Ranking the 18 types in the ORAS Meta

[Deleted User]

In general, including all tiers up to OU, where do you rank the 18 types? Consider the availability of duel type pokemon that allow coverage.

Myself,

1. Steel

2. Dragon

3. Flying

4. Fairy

5. Fighting

6. Water

7. Fire

8. Dark

9. Ground

10. Bug

11. Poison

12. Psychic

13. Ghost

14. Electric

15. Rock

16. Ice

17. Normal

18. Grass

[Pandalex12]

Hmm, I'm just really bad at using some types.

1. Water

2. Electric

3. Fairy

4. Flying

5. Fire

6. Bug

7. Ground

8. Psychic

9. Fighting (Never lucky)

10. Normal

11. Dark

12. Dragon - Not much of a dragon type trainer

13. Steel (Very beast defense type but I never seem to be good at using them)

14. Poison

15. Ghost

16. Rock (tfw no one runs these but uses rock type moves ;-

17. Grass

18. Ice

welp. I've got a lot to learn :/

[Fumble]

idk tbh, the higher ranks were harder to place

Ice, Grass, Rock, and Electric kinda suck imo due to so few of their Pokemon being super great.

1. Flying

2. Fairy

3. Water

4. Dragon

5. Steel

6. Dark

7. Fighting

8. Ground

9. Fire

10. Poison

11. Normal

12. Bug

13. Psychic

14. Ghost

15. Electric

16. Grass

17. Rock

18. Ice

[BIGJRA]

I'm mainly basing this on being a heavy-offense player, so it might be different for people who go for balance.

1. Flying

2. Water

3. Dragon

4. Dark

5. Ground

6. Steel

7. Fairy

8. Bug

9. Fighting

10. Fire

11. Ghost

12. Psychic

13. Rock

14. Poison

15. Electric

16. Normal

17. Grass

18. Ice

[Ironbound]

I agree 100% with Jericho. Wh-what? Biased? Me? Of course not, what rubbish!

Anyways, excluding Ubers and AG, I'd say it this way:

1. Steel (master race, despite being nerfed)

2. Fairy (excellent defensively and offensively)

3. Dragon (OG masters, now a little less master-y BC of nos. 2&1)

4. Flying (CAWCAW)

5. Water (always a staple good defensive and offensive monotype)

6. Dark (Spam Knock Off, also steel nerf really makes this type greater)

7. Ground (everyone needs a fat ground type)

8. Fighting (because STRENGTH)

9. Fire (erstwhile terrible but now gained more usage because of fairies and certain good defensive mons)

10. Ghost (Steel nerf benefited them, too, although only a few are truly terrorizing)

11. Psychic (still much the same)

12. Poison (gained new defensive and offensive prowess due to fairies, but otherwise largely unchanged)

13. Bug (couple of good bugs in each tier, but most are garbage)

14. Grass (the role of defensive Grass types has increased, but offensively rather meh coverage)

15. Electric (some electric types are excellent, but that's usually due to them and their attributes, not the typing alone)

16. Rock (always the same. Some Rock types shine, other are just...there.)

17. Normal (POWERFUL STARAPTOR, but not much else. Poor offensive typing, and terrible defensive typing because no resistances at all. The type itself is bad, but some members always shine. Unless you like fat stally mons, in which case you are the winner of my discontent)

18. Ice (I loathe Ice as a type. Terrible, even though it's great offensively, simply because excepting Kyurem, Weavile, Mamoswine and a few others, most Ice types suffer from their numerous weaknesses and fraility)

[Sheep]

1. Flying.

This type absolutely dominates the higher tiers while still leaving a smattering of really good pokemon below (Braviary, Archeops, Sigyliph, Vivillon etc). Weak to rocks but with more defoggers than you can shake a stick at.

2. Steel.

Best type in the game by type interactions and is another dominant force in OU. Lacks a bit of diversity in RU and down though.

3. Water.

This type is huge. With the largest pool of pokemon out of any type to draw from, it boasts good pokemon in every tier. STAB Scald, offensive neutrality to steel, and a great defensive typing all help as well.

