Pokemon Scarlet & Violet: The 10 Best Ground-Types

Ground is one of the most dominant types in Pokemon. It's Super Effective against five other types, tying itself with Fighting as the most effective attacking type. It's also great defensively with an immunity to Electric-type attacks, one of the most common attacking types in the series, and two resistances. Sure, it's weak to common Ice and Water-type attacks, but there are plenty of dual typings that eliminate those weaknesses.

Ground-types especially stand out in Scarlet & Violet with the introduction of a lot of new Pokemon boasting it, as well as some old favorites. So let's take a look at the best Ground-types that are present in Pokemon's ninth generation.

10 Toedscruel

One of the coolest things introduced in Scarlet & Violet was its convergent evolution lines. A great example of this is Toedscruel, a Grass/Ground-type version of Tentacruel that makes its home deep in damp forests.

Toedscruel has a particularly high Special Defense and Speed and decent Special Attack and HP. This is great because not only is it 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 4x weakness to Ice, and a terrible ability that forces Toedscruel to move last if it uses a status move like Spore.

9 Sandy Shocks

Another great Scarlet & Violet addition are the Paradox Pokemon. These are Pokemon that are either from the distant past or 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 just ok 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. If it was a bit bulkier, Sandy Shocks would be much higher on this list, but it's still not a bad choice!

8 Krookodile

Krookodile has one of the coolest designs in Pokemon with its bright red skin and black eyes that look like evil sunglasses. It also has a great offensive typing and Attack stat. 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 since it has the right combination of high Attack and decent Speed.

7 Gastrodon

Ever since its introduction in Diamond & Pearl, Gastrodon has been incredibly popular and that's because there's a lot 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 simultaneously 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.

6 Hippowdon

Sandstorm has become a dominant weather condition because it can damage your opponent while also supporting plenty of Pokemon that have abilities like Sand Veil or Sand Rush. If you want to set it up without learning the move Sandstorm, your options are either the Rock/Dark-type Tyranitar or the Ground-type Hippowdon.

Hippowdown 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. What's more, it has a plethora of moves that can work for support or coverage incouding Stealth Rock, Whirlwind, Yawn, Earthquake, Body Press, and Ice Fang if you're feeling particularly sneaky.

5 Clodsire

Clodsire is the evolution of Paldean Wooper and it has worked its way into fans' hearts with its big, round body and big, stupid grin. Normally, Pokemon like this are just good for a laugh, but Clodsire acts just like its cousin, Quagsire, and makes for a surprisingly effective Pokemon.

Clodsire has incredible HP and Special Defense, like the opposite of Hippowdon. However, it stands out with the incredible ability Unaware that is perfect for a 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 recieves. This gives Clodsire plenty of time to set up entry hazards even when facing off against a beefed up sweeper.

4 Ting-Lu

The last of the bulky meat on this list sandwich is 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 base 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, one of the best new abilities, lowers the Special Attack of all other Pokemon on the field, giving it a lot more longevity. And when it comes to the moves, you don't need a lot of variety when you can do what you do better than everyone.

3 Iron Treads

One of the best Ground-types ever is Excadrill. It has great Attack, the amazing Steel/Ground dual typing, and two great abilities with Mold Breaker and Sand Rush. Unfortunately, Exadrill is found nowhere in the Paldea region. Fortunately, Iron Treads is.

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 moveset with the likes of Earthquake, Iron Head, Body Press, Ice Spinner, Knock Off, and even Volt Switch if you're feeling especially tricky. Throw a Choice Scarf on Iron Treads and watch it destory teams.

2 Garchomp

For a long time, Garchomp has been the Ground-type Pokemon to beat. Introduced in Gen 4, 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 pretty good Speed, fantastic Attack, and even a good enough Special Attack stat to make that a threat. It 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 really good HP and even 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.

But wait! There's more! Great Tusk also has move variety as well with access to most of the same moves as Iron Treads. Add on Bulk Up to make its Attack and Defense even higher and you have the best Ground-type in Scarlet & Violet.

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