Counter Pokémon Types – A Comprehensive Guide to Type Matchups and Effectiveness

Understanding Pokémon types and type effectiveness is critical to becoming a top Pokémon trainer. Knowing which types counter and are strong against others can give you a major strategic advantage in battles. This comprehensive guide covers all 18 Pokémon types, key type matchups, and tips for countering different Pokémon types.

Overview of Pokémon Types

There are currently 18 different Pokémon types:

• Normal
• Fire
• Water
• Electric
• Grass
• Ice
• Fighting
• Poison
• Ground
• Flying
• Psychic
• Bug
• Rock
• Ghost
• Dragon
• Dark
• Steel
• Fairy

Pokémon can have one or two types, which determines their strengths, weaknesses and which moves they can learn. The key is to counter your opponents’ Pokémon types by using Types they are weak against.

For example, Fire Pokémon are weak against Water, Ground and Rock. So you would want to use those types to counter them. Knowing these matchups is vital for competitive play.

How Type Effectiveness Works

Type effectiveness multipliers are a core part of Pokémon battle mechanics. When a Pokémon uses a move that matches up against their opponent’s type, it can be super effective, not very effective, or neutral:

• Super Effective – The move deals double damage (2x multiplier)
• Not Very Effective – The move deals half damage (0.5x multiplier)
• Neutral – No change in damage (1x multiplier)

For example, a Water move used against a Fire Pokémon would be super effective. But that same Water move used against a Grass Pokémon would only be neutral.

The multipliers stack if a Pokémon has two types. So a Water move against a Rock/Ground Pokémon would do 4x damage since Water is super effective against both Rock and Ground.

Knowing these matchups is key to picking the right Pokémon and moves to counter your opponents.

Strong Against and Weak Against Chart

Here is a quick reference chart showing what each Pokémon type is strong and weak against:

Type	Strong Against	Weak Against
Normal	None	Rock, Steel
Fire	Grass, Ice, Bug, Steel	Water, Ground, Rock
Water	Fire, Ground, Rock	Electric, Grass
Electric	Water, Flying	Ground
Grass	Water, Ground, Rock	Fire, Ice, Poison, Flying, Bug
Ice	Flying, Ground, Grass, Dragon	Fire, Fighting, Rock, Steel
Fighting	Normal, Rock, Steel, Ice, Dark	Flying, Poison, Bug, Psychic, Fairy
Poison	Grass, Fairy	Ground, Psychic
Ground	Fire, Electric, Poison, Rock, Steel	Water, Grass, Ice
Flying	Fighting, Bug, Grass	Electric, Rock, Steel
Psychic	Fighting, Poison	Bug, Ghost, Dark
Bug	Grass, Psychic, Dark	Fire, Fighting, Poison, Flying, Ghost, Steel, Fairy
Rock	Fire, Ice, Flying, Bug	Fighting, Ground, Steel
Ghost	Ghost, Psychic	Dark
Dragon	Dragon	Steel, Fairy
Dark	Ghost, Psychic	Fighting, Bug, Fairy
Steel	Ice, Rock, Fairy	Fire, Fighting, Ground
Fairy	Fighting, Dragon, Dark	Poison, Steel

Refer to this chart to identify Pokémon types that have an advantage against your opponents.

Key Type Matchups and Counters

Now let’s go over some of the most important type matchups and how to counter common Pokémon types:

Countering Water Types

Water Pokémon are weak against Grass and Electric moves. Good counters include:

• Grass: Venusaur, Torterra, Breloom
• Electric: Luxray, Lanturn, Ampharos

Teach your counters Grass and Electric attacks like Energy Ball, Leaf Blade, Thunderbolt and Thunder to overpower Water types.

Countering Fire Types

Fire Pokémon are weak against Water, Ground and Rock. Use Pokémon like:

• Water: Blastoise, Feraligatr, Empoleon
• Ground: Garchomp, Hippowdon, Swampert
• Rock: Rhyperior, Gigalith, Aerodactyl

TM moves like Hydro Pump, Surf, Earthquake and Stone Edge work well.