4. Fighting.

Fighting has lost a lot of popularity in OU recently with the dominance of Flying, but that just means it has something like 7 (soon to be 8 when Conk drops) great pokemon in UU. And it's highly present in every tier below that as well, until you get to PU at least.

5. Dark.

Dark is a very strong type, with STAB Knock Off, high average base stats, neutrality to steel, as well as an assortment of pokemon including some of the most potent threats in all tiers.

6. Dragon.

Huge base stats, great defensive typing, and a massive presence in OU and UU. Unfortunately their best 'mons below there are Tyrantrum, Flygon, Druddigon, (all of which are great) and then stuff like Fraxure.

7. Ground.

Ground's another one of those types that's just good. Good pokemon in all tiers (Landorus-T and Excadrill, Krookodile and Mamoswine, M-Steelix and Rhyperior, Steelix and Quagsire, hell even in PU with Golem). STAB Earthquake, common access to rocks, I'd be tempted to put them one higher.

8. Psychic.

You'd expect Psychic to be a bad type in a meta so dominated by Knock Off and Steel types but it's not. Alakazam, the Latis, Metagross, Gardevoir, Gallade, Slowbro, Reuniclus, Starmie, and a whole slew of accompanying megas the list goes on and on and on. Dropped a bit because of the aforementioned weaknesses but still a very prominent type.

9. Fire.

Fire is probably the best of the medium grade types. It's a type virtually defined by glass cannons that are weak to stealth rocks and blow holes in standard walls. Not without their weaknesses but certainly owning their strengths.

10. Fairy.

Fairy's a bit of an odd one. It's like Dragon but without the high base stats. Great typing but low pokemon count and largely centered around the higher tiers.

11. Bug.

Bug is a better type than people give it credit for. Easily the worst in the game when considering type matchups but it still manages to have a solid number of pokemon in high tiers (by virtue of dual typing) while fleshing out the lower tier roster immensly.

12. Poison.

A very similar story to bug. Bad type matchups, good defensive typing, and a slew of pokemon that are higher than you would expect. Stuff like M-Venusaur, Scolipede, Amoongus, and Dragalge.

13. Grass.

Grass is an interesting type, there's loads of them and most are trash. It is amazingly somewhat prevelant in OU despite the ubiquity of Flying and Steel because when a grass type is good, it's really good. Then it kind of falls off until NU. The efforts of Breloom, Serperior, Ferrothorn, and M-Venusaur get it to here though.

14. Normal.

See Bug and Poison. Bad type matchups with a mix of good and decent pokemon here. High tiers they have M-Loppuny, Staraptor, Diggersby, the Porygons, and Chansey/Blissey. Low tiers they still have huge threats like Exploud, Swellow/Zangoose/Ursaring, Kangaskhan, and Tauros. I think Normal is a good type held back by it's offensive typing.

15. Electric.

This is where the types start to get really bad. With Flying and Steel so common in OU you would expect Electric to be great, but it's not. I think part of this comes from the fragility and low base stats of it's pokemon, and part of it comes from a lack of power in the attacks. Most Electric types rely on Thunderbolt or Wild Charge to deal damage and to be frank 90bp just isn't high enough anymore. It's also one of the less populated types, which doesn't help it any.

16. Ghost.

The Ghost type is similar to the Electric type in that it looks good on paper but is bad in practice. Straight out of the gate it's held back by having very few pokemon, and being forced to use Shadow Ball or Shadow Claw as offensive STAB's. Because of this Ghost is almost exclusively restricted to the lower tiers, with only Gengar, Chandelure, Doublade, and Sableye finding a home between OU and UU.

17. Ice.

Take the situation with Ghost and make it even worse by applying it to a type that's weak to Stealth Rocks and you get Ice. Ice Beam is marginally more powerful than Shadow Ball and Ice is better offensively but again, the only Ice types in UU and up are Mamoswine, Cloyster, Weavile, and Kyurem-B.

