Pokemon GO Nerfs Tyranitar’s Community Day Exclusive Move

A few days ago, Pokemon GO confirmed Tyranitar’s special Community Day move as Smack Down, which was expected considering the move leaked shortly after last month’s event. However, it appears that Niantic has decided to nerf the move somewhat, making Tyranitar a little less effective in battle.It’s worth mentioning, though, that this change doesn’t decrease Tyranitar’s newfound position in the metagame but properly balances the Rock- and Dark-type in Pokemon GO. Smack Down is the first time that a Community Day move was a fast move, and many players were expecting this move to turn Tyranitar into a quick Stone Edge cannon that was a devastatingly quick powerhouse.

To counter this quick and destructive succession, Niantic slowed down how fast Smack Down builds energy, as the move now requires at least 13 usages to obtain 100 energy. In exchange, however, the move does slightly more damage, keeping a Smack Down Tyranitar’s place in the meta, just with a loss of energy per second. This keeps the Pokemon’s new standing over a Golem in strength, so this new change just more or less balances the fan-favorite Pokemon.Nevertheless, Niantic’s next Community Day takes place tomorrow, June 16, 2018, beginning at 10 AM BST, 11 AM PT, 2 PM ET. The event will take place for three hours and feature triple the catching experience and 3-hour lures. For those who are attending the event, here’s how to prepare for Larvitar Community Day.

Moreover, those who are planning to capitalize on the event and potentially get a shiny Smack Down Tyranitar, here’s a guide on how to best identify potential 100% IVs, so players can get their hands on the best Tyranitar possible. While it may be disappointing to know that Smack Down has been slightly nerfed, the fact that Tyranitar still remains the strongest Rock-type attacker has the exact opposite effect. With catching those 100% Tyranitars tomorrow, good luck, trainers!