Tag Archives: Monotype

Best Monotype Runs for Pokémon Scarlet and Violet

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As of Generation 9, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet have the best, base game record for Monotype Runs (a challenge where you train only one Type of Pokémon for your team). 16 of the 18 types have their weaknesses covered with Rock and Dragon just barely missing the mark. Additionally, all but one of the types (Ice) can be caught early in the game giving you a great start to practically any Pokémon Type you choose. Finally, six types have both a starter Pokémon and a full team neutralizing their weaknesses. It’s fantastic! Check out the full team list below along with the location of your first Pokémon but first, the rules.

Rules

  1. A type must be selected before starting the game. Upon playing the game the player must make all attempts to capture a Pokémon of that type as soon as possible. Once captured, the previous Pokémon of the party must be disregarded if they are not of that type.
  2. Pokémon that have yet to evolve into that type (e.g., Nidoran in a Ground type Run or Caterpie in a Flying type Run) may be caught but must be evolved as soon as possible.
  3. Out-of-game trading is not allowed
  4. Only Pokémon caught before Elite Four are applicable for your team.
  5. No Terastallizing a Pokémon into a completely different type.

Best Types
It’s incredibly hard to pick which type is the best but if I had to choose some it would be Fighting, Flying, Ground, Normal, and Water. I would also throw in Poison in Scarlet as it gets version exclusive Skuntank and Dragalge. I do want to stress that you can feasibly do a decent Monotype Run for any of the types. The ones I chose here get special mention due to their diversity and abundance, especially as you can get quite a few early in the game.

Normal subpar types get a good boost in these games especially Fire! This type has had a horrible track record in abundance and type coverage. Scarlet and Violet, however, just nails it for the burning type. They have a fantastic starter (Fuecoco), great diversity (Volcarona, Talonflame, and Houndoom for instance), and our first Fire/Grass Pokemon, Scovillain! Also, consider Electric as well! It has Mareeeeep.

Worst Types
The losers in these games aren’t necessarily horrible or bad they just couldn’t keep up with the rest. Ice, Rock, and Dragon are my pick for the worst but surprisingly, they are still among the best runs for their respective types in the series! So what went wrong? Well, Rock and Dragon missed out on complete neutralization of their weaknesses which is a shame because if we had gotten a Duraludon and a Crustle/Minior we would’ve been set! Ice and Dragon also suffer from a limited pool of early available Pokemon, ESPECIALLY Ice. You can do an in-game trade for Snom in Cortondo but that’s pretty much it, the other Ice Pokemon are too high leveled for beginning trainers. You’ll have to make due with Crabrawler, Eevee, and Shellder before you climb mountains. As such, out of all the types, stay away from Ice.

Type Teams

Bug
Ideal Team: Lokix, Rabsca, Heracross, Forretress, Volcarona, Frosmoth
Optional: Spidops, Kriketune, Vivillon, Vespiquen, Masquerain, Venomoth, Scyther
First Pokémon: Tarountula via Poco Path
Weaknesses Covered? Yes

Dark
Ideal Team: Meowscarada, Chi-Yu, Kingambit, Honchkrow, Spiritomb, Grimmsnarl
Optional: Tyranitar (S), Umbreon, Mabosstiff, Weavile, Cacturne, Krookodile, Hydreigon (S), Lokix, Bombirdier, Stuntank (S), Sableye, Zoroark, Houndoom, Wo-Chien, Chien-Pao, Ting-Lu
First Pokémon: Sprigatito as Starter
Weaknesses Covered? Yes

Dragon
Ideal Team: Dragalge (S)/Dragonite, Dragapult (V)/Hydreigon (S), Garchomp, Goodra, Tatsugiri, Baxcalibur
Optional: Haxorus, Altaria, Cyclizar, Noivern, Flapple, Appletun, Salamence (V)
First Pokémon: Supposedly, you can catch a Goomy on the streams and creeks near Los Platos.
Weaknesses Covered? No, Dragon is not covered in both versions, Violet is also exposed to Fairy moves.

Electric
Ideal Team: Eelektross, Ampharos, Kilowattrel, Toxtricity, Rotom (and its many forms), Magnezone
Optional: Raichu, Luxray, Bellibolt, Jolteon, Electrode, Pachirisu, Dedenne, Pincurchin, Pawmot, Oricorio
First Pokémon: Pawmi via Poco Path
Weaknesses Covered? Yes

Fairy
Ideal Team: Azumarill, Gardevoir, Mimikyu, Tinkaton, Grimmsnarl, Sylveon
Optional: Wigglytuff, Dachsbun, Florges, Klefki, Hatterene
First Pokémon: Azurill and Ralts near Los Platos
Weaknesses Covered? Yes

Fighting
Ideal Team: Quaquaval, Gallade, Breloom, Lucario, Annihilape, Toxicroak
Optional: Pawmot, Tauros (Flame Breed in Scarlet and Aqua Breed in Violet), Passimian (V), Hariyama, Crabominable, Medicham, Heracross, Falinks, Hawlucha, Flamigo
First Pokémon: Quaxly as Starter
Weaknesses Covered? Yes

Fire
Ideal Team: Skeledirge, Talonflame, Volcarona, Scovillain, Camerupt, Torkoal
Optional: Houndoom, Tauros Flame Breed (S), Armarouge (S)/Ceruledge (V), Coalossal, Oricorio, Flareon, Arcanine, Pyroar, Salazzle, Rotom-Heat Form, Chi-Yu
First Pokémon: Fuecoco via Starter
Weaknesses Covered? Yes! This is very rare so take this opportunity while you can.

Flying
Ideal Team: Talonflame, Corviknight, Kilowattrel, Hawlucha, Gyarados, Dragonite
Optional: Jumpluff, Vivillon, Vespiquen, Drifblim (S), Salamence (V), Oriocorio (and all its forms), Squawkabilly, Pellipper, Rotom-Fan Form, Altaria, Honchkrow, Tropius, Scyther, Bombirdier, Staraptor, Noivern, Flamigo, Delibird, Braviary, Masquerain
First Pokémon: Hoppip and Fletchling vs Poco Path
Weaknesses Covered? Yes

Ghost
Ideal Team: Skeledirge, Gengar (via in-game trade), Dragapult (V)/Houndstone, Annihilape, Gholdengo, Spiritomb
Optional Pokémon: Drifblim (S), Ceruledge (V), Mismagius (V), Oricorio, Polteageist, Sableye, Banette, Brambleghast, Rotom, Froslass, Palossand, Mimikyu
First Pokémon: Fuecoco as Starter
Weaknesses Covered? Yes

Grass
Ideal Team: Meowscarada, Rotom-Mow Form, Scovillain, Toedscruel, Amoonguss, Brambleghast
Optional: Jumpluff, Sunflora, Tsareena, Arboliva, Lilligant, Leafeon, Sawsbuck, Gogoat, Tropius, Lurantis, Cacturne, Breloom, Flapple/Appletun, Abomasnow, Wo-Chien
First Pokémon: Sprigatito as Starter
Weaknesses Covered? Yes

Ground
Ideal Team: Clodsire, Garchomp, Hippowdon, Camerupt, Toedscruel, Palossand
Optional: Dugtrio, Donphan, Whiscash, Krookodile, Sandaconda, Mudsdale, Pupitar, Gastrodon, Quagsire (via in-game trade), Iron Treads (one time encounter after defeating the Ground Titan in Violet), Ting-Lu
First Pokémon: Diglett via Inlet Grotto
Weaknesses Covered? Yes

Ice
Ideal Team: Crabominable, Abomasnow, Froslass, Weavile, Cloyster, Baxcalibur
Optional: Eiscue (V), Frosmoth, Rotom-Frost Form, Delibird, Glalie, Glaceon, Beartic, Cryogonal, Avalugg, Cetitan, Chien-Pao
First Pokémon:  A level 10 Snom that can be traded for a Flabebe in Cortondo. You can also find an Eevee near Cortondo.
Weaknesses Covered?  Yes

Normal
Ideal Team: Farigiraf, Wigglytuff, Maushold, Arboliva, Staraptor, Dudunsparce
Optional: Oranguru (S), Oinkologne, Fletchling, Gumshoos, Greedent, Azurill, Slaking, Squawkabilly, Eevee, Persian, Sawbuck, Blissey, Grafaiai, Stantler, Ditto, Ursaring, Zangoose, Swablu, Pyroar, Indeedee, Cyclizar, Komala, Braviary
First Pokémon: Lechonk via Poco Path
Weaknesses Covered? Yes, same as it ever was

Poison
Ideal Team: Clodsire, Gengar (via in-game trade), Amoonguss/Venomoth, Toxicroak, Revavroom/Skuntank (S), Glimmora/Dragalge (S)
Optional: Swalot (V), Muk, Salazzle, Toxtricity, Grafaiai, Seviper, Qwilfish, Toxapex
First Pokémon: Paldean Wooper near Los Platos
Weaknesses Covered? Yes

Psychic
Ideal Team: Gardevoir, Gallade, Slowbro, Farigiraf, Rabsca, Espathra
Optional: Hypno, Oranguru (S), Armarouge (S), Oricorio, Grumpig, Medicham, Espeon, Gothitelle, Indeedee, Hatterene, Bruxish, Bronzong
First Pokémon: Ralts near Los Platos
Weaknesses Covered? Yes

Rock
Ideal Team: Drednaw, Coalossoal, Garganacl, Klawf, Glimmora, Tyranitar (S)/Lycanroc
Optional: Stonjourner (S), Sudowoodo
First Pokémon: Bonsly south of Mesagoza
Weaknesses Covered? So close but Ground is not neutralized.

