The Fire type is the least common of the three starter types. Many Pokémon fans claim that true experts always choose the Fire Pokémon, as it is the weakest Pokémon in the beginning, but becomes the most powerful towards the game’s end. Is this truth, or myth?
Find out by reading this beginner’s guide on Pokémon and the Fire type.
Fire Pokémon Type FAQ
What are Fire attacks strong against?
Super-effective (x2): Grass, Ice, Bug, Steel
Weak (x0.5): Fire, Water, Rock, Dragon
What attack types are strong against Fire Pokémon?
Super-Effective (x2): Ground, Water Rock
Resistances (x0.5): Fire, Grass, Ice, Bug Steel
What are some common characteristics of Fire Pokémon?
Fire attacks may cause Burn status
Typically high attack and / or speed stats
Typically lacking in movepool variety
General Strategies for Fire Pokémon
In Generation 1, Fire was used mostly as a counter to Grass, since Ice Pokémon were usually mixed with Water, and the Bug type was negligible, and Steel hadn’t existed yet. For the most part, however, the weaknesses (Water and Ground in particular) far outweighed the strength against Grass.
And still, to a large degree, the Fire type suffers from it’s weaknesses, but at least having a strength against Steel has helped the Fire type significantly. Steel – an incredibly strong defensive type with typically high normal defense, is easily threatened by a strong Fire type with high Special Attack.
The Fire type serves mostly as a specialized counter to Grass and Steel types. This is especially true since many Fire type Pokémon have limited movepool variety – particularly lacking in type attack variety.
Type combos with fire aren’t typically desirable. Fire’s weaknesses are already significant enough without adding to them with a new type. However, sometimes adding another type, such as Fire/Fighting or Fire/Flying, can help add to the Pokémon’s versatility.
One of Fire’s greatest assets is the “Burn” status. Most fire attacks will inflict it automatically on occasion, but there’s also the move “Will-O-Wisp” which inflicts burn similar to how Toxic inflicts poison. Burn deals damage each round, but more importantly, severely reduces the inflicted Pokémon’s attack stat, making it extremely effective at weakening an offensive type’s power.
Fire Pokémon – Dual Types
Fire Pokémon aren’t too common to begin with, so dual combos with the fire type aren’t either, and most of them aren’t too admirable. Still, here are the dual types with Fire: Fire/Ground, Fire/Fighting, Fire/Flying, Fire/Rock, Fire/Steel, and Fire/Dark.
Fire/Ground and Fire/Rock suffer considerably from a x4 weakness to Water (and Fire/Rock a x4 weakness to Ground). Fire/Flying is okay, but having a x4 weakness to Rock can be devastating.
Fire/Fighting isn’t bad, with only normal weaknesses against Water, Ground, Flying, and Psychic. Unfortunately though, that covers some pretty powerful attacks. Fire/Dark is a decent type too – weak against Water, Fighting, Ground, and Rock – again, this covers plenty of powerful attacks, though.
Fire/Steel, despite the x4 Ground weakness, is one of the better type combos, but unfortunately is only available to the Lenendary Pokémon Heatran.
Strong Fire Type Pokémon
Most of the strong Fire type Pokémon are the Pokémon starters, which is why many people say that true Pokémon experts will always choose the Fire starter.
Charizard is one of the best out there, but that x4 weakness to Rock can really hurt. Still, Charizard has high speed and special attack, and can boost it’s attack with moves like Belly Drum or Sword’s Dance. Charizard is definitely a Grass or Bug type’s worst nightmare, and the immunity to Ground attacks provided by the Flying type is definitely beneficial.
Typhlosion offers a reliable Fire type, with high speed and special attack, and some pretty strong moves to boot – it even can learn Solarbeam for some reason (only in Generation D/P).
Infernape and Blaziken both offer the power of both Fighting and Fire, covering a good variety of attacks and moves with great stats, but also suffer from powerful attacks by common types – Water, Ground, Psychic, and Flying. Both Pokémon are of extremes – extreme offense, but very weak defense.
As for some non-starter Fire types, the best out there are Houndoom, Magmortar, Rapidash, and Ninetails. Houndoom offers versatility with Fire/Dark, Magmortar great stats and a diverse movepool, Rapidash great moves and high speed, and Ninetales decent speed and move variety.
Advanced Fire Pokémon Strategies
Burn is a valuable asset and works as a great counter to offensive Pokémon, but it’s rather unreliable except for Will-O-Wisp. Also, most offensive type Pokémon will have a strong attack that is super-effective against Fire (such as Ground and Rock), so it may all come down to speed.
Fire Pokémon’s stats are sometimes disjointed. The saddest example is Flareon, the only one of the Eevee evolutions that could be considered terrible, due to it having enormous attack and nothing to do with it, since all of its Fire attacks are special-based. Successful use of the Fire type requires paying close attention to stats.
Pokémon with a x4 weakness require excessive caution for effective use. For example, Fire/Ground, with a x4 weakness to Water, will drop to even very weak water attacks.
Having a Fire attack in any party is a good idea, as strengths against Grass / Ice / Bug / Steel is always beneficial, but having a Fire type is not always necessary. If a Fire type Pokémon does fit well into a team, it must carry a strong Fire attack to be truly effective.
Fire type Pokémon Conclusion
A strong Fire type Pokémon can work wonders for a Pokémon team, however, the fire type doesn’t always fit well into a team due to the weaknesses against common types (specifically Water and Ground). The Fire type requires proper planning, and counter-balancing its weaknesses with other members of the team, to become a true asset to a team.
