Now, Game Freak may be talented developers who have brought us some intriguing and unique titles, but they aren’t always the quickest on the uptake when it comes to balancing the Pokémon games. Who in heckola thought that Talonflame and its priority Brave Bird shenanigans were okay? Who?
Eventually, though, they tend to get around to the blatant issues. Psychic-types needed a counter back in the day, for instance, so Dark was introduced. Similarly, Dragons had gotten far too big for their boots, so in came Fairy-types. New fairies were introduced and existing pokémon were retconned, but which pokémon are fairies that shouldn’t be (and which aren’t that should be)?
10 Should Be Fairy-Type: Celebi
Grass/Fairy isn’t exactly a great typing. After all, if a Poison-type so much as raises an eyebrow inquisitively at a Grass and Fairy-type, the latter will instantly drop dead. It’s not a fun situation for anybody concerned.
Having said that, on a strictly aesthetic basis, most Mythical Pokémon have that adorable little pixie look to them, which makes them ripe for a Fairy-type retcon. If we had to pick just one example, it would be Celebi. The forest guardian would suit the typing perfectly, though its Psychic typing makes perfect sense considering its abilities.
9 Shouldn’t Be Fairy-Type: Xerneas
We’ve already touched on the fact that many pokémon have risen to become meta-defining powerhouses in their own right. Mega Kangaskhan hit with all the strength and fury you’d expect of a mom whose child’s latest finger painting at kindergarten had been snarked on, while Xerneas was another matter entirely.
It’s a combination of factors with Xerneas. Fairy Aura, one-turn Geomancy boosts with a Power Herb equipped (which it always had), Dazzling Gleam and Moonblast… it was just terrifying in competitive doubles play. Lore-wise, it’s supposed to be the goodly counterpart of Yveltal, but it’s far too cute and noble-looking to be the beast that it is. From a gameplay perspective, a change in typing would also change its options around and make it more manageable.
8 Should Be Fairy-Type: The Happiny Line
Well, to be entirely honest, we’re a little conflicted on this one. It’s certainly true that, if pokémon were to be retconned based on appearance alone, Happiny, Chansey, and Blissey would be absolutely guaranteed to get that treatment. Look at them, loving and kindly pink blobs of friendship and altruism that they are.
The question is, would they be manageable if they were Fairy-type? We all know how troublesome a Chansey with an Eviolite spamming Minimize can be. We all know that Blissey effortlessly tanks special attacks like Arnold Schwarzenegger taking bullets in the Terminator movies. Fairy is an excellent typing, and whether this line should have it (and so be immune to the mighty Dragon-type) is a matter of debate.
7 Shouldn’t Be Fairy-Type: The Cleffa Line
To follow up to the controversial subject of Happiny, Chansey and Blissey and their Fairy-worthiness, how about Cleffa, Clefairy, and Clefable? As fans know, these pesky pink puffballs were retconned to pure Fairy in Generation VI.
Much like the Happiny line, they’re most often seen tanking hits like champions (Clefable often has the Unaware Ability, which prevents opponents from boosting their stats and overwhelming it) and pulling those dreaded evasion shenanigans. Would things have been better had they remained Normal-type pokémon? That’s our argument, but again, it depends on your outlook.
6 Should Be Fairy-Type: Bellossom
Ever since Pokémon Gold and Silver, the OG drooling Pokemon Gloom has had two different options for its evolution. Oddish’s final form will be either Vileplume or Bellossom depending on whether the player uses a Leaf Stone or Sun Stone on Gloom, respectively.
Is there an objectively ‘better’ choice between the two? Not exactly. Vileplume is more offensive, with its higher base Special Attack, while Bellossom is more defensively inclined. Bellossom is also pure Grass-type, while Vileplume is a Grass/Poison pokémon. Grass is pretty darn horrible defensively, so that doesn’t help Bellossom’s case. It would have stood out a little more if it had been made a Fairy-type, which would certainly have been fitting for it.
5 Shouldn’t Be Fairy-Type: Alolan Ninetales
One of the shortcomings of the Ice-type (beyond being week to every darn thing ever) is that it tends to struggle with Steel pokémon. Poor old Frosmoth, the majestic new Ice/Bug, has absolutely zero ways to hit Steel. You see what happens when you send Hidden Power into the Poké-void, Game Freak?
In that sense, giving Alolan Ninetales the Ice/Fairy typing really didn’t do it any favors at all. It would have been perfectly happy setting up auto-hail and firing off Blizzards and Aurora Veils without that typing. Kantonian Ninetales has been proudly rocking just the one typing since the nineties, after all. Its Alolan form could have just been Ice, without the slightly wispy and ethereal edge to its design that makes it Fairy-ish.
4 Should Be Fairy-Type: Castform
Come on, now. Are we really going to begrudge Castform the chance to have some kind of bone thrown in its general direction? The thing has been a teeny, useless, floating joke for generations now.
Why shouldn’t it be Fairy-type? It looks the part, especially when it adopts one of its weather-based forms. Couple that with a boost to its stats (not that it’ll get one, but just imagine) and a typing change (to Water/Fairy in the rain, say) and Castform could actually become a thing. Wouldn’t that be a sight?
3 Shouldn’t Be Fairy-Type: Dedenne
Despite Pikachu’s overwhelming popularity, despite the love, attention, merchandise, and silly novelty hats and/or costumes that Game Freak lavishes upon it, it’s all just not enough. Why have one Pikachu when you can have a ton of them? And so the subset of pokémon known as the electric rodents was born.
Generation VI’s effort, Dedenne, is harmless enough. It’s quite fast, has a little Special Attack, and absolutely nothing anywhere else, as tends to be the way with electric rodents. The issue is that it’s so similar to the others; perhaps a Fairy-type just because it was super fashionable to be a Fairy-type at the time.
2 Should Be Fairy-Type: The Munna Line
Musharna is, when all’s said and done, quite a darn good Pokémon. It’s an excellent supporter, with access to assets like Helping Hand and the Telepathy Ability (both of which are great in doubles). It can set Trick Room, it can tank hits while boosting up with Calm Mind and sweep itself… think of it as a sort of underappreciated Reuniclus with a few different tricks up its sleeve.
Its design, concept and sleep/dream motif pair very well with its Psychic typing, but we already have a lot of slow, defensive and supportive Psychic pokémon. With all of this in mind, Psychic/Fairy could be a better fit for Munna and Musharna.
1 Shouldn’t Be Fairy-Type: Klefki
Klefki is one of those pokémon that you just don’t see causing you much of a problem until it hops onto the battlefield and proceeds to crush your hopes and dreams into sad little shards of defeat and failure.
Stats-wise, it’s entirely average across the board. It causes such an issue, however, because it has the excellent Steel/Fairy typing (two weaknesses and nine resistances), the Prankster Ability, Swagger and Foul Play. It’s a combination that requires a fair amount of luck but pays off in a big, big way. It makes complete sense that it was designed the way it was, but just being Steel could have made it less of a pain to deal with. Again, it really depends where you stand on the issue.
NEXT: The 10 Best Steel- Type Pokémon, Ranked
