Rate My Type!

By Adeleine. Released: 2022/09/30.

Introduction

Have you ever sought the unimaginable ability to make a Pokémon's type... whatever you wished? For the wicked Gyarados to join its Dragon brethren and instill horror in all those it inspires to cower? For the noble Lucario to discard its metal trappings and unlock its majestic Psychic potential?

I am sure you desired it. I, too, have chased this most terrible power. To reshape the Pokémon world in my image, with all the possibilities and responsibilities that entails... could I even weigh it against my conscience to enact such a mighty alteration?

Game Freak didn't answer my strongly worded letters, so we'll just have to pretend I have that power. I'll give you some Pokémon with a possibly dumb type, we'll think about what type options make sense, and we'll see what's good and what's garbage. If I miss something silly, just go with it; I almost wrote this without knowing why Gyarados was actually Flying-type, so you're lucky I even fixed that.

Changing Secondary Types

water flying

Gyarados's Water typing is pretty well established. It lives in the water, evolves from a fish, looks like a sea serpent, and learns a bevy of Water-type moves. Its secondary Flying typing, though, is more questionable. Gyarados's movepool and lore give a full wardrobe of options; are any of them better?

flying

Do you know the inspiration behind the designs of Magikarp and Gyarados? I didn't. It references a Chinese legend where carp try to jump over the Dragon Gate to become dragons, trading the water for the air. You may see that as justification enough, or even reason to make Flying the dominant typing with a new secondary type. Gyarados also creates devastating storms with its destructive power, which got followed up on when it, eventually, got Hurricane. However, I myself prefer types with more grounding in the Pokémon's direct actions and attacks. Gyarados may move through the air, but not with wings; other wingless "fliers" tend to "fly" through tools besides typing, like Levitate for Eelektross and the move Fly for Golurk. Flying also makes Gyarados 4x weak to Electric, but it does prevent either Levitate from clogging up the ability slot or it losing its Ground immunity.

dark

Dark wasn't around in RBY, but Gyarados's Mega Evolution, savage nature, and movepool make it an easy fit. You knew Gyarados got Crunch, and Taunt sees some competitive use, but did you know it got Dark Pulse too? I sure didn't. My biggest problems with Dark here are the new type matchups; not only do Fighting, Bug, and Grass weaknesses feel bizarre for the awe-inspiring serpent, but Flying Gyarados outright resists the first two! That's not to say Dark lacks upsides: halving Thunderbolt and Stealth Rock damage makes Gyarados less exploitable, and we can't forget it getting actual secondary STAB moves. Maybe it'd even get Knock Off!

dragon

I know Dragon was your first thought. I have to admit, much of Gyarados oozes Dragon, like its menacing jaws, wide elemental movepool, and iconic Dragon Dance set. Don't forget Dragon Breath, Dragon Tail, and the novel Scale Shot. It's even in the Dragon egg group! Modern Gyarados would appreciate having a secondary type with better STAB moves, sure, and nobody dislikes a better defensive typing, but just imagine Water / Dragon Gyarados before Fairy-types. RBY Gyarados would be weak to zero attacks, and DPP / BW Gyarados would get a terrifying STAB Outrage.

Still, I have a few gripes here. Even if new entrants like Appletun and Eternatus diversify Dragon-type body shapes, Gyarados's long yet bulky form clashes with other Dragon designs, especially in the earlier generations Gyarados calls home. Perhaps it resembles a wyrm? Picking Dragon also makes Dragonite no longer the only RBY Dragon. Lastly, and this is hard to pin down, but Dragon being so expected for Gyarados means it doesn't add much new depth like Dark's renewed emphasis on brutality. Maybe that ambiguousness is part of the appeal: everyone should be free to react and respond to each Pokémon how they personally like.