Steel
Ideal Team: Corviknight, Kingambit, Bronzong, Lucario, Gholdengo, Tinkaton
Optional: Revavroom, Orthworm, Klefki, Copperajah, Forretress, Magnezone, Iron Treads (one time encounter after defeating the Ground Titan in Violet), Perserker
First Pokémon: Rookidee near Los Platos
Weaknesses Covered?  Yes, provided you have a Bronzong with the “Heatproof” Ability

Water
Ideal Team: Quaquaval, Rotom-Wash Form, Gastrodon, Gyarados, Slowbro, Tatsugiri
Optional: Floatzel, Golduck, Drednaw, Tauros Aqua Breed (V), Clawitzer (V), Quagsire (via in-game trade), Pelipper, Barraskewda, Basculin, Whiscash, Vaporeon, Palafin, Azumarill, Qwilfish, Luvdisc, Lumineon, Alomomola, Cloyster, Veluza, Dondozo, Toxapex, Bruxish
First Pokémon: Quaxly as Starter
Weaknesses Covered? Yes

Best Monotype Runs in Pokemon Crystal Clear

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In preparation for the upcoming open world Pokemon Scarlet and Violet games I want to go off the path and do a rom hack, specifically Pokemon Crystal Clear! A heavily modded version of the original Pokemon Crystal, the rom hack gives you a plethora of starters, an open world-start anywhere map, and every pokemon available to you before the Elite Four! This even includes Pokemon you’ll have to trade to evolve which is AMAZING. The play possibilities are endless but how do Monotype Runs fare? Let’s take a look at the winners and losers along with your teams but first, the rules!

Monotype Run Rules

  1. Only Pokémon of a certain type may be caught and trained.
  2. You must catch the first Pokémon available of that type if your starter does not match that type (you’ll then have to discard that starter).
  3. You may train a Pokémon that evolves to said type as long as you evolve it ASAP.
  4. No out-of-game trading allowed (not that it matters here).
  5. Only Pokémon caught before Elite Four are counted.

Best/Most Improved Types

Water, Flying, Normal are great yadda yadda yadda. Same as before in the regular versions. Even then these already splendid teams get further boosts like Flying gives you the Legendary Birds while Water gets the like of Kingdra and Blastoise so that’s neat! Also you can get a Snorlax now for my Normies which is quite delightful.

The more interesting question is which is the most improved type? Hard to say as every type gets a boost in some way. Honestly? Rock is hella good now. You can get all the fossil Pokemon (which covers your weaknesses) and when you add a Golem to the mix then this team is looking pretty good! And the holy grail? Motherflippin Tyranitar! Now you can get a Larvitar near the beginning of the game instead of waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay at the end which was incredibly frustrating. Going to be a pain tracking down all the fossils but that’s part of the journey!

Oh and seriously consider Ice as now you can get either a Seel or a Smoochum as a starter. Believe it or now you’ll have a team with all the weaknesses covered! Heck, Jynx, Lapras, and Articuno alone should be enough to convince you. Dark is now a contender thanks to the Houndour starter and a diverse team of Tyranitar, Sneasel, Murkrow, and Umbreon.

Worst Types

Even with everything available practically from the get-go not every type is a winner. Specifically, Dragon and Ghost. We have no starters for either of them and you have two different families for each as your team. And even then both have their own unique flaws. Gastly is just AWFUL in that early stage as you’ll basically Lick your opponents to death so be prepared for that! And Dratini you’ll have to surf around Dragon’s Den to find one and then raise the little guy which is also tedious. At least you can get a fully evolved Kingdra and Gengar! So it’s not…bad bad per say.

Type Teams

Bug
Ideal Team: Heracross, Venomoth, Shuckle, Parasect, Scyther, Scizor
Optional: Butterfree, Beedril, Ledian, Ariados, Yanma, Forretress, Pinsir
Starter? Nope
Covers Weaknesses? Yes

Dark
Ideal Team: Murkrow, Umbreon, Tyranitar, Sneasel, Houndoom
Starter? Houndour
Covers Weaknesses? Yes, thanks to Murkrow

Dragon
Ideal Team: Dragonite, Kingdra
Starter?: None
Covers Weaknesses? No

Electric
Ideal Team: Raikou, Ampharos, Magneton, Lanturn, Raichu, Zapdos
Optional: Electrode, Jolteon, Electabuzz
Starter? Pikachu, Pichu, Elekid, Voltorb
Covers Weaknesses? Yep

Fighting
Ideal Team: Machamp, Poliwrath, Heracross, Hitmontop, Hitmonchan, Hitmonlee
Optional: Primeape
Starter? Tyrogue
Covers Weaknesses? Psychic and Flying not neutralized.

Fire
Ideal Team: Charizard, Magmar, Arcanine, Magcargo, Ho-Oh, Entei
Optional: Flareon, Rapidash, Ninetales, Typhlosion
Starter? Charmander, Ponyta, Cyndaquil, Magby, Growlithe, Houndour 
Covers Weaknesses? No; Rock and Water are not covered

Flying
Ideal Team: Gyarados, Dragonite, Gligar, Zapdos, Charizard, Xatu
Optional: Dodrio, Pidgeot, Spearow, Mantine, Crobat, Yanma, Scyther, Ledian, Butterfree, Farfetch’d, Ho-Oh, Lugia, Togetic, Jumpluff, Skarmory, Delibird, Murkrow, Articuno, Moltres, Aerodactyl
Starter? Togepi, Magikarp, and Charmander
Covers Weaknesses? Yes

Ghost
Ideal Team: Gengar, Misdreavus
Starter? No
Covers Weaknesses? No, Ghost and Dark not neutralized

Grass
Ideal Team: Meganium, Jumpluff, Venusaur, Exeggutor, Parasect, Celebi
Optional: Tangela, Victreebel, Vileplume, Bellossom, Sunflora
Starter? Chikorita, Bulbasaur
Covers Weaknesses? No, Flying, Ice, and Fire are not neutralized.

Ground
Ideal Team: Quagsire, Steelix, Golem, Nidoking/Nidoqueen, Piloswine, Gligar
Optional: Golem, Onix, Donphan, Sandslash, Rhydon, Marowak, Dugtrio
Starter? Nope
Covers Weaknesses? Yes

Ice
Ideal Team: Piloswine, Lapras, Sneasel, Cloyster, Jynx, Articuno
Optional: Delibird, Dewgong
Starter? Smoochum
Covers Weaknesses? Surprisingly yes

Normal
Ideal Team: Pidgeot, Clefable, Snorlax, Girafarig, Porygon2, Tauros
Optional: Stantler, Urasaring, Fearow, Noctowl, Kangaskhan, Lickitung, Aipom, Persian, Furret, Raticate, Ditto, Dunsparce, Farfetch’d, Dodrio, Togetic, Miltank, Wigglytuff, Blissy
Starter? Igglybuff, Cleffa, Eevee, Togepi, Porygon, Ditto
Covers Weaknesses? Yes

Poison
Ideal Team: Gengar, Venomoth, Tentacruel, Venusaur, Crobat, Nidoking/Nidoqueen
Optional: Muk, Weezing, Arbok, Ariados, Beedril, Victreebel, Vileplume
Starter? Bulbasaur 
Covers Weaknesses? No, Psychic is not neutralized.

