Pokemon Unite not only brings Pokemon to the MOBA scene, but a new fast-paced scoring mechanic along with it. Given the goal of action-packed team battles, it makes sense for its slate of playable Pokemon to include the most iconic throughout their generations. Its newest character, Gardevoir, arrived on July 28 as a Ranged Attacker, boasting both decent Offense and Scoring power.
RELATED: Pokemon Unite: How to Get Aeos Gems and What They're Used For
At its core, Gardevoir excels in the mobile attack scene. Unlike other Attackers, Gardevoir's moves allow it to maneuver around the battlefield quickly. With this in mind, how do players take full advantage of Gardevoir's movement-heavy toolkit?
Before Unite players build their ideal Gardevoir, it's important to have a more concrete grasp of Gardevoir's innate nature.
At its core, Gardevoir boasts a lot of firepower when it comes to area-of-effects (AOE). Being a Ranged Attacker, Gardevoir excels in dominating both aggressive offense and more defensive play. Here are other advantages to note:
- Stellar AOE Damage. The innate nature of most of Gardevoir's attacks make it an amazing teamfighter. Its AOE attacks can devastate battlefields quickly with insane combos.
- Impressive Attack Range. Another core strength of Gardevoir is its reach, allowing it to attack from afar with minimal risk and defend relevant attack points from afar.
Unfortunately, despite its strengths, Gardevoir does have some weaknesses in terms of usage. It takes time to level up and achieve its true potential, and can be at a disadvantage when used incorrectly:
- Early Game Difficulty. Unlike other Attackers, Gardevoir starts as a timid Ralts in the early game. Similar to Junglers in other MOBA, Gardevoir needs early-game support in order to become more formidable in the late-game.
- Fragile Nature. Aside from its rather timid start, it doesn't help that Ralts also tends to be extremely fragile all throughout the match. Without the proper rotation and maneuverability, foes can vastly outlevel Gardevoir with ease.
Here are relevant characteristics to remember regarding this Pokemon:
- Tier: B
- Role: Attacker. Being an Attacker, Gardevoir excels in dishing out damage to foes. Their Role allows them to go toe-to-toe with most other mobs, elite mobs, and enemy Pokemon.
- Attack Type: Ranged. Unlike other Attackers, Gardevoir specializes in attacking enemies from afar. Its slate of attacks usually involve mobile attacks that can outmaneuver foes and leave them with no room to counter.
- Damage Type: Special. Similar to the usual Pokemon experience, Special Attackers deal damage through their Special Attack stat. In turn, the defending Pokemon can reduce incoming damage from Gardevoir using their Special Defense stat.
- Difficulty: Intermediate. Unlike other Pokemon, Gardevoir boasts a mid-level difficulty. Its toolkit leans towards maneuverability, with skills incorporating quick moves to compensate for middling mobility.
Players who want to choose Gardevoir also need to consider some statistics before using Gardevoir in a match:
- Offense: 4.5. As an Attacker, Gardevoir boasts one of the highest Offense ratings in the game. Its attacks, when coordinated properly, make it a reasonable threat on the battlefield.
- Defense: 1.5. Being an Attacker, Gardevoir, unfortunately, suffers from low durability. When cornered, Gardevoir can easily lose in combat.
RELATED: Pokemon Unite: Every Playable Pokemon You Can Get For Free
- Mobility: 1.5. Aside from its rather low durability, Gardevoir is also slow on the uptake. If not utilized properly, its toolkit won't give Gardevoir enough room to maneuver the battlefield, risking defeat.
- Scoring: 3. Unlike other Pokemon, Gardevoir does excel in terms of scoring potential. Being able to outmaneuver foes allows Gardevoir to secure the advantage when it comes to accumulating points much faster than enemies.
- Support: 1.5. Despite its scoring potential, Gardevoir does lack abilities that make it a great support unit in combat.
Given the rather fragile nature of Gardevoir, it makes sense for players to stay careful when making an optimal build for this Attacker. With this in mind, Gardevoir can prioritize some heavy-duty builds to ensure its supremacy in the endgame:
Given the toolkit of Gardevoir, it has access to a lot of nifty mobility moves. While they can mostly help Gardevoir escape sketchy situations, they're also capable of making Gardevoir a formidable opponent that enemies can't just run away from. Here are key aspects to this particular build:
- Move Order: Confusion (L1), Teleport (L3), Future Sight (L6), Moonblast (L8)
At its core, this build allows Gardevoir access to a huge AOE burst with Future Sight. Of course, given its 1-second delay, Future Sight leaves Gardevoir wide open with counters. However, in the chance of a success, Future Sight followed with Moonblast allows Gardevoir to escape enemies throughout the hitting animation of the former attack. Gardevoir can practically dominate a teamfight when using its Unite Move after Future Sight and Moonblast.
Despite the build, Gardevoir can vastly increase its potential as an Attacker when using these items:
- Battle Item: Eject Button
Thanks to the Eject Button, Gardevoir can travel short distances quickly. Given Gardevoir's rather frail nature, Gardevoir can use the Eject Button to escape engagements quickly or even ambush foes before using its Unite Move.
