Psychic Types: Overestimated?

[Ghetsis-Dennis]

Psychic types were considered to be the most dominant type in the series due to Gen 1, so they have to nerf them in the later gens, but is that really so? From what I understand, they're only labeled as overpowered because of a few things:

- The majority of Kanto Pokemon in Gen 1 were Poison types, who are weak to Psychic types
- Glitches running amuck, and one of them caused Ghost types to be ineffective against Psychic types
- Lack of diversity moves for Bug and Ghost (as well as powerful ones)
- The Special stat (before it was split into two separate stats in Gen 2)

When you look at these reasons, you may noticed that the addition of Steel and Dark types were completely unnecessary. All you need are less poison types, which GF has been doing since Gen 2, and more powerful bug and ghost moves such as X-Scissor and Shadow Ball. Even without the two new types, Psychic types would be still kept at bay with those mentioned moves. Anyone agree?

 

[chimera]

Physic is actually known as one of the worst offensive and defensive types now.

 

[Ghetsis-Dennis]

Physic is actually known as one of the worst offensive and defensive types now.

That's mostly due to the physical/special split in Gen 4, but even so, they're still vulnerable to Bug and Ghost moves when they were originally physical.

 

[chimera]

That's mostly due to the physical/special split in Gen 4, but even so, they're still vulnerable to Bug and Ghost moves when they were originally physical.

I wasn't just referring to Gen 4.

 

[Space Opera]

If anything, at the moment I'd say Psychic-types are underestimated. Due to the common view that Psychic-types aren't really that impressive any more, and don't have much of an effect on anything (a view that I generally agree on), people don't see how good some Pokémon can be at the moment. For example, nobody really mentions Alakazam any more, even though it used to be the top threat back in Gen I/II, and can actually still hold its own well with a Life Orb. Something that starts out great and then decreases in effectiveness and popularity, to me, can't be described as "overestimated" - usage of Psychic-types dropped with their downfall, so there wasn't really a chance to overestimate them. It's pretty much proven that Psychic-types were on top in Gen I, and possible Gen II, But nobody really expected them to be amazing since then.

 

[Pyradox]

It's not Psychic type but the move called Psychic seem to be the real denger
I mean this attack can control the foe's movement, plus it can freze & deflect other move
Worst case is that Psychic is mainly invisble so there hardley any way to douch it
Dark type are immune from it unless they got hit by Miracle eye
just think, a powerful bug type move like Mega Horn might be useless against Psychic, I mean how a bug pokemon hit it's foe if it's body get's manipulated by Psychic
I think mainly Sound type move are best Defence against Psychic
I alway's wish for all Ash's pokemon to have a move that can completely beat Psychic

Sound type? Huh?

 

[Noctis]

It's not Psychic type but the move called Psychic seem to be the real denger
I mean this attack can control the foe's movement, plus it can freze & deflect other move
Worst case is that Psychic is mainly invisble so there hardley any way to douch it
Dark type are immune from it unless they got hit by Miracle eye
just think, a powerful bug type move like Mega Horn might be useless against Psychic, I mean how a bug pokemon hit it's foe if it's body get's manipulated by Psychic
I think mainly Sound type move are best Defence against Psychic
I alway's wish for all Ash's pokemon to have a move that can completely beat Psychic

Uh, Sound-type? The Sound-type doesn't even exist.

Anyway, the addition of Dark-type Pokémon was inevitable because of the Psychic-type's dominance in Generation 1. The Psychic-type has lost popularity since the introduction of the Dark-type.

 

[Composer]

Psychic types are no longer overpowered since almost every Pokemon can learn at least Bite/Crunch and the Dark and Steel types are among the best defensively,which negates the usual advantage of Psychic Pokemon,their Sp.atk.

 

[LiquidFury]

I think it was the whole Psychic/Ghost mix up in Gen I games that led to the need to curb Psychic's dominance.

Plus making Gastly et al part Poison was lunacy. I'd argue that if they were pure Ghost, then there wouldn't have been a need for the Dark-type.

"But what about Ghost having a weakness?", I hear you cry.

Well.. I don't have an answer for that. I just find it odd that a) Gastly and co. are part Poison, which means that Psychic dominates them, and b) Ghost Pokemon are weak against Dark-types. They are Ghosts! Living in shadows and crossing to the other dimensions... why would Dark be super effective?