Psychic
Ideal Team: Espeon, Girafarig, Lugia, Mewtwo, Mew, Starmie/Slowbro
Optional: Xatu, Alakazam, Hypno, Wobbufett, Mr. Mime, Unown, Celebi, Slowking, Jynx, Exeggutor
Starter? Unown, Slowpoke, Smoochum 
Covers Weaknesses? No, Dark is not neutralized

Rock
Ideal Team: Tyranitar, Rhydon, Golem, Aerodactyl, Omastar, Magcargo
Optional: Shuckle, Onix, Kabutops, Corsola, Sudowoodo
Starter? None 
Covers Weaknesses? Yes

Steel
Ideal Team: Magneton, Forretress, Skarmory, Scizor, Steelix
Starter? None 
Covers Weaknesses? No, Fire is not neutralized

Water
Ideal Team: Feraligatr, Gyarados, Quagsire, Slowbro/Starmie, Tentacruel, Kingdra
Optional: Lapras/Dewgong/Cloyster, Vaporeon, Seaking, Golduck, Azumarill, Kingler, Corsola, Poliwrath, Politoed, Octillery, Mantine, Suicune, Lanturn, Blastoise, Slowking, Omastar, Kabutops
Starter? Squirtle, Totodile, Magikarp, Seel, Slowpoke, Psyduck 
Covers Weaknesses? Yes

Pokemon Monotype Run Update

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Hello everyone! I’ve been inactive on this blog for awhile but I want to stress that I’m still here and I see you all!

First, thank you for continuing to visit my site all these years! I appreciate that my Monotype Run articles still get use all this time.

Second, thank you for those who give me corrections to my articles. There are TONS of research that goes in them and inevitably things fall through the cracks. I try to keep them as accurate as I can and contributions like these go a long way.

Third, I’m planning on Pokemon Scarlet and Violet Monotype Run analysis! I have to say, I’m actually more excited about these games than I was for Sword and Shield. I’m ESPECIALLY excited for the open world aspect of these games. I believe Monotype Runs are going to explode in popularity as gyms are no longer required to go in a certain order. Although the work load will be daunting, I think it’s going to be fun figuring out the best strategies when determining your Monotype Teams.

Fourth, at this time, I do NOT plan on releasing an analysis on Pokemon BDSP and Arceus. For BDSP, they were straight up remakes of the old games and do not seem to have any variation (although I could be totally wrong here). At best, I’ll probably go back and update the old Diamond/Pearl/Platinum article to include BDSP but as it stands, what I currently have is good enough. Arceus is trickier as although I love love love the game, I don’t think Monotype Runs are a good fit for it given its exploratory/catching focused gameplay. But! If you think otherwise let me know.

Lastly, for the longest time I wanted an interactive webpage for people to select Monotype Runs. At this time I have nothing planned but if you have any thoughts or suggestions how I can achieve this goal I’m all ears.

Thanks again and see you later.

Need Input for New Pokemon Challenge Run Articles

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Hello everyone!

Last month saw the release of my (at this time) final Monotype Article, “Best Pokemon Games for a Dragon-Type Run.” Now, all 18 Pokemon Types and every main line game (as of this post) have Monotype articles! I wrote these articles whenever I could and it took me several years to complete.

These articles have been amazing for my blog and I frequently get compliments and referrals to them. I appreciate all of you for your love, your corrections, and your input! Now that I’m done writing the articles (besides small corrections here and there), I’m ready to move on to other projects. My question to you all is what other type of analyses or articles would you like me to do for Pokemon? I’m already looking into Monolocke Runs, which has been interesting and more complicated than I thought it would be but I’m up for other ideas as well. You all know I put a lot of love and effort into them so rest assured if there’s an idea that I like I will give it my all.

Anyway, thank you everyone for reading and contributing to this blog. I love you all very much and fingers crossed for a Diamond and Pearl remakes! Lord knows those games could go for an ORAS-like adrenaline shot for Monotype Runs.

Best Pokemon Games for a Dragon Type Run

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I think a lot of us growing up wanted a full team of unique Dragons in Pokemon because Dragon Pokemon are awesome! But Dragon Pokemon usually appear very late in the games and when they do you can only select a few of them. But with the recent games, that Farfetch’d dream is now a reality! The Dragon type is one of the hardest types to do a good Monotype Run but believe it or not there are a select few games that you can choose from. Tally ho!

Rules

  1. Only Pokémon of a certain type may be caught and trained.
  2. You must catch the first Pokémon available of that type if your starter does not match that type (you’ll then have to discard that starter).
  3. You may train a Pokémon that evolves to said type as long as you do it ASAP.
  4. No out-of-game-trading allowed.
  5. Mega Pokémon count as long as you Mega Evolve them as soon as they appear on the battlefield.
  6. Only Pokémon caught before Elite Four are counted.

Best Games for a Dragon Run
The hardest part about doing a Dragon Run are their late availability and ESPECIALLY their exposure to weaknesses. As such, without a doubt, the best games for a Dragon run are Sword and Shield. Once you get into the Wild Area go to this den and throw in a Wishing Piece if it hasn’t spawned yet. This is probably the most frustrating part of this run as you may spend a good amount of time getting the likes of Noibat, Trapinch and Axew. But after that it gets much easier. You’ll slowly capture other Dragon Pokemon and by the end of the game you can get a Duraludon who takes care of all three of your weaknesses! Trust me, it’s really great.
I would also consider UltraSun/UltraMoon and even though your Noibat comes right after the first trial, you’re pretty set from then on (a Bagon comes right afterwards). You get a nice variety of Dragon Pokemon and sure you are exposed to your weaknesses but you’ll have a strong team to handle it for the most part.
Finally, XY would be the other games I recommend as you get a splendid variety of rare Dragon Pokemon like Tyrantrum and Hydreigon. Dragalge (Y) and Charizard-X are version exclusives though so you can’t get both naturally which is a big shame. Regardless of the version your first Pokemon is still after the first gym.

Worst Games for a Dragon Run
God, there’s a lot of bad games here. Seriously, Dragons just have a horrible time for a Monotype Run. I can be forgiving for low diversity (they are super strong after all) but man that late appearance is just killer. The worst game is probably Crystal as you can only catch a Dratini when you have seven badges. And don’t forget that Dratini evolves late and Johto is not a good place for grinding. Absolutely terrible. It’s only slightly worse than Gold and Silver which you need 2100 coins in the game corner to get your Dratini and by then what’s the point???? That doesn’t sound fun to me. Kanto games are in the same boat with just Dragonite but at least for there you can catch one after the fourth gym or so.
Similarly, Diamond and Pearl are straight up awful as your first (and basically only) Pokemon is a Gible after the sixth gym. Platinum is better because you can get one after the second gym but it’s still bad. Yeah…just stick to Gen 6 and on and even then be picky.

Dragon Teams in Pokemon Games

Red, Blue, Yellow, and FireRed, LeafGreen
Ideal Team: Dragonite
First Pokémon: Dratini via Safari Zone
Covers weaknesses?  No, Ice and Dragon not covered

Gold, Silver, Crystal, HeartGold, SoulSilver
Ideal Team: Dragonite
First Pokémon: Dratini via Dragon Den after the eighth gym or bought at the Goldenrod Game Corner after the second gym. Via Pokewalker in Blue Lake at 5000+ steps.
Covers Weaknesses? No

Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald, and OmegaRuby, AlphaSapphire
Ideal Team: Salamence, Flygon/Garchomp (ORAS), Mega Sceptile (ORAS), Dragalge (OR), Lati@s (ORAS), Hydreigon (ORAS)
Optional: Altaria, Druddigon (ORAS), Haxorus (ORAS), Rayquaza (Emerald)
First Pokémon: Besides Teecko in ORAS, you can catch a Swablu in Route 114 after the third gym
Covers Weaknesses? No, Ice is not neutralized and, unless you have a Mega Altaria, Dragon is not neutralized.

Diamond, Pearl, Platinum
Ideal Team: Garchomp, Dialga (Diamond)/Palkia (Pearl)/Giratina (Platinum), Altaria (Platinum)
First Pokémon: Gible in Wayward Cave. In Diamond and Pearl you need strength which is after the 6th gym. In Platinum, strength is not required and you can catch one after the second gym.
Covers Weaknesses? Only in Diamond thanks to Dialga but in the other two versions, Pearl has a Dragon weakness and Platinum has both a Dragon and Ice weakness

Black, White, B2W2
BW Ideal Team: Haxorus, Druddigon, Hydreigon, Zekrom (W)/Reshiram (B)
First Pokémon: Axew, via Mistralton Cave, after the sixth gym
Cover weaknesses?  No, neither version neutralizes Dragon moves.  Pokemon White has an additional weakness to Ice.

