Pokemon Flying Type Guide - Weaknesses, Strengths, and Counters

When players start their adventures in their Pokemon title of choice, they are bound to stumble upon a handful of helpful creatures that inhabit the early-game locations. Among these is almost always a Flying Type Pokemon that, while may appear rather weak in its unevolved form, possesses a potential waiting to be unlocked by traveling alongside it. It's these trusted Flying Type Pokemon partners that have cemented the typing as one of the most popular in the series, with more and more being added that take the idea of aerial combat to the next level.

Here's a deep look into the Flying Type, including its strengths, weaknesses, and counters.

Pokemon Flying Type Weaknesses and Counters

Though they may be nimble, Flying Type Pokemon struggle to get past the hard defenses of Rock Types, the shock of Electric Types, nor the frigid cold of Ice Types. Pitting a Flying Type against one of these other types will mostly result in unfavorable matchups that will bring these masters of flight right back to the ground.

• Rock: Not only are Rock Type attacks super-effective against Flying Type Pokemon, but Flying Type moves deal half damage to Rock Type Pokemon—thus increasing the natural defensive capabilities of this type. Though certain type combinations can nullify this Rock Type weakness, answering a Flying Type with a powerful Rock Type Pokemon like Tyranitar, Aggron, Rhyperior, Lycanroc, Coalossal, or Garganacl offers both a great resistance to the type, and a viable option to take it down.
• Electric: One of the easiest ways to answer a majority of Flying Type Pokemon is simply through the use of an Electric Type move like Thunderbolt or Supercell Slam—both of which can be learned by Pokemon who aren't Electric Types themselves. However, like Rock Types, Electric Type Pokemon also take halved damage from Flying Type attacks, making Pokemon like Raikou, Luxray, Magnezone, Tapu Koko, Toxtricity, and Miraidon prime candidates to deal much more damage than they take.
• Ice: While it may not be one of the most popular types, the Ice Type is yet another way to remove Flying Type Pokemon from the field quickly. Powerful Ice Type moves like Ice Beam and Blizzard can be learned by a variety of Pokemon that aren't Ice Type, though they will not receive the STAB bonus on these attacks. Alolan Sandslash, Articuno, Weavile, Mamoswine, Vanilluxe, and Cetitan are Ice Type Pokemon that learn multiple moves of the type that can put an end to Flying Type Pokemon. But players should be aware that, unlike Rock and Electric, the Ice Type does not resist Flying Type attacks, so they will have the chance to retaliate efficiently.
• Gravity Control: A rather peculiar yet realistic mechanic that only impacts Flying Type Pokemon is the state of gravity in a battle, which can only be influenced by the moves Gravity and Smack Down. If either of these moves are used, Flying Type Pokemon will lose their Ground Type resistance, thus taking normal damage from attacks of that type.

Pokemon Flying Type Strengths

Flying Type moves are capable of dealing super-effective damage to Grass, Bug, and Fighting Type Pokemon—three types that appear rather commonly across a number of species of Pokemon. Each of these types also deals half damage to Flying Type Pokemon, though most Flying Type Pokemon don't boast naturally high defenses to deal with damage from any type.

Additionally, nearly every Flying Type Pokemon is a dual-type, giving them access to a larger movepool that allow them to fill multiple niches in a single team. Pokemon like Charizard, Dragonite, Landorus, Talonflame, Corviknight, and Flamigo all enjoy the benefits that the Flying Type provides, while also sporting a secondary typing that can often times act as answers to weaknesses that other Flying Types have issues dealing with.

In Pokemon Omega Ruby, Alpha Sapphire, Sun, Moon, Ultra Sun, and Ultra Moon, Flying Types were given yet another way to prevail thanks to Mega Rayquaza's Ability: Delta Stream. The first new weather effect since fog, Delta Stream overrides all existing weather to create strong winds that removes Flying Type weaknesses for all Pokemon on the field, but if the Pokemon had a secondary typing, those weaknesses would remain. This weather effect has not returned since these titles, as Mega Evolution is no longer an available mechanic in the main series.

Best Flying Type Pokemon in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet

Following the release of The Teal Mask DLC for Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, players now have access to nearly all of the Flying Type Pokemon from across the series, ranging from more standard ones like Dodrio and Noctowl to Legendary Flying Type Pokemon like Lugia and Rayquaza.

These five Flying Type Pokemon boast the highest Attack/Special Attack stats and are helpful allies in multiple situations, whether that be trainer battles, Tera Raid Battles, or even climbing the online ladder (ruleset restrictions permitted).

1. Rayquaza (150 base Attack and Special Attack)
2. Landorus (Therian Forme) (145 base Attack)
3. Salamence (145 base Attack, 120 base Special Attack)
4. Thundurus (Therian Forme) (145 base Special Attack)
5. Yveltal (131 base Attack and Special Attack)

Best Flying Type Pokemon in Pokemon GO

Flying Type Pokemon boast the same strengths and weaknesses in Pokemon GO as they do in the main series titles, but lose their immunity to Ground Type moves due to the mobile game's simplified mechanics. However, many of them are viable options in both Raids and the Go Battle League, some even appearing in these modes quite often.

Here are the five Flying Type Pokemon with the highest CP caps in Pokemon GO—not taking into account Mega Evolutions:

1. Landorus (Therian Forme) (4,434 max CP)
2. Ho-Oh (4,367 max CP)
3. Rayquaza (4,336 max CP)
4. Dragonite (4,287 max CP)
5. Yveltal (4,275 max CP)

Factoring in Mega Evolutions, all other Flying Type Pokemon pale in comparison to Mega Rayquaza, whose max CP is a whopping 6,458, though can only be used in Raids and Team Go Rocket battles.

Though CP is not the sole determining factor in what makes a Pokemon strong. The Go Battle League, for example, often favors Pokemon with 1,500 CP or lower for official tournaments, where Flying Type Pokemon like Skarmory, Talonflame, and Altaria regularly make appearances thanks to their dual typings, movepools, and stats.