Slowbro Guide: Builds and Best Items | Pokemon UNITE

The best guide on how to play Slowbro in Pokemon UNITE for Nintendo Switch and Mobile. Check here for the best builds, Held and Battle items, movesets, as well as the latest nerfs, buffs, counters, matchups, and more!

Slowbro Latest Nerfs & Buffs (9/22)

Version 1.2.1.3 Patch Note Updates

Slowbro Move Changes (September 22)
Surf	• Move range has been adjusted.
Standard Attack	• Fixed a bug where it was reducing the enemy's SP. Defense.

Slowbro Basic Info

Slowbro
	Tier Rating: Role: Defender Attack Type: Ranged Damage Type: Special Difficulty: Intermediate Cost: 6000 / 345
"No matter the situation, Slowbro goes about life at its own pace. With its characteristic high defense and blissful unawareness, Slowbro is unfazed by opponents’ attacks."

Pokemon Unite Tier List

Slowbro Best Lanes

Top	Jungle	Bottom

Tips & Strategies for Every Lane

Strengths and Weaknesses

Strengths	Weaknesses
✔︎ Good range ✔︎ Great support skills Can vary builds based on moveset	✖︎ Low damage output ✖︎ Low HP for a Defender

Best Builds for Slowbro

Builds
Disabler Build	CDR Build

Disabler Build

Moveset	Held Items
Surf Telekinesis	Focus Band Exp. Share Buddy Barrier
Battle Item
Eject Button

This is a balanced build that allows Slowbro to support its team by disabling enemies while still possessing enough defenses to last for a good duration of a teamfight. Surf is a versatile tool that can be used to get in or out of a fight, and if you do go in you can follow up with Telekinesis to hold an opponent in place for your teammates to attack. Focus Band keeps you alive for longer, and Buddy Barrier ensures that you and a teammate won't get bursted down immediately while you channel your Slowbeam.

CDR Build

Moveset	Held Items
Surf Telekinesis	Energy Amplifier Shell Bell Exp. Share
Battle Item
Eject Button

This build is similar to the Disabler Tank build above, but sacrifices defensive capabilities for even more supporting and crowd control potential. The key to this build is the use of the Energy Amplifier and Shell Bell items, both of which grant cooldown reduction for the holder. This lets you use your Surf and Telekinesis more often, which can drastically increase your value to the team especially if you're very good at landing these skills. The damage boost from these Held Items are also a nice bonus.

Slowbro Best Items & Moveset

Best Held Items

Item	Description
Exp. Share	While the Pokemon has the fewest Exp. Points on the team, it gains (2/3/4) Exp. Points per second. In addition, when a nearby teammate defeats a wild Pokemon, that teammate gains slightly more Exp. Points.
Buddy Barrier	When the Pokemon uses its Unite Move, that Pokemon and the nearby ally Pokemon with the lowest HP are each granted a shield equal to (20/30/40)% of their max HP.
Energy Amplifier	After the Pokemon uses its Unite Move, the damage the Pokemon deals is increased by (7/14/21)% for a short time.
Focus Band	When the Pokemon drops to low HP, then each second for three seconds, it recovers (8/11/14)% of the HP it has lost.
Shell Bell	Recovers a minimum of (45/60/75) HP when a move hits an enemy. You will recover more HP if your Sp Attack stat is higher.

Held Item Tier List: Best Items to Equip

Slowbro's a Defender who plays similarly to Pokemon in the Supporter Role, meaning your actions should revolve around creating opportunities for your teammates. Items that grant cooldown reduction such as Energy Amplifier and Shell Bell help you spam your Surf and Telekenesis more often, allowing you to make more openings for your teammates to either apply damage or escape.

Once you get into a fight you need to remember that Slowbro isn't as bulky as other Defender Pokemon, so if you're having trouble staying alive you can beef him up with a defensive item such as Focus Band or even Buddy Barrier to give even more support to your teammates.

