Is Sunkern Good in Emerald Playthrough?
Often cited as the weakest Pokemon in the franchise. Sunkern has AbilityChlorophyll but base stats too low for the sun Speed to matter. Sunflora via Sun Stone doesn't improve things enough. Safari Zone catch with no team value.
Sunkern resists most of Roxanne's coverage and hits back hard.
Sunkern trades roughly evenly with Brawly's team.
Wattson's typing presses Sunkern's defenses.
Flannery's team hits Sunkern's weaknesses hard.
Sunkern trades roughly evenly with Norman's team.
Winona's team hits Sunkern's weaknesses hard.
Sunflora has the type edge here and should clean up Tate & Liza's team.
Sunflora resists most of Juan's coverage and hits back hard.
Sunflora trades roughly evenly with Sidney's team.
Sunflora trades roughly evenly with Phoebe's team.
Sunflora has the type edge here and should clean up Glacia's team.
Drake's team hits Sunflora's weaknesses hard.
Sunflora has the type edge here and should clean up Wallace's team.
Catch Sunkern on Safari Zone (walking, Lv 34, uncommon). Safari Zone: 500 entry fee, 30 Safari Balls, 500-step limit.
- STARTING (Lv 34)
- LV 34GrassMega Drain60100%15
- After Brawly
- TM36PoisonSludge Bomb90100%10
- TM43NormalSecret Power70100%20
- TM10NormalHidden Power60100%15
- After Norman
- TM42NormalFacade70100%20
- After Winona
- TM22GrassSolar Beam180100%10
- LV 42GrassGiga Drain113100%10
- After Juan
- TUTORNormalDouble-Edge120100%15
You can usually obtain this item before you reach Tate & Liza.
- STARTING (Lv 33)
- LV 33GrassRazor Leaf8395%25
- After Brawly
- TM36PoisonSludge Bomb90100%10
- After Norman
- TM42NormalFacade70100%20
- After Winona
- TM19GrassGiga Drain113100%10
- TM15NormalHyper Beam15090%5
- LV 37GrassPetal Dance180100%10
- LV 42GrassSolar Beam180100%10
- After Juan
- TUTORNormalDouble-Edge120100%15
How to Get Sunkern in Emerald
Sunkern starts showing up in late-game routes at high spawn rates across 2 encounter spots. The list below is sorted so you can pick what fits your current progress without scrolling through everything.
1 location to catch Sunkern
Encountered via tall grass encounters
Badge 6Where To Catch Sunkern in E
Step 1Sunkern ✓Safari Zone - South ExtensionLv.33-35FloorSafari Zone: 500 entry fee, 30 Safari BallsSafari Zone - North ExtensionLv.34FloorRate 15%Safari Zone: 500 entry fee, 30 Safari Balls
Step 2Evolve into SunfloraBREEDINGAvailableLeave a compatible parent at the Pokemon Day Care to receive a Sunflora egg.
Sunkern Weakness
Sunkern's Grass typing leaves it vulnerable to Fire, Ice, Poison, Flying, and Bug. The Grass typing picks up 4 resistances to work with.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 2x (Weak) | Fire, Ice, Poison, Flying, Bug |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Water, Electric, Grass, Ground |
- Dark and Steel types added — Fairy does not exist yet
- Moves are Physical or Special based on type, not per move
What is Sunkern Weak Against
FragileBest Pokemon Against Sunkern
 Dustox BugPoison | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sunkern View Dustox builds →Sludge Bomb 2x126-150%KO Gust 2x39-48% | ||
 Zubat Poison | D | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sunkern View Zubat builds →Sludge Bomb 2x115-137%KO Leech Life 2x22-26% | ||
 Taillow Normal | C | |
 Torchic Fire | C | |
Obtain MethodRoute 101 Gift Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sunkern View Torchic builds →Ember 2x76-91% Peck 2x39-48% | ||
 Cyndaquil Fire | D | |
Obtain MethodLittleroot Town Gift | ||
Dustox BugPoison | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sunkern View Dustox builds →Sludge Bomb 2x133-158%KO Gust 2x42-51% | ||
 Oddish GrassPoison | C | |
 Combusken FireFighting | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Torchic (Route 101 Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sunkern View Combusken builds →Ember 2x87-104%KO Peck 2x51-62% | ||
 Gulpin Poison | C | |
Zubat Poison | D | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sunkern View Zubat builds →Sludge Bomb 2x124-147%KO Wing Attack 2x87-104%KO Leech Life 2x20-25% | ||
Combusken FireFighting | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Torchic (Route 101 Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sunkern View Combusken builds →Flamethrower 2x203-240%KO Peck 2x52-62% | ||
 Golbat Poison | C | |
Obtain MethodMeteor Falls Surfing Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sunkern View Golbat builds →Sludge Bomb 2x183-217%KO Wing Attack 2x125-148%KO Leech Life 2x31-37% | ||
 Seviper Poison | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sunkern View Seviper builds →Sludge Bomb 2x215-254%KO Flamethrower 2x151-178%KO | ||
 Swalot Poison | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sunkern View Swalot builds →Sludge Bomb 2x172-203%KO Ice Beam 2x120-142%KO | ||
 Volbeat Bug | C | |
Combusken FireFighting | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Torchic (Route 101 Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sunkern View Combusken builds →Overheat 2x299-352%KO Peck 2x51-61% | ||
Golbat Poison | C | |
Obtain MethodMeteor Falls Surfing Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sunkern View Golbat builds →Sludge Bomb 2x184-217%KO Wing Attack 2x125-148%KO Leech Life 2x29-35% | ||
 Torkoal Fire | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sunkern View Torkoal builds →Overheat 2x299-352%KO Sludge Bomb 2x130-154%KO | ||
 Quilava Fire | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Cyndaquil (Littleroot Town Gift) | ||
