Pokémon GO Has Finally (and Silently) Nerfed Vaporeon and Buffed Everything Else


Since the game’s release earlier this month, it became quickly apparent that the most overpowered Pokémon in the game was Vaporeon. Well, not quite THE strongest, but the most powerful Pokémon you could easily get your hands on – provided you can snag a measly 25 Eevee candies and get the luck of the draw. For many this has become frustrating, as just about every gym you go to battle you’ll find at least one Vaporeon. That may have finally changed. Reddit user cortanabae has discovered that his Vaporeon’s moveset has noticeably altered.


Water Gun getting nerfed from 10 > 6 is game changing. That’s a 40% less powerful attack on the game’s most overused Pokémon. But that’s not all that’s changed. Many other moves were nerfed, not just for Vaporeon, but for a wide range of attacks from all Pokémon. And other moves have been buffed to help balance the game. This is great news, because a balanced game makes for better gameplay.

That said, why Niantic Labs chose to make these changes silently, we can’t say. They didn’t even push out a new update for the app; they simply slipped into the code and changed some things around. Some big things. I know I’m not complaining, but they really need some better communication with their fans. Even if they were to just mention it in a tweet would be alright…

Anywho, find a list of all the known nerfs and buffs that were made below, in alphabetical order.

Nerfs:
Aqua Tail: 50 > 45
Body Slam: 50 > 40
Bug Bite: 6 > 5
Discharge: 40 > 35
Dragon Claw: 40 > 35
Frost Breath: 12 > 9
Iron Head: 40 > 30
Lick: 10 > 5
Metal Claw: 12 > 8
Mud Shot: 12 > 6
Poison Jab: 15 > 12
Pound: 8 > 7
Psycho Cut: 15 > 7
Scratch: 10 > 6
Shadow Claw: 16 > 11
Vine Whip: 10 > 7
Water Gun: 10 > 6
Wing Attack: 12 > 9
Zen Headbutt: 15 > 12

Buffs:
Aerial Ace: 25 > 30
Air Cutter: 25 > 30
Ancient Power: 30 > 35
Aqua Jet: 15 > 25
Blizzard: 60 > 100
Bubble: 15 > 25
Bubble Beam: 25 > 30
Bug Buzz: 50 > 75
Bulldoze: 30 > 35
Confusion: 12 > 15
Cross Chop: 55 > 60
Cross Poison: 20 > 25
Dazzling Gleam: 45 > 55
Dig: 55 > 70
Dragon Pulse: 50 > 65
Draining Kiss: 15 > 25
Drill Peck: 30 > 40
Drill Run: 40 > 50
Earthquake: 60 > 100
Fire Blast: 60 > 100
Fire Fang: 7 > 10
Fire Punch: 35 > 40
Flame Wheel: 35 > 40
Flamethrower: 50 > 55
Flash Cannon: 55 > 60
Gunk Shot: 60 > 65
Heat Wave: 60 > 80
Hurricane: 60 > 80
Hydro Pump: 60 > 90
Hyper Beam: 70 > 120
Ice Shard: 12 > 15
Icy Wind: 15 > 25
Leaf Blade: 45 > 55
Moon Blast: 60 > 85
Mud Bomb: 25 > 30
Mud Slap: 6 > 15
Megahorn: 55 > 80
Night Slash: 25 > 30
Ominous Wind: 25 > 30
Play Rough: 50 > 55
Petal Blizzard: 50 > 65
Power Whip: 60 > 70
Psychic: 50 > 55
Rock Smash: 5 > 15
Seed Bomb: 30 > 40
Sludge Bomb: 50 > 55
Solar Beam: 70 > 120
Stomp: 25 > 30
Stone Edge: 55 > 80
Thunder: 65 > 100
Thunderbolt: 50 > 55
Twister: 15 > 25
Water Pulse: 30 > 35
X-Scissor: 30 > 35

Hopefully you guys get a Dragonite with Hyper Beam, because that’s going to seriously dominate. If I’ve missed anything, please let me know in the comments below.


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2 thoughts on “Pokémon GO Has Finally (and Silently) Nerfed Vaporeon and Buffed Everything Else

  1. I don’t know if you know of the naming trick to “force” the eeveelution you want, but thank goodness you don’t have to rely mainly on the luck of the draw to get the Flareon/Jolteon/Vaporeon you want anymore. I’ve been able to use this to get all three, but the way the Eevees spawn around here, I think I would have gotten them all eventually anyway. Guess they go at it like bunnies out in the burbs 🙂

    The other day I saw a “shadow” of a Dragonite in the nearby list, but because the footprint tracking system is still broken, I wasn’t able to find it. Hopefully it’ll pop again one day.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. It’ll definitely show up again. And yeah, I’ve played around with the Eevee trick. So great. I don’t know if it works a second time however. It hasn’t worked for me on attempting to name them again.

      Like

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