, there are strong picks in the patch, but nothing is too overbearing. The small adjustments throughout the past couple of weeks created a rather healthy, and incredibly fun state for the game.
This Pokemon Unite tier list first shows every pokemon ranked in their appropriate tier, then splits them up into their specific classes. The top-tier picks boast a versatile kit capable of adapting to various different matchups. On the other hand, the low-tier pokemon require very particular conditions to experience success. That doesn’t meant that the lower-tier pokemon are terrible. Instead, they simply require more nuanced environments and coordination to fulfill their appropriate win conditions. After each ranking, one or two notable picks will mentioned while drawing analysis of the current meta.
When ranked in the same specific tier, the pokemon are simply positioned in alphabetical order rather than strength. The list assumes players utilize the proper held items and moves to maximize the pick.
Check the link below for a video version of the tier list.
[Related: All Pokemon Unite Builds]
Pokemon Unite Tier List
Dragonite
Considering Dragonite just released, its only fitting to note the pick. As a whole, the pokemon definitely isn’t overpowered. But it’s not necessarily weak either. Since the pokemon requires two entire evolutions, reaching its apex form at level 8, the pick scales rather slowly into the game. The picks’ weakness is definitely the early game. Before becoming Dragonite, the pokemon absolutely struggles against its contemporaries.
When Dragonair evolves into Dragonite, the all-rounder becomes pretty powerful. Not powerful enough to solo carry games, but strong to the point where the enemy needs to respect the pick. The meta requires Dragonite to almost always use Dragon Dance, but its secondary move is really up to the player’s choice. Outrage for melee, and Hyper Beam for more ranged shenanigans.
[Related: Dragonite Build]
Note: Typically, the tier list includes S rank all the way down to D rank. But with the current balance from the developers having done such a great job, no pokemon is justifiably a D rank pick.
Attackers
Cinderace
With the buffs to Blaze Kick, Cinderace is right back on top. The buff actually changed the trajectory to which Cinderace lands upon using the move. Before, the move bounced off the enemy and landed Cinderace practically right where it started, similar to Pikachu’s Volt Tackle. Now, Cinderace positions on the opposite side of where it started. This is incredibly important to note, since this vastly increases the pokemon’s mobility. And of course, the move also deals more damage as a whole, which is just really nice.
Feint was buffed as well, with a decreased cooldown. The biggest caveat around the move was its high cooldown. Since Feint provides invulnerability alongside a dash, the move is actually really insane in the current meta. So many pokemon are obsessed with bursting down squishies. Flame Charge still works wonders, allowing both damage and mobility into the kit. Just keep in mind that the move doesn’t make Cinderace invulnerable, like it does with Feint.
The pick excels as a jungler, since it can acquire its first evolution at a rapid speed. Therefore, it skips out of its weakest form and skips right into its relatively strong point. Laning Cinderace is honestly not that great, since the pick can easily fall off when outplayed by the enemy laner from early on.
Gardevoir
Before the most recent update, Gardevoir would have been an easy S tier. The pick once stood at the way top of the tier list, right next to Tsareena before getting hit by the nerf axe. By spamming a single ability, Gardevoir used to be able to 100 to 0 burst most pokemon, especially if they can’t dodge properly. Especially after being ranked D tier for so long, having Gardevoir stand as one of the strongest picks in the game was a nice change of pace.
Unfortunately, Gardevoir’s reign of terror ended extremely quickly thanks to the unlucky timing of a new patch. The patch directly nerfed the most over powered picks, which of course included Gardevoir. Still an A tier pick, Gardevoir is not longer overpowered. But it’s still a completely viable pick, a with strong skill to reward ratio.
Defenders
Slowbro
This pokemon brings about some mixed feelings. Since its buffs, Slowbro definitely creates bigger impact during fights than before. The pokemon takes immense efforts to kill during team fights, making it tedious to fight against. Getting locked down by a Slowbro and attempting to kill it 1v1 is really no fun. It simply doesn’t die, and stays as a huge nuisance.
