Rock Type
Rock-types are tough, sturdy, and often underestimated. With strong defenses and sneaky utility, they anchor teams and chip away at threats. Stay solid and wear them down.
Rock-type Pokémon are known for their high physical defense, but they also come with drawbacks: they’re often slow, many of their moves have low accuracy, and they share the most weaknesses of any type (five, tied with Grass).
Rock-types are strongly tied to ancient history—every Fossil Pokémon before Generation VIII carried this type, showing how abundant rock life once was, and many of them have unique type combinations not often seen today.
Most Rock Pokémon are living creatures with mineral armor, though some resemble living stone itself, such as the Roggenrola line, Nosepass, and Minior.
Rock is also commonly paired with Ground, which has led to frequent confusion; even the anime sometimes mistakenly shows Rock-types as immune to Electric attacks, though that trait actually belongs to Ground-types.
Fun Fact: Some Rock types, like Sudowoodo, defy the typical rock aesthetic, resembling trees or other non-rock objects.
Rock is part of several type triangles including a perfect type triangle with Flying and Fighting. As a reminder, a perfect type triangle means that these three types are super effective against the nest one in cycle as well as resist each other in the opposite direction. The other triangles are imperfect type triangles meaning while all types are super effective to each other, they do not resist each other. The imperfect type triangles are:
Rock - Fire - Grass
Rock - Ice - Grass
Rock - Bug - Grass
Rock - Flying - Grass
Rock-types receive a buff during a Sandstorm:
At the end of each turn, damages each Pokémon for 1/16 of it's maximum HP, unless it is Rock, Steel, or Ground-type; has one of the Abilities Sand Force, Sand Rash, Sand Veil, Magic Guard, or Overcoat; or is holding Safety Goggles.
Activates the following Abilities: Sand Force, Sand Rush, Sand Veil.
Raises the Special Defense of all Rock-type Pokémon by 50%.
*Be sure to understand all the benefits and drawbacks of Sand.
Another thing to note about Rock-types is that they are notoriously slow. In fact, on average, they are the slowest type of Pokémon of all. If you lean into their bulk and attacking potential and take advantage of strategies like Trick Room, you might have a chance to set up and sweep.
Key Abilities
Key Moves
Trainer Tips
Exploit the cracks: Rock Pokémon crush Fire, Flying, Bug, and Ice, but they crumble against Water, Grass, Ground, Steel, and Fighting.
Expect hazards: Many Rock-types set Stealth Rock or Sandstorm to wear teams down over time.
Mind their bulk: They’re sturdy walls, but often slow—fast special attackers can break through.
Respect their ground: Found in caves, cliffs, and deserts, Rock Pokémon defend their territory fiercely.
Solid Rock-type Choices:
Arcanine (Hisuian)
Fire-typing to counter Grass weakness
Access to priority move Extreme Speed
Graveler (Alolan)
Electric-typing to combat Water weakness
Galvanize ability can transform Normal moves to powerful Electric moves
Tyranitar
Sandstorm ability can set up a Sandstorm on entry
Pseudo Legendary with a base stat total of 600
Lyranroc (Midday)
Ground-typing provides coverage and immunity to Electric-types
Access to some utility moves
Drednaw
Water-typing to combat Ground and Rock Pokémon
Shell Smash setup can allow you to sweep
Kleavor
Signature move Stone Axe sets up Stealth Rock as a secondary effect
Bug-typing to combat Grass weakness
