Electric and Normal Types Have the Fewest Weaknesses
As a long-time Pokémon player and content creator, I am frequently asked about type matchups and weaknesses. Today, I will share my analysis on which Pokémon types have the fewest weaknesses.
Electric Type – The Lone Weakness
Electric type Pokémon are only vulnerable to Ground type attacks. This single weakness is a major reason why Electric is often considered among the best defensive types.
According to usage statistics, staples like Rotom-Wash and Zapdos have consistently ranked among the top 10 Pokémon by usage over multiple generations in the video games. This longevity speaks to the power of the Electric type.
| Strong Against | Weak Against |
| Flying, Water | Ground |
In head-to-head matchups, Electric types resist Steel and can hit it super effectively with coverage moves. Against Water, a top offensive type, Electric types win key fights while taking modest damage. These qualities underpin Electric‘s defensive consistency.
Normal Type – Simple Yet Effective
The often overlooked Normal type also claims but a single weakness in Fighting moves. Furthermore, Ghost types are completely immune to Normal attacks.
Still, STAB (Same Type Attack Bonus) boosted Normal moves hit most other Pokémon at least neutrally. This makes Normal types very reliable attackers. No wonder favorites like Tauros, Porygon2, and Blissey have had such enduring competitive success over multiple generations.
| Strong Against | Weak Against |
| None | Fighting |
Though unspectacular offensively, Normal types resist Ghost attacks while being immune to Ghost moves themselves. This provides a great defensive package against dangerous sweepers like Gengar and Dragapult.
Other Defensively Solid Types
While Fairy, Psychic, and Ghost types have more weaknesses than Electric or Normal, their minimal 2-3 weaknesses coupled with key resistances still make them decent defensively.
Fairy (Weak to Steel and Poison) resists Fighting, Dragon, Bug and Dark moves. This provided the defensive buffs needed to limit the power of DragMag (Dragon/Magnet) teams in Gen 6 and 7. Clefable, Mimikyu and other Fairies have been metagame staples as a result.
Psychic (Weak to Bug, Ghost and Dark) resists itself while hitting Fighting and Poison super effectively. Slowtwins (Slowbro and Slowking) have utilized this niche well. Psychic terrain support has also enabled dangerous wallbreakers and sweepers over multiple generations.
Ghost (Weak to Ghost and Dark) is a fantastic utility type that resists Bug and Poison while being completely immune to Normal and Fighting attacks. Bulky Ghost types like Aegislash and Dusknoir have consistently found success thanks to the strength of this defensive profile.
The Most Vulnerable Type Combinations
On the flip side, Rock, Ice and Grass type Pokémon claim over 4 weaknesses each, making them riskier options competitively.
Rock types are disadvantaged against Water, Grass, Fighting, Ground and Steel type moves – 5 total weaknesses. Offensively, they also struggle against bulky Waters and Grounds. This relegates most Rock types to lower tiers. Aerodactyl clings to OU thanks to its great Speed and access to Roost.
Similarly, Ice types are threatened by Fire, Fighting, Rock and Steel moves. Hardy tank Glaceon briefly stuck in upper tiers thanks to Snow Warning Aurora Veil support, but most Ice types wind up too fragile or passive to keep up.
Grass shares the 5 weakness plight with Rock, being vulnerable to Fire, Ice, Poison, Bug and Flying attacks. Offense and Speed have become necessary for viability as a result, allowing the likes of Kartana and Rillaboom to succeed lately despite the shaky defenses.
So in summary, Electric and Normal types have the best defensive type matchups in Pokémon, courtesy of just one weakness each. Meanwhile, combinations involving Grass, Rock and Ice carry substantial risk due to their higher number of weaknesses. I hope this analysis has shed light on some of the game‘s durable and vulnerable types!
