Pokémon TCG Type Weakness Chart 2026
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Pokémon TCG Type Weakness Chart 2026
✓ Updated May 2026
How Weakness Works in Pokémon TCGType Matchup TipsType Weakness in the Pokémon TCG functions as a meta-shaping mechanic rather than a game-deciding one — the +30 damage is meaningful but rarely the sole reason a matchup is favorable or unfavorable. A well-built deck with strong consistency and the right Weakness matchup beats a poorly-built deck that has the «correct» type counter almost every time. That said, Weakness awareness is essential for maximizing damage output (hitting KO thresholds with Weakness math), choosing which attackers to promote, and understanding why certain decks dominate specific local metas. The key shift from video game thinking: TCG Weakness is +30, not ×2 — recalibrate every damage estimate you’ve made if you’re coming from the video game. For specific deck strategies that leverage these type matchups, the Charizard ex guide covers Fire-type strategy and the Miraidon ex guide covers Lightning-type aggression that exploits Water Weakness.
FAQ
⚡ Quick Answer
Complete Type Weakness Chart — Standard 2026In Pokémon TCG, weakness means the defending Pokémon takes +30 more damage from that type (not double damage like in the video games). The most important matchup to know: Fire beats Grass and Metal, Water beats Fire, Lightning beats Water, Fighting beats Colorless and Darkness, Psychic beats Fighting. There is no Resistance in Standard for most types — Darkness Pokémon resist Psychic, Metal resists Grass and Colorless.
| Pokémon Type | Weak To (+30) | Resists | Key Meta Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🔥 Fire | Water | — | Charizard ex, Entei V, Arcanine ex |
| 💧 Water | Lightning | — | Chien-Pao ex, Palafin ex, Suicune V |
| 🌿 Grass | Fire | — | Meowscarada ex, Wo-Chien ex |
| ⚡ Lightning | Fighting | — | Miraidon ex, Raichu V, Iron Hands ex |
| 🔮 Psychic | Darkness | — | Gardevoir ex, Mew VMAX, Mewtwo ex |
| 👊 Fighting | Psychic | — | Koraidon ex, Lucario ex, Medicham V |
| 🌑 Darkness | Fighting | Psychic −30 | Chien-Pao ex (dark), Darkrai VSTAR, Sableye |
| Fire | Grass −30, Colorless −30 | Iron Thorns ex, Pecharunt ex, Registeel | |
| 🐉 Dragon | None | — | Regidrago VSTAR, Dragonite ex |
| ⬜ Colorless | Fighting | — | Pidgeot ex, Slaking V, Togekiss ex |
1
Weakness adds +30 damage — it does NOT double damage like in the video games. This is the most common misconception. In the video games, Weakness multiplies damage by 2×. In the Pokémon TCG, Weakness adds a flat +30 damage to the attack. If Charizard ex hits a Grass-type with 180 damage, the Grass-type takes 210 — not 360. This difference matters significantly for damage calculations: a Fire attack that would normally not knock out a Grass Pokémon with 200 HP does exactly that with Weakness (+30). Always check your numbers with Weakness before declaring an attack.
2
Resistance subtracts 30 damage — only Darkness and Metal have it in Standard. Resistance reduces incoming damage by 30 from the listed type. Darkness-type Pokémon resist Psychic attacks (Psychic deals −30). Metal-type Pokémon resist Grass and Colorless (both deal −30). No other types have Resistance in the current Standard format. Resistance applies before Weakness in damage calculation order — though in practice most attacks don’t involve both simultaneously.
3
Damage calculation order: Base damage → Weakness (+30) → Resistance (−30) → other modifiers. The official damage calculation sequence: start with the attack’s base damage, add any modifier from the attack text, add +30 if the defending Pokémon has Weakness to your attack type, subtract 30 if it has Resistance, then apply any other effects (tools, abilities). Example: Miraidon ex’s Tandem Unit does 220 damage against a Water-type Pokémon → add Weakness +30 → 250 total → one-shots most Water-type ex Pokémon with 220–230 HP.
4
Dragon-type has no Weakness — this is intentional and unique. Dragon-type Pokémon in the TCG have no Weakness listed on their cards. This is a deliberate design choice that makes Dragon decks (Regidrago VSTAR, Dragonite ex) mechanically distinctive — opponents cannot exploit a type advantage against them. The trade-off is that Dragon decks also deal no Weakness bonus to any type. In the current meta, this makes Regidrago VSTAR particularly resilient since it can’t be Weakness-countered by any opponent.
