Fighting Pokémon Weaknesses and Counters in Pokémon Go

Fighting Pokémon are typically used as a sub-type in Pokémon Go because they can be easily countered if that's their only type. Their attacks are boosted by Cloudy Weather, so expect to see a lot of other trainers using them if the weather predicts! This guide will help you get through the toughest battles against any type of Fighting Pokémon, including some of the strongest combinations!

Fighting Pokémon Weaknesses and Counters in Pokémon Go

One of the first things you need to know about choosing the right counters in Pokémon Go is that not all Pokémon are created equal. There is no one-size-fits-all against them. With each sub-type, moveset, and specialty comes the suggestion of a different technique to counter it. That being said, we’re going to cover a couple of things in this guide.

1. Fighting-type Weaknesses & Strengths: This will cover the basic resistances, weaknesses, vulnerabilities, and strengths that Fighting Pokémon have. This will be the go-to list to reference when battling Fighting-type Pokémon, but not always.
2. Combination Fighting-type Weaknesses & Strengths: This part of the guide will cover the secondary types that Fighting Pokémon can have and put particular emphasis on secondary types that might alter their original Weaknesses & Strengths. It is crucial information to know if you’d like to know how to beat some of the strongest Fighting Pokémon.
3. Counters: In this last section of the guide, we will cover the counters for Fighting Pokémon and their sub-types. It will focus primarily on the Fighting Pokémon with sub-types that alter the normal Weaknesses & Strengths. This will be your reference for the best counters against Fighting Pokémon, and, if possible, all the sub-types.

Weaknesses & Strengths

The dynamics for Fighting Pokémon, unfortunately, don’t have any real-life science to compare. They’re weak against Flying, Fairy, and Psychic, and strong against Bug, Rock, and Dark. Still, there are additional stats to know about Fighting-type Pokémon and Attacks. The list below provides the basic damage effectiveness against their respective types. If anything is not listed, it can be assumed that it applies standard damage/defense.

• Attacking 
  • Super Effective Against (160% Damage): Normal, Ice, Rock, Dark, Steel
  • Not Very Effective Against (62.5% Damage): Poison, Flying, Psychic, Bug
  • No Effect Against (< 35% Damage): Ghost
• Defending
  • Weak Against (160% Damage): Flying, Fairy, Psychic
  • Strong Against (62.5% Damage): Bug, Rock, Dark

Related: Best Fire Type Pokémon in Pokémon Go - Pro Game Guides

Combination Weaknesses & Strengths

Sometimes when Pokémon have secondary types, the Weaknesses & Strengths of that type might negate, amplify, or add to the Weaknesses & Strengths of the Pokémon’s primary type. In this list, we’re going to cover specifically the sub-types that change the original Weaknesses & Strengths.

• Amplifying
  • Amplifies Weakness to Flying: Grass, Bug
  • Amplifies Weakness to Psychic: Poison
  • Amplifies Weakness to Fairy: Dragon, Dark
  • Negating
• Negates Weakness to Flying: Electric, Rock, Steel
  • Negates Weakness to Psychic: Psychic, Steel
  • Negates Weakness to Fairy: Fire, Poison, Steel
  • Negates Resistance to Bug: Grass, Psychic, Dark
  • Negates Resistance to Rock: Fire, Ice, Flying, Bug
  • Negates Resistance to Dark: Psychic, Ghost

Counters

The best way to counter any Pokémon is to know its weaknesses and strengths, which are listed in the previous two sections of the guide. However, as mentioned before, some of these weaknesses and resistances can be altered with sub-types. So the question is: What do you do if the Pokémon has multiple types? Well, find another counter, of course!

We’re going to cover a few things with the lists below. First, we’ll explain how to counter against basic Fighting Pokémon. Then, we’ll list the best counters for all the sub-types of Fighting Pokémon.

Best Fighting Counters

When we’re thinking of Counters for Fighting Pokémon, we instinctively think Ghost Pokémon are best, since they are immune to Fighting Attacks. However, Ghost Pokémon don’t have a lot of strengths and weaknesses outside of this, so if the Fighting Pokémon has a sub-type, they can always just use an attack of that type instead.

For Fighting Pokémon with no additional sub-types, you’ll be looking to use Flying, Psychic, and Fairy attacks and avoid Bug, Rock, and Dark attacks. Note, these advantages do not mean you should counter or avoid countering with those types of Pokémon, but with those types of attacks specifically.

Since Flying, Psychic, and Fairy Pokémon all do decent damage to and are resistant to Fighting Pokémon, you’ll want this to be your standard roster against them (assuming there are sub-types). Ghost Pokémon should only be used if the Fighting Pokémon has no sub-types. If you are interested in finding the best of each of these types, you can follow these links: Best Flying Pokémon, Best Psychic Pokémon, Best Ghost Pokémon, and Best Fairy Pokémon.

Best Sub-type Counters

Since Fighting Pokémon have three weaknesses, trainers may use counters that negate them. While this can be an advanced technique to use against other unsuspecting trainers, we must remember that each type has its own weaknesses and strengths. This means that while some sub-types might negate a weakness, it could amplify other weaknesses or add new ones. The list below explains all the best counters for every sub-type of Fighting Pokémon.