Best Battle Items

Item	Description
Eject Button	Makes your Pokemon move quickly in the specified direction.

Eject Button is good as an escape tool, but in the hands of Slowbro it's invaluable as an initiating tool. The item lets you start fights by blinking in, following it up with a Surf, and then chaining it with either a Telekinesis or a Slowbeam, effectively surprising and crippling any unlucky opponent caught in this combo.

Best Moveset

Move	Description
Telekinesis	Fires a beam that causes the enemy it hits to float in the air for 2 seconds. Activating the Move again will pull the floating enemy towards the user. Upgrade: Cast range and pull speed of the Move is increased.
Surf	Surfs to a target area, creating a wave that knocks up enemies. 2 additional waves follow shortly after, dealing additional damage. Upgrade: The second and third wave increase in size and will also knock up enemies.

Telekinesis is a powerful crowd control move that lets you immoblize an enemy for a good amount of time. Its projectile speed is a bit on the slow side, but if it hits the enemy will be immoblized for long enough that if your team focuses damage on it it'll most likely get taken out if it's not a Defender type.

Surf is a versatile move that can be used for either initiating or getting out of a fight. Its fairly low cooldown also ensures that you can use it frequently compared to other moves.

Which Moveset Do You Think is Best for Slowbro?

Let us know why in the comments!

How to Play Slowbro

Slowbro is best used as a single-target disabler. You're supposed to be playing around others as you can't deal the damage needed to defeat opponents on your own. Using Slowbro's skills, you can target their damage dealers and leave them open for your allies to finish off.

With your disabling skills, you should be targeting the high profile damage dealers of the enemy team, both stopping them from dealing damage and allowing them to be picked off by your teammates.

Play Slowbro as a Support

Slowbro is a Defender by name but a Supporter by playstyle, so you'll want to play for your ally. Harass enemies, only take Wild Pokemon assists, and focus on zoning enemies and preventing them from killing your ally. If you can manage to steal enemy camps with Water Gun, even better.

Harass Enemies During Early Game

Slowbro's Water Gun has a long range that can be used to steal camps from enemy laners as well as poke them. Harass the enemy laners while your attacker farms safely from a distance. Slowbro also gains access to Surf at a very early Level 4, so you can use this early advantage to dive your opponents while their attacks and moves are still weak.

Focus on Locking Down Key Threats

As a Defender, your job is to prevent your allies from getting wiped out. Your disabling skills are perfect for stopping high damage dealers such as Attackers and Speedsters dead in their tracks, essentially making them sitting ducks for your team to wipe out.

Slowbro Combos

Initiating Combo

Initiating Combo
►
Surf ► Telekinesis
This is Slowbro's bread and butter combo, especially if you're starting a fight. Use Surf to close the distance and knock up opponents, and follow up with Telekinesis to immobilize an opponent and prevent them from recovering. You can also choose to use Eject Button at the start to surprise your opponents.

Mid-Late Game: Lockdown Combo

Lockdown Combo
► ►
Surf ► Telekinesis ► Slowbeam
This is similar to the Initiator Combo, but with the addition of Slowbeam to ensure that the unlucky Pokemon caught in this combo will stay glued to one spot. Prioritize landing this combo on high damage dealing opponents like Speedsters and Attackers. If this combo connects during a teamfight, your team can practically wipe out the target with little effort.

Matchups & Counters for Slowbro

Slowbro Matchups

✘ : Counter | = : Even | ✓ : Advantageous
1. The chart is based on our own experience playing Slowbro.
2. Pokemon within each tier are unordered
3. Any Pokemon not shown here are still under investigation.

Best Counters

Pokemon that Outrange Slowbro

Attackers generally have the upper hand against Slowbro as they can outrange Slowbro's disabling moves and strike from afar. Cinderace and Pikachu also have mobility moves and crowd control respectively to elude Slowbro. You'll be needing your Eject Button if you want to disable them before they move out of your attack range.

