What Would You Do to "Fix" the Ice-Type?

So, it's been a consensus in the community that the Ice-type is the worst type out there. So, I wanted to ask: what would you guys do to fix the Ice-type? Would you add resistance to more types? If so, what types? Would you make it immune to any types? Would you beef up Ice-type Pokémons' defenses? Would you just focus on introducing more Ice-types that are proficient in battle and/or are paired with "better" types like Dragon, Fairy, and Steel?

If you ask me, I think Gamefreak's been going about it wrong trying to introduce more beefy but slow Ice-types in the vein of Avalugg or Mamoswine (even though Mamoswine is actually pretty great in battle) or Mega Abomasnow. I think the best way to get around Ice's many weaknesses is to make it so that they're the ones who always hit first. So, introduce more speedy Ice-types like Weavile.

I'm fairly sure most people would agree that Game Freak keeps introducing beefy Pokemon in a type that's just not great defensively whatsoever. If GF bothered to introduce more offensive Ice-types, then this wouldn't be so much of an issue.

So basically, the type is really only "bad", because the wrong type of Pokemon are in it.

colours said:

I'm fairly sure most people would agree that Game Freak keeps introducing beefy Pokemon in a type that's just not great defensively whatsoever. If GF bothered to introduce more offensive Ice-types, then this wouldn't be so much of an issue.

So basically, the type is really only "bad", because the wrong type of Pokemon are in it.

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I echo this. I wouldn't say that the Ice type is bad at all. It has a clear purpose as an offensive type and Pokémon like Weavile that take advantage of that are great. But the problem is that the type is just mishandled. It'd be like if they decided to make loads of speedy attackers... that were all Steel type. It just doesn't fit what that type is made for. We could definitely use a couple more faster Ice types.

I feel like this should be in competitive, because...Ice-type is the worst type? Are we just ignoring Fighting and Fairy completely? I reject this consensus. I reject it very strongly. Aesthetically the ice-type has some of the best designs in the franchise, and I can't think of a single fighting-type Pokemon that isn't ugly as hell or a single Fairy-type that either should be Fairy or that I would want to use. No no noooo.

I suppose if you're talking STRICTLY competitive, fair enough. But to call it outright the worst type when Articuno and Froslass exist - and when Fighting and Fairy exist - is just...nope.

I'd fix it by making more of them, basically. A few more ice-type moves - an ice-type Thunder-Wave type move would be pretty interesting, as long as I was the one using it - wouldn't go amiss. I have no knowledge of the stat spread of the Pokemon so I can't really speak about that without doing research I am really not interested in doing, but I'd say it's an under-used type, rather than a bad one.

I'd give the Ice type more resistances. I'm thinking of Water, Flying, Fairy, and Bug.

EDIT: I'm adding Ground too.

I had made an Ice type monotype for Doubles OU in Showdown, didn't go well, didn't go bad either, got a bunch of wins off it... I had faith because I thought Ice types would be offensive compared to few other types(you can use hail and then aurora veil plus run a mamoswine with thick fat, bla bla). Imo, Ice types need more pokemon like Garchomp or Metagross which can induce fear, like Garchomp or Metagross or Dragonite, which can be treated as X-factors. So far, Articuno's awesome, Mamoswine needs mega(lol) and Alolan Ninetales is good,but not lasting. Instead , they can also add resistances against Flying, Bug and Grass. Ice will be good cream, then.

That post did came in good hour for me, because I spent the whole day thinking about the handicap table of the Pokemon games.

Since you asked, my opinion on the Ice-type is that it needs balance between its weakness and strengths, so let's talk about it's strengths: Birds cannot fly well in snowstorms, so flying is weak against it; Ground and grass gets bad in frost, two more; Dragons are like Dinosaurs, they cannot stand cold, massive one; But why water-types does not frozen when in contact with the freezing power of ice Pokemon? Water should be another strength of Ice-type.

About its weakness, we can count four: Fire, obviously, and anything sturdy, like rock, steel or fighting styles, and I condone it.

Now, only same-type resistance is not fair, they are battling winter, so resistance to grass and water at least should be in the package. Hopefully it should fix the typing, handicap-wise.

They could fix the Normal-type too.

Gonna second Dawn on this one, it comes down to more than competitive viability. Ice has some of the best designs in Pokémon, imo. That said, I'd load it up with a few more glass cannons and call it good.

Make. Ice. Resist. Water. That's all I think really should be done. Though, they could always introduce some more fast Ice-type Pokemon...Weavile and Sneasel are getting lonely.

Make it resist normal. For some reason I keep thinking Ice actually does resist normal because rock and metal do.