fire

Fire Gyarados is clearly awesome, and it's not nearly as strange as you might think. Gyarados's Pokédex entries frequently reference "blazing ruins" and "intensely hot flames". Its Hidden Ability, Moxie, implies a fiery personality, and the Pokédex doesn't disappoint. Its rampages are legendary, and Sun's entry speaks to a town that angered Gyarados: "flames utterly consumed the town" in retribution. Metal. Fire Blast, Flamethrower, and Incinerate give some movepool evidence for a Fire typing, and they give us hope for a STAB Flare Blitz—with Earthquake and STAB Waterfall for any foolish Rock- and Ground-types that would try and check it. However, substituting a Ground immunity for a Ground weakness kind of stinks, as does trying to break past Water-types. Most obviously, though, this type combination is just too ambitious for earlier games, including the Generation 1 games Gyarados came from. Our only Water / Fire type now is Volcanion, introduced fifteen years after our favorite water serpent.

normal electric water flying

Normal gives STAB to Gyarados's iconic Hyper Beam, and Normal's notorious power in RBY would have suited Gyarados perfectly. Normal also amplifies Gyarados's animalistic savagery, like with other titans such as Tauros, Kangaskhan, and Ursaring and gives a nearly unique (Bibarel!) type combination with intriguing offensive potential. Normal sends a message: Gyarados needs no fancy tricks to turn your skeleton into modern art. Electric looks to Gyarados's association with storms and movepool, which includes Thunder, Thunderbolt, Zap Cannon, and Thunder Wave. Like Water / Fire, though, Water / Electric is a little flashy for Gyarados's RBY origins, and it's a pinch harder to justify than Fire. If none of these combinations strike your fancy, pure Water is an option too, or even typings centered around Flying in deference to its origin legend.

Adeleine's Ranking

water dark Menacing, sensible, smooth. 4.5/5.
water dragon It's a dragon. 4.5/5.
water flying Admittedly kind of regal. 3.5/5.
water fire Terrifying but showy. 3.5/5.
water normal Don't think Normal is quite special enough. 3/5.

normal flying

Look at those wings on that bird that flies through the air. I think it's staying Flying-type. But does Normal do it justice? Just because Noctowl is on the weaker end doesn't mean its typing shouldn't help it shine!

normal

Noctowl may be underpowered, but it's far from the worst new Pokémon in GSC. Ledian, Unown, Delibird... don't forget the likes of Shuckle, Aipom, and Yanma, which got bailed out in later generations. The high number of weak Pokémon isn't a coincidence; GSC is noted for its subtlety in Pokémon designs, power levels, and even environment. Many new Pokémon are even difficult to find or restricted to the postgame! Noctowl's early location, mediocre stats, and almost washed-out tricolor palette fit in perfectly. In that vein, its Normal typing fits too. Normal also aligns with its Pokédex entries, which often focus on its natural hunting and vision. Still, there are other sides of Noctowl we could represent and Normal is just rather... normal. Maybe Normal helps those other sides shine, letting them stay as subtle flavor elements instead of forcing them into the spotlight, but a bolder choice than Normal could still be best.

dark

If you think Noctowl's Pokédex entries justify Normal well, they show darkness with the subtlety of a bone saw. Ultra Sun gets the gold, calling it "the emperor of dark nights". That's high reverence for this common bird, and it does align with real-world owls having nocturnal habits. To get to the point, though, Dark has got to be an option. Generation 8 also gave the nocturnal bird Nasty Plot; however, that and Thief are strangely all its Dark-type moves. It does not even get Dark Pulse, which everything from Steelix to Noivern to Aurorus learns. More intentional subtlety, or just an oversight? You tell me.

psychic

Owls are known for their intelligence, and the Pokédex noticed, claiming Noctowl turns its head 180 degrees to maximize its thinking ability. That seems disorienting; does Noctowl close its eyes to not get thrown for a loop? Does the blood run to its brain if it does this for too long? Dumb overthinking aside, its Psychic movepool is very broad, with everything from Psychic, Hypnosis, and Calm Mind to the strangely niche Psycho Shift, Future Sight, and Synchronoise. In fact, that doesn't even list half of the options.

flying

Dropping Normal entirely for pure Flying is theoretically an option that gives Noctowl's combination a bit more pop. However, I can't say I'm convinced. Normal is fine defensively on Pokémon with reliable recovery like Noctowl, and Flying means it's not weak to Fighting. Offensively, having the extra Normal type doesn't hurt in any way, even if it's fairly limited in usefulness. Pure Flying sacrifices all that, along with the subtlety and tradition of Normal / Flying types, for... not too much besides some novelty and a Fighting resistance. I'll leave more novel early birds to the newer games.

