Type (TCG) - Bulbapedia, the community-driven Pokmon encyclopedia

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.

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 formerly known as color (Japanese: 色(いろ) color) in Wizards of the Coast published expansions. 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. There are eleven types currently in the game.

Available types

The Pokémon TCG has eleven Energy types. These are Colorless, Grass, Fire , Water, Lightning, Fighting, Psychic, Darkness, Metal, Dragon and Fairy. Despite the name of "Colorless", it is still an Energy type. Only some older cards like Venomoth from Jungle act like Colorless is not a Energy type, or color as it was sometimes referred to back them, by allowing the player to choose any type except for Colorless.

Four types 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.

As an adaption of the Pokémon video games, some complexities occur regarding typing. The games have nineteen types, compared to the TCG's eleven. This means some compression occurs between mediums so that every Pokémon can be represented on a card with an Energy type. For example, Fighting-, Rock- and Ground-type Pokémon from the games are all featured as Fighting-type cards. The table to the right demonstrates a number of these simplifications. Note that the video game typing assigned to each particular Energy type has changed depending on different series. This has been indicated via hover text in the table, and on the articles for the respective Energy types.

For the most part, the names of a type from the games compared to an Energy type is a direct match. However, 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,

Properties

Clawitzer is a Water-type Pokemon. This can be seen in the upper right corner of the card, which has the corresponding symbol. The rest of the card has a blue frame, to match the type. It has an attack that requires one

Energy, as per its type, and a second attack that requires two

Energy and one

Energy, which is still fairly normal for a Water-type Pokémon card.

An Energy type primarily modifies how a card is regarded by other cards, Types get their meaning from other cards. For example, the Ice Shard attack on Snover and Snover deals more damage to Pokémon that are Fighting-type, and the Hydro Pump attack on Keldeo deals 10 more damage for every Energy attached to Keldeo.

Every Energy type has a symbol to represent it, which is printed prominently on cards of that Energy type. For example, the Grass-type is represented by a stylized leaf on a green background, and the Psychic-type is represented by a stylized eye on a purple background.

The Colorless-type has the peculiar property of being something of a "neutral" type, due to Colorless costs in attacks being a wildcard symbol that can be met using Energy of any type.

Types of Pokémon

Most Pokémon have a single type. For example, the Steenee from Chilling Reign is Grass-type. The type of a Pokémon card is displayed as a symbol in the upper right corner of the card. Some Pokémon are Dual-type Pokémon, and they have two types. Dual-type Pokémon were first introduced in the EX Team Magma vs Team Aqua expansion. This property is displayed slightly differently depending on the set, with the more recent ones from Steam Siege and the HeartGold & SoulSilver Series displaying both symbols. Older cards from the EX Series are always either part Darkness-type or Metal-type, and a variation of the symbol of their non-Darkness or Metal type but with a background based on the Darkness or Metal type. (Those cards have an extra text box explaining their Energy types with both symbols.)

The type of a Pokémon has little inherent rules meaning. It is a property that other cards refer to, rather than something that affects how a Pokémon behaves. However, the Energy type of a card often has correlations with the text of the rest of the card.

The costs of the attacks that a Pokémon has usually have the same type as the Pokémon or include Energy. Some attacks have costs that are a mix of both.
- Dragon-type Pokémon are exceptions, as Energy cannot be Dragon-typed. Instead, Dragon-type Pokémon have attacks with costs containing other Energy types.
If a Pokémon has effects that reference Pokémon and Energy of a specific Energy type in a positive manner, that type will usually be the type of the Pokémon.

Scovillain is a Grass-type Pokemon, even though the species in the video games is quite prominently a dual Grass/Fire type. Sometimes, the TCG represents this concept by using an Ability that allows the card to have both typings.

