(Read my Competitive Pokemon Guide first so you understand the basics of competitive play)
Anyways, the Pokemon types are:
Normal
Fighting
Flying
Poison
Ground
Rock
Bug
Ghost
Steel
Fire
Water
Grass
Electric
Psychic
Ice
Dragon
Dark
Pokemon can have up to two types, they can even just have one type.
Types can be super effective, normal effectiveness, not very effective, or have no effect at all against each other. Each Pokemon move has a type that corresponds to it.
Pokemon can have moves that aren't their type / types, it all depends on their respective movepool.
Super Effective Moves: 2 x Damage
Double Super Effective Moves: 4 x Damage
Normal Effective Moves: 1 x Damage
Not Very Effective Moves: .5 x Damage
Double Not Very Effective Moves: .25 x Damage
No Effect Moves: 0 x Damage
Here is a detailed explanation of the effectiveness of types.
Normal
- Super Effective Against: Nothing
- Not Very Effective Against: Rock, Steel
- Has No Effect On: Ghost
Explanation: Normal is a rather bland attacking type, while it provides nice coverage, it doesn't hit anything super effectively and there is a rather poor movepool choice when it comes to Normal moves. Also, not having the ability to hit Ghost types really hurts. There are ways to get around the inability to hit ghost types, such as the move Foresight, or the ability Scrappy.
Fighting
- Super Effective Against: Normal, Rock, Steel, Ice, Dark
- Not Very Effective Against: Flying, Poison, Bug, Psychic
- Has No Effect On: Ghost
Explanation: Possibly one of the best if not the best attacking type in the game. Since Steel is the top defensive type, Fighting's ability to hit it and numerous other types super-effectively is fantastic. Fighting also has a wide array of usable moves with different effects. The inability to hit ghosts isn't as serious on Fighting types since they usually have alternatives to take care of Ghost types.
Flying
- Super Effective Against: Fighting, Bug, Grass
- Not Very Effective Against: Rock, Steel, Electric
Explanation: A rather mixed attacking type, on one hand you can hit numerous threats such as the common Fighting and Bug types super effectively, but on the other hand there are not as many powerful choices for moves for the Flying type. Flying type is for the most part the secondary typing of a Pokemon, so usually the Pokemon will have something to compliment its Flying type.
Poison
- Super Effective Against: Grass
- Not Very Effective Against: Poison, Ground, Rock, Ghost
- Has No Effect On: Steel
Explanation: You will rarely see this type used as an Attacking type, simply because it only hits Grass types super effectively. On top of that, most Grass types have a secondary Poison typing so it just hits them for Neutral damage. Not even being able to touch the top defensive typing in the game is another horrid drawback. The only advantage to most Poison moves... is the chance to Poison the opponent's Pokemon. Usually at a 30% chance.
Ground
- Super Effective Against: Poison, Rock, Steel, Fire, Electric
- Not Very Effective Against: Bug, Grass
- Has No Effect On: Flying
Explanation: One of the top attacking types, quite a number of Fighting type Pokemon have some kind of Ground type move for extra coverage. Earthquake is the star move of the Ground Type, perfect 100 % Damage, 100 % accuracy with absolutely no drawbacks. It also has wide distribution. Not being able to hit flying types can be annoying, however most Pokemon running Ground type moves also carry Rock type moves to help make up for it.
Rock
- Super Effective Against: Flying, Bug, Fire, Ice
- Not Very Effective Against: Fighting, Ground, Steel
Explanation: Fits perfectly with Ground type attacks, and patches up the inability for Ground types to hit Flying type Pokemon and patches up Ground type's ineffectiveness against Bug types. Stone Edge and Rock Slide are the two Rock type attacks mainly used, although there are a wide array of other options as well for the type.
Bug
- Super Effective Against: Grass, Psychic, Dark
- Not Very Effective Against: Fight, Flying, Poison, Ghost, Steel, Fire
Explanation: This attack type is more commonly seen in the lower tiers, where Psychic and Dark types flourish. There are some nifty attacks with this type, but most of the time the things that resist it generally bar it from being a top attacking type.
Ghost
- Super Effective Against: Ghost, Psychic
- Not Very Effective Against: Steel, Dark
- Has No Effect On: Normal
Explanation: This attack typing is usually very useful because of the great neutral coverage it provides in conjunction with the Fighting type. Along with this, there are multiple moves with great power and secondary effects that are Ghost type, such as Shadow Ball.
Steel
- Super Effective Against: Rock, Ice
- Not Very Effective Against: Steel, Fire, Water, Electric
Explanation: Another terrible Attacking type, the only notable steel type attacking moves are Gyro Ball because of its usability and Iron Head because of the flinch chance. Other than that you will never see this Attacking type used.
Fire
- Super Effective Against: Bug, Steel, Grass, Ice
- Not Very Effective Against: Rock, Fire, Water, Dragon
Explanation: With the chance to burn, great neutral coverage and hitting a couple widely used types, Fire type attacks may not be top tier, but they sure can pack a wallop. There is also a great variety of Fire attacks that can be used.
