---
title: "Every Dual Type Ranked: The Best and Worst Defensive Type Combinations | pokee.si"
url: "https://pokee.si/articles/every-dual-type-ranked"
description: "All 136 dual-type pairs that real Pokémon have, scored on weaknesses, resistances and immunities. Top 15, bottom 15 and how we scored them."
last_updated: "2026-10-21"
publisher: "pokee.si: a Pokédex for families (unofficial fan site)"
published: "2026-10-21"
---

# Every Dual Type Ranked: The Best and Worst Defensive Type Combinations

If you could pick any two types for a Pokémon, which pair would take the least damage? We scored every pair a real species holds, using only the type chart. Steel/Fairy and Ghost/Steel tie for the top spot at 11 points. Ice/Rock is last at -6.

The score looks at defence only. It does not say which Pokémon wins a battle.

## How we scored it

Each attacking type hits a defending pair for 4×, 2×, 1×, ½×, ¼× or 0×. We count how many attacking types land in each group. Then:

**Score = resistances + 2 × immunities − weaknesses − 2 × (4× weaknesses)**

A resistance is any attacking type that does ½× or ¼×. A weakness is any attacking type that does 2× or 4×. A 4× weakness is counted as a weakness and then penalised by two more points, so it costs 3 in total. An immunity (0×) is worth 2.

Ties go to the pair with fewer weaknesses, then fewer 4× weaknesses, then alphabetical order. The ranks inside a tie are therefore a convention, not a finding.

The score ignores:

- Abilities, such as Levitate removing a Ground weakness.
- Base stats. A fragile pair with a great typing is still fragile.
- Moves, speed and STAB, the same-type attack bonus.
- How many Pokémon hold the pair.

We scored the 136 pairs that at least one species holds in the pokee.si data. Eight more pairs have pages on the site but are held only by alternate forms (Alolan Ninetales is Ice/Fairy, for example), so they are left out. The 18-type chart used here is the current one, with Fairy included. Checking the chart figures against [Pokémon Database](https://pokemondb.net/pokedex/mawile) for Mawile, Spiritomb and Frosmoth gave the same weaknesses and immunities.

## The top 15

"1 of 6" in the last column means six species share the pair. We show the one with the highest base stat total. The pair name links to its full matchup page.

| Rank | Type pair | Weaknesses | of them 4× | Resistances | Immunities | Score | Example species |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | [Steel/Fairy](https://pokee.si/types/steel-fairy) | 2 | 0 | 9 | 2 | **11** | [Magearna](https://pokee.si/pokemon/magearna) (1 of 6) |
| 2 | [Ghost/Steel](https://pokee.si/types/ghost-steel) | 4 | 0 | 9 | 3 | **11** | [Gholdengo](https://pokee.si/pokemon/gholdengo) (1 of 4) |
| 3 | [Flying/Steel](https://pokee.si/types/flying-steel) | 2 | 0 | 8 | 2 | **10** | [Celesteela](https://pokee.si/pokemon/celesteela) (1 of 3) |
| 4 | [Dragon/Steel](https://pokee.si/types/dragon-steel) | 2 | 0 | 9 | 1 | **9** | [Dialga](https://pokee.si/pokemon/dialga) (1 of 3) |
| 5 | [Water/Steel](https://pokee.si/types/water-steel) | 3 | 0 | 10 | 1 | **9** | [Empoleon](https://pokee.si/pokemon/empoleon) |
| 6 | [Dark/Steel](https://pokee.si/types/dark-steel) | 3 | 1 | 9 | 2 | **8** | [Kingambit](https://pokee.si/pokemon/kingambit) (1 of 3) |
| 7 | [Electric/Steel](https://pokee.si/types/electric-steel) | 3 | 1 | 11 | 1 | **8** | [Magnezone](https://pokee.si/pokemon/magnezone) (1 of 4) |
| 8 | [Ground/Steel](https://pokee.si/types/ground-steel) | 4 | 0 | 8 | 2 | **8** | [Iron Treads](https://pokee.si/pokemon/iron-treads) (1 of 3) |
| 9 | [Bug/Steel](https://pokee.si/types/bug-steel) | 1 | 1 | 8 | 1 | **7** | [Genesect](https://pokee.si/pokemon/genesect) (1 of 5) |
| 10 | [Grass/Steel](https://pokee.si/types/grass-steel) | 2 | 1 | 9 | 1 | **7** | [Kartana](https://pokee.si/pokemon/kartana) (1 of 3) |
| 11 | [Poison/Steel](https://pokee.si/types/poison-steel) | 2 | 1 | 9 | 1 | **7** | [Revavroom](https://pokee.si/pokemon/revavroom) (1 of 2) |
| 12 | [Fighting/Steel](https://pokee.si/types/fighting-steel) | 3 | 0 | 8 | 1 | **7** | [Cobalion](https://pokee.si/pokemon/cobalion) (1 of 2) |
| 13 | [Psychic/Steel](https://pokee.si/types/psychic-steel) | 4 | 0 | 9 | 1 | **7** | [Solgaleo](https://pokee.si/pokemon/solgaleo) (1 of 8) |
| 14 | [Ghost/Dark](https://pokee.si/types/ghost-dark) | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | **6** | [Spiritomb](https://pokee.si/pokemon/spiritomb) (1 of 2) |
| 15 | [Electric/Ghost](https://pokee.si/types/electric-ghost) | 3 | 0 | 5 | 2 | **6** | [Rotom](https://pokee.si/pokemon/rotom) |

