Introduced in generation two, with the Pokemon Gold and Silver games, Sunflora is a monotype grass Pokemon. It is the second stage evolution of its two stage evolution line and evolves from Sunkern when a Sun Stone is used. Sunflora is classified by the Pokedex as the “Sun Pokemon” which is likely a reference to its general design. This guide will showcase Sunflora’s capabilities in battle, its appearances in the anime, as well as other general facts about Sunflora.
About Sunflora
As a generation two Pokemon, Sunflora first appeared in the Original Series of the anime in the episode Grin to Win!. In this episode, the citizens of Bloomingvale were holding their annual Sunflora Festival. Sunflora will evolve from Sunkern once a Sun Stone is used. There is no level condition required for this evolution, and you can evolve Sunkern as soon as you find a Sun Stone. The Pokedex states that Sunflora can convert solar energy into nutrition. They are much more active during the day, but become lethargic at nighttime.
| First appearance in anime | Pokemon the Original Series: Grin to Win! |
| First appearance in game | Pokemon Gold and Silver |
| Region | Johto |
| Evolution | Evolves from Sunkern, not known to evolve into another Pokemon |
| 1st Evo level | Evolves when a Sun Stone is used |
| 2nd Evo level | N/A |
| Pokedex Entry | Sunflora converts solar energy into nutrition. It moves around actively in the daytime when it is warm. It stops moving as soon as the sun goes down for the night. |
Sunflora Base Stats
| HP | 75 |
| ATTACK | 75 |
| DEFENCE | 55 |
| SP. ATTACK | 105 |
| SP. DEFENCE | 85 |
| SPEED | 30 |
| TOTAL | 425 |
Appearance
Sunflora is a small green and yellow Pokemon that resembles a living sunflower. Most of its body is green but its floral face is yellow and is typically twisted into a happy smirk. It has two leaf blades for arms and two stubby buds as feet. Sunflora prefers the sunlight, and it will close the petals around its face when the sun sets. Even in its sleepy state, its smile never fades. Sunflora is a small Pokemon at only 2 feet and 7 inches, or 0.8 meters, tall.
Behavior
Sunflora gets its energy by converting sunlight into nutrition. It is constantly searching for sunlight to stand in. In the wild, they can be seen migrating in large groups to face the direction of the sun. Sunflora are much more active during the day and act manically. However, when the sun sets, Sunflora are more complacent and fall asleep on the spot. Despite numerous Sunflora being seen in the anime, they are known to be rare in the wild. The Pokedex mentions that Sunflora enjoys the hot season and becomes more lively in warm weather.
Strengths and Weaknesses
While Sunflora has a powerful special attack stat, its speed stat prevents it from being a powerful offensive Pokemon. It does have a good special defense matched with a decent health pool, so it can function as a disruptive and defensive Pokemon. If Sunflora has the ability Solar Power, it can function as a high damage threat to slow opposing Pokemon. As a monotype grass Pokemon, Sunflora takes 2x damage from flying, poison, bug, fire, and ice type moves. It is immune to no types, but will resist ground, water, grass, and electric type moves.
Best Moveset
In competitive play, Sunflora is not a highly rated Pokemon on competitive tier lists. While it has a high special attack stat, it has a weak speed and can be taken out quickly. Nevertheless, it can function as an aggressive Pokemon that your opponent will have to answer eventually. With a Life Orb, as a held item, and the Solar Power ability, Sunflora can represent high potential damage. You will want to have another Pokemon on your team set up the sunny day weather effect if you want Sunflora to be more impactful.
Consider running Solar Beam, Earth Power, Sludge Bomb, and Giga Drain. This set is aimed to give Sunflora the capability of outlasting your opponents, but also have a wide coverage of damaging moves. Use Solar Beam liberally if you have a sunny day set up while Giga Drain can help keep Sunflora alive against Pokemon that have weak special defense. Earth Power and Sludge Bomb are meant to cover potential opposing Pokemon types.
| Solar Beam | Earth Power |
| Sludge Bomb | Giga Drain |
How to Catch Sunflora in Pokemon Go
If you would like to obtain a Sunflora in Pokemon Go, the easiest way to do so would be to first obtain a Sunkern and eventually evolve it into Sunflora. Like most final evolution Pokemon, its base evolution spawns more commonly in the wild, which makes it easier to encounter. You can find Sunkern in the wild, at a boosted rate, near parks, farms, forests, hiking trails, gardens, and other grassy areas. You can also hatch a Sunkern from 5 km eggs and both Sunkern and Sunflora have been featured as tier one and tier two raid bosses at Pokemon Gyms. To evolve a Sunkern into a Sunflora it will take 50 candies and a Sun Stone.
Trivia
- Sunflora, Espeon, and Volcarona all share the same Pokedex classification as the “Sun Pokemon”.
- The inspiration for Sunflora’s design is based on a sunflower.
- The name Sunflora is a combination of the words sun and flora.
FAQ
How good is Sunflora?
Historically, Sunflora has never been rated highly on competitive tier lists. Unfortunately, it seems to have an offensive lineup of base stats, but it is simply too slow to compete against aggressive Pokemon. Even some of the slower Pokemon can end up outspeeding Sunflora. However, Sunflora can be a menacing Pokemon if it is in sunny weather.
What type is Sunflora?
Sunflora is a monotype grass Pokemon. There have been no changes to its type since its debut generation. As a monotype grass Pokemon, Sunflora is weak to flying, poison, bug, fire, and ice type moves. While it is not immune to any types of moves, it will resist ground, water, grass, and electric type moves.
What does a Sunflora evolve into?
Sunflora is the final evolution of its two stage evolution line. It evolves from Sunkern when a Sun Stone is used, but Sunflora does not evolve further. There is no level condition required for Sunkern’s evolution and it only requires the use of a Sun Stone. Once your Sunkern evolves into a Sunflora you have finished the Pokemon’s evolution line.
Conclusion
Congratulations, you now know just about everything there is to know about this “Sun Pokemon”. While Sunflora’s impact on competitive play is limited throughout its history, it is by no means a weak Pokemon. Sunflora can deal significant damage, especially in sunny weather. It has incredibly high damage potential, but it is difficult to use with its slow speed. Reserve a slot on your team for Sunflora if you want a hard-hitting grass type Pokemon.