5
The most important Weakness matchups in 2026 Standard meta. Knowing these five matchups covers the majority of competitive situations: Lightning beats Water (Miraidon ex destroys Chien-Pao ex), Water beats Fire (Chien-Pao ex counters Charizard ex), Psychic beats Fighting (Gardevoir ex counters Koraidon ex), Fighting beats Darkness (Koraidon ex counters Sableye and Chien-Pao’s dark line), and Darkness beats Psychic (Dark decks counter Gardevoir ex). These relationships form a partial type cycle that shapes the competitive meta — choosing a deck means choosing which matchups you accept or avoid.
6
Ability Shield Tool prevents all damage from Abilities — not the same as Weakness immunity. Some Pokémon tools like Ability Shield protect against damage and effects from Abilities but do not prevent Weakness. Weakness is applied during the attack damage step, not by Abilities. Similarly, Protective Goggles prevents effects of attacks but does not negate Weakness damage. There is no card in Standard 2026 that removes a Pokémon’s Weakness entirely — Weakness is a fixed property of each Pokémon card and cannot be changed during play.
→Build your deck to exploit the most common Weakness in your local meta: if your local players mostly run Charizard ex (Fire) and Chien-Pao ex (Water), a Lightning deck (Miraidon ex) hits Chien-Pao for Weakness and loses to Charizard, while a Water deck hits Charizard for Weakness. Know what decks are popular at your game store and choose a type that has favorable matchups against the most common ones.
→+30 Weakness can change the math completely — always calculate before attacking: if your attack does 190 damage and the opponent’s Pokémon has 220 HP, you don’t get the knock out normally. But if they have Weakness to your type, 190 + 30 = 220 — exact knock out. This «Weakness math» is one of the most important calculations to make every turn. Always check the defending Pokémon’s type before choosing which attacker to promote and which attack to use.
→Gardevoir ex’s Psychic type is both strength and weakness: Gardevoir ex (Psychic) is one of the strongest decks in Standard but has Darkness Weakness — making Sableye Lost Zone and other Dark decks excellent counters. If you’re playing Gardevoir ex, always watch the opponent’s bench for Darkness-type Pokémon. One well-timed Boss’s Orders pulling Gardevoir ex into an active Sableye or Darkrai attack with Weakness can be devastating.
→Colorless-type Weakness to Fighting affects popular support Pokémon: Pidgeot ex, Togekiss ex, and most Colorless Pokémon are weak to Fighting. This matters because Pidgeot ex appears in many decks as the search engine — a Fighting-type opponent using Boss’s Orders to pull Pidgeot ex active, then hitting for 30 extra from Weakness, often KOs it in one hit. When using Pidgeot ex in your deck, play against Fighting-type opponents conservatively and protect it behind other benched Pokémon.
→Dragon has no Weakness — but Dragon decks are still beatable: while Dragon Pokémon like Regidrago VSTAR can’t be Weakness-countered, they have other vulnerabilities: they require complex energy costs (multiple types), evolve slowly, and are often weak to specific meta tech cards. Budget decks built around fast aggression (Turbo Darkrai, Rapid Strike Urshifu) can outpace Dragon setups before they become overwhelming, even without a Weakness advantage.
How does Weakness work in Pokémon TCG?In Pokémon TCG, Weakness adds +30 damage to attacks of the listed type — it does NOT double damage like in the video games. If a Fire attack deals 180 damage to a Grass-type Pokémon (weak to Fire), the total damage is 210. Weakness is listed on each Pokémon card in the bottom-left area next to a type symbol and ×2 notation (though the actual calculation is +30 in current Standard).
What type beats Fire in Pokémon TCG?Water-type Pokémon deal +30 bonus damage against Fire-type Pokémon due to Weakness. In the current meta, Water decks like Chien-Pao ex are the primary counter to Fire decks like Charizard ex. A Water attack dealing 190 damage against Charizard ex (220 HP) becomes 220 with Weakness — an exact knock out.
Does Weakness double damage in Pokémon TCG 2026?No — in the current Standard format (2026), Weakness adds +30 damage, not ×2. Older card sets printed ×2 Weakness, which is why older players sometimes expect doubling. All current Standard cards use the +30 calculation. Always check the current card’s Weakness notation.
Which Pokémon type has no Weakness in Pokémon TCG?Dragon-type Pokémon have no Weakness in the Pokémon TCG — this is intentional game design. Dragon decks like Regidrago VSTAR and Dragonite ex cannot be countered through type advantage. They also deal no Weakness bonus to any type. This makes Dragon a mechanically distinct type that requires defeating through raw damage and strategy rather than type matchup.