Highlights
- Ground-type Pokemon in Scarlet & Violet are highly effective, with strong offensive capabilities and defensive advantages.
- New introductions like Toedscruel and Sandy Shocks add unique twists to the Ground-type lineup.
- Garchomp has long been a dominant Ground-type, but Great Tusk is emerging as a top contender with its high Attack and Defense stats.
Ground is one of the most dominant types in all of Pokemon, flexing Super Effective damage against five other types, tied with Fighting for the top spot. It's also great defensively with immunity to Electric attacks – one of the most common attacking types – and two resistances.
Sadly, Ground is weak to common Ice and Water-type attacks, but there are plenty of dual types that eliminate those weaknesses. Ground-type Pokemon shake things up in Scarlet & Violet with both new and old favorites slotting into strong weather-setting teams.
Updated August 4, 2023, by Andrew Scariati: While there were already plenty of Ground types in Scarlet and Violet, The Teal Mask and The Indigo Disk expand on the multitude of powerful options.
New introductions in The Teal Mask vie for the best Ground-type Pokemon Violet & Scarlet have to offer, with Flygon as a powerful contender to the Ground-type crown. If you enjoy Trick Room teams, then Golurk offers yet another option you can find in The Indigo Disk.
13 Toedscruel
Convergent evolution lines were one of the coolest new introductions in Scarlet & Violet. Toedscruel is a great example of this, as the Grass/Ground-type version of Tentacruel.
Toedscruel has high Special Defense and Speed and decent Special Attack and HP. It's rare to see a Ground-type based in Special stats while also being fast, it also learns great moves like Earth Power, Leaf Storm, and Spore.
However, it's held back by its weakness to common attacking types, including a quadruple weakness to Ice, and a terrible ability that forces Toedscruel to move last if it uses a status move like Spore.
12 Hippowdon
Sandstorm is a dominant weather condition as it can damage your opponent while also supporting teammates that have abilities like Sand Veil or Sand Rush. If you want to set sand without learning the move Sandstorm, your options are either the Rock/Dark-type Tyranitar or the Ground-type Hippowdon.
Hippowdon is the definition of a wall with a sky-high HP and Defense which means Hippowdon can take pretty much any physical hit. It can also keep itself going with the healing move Slack Off.
Hippowdon's moveset features a plethora of moves for support or coverage including Stealth Rock, Whirlwind, Yawn, Earthquake, Body Press, and Ice Fang if you're feeling particularly sneaky.
11 Krookodile
Krookodile has one of the coolest designs in Pokemon with its bright red skin and black eyes that look like evil sunglasses. It has great offensive typing and Attack, but what really separates Krookodile from other Pokemon is its selection of awesome abilities.
First is Intimidate which lowers your opponent's Attack stat when Krookodile enters the battle. While this has been nerfed a bit with changes to other abilities that prevent the effects of Intimidate, it's still a great ability.
The other option is Moxie which increases your Attack stat with each Pokemon you knock out. This is perfect for Krookodile given its potent combination of high Attack and decent Speed.
10 Sandy Shocks*
Another great Scarlet & Violet addition is Paradox Pokemon: creatures from either the distant past or well into the future. One of these Pokemon is Sandy Shocks, a prehistoric version of Magneton.
While Magneton is known for its great Defense, Special Attack, and Electric/Steel-typing, Sandy Shocks' Defense is average, and it's now Ground/Electric.
However, it does still have great Special Attack and a surprisingly high Speed. It also gets great coverage with a combination of Thunderbolt, Earth Power, and Power Gem.
9 Gastrodon
Ever since its introduction in Diamond & Pearl, Gastrodon has been incredibly popular with several qualities to love. It only has a single weakness, is decently bulky, has a great supporting movepool, and can be trained to focus on physical or Special Attack.
On top of all of this, Gastrodon has the ability Storm Drain which gives it a second immunity to Water-type attacks. This also redirects any Water-type move while increasing Gastrodon's Special Attack. Gastrodon is one of the best supporting Pokemon out there, especially if you're building a team that is susceptible to Water.
8 Camerupt
Camerupt is a bit of a dark horse pick among Ground-type Pokemon given its clear association with Fire and unfortunate quadruple weakness to Water. However, when placed in the right situations, Camerupt can jump-start your sun-setting and become a terrifying force.