Pokemon with Immunity to Disables

Slowbro's entire playstyle revolves around disabling opponents, so Pokemon who have immunity to disables or can grant allies immunity to disables will give Slowbro a very bad time.

Pokemon with High Defenses and Damage

Defenders with farily high damage like Crustle and Blastoise are an absolute nightmare for Slowbro's low damage output. They also make for poor targets for Slowbro's disables as well, since your team is unlikely to burst them down while you immobilize them.

Even Matchups

Even matchups for Slowbro are scenarios where the odds of winning are 50-50, or when neither side can take each other out properly. Slowbro's Telekenesis is a powerful disable, but leaves Slowbro unable to do anything else like applying damage through standard attacks. It's therefore highly advised that Slowbro starts fights only when teammates are nearby.

Burst Type Pokemon

Pokemon such as Alolan Ninetales or Gardevoir can burst down Slowbro, but they're also squishy enough to be taken out by Slowbro even with its low damage output. You'll generally want to wait for a good opportunity to strike, then jump in with your Eject Button to close the distance and unload your combos.

Support Type Pokemon

These Pokemon typically build their moveset to support their teammates in a fight, and as such lack the damage needed to take Slowbro down. They are also relatively hardy or annoying Pokemon that you can't quite finish off by yourself, so it's advised that you wait for a teammate to arrive before locking these opponents down with your disables.

Best Matchups for Slowbro

Best Counters

High Mobility Pokemon

Slowbro's disables make it the ideal Pokemon for shutting down enemies that rely on high mobility to be fully effective. Speedsters in particular are at a huge disadvantage against Slowbro since it can shut them down in the middle of their combos and make them easy targets for your team.

Close Ranged Pokemon

Slowbro's also good against Pokemon like Lucario and Wigglytuff, who both excel at close range but aren't quite as sturdy as Defender type Pokemon. Their need to be in close range makes them easy targets for Slowbro's disables.

Best Teammates for Slowbro

Pokemon	Explanation
Alolan Ninetales Cinderace	Can deal the damage Slowbro lacks Slowbro's low damage output means that he'll enjoy having any companion that can deal high amounts of damage. Attacker Pokemon in particular love it when Slowbro turns opponents into piñatas for them to whack.
Wigglytuff	Can chain disables together Slowbro has powerful disables that can keep enemy Pokemon unable to act, and so does Wigglytuff. You can use each other's disables to setup your own disable, and keep the opponenet disabled for much longer.

Looking for teammates to synergize with you? Head over to our Friend Request Board to find other trainers to join you in your grind or just to hang out with!

Friend Request Board

Slowbro Moves

Move Slot 1 (R)

Water Gun (Lv. 1 or 3)	Move Type: Melee Damage Type: Special Cooldown: 5s Total Damage: 642 (Lv. 3)
Slowbro charges up and shoots water. This Move will slow and damage any Pokemon hit by it. The longer Slowbro charges this Move, the more damage and farther the range it will have.
Surf (Lv. 4) Upgrade Lv. 11	Move Type: Dash Damage Type: Special Cooldown: 9s Total Damage: 1035 (Lv. 4) / 2151 (Lv. 15)
Surfs to a target area, creating a wave that knocks up enemies. 2 additional waves follow shortly after, dealing additional damage. Upgrade: The second and third wave increase in size and will also knock up enemies.
Scald (Lv. 4) Upgrade Lv. 11	Move Type: Melee Damage Type: Special Cooldown: 5s Total Damage: 935 (Lv. 4) / 2042 (Lv. 15)
Fires boiling water, damaging enemies hit and creating a small area of steam upon hitting. The steam area continually slows and burns enemies in it for 4 seconds. Upgrade: The steam area increases in size.