B2W2 Ideal Team: Flygon, Haxorus, Altaria, Druddigon, Hydreigon
First Pokémon: Trapinch via Desert Resort after third gym
Cover weaknesses? No, watch out for Ice and Dragon attacks

XY
Ideal Team: Goodra, Dragonite, Mega Charizard X (X)/Dragalge (Y), Tyrantrum, Garchomp, Hydreigon
Optional: Flygon, Noivern, Haxorus, Salamence, Altaria, Druddigon
First Pokémon: Axew via Connecting Cave after the first gym or Charmander in Lumiose City after the first gym for Pokémon X.
Weaknesses Covered? No, X is weak to Dragon.  Y is weak to Dragon and Ice.

Sun, Moon, and USUM
SM Ideal Team: Komomo-o, Garchomp, Exeggutor, Drampa (Moon)/Turtonator (Sun), Salamence, Hydreigon (scan)
Optional: Flygon, Haxorus (scan), Goodra
First Pokémon: Bagon via Route 3 (south of the bridge), shortly before the Melemele Grand Trial
Cover weaknesses? Pokemon Sun is weak to just Dragon moves. Pokemon Moon is weak to Dragon, Ice, and Fairy moves.

USUM Ideal Team: Tyrantrum (US)/Dragalge (UM), Komomo-o, Garchomp, Exeggutor, Drampa (UM)/Turtonator (US), Salamence/Noivern
Optional: Flygon, Haxorus (scan), Goodra
First Pokémon: Noibat in Verdant Cavern after the first trial is completed.
Cover weaknesses? Pokemon Ultra Sun is weak to just Dragon moves.  Pokemon Ultra Moon is weak to Dragon and Ice moves.

Sword and Shield
Ideal Team: Flygon, Dracovish, Turtonator (Sword)/Haxorus, Kommo-o (Sword)/Drampa (Shield), Duraludon, Dragapult
Optional: Goodra (Shield), Flapple (Sword)/Appletun (Shield), Dracozolt, Hydreigon (Sword)
First Pokémon: In Rolling Fields, you can always find Dragon Pokemon by Max Raids at Den 37/64.  These include Noibat, Trapinch, Axew, Jangmo-o (Sword), Goomy (Shield) and sometimes Applin and Dreepy.
Weaknesses Covered? Yes, thanks to Duraludon who’s unfortunately catchable near the end of the game.

MVP (Most Valuable Pokemon)

Duraludon Pokédex: stats, moves, evolution & locations | Pokémon Database

Duraludon
Avid readers of my articles may raise an eyebrow to this but Dragons are a special type so they deserve special circumstances. Despite only appearing in TWO GAMES so far, Duraludon is the must have for your team. Dragon teams consistently fail in covering all their weaknesses (especially to other Dragons) but having Duraludon on your team takes care of all three at once! And it’s great! Just carrying a STAB Steel and Dragon move can do some quality damage against Fairy, Dragon, and Ice types. Duraludon is also powerful so this is a great Pokemon to have on your team.
Obviously, Duraludon has only appeared in two games so far, Sword and Shield, and even then it appears near the end of those games which stink. Regardless, as more and more Pokemon games continue to be release you can bet that if you can catch a Duraludon then you have taken a big step forward in making a fantastic Dragon team.
Available in: Sword and Shield

Turtonator Pokédex: stats, moves, evolution & locations | Pokémon Database

Turtonator and Mega Charizard-X
Despite Western Dragons traditionally known to be fire-breathers, there’s very few true Dragon/Fire Pokemon. And you honestly going to need these guys in order to combat your dreaded Ice and Fairy weaknesses. Obviously, Charizard-X is pretty uncommon and can only be acquired so far in Let’s Go and X whereas Turtonator has a status as a version-exclusive creature (with its counterpart being Drampa). So their rarity is a bit upsetting. Still, getting that Charmander in X makes it one of the earliest Dragon Pokemon you can catch for your Dragon teams even though its technically not a Dragon…If you can, teach these Pokemon some Fairy-counter moves (like Steel Wing or Flash Cannon) as although Fire resists Fairy moves, it’s not super effective against them.
Available in: Charizard-X in X and Let’s Go, Turtonator in Sun, UltraSun, and Sword

Best Pokemon Games for a Fairy Type Run

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Despite (or perhaps because of) being introduced late in the Pokemon series, the Fairy Type is amazing for a Monotype Run. Simply put, a Monotype Run is a self-imposed challenge where you only catch and train a certain type of Pokemon, sort of like being a mobile Gym Leader! Many Pokemon like Gardevoir, Marill, and Mr. Mime gained a Fairy typing which combined with newly introduced Pokemon gave players a suite of Pokemon to choose from. Fairy also had only two weaknesses, Poison and Steel, which are actually pretty easy to counter. Only one game in the main series, Shield, fails to counter both weaknesses which is honestly very shocking. So for the purposes of this article, I’m throwing in the Let’s Go games to give me something to bag on and let’s find out which games are the best and worst for a Fairy team and which Pokemon you should look out for!

Rules

  1. A type must be selected before starting the game. Upon playing the game the player must make all attempts to capture a Pokémon of that type as soon as possible. Once captured, the previous Pokémon of the party must be disregarded if they are not of that type.
  2. Pokémon that have yet to evolve into that type (e.g., Chewtle for a Rock type run) may be caught but must be evolved as soon as possible.
  3. Out-of-Game-Trading is not allowed
  4. Only Pokemon caught before you fight the Champion are counted

Best Games
Although I like USUM and its Fairy starter, Popplio, I have to give it to Sword. This game gives you a whole suite of strong and diverse Pokemon like Galar Weezing, Grimmsnarl, and Togekiss to name a few. All three of the mentioned Pokemon are incredibly rare but incredibly good so make sure to get them on your team! You also get a bevy of Fairies near the beginning of the game so you’ll have a full team in no time. The other games are pretty great too in their own regards! I like how you can get a Mega Altaria in ORAS, and the Sun games have Alolan Ninetales which is nice.

Worst Games
The worst one is definitely the Let’s Go games. Not surprising given it’s a port of the Kanto games which Fairy didn’t even exist back then. You’re exposed to both of your weaknesses and your first Pokemon, Clefairy, is caught after the first gym. At least in the other games you can get a Fairy before the first gym!

Fairy Teams in Pokemon Games

XY
Ideal Team: Azumarill, Gardevoir, Wigglytuff, Dedenne, Mawile, Granbull
Optional: Aromatisse (Y)/Slurpuff (X), Sylveon, Mr. Mime, Carbink, Klefki, Florges
First Pokémon: Azurill via Route 3 before the first gym
Weaknesses Covered? Yes

OmegaRuby and AlphaSapphire
Ideal Team: Gardevoir, Wigglytuff, Mawile (OR)/Klefki, Azumarill, Mega-Altaria, Clefable
Optional: Whimsicott, Sylveon, Mega-Audino
First Pokémon: Ralts via Route 102 before the first gym
Covers Weaknesses? Yes

Sun, Moon and UltraSun, UltraMoon
SM Ideal Team: Primarina, Klefki, Mimikyu, Wigglytuff, Whimsicott (Sun)/Shiinotic, Sylveon
Optional: Granbul, Ninetales (Sun), Carbink, Ribombee, Azumaril (scan)
First Pokémon: Popplio via Starter
Cover weaknesses? Yes

USUM Ideal Team: Primarina, Klefki/Mawile, Mimikyu, Wigglytuff, Whimsicott (US)/Shiinotic, Gardevoir (scan)
Optional: Sylveon, Granbul, Ninetales (US), Carbink, Ribombee, Florges, Dedenne, Mr. Mime
First Pokémon: Popplio via Starter
Cover weaknesses? Yes

Let’s Go Pikachu and Eevee
Ideal Team: Wigglytuff, Clefable, Mr. Mime, Alolan Ninetales (LGE)
First Pokémon: Clefairy in Mt. Moon after first gym
Covers Weaknesses? No, Poison or Steel are not neutralized

Sword and Shield
Ideal Team: Weezing, Togekiss, Gardevoir, Mawile (Sword)/Sylveon, Mimikyu, Grimmsnarl
Optional: Clefable, Shiinotic, Slurpuff (Sword), Ribombee, Whimsicott, Alcremie, Aromatisse (Shield), Hatterene, Rapidash (Shield)
First Pokémon: You can find a Ralts in Overcast random encounters in Rolling Fields.  In Rolling Fields, Den 33/62 will always spawn Fairy Pokemon (Cleffa, Togepi, Cutiefly, Swirlix, Clefairy, Morelull and sometimes Impidimp and Ralts).
Weaknesses Covered? Only in Sword thanks to Mawile.  In Shield, Fairy is exposed to Steel type moves.

