The Normal type is unquestionably the most unique one in Pokemon. In terms of resistances and weaknesses, it’s only weak to Fighting; it and the Ghost-type are immune to each other. No particular stat stands out with them either. In fact, most of the Pokemon with gimmicks wholly unique to them are Normal-type and they usually have the widest array of coverage moves.
All those qualities make the Normal-type at its best by itself. While Normal-type moves are usually not recommended to use, the pool of pure Normal-type Pokemon consists of some of the best Pokemon in the game. Some achieve that because of their typing while others transcend it entirely.
10 Regigigas (Low - Mid Tier)
There’s an interesting tale to be had with Regigigas’ viability. It’s got a 670 base stat total which far surpasses anything even in the upper echelons of competitive Pokemon. Those stats are distributed as follows: 110 in HP, Defense, and Special Defense, 80 Special Attack, 100 Speed, and a huge 160 Attack.
However, it hasn’t been competitively viable at all thanks to its detrimental ability: Slow Start. For its first five turns on the battlefield, Regigigas’ Attack and Speed are halved. While it might have the bulk to stay on the field for that long in certain situations, it’s still a lot to ask for. While those effects can be removed in Doubles when paired with a Weezing with Neutralizing Gas, it’s usually too much to overcome in Singles.
9 Lopunny (Low - Mid Tier)
Lopunny was the Pokemon that probably gained the most from its access to Mega Evolution and suffered the biggest loss from its removal in Generation VIII. It wasn’t a pure Normal-type by then, but the extra STAB from its gained Fighting-type was huge. It also gained huge boosts in Attack and Speed, and the Scrappy ability which let it use its STAB moves on Ghost-types.
All of this made Lopunny one of the most commonly used Megas of its time with STAB Fake Out, Return, and High Jump Kick proving to be more lethal than they had any right to be. Unfortunately, that time has just passed it by, and Lopunny is back to being more or less nonviable.
8 Tauros (Low - Mid Tier)
What was once arguably the best non-banned Pokemon in the game is now mostly an afterthought. Tauros dominated the Generation I metagame thanks to the games’ drastically different battling mechanics at the time – namely the Speed-to-crit ratio and Hyper Beam not recharging if it knocked out a Pokemon.
That time has long gone. As soon as the battling mechanics were overhauled in Generation II, Tauros was no longer the force to be reckoned with in higher competitive tiers. However, like a retired professional basketball player still holding his own in rec leagues, Tauros still has a solid role as a versatile physical attacker in lower tiers. Receiving Intimidate in Generation III added a nice wrinkle to its otherwise straightforward attack.
7 Kangaskhan (Low - Mid Tier)
Kangaskhan suffered the same fate as Lopunny – to a lesser respect from one perspective and to an even bigger respect from another. While it can still, in theory, be used as a decent offensive Pokemon, its Mega Evolution got it banned to Ubers. That’s thanks to its Mega Evolution’s ability, Parental Bond, which makes every attacking move hit twice with the second hit at 25% power.
This, among other things, makes secondary move effects more likely and opponent’s Substitutes easier to break. Since Mega Evolution no longer exists in Generation VIII, Kangaskhan now has to settle for being an underwhelming but still useful attacker with good coverage. Moves like Fake Out and Sucker Punch will prove to be useful, Mega or no Mega.
6 Snorlax (Mid Tier)
Snorlax is as classic as classic can get, but it’s stuck it out since Generation I and still manages to find a niche in current competitive play. Fittingly enough, it’s known competitively for using Rest, as a way to remove status effects and fully heal back its 160 base HP. It has access to Curse which is a great set-up move for Pokemon that are already slow.
Boosting its Attack further and giving its Defense a little help allows it to be a great sweeper. As is common with Normal types, it’s got great coverage moves, though it’s best utilized having Earthquake to check the Rock- and Steel-types that resist its STAB moves like Body Slam or Double-Edge.
5 Porygon2 & Porygon-Z (Mid - High Tier)
This will not be the last time a pair of Pokemon from the same evolutionary line appear on this list and that’s thanks to the little held item that could: the Eviolite. Porygon-Z is, by all means, an excellent special attacker thanks to its Download ability. However, it’s usually not in as high of competitive tiers as its immediate pre-evolution, Porygon2, since the latter’s base stats are barely worse than its former’s.
With less Special Attack and Speed but more bulk (and with the help of the Eviolite defensive boosts), Porygon2 becomes an incredible tank. In terms of moves, there’s Tri Attack for special STAB, a wide array of coverage moves, and Recover to heal back its HP.
4 Type: Null & Silvally (Mid - High Tier)
It’s essentially a dollar-store Arceus, but that in itself has already given Silvally decent viability. Its ability, RKS System, changes its type depending on the Memory given to it. Of course, that sacrifices a held item slot, but that’s more than made up for with a very solid 570 base stat total, having 95 all across the board. That kind of stat spread makes it work best as a utility, especially since it has access to a lot of support moves like Thunder Wave, Toxic, or Defog to go along with its signature move, Multi-Attack.
Its pre-evolution, while not having the RKS System, has even proven to be a serviceable tank in lower tiers with the help of the Eviolite, having the Battle Armor ability instead.
3 Ditto (High Tier)
This little blob can wreck entire teams if its opponents are not prepared. Ditto, while technically untiered in Smogon thanks to its lack of usage, is one of those novelties that actually works. Using a Ditto with the Imposter ability is pretty simple.
First, equip it with a Choice Scarf. Then, in battle, stall out your opponent and let it set up as much as possible. Wait for a safe switch in, and then you’re left with a complete replica of your opponent’s Pokemon with all its stat boosts and everything. Thanks to equipping a Choice Scarf, it’ll be much easier for it to revenge kill its opponent’s Pokemon and eventually sweep the rest of their team, especially if it transformed into a powerful offensive Pokemon.
2 Chansey & Blissey (High Tier)
Chansey is another Pokemon that’s consistently been a mainstay since Generation I. It and its Generation II evolution, Blissey, are undoubtedly the best healers in the game thanks to their massive 250 and 255 HP respectively, multiple avenues of healing both themselves and others, and their Natural Cure ability that gets rid of status effects upon switching out.
Should you go for Chansey, there’s no other way to go but to give it an Eviolite which makes it a substantially better wall than Blissey. The downside is that it does sacrifice an item slot, and it’s much more prone to damage if ever it gets Knocked Off. Either way, both species are sitting comfortably in premier competitive tiers, which is unheard of from other evolutionary families.
1 Arceus (High Tier)
Whether or not the literal god of the Pokemon universe should be a Normal-type is a debate for another day. But Arceus is arguably the strongest Pokemon in the game – period. Tied with Zacian and Zamazenta in their Crowned formes, the Pokemon Legends mascot has the highest base stat total of 720, at 120 across the board. Of course, it can choose to not be a Normal-type thanks to its Multitype ability which changes its type based on Plates instead of Memories.
However, what separates it from Silvally – aside from the better stats, of course – is that it’s great on its own, running as a Normal-type sweeper while using the held item for some other purpose instead of giving it a type. Of course, a Pokemon this powerful can’t be placed anywhere besides Smogon’s Uber tier.
NEXT: The 10 Best Pure Ice-Type Pokemon
