Competitive desk
Every Pokémon Type Combination Ranked for Defense, Plus the 9 That Have Never Been Used
All 171 Pokémon typings scored on weaknesses, resistances, and immunities, checked against all 1,025 Pokémon: the best and worst defensive types, unused combinations, and the attacking pairs nothing resists.
Eighteen types make 171 possible typings: 18 single types and 153 two-type combinations. This page runs every one of them through the modern type chart and checks the results against all 1,025 Pokémon in the Pokédex, to answer three practical questions. Which typings are hardest to hit? Which combinations does no Pokémon have? And which pairs of attacking types leave the fewest Pokémon able to resist you?
Everything here uses the same type chart as the site’s type pages and Team Analysis tool.
The short version
- Steel dominates defense. The 16 best defensive typings all include Steel, led by Fairy/Steel (Klefki, Tinkaton, Magearna) and Flying/Steel (Skarmory, Corviknight).
- Ice is the worst defensive type. Single Ice resists only itself, and Ice appears in 9 of the 12 lowest-scoring typings. Grass/Ice (Abomasnow) has seven weaknesses, including a 4x weakness to Fire.
- Bug/Steel has the fewest weaknesses of any real typing: one, though it is a 4x weakness to Fire.
- Nine dual typings have never been used by any Pokémon or form, including Normal/Steel, which would rank in the top ten defensively.
- Fighting + Ghost is the only attacking pair that every Pokémon takes at least neutral damage from, and Ground + Ice hits more Pokémon super-effectively (543 of 1,025) than any other pair.
How each typing is scored
Each typing gets a simple defensive score across the 18 attacking types:
- +1 for each resistance (½ damage) and +2 for each double resistance (¼ damage)
- +2 for each immunity
- −1 for each weakness (2x damage) and −2 for each double weakness (4x damage)
The score rewards typings that shrug off many attacks and punishes ones that take big hits. It does not account for abilities (Levitate, Thick Fat, Wonder Guard), items, Terastallization, or moves with special type rules like Freeze-Dry. Those can matter a lot for individual Pokémon, but they are not part of the typing itself.
The 15 best defensive typings
| Rank | Typing | Weak to | Resists | Immune to | Score | Example Pokémon |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fairy/Steel | Fire, Ground | 9 (Bug ¼) | Dragon, Poison | 12 | Klefki, Tinkaton, Magearna |
| 2 | Flying/Steel | Electric, Fire | 8 (Bug ¼, Grass ¼) | Ground, Poison | 12 | Skarmory, Corviknight, Celesteela |
| 3 | Fire/Steel | Fighting, Ground (4x), Water | 9 (five at ¼) | Poison | 12 | Heatran |
| 4 | Ghost/Steel | Dark, Fire, Ghost, Ground | 9 (Bug ¼) | Fighting, Normal, Poison | 12 | Aegislash, Gholdengo |
| 5 | Poison/Steel | Fire, Ground (4x) | 9 (three at ¼) | Poison | 11 | Revavroom |
| 6 | Electric/Steel | Fighting, Fire, Ground (4x) | 11 (two at ¼) | Poison | 11 | Magnezone, Togedemaru |
| 7 | Steel/Water | Electric, Fighting, Ground | 10 (two at ¼) | Poison | 11 | Empoleon |
| 8 | Dragon/Steel | Fighting, Ground | 9 (Grass ¼) | Poison | 10 | Dialga, Archaludon |
| 9 | Normal/Steel | Fighting (4x), Fire, Ground | 10 | Ghost, Poison | 10 | None (unused) |
| 10 | Bug/Steel | Fire (4x) | 8 (Grass ¼) | Poison | 9 | Scizor, Forretress, Genesect |
| 11 | Grass/Steel | Fire (4x), Fighting | 9 (Grass ¼) | Poison | 9 | Ferrothorn, Kartana |
| 12 | Dark/Steel | Fighting (4x), Fire, Ground | 9 | Poison, Psychic | 9 | Kingambit |
| 13 | Fighting/Steel | Fire, Fighting, Ground | 8 (two at ¼) | Poison | 9 | Lucario, Cobalion |
| 14 | Steel | Fighting, Fire, Ground | 10 | Poison | 9 | Registeel, Melmetal |
| 15 | Ground/Steel | Fire, Ground, Water, Fighting | 8 (Rock ¼) | Electric, Poison | 9 | Excadrill, Steelix |
Steel resists ten of the eighteen types on its own and is immune to Poison, so almost any second type it is paired with keeps most of that list. The first typing without Steel is Ghost/Normal at 17th, which only exists as Hisuian Zorua and Hisuian Zoroark: one weakness (Dark) and three immunities.