MVP (Most Valuable Pokemon)

Gardevoir (Pokémon) - Bulbapedia, the community-driven Pokémon encyclopedia

Gardevoir
Gardevoir is probably the most iconic Fairy Pokemon right now although Mimikyu gives them a run for their money. Part of that stems from design, obviously, but it also has some great stats and distribution! Available in every game except Let’s Go and Sun/Moon, you can catch a Ralts usually early in the game which is fantastic (XY and ORAS are great examples). Ralts can also be your first Fairy Pokemon you catch so it will stay with you until the end!

Special attack is Gardevoir’s forte. Shadow Ball and Psychic are a killer combo (especially against your Poison foes) and other strong special moves like Energy Ball and Thunderbolt. Gardevoir carries a lot of support moves too so you can use those to buff your defense or healing. Gardevoir’s biggest setback is fighting against Steel foes. Besides Focus Blast, it doesn’t have very good counter options. Its pitiful defense will also falter against the usually Attack-friendly Steel attacks.
Available in: XY, ORAS, USUM, SWSH

Klefki Pokédex: stats, moves, evolution & locations | Pokémon Database
Mawile (Pokémon) - Bulbapedia, the community-driven Pokémon encyclopedia

Klefki/Mawile
There’s only one type combination that resists both Steel and Poison moves and its Fairy/Steel. So if you’re worried about your weaknesses then find these guys! On the whole, Klefki and Mawile don’t bring too much to the table but they are still special in their own way. Klefki is a great staller and supporter thanks to its Trickster ability and moves. Mawile…is okay…but I will say its decent attack is actually much better than the average Fairy Pokemon (who, according to Pokemon Database, are dead last for Attack stats). Mawile also has its Mega form in ORAS so if you don’t want a Mega-Altaria then train a Mega-Mawile instead!
Available in: XY (both), OR (both), AS (Klefki), SM (Klefki), USUM (both), Sword (Mawile)

Primarina Pokédex: stats, moves, evolution & locations | Pokémon Database

Primarina
Primarina is the only Fairy starter so far and it’s pretty amazing! It has among the best stat totals for Fairy Pokemon and its Water-typing neutralizes its Steel weakness. Also, what better way to start a Fairy run then to have a Fairy starter! Primarina has a fantastic 126 Special Attack stat so use that to your advantage. Teach Primarina Surf, Ice Beam, Energy Ball, Psychic, Shadow Ball, or any kind of support moves. Now, despite neutralizing Steel attacks it doesn’t have any anti-Steel moves so that’s a problem. Also, it’s Starter-status means you can only train one in the Sun and Moon games so this is an exclusive Pokemon.
Available in: SM and USUM

Mimikyu Pokédex: stats, moves, evolution & locations | Pokémon Database

Mimikyu
The unofficial icon of Generation VII, Mimikyu is a great, wonderful Pokemon worthy of your Fairy Team! The Poison-neutralization is nice but the real reason why you want our freaky Ghost is its ability, stats, and moves! Mimikyu’s Disguise ability and nice defensive stats gives you a tank for your team to take some hits. It also has a pretty good Attack stat so teaching it Shadow Sneak and Drain Punch will give you some diverse moves that has an almost-universal coverage. Beyond that, its move diversity is pretty small but that shouldn’t hold you back, it’s Mimikyu!
Available in: SM, USUM, and SWSH

Pokemon Monotype Chart Updated to 2.03

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Hey everyone!  Quick update, the Pokemon Monotype Chart is now updated to 2.03.  Thanks as usual to everyone who has send me in corrections!  I appreciate all of you very much!

Monotype Chart Version 2.03

Most of the changes are minor (add or subtract a Pokemon here or there) but there were a few moderate corrections of note.

-Ground and Rock teams in B2W2 went from a “D” to a “C” rating.  In the Castelia Sewers, you can connect to a small leg of Relic Passage before the third gym.  Still not the best to train Rock or Ground Pokemon in those games but it’s still an improvement.

-Apparently, the version exclusive Pokemon in RBY is different from FRLG.  I was very shocked!  Slowpoke, for instance, is absent in FireRed but present in Red, Blue, and Yellow.  That was frustrating to go back and correct…

-You can only catch a Sableye after the championship in Shield meaning your Ghost team is exposed to Ghost attacks.

-In Platinum, although Rampardos and Bastiodon are available, you can only train one and not the other!  It all depends on your trainer ID number.  If the last digit is odd you get a Rampardos and if it’s even you get a Bastiodon.  Boo!

Finally, the chart does not include DLC for SWSH.  I don’t think it’s fair to upgrade the chart if people only have the base game and that’s it.  I might update the SWSH article in the future but I don’t have any immediate plans for it yet.  SWSH already has very good teams so it’s not a huge pressure to change it.

Thanks for reading!

Best Pokemon Games for a Rock Type Run

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I feel so sorry for the Rock type.  There are many Rock-only runs that are borderline great but fall short due to late availability, limited diversity or weakness exposure.  Yet there are a few Pokemon games that are pretty good for a Rock Monotype Run.  A Monotype Run is a self-imposed challenge where you only catch and train one type of Pokemon in the games.  In this case, you can be like Brock but better!  So let’s take a look which games you should play (and avoid) and which Pokemon you should definitely have on your team!  Let’s Rock and Roll!

Rules

  1. Only Pokémon of a certain type may be caught and trained.
  2. You must catch the first Pokémon available of that type if your starter does not match that type (you’ll then have to discard that starter).
  3. You may train a Pokémon that evolves to said type as long as you do it ASAP.
  4. No outside trading allowed.
  5. Mega Pokémon count as long as you Mega Evolve them as soon as they appear on the battlefield.
  6. Only Pokémon caught before Elite Four are counted.

Monotype Chart Version 2.03

Best Games
Rock’s biggest downfall is its struggle to deliver an early available Pokemon.  There are no starters (yet) that evolve into it and you can’t catch one until after the first gym in over half the games.  You also have a big lack of diversity with a lot of lackluster Rock/Ground or Rock/Water Pokemon filling up your slots.  So (most of) the games I recommend push for that early availability and diversity.

As such, the best games, by technicality, would be Sword/Shield.  Not only do you catch a Chewtle by Route 2, all your weaknesses are covered before the first gym thanks to the Wild Area (which is good since the gym is Grass oriented).  Also, that Coalossal is niiiiice, good way to stick it to your Steel and Grass foes!  You can also get two Pokemon with the Sand Stream Ability (Gigalith and Tyranitar in Shield).

If you can stomach the wait, you might want to consider XY.  Yes, I know the first Pokemon you get isn’t until well after the first gym but holy crap once you get your first Rock Pokemon the rest will come crashing down on you like an avalanche!  You get Dwebble and Binacle back to back; then Glittering Cave gives you a host of them, and then you revive either Tyrunt or Amaura; all before the second gym.  Also, you get the very rare Aerodactyl!!  Y edges out X due to the version exclusive Tyranitar (which again, has Sand Stream), but X gets Aggron so it’s a dinosaur trade-off!

I’m just going to throw this out there because why not but think about HeartGold and SoulSilver.  You get a Geodude very early in the southern tip of Route 46 and an Onix/Geodude in the Pokewalker.  Also, HGSS has Magcargo AND Tyranitar which the original games do not have so that’s cool.  You’re a bit limited in diversity so just keep that in mind!

Worst Games
Oh man, which one should I choose???  They’re all so tempting.  I mean, to be fair, a lot of these games are just riding hard on that meh horse.  Some of the games you just have to wait until after the first gym and then after that it’s fine.

I think I’m going to give it to Pokemon Diamond.  Your full team is a Graveler, Onix, Sudowoodo, and Rampardos so you are exposed to every single one of your five weaknesses.  In fact, the DPP series are the only games where Rock doesn’t neutralized its weaknesses!  I know, crazy, right?  Pearl switches Rampardos with Bastiodon and Platinum gives you Rhydon and Probopass but it’s still not great.  

Also, Kanto games are really rough.  You get a Geodude after the first gym and that’s it for a looooong time.  You have to take that Geodude to Misty (Water), get an easy break with Surge (Electric), and then after catching Onix you face Erika (Grass).  It’s going to take a long time before you can finally go to Cinnabar and revive Aerodactyl and another Fossil Pokemon.