Adeleine's Ranking

normal flying I'm going to vote no change here. Very good fit and doesn't sacrifice anything essential. 4.5/5
dark flying The new Dark type was underplayed in GSC, and the deadly hunter would wear it well. So few moves though... 4/5
psychic flying Compelling and justifiable, but I'll stick with the designers on Psychic being a secondary association. 3.5/5
flying Nope from me. 1.5/5

Complete Typing Overhauls

ground dragon

Flygon's concept can go in many different directions, and that means a lot of corresponding typings. Both Ground and Dragon are fair game for a change!

ground

Flygon's two pre-evolutions are Ground-types, and its own Ground-type movepool is wide. Just by level-up, we have the iconic Earthquake, Fissure at level 1, and a massive six others in SS. It is strongly linked to the desert, whipping up sandstorms to hide itself or even its hunting partner Krookodile, which is cheating. I call it like I see it. It's actually very clever how Flygon's sneaky sandstorms echo Trapinch burying itself in dirt to ambush. However, Flygon pursuing Trapinch's Ground theme puts it in an awkward spot, as it can't really benefit from the sandstorms—the weather condition of sand, I mean—that permeate its concept. Ground gives it an immunity to sand chip damage, but nothing else, and Levitate blocks off sand-related abilities. Maybe it's for the best that we don't have Sand Veil Flygon; some abilities are fine staying on the lore sheet.

dragon

If Gyarados is the non-Dragon-type Dragon, Flygon may be the non-Dragon Dragon-type. Or maybe that is Goomy. Either way, while Flygon may be a clawed aerial terror, it pretty clearly resembles a dragonfly and not a dragon. Oh, dragonfly has "dragon" in the name? You're very clever. I never would've seen that without you. But I'm not sure I buy it. Sure, Flygon actually gets a movepool for its secondary type, unlike Gyarados. Dragon Claw by level and the thematic Twister by transfer stand out. It's in the Dragon egg group, Dragon always adds some nice majesty, and Ground / Dragon is very interesting defensively and offensively with Flygon's varied movepool. However, I still feel we could do a bit better.

bug

The ever-popular Bug Flygon. It is the adult form of an antlion, a lacewing—dragonflies are a different species, if you didn't know!—after all. DPP players will be very familiar with its U-turn, and the new First Impression is always fun, but Struggle Bug and Fury Cutter make something clear: Flygon is not just getting Bug-type moves for competitive tricks. Bug is a pretty easy case. It's not a lock, though. Bug-types like Volcarona and Pheromosa give the type prestige, so Bug making Flygon uncool isn't a problem. However, Flygon probably needs one type dedicated to its sandy desert home, and Dragon gives a bit more mystery and power than Bug for the second slot.

rock

Surprised to see Rock on here? Don't forget Sandstorm is a Rock-type move! Besides that, Flygon deserves a place among the Rock-type fossils. Massive dragonflies and other such insects are a relic from hundreds of millions of years ago, when the higher-oxygen atmosphere could sustain larger insects reliant on breathing through their exoskeleton. That breathing is less efficient than what you and I do, though, so Flygon-sized insects would actually suffocate in modern air. One source of past titans is the Meganeura genus on which Yanmega is based—did you wonder why Yanma evolves with Ancient Power? Even Trapinch has justification for Rock, with antlion larvae throwing sand clumps from their pit at struggling prey to echo Rock Throw. This hodgepodge of benefits and rationales is great, but I still think Ground better represents Flygon's sand and desert associations. Additionally, while STAB Stone Edge is scary to most, it isn't to Steel-types, and losing Earthquake's accuracy is a pain.

normal flying ground

Normal gives Flygon STAB Boomburst. Sound means quite a bit to Flygon, which is called the "Desert Spirit" because its wing flaps sound like a woman's singing, but also to Vibrava, which attacks its enemies with headache-inducing sound waves from rubbing its wings. If you like desperate justifications for giving more Pokémon Sketch, antlion larvae are sometimes called "doodlebugs" for the strange tracing marks they leave in the sand. Flying lines up with Flygon's mighty wings, is hinted at by its name, and opens up its ability options while maintaining the Ground immunity. Still, it's a bit too conventional for the Mystic Pokémon. Pure Ground makes Flygon's desert nature pop out, but its multifaceted concept is begging for a secondary type.

