Ice Pokémon are typically used as a sub-type in Pokémon Go because they can be easily countered if that's their only type. Their attacks are boosted by Snowy Weather, so expect to see a lot of other trainers using them if the weather predicts! This guide will help you get through the toughest battles against any type of Ice Pokémon, including some of the strongest combinations!
Ice Pokémon Weaknesses and Counters in Pokémon Go
One of the first things you need to know about choosing the right counters in Pokémon Go is that not all Pokémon are created equal. There is no one-size-fits-all against them. With each sub-type, moveset, and specialty comes the suggestion of a different technique to counter it. That being said, we’re going to cover a couple of things in this guide.
Weaknesses & Strengths
The dynamics for Ice Pokémon can be compared to real-life science. They’re weak against Fighting, Fire, Rock, and Steel, and only resistant to other Ice Attacks. Still, there are additional stats to know about Ice-type Pokémon and Attacks. The list below provides the basic damage effectiveness against their respective types. If anything is not listed, it can be assumed that it applies standard damage/defense.
- Attacking
- Super Effective Against (160% Damage): Grass, Ground, Dragon, Flying
- Not Very Effective Against (62.5% Damage): Fire, Water, Ice, Steel
- Defending
- Weak Against (160% Damage): Fire, Fighting, Rock, Steel
- Strong Against (62.5% Damage): Ice
Related: Best Poison Type Pokémon in Pokémon Go - Pro Game Guides
Combination Weaknesses & Strengths
Sometimes when Pokémon have secondary types, the Weaknesses & Strengths of that type might negate, amplify, or add to the Weaknesses & Strengths of the Pokémon’s primary type. In this list, we’re going to cover specifically the sub-types that change the original Weaknesses & Strengths.
- Amplifying
- Amplifies Weakness to Fire: Grass, Bug, Steel
- Amplifies Weakness to Fighting: Normal, Rock, Dark, Steel
- Amplifies Weakness to Rock: Fire, Flying, Bug
- Amplifies Weakness to Steel: Rock, Fairy
- Negating
- Negates Weakness to Fire: Fire, Water, Rock, Dragon
- Negates Weakness to Fighting: Poison, Flying, Psychic, Bug
- Negates Weakness to Rock: Fighting, Ground, Steel
- Negates Weakness to Steel: Fire, Water, Electric
- Negates Resistance to Ice: Grass, Ground, Flying, Dragon
Counters
The best way to counter any Pokémon is to know its weaknesses and strengths, which are listed in the previous two sections of the guide. However, as mentioned before, some of these weaknesses and resistances can be altered with sub-types. So the question is: What do you do if the Pokémon has multiple types? Well, find another counter, of course!
We’re going to cover a few things with the lists below. First, we’ll explain how to counter against basic Ice Pokémon. Then, we’ll list the best counters for all the sub-types of Ice Pokémon.
Best Ice Counters
For Ice Pokémon with no additional sub-types, you’ll be looking to use Fire, Fighting, Rock, and Steel attacks and avoid Ice attacks. Note, these advantages do not mean you should counter or avoid countering with those types of Pokémon, but with those types of attacks specifically.
Out of the four weaknesses that Ice Pokémon have, only Fire and Steel are resistant to Ice attacks. For this reason, Fire and Steel Pokémon should be considered your standard roster against a trainer who specializes in Ice Pokémon.
Best Sub-type Counters
Since Ice Pokémon have four weaknesses, trainers may use counters that negate them. While this can be an advanced technique to use against other unsuspecting trainers, we must remember that each type has its own weaknesses and strengths. This means that while some sub-types might negate a weakness, it could amplify other weaknesses or add new ones. The list below explains all the best counters for every sub-type of Ice Pokémon. Remember, as stated above, the standard roster against Ice Pokémon is Fire and Steel.
Related: Best Ghost Type Pokémon in Pokémon Go - Pro Game Guides
- Ice + Electric: Electric Pokémon cancel out Ice Pokémon’s weakness to Steel, but adds a weakness to Ground Pokémon. Since Ground Pokémon are immune to Electric attacks, they are your best option against Ice + Electric Pokemon. However, the standard roster would also be effective.
