In Pokémon GO there are major changes regarding the top attackers. This is due to an improvement of the Shadow Pokémon. We will show you the effects.
What’s new? Niantic announced that Shadow Pokémon, the monsters that Team GO Rocket fights with, have become significantly stronger. But only in their Shadow form.
This enhancement has massive implications for the best attackers in the game. Now, Shadow Pokémon are the strongest monsters for various types.
How the change affects the meta
What exactly was changed? All Shadow Pokémon received a 1.2 boost in attack. In return, the defense was reduced to 0.83. At first glance, this doesn’t sound like a huge change, but the effects are massive.
What about the top attackers? Almost every type has a new top attacker, at least in terms of damage per second. The Shadow Pokémon deal the most damage in a short time. Here are some examples:
- Shadow Salamence with the highest damage among Dragon Pokémon
- Shadow Sableye deals the most damage among Dark Pokémon
- Shadow Banette has the strongest attack among Ghost Pokémon
- Shadow Venusaur is ahead among Grass Pokémon
- Shadow Gardevoir deals the most among Fairy Pokémon
Should one level up Shadow Pokémon now? Of course, one must keep in mind that only the damage per second is that high. In defense, the Pokémon have become significantly weaker.
In RPGs, such classes are called “glass cannons”, which deal a lot of damage but get defeated quickly.
Additionally, it must be considered that a Shadow Pokémon requires significantly more Stardust when leveling up. You will have to reach deep into your pockets.
This is the biggest problem: Every Shadow Pokémon knows the move Frustration. This attack cannot be unlearned and makes every attacker useless. The right attack is missing.
Only at the Team GO Rocket event next weekend can you change Frustration. So you would have to teach each good Shadow Pokémon a different charged move for the event. After the event, this will no longer be possible.
Trainers expect a nerf: On reddit, various trainers are already discussing whether Niantic will soon change something here again. For them, this all sounds like a mistake, as it actually disrupts the entire meta.
“This will surely get nerfed, right? Seems broken,” says user ShinyCaterpie88.
It remains to be seen whether Shadow Pokémon will actually remain so strong and whether you can really only equip them with a new charged move for the upcoming event.
If you’ve been diligently fighting against the Shadow Pokémon, Giovanni is waiting for you. We will show the best counters:
