A beginner’s guide to Pokémon types
Fire beats Grass, Water beats Fire, Grass beats Water: everyone gets that far. But there are eighteen Pokémon types, and understanding how they fit together is the first step to becoming a better trainer… and a faster crossword solver, because many of the crossword’s clues hide hints about the type.
The eighteen types
Normal, Fire, Water, Grass, Electric, Ice, Fighting, Poison, Ground, Flying, Psychic, Bug, Rock, Ghost, Dragon, Dark, Steel and Fairy. They weren’t all born together: Dark and Steel arrived with the second generation, Fairy only with the sixth, partly to keep Dragons in check after they had become too strong.
The starting triangle
Almost every game makes you choose between a Grass, a Fire and a Water Pokémon. That’s no accident: it’s the simplest way to learn the golden rule, that every type is strong against some and weak against others.
- Fire burns Grass.
- Water puts out Fire.
- Grass soaks up Water.
Immunities to remember
Some attacks do nothing at all to certain types. These are the most useful rules to memorise, because they can turn a battle around:
| Attack | Has no effect on |
|---|---|
| Normal, Fighting | Ghost |
| Ghost | Normal |
| Electric | Ground |
| Ground | Flying |
| Psychic | Dark |
| Poison | Steel |
| Dragon | Fairy |
Dual types
Many Pokémon have two types, and their weaknesses combine. A Rock/Ground Pokémon, for example, suffers badly from Water and Grass attacks, because both its types are weak to them: the damage multiplies. On the other hand, two types can also cancel out each other’s weakness.
Types and the crossword
Many clues state the type outright, but the other hints suggest it too: a Pokémon that lives in caves makes you think of Rock, Ground or Ghost, one that lives in the sea of Water. Getting used to “reading the type” in the clues is the quickest trick to unlock a word.
Where to start
You don’t need to learn the whole chart by heart: whenever you need it, it’s in our type chart, which also shows the weaknesses of dual-type Pokémon. Start with the Fire-Water-Grass triangle, add the immunities in the table above and the rest will come as you play. Meanwhile, you can train your eye with today’s crossword.