Ground (type)
The Ground type (Japanese: じめんタイプ Ground type) is one of the seventeen types. Notable Trainers that specialize in Ground-type Pokémon are Giovanni of Viridian City, Bertha of the Sinnoh Elite Four, and Clay of Driftveil City. Prior to Generation IV, when moves were designated physical or special based on their type, all Ground-type moves were physical.
Statistical averages
Overall
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Fully evolved
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Battle properties
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Characteristics
Defense
Defensively, the Ground type is somewhat risky. Whilst they do have above average HP and Defense, they have below average Special Defense and Speed. Combining that with weaknesses to the common Water, Grass and Ice types (all three of which have generally special movesets), decreases their ability to defend. It resists Poison, a type rarely used offensively, and Rock. It is, however, immune to the Electric-type, posing a great advantage due to the minority of Pokémon resisting Electric moves that are not Electric-type themselves, and the fact that as of Generation V, only Zekrom and Rotom's Mow Form have a ¼ resistance to Electric. This also renders them immune to the crippling Thunder Wave (though not immune to paralysis itself).
Offense
Offensively, the Ground type is one of the most powerful offensive types, with the others being Ice, Rock, Fighting, and Fire. It is the only type super-effective against Electric, and is super-effective against five types in total; only the Fighting type is as powerful as this. It is also super-effective against two of the best defensive types, Poison and Steel. Grass- and Bug-type Pokémon do resist Ground, but this is largely mitigated by the common Grass/Poison and Bug/Poison typing. This, combined with the fact that the highly damaging and popular Earthquake has been available as TM26 in every Generation, makes Ground a very potent type offensively. Given that the types Ground hits with super-effective damage (with the arguable exception of Poison) are fairly common types, and its unique ability to hit Electric-types super effectively, Ground-type is commonly considered as one of the best offensive types, along with Fighting.
The greatest disadvantage of the Ground-type is that it does not affect the very common Flying-type Pokémon at all (unless the Flying type uses Roost), nor Pokémon with Levitate (unless Smack Down is used on it). However, all fully-evolved Ground-type Pokémon are able to learn Rock-type attacks, which somewhat alleviates the problem.
Contest Properties
When used in Contests, Ground-type moves typically become Tough moves. No Ground-type moves are Beauty moves, while they can be the other three types.
Pokémon
As of Generation V, there are 59 Ground-type Pokémon or 9.09% of all Pokémon, making it the seventh most common type.
Pure Ground-type Pokémon
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Half Ground-type Pokémon
Primary Ground-type Pokémon
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Secondary Ground-type Pokémon
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Moves
| Gen | Move | Category | Contest | Power | Accuracy | PP | Target | Description | |||||||||
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| I | Bone Club | Physical | Tough | 65 | 85% | 20 (max 32) |
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The user clubs the target with a bone. It may also make the target flinch. | |||||||||
| II | Bone Rush | Physical | Tough | 25 | 90% | 10 (max 16) |
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The user strikes the target with a hard bone two to five times in a row. | |||||||||
| I | Bonemerang | Physical | Cool | 50 | 90% | 10 (max 16) |
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The user throws the bone it holds. The bone loops to hit the target twice, coming and going. | |||||||||
| V | Bulldoze | Physical | 60 | 100% | 20 (max 32) |
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The user stomps down on the ground and attacks everything in the area. Hit Pokémon's Speed stat is reduced. | ||||||||||
| I | Dig | Physical | Smart | 80 | 100% | 10 (max 16) |
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The user burrows, then attacks on the second turn. It can also be used to exit dungeons. | |||||||||
| V | Drill Run | Physical | 80 | 95% | 10 (max 16) |
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The user crashes into its target while rotating its body like a drill. Critical hits land more easily. | ||||||||||
| IV | Earth Power | Special | Smart | 90 | 100% | 10 (max 16) |
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The user makes the ground under the target erupt with power. It may also lower the target's Sp. Def. | |||||||||
| I | Earthquake | Physical | Tough | 100 | 100% | 10 (max 16) |
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The user sets off an earthquake that strikes every Pokémon around it. | |||||||||
| I | Fissure | Physical | Tough | — | 30% | 5 (max 8) |
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The user opens up a fissure in the ground and drops the target in. The target instantly faints if it hits. | |||||||||
| II | Magnitude | Physical | Tough | Varies | 100% | 30 (max 48) |
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The user looses a ground-shaking quake affecting everyone around the user. Its power varies. | |||||||||
| IV | Mud Bomb | Special | Smart | 65 | 85% | 10 (max 16) |
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The user launches a hard-packed mud ball to attack. It may also lower the target's accuracy. | |||||||||
| III | Mud Shot | Special | Tough | 55 | 95% | 15 (max 24) |
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The user attacks by hurling a blob of mud at the target. It also reduces the target's Speed. | |||||||||
| III | Mud Sport | Status | Cute | — | —% | 15 (max 24) |
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The user covers itself with mud. It weakens Electric-type moves while the user is in the battle. | |||||||||
| II | Mud-Slap | Special | Cute | 20 | 100% | 10 (max 16) |
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The user hurls mud in the target's face to inflict damage and lower its accuracy. | |||||||||
| III | Sand Tomb | Physical | Smart | 35 | 85% | 15 (max 24) |
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The user traps the target inside a harshly raging sandstorm for four to five turns. | |||||||||
| I | Sand-Attack | Status | Cute | — | 100% | 15 (max 24) |
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Sand is hurled in the target's face, reducing its accuracy. | |||||||||
| II | Spikes | Status | Smart | — | —% | 20 (max 32) |
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The user lays a trap of spikes at the opposing team's feet. The trap hurts Pokémon that switch into battle. | |||||||||
| All details are accurate to Generation VII games. For details that have changed between generations, please see an individual move's page. Target data assumes user is in the lower left. | |||||||||||||||||
Trivia
- Along with the Fighting type, Ground-type moves are super-effective against the most types: five.
- Each generation has introduced at least one Ground-type Pokémon whose English name begins with the letter G.
- Although Ground-type Pokémon are immune to Electric-type attacks, the Ability Static still affects them.
- In the anime, Ground-type Pokémon's immunity to Electric-type attacks is treated inconsistently, sometimes upheld and sometimes ignored. The anime (in particular Showdown at Pewter City) also implies that Ground type's immunity to Electric types has a limit depending on the voltage, as Brock's Onix, when first fighting Pikachu, was completely unaffected by Pikachu's electricity, but in the rematch, Pikachu's electric attacks, having been boosted at an abandoned hydroelectric plant, were giving Onix a noticable degree of pain, although it still wasn't enough to completely incapacitate it, as well as environmental factors (such as water being sprayed on it).
- All types that resist the Flying type are weak to Ground, and vice versa; however, the type combinations Electric/Flying, Rock/Flying, and Steel/Flying still resist both due to the Flying type's immunity to Ground moves.
- More Pokémon are immune to Ground-type moves than any other type, as both Flying Pokémon and Levitating Pokémon are immune to Ground.
- Generation I introduced the most Ground-type Pokémon of any Generation, with 14 and Generation II introduced the least Ground-type Pokémon, with 10.
- Generation I introduced the most Ground-type moves of any Generation, with six and Generation IV and V introduced the least Ground-type moves, with two.
In other languages
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