Is Type: Null Good?

Type: Null is highly situational. In casual playthroughs, it acts as an unbreakable physical wall thanks to Eviolite. However, in serious competitive formats, its total reliance on Eviolite, lack of reliable recovery outside of Rest, and terrible Speed make it unviable against modern power creep.

Colossal bulk with Eviolite cannot save Type: Null from its severe passivity and lack of reliable healing.

Rating 4/10 · Tier Unranked (Modern PvP) / NFE (Past Gens) · Role : Eviolite Wall / Slow Pivot

Strengths

• Incredible mixed bulk when holding an Eviolite.
• Battle Armor ability completely removes the RNG of critical hits.
• Access to U-turn makes it a functional slow pivot.
• Can act as a late-game win condition with Swords Dance.

Weaknesses

• Completely crippled the moment it loses its Eviolite.
• Rest is its only recovery move, making it extremely predictable.
• Terrible Speed means it always takes damage before acting.
• Faces overwhelming competition from Porygon2 as a Normal-type Eviolite user.

Type: Null occupies a highly specific niche: the Eviolite-dependent mixed wall. Because it can legally evolve into Silvally, it gains the massive 50% defense and special defense boosts from Eviolite. This transforms its naturally balanced stats into something genuinely terrifying to break through.

Its primary role is to sit on the field, absorb hits, and either set up slowly or pivot out. The Battle Armor ability is a massive asset here. By preventing critical hits, Type: Null removes the worst-case scenario RNG that usually breaks defensive walls.

However, this bulk comes at a severe cost. It has zero offensive presence without setup, and its Speed tier is abysmal. You are forced to play reactively, taking hits before you can ever dish them out or heal. In modern competitive tiers, this level of passivity makes it setup fodder for smarter opponents.

If you are forcing Type: Null onto a team in formats where it is legal, you have exactly one optimal way to play it. You must maximize its survivability while giving it a way to deal damage.

The Standard RestTalk Set

• Item: Eviolite
• Ability: Battle Armor
• Moves: Rest, Sleep Talk, Swords Dance, Double-Edge (or Crush Claw)
• EVs: Max HP / Max Special Defense (or Physical Defense, depending on team needs)

This set turns Type: Null into a slow, inevitable tank. You use Swords Dance to boost your attack while absorbing hits. When your health drops, you use Rest to fully heal and cure status conditions like Toxic.

Sleep Talk ensures you aren't completely dead weight while napping. Double-Edge provides massive STAB damage, though the recoil hurts. If you hate recoil, Crush Claw is a viable alternative that occasionally drops the opponent's Defense, forcing switches.

Type: Null shines brightest when matched against purely physical attackers that lack Fighting-type coverage. Because Battle Armor prevents crits, attackers cannot rely on lucky spikes in damage to break through your Eviolite-boosted defenses.

It also functions excellently as a slow pivot. By replacing Swords Dance with U-turn, Type: Null can take a massive hit for a frail teammate, move last due to its low Speed, and safely bring in a fragile sweeper completely unscathed.

In older playthroughs (like Sword and Shield or Sun and Moon), it serves as a fantastic panic button. If an enemy Gym Leader's ace is sweeping your team, sending out Type: Null to absorb the damage and heal with Rest can easily salvage a losing battle.

The biggest elephant in the room is Knock Off. If Type: Null loses its Eviolite, its bulk drops instantly, and it becomes a sitting duck. In formats where Knock Off is highly distributed, Type: Null is a massive liability.

Furthermore, its reliance on Rest makes it incredibly vulnerable to Taunt. A fast Taunt user completely shuts down its ability to heal or set up, forcing it to struggle or switch out and lose all its Swords Dance boosts.

Finally, the Normal typing offers only one immunity (Ghost) and a glaring weakness to Fighting-type moves. High-base-power moves like Close Combat will still shred through Type: Null, even with an Eviolite equipped.

As of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, Type: Null is completely unavailable. It cannot be transferred into the Paldea region, meaning its competitive relevance is currently frozen in older generations and National Dex formats.

If it were legal in Generation 9, the Terastal phenomenon would theoretically give it a massive buff. Tera Ghost would allow it to dodge its fatal Fighting-type weakness and block Rapid Spin, while Tera Fairy would give it incredible defensive utility.

Looking ahead to Pokémon Legends: Z-A, players are hoping for its return. Until then, Type: Null remains a relic of Alola and Galar, stuck in Pokémon HOME for modern players.

Do not use Type: Null if your team needs immediate offensive pressure or reliable hazard removal. It is a momentum sink that requires multiple turns to become a threat.

If you need a Normal-type Eviolite wall, Porygon2 is vastly superior. Porygon2 has access to instant recovery in Recover, better Special Attack, and incredible abilities like Trace or Download. Type: Null simply cannot compete with Porygon2's utility.

For in-game playthroughs, if you find Type: Null's slow playstyle boring, just max out its friendship and evolve it into Silvally. Silvally gives you immediate Speed, a better movepool, and the ability to change its typing to fit your team's exact needs.