Trainers,
Niantic has pushed an update to the Game Master file, removing Dragon Tail Dragon (fast) from Kyogre’s move pool. We can’t confirm yet, but updates like these (CP and move nerfs) usually come prior to the release of that particular Pokémon.
Kyogre is now left with only one quick move (Waterfall), similar to Vaporeon’s Water Gun situation. Kyogre’s move pool now looks like this:
- Waterfall Water (fast)
- Hydro Pump Water (1 bar, charged)
- Blizzard Ice (1 bar, charged)
- Thunder Electric (1 bar, charged)
The consequences of this change are far reaching, as Kyogre with Dragon Tail Dragon and Blizzard Ice was considered to be a very strong counter to a number of Dragon types already available in the game, basically retiring Ice specialists like Cloyster, Jynx, etc. Although it will still be an option, Kyogre lost its appeal as a top pick counter for Rayquaza, Latios and Latias raid bosses.
Additionally, a Dragon Tail and Thunder Kyogre used to be one of the top counters for any Water type, including other Kyogres. This is no longer the case, as Waterfall is not a good option in those matchups.
We have already updated the following Hub guides to reflect this change, which lead to some interesting rewrites:
- Kyogre Raid Boss (should be a bit easier to counter him now, read the new counter section)
- Kyogre family guide (removed Dragon Tail)
- Analysis and ranking of the new Generation III Water and Ice Types was not heavily updated
Here’s the relevant excerpt from the Game Master diff we made this morning:
Smaller Game Master changes (January 5, 2018)
Kyogre’s move removal is not the only change that was observed in the Game Master, but it is the most significant one. Here’s a list of other smaller changes that we’ve noticed:
- Delibird no longer can have Ice Shard Ice as fast move
- Caterpie and Metapod jump timers fixed, Caterpie now has a 1s jump timer, Metapod 0s
- Time of this Game Master update is Friday, 5 January 2018 00:58:19.660 (GMT)
