Pokémon Type Chart Explained: Weaknesses & Coverage

Type effectiveness is the backbone of every Pokémon battle. Get the Pokémon type chart right and you'll win matchups before they start; ignore it and even a team of powerhouses falls apart. Here's how the chart works and how to turn it into a stronger team.

How type effectiveness works

Every move has a type, and every Pokémon has one or two types. When a move hits, the damage is multiplied by how effective that type is against the target:

• Super-effective (2×) — and 4× against a dual-type Pokémon weak to it twice
• Not very effective (½×) — or ¼× if it's resisted twice
• No effect (0×) — like Normal against Ghost

You don't need to memorise all 324 matchups. The full 18-type Pokémon type chart lays them out, and our Pokémon team builder computes your whole team's combined weaknesses automatically.

Dual types change everything

A Pokémon's two types stack. Charizard is Fire/Flying, so it takes 4× from Rock (super-effective against both Fire and Flying). But pair types well and you cancel weaknesses out — a Water/Ground Pokémon like Swampert has only one weakness (Grass) instead of several.

This is why you should never read weaknesses one Pokémon at a time. Drop your full team into the team builder and read the weakness table as a whole: any attacking type that hits three or more of your team is the type a smart opponent will aim at.

Turn the type chart into team coverage

The type chart matters in two directions:

1. Defensively — what your team is weak to. Spread your resistances so no single type threatens the whole team.
2. Offensively — what your team can hit. Make sure your moves cover the types that would otherwise wall you.

Curious about a specific Pokémon? Check pages like Garchomp's weaknesses or browse every Dragon-type Pokémon and Steel-type Pokémon to see their matchups at a glance.

Open the full type chart → or build a team and check its coverage →.