In Pokémon Sword & Shield, understanding a Pokémon’s ‘type effectiveness’ is crucial for succeeding in battles. This mechanic has been integral to the franchise from its inception, and the Gen 8 type chart continues to uphold this tradition.
The Pokémon series revolves around mastering its elemental match-up system. While newcomers might easily grasp that Water types are strong against Fire types, the complexity grows as players encounter dual-type Pokémon as they advance in the game.
Victory in a Pokémon battle often hinges on effectively applying type effectiveness strategies. Although some strategies are straightforward, it can be challenging to determine how effective Fire or Ice-type moves are against Ghost or Fairy Pokémon.
The following chart provides comprehensive information about type effectiveness in Pokémon Sword & Shield.
Type Effectiveness Chart for Pokémon Sword & Shield
Below is a table detailing the strengths and weaknesses of each type in Pokémon Sword & Shield:
| TYPE | STRENGTHS | WEAKNESSES |
|---|---|---|
| Bug | Grass / Dark / Psychic | Fire / Flying / Rock |
| Dark | Ghost / Psychic | Bug / Fairy / Fighting |
| Dragon | Dragon | Dragon / Fairy / Ice |
| Electric | Flying / Water | Ground |
| Fairy | Fighting / Dark / Dragon | Poison / Steel |
| Fighting | Dark / Ice / Normal / Rock / Steel | Fairy / Flying/ Psychic |
| Fire | Bug / Grass / Steel / Ice | Ground / Rock / Water |
| Flying | Bug / Fighting / Grass | Electric / Ice / Rock |
| Ghost | Ghost / Psychic | Dark / Ghost |
| Grass | Ground / Rock / Water | Bug / Fire / Flying / Ice / Poison |
| Ground | Electric / Fire / Poison / Rock / Steel | Grass / Ice / Water |
| Ice | Dragon / Flying / Grass / Ground | Fighting / Fire / Rock / Steel |
| Normal | – | Fighting |
| Poison | Fairy / Grass | Ground / Psychic |
| Psychic | Fighting / Poison | Bug / Dark / Ghost |
| Rock | Bug / Fire / Flying / Ice | Fighting / Grass / Ground / Steel / Water |
| Steel | Fairy / Ice / Rock | Fighting / Fire / Ground |
| Water | Fire / Ground / Rock | Electric / Grass |
Total Number of Pokémon Types
As of Pokémon Sword & Shield, there are a total of 18 types of Pokémon throughout the franchise. Each type has specific advantages in battle while also being susceptible to others.
To excel in the game, players need to assemble a diverse team of Pokémon encompassing various elemental types. This strategic diversity ensures that players can counter any opponent that comes their way, although including every elemental type in a single team of six can be challenging. As a result, many players opt for multiple teams tailored to different situations.
Understanding Pokémon-Type Strengths & Weaknesses
Although the table above offers a good summary, there’s more to type effectiveness than it appears. For instance:
- Moves that are super effective will inflict double damage, while moves deemed weak will cause only half damage. Some moves may even deal no damage at all, like Normal-type attacks against Ghost-types.
- Dual-types add an extra layer of complexity. A Pokémon with two types will receive 4x damage if both types are weak to that move. Conversely, if the move is weak against both types, it inflicts only one-quarter damage.
An excellent example of a super-effective strike is a Water-type attack against a Rock/Ground type like Geodude, which would suffer 4x damage from Water moves.
This chart illustrates the damage output based on attacking and defending types.
In contrast, if a Fairy-type move targets Heatran—a Steel/Fire dual-type—the resulting damage would only be a quarter of what it might deal to other Pokémon.
Grasping all these strengths and weaknesses will take time, but with the help of this guide, you’ll become adept at it. Soon, you’ll be well on your journey to become Galar’s Pokémon Champion!
Optimal Pokémon Types for Your Team
Among the 18 Pokémon types, several stand out for their versatility, providing robust coverage against a range of opponents.
Having Steel, Fairy, and Fire types on your roster of 6 Pokémon is a smart strategy. Steel-types boast immunity to Poison and can withstand a variety of attacks, including Normal, Grass, Ice, Flying, Psychic, Bug, Rock, Dragon, Steel, and Fairy. Meanwhile, Fairy-types counter Fighting, Bug, and Dark, while Fire-types excel against Grass, Ice, Bug, Steel, Fairy, and other Fire Pokémon.
This combination gives you coverage against a total of 14 types. To handle the outstanding Water, Electric, and Ground types, consider adding a Grass Pokémon alongside a Psychic Pokémon to tackle Ghost-types.
Metagross is recognized as one of the top Steel-type Pokémon in the series.
Best Defensive Type Combinations
Choosing the right type often depends on your opponent’s lineup. However, some type combinations can be defensively advantageous, offering broad protection against varied threats.
Prominent examples of effective type combinations include Steel-types such as Steel/Fairy or Steel/Flying. Both of these possess two immunities, only two weaknesses, and numerous useful resistances.
Other noteworthy combinations are Water/Ground or Water/Fairy. A Water/Ground Pokémon benefits from immunity to Electric attacks—traditionally a significant vulnerability for Water types. Similarly, a Water/Fairy Pokémon gains protection against Dragon-type moves and defenses against popular Fire, Fighting, and Dark types.
Other effective pairings include Electric/Flying, which neutralizes the Ground weakness faced by Electric-types, and Ghost/Normal, offering three immunities, two resistances, and just one vulnerability to Dark Pokémon.
For more detailed gameplay strategies, discover how to obtain all three starters, find the trade codes, and learn the best ways to claim Mystery Gifts for exciting bonuses.
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