18. Rock.

Rock is a weird type. It has about as many good pokemon as Ghost and Ice (Tyranitar, Terrakion, M-Aerodactyl, Diancie), but without the excuse of a lack of numbers. Plainly put most Rock types are bad. They're weak to common types (Fighting, Ground, Steel, and Water) and they're unreliable offensively, with the vast majority being forced into Stone Edge.

[TimTim]

I am going to try my hand on this despite not laddering or even play competitive much especially not much OU, it is just my humble attempt and can subject to scrutiny since i am not very experienced in competitive

My tiering based on type

1. Dragon

I would say dragon is pretty versatile and doesn't lack of some defensive players with the likes of Dragalge and Goodra and most can fill both physical and special roles, and it's easier to predict switch due to predictable checks and counters

2. Fairy

Just look at AV Azu, once it changed its typing to Fairy since Fairy came out, it immediately took a huge leap into the league of OU. Most eevelutions suffer from narrow movepools but Sylveon sits steadily in OU with Pixilate, that should tell you something.

3. Water

Great defensively with only two weaknesses if pure type, and most can reliably check grass type threat with ice type move and have a great synergy in dual typing with almost any types

4. Flying

Flying types inherently have amazing speed and Gale Wing as a flying type exclusive ability takes it further by providing priority, in competitve speed is almost everything.

5. Fire

Again, many fire types have high offensive stats, but are often grounded by 4x weakness to stealth rock, which is vital to longevity in battle.

6. Steel

Stellar defensively and pairs well with almost any types, but most are sitting ducks with mediocre speed, most for utility with exception of Metagross and Magnezone(cue Viri)

7. Fighting

Versatile physically(there are few examples of usable special fighting but overall still physical), priority moves with Mach Punch or Vacuum Wave, but hampered by low defensive capability in general and can't take too many hits

8. Ground

Ground types are tricky, you can find good offensive ground like Nidos with EQ spam and defensive like Hippowdon or Gliscor barring Levitate, Magnet Rise and flying types etc and very hard to counter against except the above, yet they have abysmal special defense which all major special weaknesses.

9. Dark

Dark types boast good offensive capability but the thing is it only is supereffective against two types, however they have sucker punch priority, knock off and foul play to make up for each dark type shortcomings(especially with the likes of slow dark types Cacturne etc)

10. Poison

Not easy to check due to psychic type moves being limited to their own type and access to other haxes with defense stats to back up, most for utility if any

11. Grass

Four weaknesses are common, but fortunately GF is kind to have granted many grass types abilities and secondary typing to compensate for their shortcomings, access to guaranteed haxes like spore are also a plus

12. Psychic

Most are special attackers which can be easily walled if not cautious enough, and prevalence of knock offs discourage their use, however their access to boosting moves and barriers keep them alive long enough to sweep and possess wide movepools

13. Ghost

Even if many of them havve good offensive stats, it being only SE against itself and psychic severely deter its use.

14. Electric

Most are speedsters and pivot with Volt Switch but it is no use if you are completely walled by immunity like ground types and Volt Absorb, plus frail physically and half are made up of Pikaclones(not a big deal and i even love Emolga and Dedenne if it isnt for fact that their stats are mediocre)

15. Normal

Not supereffective against anything and its only weakness fighting moves are common on many threats, saving grace is they have wide movepools despite not having STAB

16. Bug

It's not the type itself per se, rather its members largely are made up of bug/flying or having bad stats, plus its moves are resisted by many types and weakness to it is often neutralized by secondary typing(Psychic/fairy, dark/fighting, dark/flying among others)

17. Ice

As much as i love this type to death, its poor defensive typing and susceptibility to stealth rock renders it hard to use on battle, and most water types can use their moves just as well, and its move can be easily walled with switch-ins even if it has an edge against 4 common types

18. Rock

Most dual typings doesnt help it with 4x weaknesses to something else, on top of it, they have bad speed

[Tomas Elliot]

(soon to be 8 when Conk drops) great pokemon in UU

I hope this is some kind of joke.

