PRO PvP Survey Results (March 2025)

[Jorogumo]

 

PRO PvP Survey Results (March 2025)

 

Hello, everyone!

 

Last week, the PvP Coordinator team released a survey in an effort to gauge how the community feels about the current metagame, as well as what changes can be made to improve the overall experience and satisfaction of the PvP playerbase. The survey results are informal but can constitute a starting point for some PvP discussion. While they are mostly indicative, they can, in some cases, invite to follow or avoid a certain course of action.

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After 211 total responses, here are the PRO PvP Survey results:

 

First question: On a scale of 1 to 10, how much do you enjoy the current metagame? (Read: how fun is it to play?)

There were 209 responses to this question and the average response was 6.64/10, meaning that most players are somewhat enjoying the metagame. However, we must also acknowledge that there is room for improvement and that the average response is far from satisfactory.

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 Second question: Do you agree with the statement that the recent rework of PvP rewards has increased your satisfaction with the PvP content offered in PRO?

There were 209 responses to this question. The majority of players – 110 (52.6%), to be exact – strongly agreed with the statement, while 83 players (39.7%) somewhat agreed with it. Only 11 respondents (5.3%) somewhat disagreed with the statement, whereas a mere 5 (2.4%) strongly disagreed with it. Overall, 92.3% of participants (193 out of 209) seem to be more satisfied with PvP following the recent rework of PvP rewards.

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Third question: What are some changes you would like to see implemented in regards to the recent PvP rework?

There were 155 replies. We have read every single one of them but cannot include them all. We will thus limit the following summary to the suggestions that were at least made a few times.

• Players would like a wider variety of PvP Chest rewards, including new TMs, as well as fewer low-value prizes and better drop rates in general.
• There were several complaints about the way that the reward system currently works.
• Some players want to shorten the duration of the battle timer.
• Others eagerly await the merge of both servers and the implementation of the PvP Token Shop.
• There were a few suggestions to make more PvP statistics and Pokémon data publicly available.
• Implementing some QoL changes, like showing remaining weather or Trick Room turns, would be appreciated by many.
• While this question mainly concerned the recent PvP rework, there were some complaints about the metagame being unhealthy and/or unenjoyable.
• There were a few recommendations for additional tiers/queues.

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Fourth question: On a scale of 1 to 10, how healthy do you find the current metagame? (1 being extremely unhealthy and 10 being extremely healthy)

There were 207 responses to this question and the average response was 6.17/10. This means that, although a sizable portion of players may disagree, most players find the current metagame to be somewhat healthy. Nonetheless, these results seem to encourage considering some sort of action to improve the state of the metagame.

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Fifth question: How do you feel about the strength of the following archetypes in the current metagame?

• Hyper Offense: There were 195 assessments. According to 124 of them, Hyper Offense is appropriately strong in the current metagame. 44 players find it to be too strong, whereas only 27 deem it to be too weak. Overall, the playerbase is content with the state of Hyper Offense in the current metagame.
• Bulky Offense: There were 193 assessments. According to 133 of them, Bulky Offense is appropriately strong in the current metagame. 38 players find it to be too strong, whereas only 22 deem it to be too weak. Overall, the playerbase is content with the state of Bulky Offense in the current metagame.
• Balance: There were 193 assessments. According to 146 of them, Balance is appropriately strong in the current metagame. 28 players find it to be too weak, while only 19 think that it is too strong. Overall, the playerbase is content with the state of Balance in the current metagame.
• Stall: There were 195 assessments. According to 96 of them, Stall is too strong in the current metagame. 64 players find it to be adequately strong, whereas 35 deem it to be too weak. Overall, a large portion of the playerbase is discontented with the state of Stall, with 49.2% of respondents considering the playstyle to be potentially problematic in the current metagame.
• Rain: There were 194 assessments. According to 123 of them, Rain is appropriately strong in the current metagame. 41 players find it to be too weak, while 30 deem it too strong. Overall, the playerbase is content with the state of Rain in the current metagame.
• Sun: There were 192 assessments. According to 109 of them, Sun is appropriately strong in the current metagame. However, 67 players find it to be too weak, while only 16 deem it too strong. Overall, the playerbase is content with the state of Sun, but a substantial number of players (34.9%) think that the playstyle is too weak in the current metagame.
• Sand: There were 192 assessments. According to 97 of them, Sand is appropriately strong in the current metagame. However, 86 players find it to be too weak, while only 9 deem it too strong. Overall, the playerbase is content with the state of Sand, but a substantial number of players (44.8%) think that the playstyle is too weak in the current metagame.
• Snow (or Veil): There were 193 assessments. According to 100 of them, Snow (or Veil) is appropriately strong in the current metagame. However, 77 players find it to be too weak, while only 16 deem it too strong. Overall, the playerbase is content with the state of Snow (or Veil), but a substantial number of players (39.9%) think that the playstyle is too weak in the current metagame.
• Trick Room: There were 194 assessments. According to 96 of them, Trick Room is appropriately strong in the current metagame. 54 players find it to be too strong, whereas 44 deem it to be too weak. Overall, the playerbase is content with the state of Trick Room in the current metagame.

The three archetypes that players found to be the strongest in the current metagame are, in decreasing order of perceived strength, Stall, Trick Room, and Hyper Offense.

The three archetypes that players found to be the weakest in the current metagame are, in decreasing order of perceived weakness, Sand, Snow (or Veil), and Sun.

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Sixth question: Do you agree with the statement that there are too many offensive threats and not enough defensive answers?

There were 202 responses to this question. 69 players (34.2%) somewhat agreed with the statement, while 46 (22.8%) strongly agreed with it. 53 players (26.2%) somewhat disagreed with the statement, whereas only 34 (16.8%) strongly disagreed with it. Overall, 115 players (57% of respondents) agreed either partially or completely with the statement that there may be too many offensive threats and not enough defensive answers.

