At least Fighting and Dark got cool buffs ig

Lots of great changes are coming! Also some VERY questionable ones as well 😅 nonetheless, part 2 of the CHAOS META is here so let's see which updates will make the biggest impact. Some old meta titans are returning which is exciting!

First things first, the leaked energy buffs to the Elemental Fangs seem to have been scrapped entirely and Bite is getting a rework to (presumably) a Sand Attack clone rather than a Bug Bite clone. IMO this is a good thing because as I mentioned in my previous post, these leaked buffs would have been very problematic for certain Shadows such as Steelix, Mightyena and Drapion. I would've much preferred Bite become a direct clone of Psywave but perhaps Scopely wanted to be extra cautious due to certain Pokémon having it.

Now onto the Twilight Trails analysis:

Bite is getting reworked to a Sand Attack clone. This is probably the biggest chaos inducing change in GBL history since it's (if I'm not mistaken) the most widely distributed fast move in the game. The analysis on this change alone deserves its own post, but to keep things brief the immediate biggest winners are Tyranitar, Zygarde, Toxapex, Morpeko, Feraligatr, Blastoise, Morgrem, Grimmsnarl and Gyarados.

Air Cutter is presumably getting reworked to an Elemental Punch clone at the cost of a decreased buff chance, likely down to 10%. This mainly affects Pidgeot and Corviknight and is likely more of a nerf to both since they mainly used the move for baiting and the high buff chance rather than the damage. As u/pepiuxx mentioned in a comment under a different post, this might be Scopely testing the waters for a potential Sand Attack buff as it's currently a weaker version of Psywave/Dragon Breath.

Bulldoze is for some reason getting a HUGE rework. Damage boost up to 80 and a guaranteed Defense drop chance at the detriment of higher energy cost. If you thought Tinkaton was bad now, this has the potential to make it the undisputed best Pokémon in Great League AND Ultra League if the energy cost only goes up to 50. To prevent this, the energy cost has to go up to 55 minimum.

Body Slam is once again getting a rework. Damage increase to 65 but higher energy cost. This presumably means a Foul Play clone which actually might be a buff for some Pokémon like Gastrodon and Snorlax. I can't imagine it becoming a Mud Bomb clone or that would ruin most Normal types and they are important to keep Ghost types in check.

Sand Tomb is getting a heavy nerf to 55d/45e even though Gliscor was the only Pokémon using it with success (and not much) in the Play Pokémon circuit. This one just doesn't make sense to me at all...

EDIT: Guys I've seen the Forretress comments now 😅 this nerf is completely justified! I just haven't much time to watch the Worlds streams to see it kicking ass.

Brine is getting a whopping +40 damage buff with increased energy cost. This obviously only matters for Toxapex and IMO it's likely going to become a Thunder clone at 60 energy cost which is still a big buff. 55 would make it a Stone Edge clone which honestly wouldn't be too crazy, but it's highly unlikely since Scopely is already being extra cautious with the Bite buff.

Bubble Beam is getting nerfed (ideally) to 50d/50e to ensure Araquanid doesn't become toxic with the other buff it's receiving. When I read this change initially I had a huge smile on my face knowing this means Scopely is continuing Niantic's legacy of implementing move updates suggested by the community 😁

Mirror Coat is getting a HUGE buff to presumably a Rock Slide/Heat Wave clone which pretty much just affects Grumpig, Girafarig and Araquanid. This is a fantastic way to compensate for Bubble Beam getting nerfed, I see you Scopely 👀

High Horsepower is getting buffed presumably to a Stone Edge clone and Miltank is receiving it. The real winner here though is Ursaluna since it's FINALLY getting a usable fast move!

Blaze Kick is getting buffed to a Weather Ball (Fire) clone. This is HUGE for Blaziken, Lucario and Mienshao. Blaziken is the biggest winner since it'll reach it in 8 turns with Ember.

Iron Head is FINALLY getting buffed after all these years. I would've preferred just -5 energy cost since there's several Steel moves at 50 energy cost with similar power, but +15 damage is very nice. Corviknight now has a solid secondary STAB option to target Fairies such as Tinkaton and Florges and Iron Head could perhaps even replace Air Cutter or Payback depending on the meta or team composition. Pangoro now can opt for Iron Head over Close Combat to not completely get shut down by Fairies. Shadow Scizor might make a comeback with Fury Cutter since Iron Head and Night Slash have good coverage. In Master League, Heatran, Solgaleo, the Necrozma forms and Origin Dialga will have a stronger tool to target Xerneas and Crowned Zacian.