Water
- Super Effective Against: Ground, Rock, Fire
- Not Very Effective Against: Water, Grass, Dragon
Explanation: Being able to super effectively hit Ground and Rock which are often juxtaposed together alone makes it a fantastic attacking type. In addition to this, there are a huge assortment of Water type attacks with different effects, from the every reliable Surf, to the more powerful Hydro Pump to the new Scald which can burn your opponent in an instant.
Grass
- Super Effective Against: Ground, Rock, Water
- Not Very Effective Against: Flying, Poison, Bug, Steel, Fire, Grass, Dragon
Explanation: While it functions similar to Water, the fact that so many types resist it, contribute to the fact that it is used way less than a majority of the other types. There are also very few well distributed good Grass type moves.
Electric
- Super Effective Against: Flying, Water
- Not Very Effective Against: Grass, Electric, Dragon
Explanation: Due to the prevalence of the two types that Electric is super effective against, it is very commonly used. It is often paired with Ice type attacks for what is called "Boltbeam" coverage, which hits a wide range of Pokemon super effectively and neutrally. A lot of Electric type attacks also have the chance to paralyze the opponent's Pokemon which is incredibly useful.
Psychic
- Super Effective Against: Fighting, Poison
- Not Very Effective Against: Steel, Psychic
- No Effect On: Dark
Explanation: Widely used mostly because Fighting types are so popular. They really don't have much else use. There are a couple powerful Psychic moves with special effects and stat changers but nothing really notable.
Ice
- Super Effective Against: Flying, Ground, Grass, Dragon
- Not Very Effective Against: Steel, Fire, Water, Ice
Explanation: Ice is the only type other than the Dragon type that hits the Dragon type super effectively. Combined with the Electric type it has fantastic coverage, a lot of Ice type attacks also give the chance to freeze the opponent's Pokemon. This is always a great side effect. There are a lot of notably Ice type attacks such as Blizzard and Ice Beam.
Dragon
- Super Effective Against: Dragon
- Not Very Effective Against: Steel
Explanation: Dragon type attacks will only be used on Dragon type Pokemon simply because of STAB and the fact that they hit everything Neutrally except for those with a Steel typing. Dragon type attacks can be quite powerful yet reckless though.
Dark
- Super Effective Against: Ghost, Psychic
- Not Very Effective Against: Fighting, Steel, Dark
Explanation: Dark type attacks are known for nailing Ghost and Psychic types super effectively, and while they aren't used as much, they can be potent. There are a multitude of Dark moves with special effects and stat drops as well.
If you have any questions about this guide, feel free to ask!
Anyways, the Pokemon types are:
Normal
Fighting
Flying
Poison
Ground
Rock
Bug
Ghost
Steel
Fire
Water
Grass
Electric
Psychic
Ice
Dragon
Dark
Pokemon can have up to two types, they can even just have one type.
Types can be super effective, normal effectiveness, not very effective, or have no effect at all against each other. Each Pokemon move has a type that corresponds to it.
Pokemon can have moves that aren't their type / types, it all depends on their respective movepool.
Super Effective Moves: 2 x Damage
Double Super Effective Moves: 4 x Damage
Normal Effective Moves: 1 x Damage
Not Very Effective Moves: .5 x Damage
Double Not Very Effective Moves: .25 x Damage
No Effect Moves: 0 x Damage
Here is a detailed explanation of the effectiveness of types.
Normal
- Super Effective Against: Nothing
- Not Very Effective Against: Rock, Steel
- Has No Effect On: Ghost
Explanation: Normal is a rather bland attacking type, while it provides nice coverage, it doesn't hit anything super effectively and there is a rather poor movepool choice when it comes to Normal moves. Also, not having the ability to hit Ghost types really hurts. There are ways to get around the inability to hit ghost types, such as the move Foresight, or the ability Scrappy.
Fighting
- Super Effective Against: Normal, Rock, Steel, Ice, Dark
- Not Very Effective Against: Flying, Poison, Bug, Psychic
- Has No Effect On: Ghost
Explanation: Possibly one of the best if not the best attacking type in the game. Since Steel is the top defensive type, Fighting's ability to hit it and numerous other types super-effectively is fantastic. Fighting also has a wide array of usable moves with different effects. The inability to hit ghosts isn't as serious on Fighting types since they usually have alternatives to take care of Ghost types.
Flying
- Super Effective Against: Fighting, Bug, Grass
- Not Very Effective Against: Rock, Steel, Electric
Explanation: A rather mixed attacking type, on one hand you can hit numerous threats such as the common Fighting and Bug types super effectively, but on the other hand there are not as many powerful choices for moves for the Flying type. Flying type is for the most part the secondary typing of a Pokemon, so usually the Pokemon will have something to compliment its Flying type.
Poison
- Super Effective Against: Grass
- Not Very Effective Against: Poison, Ground, Rock, Ghost
- Has No Effect On: Steel
Explanation: You will rarely see this type used as an Attacking type, simply because it only hits Grass types super effectively. On top of that, most Grass types have a secondary Poison typing so it just hits them for Neutral damage. Not even being able to touch the top defensive typing in the game is another horrid drawback. The only advantage to most Poison moves... is the chance to Poison the opponent's Pokemon. Usually at a 30% chance.
