LearnLearn Guide for parents
How do Elemon's nine types work? Each type vs. the real element families
Elemon sorts all 118 elements into nine battle types, and each type is one region of the real periodic table: Blast is the 12 reactive metals of groups 1 and 2, Life is 7 nonmetals, Acid is 5 halogens, Noble gas is 6 noble gases, Crystal is 6 metalloids, Metal is the other 37 ordinary metals, Rare Earth is the 15 lanthanides, Nuclear is the 15 actinides, and Synthetic is the 15 lab-made elements from 104 to 118.
That sorting is the part of the game I care most about getting right, because it carries over to a real chemistry class. Here's how the types line up with real chemistry, which matchups are real science, and which are just game rules.
What is an element family?
An element family is a set of elements that behave alike, usually because they sit in the same column of the periodic table. The table has 18 columns, called groups. Elements in a group tend to react in similar ways, which is why chemists gave several of them family names:
- Alkali metals (group 1, except hydrogen): soft, shiny metals that react fast with water.
- Alkaline earth metals (group 2): reactive metals too, though calmer than the alkali metals.
- Halogens (group 17): fluorine, chlorine, bromine, iodine, astatine and tennessine. The name comes from Greek roots meaning "salt" and "to produce", because they make salts with metals (Britannica).
- Noble gases (group 18): helium, neon, argon, krypton, xenon, radon and oganesson, gases that very rarely react (Britannica).
Other families are bigger blocks rather than single columns: the transition metals in the middle, the lanthanides and actinides in the two rows usually printed underneath, and the metalloids along the zigzag between metals and nonmetals.
Groups vs. families: a group is simply a column number. A family is a name for elements that act alike. For groups 1, 2, 17 and 18, the two mean the same thing. For the middle of the table, "transition metals" covers ten columns at once.
Which real element families are in each Elemon type?
Every element has exactly one type, so a kid who knows the type knows roughly where the element lives on the real table. These are the real assignments from the game's card data:
| Elemon type | Real elements inside it | How many | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blast | Alkali metals and alkaline earth metals (groups 1 and 2) | 12 | Sodium, Potassium, Calcium |
| Life | Hydrogen, carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus, sulfur, selenium | 7 | Hydrogen, Carbon, Oxygen |
| Acid | Halogens: fluorine, chlorine, bromine, iodine, astatine | 5 | Fluorine, Chlorine, Iodine |
| Noble gas | Helium, neon, argon, krypton, xenon, radon | 6 | Helium, Neon, Argon |
| Crystal | Metalloids: boron, silicon, germanium, arsenic, antimony, tellurium | 6 | Boron, Silicon, Germanium |
| Metal | Transition metals (including zinc, cadmium and mercury) plus aluminum, gallium, indium, tin, thallium, lead, bismuth and polonium | 37 | Iron, Gold, Aluminum |
| Rare Earth | Lanthanides, lanthanum to lutetium | 15 | Neodymium, Europium |
| Nuclear | Actinides, actinium to lawrencium | 15 | Uranium, Plutonium |
| Synthetic | Elements 104 to 118, made in labs | 15 | Tennessine, Oganesson |
That adds up to 118. In the Elemondex, each card's color is its type, so the real table turns into nine colored regions you can see at a glance:
- Blast 12
- Life 7
- Acid 5
- Noble gas 6
- Crystal 6
- Metal 37
- Rare Earth 15
- Nuclear 15
- Synthetic 15
Who beats who? The Elemon matchup chart
Hitting a type you beat does double damage (×2). A type that resists you takes half (×½). Everything else is a normal hit. Some matchups come from real chemistry; others are game rules that keep battles fair, and the chart says which is which.
| Matchup | Why | Real science or game rule? |
|---|---|---|
| Blast beats Life ×2 | Reactive metals react violently with water, and living things are mostly water. | Real science |
| Acid beats Metal ×2 | Halogens react with and corrode many metals. | Real science |
| Noble gas beats Blast ×2 | Inert gases can smother burning by keeping oxygen out. Argon is used to protect reactive metals for exactly this reason. | Real science |
| Metal beats Nuclear ×2 | Dense metals like lead shield against radiation. | Real science |
| Nuclear beats Life ×2 | Ionizing radiation damages living cells. | Real science |
| Life beats Rare Earth ×2 | Oxygen reacts readily with rare-earth metals, which tarnish in air. | Real science |
| Rare Earth beats Metal ×2 | Rare-earth magnets, like neodymium magnets, pull strongly on iron. | Real science |
| Crystal beats Noble gas ×2 | Precision pierces evasion. | Game rule |
| Metal beats Crystal ×2 | Brittle crystals shatter against metal. | Game rule |
| Crystal resists Acid ×½ | Glass, made from silicon, shrugs off most acids. Hydrofluoric acid is the famous exception: it etches glass. | Real science |
| Noble gas resists Acid ×½ | Noble gases barely react with anything. | Real science |
| Metal resists Blast ×½ | Armor soaks up blasts. | Game rule |
Synthetic is wild. Synthetic elements have only ever been made a few atoms at a time, and many last seconds or less, so nobody really knows how they would behave. In the game, each Synthetic hit rolls ×½, ×1 or ×2, and hits against Synthetic are always normal.
