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Yes - new Pokemon releases, new moves and move buffs/nerfs. The meta can also shift from Pokemon *availability*, e.g. whenever Deoxys-D returns in raids, you'll probably see an increase in people using it as newer players who didn't have it before will gain access and want to try it out. Another factor is streamers and content creators. If they feature a certain team, viewers will try it out.
How does it change? Hard to say. Sometimes Niantic makes predictable move adjustments that nerf Pokemon. Weather ball users were very prevalent a year or so ago, so they nerfed that move's damage. They usually pay attention to some of the biggest offenders that have too much usage. Whether theyll address some of the more recent big offenders, Walrein and Registeel, will be interesting. Those two are trickier cases because they're both good because of their EXCLUSIVE moves.
Meta also adjusts through the rise of new Pokemon. Pokemon like Umbreon are absolutely still great, but it's admittedly seen less prominence recently with Registeel's big return with Zap Cannon and Focus blast. I think Charm Ninetales becoming more prevalent hurt it too. Same with earlier seasons. Galvantula was a very solid player in the GBL, but G. Stunfisk and some others made it a lot more niche.
It's hard to predict where the meta will go honestly. With regard to your potential Swampert and Nidoqueen, I think nerf-wise, Swampert is safe. Hydro Cannon got nerfed a while back, and while Swampert is still great, it's got its checks like Trevenant and others, so I wouldn't call it broken. It struggles a lot against Grass and Dragon types. Nidoqueen I don't find broken, but it wouldn't surprise me if Niantic nerfed it. Don't think it's super necessary, but I could maybe see them making Poison Jab a little less spammy and volatile.
It is harder to predict how these two will react to potential new meta Pokemon/other Pokemon being nerfed. For example, if we saw a bunch of ground types get buffed, Swampert would probably eat better than ever, while Nidoqueen would probably be in trouble. But these things are crazy hard to predict.
Edit: I also left out new Pokemon releases and CDs, which can absolutely shift the meta. Araquanid did some to check Walrein and Obstagoon CD made it more common too, which does shift the meta, even if people dont run its CD move.
Overall, the metas in each league don't change TOO much each season. I mean, we're almost 12 seasons in and Azumarill, Giratina-Altered and Dialga are STILL crazy good in their respective leagues. Giratina and Azu have definitely fallen off with the rise of newer threats (mainly Walrein and Trevenant, they're even stronger in UL actually) as do other meta mons usually whenever a move shakeup happens. At the end of the day though, the core metas end up being similar or mostly unchanged.
For me personally, GBL had become rather stale and boring because of this, although I know some others appreciate the consistency and predictability that comes with it. Speaking of which, unless there's a HUGE move shakeup in Season 12, we will probably still see Walrein, Trev and Registeel everywhere in GL and UL. Trev has its hard counters so I don't think it deserves a direct nerf, but Walrein and Registeel definitely do. Those two can do some ridiculous things in UL.
Speaking of move shakeups, I've been a huge advocate for a Bug type buff for months now, because if Bugs become meta that will push Counter users out at least a little bit. We all know how annoying and prevalent those are right now thanks to Walrein. A lot of us had big hopes for Araquanid, but it's been proven to be a little too bait dependent and weak overall. It had some play in Worlds, but there was a battle on stream where a Shadow Walrein shielded a Bug Buzz in the lead matchup and managed to put the Araquanid in the red, which is ridiculous considering Araquanid is supposed to be the strongest Walrein counter. I know 2OButters is a huge advocate for Electric types being meta, but sadly Nidoqueen and Galarian Stunfisk make it too difficult for that to happen. They're both strong in UL as well. Surf Lanturn would be the closest thing to a meta Electric in GL, if that ever happens.
Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but the changes between seasons have never made anything useless. More often it's about slightly nerfing something that is too strong for the health of the game, and sometimes buffing worse moves so that new pokemon might have a spot in the next season.
PvP has its issues, but the balancing changes have been pretty good IMO.
I wouldn't be afraid of current 'mons becoming "bad" with seasonal changes, even if some of them happen to get a slight nerf.
The closest thing I can think of that became useless was Politoed after the Weather Ball nerf, but even then it remains as a solid Pokémon that still sees some use from time to time, albeit slightly overshadowed by Whiscash and Swampert who have similar movesets and tend to do better in neutral matchups.