Related: Best Dragon Type Pokémon in Pokémon Go - Pro Game Guides

• Fighting + Electric: Electric Pokémon cancel out Fighting Pokemon’s weakness to Flying, but adds a weakness to Ground Pokémon. Ground Pokémon would likely be the best option here since they’re not only effective against Electric Pokémon but also immune to Electric attacks.
• Fighting + Dragon: Dragon Pokémon are weak against Fairy Pokémon, so combining these two types makes them especially vulnerable to Fairy Attacks. Use these if you’re fighting a Fighting + Dragon Pokémon.
• Fighting + Grass: Grass Pokémon are weak against Flying Pokémon, so combining these two types makes them especially vulnerable to Flying Attacks. Use these if you’re fighting a Fighting + Grass Pokémon.
• Fighting + Ice: Ice does not negate any of the Fighting-type weaknesses, so you can stick to the standard lineup against Fighting + Ice Pokémon. However, because of Ice’s weaknesses, you can now also use other types such as Fire or even other Fighting Pokémon.
• Fighting + Dark: Fighting Pokémon are weak against Fairy Pokémon, so combining these two types makes them especially vulnerable to Fairy Attacks. Use these if you’re fighting a Fighting + Fighting Pokémon.
• Fighting + Poison: Poison Pokémon are weak against Psychic Pokémon, so combining these two types makes them especially vulnerable to Psychic Attacks. Use these if you’re fighting a Fighting + Poison Pokémon.
• Fighting + Ground: Ground does not negate any of the Fighting-type weaknesses, so you can stick to the standard lineup against Fighting + Ground Pokémon. However, due to Ground’s weaknesses, you can now also use other types such as Water or Grass. Be sure not to use Electric Pokémon, as even the strongest of them will not do well against Fighting + Ground Pokémon.
• Fighting + Normal: Normal does not negate any of the Fighting-type weaknesses, so you can stick to the standard lineup against Fighting + Normal Pokémon. However, Normal is also weak against Fighting Pokémon, which makes these Pokémon weak against their own type of attacks! Ghost Pokémon are immune to Normal Attacks, but Normal Pokémon are immune to Ghost attacks.
• Fighting + Fire: Fire Pokémon are resistant to Fairy Attacks, so try to avoid using them. These Pokémon are still vulnerable to Flying and Psychic Attacks, so we would recommend using one of those. Alternatively, Water-type Pokémon are also effective against Fighting + Fire, and resistant to their attacks.
• Fighting + Flying: Flying does not negate any of the Fighting-type weaknesses, so you can stick to the standard lineup against Fighting + Flying Pokémon. However, because of Flying’s weaknesses, you can now also use other types such as Electric or Ice. Be sure not to use Ground Pokémon, as even the strongest of them will not do well against Fighting + Flying Pokémon.
• Fighting + Psychic: Psychic Pokémon cancel out Fighting Pokémon’s weakness to Psychic, but adds a weakness to Ghost Pokémon. Since Ghost Pokémon are immune to Fighting attacks, they are your best option against Fighting + Psychic Pokemon.
• Fighting + Bug: Bug Pokémon are weak against Flying Pokémon, so combining these two types makes them especially vulnerable to Flying Attacks. Use these if you’re fighting a Fighting + Bug Pokémon.
• Fighting + Rock: Rock Pokémon cancel out Fighting Pokémon’s weakness to Flying, but adds a weakness to several others like Water, Grass, and other Fighting Pokémon. Still, we recommend sticking to the standard line-up such as Fairy or Psychic.
• Fighting + Ghost: Ghost-types are weak against their own attacks, so this adds Ghosts as a weakness for these Pokémon. Since they’re also immune to Fighting attacks, Ghost Pokémon and attacks are likely the best option here. If you find that your opponent’s Ghost attacks are too strong, you can try going back to Fairy or Psychic Pokémon.
• Fighting + Water: Water does not negate any of the Fighting-type weaknesses, so you can stick to the standard lineup against Fighting + Water Pokémon. However, due to Water’s weaknesses, you can now also use other types such as Electric or Grass.
• Fighting + Steel: Steel Pokémon are resistant to all Fighting Pokémon weaknesses, so you’re going to need to completely change the lineup in this battle. Fire, Fighting, and Ground Pokémon are strong against Fighting + Steel, but only Fire is resistant to Steel attacks. This means that Fire Pokémon are likely the best option against them.
• Fighting + Fairy: Fairy does not negate any of the Fighting-type weaknesses, so you can stick to the standard lineup against Fighting + Fairy Pokémon. However, due to Water’s weaknesses, you can now also use other types such as Poison or Steel.

With this guide, you should be ready to take down any Fighting-type focused opponent! In summary, you’ve likely made the realization that the best Pokémon and Attacks to use will probably be Flying or Fairy. Remember, Ghost Pokémon are great options against Fighting Pokémon, but only in specific situations!

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