[OVERVIEW]
At first glance, Groudon may not seem to have what it takes to be a defining force in Ubers. However, it's one of the best wallbreakers and sweepers in the whole tier. With its signature move, Precipice Blades, and excellent Attack, offensive Groudon sets can even stop Zygarde from transforming into Zygarde-C through pure force. Defensively, Groudon's typing and excellent physical bulk let it check physical threats such as Zekrom. Good bulk, an immunity to Thunder Wave, and several boosting options in Rock Polish, Bulk Up, and Swords Dance allow Groudon to decimate many common defensive cores, and these traits give it an easy time setting up on common Pokemon such as Necrozma-DM. Groudon does have trouble getting past the few checks it does have, although even these can be dealt with with the right coverage move. Groudon's main flaws are that its attacks often have low accuracy and it has no reliable recovery, meaning it can be worn down over time by status, Knock Off, and repeated attacks; additionally, if it lacks Rock Polish, Groudon is slow and prone to being picked off by faster threats such as Calyrex-S.
[SET]
name: Bulky Booster
move 1: Precipice Blades
move 2: Stone Edge
move 3: Bulk Up / Swords Dance
move 4: Heat Crash / Toxic / Thunder Wave
item: Leftovers
ability: Drought
nature: Adamant
evs: 240 HP / 252 Atk / 16 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
This set makes use of Groudon's naturally high physical bulk to provide more support for its team, as well as being a terrifying wallbreaker in its own right. Without Rock Polish, Groudon can run another coverage option or a status move to help deal with its normal checks, such as Zarude, Buzzwole, Tangrowth, and Lunala. Bulk Up gives a better matchup against Zygarde than Swords Dance, and it gives Groudon superior physical bulk after boosting. Swords Dance facilitates a more defensive EV spread that gives Groudon more bulk without boosting that can be used to lure in and defeat Foul Play Yveltal and better check physical attackers in a pinch. The last moveslot is very flexible. Heat Crash is a great coverage option to KO Buzzwole, Zarude, Tangrowth, Skarmory, and Corviknight, which would otherwise wall Groudon. Notably, Heat Crash under sun will typically do just as much damage as Precipice Blades will to a neutral target, easing Groudon's accuracy issues. Toxic is useful to break down Lunala and Zygarde over time. Thunder Wave provides nice team support and helps patch up Groudon's low Speed. 240 HP EVs improve Leftovers recovery; Leftovers and higher HP investment give this set more bulk to check Zekrom and other physical attackers, and they prolong Groudon's sweeping potential. Maximum Attack investment ensures Groudon will hit hard as possible after a Bulk Up, being able to OHKO Tangrowth with Heat Crash. 16 Speed EVs work well alongside Thunder Wave or paralysis support to outspeed paralyzed Calyrex-S. Another option is to run a spread of 224 HP / 108 Atk / 160 Def / 16 Spe with an Impish nature; it is preferred for Swords Dance sets, notably giving Groudon the bulk to survive a Foul Play from Yveltal even after it has used Swords Dance. The Attack investment is used to always KO specially defensive Yveltal with Stone Edge.
Other paralysis spreaders like Necrozma-DM, Ho-Oh, and Zygarde are good teammates to help make up for Groudon's poor Speed. This Groudon will often inflict status onto or KO Yveltal, so Pokemon that can sweep with Yveltal gone, such as Calyrex-S, are great teammates. If you are running Heat Crash, physical attackers that appreciate Tangrowth or Buzzwole being gone, such as Zekrom and Marshadow, make good partners. Clerics such as Xerneas, Calyrex-S, Blissey, and Clefable will be able to keep Groudon status free, which is especially relevant if Groudon is trying to break through Lunala or Zygarde. This set can struggle to break through defensive Zygarde, so switch-ins to Zygarde such as Lunala, Buzzwole, and Xerneas are great partners.
