Snorlax, Slowbro nerfed in 2nd Pokemon Unite balance update

William Davis Published 17/08/2021

The second balance update for Pokemon Unite will be released tomorrow, August 18, and will include nerfs to the game’s go-to tanks alongside the addition of Blissey. 

After weeks of game time in Pokemon Unite, a clear meta has started to develop. The first balance update helped adjust things and even gave attention to some new Pokemon through nerfs to Cinderace and Gengar. To keep the meta flowing, the next balance update is now inbound and will bring new nerfs to some of the current best Pokemon. 

The patch won’t just spit out nerfs, but also look to buff some of the Pokemon that are currently underperforming. There will also be changes to some Pokemon where it’s clear that the goal is to change the prioritized moveset. Examples of this are Crustle and Greninja, who will both have some of their weaker moves buffed to make different build paths more viable in the time to come.  

Snorlax hit with nerfs after Pokemon Unite dominance

The biggest nerf of this update are hitting Snorlax. The tanky Pokemon has been a must-pick in most team compositions so far and brings a bunch of value to any team when it comes to both crowd control and securing objectives. 

With this patch, Snorlax will have its Heavy Slam damage decreased which is likely a huge blow to its damage output. Snorlax will also have its HP restore from the Unite Move decreased which will make the Pokemon less tanky in the heat of team fights.  

Likely the most crucial nerf is Snorlax’s Block duration being decreased. Block is currently the move that makes Snorlax extremely valuable, and is incredibly useful for preventing goals and fighting around Zapdos and other objectives. It will be interesting to see how these nerfs impact Snorlax, as it currently seems like there could be a rotation in priority when it comes to the tank meta. 

Slowbro to receive Surf nerf but buff to Scald

Another chunky boy that will see some changes is Slowbro. As of right now, Slowbro isn’t the strongest tank but that has largely been due to the incredible power of Snorlax. Slowbro can be extremely hard to kill if given a lead and will help lock down targets like it’s nothing, but it doesn’t have a smooth path to the top of the meta in this balance patch. 

With this update, Slowbro will be seeing a nerf to one of its primary moves, Surf. This has been a go-to option for most Slowbro players and a really effective ability to displace targets and clear out camps. 

Offsetting this is that Slowbro will be seeing Scald buffed. The change will make Scald do more damage alongside other “bug fixes” that could see the move improved or worsened. Since the Pokemon Unite patch notes aren’t super specific, it’s currently hard to predict if this will be an overall nerf or buff to Slowbro. Even though Surf will get a nerf, there’s a chance that the Scald buff will just change how Slowbro is supposed to be played. 

Also set to shake up the tank meta of Pokemon Unite is Crustle. The bug-rock Pokemon has been unfortunately relegated to third-string status due to the strength of Snorlax and Slowbro, but is set to receive some big buffs in the next balance patch with Stealth Rock’s cooldown being reduced and damage getting improved, and Rock Tomb getting a damage buff. This could make it so that there are three viable tanks in Pokemon Unite for the first time in the game’s history.

The future meta is still very much undecided, especially with Blissey also set to arrive with the update, but players will soon be able to figure out the strongest options when this update goes live tomorrow. 

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