Pokemon Unite Breath of Evolution (v1.18.2.6): Winners and losers

With the latest patch, Pokemon Unite Breath of Evolution (v1.18.2.6), the title continues its steady stream of improvements, bringing a fresh wave of changes to Aeos Island. As with every update, the developers have focused on refining the balance between Pokemon while tweaking abilities and stats to keep the competitive scene fresh and dynamic.

Alongside general bug fixes and event enhancements, this version brings some of the most impactful reworks seen in recent patches. Whether you’re a casual player or climbing the ranked ladder, knowing who’s up and who’s down after the Pokemon Unite Breath of Evolution update is essential.

Pokemon Unite Breath of Evolution: Winners

Winners of the Pokemon Unite Breath of Evolution update (Image via The Pokemon Company)

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1) Dragapult: Dragapult has long struggled to maintain pressure during fights, especially against quick and aggressive Speedsters. This patch gives it a much-needed survivability boost by increasing its maximum HP and enhancing the damage bonus from KO streaks. Both Dragon Dance and Phantom Force have improved utility now, giving Dragapult better late-game performance.

2) Dragonite: Despite its potential, Dragonite has seen low pick rates. By decreasing the cooldown of Hyper Beam and increasing Outrage’s attack speed buff, the developers have made each of its offensive paths more viable and attractive.

3) Venusaur: Venusaur’s close-combat combo of Giga Drain and Petal Dance now comes with better healing and a significant mobility buff. The increased survivability allows Venusaur players to stay in fights longer and kite more effectively, reinforcing its bruiser role.

4) Galarian Rapidash: After being nerfed heavily in a previous update, Galarian Rapidash gets a substantial rebound. This includes improvements across multiple abilities like Fairy Wind, Smart Horn, and Triad Blitz, plus a faster gauge build-up. The patch not only revives its viability but also boosts its offensive and strategic value.

5) Buzzwole: Buzzwole sees multiple quality-of-life improvements to sustain its presence in fights. The longer delay before its Beast Boost gauge depletes, combined with increased healing and new hindrance resistance on Leech Life, makes it a formidable close-range duelist once again.

Also read: Pokemon Unite Breath of Evolution Release date, balance updates, and more

Pokemon Unite Breath of Evolution: Losers

Losers of the Pokemon Unite Breath of Evolution update (Image via The Pokemon Company)

1) Trevenant: Though a Defender, Trevenant had been dishing out damage like an Attacker. The patch cuts back its overperformance by reducing damage on Wood Hammer and Curse, and shortens the throw duration on Horn Leech to lower its crowd-control dominance.

2) Goodra: Goodra’s high durability and surprising burst damage in mid-tier ranks drew the devs’ attention. While it receives an HP buff, its offensive capabilities — especially the damage on Muddy Water and throw time on Acid Spray — have been trimmed, balancing its tanky nature with reduced burst potential.

3) Suicune: A bug that allowed Suicune’s shield to stack excessively has been patched, reducing its tankiness. Additionally, Ice Beam’s cooldown has been extended to prevent constant freezing, though a buff to Icy Wind provides compensation and new combo potential.

4) Alolan Raichu: After launching with a dominating win rate, Alolan Raichu's Stored Power and Psychic combo has been reined in. Damage values and cooldowns across the board have been reduced to prevent them from overwhelming matches too easily.

Also read: Pokemon Unite Season 31 Battle Pass: All rewards and prices

Pokemon Unite Breath of Evolution: Removal of Defense Penetration for Speedsters

Speedsters that received Removal of Defense and Special Defense Penetration (Image via The Pokemon Company)

A significant systemic change to this patch is the removal of Defense and Special Defense Penetration stats from all Speedsters. This includes:

Talonflame
Meowscarada
Leafeon
Gengar
Absol
Zeraora

This nerf lowers their ability to burst down tanks and sustain-heavy characters. Absol and Zeraora received extra tuning: Night Slash has a longer cooldown, and Discharge now deals less damage and provides a smaller shield. These Pokemon Unite Breath of Evolution changes aim to reduce Speedsters' overpowering impact in quick clashes.

Also read: Unite Alolan Raichu: Best moveset, builds, items, and more

Pokemon Unite Breath of Evolution version 1.18.2.6 introduces a thoughtfully crafted set of buffs, nerfs, and fixes that shift the landscape of Pokemon Unite in meaningful ways.

Speedsters have been toned down, underperforming Pokemon like Dragapult and Rapidash are back in the spotlight, and overpowered options like Trevenant and Raichu have been curbed.

Also read: How to counter Alolan Raichu in Pokemon Unite

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About the author

Aashish is an esports and gaming writer at Sportskeeda, covering Pokemon, FC 24, and MMO. His educational background is in Mass Media and Music Production, but gaming always served as his favorite escape. Today, he has taken it up professionally.

A die-hard fan of the franchise, Aashish lives and breathes Pokemon. He has equal appreciation for single-player and multiplayer games. Nonetheless, if he had to recommend a game to a skeptic, it would be Guild Wars 2 due to its compelling storyline. However, if he were to go full throttle into the competitive side, Dota 2 would get his blood pumping.

Aashish prioritizes sourcing and reporting accurate, relevant, and ethical information. He relies heavily on official social media accounts to stay updated with what's going on. When not immersed in creating content, Aashish engages in music production and photography.

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🚨 Calculate how strong your evolved Pokémon will become with our newly launched Pokemon GO Evolution Calculator 🚨

Edited by Aashish Victor