Pokémon's type system is one of its most defining features. There are 18 types, each with its own strengths and weaknesses leading to a dynamic and complex battle system. With so many types and over 20 years of game content, there is likely a lot about the history and intricacies of each that many fans don't know.
The Grass type is one of the most common, thanks to every single Pokémon generation featuring a Grass type starter Pokémon. Grass types have a reputation for being humble and relatively simple, thanks in part to them being common to the early parts of any given Pokémon game. But Grass types are a lot more than they first appear.
10 They Are Extremely Week In Battle
Grass types are not known for their strength in battle. Their type matchups are the worst in the game, tied with the Rock type for the most weaknesses at five. They do have the distinction of being immune to the move Leech Seed, as well as to any Powder and Spore moves. This gives them a slight resistance to status effects, but it's not enough to counteract their type weaknesses. On the offensive side, they don't fare particularly well either, as they tie with Bug types for being the most resisted.
9 They Have Some Powerful Pairings
Fortunately for Grass types, there are several other types that counteract their weak spots pretty well. Rock and Ground type moves are super effective against most of the types that resist Grass, helping to counteract those weaknesses.
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Additionally, Ghost and Dark types have a neutral match-up against every type that resists Grass, which provides another avenue for countering Grass's normal frailty in battle.
8 Grass Types Are Extremely Common
Including the Scarlet and Violet starter Sprigatito, there are currently 111 Grass type Pokémon. This accounts for 12.22% of all Pokémon, making Grass types the third most common type in the games. If Sprigatito is a pure Grass type, then 46 of the 111 Grass types have no other type, about 41%. Grass type starters are the only ones to start with a second type, with Bulbasaur being a Grass/Poison type and Rowlett starting as a Grass/Flying type.
7 It Encompasses Other Types In The TCG
The type system in the Pokémon Trading Card Game is slightly different from the one in the video games. There are just 11 types in the TCG, which means that several of the types in the game get combined. The Grass type in the TCG encompasses most of the Grass and Bug types from the video games. Poison types were once categorized under the Grass type as well, but they were moved to the Psychic type with the Diamond & Pearl expansion.
6 Each Generation Introduced A Different Number
As one of the most common types, it's no surprise that every generation has introduced a good number of them. Generation V introduced the most Grass types of any generation, with 21 including the Rotom Mow form.
The following generation introduced only nine, though this is a lot more than other types get in most generations. In terms of moves, Generation I introduced the most Grass types with 10, while Generation II only introduced three.
5 They Were Once Called Plant Types
Though things have mostly settled in now, there was a period early on in Pokémon history when the Grass type was often referred to as the Plant type. The Japanese versions of Pokémon Red, Blue, and Green and the remakes FireRed and LeafGreen, Professor Oak refers to Bulbasaur as a plant Pokémon. The gym guide outside of the Cerulean Gym in the English versions of the Generation I games also calls them plant Pokémon, though this was changed to Grass in the Generation III remakes.
4 They Have The Most Stone Evolutions
Grass types have the distinction of having the most Pokémon to evolve via Evolution Stones with a whopping 11. The Grass type Gloom shares a claim to fame with Eevee, as these two are the only Pokémon that can use more than one Evolution Stone to access different forms. Grass types also use the most different types of Evolution Stones, having lines that evolve via the Leaf Stone, Sun Stone, Water Stone, and Shiny Stone.
3 They Are The Only Type With More Than One HP Drain Move
There are 12 different HP draining moves in Pokémon, and Grass types have the lion's share of them. Grass is the only type to have more than one HP draining move with five of them: Absorb, Horn Leech, Leech Seed, Mega Drain, and Giga Drain.
The Grass type's association with HP draining moves is further cemented by the Big Root item, which boosts the amount of HP gained from these moves, regardless of type.
2 They Are The Most Likely To Deal Double Super Effective Damage
Though Grass types are not known for their overall strength in battle, they have a unique claim to fame when it comes to dealing extreme damage. Thanks to some common pairings, Grass type moves deal doubly super-effective damage to the most Pokémon out of any type. A huge reason for this is the extremely common pairing of Rock and Ground types.
1 They Would Pair Well With The Fire Type
Grass and Fire share an interesting relationship, not least because they are both starter types. The two may seem diametrically opposed, which might explain why Grass has been paired with every other type in the game except Fire. This combination would actually be pretty powerful because Grass type moves are super effective against every single type Fire is weak to. Fans have been clamoring for a Grass/Fire type for a long time, and many hope that Pokémon Scarlet and Violet will finally fill this gap.