Pokémon Type Chart Explained: Every Matchup in Plain Words
Learn how Pokémon type effectiveness really works—multipliers, dual-type math, immunities, and the handful of matchups actually worth memorizing.
The short version
Every move has one of 18 types, and every Pokémon has one or two types. When a move lands, the game looks up how the attacking type fares against each defending type and multiplies the results. The full interactive table lives on our Pokémon Type Chart page; this guide explains how to read it and which parts actually matter in play.
The three multipliers (and the blank cell)
Chart cells only ever say one of four things. 2× is super effective and doubles damage. ½× is resisted and halves it. 0× is an immunity: the move does nothing. Everything else is neutral 1× damage, which real charts leave blank so the important cells stand out.
Because the numbers multiply, a double resistance (½ × ½) takes a quarter of normal damage, and a double weakness (2 × 2) takes four times as much. The only 4× hits in the game: Electric against Water/Flying, Ice against Grass/Ground, Ice against Grass/Flying, and Ground against Poison/Rock.
Dual-type math in practice
Multiply one cell per defending type. Fire against Rock/Bug: Rock resists Fire (½) while Bug is weak to it (2), so the hit lands at 1×. Electric against Water/Flying: both types are weak to Electric, so the move hits at 4×—the hardest possible hit in the game.
This is why dual typings are never just “two sets of weaknesses.” Some pairings cancel almost everything (Water/Ground is immune to Electric and answers everything but Grass), while others stack them (Grass/Psychic collects seven common weaknesses). When you evaluate a species, check its Pokédex page—every page lists the combined defensive multipliers for you.
The immunities worth memorizing
| Attacking type | Cannot hurt |
|---|---|
| Normal | Ghost |
| Fighting | Ghost |
| Electric | Ground |
| Ground | Flying |
| Psychic | Dark |
| Ghost | Normal |
| Dragon | Fairy |
| Poison | Steel |
Immunities are the backbone of switching in battle. A predicted switch into an immune type costs your opponent a turn, which is why Ground and Ghost types show up on almost every competitive team.
The matchups actually worth memorizing
You do not need all 324 cells. Memorize these and the chart mostly reads itself:
- Water and Electric hit five types for 2× each with few resistances—safe offensive picks.
- Ice hits four types for 2× (Grass, Ground, Flying, Dragon) but defends terribly. Use it as coverage, not as an anchor.
- Fairy resists Fighting, Dark, and Bug and is immune to Dragon—one Fairy slot answers three common attack types at once.
- Steel resists ten types. It walls nearly everything except Fire, Fighting, and Ground.
- Rock is a great attacking type (Fire, Ice, Flying, Bug) but the worst defensive typing in the game.
Use the chart, don’t just read it
A chart only helps when it changes your team. Two ways to put it to work: spin the Type Wheel to impose a random restriction, then browse that type’s roster from any row label on the chart page. Or open the Team Planner, add your six Pokémon, and see which attacking types your team has no answer for—the chart’s blind spots become your homework.