Hey guys! Ready to dominate the arena in Pokémon Unite? A huge part of your success comes down to not just skill, but also having the right build for your Pokémon. This tier list dives deep into the best builds, considering held items, battle items, and overall strategies to give you the edge you need to climb those ranked ladders. Whether you're a seasoned player or just starting, understanding these builds will significantly boost your win rate. We're breaking it all down, so let's get started and turn you into a Pokémon Unite master!

Understanding the Tier List

Before we jump into specific Pokémon and their builds, let's quickly go over what the tier list represents. We're ranking builds based on their overall effectiveness in the current meta. This means we're looking at how well they perform in various roles, their synergy with different team compositions, and their ability to impact the game. Keep in mind that the meta is constantly evolving, so these rankings might shift as new updates and strategies emerge. However, the core principles behind strong builds remain consistent: maximizing your Pokémon's strengths, compensating for weaknesses, and adapting to the specific challenges of each match.

• S-Tier: These are the absolute best builds in the game right now. They offer incredible power, versatility, and consistency, making them top choices for competitive play. If you're looking to climb the ranks quickly, focusing on S-Tier builds is a great strategy.
• A-Tier: These builds are very strong and highly effective in most situations. While they might not be quite as dominant as S-Tier builds, they are still excellent choices that can carry you to victory. A-Tier builds often provide more flexibility and can be tailored to specific playstyles.
• B-Tier: These are solid, reliable builds that can perform well in the right hands. They might have some weaknesses or require more specific team compositions to shine, but they are still viable options for those who enjoy playing them.
• C-Tier: These builds are more situational and generally less effective than higher-tier options. They might work in niche scenarios or against specific team compositions, but they are not recommended for general use. Playing these builds can be a fun challenge, but don't expect consistent results.
• D-Tier: These builds are underpowered or simply outclassed by other options. They are not recommended for competitive play and should only be used if you're looking for a unique challenge or want to experiment with unconventional strategies.

S-Tier Pokémon Builds

Let's dive into the S-Tier Pokémon builds that are dominating the current meta. These builds are the cream of the crop, offering incredible power and versatility that can carry you to victory. We'll break down the key components of each build, including held items, battle items, and playstyle tips.

Lucario: The Agile Powerhouse

Lucario remains a top-tier threat thanks to its incredible mobility and burst damage. This build focuses on maximizing its offensive potential while providing enough sustain to survive engagements. Lucario is very flexible with its builds.

• Held Items:
  • Attack Weight: Stacking Attack Weight early game will make Lucario's late game that much stronger.
  • Muscle Band: Provides a consistent damage boost with its Attack and Attack Speed buffs.
  • Focus Band: Offers crucial sustain, allowing Lucario to survive burst damage and continue dishing out punishment.
• Battle Item:
  • Eject Button: Essential for mobility, allowing Lucario to engage, disengage, and reposition during fights.
• Gameplay:
  • Early Game: Focus on securing farm and reaching level 5 as quickly as possible to unlock Power-Up Punch.
  • Mid Game: Look for opportunities to gank lanes and secure objectives. Use Power-Up Punch to burst down squishy targets.
  • Late Game: Play as a skirmisher, diving into fights to eliminate key targets and then retreating to safety.

Greninja: The Ranged Assassin

Greninja excels at dealing massive damage from a safe distance. This build focuses on maximizing its critical hit chance and damage output, turning it into a terrifying ranged assassin. It is important to know how to position using Greninja.

• Held Items:
  • Scope Lens: Greatly increases Greninja's critical hit chance, synergizing perfectly with its moveset.
  • Razor Claw: Provides additional damage and slows enemies, making it easier to land critical hits.
  • Muscle Band: Offers a consistent damage boost and increased attack speed.
• Battle Item:
  • Eject Button: Essential for mobility, allowing Greninja to escape danger and reposition for optimal damage output.
• Gameplay:
  • Early Game: Focus on farming and avoiding confrontations until you reach level 7 and unlock Surf or Double Team.
  • Mid Game: Start poking enemies from a safe distance and look for opportunities to assassinate low-health targets.
  • Late Game: Play as a backline damage dealer, constantly dealing damage while staying out of harm's way.

A-Tier Pokémon Builds

Moving on to the A-Tier, we have builds that are incredibly strong and effective but might require a bit more finesse or specific team compositions to truly shine. These builds are still excellent choices that can carry you to victory, and they often offer more flexibility and customization options.

