One of the big new changes for Gen VI is the introduction of the new Fairy-type. This is the first new type introduced to Pokemon since Dark and Steel were introduced in Gen II, and not only are several of the new Pokemon of this type, but several older Pokemon have either had Fairy added to their typing or had their typing completely overwritten to Fairy-type.
First, let’s look at how the Fairy-type fares in battle, as far as type advantages and disadvantages go.
Offensively, Fairy-type attacks are…
Super-effective against: Fighting, Dragon, Dark
Not very effective against: Fire, Poison, Steel
Defensively, Fairy-types are…
Weak to: Poison, Steel
Resistant to: Fighting, Bug, Dark
Immune to: Dragon
Conceptually, the mystical Fairy-type is actually pretty close to the frequently-requested Light-type, especially with moves like Dazzling Gleam and Moonblast, which does offer some explanation for their strength against Dark and, to some extent, Fighting. Fairies being weak to Steel is an important conceptual point; faeries in folklore traditionally had a weakness to “cold iron”, which is like poison to them. That poison itself is also one of their weaknesses is probably just as fitting. As for their complete dominance over Dragons, that’s mainly attributable to their overall mystical power, I suppose.
Competitively, though, the Fairy-type was intended to keep Dragon-types from being broken, which is clearly in effect with their complete immunity to Dragon-type attacks. Their strength against Fighting-types also helps balance out what is another strong typing in the game. Their strength against Dark-types may be more of a conceptual thing, but it also helps balance out a particular buff Dark-type attacks got, not to mention that Dark-type attacks are common and frequently used as coverage alongside Fighting.
Another notable balancing aspect is Fairy’s weaknesses; Poison and Steel are notable for being among the weakest offensive types in the game. Outside of Fairy-types, Poison is only super-effective against Grass, while many Pokemon are resistant to it and Steel-types are outright immune. Steel only has weaknesses to Ice and Rock, which already have numerous weaknesses, and are resisted by some common types, particularly Water. This change gives those two types some more offensive presence.
Now, you may be thinking that Steel doesn’t need yet another type that it resists. However, in exchange for resisting Fairy-type attacks, Steel-types are no longer resistant to Ghost- and Dark-type attacks, now taking neutral damage from them. This new advantage to Dark helps balance out their weakness to Fairy, but Ghost-types only benefit from this, as now their attacks are only resisted by Normal (immunity) and Dark. I will talk about this more in a later Rambling about dual-types and their offensive coverage.
For now, though, let’s take a look at notable Fairy-type Pokemon and moves.
First of all, offensively, there are really only three notable Fairy-type attacks. There is only one physical Fairy-type attack: Play Rough. It’s a solid attack, with 90 base power, 90% accuracy, and a 10% chance of lowering the target’s Attack. Given the lack of alternatives, it works; kind of like Aqua Tail but with a secondary effect. On the special side, there is Dazzling Gleam, which has 80 base power, 100% accuracy, and no side effect, and is a TM, and Moonblast, which has 95 base power, 100% accuracy, and a 30% chance of lowering the opponent’s Special Attack. Moonblast is kind of odd, in that it’s stronger than Dazzling Gleam in every way and has more PP (15 vs. 10); there’s also how it has 95 BP, when many other special attacks with that power (Surf, Flamethrower, Thunderbolt, Ice Beam) were reduced to 90 BP. Definitely an oddity. Dazzling Gleam probably has the lone advantage of better distribution, as it is a TM, but many Fairy-types will learn Moonblast already.
Now for some new Fairy-type Pokemon. Here are all the Pokemon that were introduced this generation that are Fairy-type:
Flabebe/Floette/Florges: These flower-based Fairy-types that are totally not Grass-type are among the more notable new Pokemon of this type. They have high Special Defense and numerous Grass-type moves, and are solid Pokemon overall. Also, Floette is absolutely adorable. Wish I could say the same for Florges, though, who just looks weird… Also, Flower Veil and Symbiosis are useless in singles, but might be useful in doubles/triples… actually, that’s a thing that will come up a lot.
