This is an article in which I will try to exhaust the possibilities of team builds that have a super-effective option against all types.
I understand that this does not make a team strong per se. There are reasons for the format of 4 dragon- plus 2 steel-types was popular some time ago. But still, such exercise can provide options for deciding which moves to give eazch of your team members and which team members should receive them.
In the first place, there are 18 types of Pokémon attributes. For all these types, there are multiple checks and counters but for two there is but one choice: Normal-types have no advantage and only a Fighting type weakness. So one of the tem's slots must be occupied by a Fighting-type Pokémon.
1 - Fighting (Normal, Ice, Rock, Steel)
2 -
3 -
4 -
5 -
6 -
The other type with only one weakness is tyhe Electric type so a Pokémon of the Ground type is another obvious move.
1 - Fighting (Dark, Ice, Normal, Rock, Steel)
2 - Ground (Electric, Fire, Rock, Steel)
3 -
4 -
5 -
6 -
From these 2 type the team has already two option against Rock and Steel. So types that are effective against these two are at a disadvantqage to be chosen. At this phase the options start to branch so I will be using criteria that may not be the best.
Ghost-type has two weaknesses. One of those is Dark and the other is itself. Since Dark type has 3 weaknesses and Ghost type only two and 2 immunities (Normal and Fighting) I prefered Ghost but Dark serves the same purpose.
1 - Fighting (Dark, Ice, Normal, Rock, Steel)
2 - Ground (Electric, Fire, Poison, Rock, Steel)
3 - Ghost (Ghost, Psychic) / Dark (Ghost, Psychic)
4 - Fire (Grass, Bug, Steel, Ice)
5 - Poison (grass fairy)
6 - Electric (Water Flying
This rest of the types that are not covered by this team are: Fighting, Water, Flying, Grass, Ground, Bug, Dragon and Fairy. There are no combination of three types that is super-effective against this whole group.However it is possible to build a team that only has two neutral targets.
1 - Fighting (Dark, Ice, Normal, Rock, Steel)
2 - Ground (Electric, Fire, Poison, Rock, Steel)
3 - Ghost (Ghost, Psychic) / Dark (Ghost, Psychic)
4 - Fairy (Fighting, Dragon, Dark)
5 - Electric (Water, Flying)
6 - Poison (Grass, Fairy)
This combination of types does not inflict super-effective damage against Bug-type and
Ground-type.
1 - Fighting (Dark, Ice, Normal, Rock, Steel)
2 - Ground (Electric, Fire, Poison, Rock, Steel)
3 - Ghost (Ghost, Psychic) / Dark (Ghost, Psychic)
4 - Flying (Fighting, Bug, Grass)
5 - Fairy (Dragon, Dark, Fighting)
6 - Poison (Grass, Fairy)
This combination of types does not inflict super-effective damage against Water-type and Flying-type.
This exercise proves that despite not being possible to form a team of 6 Pokémon able to do STAB damage with pure-typed Pokémon, one only needs 7 types to achieve such an advantage, since the second team only needs the addition of the Electric-type to achieve this.
I hope this can help someone.
I understand that this does not make a team strong per se. There are reasons for the format of 4 dragon- plus 2 steel-types was popular some time ago. But still, such exercise can provide options for deciding which moves to give eazch of your team members and which team members should receive them.
In the first place, there are 18 types of Pokémon attributes. For all these types, there are multiple checks and counters but for two there is but one choice: Normal-types have no advantage and only a Fighting type weakness. So one of the tem's slots must be occupied by a Fighting-type Pokémon.
1 - Fighting (Normal, Ice, Rock, Steel)
2 -
3 -
4 -
5 -
6 -
The other type with only one weakness is tyhe Electric type so a Pokémon of the Ground type is another obvious move.
1 - Fighting (Dark, Ice, Normal, Rock, Steel)
2 - Ground (Electric, Fire, Rock, Steel)
3 -
4 -
5 -
6 -
From these 2 type the team has already two option against Rock and Steel. So types that are effective against these two are at a disadvantqage to be chosen. At this phase the options start to branch so I will be using criteria that may not be the best.
Ghost-type has two weaknesses. One of those is Dark and the other is itself. Since Dark type has 3 weaknesses and Ghost type only two and 2 immunities (Normal and Fighting) I prefered Ghost but Dark serves the same purpose.
1 - Fighting (Dark, Ice, Normal, Rock, Steel)
2 - Ground (Electric, Fire, Poison, Rock, Steel)
3 - Ghost (Ghost, Psychic) / Dark (Ghost, Psychic)
4 - Fire (Grass, Bug, Steel, Ice)
5 - Poison (grass fairy)
6 - Electric (Water Flying
This rest of the types that are not covered by this team are: Fighting, Water, Flying, Grass, Ground, Bug, Dragon and Fairy. There are no combination of three types that is super-effective against this whole group.However it is possible to build a team that only has two neutral targets.
1 - Fighting (Dark, Ice, Normal, Rock, Steel)
2 - Ground (Electric, Fire, Poison, Rock, Steel)
3 - Ghost (Ghost, Psychic) / Dark (Ghost, Psychic)
4 - Fairy (Fighting, Dragon, Dark)
5 - Electric (Water, Flying)
6 - Poison (Grass, Fairy)
This combination of types does not inflict super-effective damage against Bug-type and
Ground-type.
1 - Fighting (Dark, Ice, Normal, Rock, Steel)
2 - Ground (Electric, Fire, Poison, Rock, Steel)
3 - Ghost (Ghost, Psychic) / Dark (Ghost, Psychic)
4 - Flying (Fighting, Bug, Grass)
5 - Fairy (Dragon, Dark, Fighting)
6 - Poison (Grass, Fairy)
This combination of types does not inflict super-effective damage against Water-type and Flying-type.
This exercise proves that despite not being possible to form a team of 6 Pokémon able to do STAB damage with pure-typed Pokémon, one only needs 7 types to achieve such an advantage, since the second team only needs the addition of the Electric-type to achieve this.
I hope this can help someone.