Ground type
Pokémon.
Best offensive type by SE matchups — Earthquake spam in every gen.
Ground stats
What defines the Ground type
Ground is the single best offensive type. Earthquake (100 BP, 100% accuracy, hits both opponents in doubles) is the most-used attacking move in competitive history. Ground hits Fire, Electric, Poison, Rock, Steel super-effective — that's 5 types, including the entire 'best defensive type' (Steel). Ground attacks are immune to Flying types and Pokémon with Levitate, which is why Tera Flying is the most common defensive Tera type — it flips a Ground weakness into immunity. Garchomp, Excadrill (Sand Rush), Landorus-T (Intimidate pivot), Iron Treads (Booster Spe + Rapid Spin), and Great Tusk are perennial OU staples.
Best Ground-type Pokémon
Top 12 by Base Stat Total across all generations
Groudon
Garchomp
Landorus
Zygarde
Great Tusk
Sandy Shocks
Iron Treads
Ting Lu
Ursaluna
Swampert
Rhyperior
Mamoswine
Ground offensive analysis
Earthquake + Stone Edge is the textbook 2-move coverage for nearly every physical attacker. Earth Power is the special equivalent. The Mold Breaker ability (Excadrill, Tinkaton) lets Ground moves bypass Levitate. Sand Force (Garchomp, Excadrill) boosts Ground move damage by 30% in sandstorm.
What Ground attacks hit super-effective
What resists Ground attacks
Strongest Ground moves
Top 12 attacking moves by base power (Gen 9)
| Move | Cat | BP | Acc | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Headlong Rush | physical | 120 | 100 | The user smashes into the target in a full-body tackle. This also lowers the use… |
| Earthquake | physical | 100 | 100 | The user sets off an earthquake that strikes every Pok�mon around it. |
| High Horsepower | physical | 95 | 95 | The user fiercely attacks the target using its entire body. |
| Earth Power | special | 90 | 100 | The user makes the ground under the target erupt with power. This may also lower… |
| Dig | physical | 80 | 100 | The user burrows into the ground on the first turn, then attacks on the next tur… |
| Drill Run | physical | 80 | 95 | The user crashes into the target while rotating its body like a drill. This move… |
| Stomping Tantrum | physical | 75 | 100 | Driven by frustration, the user attacks the target. This move's power is doubled… |
| Bulldoze | physical | 60 | 100 | The user strikes everything around it by stomping down on the ground. This lower… |
| Mud Shot | special | 55 | 95 | The user attacks by hurling a blob of mud at the target. This also lowers the ta… |
| Sand Tomb | physical | 35 | 85 | The user traps the target inside a harshly raging sandstorm that inflicts damage… |
| Mud-Slap | special | 20 | 100 | The user hurls mud in the target's face to inflict damage and lower its accuracy… |
| Fissure | physical | 1 | 30 | The user opens up a fissure in the ground and drops the target in. The target fa… |
Ground defensive analysis
Ground resists Poison, Rock, and is immune to Electric — that Electric immunity is huge. Weak to Water, Grass, Ice (the 'BoltBeam plus Grass' coverage common on special attackers). Pure Ground Pokémon like Hippowdon use bulk + Sand Stream to recover and stall.
Ground's weaknesses, resistances, and immunities
Weak to (2×)
Resists (½×)
Immune (0×)
Best Ground dual-type combos
Ground / Flying
Examples: Landorus-T, Gliscor
Immune to Ground; Intimidate / Poison Heal utility
Ground / Steel
Examples: Excadrill, Iron Treads
Sand Rush 2× Speed; Steel STAB Iron Head + Earthquake
Ground / Dragon
Examples: Garchomp, Zygarde
Dragon STAB + Earthquake = ~95% type coverage
Ground / Water
Examples: Swampert, Quagsire, Whiscash
Only Grass weakness; Stealth Rock + Recover
Ground type history & meta shifts
Ground gained Steel as a super-effective target in Gen 2 (when Steel was introduced). Sand Stream / Sand Force / Sand Rush turned the sand archetype into a top-tier strategy in Gens 4-5. Gen 9 nerfed sandstorm (no longer permanent from abilities), but Ground-types stayed strong via Booster Energy on Iron Treads and Great Tusk.
Vibe in one line
The universal answer; Earthquake everywhere.