10 Strongest Ground-Type Pokémon in Pokémon GO

The stalwart Ground-type, weak to Grass, Ice, and Water, is a mainstay in many Pokémon GO teams for its consistent damage and helpful resistance to annoying types like Electric, Poison, and, to a lesser extent, Rock. There are tons to pick from, though some stand out above the rest in one way or another. Despite Ground-type’s general power, the strongest Ground-types tend to be dual-typed, giving them more versatility and better advantages in type matchups.

Ground-type is most commonly dual-typed with earth-focused types like Steel, Rock, and Fighting, but can also duo with interesting types like Bug and Psychic. Finding a good dual-typing can increase your team’s overall resistance coverage, allowing you to rest assured that you won’t get one-shot by a super-effective Charged Attack. Even though Ground-types are highly reliable, some should be avoided. Others are must-picks for your Raid and PvP teams, though they won’t help you much while taking down Sierra in Pokémon GO.

10

Shadow Mamoswine

An Excellent Attacker With Unfortunate Weaknesses

Shadow Mamoswine is an Ice and Ground-type Pokémon with a pretty well-balanced stat line, making it capable of attacking and defending. Its best combination of attacks is Mud-Slap and Avalanche, although High Horsepower is a pretty good Charged Attack to have as well. Mamoswine gets a STAB from both, meaning that this combination will be extra powerful.

STAB stands for Same Type Attack Bonus, and it occurs when the type of an attack matches up with the type of a Pokémon, giving it a slight boost in power and, in turn, damage.

Unfortunately, Ice and Ground-types have weaknesses that make them easier to counter than some other dual-typed ‘mons: Fighting, Fire, Grass, Steel, and Water. All of these are pretty common, which means that Mamoswine has to be faster than its opponents. Thankfully, Mud-Slap earns energy for your Charged Attack pretty fast, so those stronger attacks should come online quickly.

9

Mega Swampert

As Long As It Doesn’t Face A Grass Type, It’s Good

Mega Swampert is a Water and Ground-type that’s even better than its regular form. Unfortunately, it is exceptionally weak to Grass types, taking 256% more damage from Grass-type attacks. Additionally, it’s resistant to Electric-, Fire-, Poison-, Rock, and Steel-type attacks, giving it many more use cases than its debilitating Grass weakness might suggest.

Max CP	4975 CP
Attack	283 ATK
Defense	218 DEF
Stamina	225 HP

Trainers using Mega Swampert for their Ground-type needs should look for one that knows Mud Shot and Earthquake or Mud Shot and Hydro Cannon. Mud Shot is a pretty low-power attack, but it’s also pretty fast, allowing you to charge up to your Charged Attack pretty quickly. Earthquakes take a lot of energy to pull off, but Swampert’s 218 defense can take the hits it needs to power up the attack.

8

Shadow Excadrill

Incredible Feats Of Resistance

Being a Steel and Ground type means, like other dual types, Shadow Excadrill has quite a few interactions with other types. It’s weak to Fighting, Fire, Ground, and Water but resistant to most other types in the game. The full list is as follows:

63% less DMG: Bug, Dragon, Fairy, Normal, Steel, Psychic
30% less DMG: Electric, Rock
24% less DMG: Poison

Alongside its laundry list of resistances, Shadow Excadrill has some well-balanced stats that lend well to its prowess in battle. While its stats aren’t the highest by far, they’re good enough to get a Metal Claw (or Mud-Slap) and Scorching Sands combo off the ground. Look for these two attacks along with a high-rated Shadow Excadrill to add to your Ground-type roster.

7

Groudon

Weaker Than Its Primal And Shadow Forms, But Still A Hard-Hitter

Kyogre and Groudon appearing in the Pokemon GO Raid Boss schedule for September 2024 — Custom Image by Daniel Megarry

When armed with its signature attack, Precipice Blades, this Legendary Pokemon of the Earth is a super useful Pokemon for your team. Precipice Blades is a unique attack that takes an Elite Charged TM to unlock but takes normal Groudon from a mid-tier to a high-tier Ground-type Pokemon. Without this special attack, Earthquake isn’t enough for Groudon to keep up with other Ground-types.

Garchomp from Pokemon GO next to its Pokemon Trainer

Pokémon GO Garchomp Weaknesses & Best Counters

The fan-favorite Garchomp, in Pokémon GO, has become one of the best Dragon- and Ground-type Pokémon for higher-level Raids and battles.

For Fast Attacks, you should look for Mud Shot, which has a really fast attack speed as well as pretty respectable energy generation, letting you pop the nuke that is Precipice Blades often enough to be a nightmare for your opponents. Groudon is great in PvP for baiting shields and tanking a few hits, too. Don’t be afraid to take a few hits on this super strong Ground-type.

Similar to Mega Evolution, Groudon can be upgraded in a process called Primal Revision, which transforms it into a stronger version of itself.

