Hello, and welcome to the second course of pokemon training articles. This is a shorter course than the 100 series, as it deals exclusively with types.
The first thing to look at, of course, is the types of the pokemon themselves. The type a pokemon has (or types) affects a lot about the pokemon. Which moves are more or less effective against it, immunities to moves and sometimes status effects, and which moves the pokemon is stronger when attacking with are all affected by the type the pokemon is.
I could sit here and discuss all the types at you in one long mishmash, but chances are you’re going to want to look at this article as a go-to for ‘what does this type mean’, so instead I’m going to analyze the types and type combinations one by one, and at the same time provide you with a list of which pokemon are of that type or pair of types.
For the sake of sanity, I’m going to go in alphabetical order through the individual types, and then through the type combinations. This is going to mean a lot of entries, so please bear with. Remember, most web browsers contain a helpful ‘search’ function that you can use to search the page for a given word, if you’re looking for a particular pokemon or a particular pokemon type.
So, without further ado, here are the types.
Bug:
If it’s an incect, arachnid, cephalopod, or other skittery/crawly thing, it’s likely to be a Bug-type. Bug type pokemon are often either lightweight defensively and fast, or slow and tough.
Weaknesses: Fire, Flying, Rock. Also, in the first generation games, Bug was weak to Poison.
Resistances: Fighting, Grass, Ground.
Analysis: Not a terribly bad typing thanks to a narrow array of weaknesses. In the most recent generations, Bug has finally been getting paired with a wider variety of second types, which it has needed badly. Most of the types it was originally paired with either exacerbated its weaknesses, or eliminated its resistances while adding new weaknesses.
Pokemon: Caterpie, Metapod, Pinsir, Pineco, Wurmple, Silcoon, Cascoon, Volbeat, Illumise, Kricketot, Kricketune, Burmy, Karrablast, Shelmet, Accelgor.
Dark:
These pokemon are usually the sort of creature you would envision as vicious, underhanded, sneaky, or cowardly. This does not mean that the individual pokemon are necessarily cruel or evil- simply that they are similar to the sort of creature you would expect such actions from.
Weaknesses: Bug, Fighting.
Resistances: Ghost, Dark.
Immunities: Psychic.
Analysis: This is a fairly strong type for a pokemon to have. The type was created primarily as a result of the immense power Psychic types used to have, being weak only to Bug (which did not at the time have any significant moves) and Ghost (which possessed only Lick to take advantage of that). Dark types are often capable of Ghost moves as well, which is advantageous. Dark as a type doesn’t have much in the way of tendencies, although physical attack power is a bit prevalent.
Pokemon: Umbreon, Poochyena, Mightyena, Absol, Darkrai, Purrloin, Liepard, Zorua, Zoroark.
Dragon:
These pokemon are often ‘pseudo-legendary’, hard to get ahold of. This fits in with the mythical nature of dragons outside of as well as within the pokemon world itself. These pokemon often evolve late, wind up with many powerful stats, and have access to a wide array of powerful moves.
Weaknesses: Dragon, Ice.
Resistances: Fire, Electric, Grass, Water.
Analysis: Not a bad type to have. People are often prepared for dragons, however, and ice moves are fairly prevalent in the metagame. If you have a bit of care and don’t bring a dragon out recklessly against water or ice types, however, it can often soak up or shrug off most attacks. The resistances to fire, electric, and water are very handy, grass not so much.
Pokemon: Dratini, Dragonair, Bagon, Shellgon, Axew, Fraxure, Haxorus, Druddigon.
Electric:
Pokemon of the Electric type are most often fast, fragile, and powerful attackers. Most salient are Electrode, one of the fastest ‘mon in the game, and Raichu, a very balanced attacker despite its fragility. These pokemon take many forms, so it’s hard to predict what will be electric. Interestingly, their exceptions to the rule (Ampharos, a slow, bulky special attacker comes to mind) tend to be very strong as well.
Weaknesses: Ground.
Resistances: Electric, Flying, Steel.
Analysis: If it weren’t for the common use of Earthquake pretty much everywhere, Electric would be an amazing type. Even given that, it’s still quite strong. Flying or levitating electric types have a very easy time, and the presence of Magnet Rise to give your electric types Levitate is an immense boon. Of course, this is not as good as it could be with the low defenses of most Electric type pokemon, but at least you don’t have to worry about a wide array of super-effective attacks.
