What are Dark-Type Pokemon’s weaknesses?

Across the various generations, Pokémon has a ton of different types and each one of them has strengths and weaknesses to exploit if you want to win. The Pokémon Company has only added three new types to the series since the original launch of Pokémon Red and Blue back in the 90s. The Dark Pokémon Type entered the mix during the Pokémon Gold and Silver generation as a counter to the dominant force that was Psychic Types, but it has since nestled into a powerful, but fallible spot over the years. Here’s what you need to know about fighting against Dark-Type Pokémon and utilizing their weaknesses to claim victory.

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What Pokémon type counters Dark Type?

Dark-Type Pokémon have three main weaknesses in competitive battles — Bug, Fairy, and Fighting. During the sixth generation of games, Nintendo introduced the Fairy Type as an extra counter to Dark Pokémon as these monsters enjoyed a bit of a shallow weakness pool up until Pokémon X and Y.

There are a ton of powerful Fairy and Fighting-Type Pokémon to utilize against any Dark-Type creatures in battle. Keep in mind, however, that dual type is also a thing in the Pokémon world. Certain Dark-Type Pokémon may not be weak to their typical three weaknesses because of their second type. For example, the Dark and Flying combination effectively takes away Bug and Fighting Types from this weakness pool. However, this is counteracted by the second typing also coming with weaknesses of its own.

Fairy and Fighting have such a variety of competitive Pokémon that you will most often see these types as the counters to Dark. However, you shouldn’t rule out Bug Pokemon. There are a select few mighty Bug-Type monsters that can pack a punch with Pollen Puff, First Impression, or Bug Buzz attacks. Dark Types can be incredibly tanky, but their attacks also hit Steel, Fighting, and other Dark Pokémon for way less damage, so keep this in mind when utilizing them.