Attention Trainers! Freezing Rush PT.2 will be released on November 1st, 2024 at 7:00 UTC. Details of this patch have been added to our Pokémon UNITE patch page.

Freezing Rush Pt. 2 - Ver.1.16.2.8 - Patch Notes

Update Date: 2024-10-31
Post-Update Version: Ver.1.16.2.8

Balance Updates
Changes have been made to some Pokémon stats and moves to adjust the balance of Unite Battles. Lapras

• Stats
  • Defense: 90-550 → 90-625 (Lv.1-15)
  • Special Defense: 75-450 → 75-512 (Lv.1-15)
• Basic Attack
  • Healing Effect: 2% of max HP → 3%
• Bubble Beam
  • Shield Amount: 15% increase
• Perish Song
  • Damage: 15% increase

Lapras’s win rate has remained low since a significant nerf in the previous update. Its durability, healing, and shield abilities have been adjusted to help Lapras stay on the frontlines longer. Perish Song damage has also been increased to allow Lapras to have a meaningful impact even without all three hits connecting.

Blissey

• Safeguard
  • Shield Amount: 15% increase
• Helping Hand
  • Cooldown: 9s → 8s
  • Effect Duration: 3s → 4s

Safeguard and Helping Hand have been buffed due to low usage rates, enabling Blissey to better protect allies by providing immunity to hindrances and serving as a more effective support option.

Greedent

• Belch
  • Movement Speed Decrease: 15% for 1s → 40% for 2s (decreases by 10% every 0.5s)
  • Damage: 12% increase
• Bullet Seed
  • Cooldown: 5s → 4.5s
• Covet
  • Cooldown: 11s → 10s
• Unite Move: Berry Belly Dive
  • Energy needed: 10% decrease

Due to consistently low pick rates, certain moves' cooldowns and crowd control effects have been improved to enhance Greedent’s battle capabilities. This adjustment allows Greedent not only to roam the map independently, defeat wild Pokémon and score points, but also to dive into team fights, deal damage and apply crowd control effectively.

Azumarill

• Stats
  • Special Defense: 64-320 → 80-399 (Lv.1-15)
• Whirlpool
  • Cooldown: 10s → 9s
• Unite Move: Belly Bash
  • Shield Amount: 5% of max HP → 6.5%

With limited options for approaching opponents, particularly against ranged attackers, Azumarill’s Special Defense and Unite Move shield have been buffed. Whirlpool cooldown was also reduced for easier timing and usage.

Glaceon

• Stats
  • Defense: 35-175 → 35-225 (Lv.1-15)
  • Special Defense: 25-134 → 25-180 (Lv.1-15)
• Icicle Spear
  • Damage: 8% increase
• Freeze Dry
  • Damage: 8% increase

Despite the buffs applied in August, the win rate has remained low, so the damage has increased. Additionally, due to the challenging environment where Attackers with low durability are easily knocked out and struggle to perform effectively, their defense and special defense have been increased.

Espeon

• Stats
  • Defense: 35-175 → 35-225 (Lv.1-15)
  • Special Defense: 27-135 → 27-180 (Lv.1-15)
• Psyshock
  • Damage: 10% increase
• Future Sight
  • Damage: 10% increase

The combination of Psyshock and Future Sight has been lacking in damage, resulting in a prolonged low win rate, so these moves have been buffed. Additionally, due to the challenging environment where Attackers with low durability struggle to perform effectively, their defense and special defense have been increased.

Gardevoir

• Stats
  • Defense: 35-174 → 35-225 (Lv.1-15)
  • Special Defense: 27-138 → 27-175 (Lv.1-15)
• Psychic
  • Special Defense Reduction Effect: 20% → 25%
  • Damage: 10% increase
• Psyshock
  • Damage: 5% increase
• Future Sight
  • Damage: 5% increase

Gardevoir’s high damage potential is paired with limited mobility and self-defense, yet its damage output was insufficient to stand out, leading to a low pick rate. Damage for several moves has been increased accordingly while also raising Gardevoir’s defensive stats to aid in survival.

