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Type Coverage

Dark Type Weakness

What Dark Pokémon are weak to, what they resist and how to beat them.

Dark type weakness is three types: Fighting, Bug and Fairy. Dark Pokémon are immune to Psychic moves and resist Ghost and Dark. Dark moves hit Psychic and Ghost for double damage and are resisted by Fighting, Dark and Fairy.

Dark weaknesses

Dark Pokémon take double damage from 3 types:

Dark resistances

Dark Pokémon take half damage from:

Dark immunities

Dark Pokémon take no damage from:

What Dark moves are good against

Dark attacks do double damage to:

They do half damage to Fighting, Dark and Fairy.

Best counters to Dark

The best answer to a Dark Pokémon is something that hits it hard and shrugs off its attacks. These types do both:

  • Fightinghits Dark for 2×, takes ½× from Dark moves.
  • Fairyhits Dark for 2×, takes ½× from Dark moves.

Bug also hits Dark for double damage but doesn't resist it, so use it to attack first.

For example: Poliwrath, Machamp, Clefable and Alolan Ninetales.

Dark dual types

A second type changes everything. These Dark pairings have the fewest weaknesses:

  • Dark / Ghost: weak to Fairy; immune to Normal, Fighting and Psychic. Example: Sableye.

  • Dark / Poison: weak to Ground; immune to Psychic. Example: Alolan Muk.

  • Dark / Fairy: weak to Poison, Steel and Fairy; immune to Psychic and Dragon. Example: Grimmsnarl.

  • Dark / Psychic: weak to Bug (4×) and Fairy; immune to Psychic. Example: Malamar.

Check any pair yourself on the type chart.

Tip

Fairy is the Dark type's worst enemy: Fairy moves hit Dark hard, and Fairy resists Dark moves. Carry a Poison or Steel move, or bring a Steel partner, for the Fairy types.

Building a team around a Dark type? Put it in the team builder and see what the rest of the team needs to cover.

Open the team builder

Questions

What is Dark weak to?

Dark Pokémon are weak to Fighting, Bug and Fairy. Each of those does double damage. If the Pokémon has a second type, the numbers can change; check it on the type chart.

What resists Dark moves?

Fighting, Dark and Fairy take half damage from Dark attacks.

What is Dark good against?

Dark moves do double damage to Psychic and Ghost.

What is the best counter to Dark?

Fighting and Fairy: they hit Dark for double damage and resist its moves. See the full list above.