Pokémon UNITE October Patch: Solgaleo Buff & Morpeko Nerf
By Sir Ayup
The Pokémon UNITE October patch, titled "Vortex of Astral Thunder," went live on October 13, 2026, and its two biggest stories are a Solgaleo buff that finally makes Psyshock reliable and a Morpeko nerf that cuts back its Full Belly burst. The update also adds Jolteon and Flareon as new playable Pokémon and adjusts eight more Pokémon across every role. At gamemarket.gg, we broke down every balance change, what it means for the current meta and which Pokémon are worth picking up right now.
October Patch at a Glance
- Patch name: Vortex of Astral Thunder
- Release date: October 13, 2026
- New Pokémon: Jolteon (Speedster) and Flareon (All-Rounder)
- Buffs: Solgaleo, Miraidon, Inteleon, Slowbro and Ho-Oh
- Nerfs: Morpeko, Cinderace, Dragapult, Latios and Latias
- Held and battle items: no changes
Solgaleo Buff: Psyshock Can No Longer Be Stopped
Solgaleo receives the most meaningful buff in the patch, with changes to two moves and its Unite Move.
Iron Head
- Cooldown: 6.5s → 6s
- Window to use the second stage: 2s → 3s
Psyshock
- Movement speed increase: 13% → 18%
- Casting is no longer interrupted by hindrances
Unite Move: Shining Meteor Crush
- Radiant Sun phase duration: 10s → 15s
The Psyshock change is the one that matters most. Before this patch, a single stun or shove could cancel the move, which made it unreliable in team fights. Now Solgaleo can commit to Psyshock without being shut down, and the faster movement helps it reach targets first.
The longer Radiant Sun phase also gives Solgaleo five more seconds of its strongest state after using its Unite Move, so well-timed Unite Moves now carry a team fight for much longer.
A related bug fix also helps: Shining Meteor Crush no longer fails when the target is shoved away by Slowbro's Telekinesis or Snorlax's Heavy Slam before Solgaleo charges.
Morpeko Nerf: Full Belly Mode Loses Its Edge
Morpeko joined the roster in September, and its first balance pass targets the burst and survivability it gets from Full Belly Mode.
Spark (second stage during Full Belly Mode)
- Damage: reduced by 18% to 28%
- Shield: 20% → 15% of max HP
- Cooldown: now starts after the second stage is used or expires, instead of when the first stage is used
Assurance
- Damage: 15% decrease, excluding the bonus damage against paralyzed targets
The cooldown change is a quiet but significant nerf. Because the timer now starts later, Morpeko has to wait longer between Spark combos, which reduces how often it can dive in, deal damage and escape behind a shield.
Morpeko is still a strong pick, but it can no longer win trades as easily on its own. Players who relied on Spark into Assurance will need to look for paralyzed targets to keep their damage high.
Other Buffs
Miraidon
- Thunder cooldown: 10s → 9s
- Parabolic Charge cooldown: 11s → 10s
- Electro Drift damage: +10%
Miraidon's damage was falling behind other Attackers, so it now gets its key moves back faster.
Inteleon
- Snipe Shot damage: +10%
- Azure Spy Vision energy required: 100,000 → 90,000
Slowbro
- Defense: 70–480 → 70–540
- Sp. Def: 60–420 → 60–480
- Scald burn duration: 3s → 4s
- Surf cooldown: 7s → 6.5s
Ho-Oh
- Sacred Fire hindrance duration: 0.6s → 0.8s
- Sacred Fire burn Attack reduction: 10% → 30%
- Sacred Fire+ burn Attack reduction: 20% → 40%
- Flamethrower damage: +5%
Ho-Oh's Sacred Fire changes are bigger than they look. Tripling the Attack reduction turns it into a strong anti-carry tool for Defenders.
Other Nerfs
- Cinderace: Blaze Kick+ attack speed increase 45% → 30%, Feint cooldown 9s → 9.5s
- Dragapult: Dragon Dance+ HP recovery 25% → 15% of basic attack damage
- Latios: Telekinesis cooldown 7.5s → 9s
- Latias: Dragon Breath damage per Eon power stack 0.5% → 0.4%
Dragapult loses much of the healing that let it fight and survive with a single move, while Latios gets fewer chances to pick off targets from long range.
Jolteon and Flareon Join the Roster
The patch also adds Jolteon and Flareon, and both start each match as Eevee before evolving at level 4.
- Jolteon: a melee Speedster with high Offense and Mobility
- Flareon: a melee All-Rounder that balances Offense and Endurance
Their Unite licenses are available through an in-game event, so check the event menu to see how to unlock them. They join a roster that keeps growing, much like when Mega Lucario, Empoleon and Pawmot arrived and reshaped the meta last year.
Who Wins and Who Loses?
Winners
- Solgaleo, which now has an uninterruptible Psyshock and a much longer Radiant Sun phase.
- Ho-Oh, whose burn now cuts enemy Attack by up to 40%.
- Miraidon, which gets its main damage moves back faster.
Losers
- Morpeko, which loses damage, shield and Spark uptime all at once.
- Dragapult, which loses a big chunk of its sustain.
- Latios, which now waits longer for Telekinesis.
Your October Patch Checklist
- Try Solgaleo now that Psyshock cannot be interrupted.
- Adjust your Morpeko playstyle around the longer Spark cooldown.
- Test Ho-Oh and Slowbro if you play Defender.
- Unlock Jolteon and Flareon through the in-game event.
- Follow the latest Pokémon UNITE news for the next balance update.
Vortex of Astral Thunder shifts the meta toward sturdier Defenders and a far more dependable Solgaleo, while Morpeko and Dragapult lose some of the tools that made them so hard to deal with. Jump into a few matches, test the buffed Pokémon and adjust your picks before the next ranked push.
If you want a stronger account with more Pokémon already unlocked, you can explore trusted Pokémon UNITE Accounts, keep your daily missions and event progress on track with reliable Pokémon UNITE Hourly Services, or climb the ranks faster through dependable Pokémon UNITE Boosting.
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