Pokemon: Pikachu, Raichu, Voltorb, Electrode, Jolteon, Pichu, Mareep, Flaafy, Ampharos, Elekid, Raikou, Electrike, Manectric, Plusle, Minun, Shinx, Luxio, Luxray, Pachirisu, Electivire, Blitzle, Zebstrika, Tynamo, Eelectrik, Eelektross.
Fighting:
Fighting-type pokemon are usually humanoid in shape, and even those that aren’t are clearly either martial-arts oriented or simply absurdly strong-looking in a physical sense. If it’s got muscles bulging, there’s a good chance it’s a Fighting pokemon. If it looks like a martial artist, it’s also probably a Fighting pokemon. There are some odd exceptions of mixed-type, but pure Fighting types are pretty obvious.
Weaknesses: Flying, Psychic.
Resistances: Dark, Rock.
Analysis: Not the best type to have. Resistance to Dark is okay, but the Rock resistance is comparatively useless. By contrast, the weaknesses aren’t terrible, but Aerial Ace is a flying move that is available to more than half the pokemon in existence (including such absurdities as Aerial Ace Dugtrio) and Psychic moves are decently common as well. You’ll want to be cautious with Fighting type pokemon, but paranoia isn’t warranted, and you certainly shouldn’t bypass a pokemon on the basis of its being a Fighting pokemon.
Pokemon: Mankey, Primeape, Machop, Machoke, Machamp, Hitmonlee, Hitmonchan, Tyrogue, Hitmontop, Makuhita, Hariyama, Riolu, Timburr, Gurdurr, Conkledurr, Throh, Sawk, Mienfoo, Mienshao
Fire:
Fire-type pokemon are almost universally obvious. They’re on fire (so ninjas can’t catch them). These include salamander-equivalents, magma beasts, and less obvious things like Torkoal (Which is a burning, smoky incense turtle. Yeah.). Most fire-types are, like electric-types, fast and powerful but fragile, but the aforementioned Torkoal is one of the surprising exceptions, being a very tough physical tank.
Weaknesses: Ground, Rock, Water.
Resistances: Bug, Fire, Grass, Ice, Steel.
Immunities: Burn status.
Analysis: You would think, looking at the five resistances, that Fire would be an excellent type for a pokemon to have, but it’s actually the opposite. Ground, Rock, and Water are all very common types for powerful attack moves on a wide array of pokemon, so it can be hard to get a fire-type going. If you can fit it into your team, right, though, their access to Solarbeam and frequent access to a variety of fire and rock attacks makes them quite potent- so long as you keep them away from things faster than them or too bulky for them to take out.
Pokemon: Charmander, Charmeleon, Vulpix, Ninetales, Growlithe, Arcanine, Ponyta, Rapidash, Magmar, Flareon, Cyndaquil, Quilava, Typhlosion, Slugma, Magby, Entei, Torchic, Torkoal, Chimchar, Magmortar, Tepig, Pansear, Simusear, Darumaka, Darmanitan (normal), Heatmor.
Flying:
Flying is a very unusual type- thus far, there are only two pure-Flying type pokemon, and one of those is Arceus with the Wing Plate. The other is Tornadus, which is a Legendary- or something close to it. Either way, the Flying type does not in and of itself have characteristics. Whatever it’s combined with, however, is usually a bit faster than the other type typically is, and usually Flying-type pokemon are better at physical attacks than special attacks- but this is by no means a large majority.
Weaknesses: Electric, Ice, Rock.
Resistances: Bug, Fighting, Grass.
Immunity: Ground.
Analysis: Flying type is usually either a great boon or a great problem. A Bug/Flying, for instance, is usually even more fragile than it otherwise would be, but a Normal/Flying type tears apart ghosts and grass pokemon like nobody’s business. You have to pay close attention to what type Flying is paired with, that will tell you whether or not the Flying is a good thing. On the upside, most Flying-types gain access to Roost, one of the two most reliable HP-recovery moves available in the game- and one that temporarily removes the Flying type when used. At least Flying grants immunity to the ubiquitous Earthquake.
Pokemon: Tornadus.