[SET]
name: Double Dance
move 1: Precipice Blades
move 2: Stone Edge
move 3: Rock Polish
move 4: Swords Dance
item: Life Orb / Lum Berry
ability: Drought
nature: Adamant
evs: 180 HP / 252 Atk / 76 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Precipice Blades and Stone Edge give Groudon great neutral coverage. Rock Polish makes Groudon faster than everything in the metagame bar Choice Scarf Calyrex-S. Swords Dance makes Groudon incredibly strong and gives it the power to break through most physical walls. For example, +2 Life Orb Groudon has an 81.3% chance to OHKO defensive Zygarde, giving it no chance to transform into Zygarde-C. Life Orb gives Groudon great power with or without Swords Dance. However, Lum Berry can be run to better protect Groudon from status such as poison from Eternatus's Toxic Spikes, burn from Lunala's Will-O-Wisp, and paralysis from Zygarde's Glare. Also, the lack of recoil prevents opponents from switching around to get chip damage on it, which can be critical to defeating a damaged Groudon in a pinch. The given EV spread outspeeds uninvested Yveltal and Xerneas.
This set is fairly straightforward to use, and it works well on offensive teams. Groudon will appreciate offensive teammates that can help break down its few checks. Zekrom is fantastic for this, luring in and severely damaging Tangrowth or Buzzwole with Draco Meteor. Marshadow is another good physical partner, as its strong Spectral Thief will take out Lunala. In return, Groudon can KO Zygarde. Xerneas and offensive Eternatus have good synergy with Groudon as well, as Groudon can come in on Necrozma-DM, which they attract in. For hyper offense teams, Froslass and Aerodactyl lay down entry hazards and prevent the opponent from laying their own with Taunt. Grimmsnarl is another fantastic hyper offense partner, switching into Calyrex-S, which may try to revenge kill Groudon, and setting up dual screens, making Groudon terrifyingly hard to KO.
[SET]
name: Defensive
move 1: Precipice Blades
move 2: Stone Edge / Rock Slide / Dragon Tail
move 3: Stealth Rock
move 4: Toxic / Dragon Tail / Thunder Wave
item: Leftovers
ability: Drought
nature: Impish
evs: 252 HP / 240 Def / 16 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Physically defensive Groudon is one of the best sources of Stealth Rock besides Necrozma-DM in the tier. It also provides a good check to some dangerous setup sweepers such as Zekrom and Dragon Dance Necrozma-DM. Precipice Blades will still do decent damage generally, even without Attack investment. Stone Edge and Rock Slide are great coverage options, and they notably make the most common Defoggers in the tier, Yveltal and Ho-Oh, very afraid of switching into Groudon. Toxic gives Groudon a decent way of punishing switch-ins such as Zygarde and Yveltal. Dragon Tail can be used to phaze foes and rack up entry hazard damage. It particularly punishes Zygarde nicely. Thunder Wave is another option that can cripple switch-ins, but you need to watch out for Zygarde. 16 Speed EVs are run to outspeed a paralyzed Calyrex-S.
This set’s biggest flaws are its lack of reliable recovery and vulnerability to status. Because of this, you will want to pair it with a cleric like Xerneas or Blissey. Blissey can even provide Thunder Wave support and check Kyogre. Ferrothorn is good to heal Groudon with Leech Seed and provide Spikes support, which helps Dragon Tail sets. Ferrothorn can also switch into Kyogre, which often switches into Groudon. Necrozma-DM has good synergy with this set, as it appreciates Groudon's sun support for Moonlight, and Groudon can provide extra insurance against physical wallbreakers such as Zekrom and Marshadow. This pairing also frees up a moveslot on Necrozma-DM that is normally reserved for Stealth Rock. For example, it could run Knock Off to cripple Ho-Oh, which then cannot use Defog in front of Groudon due to fear of a Rock-type move, thus severely limiting its presence for the rest of the game and keeping Stealth Rock on the field.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
====
Heat Rock can be used if you pair Groudon with Pokemon to take advantage of sun, such as Weather Ball Zekrom and Ho-Oh. Precipice Blades and Stone Edge can be replaced with Earthquake and Rock Slide on all sets for their higher accuracy, but Groudon loses notable wallbreaking power, especially against Zygarde and Yveltal. Rock Slide’s flinch chance can be situationally useful on teams that heavily utilize paralysis. Overheat can be run over Heat Crash, since it will still OHKO Tangrowth and Buzzwole, and it has the advantage of not needing a boost to do so. However, Overheat doesn't offset Groudon's inaccurate attacks like Heat Crash does, and it can be played around should you happen to use it at the wrong time. Rest can be used on defensive sets to have more longevity. Dragon Claw could be used to hit Dragon-types like Giratina-O, but they are sufficiently rare to not make it worth it. Rocky Helmet is a possible item on defensive sets to punish physical attackers, but Groudon needs the recovery from Leftovers much more, since it lacks reliable recovery.