Sylveon: Probably the most notable new Fairy-type, in part because she is the new Eeveelution. Sylveon has an incredible Special Defense and good Special Attack, plus decent HP. She can probably make a solid Calm Mind user with Moonblast and Shadow Ball… and then you might as well have Skill Swap because let’s be honest, you’re probably not going to get a whole lot of mileage out of Cute Charm. Though Sylveon is definitely cute. Probably my favorite of the new Fairy-types.
Spritzee/Aromatisse: These aroma-based Pokemon have decent defensive stats and an okay Special Attack, but incredibly low Speed. Their Healer and Aroma Veil abilities, while interesting, are only useful in double/triples; GameFreak does seem to be going for a thing where many of their Fairy-types are to be supporters in multi-battles.
Swirlix/Slurpuff: These sugary Pokemon are definitely a jack-of-all-stats, master of none family of Pokemon. Again, Sweet Veil is only useful in doubles/triples, though at least their hidden ability, Unburden, has use in singles. Still not exactly one of the better Fairy-types in the game.
Dedenne: Every generation has had a new Pokemon that is some sort of cute electric Pikachu-like rodent, with Pichu in Gen II, Plusle and Minun in III, Pachirisu in IV, and Emolga in V. This generation has Dedenne, who is also part-Fairy and is rather reminiscent of a tinier Raichu. Cute as he is, like others before him, his stats keep him from being a particularly good Pokemon.
Carbink: As a Rock/Fairy type, Carbink isn’t weak to Poison but takes quadruple damage from Steel. Carbink’s most notable quality is his stat build that is similar to Shuckle, having a high Base 150 Defense and Special Defense but rather poor base 50 stats elsewhere. There are some uses for this guy, especially if he has his hidden ability Sturdy, as he can set up Stealth Rock pretty reliably. He’s also based on a carbuncle, which is pretty cool.
Klefki: Probably my second favorite of the new Fairy-types. Klefki is a Fairy/Steel type, which is cool in that he becomes immune to the Poison-type attacks Fairy is normally weak against, and loses the Steel weakness as well, while Fairy negates Steel’s Fighting weakness. That leaves Fire and Ground as his lone weaknesses. Klefki’s stats aren’t too impressive, but he has one cool trick up his sleeve: Prankster. Prankster is a fun ability that Klefki can definitely put to use, especially with Spikes. That he’s basically an animate keyring is just funny.
Xerneas: Naturally, one of the new Legendaries of this game is a Fairy-type. Xerneas has overall high stats with particularly high Attack and Special Attack, and his Fairy Aura ability gives his Fairy-type moves extra power. He has an unusual signature move, Geomancy, which has a charge turn like Solarbeam and Sky Attack, except that rather than attacking, on the next turn, his Special Attack, Special Defense, and Speed go up 2 levels each (basically he gets 2 Quiver Dances). It’s probably one of the better charge-turn moves as you can’t just switch in a Pokemon resistant to the incoming attack, though you can interrupt it with Taunt or sleep. Xerneas also has a very pretty design, especially with all the multicolored gems on his antlers. Overall, he’s a cool Legendary.
Now for some of the various Pokemon that have become Fairy-type…
Cleffa/Clefairy/Clefable: Clefable is one of my favorite Pokemon, and it’s definitely cool, if not expected, that she’d become a Fairy-type. In fact, Clefable completely loses her Normal typing and is a pure Fairy-type. That said, aside from the extra ability to slay Dragons, Clefable still remains cool for her past abilities, namely causing all sorts of havoc with Magic Guard, or potentially messing with stat-boosters with Unaware. As a bonus, Clefable’s Special Attack got a slight boost from base 85 to base 95.
Igglybuff/Jigglypuff/Wigglytuff: Unlike Clefable, Wigglytuff has her Fairy-typing added to her Normal-typing. Wigglytuff also gets a slight boost to her Special Attack, from 75 to 85; in addition, she gets another, non-hidden ability, Competitive, which boosts her Special Attack if her stats drop, which is better than Cute Charm at least. Wigglytuff probably isn’t going to rock the competitive scene anytime soon still, but at least her new typing and boosts might make give her more of a role in NU.
