Fairy Type

The Fairy type (Japanese: フェアリータイプ Fairy Type) is one of the eighteen Pokemon types. Fairy-type Pokemon are characterized by their magical, whimsical, and often cutesy appearance, drawing from fairy tales, mythology, and enchantment themes. The Fairy type was introduced in Generation VI specifically to balance the overpowered Dragon type and provide a new dynamic to competitive play.^[1]

Overview

Attribute	Details
Introduced	Generation VI (2013)
Number of Pokemon	70+
Notable Trainers	Valerie, Mina, Opal, Bede
Common Habitats	Forests, meadows, mystical locations

Type Effectiveness

Offensive

Effectiveness	Against Types
Super Effective (2x)	Dragon, Dark, Fighting
Not Very Effective (0.5x)	Fire, Poison, Steel
No Effect (0x)	—

Defensive

Effectiveness	From Types
Weak To (2x)	Poison, Steel
Resistant To (0.5x)	Bug, Dark, Fighting
Immune To (0x)	Dragon

Key Note: Dragon Immunity

Fairy-type Pokemon are completely immune to Dragon-type moves, making them the definitive counter to the Dragon type.^[2] This immunity was the primary reason for the Fairy type's introduction in Generation VI, designed to curb the dominance of Dragon-types in competitive play.

Characteristics

Common Traits

Trait	Description
Appearance	Pink, pastel colors, sparkles, whimsical designs
Abilities	Pixilate, Fairy Aura, Misty Surge, Cute Charm
Habitat	Forests, meadows, mystical areas
Behavior	Playful, protective, often friendly

Special Properties

Property	Effect
Misty Terrain	Boosts Fairy moves 30%, prevents status
Dragon Immunity	Complete immunity to Dragon moves
-ate Abilities	Pixilate, Aerilate convert Normal moves
Light of Ruin	Most powerful Fairy move (140 power)

Notable Fairy-Type Pokemon

Pseudo-Legendary Status

Fairy is one of several types without a pseudo-legendary Pokemon (600 BST, three-stage evolution).^[3] However, many powerful Fairy-types exist in legendary and competitive tiers.

Legendary/Mythical

Pokemon	Type	Generation
Xerneas	Fairy	VI
Tapu Koko	Electric/Fairy	VII
Tapu Lele	Psychic/Fairy	VII
Tapu Bulu	Grass/Fairy	VII
Tapu Fini	Water/Fairy	VII
Zacian	Fairy/Steel (Crowned)	VIII
Zamazenta	Fighting/Steel (Crowned)	VIII
Enamorus	Fairy/Flying	VIII

Mythical Fairy Types

Pokemon	Type	Generation
Diancie	Rock/Fairy	VI

Iconic Fairy Types

Pokemon	Type	Notable For
Clefable	Fairy	Retconned from Normal, OU staple
Gardevoir	Psychic/Fairy	Retconned Gen III Pokemon
Azumarill	Water/Fairy	Huge Power, Belly Drum
Sylveon	Fairy	Eeveelution, Pixilate
Mimikyu	Ghost/Fairy	Disguise ability
Primarina	Water/Fairy	Gen VII starter
Togekiss	Fairy/Flying	Serene Grace, Air Slash
Mawile	Steel/Fairy	Mega Evolution, Huge Power
Florges	Fairy	High Special Defense

Competitively Notable

Pokemon	Notable For
Flutter Mane	Protosynthesis, highest Sp. Atk paradox
Iron Valiant	Mixed attacker, Quark Drive
Clefable	Magic Guard, Unaware, versatility
Grimmsnarl	Prankster screens, bulk
Azumarill	Huge Power, priority Aqua Jet
Tapu Fini	Misty Surge, Defog, bulk
Hatterene	Magic Bounce, Trick Room
Mega Mawile	Huge Power, immense Attack

Pokemon Retconned to Fairy

Many Pokemon from earlier generations were changed to Fairy-type in Generation VI:

