Well, that was quick.
Earlier this week, we reported Vaporeon’s immense popularity in Pokémon Go—the best players around the world were flocking to this water Pokémon both because it was both easy to get, and because it packed a punch.
Well, some of that is changing now. As noted by Archangelus on Reddit, Vaporeon’s bread and butter, Water Gun, has decreased in power. Previously, Water Gun had a power of 10. Now it has a power of 6, as you can see in the screenshot below, courtesy of Alex Zandra:
I asked multiple people to show me their Vaporeons today, and every single one had the Water Gun change.
With this tweak, Vaporeon will be slightly more balanced in battle, though it should still enjoy a healthy stamina that will set it apart from the average monster. It should also be noted that the move change in Pokémon Go was not Vaporeon-specific. Actually, over the last 24 hours, Pokémon Go’s entire moveset seems to have been reworked. In general, it seems that special moves have been buffed (Vaporeon’s Hydro Pump saw a 50% increase, actually, though that move isn’t as useful as Water Gun), and some normal moves have been nerfed across the board. You can see a chart chronicling the changes in DPS and damage throughout the entire game here.
What does this mean for Pokémon Go? Well, my guess is that we’re about to see some new faces stationed at gyms, and not just the typical Vaporeon / Snorlax/ Lapras mix. At the very least, new Pokémon will become competitively viable now. This is the start of a Pokémon Go metagame change, and I’m excited to see where it takes us. I’m really hoping the balance changes mean that suddenly, a Pokémon everyone thought was shitty is now wrecking everything. Pokémon Go needs a Pachirisu moment, man.
RIP Vaporeon’s watery reign. You were never the coolest Eeveelution anyway.