Countering Grass Types

Use Fire, Flying, Poison, Bug and Ice types to counter Grass Pokémon. Good options include:

• Fire: Charizard, Arcanine, Infernape
• Flying: Skarmory, Togekiss, Talonflame
• Poison: Gengar, Roserade, Drapion
• Bug: Scizor, Heracross, Volcarona
• Ice: Mamoswine, Weavile, Lapras

Fire moves like Flamethrower and Fire Blast are super effective against Grass.

Countering Electric Types

Electric is countered hard by Ground types. Excellent picks include:

• Ground: Rhyperior, Garchomp, Krookodile
• Grass/Ground: Torterra, Whiscash

One Ground move and it’s game over for Electric. Earthquake, Mud Bomb and Bulldoze destroy them.

Countering Fighting Types

Psychic, Flying and Fairy types counter Fighting Pokémon well. Use:

• Psychic: Gardevoir, Metagross, Exeggutor
• Flying: Togekiss, Gyarados, Sigilyph
• Fairy: Clefable, Wigglytuff, Granbull

Psychic and Fairy moves like Psychic, Dazzling Gleam and Play Rough work great.

Countering Dragon Types

Ice, Dragon and Fairy types are excellent versus Dragon Pokémon. Pick from:

• Ice: Mamoswine, Weavile, Cloyster
• Dragon: Garchomp, Kingdra, Goodra
• Fairy: Togekiss, Gardevoir, Azumarill

Ice Beam, Blizzard and Dazzling Gleam really hurt Dragon-types.

Play to your Pokémon’s type advantages and fill your team’s gaps in coverage to counter anything your opponent throws at you!

Tips and Strategies for Countering Types

Here are some key tips to counter types strategically:

• Identify your opponent’s types and plan accordingly. Switch to Pokémon with advantageous types.
• Teach your Pokémon moves that hit types they are weak to. A Water Pokémon should know Ice and Electric moves.
• Use dual-type Pokémon to cover more matchups. For example, Empoleon (Water/Steel) beats Fire types.
• Don’t rely on one move type. Have diverse attacks to increase coverage.
• Use held items like Choice Specs to boost attacks that counter opponents.
• Set up entry hazards like Stealth Rock to hit switches hard.
• Utilize abilities like Levitate to block Ground moves.

Mastering type matchups takes practice and experience. But keeping these tips in mind will help you strategically counter any Pokémon type you face in battle.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best type overall competitively?

There is no definitively “best” type in Pokémon, as all types have strengths and weaknesses. However, some notably strong types in competitive play include Water, Steel, Fairy and Dragon due to their wide coverage and few weaknesses.

Should you try to cover all weaknesses on a team?

Not necessarily – the best teams combine some Pokémon that cover each other’s weaknesses, while others specialize at what they do best. Don’t overload on trying to cover everything.

Is it worth using Pokémon with multiple weaknesses?

Absolutely, as long as you support them. Some great Pokémon like Salamence and Garchomp have 4x weaknesses but are still top-tier threats. Cover their weaknesses with teammates and moves.

Should you have a dedicated counter to every type?

It helps to cover as many as possible, but you likely won’t have room for a direct counter to every type. Prioritize counters for the most common/dangerous threats.

How important are dual-type Pokémon?

Very important – dual types allow you to cover more matchups. For example, Empoleon handles Fire types that normally trouble Water Pokémon. Make sure to utilize dual types.

Conclusion

That wraps up this comprehensive guide on countering Pokémon types! The key is to learn type matchups inside and out and build your team to cover each other’s weaknesses. Carry the right coverage moves to hit your opponents where they are weakest.

Use this knowledge to gain the upper hand against any Pokémon type. With smart counters and type strategy, you’ll be dominating the battlefield in no time!