Ground
- Super Effective Against: Poison, Rock, Steel, Fire, Electric
- Not Very Effective Against: Bug, Grass
- Has No Effect On: Flying
Explanation: One of the top attacking types, quite a number of Fighting type Pokemon have some kind of Ground type move for extra coverage. Earthquake is the star move of the Ground Type, perfect 100 % Damage, 100 % accuracy with absolutely no drawbacks. It also has wide distribution. Not being able to hit flying types can be annoying, however most Pokemon running Ground type moves also carry Rock type moves to help make up for it.
Rock
- Super Effective Against: Flying, Bug, Fire, Ice
- Not Very Effective Against: Fighting, Ground, Steel
Explanation: Fits perfectly with Ground type attacks, and patches up the inability for Ground types to hit Flying type Pokemon and patches up Ground type's ineffectiveness against Bug types. Stone Edge and Rock Slide are the two Rock type attacks mainly used, although there are a wide array of other options as well for the type.
Bug
- Super Effective Against: Grass, Psychic, Dark
- Not Very Effective Against: Fight, Flying, Poison, Ghost, Steel, Fire
Explanation: This attack type is more commonly seen in the lower tiers, where Psychic and Dark types flourish. There are some nifty attacks with this type, but most of the time the things that resist it generally bar it from being a top attacking type.
Ghost
- Super Effective Against: Ghost, Psychic
- Not Very Effective Against: Steel, Dark
- Has No Effect On: Normal
Explanation: This attack typing is usually very useful because of the great neutral coverage it provides in conjunction with the Fighting type. Along with this, there are multiple moves with great power and secondary effects that are Ghost type, such as Shadow Ball.
Steel
- Super Effective Against: Rock, Ice
- Not Very Effective Against: Steel, Fire, Water, Electric
Explanation: Another terrible Attacking type, the only notable steel type attacking moves are Gyro Ball because of its usability and Iron Head because of the flinch chance. Other than that you will never see this Attacking type used.
Fire
- Super Effective Against: Bug, Steel, Grass, Ice
- Not Very Effective Against: Rock, Fire, Water, Dragon
Explanation: With the chance to burn, great neutral coverage and hitting a couple widely used types, Fire type attacks may not be top tier, but they sure can pack a wallop. There is also a great variety of Fire attacks that can be used.
Water
- Super Effective Against: Ground, Rock, Fire
- Not Very Effective Against: Water, Grass, Dragon
Explanation: Being able to super effectively hit Ground and Rock which are often juxtaposed together alone makes it a fantastic attacking type. In addition to this, there are a huge assortment of Water type attacks with different effects, from the every reliable Surf, to the more powerful Hydro Pump to the new Scald which can burn your opponent in an instant.
Grass
- Super Effective Against: Ground, Rock, Water
- Not Very Effective Against: Flying, Poison, Bug, Steel, Fire, Grass, Dragon
Explanation: While it functions similar to Water, the fact that so many types resist it, contribute to the fact that it is used way less than a majority of the other types. There are also very few well distributed good Grass type moves.
Electric
- Super Effective Against: Flying, Water
- Not Very Effective Against: Grass, Electric, Dragon
Explanation: Due to the prevalence of the two types that Electric is super effective against, it is very commonly used. It is often paired with Ice type attacks for what is called "Boltbeam" coverage, which hits a wide range of Pokemon super effectively and neutrally. A lot of Electric type attacks also have the chance to paralyze the opponent's Pokemon which is incredibly useful.
Psychic
- Super Effective Against: Fighting, Poison
- Not Very Effective Against: Steel, Psychic
- No Effect On: Dark
Explanation: Widely used mostly because Fighting types are so popular. They really don't have much else use. There are a couple powerful Psychic moves with special effects and stat changers but nothing really notable.
Ice
- Super Effective Against: Flying, Ground, Grass, Dragon
- Not Very Effective Against: Steel, Fire, Water, Ice
Explanation: Ice is the only type other than the Dragon type that hits the Dragon type super effectively. Combined with the Electric type it has fantastic coverage, a lot of Ice type attacks also give the chance to freeze the opponent's Pokemon. This is always a great side effect. There are a lot of notably Ice type attacks such as Blizzard and Ice Beam.
Dragon
- Super Effective Against: Dragon
- Not Very Effective Against: Steel
Explanation: Dragon type attacks will only be used on Dragon type Pokemon simply because of STAB and the fact that they hit everything Neutrally except for those with a Steel typing. Dragon type attacks can be quite powerful yet reckless though.
Dark
- Super Effective Against: Ghost, Psychic
- Not Very Effective Against: Fighting, Steel, Dark
Explanation: Dark type attacks are known for nailing Ghost and Psychic types super effectively, and while they aren't used as much, they can be potent. There are a multitude of Dark moves with special effects and stat drops as well.
If you have any questions about this guide, feel free to ask!