Mime Jr./Mr. Mime: These mimes’ Psychic/Fairy typing is an interesting one, as Fairy negates Psychic’s Bug and Dark weaknesses, meaning Mr. Mime has less to fear from U-Turn and Pursuit. He’s also a great anti-Fighting-type, and can attempt to hit Poison-types with a super-effective Psychic-type attack. Mr. Mime can potentially make more use of his abilities, too; Soundproof can help as sound-based attacks can otherwise pass through Substitutes, while Technician can be used with Hidden Power, which is now locked at 60 Base Power. Again, probably won’t shake up the metagame too much, but definitely an improvement.
Togepi/Togetic/Togekiss: Like Clefable, these Pokemon have their Normal-typing replaced with Fairy, which also makes Togetic and Togekiss Fairy/Flying. This makes them completely immune to the Dragon/Ground combination that is popular with Pokemon like Garchomp. Togekiss is still a favorite Pokemon of mine, and being able to stand up to one of the most monstrous Pokemon of past generations just makes her that much cooler.
Azurill/Marill/Azumarill: Now Water/Fairy-type, Azumarill is best known for having Huge Power, which makes her actually incredibly powerful despite a seemingly low Base 50 Attack. (Remember that all stat points from EVs and IVs get boosted as well!) In addition to this, Water/Fairy has surprisingly good neutral coverage, only being resisted by Water/Poison, Water/Steel, Grass/Poison, and Grass/Steel. One additional boost that Azumarill gets is that, because females can now pass down Egg Moves, Azumarill may finally be able to use a Belly Drum + Aqua Jet combo, combining what would be an absolutely terrifying Attack stat with a priority move to absolutely demolish foes. Azumarill may be one of those Pokemon who becomes a favorite of mine after all these little changes.
Snubbull/Granbull: Like the Clefairy family, Snubbull and Granbull are classified as Fairy Pokemon in the Pokedex, and as such, they lose their Normal-typing completely to become pure Fairy. Not much has changed with them otherwise. It’s pretty fitting, though, for a pair of bulldogs to like to Play Rough.
Ralts/Kirlia/Gardevoir: My 10th favorite Pokemon of all time pre-Gen VI, Gardevoir gains a Fairy-typing that benefits her quite a bit. Gardevoir’s biggest change, though, is that she gets a Mega Evolution that really buffs up her stats. Gardevoir should easily remain one of my favorite Pokemon of all time, and is definitely my favorite Fairy-type.
Mawile: Now a Steel/Fairy type, Mawile is still fairly unremarkable if not for her Mega Evolution, which increases her stats and gives her Huge Power, and running off base 100 Attack to start! Given Mawile’s lack of weaknesses and Intimidate to switch in easier, she can easily get in to Mega Evolve and start wrecking things.
Whimsicott: Note that in this case, only Whimsicott gains the additional Fairy-type to become Grass/Fairy; Cottonee is still pure Grass. Also, Whimsicott hasn’t really changed much; she’s still a complete Prankster that would rather mess with the opponent with random priority status moves than attack with her low attacking stats.
Arceus: Finally, let’s not forget that Arceus can now become a Fairy-type with a Pixie Plate. In Ubers, which is full of Dragon-types, Fairy Arceus could be a good anti-Dragon Pokemon.
There are other old Pokemon that can potentially become Fairy-type (mainly Legendaries), which we will find out when Pokemon Bank is released December 25th.
Overall, I think the Fairy-type is a cool type and a great addition to Pokemon. It’d be nice if there were more notable attacks and some better Pokemon with the typing, as right now most of the best Fairy-types are from older generations. Some further development with this type could help shape it to be one of my favorite types, as there’s already a lot about the mystical nature of Fairy-types that I like conceptually, and there are some potentially interesting dual-types that can come out of this (as already demonstrated with Klefki).
For now, though, I’ll just have fun destroying everything with Azumarill and Mega Gardevoir.
Next time, we look at what new, interesting dual-types have appeared, and which ones have yet to officially show up still.
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