A PvP Analysis on the GBL Season 26 Move Rebalance (Part 1 – Known Moves)

Honestly Pokéfriends, at this point I don't even try to squeeze these seasonal move rebalances into a single article. 😅 So instead, I try and find logical places to break it up, and after the number of times I have been forced to guess about these mysterious "energy cost/generation increased/decreased" in these analyses and ended up being off, I'm holding off on all move updates that have unknown energy effects like that. In today's first analysis article on the GBL Season 26 move rebalance, we'll be looking at all the moves that we (should!) know all the details about for certain, and save all those that require some educated guessing for Part 2.

Get it? Got it? Good, then let's dive in to what we know!

First, we'll begin with move tweaks that have widespread effects… moves that appear on multiple competitive Pokémon today (or may elevate Pokémon that have those moves to new PvP heights).

A CUT ABOVE ✂️📈

Here's one I never had on my bingo card… kicking off a major article by extolling the virtues of Psycho Cut. But here we are! It was left behind when Poison Sting and Fairy Wind were buffed to their current 2.0 Damage Per Turn/4.5 Energy Per Turn stats back in Season 20, and then Thunder Shock was similarly buffed the following season. And now Ember's big buff in Season 24 took it to the same 2.0 DPT/4.5 EPT stats. But Psycho Cut never got to join that party… until now. As of this new season, Psycho Cut finally got its damage buff from 1.5 DPT up to now 2.0 DPT.

The only issue is that there's not a whole lot that wants to run it, even in this buffed state. Malamar is better off with Psywave. Things that also have Shadow Claw (Doublade, Necrozma and its Fusions) are still better off with that. Even Galarian Rapidash is probably still better off running Fairy Wind in most instances (due to resistances). So what are we left with?

In Great League, the most notable Psycho Cut user these days is an old frenemy: MEDICHAM. It normally doesn't want the nerfed Counter anymore, and where Medi does see use these days, it usually shifts the Fighting damage to Dynamic Punch and powers up to it with Psycho Cut. So does the modest damage buff help? At first glance, it would seem only barely so, with the standard 1v1 shield comparison showing only a new win versus Shadow Scizor (with each Cut going from 2 damage to now 3, and that's just enough to now outrace it) and a former loss versus Annihilape now turning into at least a tie (with each Cut going from 5 damage all the way up to now 7 apiece!). But other even shield scenarios show an even wider gap, with the 0shield reflecting new wins over Anni and SScizor, but also Primeape, Gourgeist, and even Wiggytuff! Meanwhile, 2v2 shielding again shows a new win versus Annihilape (including the Shadow, in this case), plus Shadow Feraligatr, Charjabug, and Fearow, a trio of opponents that usually all spell trouble for Psychic and/or Fighting types, but all fall now! I dare say that Medicham is the biggest direct beneficiary in all of PvP with this humble update. Like it or loathe it, I think Medi is back, shown by breaking into the Top 20 for the first time in a long while.

Up in Ultra League, it seems the biggest impact will be with CRESSELIA. Not only is it a clear upgrade over old Psycho Cut in 0shield, 1shield, and especially 2shield matchups (seriously, that last one is a jump in winrate of nearly 50%!), but at least in 1shield and shieldless matchups, it now pulls a bit ahead of even Confusion. It does seem Confusion is still better in Great League, but at least in Ultra? I think we may see Psycho Cut (rightly) emerge as the new favorite. (For what it's worth, PvPoke has changed Cresselia from being ranked with Confusion last season to now being ranked with Psycho Cut instead.)