Pokemon	Original Type	New Type	Generation
Clefairy line	Normal	Fairy	I
Jigglypuff line	Normal	Normal/Fairy	I
Mr. Mime	Psychic	Psychic/Fairy	I
Snubbull line	Normal	Fairy	II
Ralts line	Psychic	Psychic/Fairy	III
Azurill line	Normal/Water	Normal/Water/Fairy	III
Mawile	Steel	Steel/Fairy	III
Cottonee line	Grass	Grass/Fairy	V

Common Fairy-Type Moves

Physical Moves

Move	Power	Accuracy	Effect
Play Rough	90	90%	May lower Attack
Spirit Break	75	100%	Lowers Sp. Atk
Dazzling Gleam (can be physical)	80	100%	Hits both foes

Special Moves

Move	Power	Accuracy	Effect
Moonblast	95	100%	May lower Sp. Atk
Dazzling Gleam	80	100%	Hits both foes
Draining Kiss	50	100%	Heals 75% damage dealt
Disarming Voice	40	—	Never misses
Fleur Cannon	130	90%	Lowers user's Sp. Atk by 2
Light of Ruin	140	90%	50% recoil (unreleased)
Misty Explosion	100	100%	+50% power in Misty Terrain
Moongeist Beam	100	100%	Ignores abilities (Lunala signature)
Strange Steam	90	95%	May confuse

Status Moves

Move	Effect
Misty Terrain	Sets terrain for 5 turns
Aromatherapy	Cures party status conditions
Charm	Lowers Attack by 2
Baby-Doll Eyes	Lowers Attack, has priority
Fairy Lock	Prevents switching next turn
Crafty Shield	Blocks status moves
Geomancy	+2 Sp. Atk/Sp. Def/Speed (charges turn 1)

Signature Moves

Move	Pokemon	Details
Geomancy	Xerneas	Massive stat boost with Power Herb
Light of Ruin	Eternal Flower Floette	Never officially released
Fleur Cannon	Magearna	130 power special move
Spirit Break	Grimmsnarl	Lowers Sp. Atk

Fairy-Type Specialists

Gym Leaders

Trainer	Region	Signature Pokemon
Valerie	Kalos	Sylveon
Mina	Alola	Ribombee
Opal	Galar	Alcremie
Bede	Galar (postgame)	Hatterene

Elite Four/Champions

Trainer	Region	Notable Pokemon
Diantha	Kalos (Champion)	Gardevoir (Mega)

Type Combinations

All Fairy-Type Combinations

Secondary Type	Example Pokemon
Pure Fairy	Clefable, Sylveon, Alcremie
Fairy/Steel	Mawile, Klefki, Zacian
Fairy/Psychic	Gardevoir, Tapu Lele, Hatterene
Fairy/Flying	Togekiss, Enamorus
Fairy/Water	Azumarill, Primarina, Tapu Fini
Fairy/Grass	Whimsicott, Tapu Bulu
Fairy/Electric	Dedenne, Tapu Koko
Fairy/Ghost	Mimikyu
Fairy/Normal	Jigglypuff line
Fairy/Fighting	— (unused)
Fairy/Fire	— (unused)
Fairy/Dark	— (unused)
Fairy/Ground	— (unused)
Fairy/Rock	Diancie (Mythical only)
Fairy/Bug	— (unused)
Fairy/Dragon	— (unused, would be counterintuitive)
Fairy/Ice	Alolan Ninetales, Galarian Rapidash
Fairy/Poison	Galarian Weezing

Defensive Type Combinations

Fairy's excellent defensive profile combines well with many types:

Combination	Pokemon	Defensive Benefit
Fairy/Steel	Mawile, Klefki	Resists 9 types, two immunities
Fairy/Water	Primarina, Tapu Fini	Water neutralizes Fire weakness
Fairy/Psychic	Gardevoir, Tapu Lele	Strong special bulk
Fairy/Ghost	Mimikyu	Three immunities total

Offensive Type Combinations

Combination	Pokemon	Offensive Synergy
Fairy/Steel	Zacian	Steel coverage + Fairy STAB
Fairy/Psychic	Tapu Lele	Psychic Terrain + Moonblast
Fairy/Water	Azumarill	Huge Power + Aqua Jet priority

