Electric Pokémon Weaknesses and Counters in Pokémon Go

Electric Pokémon are one of the strongest types in Pokémon Go because they have only one real weakness (Ground Pokémon). Their attacks are boosted by Rainy Weather, so expect to see a lot of other trainers using them if the weather predicts! This guide will help you get through the toughest battles against any type of Electric Pokémon, including some of the strongest combinations!

Electric Pokémon Weaknesses and Counters in Pokémon Go

One of the first things you need to know about choosing the right counters in Pokémon Go is that not all Pokémon are created equal. There is no one-size-fits-all against them. With each sub-type, moveset, and specialty comes the suggestion of a different technique to counter it. That being said, we’re going to cover a couple of things in this guide.

1. Electric-type Weaknesses & Strengths: This will cover the basic resistances, weaknesses, vulnerabilities, and strengths that Electric Pokémon have. This will be the go-to list to reference when battling Electric-type Pokémon, but not always.
2. Combination Electric-type Weaknesses & Strengths: This part of the guide will cover the secondary types that Electric Pokémon can have and put particular emphasis on secondary types that might alter their original Weaknesses & Strengths. It is crucial information to know if you’d like to know how to beat some of the strongest Electric Pokémon.
3. Counters: In this last section of the guide, we will cover the counters for Electric Pokémon and their sub-types. It will focus primarily on the Electric Pokémon with sub-types that alter the normal Weaknesses & Strengths. This will be your reference for the best counters against Electric Pokémon, and, if possible, all the sub-types.

Weaknesses & Strengths

The dynamics for Electric Pokémon can be compared to real-life science. They’re weak against Ground Pokémon (and essentially cause no effect on them), and resistant to Steel, Flying and other Electric Attacks. Still, there are additional stats to know about Electric-type Pokémon and Attacks. The list below provides the basic damage effectiveness against their respective types. If anything is not listed, it can be assumed that it applies standard damage/defense.

• Attacking 
  • Super Effective Against (160% Damage): Water, Flying
  • Not Very Effective Against (62.5% Damage): Electric, Grass, Dragon
  • No Effect Against (<30% Damage): Ground
• Defending
  • Weak Against (160% Damage): Ground
  • Strong Against (62.5% Damage): Electric, Flying, Steel

Related: Best Poison Type Pokémon in Pokémon Go - Pro Game Guides

Combination Weaknesses & Strengths

Sometimes when Pokémon have secondary types, the Weaknesses & Strengths of that type might negate, amplify, or add to the Weaknesses & Strengths of the Pokémon’s primary type. In this list, we’re going to cover specifically the sub-types that change the original Weaknesses & Strengths.

• Amplifying
  • Amplifies Weakness to Ground: Fire, Poison, Rock, Steel
• Negating
  • Negates Weakness to Ground: Grass, Bug
  • Negates Resistance to Electric: Water, Flying
  • Negates Resistance to Flying: Grass, Fighting, Bug
  • Negates Resistance to Steel: Ice, Rock, Fairy

Counters

The best way to counter any Pokémon is to know its weaknesses and strengths, which are listed in the previous two sections of the guide. However, as mentioned before, some of these weaknesses and resistances can be altered with sub-types. So the question is: What do you do if the Pokémon has multiple types? Well, find another counter, of course!

We’re going to cover a few things with the lists below. First, we’ll explain how to counter against basic Electric Pokémon. Then, we’ll list the best counters for all the sub-types of Electric Pokémon.

Best Electric Counters

For Electric Pokémon with no additional sub-types, you’ll almost always want to use Ground attacks and avoid Electric, Flying, and Steel attacks. Note, these advantages do not mean you should counter or avoid countering with those types of Pokémon, but with those types of attacks specifically.

Since Ground Pokémon are the only type that are both effective against Electric Pokémon and immune to Electric attacks, Ground Pokémon should be considered your standard roster against a trainer who specializes in Electric Pokémon.

Best Sub-type Counters

Since Electric Pokémon have four weaknesses, trainers may use counters that negate them. While this can be an advanced technique to use against other unsuspecting trainers, we must remember that each type has its own weaknesses and strengths. This means that while some sub-types might negate a weakness, it could amplify other weaknesses or add new ones. The list below explains all the best counters for every sub-type of Electric Pokémon. Remember, as stated above, the standard roster against Electric Pokémon is Fire and Steel.

