With 17 different types all with strengths and weaknesses, the Pokémon series offers complex turn-based strategy. Read below to learn about the different types, click the links below for more.
Bug Pokémon
- Strong: Dark, Grass, Psychic
- Weak: Fire, Flying, Rock
Strengths against Dark and Psychic is great, but strong Bug Pokémon are rare. Most aren't very useful except in the beginning of the game.
Dark Pokémon
- Strong: Ghost, Psychic
- Weak: Bug, Fighting
- Special: Immune to Psychic
Dark Pokémon offer a very specialized counter to Ghost/Psychic types, and typically offer unique moves, but unfortunately, are simply too narrowly focused for widespread use.
Dragon Pokémon
- Strong: Dragon
- Weak: Ice, Dragon
- Special: Levels slowly, huge stats
Dragons are usually combined with the Flying type, and typically have enormous, near-legendary stats.
This type is powerful against most, but care must be taken to avoid the crippling 4x Ice weakness.
Electric Pokémon
- Strong: Flying, Water
- Weak: Ground
Electric is mostly a Water type counter for Pokémon trainers with a dislike for Grass types' numerous weaknesses.
Ground grinds these Pokémon to a halt, however, and their lack of move variety is a serious downfall.
Fighting Pokémon
- Strong: Dark, Ice, Normal, Rock, Steel
- Weak: Flying, Psychic
Enormous attack stats combined with five total strengths, and oftentimes varied movelists, makes Fighting Pokémon beasts.
A truly valuable offensive asset to any team - however - Fighting types' frail defenses result in frequent KOs for careless trainers.
Fire Pokémon
- Strong: Bug, Grass, Ice, Steel
- Weak: Ground, Rock, Water
Fire type Pokémon offer strong counters to Grass and Steel. However, its weaknesses create a large list of powerful attacks to watch out for.
A strong Fire type can be just what a Pokémon team needs - but not every team needs one.
Flying Pokémon
- Strong: Bug, Fighting, Grass
- Weak: Electric, Ice, Rock
- Special: Immune to Ground
Almost all Flying types are mixed with Normal.
With fairly balanced strengths/weaknesses and high speed/attack stats, Flying type Pokémon work well as an offensive member of the team, though they're typically out-shined by Fighting and Ground types.
Ghost Pokémon
- Strong: Ghost, Psychic
- Weak: Dark, Ghost
- Special: Immune to Normal and Fighting
With few exceptions, Ghost is typically a trickster/annoyer/staller type. They work well for this purpose, as they have two immunities and numerous tricky moves.
Ghost works great against its strengths, but the Ghost type itself is a challenge to use effectively, requiring a keen mind for strategy.
Grass Pokémon
- Strong: Ground, Rock, Water
- Weak: Bug, Fire, Flying, Ice, Poison
- Special: Leech Seed
This type offers great strengths (particularly against Water), but also great weaknesses. Leech Seed deserves special mention as it's one of the greatest moves in the game.
Ground Pokémon
- Strong: Electric, Fire, Poison, Rock, Steel
- Weak: Grass, Ice, Water
With five strengths and one of the best offensive attacks in the game (Earthquake), Ground is a great offensive Pokémon type.
Unfortunately, its weaknesses covers plenty of powerful attacks as well.
Ice Pokémon
- Strong: Dragon, Flying, Grass, Ground
- Weak: Fighting, Fire, Rock, Steel
Ice rarely appears by itself - usually a combination of Water/Ice. As far as attack is concerned, Ice is almost an absolute essential, as it offers the only truly reliable counter to Dragon/Flying.
Ice attacks are great, but (for the most part), an Ice type Pokémon is somewhat unnecessary.
Normal Pokémon
- Strong: (nothing)
- Weak: Fighting
- Special: Immune to Ghost
Normal attacks are not strong against anything, but then again are only weak when attacking Rock and Steel.
A few Normal Pokémon offer extraordinary power, but most are simply average. Typically speaking, avoid using Normal Pokémon.
Poison Pokémon
- Strong: Grass
- Weak: Ground, Psychic
An often overlooked type, Poison combines strong offenses and defenses.
Poison works most effectively against Fighting, and usually other offensive types, as Poison typically offers huge defense stats and HP-draining moves.
Pyschic Pokémon
- Strong: Fighting, Poison
- Weak: Bug, Dark, Ghost
Psychic types sport immense special attack, and can typically learn elemental attacks for large move variety. Thunderbolt/Psychic is actually a famous combination for having no weakness.
Psychic's main weakness, aside from Dark, is frail defenses and low HP, resulting in frequent KOs.
Rock Pokémon
- Strong: Bug, Fire, Flying, Ice
- Weak: Fighting, Grass, Ground, Steel, Water
Once thought of as the defensive types, Rock is now unfortunately second-rate compared to Steel, which simply has far more resistances.
Rock Slide - one of the few powerful rock attacks - is usually available to learn by non-Rock types through the Move Tutor or a TM (Fighting types usually), making the Rock type even less desirable.
Rock Type Guide
Steel Pokémon
- Strong: Ice, Rock
- Weak: Fighting, Fire, Ground
- Special: Immune to Poison
Steel resists 11 types, has one immunity, and is only weak against Fighting, Rock, and Ground.
Any Pokémon team missing a strong defensive type should look for a Steel Pokémon, as they usually work well indeed.
Water Pokémon
- Strong: Fire, Ground, Rock
- Weak: Electric, Grass
Water is one of the most common types in the game, with numerous combos with other types, offering a large variety of choice for one of the most powerful Pokémon types in the game.
Electric and Grass are this Pokémon's only weaknesses, and both are typically easy to see coming.
Water is one of the only must-have types in the game. Very few Pokémon teams function properly without a strong Water type.
Conclusion
Pokémon's numerous types can be offputting for new players. Hopefully this guide has helped new and veteran gamers alike to sort out the numerous Pokémon types.
Bradley Kairis - Bradley Kairis loves games, comedy, technology, politics, news and journalism. From the endlessly intricate strategies of Magic the ...
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