History VideoGame / PokemonUnite

* SNKBoss: Legacy Trainer Battle's (later Solo Challenge's) [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Extreme difficulty]]. The opponents are very sharp and able to capitalize on map objectives and blind spots, your teammates are [[ArtificialStupidity basically braindead]], and opponents tend to have much faster respawn timers than normal in addition to [[TheAllSeeingAI always seeming to know which goals you're unable to defend at any given moment]].

** Solo mode is employed liberally and seems designed to give casual players an easy way to complete pbp requirements in against bots. Its payout is equal to pvp, rather than the reduced pay for a deliberate bot match, even on casual difficulty making it easy to grind. The only restriction is you can't play with others.

* SNKBoss: Solo Challenge's [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Extreme difficulty]]. The opponents are very sharp and able to capitalize on map objectives and blind spots, your teammates are [[ArtificialStupidity basically braindead]], and opponents tend to have much faster respawn timers than normal in addition to [[TheAllSeeingAI always seeming to know which goals you're unable to defend at any given moment]].

* TheLastOfTheseIsNotLikeTheOthers: The Halloween event adds a bunch of Halloween-themed Holowear and even a temporary Halloween makeover for Remoat Stadium... and then adds Greedent as a playable Pokémon, which isn't exactly scary-looking at all.

** Pokémon get hidden buffs upon leveling up that the game never makes clear. For example, many Attackers get either Lifesteal or Spell Vamp depending on whether they use Attack or Special Attack, and many basic attack-reliant Pok&keacute;mon increase their crit rates upon evolving.

* CharacterSelectForcing: Panic Parade does not like certain Pokémon, as crowd control is much weaker and enemies get tanky to the point that moderate damage won't cut it. Because of this, the mode places more value in mons that have both high basic attack speed and passable critical hit rates, since they rely less on their moves (which always go into cooldown) to dish out high damage to the onslaught of enemies. On higher difficulties, players picking Pokémon like Pikachu or Blastoise may likely be told by more skilled players that they were carried even if they can still contribute. Picks like Sableye and Gengar can be outright useless due to how Panic Parade is run, as even a skilled player won't be able to squeeze out enough damage from them while the enemies keep pouring out of the lanes.

* ChargeAttack: All Pokémon have a Boosted Attack they can use, usually after performing a certain amount of normal attacks. Boosted Attacks deal more damage and often have additional effects, with some Pokémon having the ability to immediately trigger boosted attacks under certain circumstances[[note]]in some cases being the only way to trigger them, like Charizard after using his Unite Move, Leafeon and Mr. Mime after filling their gauges, Mew after using its moves 3 times, et cetera[[/note]].

** Pokémon get hidden buffs upon leveling up based on their Role that the game never makes clear. For example, Physical Attackers get lifesteal while Special Attackers get cooldown reduction.

* SNKBoss: Legacy Trainer Showdown's [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Extreme difficulty]].

** Magikarp themself shows up, with the gimmick that they start out weak but on evolution gain both move upgrades with a heavy emphasis on outright brawls, aka team battles. If properly leveled the resulting Garados will be tough to kill, hit hard, and have a solid movement option that gives a barrier.

* ChargeAttack: All Pokémon have a Boosted Attack they can use, usually after performing a certain amount of normal attacks. Boosted Attacks deal more damage and often have additional effects, with some Pokémon having the ability to immediately trigger boosted attacks under certain circumstances (in some cases being the only way to trigger them, like Charizard after using his Unite Move, Leafeon and Mr. Mime after filling their gauges, Mew after using its moves 3 times, et cetera).

* ChargeAttack: All Pokémon (except Charizard, Mew, and Leafeon) have a Boosted Attack they can use after performing a certain amount of normal attacks. Boosted Attacks deal more damage and often have additional effects, with some Pokémon having the ability to immediately trigger boosted attacks under certain circumstances (while also being the only way in the cases of the aforementioned three).

** This is usually expected in a typical MOBA game, but the gameplay of ''Pokémon Unite'' is simplified yet different enough enough to warrant an in-depth explanation:

** ''Panic Parade'' mode inherits many of the problems from ''Boss Rush'' mode, with Zapdos[=/=]Regigigas's shockwave attack being the most obvious example of this inheritance; however, the EscortMossion nature of the mode makes their stupidity even worse, as Zapdos in particular can use shockwave ''near Tinkaton'', making shocked AI teammates not just a time-waster but an active threat to your protectee.