Ghost:
Ghost is an odd type- reserved entirely for the undead, death-related or animate. This ranges from spirits like Misdreavus and reaper-equivalents like Dusknoir on to stranger things like Jellicent and Golurk. Ghost types tend to have strong special attacking ability, but beyond that they can range from the very solid Dusknoir to the supremely fragile Banette.
Weaknesses: Dark, Ghost.
Resistances: Bug, Poison.
Immunities: Fighting, Normal.
Analysis: Ghost is an excellent defensive typing as long as it’s not paired wrong. Since ghosts are typically capable of both Ghost and Dark moves, they tend to be excellent Psychic-breakers- unless they’re also part Poison, a failing of the original Ghost pokemon Gastly, Haunter, and Gengar. Their immunities are very useful, but the lack of significant resistances is fairly offputting.
Pokemon: Misdreavus, Shuppet, Banette, Duskull, Dusclops, Mismagius, Dusknoir, Yamask, Cofagrigus.
Grass:
Grass types are plants- and also a number of bizarre creatures that are part-plant. This type includes one of the oddest pokemon in the game, Tangela, which looks like nothing so much as a knot of yarn. Grass types tend to have very strong special attack, and while rarely fast, they are usually quite sturdy. They also tend to have access to a variety of status-effect moves, especially Poisonpowder, Stun Spore, and Sleep Powder.
Weaknesses: Bug, Fire, Flying, Ice, Poison.
Resistances: Electric, Grass, Ground, Water.
Analysis: This is actually a really poor typing in most cases. Grass is often paired with poison to the detriment of both, as although it cancels out Poison’s weakness to Ground attacks, it adds on an array of weaknesses in exchange for two significant and two relatively low-impact resistances. Most of the time, you will be picking a mixed Grass pokemon and you will likely pick it for the sake of its other type more than its Grass type. On the upside, Grass grants a large number of moves with interesting effects that can be taken advantage of, as well as two different sleep-inducing moves.
Pokemon: Tangela, Chikorita, Bayleef, Meganium, Bellossom, Sunkern, Sunflora, Treecko, Grovyle, Sceptile, Seedot, Shroomish, Cacnea, Turtwig, Grotle, Cherubi, Cherrim, Carnivine, Tangrowth, Leafeon, Shaymin (Land), Snivy, Servine, Serperior, Pansage, Simisage, Cottonee, Whimsicott, Petlil, Lilligant, Maractus.
Ground:
Ground type pokemon are a bit of a mixed bag. Generally, if it’s made of dirt or you can expect it to be digging, it’s probably a Ground type. Also, if it’s made of rock, it’s probably a Ground type as well as a rock type, and while that makes sense much of the time, it’s not always a good thing. Ground types are everywhere, and it’s an unusual trainer who doesn’t have one lurking around -somewhere-. As with some other types, Ground pokemon tend to be either fast and powerful, or slow and tough.
Weaknesses: Grass, Ice, Water.
Resistances: Poison, Rock.
Immunities: Electric.
Analysis: Along with Dragon, Ground is one of the reasons Ice Beam is so common. As a defensive type, it’s so-so, as Ice and Water moves are fairly easily found, but it carries immunity to electric attacks. Rock and Poison moves aren’t seen so much, making those resistances less important.
Pokemon: Sandshrew, Sandslash, Diglett, Dugtrio, Cubone, Marowak, Phanpy, Donfan, Trapinch, Groudon, Hippopotas, Hippowdon, Drillbur.
Ice:
Ice pokemon are those that live in the coldest places. Many of them are made of ice, some of them are covered in it, and a few are simply adapted to it. Ice pokemon tend to be slow but powerful, or fast and powerful, though the type does include a few impressive walls. Ice is one of the less common types, and they tend to be hard to obtain in any game.
Weaknesses: Fire, Fighting, Rock, Steel.
Resistances: Ice.
Analysis: This is a pretty terrible defensive type. The wide variety of weaknesses makes it easy to beat on an Ice type, even if those attack types aren’t as common. The lack of resistances only worsens the issue. Fortunately, Ice is usually shored up with another more useful type, but it really shouldn’t have to be.
Pokemon: Snorunt, Glalie, Regice, Glaceon, Vanillite, Vanillish, Vanilluxe, Cubchoo, Beartic, Cryogonal.
