Big Venusaur, Lucario nerfs coming in Pokemon Unite patch

Steven Rondina Published 19/10/2021

Some big changes are coming in Pokemon Unite’s 1.2.1.8 patch.

The update is set to either buff or nerf a number of playable Pokemon and shake up the three main neutral objective Pokemon. Alongside this are several UI and quality of life improvements, as well as some early staging for the upcoming Pokemon Unite Halloween Festival that will add new Pokemon Greedent.

In all, four Pokemon are receiving buffs while three are being nerfed. Pikachu, Slowbro, Garchomp, and Gengar are all set to be improved in different ways. Blastoise, Venusaur, and Lucario are set to be taken down a peg.

Pikachu’s Thunder and Volt Tackle are both receiving damage boosts, as is Garchomp’s Dragon Rush. Gengar is receiving a unique buff where, after hitting level five, special attacks will have a lifesteal effect. Finally, Slowbro’s Amnesia will have its healing increased and its cooldown decreased.

While the buffs are straightforward, the nerfs are much more intricate. Blastoise’s Hydro Pump and Hydro Typhoon are both being nerfed, but those losses are being slightly offset with Water Spout’s cooldown being decreased. Lucario’s basic attacks are being weakened, and its Steadfast passive is going to proc less frequently.

Finally, Venusaur’s Giga Drain ability is getting a twofold nerf with decreased self-healing and reduced damage reduction after use. Offsetting this is a buff to Solar Beam, which will now deal increased damage.

Zapdos and Drednaw nerfed, Rotom buffed in October 20’s Pokemon Unite 1.2.1.8 patch

Zapdos and Drednaw have been overpowered since day one in Pokemon Unite, but that was finally fixed in patch 1.2.1.8, at least to some degree.

Zapdos will now give the team that kills it less energy. The removal of goal defenses remained unchanged, but this will make Zapdos less of an instant-win objective.

Drednaw will have the shield and experience gained with a kill reduced. On the other end of the map, Rotom has been buffed with increased attack power, movement speed, and HP. When it reaches a goal, that goal will be defenseless for a longer period of time.

This combination of changes will likely seriously impact how games play out. Many Pokemon Unite games follow a rigid formula where teams go through the laning stage, then dedicate most of their effort to battling around Drednaw before pivoting to Zapdos in the final two minutes. A stronger Rotom adds a lot in terms of mixing up the focus for teams and shaking up the Pokemon Unite experience on a game-by-game basis.

The update is rounded out with various bug fixes and new music for the lobbies. Check out the full list of changes for this patch on Serebii.

Steven Rondina

About Steven Rondina

Steven Rondina is a true lifelong gamer. His earliest memories are of playing video games, and he has continued playing them throughout his life with no plans to stop any time soon. Steven’s favorite franchises in gaming include Pokemon, Dark Souls, and Counter-Strike. He has previously published with Bleacher Report and other gaming outlets.

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