Checks and Counters
====
**Lunala**: Lunala can come in on pretty much anything Groudon throws at it and burn Groudon, phaze it, or do massive damage to it with Ice Beam or Moongeist Beam. Lunala doesn’t like status, however.
**Zygarde-C**: Zygarde-C has the bulk to deal with Double Dance Groudon. This pressures Groudon to defeat Zygarde before it transforms. Additionally, Zygarde has the bulk to deal with most bulky Swords Dance Groudon, even before transforming. Against Bulk Up Groudon, defensive Zygarde will typically have the advantage thanks to Coil, Glare, and Rest.
**Landorus-T**: Landorus-T can pivot in on Groudon thanks to Intimidate and its immunity to Precipice Blades. However, Landorus-T has no recovery outside of Leftovers, and it must watch out for being weakened over time.
**Grass-types**: Grass-types such as Tangrowth and Zarude resist Ground and are neutral against Rock, giving Groudon a harder time breaking past them. However, they will easily be KOed by Heat Crash.
**Buzzwole**: Buzzwole has great physical bulk and resists Ground, completely walling any Groudon aside from Heat Crash sets.
**Revenge Killers**: Choice Scarf Calyrex-S has the Speed to outrun Groudon even after a Rock Polish boost. Foul Play Yveltal, Xerneas, and Choice Specs Calyrex-S can do massive damage or KO Groudon if it has not boosted its Speed.
**Giratina**: While rare, Giratina and Giratina-O both have the bulk to tank Groudon and either status it, phaze it, or damage it significantly.
**Corviknight and Skarmory**: Corviknight and Skarmory have little to fear from Groudon apart from Heat Crash, and they can use it to set up Spikes, use Defog, or otherwise gain momentum.
**Lugia**: Lugia with Multiscale up can come in and phaze Groudon with minimal worries. However, Lugia must stay at 100% HP, lest it fall to a boosted Stone Edge.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Manaphy, 50695]]
- Quality checked by: [[SiTuM, 274590], [Fc, 511624]]
- Grammar checked by: [[Finland, 517429], [Rabia, 336073]]
At first glance, Groudon may not seem to have what it takes to be a defining force in Ubers. However, it's one of the best wallbreakers and sweepers in the whole tier. With its signature move, Precipice Blades, and excellent Attack, offensive Groudon sets can even stop Zygarde from transforming into Zygarde-C through pure force. Defensively, Groudon's typing and excellent physical bulk let it check physical threats such as Zekrom. Good bulk, an immunity to Thunder Wave, and several boosting options in Rock Polish, Bulk Up, and Swords Dance allow Groudon to decimate many common defensive cores, and these traits give it an easy time setting up on common Pokemon such as Necrozma-DM. Groudon does have trouble getting past the few checks it does have, although even these can be dealt with with the right coverage move. Groudon's main flaws are that its attacks often have low accuracy and it has no reliable recovery, meaning it can be worn down over time by status, Knock Off, and repeated attacks; additionally, if it lacks Rock Polish, Groudon is slow and prone to being picked off by faster threats such as Calyrex-S.
[SET]
name: Bulky Booster
move 1: Precipice Blades
move 2: Stone Edge
move 3: Bulk Up / Swords Dance
move 4: Heat Crash / Toxic / Thunder Wave
item: Leftovers
ability: Drought
nature: Adamant
evs: 240 HP / 252 Atk / 16 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
This set makes use of Groudon's naturally high physical bulk to provide more support for its team, as well as being a terrifying wallbreaker in its own right. Without Rock Polish, Groudon can run another coverage option or a status move to help deal with its normal checks, such as Zarude, Buzzwole, Tangrowth, and Lunala. Bulk Up gives a better matchup against Zygarde than Swords Dance, and it gives Groudon superior physical bulk after boosting. Swords Dance facilitates a more defensive EV spread that gives Groudon more bulk without boosting that can be used to lure in and defeat Foul Play Yveltal and better check physical attackers in a pinch. The last moveslot is very flexible. Heat Crash is a great coverage option to KO Buzzwole, Zarude, Tangrowth, Skarmory, and Corviknight, which would otherwise wall Groudon. Notably, Heat Crash under sun will typically do just as much damage as Precipice Blades will to a neutral target, easing Groudon's accuracy issues. Toxic is useful to break down Lunala and Zygarde over time. Thunder Wave provides nice team support and helps patch up Groudon's low Speed. 240 HP EVs improve Leftovers recovery; Leftovers and higher HP investment give this set more bulk to check Zekrom and other physical attackers, and they prolong Groudon's sweeping potential. Maximum Attack investment ensures Groudon will hit hard as possible after a Bulk Up, being able to OHKO Tangrowth with Heat Crash. 16 Speed EVs work well alongside Thunder Wave or paralysis support to outspeed paralyzed Calyrex-S. Another option is to run a spread of 224 HP / 108 Atk / 160 Def / 16 Spe with an Impish nature; it is preferred for Swords Dance sets, notably giving Groudon the bulk to survive a Foul Play from Yveltal even after it has used Swords Dance. The Attack investment is used to always KO specially defensive Yveltal with Stone Edge.
