Pokemon GO Boosts Combat Power for Select Pokemon
By Sarah Fields 22 November 2016
Niantic reveals that some Pokemon have had their Combat Power adjusted in Pokemon GO, and data miners uncover what players can expect from the change.
Some Pokemon always have the upper hand in the core Pokemon series, but developer Niantic is hard at work adjusting the Combat Power of Pokemon in its mobile title, Pokemon GO. A new release from Niantic has revealed that Pokemon GO has received an update changing the Combat Power of players’ Pokemon and newly captured Pokemon.
Niantic has released an official announcement revealing that “certain Pokemon” have had their CP changed. The information is slightly vague, only revealing that Alakazam, Rhydon, Gengar have been boosted, while others have been lowered, but Pokemon GO data miners have been hard at work unveiling the exact changes to the game. The Pokemon GO subreddit The Silph Road has revealed that many more than those three Pokemon have had their CP levels altered, with most of the favorite fighters in the game being boosted or nerfed.
Changes to the individual Pokemon vary wildly, with some buffs and nerfs being relatively minor, while others will seriously change the way trainers handle taking over and defending Pokemon Gyms. For example, Chansey is now an extremely good choice for defending Pokemon Gyms, as it has gone from a defense stat of 60 to 176, and has received an overall boost of 157.08 to its base CP. One surprise is that the outrageously popular Vaporeon has received an attack stat and base CP boost, despite the fact that it was already considered to be one of the strongest Pokemon in the game and has previously enjoyed widespread dominance over Pokemon Gyms.
In addition, popular choices like Dragonite, Gyarados, Snorlax, and all three of the Eevee evolutions have also received a CP boost, as well as Ghost types Gastly and Haunter, which will no doubt please players who participated in the Pokemon GO Halloween event. Interestingly enough, Pokemon that aren’t yet accessible in the game, like Moltres, Zapdos, and Mewtwo have also received boosts.
The remaining Pokemon to receive CP boosts in this update to Pokemon GO include Abra, Aerodactyl, Beedrill, Butterfree, Charizard, Cloyster, Diglett, Dodrio, Doduo, Dugtrio, Electabuzz, Electrode, Exeggcute, Fearow, Geodude, Goldeen, Golem, Graveler, Hitmonchan, Hitmonlee, Horsea, Jynx, Kabuto, Kabutops, Kadabra, Kangaskhan, Kingler, Krabby, Machamp, Machoke, Machop, Magnemite, Magneton, Mankey, Marowak, Mr. Mime, Muk, Omanyte, Omastar, Onix, Pinsir, Primeape, Raticate, Rattata, Rhyhorn, Sandshrew, Sandslash, Scyther, Seadra, Shellder, Starmie, Tangela, Tauros, Tentacool, Tentacruel, Venomoth, and Voltorb.
Niantic has previously made some major tweaks to Pokemon GO to provide a fair experience to players, such as giving trainers a grace period to place their Pokemon in a Gym after defeating its leaders. Previously, other trainers could potentially swoop in and poach Pokemon gyms. However, while that change was widely praised, the Pokemon CP adjustments have definitely displeased some gamers. Many players have already transferred Pokemon that were considered sub-par, only to find now that they’ve become worthwhile fighters; others have found that the time they’ve spent grinding to collect Pokemon Candy has been wasted, as the Pokemon they trained are now too weak to be useful.
With the second generation of Pokemon on its way, gamers should consider hesitating before giving up new Pokemon with average or low combat power in the future. Niantic has stated that it may make more changes like these at any given time, so trainers should keep that in mind when choosing what to do with their captured Pokemon.
Pokemon GO is out now for Android and iOS devices.
Source: Niantic, The Silph Road
