In the world of Pokemon, Ground-types are usually old reliable tanks that can go unnoticed but are worth having around. Ground-types are also good to keep around as they can help against popular types like Fire, Electric, and Steel. With that being said, Ground-types don't do so well against Grass-types, Ice-types, and Water-types. However, they usually have high hit points and solid defense, making them a great choice for any Pokemon Trainer.
In Pokemon Scarlet and Pokemon Violet, there is a good selection of Ground-types even featuring a new legendary. So for all the players that love a solid, tank brute, here is a list to help catch one of the unassuming unsung heroes.
7 South Province Area Three
To start, the South province area three contains some respectable options for Ground-type Pokemon. In this area, Paldean Wooper, Barboach, Toedscool, Mudbray, and Larvitar can be found. Toedscool is a new addition that is an odd-looking creature and isn't the strongest Pokemon but is definitely worth picking up. Similar to Tentacool, Toedscool is a squid-like mushroom that wanders Paldea. Not only does it look interesting, but it is a dual-type sharing both grass-type and ground-type properties.
The benefit of having these two types combined is that Grass-type counters Ground-types' weaknesses, meaning Toedscool avoids Grass and Water weaknesses and only takes half damage against other Ground-types. Interestingly, Toedscool, and Toedscruel are the only known Pokemon with the ability Mycelium Might which makes status moves go last but are not affected by the opponent's ability.
6 South Province Area Five
Straight into another South province area, this time, it is area 5! There are similar Pokemon in this area as there are in area 3, but there are some new additions. Across this area there is plenty of fields and grassland, so Grass-types, Bug-Types, and Ground-types are scattered all over the South. Players can expect to find Paldean Wooper, Barboach, Toedscool, Mudbray, Larvitar, Sandygast, Palossand, inland, and Gastrodon in the East Sea.
There is also a chance to catch Houndstone, a level 40 Pokemon that spends most of its time sleeping in graveyards. Houndstone is a Ghost-type but can be changed into a Ground-type as it is a tera Pokemon.
5 West Province Asado Desert
Moving into the bountiful Asado Desert that lies in the West province, there are a lot of great Ground-types available here, as expected in a desert. Players can find Phanpy, Donphan, Toedscool, Hippopotas, Sandile, Silicobra, and Mudbray within this sandy biome.
Within this desert, players can also find the Quaking Earth Titan; Great Tusk, a ground and Fighting-type Pokemon if playing the Scarlet version of the game. Or the Quaking Earth Titan; Iron Treads, a Ground, and Steel-type Pokemon, In Pokemon Violet. This beast is level 45 in both versions, so players will need to come prepared before facing off with the Earth Titan! And as a bonus, if players manage to beat all five trainers within Asado Desert they will gain the Earthquake TM as a reward.
4 East Province Area Three
From West To East, East province area three is a long stretch of desert in Paldea, another place players can expect to find some Ground-types. Within area three, Diglett, Dugtrio, Barboach, Toedscool, Silicobra, Mudsdale, and Larvitar can all be found.
Larvitar is an interesting one to look out for in this area as it is the first evolution of the pseudo-legendary Pokemon, Tyranitar. Players will need to have some Pokemon in the level range of the 20s and 30s when moving through this area. This Desert is also home to one of the new Pokemon Titans, Orthworm. Orthworm is a Steel-type, usually, Steel-types are weak to Ground-types however, due to its special ability, Orthworm is immune to this weakness. So, the Ground-types from this list will be of no use in this fight!
3 South Province Area Six
The South province area five is next up and is a tough area, located on the bottom left of Paldea. For this one, players must be prepared. Most of the trainers here will have Pokemon that are in the high 30s so expect to face some tough challenges.
The rewards for traversing through this area are more Ground-types like Donphan, Gible, Gabite, Diglett, Dugtrio, Whiscash, Mudbray, Mudsdale, Larvitar, Pupitar, and Gastrodon, who can be found in the West Sea. Within the South province area, six make sure to check out The Alfornada Gym. The Gym Leader Tulip specializes in Psychic-type Pokemon, not a bad match-up for Ground-types.
2 Casseroya Lake
A lake might not seem the best place to catch Ground types, however, there are a few. Players will find, Toedscool, Toedscruel, Palossand, Gastrodon in the West Sea. But these are not the main attraction. Ting-Lu, one of the new Legendary Pokemon introduced in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, resides in the Lake too. This Dark/Ground-type Pokemon will be a little harder to find than regular ones, though.
To find Ting-Lu, players will need to open a sealed entrance that is located on the Socarrat Trail, in the Casseroya Lake area. To break the seal players must remove eight stakes from the ground. The eight stakes are scattered around the Casseroya Lake area. Ting-Lu is a tank, with HP 155 and 125 Defense, players will need a lot of damage to take down this brute.
1 The Great Crater
Last, but by no means least, is The Great Crater, this area is only available upon completion of three storylines. Inside the Great Crater, usually near the hilly areas near research station two, there is a special paradox Pokemon available, called Sandy Shocks.
Sandy Shocks is what looks to be an ancient version of Magneton and is a dual-type, as it is a combination of Electric-type and Ground-type. Sandy Shocks comes with a very high Special Attack stat, sitting at 121 along with high speed which is 101. Sandy Shocks is exclusive to Pokemon Scarlet, so Violet players miss out on capturing Sandy Shocks in the wild and will have to settle for a trade.
Pokemon Scarlet & Violet is currently available on Nintendo Switch.