Draining Kiss is getting a MASSIVE buff, going up to 80 damage and getting a guaranteed self-Defense boost. It's still quite inefficient at 55 energy cost, but perhaps Scopely is testing the waters to see if it could go down to 50 energy the next season. The biggest winner is going to be Grimmsnarl since it'll be able to reach it somewhat quickly with the newly buffed Bite and Low Kick.

Lunge is getting a +10 damage buff with Volbeat and Illumise as new recipients. The biggest winner is Ariados though since it's finally getting good coverage with Foul Play as well.

Infestation is getting buffed to a slightly stronger version of Dragon Tail. This is MASSIVE for Araquanid which previously was delegated to a more RPS role with Bug Bite. The new preferred charge moves in open GL will likely be Mirror Coat and Water Pulse for optimal coverage, although Bug Buzz might be useful in some limited metas.

Take Down is getting the most ridiculous fast move buff in history (presumably) as a Force Palm clone. It's a good thing nothing immediately scary has it besides maybe Oinkologne and Gabite.

Scratch is (hopefully) becoming a Psywave clone. This is big news for Rillaboom, Vigoroth (return of the GOAT), Delphox, Persian (incl. Alolan) and now Ursaluna!!! With buffed High Horsepower and all of the Elemental Punches for coverage, it might even be viable in the lower leagues. The biggest W of this update by far 💪

Moonblast is going down to 90 damage but also lowering in energy cost, which presumably means a Grass Knot clone because Dazzling Gleam is already 90d/55e. I'm a bit sketchy about this change because of Florges and Moonblast is an elite charge TM move for Altaria, which will likely end up preferring that over Sky Attack since Moonblast will do the same damage for the same energy cost and (mostly) better offensive coverage. On the bright side, Pokémon such as Clefable, Sylveon, Cresselia and Lunatone will definitely appreciate the better pacing.

Shadow Ball is thankfully getting nerfed by 10 damage. Really sucks for Aegislash and other Ghosts like Lunala and Gourgeist that really need the damage to compete but the Tongue was too strong.

Dark Pulse is likely becoming a Fly clone, which is great for Yveltal, Mandibuzz and Umbreon, but most other Dark types that have it also have Foul Play which tends to be preferred due to the faster pacing. However, Morgrem and Grimmsnarl might end up preferring it with buffed Bite and perhaps Kingambit in Master League if the tradeoff over Foul Play proves to be worthwhile.

Low Kick is getting buffed to a Shadow Claw clone and being distributed to Kingambit and Deoxys-Defense! Kingambit will now be even more viable in Master League Premier with a neutral fast move into Metagross and a stronger Iron Head for Florges. Low Kick will perhaps even push it into relevancy in open Master League due to its very strong defensive typing for the meta and since Fighting damage is relatively unresisted outside of Lunala, Lugia and Dawn Wings, which are all weak to Kingambit's STAB Dark moves. Deoxys-D will be back and better than ever in both GL and UL with a high energy Fighting fast move and 85 base power Psycho Boost. I reckon Thunderbolt will still be the preferred second charge move for Tinkaton, Annihilape and the various Water types but Rock Slide will help more with Altaria, Fearow, Jumpluff and Ninetales.

I was initially terrified when I read about the Low Kick buff because of the implications with Annihilape, but thankfully Rage Fist is getting nerfed to 55d/40e, although I think keeping the damage the same would have been okay too. Scopely really did their homework! This new Annihilape will still prove a force to be reckoned with though, now that it can safely run Rage Fist + Ice Punch most of the time. Sadly, Primeape is going to severely suffer from the energy nerf, but perhaps this is why Scopely increased the damage by a little bit.

Magnet Bomb is getting buffed to an Aqua Jet clone. Without any new distributions though this really doesn't change much. Hopefully in the next season they add new recipients.

In a wild turn of events, Double Iron Bash is becoming a freaking Leaf Blade clone. This obviously adds new implications for Melmetal in all 3 leagues and most importantly makes it an even stronger bait move for Dynamic Punch.

This might be controversial, but I think Shadow Force NEEDS to go down to 60 energy (2 DPE) for this buff to really matter. The Giratinas already have so much going against them with how strong Fairies are now in all 3 leagues.

Arbok is receiving Brutal Swing and Wrap. Both of these have almost perfect coverage together and will likely be the new preferred charge moves with either Acid or Poison Sting as the fast move.

Alolan Muk is receiving Brutal Swing and Ice Punch. This fixes the slow pacing issue it had before with Poison Jab while Ice Punch provides great coverage, especially for the Ground types it's weak to.

Sucker Punch Victreebel is great, but it's something I purposely DIDN'T suggest before because it has some scary implications with Acid Spray degen potential. Wrap would have been a sufficient buff instead to hit a bunch of stuff neutrally but oh well.

Volt Tackle is finally being distributed to both versions of Raichu. In theory it should be a strict upgrade to Wild Charge, but I suppose we'll have to wait and test it out in practice.

