How to play All-Rounders in Pokémon Unite

Pokémon Unite has put together an impressive cast of playable characters. From Pikachu and Charizard to Slowbro and Snorlax, many of the most iconic Pokémon in the series found their way onto the roster. However, some of these characters are built for a single purpose, such as healing or absorbing damage.

All-Rounders, on the other hand, offer a flexible playstyle. Whether your team is pushing forward or falling back to defend, you can rely on All-Rounders to bring a capable skillset to the battle. However, they’re not the easiest to master. Here are a few tips for playing All-Rounders in Pokémon Unite.

Further reading

Role of All-Rounders

Charizard fighting Wild Pokemon in Pokemon Unite. — Image used with permission by copyright holder

All-Rounders toe the line between acting as a Defender and Attacker. With their combination of high-end Offense and Endurance stats, they’re perfect for taking large chunks out of enemy HP bars before a Speedster swoops in and gets the final knockout.

At the start of each match, All-Rounders should focus on knocking out Wild Pokémon and gaining XP as fast as possible. Once you’ve unlocked all your desired abilities, you’re ready to jump into the top or bottom lane and get into the action.

Depending on how you spec out your character, you can act as a more traditional Attacker — dealing damage and knocking out foes — or a Defender — hunkered down by your Goal Zone preventing enemy advances. They’re a versatile Battle Type and one that every team can benefit from.

Basic All-Rounders tips

While All-Rounders come in all shapes and sizes, these basic tips apply to the entire category in Pokémon Unite. Follow these strategies, and you’ll be well on your way to victory.

Keep an eye on your team. Watching your team is always important in Pokémon Unite, but for both Supporters and All-Rounders, it’s critical. With the ability to work as both offense and defense, you’ll want to fill in the missing gaps in your team’s strategy, bouncing from battle to battle as needed.
Level up fast. Until you gain all your abilities and unlock your Unite Move, you won’t be able to light up the leaderboard. All four of the Pokémon in this group are deadly at higher levels but leave much to be desired before hitting Level 7.
Be careful in solo battles. If you wander upon a stranded enemy, make sure you know what you’re up against. Attackers and other All-Rounders above your level won’t go down easy, while stray Defenders or Supporters make for an easy knockout. When in doubt, retreat to fight another day.
Play to your Pokémon’s strength. If your character has better Offense than Endurance, consider opting for an Attacker-style build. You’ll still benefit from its defensive stats, but there’s no need to spec out your character for a build it isn’t suited towards. All-Rounders offer a lot of flexibility, but make sure you’re still playing to its strengths.

Tips for specific All-Rounders

Each of these All-Rounders brings something unique to the table. In order to perfect their playstyle, you’ll need to do more than follow the simple tips above. Here’s what you need to know about Charizard, Lucario, Machamp, and Garchomp in Pokémon Unite.

Charizard

Charizard is the easiest All-Rounder to master. With great stats — minus a poor Support score — the fire-based Pokémon can easily fill most roles on the battlefield. That means even players who are just learning the basics of Pokémon Unite can cause some damage with the fire-breathing beast. Before heading into battle, it’s best to equip Held Items that will boost your Attack so you’ll have a stronger presence when up against opponents.

Early on, Flame Burst will be your main ability. The ranged attack lets you keep your distance while still dealing a good chunk of damage and will help you quickly level up to more powerful abilities.

Reach Level 5, and you can unlock either Flamethrower or Fire Punch. Most players will find Flamethrower to be the best choice, as it works well at range and also inflicts burn damage for a few seconds after hitting. It’ll also temporarily boost your movement speed, giving you a chance to catch up with fleeing opponents and finish them off.

To compensate for close-range combat, Flare Blitz is another solid option as you near the end of a match. This provides you with a temporary shield to absorb some incoming attacks while also temporarily immobilizing your target.

Lucario

What Lucario lacks in Endurance and Offense it makes up for with impressive Mobility. One of the faster All-Rounders, Lucario excels at closing the gap and catching enemies off guard. Start each round with Quick Attack to gain a nice Offensive Boost — along with the ability to dash short distances and finish off escaping targets.

As you reach the middle of a match, you’ll want to unlock Close Combat — a devastating attack that launches multiple short-range strikes. Used after Extreme Speed — which will close gaps and restore HP — unlucky opponents won’t have much chance of escaping.

Despite its low Endurance, the ability to restore its own HP bar means you can face off against Attackers without worrying about an early knockout. You’ll need to make sure you stay on the move and prevent them from using powerful ranged attacks, but Lucario is a surprisingly well-versed melee Pokémon.

Machamp

Much like Charizard, all of Machamp’s stats are impressive besides Support. They’re not exactly a tank, but their ability to avoid debuffs and boost movement speed make them a deadly force at close range. Pair Machamp’s innate Offense with a Muscle Band, and you’re well on your way to dominating each round.

Your first few minutes of each match should be spent in the middle land jungling — once you’ve evolved into Machoke, you’re powerful enough to help out in the top or bottom lane. Make sure to use liberal use of Bulk Up early on, as it improves your Attack and movement speed while also making you temporarily invulnerable to debuffs.

Later on, you’ll want to turn to Dynamic Punch — leap to your target and dish out melee damage — and Cross Chop — dash in the selected direction and deal damage — to effectively push back enemies. You’ll also want to stick near a Supporter or other teammate, as it might be hard to take targets down without a bit of help.

