Type (TCG)

It has been suggested that this article be moved to Energy type (TCG). Please discuss whether or not to move it on its talk page.

The contents of this article have been suggested to be split into Energy type {TCG} & Weakness and Resistance (TCG). Please discuss it on the talk page for this article.

TCG type	Game type
Grass	Grass
	Poison[a]
	Bug
Fire	Fire
Water	Water
	Ice
Lightning	Electric
Fighting	Fighting
	Rock
	Ground
Psychic	Psychic
	Ghost
	Poison[b]
	Fairy[c]
Colorless	Normal
	Flying
	Dragon[d]
Darkness	Dark
	Poison[e]
Metal	Steel
Dragon	Dragon[f]
Fairy	Fairy[g]

Energy type, commonly referred to as type (Japanese: タイプ type) is a property of both Pokémon and Energy cards in the Trading Card Game. It was referred to as color (Japanese: 色(いろ) color) in expansions published by Wizards of the Coast. On Pokémon, it is sometimes referred to as a Pokémon type.^[1][2][3] It is based on the type mechanic from the Pokémon games.

Available types

The Pokémon TCG has eleven Energy types. These are Colorless, Grass, Fire, Water, Lightning, Fighting, Psychic, Darkness, Metal, Dragon and Fairy.

Four of the aforementioned types were added in later expansions. Darkness and Metal were first introduced in Neo Genesis, Dragon in Dragons Exalted, and Fairy in Kalos Starter Set. Of these, the Fairy type was retired in February 2020 with the release of the Sword & Shield expansion.^[4] As such, no cards that have Fairy as an Energy type have been printed since that expansion.

Because the TCG has fewer types than the video games, some Energy types represent multiple types from the video games. For example, Fighting-, Rock- and Ground-type Pokémon from the games are all featured as Fighting-type cards. Although many Energy types share their names with types from the games, the Electric-type is represented by the Lightning Energy type, Dark-type is represented by the Darkness Energy type, and Steel-type is represented by the Metal Energy type.

The video game typing assigned to each particular Energy type has changed through different Series. According to the game's director, Atsushi Nagashima, the metagame of the TCG prior to the Sword & Shield Series had traditionally focused on "a rock-paper-scissors relationship" between Grass, Fire, and Water Pokémon. However, it was believed that the metagame had been shifting too rapidly, and as such, the developers intended for the Sword & Shield Series to expand the focus to further incorporate Lightning and Fighting Pokémon, in part by changing which Pokémon would be designated as Psychic and Darkness.^[5][6]

Types of Pokémon

Most Pokémon have a single type, which is displayed as a symbol in the upper right corner of the card. The Energy type that a Pokémon card has usually matches one of the types the species has in the video games. For example, Infernape is a Fire/Fighting-type Pokémon in the games, so Infernape cards are either Fire-type or Fighting-type. Some Pokémon cards have Energy types that do not correspond with the types those respective species have in the video games. These cards often have designations such as Dark Pokémon, Rocket's Pokémon, Crystal Pokémon, or δ Delta Species. Usually, the costs of a Pokémon's attacks match the Pokémon's type, and may additionally include Energy.

Some cards are dual-type Pokémon cards, which have two types. Dual-type Pokémon were first introduced in the EX Team Magma vs Team Aqua expansion. Cards from the EX Series are always either part Darkness-type or Metal-type, and their type is represented as a variation of the symbol of their non-Darkness or Metal type, with a background based on the Darkness or Metal type. These cards have an extra text box describing their Energy types with both symbols. Cards from the HeartGold & SoulSilver Series and from the Steam Siege expansion display both type symbols.

Weakness & Resistance

Weakness and Resistance are game mechanics that can change how much damage a Defending Pokémon in the Active Spot takes from an attack based on the type of the Attacking Pokémon.^[7] Weakness increases damage taken from attacks, depending on the amount of Weakness. The effect that the Weakness has on the damage of the attack is always printed next to the Energy type of that Weakness, called an "amount." This is typically ×2, although many cards from the Diamond & Pearl Series and the Platinum Series have additive Weakness instead of multiplicative Weakness, such as +20. Conversely, Resistance reduces the damage the Defending Pokémon takes from attacks. From the Original Series to the EX Series, and in the Scarlet & Violet Series, most Resistance reduces the damage taken by an Active Pokémon by 30. From the Diamond & Pearl Series to the Sword & Shield Series, most Resistance reduces the damage taken by 20. If a Pokémon has both a Weakness and a Resistance to the Energy type of a Pokémon using an attack, the damage is first modified by the Weakness, then the Resistance.

Weakness and Resistance only modify damage dealt to Active Pokémon. When Benched Pokémon take damage, these characteristics are ignored unless a card states otherwise.