Adeleine's Ranking

bug ground The best representation, and this typing longs for exposure. 5/5
dragon ground Effective and unusual both in representation and competitive use. 4.5/5
bug dragon Extremely cool and unique, but lacking a type that represents half of Flygon's concept, either Ground or Rock, hurts. 3.5/5
bug rock This rare typing brings out Flygon's animal nature, but Yanmega would rock it better. 3.5/5
dragon rock It incorporates Flygon's concept, but it's a bit distanced and less vibrant. 3/5

Lucario's a weird dude. First, we have to ask how you interpret Aura. Then we can talk about specific combinations.

fight

Sure, I can buy it. Aura Sphere and Focus Blast are Fighting-type moves, as are other evocative techniques like G-Max Chi Strike and Focus Punch. The theoretical justification is that aura requires heavy mental focus and skill to harness, just like the martial arts and other physical skills associated with Fighting-types. Practically, though, I think Aura's current Fighting-type associations come from Game Freak wanting special Fighting-types.

However, when I look at Lucario's concept, my gut is to pair its Fighting type with its physical combat, which leaves Steel to pair with Aura. If Aura isn't Steel-type, why should Lucario be Steel-type at all? There are some flimsy justifications, like the mythical metal orichalcum sourcing Lucario's name and Riolu being originally obtained in Iron Island. I'll take the cynical option, though, and say Steel was tacked on to make a good and cool Pokémon better and cooler.

Fighting-type Aura gives Lucario several typing options. Pure Fighting becomes the most accurate to its concept, if a bit boring. The rare Fighting / Psychic fleshes out Lucario's associations with emotion and thought via non-Aura means; it does compete with Gallade given shared typing and generation, though. Fighting / Ground, besides just slaughtering Steel-types, adds more depth to it using moves like Bone Rush and resembling the Egyptian deity Anubis. Or do you think Fighting / Dark incorporates that deathly concept better? Lucario does have a solid Dark-type movepool including Nasty Plot, Dark Pulse, and Payback. Black streaks and heartlessness lace through its Mega Evolution, but almost all the Mega Evolutions kind of turned evil in Generation 7, and we're talking about the base forme here anyway.

psychic

For this perspective, unlike Psychic, we're not even trying to justify Game Freak's decisions. Feelings are Psychic, thoughts are Psychic, Aura Sphere should be Psychic, Lucario should be Psychic, and Game Freak should be fired. Psychic-type Aura does make sense with emotive Pokémon like Ralts, mind-altering Pokémon like Grumpig, and comparable moves like Extrasensory and Synchronoise. Lucario also gets Psychic, Zen Headbutt, and a handful of Psychic-type utility moves. However, sensibly seeing Aura as Psychic-type makes it, and Lucario, a bit less unique and special.

Combining Psychic with Lucario's physical combat makes Fighting / Psychic the frontrunner here. Psychic / Ground should be mentioned, though. As the Fighting tab says, Ground plays on Lucario's moves like Dig and Bulldoze, as well as its connection to Anubis. With Psychic / Ground, though, Ground gets to represent Lucario's physical abilities almost on its own—that gives fresh interpretation to Lucario, but also deviates pretty far from its original concept.

steel

Aura is expressed as "waves", and some furtive Googling yielded fan theories that Aura is a series of electromagnetic waves. This would explain the Steel typing, especially since Lucario's presumably metal spikes could channel these waves. It also explains why Aura isn't Psychic-type like other abilities relating to thoughts and emotions. Since Lucario has plenty of non-Aura justification for its Fighting type—boasting a wide movepool, mighty physical power, and a deep connection with justice—this interpretation of Aura explains Game Freak's typing choice without resorting to cynicism about what's cool to kids.

