Pokémon fans desperate to see one type reworked with Generation 10

Every Pokémon is someone’s favorite, no matter whether you’re looking at cute, cuddly critters or ferocious beasts. If you’re talking about Ice-type ‘mon, though, the pool of potential fans melts down to a much smaller group, as proven in a fan discussion about the long-bemoaned type.

This Pokémon type has been a topic of fierce debate for its design in the video games, particularly in recent generations. While some Ice critters are undeniably adorable—looking at you, Snom—they’re not the most durable and can seem weak compared to other categories.

A frustrated player declared that the Pokémon video games should stop making Ice creatures rare and hard to come across, as they didn’t feel special enough or strong enough to warrant being a late-game find, pointing to Fairy-types as the better option.

“Yeah, they are strong against Dragon types…but so are Fairy types,” the player continued, saying that Fairy-type Pokémon deserved more love for being easier to come across and offering a strong source of damage against Dragon Pokémon.

Other players were inclined to agree with the Ice-type slander, with many calling for the type to get the “Gen 5 Bug type treatment,” referencing the strong variety of Bug Pokémon in Unova that gave the previously disliked and under-used type a new image.

One reader elaborated on this, saying, “Before Gen 5, Bug was a joke. For the most part, pretty bad ‘mons with bad moves. But in Gen 5 not only were there a good amount of bug Pokémon, they had really cool designs and good stats.”

Some players theorized about how Ice-types could feel stronger, with one saying that the only thing that needed to change was the type’s defensive stats. Others wished for a wider variety of Ice-types earlier on in the game or for the pool of Pokémon that can learn strong Ice moves to be cut in half to make them feel meaningful.

Changing the position of Ice-type Gyms in the Pokémon was another popular suggestion in this thread. Players pointed out that the majority of Ice-type Gym Leaders fell into the seventh or eighth slots in the games when they could theoretically be early-game battles instead.

Not everyone was willing to dunk on Ice-types, though. A few questioned whether Ice-types really needed a rework in future generations, while others disliked the idea of finding them in the early game as they felt it would lead them away from feeling special and rare.

A VGC fan chimed in with their experiences, saying that Snow teams were “solid” and that the real issue was the lack of an Ice-type pivot move for easier movement in battle, elaborating, “An Ice pivot would elevate Ice-type to perfection.”

Whether you’re a fan of Ice-types or think they’re in dire need of a refresh, it’ll be interesting to see whether they get any extra love in the next generation of the Pokémon video games. It remains one of the most divisive types in the franchise, giving the Bug type a run for its money.