Draft Is Coming To Pokémon Unite’s Ranked Mode
On December 1st Pokémon Unite dropped some major news that will affect all players from casual to competitive. This information was shared in the form of a “Producer Letter” which can be found here. In short the letter contained information on the following:
- Communication regarding balance
- The introduction of EX Licenses
- Draft mode being introduced to ranked
- News on new Held Items being added to the shop
EX Licenses
The message from the producer mentioned officially the new classification coming to some Pokémon in Unite, EX. This information was seen in recent datamines and now we have official confirmation of their introduction. Starting on December 5th only one of the following Pokémon will be selectable on a team in a ranked game.
- Zacian
- Mewtwo (X)
- Mewtwo (Y)
Not only that but the letter goes on to mention that in the next ranked season, Starting on January 16th, EX Pokémon will be prohibited from ranked. As well as the news that regulations will change season to season, similar to how VGC “regulations” work. These changes will not impact standard mode at the moment.
Draft Mode in Ranked Matches
At long last Draft Mode will be expanding outside of Tournament mode to its first stop, Ranked matches. Starting on February 27th, Ranked Season 18 start date, Draft mode will be coming to Master level Ranked matches. The letter states that this will function the same as tournaments do currently but the developers are considering changes to better suit Ranked matches in the future.
These changes will be launched only for Masters Ranked players and will not be seen in any lower ranks or in Standard matches. The letter does mention they are considering bringing this change to other ranks as well.
Held Items
Two new Held items are also mentioned in the letter. On December 5th the “Charging Charm” and “Resonant Guard” will be available in the in-game shop.
Joshua “ZOINKS” Hiebert is a Pokemon Unite Commentator and esports enthusiast residing in Chicago. He has worked on a variety of Unite events including the World Championships held in London in 2022, and in Japan in 2023. In his free time he can be found watching esports ranging from Pokemon, Overwatch, Halo, League of Legends, and even Mario Kart. In his writing and in his casting ZOINKS pushes to make sure that players stories are known to the audience.