Bug Type Guide: Strengths & Counters
Explore the Bug type: learn its strengths, weaknesses, resistances, immunities and practical tips for VGC and Showdown ladder play.
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Offense rank
#15 · Bad
Defense rank
#14 · Bad
Offensive power
97%
Defensive strength
92%
What Is Bug Strong Against? Offensive Matchups
Strong against
Not very effective against
Has no effect
Swarms strip Grass, unsettle Psychic calm, and bite into Dark deceit, but they burn, get swatted, succumb to toxins, miss flying prey, faze no ghosts, dent no steel, and dazzle no fairies.
Super-Effective
- Grass
Caterpillars chew leaves efficiently.
- Psychic
Creepy-crawlies interrupt focus.
- Dark
Night-dwelling bugs hunt shadows.
Not Very Effective
- Fire
Heat scorches chitin.
- Fighting
Punches swat tiny foes.
- Poison
Toxic insects struggle to poison poison-adapted foes.
- Flying
Prey can’t catch predators in the air.
- Ghost
Insects pass through apparitions.
- Steel
Mandibles can’t pierce iron.
- Fairy
Fairy auras disorient swarms and break their momentum.
What Is Bug Weak To? Defensive Matchups
Weak to
Resists
Immune to
Flames, birds, and falling rocks devastate fragile carapaces, yet insects shrug off leaves, dodge fists, and burrow beneath earthquakes.
Weak To
- Fire
Exoskeletons char easily.
- Flying
Birds snack on bugs.
- Rock
Boulders crush arthropods.
Resistant To
- Grass
Dense foliage and chitin interactions reduce incoming leaf damage.
- Fighting
Small size confounds punches.
- Ground
Burrowing avoids tremors.
Uneven Matchups
- Bug→Fighting0.5×←Fighting→0.5×
- Bug→Poison0.5×←Poison→1×
- Bug→Ground1×←Ground→0.5×
- Bug→Psychic2×←Psychic→1×
- Bug→Rock1×←Rock→2×
- Bug→Ghost0.5×←Ghost→1×
- Bug→Dark2×←Dark→1×
- Bug→Steel0.5×←Steel→1×
- Bug→Fairy0.5×←Fairy→1×
Related Type Guides
Full Type Chart
Type Effectiveness Chart
Interactive Battle Type Chart
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• Chart based on rules effective since 2013