Abilities

Fairy-Type Related Abilities

Ability	Effect	Pokemon
Pixilate	Normal moves → Fairy (+20% power)	Sylveon, Mega Altaria
Fairy Aura	Boosts Fairy moves by 33%	Xerneas
Misty Surge	Sets Misty Terrain	Tapu Fini
Cute Charm	May infatuate on contact	Clefairy, Jigglypuff
Sweet Veil	Prevents sleep for user and allies	Slurpuff
Aroma Veil	Protects from mental effects	Aromatisse
Huge Power	Doubles Attack	Azumarill, Mawile
Magic Guard	Immune to indirect damage	Clefable
Unaware	Ignores foe's stat changes	Clefable
Prankster	+1 priority to status moves	Grimmsnarl, Whimsicott

Hidden Abilities

Pokemon	Hidden Ability	Competitive Use
Clefable	Unaware	Walls setup sweepers
Azumarill	Sap Sipper	Grass immunity
Sylveon	Pixilate	Hyper Voice becomes Fairy
Togekiss	Super Luck	Critical hit synergy

Competitive Analysis

Strengths

Strength	Details
Dragon Immunity	Hard counters Dragon-types
Three Super Effective	Beats Dragon, Dark, Fighting
Three Resistances	Resists Bug, Dark, Fighting
Terrain Support	Misty Terrain team strategies
Versatile Movepool	Many support and offensive options
Clefable Dominance	One of the best OU Pokemon

Weaknesses

Weakness	Details
Poison Weakness	Poison coverage increasingly common
Steel Weakness	Steel-types resist and threaten
Limited Physical Moves	Play Rough is primary option
Stealth Rock	Many Fairy-types vulnerable

Role in Metagame

Role	Examples
Terrain Setter	Tapu Fini, Tapu Koko
Screen Setter	Grimmsnarl (Prankster)
Special Wall	Clefable, Florges
Wallbreaker	Flutter Mane, Iron Valiant
Priority User	Azumarill (Aqua Jet)
Setup Sweeper	Clefable (Calm Mind), Azumarill (Belly Drum)

Special Mechanics

Misty Terrain

Misty Terrain provides several effects:^[4]

Effect	Details
Power Boost	+30% damage to Fairy moves
Status Prevention	Grounded Pokemon cannot be statused
Dragon Nerf	Halves Dragon-type move damage
Duration	5 turns (8 with Terrain Extender)

Pixilate and -ate Abilities

Pixilate converts Normal-type moves to Fairy-type with a power boost:

Aspect	Details
Conversion	Normal → Fairy
Power Boost	+20% (reduced from +30% in Gen VI)
Common Move	Hyper Voice becomes 117 power Fairy
Best Users	Sylveon, Mega Altaria
Competitive Use	Bypasses Normal's lack of coverage

Geomancy Strategy

Geomancy is Xerneas's signature move with unique mechanics:^[5]

Aspect	Details
Boost	+2 Sp. Atk, Sp. Def, Speed
Charge Turn	Requires 2 turns normally
Power Herb	Makes it instant (consumable item)
Competitive Use	Instant setup for sweeping
Xerneas Only	Exclusive signature move

Huge Power Azumarill

Azumarill is competitively significant due to Huge Power:

Aspect	Details
Ability	Doubles Attack stat
Effective Attack	436 at max (before boosts)
Belly Drum	+6 Attack with Sitrus Berry
Priority	Aqua Jet for revenge killing
Coverage	Play Rough, Aqua Jet, Superpower

Generation VI Introduction

The Fairy type was introduced in Generation VI for game balance:^[2]

Factor	Impact
Dragon Dominance	Dragons were overpowered in Gen V
New Immunity	Fairy immune to Dragon
Dragon Weakness	Dragons weak to Fairy
Steel Nerf	Steel lost Dark/Ghost resistances
Retcons	22 Pokemon changed to Fairy

Retconned Pokemon

Generation VI retroactively changed many Pokemon to Fairy-type:

