Ice-type Pokemon can be tough to take down without the right knowledge. So, if you come across one or want to add one to your team, here’s everything you need to know about their strengths, weaknesses, counters, and more.
Mastering their cold abilities, Ice-type Pokemon can certainly pack a punch in battle. Their powerful moves can shatter your team and melt away any hope of success if you’re not prepared.
However, as it goes with all Pokemon, Ice types have their weaknesses and can be taken down. So, to help you do so, here’s everything you need to know to survive an encounter or battle effectively with your very own Ice-type.
Ice-type Pokemon weaknesses
Ice-type Pokemon have four primary weaknesses when it comes to moves and opposing Pokemon types:
Fire-type Pokemon are a fantastic choice to put against Ice-type Pokemon thanks to their Burn abilities. However, Ice-types often have access to super effective Water-type moves, so be sure to assess their types before heading in or you could only do neutral damage.
Rock and Steel-type Pokemon are also a great shout for battle, as they’re not weak to Ice-Types, meaning you’ll get a little more protection. However, Fighting types are ideal for this scenario, as they are fully resistant to Ice types.
Ice-type Pokemon strengths & resistances
In the Pokemon universe, Ice-type moves are resistant to their same kind and are not very effective against Fire, Water, and Steel. However, they do super serious damage when going up against Grass, Ground, Flying, and Dragon creatures.
When bringing another Ice-type Pokemon into battle with one, try to make it a dual-type to give you the edge in battle. This is often easy to do as many Ice types have a second elemental type, such as Flying or Water.
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Best counters for Ice-type Pokemon
The best Pokemon you should use to counter Ice-type Pokemon are listed below:
- Terrakion (Rock/Fighting)
- Cinderace (Fire)
- Heatran (Fire/Steel)
- Emboar (Fire/Fighting)
- Magcargo (Fire/Rock)
Always consider a Pokemon’s secondary type when selecting your counter Pokemon and moves. While the above examples are effective against pure Ice types, the opposing Pokemon may have resistances based on their primary/secondary type.
Best Tera Types for Ice-type Pokemon
Pokemon Scarlet & Violet‘s addition of Tera Types can change a battle for many, so it’s always worth knowing the best Tera Types for an Ice-type Pokemon.
Here are the best Ter Types for Ice-types in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet:
- Water: Eliminates any weaknesses to Fire, Rock, and Steel
- Ice: Grants an extra boost of power with STAB.
- Ground: Eliminates weaknesses to Fire, Rock, and Steel
Best Ice moves in Pokemon
There are 32 Ice-type moves and we’ve picked the most powerful special, physical, and status attacks you can use in battle:
| MOVE | CATEGORY | POWER | ACCURACY | PP | EFFECT | GEN |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ice Burn | Special | 140 | 90% | 5 | Takes a turn to charge. May burn the opponent | Gen V |
| Blizzard | Special | 110 | 70% | 5 | May freeze the opponent | Gen I |
| Ice Beam | Special | 90 | 100% | 10 | May freeze the opponent | Gen I |
| Freezy Frost | Special | 90 | 100% | 15 | Resets all stat changes | Gen VII |
| Freeze Shock | Physical | 140 | 90% | 5 | Takes a turn to charge. May paralyze the opponent | Gen V |
| Glacial Lance | Physical | 120 | 100% | 5 | – | Gen VIII |
| Mountain Gale | Physical | 100 | 85% | 10 | Lowers user’s Speed | Gen VIII |
| Ice Hammer | Physical | 100 | 90% | 10 | Lowers the user’s Speed | Gen VII |
| Aurora Veil | Status | X | X | 20 | Halves damage from Physical and Special attacks for 5 turns | Gen VII |
| Hail | Status | X | X | 10 | Non-Ice types are damaged for 5 turns | Gen III |
Best Ice-type Pokemon of all time
The Pokemon franchise has a total of 67 Ice-type creatures (up to Gen 9), and here are the 10 best of the ranking:
- Kyurem
- Chien-Pao
- Regice
- Iron Bundle
- Excalibur
- Galarian Darmanitan
- Ice Rider Calyrex
- Alolan Ninetales
- Mamoswine
- Glaceon
That’s everything you need to know about Ice-type Pokemon. Go ahead and check out our list of all the Cat or Dog Pokemon in the franchise, and learn more about other types such as Grass, Poison, and Fire.
