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Ghost-type Pokemon have been beloved in the franchise since the first generation of games. Spooky, yet often adorable, their great designs and powerful attacks make them ideal to have in any trainer's party. What's more, they are the only Pokemon type with two immunities, as they are completely unaffected by both Normal and Fighting-type attacks — some of the most common moves in the games.
Ghost-types do have some disadvantages, however. Like Dragon-types, they are weak to attacks of their own type, meaning that pitting Ghost-type against Ghost-type means mutually assured destruction. They also only two resistances — Bug and Poison — and just as few offensive advantages, as Ghost-type attacks are super-effective only against Ghost and Psychic-types. Of course, pairing them up with another elemental type can help offset some of these drawbacks. For dual Ghost-types, here are some of the best combinations currently in the franchise.
5 Ghost/Fighting
Fighting-type attacks are super-effective against five different types, massively increasing the Ghost-type's offensive potential. In this particular case, they deal extra damage to Normal, Ice, Dark, Rock, and Steel, many of which tend to have high attack stats. Being able to take care of these threats can make a big difference in battle, especially since Normal-types are unaffected by Ghost-type attacks, and pure Ghost-types are weak to Dark moves.
However, Ghost/Fighting Pokemon do not have as much going for them defensively as other type combinations do. They have only three resistances (though one of these, Bug-type, is a double resistance), and are the only combination on this list that does not have three immunities. It also has four weaknesses: Flying, Fairy, Psychic, and Ghost. Regardless, the offensive advantages provided by mixing Fighting with Ghost makes Marshadow (currently the only Ghost/Fighting type) a fascinating Pokemon worthy of joining any Ghost-type trainer's team.
4 Ghost/Steel
Almost any Pokemon type can be improved by pairing it with Steel, considering the vast number of resistances this type has. It also adds an extra immunity to Poison-type moves, as well as the Poisoned status condition. In fact, Ghost/Steel is tied with Electric/Steel for the most resistances of any existing type combination, with twelve. And since Electric/Steel has only one immunity instead of three, one could argue that Honedge and its evolutions are not only the most resilient Ghost-types, but have one of the most defensively strong type combinations in the franchise.
Ghost/Steel types do have four weaknesses: Fire, Ghost, Ground, and Dark. This ranks them a bit lower than some other combinations on this list, which don't have as many vulnerabilities. Additionally, Steel offers an advantage against only a few extra types: Ice, Rock, and Fairy, none of which are not particularly common. However, this type combination's defensive strengths make it a must-have for any Ghost-type fan who needs a tank on their team.
3 Ghost/Ground
As mentioned above, Ghost-type Pokemon don't have many offensive advantages, but Ground-type moves are super-effective against no less than five different types: Electric, Poison, Rock, Fire, and the aforementioned juggernaut Steel. This means that with a same-type attack bonus (STAB) to Ground-type moves, Ghost/Ground types can become even better Special sweepers than pure Ghost types.
Defensively, adding Ground to Ghost creates another Pokemon with three type immunities, since Ground-types are unaffected by Electric-type moves. Unfortunately, it also adds a few weaknesses, leaving Ghost/Ground types with five, the most of any Pokemon on this list. What's more, two of these weaknesses are very common types: Water and Grass. Players should be cautious of these weaknesses when using Golurk and others like it, but with their powerful attacks, they can hopefully take out threats before they have a chance to take a debilitating hit.
2 Ghost/Dark
Defensively speaking, this is one of the best combinations featuring the Ghost type. It has only a single weakness — Fairy-type attacks — and its Dark typing gives it a third immunity, as it is invulnerable to Psychic-type damage. Though it only has a single resistance, a double resistance to Poison-type attacks, this combination's lack of weaknesses makes Pokemon like Sableye quite resilient in battle.
Unfortunately, using Dark-type attacks alongside Ghost-type moves doesn't add much versatility to one's battle technique. These moves are both super-effective against the same two types: Ghost and Psychic. Thus, Ghost/Dark has quite a narrow range of offensive coverage for a dual-type, and must use moves that do not benefit from their STAB when fighting most opponents.
1 Ghost/Fairy
Like the above combinations with Steel, Ground, and Dark, Ghost/Fairy also has an additional immunity, this time to Dragon-type attacks. It also has fewer weaknesses than the Steel and Ground combinations listed previously, being weak only to Ghost and Steel — both of which are fairly uncommon Pokemon types. It has one resistance — Bug-types — but thanks to Fairy's properties, that resistance is doubled.
Though the above entry may have only one weakness instead of two, Pokemon like Mimikyu have a greater offensive advantage than a Ghost/Dark type. Fairy-type moves are super-effective against Dragon, Dark, and Fighting-type Pokemon, all of whom can be heavy hitters capable of sweeping a trainer's team. Though there is currently only one Ghost/Fairy type in the Pokemon world, players would surely welcome more instances of this powerful combination.