5 major highlights from Pokemon GO Battle League S15 move changes

The new Pokemon GO Battle League season brought many welcome changes that most players have received fairly well. One of the most notable changes is the addition of new moves to a few Pokemon. Additionally, alterations were made to the powers of existing attacks of a few pocket monsters keeping the Great Battle League in mind.

In this season’s balance changes, a total of 33 Pokemon have directly had their attacks buffed or nerfed or have been given completely new attacks.

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Poison Fang and other attacks that received buffs or nerfs in Season 15 balance changes of Pokemon GO:

1) Poison Fang (Power has been increased from 40 to 45)

This attack buff will greatly benefit Pokemon like Golbat, Crowbat, Salazzle, and especially Nidoqueen. Drill Pokemon was already a relevant force in the meta, and now this additional power buff will give her an upper hand in fights.

Nidoqueen will be more effective in the Ultra League than the Great League PvP battles in this season of Pokemon GO. She had completely become obsolete earlier when the cost of Poison Fang was increased. Now that the damage for the same has been increased, maybe players will consider using her again.

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2) Rollout (Power has been increased from 4 to 5)

The Alolan form of Golem and Dunsparce directly benefited from this subtle buff to Rollout. It might not seem significant, but it helps these two Pokemon in certain scenarios to clutch battles that would previously be a tad more difficult.

Given the new buff, Dunsparce can now overshadow the likes of Shadow Swampert and Miltank. It will also be able to beat Lanturns running Ice Beam instead of Thunderbolt.

Even though Rollout proves effective in the current PvP meta, it would be better for Alolan Golem to continue running Volt Switch instead of Rollout. This is because the former happens to be more relevant in multiple matchups in the current meta.

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3) Icicle Spear (Power has been increased from 60 to 65)

This buff only benefits Walrein. It will surely enjoy a greater win rate in both Great League and Ultra League of Pokemon GO henceforth. The move will give it the upper hand against most of its usual adversaries. These include Skarmory, Azumarill, and Trevenant in the Great League and Virizion in the Ultra League.

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4) Seed Bomb (Power has been increased from 55 to 60)

Trevanant has been a strong presence in the PvP meta. A lot of people were seen to be relying a bit too much on and had their faith deeply rooted in this Pokemon. The rework of this particular attack seems to be an indirect nerf done to Trevenant.

The damage boost given to Seed Bomb will definitely make it more formidable, but at the same time, the increase in the Energy cost of this attack might bring Trevenant’s domination to a gradual halt.

Trevenant used to be ranked among the top 10 Pokemon in both the Great and Ultra Leagues. Sadly that is not the case anymore, as it has catapulted out of relevance with this balance change. Now Trevenant can be seen in the late 80s in the Great League and the early 30s in the Ultra League. Let’s hope this blow does not make it absolutely irrelevant in the PvP meta.

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5) Mud Bomb (Power has been increased from 55 to 60)

Just like Seed Bomb, Mud Bomb also saw a buff in this season’s balance changes, with its power being increased from 55 to 60. Pokemon like Whiscash will definitely exploit this more than others.

Even though it was performing well in the PvP scene, its impact felt a bit lackluster. This small but significant boost will surely help Whiscash see better days in Season 15 of Pokemon GO.

Another Pokemon that will really abuse the buff given to Mud Bomb is Quagsire. Even though Earthquake does seem a better option, there are scenarios where the spammy Mud Bomb will prove to be more effective in clutch fights. It will be interesting to see how players manage to use this to their advantage in this season of Pokemon GO.

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Niantic has introduced a few unique changes to the PvP meta this season. It will be interesting to see which Pokemon become a menace for the competitive community in Pokemon GO.