Steel is in the first 13 places. Pure Steel has 10 resistances, more than any other type, plus an immunity to Poison, so a second type only has to avoid adding too many weaknesses.

[Steel/Fairy](https://pokee.si/types/steel-fairy) wins on the tie-break. Pure Steel is weak to Fire, Fighting and Ground. Adding Fairy removes Fighting from that list, because Fairy resists it, and adds an immunity to Dragon next to Steel's Poison immunity. That leaves only Fire and Ground. [Ghost/Steel](https://pokee.si/types/ghost-steel) has twice as many weaknesses but makes up for it with three immunities: Normal, Fighting and Poison. [Aegislash](https://pokee.si/pokemon/aegislash) and [Gholdengo](https://pokee.si/pokemon/gholdengo) hold that pair.

[Electric/Steel](https://pokee.si/types/electric-steel) has the most resistances of any pair, 11. Its one 4× weakness is Ground, and it loses points for that.

The two pairs without Steel are [Ghost/Dark](https://pokee.si/types/ghost-dark) and [Electric/Ghost](https://pokee.si/types/electric-ghost). Ghost/Dark has a single weakness, Fairy, plus immunity to Normal, Fighting and Psychic. [Spiritomb](https://pokee.si/pokemon/spiritomb) and [Sableye](https://pokee.si/pokemon/sableye) show the pair.

## The bottom 15

Rank 136 is the lowest. The table runs from the very worst upward.

| Rank | Type pair | Weaknesses | of them 4× | Resistances | Immunities | Score | Example species |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 136 | [Ice/Rock](https://pokee.si/types/ice-rock) | 6 | 2 | 4 | 0 | **-6** | [Aurorus](https://pokee.si/pokemon/aurorus) (1 of 2) |
| 135 | [Grass/Ice](https://pokee.si/types/grass-ice) | 7 | 1 | 4 | 0 | **-5** | [Abomasnow](https://pokee.si/pokemon/abomasnow) (1 of 2) |
| 134 | [Grass/Bug](https://pokee.si/types/grass-bug) | 6 | 2 | 5 | 0 | **-5** | [Leavanny](https://pokee.si/pokemon/leavanny) (1 of 6) |
| 133 | [Ice/Bug](https://pokee.si/types/ice-bug) | 4 | 2 | 3 | 0 | **-5** | [Frosmoth](https://pokee.si/pokemon/frosmoth) (1 of 2) |
| 132 | [Grass/Dragon](https://pokee.si/types/grass-dragon) | 6 | 1 | 4 | 0 | **-4** | [Hydrapple](https://pokee.si/pokemon/hydrapple) (1 of 5) |
| 131 | [Ice/Psychic](https://pokee.si/types/ice-psychic) | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | **-4** | [Mr. Rime](https://pokee.si/pokemon/mr-rime) (1 of 3) |
| 130 | [Grass/Psychic](https://pokee.si/types/grass-psychic) | 7 | 1 | 6 | 0 | **-3** | [Celebi](https://pokee.si/pokemon/celebi) (1 of 5) |
| 129 | [Ground/Rock](https://pokee.si/types/ground-rock) | 6 | 2 | 5 | 1 | **-3** | [Rhyperior](https://pokee.si/pokemon/rhyperior) (1 of 9) |
| 128 | [Ice/Dark](https://pokee.si/types/ice-dark) | 6 | 1 | 3 | 1 | **-3** | [Chien-Pao](https://pokee.si/pokemon/chien-pao) (1 of 3) |
| 127 | [Ice/Fighting](https://pokee.si/types/ice-fighting) | 6 | 0 | 3 | 0 | **-3** | [Crabominable](https://pokee.si/pokemon/crabominable) |
| 126 | [Psychic/Rock](https://pokee.si/types/psychic-rock) | 7 | 0 | 5 | 0 | **-2** | [Iron Boulder](https://pokee.si/pokemon/iron-boulder) (1 of 3) |
| 125 | [Grass/Fighting](https://pokee.si/types/grass-fighting) | 6 | 1 | 6 | 0 | **-2** | [Virizion](https://pokee.si/pokemon/virizion) (1 of 3) |
| 124 | [Psychic/Bug](https://pokee.si/types/psychic-bug) | 6 | 0 | 4 | 0 | **-2** | [Orbeetle](https://pokee.si/pokemon/orbeetle) (1 of 3) |
| 123 | [Grass/Flying](https://pokee.si/types/grass-flying) | 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | **-2** | [Jumpluff](https://pokee.si/pokemon/jumpluff) (1 of 6) |
| 122 | [Flying/Bug](https://pokee.si/types/flying-bug) | 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | **-2** | [Yanmega](https://pokee.si/pokemon/yanmega) (1 of 13) |

