Fighting the challenge tonight
Fighting-Type Pokemon match Ground-Type monsters as some of the fiercest forces in the franchise.
Fighters can deal Super Effective damage to a whopping five Types. This includes the Normal-Type, which exclusively take Super Effective damage from Fighting-Type moves. Additionally, some of the strongest physical attackers bear the Fighting-Type. A Pokemon’s Type is often only as good as the monsters that sport it, and prominent Fighting-Type Pokemon can almost always be found in the upper echelons of competitive Pokemon battling . Although this Type isn’t as tricky to counter as others, you’ll still be in a world of hurt if you can’t counter a Fighting-Type threat.
Let’s go over some of the basics that will help you turn a Hitmonchan into a hit-none-chan.
Fighting’s best counters
Unlike our previous counter guides, the best Types to counter Fighting are straightforward: Flying, Psychic, and Fairy.
These are all Types that both deal Super Effective damage and resist Fighting-Type attacks in return. All are viable as counters, though this will vary depending on the specific Pokemon you are facing. In the main game, Flying-Type Pokemon are the easiest to find early on. Many early birds sport a Normal/Flying hybrid Typing, which makes them less attractive as counters for Fighting-Type Pokemon. That said, you can overcome this hurdle by training your monster to a high enough level that it can take a hit or two from an enemy.
If you’re in a pinch, there are a few additional options for countering Fighting-Type Pokemon. Poison and Bug-Type Pokemon resist Fighting-Type attacks despite lacking the ability to inflict Super Effective damage. Even if these are not optimal counters, they can limit your opponent’s ability to deal significant damage if they’re hoping to sweep you with a Fighting-Type. Yet the best defensive option by far are Ghost-Type Pokemon, as they take zero damage from Fighting-Type attacks. This makes Hybrid Pokemon like Mimikyu very effective, as it can deal Super Effective Fairy-Type damage while its Ghost-Typing guarantees immunity.
If your goal is strictly to clear the story of a mainline Pokemon game, any of the types listed at the top will suffice. That said, if you want to get into the competitive scene, it’s important to remember all the Types that resist Fighting attacks as well.
Let’s talk about stats
Because of the unique properties of Fighting-Type Pokemon, it’s worth analyzing both the Types and the specific stats that match up well against them. Much like Poison-Type Pokemon, there are a few biases that you should keep in mind as you develop a counterplay.
As implied at the top, the Fighting-Type predominately features physical attackers. Of all the Fighting-Type Pokemon in Scarlet & Violet, only Lucario has higher Special Attack than Attack. Even then, it’s by a slim margin. It’s very likely that any Fighting-Type you face will use physical attacks, so Pokemon with higher Defense stats will excel. That said, select Paradox Pokemon may be trained to maximize their Special Attack. Keep this in mind when forming your counterplay.
Similarly, most Fighting-Type Pokemon favor their Defense stat over their Special Defense. Of all the Fighting-Type Pokemin in Scarlet & Violet, only Gallade and Slither Wing feature notably greater Special Defense than Defense. While Annihilape is a major threat and features higher Special Defense, it’s by a slim enough margin that it shouldn’t be your biggest concern when forming a counter. This means you should be careful using physical moves, especially if a move like Brave Bird leaves you vulnerable.
Finally, it’s worth mentioning that one of the most common Fighting-Type attacks in competitive Pokemon is Close Combat. While this attack does serious damage and is likely to KO a Pokemon, it weakens the defenses of whoever used it as a side effect. If you can play around this quirk, you can score a KO on an enemy while it’s weakened.
Watch the emerging threats
When battling competitively, many Fighting-Type Pokemon are put on the field to sweep an opposing party’s team and claim victory. That said, this is not all that Fighting-Type Pokemon are used for. For example, Annihilape can sacrifice itself with Final Gambit to instantly KO a Pokemon. Similarly, Iron Valiant may run a variety of Special Attacks and wind up never using Fighting-Type attacks at all. Just because Fighting-Type Pokemon typically excel as aggressive physical attackers doesn’t mean they have to fulfill that role.
In other words, do some research on the most used Fighting-Type Pokemon in the format you choose to participate in and try to form counters to those monsters specifically. Yet at the same time, if you aren’t trying to participate in competitive Pokemon, use any Type that deals Super Effective damage and you should be fine. Best of luck battling!