Rock Teams in Pokemon Games

Red, Blue, Yellow, FireRed, LeafGreen
Ideal Team: Graveler, Rhydon, Onix, Aerodactyl, Omastar/Kabutops
First Pokémon: Geodude at Mount Moon after first gym
Covers weaknesses? Surprisingly, yes

Gold, Silver, Crystal, HeartGold, SoulSilver
Ideal Team: Tyranitar (HGSS via Safari), Rhydon, Graveler, Sudowoodo, Corsola, Magcargo (HGSS)
Optional: Shuckle, Onix
First Pokémon: Geodude via southern portion of Route 46 before the first gym; via Pokewalker then Geodude (Rugged Road in 0+ steps) and Onix (Rugged Road in 4000+ steps or Dim Cave in 1000+ steps) are available.
Covers Weaknesses? Yes
Note: In HGSS, you can get a Slugma Egg from Primo in Violet City center.  You’ll need to give him a phrase which is dependent on your Trainer ID which you can receive here.

Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald, OmegaRuby, AlphaSapphire
Ideal Team: Rhydon, Aggron, Lunatone (S, AS)/Solrock (R, E, OR), Magcargo, Relicanth, Armaldo/Crustle (ORAS)
Optional: Graveler, Cradily, Boldore (ORAS), Barbaracle (ORAS)
First Pokémon: Geodude and Aron (RSE only) via Granite Cave shortly before the second gym
Covers Weaknesses? Yes

Diamond, Pearl, Platinum
Ideal Team: Graveler, Onix, Rampardos (Diamond and Platinum)/Bastiodon (Pearl and Platinum), Probopass (Platinum), Sudowoodo, Rhydon (Platinum)
First Pokémon: Geodude either Oreburgh Gate or Ravaged Path before the first gym
Covers Weaknesses? No, in all versions Water, Ground and Fighting moves are not neutralized. In Diamond, the Rock type is additionally weak to Grass and Steel moves.
Note: Please be aware that you can only get Rampardos OR Bastiodon in Platinum!  It depends on your Trainer ID number.  If the last digit is even you get a Bastiodon and if it’s odd you get a Rampardos.

Black, White, Black2, White2
BW Ideal Team: Boldore, Crustle, Carracosta, Terrakion
Optional: Archeops
First Pokémon: Roggenrola via Wellspring Cave after first gym
Cover weaknesses? Yes, if you pick Carracosta over Archeops as it gets rid of the Steel and Water weakness.

B2W2 Ideal Team: Crustle, Corsola, Terrakion, Aggron, Probopass, Lunatone
Optional: Onix, Gigalith, Solrock, Shuckle
First Pokémon: Onix and Roggenrola via Relic Passage (Castelia City side) after the second gym
Cover weaknesses? Yes
Note: You can get a Gigalith from a hiker on Route 7

X, Y
Ideal Team: Tyrantrum, Barbaracle, Crustle, Aerodactyl, Probopass/Aggron (X), Tyranitar (Y)/Lunatone
Optional: Solrock, Aurorus, Relicanth, Rhydon, Onix, Boldore, Carbink, Corsola, Graveler, Magcargo, Shuckle, Sudowoodo
First Pokémon: Dwebble and Binacle via Rock Smash in Ambrette Town.  This is well into the game but is still before the second gym. Get the Rock Smash TM from the girl outside of the Aquarium.  You can then get Rhyhorn, Onix, Solrock, and Lunatone almost immediately afterwards in Glittering Cave with the fossils following shortly thereafter.
Weaknesses Covered? Yes

Sun, Moon, UltraSun, UltraMoon
SM Ideal Team: Rhydon(scan), Aerodactyl, Relicanth/Caracosta(Sun), Bastiodon(Moon)/Probopass, Lycanroc, Golem
Optional: Sudowoodo, Rampardos (Sun), Archeops (Moon), Carbink, Corsola, Boldore, Minior
First Pokémon: Bonsly via Route 1, after the Grand Trial
Cover weaknesses? Yes
Note: You can get an Alolan Golem via in-game trade at the Tapu Village Pokemon Center, you will need a Haunter.

USUM Ideal Team: Tyrantrum (US)/Lycanroc, Rhydon(scan), Tyranitar, Aerodactyl, Relicanth/Caracosta(US), Bastiodon(UM)/Probopass
Optional: Lycanroc, Sudowoodo, Rampardos (US), Archeops (UM), Omastar (US), Kabutops (UM), Graveler, Armaldo (US), Cradily (UM), Carbink, Aurorus (UM), Boldore, Corsola, Minior, Onix (scan)
First Pokémon: Bonsly via Route 1, after the Grand Trial
Cover weaknesses? Yes

Sword, Shield
Ideal Team: Crustle, Drednaw, Coalossal, Stonjourner (Sword)/Tyranitar (Shield), Gigalith, Solrock (Sword)/Lunatone (Shield)
Optional: Sudowoodo, Rhyperior (Raid), Shuckle, Onix, Barbaracle
First Pokémon: Chewtle by overworld (10%) via Route 2.
Weaknesses Covered? Yes, and it’s taken care of before the first gym!  Which is good because it’s Grass, see if you can evolve your Rolycoly before you fight Milo otherwise you might need to lean on Dwebble.  Also, get the Sandstream Ability from Gigalith.

MVP (Most Valuable Pokemon)

Tyranitar (Pokémon) - Bulbapedia, the community-driven Pokémon ...
Tyranitar
The most powerful non-Mega Rock Pokemon, Tyranitar is the go to guy for your team.  There are just so many reasons why you should have one on your team.  It has incredible stats (600 BST) making it stronger than Legendary Rock Pokemon like Terrakion and it can hit hard and take a beating.  It also has among the best move diversity for Rock Pokemon; it can naturally learn powerful Rock, Ground, and Dark moves and be taught fantastic Electric, Fire, Ice, Ghost, Dragon, Steel, and Fighting moves.  Tyranitar is further boosted by its Sand Stream ability which automatically starts Sandstorm and gives all your Rock Pokemon a 50% increase in Special Defense stats (which a lot of them need).

All the games that I recommend for a Rock playthrough have Tyranitar which is its main problem.  It’s not very common.  Sometimes they’re non-existent or just show up too late like GSC or the Black/White games.  Also, Tyranitar evolves really late (level 55) so you won’t be able to use its Sand Stream ability until the end of the game.  You might have to babysit it for awhile but man it will be awesome when you finally evolve it!
Available in: HGSS, Y, USUM, Shield

Omastar (Pokémon) - Bulbapedia, the community-driven Pokémon ...Kabutops Pokédex: stats, moves, evolution & locations | Pokémon ...
Rock/Water Pokemon
The Rock Type has a ton of weaknesses (Grass, Water, Steel, Ground, and Fighting) yet oddly, every game except the Sinnoh series neutralizes its weaknesses.  And that’s because you have the stellar combo of a Rock/Water Pokemon with a Rock/Flying or Rock/Bug Pokemon.  If you have an Omastar with Aerodactyl or a Carracosta with Crustle on your team then you’re set!  All your weaknesses are covered.

Rock/Water Pokemon like Kabutops, Drednaw, and Relicanth are available in every region except Sinnoh (which is why Sinnoh games are bad for Rock runs).  Having that Water typing gives you some great diversity juice with the likes of Water and Ice attacks.  Unfortunately, some of these Pokemon are lackluster (like Corsola) but you get some pretty good ones!  Omastar has the highest Special Attack stats for all non-Legendary Rock Pokemon and Barbaracle is really strong and further boosted by its Tough Claws Ability.
Available in: Every game except Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum

Armaldo Pokédex: stats, moves, evolution & locations | Pokémon ...
Armaldo, Crustle, and Shuckle
Paired up with your Water Pokemon are your bugs who neutralize the other weaknesses (Fighting, Grass, and Ground)!  These guys are also relatively common in the series so you could run into one during your journey.  Obviously, Shuckle…not that fun to train!  Great for the metagame but training one on your Rock team…?…bleh.  That’s why Armaldo and Crustle are the go to Pokemon for your team.  Great Attack and Defense stats and just overall very appealing Pokemon!  I like their designs and concepts.  Unfortunately, not a lot of move diversity going on here but at least Armaldo can learn some decent Water moves like Aqua Tail and Aqua Jet.  Also, teach your Crustle Body Press in Sword and Shield; the move’s power is based on the user’s defense which is fantastic for Crustle (125).
Available in: GSC (Shuckle), RSE (Armaldo in all three and Shuckle in Emerald), HGSS (Shuckle), BW (Crustle), B2W2 (Crustle and Shuckle), XY (Crustle and Shuckle), ORAS (Armaldo), US (Armaldo), SWSH (Shuckle and Crustle)

