Pokémon Scarlet and Violet: Every Type Strength, Weakness, and Counter

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet boast a sometimes intimidating lineup of 400 Pokémon to catch and train. That number is impressive on its own, but it becomes even more daunting when you start to think about every available Pokémon type’s strengths, weaknesses, and counters.

As is franchise tradition, every Pokémon in Scarlet and Violet has a classification “type.” It’s the basis of their combat identity. Fire, ice, water, poison, flying…you get the idea. Each of those types is strong against other types, and each of those types is weak against other types. That’s the basis of the “rock, paper, scissors” combat system the series has relied on for decades at this point.

Even if you’re familiar with the basics of Pokémon’s type system, Scarlet and Violet‘s massive roster, shocking number of type possibilities, and new mechanics will likely throw you for a loop at some point. That being the case, here’s a hopefully handy look at which Pokémon types you should (and shouldn’t) use in which situations.

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet: Terastallizing Explained

Terastallizing is a system that lets you change or modify a Pokémon’s type. By using a special item called a Tera Orb (which needs to be recharged at a Pokémon Center or at a special Terastal crystal after each use), you can change a Pokémon’s type to their special “Tera Type.” It’s basically an optional third type that Pokémon have access to.

The big catch with the game’s Terastallizing system is that some Pokémon’s Tera Types are copies of one of their base types and some offer completely different types. So, if you have a Fire-type Pokémon with a Fire-type Tera, unlocking their Tera will enhance the effectiveness of their Fire abilities. However, if an Ice-type Pokémon has a Flying-type Tera, you’ll gain access to the strengths and weaknesses that come with that new type.

It’s a fascinating system that completely changes how you’ll approach typical strengths and weaknesses. Properly using the Terastallizing mechanic can either help you change a Pokémon type in order to avoid certain weaknesses or simply make an existing strength even better. You won’t always be able to rely on it, but you should always be aware of when this option is available as it can completely change the nature of pretty much every match-up

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet: Every Type’s Strengths, Weaknesses, and Counters

There’s a lot of information in this section, but the basics should (hopefully) be pretty simple. Every Pokémon has a type, and those types have strengths and weaknesses. A type’s “Strength” means that it gains damage advantages over the types of Pokémon listed under the Strengths section. A type’s “Weakness” means that it is especially vulnerable to Pokémon types listed under the Weaknesses section.

As noted above, you can use Terastallizing to play with that system a bit, and there are quite a few type matchups in the game that are ultimately “Neutral” (meaning that they don’t offer any notable strengths or weaknesses). Generally speaking, though, you’re looking to play types against their strengths and hold them back against their weaknesses whenever possible.

Bug

Strengths

– Grass
– Dark 
– Psychic

Weaknesses

– Fire 
– Flying 
– Rock

Dark

Strengths

– Ghost
– Psychic

Weaknesses

– Bug
– Fairy 
– Fighting

Dragon

Strengths

– Dragon

Weaknesses

– Dragon
– Fairy
– Ice

Electric

Strengths

– Flying
– Water

Weaknesses

–  Ground

Fighting

Strengths

– Dark
– Ice
– Normal
– Rock
– Steel

Weaknesses

– Fairy
– Flying
– Psychic

Fire

Strengths

– Bug
– Grass
– Ice
– Steel

Weaknesses

– Ground
– Rock
– Water

Flying

Strengths

– Bug
– Fighting
– Grass

Weaknesses

– Electric
– Ice
– Rock

Ghost

Strengths

– Ghost
– Psychic

Weaknesses

– Dark
– Ghost

Grass

Strengths

– Ground
– Rock
– Water

Weaknesses

– Bug
– Fire
– Flying
– Ice
– Poison

Ground

Strengths

– Electric
– Fire
– Poison
– Rock
– Steel

Weaknesses

– Grass
– Ice
– Water

Ice

Strengths

– Dragon
– Flying
– Grass
– Ground

Weaknesses

– Fighting
– Fire
– Rock
– Steel

Normal

Strengths

– None

Weaknesses

– Fighting

Poison

Strengths

– Fairy
– Grass

Weaknesses

– Ground
– Psychic

Psychic

Strengths

– Fighting
– Poison

Weaknesses

– Bug
– Dark
– Ghost

Rock

Strengths

– Bug
– Fire
– Flying
– Ice

Weaknesses

– Fighting
– Grass
– Ground
– Steel
– Water

Steel

Strengths

– Fairy
– Ice
– Rock

Weaknesses

– Fighting
– Fire
– Ground

Water

Strengths

– Fire
– Ground
– Rock

Weaknesses

– Electric
– Grass