Most Rock-type Pokemon might cause you to hit a wall when facing them if you don’t know their weaknesses, so here’s everything you need to defeat them.
Rock-type Pokemon can be tough to take down, as they are literally as hard as stone by their very nature. They’re also easily confused with Ground-type Pokemon and can be deadly to an inexperienced trainer who doesn’t know how to exploit their weaknesses.
However, as with any element in the Pokemon game series, Rock types can be countered, so here’s what you need to come out victorious in battle.
Rock-type Pokemon weaknesses
Rock-type Pokemon have five primary weaknesses when it comes to moves and opposing Pokemon types:
Don’t forget that a Pokemon can have two types, so be sure to take advantage of any other weaknesses they may have by being aware of their secondary type.
Rock-type Pokemon strengths & resistances
As well as having weaknesses, Rock-type Pokemon are also resistant to certain types and moves. In this particular case, they are resistant to Fire, Flying, Normal, and Poison types.
Additionally, Rock-type attacks are super effective against Bug, Fire, Flying, and Ice-type Pokemon. So, when you go into battle against a Rock-type Pokemon, be sure to switch these out accordingly.
If you happen to add a Rock-type to your team, never put it up against Fighting, Ground, or Steel, as Rock moves are not very effective against those.
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Best counters for Rock-type Pokemon
The best Pokemon you should use to counter Rock-type Pokemon are listed below:
- Lucario (Fighting/Steel)
- Poliwrath (Water/Fighting)
- Great Tusk (Ground/Fighting)
- Iron Treads (Ground/Steel)
- Ogerpon Wellspring Mask (Grass/Water)
When competing against Rock types, you can target any of their 5 weaknesses by using pure-type Pokemon. However, those that combine two Rock-type weaknesses are even better.
Always bear in mind a Pokemon’s secondary type when selecting your counter Pokemon and moves. While the above examples are effective against Rock types, the opposing Pokemon may have resistances based on their primary or secondary type.
Best Tera Types for Rock-type Pokemon
Scarlet & Violet‘s addition of Tera Types changed the battle rules, so here are the ones you should consider to make your Rock-type Pokemon stronger:
- Rock: Boost the power of Rock-type moves on top of STAB
- Fighting: Eliminates the Rock-type weaknesses to Water, Ground, and Fighting-type moves
- Water: Eliminates the Rock-type weaknesses to Water and Steel-type moves
- Grass: Eliminates the Rock-type weaknesses to Grass and Water-type moves
Best Rock moves in Pokemon
There are 25 Rock-type moves and we’ve picked the most powerful special, physical, and status attacks you can use in battle:
| MOVE | CATEGORY | POWER | ACCURACY | PP | EFFECT | GEN |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Meteor Beam | Special | 120 | 90% | 10 | Takes a turn to charge and boosts the user’s Sp. Attack | Gen VIII |
| Power Gem | Special | 80 | 100% | 20 | – | Gen IV |
| Ancient Power | Special | 60 | 100% | 5 | May raise all user’s stats at once | Gen II |
| Head Smash | Physical | 150 | 80% | 5 | User receives recoil damage | Gen IV |
| Rock Wrecker | Physical | 150 | 90% | 5 | User must recharge next turn | Gen IV |
| Diamond Storm | Physical | 100 | 95% | 5 | May sharply raise the user’s Defense | Gen VI |
| Stone Edge | Physical | 100 | 80% | 5 | High critical hit ratio | Gen IV |
| Rock Tomb | Physical | 60 | 95% | 15 | Lowers the opponent’s Speed | Gen III |
| Sandstorm | Status | X | X | 10 | Creates a sandstorm for 5 turns | Gen II |
| Stealth Rock | Status | X | X | 20 | Damages the opponents that switch into battle | Gen IV |
Best Rock-type Pokemon of all time
The Pokemon franchise has a total of 88 Rock-type creatures (up to Gen 9), and here are the 10 best of the ranking:
- Regirock
- Tyranitar
- Terrakion
- Diancie
- Stakataka
- Iron Thorns
- Iron Boulder
- Rhyperior
- Crustle
- Ogerpon Cornerstone Mask
That’s all you need to know about Rock-type Pokemon before going against them. You can also check out our list of all the Cat or Dog Pokemon in the franchise, and learn more about other types such as Dark, Flying, or Dragon.