Even with this in mind, there are many cards which do not follow this these conventions. Some cards will have one Energy type, but have attacks with costs that include other Energy types. For instance, one Quagsire card from Ancient Origins is Fighting-type, but both of its attacks have costs including Energy. This often correlates to a typing the species has in the video games that is not the typing of the specific card. However, there are a number of cases where cards have Energy types in their attack costs that do not have a basis in the video games. Many of these cases are part of specific groups of Pokémon, such as Amazing Pokémon or Crystal Pokémon.

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 Steam Siege only the portions of the card printed on a black background used white text, while in EX Team Magma vs Team Aqua the cards just used regular black text. Reverse Holofoil Pokémon cards starting from Emerging Powers, with some exceptions for specific groups of Pokémon cards, have holofoil patterns that incorporate the symbol of the Energy type of the Pokémon.

A Pokémon can change its type through certain effects, overwriting the original typing of the card. For instance, Wash Rotom has an Poké-Power which swaps its Energy type from Lightning-type to Water-type. Meanwhile, older card Smeargle has an attack that places Coloring counters that change the opponent's Energy type to a chosen non-Colorless type. Some of these effects can make a Pokémon have two types. For example, Hoopa is Psychic-type, but its Two-Faced Ability makes it a a Psychic-type and Darkness-type card once it is in play. Some of these effects are active as soon as the Pokémon enters play, but others like Dual Armor on Lucario with collector number 78 from Plasma Storm have to be activated through specific game actions. Technically, through such effects, a Pokémon can have any number of types. The Kecleon from Rising Rivals has a Poké-Body that just makes it every extant type at time of printing, all at once. However, effects that change the type of a Pokémon other than the one the effect is printed on are rare.

There are also effects that can add types to Pokémon without replacing types, which are also rare. Three such examples are the Flareon, Vaporeon, and Jolteon cards from Ancient Origins, which have Abilities that add the Pokémon's respective Energy type to all of their owner's Stage 1 Pokémon without replacing their original types. This combines with the prior overwriting effects in the most optimal manner, resulting in a Pokémon that has every Energy type an effect says that it has along with all of the Energy types being added to. If Scovillain is being affected by these Vaporeon and Jolteon, then Scovillian would be a Grass/Fire/Water/Lightning Pokémon. [5]

Weakness & Resistance

Corvisquire is a Colorless-type Pokemon, and the species is a Flying type in the video games. This correlates with the Weakness and Resistance seen on the card. As per the bottom of the card, this card's Lightning-type Weakness means it takes double the damage from an attack used by a Lightning-type Pokémon, and it has a Fighting-type Resistance, so it takes 30 less damage from any attacks from a Fighting-type Pokémon

One of the key ways a Pokémon type matters is through Weakness and Resistance. Weakness and Resistance are game mechanics that can change how much damage a Pokémon takes from an attack.[6]

Pokémon cards usually have an Energy type as an Weakness. When a Pokémon is an Active Pokémon and it takes damage from the attack of a Pokémon that has the same type as that Weakness, the first Pokémon takes increased damage from that attack. 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" Traditionally, this is "x2", with the "x" standing for multiplication, meaning the damage is doubled from the what it was before calculating Weakness. However, cards from the Diamond & Pearl Series and the Platinum Series vary from this standard. Many cards from those sets have weaknesses that call for adding damage instead of multiplying, such as a "+20" indicating that 20 damage is added to the attack's damage.

Some Pokémon cards have an Energy type as an Resistance. This works almost identically to Weakness, except that now the Pokémon takes less damage from the attack instead of more. The exact effect of Resistances have varied depending on the set, but the most traditional effect is "-30", reducing the damage that an attack deals by 30. From the Diamond & Pearl Series to the Sword & Shield Series, most Pokémon with a Resistance reduce the damage by 20 instead of 30.

If a Pokémon has both a Weakness and a Resistance to the Energy type of a Pokémon using an attack, then the damage is first modified by the Weakness, then the Resistance.