And in Master League, of course the most notable Psycho Cut user is good ol' MEWTWO. Now, at first glance, the new Psycho Cut doesn't do much for it… just one new win versus Primarina. But there's more to it than that. Firstly, if you take a look at 2v2 shielding matchups, the improvement is drastic, with again over 50% more wins to Mewtwo's name. But really, even that is doing it (arguably) wrong. As awesome a move as Psystrike is, it has had less and less use in the evolving Master League meta… over 40% of the current Master League core meta are Psystrike-resistant Steel, Psychic, and/or Dark types. Shadow Ball somewhat gets around Steels (it can overcome Melmetal and Solgaleo, for example) and obviously gives Mewtwo a leg up versus opposing Psychic types, but it still drops things like Dusk Mane, Origin Dialga, Lugia, Metagross, and Crowned Zacian. Instead, at least take a moment to consider Ice Beam, which not only adds on new wins with the reworked Psycho Cut such as Groudon, Primarina, Meloetta, and Eternatus, but also slightly outperforms Psystrike (at least outside of the 2v2 scenarios) with those Meloetta and Groudon wins, as well as Zygarde. (Though you do often give up the mirror, and sometimes Crowned Zamazenta as well.) I'm not ready to declare Mewtwo "back", but at least it has much more going for it now.

Psycho Cut is the good news for fast moves. But all the other fast move updates in this article (we'll save those with some unknown energy generation shenanigans like Wing Attack, Mud Shot, and Waterfall for next time) are… well, not so good news. We have a trio of outright nerfs, with the following all recieving a straight damage downgrade.

DOWN TO EARTH 💩📉

-The most widespread and immediately impactful move to discuss here has to be Mud Slap. After controversially reshaping most metas back during the massive Season 20 rebalance (that nearly killed your friendly neighborhood writer 🥵) with big buffs to its damage and energy generation, Team Niantic is walking things back a bit. The current, above average 3.33 Energy Per Turn remains, but the damage is coming back to pre-Season 20 levels, dropping from 4.0 Damage Per Turn to 3.66 DPT… a clone now of Fire Spin (3.66 DPT/3.33 EPT) rather than Astonish (4.0 DPT/3.33 EPT), to put it in full context. That obviously isn't a big drop, but it also just as obviously makes farming down more difficult.

• Target #1 is likely GASTRODON, who has been dominating in Great League (even moreso the last two seasons since Water Pulse was dropped to 50 energy) with its Mud Boy typing (one single weakness, to the Grass types that Team Niantic stubbornly refuses to buff, season after season… but I digress) and Mud Slap + Body Slam combo just rolling over a wide swath of any meta it finds itself in. Personally I'm sort of a fan, but I DO get how it can feel unfun for those swept away by it. Gastro remains competitive after this nerf (and may even want to consider switching back to Earth Power to regain its lost Ground-type damage), still dominating most all Steel, Poison, Fire, and Electric types as you would expect it to, as well as lots of bonuses that include Azumarill, Feraligatr, fellow Mud Boys Swampert and Quagsire, Fairies like Alolan Ninetales and Clefable, other Grounds like Gligar (though not Gliscor anymore… more on that in a bit!) and fellow Mud Slapper Marowak (more on THAT in a moment too!), and Sableye. What this nerf takes away are some of the other "bonus win" edge cases like Lickilicky, Wigglytuff (drops from a former win to now a tie), Forretress, and the Shadow versions of Feraligatr and Swampert. As one might expect, the drop is slightly worse the longer battles go, as the reduced fast move damage takes more of a toll… in 2v2 shielding, Gastrodon sheds seven former wins: Shadow Annihilape, Furret, Guzzlord, Jellicent, Malamar, Shadow Sealeo, ad Shadow Marowak. And while Gastrodon was starting to see play in Ultra League, I think this also leads me to lean away from recommending that now. It's a steep investment for so-so returns after this.

• One other superstar that rose up alongside the Mud Slap buff is MAROWAK, particularly the Shadow variant which gained notoriety for its ability to threaten Flyers (things even Gastrodon cannot overcome like Fearow and Togekiss) thanks to Rock Slide, and for spamming Bone Club just as rapidly as Gastrodon's Body Slam but with more damage thanks to having STAB. It also takea a hit, and while it's relatively minor (Guzzlord and Malamar in 1shield, Jellicent and Alolan Ninetales in 0shield, and Jelli, Galarian Corsola, Wigglytuff, and Primeape in 2shield), I do think it drops to a level that you're likely to see it less in Open play, at least. I'm sure it will hang around in Limited metas though… Bone Club/Rock Slide is still a pretty sweet and high-pressure combo.

