Why Fairy Types Left the Pokémon TCG

You’re cracking open a fresh booster pack from a new Scarlet & Violet set. You’re rifling through the cards, hoping for that ultra-rare pull, when you suddenly realize something… where are all the pink cards? You see Psychic, you see Darkness, but the unmistakable bubblegum-pink border of the Fairy type is nowhere to be found among the different types of Pokémon card.

You’re not imagining things! The Fairy type was officially retired from the Pokémon Trading Card Game at the beginning of the Sword & Shield era in February 2020. This wasn’t a glitch or an accident; it was a deliberate and major decision by The Pokémon Company International to rebalance and streamline the game for the future.

The Great Type Shake-Up of Sword & Shield

Think of the start of the Sword & Shield TCG series as a massive game balance patch, like when a video game gets a huge update that changes how everything works. The primary goal was to simplify some of the game’s mechanics and better align the TCG with the type chart used in the Pokémon Sword & Shield video games. Removing the Fairy type was the headline change, but it was part of a much bigger strategic shift that affected what the very symbols on Pokémon cards mean.

So, Where Did the Fairy Pokémon Go?

Don’t worry, your favourite Fairy Pokémon haven’t been banished to the Distortion World! They’ve just found a new home.

The Pokémon that are Fairy-type in the video games (like Gardevoir, Clefable, or Alcremie) are now represented as Psychic-type cards in the TCG.

This was a massive change! For years, Psychic-type Pokémon in the TCG were weak to other Psychic types. However, as part of this rebalancing, these “new” Psychic Pokémon (the former Fairies) were given a Weakness to Metal-type Pokémon. This single change completely altered the competitive landscape, suddenly giving Metal decks a huge advantage against some of the most popular Pokémon in the game.

The Domino Effect: Other Types Got a Makeover Too!

Removing the Fairy type created a few ripples that affected other types in the game, leading to a couple of other important changes that happened at the same time.

Poison’s Move to the Dark Side

For a long time, Poison-type Pokémon from the video games (like Garbodor or the Galar-native Toxtricity) were also represented by the Psychic type in the TCG. As part of the shake-up, The Pokémon Company decided this was a bit crowded.

To fix this, Poison-type Pokémon are now represented as Darkness-type cards. This makes a lot of thematic sense—linking poison and toxins with the sneaky and disruptive tactics of the Darkness type feels like a natural fit.

Dragon’s Newfound Freedom

This is one of the most interesting consequences. In the TCG, Dragon-type Pokémon had a Weakness to the Fairy type. With their only predator gone, what would happen to them?

Instead of assigning them a new Weakness (like Ice or Dragon, as it is in the video games), the TCG made a bold choice: Dragon-type Pokémon printed in the Sword & Shield era and beyond have no Weakness. This was an incredible defensive buff that made powerful Dragon Pokémon even more formidable on the battlefield.

Why Did They Really Do It?

So, beyond just “balancing the game,” what were the core reasons for such a drastic move?

Streamlining the Game

At its heart, the Pokémon TCG aims to be accessible to players of all ages. Over time, the number of types had grown, and the web of Weaknesses and Resistances was becoming increasingly complex. By removing the Fairy type and consolidating Poison into the Darkness type, the game became a little bit easier for new players to grasp.

Shaking Up the Metagame

The “metagame” (or “meta”) refers to the most popular and effective strategies being used in competitive play at any given time. Before this change, Fairy-type decks were incredibly powerful and a dominant force in the meta, largely because they were the perfect counter to the mighty Dragon types.

By removing Fairies and their associated Weakness, the game’s creators forced players to innovate. It was like a new Elite Four had taken over; old strategies were no longer guaranteed to work, and players had to come up with entirely new ways to build decks and counter threats. This keeps the competitive scene fresh, exciting, and dynamic.

Gone, But Not Forgotten

So, while you won’t find any new Fairy-type cards, your old collection is still a piece of Pokémon history! Those cards are still perfectly legal to play in the Expanded Format, which allows for cards from much of the long Pokémon TCG history.

Ultimately, the retirement of the Fairy type was a bold move designed to keep the Pokémon TCG healthy and evolving for years to come. It was a new chapter for the game, ensuring that it remains as strategic and engaging as ever—even if it means our collections are a little less pink.