It’s nearing two weeks since Pokemon Unite’s release on the Nintendo Switch. Since that time, players around the world have been figuring out how to play the game, and with it, the meta of the game is slowly building up. A bunch of us at Inven Global have also been thoroughly enjoying the game as well, and we break down which Pokemon are a must in any team composition, which Pokemon are absolutely useless, and all the Pokemon in between. 

The S-tiers: Snorlax/Eldegoss/Machamp/Cinderace/Zeraora

All of these Pokemon have something in common; they’re all a must-include Pokemon in every team composition, because they each have overbalanced abilities in their kit. For example, Snorlax is the best Defender in the game with the vast amount of CC that he has with Heavy Bomber & Block, and Eldegoss is unparalleled compared to other Supporters because she’s currently the only Pokemon in the game that has mass healing. As all Pokemon in the game do, they do have their weaknesses, but they have more strengths than flaws that make them a must in every team composition.

The A-tiers: Pikachu/Lucario/Slowbro/Cramorant/Gardevoir/Alolan Ninetales/Gengar

These Pokemon are A-tier because while they each have great kits and have clear strengths, they also have very exploitable weaknesses. For example, Pikachu is a Pokemon that has a very high DPS [damage per second], but has no means of escape other than the Eject button, so he’s very vulnerable. Lucario is another Pokemon that has a very high DPS and is especially great in the early game, but his Unite move, Aura Cannon, is not very impactful. Gardevoir is another Pokemon that does well when she evolves from Ralts and unlocks her Unite move, but it takes a very long time for her to hit that power spike. They’re all Pokemon that have exploitable weaknesses, but very strong nonetheless.

The B-Tiers: Crustle/Greninja/Absol

These three Pokemon are in B-tier because while the reasoning is the same as the A-tiers, they are all Pokemon that have a better version of their kit. Both Absol and Greninja are very similar to Gengar where they get resets on their abilities, but the differences in their respective Unite moves make them worse than Gengar. Crustle is the same; although one of Crustle’s biggest strengths comes from blocking off enemies through his ability to control terrain, Slowbro’s and Snorlax’s kits do a much better job.

The C-Tiers: Charizard/Garchomp/Mr.Mime

These three Pokemon either have no clear strengths in their kit, or their power spikes are a lot weaker than the Pokemon listed above. Charizard and Garchomp all hit their power spikes in their final evolution, but their power spike is a lot weaker than Pokemon like Machamp and Gengar. Charizard could potentially be B-tier, but in the most recent patch of Pokemon Unite [the first patch that saw the inclusion of Gardevoir], they indirectly nerfed Charizard by fixing a bug on one of his held items, Muscle Band. As a result, Charizard does less damage than before, and has landed himself as C-tier. As for Mr. Mime; he’s an interesting character that has a lot of potential, but the game is still relatively new, and players have yet to figure out how to utilize him to his full potential. 

The D[on’t]-tiers: Talonflame/Venusaur/Wigglytuff

These Pokemon’s strengths aren’t that great to begin with, and they have too many weaknesses, which overshadow the miniscule strengths they have. Talonflame, although very nimble, is very squishy. The Korean community have dubbed this Pokemon the ‘Suicide Bird’, where he just dies after engaging. As for Venusaur and Wigglytuff, they simply have a weak kit, and do not provide much to the team. There may be some buffs to these Pokemon in future patches, but until then, don’t play them.

So there you have it. This is the tier list that we at Inven Global think is accurate. Do you agree or disagree with our take on the Pokemon Unite tier list? Which Pokemon should be higher? Which Pokemon should be lower?