• In Great and Ultra Leagues, others who I think are unfortunate collateral damage include TOEDSCRUEL (brutally drops eight former wins), NIDOQUEEN (doesn't drop off too much, but dang, just when she was finding her PvP footing again….), GOLURK (not too bad here either, but Astonish is looking more enticing now), and my boy TORTERRA (not even the buff to Sand Tomb can save it from dropping Cradily, Lapras, Clefable, and Malamar). None are complete trash now or anything, but they were getting fun there for awhile and are unfortunate victims of what I think was a more targeted nerf.

• There is one clear loser in Master League as well: RHYPERIOR. The Shadow variant in particular was pretty great with old Mud Slap, but now drops Florges and several things a good Ground type really should be beating: Electric type Zekrom, Fire type Reshiram, and Steel types Metagross and (most damning of all) Crowned Zacian. Like, Rhyperior was set up to be very potent in the current Master League meta, and now can't beat some of the things you'd primarily bring it to the party for. Sigh.

SINKING LIKE A STONE…? ⛰️📉

Rhyperior also has Smack Down, but alas, that too is getting a damage nerf down to 3.66 DPT, though unlike Mud Slap with its 3.33 EPT, Smack Down manages only 2.66 EPT, clearly a lesser option overall.

But of course, Smack Down has long been responsible for driving BASTIODON, who is clearly the intended target of this particular nerf. But let's be honest: ol' Flateface was an annoyance before Smack Down was buffed in Season 24, and that's not going to change now. Bastie has been grinding through metas through periods of 12 damage (Seasons 1-19, 24-25) and the 11 damage it's dropping to now (Seasons 20-23), and still will now, despite picking up couple new losses like Florges and Scizor. (Just remember to keep running Flash Cannon that this humble analyst recommends rather than the Flamethrower you'll generally see elsewhere… Flash can pick off Galarian Corsola and consistently win the mirror match, which are both pretty handy.

FIRING BLANKS…? 💥📉

Again, the nerf to Bullet Punch seems to have a very specific target in mind: SCIZOR. And yes, it's a painfully effective nerf, with new losses stacking up like Galarian Corsola, Shadow Feraligatr, Shadow Sealeo, Shadow Gligar, Gliscor, Clodsire, and Drapion. And while the dropoff is less severe in Ultra League (just Togekiss, Golisopod, and sometimes Annihilape), dare I say that Fury Cutter may be back on the menu?

Beyond that? Bullet Punch was starting to look like a situational (but very viable) alternative to Force Palm on LUCARIO and Shadow Claw on METAGROSS, but now it falls solidly behind for both. It's even arguably below Fury Cutter Metagross now! Between this and Scizor, Fury Cutter biggest winner of the Bullet Punch nerf confirmed?! 🤔

DRAIN THE SWAMP? 🥊🪦📈

A couple buffs to mention real quick, as classic bait-and-buff moves Drain Punch and Sand Tomb are going up to 40 damage, making them… well, not really much different than before. They're still there for their secondary effects (increasing the user's Defense for Drain Punch, and reducing the opponent's Defense for Sand Tomb) and potential eating of shields than they are for damage. Their role remains unchanged, and it will still feel a little bad when the opponent correctly calls it and does not burn their shields. But for the times they land, at least their damage will add up a little bit now.

I honestly don't see any big changes from this. In the case of Drain Punch, it's partly because very few things even have the move in the first place, and most things that do (Gengar, Toxicroak, Incineroar, Quagsire) just don't have room for it, with a variety of much better moves occuying their two available charge move slots. But BEWEAR may legit benefit from this…Drain Punch just might slot in over self-nerfing Superpower now as a way to extend its own lifespan and spam some STAB Fighting damage along the way… look at how much it can do with only Drain Punch now! 👀 And a dark horse here could be SLOWBRO, who can run it alongside STAB Scald or coverage with Ice Beam, and like Bewear, it does plenty with just Drain Punch itself, grinding through things with Confusion while making itself harder and harder to finish off with all those Defense boosts. It's actually kind of terrifying in 2v2 shield battles! 😵‍💫

As for Sand Tomb, several things that have it will come up later in this article or the next (or appeared alright… alas, poor Torterra), but there are a couple things I do want to specifically highlight. PALOSSAND appreciates this mild buff, and in multiple Leagues, but the impact is much less pronounced than we saw with Drain Punch… reducing the opponent's Defense just doesn't have the same effects on performance as raising your own Defense. But there ARE signs of the higher damage doing a couple nice things, adding on Galarian Weezing (0shield), Bellibolt (1shield), and Gastrodon (2shield) in Ultra League. Hey, we'll take it, right?