[mde2001]

Hey I know hardly anything about the ORAS metagame. I should totally do a good job of this... right?

Anyway:

1: Flying- I hardly ever use flying types, but you can't deny their current power and there are some great options.

2: Fairy- A really nice range of roles can be filled by fairy types and there are a lot of really powerful fairy mons like dedenne

3: Steel- I really don't like using steel types, but they are always difficult to come up against and have a good variety.

4: Water- Really diverse and can fit onto most teams somewhere. Also, almost all of them come with scald which is nice.

5: Dragon- While less powerful due to fairies being a thing, they still have really high stats and good movepools.

6: Fighting- Fighting is one of my least favourite types, but they are doing really well at the moment from what I've seen and have some of the dominant pokemon.

7: Dark- STAB knock off never hurts, and there are a good range of fast heavy hitters.

8: Ground- Good for stalling and hitting hard.

9: Fire- Scald spam and stealth rocks are problems for them, but still fill a certain niche on team.

10: Ghost- Hard hitting and fast in general, but knock off spam has hurt them.

11: Poison- With fairies around, these things are doing better. Still not the best offensive type, but there are some nice ones.

12: Psychic- Knock off has kind of killed them, as well as the amount of steel types. Still can be helpful, but are often shut down.

13: Bug- There are some really strong bug types, and some really annoying ones.

14: Grass- An awful defensive typing but strong mons like serp and breloom who help it out a lot. It also has a range of status conditions for that playstyle.

15: Electric- There are some nice mons, but in general not the most powerful at the moment.

16: Normal- Nothing stands out (as expected) and with the amount of fighting types they fail to stand out.

17: Ice- Some use, but in general easy to kill and don't deal enough damage. It also suffers from stealth rocks.

18: Rock- just outclassed by steel and hard to find a use for.

[Sheep]

I hope this is some kind of joke.

It's actually not. If you look at the usage stats for OU Conkeldurr is due to drop to UU next month along with Sylveon. Too many Flying and Steel types respectively for them, in particular too much M-Metagross I guess.

[Ironbound]

In truth, things like Conkeldurr and Sylveon have been lingering in OU for far longer than they merited. Zapdos would be a similar case which stuck around for a long time before it finally got to UU a few months ago.

Heck, if even Gyarados dropped to UU--Gyarados, mind you--then it's about time that that clown on steroids got the push.

Edited April 26, 2016 by Viridescent

[Tomas Elliot]

While I can understand the reasons why people would not use Conk enough for it to stay OU, my issue is not with that. My issue is with Conk in UU. I dunno, maybe it's because I am so used to seeing it in OU, but I am not so sure the guy would be a healthy thing to have in UU. Although I guess anything that can make the tier any less about stall is a blessing...

[Ironbound]

True. Besides, it could always end up in the wonderful limbo known as BL, if UU's pink blobs are too scared to have their faces punched in. Though I doubt it, since even the almighty Crawdaunt has dropped from BL to UU. If they can tolerate having that monster rampage in their midst, Conkeldurr could be assumed to be no significant issue. Consider also that Machamp, Conk's close parallel, is already in UU. Conk would be less of a problem, I think, as it doesn't even have No Guard Dynamic Punch to abuse, although it does have SF and better bulk, along with STAB priority to its advantage.

Besides, I think we have digressed from the point at hand. I'd rather we focus on adding to or augmenting our type ratings for fear of incurring the modgods' wrath.

To appease said modgods and to prevent accruing a warning point for rambling, I'll say this, as an elaboration of my previous post which cannot easily be edited therein:

I believe that Grass ought be higher on the viability ranking than Rock, as I mentioned. To elaborate, I feel that though both Rock and Grass have numerous weaknesses and rather lopsided stats, Rock suffers from greater monotony than Grass, and has a significantly less diverse or less beneficial set of secondary type combinations than Grass, thereby making most Rock types susceptible to the same weaknesses and flaws when compared to the relatively dynamic Grass types.