6

Shadow Rhyperior

Stronger Than Its Base Form And A Reliable Ground-Type Defender

Shadow Rhyperior benefits, like all Shadow Pokemon, from the Shadow bonus that increases its attack. This bonus, on top of its respectable 241 attack, 190 defense, and 251 stamina, Shadow Rhyperior can take a hit as well as dish them out. Speaking of attacks, its best attack combo is Mud-Slap and Rock Wrecker. Like other strong Charged Attacks, Rock Wrecker requires an Elite Charged TM but is well worth the cost.

5

Therian Forme Landorus

Legendary Power, Legendary Moveset

Therian Forme Landorus was introduced in 2022 as a Raid boss, taking advantage of its high attack stat and powerful moveset to take down enemies. Mud Shot combined with Sandsear Storm deal an average of 18 damage per second when attacking as fast as possible, and Mud Shot’s fast attack speed means Sandsear Storm generates quickly as well.

Therian Forme Landorus stands on an orange and brown background for Pokemon GO

Pokémon Go: How To Find (& Catch) Therian Forme Landorus

Therian Forme Landorus is the last Therian forme to appear in Pokemon Go. This guide will show players how to find and capture this Pokemon.

The only downside to this Legendary is its dual typing. It’s a Flying- and Ground-type, making it weak to Water and doubly weak to Ice attacks. Thankfully, this doesn’t tend to be a huge deal, as you’ll most likely be sending Ground-types like Therian Forme Landorus out to deal with an Electric-type. Therian Forme Landorus is a mainstay on tons of Ground-type teams, so find one with good enough IVs to warrant adding it to yours.

4

Shadow Garchomp

Mostly Dragon Type Attacks, But Fast-Charging Ground Attacks

Pokemon: Gible and Garchomp facing off against each other

Though Shadow Garchomp only learns a few Ground-type attacks, its Mud Shot/Earth Power combo still puts it high up on the list of Ground-type attackers. This combo outputs almost 19 DPS, which is on the high end for any attacker. Earth Power has a 10% chance to decrease the enemy Pokemon’s defense by 20%, allowing your attacks to be that much more effective.

Max CP	4479 CP
Attack	261 ATK
Defense	193 DEF
Stamina	239 HP

On top of Earth Power’s special effect, it charges fairly quickly, considering its power. Between its defense reduction, its damage, and its low charge time, you should have no trouble taking down even tankier enemies like Max Moltres in Pokémon GO with Shadow Garchomp, even without perfect IVs. Shadow Pokemon can be tricky to find, but well worth the trouble for the power they bring to the team.

3

Shadow Groudon

Like Its Base Form, Just Shadow-Boosted

As mentioned previously, Shadow Pokemon get a bit of a boost to their attack once they’ve been purified. Shadow Groudon also benefits from this, and you’ll want to look for the same moveset as with regular Groudon. Mud Shot and Precipice Blades allow Shadow Groudon to deal about 19.5 damage per second, making him a powerful Pokemon to have on your roster.

2

Mega Garchomp

High Power, High Defense, High Stamina Makes Mega Garchomp A Machine

After Mega-Evolving, Garchomp’s stats are much higher than even Shadow Garchomp’s, putting it high up in the rankings of Ground-type Pokémon in Pokémon GO. You’re going to want to look for Mud Shot and Earth Power just like you did with Shadow Groudon, taking advantage of Earth Power’s defense reduction powers. It only has a 10% chance of activating this effect, but with how quickly you can attack with Mud Shot, you should be able to get it pretty fast.

Mega Garchomp, like other Mega Evolutions, can be obtained by Mega-Evolving Garchomp after it has been caught. If you’re looking for the shiny version of this Pokémon, you’ve missed out on your best chance: taking it down in a Mega Raid. Whether you have the shiny or normal-colored version, Mega Garchomp will take you where you need to go.

1

Primal Groudon

Technically A Repeat, But Primal Outpaces Regular By A Mile

Primal Groudon is a beefier version of regular Groudon, but it and Origin Pulse Kyogre, one of the strongest Water-types in Pokemon GO, beat out other Ground-types in almost every circumstance. You’re looking for Precipice Blades and Mud Shot, just like with regular/Shadow Groudon, but it’s got by far the strongest stats of the three:

The Super Ancient Pokémon: Rayquaza, Groudon, and Kyogre

One Of Pokémon’s Rarest Episodes Had Its Most Epic Legendary Battle

Kyogre and Groudon had an epic face-off in the Pokémon anime, but many anime fans have never had a chance to see it due to the episode’s rarity.

Primal Groudon is a powerhouse both as a Fire-type and a Ground-type, making it useful in most circumstances. Being a Fire and Ground-type means that it covers a wide range of type matchups and allows trainers to have a Pokemon that’s a threat offensively and defensively on their roster. Unsurprisingly, this Legendary is one of the biggest Ground-type threats in Pokemon GO, so grab one when you get the chance.