How to Fix the Ice Type

[Morningstar]

In terms of type matchups I'd add resistances to Water, Ground, Ghost, and Fairy. Not sure how all these would be justified thematically, but if we want Ice to be bolstered as a defensive typing it'd help greatly to be able to resist some of the best offensive typings out there right now. As an offensive typing, ice is actually pretty decent, having perfect synergy with electric for coverage. Maybe add in a super-effectiveness to Water and Bug.

I'd also like to see something be done to make Hail teams more viable. Alolan Ninetails and Sandslash were a great improvement regarding this, but more can be done. For starters, Hail should boost the power of ice moves like Sunny Day and Rain Dance do, and maybe give a Special Defense boost to Ice types similar to Sandstorm or an immunity to some status perhaps. Also, give Slush Rush wider distributivity (good candidates would be Glaceon, Vanilluxe, and Crabominable), and add more abilities that work in Hail in general (a hail equivalent of solar power would be cool).

Water at least has the logic of being technicality the same as Ice. Ghost might be impossible unless you want to go the "Cold Death" angle, but either might bring up questions of if it should be the other way around.

As I mentioned before, Fairy works due to that Disney made cute tiny fairies a part of the collective unconscious, those that their tendency for insectoid wings means they would have the same level of cold tolerance for Bugs (read: zilch).

Ground is a bit tricky, in anything the Ice should be weak to ground as the tectonic activity would do just as much damage to ice if not more, than ice would do to the earth.

As for Hail I agree that something must be done regarding stat boosts. But I feel like boosting both ice-type moves and defense might be too much since the other three do one of the other. Of course I'd argue that Sandstorm should give a boost to at least Rock-type moves anyway.

Abilities, well I would also add counterparts to Grass Pelt, Hydration and Rain Dish, defensive abilities. As well as a varient of Solar Power that doesn't reduce the HP of the pokemon each turn. And replace Snow Cloak with Slush Rush or retool it to the aforementioned Grass pelt counterpart because evasion ability should not be a thing (this goes for Sand Veil as well).

Move Synergy, well first off I would give Hurricane's accuracy bonus in rain to hail. Outside of Hail, I'd also allow Sun to boost Fire Blast's accuracy and add some moves of a similar bent to Focus blast for Sand to Synergize with (I consider Fire Blast and Solarbeam to be counterparts of Focus Blast, despite the accuracy and the 2 turn thing). In this case a Ground-type and a Dragon-type. If Hurricane must be exclusive to Rain, then i would instead devise a counterpart for Psychic types (because I really like Weather/Terrain synergy and the Psychic Terrain ensure Ice types don't die to Priority moves [which if they're not normal type, tend to be SE aganst Ice one way or the other]).

 

[Foxwarrior]

I can’t see they adding more resistences as the core of ice types is being frail but superpowerful in offense.


-As already said, a freeze move exclusive to ice types.

-add another status inflicting move exclusive to ice types pokemons.

-Other new moves good competitivel– exclusive to ice lol

-Boost hail

-Better abilities

-Introduce new ice pokemons with super high speed


Is that i can think for now

 

[Enzap]

I can’t see they adding more resistences as the core of ice types is being frail but superpowerful in offense.

This keeps coming up, but what about the Ice type makes it this inherently this offensive powerhouse? It has 4 types it's super effective against, but that's nothing too special since Ground has the same number yet it has two resistances and an immunity, meaning it will always have a place defensively despite being one of the best offensive types. If anything I would have considered a type such as Dragon or Fighting to have this role, but Fighting ended up being very well balanced between offense and defense in type match-ups despite most fighting types being very strong offensive Pokémon with only moderate speed and bulk, and Dragon is only strong against itself while having many resistances.

You could argue it was built to combat the Dragon type, but now Fairy types are so much better equipped for that with their immunity to Dragon and now that Moonblast is more powerful than Ice Beam and Blizzard requires set-up to actually use.

If you're referring to how they function stat-wise, back in Gen 1 when the type was introduced Jynx was the only Ice type with any noteworthy offensive power, while Pokémon like Cloyster, Lapras, and Ariticuno were built much more like tanks, yet found it difficult to function as such since their Ice typing did them no favors in that regard. Ice types didn't start getting "strong" until Gen IV with Weavile and Mamoswine. Are we really setting a precedent for how the Ice type should function more than halfway through its lifetime? Even now in Gen VII they aren't living up to this supposed role for the type. Sure they gave us the speedy Alolan Ninetales that also sets up Blizzard (thank goomy), but then we got the ridiculously slow Crabrawler and Alolan Sandslash as the only two other new Ice types in the game.

My thesis of this post is really if Game Freak wants to make the Ice type the fundamental glass cannon type, then give us Pokémon with the stats and movepool to do this rather than continuing with these mediocre tanks. And even if they do this, they should still have at LEAST one more resistance because they haven't taken this overbalancing approach with any other type and all the poor Ice types that are already in existence will still struggle by design even if they're given better moves.

 

[Bolt Strike]

I can’t see they adding more resistences as the core of ice types is being frail but superpowerful in offense.

Even with that philosophy in mind, Ice types only resisting themselves is completely ridiculous. They can add more resistances without compromising that philosophy, just add one or two and that would be enough to give it some usefulness while still keeping its defenses a weakness.