Grass also has more balanced stats as a whole, and isn't half bad as a defensive typing, especially when considering the excelllence of some members, like Ferrothorn, Amoonguss, Venusaur, Chesnaught, Virizion, Roserade, Tangrowth, Cradily, Whimsicott, Rotom-C and others. (Though it is admittedly a poorer offensive type than Rock, which is fantastic)

Rock, on the other hand, has fewer shining examples of diversity and utility. Most follow the general build of being bulky and tanky; the ones that are usable, like Tyranitar, Tyrantrum and Rhyperior, are great only because of their sheer volume of stats and their unique traits, movepools and abilities - something the majority of rock types lack. There are also precious few Offensive rock types that are faster than my Grandmother, bless her; Aerodactyl, Terrakion, Kabutops and Mega Diancie are all that come to mind. Besides, almost all rock types retain the same universal flaws and weaknesses, thereby adding to their monotony.

In terms of Team support, Rock definitely boast the inherent Stealth Rock, arguably the most important move in the game from a competitive aspect. However, SR isn't unique to them, but generously available to the vast majority of Steel, Ground, and other Pokemon as well, which are often better users of it than the Rock types themselves. Grass, however, has more exclusive access to key support moves, like Powder moves, Leech Seed, Aromatherapy and so on. Hence, I make my case for Grass > Rock and try to dodge the bullet :]

[NickCrash]

Alright, my ranking may be a tad different from the others, but I'm taking all final-stage pokemon into consideration, because the current state of OU and UU even make certain choices biased. Since those lists are threat-lists than actual viability rankings, I do believe discussion about raises and drops should not be the focal point of our discussion. I like to see it as pointing out the problems GameFreak may need to address in the future to balance the types more.

1. Dragon

This is one of the most powerful types. Blessed with all-around good base stats and movepool, Dragon types always find themselves in a team. Commonly used as wallbreakers, either physical or special, or set-up sweepers, they can be problematic for all sorts of enemy teams. They differ from most other types as almost no Dragon is a purely defensive pokemon. However, certain offensive monsters can be sometimes modified to suit defensive needs if the team demands it. They have little diversity but their access to wide movepools makes up for that drawback.

2. Steel

Previously used only as a defensive type, Steel has been changed in the last generation. Now Steel types are used both offensively and defensively, in both spectrums, even though inclined towards the physical side. Boasting good defensive stats in every single pokemon, Steel pokemon can fit in every team. Although weak to common types and attacks, they have enough diversity to work around their problems and even manage to use them to their benefit. Ranging from walls to sweepers and .. both (wink wink nudge nudge) they are arguably one of the best types. One could argue that most Steel type pokemon have rather limited movepools, but collectively they do not overlap as much as other types, even if they outperform each other in certain roles they can fill.

3. Water

A well-rounded type with few weaknesses and general coverage that can deal with its weaknesses. Water types can boast that they dominate the competitive scene, with almost every team having one. They usually excel in defense, even if their sub-types add weaknesses, primarily thanks to their good stats and secondarily due to their easily spammable movepool that works both as sheer force and utility. Being the most abundant type certainly comes with benefits, as you can place a water soldier in every possible position. Be it a wallbreaking mega, a set-up sweeper, a baton passing machine, a defensive mehemoth or a utility hazard controller, Water pokemon are good at what they do. Contrary to Fire, Water can still support a Rain team or be reliable physically defensive walls, with multiple contenders in the same place, evenly distributed in the competitive tiers. Sure there are many that are utter rubbish, but in the sea of potential, certain failures are allowed. Definitely one of the best types.

4. Dark

This one definitely deserves to be one of the top types on the list. Dark has increased offensive pressure as of Gen6 with its moves being used as coverage in every single team, be it physically or specially. It is a well-rounded type with many pokemon that either wallbreak, sweep, or tank hits and provide utility. Being the type of trickery, it has access to moves that make the opponent think twice before doing anything, as there can be traps in attacking, using status, and even switching. Some pokemon rely on their abilities to work best, others on their sheer force, as they usually have high enough stats that inspire confidence to the trainer and fear to the opponent. Dark types are mostly used to pave the way for teammates to win the battle, but nothing stops them from getting all the spotlight as they can adapt to the needs of the battle. The recently introduced Fairy type proves bothersome as not every Dark type can deal with it.