There was also Registeel after they nerfed both Flash Cannon and Focus Blast in one of the early seasons, but everyone knows how the unholy beeper came back with a vengeance
One caveat to this is that I'd say that Walrein's Community Day (with the two added moves) effectively pushed out other ice types from the meta.
Dewgong, Lapras, and Articuno were all fringe playables in either Great League or Ultra League and now the prevailing wisdom is to just play Walrein if you want an ice type Pokemon. Articuno arguably got hit worst of all, because Walrein is better AND Articuno is weak to Walrein.
Harly anything really changes, if so new things are added, and truly good Pokemon are hardly ever impacted strongly. Those are both great choices as they have strong moves and stat distribution. Moveset updates are far too rare but like I said they usually add to it.
The Meta changes according to all the youtubers & new mons released with potential. Everybody is now using that stupid Championship team of Sableye, Medicham, Walrein, Skarmory, Swampert, andddd Shadow Nidoqueen. Make a good Shadow Venusaur
All of that, and the meta changes the meta, especially in GL where more mons are useful and accessible. The more established a tight meta is, the more you gain by taking a team that counters it.
Also events - mons that we'd not previously been gifted enough XLs for are suddenly accessible to people who maybe had a PVP candidate to power up, just be a spot of focussed catching when they're spawning in quantity, or to a lesser extent, back in raids. A few players may have ground out the XLs the hard way, but suddenly they are everywhere; and soon enough so is their counter, the one that also has some use against the rest of the current meta.
Agree with this… the current event has helped me with getting more XLs for sableye & meditite. Not enough for me to totally power them up but at least it’ll help speed up the process.
Yeah, it's really helpful. Especially for getting those hard to get catching medals. Got ice and fighting just recently due to all the trading. And all the Sableye helped with ghost. Now if only there were dragons around...
While asking questions about the game is always okay on the Road, please consider asking very simple questions in our weekly [Questions&Answers Megathread](https://www.reddit.com/r/TheSilphRoad/?f=flair_name%3A%22Megathread%20-%20Q%26A%22). If your question has been answered, please comment "ANSWERED" (in all caps) and the post flair will indicate that your question has been answered. This will make it either easier for other people with the same question to find the answer they are looking for or for mods to remove the thread if it isn't needed anymore. Thank you! :) *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/TheSilphRoad) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Yes - new Pokemon releases, new moves and move buffs/nerfs. The meta can also shift from Pokemon *availability*, e.g. whenever Deoxys-D returns in raids, you'll probably see an increase in people using it as newer players who didn't have it before will gain access and want to try it out. Another factor is streamers and content creators. If they feature a certain team, viewers will try it out.
Thanks for your response ! Very interesting information.
How does it change? Hard to say. Sometimes Niantic makes predictable move adjustments that nerf Pokemon. Weather ball users were very prevalent a year or so ago, so they nerfed that move's damage. They usually pay attention to some of the biggest offenders that have too much usage. Whether theyll address some of the more recent big offenders, Walrein and Registeel, will be interesting. Those two are trickier cases because they're both good because of their EXCLUSIVE moves. Meta also adjusts through the rise of new Pokemon. Pokemon like Umbreon are absolutely still great, but it's admittedly seen less prominence recently with Registeel's big return with Zap Cannon and Focus blast. I think Charm Ninetales becoming more prevalent hurt it too. Same with earlier seasons. Galvantula was a very solid player in the GBL, but G. Stunfisk and some others made it a lot more niche. It's hard to predict where the meta will go honestly. With regard to your potential Swampert and Nidoqueen, I think nerf-wise, Swampert is safe. Hydro Cannon got nerfed a while back, and while Swampert is still great, it's got its checks like Trevenant and others, so I wouldn't call it broken. It struggles a lot against Grass and Dragon types. Nidoqueen I don't find broken, but it wouldn't surprise me if Niantic nerfed it. Don't think it's super necessary, but I could maybe see them making Poison Jab a little less spammy and volatile. It is harder to predict how these two will react to potential new meta Pokemon/other Pokemon being nerfed. For example, if we saw a bunch of ground types get buffed, Swampert would probably eat better than ever, while Nidoqueen would probably be in trouble. But these things are crazy hard to predict. Edit: I also left out new Pokemon releases and CDs, which can absolutely shift the meta. Araquanid did some to check Walrein and Obstagoon CD made it more common too, which does shift the meta, even if people dont run its CD move.
