Is Unown Good in Platinum Playthrough?
Solaceon Ruins at level 20 during the story. Psychic-type with only one move: MoveHidden Power. 28 letter forms to collect. Zero viability on a team. A collector's Pokemon that exists purely for the dex.
Unown trades roughly evenly with Roark's team.
Gardenia's typing presses Unown's defenses.
Fantina's Pokemon outpace and outclass Unown here.
Maylene's typing presses Unown's defenses.
Crasher Wake's team hits Unown's weaknesses hard.
Byron's Pokemon outpace and outclass Unown here.
Candice's team hits Unown's weaknesses hard.
Volkner's team hits Unown's weaknesses hard.
Aaron's Pokemon outpace and outclass Unown here.
Bertha's team hits Unown's weaknesses hard.
Flint's Pokemon outpace and outclass Unown here.
Lucian's team hits Unown's weaknesses hard.
Unown trades roughly evenly with Jupiter's team.
Mars's team hits Unown's weaknesses hard.
Saturn's team hits Unown's weaknesses hard.
Cynthia's Pokemon outpace and outclass Unown here.
Catchable
Catch Unown in Solaceon Ruins (walking, Lv 20-30, common). A, B, C, G, H, J, K, L, M, O, P, Q, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z forms.
Recommended Moves
- STARTING (Lv 20)
- LV 20NormalHidden PowerPower 60Accuracy 100%PP 15
Platinum Unown Locations
Unown lives entirely inside the Solaceon Ruins, common at levels 20 to 30. Which letters appear depends on how deep you explore the maze, and solving the puzzle chambers unlocks the rarer forms.
1 location to catch Unown
Encountered via tall grass encounters
Badge 3Best Locations to Catch Unown in Platinum
8 walking spots from Lv. 20-30 for Unown. Sorted by game progression with rates on each row, so you can compare without scrolling through everything.
How to Get Shiny Unown in Platinum
Unown only appears in the Solaceon Ruins, where the Radar can't reach and it can't be bred, so its shiny is a patient full-odds hunt through the chambers. Compare Shiny Unown odds across every game
Shiny Unown Evolution
Does Not EvolvePlatinum Shiny Unown Calculator
1 MethodThe only route here is Full Odds, about 1 in 8,192 on each try.
Full Odds: Walk through grass, surf, or fish. Every encounter is its own independent shiny roll.
How many you have done, or plan to do.
| Chance | Encounters | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 10%lucky few | 864-- | -- |
| 25%one in four | 2,357-- | -- |
| 50%coin flip | 5,678-- | -- |
| 90%very likely | 18,862-- | -- |
Time assumes -- at your pace and does not change your shiny odds.
How is this calculated?
Every encounter has the same shiny chance, the Shiny Odds Per Try shown above. Each one is a separate roll that does not care how many you have already done, so the more you hunt, the higher your overall chance of at least one shiny. The formula below turns your odds and your number of tries into that combined chance.
chance after N tries = 1 − (1 − p)^N, where p = 1 / odds per try
Example at 1 in 8,192 (classic full odds): about 864 encounters for a 10 percent chance, 5,678 for 50 percent, and 18,862 for 90 percent.
The table above flips that around: it shows how many encounters it takes to reach a 10, 25, 50, and 90 percent chance at your current odds. Turning on boosts like the Shiny Charm, sandwiches, or chains improves your odds, so the encounter numbers drop.
These are estimates, not promises. Most games have no pity counter, meaning no guaranteed shiny no matter how many you hunt, so even Very Likely is not guaranteed: some hunters find one early, others go well past that point.
Want exact numbers for your session? Calculate your shiny odds in Platinum with Unown preloaded.
Unown 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
 Shiftry GrassDark | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Unown View Shiftry builds →Feint Attack 2x96-113%KO Shadow Ball 2x76-90% | ||
 Spiritomb GhostDark | C | |
Obtain MethodRoute 209 Interact Encounter Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Unown View Spiritomb builds →Sucker Punch 2x117-139%KO Shadow Ball 2x117-139%KO | ||
 Scyther Bug | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Unown View Scyther builds →U-turn 2x121-143%KO Pursuit 2x48-56% | ||
 Gengar GhostPoison | A | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Unown View Gengar builds →Shadow Ball 2x155-183%KO Sucker Punch 2x60-71% | ||
 Kricketune Bug | C | |
 Heracross BugFighting | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Unown View Heracross builds →Night Slash 2x87-102%KO Shadow Claw 2x87-102%KO | ||
 Rotom ElectricGhost | C | |
Obtain MethodOld Chateau Interact Encounter Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Unown View Rotom builds →Shadow Ball 2x121-143%KO Thief 2x27-32% | ||
 Beedrill BugPoison | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Unown View Beedrill builds →U-turn 2x102-121%KO Payback 2x49-59% | ||
 Drifblim Ghost | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Drifloon (Valley Windworks Interact Encounter) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Unown View Drifblim builds →Shadow Ball 2x115-135%KO Payback 2x45-54% | ||
 Mothim Bug | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Unown View Mothim builds →U-turn 2x105-124%KO Shadow Ball 2x80-95% Thief 2x41-49% | ||
 Vespiquen Bug | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Unown View Vespiquen builds →U-turn 2x93-110%KO Pursuit 2x37-44% | ||
 Beautifly Bug | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Unown View Beautifly builds →U-turn 2x83-99% Shadow Ball 2x83-98% Thief 2x33-39% | ||
 Butterfree Bug | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Unown View Butterfree builds →Silver Wind 2x87-102%KO Shadow Ball 2x76-90% Thief 2x24-29% | ||
 Forretress BugSteel | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Unown View Forretress builds →Bug Bite 2x87-102%KO Payback 2x49-59% | ||
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
Pt Unown Best Moveset
One move. MoveHidden Power is the entire moveset, and the type depends on Unown's hidden stats. No coverage, no utility, no role beyond the novelty. Not competitive by any measure.
Best Build
Unown best EVs are Sp. Def and Sp. Atk
Utility Moveset
- Hidden Power
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 Platinum Guide
For Platinum, it depends on your team. Unown rates C-Tier. Not a powerhouse, but the Psychic coverage might be exactly what you're missing.
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 · PlatinumPlatinum Tier ListThe best Pokemon ranked tier by tierSee Platinum Tier List