Pokémon Types

Pokémon types are features which determine the strength and weaknesses of different Pokémon that every Pokémon possesses and is sorted into. It is an attribute that mainly balances out Pokémon, and helps to make each kind of Pokémon unique in its own way. Each type has three properties: which types of Pokémon it is super effective against, which types of Pokémon it is not very effective against, and which types of Pokémon it is completely ineffective against.

All Pokémon either have one or two types. For instance, Charmander is a pure -type Pokémon, while Bulbasaur is a dual /-type Pokémon. Pokémon with two types inherit the weaknesses and strengths of each type. With the current 18-type system, there are 324 possible combinations of Pokémon types. However, there are only 171 possible combinations after considering the order (if, say, Dragon/Flying and Flying/Dragon are considered the same combination).

Normal-type
-type Pokémon usually have moves based on standard attacks, such as tackles and scratches, but they may also possess some powerful moves like Giga Impact and Hyper Beam. Normal-type moves are not super effective against anything and are resisted by Rock and Steel-type Pokémon. Normal-type and Ghost-type attacks have no effect on each other.

Fire-type
The type is a mostly all-out offensive type, and very powerful, given that most of the Pokémon belonging to this type are very strong offensively, but this comes at a cost of being fragile defensively, making many Fire-type Pokémon "glass cannons". However, they cannot be burnt by any means. Fire-type moves are super effective against Grass, Ice, Bug and Steel-type Pokémon, but do not resist well to water-type Pokémon, as water can put out fire. Fire-type Pokémon is also weak to Rock and Ground-Type Pokémon.

Water-type
The type is a very balanced type, as well as being the most common out of the 18 types. Water-type Pokémon are super effective against Fire-type, Rock-type and Ground-type Pokémon, but are weak to Electric-type and Grass-type attacks. Water types also resist Fire-type, Steel-type, Ice-type, and Water-type moves, making it a semi-defensive typing.

Electric-type
-type moves are super effective against Water and Flying-type Pokémon. Pokémon that belong to this type are immune to paralysis. As ground insulates electricity, Electric-type moves have no effect on Ground-type Pokémon, and Ground-type attacks are also the only weaknesses of Electric-type Pokémon.

Grass-type
The type is a type that has its own strength hindered by many weaknesses, reflecting the fragility of nature. The moves of this type are super effective against Water, Ground, and Rock-type Pokémon, but Grass-type Pokémon are weak to attacks from the following 5 types: Fire, Flying, Bug, Ice and Poison.

Flying-type
-type Pokémon are usually Pokémon that fly or resemble birds, so they are immune to Ground-type attacks, But weak to Rock, Ice and Electric-Type Moves. Most Flying-type Pokémon are dual-type Pokémon, with the most common ones being dual Normal/Flying-type Pokémon. Flying-type moves are super effective against Grass, Bug, and Fighting-type Pokémon.

Rock-type
-type Pokémon are mostly slow and heavily rely on their Physical Attack and Defense stats, but with the glaring weaknesses to mostly Special Water-type and Grass-type moves, their power is greatly reduced. Rock-type attacks are super effective against Fire, Ice, Flying and Bug-type Pokémon.

Steel-type
Reflecting the indestructible nature of metal, the type features the greatest defenses of all types, resisting 10 out of 18 types, in addition to the complete immunity to Poison-type attacks, including both Poison and Bad Poison status ailments, barring those inflicted by a Pokémon with the ability Corrosion. Steel-type moves are super effective against Ice, Rock and Fairy-type Pokémon. Steel-type Pokémon are not usually used offensively until the Fairy type was introduced, but they have always been great defensive physical walls.

Ground-type
The type is also a mostly slow and physical type, hitting Electric, Fire, Poison, Rock and Steel super effectively while being immune to Electric-type attacks. However, similar to Rock-type, the power of Ground is hindered by the major weaknesses against Water and Grass, as well as having no effect on Flying-type Pokémon and those with the Ability.

Bug-type
The type is mostly recognized by having early evolutions, with 3 triple-stage evolution families in this type sharing a record of the earliest evolutionary lines to reach their final forms among all Pokémon that evolve by levelling up. The moves of Bug-type Pokémon are super effective against Grass, Psychic and Dark-type Pokémon, making them weak but underestimated. However, Bug-type Pokémon are weak to common Fire, Flying, and Rock-type moves.

Poison-type
-type Pokémon, with their moves being only super effective against Grass-type and the newly-introduced Fairy-type Pokémon, are mostly used as "trouble-makers" by inducing status ailments, especially Poison and Bad Poison, while also being immune to both of them. However, their attacks have no effect on Steel-type Pokémon.

Ice-type
The type is another fragile type, being weak to the all-out offensive Fire-type and Fighting-type attacks, as well as Rock-type and Steel-type moves. Luckily, its unique strength on being the nightmare of Dragon-type Pokémon comes in handy. In addition, Ice-type attacks also hit Grass-type, Flying-type and Ground-type Pokémon super effectively. The Ice type is a usually bad type for defensive Pokémon as it only resists itself.

Fighting-type
The type is one of the strongest types, as the attacks are super effective against Normal, Ice, Rock, Dark and Steel-type Pokémon, tying with Ground for causing super effective damage against most types. Its unique power against Normal-type is what makes Fighting-type Pokémon shine. Unfortunately, their power is kept in check by attacks of Flying-type, Psychic-type and the new Fairy-type. It also has no effect on Ghost-type Pokémon.

Psychic-type
-type attacks are super effective against Fighting-type and Poison-type Pokémon. However, they have no effect on Dark-type Pokémon. It was the most dominant type in the earliest Pokémon games due to broken mechanics and coding errors, and even with the error fixed, the Special Attack stats of Psychic-type Pokémon are still not to be underestimated.

Dark-type
-type attacks are super effective against Psychic and Ghost-type Pokémon. Pokémon that belong to this type are immune to Psychic-type attacks as well. They were added to eliminate the dominance of Psychic-type Pokémon in the earliest Pokémon games. Many Dark-type moves can be said to play "dirty", such as Foul Play, Flatter, Parting Shot, Topsy-Turvy, Torment and Taunt.

Ghost-type
-type moves are super effective against Psychic-type Pokémon and its own type, but they have no effect on Normal-type Pokémon. However, this is a double-edged sword, as Ghost-type Pokémon are immune to Normal-type attacks as well, making them good walls against Normal-type Pokémon. Even so, it is also immune to Fighting-type attacks.

Dragon-type
-type moves are only super effective against its own type, yet Dragon-type Pokémon have powerful stats to compensate. However, most final form Dragon-type Pokémon have double weaknesses to Ice-type moves due to their secondary types, and Dragon-type moves have no effect on Fairy-type Pokémon.

Fairy-type
To turn the tides for the everlasting domination of the Dragon-type Pokémon, the type was added to balance the meta. Fairy-type attacks are super effective against Fighting, Dragon and Dark-type Pokémon. Fairy-type Pokémon are also immune to Dragon-type moves.