Move Slot 2 (ZR)

Slack Off (Lv. 1 or 3)	Move Type: Recovery Damage Type: Status Cooldown: 11s
Slowbro lies down and rests while continuously restoring HP. If Slowbro is attacked while resting, the restoration effect decreases.
Telekinesis (Lv. 6) Upgrade Lv. 13	Move Type: Hindrance Damage Type: Status Cooldown: 11s
Fires a beam that causes the enemy it hits to float in the air for 2 seconds. Activating the Move again will pull the floating enemy towards the user. Upgrade: Cast range and pull speed of the Move is increased.
Amnesia (Lv. 6) Upgrade Lv. 13	Move Type: Recovery Damage Type: Status Cooldown: 13s
When activated, Slowbro will have question mark symbols (?) above their head. This signals that your Defense and Special Defense is increased. Slowbro will also nullify a portion of damage and all hindrances when the skill is activated for a very short time. It will also increase the total damage damage dealt by Scald or Surf one time. Upgrade: Using this Move increases your Special Attack as well.

Unite Moves (ZL)

Slowbeam (Lv. 9)	Move Type: Hindrance Damage Type: Special Cooldown: 134s Total Damage: 1418 (Lv. 9) / 2487 (Lv. 15)
Channels a beam at a target Pokemon, immobilizing them while dealing damage over 3 seconds. The user gains a shield and becomes unstoppable during the channel.

Standard Attack

Standard Attack	Becomes a boosted attack with every third attack. When this boosted attack hits, it splashes, dealing damage to nearby opposing Pokemon and decreasing their movement speed for a short time.

Ability (Passive)

Oblivious	When taking damage, HP loss is gradual. Slowbro can nullify some of the damage taken by hitting enemies with Moves. This also decreases the Sp. Defense of the enemy Pokemon for 2 seconds.

Slowbro Stats & Evolutions

Slowbro Evolutions

1st Evolution	Final Evolution
Slowpoke (Lv. 1)	Slowbro (Lv. 4)

Slowbro Stats

Level	HP	Defense	Special Defense	Attack Damage
1	3241	70	60	150
2	3378	78	67	153
3	3535	87	75	157
4	4334	132	114	175
5	4543	144	124	180
6	4783	158	136	186
7	5058	174	149	192
8	5375	192	164	199
9	5740	213	182	207
10	6160	237	202	217
11	6643	264	225	228
12	7199	295	252	241
13	7838	331	283	256
14	8572	373	319	273
15	9416	421	360	292

Attack Damage is the damage of the Basic Attack as tested against the Training Dummy.

Slowbro In-Game Stat Listings

Offense	Endurance	Mobility	Scoring	Support

Slowbro Skins (Holowear)

Holowear
Training Style 400 / 20	Bonfire Style 350

All Pokemon Skins (Holowear)

Pokemon UNITE Related Guides

List of All Pokemon and Builds

Top 5 Master Rank Picks & Win Rate

▼ All data based on Master Rank Top 100

Pokemon	Tier	Most Played	Average Win	Best Lane
Lucario		18%	79%	Bot
Snorlax		15%	79%	Top
Greninja		13%	79%	Jungle
Eldegoss		12%	79%	Bot
Cramorant		10%	79%	Top

Master Rank: Top Ranked Win Rates

Pokemon by Role

All Pokemon Roles
Attackers		All-Rounders		Defenders
Speedsters			Supporters

All Pokemon Guides and Builds

Pokemon Roster
Absol	Alolan Ninetales	Blastoise	Blissey
Charizard	Cinderace	Cramorant	Crustle
Eldegoss	Garchomp	Gardevoir	Gengar
Greninja	Lucario	Machamp	Mamoswine
Mr. Mime	Pikachu	Slowbro	Snorlax
Sylveon	Talonflame	Venusaur	Wigglytuff
Zeraora	-	-	-
Upcoming Pokemon
Greedent	-	-	-

Pokemon by Characteristics

Attack Type
Melee Pokemon	Ranged Pokemon
Physical Pokemon	Special Pokemon
Stat Rankings
HP Ranking	Defense Ranking
Sp. Def. Ranking	Basic Attack Ranking