Garchomp

You’ll need to first evolve from Gible and Gabite, but once you’re roaming around as Garchomp, there’s not much that can stop you. Popular Held Items for the Dragon-type include Rocky Helmet and Muscle Band, as they improve your HP and Attack abilities — making it easy to get in close for big damage.

Don’t be discouraged by poor performance during the first half of the match — things will radically change once you evolve into Garchomp. Do your best to pull last hits and take down Wild Pokémon as effectively as possible, learning Bulldoze, Dig, and Earthquake along the way.

With these on hand, your best bet to deal damage is by using Dig to quickly reduce the distance between your target, then hitting them with Earthquake to deal massive AoE damage. It’s best used in a large group to quickly drop their HP bars and make them scatter — and pairing with a Speedster can lead to multiple assists and knockouts.

It’ll take a bit of practice, but Garchomp can quickly become one of the best characters in every match. With devastating attacks, surprisingly mobility, and a good bit of defense, the towering dragon is a force to be reckoned with.

Azumarill

Thanks to a good spread of attributes, Azumarill is a solid choice for newcomers to the All-Rounders class. The only stat that’s lacking is Support (and it’s one of the lowest in all of Pokémon Unite), but Azumarill’s robust Offense, Endurance, Mobility, and Scoring skills make it easy to survive encounters while still contributing to the scoreboard.

Your first task when playing as Azumarill is to evolve from Marill at level five. This is best accomplished by sticking to the middle or bottom lanes, which are packed with Wild Pokémon and well-suited to Azumarill’s melee playstyle.

Hitting level five will also give you the option to learn Whirlpool — a staple offensive move that deals damage and restores your own HP. Most players use this to achieve significant AoE damage when backed into a corner or surrounded by enemies, although you can also use it preemptively to discourage melee opponents from rushing.

Play Rough is another skill often chosen by Azumarill players, as it grants increased movement speed and offers an increased range for your next attack. This allows you to close the gap on fleeing enemies and deal a killing blow. You can even follow it up with Whirlpool to lunge into the fray and damage surrounding enemies.

Full Heal and Muscle Band are your go-to Battle Item and Held Item, giving you a way to heal in the heat of combat and upping your Attack attributes.

Aegislash

Aegislash is one of the most recent additions to Pokémon Unite, and it’s intended for high-level players. It brings massive Offense and Mobility stats to your team, although its paltry Endurance means you’ll need to be on your toes for every incoming attack.

Part of the challenge of playing Aegislash is simply evolving from Honedge to Doublade (level five) and finally reaching Aegislash (level seven). Shadow Sneak is a great starter move that deals impressive damage, and it’s highly recommended to learn this right away to quickly slay NPCs and level your character.

One of Aegislash’s biggest quirks is how the character fills their Boosted Attack meter. Standard attacks won’t do much — you’ll instead need to use blade moves or shield moves. Your Boosted Attack benefit then varies based on what type of attack you activate next. A subsequent Blade Move will deal increased damage, while a Shield Move will restore some HP.

There are several different playstyles for this character. Wide Guard and Sacred Sword are two of the best skills for Aegislash, as Sacred Sword deals damage, pushes characters backward, and lunges Aegislash forward, while Wide Guard can block pathways and push enemies away.

Dragonite

Dragonite is one of Unite‘s most popular Pokémon — and for good reason. Offering an easy-to-learn playstyle and impressive stats (led by Offense and Scoring), Dragonite can lay waste to foes with ease while lighting up the scoreboard.

If you decide to roll Dragonite, prepare for a slow start. You’ll begin the match as Dratini before evolving to Dragonair at level five. Neither one is anything special, so it’s in your best interest to focus on grinding NPCs and hitting level eight as fast as you can. At that point, you’ll unlock Dragonite.

Dragonite was built for the Jungle and is best played in the middle lane. Slow Smoke is a common Battle Item for the character, decreasing the attack and movement speed of nearby enemies. Muscle Band is a solid choice for your Held Items, as it’ll further enhance Dragonite’s innate offensive prowess.

Ideal skills for the All-Rounder include Dragon Dance and Outrage. Not only does Dragon Dance propel you in the targeted direction, but you’ll also see increased damage output and movement speed — making this a great way to ambush NPCs or roaming opponents from the other team. Outrage is a great skill to follow up with, as it’ll trigger an AoE ring that deals damage and enhances your basic attacks. Be careful, however, as you’ll be momentarily exposed when the attack comes to an end.

Tsareena

This offensive powerhouse is intended for expert players. Tsareena can only take a few hits before getting knocked out, but there are plenty of ways to counteract the low Endurance with skills that restore HP.

Your first task is evolving into Tsareena at level six, so head to the middle lane and hammer away at Wild Pokémon as fast as you can. Once you hit level five, however, you’ll unlock Triple Axel — a skill that launches you in the indicated direction, dealing damage to anything in your path. And with the Queenly Majesty passive (learned at level six), you’ll also replenish your HP with the skill.

Trop Kick is another must-have move, as it’ll deal significant damage and reduce the enemy’s attack and movement stats. When used with the Queenly Majesty passive, you’ll gain a shield when this skill is activated. The best way to use Trop Kick is to line it up with a fleeing player — hopefully slowing them down enough for you or a teammate to finish them off.

Tsareena’s Unite Move sees the Pokémon launching toward the opponent and dealing massive damage and is the perfect way to take down a small group of players. It’s a great skill to use when you find yourself in a bind, as you’ll also see a massive HP regen effect that can help turn the tide of battle.