VGC16 Spotlight: Primal Groudon

« Previous Article

Home

Next Article »

Introduction

Primal Groudon is one of the strongest Pokémon introduced in Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, and possibly the most dangerous threat VGC has ever experienced. Groudon's first appearance in the VGC scene was back in 2010. In this format, Groudon was one of the most dominant Pokémon, only second to Kyogre, thanks to its very good stats and movepool that gave it the bulk and the power to dominate the metagame.

With the introduction of ORAS, Groudon acquired a powerful spread 120-Base Power Ground-type move in Precipice Blades and a Primal forme that gave it an immunity to Water-type attacks, as well as some massive boosts to its Attack, Defense, and Special Attack. All of this together made Primal Groudon the most used Pokémon in VGC, and the most successful as well.

Qualities

Primal Groudon's terrifying base 180 Attack, together with Precipice Blades, allows it to 2HKO most Pokémon in the metagame with no problem. It also has other coverage moves at its disposal, such as Fire Punch and Rock Slide, which allow Primal Groudon to hit almost everything for neutral damage. Its Special Attack stat is not lackluster either, as with base 150 Special Attack many of Primal Groudon's special attacks will do massive damage as well. The most notable example of this is Eruption, capable of 2HKOing more than half of the metagame, even common Fire-resistant Pokémon. Together with other powerful special moves such as Flamethrower, Overheat, Earth Power, and even Thunderbolt, Primal Groudon can go both ways with no problem. Furthermore, Primal Groudon doesn't fall short in the defense department, as its 100 / 160 / 90 bulk makes it almost impossible to take it down in one hit, especially a physical one. Another one of its qualities, and possibly the most notorious one, is Desolate Land. Primal Groudon's signature ability allows it to not only boost its Fire-type STAB moves even further, but it also makes Water-type attacks useless, which benefits both Primal Groudon, which only has one weakness thanks to this, and its partner.

Even with all these positive traits, Primal Groudon still has some flaws that can be exploited. By Ubers standards, its special bulk is nothing to be proud of, which leaves Primal Groudon vulnerable to a lot of special attacks, even getting 2HKOed by Geomancy-boosted Xerneas. It also sits at the unfortunate base 90 Speed tier, which is occupied by many of the restricted Pokémon, meaning that often it will Speed tie against other restricted Pokémon, such as Primal Kyogre and Dialga, or against opposing Primal Groudon. Its base Speed also makes it disappointing in some aspects. For example, on Trick Room teams, it won't be able to underspeed Pokémon such as Mega Mawile and Amoonguss, and faster Primal Groudon variants will only outspeed Smeargle.

---

Playing with Primal Groudon

A Raging Earthquake

Groudon-Primal @ Red Orb

Ability: Desolate Land

Level: 50

EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD

Brave Nature

- Precipice Blades

- Fire Punch

- Swords Dance / Rock Slide / Eruption

- Protect

With its overwhelming base 180 Attack, Primal Groudon can make excellent use of its physical moves to deal serious amounts of damage from one hit and act as a superb late-game cleaner. Precipice Blades is a must on these sets; however, the other two slots can be modified to the team's needs or the player's preference. Eruption may look pretty weird on a physical set, but even with the lack of investment, its damage output can be really devastating. Rock Slide serves the lone purpose of hitting Flying-type Pokémon, especially Talonflame and Ho-Oh, two Pokémon that resist Primal Groudon's other attacks. Swords Dance is an interesting option, being able to punish a double Protect or capitalize on a key misplay on the opponent's end. Protect is a VGC staple, allowing Primal Groudon to stall out field effects and protect itself from incoming attacks.

---

An Erupting Volcano

Groudon-Primal @ Red Orb

Ability: Drought

Level: 50

EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

Timid / Hasty Nature

- Eruption

- Earth Power

- Flamethrower / Hidden Power Ice / Precipice Blades / Overheat

- Protect

Primal Groudon has a very usable base 150 Special Attack, and this set showcases it very well. Eruption is stunningly powerful when coming from 202 Special Attack, dealing a massive amount of damage to even common Fire-resistant Pokémon. Earth Power is used to OHKO other Primal Groudon, as well as to deal good damage after it has been damaged and doesn't have a full-power Eruption anymore. Flamethrower is the go-to Fire-type move if Primal Groudon has received damage, while Precipice Blades allows Groudon to deal damage to more specially bulky Pokémon, like Kyogre and boosted Xerneas. Lastly, Overheat acts like a nuke button, and it's used to score an otherwise impossible OHKO against Yveltal and Mega Kangaskhan before they deal more damage.

---

Things to keep in mind while playing with Primal Groudon

It's rare to see Primal Groudon without any kind of support. Due to its weird Speed tier, Primal Groudon teams are forced to have a way to speed control, be it Tailwind from Crobat or Mega Salamence, Thunder Wave or Nuzzle from Thundurus, Raichu, or Zapdos, Icy Wind from Cresselia or Suicune, or Trick Room from Bronzong or Cresselia. With a speed advantage, Groudon becomes extremely dangerous, as it's capable of even beating common checks one-on-one with the proper speed control.