Alolan Ninetales: The Control Mage

Alolan Ninetales is a powerful mage that excels at controlling the battlefield with its area-of-effect abilities. This build focuses on maximizing its damage output and crowd control potential, making it a valuable asset to any team.

• Held Items:
  • Wise Glasses: Increases Alolan Ninetales' Special Attack, boosting the damage of its abilities.
  • Choice Specs: Provides a significant Special Attack boost when using moves.
  • Energy Amplifier: Further increases Special Attack after using the Unite Move.
• Battle Item:
  • Eject Button: Allows Alolan Ninetales to escape danger and reposition for optimal ability usage.
• Gameplay:
  • Early Game: Focus on farming and harassing enemies with Powder Snow and Ice Shard.
  • Mid Game: Use Avalanche and Blizzard to control key areas and disrupt enemy formations.
  • Late Game: Play as a backline mage, constantly dealing damage and providing crowd control to protect your teammates.

Blastoise: The Tanky Defender

Blastoise is a formidable defender that can soak up damage and protect its teammates. This build focuses on maximizing its bulk and crowd control abilities, making it a nightmare for the enemy team to deal with.

• Held Items:
  • Aeos Cookie: Increases max HP, making Blastoise even tankier.
  • Focus Band: Provides additional sustain, allowing Blastoise to survive burst damage.
  • Buddy Barrier: Shields Blastoise and a nearby ally when using its Unite Move.
• Battle Item:
  • Potion: Provides extra sustain during engagements.
• Gameplay:
  • Early Game: Focus on securing farm and protecting your lane partner.
  • Mid Game: Use Rapid Spin and Hydro Pump to disrupt enemy formations and peel for your teammates.
  • Late Game: Play as a frontline tank, soaking up damage and protecting your carries.

B-Tier Pokémon Builds

The B-Tier builds are solid and reliable, but they might require more specific team compositions or playstyles to truly shine. These builds can still be effective in the right hands, but they might not be as forgiving as the higher-tier options.

Venusaur: The Sustained Damage Dealer

Venusaur is a consistent damage dealer that can apply sustained pressure to the enemy team. This build focuses on maximizing its damage output and survivability, allowing it to stay in fights longer and deal more damage overall.

• Held Items:
  • Wise Glasses: Increases Venusaur's Special Attack, boosting the damage of its abilities.
  • Choice Specs: Further boosts Special Attack when using moves.
  • Focus Band: Provides additional sustain, allowing Venusaur to survive burst damage.
• Battle Item:
  • Eject Button: Allows Venusaur to escape danger and reposition for optimal ability usage.
• Gameplay:
  • Early Game: Focus on farming and harassing enemies with Razor Leaf and Seed Bomb.
  • Mid Game: Use Giga Drain and Petal Dance to deal damage and sustain yourself in fights.
  • Late Game: Play as a mid-range damage dealer, constantly applying pressure and supporting your team.

Absol: The High-Risk, High-Reward Assassin

Absol is a high-risk, high-reward assassin that can quickly eliminate key targets. This build focuses on maximizing its damage output and mobility, allowing it to burst down enemies and then escape to safety. But keep in mind that Absol can be difficult to learn.

• Held Items:
  • Attack Weight: Stacking Attack Weight early game will make Absol's late game that much stronger.
  • Muscle Band: Provides a consistent damage boost and increased attack speed.
  • Scope Lens: Greatly increases Absol's critical hit chance.
• Battle Item:
  • Eject Button: Essential for mobility, allowing Absol to engage, disengage, and reposition during fights.
• Gameplay:
  • Early Game: Focus on farming and ganking lanes to get ahead.
  • Mid Game: Look for opportunities to assassinate low-health targets with Psycho Cut and Night Slash.
  • Late Game: Play as a roaming assassin, constantly looking for picks and disrupting the enemy team.

C and D-Tier Pokémon

While every Pokémon is viable to play, these picks are not optimal and need more practice to be as effective as the other tiers. The following strategies may work in certain situations, but it is not advised to use the listed strategies as a primary tactic.

Final Thoughts

So, there you have it, guys! A comprehensive Pokémon Unite build tier list to help you dominate the arena. Remember that the meta is constantly evolving, so it's important to stay adaptable and experiment with different builds to find what works best for you. Don't be afraid to try new things and develop your own unique strategies. With the right build and a little bit of skill, you'll be climbing those ranked ladders in no time! Now get out there and show them what you've got!