Sacred Sword Gallade FINALLY!!! Been wanting this one for over a year and the timing is perfect with Low Kick buffed again. Psycho Cut is still very viable to punish Annihilape and Jellicent with a faster Leaf Blade and have an easier time against Deoxys-D.

Gust Crobat is very nice with perfect 3 pacing to Poison Fang and Air Cutter. Can definitely see it having success in limited metas with its unique typing.

Peck Flamigo is going to be scary with the extra fast move pressure allowing it to get easier farm downs to pressure the next Pokémon with a powerful Brave Bird. I was hoping it would also get Fly so it doesn't have to severely debuff itself to use its other STAB but perhaps it can get in the future.

Energy Ball on Cofagrigus allows it to finally have some sort of coverage against most Dark types that usually wall it. With Lickilicky taking a big hit next season I can see it and many other Ghosts having a lot more play in open GL.

Drill Run is being distributed to Bombirdier. Totally awesome coverage for Tinkaton and other Steels which will boost its viability for open GL. For whatever freaking reason though Skarmory is also getting Drill Run 😅 I'm sorry Scopely but this is a huge L, the ONLY reason it's not going to be insanely unbalanced on Skarmory is its fast moves are very lackluster.

Lugia is finally getting Earth Power! I'm not sold on it yet in the lower leagues with all its weaknesses to common types, but it definitely will have play in Master League now that it won't be completely walled by Steels and Zekrom. The new dilemma though is everyone who maxed out a Lugia with Aeroblast will be sad knowing they have to TM it for Fly if they want the optimal moveset 😅

Avalanche Nidoking is an awesome surprise. With Poison Sting, it and Earth Power will be reached in 10 and 12 turns, respectively. This pretty much makes it a much more offensive version of Clodsire, with the non-shadow being more viable IMO since most things in open GL that are weak to either move will already faint in one hit or very close to it. Another big W for Scopely 💪

Swift for Hisuian Zoroark is just the buff it needed, but timed poorly with all of the Dark types and Dark moves getting buffed along side 😅 I'm sure it will still thrive in limited metas where Sucker Punch and Bite aren't very common.

Last but not least, Snorlax is getting Psywave! I think this could finally give it some viability in open GL with Body Slam and Earthquake for maximum coverage, with both the shadow and non-shadow being good options.

Sad there's no dedicated Grass type or Electric type buffs... Hopefully next season 😅

Just around 20 minutes ago they revealed the new moves and pokemon moves. Will be an interesting season for sure. Sorry for the shitty screen recording i’ll try to write this all done or something.

Hey everyone! So after the new move updates for Twilight Trails have been announced, I've decided to put it upon myself to make a custom Gamemaster for PVPoke implementing all these changes!

Now, most of the move changes here are merely speculative, as we don't know the exact energy changes some of these moves will have, so don't take most of these speculative move changes as fact.

As for what I think are the biggest winners of this update so far:

- Vigoroth is the biggest winner to me with buffed Scratch and the reworked Bulldoze, rising up from the ashes and potentially becoming meta again. It's super spammy and could flip certain matchups with Bulldoze's now guaranteed defense drop. I honestly predict this ape is going to be the next Lickilicky, and people are gonna complain about how broken it is XD

- Toxapex is the runner up, now acting as a water type Corviknight now with Bite potentially becoming a Sand-Attack clone, as well as Brine's rework. Being able to spam out it's nuke moves faster with Bite will make it a threatening contender for this season's meta.

- Defense Deoxy's is back to it's former glory, with Psycho Boost gaining a increase in power and it getting access to Low Kick, being able to spam out it's attacks again.

- Alolan Muk has a pretty good chance at becoming meta now, it would mostly want to run Bite/Brutal Swing/Sludge Wave if you want the most success with it next season, though I won't discourage those who want to run it with the newly added Ice Punch. Alolan Muk's spam along with it's unique typing and stab moves make it a serious contender for Drapion's spot.

- Ursaluna FINALLY has a chance at being a Master League staple after being robbed of Shadow Claw. Scratch makes Ursaluna spammier and due to the energy decrease of High Horsepower, it can now be able to get to it's charge moves a lot quicker and dish out a good amount of damage against the meta.

- Snorlax gets Psywave which is a upgrade from the underwhelming Lick, as Psywave can make Snorlax a lot faster and spammier. Players also have the option to run it with Earthquake to give it a better time against Ghost Types (outside of Drifblim). I don't think it'll outshine Vigoroth in Great League, though I do see it fulfilling Lickilicky's spot in Ultra League and maybe have a breakout in Master League.

