Pokemon Unite's New Update Nerfs Drednaw and Zapdos Bonuses

By Christian Hoffer

Pokemon Unite has released a new update that should shake up the priorities of individual matches. Earlier today, Pokemon Unite released a new balance patch update alongside its new Halloween event. The balance patch tweaks the abilities of several Pokemon and also modifies the bonuses given out to players when they defeat Drednaw, Rotom, and Zapdos in Remoat Stadium. Drednaw and Zapdos both saw their bonuses decreased, while Rotom received a boost. Notably, Rotom's movement speed, HP, and attack have all increased and the amount of time a goal is broken once Rotom reaches it (meaning that players can instantly score goals there) has increased to 25 seconds from 20. Meanwhile, the amount of XP gained by a team for defeating Drednaw has decreased, as has the amount of Shield provided to all players when Drednaw has defeated. Defeating Zapdos also has a slightly lesser effect - each player on the team who knocked out Zapdos gets 15 points instead of 20. 

The new changes are significant as it could change how individual games tend to play out. Before the balance patch, players tended to cycle down to Drednaw's location once it appeared on the map because the Shield and XP bonuses were too good to ignore. Meanwhile, Rotom wasn't a "guaranteed" boost - an opposing team could still stop Rotom in its tracks once it started down the top lane with enough firepower. Now, Rotom looks like it will be a bit stronger, while defeating Drednaw has less of an overall impact on the game. The Zapdos bonus also translates to a potential 40 points off the board for the team who defeats it near the end of the game, which could reduce some of the swinginess of individual matches. 

Pikachu also received a minor buff thanks to the balance patch, as did Garchomp. Blastoise saw two of its moves receive nerfs, while Venusaur's Giga Drain was decreased, but its Solar Beam was increased. Gengar also received a new ability that allows the Pokemon to heal whenever it deals Special Damage. 

Pokemon Unite is available to download now on the Nintendo Switch and mobile devices.

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