Almost nobody uses Sunkern in battle. It exists to evolve into Sunflora, which is a completely different story. Get it there and you won't regret it. Part of the Gen 2 roster. 5 type weaknesses to keep in mind.
You won't find a real weakness in Sunkern's stat line. It's well-rounded for the Seed Pokemon, and what it does with that depends on moveset and items. Yields 1 Sp. Atk EV, on a 1.06M XP medium-slow curve.
It lives by drinking only dewdrops from under the leaves of plants. It is said that it eats nothing else.
It may drop out of the sky suddenly. If attacked by a SPEAROW, it will violently shake its leaves.
Sunkern Weakness
FragileSunkern's Grass typing leaves it vulnerable to Fire, Ice, Poison, Flying, and Bug moves. The Grass typing picks up 4 resistances to work with.
- Dark and Steel types added — Fairy does not exist yet
- Moves are Physical or Special based on type, not per move
To get Sunflora from Sunkern, you need an evolution item. The evolution method matters here. The evolved forms gain up to 245 total stats over Sunkern.
How to Evolve
Breed Sunkern easily with 35 breeding partners from the Plant egg group. Pass egg moves like Curse, Encore, Grass Whistle and 3 more to offspring.
Chlorophyll isn't flashy, but it matters. Combined with Shellbell for extra utility and max Sp. Def and Speed EVs, Sunkern fills the special attacker slot reliably. Timid nature finishes the spread.
Best Build
Best Sunkern Moveset
- Leech Seed
- Endeavor
- Encore
- Substitute
Recommended Teammates
The natural movepool does the job, but Curse and Encore from the egg pool give Sunkern something extra. Pair those with Solar Beam and Giga Drain for STAB and Normal and Poison coverage for reach, and the kit fills out nicely.
Level-Up Moves
TM Moves
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Sunkern doesn't appear in FireRed & LeafGreen. Transfer it from Gold, Crystal, or Scarlet to add it to your collection. Check the source games below for encounter details.
At 180 BST, Sunkern is firmly in pre-evolution territory. Evolve it into Sunflora before bringing it to any serious fight.
Watch for Arcanine (Fire), Lapras (Ice), and Nidoking (Poison) when using Sunkern. They all hit it super-effectively with STAB. Flying and Bug-type attackers are also a problem. With 5 weakness types, most competitive teams carry at least one counter. At base 30 Speed, Sunkern won't outrun any of these threats so switching to a resist is usually the safer play.
Sunkern evolves into Sunflora using a Sun Stone. Sunkern is the base form of this evolutionary line.
Sunkern gets Chlorophyll, Solar Power, and Early Bird. But Chlorophyll is the one that matters — it's the centerpiece of every viable set. Build around that.
Sunkern is a physical attacker with base 30 Attack. Fragile — can't afford to take many hits, too. But the speed tells the real story — base 30 Speed is low. Priority moves or Trick Room are the way to go.
Sunkern appears in 16 games, including Gold & Silver, Crystal, and Ruby & Sapphire.
Since Gold & Silver, Sunkern has been in 16 games. Requiring an item-based evolution to obtain means it's consistently available but requires more effort than simply catching it in the wild.
- Gen IY
Yellow - Gen IRB
Red & Blue - Gen IIGSDebut
Gold & Silver - Gen IIC
Crystal - Gen IIIRS
Ruby & Sapphire - Gen IIIFRLG
FireRed & LeafGreen - Gen IIIE
Emerald - Gen IVPt
Platinum - Gen IVHGSS
HeartGold & SoulSilver - Gen IVDP
Diamond & Pearl - Gen VBW
Black & White - Gen VB2W2
Black 2 & White 2 - Gen VIXY
X & Y - Gen VIORAS
Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire - Gen VIIUSUM
Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon - Gen VIISM
Sun & Moon - Gen VIILGPE
Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee - Gen VIIISwSh
Sword & Shield - Gen VIIIPLA
Legends: Arceus - Gen VIIIBDSP
Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl - Gen IXSV
Scarlet & Violet - Gen IXLZA
Legends: Z-A