Psychic Types: future meta speculations

The Psychic type was among the first types to be introduced in the Pokémon universe, and some would say that it was insanely overpowered, especially due to the lack of powerful counters from the Bug type. It wasn’t until Generation II that this issue was resolved.

With a total of 103 Psychic type Pokémon, this makes it the fifth type in terms of overall number of Pokémon selection (this includes dual typing Pokémon), and the type with the most Legendary Pokémon in its pool. The Psychic type also has a big variety of moves in the main series games, with a total of 63, rather evenly spread out through Generations, which is nearly 10 moves per Generation.

Although one would argue that the strongest Psychic Pokémon have already been introduced in the game, there are still a few left to consider. Below is a list of all (mention-worthy, in our opinion) Psychic type Pokémon already released in the game, and those to keep an eye out for in the next few years.

Discussion

Mewtwo
Mewtwo… Although it is unsure if everyone will be able to obtain one in Pokémon GO (let’s refrain from going further on the matter), the fact remains that it is and will remain the optimal Psychic type Pokémon in the game. Very few Pokémon (or even Legendary Pokémon) have ATK stats above 290, and Mewtwo is one of them. Furthermore, the fact it has not only one, but two possible Mega-Evolutions in Gen VI makes it a notorious and fierce Pokémon. Those who have one are certainly in luck since it is without a doubt the best of its type!

Latios/Latias
Just like Mewtwo, Latios and Latias are Legendary Pokémon with Mega-Evolutions in Gen VI, so yes, they have a very high potential in the game. Although Latias (and to some extent Latios) would have been a great gym defender (but cannot at the moment we are writing this), both of them will serve you as great attackers.

Metagross
If you haven’t already found a good Beldum, we certainly wish that you do in the future! Metagross is currently among the best Psychic type attacker in the game, and will without a doubt remain among them for a while as it also has a Mega-Evolutions in Gen VI. In addition, it is (arguably) one of the few Psychic type Pokémon with somewhat of a potential as a gym defender based on its DEF stat.

Solgaleo/Lunala
These two Gen VII additions will certainly be excellent contenders to Mewtwo’s title as the best Psychic type. However, if things are as in the main series games, the two have lower ATK stats and therefore Mewtwo is likely to remain the best of its type.

Move predictions

The Psychic type is among the few types who have received very few new moves since Generation V, in the main series games. Although we have yet to see the introduction of Mewtwo’s signature move, Psytrike, there are plenty of very strong potential moves currently available that could apply to upcoming Generations. Furthermore, nearly half of the moves have (technically) already been introduced in the game, so only a few additional moves have been considered for the purpose of this article; should Niantic decide to implement them.

Pokémon	Possible Fast Move	Possible Charge Move
Latias	Dragon Breath Dragon, Zen Headbutt Psychic	Mist Ball* (?) Psychic, Dragon Pulse Dragon, Psychic Psychic
Latios	Dragon Breath Dragon, Zen Headbutt Psychic	Luster Purge* (?) Psychic, Dragon Pulse Dragon, Psychic Psychic
Gallade	Confusion Psychic, Psycho Cut Psychic	Close Combat Fighting, Focus Blast Fighting, Psychic Psychic
Azelf	Confusion Psychic, Extrasensory Psychic	Future Sight Psychic
Cresselia	Confusion Psychic, Psycho Cut Psychic	Lunar Dance* (?) Psychic, Future Sight Psychic, Psychic Psychic
Delphox	Ember Fire, Fire Spin Fire	Mystical Fire* (?) Fire, Fire Blast Fire, Future Sight Psychic, Psybeam Psychic

* : Signature Move
(?) : Not yet in the game

Psychic Types in the Meta

Although the Psychic type has a really important (not to say crucial) role in the famous Solo Machamp Raid Boss “contest”, this type has a relatively limited role in the current general state of the game.

Psychic type Pokémon, with Psychic moves, are SE against only two types:

• Fighting
• Poison

Pure Psychic type is weak to three types: Bug, Dark, and Ghost. Luckily, Bug type Pokémon is probably the weakest type in the Meta, which leaves Dark and Ghost. As per the table below, there are no exceptions to the Super Effectiveness of Ghost and Bug type attackers, and only one to Dark type attackers. We have included Psychic type exceptions to the Super Effectiveness of Bug, Dark, and Ghost types, based on current or upcoming (italics) dual typing Psychic Pokémon. Please note that these exceptions take into account that the Pokémon being fought against also have Ground moves, hence being SE against Psychic.

Type SE against Psychic	Exceptions	Rationale
Bug	None	N/A
Ghost	None	N/A
Dark	None	N/A

The Psychic type is boosted in Windy weather, so when the in-game weather turns to Windy, one can expect to see more Psychic types wild spawns, along with boosted IVs and CPs. In addition, their Psychic type attacks will do more damage in raids and gym battles.

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that the Psychic type generally has Attack (ATK) as its dominant statistic. Defense (DEF) and Stamina (STA) will generally have lower statistics, as can be seen in the first table of this article, with a few exceptions like Lugia, Metagross and Cresselia.

History and Trivia

As stated earlier, the interesting piece of history about Psychic, is the fact that it was strongly overpowered in the first Generation due to the lack of strong Bug type Pokémon, and the nonexistence of Dark type.

Psychic Pokémon entertain an interesting relationship with the Fighting type, probably due to the fact the first is a mental ability, while the other one is a physical one, but more especially considering that they are Super Effective against it, but that they can also inherit one of its strongest attack, Focus Blast.

Most Psychic Legendary Pokémon have yet to be introduced, except for Mewtwo and Lugia, but there is still a lot to look for in the future of this type in Pokémon GO.

Related Articles:
What is the Meta?
What is a meta-relevant Pokémon?