But back to the main point, after Gen I, Psychic has been kept in line well I feel. And in Gen I, it was just Abra et al that ruined it. Drowzee and Hypno blew.

 

[Ranger Jack Walker]

All you need are less poison types

Why make Poison types suffer? Besides, Steel types are the only thing stopping Dragons from unleashing unchecked wrath and blast through every thing in the game.

 

[Ghetsis-Dennis]

Why make Poison types suffer? Besides, Steel types are the only thing stopping Dragons from unleashing unchecked wrath and blast through every thing in the game.

Dragon types are meant to be the dominant type of the series, which is why there's little of them in-game whichever region you're at.

@Igzz I've mentioned that Psychic types will still be under control even without every Pokemon knowing Bite/Crunch and having Dark and Steel for defensive purposes because of strong Bug and Ghost moves such as X-Scissor and Shadow Ball.

 

[LiquidFury]

Dragon types are meant to be the dominant type of the series, which is why there's little of them in-game whichever region you're at.

@Igzz I've mentioned that Psychic types will still be under control even without every Pokemon knowing Bite/Crunch and having Dark and Steel for defensive purposes because of strong Bug and Ghost moves such as X-Scissor and Shadow Ball.

Agreed. X-Scissor, Shadow Ball and even Signal Beam are powerful manouvers against Psychic types. Only Metagross can defend against Bug or Ghost, but obviously Steel leaves it open to other weaknesses.

 

[TerraTF]

Psychic types been making a resurgence recently with Alakazam, Reuniclus and Sigilyth

 

[turtlekid]

Personally as I see it, I like using pokemon that I see as being able to go up against a bunch of guys with super effectiveness (prob sounds cheesy) But look psychic is good against fighting and poision, I feel like posion is hardly run into during the games and maybe this is just me but I'd rather use a flying type against a fighting especially in cases like medicham and scraggy/scrafty. Also dark introduced as a type to be good against psychic, I just find it ironic that ghost/ dark are good against the same types ghost and psychic with just different weaknesses. I think that's all my opinion on it

 

[Travalgar]

This thread is talking about issues that existed in the past, and no longer did now.

 

[Ghetsis-Dennis]

This thread is talking about issues that existed in the past, and no longer did now.

And how it should've been fixed without the addition of Steel and Dark types.

 

[Winterdaze]

I think the game designers were a little overzealous when it came to nerfing Psychic types by making Steel types resist their moves, since along with the weakness to Pursuit that resistance seems to be one of the most crippling pitfalls of using Psychic types offensively (that resistance should have been given to Bug types IMHO, to give most of them something to do before Gen 4 made them somewhat viable).
Psychic even seems like one of the few types that could feasably be neutral or even Super-effective against Steel (spoon-bending anyone? ).

But considering their utter game-breaking status in Gen I, it's not really surprising that huge steps were taking to stop that dominance in it's tracks.

 

[Blue Dragon]

And how it should've been fixed without the addition of Steel and Dark types.

That's not why they made Steel and Dark types at all. Steel types are generally a highly defensive type and Psychic types are only one of their resistances.

Dark types were designed to be tacticians in the Pokemon world, with dark tricks and strategies and not for the sole purpose to counter Psychic types.

These types were necessary since Gen 2, when they were made to balance out all types and not just Psychic. The error with Ghost types not effecting Psychic types was clearly fixed in Gen 2 at the very same time they released Steel and Dark types.

But considering their utter game-breaking status in Gen I, it's not really surprising that huge steps were taking to stop that dominance in it's tracks.

Psychic types were few and far between in Gen 1 and had secondary types that could easily be crushed like Slowbro and Exeggutor. They weren't that broken at all!!!

 

[SharKing]

^ Alakazam was (and still is, XD) a pure Psychic-type, and with its great Speed, insane Special, Reflect, and Recover, it was the most broken non-Uber thing in the entire game.

That was before Gold and Silver totally downshifted the rampant Psychic type, though.

 

[Travalgar]

And how it should've been fixed without the addition of Steel and Dark types.

That's not what I'm talking about. The addition of those two types, like Blue Dragon said, is not a response to Psychic being overpowered. Generation I was a trainwreck in term of balance. There's no sense in generalizing what happened in that generation to the present, now that we reached generation V (and soon VI).