Pokémon Unite patch makes way for Blissey with surprising nerfs

Blissey comes to Pokémon Unite soon, and other Pokémon are going to feel its impact.

The Happiness Pokémon will fill a unique role as a Supporter that can heal its allies and boost their speed. That said, it will also serve as a tank that can protect its allies from taking damage with its Unite Move.

When it’s added to Pokémon Unite, a new balance patch will also be released.

From the patch notes we’ve received, it’s clear that some Pokémon from the Defender battle type are getting big nerfs. For you avid fans curious about the upcoming changes to Pokémon Unite’s meta, this is what you need to know about the game’s next major balance update.

What are the Pokémon Unite balance patch notes?

For the most part, these Pokémon Unite patch notes are fairly harmless, fixing bugs related to many Pokémon’s moves. That said, it hurts Pokémon from the Defender battle type much more than the others. With the exceptions of Crustle, Defenders are seeing some major nerfs with this new patch.

Snorlax is a high-ranking mainstay of most teams, but this patch decreases the damage of Heavy Slam, the effects of Black, and the amount of HP its Unite move restores. Snorlax was a fantastic Defender that could soak up damage, but these debuffs will make it a little less effective at that.

Meanwhile, Slowbro also got some confusing balance changes. Its best move, Surf, has been nerfed, while its worst moves, Scald, has been buffed. It wasn’t amazing before, but this patch guarantees it won’t be advantageous to use anymore. The Eject Button also won’t launch these Pokémon as far anymore, so it’ll be tougher to completely escape a tough situation when you’re low on health.

The usefulness of those Defenders was likely decreased so Blissey’s supportive tank role felt more distinct and powerful. Expect to see a lot less Snorlax and Slowbro and a lot more Blissey very soon.

Below, you can read the full patch notes if you want to see how this update impacts your favorite Pokémon:

Slowbro

• Surf: Duration of effects on opposing Pokémon decreased
• Scald: Bug Fixes; Damage dealt to opposing Pokémon increased

Snorlax

• Heavy Slam: Damage dealt to opposing Pokémon decreased
• Block: Duration of effects on opposing Pokémon decreased
• Flail: Move effect upgrade
• Unite Move Power Nap HP: restoration decreased

Crustle

• Stealth Rock: Cooldown reduced; damage dealt to opposing Pokémon increased
• Rock Tomb: Damage dealt to opposing Pokémon increased

Garchomp

• Movement speed changed
• Bulldoze: Damage dealt to opposing Pokémon increased
• Dragon Rush: Cooldown reduced

Greninja

• Smokescreen: Move effect downgrade; cooldown lengthened
• Water Shuriken: Cooldown reduced; damage dealt to opposing Pokémon increased
• Double Team: Cooldown reduced.

Wigglytuff

Unite Move Starlight Recital: Bug Fixes

Cinderace

• Basic Attack: Bug Fixes

Alolan Ninetales

• Snow Warning: Bug Fixes
• Aurora Veil: Bug Fixes

Gardevoir

• Basic Attack: Bug Fixes
• Psychic: Bug Fixes

Cramorant

• Hurricane: Bug Fixes

Wild Pokémon

• Avalugg: Stat Decrease

Battle Items

• Eject Button: Stat Decreases
• Goal-Getter: Stat Increases
• Fluffy Tail: Stat Increases
• X Attack: Stat Increases

When is the Pokémon Unite balance update release time?

The game’s developers confirmed that this update will drop alongside Blissey at 3 a.m. Eastern on August 18, 2021. This is about two weeks after the last major update for the Pokémon MOBA. When that time rolls around, close out of the game and restart it. That will apply the update, and you can then see Blissey and these new balance changes in action.

Pokémon Unite is available now for Nintendo Switch.