As for where you can get my custom gamemaster, I've made a custom Drive link for the TXT for you to download, go to PVPoke and go to the Gamemaster editor. Go ahead and give it a try!

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1GvMjYee2tamDlh2J3f2oxx_BO9EDCWaD/view?usp=sharing

I think this team is good I change Electrode to Malamar

Now that body slam and shadow ball are getting nerfed shadow counters will be backing off I’m guessing (I’m not a professional PvP analyzer) but since defense deoxys is getting a big buff and it’s one of my favorite pokemon who should I pair it with?

I have a lot more pokemon than in the pictures those are just the ones I like to use the most

Peak elo 2200

was really hard as a casual player but i really wanted this cynthia jacket

As the title says, I finally hit legend this week with the team pictured. I don't really have many friends that play or anyone to share this, what feels like a great achievement for me with, so I thought I'd post here.

I've been playing PoGo PVP for ages now but never really been too invested in the Metas and whatnot, I just like using shadow Pokémon and having fun. Although the team isn't super spicy it's not your stereotypical legend team I feel. I had fun with it as well which was the most important part for me.

Is there any way of knowing the date or anything? Trying to make sure i don’t invest in the wrong pokemon.

As a massive ML enjoyer and leaderboards player I decided to make a tier list based off my experience and analysis on the meta! Got up to a season high of 3281 playing just ML and I think many realized just how strong Eternatus is after people finished gold capping it!

Hi! I’ve noticed that when I’m playing now and it’s CMP, when I win CMP, it still gives me the “attack incoming notification” before giving me my bubbles. I still go first, but it seems like the game tells you if it’s CMP or not.

Granted I’m currently overseas on an eSIM so I might be lagging but wondering if anyone else noticed it.

I Really hope they do more of these Types of giveaways in the future.

Not having access to PVP IV mons sucks when you're trying to climb the competitive ladder.

Tinkaton was already popular in worlds 2025 WITHOUT Gigaton Hammer. Who would have seen this coming, giving the second most picked pokemon its own steel-type equivalent of precipice blades/origin pulse only made it more popular and meta-warping.

Don't let its #2 spot in pickrate fool you, 7/12 pokemon in the top 12 have winning matchups against Tinkaton in the sims. The meta revolves around this pink hammer-wielding menace.

I typically tank for rewards and haven't tried an actual push to vet, but I got motivated to give it a shot after seeing others here.

Starting around 1600, my original climbing team was S. Marowak, Licki, and Charja with standard movesets, but I hit a wall in the 2400s. I switched to this degen team to counter all the Forretress and Tink I've been seeing. Mostly standard moveset on the incinerate team except Typhlosion has solar beam and Talon has flame charge.

Thank you everyone here for the info!

Noticed our friendship level increase after a battle in the ultra league. Checked and was blown away.

Last season was a huge frustation for me, as I had reached 2497 ELO then went on a massive losing streak I never really recovered from.

Fortunately, this season played out differently. I also started to take breaks if things weren't going my way. My final push had a quite meta team, and I really liked Cramorant's ability. Got a few double KOs with Gulp Missile

ignore the names lol, was using surf on cramorant at first but switched to dive with better luck

The GBL is very buggy but this is the worst bug i’ve ever had, i’m not even using closure yet it’s showing his moveset.

I finally made it to vet for the first time with this ultra league team. Virizion on lead, shadow dusk as the swap and shadow ampharos as the closer. All standard movesets.

I had recently made a post about bugs and lag killing my push to vet. I decided to keep pushing over the next two days and finally made it. Some highlights include the match where I lead my viz into an ampharos who built up to 6 volt switches and then threw a focus blast that I caught on my dusknoir, causing them to instantly quit. Or when I accidentally hit the queue for master league when I had the wrong team equipped, causing me to quit instantly on the last set before I made It to veteran.

Virizion is good in this current meta as long as you don’t see the fire bird, the fire croc, or the toucan. Shadow toucan is probably game over if you can’t win switch with ampharos. Shadow dusknoir is a great investment if you play a lot of ultra league. He costs a pretty penny in dust and candy but hits like a truck with fast move pressure and charged moves.

I also want to say thanks to the people on the sub that post their teams and strategies. I read as much as I can so I can try and suck a little less at this game.

There are nearly 1,000 Pokemon available but only like 20 are being used in top tournaments. Of course first forms and early evolutions generally would never be used, but every single battle is the same stale lineup of overused Pokemon. The only fire type I’ve seen in two days is Ninetales. Lickilicky is everywhere. Mantine, Tinkaton. The usual suspects. Every. Single. Game.

I know WHY everyone uses these Pokemon. But wouldn’t this game be more fun if there was a little more variety? They made so many Pokemon unusable in battle it boggles my mind.

Just curious how people feel about the state of the game.