Another common support Primal Groudon teams have is Gravity. Gravity makes Precipice Blades totally devastating, as it removes the miss chance while also enabling Primal Groudon to hit Flying-type and Levitate Pokémon, giving Primal Groudon almost no defensive checks.

---

Other Options

Primal Groudon has access to a few other options outside of its main sets. Thunder Punch on the physical set hits Primal Kyogre for reliable damage on the switch without risking the accuracy of Precipice Blades. This also applies to Talonflame leads if you feel that Rock Slide is a bit too risky. However, revealing the lure so early in the match can come back to bite you in the neck. Thunder Wave is also a viable option to punish Rayquaza and Salamence for switching in; most people find a paralyzed dragon a bad one. Both variants can viably use Substitute to punish passive plays. A Primal Groudon behind a Substitute is a frightening prospect, as most attacks can't penetrate the Substitute. Special variants can viably use Thunderbolt and Thunder to hit the myriad of different Flying- and Water-types that check Primal Groudon. Both moves hit Primal Kyogre for more damage than Earth Power with a nifty chance to paralyze.

There are also many different benchmarks Primal Groudon can hit. One of the most prominent benchmarks is 28 HP / 4 SpD. This makes Dazzling Gleam from a boosted Xerneas a guaranteed 3HKO. Another common defensive benchmark is 252 HP / 60 SpD. This lets Primal Groudon survive Earth Power from opposing neutral-natured Primal Groudon. It is not worth it to run enough EVs to survive Earth Power from Quiet / Modest Groudon, as that cuts into your offenses greatly. Each Primal Groudon variant can perform well on either regular gameplay or on Trick Room teams, so it's honestly a matter of preference if you want to run a fast or slow Primal Groudon. If you don't care about Speed ties anymore, running enough EVs to hit 140 Speed is an option; this still beats Smeargle by one point, so it can be used if you want or need the extra bulk.

Mixed Primal Groudon can use a Mild nature too, as this further increases the power of both special STAB moves and allows it to invest more in Attack for a more dangerous Precipice Blades.

Playing against Primal Groudon

While the behemoth most certainly chooses the number one rank as its throne, it has its fair share of checks. Its most exploitable weakness is definitely its Water-type weakness. You might be wondering "Why is Primal Groudon vulnerable to Water-type moves if it has Desolate Land?" The answer is simple: it can't keep harsh sun up forever. Specifically, Primal Kyogre and Rayquaza can nullify Primal Groudon's Water immunity and allow a partner, such as Mega Gengar, Zapdos, Thundurus, Mega Manectric, Suicune, Azumarill, or Gyarados to dispatch it in one hit. Primal Kyogre itself acts as a solid check, beating the special variant with ease but having to fear Precipice Blades.

Mega Rayquaza, however, is even more threatening to Primal Groudon than as just a weather removal tool. Besides learning Water-type moves by itself, it can carry both Draco Meteor and Earth Power, strong special attacks that can OHKO Primal Groudon if you're using a special variant. Dragon Ascent doesn't fall short either, as it can consistently 2HKO Primal Groudon regardless of the variant and go with minor injuries, as its Dragon / Flying typing allows Mega Rayquaza to shrug off Primal Groudon's STAB moves. Mega Rayquaza's enhanced bulk allows it to take Groudon's Fire-type moves as if they were nothing, and together with Delta Stream nullifying its weakness to Primal Groudon's Rock-type moves, Mega Rayquaza is capable of checking Primal Groudon consistently.

Dragon / Flying typing isn't exclusive to Rayquaza, however. Another well-known check for Primal Groudon is Mega Salamence, and for a couple of reasons. First of all, Intimidate before Mega Evolving hinders Primal Groudon's offense if it happens to be physical, allowing Mega Salamence to beat it with ease, as it won't be bothered by its Rock-type coverage options. However, Mega Salamence is vulnerable to the special variant and cannot switch into it safely. Landorus-T shares the Intimidate properties Salamence has, together with having a strong Earthquake, but it's more susceptible to Primal Groudon's Fire-type coverage.

Lastly, Primal Groudon has to be aware of itself. Primal Groudon is never safe in the mirror matchup, as even full-power Eruption can 2HKO it. It also requires the player to realize what kind of variant the opposing's Primal Groudon is, together with what conditions one has to avoid to not let the opposing Primal Groudon win the game by itself. Gravity and speed control methods are important to keep in mind, together with noticing whether Primal Groudon is physical or special.