But the one I am really watching closely is FORRETRESS. It has a plethora of charge moves to choose from, but has generally settled on Sand Tomb and Rock Tomb as at least one of its two top movesets (though sometimes Earthquake works its way in instead). At first, the buff to Sand Tomb looks like it has pretty minor effects, but a little digging shows that there's actually some move timing hijinks going on. The new Sand Tomb actually reflects a new loss to Azumarill, but as it turns out, Forret wins that wth just Rock Tomb. It also shows a new loss (or tie) in the mirror, but again, going straight Rock Tomb is the way to go there. That leaves only the positives: new wins over Bastiodon, Corviknight, Swampert, and Shadow Quagsire. And similarly, in Ultra League, new losses show up that actually aren't, as Giratina and Feraligatr remain wins if going straight Rock Tomb, while Kommo-o, Nidoqueen, Steelix, Galarian Weezing, and Shadow Ampharos all move into the win column as they succumb to compiling Ground damage from new and improved Sand Tomb. The Golf Ball Of Doom makes this minor buff REALLY shine!

EMPTY TOMB…? ⛰️📉

One last move update to note today: Rock Tomb. You may have noticed I just mentioned it as a positive for Forretress that still does great things, but this despite it getting a slight damage nerf from the old 80 damage down to 75. The biggest issue with Rock Tomb was always its guaranteed Attack debuff on the opponent and, in many cases, the Rock-type damage coverage that comes with it, and none of that really changes with this mild nerf.Forretress barely notices, and most others that rely on it will see little impact either. These include MAGCARGO, SPIDOPS, and HAKAMO-O.

But the one I know you're all worried about is CRADILY. The only real hit to its Great League performance is (barely) losing the mirror in 2v2 shielding, though Shadow Cradily sees a couple losses: Guzzlord and Gourgeist in 1shield, and Corviknight and Noctowl (yes, Big Owl may be back, and we'll look at its re-buffed Wing Attack next time) with shields down. It also sees some mild effects in Ultra League, losing Cresselia (with buffed Psycho Cut) in 0shield, Golisopod in 1shield, and Altered Giratina in 2shield. Meanwhile Shadow Cradily drops only Alolan Ninetales in 0shield and Kyurem in 2shield. I don't see Cradily (or other things that rely on Rock Tomb) really going anywhere, despite the slightly lesser performances.

PREPARE FOR TROUBLE, AND MAKE IT DOUBLE ✌️

Now getting to some very specific Pokémon, we've got two different 'mons each receiving two new moves, one of them shared and the other unique. Let's check it all out!

• There was a time when HERACROSS was legit, arguably the best regional Pokémon in PvP. (I am willfully ignoring Pachirisu. At least we took Olympic hockey gold from you, Canada! [I actually love my northern neighbors — nothing but love! 🇨🇦 — just hate that Pachi is SO close yet so far. Grrrr.]) Then, as happened to many Fighters, the Counter nerf struck and Heracross faded pretty badly. Despite having good charge moves, its fate has been tied to Counter, as its only fast move alternative to this point has been worst-Bug-move-in-the-game (and hilariously apporpriately named) Struggle Bug. But no more! Heracross has a chance to come roaring back now with Fury Cutter, and if Team Niantic had stopped there, we'd already have reason for much rejoicing, with a TON of new wins that include ShadowGatr, ShadoWak, Gastrodon, Guzzlord, Ludicolo, Malamar, Galarian Moltres, Sableye, Sealeo, Steelix, and Stunfisk, giving up only Morpeko and sometimes Forretress in the process. But they didn't stop there, as Heracross also gains Rock Tomb, and that makes it even a hair better with new wins over Charjabug and Alolan Ninetales (though at the expense of a perhaps-fading Stunfisk… more on that one in a bit). It gets a new lease on life in Ultra League too! (Just compare that to its former best… it's no comparison!) As a long-time Heracross lover, I am very excited about this one!

