Is Toxapex coming to Pokemon Unite?

Pokemon Unite's roster of playable Pokemon has slowly but surely been increasing with the inclusion of Gardevoir and the foreseeable addition of Blastoise. However, dataminers in the game's community have found much more.

By looking into the game's data strings, players have uncovered references to Pokemon such as Blissey and Sylveon. There is also a long list of as-of-yet undefined references to roughly 15 other Pokemon from throughout the game's history, one of which is Toxapex, a Pokemon from Generation VII.

Introduced in Pokemon: Sun and Moon, Toxapex is a dual Poison/Water-type Pokemon that may take some inspiration from the Crown-of-Thorns Starfish in the real world.

Though there is very little information on its relationship to Pokemon Unite at the moment, its inclusion in the game's data has raised eyebrows.

---

Pokemon Unite: Where might Toxapex fit in?

Image via The Pokemon Company

While it isn't yet known how Toxapex will take shape in Pokemon Unite, there are some assumptions that can be made as to how it may fit into the game's roster after becoming playable.

Given Pokemon's Pokedex entries since its inception, Toxapex encloses itself in its dome-like legs and can poison hostile Pokemon that get too close to it. Additionally, Toxapex's stats in the main Pokemon series overwhelmingly favor its Defense and Special Defense, making it a tanky choice for trainers.

Given this information, Toxapex would seem to be a great fit for the Defender role Pokemon if it is playable in Pokemon Unite. Since the effects of poison are already present in the game due to moves like Gengar's Sludge Bomb, adding another Pokemon that utilizes poison would likely be no issue whatsoever.

If Toxapex does become a Defender, one could theorize that it would focus somewhat on its poisonous properties to deal damage. Whether this would come in the form of its basic attack, a passive ability, or an active ability is unclear, but speculation is all that is currently available until TiMi Studio or The Pokemon Company announce additional information.

Since Pokemon Unite is intended to have a long lifespan as a free-to-play Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) title, regular content updates are integral to keeping the community engaged and the game itself alive.

With so many Pokemon hinted at in Pokemon Unite's early code, it appears as though there is plenty of content planned for the future.

Even if most of these Pokemon don't make it to the game's final build, a steady stream of new playable Pokemon should keep fans and casual players alike coming back for more.

---