Solrock, The Meteorite Pokémon. Solar energy is the source of its power, so it is strong during the daytime. When it spins, its body shines. It absorbs solar energy during the day. Always expressionless, it can sense what its foe is thinking. It is said to possess the ability to read the emotions of others. This Pokémon gives off intense heat while rotating its body. It floats in air and moves silently. In battle, this Pokémon releases intensely bright light.
Overview
As we near the end of Gen 6 it's thematically appropriate to talk about the original Sun Pokémon, everyone's favorite Solrock. In actuality Solrock is probably not one of your favorites and you probably only remember it because Tate and Liza destroyed you countless times in Hoenn, but either way Solrock is a pretty cool rock. A floating meteorite shaped like the sun is very unique, but unfortunately for Solrock it isn't enough to just be a cool and mysterious rock. As far as competitive viability goes, Solrock is unfortunately very low on the spectrum due to very disappointing stats across the board. It attempts to be a physical attacker but when your best stat is a single base 95 stat, it really isn't easy to get much done. Solrock isn't particularly strong, fast or bulky enough to do much, which unfortunately wastes its somewhat impressive and unique movepool. Maybe Solrock is okay with this though, those eyes don't exactly look like the face of something powerful or violent so it might be fully content with simply existing. On the other hand Solrock might just be ecstatic that it avoided becoming Rayquaza's lunch with its other meteorite friends when it fell to the planet, in which case existing is more than good enough for Solrock. If you're a trainer looking to use Solrock you'll probably be disappointed with its performance, but if you're a rock collector then Solrock might be the perfect addition to your collection.
Positives
+ Solrock has a very unique movepool for a Rock-type, boasting access to Will-O-Wisp, Baton Pass, and Morning Sun which gives it some very useful support options to set it apart from other Rock-types.
+ While not great, base 70 HP and base 85 Defense is almost acceptable physical bulk if you plan to use Solrock in a very restricted format. Levitate is also really useful on something with a Ground-type weakness.
+ It's a sun-shaped meteorite that gives you Sun Stones, if nothing else it's useful for Sun Stone farming if you want to rob some poor Solrocks for awhile.
Negatives
- If we're being honest, none of Solrock's stats are great. Its bulk is average at best, its Attack is nothing to write home about, and it's not very fast either.
- Solrock's typing leaves quite a bit to be desired, cursing it with many common weaknesses and not enough useful resistances to make up for it.
- Really you should just not be using Solrock competitively unless you're set on using a Sun/Moon theme team right now and can't wait a week or two. Leave the poor rock alone.
Abilities
Levitate: Damage dealing Ground-type moves have no effect on this Pokémon. Cannot be trapped by Arena Trap ability. Takes no damage from Spikes. This is wonderful ability on a Pokémon with a Ground-type weakness, especially on one with so many other weaknesses. As is usually the case with Levitate Pokémon you don't really have another option, but this is perfectly fine for Solrock's very modest standards.
Movesets
Orionid
- Stone Edge / Rock Slide
- Stealth Rock
- Morning Sun / Fire Blast
- Will-O-Wisp
Item Attached: Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs and Nature:
252 HP / 4 Att / 252 Def
Impish / Relaxed Nature
There really isn't much that Solrock can pull off that isn't completely outdone by something else, but among Rock-types and Psychic-types it does boast a unique range of support moves. Stone Edge is Solrock's strongest STAB move and still does reasonable damage with no investment, though Rock Slide is a more accurate alternative if power isn't desired. Stealth Rock is a very useful utility option that allows Solrock to function as hazard support, while Morning Sun provides recovery in order to keep it healthy so that it can set Stealth Rock again later if it gets removed. However, Morning Sun is limited to Gen 5 Dream World so it's very difficult to obtain now, so Fire Blast can be used as an alternative to hit Steel-types including Ferrothorn and Ferroseed. This requires using a Relaxed nature though, since Solrock's Special Attack is already so low as is. Will-O-Wisp helps Solrock set itself apart from other Rock-types, allowing it to cripple physical attackers further and actually wall them successfully.
Maximum HP and Defense investment is necessary for Solrock to actually take hits, since its natural bulk isn't particularly impressive otherwise, while leftover EVs are placed into Attack. An Impish nature boosts Solrock's Defense further though it should be emphasized that Relaxed nature should be used if running Fire Blast so that it can actually do any damage with it. Leftovers is the preferred item to increase Solrock's longevity, which it desperately needs in order to take hits effectively. Levitate is Solrock's only ability, but removing one of its weaknesses is definitely useful and helps it differentiate itself from other Rock-types.
Other Options
- Solrock can make use of Baton Pass in conjunction with Rock Polish or Cosmic Power in order to help a teammate sweep, as well as avoid Pursuit. However, there's typically a better option for this than Solrock.
- Solrock has an acceptable physical movepool to make use of offensive sets, with access to Stone Edge, Zen Headbutt, Earthquake and Explosion. However, Solrock isn't very strong so you're almost always better off using something else for this.
- Pain Split gives Solrock another means of recovery if Morning Sun isn't something you have access to Morning Sun and really don't want to bother with Fire Blast, but really you probably don't want to use Solrock if it doesn't have Morning Sun.
Countering Solrock
In all honestly, Solrock is pretty easy to deal with in most normal circumstances. Weaknesses to Bug, Dark, Ghost, Grass, Steel, and Water moves means there's no shortage of ways to smash this meteorite pretending to be the sun. The list of Pokémon that can deal with Solrock is so large that if your team has issues dealing with Solrock in a normal setting, then you may need to reconsider what you're using on your team. Moves like Scald, Knock Off, and U-turn are everywhere and it's pretty unlikely that you'll have none of these moves on a well-built team, so really if you have one of those then dealing with Solrock is easy regardless of STAB. As a Psychic-type Solrock is also vulnerable to Pursuit trapping, so Solrock has to play very carefully against anything that might have Pursuit. Will-O-Wisp can mess with some of these answers provided Solrock gets a chance to use it, though given its Speed it's unlikely to pose a major threat in most cases. If Solrock is an accurate representation of meteorites everywhere, then it's really no surprise that Rayquaza eats meteorites for breakfast. Maybe someday Solrock will get the attention it needs to become successful in the world, though until that day Solrock will probably continue to float around without a thought in the world other than the miraculous fact that it didn't become someone's lunch.
Locations in Games
Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald:
Meteor Falls (Ruby, Emerald)
Trade from Ruby/Emerald ( Sapphire)
FireRed/LeafGreen:
Trade from Ruby/Emerald
Colosseum/XD:
Snagged from Cipher Admin Snattle in Citadark Isle (XD)
Trade from Ruby/Emerald (Colosseum)
Diamond/Pearl/Platinum:
Lake Verity Surroundings, Lake Verity, Lake Acuity, Lake Valor, Mt. Coronet, Spring Path, Turnback Cav
HeartGold/SoulSilver:
Safari Zone
Black/White:
Route 13, Giant Chasm
Black 2/White 2:
Route 13, 22, Giant Chasm
X/Y:
Glittering Cave
Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire:
Meteor Falls (Omega Ruby)
Trade from X, Y, Omega Ruby (Alpha Sapphire)
Animé Appearences