Mewtwo Y

• Basic Attack Speed
  • 1.1-1.4 → 1.1-1.5 (Lv.1-15)
• Future Sight
  • Movement Speed Reduction: 25% → 35%
  • Cooldown: 10s → 8.5s
• Recover
  • Cooldown: 12s → 11s
  • Healing Amount: 20% of damage dealt → 30%
• Recover+
  • Healing Amount: 30% of damage dealt → 40%
• Teleport
  • Cooldown: 12s → 11s

Mewtwo Y has had low win and pick rates since the nerf in July. Basic attack speed was increased to improve combat effectiveness, and cooldowns for Recover and Teleport have been adjusted to strengthen survivability through defensive moves rather than durability increases.

Zacian

• Sacred Sword
  • Defense-Piercing Effect: 20% → 10%
  • Attack Increase: 30% → 20%
  • Movement Speed Reduction: 30% → 20%

In high-rank matches, Sacred Sword has significantly increased Zacian’s win rate. Consequently, its overall effectiveness has been reduced.

Miraidon

• Charge Beam
  • Boosted Damage: 10% decrease
• Electro Drift
  • Boosted Damage: 8% decrease
• Parabolic Charge
  • Cooldown: 10s → 11s

Damage from boosted Charge Beam and Electro Drift remained high, so they have been further reduced. Parabolic Charge cooldown has also been adjusted to reduce the skill rotation rate, lowering overall damage output.

Ho-Oh

• Flame Vortex
  • Damage: 15% decrease
  • Shield Amount: 15% decrease
  • Cooldown: 8.5s → 9s
• Sky Attack
  • Cooldown: 8.5s → 9s
• Unite Move: Rekindling Flame
  • Energy Cost: 20% increase

The protective capabilities of Flame Vortex for both Ho-Oh and its allies were too strong, so it has been nerfed. In high-rank matches, players have become more adept at utilizing Ho-Oh's Unite Move to revive allies effectively, leading to a higher win rate. To balance this, the usage frequency has been reduced.

Pikachu

• Electro Ball
  • Damage: 5% decrease
  • Cooldown: 5s → 5.5s
• Thunder
  • Damage: 5% decrease
• Unite Move: Thunderstorm
  • Damage: 8% decrease

Due to its ease of use and strong movesets that make it effective against any opponent, Pikachu has had the highest pick rate this season. To address its near-mandatory selection or ban status.

Ceruledge

• Bitter Blade
  • Damage: 19% - 10% decrease (Lv.5-15)
  • Healing Effect: 10% decrease
  • Cooldown: 5.5s → 6s
• Bitter Blade+
  • Healing Effect: 15% decrease
• Psycho Cut
  • Defense Reduction Effect: 47% - 40% decrease (Lv.5-10)
• Psycho Cut+
  • Defense Reduction Effect: 33% - 29% decrease (Lv.11-15)
• Phantom Force
  • Damage: 15% decrease
  • Cooldown: 9s → 10s

Ceruledge’s power at Lv.5 often led to one-sided matches. Key moves, especially those affecting early-game performance, have been nerfed.

Armarouge

• Flame Vortex
  • Damage: 20% decrease
  • Shield Amount: 25% decrease
• Psyshock
  • Special Defense-Piercing Effect: 50% → 35%
• Armor Cannon
  • Damage: 10% decrease
  • Cooldown: 6s → 7s

Despite adjustments in the previous "Freezing Rush" update, Armarouge’s win rate did not decrease as expected. In particular, Flame Vortex and Psyshock had an excessively high win rate, so these moves were nerfed. Armor Cannon was also nerfed due to its excessive damage and high usage frequency.

Mega Mewtwo X

• Psystrike
  • Damage Reduction Effect: 25% → 15%

Psystrike's damage reduction effect was overly strong, so this move has been nerfed.

Bug Fixes
Fixed an issue where Blastoise’s Defense and Special Defense at Lv.7-8 were lower than intended following the balance adjustment on October 17.

Source: https://community.pokemon.com/en-us/discussion/13946/freezing-rush-pt-2-ver-1-16-2-8-patch-notes