Teams

Perfect coverage

Xerneas + Groudon is one of the most solid and consistent restricted pairings you'll find. Commonly associated with the phrase "Big 6," this archetype quickly became popular and is arguably the best team to date. These two are generally seen with Salamence / Talonflame / Kangaskhan / Smeargle, though variations with Cresselia or Bronzong are also common. Why is it so good? Simple. The team itself exerts an incredible pressure on the opponent, pretty much forcing them to play a perfect game in order to overcome the matchup. If they mess up, even once, the consequences might be devastating, especially with strong tools like Geomancy Xerneas, Tailwind, Trick Room, Dark Void, and Swords Dance Groudon.

Although it's one of the strongest teams out there, it's not free of weaknesses. One of the most important ones is probably how the team can get dismantled easily if not managed properly. A wrong lead matchup might cost you the game in three or four turns if you aren't capable of managing it properly. Another flaw is definitely its weakness to opposing Primals. Primal Kyogre can, if it gets a free switch into Primal Groudon, freely spam Water-type attacks without any consequences, as Big 6 lacks a clear Kyogre answer besides Primal Groudon. Opposing Groudon, on the other hand, not only put Xerneas in check but also are capable of beating Primal Groudon.

---

Weather wars are back!

Another solid pair of restricted Pokémon, Primal Groudon and its counterpart make for a solid core. It has a superior matchup versus Xerneas + Groudon thanks to the pressure it exerts over Xerneas and Groudon, not giving them enough time to set up or attack freely, which allows them to do massive damage before the player can even do something about it. The same offensive pressure can dismantle many other teams with ease if not prepared for accordingly, not only as team matchup but also as mentality. This archetype has been extremely consistent throughout the year, placing high and even winning some tournaments from time to time. However, this archetype relies heavily on speed control, giving it a really exploitable weakness.

---

Sun = Death

Yet another popular pair of restricted Pokémon, Yveltal + Groudon is arguably the archetype that the most teams are weak to. A combination of Yveltal's frighteningly powerful attacks coupled with Primal Groudon's sheer power and the ability to break each other's checks allow this archetype to thrive. The archetype can struggle majorly to deal with Xerneas + Groudon, given that this team's best Primal check is Yveltal, which Xerneas completely shuts down. Matt Coyle's 2nd Place Florida team features Primal Groudon / Yveltal / Thundurus / Kangaskhan / Amoonguss / Crobat. The most popular of these teams is Arash Ommati's Yveltal + Groudon, given that it featured a really unexpected Pokémon and took Germany Nationals.

---

Slow but deadly

Primal Groudon fits well on a Trick Room team with two members of the Creation Trio, Dialga and Palkia. Both of these provide Trick Room and fill in a restricted Pokémon slot. These teams are interesting, as they are not commonly seen, only having two top cut with each over the past two months. The team's positive traits are definitely the incredible synergy they have with each other, as Palkia walls Primal Kyogre entirely while Groudon takes care of Xerneas, Palkia's strongest foe. A great example of this archetype is Aaron Zheng's team, consisting of Primal Groudon / Palkia / Cresselia / Kangaskhan / Amoonguss / Landorus-T.

---

Accuracy doesn't mean less power

Gravity has been a solid archetype for the majority of the metagame, and it dismantles a few different types of archetypes, mainly because of the lack of Ice-resistant Pokémon in the metagame, making Blizzard unmatched in damage output. This archetype is known for setting up Gravity and letting Kyurem-W and Primal Groudon spam Blizzard and Precipice Blades with little-to-no cost. A common framework for this type of team is Primal Groudon / Kyurem-W / one or two Gravity setters / Mega / Support. SalaMenace earned second place at Anaheim Regionals with a team of Primal Groudon / Kyurem-W / Meowstic-M / Kangaskhan / Machamp / Smeargle.

---

Slightly cloudy

The most recent and unexplored archetype, Rayquaza + Primal Groudon showcases a really explosive playstyle. Having some of the highest base stat totals in the game, both Pokémon focus on sheer offense, holding nothing back against any other archetype. When paired up, both lack safe switch-ins, as Fire / Flying coverage is very complex to cover, and the Pokémon capable of handling the combination get severely weakened by full-power Eruption or Life Orb-boosted Dragon Ascent or defeated by Primal Groudon's Ground-type attacks. However, these Pokémon cannot afford to take many hits, as they are frail and lack recovery options. This leads many players to pick defensive support Pokémon as teammates for this destructive duo, although some also prefer having more offensive Pokémon to further increase the offensive pressure the team can apply from turn one, like Koutake Hideo did for his Japanese Nationals team, which happened to place first at said tournament.

---

The drought has just begun

Versatility and sheer power are the selling points that left Primal Groudon on the top since the very beginning of VGC16 and even before, back in the Generation Showdown cup. That, together with its lack of weaknesses, really leaves you with no reason to not use one in your team. So, what are you waiting for? Go ahead and try the Continent Pokémon out in the VGC format!

« Previous Article

Home

Next Article »

All guides and strategy information are © 2004 Smogon.com and its contributors. Pokémon is © 1995 Nintendo. Privacy Policy