 

[PaulTheProtist]

At least a Fairy (I mean, Cold Iron, even if that's supposed to be metaphorical or something) and a Dragon resistance would be fine. Unlike others here, I'm fine with Ice's matchups with Water being as they are - put an ice cube in a bucket of water, and see what happens.

I mean, it won't be defensively great, but it doesn't need to be - it would be a Glass Cannon type, similar to what Fire is now, with those changes.

 

[Almonds]

Ice should resist Water, be supereffective against Water, and get a guaranteed Freezing move.

 

[Slife]

and get a guaranteed Freezing move

Disagree with this, unless the move is otherwise heavily nerfed in terms of accuracy/damage/distributivity. Freeze is a terribly uncompetitive mechanic.

 

[Not KG]

The way Game Freak has treated the Ice type has always confused me. Why is it weak to fighting ? I live in Minnesota, I've punch ice before, I had to get staples and my hand looked like this

Spoiler

 

[Almonds]

Disagree with this, unless the move is otherwise heavily nerfed in terms of accuracy/damage/distributivity. Freeze is a terribly uncompetitive mechanic.

Then make it something similar to Yawn. Taking two turns sounds reasonable enough.

 

[TechSkylander1518]

The way Game Freak has treated the Ice type has always confused me. Why is it weak to fighting ?

I think it's supposed to be if a very tough fighter punched it-similar to how Fighting is strong against Steel and Rock.

Speaking of which, why not make Ice resist Normal like Steel and Rock do?

 

[PaulTheProtist]

Speaking of which, why not make Ice resist Normal like Steel and Rock do?

Normal is weak to one type, two types resist it, and one type is immune to it, with the only benefit being an immunity to Ghost. Giving it another type that resists in would definitely hurt Normal immensely, unless it is given a benefit to make up for it. I'm all for boosting Ice, but not at the expense of shafting another type.

 

[Morningstar]

The way Game Freak has treated the Ice type has always confused me. Why is it weak to fighting ? I live in Minnesota, I've punch ice before, I had to get staples and my hand looked like this

Spoiler

put simply, you're normal type not fighting-type

but seriously. The reason why Fighting is strong against ice is the same reason why they are strong against rock- steel- and more relevantly normal-types. They had trained themselves to be strong enough to break solid materials, and distribute that strength so that their extremities won't bleed or otherwise harm themselves. Put simply, an untrained human being is incapable of breaking cinder blocks, a skilled martial artist can. And if someone can break a cinder block, how would a more fragile material like ice fare against them?

 

[Matleo]

Ice would need a effect like Dark did with Prankster.

Maybe ice should be abble to be immune to some entry hazards like spike based ones?
or something that kind? maybe immunity to moves that reduce speed or something that way?
Maybe ice could heal up during rain?


If they would make ice get more better abilities (like ice/ghost with Disquise)
more switch based options in moves and abilities

Changing type relations now would be waste of time and could turn out with more problems if you dont have the right mind for consequences.

I love Aurora Veil , the new snow speed ability, the supper effective move against water types, but there could be more done for new moves, movesets, dualtyping and new abilities.

the ice/fighting Crab would have needed more Sturdy or something better then the abilities it got.
Yes I know Avalugg has that. But look at those defences and that lack of other priority moves.
Crabominable would deserve First Impresion in its moveset.
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bugs would need some similar treatment but there are better then ice in many ways becuse of there diversity in abilities, movesets, moves. We got bugs with sturdy and many usefull things.
Bugs are little , can survive many things and surprise at many occasions.
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Im waiting for a ice/ghost or ice/bug pokemon
could we get more of that and not all legendary?
like we got with grass/ghost and water/dark.

 

[PurplePopplio]

@Matleo, Ice/Ghost would be Froslass.

 

[Matleo]

@Matleo, Ice/Ghost would be Froslass.

happy New Year.
Im waiting for a Snowman and a Moose.

 

[Lufenium]

Make Ice resist Water & Fairy and you're good to go.

 

[PurplePopplio]

It's such a shame that we have all these great ways to fix the Ice-type. But Game Freak will probably never even bother with the Ice-type.

 

[Foxwarrior]

Disagree with this, unless the move is otherwise heavily nerfed in terms of accuracy/damage/distributivity. Freeze is a terribly uncompetitive mechanic.

They should set some limits for this status inflicting move: limited to 4 to 6 turns, low piority, is healed with fighting and fire moves... but, of course, make it unique for ice pokemons.

Add a move that inflicts Hail weather but causes 40% or 50% damage when used.
No idea to create more moves ideas.

 

[SinnohEevee]

Ice should resist at least some of the types it is SE against.

 

[Matleo]

If we get in future a ice/grass type starter and it would get lets say the move Powder, good high stats on level matched with Swampert but with speed greater then infernape or if its slow then let it have sturdy, learn some of those moves like Aurora Veil and have a good moveset. If they want to play rough.

then grass/rock, grass/steel and grass/electric in future would make sense with that what we got to this day and it would be a nice way to buff the ice type.

+ if we ever get a region based totally on dry deserts, then remember of very cold nights. (night active ice types or ice types that hide underground or in caves) and maybe a ice mountain like in Alola.