• While Heracross has had its moment in the sun, had that sun set, and is now glowing brightly again, poor CAMERUPT has instead long been the butt of many jokes. That said, it has had more and more going for it over time, and has managed to make a dent in Limited metas here and there more recently. Its unique typing helps (shared only with Primal Groudon, so basically Camerupt is the only Fire/Ground you'll really see in PvP), with a weakness to Ground and a lethal double vulnerability to Water damage, but nice resistances to Fire, Fairy, Bug, Poison, and Electric (2x). It's also gotten Earth Power and Incinerate over the years, and benefitted from last season's big buff to Ember as well. But despite all this, it has remained middling at best, in both Shadow and non-Shadow forms. Well Team Niantic has heard your cries, you long-put-upon Camerupheads (Camerupites? Cameruptions?), and given it a double buff with both Scorching Sands and Rock Tomb (again) added into the mix. Particularly with ShadowCam, either of these moves already does a lot, with their lower-than-Earth Power cost (you can string 50-energy moves back to back with 5 Incinerates, but 55-energy Earth Power messes everything up) and opponent debuffs working wonders. But Overheat also costs 55 energy, and honestly you're dealing ample Fire-type damage if you run Incinerate already, so you can shed Overheat entirely and run with BOTH new moves for a far better performance that adds things unique to Rock Tomb (Altaria, Talonflame, Cradily), unique to Scorching Sands (Clodsire, Galarian Corsola), and things that ONLY reliably fall to the combination of both (Guzzlord, Alolan Ninetales, Wigglytuff). But if you prefer your Eruptive Bactrianus (look it up!) with more of an emphasis on charge move pressure (AKA running Ember), non-Shadow Camerupt does that very well now too, switching back to Overheat to fill the Fire damage gap and buying itself time with the new Rock Tomb to get there. While that does give up Bastiodon and sometimes Stunfisk that Emberupt used to be able to outrace, the gains are MORE than worth it, with Annihilape, Gourgeist, Morpeko, Furret, Corviknight, Talonflame, Togekiss, Cradily, Malamar, Clodsire, and Sableye all among the new pickups. And heck, if you're REALLY a fan, you could even consider maxing one out for Ultra League usage and no longer get laughed out of the room. 🐪🌋 Camerupties, rejoice!

MAKING A SPLASH 🌊

There are a couple new recipients of existing Water moves, which may not sound too exciting on the surface, but diving deep, you'll see there's reason to get drenched in anticipation! 💦 Sorry, sorry… less puns, more analysis….

• Let's talk about VOLCANION. When I initially wrote about it upon its release, I lamented its lack of truly viable Water moves, as Water Gun is very inferior to the Incinerate you will surely always see it with, and there's just no way you can run with super expensive Hydro Pump when it has three better (but all non-Water) charge moves sitting there. Well that is no problem anymore, as it can now learn a move that several people were mentioning (longingly) in replies to that original analysis article: SCALD. There is literally no more appropriate recipient of this move than the franchise's only Fire/Water type! While no cheaper than Sludge Bomb at 50 energy, it provides much better coverage. As a Fire type, Volcanion already has little issue with the Grass and Fairy types that Sludge Bomb is super effective against, and Ground and Rock types that Volcanion does worry about actually resist Poison. Conversely, Scald gives some super effective answers to Rocks and Grounds, and hits not just for higher on-paper damage (85 as opposed to Sludge Bomb's 80), but comes with STAB to push that damage even higher. And that's not to even mention the 30% chance of Scald also reducing the opponent's Attack! While it remains a little too janky (even with Scald) for anything but spice potential in Great League and Ultra League (though worth noting that Scald/Overheat adds on several notable new wins in Ultra like Skeledirge, Talonflame, Steelix, Nidoqueen, G-Weezing, and Drapion), Master League is quite another story. Volcee is already good with current moves, arriving, as I originally wrote, at just the right time to catch the Crowned Doggos, and it's only gotten more relevant since Shadow Claw Metagross and Fairy types Florges and Xerneas since then (as they have benefitted from other recent move rebalances). And now, with Scald, Volcanion reaches even higher heights, beating ALL the same opponents while tacking on Groudon, Rhyperior, Melmetal, Dawn Wings, and Mewtwo on top of it. Even more impressively, it can potentially outperform current Incinerate champion Ho-Oh, beating basically everything it can except Lunala PLUS Yveltal, Florges, Dawn Wings, and Rhyperior. Good thing it's coming back for the season long Special Research, eh?