Only damage calculation regarding an Active Pokémon takes Weakness and Resistance into account. When Benched Pokémon take damage, these characteristics are ignored unless a card otherwise says to take them into account. One example is Steam Siege's Galvantula, which as an attack that damages Benched Pokémon and applies Weakness and Resistance for that damage. Wide Lens is a Pokémon Tool card that makes all attacks work in this manner, but the attack does have to damage a Benched Pokémon to begin with.

Certain attacks have effects that make them ignore Weakness and Resistance in damage calculation. Even if a Pokémon using one of these attacks has an Energy type matching that of a Defending Pokémon's Weakness or Resistance, the damage being dealt will not be changed by either characteristic. One such attack can be found on Electrode. This is traditionally written as a variation on, "This attack's damage isn't affected by Weakness or Resistance." It is also possible for attack to not be affected by Weakness, and for an attack to not be affected by Resistance, but not both of them at once. Zapdos has an attack that is an example of the former, Rhyperior has an attack that is an example of the latter. Ignoring Resistances is an upside, but ignoring Weakness is a downside.

These effects often comes bundled with an effect that ignores any other effect on the Defending Pokémon, as seen on the card Cornerstone Mask Ogerpon ex. Despite the usual wording of "isn't affected by Weakness or Resistance, or by any effects on your opponent's Active Pokémon," Weakness and Resistance are not effects. As stated before, they are game mechanics.

Porygon, the only card with an attack that can modify the opponents Weakness and an attack that can modify the opponents Resistance. Notice that Colorless is not a valid choice for either. This is an older card, where this was the status quo for type selecting effects.

Pokémon usually have one Energy type as a Weakness. A rare few cards like the Sableye in XY and the Spiritomb in Unbroken Bonds have the special property of having no Weakness. So too do all Dragon-type Pokémon released from Evolving Skies onward. Some cards have one Energy type as a Resistance, but most cards lack it. The vast majority of Metal-type Pokémon have a Resistance, but the Energy type of that Resistance varies depending on the set.

Certain Pokémon can have two Energy types as Weaknesses and/or Resistances. In these cases, both if a Pokémon using an attack against them 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.[7] Some cards that are known to make use of this are Pokémon-ex and Pokémon LEGEND, but this is by no means exclusive to those cards. (Equally true is that Pokémon with more than one Weakness or Resistance have not been printed since EX Power Keepers, save for Pokémon LEGEND.)

Some effects can change the Weakness and Resistance of Pokémon in play. Most commonly, this is to remove the Weakness from a card, as seen on the very literally named Weakness Guard and Weakness Guard Energy, or as an effect on one of Gardevoir-EX's attacks. Resistance can also be removed in this way, like on Magnetic Storm. Other effects can overwrite the Energy type of the Weakness of a card, such as the attack on Porygon from 151 or one attack on Meowstic from Unbroken Bonds. These effects do not change the amount of Weakness, only the Energy type of that Weakness. If there was no Weakness before, these effects will set the amount to "x2". Other effects can indeed change an amount of Weakness, usually setting it to "x4" and really boosting the damage. Examples of that include the Abilities on Vileplume from Boundaries Crossed and Kabutops from 151. These effects will not do anything to a card that has no Energy type as a Weakness. Uniquely, the card Supereffective Glasses changes the amount of Weakness applied during damage calculation, if it is being applied, to "x3". This means the characteristic of the Defending Pokémon does not change despite the damage from the attack. being increased more than normal.

Metagame

This section is incomplete.
Please feel free to edit this section to add missing information and complete it.
Reason: now that this article is at normal length, a competitive player has to weigh in here to balance things out.

According to the game's director, Atsushi Nagashima, the metagame of the TCG has 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 Sword & Shield Series would expand the focus to further incorporate Lightning and Fighting Pokémon.[8][9]

Gym Leader Challenge

The Gym Leader Challenge format uses Pokémon type as part of its ruleset. A legal deck in Gym Leader Challenge can only contain Pokémon that share a single type. Those Pokémon can have types in addition to this shared type. This restriction only checks Pokémon as they exist outside of play, fully ignoring effects printed on cards that change their own type.

