Highlights

  • Pokemon's battle system has stood the test of time, with new twists in each generation to keep things interesting.
  • Pokemon types and their interactions are a fundamental aspect of the battle system, with moves of the same type receiving a bonus.
  • Different type combinations have different offensive strengths and weaknesses, leading to strategic choices in team building.

Despite some issues, Pokemon’s battle system has stood the test of time, with every new generation bringing new twists of its own to keep things interesting. One of the pillars of this system is Pokemon’s types and their interactions.

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Each Pokemon can have a maximum of two types, leading to countless rock, paper, scissors-like interactions across the roster. Moves of a certain type are powered up when used by Pokemon of the same type, as this grants them a same-type attack bonus also known as STAB, having two excellent offensive types can make a Pokemon quite powerful. While there are a lot of possible combinations, these are the ones that do the best offensively.

Updated on February 8, 2024, by Ashely Claudino: There are dozens of Pokemon type combinations, and as the metagame evolves, some combinations lose value while others become more important than ever. This guide has been updated in order to improve its readability, and it also includes new entries. On top of this, each entry now includes examples of Pokemon for each type combination.

12 Fire/Dark

Ash's Incineroar in Pokemon anime
  • Examples of Fire/Dark-type Pokemon: Incineroar, Chi-Yu

Fire and Dark are two types that come together to make a very potent combination. Together, they can hit 6 different types for super-effective damage, including strong defensive types like Steel and Ghost.

While the Houndoom line was the first to use this type combination, Incineroar was the Pokemon to really show off its potential, quickly becoming one of the most used Pokemon in competitive battles, and staying so for two whole generations. Chi-Yu, a Legendary Pokemon introduced in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, also uses this combo to great effect.

11 Water/Flying

  • Examples of Water/Flying-type Pokemon: Gyarados, Pelipper, Cramorant,

Water and Flying are both fairly unassuming types, which nonetheless have a good offensive synergy. Together, they are able to hit six types for super-effective damage, including types that give the other trouble. Water for example can easily counter flying’s weakness to rock.

There is a decent amount of Water/Flying-types, but none of them are particularly offensively minded. Pelipper has been used in competitive Pokemon fairly often thanks to its supportive movepool. There are good offensive Water/Flying-type Pokemon, and Gyarados is a great example of this combination. Unfortunately, due to the shortage of reliable and strong Flying-type attacks, Gyrarados it tends to not make the best use of its typing.

10 Fire/Fighting

Blaziken Stone Edge
  • Examples of Fire/Fighting-type Pokemon: Blaziken, Infernape, Blaze Breed Tauros

As two of the better offensive types in the series, Fire and Fighting come together to hit a whopping seven types for super-effective damage and are resisted by none. The combo is somewhat weakened by their crossovers though, as they both hit Steel and Rock types super-effectively.

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Blaziken and Infernape were the first Fire/Fighting-types, and both have gained great success thanks to their type. Emboar somewhat let this combo down, but the Galarian Tauros has given it a chance to shine again.

9 Water/Fighting

The pokedex cover for Quaquaval in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet
  • Examples of Water/Fighting-type Pokemon: Aqua Breed Tauros, Urshifu, Poliwrath, Quaquaval

Water is less offensively gifted than Fire, but has less crossover with Fighting, meaning that Water/Fighting still hits seven types for super-effective damage. These types include steel, dark, fire and ground, which are all quite strong types currently.

The first Pokemon to use this combination was Poliwrath, but its mediocre stats held it back. In recent games though, Pokemon like Keldeo, Urshifu, and Quaquaval have had greater success using these types effectively. Especially since both have a good range of strong attacking moves.

8 Rock/Fire

Coalossal's Pokedex Entry In Pokemon Scarlet & Violet
  • Examples of Rock/Fire-type Pokemon: Coalossal, Hisuain Arcanine

There is no doubt that both Rock and Fire are strong offensive types in the world of Pokemon fighting. Even though the Rock- and Fire-type combination takes twice as much damage against Water-type moves, these Pokemon get access to powerful moves that can annihilate a wide range of different Pokemon types, as they can hit six Pokemon types for super-effective damage.

Coalossal, a Pokemon introduced in Pokemon Sword & Shield, quickly became one of the most popular Pokemon in the Generation VIII competitive scene.