The top of this list is also a short history of competitive staples. Skarmory, Scizor, Ferrothorn, Heatran, Aegislash, Corviknight, Gholdengo, and Kingambit have all been format-defining defensive or pivoting Pokémon, and their typings are a large part of why. Archaludon, one of the most consistent sets in the current Regulation M-C metagame, is Dragon/Steel.
The 12 worst defensive typings
| Rank (of 171) | Typing | Weaknesses | Resists | Score | Example Pokémon |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 171 | Grass/Ice | 7: Bug, Fighting, Fire (4x), Flying, Poison, Rock, Steel | 4 | −4 | Abomasnow |
| 170 | Ice/Psychic | 6: Bug, Dark, Fire, Ghost, Rock, Steel | 2 | −4 | Jynx, Mr. Rime |
| 169 | Ice/Rock | 6: Fighting (4x), Grass, Ground, Rock, Steel (4x), Water | 4 | −4 | Aurorus |
| 168 | Fighting/Ice | 6: Fairy, Fighting, Fire, Flying, Psychic, Steel | 3 | −3 | Crabominable |
| 167 | Bug/Ice | 4: Fire (4x), Flying, Rock (4x), Steel | 3 | −3 | Frosmoth |
| 166 | Ice | 4: Fighting, Fire, Rock, Steel | 1 | −3 | Glaceon, Regice |
| 165 | Grass/Psychic | 7: Bug (4x), Dark, Fire, Flying, Ghost, Ice, Poison | 6 | −2 | Exeggutor, Celebi |
| 164 | Psychic/Rock | 7: Bug, Dark, Ghost, Grass, Ground, Steel, Water | 5 | −2 | Lunatone, Solrock |
| 163 | Dark/Ice | 6: Fighting (4x), Bug, Fairy, Fire, Rock, Steel | 3 | −2 | Weavile, Chien-Pao |
| 162 | Dragon/Ice | 5: Dragon, Fairy, Fighting, Rock, Steel | 3 | −2 | Baxcalibur, Kyurem |
| 161 | Ground/Ice | 5: Fighting, Fire, Grass, Steel, Water | 1 | −2 | Mamoswine |
| 160 | Grass/Rock | 4: Bug, Fighting, Ice, Steel | 2 | −2 | Cradily |
Ice is the common thread: nine of these twelve typings include it. Ice resists only Ice, so it adds weaknesses to almost any pairing without covering them. The irony is that Ice is also the best attacking type in the game against real Pokémon (see the offense section below), which is why Weavile, Mamoswine, Baxcalibur, and Chien-Pao are used anyway: they are built to hit hard before they get hit.
Across all 171 typings, 128 score above zero, 16 break even, and 27 score below zero.
Single types, ranked
| Single type | Score | Single type | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steel | 9 | Normal | 1 |
| Ghost | 4 | Dark | 1 |
| Fairy | 3 | Dragon | 1 |
| Poison | 3 | Ground | 1 |
| Fire | 3 | Bug | 0 |
| Electric | 2 | Fighting | 0 |
| Water | 2 | Psychic | −1 |
| Flying | 2 | Grass | −1 |
| Rock | −1 | ||
| Ice | −3 |
Mono-Electric and mono-Normal have only one weakness each (Ground and Fighting), which is why they feel sturdier than their scores suggest. Their problem is the other side of the ledger: Normal resists nothing, and Electric resists only three types.
