Ground Type: Weaknesses & Counters

Ground-type Pokémon take double damage (2x) from Water, Grass, and Ice-type attacks. They resist Poison and Rock-type moves (0.5x) and are completely immune to Electric-type attacks (0x). Offensively, Ground moves cannot hit Flying-type Pokémon or those with the Levitate ability.

Ground-types face constant pressure from Water, Grass, and Ice-type attacks. In Pokémon Scarlet & Violet and looking ahead to Pokémon Legends: Z-A, Water and Grass coverage moves are ubiquitous on enemy NPC teams. Ice-type moves often come as surprise coverage on bulky Water-types, punishing predictable plays.

The Electric immunity remains the primary defensive draw. Switching a Ground-type into an anticipated Thunderbolt absorbs the hit entirely and forces the opponent into a disadvantageous position. However, many Ground-types suffer from low Special Defense stats.

Surviving special Water or Grass attacks is highly unlikely without heavy level advantages. You must scout the opponent's moveset before committing a pure Ground-type to the field.

Ground stands as one of the best offensive types in the franchise. It hits five distinct types for super-effective damage: Electric, Fire, Poison, Rock, and Steel. Earthquake remains the most reliable physical spread move for double battles and standard in-game clearing.

The main blind spot is the Flying type. If an opponent switches to a Flying-type or a Pokémon with the Levitate ability, your Ground attack deals zero damage. This forces offensive Ground-types to rely heavily on prediction.

Choosing a Ground attacker is optimal when facing heavily armored Steel or Rock-type bosses. Their physical bulk rarely saves them from a STAB Ground-type physical attack.

Combining Ground with other types alters its defensive profile drastically, creating new opportunities and fatal flaws.

• Ground/Water: Nullifies the Water and Ice weaknesses. Leaves a singular, albeit severe (4x), vulnerability to Grass-type moves.
• Ground/Flying: Removes the Grass weakness and adds an immunity to Ground itself. The trade-off is a crippling 4x weakness to Ice-type attacks.
• Ground/Steel: Gains immense resistances and a Poison immunity. Unfortunately, it exacerbates the weakness to Water and adds Fire and Fighting vulnerabilities.

A standalone Ground-type needs immediate answers for Water and Grass threats. Pairing them with a bulky Grass or Dragon-type creates a solid defensive core. This allows safe pivoting when a super-effective hit is telegraphed.

Equip your Ground attackers with Rock-type moves like Stone Edge or Rock Tomb. This directly hits the Flying and Bug-types that resist or ignore Ground STAB.

Holding a Yache Berry or Passho Berry during major boss fights mitigates surprise super-effective hits. This guarantees survival for at least one turn to fire off a retaliatory Earthquake.