7 Electric/Fighting

pokemon-scarlet-and-violet-iron-hands-volt-switch
  • Examples of Electric/Fighting-type Pokemon: Iron Hands, Pawmot

Another great offensive pairing for Fighting is the Electric type. Paired up they are able to hit seven types super-effectively and aren’t resisted by any. Fighting’s strength against Steel and Dark is always useful, but Electric also helps patch up Fighting’s weakness against Flying-types.

Unfortunately, Electric is fairly lacking in good physical moves and Fighting lacks a lot of good special moves, meaning this combo is hard to make work in practice. This type combination has only recently appeared in Pokemon Scarlet &Violet, and both Pawmot and Iron Hands are giving it a decent debut.

6 Steel/Ground

pokemon-scarlet-and-violet-paradox-pokemon-pokedex-entries-iron-treads
  • Examples of Ground/Steel-type Pokemon: Excadrill, Steelix, Iron Treads

As the best defensive type in the game, Steel doesn’t have the best offensive coverage. However, when paired with Ground, they are able to hit seven types for super-effective damage, with their only crossover being on Rock types. Being able to hit Electric-, Fairy- and Steel-types is also a big boon.

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Excadrill has made a name for itself over several generations using this combo to great effect, but Iron Treads, a paradox Pokemon, is currently taking its place.

5 Ground/Fighting

Great Tusk In Pokemon Scarlet & Violet
  • Examples of Ground/Fighting-type Pokemon: Great Tusk

Ground- and Fighting-type Pokemon have pretty great offensive coverage, as they get access to moves that are strong against eight different types. Unfortunately, players won't have to opportunity to explore the Ground- and Fighting-type Pokemon combination much, as there is only one monster in the game who has it: Great Tusk, one of the Paradox Pokemon introduced in Scarlet and Violet.

4 Flying/Ground

Pokemon Landorus
  • Examples of Flying/Ground-type Pokemon: Landorus, Gliscor

This is an overall amazing type both offensively and defensively; together, Flying and Ground can hit eight types for super-effective damage, have zero crossover, and cover types that the other is weak to.

Once again though, the lack of reliable Flying-type attacks hinders this combo’s power somewhat. However, the only offensively focused Pokemon with this type combo is Landorus, who has wreaked havoc on the competitive scene for years. So much so that some trainers were happy to see it initially excluded from Scarlet and Violet’s pokedex.

3 Fairy/Ground

Fairy and ground type pokemon symbols

Fairy makes up half of the defensive beast that is Fairy/Steel, and it still manages to be part of an amazing offensive combo as well. Fairy- and Ground- can hit eight types for super-effective damage, including Dragon and Electric, who have few weaknesses in the first place.

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Yet, there has never been a Fairy/Ground type Pokemon, so it’s hard to decide just how good this combo would be. However, very few Pokemon can resist this combination, and all of them are partial flying types who do so by leveraging their immunity to Ground.

2 Ghost/Fighting

Annihilape
  • Examples of Ghost/Fighting-type Pokemon: Marshadow, Annihilape

Fighting’s best offensive partner is Ghost, as they can sport 7 super-effective matchups with no resistances. However, their synergy is so good that they have no crossovers, and the only types that resist Ghost are Normal and Dark, which are weak to Fighting-types.

The only type combination that can resist this is Normal/Ghost which is immune to both. However, the only Normal/Ghost types are Hisuian Zorua and Zoroark. Due to this, the Fighting/Ghost-type Anhilape is one of the strongest Pokemon in the competitive scene.

1 Ice/Ground

Mamoswine Pokemon
  • Examples of Ice/Ground-type Pokemon: Mamoswine

Ground is part of yet another powerful offensive combo, this time with Ice. Together, they hit a ridiculous nine types for super-effective damage, which is half of all the types in the series; they are also not resisted by any individual types.

The only Pokemon that even resist this combo are dual type Bug-types, and they can easily be fought off with Rock Type moves that most Ground types learn anyway. Perhaps due to the danger this combo presents, the only Pokemon to have it is the Mamoswine line. Even then, Mamoswine was a powerful threat only held back by its lackluster defensive strengths.

pokemon scarlet and violet games
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet

Pokemon Scarlet & Pokemon Violet are the main entries in the series for Generation IX. They introduced over 100 new Pokemon and brought players to the Paldea region.

Franchise
Pokemon
Platform(s)
Switch
Released
November 18, 2022
Developer(s)
Game Freak
Publisher(s)
Nintendo , The Pokemon Company