• One of the quiestest but biggest direct beneficiaries of this update is SCOLIPEDE. There is a history of really good Poisonous Bugs in PvP, espeially in Great League, from the early days of Beedrill and Venomoth (yes, they were once both amazing in the meta) to the current steady success of Ariados. Through it all, Scoli has hung around on the fringe, showing up in a Limited meta here or there but usually only as a lesser option to other, better Bugs. One simple change, the addition of Aqua Tail, gives it two things it has lacked: coverage and more shield pressure. That takes it from a poor winrate under 30% in the past, to a competitive winrate now, beating everything it could before while adding potentially ALL of the following: Annihilape, Charjabug, Clefable, Fearow, Feraligatr, Furret, ShadoWak, Sableye (including Shadow), Sealeo, and Stunfisk. It could even find some use in Ultra League, a League where other Poisonous Bugs are left behind due to max CPs far below 2500. It's time build yourself a good Scolipede, folks.

LIGHTNING ROUND!

Each of these is unique and therefore don't really warrant their own breakout sections, but that doesn't mean they're not fantastic on their own! Indeed, some of these are among the better upgrades of the whole rebalance….

• GLISCOR is one of those Pokémon that has always looked at its pre-evolution with envy. Sure, it has Ultra League all to itself, but it has always played second fiddle to Gligar in Great League, despite having a wider variety of moves, and as with many other Pokémon families where the final evolution isn't necessarily the PvP frontrunner, it comes down to bulk. Gligar is simply bulkier than Gliscor and that makes all the difference. But of course, with the right moves, most final evolutions emerge as the best of their respective line, and now Gliscor gets a move that seems to put it firmly on top even in GL: Acrobatics, which works well with Fury Cutter or, as a way to retain at least some Ground-type damage, Sand Attack. And both of those work even better for Shadow Gliscor, with Shadow Fury Cutter lacking the bulk to overcome Fearow, Shadow Sableye, or Ludicolo, but gaining Clodsire, Forretress, Lickilicky, Steelix, Shadow Talonflame, Togekiss, and Wigglytuff instead, while Shadow Sand Attack gains Bastiodon, Corviknight, Shadow Empoleon, Florges, Furret, Guzzlord, Scizor, Togekiss, and Wigglytuff, dropping only Cradily, Malamar, Shadow Sable, and Ludi to do it. As for Ultra League, yes, I think Acrobatics wins out again as the new best closer for Gliscor, picking up Annihilape, Jellicent, Golisopod, Kommo-o, and Virizion as compared to Earthquake (which gets Empoleon as its sole unique win instead). Gliscor finally has the tools it needs to truly stand out from Gligar, and there's good room now for both to make a PvP impact.

• I've always wanted to use ARTICUNO. The potential has always been tantalizing, as the only (viable) Flying Ice type in PvP (sorry, Delibird), and by far the bulkiest of the Legendary Bird trio. It has had brief flashes of PvP glory in formats like Flying Cup, but never really lived up to my hopes. Ice Shard was once one of the better fast moves in PvP, believe it or not, but those days are long in the past now. But one of the fast moves that has passed it by is fellow Ice move Powder Snow, which Articuno will now get access to. And oh boy, does it make it work. Just consider what Articuno used to be capable of compared to what it can do now with Powder Snow. That's a win increase of almost 250%! A winlist that formerly made up enitely of one-sided wins thanks to resistances (with names like Gastrodon, Marowak, Ludicolo being the most obvious examples) and/or losers being weak to Ice (exclusively Flying types) now grows to include ALL of the following in Great League: Annihilape, Primeape, Clefable, Clodsire, Cradily, Feraligatr, Florges, Furret, Gourgeist, Malamar, Stunfisk, and Wigglytuff. And it's not just in Great League… Ultra League Articuno suddenly looks amazing with new wins against Shadow Annihilape, Cradily, Cresselia, A-Giratina, Kyurem, Armored Mewtwo, Runerigus, Stunfisk and Galarian Weezing. (And yes, this all applies to Shadow Articuno too.) One hidden benefit is that it makes ancient history Legacy move Hurricane a legit weapon too.

