Decoding the Ethereal: What Types are Ghost Pokemon Immune To?
Ghost-type Pokémon are among the most fascinating and strategically unique in the entire franchise. Their ethereal nature grants them specific advantages and disadvantages in battle, most notably their immunity to certain types of attacks. So, to answer the core question directly: Ghost-type Pokémon are immune to both Normal and Fighting-type moves. This is a cornerstone of their unique defensive profile and one of the key factors that makes them so challenging to deal with. This double immunity is a trait that sets them apart from every other type.
The Unique Nature of Ghost-Type Immunity
Why the Double Immunity?
The concept behind the Normal-type immunity is rooted in the idea that normal, everyday physical attacks simply pass through ghosts without affecting them. This reflects their non-corporeal nature, emphasizing the disconnect between physical reality and the ghostly realm. The immunity to Fighting-type moves furthers this idea. Fighting-type moves rely on raw, physical power and technique, which are ineffective against intangible beings. This double immunity makes the Ghost-type Pokemon a unique contender in a battle.
What Does This Mean in Battle?
Understanding these immunities is crucial for effective battling. If you send a Pokémon relying on Normal or Fighting-type moves against a Ghost-type, you’re wasting your turn. This is particularly important in competitive play, where predicting your opponent’s moves and exploiting their weaknesses is paramount. It also makes Ghost-types exceptionally good against Normal and Fighting types.
Not Entirely Invulnerable
While these immunities offer a significant advantage, it’s important to note that Ghost-types are not invincible. They have their own set of weaknesses, most notably to Dark and Ghost-type attacks. Furthermore, many other types of moves will still affect them normally. Despite the double immunity, a Ghost type still is not necessarily the best choice in every match-up.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Ghost-Type Immunities and Interactions
1. Are Ghost-type Pokémon immune to physical attacks?
No, not all physical attacks. Ghost-type Pokémon are immune to Normal and Fighting-type moves, but they are vulnerable to physical attacks that use other types such as Dark, Rock or Steel. This means that a strong physical attacker of a type other than Fighting or Normal will be effective against Ghost-type Pokémon. It’s important to look at the type of attack and not just whether it is physical or special.
2. Can Fighting-type Pokémon damage Ghost types?
Yes, Fighting-type Pokémon can damage Ghost-types, but not with Fighting-type moves. Fighting-type Pokémon can still use moves like Earthquake, Rock Slide, or even moves of another type they may have learned such as Iron Head to damage a ghost. It’s all about the move type and the specific immunities of the Ghost type.
3. Are Ghost-type Pokémon immune to Counter?
Yes, in the modern Pokemon games Ghost-types are immune to Counter. Counter is a move that reflects physical damage, but because Ghost types take no damage from Normal-type physical damage, the Counter will not trigger.
4. What type is resistant to both Ghost and Dark attacks?
Steel-type Pokémon resist both Ghost and Dark-type attacks. The Steel type is known for its high physical defense and is often resistant to many types including Ghost and Dark. It’s a solid choice against both.
5. What happens if a ghost is hit by Struggle?
Struggle is a unique move that is a last resort for a Pokemon with no other usable moves. Struggle now inflicts normal damage to Rock and Steel-type Pokémon, and hits Ghost-type Pokémon even if the user has not previously used Foresight (Foresight allows Normal and Fighting-type moves to hit Ghost types).
6. Are Normal-type Pokémon immune to Ghost-type moves?
Yes, just as Ghost-type Pokémon are immune to Normal-type moves, the reverse is also true. Normal-type Pokémon are completely immune to Ghost-type moves. This mutual immunity creates an interesting dynamic in battles where a Normal type is safe from ghost attacks.
7. Are Ghost-type Pokémon immune to Whirlwind?
No, despite Whirlwind being a Normal-type move, it is effective against Ghost-type Pokémon. Whirlwind is a move that forces a switch in battle and is one of the few Normal-type moves that affects Ghost-types.
8. Are Ghost-type Pokémon immune to status conditions, like sleep or paralysis?
While they have immunities to attack types, Ghost-types aren’t generally immune to status conditions like sleep. However, there are a few interesting nuances to status affecting Ghosts. Yawn is a Normal type move, which is why Ghost-types are immune to it. Sleep is a status, not a move type.
9. Are there any situations where a Ghost-type Pokémon isn’t immune to Normal or Fighting moves?
Yes, there are some specific conditions. Moves like Foresight and Odor Sleuth can allow Normal- and Fighting-type moves to hit Ghost-types. These moves can bypass the usual immunities for a limited time, creating openings for normally ineffective attacks.
10. Are Ghost types immune to self-destruct moves?
Yes, only Ghost-type Pokémon are immune to Self-Destruct. This immunity further emphasizes their unique nature.
11. Why is a Psychic/Fighting type such as Gallade weak to Ghost?
Ghost types are super effective against Psychic types, and the Fighting type has no resistance to ghost. Because of this, a Psychic/Fighting type Pokémon takes double damage from Ghost attacks. This is a vulnerability due to the dual typing.
12. Are Fairy types weak to Ghost?
Pure Fairy-type Pokémon have some vulnerabilities, but they are not inherently weak to Ghost. They have other weaknesses such as to Poison and Steel type attacks. If a Fairy-type is also a Psychic type however, then it will gain that additional weakness to ghost attacks.
13. Why are Dark-type attacks super effective against Ghost-types?
The reasoning behind this weakness is due to the idea that ghosts are less threatening in darker environments. The darker it is, the less the ghost can be seen, thus limiting its ability to instill fear. This weakness mirrors the weakness of ghost types to the darkness.
14. Are Ghost types immune to trapping moves?
Ghost-type Pokémon are immune to trapping moves and abilities such as those used by the move Infestation. This makes Ghost types difficult to lock down.
15. Are Ghost-types immune to Roar?
No, Roar is effective against Ghost-type Pokémon. It’s important to remember that immunities only affect attack moves and not status moves like Roar, which forces the opponent to switch out their current Pokemon.
Conclusion
The double immunity of Ghost-type Pokémon to Normal and Fighting-type attacks is a critical aspect of their unique identity within the Pokémon universe. Understanding these immunities, as well as their weaknesses and interactions with other types, is essential for any serious Pokémon trainer. This deep dive into the nuances of Ghost-type immunities provides a valuable guide for maximizing their potential on the battlefield. Their unique double immunity along with the many other intricacies of their interactions makes Ghost-types interesting, powerful and challenging to deal with in battles.