Normal-type Pokémon have been here since the first Pokémon games were released decades ago. Your first ever wild caught Pokémon was almost certainly Normal-type. While not super effective against any types, they’re known for their immunity to Ghost-types and sole weakness to Fighting-types. This makes them great generalists, capable of hitting most Pokémon for neutral damage. Here are the best Normal-type Pokémon in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet according to their base stats.
The Best Normal Types in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet
Pyroar
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Pyroar is a Fire/Normal-type Pokémon that evolves from Litleo at level 35. It is weak against Water-, Ground-, Fighting-, and Rock-type attacks, but is immune to Ghost-type moves and resists Fire-, Grass-, Ice-, Bug-, Steel-, and Fairy-type attacks. Its immunities and resistances far outweigh its weaknesses, but players still need to be careful when choosing it to battle against other Pokémon.
While its stats are generally lower compared to other Pokémon in this list, it has Moxie, which is an ability that increases its Attack whenever it knocks out an enemy Pokémon. Players can also take advantage of its decent-to-high Special Attack stat by giving it strong same-type attack bonus (STAB) Special attacks like Flamethrower, Hyper Voice, and Overheat. You can enhance its Special attacks with the Wise Glasses held item.
Arboliva
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Arboliva is a Grass/Normal-type Pokémon that evolves from Dolliv at level 35, and is the final form of Smoliv. Its Grass typing gives it some noticeable weaknesses, like Fire-, Ice-, Poison-, Flying-, and Bug-type moves, but it has decent Defense and high Special Defense stats to compensate for it. On the other hand, it is immune to Ghost-type moves and resists Water-, Grass-, Electric-, and Ground-type attacks, allowing it to withstand a number of powerful foes.
This dual type Pokémon has very high Special Attack, allowing it to focus on dealing damaging STAB Special Attacks like Petal Dance and Hyper Beam. Its Seed Sower ability lets it setup Grassy Terrain when hit by an enemy, enhancing its Grass-type attacks and allowing it to restore health, helping it to last in battles.
Braviary
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Braviary is a Normal/Flying-type that evolves from Rufflet at level 54. It has high Attack stats and is immune to Ground- and Ghost-type moves. It is also resistant to Grass- and Bug-type attacks, and only has a few type weaknesses (Rock, Electric, Ice), allowing it to face many foes. It has very high Attack, high HP, and decent Speed, Defense, and Special Defense, making it a great physical attacker.
Braviary gets powerful STAB moves like Brave Bird and Thrash, making it a great at hitting hard. Its hidden ability Defiant significantly increases its attack power when its stats are lowered by enemy moves, while Sheer Force enhances any move that has a secondary effect, such as Air Slash’s chance to make enemies flinch.
Farigiraf
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Farigiraf is a Normal/Psychic-type Pokémon that evolves from Girafarig at level 32 if it knows the move Twin Beam. It’s not weak against Fighting types but is instead weak against Bug- and Dark-type moves. It resists Psychic-types, however, and still has the Normal-type immunity to Ghost-types, which eliminates one of its Psychic-type weaknesses. Its ability Armor Tail automatically protects it from all priority moves, meaning moves like Quick Attack can’t hit it.
Farigiraf’s great HP and high Attack and Special Attack let it hit hard. It can use powerful Normal moves like Giga Impact and Hyper Beam, as well as the Psychic moves Psychic and Twin Beam. Farigiraf is also a great anti-Grass option, as its hidden ability Sap Sipper absorbs Grass-type moves and boosts its Attack.
Dudunsparce
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Dudunsparce, introduced in Gen 9, is the evolution of Dunsparce. You can obtain one by leveling up Dunsparce while it knows Hyper Drill, or try catching it in the wild in the endgame Area Zero. It comes in two-segment and three-segment versions, the latter of which is very rare even as a non-Shiny. It has high HP and Attack stats, and decent Defense, Special Attack, and Special Defense. It’s a decent Normal-type that can defend against many foes.
Its high physical and Special Attack lets it choose between the two, dealing great damage with either. Hyper Drill, Boomburst, Hyper Beam, and Double Edge give it powerful STAB attacks, and Roost will keep its high HP topped up for longevity. Its ability Serene Grace doubles the chances of extra effects occurring, while its hidden ability Rattled ups its low Speed when hit by a Dark-, Bug-, or Ghost-type move.
Blissey
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Blissey has the highest HP of any Pokémon in both Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, and the series in general. And while its Attack stat rivals that of the infamous Magikarp, Blissey is infinitely more useful because of its immense HP and fantastic Special Defense.
A pure Normal-type, Blissey is the final form of Happiny, and evolves from Chansey when leveled up with high friendship. Blissey makes the perfect wall, with its Normal typing naturally lacking many vulnerabilities. Its signature move Soft-Boiled lets it recover half of its monstrous health bar, letting it wall for even longer. Be aware that it only has strong Special Defense, and is very frail if hit by a physical attack. Blissey is a big help on a team, acting as support and buffing allies in double battles. Its hidden ability Healer gives it a 30% chance to cure an ally’s status ailment at the end of every turn, while Natural Cure heals its own at the end of battle, meaning there’s no need to use expensive healing items.
Slaking
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Slaking is absolutely the strongest Normal-type Pokémon in our list, simply because of its massive stat total. It’s a pure Normal-type that evolves from Vigoroth at level 36, and the final form of Slakoth. If you’re looking to get this powerful Pokémon, you can find its earliest pre-evolution Slakoth in the starting area South Province (Area One). There is also a special Slaking in North Province (Area Two)’s Bamboo Forest.
Slaking’s immense stats, including huge HP and Attack, as well as Defense, Special Attack, and Speed, come with a caveat. Slaking’s signature ability is Truant, which prevents Slaking from acting every second turn. This means you can only attack with Slaking once every two turns, halving its damage output over long battles. If you can replace its ability with another — which you can do with certain moves and abilities in double battles — then Slaking turns into a destructive behemoth, hitting hard with STAB Normal moves like Mega Kick and Hyper Beam. It can learn a wide array of powerful moves of many different types, letting it cover most situations. Properly set up, Slaking is almost unstoppable.
And that’s it for our list of the best Normal-type Pokémon in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. Players should take note that base stats and abilities aren’t the only things to be considered when choosing a Normal-type for battle. Players must choose the best item to give, moves to include in move sets, and the opponent’s type as well. For more information/guides on Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, check out our comprehensive beginner’s guide to competitive Pokémon battles.