But it’s still very slow and sluggish by nature. Slowbro definitely requires a large amount of team coordination to make the most of the pick, since the pick won’t necessarily be popping off killing everything on the map. Instead, it creates opportunity for its teammates to do exactly that. Therefore, the pick is very good but only when Slowbro understands how to force teamwork.
Mamoswine
This pokemon definitely has become more powerful given time. Thanks to the multiple buffs and changes to Mamoswine’s kit, the defender excels during team fights. The pokemon’s durability alongside base damage numbers are not to be underestimated. By utilizing his strong stats, Mamoswine stands as the backbone of any big team fight, especially during the late game.
Supporters
Eldegoss
Placing him in the S tier is a bit of a biased choice, since the pick definitely does require strong team coordination and competent teammates to win the game. This pokemon, although requires strong attackers to carry the game, performs its job as a supporter better than any other pick in the game. Thanks to its buffs to its cotton spore, which is its bread and butter healing move, Eldegoss rounds out practically any team composition, especially considering almost every team wants to lock in squishy attackers or offensive all-rounders. Therefore, Eldegoss is almost always a welcome addition to any match.
Of course, this pokemon isn’t a carry type. Don’t expect to absolutely steam roll teams with the pick. But when compared to other supports in the game, Eldegoss’ range alongside strong heals are just really powerful.
Wigglytuff
This supporter is more of a damage and CC carry than anything else. Outside of Wigglytuff’s Unite Move, which provides a massive shield, nothing in the pokemon’s kit actually provides the conventional “support.” But regardless, Wigglytuff functions very well as the center of a team composition. The area of effect CC alongside damage built into its kit is great team plays.
Tsareena
Despite Triple Axel having been nerfed in the most recent patch, Tsareena is still very powerful. Almost like Lucario after its very first nerf, the pokemon still plays very unfairly and overwhelms the enemy. In other words, the nerf definitely hurt Tsareena, but it’s not nearly enough to displace the pick from the meta. Expect to see Tsareenas running rampant in Pokemon Unite. The only caveat is the pokemon may die a tad quicker than prior.
Garchomp
Finally, FINALLY, Garchomp is strong. Not overpowered or need of nerfs, but relevant enough for the pick to actually not be completely useless in the meta. The pick’s biggest weakness is still the early game, requiring its evolutions to become more relevant for those intensive team fights. But once it does get some levels, the pick shreds through the enemy, while locking down enemies efficiently.
Speedster
Zeraora
This pokemon was absurdly broken for way too long. Too many times, Zeraora jumped around, became untargettable, and came out of a big team fight 1v3 by killing everyone in its path. Any content creator that said that Zeraora was weak before its most recent nerf either didn’t play against a good Zeraora, or just had some sort of magical strategy to counter the pick. The pick is still very powerful, but doesn’t just completely burst down every pokemon anymore. Instead, Zeraora has become more of a counter pick against squishy pokemon. Lock the pokemon down, and survive its initial burst damage to mess it up.
Talonflame
With Zeraora having fallen a peg or two, Talonflame stands supreme as the king of Speedsters. The pokemon excels at bursting down unsuspecting targets, closing the gap in a manner of seconds. Catching a good Talonflame player is an absolute chore, since the pokemon is so incredibly mobile. Those who understand its kit will likely avoid any threat, and time their engages perfectly to acquire kills. In addition, Talonflame is debatably the best pokemon at stealing Zapdos. Albeit a bit of a slow starter, Talonflame definitely deserves its top spot in this tier list.
In Conclusion
Though some picks definitely shine brighter than others, all Pokemon are still viable in their own regard. In fact, as of Dragonite’s release, Pokemon Unite hasn’t ever been this balanced. The developers are clearly working hard to bring their best to the game’s progression, and this patch has made that very clear. With the right items and team communication, especially in this patch, every Pokemon can see success. So do not let this pokemon unite tier list deter the passion to main a specific Pokemon.
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