Relationship to Video Games

Coalossal is a card for a species that is Rock/Fire. This card takes after the Rock typing, but Rock is not an Energy type. Pokemon that are Rock-type are printed as cards of the Fighting Energy type, and this card follows suit by having that Energy type. However, the Ability Tar Generator nods back at the Rock/Fire typing by affecting both Fighting and Fire Energy in a positive manner. Note that the card has a Weakness of Grass, matching a weakness of the Rock type from the game.

As an adaption of the Pokémon video games, many details of Pokémon cards regarding Energy types call back to elements seen in the games. 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 tend to be either Fire-type or Fighting-type. For the Pokémon in the games that have types do not have a corresponding Energy type, they get cards that have Energy types that their typing has been grouped into, as per the table at the start of the article. One example of this is that Rock- and Ground-type Pokémon from the games get cards in the TCG that have the Fighting Energy type.

As stated before, if a Pokémon card has attacks that have costs which include Energy types that are not Colorless or the same Energy type of the card, the Energy types of that cost are likely to be Energy types based on the typing of the species in the video game that is not the card's Energy type.

Generally speaking, if a Pokémon card has effects that reference an Energy type in a positive manner and that type is not of the Energy type of the card, those effects will benefit the typing based on the typing of the species in the video game that is not the card's Energy type.

The Weakness and Resistance of Pokémon cards usually are based on their weaknesses 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.

As is always true of trading card games, these patterns do not hold in every circumstance. Sometimes, a Pokémon card has an Energy type that does not correspond with the types the species has in the video games. Other times, their Weakness and Resistance actively contradict the video games by holding true to the TCG pattern, or they are just Energy types that do not match the species's weaknesses and resistances in the video game. Sometimes, this has to do with certain groups of cards that have mechanical implications, such as Dark Pokémon, Rocket's Pokémon, δ Delta Species and Crystal Pokémon.

The pages for each Energy type make note of these correlations between video game and trading card game.

"Attacks and types"

One misconception of the TCG is that each attack has a type, and this type is what is used to determine if a Pokémon takes increased or decreased damage due to Weakness and Resistance. This line of thought further notes that the Energy types in the cost of an attack do not affect this "typing". This interpretation likely draws from the video games, where every move has a type. This is false; even a rulebook for Base Set 2, the fourth expansion of the game, states that Weakness and Resistance are applied when the Energy type of the Pokémon using the attack matches.[10]. However, this interpretation has been officially acknowledged in the past, in a question to Wizards of the Coast.[11] It has also been listed on this very page as a truth.

However, it is true that sometimes, the TCG uses non-standard attack costs to be thematic. For example, Surfing Pikachu is a Lightning-type Pokémon, but its Surf attack has a cost of . This may be to depict the idea of the move Surf, which attacks opponents with a wave of water, on a TCG card which itself is not Water-type.

Types of Energy

The Energy type of an Energy card determines the type of Energy it provides. [12]

For Basic Energy cards, this indicated both by the name of the card, and by the illustration that shows the Energy symbol of that type. Basic Darkness Energy for instance, is a card that has an Energy type of Darkness, so it provides one unit of Darkness Energy. The card's illustration shows a Darkness Energy. The upper right corner of the card will also show the Energy type. (If it is an Energy card from Base Set, or has a design derived from it such as in Evolutions, the Energy symbol is instead displayed in the upper left corner, by the bar for the card's category.)

Special Energy card is less consistent with their Energy type. Many Special Energy depict Energy that appear to be an Energy of a specific type, as seen on Speed L Energy, Horror P Energy, and the Special Energy version of Metal Energy. This Energy is also displayed in the upper right corner of the card. (The same provisions for Energy from Base Set or based on the appearance of those cards still applies.) However, most Special Energy cards do not have a non-Colorless Energy type until they are in play, even if their illustration appears to show so.[13]. This means that effects that look for Energy of specific Energy types in zones that are not the in-play zone are unable to interact with Special Energy. (The primary exceptions to this are the Special Energy versions of Metal Energy and Darkness Energy, which do have the Metal and Darkness Energy types while not in play.)