Pokémon usually have one Energy type as a Weakness. However, some Pokémon cards, including Dragon-type Pokémon released from Evolving Skies onward, have no Weakness. Some cards have one Energy type as a Resistance, but many cards have no Resistance. The vast majority of Metal-type Pokémon have a Resistance, but the Energy type of that Resistance varies depending on the expansion the card released in.

Certain Pokémon cards have two Energy types as Weakness and/or Resistance. In these cases, if the Attacking Pokémon has the Energy types of both Weaknesses and/or both Resistances, then the damage of the attack is modified twice by the Weakness and/or Resistance amount.^[8] Most cards with multiple Weakness or Resistance are Pokémon-ex or Pokémon LEGEND.

The Weakness and Resistance of Pokémon cards are often based on their weaknesses and resistances in the games; for example, Ice is folded into Water-type in the TCG, but Pokémon cards with the Water Energy type representing Ice-type Pokémon in the video games have a Weakness of Metal, much like how in the core series, Ice-type is weak to Steel. However, some Pokémon have Weakness and Resistance that actively contradict the video games by holding true to the TCG pattern, particularly when their Energy types do not match the species' weaknesses and resistances in the games.

Appearance

A card's typing affects the rest of the card's aesthetic, as the frame of a Pokémon card is the same color as the type. For Darkness-type Pokémon, this causes text on the card to be printed in white instead of black. This does not always apply to dual-type Pokémon that are Darkness-type. In the EX Team Magma vs Team Aqua expansion, the portions of the card printed on a black background used black text, while in Steam Siege, the cards used white text in these areas. From Emerging Powers on, most Reverse Holofoil Pokémon cards have holofoil patterns that incorporate the symbol of the Energy type of the Pokémon.

Types of Energy

The Energy type of an Energy card determines the type of Energy it provides.^[9] The upper right corner of the card will also show the Energy type. If a Special Energy card provides multiple units of Energy at a time, the corner of the card contains multiple icons. However, Energy cards from Base Set and the Evolutions expansion display the Energy symbol in the upper left corner instead. For Basic Energy cards, this is indicated by the name of the card and by the illustration that shows the Energy symbol of that type. For instance, Basic Darkness Energy is a card that has an Energy type of Darkness, so it provides one unit of Darkness Energy when attached to a Pokémon.

Special Energy cards may provide one or multiple types of Energy and may provide multiple units of Energy simultaneously. However, most Special Energy cards are Colorless-type until they are in play, even if their illustration depicts other types of Energy.^[10] This means that effects that search for Energy of specific Energy types in zones that are not in-play are unable to interact with Special Energy. The primary exceptions to this are the Special Energy versions of Metal Energy and Darkness Energy, which maintain the Metal and Darkness Energy types while not in play.

Although Dragon-type Pokémon exist, no Energy card can provide Dragon-typed Energy. Instead, Dragon-type Pokémon have attacks with costs containing other Energy types.

Attack costs and Energy types

Most attacks on Pokémon cards require at least one Energy card to be attached to the Pokémon in order to use the attack. This is considered to be the attack's cost. The Energy types of the attached Energy, and therefore the types of the Energy they are providing, must match the Energy types contained within an attack's cost for the attack to be used.

The symbol in attack costs represents a "wild card"; any Energy type can fulfill the requirements of a Colorless Energy cost.

In the video games

Pokémon Trading Card Game series

In Pokémon Trading Card Game and Pokémon Trading Card Game 2: The Invasion of Team GR!, there are seven available Pokémon types: Grass, Fire, Water, Lightning, Fighting, Psychic, and Colorless.

• List of Pokémon cards by type in Pokémon Trading Card Game (video game)
• List of Pokémon cards by type in Pokémon Trading Card Game 2

Pokémon Trading Card Game Online

In Pokémon Trading Card Game Online, cards still have Energy types. Each Energy type has a different set of animations for when a Pokémon of that type uses an attack that deals damage. At certain thresholds of damage, the animation changes, becoming more extravagant as the damage rises.

The Energy type of Pokémon are referenced as part of Challenges, which call for taking specific actions using Pokémon of specific types.

Pokémon Trading Card Game Live

In Pokémon Trading Card Game Live, cards still have Energy types. Animations for damaging attacks vary by type, but the type of the Pokémon that most recently became an Active Pokémon determines the visuals that the in-play zone uses. At the start of the game, this favors the Active Pokémon of the player taking the first turn. When an Active Pokémon evolves into a Pokémon of a different type, then this updates the in-play zone.

Players can filter Pokémon and Energy search results by their Energy type. Oddly enough, Special Energy cards that provide Energy of every type are filtered as though their Energy type is Dragon. Those cards do not show up when the filter is set to any other type.

The Energy types of Pokémon are referenced as part of Quests, which sometimes require playing Pokémon of specific types or putting Pokémon of those types in a deck. These Quests are not part of the standard Quest pool and only appear during themed events.

Notes

References

This article is part of Project TCG, a Bulbapedia project that aims to report on every aspect of the Pokémon Trading Card Game.