"Tencent, you had one job": Pokemon Unite community reacts to the release of Scyther and Scizor

Scizor was introduced to Pokemon Unite on September 28, 2022, alongside its former evolution Scyther. In a first for the MOBA title, both Scyther and Scizor are viable endgame Pokemon to use. While some in the game's community have appreciated the company's decision, others have voiced that there is a massive power imbalance between Scyther and Scizor.

Many trainers on the Pokemon Unite subreddit have pointed out that Scyther is definitively more powerful than its Bug/Steel-type evolution. Furthermore, holowear skins do not appear on Scyther, making some trainers feel cheated out of their cosmetics. The power imbalance is particularly strange since Scizor is an evolution of Scyther and should at least be marginally better in terms of performance.

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Pokemon Unite: Fan outcry on Reddit points to balancing issues between Scyther and Scizor

Scizor battles Accelgor in the jungle in Pokemon Unite (Image via The Pokemon Company)

While some welcomed the dual-pronged gameplay of Scyther and Scizor, many players on Reddit were frustrated with Scyther's superiority over its Steel-type evolution. Additionally, many Scyther fans cried foul at the fact that only Scizor can be selected at the main menu instead of giving players a choice of which Pokemon they'd like to present there alongside their trainer. Furthermore, the fact that only Scizor can wear holowear has ruffled a few feathers as well, particularly amongst Scyther fans.

Although Scizor performed quite well in pre-release testing, it appears that Scyther has emerged as the preferred option, rendering Scizor obsolete and offers more with its contrasting abilities and playstyle. With many trainers excited about Pokemon Unite releasing a dual-threat Unite License with Scyther and Scizor, some have perceived the release as an underwhelming affair, considering Scizor's struggles in the ongoing meta compared to its pre-evolved form. This appears to allegedly be linked to an in-game bug that sees Scizor receive no additional stat increases after its evolution, keeping the same stats as Scyther but without the moves that complement those stats.

Some Pokemon Unite Redditors also pointed to past controversies, accusing Tencent and The Pokemon Company of pushing out additional content without extensively testing it to sort out any major issues. Dodrio was recently released as a playable Pokemon and was subjected to a one-week window where it could only be purchased using gems obtained with real-world currency. Trainers have accused the developers and the publisher of being greedy and attempting to twist their arms into paying real-world money.

Undoubtedly, every Unite License release in Pokemon Unite has had detractors and supporters, but the recently added duo of Scizor and Scyther seem to have a substantial amount of pushback in comparison to previous releases like Dodrio, Mew, Tyranitar, and others. TiMi Studio Group and The Pokemon Company will likely need to move quickly after this fan outcry in order to preserve the overall mood towards the game.

If the developer/publisher's aim is to keep a significant bottom line for their profits, upsetting players with bugged or otherwise unsavory content releases is a quick way to self-sabotage. Granted, development timelines aren't easy to stick to, but The Pokemon Company has plenty of funds to pump into the mobile title's continued longevity. MOBA games like Unite continue to live or die based on their reputations for game balance, and leaving problems unresolved can swiftly lead to unfavorable outcomes.