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Seventh question: Do you agree with the statement that the current offensive trends promote an unhealthy, matchup-fishy metagame? (Read: a metagame where a large amount of games are decided at team preview regardless of player skill)

There were 198 responses to this question. 68 players (34.3%) somewhat agreed with the statement, while 57 (28.8%) strongly agreed with it. 50 players (25.3%) somewhat disagreed with the statement, whereas only 23 (11.6%) strongly disagreed with it. Overall, 125 out of 198 players (63.1% of respondents) agreed either partially or completely with the statement that the current offensive trends promote an unhealthy, matchup-fishy metagame.

Based on the answers to this question and the previous one, a majority of players find that the wide array of offensive options and builds may minimize the impact of skillful play on the outcome of a given match.

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Eighth question: Do you believe that the PvP Council should take tiering action against something (i.e., a Pokémon) to improve the state of the metagame?

There were 196 responses to this question. A majority of players – 107 (54.6%), to be exact – believe that the PvP Council should take tiering action against something (i.e., a Pokémon) to improve the state of the metagame, while 24 players (12.2%) do not believe so. However, there is substantial uncertainty, with 65 respondents (33.2%) being unsure as to whether the PvP Council should act at all. As a reminder, the PvP Coordinator team can only act on currently released features and can – at best – suggest new releases on the basis of the improvement of the metagame.

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Ninth question: On a scale of 1 to 5, how do you feel about Annihilape in the current metagame? (1 being not broken and 5 being broken)

There were 198 responses to this question and the average response was 3.01/5. Most respondents seem to be on the fence.

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Tenth question: On a scale of 1 to 5, how do you feel about Breloom in the current metagame? (1 being not broken and 5 being broken)

There were 198 responses to this question and the average response was 2.63/5. Most respondents find that Breloom is unproblematic in the current metagame.

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Eleventh question: On a scale of 1 to 5, how do you feel about Clefable in the current metagame? (1 being not broken and 5 being broken)

There were 201 responses to this question and the average response was 3.3/5. Most respondents find that Clefable is potentially problematic in the current metagame.

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Twelfth question: On a scale of 1 to 5, how do you feel about Kyurem in the current metagame? (1 being not broken and 5 being broken)

There were 202 responses to this question and the average response was 3.46/5. Most respondents find that Kyurem is potentially problematic in the current metagame.

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Thirteenth question: On a scale of 1 to 5, how do you feel about Kyurem-Black in the current metagame? (1 being not broken and 5 being broken)

There were 202 responses to this question and the average response was 3.27/5. Most respondents find that Kyurem-Black is potentially problematic in the current metagame.

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Fourteenth question: On a scale of 1 to 5, how do you feel about Mega Mawile in the current metagame? (1 being not broken and 5 being broken)

There were 201 responses to this question and the average response was 3.09/5. Most respondents seem to be on the fence.

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Fifteenth question: On a scale of 1 to 5, how do you feel about Mega Metagross in the current metagame? (1 being not broken and 5 being broken)

There were 201 responses to this question and the average response was 2.87/5. Most respondents seem to be on the fence.

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Sixteenth question: On a scale of 1 to 5, how do you feel about Mega Lopunny in the current metagame? (1 being not broken and 5 being broken)

There were 201 responses to this question and the average response was 3.04/5. Most respondents seem to be on the fence.

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Seventeenth question: Which of the following, if any, would be positive additions to the metagame, in your view? (Select all that apply.)

There were 197 responses to this question.

• The most picked Pokémon is Kartana with 104 votes (52.8% of the responses).
• The second most picked Pokémon is Toxapex with 102 votes (51.8% of the responses).
• The third most picked Pokémon is Corviknight with 101 votes (51.3% of the responses).
• The fourth most picked Pokémon is Slowking-Galar with 96 votes (48.7% of the responses).

There is a noticeable drop in votes between the four most picked Pokémon and others.

• In fifth place is Magearna, with 68 votes (34.5% of the responses).
• In sixth place is Speed Boost Blaziken, with 56 votes (28.4% of the responses).
• In seventh place is Darkrai, with 50 votes (25.4% of the responses).
• In eighth place is Melmetal, with 48 votes (24.4% of the responses).
• In ninth place is Genesect, with 43 votes (21.8% of the responses).
• In tenth place is Sheer Force Landorus, with 36 votes (18.3% of the responses).
• 14 respondents (7.1% of the votes) selected “None of the above.”

There were several other suggestions made as additional comments, with the most recurring pick being the guardian deities. Tapu Bulu, Tapu Fini, Tapu Koko, and Tapu Lele are a quartet of Legendary Pokémon and, as is the case with most Legendary Pokémon in PRO, there are usually specific release plans in place, hence the omission of the guardian deities from the poll options.

As a reminder, the PvP Coordinator team can only act on currently released features and can – at best – suggest new releases on the basis of the aforementioned suggestions.

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Any final thoughts, comments, suggestions or concerns?

There were 140 replies. We have read every single one of them but cannot include them all. We will thus limit the following summary to the points that were at least mentioned a few times.

• Ban Stall, I guess.
• Many other ban suggestions.
• While players made conflicting observations, one point remained: the current metagame does not feel very balanced; some archetypes fare better than others.
• More TMs and items – mainly Heavy-Duty Boots –, as well as missing Pokémon, need to be released as soon as possible.
• Too much repetition and team similarity in the current metagame.
• A rework of the Reconnect feature.
• More PvP formats.

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Once again, thank you so much for participating in this PRO PvP Survey. If there is anything else not mentioned in the results, you may bring it up in this thread. Of course, if you wish to discuss any of the PRO PvP Survey results, you may also do so here.