Is Cinderace broken in Pokemon Unite?

Although there are several good options at the moment, Cinderace might be the best in Pokemon Unite meta.

The best Pokemon in the game used to be Gengar, but the nerf to Hex has left a power vacuum for other Pokemon to fill. Right now, it looks like Cinderace is occupying that spot with its ridiculous damage and speed.

Players are even claiming that any team that hopes to win should be bringing this Generation VIII Fire-type.

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Is this Pokemon too much for the meta?

The reason why Cinderace is dominating right now is a combination of multiple aspects. It all starts with its passive ability, Blaze.

Players who have met Cinderace online may have noticed a fiery icon beside their character when they get hit. This is Blaze taking effect. Every time Cinderace hits with its basic attack, the next attack gets boosted. On top of that, the opponent will take a little extra damage on the fifth hit.

This ability basically gives Cinderace a strong early game presence. It inflicts plenty of damage simply from pestering opponents with this basic attack.

The other big weapon in Cinderace’s arsenal is Feint. This ability not only gives it a buff in movement speed, but it also makes Cinderace invincible for a brief period of time.

The applications of this move are incredible. Of course, players can use it offensively to boost Cinderace’s movement to rush down enemies. Defensively, however, this move could save Cinderace from taking serious damage.

Prudent players can use this move when they know they are about to suffer large damaging moves; most notably, Unite moves.

At times during a team fight, it’s easy to tell when Pokemon like Machamp or a Zeraora are about to try and wipe out the entire team with their Unite move. Cinderace can simply use Feint here though; it dodges the attack, moves away to safety, and just goes back to firing away with its ranged attacks.

All of these things add up to Cinderace being a monstrous attacker, especially in the top lane. Pairing Cinderace with a Slowbro or a Snorlax that can choke the enemy off will simply let it whittle away at opposing Pokemon.

A new fad, however, is to use Cinderace in the jungle. This is where things can really begin to snowball out of control. In this role, Cinderace can farm for free. As a Scorbunny, it can even grind enough exp to become Raboot before popping in a lane.

This not only makes the Pokemon more powerful, but it robs the opponent’s best opportunity to kill Cinderace: when it’s in its early evolution stage.

Since Cinderace is so oppressive, it begs the question of whether or not the Pokemon is broken. It may not be entirely, since there are other ranged attackers that can also destroy lanes with defensive support (Cramorant, Pikachu, Alolan Ninetails). It wouldn’t be surprising, though, if Cinderace’s damage output gets nerfed in the future.