However... if Aura is Steel-type, why didn't Game Freak capitalize on it more? Lucario has plenty of cool Fighting-type moves already, and Steel-type Aura Sphere would really spice up the boring Flash Cannon and Iron Tail. Why don't the creative Generation 7 Pokédex entries drop a single reference to electromagnetic waves? This interpretation is a little charitable to Game Freak's intention in my eyes.

The original Fighting / Steel is the most obvious choice here. Lucario's Fighting type is pretty well grounded. Steel / Psychic is an interesting mixed attacker typing conceptually, but it's awkward with Lucario's stat spread, somewhat redundant if Steel already explains Aura, and altogether a bit of a stretch.

Adeleine's Ranking

fight psychic It pops and it front-runs for two of the three Aura interpretations. 4.5/5
fight steel It works with one Aura interpretation and is undeniably cool. 4/5
fight ground So cool, but a Lucario with stronger Anubis connections really wishes it was Fighting / Ground / Dark, and that's not happening. 3/5
fight Logical, but moderately cripples Lucario's cool factor. 2.5/5
psychic ground See Fighting / Ground, but this also requires changing Lucario and Aura moves a bit much for me. 2.5/5

Honorable Mentions

Water is the common fan wish for Lugia, but Water / Flying gives a nasty 4x Thunderbolt weakness, and Water / Psychic feels unsatisfying for ignoring the simply massive fingers it calls wings. Good luck grabbing whatever it is you're trying to grab. Even the fringe Water / Dragon encroaches on Kingdra and may be a little too broken defensively, especially in earlier generations before recent power creep. Speaking of Dragon, it could work in Psychic / Dragon for a mysterious and majestic alteration, especially since Dragon-types are often associated with wings anyway... too bad Psychic on legendaries feels a bit overplayed after eight generations of Pokémon.

I remember the salty tears of disappointment when both were revealed to be Psychic type, and I understand it. As I just said for Lugia, Psychic isn't as interesting or creative on legendaries anymore. I could go into Solgaleo, especially with its Fire type, but I'll be honest; I just don't love the lovable spike lion. Let's talk about Lunala! Not the cries of Fairy I have heard, but Flying! Lunala's bat-like movement really drew me to the design, even just for the shock of seeing that massive circular frame flap away. Ghost / Flying is very rare and intriguing both offensively defensively, incorporating moves like Roost and Air Slash. Too bad Lugia already is a Flying-type Multiscale user—I know Shadow Shield is technically different, but I don't care. Can we do this change and a Lugia change at the same time?

One of my personal favorites, Cradily gives me mixed feelings with its typing. Grass / Rock is a very unique typing for, to swipe a line from the ADV analysis, "making the majority of Electric-types cry for their respective Pokémon mothers". It doesn't represent Cradily very well at all though; Cradily is not a plant, but an ocean animal called a crinoid—go check out Lileep's entry on our relevant Pokébiology article! I understand most fossils are Rock-type, but armored and spiked Pokémon like Omastar and Bastiodon wear Rock better. Water is one obvious possibility given its habitat; seeing Cradily quickly learn Brine by level-up in-game is always a treat. Poison jumps out stronger still with those dastardly venomous tentacles; nothing like STAB Sludge Bomb poison and perfectly accurate Toxic to make Cradily's Recover burn your retinas. If we dream a bit, there's another ugly-cute Pokémon that disguises its true face and attacks with head appendages; that would be Mawile, and it got the Fairy typing recently. Is Fairy too much of a stretch? (Yes.)

Do people think a Generation 1 starter would ever have been Dragon? If you do, it would not! There wasn't even a Dragon-type move with Base Power! If you just wish Charizard got changed retroactively to Fire / Dragon, however, I can see the place you're coming from. That place being wrongness. You are wrong. Wrongity wrongity wrong. Flying Charizard is superior. Neener neener.

Final Thoughts

Looks like my work here is done. It's been grand having you on this whirlwind tour of speculating and theorizing. Maybe it can kick up your own creative juices for some sick, never-before-seen concepts and interpretations. Or you can just drool over some of the competitively-broken concepts so close to your reach, yet so far. Either way, I hope you had a good time here too. Until next time!

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