Pokémon Unite Season 9 Launch and Anniversary Information

Pokémon Unite Season 9 kicks off tomorrow, July 21st, with an all-new Battle Pass, new Pokémon Licences to obtain, new Holowear and more.

This Season is special, too. Pokémon Unite is celebrating its 1st Anniversary during the course of Season 9, gifting players free Pokémon, free Holowear, new events and game modes and more to explore and enjoy. 

Let’s take a look at Pokémon Unite Season 9!

More information about the Season, including a blog post on the Anniversary, can be found on the Official Pokémon Unite website.

Looking for more Pokémon Unite content? You can find some here on KeenGamer:

1. 5 Must-See Pokémon Unite Tips for Beginners
2. Pokémon Unite Review: A Uniquely Fast-Paced Take on The MOBA Genre

Season 9 Battle Pass: Band Themed

The theme for the Pokémon Unite Season 9 Battle Pass appears to be Band and Music themed. 

Previously, Pokémon Unite has already had a theatre set of clothing and Holowear during Season 6, so this new Music themed selection already fits in very well. 

The main Holowear you can earn at max Battle Pass rank is Band Style: Pikachu. In this flashy new set of Holowear, Pikachu dons a snazzy-looking black hoodie and joggers and takes up a guitar to use in battle. Pikachu’s Unite Move has been altered to include umbra-coloured musical beats, with their lightning becoming infused with a musical aura. When running at high speeds, multicoloured pixels will light up under Pikachu’s feet and when returning to base, they will give the crowd one final encore before jumping up and disappearing in a glitchy sparkle of lights.

Band Style Pikachu

Songstress Style: Jigglypuff is the Holowear earnable at the beginning of the Season 9 Battle Pass. Here, Jigglypuff is donned in a long black robe, reminiscent of choir singers. 

As for the trainers, they receive a posh-looking tuxedo and top hat combination, all adorned in dark blue ribbon. 

As usual, the Battle Pass also comes with Aeos Tickets and Item Enhancers to help you along your Pokémon Unite journey. 

Songstress Style Jigglypuff

New Pokémon Licenses

There are 3 new Pokémon coming during the duration of Season 9 of Pokémon Unite, with the first launching the same day as Season 9.

Glaceon is the third Eeveelution to be added to the game and is the third Ice Type alongside Mamoswime and Alolan Ninetails. Much like their Eevee counterparts, Sylveon and Espeon, Glaceon is an Attacker class Unit, specialising in high damage.

Glaceon Joins

So far we know a couple of their moves:

• Ice Shard will improve Glaceon’s movement speed for a short duration, before then increasing Glaceon’s basic attack speed too. When their basic attack becomes augmented by Ice Shard, their attacks will deal additional damage and slow targets that Glaceon hits.
• Icicle Spear launches all stored ice crystals (likely earned through Glaceon’s passive ability) at a target, shattering them and dealing damage. The damage of this move increases based on how many ice crystals hit the same target. 
• Glacial Stage is Glaceon’s Unite Move. Glaceon leaps into the air, spawning a diamond-shaped area in front of them that deals damage and slows any opposing Pokémon within it. While Glaceon is in this zone, they gain increased movement speed and accumulate ice crystals over time.

Glaceon seems like a Pokémon who very much wants to stack up their own damage and buff themselves, whether that be through additional movement speed or by earning more ice crystals so that moves like Icicle Spear hit much harder. Hopefully, they can hold their own in the already stacked Attacker class of Pokémon. 

You can earn Glaceon’s Unite License for free by completing the Icy Glaceon Challenge which is taking place from July 21st to August 14th.

Icy Glaceon Challenge

2 New Pokémon Join The Fight

In addition to Glaceon, two new Pokémon are also making their way to Pokémon Unite as part of the Anniversary celebrations.

On August 3rd, the Ultra Beast Buzzwole will be making their way to Pokémon Unite. Then on August 15th, the pseudo-legendary Tyranitar will also be joining Pokémon Unite.

