Is Unown Good in Black & White Playthrough?
Psychic with AbilityLevitate. Breed-only. Only knows Hidden Power. No evolution, no movepool, no viability. Pokedex collector item.
Unown trades roughly evenly with Cilan's team.
Unown trades roughly evenly with Chili's team.
Unown trades roughly evenly with Cress's team.
Lenora's team hits Unown's weaknesses hard.
Burgh's team hits Unown's weaknesses hard.
Elesa's team hits Unown's weaknesses hard.
Clay's team hits Unown's weaknesses hard.
Skyla's team hits Unown's weaknesses hard.
Brycen's team hits Unown's weaknesses hard.
Drayden's team hits Unown's weaknesses hard.
Shauntal's Pokemon outpace and outclass Unown here.
Grimsley's Pokemon outpace and outclass Unown here.
Caitlin's team hits Unown's weaknesses hard.
Marshal's team hits Unown's weaknesses hard.
Alder's team hits Unown's weaknesses hard.
Trade
Unown cannot be caught in this game. It must be traded in from a compatible game where it appears in the wild. Cross-region trading typically becomes available after defeating the Elite Four.
How to Get Unown in Black & White
Unown can't be caught in Black & White. Transfer one in from Diamond & Pearl, Platinum, or HeartGold & SoulSilver.
Unown is not available as a wild encounter in this game.
Also Obtainable In:
Pokemon transfers only go forward through generations, never backward. Direct cross-gen trades aren't supported.
How to Get Shiny Unown in Black & White
Any shiny Unown letter has to be transferred in from a game that produces it, since none ever shines in Black & White. See every game where Shiny Unown can be hunted
Shiny Unown Evolution
Does Not EvolveUnown Weakness
Bug, Ghost, and Dark moves hit Unown for super-effective damage. Levitate grants an additional Ground immunity, reshaping the matchup chart.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 2x (Weak) | Bug, Ghost, Dark |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Fighting, Psychic |
- Fairy type does not exist — Dragon has fewer checks
- Physical / Special split now per-move (introduced Gen IV)
What is Unown Weak Against
VulnerableBest Pokemon Against Unown
 Tyranitar RockDark | A | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Unown View Tyranitar builds →Crunch 2x168-198%KO Shadow Claw 2x98-116%KO | ||
 Krookodile GroundDark | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Unown View Krookodile builds →Foul Play 2x177-208%KO Shadow Claw 2x87-102%KO | ||
 Honchkrow Dark | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Unown View Honchkrow builds →Foul Play 2x187-220%KO Shadow Ball 2x91-107%KO | ||
 Hydreigon DarkDragon | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Unown View Hydreigon builds →Crunch 2x136-160%KO U-turn 2x79-93% | ||
 Heracross BugFighting | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Unown View Heracross builds →Megahorn 2x236-278%KO Night Slash 2x92-109%KO Shadow Claw 2x92-109%KO | ||
 Absol Dark | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Unown View Absol builds →Sucker Punch 2x164-193%KO X-Scissor 2x109-129%KO Shadow Claw 2x95-112%KO | ||
 Volcarona BugFire | A | |
Obtain MethodRelic Castle Interact Encounter | ||
 Bisharp DarkSteel | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Unown View Bisharp builds →Night Slash 2x138-163%KO X-Scissor 2x106-124%KO Shadow Claw 2x92-109%KO | ||
 Chandelure GhostFire | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Unown View Chandelure builds →Shadow Ball 2x179-212%KO Payback 2x34-41% | ||
 Weavile DarkIce | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Unown View Weavile builds →Night Slash 2x134-158%KO X-Scissor 2x102-120%KO Shadow Claw 2x89-106%KO | ||
 Scrafty DarkFighting | C | |
 Mandibuzz Dark | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Unown View Mandibuzz builds →Dark Pulse 2x82-97% U-turn 2x54-64% Shadow Ball 2x54-64% | ||
 Houndoom DarkFire | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Unown View Houndoom builds →Foul Play 2x143-168%KO Shadow Ball 2x94-111%KO | ||
 Pinsir Bug | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Unown View Pinsir builds →X-Scissor 2x158-187%KO Thief 2x53-63% | ||
Unown Evolutions
For whatever reason, Unown sits in the Undiscovered egg group. A Psychic type at 336 stats with no chain and no eggs. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
Breeding
BW Unown Best Moveset
One move: MoveHidden Power. 72 Sp. Atk fires it at exactly one type depending on the hidden IVs, and AbilityLevitate blocks Ground. The moveset has no other option. No coverage, no support, no flexibility. The single worst-designed competitive Pokemon in the game.
