Ground type Pokémon take double damage from Water, Grass and Ice moves. They resist Poison and Rock, and Electric attacks do nothing to them. That profile has held since Gen 1. It still decides how Garchomp, Landorus and Great Tusk get used. Ninety species carry the type. Of those, 73 have a second type that shifts the numbers.
Best moves to use against Ground type Pokémon
Water has the deepest pool of counters. Surf, Hydro Pump and Scald all land at 2x. Scald adds a 30% burn chance. Most Water attackers take neutral hits from Ground moves too.
| Move | Type | Power | Accuracy | Extra effect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hydro Pump | Water | 110 | 80 | None |
| Scald | Water | 80 | 100 | 30% burn |
| Ice Beam | Ice | 90 | 100 | 10% freeze |
| Freeze-Dry | Ice | 70 | 100 | Hits Water at 2x |
| Leaf Storm | Grass | 130 | 90 | User loses 2 Sp. Atk stages |
| Giga Drain | Grass | 75 | 100 | Heals half the damage dealt |
Freeze-Dry matters against Water/Ground pairs. Swampert takes a neutral hit from Ice Beam but 4x from Freeze-Dry.
Ground type Pokémon weakness explained
Three attack types hit Ground for 2x. Two deal half. Electric records zero, and that blocks Thunder Wave too.
| Attacking type | Damage to Ground |
|---|---|
| Water | 2x |
| Grass | 2x |
| Ice | 2x |
| Poison | 0.5x |
| Rock | 0.5x |
| Electric | 0x |
| All other types | 1x |
Sandstorm chip damage also skips Ground types. Rock and Steel type Pokémon share that perk.
Ground type weakness by dual typing
A second type rewrites the list. Some pairs drop to one weak spot. Others stack two 4x holes. The full type chart covers each pair.
| Typing | Examples | 4x weak | 2x weak | Weakness removed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water/Ground | Swampert, Gastrodon | Grass | None | Water, Ice |
| Dragon/Ground | Garchomp, Flygon | Ice | Dragon, Fairy | Water, Grass |
| Ground/Flying | Gliscor, Landorus | Ice | Water | Grass |
| Steel/Ground | Excadrill, Steelix | None | Fire, Water, Fighting, Ground | Grass, Ice |
| Rock/Ground | Rhyperior, Golem | Water, Grass | Ice, Fighting, Ground, Steel | None |
Rock/Ground carries six weak spots, two of them at 4x. The pair keeps every Rock weakness and gets none of the cover a Water or Dragon side gives.
What Ground type moves are super effective against
On offence, Ground hits five types for 2x: Fire, Electric, Poison, Rock and Steel. Only Fighting matches that count. Electric Pokémon feel it most, since Ground is their one weak spot.
Grass and Bug take half. Flying types take none. The same goes for Levitate users, Air Balloon holders and anything under Magnet Rise.
Gravity, Smack Down and Iron Ball cancel that shield. Thousand Arrows, Zygarde’s own move, hits Flying types for 1x and grounds them for later Earthquakes.
Tera types that cover Ground weaknesses
In Scarlet and Violet, a Tera type replaces the old typing on defence. Tera Steel turns Garchomp’s 4x Ice damage into 0.5x and keeps Water at 1x.
Tera Water resists Ice and Water. It leaves Grass and Electric as the only 2x hits. Tera Fire resists Grass and Ice but reopens Water. Tera Grass blocks Water and Grass while Ice stays at 2x.
Strongest Ground type attacks
Earthquake stays the benchmark at 100 power and 100 accuracy. In doubles it hits every other Pokémon on the field. Earth Power gives special attackers 90 power and a 10% chance to drop Sp. Def.
Headlong Rush reached 120 power in Gen 9. It lowers the user’s Defense and Sp. Def after each hit. High Horsepower sits at 95 power and 95 accuracy with no drawback. Precipice Blades (120 power, 85 accuracy) belongs to Groudon.
Top Ground type Pokémon in competitive play
Garchomp records a 600 base stat total with 130 Attack and 102 Speed. Its Dragon side keeps Water and Grass at 1x. Ice is the one 4x hole.
Landorus Therian Forme matches the 600 total and carries Intimidate. Great Tusk (570) and Ting-Lu (550) arrived in Gen 9. Ting-Lu adds Dark type bulk. Excadrill (508) doubles its Speed in sand.
Swampert (535) and Mamoswine (530) fill the bulky and Ice-attack roles. Groudon tops the list at 670. Primal form lifts that to 770.
FAQs
What is Ground type weak to?
Ground type Pokémon take 2x damage from Water, Grass and Ice moves. They resist Poison and Rock at 0.5x. Electric attacks do no damage at all.
What are Ground type moves strong against?
Ground moves deal 2x damage to Fire, Electric, Poison, Rock and Steel. Grass and Bug take 0.5x. Flying types take none unless grounded by Gravity, Smack Down or Iron Ball.
Why are Ground types immune to Electric?
The type chart sets Electric damage against Ground at 0x. That blocks Thunder Wave too. Ground types can still be paralysed by non-Electric moves such as Glare and Body Slam.
Is Water/Ground a good typing?
Water/Ground has one weakness, Grass, at 4x damage. Swampert, Gastrodon and Quagsire take 1x from Water and Ice. Electric still does nothing. Freeze-Dry is the main catch.
Does sandstorm damage Ground types?
No. Ground, Rock and Steel types take no sandstorm chip damage. Sand Rush doubles Excadrill’s Speed in sand. Sand Force boosts its Ground, Rock and Steel moves by 30%.