Related: Best Flying Type Pokémon in Pokémon Go - Pro Game Guides

• Electric + Ice: Ice only adds to Electrics list of weaknesses and doesn’t add any significant strengths. You can try one of the new weaknesses like Rock, Fire, and Fighting, but we recommend sticking to Ground Pokémon in this situation.
• Electric + Dragon: Typically, Dragon Pokémon can fly, which might reduce the effectiveness of Ground attacks. Still Ground Pokémon are immune to electric attacks, so they are a great contender. We recommend using either Ground, Ice, or Fairy Pokémon against Electric + Dragon.
• Electric + Grass: Grass cancels out Electric Pokémon’s weakness to Ground, but adds weaknesses to Bug, Poison, Ice, and Fire. None of these are immune to Electric attacks, though. If you want to be defensive, use Ground Pokémon. If you’re going on the offense, use one of the new Grass Weaknesses.
• Electric + Fighting: Fighting Pokémon do not cancel out Electric’s weakness to Ground, but Fighting attacks have normal effectiveness against Ground Pokémon. Still, using a Ground Pokémon can cause decent damage and limits the type of attacks Electric + Fighting Pokémon can use, so they’re probably your best option.
• Electric + Dark: Dark Pokémon add weaknesses against Bug and Fairy attacks, but we still recommend using Ground Pokémon because of their immunity. Use Bug and Fairy Pokémon only if you don’t have access to a Ground Pokémon.
• Electric + Poison: Poison Pokémon are weak against Ground Pokémon, so combining these two types makes them especially vulnerable to Ground Attacks. Use these if you’re fighting an Electric + Poison Pokémon.
• Electric + Ground: You might think that combining Electric and Ground would create some kind of super Pokémon, but that’s not the case! It actually adds several weaknesses. You can try to use Ground Pokémon to limit the attack options, but it would probably be better to use Grass Pokémon against Electric + Ground.
• Electric + Normal: Even though Ghost Pokémon are invulnerable to Normal attacks, they’re not resistant to Electric attacks. It’s best to stick to the standard roster when fighting Electric + Normal Pokémon.
• Electric + Fire: Fire Pokémon are weak against Ground Pokémon, so combining these two types makes them especially vulnerable to Ground Attacks. Use these if you’re fighting an Electric + Fire Pokémon.
• Electric + Flying: Flying Pokémon are immune to Ground attacks, so this is one of the few times in which Ground Pokémon might be the worst option to use against an Electric Pokémon. In this situation, you’d fare best using one of Flying’s weaknesses like Ice or Rock.
• Electric + Psychic: Psychic Pokémon are weak against Bug, Ghost, and Dark attacks, but we recommend sticking to the standard roster in this situation. Only use one of Psychic’s weaknesses if a Ground Pokémon is not available.
• Electric + Bug: Grass cancels out Electric Pokémon’s weakness to Ground, but adds weaknesses to Fire and Rock. Neither of these are immune to Electric attacks, though. If you want to be defensive, use Ground Pokémon. If you’re going on the offense, use one of the new Bug Weaknesses.
• Electric + Rock: Rock Pokémon are weak against Ground Pokémon, so combining these two types makes them especially vulnerable to Ground Attacks. Use these if you’re fighting an Electric + Rock Pokémon.
• Electric + Ghost: Ghost Pokémon are vulnerable to their own type. This means that a Ghost Pokémon would do decent damage against Electric + Ghost, but also be susceptible to extra damage from them. We recommend sticking to the standard roster in this situation.
• Electric + Water: Water Pokémon effective against Ground. We would recommend using a Grass Pokémon against Electric + Water since Grass is resistant to both types.
• Electric + Steel: Steel Pokémon are weak against Ground Pokémon, so combining these two types makes them especially vulnerable to Ground Attacks. Use these if you’re fighting an Electric + Steel Pokémon.
• Electric + Fairy: Fairy Pokémon don’t change much about Electric’s strengths and weaknesses. Use the standard roster against Electric + Fairy Pokémon.

With this guide, you should be ready to take down any Electric-type focused opponent! In summary, you’ve likely made the realization that the best Pokémon and Attacks to use will probably be Ground-type. However, never bring a Ground Pokémon into a battle against an Electric + Flying Pokémon!

The Season of Legends has started! Check out our guide of All Tasks for the Season of Legends Research!