A PvP Analysis on Community Day Blissey

Howdy folks! In what is a sure sign of the Apocalypse, it’s time for Chansey Community Day. So here is the detailed analysis you’ve been waiting for!

Ready?

Ahem.

DO NOT RUN CHANSEY!!!

Analysis complete. Have a nice day!

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Alright alright, I have a bit more than that. Let’s do a quick overview with our Bottom Line Up Front and then get into the analysis and discussion.

B.L.U.F.

• Blissey (and Chansey) is all about being a pin cushion, hanging in battle and just wearing down the clock even more than it directly wears down the opponent. The new move changes that somewhat, but doesn’t change that Blissey only works in that same role.
• Blissey still never exceeds even a 20% winrate against the Great or Ultra League metas unless all shields are gone, and even then it cannot outright defeat any greater than a third of the established core meta.
• In short, this is a nothingburger for making Blissey any more competitive in PvP (and shouldn’t drive its use up), but it does make it a little more annoying to face where it would already show up.

So… yeah. This should be pretty quick, but let’s go!

BLISSEY Stats and Moves

Blissey Normal

Great League Stats

Ultra League Stats

In what I am sure is a surprise to everyone nobody, Blissey is ALL about that bulk. It trails only Wobbuffet, Bastiodon (JUST barely), and pre-evolution Chansey in terms of bulk, and that’s it: that’s the list. That also means it has among the lowest Attack in PvP, bottoming out with those others I just mentioned. It can absorb damage like nobody’s business, but comes back with more of a tickle than a punch. There’s a reason that teams centered around things like Blissey and Chansey are more about literally stalling the other player until the clock runs out rather than actually finishing off the opponent’s Pokémon.

I actually don’t have a whole lot else to say here. It’s a Normal type, so weak to Fighting, frustratingly resistant to Ghost, neutral versus everything else. This only enhances the impossible-to-kill reputation Blissey and Chansey boast.

FAST MOVES

• Zen Headbutt – Psychic type, 2.66 DPT, 2.0 EPT, 1.5 CD
• Pound – Normal type, 2.0 DPT, 2.0 EPT, 1.0 CD

The fast move of choice has flip-flopped a couple times for Chansey and Blissey, but generally the best way to go now is Zen Headbutt. It’s still a terrible, terrible fast move, with less than the average 3.0 Damage Per Turn and WAY less than the average 3.0 Energy Per Turn. But it’s at least better than Pound, which is literally the worst fast move in the entire game other than the 0-damage Splash and Yawn. Another point in Headbutt’s favor: it at least hits those Fighting types super effectively. It’s not going to actually BEAT Fighters most of the time, but it at least evens the odds a bit. We’ll pull on that thread a tiny bit more when we factor in the charge moves. Including the new move that’s a bit overcharged.

ᴱ – Exclusive (Community Day) Move

CHARGE MOVES

• Wild Chargeᴱ – Electric type, 100 damage, 45 energy, Reduces User Defense -2 Stages
• Psychic – Psychic type, 75 damage, 55 energy, 10% Chance to Reduce Opponent Defense -1 Stage
• Dazzling Gleam – Fairy type, 110 damage, 70 energy
• Hyper Beam – Normal type, 150 damage, 80 energy

So while Blissey is stupidly bulky, to date it’s just been a worse version of Chansey (since they have run the same moves all this time, usually Zen Headbutt with Hyper Beam and either Psychic (the move!) for further anti-Fighting tech or the slower Dazzling Gleam for wider coverage). Like, MUCH worse. Chansey can at least outbulk (in order) Altaria, Annihilape, Charjabug, Clodsire, Gligar, Mantine, Alolan Ninetales (Powder Snow or Charm, and regular or Shadow), and Venusaur. Blissey only takes down Lickitung and Trevenant, thanks in large part to simply resisting their fast move damage. You may have run across Chansey here and there, especially in certain annoying Limited metas. But you’ve likely NEVER seen a Blissey, and now perhaps you see the reason for that.

Now comes an… interesting addition with Wild Charge. In some ways, it makes Blissey worse in what it wants to do: outlasting things. After all, using it reduces Blissey’s Defense (and overall bulk, of course). However, at least theoretically, it should make up for that by getting to punishing damage earlier and more often, enabling it to take out more opponents and become more independently threatening rather than being a one-trick bulkmeister pony.

How does that ACTUALLY work out though? Let’s see!

