The most relevant types across generations according to you

[Cerberus87]

This isn't intended to be a competitive battling thread, so I post it here.

What are the types your team couldn't do without in each generation of Pokémon?

I remember a Nintendo magazine here in my country claimed back in 1999 that the "main types" of the game were Grass, Fire, Water, Ground, Flying and Psychic, which is what Blue's team in RBY had. I usually built my team according to those types. However, we all know Normal types were very strong in RBY.

Now, though, it seems to me that there are a few types that gained relevance and surpassed other types. It seems to me that a team must have, in one capacity or another, a Fighting, a Flying and a Ground-type, and the rest are less important and can be picked either way.

What are the types you can't do without, and why? Post whatever gen you want.

 

[Amore]

Umm...there's no type I can't do without - although Dragons are my favourites, I often don't use them. I will say that a Water type is indispensable in every generation, particularly Gen III what with there being 3 water-type HMs.

 

[CliCliW]

While I like to mix it up, I nearly always have (just out of preference):

Water,
Fire,
Psychic/Ghost (one or the other)
Flying (though only for fly)
and I usually have an electric type.

I also like Ice types too if I can get a hold of one early enough, alas, I usually can't... :/

 

[Andrew]

I usually run with a Fire/Grass/Water (my starter), and then a Psychic, Dragon, Flying, Steel, and Electric type. That seems to be the most common types in my playthroughs, but I'll change it up if there's a pokémon I really like that isn't one of those types.

 

[Ryokan]

dragon fighting and grass

 

[Arlo]

When I go to build a team, I mostly think in terms of broad groups of types and combinations that work well together.

Probably the only type that I consider pretty much a must-have is Fighting, in part because they have a fairly broad range of SE coverage but mostly for the unique SE coverage on Normals.

The next is Dark or Ghost, and I almost always go with Dark. One of the two is important, since those are the only options for SE coverage on Ghosts and two of the three options (with Bug) for SE coverage on Psychics. Since Ghost is SE to Ghost, meaning that my Ghost is weak to the Ghost it's supposed to be countering, I generally prefer Dark, but I definitely have one or the other.

Beyond that though, it starts getting into overlapping coverage and good combinations. For instance, if I include a Flying type (which I often do), then that means that I usually include a Ground too, since their coverages complement each other well. But if I pick a Psychic to cover Fighters instead of a Flyer, I usually pick a Fire to go along with that, again because their coverages complement each other well. The other way around - Flying with Fire, for instance - doubles up the coverage on Bugs and Grasses and leaves Poisons and Fires unaccounted for, while Psychic with Ground doubles up the coverage on Poisons and leaves Bugs and Grasses unaccounted for.

The same thing holds for Electrics, Rocks, Grasses and Waters. I usually either pair Electric with Water or Grass with Rock. Electrics cover Waters and Flyers and Waters cover Grounds and Rocks, or Grass covers Waters, Grounds and Rocks and Rocks cover Flyers. Again, other combinations double up the coverage on some types and leave other types unaccounted for.

That's about it for offensive types generally. If I've got a good Bug type, I'll fit that in too, but it's not necessary, so I only do if it's a particularly good one. And if it's later in the game and Dragons are starting to appear, I'll work out a way to include an Ice type. Other than that, if I've got space left over and nothing pressing, I tend to include a Dragon just as a sort of "all-arounder."

So yeah -
Fighting
Dark (or Ghost)
Flying and Ground or Psychic and Fire
Electric and Water or Grass and Rock

 

[Rizzie]

I'd say Ice. The Elite Four these days seem to always have overpowered Dragon types, so I like to take them out with Ice Beams. Other than that, water and flying are always very important for the HMs. Every type has it's own strengths, and none of them really are above the others in my eyes. It's just whatever pokemon I like most.

 

[Nolafus]

I always have to have a grass type, but some of the other types I usually find are fire and flying. I just always seem to catch a pokemon if either of the type by the fourth gym. Later on I'll add electric and water into my team, but those are more optional for me.

 

[*Icecold*]

I need a Water or Flying type. Normal types are also important, as they learn a wide varierty of moves and have decent stats.

The rest of my team's types are usually determined due to the Elite Four and Gym Leader's types.

 

[Boilurn]

The Ground and Rock-types, as they really helped my beat the 4th gym in White, one of the hardest of the Unova region in my opinion.

 

[T!M]

Geodude is a mainstay in my team up until Generation 5.

I've had a Geodude in Gen 1, 2, 3 and 4.

He's my electric problem solver.

Notable Problems Solved: Lt. Surge, Koga, Watson and Volkner.

 

[Shizzable]

Obviously the three main types, in this order (my opinion)

-Water (for obvious reasons)
-Grass (most common of the three, found in most routes, a standard type)
-Fire (still pretty important but there were almost none in gen 4)

 

[Grimwohl]

Steel and dragon have been a pain since forever. It makes me wonder why they made ice type so weak.

 

[Blastin'Tyruntz]

grass....because in some games there is a rock, ground, and water type gyms which makes grass a powerhouse no matter what pokemon is it. my favourite is fire that is why i usually go with fire starters then catch a grass type and water type to cover up.

 

[Aquacorde]

Water and Flying are must-haves for me, but others that have precedence are Dark and Fighting. Grass I've always found a bit frail, and I rarely find a ground-type that I like that has a wonderful movepool. Fire is fairly limited imo, and Psychics don't usually take hits. Although that said, I gladly take dual-types like Blaziken, Breloom, Swoobat, Cacturne, and Krookodile. Lovely movepool expansion and coverage. <3 I make so much use of STAB and type advantages that it gets a bit ridiculous.

 

[Hiatus]

Grass, electric, fire, and water-types were a little more important to me than the rest in Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald, because they were needed in order to counter Team Aqua's and Team Magma's Pokémon. In other games, all the types were equally important. If you wanted to defeat gym leaders, elite four members, trainers, rivals, etc., you were required to have various types of Pokémon in your team. Not just one.