The real-science lines are true, but they are real phenomena, not universal laws. Oxygen tarnishes rare-earth metals, but how fast depends on the metal, the heat and the air. Halogens corrode many metals, but gold and platinum hold out against most of them. The chart captures a tendency a kid can remember, not a rule that always holds.
What does each type do in a battle?
Each type also has one small power of its own, so a team of five different types plays five different ways:
| Type | Power | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Blast | +1 power on every hit | Reactive metals give up electrons fast. |
| Life | Heals 1 HP at the end of each round | Living things grow back. |
| Acid | Every hit leaves 1 poison damage for the end of the round | Corrosion keeps working after contact. |
| Noble gas | Dodges 1 in 4 hits | Hard to touch: they barely react. |
| Crystal | Hits go through Guard, Metal armor and dodges | Precision. |
| Metal | Takes 1 less damage from every hit | Armor. |
| Rare Earth | Magnet: a hit stops the rival switching out next round | Rare-earth magnets. |
| Nuclear | +2 power, but each hit costs it 1 HP | Radioactive atoms release energy as they break down. |
| Synthetic | Wild roll on every hit | Made in labs, gone in a blink. |
Cards that bond in real life, like hydrogen and oxygen (water) or sodium and chlorine (salt), add +1 to every hit when they're on the same team.
Where does Elemon simplify real chemistry?
Elemon simplifies in a few places, and I'd rather tell you than have a teacher find them. None of them make the game teach something false about a single element, but the types are a game rule, not a chemistry law.
- Three matchups are pure game rules. Crystal beats Noble gas, Metal beats Crystal, and Metal resists Blast are there to give every type an answer. The chart marks them.
- Borderline elements had to pick a side. Chemists don't fully agree where some elements belong. Polonium is sometimes called a metalloid; Elemon puts it in Metal. Astatine is a halogen but barely studied; it's Acid. Hydrogen sits above the alkali metals on the table but is a nonmetal gas, so it's Life, not Blast.
- Life is a short list. Many elements matter to living things, including metals like iron and calcium. Life is just the nonmetals bodies are mostly built from, plus selenium.
- Tennessine and oganesson are Synthetic, not Acid or Noble gas. They sit in the halogen and noble gas columns, but they've only been made a few atoms at a time, so Elemon files them with the other lab-made elements. Oganesson's card even says scientists think it might not act noble at all.
What are metals, nonmetals and metalloids?
Metals, nonmetals and metalloids are the three broad kinds of element, and Elemon's types follow that split closely. Most elements, more than three quarters of them, are metals.
| Kind | What it's like | Where it is | Elemon types |
|---|---|---|---|
| Metals | Shiny, bendy, carry electricity and heat | Left side and middle | Blast, Metal, Rare Earth, Nuclear |
| Nonmetals | Often gases or crumbly solids, don't carry electricity well | Upper right | Life, Acid, Noble gas |
| Metalloids | In between: some act a bit like metals, some like nonmetals | Along the zigzag line | Crystal |
A good way to show this to a kid is the zigzag itself: metals to its left, nonmetals to its right, metalloids sitting on it. Silicon, the "brain" of computer chips, is the famous metalloid.
How do I use the types to teach element families?
Use the type as a label your kid already cares about, then attach the real family name to it. A short script that works:
- Open the Elemondex and tap the Blast filter. Ask: "These are the two columns on the far left. What are they called?" (Alkali metals and alkaline earth metals.)
- Tap Acid. "All five are in one column. What's the real name?" (Halogens, the salt-makers.)
- Tap Crystal and find the zigzag. These are the metalloids.
- Tap Rare Earth and Nuclear: the two rows printed underneath the table.
- Play a match on Easy and say the real family name every time a type wins.
For a full plan, see how to teach kids the periodic table without memorizing it. If you're new to the game, start with the parent's guide.
Frequently asked questions
How many types does Elemon have?
Nine: Blast, Life, Acid, Noble gas, Crystal, Metal, Rare Earth, Nuclear and Synthetic. Every element has exactly one.
Are Elemon types the same as element groups?
Not exactly. Blast is groups 1 and 2 without hydrogen, Acid is group 17, and Noble gas is group 18, each without its superheavy member. The other types are blocks of the table: the metalloids, the everyday metals, the lanthanides, the actinides and the lab-made elements.
Which matchups are real science?
Seven of the nine ×2 matchups and two of the three resists come from real chemistry or physics, such as lead blocking radiation and halogens corroding metals. Crystal beats Noble gas, Metal beats Crystal and Metal resists Blast are game rules.
Why are oxygen and nitrogen not Noble gas type?
They're gases, but they aren't noble gases. Noble gas type is only group 18, the gases that barely react. Oxygen and nitrogen react plenty, and living things are built from them, so they're Life.
How many elements are in each Elemon type?
Blast has 12, Life 7, Acid 5, Noble gas 6, Crystal 6, Metal 37, Rare Earth 15, Nuclear 15 and Synthetic 15, for 118 in total.
Want to see the types in action? Play a match and watch which type wins each hit.