Fewest weaknesses
These real typings have just one weakness:
| Typing | Only weakness | Example Pokémon |
|---|---|---|
| Bug/Steel | Fire (4x) | Scizor, Forretress |
| Dark/Poison | Ground | Drapion, Skuntank, Overqwil |
| Ground/Water | Grass (4x) | Swampert, Quagsire, Gastrodon |
| Dark/Ghost | Fairy | Sableye, Spiritomb |
| Ghost/Normal | Dark | Hisuian Zoroark |
| Electric | Ground | Pikachu, Jolteon, Regieleki |
| Normal | Fighting | Snorlax, Blissey, Chansey |
Ground/Water is the classic example of why “one weakness” is not the same as “safe”: nine Pokémon share it, and every one of them takes quadruple damage from Grass.
The typings with two 4x weaknesses
Seven real typings carry two separate quadruple weaknesses, plus Ice/Steel, which exists only as Alolan Sandshrew and Sandslash:
| Typing | 4x weaknesses | Example Pokémon |
|---|---|---|
| Bug/Grass | Fire, Flying | Parasect, Leavanny |
| Bug/Ice | Fire, Rock | Frosmoth |
| Fire/Rock | Ground, Water | Coalossal, Magcargo |
| Ghost/Psychic | Dark, Ghost | Lunala, Hoopa |
| Ground/Rock | Grass, Water | Golem, Rhyperior |
| Ice/Rock | Fighting, Steel | Aurorus |
| Rock/Steel | Fighting, Ground | Aggron, Bastiodon |
| Ice/Steel | Fighting, Fire | Alolan Sandslash |
Rock/Steel is the odd one out: despite two 4x weaknesses it still scores +7 thanks to eight resistances and a Poison immunity, a good reminder that a typing’s worst matchups and its overall value are different questions.
The nine typings no Pokémon has ever had
Of the 153 possible dual typings, these nine are not used by any Pokémon or any form in the Pokédex:
- Normal/Ice
- Normal/Bug
- Normal/Rock
- Normal/Steel
- Fire/Fairy
- Ice/Poison
- Ground/Fairy
- Bug/Dragon
- Rock/Ghost
Four of the nine involve Normal, the type most often used as a “plain” secondary type for birds and mammals. Normal/Steel is the most interesting gap: it would rank ninth of 171 defensively, with Steel’s ten resistances plus an extra immunity to Ghost.
Eight more typings exist only through regional variants or alternate forms, never as a species’ default form:
| Typing | Only found on |
|---|---|
| Dragon/Fairy | Mega Altaria |
| Electric/Fire | Heat Rotom |
| Electric/Grass | Hisuian Voltorb and Electrode, Mow Rotom |
| Electric/Psychic | Alolan Raichu |
| Fairy/Ice | Alolan Ninetales |
| Fire/Ice | Galarian Darmanitan (Zen Mode) |
| Ghost/Normal | Hisuian Zorua and Zoroark |
| Ice/Steel | Alolan Sandshrew and Sandslash |
The most common typings and types
Of the 1,025 species, 499 have a single type and 526 have two. The most common typings by default form:
| Typing | Species |
|---|---|
| Normal | 75 |
| Water | 74 |
| Grass | 47 |
| Psychic | 39 |
| Fire | 36 |
| Electric | 35 |
| Fighting | 28 |
| Normal/Flying | 27 |
| Bug | 23 |
| Fairy | 21 |
Counting every species that has a type at all, in either slot:
| Type | Species with it | As first type |
|---|---|---|
| Water | 154 | 134 |
| Normal | 131 | 118 |
| Grass | 127 | 103 |
| Flying | 109 | 9 |
| Psychic | 102 | 60 |
| Bug | 92 | 83 |
| Poison | 83 | 42 |
| Fire | 81 | 66 |
| Ground | 75 | 40 |
| Rock | 74 | 58 |
| Fighting | 73 | 40 |
| Dragon | 70 | 37 |
| Dark | 69 | 45 |
| Electric | 69 | 59 |
| Ghost | 65 | 35 |
| Steel | 65 | 36 |
| Fairy | 64 | 29 |
| Ice | 48 | 31 |
Flying is the clear outlier: 109 species have it, but only 9 list it first. Almost every Flying Pokémon is “something else, plus Flying”. Ice is the rarest type overall, which partly explains why Ice attacks are so effective: few Pokémon resist them.