Best Build
Unown best EVs are Sp. Atk and Sp. Def
Special Wallbreaker Moveset
- Hidden Power Dragon
Recommended Teammates
Moves List
Unown's options are limited here. You've got Psychic STAB for STAB damage, but there isn't much beyond Psychic hitting power. TMs help fill gaps, though the kit stays tight.
How to Read the Moves Table
Tabs
- Level-Up
- Learned by leveling up.
- TM
- Taught by a Technical Machine.
- Egg
- Inherited via breeding.
- Tutor
- NPC tutor (cost: items, BP, money).
- Reminder
- An NPC reteaches any move this Pokemon could have learned by leveling up.
- Transfer
- Carried over from an older game using Pokemon HOME.
- Event
- Given out through Mystery Gift events.
Visual Signals
CAT (Category)
How the move deals damage and which stats it uses.
A small dot on the icon's corner marks the move as contact. That triggers abilities like Static, Flame Body, Rough Skin, or Iron Barbs, plus items like Rocky Helmet and Sticky Barb.
Tier (S to D)
Each move's competitive rank in RankedBoost's system. TM, Egg, and Tutor sort by tier by default (best first). On Level-Up, click the Tier header to do the same.
PWR (Power)
Base damage. Numbers shown in a type color include STAB (base × 1.5). Hover any colored number to see the math.
— means no power (status moves) or variable power.
Sorting & Filter
Click any column header to sort. Level-Up opens with Lv 1 at the top. TM, Egg, and Tutor open with the highest-tier moves at the top.
Search filters by move name or type. The Filter button limits the list to STAB, Physical, Special, or Status moves.
Level-Up Moves
TM Moves
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Base Stats
When alone, nothing happens. However, if there are two or more, an odd power is said to emerge.
Unown Black & White Guide
Honestly, in Black & White Unown is a tough sell. It rates just F-Tier, and stronger Psychic options exist. Fun pick, not a practical one.
In Black & White, use Unown as a balanced. Splits damage between physical and special. Not the fastest,
For Black & White, run Modest on Unown. +Sp. Atk is what matters, and the -Attack cut doesn't hurt this set. Fits the balanced role.
Game Availability
Unown first appeared in Gold & Silver and has been available in 16 games across 8 generations. Obtainable through wild encounters in most titles where it appears.
Click a game to view version-specific details
- Gen 1RB
Red & Blue - Gen 1Y
Yellow - Gen 2GSDebut
Gold & Silver - Gen 2C
Crystal - Gen 3RS
Ruby & Sapphire - Gen 3E
Emerald - Gen 3FRLG
FireRed & LeafGreen - Gen 4DP
Diamond & Pearl - Gen 4Pt
Platinum - Gen 4HGSS
HeartGold & SoulSilver - Gen 5BW
Black & White - Gen 5B2W2
Black 2 & White 2 - Gen 6XY
X & Y - Gen 6ORAS
Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire - Gen 7SM
Sun & Moon - Gen 7USUM
Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon - Gen 7Let's Go
Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee - Gen 8SwSh
Sword & Shield - Gen 8BDSP
Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl - Gen 8PLA
Legends: Arceus - Gen 9SV
Scarlet & Violet - Gen 9LZA
Legends: Z-A - Gen 10WW
Winds & Waves
Explore
Where to go next after Unown.
Keep playing · Black & WhiteBlack & White Tier ListThe best Pokemon ranked tier by tierSee Black & White Tier List