Pokemon Unite’s Sleep Ability Was Apparently a Bug
Pokemon Unite just got a major patch that adjusted a lot of its gameplay, but there was one key change that surprised a lot of the game’s fans. Just like any other Pokemon Unite update, the patch improved the abilities of some species, and also hindered those of others. However, the Pokemon community was surprised when devs decided to downgrade the Snorlax’s and Wigglytuff’s ability to put opponents to sleep.
The recent Pokemon Unite patch notes said that it “fixed the issue where the Pokemon put to sleep would not wake up after being hit with an attack.”
Before the update, the Sleep status was a big tool in the Wigglytuff and Snorlax user’s repertoire. Not only did the ability keep their sleeping opponent from retaliating for a set period, but the inaction also made them vulnerable to potential beatdowns. It also helped with regards to versatility, as it provided Pokemon Unite players to escape from a more powerful Pokemon whenever they were caught behind enemy lines. Now, however, because of this patch, opponents that Snorlax or Wigglytuff put to sleep can wake up instead of taking it lying down.
Both the English and Japanese versions of the patch notes refer to the ability as a bug, but only the latter provided further information on how Sleep was presumably supposed to function prior to the update. Pokemon Unite fans found it strange that such a significant bug managed to survive for months without any intervention from the devs, especially since it is a major part of Wigglytuff’s meta game.
“That was a bug?!” wrote on Pokemon Unite fan.
“100% was not a bug,” complained another. “That was insane for too damn long for it to be a bug.”
“I mean, it felt super broken and OP,” wrote another Pokemon Unite player. “But, for how long that has been in the game, that sounds weird.”
The decision of Pokemon Unite devs to nerf Sleep within the game confused a lot of the game’s fans, considering that many of them have always assumed that it was an intended mechanic for the game’s Fairy-type species of Pokemon.