Buzzwole and Tyranitar

What exactly their roles are is not clear right now, however, we do get a brief look at some of their moves. 

Buzzwole has a move where they grab onto and hold an opposing Pokémon, dealing damage while also sucking the life out of them to heal itself. Tyranitar has a move where it spews a cone of dark black fire before it, seemingly burning any enemy it comes into contact with. 

3 other mystery Pokémon will be joining the game in September, but that should be after Season 9 concludes.

New Game Mode: Boss Rush

A new Quick Battle type is coming during Season 9: Boss Rush.

In this Quick Battle, players will team up to defeat massive and imposing boss Pokémon which include the likes of Regigigas, Drednaw, Zapdos, Articuno and Avalugg. Teams will consist of 4 Pokémon, where each player starts at their chosen Pokémon’s lowest form, levelling up as they defeat each boss Pokémon. Defeat as many enemies as possible in the time provided.

There will also be a scoreboard where players can compete against other Unite squads to earn rewards and rank. 

You will earn points while playing Boss Rush which will earn you rewards such as Aeos Tickets, Item Enhancers and more – they do seem like they could be quite grindy, though, so be prepared.

Boss Rush will only be available at select times during Season 9: 

• July 21, 2022, to July 24, 2022
• July 31, 2022, to August 7, 2022
• August 14, 2022, to August 21, 2022

Pokémon Boost Emblems

A new type of Energy Reward is coming called Boost Emblems.

These Emblems come in three different grades: Gold, Silver and Bronze. You can get the same Pokémon, for example, Butterfree, on any grade of Emblem. 

There seem to be tons of these Emblems to collect, with only Generation 1 Pokémon being visible so far, and they seem to be an alternative to simply getting reissued fashion items from the Energy Tanks. What they will actually do besides being collectable is yet to be seen.

Boost Emblems

Anniversary Cake Challenge

You can’t have an Anniversary without cake, and so Pokémon Unite is throwing an Anniversary Cake challenge for players.

By participating in this event and collecting frosting to help build up the Anniversary cake, players can earn a bevvy of new items including dapper-looking Holowear for Crustle and Cramorant, as well as Aeos Coins and Tickets. 

Dapper Holowear

This event will run from July 21st until September 1st, so be sure to collect all the ingredients you need before then.

Other Events and Login Rewards

There are several other events and rewards available as a part of Season 9.

The first is a way to get free Unite licenses and Holowear simply by logging in. By logging in for 5 consecutive days at any point between July 21st and October 12th, you will be given:

• Day 1: Pikachu & Fashionable Style: Pikachu
• Day 2: Lucario & Concert Style: Lucario
• Day 3: Blastoise & Firefighter Style: Blastoise
• Day 4: Snorlax & Bedtime Style: Snorlax
• Day 5: Sylveon & Checkered Style: Sylveon

If you already own any of these Pokémon or their Holowear, you will instead receive 100 Aeos Coins instead for each Pokémon or outfit you own.

Free Login Campaign

There is also a bunch of returning player rewards, and friend referral rewards for players who want to come back to the game or get some new people into it.

In the Returning Trainer Support Event, you can earn points by teaming up with other returning players, earning useful rewards as you go along. This can be undertaken between July 21st and August 4th.

By referring a friend in the Invite-A-Friend Campaign, you will be able to receive Bonfire Style: Slowbro as a reward. This is between July 21st and August 11th. 

Additionally, performance points can be earned in Ranked Battles and by teaming up with other players. This will take place on the weekends of July 23rd and August 20th.

Pokemon Unite Season 9 launches on July 21st and will last around 40 days. The Anniversary Content will also begin on July 21st, continuing with new content into September.

SOURCES: Pokémon Unite ‘It’s a 1-Year Anniversary Celebration!’ YoutTube Video on the Official Pokémon Unite channel + Pokémon Unite ‘Battle Pass 9 – Band Style: Pikachu’ YouTube Video on the Official Pokémon Unite channel