5. Fire

A type that is one of the most offensive since Gen1 proves itself each generation while slowly but steadily filling more roles. Certain pokemon that fall under this type classification are some of the best wallbreakers in the game, not only on the physical but also the special side. While Fire excels in offense, it does not have enough options for defense and it's hindered by Stealth Rock a lot, which reduces somewhat its effectiveness. Nevertheless, those pokemon find themselves in the majority of competitive teams thanks to their deverse capabilities. Definitely deserves to be in the top10.

6. Fairy

The youngest type has few weapons in its arsenal, yet powerful ones. Its resistances and immunity to some of the most common offensive types make it one of the best defensive types in the game, even if most members don't have the greatest of stats. Offensively, Fairy types work both physical and special, with pokemon that can have many different roles in a team, while staying in their corresponding tiers. More often than not, Fairies are used as glue, having great set-up sweepers and tanks that can abuse their abilities to the maximum, while still providing support to the whole team. Several Fairy type pokemon are not as competent as others, which sets clear limits as to what the actual competitive options are. Nevertheless, Fairy is here to stay, and it's growing strong.

7. Ground

This one is a type that's generally good. It has enough sub-types to offer diversity, and there are good pokemon for both offense and defense. Some pokemon can fill in various positions which further adds to unpredictability, while others are specialized and magnificent in their roles. Physically there are many options to use for a team, tanks, walls (dedicated or not), sweepers and wallbreakers. Specially there are fewer options for offense, so they will need support from the rest of the team. Their movepool usually allows wide coverage and access to certain support moves that can prove destructive for the opposing team as well as save some of your own members.

8. Fighting

One of the more devastating types in the game. These pokemon have access to some of the strongest moves, don good stats in general, can fit roles in both offense and defense, while excelling at it, and be unpredictable as some Fighting type pokemon can use multiple movesets without problem. Their major flaw is that only 4 of them are competitively viable to use a special movepool, which forces them to take similar roles in various teams, effectively becoming alternate modified versions of each other in tiers like UU and NU. In spite of their limited representation on the special side, Fighting comes with a plethora of sub-types adding to diversity and unpredictability in battling. That, coupled with their movepool that allows good coverage, and stat distribution that allows the use of many items and abilities puts Fighting pretty high up the ladder.

9. Flying

Being 99% used as a sub-type, one would not think of Flying as a type itself but as a complementary typing for every other. However, this very feature is what adds to Flying's diversity. Stealth Rock damage can vary from 50% to... 0% for certain Flying pokemon, but even in the former case, they have Roost to abuse, as well as other options completely viable and deadly. Flying types have no restriction in what roles they can fill in a team, as they can be either physical or special (even if more are specially orientated), offensive, defensive, pivots, walls, sweepers, wallbreakers, hazard setters or removers, even troll pokemon whose sole purpose is to annoy the opponent to death with status and support moves. Diversity is synonymous with the Flying type. Boasting several mega evolutions, the flying type is very high up the list. Their problem is that their weaknesses are diverse as well, meaning various pokemon can have such moves.

10. Ghost

This one is a double edged knife. Ghost definitely has a commendable offensive presense on the field, exploiting its wide array of useful dual type pokemon, but at the same time struggles to keep up defensively in a game infested by Knock-off users and specially defensive walls. Ghost works more on the special side, although certain pokemon can definitely fight physically (albeit being slow fighters), so it tends to be limited at what it can do. Defensively they can work both ways, but need support to do so effectively, partially because of their lack of sub-types to abuse, with very few exceptions. A redeeming factor is their vast movepool that helps sweepers confront a greater number of foes, and bulkier walls cripple the enemy team in more ways than other types can.

