Pokemon Unite's New Vanguard Bell Could Shake Up the Meta

The new Pokemon Unite Vanguard Bell held item will be released on February 16, 2026. This item lets you heal up to 10% of your max HP when you inflict a disruptive effect that hinders enemy movement. As such, this item will definitely be a good pick for Pokemon that hinder enemy movement, attacks and abilities, such as Blastoise and Mamoswine. Let's find out how Pokemon Unite Vanguard Bell can shake up the current meta.

Pokemon Unite Vanguard Bell: How Will It Shake Up the Meta?

The Pokemon Unite new item is expected to favor Pokemons with the stun ability. They will regain health, letting them survive gank fights and continue battling.

As such, this held item will be a boon for many stun and slow-based Pokemon, with some of the most notable ones that will rise to the top of the meta being:

• Blastoise: Blastoise has many moves that slow down enemies- Hydro Pump, Water Spout, Surf, and Hydro Typhoon. Moreover, every third basic attack will now heal Blastoise if you manage to hit an enemy.
• Mamoswine: Almost all of its special moves and its normal attacks can slow enemies. This makes this new Pokemon Unite item particularly well-tuned for Mamoswine.
• Slowbro: This item will be very effective on Slowbro since almost all of its moves either slow or stun enemies with attacks like Scald, Surf, and Telekinesis.
• Vaporeon: Vaporeon has moves like Hydro Pump and Muddy Water that can significantly slow down enemies while healing itself with this held item.
• Tsareena: Tsareena can easily become an S-tier pick in the upcoming Pokemon Unite meta. It's strong against other hindrance-based characters (thanks to its passive ability) and adept at disrupting enemy movement using attacks like Stomp and Trop Kick.
• Trevenant: Trevenant's ultimate Phantom Forest will now heal it, making the Vanguard Bell in Pokemon Unite a good pick.

Meanwhile, do miss our recent piece on the Pokemon Unite Codes.

Best Held Items to Counter Pokemon Unite Vanguard Bell

Since Vanguard Bell in Pokemon Unite is such a powerful held item for Pokémon with stun and slow effects, there are two held items you can equip to negate its effects. They are:

• Curse Incense: Equip this on Pokemon that deal special attack damage to weaken enemies' HP recovery by up to 30%, making this a must-have going forward.
• Curse Bangle: Has the same effect as Cuse Incense, except it's made for Pokemon that deal normal attack damage.

Overall, it seems this item will shake up the meta, as it directly buffs many Pokemon. This can, however, be detrimental to the game since many players are already complaining about too many stun and slow effects previously present in the game.

If you liked this coverage, check out our Pokemon Unite Sifetchd Guide to see what builds are best for it.