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Pokémon are divided into 18 different types, each with its own advantages and weaknesses in battle. Keeping type pairings in mind is essential when constructing a Pokémon team because it will have a huge impact on the team's efficacy and resilience. Battle isn't the only place where type matters, however.
Pokémon that share a type also tend to share other traits, as every type has its own themes and tropes that influence its designs. Pokémon is a massive franchise with decades of history behind it, and there are certain facts about each type that even seasoned veterans may not know about. The Ground type is an ever-popular workhorse of a type, and it is one of the strongest for several key reasons.
10 Ground Is One Of The Best Offensive Types
Lots of Pokémon, regardless of their type, can benefit from carrying a Ground type move for type coverage. Ground is super effective against some of the most defensive types, Rock and Steel. It is also the only type that hits Electric types for super effective damage, making it a powerful choice. Ground is tied with Fighting for having the most super effective matchups at five, and it is only resisted by Bug and Grass. It is ineffective against Flying type Pokémon and Pokémon with the Levitate ability, but this is a small price to pay for its offensive might.
9 Its Pokémon Distribution Is Fairly Average
As of Generation VIII, there are a total of 70 Ground type Pokémon in the Pokédex, including alternate forms like Mega Evolutions and regional variants. This makes up 7.71% of Pokémon, putting Ground right in the middle of the pack in terms of how common it is compared to other types.
Of these 70 Pokémon, about a quarter are purely Ground type without a second typing. This is also about in the middle when comparing the rate of single type Pokémon of other types, further cementing Ground's position as a very average type.
8 There Were A Ton Of Ground Types In Generation I
Generation I introduced the most Ground types of any generation to date with a whopping 14. The number of Ground types introduced in each generation has fluctuated quite a bit, with Generation VI introducing just two: the first-ever Normal/Ground type Diggersby and the legendary Dragon/Ground Zygarde, now known as Zygarde 50% forme. In terms of move, Generation I and VI actually tied for introducing the most moves with five each, while Generations IV and V introduced just two each.
7 Generation VI Was The Only Generation Without A Pure Ground Type
While pure ground types are not exceptionally common, they have been present in every single Pokémon generation, with one exception. Generation VI is the only generation not to include a pure Ground type. Generation VI is well renowned in the Pokémon fandom for being very small in terms of new content, as it introduced the fewest new Pokémon, moves, and abilities overall. This was likely due in part to it marking the transition from 2D games to 3D ones, but its still a shame that Ground types got the short end of the stick for that period.
6 Ground And Electric Have An Odd Relationship In The Anime
Ground is one of only four Pokémon types to have an immunity, in this case to the Electric type. This is absolute in the games, but the Pokémon anime took some liberties with these rules several times throughout the early years.
In the iconic "Showdown at Pewter City" episode, the fifth episode of the original anime, Ash's Pikachu is able to hit several Ground types with Electric type attacks after being supercharged at a local power plant. Later in that battle, Brock's Onix is doused in water, potentially mimicking the effects of the move Soak, though that move wouldn't debut until over ten years later in Generation V.
5 Flying And Ground Are Very Compatible
The Flying and Ground types are polar opposites in many ways, but in Pokémon terms this actually makes them powerful allies. Both types that resist Flying (Rock and Electric) are weak to Ground type moves, and the reverse is also true. This means that a Pokémon with both Flying and Ground type moves will be able to hit almost every other type for at least neutral damage. This Pokémon would also have two immunities, Electric and Ground, making it an exceptionally powerful defensive typing as well. Currently, Landorus and the Gligar line are the only Pokémon with this typing, but more could easily be added in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet.
4 Ground Is Lumped In With Fighting In The TCG
The Pokémon TCG's typing system works slightly differently than the main games. The most notable difference is that there are fewer types, which means that some are absorbed into others. In the TCG, Rock, Ground, and Fighting types are all categorized as Fighting types. For this reason, Fighting types are strong against Colorless, Darkness, and Lighting types, analogous to Normal, Dark, and Electric types respectively. This is one of only a few cases where an "elemental" type like Fire, Rock, or Ground, is lumped in with a more "metaphysical" type like Psychic, Fighting, or Dark.
3 More Pokémon Are Immune To Ground Than Any Other Type
While Ground is a very potent offensive type, it is something of an all-or-nothing proposition. Thanks to the overwhelming popularity of the Flying type and the Levitate ability, more Pokémon are immune to the Ground type than any other type.
To add to these natural immunities, moves like Magnet Rise and Telekinesis can make a Pokémon immune to Ground type moves, as can the Air Balloon item. Ground types have several ways to address this weakness, including the Rock type move Smack down and the Psychic type move Gravity.
2 Ground Has Only One Non-Evolving Pokémon
Evolution is a key mechanic in the Pokémon franchise, as it gives players something to look forward to as they advance through the games. Many Pokémon, however, are not part of any evolutionary family and simply stand on their own. Ground has only a single non-legendary Pokémon that is not part of any evolution line, the Ground/Electric type Stunfisk introduced in Generation V. Ground is the only type to have just one non-evolving Pokémon, and while Stunfisk got a regional form in Generation VIII, it has yet to receive the evolution that fans desperately want.
1 Ground Has The Fewest Specialists Of Any Type
Ground type Pokémon are not very common among named specialists in the games like gym leaders and Elite Four members. There are only four major Ground type specialists in all the main series games, tying Ground with Flying for having the fewest specialists. Two of these specialists, Giovanni from Generation I and Bertha from Generation IV, use non-Ground type Pokémon in their teams, with Giovanni's Persian being one of his most signature Pokémon. Whether fans will get to see more Ground type specialists in future generations remains to be seen, but there is certainly room for the type to grow.