11. Psychic

Often mistreated as a type, Psychic has definitely many uses. Most are special attackers but few are the competitive viable ones. Good Psychic types often are special wallbreakers or fast revenge killers. They do not lack in physical options, as their dedicated physical attackers can be phenomenal. However, it's mostly mixed attackers that exploit the physical options. Defensively they certainly have good options with access to a wide support movepool. One thing that holds Psychic back is the lack of diversity, as those that escape the 'norm' do not have the stats to make good use of their abilities. Thus most options have abilities that overlap, evidently limiting their potential

12. Poison

A rather underrated type. Poison types are not blessed with the best stats, resulting in a pool of mediocrity with pokemon that have very specific niches to justify their place in a team. With Gen6 they have received small buffs that allow them to be used more offensively, but they face strong competition which often discourages trainers from using them. Nevertheless, they have a wide variety in defensive roles, because every viable bulky Poison type has the means to fight back. Other pokemon are capable of pulling off a set-up sweep or abuse their good stats and abilities to stop their enemies, but those choices are limited.

13. Bug

Another type that got the short end of the stick. Bug is a type that, no matter how many good moves it has, the pokemon will be limited to a small number of them simply because there are too many types that resist those moves. Therefore Bug has to resort to utility, pivot, or sound-based moves to prove its worth. The majority of Bug pokemon does not have a strong presense in the battlefield, yet some are among the most powerful sweepers and wallbreakers, given enough support to pull off their roles. There is enough diversity to work well enough, even in a monotype, but there is an obvious inclination towards certain sub-types which limits the type's potential further. Sure, they can be used offensively either as physical or special mons, but defensively there are few good options.

14. Normal

This is an interesting type in terms of offense and defense, albeit with very few different choices to use. Most pokemon have similar roles that just correspond to different tiers. The game has just started giving them some love with sub-types other than Flying (or Fairy even). If we take the megas into consideration, there are pokemon to fill various roles from defensive to hyper offense, but they are limited. The lack of more sub-types to use and the absense of any types weak to it restrict Normal to its low position.

15. Electric

Their stats are high in general, and they come with certain advantages and drawbacks. Electric is a monotone type in general, mainly consisting of powerful special attackers, with few options for defense. Be it a utility pokemon or a wallbreaking monster they can definitely cause problems to the opposing team. Physically they lack both in offense and defense, with Rotom being... everywhere. Few and Powerful, but vastly one-dimensional.

16. Grass

This is one of the less loved types in the game. While Grass has some good pokemon, most are not viable for competitive teams. It may not be as good on the offensive, but certain Grass types excel in defense, especially in physical defense. Grass may not have a wide variety to exploit, but some Grass pokemon are exceptional in their roles. They often need support from their team-mates to show their potential, as Grass has enough weaknesses to stop it in its tracks when used offensively. The don't have many sub-types to use so the choices are rather limited.

17. Rock

Unfortunately Rock does not have a lot going on for it. Its multiple diverse weaknesses certainly work as a big minus for the type, even if it's the best to defend against certain types like Fire and Flying. Rock types are commonly physical attackers with few reliable Special attackers that can stay long enough to be threatening. Defensively they can't complain as their Def stat is generally pretty high, and under sandstorm they worry less about generic special attacks. Some Rock type pokemon have so little use in the game they are practically nonexistent, while others can be the defining force of a battle. The latter are usually mons that have specific roles and are darn good at them, while sometimes providing support for other mons to score the kill or win, depending on the phase of the game. The lack of variety puts Rock low in the ladder.

18. Ice

This one is arguably one of the least loved pokemon in the game. It definitely has a nice offensive presense in the competitive scene with trainers constantly seeking pokemon with Ice coverage (physical and special), but one cannot overlook the inexistence of defensive capabilities. Certain Ice type pokemon are very good at what they do, and work as Wallbreakers, sweepers, support or walls (when paired with a generally good defensive typing like Water or simply relying on huge base stats). The biggest problem is the ultimate lack of diversity with many pokemon not having good enough stats to pull off their niches.

This list is the most objective hierarchy I could make of the 18 types. It took a long time to write and is an in-depth analysis of each one of them.