Offense: which attacking types hit the most Pokémon
Defense is only half the picture. This table shows how each attacking type performs against all 1,025 species’ real typings.
| Attacking type | Super effective against | Resisted by | No effect on |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ice | 292 | 277 | 0 |
| Ground | 274 | 143 | 109 |
| Rock | 272 | 176 | 0 |
| Fire | 262 | 302 | 0 |
| Fighting | 258 | 282 | 65 |
| Flying | 253 | 170 | 0 |
| Electric | 216 | 219 | 75 |
| Grass | 197 | 448 | 0 |
| Bug | 184 | 377 | 0 |
| Water | 178 | 300 | 0 |
| Fairy | 168 | 191 | 0 |
| Ghost | 155 | 64 | 131 |
| Dark | 146 | 179 | 0 |
| Poison | 143 | 223 | 65 |
| Steel | 139 | 317 | 0 |
| Psychic | 136 | 146 | 69 |
| Dragon | 67 | 56 | 64 |
| Normal | 0 | 128 | 65 |
Ice hits more Pokémon super-effectively than any other type, and Rock has the best balance of hits to resists among types with no immunities against them. Grass is the reverse: 448 species resist it, more than twice as many as it hits super-effectively, mostly because Flying, Poison, Steel, Fire, Dragon, and Bug types all resist it.
The best two-type attacking combinations
Most Pokémon carry two or more attacking types, so the useful question is which pairs leave the fewest Pokémon that resist both. “Walls” below are species that take less than neutral damage from both types.
| Attacking pair | Walls (of 1,025) | Super effective on | Example walls |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fighting + Ghost | 0 | 413 | None |
| Fairy + Ghost | 4 | 312 | Pyroar, Grafaiai |
| Normal + Ghost | 4 | 155 | Kingambit, Bisharp |
| Electric + Ice | 5 | 438 | Magnezone, Togedemaru |
| Ground + Rock | 6 | 482 | Breloom, Torterra, Toedscruel |
| Dragon + Fire | 6 | 329 | Azumarill, Primarina, Tapu Fini |
| Ground + Ice | 7 | 543 | Araquanid, Golisopod |
| Flying + Ghost | 7 | 384 | Tyranitar, Kingambit |
| Dark + Fairy | 7 | 308 | Klefki, Tinkaton, Magearna |
Fighting + Ghost is the only pair with no walls at all. Fighting attacks cannot touch Ghost types, but Ghost attacks hit them super-effectively. Ghost attacks cannot touch Normal types, but Fighting attacks hit those super-effectively. Every Pokémon that resists one of the two takes at least neutral damage from the other.
Ground + Ice is the best pair for raw super-effective coverage, hitting 543 species for double damage or more, with only seven walls. Electric + Ice, the old “BoltBeam” combination, still holds up with just five walls among 1,025 Pokémon, and four of them are Steel types that a Fighting or Ground move would cover.
Using this for team building
- Pair weaknesses, not just types. A Steel type covers most of a Fairy or Dragon partner’s weaknesses, while two Ice types stack the same four weaknesses. Team Analysis shows your team’s combined weaknesses and resistances in one view.
- Respect Ice and Ground coverage. Ice and Ground are the two best attacking types against real Pokémon, so a team with no Ice or Ground resistance will feel it quickly.
- Use the type pages to find a partner. Each type page lists every Pokémon of that type with its matchups, so you can find a Pokémon that resists what your team fears.
- Randomizing a run? The Team Randomizer only rolls Pokémon your chosen game can obtain, and its picks can be checked against these tables before you commit.
How this analysis was made
The type chart is the current one (Generation 6 onward, including Fairy), the same data used by the site’s type pages. “Species” means the default form of each of the 1,025 Pokémon in the site’s Pokédex; regional variants, Megas, and other alternate forms are only used where noted, as in the list of typings that exist only through forms. Abilities, held items, Terastallization, and moves with special type rules are not included, because they change individual Pokémon rather than the typing. Data current to October 2026.