Though they’ve been around for nearly eight years now, fairy type Pokemon are still relatively new and obscure. If you’re looking for more information on them, we can help.
For returning players and even long-time fans, it’s difficult to remember how the fairy typing interacts with everything else. This isn’t helped by the relative scarcity of fairy types, as there are still only a modest number of viable options available after three generations. Here is everything there is to know about fairy typing in Pokemon.
Fairy type moves in the Pokemon series are strong against dragon, fighting, and dark Pokemon.Â
The fairy typing was specifically added to the franchise in order to serve as a check to the numerous dragon-type pseudo legendaries that have proven to be overpowered, such as Dragonite, Salamence, and Hydreigon. Not only are fairy moves strong against dragon Pokemon, but fairy Pokemon are immune to dragon-type moves which is particularly helpful as Outrage and Draco Meteor are among some of the most devastating moves that players can come across.
Alongside being immune to dragon attacks, fairy Pokemon are resistant to fighting, bug, and dark moves. This allows fairy Pokemon to operate in a unique space that lets it have unique interactions with most of the non-elemental types. This is incredibly valuable in the main Pokemon games, as fairy types are resistant to some of the most common moves including Close Combat and U-Turn.
Fairy type Pokemon have just two weaknesses: steel and poison types. Alongside that, are three types that resist fairy attacks, with those being poison, steel, and fire. This means that fairy type Pokemon are particularly weak against steel and poison Pokemon, since those Pokemon can both attack and defend exceptionally well versus fairy types.
Compared with ice and ground Pokemon, fairy has a strong majority of neutral interactions with other types. Its interactions with some of the lesser-used types make it an important addition to the game.
These are the strongest fairy-type Pokemon released in the series to this point:
Zacian sitting near the top of the list shouldn’t be a shock. Zacian isn’t just the strongest fairy type Pokemon, but stands as one of the strongest Pokemon of all thanks to its incredibly powerful Crowned Forme power-up. It’s immediately followed by the only other fairy legendary, Xerneas.
Magearna doesn’t have the strong base stats of a legendary, but it has excellent type distribution with strong defenses and high special attack. Couple that with the Soul-Heart ability and Magearna is a very powerful threat.
From there are three Pokemon introduced in Sun and Moon. Tapu Koko and Tapu Fini have historically been the strongest of the Guardian Deities quartet, with Tapu Koko being a strong sweeper and Tapu Fini being bulky with a strong water-fairy typing. Mimikyu is the strongest fairy type that isn’t a mythical or legendary Pokemon thanks to its powerful Disguise ability that lets it effectively tank a hit for free.
Clefable has enjoyed a niche in a variety of different formats thanks to its almost comprehensive knowledge of support moves. Grimmsnarl is a new face that has been solid in competitive formats in Pokemon Sword and Shield, primarily as a screen setter.
Togekiss enjoyed a strong surge in 2020 and 2021 in Battle Stadium formats thanks to the Dynamax system in Pokemon Sword and Shield. A bulky Togekiss could boost its speed with Max Airstream up to three times, allowing it to hit Serene Grace-amplified Air Slash attacks that have a 60% chance of flinching an opponent.
Past that is effecitvely a mix of different options. Tapu Bulu and Tapu Lele have strong stats and terrain abilities that make them useful in certain team compositions. Primarina is effectively a worse version of Tapu Lele, but still is reasonably strong. Diancie, Whimsicott, and Azumarill all have perks as well.
While most of the best fairy types in Pokemon Sword and Shield are legendaries or mythicals, Pokemon GO is actually flush with practical fairy types.
The best fairy type released to this point is Xerneas, which has strength comparable to Mewtwo. The Pokemon is difficult to obtain due to its presence being tied to event raids. It’s also hard to train, costing an abundance of Rare Candies in order to quickly level it. If Xerneas isn’t an option, there are some solid alternatives.
Togekiss is a very strong Pokemon in Pokemon GO, and is the second-best fairy type released to date. It has a high CP ceiling that is comparable to legendaries like Zapdos and Giratina, but is significantly easier to level up. Gardevoir is similar to Togekiss, but isn’t quite as strong.
Sylveon is one of the newest entrants to Pokemon GO, and is the fifth-strongest fairy type Pokemon in the game. Its CP ceiling is comparable to Gardevoir, but it doesn’t require the heavy candy investment to evolve and can likely be leveled up easily by most players.
The weakest fairy type in Pokemon, and one of the weakest Pokemon in the entire franchise overall, is Azurill.Â
Azurill is a baby Pokemon that evolves into Marill. Azurill has cripplingly low base stats that combine to just 190. This is low even among other baby Pokemon, with Togepi coming in at 245 and Igglybuff being 210. In Pokemon GO, Azurill’s maximum CP is a measly 411.
Making matters worse is the fact that Azurill has an awkward fairy-normal typing that negates its resistance to fighting type attacks. The only benefit to this typing is that it gains immunity to ghost attacks as a normal Pokemon.
Of course, Azurill isn’t really meant to be battling. The Pokemon is supposed to just be a cute precursor to Marill, which evolves into a respectably strong threat in Azumarill. Still, by all metrics it’s impossible to argue that Azurill is the single weakest fairy Pokemon, and one of the weakest Pokemon in the entire franchise.
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