Dark-type weakness
Dark-type defenders take ×1.6 from Fighting, Bug, Fairy — those are the moves you bring when a Dark raid boss or Dark-type gym defender is in front of you. Below is the full chart of what hits Dark hard, what resists Dark, the inverse (where Dark attacks shine and where they fall flat), dual-type matchups for the most common Dark-pair defenders in the game, and the top 5 attackers per super-effective type pulled from the live tier list.
Single-type Dark defenders take ×1.6 from any move of the listed weak-to types. Dual-type Dark defenders stack multiplicatively — a second weakness from their partner type can push the multiplier all the way to ×2.56. Resisted attacks deal only ×0.625, and doubly resisted attacks (a stack of two ×0.625) drop damage to roughly ×0.39 — never bring those into a Dark fight.
Use Dark attackers when the boss in front of you is one of the listed types. Stack STAB (×1.2) on top by picking a Dark-type mons that knows a Dark fast and Dark charged move. The combined multiplier is ×1.92 before weather.
Avoid Dark attackers when the defender is one of the listed types. Resisted damage cuts your DPS by 37.5%; doubly-resisted damage cuts it by 61%. In raids this is the difference between a 3-account clear and a relobby.
Most Dark-type bosses in the game are dual-type. Combined effectiveness multiplies through both types, so a Dark/X defender may be ×2.56 weak to a single attacker type, or fully neutral if the partner type cancels the Dark weakness. Pick the attacker type that maxes the multiplier.
| Dual-type | Examples | Top weakness | Mult |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dark / Flying | Honchkrow, Mandibuzz | Electric | ×1.60 |
| Dark / Steel | Bisharp | Fighting | ×2.56 |
| Dark / Ghost | Spiritomb, Sableye | Fairy | ×1.60 |
| Dark / Fighting | Scrafty, Pangoro | Fairy | ×2.56 |
| Dark / Fire | Houndoom, Incineroar | Water | ×1.60 |
| Dark / Psychic | Malamar | Bug | ×2.56 |
| Dark / Ice | Weavile | Fighting | ×2.56 |
| Dark / Dragon | Hydreigon | Fairy | ×2.56 |
Leagues: Great / Ultra / Master.
Tyranitar, Hydreigon, Mega Gyarados, Yveltal — anti-Psychic / Ghost picks across every league.
Knowing the Dark weakness chart matters as much in PvP as in raids — a Dark lead into one of the listed weak-to types loses the matchup before shields even come into play. Always check the dual-typing of the opposing lead: a single Dark mons is harder to counter than a Dark/Y where Y stacks a second weakness.
›What is Dark-type weak to in the game?
Dark-type defenders take ×1.6 damage from Fighting, Bug, Fairy attacks. Bring an attacker of one of those types to break a Dark raid boss or gym defender fastest.
›What resists Dark-type attacks?
Dark attacks are resisted by Fighting, Dark, Fairy (×0.625 damage). Avoid sending Dark attackers into those defenders.
›What is super-effective against Dark?
Dark attacks deal ×1.6 to Psychic, Ghost. Use Dark attackers to clear those defenders quickly in raids.
›Which Dark-type mons are best in PvP?
Tyranitar, Hydreigon, Mega Gyarados, Yveltal — anti-Psychic / Ghost picks across every league. League fit: Great / Ultra / Master.
›How do dual-type Dark defenders compute damage?
The matrix is multiplicative. If a Dark/Y dual-type has two weaknesses to the attacking type (one from Dark, one from Y), the multiplier stacks to ×2.56 — the maximum without STAB / weather.
The complete attacker-vs-defender chart for every type pairing in the game.
Top S-tier and A-tier attackers grouped by attacker type — full picker for Dark bosses.
Pick an actual current raid boss and get counter recommendations scored by tier × type effectiveness.