If you want to be effective while taking down opponents and gym leaders in Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, then you really need to take advantage of every Pokémon's strengths and weaknesses. The Pokémon type system has been around since the very first Pokémon games. It follows an almost rock, paper, scissors approach to battling, except that there are 18 Pokémon types total instead of just three options.
Are Fairy types in Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl?
Yes, although the Fairy type hadn't been created yet when the original Diamond and Pearl games released in 2006, this type is included in the Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl remakes.
Pokémon Type System Strengths, weaknesses, and immunities
| Type | Super Effective ( 2X DMG) | Not very Effective (½X DMG) | Weak | Immune |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Normal | None | Rock, Steel | None | None |
| Fighting | Normal, Rock, Steel, Ice, Dark | Flying, Poison, Bug, Psychic, Fairy | Flying, Psychic, Fairy | None |
| Flying | Fighting, Bug, Grass | Rock, Steel, Electric | Rock, Electric, Ice | Ground |
| Poison | Grass, Fairy | Poison, Ground, Rock, Ghost | Ground, Psychic | None |
| Ground | Poison, Rock, Steel, Fire, Electric | Bug, Grass | Water, Grass, Ice | Electric |
| Rock | Flying, Bug, Fire, Ice | Fighting, Ground, Steel | Fighting, Ground, Steel, Water, Grass | None |
| Bug | Grass, Psychic, Dark | Fighting, Flying, Poison, Ghost, Steel, Fire | Flying, Rock, Fire | None |
| Ghost | Ghost, Psychic | Dark | Ghost, Dark | Normal |
| Steel | Rock, Ice, Fairy | Steel, Fire, Water, Electric | Fighting, Ground, Fire | Poison |
| Fire | Bug, Grass, Steel, Ice | Rock, Fire, Water, Dragon | Ground, Rock, Water | None |
| Water | Ground, Rock, Fire | Water, Grass, Dragon | Grass, Electric | None |
| Grass | Ground, Rock, Water | Flying, Poison, Bug, Steel, Fire, Grass | Flying, Poison, Bug, Fire, Ice | None |
| Electric | Flying, Water | Grass, Electric, Dragon | Ice, Dragon, Fairy | None |
| Psychic | Fighting, Poison | Steel, Psychic | Bug, Ghost, Dark | None |
| Ice | Flying, Rock, Grass, Dragon | Steel, Fire, Water, Ice | Fighting, Rock, Steel, Fire | None |
| Dragon | Dragon | Steel | Ice, Dragon, Fairy | None |
| Dark | Ghost, Psychic | Fighting, Dark, Fairy | Fighting, Bug, Fairy | Psychic |
| Fairy | Fighting, Dragon, Dark | Poison, Steel, Fire | Poison, Steel | Dragon |
Technically, Fairy types weren't in the original Diamond and Pearl DS games, but we're including them here in case you trade something in or in case the game offers more types once you unlock the national Pokédex near the end of the game.
Pokémon Type System A more visual chart
If you're like me, then seeing things laid out in a more visual manner helps. A Reddit user who has since deleted their account created this chart eight years ago. It's technically for Gen VI, but it works with Gen IV as well.
The best team is a diverse team
Unless you're doing a Nuzlocke challenge or something to that effect, you're going to want to create a diverse team of Pokémon. If you can cover all of the type bases within your team, you'll be more likely to be successful no matter what opponent you face.
Play to your strengths
Pay attention to the types of Pokémon you go up against and use your Pokémon with the greatest strengths against your opponents to succeed. It can be hard to remember which types beat which other types, but this chart should come in handy.
Assemble a strong team
By capturing Pokémon all around the Sinnoh region, you can train up a diverse and powerful team. Use these creatures to beat opponents on your path and take down gym leaders.
Rebecca Spear is the dedicated gaming editor for iMore who loves playing games on Switch and iOS. She is a Zelda nut through and through and can also talk for hours about her favorite Pokémon games. She’s written hundreds of guides and reviews over the last six years to the point that if you get stuck in a game somewhere, she can help you out. On any given day, you’ll find her following the latest tech, digitally drawing with her iPad Air and Apple Pencil, reading a good book, or - you guessed it - playing video games. Follow her on Twitter @rrspear (opens in new tab) to see her post about her corgi, foster kitties, art, and favorite video game characters.