Swalot Poison | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sunkern View Swalot builds →Sludge Bomb 2x172-204%KO Ice Beam 2x120-142%KO | ||
Combusken FireFighting | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Torchic (Route 101 Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sunkern View Combusken builds →Overheat 2x303-358%KO Aerial Ace 2x88-104%KO | ||
 Camerupt FireGround | C | |
 Vileplume GrassPoison | C | |
Golbat Poison | C | |
Obtain MethodMeteor Falls Surfing Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sunkern View Golbat builds →Sludge Bomb 2x188-222%KO Wing Attack 2x125-148%KO Leech Life 2x30-36% | ||
 Tropius Grass | C | |
 Blaziken FireFighting | B | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Torchic (Route 101 Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sunkern View Blaziken builds →Overheat 2x388-457%KO Aerial Ace 2x120-142%KO | ||
 Typhlosion Fire | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Cyndaquil (Littleroot Town Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sunkern View Typhlosion builds →Overheat 2x381-450%KO Aerial Ace 2x91-107%KO | ||
 Houndoom DarkFire | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sunkern View Houndoom builds →Overheat 2x388-457%KO Sludge Bomb 2x142-167%KO | ||
 Altaria Dragon | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sunkern View Altaria builds →Fire Blast 2x153-181%KO Fly 2x136-160%KO Ice Beam 2x122-144%KO | ||
 Muk Poison | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sunkern View Muk builds →Sludge Bomb 2x240-283%KO Fire Blast 2x145-172%KO | ||
Blaziken FireFighting | B | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Torchic (Route 101 Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sunkern View Blaziken builds →Overheat 2x388-457%KO Aerial Ace 2x120-142%KO | ||
Typhlosion Fire | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Cyndaquil (Littleroot Town Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sunkern View Typhlosion builds →Overheat 2x381-450%KO Aerial Ace 2x91-107%KO | ||
Houndoom DarkFire | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sunkern View Houndoom builds →Overheat 2x388-457%KO Sludge Bomb 2x142-167%KO | ||
Altaria Dragon | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sunkern View Altaria builds →Fire Blast 2x153-181%KO Fly 2x136-160%KO Ice Beam 2x122-144%KO | ||
Muk Poison | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sunkern View Muk builds →Sludge Bomb 2x240-283%KO Fire Blast 2x145-172%KO | ||
 Rayquaza Dragon | S | |
Obtain MethodSky Pillar Interact Encounter Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sunkern View Rayquaza builds →Overheat 2x348-410%KO Fly 2x262-308%KO Ice Beam 2x236-278%KO | ||
Blaziken FireFighting | B | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Torchic (Route 101 Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sunkern View Blaziken builds →Overheat 2x399-470%KO Aerial Ace 2x123-145%KO | ||
 Heracross BugFighting | A | |
Altaria Dragon | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sunkern View Altaria builds →Sky Attack 2x276-325%KO Fire Blast 2x158-186%KO Ice Beam 2x124-147%KO | ||
Typhlosion Fire | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Cyndaquil (Littleroot Town Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Sunkern View Typhlosion builds →Overheat 2x397-468%KO Aerial Ace 2x92-109%KO | ||
In Emerald, Arcanine can KO Sunkern with Overheat (233-275%).
 Arcanine Fire | B | |
Recommended Build AbilityIntimidate ItemLeftovers NatureLonely Moves
Damage vs Sunkern View Arcanine builds →Extreme Speed103-121%KO Overheat 2x233-275%KO | ||
Sunkern Evolutions
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. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
E Sunkern Best Moveset
The lowest base stat total of any Pokemon, with 30 in every category. AbilityChlorophyll doubles 30 Speed to 60 in sun, which still trails competitive thresholds. The moveset cannot function.
Best Build
Sunkern best EVs are Sp. Def and Speed
Wall Moveset
- Leech Seed
- Endeavor
- Encore
- Substitute
Recommended Teammates
Moves List
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.
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
SUNKERN try to minimize movement to conserve the nutrients they have stored in their bodies for evolution. They will not eat, subsisting only on morning dew.
Sunkern Emerald Guide
- Where in the Emerald Safari Zone can I find Sunkern?
See the Locations section above for where to find Sunkern in Emerald.
Safari rules: You can only use Safari Balls. No battling. Two tactical items shift the catch/flee trade-off:
- Throw bait to keep Sunkern from fleeing (flee rate cut to 1/4) but it becomes harder to catch (catch factor halved).
- Throw a rock to make Sunkern easier to catch (catch factor doubled) but it flees twice as often.
- Each effect lasts 2-6 random turns; throwing one cancels the other.
In Emerald, For a casual playthrough, Sunkern works as a placeholder. Grass coverage is useful early. The real payoff is Sunflora. That's where the stats start mattering.
Yes. Sunkern is a post-game Pokemon. You need to defeat the Elite Four and enter the Hall of Fame first. Sunkern becomes available after the main story is complete in Emerald.
Game Availability
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.
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 7LGPE
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