Aggron (Pokémon) - Bulbapedia, the community-driven Pokémon ...
Aggron, Bastiodon, and Probopass
Among the best Rock Pokemon for Defense and Special Defense stats, these three Rock/Steel Pokemon are going to be the tanks on your team.  They can also block Grass and Steel attacks but with a trade-off of the 4x weakness to Fighting and Ground moves.  Still, these guys are great.  Really lean into defense and support moves for Probopass and Bastiodon but for Aggron just go all out offense!  It can learn a variety of moves like the elemental punches, Dragon Claw, and Aqua Tail which are all very great and Aggron ranks among the best Rock Pokemon for move diversity.  Unfortunately, you can’t Mega-evolve Aggron in ORAS as it loses its Rock typing but it’s still a great Pokemon all the same.  And who doesn’t want a ceratopsian on your team?!  You can get two here!
Available in: RSE and ORAS (Aggron), Pearl (Bastiodon), Platinum (Probopass and Bastiodon), B2W2 (Probopass), X (Aggron and Probopass), Y (Probopass), Moon and UM (Bastiodon and Probopass), Sun and US (Probopass)

Aerodactyl (Pokémon) - Bulbapedia, the community-driven Pokémon ...
Aerodactyl
The fastest Rock Pokemon around with a fantastic 130 stat, Aerodactyl is the must-have flying reptile for your team.  First, it has an immunity to Ground moves and counters Fighters and Grass Pokemon easily.  Pair this up with your Omastar or Kabutops and you’re all set!  But also, Aerodactyl carries some really nice moves like Iron Head, Crunch, elemental fangs, and Dragon Claw.  Aerodactyl can be set up like a revenge sweeper just going in and quickly wiping out the opposing team before they can do too much damage.

Two big setbacks.  The first is that Aerodactyl is pretty awful in learning Flying moves mainly Wing Attack, Sky Drop, Aerial Ace, or Fly.  Not a lot of good choices to choose from.  Also, despite having the Rock Head ability, Aerodactyl doesn’t learn a lot of recoil moves.  Mainly Double Edge and Take Down and that’s it.  Not even Head Smash, a Rock-type move!  Boo!
Available in: RBY, FRLG, XY, SM, USUM

Lunatone Pokédex: stats, moves, evolution & locations | Pokémon ...
Lunatone
I was really debating about putting this meteorite in but I figured why not.  Lunatone is an overall…alright Pokemon!  It’s the kind of Pokemon that makes you shrug and say yeah, it’s not bad!  For a Rock team, I think it’s pretty special; it has the Levitate Ability (so no Ground weaknesses) and its Psychic typing counters Fighters and gives you some interesting move diversity.  Lunatone ranks among the best Rock Pokemon for Special Attack with an alright 95 power!  Haha.  Not a lot but hey, beggars can’t be choosers.  But with that, it can use all its awesome Fairy moves like Moonblast as well as Shadow Ball, Psychic, Power Gem, and Ice Beam.  Pretty good for a Rock Pokemon!

But where’s Solrock…?  Well…Solrock and Lunatone may be similar with its typing, and ability but its their stats that makes a difference.  Each of their stats are the same but rearranged differently and for Solrock, its Physical Attack is 95.  So two problems, one, a lot of other Rock Pokemon can match that stat or better and two, Solrock FAILS tremendously on its moveset.  Solrock packs mainly Special moves but can’t use them at all with its puny 55 Special Attack stat.  It’s really sad.  That’s why you should go for Lunatone instead.
Available in: Sapphire, Black2, White2, XY, AlphaSapphire, Shield

Need Input For Future Monolocke Article

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Hey everyone, if you’re not here for my Monotype articles just skip this but for everyone else I have an announcement.  Based on a rise in popularity and search histories, I will be writing a Monolocke article similar to my other articles.  A Monolocke Run is a combination of the infamous Nuzlocke Challenge with a Monotype Run.  I have never done one personally but I’ve been thinking about how it could work and which games and types would be the best for it.

However, as there are rule variations of it online I wanted to get some second opinions.  As such if you have any experience in a Monolocke Run, or just have your own thoughts, then I would love to hear from you.  They can be on rules, how feasible it is or which games and types would be the best/worst.  Just leave a comment here or message me for your input!  As usual, I always love hearing from you guys and I hope you will find my article enjoyable once it comes out.  Cheers.

Best Pokemon Games for a Fire Type Run

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I think the Fire type is the most difficult starting type for a Monotype Run.  Fire Pokemon can be relatively rare, are not that diverse, and most crucial of all, are again and again exposed to their weaknesses.  However, unlike the Grass type, Fire is an amazing attacking type and you can hit a lot of Pokemon with super effective damage!  You also get some great resistances to Ice and Fairy types!  Although there are some fun runs out there, be prepared to be exposed to at least one of your weaknesses.  Let’s take a look!

Monotype Run Rules

  1. Only Pokémon of a certain type may be caught and trained.
  2. You must catch the first Pokémon available of that type if your starter does not match that type (you’ll then have to discard that starter).
  3. You may train a Pokémon that evolves to said type as long as you do it ASAP.
  4. No trading allowed.
  5. Mega Pokémon count as long as you Mega Evolve them as soon as they appear on the battlefield.
  6. Only Pokémon caught before Elite Four are counted.

Monotype Chart Version 2.03

Best Games

By far the best game in the series for a Fire run is UltraSun followed by Sun.  No other games except Pokemon Black (and that’s barely because you get Reshiram at the end of the game) neutralizes your weaknesses.  But of course, you need more than just coverage for a great team and these games have it!  By Generation VII, Torkoal gets the Drought ability which temporarily increases Fire attacks, decreases Water attacks, and makes Solarbeam a one-turn attack.  That’s fantastic!  You also get a variety of strong Pokemon such as other Fire starters via the Island Scan feature!  UltraSun wins out over Sun just for having more Pokemon like Volcarona, Charizard, and Houndoom.

There are certainly other games that are great for Fire teams but you won’t have complete coverage against your weaknesses.  Basically any of the games from Generation VI and on I would put on this list as there’s a lot of good diversity and strength in these teams.

Worst Games

I would say Pokemon Yellow is the worst of the bunch but it IS a close call.  Generation I, in general, is very poor for many Monotype Teams but Fire seems particularly crappy because of its homogeneity and restrictive movepool.  More importantly, since Pikachu is your starter (and not a Fire type like virtually every other game) then your first Fire Pokemon is a Charmander right before the second gym so that will take awhile  (then of course you have to face Misty so good luck!!).

There are many memes regarding Diamond and Pearl’s incredibly awful Fire Pokemon and it’s frankly deserved.  You get Chimchar (good start), then a Rapidash (alright…) and that’s it.  Just two Pokemon!!!  Seriously??  At least Infernape is excellent so you might as well do a Single Pokemon challenge and just grind your starter.  Don’t even bother with that Rapidash…

Fire Teams in Pokemon Games

Red, Blue, Yellow, FRLG
Ideal Team: Charizard, Arcanine (Red, FireRed, Yellow)/Ninetales (Blue, LeafGreen, Yellow), Magmar (Blue, LeafGreen), Flareon, Rapidash, Moltres
First Pokémon: Charmander via starter or via Route 24 after Mt. Moon in Yellow.
Covers weaknesses? No, Rock or Water not neutralized.

Gold, Silver, Crystal, HGSS
Ideal Team: Typhlosion, Magmar, Ninetales (S, SS)/Arcanine (G, C, HG), Flareon/Magcargo (HGSS), Rapidash, Ho-Oh (G, HG), Entei
First Pokémon: Cyndaquil via starter
Covers Weaknesses? No; Rock, Water, and Ground (besides Ho-Oh) are not covered
Note: In HGSS, you can get a Slugma Egg from Primo in Violet City center.  You’ll need to give him a phrase which is dependent on your Trainer ID which you can receive here.

Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald, ORAS
Ideal Team: Blaziken, Camerupt, Magcargo, Ninetales, Volcarona (ORAS), Arcanine (ORAS)
Optional: Torkoal, Flareon (ORAS), Magmar (ORAS), Rapidash (ORAS), Ninetales (ORAS), Darmanitan (ORAS), Primal Groudon (OR)
First Pokémon: Torchic via starter
Covers Weaknesses? No, Water and Ground not neutralized.  In OmegaRuby, Water can be taken care of due to Primal Groudon’s Ability.

Diamond, Pearl, Platinum
Ideal Team: Infernape, Rapidash, Flareon (Platinum), Houndoom (Platinum), Magmar (Platinum)
First Pokémon: Chimchar via starter
Covers Weaknesses? No, Ground and Water not neutralized

Black, White, B2W2
BW Ideal Team: Emboar, Darmanitan, Chandelure, Volcarona, Heatmor, Reshiram (B)
Optional: Simisear
First Pokémon: Tepig via starter
Cover weaknesses? Only in Pokemon Black and even then it happens at the very end when you get Reshiram.  Otherwise you’re exposed to Water moves in both versions.

B2W2 Ideal Team: Emboar, Arcanine, Magmar (B2)/Camerupt (W2), Darmanitan, Volcarona, Chandelure
Optional: Flareon, Simisear, Darmanitan
First Pokémon: Tepig via starter
Cover weaknesses? No, Water is not neutralized

XY
Ideal Team: Delphox, Talonflame, Charizard, Pyroar, Houndoom (X), Chandelure
Optional: Simisear, Flareon, Magcargo, Torkoal, Heat Rotom
First Pokémon: Fennekin via Starter
Weaknesses Covered? No, in Pokemon X, Rock is not neutralized.  In Pokemon Y, Water and Rock are not neutralized.

Sun, Moon, USUM
SM Ideal Team: Incineroar, Arcanine/Turtonator (Sun), Talonflame, Torkoal, Marowak, Emboar (scan)
Optional: Flareon, Chandelure (scan), Salazzle, Magmar, Typhlosion (scan), Oricorio
First Pokémon: Litten via Starter
Cover weaknesses? Only in Sun thanks to Turtonator. In Moon, Water is not neutralized. However, you can cut back on Water’s strength if you train a Torkoal which now can learn the ability Drought.

USUM Ideal Team: Incineroar, Arcanine/Turtonator (US), Charizard (scan), Torkoal, Marowak, Blaziken (scan)
Optional: Flareon, Chandelure (scan), Pyroar, Talonflame, Infernape (scan), Delphox (scan), Salazzle, Volcarona, Magmar, Houndoom (US), Oricorio
First Pokémon: Litten via Starter
Cover weaknesses? Only in Ultra Sun thanks to Turtonator. In Ultra Moon, Water is not neutralized. However, you can cut back on Water’s strength if you train a Torkoal which now can learn the ability Drought.

Sword, Shield
Ideal Team: Cinderace, Torkoal, Centiskorch, Coalossal, Heat Rotom, Turtonator (Sword)/Arcanine
Optional: Flareon, Ninetales, Salazzle, Chandelure, Heatmor, technically Darmanitan in Zen Mode
First Pokémon: Scorbunny via Starter
Weaknesses Covered? Sadly no, Shield is weak to Water and Rock.  Sword is weak to just Rock thanks to Turtonator.

MVP (Most Valuable Pokemon)


Fire Starters
Of course!  Your starter!  Really, what saves the Fire type from abysmal Monotype Runs is Charmander and friends.  They make a HUGE difference in your Monotype Run.  And the best part is, starters rank among the strongest for their types and are packed with awesome moves, great type combos, and wonderful stats.  You won’t be disappointed with them.

The Fire starter has more dual types in its line up than the other two starters.  This automatically improves your diversity and, in some cases, eliminate a weakness.  Of course, you have the three Fighters, Blaziken, Infernape, and Emboar.  They neutralize Rock attacks AND the Fire+Fighting STAB is one of the best dual offensive moves in the game (also Emboar can also learn Scald which is nice against your Ground and Rock foes!).  The classic Charizard gives you immunity to Ground attacks and gives you some nice Dragon moves and if you have Charizard X you can have a soft counter to Water foes.  Delphox and Incineroar, while they don’t give you any resistances, still give you move diversity along with unique, level-up attacks.  Typhlosion and Cinderace unfortunately get overshadowed by these starters but at least the Typhlosion line is adorable!

Also, don’t forget to catch other Fire starters in Generation VII!  The Island Scan feature is amazing and is one of the reasons why you can cover your weaknesses thanks to the Fighters.
Available in: Every game.  Only in Pokemon Yellow and the Let’s Go games do you not get a Fire starter but Charmander still appears in those games.

Arcanine (Pokémon) - Bulbapedia, the community-driven Pokémon ...
Arcanine
The most perfect boi is the most perfect team member.  I kid you not, Arcanine is the strongest non-Mega, non-Legendary Fire Pokemon.  Like, what?!?!  Seriously?  That’s awesome!  And Arcanine is one of the most common Fire Pokemon in the entire series!  Super spectacular.  Arcanine also gets progressively better and by Generation V really becomes a must-have as it can learn Outrage and Wild Charge and a few other cool moves.  Arcanine’s biggest weakness is its single typing which doesn’t give you a diversity boost but has far as downsides go that’s not bad!
Available in: Red, Yellow, Gold, Crystal, FireRed, HeartGold, B2W2, ORAS, SM, USUM, SWSH 

Volcarona (Pokémon) - Bulbapedia, the community-driven Pokémon ...Centiskorch - #851 - Serebii.net Pokédex
Fire Bugs
Volcarona and Centiskorch I think are great members that will add a nice flavor to your overall vanilla team.  First, they offer a soft counter to Ground Pokemon and Centiskorch can learn a lot of anti…anti-Fire Pokemon moves like Powerwhip, Scald, and Thunder Fang.  Volcarona is also among the strongest Fire Pokemon and pair that with Quiver Dance and Fiery Dance means you can easily set up and sweep opposing teams.  Volcarona is pretty common too and you can get a fully evolved one in B2W2 which is fantastic.  Of course, there’s a foreboding 4x Rock weakness which is tricky when you fight Ground foes.  Also, Volcarona evolves very late so you’ll be stuck with Larvesta for quite awhile in many of the games…
Available in: Volcarona in BW, B2W2, ORAS, USUM and Centiskorch in SWSH

Chandelure (Pokémon) - Bulbapedia, the community-driven Pokémon ...
Chandelure
The wonderful Chandelure has among the highest Special Attack stats out of all Fire Pokemon with a whopping 145!  Even STAB attacks that deal neutral damage will still deal a great deal of pain to your opponents.  You can also teach it Energy Ball so immediately you have a counter to all your Fire foes.  Chandelure’s Ghost characteristics come through and give it a lot of great status moves like Calm Mind, Will-O-Wisp, Hex, and Confuse Ray.  Chandelure is also surprisingly common and you can find it in many games from Pokemon BW onwards.  The biggest trade off is Chandelure is a bit fragile and not that fast so it may faint on you before you can even do anything.
Available in: BW, B2W2, XY, SM, USUM, SWSH

Torkoal (Pokémon) - Bulbapedia, the community-driven Pokémon ...
Torkoal
Some Pokemon are here through a combination of their stats, their moves, or their availability; Torkoal is here solely for its ability.  Starting in Generation VII on, Torkoal can learn the Drought Ability which gives it automatic Sunny Day status for five turns once it enter the battle.  This means you don’t have to set up a Sunny Day move and instead go right into using boosted Fire attacks and an instant Solarbeam on your opponents!  Also, Torkoal has one of the highest defense stats (140) out of any Fire Pokemon and considering Fire’s defense is among the weakest for the types that’s pretty nice.  Torkoal can also learn strong Ground and Rock moves too which is a plus.  Still, not much else to talk about Torkoal AND it’s pretty slow so just keep that in mind as you’re training with one.
Available in (with Drought): SM, USUM, SWSH

Turtonator (Pokémon) - Bulbapedia, the community-driven Pokémon ...
Turtonator
Any Swimmer you will face will be a constant struggle of agony and hardship.  There are frankly very few Fire Pokemon that neutralize their Water weakness (as of Generation VII over 3/4 of the Fire teams are exposed to Water attacks).  Charizard X is going to be one of them but given its rarity you might be better up with Turtonator.  On the whole, there’s not a lot going for Turtonator besides its Dragon typing.  It has okay stats, it’s only in three games so far, and it has an alright ability (Shell Armor which protects against Critical Hits).  Still, it’s better than nothing and you can at least teach it some good Rock and Ground moves.
Available in: Sun, UltraSun, Sword