Other paralysis spreaders like Necrozma-DM, Ho-Oh, and Zygarde are good teammates to help make up for Groudon's poor Speed. This Groudon will often inflict status onto or KO Yveltal, so Pokemon that can sweep with Yveltal gone, such as Calyrex-S, are great teammates. If you are running Heat Crash, physical attackers that appreciate Tangrowth or Buzzwole being gone, such as Zekrom and Marshadow, make good partners. Clerics such as Xerneas, Calyrex-S, Blissey, and Clefable will be able to keep Groudon status free, which is especially relevant if Groudon is trying to break through Lunala or Zygarde. This set can struggle to break through defensive Zygarde, so switch-ins to Zygarde such as Lunala, Buzzwole, and Xerneas are great partners.
[SET]
name: Double Dance
move 1: Precipice Blades
move 2: Stone Edge
move 3: Rock Polish
move 4: Swords Dance
item: Life Orb / Lum Berry
ability: Drought
nature: Adamant
evs: 180 HP / 252 Atk / 76 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Precipice Blades and Stone Edge give Groudon great neutral coverage. Rock Polish makes Groudon faster than everything in the metagame bar Choice Scarf Calyrex-S. Swords Dance makes Groudon incredibly strong and gives it the power to break through most physical walls. For example, +2 Life Orb Groudon has an 81.3% chance to OHKO defensive Zygarde, giving it no chance to transform into Zygarde-C. Life Orb gives Groudon great power with or without Swords Dance. However, Lum Berry can be run to better protect Groudon from status such as poison from Eternatus's Toxic Spikes, burn from Lunala's Will-O-Wisp, and paralysis from Zygarde's Glare. Also, the lack of recoil prevents opponents from switching around to get chip damage on it, which can be critical to defeating a damaged Groudon in a pinch. The given EV spread outspeeds uninvested Yveltal and Xerneas.
This set is fairly straightforward to use, and it works well on offensive teams. Groudon will appreciate offensive teammates that can help break down its few checks. Zekrom is fantastic for this, luring in and severely damaging Tangrowth or Buzzwole with Draco Meteor. Marshadow is another good physical partner, as its strong Spectral Thief will take out Lunala. In return, Groudon can KO Zygarde. Xerneas and offensive Eternatus have good synergy with Groudon as well, as Groudon can come in on Necrozma-DM, which they attract in. For hyper offense teams, Froslass and Aerodactyl lay down entry hazards and prevent the opponent from laying their own with Taunt. Grimmsnarl is another fantastic hyper offense partner, switching into Calyrex-S, which may try to revenge kill Groudon, and setting up dual screens, making Groudon terrifyingly hard to KO.
[SET]
name: Defensive
move 1: Precipice Blades
move 2: Stone Edge / Rock Slide / Dragon Tail
move 3: Stealth Rock
move 4: Toxic / Dragon Tail / Thunder Wave
item: Leftovers
ability: Drought
nature: Impish
evs: 252 HP / 240 Def / 16 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Physically defensive Groudon is one of the best sources of Stealth Rock besides Necrozma-DM in the tier. It also provides a good check to some dangerous setup sweepers such as Zekrom and Dragon Dance Necrozma-DM. Precipice Blades will still do decent damage generally, even without Attack investment. Stone Edge and Rock Slide are great coverage options, and they notably make the most common Defoggers in the tier, Yveltal and Ho-Oh, very afraid of switching into Groudon. Toxic gives Groudon a decent way of punishing switch-ins such as Zygarde and Yveltal. Dragon Tail can be used to phaze foes and rack up entry hazard damage. It particularly punishes Zygarde nicely. Thunder Wave is another option that can cripple switch-ins, but you need to watch out for Zygarde. 16 Speed EVs are run to outspeed a paralyzed Calyrex-S.