With some neat utility moves like Yawn and Stealth Rock, Camerupt has legitimate competitive value (albeit in the lower tiers). Camerupt's 105 Special Attack and 100 Attack give it great value as an attacking threat, especially if it can get a full-HP Eruption off.
7 Golurk
Golurk boasts an unusual Ghost/Ground dual type that uniquely positions it as a premier choice in Pokemon Scarlet. Its massive Attack stat should provide plenty of offense to use Golurk as a sweeper in a Trick Room team.
Its defensive ability is decent, with HP and both defenses in the 80–89 range. If you're feeling extra tricky, then Golurk boasts access to a variety of utility moves, like Rain Dance, that would enable other teammates to excel. Whether you aim for an unusual strategy or stick to tradition, Golurk provides the versatility to use it how you see fit.
6 Clodsire
Clodsire is the evolution of Paldean Wooper, and it has worked its way into our hearts with its big, jiggly form and goofy grin. Normally, a Pokemon like this is only good for a laugh, but Clodsire makes for a surprisingly effective battler.
Clodsire has incredible HP and Special Defense, unlike its fellow Ground-type, Hippowdon. It stands out due to its ability Unaware, which is perfectly suited for a defensive wall. Unaware makes it so that Clodsire will ignore any stat changes that could negatively affect the damage it does or increase the damage it receives.
This gives Clodsire plenty of time to set up entry hazards even when facing off against a beefed-up sweeper.
5 Flygon
Flygon finds itself among the top-tier of Pokemon returning via The Indigo Disk for Pokemon Scarlet. Unfortunately, it is outclassed by another Dragon/Ground dual-type, but Flygon still has plenty of value as a Ground-type.
With access to staple moves like Sandstorm and Earthquake, Flygon offers support to Ground or Rock teams. Sandstorm also comes with the added benefit of chip damage on your opponent that can add up over longer battles.
Given its Base Stat Total (BST) of 520, Flygon certainly leaves a bit of power on the table, but with an excellent 100 Attack and serviceable 80 Special Attack, Flygon can provide mixed coverage in a pinch, especially if you're using it in an offline setting.
4 Ting-Lu
One of the members of the legendary Treasures of Ruin, Ting-Lu is the physical wall of the bunch with an awesome 125-base Defense and an unbelievable 155 HP stat. This makes it perfect for setting up entry hazards and using Ruination to take out half of an opponent's HP.
While it looks like Ting-Lu may have some weaknesses with its bad Special Defense, a lack of recovery, and no variety in its moveset, Ting-Lu covers these downsides pretty well. Its ability Vessel Of Ruin, lowers the Special Attack of all other Pokemon on the field.
When it comes to the moves, you don't need a lot of variety when you're as effective at your niche as Ting-Lu.
3 Iron Treads
A Paradox Pokemon from the future, Iron Treads is a metallic Donphan that boasts the exact same typing as Excadrill, has a similar Attack stat, and has an even higher Speed and Defense.
It also has a much more varied move set with the likes of Earthquake, Iron Head, Body Press, Ice Spinner, Knock Off, and even Volt Switch. Throw a Choice Scarf on Iron Treads and watch it destroy unsuspecting teams.
2 Garchomp
For a long time, Garchomp has reigned as the Ground-type Pokemon to beat. Introduced in Generation Four, the land shark gained notoriety as the ace for the Sinnoh champion, Cynthia.
If you need a good attacker on your team, just put Garchomp on it. It has good Speed, fantastic Attack, and even a good enough Special Attack stat to make it a mixed-attacking threat.
Garchomp also has a wide variety of moves that prevent it from getting walled by just about anything. However, Garchomp's time in the sun may be up because there is a new Ground-type that is making the rounds.
1 Great Tusk
The Paradox Pokemon Great Tusk may seem like an odd choice for the top spot. Its stats are incredibly lopsided with almost nothing in its Special Attack or Defense. However, that is actually its strength.
Great Tusk has a shockingly high Attack and Defense with a 135 base stat in each. On top of this, it has superb HP and decent Speed compared to other physically bulky Pokemon. On top of this, it has access to Headlong Rush: a Ground-type move with recoil and 120 base power. With this, it can plow through just about everything.
Great Tusk even boasts greater move variety while still gaining access to many of the same moves as Iron Treads. Use Bulk Up to make its Attack and Defense even higher, and you have the best Ground-type in Scarlet & Violet.