Every Pokémon in Pokémon UNITE has its purpose, but for RRQ’s top laner Jesse “Necr0” Kenneth, some are just better than others.

With an ever-changing meta, it can be tough keeping up with what’s hot and what’s not.

In an exclusive interview with ONE Esports, RRQ’s top laner Jesse “Necr0” Kenneth shares who he believes are the go-to meta picks in competitive Pokémon UNITE.

The gentle Lapras is RRQ Necr0’s go-to Defender

Necr0 named Lapras as the go-to Defender right now.

“It’s very tanky, has high damage for a Defender, and its UNITE Move Lapras Express charges really fast. It hits hard and can easily hit the backline.”

Overall, Lapras has incredible bulk and sustain when compared to the existing roster of Defender-type Pokémon. It has one of the highest HP stats in the game at max level, has a passive ability in Shell Armor that reduces incoming damage, and can heal health back via its boosted attacks.

As a non-evolving Pokémon, Lapras can win most early-game battles due to its sheer bulk and utility.

It can help its team by stunning Pokémon with Bubble Beam or Ice Beam, and dish out extra damage with either Water Pulse or Perish Song, all while getting free resets for boosted attacks.

Most trainers run X-Speed along with Water Pulse and Bubble Beam for a mix of damage and utility for the team. X-Speed provides additional mobility for Lapras to help land Water Pulses, allowing it to maneuver a hit-and-run strategy.

Urshifu, the undeniable king of All-Rounders according to Necr0

The ever-popular Urshifu continues to be a staple in the competitive scene and for good reason.

“Urshifu — just being Urshifu; by its very nature, it’s a very strong Pokémon! If you can manage to set up Urshifu and control the early game, the rest of the game will be easy,” said Necr0.

The two things that Urshifu brings to the table are its massive level five power spike and its flexibility due to its two forms, Rapid Strike and Single Strike. These forms excel at different things; Single Strike is one of the best objective securers, whilst Rapid Strike is a mobile aggressor, diving and harassing opposing teams to the ground with its quick attacks.

Not only do both forms deal high damage against opposing Pokémon, but it comes with defense reduction properties as well. That’s not all, though — Urshifu’s passive ability Unseen Fist turns a portion of its damage into true damage, rendering shields less effective,

A force to be reckoned with, it’s no surprise why Urshifu is almost always in contention during the draft.

Reap the benefits of Hoopa, the best Supporter right now

This mythical Pokémon is tough to master, but no other Supporter can match the benefits Hoopa provides to its team.

“The mobility it provides when needed is just so strong. Not only can it teleport you from either lane, but it can also teleport you back to base if you need to heal up.”

Hoopa is a unique Supporter-type Pokémon that is mainly drafted for its ability, Hyperspace Hole. This move does multiple things; if you use it on a score goal, it allows that score goal to teleport anyone from your team to the parallel path’s score goal. If you use it anywhere except on score goals, it teleports anyone from your team back to base to recover some HP.

Furthermore, anyone who teleported back to base has the option to teleport back to where Hyperspace Hole was used, providing an escape for those who were saved from a sticky situation.

There’s also its UNITE move, Rings Unbound, which works similarly to Hyperspace Hole but instead just teleports the entire team to where Hoopa is, should they choose, from anywhere on the map. In addition to this, Hoopa’s HP is temporarily increased, and it gets strong moves like Psybeam and Hyperspace Fury for 15 seconds to dish out some serious damage.

In coordinated competitive games, being able to choose when and where to fight really matters.

The Pokémon World Championships will be the culminating event for all competitive Pokémon series, including Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, the trading card game, Pokémon GO, and of course, Pokémon UNITE. It will be held August 11 to 13 in Yokohama, Japan, the first time the World Championships will be held in the country.

See more of Necr0 by following their Twitter and Instagram accounts.

Follow Rex Regum Qeon’s story in Pokémon UNITE through their team’s Facebook and Twitter accounts.

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