Fairy-type Pokémon weaknesses, resistances, and counters

Fairy is the 18th and most recent type in the core games, added in Generation VI with X & Y. It carries very few defensive holes, shrugs off several common attacks, and ignores Dragon-type moves entirely, which is exactly why it reshaped competitive play. If you are building around one or trying to take one down, the matchups below are all you need.

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Quick answer: Fairy-type Pokémon are weak to Poison and Steel (2x), resist Bug, Dark, and Fighting (0.5x), and are immune to Dragon (0x). Fairy-type moves are super effective against Dark, Dragon, and Fighting.

Fairy-type defensive matchups (what hurts a Fairy)

On defense, a pure Fairy-type has only two weaknesses, which is one of the cleanest spreads in the game. The trade-off is that those two weaknesses, Poison and Steel, are easy to slot onto many teams.

The Dragon immunity is the headline. A Draco Meteor from Dragonite or any other Dragon attack does nothing to a Clefairy or Xerneas, which makes Fairies a safe switch-in against Dragon-heavy teams. One narrow exception exists. The Gen IX Dragon move Nihil Light deals normal 1x damage to Fairy-types even though they would normally take none.

Fairy-type offensive matchups (what Fairy moves beat)

Fairy attacks hit three types for super-effective damage and are resisted by three others. Moves like Moonblast, Play Rough, Dazzling Gleam, and Draining Kiss carry this coverage.

Against a Pokémon that combines two of those weak types, the damage stacks. A Fairy move hits Scrafty (Dark/Fighting) or Hydreigon (Dark/Dragon) for 4x, which is often a one-hit knockout. Fire resisting Fairy is the surprising one, since fans usually only track Fire against Grass, Water, Rock, Ground, and Bug.

How dual typing changes the matchup

Most Fairy-types carry a second type, so always check it before committing. A shared weakness doubles into 4x damage, while a second type can also erase a weakness entirely.

For example, Whimsicott (Grass/Fairy) takes 4x from a strong Poison move, since both Grass and Fairy are weak to Poison. On the other hand, Steel/Fairy Pokémon such as Mawile and the Tinkaton line lose the Steel weakness because Steel resists itself, and they pick up different resistances instead.

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Fairy-types also have the highest average Special Defense of any type, so Poison and Steel counters need attacks that match their own type to actually break through.

Best counters against Fairy-types

Because Fairy has only two weaknesses, your reliable answers are Steel and Poison attackers. Steel is usually the safer pick, since many Fairies learn Psychic moves that punish Poison-types.

One complication is that Fairies often carry Grass or Psychic coverage to hit back at Poison, Rock, Ground, and Water. Bring a counter that resists both Fairy and its likely coverage move.

Steel walls like Gholdengo and Kingambit are also strong picks, since they take normal damage from Fairy moves and resist the Grass and Psychic attacks Fairies tend to carry.

Image credit: Nintendo/The Pokemon Company (via YouTube/@Pokebinge)

Strongest Fairy-types to use

If you want a Fairy on your own team, the type leans toward special attackers and special walls. These are the standouts across generations.

Fairy remains one of the rarer types, with 72 Pokémon across Generation IX, about 7 percent of the roster, and second only to Ice. A useful team-building note is that all of Fairy's weaknesses can be covered by a single Ground partner, since strong Ground attackers handle both Poison and Steel threats. Pair a Fairy with a Ground-type like Landorus, and you patch the only real holes in its defensive profile.