[Ice/Rock](https://pokee.si/types/ice-rock) is the worst pair. [Aurorus](https://pokee.si/pokemon/aurorus) takes 4× from Fighting and Steel, takes 2× from Water, Grass, Ground and Rock, and has no immunity. Ice and Grass are each in six of the bottom 15, and Bug and Psychic in four each.

Ice on its own has one resistance (to Ice) and four weaknesses, and it is the weakest single type in the next table.

## Which types help and which hurt

This table shows each type's average score across every pair it appears in, and how often it shows up at each end.

| Type | Pairs it is in | Average score of those pairs | In the top 15 | In the bottom 15 |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Steel](https://pokee.si/types/steel) | 15 | 7.9 | 13 | 0 |
| [Ghost](https://pokee.si/types/ghost) | 15 | 4.5 | 3 | 0 |
| [Fairy](https://pokee.si/types/fairy) | 13 | 3.5 | 1 | 0 |
| [Electric](https://pokee.si/types/electric) | 14 | 3.1 | 2 | 0 |
| [Poison](https://pokee.si/types/poison) | 16 | 3.0 | 1 | 0 |
| [Water](https://pokee.si/types/water) | 17 | 2.6 | 1 | 0 |
| [Fire](https://pokee.si/types/fire) | 14 | 2.6 | 0 | 0 |
| [Normal](https://pokee.si/types/normal) | 12 | 2.3 | 0 | 0 |
| [Flying](https://pokee.si/types/flying) | 17 | 2.2 | 1 | 2 |
| [Dark](https://pokee.si/types/dark) | 17 | 1.9 | 2 | 1 |
| [Ground](https://pokee.si/types/ground) | 16 | 1.5 | 1 | 1 |
| [Dragon](https://pokee.si/types/dragon) | 15 | 1.3 | 1 | 1 |
| [Fighting](https://pokee.si/types/fighting) | 17 | 0.7 | 1 | 2 |
| [Bug](https://pokee.si/types/bug) | 15 | 0.3 | 1 | 4 |
| [Psychic](https://pokee.si/types/psychic) | 16 | -0.1 | 1 | 4 |
| [Grass](https://pokee.si/types/grass) | 16 | -0.8 | 1 | 6 |
| [Rock](https://pokee.si/types/rock) | 15 | -0.9 | 0 | 3 |
| [Ice](https://pokee.si/types/ice) | 12 | -2.8 | 0 | 6 |

Steel averages 7.9 and Ghost 4.5, far ahead of everything else. Ice is the only type that averages below -2.