Normal:
Normal types are just regular animals. If it doesn’t have any particular element, doesn’t seem terribly cunning, and isn’t mostly muscle mass, it’s likely to be a normal type. From Chansey to Ursaring, Normal types have a variety of purposes- but the ones that are especially fast tend not to be terribly strong -or- tough. Steady and reliable is the name of the game for a Normal type.
Weaknesses: Fighting.
Resistances: None.
Immunity: Ghost.
Analysis: Normal isn’t a bad type at all, defensively. It brings very little to a type-combination, but there’s next to nothing that loses ground from being mixed with Normal. Just don’t expect anything extraordinary out of them. In terms of move availability, however, Normal types tend to get the most access out of anyone, reaching deeply into Fighting, Dark, and Psychic for moves and also dipping into Fire, Ice, and Electric with decent frequency.
Pokemon: Rattata, Raticate, Clefairy, Clefable, Jigglypuff, Wigglytuff, Meowth, Persian, Lickitung, Chansey, Kangaskhan, Tauros, Ditto, Eevee, Porygon, Snorlax, Sentret, Furret, Cleffa, Igglybuff, Togepi, Aipom, Dunsparce, Snubbull, Granbull, Teddiursa, Ursaring, Porygon2, Stantler, Smeargle, Miltank, Blissey, Zigzagoon, Linoone, Slakoth, Vigoroth, Slaking, Whismur, Loudred, Exploud, Azurill, Skitty, Delcatty, Spinda, Zangoose, Castform, Kecleon, Bidoof, Ambipom, Buneary, Lopunny, Glameow, Purugly, Happiny, Munchlax, Lickilicky, Porygon-Z, Regigigas, Patrat, Watchog, Lilipup, Herdier, Stoutland, Audino, Minccino, Cincinno, Bouffalant.
Poison:
Poison types fit three molds (oh gods the pun): Poisonous (if you bite it you get sick), Venomous (if it bites you you get sick), and Pollution (it bites that it makes the world sick). If it fits one of those three categories, it’s probably a Poison type. From piles of trash and scum to hazardous plants to dangerous fish and skunks, Poison is a broad-reaching type. Look for it anywhere- it’s tough enough to survive there.
Weaknesses: Ground, Psychic. (In the first set of games, it also used to be weak to Bug.)
Resistances: Bug (2nd generation on), Fighting, Grass, Poison.
Immunities: Poison status.
Analysis: Poison is an excellent type defensively. Poisoning is one of the stronger status effects in the game, especially with ‘badly poisoned’ and the climbing damage from that, and four resistances is an excellent exchange for weakness to Psychic (which is not as common as it might be) and Ground (which is usually fairly easy to see coming). Poison types tend to get odd move availability, especially when Poison is paired with a different type. Because Poison types tend to be hardier than their non- Poison counterparts, they make excellent tanks, surprisingly durable sweepers, and often fairly good walls.
Pokemon: Ekans, Arbok, Nidoran (M/F), Nidorino, Nidorina, Grimer, Muk, Koffing, Weezing, Gulpin, Swalot, Seviper, Trubbish, Garbodor.
Psychic:
Psychic types are all about the mind. And, for some reason, they’re often yellow. Things that break your brain, manipulate the world with their mind, and think very hard are of this type, which is actually not terribly common. Psychic types can be fearsome in combat with their special attacks.
Weaknesses: Bug, Dark, Ghost.
Resistances: Fighting, Psychic.
Analysis: Psychic used to be The Type. With weaknesses to Bug (which had only three damaging attacks which were only available to relatively weak pokemon) and Ghost (which had only one attack discounting the fixed-damage Night Shade) and resistance to their own type and Fighting, as well as high speed and massive special attack, Psychic types were incredibly dangerous. Dark was quickly introduced, though, and it’s a rare team that doesn’t have at least two strong Dark and/or Bug moves to quickly obliterate any Psychic types that try to rule the field. That said, if you can keep it alive (much easier than it could be thanks to Recover), a Psychic type can deal out impressive damage with typical access to nearly every type’s special attacks. Consider Psychic pokemon very carefully, whether for use or when facing them.
Pokemon: Abra, Kadabra, Alakazam, Drowzee, Hypno, Mr. Mime, Mewtwo, Mew, Espeon, Unown, Wobbuffet, Ralts, Kirlia, Gardevoir, Spoink, Grumpig, Chimecho, Wynaut, Deoxys, Chingling, Mime Jr., Uxie, Mesprit, Azelf, Cresselia, Munna, Musharna, Gothita, Gothorita, Gothitelle, Solosis, Duosion, Reuniclus, Elgyem, Beeheeyem.