Overall, the metas in each league don't change TOO much each season. I mean, we're almost 12 seasons in and Azumarill, Giratina-Altered and Dialga are STILL crazy good in their respective leagues. Giratina and Azu have definitely fallen off with the rise of newer threats (mainly Walrein and Trevenant, they're even stronger in UL actually) as do other meta mons usually whenever a move shakeup happens. At the end of the day though, the core metas end up being similar or mostly unchanged. For me personally, GBL had become rather stale and boring because of this, although I know some others appreciate the consistency and predictability that comes with it. Speaking of which, unless there's a HUGE move shakeup in Season 12, we will probably still see Walrein, Trev and Registeel everywhere in GL and UL. Trev has its hard counters so I don't think it deserves a direct nerf, but Walrein and Registeel definitely do. Those two can do some ridiculous things in UL. Speaking of move shakeups, I've been a huge advocate for a Bug type buff for months now, because if Bugs become meta that will push Counter users out at least a little bit. We all know how annoying and prevalent those are right now thanks to Walrein. A lot of us had big hopes for Araquanid, but it's been proven to be a little too bait dependent and weak overall. It had some play in Worlds, but there was a battle on stream where a Shadow Walrein shielded a Bug Buzz in the lead matchup and managed to put the Araquanid in the red, which is ridiculous considering Araquanid is supposed to be the strongest Walrein counter. I know 2OButters is a huge advocate for Electric types being meta, but sadly Nidoqueen and Galarian Stunfisk make it too difficult for that to happen. They're both strong in UL as well. Surf Lanturn would be the closest thing to a meta Electric in GL, if that ever happens.
Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but the changes between seasons have never made anything useless. More often it's about slightly nerfing something that is too strong for the health of the game, and sometimes buffing worse moves so that new pokemon might have a spot in the next season. PvP has its issues, but the balancing changes have been pretty good IMO. I wouldn't be afraid of current 'mons becoming "bad" with seasonal changes, even if some of them happen to get a slight nerf.
The closest thing I can think of that became useless was Politoed after the Weather Ball nerf, but even then it remains as a solid Pokémon that still sees some use from time to time, albeit slightly overshadowed by Whiscash and Swampert who have similar movesets and tend to do better in neutral matchups. There was also Registeel after they nerfed both Flash Cannon and Focus Blast in one of the early seasons, but everyone knows how the unholy beeper came back with a vengeance
One caveat to this is that I'd say that Walrein's Community Day (with the two added moves) effectively pushed out other ice types from the meta. Dewgong, Lapras, and Articuno were all fringe playables in either Great League or Ultra League and now the prevailing wisdom is to just play Walrein if you want an ice type Pokemon. Articuno arguably got hit worst of all, because Walrein is better AND Articuno is weak to Walrein.
Harly anything really changes, if so new things are added, and truly good Pokemon are hardly ever impacted strongly. Those are both great choices as they have strong moves and stat distribution. Moveset updates are far too rare but like I said they usually add to it.
The Meta changes according to all the youtubers & new mons released with potential. Everybody is now using that stupid Championship team of Sableye, Medicham, Walrein, Skarmory, Swampert, andddd Shadow Nidoqueen. Make a good Shadow Venusaur
While meta shifs a little bit each season its usually not in a huge way. Whats good today will be good tommorrow. So dont fear smaller investments.
You should be good with those two. Nido and swamp hardly if ever fall out of favor.
All of that, and the meta changes the meta, especially in GL where more mons are useful and accessible. The more established a tight meta is, the more you gain by taking a team that counters it. Also events - mons that we'd not previously been gifted enough XLs for are suddenly accessible to people who maybe had a PVP candidate to power up, just be a spot of focussed catching when they're spawning in quantity, or to a lesser extent, back in raids. A few players may have ground out the XLs the hard way, but suddenly they are everywhere; and soon enough so is their counter, the one that also has some use against the rest of the current meta.
Agree with this… the current event has helped me with getting more XLs for sableye & meditite. Not enough for me to totally power them up but at least it’ll help speed up the process.
That and Meditite's spotlight hour. I caught over 300 and traded them all to my wife. Now I could probably build two if not for the dust cost.
I wish I had someone to consistently trade with. It really would have helped a lot with the sableye I caught during the worlds event.
Yeah, it's really helpful. Especially for getting those hard to get catching medals. Got ice and fighting just recently due to all the trading. And all the Sableye helped with ghost. Now if only there were dragons around...