GREAT LEAGUE

Well there’s nowhere to go but up, right? Keep in mind that this is all Blissey has been able to do in 1v1 shielding, and no better in 2v2 shielding. Only with shields down](https://pvpoke.com/battle/multi/1500/all/blissey/00/1-2-3/2-1) does it hit even a 20% winrate, which of course means only 1 out of 5 Pokémon in the core meta. (My math teacher wife would be so proud of me! ⭐)

Now insert Wild Charge, and hey, it’s a straight upgrade in 1shield AND 2shield. The problem is that it’s still very poor and still can’t hold a candle to Chansey, who continues to run circles around it in nearly every way. In 1v1 shielding Blissey gains wins over Trevenant and Mantine, and in 2shield a new win versus Jellicent… but that’s it. The only thing this new Blissey beats that Chansey cannot is Jellicent in 1v1 shielding.

Things are a little more interesting with shields down, with four things weak to Electric damage — Azumarill, Mantine, Shadow Poliwrath, and Jellicent — moving into the win column. However, Blissey gives up former wins versus Annihilape and Trevenant in the process, no longer having any charge moves that deal super effective to Anni, and now BOTH of Blissey’s charge moves being resisted by Ghost/Grass Trevenant. And Chansey continues to shame it anyway, with its own wins that Blissey STILL cannot match versus Altaria, Clodsire, Lanturn, Gligar, Swampert, Trevenant, and Venusaur.

So yes, Blissey IS overall better, though some cracks show with shields down. And it’s still no Chansey… and I don’t think anything you want to be using in Great League.

Perhaps its hope can be found in a higher League where Chansey falls completely away…?

ULTRA LEAGUE

Once again, the situation has long been pretty dire for Blissey even in Ultra League, where it starts pushing Level 40. Only a couple things critically weak to Psychic (the move AND the typing!) damage (Toxicroak and Venusaur) or that run with Shadow Claw that Blissey resists (Golisopod and Trevenant again) fall before it, and things only get worse in 2v2 shielding. Only with shields down does poor Blissey make any real headway at all, and yet again it’s barely above 20% even then.

Aaaaaand again again, Wild Charge alone does not seem to be the answer. In 1shield it rather pitifully adds on only Jellicent, Pidgeot, and Gyarados… and gives up Trevenant and Venusaur, for a net gain of only one single win. In fairness, both 2shield (plus Jellicent and Golisopod) and especially 0shield (plus Annihilape, Greninja, Jellicent, Tapu Fini, and Walrein) are straight upgrades. 0v0 shielding starts looking at least a little interesting with Blissey’s high point of a 36% winrate versus the current core meta, but the very fact that that IS the high point kind of tells you everything you need to know about its future with this update: I still don’t see how it has one.

Now, things COULD have been a little bit better for Blissey lovers….

OTHER NEW TRICKS?

I think it’s pretty safe to say Niantic won’t be pulling the trigger on any of these, at least anytime soon, with Wild Charge being what they must have deemed its best shot at greatness coming out of Community Day. But Blissey actually learns a ton of interesting moves in MSG that would make it more interesting in PvP. Things like Body Slam to spam more damage, Rock Tomb to make it MORE rather than less bulky, or the ultimate terror of CHARM Blissey. I think we should be thankful they didn’t go THAT route.

Chansey Normal

I also am thankful they didn’t mess around with the great evil known as Chansey. While Wild Charge wouldn’t have done it any huge favors either, it WOULD likely encourage more people to try it out, even though you SHOULD NOT RUN CHANSEY. Like, ever. It’s a PvP rule, okay? Trust me.

And thank Arceus that Niantic also didn’t go with what some evil players were advocating: Chansey with Counter. To the people who were hoping for that… who hurt you?! We dodged a massive bullet there, folks.

That all said… I would be a bad analyst if I didn’t point out that this is your best ever opportunity to grind Chansey XL Candy and maybe, just maybe, max one out. It hits only 1418 CP even at Level 50, so yes, if you want one, you DO want it fully maxed.

…for gym defense, of course. Not for PvP, oho no. Goodness no. Why would ANYONE do something like that? After all, when it comes to PvP, remember the golden rule:

DO NOT RUN CHANSEY!!!!

IN CONCLUSION….

Yep, that’s all we got today. Blissey is still pretty poor in Ultra League, a woefully worse Chansey in Great League, and you do NOT want to run Chansey anyway, so… I think we’re done here! Do enjoy your day, and don’t let this old fuddie duddie take that enjoyment away from you. I sincerely hope you find yourself some great sickly green shiny Chanseys and some… uh… slightly pinker shiny Blisseys. And all the XL Candy you want. Do your thing… as long as it doesn’t involve doing anything with your new specimens other than dropping them in gyms, of course. 😉

Until next time, my friends, you can always find me you can always find me on Twitter with regular Pokémon GO analysis nuggets, or Patreon if you like.

Good hunting, folks! Do stay safe out there, and catch you next time, Pokéfriends!