Rock:
The original go-to defensive type, Rock pokemon are hard and sturdy. Often slow and tough, these pokemon almost invariably appear to be made out of their namesake material, though crystals may also be present. Rugged, mountainous areas are where to find them, and they endure things with similar patience.
Weaknesses: Fighting, Grass, Ground, Water.
Resistances: Flying, Fire, Normal, Poison.
Analysis: Not the best type defensively by a long ways. Despite their universally huge physical defense, Rock types still take a massive beating from Ground and Fighting moves- which usually come from pokemon with attack power comparable to their defenses. Water and Grass being primarily special attacks which aim at their terrible special defense is just insult onto injury. That said, many of the pokemon that are defensively good do happen to come from this type- you just need to be very careful using them. On the upside, they usually gain access to a lot of powerful physical attacks to back up their own physical bulk.
Pokemon: Sudowoodo, Nosepass, Regirock, Cranidos, Rampardos, Bonsly, Roggenrolla, Boldore, Gigalith.
Steel:
Having long-since supplanted Rock as the go-to for defense, Steel is its superior in nearly every respect. Steel pokemon are made of metal at least in part, and tend to match that metal in unflinching resilience and resistance to any opponent. Some Steel-type pokemon are mechanical, but others are organic-looking, with metallic plates worked into their armor or hide.
Weaknesses: Fighting, Fire, Ground.
Resistances: Bug, Dark, Dragon, Flying, Ghost, Grass, Ice, Normal, Psychic, Rock, Steel
Immunities: Poison, Poison status.
Analysis: This is pretty much it for defense types. Resistances coming out its ears, complete immunity to the hazardous Poison status and the usual associated moves, and a narrow range of three weaknesses makes Steel types, especially mixed with the correct other type, the ultimate in walling ability. As with Rock, they tend to have relatively poor special defense, but their physical defense is usually so sky-high that this isn’t too bad of a weakness, especially given the wide array of resistances. Most Steel types also have access to a number of strong physical attacks, though this type tends to be less powerful on offense than the older Rock type. There are very few reasons to resist using a Steel type pokemon, and they mostly only count if the rest of your team is all or almost all weak to an element that Steel-types are weak to.
Pokemon: Mawile, Registeel, Klink, Klang, Klinklang.
Water:
Water types are very common, and this is not without reason. If it lives in the water, even just part of the time, it’s most likely a water type. Fish, seals, whales, amphibians, water-living reptiles, jellyfish, ancient sea creatures, crabs, octopi- you name it. This is probably the most diverse type in the game, with representation in every environment short of deserts (obviously). Many water pokemon are quite durable, though whether they are fast or slow, physically or specially powerful, or simply giant walls varies immensely.
Weaknesses: Grass, Electric.
Resistances: Fire, Ice, Steel, Water.
Analysis: Water is second only to Steel for defensive typing. If ever a Water/Steel pokemon with strong defenses is made, it will likely destroy the metagame for all other walls. With only two weaknesses, resistance to its own type (a common attack type), and a small array of other useful resistances, Water is only helped by the fact that most of the pokemon of its type are quite durable. If that weren’t enough, Water pokemon tend to get access to Ice moves, and a number of other useful attacks of varying types, though which moves is highly variable. This makes unpredictability another strength for many Water type pokemon.
Pokemon: Squirtle, Wartortle, Blastoise, Psyduck, Golduck, Poliwag, Poliwhirl, Seel, Shellder, Krabby, Kingler, Horsea, Seadra, Goldeen, Seaking, Staryu, Magikarp, Vaporeon, Totodile, Croconaw, Feraligatr, Marill, Azumarill, Politoed, Remoraid, Octillery, Suicune, Mudkip, Wailmer, Wailord, Corphish, Feebas, Milotic, Clamperl, Huntail, Gorebyss, Luvdisc, Kyogre, Piplup, Prinplup, Buizel, Floatzel, Shellos, Finneon, Lumineon, Manaphy, Phione, Oshawott, Dewott, Samurott, Panpour, Simipour, Tympole, Basculin, Alomomola.