- Ice + Dragon: Dragon Pokémon cancel out Ice Pokémon’s weakness to Fire, but adds a weakness to Fairy and other Dragon Pokémon. Because they are both resistant and effective against these Pokemon, it’s best to use either Steel or Fairy counters.
- Ice + Grass: Grass Pokémon are weak against Fire Pokémon, so combining these two types makes them especially vulnerable to Fire Attacks. Use these if you’re fighting an Ice + Grass Pokémon.
- Ice + Fighting: Dragon Pokémon cancel out Ice Pokémon’s weakness to Rock, but adds weaknesses to Flying, Psychic, and Fairy. You can use the standard roster or any of these three against Ice + Fighting Pokémon.
- Ice + Dark: Dark Pokémon are weak against Fighting Pokémon, so combining these two types makes them especially vulnerable to Fighting Attacks. Use these if you’re fighting an Ice + Dark Pokémon.
- Ice + Poison: Poison Pokémon cancel out Ice Pokémon’s weakness to Fighting, but adds weaknesses to Ground and Psychic. Still, we recommend using the standard roster against Ice + Poison.
- Ice + Ground: Ground Pokémon cancel out Ice Pokémon’s weakness to Rock, but adds weaknesses to Water and Grass. Water is not resistant to Ice or Ground attacks, though, so we recommend using the standard roster or Grass Pokémon.
- Ice + Normal: Normal Pokémon are weak against Fighting Pokémon, so combining these two types makes them especially vulnerable to Fighting Attacks. Use these if you’re fighting an Ice + Normal Pokémon.
- Ice + Fire: Fire Pokémon are weak against Rock Pokémon, so combining these two types makes them especially vulnerable to Rock Attacks. Use these if you’re fighting an Ice + Rock Pokémon. Do not use Fire Pokémon since adding the Fire-type cancels out Ice’s weakness to it.
- Ice + Flying: Fire Pokémon are weak against Rock Pokémon, so combining these two types makes them especially vulnerable to Rock Attacks. Use these if you’re fighting an Ice + Flying Pokémon. Do not use Fighting Pokémon since adding the Flying-type cancels out Ice’s weakness to it.
- Ice + Psychic: Psychic Pokémon cancel out Ice Pokémon’s weakness to Fighting, but adds a weakness to Bug, Ghost, and Dark. Since Dark Pokémon are immune to Psychic attacks, they are your best option against Ice + Psychic Pokémon. However, if your opponent is using a lot of Ice Attacks, you should instead use the standard roster.
- Ice + Bug: Bug Pokémon are weak against Fire and Rock Pokémon, so combining these two types makes them especially vulnerable to either type of attack. Use either Fire or Rock Pokémon if you’re fighting an Ice + Bug Pokémon.
- Ice + Rock: Rock Pokémon are weak against Fighting and Steel Pokémon, so combining these two types makes them especially vulnerable to either type of attack. Use either Fighting or Steel Pokémon if you’re fighting Ice + Rock Pokémon. It is also worth mentioning that Ice + Rock Pokémon are considered the weakest combination type in any Pokémon game, because of their severely limited advantages.
- Ice + Ghost: Ghost-types are immune to Fighting attacks, so don’t use them at all against Ice + Ghost Pokémon. We recommend sticking to the standard roster here, since neither weakness to Fire or Steel is cancelled out, and Ghost Pokémon does not add any resistances to them.
- Ice + Water: Water Pokémon are resistant to both Fire and Steel attacks, so you should completely ignore the standard roster for these Pokémon. The only two types of Pokémon that are effective against Water + Ice without weaknesses against them are Fighting and Electric.
- Ice + Steel: Steel Pokémon are weak against Fire and Fighting Pokémon, so combining these two types makes them especially vulnerable to either type of attack. Use either Fire or Fighting Pokémon if you’re fighting an Ice + Steel Pokémon.
- Ice + Fairy: Fairy Pokémon are weak against Steel Pokémon, so combining these two types makes them especially vulnerable to Steel attacks. Use these if you’re fighting an Ice + Fairy Pokémon.
With this guide, you should be ready to take down any Ice-type focused opponent! In summary, you’ve likely made the realization that the best Pokémon and Attacks to use will probably be Fire-type, with Steel-type coming in a close second.
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