This set’s biggest flaws are its lack of reliable recovery and vulnerability to status. Because of this, you will want to pair it with a cleric like Xerneas or Blissey. Blissey can even provide Thunder Wave support and check Kyogre. Ferrothorn is good to heal Groudon with Leech Seed and provide Spikes support, which helps Dragon Tail sets. Ferrothorn can also switch into Kyogre, which often switches into Groudon. Necrozma-DM has good synergy with this set, as it appreciates Groudon's sun support for Moonlight, and Groudon can provide extra insurance against physical wallbreakers such as Zekrom and Marshadow. This pairing also frees up a moveslot on Necrozma-DM that is normally reserved for Stealth Rock. For example, it could run Knock Off to cripple Ho-Oh, which then cannot use Defog in front of Groudon due to fear of a Rock-type move, thus severely limiting its presence for the rest of the game and keeping Stealth Rock on the field.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
====
Heat Rock can be used if you pair Groudon with Pokemon to take advantage of sun, such as Weather Ball Zekrom and Ho-Oh. Precipice Blades and Stone Edge can be replaced with Earthquake and Rock Slide on all sets for their higher accuracy, but Groudon loses notable wallbreaking power, especially against Zygarde and Yveltal. Rock Slide’s flinch chance can be situationally useful on teams that heavily utilize paralysis. Overheat can be run over Heat Crash, since it will still OHKO Tangrowth and Buzzwole, and it has the advantage of not needing a boost to do so. However, Overheat doesn't offset Groudon's inaccurate attacks like Heat Crash does, and it can be played around should you happen to use it at the wrong time. Rest can be used on defensive sets to have more longevity. Dragon Claw could be used to hit Dragon-types like Giratina-O, but they are sufficiently rare to not make it worth it. Rocky Helmet is a possible item on defensive sets to punish physical attackers, but Groudon needs the recovery from Leftovers much more, since it lacks reliable recovery.
Checks and Counters
====
**Lunala**: Lunala can come in on pretty much anything Groudon throws at it and burn Groudon, phaze it, or do massive damage to it with Ice Beam or Moongeist Beam. Lunala doesn’t like status, however.
**Zygarde-C**: Zygarde-C has the bulk to deal with Double Dance Groudon. This pressures Groudon to defeat Zygarde before it transforms. Additionally, Zygarde has the bulk to deal with most bulky Swords Dance Groudon, even before transforming. Against Bulk Up Groudon, defensive Zygarde will typically have the advantage thanks to Coil, Glare, and Rest.
**Landorus-T**: Landorus-T can pivot in on Groudon thanks to Intimidate and its immunity to Precipice Blades. However, Landorus-T has no recovery outside of Leftovers, and it must watch out for being weakened over time.
**Grass-types**: Grass-types such as Tangrowth and Zarude resist Ground and are neutral against Rock, giving Groudon a harder time breaking past them. However, they will easily be KOed by Heat Crash.
**Buzzwole**: Buzzwole has great physical bulk and resists Ground, completely walling any Groudon aside from Heat Crash sets.
**Revenge Killers**: Choice Scarf Calyrex-S has the Speed to outrun Groudon even after a Rock Polish boost. Foul Play Yveltal, Xerneas, and Choice Specs Calyrex-S can do massive damage or KO Groudon if it has not boosted its Speed.
**Giratina**: While rare, Giratina and Giratina-O both have the bulk to tank Groudon and either status it, phaze it, or damage it significantly.
**Corviknight and Skarmory**: Corviknight and Skarmory have little to fear from Groudon apart from Heat Crash, and they can use it to set up Spikes, use Defog, or otherwise gain momentum.
**Lugia**: Lugia with Multiscale up can come in and phaze Groudon with minimal worries. However, Lugia must stay at 100% HP, lest it fall to a boosted Stone Edge.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Manaphy, 50695]]
- Quality checked by: [[SiTuM, 274590], [Fc, 511624]]
- Grammar checked by: [[Finland, 517429], [Rabia, 336073]]
Last edited:
