Ground (type)

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The **Ground type** (Japanese: **じめんタイプ** *Ground type*) is one of the eighteen types. Notable Trainers who specialize in Ground-type Pokémon are Giovanni of Viridian City, Bertha of the Sinnoh Elite Four, Clay of Driftveil City, and Hapu of Poni Island. Prior to changes in Generation IV, all damaging Ground-type moves were physical, but they may now also be special depending on the attack.

## Battle properties

### Generation I

Ground-type Pokémon are immune to Thunder Wave.

### Generation II onwards

Ground-type Pokémon are immune to damage from the sandstorm weather condition.

## Characteristics

### Defense

Defensively, Ground-type Pokémon are somewhat risky. Despite having above average HP and Defense, their below average Special Defense and Speed worsens their weakness to common Water, Grass, and Ice types (all of which have generally special movesets). Ground only resists Poison (a type rarely used offensively) and Rock, but it is immune to Electric-type moves, including the crippling Thunder Wave.

### Offense

Offensively, Ground is one of the most powerful types. It is the only type super effective against Electric, and is super effective against five types in total, a coverage matched only by Fighting, which is also super effective against the Rock and Steel types. The other types are Fire, Rock, Poison, and Steel. Even though Grass- and Bug-type Pokémon resist Ground attacks, many of them lose this resistance due to secondary typings with a weakness to Ground (such as the common Grass/Poison and Bug/Poison types).

Ground-type physical moves are commonly known and have many potent options, most notably Earthquake, which has high attack power and widespread compatibility due to its TM status in every generation. Single-target physical moves such as Bonemerang and High Horsepower can be generally considered inferior options to Earthquake; however, unlike Earthquake, their damage is not reduced by the effect of Grassy Terrain, and they are far less risky to use in Double and Triple Battles. Ground-type special moves pale in comparison, considering the relatively low Special Attack stats of the majority of Ground-type Pokémon. The special Ground-type move with the best mix of utility and power is unquestionably Earth Power.

Ground's greatest disadvantage is its ineffectiveness against common Flying-type Pokémon and those with Levitate (unless they are grounded). However, most Ground-type Pokémon can learn Rock-type (mainly those available via TM such as Rock Slide) moves to take down Flying-types, Bug-types (which resists Ground), and also Ice-types (which Ground is weak against).

### Contest properties

In Contests, Ground-type moves are typically Tough moves.

## Pokémon

As of Generation VII, there are 65 Ground-type Pokémon or 8.1% of all Pokémon (counting those that are Ground-type in at least one of their forms), making it the 8th most common type.

## Abilities

### Interacting with the Ground type

A Pokémon with Color Change, Protean, Imposter, RKS System, or Multitype will become a Ground-type Pokémon if (respectively) it is hit with a Ground-type move, uses a Ground-type move, is sent out against a Ground-type opponent, is holding a Ground Memory, or is holding an Earth Plate or Groundium Z.

 V

### Exclusive Abilities

Only Ground-type Pokémon can have these Abilities. This does not include signature Abilities.

## Trivia

* Generation I introduced the most Ground-type Pokémon of any Generation, with 14, and Generation VI introduced the fewest, with two.

* Generation I introduced the most Ground-type moves of any Generation, with six, and Generations IV and V introduced the fewest, with two each.

* Generation VI is the only Generation to not introduce a pure Ground-type Pokémon.

* 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's immunity to Electric 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 noticeable degree of pain, although it still was not enough to completely incapacitate it, as well as environmental factors (such as water being sprayed on it).

* Each type that resists Flying is weak to Ground, and vice versa.

* More Pokémon are immune to Ground-type moves than any other type, as both Flying Pokémon and levitating Pokémon are immune to Ground.

* Ground is the only type in the Generation II games and their remakes that a notable Trainer does not specialize in.

## In other languages

de:Boden

fr:Sol

it:Terra (tipo)

ja:じめん

pl:Ziemia (typ)

zh:地面（属性）