* ExactWords: The Rayquaza shield makes scoring attempts faster and uninterruptible. You can't crowd control the enemy ''while'' they are scoring, but you ''can'' crowd control them while they are not. Also, it's the shield that grants the Unstoppable effect, so Pokémon who can bypass shields might have trouble stripping the shield to stop scoring attempts.
* ExcusePlot: You're a Trainer who came to take part in Unite Battles, which were founded by Professor Phorus to study Aeos Energy. That's all the plot the game has, and it stops mattering once you finish the tutorial.

** Not all of the Held Items can be unlocked for free. While you get the Leftovers at the start and can earn about half of the other held items from the Beginner Challenge[[note]]The Muscle Band, Wise Glasses, Scope Lens, EXP Share, Assault Vest, and Shell Bell[[/note]], the rest of the Held Items have to be bought via Aeos Tickets or Aeos Coins. If a player runs out of Aeos Tickets, the player may receive 10 Aeos Tickets per Gem instead.

** Potion is the first Battle Item you unlock, and heals for ~20% of your Pokemon's health. It remains popular choice for late game thanks to its relatively fast cooldown, and that 20% heal might allow you to fight a few seconds longer and turn the tide.

* FogOfWar: While there is not an explicit fog effect, you lose sight of the enemy and most wild Pokémon quite quickly with distance, the exceptions being boss Pokémon, which will be visible (and if the enemy is there, visibly fighting off unseen assailants) as long as they are on the field. Apart from your and teammates' Pokémon, detectors include your goal zones, allied [=Rotom/Regieleki=], and Sableye's fake Aeos energy.

* MechanicallyUnusualFighter: Several Pokémon (particularly [[JackOfAllStats All-Rounders]]) serve as this such as Mewtwo who has two licenses, one for Mega Mewtwo X and one for Mega Mewtwo Y, Zacian who can charge its sword with Aeos Energy to boost its next basic attack or move and Scyther who remains a Scyther if he learns Dual Wingbeat and evolves into Scizor if he learns Bullet Punch.

* PragmaticAdaptation: Pokémon stats, moves, and abilities are often adapted to fit each Pokémon's playstyle as well as the MOBA gameplay, often leading to divergences from their attributes in the main games. For instance, Zoroark and Absol both have the move Night Slash and most of the Eeveelutions start with Swift, but the mechanics differ drastically between them.

*** Additionally there is a boss whose mechanic is to inflict a status effect that doesn't hurt the pokemon but any allies near them. A common facepalm moment on higher difficulties is teammates standing near Tinkaton while under that status carving off a massive chunk of HP from what you're supposed to be defending.

* ObviousRulePatch: Buddy Barrier, a Held Item that gives your nearest team member with the lowest Health and you a Shield Bonus depending on your respective HP, was stealth-nerfed at Christmas 2021 so it now has a cooldown of 30 seconds. This is a foresight to Dragonite's upcoming inclusion, Dragonite potentially having the fastest Unite Charge dependent on how far its reticle is placed away.

** In Panic Parade, a PVE mode that focuses heavily on damage and wide area attacks with crowd control being less less useful or useless depending on the enemy. Certain pokemon simply are mechanically unable to contribute properly and on higher levels are actually a liability due to taking away a slot that could have been for more damage.
*** Additionally there is a boss whose mechanic is to inflict a status effect that doesn't hurt the pokemon but any allies near them. A common facepalm moment on higher difficulties is teammates standing near Tinkaton while under that status carving off a massive chunk of hp from what you're supposed to be defending.

* ObviousRulePatch: Buddy Barrier, a Held Item that gives your nearest team member with the lowest Health and you a Shield Bonus depending on your respective HP, was stealth-nerfed at Christmas 2021 so it now has a cooldown of 30 seconds. This is a foresight to Dragonite's upcoming inclusion, Dragonite potentially having the fastest Unite Charge.

''Pokémon Unite'' is a [[MultiplayerOnlineBattleArena MOBA]] in the ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' franchise, developed by [[Creator/TencentGames TiMi Studios]] and released on July 21, 2021 for UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch and September 22, 2021 for iOS and Android.

* CharacterSelectForcing: Panic Parade does not like certain pokemon, as crowd control is much weaker and enemies get tanky to the point moderate damage wont cut it. On higher difficulties players picking pokemon like pikachu or blatoise tells more skilled players they were carried even if they can still contribute. Picks like sableye and gangar are just straight up useless due to how panic parade is run as even a skilled player wont be able to squeeze out enough damage from them.

* CharacterSelectForcing: Teams can only have one unique Pokémon each and cannot have more of the same one, but players who share the same licenses must quickly browse through them to nab their next-preferred Pokémon. Pray you got a fast-enough internet connection and your next pick isn't placed too far away from your available licenses.
** Slightly averted later with allowing players to pick their favorites right away at the character select screen. However, you need to be fast in case someone else shares the same favorite.