I'm gonna just... copy and paste what I said a month ago, because my opinion hasn't changed at all since then:

me said:

Here's what I'd do to change it to make it better:

-Make grass resist Ice. Grass gets frozen by snow and ice in real life, so I don't really understand why Grass does neutral damage.
-Have Dragon also be resisted by Ice. Ice is strong against Dragon, so why not have Dragon not be very effective against it?

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It still makes no sense to me that Grass does neutral damage to Ice when Ice does super effective damage to Grass. All the types that Ice is strong against only do neutral damage to Ice, which I think is a big problem with the type. It only resists itself. Flying and ground, eh, those can stay neutral, but Grass? No, Grass should be not very effective against Ice.

I second that. Make it water resistant too.

Dawn said:

I feel like this should be in competitive, because...Ice-type is the worst type? Are we just ignoring Fighting and Fairy completely? I reject this consensus. I reject it very strongly. Aesthetically the ice-type has some of the best designs in the franchise, and I can't think of a single fighting-type Pokemon that isn't ugly as hell or a single Fairy-type that either should be Fairy or that I would want to use. No no noooo.

I suppose if you're talking STRICTLY competitive, fair enough. But to call it outright the worst type when Articuno and Froslass exist - and when Fighting and Fairy exist - is just...nope.

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Uh, isn't Fairy actually considered to be one of the best types, at least competitively? I mean, that seems to be the consensus. One can hardly play competitively without tripping over all the Fairy-types, from Clefable to all the Tapus.

SidTheRiser07 said:

I had made an Ice type monotype for Doubles OU in Showdown, didn't go well, didn't go bad either, got a bunch of wins off it... I had faith because I thought Ice types would be offensive compared to few other types(you can use hail and then aurora veil plus run a mamoswine with thick fat, bla bla). Imo, Ice types need more pokemon...which can induce fear, like Garchomp or Metagross or Dragonite, which can be treated as X-factors. So far, Articuno's awesome, Mamoswine needs mega(lol) and Alolan Ninetales is good,but not lasting. Instead , they can also add resistances against Flying, Bug and Grass. Ice will be good cream, then.

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Agreed. Not even necessarily like those three, because they're pseudo-legendaries, but even introducing Ice-type Pokémon more in the vein of Gyarados, Scizor, Aegislash, or Aggron that are universally considered great in battle and also have that cool-factor. I guess Weavile and Mamoswine kind of fit that bill, but there should be more. Other Pokémon types have more.

Add resistances and buff their defenses. Most ice types are Glass Cannons. There are bulky ice types but the ones that come to mind are Abomasnow and Mamoswine. The first has so many weaknesses it might as well have a Shedinja healthbar and the latter can take some hits but not very well.
Offensively they're fine. The Ice Crab hits like a Hammer Arm and Blizzard never misses in a Hailstorm. Not to mention Dragon types cower in fear from them (especially that Alolan Ninetails! :D)

On further review it really boils down to resistances.

Superfox said:

Uh, isn't Fairy actually considered to be one of the best types, at least competitively? I mean, that seems to be the consensus. One can hardly play competitively without tripping over all the Fairy-types, from Clefable to all the Tapus.

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This is precisely why I said "this should be in competitive" because the phrasing and placement of this question implies that Ice is the worst type, and from a design standpoint that is so far from the truth that it's ridiculous. Because fighting and fairy-types, aesthetically speaking, are far worse in my opinion. Fighting especially, I can't think of a single Fighting-type I would call well designed. Fairy I just dislike because it's been shoehorned in.

Just stop making defensive ice types. They have very little to help themselves and don't get any benefits in hail unless you use certain moves.

Making it resist water makes sense, but other than that they should just focus on making better ice types focused on attacking. Not saying you can't play defense, but many ice types are better as straight up special attackers

Like I said make it resist normal. Rock and metal resist normal because ordinary people can't break rocks or metal. Ordinary people can't break ice too, so why not?

Agreed on making Ice resist water - it'd be a start for sure, and was the first thing I thought of before clicking the thread.

It is weird that water resists ice but not the other way around, after all.

It's main issue it its weaknesses, not lack of resistances. I agree that Ice should resist Water and Dragon, but that's not going to help the type all that much. Freeze-Dry is a neat move, but I don't really understand why it's the only Ice attack that's super effective against Water, all Ice moves should be IMO. Three of its four weaknesses were already common, and with the introduction of Fairy, all four of its weaknesses are very common. I think Rock should get removed from its weaknesses. The rest just comes to distributing stats and types correctly with Ice.