- Held Items: Sp. Atk Specs, Wise Glasses, Shell Bell
With these kinds of Held Items, Gardevoir can vastly improve its superiority in terms of Special Attack. This is especially considering that Special Attack is Gardevoir's primary attacking stat. Moreover, Shell Bell gives Gardevoir a much-needed lifesteal boost to make it more durable against stronger foes.
Thanks to Gardevoir's natural toolkit, Gardevoir can easily dominate AOE – particularly in teamfights. Here are some key aspects to this particular build:
- Move Order: Confusion (L1), Teleport (L3), Psyshock (L6), Psychic (L8)
At its core, Gardevoir can rake up AOE damage by spamming Psychic and Psyshock's natural AOE damage. When Psychic slows down enemies, this should give Gardevoir more than enough time to target them with the more powerful Psyshock.
Unlike the AOE build, Gardevoir can capitalize on its multi-hit nature to be able to single-handedly obliterate its targets. Whereas its usual build can focus on teamfights, Gardevoir can also dominate engagements with this build. Here are key aspects to this particular build:
- Move Order: Confusion (L1), Teleport (L3), Psyshock (L6), Moonblast (L8)
At its core, this build focuses on dishing out as much damage to a single target. Moonblast can stun an enemy and gives Gardevoir space for a necessary retreat or to set up its next attack. In the case of the latter, the stun time of Moonblast easily gives Gardevoir enough time to get in two blasts from Psyshock to the enemy. However, when fast enough, Gardevoir can eliminate up to 80-percent of an enemy's HP – making it wide open for a finishing blow from any ally.
Thanks to the high-mobility toolkit of Gardevoir, it makes sense that its ideal strategy is to outmaneuver foes with its quick abilities. However, players can further excel in using a Gardevoir build with a more nuanced look at its battle strategy.
Being an Attacker, Gardevoir has some recommended approaches when it comes to its preferred lanes. Depending on where Gardevoir focuses on, it can either excel in engaging in teamfights or becoming a solid scorer. Here are some of its recommended lane approaches:
- Jungle: By default, Gardevoir would perhaps perform well in the Jungle to gain more EXP. However, Gardevoir will always be at a risk in Jungle given its low durability. If Gardevoir goes solo, it's recommended that players use the Eject Button and Teleport often to avoid unnecessary interruptions to Jungling.
RELATED: Pokemon Unite: Energy Rewards Rates and All Unlockables
- Bottom: Given Gardevoir's play-safe nature in the early game, it's most recommended to have it in Bottom. Gardevoir needs to do battle carefully with Confusion in the first few levels, with Psyshock or Future Sight becoming formidable moves at Level 6. In the Bottom Lane, Gardevoir might have fewer risks but it's still relatively frail due to its low durability.
Since Gardevoir is rather frail and requires a bit of assistance in the early game, it makes sense for it to have a more elaborate leveling strategy compared to its other fellow Attackers. Here are some considerations:
- Play Safe in the Early Game. An important detail to take note is that Gardevoir needs to play it safe until around Level 8. If possible, try to Jungle early and avoid enemy encounters as much as possible. And while Speedsters and All-Rounders from the attacking side can get aggressive, Gardevoir can stay safe by nearing Goal Posts and getting to grass to hide. Confusion is an ideal attack here, while Teleport is a reliable spam for defense.
- Boost Attack Power with Teleport Buff. When Gardevoir uses Teleport, it buffs its next basic attack. Given the quick CD of Teleport, Gardevoir can actually benefit from two boosted basic attacks from two separate Teleports. When used with Confusion, Gardevoir can get a quick burst without using its major rotations.
- Psyshock is great for mobility. When Gardevoir gains Psyshock, it gets quite a nifty maneuverable attack. Remember, Gardevoir can aim Psyshock while moving – meaning Gardevoir can outmaneuver foes to ensure its three AOE bursts hit right. Moreover, Gardevoir can use other abilities during Psyshock without cancelling it, making way for mean combos.
- Moonblast is a great Future Sight setup. Given Future Sight has a bit of a delay despite its damage, Moonblast is easily its greatest setup. Thanks to the momentary stun from Moonblast, Future Sight can easily obliterate stunned foes.
Given Gardevoir's frail nature, it's very likely to face defeat in the early stages of each match. However, when leveled up properly, Gardevoir can easily become a formidable force in the field. Here are some potential interactions with Gardevoir with other Pokemon:
- Teammate: Crustle – Gardevoir excels with Crustle as a teammate, especially since Crustle can trap opponents. This allows Gardevoir to fully utilize its Psyshock or Future Sight.
- Teammate: Alolan Ninetales – Thanks to the buffs of Alolan Ninetales, Gardevoir can get extra juice needed to boost its defense. With Avalanche, Alolan Ninetales can trap opponents for Gardevoir to use its Future Sight and Psyshock.
- Hard Counters: Gardevoir needs to take note of Lucario, Absol, Machamp, Gengar, and Zeraora as hard counters. They can be extremely difficult to fight.
NEXT: Pokemon Unite Explained: How it Fits in the Franchise, and What You Need to Know