You've been there. You're staring down a Tera Raid boss or staring at a competitive ladder match in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, and you realize you don't actually know if your Water/Ground Swampert is going to survive that Freeze-Dry. It’s annoying. We’ve all used a dual type pokemon chart at some point, but honestly, most people just glance at the colors and hope for the best.
Type matchups are the literal backbone of Pokémon. Since the days of Red and Blue, things have gotten messy. We went from 15 types to 18, and the introduction of dual typing turned a simple game of rock-paper-scissors into a 324-combination nightmare. If you’re just looking at a single-type chart, you’re playing at a disadvantage. You need to understand how these types stack, cancel each other out, or—in the worst-case scenario—create a massive 4x weakness that gets your favorite Pokémon one-shotted before it can move.
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The Math Behind the Dual Type Pokemon Chart
Most players think about "effectiveness" in vague terms like "it’s super effective." But to really master a dual type pokemon chart, you have to think in multipliers. It’s basically just multiplication. When a Pokémon has two types, any incoming move’s damage multiplier is calculated by looking at how that move interacts with Type A and Type B individually, then multiplying those two numbers together.
Let’s look at a classic: Charizard. Charizard is Fire/Flying. If a Rock-type move hits it, you check the Fire interaction (2x) and the Flying interaction (2x). You multiply them. $2 \times 2 = 4$. That’s why Stealth Rock takes half of Charizard's health the second it switches in. It’s brutal. On the flip side, if an attack is resisted by both types, like a Bug-type move hitting Charizard, the math goes $0.5 \times 0.5 = 0.25$. You’re barely feeling that hit.
Then you have the "neutralizers." This is where a dual type pokemon chart gets really interesting. Take a Steel/Bug type like Scizor. Fire is 2x against Steel and 2x against Bug, resulting in that terrifying 4x weakness. But look at Poison. Steel is immune (0x) and Bug resists (0.5x). Because anything multiplied by zero is zero, Scizor keeps that sweet Poison immunity. This interplay is why certain Pokémon dominate the meta while others, despite having great stats, just fall apart.
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Why Dual Types Are Better (Usually)
Pure types are boring. There, I said it. While a pure Water type like Blastoise is solid, it doesn’t have the tactical flexibility of a dual type. Adding a second type usually gives a Pokémon more resistances and a wider "STAB" (Same Type Attack Bonus) coverage.
Think about Gastrodon. It’s Water/Ground. Pure Water is weak to Electric. Pure Ground is immune to Electric. By mashing them together, Gastrodon becomes a premier "Electric-type sponge." You can switch it into a Thunderbolt without breaking a sweat. It only has one weakness: Grass. Sure, that weakness is a massive 4x multiplier, but having only one hole in your defense is a trade-off most competitive players will take any day of the week.
The STAB Advantage
- Offensive Pressure: A dual-type Pokémon gets a 50% damage boost on two different move types.
- Coverage: You can hit more things for super-effective damage without relying on weak "coverage" moves.
- Terastallization: In the current Gen 9 meta, your dual typing determines your defensive profile until you "Tera," making the initial matchup read critical.
Common Misconceptions About Resistances
People often get confused when a type is "neutralized." I’ve seen players try to hit a Water/Grass type like Ludicolo with an Electric move, thinking it’ll be super effective because "Water is weak to Electric." It’s not. Grass resists Electric (0.5x), which cancels out the Water weakness (2x). The result is 1x—neutral damage.
You also have to account for abilities. A dual type pokemon chart doesn't tell the whole story if you don't know the Pokémon's ability. Levitate is the big one. Eelektross is a pure Electric type, but it has Levitate, meaning its only weakness (Ground) is completely negated. Bronzong is Steel/Psychic, which should be weak to Ground and Fire. But depending on whether it has Heatproof or Levitate, one of those weaknesses basically vanishes. It’s a mind game.
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The Most Dangerous Dual Types to Face
Some combinations are just inherently "blessed" by the math. Steel/Fairy is widely considered the best defensive typing in the game. Look at Zacian-Crowned or Magearna. They have two immunities (Poison and Dragon) and a massive list of resistances. They are only weak to Ground and Fire. When you're looking at your dual type pokemon chart, you’ll notice that Steel almost always improves the defensive profile of whatever it touches, provided it doesn't create a 4x Fighting or Fire hole.
Then you have the "glass cannons." Ice/Rock (like Hisuian Avalugg) is a defensive nightmare. It has four 2x weaknesses and two 4x weaknesses (Fighting and Steel). Even with high defensive stats, the math is against it. Ice is arguably the best offensive type but the worst defensive type, so pairing it with anything requires a very specific strategy—usually "kill them before they hit you."
How to Use This Info in Your Next Battle
Stop guessing. If you’re playing on the ladder or just trying to beat your friend, keep a dual type pokemon chart open, but look specifically for those 4x overlaps.
- Identify the "Double-Downs": Before the match starts, look at your opponent's team. Does anyone have a 4x weakness? If they have a Gyarados (Water/Flying), your Electric move is your win condition.
- Check for Immunities: Don't waste a turn. If you're facing a Ghost/Dark type like Sableye (before the Fairy type was introduced), it literally had no weaknesses. Now, it’s just Fairy. But it's still immune to Normal, Fighting, and Psychic.
- Predict the Switch: If you have a Fire-type move ready and your opponent has a Ferrothorn (Grass/Steel), they know they have a 4x weakness. They are going to switch. Use that turn to set up a Dragon Dance or a Substitute instead of attacking.
Actionable Strategy for Competitive Play
Don't just memorize the chart; learn the "cores." The "Fire-Water-Grass" core is famous because they cover each other's weaknesses. If you have a dual-type Pokémon from each of these categories, you can usually pivot around almost any threat.
The next time you're building a team, run your roster through a type coverage calculator. See where your "team-wide" weaknesses are. If four of your Pokémon are weak to Ground, a single Garchomp will sweep you. You need to balance those dual types so that one Pokémon's 4x weakness is another's 0x immunity. That's how you actually win.
Forget the "perfect" team. It doesn't exist. There is always a counter. But by understanding how the dual type pokemon chart functions—specifically the math of multipliers—you move from being a casual player to someone who can read the flow of a battle three turns ahead. Check your team's defensive profile tonight. Find that one 4x weakness you didn't realize you had. Fix it.