Grass/Dark Type

GrassDark

Quick Summary

⚠️ Main Weaknesses:

4× weak to Bug
2× weak to Fire, Ice, Fighting, Poison, Flying, Fairy

✓ Main Resistances:

½× resists Water, Electric, Grass, Ground, Ghost, Dark

Grass/Dark strategy: Psychic immunity with a 4× Bug alarm

Grass/Dark and Dark/Grass are the same defensive pairing; this page uses grass-dark as the canonical URL. Grass/Dark is a disruptive offensive pairing that can pressure Water, Ground, Psychic, and Ghost lanes while blanking Psychic attacks. Representative Pokémon include Nuzleaf, Shiftry, Cacturne, Zarude, Meowscarada. The standard type chart gives this combination 4× weak to Bug and 2× weak to Fire, Ice, Fighting, Poison, Flying, Fairy. It is immune to Psychic. Its main defensive value comes from no ¼× resistance; ½× resists Water, Electric, Grass, Ground, Ghost, Dark, but stats, ability, item, and format still decide whether a real Pokémon can use those entries repeatedly.

Offensive plan

Grass STAB threatens Water, Ground, and Rock targets, while Dark STAB pressures Psychic and Ghost targets. Bug is the severe 4× weakness, and Fire, Ice, Fighting, Poison, Flying, and Fairy all hit for 2×. The typing needs momentum, speed, or utility to avoid giving common coverage easy progress.

Counterplay and defensive risks

To counter Grass/Dark, start with the chart pressure: Bug, Fire, Ice, Fighting, Poison, Flying, Fairy. If a 4× weakness is listed, preserve that attack type before revealing it; if there is no 4× weakness, repeated 2× pressure and hazard chip usually matter more than a single surprise hit. Scout for abilities, Terastallization, weather, recovery, and pivot moves before assuming the visible multiplier ends the exchange.

Team-building advice

Grass/Dark needs Bug and Fairy answers first, then support against Fire, Ice, Fighting, Poison, and Flying. Steel, Fire, Poison, and Flying-resistant partners can help while Grass/Dark handles Water, Ground, Psychic, and Ghost pressure. Use the Team Calculator to check whether the rest of the six stacks the same Bug, Fire problem, then compare the full defensive chart before choosing moves or teammates.

Read the best Pokémon type combinations guide for a side-by-side defensive comparison.

Continue with Type Chart, Dual Type Calculator, Grass/Fairy guide, and Psychic/Dark guide.

Frequently asked questions

What is Grass/Dark weak to?

Grass/Dark is 4× weak to Bug and 2× weak to Fire, Ice, Fighting, Poison, Flying, Fairy under the standard type chart.

Is Dark/Grass a different type combination?

No. Dark/Grass and Grass/Dark use the same two types, so they share the same weaknesses, resistances, and immunities.

What is Grass/Dark immune to?

It is immune to Psychic.

TypeMatchup Original Analysis

Coverage Value

-7

Internal score from immunities, resistances, weaknesses, and 4× pressure.

Profile

fragile defensive profile

Main Planning Risk

Protect the Bug 4× weakness before relying on this pairing as a switch-in.

How to interpret this pairing

Grass/Dark should be judged by the trade it creates, not by the raw number of weaknesses alone. It offers safe entry into Psychic, Water, Electric, Grass, Ground, Ghost, which means it can buy turns when those attack types are predictable. In exchange, the opponent will usually try to line upBug, Fire, Ice, Fighting, Poison, Flying, Fairy, so the pairing needs either speed, bulk, recovery, pivoting, or a teammate ready to absorb that pressure.

Team-building partners

Based on TypeMatchup's own defensive coverage pass, useful single-type partners to test first are Steel for Bug, Ice, Poison, Flying, Fairy; Fire for Bug, Fire, Ice, Fairy; Poison for Bug, Fighting, Poison, Fairy; Rock for Fire, Poison, Flying; Ghost for Bug, Fighting, Poison. These are not automatic best teammates; they are a shortlist for reducing repeated weaknesses before you choose actual Pokémon, moves, items, abilities, and battle format.

When this combination is worth using

Use this combination when its resisted or immune entries match threats you expect to face repeatedly. Avoid using it only because the summary looks efficient: a 4× weakness can dominate a matchup, while even a strong resistance profile can fail if the Pokémon lacks recovery, speed control, or meaningful pressure after switching in. For a six-Pokémon build, run this pairing through the Team Calculator and check whether another teammate shares the same Bug, Fire problem.

Defensive Type Matchups

Quadruple Weak ()

Immune ()

Show Normal Effectiveness Types (4)