Sunkern is a Grass type Pokemon introduced along with the Johto Region (Gen II). It is the base form of Sunflora. It is based on a Sunflower shoot and the shoot can be seen on top of it’s head. It preserves the nutrients inside its body by making minimal movements while surviving solely on morning dew. The nutrients are saved up for evolution.
About Sunkern
| First appearance in anime | Pokemon Original Series |
| First appearance in game | Gold/Silver |
| Region | Johto |
| Evolution | Sunkern → Sunflora |
| 1st Evo Requirement | Sun Stone |
| Pokedex Entry | Sunkern tries to move as little as it possibly can. It does so because it tries to conserve all the nutrients it has stored in its body for its evolution. It will not eat a thing, subsisting only on morning dew. |
Sunkern Base stats
| HP | 30 |
| ATTACK | 30 |
| DEFENCE | 30 |
| SP. ATTACK | 30 |
| SP. DEFENCE | 30 |
| SPEED | 30 |
| TOTAL | 180 |
Appearance
Sunkern is based on a sunflower seed that has passed the stage of sprouting. It is primarily yellow with brown patches on its body. It is in an oval shape with spikes on its head while its entire body consists of two eyes and a mouth. The brown markings are found below and above both eyes and below its mouth and they are stripes. On top of its head apart from the spikes is a shoot.
Behavior
Sunkern are primarily attacked by Spearows and are prey to them. They violently shake their leaves to scare off enemies. These Pokemon do not eat as their only source of “food” is morning dew, which they survive on. They do not prefer to move around a lot, but rather stay still to save up energy for evolution. If you’re out on a morning walk after a cold winter, don’t be surprised if a horde of Sunkern fall on you. That’s very normal since they multiply after this season.
Strengths and Weaknesses
Sunkern is a pure Grass type and is weak to Bug, Fire, Flying, Ice and Poison type moves and takes double the normal damage. However, it is resistant to Ground, Water, Grass and Electric type moves.
Best moveset
Sunkern is one of the worst Pokemon with a total of 180 base stat total, which is the lowest base stat of all first stage evolutions. It has a whacky movepool with horrible base stats for everything. This Pokemon is easily replaceable and is just as useful as a magikarp. If you still want to use this Pokemon, it does have a pretty good movepool. Swords Dance can increase your attack stat by two stages. Seed Bomb, Return and Bullet Seed are all Physical Attacks. Return is a move for coverage as it’s only weaknesses are Rock, Ghost and Steel, which can mostly be covered by the other two moves. Even with Swords Dances set up, this Pokemon’s base attack is horribly low so it can not benefit from this movepool.
| Swords Dance | Seed Bomb |
| Return | Bullet Seed |
How to catch Sunkern in Pokemon Go?
Sunkern can be found in the wild, especially in parks, farmlands and gardens. Alternatively, you can hatch it from a 5 KM egg. To evolve Sunkern into Sunflora, after using 50 candies, give it a Sun Stone.
Sunflora appeared as a Tier 1 raid boss on 20th and 25th August of 2018 and 19th March and 2nd September of 2019.
Trivia
- Sunkern is the only Pokemon who’s base stats are all 30.
- Apart from Blipbug, Sunkern is the only Pokemon to have 180 total base stats.
- Sunkern and Sunflora are the only Pokemon who have ‘Early Bird’ as their hidden ability.
FAQs
How does Sunkern evolve?
Sunkern evolves using a Sun Stone at any level.
What games have Sunkern?
All main series Pokemon games excluding Gen I (Kanto, Red/Blue/Yellow) and Gen VIII (Galar, Sword/Shield) have Sunkern in it.
What is Sunkern good for?
Sunkern is not especially good for anything with its low base stats and bad movepool. If you still insist on using it, it can be used as an attacker paired with Swords Dance.
Conclusion
Sunkern is an indisputably cute and iconic Pokemon which has been hardwired into an average Pokemon fan’s brain. However, just like most of the iconic Pokemon, Sunkern is not especially strong. It compensates for its weakness through its cuteness. It is weak competitively, not only outclassed by most other grass types, but also almost unusable even if it wasn’t outclassed. If you still insist on using this Pokemon, make sure it has solar power and you have someone to set Sunny Day up for you.
