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Pokémon: Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire

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Type Match-Ups

By
Vincent Lau

Knowing your Types speeds up battles a lot.

We mentioned this in passing, but it’s time to explain this in full. One thing that makes Pokémon stand out is the intricate Type Match-Up system, which is basically a complicated version of Rock, Papers, Scissors.

Each Pokémon has one or two types; which reflect what kind of Pokémon they are. A fish Pokémon will be a Water-type; while a plant Pokémon will be a Grass-type. Similarly, each move has a type that reflects it. A move called Flamethrower is going to be Fire-type, for instance.

How does it affect battling though? Well, like in real life, some things ‘beat’ others. Water douses fire and in the same way, Water-type moves used on a Fire-type Pokémon deal more damage. Fire-type moves also deal less damage to Water-Type Pokemon because of this.

Not all types are strong or weak against all other types; but there are many that work in this way. Some types can’t even damage Pokémon of certain types, such as Poison-Type moves when used on a Steel-Type Pokémon. Taking proper advantage of type match-ups is what separates the best from the rest.

Our Handy Type Match-Up Table

The below table is structured so that when you want to check it; simply look at the left column first to match what move-type you’re using and then look right to match the Pokemon-type you’re facing.

Example: If we were up against a Fire-type Pokemon, then from the table we can see that using another Fire-ype against it would be a waste of time as it does only half the damage. However; if you had a Pokemon with Water , Ground or Rock-type moves, then you’d be dealing 2x the damage levels.

The numbers shown are the damage multipliers. So 2x means twice the damage.

Double-Type Pokemon

When an opposing Pokémon is dual-typed, things get slightly more complicated. What happens is that the damage multipliers for both types are multiplied together.

Example A : If we were up against "Aurorus" IconAurorus, an Ice/Rock Pokémon, then a Water-type move would do double damage, because Water is super effective against Rock and does normal damage to Ice. Similarly, a Normal-type move would do half damage because it’s rubbish against Rock and normal against Ice.

The kicker is that Fighting-type and Steel-type moves do quadruple damage, because they’re strong against both Ice and Rock. Yikes!

Example B : What about "Honedge" IconHonedge, the Steel/Ghost Pokémon? Fire-type moves do double damage, as they’re strong against Steel and normal against Ghost. Bug-type moves should be avoided as they do a quarter damage, being both rubbish against Steel and Ghost.

Don’t bother with Fighting-type moves either, as despite being strong against Steel, they do no damage to Ghost, which means they do no damage to our spooky Honedge.

Other Factors

Latios is safe from Ground moves unless the foe has Mold Breaker or a similar ability.

Although during most situations, you can rely on the type chart to see how effective or ineffective your and your opponent’s moves will be, there will be times when the rules are broken slightly - or rather, a loophole is used. This can be due to various factors, such as a Pokémon’s held item, ability or even their move.

Just a few examples: Pokémon with the Levitate ability are immune to Ground-type moves, so don’t bother trying to shake up "Latios" IconLatios or the like. Ghost-type Pokémon need to watch out too, as they can be hit by Normal-type and Fighting-type moves if Foresight or Odour Sleuth is used on them.

Finally, Ice-type Pokémon are normally ineffective against Water-type Pokémon, but if they use the Freeze Dry Ice-type move, they will do super-effective damage! A Water/Flying Pokémon like "Gyarados" IconGyarados definitely won’t like being hit by Freeze Dry for quadruple damage (since it’s strong against Flying and Water).

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Guide Information
  • Publisher
    Pokemon Company International
  • Platforms,
    3DS
  • Genre
    RPG
  • Guide Release
    28 November 2014
  • Last Updated
    7 December 2020
  • Guide Author
    Vincent Lau

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Relive your adventures in Hoenn or start a brand new journey with this re-imagining of a much-loved game. Collect and battle your way to the Pokemon League for the right to challenge the Elite Four. Hunt legendary Pokemon, breed them and become the best Pokemon Master you can be with the help of our guide!

  • A full walkthrough for all badges and the Pokemon League challenges.
  • Side quest information on legendary Pokemon and the different Routes and Caves.
  • Information on breeding, Pokemon Contests, the Battle Maison and much more!
  • Full-color screenshots throughout and useful tips to help you along the way.
  • Comparisons between the original game and remake.

Updates (Aug 2016):

  • Added Encounter Rates to Wild Pokémon table lists as well as general locations making it easier to find your favorite Pokémon.
  • Fixed some formatting issues and general editing.
  • Expanded Introduction with loads of new information.
  • Restructured Extra Activities section (at the end) for easier navigation and reading.

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