## Single types for comparison

We ran the same formula on the 18 single types.

| Rank | Type | Weaknesses | Resistances | Immunities | Score | Species with only this type |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | [Steel](https://pokee.si/types/steel) | 3 | 10 | 1 | **9** | 10 |
| 2 | [Ghost](https://pokee.si/types/ghost) | 2 | 2 | 2 | **4** | 16 |
| 3 | [Fairy](https://pokee.si/types/fairy) | 2 | 3 | 1 | **3** | 21 |
| 4 | [Poison](https://pokee.si/types/poison) | 2 | 5 | 0 | **3** | 16 |
| 5 | [Fire](https://pokee.si/types/fire) | 3 | 6 | 0 | **3** | 36 |
| 6 | [Electric](https://pokee.si/types/electric) | 1 | 3 | 0 | **2** | 35 |
| 7 | [Water](https://pokee.si/types/water) | 2 | 4 | 0 | **2** | 74 |
| 8 | [Flying](https://pokee.si/types/flying) | 3 | 3 | 1 | **2** | 3 |
| 9 | [Normal](https://pokee.si/types/normal) | 1 | 0 | 1 | **1** | 75 |
| 10 | [Dark](https://pokee.si/types/dark) | 3 | 2 | 1 | **1** | 13 |
| 11 | [Dragon](https://pokee.si/types/dragon) | 3 | 4 | 0 | **1** | 13 |
| 12 | [Ground](https://pokee.si/types/ground) | 3 | 2 | 1 | **1** | 17 |
| 13 | [Bug](https://pokee.si/types/bug) | 3 | 3 | 0 | **0** | 23 |
| 14 | [Fighting](https://pokee.si/types/fighting) | 3 | 3 | 0 | **0** | 28 |
| 15 | [Psychic](https://pokee.si/types/psychic) | 3 | 2 | 0 | **-1** | 39 |
| 16 | [Grass](https://pokee.si/types/grass) | 5 | 4 | 0 | **-1** | 47 |
| 17 | [Rock](https://pokee.si/types/rock) | 5 | 4 | 0 | **-1** | 17 |
| 18 | [Ice](https://pokee.si/types/ice) | 4 | 1 | 0 | **-3** | 16 |

Pure Steel scores 9. Only three dual pairs beat it (Steel/Fairy, Ghost/Steel and Flying/Steel), and Dragon/Steel and Water/Steel tie it. At the other end, pure Ice scores -3, and six dual pairs do worse. A second type can rescue a weak first type, and it can also make a bad type worse.

## What the score leaves out

A good typing does not make a good Pokémon. Gholdengo and Aegislash share Ghost/Steel, one of the two top pairs, and their stats and Abilities are very different. A Pokémon with a flat 4× weakness can use an Ability to cancel it.

If you want the maths behind the numbers, [dual-type weaknesses explained](https://pokee.si/articles/dual-type-weaknesses-explained) shows how two types multiply. The 4× cases are in [Pokémon with 4× weaknesses](https://pokee.si/articles/pokemon-with-4x-weaknesses), and [the immunities article](https://pokee.si/articles/pokemon-immunities-explained) covers all eight 0× matchups. For Steel on its own, see [Steel-type weaknesses](https://pokee.si/articles/steel-type-weaknesses). Stats are explained in [base stats explained](https://pokee.si/articles/pokemon-base-stats-explained).

## Questions people ask

### What is the best dual type in Pokémon?

On defence alone, Steel/Fairy and Ghost/Steel tie for first on our score, with 11 points each. Steel/Fairy has only two weaknesses (Fire and Ground) and two immunities (Poison and Dragon).

### What is the worst dual type in Pokémon?

Ice/Rock scores lowest, at -6. It has six weaknesses, two of them 4× (Fighting and Steel), and no immunity.

### Is Steel the best type to have?

For defence, yes. Steel is in 13 of the top 15 pairs, and alone it scores 9, higher than any other single type. Its 10 resistances and one immunity do most of the work.

### Does this score tell me which Pokémon is best?

No. It only measures how the type chart treats a type pair when it is hit. It ignores Abilities, base stats, moves and speed, and those decide real battles as much as typing does.

### Why are only 136 pairs scored when there are 153 possible pairs?

136 is the number held by at least one Pokémon species in the pokee.si data. Eight more pairs are held only by alternate forms such as Alolan Ninetales, and nine pairs are not used by any Pokémon yet.

## Sources

- [Pokémon Database: Mawile (type defenses of Steel/Fairy)](https://pokemondb.net/pokedex/mawile)
- [Pokémon Database: Spiritomb (type defenses of Ghost/Dark)](https://pokemondb.net/pokedex/spiritomb)
- [Pokémon Database: Frosmoth (type defenses of Ice/Bug)](https://pokemondb.net/pokedex/frosmoth)
- [Pokémon Database: unused type combinations](https://pokemondb.net/type/unused)

---

Source: https://pokee.si/articles/every-dual-type-ranked (HTML page). pokee.si is an unofficial fan site and is not affiliated with Nintendo, Creatures, GAME FREAK or The Pokémon Company. Pokémon and all related names and images are © their respective owners.