(And yes, I know that Moltres learns Fly now and Zapdos gains a new closing/coverage move, but we'll talk about those two next time — that's right, another two-parter! — as we examine moves with yet-unknown energy generation/cost tweaks.)

• MARSHADOW, like Heracross, was another victim of the Counter nerf. The later buff to Sucker Punch certainly helped, but lacking STAB and having no punch against Master League's rising Fairy types and Zamazenta, being resisted by Fairies and Fighters left Marshie more pitiful than it should be. But now it gets the fast move people were begging for since its 2024 release: Shadow Claw. And just that one simple change leads to a very BIG improvement, beating all the same opponents (including Zygarde, Origin Dialga, Metagross, Melmetal, Landorus, Rhyperior, Zarude, Lunala, and Dawn Wings) plus now Dusk Mane, Lugia, Tapu Lele, Kyurem Black and White, Hero Zacian, and both Crowned Doggos. Say hello to arguably the best Ghost and Fighter (this side of Crowned Zamazenta) in Master League! (And it only gets better in longer battles!)

• Back down into Great League, WORMADAM (at least the TRASH Cloak version) has danced in and out of PvP relevance over the years, but it's been more good than bad since both of its exisiting fast moves, Bug Bite and Confusion, were both buffed in the latter half of 2025. Still, it remains more of a Cup star (such as in the Love Cup we just went through) than isomething to use in Open play. Team Niantic tried buffed Trash in particular even more with the addition of a third fast move, Metal Sound, and while better, it's still kinda fringe. But now it gets some true coverage (and excellent fast move pressure) with Sucker Punch, which comes with the same 4.0 Damage Per Turn as Bug Bite, and 3.5 Energy Per Turn which is slightly below Metal Sound (though with significantly more damage) and higher than 3.0 EPT Bug Bite.In the end, while Sucker Punch does give up a couple wins over Malamar and Sableye, the gains seem more than worth it: Annihilape, Charjabug, Galarian Corsola, Fearow, Gastrodon, and Scizor. SO good is Sucker Punch that it even elevates SANDY Cloak from former zero to… well, maybe not hero, but at least nice spice. (The same winrate that Trashy was able to perform at to this point.)

• ROTOM (MOW) has been a Grass type without any Grass moves. Now it gets one, with Leaf Storm. Does it matter? Ehhhhh…. I mean, there's at least more potential to shock and awe than ever before, with new wins that include Clefable, Florges, Lickilicky, Furret, Morpeko, Gastrodon, Stunfisk, and Steelix. But of course, Leaf Storm comes with the serious drawback of "harshly" dropping Rotom's Attack, and I still see little reason to run it rather than fellow Grassy Electric type Hisuian Electrode. But hey, I appreciate a little love for Rotom of any form. More of that, please!

IN SUMMATION

And that's it! Well, for now. Next time, we'll dig into the moves (and Pokémon running them) that are currently listed with the dreaded "Energy cost increased/decreased" or "Energy generation increased". There's enough of them to fill their own article, but all will require at least some guesswork since Team Niantic absolutely insists on making us wait until actual release date for any further detail than that. Stay tuned as we get closer to the start of Season 26, because I'll be back with that analysis soon as I can manage it! Until then, you can always find me on Twitter or Patreon. Or please feel free to comment here with your own thoughts or questions and I'll get back to you as soon as I can!

Stay safe out there, Pokéfriends. Best of luck as we prep for the new season, and catch you next time!