Pokemon Line	Old Type	New Type	Significance
Clefairy	Normal	Fairy	Mascot-tier Pokemon
Jigglypuff	Normal	Normal/Fairy	Gen I icon
Gardevoir	Psychic	Psychic/Fairy	Popular Gen III
Azumarill	Water	Water/Fairy	Became OU viable
Mawile	Steel	Steel/Fairy	Got Mega Evolution

Competitive History

Generation VI (X/Y)

Event	Pokemon	Significance
VGC 2016	Xerneas	Dominated with Geomancy
OU	Clefable	Magic Guard dominance
Mega Evolution	Mega Mawile	Huge Power threat

Generation VII (Sun/Moon)

Event	Pokemon	Significance
VGC 2017	Tapu Fini	Misty Surge support
VGC 2017	Tapu Lele	Psychic Terrain setter
OU	Tapu Koko	Electric Terrain speedster

Generation VIII (Sword/Shield)

Event	Pokemon	Significance
VGC 2020	Togekiss	Follow Me support
OU	Clefable	Continued dominance
Restricted	Zacian-Crowned	Most broken Pokemon

Generation IX (Scarlet/Violet)

Event	Pokemon	Significance
OU	Flutter Mane	Paradox form dominance
OU	Iron Valiant	Mixed attacking threat
VGC	Amoonguss	Redirect support (not Fairy)

Paradox Pokemon

Generation IX introduced Fairy-type paradox Pokemon:

Pokemon	Based On	Type	Era
Flutter Mane	Misdreavus	Ghost/Fairy	Ancient
Iron Valiant	Gardevoir/Gallade	Fairy/Fighting	Future

Both became competitively dominant in their respective formats.

Zacian-Crowned Dominance

Zacian-Crowned Sword (Fairy/Steel) is considered one of the most overpowered Pokemon ever:^[6]

Aspect	Details
Ability	Intrepid Sword (+1 Attack on entry)
Base Attack	170 (highest of all Pokemon)
STAB	Behemoth Blade (100 power Steel)
Speed	148 base Speed
Typing	Fairy/Steel (9 resistances, 2 immunities)
Ban History	Banned from OU, dominated Ubers

Fairy-Type in Different Formats

Singles (OU/Ubers)

Pokemon	Tier	Role
Clefable	OU	Utility, setup, walls
Flutter Mane	OU	Special sweeper
Iron Valiant	OU	Mixed attacker
Zacian-Crowned	Ubers	Physical sweeper
Xerneas	Ubers	Geomancy sweeper

Doubles (VGC)

Pokemon	Role	Key Moves
Tapu Fini	Terrain setter	Muddy Water, Moonblast
Grimmsnarl	Screen setter	Reflect, Light Screen, Taunt
Whimsicott	Support	Tailwind, Fake Tears
Togekiss	Redirect	Follow Me, Air Slash

Notable Fairy-Type Moments

Xerneas's VGC Dominance

Xerneas dominated VGC 2016 (restricted format):

Strategy	Details
Power Herb	Instant Geomancy setup
Boosts	+2 Sp. Atk/Sp. Def/Speed
Coverage	Moonblast, Dazzling Gleam
Support	Smeargle with Dark Void
Result	Top-tier restricted Pokemon

Clefable's OU Tenure

Clefable has been OU-tier since Fairy's introduction:

Generation	Role	Key Features
VI	Utility	Magic Guard, Unaware
VII	Setup	Calm Mind sets
VIII	Versatile	Multiple viable sets
IX	Continues	Still OU staple

References

^Fairy (type) — Bulbapedia (2024)
^The Fairy Type Comes to Pokemon X and Pokemon Y — Pokemon.com (2013)
^Pseudo-legendary Pokemon — Bulbapedia (2024)
^Misty Terrain (move) — Bulbapedia (2024)
^Geomancy (move) — Bulbapedia (2024)
^Zacian-Crowned Sword Banned from Ubers — Smogon Forums (2021)
^Fairy Type Pokemon — Serebii.net (2024)