Burning Energy is a Special Energy card. It looks like a Fire Energy, but technically it does not have an Energy type at all until it is attached to a Pokémon. Then it gains the Fire Energy type and provides

Energy. The card's color scheme is also inverted compared to a normal Basic Fire Energy, which is duplicated in the icon in the upper right corner.

Many Special Energy cards depict Energy that is not precisely one of the Energy types. The Energy in the artwork is what is seen in the icons in the upper right corner, even if it does not exactly match an Energy type. For example, Splash Energy depicts a darkened version of Water Energy, which is exactly what the icon shows. Cards that provide more than one unit of Energy, such as R Energy and Triple Acceleration Energy, have an icon in the upper right for every unit of Energy.

Also note that while Dragon-type Pokémon exist, Dragon Energy does not exist within the rules. No Energy card can provide Dragon-typed Energy. Double Dragon Energy depicts two "Dragon Energy" but does not change this.

Attack costs and Energy types

The Amazing Destruction attack on the Yveltal needs Energy of three different Energy types just to use, and after meeting those requirements the attack has two Colorless Energy left in the cost.

The Energy type that Energy cards have is important because in order for a Pokémon to use an attack, that Pokémon must have Energy attached to them that meets the cost of cost of the attack. The Energy types of that Energy, and therefore the types of the Energy they are providing, have to match the Energy types contained within the cost. For instance, the Garchomp in Legendary Treasures has the attack Dragonblade, which has a cost of . For Garchomp to be able to use the attack, it needs an Energy card attached to it that provides Energy and an Energy card attached to it that provides Energy. A combination of Basic Water Energy and Basic Fighting Energy is the simplest way to meet this cost, but there are multiple other ways to mix and match Energy cards that allow Garchomp to use Dragonblade. A player could attach a Wash W Energy instead of Basic Water Energy, or a Stone F Energy in place of the Basic Fighting Energy. Many cards, one of which is Rainbow Energy, can provide one unit of Energy of any type and could substitute for either Basic Energy.

Colorless Energy in attack costs is interesting because the symbol in attack costs represents a "wildcard": Any Energy type can fulfill the requirements of a Colorless Energy cost. For instance, the attack Clanging Scales on the Kommo-o from Crimson Invasion has a cost of . It can be met with Energy providing , , , or even .

Changing Energy types of Energy

Some effects can change the Energy type that an Energy provides. The absolute most iconic example is the Charizard in Base Set, whose Energy Burn Pokémon Power changes the Energy type of all Energy attached to it to Fire-type. It has been imitated multiple times, with the relevant example of Lost Thunder's Typhlosion having a Blazing Energy Ability that can change the Energy types of all of the Energy attached to all of its owner's Pokémon to Fire. Changing the Energy type of an Energy card in this way does not change the name of the card.[12] As such, a Basic Grass Energy attached to the Charizard would have an Energy type of Fire, and provide , but still be called Basic Grass Energy. This kind of effect interacts less than gracefully with Energy cards that can provide multiple types of Energy like the aforementioned Rainbow Energy. When this kind of card has its Energy type changed, the effect that allows the card to provide multiple different types of Energy ends.[14]

The prior effects overwrite an Energy's Energy type, but it is possible for a card to add Energy types without replacing the orginal type. The only such example is Holon Research Tower, which can add the Metal Energy type to any Energy attached to a Delta Species Pokémon. This effect works similarly to cards like Unit Energy FDY and Blend Energy GRPD, making it so that the Energy card can provide either Energy of its original Energy type or Metal Energy, but only 1 unit of either.

In the video games

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.

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 again vary by type, but in this game the Active Pokémon of the player taking the current turn determines the visuals that the in play zone uses.

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 type 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, only appearing during themed events.