The best Pokemon type combination depends on the job you need it to perform. Some dual types minimize weaknesses, some create valuable immunities, and others trade defensive safety for powerful offensive coverage. This guide compares eight consistently useful combinations using the standard type chart.
Weakness counts are a starting point, not a complete ranking. A 4x weakness can be more dangerous than two ordinary weaknesses, while an immunity may matter more in one battle format than another. Open any combination for its complete multiplier breakdown.
Steel supplies a large resistance profile while Fairy adds a Dragon immunity. The combination has only Fire and Ground weaknesses under normal type rules.
Examples: Zacian, Magearna, Klefki, Tinkaton
View complete Steel/Fairy matchups →Water/Ground is immune to Electric and has only one type weakness: Grass. That weakness deals 4x damage, so the combination is strongest with reliable Grass answers nearby.
Examples: Swampert, Gastrodon, Quagsire, Whiscash
View complete Water/Ground matchups →Flying removes Steel’s Ground weakness and Steel covers several of Flying’s vulnerabilities. Electric and Fire remain the main type-based threats.
Examples: Corviknight, Skarmory, Celesteela
View complete Steel/Flying matchups →Bug/Steel compresses its defensive risk into a single Fire weakness, although that weakness is 4x. Its many resistances create useful switch-in opportunities.
Examples: Scizor, Forretress, Genesect, Escavalier
View complete Bug/Steel matchups →Water and Dragon complement each other defensively and leave Dragon and Fairy as the standard weaknesses. Their STAB moves also pressure a broad range of opponents.
Examples: Kingdra, Palkia, Dracovish
View complete Water/Dragon matchups →Normal/Ghost is immune to Normal, Fighting, and Ghost moves under ordinary type rules. Dark is its only type weakness, making prediction especially important.
Examples: Hisuian Zoroark
View complete Normal/Ghost matchups →Flying grants a Ground immunity that removes Electric’s usual weakness. The combination remains weak to Ice and Rock and often works well in momentum-focused teams.
Examples: Zapdos, Thundurus, Kilowattrel
View complete Electric/Flying matchups →Fire/Steel brings an unusually broad resistance profile and strong offensive pressure. Its Ground weakness is 4x, with Fighting and Water also hitting super effectively.
Examples: Heatran
View complete Fire/Steel matchups →Defensive combinations are usually judged by the number and severity of their weaknesses, the resistances they provide, and whether they offer immunities that help teammates switch safely. Steel appears frequently because it resists many attack types, but pairing Steel with another type can also introduce a dangerous 4x weakness. A combination with one weakness is not automatically better than one with three: the surrounding team, available recovery, base stats, and expected opponents all matter.
Offensive typing is evaluated differently. Two STAB types are valuable when each one pressures Pokemon that resist the other. Move availability matters too. A theoretically excellent pairing contributes little if a Pokemon lacks accurate, strong attacks of both types. Coverage moves, speed, and attacking stats determine whether that typing can turn favorable chart matchups into actual knockouts.
Begin with your team's repeated weaknesses. If several members are vulnerable to Ground, a Flying type or Levitate user can create a safer switch. If Dragon attacks are difficult to absorb, Fairy offers an immunity, while Steel provides a resistance. Next, check whether the new team member adds offensive coverage against the opponents your current core struggles to damage.
Abilities can change these conclusions. Levitate may remove a Ground weakness, Flash Fire may turn Fire damage into an immunity, and abilities such as Thick Fat can reduce specific incoming types. Use the type chart with abilities when an ability is central to the matchup, and use the type matchup calculator for quick comparisons between other single and dual types.
No single ordering works for every generation, ruleset, or team. This list highlights combinations with clear type-chart advantages and recognizable strategic roles. Individual Pokemon can perform very differently even when they share a type combination because their stats, abilities, moves, items, and legal battle format are different. Treat the chart as the foundation for a team-building decision, then evaluate the full Pokemon.
Compare any of the 153 possible two-type combinations and see every weakness, resistance, immunity, and neutral matchup.
Open the Type Matchup Calculator