Pokemon Unite Tier List: Ranking the Best and Worst Picks

Solo queue is a very daunting journey in Pokemon Unite that can easily overwhelm any player attempting to climb. To help players understand the meta, and therefore climb more efficiently, here is a Pokemon Unite Tier List catered towards solo ranked play. This tier list applies partially for duos and trios, but definitely doesn’t pertain for groups of five. In addition, this particular tier list released immediately after Duraludon’s debut in Pokemon Unite, following Patch Update 1.4.1.8.

[Related: How to Play Duraludon in Pokemon Unite]

All Roles

Duraludon is incredibly overpowered. Though placed in the S tier, it’s on another level of its own at the current moment. Expect a hot fix soon, or a nerf within the very near future. The pokemon performs as an absolute beast, and would be a tier above S if there was one. But to keep consistent with the other tier lists, it’s just in the S tier. For newcomers, here is how the ranks are split up.

Ranking Analysis

As a whole, the S tier picks perform wonders at solo carrying a game. Whether it’s through damage, healing, crowd control, or even dunking goals, they easily take the MVP label during the post-game screen. Locking in these picks, provided they go in the proper lane, drastically increases solo queue success rate.

The A tier are also quite good, but are a bit more team reliant than the S tier. In essence, they require a bit more nuanced conditions. Some picks absolutely need a front line or designated scorers, while a handful of them lack damage but instead provide massive utility.

Most of the B tier pokemon have better counterparts in both the A tier and the S tier. But for those who are really fond of the pokemon, they can definitely still experience success.

And lastly, the C tier pokemon should be avoided when attempting to maximize win rates in ranked matches. They can still pop off, but the conditions required are definitely pretty niche. Either the enemy has to not know how to play against them, or the entire team has to accommodate for their playstyles. Whatever the case, they’re not optimal for solo queue environments.

With all the overall rankings out of the way, time to get into each individual role, with some noteable picks for each one. Starting with the attackers.

Attackers Tier List

Duraludon

The new attacker in Pokemon Unite is absolutely busted. Its central play style revolves around becoming an unstoppable turret, serving as an even strong Cramorant. By coming a turret, the pokemon instantly bursts down the majority of the playable cast. When hitting defenders, Duraludon shreds through their health like butter. This is one of the cases where the developers released a pokemon in far too strong a state. Therefore, expect nerfs in the near future.

A lot of the picks on this tier list were shifted because of Duraludon’s debut. In essence, the pick is so strong, it changed the ranked meta substantially. 

Pikachu

The electric mouse remains very powerful. It seems to have been mutliple months, but the pick didn’t receive any nerfs. Thanks to its area of effect burst damage and safety through its range, Pikachu is an easy S tier in solo queue. Its fast charging unite move alongside area of effect damage allows for very well optimized team fights. The pokemon relies heavily on front liners to soak the damage. And considering most players play selfishly in solo queue ranked games, therefore expecting a front line to peel for Pikachu is unrealistic.

Defenders Tier List

Slowbro

The lazy water pokemon is one of those cases where if the team knows how to play around it, it’s incredibly overpowered. Therefore when playing in groups, it’d be an easy S tier pokemon. But unfortunately, because communication and teamwork barely exists in solo queue, Slowbro is at an A tier. Slowbro excels at locking down enemies for absurdly long periods of time. The issue is that it struggles to execute the enemy, but the ample opportunity of time it creates is more than enough for its teammates to take them down instead.

Trevenant

The tree pokemon performs wonders when playing for objectives. Thanks to its area of effect, multiple hitting moves alongside CC, Trevenant can interrupt the enemies’ scoring quite effectively. In regards to sustain, no other pokemon beats Trevenant right now. But if the pokemon gets locked down, especially when under leveled, the tree burns down real quick. Therefore, Trevenant is a great pick, but very dependent on match ups.

All-Rounders Tier List

Aegislash

Aegislash is pretty decent, but only if built with the right items and move sets. Check out the exact build here for more details. For its shield moves, Wide Guard is honestly pretty bad. Unless it receives buffs, the moves utility falls off very hard since it requires Aegislash to stand still. And in a fast paced team game, staying still really isn’t the most optimal.

Charizard

The fire-breathing gen one starter is really strong right now. Especially once it reaches the final evolution, Charizard shreds through both tanks and squishies alike. But keep in mind, Charizard requires levels and its final evolution to really impact the game. That aspect of the pokemon remains unchanged.

Lucario

This particular pokemon saw a lot of nerfs, attempting to fix the pokemon’s balance. It’s really been a roller coaster, with the dev team struggling to find a perfect power level for Lucario. The recent patch update nerfed Lucario once again, pushing it from a shaky S tier into a solid A tier pick. When wielded by a player who understands the mechanical nuances of its kit, Lucario still performs exceptionally. But that’s only if the player is skilled.

In other words, Unite Players cannot just lock the pick in and expect everything to work itself out. 

Speedster Tier List

Talonflame

The multiple targeted nerfs hurt Talonflame substantially. It doesn’t help that the pokemon is quite useless when against Duraludon, since the attacker’s burst damage is just too high. But when against other picks, Talonflame is still decent. Thanks to its insane mobility, Talonflame can traverse the map and score huge game changing points with goal getter and score shield. And to add to the mix, Talonflame excels at securing objectives such as Dreadnaw and Articuno. And considering these are the key to winning practically every game in Pokemon Unite, the bird is truly one of the greatest solo queue picks for ranking up. The only caveat surrounding the pick is that it definitely does play selfishly.

Zeraora

Speedsters in general struggle to face off against Duraludon, who can easily burst them down before the Speedsters can close in the gap. This pokemon is a far way from it’s prime, but still decent. Zeraora’s strengths shine when in an optimal match up. Therefore, when wielded by knowledgeable players, the pick still shines. But the issue with the pick is that it’s quite selfish by nature, often causing allies to become quite tilted.

Supporters Tier List

Hoopah

The teleporting supporter received nerfs in the most recent patch update. But despite the nerfs, the pokemon’s base mechanics just break the game. Being able to teleport allies across the map instantaously provides incredible utility for team fights. After all, map control determines the game. Whoever controls the map in preparartion for key fights at Dreadnaw, Zapdos, and Rotom allow their team to take the tides of the game. And eventually, achieve victory.

Wigglytuff

Both Sing and Rollout are fantastic moves on Wigglytuff. The amount of crowd control this pokemon brings into the big team fights at Dreadnaw, Rotom, and Zapdos is insane. Sing is easier to use, while Rollout definitely has a higher skill ceiling. But whatever the case, building Wigglytuff with pure defensive held items allows the pokemon to become an absolute unit. Its passive causes pokemon to walk towards it, but thanks to its defensive capabilities, Wigglytuff fears no man or pokemon.

In Conclusion

And that is all! Keep in mind, this Pokemon Unite tier list is very much catered towards solo queue. It’s applicable for duo and trio as well, since the 1-3-1 strategy doesn’t see play in duo/trio queues. For those who don’t know, 1-3-1 is when one pokemon goes top, one goes mid, and three go bot. This is the dominant meta for competitive play, but does not see play in the majority of ranked games, outside of premade full parties. In addition, this tier list will be updated as more experience with the newest update is acquired. So make sure to come back regularly to check in on what’s changed!

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