Top 100 Pokémon UNITE players reveal top picks and August 19 meta update

Pokemon Worlds is the biggest event for trainers in years, featuring the top players from the trading card game, video game, Pokken, and Pokemon UNITE. In fact, it’s the very first UNITE championship and it’s giving some great insight into the competitive world of Pokemon’s MOBA.

While Glaceon’s introduction in Pokémon UNITE proved daunting for the meta, Buzzwole hasn’t found itself in a similarly rosy position. With emblems still dominating the meta though, how are players adapting to the new playscape?

A Tier:

• Tsareena – 14% (-0.5)
• Blissey – 11% (-1.5)
• Lucario – 10% (+4)

B Tier:

• Hoopa – 8.5% (+1)
• Dragonite – 8% (-0.5)

C Tier:

• Cramorant – 5% (-2)
• Greninja – 4% (-0.5)
• Machamp – 4% (-2.5)
• Glaceon – 3.5% (-3.5)
• Cinderace – 3% (+1)
• Mime – 3% (+3)
• Ninetales – 3% (+3)
• Snorlax – 3% (-1.5)
• Charizard – 2.5% (+0.5)

D Tier:

• Zeraora – 2% (-0.5)
• Garchomp – 2% (+/-)
• Gengar – 2% (+/-)
• Venusaur – 2% (+2)
• Absol – 1.5% (+0.5)
• Slowbro – 1.5% (-0.5)
• Delphox – 1.5% (-1)
• Pikachu – 1.5% (+1.5)
• Talonflame – 1.5% (-0.5)
• Espeon – 1% (+1)
• Greedent – 0.5% (-0.5)
• Sylveon – 0.5% (+0.5)

Azumarill, Gardevoir (-1), Mamoswine, Blastoise, Duraludon (-1), Aegislash, Decidueye, Wigglytuff, Trevenant, Buzzwole (-0.5), Crustle and Eldegoss all saw no noticeable usage among top players.

Below is the monthly moving average for the top 10 Pokemon:

Buzz off, Buzzwole

Buzzwole had an incredibly unimpressive entrance into Pokémon UNITE, seeing only a 0.5% usage rate among top players on its introduction week and dropping to 0% this week. This is in spite of a pretty fluid meta, including with all-rounders. Charizard, Dragonite, Garchomp, Lucario, Machamp, and Tsareena are all seeing usage rates this week above their averages for the last season.

Buzzwole has an interesting kit, housing devastating control and life steal. Its ability gives it impressive speed and attack boosts after defeating an opponent, allowing it to plow through a disorganized attack. That’s the key though: a disorganized attack. Top players play almost exclusively in organized play, and as much work Buzzwole can do to separate a player from the team that doesn’t mean much if it can’t survive long enough to do it. Overall you wind up with an all-rounder that can overlap in utility with Telekinesis Slowbro, something that hasn’t been used in competitive play for a while.

 No kings

Emblems have gone a long way in leveling the playing field for Pokémon UNITE. This is the fourth week in a row there hasn’t been a Pokémon with usage rates to qualify them for S Tier in usage (>15%). Lucario and Hoopa, who have basically lived in S Tier since they were released, are flirting with the A/B Tier line row. Tsareena is probably the most Pokémon at the moment with her frequently at the upper end of A Tier and tying her peak usage rates overall, but upper A Tier isn’t S Tier.

Methodology: This data is collected using both the rankings tab in Pokémon UNITE and the Pokémon UNITE API. A Pokémon is considered a player’s “main” if it is the most played Pokémon in their most recent 16 ranked matches. In the event of a tie or near tie, the data will reflect that. When more than two Pokémon are tied, the 32 most recent matches will be considered instead.